Save America Ministries

Guest (Male): This is Viewpoint with attorney and author Chuck Crismier. Viewpoint is a one-hour talk show confronting the issues of America's heart and home. And now, with today's edition of Viewpoint, here is Chuck Crismier.

Chuck Crismier: Have you ever contemplated or wondered what God's calling was for you on any particular day? Do you think that God might have a calling for you on every day, perhaps? How do you begin your day? How do you end your day? What goes through your mind as you go through your day?

Are you having to go to the grocery store? Are you having to go to the courthouse for some reason? Are you having to go to the post office? Are you having to go to Costco? Are you having to go wherever it is you're having to go? What is your viewpoint, your attitude as you go there?

You say, well, what does that have to do with what you talk about here on this program? We talk about serious issues, don't we? Well, we're doing that here today as well. On the other hand, sometimes we make an issue sound more serious than it is in terms of what we should do and how we should look at things. Maybe today you're going to have maybe a new heart, a new attitude, a new outlook on life as you begin your day tomorrow or finish your day today.

So I'm glad that you joined us here on Viewpoint today. Its conversation is always, as you know, with ever-increasing conviction, talk that transforms. And I trust that today will be no exception. Years ago, Francis Schaeffer wrote a book back in the 1970s, and he asked the question with the book that actually became a bestseller everywhere: "How Should We Then Live?"

Well, I'm using that title as a leading question here today before we bring on our guest, David McIver, to join us. And that is, as we go through our day, maybe one of the things that we should ask is, "Lord, how should I live today? Who do you want me to be in touch with today? Would you possibly give me your eyes, your ears, your understanding for today? How can I see people from your viewpoint?"

Maybe if we had that attitude as a reflection of how should we then live, it might make a huge difference in how we get together and meet and contact and speak with people. So today on Viewpoint, our special guest, David McIver, is joining us from the land of mosquitoes, up there in the land of Minnesota, where they are just now being freed shortly to begin to attack all that are in Minnesota. Today we pray for him that he will be able to endure, but in the meantime, he's been living in Minnesota for a very long time. So I think he's learned how he should then live. So today David McIver, joining us with his book, *Looking for the One*. And he's not talking about whether or not you're going to find your beau, your spouse. He's talking about somebody else, somebody that God would lead you to. David, it's good to have you on the program, my friend.

David McIver: It is a delight to join you from the land of 10,000 lakes. And yes, you see t-shirts in Minnesota referring to the state bird, the mosquito, that really does attack in wave upon wave. And by the way, Chuck, there's a few Minnesotans left that someday somehow believe that the Twins will defeat the Yankees in a game somewhere. There's a few of those people left.

Chuck Crismier: Well, you know, in the land of mosquitoes, it may be that they're so busy fighting off the mosquitoes that they can't win a baseball game.

David McIver: You know, it's interesting, and I've gotten to know some of the Yankees players through years. I don't know if we'll get into that, but they have to just smile at some of the things that have happened in the games through the years against the Twins. But it is a delight to be a part of Viewpoint today.

Chuck Crismier: Well, thank you. Now, you mentioned the Twins. That would be an unusual thing to bring up in the midst of a program like this. So that means you've got some connection there.

David McIver: Well, my wife and I for 14 seasons, we were the chaplains. We served with Baseball Chapel, and we served as the chaplains for the Twins, which meant on a Sunday we would conduct chapel services for the Twins and a separate one for their opponent. And a separate one for the umpires, who hear some of the things we say about them. And that was through the years. But I enjoyed getting to know Mariano Rivera, by the way, watching him share his faith one on one. I know you have many stations on the East Coast. My goodness, what a heart for the Lord.

Chuck Crismier: Well, we have stations from coast to coast, in fact, on the West Coast, right there out of the midst of San Francisco Bay, right next to Alcatraz. So we're all across the country.

David McIver: I was there a few months ago.

Chuck Crismier: Really? I didn't know they had a baseball team there.

David McIver: Well, I was there for the wedding of Sergio Romo. So for the Giants fans who watched him win World Series, I conducted his wedding overlooking the bay, right around the corner from Alcatraz. But yes, what a great way to look for the one in a setting like a baseball stadium.

Chuck Crismier: You've been in the realm of radio for a very long time too, haven't you?

David McIver: Forty years as of late last year. I started off on a station next to a cornfield, rural Minnesota, and the Lord grew it to stations across Africa and one affiliate in the Middle East, covering all of Africa and the Middle East via satellite. And just watched God expand and move. And so as you know, Chuck, radio goes right to the heart. I always look at it as speaking one to one. I'm never speaking to a group of people; I'm speaking from one to one.

Chuck Crismier: That's exactly how I have learned to do that. And you know, they said in the time of the Revolutionary War, "Don't shoot until you see the whites in their eyes." And I always thought, well, how do you see the whites in somebody's eyes from the radio? But I do. I see them, in a sense, I see them personally.

