Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY017104A
|
00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello, and welcome to another 3ABN Today program. 01:11 We are so very thankful that you joined us 01:14 as you do each and every day. 01:16 And we have an exciting program in store for you. 01:19 I don't know if you like to travel, travel a lot, 01:22 maybe you can't travel. 01:23 Have you ever wanted to go to Sweden? 01:26 I've never been, 01:28 but today we kind of get to go to Sweden. 01:31 So hang on to your seats 01:32 because it's going to be an exciting ride. 01:33 We're actually gonna be talking with Claus and Theresa Nybo 01:37 about LifeStyle TV and their work there in Sweden, 01:40 so it's gonna be a great day. 01:41 Absolutely, we always love the Today program 01:43 because we get to come into your home 01:44 and share with you ministries from around the world. 01:47 And this ministry, 01:48 I almost want to say began here at 3ABN 01:50 in a sense sort of. 01:52 Many years ago, 13 I believe, 01:54 Claus and Theresa were here at 3ABN, 01:57 so it's a privilege. 01:59 We just say we get to interview our friends today, 02:01 and such a blessing that is, 02:03 but the Lord called them to start an incredible ministry 02:06 and we just want to introduce them to you. 02:08 At this time, we have Claus Nybo, 02:10 you are President of LifeStyle TV 02:12 and your beautiful wife Theresa. 02:14 Amen. 02:15 And, Theresa, you are health producer and host, 02:19 but obviously you all wear many hats. 02:22 A few. 02:25 But you know, it's good to be back here again 02:27 'cause like you said, Jill, 02:28 it really did start here, you know? 02:30 God called us to come here for a year. 02:32 And during that year, he gave us a vision 02:34 to go back and do something similar. 02:36 And so, we love coming here 02:38 and to see what our family is doing 02:40 back here at 3ABN. 02:41 You know, I liked always the open 02:43 because the song is I want to spend my life 02:45 mending broken people, 02:47 and mending broken people are all over the world, right? 02:50 There's broken people all over the world, 02:52 so your work in Sweden is touching lives. 02:55 The work of 3ABN worldwide as well is touching lives. 02:59 And you at home can touch somebody for eternity 03:01 not only by your support of the ministry of 3ABN 03:04 but also just in your local community, 03:06 there are people in your local church, 03:08 you know, it's interesting, sometimes Jill and I comment, 03:10 we are on the road sometimes just driving along 03:12 and there are so many vehicles on the road, 03:14 and you just wonder each car that you pass, 03:15 wow, that person has a story. 03:17 I wonder where they're going. 03:19 Sometimes you see, 03:20 you may pass somebody on the freeway 03:22 and you see them just crying and crying. 03:23 Don't know why they are, 03:25 there's lot of hurting people out there. 03:26 And the answer to everyone's problems 03:28 is Jesus Christ. 03:29 That's a blessing. 03:31 I've been able to participate with ministries such as 03:34 or help out ministries such as Lifestyle Television, 03:37 3ABN as well. 03:38 Amen. That's right. 03:40 Now we're gonna go to a scripture 03:41 and I want to ask you 03:42 why this is important for your ministry there, but... 03:45 This is Ecclesiastes 11:4, 03:48 and when I ask Claus what scripture, 03:50 specifically is for LifeStyle TV, 03:52 this is the scripture he mentioned. 03:54 It says, "He who observes the wind 03:56 will not sow. 03:58 And he who regards the clouds will not reap." 04:03 So tell me why is that verse 04:06 particularly important to LifeStyle TV? 04:08 You know, Jill, I think that so many of us often, 04:12 we look for as that scripture indicate the perfect condition, 04:15 you know, we look for the weather 04:17 and says, "I don't know, 04:18 it's not time to go out for a walk, 04:20 it's not time to go for running, 04:21 it's not time for this," 04:22 and we always want the best condition. 04:24 And so many people 04:25 because they're looking for that 04:27 end up not doing in life what they really could. 04:30 It's true. 04:31 And so I think for LifeStyle TV and for our experience, 04:33 a lot of it had come down to realizing that 04:36 when God calls, step out 04:38 even if everything is not ready, 04:40 and He will provide and He will open, 04:42 He will supply. 04:43 And so that's been our experience at LifeStyle TV 04:45 again and again is to trust God and just move forward, 04:49 even if anything is not there and... 04:52 When you think about faith, 04:53 faith is basically something you cannot see, right? 04:56 So you say God has called you to start LifeStyle Television, 04:58 a number of years ago. 05:00 You couldn't see what, 05:01 from where you started to what it may become, 05:03 but you knew that God was calling you. 05:05 Yeah, and that's the key, stepping out in faith. 05:06 And God blesses. 05:08 He does in incredible ways when you do that. 05:10 He opens up, and that may be a beautiful sunny day 05:13 or it may be going through some cloudy rainy periods, 05:16 you know, but He brings you through 05:18 and He grows things step by step, 05:21 and that's part of what we're gonna share as well today 05:23 'cause, you know, just a week ago, 05:25 we had groundbreaking for our new studio. 05:28 Yay! 05:29 We've been praying about it for years, and so... 05:31 Oh, that's huge. Amen 05:32 We're so excited about that 05:34 and we want to share some of that as well 05:36 later on in this program. 05:38 So, I know, you all being media, 05:39 surely have brought pictures too, right? 05:40 Amen. 05:42 So, we're gonna see some pictures of this as well, 05:43 so that's exciting news. 05:44 So, let's go to some music first, 05:46 and then we'll get into the updates 05:47 of Lifestyle Television. 05:49 We have with us Darrell Marshall today, 05:50 a great friend of the ministry of 3ABN, 05:53 and he's gonna be singing a beautiful song entitled 05:55 "The Armor of God". 