The Power of One Yes: Placing God’s Word in Hearts Around the World with Todd Reynolds

On Hope Unlocked, host Kristin Kurtz interviews Todd Reynolds of Sunrise New Testament Ministries on the calling that shifted him from sales to Scripture distribution. After a Sunday school plea for “Bibles in native languages,” Todd launched a lean model that partners with missionaries and local distributors to place affordable Bibles where access is scarce. Hear his near-death testimony, service-first sales mindset, and a VBS story from France that changed a family. We unpack why heart-language Scripture fuels evangelism and discipleship, how to endure dry seasons and practical ways to pray and support the Great Commission.

Todd's contact info:

Website - sonrisenewtestamentministries.com

Email - wtoddreynolds@yahoo.com

Phone - 940-631-6186

Books:

Reaching Critical Mass: A Layman’s Earnest Call To Personal Ministry Action & It’s companion Bible study

🎙️Hope Unlocked Listener Exclusive! Feeling stirred but not sure what to do next? Book a 45-minute Holy Spirit-led 1:1 coaching session w/ Hope Unlocked host Kristin Kurtz, founder of New Wings Coaching. This powerful conversation will help you move from stirred to activated—with peace, clarity, & a Spirit-led next step. Book your call HERE now–special pricing to listeners!

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Guest Introduction
• 2:20 College Paths And Pressure
• 5:20 A Faith-Centered Approach To Sales
• 12:24 Near-Death Moments And Surrender
• 19:14 The Call To Native-Language Bibles
• 25:26 Building Sunrise New Testament Ministries
• 29:14 Why Missionaries Need Bibles
• 34:54 Testimonies Of Impact From The Field
• 42:44 Persevering Through Deserts And Doubt
• 49:04 Scripture For Endurance And Service
• 55:44 How To Help: Prayer And Support

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:16

Welcome to the Hope Unlocked Podcast. I'm your host, Kristen Kurtz, and I'm also the founder of New Wings Coaching. I help and empower wild-hearted and adventurous women of faith feeling caged and stuck, unlock their true purpose and potential, break free from limitations, and thrive with confidence, courage, and hope. If you're curious to learn more about coaching with me, head to newwinkscoaching.net and be sure to explore the show notes for ways to connect with me further. Get ready to dive in as we uncover empowering keys and insights in this episode. So tune in and let's unlock hope together. Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host. I pray this episode is like a holy eve of hope for your soul. Please help me welcome Todd Reynolds to the show. I am excited to have him here today. Um, one of those like divine connections, I happened to be on a call, was it last month, with the US Christian Chamber of Commerce? And we ended up in a little group together in a breakout session on our Zoom. And I was just really um, I guess you could say kind of enamored by what he's um been doing and the way that he's followed the Lord and his walk of um having a ministry. And I would love for you to just share a little bit more about you before we get into your story.

SPEAKER_00: 1:37

Okay. Well, Christian, I appreciate it. And I appreciate you taking the time to to do what you do with your ministry. And um, we had talked a little bit before this, and uh the Lord is really blessing it. So hopefully we we can be a uh blessing back uh to your ministry and also those out there who may not be um are feeling hopeless or kind of down where they're at. And and again, that's something that I can uh can appreciate. Yeah, um, and hopefully today will help in some way, form, or fashion.

SPEAKER_01: 2:16

So I don't doubt it.

SPEAKER_00: 2:19

Yeah, so just a little bit about myself. I grew up on a farm uh and a family farm, and we there's uh in Frisco, Texas, and a lot of people may know Frisco because it has exploded. I was there when there were 2,000 people and more cattle than people. Wow. And now there's close to 300,000 people in Frisco. So you bet. And um, but I I went to um I went to um Texas AM. Okay, graduated from Texas AM. Um, and also a little bit later after graduation from AM, uh, I also um from 94 to 97 uh attended Illinois State University there as well and received received my master's. Oh uh both of them having nothing to do with the ministry uh that that I'll share with in a little bit. But I married uh my wife Kim and then have two boys, uh 130 and 134.

SPEAKER_03: 3:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 3:32

So um and uh some three dogs.

SPEAKER_01: 3:37

Three dogs. I love it.

SPEAKER_00: 3:38

You bet, you bet. So that's that's a little bit um about me.

