Participants: C. A. Murray (Host), Marla Ilona
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY015026A
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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 wrod 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 01:10 and allow me once again to thank you 01:12 for sharing just a little of your busy day with us. 01:15 I thank you for all that you do to support 3ABN 01:19 for your love, your prayers and for watching 01:22 what we have to offer because we know that 01:25 we couldn't do what we do unless 01:26 we have your partnership and your assistance. 01:28 So thank you so very much. 01:30 Wonderful program, today we got a young lady 01:32 with a great story, a great testimony one that 01:35 perhaps many of you can relate to. 01:37 And my guest is Marla Ilona. 01:39 Marla, good to have you here. 01:41 Thank you so much, C.A. It's wonderful to be here. 01:43 You see the bright smile, 01:45 and just a lovely person for the Lord. 01:48 A lot to tell us and a lot to say 01:50 and you want to stick by 01:52 and kind of give ear to this one 01:53 because I'm sure you will hear something that 01:54 will encourage you and inspire you 01:57 as together we walk this road that leads to glory. 02:00 Marla, I want to jump right into a couple of things 02:01 before we go to our music. 02:03 Number one, where are you from? 02:06 I'm originally from Puerto Rico. 02:07 My mother is Puerto Rican and that's my family roots are. 02:11 I lived there as a child and went to school there 02:15 and then I left. 02:17 I traveled and lived in many places after that 02:19 but that's what I consider home. 02:20 Yeah, and we are gonna touch some of those places 02:22 because you've kind of been around the world little bit. 02:24 You've done some traveling. 02:25 Bilingual? 02:27 Yes, trilingual actually. I speak French and Spanish. 02:29 Oh, bless your heart. 02:31 Marla, give us some sense of your home growing up. 02:33 Was it a Christian home? 02:34 Just some flavor of the-- your home growing up? 02:37 Well, my mom would go to church 02:40 and my dad would go along with her 02:42 and they would bring me along and I was a rebellious child. 02:45 I didn't like to go to church. 02:46 I didn't like the Catholic Church. 02:48 It just didn't resonate with me. 02:49 I also went to Catholic school 02:53 and I'm sorry to say it just never resonated 02:57 and you know, then when things got really bad 03:01 between my mom and my dad, 03:03 part of my family had always been Adventist 03:06 and then a part of the family 03:08 through that other branch converted to Adventism 03:12 and in that wave my mom and my brother 03:15 converted to Adventism. 03:17 I had already left but they started praying for me 03:22 and I think that was the key to everything 03:25 that happened afterwards was the fact that 03:27 I had a praying family 03:28 and that they were praying for my salvation. 03:31 Now you got out of the house fairly early, 03:33 you know, as a teenager. 03:35 That's right. Yeah. 03:36 Yeah. 03:37 Was that here in the States or back in Puerto Rico? 03:39 That was in Puerto Rico 03:40 because I did my undergrad there. 03:42 Yeah, so I shared an apartment with other college students 03:45 and when I finished my undergrad 03:47 then I went back to New York, did some graduate work there, 03:51 got my first job and it was through that job, 03:53 that company that I went to Japan, 03:55 I had a one year contract 03:57 and that's how I ended up in Japan for a year. 03:59 Okay, we will come back that sort of mind 04:01 that just a little bit. 04:03 Your parents converted to Adventism, 04:07 where you aware of that at the time 04:08 when they made that change 04:09 because you were out on your own, 04:11 you know, doing your own thing? 04:12 Right, no, I was not really aware of it. 04:15 I was living my own life and I mean, I knew that 04:19 they had a religious practice. 04:21 My dad-- at this point 04:22 my dad abandoned us. 04:24 My dad actually left so it was really my mom 04:27 and my brother who remained at home. 04:30 When I would come once in a while to visit 04:32 there was always lot of prayer 04:35 and it was a very holy environment in a way 04:39 and that was good. 04:40 I did enjoy that but I was still resistant 04:44 for many years I was resistant and it didn't really touch me. 04:47 So your mom and brother practiced their faith? 04:50 Definitely, yes, yes. 04:52 And obviously during those times 04:54 when you were with them you saw that? 04:55 Yes. Okay, all right. 04:57 Let's put a little pin right there. 04:58 We want to go to our music 05:00 because as we are leaving Marla is out of the faith 05:04 but there are members of family who are in the faith 05:06 and we are gonna try to connect all that together, 05:08 bring to desk together and see what God has done for her 05:10 because He's given a really a marvelous testimony 05:13 and a marvelous ministry. 05:14 But before we sort of un-package 05:16 the rest of her story, Emily Felts-Jones stands by 05:19 and she is going to be singing "Wandering Heart." 05:35 Sometime long ago 05:38 This heart had a home 05:41 On saving Your haven 05:44 Now lost on their own 05:47 Somewhere along way 05:50 This heart went astray 05:53 World and its pleasures cast a spell 05:57 That won't bring 05:59 Lose these bands 06:01 That bind this wandering heart 06:06 I'm helpless to walk away now 06:11 Come ever near to remind me 06:14 No matter how far 06:17 In Your strength I will find a way out 06:22 And though I've lost my direction 06:25 I want to be where You are 06:30 Don't stop moving this wandering heart 06:45 Someway through this noise 06:48 I still hear my name 06:50 And Your voice soft and gentle 06:54 Sooths all my pain 06:57 Some choices I've made 06:59 Put You far from my sight 07:02 But I know there is a candle 07:05 Burning tonight 07:08 I still see the light 07:11 Somehow You always knew 07:14 This heart would return 07:17 And in grace and forgiveness 07:19 each lesson that I've learned 07:23 And someday I will know how You waited for me 07:28 Your love ever patient 07:31 Ever making me free 07:35 Lose these bands 07:37 That bind this wandering heart 07:41 I'm helpless to walk away now 07:47 Come ever near to remind me 07:50 No matter how far 07:53 In Your strength I will find a way out 07:58 And though I've lost my direction 08:01 I want to be where You are 08:05 Don't stop moving this wandering heart 08:12 I've been away so long 08:15 And my strings -- 08:17 And I don't think I can make it 08:21 Back to You on my own 08:27 Lose these bands 08:29 That bind this wandering heart 08:34 I'm helpless to walk away now 08:39 Come ever near to remind me 08:42 No matter how far 08:45 In Your strength I will find a way out 08:50 And though I've lost my direction 08:54 I want to be where You are 08:58 Don't stop moving this wandering heart 09:06 Don't give up on this wandering heart 09:28 Amen, "Wandering Heart." 