- [Daniel] Walked out ofthat hospital having no clue

what my life would look like.

- [Gordon] He faced an unexpected future

of single parenthood,meanwhile she was widowed

with three boys under the age of three.

- [Brittany] We feltsorrow that felt unending

and it felt like my heart wasliterally breaking in two.

- [Gordon] Their pathscross while helping others

trust God through grief.

- God's timing made evidently clear

that we were gonna be a family.

- [Gordon] Plus, when herson turned away from God

she began praying that 100,000prodigals would come home.

Lori Wilkerson Stewart joins us to talk

about the Biblical promisesshe shares in her book,

Promises for Prodigals.

It's all on today's 700 Club Interactive.

- Welcome to the show.

When his wife died fromcancer Daniel prayed

he wouldn't be paralyzed from the pain.

- And meanwhile, Brittanyhad a similar prayer

when she faced an unexpected future

after her husband died.

- Really, I remember the exact moment.

This girl walks in and they said it was

with a group of girls, but I only saw one.

It was Lindsey.

She had like that radianceabout, like that light.

At 19, she was diagnosedwith cancer out of nowhere.

It was caught early enough to where

they were able to get rid of it.

At 21, two years later, it showed back up

and this time it was more serious.

It required a biggersurgery, a hysterectomy

and at that point in our relationship

I had an engagement ring in my pocket.

I asked her to marry me, we got engaged

and through the year of engagement

she went through chemo.

We started our life,everything was good from there

and we did adopt two children.

Cancer showed back up,really out of nowhere again.

My prayers were very bold.

It was, God heal her, fix this.

But, it turned into quicklya fight for her life

and admit, look in her eyes and say,

you've got this, stay here with me.

And, fighting for her life,CPR, cryin' out to God,

please heal her, please bring her back.

I found myself saying goodbye to my wife,

not by choice, but feelingmy wife was leaving

and yet, it wasn't thatshe went to heaven,

instead heaven literallycame down to get her.

Lindsey went home toheaven August 28, 2015.

I walked out of thathospital having no clue

what my life would look like.

I had to deal with reality that my wife

was no longer there, someone I had known

since I was 15 and now I'm in my 30s

dealing with reality thatI never thought I would.

And so, the kids forced me to deal

with what was goin' on.

There was no dancing around the topic.

They asked where mommy was

and wanted to know when she's coming back.

I'm sleepin' on the couch because I don't

wanna be in a bed.

It's another reminderthat Lindsey's not here.

One of the hardest things that month was

pickin' up my phone totext her outta habit,

calling her phone out of habit

and stopping mid-dial or mid-ring

and knowing that I neverwill hear her voice again.

God spoke to me so clearly.

He said, that connectionthat you desire with Lindsey

and that you want, you canhave it, but it's through me.

And what she's doin'right now is worshipin' me

and why don't you try that.

So, I look at that as apivotal point in my grief

of saying, God, I'm gonna trust you.

I'm gonna worship youand lift up your name

high above all thepain, above all the hurt

I'm going through andI say God, I'm ready.

Whatever you have forme, I don't know the why.

I don't get it, don'tlike it, but I refuse

to waste this pain that I've gone through.

I refuse to allow this to be wasted

or pushed to the side and that's

where I started movin' forward.

God comforted me so much inwhat I was goin' through,

I was encouraged to comfort others.

I could actually speak to a pain

that I'd never known before,

that as Christians we're headed home,

we're headed to heaven and our focus

should not be outward.

It should be upward and as we look up

to what is coming and getting a glimpse

of that even in my wife's death,

I realized the best isyet to come for all of us

if we trust and believe in God.

- My life was so amazingwhen Patrick and I met.

He was my first boyfriend,I was his first girlfriend.

So, we got married in 2011 and we stood

on the stage together and we said

I promise to be faithfulthrough life's pleasures

and through life's pressures.

I will be faithful to youuntil Christ calls me home.

In the fall of 2015, we had three kids

under the age of three and life was crazy

and busy, but it was sofun because I felt like

I was living a dream.

We came home and he always did daddy time

with the boys and so, he tucked them

into bed that night and would always

sing them a song and pray over them.

