Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190077A
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, and welcome to another 3ABN Today program. 01:13 I'm Jason Bradley. 01:14 and I am excited that you could join us. 01:17 We will be talking about The 7th Scroll ministry. 01:21 Now, perhaps you've heard of The 7th Scroll ministry 01:24 as our guests have been here before. 01:27 But if you haven't, you will get that introduction 01:30 to them today. 01:31 We have with us Michael Edwards, 01:33 who is The 7th Scroll president. 01:36 And we have his wife 01:38 and secretary Joanna-Marie Edwards, 01:41 and she's The 7th Scroll secretary. 01:43 Welcome to the program. Thank you for having us. 01:46 It's great to have you guys here. 01:48 And I'm excited about finding out 01:50 all about how this got started. 01:52 I know that it must have been a faith walk. 01:55 And, but before we jump in, 01:57 we're gonna be blessed in song by John Stoddard. 02:00 He's going to be playing "Come Thou Fount." 02:21 Come, Thou Fount 02:24 Of every blessing 02:28 Tune my heart To sing Thy grace 02:34 Streams of mercy 02:38 Never ceasing 02:42 Call for songs Of loudest praise 02:47 And teach me ever 02:50 To adore thee 02:54 May I still thy goodness prove 03:02 While the hope of 03:06 Endless glory 03:10 Fills my heart with joy And love 03:27 Here I raise my 03:30 Ebenezer Hither by thy help 03:36 I've come 03:40 And I hope, by Thy good pleasure 03:47 Safely to arrive at home 03:52 Jesus sought me 03:55 when a stranger 03:59 Wandering from the fold of God 04:08 He, to rescue me from danger 04:15 Interposed His precious blood 04:22 His precious blood 04:44 Oh, to grace how great a debtor 04:51 Daily I'm constrained to be 04:58 Let thy goodness like a fetter 05:05 Draw me closer Lord to thee 05:10 Prone to wander 05:13 Lord, I feel it 05:17 Prone to leave the God 05:21 I love 05:25 So here's my heart, Lord 05:29 Take and seal it 05:32 Seal it for court above 05:38 Prone to wander 05:40 Lord I feel it 05:45 Prone to leave the God I love 05:51 I love 05:56 Here's my heart, Lord 06:00 Take and seal it 06:03 Seal it for the court above 06:10 Seal it for the court above 06:17 Seal it for the court above 06:35 Seal it for your court above 06:46 Wow, what a beautiful song, "Come Thou Fount." 06:50 I want to share a scripture with you, 06:51 this is found in Hebrews 11:1, it says, 06:55 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, 06:58 the evidence of things not seen." 07:01 You know, oftentimes when I think about faith, 07:03 I like to think of it as the ability 07:06 to tolerate uncertainty while trusting in God. 07:09 You know, as human beings 07:11 we tend to want to know everything. 07:16 I mean, that's one of the hardest things 07:18 is to be able to tolerate uncertainty 07:21 and placing that trust in God. 07:23 I'm excited that you guys are here once again. 07:26 Tell me a little bit about The 7th Scroll ministry? 07:31 Hmm, The 7th Scroll. 07:33 I like to think that The 7th Scroll started 07:36 when our personal relationship with God started to mature. 07:40 We were fresh out of college, 07:42 trying to figure out life professionally. 07:45 You know, where was God taking us 07:46 and how would this work? 07:48 And Joe and I met on Facebook. Okay. 07:51 Now, not the best place but, 07:54 I wouldn't recommend for anyone else 07:55 to look for their life partner on Facebook, 07:58 but we met on Facebook 08:00 and God brought us together at a really great time. 08:03 And we supported each other 08:05 through this journey of trying to figure out 08:07 what's next in life. 08:09 And being both raised in the church, 08:12 through this frustration, 08:13 we kind of supported each other going back 08:14 to our roots. 08:16 And that's the foundation and relationship with God. 08:17 Got you. 08:19 And as we started taking our spiritual walk seriously, 08:22 I began having dreams. 08:24 And it was scary. 08:27 I couldn't quite understand where it was coming from, 08:30 but I knew it was God speaking to me. 08:31 Yes. 08:33 As this journey kind of matriculated 08:35 through a few months, God spoke to me audibly. 08:40 So I'm at worship one day 08:42 and I hear God's voice tell me that 08:44 He wants me to start a bus ministry, 08:46 where I'm sharing 08:48 the everlasting gospel to my city, 08:50 but also the testimony of where He brought me from 08:52 to I currently was, and it was scary. 08:56 But Proverbs tells us that 08:59 in a multitude of counselors there's safety. 09:01 And God put a beautiful support group around us. 09:04 And this support group was interested in the mission 09:07 that God placed on our hearts. 09:08 And we formed The 7th Scroll. 09:10 Wow! Wow! 09:13 I'm still kind of stuck on the fact 09:15 that you guys met on Facebook. 09:17 You encouraged each other, 09:20 you know, and then you had these dreams. 09:22 And that's, that's amazing. 09:24 And then the ministry came about? 09:25 Right. 09:27 So the ministry's purpose was to share 09:29 the everlasting gospel through charitable service. 09:32 And our main charitable service 09:33 was going to be this bus ministry. 09:36 But when we formed the ministry, 09:38 we didn't have a bus. 09:39 Okay. 09:41 And our whole focus was, "Well, Lord, 09:43 You told us to start a bus ministry, 09:45 but we don't have a bus." 09:48 And around that same time, 09:50 God was urging us to get married. 