SPEAKER_01: 3:43

And yeah. Well, I love what you said. Um, I I think about this often. You know, I've I've got an oldest son who's currently in college, and um I would love to maybe like I feel like there's there's something on this. You you said what you went to school for has nothing to do with what you're currently doing now. Um I I've noticed that a lot of uh even when I was in school, there was kind of this ushering, as you you think of kind of like cattle prodding, you know, like I gotta go this way. Um I'm guessing that you have some elements of what you were taught in school that you've brought into, you know, the work that you do. Um, what would you say to that? Like what would you say to kids, even if somebody's like 18 and they're like, oh, I'm so much pressure, like there's so much pressure for me to go to college. Um, does that resonate with you at all?

SPEAKER_00: 4:35

Right. Well, um definitely um it's interesting with that that came up that I know today the kid uh kids have a lot of pressure today, and um college uh definitely helps uh from a social and educational um perspective. Uh, but also there are the um I guess you'd say the trades that are that are out there. And uh not always, but there seems to be a little less pressure on that, uh, the the huge financial you know investment. Um and and so the the trades are a great alternative that probably don't carry quite as much stress in that arena, but uh both both options are good uh for you. So and you had asked, you didn't know if some of the stuff that I learned at school didn't apply. It did. Um in my undergraduate at Texas AM, it was in agricultural economics with a minor in marketing.

SPEAKER_03: 5:49

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 5:49

And I spent more time in the business school doing economics and marketing, uh, but I had my core agricultural classes, and a lot of that came from my you know, my past, what you know, brought up. So and then my master's was also it was in um agribusiness management. So I spent more time in the school of you know business and marketing and stuff. So I I guess I have a uh a strong um affinity to um economics and and marketing. Okay. So I was in sales um for 30 years and um was um bivocational. So the ministry started a good while back, and then I was also uh doing, I guess you could say from a worldly standpoint, uh doing sales there, but being very economical, um being very efficient and effective is something that's always and always looking out for the betterment of the customer. It was just a lot of times there was a lot of pressure to make the sale and and then be gone, yeah. But I just I just had uh a need to have to um make sure that I was doing best what was best for the customer in building their business. And it's amazing how that came around that the there was a lot more that I benefit I benefited from by putting a priority on them.

SPEAKER_05: 7:51

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 7:51

And and I and I believe, I surely believe my faith kind of led me down that road. And even when the pressure was on to just make a sell uh and not necessarily on the customer, that um my faith led me in the direction of taking care of the customer, and in return, uh the sales goals were met in the majority of situations.

SPEAKER_01: 8:17

Wow. I would love, I mean, this is this is another, you know, interesting conversation too, because um, you know, for those of us who like I'm in, I have a business, um, many listeners either are maybe going to be stepping into business or they have a business. And um I'm guessing most of the listeners are believers as well. And the world would tell you to sell one way. There's a kingdom way of selling. What what were some experiences that you have? Do you have any like testimonies in that realm where you know you you had the pressure, but then you felt him moving you to go one way. Um, do you have any examples of like maybe some insight or um wisdom to share with a listener who's you know really struggling? Because sales can be a really big challenge area for people in business, would you say?

SPEAKER_00: 9:45

Yeah, definitely, definitely. It it can it can definitely be that away. Yeah. Um, you know, the Bible tells us that, you know, you know, give, give, you know, uh it's like give to God what is God's, uh, you know, and to the government was the government. He used a specific name in that, and I just can't pull it up right now. The Caesar, yeah. Caesar, sorry.

SPEAKER_01: 10:13

Yeah, it's okay.

SPEAKER_00: 10:14

Giving to Caesars what's Caesar's and to me, you know, what is mine. And so the approach was from the company standpoint where a lot of the pressure was. I thought it was important um to achieve and to put into practice what they wanted me to do. Uh because I was under them, I was employed by them. But so the achievements came, I utilized some of the skills that they had put in place for us to apply. But very after I did that, I I added something, I always added it. And it was it was the customer service aspect of sales. You know, sometimes they, you know, there's really high pressures on selling. Uh sometimes um it's not as high, but uh I found over 30 years that if I gave to Caesars what was Caesars, sure, and and to God what was God, and use an example was the customer service and being focused on the betterment of who I was serving, then um everyone won in that instance. Yeah, and it was just you know, there were stresses there, like, well, why didn't you do this? This well, um we did do what they asked, yeah, and at the same time we added that customer service base.

