It takes an act of faith to give what you don’t have! On today’s edition of Family Talk, Gary Bauer continues his conversation with entrepreneur John Roise, who pledges millions in donations to ministries before the money is in hand—then watches God provide. He shares how a widow’s thirty-eight cents taught him about sacrifice, and the joy of investing in eternity. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29
Welcome everyone to Family Talk. It’s a ministry of the James Dobson Family Institute supported by listeners just like you. I’m Dr. James Dobson and I’m thrilled that you’ve joined us.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, welcome once again to Family Talk, the broadcast ministry of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. I’m Roger Marsh, and on today’s program, we’re continuing our Inspiring Everyday Heroes series with a conversation featuring businessman and evangelist John Royce. You know, many of us struggle with questions about giving. How much should I give? What if I don’t have much to offer? Should I wait until I’m more financially secure to become a donor? Well, today on Family Talk, John Royce will address these common concerns with refreshing honesty and practical wisdom. His perspective might just transform how you think about generosity and stewardship. Now, on the last edition of Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, John Royce shared his remarkable journey from farm boy to successful banker to entrepreneur. It was after 20 years in the banking industry that John felt God calling him to step out in faith and purchase Lindsay Window and Door Company. While he was deeply in debt, though, John and his wife Sue made a bold million-dollar pledge to support kingdom work. Whether you’re managing a large business or living on a modest income, I’m sure that John’s insights will encourage you to trust God with your resources in ways you never thought possible. Here now is part two of our own Gary Bowers conversation with John Royce on Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome back to Family Talk, everyone. This is day two of our conversation with John Royce, a remarkable man, a businessman, an entrepreneur, an evangelist that has a life story that should be an inspiration to all. Let’s get right back into it. John, it’s really great to have you back here.
SPEAKER 03 :
I’m honored to be here with you, Gary.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, we had talked about the fact that, well, that not everybody can give a million dollars. A lot of our listeners might be saying, well, I can’t give a million dollars. Well, that’s not the point, right? You told a beautiful story that actually mimics a biblical story that probably everybody knows about how somebody gave – and it wasn’t a million – but it was still incredibly valuable.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, Gary. So I had the privilege with Craig Lawrence, another guy, and we went around the history handful and we went around and we would give the call for the million dollars, ask at the end of the events. We had several events. And I also was a Gideon. I’m a Gideon. And I was speaking for the Gideons at the Mankato Minnesota Salvation Army. And I gave them a little talk. Then afterwards, I stand at the back and I open my Bible and I put a few bucks in myself and I wait for people to come out with my open Bible. Because I tell them earlier that they have a chance to give. Well, some people walked by, and a lady came by. I kept my eye-to-eye contact with her. She was an older lady and dressed very poorly. But she came up to me, and she said, young man, she said, I know that if people get Bibles, they will come to know Jesus. She said, I want to help him. people come to know Jesus. So she opened up her little purse and had a little coin purse inside that zipped it out, and she dumped it in my Bible. I kept eye contact with her, so I didn’t look at how much it was, but it was the only coins I got. After she left, I count it was 38 cents. And that’s the largest contribution I’ve ever seen given to the kingdom. I’ve had people pledge a million dollars, but this was the largest contribution I’ve seen. I saw the widow’s mite. Afterwards, I couldn’t find her. She wasn’t there. But I saw this lady gave everything, and she taught me a big lesson. That’s not how much you give. It’s how much you have left and how much you roll into sacrifice for the kingdom. And so that’s what it is. And I also think that, Gary, so many people are sitting here with resources that God’s given them. They say, well, give it away when we die. Well, you know what? It takes no faith to give away something when you’re dead. My estate plan is the last check to the funeral director almost bounces. And I don’t want to face Jesus when I have money in my bank account. He’s going to say a couple of things. What did you do with my son? And what did you do with the stuff I gave you? And if I’m sitting there in a bunch of cash and I didn’t invest in the kingdom, I don’t want to do that. So we typically invest before we have the money. I make pledges and I don’t have the money. But I work hard and I pray and I see how God can provide that money. So it’s all a gift from him. It’s not me. In spite of me, he provides.
SPEAKER 02 :
There’s absolutely no doubt. Whether you’re somebody that can give a million dollars or somebody that gives your last 38 cents, there is a room that has been prepared for you in the mansions of the Lord. There’s also something else, John, that I know you’ve learned. that there really is a pleasure in being able to give the money before you’re gone because you see the effect of what the money does by showing the face of Christ to people that need it now, not want to read what your estate said later.
