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Series Code: AVMN
Program Code: AVMN000006
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00:01 ASI is a ministry that's networking all these
00:03 different ministries together with the church. 00:05 Being involved with ASI, meeting other people. 00:08 ASI is an excellent opportunity, 00:10 just a great opportunity. In ASI 00:12 there's a particular fellowship. 00:14 ASI is really the stamp, it's the glue it 00:16 holds all the ministries together. 00:27 Welcome to ASI video magazine, 00:29 I'm Dan Houghton. ASI is made up of 00:32 a diverse group of members. 00:34 Some are non-profit ministries others are 00:37 businesses and professionals. 00:39 Different though we maybe we are all united 00:42 by one goal and that is sharing Christ 00:44 in the marketplace. Today we're going to meet 00:48 two ASI members that are sharing Christ 00:50 in very different ways. Shine is an ASI member 00:54 organization in Ardmore, Oklahoma operated 00:57 by Mary Bernt. It's an evangelism training 00:59 program for young people as a part of the 01:02 program the young people learn about healthy 01:04 cooking and natural remedies right along side 01:07 evangelism. The idea is to use health as a way to 01:10 open doors to further outreach. 01:13 Let's find out how God is working through this 01:16 ministry. Welcome to Veggies. 01:19 This is our health food store that we're walking 01:21 into and we have basically a full service 01:24 of food store with organic foods, 01:29 a small amount of organic produce and we 01:32 also carry the supplements and things of that nature. 01:36 I didn't know that there was anything in this town 01:37 like this. So I started kind of just coming and 01:40 getting you know more vitamin and that kind 01:42 of thing and didn't really we eat at the restaurant 01:46 that much didn't really know what 01:49 it was they advertised it a little bit and we kind 01:52 of would come in and it would smell so good, 01:55 and that we kind of started you know okay 01:57 maybe we better check this out. From 01:59 a financial standpoint its growing everyday, 02:04 it's always a little difficult, restaurants are 02:06 always a little hard I won't sit here and say 02:08 that it's easy, we're definitely not you know 02:11 making tons of money by any stretch of the 02:13 imagination however for us that isn't the key 02:19 figure that isn't really what we are looking 02:21 at to see how well things are going but we look 02:25 at is our souls being won, and souls are being won 02:29 at this ministry and lives are being changed, 02:32 so we feel like its very successful. 02:35 Well, I've had some significant heart problems 02:38 over the years for last five years; 02:39 I had open heart surgery about five years ago. 02:41 The doctor told Charlie that he was going 02:43 to either have to have another by-pass or go 02:49 home and die. When the heart problems 02:51 continue to increase and they were wanting 02:55 to operate again and he didn't want to do that 02:56 I came and talked with Mary and she agreed 03:00 to sit down and talked with both of us. 03:01 It was really scary because his skin tone was 03:05 just ash and gray, he looked like he was going 03:10 to have heart attack at any moment and 03:13 I was really concerned about him and in fact 03:16 I plead with them for the first few minutes 03:18 we were together, I plead with him to go 03:19 to one of the health centers like the 03:22 Black Hills health and Education Center or to 03:24 Lifestyle Center of America or to Wildwood, 03:29 you know I told them about several places 03:31 and he said, I'm just not willing to do that. 03:33 And I just looked at him because he was being 03:36 so stubborn and I was really praying 03:39 in my heart Lord, I don't know what to do 03:43 with this man because he's being so stubborn. 03:46 But I, the thought occurred me that his 03:49 situation was so extreme that would probably 03:51 take an extreme measure to turn this around 03:55 and help him, so I looked him straight in the 03:57 eye and I said okay Charlie, 03:59 if that's you know the way you're going to be 04:01 done and the only thing person you're going 04:03 to listen to is me for some unknown reason 04:07 well then I think what you should do is going 04:10 a total all raw completely vegan diet. 04:14 And this seems to make sense to me because 04:16 really I, I didn't really have any other 04:19 choice other than the one I didn't want to 04:22 do you know so. He proceeded to start eating 04:26 raw fruits, raw vegetables, raw nuts. 04:28 No dairy, no meat. I showed them how to eat, 04:31 and an oat meal called muesli that you can 04:33 prepare that's all raw and put the orange juice, 04:35 some fresh squeezed orange juice to put 04:38 on the muesli. So that's essential what our 04:40 diet was, just grains, fruit, vegetables and 04:43 a lot of juice. And they loved it, they just, 04:47 they, he and his wife both went on this diet 04:50 and the next thing I know she's in here just 04:54 so happy because Charlie's mowing the lawn 04:57 again and he doesn't have chest pain and his, 05:01 you know, he is able to do more 05:03 and more work everyday. Within a week, 05:05 surely within a week after going on the diet, 05:08 you get a burst of energy within about two weeks 05:12 your skin starts taking this healthy pink hue 05:17 of course more, it's most importantly, 05:19 the angina pain at overtime began to subside. 