09:29 No one ever put more joy into a song 09:31 than Emily Felts-Jones. 09:33 She loves what she does. 09:34 She loves the Lord and she loves 09:35 to minister in music and she does a very fine job. 09:37 My guest is Marla Ilona and when we left my lady, 09:41 you were heading out on your own. 09:44 Give me some sense of, you've left your home, 09:48 the home was in trouble but your mom 09:51 and your brother found Christ, 09:52 found the Seventh-day Adventist church 09:53 but you are out doing your own thing. 09:55 Give me some sense of your God consciousness 09:59 you relate to at this point in your life. 10:01 You are in college, you are out of the house, 10:04 going to church, not going to church, 10:05 how, where is God, is He part of your life at all? 10:08 No, not at all. 10:10 I was pretty much an atheist. 10:12 And when I was doing my undergrad, 10:16 you know, Latin America at the time 10:18 was very much under the influence of, 10:21 you know, independist movements in Puerto Rico 10:25 and also a radical Left Wing 10:29 influence all throughout Latin America 10:31 so I kind of had that culture with me 10:34 when I came back to New York. 10:36 But then that sort of war off, 10:37 I guess I adapt quickly to whatever environment I'm in. 10:43 I quickly adapted to the New York lifestyle. 10:45 I was there for just a couple of years working. 10:49 And you know the big city? 10:51 Oh, yes. 10:52 You know, God was not a part of my life at all, 10:55 I have to say. 10:56 What did you study in college, Marla? 10:57 Oh, communication. 10:59 At grad school also? 11:00 Yes. Yes. 11:02 And then I went to Japan 11:04 and that was a very lonely year in Japan. 11:08 It was a very different culture. 11:10 I felt isolated. 11:13 You know, Japanese people call foreigners "gaijin." 11:16 I was a gaijin by definition. 11:19 I was trying hard but I wasn't very prepared. 11:23 I-- you know, I tend to very often 11:26 I still have that trait where I will jump into action 11:29 and not necessarily think a lot before I jump into it. 11:33 So I just went, there was this opportunity 11:34 to take this job in Japan. 11:36 I just went for it because I had been there once. 11:39 It was intriguing. Yes. 11:41 It was fascinating so I wanted to go back and I did. 11:45 I hadn't really read about the culture. 11:47 I hadn't studied very much about the culture. 11:50 I didn't know the language. 11:51 And once I got there I found myself to be 11:55 in something that was so foreign really 11:59 that even reading people's body language was difficult, 12:03 let alone understanding their way. 12:04 What they are saying, right, yeah, yeah. 12:06 So it was a very lonely year, 12:08 but I already had my sight set on going to France to study 12:13 so I just brushed up on my French 12:15 and I just put the year to use in that way, 12:18 studying and preparing to go to the next step. 12:21 Was your time in Japan in your chosen field? 12:23 Was it in communications or? 12:25 Yes. Telecommunications actually. 12:26 Okay. Okay. 12:29 Again you are in Japan, totally different culture, 12:34 totally different religious values. 12:37 Is anything happening in your life 12:39 that is tweaking your conscience 12:41 or you pretty much just on your career path 12:43 and you kind of focused on that? 12:45 Totally focused on that. Yeah. 12:47 It took me a long time to actually have 12:49 that spiritual awakening, yeah. 12:51 So I went to France and I was still in that, 12:55 you know, corporate culture, careerism, all of that. 13:00 Went to school in France 13:02 when I finished my business program there. 13:04 A company decided to hire me, 13:06 they sponsored me for my work permit 13:09 and that's how I was able to stay 13:10 in France and work there. 13:11 Okay, now how long were you in France? 13:13 Twenty five years. 13:14 Really? Yes. 13:17 You don't look that much older than 25, 13:19 you must have got there as a baby. 13:21 Well, praise the Lord. 13:22 Twenty five years so obviously 13:23 you got a chance to get immersed in the language. 13:25 Yes. Yeah. 13:26 So you got your Spanish, 13:27 because I took French as a child, 13:30 as a child in grade school 13:32 and some much in high school and a little in college. 13:35 But now that my wife is Spanish 13:37 and learning the Spanish, 13:38 I can't keep both languages in my head 13:40 so French had to die, had to decrease 13:42 as the Spanish increased. 13:43 But obviously you were able to hold on to both of them. 13:46 What were you doing actually in France, 25 years? 13:50 I worked initially in different roles 13:52 in marketing for communications, 13:56 like more telecommunications really 13:58 and computer companies. 14:01 Actually worked for Microsoft for a while 14:03 as well in their European headquarters 14:06 and then a shift happened in my career 14:09 that was an important shift. 14:11 To this day it has had a deep-- 14:16 it has left a deep impression on me on how I function 14:19 and that is I became a consultant 14:21 and I specialized in organizational 14:24 change management, organizational transformation. 14:28 That to this day it has given me skills 14:32 that I use also in God's work. 14:34 Praise the Lord. 14:35 So working with organizations, 14:36 helping leaders to implement change with their teams, 14:40 you know, whatever changes need to happed within the business. 14:43 Sometimes it's more subtle, sometimes it's cultural change 14:46 that we are trying to implement. 14:48 And that's, you know, I just embraced that, 14:52 I really love that kind of work. 14:53 Working with teams, working with leaders, 14:55 coaching them, coaching their teams 14:58 and that's been the most fruitful part of my career. 15:01 Okay, so you have a specific set of skills that 15:03 you could bring to bear in your religious faith you walk? 15:08 That's right. Now, let me say this. 15:09 Having traveled some in Europe and some in France, 15:12 I know that it is fairly easy to avoid God in that culture, 15:17 if you don't want to be bothered with Him 15:20 you can live your life and He won't insert Himself. 