A Conversation with Jamie Arnette

EMG radio for today's culture and timeless truths come together it's reasoned relevant content apologetics worldview and answers to the questions that you need to know from Alex McFarlane ministries. This is true for a new generation radio and now the man who preached in 50 states and 50 days speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarlane why do we suffer and what should be our reaction when suffering comes along in life. Hi Alex McFarlane here truth for a new generation radio program. We've got an amazing show because we got an incredible guess that I want you to meet in just a minute but I will commit to the program is as I record this.

I'm on the road and duct. Certainly everyone knows the whole world is talk about the coronavirus and in others the initial health implications of that. But then there's the social and cultural political economic implications of that people are cleaning out grocery stores summer hoarding things and others are not able to get things they need.

Our president called Sunday, March 15 to be a national day of prayer and while tens of thousands of Christians were praying and no doubt our prank. The fact is, many churches, the majority of American churches want open. Sadly, in the 242 years of our nation's history. Sunday, March 15 is probably the least churched day in our nation's history.

More than ever we need to have our house in order and turn to the Lord to read the Scriptures second Corinthians chapter 6325, the apostle Paul wrote this he said we live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry and everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God elicit house as we patiently endure troubles and hardships calamities of every kind we've been beaten been put in prison faced angry mobs worked to exhaustion endured sleepless nights and gone without food and so clearly Pauly was suffering was. He also knew what it was to maintain a good testimony in times of suffering, so let me encourage all the look God is in control and there is a type of argument in apologetics called and offered teary RI argument from the greater to the lesser if if God can do the greater thing he can do the lesser think some is like this. If you could bench press 200 pounds, you could probably lift 2 pounds and so if God can create the world and pay for sin conquered the grave. If our Lord can be the creator Savior, the victorious king of eternity. He can help us through the next week, month six months so we turn to Christ, will I want you to meet a special friend in a in the course of ministry meet a lot of people. Some make more of an impression than others. Understandably so. And few people have ever inspired me like Jamie Arnett. We've been together doing some ministry this weekend and he's got a story of victorious Christian living. I want you to hear it and out. He, like few people I know he and his dear wife are a shining example of worshiping the Lord praising God in all situations. And you think the story of the Arnett family is going to be very significant in your heart so want to listen carefully, but personal Jamie. Welcome to TMG truth for new generation thanks for taking some time to be with us. Thank you for having me and I've enjoyed our weekend again has been amazing.

Thank you for the work you just spoke needs spoken such an articulate, fantastic lath and we need to be encouraging people to be firm in the faith in these uncertain times that you are pastor of a great church of first Baptist Church in Dillon, South Carolina. Dylan is a city on I-95, tens of thousands of people a day a month ago but go through Dylan and you've got the privilege of pastoring first Baptist.

Tell us about that when we have a wonderful church at first Baptist. We have an amazing body of believers. They are supportive of one another. There firm in the faith they stand on the word of God down there committed to our church and our community committed to Christ and says been a pleasure to serve such an amazing church. I feel like they've taught me more than I thought, than in many many ways well and that you and your wife have been married how long 30 years this coming July.

And how did you guys meet. We actually met at a summer camp at Pine Hill Baptist Retreat this run bark and association. The PD beds associations that we met there started dating and then the story goes on from there. The I've actually spoken at Pine Hill is a beautiful place and doubt now, now, folks, you know, one of the questions I get from young people, and I want to throw this to Jamie is on will if God loves me wise my wife so hard. If God loves me, why did things go wrong and why do we suffer lie even for Christian Jamie. Life is not without its challenges as it absolutely not, when we're young so you specifically when we talk about being married and young people getting married may stand in the alternately say I do a lot of times they they say, for better, for worse or rich or poor, and all those types of things, but I have no idea what's coming down the pike and so later on in life things might be drastically different than they than I had ever imagined. But in a God uses all these things did grow as amateurs in the faith and if I could just take a moment to let you share a little little bit about that you, Paul said that we are to love our wives, husbands or leather was as Christ loved the church and he gave himself for her. Well, it is one thing to say. That list is just black ink on white paper for most of us, but when you get to a situation like Kathy and I have had for the last 15 to 20 years. We realize that's not always the case units God is teaching us how to love our wives as Christ loved the church and so is a journey you've had a challenge in your marriage that for 99% of people would be unimaginable. Yes, about 15 years ago. Kathy was diagnosed with Huntington's disease and Huntington's disease is a neurological degenerative disease that begins to debilitate a person negative is described as having Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS at the same time because you have all of those types of symptoms and so since then, our life is drastically changed in many many different ways were she's completely dependent on a caregiver to feed her dress, her get her ready each day. She can't really do anything for herself and so we anticipate that 30 years ago.