SPEAKER 03 :
So true. I remember seeing a picture with Campus Great for Christ of generations of how this person came to Christ. They led this person and there were generations of that. And so I’m thinking those of you who are out there listening now, the resource that God has given you, they’re not yours. They’re his to be used for his glory. So invest those in the kingdom work because someone can come to know Jesus today and that will change their eternal destiny. Now, they may be called to heaven tomorrow. They wouldn’t be to heaven probably, but they’d be called someplace. But do it today. Give it today while you’re doing it because it takes no faith to give something you’re dead. I even have an operating line of credit to give because I pledge it before I have it. And so my banker, he knows that, that I’ve got an operating line of credit, several hundred thousand dollars that, you know, I have because I don’t have the money all the time. I don’t have the money. And sometimes God doesn’t provide in some ways. And so I have to borrow the money to get to fulfill the pledge because I want to fulfill all the pledges that we made. And I’ve been given so much. One time, Gary, I was speaking at a church up in Fargo, North Dakota on giving and stewardship. And God laid on my heart to get a jar of money. And I put a bunch of bills in there, ones, fives, tens, twenties, a few fifties. And I picked out a guy in the car, a young boy. He was in his teens. And I said, now, I want you to give this to anybody who’s got something red on. And this is my money. I want you to give it away. And people were hollering around. And it was a great time there. And I told the boy, I said, now, isn’t it fun to give away something that’s not your own? And he said, it is fun. I said, well, that’s what it is for all of us because we’re giving away what is not our own. God has given that to us. We want to be joyful givers in what we’ve given because, remember, it’s not our own. And we’re going to leave this earth with nothing just like we came in. but we can bring people to heaven with us by the resources God’s given us. And so we’re looking for an eternal reward when we get to heaven. That’s where our reward’s at. We’re laying a balance sheet up in heaven, not on earth. We’re leaving this place. So take the resources you have here, use them to advance God’s kingdom, and you’ll get to see them when you get up to heaven. That’s my goal.
SPEAKER 02 :
Beautifully. Well said. John, Dr. Dobson has played a major role in my life. When I left the Reagan administration, he had actually saved me a couple of times when I got in trouble by things I had done in Washington during those years and he put me on the radio show. and get a lot of sympathy for me and letters would pour in and probably kept me from being fired, quite frankly. And then together, we started the Family Research Council. So there’s just a lot of great memories. And of course, we’re teaming up now and on public policy and a lot of things. Tell me a little bit about how Dr. Dobson’s impacted your life and why you care about this ministry. Dr.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, I don’t remember, Gary, where we first started with Dr. Dobson, but I think it was on radio. Listening to him on KTI’s radio in Minneapolis where Dr. Dobson was on, and we would listen all the time. I remember distinctly showing the movies in the church where they had different reels. He’d switch the reels out.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
Back in the 1880s. It was a long time ago, but he was so wise in what he said. And so when Sue and I were raising our three boys— And he was saying, well, what would Dr. Dobson do in this? And we’d hear things. And it was amazing how God would have a program on that would just fit the needs that we are questioning that time, some principle that he brought up that we needed to apply to our lives at that time, not only to our marriage as well, but to raising the boys. And he had so many great things to say on marriage. And I know that made our marriage a lot better than it was because of what he said, the words of wisdom from Dr. Dobson.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, a lot of people say something similar and I know that Dr. Dobson, he’s always been deeply moved by the number of times and rarely it will happen to me. But I don’t – I’ve never had a daily radio show like he has. But people will come up and say, Dr. Dobson, I want to introduce you to your godchild because I was on the way to an abortion clinic to abort her once. when I was turning the radio station and heard you say something about life, I’d never heard you before. And I stopped and listened and it was so convicting. I pulled off the road and wept and drove back home and did not abort my daughter. So she’s alive because of you. So there are marriages that stayed together and children that are alive because he’s been so consistent about the sanctity of life. And, uh, To look at the influence on you and whatever impact that helped you and then the things you’re doing and all the lives you won’t know until you get to heaven that you’ve touched by the ministry that you’ve had. It’s a wonderful chain of greatness.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Dr. Dobson, not only for our family, but we would get together with other Christian couples. We’d talk about Dr. Dobson, what he said. It was not only what we heard on the radio, but others were listening as well. So it’s out there. His books are out there. We came to the campus a couple different times. We saw how God was working. But one thing about it, it wasn’t what Dr. Dobbs said. It was always based on biblical truths. Yes. It’s based on the Bible. And he always made a mention that this is what the Bible says. And I loved how he did it with. our families, but also with government and churches, how he supported the government and churches, the free enterprise system. And I’ve always respected him for that, that he took a position. He wasn’t always popular, like Dr. Jerry Falwell, who I supported as well. But they weren’t popular because a lot of the liberal media did not like them. But they stood for truth because it was based on God’s Word.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. Dr. Dobson has started a sentence with the words, what the Bible says so many times, that he is routinely called by secularists that aren’t paying a lot of attention, Reverend Dobson. And he goes, excuse me, it’s Dr. Dobson. They go, oh, okay. So, no, the Bible is the owner’s manual of Christianity. And if you can’t quote that, then you probably should go back to page one and start over, right?