SPEAKER_01: 12:00

Yeah, so you took it up to another level of like really reaching the customer and right away beyond that, you know, somebody maybe have told you.

SPEAKER_00: 12:10

Right, right. There was it was it was like okay, you get the sale, you move on, whatever, but servicing those accounts and and those people and getting to know them, yeah, and what their goals were, yeah. And being able to fit what you were offering into that to help them reach those goals and reach them faster.

SPEAKER_01: 12:38

Yeah, that's great. Like I feel like kind of the encapsulation is like the key of relationship, it's like relationship building, not just the sale, right?

SPEAKER_00: 12:48

Absolutely. The sales will come.

SPEAKER_01: 12:50

Yeah. Well, thank you for kind of going there. We just never know what's gonna happen on here. Um, I I often think of like, what is what might somebody be asking? And um, so you're you're doing sales for 30 years, and then I know where you're at today, you have a ministry. So, how did you move into the ministry space? Like, what what did that look like at the beginning of that journey?

SPEAKER_00: 13:12

Okay, well, I was very blessed to have grown up in a uh strong Christian family, and uh we were always in church, and then at 10 years of age, um the uh Holy Spirit was nudging me, and um, I made a profession of faith at at 10 years of age. Wow, and um, and then jumping into I guess you'd say more into the school years, in about 1993, after I'd gotten out of uh Texas AM, I just kind of felt like there was something above and beyond just going to church on Sunday, uh being a part of a Sunday school, uh, and even teaching the youth. It was something that happened, it was a great opportunity, but I just felt like there was something above and beyond that um God wanted me to do. And so from and I will say this, there were times when I may have gotten a little off track on that, and like for example, um I also did was doing some photography on the side, and okay, and then in my my wife always says, your latest scheme, your late, your latest scheme, but what I was looking at is uh doing calendars and stuff like that with that, but then I had to, but then I had to bring myself in, you know, God had to bring me back in line, yeah. And um, and there were one or two other things that I did on the side, but God kind of brought me back. And in the year in 2000, I'd gone from um well in '97, I had moved from animal health cells into human pharmaceutical cells. Okay. And um in 2000, all during that time prior to that, I knew God there was something God was calling, but I just didn't know what it was.

SPEAKER_04: 15:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 15:31

And in 2000, we were looking for some property to build a house on, and there was a creek that went through the property, and that property, uh, and you couldn't walk around it because it went completely through the property.

SPEAKER_05: 15:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 15:46

And uh, but it was dry. But people building the house next door uh put some brand new tube eights across it, and so I told my family just to stay there. So I walked across and I thought, oh, if it breaks, I'll just jump off, you know.

SPEAKER_04: 16:01

Sure.

SPEAKER_00: 16:01

Uh no big deal to break my elbow, whatever. Yeah, and but it but the got halfway across and the right one broke, and physics doesn't think the way that we think, so it it ended up flipping me upside down, and I I fell five feet into the dry creek bed and ended up breaking my neck.

SPEAKER_05: 16:25

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00: 16:26

And somehow, some way I was able uh to get back to the car, and then we went, you know, to the hospital. We had to walk through the property to get back to the car. And um, and so that happened, and the doctors were like, you know, I mean, you should be either dead at the least in a wheelchair, and and and there's and when I mentioned this, definitely no disrespect to those who have had issues who who may be uh confined to a wheelchair or something to that effect, yeah. Um because you know there's strong hope in Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_04: 17:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_00: 17:13

And um, and then in and then in 2002, I was having a surgery and I aspirated in surgery. So it and that that was a pretty long recovery. And and um and they said you you shouldn't, you know, you shouldn't be here um because my oxygen saturations were so low. But I thought, okay, came out okay, that's too Lord. In in a matter of a year, uh two years. Two years, okay. Within two years, and the Lord sp spared me. I I mean for me, he spared me for others, he didn't, but um this um there are great opportunities for those of you who may be uh you know be a uh paraplegic or quadriplegic. Uh God can speak through you and and use you in so many ways.

