Participants: Karen Pierson & Pierre Quinn (Host)
Series Code: SOR
Program Code: SOR000007A
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00:23 Hello, I'm Karen Pierson
00:25 and I'm here again with my co-host Pierre Quinn. 00:27 Hi, Pierre. Hey, Karen. 00:29 And we are here to bring you 00:31 another episode of Stones of Remembrance. 00:33 The program we will visit with one of your favorite authors 00:37 and look at some of their life experiences 00:39 that help them to shape the message that they have 00:42 and that is found in their books. 00:44 So often as we pass through lives deep waters 00:47 just as Joshua did in leading the children of Israel 00:50 we can meet up with some unexpected blessings 00:54 that will help determine the direction of our lives. 00:57 Before I introduce you to today's guest 00:59 who will be no stranger to this audience 01:02 I would like to share some more of the scripture for you. 01:06 This is David and he is talking to Goliath, 01:10 the Philistine and he says, "This day 01:14 the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, 01:16 and I will strike you down 01:18 and I will remove your head from you. 01:20 And I will give the dead bodies 01:21 of the army of the Philistines this day 01:23 to the birds of the air 01:25 and the wild beasts of the earth, 01:27 that all the world may know that there is a God in Israel, 01:32 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord 01:35 does not deliver by sword or by spear, 01:39 for "The Battle Is the Lord's" 01:42 and He will give you into our hands." 01:45 Amen. Please welcome Jim Gilley. 01:49 Jim, you on the other side of the interview today 01:52 does it feel little strange? 01:53 Very uncomfortable 01:54 and I more surely be asking the questions. 01:57 You know, I have to know anything 01:59 when you ask me question but when you try to answer them 02:02 you should have some knowledge I guess. 02:05 Well, that's true I guess. 02:06 Just give us in a nutshell some other things that perhaps you 02:09 have done, or places where you have served the Lord. 02:12 Well, its when I give all these different places 02:14 people say, you know, he couldn't keep a job 02:16 but I began in college as a ministerial student. 02:22 Had a little business, went to the denominational work 02:26 with some evangelist very short period of time, 02:29 only about six years 02:31 I was in denominational work was ordained. 02:35 About that time I realized 02:36 that I had to make a living for my family 02:41 and either my wife had to go to work 02:44 or I had to do something different. 02:46 So the church frowns on moonlighting 02:49 and I don't blame them, I think they should 02:52 but I decided that I would work for myself 02:56 because I had been in business, I understood business 02:59 and that I would then 03:03 work for the church free and I did that. 03:06 The Lord helped me to do that for over 25 years. 03:09 So I held evangelistic meetings, 03:11 pastored churches, all of that on a dollar a year basis 03:16 and it was not a sacrifice, it was a great joy. 03:19 My family was involved, 03:21 the Lord blessed us so much financially 03:25 that we never under any circumstances 03:29 ever felt that we were sacrificing at all. 03:33 Then the time came when the church 03:37 actually was under quite a bit of criticism at the time 03:41 and a friend of mine said to me, 03:42 he was a member of another denomination, 03:45 a very good friend, I love this guy, very close friend. 03:49 He said, I think it's time that you get out of that church. 03:53 I said, I think its time I really get into that church. 03:57 And so I left, 04:01 I left the business world 04:04 and which I was always combined with preaching. 04:07 Never quit preaching. 04:09 But and I became 04:12 the ministerial director of the Southwestern Union. 04:15 Shortly after that they asked 04:17 they asked me to be a conference president 04:18 of the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference 04:21 and after a real difficult start 04:25 I had seven of the most beautiful years 04:28 that anyone could ever have in administration 04:31 in that conference. 04:34 Don Schneider invited me to then join the division team 04:38 as a vice president, I was a general vice president, 04:41 in charge of media and evangelism 04:43 and actually there were 65 different boards 04:46 and committees that I chaired or served on 04:49 including stewardship and just, to on and on, and on. 04:53 So after five years of that I told my wife, 04:59 I said, I really want to do pastoral ministry. 