- Dr. Rick Rigsby is an award-winning

journalist, motivationalspeaker, and author.

He says the wisest man heever met was his father.

Rick's father was a 3rd grade dropout

whose simple wisdom helped Rick through

the darkest days of his life.

- [Narrator] When RickRigsby's wife passed away,

life as he and his youngsons knew it was over.

But at the funeral, Rick's dad, Roger,

reminded him of a powerful life lesson.

In 2017, Rick made a speech about his dad

which went viral, with more than

200 million views worldwide.

In his book, Lessons FromA Third Grade Dropout,

Rick reveals some of his dad'ssimple yet profound wisdom.

So you can live lifewith high expectations

no matter what your background.

- And please welcome to the700 Club Dr. Rick Rigsby!

Dr. Rick, it's so great to meet you!

- Hello Wendy, what athrill to be with you!

- You're just as friendlyin person as you are on

TV.- Oh, you're so kind!

- Well, we gotta get serious for a second.

Take us back to that day, you're standing

over your wife's casket at her funeral,

and your father gives you some wisdom that

really was life-impacting,what did he say to you?

- This is 24 years ago, I'm 40 years old,

and my father, the wisestman I ever met in my life,

he is grieving, I'd neverseen him cry before.

My mother's grieving, mylittle boys are grieving,

and my father looks at me and he says

three words that change my life.

He says, "Son, just stand."

And you know, Wendy, there are a lot of

folks who have lost hope that are

watching us right now, andI want to encourage you

the way my father encouraged me.

How can you lose somethingthat God gave you?

What we lose is perspective,but you can't lose hope.

If you're still breathing,you still have hope.

And what he was saying was,

"Son, no matter what, you keep standing."

- [Wendy] Wow, he taughtyou so many lessons,

we're going to get into that,

but your wife's death, that was a

pivotal point, Rick, in your life.

How did it change you?

- For 40 years, I'd lived life for me,

and I had nothing to show for it.

I think I was a prettygood dad, I was a pretty

good provider, pretty good husband,

but it was all about me.

In one split second, now I have boys

that need a daddy and a mother.

And it could no longer be about me.

And I realized at that casket,

that I was never created byGod to make life about me.

And I remember God whispering

in my heart, "Do you trust me?"

And I remember my response,

"I trust you, I don't like you

a whole lot right now, but I trust you."

In fact, I can remembershaking a fist at God,

but holding on for dearlife with the other hand.

And it was at the casketthat He showed me my purpose.

I can remember Himsaying, "If you trust me,

I will take your pain, and I will bless

people all over the world, if you'll

be an ambassador of hopeand encouragement for me."

- And He's certainly done that.

- Yeah.

- What do you think your dad meant

though when he said, "Keep standing,

just stand"?- Yes.

You know, a year later my dad goes Home.

And I'm at his hospitalbed before he dies,

and he told me, he said,"Son, I had to know

beyond a shadow of adoubt, that everything

I put in you would manifestat that exact moment.

At that exact moment, I needed you

to know that you didn't die also,

that those boys need to see hope,

that those boys need areason for which to live."

When my father said, "Son, just stand,"

he was speaking a generational blessing,

not just upon me, but forgenerations of Rigsbys to come.

Throughout the world, don't quit!

Don't give up!- Don't quit.

That's what it means!

- Stay at it, be an Abraham,stay at it, no matter what!

- I love it!

Well, why do you say that your dad

was the wisest man you ever met?

He only went to the third grade!

- You know what's amazing to me

is that when you're a kid growing up,

you would hear your parents' words,

and I remember, behind their back,

I would roll my eyes, and those same

words now bring tears to my eyes.

Listen to these words, and just think

from a biblical perspective.

"Son, don't judge, no one is beneath you.

Son, you'd rather be an hourearly than a minute late."

Could you imagine our Christian witness

if we showed up an hour early,

- [Wendy] Oh Lord, help me Jesus! (laughs)

- Then outworked everybody else?

- "Son, how you do anythingis how you do everything.

It's never wrong to do the right thing.

Kind deeds are never lost.

Make sure your servant'stowel is bigger than your ego,

ego is the anesthesia that deadens

the pain of stupidity."- [Wendy] Ouch, wow!

- Oh, I feel like rockin'and rollin' right now!

(laughs)

And you know what's amazing,

it was all based on one principle.

The third grade dropout dad said

"Son, execute these basics better

than anybody else, and your capacity

for the things of God will grow."

- [Wendy] Where did he get that wisdom?

- [Rick] My father was bornin 1920 in rural Texas,

had to make a decision in his teens.

He's growing up in aracially segregated America,

and he decides that he'sgonna stand a be a man.

Not a black man, not abrown man, not a white man.

A man, which meant despite his skin,

he wasn't gonna use it as an excuse.

He was gonna stand and command respect.

And when he stood against all odds,

with that exigence, he respected others,

and he commanded respect.

He was creating an impact, a legacy,

that he would pass along.

My brother is a judge in Washington, D.C.,

I have four degrees; we'renot the smartest ones

in our family.- [Wendy] Wow!

- It's a third grade dropout dad

who said "No excuses, take ownership."

- Doctor Rick, you gave a speech

about your dad in a videothat has gone viral.

That's an understatement, more than 200

million people have viewed it!

What did you say thatcaptured so much attention?

- [Rick] You know, it's amazing.

I've been giving that speech all

over the world for thelast 25 years, right?

And I think what happened is,

once Goalcast was kind enough to put

it on the airwaves, I think it resonated

with people because of the times.

Isaiah talks about thedarker the time gets,

the greater the possibilityfor the glory of God to shine.

And I believe that speechcame at a right time,

when people are saying, "I want hope!

I want encouragement, Iwant to be lifted up!"

And I think when you couldget 200 million views,

it's not about a person, it's about

the glory of God manifesting in the land.

Isn't that something?- [Wendy] That's impressive.

- People crying out saying, "Help me.

Encourage me."- [Wendy] Help me, absolutely.

- "Uplift me!"

- Well, your book does that, and there's

so many more lessons from your father

and things that you've gone through.

Lessons From A Third Grade Dropout,

this is a phenomenal book, is available

wherever books are sold.

You can also hear more from Rick today

at noon eastern time, just log on

to CBN.com for ourlivestream prayer meeting

from the Regent University Chapel.

You don't wanna miss it!

I will be there, God bless you! (laughs)

- Oh, Wendy, thank you for having me!