Participants: C. A. Murray (Host), Greg Emelander & Dwight Hall
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY015004A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:07 Hello and welcome to 3ABN today. 01:09 My name is C.A Murray and allow me once again 01:11 to thank you for sharing just a little of your 01:14 no doubt busy day with us. 01:16 So thank you for your prayers 01:17 and your support of this ministry 01:19 and I'm excited 01:23 for number of reasons today's program. 01:24 First of all because we got an old friend 01:26 and may I shouldn't say old friend 01:27 because his hair is gray and his beard is a little gray, 01:31 so I'll stay friend of long standing. 01:34 We like to have our good friend and this is Dwight Hall, 01:38 Mr. Remnant Publication has been in many, many times. 01:41 Looks a little different 01:42 because he's carrying little more facial hair than before 01:44 but I think he looks very distinguish. 01:45 Dwight, good to have you here. 01:46 It's great to be here, C.A. 01:48 Yeah. Great to be here. 01:49 Good to have you and then new friend, 01:53 sometimes you meet people as you meet them you just-- 01:55 you just like 'em. 01:56 And I want to get a picture of this 01:58 clean cut good looking guy. 02:00 This is Greg Emelander Emelander. 02:03 Emelander. Right. 02:05 Emelander, look at that face because 02:07 it's a good looking guy, he's clean cut, clean shave 02:11 and except for the little goatee. 02:13 But this clean cut good looking guy hides a past 02:17 that we're gonna unpack here in the next few minutes 02:20 that bespeak the healing power of Jesus Christ, 02:24 dare I say that? 02:25 The power of Christ to change stuff 02:28 when your life is going one direction, 02:29 Christ can reach in and change that life. 02:31 And he's got a great testimony, 02:33 so I want you to pull up close to the television set 02:36 because he's got something to say. 02:37 And I think will encourage you and let you know that 02:40 that you're never too far gone for Jesus to come and get you. 02:44 Amen. Amen. 02:45 And then he and Dwight got together 02:47 and they're doing some great things for Lord. 02:48 So that's our program for today. 02:50 You got to stay by because this is good stuff 02:51 and you don't want to miss this. 02:53 You may want to even tap the record button 02:54 on your DVD player because he's got a great story. 02:58 This may be a DVD that you want to get 03:00 because he's got a lot to say and man good to have to here. 03:02 Thank you. We appreciate it. 03:04 We've talked a little bit and he's got me kind of excited 03:07 just good stuff. 03:08 And I said before, 03:09 Dwight Hall doing great things for the Lord for a long time 03:13 and we're glad to have you back, 03:14 we really are. 03:15 Before we jump into that, 03:16 I think I'll get this music in and out of the way 03:18 because I'm really excited. 03:20 The King's Heralds are here 03:22 and really great ministry for many, many, many years 03:28 and they're gonna be singing a, 03:29 an arrangement of an old Negro spiritual 03:32 called steal away. 03:37 Steal away 03:41 Steal away 03:47 Steal away to Jesus 03:58 Steal away 04:05 Steal away home 04:13 I ain't got long to stay here 04:27 My Lord, He calls me 04:30 He calls me by the thunder 04:36 I ain't got long to stay here 04:47 Steal away 04:51 Steal away 04:57 Steal away to Jesus 05:07 Steal away 05:13 Steal away home 05:21 I ain't got long to stay here 05:34 Green trees are bending 05:36 Po' sinner stand a-trembling 05:42 The trumpet sounds 05:44 The trumpet sounds 05:46 The trumpet sounds 05:56 Within-a my soul 06:03 I ain't got long to stay here 06:18 Steal away 06:21 Steal away 06:27 Steal away to Jesus 06:37 Steal away 06:44 Steal away home 06:53 I ain't got long to stay here 07:09 Steal away 07:14 Steal away 07:20 Steal away 07:34 Thank you, King's Heralds, that arrangement 07:35 I know it's Russell Hospedales, the baritone for that group, 07:38 a good buddy of mine and well done, 07:41 King's Heralds, steal away. 07:42 Now my guests are Greg Emelander, 07:44 got it right this time, Dwight Hall, 07:46 gentlemen good to have you here. 07:47 Now, Dwight I've got to apologize to you 07:49 because we're gonna kind of turn you 07:50 into a tourist for a little while 07:52 'cause I want to concentrate on Greg's story 07:54 and then we'll try to marry the two together 07:56 because you do come into this in little bit. 07:58 But, Greg, again good to have you here, 08:01 let's go back to your childhood 08:03 because you were born 08:05 and raised in Adventist home, were you not? 08:07 Absolutely I was. 08:08 It was a strong Adventist home, 08:10 you know, it wasn't just a circumspect 08:13 Adventist relationship that we had. 08:16 I grew up vegetarian. 08:18 My mom handled all seminars for a church. 08:20 My father was at that time I believe a deacon 08:24 but later became an elder 08:25 but we were strong in our faith. 08:26 I was a pathfinder. 08:29 I was a strong Seventh-day Adventist. 08:31 Yeah, so from the outside this looks like 08:32 kind of a textbook Adventist home, you know. 08:34 Everybody is going to church, 08:35 you got leaders in a church as your parents. 08:37 Brothers and sisters? 08:38 I absolutely have an older brother name Doug 08:40 and the younger sister name Christine. 08:42 So you're right there in the middle 08:43 in a rocking chair. 08:44 There's so interesting theology and studies and philosophies 08:48 on that middle child you know, 08:50 lot of stuff going on in that middle child. 08:53 City, rural where you-- you know where'd you grow up? 08:56 We grew up out in the country 08:57 about six miles away from any town. 09:00 My father was a farmer, 09:01 my mother worked in a doctor's office 09:03 and we had a beautiful home surrounded by fruit trees, 09:07 fields it was the-- 09:10 the typical surroundings that you see 09:12 in the perfect country home if you would-- 09:14 Yeah. 09:15 It was awesome childhood. 09:17 Yeah, it seems kind of idyllic but under the surface 09:21 there were some stuff going on with your parents 09:22 that kind of affect you, walk us through that. 09:25 As a child, you know, my parents tried to hide 09:28 any type of arguments that they had. 09:29 You know, if we were driving in the car 09:31 that would have been one thing 09:32 and they would still try to keep it under wraps. 09:34 But I realize that when I was about 10 or 11 years old, 09:38 things got a little more tensed, 09:40 and as the years progressed the arguing got worse 09:44 and I remember as a child we had an old farm house. 09:48 And in the floor we had huge registers, 09:50 the vents that were almost a foot by a foot square 09:53 and my brother and I used to sit up against that register 09:55 and we could hear our parents arguing at night. 09:58 Ultimately they ended up getting divorced. 10:01 So how old were you when this divorce took place? 10:05 It was just before my 13th birthday. 10:07 Okay, that's about the age 10:08 where you begin to take it on the chin, 10:09 you know what's going on 10:10 but you're not really processing. 10:12 How did that affect you and your siblings? 10:15 Obviously with a divorce came a lot more tension in the home 10:18 not only between my parents 10:20 but between the parents and ourselves 10:22 and of course between the siblings. 