2300 FBF: Paula White: Donald Trump's Faith Advisor on the President's Deep Faith

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It's my pleasure to welcome Paula White Kane. She is the author of many books and I'm talking about many, many books. Somewhere around 50, I believe now. And her latest is something finding triumph over trials. And she is also spiritual advisor to President Trump. Paula, it's great to have you. How are you?

I'm doing well. I'm grateful, that's for sure. I'm healthy and my husband, who is Jonathan Cain, plays many people, know place. Her journey is well and healthy and grandkids. Everybody's doing good, so we count our blessings every single day. Thank you. It's great to be with you and all of your audience.

Fantastic. Well, and you are coming to us from Orlando, is that correct?

I am. I'm right outside of Orlando in a small town called Apopka.

Good stuff. So, Paula, you know, we are obviously in a very trying time. It's, it's very trying for many, many for really billions of people. What would you say is the way to sort of hold today's events.

In, in one's mind? How should we think about this? Give us a context, if you would, and, and then let's dive in deeper.

First off, we've never been here in our lifetime. And so when you hit a time that it seemingly feels like the entire world has turned upside down overnight, from facing health crisis to economic to social. When you talk about social Distancing, I like to use the word physical distancing, because we were not created to be isolated from one another. And anytime there's this much change, all change feels like loss. And so when there's loss, we like to believe the illusion that we have more control in our life than we actually do. And the one thing I let people know is that there's a God that is a sovereign God. He's very certain during uncertain times, and often when we come to the end of ourselves is when people begin to say, what else is there? What more is there? And I want people to know that certainly there's a loving God, a caring God that did not send COVID 19 or things that people said, I say, not God sent, but always can be God used. And during the most difficult times of our life, God can use that to bring out some of the best of humanity, to help us understand more about ourselves, to live a less stressful and anxious life. I like to call this a divine pause. And it's a time for us to reflect, a time for us to course correct, a time for us to really think, find that inner strength in that place of faith.

Yeah, yeah, that's, that's a, that's a good way to look at it. It definitely is.

What about the.

Mentality, though? Most people will say, well, you know, you're in better shape than they are maybe. And so it's easy for you to say that, right? Is that a fair statement? And a lot of people are really, really struggling and they're thinking pause. Well, sure, it's a pause, yes. But, you know, they can't pay the bills, you know, they, they can't put food on the table. They're lonely. I mean, you know, you talked about the physical distancing and loneliness was already an epidemic before this pandemic. And now, you know, in the UK they, they appointed a Ministry for loneliness. It's such a big problem. And in the US we're having this problem too. And all over the world, technology brings us together ways, but divides us in others. Right. So, you know, just any of those issues, take it wherever you want. Paul.

Absolutely. It's very easy right now. And I will say that I'm in a very good place in my life in the midst of a pandemic like this. But I haven't always been and that we're in a global crisis, a world crisis. My book Something Greater is all about overcoming tragedies and trials and my life. I came, I was born into a pretty well to do family but my father committed suicide when five years old. Our economic situation changed drastically. My mother, two masters and her doctor became an alcoholic. I was left in the care of people that were very abusive. I was physically and sexually abused from the ages of 6 to 13. I had no relationship with God, had no understanding of church or spirituality or faith. People often think because I'm a pastor that's done a lot of ministry, that this has just always been a life for me. My life got off on, my prognosis was not really good. It didn't get off on the best footing people would look. I've gone through a lot of therapy, been through a lot of help. I probably read more than a thousand self help books and a lot of study in psychology myself. And the prognosis for my own life, the trajectory would have been very different than the outcome. And that outcome drastically changed because when I was 18 years old in college, I was chasing a guy. My story always has a guy in it, usually a musician, you know, And I'm chasing this guy looking guy and it's the summer and I'm thinking, let's have a summer fling and have fun, etc. Although I would find out God had a different plan for my life. So I literally go to his grandmother's house, double wide trailer, and his uncle looks me in my eyes and says, I've got the answers to your pain and problems, I've got the solution that you need. And I looked at him very defensively because I was a typical overachiever. Now he said, why were you an overachiever? Because when someone experiences the death of a parent young, especially by the hands of suicide, two and two don't add up to four. It was if you love me so much, because my life, very dysfunctional, very misguided, very false labeled, and all behavior comes out of belief. So they're activators, I call them the ABCs that create behave.