SPEAKER_04: 18:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_00: 18:17

But um not too long after, well, not too long after that in 2005, we were sitting in Sunday school, and we usually sat in the back, but this Sunday we sat in the front, and the the um Sunday school teacher was like, Well, we have a special guest today from South Africa, and um and uh he's gonna just share with us and and share with us the kind of needs that he has and in his church, and then this booming South African voice, um it was like we don't need food or clothes, we need Bibles, we need the Word of God, and we need them in languages. In his church, uh, they had five to six different languages in one church, one church, Johannesburg, South Africa. Wow, and um so we I was gonna take a ministry trip there and get Bible uh and so well I'm sorry, what happened there is it hit me like a it hit me upside the head like a bat, and I went, that's it. That's what God's been talking to me about for a long, long time. And I knew right then and there that getting the word of God out in native languages is what he wanted, uh, what what he wanted me to do. And he's blessed our he's blessed the ministry for uh on now we are at 20 years.

SPEAKER_01: 20:05

Wow. Uh can I rewind a little bit? Sure. You had this moment, you know, you're sitting in the church, you have this like this is it, and you mentioned that you like this was what he was trying to show you all along the way. Prior to that moment, were there little breadcrumbs that you maybe just that were coming along your path, and you just were like, like when you say that he was, you know, showing you this maybe a little bit prior. Was there indication that this was the thing prior to hearing it?

SPEAKER_00: 20:37

There really wasn't. Okay, so you have you just knew this was it was a very beast uh be still and you know, know that I'm Lord, you know. Yeah, like hear my okay, and he didn't he didn't reveal, I mean, for years, he didn't reveal what it was, and I'm just I'm just so glad, yeah, or praise the Lord that he allowed me not to go off on track, you know, get off track and and or to quit listening to that little voice. Yeah, yeah you know, and as Christians, when we become when we're saved, you know, the Holy Spirit comes in. So he, you know, at his time he just kept knock, kind of knocking, but he wasn't revealing, wasn't revealing, and then he re and then he revealed it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 21:35

So you had this sense that like there's more, there's something beyond what I'm doing here, and that prepared your heart for that moment when he's like, This is it. So you figure this is it. Then what happened?

SPEAKER_00: 21:50

Well, I just turned on my wife and I said, That's it, and she goes, What? And I said, That's what God's been, that's what the Holy Spirit's been pecking at me with for nearly the past 10 years, you know. I I knew there was something I tried to a few times, I guess I got off track and kind of tried to fill it with something else, you know, business business-wise, not not substance abuse or anything like that. But yeah, um, but uh, but he I said that's I mean, I said that's it. Bibles, you know, it in the native languages. I mean, you can you can send them English Bibles, but what good is that gonna? I mean, uh I let me step back a little bit. The word of God doesn't ever come back empty. Yeah, so he could definitely have someone who speaks a different language look at an English Bible, and the person he can even get to the point of being saved because that's the power of the word, and God said it will it will not come back void, yeah. And there's several examples of that um over the last 20 years, but um but in in most in most cases having that native language bible there.

SPEAKER_01: 23:19

Yeah. So yes. So you're was your wife on board? Like did she what like what did that like what did that process look like?

SPEAKER_00: 23:27

You know you know she was, but she was she was concerned, well, maybe it's another one of those maybe it's another one of those things. Yeah, so but um yeah, but it but you know she she came to s see, you know, uh what you know what God was doing and and everything like that. So but um, you know, it's just it's it's been um it's been amazing. Um you know it's been 20 years. He's allowed us to be in six different continents. Wow, uh 30 some 30, 30 plus countries, yeah. Um, and we've been able to distribute a little over 200,000 Bibles. It's amazing, uh, New Testaments and Bibles over that that period of time, and it's just amazing. And regardless of what's going what's going on in our economies and and our leaders and and all that stuff, it just things always seem to work out, you know.

SPEAKER_01: 24:38

Yeah, so tell us tell us the name of your ministry.

SPEAKER_00: 24:42

Our ministry is Sunrise New Testament Ministries, and the sunrise is with an O instead of a U. Uh again, Sunrise New Testament Ministries, and what we do is we partner with existing Christian organizations in distributing uh Bibles and New Testaments worldwide in native languages.