10:23 We didn't have a clue what was really going on. 10:26 We had no answers. 10:27 We had questions but even when we ask questions, 10:30 the answers we receive were of course vague and-- 10:32 The parents didn't want to divulge any information 10:35 that would have been damaging to one another 10:37 but of course we still-- 10:39 we still knew something was seriously wrong. 10:42 Custody wise your mom, your dad, 10:43 who did you end up with? 10:45 I went back and forth for quite a while, 10:47 when we-- when the divorce first happened 10:48 they were separated for period of time. 10:51 And we were given the option to who we wanted to live with 10:54 and at first I chose my mother's house 10:56 and of course when I got in argument with my mom 10:58 then of course I wanted to stay with dad. 11:00 Sure. Dad was happy to have me. 11:02 Of course with that I saw that I can manipulate 11:06 to both of them by using them against each other 11:09 and of course that's what I did. 11:10 Yeah. 11:11 So I was back and forth for 11:12 couple of years between the homes. 11:15 Were you still going to church, 11:16 were you attending church at all during this time? 11:18 Periodically my father made it a point 11:20 that whenever we were at his home, 11:22 we were going to go to church. 11:24 Which was-- I am so grateful for that today 11:26 because it still allow those seeds 11:28 that were planted as a child 11:30 to continue to grow in some capacity. 11:32 And I was still rebelling inside 11:34 and I was essentially plugging my ears 11:37 when I was at church. 11:38 I didn't want to hear what I was hearing 11:40 'cause I had my own struggle, my own battle inside. 11:44 But he did, he kept us in the church 11:45 and that was good. 11:47 It's been a blessing. 11:48 Yeah, so as you look back, 11:49 it seems like the divorce is kind of a turning point, 11:51 at least the beginning of your wilderness time. 11:55 Oh, it absolutely was. Yeah. 11:58 How is your mom's relationship 11:59 with the church during these years? 12:01 During those years it was definitely 12:04 essentially nonexistent. 12:06 When the divorce happened she left the church 12:08 and she turned her back on it. 12:10 She didn't want anything to do with it. 12:11 There was a lot of pain there. 12:13 Some of the individuals in the church 12:14 didn't necessarily respond the way that they should have 12:17 and the bridges that were there were burnt. 12:21 Prior to divorce were you in church school, 12:23 public school, where were you going to school? 12:25 Church school, I went to Ionia Seventh-day Adventist 12:27 from first grade until almost the end of eighth grade. 12:30 Now were you able to maintain that 12:32 or did you get put into public school? 12:33 Ultimately with the divorce 12:35 my mother moved and we moved with her 12:39 and I was placed into public school. 12:41 How was that as far as you know that your-- 12:44 you know the church school jargoned, 12:46 you know that how they move, 12:47 church school and public school ain't the same thing. 12:50 No. 12:51 Did you find that when you got into public school? 12:53 Oh, absolutely they were two different, 12:54 two different entities completely. 12:55 In the Adventist school I was raised 12:57 with a Bible knowledge not only that 12:59 but it was your spiritual wellbeing was 13:02 really in the teacher's view point. 13:05 They wanted to make sure that you were educated 13:07 not only with the history of the church 13:09 but you understood what it meant to be a Christian. 13:12 And when I went to public school 13:14 obviously there was no spirituality there, 13:16 no real good positive spirituality. 13:18 Everything was negative. 13:20 The children were openly discussing 13:22 things that I would-- 13:23 I never even thought about 13:25 and so the conversation was different. 13:27 The dress was different. 13:28 Even the teacher's mentality was different. 13:30 Everything was different. 13:31 I was not prepared to be in a public school. 13:34 There was just no transition point. 13:35 So I went from being a Seventh-day Adventist 13:37 to being dumped in the middle of 13:39 the most worldly environment that you can think off. 13:42 It sure was a rural public school 13:44 but still it was a public school. 13:46 Public school yeah, two ways to deal with that. 13:48 One you can fight upstream and try to remain Christian 13:52 or you can try to get along and adapting just stay alive. 13:55 Which route did you take? 13:56 Oh, I definitely started compromising. 13:59 As soon as I went there, I really had no intention 14:01 on maintaining my Christian values. 14:04 For me I wanted to be accepted. 14:06 For years I'd been ignored because of divorce. 14:08 I felt I was being ignored. 14:10 I'd been growing up with questions 14:12 that just weren't being answered 14:13 and I honestly I wanted friends. 14:15 I wanted somebody that that would accept me for who I was. 14:18 And even though I grew up in a church school, 14:20 there was still nobody really, really close 14:22 because we live miles away from everybody. 14:24 I didn't have childhood friends that lived around us. 14:28 So when I got to public school, 14:29 I saw as a chance to maybe build some relationships 14:31 to somebody that we're gonna be little bit closer than 14:33 what I had in Seventh-day Adventist school. 14:35 Yeah, which group did you follow? 14:37 You got your sports guys, you got you techie guys. 14:40 You got your misfits. 14:42 You got your-- you know, 14:43 you gonna fall into one or the other. 14:45 Jock, you're playing ball or you're with the math club, 14:48 you know, or you're with the druggies 14:49 or you're within or just there are these little groups. 14:52 What did you gravitate? 14:53 Oh, misfits and druggies. 14:54 No, we never would have classified ourselves as that. 14:57 We were the individuals that knew everything best 15:00 and of course you know, we dressed the best, 15:03 we listen to the best music and in all reality 15:05 it was the worst garbage you could ever imagine. 15:07 And I'm sure if they could have taken pictures of me back 15:09 then I was probably wearing pants with a 44 waist 15:12 and my waist is probably maybe 25 inches. 15:15 And so I dressed with the baggies clothes 15:17 you can think off and I thought I was a little gang banger, 15:20 and of course I'm in a town 15:22 the size of maybe 2,000 population 15:24 that was extremely small. 15:25 But that was the mentality I had. 15:27 I was 10 feet tall and bullet proof. 15:29 And of course we were misfits I mean, 15:31 we had fights after school all the time 15:33 and some of 'em get pretty violent. 15:35 One of my friends I remember he got his head 15:37 cracked opened with a baseball bat 15:38 and that was just part for the course. 15:42 At this point in your life 15:43 I guess your spiritual life is pretty null and void. 15:46 Oh, it was void. 15:47 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 15:49 Talk to me about the slide and I use that term into-- 15:53 into drugs and how that began? 15:57 When I started looking for friends, 15:58 one of the friends that I-- 16:00 one of the friendships I developed 16:02 was with an individual whose parents smoked. 