Tony Medlin's Power of One Podcast with guest Joy Bryant

Joy Bryant is an author, speaker, hospice chaplain and most of all a committed follower of Jesus Christ who shares the energy and Spirit-led discipleship that Power of One desires for everyone. Be blessed as you hear her testimony and God's leading behind her book, "God Talks Back."

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to the second edition of the Power of One podcast. This is Tony Medlin. We hope that you had a great Easter weekend. And we are looking forward to a great conversation today because I am being joined by a person that has been a great spiritual mentor in my life. And she is a speaker. She is an author. She is a hospice chaplain. Most of all, she is a disciple of Jesus Christ and is in love with him. And you can see that in everything that she does. Joy Bryant, welcome to this edition of the Power of One podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Well, thank you, Tony. It's great to be with you this afternoon.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

You know, one of the things about just audio is that people cannot see that Roma Downey halo that I see above your head all the time. There are so many people, and I and I say this with a smile on my face, of course, but you know how my wife feels about you, about how I feel about you, and you have been an angel to so many people. And and with that being true, there are many people who have been touched by an angel. So we appreciate you, Joy.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Wow, those are kind words, and I appreciate that so very much.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

I would like for folks to just hear a little bit about Joy Bryant. Tell us about your relationship with Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Well, um, we could take that back about 50 years, um, and that would bring uh a little girl who loved Jesus. Um, and back when you could still talk about the Lord in public school a little bit without getting in trouble, they used to give out these little um library cards where you could dial a story. And um, I was given one of those when I was a little kid, and I was about five years old, had gone home to uh dial a story from the public library, and they were telling a Bible story. And I had gone to church all my life, and um this particular day I dialed that number and I heard the story of Jesus. And at the end of the recording, whoever the little lady was that was um uh recording on this recorded line telling the story, invited uh everyone listening to invite Jesus into their heart. And I did that that day, Tony, as a little girl. And uh when I hung up the phone, I dialed it back and I listened to the story and I prayed that prayer again. I hung up and I dialed it back. And uh, so about three times in, I wanted to make sure it had worked. And uh I told my mom, I said, you need to dial the story and you need to ask Jesus in your heart. And she says, But Joy, I have Jesus in my heart. And I said, Well, you need to make sure. And so at five years old, not only did I confirm that Jesus was in my heart, but I had already started asking other people to do the same.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

That is a beautiful story, Joy. And one of the things I shared last week on the first podcast for the power of one is the story of um uh uh Mr. Edward Kimball, who led Dwight L. Moody to the Lord, who led someone else to the Lord, who led someone else to the Lord, and ultimately led Billy Graham to the Lord. And now millions of people have been led to the Lord because of the power of one.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

Power of one.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

Edward Kimball. And and you're illustrating that. I did not know that story about your life. That is awesome. And what excites me is if that happened to you at age five, with a radio broadcast or something like that, then we might could see somebody come to Jesus on this podcast also, which would be the ultimate example of what we want to accomplish.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

For sure. It is my heart's desire to tell the story that um that whosoever believeth in uh the name of Jesus, they shall be saved. And that is one of my favorite truths that um that folks just need to know they're not out there, they're not alone, that even when they feel like the world is against them, that God is right there and they can just call on the name of Jesus. And he is listening and he is always present.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

Most of you that are listening know that about a year and four or five months ago, uh, God led me to do a church plant, Grace Methodist Church, 155 Thrift Avenue in Seneca, South Carolina, 10 o'clock every Sunday. There, there's the advertisement. And I was away one Sunday and I had Joy preach for me, y'all. And um hope you're listening to this all over the world, but obviously I'm a southerner now that you just heard the word, y'all. And I had somebody text me that next week and said, and I quote, Tony, we love you and we hope you are here for the life of this church. But when's Joy coming back? And so our folks are already excited about this edition of the podcast just because that you are here. Joy, I mentioned that you are an author also, and as I focus in my ministry and spiritual journey on renewal, because that has been a big part of my own testimony, second chances, uh, revitalization in discipleship, growing closer to God, communicating with him. I have a whole new meaning in my life now by praying without ceasing because every evening I evaluate whether I've done that better than the day before. Not always have I, but I'm striving for that. You wrote a book entitled God Talks Back. Now, since my wife only introduced me to this book about three days ago, I haven't had a chance to read it all yet to look at a couple of pages. Tell us a little bit about God Talks Back.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