I remember us praying together

and going to sleep.

We woke up the nextmorning and he was like

you know, I'm not sleeping much anyways

I'm just gonna go aheadand get ready early

to go to work.

I said, you look so handsome in your suit

and I hope you have a great day.

I love you and that's what I said

and he said, I love you too

and he walked out the door.

I went to Bible Study andwe were studying Revelation

and prophesy at the timeand just moments later

my phone rang, so Ianswered the unknown number

and it was my husband'sboss on the other line

and he said hey, Patrick fell at work.

We're gonna send a vehicle to come get you

so you can come to the hospital.

I ran into a hallway full of people,

sorrow written all over their faces

and they put me behind a curtain,

they sat me down in a chair and they said,

I'm so sorry Brittany, but Patrick died.

His heart just stopped beating.

Patrick went home to be withthe Lord on September 29, 2015

and in that moment at the age of 25,

with three little boysunder the age of three

I became a widow

and my entire world turned upside down.

We felt sorrow that felt unending

and it felt like my heart wasliterally breaking in two,

but I also felt Jesus just sitting with me

and saying, I feel your pain.

It's gonna be okay.

I'm gonna walk you through this.

I would come in my livingroom and I just remember

falling flat on my faceand just crying out to God

and saying God, I can't do this.

I cannot do this apart from you.

And he was so faithful to use his word

to soothe my soul in away only he could do,

but in those darkest moments of our lives

sometimes can be the lightest moments

of our lives because God is so near

to the broken hearted.

I remember how God wouldjust, as he says in scripture,

how he gives widow the songs in the night

and God would give me a new song to sing

and it doesn't matter if you're in a place

of utter brokenness and hurt like I was

fresh after my husband's death,

or here I am severalyears later out of it,

God is still the same sovereignGod over all situations.

- When I met Brittany for the first time

one of the first questions I had to answer

in my heart was, am I readyto pursue somebody again

and I'm not just makin' a decision for me,

it's for my family.

And, when I saw Brittany I saw a future

and that was incredible andit was very just exciting.

- The Lord was so gracious because I think

in every area of yourlife after loss and pain

you are so guarded with yourheart 'cause you feel like

your heart has been trampled on.

So, the Lord made it soclear and then Daniel

was so intentional with his pursuit,

leading us in the waysof God, yet guarding

our hearts in the processuntil God's timing

made evidently clear thatwe were gonna be a family.

- I brought Ethan and Aubrey with me

and they loved beingaround each other so much

that by the time they left that weekend

they were cryin' about leaving each other.

And so, that was really encouraging

for us moving forward.

- I remember one nightPeyton had been praying

and they had been praying for a new daddy

and I was thinking, what on the world

are y'all thinking about.

I said well buddy, it's not just about us,

God's gotta bring the right person.

He said, well I think I know someone.

I said, you do.

And he said, what about Mr. Daniel?

I think he would be a great daddy.

I said, well that meansthat Ethan and Aubrey...

He said, would be my brother and sister,

and I would really like that mommy.

So, we got married on July 16, 2017.

- And just continued on with the crazy

and the wild and the loveand the beautiful part

of bringing kids together.

- After we announced ourengagement people started

calling us the Brooker Bunch because we're

a blended family and thelast name is Brooker.

Our life is like a circus.

I feel like we're a traveling circus.

It's so crazy 'cause wehave five small children,

abnormally close in age.

- Yeah, enjoying the firsts,creating these moments

that you know, maybe I had as a child

or that they've wanted to do.

- So, for our family there is always

a road of joy and sorrow that intermingle.

This is part of our story and Patrick

will always be part of my story

and Lindsey will alwaysbe a part of his story.

- I think as you go throughpain it's okay to admit it.

It's okay to be real becauseuntil you address it,

you're not gonna heal.

God is not wasting your pain.

He's not wasting anythingyou're walking through.

He sees you and he cares and he wants you

to live out a life that is full of joy,

full of love and passionate pursuit

and we have to make a decision

that no matter what we walk through

we have to trust andbelieve that that is still

waiting for us, that is still ahead.