15:22 At some point God jumped into your business. 15:28 Walk me through that experience 15:30 when the Lord sort of reintroduced Himself to you 15:32 and you got the message and began to turn to Him. 15:36 Well, unfortunately I took a detour through spiritual, 15:41 spiritual counterfeit which was the new age. 15:44 I was going through this religious awakening 15:46 or spiritual awakening. 15:47 I think spiritual is a better word. 15:49 It wasn't religious. It was a spiritual awakening. 15:52 I knew that there was something beyond 15:53 the physical wealth, something beyond what we could see. 15:57 I was really seeking but as you said, 16:01 being in France a very secular atheistic society. 16:06 The only choices in France are atheism, 16:09 the Catholic Church and the New Age, 16:13 the cultism and all of that. 16:16 I wasn't really interested in Catholicism. 16:20 I was coming from atheism trying to, 16:22 you know, come into something 16:23 and unfortunately I ended up in the New Age. 16:26 That's how I-- and then the Lord rescued me 16:29 out of that but there was a long, 16:31 a long parenthesis of time where I was in the New Age. 16:34 And I certainly want to ask you, Marla, 16:35 was there something in particular an event 16:38 that triggered this spiritual awakening 16:41 we are talking about or just you got tired 16:43 of what was going on looking for something more. 16:45 What was the genesis of that search? 16:47 I think some readings, the Celestine Prophecy 16:51 and other New Age books about energy 16:54 and you know, the invisible world that kind of thing it was 16:59 and I think there, you know, the New Age is a "strong wind" 17:04 of doctrine that's sweeping through the world 17:06 and a lot of people are being influenced by it. 17:09 I was, I also used to read a lot of self-help books. 17:13 Those shelves are just filled with New Age books. 17:17 Slightly disguised but it's all the New Age philosophy. 17:21 So I became very influenced by that. 17:24 And then I just got deeper and deeper 17:26 which is what happens to a lot of people. 17:28 You start dabbling in, one aspect of it 17:30 that opens another door, 17:32 it takes you into another aspect 17:33 and that takes you deeper into something else 17:35 and it's all connected and it just-- 17:38 I just became entangled 17:41 in this web of New Age relationships, 17:44 New Age thoughts and beliefs and practices 17:49 and my whole social world was the New Age 17:53 and it got to the point where even my career 17:56 started to not interest me anymore. 17:59 And I actually-- 18:01 And my boss thought I was crazy. 18:03 I had a very good, you know, corporate situation 18:07 and I actually negotiated with my boss that 18:12 they would let me go 18:14 and I created a small consulting firm. 18:18 Initially I thought I was gonna be 18:19 doing the kind of coaching and corporate coaching 18:22 and consulting that I had been doing 18:24 but the grip of the New Age 18:26 was so strong on me at this point that 18:29 it quickly became a Feng Shui consulting business. 18:34 I just said, I'm not even gonna pretend 18:36 that I want to do this corporate consulting. 18:38 It really, it just held no more interest for me 18:41 and I said, I just want to do a New Age stuff. 18:43 Yeah, now, for those who may not be familiar with the term, 18:46 you tossed out the term Feng Shui. 18:48 Give us some nerve sketch of what that is? 18:51 Feng Shui, its Chinese ancient discipline, 18:55 ancient school of studying the energy of the earth 19:01 and how the energy of the earth affects people. 19:05 In a nutshell that's what it is 19:06 and so you arrange a space or you arrange an environment, 19:09 you build a home according to Feng Shui principles 19:13 so that you're extracting the maximum benefit 19:17 from the Chi, right, the energy and you are exposing yourself, 19:21 you're positioning your bed 19:23 and, you know, everything in your home 19:26 according to how the reading of those energies. 19:29 So you didn't dip your toe in, you dived in? 19:32 That's right. 19:33 Yeah, and went for-- and people don't understand 19:35 that a lot of the self-help stuff is riddled with, 19:40 infused with, saturated with New Age principles. 19:42 That's right. 19:43 Because you are looking inside 19:45 or to a metaphysical forces oppose to somebody name God 19:49 to get you through 19:50 what you are trying to get through. 19:51 So you are aligning your life with that so that's deep. 19:55 How did the Lord pull you out of that, 19:59 through that to get you where He wanted you to be? 20:02 The Lord-- remember I have a praying family 20:06 and I just praise God and I'm so grateful that 20:09 I had a praying family. 20:10 I had my mother and my brother 20:12 and other family members praying for me, 20:14 praying for my salvation, that was the key. 20:18 The Lord didn't prosper me in my Feng Shui business. 20:21 I had a couple of opportunities, 20:23 I did some big projects actually 20:25 but you know, in France it's difficult to be successful 20:28 when you are an entrepreneur because the taxes are so high. 20:31 The whole system makes it very difficult 20:33 to be financially successful. 20:35 It can take quite a while. 20:36 I had sunk all my money into this Feng Shui business. 20:40 The Lord closed a couple of doors that 20:42 would have been instrumental in giving me a breakthrough. 20:45 The Lord closed those doors. So I was not doing well. 20:51 And I think but truly the key 20:55 and I have to say was the demonic harassment 20:59 that started taking place 21:00 because I had opened so many doors. 21:02 This happens to a lot of people 21:04 who get involved in the New Age. 21:05 You open so many doors, there is, you know, 21:08 there are demons everywhere and all they-- 21:10 Satan all he wants is for you to give him 21:13 the legal right for him to come in. 21:15 Yes, well said. 21:16 Well, that's what I was doing. 21:17 I was giving him all kinds of legal rights 21:19 with all these doors that I had been opening 21:21 through meditation and you know, shamanism 21:25 and you know, card reading 21:28 and astrology everything else that I was involved in. 21:30 So I started having a lot of demonic harassment. 21:35 That was truly the key. 21:37 The fact-- of course the fact that 21:38 I wasn't prosperous what that did was that 21:43 that created a bridge so that friends of mine 21:46 who are consultants knew that my business was not doing well. 21:50 I got back into corporate consulting, 21:52 that was the key to bring me to the US. 21:55 Had I stayed in France I think the Lord 21:57 would have had a very difficult time rescuing me. 22:00 I had to come back to the US for that to happen. 