Run for Justice

Another program powered by the Truth Network. How about running to combat human trafficking?

I'll explain what I mean in a moment. It's time for The Line of Fire with your host, biblical scholar and cultural commentator, Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity. Call 866-34-TRUTH to get on The Line of Fire. And now, here's your host, Dr. Michael Brown. Call a friend. Call a friend.

Share with a friend. Tell them to tune in right now. This next hour and each minute of this next hour could really be life-changing for you.

No hype, no exaggeration. I mean it from the heart. Michael Brown, welcome to The Line of Fire broadcast. I am here today, friends, to help you fulfill your calling, to help you run your race, to help you stand strong on the front lines, to infuse you with faith and truth and courage to do what Jesus has given you to do, the very things for which he died for, to see those worked out in your life.

I won't be taking calls today. At the bottom of the hour, I'm going to be joined by Heather Schott. She and her husband Landon lead Mercy Culture, a thriving church in Fort Worth. And there is something that Heather has organized and birthed called Justice Run.

And it is literally a way to run, to combat, you mean trafficking. So, everybody listening in particular on K-word 100.7 FM in the greater DFW area, everyone watching on YouTube or listening on podcasts anywhere in the greater DFW area, this is for you. But across the nation and around the world, you're going to receive inspiration and vision and hope and courage through this. Billy Graham said that when a strong man, a courageous man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened. And I know it's part of what God's called me to do on these front lines, tackling the controversies, taking on the difficult issues, being your voice for moral sanity and spiritual clarity. It's not just about me doing it, but it's encouraging you where you live because I can't do what you do. I don't live in the world you live in. I'm not raising the kids you're raising. I'm not interacting with the people you're interacting with. I'm not fighting the battles you're fighting. And I may be fighting them at a very public, large level, but you're fighting them just the same where you live. You may be 16 years old in high school. You may be 16 years old in the business world.

You may be raising two toddlers right now. You are on the front lines one way or another. We cannot avoid that reality today. And whether you're preaching from a Hanapulpic or sitting and listening to a message, we are part of the church, part of God's solution to the problems of the world. Yes, it all comes down to what Jesus did on the cross, his death and resurrection, who he is, what he brings, the reality of God. It all comes down to that, but we are God's vessels. We are God's vehicles to do this.

And we have a race. You say, man, I'm weary. I'm tired. I'm barely paying the bills. I'd have to drag myself out of bed each morning. Now you're talking about running a race. Look at it the other way. You're not just paying bills.

You're not just dragging yourself out of bed in the morning. If you know the Lord, you have a purpose, you have a destiny, you have a calling, you have a mission, and it's something that only you can do. What does Paul write in 1 Corinthians 9, 24 to 27? He says, don't you know that everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training? So, at Corinth, they would have regular athletic events like Olympic Games type of things. They would have events like that in Corinth. So, the Corinthians were used to the games, just like if you talk to an American about the Super Bowl or World Series.

Most Americans are well familiar with these things. So, they were familiar with these athletes and these athletic events. So, don't you know those who compete in the games go into strict training?

Literally, they're disciplined in all things. Then he says this, they do it for an earthly crown, but we for a heavenly crown. And I've often said that we normally put the emphasis on heavenly crown versus earthly crown.

They do it, they get a gold medal, they get a prize, they get a reward, they get a wreath. We do it for eternal rewards and eternal fruit. Well, that's true.

That's the contrast. But we each do it. Don't you know that those who compete in the games go into strict training? They do it for an earthly prize. We do it.

Do what? We are disciplined in all things. We go into strict training for a heavenly prize. The reason I live the way I live, not just in my spiritual devotions, but my diet and lifestyle for nine plus years, by God's grace, it is all by God's grace. And remember, I was a food wimp, I was a food addict.

If God could change me, He could change anyone. So, the major reason that I live the way I live and with strict discipline, and you know, here I'm on the road and I've got the option, it's going to be a little bit later in the evening, but I've got the option to go to Ruth's Chris with a pastor for a meal. I literally have the option to go to Ruth's Chris, or we go to the grocery store so I can get some salad stuff and have a salad in my room. I said, oh man, let me get salad. So, we were laughing about it. I said, at least you can see I live it out, right? Not that it would have been a sin for me to eat at Ruth's Chris one time, but the point is, the point is, I live like this for the Lord.

