For Your Reward Is Great In Heaven—Part 2

Welcome to family policy matters.

The production of the North Carolina family policy Council this week we bring you part two of an inspiring speech by David and Jason Bena twin entrepreneurs who now live in the Charlotte area and received national attention after the HDTV television show was canceled because they spoke out on marriage and life issues. This message was delivered at NC families major speaker series dinner in Greenville, North Carolina on March 13 I was drafted by the Red Sox. He was drafted by the Orioles after our senior season 1998 we went on to play several seasons in the minor leagues and are one book, whatever the cost at one of the part of the bylined is dying to your dreams.

We never made it to the bigwigs and we always knew when we left liberty. God is going to get us to the major leagues work and it hit the game-winning homerun in the ninth-inning of the World Series were to be in the Hall of Fame wards to give us this platform were to glorify the Lord will lead and never happened ever. We did not make it the next thing you know we find ourselves. We decided to move to Charlotte North Carolina. We had no idea what we were to do. I mean, here you are minor-league baseball players with American history degrees. Having never really held a real job. What you do get your real estate license, he lets us do that. So we got a real estate license and you know all we had were the principles of God's word wouldn't have any business training at all.

When we got saved at the age of 12. Dad told us boys. You gotta make your theology biography said but you gotta have some theology.

First, given the word of God so at the age of 12, between 1218 we started reading through the New Testament every year and were still on the same Bible reading schedule. This these days that we were back then and then at the age of 18.

We went to liberty was to read through the whole bottle will be 42 this year's women do it every rinse and repeat every single year. So all we had was principles of God's word will we applied that in the marketplace and by 2010 we had 100 offices across 35 states then Wall Street Journal Ernst & Young Inc. magazine there all franchise 500. They listed us as the 27th fastest growing Pvt. franchise and American 2010. Amid all this stuff starts happening and we worn out ambitiously try to build our brand. We were just serving people's needs in the market was well by 2012, a production company reaches out to us and says hey you guys want to be on a reality television show now.

First, we are like and no I don't think so you know I don't want to were very vocal about our faith and they're like oh no we we looked at the Internet we see your videos. We are paying attention. We please just take an interview from us. So the early 2013 we did an interview with these guys and they said were to put together a sizzle clip so that's a little three minute clip that they took out the Los Angeles came back and said guys paste five networks watching what TLC made us our first offer. So now were in 2013 Jason I we were the height of our business career and TLC had made us a reality television show offer and in the middle of us negotiating with them. HDTV, the general manager. The network bypasses our agents bypasses our production company called my cell phone direct.

She said listen, I'm on vacation but I just talked to my executive producer and they said we lost you guys to TLC and I you know I by this time I'm somewhat of a seasoned businessman, I'm like well you haven't actually lost us yet and she said would you entertain an offer and I said we will so they shot an offer over to us and the next thing you know all summer long. In 2013 were in a bidding war.

We actually got a call with the executive producers of both networks back to back where they were pitching their networks to us and about all the stuff they were to do for us and everything else will. Finally Hg up there offer and we said, I will sign you know HDTV's big companies are not just assignable a couple Jack legs like us without first doing background checks and doing all these things and so a few weeks went by, and HDTV, but they had the producer call us. David was out of town on business are never getting a phone call from a producer and she said listen. Everybody Hg is beside themselves excited their talk about how there to make you guys the franchise players on the network. Millions of homes and as the production company were so excited to but the attorneys at Hg have one question that they will ask you, they came across you guys in a video where you supported some amendment, it was amendment one in North Carolina back in 2012 and you guys said some about marriage is only between a man and woman and so here's what they want to know are you guys anti-gay.

That was a question and you know the first feeling that came over me that moment. Figure I wasn't expecting this I mean it caught me like a sucker punch. I experience fear, like I hadn't experienced before. I mean it was like I was littered literally scared to answer this question because when she asked that question. Are you anti-gay. The first thought that jumped into my mind was you better be careful how you answer this because if you don't answer right you lose this new platform that you guys are really looking forward to doing some great things with, and so in that moment I was like oh boy, I better answer this the right way but I set a QuickBooks snap little prayer and by God's grace. He gave me some sense of no were not anti-anything with pro Jesus into the course of that conversation. I basically explained to her that God's blessings are found within God's boundaries.

And if we remove those boundaries. His blessings are replaced with burdens and one of his boundaries as marriage between a chick and a dude you know she said you know what her response was okay that's good because you know what a lot of us at Hg your production company and even your agents, we kinda believe like you guys do. We just don't really talk about it much. That's what she said and so I hung up the phone.

I wipe my four head of my God you are good man. You get me something awesome saying I was able save the show and still stand for my faith right will.

Two weeks went by and we didn't get a phone call, text, we nothing email from Hg our production company or our agents and up into this point they had been communicating with us almost every single day and I thought we were getting dumped David subdued. I feel the exact same way. We got down on our knees and we begin to pray and you know that prayer was God please save the show please save the show please save the show and you know what we stood up and both of us in our spirits said we really feel that God wants us to write a letter to HDTV send an email HDTV just kind of try to save our show and so David's wrote this email sent it to me is that what you think I read it is like this is for weightman.

It was three paragraphs long and you notice that here's what it said HDTV.