22:04 The fact that I went back into corporate consulting 22:07 allowed the Lord to bring me to the Bible belt. 22:11 There was a job opening for a consulting opportunity 22:15 in Houston and these friends of mine, 22:17 in particular this friend of mine 22:19 who owns his consulting firm he asked me, 22:21 he said, you know, would you be interested 22:23 in taking this project. 22:24 My heart was already set on coming back to America. 22:27 I know that the solution to my problems. 22:29 I didn't quite understand it all 22:31 but I know the Lord was leading me. 22:33 Although I couldn't really articulated at the time, 22:35 I knew the Lord was leading me back to America. 22:37 I knew the solution to my problems were here in the US. 22:40 I wouldn't been able to explain how but I just let-- 22:43 allowed myself to bring God back. 22:45 Yeah, it's time to come out of friends. 22:46 You know, and I will say this Marla, 22:47 I've discovered something 22:48 just last week or so in studying. 22:50 I ran across a statement by Ellen White 22:52 where she says this dabbling and indecision 22:57 and the word she uses provokes the attack of the enemy. 23:00 That's right. It provokes him. 23:02 He is saying, well, you don't know what you want to do. 23:04 I've got something for you to do. 23:06 And so he will insinuate yourself in his-- 23:08 himself in your life 23:10 because you are not putting up any barriers 23:12 for him not to. 23:13 And he sees your indecision as an invitation. 23:17 So that indecision provokes him to attack 23:20 and that's what you are running into. 23:22 You hadn't decided for the Lord. 23:23 You've opened yourself up to a spiritual realm so that, 23:27 that vacancy is filled by the enemy. 23:30 Absolutely. 23:31 And it's a very dangerous realm. 23:33 Very much so. 23:34 Very much so and you saw that. 23:35 So we come back to Houston. How's thing going? 23:38 I come to Houston and I mean, paradoxically 23:42 a friend who is a-- a French friend 23:45 who is in the New Age and was in the New Age 23:47 at the time said to me Jesus is the key to your problems. 23:51 Jesus is the only one who can save you 23:54 and this was coming from someone 23:55 who is deep into, you know, Hinduism, 23:58 but anyway they believed He is an ascended Master. 24:02 So she said Jesus is the answer. 24:04 I came to Houston and to make a long story short 24:07 I listened to a televangelist. 24:09 In my heart I was ready to come to the Lord. 24:12 I knew, I needed a solution, 24:15 I heard a televangelist on television 24:17 and I just stood up. 24:19 I was still in the hotel room, I stood up in my hotel room 24:22 and I just prayed that salvation prayer 24:25 and I said, that you know, this is for real. 24:27 I found the church where this, 24:30 you know, evangelist pastored. 24:34 I started going there. 24:35 I went to that church for about six months, 24:38 that was a Sunday church. 24:41 Believe it or not the Lord brought me out of that church. 24:44 The Lord had another plan for me 24:46 so the Lord kept hounding me. 24:48 The Lord was no, this is not the place I want you. 24:50 This is okay, but He kept-- 24:52 Yes. 24:53 Bad things happen in that church 24:55 so as a result the Lord was leading me out of that church. 24:59 And finally, how did I finally come to the truth, 25:03 I was-- 25:05 I had fasted for 21 days, 25:07 I've done the Daniel fast for 21 days 25:09 asking the Lord for guidance and saying Lord, 25:11 there has to be a way out of this. 25:14 I was really going through hell with all the demonic harassment 25:17 which persisted and I said, Lord, 25:20 what is the way out of this tribulation. 25:22 You never give us a trial so big 25:25 that we cannot endure it 25:26 and there is always a means of escape. 25:27 What is the means of escape? 25:29 And the Lord gave me a vision. 25:31 I was sitting in my living room praying 25:34 and the Lord gave me a vision of my brother's face. 25:38 I saw my brother's face against the wall 25:42 and I said, okay, Lord. 25:44 I picked up the phone I called-- 25:45 at this point my brother didn't know 25:47 what was-- nobody in my family knew-- 25:49 --where they aware 25:50 of your trials at this point of your life? 25:52 Not at all. Not at all. 25:53 I pick up the phone, I called my brother 25:55 and I said look, I need to talk to you 25:57 and I explained everything. 25:59 My brother at this point was first elder in his church. 26:01 Explained everything that was happening 26:03 and I said, I need your help and the very next week 26:06 and I flew to Puerto Rico, 26:09 had more conversation with my brother. 26:11 We prayed, he anointed me, 26:12 we spent the whole week in praying. 26:13 I believe that first weekend I was also fasting. 26:16 I started to use fasting as a tool. 26:19 It's a incredibly powerful, spiritual tool and I needed it. 26:22 When you are facing demonic issues you must fast, 26:26 that's the only way to deal with these things. 26:29 Then eventually and very not long afterwards, 26:31 just a few weeks afterwards I got baptized 26:34 into the Seventh-day Adventist church. 26:36 Wow. 26:37 Marla, I want to back you up for just a second because-- 26:41 first of all your story is riveting. 26:43 Had you ever gone to an Adventist church 26:45 before with your mother or brother 26:49 after they were converted in your visits with them? 26:51 Yes, I had visited a few times. Okay. 26:53 Whenever I went to Puerto Rico, yeah, I would go to church. 26:56 So it wasn't totally alien to you? 26:58 No, that's right. 26:59 And the concept of the Sabbath 27:01 also was not alien to me. 27:02 I was very comfortable with the Sabbath truth. 27:04 Yeah, that's what I was asking because for a lot of people 27:06 that's like a splash of cold water 27:08 that Sabbath day, on Sunday and here I'm on this other day. 27:11 I don't know why I embrace that very easily. 27:14 Maybe because I was familiar with the Jews 27:17 through Kabbalah another one of this New Age, 27:21 you know, doctrines but through Kabbalah 27:23 I was very familiar and very comfortable 27:25 with keeping the Sabbath, Sabbath. 27:27 Bless your heart. 27:28 Okay, we are in a church now. 27:30 Is this having any effect on your employment, 27:32 on your life? 27:33 How do you navigate the waters, 27:35 you've gotten baptized, 27:36 you are in a whole new experience. 