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 1899 GIZMO

 

This week I met John at the mission.

 

Maybe the last 2 weeks?

 

Anyway- when he first showed up he just looked like one of the new guys that shows up every so often.

 

You have people from all over that gravitate to the shore regions of the country- and we are one of those spots.

 

John was a little different- he had this cute Chewowa [sp?] dog- named Gizmo- and he is a ‘jolly’ type fella.

 

So- to some- they might paint John as gay- you know- loving on this little dog- jolly.

 

Now- if he were- I wouldn’t care- I mean I still be-friend people from all backgrounds- and I forgot to mention this in the post I did about race.

 

That a couple years back there was a nice Black kid- he came from a ministry background [family started churches and stuff all over the area].

 

One day I took him shopping- to the grocery store- we had a couple of other street guys.

 

Sometimes I’ll take the guys to the store and let them buy some stuff they need [on my debit card].

 

But Tracy basically food shopped.

 

Tracy is also gay.

 

It was quite expensive.

 

The other guys got mad ‘hey- John pays for this out of his pocket’.

 

Sometimes people think I have some type of ‘ministry fund’ and they might spend more than they need.

 

I just went with it- I was broke for the rest of the month- but what the heck.

 

 

So- just wanted to defend myself a little- being I do write on race issues- yet I believe in helping all types- even gay friends.

 

So- even if this new guy was gay- I don’t judge him.

 

But- as I talked with ‘jolly John’ I came to find out he’s not gay- but a widower.

 

 

John was a plumber for 35 years- lived in Arlington [Texas- the city where the Texas rangers come out of].

 

A few years ago his wife got real sick- and in October of last year she took her own life.

 

 

John always wanted to live near the ocean- he sold everything he had and spent the money coming to Corpus.

 

 

He got a job right away- working right by the mission for a mechanic shop.

 

 

Yesterday I took my van for an inspection- sure enough he was there.

 

So right off the bat I know John is different- lots of the guys have stories- but to put it bluntly- they don’t want to work.

 

This is a real problem for sure- and when you read all my posts defending the poor- don’t confuse that with thinking I’m defending able bodied people- who are not working.

 

 

No- I try to spend my money helping people who are not on the free programs- or who are really in need.

 

Yeah- I have given to those who I probably shouldn’t have- but all in all I am against guys just living off the free dole- when they need to work.

 

 

 

So- John has a good job- and he’s saving up for a cheap apartment.

 

 

He told me he’s living in the broken down car wash that’s attached to the mechanic shop.

 

 

For you local friends- he works at Fast Trax- in the Bluff- right by the HEB parking lot.

 

 

 

John sleeps there with his little dog- Gizmo [I’ll try and post some pics this morning?]

 

 

 

Yeah- John has an interesting story- a hard working man- who came upon hard times- and wound up ‘on the street’ at least for a little while.

 

 

 

It would be easy to look at John and judge him- I mean he is eating at the free mission [I never eat the free food by the way].

 

And he is a big boy- overweight- and admits it.

 

 

So- at first glance you could peg him as a freeloader who refuses to work.

 

 

 

When John told me about his wife taking her life- John cried.

 

 

I felt bad for him- he seems like a very nice guy.

 

 

As I sat in the shop waiting for my inspection- sure enough- his little dog Gizmo is chained up to a chair in the waiting area.

 

 

The poor baby is shaking- you know how those little pups shake- and I guess he sits by himself all day.

 

 

He’s just staring at the door where his ‘daddy’ walked thru- hoping he comes back.

 

 

Kinda sad story to be honest.

 

 

Yet John has this happy go lucky way about him- he laughs and jokes at the mission.

 

 

He lets his little puppy lay on him- he’s really an interesting guy.

 

 

John is one story- one friend- out of hundreds- maybe thousands of friends I have made over the years.

 

 

 

Yeah- there have been times where some of ‘my friends’ were people that others would not be around.

 

 

Dangerous type people.

 

Others are like John- just a good person who fell on bad times.

 

 

 

I have a verse posted here right behind me.

 

It says ‘she that tarried at home divided the spoils’.

 

It’s in the book of Psalms.

 

 

 

I posted it a few years ago- right behind the chair I’m sitting on right now while I blog.

 

 

To me it says there will be friends who read these posts- and maybe they will never see the John’s of the world.

 

 

Maybe they will live their lives as most people do.

 

Good lives- working- raising kids- things that are noble and good.

 

 

But to these friends- the verse I just quoted is very important.

 

It tells me that God intended for some of our ‘community’ to ‘stay at home and have a part’.

 

 

 

To you- most of you are women- don’t underestimate the need to pray for me and my friends.

 

I have gone thru the Gospel of Matthew- Acts- Romans and am in Corinthians right now.

 

 

Yes- I am a big bible reader- as well as a writer on all the other things.

 

 

The Apostle Paul was used by God- and in most [if not all?] of his writings- he says ‘please don’t forget to pray for me’.

 

 

 

For those who can- those who tarry at home- try and pray the ‘Our Father’ every day for me and my friends.

 

 

It might not seem much to you- but to be honest- I think it at times it has saved my life.

 

 

Thanks- from John- John- and oh yeah- little Gizmo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1900 A LITTLE CROW?

 

I caught part of the Repub convention last night.

 

I haven’t been following it- but I found the coverage very interesting last night.

 

I have been a critic of MSNBC and Chris Matthews over the years.

 

 

But- to his credit- I thought he did a great job last night.

 

Why? Because he made the conservative points?

 

No.

 

But he did indeed differ with the others and defended Jeb Bush who made the conservative argument about school vouchers.

 

 

Vouchers are funds that you could use to send your kid to the school of your choice.

 

The way it is supposed to work is if you’re a poor mom- maybe a single Black mother living in a tough inner city area.

 

You could apply for the voucher and send your son/daughter to a better school then she would normally have access to.

 

 

Now- there are those against this and for it- and like most things- if your hear one side only- well you begin to say ‘o- I see your point’.

 

Then you might hear the other side and say the same thing.

 

 

My point is Matthews did take the voucher side- and to the obvious dismay of his liberal panel [Sharpton, Maddow, etc.] he knew he was in the minority.

 

 

I also liked the view that Matthews and Sharpton took about Romney’s Mormonism.

 

 

They were consistent and said it is wrong to go after him on that.

 

 

 

I caught CNN and Fox- all in all- I was happy to see that their coverage- even though they all play sides at times- was pretty fair.

 

 

 

Why was I glad to see this?

 

 

Because whoever wins this election- the next president will have to try his best to govern a very divided nation.

 

 And it will be hard- for either side- to do this if the losing side [whoever it be] simply spends the next 4 years trying to make the winner fail.

 

 

 

This last year I have criticized the president lots- and I have done the same with Bush in the past [mainly over the wars].

 

 

But there have been things that I credit Obama for.

 

As a big news buff- one of the geopolitical issues that came up was this Pakistani road that we used to get supplies to our troops fighting in the border region of Afghanistan/Pakistan.

 

We had an incident where we accidently bombed the wrongs guys- we killed a bunch of Pakistani troops- thinking they were Taliban.

 

Now- Pakistan has not been the best ally in this whole war in Afghanistan.

 

And make no mistakes about it- we buy their support with tons of money.

 

 

But- when we killed their troops- they had it.

 

 

They shut down this vital road for our supplies and refused to re open it unless that got an official apology.

 

 

The Dilemma?

 

 

They wanted the U.S. [Obama] to apologize during a campaign year- when the opposing side were accusing him of being weak in the world- and making apologies to other nations.

 

 

See?

 

 

So- instead of apologizing- the U.S. spent millions of more dollars- every week [day?] flying and using other ways to get the support to our troops.

 

 

Now- the Pakistanis did indeed charge us lots for the use of the road- but these other options were much more expensive.

 

 

So what happened?

 

 

One week- after months of the stalemate- Hilary Clinton made the apology with the approval of Obama.

 

Huh?

 

Yeah- he did the right thing- and that was that.

 

 

Now- he could have just spent the extra millions and not apologized.

 

But I’m sure he consulted with the military brass- and they gave him the frank advice that it would be better to get the road back.

 

 

He did the right thing- not the most expedient thing- not the thing that would help his election the most.

 

No- he did the right thing.

 

 

My Point?

 

If Romney wins- or Obama gets re-elected- they will need the support of the people to do ‘the right thing’.

 

 

They will need to have some consensus- some middle ground- to fix the things that are really broken in this country.

 

And we won’t be able to do that if we continue to simply hate the other side.

 

 

I was very impressed with the cordial coverage that the networks gave to Romney.

 

And I trust they will do the same with the president’s convention.

 

 

Yeah- I must admit that Chris Matthews was a real news man last night.

 

Kudos’ to him and MSNBC [geez- I hate the taste of crow!]

 

 

 

 

 

 

1901 SURROUNDED BY CRIMINALS?

 

 

A few years ago [well- 1992] when we moved to Corpus we really never shopped around  for the neighborhood we would live in.

 

We simply needed a 4 bedroom [preferably with a study] and there was only one on the market- we bought it.

 

But after moving in- I told my wife ‘wow- can you believe the luck- all the bums and criminals live right around here!’

 

Now- to me this was music to my ears- to my wife it was ‘here we go again’.

 

Again?

 

 

Yeah.

 

When we first started our ‘church’ in Kingsville we rented an old hospital building.

 

Eventually I fixed up my 2 garage and we used that.

 

But- the ‘members’ of the church were made up- 99%- of crooks- thieves- and stuff much worse.

 

 

I met these guys thru a bible study I did at the jail- and many would get sent off to prison and when they got out they came to the church [their wives too].

 

So- this was our cool little church- many of the guys knew each other from the streets.

 

They often ‘reminisced’ about the old days [not good].

 

Elias [long dead now] was my song leader- and filled in for me when I had to work- but he was one of the ‘gang leaders’ if you will- that is they all were drug addicts- all knew the places to rob- and sell the stuff.

 

Now- because these guys were my friends- they would often offer their ‘services’ to me.

 

 

‘Hey John- you need a very cheap flat screen- it’s a steal’ [literally].

 

I would tell them ‘no way brother- I don’t want you guys to keep doing this @$#’

 

They would tell me that it’s no big deal- they sell the stuff to their family- and even to one of the local city commissioners [who I knew].

 

 

I was mad- I told them if I buy the stuff- even if it’s a good deal- it will simply encourage them to go out and steal more.

 

And I was really mad that one of their moms was buying the stuff from her son.

 

 

So- that’s the way our little church was.

 

 

I remember one time one of the guys pawned my weed eater.

 

 

I lent it to him- but he never brought it back.

 

So one day when I needed to cut the grass I went over.

 

‘C-mon Johhny- I know you pawned it- lets go get it- I’m not mad- I forgive you bro- but I need to cut the damn grass’.

 

Yeah- we went and got it.

 

 

 

So- I have had my buddies- all used to living life like this- offer me their services at various times- thinking they were helping me out.

 

 

 

 

If I walk out of my study right now- I could throw a rock and probably hit one of the guys right now- sleeping under the overpass [right by Floyd’s restaurant].

 

A few blocks over- they are in the streets- brush- broken down trailers- they ‘reside’ all around me.

