Participants:
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000266A
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00:01 Are you walking in your divine destiny?
00:03 Well stay tuned to meet a couple 00:04 who is doing just that. 00:06 My name is Jason Bradley 00:07 and you're watching Urban Report. 00:32 Hello, and welcome to Urban Report. 00:34 My guests today are Greg and Jill Morikone. 00:37 Greg is the general vice president 00:39 and production manager of 3ABN. 00:41 And Jill is the general manager of 3ABN. 00:44 Together they make a powerful team 00:46 to build God's Kingdom. 00:48 Welcome to Urban Report, Greg and Jill. 00:50 Thank you, Jason. It's good to be here. 00:52 Thank you, Jason. It's good to have you. 00:53 It's a little different me sitting on the side of things 00:56 and interviewing you guys for a change. 00:58 Well, we're all family, so it's nice. 01:00 So we always call you my neighbor 01:01 and you say neighbor 01:02 'cause our offices are at a little bit of an angle 01:04 to each other right across the hall, so we're family. 01:06 That's right. That's right. 01:07 And it feels whole different to be on the guest end too. 01:09 So it's a privilege to be here with you on Urban Report. 01:14 It's a privilege to have you guys. 01:16 Of course, you're no stranger to Dare to Dream 01:18 or 3ABN by any means. 01:22 But we want to get a look into your journey 01:25 prior to coming to 3ABN and during your tenure here. 01:29 How did you guys meet? Let's start there. 01:33 I should probably have the lady to start with that. 01:34 You want to start with that? 01:36 Good answer. Okay. 01:38 We met the summer before our freshman year 01:40 in college. 01:42 And we met in the cafeteria, the college cafeteria. 01:44 I just came down to eat, and there he was sitting, 01:48 and I thought, I'll come and sit with him, 01:50 and there's a whole group of students. 01:52 You know, I didn't know his name, 01:53 I didn't know him or anything and sat down. 01:55 And then I just thought, "Oh, he's a nice guy, 01:57 he's kind of cute." 01:59 And I get to go to school with him. 02:02 And then Greg had a little different thought. 02:04 Yeah, we actually didn't date during college. 02:07 Really? We were just great friends. 02:08 We had a number of good friends. 02:10 But anyway, the instance that she's talking about 02:12 is once we stood up from once... 02:14 You know, you get a lot of crazy thoughts 02:15 running through your head through one's lifetime. 02:17 Well, this thought came to me 02:19 was that you're going to marry that young lady some day. 02:21 I'm like, "Oh, yeah, whatever that would be great. 02:23 You know she's beautiful, she seems very talented. 02:25 I just met her, but I thought that would be wonderful, 02:28 but probably not. 02:29 And when in the scheme of things to that? 02:31 First meeting. First meeting. 02:32 First meeting. Wow. 02:34 In the first meeting. Okay. 02:35 'Cause you know in your mind you're like, okay, 02:37 it probably just came to me because, 02:39 you know, she's really pretty and like I said very talented. 02:41 But God had plans in mind that sure enough... 02:44 How many years, that was in 1996. 02:46 '96. Wow. 02:48 So that was we were married six years later. 02:51 Yeah, about six years later after college we graduated. 02:53 So friendship turned into a marriage. 02:56 Wow. And so you had the friendship. 02:58 So you established a good foundation there, 03:01 then after college you entered into the courtship, 03:03 and then transitioned into the marriage. 03:06 Yeah, 'cause I came here on internship to 3ABN. 03:09 And you were interning out in Washington State. 03:11 I was. 03:13 And so I'm realizing, you know what, 03:15 she's a great friend, but, you know, 03:16 I think it's more than that. 03:18 And so that's when we pursued a deeper relationship. 03:20 And how did you make that long distance thing work? 03:23 Yeah, that was tough. 03:24 You know, he was my best friend in college. 