These are beliefs and were never to back down from however however when were on your show and when we represent your network where we go were to be quiet about it he wrote it told me to write I approved it and both of us were doing it for the Lord and both of us felt like God had given us this email, you know what happened in that moment, David and I both begin to focus on that platform that we didn't want to lose and we took our focus off of the person who put it there in the first place. And you know what happens when you take your focus off of the person who put that promise her that platform that purpose or the provision.

The minute you take your focus off of the person you begin to operate strategically in the mind no longer spiritually in the heart, and you can't see anymore and you're doing it all for the Lord, all for God's glory. And here I am a pastor who canst talk about an issue because I don't want to lose my congregation will the very thing that you will let go of. That's the thing that's enslaving you and that's the thing.

God is saying pastor you let go of your congregation.

You stand up there and you deal with that cultural hot topic you do that and you let it go and you be bold for me but David and I we failed in that moment, I'm telling you, well we decided we were to send it to HDTV we were to send it to a spiritual mentor bars first so we sent it to this pastor friend of ours and you know what, within about 90 seconds.

He sent an email back and said how dare you boys write an email like this. This is and who you are. How do you know that God hasn't put you in this situation to tear down a stronghold that is ransacking this nation you know we did. We got down on our knees and we repented. We cried out to the Lord in the same way that Peter went out when he heard that rooster crowing and he went on he went to many pretty bitter tears. David and I realize from that moment that we were operating out of a man pleasing spirit and we were doing it all for the Lord and what we realize then was that boldness apart from brokenness makes a bully. We had no clue that several months later we were to get fired and we had to stand boldly for the Lord. But you know what God had to do first before we stood boldly. He had to break us.

He had to show us who we were that deep down we were nothing more than cowards and we discovered that the secret to courage is first recognizing your inner coward and then allowing the Holy Spirit to unleash your inner lion.

So the fear of man and a man pleasing spirit was all over and God was telling telling us to fear him lack that two week. Now we look back we know what God was doing all the sudden Hg calls us out of the blue, again bypassing the agents and everybody said are you signing with us or what so we sign with Hg to call the show flip it forward.

It was about Jason and I were helping families were four weeks and in 2014, the running commercials and then they call us say guys we got good news. We just announced your names at the upfronts in New York City and these are upfront sees a big sale shows when they bring in all their advertisers and endorsers and the focus groups everything. This is going be a big show. This is great you got endorsers you have Disney World others recall and say they want to be a part of the show. This is all good news. We said okay, good. And they said and one other group called glad and that they said well they're not really happy that we're giving you guys a platform but don't worry, we've got this all under control so the next week Jason are still filming now or five weeks in, we get a phone call 9 o'clock at night that from one of the top executives at the network and they said listen, we been back and forward glad all week long and and so were just gonna go and let you guys know relax. Everything is under control were not going to put anything in writing to them but we are gonna call them when we get off the phone with you and let them know were sticking with you were not let you go there to be stars on the network. That was the last words we heard from Hg hung the hung the phone up next morning, 6 o'clock in the morning.

Our phones are vibrating off the hook from friends across the country thing. Did you see HDTV's Facebook page. Guided never in on HDTV's Facebook page. So what happened you go on their Facebook page and about 3 o'clock in the morning the night after that phone call. There is a sentence that says we are reviewing the better brother show and underneath that thousands of comments things that I would never repeat in public they said things about our daughters.

They said things about us. He said things about our wives on earth.

This is all full, want not what happened.

Well glad his partners with right wing watch when glad doesn't get what they want, they tap right wing watch on the shoulder to provide a new narrative and they take the right wing watch article as true journalism and they circulated to the AP will give it to see an enemy they'll give it to everybody and they they start circulating this and they mobilize their banks so Jason and I we were poor. We had a 9 AM call time and we report and were there written liked up and both of us are like what on earth going to happen we we didn't know what was going on and and so then at 11 AM HDTV Gupta texts my phone and said hey you guys got time for conference calls, we suggest short that we didn't know what this conference calls gonna be about.

We had no idea how many executives would be on we did know we just knew they spent millions of dollars. The show was a big show. We were told the night before were to be stars and everything right now the sudden there's this little pickup so just before we took the call we got along.

We found a place by ourselves. We both got down on her knees and we said, Lord Jesus. When we surrender to you. We said whatever the cost.

So give us the grace. Whatever this call is going to be. We make a phone call first words out of the mouth of the highest executive director. The home division boys will cancel and show first words came to my mind. Thank you. Thanks for the opportunity. Thank you for believing in us so then I said you know what you believe Dennis but you got bullied you got bullied into this one of the executives not on this call, but a couple calls earlier had said we have to pander to groups like this. We said no you don't have to pander to groups like this, but we said you got bullied into this and what's happening right now is this radical secular leftist agenda is demanding silence and that's why we love being a part of the family policy Council, the NC family policy Council because they're willing to step out there willing to speak the faith their vision statement. Their mission statement is all about this great faith it's all about standing boldly for the values that God gives us so that's why we want to encourage you to get involved any friends they need funds but more than any of that.

You go home tonight dive into this word get on your knees commit yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ.

For as long as you have breath. Let's stand boldly in North Carolina in the name of Jesus Christ and listening to a message from David and Jason Bana delivered at the NC families nature speaker series dinner in Greenville, North Carolina. You can hear part wine on our website NC family.org listening family policy matters. Production of NC family to listen to our radio show online, and for more valuable resources and information about issues important to families in North Carolina. My website NC family.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook