>> As women, we go through many different seasons
wearing a lot of different hats.
Sometimes even though you're a mom,
it looks different when you're a mom to a toddler
to when you're an empty nester,
and then you're a grandma.
I know from talking to Mom there are moments where you're going
what's my purpose now?
What do I do now?
Whatever season of life you're in right now,
God's goodness, love, and grace is for you.
His Daughter -- next!
♪
JAMES: Welcome to LIFE Today.
Betty just said,
you've got three women here.
They happen to be members
of our family,
our daughter
and our granddaughter.
And I would rather
all of you do the talking.
But our daughter Rhonda
is here.
This is Rhonda.
How many children do you have?
Rhonda: Four.
JAMES: And how many
grandchildren do you have?
Rhonda: Eleven is on the way.
JAMES: Eleven is on the way.
That's how many we have.
Do you think
you may have even more?
Rhonda: You know
I hear a rumor
that it is very likely.
So yes.
JAMES: Are you okay
with that?
Rhonda: I'm great with that.
They're so much fun.
JAMES: Here is her daughter,
his daughter,
she really wants you
to know that.
She wants every woman to know
that you can be the daughter
of the perfect Father,
the King, the Creator,
God himself
wants to be your Father;
you be his daughter, his son.
Laney, are you just
kind of overwhelmed
that God would take a girl
that's struggled with herself
wondering who she was,
becoming who you already are
but he is the only one
that can show you
who you already are,
and who you can be
with his power?
Are you a little bit
overwhelmed and amazed
at what you're seeing?
LANEY: Absolutely.
Honestly, not amazed at myself
but when I think back
to a lot of the insecurity
that I used to live in
on a daily basis,
that a lot of people
really didn't even know about.
Honestly,
I tried to hide it a lot.
But yeah,
I mean I look at my life
and I just see God's goodness,
his faithfulness,
the confidence
that it really gives you
when you realize
you don't have it all together
and that's okay.
And you don't have to.
None of us
have it all together.
I think
the lie that many of us,
as women, believe
is that we do have to have it
all together.
We try to even fool each other
into believing
that we have it all together.
I talk about this in the book
but when you walk into a room
full of women
or full of people,
I think many,
no matter who you are,
that can be overwhelming.
It's like
you're thinking about
what everybody is thinking,
what they're looking at,
everything.
But when you realize
everybody truly desires
the same thing
that you're desiring,
that kind of fades away.
You realize
they just want to be loved
and accepted just like I do.
It's just not everyone
is as willing to show it.
I think I've realized
throughout my life
being open with my struggles,
being open with brokenness
that I've walked through
that I can help
so many more people.
And my pretending
like I have it all together
doesn't help anyone.
Then everyone just feels
like they have to be perfect.
But if I'm open
with my brokenness,
open with insecurities
that I have, that's when
God's strength comes in.
The Bible talks about
it's in our weakness
is his strength.
"I'll boast
all the more gladly
in my weakness that
Christ's power may abound."
I want that in my life.
I want people
to not look at me and go, wow!
She's really got it
all together!
Look at her conferences,
look at her book.
I never thought
I would put on a conference,
I never thought
I'd write a book.
That's just a fruit of,
honestly, wanting people
to know what is true
about who their Father is.
I didn't want,
I honestly never thought
I'd write anything.
Mom homeschooled us growing up
and I hated writing.
But I do remember
the first time
I fell in love with writing.
Mom said, "You can write
about anything you want
to write about today."
And I was probably
ten years old, maybe.
I don't know, 10 or 11,
and that day
I wrote about fear.
I wrote about the fear
I was dealing with,
of darkness,
turning the light out,
fear of being kidnapped
as a child.
Like those things
were very real to me.
And I remember writing
about the lies the enemy
was spoon feeding me.
And then I read it to my mom.
I remember Mom was like, wow!
That actually moved her.
I remember going, okay,
I can actually --
I actually think
I like writing
if I can bring people
into freedom.
That didn't mean
I was secure and free
for the rest of my life,
but that's a journey,
that's life.
I want people to know that
with this book because
nobody wakes up every day
feeling like a million bucks.
We all go through seasons.
We all go through
needing to be reminded
what is true.
BETTY: God doesn't expect
what he does in our lives
to be kept a secret.