16:05 Now at this time one of-- 16:06 my mother had been smoking and so I was used to the smell 16:10 and she didn't do it openly at this time 16:12 but I can tell, still tell. 16:13 Yeah, now smoking. 16:15 Are we taking about cigarettes? 16:16 Are we talking about cigarette. 16:18 Just cigarettes. At this point. 16:20 And so my friends parents smoked and he smoked as well. 16:24 Now mind you he was pretty young 16:26 15 years old, 14 years old at this point. 16:28 And so he is openly smoking and the parents-- 16:30 his parents allowed me to smoke. 16:32 So if were in public they didn't want us doing it 16:35 directly in front of people but they'd buy cigarettes 16:38 and that wasn't an issue for them. 16:39 And then I found a lady who had a store down in our town 16:43 who had pool tables in the backroom 16:45 and she would sell the cigarettes 16:47 and so that was where we got our supply. 16:49 And within a short period of time, 16:51 I was smoking up to two packs a day 16:52 and that was just-- it was no problem. 16:54 I mean that was me acting cool. 16:57 So that's how cigarettes came in 16:59 and eventually with that type of mentality 17:02 running into individuals that are utilizing 17:04 or using a different substance 17:05 and so we slowly went in transition 17:10 from tobacco to weed. 17:12 And then for me it just, it was a logical transition 17:15 because one substance really didn't matter from the other. 17:18 At the end of the day I was still rebelling. 17:20 Yeah, yeah, yeah, smoking and smoking, 17:22 and folk don't understand that slide is very easy. 17:25 It's not a dramatic thing. 17:27 You move from tobacco to marijuana 17:30 and you're still lighting and you're puffing. 17:33 So that's the route that you chose to take. 17:35 Absolutely. 17:36 Now that puts you into society of a certain class 17:38 or group of people that you kind of migrate to that, 17:41 that district dare I say. 17:42 I did, I actually enjoyed the type of mentality 17:46 that culture kind of breeds 17:48 and the reason why it's when you start doing that, 17:50 you know what you are doing is illegal. 17:52 And there's something about doing something that's wrong 17:54 you know it's wrong and you're getting away with it. 17:57 You almost feel that adrenaline rush that comes with it. 18:01 And being young, you gravitate to that adrenaline rush 18:05 and you want that to be replicated 18:07 is often as possible. 18:08 And so you're doing things to get away with things 18:11 so whether you are transporting drugs 18:12 or using drugs or doing things in the public 18:15 that aren't socially acceptable or legal. 18:18 And that was just the attitude I took, 18:20 you now, so I started even growing weed 18:22 and that was something I really enjoyed doing at that time 18:25 because I knew I was getting away with something 18:27 that I shouldn't have been and I was doing it openly. 18:29 Yeah, yeah. 18:31 And you developed this kind of Teflon mindset 18:33 you know, they can't-- it's not-- 18:34 it can't hurt me, it can't touch me. 18:36 Are you still in school? 18:37 At this point yes, 18:38 yeah, I actually graduated high school. 18:40 Okay. 18:41 Barely but I did. You did. 18:43 I ended up having to switch schools 18:45 from that public school to an alternative school. 18:49 I had run-in with the sheriff's department. 18:52 I had written an article about the sheriff's department 18:54 and there were two officers 18:57 who had false fight evidence in the court of law. 18:59 And I wrote to school, an article in the school paper 19:01 about that and the next thing, 19:03 you know, I got some attention 19:04 from the local police department. 19:05 Yes, yes, yes. 19:07 So you're growing weed 19:08 for your own consumption or for retail? 19:11 Both. 19:13 So you moved from just smoking to selling. 19:16 Correct. Yeah. 19:17 Yeah, I didn't want to have to pay for my own supply 19:20 and so I decided why not sell, I can purchase 19:24 one quantity and fourth of that will be mine. 19:26 And the other three quarters I can sell 19:28 and I don't have to pay for mine. 19:29 Yeah, were you getting yours from someone else? 19:32 Oh, absolutely there was. 19:33 Well, in order to get the seeds to grow 19:35 I had to purchase weed. 19:36 And it takes quite a while to grow a plant 19:39 and to get it to fruition. 19:41 So I was purchasing from another individual 19:43 so I'd purchase about an ounce at a time 19:46 and then sell three quarters of an ounce 19:47 and use a quarter ounce for myself. 19:50 How many years were you doing this? 19:53 Before I really went upwards probably about two years. 19:56 Okay. Okay. Tell me about the escalation? 20:00 I had been working part time jobs 20:03 to make some extra money 20:04 and even when I did that I was not doing it legally. 20:07 I was extorting my manager, I caught him stealing money. 20:09 And so I was bringing in a little bit of extra cash 20:11 that way but ultimately that well dried up 20:14 when he got fired. 20:16 And so I got a different part time job at a factory 20:19 and as I sat down on break 20:21 I was smoking a joint in the close section 20:24 of the factory and my supervisors 20:25 came walking out the doors. 20:27 Now I was already kind of scared 20:29 because my first day in the job only been there two hours 20:32 I have a joint in my hand that I'm smoking 20:34 and here comes my supervisors, sits right down next to me. 20:37 As he sits down, you know, 20:39 I'm hiding it over here, I had already taken a hit. 20:42 And so I'm holding it in my lungs 20:45 and he just looks at me like are you really that dumb? 20:48 And so he says will you-- are you gonna pass that? 20:51 And so I passed it to when he hit it and he asked me, 20:54 he said can you sell more of this? 20:56 And I stumbled for a second I said, 20:59 yeah, I've got an ounce in the car. 21:00 He said no, can you sell more of this? 21:03 And that's when it dawned on me, 21:04 he wanted me sell for him. 21:06 I followed him home that day 21:08 walked into his house and sat down, 21:09 he walked into bathroom 21:10 and he came out with the duffle bag 21:11 which he proceeded to unzip 21:14 and in there was a 10 pound block of weed. 21:16 And this is your supervisor. That's my supervisor. 21:18 Welcome to the world of job big business. 21:20 Correct. 21:21 I found that later he'd served 25 years 21:24 in the Texas prison for murder 21:25 and he was a very well connected, 21:28 very high up in his wouldn't necessarily 21:31 called a cartel caught in organization. 21:34 But he was very well networked 21:36 and that was a start of my career. 21:39 So he cuts you off a piece and you sold it. 21:41 He cut me half a pound 21:42 and he says, you have a week to get rid of it. 21:44 And he told me it was gonna cost me $600. 21:46 He gave it to me in front. 21:47 I didn't have to have any cash and so I left made a phone call 21:51 and I sold that whole pound within 45 minutes 21:54 and I sold it for $1400 21:56 and I took that money back to him 21:57 and he gave me another pound. 21:58 I sold that pound within another hour 22:00 and so that day I made $1400 profit off two sales. 22:05 So the individuals that had been my drug dealers 22:07 now became my customers within one evening. 