You say, you mean He's like, you better eat a salad, Mike Brown, if you eat a steak, I'm mad at you. No, no, no, I don't mean that at all. I mean, I got a race to run. I mean, there's a vision in front of me that's so massive, it's going to take decades to see fulfilled and I'm 68. So, I can't post about tomorrow, but to the extent it's up to me, I want to be on the front lines, healthy, ready, strong, living this out, disciplined in all things.

Yes, morally disciplined, spiritually disciplined, but also physically disciplined so that God can be glorified. So, then Paul says, so each of us, so run your race so as to win. You're not running my race.

I'm not running your race. I guarantee you, I don't care who you are, I don't care how you're constituted, you put you in my shoes for a month. You won't make it a month. You may not make it a day, maybe a week. You will not make it. You will collapse under the weight and you'll say, I can't do this and this and this. I guarantee it because I'm uniquely made for a unique purpose, but I equally guarantee that if you are doing what God's called you to do, what He's uniquely fashioned and made you to do, and you put me in my shoes, I might not make it through a day.

Certainly, maybe not for a week, but guaranteed not for a month. It's like, I want out. You're not running my race. I'm not running your race. So, let's take that pressure off. And God's not a taskmaster sitting there beating you, not doing enough, not praying enough, not crying enough. But He is saying, hey, look higher, step higher, think, do you really want to waste all that time doing that? Do you really want to be pulled aside with this?

Do you really want to get down in the mud there where you could be calling people higher? And with that vision, you know, the story I've told endlessly, we had people come to our ministry school, young men, young women burning with a call, I want to go on the mission field, I want to serve God, I want to make my life count, I want to win the loss. And then young lady meet a young man, they get married. And now they're full of vision. And now the babies start coming. And now the homeschooling starts coming and having to work a job to bring in the money.

And so, you know, you go through a crisis. What about the calling? What about the burden?

What about the vision? What about changing the world? And as I've quoted this many, many times, one of our grads, who's raised fine kids, and these kids are now on the front lines going for it, living for God. She went from changing the world to changing diapers. And then it hit her, change the world one diaper at a time.

And everything had different meaning, everything had different purpose. So what I'm saying is, if you have a boring job, and it allows your mind to kind of go elsewhere, turn that time to prayer. Turn that time to visionizing things and partnering with God, your heart and mind that, you know, I'm spending all my time just with stuff that seems trivial. Say, Lord, I'm gonna do this for you.

I'm gonna do this for you. I remember one young man, he and his wife both worked in our ministry, and they've been blessed with a bunch of kids since then, and the mom spends the vast majority of her time pouring into the kids. And they both worked with us in kind of mundane tasks, you know what I'm saying, in terms of, you know, shipping things in and out or stuff like that, or just other tasks like that. And I remember we were sharing a building at that time with another organization, these Christian businessmen, and one of them came up to me and said, I love the attitude of your staff member. I love his attitude. Because he said, this is how we're sparking the revolution. Order comes in, I process the order, I take this book, I send it out. We're sparking the revolution.

He goes, yes, yes! And he did it, he's a man of faith, he's a spiritually minded man. But at that moment, that was his daily task of overseeing certain things, but he goes, this is all part of the bigger vision. So, I want to encourage you, you're part of something bigger than you.

You're part of something bigger than you. When you hear from Heather and her background, saved out of alcohol and drug addiction at 18. And then what God's put in her heart is mother of three.

What God's put in her heart in this justice run and this vision to fight human trafficking and this pro-life vision and what's come out of it. And I've watched firsthand because her husband Landon reached out to me after seeing me on Piers Morgan in 2014, a total stranger to us in our ministry and wrote, said he saw and modeled things that he felt he wanted to be in. And would I be a mentor in his life? Well, I'm not able to say yes to requests like that. You know, if you're a pastor of a church of 500 and everybody wants you to be a mentor, you're just not able to do it, right? So, we've got a nice public platform where we reach a lot of people.

Really, the ones I've mentored over the years have been, say, a student in our ministry school that graduated, became close to me and then got to pour in to be a mentor over the years or maybe a leader where I've ministered over the years and built a relationship and now I'm a mentor to them. But not someone unknown to us, approaching us, maybe 30 years old, but got to our director of ministry. She said, Mike, I think you should look at this. I then went and prayed and actually said to Nancy, what do you think? What do you think?