03:26 I mean, you know, I met him in the cafA(C), 03:28 and then as we would progress 03:29 through our years in school together, 03:31 he was my best guy friend I should say. 03:34 And, you know, I love to talk to him, 03:36 we could start to finish each other's sentences, 03:38 just we spent time together, but there was never that. 03:40 I didn't know if he liked me in that fashion. 03:43 You know, and as a woman you kind of think, 03:46 "Well, is he interested in me?" 03:48 If he is, you know what's going on here. 03:50 So when he was here at 3ABN on internship 03:53 and then I was out at the West Coast. 03:56 I mean, I was student teaching and then teaching out there. 03:59 And we used to write the old fashioned letters. 04:02 Oh, yeah. 04:03 And just as a friend, he never intimated anything. 04:05 And then at one point, I remember thinking, 04:08 okay, he's got to get moving with something. 04:11 You know, if he's not interested 04:13 or he doesn't see, 04:15 I didn't know where our relationship stood 04:17 'cause I didn't know what he thought of me 04:18 in that fashion. 04:20 So this is the year after graduation 04:22 and we had seen each other again after that, 04:26 you know, year of being apart. 04:27 And all those feelings came up again and I thought, 04:30 "Okay, God I really like him. 04:33 But what am I supposed to do with this 04:35 'cause I don't know what he thinks about me." 04:37 And he had been very careful to protect those boundaries, 04:40 just relate to me in the form of a friend. 04:43 And I didn't know and so I prayed and I said, 04:45 "God, would You just reveal, 04:47 would You make it abundantly evident." 04:49 He needs to approach me or he has to do something, 04:51 otherwise I can't keep writing letters 04:53 'cause I'm becoming emotionally attached, 04:56 you know, in this relationship. 04:57 And so I wouldn't recommend doing this, but I said, 05:01 "Okay, God, he has 24 hours to tell." 05:05 Wow. Okay. 05:06 If I didn't know this, if I knew that, 05:08 I'll probably stress out. 05:12 Yeah, absolutely. 05:14 So what took place within that 24? 05:16 Within that 24 hours he approached 05:18 and said that he was interested 05:19 in pursuing a relationship and... 05:21 Wow. 05:23 And see that's powerful because you didn't even know 05:25 that she did the whole 24 hours thing... 05:26 No, that she had that prayer, yeah. 05:27 So the Holy Spirit was working on your heart. 05:29 Praise the Lord. Wow! 05:31 You know the one too, you know, it may seem a bit strange 05:33 'cause you know when you're in college, 05:34 usually that's the place to meet your spouse, 05:35 a lot of dating and stuff goes on. 05:37 But we've made a choice, 05:38 you know, obviously not to do that. 05:40 I want to see someone, 05:41 you know, when you're in a romantic relationship 05:42 many times people try and put the best foot forward, 05:45 and you don't see how they truly are. 05:47 So I want to just see her 05:49 as she really was which is just, 05:51 you know, just a beautiful... 05:52 Yeah, she is, yeah, in many ways. 05:54 And so I got to really observe that, 05:55 we traveled in the touring choir 05:57 around the United States, 05:58 around certain parts of the world. 06:00 You know, you get to see someone in different, 06:03 I don't know, the facets of the daily grind 06:04 of school work. 06:06 And I grew to truly appreciate who she was as a person. 06:10 That's nice and that friendship really enabled that. 06:13 That's right. That's great. 06:14 And then he pursued me. 06:16 And then he pursued you. 06:18 Got engaged 06:19 and after we were engaged, it was only... 06:21 Was it three months, three and a half months... 06:22 From engagement to when... 06:24 To when we got married. Nice, yeah. 06:25 But we want together maybe. Want to know why wait. 06:27 Exactly. 06:28 Why wait so long especially when you're once engaged... 06:30 Then once you're engaged, 06:31 why wait so long for the marriage. 06:32 That's right. Yeah, absolutely. 06:34 That's interesting. 06:36 So we were married in September 22, 2002. 06:39 Wow! 06:41 So it's been a blessing, a wonderful journey together. 06:43 Amen. Nice, nice. 06:44 And you guys complement each other so well, 06:46 like, you know, there are some couples 06:48 that just have that look, 06:50 like they're supposed to be together. 