David McIver: I'll never forget the day I was on the air and the program that was supposed to start at 11:00 AM was Focus on the Family, Dr. James Dobson. And the Spirit of God prompted me that there was someone contemplating taking their life, and they felt like they were about to go under. That was the phrase, and I just went on the air and I said, "We're not going to start this program. I just need to speak to you and just say to you, it's not too late." Like the Spirit of God is there. You can turn to him.

I walked the plan of salvation and cried out for several minutes. Two or three days later, a woman calls in. She was sitting by a lake about to drown herself and she said, "Jesus, if you're real, I'm going to turn the radio on just to a random spot on the dial." And she tunes in our frequency in Willmar, Minnesota and hears that word and chose life and plugged into a great church. So yes, that's our heart today as you're listening to this interview. We want to just be a part of your life like friend to friend, one to one.

Chuck Crismier: Well, that's kind of how Jesus operated as he walked through the dusty streets or trails of Israel. He had a couple of guys with him, well, sometimes a dozen, sometimes two or three of his disciples trailing with him. But I get the feeling that he wasn't out there to pontificate, so to speak. Jesus chose 12 to be with him. His whole ministry was a "with you" ministry. And that's kind of the sense, the spirit of what I sense you're bringing to us here today concerning your book, *Looking for the One*. So friends, hang in there with David McIver. We're going to talk about his book, talk about the experiences that he's had, and I think it's going to touch your heart. We'll be right back after this. Stay tuned.

Guest (Male): Once upon a time, children could pray and read their Bibles in school. Divorces were practically unknown as was child abuse. In our once great America, virginity and chastity were popular virtues and homosexuality was an abomination. So what happened in just one generation? Hi, I'm Chuck Crismier and I urge you to join me daily on Viewpoint where we discuss the most challenging issues touching our hearts and homes. Could America's moral slide really relate to the Fourth Commandment? Listen to Viewpoint on this radio station or anytime at saveus.org.

Chuck Crismier: Welcome back to Viewpoint, I'm Chuck Crismier. One of the most well-known Christian songs of all time is a very simple song called "Trust and Obey." When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way. When we do his good will, he abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey.

What we're talking about here today with our special guest David McIver, I think really can find its roots in the whole idea of what it means to trust and obey. When we go out from our home or even are still in our home doing the things, making phone calls, doing the things that we do with emails and so on, all of it somehow has to link with our minds and our hearts being willing to hear what God is saying and to trust him and obey. In other words, follow through even with the most simple things of life.

Sometimes it's the simple things of life that are the most productive. So, David, when we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, ultimately we should see things from his viewpoint and hear things through his heart, shouldn't we?

David McIver: You know, it is such a revelation to ask Jesus to show us someone's heart through his eyes. And I was just at a grocery store a few days ago and I'm sitting in my vehicle about to walk into the store and a guy walks in front of my vehicle. And Chuck, all it was, I wasn't sitting there asking who should I share my faith with today? I was sitting there aware of Jesus.

He's the one that says, "I'm the vine, you're the branches and whoever abides in me, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." And this guy walks by and this phrase "hopeless," just the one word hopeless, came to me and he went and sat down on a bench outside of Cub Foods in a little city called Monticello, Minnesota. And I walked over, started visiting with him and brought up Jesus and he immediately is interested. He'd been trying to read the Bible, couldn't understand it. And then he pours his heart out. He's a background of drugs and alcohol. He's embarrassed to be living at home. He's in his 30s living at home with his mom and he can't hold down a job.

Chuck Crismier: Well, that's about two-thirds of all millennials today and Generation Z.

David McIver: It is. And I asked him if I could pray for him and he said yes. And then I walked him through the gospel very briefly, you know, Romans 3, "we've all sinned." And at the end of the prayer, I thought we would continue to talk and I'd said as I started to pray, "Are you willing to be a lost lamb found by a good shepherd?" Because he was just so lost. And he didn't respond to that. So at the end of my prayer, he didn't look up, he didn't open his eyes, he starts praying, "Jesus, forgive me. Jesus, I've sinned. Jesus, I repent. Jesus, I'm tired of my own way." I mean, Chuck, he just pours out his heart and prays. And all it was was the Holy Spirit whispering the word "hopeless" as he walked by.

Chuck Crismier: So in other words, you have to have a sense of being in tune with the Lord. Now, how can you be in tune with the Lord if your ears are filled with—what do they call those things they stick in there, in their ears?

David McIver: Oh, the earbuds?

Chuck Crismier: The earbuds. If you've always got earbuds in your ears, then how are you going to hear from the Lord? There's no way to hear from him, is there?

