I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello, and
welcome to 3ABN Today.
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My name is CA Murray.
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And allow me once again
to thank you for sharing
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just a little of
your day with us,
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to thank you as
always for your prayers,
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your love, your support
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of Three Angels
Broadcasting Network.
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I'm very excited today
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because we're gonna
talk about a subject
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that is close to my heart
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as we have a prison
ministry here at 3ABN
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and prison
ministry program Free Indeed
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as we cooperate
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with Lemuel Vega and
Christmas Behind Bars.
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So we're gonna talk
about prison ministry
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and we're gonna meet some people
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who are involved
in prison ministries.
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We're going to meet some people
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who are a product of
prison ministry at its best
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and we're gonna take
a little journeys today
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because this
prison ministry's story
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comes to us all the
way from Anchorage, Alaska.
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And so this fine, good
looking handsome gentleman
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have made the
trip from Anchorage
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to the lower 48 to be with us,
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gotten in on our last evening
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and they've got a
lot to talk to us about.
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So that's the
burden for this day,
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Prison Ministry
in Anchorage, Alaska.
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I wanna start Steven Steenmeyer.
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Yes.
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Got it right, Steven,
good to have you here, man.
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Good to be
here. Good to be here.
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The ministry is
called Greater Works Ministry
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and Steven is the president.
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I'm gonna ask you little bit
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where that name
greater works comes from?
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I have an idea
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but I want to hear
it from your own lips.
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In the middle, Jesus Bravo,
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Jesus, good to
have you here, man.
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Thank you, good to be here.
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Praise the Lord,
good to have you here.
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I want you to drop
your shoulders and relax,
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it's all good,
everything is okay,
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Lord is good, you
got to lot to say.
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And at the end, Tony Pouesi,
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Tony, you're long way down
but good to have you here, man.
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Thanks. Praise the Lord.
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And the punch line is Jesus
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and Tony, have
both spent time in,
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now they're giving
back to the community.
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They're members
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of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
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so I'll give you
the punchline up front.
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Now we need to find out
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how that road brought
them to where they are today.
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And before we go to our
music, just want to get little,
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cursory background on you all.
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Steven, are you
a native of Alaska?
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Since '72 I worked there.
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Since '72, okay,
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so you didn't start
out there you, you came up.
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No, but I came up.
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You lived up long
time now yeah, yeah,
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so you kind of
close to a native.
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Yeah. From where originally?
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Washington State.
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Washington
State. West coast, yeah.
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Okay, okay, okay.
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Did you grow up
in Adventist home?
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No.
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Was that a
Christian home at all?
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Yes.
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Yeah, I was, I didn't
know that at the time,
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wouldn't have but basically
I came from a Derby Home,
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John Derby.
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And so that was
the doctrinal system
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that I came from.
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Yeah, you may need to
explain that in a quick thing
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because a lot of
people wouldn't know.
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Well, every
tragic heretical doctrine
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that flows through the
world with Christianity
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would've been in my home.
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Okay, okay.
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But I, of course,
believed it was all true.
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You know, we were the truth.
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Okay, so you had a lot of stuff
to way through in growing up.
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Brothers and
sisters? Yeah, three brothers.
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Okay, okay.
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One brother died.
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He was a pastor I
have a brother still living
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who is a pastor.
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Another brother
living as well. I see.
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My father came into the ministry
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and so I had a lot...
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Yeah...
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I've never been able
to teach them a thing.
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What took you up
to Alaska initially?
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My father was a
painting contractor
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on military bases and
so I started at the age
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of 12 working
for him every summer.
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And then I continued
going up there through college
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and ended up settling there.
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Okay, okay.
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Want to get into
your conversion story
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just a little bit,
how you met your wife
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and all that good
stuff in just a little bit.
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But I want to go to, Jesus,
you're not a native Alaskan.
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No, sir.
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Yeah, from where originally?
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Tijuana,
Mexico. Tijuana, Mexico.
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How did you get
up to the Anchorage?
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My father he used to build ships
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in Mexico and he was,
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you know, there's a
lot of fishing industry
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up there in Alaska.
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He also didn't
want his kids raising,
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just in that all that violence,
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it's just more,
it's just more abundant
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and where
there's more population
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of human beings, you know.
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And but, yeah,
that's how we ended up there
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at an early age.
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I was 5-years-old and, yeah,
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ended up in Kenai Peninsula,
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which is beautiful, you
know, that country's beautiful.
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Is there a large
Hispanic Community in Alaska?
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Now, yeah, I would say,
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I don't know it's pretty
big, lot more than before, yeah.
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Did you grow up
in a Christian home?
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The Bible was there. Yeah.
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Love of Christ, no.
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In my mom I could see,
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I could see
long-suffering of the Lord
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and yeah she
walked in the spirit
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but I didn't
notice it at the time.
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Yes, there was,
there was a Bible in home.
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Yeah, yeah,
'cause Bible in the home
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and Christ in the home
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are not
necessarily the same thing.
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No, sir.
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'Cause a lot of times
Bibles are collecting dust
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on the table.
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Yeah. Yeah, that kind of thing.
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Tony? Yes, sir.
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I know, you're
not a native Alaskan.
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No, no, no, no,
I've been in Alaska
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about three years,
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but I'm originally
from Washington, small town.
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Little sense of your background,
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Christian home growing up?
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I didn't have a
religious background.
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So, you know, me
finding Jesus now
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I appreciate the
gospel so much more.
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And, no, I never read the Bible,
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never went to
church, never really prayed.
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But all that
changed pretty recently.
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Praise the Lord.
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Did you have
brothers and sisters?
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Or do you have
brothers and sisters?
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Yeah, I have three
sisters and two brothers,
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one I'm really close with.
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Praise the Lord.
00:07:02.68\00:07:04.75
I think we'll go to our music,
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then I really want to launch out
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because each of you
have such unique stories.
00:07:07.56\00:07:10.16
And I want to use max time
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to try to unearth those stories
and then get into the ministry.
00:07:11.56\00:07:14.20
Our music for
this particular program
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is coming from someone
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that I have the
privilege of baptizing
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all about 30 years ago,
00:07:19.67\00:07:22.30
who now works at 3ABN
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as our Dare to
Dream General Manager,
00:07:24.37\00:07:26.88
that is my good
friend, Yvonne Lewis.
00:07:26.91\00:07:29.14
She's going to be
singing, "Solid Rock".
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On Christ, the
solid rock, I stand
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All other ground is sinking sand
00:08:02.24\00:08:08.45
All other ground
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Is sinking sand
00:08:11.12\00:08:16.16
My hope is built on nothing less
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Than Jesus' blood
00:08:26.37\00:08:28.34
And righteousness
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I dare not trust
the sweetest frame
00:08:33.61\00:08:37.98
But wholly lean on Jesus' name
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On Christ, the
solid rock, I stand
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All other ground is sinking sand
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All other ground is sinking sand
00:08:53.50\00:08:59.43
When darkness
veils his lovely face
00:09:05.47\00:09:09.84
I rest on His
00:09:09.88\00:09:11.81
Unchanging grace
00:09:11.85\00:09:17.09
In every high and stormy gale
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My anchor holds within the veil
00:09:21.42\00:09:26.66
On Christ, the
solid rock, I stand
00:09:26.70\00:09:31.27
All other ground is sinking sand
00:09:31.30\00:09:36.81
All other ground is sinking sand
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His blood
00:09:48.28\00:09:52.12
He gives me
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Even is all my heart
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And sing
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When He shall
come with trumpet sound
00:10:03.03\00:10:09.37
Oh, may I then,
00:10:09.40\00:10:12.21
In Him be found
00:10:12.24\00:10:15.08
Dressed in His
righteousness alone
00:10:15.11\00:10:21.08
Faultless to stand
00:10:21.12\00:10:23.72
Before His throne
00:10:23.75\00:10:30.89
All other ground is sinking sand
00:10:30.93\00:10:36.67
All other ground is sinking sand
00:10:36.70\00:10:42.37
On Christ, the
solid rock, I stand
00:10:42.40\00:10:46.84
On Christ, the
solid rock, I stand
00:10:46.88\00:10:51.21
All other ground is sinking sand
00:10:51.25\00:10:56.99
On Christ, the solid rock,
00:10:57.02\00:11:01.96
I stand
00:11:01.99\00:11:09.86
Amen, well done,
thank you, Yvonne,
00:11:18.01\00:11:19.77
"On Christ the Solid Rock".
00:11:19.81\00:11:21.98
My guest, Steven Steenmeyer,
00:11:22.01\00:11:23.55
Jesus Bravo,
Anthony or Tony Pouesi,
00:11:23.58\00:11:26.35
guys, good to have you here
00:11:26.38\00:11:27.72
all the way from
Anchorage, Alaska.
00:11:27.75\00:11:29.65
Steven, I want
to start with you,
00:11:29.68\00:11:31.59
when you came to
Alaska you were not Adventist.
00:11:31.62\00:11:34.06
No, no, I've been an
Adventist just 8 years now.
00:11:34.09\00:11:37.53
Walk me through.
00:11:37.56\00:11:38.89
Give me the thumbnail sketch,
kind of Reader's Digest Version
00:11:38.93\00:11:41.13
of how you came into
the Adventist Church?
00:11:41.16\00:11:42.96
I have been a
business owner most of my life,
00:11:43.00\00:11:45.73
one time I owned ten
businesses at the time
00:11:45.77\00:11:47.90
though I would own one business
it was Horse Trek in Alaska
00:11:47.94\00:11:51.61
and I was doing trail
rides and sleigh rides
00:11:51.64\00:11:53.78
and taking
hunters into the mountains
00:11:53.81\00:11:55.51
and working my
horses seven days a week.
00:11:55.54\00:11:57.41
Wow.
00:11:57.45\00:11:58.78
And my wife had gone
00:11:58.81\00:12:00.35
to some storefront
ministries in Anchorage
00:12:00.38\00:12:02.58
looking for the true church
and every time she found one,
00:12:02.62\00:12:05.05
I thought it was
kind of whacked and,
00:12:05.09\00:12:07.36
and then she started,
00:12:07.39\00:12:10.03
she found the Sabbath
00:12:10.06\00:12:11.39
and the Bible started practicing
00:12:11.43\00:12:12.76
the Sabbath at home,
00:12:12.79\00:12:14.13
again, I
thought she was whacked,
00:12:14.16\00:12:15.50
and then she asked
00:12:15.53\00:12:16.87
the Lord to lead
her to God's true people
00:12:16.90\00:12:18.53
and so just two miles up
00:12:18.57\00:12:19.90
the road was her
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:12:19.93\00:12:21.90
So she walked herself
00:12:21.94\00:12:23.51
into the Sabbath
church, did it herself?
