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March 18, 2019 - Jim Bakker Show
07:01
Remembering Gary Smalley with Steven K Scott
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Two Best Friends 00:03:08
But it was also how I launched Gary Smalley's ministries.
Amazing.
I wrote his first two books.
That's how we met, really?
Yes, with Gary.
Yeah.
The great Gary Smalley.
And when we were in Branson, downtown in our little restaurant store.
Little cafe.
That was so cool.
It was.
And we really miss Gary, don't we?
We all do.
I know Gary was one of your best friends.
One of my two best friends in life.
We met in 73 and we were best friends until the day he died.
One of a kind.
No, nobody like him.
He changed my life by getting me into the book of Proverbs.
I had flunked out of nine jobs in my first six years after college.
And I said, Gary, I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
I understand my craft, marketing.
I'm not stupid.
I have a good IQ.
And I'm not lazy.
I'm first in, last out at every company, but I cannot succeed.
And he said, let me pray about it.
Isn't that nice?
He didn't shoot from the hip.
Next morning, he comes in.
He said, he's all excited.
You know how Gary would get?
How would you like to be the wisest man of all your bosses?
How'd you like to be wiser than bosses?
I was 26, and I go, Yeah, right.
And he said, No, do something for two years.
In two years, you'll be wiser than all your bosses, and in five years, you'll probably be a millionaire.
And I said, Okay, what is it?
And he said, 31 chapters in Proverbs, 31 days in the month.
Every day read the chapter of the day with pencil and paper in hand.
Write down the wisdom and insights you gain.
Use them in your work.
Yeah.
And I promise you, it'll change everything.
Well, it didn't take five years.
Two and a half years later, I was a multi-millionaire at 2028.
So just by using what I found in the book of Proverbs through Gary.
Well, then I returned.
That's amazing.
Well, it's funny.
I love it.
So then he was pastor of a little church in Waco.
He was assistant pastor.
And I knew he had the best material on marriage I'd ever seen.
So I called him up, and by this time, I'm selling a lot of stuff on TV.
And I said, Gary, how would you like to write two books on marriage?
And he said, I've been praying for 10 years that God would let me write one.
And now you asked me if I want to write two.
I said, one for men, one for women.
And so we went ahead and we wrote, If only he knew, and for better or for best.
We did it in 60 days.
Pat Boone and his wife, Shirley, were our spokespersons.
And that launched Gary Smalley's ministry.
And then later on, we added all the videos, Hidden Keys to Loving Relationships.
Yes.
Wow.
We all love Keith.
He was just so amazing.
Mondo, you knew him very well, too.
Absolutely.
He got to marry my wife and I.
Yes.
And he mentored Beth since she was 13 years old.
I became really good friends with him.
We will meet every Monday at a very special restaurant in Branson.
And he will pour into me about marriage.
I was not even planning to get married.
He says, Well, when you get married, you're going to need this keys.
I can still hear his voice every single day to call me about his excitement of falling in love with Jesus once again.
Gary's Invitation 00:04:08
Amen.
That was his passion.
Then he said, I love Jim and Laurie.
Yes.
And you remember he invited us to his house when we came in.
Gary opened up his home for our family and loved on us.
But every day he would tell me, I love Jim and Laurie with all of my heart.
You know, I'll never forget.
He's probably one of the main reasons we're here.
Yeah.
And he invited us to their home.
Well, it was so crazy because Mondo and mom were with us and seven kids and Jim and Laurie.
Oh my goodness.
And they invited us all to come over to their home for dinner.
And I thought, homie Small.
No, you said nobody invites all of us.
And they said, are you sure you want the whole family?
The whole family.
And Gary and Norma.
And I mean, it was just, and Michael and Amy, they were just so precious and took us all in.
We were just brand new here.
We didn't know anybody except for Dean Jerry.
I'll tell you what he said about you guys after dinner.
Because he called me and he said, you'll never guess who I had to dinner tonight.
And I said, who?
And he goes, Jim Baker and his family.
And I go, really?
I said, Gary, I saw him on Barbara Walters.
I couldn't believe what I heard him say.
And I said, he was so humble.
And he said, Steve, when you meet him, you're going to love him because he is humble, because he's been humbled by God, and therefore he's available to God's grace.
You see, as long as you're arrogant, as long as you're not humble, what does God do?
He resists you.
That's what the Bible says.
But when you've become humbled, he pours out his grace.
And you talked in the last show, Jim, about you're not going to be forgiven if you don't forgive.
That's right.
Gary Smalley taught my other best friend, who he claimed as his best friend as well, Jim Shaughnessy, how to forgive his dad, who had been physically abusive for Jim's whole life growing up.
And when Jim went to his dad and said, Dad, will you forgive me for not being a grateful son?
His dad ran away from him.
And Jim, a football player, had to run after and tackle his dad.
And he said, Dad, you don't understand.
I need your forgiveness.
And his dad started crying.
And he said, but if I forgive you, I'm going to have to ask you for forgiveness.
And Jim said, I don't care, Danny.
I just want you to forgive me for not being grateful.
His dad came to Christ that day.
He went to the mom that he had beat up every weekend when he would get drunk and ask her for forgiveness.
Then he went to each of the siblings who wouldn't even let him in their houses.
What are you doing here?
And he fell on his knees.
I got God like Jimmy does.
And you don't have to let me in and you don't even have to forgive me.
But I want you to know I need your forgiveness if you can ever give it.
Well, the whole family ends up coming to Christ because Gary Smalley told Jim, Jim said, why do I need to ask my dad for forgiveness?
He beat us up every weekend.
I didn't do anything.
And he said, well, he said, were you a grateful son?
And Jim said, what do I have to be grateful about?
And Gary, just like Gary, he said, I'll tell you one thing I'm grateful to your dad for.
He already had kids, and he didn't make a lot of money.
And one night he decided to make love with your mom.
And out of that, I got my best friend.
So am I grateful to your dad?
Wow.
That was Gary Smalley.
That's right.
Gary's the one who taught me not to be judgmental.
Who told me just exactly like you did, Steve?
You got to forgive or you will.
Gary Smalley, truly one of the great.
Amen.
And hallelujah.
And he became America's counselor.
And remember that he would counsel really famous people.
And we love him so much.
And he's gone to be with the Lord.
Amen.
But people who impact your life.
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