27:37 Walk me through your growth trajectory now? 27:42 At work, no, everything was normal except that I, 27:46 you know, the spiritual warfare-- 27:48 now this became, once I converted now 27:51 what was demonic harassment 27:53 now it became spiritual warfare, right. 27:55 Yes, yes, you hit back now, you see. 27:56 Exactly. 28:00 Again it was the Lord-- 28:02 most of what I've done has been at the Lord's prompting. 28:05 I was serving when I was in this mega church, 28:09 even though I was only there for a few months, 28:11 I knew that I needed to serve 28:12 and I was helping out with the children's ministry, 28:14 they had a big children's ministry 28:15 I was helping out. 28:16 When I came to the Adventist church, 28:18 I wasn't quite sure where I fit. 28:21 So initially I really wasn't helping, 28:23 I was more focused on studying the word 28:26 and getting myself equipped 28:28 and getting my foundations well laid with the Bible. 28:31 But shortly after that the Lord said to me, 28:35 you must be a witness. 28:36 Initially I wasn't sure what that meant. 28:39 I took it quite literally. 28:40 Okay, it means I have to make a testimony. 28:41 So I spoke to the pastor, 28:43 gave my first testimony at church. 28:46 But then the Lord kept leading me 28:48 and I founded this Bible study 28:54 that subsequently became the podcast ministry, 28:56 but initially it was a small Bible study group 29:00 in Houston called-- 29:02 we just called it City Bible Group. 29:03 We created a nice brochure with a curriculum 29:07 and invited people to come to this Bible study 29:09 every Wednesday evening. 29:11 Initially we had a nice group. 29:13 The Lord blessed us with a beautiful location 29:16 but you know, how-- at least Houston 29:18 all the big cities traffic is so bad. 29:21 People, you know, get stuck in traffic 29:23 for over an hour to get from point A to point B. 29:26 So over the course of the curriculum 29:28 was three months, over the course 29:30 of the curriculum towards the end the number had dwindled 29:34 we have very small group. 29:36 And my friend Angel with whom I had created this group, 29:38 we sat down and we regrouped. 29:40 When that was over for the summer 29:43 we said, we need-- 29:44 we want to take this to the next level. 29:46 We want to reach more people. 29:48 Houston is a busy city. 29:50 People have a hard time keeping that commitment. 29:52 How can we get to people? 29:53 They cannot come to us, how do we get to them? 29:56 We knew we need to choose technology, 29:58 the Lord guided us. 30:00 It really was the Lord who guided us to podcasting. 30:03 I initially was not comfortable 30:06 because very few people know how to access a podcast. 30:11 I was concerned about that. I was concerned about reach. 30:13 I thought well, this is just gonna be 30:15 really young people that are gonna listen to us 30:18 but it really was the Lord's guiding. 30:20 I did my research and I discovered 30:23 that podcasting did have a future 30:25 and I said okay, Angel, you are on. 30:28 Let's do a podcast. 30:30 Okay, so for some of our older audience 30:32 who may not know what podcast is, define the term? 30:36 A podcast it's similar to internet radio, 30:41 except that it's radio on demand. 30:44 It's the same. 30:45 I think podcasting is the same 30:46 as YouTube is for television or for film. 30:50 It's video on demand, that's what a podcast is. 30:53 Well, said. Yeah, yeah. 30:54 Well, said. 30:55 Now, we've got a little audio clip, 30:58 what are we getting ready to hear? 31:00 This is the intro. 31:01 This is the generic intro to our podcast series. 31:04 The podcast series is called "Setting the Record Straight, 31:08 God's Truth for this Generation." 31:11 It's all about the Bible truths. 31:13 This is the podcast icon that we are looking at. 31:17 This is what you would see on iTunes 31:19 or any of the major podcasting platforms to radio. 31:23 Wherever you have podcasting available, 31:25 this is the icon that you would click on 31:26 to launch into our podcast series 31:29 and find out different episodes. 31:31 The logo with the heart and the Holy Spirit 31:35 that was designed by Angel. 31:36 She is an artist, she is very creative 31:38 and I think also the Lord gave her that beautiful logo. 31:42 And the clip that we will hear is our intro. 31:46 Every week whenever the podcast comes out 31:50 this is how it starts-- 31:51 In other words it's a short description 31:55 of the great conflict between Satan and God. 31:58 Love it. 31:59 All right, let's listen just now. 32:03 "In the beginning, God, the love of our souls, 32:07 the source of goodness, truth, and justice. 32:11 A perfect kingdom of love and light. 32:14 Until war broke out in heaven, 32:16 through one fallen angel who broke God's perfect law. 32:19 Lucifer coveted God's throne and authority, 32:22 and deceived one third of the angels 32:24 to rebel against the Holy One. 32:26 Since that time, earth is a war zone, 32:29 where the forces of light and darkness, 32:32 good and evil, truth and deceit 32:34 battle it out in a life or death conflict. 32:37 Are you just a spectator or have you taken sides? 32:40 Are you living the victorious life 32:42 God intended for you to have? 32:45 Let Marla Ilona guide you through the truth of God's word 32:48 that you may choose right, that you may have life 32:51 and have it more abundantly 32:53 and that God's truth may bring you eternal life. 32:57 Welcome to Setting the Record Straight, 33:00 God's Truth for this Generation." 33:04 All right, very interesting, very intriguing, 33:07 "Setting the Record Straight." 33:09 Where did that title come from? 33:13 I guess the Holy Spirit gave me that title. 33:15 It just-- I just knew 33:16 from the very start that if we had a podcast 33:18 that's what it would be called. 33:19 I just knew it. 33:21 Because that's what it's about, it's about 33:24 demystifying all the lies, all the deception. 33:27 It's about clarifying all the, you know, 33:30 lies that the enemy has planted in people's minds 33:33 and it's really setting the record straight 33:35 and giving God's truth for this generation. 33:37 I think we're a blessed generation, 33:39 the paradoxes where the generation 33:41 that carries the most sin, both our own sin 33:44 plus all of the previous generational sin. 33:47 And yet we are the most blessed generation, 33:49 we are gonna see Jesus come in the air. 33:51 So it's that paradox, we are the unique generation. 33:53 That's the positive way to look at it. 33:56 How long after your baptism, after you came to the Lord 33:59 in the Adventist church did this begin? 