David McIver: You know, as I share on *Looking for the One* in a church setting or sometimes businesses will bring me in to share with their staff or their employees, you know, the first question is, "How do I know who it is that Jesus is looking for?" And the second question that's always asked, "How do I hear God's voice? How do I know what the Holy Spirit is saying?"

And I love to answer. The number one way to know what he's saying is to read what he has said. You know, it is God's word, God's word. My Aunt Minnie, when I met her when I was a teenager, she was a missionary for decades and I had not met her. She was always in the mission field. Minnie Armerding. And when I met Aunt Minnie, she looked at me and she's like five feet tall and she just said, "Are you reading God's word?" And I had just finished the New Testament. I was like, "Yes, I just finished the New Testament." And she said, "And are you reading the Old Testament?" I said, "No." And she said, "All of God's word!" And she wagged her finger at me.

Chuck Crismier: In other words, she saw this as a particular moment to minister to you.

David McIver: She did. And there's something about when you're in God's word and I start my day each day before I take a single step—I was challenged to do this years ago—before I take a single step, I slide out of bed and ask Jesus, first of all, "Is there anything that I can repent of? Anything that grieved you?" And secondly, "Who are you looking for today? Give me ears to hear and an awareness of you as I walk through my day."

Chuck Crismier: Well, it's interesting, for about 25, well, maybe 30 years now, my wife and I have made it a purpose to gather together every single morning. The first thing we do, we've got our coffee ready to go and we sit and we read the Word together. We talk about it, we apply it, and we pray. And one of the prayers that is very frequent coming out of our mouths is, "Lord, help us to see people from your point of view today. Help us to see them the way you see them."

And it helps to orient our minds and our hearts so that when people cross our path or we cross them, we come across them, that indeed we have different eyes. But in a day like we live where everybody is in the—you know, as they said in the '70s, "the hurrier you go, the behinder you get." And so if we're just in a hurry all the time, there's no place, no time to hear from Jesus or even to do anything that he says because I'm in such a hurry.

David McIver: That is a beautiful way. And how amazing. By the way, if you're in a dating relationship and somehow you think it's God's will to get married to someone who does not walk with Jesus, they don't know Jesus, God's word tells us not to be unequally yoked. But you want the kind of relationship that Chuck is referring to where you can start the day with a husband or a wife who says, "Jesus, your words matter more than any other word."

Chuck Crismier: Well, for the first—we've been married 60 years come four months from now. And for the first 30 of those years, I'm the one that spent all the time in the morning, early in the morning. And one day the Lord said, "Chuck, I think your wife needs you to join her, have her join you in this experience." And that's when we purposed every day, no matter what happened, even if we're out of town, whatever. If I'm away, we do it by cell phone. We make sure that it happens every single day.

David McIver: You know, when you're still like Chuck is talking about, several months ago, I was before the Lord and just being still and I was suddenly prompted that God was going to start bringing me children, that I would be ministering to children, which made no sense because I'm not a children's pastor. But within a few days, I walked into a grocery store and I'm standing in front of the milk and the creamers for the coffee. And this little girl is standing next to me and she's staring at me and her mother's actually embarrassed.

And I remembered this prompting and I asked the mom, "Is it okay if I pray for your daughter?" And she smiled and said yes. And so I'm on my knees in front of this little girl and praying for her and praying in that moment that she would have the heart of an Esther, that for such a time as this she would fearlessly speak, that her voice would carry to broken hearts. And so I was with the prayer, as I'm praying, going, "Lord, keep speaking through me because I don't know of course the family."

Said goodbye to them. I'm standing in line to buy my groceries and there's a tap on my shoulder and the mom is holding the little girl and she whispers to me, "My daughter would like to know if it's okay if she sings over you. Not sings for you, sings over you." And Chuck, I said what you would have said, "Yes, please." And she starts singing, this little girl, her voice—she had just been prayed over that her voice would carry—and she starts singing and it's if you've ever been in a theater where someone's voice just carries to the back of the room. This little girl, and it's 40 years in Christian radio, I don't know the song. It could have been a new song, but she sings this song over me and the whole front of this store just becomes quiet and just the presence of God washes over all of us. And the mom, the mom asked for prayer. She's battling infertility, so I'm praying over her at the front of this store.

And that's been happening, store after store. I'll have parents from the Middle East who are telling their children to stop staring at me and I'll walk over and meet these children. And so far, not a single parent has said no, don't pray over my children. Every single one, because they've seen their children, there's something going on with their children. And Chuck, I would have never—that's why when you're quiet God says, "Here's my plan, my strategy, my heart for your life."

Chuck Crismier: And you're not praying for them that they're going to become the next great player for the Twins, right?

David McIver: No, actually almost every prayer has dealt with their calling and their future. And it's one of those where then the parents after the prayer say, "How did you know that we've been noticing this tendency or this trend?" And it's just not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.