00:12:23.54\00:12:24.87
Absolutely, and took over.
00:12:24.91\00:12:27.31
She started
offering to do everything.
00:12:27.34\00:12:28.68
Yeah, yeah.
00:12:28.71\00:12:30.05
And they took
advantage over and as she was,
00:12:30.08\00:12:31.88
they didn't really
trust her to begin with,
00:12:31.91\00:12:34.35
I mean, when somebody
just kind of blows in says,
00:12:34.38\00:12:36.18
I'll do it, I'll do it.
00:12:36.22\00:12:37.55
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:12:37.59\00:12:38.92
But so that's where she was,
00:12:38.95\00:12:40.29
she got involved in
ministry with the pastor
00:12:40.32\00:12:41.82
she ended up
becoming a Bible worker
00:12:41.86\00:12:43.36
in short order there.
00:12:43.39\00:12:45.13
And so now my day
00:12:45.16\00:12:47.76
was after I put the
horses to bed at night,
00:12:47.80\00:12:49.83
I had a jug of
vodka in the freezer
00:12:49.86\00:12:52.10
and the rest of my evening
00:12:52.13\00:12:54.24
was going to be
in front of the tube
00:12:54.27\00:12:56.24
until I went to bed and
got up the next morning,
00:12:56.27\00:12:59.41
I wasn't that drunk
00:12:59.44\00:13:00.78
but I was an alcoholic for sure.
00:13:00.81\00:13:02.14
Yeah, yeah.
00:13:02.18\00:13:03.51
And so I went to,
00:13:03.55\00:13:04.91
my wife had
asked me at one point,
00:13:04.95\00:13:07.98
"Could I have
Bible studies in the home
00:13:08.02\00:13:09.75
and we had a big home?"
00:13:09.78\00:13:11.12
And I said, "Yeah,
knock yourself out."
00:13:11.15\00:13:12.49
And so this one
evening I went to the freezer
00:13:12.52\00:13:14.72
to get the jug and she
says, "What are you doing?"
00:13:14.76\00:13:16.69
and I said, "Well,
I'm doing what I do."
00:13:16.73\00:13:18.73
And she said, "Tonight's
the first Bible study."
00:13:18.76\00:13:21.13
And I said,
00:13:21.16\00:13:22.50
"Go for it I'll be in
there, in the TV room."
00:13:22.53\00:13:25.00
She says, "You're
the head of the house,
00:13:25.03\00:13:26.70
how is it gonna look?"
00:13:26.74\00:13:28.07
And so I put it back.
00:13:28.10\00:13:29.44
And, you know, the
great gratification
00:13:29.47\00:13:32.14
then I sat in on
my first Bible study
00:13:32.17\00:13:34.14
and I grew up in the church,
00:13:34.18\00:13:36.64
I had worked for the
largest evangelical church
00:13:36.68\00:13:39.85
in Anchorage, but I
started hearing things
00:13:39.88\00:13:41.58
that just blew my mind,
00:13:41.62\00:13:42.95
state of the dead and
all of it came really,
00:13:42.98\00:13:44.89
I assimilated it really well
00:13:44.92\00:13:46.45
because I'm looking
in the Bible and said,
00:13:46.49\00:13:47.86
"Son of a..."
00:13:47.89\00:13:49.22
It is, yeah, yeah.
00:13:49.26\00:13:50.59
You know, and so I
had no trouble with,
00:13:50.63\00:13:52.69
but the biggest problem I
knew that was gonna happen
00:13:52.73\00:13:55.30
was the Sabbath.
00:13:55.33\00:13:56.67
Seven days a week and Saturday
is the busiest day of my week,
00:13:56.70\00:14:00.47
double any
other day of the week,
00:14:00.50\00:14:02.00
in terms of revenue
00:14:02.04\00:14:03.37
$2,000 a day or
whatever it would be.
00:14:03.41\00:14:05.37
And so I studied
the Bible to prove
00:14:05.41\00:14:10.08
that the Sabbath
was not critical,
00:14:10.11\00:14:12.41
you know, I was ready
to give my life to the Lord
00:14:12.45\00:14:14.35
but that was it.
00:14:14.38\00:14:15.78
And every time I
thought I had it,
00:14:15.82\00:14:17.35
it will disappear as you know.
00:14:17.39\00:14:18.72
And you've tried,
yeah, it will fail.
00:14:18.75\00:14:20.49
It goes away
00:14:20.52\00:14:21.86
and so finally I had a
talk with the Lord and I said,
00:14:21.89\00:14:25.59
"You want me to do
this, it's your business,
00:14:25.63\00:14:28.46
you take care of it."
00:14:28.50\00:14:30.03
And I just stepped out on
faith that was in March of 2009,
00:14:30.07\00:14:33.87
and that was the first
year that the depression,
00:14:33.90\00:14:38.07
the economic depression
00:14:38.11\00:14:39.44
in the United States hit Alaska.
00:14:39.47\00:14:41.78
Yeah. So tourism is way down.
00:14:41.81\00:14:43.35
Oh, yeah, yeah,
00:14:43.38\00:14:44.71
And I'm a
tourist oriented business
00:14:44.75\00:14:46.08
in the summer
00:14:46.11\00:14:47.45
and I mean, all in the headlines
00:14:47.48\00:14:48.82
and newspaper tourism,
00:14:48.85\00:14:50.39
I mean, everyone's
complaining and moaning
00:14:50.42\00:14:52.49
and because the
business is going under.
00:14:52.52\00:14:54.32
Yeah.
00:14:54.36\00:14:55.69
And that year my
business increased
00:14:55.72\00:14:58.13
in revenue 25%.
00:14:58.16\00:14:59.76
Praise the Lord.
00:14:59.79\00:15:01.13
The next year it
increased another 25% on top,
00:15:01.16\00:15:04.70
the next year is another 35%,
00:15:04.73\00:15:07.64
the next year 50%
00:15:07.67\00:15:09.10
by that time I'm involved
in ministry and I retired.
00:15:09.14\00:15:13.71
Praise the Lord. Yeah.
00:15:13.74\00:15:15.08
So the Lord proved
Himself to you right away.
00:15:15.11\00:15:16.68
Oh, it was yeah, yeah.
00:15:16.71\00:15:18.58
And what people here you
know, in, in my jail class,
00:15:18.61\00:15:21.52
I'm talking whenever on
the subject of the Sabbath
00:15:21.55\00:15:23.79
and people say "Well,
what about if I had a job",
00:15:23.82\00:15:26.86
and I gave my
testimony removes every excuse
00:15:26.89\00:15:29.22
that anyone could have
because I was not making money,
00:15:29.26\00:15:33.13
until I committed
my business to the Lord
00:15:33.16\00:15:36.13
and I took His day off.
00:15:36.16\00:15:38.60
So yeah, I'm sold.
00:15:38.63\00:15:39.97
Praise the Lord.
00:15:40.00\00:15:41.34
So did your wife sort
of just kind of lay back
00:15:41.37\00:15:42.87
and left you discover
these things for yourself,
00:15:42.90\00:15:44.91
did she nudge you along,
00:15:44.94\00:15:46.34
how does, how does
she sort of play that?
00:15:46.37\00:15:47.71
Because
obviously she was sold out,
00:15:47.74\00:15:49.41
you're kind of
dragging your feet,
00:15:49.44\00:15:50.88
how does she sort of interface
with you during that time?
00:15:50.91\00:15:53.11
Because it's hard to
push somebody into the church.
00:15:53.15\00:15:54.88
And she didn't push me.
00:15:54.92\00:15:56.25
I didn't know that my
church was praying for me
00:15:56.28\00:15:58.99
every Wednesday night
and probably other times too.
00:15:59.02\00:16:01.22
Yeah.
00:16:01.26\00:16:02.59
Now she, she knew
00:16:02.62\00:16:04.26
because we have
gone to church before
00:16:04.29\00:16:06.59
and she knew when I worked
for the evangelical church and,
00:16:06.63\00:16:09.56
and so she knew
all of my background
00:16:09.60\00:16:11.97
but I was
probably prayed into it,
00:16:12.00\00:16:16.17
you know, under,
beneath the scene.
00:16:16.20\00:16:19.04
But another
thing did happen and,
00:16:19.07\00:16:21.64
and that really
brought my attention
00:16:21.68\00:16:25.38
to the deeper things of life,
my daughter committed suicide.
00:16:25.41\00:16:30.02
And...
00:16:30.05\00:16:31.39
Was this in that same timeframe?
00:16:31.42\00:16:32.75
Yeah, was roughly a year
00:16:32.79\00:16:34.56
or so before I
really started studying
00:16:34.59\00:16:37.13
what Adventist
had to talk about,
00:16:37.16\00:16:38.63
but that kind of
opened up my mind
00:16:38.66\00:16:40.43
where I said, you know,
00:16:40.46\00:16:41.80
"If I would have had
something to share with her
00:16:41.83\00:16:44.70
that could have
caught her attention",
00:16:44.73\00:16:46.67
she was 22 when it happened.
00:16:46.70\00:16:49.50
What could have
that made a difference
00:16:49.54\00:16:51.34
and along the way I got
captivated by, you know.
00:16:51.37\00:16:54.54
Yeah, yeah, no signs, nothing,
00:16:54.58\00:16:56.51
it's just kind of out
of the blue kind of thing
00:16:56.54\00:16:57.91
as far as you think?
00:16:57.95\00:16:59.28
Well, she was on, I don't know
00:16:59.31\00:17:00.68
what they call them psychotropic
00:17:00.72\00:17:02.05
but those, you know,
00:17:02.08\00:17:03.42
those depressant
drugs and stuff that...
00:17:03.45\00:17:05.45
Yeah, which are strong.
00:17:05.49\00:17:06.82
And they advertised
them as causing suicide
00:17:06.86\00:17:09.69
but who paid attention
to that she as on those.
00:17:09.72\00:17:12.99
The note said, "Forgive me.
00:17:13.03\00:17:16.26
Something has got a hold of me."
00:17:16.30\00:17:18.87
And she was
having demonic nightmares
00:17:18.90\00:17:21.17
and that's all we know.
00:17:21.20\00:17:22.67
But other than that
she was a very happy girl,
00:17:22.70\00:17:24.47
good set of friends.
00:17:24.51\00:17:26.44
And was coming based on my
wife inviting her to church
00:17:26.47\00:17:30.81
was coming towards the
relationship with the Lord,
00:17:30.85\00:17:32.95
so we pray that happened.
00:17:32.98\00:17:34.32
That had happened yeah, yeah.
00:17:34.35\00:17:35.68
And you never can tell,
00:17:35.72\00:17:37.05
now there are two
ways to respond to that,
00:17:37.09\00:17:38.42
there's God, why
with your fist ball
00:17:38.45\00:17:39.99
or there is God,
let me come towards You
00:17:40.02\00:17:42.72
because I need
some answers for my life
00:17:42.76\00:17:44.59
and you took obviously
the latter, the latter track.
00:17:44.63\00:17:48.10
I did, I've never
dwelled on anything, loss,
00:17:48.13\00:17:54.40
I don't like hospitals,
I don't like funerals,
00:17:54.44\00:17:57.14
and I don't dwell
on things like that,
00:17:57.17\00:17:58.67
I've always kind of moved on.
00:17:58.71\00:18:00.44
In fact the day
after she died and some,
00:18:00.48\00:18:02.54
lot of people are going
to be critical of me on this.
00:18:02.58\00:18:04.68
I had to go get a hunter
00:18:04.71\00:18:06.05
out of the mountains and I went.
00:18:06.08\00:18:09.25
And I
rationalized that by saying
00:18:09.28\00:18:12.29
it's the best place I could be.
00:18:12.32\00:18:13.72
Yeah, yeah.
00:18:13.76\00:18:15.52
I don't know if
there's a manual,
00:18:15.56\00:18:17.59
Steven, of how
to respond to loss
00:18:17.63\00:18:19.53
or tragedy or divorce,
00:18:19.56\00:18:21.16
people heal in different ways,
00:18:21.20\00:18:22.53
some throw
themselves into the work,
00:18:22.56\00:18:24.13
some shake their fists
and their finger at God,
00:18:24.17\00:18:26.74
some are pushed
in the arms of God,
00:18:26.77\00:18:29.44
and I don't know if
there is a way to say
00:18:29.47\00:18:31.47
this is how you recover
from that kind of thing.
00:18:31.51\00:18:32.84
Yeah, yeah.
00:18:32.87\00:18:34.21
You know, it's very,
very individualistic,
00:18:34.24\00:18:35.58
but if in the,
00:18:35.61\00:18:36.95
in retrospect you are moved
in the direction of the Lord
00:18:36.98\00:18:41.15
then it is, it is a
positive outcome to a tragic.
00:18:41.18\00:18:43.79
And without a doubt
that was an outgrowth of it.
00:18:43.82\00:18:46.19
Yeah, yeah, now when
you came to the church,
00:18:46.22\00:18:48.29
did you come in to
sit and look around
00:18:48.32\00:18:50.09
or where you one of
those kind of guys who said.
00:18:50.13\00:18:51.49
"I got to do stuff?"
00:18:51.53\00:18:52.86
No, no, no, no I got
excited, I was really excited,
00:18:52.89\00:18:54.76
in fact my pastor at
that time and I did it
00:18:54.80\00:18:57.97
Sabbath Afternoon
Seminar on Daniel,
00:18:58.00\00:19:00.37
I got so
captivated by Daniel 2:7-8.
00:19:00.40\00:19:03.17
So and, and so he
said, "You're being called."
00:19:03.20\00:19:09.98
Well, you say that
to a brand new person,
00:19:10.01\00:19:11.95
you know, "What,
what does that mean?"
00:19:11.98\00:19:14.15
But before long I
was and much too soon
00:19:14.18\00:19:17.99
I was an elder of the church
00:19:18.02\00:19:21.06
but in that three year period
00:19:21.09\00:19:23.49
which roughly I started learning
00:19:23.53\00:19:26.70
how unsanctified I was.
00:19:26.73\00:19:29.30
You know, and I also learned
I didn't want anything to do
00:19:29.33\00:19:31.83
with church politics
ever again after that elder,
00:19:31.87\00:19:34.47
you're elder and I
was a worship coordinator
00:19:34.50\00:19:37.61
for the church and boy,
00:19:37.64\00:19:38.97
when you come into a
church and you're the new guy
00:19:39.01\00:19:41.31
and you try to, my
background is theater.
00:19:41.34\00:19:43.21
So they, so I
started producing the show
00:19:43.24\00:19:46.25
if you will with elders
that are engrained in whatever,
00:19:46.28\00:19:49.02
yeah, it was a mess.
00:19:49.05\00:19:51.35
So three years I was kind of,
00:19:51.39\00:19:52.99
whenever a call was
put out for ministry
00:19:53.02\00:19:55.06
particularly prison ministry,
00:19:55.09\00:19:57.76
you know, I was that's not mine,
00:19:57.79\00:19:59.29
that's not mine.
00:19:59.33\00:20:00.66
Yeah. That's not my ministry.
00:20:00.70\00:20:02.03
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm called but not there.
00:20:02.06\00:20:03.67
Give us some
sense of prison ministry
00:20:03.70\00:20:06.77
as you found it
because in my notes
00:20:06.80\00:20:08.14
there's prison
ministry pre 2012,
00:20:08.17\00:20:10.31
so you, you had, see,
00:20:10.34\00:20:11.67
everybody
doesn't need to come in
00:20:11.71\00:20:13.04
and get right into
the thick of church stuff,
00:20:13.07\00:20:14.81
people have different levels,
00:20:14.84\00:20:16.64
different skill sets and those
skill sets really determine
00:20:16.68\00:20:19.81
where they should be,
everybody needn't be an elder,
00:20:19.85\00:20:21.72
everybody needn't be a deacon,
00:20:21.75\00:20:23.08
everybody does
need to do something,
00:20:23.12\00:20:24.45
but that something ought to
be commensurate with the talents
00:20:24.49\00:20:27.12
that God has given you.
00:20:27.16\00:20:28.49
And the elder
thing was not your thing,
00:20:28.52\00:20:30.83
but there was
something for you to do.
00:20:30.86\00:20:32.36
Yeah, I think my
business background in life
00:20:32.39\00:20:35.03
is what came to the surface.
00:20:35.06\00:20:37.87
So prison ministry
was active in my church,
00:20:37.90\00:20:40.27
the pastor had brought it in,
00:20:40.30\00:20:43.07
in order to get elders
and leaders in the church
00:20:43.10\00:20:45.14
on their feet to give
them a ministry outreach.
00:20:45.17\00:20:46.51
Yeah.
00:20:46.54\00:20:47.88
And he was very
good at putting elders
00:20:47.91\00:20:49.74
in front of the congregation
and stuff like that,
00:20:49.78\00:20:52.08
so they were coming up.
00:20:52.11\00:20:55.28
And so there were about
eight regular volunteers
00:20:55.32\00:20:57.72
going into two jails
00:20:57.75\00:20:59.49
and a few halfway
houses in Anchorage.
00:20:59.52\00:21:02.52
And I went to a couple,
00:21:02.56\00:21:04.06
my wife coaxed me to
join a brother of mine
00:21:04.09\00:21:06.80
by the name of
Layne, go to a halfway house
00:21:06.83\00:21:09.30
and I went there and I thought,
00:21:09.33\00:21:10.70
well, this is
pretty good for, you know,
00:21:10.73\00:21:12.40
because the more
you teach you learn,
00:21:12.43\00:21:15.40
you know, that's
way, way I was in.
00:21:15.44\00:21:18.41
And so I thought this is good
00:21:18.44\00:21:20.18
but I'm not seeing any
fruit out of this ministry,
00:21:20.21\00:21:24.15
I never saw anyone
come out of the ministry
00:21:24.18\00:21:26.85
become an Adventist
walk into our church
00:21:26.88\00:21:29.05
or whatever and, and
so I actually started,
00:21:29.08\00:21:31.72
you know, maybe
not too politic way,
00:21:31.75\00:21:35.19
criticizing,
pointing out to them,
00:21:35.22\00:21:37.63
you're not
doing something right,
00:21:37.66\00:21:39.53
something's not right.
00:21:39.56\00:21:41.46
This amount of
effort should be producing,
00:21:41.50\00:21:44.43
God will be blessing
this but we're not seeing it,
00:21:44.47\00:21:47.37
so what's wrong.
00:21:47.40\00:21:48.94
I started analyzing it
from a business point of view.
00:21:48.97\00:21:50.47
Yeah, from a business
perspective you put in A,
00:21:50.51\00:21:53.44
you got to get
something on the B side.
00:21:53.48\00:21:54.81
Yeah, my slogan in business
was always no matter what,
00:21:54.84\00:21:57.61
"Began with the end in mind."
00:21:57.65\00:21:59.75
Yeah.
00:21:59.78\00:22:01.12
And I can equate
that to the Lord,
00:22:01.15\00:22:02.48
did the Lord
have the end in mind?
00:22:02.52\00:22:03.85
Yes, always did.
00:22:03.89\00:22:05.22
Absolutely, before the
foundation of the world,
00:22:05.25\00:22:06.59
you know.
00:22:06.62\00:22:07.96
And so, yeah, I
was being critical
00:22:07.99\00:22:10.39
and Layne got tired
of me being critical,
00:22:10.43\00:22:12.49
and so he said to the church,
00:22:12.53\00:22:13.86
well, Steve seems to
know something about this,
00:22:13.90\00:22:16.06
so they said, "Would
lead out in prison ministry?"
00:22:16.10\00:22:19.60
And I said, "Only if,"
00:22:19.63\00:22:21.24
by that time
Alaska had done a project
00:22:21.27\00:22:23.24
with Voice of Prophecy
00:22:23.27\00:22:25.47
discover Bible school lessons,
00:22:25.51\00:22:26.84
to every mailbox in the state.
00:22:26.88\00:22:28.28
My wife had been hired
00:22:28.31\00:22:30.18
to coordinate that
for the conference.
00:22:30.21\00:22:33.58
And keep the
churches involved in all the,
00:22:33.62\00:22:36.62
all the coordination.
00:22:36.65\00:22:37.99
And so I had looked at that
and I thought prison ministry,
00:22:38.02\00:22:42.82
correspondence ministry,
00:22:42.86\00:22:45.43
and putting all
the elements together
00:22:45.46\00:22:47.26
we want a
relationship with these guys,
00:22:47.30\00:22:49.26
so then when they get
out they're drawn, you know,
00:22:49.30\00:22:52.47
they don't care
how much you know,
00:22:52.50\00:22:53.84
they care how much you care,
00:22:53.87\00:22:55.40
they're drawn to
come to your church,
00:22:55.44\00:22:58.31
instead of returning to
their old neighborhood church
00:22:58.34\00:23:00.34
if they even had one
or the old and so I said,
00:23:00.38\00:23:04.15
"The only way I'll do it is
00:23:04.18\00:23:05.51
if we incorporate
discover Bible school."
00:23:05.55\00:23:07.02
And so I joined up
with Layne in jail ministry,
00:23:07.05\00:23:10.85
I love the frontline, the jail.