06:52 You guys have that look, 06:54 like you guys are supposed to be together, 06:56 and your personalities match very well too. 07:00 We have commented that, 07:01 you know, we're just appreciative of God 07:03 and the journey that He has put us on together, 07:07 and that we're teamed up together as a team, 07:09 as a husband and wife, being a part of 3ABN. 07:12 You know that wasn't, you know, 07:13 when you start your life and as a little child 07:15 you don't know where you're going to go. 07:17 The key is to just lay your life out. 07:19 As an individual we still do that, 07:21 but then as a couple... 07:22 God take us as a couple, what would You have us do. 07:25 And so, how did you guys get to 3ABN 07:29 in the first place? 07:32 You want me to start or you want to start? 07:33 Yeah, 'cause you came first. Oh, that's true, okay, so. 07:36 So yeah, I came as a college intern 07:38 in the fall of 1999. 07:40 And I got to do stuff 07:43 that I really had not much experience 07:44 and a little bit, but this is television, 07:46 I had done more ENG work 07:48 which would be just like a little camcorder back then, 07:50 you know, like the VHS tapes, 07:52 and go out in the field, do stuff like that. 07:54 So I came here was a new experience for me, 07:55 but they hired me on during my internship. 07:59 And so I've been here ever since. 08:01 So that's how I came as a college intern. 08:03 And I'll never forget 08:05 some of my first experiences here, 08:06 it was actually in this studio, 08:07 was a little bit different set up then. 08:09 But I remember I was running camera 08:11 and I did such a terrible job running camera 08:14 that the director who's the person 08:15 that punches all the buttons and chooses the camera 08:17 said, "Out of here." 08:20 That may sound a little rude. 08:22 They didn't say it quite like that. 08:23 They said, this was during the production 08:25 they said, you know what? 08:26 "Why don't you just come into the control room, 08:28 we'll put someone else to replace you on your camera, 08:30 just watch how it's done." 08:32 Terribly embarrassing. 08:33 But it was good for me too, you know, to realize, okay, 08:35 there's a lot to this and take my job seriously. 08:38 But it was really a tremendous experience here 08:41 and has been, continues to be. 08:43 And he graduated from that and did other stuff, 08:45 so the camera work got good. 08:47 Yes. Yes. 08:49 Oh, yeah, it just takes time, experience, and training. 08:51 Yes. Yeah. 08:52 And it's interesting because it's like, 08:56 you know, there's a program 08:58 where a boss goes undercover and things like that. 09:00 And I've seen where they've been fired 09:03 or let go from the boss's positions, 09:06 but, you know, now I'm looking at you, 09:08 and you're the production manager, 09:10 and the general vice president, and all that stuff, 09:13 so that's exciting. 09:16 When I came to 3ABN, that was not my goal 09:18 'cause when I really came, I actually, 09:19 when I first started out I was sweeping, 09:21 you know, there's always little dust bunnies 09:22 and little dead bugs, you know, just stuff, 09:25 you know, little dust and stuff. 09:26 And so that's what I did, I swept in the studios, 09:28 and then moved to camera, and just progressed from there 09:31 and you just, basically the goal is, 09:34 Jason, in life, 09:35 in my opinion, our opinion is to just again 09:37 lay your life before God 09:39 and say, "God, what would You have me do. 09:41 Whatever that is, then do it with the best of your ability. 09:45 Not for man, but you do it for God. 09:47 So if Jesus were right there beside me 09:49 and I'm sweeping in the corner, "Okay, God's right there. 09:52 What You'd want me to do? 09:53 You don't sweep the dust under a wall, 09:55 put it into a dust pan, put in the trash, do your best. 09:58 Yeah, it's philosophy. 10:00 Amen. More biblical. 10:02 Yeah, that's a great philosophy to have. 10:04 And how did you get here, Jill? 10:05 I moved here because of Greg. 10:08 Okay. Yay! 10:10 That's a good reason. That's a great reason. 