- Welcome to "The 700 Club."

One of France's largest
evangelical churches

is named after an American icon.

It's also a thriving
community center.

- Anyway, you look at it,

the Martin Luther King Church
is a foretaste of heaven.

George Thomas traveled
to Paris to see firsthand

how this church is changing

one of Europe's
most famous cities.

(upbeat music)

(choir singing in
foreign language)

- [George] In a
communist, socialist

and conservative
suburb of Paris,

(choir singing in
foreign language)

- [George] A song
of reconciliation
and unity is rising

(choir singing in
foreign language)

- [George] And with it a
message that's attracting people

from diverse backgrounds.

- I don't have to
build a church.

I have to build a place
where people will be love,

will be changed by the Holy
Spirit and by the power of God.

- I have a dream that one day
on the red hills of Georgia,

the sons of former slaves

and the sons of
former slave owners

will they be able
to sit down together

at the table of
brotherhood, I have a dream.

- [George] French
Pastor, Ivan Carluer

founded Martin
Luther King Church

here in Paris's
Creteil neighborhood

after drawing inspiration

from the civil rights
leaders' message

of unconditional love,

- Loving people as
they are and don't try

to make them look like you
are, but just love them

and introduce them to
a God will change them.

- [Martin] Every ballet
shall be exalted.

- [George] Like Martin
Luther King Carluer says,

he too had a dream to create
a space where blacks, whites

and people of other racial
backgrounds could come together

and reflect the
diversity of Paris.

- When God asked me to ministry,

he asked me to be a
minister in Paris area.

So when I came, I realized
that more than 50%

of the kids in Paris area
have an African dad or mother,

so more than 50% of
the newborn babies

are mixed and I love it.

- [George] Carluer's
dream is now a reality.

- We have now like 20%,
all black, 10%, all white,

10%, Asian and 60%
cannot be defined,

(laughs) Jesus color.
♪ We are the world

♪ Yeah
♪ We are the children.

♪ We are the children

- [George] And that
message of love

shared across racial lines
has been a unifying force

for positive change.

- [Tiffany's Interpreter]
This is what I think

is the most touching
and most extraordinary

aspect of this church,
everyone is mixed,

all cultures are represented.

- [Barron's Interpreter] I've
been here since the church

first launched and to see
how much is grown is amazing.

The work is enormous and it's
a blessing to many people.

- MLK is now one
of the country's

largest evangelical churches,
prompting French newspaper

Le Monde to call Ivan
Carluer, a rising figure

in France's Protestant movement.

MLK, which is about seven
miles southeast of Paris,

is rather remarkable
for its size.

You see in all of France
there are about 2,500

evangelical churches
and the average churches

has about 100 people.

MLK went from 20, 17 years
ago to over 3000 people today.

(pastor speaks in
foreign language)

(attendees clapping)

- [George] During a
recent weekend service,

76 people from
different walks of life

and racial backgrounds
professed faith in Jesus Christ

in water baptism.

- And we haven't
seen so many people

coming to Jesus like now.

God is moving in
France like never.

- [George] Evangelicals
make up just 2%

of the population here and
their numbers are growing.

A recent report found
evangelicals becoming a majority

within the French
Protestant movement.

Carluer says the pandemic
led to even greater numbers,

as new people flocked to the
churches online services.

- We already reach more
than 30 to 40,000 every week

and when you look
at Google Analytics,

we see what is very good that

a lot of non-believer
are watching.

- [George] Because
of the growth,

Carluer says the church
needed a bigger place to meet.

So in September, 2021, the
new Martin Luther King space

opened here in the
southeastern suburbs of Paris

at a cost of $30 million,

a foundation operates
it as part church,

part community center,

and because of its
community influence,

Pastor Carluer says local
government authorities

were all too happy to chip
in more than $3 million

toward the building's fund.

- That's why we can have
money from to state,

the government, the
county, et cetera,

they all give to the foundation,

they foundation is the
owner of the building

and the church
rent the building.

(musician singing
foreign language)

- [George] Church services
are held Saturday and Sunday

in the building's
1000 seat auditorium,

the rest of the week, it's
open to the community for rent.

Companies have held
fashion shows, car shows,

and music concerts.