SPEAKER_04: 25:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 25:10

And um, our vision is to be able to respond to pretty much any ministry challenge, you know, or ministry need that's out there. We uh the Lord has helped us to fulfill the the um the mission statement, but it's not complete, it's not a complete thing. That will go on until either or he comes back, you know. Yeah, uh, but that vision, we really on that vision, we we haven't gotten there yet. And and and in reality, uh that's something that's gonna go on until either Christ comes back, you know, because there's always gonna be people out there to be reached.

SPEAKER_01: 26:00

Yes. I'd love to hear, like, have you um, you know, you're here and the Bibles are are going over to other continents. Have you heard, like, could you share a testimonial of somebody who actually was a recipient of your Bible that you'd sent over? Um, are there any testimonies that you could share?

SPEAKER_00: 26:20

Sure, definitely. Uh, just uh just kind of let you know a little bit, people are like, wow, how do you get all that? Again, we we're a small we're a small ministry and we we we don't keep inventory because we utilize distributors that are already out there working with Bibles and stuff. And so on a local level, domestic level, we will, when there's a need, we will go to one of our distributors and have them to send it directly to the to the ministries where regardless of what the ministry is, sends it there from an international standpoint. Fortunately, the majority of missionaries um overseas, we and and this is something that blows my mind. Um, we have been serving uh Bibles to 65 uh different um missionaries. And I did a little, I was interested, I did a little survey, and out of the 65, only two had ever received Bibles, much less Bibles in native language, in order to get it out at that point. It's like they're at the point of the spear, wow, working, and they and um American churches and organizations do a wonderful job getting them to their destination and and helping them to you know to stay, I guess you call it solvent, you know, to keep going. But yeah, and I think a lot of us feel like, well, they're getting Bibles, you know, uh, but they're but they're not. So internationally, we have there's a couple U.S. organizations that we uh get Bibles over internationally, but we have found that the biggest need is for missionaries, okay. Um, based on what I just shared with you. It's it's it's wild. This is kind of a situation, yeah. You know, we have missionaries on the ground, tip of the spear, and the people that they're interacting with. And there can be in the same community, two one, two miles away, there's a Bible society. Wow, but no no one anywhere near that Bible society is ever gonna purchase a Bible because their income may be twelve dollars a year.

SPEAKER_01: 29:06

Wow, and how much is a Bible to pay for or less?

SPEAKER_00: 29:08

Uh between five to ten is what we've seen.

SPEAKER_01: 29:11

Wow. A piece, depending on the kind of literally pay your almost a half year's wage.

SPEAKER_00: 29:18

Yes. There's no way they can afford a Bible.

SPEAKER_01: 29:22

And would they even know that they have a need for it at that point?

SPEAKER_00: 29:27

Uh we have found that a lot of them do. They have a desire for it, they do, but they know it's not a reality based on where they're at.

unknown: 29:36

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 29:37

And so I use the term so close, but yet so far.

SPEAKER_05: 29:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 29:45

And and it's just it's that is where the passion we're finding more and more that it's the focus is on missionaries. We still deal with our um other organizations, but the missionaries were just, I think that's an area that there needs to be a link. And so Sunrise New Testament ministry wants to be that link. Yes. Um, and um, and the missionaries, the missionaries want it. They they they want it, they're they're nearly as excited as the people that that get the Bibles.