06:16 Walking in the love of Jesus 06:19 Because He gave His life to save us 06:23 Sometimes this road is hard 06:28 To travel on 06:32 But His spirit feeds us 06:35 And reminds us that He needs us 06:39 To tell the world 06:41 His coming won't be long 06:47 But the armor of God protects me 06:51 From the evil one 06:55 Dressed in truth 06:56 With the breastplate of righteousness 07:02 I've got the shield of faith to quench 07:06 The fire of the wicked one 07:10 Making known the mystery 07:13 Of God's promises 07:20 With the helmet of salvation 07:23 And with the prayer of supplication 07:27 I'll stand against the darkness 07:31 By His strength 07:35 And I'll be telling of damnation 07:39 For the wicked in high places 07:43 I'll draw the Spirit's sword 07:46 For all His saints 07:50 And the armor of God protects me 07:55 From the evil one 07:58 I'll be dressed in truth 08:00 With the breastplate of righteousness 08:05 Oh, I've got the shield of faith to quench 08:10 The fire of the wicked one 08:14 Making known the mystery 08:17 Of God's promises 08:23 An ambassador of hope 08:27 When everything seems hopeless 08:31 Let me go throughout the land 08:35 And tell of God's great name 08:43 And the armor of God 08:48 Protects me 08:49 From the evil one 08:52 I'll be dressed in truth 08:54 With the breastplate of righteousness 08:59 Oh, I've got the shield of faith to quench 09:04 The fire of the wicked one 09:08 Making known the mystery 09:12 Of God's promises 09:18 When I open my mouth 09:20 Let me boldly speak 09:23 God's promises 09:54 Thank you so much, Darrell Marshall. 09:56 Praise the Lord that we can have the armor of God. 09:58 That's right. 10:00 And be clothed in every battle with the enemy. 10:02 If you're just joining us, 10:03 we have Claus and Theresa Nybo with us 10:05 from LifeStyle TV. 10:07 And we're so blessed by your ministry. 10:09 We were so blessed 13 years ago 10:11 when you came and worked here at the ministry. 10:13 But take us back, 10:14 I know we want to talk about the groundbreaking 10:16 and what God is doing now with the ministry, 10:18 but take us back to the beginning, 10:20 why did you start LifeStyle TV? 10:24 I think the year that we spent working here 10:27 was just in many ways an amazing year. 10:30 I worked as a producer on the road crew back then, 10:32 and we did the series Up Close. 10:36 And one thing that really impressed me was, 10:39 as we traveled around to different churches, 10:41 and as we were setting up and doing things, 10:44 to meet the people that would always come up 10:46 and share their story of how they had found Christ, 10:50 and had come to join the Adventist Church 10:52 because of watching a channel like 3ABN. 10:55 And to see that constantly, that media, 11:00 that TV could have that kind of impact 11:03 on people's life, 11:04 you know, touched us a lot. 11:06 And coming from an area of the world 11:07 where things were secular, where the churches were small, 11:11 it's not more than a couple of thousand people 11:13 in church, so... In Sweden? 11:15 In Sweden, and so... All of Scandinavia. 11:17 And all of Scandinavia. 11:18 So, it's a very small church 11:21 to reach out to a lot of people. 11:23 And so then the dream, the vision started growing, 11:26 saying why, 11:28 what could happen if we had a similar channel 11:31 back home in Scandinavia and Europe 11:33 that would reach out 11:35 and get into homes where people are 11:38 because that's the channels often 11:39 is to get in and to start talking religion with people 11:44 'cause they're very reserved. 11:47 They don't want to talk about it, 11:48 it's very private to people. 11:50 And so when you're sitting at home, 11:53 you can get in, pass that door via the TV channels. 11:56 You know, people have a different openness. 11:59 Your neighbor don't know that you're watching something. 12:01 That's correct. 12:03 You know, and so people get more courageous. 12:04 You look at things you otherwise wouldn't. 12:06 And so that vision 12:07 started growing while we were here, 12:09 so it's what would happen if we could do. 12:11 And, then the Lord started opening doors 12:14 as we would pray together about it 12:15 and just see, you know, start exploring. 12:19 And we were here for about a year, 12:23 and I know Danny was very supportive 12:26 and encouraging during that time to say, 12:28 "No, this is a good idea. 12:30 You know, go ahead and try to develop it. 12:32 And we'll get you off to fly back to Sweden 12:35 and meet with some people and come back." 12:37 You know, so very flexible in schedule too 12:39 and to help encourage. 12:40 And I know he was paying for many flights back and forth 12:43 here in the beginning as well 12:45 to explore all these ideas. 12:47 And it started opening up, 12:49 we started getting contact with satellite companies, 12:51 and then drawing up a contract 12:53 and so many miracles happened there that first year. 12:57 And after leaving here, it was about one year later, 13:02 just under one year I think, 13:03 we actually went on satellite on January 13th, 2006. 13:10 Wow. 13:11 You know, and that's been amazing. 13:13 It's been on satellite 24/7 ever since. 13:16 So, okay, then you have this, 13:18 I'll say, the vision or impression 13:20 to start this in Sweden, 13:22 so you went to 13:23 and, like, rented a beautiful studio, 13:25 I know you're groundbreaking on a new studio, 13:27 so what did you have, 13:28 I mean, what was your studio, Theresa? 13:31 Well, you know, one thing, 13:33 one principle that we've basically used the whole time 13:37 has been to take what we have and use what we have. 13:40 We don't believe that 13:42 God will give us something new, something extra 13:44 if we don't even use what He has already given us. 13:46 That's good. 13:47 And so we looked around. It was interesting. 13:50 In a town not far from us, a big town, 13:53 the Swedish television station had closed one of their studios 13:58 and it was for sale. 13:59 And so we looked at it and everything. 14:01 And it was big, and it was beautiful, 14:03 and it was nice, and it was expensive. 14:05 And it was a ways away from where we were. 14:08 It was right in the middle of the city too. 14:11 And so we thought, you know, 14:13 there were several reasons not just the financial, 14:16 but also being in the city, we thought, 14:17 "No, that's not really where we feel 14:19 that God is calling us." 14:21 We looked at what we had, and we had a small building 14:25 that was not finished, 14:27 it was actually part of a house. 14:29 And we thought "Well, you know, why don't we take this." 14:35 And originally we thought we will just take this 14:36 and make offices out of it and everything, 14:39 but then we had this one big room 14:41 that was originally to be the living room of the house. 14:44 We thought, "Well, I guess we could make a studio in here, 14:47 why not?" 14:49 And that's where we've been operating out of ever since. 14:51 Wow. 14:52 That's amazing. Let me add to it. 14:53 This is not American sized living rooms. 14:57 It's a small European sized living room, 14:59 so you know, the space was very, very meager, 15:03 but what could be done in there has really amazed us 15:07 and a lot of people over 12 years. 15:09 I mean, constantly people will come visiting 15:10 and I'm just like 15:12 "Is this the studio we see on TV?" 15:14 I mean, how do you get this tiny space 15:17 to look like this? 15:19 You know, and that's been the Lord's blessings. 