 

 

I have a good friend- Dave- who lives right across the street.

 

 

He has lived his entire life in ’the bluff’.

 

 

After he moved across the street- we became good friends.

 

But he realized that the guys who were coming over to visit me- well- they were all criminals- people he knew for years- and he was shocked.

 

 

Dave has a jewelry business that he runs out of his house.

 

 

He started putting in all this extra security- he would come over and keep showing me all the stuff he was putting in.

 

 

Electric shock stuff- showing me the new gun he bought for protection.

 

 

I finally caught on- Dave was afraid that my buddies might ply their trade- at his house!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See- they actually think that they are helping when they do stuff like this- but they are not.

 

 

I was glad when I found out that all these guys hang out all thru out these streets.

 

 

If I go out right now [just was outside by the way] and walk 15 blocks- they are all over the place.

 

Maybe a few are up right now at Floyds- or down at Whataburger.

 

They fill the streets.

 

 

When they offer me their services I say ‘no- there’s a better way’.

 

Paul told the Corinthians ‘some of you were thieves and killers’ all types of stuff- but then he said ‘you are now washed- clean- thru the Blood of Christ’.

 

It’s easy for these guys to resort to tactics they used their whole lives- but by grace they [we] can learn better ways.

 

Yes- at the end of the day- that’s what we want- all of us.

 

 

 

 

 

1902 ARNOLD AND TERRI

 

 

Yesterday morning I took one of my early drives.

 

I kinda ride the main roads in our area- Cross-town- 37- these are the overpasses that let you drive the whole region without having to stop at a ton of red lights.

 

On the way back- around 6-7 am- I got off by the area where I bought the Jesus carving last week [remember the pic?]

 

I have been wanting to kind of start an outreach to the guys in that area for a while [remember the dollar I offered to the Mexican brother- who thought I had a gun?]

 

Yeah- that’s how it works- you just walk up to the guys- say hi- and over time you make new friends.

 

 

Isn’t that risky John?

 

To be honest- yes.

 

But I determined a long time ago that we [I] would take the risk.

 

 

Have there been times where you thought- for real- that this might be the big one?

 

Yes- a couple of times.

 

A friend- freaking out over some stuff- walking around with his loaded gun- I did think he might have killed us both that day- for real.

 

 

Another friend- who actually attempted to murder a couple of cops- one day I was at his house.

 

He knew that everyone knew him to be crazy- and that everyone feared him.

 

 

One day at the Fire House- the guys were talking about one of the local gang type guys.

 

His name was Campos.

 

 

They come from a big drug family in Kingsville.

 

Anyway- they had some ambulance run the night before- a shooting or something- and this Campos guy was involved.

 

The guys who knew Campos- some of the younger Mexican firefighters who grew up in the area knew all the war stories about him- he was the local ‘infamous hero’ to them.

 

 

They were talking about all the stuff Campos has done- shootings and stuff.

 

 

I got tired of hearing it- I told them ‘heck- my buddy beat the crap out of him one night’.

 

They shut up.

 

 

Yeah- this is my friend with the reputation of being nuts.

 

 

So anyway- as I was at his house- he just got out of prison.

 

 

He is talking to me- and he pulls out a very large hunting knife.

 

 

I could see it’s a test- he wants to see my face.

 

 

I sat there- knew it was a test- and gave him the look like- ‘I have been here before my friend’.

 

 

I guess I passed the test.

 

 

Both of these friends [the gun guy and knife] are long dead.

 

 

My ‘knife’ friend- well I mentioned him the other day and didn’t want to say too much- his brother and nephew are friends on my Face Book page.

 

 

But I’m sure they know- one night at the firehouse we had a call that some guy was attempting to kill a cop [again? I don’t know the whole story- but that’s how we heard it].

 

Something of that nature.

 

 

He possibly swallowed a bag of coke and went into a coma.

 

It was my friend.

 

I visited with him and his family at the hospital for about a week- they finally took him off life support.

 

 

He’s the one that’s buried at the ranch picture I posted the other day- in Bishop- Texas.

 

 

Okay- enough of this.

 

 

The reason I bring this up is I always felt I would take the risk- that I was supposed to.

 

 

So- Sunday morning when I got off on Morgan street- I really wasn’t intending on meeting any new ‘friends’.

 

 

We were going to go to church and all- and I try not to do outreach on Sunday.

 

 

But to my surprise there were a couple of street guys sleeping right on the bus benches.

 

 

In the ‘olden days’ you couldn’t do that.

 

 

This road [Morgan and Cross-town] is a high crime spot.

 

 

A kid- Jacob- committed a triple murder right at the intersection not too long ago.

 

 

But as I saw the guys on the benches- I thought ‘damn- let me stop and get them breakfast’.

 

 

There’s a McDonalds right there.

 

 

I got a laugh- when I ordered the breakfasts- the girl asks ‘is this a senior discount’.

 

Hell- I just turned 50- but I told her ‘if you want it to be’.

 

 

Yeah- the Lord blessed me.

 

So I got the meals- and headed out to the street.

 

 

It’s funny- all the people driving by- you know- one of those spots where you make sure the doors are locked.

 

 

I took a few pics- hope to post this morn.

 

 

But I walked across the street and simply told the kid on the bench- ‘hey bro- you want breakfast’.

 

I woke him up- he said ‘yeah man- thanks’.

 

 

I talked to Arnold for a while- nice Hispanic kid.

 

I gave him a few bucks- and he ran across the street to get some coffee- on the way back I told him I was gonna go offer the other meal to the guy on the other bench.

 

 

Arnold grabbed a car rag out of his pocket- he was going to the car lot right off the main street- the guy pays him 10 bucks to simply wipe the dew off the cars in the morning.

 

 

I walked over to the other guy- sleeping too.

 

‘Hey man- you want a breakfast’.

 

‘Oh yes- thank you so much’.

 

 

Terri has been homeless for a while.

 

He’s around 57- used to print the Ad Sack- our local paper where you list the stuff you want to sell [you know- the caveman Craigslist]

 

I sat with Terri for a couple of hours.

 

He enjoyed the meal- told me how breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

 

 

We walked across the street- I offered to buy Terri some smokes- not beer.

 

 

We walked in the store [Stripes] and the girl kicked him out fast.

 

 

I guess they know him.

 

I told Terri ‘I’ll get the smokes- what do you want’?

 

He wanted Kite- they are the roll your own type- lots of the guys buy these when they are broke.

 

‘C-mon Terri- my treat- get what you want’.

 

No- he said the Kite were fine.

 

Sure enough- they don’t carry Kite- he got the classic- Marlboro Red.

 

I sat there- right on the street- having a good time talking to Terri.

 

 

It was obvious Terri was an alcoholic- I did tell him I’m trying to get clean myself.

 

I told Terri that I passed this road many times over the years.

 

When I was a firefighter in Kingsville we used to take the badly inured to the hospital that’s right across the street.

 

It used to be called Memorial- it was the highest rated Trauma hospital in the region- it was also the free public hospital for those who had no coverage.

 

 

So lots of the addicts and stuff use it.

 

 

I noticed Terri had a medical band on his wrist- and he was wearing the hospital type pants.

 

Yeah- he was probably what we call an MHMR patient.

 

 

Mental health pt.

 

 

Terri seemed like a nice guy- down on his luck- living on a bus bench- right across from Arnold- living on the other one.

 

 

Yeah- I finally made 2 new friends- I will go back at least once a week- maybe take the guys to the buffet.

 

 

This is how it’s done- I have been doing this for years- ever since the day my buddy pulled out the knife- or the other one with the gun.

 

 

Sure- you do take risks- but most of the guys are like Teri and Arnold- harmless people down on their luck.

 

It’s not a race thing- Black- White- Mexican- they all have had their hard times.

 

 

I will try and chronicle their stories as time moves on- I want you to see these people.

 

 

Even though Terri was obviously not all there- he still had his senses.

 

 

As I sat with him- a pack of dogs walks right by us- you know- those little dog gangs.

 

A few cute pups were in ‘this gang’.

 

I asked Terri ‘are these regular’s’

 

He said no- he has never seen them before.

 

I told him ‘I guess they just heard some guys giving out free food’.

 

Terri laughed.

 

 

Yeah- I made some new friends- living on bus benches.

 

 

I told them ‘hey- can I take your pics for the site’?

 

They loved it.

 

Enjoy the pics [if they post?]

 

 

NOTE- As I sat with the guys on this Sunday morning- I noticed not all of the cars driving by ignored us- some stopped and gave a few dollars- or a taco- to the guys.

 

They were wearing rosary beads and stuff- the people who also helped.

 

I felt like they were good Catholic people on their way to Mass- living out the teachings of their church- helping the poor.

 

May God bless them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1903 JEWS AND THE END TIMES?

 

 

I want to delve into a hard issue for the church.

 

The last few weeks I have been watching the documentaries from net flix.

 

I mentioned that most [if not all?] are done from the liberal perspective- which I’m okay with.

 

But it is important on all issues to see both sides.

 

One of the things they dealt with was the history of the church and anti Semitism.

 

Yes- the Christian church has had a long history of treating the Jewish people badly.

 

Why?

 

As a Protestant- those of you who have been reading my posts for a while- well you realize that I’m not in the ‘normal’ category of Protestantism.

 

Many of the subjects I hit on are going against the strain of what we normally view as American Evangelicalism.

 

I often reference the Pope- in a good way- or talk about our Catholic brothers and sisters- well- as brothers and sisters!

 

So- I realize I have rubbed many the wrong way.

 

So- this subject of the treatment of the Jewish people has seen extremes- and in the American Evangelical church- much too much of the ‘end times’ stuff- in my view- is missing the boat.

 

As we read the New Testament we see Jesus and the disciples [all Jewish by the way] living at a time when the Roman govt. ruled over the Jewish people- and the Jewish people were waiting for their ‘salvation’ by means of a Jewish Messiah who would come and deliver them from their oppressors.

 

Much of their understanding of salvation was tied in to a national deliverance.

 

When you read the prayers/praises of both John the Baptists dad- and also Mary’s praise [called the Magnificat] you see a strong sense of national deliverance.

 

 

They speak about God sending the Messiah to deliver the people form their oppressors.

 

 

Okay- in this milieu we have Jesus and his guys living and believing that the ‘salvation’ of God is near.

 

 

It was only natural for the disciples- especially those who we call Zealots [Simon- not Peter] to think that this whole salvation story was about God restoring natural Israel back to a place of prominence once again- no more Roman rule type of thing.

 

 

But we see an interesting thing with Jesus- he keeps making statements that seem to lead the disciples away from seeing things this way.

 

‘My kingdom is not of this world- or my men would fight’

 

‘Put up the sword- those who live by it will die by it’

 

And the verse I quoted the other day ‘see all these buildings- temple- there will not be one stone left upon another’.

 

 

He basically is rejecting the nationalistic idea of him being the Messiah who would redeem Israel in a nationalist way.

 

He’s showing them that his purpose is different- it’s salvific for sure- but not in the way they perceive.

 

 

Okay- I’m beginning to realize I won’t be able to cover the whole thing in this post.

 

 

Maybe I’ll do a few more like this in the next few days.