05:23 His blood pressure went down, the lab work was 05:26 good everything that the cardiologist checks 05:29 on the six month check, everything was just so, 05:31 was shockingly good. And in fact he recently 05:35 became a member of the 130 mile an hour club 05:38 where he jump on a motorcycle and you go 05:40 130 miles an hour and they actually clock 05:43 you and you have to do within three times and he 05:46 became a member of that club and Cherry wrote 05:49 me this little letter and I wrote her back and 05:51 I said well Charlie's just proved positive that 05:54 you don't have to slow down just because 05:55 you're getting old. This is where all the cooking 06:00 goes on and I know they can't smell the wonderful 06:04 smells that are going on in here but we have 06:07 quite a crew, this is my daughter Brianna 06:11 and she works on her days off, she helps us out. 06:15 I love this food here, and she, 06:19 Mary has shown me that you can eat this type 06:24 of food and it's delicious and everything 06:28 you eat here is good for you. 06:31 You know anybody make chicken salad, 06:32 chickens like we said, but she makes good 06:36 chicken non-chicken- salad-sandwich that, 06:39 any chicken, you know without any chicken. 06:42 One recipe, it's like such as the chicken salad 06:45 that you'll see listed up there, when I was really 06:49 wanting a new recipe one day I just said 06:51 Lord please I really want a new recipe and 06:53 I need something that people will just love that 06:56 will bring them in on a daily basis and he didn't 07:00 tell me half a cup of this or tablespoon of that 07:02 but this idea just came into my mind, 07:05 I was just inspired with this great idea 07:07 and it has become a foundation recipe for us 07:11 and so what most of my recipes I pray for them. 07:14 I really don't eat here because 07:15 it's healthy I mean, well these are benefits, 07:19 but I eat here because the food's good. 07:21 If you ate, what she had out there today that 07:24 lasagna, that was award winning. 07:28 Today we're serving lasagna, we always have 07:30 two soups, we have a really beautiful salad 07:33 bars our salad bar is just wonderful it's all fresh, 07:37 we chop everything up on a daily basis. 07:40 We also then have four sandwiches and 07:46 two wraps that we serve on a daily basis, 07:49 our entree changes every single day and 07:53 then we sometimes will throw a special another 07:55 additional Cray for something like that and 07:58 then we also have a, a really good healthy 08:00 dessert everyday. We probably could not get 08:02 food of this quality anywhere I know in Dallas 08:05 or surrounding cities. And the other places 08:08 when our business that we at. I wish there 08:11 was a veggies in every city in the United States 08:15 and I do believe it can be replicated, 08:18 it's a lot of hard work and it takes a tremendous 08:22 commitment to do this but i think it's very, 08:25 very worthwhile work because we do see souls 08:29 won to the kingdom through this. 08:32 I had a little problem of drugs and I initially 08:41 met Mary, she came to an Oxford house, 08:45 I stay in an Oxford house right now. 08:47 It's a place of sober living environment 08:51 for people that are trying to, you know get their 08:53 life together, and Mary would come out there 08:56 on Mondays and she would visit with us 08:58 and do Bibles studies. Two days after I got there, 09:03 still feeling pretty bad Mary showed up and 09:05 that's the last thing I wanted to here in the 09:07 world was what Mary had to say, 09:10 but as she began to speak I began to feel hope. 09:14 There are hungry people out there, amen. 09:17 And some of them are hungry for food, 09:19 and some of them are hungry for God. 09:23 It's alright Jimmy. And there are people 09:25 out there who need to be clothed, 09:29 and there are people out there who need to be 09:32 ministered too. And God has a, 09:36 God has a recipe here, not only for caring 09:40 for the needs of others but it's in doing 09:43 for others that really we find our own 09:47 relationship with God coming into harmony 09:50 and coming into our right order. 09:53 We run health and nutrition seminars and 09:56 then we also have the shine program 09:58 which brings in young people. 