Members of other
religious groups

have also held
their events here.

Carluer sees it as a model
for people not typically drawn

to a church building per se,
to be introduced to the gospel.

- My goal for me is I
want Jewish, Muslim,

atheist, political,
artists, all of them,

they all need to
be loved by God,

to be transformed by Holy Spirit

and to become a
loving of each other

like Martin Luther King did.

- [George] In spite of its
staunchly secular traditions,

Pastor Carluer says God
is on the move in France

and takes heart in what he's
doing in churches like MLK.

- So now it's really
a foretaste of heaven.

- [George] George
Thomas, CBN News, Paris.

- I love it. I
love what he said.

"We're 20% black,
10% white, 10% Asia,

and 60%, the color of Jesus."

A foretaste of heaven.

When you read the book of
Revelation, you see it.

All languages, all
tribes, all tongues,

everyone coming
together singing as one

a new song to the lamb.

- Well, Zachary
Levi is well known

for his roles in "Shazam,"
"American Underdog"

and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

Now he's using his
fame as a platform

to tell his personal
story and to shed light

on the issue of mental health.

The actor sat down
with Efrem Graham

to talk about his childhood
trauma, his healing,

and how it all led to
the role of a lifetime.

(air swooshes)

- Shazam.
(thunder clapping)

(dramatic music)

- [Efrem] From superhero.

- I don't know where
we go from here,

I dunno what comes next,
but this, we did this.

- [Efrem] To Super Bowl champ.

- Yeah, yeah man, I know
who you are. I'm Kurt.

- Zachary Levi lands
larger than life

acting roles quite regularly.

How would you
describe the childhood

or the life of
Zachary Levi Pugh?

(both laughing)

- How much time do you got?

I mean, I think like
most kids in the moment,

when I was a kid, it was normal.

There wasn't anything, you
know, particularly traumatic

or that I could point
to and say like,

oh, I'm living a
traumatized life.

You don't realize that until
far later in life, hopefully.

A lot of people don't
ever realize that.

Looking back on it,
I can assure you

an incredibly
traumatizing childhood.

There was just lots and lots
of unhealthy toxic behavior

that was going on.

Again, I couldn't, I could
tell you that there were things

that were making me
cry on a regular basis

or things that I was afraid
of on a regular basis,

but I didn't necessarily
see those as being anything

other than, well, I
guess this is normal.

I guess this is what other kids

probably deal with
as well, you know?

So that would be, you know,

a snapshot into my
life, I suppose.

- What do you think childhood
for you did to your adulthood?

- Young Zach was this, I
don't know, little boy,

kind of just lost in a sea of
estrogen between my sisters,

my mom, my aunts, my grandma,

but fortunately, and I,
this is the grace of God,

not just the grace of
God, but the plans of God.

I figured out very early on
in life, probably around four,

was when I was first truly
cognizant of the idea

that I could make someone
laugh intentionally

before that every kid makes
people laugh accidentally,

you don't know why.

Around four, I think I was
finally smart enough to go,

oh, I can do this thing.

I can do X or Y and that
will make somebody laugh

and I also knew,
'cause I think at four

you're emotionally intelligent
enough to know that

a laughing, smiling
person feels good

and I never ever wanted
to stop doing that.

I was immediately called to,
addicted to not realizing

also that because I
was lost in this world

and trying to find identity
and worth and value

and all that jazz, I
was both, you know,

fulfilling a calling
I think in my life,

but also figuring
out very quickly

how to run away from
metabolizing my pain.

Figuring out how to be
the clown, be the guy,

bring the happy, bring the joy.

- You don't have a tape in here,

- But it's digital.

- [Efrem] Being a
quick study earned Levi

a starring role early and
an escape from real life.

Abuse, a mom with mental
struggles and an absent father.

- I was running from pain,

my whole life I was
running from pain.

I'm grateful that I was able
to find what I loved to do

and what I was good at
doing at such a young age,

because I think a
lot of people don't,

even though that was
also something that was,

I think, you know,
insulating me from doing

a lot of the work
that I needed to do,

that eventually led me

to having a massive
breakdown later on in life.

- [Efrem] He shares
his story with us

and even more in his
memoir, "Radical Love,"

learning to accept
yourself and others.

You talk about going from
suicidal to superhero

and then suicidal again.

What, take me back to the rock
bottom moment. What happened?

- I felt like I was
failing ultimately,

like most of my life,
I've felt like a failure

even though I,

even though from the
outside it looks like,

oh, I'm very much succeeding,

but I'm not succeeding
on the level

that I feel like I'm supposed to

or that I was called to.

♪ She's a little artsy

- [Efrem] With music, Broadway,

the big and small
screens on his resume,

(train howling)

he left Hollywood

- With a head full
of steam and dreams,

I moved out to Austin and I
didn't know anyone out there

and all of a sudden after 15
years of living in Los Angeles

and having community
and support structure

and all of those
things, I was now,

you know, Geronimo, let's go.

Oh, wait a minute now I'm alone.

Oh, wait a minute,
this isn't happening

the way that I felt
like God was calling me

out here to do this and why
aren't the doors opening?

Oh my gosh, I have,

I have blown up my life.

I have now entirely
failed my life.

There is no coming
back from this failure,

or I would say if suicide is a,

you know, climbing
a 10 rung ladder.

I was at rung nine
and thankfully

I have family and friends that
surrounded me, supported me,

were there for me and just
enough for me to get up

and go to therapy, this
life saving therapy,

but you know, it
was a perfect storm

but it was 37 years
of lots and lots

and lots and lots of
trauma, unhealed trauma,

a real testament of how I
think, you know, God works

and what we ought to prioritize.

I was not prioritizing
the most important thing,

which was to actually
invest in myself

and to care for myself
and love myself,

'cause I didn't understand that.

So to go away and do
this therapy finally

and really figure
out, oh my gosh,

I haven't loved
myself my entire life.

I've never even
understood what that meant

and also, oh, this
feeling that I feel inside

that I felt my whole
life, that's anxiety.

Oh, I'm glad I finally
know what anxiety is.

- [Efrem] Therapy began his
healing, a rebirth of his faith

and the role of a lifetime.

- Say my name.

- Shazam literally happened

while I was still like
finishing up my therapy,

but only, you know,
because God was like,

good, now you've done the thing,

now I can give you the blessing.

You would've self-destructed
had I given you this blessing

before you did the work
and that's the work.

- So how does it
feel sitting here now

knowing, I think at one point
I'm reading that you felt,

you lost God and he was gone?

- Oh man and I was driving
around in Austin recently,

driving up this road that
was kind of near the house

that I was staying in when
I was having this breakdown

and this cilantro restaurant

where I was having
this breakdown

and I was driving by it and
it just all flooded back.

I was like, oh wow.

Like I remember being right here

and thinking there is no hope

and there's no way I'm
moving beyond this.

There's no way I'm going
to live beyond this month

and I was very much alive

and I was very much living my
dreams as I was now driving

by the same road and I
was so grateful, oh man,

so grateful that I didn't
do something so stupid,

It's so drastic and
that I get to sit here

and talk about this
book that hopefully,

hopefully if nothing else
helps at least one person

walk through the flames that
I was able to get through.

- [Efrem] Efrem Graham,
CBN News, Washington DC.

- What an incredible story,
an incredible journey

and I'm glad he made it through

and made it through
to help others.

If you had trauma in your
childhood, if you had trauma

anytime in your life and
you're wondering, what do I do?

Where do I go? I encourage
you to get his book.

It's called "Radical Love."

You can find it
wherever books are sold

and hopefully his journey
can help you on your journey.

- Captain Contraband, that's
how prison guard Robert Johnson

was known behind bars.

He and his team seized drugs,
guns, knives and cell phones

that were smuggled
into the prison.

The job put a big
target on Robert's back

and a hit on his life.

(gunshot firing)

- [Reporter] It was an early
morning in March, 2010.

Mary Johnson heard gunshots.

She frantically ran
through the house

looking for her husband Robert.

- I kept praying, let him
live, let him be alive.

- [Reporter] She found
him on the bathroom floor.

He had been shot
six times by a man

who broke into their home.

- I grabbed the tower and I
pressed it against his chest,

'cause he was
bleeding profusely.