09:52 And we didn't quite understand, 09:54 well, the timing of this marriage 09:57 and the bus like, 09:58 how these two kind of work together. 10:01 And so, we followed God's lead, because our favorite verses are 10:04 1 Samuel 15:22 where it says, 10:07 "Obedience is better than sacrifice." 10:10 And so, we wanted to obey God. 10:12 He said, He was urging us to get married. 10:15 So we went ahead and started planning a wedding. 10:18 And we told all of our families and friends 10:19 that we invited that 10:21 we weren't interested in gifts or financial blessings, 10:26 not because we're the richest people 10:27 in the world by any stretch. 10:30 But simply because 10:32 we're just so happy that God brought us together. 10:34 And we wanted to share that moment 10:35 with our friends and family. 10:36 And we had gracious family and friends 10:39 that still supported us monetarily. 10:41 Yes. 10:42 And we're truly appreciative for that. 10:45 But a few months later, we found a bus. 10:48 And it just so happened that all of the money down 10:51 to the penny that 10:52 we got from our wedding paid for the bus. 10:55 Wow! So it finally clicked. 10:59 I want to touch on that part for a second because, you know, 11:02 you weren't asking for, you know, financial gifts 11:05 or anything like that, monetary gifts. 11:08 But then you ended up getting some monetary gifts 11:11 for your wedding? 11:12 Right, right. 11:13 And then you took that money 11:15 and invested it into the ministry? 11:17 Correct. Correct. 11:19 Wow. It was a blessing. 11:21 We got the bus 11:22 and with the support of our church family, 11:26 Hanson Place Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brooklyn. 11:28 Okay, I've been there. 11:30 And our then pastor, Pastor Bernard Penn 11:33 and with Elder Jeremiah Cox Sr., 11:36 and the rest of our church family, 11:37 we were able to get the bus on the road. 11:40 So we dedicated the bus in July 27 of 2013. 11:44 Okay. 11:45 And the first day that we got the bus 11:48 on the road was July 29. 11:49 That was the Monday of 2013 11:51 and we pulled the bus out of the lot. 11:55 And I just began crying. Wow! 11:58 It was just such a blessing to actually see 12:01 what God told me, become a reality. 12:04 Yeah, yeah. 12:06 And I don't want to get in trouble here, Jason, but... 12:07 Okay. I have to be honest. 12:11 You know, driving the bus for the first time 12:14 was probably 1B to getting married 1A, 12:17 this is close, it's close, 12:19 I'll still give the edge to, 12:20 you know getting married was a blessing. 12:26 You might end up getting in trouble, 12:27 but we have a picture of the bus here. 12:30 Yeah, yeah, it was some real moment. 12:32 You're driving it. Just getting out there. 12:35 And I'm sure the initial riders who came on the bus 12:37 probably thought 12:38 I was a little crazy for crying, 12:40 but it was such a blessing just to be out there 12:44 and to be servicing people, 12:47 sharing the everlasting gospel. 12:48 And to see God's will being played out in your life. 12:52 You know, He called you to do this. 12:54 And now you're seeing the fulfillment of that. 12:57 It's amazing. It was amazing. 12:59 So your faith was rewarded? 13:01 Yeah. Yes. 13:02 In that first year, we saw a myriad of blessings. 13:08 By the end of the first year, 13:09 we amassed about a million riders, 13:11 which probably sounds like a lot, but the transit... 13:16 The Transit Authority in New York City 13:18 gets about 650 million riders a year. 13:22 So we only had a bus, one bus, 13:25 and a million riders is probably a small dent 13:28 in that number of ridership. 13:30 But we were able to develop a lot of relationships 13:32 with community members. 13:35 We even have media outlets come out 13:37 and do focus pieces on us. 13:39 We had NPR, we had NYU. 13:43 And we even came here to 3ABN. 13:45 Yeah, Fox 5 News too, didn't you? 13:46 Right, right. 13:47 So lots of other interactions with different media outlets 13:53 and just people understanding 13:54 what we do and how we're trying to service our community. 13:56 Yes, yes. That was amazing. 13:59 And so, you had the opportunity to minister 14:01 to the individuals on the bus and everything. 14:04 And so, how did that take place? 14:07 Like what did the ministry part look like on the bus? 14:11 Well, Mike was driving. 14:14 And I was in the back talking to any riders that we had. 14:19 We implemented a prayer book. 14:20 And so we would pray with the people, talk to them, 14:26 they'll tell us any issues they're having. 14:29 And they'll write down prayer requests, 14:31 and to the number one prayer... 14:35 Two of the best prayer requests that we've had. 14:39 One is health, and the second one is finances. 14:44 And so, while being on the bus, 14:47 we wanted to ask God 14:49 how exactly to practically help them 14:52 with these issues. 14:53 And... We started to pray. 14:57 Yeah. Yeah, yeah. 14:59 It's interesting because you guys really implemented 15:02 Christ method, you know. 15:05 Ministry of Healing tells us, 15:06 you know, really focus on people's needs 15:08 as you draw closer to them, 15:10 then you can make them follow Christ. 15:11 Yes. 15:13 And so we started digging through the Bible, studying, 15:16 digging through one of our favorite books, 15:17 Ministry of Healing. 