00:23:10.89\00:23:12.85
We follow him all the way
through the prison system,
00:23:12.89\00:23:14.72
all the rest of
the halfway house,
00:23:14.76\00:23:17.43
but I get him on the
front end and so, yeah,
00:23:17.46\00:23:20.06
we started signing
people up on an act of faith
00:23:20.10\00:23:22.36
and the first night we signed up
00:23:22.40\00:23:24.07
at least ten and every week,
00:23:24.10\00:23:26.87
that was in August of
2012, every week since then, CA,
00:23:26.90\00:23:31.97
we've signed up no
less than ten new students
00:23:32.01\00:23:35.08
in the prison system every week.
00:23:35.11\00:23:36.71
I praise God.
00:23:36.75\00:23:38.08
And it's gone beyond
the borders of Alaska
00:23:38.11\00:23:39.85
to federal institutions,
00:23:39.88\00:23:41.25
they take up with them
and introduce other people
00:23:41.28\00:23:45.49
in their system to them.
00:23:45.52\00:23:46.86
And so yeah, it's just...
00:23:46.89\00:23:48.42
That's wonderful, and
the good thing is that
00:23:48.46\00:23:49.79
you began to see
fruit to your ministry
00:23:49.82\00:23:53.23
and results to your
labor which is a good thing.
00:23:53.26\00:23:56.77
Now, on the results
side, let me go down to Tony.
00:23:56.80\00:24:01.90
What brought you
to Alaska initially?
00:24:01.94\00:24:04.67
Commercial fishing,
it was job opportunity,
00:24:04.71\00:24:08.18
my family's been
doing it for a while
00:24:08.21\00:24:09.88
and I just decided to come
to Alaska and give it a try.
00:24:09.91\00:24:14.22
Okay, now to sort
of move you through,
00:24:14.25\00:24:18.35
you got into a
little hot water there
00:24:18.39\00:24:21.26
and did some prison time.
00:24:21.29\00:24:22.99
Walk me through that,
those days in your life?
00:24:23.02\00:24:26.63
Well, I didn't grow up
with a religious background.
00:24:26.66\00:24:31.90
You know, I never read
the Bible, never prayed,
00:24:31.93\00:24:34.24
never went to church,
but I had a good mother,
00:24:34.27\00:24:37.77
loving mother,
good grandparents,
00:24:37.81\00:24:40.28
you know, raised me
with good morals and values.
00:24:40.31\00:24:43.58
But I always made
mistakes, you know,
00:24:43.61\00:24:45.58
like anybody else
down the road, but...
00:24:45.61\00:24:50.19
So I had
opportunity to come to Alaska
00:24:50.22\00:24:53.15
and be a commercial
fisherman, I started doing that,
00:24:53.19\00:24:56.39
and one year I got in trouble,
00:24:56.42\00:24:59.09
and it really
changed my whole life.
00:24:59.13\00:25:03.26
I was, I landed in jail
00:25:03.30\00:25:05.50
and I was looking at
11 to 17 years in prison.
00:25:05.53\00:25:07.87
That's a good stretch.
00:25:07.90\00:25:09.24
Yeah, it really
woke me up, and...
00:25:09.27\00:25:12.87
So, you know, I was desperate,
I needed help, I was scared,
00:25:12.91\00:25:16.91
I was frightened.
00:25:16.95\00:25:19.51
I was afraid I was
going lose my family and...
00:25:19.55\00:25:22.68
So I reached out to God, I said,
00:25:22.72\00:25:26.39
"If there's a God I
need to know if He is real
00:25:26.42\00:25:27.96
because He's the only
one that can help me."
00:25:27.99\00:25:29.39
Praise God.
00:25:29.42\00:25:30.76
And so I picked up a
Bible, started in Genesis
00:25:30.79\00:25:33.80
and just started
reading and God...
00:25:33.83\00:25:35.56
Just cold, you hadn't
read about it before, huh?
00:25:35.60\00:25:37.13
No.
00:25:37.17\00:25:39.17
It's amazing, it's
amazing when we look at it,
00:25:39.20\00:25:40.90
a long bit will
do to your motivation
00:25:40.94\00:25:42.64
to pick up the Word of God.
00:25:42.67\00:25:44.01
Yeah.
00:25:44.04\00:25:45.37
But you did it sincerely
because you wanted some help,
00:25:45.41\00:25:46.74
you wanted some answers.
00:25:46.78\00:25:48.11
You know when,
before I picked it up,
00:25:48.14\00:25:49.48
I prayed to God, I said,
00:25:49.51\00:25:50.85
"Lord," I said, you
know, "if you're real,
00:25:50.88\00:25:52.68
you know, show me."
00:25:52.71\00:25:54.05
I said, "I had a humble
heart, I had nothing to lose,
00:25:54.08\00:25:56.32
everything to gain."
00:25:56.35\00:25:57.69
Yeah.
00:25:57.72\00:25:59.05
And so, yeah, He revealed it
so much to me in those times.
00:25:59.09\00:26:04.66
Yeah, praise God, praise God.
00:26:04.69\00:26:06.03
That is one prayer I
would say to you, Tony,
00:26:06.06\00:26:07.76
that the Lord
never fails to answer.
00:26:07.80\00:26:09.76
If you're sincere,
"Lord, I need You to show me
00:26:09.80\00:26:12.07
who You are
because I'm in trouble.
00:26:12.10\00:26:13.74
I'm ready to follow You,
but I just need to know."
00:26:13.77\00:26:15.47
He's gonna answer that prayer,
00:26:15.50\00:26:16.84
He's on, He's
on, He's on record,
00:26:16.87\00:26:18.21
He's going to answer the prayer.
00:26:18.24\00:26:19.57
So He did that for you.
00:26:19.61\00:26:20.94
Yeah, you know, I started
experiencing joy and peace
00:26:20.98\00:26:25.21
when I started
reading the Bible,
00:26:25.25\00:26:27.35
I don't know it just
started transforming me.
00:26:27.38\00:26:30.59
You know, not only
did I realize that,
00:26:30.62\00:26:33.56
I needed
deliverance from my situation,
00:26:33.59\00:26:36.32
but I realized that I
needed to change as a person.
00:26:36.36\00:26:40.70
And so I
actually started reading
00:26:40.73\00:26:44.73
and then in the library
00:26:44.77\00:26:47.04
I stumbled upon a Discover
Bible school enrolment card.
00:26:47.07\00:26:50.91
And I filled it out, I said,
"Hey, I got time, you know,
00:26:50.94\00:26:53.81
let me try it out."
00:26:53.84\00:26:55.18
And I turned it in that day
00:26:55.21\00:26:56.75
and I started
receiving lessons back.
00:26:56.78\00:26:59.55
And, you know, a lot of people
00:26:59.58\00:27:02.18
are kind of, what's the word?
00:27:02.22\00:27:06.86
The Bible is hard for them
because lot of big words and,
00:27:06.89\00:27:11.36
you know, but these
discover Bible school lessons
00:27:11.39\00:27:15.53
really helped me understand,
00:27:15.56\00:27:18.77
on like a third grade education
00:27:18.80\00:27:20.24
just really simple
and I understood them.
00:27:20.27\00:27:23.10
And that's where I
just, I started changing
00:27:23.14\00:27:26.78
and getting that
joy and that peace.
00:27:26.81\00:27:28.81
Praise the Lord.
00:27:28.84\00:27:30.18
The things that
you are discovering,
00:27:30.21\00:27:31.61
where they disturbing to you?
00:27:31.65\00:27:33.11
Where you settling into them?
00:27:33.15\00:27:34.78
How you're
responding to the new truths
00:27:34.82\00:27:36.48
that you were
faced with these lessons?
00:27:36.52\00:27:38.99
I was accepting it.
00:27:39.02\00:27:41.06
I was accepting it,
I mean, like, you know,
00:27:41.09\00:27:44.63
starting from
Genesis so, about, you know,
00:27:44.66\00:27:46.83
'cause those are some
of the questions we have,
00:27:46.86\00:27:48.46
where do we come from?
00:27:48.50\00:27:49.83
Correct. What's our purpose?
00:27:49.86\00:27:51.40
And God revealed all that to me
00:27:51.43\00:27:52.97
just within 2 Kings
I started reading on,
00:27:53.00\00:27:56.40
and I started praying,
00:27:56.44\00:27:59.47
three times a day like
Daniel, faithfully, I was like,
00:27:59.51\00:28:03.38
"Lord, help me",
you know and wow,
00:28:03.41\00:28:07.62
the Lord has done so much
to me in those times and...
00:28:07.65\00:28:10.75
Now, praise the Lord.
00:28:10.79\00:28:12.12
You know, you're still
facing a good bit of time.
00:28:12.15\00:28:15.82
Yeah, I was. Yeah.
00:28:15.86\00:28:17.19
And you know, I was praying
00:28:17.23\00:28:19.89
and He started
performing miracles,
00:28:19.93\00:28:21.40
my lawyer came and she
said, "Tony, I have good news."
00:28:21.43\00:28:24.80
She said, "You're only
looking at two to four years."
00:28:24.83\00:28:27.50
And I said, "Praise the
Lord," I said, "Praise God."
00:28:27.54\00:28:28.87
Okay, now that's it,
hit the pause button there.
00:28:28.90\00:28:30.34
Yeah.
00:28:30.37\00:28:31.71
Because while you were studying,
00:28:31.74\00:28:34.18
you began to
reach out to the people
00:28:34.21\00:28:37.31
that these
lessons were coming from.
00:28:37.35\00:28:38.78
Yes, I did, I wrote
a letter to the sister
00:28:38.81\00:28:42.45
that was correcting my lessons.
00:28:42.48\00:28:45.35
Who happened to be...?
00:28:45.39\00:28:46.76
His wife. Amen, yeah.
00:28:46.79\00:28:48.59
Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
00:28:48.62\00:28:49.96
So that's how this
connection was made.
00:28:49.99\00:28:51.83
Yeah.
00:28:51.86\00:28:53.19
He was not in the
jail that I was working in,
00:28:53.23\00:28:55.53
he was in the other
building, pre-trial,
00:28:55.56\00:28:58.57
and so I didn't have met
him in my class sort of thing.
00:28:58.60\00:29:01.40
But my understanding is
00:29:01.44\00:29:02.77
your wife is
kind of nudging you,
00:29:02.80\00:29:04.14
you need to go make
contact with this guy.
00:29:04.17\00:29:05.51
Oh, she said, adamantly twice.
00:29:05.54\00:29:08.01
First time I
ignored but, you know...
00:29:08.04\00:29:10.18
She said, "You need to
go see this young man."