Sure, Tony. Thanks for asking and for the opportunity to share this book. It is available on Amazon. But the um the purpose behind the book ultimately was not to make a million, it was to tell the story of God's faithfulness. Um, that working in hospice, um, I'll also I think of death a lot, not just for my patients, but what happens when my allotted time here on earth, what is my purpose, and have I fulfilled that purpose? And the goal of the book, God Talks Back, was to make sure that my children and my grandchildren and the generations that follow, if they ever wondered what was the faith of their mom, their grandma, their great-grandma, I wanted there to be a clear, documented um treasure legacy, so to speak, um, where there would be no misunderstanding that my faith was secured in Jesus Christ, and that not only was it just a religion, it was a relationship. And that relationship began, like I said, when I was a little girl, and the book, God Talks Back, breaks down the um the relationship of prayer with God from a child's perspective in the early chapters, teenage and young adult in the middle chapters, and a seasoned prayer warrior in the final chapters of the book. Every story of the book is um very specific um encounters that I have had with the Lord, and not all prayers are answered immediately. You and I both know there's some prayers that that the answer is uh no, but that's an answer. But then there's other times that the answer is not yet. And there are some stories in the book that have a 10, 20, and even a 30-year wait from the time I started praying to the answer that came. And uh, and so every chapter is unique. You can pick any chapter of the book and you can read that chapter, and it's a complete story. Uh, and you would know even more about my life. And um, and the title, God talks back. There's been a couple experiences that um the voice of the Lord was so evident and so clear that the only way to describe it is God talking back to me.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

Well, I can't wait to read it. And that just means we have to have you on for another podcast. So, Joy, part of my testimony, and you know this, is that quite honestly, and I've come to a season in my journey, and I get very emotional about it, where I'm just gonna be transparent. I want folks to know about a Tony Medlin that was committed for so many years to the journey of Christ, and then life kind of happened as it does to us all. And and I and I just fell away. I I fell away from God, and I am so grateful that he gave me another opportunity, that he gave me another chance, and that I'm able to pastor a church now. I'm able to tell people about Jesus, and and and and it's the emphasis behind this power of one ministry, which is what I want it to be, is that helping one person at a time, we can help folks get renewed like I was. What would you say to a Tony Medlin who is in that time of rebellion to help him find that renewal that he so needs?

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Well, Tony, one of my favorite chapters uh in the entire Bible is actually Psalms 139. I lean on that in my own journey and I share that often with others. There's a couple of verses that are are hidden in that that full chapter. One is that all the days ordained for me were written before the very first one came to be. And so that means that all the days, the good, the bad, the um, the shiny ones that we want to celebrate, and the dark, ugly ones that we wish we could eliminate, God was aware of all of them before the very first one came to be, and he still sent his son Jesus um to die for us. And so there's no um, there's no hidden secrets with the Lord. So no matter what we have done or what we haven't done, what people know about us, what they don't know about us, there's no secrets with God. In that same chapter, there is a beautiful verse that says, Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there's any offensive way in me, and then lead me in the way everlasting. It's the searching and the the surrendering of what's in the mind and the heart that God wants. He wants that relationship. And then sometimes it's in a rebellious spirit that we find a bottom that we didn't know we could hit. And and God says, I don't throw you into that bottom, but I meet you in that bottom. And I can I can lift you up from the Myry clay if you want to be lifted up. He's such a gentleman that he won't do, he won't jerk you up. Like some days I want to jerk my children up or my grandchildren up, but he doesn't jerk us up to set us straight. He he opens a handout. And uh I love that verse that just says, Search me, God. It's a very personal prayer, search me. And I would say that to you or anyone else listening. God says, just simple prayer, search me. Search me. And when uh when someone searches and they're seeking, God is oh, it's not a it's not a hard hide and seek. It is search me, and he's like, I'm right here. Um I'm not I'm not hiding. It's like with my three-year-old grandson. Uh we play hide and seek, and he hides in in the middle of the room and he thinks he's hiding. We're not hiding from God. We're right there and he's right there.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