15:20 And in so many ways, 15:22 He has allowed us to use the little we have 15:24 and expand it. 15:26 When we started, we didn't even own a camera. 15:28 Wow, so how did you start? 15:29 We borrowed cameras from others, you know, 15:32 and then step by step we would get help, 15:34 people would donate, 15:36 and we would buy our own cameras 15:37 and we will expand. 15:39 And, yeah, that's been the growth, you know, so... 15:43 You know, what I like, that was taking what you have, 15:46 what God has given you right here at hand 15:49 and using that 15:50 instead of saying, "Well, I'm going to sit back 15:52 and wait until God provides x, y, and z." 15:55 You just say, "Okay, right now, I'll take what God has given me 15:57 and then you move forward with that." 15:59 And I think if we all started doing that... 16:01 Yes. 16:03 So much would happen in God's work. 16:05 I mean if we just simply take what we have in our hands 16:08 and start using it for God 16:09 instead of always wishing 16:11 for something bigger and grander, 16:13 and so that's been our experience. 16:15 Amen. 16:16 Now I know you've brought several pictures. 16:18 The first picture here is 16:19 something about reaching Scandinavian. 16:21 Well, I think the first one is kind of unique 16:22 because often when we say we're broadcasting in Sweden, 16:25 people will start talking about, 16:26 "Oh, yeah, the chocolate, and the alps, right?" 16:30 That's right. 16:32 Well, Sweden is not Switzerland. 16:34 And if we get that first picture up, 16:36 you will see here Scandinavia, 16:38 that's the country up there in the north. 16:40 To the right, you have the little yellow dot, 16:44 that where our studio is 16:45 right on the southern tip of Sweden. 16:47 And then it kind of goes up, 16:48 it's kind of like that panda that's jumping out there 16:51 with the head and the front legs, 16:53 you know, that you see there, 16:55 Sweden, Norway, and Denmark right underneath. 16:57 That's the main areas that we're reaching. 17:00 The satellite signal itself 17:01 technically covers all of Europe, 17:03 but we are on a satellite that is focusing 17:07 on Scandinavian language channels, 17:10 and so... 17:11 Yes, we have Scandinavians living abroad in Europe 17:14 that will be watching it. 17:15 Anybody else could as well, 17:17 but it specializes on people with the Scandinavian languages 17:21 which is Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian. 17:25 Those three language groups and countries 17:28 is the focus that we have there. 17:30 Wow. 17:32 Do you know what your potential viewing audience is 17:34 from the satellite? 17:36 We are reaching on the satellite, 17:38 some 20% of the audience 17:41 or the population in the countries. 17:43 Oh, that's great. Oh, boy, incredible. 17:45 And so that's very good. It's very good. 17:46 And then, of course, through internet, 17:48 then you are about 99% of Scandinavia, 17:52 so you have a huge footprint of reaching in. 17:56 The other advantage that I think has really helped us 17:58 and where 3ABN, 18:00 because of that comes in 18:01 and becomes a real main partners, 18:03 well, is the language. 18:05 In Scandinavia, we don't dub films. 18:09 So kids grow up, you know, 18:11 as soon as they start watching Hollywood movies, 18:14 they listen to English 18:15 because it's subtitled, 18:17 so they read it but listen to the English soundtrack, 18:20 which means that people are used 18:22 to listening to English TV. 18:24 And so we're able to use a lot of English programming 18:28 because of that which even in rest of Europe 18:31 is not as commonly done 18:33 because they are used to dubbing TV 18:34 and so you don't hear the English sound channel. 18:36 And so that helps us a lot 18:38 and that's why we can take so much programming 18:39 from you as well, 18:41 and then air it directly 18:42 without having to first translate it 18:44 and subtitle it, 18:46 but just use it as it is 18:47 and so that's been a great blessing 18:49 and we really appreciate 18:51 getting programs on a regular basis 18:53 from you guys here as well. Yeah. 18:55 Well, I know it's been a blessing for 3ABN, you know, 18:56 to work with you all, you know, through the years and for sure. 18:59 And I think media, especially, now through the internet, 19:02 you're mentioning the internet, 19:04 you know, especially, 3ABN 19:05 is finding more and more people are, 19:08 either their smartphone, 19:10 or like through their computer, their laptop, 19:12 that's becoming the norm, if I may say. 19:15 And I know that there are satellite fees, right, 19:18 that you will have to pay, 19:19 or there are fees that you have to pay every month 19:21 for the satellite? 19:23 There are big fees, you are right. 19:24 That is for sure. 19:25 It's an expensive area, 19:27 but it's also reaching a lot of people. 19:29 But more and more are coming over to internet. 19:31 And so more and more we're looking at, 19:33 as I'm sure you're here too, 19:35 how can we reach the audience as they keep shifting over 19:40 to more and more internet IP based 19:42 instead of satellites. 19:44 And so these are some of our new challenges 19:47 I guess in working with TV 19:48 that we're trying to relate to in how we reach people. 19:52 So when LifeStyle TV, 19:55 you have a little bug that probably comes up 19:57 right in the corner just like 3ABN does, 19:58 you see it now on the corner of your screen. 20:00 So do you have a little phone number 20:02 or an address that they can reach out to you? 20:04 I know here at 3ABN we have a call center. 20:06 But I'm sure you're getting some response from people 20:08 that you said 20:09 maybe don't want their neighbors 20:10 to know they're watching LifeStyle TV, 20:12 but they say, "Hey, I'm interested 20:13 in what I've just heard. 20:15 I want to contact and find out more information." 20:16 Are you getting some neat contacts? 20:18 We are getting. Is that encouraging? 20:19 and we're gonna share some stories, 20:20 and it is amazing when you hear from these. 20:23 It's always, just the highlight of your day. 20:25 It is. 20:26 When you go through 20:28 some of the different viewer responses, 20:29 people writing in, and calling in different ways, 20:32 you know, 'cause we sit here and we look at a camera lens... 20:36 I know, 20:37 you know somebody's on the other side. 20:39 And you wish you could see that face, 20:40 you know what I'm saying. 20:42 But that viewer letter is that face, 20:43 and so sometimes just sitting there and looking, 20:45 and imagining that face, you know, 20:47 to me that helps with become personal, 20:49 you know, you're speaking to sort of speak to that person. 20:51 That's true, yeah. 20:53 And so, that's wonderful to see. 20:54 Some of the things we've also realized 20:56 in the concept of ministry 20:58 is that we're having to start by making contacts. 