- When you feel like your life is over

and there is no hopeahead and you feel like

you're drowning in pain, just reach up

to the hand that is trying to pull you out

which is Jesus.

If there's one thing Icould encourage you with,

it's keep hoping even when it hurts.

- Those are words to live by.

Keep hoping even when it hurts.

For Daniel and Brittany there was plenty

of reasons to give up hope.

Here you are widowed, with young children.

Where do you go with that?

And God gave Daniel avery special revelation,

that if you want contact with your wife

you can find it through me because she is

right here with me and she's with me

for all eternity, and that is the hope

we all have as Christians,that we will spend eternity

in him and with him and with one another

and that is the precioushope of the church,

that regardless of what's happening

to our outer bodies,regardless of the decay

that comes to all of us,regardless of the death

that comes to all ofus, there is this hope,

the hope of the resurrection and the hope

that when we're absent from the body

it just means we're present with the Lord.

That the veil is taken away.

We behold him face to face

and we're with him.

If you're going througha grieving process,

many people I know this year just seems

to be a year of grief

and to minister to them sometimes you

just have to sit with them

and to hear their story,

hear their cries.

If you're going through that take

the words of Daniel to heart.

Don't turn away from your pain.

Express it.

Feel it.

Don't try to quench it.

Let it out.

Realize that you can pour outyour complaint before him.

He is able to take it.

He understands what it'slike to lose a child

and he understands what it's like to die.

He understands what it'slike to go through pain.

He understands what it'slike to have rejection.

He knows all of that.

He's experienced all of that.

And so, he's able to share that with you

and for you, be the God of all comfort.

All he's waiting for you to do

is to express it and to draw near to him.

But, do it in hope,

do it in hope that one day

you are going to be with him.

One day all the tearsare gonna be wiped away.

One day we're going tobe with him in heaven.

If you need someone to prayfor you we're here for you.

All you have to do is pickup the phone and call us,

1-800-700-7000.

We're not here to judge.

We're certainly not here to condemn.

We're here to tell youthere's a God who loves you.

His very name is love

and he wants to bring that love to you

and all he's waiting for youis for you to ask for it,

to say, here I am.

Could you reach me?

Call us, 1-800-700-7000.

Terry.

- Still ahead a mom with a message

all parents need to hear.

Promises for a ProdigalChild, hear the declarations

that can lead to abreakthrough in your family

when we return.

On January 1, 2011, LoriWilkerson Stewart felt God

giving her an unusual message.

It was a verse from Jeremiah and it said,

the Lord is with melike a violent warrior.

Well, as soon as she read it she knew

she was gonna have adifficult battle on her hands

that year, but she knew shewouldn't be fighting it alone.

- [Announcer] Lori Wilkerson Stewart

and her husband, Matt,come from a long line

of pastors on both sides of their family.

Lori never imaginedthat any of her children

would ever walk away from God, so when one

of her sons wanted to livecontrary to God's word

Lori was broken hearted.

But, she found peaceand learned how to pray

for her wayward child.

In her books, Promises for Prodigals,

Lori shares the prayersshe declared over her son

and why she wants to seeothers pray their way

to a breakthrough, too.

- Lori is joining us today and it's great

to have you with us.

I'm excited because I think that there

are so many people outthere who have children

that are not walking in thefaith they've been raised in,

or don't know the Lordeven though families

have come to him andthis holds such promise.

Let's begin, before wetalk about the books

and what you've done there, to go back

to 2011, and what happened at that point?

- Well, my son at thattime, I have three kids,

my oldest son was a senior in high school

about to graduate and up until that point

I mean, we had been theperfect Christian family

and all the kids were serving God.

- You guys were pastors.

- Yeah, pastoring a church,had just planted a church,

and we get a phone calland a trusted relative

let us know there was a lotta things going

on in our son's life thatwe were not aware of,

and when we confronted him about that,

he did not repent of it, he wanted,

he wanted to continueto go in that direction

and it was a lifestyle that, it was

completely contrary to God's word

and even after explaining all that

and talking to him and extended family

getting involved, talking he was dead set

on that was the direction he was gonna go

and it just crushed us.