15:18 And the idea of a cooking school came up. 15:22 And that first year of ministry 15:25 really allowed us to develop as, 15:27 as we said before relationships, 15:29 and one of the key relationships developed 15:31 was becoming ASI members. 15:32 Okay. 15:34 And becoming a member in ASI was such a blessing, 15:37 because we were able to get support 15:39 and mentorship more than anything else. 15:42 And so we brought this idea of a cooking school 15:45 to our ASI family and asked for guidance with it. 15:48 You know, what do you think about it? 15:50 How can we really get this moving forward? 15:53 Give us some counsel. 15:55 And so with the support of the president 15:57 then Dr. Perry and Elder Lance Wilbur 16:00 from Pulse Cafe in Massachusetts. 16:03 It gave us a tremendous amount of insight 16:06 on how to actually move this project forward. 16:08 Yes. 16:10 And so we started the cooking school, 16:12 October of 2016. 16:14 And over the span of eight weeks, 16:17 we collaborated with our local church. 16:19 And we must have had about 80 people 16:23 coming out to the cooking school. 16:25 Wow, 80 people? 16:26 Eighty people. So what can people expect 16:29 when they go to the cooking school? 16:31 So that was our biggest issue. 16:33 We were thinking, well, Lord, how would a cooking school look 16:36 if Jesus was on this planet, walking in our modern day? 16:40 And so, we thought 16:42 as we looked into Jesus' ministry, 16:44 how did He do things, 16:45 and He had a very practical element 16:48 of how He did ministry. 16:49 It wasn't always theoretical. 16:51 And so we wanted to bring 16:53 that practical aspect into the cooking school. 16:55 Okay. 16:57 And so, the best way we could show that 16:59 is not just to demonstrate to people how to cook, 17:02 but to have them cooking along with the demonstrator. 17:05 Got you. 17:07 And so we collaborated with Heidi's Health Kitchen. 17:10 We collaborated with Vegan Nest, Pulse Cafe, 17:14 a ton of other health ministries 17:15 in the area to really try and support 17:18 moving this project forward. 17:20 And it was a blessing. 17:21 So many people came out and they were truly touched. 17:25 And what about the financial component? 17:28 Because I know that you said finances and health. 17:31 What about the financial component? 17:32 How did you guys? 17:34 So we noticed that with the finances, 17:36 it was tied to the health. 17:39 Okay. 17:40 In that why people wanted more money 17:43 to achieve more in their lives. 17:45 A lot of it came at the expense of their own health. 17:49 And so, as we went through 17:50 the surveys from a cooking school, 17:52 we noticed that 17:53 there are a lot of lifestyle diseases 17:55 that were pulling money from people's accounts, 17:58 diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, 18:01 high cholesterol, all of these issues 18:04 that God gave us the remedy 18:06 for through natural therapeutics, 18:09 the herbs, through lifestyle changes. 18:13 This is the second component 18:14 that was missing from people's lives. 18:17 So in other words, this, 18:18 these aren't necessarily hereditary problems, 18:24 or diseases or anything like that. 18:26 This is like self inflicted through diet, 18:30 through lifestyle things and so you guys 18:33 are showing them how to combat that. 18:36 Right. Okay. 18:37 And so, we said, "Lord, how can we even go deeper?" 18:41 And so, we noticed that this was an issue. 18:44 And so we said, "Lord, 18:45 help us get some training on this, 18:48 some clinical herbal training, 18:50 some training in hydrotherapy, 18:53 and other therapeutics can really support people's 18:57 well being, especially in New York City. 18:58 Yes, yes. 18:59 Where there's a high stress area. 19:02 Yes. Super stressful. 19:04 Yeah. So people need that help. 19:06 And so the cooking school 19:07 ran for eight weeks, tons of support. 19:10 And people were truly blessed. 19:13 So I want you to picture this. 19:15 We had the bus going full time. 19:18 And so we'd run the bus morning 19:20 rush hour all the way to evening rush hour, 19:21 so that could be anywhere between 5 am to probably 9 pm. 19:27 We had the cooking school going. 19:29 And so that mean a cooking class once a week. 19:32 And we were enrolled in a clinical herbal program. 19:36 And we also have Bible studies going every Friday evening. 19:39 And you also have your marriage? 19:41 Right. 19:43 How did you manage all of these things? 19:48 It was a lot. It was. 19:49 It was a really stressful time. 19:51 And here we are trying to help other people's health 19:55 and our own health declining. 19:58 Right Yeah, yeah. 20:00 And so, we looked at God and we said, 20:02 Lord, we're overwhelmed, 20:04 we need some help. 20:06 And Luke 10 never became 20:08 even more real to us then, 20:10 harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few. 20:13 Yeah. 20:14 And we were coming back from dropping some friends off. 20:17 This is the middle of December, 2016. 20:19 And we were dropping them off 20:21 at our friend's upstate Eden Lifestyle. 20:23 Yes. Very familiar with them. 20:26 And we were coming back in 20:28 with the bus and we were refueling, 20:29 so we pulled into a gas station. 20:32 And as we pulled into the gas station, 20:33 it was snowing outside. 20:35 And Joe and I started to smell smoke. 20:40 So... Oh, no. 20:42 We were a little taken aback. 