21:04 You know, where do you meet people, 21:06 how do you connect with people, 21:08 and so we look at a concept of working with, 21:15 you know, building trust, building connections... 21:18 You have a graphic of this, right? 21:19 I think we have a graphic that we could bring up there, 21:21 so, you know, creating contact, building trust, 21:25 showing God's love, 21:26 and then leading to the Adventist Church. 21:29 These are some of the steps that we go through. 21:31 That's great. 21:32 And so realizing that, 21:34 "Yes, people sit and surf on the TV 21:38 and they will switch channels, 21:40 but we need to reach with more than that. 21:42 And so we do a lot of different health events 21:44 and Theresa has especially been involved with that, 21:46 with her Master in Public Health, 21:48 and so health expos, 21:50 tell a little bit about, you know, 21:51 what is that we do with the health expo? 21:53 Well, we realized that as Claus was sharing that 21:57 we need to able to get in contact with people 22:00 that don't necessarily have satellite, 22:02 that aren't finding us on the internet. 22:05 And so we have started doing health expos 22:09 which is an excellent way to reach into a culture 22:14 that is not inherently religious. 22:16 Yes, absolutely. 22:17 But everybody is interested in health. 22:20 So we go out and we set up expos, 22:23 I think we have a picture of one of the ones 22:25 that we have done here, 22:26 set up in like, this was in a large shopping center 22:30 close to us 22:31 that a lot of people go through. 22:36 You would say it's a different... 22:39 See, always we have like 200 people 22:41 that go through a full health screening 22:44 where they get some blood test, cholesterol, 22:46 and blood sugar. 22:48 Blood pressure? 22:49 They'll get blood pressure, you have an exercise test, 22:51 Fitness test. Fitness test. 22:52 Wow. 22:54 There are some long tests. 22:55 There's a health-age computerized test, 22:58 so it takes about 45 minutes to an hour 23:01 to go through all of this. 23:02 Well, that's great. Is it free of charge? 23:04 This is free of charge, 23:06 and as people go through these different stations 23:08 and get help with their physical health, 23:11 you build a relationship, you build trust 23:14 and people are so thankful for what you've done 23:18 that they want to know more. 23:19 And so that's a way that we then use to introduce them, 23:22 and we used to introduce them 23:24 to a magazine that we've then done... 23:25 Oh, that's great. 23:26 For people outside, it's an outreach magazine. 23:28 Can I see one? 23:29 And so that's made to connect again. 23:33 Very nice. 23:34 And so we try to build if you will, 23:38 the brand as well. 23:40 LifeStyle TV is the TV channel 23:43 where we reach out with our programming, 23:45 then the expos is called Lifestyle expo, 23:48 so that's where you reach people at the fair, 23:51 at the shopping center, you know, with health 23:54 and then we give them a magazine 23:55 that's called Lifestyle View. 23:57 And so you're building this brand of Lifestyle across 24:00 from contact to building trust 24:03 and to be able to deliver a message 24:05 and to share in much more depth with people. 24:08 And so during that they sign up for free magazine like this. 24:11 That' great. 24:13 I like it that everything's focused on lifestyle. 24:14 Everything's focused on the health aspect, 24:17 if you look, I can't read this 'cause it's not in English, 24:20 but I can see from the titles that it looks like, 24:24 like this looks like it's on vegetarian, 24:26 this might be exercise. 24:29 She looks like she's rock climbing. 24:31 And so you're going through 24:32 some of the different lifestyle habits. 24:35 Well, and we believe that as Seventh-day Adventists, 24:38 we have a holistic picture of health, 24:41 so we believe that it's not just the physical, 24:44 it's not just the mental, 24:45 but we also have the spiritual aspect as well. 24:47 Amen. 24:48 And that's what we want to tie it in. 24:50 It's interesting with these expos that we do, 24:53 about 10% of the people, 24:55 consistently, every time we do it, 24:57 will sign up and request Bible studies 25:00 when nobody has talked to them about the Bible. 25:02 Ten percent? Ten percent. 25:04 That's incredible. That's huge. 25:05 That's the minimum. It sometimes goes up to 15%. 25:08 But nobody's talked to them about the Bible per se, 25:11 they've taken their blood pressure, 25:12 they've checked their weight, 25:14 they've done all these physical things with them, 25:16 and yet it has built that trust 25:19 and they're interested in something more. 25:22 It's interesting we had a health expo here, 25:27 oh, maybe a month, 25:28 not little more than a month ago 25:30 in one of the local town. 25:32 It's a big university town not far from us, Lund. 25:36 And so we set up this expo and then people came through, 25:38 and I remember there was one particular lady 25:41 'cause I was doing... 25:43 I was doing the blood test. 25:45 And she went through it, 25:47 and she had some health issues that she was concerned about, 25:51 she talked to the doctor at the end, 25:53 and we were doing after this with the local church, 25:56 we were doing a vegetarian cooking school, 25:59 so the doctor recommended, 26:01 "Well, maybe she should try the vegetarian cooking school 26:03 for her health problems that might be of help to her". 26:07 So we were doing this, not in this town, not in Lund, 26:09 but in Malmo which is about 10, 15 minutes by car, 26:15 10 minutes by car maybe, 26:17 away from this other town. 26:18 Well, so sure enough 26:20 she signs up for the vegetarian cooking school 26:22 and she arrives the first night 26:25 and we start talking to her 26:26 and it was interesting to find out that 26:30 she had ridden her bicycle from the one town to another, 26:33 it took her only an hour and a half. 26:35 Only an hour and a half? Only an hour and a half. 26:37 That's one way. One way. 26:38 That's one way. 26:40 We finished the cooking class there about 8 o'clock 26:42 and she bikes back home. 26:43 And she's not the first one to leave. 26:46 She stays and talks 26:47 and then she'll bike back home that night. 26:49 Interesting enough, she's in her '70s. 26:51 Oh, my! She's not a spring chicken. 26:54 So she came to these different cooking demonstrations 26:57 and while we were there, I was talking to her, 26:58 and I'm not exactly sure how she found out, 27:01 must have been talking with one of the other church members 27:03 that were there. 27:04 She found out that we have an international Sabbath 27:10 once a month in our church where we have English services. 27:14 "Oh, and what time does your church service start? 