SPEAKER_04: 30:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 30:23

So what we do with a lot of them, what we do with the missionaries is we uh most of them go go through organizations here in the states, and so there's a portal, there's a missionary portal. they can receive dollars so we we send a special gift for for bibles only in native language and we core we correspond and develop a personal relationship with those missionaries wow and they take those dollars and what they do is they get they go get those bibles at that bible society that would have never been able to you know and it it makes that connection yeah it's that connection there and so those bibles are gonna affect when they're passed down yeah they're they're gonna be passed down over generations yes and not to and I would never talk down about my country in the US it's wonderful I've been blessed beyond measures but the value when those people get that bible yeah they're they are obsessed about sharing it wow and getting into that word the passion just seems to be so much stronger there be I guess because they've been held back for so long and something they thought they would never be able to have a part of there they're able to to have a part of that. That's incredible we we one example is that there's um a missionary to France and we send over funds of so they could get Bibles and and they have these vacation bible schools over there okay where the children come in and and they play and all that stuff and then they hear about they hear about the gospel well this one girl she they she received one of those Bibles and took it home. Well on a Sunday morning and it happened to fall in between Sunday school and church I get I get this I get this email and it's from the the uh missionary to France he said this little girl and this is because they told him this this little girl and they didn't she didn't have a father but she had a mother that mother was not churched had no ambition to go to church that little girl brought that Bible home and she had sat it and she sat it on her i guess a dresser or whatever and we don't know exactly and then one day when the mother went into the room either to clean it up or whatever she came across that Bible and we don't know what part she read all we know is that she told her daughter hey I I I looked at I looked at the Bible everything she says can I can we go to church Sunday so the mother I don't know what happened um well I know what happened yeah but I don't know what she looked at but she she said I'm gonna go check out this church thing and he said that morning that the mother came down and and uh accepted Jesus Christ as her savior yeah and he he was so excited and it was so rewarding yeah and the great thing and I would just mention this whether if you're in a ministry or you're in a situation and it's it's not ministry related um when you're helping when you're it okay let's say if you're not in a ministry but it's your your your daily your daily walk or whatever when you're when you're serving other people yeah even if the Bible tells us even if one person comes to know all the angels in heaven will rejoice yes and so if it's just that one and and for example with sunrise if we go 25 years whatever it is and that's the only thing that that that's the only harvest that we see it's enough. Yeah yeah but I know that in our American culture it's about quantity it is instead of quality and it's just something that we struggle with that we have to go through but that's a long way that's a long explanation of what you ask I apologize.

SPEAKER_01: 35:31

No there's no need to apologize. I think everything you shared needed to be shared and is so impactful because it it really encapsulates you know your heart you know we talked about this before we got started like I am I am one who does it for the one too like he left the 99 for the one like that that's that's kingdom math right there right there. And um you know you think of sometimes sometimes you don't even know what your yes is producing on the other side like what it what is happening on the other side of somebody when you say yes to something that's bigger than you what you're doing is bigger than you right bigger than you I can imagine I mean and I'm not downplaying like your abilities but I'm just saying what you said yes to is big right beyond you it it takes a partnership with the Holy Spirit to get this thing moving and and all the things right and what I want to encapsulate is is your yes truly has generational implications. And you may not even see like he showed me years ago this this was so blessed me because um I shared with you I did accounting for like 20 years. So and I'm I'm in math like I I I'm a numbers person. Just generally I can figure things out math wise but you know in in multiplication one times one is just one but he showed me one times one in the kingdom is exponential. Like you impact one person you may never know until like we get to heaven like the multitudes behind them. And I think like just you sharing that like will definitely encourage somebody who's listening in today who whether in they're in business or in ministry and you know we do we have times where um the numbers aren't adding up right right absolutely how like in your 20 years have you had moments where on paper it's not adding up and maybe the world would say well what are you doing like this isn't adding up maybe like how do you keep going what what like how do you keep going okay I really appreciate that and it's um in actuality it's something that um I always like to use the term we but I'll just I'll I'll say I in the leadership aspect of the company of uh God's ministry is uh we're current I'm currently going through that um you know we go through valleys and and deserts and right now you know we're in a desert but what God is uh and and I'll be honest um there's family I have family that you know they haven't rejected me but they've kind of rejected the the ministry um uh even even some um immediate you know family so it's um it's it's very real and it's it's it's pretty taxing and you know just all the things around Satan is just like wow you know like you said this ain't adding up yeah you know this isn't adding up so um but the Lord tells us you know he only he only asks us to plant yeah the seed he said other people will come by and water it um and you know and it'll it'll come about and so that's what we're commanded to do uh in in the um great commission uh it's not a suggestion yeah uh the great commission is a is a command to go and teach and share and um and that's that's planting that seed you know and uh that's what God calls us to do whether it's in ministry or or whether it's in actually every Christian is in a ministry situation.