She said, yeah, I think you should do it. So, I mean, this is high level, just for one request. And so, I've become a mentor. He was just doing traveling ministry, youth ministry then. Who knew that God would raise him up to have this influential church? Who knew the leadership school that he'd raise up that I play a key role in and teach there monthly? Who knew that during COVID, they would get a burden to help people in their community and literally gave away 100 million meals to the community during COVID? They would give three meals a day, one month's supply to families that would drive up.

It was remarkable. Who knew that? Who knew the vision for fighting human trafficking and the women to help rescue? But see, each person say, Lord, here I am, send me, use me. Maybe your greatest function is going to be to be a prayer warrior or to share the gospel, share your testimony with someone. That person ends up being the world's next Billy Graham. You never know. That old saying, find out what God would have you do and do that little well for what is great and what is small.

Only God can tell. I'm going to come back with more inspiration and encouragement for you in a moment. And I'm going to share something, a recent attack on me. You're going to smile, but it's redemptive.

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Get on the Line of Fire by calling 866-34 TRUTH. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. When we talk about the Justice Run, Triveda, our co-sponsor, is a sponsor, will be one of the sponsors at the Justice Run. We'll tell you more about that at the bottom of the hour. If you miss any part of this broadcast, just by all means go back and listen.

Make sure you get to hear the interview with Heather. Triveda, in turn, has shipped one month's supplies of Nopalea, so to help deal with recovery and chronic inflammation. Everybody should just take that daily. And then nitric oxide, myo health, and then adapt to it to help with recovery and rest as well. To the 10 of the key runners in the Justice Run, for them to use daily.

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What would you recommend? And let them give you some guidance. And I want you to benefit from this, as I have joined the Wellness Revolution. And remember, you're going to get a free mini e-book that Nancy and I wrote on The Healthy Church Starts with a Healthy You. 10,000 words, an easy read, but it'll really challenge you to live differently and inspire you as to what could happen through our own examples.

Okay, let's talk about running your race and making a difference. So, I don't see a lot of comments that come in through our social media platforms, because by God's grace, we reach a lot of people. So, a lot of comments come in I don't get to see.

But some I do see. So, somebody posted this in response to a video exposing someone for Rabbi Singer's errors. I'm an acid casualty from the 60s. And as a casualty, I can tell you 100%, anyone who takes LSD obtains irreversible brain damage. Brown is not sane.

I know it, and he knows it. I'm not laughing at this person. If they're messed up, I feel bad for them. But so, anyway, comments like that get deleted. They don't belong. They're not worthy of a forum where we're trying to actually deal with substance and issues. You can disagree with me all day long. That's fine. But I guess the same person then decides to repost and says this. Brown is quite insane.

How do I know? I was a teenager in the 60s, and I am an acid casualty like millions of other acid casualties. Like all casualties, I incurred permanent brain damage by my use of the drug. Brown's own testimony is that he repeatedly used intravenous LSD, which is very over the top.

Most hippies were into love and peace and finding a spiritual path to life. And so, LSD is a gateway to their visions. Brown was obviously not into the hippie trip. He was on a self-destructive trip. His brain damage must be exponentially greater than the majority of acid casualties. Don't give me the Holy Spirit heals his brain damage line either because I don't buy it. I know his brain is fried, and more importantly, Brown knows it too. And he knows it in the small wee hours of the night when he loses his mind. Oh, God help this fellow.

Well, can you imagine if my brain was working well, you know, as a believer saved a year memorizing 20 verses a day, in which I could quote somebody back to the King James when I learned them, or earning my PhD in Semitic languages, Near Eastern languages and literature, is ultimately studying a total of 13 different languages between college and grad school. Could you imagine where my mind would be if it wasn't so fraught? Oh, this poor soul.

Oh, God help him. Number one, I only shot LSD a couple of times. I was in LSD like everybody else. It was really cool. You went tripping. Oh, wow. Amazing.

Just all the hallucinations. It was a high. It was amazing.

We thought it was incredibly mind expanding. Yes, I did that a bunch of times. I did high quantities of that. At the end, I smoked pot day and night. And when I got saved, it was a few weeks before my head was clear. And it was really from the pot day and night, just kind of had me in a foggy state.

And then the other drugs, you know, shooting heroin, that affects you in other ways as opposed to your brain or speed, et cetera. If I had gone on like that, I might have died of a drug overdose unintentionally, just playing around, playing with fire. Or once I got my driver's license, I probably got killed because I was so stupid and felt indestructible.