He wants people to know
the difference he can make
in everyone's life;
that it can be life-changing.
And that we feel free
to share that
through our example,
or through the opportunities
we get one-on-one,
whatever the situation.
LANEY: Absolutely.
JAMES: Okay, Rhonda,
tell us what you think
when you're watching
your daughter.
This is not your only one
for sure,
you have granddaughters.
Tell me what's going on
in your mind
when you watch her.
RHONDA: When I watch her,
and even just listen to what
you were talking about,
in her homeschooling,
and when you're talking
about her writing this book,
when there became things
that were in his heart
that she was passionate about
and that's her Jesus,
what he's done in her life,
that became an easy thing of
just wanting to get that out
because she couldn't
keep it in.
And so watching that
I've actually at times,
as I read --
was reading her book
and just talking to her
at times
and her sharing things
that she was hearing
from the Lord,
and what was going on
in her life,
and just the freedom
and the comfort and the hope,
just his goodness to her
at times as she would write
and then I would read it.
She said, "Mom,
would you read this?"
To me, I actually
would tell her at times,
I don't mean this in any way
other than to say
I know you didn't write that.
In the sense of
I don't mean that
like in downing her
like she couldn't write.
I'm just saying
the way that it would come out
and the reality of life.
JAMES: It was bigger than her.
It was absolutely
bigger than her.
RHONDA: Right.
And so I experienced that
myself.
Just like I've heard you say,
Mom, that you, at 80
you needed this.
And I've told her that
over and over again.
Even as I would read
I would say
I need to be reminded of this
continually.
Because everything
in our world
tell us differently
and we're being bombarded
by that all the time.
So I need a continual reminder
that I belong to Him.
I told Laney the other day,
actually, we were just out
taking a walk.
I said,
"I haven't told you this yet
but the other day
you gave me a sweatshirt
and all it said was 'Daughter'
on it."
I said, "After you left
and gave me my gift,"
I said, "I put it on."
I said,
"When I put it on, I wept."
And I said I didn't realize --
I didn't realize
how just that statement
of my identity
in who I am to him
and what he's done in my life,
and as I know
you talk about in there,
of just the righteousness
that we've been given
as a gift through Jesus,
and what he paid for.
That when we put that on
and when I put
that "Daughter" sweatshirt on
I just had these flashbacks
basically of my life.
From the time
as a little girl,
when I first believed in him,
in my Jesus
and became his daughter.
And that way the bombardment
of the enemy and the lies,
I look back and I'm like
that's when they started.
Like they really started
back that young.
And so it's been a lifetime
of those being replaced
by the truth
of who my Jesus is
and what he's done in my heart
and life.
I need reminding
of that continually.
It doesn't matter what age.
And so, when she's
over and over to me, she said,
"Mama, I want
what I've written in this book
to bring freedom and life
and the reminder
of his goodness
and his deep love for them
as women of all ages
to just be reminded."
She said, "It doesn't matter
how old you are."
Those are things --
because it is just a constant,
constant attack
for those truths
and who he is and who we are
because of him to be stolen.
BETTY: Have you found, Laney,
that in communication
with some of these women
that have come to your event
that they're finding out
that you've experienced
a lot of the same things
they're going through;
that the enemy tells them
they're the only one.
So you keep it to yourself.
Don't dare share your heart
with anyone.
And when they find out
that other people deal
with fear, with insecurities,
the kind of baggage
that the enemy
tries to put on us
and work in our lives
to destroy our life in Jesus,
do you find
that they are surprised?
And they think, oh,
I can be delivered
from all of this!
LANEY: That's what
I was saying.
Like share your brokenness;
not to stay broken
but some of my healthiest
and most amazing friendships
are the ones where we went --
we got so close so fast
because we were not afraid
to share our brokenness.
We were actually so broken
that we had to share it.
And then we went, no,
we're not going to stay there.
You share your brokenness
because you know a healer.
You share your brokenness
to go towards freedom,
to go towards life.
It's not to just stay there,
to stay in that broken place.
But because we know a healer,
because we know hope
there's always
somewhere to go.
Yeah,
I definitely think women too,
when you see
another woman be free
or be confident,
you think they've never
dealt with struggles.
You think they've never had
any insecurity.