22:11 Wow, so you're often-- you're often running. 22:13 I was often running. 22:14 And that's what so seductive about this door, 22:16 you can't make that money working at Remnant 22:18 or 3ABN not $1400 in an afternoon. 22:22 Yeah, that's what so seductive about sin. 22:24 And you haven't 'cause you're not gonna make that 22:26 hardly anywhere. 22:27 I mean, you don't have to be some high part 22:29 to do that kind of thing in two hours. 22:31 Yeah, yeah, you're often running. 22:34 So you are in now the marijuana selling business. 22:36 Yeah, and you never stay with that substance. 22:39 If you're dealing with quantities that large 22:41 you're dealing with that much money. 22:42 You're gonna be in whole different circle of friends 22:44 and those friends are gonna be dealing with-- 22:45 with others substances. 22:47 Yeah. 22:48 Eventually I graduated to selling cocaine 22:51 and I had been dabbling in extra seed for a while, 22:53 we had it coming in from Canada. 22:54 It'd come up from Detroit 22:56 and make its way into Grand Rapids 22:57 and we distribute that into the raves. 23:01 So I had my hands in a lot of different things 23:03 but after selling weed for so long 23:05 and dealing with such large quantities, 23:06 I didn't want to have to traffic 23:09 that's something that large 23:11 in order to make that amount of money 23:12 so I switched to selling cocaine. 23:14 And I would pick up four ounces every day, every two days 23:17 and four ounces when it's broken up 23:19 will cover a dinner plate 23:20 and the center will be about that high. 23:23 And I would purchase that for $2,200 23:25 and I could sell a gram for $90 23:28 and so that's-- it's a lot of money. 23:29 I'll just put it that way. 23:30 I have to probably pull in 7 to $8,000 off of a $2,200. 23:36 Yeah, how old are you at during this time? 23:39 19. 19, so still sub 20. 23:43 Making a lot of money it seems like. 23:46 Yeah, but on average I'd point $2,000 profit a day 23:49 and that was-- that was if I just take the average. 23:53 Now there were some days I made less 23:54 and there were some days I made a lot more. 23:56 I remember one time I sold a 40 pound. 23:59 It was a 40 pound deal. 24:00 And at 40 pounds I was charging the individuals $800 a pound. 24:04 So I'm making $200 a pound but there is 40 pounds, 24:07 that's a lot of money to have to deal with. 24:09 Yeah, yeah. 24:10 It escalated quite quickly. 24:12 18, 19 selling a lot of drugs making a lot of money. 24:17 What's going on in your head at this point in your life? 24:19 When I was 19 my lung collapsed 24:21 and that was actually a changing point in my life. 24:24 At this time I had been kind of restricted in how I operated. 24:28 I kept it very small and I was-- 24:30 and didn't want things to get too loud if you will. 24:32 But my lung collapsed 24:34 and after they inflated the lung, the surgeon told me. 24:37 He said now the next time this happens I can-- 24:40 I can help but he said the third time 24:42 you're probably gonna die. 24:44 And so when I left there 24:45 I was almost as if I gotten a death sentence. 24:47 And so my perspective was this. If I'm gonna die. 24:50 I'm gonna die on my terms 24:51 doing what I wanted to do before end. 24:53 I immediately went and quit my job. 24:55 I'd been a tow truck driver for almost 10 months 24:59 and I really enjoyed the job but 25:02 you know, I was making far more money selling drugs 25:04 after work before work during work. 25:05 And I said if I'm gonna die, I'm just gonna die in my way. 25:09 What was the mindset of holding a 9 to 5 25:12 when you're making so much money selling drugs? 25:14 I appreciated the work. I didn't mind the work 25:17 and I really enjoyed driving a tow truck believe it or not. 25:20 I mean, you are at these accidents 25:21 and you're helping individuals 25:22 and there's always a little part of me 25:24 that liked to help people. 25:26 At the same time I'm selling drugs and hurting them. 25:28 You know, but a drug dealer mindset 25:30 isn't necessarily like that. 25:32 I saw a one drug dealer handing out 25:35 ecstasy pills at a high school. 25:36 And I was so incensed by that that 25:39 I did several things to put him out of business 25:42 because I didn't like the idea that 25:43 he was just out distributing ecstasy at a high school. 25:46 Yeah, yeah, you are much better 25:47 'cause you were selling your drugs to adults. 25:49 I understand this, right, yeah. 25:52 It's amazing. 25:54 You're making a lot of money sub 20, 25:56 heading into your 20s. 25:58 The wheels had to come off the tracks sooner or later. 26:01 Walk me through that experience? 26:03 I was using drugs. 26:04 Had been using drugs before I've really sold drugs 26:07 and so it never dawned on me, 26:10 how fast you could become addicted to something 26:12 and really the control that would have on you. 26:15 Now while I was making all that money 26:17 and had all those drugs it was never an issue. 26:19 Addiction was just part of the job, I didn't care. 26:22 I honestly didn't care that I was doing 26:24 an ounce of coke myself every two days. 26:26 I just, I didn't care. 26:27 My tolerance for drugs were so high, 26:30 people will just look at me and shake their head 26:31 while some guys od'd, I didn't have a problem. 26:35 And I didn't see it as a problem until I got busted 26:38 and that was really when things went off the track 26:41 because my addiction, I could no longer-- 26:43 I can no longer pay for it. 26:47 How did you then try to? 26:49 I mean, you still got the habit? 26:50 Oh, absolutely. So how did you deal with it? 26:52 My addiction or the substance I was addicted too. 26:54 I transitioned to something else 26:56 that I could get without having to sell drugs. 26:59 So ultimately in 2000 27:01 it was the winter between 2002 and 2003, 27:05 the federal agents, that was state police, 27:07 Central Michigan enforcement team, 27:08 West Michigan enforcement team, the DEA. 27:10 They had a representative there from the FBI 27:12 came and raided my house. 27:14 I was sent to jail and but because 27:17 I had essentially a clean record. 27:19 They gave me a slap on the wrist. 27:21 But when I got on to jail those same, 27:23 the same mentality was there that I had-- 27:25 that I started with so my addiction was still there 27:29 whether or not I was using a substance. 27:31 When I got out of jail the first thing I did 27:33 was go to a doctor's office 27:34 and I got a prescriptions for pain killers. 27:37 And so those-- 27:38 that prescription to pain killers 27:40 I began abusing immediately. 27:41 So you simply substituted your drugs. 27:43 Absolutely. Yeah. 27:44 I went to something that I could get my hands 27:45 on far easier than cocaine and not only that 27:48 but I can be probation and still use 27:52 because I had a doctor's prescription. 27:55 So now you're abusing-- Opiates. 27:58 Yeah, yeah. Walk me through the next-- 28:01 So I went from just a standard practitioner, 28:06 your average doctor and I had him 28:08 send me to a pain clinic and with the pain clinic 28:10 you have a lot more drugs in your repertoire. 28:13 So I started going from one substance to the next 28:17 and within a year I'd graduated from vicodin to morphine. 