- What do you do when confronted

by something like that as a parent, Lori,

because I think the struggle for parents

is this is my child and I love him or her

so much, but at the same time you feel

as a believer, the responsibility

to honor the word of God.

How did you and Matt handle that?

- Right, well we had to havethose hard talks with him

and just let him know,hey, you know we've, we're

raising you guys under the word of God

and if you're not gonnafollow that and if you're

gonna go against that weyou know, it's not okay

to live here and live that way.

And so, he moved out aftergraduating and it was.

- That must have been so hard.

- I cried, I cried so much and that's when

I knew I was literally gonna lose my mind

or get on medication or something

to be able to function if I didn't

get serious about praying andspending time with the Lord.

- So, you went to theLord, which is what we all

should do when we're inthose moments in our lives

and God gave you a prayer strategy.

- He did.

I had taken three daysoff to pray and fast

because you know, somethings are only broken

in the Spirit world by fasting,

and I think what broke was not necessarily

in my son's life, but it was in my life.

God just, he broke me down to raise me up

and to build faith up again as I searched

his word, as I beganto spend time with him,

listening to his voice, I began to find

so many promises in the word of God.

And, I daily was kindasearching those out,

underlining them in my word and then

at one point the Lord said, Lori,

you need to start writing them down

in a journal so that one day you can

give those to your son and show him,

this is what mom didfor you, son, you know.

These are the promises of God I've been

declaring over you all this time,

so that's how the original journal here

that I wrote 100 promisesfrom the word of God in there.

- Were you a journaler before that?

- Off and on, yeah, I mean, hit and miss.

- We all do that off and on, yeah.

- But boy, once I got that assignment

and it was about threeyears into the process

when I got really seriousabout writing them down

and that, I can sayhonestly though, Terry,

early on after I fasted God gave me

such a supernatural peace that everything,

in fact the word the Lord gave me was,

this will end well, and I've just still

in that word along with all the promises

that, you know, it's been seven years,

but there will be a good ending to this.

- Yes, seven is the number of completion.

- Amen.

(laughing)

- Talk a little bit aboutfinding the promises

because we all know thestory of the prodigal son

in the word and we knowwhat happened there,

but you went far beyond that and found

100 promises for prodigals.

- Yeah.

- What were some of thefavorite ones that you found?

- Well, there's a ton in Isaiah.

The one I like there says you know,

I will fight for you andI will save your children.

And there's another one that says,

your children will come back to you.

They will be like jewels

and bridal ornaments that you will display

for all to see, and I thoughtthat was so beautiful.

And there's one in Ezekiel that says,

the Lord will searchfor your lost loved ones

and will bring them safely home again.

And then of course, Luke says he leaves

the 99 to go after the one.

Then, there's one in Hebrews that I love.

I have to mention that.

They're specifically, the writer says

that angels are sent byGod to care for those

who will receive salvation.

So, right now I've been declaring

that all this time thatangels are protecting my son.

He's been in some seedyplaces, but while he's there

there's angels watching over him

and he's under the care of angels.

- And, we know that noneof it is ever wasted,

that in due time when he comes to himself

and back to the Lord,it will not be wasted.

You've written books for,

a book for boys, thePromises for Prodigals

and one for girls.

You had an experience with your sister

when you were 17 that sortof played into this as well.

- Right, well growingup I watched my parents

go through a similarsituation with my sister.

She was a prodigal and she actually was

an alcoholic for over 20years, but when I was 17,

my sister actually tried to commit suicide

and she ended up in a psychiatric hospital

and when I found that out Iwas a senior in high school,

I didn't know what to do with myself.

I went for a run and I began to pray

and in that time with the Lord

I began to shout at the devil

and I said, Satan, I am so angry.

For this one soul you've tried to take

I'm taking 10,000.

God, give me 10,000 souls.

I didn't know how that was gonna happen.

I believe God's been doing that through

some of the work that I'vebeen involved in here at CBN,

but also then years later this happens

to my own son and when that happened

I got really angry and Isaid, okay, it's on now.

