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Hear this interesting interview with author Gina Jenkins.
Hear this interesting interview with author Gina Jenkins.
Gina Jenkins, author of "God's Healthy Laws," discusses her book "Mama, Why Do People Get Sick?" in an interview. The book was inspired by her granddaughter's panic about her daughter being diagnosed pre-diabetic at just seven years old. Gina wanted to create a book that would help children understand how to be healthy through engaging illustrations. She also shares personal stories about her father's transformation to a plant-based diet and her grandfather's use of fasting to manage diabetes. Gina's book promotes overall wellness and aims to prevent children from facing the same health struggles she has experienced. Greetings SWN listeners, my name is Diana Booker, and today I am very excited to interview Gina Jenkins. Gina is the author of several books, but the one we will showcase today is God's Healthy Laws. Mama, why do people get sick? But before I delve further into this book, I'd also like to give you more background on this incredibly talented lady. Gina sang in a gospel trio for 18 years, and her first performance was at the age of three. Gina has directed many choirs across the many Protestant denominations, and also sang for very prominent Seventh-day Adventist evangelists as a teen. Gina has overcome numerous traumatic events in her life, enduring emotional and mental pain for more than five decades. However, she discovered a powerful solution to conquer her struggles, praise. Gina's books are centered around cultivating a healthy mindset, both physically and mentally, to achieve overall wellness. Her aim is to prevent children from enduring the same hardships she has faced. Gina's story is a testament to the indomitable nature of the human spirit, when combined with divine power, rendering the soul unconquerable. Praise the Lord. So my opening scripture is Matthew 18.3, which says, Verily I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Let us pray. And then I will turn the floor over to Gina Jenkins. Father God, we come before you today, and we thank you, Lord, for giving us this opportunity to praise your holy name and to show what you can do in our lives when we submit ourselves to you. Lord, we ask, Lord, that you be with us as we go through this interview and that your name will be glorified and many who listen will be praised. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. My sister, Gina Jenkins, welcome to the SWM radio. How are you today? I am great, and thank you so much for having me. I am so excited about this. Yes, I am very excited, too. And wherever you would like to start, let's get going, because we have a lot to cover. And this book, Mama, Why Do People Get Sick?, is absolutely phenomenal and awesome. And I know it's going to be a blessing to so many people, just not for the children, but for the adults as well. So where would you like to start, sister? Well, I think the best place to start is the reason why I wrote the book. And I got a panic call from my granddaughter, whose name is Alexandria. And she called me, and she was in a panic because her daughter was diagnosed pre-diabetic. She's only seven years old. And, I mean, to tell you, seven years old and already diagnosed pre-diabetic is something I don't believe there's any other time in the world that young people, people so young have come up with these kinds of diseases. That's true. I knew that if I just told her what to do or shared with her what to do, she may not get it. So I thought the best way for me to do it is just put it in a little book with beautiful pages, make it engaging, and that might be helpful. So I put it in a book, and that's where we are. You know, I think that is the most fantastic, phenomenal thing and gift you could have ever given her. And the fact that she's got the talent and the ability to be able to do that is also very beautiful as well. Sure. Well, she was so, when I told her, she was so excited about it, and she said, I'll do the social media. She was just excited about it. She wasn't, you know, normally back in my day, if somebody told me that that's what they were going to do, I was kind of shy about it. But she was not shy. She said if we could help somebody else, she was happy to do it. And so that's where we are with that. And as far as the ability to do it, I always wanted to do illustrations. That's why I went into graphic design. That's what I do for a living is I do graphic design. And I don't actually do that much illustration, but I know the processes and how to get those things done, and that contributed to me actually being able to get the book done as well. And I would just have to say the book is very beautifully illustrated, and the pictures are lively and vivid, and I just love the characters. Zahra, now help me pronounce that name correctly again. Zahra. Zahra. And actually Zahra is my great-granddaughter's name. That's her name, Zahra. How honored she must be that her grandmother would author a book on her behalf. But, yes, the illustrations in the book is lively, it's beautiful, and it's captivating. Go ahead, please. And I wanted to say in my family when it comes to health, we're on both sides. I have diabetes on one side, and on the other side, heart conditions. And on the diabetes side, my dad was diabetic, and as far as I can