10:11 It's a good reason to move to a place, 10:12 now I knew about 3ABN. 10:15 I would say I was not as passionate 10:16 about the ministry as of course I am now 10:18 just because I wasn't as familiar with it. 10:21 But I moved here, he proposed, 10:23 and when we got married, I moved here. 10:26 And that was in 2002. 10:28 And I said, you know, this is how God works. 10:31 I remember telling Greg, 10:33 "Well, I'm trained as a high school teacher 10:35 and that was my education, that was my background. 10:38 I need to teach high school." 10:39 And we didn't even have a high school at that point 10:41 and our church school has had a high school 10:43 through the years sometimes. 10:45 But at that point there was no high school. 10:46 And I said, "So what am I supposed to do?" 10:49 And we prayed about it. 10:51 And it was like, well, if God brought us together as a couple 10:54 which we believed beyond a shadow of a doubt. 10:56 And we had peace in our hearts knowing that, 11:00 you know, God had called us together. 11:02 Well then, God's going to take care of this 11:04 and God knows what I'm supposed to be doing, 11:07 so there was such peace in that. 11:09 And when we first moved here, 11:11 I actually worked for Miss Mollie. 11:13 She was our general manager and vice president. 11:16 And I worked for her for some time 11:18 and then I felt in my heart just a calling 11:20 to work with the kids at the school. 11:22 And so I went and I did that for 10 years. 11:26 I taught music lessons for the kids. 11:27 We had a little bell choir tone chimes. 11:31 We did piano lessons with the kids, a little choir, 11:34 even though I don't claim to sing. 11:35 But still I can wave my arms around and direct. 11:38 And as I reached the end of that time there, 11:41 I just felt a pull in my heart 11:43 that I was supposed to work full time in the ministry, 11:47 not that the other wasn't wonderful ministry. 11:50 And I think God brings us through seasons in life. 11:54 You know, that was the season God wanted me to learn, 11:56 God wanted me to grow and experiencing there. 12:00 And then it was like this pull in my heart, 12:02 you know, I was so passionate about what God is doing 12:06 in the ministry at 3ABN 12:08 and the lives that are being touched. 12:11 And to think, wow, 12:12 you know I can have a part in helping 12:14 to change lives around the world, 12:16 and so I wanted to do that. 12:18 But we don't want to run ahead of God. 12:20 You know, what if God didn't want that. 12:22 What if this was my own thinking. 12:24 And so Greg and I prayed about it. 12:26 And we said, "Okay, God, 12:27 if you want me to work at 3ABN again," 12:31 'cause I had worked few years before. 12:33 If you want me to work at 3ABN again, 12:34 then, God, You make it abundantly evident. 12:37 You have someone at 3ABN approach me. 12:40 And so we prayed that for two years. 12:45 Now Greg said, "No one's going to ask, Jilly," 12:47 because during this intervening years, 12:50 Mollie had asked several occasions 12:52 and I had always said no. 12:54 I'm called to work with the kids, 12:55 so why would she come back again 12:57 because she'd already asked and I had said no, 12:59 so there's no reason to ask again. 13:01 And then one day I was in seeing Mollie, 13:04 asking about something and she leaned across the desk, 13:07 you know, how Miss Mollie would sit across the desk. 13:09 Yes, yes. 13:10 And she would say, and she said, "Jill, you know, 13:13 my dream for this ministry has always been 13:15 that you would come and that you would, 13:17 you know, work in this ministry." 13:19 And she said, "I know you're going to tell me now." 13:21 And I said, actually this time I'll tell you yes 13:25 'cause that was what we had been praying for. 13:27 And she was like, "Oh, okay, then we will get you to work." 13:31 And I started, you know, within just a couple weeks. 13:33 And that's after two years of praying. 13:35 Yeah, just praying. That's faithful. 13:37 That is faithful. 