(officer speaks indistinctly)
(siren ringing)

- [Reporter] Doctors
at a nearby hospital

couldn't stop the bleeding
and Robert was life flighted

to Richland Memorial Hospital
in Columbia, South Carolina.

When Mary arrived,
Robert was in surgery

where doctors tried to repair
the wounds to his chest,

abdomen, liver, and lungs.

A chaplain was sent
to talk to Mary

about Robert's condition.

- He said, "Well the doctor
want me to let you know

that he wasn't gonna make it.

They can't get a handler on
the bleeding from the liver."

So I yell, God will get
a handle on the bleeding

and I walked off.

- [Reporter] Moments later
the lead surgeon came out

and told her the same thing.

He allowed Mary to come
into the operating room

to say goodbye.

- And the doctor took
me around to his head

and said, kiss him.

So I grabbed his head
and I kissed him.

He was swollen beyond
recognition and I said, Lord,

in the name of Jesus,
God let Bobby live.

- [Reporter] When Mary left
the or she began calling family

and church friends to pray.

- About two hours or so
later, the doctor came out,

the head surgeon came out
smiling and he hugged me

and that time I knew
things had turned around

and I said, God did it, God
did it and he kept smiling.

- [Reporter] While doctors
had stopped the bleeding,

they still didn't
expect Robert to live

much more than two weeks.

If he did, he'd
lost so much blood,

he would likely have
permanent brain damage.

- One male nurse came
back a week later

and he's like, "Oh, he's
still here" and I got upset.

I'm like, what do you
mean he's still here?

I said, the Lord is
bringing him through.

- [Reporter] With Robert
in a medically induced coma

to minimize brain swelling,

Mary prayed by her
husband's bedside every day.

- I would go over his
whole body and say,

Lord, let everything work
and be heal in his body.

- [Reporter] Two
weeks came and went.

Robert was still
alive and in a coma

and Mary and a multitude of
people were still praying.

Week three would
bring more bad news.

Robert's heart developed AFib,
where chaotic heart signals

cause a rapid erratic heartbeat.

In addition, blood clots
had formed in Robert's leg

and his lungs were
collecting fluid.

He was back in surgery again.

- They told me and my son that
he could die on the table.

You know, that really scared me.

I said, Lord, I said,
no, he's not gonna die.

I said, you brought him
this far, he's gonna live.

I trust God. I said,
I trust you Lord.

I trust you.

- [Reporter] Again,
Robert pulled through,

but doctors still warn Mary
that his prognosis was poor.

- And he was just
weak and you know,

like they thought
he was gonna die.

Things were going
through my mind,

Lord, why does this happen?

Started crying, said
he didn't deserve this.

I said, is this working
together for our good?

Lord, you said in
everything give thanks.

So I just started praising
him. I just thank the Lord.

I said, Lord, no matter
what it looks like,

I give you the honor,
the glory and the praise

and I thank you.

- [Reporter] After more
than a month of surgeries,

doctors had fixed
everything they could,

but Robert wasn't
coming out of the coma.

They asked Mary to
try to arouse him.

For days, she and her son
Kenneth tried with no success

until one day.

- Kenneth was on one side,
I was on the other side

and I was calling him,
Bobby, Bobby, wake up.

He said, "Daddy,"
his eyes popped open.

We grabbed hands and
he just pulled up,

close to us like that
and of course tears came,

you know, from us.

- [Reporter] Robert would
spend many weeks in rehab

regaining his physical
strength and ability to talk.

- It was a slow
process, I would say.

He would talk some and then it
just came back like natural.

His mind was coming
together more.

- [Reporter] As Robert
regained his memory,

he realized there were some
things doctors couldn't fix.

Robert worked as a
prison guard captain

at Lee Correctional Institute.

He and his team
seized contraband, the
illegal drugs, guns,

knives, and cell phones
smuggled inside the prison.

He had made some enemies
and they wanted him dead.

Ex-con, Sean Eccles had
been sent to do the job,

even though Eccles was convicted
and sentenced to prison,

Robert struggled with anger.

- 'Cause I was thinking, I said,
these guys hunted you down.

They tried to kill
me and my wife

and bitterness was
starting to build.

One morning about
three in the morning,

sounds like someone was speaking
to me and he said, forgive

'cause I couldn't let this root
of bitterness grow up in me.