05:03 So we took the call to Dallas, Texas my own home church, 05:08 the Lord blessed us there, we enjoyed it so much, 05:11 we had intended, I had intended to preach there 05:15 until the Lord came or they wiped me out 05:19 one or the other and but something happened 05:23 after two years Danny Shelton came to me and said 05:28 the board is asking you to be president of 3ABN. 05:31 We prayed about it. So I mean, we really agonized. 05:36 Because we were happy in Dallas, 05:39 we felt things were going so strongly 05:42 but and I did not feel honestly health wise 05:46 able to handle a task like this. 05:48 People have no idea what 3ABN is. 05:51 We have 250 employees worldwide, about a 150 here. 05:55 Now those are ballpark figures. 05:57 Now the one here is not much of a ballpark 05:59 and it's about pretty accurate. 06:00 And the others are in Australia, 06:03 Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, 06:07 around and other places as well. 06:10 So it's a large operation and to become a part of it 06:16 Danny started with nothing. 06:20 And so he had grown with it. 06:22 For me to jump in this thing is moving 06:26 like 1, 000 hours and hour and I'm trying to get on... 06:29 But we came, the Lord made it very clear to us 06:34 that this was His will. 06:36 And there were series of miracles 06:38 that that just made it extremely clear 06:41 that this was what He want us to do. 06:44 We didn't come here to take Danny's place, 06:47 we came here to uphold him, he was tired. 06:51 He had been going at this 06:53 for nearly 25 years at that point 06:56 and he was worn out. 06:57 He took a year to build house and now he is back full stream 07:02 and it's exciting... 07:03 From all of your travels in your own spiritual journey 07:06 I'm sure you know a little bit about spiritual warfare. 07:09 When we talk to people about following Jesus all the way 07:13 or turning their lives over to God 07:15 one of the things that that discourages a lot of people 07:18 is that they say, they weren't ready 07:20 for the daily spiritual battle. 07:24 Well, what are some of those daily spiritual battles 07:27 that we have to fight? 07:28 You know, The Battle Is the Lord's, 07:30 that's the title of the book 07:32 and that is the title of the scripture that you read 07:35 which is so central to this. 07:38 When I was a young college student 07:42 I was at Southwestern at that time 07:46 I also was really and had played a lot of baseball, 07:50 I love baseball. 07:51 I didn't want to- 07:52 I really wanted a baseball career 07:54 but I knew that to do so would mean 07:57 not being able to really keep the Sabbath. 08:00 So I was struggling with that. 08:04 I had signed a contract actually with the Giants 08:07 and I had played that first summer with a semi-pro, 08:14 actually more of what we call a instructional league. 08:19 And it was a place where major leaguers would come back 08:22 and play when they were trying to rehab and so forth. 08:25 I have spent the rest of that summer with them 08:28 after I signed. 08:29 Now the decision has to come later, 08:32 do you go to spring training, do you continue, 08:34 do you go on? 08:36 And always, you know, you just want to know could I make it? 08:40 That was what really started when I went I just thought 08:43 I wonder if I could make it and I made it. 08:45 So I was on my way. 08:49 The day that I had my try out 08:52 I was on the field with two guys 08:53 that were already playing Bill White 08:55 who later became president of national league 08:58 and Willie McCovey 09:01 who played again with the Giants 09:03 and they have McCovey out there 09:05 in San Francisco at that ballpark. 09:07 So these were, these were men 09:09 that both went to the Hall of Fame. 09:11 I don't know that I had ever done anything like that 09:14 but I would have been playing ball for some period of time 09:16 I'm pretty sure of that. 09:18 Now I was sitting on the campus 09:22 wondering about what should I do. 09:28 I thought, you know, I'm gonna miss out on both worlds. 09:30 I'm gonna miss out on this world 09:33 and I'm not gonna be saved either. 09:36 Because I knew what sin was and sin is not just stealing, 09:42 killing and commuting adultery. 09:44 Its pride, it's probably the word- 09:47 you know, Satan wasn't stealing, 09:48 killing and committing adultery he was involved with pride. 09:51 And pride is so much a part of us. 09:54 Even the pride of opinion, the pride of humility, 09:57 I mean, it just goes on and on. 09:59 We are just full of sin. 10:02 I mean, there is no getting around it 10:04 and we have to be covered by the blood of Jesus. 10:07 And but anyway I'm sitting there looking- 10:11 thinking about this and a man comes by the campus 10:15 is Pastor Leon Strickland 10:17 he was associated pastor of the church there at Keene, 10:21 Leon Strickland and he said well, Jim, 10:23 what are you thinking about and I told him. 10:27 And then he began to explain to me righteousness by faith. 