Chuck Crismier: And that's how God moved upon the Father through the Spirit, moved upon Jesus to see people that way. And you know, the Bible says that he healed all that were sick. Well, he actually didn't heal all that were sick; he healed all that were sick that came to him or that the Father led him to, because they knew or he knew then that they were part of his life at that moment and he was to minister to them. And it's the same kind of thing that you're talking about, and I've had that experience so many, many, many times. I wish I had it even more often, but I have it often enough to where I can resonate very well with your book, *Looking for the One: Stories of Seeing Lost, Lonely, and Broken Through the Eyes of Jesus*.

Friend, this is a $22 hardbound book, and it's full of many of David's accounts, remembering how God spoke to him and through him in separate kinds of situations. And he's sharing this for the purpose of inspiring you and me to do the same. That our hearts and our minds might be opened even the more so, not just believing in God, but believing him and trusting him like Jesus did. The book is available on our website, saveus.org. It's a $22 book, yours for $18 on the website, saveus.org. You can call us at 1-800-SAVE-USA, that's 1-800-SAVE-USA, or write to us at Save America Ministries, P.O. Box 70879, Richmond, Virginia, 23255. Writing a check and $6 for postage and handling, and we're going to get the book in your hands. Now, David, are you married?

David McIver: My beautiful wife, Sherry, and I celebrate—we're far behind you. You know, we're only at 41 years of marriage.

Chuck Crismier: Well, that's good, that's pretty good. They say 40 years is the number of testing. You know, 40 years in the wilderness.

David McIver: And then it's clear sailing.

Chuck Crismier: Yeah, right. So, yeah, that's great. And your kids, how many kids do you have?

David McIver: We have three sons and we have seven grandchildren. And there's just something about, as you know, there's something about the generations doing life together. And what happens when we pray together. By the way, my wife Sherry started a tradition of anything that transformed our home. It was—yes, we did devotions and scripture, but almost every Friday night, Sherry made homemade pizza. And it was delicious pizza.

And after pizza, it was her idea to hold honor night. And we would go around the family. So whoever it was that night, each person would speak a word of blessing. And when you have three boys, sometimes they're not feeling it, you know, one week it would be a disaster, the next week we'd all be in tears over what they were saying to each other. And we always told them, don't make it about accomplishments, but make it about character and like, "Hey, I noticed you didn't give up. I noticed you didn't respond when this thing happened." And our grandchildren now are doing this, and the tears around the table when we do blessing. Nobody wants to miss the blessing.

Chuck Crismier: Isn't that great? Now, there are so many places that we go. It's almost like tradition. For instance, every Friday around 1:00, I go to Costco. It's my regular weekly Costco visit. And over the years, I have learned the names of almost every person who is a checker or serves in the food element or so on. And in order to be able to talk with them and communicate with them, it has to be quick because they're all busy. But you have to know their names. There's something about a name that enables us to be able to connect with somebody, isn't there? Well, after this break, we're going to tell you about the time I went to Costco and I asked Jesus who he was looking for, and it was Olga. You're going to love what Jesus did for Olga. We'll pick up on that right after the break, friends. David McIver our guest, his book *Looking for the One*.

Guest (Male): There is so much more about Chuck Crismier and Save America Ministries on our website, saveus.org. For example, under the marriage section, God has marriage on his mind. Chuck has some great resources to strengthen your marriage. First off, a fact sheet on the state of the marital union, a fact sheet on the state of ministry, marriage, and morals. saveus.org. Marriage, divorce, and remarriage: what does the Bible really teach about this? Find it all at saveus.org. Also, a letter to pastors, the Hosea Project, saveus.org, and many more resources to strengthen your marriage. It's all on Chuck's website, saveus.org. Again, you can listen to Chuck's Viewpoint broadcasts live and archived. Save America Ministries website at saveus.org.

Chuck Crismier: Sometimes it can almost bring tears to your eyes to realize how God has somehow connected, introduced you to someone or them to you in the most unusual, seeming out-of-the-way places or unusual places where you would not think that anything kingdom-oriented would happen. Could it happen at Costco? Could it happen at the post office? Could it happen at a gas station? Could it happen at the grocery store? The answer is yes in all of those instances and many more.

Our guest today, David McIver, with his book *Looking for the One*. In other words, we have to have our eyes and ears open to hear the Holy Spirit speak to us and say, "Yeah, go to that person. Yes, take heed to that particular person." So Dave, tell us about what you were going to share concerning your Costco experience.

David McIver: Well, Chuck, you and I could be brothers, even though we're not quite the same age, because I love that you're going intentionally to the same store. And we do that because Jesus said, suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them, what do you do? You leave the other 99 sheep in the pasture and go looking for the one that got lost. And here's how you know you're done looking: until you find it. So I'm walking into the same Costco that I go to almost every time because I'm getting to know the staff.