SPEAKER_00: 40:08

Yeah whether we know it or not whether we don't want to do it or not you know you know God told us that so even if you don't have a ministry per se you do have a ministry with those around for sure and I don't need I don't and you asked me what do I do like we're in that desert um yeah it's it's very discouraging but if I if I could do we have time for me to share a couple of things yeah yeah you're free forgive me if um I've got everything here if my computer slides down or something oh that's okay I apologize no worries yeah but what I wanted to what I wanted to do real quick and it's something that God has shared with me yeah that um that is um you have to forgive me here no worries you've got time all right in Galatians chapter five verse uh 25 okay it's it says since we live by the spirit of course that being that's speaking to Christians because um and I want to get too deep into theology but um if we're not christians we we don't have the holy spirit in us so when we become a Christian when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior and and repent of our sins and and come to him and make him lord he he the holy spirit enters yeah enters you and he is the one thing that is always there guiding you and encouraging you so in verse 25 it says since we live by the spirit it says let us keep in step with the spirit it says um so on both sides of this I won't get into it but it has the um spiritual gifts and in around the section it talks about spiritual gifts it tells us you know what they are it also tells us what is not spiritual gifts and so we don't have to try to discern that we just need to live by the spirit and to stay in in step with it so he he's laid it all out there now as well in 2 Corinthians chapter three okay uh verse four it says such confidence we have through christ before God not that we are competent in ourselves that we've talked about that today we're not we're not competent in ourselves no matter uh how successful we are we are not competent in ourselves when it comes to ministry but it says that uh through christ before God not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves but our competence comes from God he has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant um not of the letter like the letter of the law the the old uh the old covenant but the new covenant uh which it says not of the letter but of the spirit it says the letter kills but the spirit gives life that that has has really helped me through yeah in in those in those times that have been hard and and those times have been lately more so than anything yeah uh also in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16 it says therefore we do not lose heart though outwardly we are wasting away and at 60 I can appreciate that yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day yeah for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them yes so for those of you who feel like you're at the end of your rope um and I'm not gonna pretend to be a therapist or anything yeah but um but just just alone in those two verses um as a as a born-again christian regardless of your situation yeah um the Holy Spirit is in you um and we we live in um I guess you say in uh unity with the spirit yeah and then um we even though we might be outwardly wasting away and I can I can attest to that after 12 uh subsequent surgeries that have resulted from the fall so many years ago but but I there I can share with something about that again but I won't well for right now I guess yeah uh in Galatians chapter five yeah it says um it says you my brothers and sisters were called to be free uh it says it says but do not use your freedom to indulge flesh rather serve one another humbly in love for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one commandment love your neighbor as yourself okay so that's five thirteen through fourteen right correct thirteen uh thirteen through fourteen or three yes okay so what it tells us there in that in that one is is rather uh serve one another humbly in love and and so one thing I've also found when I'm really kind of down and out is go serve someone say that again help someone in need yeah and we may think ah that's not gonna make a difference and but it'll it'll blow you away what it is it's living by the spirit and that that's that's what that is saying. It says there's only one there's that one command yes you know love one another. Yes you know just as Christ has has loved you.

SPEAKER_01: 47:15

So that's uh thank you for sharing these verses I'm gonna link them in in the show notes for you guys who are listening who didn't um write down the verses and you know go dig into these verses um for yourself um you know I've had have I've had quite a year myself and one of the verses that was really highlighted to me was James one two through three and it's um this you might appreciate this one too but it's count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds and in another one it says of many kinds um for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect complete lacking in nothing and um you know I could go on with that but you know it's it's these moments and and I'm sure you've done this too where you're one of the things you do is you go out and serve others. You know when you feel like you know you're kind of down and out like get out of yourself like you know I I like to say and I I'm not this doesn't this is not a mean way but I have kind of double mean it's like get over yourself like get over and above like take take yourself out of the equation for a moment and go reach out to somebody whether it's like it's not necessarily having to go leave your house you can call somebody say hello you can um send somebody a message literally when you're at the grocery store you could smile at somebody and you never know what could happen. So you're in this you know you're in this season and that's it's interesting because you know I talk to a lot of people and there's many of us that are walking through some things right now. And you know what would be a way that somebody can like partner with you help you in this season um you know what are what do you need what do you need Todd?