It just, it's a great freedom.

Hatred and bitterness
puts you in.

- [Reporter] After three
months in the hospital,

Robert went home where he
continued his recovery.

Although he still has pain and
sometimes walks with a cane,

he's grateful for every day.

- I take each day as precious,
it's precious time to me.

- [Reporter] Today
he's a pastor, author,
and public speaker

telling other victims
of violent crime

about the power of prayer

and the loving God
who saved his life.

- Do not give up.

When those doctors were
ready to give up on me,

my wife did not give up.

She trusted God.

- It's taught me
that God is there.

Don't ever doubt, no
matter what happens,

God is the only hope that
anyone could ever have.

- Prayer is powerful. It's not
over till he says it's over.

- Do not give up.
Prayer is power.

We believe that as well

and that's why we set aside time

during our program
to pray for you.

We know that many of you
are struggling with things

that just like Robert
and Mary's situation,

you know, they might
look impossible,

there might even
be people like some

of the medical people
in this scenario

that are telling you
it's not gonna work out.

It might be financial
people telling you,

you're never gonna get out
of this hole that's been dug.

Listen, it can be
many, many things.

Maybe it's an addiction
you struggle with yourself.

Always, always, there is
hope and always God is there

and he is the one who has the
power to touch and to change

and to make a difference
in your lives.

So we wanna pray to
that end with you today,

joining with you asking
God to do the impossible

for you in your circumstance.

This is Tammy who
lives in High Point,

North Carolina, Gordon.

She started having significant
pain in her right shoulder.

She was watching this
program and she heard you say

"Someone else has
a frozen shoulder

and you're saying
please say that.

So I'm saying frozen
shoulder is just for you.

It's your right shoulder. Do
what you could not do before.

Lift your arm up and realize
the pain is gone now."

Without hesitation,
Tammy claimed it.

She raised her
arms and Tammy was

instantly healed.
(Gordon chuckles)

- [Gordon] Praise God.

Here's Margaret from
Sarasota, Florida.

She was began seeing double.

One day she turned on the
TV and Terry was praying

"Someone you have
an eye condition.

It's something to do with
the muscles of your eye,

not having enough
tension in them

and it is affecting your vision.

God is correcting that
for you right now.

Your eyesight will be perfect."

Well, by faith, Margaret
agreed with Terry.

Immediately the double vision
was gone. Her sight was clear.

Believe in God.

That's the fundamental
message, believe in God.

That's what Jesus
taught in Matthew 11.

If you want to see
miracles, have faith in God.

Don't have faith in your prayer,

don't have faith
in other things.

Don't have faith in how
much you've read the Bible

or how much you
haven't read the Bible.

Have faith in God.
Believe in him.

Believe in his power.
Believe he sent Jesus.

Believe that Jesus
is the messiah.

Believe that by his
blood you are forgiven,

you are set free from
all unrighteousness

and by his stripes
you are healed.

Believe that. You
can rest in it.

It's secure, it's set for
all time, for all eternity.

It's set. Jesus said
"It's finished."

And when he said
that, he meant it.

All we have to do is to walk

into the finished
work of the cross.

When you have that faith, you
leave your symptoms behind,

you leave the reports behind,

you leave any thought that
you're righteous enough

to enter into his presence.

He is the one who
makes you righteous.

He is the one who heals
you. He is your all in all.

Go all in and get your
healing, your need,

your answer to prayer.

Let's pray and do it right now.

Lord, we come to you, we
come to you believing.

Just as little children, we
come to a loving heavenly Father

who wants to take care
of every single need.

So Lord, we walk into the
finished work of the cross.

We see you, we look to you

for you are the author and
the finisher of our faith.

We receive all that
you have for us now,

in Jesus' name, amen.

There's someone,
you've got searing pain

in your right lung with
every single breath,

God is healing that,
you just felt that,

that pain is leaving you
now and the wonderful news,

it's never going to come back.

You are healed, completely
healed in Jesus' name.

Terry.

- The word that
comes is entwined

and I believe this is
somebody you have a,

some kind of a mass in your
head and it's operable,

but the problem is it's
entwined with other things

that make it very,
very difficult.