10:32 I said, I wish I could believe that 10:34 but at the time we believe that faith, 10:38 plus works that God forgave. 10:40 I mean, I will talk about the general belief 10:42 was God forgave and forgives your past sins but now buddy, 10:46 it's up to you to straighten up and fly right 10:50 and I just knew what sin really was. 10:53 I had a understanding of it so I knew- 10:56 never and they were talking about perfection and so forth. 11:01 There's just no way I'm gonna miss heaven, 11:04 miss this, I'm gonna miss everything, 11:06 I want to at least get something. 11:09 So when he explained this to me I said, 11:10 where did you get that, that is not what we teach. 11:14 He said, yes it is. I said, no, it isn't. 11:18 I know, I have been through. 11:19 Our schools have been, you know, I'm still in there 11:21 but I've been through enough classes 11:23 and I have been, I have studied since I was a kid. 11:26 That's not what we believe. 11:28 He said, I got it from the book Christ our Righteousness 11:31 by A.G. Daniells and Ellen White. 11:34 Again a book you re talking about the power of a book. 11:38 I finished I remember that weekend 11:40 we are on the campus, it was camp meeting going on 11:44 we went home 11:46 and next Friday night friend of mine calls. 11:49 Hey, let's go out and I thought I don't know, 11:53 you know, we didn't do anything good, 11:55 we didn't do anything bad but I just didn't feel inclined 12:00 to go that night and I thought well, I don't want to do that. 12:04 And so I turned to my mom, I said, 12:05 mom, do we have the book Christ Our Righteousness? 12:08 She said, no, never heard of that book. 12:11 I said, really. Now we had just a little book case. 12:15 Few Spirit of Prophecy books, you know, Old Yeller, 12:19 Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka. 12:22 Classics. Yeah. 12:23 And just a few other books in there 12:26 and I looked on the bottom shelf 12:29 and there was a book wrapped in brown paper 12:33 like they used to do at the publishing houses. 12:38 I instinctively knew or maybe spiritually knew 12:43 by the Holy Spirit that that was Christ Our Righteousness 12:48 and I reached down and I picked it up 12:50 and I will never forget they used to rubber stamp 12:53 right across the end, it said, Christ Our Righteousness. 12:58 I opened it, I have often said, I read that book 13:02 seven or eight times before I read anything else again. 13:07 And the message is there how Christ is the one, 13:13 how The Battle Is the Lord's. 13:16 So this is where the whole concept 13:19 for this book came from. 13:20 It came from that night, that moment, 13:24 that decision to let God do it. 13:27 I can't do it, He has got to do it. 13:30 And then the series 13:32 developed a little later on in my ministry 13:36 and I presented it a number of times 13:39 when I was in Arlington, Texas 13:40 as pastor on a dollar year basis. 13:43 I presented it every summer for while because it was- 13:46 people kept asking for it 13:48 and I would kind of change it a little bit 13:50 but we would talk about the different things 13:52 that people face in life 13:55 and how to face them with the Lord. 13:57 Yes, and that's at the heart of Battle Is the Lord's. 14:02 We are going to take a moment now 14:05 so that you can find out how you can get 14:07 a copy of Jim's book, The Battle Is the Lord's. 14:10 Don't go away we will be right back, thank you. 14:14 When we think about enduring to the end 14:16 we are focused on the time of trouble 14:18 but our greatest challenge maybe the enemy within. 14:22 Fear, worry, stress, anxiety 14:25 these are just a few of the times of trouble 14:27 that we face on a daily basis but these everyday problems 14:31 may need many of us to give up long before the last days. 14:35 Jim Gilley offers more than just quotes on encouragement 14:39 in practical bite size prescriptions 14:41 he suggests five steps to overcoming unhealthy fear. 14:45 Four ways to deal with anxiety and three tablets 14:48 that will help you find a strategy for stress 14:51 and much more. 14:53 To get your copy of The Battle Is the Lord's 14:56 call 1800-765-6955. 15:01 Stop by your local Adventist book center 15:04 or you can order online 15:06 at www.AdventistBookCenter.com 15:14 Welcome back. 15:15 We are busy chatting with Jim Gilley 15:17 and, Jim, we are talking about your book 15:20 The Battle Is the Lord. 15:22 So if that's true explain to me please 15:25 how can my everyday battles with... 15:29 depression, exhaustion, 15:34 trying to do everything that I can to make things work. 15:37 How is that the Lord's battle? 