13:38 Two years of praying and then it was your time. 13:41 Yeah, that's right. God knew everything so, yeah. 13:43 Amen. 13:44 And so what roles have you held, Greg? 13:47 You've had a lot of hats since you've been here. 13:50 Well, as you know, you know, this is a faith-based ministry, 13:52 so at times we feel a bit understaffed at times, 13:55 and so, you know, we can wear multiple hats at one time. 13:58 But yeah, really starting out in the studios at the Uplink 14:01 which was the original building, 14:02 that's where I started out 14:04 running camera and, of course, cleaning floors, 14:05 we worked in some lighting, did some video 14:08 which is basically you're adjusting the cameras 14:11 in the control room, you know, for color and stuff like that. 14:14 And, you know, went on the road crew for a while 14:17 when the truck was out traveling a lot, 14:18 we would travel well over 200 days a year. 14:21 Wow! Did a lot of traveling. 14:23 That was a real blessing as well. 14:25 Then we got married 14:27 and I didn't want to travel on the road and... 14:29 That is understandable. 14:30 Yes, and they offered me another position 14:32 here in production, but I said no, 14:34 there is another position at the call center, 14:35 so I went to the call center and we had a print shop, 14:38 and I oversaw the print shop. 14:41 We printed the lot of material, and I was there for a while. 14:45 And then the opportunity opened up 14:47 to oversee the call center 14:50 as, yeah, the building and everyone in it, 14:52 so I did that for a while. 14:54 And then an opportunity opened up 14:55 to become production manager, so I am currently doing that. 15:00 And then, yeah, the general vice president 15:03 was added to this and so, here I am today. 15:06 Nice. 15:08 Yeah, all part of God's plan, so... 15:09 That's right. To do what He wants us to do. 15:12 That's right. 15:13 So, now, this is a very interesting question 15:17 because things are so different here at 3ABN. 15:21 What's a typical day like in your lives at work? 15:27 Oh, why don't you start with that? 15:30 I think... Busy. 15:31 There is no typical day, really, here at 3ABN... 15:34 To me, I love this. 15:36 This is something we pray with the ladies 15:37 we have worship in the morning. 15:39 And I almost, always pray this, 15:41 "God, thank you for the privilege 15:42 of coming into work at a ministry 15:44 that is life changing value." 15:46 So to me, whatever we're involved in 15:48 during that day, 15:50 it has something to do 15:51 with helping to spread the gospel. 15:53 You know, helping to spread 15:54 that undiluted three angles' messages 15:57 to a lost and dying world, 15:58 and that's what this ministry is all about. 16:00 Everyone who works here, 16:01 whether you're cleaning on toilet, 16:03 whether you're running a camera, 16:05 whether you're pushing a pencil in accounting 16:08 and handling that, answering the phone, 16:11 every person has a part in spreading the gospel. 16:14 Amen. 16:15 My day would be very weary, there is meetings, 16:18 there is many different urgent deadlines. 16:22 So we say, "Oh, this is a deadline. 16:24 Oh, no, this needs to, you know, is a deadline." 16:27 Yeah, I would say there's a lot of meetings, 16:29 there's a lot of management 16:31 with the different general managers 16:33 with the different networks, with the different team. 16:36 Our team here, there is approval process, 16:41 dealing with finances, dealing with other things. 16:44 Yeah, a lot of different things. 16:46 Yes. 16:47 There is printing there, I mean, everything. 16:48 Yeah, a lot of different things. 16:50 It's amazing how you guys keep up with all that. 16:52 Variety, and this one, Jason, I think that's what I enjoy 16:54 'cause we know we come to work with an agenda so to speak 16:57 what we want to do. 16:58 And sometimes I'll think about my agenda 17:00 at the end of the day, saying, "Well, 17:01 nothing was really checked off 17:03 and there's a bunch more added to it," 17:04 but yeah, we had a really busy day 17:05 doing a lot of other things 17:07 that we weren't quite prepared to do. 17:08 But I think we have a great team here. 17:09 We do. 17:11 I really enjoy working with production team that, 17:12 you know, we got them right here on camera now 17:14 and in the control room, it's a great team. 17:15 Really fun and I like that a lot, 17:17 that variety is fantastic. 