Floating & Quoting!

This is Chris shoes with the Christian perspective podcast with Chris shoes. We encourage our listeners to engage the culture with Jesus Christ your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting a just a few seconds. So enjoy it Shira but most of all, thank you for listening to The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network year was 1941 date December 7 day that will go down in infamy. The bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor and Nancy Ratzinger was just five months old. That's my mom and to celebrate her 80th birthday. She brought us all to Hawaii LOL every one this is incredible. But there's a whole lot to my mom's testimony that a lot of you know mom.

We are in your home, place your birthplace, and I've never done an episode of truth talk from a pool but I am in your ear :-) because this is where you like to quote and flow.

As I write yes thank you D that I get in the pool.

I have a little location down which feeds my hands that and I kicked away and I bring my Bible out here and I memorize Scripture were in the client pool in Hawaii this resort because we have how many grandkids are chasing after trying to find us and one great grandchild that we have 17 grandkids and one great grandchild, and with all the adults we have quite a few here to the young couples just laughed until my grandchildren were here the first week we were here with their spouses.

So when all, there were 31 of us only 27 so my people out there. I've told you that mom is taking us to the beach for 80th birthday mama they don't have any idea I'm coming clean out full confession uncensored. The beach is Hawaii because this is where you were born your dream was to bring everyone back here to celebrate your birthday right right now that's again here at all. Had I not survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor home is very near and of course I don't member it but I do remember hearing my parents describe the morning we were awakened by the sound of bombs falling all around us by the sound of people shrieking tear as they realize we were being it was a total shock. It was a surprise. Nobody expected it. It was horrible and they evacuated women and children and so my mother was sent on a ship with three young children for two and five months and we ended up in Los Angeles or the story like your testimony… His story of your life is tied into a major one of the most horrific attacks on American soil. The bombing of Pearl Harbor and you could've been cratered.

You could so many casualties there a lot of loss of life. One of military geysers all kinds of monuments. There where there were guys buried in steel gray incinerated and burning drowning. Sony can't.

Yes, it was tragic. My father stay and there he stayed and help help in defeating other people, especially the Japanese people who are putting camps. He was in business. So he stayed and helped get everybody fed and then he joined us later at NLA. What happened to you and aunt Carol and uncle Ed were all little tiny kids and your mom was a beauty pageant winner.

One time Ms. Honolulu right yes and she had come to Hawaii from Wisconsin letters after school and Wisconsin from Wisconsin to Hawaii and mom and got a job and stable my dad came to light and he loved it and so he stayed and worked and they were doing very well. They were very six school, but with the bombing. He lost everything because all of his work involves food and so the government took over all the food because it was wartime and they had to feed people to tell us about that truck back to California to tell us about growing up their children how you came to the Lord mom. So you folks have not heard you tussling before it's really exciting thing in your family.

Everything okay well when we got to Los Angeles. Both my parents had to go to work and work long hours because they lost everything because of the bombing and so there were many years of real struggle.

When I was 11 my parents divorced and my mother remarried later and with the new stepfather came a lot of wells we moved into big housing Southern California in Glendale and had been pool and as a teenager growing up in beautiful state of California. I had everything a teenager could want, except happiness and I just remember vividly going to bed at night and wondering what life is all about.

Well when I was 14 my neighbor a very shy girl named Gracie stocking invited me to go to church and I remember thinking I didn't want to go to church on how boring but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She was really sweet though I told her I would go and while when I went, I heard some things I'd never heard before.

I remember so vividly that pastor talking about having any told us that Christ died for our sin, and he paid the penalty so we wouldn't have to pay the penalty and if we would receive him asking to forgive us and to command our lives in an to save us that he would do that and so we get that and all my goodness my whole life changed. It was like writing I just became a new feature in Christ and I had a jointed piece I've never had and I was so excited be a Christian.

So excited and I just want to tell everybody and I also want to memorize Scripture.

So when I go to church every time the guards were open and I would write down notes and I would like the passages he would mention and then I come home and I drank them out on 3 x 5 cards and just go over and over them until I learned him so you know very early age I started memorizing Scripture and then I want to go to Christian college but my parents said no and so I just committed that to the Lord without the solar boiler regarding your disjointed sister Stu Epperson true thought interview my mom, I've never done true thought, but she loves to quote afloat memorize Scripture." She had her grandkids, her children it out this quiet pool with the hotel you're the waterfall the background you know why because you brought us all here to celebrate your birthday and so she's here in her element and she's my mom and it's awesome your testimony. How is inner tangled with Pearl Harbor and the bombing.

