- [Gordon] He's a Cy YoungAward-winning pitcher

and a two-time World Series champ.

Barry Zito is here and tells us

why chasing fame andfortune is a dead end.

Plus a former bodybuilderfinds his life spiraling

out of control.

- [Steven] And I looked at myself,

and I didn't see anybody I recognized.

- [Gordon] Find outhow a voice stopped him

from committing suicide.

- I called out, God help me,don't let me die like this.

- That and more on today's700 Club Interactive.

Well, welcome to the show.

- Joe Marinelli was takinga dozen Advil pills a day

plus 10 Benadryl tabletsjust to take the edge

off the constant itchingfrom an acute rash.

- Joe suffered so much,he didn't feel like he

could stand to go on living.

And then, one morning,he finally found relief.

Take a look.

- [Narrator] Joe Marinelli

has been running a successfulpainting business since 2010.

But in 2016, after his mother died,

he was under a lot ofstress, which caused him

to break out with anitchy and painful rash.

- I was miserable, I'mscratching all the time,

and when I go to bed atnight, I'm scratching.

I'd had a backscratcher.

I practically wore out twobackscratchers with that.

I broke out really bad across the top

of my shoulders, I had it along my sides.

It got so bad I had togo to the emergency room.

- [Narrator] Joe wasgiven antifungal cream

and other meds, butnothing seemed to work.

So he took painkillers justso he could manage going

to work and sleep through the night.

- I was pumping 12

to 15 Advils a day justto try to keep my itching

down to where I can bear it,

and I was taking 10 Benadrylsa day at the same time.

- [Narrator] As time wenton, the rash got worse.

- When I was itching,these things would spread,

and I would scratch with myfingernails or I would get

in the shower and I wouldscratch with a backscratcher

to try to relieve thatitching, and it would bleed.

My shoulders, all acrossthe back of my shoulders

and the middle of my back, andthen it went around my waist.

I felt like if somebodysaw me with my shirt off,

I would be afraid becausethey would say something.

It was that bad.

It looked like I had some kind

of very bad disease on my body.

- [Narrator] Joe began prayingdesperately for God's help.

- I was crying out to theLord so much about this.

I found myself on myknees constantly praying

and asking God what'sgoing on, and I said Lord,

I don't know if I cango on like this anymore.

That's how bad it was.

- [Narrator] Then one morning,while watching The 700 Club,

Joe heard Terry Meeuwsen praying.

- There's someone elseyou have, this is so,

I don't know what this is,a subcutaneous infection.

And it is both painful and itchy.

It spreads across the top of your skin.

The evidence of it nothing has seemed

to stop it, but today is your day.

Jesus is healing you rightnow; just receive that.

- I was jumping up anddown, and I said praise God.

And I said thank you, that's for me.

I'm taking it, I'm claiming that.

That's mine, that's my word.

- [Narrator] Over the next fewdays, the rash began to heal.

- I felt like this weightwas lifted off of me,

and I said I'm receivingwhat that word said,

and I'm believing what the word said.

And I went to work,

and I just started doingmy daily process stuff,

and I noticed I didn'thave to scratch as much.

It was starting to go littleby little, diminishing.

And I started seeingthis stuff just starting

to disappear; it startedto just fade away.

- [Narrator] By the next week,God healed Joe completely.

- I feel lifted up.

I feel like I can do more things.

I feel free.

You have to believe,and you have to ask God

to help you believe that Hisword is what brings healing.

Take the healing scriptures, apply those

to your life everyday, andcontinue to press into that.

And when you do that, the word of God

will transform your life,

and it'll bring healing into your life.

- Terry didn't know Joe, but God knew him.

God knew the sufferingthat he was going through.

God heard his prayer,and God sent His word

to heal his disease.

Now who is the word of God?

Well, the gospel of Johntells us very clearly,

in the beginning was the word,

and the word was withGod, and the word was God.

The word is Jesus, and the same power

that Jesus had 2,000 yearsago He still has today.

And the best news of all,God still speaks today.

He still speaks words of healing.

He sings over you songs of deliverance.

He wants so much for you to be healed

that He was willing to die for you.

Now when you get all that straight,

faith gets to be very easy.

It's not something youhave to drum up anymore.

People wanna tell me,well, you have great faith,

so pray for me.

And I always respond, Idon't have great faith.

What I know are some great facts.

Jesus came.

The word of God was made manifested.

He dwelt among us, He dwelt inthe flesh in awe-like manner.