SPEAKER 03 :
I remember you said it’s the only book where the author goes with us. And the author is inside, living inside of us. And so we have that. And so we need to learn on that. But his principles are so applicable today. He said them 40 years ago. They’re applicable today because they’re biblically based.
SPEAKER 02 :
I want to take just a short little detour because in addition to everything we said describing you, you’re also a patriot. I’ve talked to you enough to know you love our country. And I noticed that of the four things you wanted to do, one of them was to talk about democracy. of social issues like the sanctity of life and pornography and so forth. How do you think America is doing? My own view and I think Dr. Dobson agrees is that we’ve really gone off the rails in the last 50 years. And we’ve even heard recently that if you love Jesus and love America, that’s some sort of weird, bad thing. That makes you – I don’t know what they call it, Christian nationalist or something. My goodness, for 99 percent of our history, virtually everybody in America loved Jesus and loved America. And that didn’t make you anything other than a patriotic Christian. Say something on your heart about our country. This is a special place. When God lets us be born here – That is one of the most incredible blessings somebody can get.
SPEAKER 03 :
We are so fortunate to be Americans. And it was my generation that let us down. It was my generation that after the Vietnam War and things that we just, you know, the sexual revolution took place then. It was my generation that let it go down. And fortunately, we stayed in God’s Word and we got that. But I am so proud of every soldier that’s serving today. In fact, I was coming back from San Diego last week. I was on the rental bus coming back and there was a new Marine who just graduated from Pensacola. I was so proud of him. His dad was with him, and they had a picture of him, and I was so proud. And I said, you know, I’m so proud of you volunteering, because I feel like I’m a third-class veteran, because I didn’t volunteer. If I could have got out of it, I would have. I put my time in, but I thank every person that’s serving and willing, firemen, policemen, and soldiers. I’ll buy you lunch when I see you online. And And I know Chipotle has a good discount there. Best if it’s in Chipotle. But I’m so proud of them. I’m an American all the way. And God bless America. And I love to see what’s happening now. I know there’s people who don’t agree with what’s going on. But I try and look from a biblical worldview. That’s what it’s about. It’s a biblical worldview. If you look at things through the Bible and then you look at things, it is. And that’s what we need to look at today. Go back to God’s Word. And I want churches to stand up, too. Stand up for God’s Word where it says, the church I belong to in Florida is a great church. And the pastor says, he says, we’re not here to judge you. We love every one of you coming here. He said, we’re going to preach God’s Word. And if it convicts you, it convicts you. We’re going to preach God’s Word. We’re going to preach the whole world, word what it is. And we want that. We want you to come and know Jesus as you say. But where you are right now, we’re not judging you. Come on in, everybody. We love all of you. And that’s my theme, too, is that we love you where you are, but we don’t want to leave you there because we want God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, to change your life.
SPEAKER 02 :
So many churches have surrendered territory to the overall culture because they’re afraid they’re going to alienate someone or whatever. Long term, that’s not going to work for the church and it certainly won’t work for America. Our founders said that only a virtuous people could remain free. So we need for the church to stand up in these times. And I was really excited when I saw that as one of the four ways that you felt you could serve the Lord was to talk about these issues that the country is facing. John, I know a lot of people hear your stories and you’ve had one success after another, although there have been some times when it was a little rugged. But it always worked out. It always came out the way you want it. You know more than anybody because you hired them. There are a lot of people that struggle, can’t get a job. If they come across you, you’ve given many people jobs that made mistakes along the way. But not everything is a bed of roses, right? And so your beloved Sue who – that story, your story really begins with her all the way back at the University of Minnesota and she’s with you through all these challenges and travails and you may occasionally have wondered, gee, I wonder if John is doing the right thing here. Things look a little – nerve-wracking, you know. She had her own strong faith and ministry, but then you all got reminded in a very dramatic way that this is not the world God intended. This is a world full of sin and suffering and problems. There’s only one place above this that doesn’t have those things. Tell us about what happened when your wife got a medical diagnosis.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, so, you know, I don’t want any listeners to think of it’s been a bed of roses because it has not been. There have been challenges along the way. I always say if I got paid by mistakes, I’d be very wealthy because I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’ve tried to correct them, but I made a lot of mistakes. And if you don’t do anything, you won’t make mistakes. But if you try and do some things, you are going to fail. I always try and say when I fail, I want to fail forward and I’m not going to quit. So those of you out there listening, I have had many, many challenges, many failures in from a standpoint, but they’re not fairs if you learn from them and you go forward. And that’s what I’m trying to do. So my wife was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and they gave her one to two years to live. But at that time, we had a Christian doctor, and there were no tears shed. In fact, it was rejoicing with the Lord. Her first words were, well, either way, I win. He heals me on earth or he heals me in heaven.