I look over, I'm a few steps in, and I'm going past where all the clothing is sold. And if you've been in a Costco or a store like that, you know that there's a whole lot of us, we try something on and we throw it in a pile. And that people are hired—how would you like this job, and maybe you have this job—where you're folding clothes all day long.

Chuck Crismier: Yeah, it's a demonstration of eternity because the job never quits.

David McIver: It never ends. And a woman standing there, her name tag says Olga. And as I look over, she's flexing her hands and she's bending. And I've fought some carpal tunnel with all the keyboard. And then she takes a deep breath. And when you look for the one Jesus is looking for, begin with a blessing. I just said, "Olga, thank you. I can't imagine this has to be hour after hour. I just said thank you."

And Chuck, when you find the one Jesus is sending you to, you don't have to wonder who it is. They will tell you why. And she opens with, after I blessed her and thanked her, she just said, "I need carpal tunnel surgery on both of my wrists." She said, "If I lose this job, it's the only job I know to do. It's the only thing that I've been trained to do is fold clothes." And she said, "If I lose my job, we'd lose our home."

And Chuck, you mentioned a few minutes ago that in these settings with people that are working, these need to be brief encounters. And I just quickly said, "Is it okay if we pray?" And she holds out her hands and I just, "Jesus, help. You see Olga, you see her heart, you see the need for her family. We're praying for her mortgage payment. We're praying most of all for her healing. And I'm praying, Jesus, that you touch her heart and you open her eyes to the revelation of how much you love her. Amen."

I came back to the store, it was four or five days later, and I'm going to go look for her. And as I'm walking in the store, I hear this voice, "David! Jesus, he healed my hand! He healed my hand!" And she's saying this so loudly across the store. And she's shaking her hands in the air, literally flexing her wrists. And then I just said, "Is it okay if we quickly pray and thank Jesus?" And she holds out her hands and I'm thanking the Lord. And the minute I start to pray, another woman's voice comes in right at just inches from us. And this woman's voice is saying, "Jesus, thank you for Olga. Thank you that you see her. Thank you that you gave your life for her." And I say, "Amen," and I look up and it's a coworker who knows Olga. And God has ordained the follow-up team has arrived. I mean, we make evangelism awkward or some it's fights that we see people getting into. But when you are walking with Jesus and he shows you who it is, you're stepping into something that he is already doing.

Chuck Crismier: The interesting thing is that we had this idea, we've been taught the word "evangelism," and we have to save somebody. Have you ever had that idea? "I have to save somebody. Throw out the lifeline, someone's sinking today, but I have to save them." No, you have to throw out the lifeline, but you can't save them. They have to hold on to the lifeline, but you can't save them.

When we formed Save America Ministries years ago, a guy who had been a professor of mine in college saw me at a church across from my loft. And he said, "Chuck, what are you doing now?" And I said, "Well, we just formed a nonprofit organization called Save America Ministries." And in his normal acerbic attitude, he said, "Well, at least you didn't bite off more than you could chew." And you know, it's a funny way of looking at it, but the reality is I can't save nobody for nothing. I am not the savior. On the other hand, I just received an article today from a Jewish man in Israel calling Donald Trump the savior. I'm not kidding you. He called him the savior. I'm not the savior, you're not the savior. There's only one savior, but we're called to be ambassadors, right?

David McIver: Well, I love the wording of this from Ezekiel 34. If we see ourselves at the center of the gospel, if we think that we can open someone's eyes or if we think that people are responding to us—they're not, as Chuck just shared with you. Ezekiel 34: "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'I myself will search and find my sheep. I'll be like a shepherd looking for a scattered flock. I'll find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.'"

Which means that the person you're thinking of right now, because I've prayed that you would think of someone as you're listening to this interview, the person that you're thinking of that perhaps you think is out of reach, unlikely. And I just had a situation a few days ago where I told God he couldn't reach these four young ladies in a coffee shop. He was telling me to go witness to these four ladies in the corner, and I'm saying no. I'm doing my Moses imitation, "Lord, send somebody else."

Chuck Crismier: "Lord, I can't speak!"

David McIver: Yes! And it's because they're having a great time and I can't hear what they're talking about. I can hear them laughing. And all this prompting of the Holy Spirit, like when you touch the table, I will speak through you. This phrase came to me. And so there's something about—we can debate when God's sending us or we can say, "Here am I, send me." So I walk up to their table and I put my hands on the table. And what came out of my mouth was, "I can't hear your conversation over there in the corner, but I can hear you laughing. And I have four sisters, and right now I just have to say I am missing my four sisters hearing the laughter and the love at this table." And in unison they all go, "Oh!" And then I just said, "I don't know why I feel compelled to say this, but I sense someone at this table, you need Jesus."