This time I'm taking 100,000 prodigals

with me to heaven and I don't know how

you're gonna do that,God, but, and I believe

that the books are part of that.

That's why I made a separateone for guys and girls

because it's such a,there's places to write

your prodigal's name inthere and I just think

the pronouns need to match the name.

I'm big on that.

I used to be an English teacherand I'm funny about that,

but it's just such apersonal thing for parents

and for grandparentsand for aunts and uncles

that are praying for their prodigals,

you know, it's just anintimate time with the Lord.

- It's a wonderful opportunityto circle the wagons

around whoever the prodigalin your life might be,

whether it's your immediatefamily or extended family,

but Lori has done the work for all of us.

Let me just say, thank youfor sharing your story.

And, for parents, there are two versions

of Lori's book, Promises for Prodigals,

has a guy's version and a gal's version.

Both are available throughAmazon or you can find out

how to get a copy by going to CBN.com.

They're next to my bed.

I think you'll probablywant 'em next to yours.

Thanks Lori.

- Thanks Terry.

- Gordon.

- Well, coming up peace onthe battlefield for one night.

- [Narrator] When Germantroops started singing

Silent Night, French andBritish, Scottish troops

started answering.

- [Gordon] The World War I Christmas truce

when we come back.

(upbeat music)

This Christmas seasonwe're asking you to join us

in a Robertson holiday tradition.

Every year we give a specialgift to those in need

and that gift is equalto the money we spent

on either our Thanksgiving dinner

or our Christmas Eve dinner

or our Christmas Day dinner.

So, when you do that andyou send a special gift

of $25 or more we'regoing to send back to you

two exclusive holiday treasures.

One is a new classic, my father reading

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

and that'll be on CD andplus, CBN Documentaries

presents Christmas, theStory Behind the Traditions.

Now, this documentary wasfilmed in eight countries

so it's gonna take you around the world

to discover the history of Christmas,

the meaning behind thetraditions that you love

to celebrate and here's aclip from that documentary.

Take a look.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In the winterof 1914, World War I

had been raging for five months

and countless soldiers on both sides

spent Christmas in trenchesall over northern Europe.

- [Narrator] 1914 sawmillions of armed men

facing each other on a line

from the English Channel to Switzerland.

They were dug in.

They were very close to each other.

They were within yards of each other,

the Germans on one side and the French,

the British, the Canadians,Australians on the other.

♪ Silent night, holy night ♪

- [Narrator] On ChristmasEve German soldiers

placed candles and Christmas trees

on top of their trenches,then a few of them

began singing Stille Nachtor Silent Night, in German.

- The 19th century produceda number of German carols

that were in translationand so, both sides

for example, knew Silent Night.

And so, when Germantroops started singing,

French and British, Scottishtroops started answering.

- [Narrator] The artillery fell silent

and the two sides shoutedChristmas greetings

to each other.

- We have numerousexamples of troops meeting

in no man's land, sanctionedby low ranking officers

who thought this was auseful opportunity to scout,

maybe to recover somedead bodies, but allowed

all kinds of exchange ofgifts, different foods.

Apparently the British wanted sausages

and the Germans wanted French wine

and British canned beef.

- [Narrator] The break,which lasted through

Christmas night became knownas the Christmas truce.

- They very often playedsoccer and swapped pictures

of families and then wentback to killing each other

the next day.

It was really a momentof 1914 seldom repeated.

♪ Jesus Lord at thy birth ♪

- That was a sample fromour new documentary,

Christmas, the Story Behind the Traditions

and if you're interestedin how did we get here,

how did we get the varioustraditions of Christmas?

Why is December 25th the datethat we celebrate Christmas?

What's all this about Christmas trees?

Why do we bring a tree intoour house and decorate it?

Why do we hang stockings by the fire?

Why do we have live nativity scenes?

It's our gift to you whenyou give us $25 or more

to help those in need.

So if that's you, giveus a call, 1-800-700-7000

and say yes, I wanna helpothers this Christmas season.

Here's a word from Romans, Chapter Five,

"And hope does not put usto shame because God's love

"has been poured into ourhearts through the Holy Spirit

"who has been given to us."