 

The point is- I want you to see that God’s purpose for our Jewish friends- our Muslim friends- for all races and ethnic groups.

 

His purpose is not to pit one side against the other.

 

It’s not about Jesus defending one side- at his second coming- and actually leading that side in a real war- where he shoots people- or kills them with a sword!

 

No- these scenarios- which prevail in the End Times books you see at Wal mart.

 

These ‘narratives’ if you will- go against the entire grain of the teachings of Jesus.

 

This is why you see me so negative at times- against the Evangelical church.

 

Many Protestants- well meaning people- have such a negative view of the historic church- that they reject the ancient church’s position on these things.

 

For the most part- the historic church took a position called A-Millennialism.

 

Basically it’s a kind of spiritual way of seeing all these things.

 

God’s kingdom is not seen thru the eyes of natural war- but thru the eyes of a heavenly kingdom.

 

I think that’s the correct position- for the most part.

 

 

But most American protestants believe that this position is just one of the many ‘doctrines of the Whore of Babylon’ see what I mean?

 

 

Okay- lets end there- think on some of this stuff- read the New Testament with this in your mind.

 

 

Why does the Apostle John refer to natural Jerusalem as ‘spiritual Sodom and Egypt’? [Revelation]

 

Was his intent to be anti Semitic?

 

No- he was showing us that God’s concern was for all people groups- no longer was it about a nationalistic thing- a type of salvation that the disciples at first were thinking of.

 

 

As I end this post- I want to make sure that all my friends- Jews- Muslims- all- understand that my position is that God loves us all- and he’s not in the business of backing any side- militarily.

 

 

I hope to show you this in the coming days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1904 JERUSALEM DIVIDED?

 

I want to pick up a little from the last post- but I also got with the street guys yesterday and maybe will make a few comments.

 

Yesterday we talked about the first century context of the Jewish people- as it relates to the Messiah.

 

That is the Jewish nation was waiting for centuries for the promised one who would come and deliver them.

 

Jesus showed up on the scene and claimed to be the One.

 

The early followers of Jesus- all Jews- did not fully grasp the spiritual nature of Gods kingdom.

 

He would teach them principles about the kingdom that seemed to go against the flow of normal life.

 

‘The last shall be first’

 

‘He that dies shall live’

 

‘You have heard an eye for an eye- but I say love your enemies…’

 

All these principles were showing them that the Kingdom that Jesus was talking about was a spiritual kingdom- that would also affect the world as we know it- but at its heart it was not about material stuff.

 

 

Okay- now- the Jewish people at the time of Christ were wanting a national deliverance- they were pre-occupied with getting free from the rule of Rome- and their hopes- like many people today- were tied up in the advance of their nation- their people.

 

But you have the writings of the early apostles talking about this new kingdom- where Jesus died for all people [Jews and Gentiles] and he ‘reconciled both [groups] unto God in One Body on the Cross’. [Ephesians]

 

So- your getting a different picture here- Paul the Apostle is saying that we are all now part of this new community of God- he says ‘we are now partakers with the Jewish people- we are this new commonwealth’.

 

The actual teaching- from the bible- is very advanced for its time.

 

I mean if you think about it- these words were written 2 thousand years ago- and they speak about relations between groups that the modern church seems to miss.

 

 

When we- in our day- appeal to the Old Testament verses about God giving land to Israel- and we couch all of our ‘end times’ preaching in scenarios that have one side killing the other- or when Western Christians visit the ‘Holy Land’- talking about the staging of the final ‘assault’ [Armageddon] and how many Arabs [Muslims] will be slaughtered by a Jewish army- lead by Christ- I mean do we really realize what we are saying?

 

 

I just read Revelation chapter 4- and it had nothing to do with this post- but as a side note it said there was thing angel flying in heaven- preaching the ‘everlasting gospel’ to all nations that dwell on the earth.

 

 

The gospel means ‘good news’- we often read the book of Revelation- and use it to back up the scenarios I just spoke about.

 

But this verse says the intent of God is to tell the good news to ALL ETHNIC GROUPS.

 

No one is left out- do you hear this?

 

Arabs- Jews- everyone- the good news is Christ brought us all back to God by his death for us.

 

That’s good news.

 

Would it be good news if I said ‘hey Arab- guess what- Christ is coming back- oh- he will lead a war against you and your kids- if you get lucky you might be killed by Christ’.

 

Now- I know this sounds absurd- but that’s the majority teaching in the American Protestant church today.

 

 

Just last night I caught a little of the coverage of the Democrat convention.

 

They were reporting on a ‘big’ news event.

 

What was it?

 

That the Dem’s took the wording out of their platform that said they believed Jerusalem should be the undivided capitol of Israel.

 

Why would this big a big deal?

 

It dates back to the 19^th century- and the rise of what we call Dispensational theology.

 

Basically the development of this whole teaching that I just covered.

 

Eventually the teaching would influence large swaths of American Protestantism.

 

And it would seep in to the political world.

 

Yes- the actual statement that Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel- found in the political parties of our day- stem straight from the influence of the Dispensationalists of the 19^th century.

 

 

Okay- what am I saying?

 

 

Do I advocate for the Palestinians getting half of Jerusalem?

 

[See- now I’m getting into politics]

 

Practically speaking- I don’t see how that could ever be workable.

 

 

You have Hamas- a recognized terror group by the U.S. - holding elected positions in Palestine.

 

 

So- I don’t see how this same group can share Jerusalem- practically speaking.

 

But- when you begin basing your political agenda on your view of the bible which might very well be wrong- then that’s when we get into trouble.

 

 

See?

 

 

 

The New Testament apostles saw Jesus as the Messiah that they were waiting for.

 

All Jewish people do not see it that way- that’s their right- they have the freedom to believe the way they want.

 

 

Arab people have the freedom to believe the way they want.

 

 

Christians have the freedom to believe the way they want.

 

We as believers should share the Good News with all people groups.

 

That’s our mandate.

 

I just fear that much of what we are preaching is not good news.

 

See?

 

 

 

 

 

 

1905 DID THE JEWS KILL CHRIST?

 

Kinda want to try and wrap up for the week- maybe one more post in the morning?

 

I posted some pics of the street guys yesterday- want to make a few comments.

 

I like taking the pics and posting them right when I’m with the guys- I’ll tell them ‘hey- right now your pics are going to the site’- they love it.

 

I also want to wrap up a few final points about the church- and the 2 extremes that she strayed into over the centuries.

 

In the last few posts we have been discussing the over emphasis on natural Israel- the promises of God- found in the Old Testament- concerning the restoration of the land- the re-building of the temple- stuff like that.

 

The church also has a sad history of anti Semitism- racism against Jewish people.

 

To our Catholic friends- the church has tried to deal with it in the last 30 years or so.

 

The present Pope- Benedict- who I do like [I have read his books] got into some trouble a couple of years ago.

 

It was a noble attempt to try and heal some long time divisions within the church.

 

 

It has been said when the Protestants disagree with something- they go out and start their own church.

 

When Catholics disagree- they start their own order.

 

I like that- funny- and true.

 

So- part of the Catholic divisions is the older type churches- the ones who rebelled against the noble reforms of Vatican 2 [The last church council- held between 1962-65].

 

Within the Catholic Church there are disagreements over what the council was trying to do.

 

Liberal Catholics believe the church was trying to trend into a more liberal institution.

 

Conservatives say that’s a misreading- that the church still held to her conservative roots- and was simply trying to be more Ecumenical.

 

Either way- one of the results was the more traditional type churches- sometimes called Tridentine [the ones who prefer the old Latin Mass].

 

These churches kind of split off from Rome and have been worshipping using the Latin mass [which was originally a violation of Vatican 2].

 

Vatican 2 said the Mass should now be done in the vernacular- the language of the people.

 

So- Benedict made a noble attempt to bridge this division- and he allowed for the Tridentine churches to do the Mass in Latin- and he also restored an old prayer- about the Jewish people- which simply said we pray for the conversion of Jews.

 

Okay- was this a big thing?

 

To simply say Christians are praying for the conversion of Jews- is that real bad?

 

In my mind- not a big thing.

 

Might it offend some of our Jewish friends?

 

Maybe.

 

But that’s the tradition of the church- to want people to come to belief in Christ.

 

But- because of the history of anti Semitism- this became a big thing.

 

‘How dare you pray for our conversion’ type thing.

 

So the church has had to grapple with how she looks at the Jewish people.

 

Historically- there were times of persecution of the Jews.

 

Most of us are familiar with the inquisitions.

 

The ones in Spain did ‘force’ the Jews to convert- and there were ‘inquiries’ made to see if the Jewish people really converted.

 

 

Some were put to death during this time.

 

During the protestant Reformation of the 16^th century- out of Germany- which was Martin Luther’s home country.

 

 

There were anti Semitic writings penned by Luther.

 

 

Some of these writings were later used- in Germany- under Hitler- to justify anti Semitism.

 

Very sad history.

 

Now we have the ‘over emphasis’ [in my view] of the role of natural Israel- and the End Times [last couple of posts].

 

So- as you see- we have been to both sides of the aisle on this.

 

Why did anti Semitism play a role in the church?

 

Understand- we have bibles- that as Christians we accept as the Word of God.

 

There are also statements in our bibles- well- to be honest- might not have been written  the same way- the same style- if we ‘re-wrote’ them today.

 

Huh?

 

Bare with me a moment.

 

 

When the Mel Gibson’s movie came out- the Passion of the Christ- the criticism was he stuck very closely to the bible text- and it was indeed a violent crucifixion.

 

The writings of the apostle John specifically talk about the ‘Jews killing Jesus’.

 

There are other themes like this in our New Testament.

 

It’s not hard to see how these statements could lead to anti Semitism.

 

One of the things that the Pope recently clarified- which I absolutely agree with- is that when we read these things in our bibles.

 

We should not read them as saying ‘all Jews- of all times- are responsible for the death of Christ’.

 

No.

 

In the bible story- the Jewish leaders conspired with the Roman govt. to ‘kill Christ’.

 

Many [all] of the original believers in the Messiah were indeed Jewish.

 

And the ‘anti Semitic’ statements in the New Testament were written by Jews- who were simply saying that they believed that some of their Jewish brothers were missing the boat by not accepting Jesus as the Messiah who was to come.

 

Okay- as you can see- we- the church- have a long history with this.

 

 

I would like to make one last comment before we close our talks on this.

 

 

For many years- as a bible teacher- writing- doing radio- etc.

 

 

It never dawned on me how these statements can indeed be offensive to our Jewish friends.

 

I mean say if you read ‘the Italians killed Christ’ or the Germans- etc.

 

That would indeed be problematic if you were trying to get your kids to read the bible.

 

The same thing with our references to the Arab world.

 

There are verses- in the Old Testament- that talk about Syria- Iraq [Babylon] and other Arab/Persian nations as the ‘enemies of God’.

 

So- when we use our bibles- in the modern day- it’s vital to understand that today- the kingdom of God is not about natural borders- or ethnic backgrounds.

 

It’s about Christ’s new kingdom- the kingdom of God.

 

 

All nations and races are welcome- we do not discriminate.

 

And we- as the church- do confess our sins against our Jewish friends- against our Arab friends- yes- we confess.