34:02 Well, the Bible study probably a year 34:06 after I've been baptized and now the podcast 34:11 has been on the air for just over a year. 34:13 Okay, all right. All right. 34:15 Because I see you as a person who doesn't kind of-- 34:17 is not a come and sit 34:18 and consume space kind of person. 34:22 Is the Bible study still going or this replaced that? 34:25 This replaced it. It replaced that. 34:26 Yeah, because this kind of take a lot of time. 34:28 Do you have any kind of anecdotal 34:30 or metrics as to who has watched, 34:31 who is listening, what kind of response you are getting? 34:34 We have thousands of listeners across the world. 34:36 The God has-- the Lord has really blessed us. 34:39 We have a lot of listeners in the US 34:42 and Canada as you would expect, 34:44 but we also have listeners in South Africa, 34:46 quite a few in South Africa, Australia and the UK. 34:50 Of course all English speaking countries. 34:52 You would expect that we would have 34:53 more penetration in those counties 34:55 but we also have people listening in countries 34:57 where English is not the first language like 34:59 Malaysia or you know, even France, 35:03 some places in Latin America, even places like Hong Kong. 35:07 We have people really listening all over 35:10 and it's very humbling that through technology, 35:13 through the internet we can reach so many people 35:16 and it's a great responsibility as well. 35:18 I don't take that lightly at all. 35:20 Now it's you and your friend's name is? 35:23 Her name is Angel. Angel. 35:24 Yes, angel is one of the first people that I met 35:28 when I came to Houston. 35:29 She is a Christian, she is not a Seventh-day Adventist 35:31 but she is a Christian very devout, very-- 35:35 has a beautiful relationship with the Lord 35:37 and she is my partner. 35:39 Angel is in charge of what we call 35:40 the community building aspect of the ministry 35:42 which is for now essentially the social media 35:45 since we are more of a technology based ministry. 35:47 I hope overtime that will expand 35:49 and will have more roots actually-- 35:52 we are virtual ministry right now. 35:54 I hope overtime we'll have a location and more roots 35:57 and then there will be more of a real community, 35:59 physical community building aspect to it as well. 36:02 Yeah, is your home church aware of this activity? 36:05 Yes. Yes. Yes. 36:07 So you are getting support. 36:08 My pastor is aware of it. Praise the Lord. 36:10 Praise the Lord. It must be exciting. 36:12 As far as the content walk me through 36:14 what the actual broadcast run is? 36:17 When I listen, after I hear the opening 36:19 what do am I gonna get? 36:21 Bible truth. 36:22 Different topics initially 36:25 and this was a shift also in my own growth. 36:27 When I started with the Bible study, 36:29 the small group Bible study, I was doing more, 36:32 you know, meet people at their point of need. 36:35 You know, financial God, 36:36 what does God say about finances? 36:38 What does God say about health? 36:39 What does God say about relationships 36:41 and that is still important. 36:42 However as we mature as Christians, 36:45 we need to feed people real meat 36:47 and not just milk and that will be-- 36:48 so I personally had my own, you know, spiritual progression 36:52 where now I'm teaching God's real truth 36:55 for this generation where people really need 36:56 to hear about the Sabbath truth and, you know, all the lies. 37:00 And the CD for example that we just came out 37:03 with our first CD. 37:04 It's the "Top 10 Countdown of Myths in the Church." 37:08 And this is all of our fundamental Adventist beliefs 37:12 and doctrines but packaged in a way 37:15 that people who are not in the church 37:18 can be brought to it more easily. 37:19 It's more appealing. 37:21 We are doing a spoof of the top 40 songs in America. 37:24 So we do a top 10 countdown, counting down 37:26 through the number 10 to the number one live. 37:27 That jumped out of me right away, a number of things. 37:29 One, it's old wine in new wine skins. 37:32 That's right. 37:33 Which is simply meeting the public 37:35 where they are and in a method that 37:38 they can consume this is non confrontational, it is-- 37:44 it has some entertainment there, 37:46 dare I say and it's in the packaging. 37:48 Because the truth is truth, 37:49 but you got to in kind of a new wrinkle that 37:51 would appeal to those who-- or you talk at demographic. 37:54 Walk me through what this is all about. 37:56 I think this, first, I think it's a brilliant idea, 37:58 the "Top Ten Countdown of Myths in the Church." 38:02 So walk me through what this is and what it contains? 38:04 I think the music is an important aspect of it. 38:08 We did a special intro. 38:10 So it's not the intro that we normally play. 38:11 It's a special, it's a special edition podcast 38:14 if you will. 38:15 So we have a special intro with the spoof of the top 40 38:19 and then we launched into, 38:21 you know, for example the number ten lie is that 38:25 "Christians can live like anybody in the world." 38:27 You know, no, we cannot, we cannot eat the same way, 38:30 we cannot have the same lifestyle 38:32 as the people in the world, we cannot, 38:33 and I explain all the reasons why. 38:35 And then we progress through well, you know, 38:39 Christ doesn't need any intermediaries 38:41 between Him and us. 38:43 You know, we don't need priest. 38:45 And so that gets a little bit more controversial 38:48 if you will. 38:49 But, you know, also very important deceptions 38:52 that need to be unmasked such as the Israel myth. 38:55 The fact that we have most of Protestantism looking 38:58 to the Middle East for fulfillment 39:01 of Bible prophecy when we know that that's not. 39:04 Even if things do happen in the Middle East 39:06 as they will, that's still not, 39:07 the nerve of the war is in America 39:11 and is also in wherever there is a body of Christ 39:15 that's where the nerve of the war is. 39:17 It's not polarized in the Middle East. 39:19 So it's all of these truths that we are revealing to people 39:23 and to many people this would be the first time 39:25 that they've ever heard it. 39:26 But I think the use of music, 39:29 it just creates a little sparkle. 39:32 Music is so powerful that it really brings it to life. 39:36 What I think when you look at the younger generation 39:39 that would kind of be your target audience-- 39:42 I like new stuff so I would jump in this right away 39:46 but the idea that you've packaged an old truth 39:50 in a brand new way to meet the public 39:52 where they are is first of all 39:55 it's God inspired and it's brilliant. 