10:00 One of the most important emphasis here at 10:02 Shine is that we wanna train the students 10:04 to see the Evangelism is not an activity, 10:08 even though there are many activities associated 10:09 with it, but that it's more of a lifestyle and 10:13 that any and every conversation and every 10:16 relationship that we have the privilege of being 10:19 part of, it's a spirit influence and every 10:24 relationship should be dedicated towards 10:26 eternal ends. Mary, wow! She's just such 10:31 a mentor you know and it's not just Mary 10:34 I mean it's the church as the whole, 10:36 but Mary just reached out there and was able, 10:38 she is a soldier, and, and she has these girls 10:41 and well these people. So far I haven't seen 10:44 any man in the Shine program, 10:46 but it's my understanding that anybody 10:48 is welcomed. You know she takes these beautiful 10:51 people and she turns them into 10:52 soldiers and I mean soldiers. 10:54 The young people learn how to work. 10:57 They learn how to do evangelism, 11:00 because we, we always do the evangelistic 11:02 series as well they do, they learn Bible studies 11:05 and they just learn how, I think that they are, 11:09 they end up being very inspired to just really 11:14 go out and approach people and find those 11:18 people who are looking wishfully to have, 11:19 who want to do Bible studies. 11:21 They now know how to, in general help them 11:24 with their health. Help them with heart issues 11:28 you know with obesity, with blood sugar, 11:30 with all of these kind of things. 11:33 And they have just a heart to bring them 11:38 to do the Bible studies. ASI just inspires me. 11:42 It is just that once a year national meeting 11:48 that they're holding and we do go to the 11:50 regionals here and they're also very inspiring, 11:52 but that meeting that they hold once a year 11:55 is like putting fuel in the tank. It just, 12:00 it just helps me to, to be even more inspired 12:04 to continue doing the work that I do. 12:07 ASI has really tremendous commitment 12:09 to soul winning. I love soul winning, 12:15 ever since I became to Seventh-day Adventist. 12:18 I'm so in love with this message and 12:21 it so changed my life for the better that 12:24 I've wanted to share it with everybody 12:27 I meet and using a restaurant and an health 12:30 food store like this people come here to us 12:34 and they're looking, they're searching, 12:36 they're usually hurting or you know they already 12:39 have a need. And it, it's just a perfect 12:43 combination. My whole, I just really believe 12:50 that God created me Mary Bernt to be in 12:55 a restaurant. It's just what I love doing 12:59 and it's just such a wonderful, 13:00 wonderful way to reach people. 13:07 What a normal day. You never know what 13:09 you might hear in this kitchen. 13:12 It's usually comes out as singing though, 13:15 I will say that. God really can use us 13:18 in amazing ways. ASI members share the 13:21 commitment of shine to follow wherever God leads. 13:26 To hear more stories like the one we just saw 13:29 I encourage you to attend the ASI convention 13:32 every year I'm blessed by the remarkable 13:35 testimonies shared by our members at the 13:37 convention. For more information visit 13:40 www.asiministries.org. Are you interested 13:46 in keeping in touch with the ASI family. 13:50 ASI produces two publications just for you. 13:54 Inside ASI Magazine and the ASI Update 13:57 News Letter. Inside ASI has published quarterly 14:01 and contains future stories, insightful 14:04 articles, new member introductions and more. 14:07 The ASI Update is an email news letter 14:09 published monthly. It features news and 14:12 announcements from the ASI Organization 14:14 and its members. The most enjoyable things 14:17 about ASI is that people you meet. 14:19 People that are in ASI there's a particular 14:22 fellowship. They are just close 14:25 or even closer than family. ASI is a great 14:28 opportunity for anyone to meet people, 14:30 to see different ministries. 14:32 The fellowship is just heavenly. 14:46 Denise Hayden is an ASI member and owner 14:48 of Fine Line Services Incorporated. 14:51 A documentation services company that 14:53 specializes in legal documents. 14:55 Over the years God has opened so doors for 14:58 Denise to witness to her clients. 15:00 People in need of legal documents 15:02 are often in situations that find them 15:04 looking for answers, and 15:06 that's where Denise comes in. 15:11 As you see here these are documentation 15:13 pieces on the very first 24 hour prayer 15:17 service that we did, basically I believe 15:19 in the power that comes from 24 hours 15:22 with Jesus and prayer. And so we took this 15:25 and built the whole Jericho wall, 15:28 the whole Jericho theme and then. 15:30 And these are all computer generated things. 15:32 There is not a library, it's not a lot of money 15:34 that you need to put in to it, 15:36 but these where just things we design the 15:39 wall on the computer and built a big box and 15:43 then we put the prayers and our concerns 15:46 into this Jericho and everything that people 15:51 wanted to purge from their life was put inside 15:55 of Jericho and at the end of the prayer service 15:58 6 O'clock in the morning we burned that, 16:01 after we've marched around it the 16:03 seventh time, because kept within the theme. 16:05 The Biblical theme, we burned Jericho which was 16:09 the last thing was, that will happen in Jericho. 