Participants:
Series Code: LI
Program Code: LI200487B
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00:01 Welcome back to the Liberty Insider.
00:02 Before the break with guest, Pati Lawrence, we were... 00:06 I was following along with rapt attention to hearing 00:10 just one opportunity after the other, 00:12 but I looked through it 00:14 and I see that you were taking advantage. 00:16 They weren't just sort of dropping in your lap, 00:19 you were making contacts 00:21 and doing things that meant naturally 00:23 there was a harvest of acceptance coming 00:26 back towards you. 00:27 And I know we've talked, 00:30 spoken a little bit privately, 00:31 but this ongoing COVID emergency 00:34 is sort of provided the proof of these contacts, isn't it? 00:38 They've been looking you up and asking for help 00:40 in different sorts of projects connected with the emergency. 00:43 Yes. 00:45 I still continue to nurture the relationships 00:47 and that's really important. 00:48 Before COVID, I would have, 00:50 Wednesday were my days of like rounds 00:53 'cause doctors make their rounds, 00:54 I would make my rounds around the community 00:56 stopping in at the offices, taking Liberty Magazine, 00:59 taking other literature, sometimes pastries. 01:02 But now with COVID 01:03 and the offices being closed down, 01:05 it's more phone calls, emails. 01:08 Some of the district directors or field deputies, 01:10 I have their cell phone numbers. 01:12 And I just let them know, if you need help with anything, 01:14 I'm still here, let me know what I can do. 01:16 There's a state senator, local state senator 01:19 that he was having a grocery giveaway, 01:21 the grab-and-go or drive-through, 01:22 people drive through. 01:23 So I went there and I helped out. 01:26 We have a councilman in Los Angeles, 01:29 who happens to be Seventh-day Adventist. 01:31 On every third Saturday till the end of the year 01:34 he's having a grab-and-go grocery giveaway. 01:36 And I'll be there helping him until the end of the year, 01:39 every third Saturday. 01:42 And still I get calls. We put on... 01:44 Oh, the most recently, this past Monday night, 01:47 I don't know if you're aware of the Zoom conference, 01:49 the town hall that Church State Council put on. 01:51 Yes. 01:52 On voting information and the responsibility to vote. 01:55 We had and through the relationships 01:57 that I've been able to develop and nurture. 02:02 I'm comfortable in calling and say, 02:03 "Hi, we want to have a Zoom conference. 02:05 We'd love the congressmen to join us. 02:07 Give his take on the integrity and the importance of voting." 02:10 They said yes on the spot. 02:12 The County Registrar-Recorder's office 02:15 was on hand and county supervisor's rep 02:17 was on hand. 02:18 It was most successful. 02:20 And it probably is easier to get people on Zoom 02:22 than to come attend your meeting. 02:24 It is. 02:25 So COVID has helped in that way where we are still visible. 02:28 They're still hearing from me, and we're still partnering. 02:31 We're still partnering. 02:32 Didn't you tell me a story about 02:36 they came to you seeking some materials 02:38 and you were an intermediary and found the materials 02:41 and supplied them to this government entity? 02:46 About the town hall? 02:47 If it was... 02:49 Tell me, tell me something that fits that. 02:50 Okay, yes. I'm sorry. I'm sure I have that one too. 02:53 I've so many stories in my head. 02:54 I know. 02:55 You've told me things over 02:57 the last few years that are amazing. 02:59 Well, first, I want to say that a lot of the time I thought, 03:02 at the beginning, I thought God will open the doors, 03:04 I'll walk into the offices, meet the gatekeepers, 03:08 as I was told the receptionists, 03:10 the field reps. 03:11 That isn't what was happening. 03:12 I would meet them out at the events. 03:14 But you are a footstone for them... 03:17 Yes, yes. 03:19 That cuts through all of it. Yes, exactly. 03:21 I show up and it just, it falls into place. 03:25 I was at actually a legislative briefing, 03:29 because again I went on websites 03:30 for the different members of Congress in our area, 03:33 Senate. 03:34 I've been at Dianne Feinstein's office 03:36 actually. 03:37 Have I ever told you that? No. 03:39 But I would always have the opportunity to go meet 03:42 the, in this case, a congresswoman. 03:44 And Dianne Feinstein, for example, 03:46 was very helpful for us 03:48 in establishing the Liberty dinner. 03:50 Yes. 03:51 It was under her sponsorship that we had the room in 03:55 the Russell Senate Caucus room, 03:58 where they used to have the Watergate hearings 04:01 many years ago. 04:02 And for years, 04:04 we had our Liberty dinner there, 04:05 but we had to have sponsorship from some Senatorial office 04:08 and it was Dianne Feinstein's office. 04:09 Oh, her staffers are amazing and very responsive. 04:11 Yeah, obviously through her staffer, 04:13 but I suppose they clear that with her. 04:16 Oh, yes, yes. 04:18 And so I was at a congressional hearing, 04:21 legislative briefing, 04:22 I'll talk about the congressional hearing. 