20:44 We said, "Well, it's a gas station. 20:46 What's the chances? Right. 20:49 But the way the bus was constructed, 20:50 the engine was inside of the bus. 20:53 So we lifted the hood. 20:54 And as we lifted the hood, a huge waft of smoke came out. 20:57 Oh, no. 20:58 So Joe looked at me, 21:01 I looked at Joe, we grabbed our coats. 21:03 And we just ran out. We ran out of the bus. 21:05 We left everything else on the bus. 21:07 Everything. Wow, I think, you know what? 21:09 I think we have a video of the bus 21:12 that we want to show. 21:14 It was a bitter moment. Yeah. 21:17 Just standing there and watching the bus 21:21 in the gas station right next to a gas pump 21:24 in flames. 21:25 Yeah. 21:27 And so we alerted the attendant 21:28 and we let the attendant know that 21:30 there was a fire in progress. 21:33 He pressed the safe safety valve 21:35 to kind of ensure some safety measures, 21:37 but we waited for the greater part 21:38 of half an hour before the firemen 21:41 were able to show up and put out the flames. 21:43 Wait a minute, you waited how long? 21:45 About half an hour. Half an hour. 21:47 Wow, that was a long response time. 21:49 Yeah. 21:50 But when the firemen came, 21:53 they showed us the fire pattern in the bus. 21:57 And Mike's driver's seat wasn't burned. 22:01 Our books weren't burn. 22:03 None of the passenger seats were burned. 22:06 And so, we just knew that 22:08 God was still in the blessing... 22:10 Yeah. 22:11 Even though it just looked, you know... 22:13 It looked bad. Yeah. 22:15 God still was protecting. Yeah. 22:17 Not one Bible burned. And we were just... 22:20 We were just so surprised. We're saying, "Lord, thank you. 22:23 You know, even amidst that bitter moment, 22:25 there was that peace that you know, 22:27 He will never leave us, He will never forsake us. 22:29 Yeah. 22:30 So um... It was challenging. 22:34 For the next few weeks, 22:36 we received a lot of support from our ASI family, 22:40 our local church to community, 22:42 everyone wanted us to get back out on the road 22:45 and see this ministry continue. 22:46 Yes. 22:47 But our question was, 22:50 well, Lord, You allow this bus to burn. 22:53 What is the message that You really want to get to us? 22:57 As much as we want it to get back on the road, 23:00 we really had to be honest and ask God what He wanted us? 23:04 What He want us to do? Yes. 23:06 And around that time, Elder Lance from Pulse Cafe. 23:10 Uh-huh. 23:11 He also does True Knowledge of Self on Dare to Dream. 23:13 Yeah, Elder Lance. 23:14 So he sent us a dissertation from Ted Wilson, 23:18 Elder Ted Wilson, the president. 23:20 And this dissertation was made 23:22 way before I was even thought of. 23:26 But, um, it was a beautiful dissertation 23:27 on urban evangelism in New York City. 23:31 And so we combed through this dissertation. 23:34 And we looked at each one of the aspects 23:39 of urban evangelism 23:40 that was outlined using the Bible 23:43 and the Spirit of Prophecy. 23:45 And we've realized that God wanted something specific 23:49 done in New York City. 23:51 He wanted health evangelism to be the primary goal 23:55 of reaching the people. 23:57 And as we sat back and reflected on it, 23:59 Jason, we said, well, we noticed that 24:01 God was taking us in this direction 24:03 even before this tragedy, 24:06 helping us with food distribution, 24:08 helping us start the cooking school... 24:10 Clothes distribution. 24:12 Clothes distribution, 24:13 everything was geared towards health. 24:15 And so, we doubled down for the next couple of weeks 24:19 and months we doubled down on, 24:21 you know, doing more health evangelistic classes, 24:23 more wellness lectures, meeting more people. 24:27 And we were able to, as a result, 24:31 link with our local borough president, 24:35 and really broadcast to the community, 24:37 the services and opportunities 24:39 that we have to try and enrich people's lives. 24:42 Yeah. Yeah. 24:44 I want to go back just a little bit 24:47 because you said something 24:48 that just really, really grabbed me. 24:51 And that was the fact 24:52 that you were looking for the lesson 24:54 that was in the trial. 24:55 Yeah. 24:57 You know, oftentimes we go through things 24:58 and we're just like, "Oh, this is horrible, 25:00 I can't believe I'm dealing with this." 25:01 I can't, you know, murmuring and complaining. 25:03 Yeah. 25:04 But how many times do we stop 25:06 and take a look to see 25:08 what lesson God is trying to teach us? 25:10 I think that was... 25:12 That says a lot, you know. 25:14 And it was tough 25:15 just because you're put in a position 25:18 where you have to put yourself aside. 25:20 Yeah. 25:22 And if you're truly wanting to follow God 25:23 in whatever He's asking you to do, 25:26 we submit to Him because we love Him. 25:27 We know that He knows better than we do. 25:29 Yes. 25:30 And so, He was taking us in this different direction. 25:33 And it was exciting 25:34 because we were so used to the bus by now. 25:39 It was a great deal of what we do, 25:41 how we connect with people. 25:43 And now God was taking us 25:44 in a totally different direction. 25:47 And so with that came some challenges. 25:49 I'm trying to figure out how we would do this. 25:52 Remember, by this time, 25:55 we had seen over 3.5 million riders on the bus. 25:58 And so we were thinking, Lord, 26:00 how can we duplicate this kind of effectiveness? 