SPEAKER 01 :
I win either way.
SPEAKER 03 :
And Thessalonians 5, 16 to 18 talks about rejoice always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances. So after she was announced what she had that was going through her mind, and I started reciting those verses. And our doctor was a great doctor, a We had an anointing service right there. She anointed with oil. We prayed over her that God would use her to advance His kingdom. And so our goal in that time was, don’t waste your cancer. And so we now had a new platform. We now had things that—more adversity. And people wonder, what are the Royces going to do now with this adversity? Well, we hung on to the Lord. We didn’t—not once did we ever question God. Not once did we get mad at the Lord, because He is the Lord Himself. And I’m saying to that, do get mad, I’m not condemning you, okay? But for us, it wasn’t that way. It was never that way. It was, how can we use this cancer now to advance? So never complained. It was always joyous suffering, and she did it for the Lord. She was a real trooper. She was a very good example to me. She passed away Christmas Day 2020. It was a great day going home with the Lord.
SPEAKER 02 :
What a day to go home. That is an incredible story. So there was never a time when it looked like this could be beaten. Was it always just an ongoing battle? No.
SPEAKER 03 :
We always, Mayo was so good and he did a lot of clinical trials. And so she was willing to try everything. If there was another clinical trial, she’d do it. And she says, if it doesn’t help me, it will help somebody else. So there was always hope for something that one called the CAR T-cell. She was the first one to do that. We were very optimistic on that, but it didn’t work. In fact, she almost got killed through it. But she did another one because they could think they could figure it out. But no, she didn’t. But we weren’t disappointed. I mean, when the results came back, they go up and down. And those of you suffering with cancer, you know what it’s like. You get the blood reports and the test reports and the images and see if cancer is growing. And we’d see that, but we’d say, Lord, it’s in your hands. Because we knew we had total faith in Jesus, what he could do. We were so thankful that God had given wisdom to doctors, nurses, doctors. and all these technicians to do the medical work that they do. So we used medicine. We had healing services. We had a healing service for Sue. And because what the Bible says in James 5, we did that. And so we knew we’d done everything, but we knew that she was in God’s hands. And at the time, he would take her home when her time was ready. I’ve heard this message not too long ago, but when we’re God’s children and we’re a sinner of God’s will, we are immortal. We will not die. And so when that time comes, we die.
SPEAKER 02 :
We’re just changing places, right?
SPEAKER 03 :
Exactly. We’re changing places.
SPEAKER 02 :
Moving on up.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. So those of you listening out there, if God’s calling you to do something you’re concerned about, go for it. Try it. And do not be scared. Don’t be afraid.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, that is one of the most frequent commands in the Bible, be not afraid or do not fear. It doesn’t get enough emphasis because it’s a natural human thing, particularly in the times we live in. There’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of things. I have to remind myself periodically, you know, God obviously knows everything that’s happened before. He knows exactly what’s happening now. And he knows everything that’s going to happen. Nothing is going to surprise God. He is outside of time. He created time. So everything that happens, what might seem on earth as a good or bad thing, all works to his final purposes and his final plan. And you certainly have lived that through your life, John.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Gary, after Sue passed, I had such a great life, and I was so thankful. But it’s different. You’ve been married, a great marriage, not a perfect marriage, but a great marriage for 52 years. And it’s lonesome. It’s lonesome going out there. You’re now a widower. But fortunately, I was so fortunate. I still have a good business. My son, my oldest son, is in there. And I say, Jeff does such a great job. He does the stuff I don’t want to do, the stuff I don’t know how to do, and the stuff I do know how to do, he does better. So, yeah, I got it made. So I’m kind of an ambassador now in supporting that thing. But I had businesses that were growing. I got involved in a lot of different ministries, fellowship with Christian athletes, things like that, and different things to advance God’s scheme. I wasn’t going to stop. I wasn’t going to say, poor me, poor me.