39:57 And I truly believe that in these last days we got, 40:00 we got to exercise some brain power in thinking of ways 40:03 to get the gospel into places that it wouldn't normally go. 40:06 I mean we got to think of a way to take it there. 40:08 This is one of those ways I surely believe. 40:10 Yeah, what kind of response are you getting 40:12 as far as feedback as how it's going? 40:14 Very good feedback. 40:16 We have not started 40:18 a widespread distribution of the CD yet 40:21 because we're in the process of incorporating the ministry, 40:24 so that we can get all. 40:25 We need the foundation so that all of that can get done, 40:28 but everyone that has listened to the CD, 40:31 the feedback has been very, very good. 40:33 Especially, you know, sometimes I give it to someone 40:35 I'm witnessing to or somebody in church 40:38 or, you know, somebody that I meet, 40:40 I just give them the CD. 40:41 I'll say, listen to this, I think this will help you, 40:44 and the feedback is very, very good. 40:46 I think it really touches people. 40:48 So the ministry then is-- let me get this right. 40:51 This is, is it city, it's still called City Bible. 40:54 The ministry is called City Bible Group, 40:56 but the podcast is called Setting the Record Straight. 41:00 So which will be incorporated? 41:01 City Bible Group. 41:02 And under that is the podcast. 41:04 Exactly and I'm hoping that we'll be able 41:06 to expand to other media so that hopefully radio, 41:10 you know, and trying to get some radio stations 41:12 interested in carrying the program 41:14 and so forth, so that we can reach 41:15 because as we said earlier, podcasting, 41:18 although it holds great promise 41:21 and I'm sure that it will grow, 41:22 its audience will grow, but still it's a very, 41:26 it tends to be a younger audience. 41:28 We want to reach to everyone not just the younger generation 41:31 so we need to expand 41:32 and that's why we need to use radio for example. 41:35 Yeah. Yeah, yeah. 41:36 They incorrectly predicted the death of radio 41:40 when television came, it is not so, 41:42 radio is really flourishing, 41:43 still very personal in your home 41:45 while you're showering it's still there. 41:47 So there's definitely an audience 41:49 and I think this is a wonderful way to tap into 41:53 that audience with something that is radio friendly. 41:56 That's right and you will see one of the reasons 41:58 why radio I think will not die and like podcasting 42:01 any audio material will live on, 42:04 it's because we're such a busy society. 42:07 People are multi-tasking. 42:09 Screen time requires a lot of time that 42:11 people do not have, so this is ideal. 42:13 Podcasting of our CDs are ideal for busy mothers, 42:16 people who commute to work 42:18 when you don't have that screen time, 42:19 you can still be listening to the word of God regardless 42:21 of what you're doing and that's value of it as well. 42:25 Yeah, yeah, I like to call radio a passive aggressive. 42:27 You know it's there, it's there and it's reaching you 42:30 and it's touching, it's changing you 42:32 but it's done in a very passive way. 42:33 I'm waiting at a light 42:34 and I'm kind of staring at that red light in front-- 42:36 those red lights in front of me 42:37 and this thing is coming into my brain 42:38 and it's getting in there. 42:40 You may not think it is but it is. 42:41 So it's passive but it's aggressive, it is there. 42:44 Now you're doing some other stuff 42:45 before our time gets away. 42:46 Church Drive-thru Prayer message. 42:48 Talk to me about that? Oh, that is so beautiful. 42:50 I love that ministry 42:51 because it came from a very personal need. 42:56 When I was going through all of my tribulations, 42:58 I had such a need for prayer. 43:00 I knew that prayer was the key. 43:02 Prayer and fasting were key to breaking my, 43:05 you know, the grip that Satan had on me. 43:09 It's key to breaking the grip that Satan has on anybody, 43:12 no matter who they are because of this need that I had 43:15 I was always calling prayer lines 43:17 and looking for people to pray with me 43:19 and pray for me. 43:20 I decided to start, I sort of first I started 43:23 with our prayer ministry at our church. 43:25 I started working with the prayer ministry 43:27 to make it more available 43:29 to the rest of the congregation. 43:30 They met in a little room. 43:31 They prayed but very few people 43:33 in the church were aware that 43:34 there was a spiritual power house in that room 43:37 that they could have access to, 43:39 so first step was work with the prayer team, 43:42 bring them into the sanctuary. 43:44 So now every Sabbath after the divine service, 43:47 we have an intercessory prayer service. 43:49 We bring out our banners 43:51 and we stand in front of the congregation 43:53 after the service is over. 43:54 Anyone who needs prayer comes to the prayer line 43:57 and we pray for them. 44:00 That was the first step, 44:01 getting the team to be more available. 44:04 The next step was now we need to be 44:06 available not only to our congregation, 44:07 we need to be available to the community, 44:10 people out there have need, a big need for prayer as well, 44:13 whether they're Adventist or not, it doesn't matter, 44:15 they're God's children, they need prayer. 44:18 So then what I did was I-- because remember 44:20 I'm a change agent so I used the skills, 44:23 I'm always looking for opportunities 44:24 to bring in positive change. 44:27 I spotted the opportunity 44:29 when we were having an evangelistic campaign, 44:31 and I thought this is it, we can, you know, 44:34 promote the evangelism 44:36 that's gonna take place through prayer, 44:38 let's combined the two, let's do that as a trial run 44:41 and see how it goes 44:42 and then 'cause I did have that vision. 44:44 I did want us to do Drive-thru Prayer 44:45 but I needed the opportunity to get the team 44:48 to embrace the concept 'cause it was quite new 44:51 and to get it going. 44:52 So the Texas Conference agreed to fund us. 44:55 I presented the project to them, 44:56 re-obtain funding because the banners, 44:59 the signage, there is some expense, 45:01 the uniforms associated with setting this up, 45:04 so the Texas Conference they believed in the concept, 45:07 they had faith in us and they gave us the money. 