But every single woman
on the face of this earth,
whether they realize it
or admit it or not has
and has dealt with insecurity.
Unless Jesus has met it.
I think just because
you even know Jesus
and he lives in your heart,
there are days where
I still deal with insecurity.
I have to be reminded
that I don't live there.
That I have a firm hope,
a firm security in my Jesus.
A scripture I always
in that season, honestly,
of becoming free
I would cling to
was Proverbs 14:26.
It talks about
in the fear of the Lord
is strong confidence,
and his children
will have a place of refuge.
But it wasn't really
what I was pursuing
because I was
in such a broken place
I didn't know how to do that.
I was like I need a savior;
I need a refuge.
I need someone to pick me up,
to take this weight,
this blanket off of me,
and heal me and redeem
what I've walked through.
That's what he does.
That's when you meet him
as a Father
and you realize,
I'm a daughter.
That's the best thing
I'll ever be,
it's the only thing
I'll ever be forever.
I feel like as women,
one of the reasons
I even wanted to do this
all together
is because we're all
in different seasons.
And we've all played
different roles in life.
As women, we go through
many different seasons
wearing a lot
of different hats.
And sometimes,
even though you're a mom,
it looks different
when you're a mom to a toddler
to when you're an empty nester
and then you're a grandma.
I know from talking to Mom
there are moments
where you're going,
what's my purpose now?
What do I do now
that all my kids are gone?
So even in writing this book,
I thought about that so much.
My heart
was really on the woman
who is in that place going,
what's my season now?
And Mom has always said,
"God takes us
from glory to glory."
He doesn't do something
that he specifically --
RHONDA: He specifically,
when I was
at that specific place
some years ago when you were
basically letting me know
you were out of here,
and all the others
were doing the same thing,
I just was like,
God, what now?
This is what I dreamed of.
So now what?
And I felt like
he just stopped me
in my kitchen one afternoon.
And I was asking
those questions
as I had been doing for a bit.
I heard him say, "Rhonda,
I don't do less than seasons."
It is like
I didn't even need to know
what was next in that way.
That promise to me,
there was peace and rest
when I heard it
because I thought,
it doesn't really matter
what's ahead.
Because my Jesus
doesn't do less than seasons.
So he has something good
for me.
And I don't know
it was like a weight lifted.
Renee: And that's something
like when you know
his character,
when you know he's good,
when you know he's kind,
like fear falls away.
You're not worried
about the future.
Of course,
we have moments
where we're worried,
we're human,
but I have found
that when you know him,
when you know who he is,
you know his heart for you,
you trust whatever
the next day will hold.
Mom and I were literally
talking the other day
about walking
through miscarriage
and the loss of Rory
and how much that was,
of course, so broken.
I would never choose that,
but the life
that God can bring out of
what is death on earth;
the life that he has brought
through my son.
I have an amazing daughter.
I enjoy her life every day
but I'm enjoying
the life of my son,
just in a different way
because of what's eternal,
what is forever.
The hope of Christ.
And his life has brought
so much life to my life.
It's given me so much purpose
and given me a way to connect
with women through brokenness
and through their story.
To remind them
that God has hope for them
and they can walk whole.
So I through that,
I was hearing, you know
when you know his heart,
when you know who he is --
RHONDA: Well,
we've discovered even that
just talking the other day
because we both did go through
and about the same time --
not at the same time,
but the same few years before,
the same time
in our pregnancies
of losing little boys,
and yet, we both made
the discovery the other day
that our response
while it hurt
and we had so many questions
and still don't have answers
in so many ways,
but yet, we both
had the same conclusion
in where our comfort
came from.
Because I told her,
I remember going home
from the hospital
and telling my husband,
her daddy, at that time,
I said,
"I don't really understand
or know what's happened.
And I could be really angry
and all that
but I feel so loved."
And so to me, that's what
she is talking about
in that relationship.
That even no matter
what you go through,
as painful as it is,
there is something
you can't explain with him.
BETTY: There is something
that during that brokenness
God really does pick us up
and hold us close.
That's what I love
about your book, Laney.
It is not
an age-limit book.
It's for all ages.
Like I've told you earlier,
I was surprised that
it affected me like it did.
And it's the kind of book
you can read through
and then go back
and where you've marked
you can be reminded.
I think we had to be reminded
of God's love and who we are,
we're his daughters.
JAMES: Let me
just tell all of you
that Laney has been led by,
you might say, demand
of those who read the book
or know about the power of God
that's on her.
She is doing conferences,
what do you call them?
LANEY: The One He Loves.
JAMES: The One He Loves.
You can go to that website
and you can find
when the next one is.
And there's no limit.
They'll come preteen, teen,
and the young adults.
They go all the way up
to our age,
60s and 70s and 80 years old.
They want to be there
because they're in
the presence of God.
And aren't you amazed,
Rhonda, at what you watch
happening there?
And you see
their lives changed because
they get in the presence
and realize they can all
be a child of God.
I want you to check that out.
And anything you want to say
I'm going to point
all of our viewers,
I want you to get the book.
We've got some gifts
we want to give you
but I want
to tell you something.
You're going to --
if you'll watch
one of our staff,
Tammy Trent,
she's going to show you
how you can become
the greatest miracle
a person can ever imagine
and you will not only
give life but point them
to eternal life.
Is there anything you want
to say to our viewers,
either one of you right now
about the importance
of sharing God's life?
And they can come
to your conferences,
even find the dates there.
Anything you want to say
to challenge our viewers?
LANEY: I would
just encourage you
to receive his love for you.
I believe that
when you receive his love,
when you taste
and see that he is good,
you can't help but want
to tell of how wonderful
and how kind he is.
So more importantly,
first, I would just pray
that God would just meet you
right there,
right where you're at.
That he would just come
and touch your heart
the way that only he can
with his healing touch,
with his loving touch,
with his kind touch,
with his supernatural touch;
that you would just feel
and know his loving kindness
towards you.
His Word says that he forgives
all our iniquities.
He heals all our diseases.
He redeems our life
from destruction.
He crowns us
with loving kindness
and tender mercies
and he satisfies our mouth
with good things
so that our youth
is renewed like the eagles.
So I pray that over you
right now,
right where you are,
that you would just know that.
That you would receive
that love that he has for you.
He is so wonderful.
He is so good
and he is so kind.
JAMES: Hard to add to that,
isn't it, Rhonda?
That's it.
Go to one
of those conferences.
Now, Jesus said
of people who do this,
"You're my sheep
and you are blessing
and ministering to me
personally."
I want you to how could you
bless and minister to Jesus
and know
I'm a sheep of the shepherd?
Watch.
The most precious thing for these mothers in Burundi
are their families,
particularly the next generation of children.
Tammy Trent spoke to several mothers
whose children have died from waterborne diseases.
The impact of their stories
caused Tammy to reflect upon her own losses.
TAMMY: I lost my husband in a scuba diving accident.
He was killed.
I lost my grandmother to cancer.
And I lost a niece in a bicycle accident.
Never once have I ever thought
of losing anybody that I love
because of the water that they're drinking.
These precious children have just led me to their only water source
right here in this village.
When I think about it,
it represents generations.
I think about their grandparents
that drank from this water.
I think about their parents
that are drinking from this water.
And I think about these little ones
that are drinking from this water fighting for life
with every sip that they take.
And then I think about the generations to come.
How many more will have to live --
try to live off of this only water source here?
Many in this village have already died.
We've heard the stories. My heart has been broken.
And the beautiful thing is for me
is that I traveled all over the world with LIFE Outreach,
all over the world, and I have seen a solution.
I've been there when water has come up from the ground,
from a well that we've drilled.
So I know that it works.
I know that we could come in here
and we could drill them a well
that will actually change then
the generations to come.
I don't know about you, but that's something
I want to be a part of, that kind of thing.
I want to be a part of bringing life.
I want to be part of bringing hope.
I want to be a part of planting seeds for generations to come.
And we can do that today.
We can do it together by coming in here and drilling them a well.
[Cheers and Applause]
JAMES: Do you realize
how much they need
that miracle of water
that we just take for granted?
Do you realize that we have
water just in a faucet,
and yet people are going
and buying water
that they think might be
a little bit purer and safer?
They don't have water
in a bottle.
They don't have a faucet.
The only way they get water
that won't disease them,
contaminate their life
and kill them
or damage them
is somebody with love
gives them a well.