She was only five months old and you came to the Lord. Mom and you were a Christian college world and I want to hear that story you were connected with some cool people there you will hear the name MacArthur John Dr. John MacArthur who I went to his school and he's a well-known pastor and preacher, but his dad, I believe you went to his church a little bit. There is Internet is a his daughter and they had all a big influence on your life yes and Dr. Jack John's father was the greatest preacher all my word. I just like I just loved hearing him preach and he was a godly man, so I really need someone to Christian college and so my parents were against that my mother and stepfather that I knew the Lord would work it out if he wanted me to go to my brother Edward is not a Christian was just wreaking havoc. He was your typical rebellious teenager running around with some mischievous guys getting into little bit of trouble. Nothing being he was just trying to fill that void and I knew the only thing that could ever sell. I would just him to accept Christ, but he just wasn't interested and one night and was in my room reading my Bible. He walked by, and I've written some Bible verses and he listened then he just laughed and walked away, made fun and I'm going to bed so burdened for my brother Edward was about two in the morning I was awakened by somebody shaking I looked up it was shaking all over shaking like a leaf, and God is dealing with me. I want to become a pray for me and so I had the joy of kneeling there beside my bed with my brother and hearing him pray that prayer Lord forgive me. I have fallen short of your standard.

I believe Jesus died for me. He was buried, and rose again. He paid the penalty for my sin.

Please make your child and you know the Lord did and I'm telling you his life is transformed, and so when his former problem child now turn nearly Angel Lincoln.

My mother and father that I want to go to Christian college and I want to go to South Carolina. They said go take a baby sister with you. They were thrilled and that's… My problem might miss Roberson's to senior but were here that story when we come back on. True thought. I'm Stu Epperson Junior with my mom in Hawaii of all places, because this is where she was born as you want to bring us all back your for your birthday. All 32 of us will be back right after this. Please usher this podcast with everyone. Once it comes out as a podcast. Please let folks know and think all the awesome affiliates from AFR to Wilkins to the wonderful radio networks Truth Network that carried all that all carry this program true thought back right after this, the recent pictures of oldest why experience with mom and dad and all the kids on my Facebook page and my twitter and my instrument.

The ambience of the waterfall the background the beautiful palm trees. There's no place like Hawaii. They say aloha here a lot, and that's what my mom heard is a little baby but at five months old.

Pearl Harbor happened and you were evacuated.

Mom with your brother and your sister and your mom to Southern California where he grew up. The first segment we covered your testimony and how you came to Christ and you really felt led to go to a Christian college in the region were in a pool right now which I've never done my program. We had a table set us up technically. My mom loves to quote Scripture in the pool right you tell us your quote afloat rooting for you and how you met Pop's okay well my load is that I take and eat it. Now I just hold the testament, because it's easier to just go over my Scripture with my whole bottle because I over the years I memorize a lot. I memorize books of the Bible and chapters in 5000 versus self. I just bring my Bible and I have a flotation belt and so it keeps me afloat. I kick my legs and I moved one arm and then with the other arm. I hope my Bible and I work on my Scripture and I love doing that.

I try to send a couple hours every day and I got that Bible with me, family devotions in our condo here in Hawaii. We do a timesharing and in the couple nights ago we did on your birthday. We did assuring about how much meanies about your life in the common thread was thank you Mimi for teaching us the word of God, thank you for leading us to Christ. Thank you for letting God use you to teach us Scripture in our kids or grandkids. And so is this such a wonderful legacy.

Mom got a memorizing Scripture CD were trying to make it a podcast. Also work on so that stuff but talk about that trip you grew up in Southern California, you came to Christ. There you were in Jack MacArthur's church and you had all kinds of cool disciples like Internet all kinds of friends who were in your life and then you got a car, a carload of folks and you went to a Christian college got is that prayer your brother came to Christ tells about that. I know my brother and I went together on University anything out something about Edward that nobody knew we found out that he was brilliant, but nobody had a clue, because he never fact the but was never interested in academic when he came to Christ and God got hold of his heart. He took the kinks out of his head and he really was amazing that we get for your program in three years and then he went on to University of Southern California with his graduate work. He became a college professor in Southern California married a godly woman.

They been married now for the eight years and he Mona yes maybe 15 other awesome son cousin said who's got a bunch of daughters and sweet wife to see their whole legacy to drift away from the waterfall because were in the quiet pool in Wyatt with mom celebrating her 80th birthday picture brings out her mom. So, tell us what happened. So you and uncle Edward Bob Jones and met a big tall drink of water did yes and that's I met my wonderful husband and down.

We were married there.

My second year in graduate school thing and asked me to stand in graduate assistant, which meant I would teaching the University when I was doing my graduate work and they would actually pay me and I could get my graduate degree. It was wonderful.

I loved it until after one year. Steve and I got married and he actually had graduated with his graduate degree. But he came back and worked on the campus at the radio station for a year just so I could fulfill my contract and are and then we did something really crazy actually been married one year we decided to borrow some money and take up our meager savings.