So, probably would have used, you know, hallucinogenic drugs and drove and drove an inch of something or a thing. I was, you know, driving away from something, crashed. So, I have no question that God had mercy on me and saved me at the right moment before I killed myself accidentally.

So, for sure, I see the mercy of God. But I remember getting conscious. My friend and I, we used to, you know, rank each other out.

New York thing or whatever. You insult each other, you're having this game and who has the better put down. And I remember my friend had just gotten saved. My friend John had gotten saved right before me. And we were having one of these rank out battles and I was still getting high day and night. And I thought, you're in slow motion, man.

What's going on? And then once I got saved, it was like after a few weeks that my mind got clear and then it just seemed supercharged. And I remember working on my Jeremiah commentary, written a commentary on Jeremiah, Job, and Isaiah. Now, that's on hold because this massive project that we're doing that's going to be the most significant Jewish outreach tool we've ever produced. I'll be able to talk with you more about that sometime next year. Yeah, I can't wait, though. So, I remember doing the Jeremiah project and I'd fallen behind because they said strict schedule.

We're going to try to publish all 13 volumes of the series together and so on. And I was behind. And it was right when our second grandson, so our third grandchild, our second grandson, Connor, was born. So, this is almost 20 years ago.

In November, maybe 20 years. Nancy went up to Maryland to help our daughter, Jen, to be there in those early days. I didn't have school to teach and I wasn't traveling. I had three weeks when I was home. And when I was tired, I rested and I felt my brain was like bionic. And I remember I did, I used to be able to write, on a good month, two chapters of commentary in a month. So, if I had 26 consecutive months to write, it would be 52 chapters, 26 months consecutive. But, I mean, all this other work getting in the way. I remember writing commentary on 24 chapters in 10 days, some of the sharpest, clearest commentary.

And my mind just felt bionic, firing on all cylinders. No, the fact is, God's a redeemer. God's a redeemer. And wherever your life was, however messed up it was, however distant from God it was, whatever evil, wrong things you were guilty of, whatever it was, God can redeem that. God could, I did terrible things. Yes, God can make that the impetus for doing good. Not by beating you over the head with guilt all the time, but by showing he's a redeemer. What Satan meant for evil, God can turn for good.

So, the zeal, I was all in, drugs, rock music, playing in our rock band, and it's all in. After I was saved several months, I thought, you know, I could lead a clean but empty life, or I could give myself to God the way I gave myself to drugs and rock music. And that began that pressing in even more and more hours with him, and more time in the Word, and more time in prayer, until God shaped and put things in me that are foundations to this very day in my life over 50 years later. And I continue to run with that sense of passion and zeal, not to gain God's favor, but because I have his favor, I want to go for it. So, I encourage you, let God put fresh dreams in your heart. Let God put pressed vision in your heart. Let God put new burdens in your heart. Let God show you that your life can count, whether you're 80 years old and shut in, whether you're 16 years old and just moving ahead with vision and purpose, whoever you are, whatever your stage in his life, if you'll yield your life wholly to God and say, Lord, this is what I... He's going to take who you are, where you are. That's what he deals with.

And the more unqualified you are, the better. He says, perfect, just what I'm looking for. And he will use your life in a meaningful way, so that on the day you stand before him, he'll say, well done, good and faithful servant. Look at the fruit that your life has borne. Friends, that's you, that's me, that's all of us in Jesus. All things are possible with him. Say, Lord, you know my weakness, my failings, use me for your glory. And he will. Okay, you're going to hear a testimony to the very effect, we come back, and then everybody that runs, jogs, walks, get involved.

If you're in the greater DFW area, we'll tell you about it. Hey friends, Dr. Michael Brown here. Do you remember when people thought I was crazy, when I said it's not too late for America, that God can still do something in our country, that there is going to be a pushback, a gospel-based moral and cultural revolution? And do you remember when people thought that you were crazy because you felt the same way, because you believed what I was saying and already felt it in your heart? Well friends, that pushback is here. The gospel-based moral and cultural revolution we've been talking about for 25 years is unfolding, and we are right in the thick of it, and the line of fire broadcast is divinely positioned for such a time as this. Friends, you would be so gratified and blessed as I hear, if you could hear what I hear, testimony after testimony as leaders, young people, old people, moms, dads, students, people from all backgrounds come up to me and say, Dr. Brown, you're providing a template for us. You're providing a blueprint for us. You're showing us how to do this, how to have hearts of compassion, backbones of steel.