remember, he's always struggled with that, diabetes. But later on, I worked with an internal medicine physician, and this internal medicine physician was having a conference, a health conference, where he invited T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, both one a heart doctor and the other one a Ph.D., and he invited those doctors to come and do a health seminar, and my dad went. My dad, I tell you, he was the most noncompliant diabetic you could probably ask for. But after he went to that conference, he changed everything. He started eating. He became plant-based. He would not eat anything that he felt would hurt him. I made such an impression on him that he changed his whole lifestyle. And if he ate anything out, it would only be at Subway, where he would get a vegetarian sandwich, and he didn't even like the fake meat. He just would eat the regular vegetables in his sandwich. Yeah, just awesome. So that let me know that even my dad in his old age, older age, was able to change his lifestyle. And I would tell you that the same principles that he used are the same ones that are in this book. And I would also like to tell you that my grandmother, she had some principles that were really good too. She lived to be 101 years old, and I attribute that to the fact that she went to bed. I mean, after her last television program, she watched, I think it was Wheel of Fortune. She would watch Wheel of Fortune at 630, and at 7 o'clock, she was in bed every night. She lived to be 101. Now, she didn't have the perfect diet. She didn't have the – but as far as going to bed at night and cutting her mealtime off early in the day, she did that. And I think that was a very good, wise thing that she did, and it attributed to her health. The other – go ahead. I just wanted to interject here that I think we are hearing the key to longevity. If we want to live a long life and be a centurion, I mean, how many live to be that, not even 100, but 101? By going to bed early at night, we're told in our council that the hours before midnight are the most valuable hours when the body regenerates and restores and just does all of the housecleaning and keeping. And so she was getting a lot of hours before midnight going to bed at 6 o'clock, and then cutting off her meals that early in the day. I'm just going to interject this quite quickly. I remember one time when I was in the gym and I couldn't get my weight down to where I wanted it to be, even though I was working out almost every day. So what I started doing, my last meal was like about 3 or 4 o'clock, and I ate nothing else. And I was able – you know how sometimes you get to that plateau and you can't break it? Well, that is what broke that plateau for me. So this is some very interesting information that we're getting, really phenomenal. Oh, now your grandfather. My grandfather was diabetic. That was my father's father. He was diabetic also. And he wrote a little book, and in this little book he talked about fasting. He knew that if he fasted, he could get his body to where it needed to be. Now, he's diabetic, and, you know, when you're diabetic, that's something that you don't really do. But what he did was he would fast, and he got rid of all of the pain. He began to feel better. He would endure whatever he had to to get that fast in. And when he was finished, he would, I mean, he would have lost weight and everything. Now, I'm going to tell you, he would have a difficult time with follow-up because my grandmother, she cooked. I mean, the natural Western diet, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and all of that. When it came to that, that's what she cooked. That's what was on the table every day. So when he would fast, he would have to go away from the house and fast. And then he would come back. And when he come back, there's no follow-up. He would go back into the old diet. But he still left a legacy to me because that let me know how important health was to him, how he knew there was something he had to do to be healthy, and that's what he did. And that is so important. A lot of people don't understand just how their bodies will heal itself if we would just take it into a fasting mode. And so the Holy Spirit was leading him to be able to do that at that time. Because what year was when he was doing that, Gina? What did you say? What year was your grandfather implementing fasting to try to overcome the diabetic condition? You know, I could not give you an answer on that what year. He's been gone for many years now. I have no idea. That was before I was probably before I was born that he was doing that. So I don't know. But I can tell you that he wrote it down. And because he wrote it down, I was able to know about it. That's the only way I would know about it is because he wrote it down. He did leave a legacy. That is beautiful and powerful. And look at how it impacted your life. Yes. I would like to also mention that I work with an internal medicine physician who is a Seventh-Day Adventist. And his work, he is so, how would you put it, compassionate when it comes to his patients. He wants his patients to get well. And so the same principles that I have in this book are the principles that he uses with his patients. He runs classes. And in those classes, he presents this to them. And I have seen patients recover some of the most sickly diseases. One, I remember a lady coming out of a