And in the areas that we drill
we know the water is there.
Normally,
they're under 300 feet.
That's why we can do it
for $4800.
Sometimes
you have to go deeper.
One time we had to go
5,000 feet.
It was a very expensive well!
But a half million people
get water from it every day.
And it was drilled
because of love.
Because of a man that said,
"I want to help my country
and I will give
the first $100,000."
And then we got the money
to do it.
My point is,
when we come together
we can become a miracle
of the village.
You can help those people
Tammy was talking about for
$4800 and give them a well.
I know there are not
many of you watching that
can say I can give a well.
You can't.
But could you give $48
and give ten people water
for the rest of their lives?
Could you give $144
and 30 people water?
Just break it down
to what can you do
to give life?
I'm praying
there will be many people
who can drill a well.
We have people
who have said to us
it's a greatest joy
every year for us,
we drill a well.
Could you give $1200
and pray three people join you
or $2400
and pray one joins you?
We've got a well.
Father, I pray for that.
And Lord, I don't want
the person who gives $48
or maybe they just give $10
to think that's small
because it is huge.
It is a miracle for somebody.
So God, help them
to become the miracle
people have longed for
and prayed for, hoped for;
in Jesus' name.
Would you be that miracle?
Would you right now
go get a bank card?
Use it like a check.
That's how
you should always use it.
But go get it,
dial that number
where people are calling in
to have prayer,
to be prayed for,
to accept Christ,
but would you call that number
or would you go online?
Take that bank card,
use it like a check.
Make the greatest gift you can
because you're giving
the greatest gift
you could possibly give them.
And we'll not only
give them life in a well,
we're going to tell them
about the well of life.
Those missionaries,
they plant their lives in
the midst of that suffering,
oftentimes,
with their children.
It is an amazing sight.
Your love, his love,
flowing through you
makes that happen.
Please, we're going
to send you Laney's book.
It will lift you up
high out of any pit.
It really will.
It is a gift from God.
And yes,
she is a granddaughter.
I'm going
to tell you something,
God's on her.
We want to bless you.
Right now make the gift
that God put on your heart.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for giving life.
Every day thousands of lives
are lost to waterborne disease,
and nearly half of those are children
under the age of five.
Through Mission: Water for LIFE,
you can give mothers hope and children a future
as we provide clean life-giving water
for thousands of children and their families
before it's too late.
With your gift today, you can help drill
and establish 350 water wells this year!
Your gift of $24 will help provide clean water
for five children.
A gift of $48 will help provide for ten.
$72 will provide for 15.
And $144 will help provide life-giving water
for 30 people for a lifetime.
With a gift of any amount, we'll send you Daughter,
written by James and Betty's granddaughter, Laney Rene.
This insightful book invites all girls and women
to walk in the freedom of their God-given identity,
and embrace who they really are.
With your gift of $100 or more,
you may request the "Great is the Lord" decorative blanket
featuring the words of Psalm 145:3.
This beautiful blanket is perfect for comfort and cold weather
and a reminder of your help with Water for LIFE.
Finally, please consider a gift of $1200
to help provide water for 250 people
or a gift of $4800 to help sponsor a complete well,
and request our new, bronze sculpture,
"A Cup of Water"
inspired by Jesus' words in Mark 9:41.
Please call, write, or make your gift online.
JAMES: Well, I just believe
you provided
a miracle of life.
I hope you got life today
from what you've heard.
I promise you,
what's in here
will lighten your load.
It really will.
I've read lots of books,
I've had lots of authors,
the most famous and
the most highly read authors
on the planet.
This is going to bless you.
Touch somebody
with God's love,
you just ask
and we have other gifts
to send you, too.
Girls, thank you for being
beautiful daughters,
and just beautiful parents,
and it is a joy.
Thank you so much
for watching.
And thank you
for sharing life.
♪
>> To find Jesus in your hell is so heavenly.
Discovering the joy of dwelling
in the presence of Jesus.
Joni Eareckson Tada -- tomorrow.
LIFE Today is made possible by the supporters of LIFE Outreach International.
Your gift will be used exclusively for the exempt purposes of LIFE.
The ministry features specific outreaches
as examples of the programs it supports and conducts.
Gifts are considered to be without restriction
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The ministry is a member of the ECFA.