And as you were talking about that, it reminded me of a devotional I read a couple of days ago where Jacob wrestled with God. So God was not only willing to meet Jacob, he was willing to wrestle with him if he needed to for a while. Yes. And Jacob ultimately was able to say, I have been with God and I have seen his face. And that is incredibly powerful. And there is never a morning that I try for there never to be a morning when I don't awake and say, Lord, thank you for the transformation. And that's an important word for me. Whether it's being transformed for the first time when you're coming to Christ, or whether it's being transformed because you have fallen away from him, uh, as you said, he's easy to find.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Yeah, well, and he's easy to find and he's easy to hear. We go back to that book, um, God talks back. I was about 16, and one of the uh temptations for many teenagers is that um of alcohol. I'm not here to debate whether alcohol is right nor wrong, but I know for me it was a uh a very dangerous journey because I come from a long line of alcoholism in my family, extended family, both sides. And alcohol had really never been a temptation because of the trauma and the difficulties as a child with that particular substance. But at 16, I found myself on uh a hot summer day with a group of friends laying out in the sun and a cooler full of alcoholic beverages, and and I chose to go and and pour one into a red solo cup. And uh all of my friends was in the water. I was laying on the sand and had just taken one sip out of that red solo cup, and I was laying there with my eyes closed, and um a verbal, very, very audible voice that was right beside me says, What do you think you're doing? In that moment I thought, oh goodness, who has just walked up on me? It's my mom, it's my uncle, it's a family member. I opened my eyes and there was no one. And um, in that moment, um, I was like, who said that? And the voice of the Lord then goes internal to my heart and my spirit. And the question, the second question from the Lord was, Do you want to be just like your daddy? You got a decision to make. Do you want to be just like your daddy? And in that moment, I literally drew a line in the sand right above my beach towel, and I poured that alcoholic beverage right into the sand. And I said, No, Lord, I do not want to walk that path. I I want my testimony to be clear and pure. And um, I'll I'll give this I'll give this back to you. And I'm sorry if I've disappointed you today with with this one sip out of this red solo cup on this on this beach. And uh I went to the cooler and I got a Pepsi. And if anybody knows me, um, if the number of Pepsi's since the age of 16 was a reference of how many alcoholic beverages I could have partaken of, well, for sure I would have walked that same journey as my dad. But praise the Lord. Um, but by the grace of God, um, what I didn't think was a temptation in that moment was a decision. And that decision was um I could have gone down a very difficult uh journey, and the Lord chose to uh confront me with his voice, and I'm grateful that I was willing to listen.

SPEAKER_00 16:03

Joy, what you're describing now is the difference between two words you mentioned earlier, and that is religion versus relationship. And you are talking about a relationship now, and that excites me. Joy, the reason it excites me is because we live in a divided world. I shared with somebody earlier that I think the division of politics in our country has come into the church, and and we have so many arguments about things that just do not matter. And I want to share with the church, I want to share with church leaders, I want to share with Christians everywhere, I want to share with non-Christians. If you do not know Jesus, he can change and transform your life, set your path on a totally different course. But if you've been dry in your relationship with Christ, man, the renewal and the transformation that Joy and I are talking about can be for you too. And we don't go to church to get messed up in all of the division. We go to church to worship the creator of the universe and the living God that uh that we want to talk about that relationship with. And Joy, you're getting me excited all over again.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Well, you know, one of my um favorite um verses, you know, we talked about Psalms 139, but my uh my life verse actually is found in Jeremiah 29, 11. For I know the plans I have for you, saith the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Um, as a kid, um I was made aware that uh my parents, when my mom was expecting me, or they were on their way home one night, and um she was uh seven months pregnant with me. And uh she was um um she and my dad were in a head-on um collision, a car crash that occurred um where my mom was actually driving and the steering column snapped and went instead of into her stomach, it went into her face and it cut her from the top of her head to the bottom of her toe. She was cut, bruised, battered, except for her stomach. And when I realized the truth behind um how I was protected in the womb, I've told folks before that the enemy got wind of the passion that I would have for Jesus. And he was trying to get rid of me before I was ever truly a part of this world. And in the womb, he was trying to take me out. And um, I believe that um, you know, the passion of knowing that God protected me for such a time as this, that um if I if my story, any part of my story, could give someone hope, someone encouragement, someone a willingness to live or not to give up, to pray without ceasing. Um we we talk about prayer. I mentioned to you earlier, Tony, that there are some prayers that I held on to for 30 years. And that was the prayer of salvation for my dad, an alcoholic father. I come from a divorced family because of alcoholism. Um, and my prayer often was Lord, don't let him die. He's not ready to go. Don't let him die, he's not ready to go. But um uh a couple of months before he passed, he actually gave his heart to the Lord. Amen. And I was so excited about that. He testified the whole month of October and and and November. Um, and then early December, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he stayed in the hospital until Christmas Eve, and he came home on uh on hospice. It was my first encounter with hospice, and um and my prayer was Lord, all of these years I've asked you to spare my dad's life because he was not ready to go, but now I know that he is ready to go, he has testified to the soul uh salvation, the saving grace of Jesus. He has been redeemed, he has been made whole, and he has testified to that. So my prayer is Lord, he's ready to go. So whenever you want to take him, that's okay. It uh was a few weeks later, uh middle of January, uh now almost uh 18 years ago, that my dad um passed, and I actually had the honor of sitting in a hospice house with him laying in my arms, and I was able to say to him, Dad, I know that this world um was very difficult for you, that you were not the dad that I wanted or needed, but you uh have made things right, and for that I am so proud of you. I remember looking down at him, Tony, and I remember saying to him, Now, Dad, I want you to know that we will spend eternity catching up on all the things we miss as a as a father-daughter. But I also hope that you've got enough rest while you've been in these hospitals the last few weeks, because um, when you get to the other side, the Lord's gonna need a good brick mason. And I said he's building lots of mansions, and I believe you're gonna be a part of that. And I said, let's walk on out a little bit further and um walk through the Jordan. And I had the opportunity, Tony, to describe to my dad some of the things that he might be seeing. I told him that um um that by now there might be someone walking with us. I believe an angel of the Lord was close by. There was such a sweet presence in the hospice room, and uh I said, now don't Let's let's go out a little bit deeper. I said, um, I want you to know that that that Jesus is real and redemption is real. And I said, I said, these angels that are walking with us, I said, they're gonna take you to see grandma and they're gonna take you to see Jesus. I said, I just believe by now they've done hollered across heaven, and and grandma's been in heaven's kitchen fixing some of those apple pies. And I said, now, Dad, this is as far as I can go. But if you will just take the hand of this angel and step up on the other side of the Jordan, I said, he'll take you to see Jesus. I said, I know you don't like to say goodbye. I said, so I'll just say I'll see you in a little while.