17:19 Then you have the administrative parts of it, 17:20 that's neat and has its own challenge 17:22 and a great group staff we have here, fantastic. 17:26 You were saying something else. I agree on it. 17:28 Oh, go ahead, Jill. 17:29 I was just gonna say, I think that hands down 17:31 we have the best, most creative talented 17:34 and gifted hardworking people in the world. 17:37 You know, our team is the best. Very talented. 17:40 I don't mean that in a prideful way, 17:42 it's what God has brought to this ministry. 17:44 Yes. 17:45 And the people who work here, I mean, 17:47 we're so blessed to work with such a great team. 17:48 Yes, and when you talk to each one of them, 17:51 they all have a different story on how they ended up here, 17:55 and that's all inspiring. 17:57 That's definitely inspiring. 17:59 Also, you know, speaking of our team, 18:01 they all go above and beyond to get the job done, 18:05 and not just get the job done but get it done well. 18:08 They take pride in their work which is so important. 18:11 It is. 18:12 So have you always been Seventh-day Adventist? 18:16 I have. 18:18 Yeah, I was raised 18:19 in a Seventh-day Adventist Christian home. 18:20 Okay, what about you, Jill? Yeah, I was as well. 18:22 Although, I think you can be raised 18:24 in a Seventh-day Adventist home 18:25 or any Christian home and still not know Jesus. 18:28 Yes. That is true. 18:30 And that was my experience. Yes. 18:31 When I grew up, I went to church on Sabbath 18:35 because "that's what I was told to do." 18:37 Okay. 18:39 You know, I wanted to be a good person, 18:41 I wanted to be a Christian, I just didn't know how. 18:44 I had never experienced Jesus in my heart or in my life. 18:49 I remember one time when I was 13, 18:52 going through a really hard experience, 18:53 and just really rebelling as it were against my parents, 18:58 against the authority, saying, you can't tell me what to do 19:01 to run my own life, and I'll do my own thing. 19:05 I was associating with some friends 19:06 that my parents were concerned about 19:08 and they said, "Please, cut off this association, 19:11 it's pulling you." 19:12 You know, they could see the change in me. 19:14 And, you know, I'm thinking, I don't want to do that, 19:17 I want to do my own thing, all of that. 19:19 And I remember writing in my journal, 19:22 "God, you're fake." 19:26 Yeah. 19:27 "Christianity doesn't seem to work. 19:29 I read miracle stories in the Bible. 19:31 I have not seen miracles happen. 19:34 I don't think I want to follow You." 19:37 Yeah. 19:39 And so I wrote that, "God, I'm walking away." 19:42 And six months later, that's a long story, 19:44 but six months later, 19:47 a life transformational experience 19:49 happened in our home 19:51 and that is God got a hold of my mom 19:53 and she would tell you, this is not a secret. 19:55 And that my mom met God for the first time 19:59 and the change in my mom's life was like night and day. 20:04 It was so earth shattering and I would lie awake at night 20:08 thinking what happened, "Why is she different? 20:11 Why did she not react the way she used to?" 20:13 And I remember, I would devise plans 20:16 to push her buttons 20:18 so that I'd see if she is genuine. 20:20 Yes. 20:21 And so the next day, you know, do something 20:22 that normally would get her upset, 20:25 now she wouldn't. 20:26 And so, finally, I said, "What's the difference?" 20:28 And she said, "It's Jesus." Wow! 20:30 If you want it, Jilly, I can introduce you to Him too. 20:34 And so that was the time when I decided, 20:36 I want to follow Jesus for myself. 20:39 Wow. 20:40 So that was your genuine conversion experience. 20:42 Wow. 20:43 What about you, Greg like when... 20:45 That's powerful, Jill. 20:46 What about you when you were walking with the Lord, I mean, 20:48 you know, you grew up in the SDA home but... 20:51 Very much so. 20:52 What was the conversion experience for you? 20:55 You know, mine wasn't, I consider Jill's, there's, 20:57 you know, very dramatic, you know, 20:58 especially when you have people going from like, 21:00 let's say drugs to rise and stuff like that. 21:02 You know, in Jill's experience mind, 21:04 I don't have one quite like that. 21:06 Mine was just really a progress, I guess, just as... 21:10 It's when I got to school, I think would have been 21:11 one of the challenges in my life 21:15 was that there was some people I've been looking up to 21:18 and they were "failing me" so to speak as leadership. 