Folks if you need your love for the Lord strengthened in Europe may be your appreciation for those around you stated in the story of Jamie and Kathy Arnett is going to continue untruth for new generation love Christianity in the face of Huntington's disease from I am a watchman ministries.

Here's today's I am a watchman minute the pandemic has ushered an unprecedented change in our world travel, work markets, health, and more have been impacted for most change any change is difficult is easy to become discouraged, weary, and even negative. However, in the midst of change and uncertainty watchman have an opportunity and responsibility to be a light and offer hope watchman can do this because they know as someone said things are not falling apart.

They are falling into place. It was prophesied that certain signs and troubles would come and that they would signal that the return of the Lord is near visit. I'm a watchman.com for information on how to turn to Christ. How to find peace and how to grow in the face.

People will be faithful, be a watchman, I am a watchman.com at liberty University you earn more than a degree in the satisfaction of seeing what you can accomplish and what God can accomplish through more than 600° options from associate 100% online more of discover God's truth through every degree at liberty University where we train champions for Christ good at liberty\explorer to learn more liberty\explorer learn more as a group more than $1 trillion in purchasing power watching by 2025 will comprise 75% of the workforce, so employers are watching these positives millennial using our faith is watching Maggie millennial's by millennial in a closer walk with Jesus because above all, God is watching engagement. You know Alex is writing for many years, and one of his classic books is still great. Today is a basic introduction to the Christian faith. It's called stand courtrooms must know for unshakable faith. This book will help you help your teens get off the roller coaster of doubt onto solid ground. You'll read about the six pillars of biblical Christianity. They are one inspiration of the Bible to the virgin birth. Three. The deity of Christ for atonement. Five. Christ's resurrection and six. Christ's return know Alex mixes it up with humor and stories gleaned from decades of working with youth and encourages things to build a foundation of faith that will stabilize their lives and help them take a stand for Christ. Simple and straightforward stand courtrooms you must know for an unshakable faith available wherever Christian books are so for apologetics, resources, books by Alex McFarland and to find out where Alex is speaking. Visit Alex McFarland.com in Romans chapter 8, Paul writes that he says he is convinced nothing can ever separate us from the love of God, not to death, angels, demons, Sears today worries tomorrow. Not even the powers of health can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Hi Alex McFarland you're welcome back to truth for a new generation ready at where we are hearing the inspiring story of Jamie and Kathy Arnett and death Jamie. Again, thanks for being willing to share before get too much farther because people travel and the people are all over America.

What is the website for first Baptist Dylan, and if people want to find you online. How could they do that. Why website is www.fvcdylan.com's is very simple and I can find my email there and contact information. That way, or they can contact us at 843-774-7387 so you and your wife were married 15 years ago. She begins to develop the symptoms of Huntington's disease.

Now again describe what Huntington's is. If you would. Huntington's disease is a neurological, degenerative disease, it starts, usually when a person is in their mid-30s candidate you can start earlier or later, but for Kathy started in her 30s and is just a gradual decline. A person's ability to to walk, to speak to talk to communicate to eat all these type of things and they become overtime totally dependent. How did you and she first began to get the indications that this disease was coming out. What were her first symptoms will do nicely recognize her for her symptoms as being Huntington's because she was having a few emotional issues and we can recognize that as being Huntington's but then she started having trouble with balance having some cognitive issues getting some things confusing and would begin to realize that she was having a problem and we began investigating and as we begin to do that.

It took us a while really convince people that we were looking at Huntington's disease because it looked a little bit different, but as we went to the genetic testing as she was diagnosed definitively know what was her career. At that point she had been a schoolteacher for 15 years. She taught second and third grades, and so she taught East elementary and she was a wonderful teacher loves kids and has always invested in young people, and when this front from the initial symptoms to it really began to take its toll on her daily life. How long of a period was that will the first five years.

She could still function fairly normal, in a lot of ways she could still walk but she had to have assistance over the last 10 years has been drastically different. We had to have basically full-time caregiver for the last 10 years were she can't walk at all. She can't feed herself and things of that nature.

So for the last 10 years has been a lot more demanding. You know Jamie when I came to your office at the church I saw pictures of you and your wife doing all the things that a young couple does in the prime of life and pretty wedding pictures and travel pictures and just a beautiful joyful couple you know in love with each other in love with the Lord and suddenly I'm in your world begins to take a turn that for most people would be unthinkable and again right in the palm of your young adult life.

How did that impact you. Not only is as a husband but even as a Christian, well to be honest with you is not an easy journey. We had to go through some some changes in for me things I did is at times when a question got in question was is happening to us more. I question God is.