 

In the heated political environment of our day- the post 9-11 world- it’s hard to avoid animosity- and at times- hatred- towards others.

 

But we- as the people of God- should strive for forgiveness and unity- at least unity as people who live in a global society.

 

Yes- maybe we- as preachers especially- should re-think how we phrase things.

 

Yes- there are out and out statements in the bible about the ‘Jews killing Jesus’.

 

But in context- it would be wrong to put this on all Jews of all times- and if we ‘adjust’ the way we say these things- I think God would be well pleased.

 

 

 

 

 

1906 CHE

 

I watched another documentary this weekend.

 

It was the story of Che Guevara.

 

Che is well known today as a sort of symbol of the revolutionary youth movement.  

 

He embodies the persona of those who defy ‘Imperialism/Colonialism’.

 

Che was an Argentinean doctor- who at a young age took a motorcycle journey thru Latin America [South- Central America] and he saw the extreme poverty of the people.

 

He would see one of the main factors of this poverty being the influence that the U.S. held over these nations thru corporate agreements with the ‘puppet’ leaders of these nations.

 

For instance- many of the poor of these nations were peasant farmers- they worked the land for rich land owners- and they subsisted on a few dollars a day wages.

 

Yet the owners of the land- they were rich.

 

Likewise- Che believed that the leaders of the nations were ‘in bed’ with the U.S. - and they allowed U.S. corporations to rake their countries of wealth- at the expense of the people.

 

Now- I am not saying I totally agree with Che.

 

He has many critics- as well as supporters [he’s dead of course].

 

Jean Paul Sartre [remember our philosophy posts?] supported him- others did not.

 

The point being- Che saw a system- the U.S. govt and American corporations- as an all powerful system that polluted the nations to her south.

 

He felt the influence of greed and corruption were the main causes of the plight of the Latin American people.

 

 

His revolution- Che literally left his duties as a doctor and led an armed rebellion against the U.S. - would eventually lead to his execution by Bolivian forces [Bolivia is just north of Argentina- Che’s homeland] backed by the CIA.

 

Che was a key factor in the Cuban revolution that deposed Batista- the U.S. backed leader of Cuba- and installed Castro.

 

Che’s influence lives on today in many of the leaders of south/central America.

 

If you ever hear Hugo Chavez [Venezuela] speak- you hear the words and thoughts of Che.

 

 

This last week I have been reading Revelation- the last 5 chapters or so.

 

The apostle John writes about the Mystery- the ‘Whore of Babylon’- this great city- that pollutes all the nations of the world with her lust for wealth.

 

 

This city [nation] lures the other nations of the world by her wealth and power.

 

She has all types of merchandise- even the Souls of men.

 

 

As you read the account- it’s easy to see a type of what Che saw when rebelling against U.S. interests in his homeland.

 

 

 

I had a talk with my street friend Dirk the other day.

 

Somehow we got into a discussion about the U.S. prison system.

 

I mentioned to Dirk how over the last 5 years or so I started cutting out of the news paper all the cases of people from this region who got sent to prison.

 

I regularly pray for them- now hundreds of them- every week [just did this morning].

 

 

I try and pick the cases that I think are really tough.

 

 

There was one lady- in her 60’s.

 

Sandra Briggs [I remember her name- and her face].

 

She was sent to prison for a DWI that killed a person.

 

Mrs. Briggs was a widow- she owned a jewelry store for many years with her husband.

 

He was shot and killed a couple of years ago by a burglar.

 

One night she went to a bar- I guess a place where she would stop in and have a few drinks before going home.

 

She had a couple of drinks- and on the way home [I think at night?] there was a wreck- and one car was in the middle of the road- and she hit it.

 

Now- as I read the case and followed the story in the San Antonio paper.

 

The person who was killed was a young off duty cop.

 

The other car that hit him cut him in half.

 

Yeah- a very bad accident.

 

His body was lying over the barrier- it looked like someone was bending over- to pick something up.

 

During the testimony- they said how when she was standing there- after the wreck- she was kind of laughing.

 

I guess it was a nervous laughter type thing- she did not know she killed a person.

 

The prosecutor made it sound like she was laughing- right over the severed body.

 

Now- I’m sure the lady had no idea that this guy was dead- and cut in half.

 

But they gave Mrs. Briggs 45 years in prison for it.

 

 

Now- I make no excuses for what she did- she messed up- she should not have been drinking and driving- we all agree.

 

But I have seen cases where a gang kid shoots another kid in the head- on purpose- and gets less time.

 

 

So these are the tough cases.

 

 

As I talked with Dirk I told him I was surprised about the large amount of cases where guys get sent up for solicitation of minors.

 

I never remember hearing about it- years ago.

 

 

But the development of the internet- and the availability of everyone on line- well the cases must be up a million %.

 

Now- here's the rub.

 

 

In the U.S. - you have legal porn all over the net.

 

It’s legal for 18 year olds to be in porn.

 

The U.S. says this is freedom- this is what we are all about- if you don’t like it- you don’t have to view it- but the U.S. has made it available all over the world- even to countries that outlaw it [Iran- and many Muslim nations].

 

But- many of the cases I have read- are cases where men tried to contact under age girls for sex.

 

Yes- wrong- we all agree.

 

 

Legally- if you view- or try to contact an 18 year old- this is deemed okay.

 

A 17 year old- 364 days- and 1 minute form her 18^th birthday- this is a crime.

 

 

Okay- yes- this should be a crime.

 

But why does the U.S protect this [the viewing of the 18 yr old]?

 

Our country calls the exploitation of the 18 year old- ‘free speech’.

 

Huh?

 

You mean viewing or contacting an 18 year old is considered a right- a part of our freedom- yet the 17 year old is a crime.

 

 

There are many nations who outlaw it all- now- there are ways people in those nations get around it- but the nation itself does not actually encourage it- like we do.

 

 

In some of these nations- we are militarily involved- on the basis of some type of moral judgment.

 

Yes- all of our wars- in some way- come down to the fact that we deemed some act- like 9-11, as immoral.

 

Of course most of us would agree that 9-11 deserved a response.

 

But what about a situation like Libya.

 

 

After the rebels rose up- we eventually had an air campaign under the guise of NATO- and it led to the killing of Gadhaffi.

 

Most people could care less.

 

His grandkids were bombed and killed in a civilian home- we said it was a legitimate target.

 

His daughter- pregnant- was on the run to a neighboring nation for safety.

 

If the rebels caught her- who knows- they might have ripped her baby out right there.

 

Yes- the rebels we backed have done stuff like this- and much worse.

 

 

Okay- the point?

 

When we- as a powerful nation- make moral judgments and intervene in the affairs of other nations- we justify our actions.

 

Even though some of these nations abhor our values [the above 18 year old example].

 

We- in our nation have in a way ‘increased the sins among men’ [a description of Babylon in the book of Revelation].

 

Because we simply deem the distribution of porno- to all the nations of the world- as ‘freedom of speech’.

 

Yet- as we ‘protect’ this right- at the same time hundreds of thousands of cases of on line crimes have increased over the last few years.

 

Are our values in any way contributing to this?

 

And then we at the same time interfere in other nations- at times militarily- because of a value judgment.

 

Do you now see why the Che’s of the world have such a following?

 

 

Don’t misread this post.

 

 

Che is a popular figure among many socialist groups- I am not one of them.

 

I simply want you to see the ancient war that has been going on since the days of the apostle John.

 

 

John described Babylon [any human govt. that becomes corrupt] as a system that increases the sins of men- that pollutes other nations based on her own skewed value system- and that uses it’s extreme wealth to bribe the other ‘kings of the earth who have drunk from the cup of her fornication’.

 

Yes- as I read the many cases of people being trod off to prison- because they viewed a 17 year old girl- who is being exploited by some money hungry corporate interest- and this is all protected- vigorously- by the U.S. govt. if the girl is 18.

 

I wonder if our values have contributed to the ‘sins among men’.

 

A quote from Che  ‘man truly achieves his full human condition when he produces without being compelled by the physical necessity of selling himself as a commodity’

 

A quote from the apostle John ‘in her were the souls of men- she made all nations drink of the wine of her uncleanness’.

 

Yeah- some things never change.

 

 

 

 

 

1907 IS THE GOSPEL REALLY THE ANSWER?

 

 

Of course today we remember those who died 11 years ago.

 

We pray for the families and friends.

 

I find it strange that I recently stumbled into some of the verses in Revelation- that deal with nations and systems that war against each other.

 

It’s almost unbelievable to realize that in the last presidential campaign- you had someone on the Repub platform- talking about the ‘real reason’ 9-11 happened.

 

I mean comedians got raked over the coals for this- and others fumbled and fell into a great trap by even wading on the water’s edge.

 

Ron Paul often spoke about the mindset of radical Islam

 

Paul was the libertarian candidate who ran on the Repub ticket.

 

He spoke about the mindset that led to the terror attack on 9-11.

 

Now- in no way do I justify anything like what happened.

 

But it is important to see the underlying grievance that the radical wing of Islam harbors.

 

We often hear that the reason for the attack was ‘they hate our freedom’.

 

Was that the reason?

 

If you actually read the writings of the radicals- they believe they are indeed in a ‘holy war’.

 

They see the encroachment of the West- our ‘values’ [last post] and our ‘occupation’ of their holy lands as the grievance.

 

If you think back- the first real attack against the west was the bombing of the Kobar towers in Saudi Arabia.

 

This was the first one [that I recall] that was a direct act of what we call Al Qaeda.

 

The movement started by Osama Bin laden.

 

They saw Saudi Arabia as their holy land- and the towers were the U.S. base in the land.

 

Okay- am I justifying the attack?

 

No- just want you to see the mindset.

 

Then- the attack on the World Trade center.

 

The radical mind believes that to hit the ‘occupier’ in her homeland is a justifiable response because we have been engaged- many times- in Arab/Muslim lands- militarily.

 

 

 

I had a talk with a friend the other day- we were discussing these issues.

 

I told my friend that Christianity- and Judaism- have had their own ‘reformation’ of sorts.

 

Both religions have come to a place where they see the separation of church and state- that is- they are able to distinguish between religious belief and acts of war.

 

Now- there are critics of Christianity who still accuse the church of wanting to have a theocracy [church ruled state].

 

But for the most part- those who believe this [reconstructionist's] are far and few in between.

 

But- Islam has not yet had her ‘reformation’ moment.

 

Now- as a blogger who has Muslim, Jewish and Christian readers- my goal is not to offend anyone- nor to skirt the real issues.

 

There are many fine Muslim people- who do indeed reject the entire mindset of radical Islam.

 

But- in the actual debates that go in within the religion- there are many who still believe that force- along with reliogus expression- is acceptable.

 

Islam is not only a ‘religion’ per se- but it is also a way of government.

 

Now- like I said- during the history of the church- obviously the same thing happened.

 

I mean any person who studies the rise of Western civilization- the arts- science- history- I mean the church is the major player on the board- hands down.

 

But- today most Christians see their role as more of a spiritual one- yes- being active in politics- voting- yes- we do have a voice at the table.

 

But we don’t- for the most part- want to take up an armed resistance against the world.

 

 

So- those who adhere to radical Islam- they see their struggle- well much like the last post- a Che type of thing.