wheelchair. She was in a wheelchair when she first came in. And I think about the third week into his program, she walked in. And that was incredible. None of us could believe it. There was another lady who was on oxygen. And about the third week, she came in without her oxygen tank. These simple principles are incredible. They make, I mean, they're healing. If you, I know Dr., I think her name is Dr. O'Neill, Barbara O'Neill. Yes, yes. If you have the right conditions, if you set up the right conditions, your body will heal. And I believe that 100%. So the book, God's Healthy Laws, Mama, Why Do People Get Sick? It gives you the very basic to start with. And if you do it, you will be able to see changes. And these changes are not, they don't take long forever. You can see them within two to three weeks. And sometimes in a week you can see changes that happen, especially when you sleep, you get your sleep in or when you drink your water, just to give you an idea, just to give you an idea about these things. And if you implement some of these simple things, you will be able to see major differences. I also would like to say that the children, this book, it says on the book from ages 7 to 12. But since I've written the book, I would like to probably change that, because I've had individuals say that this book is good for me, even though I'm an adult. My sister's husband's best friend sat on the couch and read my little book. And when he finished, he said, you know I'm diabetic, and this is what I need. And he said, I'm going to get this book and give it to my wife so we can start implementing this. So this book is good for not just the children. Go ahead. Absolutely. I said, hey, man, absolutely. I could see that when I went through it, how valuable it would be. And there is no age limit as to who that book would address. Absolutely. I also want to say, when working with Dr. Gray, somewhat of his assistance, and I do use graphics and help him put together his program, when writing these things down, it made an impression upon me, myself, because my health was poor. I struggled my own self with that and still struggle in areas. I don't want anyone to think I'm perfect in any way when it comes to health especially. But a lot of times I think the thing that you struggle the most with is what God gives you to share with someone else. And as you share with someone else, it helps you to overcome. And I'm just excited to be able to share something so important to others. I'm real excited about that. And, you know, I think it's quite interesting to me when you mentioned that Dr. Bryce brought in Dr. Edelstein and T. Colin Campbell. I mean, both of them are two big powerhouses, you know, in the health arena field. And he definitely is a man who is very different as a medical doctor to give his patients that foundation and background so that they can be able to heal themselves. That's actually just unheard of. It is because when we were trying to get with the hotels, the hotels were having a difficult time because it was just one little doctor instead of some corporation that was asking for him. So that made it real difficult. So I'm telling you, it was really difficult to get through in the beginning. But after he actually did his first conference that way, the next year they were happy to see him. They were happy. And what a gift your father was given, you know, to be coached under Dr. Edelstein and T. Colin Campbell. No wonder the man made such a huge turnaround. They're two very powerful men in their field. I know. I know. They were awesome. And it was just awesome for me to be their go-to person. So I was able to communicate with them and talk with them, you know, as they were working on the presentations and so forth. That was an awesome time. Yes, I can imagine that it was quite exciting. I would just have to say if they ever schedule anything like that again, please let me know. I would love to be in that audience. I know. I know. I don't know if we'll ever get to do that again. That was something special. We did it at a Marriott hotel. And the way he did that, he actually had it for a weekend. He advocated a plant-based diet. Of course, that's what those doctors advocate is a plant-based diet. Yes, they do. And so they got with the hotel. We gave them the menus. We tested the food to make sure that they had it correctly. And individuals that would come, Dr. Bryce's patients, when they would come, they would actually see that they are able to do this. They are able to eat this way. They are able to get their exercise in. They are able to get their sunlight. They are able to get all of these things done. And say, I can do this. I can do this. So he took a whole weekend of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and then in between they would have the lectures. Wow. So they taught them how to eat so that they could go home and be equipped. They had the tools to be able to carry out what they were learning. Yes, absolutely. Beautiful. I would say too bad COVID came along because that was his thing he loved to do with those hotel presentations. He loved doing those. He does it now in his office. He does it still. Yes, we need more doctors like that for sure. But that's where God is raising his medical missionaries so that we can carry forward that work and do those things. Yes. I would like to also, okay, go ahead. No, please go ahead. I wanted to