SPEAKER_00 22:46

That's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

And I said, Are you there yet? It's okay. Go ahead, step on up and leave this old world behind. And I'll see you soon. And Tony, my daddy, took one little breath and it just breathed in and eased out, and he was on the other side, and I was I was gifted with the ability to walk his final mile with him, with him in my arms. And I know without a doubt, one day when I enter Heaven's Gates, my daddy will be the first to greet me.

SPEAKER_00 23:24

Joy, what a gift that you've given our audience today. And folks, I want you to know that uh you may have experienced something that's touched your heart today by listening to Joy or listening to this broadcast, and God's there for you to walk with you as well, no matter what your circumstances. A couple of things to remind you of. One, God talks back. It is on Amazon, as Joy said. Uh just go there. And the power of one, we're just beginning our launch now, and 864-430-4498. You can give me a call to set up an appointment. I've got a 12-week semester basically where we're gonna look in-depth at discipleship and our relationship with Christ to also have individual sessions, uh, the power of one with Tony Medlin. I want to thank Joy Bright for being with us today. And Joy, I just feel led at this moment uh to ask you, if you will, uh to just pray for anyone who, number one, may need to ask Jesus into their heart for the first time as you did when you were five years old, or someone that may be where I was in just a dark valley wilderness experience, and just ask the Lord to rescue that person. I have I have the picture of Jesus coming after the one sheep in my living room, and I was that one sheep. Yeah, and we all can be that. And uh Joy, would you just honor us uh by praying for those folks as we end our broadcast today?

SPEAKER_01 24:58

For sure. It's an honor to be with you and to always talk with the Lord. And um Hebrews 4:7 says, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Lord, I know you talk back. Speak to us, speak to everyone within the sound of my voice, whether they um have never invited you into their heart, or whether they have, and then they've run from you and they're hiding in their sin. I invite today, Lord, each one to pause, to self-assess, to look at the scripture and say, search me, God. Search me, God. It's a personal conversation. You are a personal God. You have told us that for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and that the wages of that sin is death. And yet, because of the gift of God, we can have eternal life because of Jesus Christ. We are told in Romans chapter 4, if um because of your love, that God commanded his love toward us, that while we were yet sinners in the midst of our sin, that Christ died for us, and if we will confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and um and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, that we shall be saved, and that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So if that is your uh prayer today, and you have said, Lord, search me, then he will. Ask him to forgive you and he will. Ask him to come into your heart and he will. Ask him to bring you back into right alignment, and he will. And because of that, the angels of heaven are celebrating even when one soul is redeemed, and we're gonna steal back what the enemy has tried to take because every life matters. Young, old, rich, poor, healthy or unhealthy, we all need Jesus. And for that, Father God, we say thank you for loving us when we were unlovable. And thank you for giving us hope and sometimes hopeless situations. But we are here on a temporary assignment, for one day we will be present with our Lord. In Jesus' name we ask this prayer. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

Amen. I want to say thank you to Joy Bright for being with us today. And listen, if you have prayed with her, either one of those prayers, to receive Jesus into your heart, uh, to experience a time of renewal, escaping from a dark place, as did I, uh, look me up on Facebook, Tony Medland, or again, I've given you the telephone number, 864-430-4498. I would love to have a conversation with you and know about your decision for Christ. And please, we're trying to grow this podcast, tell your friends, share with folks. Uh, this has been very exciting today, and I hope that you'll have a great rest of the week. And we praise the Lord for whatever blessings you receive and ask God's blessings upon you. Once again, this has been the power of one, and we'll see you next week. God bless.