27:16 Oh, I want to work on my English." 27:18 And so just from having this expo, 27:23 you know, within just a matter of weeks, 27:26 she's already interested in showing up 27:28 and finding out something more 27:30 about the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 27:31 I mean, of course, she is interested in English 27:34 but she could turn on the TV 27:35 if that all she was interested in. 27:39 But she is obviously interested in knowing something more 27:43 than just what the language has to offer. 27:45 So a lot of the resources that we try to develop 27:48 is to try and use that concept of connecting with people, 27:51 building trust, and leading into TV 27:54 and other things that then gives them also 27:57 a depth of quality of life, meaning of life, 28:01 purpose of life which is really interesting. 28:03 There was just a study done 28:05 by a professor in Sweden that came out with 28:08 and looked at some of the issues 28:09 of the increase in depression. 28:13 And has written a doctorate, a thesis over the fact that 28:18 one of the reasons behind the increase in depression 28:23 that she sees could very well be 28:26 that there's a lack in the secularized world 28:29 of talking about and looking at a meaning and purpose in life. 28:33 Really. 28:34 And so because you don't have that, 28:36 she believes from her study 28:38 that you see a rise in depression. 28:40 And I think that's very, very interesting. 28:42 And these are some of the things 28:43 we connect with people on through health awareness 28:45 and start sharing 28:46 and seeing that we have more to offer. 28:48 And so even in the magazine try to give 28:52 the starting point of connecting, 28:54 of raising questions, 28:55 and then hoping that people will go over 28:57 and then on TV will be able to find a much broader base. 29:00 Yeah, it's interesting to me 29:02 'cause you said it is very secular. 29:03 Is that correct? 29:05 And so with these expos, it's really neat, 29:07 you don't have a big sign that probably says 29:09 we're Christian, 29:11 I don't know, church services or something like that. 29:13 You actually did a health expo 29:14 so like you said 29:16 everybody is interested in health, 29:17 that we all want to live long, we wan to live long, 29:19 but have a good quality of life. 29:20 We really don't want to be sick and live long. 29:22 So you hit that need of their health, 29:25 you're providing these free services, 29:27 and then they're like, "Oh, these people, wow. 29:28 There must be more to them." 29:30 And then that's where you, I guess, reach across that 29:33 and bring in the Lord, the spiritual part of that 29:35 and then introduce them to LifeStyle TV. 29:37 Exactly. And, yeah. 29:39 That is wonderful. 29:40 And I think a lot of it is the Holy Spirit working. 29:43 We simply make ourselves available, 29:46 make an expo or produce a TV program, 29:49 produce a magazine. 29:50 We simply do the work that we can 29:54 and then the Holy Spirit comes in 29:55 and starts working on people's hearts. 29:57 And just to back up as you were saying secular, 30:00 to kind of put that in the perspective, 30:04 less than 2% attend church. 30:06 Oh, really. Wow. 30:07 That's what we mean when we talk about... 30:09 Are you talking about Seventh-day Adventist Church? 30:10 Any church. 30:12 So that's what we mean when we say very secular. 30:14 So it's probably about the highest percentage 30:17 in the world of non religious area. 30:20 It's been listed, 30:21 each of the Scandinavian countries 30:23 have come up on the top of the list 30:24 of the most secular. 30:26 Go ahead. 30:27 So these testimonies to me are incredible 30:29 because you think about less than 2% are in church 30:31 and yet God is using LifeStyle TV to reach people. 30:35 I love testimonies. 30:37 You have an another one with, I think Marlin? 30:39 Yes, and as we look at here 30:42 and just the graphic as we go over there 30:45 with TV program, 30:46 because on the TV we have strong message series, 30:50 and two of our very, most popular series 30:53 probably has been a series on the great controversy 30:56 and on the life of Jesus. 30:58 What we've done a simple concept 31:00 of taking the book, The Great Controversy, 31:03 and chapter for chapter had one program for every chapter, 31:08 not reading the chapter 31:09 but taking the theme of the chapter 31:11 and going through that together with the Bible, 31:14 and then offering the book as a free resource... 31:16 The Great Controversy? The Great Controversy. 31:18 And the amount of people writing in and asking for that. 31:21 And they're going home and reading it 31:23 and following week for week that series. 31:26 And there's 42 chapters in The Great Controversy, 31:29 so that's a long series. Oh, yeah. 31:31 So people are following along 31:32 and they're getting a lot of Bible truth. 31:35 And these are things that they used to write and say, 31:37 we've never heard before. 31:38 This is very unique for the Adventist church, 31:40 the understanding of The Great Controversy behind 31:43 as is reflected 31:44 and now understanding prophecy from The Great Controversy. 31:47 And in the second one, on the life of Christ, 31:50 we took the book The Desire of Ages, 31:52 that's 87 chapters. 31:53 Wow. You did 87 programs? 31:55 One program for every single chapter, 31:57 going through all of the gospels 31:59 in that book. 32:00 And people would write in, they would follow along. 32:02 So every week, twice a week, was a new program. 32:05 And I have to say, for myself, 32:07 it was a huge blessing to be on the program, 32:09 and actually go through the gospels like that 32:11 and share it. Oh, that's great. 32:12 It's interesting because we had, 32:14 with The Great Controversy we had as well, 32:17 but one specific testimony 32:18 with the series on the life of Jesus, 32:23 we had someone write in 32:24 and they requested the book The Desire of Ages. 32:27 And then I guess after sometime, several weeks, 32:31 a month or something like that they wrote in again, 32:34 and they had read the whole book, 32:37 and they wanted 15 more 32:38 so they could give it to all their friends. 32:41 And this was not a... I mean I don't... 32:43 So he's not a Christian but has started reading this 32:46 and said this is just amazing, 32:48 and then wanted more to share. 32:50 And so the stories we have had of people that have read that, 32:54 you mentioned Marlin is a lady that, 32:56 it wasn't this series particularly 32:58 but she has a unique story. 