26:03 Yes. 26:04 And we found that God also is interested 26:08 in quantity as much as He's interested in quality. 26:11 That's right. 26:12 And so God wanted us to, you know, 26:14 move in this direction. 26:16 And as we were having students coming in, 26:19 one of our students said, 26:20 "Do you mind if I share this with my co-workers, 26:24 this cooking school? 26:26 I've learned so much." 26:27 And we were saying, "Okay, we don't have a problem. 26:29 Tell as many people as you like." 26:30 Yeah. 26:32 And his co-workers happen to be members at Fox 5. 26:37 Wow! It was a blessing. 26:40 They came in with their cameras, 26:41 and they filmed what we actually did. 26:43 Wow! 26:44 And it got us even more exposure. 26:47 So many more people came 26:49 to the cooking school as a result. 26:51 Wow! 26:52 And it's been a blessing ever since. 26:54 Yeah, yeah. 26:55 So God just continues 26:57 to help you guys to be effective 27:00 and to reach like a wide variety of people, 27:04 and that also goes to show that you don't know 27:06 who you're coming in contact with, 27:07 you don't know who you're dealing with. 27:09 You had no idea. 27:10 You know, you always have to put your best foot forward. 27:13 So that, yeah, that's, that's amazing. 27:15 It was great. 27:16 And so we're saying, Lord, thank You for showing us that 27:20 because sometimes in our own finite minds, 27:22 we can't see the end from the beginning. 27:24 Yeah. 27:25 We know that God definitely knows 27:27 how things will progress. 27:28 Yes. 27:29 And so, we continued opening up to our community now, 27:32 wellness consultations, 27:34 and being able to help them 27:35 with the lifestyle challenges that, 27:37 you know, so many people are facing, 27:38 especially in New York City. 27:40 Yeah. 27:41 You would think with a city that has so many opportunities 27:44 and amenities that people would be healthier, 27:47 but it's the direct opposite. 27:49 Yeah. Woeful choices and... 27:53 I mean, everything so expensive in New York, 27:56 you know, like the cost of living. 27:58 Everything is so expensive and you're on the go so much. 28:02 It's just hustle and bustle. 28:03 And so when you're rushing, you know, what kind of tips, 28:08 you know, to put you on the spot right now. 28:09 What kind of tips do you have for that, 28:11 that person that's out there 28:13 that maybe on the go all the time? 28:15 How can they still maintain a healthy diet? 28:18 It's simple. 28:19 God gives us the remedy in Genesis Chapter 1, 28:22 He gives us a plant-based diet. 28:24 And this plant-based diet 28:25 really helps not just with our physical body, 28:28 but also helps with our mind. 28:30 And in an environment like New York City 28:32 where everything is fast paced, 28:35 people really need to be able to slow down 28:38 and not consume the foods that would, you know, 28:40 take them out of that peace of mind, 28:42 but also take their body out of shape. 28:45 So first tip I would give 28:47 is to start implementing more fruits 28:50 and more vegetables into your diet. 28:51 Yeah, 'cause it doesn't take, you don't have to prepare 28:53 that per se, yeah. 28:55 Exactly. Yeah. 28:56 Just some fresh fruits, some fresh vegetables. 28:58 It will do a myriad of things for you that, you know, 29:02 otherwise you wouldn't get. 29:03 Yeah. 29:05 Also preparation, 29:07 always prepare ahead so you don't have to rush. 29:12 Because we rush so much is because we just don't have 29:15 the preparation in mind, so that's always necessary. 29:18 Yes. That's an excellent point. 29:21 I want to hear a little bit more from you. 29:23 What does your day look like? 29:25 Like what's the day in your life look like? 29:28 Um, well, of course, we do worship in the mornings, 29:33 exercise, and we get our day started 29:36 with answering any calls, emails. 29:40 If we have a cooking school at the time, 29:44 we have to shop for ingredients. 29:48 We have to sometimes the recipe test, 29:51 that includes burning things I could, a lot of mistakes, 29:56 but you figure things out by God's grace. 30:00 And we get that together. 30:03 We do health consultations as well. 30:05 And so, we have to make sure that 30:07 we have our book together 30:12 and meet with those people as well, 30:16 get protocols together and so it's a pretty busy day. 30:20 Yeah. 30:22 Sometimes we have late nights, 30:23 but you know, God has been in helping us. 30:28 How is it being in ministry with your husband? 30:31 Like, how is that you know, you guys together? 30:33 What is that like? Um, I see him all the time. 30:40 That's a blessing anyway. 30:42 This might be her chance to get even. 30:46 I think we play well off of each other. 30:49 And so it helps my weaknesses as well as his. 30:54 All right. 30:55 So you've got the cooking classes, 30:57 you've got the consultations, you're, you know, 30:59 teaching people 31:00 how to lead healthier lifestyles. 31:02 What are some testimonials 31:04 or success stories that you can share? 31:07 Well, one with Fox 5 coming that was, that was huge, 31:11 being able to reach 31:13 a whole new demographic of people. 31:14 Yes. 31:16 Especially in this day and age 31:17 where it's a little bit harder to knock on every door 31:19 and share what you do with people, 31:21 getting your story and your mission out 31:23 to a large group of people is paramount. 