He was persecuted, He wastempted just as we are.

He went through everythingyou and I go through.

And then, He went the extra mile,

and He said I'll do it.

I will take the penalty,I will bear the sin,

and then I will bear all their disease,

all their infirmity, all theirpain, I will take it all.

Now if He is taking it,that means we don't have

to take it anymore.

All we have to do is give it to Him

and realize He's already accepted us.

He's already taken that on.

And then realize thesame resurrection power

that raised Him from the dead is in you.

And when you have allof those things working

for you, here's an extra bonus.

What is Jesus doing right now?

Right now, he is intercedingfor you at the throne of grace.

He's right there, andHe's praying for you.

So if we're praying, and Jesus praying,

are you going to get an answer?

Yes, yes, all of that adds up to yes.

And it adds up to yes for you.

Let's pray.

Lord, we lift the needsof the audience to You.

We specifically lift thosewho have any chronic illness

and chronic disease wherethe doctors have no cure

and they're without hope.

And so we just speakhope to them right now,

for You are the God of all hope.

Your very name is hope,and You have a hope for us,

a hope and a future.

So in Jesus' name, wespeak to this infirmity,

we speak to chronic illness,we speak to chronic pain.

Be gone in Jesus' name,

be gone and be healed today.

There's someone, you saw Joe's story,

and you're saying, please say itchy rash.

You've got a real problemon your lower back

on the right side.

God is able to take awayall that inflammation,

all the sores, all thepain, everything gone.

Now in Jesus' name behealed and be set free.

You just felt a touch gothrough your lower back

and a touch throughout your entire back.

You just felt that just come

on you right now in Jesus' name.

Someone else, you'vegot chronic headaches,

and it's just a real problem for you,

particularly in the mornings.

God is healing you andsetting you free from that.

It's lifting off ofyou now in Jesus' name.

Terry?

- Yeah, someone else, youhave vascular problems.

It's not one leg but both of your legs,

and the blood flow isnot what it should be.

There's a lot of concern about that.

God's healing that for you right now.

You're gonna feel like almostlike a prickly tingling

and the warmth coming into your toes

and your feet as you're walking.

You're just gonna feel it happening

as God's doing this foryou; just receive it.

Somebody else, your vitalsigns are just all askew.

God is measuring all of that out

and making it all even,and just receive that now.

In Jesus' name, let your fear be gone.

- Someone with a deepinfection under a wisdom tooth

in the lower right jaw,and God is able to heal

and take away that infection.

You just felt it leave you.

And in Jesus' name, the nerve be healed,

the bone be healed, theinfection be cleansed,

the tooth be set in proper location.

Everything concerningthat tooth be healed now

in the name of Jesus.

- Yeah, and someone else,you have a condition

with your fingernails, like they're,

I don't even know how to explain it,

but it's a weird color nearthe cuticle of your nail,

and it's almost like your nailsare dying in some capacity.

God's healing that for you right now.

It's just they're gonna become pink

and alive and well again.

- Lord, we thank You.

We thank You for Your sacrifice,

we thank You for Your healing.- Thank You, Jesus.

- We thank You for Your life.

Sing over us, Lord God.

Send Your word and heal our disease,

for we ask it in Jesus' name, amen.

And amen.

If you have been healed,if you've been touched,

share your good report.

Let us know, 1-800-700-7000.

If you need prayer, we're here for you.

We're here for you sevendays a week, 24 hours a day.

We believe in prevailing prayer,

the prayer that gets an answer.

So if you'd like us to pray for you,

it's our honor, our privilege to do so.

Call us, 1-800-700-7000.

- Well up next, two-timeWorld Series champion

and Cy Young Award winnerBarry Zito joins us.

Hear how all of his success meant nothing

until he found lastingtruth, right after this.

(upbeat uplifting music)

Becoming a Major Leaguebaseball player is tough.

Most pro players spendtheir entire careers

in the Minor Leagues, butBarry Zito was different.

Barry's talent was so obvious,

he was drafted in the firstround by the As in 1999

and only played in 13 games in the Minors

before making his Big League debut.

As Barry would find out,

the rollercoaster was just beginning.

- [Narrator] Barry Zito was

among Major League Baseball's elite

as a Cy Young Award winner.

But he was quick to credit his work ethic

and perseverance for his rise to the top.

Off the field, Barry enjoyed the spoils

that came with worldly success.

It completed his identityas a baseball player.

In 2007, after signingthe richest contract

ever given to a pitcher,Barry's career began

to take a downswing.