 

 

 

I think the future depends- not on us killing all the radicals- no- this can never be fully done.

 

The mindset lives on in the flowing generations.

 

No- the answer is in learning mutual respect for each other’s beliefs and cultures.

 

Now- I’m’ not saying ‘let’s try and understand the poor terrorist’.

 

But I am saying that we in the West do need to see the root cause of why terrorism happens.

 

 

In a little while I will be going to visit John David in the ICU.

 

John is the friend I have written about over the years.

 

He was a coke addict for many years- got clean about 2 years ago.

 

I have pictures of him and his brother on my face book site.

 

We were having a fellowship at the house and did the Lords Supper.

 

 

John had heart surgery yesterday- and I will be taking his brothers Hugh and Andy to see him.

 

 

 

The other day I found a few packets of seeds at the house- the type you plant in the vegetable garden.

 

Don- the street guy who maintains the garden at the mission- he asked me one day if I could get him some.

 

I mean he plants that garden from scratch [see the pics on face book].

 

I gave them to him- he was elated- over seeds!

 

 

One day- about 10 years ago now- I was sitting at the fire house- actually it was soon after 9-11.

 

 

The fire depts. were on high alert- we had things we were to watch out for- stuff that we never worried about before.

 

So one day- sitting at the station- may Captain says ‘hey John- go see what the Muslim wants’.

 

Sure enough- some guy- dressed for the part- was walking around the fire trucks.

 

 

This station was right by A&I university [now A&M].

 

So- we used to keep the doors open all day [not any more] and people could walk in if they wanted.

 

 

So I went outside- the guy was just checking all the emergency vehicles out.

 

He told me ‘I’m doing research for a school project’.

 

Hmm?

 

As I talked with him- we got into ‘religion’ and I covered the history Of Christians and Arabs.

 

I traced back to Abraham- went into the story of his sons [Arabs trace their roots to Abraham’s son Ishmael]

 

And when I was done- I told him the true purpose of God- to redeem all nations of the earth.

 

That God loves the Arab- the Persian [we often mistake Persians for Arabs].

 

That he loves all people- and he sent his Son to die for all of humanity.

 

 

To my surprise- he told me he has never- not once- heard this story.

 

His view of Christianity- the west- the entire mindset- was shaped by world events.

 

He did not distinguish between Christianity and the actual Govt. of the U.S.

 

He- like many others- view the entire ‘struggle’ as a struggle for who will ‘rule the world’.

 

 

In my time with him- I tried to show him a better way.

 

No- I am not advocating passivism.

 

I’m not saying if we simply try to understand the terrorist- the he will go away.

 

But I am saying- in some cases- these people have never really heard the message.

 

In some cases- like the Apostle Paul said ‘satan has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe’.

 

In some cases- the Good News [gospel] is really the answer.

 

 

 

 

1908 ATTACKS IN LIBYA AND EGYPT

 

Last night we cooked late- so I let a couple of the street guys spend the night.

 

I have done this every so often in the past- not really a big deal.

 

But the reason I usually avoid it is because I have a ‘million’ homeless buddies- and once you go down this road- well you got the picture.

 

But I felt the lord wanted this.

 

The pics I posted last night [by the way- whenever I post pics during the day- I never check Facebook form my phone. So- if I take a trip to N.J. - I’ll probably post pics- but will not get on line until I get back- so for those who leave comments- I won’t see them till much later].

 

So- the pics from the day [or month!] before will get descriptions when I’m back at the lap top.

 

 

Okay- Andy and Huey spent the night- they watched the Green Mile [twice].

 

I asked them what channel they liked- to leave on all night.

 

They wanted the classics.

 

We never got a chance to see their brother yesterday- David.

 

He had triple bypass heart surgery- and we were gonna see him.

 

 

His nephew [Andy’s and Huey’s too] hitched all the way from Louisiana- just to see John David in the hosp.

 

 

That’s the son of an older brother who died.

 

I told Andy ‘bring Leon over in the morning’ they are sleeping on the streets- geez.

 

But Huey got a call as I was cooking- he left last night [hitching a ride].

 

 

We will go see John David later- Andy told me David even asked if I was still around.

 

 

Me and David became good friends after he quit the Ice [he was a huge meth addict].

 

 

When he got clean- and got right with God- he just wanted to get together all the time.

 

 

Like a new Christian- wanting to learn everything he can.

 

 

As the guys were crashed out on the floor last night- I of course caught my news fix.

 

 

I was surprised to see the very serious story about the Islamic protests in Egypt and Libya.

 

 

Just a note- this should have been the top story on every news network- it met the criteria of serious breaking news [which the networks now say about everything].

 

But the one station- at least at 7 pm- that did the right coverage- was Cooper from CNN.

 

Now- Fox of course covered it- and I guess MSNBC- but Cooper treated it with the coverage it deserved.

 

 

What happened?

 

 

At first it was reported in a deceptive way.

 

The coverage said that these protests- which killed 2 Americans in the American consulate in Libya- were a reaction to a negative movie put out by the now infamous pastor from Fla.

 

You remember him- the guy who started  trouble a while back.

 

So the way the news reported it- it made it sound like he just put out another negative Muslim thing- and that’s why the angry response happened.

 

But then they reported that this video was out for weeks [or months].

 

And that some of the radical Islamic sights were already calling for protests on 9-11.

 

So- for there to have been these types of very serious uprisings- in 2 countries that we had a major role in removing [or killing] the leaders- this is bad- real bad.

 

 

Fox showed a speech by the president- a famous speech he gave in 2009- called the ‘Cairo speech’.

 

It’s famous because critics of the president have used it to say he kind of sucked up to the Muslims.

 

 

As I heard the speech- in context of last night’s news- I agreed with everything the president said.

 

 

He did offer somewhat of an olive branch to the Muslim world- but he was very careful to say this branch was to those who reject violence.

 

 

He spoke about living peaceably in a world with other faiths.

 

 

I listened carefully- I agreed with everything he said.

 

 

 

But it is important not to miss the fact that we have never had our embassies assaulted like this in the past- and that these attacks took place under regimes that we backed.

 

 

This is not good.

 

 

I found it interesting that I ‘accidently’ spoke about these issues the last few days.

 

And here we are- it’s the big story of the day [week- month?]

 

 

 

The killing of 2 Americans at a consulate is very serious indeed.

 

The fact that it happened on 9-11 is very serious.

 

 

Today we do need to pray for peace- we need to of course respond in a proper way- either shut down our embassy- or whatever needs to be done.

 

 

But we live in a world where we have both freedom of speech- and responsibility.

 

 

When this Fla. Pastor first made waves- it was easy for the media to brand him as a nut- a crazy guy.

 

And I of course do not hold to this guys views at all- the way he ‘exposes’ Islam.

 

But- to react with violence- to kill people who even show a drawing of Muhammad [which has happened] this is not civilized.

 

If we [Christians, Jews- Muslims- etc.] are going to try and live in the world together- then we need to condemn these things.

 

 

Actually- if you want the right response- the way we need to move forward- just listen to Obama’s Cairo speech- that pretty much sums it up.

 

 

 

 

1909 FROM THE STREETS OF CORPUS TO THE WORLD

 

We got up early yesterday- had a couple of the street guys spend the night.

 

I cooked breakfast and we went to pick up Andy’s daughter.

 

For some reason this past week she had some kind of mental breakdown.

 

Her name is Rocelle [yeah- not Rochelle] she is around 38 years old and Andy [her dad] told me she tried to commit suicide the other day- she has been acting different- a type of mental breakdown.

 

So her husband is afraid to leave her alone when he goes to work- and we went and got her.

 

She spent most of the day with us- we drove over to the hospital to see John David.

 

He would be her uncle- Andy’s brother.

 

He just had open heart surgery.

 

Rocelle liked my yard/study.

 

It’s funny- I have verses and stuff all over the place- lots of people think it looks overdone- sort of ‘trailer trash’.

 

I do joke about it at times.

 

But Rocelle told Andy- as they were walking back into the house- that she wanted to just walk around and read all the verses- she was ‘fascinated’ by it.

 

I also had another friend- who just happens to suffer from mental problems- he too loved the yard- just ‘being there’.

 

In a way I do think it’s a sort of prayer garden type experience- these friends sense the presence of God- I walk the yard early in the mornings and pray- many of the verses are written out of this prayer time.

 

So- in a spiritual way- they are entering into this time.

 

 

We went and seen John David- I posted the pic last night [with Huey his brother by his side].

 

 

I haven’t seen David in a few years- I have written a bunch of posts about him- he was the one who killed his best buddy years ago in Dallas.

 

Got off by his mom hiring the lawyer who represented the guy who killed Lee Harvey Oswald [remember the post?].

 

Anyway David was an addict for many years- got clean a few years ago and has been wanting to start a halfway house.

 

 

David and his brothers have told me that he was a very successful business man years ago- made lots of money [millions?].

 

You know- he had a construction business- a big one.

 

He eventually blew the money on drugs and became a street guy.

 

 

As we were waiting at the hosp to see him- we walked passed some guy- dressed nice in a suit and all- and later he came up to us.

 

He told Huey ‘do you remember me’?

 

Huey said no.

 

He told Huey he was John John.

 

Huey told me that John John was a young boy who used to work for David years ago.

 

They all hauled concrete and stuff together.

 

Huey told me that John John is a ‘big wig’ now in the area- runs a big furniture store- lives in Kings Crossing [a rich area].

 

He came to see David.

 

He said David was his neighbor years ago.

 

David lived in the rich section too.

 

 

So we talked with David- I prayed for him- and I told him I’m gonna try and help him set up the half way house.

 

 

I drove by the house he’s looking at- right in the drug area- perfect spot.

 

I had Andy drive me by John David’s apt.

 

We got out to talk to his girlfriend- Andy tells me ‘be careful round here- it's a big drug dealer spot- don’t look at anyone’.

 

I laughed- I told him I have been ‘hanging out’ on the corners the last few weeks [remember the posts on Terri and Arnold- and the guy I tried to give a dollar to- he ran away!].

 

Yeah- it was funny.

 

 

 

We had a good day- Rocelle asked if we could do this again.

 

I told her sure- she can come with us when we get together.

 

 

Now- I know that driving around- we did pray- shared scripture- stopped for snacks- I know from years of experience- that in a way this can be true fellowship [I have actually written a few books about this- on the blog].

 

So- Rocelle was simply enjoying the fellowship time- she is having a hard time- and instead of being out hooking up for drugs [I think the reason she has been having this difficult time- in her mind- is her dad and uncle think she might have done some type of new drug- maybe Bath Salts- the drug that has caused people to go nuts].

 

 

All in all- it was a good day.

 

 

I do want to mention the current situation in the Arab/Persian nations right now.

 

Yesterday I posted about the killing at our embassy in Libya- and the protests at our embassy in Egypt.

 

Over the night they have now spread to Yemen and Sudan- and maybe more.

 

 

The news talk now is about the politics of the whole thing.

 

Did Romney criticize too soon?

 

Did the state dept. [our embassy in Egypt] jump the gun in a kind of apologetic statement they put out- sort of ‘siding’ with the protestors.

 

This last year [even this last week- before this broke out].