31:27 Yeah. So that was huge. 31:30 Another one has been 31:31 able to connect with local groups, 31:33 you know, especially 31:35 the borough president and other, 31:37 you know, community groups 31:39 that are interested in health, 31:41 but are not really seeing 31:42 the correlation between faith and health. 31:45 And that's been so such a blessing 31:47 being able to bring people 31:48 in from different walks of life. 31:50 Yeah, yeah. 31:51 And being able to share with them the gospel. 31:53 Yes. 31:54 Because it's deeper than the food. 31:56 Absolutely. 31:57 And it's like, if you can teach somebody 31:59 how to be healthy, but if there's not that 32:00 spiritual component, 32:02 I mean, you're missing the point, 32:05 the main message, the main message. 32:07 We have some more pictures that I want us to look at. 32:10 And you can just tell us briefly 32:11 what's going on in each one of those? 32:14 Ah, this is our street team. 32:16 So as a part, as, 32:19 as we continue with this health evangelism, 32:21 we've been doing Bible studies every week, 32:24 every Friday evening, we call it Pillars and Fillers. 32:26 Okay. 32:28 I like that, Pillars and Fillers. 32:30 We have, we talk about the pillars of our faith, 32:33 but we also have fillers 32:34 where we talk about stories in the Bible, 32:36 to kind of support those pillars. 32:38 But we also call it fillers 32:39 because we do have some healthy snacks 32:41 for our guests to grab. 32:44 And so we have, we talk a lot about 32:46 what God's plan is for our life, 32:48 the plan of salvation. 32:50 And as a result, we... 32:51 There's an action part of it, 32:53 the practical component, 32:54 we can go out into the community 32:56 and we share the everlasting gospel 32:58 with them. 32:59 And so part of that is literature distribution. 33:01 Okay. 33:02 Not too far from our home church, 33:04 Hanson Place, the Barclay Center was built. 33:06 Okay. 33:08 So it attracts lots of people from all over New York City 33:12 for different events, 33:13 whether it be sports events or concerts, 33:15 and we use that as a beautiful opportunity 33:17 to share God's Word through literature. 33:19 Yes. 33:21 Also, we hand out DVDs and books 33:23 and all kinds of media to get people to understand 33:26 what the everlasting gospel is. 33:28 Yeah. 33:29 Have you found that people 33:31 are becoming a little bit more receptive to it now? 33:34 Or what do you see? 33:36 Yeah, we're seeing a lot more people being receptive, 33:39 especially using like glow tracks. 33:41 Yeah. Those are just gems. 33:43 Yes. 33:45 We're able to get those out 33:46 and really share with people in a concise manner, 33:50 whatever message we're trying to get through 33:51 to them at that time. 33:52 Got you. People are really receptive. 33:55 Good, good. Yeah. 33:56 I mean, there's so much going on in the world today. 33:58 You know, people have questions and they're searching. 34:01 And it's a prime opportunity to witness to them. 34:05 So that's, that's amazing. 34:08 Now, we also have some more pictures that I want to, 34:10 I want to go through these, I want to see these pictures. 34:12 You guys have some stories. 34:14 Ah, so this is with our first eight weeks 34:17 to wellness cooking class series. 34:20 And we, like we said before 34:21 we collaborate with our ASI family. 34:23 And one of them is a Heidi's Health Kitchen. 34:25 They taught some classes there for us. 34:27 And that was huge, just being able to, 34:30 again, collaborate 34:32 with all of the ministries in the area 34:34 and really move forward the work. 34:36 We believe there's strength in numbers. 34:37 And if we're not united, then we really are limiting 34:42 our reach for the gospel. 34:44 Yeah, and I like that too 34:45 because it's like you're working together 34:48 because the goal is to win souls for Christ. 34:51 That's it. That's the ultimate goal. 34:53 That's it. Yeah. 34:54 So... 34:55 Ah, this is our, 34:57 what the layout of our cooking class 34:58 would look like. 35:00 So people are actually cutting and cooking. 35:03 And it's hands on, it's very hands on. 35:06 And we're also attributing to that practical component, 35:10 some education as well. 35:12 So teaching people 35:13 what the ingredients are that they're actually using. 35:16 So whether it be garlic, or lemon, or thyme, 35:21 whatever they're using, 35:22 understanding why they're using it, 35:24 but then attaching a spiritual connotation 35:26 to it as well. 35:27 Now, do you guys also have 35:29 like the health benefits of each item 35:33 per se as much as you can? 35:35 Yeah, yeah. 35:36 And let people know the benefit of following God's plan. 35:38 Amen. Amen. 35:40 And so what has been some of the responses 35:42 and feedback from the cooking classes? 35:44 It's been huge. 35:46 We've even been able to work with local schools 35:49 and universities, because they've seen 35:52 how us reaching the community has had a profound effect. 35:55 So we've gone to local universities 35:57 and done teaching 35:59 for the students there but also for staff. 36:02 So I'm just sharing that 36:04 there's a connection between faith and food. 36:06 Wow! 36:07 So you've gone to a local university. 36:08 Now are these public universities? 