All we had was a Carner close. We can even have a place to live with what we had a little rented furnished place and we took a trip around the world and that was just the most amazing experience because and when the highlight is meeting Christians all around the world.

Many of people we hadn't met before, many with him. He can even verbally communicate. But when you meet another believer, you have that instant bonding Christ and so we just we met wonderful people and down and saw all the wonders of the world.

It was just fabulous.

Went went to Europe started in Europe, the various countries there went Middle East alter the Middle East, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and all we went to Iran that was fascinating. Anyway, after we get the Middle East we went on to the Far East. So we went to the most settlement, Hong Kong, Japan went to the Philippines where we stayed a couple weeks with friends that we knew from college who lived there and that was it really interesting experience. So you came back and there seven people don't know about you, you have been a teacher at the college level for how many years that it was Piedmont international University was Piedmont Baptist College below Bible college, Piedmont international University. Now it's called Carolina University there in Winston-Salem, but how many years have you taught there will well I just have recently retired so I taught there since 1965 facility. What is that 54 years four years.

I was even born. Know well that's the thing. After we were married when we came back from our trip and settled in. I I thought well I had been so easy in graduate school in teaching and ending all the time we get Winston-Salem and my husband is building a radio station there and I had nothing to do and I thought only goodness I I just pray Lord, what can I do and I got a call from bandy my Bible college Dean Reinert and he said we really need speech professor. Can you do it and I said oh my goodness, I'd love to cite that largest teacher I have children, so I taught one year, two, three, four, five will about this time the minister was visiting in town.

He was doing a week of meetings and he stayed with us and we asked him to put friends that we would have children of he did lay dead. And when the fourth baby was born.

The oldest was for and then try to find them to get, pray anyway so I taught I still tied it Piedmont well I have the children for a few years, but then I took them a little time off and wonderful Prof. Martha gray screen taught in my place until my kids are older and then I went back to teach and down and just recently retired so it is been a blessing, a great blessing. Most of my students.

Many are will actually my students are all over the world. The sun never sets without it shining on it, Piedmont and Bible college and Baptist college then international University and now Carolina so they we have missionaries all over the world and it is been a great blessing to invest in the lives of these young people investment of Scripture, arguably, is the greatest investment you can make.

You can receive in our family has been so blessed to have a matriarch like my mom, Nancy Epperson, who I'm interviewing right now in Hawaii to celebrate her 80th birthday.

She brought us all out here.

It's been such a treat while we come back. I want to talk to you briefly about the Scripture part okay I will sugarcoat maybe a Scripture force rollover listeners to be encouraged by talk about that right your true thoughts on instruction Junior more with mom this thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path. The word of God is so powerful it is living its active and sharper than any two-edged sword, he was for 12 my mom has daycare life to studying, memorizing the word of God. She loves to quote float were doing that right now. Mom and we perjure testimony was heard about college I met dad are so many gaps to fill in their but I do want to challenge as we go away today you chance to challenge our listeners about the importance of memorizing God's word and and how is God's word changed your life. Mom always want us to question well what you put into your mind and heart is what comes out of your mouth like a computer you put it in a comes out, and so the Bible says as a man thinks in his heart so is he an out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. So I learned a long time ago. My opinion is no better than anyone else's. But if I'm quoting then sent the Lord. I can do that with authority and with power because the word of God. We told is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart so early on, I started memorizing Scripture since I became a Christian and what I discovered is it not only affects the way you think it affects your speech and it is thanks your countenance and were told in Philippians for whatsoever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things, and in Colossians 316 were told that the word of Christ dwell in you richly and that's what our goal is. As Christians, to allow his word on this richly so remember the important thing about memorizing Scripture. The important thing is that the entire process is an act of worship. So you're not just trying to learn a verse so that you ultimate goal is to memorizing no ultimate goal throughout the entire process is to meditate on it.

We told in Psalm one. Blessed happy is the man that walk is not in the counsel of the ungodly, nonstandard in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord is logically meditate day and night, and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringing forth his season is leaf also shall not wither. And whatsoever he shall prosper the ungodly are not so. But I like a champ with drive the way. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment of sinners in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord no way of the righteous path where the ungodly shall perish.