Beliefs that create behaviors and consequences. So if I'm the apple of your eye, if you love me so much, why'd you leave me? So I dealt with deeper issues than just rejection. Rejection is, you know, I reject you because of whatever, but abandonment is, you feel fundamentally flawed because something must be wrong with me. And ultimately when we buy into a faulty belief, then we start creating behavior. So what do we want? We want to be loved, we want to be valued, we want to be respected, we want to be heard, we want to be validated, we want to be safe in life. All these things that are common to all human beings. However with that significant event that was very traumatic in my life and what would call a trauma brain, you know, it create traumatic events, traumatic thinking, traumatic behavior in my life. It happened on a night when my father probably didn't premeditate, but it was very, it was. My mother had left him kind of with a, hey, get your stuff together. You know, be responsible. He came from two generations of wealth. She took me and my brother, who I would find out much later was a half brother, to Memphis. My father was still in Tupelo, Mississippi. Came up on a night that was a few days past my birthday and I just turned five. It was raining and thundering and lightning out. And he knocked on that door and I remember thinking, daddy's here, Daddy's here. Because to me, he was larger than life. He was my hero. I didn't recognize the dysfunction, the dysfunction of my mom worked, the businesses we owned, toy stores, craft stores, etc. My father would take me to eat for breakfast, draw smiley faces on the pancake and take me to the country club where he would play roaming golf. I didn't know as a five year old, I thought, you know, he's larger than life. So on that night, he knocks on the door, My mother opens the door, he grabs my hand, she grabs the other hand and he begins to take that loving arm that would draw those smiley faces on the pancake and beat my mother saison. And they would call the police, the police would come get him, he would sober up, they'd let him out and he would take his life that night. And so you can imagine what all was started and created. So here I am sitting in this friend's house, this man telling me he's got answers and solution to my pain and problems. And I'm looking at him, what? Like what pain and problems? Because when you fundamentally feel that something's flawed with you, you will do whatever it takes to be loved, valued, validated and safe. What do you love? An overachiever? A perfect straight A student? You know, what do you love someone who jumps in bed with you? I mean, what, what is it? Because when you're so desperate for love, it's amazing the boundaries that we will break and the measures that we will go to to find that in places that often leave us unfulfilled and unsatisfied. He looked me in my eyes. He grabbed a big Bible, kind of like this. I mean, that's a big one kind of your head, you know. And I remember looking at it going, oh, I've seen that book somewhere. But I'd never really been to church, I didn't know the gospel. He opens it up and first he starts telling me stuff that I don't like to hear. You know, he's telling me I'm a sinner. And I'm like, well, what is that? You know, like what? You know, like I haven't done anything wrong, I'm a good person. And he really explains to me how that means that God had this plan and I missed the mark, that I'd fallen short of the character Christ. And I, I really didn't get the language, I didn't understand it. But as he spoke these things, he began to show me that God does have this plan and that he sent his son to give me life and that he loved me everlasting. Now when he started talking about love, that started touching my heart because I knew deep within the demons that I was dealing with fear, insecurities, I battled with anorexia and bulimia, my father's suicide, abuse, all the things that.

Torment a person and keep many adults in, in very sick cycles because of those things that we've experienced in life, very traumatic cycles, victimhood, etc. So as they begin to talk about love, it wasn't even something natural, something pierced my heart that though I was like, I don't like this, I don't want to hear this, but I want more. And I sat and the love began to melt me. And I can't explain it, but I went outside and for the first time it was like the grass was green and the sky was blue and I realized I felt real love. I feel like for the first time in my life.

And you went on to become a pastor, right?

Pretty amazing story.

Yeah. That was not, you know, I'm sure nowhere on anyone's.

It wasn't on the trajectory. Yeah, yeah, no.

In fact it's the exact opposite. My mother remarried a two star admiral. Like I said, she's very successful in her career. And so when I get saved and found my faith, they thought I was crazy and you know, completely cut me off. I wasn't allowed in their house talk about it.

But that, that was the big life change and I want to go back to that in a moment. But you know, Paul, I think every, I made the comment in the beginning and probably everybody's curious about it. What is it like to be spiritual advisor to President Trump? I mean you actually have a security clearance, right. And you know, tell us a little bit about that if you would. And then let's go back to some of the steps in the book and some of that stuff that you Learned at age 18 and have brought with you throughout your life.