28:22 And so I had morphine 24 hour 28:24 sustained release morphine called Avinza. 28:26 I had 60 milligram morphine sulphate pills. 28:30 I had fentanyl patches which is-- 28:32 it's an opiate, synthetic opiate. 28:35 It is 80 times more powerful than 28:37 morphine milligram for milligram. 28:39 I had transdermal patches, so I put a patch on my side. 28:41 But ultimately once my tolerance got so high 28:43 and it didn't matter how many pills I took 28:45 I wasn't getting the buzz I wanted. 28:46 I began taking those fentanyl patches 28:49 and breaking them down adding crack cocaine to it 28:52 and injecting that. 28:53 So now I went from just taking pills to injecting. 28:57 Now, I'm shooting up my drugs. 28:59 And once I did that my tolerance flew 29:02 through the rough and it became 29:03 much harder to feed my addiction. 29:05 Yeah, you see having done a little drug work 29:07 in New York City, you are the worst kind of drug abuser. 29:12 Because one you got a really high tolerance. 29:15 Two you are a thinking drug abuser. 29:17 And it takes a thinking guy longer to hit bottom 29:20 because he is massaging the system. 29:22 If a guy is just stumbling and bumbling, 29:23 he hits ground very quickly and then can start his recovery 29:27 but you are massaging the system. 29:29 You are thinking your way through stuff 29:30 and you got this tolerance, 29:32 so your fall is gonna be much harder because 29:36 you know stuff, you know, you're not a stupid guy. 29:40 You're smart enough to leverage your skills and get stuff. 29:45 So you go from a regular purchase to a pain guy 29:48 that's like going to a candy store. 29:49 So you're thinking your way through stuff 29:51 so it's tougher for you. 29:52 So obviously the big arrest had to come 29:56 and prison time follows that. 29:58 Walk me through that experience? 30:01 My doctor's office is eventually caught on. 30:04 A friend of mine and myself went to a pharmacy 30:07 and tried to pass off a fake prescription. 30:10 And we-- they didn't fill it then 30:12 but when I went to my doctor's office 30:14 later on that week, 30:15 they cut me off of everything, everything cold turkey. 30:19 And as I walked out of the doctor's office 30:20 I realized what that meant for me. 30:22 Now I could go through all my prescriptions 30:24 within 5-6 days, bottle after bottle after bottle. 30:28 And so I knew it was just a short period of time 30:30 and I was gonna be going through some 30:32 very serious withdrawals 30:34 and I didn't want to experience that. 30:35 I'd seen my friends do that 30:36 and I didn't want to have any part of that. 30:38 So immediately I started running through my options 30:41 and the only option that I actually considered 30:43 was the option of breaking into homes 30:45 and stealing morphine from people that I knew had it. 30:47 And after being in that lifestyle for so long, 30:50 I knew exactly who had the drugs. 30:52 And the first thing I did was start going 30:54 and kicking in doors and taking drugs. 30:56 Now kicking down doors is something 30:57 I was used to 'cause I did it when I was selling drugs. 30:59 You know, people who don't pay you, 31:02 you go pay 'em a visit, you get your money. 31:04 And so that's what I began doing was 31:06 kicking down doors and stealing prescriptions. 31:09 How long did that last? 31:11 It lasted about six weeks 31:14 because my prior criminal record 31:17 it wasn't long people caught on. 31:19 The police knew who was doing it 31:21 and so I began-- my crime spree just widened. 31:24 Once they understood who it was, 31:25 I couldn't go back home. 31:26 So I lost my home and I had to quit my job, 31:29 I was managing a restaurant during that two year period 31:32 after I'd got involved the first time. 31:34 So I quit my job, I'm homeless. 31:35 I am wanted man and I have a drug addiction 31:39 and that drug addiction was my primary concern 31:41 because I hated feeling that way of being sick 31:46 when I didn't have that opium running through my veins. 31:50 So that being on the run lasted for about a month, 31:54 I started breaking into houses left and right 31:55 including my parents. 31:57 I actually broke into my own mother's home 31:59 and stole her prescriptions 32:00 and once I did that I'd crossed a line 32:02 that I never imagined I would have ever crossed. 32:04 I mean, once you get there you know 32:06 you've hit rock bottom and honestly I believe that 32:09 once a person gets to that point, 32:10 they are willing to do anything. 32:13 Anything, yeah. Anything and I knew I was. 32:15 Did you have any sense of sorrow? 32:17 Any sense of self worth? 32:19 Did you care about yourself 32:20 or was drug so primary in a life 32:23 that everything kind of stem from there? 32:25 I was sorry for breaking into my mom's house 32:27 and doing that to her. 32:28 Because I'd taken her medication 32:30 and I knew that I was taking something from her 32:33 because I didn't want to go through something. 32:35 But I knew she would have to go through that 32:37 okay, but when I did it. 32:39 I didn't think about it. It was only afterwards. 32:41 'Cause I called her up on the phone 32:42 at 6:30 one morning and we're-- 32:44 she's boiling on the phone 32:45 because for it wasn't about the medication. 32:47 For her it was a fact that 32:48 I her son have broken their trust. 32:51 And even though I had been selling drugs for years 32:53 and I know my parents knew it. 32:55 When I did that they knew I crossed a line 32:57 that trust had been broken and that was something 33:00 that I couldn't come back from just like that. 33:02 And so it was-- 33:05 it was almost like when I did that 33:06 I knew I'd hit a level 33:08 that it was just gonna be downhill from there 33:10 and all hope was gone. 33:12 I had no hope. I had no home. 33:14 I had no future. 33:15 All I saw that was left honestly was death. 33:18 Yeah. Yeah. 33:19 Talk to me about the gun and the arrest 33:23 and that whole situation? 33:25 On January 19th one of my best friends had died. 33:29 Now it was-- they deemed a suicide 33:32 but after a couple of years I actually learned that 33:34 it may have been hot shot 33:36 one of the drug dealers had killed him. 33:37 But at the time I thought that he had committed suicide 33:40 and it was something that 33:41 it had been on my mind for a while 33:43 because I'm on the run. 33:45 Now mind you it's in the middle of the winter, 33:46 I'm sleeping in my car at night almost freezing to death. 33:49 And so I-- I decided okay, this is it. 33:52 I'd been casing a pharmacy for a while 33:54 because this pharmacy had a large selection of opiates, 33:58 oxycontin, fentanyl, morphine, they had a bunch of it. 34:02 And I knew that pharmacist kept the key 34:03 around his neck on a chain. 34:05 He had two keys because it was a double lock. 34:08 And my plan was to go get a gun, 34:10 I was gonna rob this guy 34:11 and I was gonna try to odee of off the drugs. 34:14 I knew that odeeing of the drugs 34:15 was gonna be in my mind 34:17 an easier way to die than anything else. 34:19 And so I called up a friend 34:22 and I said I want you to meet me at lawn, 34:24 and I broke into my father's house, 34:25 I stole a pistol that he had and I left. 34:28 I left for town. I picked up my friend. 