And one of the girls at this table says, "Oh my God, two minutes ago we decided that we all need God in our life, but we don't know the first step in finding him." And as I'm over there telling the Lord no, I was actually the phrase I kept saying the Lord was, "This is going to be awkward." I'm advising the Lord who he can't reach. I'm doing the Moses.

Chuck Crismier: Well, it almost sounds like a ridiculous thing. Here these four women are just guffawing and having just seemingly a lively and a great time. And here you are, you're going to be the interloper to come in to destroy their fun.

David McIver: So the Holy Spirit is our counselor. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." And I was going to start sharing the gospel and the Holy Spirit whispered, "Ask them how they know each other." And when I asked them how they know each other, the young lady who's the spokesperson said, "We're all part of a support group. All of us have Stage 4 cancer." Oh my. And she points at her friend to her left and said, "And hers just came back, it's moving rapidly." And when I asked her, "Can I pray?" I said, "Please ask permission when you're praying in public, as some people are just not ready for that." But I said to her, "I can pray for you as I drive home. I'll be praying for you as I drive home or we could pray now if you're comfortable with that." She holds out her hands and she says, "I need prayer."

And so here it is, you know, she's crying, her friends are crying. And Chuck, as I'm praying for her, I gradually aware that this entire Starbucks coffee shop is completely silent and that the presence of God has just come to this coffee shop. And all it was was the Spirit of God revealing himself to these four because earlier in the day when I said, "Jesus, send me. Please send me. Show me who you're looking for." When we pray that, Jesus reveals himself and he moves and he invites us into a story that he's writing.

Chuck Crismier: We have to be willing, though. There's a Hebrew word that basically says, "Here I am, send me." It's "Hineni," which means "Here I am." You know, I'm here, Lord, use me. And if you really are sincere about praying that, he'll probably do that. It might not be at that exact moment, but that day, that week, whatever. And we want to hear his voice. We want to be sensitive to his Holy Spirit. And you had to be sensitive at that moment because go touch the table and that kind of thing. It sounds a little bit spooky in one sense, but you want to hear his voice and be sensitive to his voice. We don't know. But we are called to be ambassadors. We are everywhere we go, we're called to be his ambassadors.

And friends, I think you're going to be very encouraged by getting a copy of David's book, *Looking for the One*. The one that God is looking for, the one who God is wanting to speak to through you today or tomorrow, whenever that is. And it'll be encouraging to you. It's a $22 book, yours for $18 on our website, saveus.org. saveus.org. Give us a call at 1-800-SAVE-USA, 1-800-SAVE-USA, or write to us at Save America Ministries, P.O. Box 70879, Richmond, Virginia, 23255. Writing a check and $6 for postage and handling. As Tom Lehman said here on his book, it is time for courage and boldness. We are all called to say, "Here am I, or here am I, send me." Here am I, send me. You see, you don't have to go to seminary in order to say, "Here am I, send me." You don't. You don't have to go to any particular school. You don't have to go to evangelistic training. All you have to do is say, "Lord, here am I, send me." You have to be hungry and thirsty after the Word. You have to be in the Word. You have to be connected with the Lord through his Word and the Holy Spirit. But then you're free to say, "Here am I, send me." Here am I, send me. We'll be right back after this with David for some more encouraging talk. And friends, this may be your moment today for a complete change in your orientation of life.

Guest (Male): Have you ever considered what the early church was like? Many people are developing a heart longing for a greater fulfillment in our practices as Christians. A recent study showed 53,000 people a week are leaving the back door of America's churches in frustration. What is going on? Why has there not been even a 1% gain among followers of Christ in the last 25 years? Could it be that God is seeking to restore first-century Christianity for the 21st century? Jesus said, "I'll build my church." Is Christ by his Spirit stirring to prepare the church for the 21st century? The early church prayed together and broke bread from house to house. They were family, and it was said by all who observed, "Behold how they love one another." Incredible. But the same can be found right now. Go to saveus.org and click "Sell Church." We can revive first-century Christianity for the 21st century. It's about people, not programs. It's about a body, not a building. That's saveus.org. Click "Sell Church."

Chuck Crismier: Welcome back to Viewpoint, friends. Our viewpoint determines destiny. It really does in virtually every area of our lives. One day when I was practicing law in the Pasadena Superior Court, Los Angeles, I had taken a couple—I was with a couple in the courthouse, in the courtroom. We had just come out of the courtroom for preliminary order to show cause concerning their divorce case. And the Holy Spirit spoke to me: "Take them into the adjoining conference room and help them to understand how they can come back together to please the Lord." And I did that. And they went in there and it was an amazing time. It was the only time that I can remember specifically that that particular thing happened.

But you have to hear, you have to listen to what the Lord is saying. That would go completely contrary to most practices in the legal profession. But that's what God told me to do that day. What has he told you to do today? Anything in particular? Are you sure? Has he opened your eyes to see anybody in particular? Drawn your attention there?