 

I have been saying that the media have not been truly covering the aftermath of the things we have dome in Libya and Egypt.

 

I told a friend that Libya is highly unstable.

 

I told him that various militia groups still roam around- fully armed- and no one is really in control.

 

 

My criticisms have been that we sided with the people in the east [Benghazi] and ‘took out’ the leader in the west [Gadhaffi- Tripoli].

 

The problem?

 

The people of the east- many of them- are/were anti American- and some of them are indeed Al Qaeda [do you remember Gadhaffi saying this- over and over again?]

 

Now- without re-posting everything.

 

One of the reasons some in the eastern part of Libya wanted to remove Gadhaffi- was because he was seen as a ‘puppet’ of the west.

 

Yes- he decided to work with the U.S. and this angered some of the radicals in the east.

 

Okay- what happened yesterday?

 

These same radical groups- who are walking around with heavy artillery- Rocket Propelled Grenades- they basically attacked our embassy- in Benghazi- in the eastern ‘capital’ and killed 4 Americans.

 

See?

 

 

The newly installed govt. in Libya has said that they have no control over the country.

 

They said this a few months ago.

 

Why does the average person not know this?

 

Why have we not been doing  more to protect our embassies- we know [I hope] that Libya cannot provide the security needed- they have said this publicly for heaven’s sake.

 

 

I do think we need to pray- I do think the initial statement from the state dept. was bad.

 

And I do think Romney should have waited- at least a day- before commenting.

 

 

But the bigger story is when the U.S. involves itself militarily- to depose a leader- any leader- we need to also be aware of the aftermath- the instability that will result when the job is ‘finished’ [even in Iraq- and right now in Syria- we need to stop saying that these leaders- any/all of them- are committing ‘crimes against humanity’- geez- both sides are. We need to stop making it into a soundbite ‘you are on the wrong side of history’. No- the answer- moving forward- is for all sides to sit down and talk- Russia is right in what they are saying about Syria].

 

 

The statement [or lack thereof] from the new Egyptian president- Morsi- was dismal.

 

Last I heard- he still has not condemned the attacks- and he basically sided with the protestors.

 

We have no ally in Egypt- the people we backed in Libya [not all of them] just killed 4 Americans- and it seems like the violence is spreading.

 

Pray for world peace- I know it sounds ‘liberal’ but it is the will of God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1910 PROTESTS CONTINUE

 

 

I normally don’t post on the weekends- but it’s been a big news week.

 

First- let me talk a little about the street fellowship.

 

I saw Henry yesterday- he heard we had an ‘overnight’ fellowship the other day [had a few street guys stay over- a chance to get off the streets].

 

So- I did tell Hugh ‘when you see Henry- tell him he missed out on a great time!’

 

Sure enough- as I sat with Henry at the mission- Hugh showed up.

 

He told me that he let Henry know- and that Henry was kinda mad.

 

Henry said ‘John knows where to get me- he could have come got me!’

 

Henry works at the marina.

 

So you could tell that the gig was up- Hugh ‘outed’ Henry.

 

Henry tried to brush it off.

 

I told Henry ‘I would have come to get you- but Huey told me when he’s getting free food he prefers the ambience of a small crowd’.

 

Yeah- I know.

 

 

Okay- the news.

 

First- the current uprisings in the Arab world are very dangerous indeed.

 

The right and the left are sacrificing true news coverage to gain political points.

 

You say ‘John- I see how the right- and Romney are doing it- but the left’?

 

The way the left [some Democrats] are doing it is by making most of the news of the past 3 days about some stupid statement Romney made about Obama not handling the thing well.

 

 

Look- I have said I think Romney jumped the gun by criticizing Obama on the first day of the uproar- but come on- it’s been 3-4 days- okay- there's real news to cover.

 

Both Obama and others said Bush was actually responsible for the deaths of Americans ‘Bush lied- people died’ was the campaign mantra of John Kerry.

 

He said Bush was directly responsible for the deaths of Americans- because he lied.

 

He said this over and over and over- while the guys were dying.

 

So please- some of Romney’s criticism is accurate- Obama is responsible for not beefing up the security at the embassies.

 

Last night I heard a report that Libya actually warned the U.S. that they can’t secure the embassy in Benghazi- geez- they told us this.

 

 

So- the real story- the important story- is the ‘Arab Spring’ is now an Arab winter- but they are protesting the U.S.

 

What do we do?

 

Hopefully these protests will peter out- but if not- then we have problems.

 

 

The other big news thing.

 

The Federal Reserve came out and said they will start buying Govt. bonds- and they will continue to buy them until things turn around in the economy.

 

Once again- those on the left [Dems] are happy.

 

The right- not so happy.

 

Why?

 

 This action will cause the stock market to go up [though it is dangerous to make it go up this way].

 

And we are about 50 days to the election- and it can only help the president.

 

Now- what exactly does QE-3 mean?

 

What the fed is doing is called ‘Quantitative easing’ which simply means what I said above.

 

This is the 3^rd time they did it- that’s where you get the 3.

 

They feel that buying U.S. bonds will have an economic impact that will help the overall economy because it will keep interest rates real low- that will prod investors/business people to ‘get off the sidelines’ and use some of the money that is being saved.

 

Problem?

 

 

The Federal Reserve is the nation’s own bank.

 

They are not run by elected officials- they have minimal oversight- and they can basically do what they want.

 

If they decide to print money [by buying bonds] they simply do it.

 

Now- when they buy U.S. debt- it’s like if you needed money.

 

And you wrote I.O.U.’s to people all over the world [China, Japan, etc.]

 

After a while- you wrote so many [16 trillion debt] you turned to your spouse and said ‘honey- I can’t write any more to the people down the block- will you buy my IOU’s?’

 

That’s what the fed is doing- they are buying the debt- but they are our own bank- we are selling bonds to ourselves for heaven’s sake!

 

Now- this will keep interest rates low- but they are already at all time lows.

 

You can get a mortgage at under 3%- that’s low.

 

This tells me that the Fed sees real problems down the road.

 

The world economies are in trouble- the jobs creation in the U.S. is very bad [last numbers were under 100,000].

 

So- the action of the fed- in my view- is one of desperation.

 

It’s artificially inflating the market.

 

In the short term- yes- you can make money.

 

But in a way it’s like building a house of cards- in my view.

 

 

Okay- that’s it for now- continue to pray for our country- and yes- for the president.

 

We are seeing a very serious situation develop around the world.

 

People have lost their lives.

 

I do commend the Libyan govt. - they tried to stop the attack that killed our ambassador- and by all accounts- they liked him- and appreciated the U.S.

 

The attack in Benghazi was by radicals.

 

Egypt is another story.

 

There newly elected leader- Morsi- responded like he was still the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood- not the elected president of Egypt.

 

He later backtracked and made a better statement.

 

All in all- this thing has spread to many Arab nations as of today- and we hope and pray it will only last for a few days- without loss of life.

 

If it grows- then we have real problems.

 

 

 

 

1911 A SEA OF FIRE

 

I had a talk with John the other day.

 

I was at the mission- by the way- there are now about 4 Johns that I’m friends with- so this John is the guy who used to work at the Navy base right around here.

 

I have known John for many years- he seems to be a real nice guy.

 

Different form some of the other guys- you can tell that John was not a ‘bum’.

 

That is there are lots of guys who simply spent their whole lives around the missions- they have mastered the art of getting free stuff- many- many of them are able bodied people [actually healthier than me!].

 

Yet- by the thousands- they are all on SSI.

 

Just the other day one of them was telling me how his lawyer was getting him on disability- because he takes medication for his depression.

 

So- that’s the scoop.

 

 

But John worked for the base for 17 years- at 20 bucks an hour.

 

He was buying his own home- had a nice Harley- was living the dream in a way.

 

He got laid off- he lost his home- and he also did a lot of drugs.

 

He now lives in a broken down RV- a dump.

 

If he can’t come up with the 200 a month rent- he mows the grass for the owner- she owns about 8 rental houses.

 

 

As I talked with John- somehow I told him I was reading the book of Revelation- and I knew that some of it applied to him.

 

 

I told John that Revelation speaks about those who have overcome the mark of the beast- his image- and his number.

 

 

The apostle John [who wrote the book] said he saw these people ‘standing on a sea of glass mingled with fire’.

 

These were those who overcame the image that the beast wanted to brand them with.

 

 

I explained to John that in life- we all have good and bad times.

 

Often times- much of the battle is how others perceive us- that is we allow the ‘image’ that the accuser [the beast- satan] puts on us to affect us in a negative way.

 

I told John that when Jesus was baptized [the sea of glass imagery- get it?] that as he came up out of the water there was the voice of God saying ‘this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased’.

 

I told John that we- as children of God- are also seen the same way.

 

That God too is pleased with us- not on the basis of how we perform- but because God accepts us because his Son died for us.

 

 

I told John that this is much of the battle in life- overcoming the image of the beast- and accepting the image of God- our father.

 

 

In the New Testament it speaks about a baptism of water- and fire.

 

One time when the disciples were arguing over who would be ‘the greatest’ [image- see?]

 

Jesus asked them ‘can you be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with’?

 

They said yes.

 

He told them they would.

 

What baptism was Jesus referring to?

 

Probably the suffering he was going to go thru- the Cross.

 

 

Suffering is in a way a baptism ‘of fire’.

 

The baptism of the Spirit can also be called a baptism of fire.

 

 

Now- when John the apostle said he saw these people standing on a ‘sea of glass mingled with fire’.

 

It’s possible that he was speaking about the church- the community of people who would ‘arise’ from the baptism of water and fire.

 

 

Peter said ‘it is not only appointed unto us believe on him- but also to suffer for his name’

 

Yeah- as I spoke with John- as I told him about the battle to overcome the image of the beast- to accept the ‘mark of God on our fore heads’.

 

He understood this.

 

He kinda of invited me to preach at the street church for brother Rey.

 

I told John that Rey has asked me in the past- but I don’t do that anymore [I have many radio shows that people can still hear on line- I have preached for many years- I think I should leave that to others now].

 

 

I think John understood what I was saying.

 

Someone who had in a way lived part of the American dream- and then lost it all.

 

I encouraged him to receive the image that God has for him- the one that says ‘you are my Son in whom I am well pleased’.

 

Yes- there is a company of people who ‘stand on the sea’.

 

Don’t forget- this sea also has fire.

 

 

 

 

1912 A RIVER RUNS THRU IT

 

Been going down to the mission the last few days.

 

Haven’t seen Dirks van- was asking around- ‘has anyone seen him’?

 

As I was standing there- my cell rang- it was Dirk!

 

He wanted to let me know that he and Julie- his girl- were at the state park in the Angelina forest.

 

It’s in Texas- he has told me about this spot many times over the years.

 

It’s one of his favorites- another place where he ‘lives’ for a part of the year.

 

He has collected arrow heads from the lake- Sam Rayburn [?]- He gave me a nice one many years ago- still have it.

 

 

I was glad to have gotten the call- I have maybe gotten 4 calls from Dirk in 25 years.

 

It was strange- I had just prayed for him in the morning- I thought maybe he got arrested- you know the guys park the vans all over- maybe it was one of those towing deals.