So we are told that God's hand on his Florida Medicaid reached your limit out of the car you got a big house but God's hand of blessing will be on your life and then in Joshua 18 this book of the law shall not be part of your mouth you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein for you. Make your way prosperous, and Manuel have good success and so God promises his hand if you dictate on it in Psalm 119 96 and 97 it says oh how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day. Now to thy commandment has made me wiser than mine enemies for their van and some hundred 1999 in 100 as I have more understanding and all my enemies because they are ever before me because I meditate on my word and Dan were also told his joint accounts and meditating on Scripture Psalm 63, five and six says my soul shall be set aside as with narrowing fatness, and my mouth shall praise the with joyful lamps when I remember the upon my dad and meditate on the and the night watches when you wake up in the night, think on Scripture is the joy that comes with that and then in verse 2415 it says meditate on these things myself wholly completely to them that by profiting may appear to all you see when you're feeling your heart and mind with God's word is spending time with the Lord. When you spend time with someone you get to know them when you spend time with the Lord you get to know him and to know him is to love him and what happens is it just spills out and touches others and when Moses went up on the mountain remembering he is in the presence of God. He came down and the children of Israel couldn't even look on, put a veil over his face and it is Moses knew not that his face shown that he was radiant even in the presence of God, and I do believe that when you spend time with the Lord not only impacts us internally but it expresses itself externally, but remember that she is the entire process of memorizing Scripture is an act of worship. It is not a means to Anand the and is to meditate. So when you're beginning to memorize it while you're in the process of memorizing after you've memorized it and then when you review and meditate on the entire act as an act of worship will thank you for teaching us the word mom you and spent some time doing that teaching of Scripture to memorize having family devotions this so important for families is so basic just read the Bible. Your children know yes it is so important.

In fact, we told you John 96 permeate your word of God when you're sitting down when you're walking in the way when you reclining just failure your house filling your your lives in your children's lives is not with God's word and you're an unsung hero.

People don't know Peter behind the Truth Network, which is a Scripture based network. Real Bible teachers with Bible questions and talk shows it to the word of God are shows like Marshall truth talk, which is carried by all kinds of Christian network.

You had a huge influence on me to have this you had a huge influence on Oracle your brother. We spoke about earlier so make sure… The first part of her interview early on and your husband, dad as they started Salem communications, which has hundreds is the largest Christian radio broadcast platform in the world and you have a God use you as is a prayer warrior and is a Scripture person is a Scripture order to also in the word because the will of God is found in the word of God. Amen. And so after after Steve and I were married and enter the successor for a few years he wanted to be more actively involved in getting the message out and so he and and my husband got together, they located a frequency. Edward applied for station.

He started with one station and then two and three and four and my husband also started with some stations and then one day they put them together and down they form Salem media has been a wonderful blessing all over the country in every major market in our country. The gospel is being proclaimed. Well, so mom I want as we leave. I want to recap everything has this been a great birthday or what this may been the best vacation ever been on about for you mom. Yes, this is been just a dream and I tell you why, because my family is amazing, because they all love God. They all love the word of God. All I'm saying all praise God that is such a blessing and an so kind and loving and we just had the most glorious time being together and then we get together in the evenings and have devotions and go over Scripture and just have such a wonderful time said God is good and it's all his grace. It's all his goodness take no credit at all. We give him all the praise and all the glory you hear the splashing her little waterfall. If you have a way for this waterfall were a quiet pool and probably the worst person you require full because I'm so loud, but I with my mom interviewing her. She likes to quote float. She has her Scripture cards with your your your memories right now. What right now I am brushing up on Romans eight and I just cannot have it down perfectly and Danny Ephesians 1 just finished memorizing that just polishing it out because remember the whole process is an act of worship. So mom your memorizing that so in terms of reach out how many kids, grandkids, great grandkids.

Give everyone an update on well I have four children and they all have amazing spouses. Praise God I have 17 grandchildren and one great grandchild which is our daughter hopes little Harrison's little son Walker's precious we got pictures all of them on social media and Macon is one Scriptures we get out of here celebrating 80 years of life. Her perverse was in Hawaii Honolulu and five months later, the bombs dropped before we talk about that more in the first segment, so make sure you hear this whole broadcast podcast when it comes out later and God just as done miracles. Your life are so glad it survived that war and that you have God's use you to bring me in so many others to know him know Jesus and to learn his word: Scripture mom as we as we get out of your to leave our listeners with as okay well I think maybe my favorite Psalm is Psalm 103 that I love them all.

Of course, and I will do the whole chapter we have time bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits forget with all thine iniquities to seal it all they diseases edema thigh life from destruction. The quantity with lovingkindness and tender mercies satisfied my mouth with good things so that the youth is renewed like the Eagles the Lord execute its righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed and made known his ways and the Moses's accident. The children of Israel, the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He will not always try immediately. Thank you for ever. He had not dealt with this after our sins. No rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Advised to have been as high above the earth, so great is his mercy to them that fear him as far as the east is from the West so far has he removed our transgressions from us like as a father. His children for the Lord. And that fear him, for he know what timeframe he remembered that we are dust as from Anastasia's grass is a flower the field so they flourish in the wind passes over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall not no more at the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, and his righteousness unto children's children, such as keep his covenant to those that remember his commandments to do them. The Lord had prepared his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rule of overall bless the Lord, yes, angels that excel in strength that do his commandments, harking under the voice of his word, bless ye the Lord. All the associated ministers of his that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord all his works in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord my soul. This is the Truth Network