33:01 She was in the hospital, 33:03 and at the time when we met her, 33:05 she had been in the hospital, that was 20 years ago. 33:07 There she had met a lady 33:10 and she was there 33:11 because of Marlin herself had different issues 33:14 that she had health wise 33:15 but she had noticed that this other lady 33:17 that was in the hospital in the same ward, 33:19 she had this piece about her. 33:22 And once every week, 33:23 she had these special preparations, 33:26 and she had this special day, 33:28 and Marlin said, she called it her Sabbath. 33:31 And she just noticed that this lady was so different 33:34 and she just had this total peace 33:37 and they had shared something's together 33:39 but that's after they came out, 33:41 she forgot about the lady, 33:42 her own life kind of really spun out of control 33:45 and she ended up with issues of drugs and other things 33:49 and really going down. 33:50 Were loosing part of her family and things were breaking apart. 33:54 And all of a sudden, 33:56 she starts thinking of this lady. 33:57 And all she could remember was this thing that 34:00 she had had a Christian background 34:02 and she had this Sabbath. 34:04 And so she googles up the words, 34:06 I think, Christian and Sabbath, 34:07 and what does she come up with? 34:09 LifeStyle TV. 34:10 And so she starts watching LifeStyle TV 34:13 and it's excited what she is, 34:15 and a while after she's been watching, 34:17 she looks up the local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 34:20 she comes there 34:22 and she starts connecting, 34:24 now that happened to actually be our local church, 34:26 so we met her locally. 34:27 We were just developing a Bible study series 34:30 at the time, 34:31 and needed somebody to proofread it. 34:33 So one of our Bible workers got the grand idea, 34:35 why don't we ask Marlin to proofread these studies. 34:37 That's great. 34:39 She said, yes, and so she sits there 34:40 and proofreads all these Bible studies 34:42 and is studying her way right into the truth. 34:45 Wow. 34:47 And Don, our Bible worker then met her just... 34:50 Well, actually it wasn't her 34:51 but this young man recently at the Adventist Academy 34:55 and he comes up to her 34:56 and just wants to say thank you. 34:58 And Don looks at him, he's like... 35:01 And reminds me, he's like, I'm Marlin's son. 35:07 So this was the son, 35:09 had now come to the Adventist Academy, 35:12 had gone there as a boarding student, 35:14 and now he had decided 35:15 that he wanted to give his life to Christ 35:17 and be baptized. Oh, praise the Lord. 35:18 And so this is how the ripple effect go 35:21 and it is so exciting to see. 35:23 And so back to where we started, 35:26 the dream that we had when we came 35:28 and we're here at 3ABN 35:32 is being fulfilled at home, 35:34 that we are seeing people walking in to churches 35:37 because their lives have been touched, 35:39 simply from watching TV 35:41 and sitting and studying in their homes 35:43 in different ways. 35:44 Makes it worthwhile, doesn't it? 35:46 It does. 35:47 You know you think about it 'cause we are not talking about 35:49 not some big, grand, you know, studio, 35:51 but in a home is where it started, 35:52 right, your studio. 35:54 I know a lot of hard work has gone into 35:56 but you can't put a prize on a soul. 35:58 No, and the picture we have here is 36:01 another lady being baptized. 36:03 This is in Finland, 36:05 another Bible worker that has worked with us, 36:07 Jonathan Carlson, 36:08 and again a connection between his studies, 36:12 a lady watching TV leading to baptism. 36:16 Her husband now, later also was... 36:20 to begin with, not interested at all, 36:22 then started watching at home, 36:23 and then step by step then coming 36:25 and joining his wife later in baptism. 36:28 And so the way it's impacting 36:30 and so many stories we can tell and so many details 36:33 but it's just, you have them here, 36:34 but it's just so exciting 36:36 and every one of these are precious stories 36:38 because they are not just a story 36:40 but it's a changed life. 36:42 That's amazing. 36:43 Yeah, and I want to tell you at home too 36:45 that there are ways that you will be able to support. 36:48 We want to thank you. 36:50 I know some of you have stood with LifeStyle TV 36:51 and saw them launch, get started, 36:54 and this is an update for you. 36:56 For others, it's brand new, 36:57 you haven't even heard of LifeStyle Television or TV 37:00 but we want to here in a few minutes, 37:02 so get your pen and paper ready of ways that you can support. 37:04 We're gonna talk about some of your needs 37:06 and again what God is doing, 37:08 there's even more exciting things 37:09 you're gonna share here in the next couple of minutes, 37:11 but just want to encourage you to continue to, 37:13 even if you can't financially support, 37:15 right now to pray 37:16 because prayer is in touch with our Creator God. 37:19 But I know we've got some exciting things 37:20 going on currently at LifeStyle TV, don't we? 37:24 Well, as I mentioned, 37:25 on the 5th of November, year 2017, 37:31 we had a very, very special day 37:35 and that was a day we've been praying about 37:38 for a long time, 37:41 groundbreaking. 37:43 Where we were able to break grounds 37:45 for a new studio 37:48 that is gonna be built to air LifeStyle TV, 37:51 so finally so to speak, 37:52 getting out of the living room and getting into a space 37:55 and one of the pictures here is from that groundbreaking here 38:00 where we're standing and revealing the studio. 38:04 We built a small model that you see here 38:07 and so just sharing it 38:09 with people over there at the event. 38:11 I said this is what God has led to 38:14 and opened the doors for. 38:16 And so, so that's really, really amazing. 38:18 And there was a lot of different partners 38:20 that were present there from the local church, 38:25 the local union, 38:27 both from the Swedish, Norwegian, 38:28 and Danish union were all present there. 38:31 The leadership, the Trans-European division, 38:34 Victor Hulbert was there, 38:36 and so there together 38:37 we were able to look at these plans, 38:39 to see, and to pray, 38:41 and to dedicate the grounds for this new studio 38:45 that was gonna be built 38:47 and that really I think created a lot of excitement. 38:50 Here we see the property around, 38:52 and the red arrow there... 38:53 Looks a little like Southern Illinois. 38:54 So lets stay on this picture then for just a second, 38:57 so where is the current LifeStyle TV 38:59 as we look at this beautiful green grass 39:01 and I see some buildings. 39:02 Would it be in the upper left hand side, 39:04 the lower? 39:05 The lower left hand side, 39:07 that building there towards the road. 39:08 And I see an antenna, there's an antenna sticking up. 39:09 That's the antenna 39:11 that is actually broadcasting the signal 39:14 that goes to another town where it goes uplink. 39:16 So then where will the new building be? 39:18 The red arrow... 