God is creating pathways to
healing for you right now.

Just lift up your hands
and begin to receive that

as he solves this dilemma that
doctors can't seem to solve,

just right now receive it.

God is healing you
in powerful ways.

- There's someone,
you're involved

in an abusive relationship
and you just can't seem

to get free from it and
God just wants to give you

the boldness to get free, that
he just wants to assure you,

you don't have to take this.

You can get up and leave it
and so do that right now.

Just have the faith to believe

that he has made a way for you.

He will provide for you.
He will be your all in all.

He never intended this for you.

He wants to set you free
from it now, in Jesus' name.

- Yeah, someone else, you
have had severe infection

in your kidneys and problems
with your liver as well.

This is the same. God's
healing that condition for you.

You've had it for a while
and it's been so frustrating.

He's healing it for you now.

Just feel that warmth
come across your back

and the side of your
body as he heals you.

- So when you scratch your
cornea in your left eye

and it's very painful for you,

God is able to heal that cornea,

he's able to make
it whole again.

Give you everything that
you've lost, give you vision,

give you everything that's
been taken in Jesus' name,

be healed and be
set free from it.

Lord, we thank you. We thank
you for your wonderful power.

We thank you for your
wonderful love towards us.

You forgive all our iniquities,
you heal all our diseases.

We receive everything
now, in Jesus' name, amen.

If you've been healed,
if you've been set free,

give us a call 1-800-700-7000
and if you need prayer,

we're here for you, we're
here for you 24 hours a day,

seven days a week.

All you have to do is pick
up the phone and call,

1-800-700-7000.

Call now or go to cbn.com.

- Jason was a saver. His
wife Angie was a spender.

Angie had an arsenal of 17
credit cards at her fingertips

and one day, she dug
through her wallet,

took out all her credit
cards and cut them all up.

- I just like to spend.

At the last point, I
had 17 credit cards.

A lot of them were department
stores, jewelry stores

or American Express,
Visa, those kind.

- Any kind of debt
stressed me out

and we had a couple of car
payments at that time also,

that really stressed me
out, I didn't like it.

- [Narrator] Like many
couples, Jason and Angie Cabler

had conflicting
views about money.

- When we fought, we
fought about money.

I think if we would have
had open communication

in the beginning, I think
our first seven years

of marriage would not
have been so hard.

- [Narrator] Jason grew up
not quite sold on tithing.

- You know, if somebody
asked me to share my money

or to give my money for
something, it was like,

yeah, no, I'm not gonna do that.

This is my money,
I want it. (laughs)

- [Narrator] However, by
the time he married Angie,

Jason had warmed up to
the idea of tithing,

while she managed the checkbook,

he focused on building
up his dental practice.

- I was trying to figure
out how to run a practice,

run a business and it
was very stressful.

So I gave all that over to her,

but when it came down to it,

it wasn't her natural
inclination to want
to deal with that.

- [Narrator] The stress
of handling their bills

finally got to Angie.

- He started just questioning
me and I got very offensive

like, why are you
questioning what I'm doing?

So much to the point that,

one night I threw
the checkbook at him

and I told him, you
will take care of it.

I will no longer pay the bills.

At that point, he took the lead,

he became more of the
head of our household.

- [Narrator] Jason then
began paying the bills.

He also suggested
the couple enroll

in a financial strategy
program through their church.

- The first few sessions
that she went to,

she basically sat there with
her arms crossed (smacks lips)

(laughs) doing this number,
but as time went on,

she started catching the vision
a little bit and so did I.

I started learning a lot of
things that I didn't know.

- [Narrator] At the end
of one of the classes,

Angie surprised Jason.

- The coordinator would always,
at the end of the night,

he would say, is there
anybody that wants

to cut up their
credit cards tonight?

Angie stood up and started
digging through her billfold,

took out all of
those credit cards,

I believe it was 17, and
cut every last one of 'em up

and I had no idea
this was gonna happen.

- [Narrator] The Cabler also
took marriage counseling

to help them communicate
better about money.

- I had to really go through
a transition to learn

how to let go and learn that
really it all belongs to God

and that it's mine to manage
and it's more of a joy now

to be able to give
rather than a stress

and obviously that's gotten
much easier over the years.