00:29:15.45\00:29:18.42
You know, I had
asked her a few questions
00:29:18.45\00:29:19.85
and then I kind
of always just wait
00:29:19.89\00:29:21.82
and see if she's going
to say something again.
00:29:21.86\00:29:24.16
And see if the Lord is
putting other messages.
00:29:24.19\00:29:26.76
I've had like for
example, I've had somebody,
00:29:26.80\00:29:29.40
my wife say to me,
00:29:29.43\00:29:31.03
the same weekend there's
another person says to me,
00:29:31.07\00:29:33.44
"Go see this young man."
00:29:33.47\00:29:35.54
And so that's why
I went to visit Tony.
00:29:35.57\00:29:37.57
So you went to
visit him? Mm-hmm.
00:29:37.61\00:29:38.94
What did you find?
00:29:38.97\00:29:40.31
I found a guy
just, just like a sponge.
00:29:40.34\00:29:43.41
And pleasant young man,
he was just unbelievable
00:29:43.45\00:29:49.55
because most people are
carrying so much baggage
00:29:49.58\00:29:52.52
that you're meeting,
00:29:52.55\00:29:53.89
you know, if I don't advertise
00:29:53.92\00:29:55.92
generally out there I do
private visits every Sunday,
00:29:55.96\00:29:58.56
I do my four to five
private visits in the system.
00:29:58.59\00:30:02.50
But, so I found a
very refreshing situation
00:30:02.53\00:30:05.93
with Tony.
00:30:05.97\00:30:07.40
And like a sponge like I said.
00:30:07.44\00:30:08.77
Okay, Tony, other than this,
00:30:08.80\00:30:10.81
this particular infraction,
00:30:10.84\00:30:13.17
your life is pretty
clean as far as jail time
00:30:13.21\00:30:15.21
and that kind of
thing first time for you.
00:30:15.24\00:30:16.58
Yeah, yeah.
00:30:16.61\00:30:17.95
So you're not
like a career guy or...
00:30:17.98\00:30:19.31
No, I don't have
00:30:19.35\00:30:20.68
an extensive
long criminal history,
00:30:20.72\00:30:22.35
I had a good
family, good friends.
00:30:22.38\00:30:24.82
Just an unfortunate accident
00:30:24.85\00:30:26.86
and I thank the
Lord that He found me,
00:30:26.89\00:30:30.49
you know, that I found Him.
00:30:30.53\00:30:31.86
Okay, praise God.
00:30:31.89\00:30:33.23
So your final
sentencing had not come up yet.
00:30:33.26\00:30:37.03
No, no.
00:30:37.07\00:30:38.40
Okay, but meanwhile
you've found the Lord.
00:30:38.43\00:30:41.77
Were you impressed
with that when you saw,
00:30:41.80\00:30:43.14
when you saw Him, Steven?
00:30:43.17\00:30:44.51
When you met him first?
00:30:44.54\00:30:45.87
Yeah, so much so that,
00:30:45.91\00:30:47.24
you know, I had another guy
00:30:47.28\00:30:48.84
who was going federal
that means leaving the state,
00:30:48.88\00:30:52.01
and I was on the day
of his sentencing trial
00:30:52.05\00:30:55.08
I had promised this guy
00:30:55.12\00:30:56.62
that I would go to
his sentencing trial.
00:30:56.65\00:30:58.55
So I asked my wife,
00:30:58.59\00:30:59.92
"Would you go
00:30:59.95\00:31:01.29
to Tony's
sentencing trial for me?"
00:31:01.32\00:31:03.49
She had never
really done that before
00:31:03.53\00:31:05.63
and she always
told me when I did go,
00:31:05.66\00:31:07.93
don't say anything
00:31:07.96\00:31:09.30
because we have a code of
ethics in the prison system,
00:31:09.33\00:31:11.10
don't get involved
in the cases, you know.
00:31:11.13\00:31:12.47
Yeah, right.
00:31:12.50\00:31:13.84
So she goes to Tony's
00:31:13.87\00:31:15.47
and she didn't say anything
00:31:15.50\00:31:19.94
until after she
had left the room,
00:31:19.97\00:31:23.24
the courtroom because
00:31:23.28\00:31:24.61
there was such an
atmosphere of animosity
00:31:24.65\00:31:27.75
between the prosecutor,
the family of the victim,
00:31:27.78\00:31:32.59
Tony's mom's fear she
had come up for the...
00:31:32.62\00:31:35.76
I mean, there was just animosity
00:31:35.79\00:31:37.13
and she had actually left,
she was getting in her car,
00:31:37.16\00:31:41.03
put the key in the
ignition and the Holy Spirit
00:31:41.06\00:31:42.86
said to her "Go back."
00:31:42.90\00:31:45.73
And she went back.
00:31:45.77\00:31:47.10
She went back inside?
00:31:47.14\00:31:48.47
And she said something...
00:31:48.50\00:31:49.84
All right. That
she doesn't recall.
00:31:49.87\00:31:52.01
But the entire
atmosphere of the room,
00:31:52.04\00:31:56.18
I'm told changed,
00:31:56.21\00:31:57.55
Tony would agree with that.
00:31:57.58\00:31:58.91
Tony, you remember,
you remember those days?
00:31:58.95\00:32:00.28
Yeah, yeah, I do.
00:32:00.32\00:32:01.65
That was probably
one of the hardest times
00:32:01.68\00:32:03.22
in my life was
going to the courtroom
00:32:03.25\00:32:05.32
and facing the
trial and everything
00:32:05.35\00:32:07.62
and yeah, Tina,
I didn't know her,
00:32:07.66\00:32:11.49
you know, but only through the,
00:32:11.53\00:32:13.63
through the little,
00:32:13.66\00:32:15.73
minimal contact we
had through the letter
00:32:15.76\00:32:17.77
I had and stuff,
00:32:17.80\00:32:19.13
but, yeah, she spoke
and the whole tension
00:32:19.17\00:32:22.87
just decapitated,
and there was a calmness.
00:32:22.90\00:32:25.84
Amen.
00:32:25.87\00:32:27.21
And I think that,
that's one of the reasons
00:32:27.24\00:32:28.88
why I got time served
00:32:28.91\00:32:30.81
and I ended up
doing nine months.
00:32:30.85\00:32:32.41
Okay, so walk us through that.
00:32:32.45\00:32:33.78
You that, that long
17 year thing was out,
00:32:33.82\00:32:37.49
two to three was out,
00:32:37.52\00:32:38.85
and they gave you...
00:32:38.89\00:32:40.22
Well, and then they
dropped it down again
00:32:40.26\00:32:42.69
to one to three open sentencing.
00:32:42.72\00:32:44.86
So we were going
to go to the judge
00:32:44.89\00:32:48.50
and present the
evidence and they were,
00:32:48.53\00:32:50.77
I could get arrange
from one to three years,
00:32:50.80\00:32:53.60
I ended up getting one
already did eight months...
00:32:53.64\00:32:57.27
Good time.
00:32:57.31\00:32:58.64
Good time, it's about,
about and I was released
00:32:58.67\00:33:02.94
but they gave me
three years probation
00:33:02.98\00:33:06.05
and like I said,
00:33:06.08\00:33:08.48
I would fish in
Alaska then I fly back home.
00:33:08.52\00:33:11.35
Well, they gave me
three years probation
00:33:11.39\00:33:13.86
and I didn't
know one street name,
00:33:13.89\00:33:15.22
I didn't know anybody in Alaska.
00:33:15.26\00:33:16.59
But you cannot leave
Alaska. I can't leave Alaska.
00:33:16.62\00:33:18.26
You had to stay
there from that point on.
00:33:18.29\00:33:20.46
How did you feel
at the end of that,
00:33:20.50\00:33:21.83
I mean, your time
served, you can go?
00:33:21.86\00:33:24.93
Well, you know, I was like,
00:33:24.97\00:33:28.04
okay, Lord, this is
another obstacle we got to,
00:33:28.07\00:33:31.21
you know, get through.
00:33:31.24\00:33:32.57
But I really,
you know, what is it,
00:33:32.61\00:33:35.84
Deuteronomy 31:6,
00:33:35.88\00:33:39.05
talks about be
strong and of good courage,
00:33:39.08\00:33:40.98
do not fear,
00:33:41.02\00:33:42.35
nor be afraid of them, you know.
00:33:42.38\00:33:43.72
He's always with us, you know,
00:33:43.75\00:33:45.09
and I really clung
on to that verse and...
00:33:45.12\00:33:47.79
That's in
Joshua 19:2 by the way.
00:33:47.82\00:33:49.62
Amen, amen. Yeah, yeah.
00:33:49.66\00:33:50.99
Yeah. Yeah.
00:33:51.03\00:33:52.36
So, yeah, I
didn't have nowhere to go
00:33:52.39\00:33:54.53
and he showed me the house.
00:33:54.56\00:33:56.46
And I've been
staying there now for...
00:33:56.50\00:33:59.30
All right, so now,
we got a lot of things
00:33:59.33\00:34:00.74
to take away because Joshua,
00:34:00.77\00:34:02.37
the Lord did something for
you right then right there.
00:34:02.40\00:34:04.37
Amen.
00:34:04.41\00:34:05.74
You saw the hand of God moving
from max of 17 to time serve,
00:34:05.77\00:34:09.98
bye, bye you can go.
00:34:10.01\00:34:11.35
Now you got to
have someplace to go
00:34:11.38\00:34:12.71
because you're accustomed
00:34:12.75\00:34:14.08
to fishing in the
summer heading down
00:34:14.12\00:34:15.45
in the winter, now you can't go
00:34:15.48\00:34:17.09
because you got
to stay in the state
00:34:17.12\00:34:18.45
because you're on probation.
00:34:18.49\00:34:19.82
Right.
00:34:19.85\00:34:21.19
So where does he go and
then we come back to you.
00:34:21.22\00:34:23.06
And, Jesus, you
actually do get to talk,
00:34:23.09\00:34:24.86
I'm coming to you. It's okay.
00:34:24.89\00:34:26.23
I'm all right. All right, okay.
00:34:26.26\00:34:27.60
In 2014, we opened
00:34:27.63\00:34:30.17
Greater Works
Christian Living Center,
00:34:30.20\00:34:32.73
specifically as a home
00:34:32.77\00:34:34.54
for previously
incarcerated guys,
00:34:34.57\00:34:37.27
that had studied with us
through discover Bible school,
00:34:37.31\00:34:40.54
through visitation
were sincere Bible students
00:34:40.58\00:34:44.35
as a safe haven
because one winter a guy
00:34:44.38\00:34:48.28
had gotten out of the system,
00:34:48.32\00:34:51.19
he'd started with us in
jail discovered Bible school
00:34:51.22\00:34:54.09
all the way
through the halfway house,
00:34:54.12\00:34:55.46
Layne visited with him,
he's very sincere Christian,
00:34:55.49\00:34:58.33
he stayed in his
winter in his car,
00:34:58.36\00:35:01.20
all winter in Anchorage, Alaska
00:35:01.23\00:35:03.20
just to avoid going
back to his neighborhood
00:35:03.23\00:35:05.37
or back to his former
life that would drag him back.