share that when you start on anything, you always see your positions. But this particular way of living is just the natural way God has given it to us. So it's not like you're taking in anything extra. It's like it's the way God made our bodies in the first place, you know, to drink our water, to get fresh air and sunshine. He made our bodies so that he gave that to us. It's something special he gave to us. So when you actually look at this book and you provide this for your children, you're actually giving them what God has already given us, and it makes our bodies properly healed when we do it in the correct way. You know what I think is really awesome about this book as well, especially for such a time as we are living in in Earth's history right now when children are growing up with fast food, they don't even know where food originates from. You know, everything they're getting is processed. And so taking them back to their roots and taking them back to nature so that they can see it's the natural things that we choose to exist and subsist on of the Earth and not all of this processed food. And there was a quote Dwight had said that appetite, Satan was going to use appetite in the end time to be a huge detriment for God's people. And the reason and her time when she penned that, it was more for our day because fast foods didn't exist in her day. I think you were even explaining to me or we were talking about restaurants. There was a time coming up where you were hard-pressed to go out and eat, and if you did, you know, it would be open for breakfast or it would be open for dinner, but it wasn't open 24 hours a day like we have today. And the pull to indulge appetite today is so much stronger now than when she penned that statement. And it's really affecting the children's health. They don't know any other way but processed food or fast food. And that's all they want. That's all they want. They don't want greens. No. They revolt over anything natural. So this book is going to be very instrumental. I would really love to see this book into all of the schools, you know, as required reading, so that children can come back to truly understanding what it is God designed for them and for their bodies and to keep it healthy. Yes. Yes, I think that would be totally awesome. It would be. I do have some special things that I would like to do for the audience. I've created a poster that has the eight laws of health on it, and I would love to be able to give that away for free. And all they would have to do is go to my website, in which we will mention it later, go to the website, and they would be able to download it. Oh, awesome. Awesome. That would be great. Absolutely. And so, you know, what times did you want to give them a little snippet of Zahara? No. Zaria. Zaria. I have a hard time because there's another lady's name that keeps coming into my mind, Zaria. Yeah, her name is Zaria. And Zaria is actually a name that came from the name Sarah, Sarah in the Bible. Oh, I didn't know that. So she named her Zaria, but I think Zaria actually came with the derivative of the name Sarah. But we can do that right now if you'd like. Oh, great. Yes, let's do that. Okay. Hello, everyone. My name is Zaria. One day I asked my mama a very important question. Why do people get sick? So my mom took me on an incredible adventure, and during the entire day, we discovered how to keep God's happy laws to stay healthy and strong. I didn't know drinking water was a healthy law. I learned so much from reading this beautiful book. I learned eight amazing principles that can help me stay healthy, strong, and full of energy. But I wanted to know what happens when we don't keep these healthy laws. Well, I surely found out. And guess what? You will find out, too, when you read the book. Trust me, every child all over the world, just like me, wants to learn how to take charge of their health. Inside this book, you'll find inspiring, colorful illustrations, an engaging story, and important lessons that will help you make healthier choices every day. So join me and my mama as we go on this incredible discovery journey. Get your copy of God's Healthy Laws. Mama, why do people get sick? Today. And let's begin this amazing adventure together. You can find it at Amazon.com. Good Lord. Mm-hmm. I just love that so much. I'm so excited about this book. Because, to be honest with you, I do not think you can search high and low, far and wide, that there has ever been a book written from a child's perspective on healthy laws. No, I don't think so. I actually searched for one before I decided to do it myself. I searched for one to find for her, and I couldn't find one. Wow. I decided to, well, how hard can it be to just put it down on paper? Exactly. Yeah. And it was so amazing how God worked. I met a lady that called in for Dr. Bryce, and she was the one that actually gave me an Adventist editor that's out in California to edit the book. And I'm telling you, the Lord just opened every door to actually get this done. He opened every door for me. I can see why, because it is sorely needed right now. Mm-hmm. And I'm just praying that this book will explode across all the social media pages and every bookstore that it will be carried. You know, we're just going to prophesy that God is going to take this book and just spread it throughout the world. I think it would be awesome if Zaria was the household