 

But he was happy- he had wanted to do this trip with Julie for months- to show her this part of his life- where he feels he’s not simply a ‘homeless guy’.

 

To be honest- I was surprised she took the trip [in her R.V.]

 

 

They were arguing a lot recently- and Julie really is a strong believer.

 

It’s funny- when I’m with Dirk- he shows me all the text messages she sends- verses and all- he ‘uses’ me to find ‘counter verses’ –you know- she’ll be fighting with him- send him a verse- and he wants one to send back- in retaliation.

 

 

For a few days he was asking me ‘hey John- where’s that verse about not eating the communion meal when you’re a sinner’?

 

Now- I told him it was in 1^st Corinthians- chapter 11.

 

He asked me a bunch of times.

 

 

He wanted to quote it to her- because she took communion at the church- and he was telling her- well- that she’s a ‘sinner’.

 

So- I see him one day and he asks again- he remembered I told him Corinthians- so he read- right up to chapter 9 or so- just looking for it.

 

 

I looked in chapter 11- sure enough it’s in there.

 

 

So- that’s the extent of Dirks bible reading [to be honest- you would not think the guys even read the bible- some are regular readers- and are actually good Christians.  Henry is just one example].

 

 

Yesterday I posted a couple of pics.

 

The sign?

 

One of the guys was standing in the rain one day- he got up under the sign- and crawled in!

 

Yea- it has a lot of room- I thought you would like to see it.

 

The other picture is John- who I posted about last.

 

The little dog- a new girl who had the pup- thought the pup was cute.

 

 

And the guy in the hat- William.

 

 

William is a new comer- nice guy- we became friends over the last few weeks.

 

 

He was a welder for 35 years- has kids- is married- and when he retired he told his wife he wanted to travel- not just sit home and be a grandpa.

 

 

So he bought a van and has been seeing ‘the world’ [the U.S. - maybe Mexico].

 

 

He spent a few months on the beaches of Key West [Fla.]

 

Hemmingway’s land [the author].

 

He showed me a bunch of pics form Arkansas- where he lived for many years.

 

Great shots of catching trout in a river that ran right thru his back yard.

 

Kinda reminded me of the movie ‘A River runs thru it’.

 

Yeah- William is a nice guy.

 

He noticed a staff I have been using- writing on it and stuff.

 

He asked what I was carving- I told him just some bible verses.

 

Yeah- he knows this is ministry for me.

 

William is the type that seems like he would not listen- or usually talk- to someone who was talking about the Lord.

 

 

But we have become friends- and just in simple conversation- it does come up.

 

 

I want to ask you guys to pray for a few friends of mine.

 

Please pray for Brother Rey- he’s a street preacher who has had lots of physical problems the last few months.

 

Also pray for John David.

 

He’s my friend who had open heart surgery- he’s still recovering- and its tuff.

 

 

I told David that I will help him set up the half way house.

 

When he first told me about it- a couple of years ago now- I felt the Lord wanted me to help him.

 

I kinda dropped the ball to be honest.

 

But I took a look at the 2 story house he’s interested in- and God willing- in the next year you will be seeing pictures of us fixing it up and all.

 

David believes it’s his calling- I think it just might be.

 

See you later.

 

God bless you all.

 

 

 

 

1913 FATHER JOHN

 

We did another ‘all nighter’ last night.

 

Now- to my old partying buddies- not that.

 

I got with Henry yesterday- a street bro. - and we hit the Half Price book store [his and my favorite spot] bought a bunch of books- and came back to the Casa.

 

I BBQ’ed a bunch of stuff [will post the pics- on Face Book- for those who read these from the Blog].

 

And we had a good fellowship.

 

I gave Henry the choice of what channel he wanted on all night [the guy’s crash in the living room- so whatever they want to leave on the tube- I set it for them.  I would let them choose themselves- but I have a bunch of remotes- and I don’t want them waking me up ‘John- the TV wont work’ type of thing].

 

So Henry picked the classic country- geez- I had no idea?

 

Okay- at the bookstore we spent at least an hour- I can spend 2 hours just going thru the books- I have before.

 

In one of the isles- Catholic cubby type thing- I met a nice Christian brother.

 

Sometimes I’ll give my card with the web site on it- most people at the bookstore are readers [ya think?]

 

As I offered him my card- he told me – ‘yes- I am a reader of Christian stuff- I’m a Catholic priest’.

 

I told father John that’s great- I have many Catholic readers- and even a few priests/pastors who read my stuff.

 

 

We had a really good conversation- I do dialogue well with priests.

 

I have studied Catholic theology- history- the whole 9 yards.

 

And I told John- if anything- I get more complaints that I’m ‘too catholic’ than the other way around.

 

 

I will try and visit John- he runs a Catholic retreat here in C.C.- I know the exact spot- it’s a huge building right off the highway.

 

It’s a big ‘dome’ type structure- with a Gold top.

 

He told me ‘no- it’s not a mosque’.

 

For years that’s exactly what I thought it was.

 

I will make a visit to father John’s place- he invited me to do lunch.

 

 

Anyway- Henry is still crashed out on the couch- we will hit the mission a little later- and maybe check up on John David- my friend in the hospital.

 

I’m looking forward to him getting out [he had open heart surgery last week].

 

I’m going to partner with David in setting up a halfway house- that’s his dream/calling.

 

All in all we had a good day- I will post the pics right after this post.

 

 

There are some news stories that I could cover- but maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.

 

Enjoy the day- pray for the brothers I mentioned yesterday- and for all my friends- they do [we all do] need prayer- thanks.

 

 

 

 

1914 TOP STORY- OF THE WORLD?

 

Posted a few pics from our visit with John David yesterday.

 

He’s doing better- but they wanted to re open him up- and do another procedure [heart].

 

He prayed about it- and wants to avoid going under the knife again.

 

 

 

I was at the mission during the day- and I saw David’s brothers- Huey and Andy.

 

They wanted a ride to the hospital to see their brother- I was more than happy to take them.

 

 

I do want to stay in touch with David- and do the halfway house thing with him.

 

 

But- as we were at the mission- sure enough someone called the cops.

 

Why?

 

We didn’t know.

 

So a couple of cars came down- and they were looking for some guys.

 

Huey just took off- told us to pick him up around the block.

 

Then we [I] put 2 and 2 together- it seems like he was going to sell some drugs to another guy- and somehow they must have been heard by the mission people.

 

That’s what is seemed like to us.

 

 

So I told Andy ‘look- I told your brother the other day [Huey] not to be carrying stuff with him when he’s in my vehicle’.

 

I was mad that he ruined his chance to visit his brother- he did get prepared to see him [he was cleaned up this day].

 

 

So- we saw Huey a few blocks away- he tried to get in my van- I told him forget it- you got the cops chasing you- your in all types of trouble- we don’t need that.

 

We left him there.

 

 

So- we went and visited David.

 

 

I met Jackie there for the second time.

 

 

That’s John David’s girl.

 

 

They told me the story how they met.

 

 

Jackie was living in another state and she saw John David being interviewed on CNN.

 

Yeah- he told me about this a couple of years ago.

 

 

He started his first half way house at his sons apt- and somehow the word got out- and CNN did a nice story about it.

 

So- Jackie- a drug addict [who still struggles] saw it and said ‘If I can get to this home- he can help me’.

 

So- she made it to Texas and knocked on the door.

 

 

John David had no home for girls- but he took her in.

 

They became a couple- and that’s how they met.

 

 

 

 

His son eventually lost the apartment they were using [it actually was a facility that was already set up like a halfway house- what a ‘coincidence’.]

 

And since then John David has been looking for another house.

 

 

But- he needed the heart surgery for a while- and he figured he’d finally get it out of the way.

 

 

All in all we had a good day- I had John [my new friend with the little dog] - Henry- Andy with me for the day.

 

 

We came back to the house and had a good fellowship time.

 

 

 

Let me mention a little news as we end the week.

 

 

The other day I caught the world ‘news’ on all 3 stations [abc- nbc- cbs].

 

The top story on all 3 staions was the Romney ‘hidden’ video.

 

Okay- I saw the stupid thing when it first came out.

 

Big story?

 

Not really.

 

A story?

 

I guess it should have been a one day thing- I mean you have these silly things pop up on both sides.

 

You had the Obama thing a couple of years back ‘clinging to their God and guns’.

 

So- they all do this.

 

But- it was maybe 4-5 days later- and the world news- all 3 stations- had this as the top news story- well- of ‘the world’.

 

I couldn’t believe it.

 

So- I channel surfed some cable shows- and came back to the main news.

 

They still had the video of Romney- parsing each word he said- showing the video with the captions- 9 to 10 minutes into the top news story.

 

 

I mean this is so bad- it is not even funny anymore.

 

‘John- what’s wrong with this?

 

Well- a story like this should be a one- maybe 2 day thing.

 

And it should have never been top coverage- on a very busy news week.

 

 

What should the top story have been?

 

Regardless of who you back [Romney- Obama].

 

The top story should have been the fact that the Libyan govt. has come out and publicly said they warned the U.S. that they can’t provide security for the embassy in Benghazi.

 

You basically have [had] a public disagreement between the White House and the Libyan president.

 

And by all accounts- it looks like the Libyan guy was telling the truth.

 

Now- politics aside- this is very important.

 

 

Did the U.S. [whether Obama- Bush- Clinton- anyone in charge] drop the ball on the protecting of our ambassador in Libya?

 

And- the top story of the protests breaking out in the Arab world- against the U.S.

 

Okay- the news did of course cover this- but when you have real hard news like this- then you don’t run a 10 minute top story about a stupid hidden gaff from anyone- Romney- Obama- anyone.

 

And of course the other ‘top story’ was the topless pics of Kate Middleton- I mean on the world news?

 

This is not world news- maybe Enquirer type stuff- but not world news- that deserved coverage on all the news channels- as a top news story.

 

 

These examples shows you how bankrupt our media has become.

 

 

I do watch/listen to both sides [right/left] and frankly both sides of the aisle do this.

 

 

I told my friend the other day- I hear the radio guys every week- and because I comment about stuff like this I try and hear as many as I can [Rush- Hannity- etc.]

 

Sometimes I catch the whole show- 3 hours.

 

But there are times where for 3 hours- all you get is a constant drumbeat of anti Obama.

 

Okay- I have criticized the guy- lots.

 

But if you have no constructive thing to say- for 3 hours- then what are you accomplishing?

 

So- that’s the scoop.

 

 

I’ll try and add a few notes to last night’s pics- and hope you guys have a good weekend.

 

Please continue to for John David- he looked much better yesterday- but he needs prayer- thanks so much.

 

John.

 

 

 

 

1915 DIARY OF A MAD MAN?

 

Read a news article yesterday morning.

 

It was the State Dept. blasting CNN for an ‘unconscionable’ [yikes!] report on the ‘private journal’ of the dead U.S. ambassador who was killed in the Benghazi attack.

 

If you just read the headline- it seems as if CNN were the bad boys [and girls] and the U.S. govt. were most holy.

 

But- as you read- you realize- once again- that what should have been one of the biggest news stories of the year- has become a non issue because of political propaganda- by the media networks themselves [minus CNN].

 

Okay- the story.