04:24 And I met the congresswoman, spoke a little bit. 04:27 And because I had stopped into her office a few times, 04:31 her district director was standing by her 04:33 and he says, "Oh, I've heard about you. 04:34 I've heard your name. You've come by our office. 04:37 " And she's like, "Oh, okay. You're familiar with her. 04:39 Yes, I'd like to have a meeting." 04:40 "Sure set up a meeting." 04:42 So I did, went in, 04:44 her district director was there. 04:46 And actually, Dennis Seaton again 04:47 from Church State Council 04:49 and then our vice president from our Southern Conference, 04:51 they came with me, they attended the meeting. 04:53 Very good meeting, 04:55 I'd put together a portfolio of services. 04:57 So I didn't know during my first meetings, 04:59 what am I doing to speak about 05:00 if I didn't have someone with me. 05:02 So I put together this book a portfolio of services 05:05 that told about our services 05:07 and resources as a church organization 05:10 and how we can partner with their resources 05:13 and services in the community. 05:15 So I go through my presentation, 05:17 meeting went very well. 05:19 And what's interesting about this is out 05:20 in the hallway afterwards, 05:22 I didn't know this, because I stayed in, 05:24 and I had a second meeting with her 05:25 legislative policy director 05:27 to go over possible new laws for human trafficking, 05:32 to curtail human trafficking. 05:34 So I'm still in the human trafficking arena. 05:37 Later, I find out that her district director 05:39 was interested about Adventism, 05:41 he started asking questions about our faith. 05:44 So it's... 05:46 Really it's about the gospel too. 05:47 We are witnessing as we're out there talking 05:50 and speaking to them, they're getting, 05:52 they'd say, "Adventists, well, what are they about?" 05:54 And who knows how many have maybe googled 05:57 or walked into a church, 05:58 because we've been there talking to them. 06:01 You never know. I mean, the web of contacts. 06:05 You just don't know. 06:06 And you're reminding me and I try to keep this in mind 06:09 of what I said to my wife many years ago, 06:11 when I was back in Australia 06:12 and got a call to come to a publishing house 06:16 at Pacific Press in Idaho. 06:18 She didn't want to leave Australia 06:20 and I was a bit apprehensive, because in Australia, 06:23 they think that all the troubles of the world 06:25 are coming to the US not down there. 06:27 They're apart from they think. 06:30 And she says, "Why should you go? 06:31 There's gonna be trouble there." 06:32 And I said, "Well, 06:34 this request to go seems so providential." 06:36 And I said, "I don't know, but maybe 06:40 God's plan is just that I make some contact at some point 06:44 that leads to something else to something else." 06:45 And that's what this is all about, 06:47 just a singular moment. 06:49 And I really believe that. 06:50 I mean, our life is not just one thing. 06:53 But the real power of these contacts 06:56 and that God's leading may be 06:58 that you're a link in a great scheme, 07:02 if want of a better word, 07:04 for God to spread the word in an area 07:06 that might never have gone. 07:08 And so you don't know that momentary contact. 07:10 It's powerful. 07:11 Because what I'm trying to let them know is 07:13 who we are and what we really do. 07:15 Sometimes, some of them don't even, 07:18 have never heard of Seventh-day Adventist. 07:20 I went into a senator's office, this district director, 07:22 first thing she says when I met with her, 07:24 when she saw my portfolio, 07:26 "Oh, Seventh-day Adventist, aren't you vegetarians?" 07:29 Most of my meeting that day 07:31 was a half hour talking about recipes. 07:33 And I've given her recipes and she's writing them down. 07:35 I sent her a package of recipes after that. 07:37 And that's the same senator... 07:39 And no chocolate chip cookies recipe? 07:40 Not the cookies. 07:43 Oat meal patties and, you know... 07:46 It's a very good entering wedge and it's not just device. 07:49 I mean, godly living requires respect for your body 07:52 and healthful living, so... 07:53 Exactly, exactly. 07:55 I think Adventists sometimes don't really 07:57 show it as an integrated approach 07:58 to our worship of God. 08:00 But it's that same senator's office 08:01 that recently asked me to help at their grab-and-go, 08:03 grocery grab-and-go. 08:05 And it's been two, three years since her and I met. 08:08 And when and I sent her a whole package, an envelope, 08:11 a little goodie package of recipes after that. 08:14 But so this member of Congress, 08:17 I do let them know that we are neutral, 08:20 non-partisan. 08:22 And sometimes it is brought up to me, 08:24 well, what about separation of church and state? 08:26 Why are you here wanting to build relationships with us 08:29 when you oppose us? 08:31 This opens the door for me. 08:33 And this is what I say all the time. 08:37 And I say yes, they are... 08:39 I bring up Church State Council first of all, 08:41 I let them know that we do 08:43 protect and defend all people's faith. 08:46 If there's a religious liberty issue 08:48 at stake, we will step up and help everyone. 08:51 It's not just ourselves. 