name. That would be beautiful, rather than Dora, right? Yes. Yeah, I think it would be just awesome. Yes, it would. If anybody wants to get any more information about the book, oh, you know what? I almost forgot something. We have the book, but coming out next week is going to be the companion book. Yes. It's called God's Happy Laws, but it is a tracker, a health tracker. So anybody that has read the book would be able to actually do a 40-day program that will help them practice the healthy laws. And in this book it has where they will color their circles and then they will also put a sticker at the top when they have gotten all their eight laws in. It has coloring pages in it, and it also has puzzles and word searches so that they can further learn about healthy laws. And it's going to be a great workbook. Oh, wow. Absolutely it is because to learn one thing is, you know, but the other side of that coin is putting it into practice. And so this is going to really help reinforce, like you said, everything that they've learned and to help them stay on course and put into practice. And that's why I say this workbook and that in the story absolutely is something that can transcend all age groups. We all can benefit from this. I can't wait to get the workbook myself to help me stay on point. And I just love you. I don't even recognize how much that you have impressed me with your journey here with this book and also the whole fasting and intermittent fasting stage of it that you talked about because that's something I've been struggling and wanting to get underway is intermittent fasting. But now after listening to you and this book, I said, Lord, I'm going to do it. It's catapulting me to another level, you know, and that is the intermittent fasting under my belt. Yes. It's going to be an awesome ride. If we can just get started, do the simple things that God has given us, then we'll be on our way. Because I have noticed the way God makes us, if you do the right thing, if you do those things, then your body craves the other things that he wants you to do. Your mind is clear so you can have a clear mind and understanding if you're doing these things. It's just amazing how he created the body to heal itself. He created it to be vibrant. And to move. He created it to move. And, I mean, if we think about our past, we didn't have all this air condition and electricity and the lights. We didn't have all of that. We went to bed when the sun went down. Yes. If we figure out a way to kind of go back to the way it was in the beginning, we'll be so much healthier for it, I believe. Absolutely. I'd like to share a few quotes from Spirit of Prophecy at this time that I think would really solidify and confirm a lot of the things that we're saying here. Where we are in Earth's history, we've never been here before. And so getting a handle on our appetites and our passions, it all goes back to diet. So this one quote says, The controlling power of appetite will prove the ruin of thousands, when if they had conquered on this point, they would have the moral power to gain the victory over every other temptation of Satan. And then she says, It has been clearly presented to me that God's people are to take a firm stand. Well, this is against meat eating. And we know even with diabetes today, they have started saying that meat is one of the main culprits causing diabetes. It said, Would God after 30 years give his people the message that if they desire to have pure blood and clear minds, they must give up the use of flesh meat. If you did not want them to heed this message. Also on Councils on Diets and Foods, and that was from notebook leaflets. It says, Some are indulging lustful appetite which wars against the soul and is a constant hindrance to their spiritual development. They constantly bear an accusing conscience, and if straight truths are talked, they are prepared to be offended. So in Desire of Ages, I'll end with the last quote. It says, Our only hope of eternal life is through bringing the appetite and passion into subjection to the will of God. So where we're getting ready to go, we know at any time we could be plunged into, you know, the time of trouble. And if we don't have these appetites under control and under the power of the Holy Spirit, if we aren't solidified on this point, I actually read a quote that she says, The trials that we're going to have to face we won't make it. So it's really, really important that we take these healthy laws very seriously, especially right now. This is our probationary time where, as we have to say, we need to nail it. Yes. And if you look at it, healthy laws are happy laws. They are happy laws. We look at it. They make you happy. Everything he's given us is for us to have abundant life and a happy life. Yes, it is. And, you know, I noticed when I am working with raw foods, it gives me a happiness about working with raw food recipes. I don't know what it is. It's exhilarating for me. I eat raw food. I eat some raw food, but I haven't done as much. But since you said that, I'm going to try a little bit more. Well, if you don't like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you will really love doing raw food recipes. Okay. Yes. If you're willing to share, I'm willing to receive. Okay, then. There's so much today that we have. I went back a long time ago in the 80s when I started on this journey. You were