Yeah, those steps are vitally important because those steps are what brought me to that place. It's not anything I've ever saw. Never owned a business card in my life. I decided after I had this major encounter, I wanted to spend the rest of my life helping people. Well, 19 years ago, I get this phone call out of the blue, and it was then Mr. Trump. And they said, Mr. Trump's on the line. Of, my gosh, you're right. They're like, no, for real, Mr. Trump's on the line. So I pick up the line. He said, you're fantastic. You've got the it factor. I said, oh, sir, we call that the anointing. And he went on to almost verbatim. Yeah, it was. It was a pretty. I don't know if it was. We both had a little bit of that New York type of, hey, here. You know, just straightforward conversation in both of us. And he went on to verbatim, almost repeat to me three of my sermons that he'd been watching on Christian in television. I was pretty intrigued and impressed. I was impressed because I pastored 28,000 people. It's the second largest church at the time. And I thought to myself, he listens better than most my congregation. And he opened up his life like an open book to me and began to just tell me from the time he was a child how he was confirmed as a Presbyterian, how much impact Norman Vincent Peale had on him, and how the day that he retired, how that really, I mean, was one of the saddest days to him. And he told me sermons that he had. And it's just whole walk, his mother being a very godly woman who was a praying woman, etc. And so he said, if you're ever in New York, stop by. And I was quite often. I was doing a Bible study for the New York Yankees at the time. And so I was in New York, had a church up in New York and stopped by and got to know him, his staff, and. And I felt. And this is on my part, and this leads to me being advisor to the president now, spiritual advisor. And I felt at the time that God spoke to me, when I say spoke not literally, but that impression you get in your spirit. Show him who I am. Now I minister to literally millions of people over 36 years of ministry, but there are people that occasionally. And he's not the only one that God's really laid on my heart as a matter of prayer. I pray every day or put them on what I call my prayer board or point of contact. So one thing would lead to another and a real relationship would develop. So 19 years, this relationship that in large context has been one based on spiritual.

The 19 years is the relationship with President Trump since you met him, right?

19 years ago, before he was president.

Yeah. Right.

So when 2011 rolls around, he says, paul, I think I'm going to be running, you know, I'm thinking about running for president. Would you start praying? So I did. I brought about 20 people around. We started praying. We prayed for six hours and he wasn't there the entire time, but he was there most of the time. And that's a long time to be in a prayer meeting.

Sure.

What do you think? And I said, you know, I really believe that this is a mantle for your life, but I don't think it's the timing. Fast forward 2014, 15. He said, you know, I just really feel that I'm to do this. And he made the decision to do it. And so I have stood by his side and went anything stood by God's side. And what he spoke to me 19 years ago, meaning God spoke to me to say, show him who I am. So what does that advice look like? Obviously, it's always been a close relationship with president, his family, a relationship of prayer, a relationship that most pastors would have Bible study, times of understanding, confidant, etc. Then as he developed his faith offices of what does that look like? He created the center of Faith Opportunity Initiative and he moved the faith offices back to the White House immediately back to the center. He appointed a faith director over every department and he said every agency has to have a liaison. And he created a position which is an sge. A lot of people don't understand what that means, but it's a limited government position. It's a special government employee. And asked if I would please serve in that role as advisor in the center of Faith Opportunity Initiative with seven main alleviating poverty, prison reform, strengthening families. So all the things that you've seen our president do with the religious liberties from speaking at the UN Ministerial alliance at the State Department, it represents people of all faiths. Even through COVID 19, we advised the President what are houses of worship going through, what is going on. And so this was Christian, this was Catholic, this was Muslim, this was Jewish, this was interfaith.

All people faith that would say, these are issues that we're facing. And he gets it. He is a man of deep faith. I think a lot of people are surprised at some of the stories I begin to tell. And so advising him for the last, you know, several months has been predominantly Covid. But it depends on where we are and what we're doing, Paula.

You know, and I'm not being political when I ask this question, but I'm curious, what would you say to the critics of President Trump that would say he doesn't act very Christian? I mean, you know, we both have to admit, even if we like him, that he says some pretty outlandish things sometimes. Right. You know, and, and, and, I mean, the critics obviously take more than enough shots at him. But, but, you know, I mean, just specifically to his. His. Some of his statements, which, you know, they. They don't seem very Christian. Are they just media ploys? I mean, maybe he's the master of the media. I. I'm not sure. But what do you think?

Well, first off, the country knew that they were not putting a pastor in office. If they wanted that, they should have put Mike Huckabee in. You know, I mean, it's like they had plenty of choices there. Right? And so the people knew who they were getting. They wanted a fighter. They wanted somebody who was a disruptor. They wanted someone who they felt had the strength, the business acumen, that. That was not a part of this system. They wanted an outsider, and the people voted him in. Critics are always going to be there. They're always going to be there. Whether 50% of people think I'm the greatest person on the earth, 50% of people think I'm the worst person on the earth. The truth of it is, is we're never as bad as people say we are. We're never as good as people say we are. So President Trump is going to have his plethora of people. It's pretty amazing, though, I will say that I've watched some people that have become very vocal against him. Those same people standing in his office prior to him being president, with his same demeanor, just giving him praise after praise. You know, politics changes things. By nature, politics is very divisive and destructive. I personally know the man and get to see him up close and personal. I understand how important his faith is to him, and I think people have also seen his demeanor change in many things. He's a fighter. If you. I say he usually doesn't start the fight, but I certainly wouldn't want to get in the ring with him, because he's going to finish it. And you know, I mean, you could look at Peter, the Apostle Peter, and I'm sure they'd say, look what they said about Jesus. He said, who do men say I am? Well, some say you're a teacher, some say you're a rabbi, some say you're Satan. But we say you're the Messiah. So, you know, there's always any time that you are a world leader or figure there's going to be controversy over you, whether that is political or spiritual or any other kind of leader.