00:35:05.40\00:35:08.54
Draw him back, sure, sure, sure.
00:35:08.57\00:35:09.90
You know? Yeah.
00:35:09.94\00:35:11.27
And when we heard that we,
00:35:11.31\00:35:12.64
we I mean,
unbeknownst the Holy Spirit
00:35:12.67\00:35:15.34
been speaking to me,
00:35:15.38\00:35:16.71
to Layne and to
my wife separately,
00:35:16.75\00:35:19.75
saying we got to go take this,
00:35:19.78\00:35:21.52
you know, begin
with the end in mind
00:35:21.55\00:35:23.15
and we haven't
accomplished the end yet.
00:35:23.18\00:35:25.49
And so it was a
series of miracles
00:35:25.52\00:35:29.02
much too long to
bring up in this show
00:35:29.06\00:35:32.46
that led us by September of 2014
00:35:32.49\00:35:35.46
to open Greater Works
Christian Living Center...
00:35:35.50\00:35:38.87
Now, did you buy a house,
00:35:38.90\00:35:40.24
did you build the
building, you bought a...
00:35:40.27\00:35:41.60
We leased at a very good
price of 6,000 square foot home.
00:35:41.64\00:35:44.97
Oh, wow, it's huge.
00:35:45.01\00:35:46.34
And so, yeah, yeah,
it's a huge home but it's,
00:35:46.37\00:35:49.84
it had its problems so
we got it at a good price
00:35:49.88\00:35:53.15
and God just led us to it
00:35:53.18\00:35:56.58
and it's right behind
the building that I live in.
00:35:56.62\00:35:59.09
So it was just, I mean,
00:35:59.12\00:36:00.46
there's so many things
including the resident manager
00:36:00.49\00:36:02.99
at that time which Jesus is now
00:36:03.02\00:36:04.79
but this guy had met prisoners
00:36:04.83\00:36:09.60
when our Alaskan
prisoners were down
00:36:09.63\00:36:11.43
in Colorado, right?
00:36:11.47\00:36:15.27
And he had visited with
them, he calls up and he says,
00:36:15.30\00:36:19.67
"Hey, I'm going to take
a motorcycle trip to Alaska
00:36:19.71\00:36:21.68
to visit these guys
00:36:21.71\00:36:23.04
who have been
transferred back to Alaska."
00:36:23.08\00:36:24.75
And he says, "By the way,
00:36:24.78\00:36:26.11
if you know anything regarding
any chaplaincy positions."
00:36:26.15\00:36:32.32
And we're, you know,
and the Holy Spirit is just
00:36:32.35\00:36:35.92
and he went home
after his motorcycle trip,
00:36:35.96\00:36:39.43
we told him what we were
doing in prison ministry,
00:36:39.46\00:36:41.03
he says, he
prayed moving to Alaska
00:36:41.06\00:36:43.90
in September 1st, he walked
in and stayed the first night
00:36:43.93\00:36:47.47
in Greater Works
Christian Living Centre.
00:36:47.50\00:36:50.07
And but as it relates
to Tony to go back to that,
00:36:50.11\00:36:53.78
we just said to him,
00:36:53.81\00:36:55.48
"Don't worry,
brother, we've got you back."
00:36:55.51\00:36:56.85
Yeah, praise the Lord.
00:36:56.88\00:36:58.21
And his mom was
probably the most relieved,
00:36:58.25\00:36:59.81
she's all
worried and turmoil about
00:36:59.85\00:37:01.18
what her son is going to...
00:37:01.22\00:37:02.55
You're gonna have
to ask about my mom
00:37:02.58\00:37:03.92
before the interview is over.
00:37:03.95\00:37:05.29
Okay, well,
let's do it right now
00:37:05.32\00:37:06.65
because I get to
Jesus so I want to stay
00:37:06.69\00:37:08.02
with him for a minute.
00:37:08.06\00:37:09.39
Okay.
00:37:09.42\00:37:10.76
Give me some
culture of that experience?
00:37:10.79\00:37:12.13
My mom. Yeah.
00:37:12.16\00:37:13.50
Okay, so when I got out of jail,
00:37:13.53\00:37:14.96
you know, I was,
when I was in jail
00:37:15.00\00:37:17.37
I'm always talking to my mom,
00:37:17.40\00:37:18.73
I said, "Mom, have
you ever read the Bible?"
00:37:18.77\00:37:20.54
Because we're if,
what's in this book is real,
00:37:20.57\00:37:23.54
just the most
amazing thing on the earth.
00:37:23.57\00:37:25.14
Amen.
00:37:25.17\00:37:26.51
And so I started
praying with my mom,
00:37:26.54\00:37:28.21
I started talking
to her over the phone.
00:37:28.24\00:37:30.28
And she doesn't
have really a background,
00:37:30.31\00:37:32.85
Bible background,
Christian background either.
00:37:32.88\00:37:35.05
So I told, I said,
"Mom, there's only one thing
00:37:35.08\00:37:38.35
that I want to ask
you in this life again
00:37:38.39\00:37:41.86
and I won't ask you for money,
00:37:41.89\00:37:43.46
and I'm not going to
ask you for more favors,
00:37:43.49\00:37:45.79
but I will ask you
00:37:45.83\00:37:47.23
if you would complete
00:37:47.26\00:37:48.90
these discover Bible
School lessons for me."
00:37:48.93\00:37:51.47
And you know what she
said, she said, "Yes."
00:37:51.50\00:37:53.30
Amen.
00:37:53.34\00:37:54.67
And you know what happened
after she completed them,
00:37:54.70\00:37:59.17
she quit smoking cigarettes.
00:37:59.21\00:38:01.11
All right. She lost 30 pounds.
00:38:01.14\00:38:02.94
She's been keeping the
Sabbath for over a year now.
00:38:02.98\00:38:04.88
Amen.
00:38:04.91\00:38:06.25
And God has just,
00:38:06.28\00:38:08.85
and you know how long that took?
00:38:08.88\00:38:10.22
Two months. Wow.
00:38:10.25\00:38:11.59
Two months. Wow, yeah.
00:38:11.62\00:38:13.56
I just want to
connect with that.
00:38:13.59\00:38:14.92
We knew that
what we were missing
00:38:14.96\00:38:16.66
by not developing relationships
with inmates was not seen
00:38:16.69\00:38:21.13
the end in mind
come to their families.
00:38:21.16\00:38:22.63
Precisely.
00:38:22.66\00:38:24.00
You know, that's so powerful
when you see that happen.
00:38:24.03\00:38:25.37
Yeah, yeah, when you follow
00:38:25.40\00:38:26.74
through that's the kind of thing
00:38:26.77\00:38:28.10
that happens, just a
studying kind of lead,
00:38:28.14\00:38:29.47
is kind of defeating the purpose
00:38:29.50\00:38:31.37
so you follow
all the way through.
00:38:31.41\00:38:32.74
Like I said, Jesus,
you actually get to talk,
00:38:32.77\00:38:35.34
we're coming to you.
00:38:35.38\00:38:39.01
Now you, Tijuana, Mexico,
how do you get to Alaska?
00:38:39.05\00:38:43.02
My dad he moved
us, he moved us there,
00:38:43.05\00:38:46.02
yeah, early age and also
00:38:46.05\00:38:48.06
so we can become citizens,
00:38:48.09\00:38:49.46
you know, more
opportunities and all that.
00:38:49.49\00:38:55.76
Yeah, just like I said,
00:38:55.80\00:38:57.73
he wanted us to have
a better shot at life,
00:38:57.77\00:39:00.67
you know, where we grew up,
00:39:00.70\00:39:02.04
you know, there's,
there was a lot of,
00:39:02.07\00:39:05.51
just a lot of, you know,
00:39:05.54\00:39:06.88
gangs and stuff
and other things.
00:39:06.91\00:39:08.44
Yeah, I know Tijuana.
00:39:08.48\00:39:09.81
Tijuana is not...
00:39:09.84\00:39:11.18
You know, and just,
00:39:11.21\00:39:13.52
yeah, everything
that comes with it
00:39:13.55\00:39:15.08
but
unfortunately you can't remove
00:39:15.12\00:39:16.45
the human heart
and the human condition
00:39:16.48\00:39:17.82
from a man, right?
00:39:17.85\00:39:19.19
Very true.
00:39:19.22\00:39:20.56
Doesn't matter where you move
00:39:20.59\00:39:21.92
but, yeah, that's how
we ended up there and...
00:39:21.96\00:39:23.29
You have brothers and sisters?
00:39:23.32\00:39:24.66
I do.
00:39:24.69\00:39:26.23
Two of them are
in the grave resting
00:39:26.26\00:39:29.83
and one of my youngest
brother, he's in Anchorage.
00:39:29.86\00:39:34.90
And other sisters and
brothers from other marriages.
00:39:34.94\00:39:38.57
Okay, now you're
from what's Steven said,
00:39:38.61\00:39:41.41
managing the...
00:39:41.44\00:39:42.78
Christian Living Center.
00:39:42.81\00:39:44.15
Okay, give me some,
some background you spent
00:39:44.18\00:39:46.75
some time also incarcerated?
00:39:46.78\00:39:49.68
Yes, sir, too
much in and out of jail
00:39:49.72\00:39:51.92
a lot of my life.
00:39:51.95\00:39:54.09
Yeah, I started, you
know, at an early age,
00:39:54.12\00:39:58.09
brother died when
I was really young
00:39:58.13\00:39:59.83
and, you know,
heart break fix everybody.
00:39:59.86\00:40:01.20
Oh, yeah.
00:40:01.23\00:40:02.56
And yeah, it just started there,
00:40:02.60\00:40:05.00
started racking up
different things with the cops
00:40:05.03\00:40:08.27
and in the courts
in and out too much,
00:40:08.30\00:40:14.58
got better a little bit
later down the road but,
00:40:14.61\00:40:18.78
you know, that, you
still carry things around.
00:40:18.81\00:40:21.42
It still lead you
to certain things,
00:40:21.45\00:40:23.08
you get into,
00:40:23.12\00:40:24.45
try to cover them up
with different things,
00:40:24.49\00:40:26.02
mine was alcohol at that time,
later grew to smoking weed,
00:40:26.05\00:40:30.49
and then cocaine,
you know, you just,
00:40:30.53\00:40:33.50
it becomes easier to say yes.