34:29 And I as I left town, I started thinking obviously, 34:33 I'm driving down the road. My friend sees the gun, 34:35 he grabs the gun and he cycles it. 34:37 Kind of toying with it and he sets it down 34:39 and seven miles out of town 34:41 I see a glimmer of white to my right. 34:44 And it was then I realize that was a cop car 34:46 and so next you know I'm-- 34:48 I've got cops coming from one direction 34:49 and the other direction. 34:51 I've got the one behind me and I pull over 34:53 to the side of the road 34:55 and that was kind of climax right there. 34:57 Yeah. 34:58 I reached for that gun and as soon as I reach 35:00 for that gun and realize it's not there. 35:02 My co defendant the passenger had taken that gun 35:05 and was in the process of knocking the clip out 35:07 taking the round out of the chamber 35:09 and throwing underneath the seat. 35:11 And I'm screaming for that gun 35:12 because the cops are there, I want to end it all. 35:14 I just didn't care anymore. 35:16 This is my way to get out of it. 35:17 I shoot that cop, they shoot me. 35:19 It's done, it's over. 35:20 Yeah, yeah, yeah, death wish. 35:23 But that didn't happen 35:24 because your friend actually saved your life. 35:25 He did. 35:27 And save that cop's life probably. 35:29 So you went to prison? I went to prison. 35:31 Yeah, what happened in prison? 35:33 I'd been in jail for over 5 months. 35:35 I get to prison 35:36 and quarantine in Michigan is a little different. 35:38 You can't talk in your cell. 35:40 You're locked down for 23 hours a day 35:42 except for meals you're locked down essentially. 35:44 And while there I'd been in that cell for 16 days 35:48 and now by this time I'm completely sober. 35:50 I have no drugs in my system and all I'm left with 35:53 is the memories of what I did. 35:55 And all the people, all the damage is still there. 35:57 All the drugs are gone, the numbing is gone 36:00 and I'm left with the consequences of my actions 36:03 and that's a heavyweight to bare, 36:04 especially when it's your family 36:06 that you did it too. 36:07 Because it's a reminder every time you talk to them 36:09 or you see them in the courtroom, 36:11 it was a reminder what you did and so as I sat there 36:14 and I'm just feeling this burden. 36:16 I'm thinking back to my past where I came from. 36:19 You know I was a Seventh-day Adventist pathfinder. 36:22 You know, I was a child of God and I knew it 36:25 but how did I get to this point? 36:27 And that really that burden was just sitting on my shoulders 36:30 and that weight was extremely heavy. 36:34 Then and I know it was God because he brought to mind 36:38 some of the things He'd been doing in my life 36:40 in the face of that rebellion. 36:41 And as I'm thinking about all the negative things 36:43 I did, I started thinking about all the time 36:46 that he saved my life. 36:47 And all these memories come flooding back to situations 36:51 that I overlook completely that. 36:53 You know somebody holding a gun to the back of my head 36:55 in the backseat of my car to rob me one night. 36:58 And I ripped him off, 37:00 you know, and it was kind of a strange situation 37:02 but ended up with $2 running from my car. 37:06 Two weeks later he shot a cop in Grand Rapids, 37:08 he's serving a life sentence 37:09 in the Michigan Department of Corrections now. 37:11 I remember that night and I'm thinking about 37:13 all the times that God stepped in 37:15 and was merciful to me. 37:16 A car accident that I should have died 37:18 and I should have hit these trees 37:20 inside of the road but my car never even hit a single tree. 37:23 Somehow I ended up in the woods 25 yards beyond those trees 37:25 without a mark on my car until I finally stopped 25 yards in. 37:29 I knew I should have died by hitting those trees head on 37:32 but I never did. 37:33 And so there is just my overdoses. 37:35 I mean I overdosed many times. 37:37 I go into seizure on the floor 37:39 and I'd flop around like a fish in that seizure, 37:41 I get right back up and use right after that. 37:44 And I had friends that had died from an overdose but I didn't. 37:47 I didn't die from cardiac arrest, nothing. 37:50 Yeah, so God is bringing all this to you. 37:52 Absolutely. 37:53 And there is something else in that prison 37:55 that kind of turned your heart towards Him, and what's that? 37:59 Well, then that night when I had been there 38:02 and Christ is really bringing it home what I've done. 38:06 I got back up on my knees that night and I decided 38:08 it was time that I make a choice 38:11 because there was-- there's only two choices 38:12 for me in there. 38:13 Either I'm going to fight my way through prison 38:16 and end up serving longer times or dying in prison 38:19 or I give my heart back to God. 38:21 And that was a really, really risky thing for me to do. 38:23 But I decided that what did I have to lose? 38:27 And so that night I gave my heart to God. 38:29 I got on my knees and I asked for forgiveness 38:31 for everything that I had done. 38:32 And I mean everything that I had done. 38:35 And I gave my heart back to God. 38:37 And so I over the next couple of years I saw the transition. 38:41 My heart began to change. 38:42 I began getting back into my Bible. 38:44 My father sent me a Conflict of the Ages set. 38:46 And so I started reading that Conflict of the Ages set 38:48 and as I'm reading that, I could see things 38:52 that I hadn't seen in a long time. 38:53 And see I couldn't come right back to my Bible immediately. 38:56 I was-- it was still to hardhearted 38:59 but the conflict set as I'm going through 39:02 that you know, I'm reading about God 39:03 and His love and His providence 39:05 and so finally I start studying the Bible. 39:08 But as I went from prison to prison 39:11 I had the opportunity to share and I did that. 39:14 But that created a need as I'm sharing 39:16 with individuals what I found and I'm holding 39:18 Bible study groups from prison to prison. 39:21 I needed more so I started writing 39:23 to pastor after pastor with no response, 39:25 no response whatsoever. 39:27 And I mean letter after letter even a pastors in the town 39:30 that I was in would never respond. 39:32 But finally in 2010 after all these years 39:35 now my job, I have been holding 39:36 Bible studies at all these facilities. 39:38 I'm watching men, the number of men 39:41 from 10 to 25 guys in these groups. 39:43 We're having awesome Bible studies 39:45 from the material we had. 39:47 But we couldn't get volunteers in there very often, 39:50 vary rarely that we ever see volunteers coming to prisons. 39:53 But then in 2010 I turned on my TV 39:56 and as I'm floating through the channels 39:58 there was Three Angels Broadcasting Network. 39:59 Praise God. Now it was-- 40:01 I could see a wide smiling. 40:02 It was because one of the programs 40:03 I watch was Bible Alive and Books of the Book 40:07 and of course we had the Pillars 40:08 of Faith series that was airing from 3ABN 40:11 and we had pastor Steven Bohr 40:14 and so I got to see my family on TV 40:17 and finally I can reconnect with my family 40:20 and I had been wanting too for years, I'd been in prison 40:22 for five years up to this point. 40:23 And I've been reaching out to my family 40:25 and got no response and so when I see 3ABN, 40:28 it was there. 