The Giants advanced tothe World Series in 2010,

but he was left off thepost-season roster due

to unreliability on the mound.

Fans began to turn on him.

In his book Curveball, Barryrecounts the highs and lows

of his career and howhe finally found peace

and true fulfillment afterchasing fortune and fame.

- Barry Zito joins us now.

It's great to have you here.

- Nice to see you, Terry.

- We know you as a baseball player,

but you really grew uparound the music industry.

Tell us a little bit about that.

- I did, yeah.

We always joked, how did an athlete come

out of this creative household?

(Terry laughs)

My father was a conductorarranger for Nat King Cole,

and my mother was a backup singer for Nat,

and they actually met doing that together.

And then my sister ended up going

to Berkeley School of Music,so there was just all kinds

of music in the family.

- Your mom really had an interesting life.

She went from being inthe music industry herself

to being into a religious role.

She was involved in New Age faith.

Tell us a little bit about her background.

So she was raised in a Christian household

with three siblings in San Diego,

and her mother, in the 60s,had a spiritual experience,

and she documents it in her book.

And it was where an ancient being,

Hindu being named Babajicame and visited her

and told her that her purposewas to start a New Age church.

So she divorced her husband who ended

up holding a grudge the rest of his life,

and she started this new church.

- Well, how did your mom'sinvolvement in church,

and her role, she actually became a pastor

at one point, impact you?

- Yeah, so that was thechurch I grew up in,

and she was being apastor with her mother.

And for me, I didn'treally understand a lot

of the beliefs growing up.

I just went to Sunday School,

and I always heard Jesus talked about.

But the way it was talked about

in that particular churchdidn't involve the crucifix,

didn't involve sin, didn'tinvolve I actually can't do this

on my own, and so whatI learned is that it

was all up to me, thecircumstances in my life,

and how am I gonna do this?

- You went on to havejust an incredible career

in baseball, and everything youput into it really paid off.

You got to the pinnacleof the whole thing.

What was life like for youwhen you were at that place?

- It did.

In a worldly way, there was huge payoffs

and financial freedom, I guess they say.

It was really incredible.

The highs were very high,but the lows were so low

that I never could predict how it

would just rock my foundation and realize

that I didn't have one.

But I ended up tryingto chase my identity all

over the streets of Hollywood trying

to buy the biggest mansionsand the fastest cars

to fill this hole in my heart

that never got filled by that stuff.

- Sometimes it's justbecause you can, right?

(Barry laughs)(laughs) You could.

So 2007, you signedthis enormous contract.

2008, your performance starts to plummet.

What happened?

- Yeah, it actually plummetedin '07 a little bit,

but eight is when itjust went off the cliff.

And started out the season O and eight

with an ERA for all thebaseball fans over seven.

So it was a disaster, and what I was doing

was trying to validate the money

because I was takingthe credit my whole life

for everything I did.

And so then I was like, I need to justify.

And, of course, looking back,if I had that perspective

that I have now, I can'ttake credit for any of this.

This is all just gifts from God,

and I'm just gonna keepthrowing this ball,

I think my career would'vewent much differently.

- What was it like foryou, because the crowd

is cheering one day and thennot very graceful the next.

How did that impact youas a player, as a person?

- I was not able tohave a steady foundation

through the ups and downs, soI just rode the rollercoaster

with everybody else.

And if they were sayingI was the greatest,

I was like yep, here I am,who wants an autograph?

And if they said I'm theworst, I didn't leave my house

until it was time to go to the field.

So I was letting everybody define me

and not the one personwho should be defining me.

- And that all began to happen

because Amber entered your life,

your now wife. (laughs)- That's right.

- [Terry] And what was itthat attracted you to Amber?

- This sounds crazy, butI always felt the impulse

that I was gonna marry and settle down

with a good Midwest Southern woman.

I was raised in southern California,

but she just had a wholesomeness,

a whole heart that was infectious.

And even when I first met her,

I was like just blown away,and we actually didn't go

on our first date untila year and a half later.

- Wow.- But I knew

something, there was frictionin here, and this is real.

- So she was the one who firstgave you the word of God.

What was that like?

- It's funny, I talk aboutthis experience being left

off the roster in 2010--

- Yeah, World Series roster. (laughing)

- The World Series roster.- That had to hurt.

- Yes, oh, it hurt, yeah,my soul; it hurt my soul.

And so that cracked me open spiritually,

and I think that really opened,

let the soil be ready for the seed.