15:40 Well, you know, we look at a number of things 15:42 that are extremely important in this. 15:46 We look courage for instance. 15:49 You know, it takes courage to live in today's world 15:52 but courage does not come from within us. 15:56 That real true courage and confidence 15:59 has to come from God and that's the true courage. 16:03 There is a phony false confidence that people have 16:07 that is, is really not it's the sickness 16:09 it's not good, it's bad. 16:11 But when you have true confidence and true courage 16:16 from God that is a wonderful gift. 16:19 You look at fear, now, good there are healthy fears 16:25 and who you teaching kid 16:27 don't stick your finger in the light socket, 16:29 don't run across the street. 16:32 These are- 16:34 we need to know what is good fear and what is not good fear. 16:39 Toxic fear. Exactly. 16:41 And so we talk about that from a scriptural stand point. 16:45 All of these things that deal with today's life 16:49 in a real world with us 16:51 these things are all we deal with scripturally. 16:55 Anxiety, some people have anxiety 16:58 they don't even realize what it is. 17:00 It's just this dread kind of a emotion 17:04 that something is not quite right. 17:07 And God tells us in His word how to get rid of that. 17:12 Worry, now it's not bad to look into the future 17:17 or to make preparation or to change things 17:20 and there is a difference though between worry 17:26 and preplanning of something carefully. 17:29 And so we talk about how God expects us 17:32 to do some planning and look how things could be 17:36 and anticipate problems but at the same time 17:41 He doesn't want us worried and just falling apart 17:46 because of these things. 17:48 So these are some of the things that we deal within the book 17:52 that I believe it have helped me 17:57 and had an older brother he told me, 18:02 he said I've read a lot of books 18:03 but this book has helped more than any other. 18:06 Now by the way, I do tell some stories 18:09 about my older brother in that book. 18:11 Well, maybe he will like that so much. 18:14 But, but he really, he told me, he said I got a lot out of it. 18:20 When you brother tells you something like that 18:23 I've got two other brothers that never said anything. 18:27 Were they in the book? Yeah, they were in the book. 18:30 I think he was probably in little better light 18:33 and they weren't maybe. 18:34 Well, that may have something do to do with it, Jim. 18:37 I'm close to- 18:38 was close to all of them. 18:39 I've lost two of my brothers since then. 18:42 Let's go back to- 18:43 you have mentioned briefly before about courage. 18:45 Yes. 18:46 When we look at David 1 Samuel 17 18:48 he gives a bold courageous statement. 18:51 The battle is the Lord's. Right. 18:53 How can we develop that same courage 18:57 or that same outlook especially in the mist of battling with 19:02 or struggling through the things 19:04 that you mentioned before? 19:05 It starts with small things. 19:07 Remember that he had a battle out there 19:09 taking care of the sheep. 19:11 And before he battled those animals, 19:14 he probably battled other things 19:17 that were out there, that were trying to prey up on the sheep. 19:20 Well, he had a few older brothers too. 19:22 He probably battled with them. 19:23 He had probably interfere a little bit with them 19:26 but you don't know all the things 19:29 that he had faced but God was preparing him. 19:33 My very good friend, E. E. Cleveland 19:35 one time said to me, 19:38 Jim, I was going through, there's some real difficulties 19:41 and I was just feeling so sorry for myself, you know. 19:44 I mean, I didn't say that but that's how I was feeling 19:48 and he said, you know, 19:49 the Lord is toughening you up for something. 19:54 God does toughen us up. 19:56 We can either let these things break us 19:59 or we can let them build us. 20:01 I choose to help them to build me. 20:03 And by the way don't think that I'm not like everybody else. 20:09 My real nature is not to fight, 20:12 my real nature is not to try to overcome. 20:16 My real nature is to quit, to give up. 20:21 I think that's why that I've adopted 20:24 "Keep On Keeping On" its sort of a Bible. 20:27 By the way this book originally entitled Keep On Keeping On 20:32 and the press changed it to The Battle Is the Lords. 20:36 So then you wrote it or not? 20:37 Yes, so I wrote it and in the folder of the next book 20:39 I'm writing another book calling it Keep On Keeping On. 20:42 And I'm gonna keep writing it until you publish it. 20:45 I certainly keep writing- 20:47 calling one that until they finally, 20:49 finally do publish it. 20:50 In fact, they will say that in a forward 20:51 but both of these books are positive books 20:56 to try to encourage people. 