40:30 I had all the material right in front of me. 40:33 Now Amazing Facts had been sending 40:34 me Bible studies to use in the prisons 40:37 which was awesome and I needed 'em badly 40:39 because we didn't have Bibles. 40:41 We didn't have any types of materials to really help. 40:44 So Amazing Facts had help in that way 40:46 but when I had 3ABN I had a source of material 40:49 that went beyond Bible studies. 40:52 And I had family now, I had communion 40:54 you know, I can sit here and communicate with-- 40:57 with you guys in a way that I couldn't 40:59 with anybody else 'cause the Holy Spirit 41:00 was working on my heart deeply 41:02 as I'm watching these programs. 41:04 Now I need to move you along 'cause of my timings. 41:06 I've got so wrapped up in the story, 41:07 I want to go to you, Dwight, 41:09 because somehow obviously you gave your heart 41:12 to the Lord and the Lord really began 41:14 to change your life around. 41:16 How did you guys meet? 41:18 And talk to me little about the idea 41:21 of bringing on board to Remnant Publication, 41:24 a prison guy with a pretty-- 41:27 I mean he looks pretty good now 41:28 but this guy has got a past you know, 41:29 he didn't just drop out of the sky, 41:31 he's got a little history. 41:32 Walk me through that experience, Dwight? 41:33 Well, and before I do that I think there's something 41:37 that the viewers need to know and probably 41:39 they already know and that is this. 41:42 Greg had told me that 41:43 all the prisoners in Michigan can view 3ABN 41:48 and I wasn't even aware of this. 41:51 And I mean, I've been a fan of 3ABN 41:53 for a long, long time 41:55 but that's to me one fantastic reason 41:59 why all the donors that donate to keep 3ABN on the air 42:04 it's important because here's a guy Greg 42:07 that didn't have any life that wasn't Adventist. 42:10 But there's lots of were never an Adventist 42:12 maybe never a Christian 42:14 but they still are able to watch 42:15 'cause it wasn't just Greg watching 3ABN 42:17 these were other prisoner that were-- 42:19 They are giving their hearts to Lord 42:20 and you work with other prison ministries, 42:23 Lemuel and I mean the thing that is it 42:26 3ABN does the tremendous job not just to I call 'em 42:30 the movers and the shakers that watch 3ABN. 42:32 But people that need-- 42:34 You know, the gospel 42:35 and you're in those places. 42:37 Anyway, I just have to say 42:38 I think that's amazing and don't stop. 42:40 Now for the viewers don't stop giving 42:43 but what happened was when Greg got out 42:46 we got a manuscript, a partial manuscript from Greg 42:50 and my guy that does that, 42:54 his name is Chris. 42:55 He was looking to the manuscript. 42:56 He said, man, this I think it's gonna 42:57 be an awesome story. 42:59 And of course my past you know, I never went 43:02 to prison I should have probably 43:03 but I did not do well in my younger years 43:06 taking drugs same as Greg but I can't say 43:09 I was smarter but I did get away, 43:11 I never went to prison. 43:12 So anyways he did, I didn't but I have a burden for people 43:16 that wherever we come from you know, 43:19 I think, you know, if my life could change 43:22 anybody's could well, this Chris 43:24 that does our publishing work and stuff 43:26 he said Dwight you got to read this. 43:28 I mean, I think we should publish this book 43:30 and I read the part of that manuscript and I say, 43:32 you know, I want to. 43:33 Well, so we read it. 43:35 We decided we were gonna do it and then down the road 43:38 another three four months later 43:40 I'm looking for a sales person. 43:43 And I had been looking for almost year 43:44 but you don't just want to find anybody 43:47 they have to have a passion. 43:48 They have to have a talent. 43:50 And they have to believe in what they're doing 43:52 and they have to know about the book. 43:54 Well, I told Chris I said, 43:56 you've been keeping up with this Greg guy. 43:58 I said, you know, with what I've read in there 44:00 this guy is a student of the scriptures 44:02 of the Spirit of Prophecy. 44:04 I mean he's got a lot of knowledge 44:06 I said, wonder if he's got any kind of job 44:08 'cause I had no clue, 44:10 if Greg was even in Michigan at the time. 44:12 And anyways Chris called him up 44:14 and so I ended calling Greg 44:15 and I started asking him questions 44:17 got to know little bit about the story 44:19 and I said, hey would you be interested 44:21 in working with us at Remnant? 44:23 So anyway long story short-- 44:26 I interviewed Greg and 'cause he's a decisive guy 44:29 wouldn't got done he said and I said well, 44:31 what do you think? He said, I'd like it, I say well, 44:33 I like that. I like to try out. 44:35 I just have-- I just feel there's a kindred spirit 44:38 and I just feel you love the Lord 44:39 and right now I don't care about your past 44:41 as long as you keep your eyes in the Lord. 44:43 Yeah, amen. 44:44 He said, I'll be there. 44:45 I can be there in next week. 44:46 Yeah, so the prison record thing 44:48 did not turn you up, 44:50 didn't dissuade you in a kind of way? 44:51 You know what? 44:52 C.A. I-- we've had probably five of six people 44:55 in the 30 years that we since I've started Remnant 44:59 at least five or six people that have had prison records. 45:03 And here's I look at it 45:07 'cause I look at it back in my younger days 45:09 and trouble that I got into. 45:11 But I will tell you from experience 45:16 that people like Greg and others 45:18 that hit rock bottom and they know they need 45:21 a savior that can save them outside 45:23 of themselves 'cause it isn't about them. 45:25 They become the strongest warriors for Christ. 45:31 So to me prison means nothing to me 45:34 I suppose if he kill 30 people you know, 45:37 I'm not sure that it might be little 45:39 tough to have them at Remnant. 45:40 So there might be different things 45:42 but as a total picture people that are in prison 45:44 are people have gotten in trouble, 45:45 they hit rock bottom. 45:47 They give their hearts to Lord. 45:48 They are more passionate. 45:50 They work harder because they know 45:53 they never can pay. 45:54 we can never merit our salvation. 45:56 We really can't pay but I wake up everyday 45:59 saying, Lord, what can I do today 46:00 because I love you some much because before I was that 46:03 and Greg and others like that. 46:05 What can I do? 46:06 I was a nobody and look what you've done to me. 46:09 Those were the best. Yeah, yeah. 46:10 Now when I got out immediately I started doing literature 46:13 evangelism because that was I didn't have a job. 46:16 The job I had lined up. Oh, you do love the Lord. 46:17 That's right. 46:19 The job I had lined up fell through and somebody told me 46:22 you should be a literature evangelist. 46:24 And so that's why I start doing, 46:25 I was an independent literature evangelist 46:27 so I got two cases of books and I hit the doors. 46:29 And I just started sharing what God had done in my life. 46:32 But then I'd always had a burden for prisoners. 46:35 Now even when I was in prison, 46:36 I was doing literature evangelism, 46:37 I just didn't know what it was. 46:39 But when I got out of prison, I said you know what, 46:41 these guys need material. 