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Here again is Dr. Michael Brown. Thanks, friends, for joining us on the Line of Fire and everyone in particular listening on K-word 100.7 FM, blanketing DFW right now if you're driving, if you're sitting at home and listening. And everyone, the greater DFW area, listen in particular to what I'm about to share because you may just be able to participate in a life-changing event. I've been really looking forward to this interview today with someone I've gotten to know very well, along with her husband, Landon. This is Heather Schott. She and Landon lead Mercy Culture Church, which is about four and a half years old, maybe about 5,000 people going there.

They're planting other churches, but they're on the front lines of many, many key issues in the society, in the church today. And Heather herself, an amazing example of God's grace. Heather, welcome to the Line of Fire. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be with you today.

Oh yeah, absolutely. Okay, before we share any of your own story, background, vision, just tell us first the details, when and where is the justice event, and then what is the why behind it? Yeah, so Justice Run is a race, and maybe I'll have time to share, that God put in my heart a long time ago as a runner.

And we put it on in Fort Worth, Texas. It's called Justice Run. It is a 5K, 10K half marathon, and full marathon. There's also, we added this year, the group marathon, where if you don't want to quite run the 26 and some change miles, you can actually divide it up as a team of four, and you can finish the marathon as a team. This is all happening this year on October 28th. It will be a morning run this year.

In the previous years, we did it in the evening. We heard the Lord say that we're bringing the darkness into light from Isaiah 49.9, and so you can join us that day by doing any of the races. A lot of families, just to be a part, if they haven't been training for a race, they walk the 5K. Of course, you can run the 5K, but you can register for any race at justicerun.com, and you can also do a virtual run. So if you're outside of DFW, or you have friends that want to be a part, they can also do the virtual run.

All of the prices, information for those races is at justicerun.com. All right, so what are you raising the money for, Heather? So it's really, really important, and it's awesome because so many people want to be a part.

Look, they've watched this new movie, Sound of Freedom, that was just released. Maybe they've heard of this thing called human trafficking or sex trafficking, which is a form of human trafficking, and people want to be a part. They want to be a part of the solution. Justice Run is one of the greatest ways that you can say, look, I can walk, jog, or run, and all of the proceeds from this day goes towards what we call the justice residences. The justice residences is a long-term restoration home for victims rescued out of sex trafficking that's being built in Fort Worth, Texas. The justice residence will be literally the first of its kind in America, which is both exciting and sad because we need them everywhere.

That's the long-term vision is to build them from city to city, but this first one is being built in Fort Worth, and it will house up to 100 women, which is super exciting. There's literally millions of slaves in America alone. Now America is the number one nation for human trafficking, and so again, this is just going to be a drop into it, but a drop in the bucket of this issue and problem, but it's a huge start and beginning. Of course, there are other safe houses and restoration homes around America, but it's not enough, and we have these heroic men and women on the front lines risking their lives rescuing.

In fact, I got a call from Sheriff last year of Fort Worth, and he said, Heather, we just did a sting operation. We rescued 100 women, and my heart was instantly grieved because I knew that the justice residence would give a place for these women, so they're rescuing them, Dr. Brown, but we have no place for these women or these children to go. This is one of the largest problems. I think we have about 500 beds internationally, or I'm sorry, in our nation. We have about 500 and some beds, but we have millions of slaves, and so they're being rescued, but we have nowhere for them to go, and usually when they have nowhere to go, they end up back on the streets being trafficked again.

Yeah, which is the ultimate tragedy to be rescued and then to go back. Okay, justicerun.com. So, wherever you are in America or around the world, go to justicerun.com.

So, this is going to be, again, October 28th. I've changed my own travel schedule to be down there with everybody on that day, and wherever you are in the world, you do it on your treadmill, you could do it in your neighborhood, you can walk 5K, you can walk with your family, but everybody register, and then this way you're going to be part of this global event, but focused in one location in Fort Worth, every one of the area there, there's going to be worship with Sean Foyt and others, so a great family time to meet God starting early in the morning, and then to celebrate people running. We're actually getting a rivalry going between a couple of the ministry schools there to see who's got the better runners.

You're going to try to lean into that, have two schools where IT's trying to lean into that, see who's got the better runners, but all to generate funds. So, wherever you are, sign up to participate, justicerun.com. And if you say, I wish I, also, there's a family festival that will be taking from 2 p.m. to 2 p.m., you know, from bounce houses, popcorn, cotton candy, food trucks, the petting zoo, lettuce worship is joining us, and the music part of the festival starts at 11 a.m., so the race is starting earlier in the morning, finishing up into the music festival, and of course, family festival, food trucks, all types of fun stuff for everybody to be a part of this special day.