We're talking about being sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. How about when you're in the post office? Dave, I've got to tell you, some of the most interesting things that experiences I have had have been in the post office. Just having an eye to see and an ear to hear what's happening either with a clerk or maybe somebody standing in the line. How about you?

David McIver: You know, when you start the day and you ask Jesus who he's looking for—Luke 10, ask the Lord of the harvest—you notice, then notice who you notice. Because, Chuck, you're right. Whether it's the post office or—as you're telling that story, I was thinking about the time a few months ago I stopped at there's a store called Kwik Trip. I'm in the middle of Wisconsin and I felt prompted to stop at a store. I didn't need fuel, I didn't need a bathroom break, I didn't need something to sip on. I felt Jesus was looking for someone at this store.

And I've had people when I share this story, they'll come up and they'll say, "Well, how do—what do you mean you felt prompted?" Well, it's like you just said, you get prompted, a thought comes to you as you walk with Jesus, as you worship him, as you spend time in prayer, you begin to understand and perceive his voice. And I walk into this Kwik Trip store and a lady, an elderly lady, is looking up at a gallon of milk on a shelf. She can't reach it. And I walked over and said, you know, I'm six foot one, so I said, "Can I give you a hand?" She said yes. We talked a few seconds, and I didn't sense anything. And I'm—there's very few people in the store, and I turn around in time to see that she's emptying the items out of her shopping cart. One by one, she's taking things out of her cart.

And when you ask Jesus who he is looking for and, as Chuck said just seconds ago, you're paying attention to what's taking place in a way that you don't otherwise. And so I came back and I just kind of whispered to her, "Are you okay?" And she said, "Well, my family's coming from the East Coast tomorrow, haven't seen them in years. I was hoping to make them a special meal, but I can't afford any of this." And I said, "Well," I said, "I was driving down the interstate and Jesus prompted me that he was wanting to bless someone. He was looking for someone in this store, and it's you." And I said, "He would like to buy your groceries because, lady, if you would allow him to pay for these, it's a gift not from me, it's from Jesus because he loves you."

And I thought she might push back on this, and she actually just got very emotional and immediately said yes. And we went up to the cashier and the cashier's crying, who says as she's ringing up the groceries, "Would you pray for me? My sister was in a car crash, we don't know if she's going to live." So then I'm praying for her. And then we go outside the store and I'm loading the groceries in her little red Ford car and I just asked her, "Would you like your own relationship with Jesus?"

And Chuck, she said yes. She said, "I've gone to Christmas services, I've gone to Easter services, but the—" and I walked her through something called the Salvation Poem, which it's so brief in these moments when you, you know, you're not at a cup of coffee for an hour. But I walked her through: "Jesus, you died upon a cross and rose again to save the lost. Forgive me now of all my sin." I asked her, "Have you ever prayed that?" And she said no. "Come be my savior, lord, and friend. Change my life and make it new and help me, Lord, to live for you."

And I just said, "If you—" and I walked her through repentance, that this is not just a prayer, this is you and I have to turn from our sin and follow Jesus. And I talked about being discipled, not just a moment of decision, but "Are you willing to follow him and give your life to him and grow in your walk with him?" And she's just—she wants Jesus. And I told her if you say, "Forgive me now of all my sin, come be my savior," means your sins are gone. "Lord" means you're giving him the authority in your life, he's Lord. And "friend" means he'll never leave you, never forsake you. And she bows her head and prays this beautiful, beautiful prayer.

And I get back in my vehicle and I'm really a pretty quiet person, but when something like this happens and then I'm alone in my vehicle, it got kind of loud for a few minutes. I was like, "Jesus, you're so good! I mean, thank you that I wasn't listening to something or distracted or angry about something. I was driving down the road, it had been an amazing day of ministry, and I was just so aware of Jesus that when he whispered, 'I'm looking for someone at this exit,' I said yes." I had the smallest part in this because Jesus was ready to reach her.

Chuck Crismier: Timing is everything. And we have only so much time, only one life will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last. And what we do for Christ is not necessarily how we think of it in our normal evangelistic mindset, where we got to go out and save somebody. No, we don't do the saving; God does that. And we might be just one hyphen in a series of words or sentences that God is leading toward an ultimate conclusion. He may have someone else that's going to enter into that sentence of the person's life.

I was thinking back a couple of years ago at the post office. And as I said, I know everyone's name at the front counter. I walk into the post office, there can be a huge line there, and somebody will call out my name. A clerk will call out my name just recognizing because they know I'm there and I care. Well, one day I came up to the counter and I asked the gal if I could pray for her and she says, "Actually, please, I do." In fact, she said, "Could you come outside and I want to talk to you?" So she actually left her post, walked outside to come and talk to me and share the burden with me about her son. And so she said, "Please, I need you to pray for my son."

