Today we’d like to introduce you to Edward Quary Jr.
Hi Edward, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born on Christmas day in Lakeland, FL. I am grateful for loving parents that emphasized love, respect and the importance of Jesus Christ in our lives. It is in this context that I first heard and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news that Jesus, God’s Son, loved me enough to die for my sins and that he is alive. I welcomed the good news of forgiveness, grace, compassion, and love and began my journey with Jesus Christ.
Admittedly, as I grew in age, cultivating my personal relationship with Jesus Christ was not a priority. I enjoyed sports, leadership and sought to accomplish goals that really did not have Christ as the center. While I sought to chart my course in life, God was simultaneously speaking to my heart. During my late teens and early 20’s, I knew that God had called me not only to enjoy the love and grace of Jesus Christ but to share this good news with others. Thankfully God’s plans for my life eventually eclipsed my personal priorities.
God allowed me to complete my Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Florida A&M University even though I had shown no outward signs of obeying the call to share Him with others. I continued to press forward with my own goals but I could not escape how gracious and kind God had been to me through Jesus Christ. I had always said to myself that there were two things I would not do: Get married and Preach. However, because of the goodness and grace of God, at the age of 25, I was engaged to be married and begin preaching publicly in the same week! Outside of my relationship with Jesus Christ, my family and pastoring have been the greatest blessings in my life. Since that time, God has blessed my wife and I with two children. I also have had the awesome privilege of pastoring for the past decade. I currently serve as Senior Pastor of the New Mt. Zion Church of Lakeland, which is the very church I attended and grew up in as a child.
During the summer of 2020, I became very ill with Covid-19 and really began to intentionally reflect upon my life and service to Jesus Christ. The challenges of that time led me to contemplate how to effectively make the most of the time I had been given. During my time of quarantine, I reflected upon a question I would often ask God. The question was, “If your plan was for me to Pastor churches, why allow me to spend the time and effort in Pharmacy school?” His answer pointed me to the similarities between dispensing medication for physical healing and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ for Spiritual healing. From those seed thoughts, in July of 2020, “The Preaching Pharmacist” was birthed and continues to grow beyond what I anticipated or could ever imagine.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has not been smooth, and for that, I am thankful. I sincerely believe that if my paths were problem-free, I would never progress in my faith. It actually took a worldwide Pandemic and becoming ill for me to slow down enough to meditate and talk to God afresh about what else He may want to do with my life. One of the major struggles for me personally is thinking at times that my life belongs to me instead of Jesus Christ. But I am assured that Christ knows best how to use my life, for I believe he is the one who gave it, saved it, and sustains it. And so the continual aim of my life is to place it in the hand of Jesus and allow Him to use it according to His wisdom, power and pleasure.
Another struggle that I experienced was procrastination due to feelings of inadequacy. I believe there are thousands and thousands of individuals who are able to share the word of God more effectively than I can. I am not the most eloquent or gifted. Many times I delayed beginning “The Preaching Pharmacist” because I was not sure if it would be welcomed or make a great impact. Comparison caused me to be complacent in doing my best for Jesus Christ. Thankfully this hesitancy eventually subsided. I concluded that if my wife and two children were the only people who watched the YouTube sermonettes, leaving a Spiritual legacy for my family would be well worth the effort! And so I decided to do the best I could for Jesus Christ with what I had been given personally and leave the response and results to God.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I serve a Pastor and a Pharmacist. As a Pharmacist, I read what the doctor has ordered and ensure that the correct medication, dosage, and quantity are dispensed to the correct patient at the correct time. As a pharmacist, a great deal of my time is spent counseling patients on the actions of medications and how they may interact with other medications, foods, or disease states. This is a rewarding profession and I am thankful to serve in this capacity.
As a Pastor, I read what I believe our heavenly Doctor has written in the Bible. With His grace, love, and strength, I dispense the medicine of God’s word to the souls of those God has called me to lead in their walks with Jesus Christ. In the Pastoral calling, teach the Bible, pray continually and give oversight to the local church.
In both instances, what I give does not belong to me; I am simply a steward passing on what has been given to me to those who will receive it. However I believe there are no copays or insurance required for God’s word, unlimited refills and no expiration dates. I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ has provided true healing for my soul, and the message of Jesus’ forgiveness, grace, love and compassion is what I dispense in gratitude for Jesus’ love to me.
I am most proud when someone shares with me that their life is spiritually enriched because of my service to them with the Word of God. I am most fulfilled when others are helped in their Journey with Jesus.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I believe that God grants every good and perfect gift to us. I don’t believe in coincidence but in the providence of God and that he has orchestrated the symphony of my life through the high notes and the low notes. God continues to connect the dots in my life to produce a picture that only he could envision. And even through times of suffering and sorrow, Jesus has never left me or abandoned me. There is not a time in my life where Jesus has failed to do what he promised in His word. The sure hope of the gospel anchors my mind, heart and soul in the death, burial, resurrection and return of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, I rely; in Jesus I rejoice, and in Jesus, I rest.
Contact Info:
- Email: preachingpharmacist@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepreachingpharmacist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rxpreacher/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrw_pGT4j8PsYfyqCFlNg4w