08:53 Then I let them know that yes, 08:54 we protect the wall of separation 08:56 of church and state, because we don't want to do 08:59 is impose our authority on you or your authority on us. 09:02 You're busy, you have important work to do, 09:05 we don't have time for that. 09:06 But I let them know, let's meet in the middle, 09:08 let's build a healthy relationship 09:11 to where we're pooling our resources together. 09:13 Let's do something good in the community. 09:14 Now you're explaining it directly. 09:16 And this is a good time for me 09:17 to interject by way of informing the viewers. 09:21 In the US at the moment 09:22 apart from the debate over the election and so on, 09:24 there's been a lot of talk about religious liberty, 09:29 very good statements, 09:30 but behind them is really a change dynamic. 09:33 It's not really what you and I would understand 09:35 is true religious liberty operating 09:37 within the constraints of separation 09:39 of church and state. 09:40 Its religious entitlement, 09:42 special treatment for a certain form of religion. 09:45 And that at the end of the day 09:46 is the antithetical opposite to true religious liberty. 09:50 So you need to beware like, you know, the old saying, 09:53 beware of Greeks carrying gifts, 09:55 from the ferry to the Trojan horse. 09:57 And they can be a Trojan horse issue 10:00 on religious liberty that sort of is taking advantage, 10:03 but it's not true religious liberty, 10:05 it's not concerned for all people of faith, 10:07 their freedom from coercion 10:08 and freedom from government intrusion. 10:11 Well, I had one member of Congress 10:12 when I gave her my NARLA card. 10:15 And they said, "Oh, you know..." 10:16 Sometimes when they kind of see... 10:18 I see an eyebrow grow up. 10:19 NARLA again, North American Religious Liberty Association. 10:22 Sometimes I see a little eyebrow go up 10:23 when they see religious liberty, 10:24 that term, especially in this era. 10:27 Yes, I know, because it's often used 10:29 as an improper wedge for power. 10:32 Yes, but when they really hear what we are about, 10:35 what we defend and how we stand up 10:37 for what's good and what's right, 10:38 and let's build a healthy relationship. 10:40 Yes, there's a separation, 10:42 but there can be a healthy relationship. 10:44 One member of Congress, 10:45 she put her hand on my arm and she says, 10:47 "I'm so glad you said that. 10:48 Thank you." 10:49 You know, so they welcome the explanation. 10:51 And what you're telling me is very interesting 10:53 that these different legislators 10:55 are most aware 10:57 of the separation of church and state necessity. 11:01 It's come up a couple of times... 11:02 And I presume respectful of it, but that's interesting. 11:05 Yes. And I have the opportunity to explain to them. 11:07 Yes, I will not back... 11:09 You know, I won't sacrifice our truths 11:11 or my beliefs just to be accepted by someone. 11:15 And if I say yes, we defend the separation of church 11:18 and state and tell them why and how. 11:20 So really the payoff for you is that it leads very quickly 11:24 to where you're explaining our principles of faith 11:28 and religious liberty. 11:30 Yes, and I don't back down from it. 11:32 And I think they appreciate that. 11:34 Because then they see that 11:35 if I'm going to stand on our truth 11:37 for what's good and right, 11:38 when I tell them, let's partner together, 11:41 let's do something good together, 11:42 they know I'm going to stand on that promise also. 11:48 I think it's in the Book of Revelation 11:50 that Jesus says, "Behold, 11:52 I have set before you an open door." 11:55 And the idea is that if God opens a door, 11:58 no one can close it. 12:00 And the idea must be as Pati as discovered, 12:02 if God opens a door, walk through it. 12:05 And we're very encouraged 12:07 in our religious liberty fraternity 12:10 in North America that people like Pati 12:13 have been able to take up the challenge 12:16 and with the holy boldness that comes from believing 12:19 in what you're selling, which is liberty, 12:22 religious liberty and knowledge of God's privilege 12:27 to proclaim freedom. 12:29 With that, you know, 12:31 you don't need to be afraid 12:32 that people will listen to you, the doors will open, 12:35 influence for religious liberty and by extension, 12:39 the community that's behind you, 12:41 in this case, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 12:43 all of that is advanced. 12:45 And I know that as Pati tells that it's exciting, 12:48 because there are great possibilities. 12:50 There are limitless possibilities, 12:52 and no matter how difficult the times, 12:55 and these are difficult, COVID-19, 12:58 and prejudice in high places to somewhat paraphrase for, 13:03 no matter all of that, God opens doors, 13:07 and the religious liberty story must be of a continuing 13:11 opening of doors right through to the kingdom. 13:14 And as we open those doors, those behind them, 13:17 many of them will then travel with us 13:19 through to that next level, 13:20 because there are many as Ellen White told 13:22 Seventh-day Adventists looking wistfully to heaven 13:26 and they will join us. 13:28 For Liberty Insider, this is Lincoln Steed. |
Revised 2021-01-08