Amazing, amazing. Again, anyone in the area, by all means, participate. It's going to be historic, it's going to be major, it's become a major event in the city now.

How many years have you done it now, Heather? This is going to be our third year, and it's grown every single year, and all different types of people come out to it. We have people that fly in from other states to be a part of this day, and you know, there's a lot of races that you can be a part of, but not many races have the heart behind or the vision behind it that's literally setting captives free. That's really the heart of it is Isaiah 61 says that he has anointed us to set the captives free, and I think many people are out there that say all the time, like, I really want to be able to do something, and this vision started years and years ago, and I had just heard about human trafficking, was a bit overwhelmed, could not believe that this was happening, you know, in our backyard. This is happening in America, this is happening to our, you know, children, and many of us think this happens in third world countries, and it does, but it's happening in America, and I was on a prayer run. I'm a runner, and all of a sudden, I have this open vision.

Let me pause. Before that, Dr. Brown, I was really tired, and I didn't feel like running, so I don't know if anybody's ever been in that spot before where you're going to a workout and you just, or run, and you don't feel like doing it, and it was at the moment that I didn't feel like doing it that the Lord speaks to me, gives me this open vision right when I go to pause to walk back home, to walk back home, and I see this sea of runners, and usually when you see the sea of runners, you see the numbers on their backs, because I saw behind them, but instead of numbers on their backs, it was faces, and it was faces of children. All of a sudden, I see instead of a sea of runners, I see a sea of children's faces, and instantly in this vision, I know these are victims of sex trafficking, and then it zooms back in. I hear, as I'm having this vision, I hear the Lord say, what would keep you running no matter what?

That question changed my life. All of a sudden, it was like, wow, could you imagine a race that we're not running for ourselves? We're not running just for my own health or my own trust trophy, but I'm running to set somebody else free, and so Landon and I began to pray. We began to serve, really for years, other organizations, just learning all about this industry of human trafficking, and that's when the Lord really laid out this vision clearly that we are going to put on these races to raise the funds. I thought we were going to be giving the funds away for other organizations to build residences. I knew that that was the largest need that there was in the anti-human trafficking industry, and then the Lord began to speak to us, no, you're going to use the funds from these races to build these residences, and so this is really, like you said, a special event because this is a groundbreaking, this is a historical, monumental moment and building that is literally going to be restoring thousands of victims from sex trafficking.

Yeah, and let's just take a minute. We've got a break coming up, but it's not just going to be a place where people live. They're going to be discipled. They're going to be nurtured. They're going to be restored. They're going to be healed. Talk about that.

Just forget about a minute. Yes, we have spent the last two years putting together a fully-based and presence-driven curriculum. This is so important because it is very hard, if even possible, to try to heal somebody that has been abused in the most horrific ways you can imagine every day of their life for years. This only happens through the blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, His healing, His presence that comes, and so we're so excited. That curriculum is going into publishing, but it's going to be a presence-driven, biblically-based residence where they are nurtured. They are healed in God's presence. They get to encounter God daily, and then, of course, we'll be walking them through, getting their GEDs, and how to fill out applications for jobs, and getting to set them up. It's a long-term restoration home, one to three years, so by the time they're graduating, they're graduating with everything that they need to stand on their own two feet, and what we're saying is they're going from survivor to reformer, so by the time they're graduating, they're graduating as reformers. And look, friends, I just want to say this as someone integrally involved with the ministry, now involved with Pastor Landon firsthand for nine years, and getting to know Heather along with that very closely as they serve side by side leading this congregation, but seeing the leadership school they've raised up that I've taught in from day one, seeing what they're producing in the church, seeing what they did during COVID, seeing their pro-life activity, this is not just some empty dream idealism.

These folks are living it out. Justicerun.com, go there. Oh, we've got a bunch more to talk about, including Heather's own testimony. Justicerun.com, and if you're not in the area, sign up to run virtually or to work virtually. Hey, maybe you'll be the virtual runner or winner of the marathon. You'll be the physical winner, the virtual winner, but either way, you'll sign up, but your fee is all going to these residents' houses and victims of human trafficking. And folks, this is happening.

The trafficking is happening. The rescuing is happening. Now let's restore. Let's restore.