20:58 Jim, those middle- 20:59 what I call the middle of the river experiences 21:03 are some things we all deal with at some point in our lives 21:08 but most often I think we don't say anything about it. 21:13 The waters come back over and cover those stones 21:17 and no one ever sees them again. 21:20 What were some of those moments for you, 21:23 you were alluded to them a little earlier. 21:25 Yeah. 21:27 You know, one of the things that when you face challenges 21:30 at the time you just feel like this is gonna do me in. 21:35 When God brings you through them 21:39 you actually look back on them as the highlights of your life. 21:44 You really do. It's very true. 21:45 And you don't- 21:47 you will forget all the things that happened 21:49 that were kind of good but you remember 21:51 those challenges that you- 21:54 that Satan could have used to break you 21:57 but God used it to make you. 21:59 And you see how He brings you through 22:03 that to me is what Christianity is. 22:08 It's not only saving me it's sustaining me. 22:13 And I have to be sustained. 22:16 I was talking to a young man recently who is very depressed 22:20 and he said to me I don't think you understand. 22:24 I said, you know, you don't understand 22:26 that I don't understand. 22:28 I do understand because why do you think 22:30 I adopted Keep On Keeping On 22:33 as it was because I wanted to give up. 22:36 My nature was just give up. God says don't. 22:41 He says, keep pressing towards the mark, keep going. 22:46 "He that shall endure unto the end, 22:49 the same shall be saved." 22:51 And so this is why that that I believe God has 22:56 not only truth about the Sabbath 22:59 the state of the dead, the second coming 23:02 all of these things I love them dearly 23:06 but also the truth of how to face 23:10 what you are looking at everyday. 23:11 Amen. 23:12 You see the time of trouble, we thing the time of trouble 23:15 is something off in the future. 23:17 There are lot of us won't even make to there 23:18 if we don't handle today's problems. 23:21 The Bible says, if you can't make it with the footman 23:24 how are you going to run with the horses. 23:26 And so these day by day problems 23:30 can be much bigger than we think. 23:33 Unfortunately we are out of time 23:36 that we've been enjoying our conversation. 23:38 But before we close maybe there someone listing, 23:42 watching today and they are in the middle, 23:45 they are down deep with stress, anxiety or depression 23:50 and they are saying 23:51 I don't have any more strength on my own. 23:55 I don't know if I'm gonna survive this thing. 23:57 But what would you say to them, how do you encourage them? 24:00 How is they hang on to Jesus and there are number of times 24:05 that the Bible says the battle is the Lord's. 24:10 Find each of those and your concordance 24:12 you find the story here of David 24:16 and then the story of Jehoshaphat. 24:18 There are several other places where it is intimated 24:21 even if it's not, those words are not exactly that way. 24:25 But trust in Him. 24:28 Every time the Israel 24:29 tried to win anything on their had lost. 24:31 That is a message to you and to me 24:35 we can't do it on our own. 24:38 We all want to save ourselves. 24:39 We all want to be worthy of heaven. 24:42 The only one who is worthy of heaven is Jesus Christ. 24:46 We must depend upon Him, trust in Him, 24:50 place everything in His hands because we are nothing, 24:56 absolutely nothing. 24:58 When we come to that 24:59 and then turn the focus of our lives away from us 25:03 and turn it towards helping other people 25:06 you gonna see the power of the Holy Spirit 25:09 come into your life. 25:11 I believe that with all of my heart. 25:13 He is gonna then help you face your fears. 25:16 He is gonna help you with the worries that you have. 25:21 You will be able to turn them over to the Lord 25:25 trusting in Him and knowing that He will never, 25:31 never leave you nor forsake you 25:34 because He is your God. 25:39 He loves you. He cares for you. 25:41 He left heaven to come here to die for you 25:47 and worse than that even the dying were the insults 25:51 and the shame that He took for you and for me. 25:56 And so we need to put our hands in His hand, 26:01 turn our eyes upon Him and trust in Him 26:05 fully and completely as our God, our Creator, 26:11 our re-Creator, our Savior 26:15 the one who says to each one of us I love you. 26:21 We've been having a conversation today 26:23 with Jim Gilley about his book The Battle Is the Lord's. 26:26 My name is Pierre Quinn 26:28 and from my co-host Karen Pierson 26:29 thanks for watching Stones of Remembrance. 26:31 We will see you next time. |
Revised 2015-12-09