SPEAKER 02 :
And you have been very generous with us, and we deeply appreciate it.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, I’ve been so blessed to be involved with so many different ministries. And I was a widow for four years. But I kept—I know 1 Corinthians 7 about how you can do much more when you’re single. I realize that. And a lot of times you can. But I always say, Lord, I’m content, whatever it is. But I always ended with, but I’d rather be married. And so I wasn’t complaining to God, not at all. I was totally content with what I had, and I was. But fortunately, God introduced me to a lady who was a widow lady. She’d been married once for 36 years. And her husband passed away seven years ago. And he brought us together through another ministry called the Timothy Initiative. And 53 days after we met, we got married. So why wait, right? Yes, yes. I don’t know why we waited so long. But Kelly’s her name. And we’ve been married over six months now. And we’re just having a wonderful time. And I tell all those who are widow widowers out there that, you know, make sure that it’s the right one because one plus one has got to be greater than two to advance the kingdom.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
And you don’t want to go backwards. And so Kelly has a heart for the Lord, serving the Lord as well, and together we can make things happen. So I’m thankful for all the things that he’s allowed us to do, and we’ll continue to do it. So I’m looking forward to this next chapter.
SPEAKER 02 :
John, I could go on and on and on talking with you. This has been an extraordinary time together. People are going to hear a lot more about you every day the Lord gives you on this earth. You’ve stored up your riches in heaven, not in some vault here on earth. You can’t be more wise than that. We love you and we love all the work that you’re doing and we look forward to partnering with you in the future.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you, Gary. And Dr. Dobson, Shirley, thank you for the great ministry you have. And for all you listeners, continue to listen, read into God’s Word, and do what God’s called you to do because we’re not here that long, and our eternity is going to be a long time. So let’s make the best of it here on earth so we can send our people ahead to heaven. We love you all, and God bless you. Thank you.
SPEAKER 01 :
When generosity flows from faith rather than obligation, everything changes. You’ve been listening to Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, featuring an inspiring conversation with John Royce and our own Gary Bauer, Senior Vice President of Public Policy here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. Gary, of course, is also the host of the Defending Faith, Family and Freedom podcast, which you can find wherever your favorite podcasts are platformed. Now, one of the beauties of John Royce’s testimony is he talks so much about finding joy in sacrificial giving and trusting God through life’s deepest valleys. And by the way, if you missed part one of this conversation, you’ll find the complete discussion, part one and part two, at drjamesdobson.org forward slash family talk. Well, friends, we have some exciting news to share. This year, the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute celebrates our 15th anniversary. Wow, 15 years has gone by so quickly. And we want to hear from you. Maybe you heard a word of wisdom on the radio from Dr. Dobson that really changed your perspective on an important issue. Or maybe it was one of Dr. Dobson’s books that helped you become a better parent or mentor. Maybe it gave you some encouragement in your marriage when you needed it most. Well, whatever your story, we would love to hear it. Go to drjamesdobson.org and share your personal memory, either in print, you can write it out, or you can do so using audio or video technology as well. Just share a personal memory of how Dr. Dobson has impacted your family through the Ministry of Family Talk and the James Dobson Family Institute over the past 15 years. and together we’ll celebrate God’s faithfulness for the first 15 years of JDFI and look forward to the next 15 or even more years that God has in store for us. Here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, we’re committed to preserving and promoting the institution of the family and the biblical principles on which it is based. Every day we receive messages from listeners who share how these broadcasts have given them practical guidance for raising godly children or strengthening their marriages during challenging times. Your partnership makes these life-changing moments possible. And when you support JDFI with a gift of any amount, You can help us continue broadcasting biblical truth to families who are hungry for guidance in these confusing times. You can make a donation over the phone when you call 877-732-6825. If you’d prefer to mail your gift, simply write to our ministry mailing address, Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, P.O. Box 39000, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80949. And for the days when you can’t join us on the radio anymore, make sure you subscribe to our podcast. It’s available on all major platforms. Just search for Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk wherever you get your podcasts. Or if you’d like to listen online through our website, go to drjamesdobson.org. Well, I’m Roger Marsh. And from all of us here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, thanks so much for listening today. Be sure to join us again next time right here for another edition of Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk, the voice you trust for the family you love.
SPEAKER 03 :
This has been a presentation of the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute.
It takes an act of faith to give what you don’t have! On today’s edition of Family Talk, Gary Bauer continues his conversation with entrepreneur John Roise, who pledges millions in donations to ministries before the money is in hand—then watches God provide. He shares how a widow’s thirty-eight cents taught him about sacrifice, and the joy of investing in eternity. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/707/29