hard-pressed to find a really good recipe, tried and true, or anything, but now the Internet is just one of the good things about it. It's just replete with so much information there. I think the world is doing more plant-based than our church, and that's sad. Wow. Yeah, that's true. It is. It's true. At this time, Gina, is there anything else that you would like to share with the people about your journey or your book or the companion book? Please take this time to do so. I would just like to say when it comes to health, this book, I mean, for the expense, it's not expensive, but it can make a major difference in your life. I would say it is worth a try to go out on Amazon and get the book. I would also like to say a lot of people don't know how Amazon works. The way it works is that if you go and you get a book, even if you get just the audio, not the audio, but if you just get the Kindle version, and you put a review out there, Amazon says, Oh, they like this book. I'm going to put it in front of people she doesn't know. That's the way it works. So if you get the book and you really like the book, please put a review out there, and you can become a verified review person if you take a picture and upload it that shows you have the book. And they will put that book in front of more people, people that I don't know. They push your book forward. They'll send it to Canada. They'll send it all over if there are enough reviews. So that's really good to know. Yes. A lot of people don't know that. It's the reviews that push. Amazon has something called an algorithm, and you probably have seen it. You've seen it where it says the people that like this book also like this book. And so when that book comes up, especially if there are a lot of reviews, it will put it up next to a book that's similar to it, and it's in front of more people. So if it's in front of more people, then you are actually helping to spread. It's like helping spread the gospel, so to speak. Amen. Amen. That's really good. It's just like on YouTube, when you put likes on people's page and subscribe, then more people are drawn and they get more exposure. So that would be a really great way. That's a great way. I hope all of the SME listeners are hearing what she is saying, because this book really does need to go viral. It needs to go worldwide, and we can do our part by sending the link. And, Gina, you'll give us that link as well. Is there a website for the book as well? Yeah. It's going to be, and you'll get the link from the website, and it is lifetimelifestyle.com. Just lifestyle, L-I-F-E, S-T-Y-L-E, .com. Lifetimelifestyle.com. Yes, lifetimelifestyle.com. And when you go there, you click on the link that says Lifetime Lifestyle, and it will take you to the page where the poster is. And all you have to do is you'll be able to download it straight from there. Okay. Well, I am just going to be praying that our people in our listening audience, when they hear this information, that they will rally behind you, Gina, and that they will really pressure your book to the forefront, because really this is the gospel. This is what we're supposed to do. This is the entering wedge. Yes. This is the entering wedge. Yes, exactly. This is the right arm, and it's in such a beautiful format way that it's not intimidating. You know, sometimes people can get intimidated with our message, but I think this is a really wonderful way to get it in to all classes of people and ages of people so that we can start being a healthier people with minds that are prepared to receive the Lord when he comes. And that's what it's all about. That's right. Don't think you have to be a young person to buy this book. No, absolutely not. Good for young and old. Absolutely. Okay, so that's wonderful. Is there anything else you would like to say at this point? And if not, then you can close us with prayer. Okay. I just want to say thank you to any person who is here. Thank you so much for the support that you would give, and I thank you also for your prayers and that God will send this book out to everywhere it needs to go so that it will help little children just like my granddaughter change their lifestyle and have a mindset to take care of themselves and their well-being. Lord in heaven, we just thank you so much for all that you do for us, how you give us life and health, and how you, Lord, take your food and put the exact amount of vitamins and minerals and everything in it already to nourish our bodies. Lord, I pray that we all take advantage of what you have already done. And Lord, spread your word, your message of health around to everyone. Let it go far and wide so that people will gain a little bit better quality of life. Thank you for this program, this broadcast that has given me an opportunity to share this message, and I just thank them for having me. And I ask, Lord, that you would just keep us until we meet again, maybe somewhere far beyond. We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much, Gina, for coming on today to be on radio and sharing this wonderful, wonderful book that you have put out here. I know it's going to be a blessing and a tremendous blessing to so many of us. May God continue to be with you on your journey, and as you are laboring in his vineyard with all of these awesome gifts that he has placed within you, may his name be glorified. Thank you again. Thank you. Bye-bye now. Bye. ♪♪♪