16:13 And all of the concerns, we walked away just 16:17 cleanse and everyone was hugging each other. 16:20 We were just glad to be free and we walked 16:23 with a sense of confidence now, but everything 16:26 was in God's hand, so these were the cleansing 16:28 things that came out of the 24 hour prayer 16:31 services that we held. The Lord has blessed me 16:34 in a usually way in Fine Line Service, 16:36 because in the very beginning of this business. 16:41 It was very clear to me that something was 16:43 working beside me. I'd like to tell you a bit 16:47 of the history of Fine Line Service when I left 16:51 the corporate world right after seven years 16:55 working in corporate America, 16:56 contracting with the United States Government. 17:00 I left and, and heard the call of the Lord to say 17:04 I can make, I can use you for something on 17:07 your own. And so I quit my job on Friday and 17:10 started Fine Line Services on Monday. 17:13 Under capitalized didn't have any clients. 17:16 Couldn't afford business cards, 17:17 because my check had not come yet and 17:20 so I walk the streets and another part of that, 17:24 I had wreck my car. The day that I quit, 17:28 I wreck my car. So on Monday I had no car, 17:31 but God is so good I walked down the main 17:35 street of the town that I lived in, 17:38 and went to each of the businesses and ask them 17:40 if they would need secretarial work, 17:44 any type of secretarial work. I didn't even 17:46 have a business card. I've to keep writing my 17:48 name and, and didn't even have a business name, 17:51 but just knew what I wanted to do. 17:54 And by the time I got home three businesses 17:58 had called, by the time I got the end of the 18:00 street the last business that I went to was the 18:03 source of 98 percent of my business for 18:07 the next three years. Because I was under 18:11 capitalized I saw a magazine came out that had, 18:16 that you could win equipment, the grand prize 18:19 was the computer, a scanner, 18:21 a laptop computer and a laser printer. 18:25 And I said wow Lord if you wanna bless me 18:27 with that I can really get the business off 18:29 the ground. And so I wrote my story to the 18:33 magazine and I won, not the grand prize 18:37 I won a inch by, a inch square article from them 18:45 about the good work that I've been doing in 18:47 Fine Line Services. However just to show you 18:51 how the Lord works, He took that inch paragraph 18:56 and allowed the Washington Post 18:59 Newspaper to see it. They sent a journalist 19:03 over to interview me. I didn't even get the 19:05 newspaper, my mother gets the newspaper 19:08 and she said I never knew I would have a daughter 19:10 as a center fold. And I'm like what is she talking 19:13 about, and she showed me this huge article 19:18 of her daughter whose business from an inch 19:22 paragraph. From that the Kiplinger Magazine 19:28 sent their journalist to my door, 19:31 so now the Lord was telling me I will send it 19:34 to your door. You just keep following me, 19:37 you just keep doing the right thing, 19:38 I will send what you need to your door. 19:42 And of course from that I got speaking 19:44 engagements, from those speaking 19:46 engagements more clients came. 19:48 They spread the word out that's the history 19:51 of Fine Line Service and that why I walk 19:53 in great faith, because I've seen how the 19:56 Lord deals with me. And because of the 19:59 documentation that I do for the community, 20:05 for business, for government, 20:08 for the civil agencies, I have seen that God 20:15 continues to build a force outside of myself 20:19 that keeps knocking on the door. 20:21 And my husband is amazed that I don't see how 20:24 people keep coming you know finding you. 20:27 And it's because the Lord sends 20:28 them right here to my door. 20:30 Those who have the gift of business ministry 20:34 to the public have a very special obligation 20:38 to God for Christian service and sacrifice. 20:41 So while my wife is pulling, her husband is 20:44 pushing and, and the ministry that we have 20:48 co-actively has worked very, very well. 20:51 When I heard about ASI that it was an Adventist, 20:56 Adventist Organization for business people who 20:59 were Adventist and I said well you know, 21:01 I think I should give my moneys to this organization 21:04 as opposed to the chamber of commerce. 21:06 Because I thought they did the same thing. 21:08 The networking thing and meeting periodically, 21:12 so I took my $600 out of the Chamber of 21:16 Commerce and joined ASI for $40. 21:18 There the membership is only $40. 21:21 I joined ASI, but I didn't go to the convention, 21:25 so I really didn't know what ASI was about except 21:27 that in my mind it was similar to the local 21:30 Chamber of Commerce. In 1993 I went to 21:35 my first ASI convention in Toronto, Canada. 21:39 And that's where the Lord blew my mind with 21:44 what I saw ASI did. It was where all the businesses 21:49 that were Adventists, that were members 21:52 of that and even more came together and showed 21:57 what they do for Christ. They gave their 21:59 testimonies and they inspired, in my case 22:06 engendered more ministry out of you. You 22:09 are in business to serve Jesus to touch others. 