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Welcome back to the Line of Fire. Yes, so our co-sponsor Triveda will be a sponsor of the Justice Run. And so we shipped to 10 of the top runners. Triveda shipped a one-month supply of, so let's see Heather, so you're one of the runners that's got the daily dose of nitric oxide, myo health, Nopalea, and ADAPT to it, right?

That's what we sent you? Yep, yep. Been taking it for now a couple of weeks. All right, yeah, so good. So as you're into it, let's see if you get results. And we encourage runners to check this out, triveda.com, use the code BROWN25.

Yeah, and genuinely interested to see how this benefits. Now, I remember as Pastor Lan was training and getting ready to run a marathon, and you're a long-term runner, but you both ran a marathon. You both ran the 26 miles.

Incredible. Yeah, we did it the first year of Justice Run, and I tell you what, our schedule was scheduled out down to the minute every day for us to both be able to train while obviously working full-time, the church, the justice reform, and then we have three small children. And so we did it in a healthy way. I was honestly so very proud of him because he has not been a runner his whole life, and he picked it up and was like, nope, the first year I'm going to run the marathon with you. And he finished Dr. Brown and a tornado the first year was coming in a storm. We both heard the Lord because everybody, you know, the police were trying to get everybody off the trails. We had just trained for a year for this race, and we felt like there's no way we're coming off of this trail. And we both hear the Lord speak to us and say, I'm teaching you how to run through the storms. And it was such a beautiful celebration moment. He runs over the finish line, and it was like the Lord held the storm back because right after he crosses, the first drop hits our shoulders. And so it was just a day of celebration.

It was awesome, and we'll never forget it. Yeah, I mean, when you both ran it, I thought, that's putting your money where your mouth is. That's saying, we're not just saying do it, we're doing it. And he said there's the hardest thing he ever did.

He was sore head to toe for three days. And then the fact that, yeah, and you did it. It's like a mother of three, and you just ran a marathon, and you're in full-time ministry.

Are you serious? So that meant a lot to me. Okay, before we just encourage folks with what God took you out of, because you're a preacher of the word, you're a fiery leader, serving side by side with with Landon, leading the church there, and inspiring, and on the front lines in so many ways, and devoted first and foremost to your kids, before we talk about your own testimony, what God brought you out of, I want to ask you a question. We've chatted, we've spent good time together as I'm down regularly in Fort Worth, but I've never asked you this question.

So this is, I'm really curious to know this. Okay, so did you know when Landon first reached out to me after watching me on Piers Morgan, were you aware that he reached out to me? I was aware he reached out to you because he was really, really searching for spiritual fathers, and his heart has always been a heart of submission, and he's a leader who wants to continually grow and learn, and then he wants to grow and, you know, other leaders himself, and so I had known that he'd reached out to you, but I guess maybe I just didn't get pulled in, and so a little bit of jealousy, like, why did I miss out on so many years of relationship with Dr. Brown? Yeah, well, listen, I mean, he, as he's known over the years, I said, hey, I'm here for both of you, and then it's been my joy as you're getting ready to preach or things to check in with questions, and you've got, you know, great insights I get to just add a little too.

So here's my question to you as a wife watching your husband. So how have I impacted his life from your perspective? Dr. Brown, one of the greatest things, and I would have to say both of us, how you have both impacted our life is as such a man of the word and theologian, but with such joy and love for the presence of God. You are one of the kindest men we have ever met, and many times when you get behind the closed doors of an individual of your status or anointing or wisdom and knowledge, you don't see the true fruit of the Spirit. And when we, both of us, I mean, I remember Landon saying, you have to meet Dr. Brown. He's the kindest man you will ever meet. And now we both echo, if somebody has never met you before, oh, you have to meet Dr. Brown. He is the kindest, most humblest man you will ever know.

And then for sure, moments like marching together and citizens for life and just crying out for revival in our land. And so you've impacted us in so many ways, and I think taught us that you can just be this like man of the word, but also a man of the presence at the same time, and then be humble as you teach others that may not know, you know, exactly what you know as much as you know. So you've greatly impacted our life in so many ways. Well, you know, the joy that I get, as I've told you both, but the joy that I get seeing the fruit of what's come out of your lives, especially because I didn't know you at all. I knew Landon just from a distance initially, and I had no clue of what God was going to do. And of course, the best is yet to come.