SPEAKER_00: 49:13

Okay well I appreciate that yeah um first and foremost cherish any prayers yeah that that you may have um because you know it's it tells us that we're one or we're two or more of you are together it's harder you know to break it's harder for Satan to to break through that was kind of paraphrased but but um so that really so in living in the spirit you know we are you know we are two or more you know when it comes to prayer we're we're linked in there whether we physically go hey or we're one on one we can pray and still be linked through the Holy Spirit as as believers and um prayer would be number one uh number two um from a worldly standpoint money but but it's but you know we're not ashamed of the gospel and yes we ask for money yes um so that we can get the word of God the word of Jesus Christ out yeah to all the nations yes it it doesn't matter whether it's ten dollars it doesn't matter whether it's um you know 25 whatever the Lord is leading yes um it's what can it can really help and we and we get communication back and confirmation back from from where those go out you know the Bibles go out and we communicate it back to those who have supported us.

SPEAKER_01: 51:01

That's amazing um wow do you want me to give an email or or yeah so um and I I was just gonna ask as well so if there's any um missionaries like organizations um like would it be good like if somebody's hearing you today would it be good for them to reach out to you let them know kind of what they're doing um if so like what is the best contact information for them to reach you okay okay um there's different ways uh uh the the email is w toddrunns at yahoo.com do that by email my phone number is nine four zero six three one six one eight six okay and um and so you can get you know you can get in touch with me with me there okay perfect and I will link this in the show notes too so you guys can go to the show notes if you didn't capture the email and the phone number he gave um it'll be there for you okay yeah yeah we really appreciate it yes well it's been a blessing to have you on today um I knew when I heard just a very short snippet of your story I was like we need to have Todd on to share what he's doing in the world because it's it's huge. And I thank you for the work that you're doing and the the continuing on to persevere despite I'm in it with you. I'm in it with you and you know and there's many of us that are that are in it with you. I feel like you know Hebrews 11 the the heroes of the faith the Lord showed me earlier this year he said you're a hero of the faith who's fight or you're a you're a what'd he say you're a faith giant who is fighting giants or facing giants right even though we may not feel like a faith giant it's the ones who continue to persevere even though it looks crazy I just say it looks crazy sometimes right like this like no sometimes things don't add up yeah I think in our Noah's friends and family were probably like what it's not raining why are you building an ark what in the world are you doing you're losing your mind you know so you know keep on like all the Noah build I call them the Noah builders the ones that are building birthing things that maybe don't make sense he is so proud of you so thank you for being a brave voice who's setting many free I would love for you to just share is there any other um just words of of wisdom that you'd want to share over somebody and then would you pray us out today sure if if I had if I had any I'm getting feedback there I'm sorry no it's it's good if if I had any anything to share um again just remember that uh whoever's listening that you were created by God in his image and he he blew the breath of life into you he didn't breathe that breath of life into everything else because he knew us before we were in a womb and and all that and so the value that you have and the fact that he would send his son to die on the cross to save you from your sins if we would just admit and turn from those sins that's how valuable you are nobody no matter what anybody tells you and no matter your physical what's going on physically with you or mentally with you uh just live in the spirit uh being in the same mind as the spirit and know that that you're gonna get through it and that the Lord's gonna bring you through yeah um that's what I that's what I would share and I really again I really appreciate the time that that you've allowed me to share.

SPEAKER_00: 55:31

Yes and um I guess we'll go Lord in prayer.

SPEAKER_01: 55:35

Yes thank you.

SPEAKER_00: 55:36

Amen dear Heavenly Father we just come to you today and praise your name for who you are uh the Almighty creator of everything and um we we want to thank you so much for sending your son to die on the cross for our sins um Lord I pray for all those here today that either have a ministry uh organization or is ministering on their daily walk at whatever job it may be whatever situation they may be in that the Lord has given you if if if you have accepted him as your savior he's given you the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is there maybe not always clear but in the end it'll be made clear even if it is the end of time it will be clear and I just Lord I just pray that everyone on this podcast will see the extreme value and even if you just plant one seed you have you have done what the Lord has called you to do in reaching others for his name's sake. In Jesus Christ's name Amen.

SPEAKER_01: 57:13

Amen well Todd thank you for being on today I appreciate everything you've shared I know that you are blessing many who are listening in today so like I said I'll I'll post all of his contact information in the show notes and I'm gonna close with Hope Unlocked anchoring verse which is may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. And that's Romans 1513 so thank you again Todd I will be back with another episode next week.

SPEAKER_00: 57:43

Thanks listeners thank you thank you God bless you