And then in came Amberabout six months later

to lock up all those books you read,

and you need to read this one.

And I was, at that point,ready because I thought I

could do it myself my whole life.

But finally, I said I can't do it alone.

- So during that time,your mom had gotten sick,

and you gave her someadvice before the advice

was really active in yourown life, in a sense.

Tell us about that.

- Yeah, so my mother, she wasactually ill for many years.

But she was in a Mexican hospital,

and it was in 2008 while I was playing.

I went down from SanDiego and visited her,

and she said I'm so tired.

I'm trying to heal myself andtrying to think the right way

to heal, and I just wanna give it to God.

And I said, even before I was a believer,

I said you have to surrender this.

You have to give this up.- Wow.

- And she did, and the next morning,

she said wouldn't you know,

I was pastoring a NewAge church my whole life,

and now I believe in Jesus,and I've given my life to him.

- Cool.

- (chuckles) And she died two weeks later.

- And then your dad, who hadbeen such a powerful force

in your life for your athletic career

and wanted that for you so badly

but was not himselfwalking of any other walk

other than let's do what we do

and be successful and takeadvantage of everything,

he came to Christ as well.

- He did, yeah.

And again, my dad was very headstrong.

He actually was raisedwith a bunch of shame

from how he was conceivedas a baby through wedlock

and a rape.

But anyways, months before he died,

he said I'm giving it to Jesus.

I can't do it myself.

- It's like when God wasready to paint the brush

of your life, he just tookthe whole family. (laughs)

- It's incredible.- He said, come on.

- It's mind blowing, I know.

I go okay, God, I thoughtI had You figured out,

but of course I don't.

- And your dad was, ofcourse, as we talked earlier,

the musician.

Today, you are retired, you have a wife,

two beautiful kids, and you are in music.

- I am.- What are you doing?

- Yeah, I got to retire inNashville playing Triple-A.

Really enjoyed the gamebefore I walked away,

and so I went right intoco-writing country music there,

released a little songwriting album,

- Awesome.- and learning production,

having such a fun time.

- And it's supposed to be.(both laugh)

- It's supposed to be fun.- Yes, it is.

Well, the book is called Curveball.

You'll remember it bythis wonderful cover.

It's available wherever books are sold.

We have just skimmed the surface,

so you're gonna wanna get your own copy.

Thank you, Barry, sowonderful to have you here.

- Thank you so much, Terry.- Bless you, Gordon?

- Well coming up, a bodybuilder

with a short fuse chasesa man into a phone booth.

- He thought he was safe'cause unbreakable glass,

and I said not with me.

I punched right through thatglass like it was nothin'.

Cut all nine tendons, the nerve,

and the artery to my right hand.

- See how his injury leads this man

to the brink of suicide right after this.

(dramatic moving music)

At 56 years old, Steven weighed 380 pounds

and was living on disability.

His life was a far cry from the days he

was an ego-driven champion bodybuilder.

Steven had decided todrink himself to death,

but he never got the chance.

- [Narrator] The outdoorshas always been a place

of solace for Steven Muttry.

As a young boy growingup in rural Michigan,

it was his escape.

I was either in fear or I was by myself.

Outside was all I had;that was my playground.

(ax hitting wood)

- [Narrator] Outside was a safe place

from his abusive father.

Steven's parents divorcedwhen he was five.

He blamed himself for the divorce

and his father's fits of anger.

- So I just didn't feel adequate,didn't feel worth a thing.

No one wanted Stevenaround was how I felt.

I manufactured my own world.

- [Narrator] A world whereSteven was at the center.

Throughout adolescence and into adulthood,

Steven worked to prove his worth as a man.

- Manhood was working and making a living;

pretty much, that was it.

Work hard, play hard; I becamevery good at that, very good.

- [Narrator] Playinghard also meant drinking,

fighting, and showing othershe was the better man.

By his early 20s, Stevenwas a husband to Pamela,

a father, and starting a career in sales.

He also found something elseto bolster his growing ego,

competitive bodybuilding.

Again, he worked to be the best.

- I was just winning, winning, winning.

The ego was blown away,couldn't hardly get a head

through the door.

- [Narrator] His growingconfidence also boosted his success

in medical sales.

While Steven never liked the confines

of an office or a suit and tie,

the money and the praiseseemed to make up for it,

except for one thing.

- The wealthier, themore successful I got,

the more miserable I got.

- [Narrator] That's becauseSteven still had the heart

of a hurting, angry boy.