46:42 One of the biggest things 46:43 we didn't have in there was material. 46:45 What we did have was garbage, 46:47 I mean trash. Yeah. 46:48 Whether it was bad translations 46:49 or just poor qualities so that's when I-- 46:52 I formed a ministry called Conviction Ministries 46:54 Incorporated and we receive donations 46:57 and all those donations 46:58 go into providing Bibles for prisoners. 47:00 Now there's different requirements 47:03 from prison to prison but one thing I realized 47:05 was that almost always publishers 47:07 were allowed to send their own products. 47:10 And so I contacted Remnant Publications 47:14 on behalf of Conviction Ministries 47:16 to see if they would give 47:17 me a discount on the Remnant study Bible. 47:19 I'd seen a lot study Bible but I really like 47:21 the Remnant study Bible because of the study 47:24 guides in the back the study material. 47:27 I talked to Remnant, they said, no problem 47:29 we'll give you that discount and so I started 47:31 sending in these Bibles that's how I got connected 47:33 with Chris at Remnant and that's how I sent Chris 47:36 my intro page to the manuscript 47:39 which led to more but ultimately 47:41 since I've been working at Remnant Publications, 47:43 Dwight and I began talking 47:44 about the need for this material. 47:46 And we decided to work together 47:50 and Dwight and Remnant Publications 47:52 are going to put an outreach Bible 47:54 for ministries or prison ministry evangelism 47:58 that is going to contain the material that you find 48:02 in the rear of the Remnant study Bible. 48:04 It's going to be in a smaller Bible, 48:05 so that we can use it in ministries at a lower cost. 48:09 Praise God. Praise God. 48:10 But that brings up a challenge. 48:12 We have to raise the funds to be able to do that. 48:14 Yeah. Yeah. 48:15 We're going to talk about it just a little bit 48:16 but that-- first of all that's just incredibly exciting. 48:19 I say you must, you know, it's fun how the Lord, 48:21 I kind of say that how the Lord prepares you. 48:23 You were accustom to getting a supply of something 48:27 and then sell it 48:29 and that's what literature evangelism is. 48:31 You get your supply and then you sell it 48:33 and you live with that. 48:34 So you've done that that's nothing new for you 48:36 because you've got a supplier 48:39 and then you're the middleman and you sell it. 48:40 That's basically what that is. 48:43 I've tried, you know, LE work not cut out for, 48:47 I just think skin to thin and I just-- 48:50 it takes a special calling, it is. 48:52 It takes a special calling and with Greg 48:54 what's pretty neat if you think about it. 48:55 You know, your talents, his talents are in sales, 48:58 he loves people but the thing it is. 49:01 You are selling drugs that you don't need. 49:03 Now he's selling material that everybody does need. 49:06 Yeah, yeah, you're kind of redeeming the time. 49:09 That's it. That's a great thing. 49:10 Tell me from your perspective about this new Bible, 49:13 Dwight, because first of all 49:14 you are an inventive guy. 49:15 You know, you always got something cooking. 49:17 Talk to me a little bit about that? 49:18 Well, the Remnant study Bible is almost 1,800 pages 49:22 because we have a Spirit of Prophecy. 49:23 It's a study Bible. 49:25 I know I'm little bias but I believe it's a best 49:27 study Bible that's ever been produced. 49:29 When we worked with Nelson, they told it was one 49:32 of their very premier Bibles they've ever, ever done. 49:34 The back matter, you've got the 2300 days from the Bible. 49:37 You've got parts of the sanctuary equipment 49:39 and while that works for us in a practical way. 49:42 There is-- two three pages on how sin ever began 49:46 and why that is because when people don't feel good 49:48 about themselves or they want -- 49:50 or somebody -- with so many problems. 49:52 If God is a loving God, why? 49:54 And so that goes in that 49:55 and then we have a Bible chain references 49:56 which is the 26 topics-- 49:58 They go back to that Bible 49:59 so the thing it is that we said well, 50:01 how do we get a Bible that's affordable? 50:05 For people who can get 'em into the prisons 50:06 but yet a nice not some cheap Bible. 50:09 And we said well we can take back matter 50:12 from the Remnant study Bible and that's only 40 some pages. 50:16 And we'll stoop with that Bible 50:17 chain reference which is amazing 50:18 'cause it's strictly Bible and you know 50:20 about the Sabbath, The State of Death, 50:22 but also about Christian dress 50:23 being lazy just the walk with God, 50:26 many topics that others don't have. 50:28 Put that into Bible that's the size 50:30 of about like-- this Bible right here. 50:32 it's maybe only a thousand pages. 50:34 Well, that's 800 pages. You're saving for every Bible. 50:37 Which paper is the big amount, 50:39 if you look at this two Bibles-- 50:40 Yeah, well, let me hold this-- This is the thick boy. 50:43 And I have this one myself but this is big thick 50:47 and for mass distribution this is not the deal 50:49 So you want some little more tighter, 50:50 little more compact. 50:51 Something like this. 50:53 Something like that if you look 50:54 that's smaller and thinner. 50:55 Quality but still is, is manageable. 50:57 Absolutely. 50:58 and this is you can see the thickness here. 51:01 And so you've got everything in that, 51:03 in that, in the back of that, it's still all there. 51:06 So they can read where they can read 51:08 those scriptures and they can do their studies 51:11 and yet it can be affordable. 51:12 And that's what we want to do. 51:13 I mean, we've got to get to the-- 51:15 I mean, we know the world's ending soon. 51:17 We've got to get to these people. 51:18 As a person of course we do our prison show, 51:20 we worked a lot in Indiana. 51:22 You've got a population of men and women of course 51:25 who've got nothing but time on their hand. 51:27 They're reviewing their own life 51:29 and it's a perfect season 51:31 to bring Christ into the picture. 51:33 And when these guys latch on to Jesus 51:35 they bite down hard 51:36 and they really believe what they are doing. 51:38 So your passion is well placed 51:40 because there is a consumer there that needs Jesus. 51:44 Now, our time is getting away from us. 51:45 I want to go to the address roll 51:47 for the Remnant Publications. 51:48 You may want to 51:50 first of all invest in this project 51:52 which is a worthy, worthy project. 51:55 Get one for yourself or you may want Greg 51:58 to come and talk to your groupies 52:00 very articulate and very passionate. 52:02 Should you want to make contact 52:03 with Remnant Publications, 52:04 here's the information that you will need. 52:07 If you would like to contact Greg 52:09 or learn more about this ministry, 52:11 then you can write to 52:12 Conviction Ministries Incorporated, 52:14 P.O. Box 577, Saranac, Michigan 48881. 52:19 That's Conviction Ministries Incorporated, 52:22 P.O. Box 577, Saranac, Michigan 48881. 52:28 You can call 616-987-0234. 52:32 That 616-987-0234 52:36 or you can visit them online at convictionministries.com. 52:41 That's convictionministries.com. 52:45 Contact them today. 52:46 They'd love to hear from you. |
Revised 2015-07-02