39:19 Where the red arrow is. Oh, I see it, yes. Okay. 39:22 That's where the new studio will be built 39:24 there in a beautiful spot, 39:25 and it will be turned south out over the field 39:28 where you get a full wonderful view there, 39:31 so that's a really a blessing. 39:33 And I mean there is so much that could be said 39:35 but I, one story, you know, 39:37 we've been working on all the permits 39:39 and it's been quite a while, 39:42 and some challenges about the last aspects 39:45 of getting things together 39:47 and getting all of the handicapped accessories 39:50 approved and so forth, 39:52 and we really wanted to have the permit 39:55 before we were going to have the groundbreaking. 39:58 And so we had been praying and praying, and finally, 40:01 I think about two weeks before 40:03 we got the message that 40:05 the initial permit had been approved, 40:07 but then before you get which is the starting permit, 40:11 you have to have technical meetings 40:13 and go through a lot of other things, 40:15 and so we had asked for that to be as soon as possible 40:18 and so we go in there, 40:19 and we had our architect with us, 40:21 and so we're sitting in there in the office and going through 40:24 and this just checking off, 40:26 and I was wondering, you know, he's so quiet 40:29 and I didn't understand why architect didn't, 40:31 you know, I wanted him to kind of, you know, 40:33 'cause he knows what to say, he's been through this before, 40:36 and half an hour later we have finished 40:38 and we walk out the door. 40:40 And we haven't just gotten outside the door 40:43 and he's just like, "I can't believe it." 40:48 He's like, "I can't believe we got the permit," 40:50 so we walked out of there 40:52 with the signed starting permit, 40:54 and he says I have never seen that happen before. 40:58 It's normally a long process of documents back and forth 41:01 and detailed plans, 41:04 and here we walked out a week before 41:06 with a final permit that we could have begun 41:08 to start a building that afternoon, 41:10 and it was just such a miracle that God just really worked. 41:13 It's the hand of God, isn't it? Amen. 41:16 Do you have square footage what it's projected to be? 41:19 It's going to be just under 10,000 square feet, 41:24 the total building. 41:26 The studio itself 41:27 is probably going to be about the size 41:29 of the studio we're sitting in here at 3ABN. 41:33 And that's going to allow a lot of things, you know, 41:36 and several different mulchers sets around 41:38 in different areas so that we can produce. 41:40 There's going to be space for offices, editing suites, 41:46 master control, 41:47 and then one thing that we have really wished to do 41:50 in connection with this is, 41:52 as Theresa had worked a lot with health work 41:54 is to also have a bit of a community center, 41:57 so we have made the cafeteria part extra large 42:01 so that there's room to invite people in, 42:03 to do seminars, 42:05 and other things 42:06 for the community around in the area. 42:09 And so that's an aspect 42:10 that I think we are really excited about. 42:12 I don't know, 42:13 what do you have a plan, Theresa, 42:15 for what you would like to do in there? 42:16 Well, one of the first things I want to do is 42:18 I want to put on a health expo for all LifeStyle TV neighbors, 42:24 for everybody out in the area where we are. 42:26 I'm actually part of a local choir 42:31 and that helps me keep contact with my neighbors, 42:35 and just to be able to share with them, 42:37 to connect with them, 42:39 and then I want to start with some health classes. 42:43 I'm working on right now, 42:45 actually developing a cooking course kit 42:48 for the Swedish union 42:50 that can be used by different churches 42:52 but by all means I'll probably be using that 42:54 at LifeStyle TV for my neighbors too. 42:56 Wow, that's great. 42:58 That's good. 42:59 I think if we go to our last slide here as well, 43:02 there is a picture of us in the field 43:05 where we're all standing there 43:07 where the actual groundbreaking, 43:09 the spades digging in. 43:10 And this is where 43:12 the main entrance to the studio is going to be, 43:15 and the studio kind of be like behind 43:17 where we're standing there. 43:19 And so that was a wonderful day. 43:21 Despite the rain, 43:22 it was actually raining when we were there, 43:24 it was just a wonderful day to be able to be there 43:27 and to see how God answered 43:30 so many prayers for so long time, 43:32 and have helped as well to get finances up to about 70% 43:36 of financing the new building already. 43:38 Oh, praise the Lord. 43:39 And you have some special volunteers coming in, 43:42 aren't they, to help with 43:43 the construction of the building? 43:45 We have, yes. 43:46 Many of you may know the Maranatha volunteers, 43:48 I'm sure they've been here many times 43:50 you shared stories, 43:51 and so the Maranatha volunteer team 43:53 is going to come over 43:54 and be part of helping to do the inside structure. 43:56 We have a company that will do the metal structure, 43:59 then everything inside 44:00 and dividing up in offices and all of that. 44:03 We're looking for volunteers, 44:05 and so I know if there's any volunteer, 44:07 any of you that have building experience 44:09 and will like to be part of our Maranatha crew 44:12 that comes over then, we're looking for that. 44:15 And the initial group will be there 44:17 in May, June of 2018, 44:19 but there will be many more groups, 44:21 I'm sure coming over, 44:22 so if you see that as a later time, don't worry, 44:25 just take contact. 44:27 And so I think taking contact with Maranatha... 44:28 Yeah, they would go to their website, I think, 44:30 wouldn't they, to find out when Maranatha 44:32 and all the plans, the details are coming over 44:34 to help with your construction. 44:35 Now, that's really, really exciting. 44:37 So we saw a lot of people there in their groundbreaking, 44:40 so you must have a really large staff there 44:42 at LifeStyle TV, 44:43 that was probably just a small percentage? 44:44 That was just a few of them, yeah. 44:46 Just a few of them. 44:47 We actually know the answer to this. 44:50 I just kind of asked that question. 44:51 There's been a lot of physicians. 44:53 That's true, so anyway, tell us about your staff 44:54 and how many you have... 44:56 And some of the needs that you have for the staff 44:58 because I know you do a lot with young people 44:59 and media missionaries, 45:01 so talk to us about that too? 45:02 We are just a small, a small crew again, 45:04 and the Lord has allowed for a lot to happen. 