Now, how can you do that if you've not established a series of at least recognizing people for people? And unfortunately, you go into a post office and they're just clerks. But from God's viewpoint, they're not just clerks; they're people for whom Jesus died.

Just Friday, I was there finishing up my detail at the post office and there was a young girl who had a stack of cards or envelopes or something, and I perceived that it looked like maybe she was sending out invitations, maybe a wedding invitation. So I turned to her and I said, "Are you sending out wedding invitations?" "Yes," she says, "I'm getting ready to get married. You won't believe it. The whole story is just completely redemptive." And she began to identify herself as a Russian who had become a Ukrainian and how she got connected with this fellow and they were going to be in ministry together. And as we went on, I said, "We have a story to tell. You need to be on the radio." She said, "Okay, that's great." Unfortunately, her family thought it was premature for her to be on the radio because she was set to join me today.

So you just never know. You just never know. And so I thought to myself, how am I going to take David's book here? We can't just go through all these different accounts that he has here; that's too boring. No, we've got to share from the heart how we see things and how God's moved upon our heart. And that's exactly what you've been doing, David. Is there another account that comes to your mind before we wrap up?

David McIver: Well, as you were sharing, the book is filled with short stories, and in fact there's 40 of them because I love stories. And here's one from Jim who for some reason, I have no idea why, he moved from Minnesota to Arizona. It was one snowy wintry day and he said "enough is enough," he moves to Arizona. And he called me to tell me that he has had in around six months he's had 150 Jesus encounters.

And he said last week, this guy comes to my home, his name is Chet, he's going to measure, do some measuring on a remodel project. And I open the front door, welcomed him, I'm walking down the hallway and Chet behind me, he says he's behind me, I hear him, he's looking up at a picture and he says, "Is that Jesus?" And he turns around and he says, "It is." And Chet turned to him and he said, "I need Jesus. I was raised in a Christian home, Christian school, and I've walked away." And he falls under such conviction, Jim leads him back to Christ. And this guy—at one point he was helping him stand up, he was so under conviction.

And Jim goes in a couple days later to the store to finish up the quote. And the guy sees his name and says, "Just a minute, there's someone here that wants to see you." And he goes in the back room and this elderly man comes out and he said, "That was my son that you were talking to. My son that was lost, that's my son that was lost and now is found." And he said, "That's the greatest thing to ever happen in our family." And Jim was just at coffee with several of his friends who were saying, "This is crazy what's happening. Like what's your superpower?" That's what they said to him. And he said, "There's no superpower. I'm ordinary. I'm like Peter and John from Acts Chapter 4 when they were ordinary but they'd been with Jesus."

And each day Jim does three things: ABC. A: Ask. Ask Jesus who he's looking for. B: Be prepared. Which means in Jim's case he has gospel tracts, but he's also ready to let go of his schedule. 1 Peter 3:15, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who gives you the reason for the hope that you have." And then C: you said this word seconds ago, Care. So A is Ask, B Be prepared, C Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." And Jesus gets to pick what it looks like. It could be a cup of cold water, it could be months of saying hello to somebody at the post office, or it's somebody standing on a street corner that is just ready to receive Jesus as their savior and their Lord. So ABC: Ask, Be prepared, and Care. Do that day after day, and Jesus will find the lost through you.

Chuck Crismier: Well, David, thank you so much. That gives whole new meaning to what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. It gets us out of the culture war mentality and helps us to realize we're living day by day. We can't save the world, I can't save the world, I can't deliver Iran from all of its wickedness, I can't deliver the United States from all of its wickedness. I can't solve all these problems. I can speak to them as the Holy Spirit gives me utterance. I can do the best that I can within the sphere that God has planted me. So we're supposed to bloom where we're planted, right? Bloom where we're planted.

Well, thank you so much for joining us here friends. The book *Looking for the One*. Time for courage and boldness, we're called to say, "Here am I, send me." $22 for this hardbound book, actually it's $18 on our website saveus.org. Give us a call 1-800-SAVE-USA. Write to us at Save America Ministries, P.O. Box 70879, Richmond, Virginia 23255. Call us 1-800-SAVE-USA, go to the website saveus.org. Get the book and $6 for postage and handling if you're writing a check. And seriously consider becoming a partner friends. We're preparing the way of the Lord for history's final hour even today, that's what we're doing. You don't know how God is going to use you maybe the rest of this day or tomorrow. Don't let the moment pass. Only one life will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ and through Christ will last. God bless and be a blessing.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Viewpoint with Chuck Crismier. Viewpoint is supported by the faithful gifts of our listeners. Let me urge you to become a partner with Chuck as a voice to the church declaring vision for the nation. Join us again next time on Viewpoint as we confront the issues of America's heart and home.