Why can I help her and felt so helpless. During this particular journey and I remember one day I was having little bit of an issue and I was struggling and I said to God, I just ask him why, why can't I give her relief. It just seems so unfair and have always heard you shouldn't question God, but then one day I was thinking about that in a room of Jesus on the cross and he said to his father. This is the King of the universe. He says to his father why have you forsaken me in that darkest moment he felt like he been forsaken and said at times we may feel forsaken, is that those times when you really feel the grace of God that it really understand that initially, but I came to understand when Paul said that his grace is sufficient. I learned that the gravity of those words through this particular journey. When I got in my deepest darkest hours when I can call him and realized that his grace truly is sufficient for us. How has this impacted Kathy's walk with the Lord, will you know him.

She's been an amazing person through his whole journey and she yeah she is encouraged me in some way. She's taught me so many lessons in one of the things I think that she taught me and I'll just share this with you on one of things that Huntington's disease is a person can't really govern their temperament sometimes is not that they mean to do that. They just can't control it because the elements in the brain to help control temperament are impacted. One morning I'll try to get her dressed for church and I remember, I had to do here. Had to put her makeup on how to get addressed and sometimes when you start making those transitions, it gets a little volatile and she was not letting me get her dressed as I went and sat down. Is it okay when you're ready just let me know and we'll set up here and wait and I began to compound a little bit and I kind of started breathing under my breath to God in a civil got I don't understand this is a you told me love my wife as Christ loved the church and you want your church to be a radiant beautiful bride and this went on to do for her, and she won't let me in a slight guts. It will now you know it's like for me when I'm trying to get you dressed and I want to get you read your always pushing back and you won't let me shape you know what I want you to become down thinking about how this is definitely touched you as a as a Christian as a minister and as a husband for your pastor or church I pastored and no doubt you and I both have stood in front of many audiences and we preachers we can say live for Jesus, take up your cross, you, it's easy to preach it but it's not always easy to live at his brother, absolutely not. And I think when you go through these experiences, I think you can appreciate the things other people go through in your whole and more compassionate about the struggles they face and so I don't just want to give a pat answer, the more I realize there's a lot more to their story than what I maybe had felt before.

As I begin to look at them differently out a look at them with their their hurts, their struggles, and I cannot appreciate the things they go through. I think it really gives you a greater level of compassion for the people folks are talking with pastor Jamie Arnett and not his dear wife Kathy is suffering from Huntington's disease and I will you have to take a break now, folks you don't want to go away because there is practical take away for each and every one of us in this story, just a quick question the Jamie for those that want to learn more about Huntington's because this is a very very serious illness about as debilitating as any illness could possibly be. How how can people learn more about Huntington's. Well, there's a website you can go to this HDSA.org and that's Huntington's disease Society of America, and then give you a lot of information about the disease and how it manifests itself and how you can maybe support folks are going through this disease and so it impacts families whole family sometimes and so they need encouragement from a body in our church but is been fantastic in supporting us. This journey said to wait to come back with more with Jamie Arnett and store with his dear wife Kathy this is true for a new generation radiant with Alex McFarlane following God in the face of suffering, the way Christians don't necessarily agree with one another when it comes to questions of religious pluralism, homosexuality, the role of government proportioned in war. Too often, we manage these disagreements by ignoring them, yet were called to engage the world for the sake of Christ. How can we be effective if we avoid society's most pressing questions in 10 issues that divide Christians Alex McFarlane challenges us to drill down to the biblical core of 10 current issues such as social justice evil and suffering, photography, and environmentalism as he echoes the biblical invitation, this reason together only by engaging the Scriptures deeply thinking clearly and speaking truthfully can we, in God's family address our differences and discover the peace that comes with unity of purpose.

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You're listening to the truth for a new generation radio baptistery for new generation radio Alex McFarlane here. You know I would talk with Jamie Arnett and we want to resume hearing from them… I will say this for my speaking calendar is on the website Alex McFarlane.com and as of this recording about my next eight weeks of speaking events have been canceled, and so on. I want to say please stay tuned. Also, we've got some press releases going out and I will probably be doing some media interviews in the weeks ahead, hopefully to be able to bring the Christian perspective to what's going on in the news, but you to pray for the ministry. If you would, we are dependent on the road speaking and the prayers and support of God's people enable us to do events, publishing and broadcasting. So if you thought of making a contribution to transfer new generation and Alex McFarlane evangelistic ministries. It would be much appreciated your ties belongs to your local church and churches are definitely needing more than ever the support and the buy-in of their members, so listen trust God and and there's no more urgent place that we need to trust God and then in our finances so don't let this rattle you don't let this get your eyes off God or your Christian walk.