45:07 We have had some really dedicated staff 45:10 and still have. 45:12 We are looking for some extra staffing, 45:14 especially in the aspect of video editing and filming, 45:19 so that is an area that is open for editors, 45:23 camera people, somebody with TV experience 45:25 and that really would like to maybe do something in mission. 45:28 Do they have to speak the language? 45:30 No, it's not a prerequisite. 45:33 All of our production language internally is English, 45:36 so we speak in English, 45:38 obviously it's a help if you can understand, 45:40 but we have had English speakers 45:41 that have done a wonderful job before. 45:43 And so somebody that want to be part of a couple of years 45:46 maybe volunteering 45:48 or being part of a staff on that, 45:50 then we have open positions. 45:52 But as you are referring to as well I think, Jill, 45:54 we have a media missionary program 45:55 for young people, 45:57 and they come in typically for one year 46:00 and will stay there 46:01 and we will help train them, educate them, 46:03 and give, most of all, opportunity 46:06 to actually work in a media ministry. 46:09 That's how I learned myself a lot of it, 46:11 was working here for one year. 46:12 And so to work in an environment 46:16 where it's done, 46:17 you learn so much. 46:19 So would you take someone then, if I'm understanding correctly 46:21 that doesn't really know much about television 46:23 but has an interest, is that correct? 46:26 You help a student and then actually learn on the job. 46:28 We have taken young people with no interest, 46:30 we have taken young... 46:32 Not no interest, but no... 46:33 Oh, okay. 46:35 We sometimes have had that. 46:37 But they have gotten interest with that, 46:39 but with no background. 46:41 We have had people 46:42 like come out of a college education, 46:44 and I've just said that, 46:46 hey, I'm used to all this book knowledge, 46:49 I want practical experience. 46:50 And those are great 46:52 because then they come with a lot of theory, 46:53 and now they get to practice. 46:55 And so we have both like 46:57 before and after college basically, 47:00 and that's a real blessing. 47:01 And you provide like a place for them to stay? 47:04 We provide a place for them to stay, 47:06 and food for them to eat, and work for them to do... 47:09 Amen. 47:11 You know but what an opportunity 47:12 because when you have a smaller staff 47:14 such as you all have, it's really nice 47:15 because you get a lot of opportunities 47:17 to try and work in many different areas, right? 47:19 Like you said audio, editing... Yes, you do. 47:22 And you get opportunities to travel and to see other things 47:24 and be part of a ministry that, 47:27 you know, it's not like just a school project. 47:30 This is real programs that are airing that are going out 47:33 and are reaching real people, so... 47:34 And life changing content. 47:36 Seriously, it's a real mission experience 47:38 and it's an exciting job. 47:41 Now, Theresa, you had mentioned working on a new cookbook 47:44 or something in conjunction with the Swedish union, 47:46 like a whole series, 47:47 so I'm always interested in food, 47:49 and I see you have lots of recipes 47:51 in this magazine too, 47:52 but you're just finishing, I believe, 47:54 a whole series of health programs, 47:57 so talk to us about that 47:59 and how you're working in conjunction with the church? 48:00 Well, this actually, this past year, in Sweden, 48:04 LifeStyle TV has partnered with the Swedish Union 48:07 to do a health awareness campaign 48:10 for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 48:12 for their church members, but also for the public, 48:14 so as part of that we have had the magazine, 48:17 we've had an emphasis on the different topics 48:20 that we've focused on for the health campaign, 48:22 and we also have done 48:24 a half an hour television program. 48:28 A weekly program. 48:29 A weekly program, 48:30 and so now we have, 48:32 we've actually produced 49 programs up to date, 48:35 we have three more to do, 48:37 and we'll have done the whole year 48:38 of television for that, so... 48:41 That's exciting. 48:43 And it's been a real blessing. 48:45 It's been challenging to do a weekly program, but it's... 48:48 But, you know, and it's amazing 48:50 and really one of the things we try to work 48:53 on this relationship of working in partnership together 48:56 with other ministries, with churches 48:59 and to see what we can do together 49:02 when we work together 49:03 because so much we do, we do in silos, 49:06 separately, even within the church, 49:08 we do it in departments, 49:09 but when we start a synergy between different things, 49:13 you see something happens and you can do things 49:15 and reach resource that we can't otherwise do. 49:18 And so we have been so blessed 49:20 in working with these partnerships as well 49:22 with the local unions 49:23 and to see them activate their church members. 49:26 And when church members go out 49:28 and they will use the magazines, 49:29 they will go out to neighbors 49:31 and they will give them to them. 49:32 They will sign them up. 49:33 There's cards inside these 49:35 where they can sign up for free subscriptions 49:36 and then we mail it out. 49:38 And so church members are active to use this 49:40 as an outreach tool 49:41 which then refers back into watching TV programs, 49:44 and in that, we're getting active 49:46 and much further. 49:47 Amen. Well, it's so exciting. It is. 49:50 You know to see what God is doing 49:52 in and through the ministry of LifeStyle TV. 49:55 My own heart is encouraged, 49:56 and we consider them a sister ministry, 49:58 a partner ministry. 49:59 3ABN has been blessed 50:01 to work together with LifeStyle TV, 50:04 provide programming and content, 50:05 and then just to see what God is doing 50:07 in and through this ministry, 50:09 so what we want to do now is put up the contact information 50:12 for LifeStyle TV. 50:13 We encourage you to support and to donate. 50:16 We encourage you to pray for them. 50:18 We also encourage you if you are a young person 50:20 or not so young and you want to get involved, 50:23 you'd like to move to Sweden and get involved 50:25 and help physically as part of the staff, 50:28 here is how you can contact LifeStyle TV. 50:33 If you would like more information 50:34 on LifeStyle TV's ministry work in Scandinavia, 50:38 or if the Holy Spirit is impressing you 50:40 to support them financially, 50:42 you may do so by visiting their website, 50:44 LifeStyleTV.se. 50:47 They would also love to hear from you 50:49 if you'd like to be considered 50:50 for a position on their production team. 50:52 Their website again is LifeStyleTV.se. 50:56 You may also send your tax deductible donations 50:59 to LifeStyle TV, 51:01 in care of Ouachita Hills Ministries, 51:04 PO Box 35, Amity, Arkansas 71921. |
Revised 2018-03-15