36:10 Public universities. Wow! So that's huge. 36:13 God is basically just saying like 36:16 He wants to reach His people, 36:18 He wants to reach the people, and He wants to save them. 36:21 He does. 36:22 And so you guys are entering in the public universities, 36:26 grabbing people off the street everywhere. 36:28 Yeah. 36:30 That is awesome. That is awesome. 36:31 So it's a donation based cooking class program. 36:34 And so as people are blessed, they, and they enjoy 36:38 with the environment and the lessons 36:41 that we're trying to get through people support, 36:43 and we're able to move the project forward. 36:46 Yes. 36:47 And it's the same principle that we've used with the bus. 36:49 Matthew 10 says, 36:51 "As freely we receive freely we give." 36:53 Amen. 36:54 And that's our motto as we move it forward. 36:56 Amen. 36:57 Now, were you always good in the kitchen or I mean... 37:01 I'll be honest. 37:05 I wasn't always the best in the kitchen. 37:07 Okay, okay. 37:08 I still don't think I'm the best. 37:10 But, you know, with trial and error, 37:13 you learn as you progress 37:15 and I'm a little bit better than I was to begin with. 37:18 Okay, okay. 37:19 He does well in the kitchen. He does well in the kitchen. 37:21 He does. He does. 37:23 Yeah, he has a mean lasagna. 37:25 All right. He does. 37:26 Okay. Nice, nice. I like it so much. 37:29 I'm well with the baking, he's well with the cooking. 37:32 Oh, so you're good at baking. 37:34 Okay, okay. Nice, nice. 37:37 We actually have another food video. 37:40 Okay. Well, let's go to that. 37:41 Let's take a look at that now. 37:44 So this is probably 37:45 how a typical setup would look like. 37:47 We have a lot of the fresh vegetables and foods, 37:50 and our clients come in different 37:52 from the community, from the church, wherever. 37:55 And we have them actually source their own food, 37:58 similar if they were in a grocery or supermarket. 38:01 And they measure out. 38:03 So we have bowls, and pots, 38:05 and pans, and burners for everyone. 38:07 And we're actually making the recipe in real time. 38:11 And so we looked at the Ministry of Healing 38:14 and saw some principles, 38:15 that the food should be affordable, 38:17 it should be accessible, it should be healthy. 38:20 It should be palatable, some really tasty food. 38:23 And so we use these principles in making simple dishes 38:26 that wouldn't just nourish the body 38:28 but just also the mind. 38:29 Yes. And community is built. 38:31 So many people come in contact with each other 38:34 that probably wouldn't talk even though 38:36 they live probably on the same block, 38:38 on the same neighborhood. 38:40 We're able to bring them closer 38:43 by just uplifting God and His principles. 38:44 Amen. 38:46 I'll tell you what, that food looks delicious. 38:48 And now I'm hungry. Now, I am hungry. 38:53 You touched on something about, 38:56 you know, finding inexpensive food. 38:58 A lot of times people think, 39:00 well, it's so expensive to eat healthy. 39:02 That's what you hear all the time. 39:03 What are some things that people can do 39:06 to where they can make it affordable 39:08 for themselves? 39:09 Really source organic food, but you can get this 39:13 from your local supermarket. 39:15 We've seen it in Walmart, 39:16 we've seen it in ShopRite, different, 39:19 different local grocery supermarkets, 39:22 they have good food, 39:24 but what tends to happen is people tend to go 39:27 to the other aisles in the supermarket 39:29 that has food and everything, 39:31 and kind of leave the fresh vegetables 39:33 and fruits by themselves. 39:35 So if we tap more into that 39:37 is a wealth of health and nutrients 39:40 just in that section. 39:41 Yes, yes. 39:43 Just eat as fresh as you can. 39:45 Fresh is best. Yeah. 39:46 That's right. That's right. 39:48 Have you always been like this, this healthy guy? 39:52 I'll be honest. I've always been plant-based. 39:57 Okay. 39:58 I've been raised plant-based since birth. 40:00 Okay. 40:01 So I've never had any meat, never had any dairy 40:04 or any dairy products. 40:06 And so this is all I know. Got you. 40:08 It was interesting that 40:09 God kind of brought me back into something that. 40:11 Yeah. 40:12 But taking me a step further, 40:14 let me understand the spiritual component, 40:17 that is not just about the food. 40:19 Yes. 40:20 It's about our connection with Him. 40:22 Yes. 40:23 Now, Joanna, where does your passion stem 40:25 from in all of this? 40:28 My mom has had me in the kitchen 40:30 from when I was really young. 40:34 And so it, just like he said, 40:37 it kind of came back full circle to now 40:40 we have a cooking school 40:41 and now I'm baking the same way 40:44 she used to teach me to bake, 40:46 and it's just a blessing. 40:49 Yeah, His face lit up 40:51 when you say you're baking so it must be... 40:54 It must be delicious. 40:55 Some good food, Jason. Yes, yes. 40:58 Amen. 40:59 It's amazing how God works 41:00 because He brought you two together, 41:03 and you're in ministry together. 41:04 But, you know, you both complement 41:07 each other so well. 41:09 So it's just amazing to see 41:11 that dynamic and see how God orchestrated 41:14 the whole thing. 41:15 Yeah. 41:17 He gets all the praise, all the credit. 