We know God is faithful, and God does provide and will want to resume a conversation with Jamie Arnett were talking about his wife coming down with Huntington's and I want to say it when I was with you yesterday. Jamie just your interaction with such a beautiful thing and the smile on her face, but as the disease has intensified communication has become more more difficult has not absolutely. She really can't articulate her thoughts very well and so usually she just uses one word sometimes an expression you learn to be a pickup on the subtle clues as to what she's thinking what she's going through so communication is deftly been a challenge, but we still have some of those ways that we can communicate. Just because we notice one another so well and it is had to rely on help from from family and from the church. I mean, at this point. Kathy can't be a line is that right that is correct in one things I would like to say is that I don't how people could go through this type of disease on their own. We have had the support of our church in such an amazing way.

We have ladies from our church who have been staying with her some of them have been staying with her weekly for 10 years and they do that violent, voluntary, and so they have been such a resource for us in a time when we had to go to the process of learning to depend we don't like to depend on other people. I know I certainly don't and we first had to come to depend on other people's very difficult thing for us to realize we are.

We are totally dependent and we need other people to come along side so you guys been teaching us about depending on him and depending on one another and we find that with the body of Christ looks like, go through a disease like this. You are a great testimony and I want to say thank you for being such a great witness did you ever wake up and say you know I don't believe in God anymore or Christ is abandoned me on eight did you ever have one of those dark nights of the soul.

I don't think I've ever doubted God that had sometimes have doubted whether he was going to supply what we needed.

At times, and I remember one day I was.

I was just going to have a difficult time and I felt like the Satan was using this disease to just beat me down and I said to the goddess that Satan she's in the disease to beat me down emotionally, spiritually, physically, I don't feel like I can continue to endure and is at that moment I realized when when Paul said that I made a messenger of Satan been sent Buffett him I realize what he is what he said when he said that God's grace is sufficient in our weakness and begin to realize the gravity of that statement wasn't just a word on the page. It was a reality for me and I begin to realize that God's grace truly is sufficient in our darkest times and so God has sustained us over and over and provided every resource I just cannot really express how thankful I am to God how he's met every single need that we had it every step of the way it has been difficult absolutely. Have there been times we've struggled and maybe had doubts how God would provide absolutely has Evie been some dark nights where you didn't feel like you could make it through the next day absolutely, but every time God has sustained so looking back in hindsight, you just see God's hand provision so faithful to this journey. What has your ministry to your wife taught you about Christ ministry to the church. While it has deftly taught me that Christ loves us unconditionally and is such an amazing way. My wife cannot reciprocate.

To me the things that have to do for her and I realize that when Christ loves us. We can never reciprocate the same amount of love that he's given toward us and so I don't love her to get back.

I love her because I want to serve her own and I will make her life is joyful on this earth as I can as she goes to this horrible disease. Paul wrote in first Corinthians 15 iodide daily, and you know endless things have been written and said about your taking up our cross Jamie what you say to the person who is is bearing the cross, or maybe entering a season of suffering right now and there there at a crossroads, they can really do this journey with Jesus. Or maybe they can shut the door of their hard and push God out or whatever to the person who's who's bearing the cross and is in a hard place right now. What would you say well think more things I would say is you know our suffering on this earth is as great as it may seem at the moment is very temporary and when I start thinking about the and and G in and we see in Revelation that one day there's gonna be no more death no more tears. No more disease, no more heartache when I begin to look at life through that lens.

I realize that this is not the end for us. But right now God uses these things in our lives to refine us to mold us to shape us to teach his patients, perseverance, endurance, trust, dependence on him so he's using these things out instead of fleeing from them.

I would say or help me to learn what you want me to learn from you as I go through this journey. In effect, she been listening to the story of five Jamie Arnett and his wife, Kathy, Huntington's disease, and yet we've got a little booklet that we like to give you access what does God say about my relationship with him. We've given this booklet away to more than 1/4 million people and if you need to come to Christ or you need to come back to Christ do that Jesus is as close buys a prayer he loves you very much may be the like, you fail the Lord. A lot of times we all do. But as Jamie Arnett says God loves you unconditionally turn to him and if we can help you in your walk and witness in any way. I go to Alex McFarlane.com reach out to those who love to hear from you and again at this time of pandemic and so many people just the home horrible war is just almost unraveling right now. Build your life on the solid unshakable rock of Jesus Christ. God bless you folks. Thanks for listening. Pray for this nation in this world and let your light shine for Jesus today and always. Thanks for listening. TMG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarlane ministry, PO Box 10231 is borough NC 27404. That's PO Box 10231, Greensboro, NC 27404 call us at 877 yes, God one. That's 877 yes, God in the number one or give online@alexmcfarlane.com while you're there, listen the program archives. Read Alex's blog invite Alex to speak at your event or contact Alex with a question or comment, Alex McFarlane.com.

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