21:22 And this would be my college years 21:26 and that is when I told my father, 21:28 you know what, 21:30 they're supposed to be doing this thing 21:32 and they're doing something else. 21:33 They're telling me this, 21:34 but they're doing something else. 21:36 You know, I don't... I'm done with this. 21:37 I think I'm done with the churches 21:38 in the Adventist church. 21:40 And my dad told me, he said, "Son, 21:43 as your father I have failed you, 21:44 and I'm your dad, I love you. 21:47 Other people are going to fail you, 21:48 never look to anybody, human being, 21:51 me as your father, leadership and we're church, whatever, 21:55 look to Jesus Christ 'cause He will never fail you." 21:57 That's good word. 21:59 So don't say, "Oh, Dad failed me," 22:00 so I'm out of here or pastor, whoever else, you know, 22:04 they're letting me down, they're hypocrite. 22:06 Yeah, my dad said, "Son, don't do that." 22:08 So that was one of those where I was on that, kind of that, 22:10 I don't know, I think I'm done with the Adventist church, 22:12 I'm out of here. 22:14 I was kind of wavering back and forth. 22:15 So that probably would have been my experience, 22:17 so by Him giving me that wonderful counsel was like, 22:20 you know what, "You're right, Dad, 22:21 let me work on building my relationship with Jesus..." 22:24 Yes. 22:25 "And I'll do my best as a human being 22:27 but still look to Christ as my example." 22:30 Amen. 22:31 I think that's important because you see a lot of people 22:33 that do leave the church because they're following man 22:36 and not Christ in that sense, you know, 22:38 they're looking up to somebody as if they're infallible, 22:42 but we as human beings are frail, we're frail. 22:46 We are. 22:48 You know, I think the Christian walk 22:49 is a journey. 22:51 Yes.? 22:53 You know, it's not that, okay, we start today 22:56 and then we just sit back and we relax. 22:59 So I guess what I'm saying is, 23:01 it's a journey of discovering Jesus. 23:03 It's a journey of finding out more who He is and even today, 23:07 I learn more about Him, 23:08 and I discover more of His love. 23:10 And it's a journey of exploring His Word 23:13 and finding out the promises that we can claim 23:15 that are ours in Christ Jesus. 23:18 I mean, that He calls those things 23:20 that are not as though, 23:21 they were one of my favorite scriptures 23:23 in 2 Corinthians 5:17, 23:24 "If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. 23:27 Old things have passed away, 23:29 and all things have become new." 23:30 And whether we feel that we are a new creation, 23:34 the Word of God says we are. 23:36 And when we submit our lives to Jesus, 23:39 He's the one who's responsible to create that new creation, 23:43 create that new heart in us. 23:46 And as I think through my own journey, 23:49 I mean, even coming here to 3ABN once 23:51 I experienced the faith walk of working in a ministry 23:56 that's entirely dependent on donations. 23:58 Yes. 23:59 And I thought, "Oh, I have a measure of faith 24:01 'cause God gives every man a measure of faith." 24:03 But experiencing from day to day, 24:06 Lord, we don't know 24:07 where the money is coming for this bill. 24:09 How we're going to make payroll this week? 24:11 And then watch God work miracle after miracle. 24:15 And money come in when we don't even expect it. 24:19 It's a journey in faith 24:21 and that has been an incredible experience. 24:24 Amen. 24:25 And that you segued right into my next question 24:28 which was like what type of miracles 24:30 have you guys seen since working here? 24:32 Well, many. 24:34 I know that when I was on the road crew, 24:36 there's when you do a lot of travel, 24:38 a lot of safety 24:40 things where I could see God's hand with us in that, 24:41 you know, traveling along, 24:43 there were, accidents were avoided 24:44 or if there was a minor accident 24:46 it could have been much worse, 24:47 so God watching out for us along those lines. 