- Lack of self esteem, didn'tthink I was worth anything.

So when I found out thatI could do these things

and achieve them, Ithought by achieving them,

it would help me, put me uphere where I was okay now.

- [Narrator] Then one night,while Steven was out drinking

at a bar, a man made a passingcomment about his wife.

It was enough to set Steven off,

and he chased the man into a phone booth.

- He thought he was safe'cause unbreakable glass,

and I said not with me.

I punched right through thatglass like it was nothin'.

Cut all nine tendons, the nerve,

and the artery to my right hand.

- [Narrator] The injury

ended his seven-year bodybuilding career.

Now in a job he hated and nooutlet for his anger and hurt,

Steven started drinking more often.

- I was feeling good, andI wanted it to continue.

I didn't want it to go away.

It was suppressing allthe depression, anxiety,

and the thoughts of I neverwanted to be a salesman,

I don't like being a salesman.

- [Narrator] Eventually,Steven was drinking everyday.

Now a functional alcoholic,he was trying to hold

onto his fragile ego.

- I would treat my wifebadly, and she darn well

had better taken careof everything I needed.

And if things went wrong,I couldn't blame myself

because I did no wrong.

Anything I did was okaybecause I was the man.

- [Narrator] By 2012, after some 20 years,

Steven had lost numerous jobs,his marriage was in shambles,

and his health was deteriorating.

At 56, he weighed in at 380 pounds

and was living on disability.

- That's my fall.

All's I could think aboutwas just keeping myself

from sobering up so I didn'thave to deal with the reality.

And I looked at myself,

and I didn't see anybody I recognized.

It was then Stevendecided to drink himself

to death, but he never got the chance.

On March 15th, 2012,after his morning vodka,

he heard a voice.

- You're not you, you'retrying to destroy yourself.

Your life is not yours to take.

- [Narrator] In a moment of clarity,

Steven knew that voice was God's.

- I called out, God help me,don't let me die like this,

looking like this, thinking like this,

everybody knowing me like this.

That's the legacy I was going to leave.

(water rushing)

I called out, don't let me die.

I saw who I really was and become,

and I said Lord Jesus, what do I do?

I feel your unconditional love,

and I surrender unconditionally.

- [Narrator] Steven put down the bottle

and picked up a Bible.

That started him on ajourney to healing his body,

his heart, and his broken relationships.

- He gave me self worth,that I had a responsibility

to my wife, my children, my family,

the community that knew me.

- [Narrator] Long since retired,

he's reconciled with his wife and family

and made his life in the outdoors,

finding solace and a father's love.

- I didn't think I wasworthy, and that miracle,

God told me that you'reworth more than you know.

- And I'll tell you the same thing.

You're worth more than you'll ever know.

To Jesus, you're worth everything.

You're worth His life,and He came for you.

The Bible says He leaves the 99

to go search for the one, and that's you.

If you're like Steven andyou're watching it right now,

watching me right now,maybe you've got that bottle

in your hand, too, let meencourage you, put it down.

And along with that,put everything else down

and come to Jesus and say here I am.

If You think I'm worthy, ifYou think I'm worthwhile,

could You show me?

Could You show up for me?

And if you pray thatwith all of your heart,

the Bible says that He'll come.

When you seek Me with all of your heart,

then you'll find Me.

And the wonderful thingis when you find Him,

you find how worthwhile you are,

and then you find purpose,and you find destiny,

and, best of all, you find joy.

If you want this, bow your head with me.

Pray that very simple prayerand let Jesus do all the rest

for you, pray with me.

Jesus.

That's right, just say Hisname, say it out loud, Jesus.

Lord, I need You.

I need You to forgive me.

I need You to set me free.

I need You to save me.

Lord, come into my heart, set me free,

make me new, and if You do this,

I want to follow Youall the days of my life.

Hear my prayer, for I pray it

in Jesus' name, amen.

If you prayed with me,

there's one more thing I want you to do.

I want you to let somebody know,

the Bible says that ifyou believe in your heart

and then confess with yourmouth, you shall be saved.

And so we've made iteasy for you to do that,

and all you have to do iscall us, 1-800-700-7000.

When you call, I've gota free packet for you,

no financial obligation atall; it's called A New Day.

It'll teach you what to do now

and what are the next steps, all free.

1-800-700-7000.

Here's a word from Jeremiah.

"Before I formed you inthe womb, I knew you.

"Before you were born, Isanctified you, I ordained you."

(uplifting music)