- Once we got on the same
page with money and finances,

I think that's where
our marriage did a 180

and we started flourishing.

- [Narrator] Today, the
Cabler have no credit cards

and no debt other
than their mortgage.

Jason's practice
has grown as well

and he even writes a
weekly blog about finances.

- A blessed 90% is always
greater than an unblessed 100%.

It's not the kind of math
we learned in school,

but when you
exercise that faith,

he will bless that
10% and multiply it.

- Be obedient with your
finances and tithing

and trust God.

If I could encourage someone
to just step out on faith

and do it, try it for 90 days,
go ahead and give that 10%

and trust God and watch the
miracles that will take place.

(bright music)

- Trust God and
watch the miracles

that will take place in your
life when you just trust him

and one of the best
ways to trust him

is to trust him
with your finances.

It's the only time
you get to prove God.

He says it very clearly in
Malachi, "Test me now on this,

prove me now on this, if
I will not open for you

the windows of heaven."

You live life his way,
wonderful things can happen.

You just saw it with
Jason and Angie.

The first thing they
had to do is get rid

of the credit cards,
consumer spending

is an absolute curse on you
because it puts you into debt

and then it gets you
into interest payments

and it seems like you
can never catch up,

but when you live his way,

say, I'm going to
live within my income,

I'm going to tithe 10%,
I'm going to save 10%,

I'm going to do it, that way,
wonderful things can happen.

If you wanna start a life
of giving, give us a call,

1-800-700-7000, just say I
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1-800-700-7000. Terry.

- The horse, bucks,
leaps in the air

and then jerks in the
opposite direction.

Bareback rodeo is a wild ride

and Anthony Thomas is
one of the top champions.

So at the peak of his career,

why was Anthony at
the lowest of lows

and how did a supernatural
date totally transform him?

Just watch

(air swooshes)

(horse neighs)

- [Narrator] Anthony
Thomas has lived life

much like how he rides a horse,

some by saddle,
some by bareback.

- I was a troubled kid
that ran away from home,

that had a dream to be a cowboy.

God definitely placed horses
in my life and in my heart.

I was able to connect with
a horse as a young kid.

I've chased wild horses
all over the world.

They're definitely a soulful
creature that comes from God

and it saved my life.

- [Narrator] The rodeo cowboy

and professional
bareback competitor,

left home in Australia
at 12 years old,

surviving a difficult
family life.

- I had a pretty
traumatic childhood.

My parents had me
doped up pretty bad

on several different
types of drugs.

I knew that I was
troubled and confused

and I would've ended up in
organized crime or in jail

or dead if I had have stayed
there in that situation,

probably better off
for me to stay away

and being with the horses
and the cows and the sheep,

I knew that that's what gave
me a sense of belonging.

- [Narrator] That
belonging came at a ranch,

a cattle station near
the boarding school
where he was sent.

Young Anthony found stability,

identifying with
the unbroken horses.

- I think the immediate
connection that I had

with those wild horses that
God placed me in front of,

like me, they were confused

and they had used their
defense mechanisms

to protect themselves

and I could definitely
relate to 'em in every way

just because of the similarities
in the way that we thought

and the circumstances
that were brought to us.

- [Narrator] Working long
hours, seven days a week,

Anthony learned the
art of breaking horses,

- Establishing full trust
between man versus beast.

The horse has gotta
be in the mindset

that he trusts you enough
to want to do that for you.

You can make these big
creatures do things,

but they're only gonna
give you probably

70% of what they can do

and when you can
gain that full trust

and have a full sense of
understanding with the horse,

then you'll get close
to a hundred percent

out of your horse every time.

- [Narrator] The
connection to horses

provided Anthony
opportunities on them.

He's learned instincts
and neglected upbringing

prepared him as
a bareback rider.

- They say bareback
riding is taking control

of a completely
uncontrollable situation.

You know, the horse,
bucks, jumps in the air,

is wild, changes directions,

and we just have to
react and respond

and I think God prepared me

to be a professional
bareback rider,

because I need to trust the Lord

and the Holy Spirit's
plan a hundred percent

surrendering to the Lord,

that it's not up
to me what happens.