22:14 You're not in business for a profit, 22:17 even if you're full-profit business or a 22:19 non-profit business. So having gone to that 22:22 convention my understanding of ASI was 22:25 all about increased and it was by virtue of that 22:29 first ASI convention that I feel in my heart 22:34 of hearts my ministries blew, blew up. 22:40 And created by virtual blowing up created other 22:45 little ministries on the sideline that now 22:50 ministry to many groups. One of the major 22:54 ministries that have is just documenting tracks. 22:59 Making tracks for children, making those 23:04 evangelistic items that are necessary 23:07 to take ministry into the community, 23:10 in a playful way, in a commercial way 23:13 and in a spiritual way to get the message 23:17 conveyed in a way that is acceptable to multiple 23:20 groups. I would like to tell you about a unique 23:23 ministry that happened by happen stance 23:26 one day there were 16 Denises in my church 23:30 and we were. There were three of us in the 23:33 office one day and someone ran into the office 23:37 and said Denise I need you and all of us 23:40 turned around and so we started laughing and 23:42 from that I said you know we really need 23:44 to do something with this. There are too many 23:46 Denises not to do anything. And I said you know 23:49 we should start a Denise ministries and that 23:51 ministry would be a discipleship ministry 23:53 and be a ministry to other women that as 23:56 in their journey just have someone that is 24:00 called by their name and as just woman. 24:02 So Denise Ministry started as a discipleship 24:05 ministry and from that we developed 24:10 a President and a Vice President and then 24:12 when they saw us breakout, 24:14 I went to an embroidery shop and I had this 24:18 nice sashes done for us, so that when we did 24:21 whatever we would do, we would all be alike. 24:23 This is our uniform sort to speak and those ladies 24:27 that saw us started asking us to usher at church 24:30 and be deaconesses and then we were asked 24:32 to present at the woman's ministries and 24:36 of course we always present, we built 24:37 a ministry around the 24 hour prayer 24:42 service and had Denise Ministries doing every 24:44 hour, so it's been a very good. It's just one 24:49 more ministry that can help 24:52 someone along the way. 24:55 The Lord sent to my door a business of being 24:59 a mobile notary. And so at now as I go into the 25:03 home in my professional manner. 25:07 I find that the Lord sent me to this home, 25:10 because they needed the Lord. 25:13 And as we're talking around the table, 25:15 we exchange information and basically what 25:19 I find out is they've been looking for Jesus. 25:22 They've been looking for something else 25:24 in their life. And may not be able to leave it 25:27 there then because it is a professional arrangement 25:31 and I've been contracted to do a particular service, 25:35 but what I can do with that afterwards only 25:38 the Lord knows and some of those clients that 25:41 I have met are still searching for the Lord. 25:45 Two of them are now going to church. 25:47 That I know of, there maybe others 25:49 I don't know of, but I'm able to share Christ 25:53 in that area as well. As a notary public, 25:57 and having a Pastor along when I go on ASI trips. 26:03 When we do rallies together he does the 26:05 preaching and I'll do the showing them how 26:08 ASI can minister to their lives. We've found that 26:12 when we do this as a team, as a co-active 26:15 ministry on the ASI on the business side, 26:19 because I'm the business person. He is the minister. 26:22 We have seen that the Pastors at those 26:25 churches now began to utilize their ASI 26:30 members enrolls in the church. 26:33 In the back of the church directory or the 26:37 business and business people members of the 26:40 church. Should be, Should be there and that's a part 26:42 of making here, it should be there and so if 26:44 not there we do encourage the Pastor. 26:47 Pastor to Pastor this is something that you might 26:50 want to do. And from that list so many benefits 26:54 to the church as well as ASI can be gathered. 26:58 So we're working together, my wife and 27:01 I and we love it. When I get the courage, 27:04 I'm gonna ask for a double salary one day. 27:09 Each one of us can be an active witness 27:11 for Christ in the workplace just like Denise. 27:14 I encourage you to look for ways to reach out 27:16 to those around you. ASI is made up the people 27:20 who are excited about letting the Lord work 27:22 through their jobs and their businesses. 27:24 To learn more about sharing Christ 27:26 in your marketplace visits the ASI website 27:29 www.asiministries.org. I'm Dan Houghton 27:36 you've been watching ASI Video Magazine. 27:39 See you next time for more stories of ASI members 27:42 sharing Christ in the marketplace. 27:44 God be with you. |
Revised 2014-12-17