24:49 Jill's mentioned like the finances, 24:51 that's amazing too 24:52 where you're in some discussions 24:54 on some of it, what do we do here 24:56 and then like Jill said, 24:57 money that's not expected comes in 25:00 which goes all the way back, 25:01 you know, Mr. Danny Shelton, you know, the founder of 3ABN 25:04 that's how they built the road 25:06 was five gallons of diesel fuel at a time. 25:09 So even 34 years later, it's still the same way, 25:13 maybe not quite five gallons of diesel fuel 25:15 but still there are bills that need to be paid 25:17 and God provides those needs and so, seeing that, 25:20 Jason, it's encouraging, 25:23 it's downright encouraging, it's like, "Wow God, 25:25 You're alive, You're well, 25:27 You're still performing miracles today." 25:29 And, yeah, I don't know, to me it's very thrilling 25:32 to see God's hand at work. 25:34 Absolutely. 25:35 And we know that's it's Him that's providing. 25:36 That's the key, not us. Yeah, absolutely. 25:38 You know, I've heard stories for years 25:40 that Mr. Danny has told, you know, this is the miracles, 25:43 this is the story we have many broken people, 25:46 the DVD story of some of those miracles 25:48 but that's only a fraction of course 25:49 of all the miracles that took place. 25:52 But I've heard the stories, 25:53 but it's another thing to walk a story. 25:56 You know what I'm saying, there's a difference 25:58 between just sitting and hearing a preacher 26:00 or hearing someone who's experienced it 26:02 and you say, "Wow, that's a walk with God. 26:05 Wow, that's incredible." 26:07 But then, when you had an experience, 26:10 and when you went through with certain journey 26:12 and you saw the miracles take place firsthand, 26:17 that does so much more to build faith. 26:20 I mean, it's an incredible journey 26:21 and that's the journey God wants for all of us, 26:24 not to have a second hand religious experience, 26:27 where I just rely on Greg's experience 26:29 which is a powerful experience, 26:31 but I have to have my own walk, 26:33 my own experience with Jesus. 26:34 I'll taste and see that the Lord is good. 26:37 Yeah, you can't taste through somebody else's taste bud. 26:40 That's right. I like that. That's true. 26:42 Oh, yeah, that's excellent. 26:44 What advice would you have to that young person 26:47 that wants to get involved in ministry? 26:51 Well, yeah, that's a big question. 26:54 I'll just from my own experience 26:55 I think, Jason, whatever God has before you 26:58 is to do it with all of your might. 27:00 And I think it's easy to always look to say, 27:02 "Oh, I think over there the grass is greener 27:04 and over there is greener." 27:05 You know what? 27:07 Focus on your little plot of green grass 27:08 and do everything that God has for to do there. 27:10 And also I think get advice from, or get a mentor, 27:13 you know, those that are older than you 27:15 with more experience, that's always good too. 27:17 Absolutely. What about you, Jill? 27:18 Amen. I think that's great advice, sweetheart. 27:20 Greg has a lot of wisdom. I so appreciate that. 27:23 That is great advice. 27:24 I love that, "He who is faithful 27:26 in that which is least is faithful also in much." 27:28 So I think God calls us as young people to get involved 27:32 to be faithful in the work God has called us to do, 27:35 but also to be involved in ministry. 27:38 You know don't think, "Okay, well, 27:40 I'll sit back and there's nothing I can do." 27:42 Young people can be involved in the church 27:45 and they can be involved in ministry. 27:46 Amen. 27:47 And you know God doesn't call the qualified, 27:50 He qualifies the called. 27:52 Thank you guys so much for coming. 27:54 Thank you, Brother Jason. Thank you for being here. 27:56 And thank you for joining us. 27:57 Join us next time and remember, 27:59 it just wouldn't be the same without you. |
Revised 2018-10-08