Yeah, no question about it, Paula. Just wrap it up with just any advice you have to for people during these very trying times. And I mean, you know, just still, even now, you know, well over two months into this, well, sort of since the major portion of it, I guess since it really became a US issue over two months ago, people still don't know what to expect. They don't know what the future future holds. They're worried, they're concerned. They don't know if businesses are going to reopen, if they're going to get sick, if there's going to be a vaccine. I mean, just a lot of uncertainty, isn't there?

There really is. And that's the hardest battle, I think, because fear is so paralyzing. God speaks a lot. In fact, he says fear not 365 times. I think that's a fear not for every day. It doesn't mean that we're not going to be afraid. But I think scriptures that are so comforting to me in times, this like Psalm 55, verse 22, that says, cast your burden upon the Lord, he will sustain you. And that literally means, like to hurl it over. And that law, providence, which means whatever we're going through, that lot that we're carrying, that we throw that over on God and he'll sustain, he'll nurture you. God knows exactly what to give you. He gives you a peace that passeth all understanding. It's not something that intellectual or academic mind or their seven steps to peace or can understand. It's just a real give it over to God. And that sounds so simplistic, but it really is a place of, you know, I can change what I can change, which right now seems to be limited on the outside, sure, But I can always change the inside. I can change how I see life, how I see the world. A lot that I've seen during COVID 19 is I've seen some of the best of humanity. I've seen some of the best of people come out. I mean, helping people coming together People that were standing polarized against each other saying we care about the well being of people's health, of their life, of their economic people helping one another, then taking from what they have. In our small community, which has about 32,000 people, we have been a distributor now to 15 other churches. We have fed over 300 something thousand pounds of food including our human trafficking centers, our domestic abuse shelters, our homeless. We have found, we immediately partnered with people, we went to mills on wheels, etc. And we said where are the elderly that cannot be gone to? We'll help go pick up their prescription, we'll drop off groceries and it's just, it's so, I mean I say adorable in the most way because you'll see the volunteers with masks and gloves and using all the guidelines drop it off and you'll see the elderly with their mask and gloves picking it up and.

Just I think, I think right there is, is some of the advice. You didn't say it but we, we tend to get down when we are only focusing inward, focusing on ourselves. Right. If we literally distract ourselves, you know, you could call it that. I think that's a fair way to look at it. By doing something for somebody else. By doing something that's going to live beyond us. By doing something bigger than ourselves. Right. At the very least it's a distraction. At the very best it's a lot better than that. But that, that is some advice. So volunteer work, very, very good thing. No question about it. So Paula, good stuff. Just any final comment and give out your website please.

Yeah, we'd love for people to go check us out on paulawhite.org then get the book on something greater. Book.com of course, Amazon. There's more. All the pictures are in there if you've ever gone through it. We didn't even get to the mid part. I mean I talk about, you know, unfortunately I lost my daughter to cancer. My husband had a complete breakdown, goes through an addiction. When I'm thinking life, I finally arrived. It seemed like my world fell apart. And I teach the principles on how you get through. Found out my son had an addiction. I mean it was like I literally chronicled it and there are those practical steps I said I went through 19 life crisis, 39 different life event. And one of the things like I did was I kept a journal of gratitude and I go back because they were breadcrumbs that helped strengthen me. I learned that inner talk. I learned how to do self affirmations and things that were so important to help me get through when my personal world was completely rocked. They're the same principles that get us through when the entire world is rocked. And so I really encourage people to get the book, go to the website, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, just download the Paula White app. It's got everything there. But it's been great talking with you and everyone listening. And just know that there are so many people praying right now. And prayer meditation is a good way to let all that stuff off of you and get rid of those worries and cares and anxieties, outsource them to.

God because you can't solve all your own problems and the problems of the world. So we've got to outsource some of those. I think maybe that's a modern word for it. Outsourcing. Good stuff.

I like that.

Yeah. Yeah. Paula. Thank you so much for joining us, everybody. That's Paula White Cane. And thank you. Be well.

Thank you. You too. Be blessed.

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