00:40:33.53\00:40:35.10
Oh, yeah, yeah.
00:40:35.13\00:40:36.46
So you went into
some hardcore stuff.
00:40:36.50\00:40:37.83
Yeah, more, you know,
00:40:37.87\00:40:39.23
and then just didn't care
was suicidal in a way that,
00:40:39.27\00:40:43.87
you know, staring
down the barrel of gun,
00:40:43.91\00:40:46.61
but more
dangerous was I didn't care
00:40:46.64\00:40:49.54
death was just a word to me.
00:40:49.58\00:40:53.01
It was situations I
was, I was hurting people
00:40:53.05\00:40:56.32
and I was foolish, you know,
00:40:56.35\00:40:58.02
there was blood
on my hands, sir,
00:40:58.05\00:40:59.49
and, and yeah, different things.
00:40:59.52\00:41:05.63
But praise God that's behind me.
00:41:05.66\00:41:07.96
Now was your connection
through discover Bible also?
00:41:08.00\00:41:11.60
It was through prison ministry,
00:41:11.63\00:41:14.30
finally so too much jail time
in and out of jail, divorce,
00:41:14.34\00:41:19.11
you know, the love with my life,
00:41:19.14\00:41:21.64
four children,
00:41:21.68\00:41:23.01
things that really kept
me at bay those were gone.
00:41:23.04\00:41:27.48
And then I just let loose and,
you know, really heartbroken,
00:41:27.52\00:41:31.65
tailspin into dark,
dark parts, you know,
00:41:31.69\00:41:37.09
picked up a weapon again.
00:41:37.13\00:41:40.10
And I said, "Okay, that's it,
I'm going all out but God said,
00:41:40.13\00:41:43.06
"You know what, your
mom's been praying for you."
00:41:43.10\00:41:45.13
Yeah, these
praying moms, I tell you...
00:41:45.17\00:41:47.34
Yeah, and, you know,
so I end up in jail and,
00:41:47.37\00:41:51.31
and then I had to still
go through a little bit more
00:41:51.34\00:41:53.78
be really broken, you know,
two years later finally it's,
00:41:53.81\00:42:00.65
take it all Lord, I
made a mess in my life.
00:42:00.68\00:42:03.82
I said, you know what,
I'm tired of living lies,
00:42:03.85\00:42:07.42
I just want Your
truth and nothing,
00:42:07.46\00:42:09.36
I just, I'm tired of
lies, Father, just take it all.
00:42:09.39\00:42:13.19
So this happened in jail?
00:42:13.23\00:42:14.56
Yeah, in jail, in a
halfway house Cordova
00:42:14.60\00:42:16.77
and, yeah, I was sitting there
and it's like just take it.
00:42:16.80\00:42:21.40
Yeah, yeah.
00:42:21.44\00:42:22.77
I've been, I'm tired of the lies
00:42:22.80\00:42:24.57
and He was faithful.
00:42:24.61\00:42:25.94
Amen, He's
always faithful. Boom.
00:42:25.97\00:42:27.31
Steven, how did you
meet, how did you meet Jesus?
00:42:27.34\00:42:29.94
Yeah.
00:42:29.98\00:42:31.65
Layne came to
church and he said,
00:42:31.68\00:42:33.28
one of the guys had
been meeting with him
00:42:33.31\00:42:34.85
in the halfway house.
00:42:34.88\00:42:36.22
He was doing
private meetings with him,
00:42:36.25\00:42:38.52
he's coming to church today.
00:42:38.55\00:42:40.99
And, didn't know
Jesus but two guys walked in
00:42:41.02\00:42:45.33
and it's evident
that they know each other
00:42:45.36\00:42:47.83
and I was telling you earlier
that's like a high Sabbath
00:42:47.86\00:42:50.53
when you see inmates
walk into the church,
00:42:50.57\00:42:52.73
the Sabbath school, right?
00:42:52.77\00:42:54.64
And so the other guy
00:42:54.67\00:42:57.01
that was a buddy of his
within the halfway house,
00:42:57.04\00:43:00.41
he actually went
a separate direction
00:43:00.44\00:43:03.21
but Jesus just kept coming.
00:43:03.24\00:43:05.68
Yeah, yeah.
00:43:05.71\00:43:07.05
And he just wants to
talk about Jesus all the time.
00:43:07.08\00:43:08.92
Amen, Jesus, did
this whole Sabbath thing
00:43:08.95\00:43:11.02
which obviously
was a new deal for you?
00:43:11.05\00:43:12.82
Did that throw you or
was that kind of scary to you
00:43:12.85\00:43:15.36
or did you kind
of settle into it?
00:43:15.39\00:43:16.96
You know, I learned about
that, few years prior to that.
00:43:16.99\00:43:22.23
The question came to
mind when is the real Sabbath?
00:43:22.26\00:43:25.40
And I didn't
learn about it till,
00:43:25.43\00:43:28.00
till later I
started observing it
00:43:28.04\00:43:29.57
not through the
church but through the Bible.
00:43:29.60\00:43:32.64
I didn't, of course,
I wasn't observing it,
00:43:32.67\00:43:35.14
you know, I
wasn't keeping it holy
00:43:35.18\00:43:37.78
and whatnot but as you grow,
00:43:37.81\00:43:40.12
but that's how I
learned about it.
00:43:40.15\00:43:43.08
You know, it's just,
00:43:43.12\00:43:45.95
until I gave my life to the Lord
00:43:45.99\00:43:48.09
then everything
started happening
00:43:48.12\00:43:50.16
and how it should be, you know,
00:43:50.19\00:43:52.76
I got baptized some
years ago trying to get clean
00:43:52.79\00:43:56.50
and start a new,
but that doesn't work.
00:43:56.53\00:43:59.43
First I accept,
then I accepted Jesus,
00:43:59.47\00:44:01.30
and everything
else just falls in line.
00:44:01.34\00:44:02.67
There you go.
00:44:02.70\00:44:04.04
The first Sabbath you
spent in an Adventist Church.
00:44:04.07\00:44:07.74
What was that like for you?
00:44:07.78\00:44:10.11
You know, I just wanted to know
00:44:10.15\00:44:11.61
where does this
guy go to church,
00:44:11.65\00:44:13.42
because, you know, Layne...
00:44:13.45\00:44:14.78
Layne, Layne, yeah.
00:44:14.82\00:44:16.15
And I went in
for the study I said,
00:44:16.18\00:44:17.52
because I knew that he
was, he was pursuing Christ
00:44:17.55\00:44:20.42
and His truth, and I was like,
00:44:20.46\00:44:22.19
I want to know where
this guy goes to church.
00:44:22.22\00:44:24.26
And, yeah, and he had that
countenance and disposition
00:44:24.29\00:44:28.56
that only the
truth can do in you.
00:44:28.60\00:44:31.63
The sanctifying of the heart,
the cleansing of the soul and,
00:44:31.67\00:44:36.50
and so yeah,
that's where I ended up
00:44:36.54\00:44:38.17
and ever since then I mean,
everything that you learned,
00:44:38.21\00:44:41.21
if it's in the
Bible just it's like it's,
00:44:41.24\00:44:43.21
it's here that's,
00:44:43.24\00:44:45.05
I'm good with that, you know?
00:44:45.08\00:44:46.41
Good with that,
yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:44:46.45\00:44:47.78
So another person who is,
who is stronger for the word,
00:44:47.82\00:44:49.58
you were ready to go I mean,
you wanted to accept Christ,
00:44:49.62\00:44:52.09
you just need to know
what to do, how to do it,
00:44:52.12\00:44:53.99
but you are ready, you
were surrendered already.
00:44:54.02\00:44:56.16
Yeah, when I came
into the church actually,
00:44:56.19\00:44:58.03
sir, you came and did a
prophecy seminar in Kenai
00:44:58.06\00:45:02.36
with Amazing
Facts some time ago,
00:45:02.40\00:45:04.13
this was years ago.
00:45:04.17\00:45:06.10
And somebody invited me to it
00:45:06.13\00:45:07.67
that started the chain reaction,
00:45:07.70\00:45:10.41
it was on the 2300 days.
00:45:10.44\00:45:13.34
And it consummated
in 1844 and I said,
00:45:13.38\00:45:17.38
and the Holy Spirit
said, "Hey, you're out of time.
00:45:17.41\00:45:19.81
Human kind is out of
time, this is the last call."
00:45:19.85\00:45:23.18
And that started everything
00:45:23.22\00:45:25.65
and from then on is the
rest that we spoke about
00:45:25.69\00:45:28.76
but, at that moment
so the power of the word
00:45:28.79\00:45:32.19
and His prophetic
word you just can't deny,
00:45:32.23\00:45:34.03
you can't, you
can't, you can't deny it.
00:45:34.06\00:45:35.96
But yeah, when you're ready,
when your heart is surrendered,
00:45:36.00\00:45:39.20
everything...
00:45:39.23\00:45:40.57
Everything is ready to
go. Everything is ready to go.
00:45:40.60\00:45:42.40
So, Steve, you, you
saw this guy, he's on fire,
00:45:42.44\00:45:44.57
he's obviously ready to go.
00:45:44.61\00:45:45.94
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
00:45:45.97\00:45:47.48
Praise the Lord.
00:45:47.51\00:45:49.61
You know, things from 2012
when we started the center,
00:45:49.64\00:45:55.62
that fall November we're
having baptisms at our church.
00:45:55.65\00:46:00.26
But all of them are
relative to prison ministry.
00:46:00.29\00:46:03.66
Six of these guys,
00:46:03.69\00:46:05.56
I was, didn't even
include Tony at that time
00:46:05.59\00:46:08.76
and so let me just say
00:46:08.80\00:46:11.50
most of the
baptisms in our church
00:46:11.53\00:46:13.20
that have happened in
the last four, five years
00:46:13.23\00:46:15.30
are either prison
ministry and or prison ministry
00:46:15.34\00:46:17.97
and Discover Bible School.
00:46:18.01\00:46:19.41
I see, yeah, yeah.
00:46:19.44\00:46:20.78
So it's just a method
of plowing the fields,
00:46:20.81\00:46:25.55
that's how it works.
00:46:25.58\00:46:26.92
How many prisons is,
is your ministry serving
00:46:26.95\00:46:30.39
at this point?