45:10 We got ourselves geared up, 45:12 did a few pilot runs for the evangelist campaign. 45:15 We tweaked the concept because you know, 45:18 you had once, you have an idea 45:19 but then reality is another story, 45:22 you need to adapt the concept 45:23 so that it actually works in the suburban environment 45:25 where we are, strong winds, 45:28 you know, blew down the tent, 45:30 blew the signs down, so we have been 45:32 through few generations of signs 45:35 and abandon the tent concept, you know. 45:37 We went through all of that and we perfected the concept 45:40 to where now it works really, really well 45:43 and now praise the Lord 45:45 every first Sunday of the month, the signs go up, 45:47 the banners go up and we have our 45:49 Drive-thru Prayer for the community. 45:50 Wow, wow, Now walk me through, 45:52 it's a drive into the church, parking lot or? 45:57 Yes, so that there is sort of round about, 46:00 that's where we have the prayer stand. 46:01 People drive into the church, 46:03 they drive through the round about, 46:05 they stop, we pray with them. 46:07 And obviously we take them, you know, the information 46:10 we can follow up with them if they'd like. 46:12 We give them literature 46:13 and we say every first Sunday of the month, 46:16 we head up to, you know, bless you. 46:18 Now, I got to ask you Marla. If this thing working? 46:20 Yes. Oh, absolutely. 46:21 And we were, I was hoping that 46:24 we'd be able to show a news clip ABC Television Channel 13 46:28 actually came out and filmed us. 46:30 They did a news report on what we were doing 46:33 because they saw it was successful, 46:35 and they saw that it was new and innovative, 46:38 they were intrigued by the concept 46:40 and I think I believe the Lord sent them. 46:42 I believe the Lord is saying do more of this, I like this. 46:46 And, yeah, unfortunately we're not able to get 46:50 the release to show it today. 46:52 But that also gave a lot, 46:55 the ministerial on credibility within the church. 46:56 Very much so. 46:58 Because the church had never had 46:59 so much exposure as we did 47:00 when television came for this news report. 47:03 Now can I ask you, where is your home church? 47:04 Houston Central. 47:06 Houston Central. Okay, very good. 47:07 Let me throw you these flowers 47:09 while you're yet allowed to smell them. 47:11 First of all I appreciate your ingenuity. 47:14 God has given you a unique skill set 47:16 which you turn around 47:17 and made available for His service. 47:20 I think that converted, committed Christians 47:23 are going to have to put a lot-- 47:24 And I said this before, brilliant timing to thinking 47:26 of ways to meet the community. 47:29 If something is good inside the church, 47:31 it is probably good outside the church if not better. 47:34 So if prayer is good inside, 47:36 prayer is definitely better outside 47:37 because they need the prayer too, 47:38 so let's find a way to take it outside. 47:41 If a discussion of the gospel topics, 47:44 the topics that are fundamental to Adventist church, 47:46 it's good for us to know, 47:48 it's probably good for them to know too, 47:49 so let's invent a methodology 47:51 so they can get the same kind of information 47:53 packaged in a different form, digestible for them, 47:56 so I salute you and as Danny says 47:59 that Jesus in you. 48:00 Because we need Christians to think of ways 48:03 how can I get out of this building 48:05 and into that community for Jesus Christ. 48:07 And if this is not the answer, 48:10 certainly one of a number of answers 48:12 that will answer that question. 48:13 So you're doing something and Houston Central 48:16 is to be congratulated 48:17 for supported this kind of movement 48:19 because the more we get out there, 48:21 the better we are and more we legitimize our call 48:24 as mission agents, change agents 48:26 for the cause of Christ. 48:27 Our time is getting away from us. 48:28 Before it does, should you want to contact Marla 48:33 and get some of these ideas 48:34 to put into practice in your church 48:36 or some of this material, 48:38 here is how you can do precisely that. 48:45 City Bible Group has a mission to unmask Satan's lies 48:48 and wonders, who would deceive 48:50 wherever possible even the very elite. 48:52 If you'd like to know more about this ministry, 48:55 you can call 832-571-5922. 48:59 That's 832-571-5922. 49:03 You can visit them online for podcast, 49:05 news and more at citybiblegroup.com. 49:09 That's citybiblegroup.com. 49:12 Or email them at info@citybiblegroup.com. 49:16 That's info@citybiblegroup.com. 49:22 Contact them today. 49:23 They'd love to hear from you. 49:28 That's the information that you need 49:30 and you really need to call this young lady 49:32 because she has got a lot of information 49:33 and a lot of encouragement to give to you. 49:36 Emily Felt-Jones returns to us now 49:39 and she is going to singing really a great song 49:40 that I personally love called No Way Around the Cross. 49:57 In the beginning, back when it all began 50:03 There was a Cross 50:05 Drawn on the master plan 50:09 And placed in for until eternity 50:14 The salvation symbol for all to see 50:20 And there's no way around the Cross 50:25 All history hangs on that tree 50:31 And the shadow falls far 50:34 And wide and covers humanity 50:41 You can choose to ignore 50:44 But it won't go away 50:46 It's a part of your past 50:49 It's your future today 50:51 'Cause there's no way around the Cross 51:02 Then there's an ending 51:04 For everything that's done 51:08 And heaven is earned 51:11 Calvary just for one 51:15 The fate of this world was decided there 51:20 The right from the answer shines everywhere 51:26 'Cause there's no way around the Cross 51:31 All history hangs on that tree 51:36 And the shadow 51:37 Falls far and wide 51:42 And covers humanity 51:46 You can choose to ignore 51:49 But it won't go away 51:52 It's a part of your past 51:54 It's your future today 51:57 'Cause there's no way around the Cross 52:02 There's no denying 52:05 The choice we must make 52:08 'Cause it stands at the end 52:11 Which end, road we take 52:19 'Cause there's no way around the Cross 52:24 All history hangs on that tree 52:29 And the shadow falls far and wide 52:34 and covers humanity 52:39 We can choose to ignore 52:42 But it won't go away 52:45 It's a part of our past 52:47 It's our future today 52:50 'Cause there's no way around the Cross 52:55 There's no way around the Cross 52:59 There's just no way around the Cross |
Revised 2015-07-23