41:19 And we're just so thankful just to be together, 41:22 but also with a team, 41:24 you know 'cause it's really not just us, 41:25 it's a team of us that 41:27 really move this project forward 41:28 and God's mission in New York City. 41:30 And moving forward, God has been impressing us 41:33 on our hearts lately to really unite 41:37 and really train as many people as we can in this line of work, 41:40 because there's a field of work that's untapped. 41:42 Yes. 41:44 And people, whether you're rich or poor, young or old, 41:47 everyone is interested in health. 41:49 Yes. 41:50 And so, that's our mission and our plan moving forward. 41:54 We really want to help teach people 41:56 what we have been experienced and exposed to. 41:58 Yeah. 42:00 You know, it's, when you think about the cost, 42:03 when you think about the price, 42:05 it's a lot cheaper to eat healthier than 42:07 it is to pay that medical bill that you receive 42:09 after you get out of that hospital. 42:12 A lot cheaper to do it that way. 42:14 It is. Yeah, yeah. 42:16 So what's next for The 7th Scroll ministry? 42:19 Like we said, we really want to teach more. 42:22 Share what God has blessed us with, 42:24 the wealth of knowledge 42:25 and even experience with people, 42:28 as many people as we can. 42:30 We believe that time is short. 42:32 You know that Jesus is coming again very soon. 42:35 And God is not just interested in our physical health, 42:37 but also our spiritual health. 42:39 Amen. 42:40 So we really want to push 42:41 that training component even further. 42:43 Amen. 42:45 Well, you just said the key word soon, 42:47 Jesus is coming soon. 42:49 Right now we're going to go 42:50 to a song with John Stoddard entitled "Soon." 48:12 Wow! 48:14 Soon, Soon. 48:15 Thank you, John. Thank you. 48:17 All right. 48:18 So I can't believe our time is running short. 48:22 But I want to hear about 48:24 some of the challenges that you faced in ministry? 48:27 I think the first challenges that we faced 48:31 was probably a personal one, our time management. 48:34 Okay. 48:36 Sometimes when you're involved in ministry, 48:39 ministry can kind of take the focus away 48:42 from your time and you're not spending 48:45 enough time with God. 48:47 So we had to be very deliberate. 48:49 So we set timers on our phones, 48:52 to make sure that 48:53 we are definitely spending our time with God. 48:56 Because it doesn't matter if we are reaching the world 48:59 with the cooking school, with wellness consultations, 49:02 but if we're not spending time with the Master, 49:04 then we're wasting our time. 49:05 Yeah, yeah. 49:06 So I think that was probably our first challenge. 49:11 Let's see, what would be our second one. 49:13 I think our second one would be 49:17 people confining us to just one type of ministry. 49:22 So everyone knew 7th Scroll as the bus. 49:26 And so we just can't confine God. 49:30 And so when He moved us in a different direction, 49:34 because the bus did have the preaching component, 49:37 as well as the teaching component, 49:39 but not so much the health component. 49:41 Yeah. 49:42 And so, when God moved us more so towards the health, 49:46 we just kept on hearing bus. 49:50 Yeah. 49:51 You know, and that was hard for us 49:52 because we, that's what we knew as well. 49:55 Yeah, yeah. 49:56 So the shift was made 49:58 but everybody had you stuck back here. 50:00 It's interesting how it works even in personal lives too 50:04 if you've been brought through some kind of trial 50:06 or if you've overcome something, 50:08 people still confine you to your past sins 50:12 or your past indiscretions, your past 50:14 whatever the case may be, 50:16 people still confine you to that. 50:18 But you know, I like how you said, 50:20 God, we can, we try and confine God, 50:23 but God moves us in different directions. 50:25 Yeah. 50:26 And we have to be willing 50:28 to follow Him in those directions. 50:30 You know, I've asked you about your needs for the ministry. 50:34 And this was prior to the program. 50:37 And I remember you saying that 50:38 prayer, prayer, you need prayer. 50:41 So we definitely want 50:43 our viewers to pray for you guys. 50:46 But I think that they should also support you financially, 50:50 food's not free, 50:51 especially it's not free to put on the cooking classes 50:55 and stuff like that. 50:56 And there's a lot of people that need your services. 51:02 We would really appreciate the prayer, 51:05 first and foremost, and the financial support 51:08 would be a blessing as well. 51:10 Because there are lots of people 51:11 in New York City 51:13 who are suffering and who really need to hear 51:15 the everlasting gospel. 51:17 Absolutely. Absolutely. 51:18 So hopefully, our viewers will pray for you 51:21 and support you financially. 51:22 Just like the Bible says, "Faith without works is dead, 51:25 you know, prayer without action." 51:28 You know, we need to put some action 51:29 behind our prayers as well. 51:32 You know, I've got 15 coats, and this guy's out here in cold 51:36 and I just tell him, I'm gonna pray for him, 51:38 that doesn't work. 51:39 So, we're gonna go to your address role 51:42 and let people know 51:43 how they can get in touch with you. 51:47 To find out more about The 7th Scroll 51:49 and how you can help with their mission, 51:51 please visit The7thScroll.org 51:53 or email them at info@The7thScroll.org. 51:57 You may also call them at 347-779-7628, 52:02 or write to 150 South Portland Avenue, 52:06 Brooklyn, New York 11217. |
Revised 2020-04-16