00:46:30.42\00:46:31.75
In South Central Alaska,
00:46:31.79\00:46:34.12
not including
Alaska is a huge place
00:46:34.16\00:46:36.19
but South Central
Alaska whereby it was,
00:46:36.22\00:46:38.89
where before it was
just eight volunteers
00:46:38.93\00:46:41.93
two jails to
three halfway houses,
00:46:41.96\00:46:44.27
now it's in eight
prisons and jails,
00:46:44.30\00:46:47.10
and three halfway houses,
00:46:47.14\00:46:50.04
and extending now out to
five correctional facilities
00:46:50.07\00:46:53.31
and more to happen.
00:46:53.34\00:46:54.68
Three halfway houses? Yeah.
00:46:54.71\00:46:56.04
Wow, praise God, praise God.
00:46:56.08\00:46:57.81
And 30 volunteers now. Yeah.
00:46:57.85\00:46:59.98
Success produces success, right?
00:47:00.02\00:47:02.42
That's where I'm going, yeah.
00:47:02.45\00:47:03.79
So as we started doing
Prison Ministry Sabbaths
00:47:03.82\00:47:06.39
and letting people know
00:47:06.42\00:47:07.76
what was
happening in this ministry
00:47:07.79\00:47:09.12
and putting out a call
for people to get involved
00:47:09.16\00:47:11.49
along the way certain people,
lot of them were doing this
00:47:11.53\00:47:14.26
like I was for three years
00:47:14.30\00:47:15.63
but even some of
those have now come in.
00:47:15.66\00:47:18.40
You can't find in my opinion,
00:47:18.43\00:47:19.77
I'm sure you can attest to
this a more gratifying ministry
00:47:19.80\00:47:22.74
when you really
start immersing yourself
00:47:22.77\00:47:25.54
into the spiritual, you know,
00:47:25.57\00:47:29.61
ending for these people.
00:47:29.64\00:47:31.05
So I suspect there's
more people correcting lesson
00:47:31.08\00:47:32.98
now then just your wife?
00:47:33.01\00:47:35.52
I'm, mostly the correct,
00:47:35.55\00:47:38.05
we get 80 lessons in and
out every week on average.
00:47:38.09\00:47:42.09
You know, we're in rolling
ten new students every week.
00:47:42.12\00:47:44.96
We have a 22%
graduation rate. Excellent.
00:47:44.99\00:47:47.86
You know, and
because some of these guys
00:47:47.90\00:47:49.70
are extended prisoners,
00:47:49.73\00:47:51.30
we run out of lesson
00:47:51.33\00:47:52.67
so after discover
or native New Day,
00:47:52.70\00:47:55.17
they go to focus on prophecy
00:47:55.20\00:47:57.64
and then we've developed
00:47:57.67\00:47:59.94
another program
called Discipleship
00:47:59.97\00:48:02.64
and just trying
to keep up with them
00:48:02.68\00:48:04.08
as long as they're in,
00:48:04.11\00:48:05.45
we want that
relationship to stay there
00:48:05.48\00:48:07.88
because we're the first thing
00:48:07.92\00:48:09.72
we want them to
think of when they get out.
00:48:09.75\00:48:12.45
Now you, you've told
me, watching my time here,
00:48:12.49\00:48:14.89
you're retired.
00:48:14.92\00:48:16.26
Yes.
00:48:16.29\00:48:17.63
So you have a little
more time to spend with this.
00:48:17.66\00:48:20.83
I imagine it's a
very fulfilling thing.
00:48:20.86\00:48:22.76
Yes. Tony, you're working still?
00:48:22.80\00:48:25.13
Yeah, I'm working, yeah.
00:48:25.17\00:48:26.90
Yeah, now what's your role
with Greater Works Ministry?
00:48:26.94\00:48:31.71
I'm a resident there.
00:48:31.74\00:48:33.38
And so when I got out of jail,
00:48:33.41\00:48:34.94
I got to experience
00:48:34.98\00:48:37.91
what the real
Christian home feels like.
00:48:37.95\00:48:40.82
Morning devotions, those
are my favorite. Vespers.
00:48:40.85\00:48:43.62
Vespers.
00:48:43.65\00:48:45.45
You know, keeping the Sabbath.
00:48:45.49\00:48:47.66
And I got to...
00:48:47.69\00:48:49.32
God, you know,
really placed this ministry
00:48:49.36\00:48:51.53
in a very nice
community, long time Adventist.
00:48:51.56\00:48:55.43
So a lot of the people
that I've been surrounded by,
00:48:55.46\00:48:57.90
has helped me grow as
a Christian young man.
00:48:57.93\00:49:00.97
Important thing.
00:49:01.00\00:49:02.34
Yeah, and so I'm really
thankful for Greater Works
00:49:02.37\00:49:05.81
and the
opportunity for me to feel,
00:49:05.84\00:49:07.91
what a Christian
home feels like and...
00:49:07.94\00:49:09.41
Now do you have family?
00:49:09.44\00:49:12.61
What do you mean
like a wife? Yeah.
00:49:12.65\00:49:13.98
No, I have no wife, no kids.
00:49:14.02\00:49:15.35
Okay, there's something
going, man, good looking guy...
00:49:15.38\00:49:16.82
No, no, no.
00:49:16.85\00:49:18.19
Do I've time to answer
00:49:18.22\00:49:19.65
because he's avoiding something?
00:49:19.69\00:49:22.26
It's like new zealot, you
know, it's kind of like I was,
00:49:22.29\00:49:25.39
but he
developed his own ministry
00:49:25.43\00:49:28.10
called Alaska Street Ministry,
00:49:28.13\00:49:29.93
and this guy is going out
into the toughest parts of town
00:49:29.96\00:49:33.80
reaching out to the
people on the street in a way
00:49:33.84\00:49:37.97
that I could never see me doing.
00:49:38.01\00:49:40.71
This guy, the other day
00:49:40.74\00:49:42.94
I get six sign-ups
for Discover Bible School
00:49:42.98\00:49:45.51
and I started looking
for their prison ID number
00:49:45.55\00:49:47.85
and there aren't any.
00:49:47.88\00:49:49.28
And I see it's Pine Street,
Pine Street, Pine Street,
00:49:49.32\00:49:52.52
he's going door to door
00:49:52.55\00:49:54.42
promoting Discover Bible
School lessons and the Lord...
00:49:54.46\00:49:57.03
Amen, amen.
00:49:57.06\00:49:58.39
And not only promoting
them but bringing in fruit,
00:49:58.43\00:50:01.90
you know, and so as I was,
00:50:01.93\00:50:04.17
we recently did a Prison
Ministry Sabbath in my church
00:50:04.20\00:50:07.14
and I was reflecting he did up
00:50:07.17\00:50:08.90
and did a
promotion for glow tracks
00:50:08.94\00:50:12.84
which we incorporate
into our prison ministry.
00:50:12.87\00:50:15.21
And I was
reflecting and I'm thinking
00:50:15.24\00:50:17.35
the guys in this church
that are really involved
00:50:17.38\00:50:20.25
in ministry are all
prisoners, former prisoners.
00:50:20.28\00:50:24.92
Yeah, yeah.
00:50:24.95\00:50:26.29
How gratifying it must be to see
00:50:26.32\00:50:28.79
the second generation of fruit,
00:50:28.82\00:50:30.63
when I say that you did
a work out came two guys
00:50:30.66\00:50:36.20
who are on fire,
00:50:36.23\00:50:37.57
who are now
birthing other ministries,
00:50:37.60\00:50:40.40
and having success and
moving this thing along,
00:50:40.44\00:50:42.67
that must be very,
very gratifying to you
00:50:42.70\00:50:44.11
and the church.
00:50:44.14\00:50:45.47
It fulfils what I
studied about discipleship,
00:50:45.51\00:50:48.34
that you know people
want to go out and they want,
00:50:48.38\00:50:51.08
what the magic doesn't happen,
God's magic doesn't happen
00:50:51.11\00:50:54.15
when I'm preaching
the 30 guys in the jail,
00:50:54.18\00:50:55.95
I'm looking for one.
00:50:55.98\00:50:57.32
Yeah. That was Christ's method.
00:50:57.35\00:50:59.09
And so in studying discipleship
00:50:59.12\00:51:00.92
if I find one person per
year that I can truly disciple
00:51:00.96\00:51:04.66
to the point that the
next year they're discipling
00:51:04.69\00:51:06.76
one person per year,
00:51:06.80\00:51:08.23
then there's four of us,
00:51:08.26\00:51:09.90
in 20 years
there's a million 400
00:51:09.93\00:51:12.93
some odd thousand
people discipling,
00:51:12.97\00:51:16.04
that's what Christ had in mind.
00:51:16.07\00:51:17.41
That's what He had in mind.
00:51:17.44\00:51:18.77
And so I don't
worry about the masses.
00:51:18.81\00:51:20.14
Yeah. I worry about the one.
00:51:20.18\00:51:21.71
And so is this fulfilling? Yeah.
00:51:21.74\00:51:23.75
Absolutely. Very
much so, very much so.
00:51:23.78\00:51:25.95
This is a wonderful ministry,
00:51:25.98\00:51:27.35
and before our time
just gets away from us,
00:51:27.38\00:51:29.22
I want to go to the
contact information.
00:51:29.25\00:51:33.32
Couple of things,
you may want to talk
00:51:33.36\00:51:35.12
to Steven or Jesus or Tony
00:51:35.16\00:51:37.63
and get the feel
of what they're doing,
00:51:37.66\00:51:39.69
but also this is a ministry
00:51:39.73\00:51:41.33
that you can
support with your dollars
00:51:41.36\00:51:42.70
that you can
pray about and support
00:51:42.73\00:51:44.63
because they're
doing a good work
00:51:44.67\00:51:46.13
and you can see
that stuff is happening.
00:51:46.17\00:51:50.24
People are being saved
to save, to save others,
00:51:50.27\00:51:53.21
and that's how Christ
would have it be done.
00:51:53.24\00:51:55.44
If you would like to
support Greater Works Center
00:51:55.48\00:51:59.05
and the Greater Works Mystery,
00:51:59.08\00:52:00.52
here is how you
can do precisely that.
00:52:00.55\00:52:02.82
If you would like to learn more
about Greater Works Ministry,
00:52:08.02\00:52:11.06
then you can do so by
writing to 2421 O'Malley road,
00:52:11.09\00:52:15.76
Anchorage, Alaska 99507.
00:52:15.80\00:52:19.27
That's 2421 O'Malley
road, Anchorage, Alaska 99507.
00:52:19.30\00:52:25.31
You can call
them at 907-301-4377.
00:52:25.34\00:52:30.05
That's 907-301-4377.
00:52:30.08\00:52:33.82
You can also find them
online at John1516.org.
00:52:33.85\00:52:39.39
That's John1516.org.
00:52:39.42\00:52:43.26