- [Narrator] As a teen
Anthony look forward

to the occasional weekend rodeos
in the Australian outback.

- All the crews in all of
the keen young cattle hands,

we call 'em ringers,
would enter the rodeos

and use their skills
that they would use

at their job every day,
like riding bucking horses

and catching bulls and
showcase their talents

and I would go to
those local rodeos,

I ended up doing really well

and all the events
that I entered

and got, caught the rodeo bug.

- [Narrator] In
2011, Anthony won

the Australian bareback title.

The following year
he moved to Canada

aiming for a North
American title.

- The horses are so much bigger

and stronger and more athletic.

The bucking horses in Canada

and in the US is second to none.

You know, the bright
lights and the big stadiums

and the huge crowds.

Everything was just
so much different

and obviously it
pushed you to be

far more of a
professional athlete.

- [Narrator] Injuries
and surgeries mounted,

so did distractions that came
with the touring territory.

- You're in a different city,

in a different town and
there's always a bar.

There's always
womanizing and partying

and making bad decisions

and for probably a good
10 years of my life,

I was as guilty as any man on
earth, fighting and drinking

and just all of the
debauchery that comes with

being in a party
scene all the time.

As I remember being
down in the dumps

at the lowest of lows.

- [Narrator] In 2018,
Anthony worked his way up,

among the world's best
15 bareback riders,

but his life felt meaningless.

On a second date, at the
request of his now wife, Amanda,

they visited a church service
at Hope City in Houston.

- The presence of
the Holy Spirit

just almost knocked
me off my feet.

I started crying.

I didn't know
where it comes from

and God was just speaking to me.

It was an undeniable
sense of conviction,

hope and renewal,
transformation of my life

to become a actual kingdom man.

Realizing how much of
a relationship that
I have with Jesus,

that I can talk to
him as a friend,

that he's always
gonna be there for me.

He is always gonna
provide for me.

- [Narrator] While the
pandemic shut down rodeos,

Anthony opened a Farm to
Table, natural beef business.

The pasture also brought
him a new perspective

with empathetic strength.

- 2020 really opened my eyes
to some underlying racism.

I think that empathy
is so important.

The western industry is a
predominantly white culture.

It's not judgemental to anybody,
it's just the way it is.

Even though I am a different
color to everybody else

in the bareback riding sport.

You would hope that
the judges in the sport

have everybody in
their best interest,

but it's not something
that I can allow myself

to think about and I do believe
that God's put me in rodeo,

showing that people of all
different colors can get along

and be brothers and
sisters and be family.

- [Narrator] The
rodeo bareback cowboy,

ranched in humble Texas
embraces his story journey

with humility,

- Be loyal to him and
show him all the glory

for everything he's done for me.

God has placed me
in every situation

and I can't even explain
how that happened.

God is true and God is
real and he's a real savior

and he's saved my life
and he's provided for me

in every situation, every
one of us has a platform

right where they are

and teach them about the
love of Jesus no matter what,

that there's a God that's
always there for you,

that has more for you than
you could ever imagine.

70% of what they can do

and when you can
gain that full trust

and have a full sense of
understanding with the horse,

- What a message
Anthony brings us.

What a life he has lived.
That's an amazing testimony.

Well, we have a minute
here for some email,

so let's hear from
Patricia, Gordon.

She says, "Hi Gordon,
when I was 13 or 14,

I was saved and baptized.

Throughout my
adulthood, I backslid.

I'm 60 now and I've come
to know the Lord again.

Do I need to get saved
and baptized again,

please help because it
really troubles my heart."

- You can, Patricia,

if you want to get
baptized again, please do.

If married couples can
reaffirm their vows

and go through the
ceremony again,

because they want to show
the world we love each other,

we're committed to each other,

you can go through baptism again

and say, I want to
show the whole world

that I am dead to my
sins and my trespasses.

I'm raised again into newness
of life with Jesus Christ

and it doesn't matter
what age you are.

I know some denominations
disagree over this,

but you know, getting
rebaptized in my view

is a wonderful thing and if
it will make you feel better,

then absolutely do it,
do it as soon as you can.

We leave you today with
these words from Psalm 91,

"For he shall give his
angels charge over you

to keep you in
all of your ways."