You're both young people, to me, you're both young people. What is to come, but I mean, what's happened, the scope of it, the impact, the network of church you have already, the, you know, the impact you had with COVID and all these other things, the scope of the justice run and everything, just what happens at Mercy Culture, the presence of God there. And thank God for what he's doing in so many other churches and ministries. We're not making a comparison, but I didn't see any of that coming. And what I appreciate Landon said to me is that when I agreed to mentor him, he was not doing any of this.

In other words, he didn't have the stature or the notoriety or the scope. It was just, you know, if there's something wrong with the scope, it was just, you know, I felt God was in it. And, you know, the interesting thing is, he told me I've corrected him more than any other person. So, I assume, aside from you, aside from, that's a given, aside from the wife, but he is so receptive to input that aside from proofreading something, hey, so you got to, you know, clean this up, like, oh, write something and say, it hasn't been proofed yet. He's just warning me, you know, so I don't have to edit it when I send it back. But he is so open to receive it.

I know you are as well. I'm very selective in saying anything because I know how seriously you'll take it. And the key in that is you're securing God and securing who you are and securing your relationship with me and other leaders that you look to as well. When we're insecure, you know, everything's a threat.

But when we're secure in the Lord and our calling and our relationship, bring it on. You know, James Robinson told me repeatedly I'm the most teachable person he knows. I'm thinking, okay, I got that going for me. I know how to get low, you know?

But there's a security in that. So, that's very kind and it's neat to hear that from your perspective. And I'm so glad I get to be involved in both of your lives now. So, you weren't always in pastoral leadership ministry, you weren't always on the front lines doing what you were doing. We've just got a few minutes, but paint a picture of what Jesus saved you out of and when you came to him.

Yeah, it was totally radical what the Lord did in my life. Landon, you know, was raised as a pastor kid, never touched alcohol, a drug in his life, married, you know, as a virgin, preached his first sermon in India at 14 years old, okay? And, you know, at 14 is when I'm like taking my rebellious downward spiral raised in a divorced home. And I mean, alcoholic, drug addict by 16 for sure. I mean, drinking every day, mixing all different types of hard drugs.

And 17 years old is, you know, people talk about that rock bottom moment, which I'm actually grateful the Lord lets us get to that place because our pride is our pride, you know, so many times until that moment doesn't allow us to seek, you know, something greater than what we're currently living in the darkness. And so I had this rock bottom moment where I had overdosed from mixing all different types of drugs all night long. And the people I was with thought, okay, she's going to die.

She's foaming at the mouth. They leave me at an abandoned apartment, downtown Seattle. I grew up North Seattle area. And I'm left there for three days. I have no recollection. I have no consciousness, nothing. I believe I was dead for those three days.

A school district called my mom says your daughter hasn't been here, you know, for days I was living with my father at that time that just let me live however I wanted. And they tracked down the guy that I was with that night. They found me in the abandoned apartment. First time I gained consciousness is when my best friend and that guy that left me there is fighting because my best friend thinks I'm dead. And I try to wiggle on the floor to let them know like no, I'm alive. Come get me. You know, they come pick me up off the floor. I go to the doctor's office the next day do the blood work. I'll never forget the doctors coming in saying Heather, you are a walking dead woman.

You should not more drugs in your system than what should kill three grown men. I was just tiny at the time from the lifestyle that I was, I was living. And it was the first moment I had felt fear in a long time, but a good type.

And, uh, it was just three months after this moment. Now there was a series I I'm releasing my book. It's my personal freedom story called Unscarred. I'm releasing it September 28th. Uh, people can get more information by going to Unscarredbook.com or following me, Heather Schott on the IG.

I'm releasing it at Mercy Culture Conference in Fort Worth on September 28th. It's this radical story because Dr. Brown, it was a series of events. I didn't know God could speak to you. I didn't know, like, I didn't know, I knew about this God, but I didn't know how real God was. And I start encountering him in supernatural ways where he starts removing not just drugs, but alcohol, stealing all of this sin out of my life in radical ways. I thought I was going crazy. And it's just three months after overdosing, I meet Landon.

My mom introduces us because he's a youth pastor and she's like, my daughter needs help, you know? And so, uh, I tell you what, listen, here's, here's the deal, folks. You got it. I didn't set it up like this. I promise. I didn't.

Yeah. Unscarredbook.com. Justicerun.com. Go there. Sign up around the country, around the world. Sign up for the virtual one justice run.com or meet me in Fort worth, October 28th. Let's do this together. Bless you, Heather. Keep running your race. Another program powered by the truth network.