 

The last few days you have read more than one post by me- about the reality that the Libyan govt. - and our ambassador himself- have told our govt that they were in danger- that the security of the embassy in Benghazi was not good.

 

Then- you had the U.S. kill a top Al Qaeda guy- with a drone- and Al Qaeda said they would seek revenge.

 

Now- the last year- because of the political campaign- you have had the Obama team talk much about the death of Bin laden- and a sort of ‘boasting’ about how many Al Qaeda guys we are killing.

 

In a few weeks a movie is coming out- probably timed in co-ordination with the Obama campaign [though they deny it] that is going to glorify the killing of Bin Laden.

 

Why all the glorying?

 

The reality of politics is you focus on what you think the candidates strength is- and one of the strengths of the president is seen to be his policy on killing Al Qaeda guys.

 

 

Okay- now- if you simply put 2 and 2 together- is it possible that the killing of Stevens [our ambassador in Libya] was a direct retaliation- by Al Qaeda- for all this darn bragging we are doing about killing their guys?

 

Of course it’s possible- and more than likely a reason why they killed him.

 

 

Then why would the media- and the Obama administration push the initial story line that this killing was nothing more than outrage about a movie ad- on line?

 

Because if the fact is- that we were warned- over and over again- that our security was bad.

 

And- that Al Qaeda were growing tired of our bragging about all the drone killings.

 

 

If this were [is] the case- then not only did you just lose one of the main strengths of your campaign [if you’re a Dem].

 

 

But you also might have ‘provoked’ the killing- by all the bragging.

 

See?

 

Okay- why the feigned outrage by the state dept?

 

 

CNN found the journal of the slain ambassador- and in the journal he wrote that he- as well as the Libyan govt. - all feared an attack.

 

They warned the state dept. - over and over again- that this might happen.

 

And it did.

 

 

The State dept. was basically outed for their failure.

 

And in response- they said that CNN ‘broke its pledge’ to the family by releasing this info.

 

The state dept said CNN took evidence form a ‘crime scene’ [the journal] and shamelessly spread it around.

 

The State dept. called this ‘disgusting’.

 

The truth is- CNN- who in my view have done the best reporting on this story- read what the ambassador himself feared- and they backed it up with interviews from other people who knew Steven’s.

 

They then reported- only on-line [not like the top news story of the other night- the Romney gaff].

 

That the ambassador feared that the security that the state dept. was providing was inadequate.

 

 

 

This story should have been reported- much more in my view- because it shows that the U.S. govt. dropped the ball- after many warnings.

 

 

It would be like finding a journal in the World Trade towers that said – ‘we have been warning Bush that this would happen!’

 

This is a big news story- yet the response of the state dept is that CNN shamelessly revealed the secrets of a dead man- and also ruined a ‘crime scene’.

 

 

These are stories I see all the time- both in the print media- and on the tube.

 

 

Many have debated whether or not the news media actually coordinate with the Obama people [actually a report just showed that a govt. person emailed a group- Media matters- and this ‘non profit’ group contacted the major networks- and they ran the story on the news that night].

 

I don’t know how ‘planned’ this type of bias is.

 

But- you can see it exists.

 

The point I want to make is when you have an important story like this- one in which it’s quite possible that the ongoing bragging about killing Bin Laden might be actually leading to counter killings of our people.

 

Then we need to ask ‘should we keep bragging’.

 

 

When the Muslim ‘world’ rose up in anger- according to the Obama people- because of a video that might have antagonized them.

 

The Obama people condemned the video- and did all they could to discourage the release or making of any other movies that might incite violence.

 

 

Then if this is so- should the American movie makers release the Bin Laden movie [that portrays the President in a favorable light]?

 

 

When I read the above article about CNN’s ‘reprehensible act’- at first I thought they really did a terrible thing [just by reading the headline].

 

But as I read- they simply reported- what should have been a big story- in a minor way [on-line].

 

Don’t be fooled- this happens all the time- we live in a day where the blogging community- and the free on line news sources can now ‘correct’ it- but there are many who will never read the correction.

 

 

 

 

1916 WHO IS JOHN GALT?

 

Over the weekend- my habit is now to watch a couple of documentaries from Netflix.

 

I always got into them- but with the Rocu thing- I can start a few at a time- and then pick up right where I left off.

 

 

I’m watching the Cosmos- Carl Sagan [excellent by the way].

 

Just started Greek Civilization- narrated by one of my favorite actors- Liam Nessen.

 

And I caught a short one on Ayn Rand- the now famous author of Atlas Shrugged.

 

 

I have never read any of Rand's stuff- she is a novelist- and I don’t read them.

 

But- she is also a philosopher- the founder of the system called Objectivism.

 

And her works and thought are more known right now because a movie was made about the book- Atlas Shrugged.

 

 

Rand taught a system that said mans main purpose in life is the pursuit of his/her own happiness.

 

Now- she was not a strict Hedonist- she also taught that man should be productive- should be a contributing member of society- and should be free to excel- to ‘make it’ without the state making the rich guy feel bad about it.

 

Yes- back to the 99 versus the 1.

 

As you can see- that’s why her work has made it back into the collective consciousness at this point in time.

 

 

The other day we went to see my friend John at the hospital- I took Henry [John Henry], John from Arlington- Andy- and of course myself.

 

The day before we went to the bookstore- and I met father John- a nice Catholic Priest.

 

The guys were calling John [from Arlington] Joe.

 

I told Henry 'no- his name is John’.

 

Henry quipped ‘too many John’s’

 

In Rand’s work- she tells the fictional story of John Galt [who is John Galt? This sign pops up every so often]

 

Galt is the leader of the ‘productive’ class in society- the thinkers- producers- etc.

 

These noble ones rebel against what they see as an all encroaching Entitlement society- a ‘world’ that keeps blaming them for the ills of man.

 

Eventually these productive people have had enough- and they withdraw from the world and start their own world- based on the principles of Objectivism.

 

‘Every man for himself’ type of thing.

 

There is one line in the book- where you have this image of Atlas [the man who has the world on his shoulders].

 

He is bowing and bending and struggling under this Entitlement world.

 

The ‘have nots’ keep seeing the ‘haves’ as the cause for their problems.

 

 

The more pressure put on Atlas- does not seem to appease the Entitlement class.

 

So- he shrugs- and walks away.

 

 

A couple of years ago when we did a short history of Philosophy- I never covered Rand.

 

Why?

 

She never came up in any of the stuff I was reading at the time.

 

 

Rand was a Russian American who came to the states in the early 20^th century.

 

She saw the rise of Communism in her homeland- and she believed that the U.S. was in danger of going down the same road.

 

She lived to see the presidency of FDR- and his creating of what we call the Entitlement society.

 

 

But Rand- like other thinkers of her day- also rejected Faith and Religion [Marx].

 

She believed that Reason was enough to establish morality- and build an adequate Ethical society.

 

To be honest- Ayn was wrong about this.

 

But- because she angered the Left with her capitalist thought- and the Right with her anti God ideas- well she would alienate not just the 47% [Romney’s gaff] but both ‘47’s’.

 

Thus- Rand never came up on the radar when I was studying philosophy.

 

I have not read the book- but from what I picked up on line- I can see how Christians would indeed have a hard time with Objectivism.

 

 

In scripture- we don’t see ‘statism’ per se- but we do see a sort of collective ideal.

 

In the books of Acts we see the early believers selling their goods and giving to those in need.

 

We read many-many portions of the bible that speak about helping the less fortunate.

 

Yet- the argument is ‘should the state force man to do this’.

 

The state- govt. - according to scripture- has the right to tax.

 

 

Rand’s argument [and others] is ‘fine- but don’t demean me because I am one of the producers- don’t demonize those in society who are holding the system up’.

 

Rand did not teach that you should never help another- but she rejected the govt. forcing you to do it.

 

In Ayn’s Utopia- the John Galt’s of the world withdraw- they take their toys and go home.

 

From a biblical perspective- we are indeed our brother’s keeper.

 

That does not mean we encourage people to be non productive- to live off the wealth of others.

 

But we see the goal of our lives as more than seeking happiness- more than pursuing the Dream.

 

No- we often give things up- material things- in order to pursue a more just society.

 

In our World- Atlas doesn’t shrug.

 

 

 

 

1917 MENTOR?

 

Went down to the mission yesterday.

 

I saw Julie- Dirk’s girlfriend.

 

I usually don’t see her at the mission- and when I do- she’s always with Dirk.

 

 

At first I wasn’t sure it was her- but as she walked by I asked ‘aren’t you Julie’.

 

Yeah- it was her.

 

 

If you remember- I wrote a post about them both going to one of the national parks here in Texas.

 

 

It’s called the Angelina national forest.

 

 

Over the years Dirk has told me lots about how much he loves being there.

 

 

It’s kind of a ‘second’ [or 3^rd?] home away from home.

 

 

Dirk spends most of the year living here in his van.

 

Every so often he goes home to Michigan to see family.

 

And sometimes he stops at the national forest for a few weeks- he knows the locals- older retired guys who he plays cards with and stuff.

 

 

He has told me how he loves to hunt for arrow heads along the banks of the river.

 

 

Okay- I asked Julie where Dirk was.

 

 

She told me ‘I left him there’.

 

They got in a fight- over the arrow heads!

 

Yeah- every morning Dirk would get up and take Julie arrow head hunting.

 

So she told me she bought a few books in town and one morning wanted to read.

 

Dirk went hunting for the heads.

 

 

He came back- found something and was all excited- he tried to show it to her or something and she was into the book.

 

One thing led to the next- they got in a fight- and she drove back to Corpus [about a 600 mile drive by the way].

 

He has no ride back.

 

I knew from the start that they were going to get into a fight- I just didn’t think she would leave the guy.

 

 

I think that’s why she was down at the mission- sort of waiting to see if he makes it back.

 

 

 

I mean I did have to laugh- as I talked with Julie I told her I thought something like this would happen.

 

 

 

I do want to mention something that will sound self serving- buts it’s the second or 3rd time Julie has told me this- and to be honest it surprised me.

 

 

Julie tells me that Dirk is always talking about me- that he sees me as his ‘mentor’ and that he has nonstop praise for me.

 

I find it ‘funny’ because Dirk usually has nothing good to say about anyone- to be honest.

 

Many times he has put down the other ‘street’ preachers who work in the area.

 

I have had to defend Brother Rey- a street preacher- many times.

 

 

But being she brought it up again- I want to simply say a few words.

 

 

I have known Dirk for many years- and he realizes that me getting with the guys- often taking them out to eat- just being friends with the homeless.

 

He knows that this is ‘ministry’ to me.

 

Now- when you become friends with people- of course- over time- they will learn stuff- you will talk about God- and many times the guys have questions- things they might have heard as kids.

 

Misconceptions about God- things that have hindered them from believing- and often times it’s a simple explanation that clears it up.

 

 

So- I guess after knowing Dirk all these years- he has come to see me as a sort of mentor.

 

 

I have Henry sleeping in the living room right now- we hung out most of the day- I cooked some simple stuff last night and let him crash on the couch.

 

 

I have started doing this at least once a week- I see it as a way to contribute a little more- without it costing a lot of money.

 

 

Henry is a football nut- he knows the sport like I used to follow boxing.

 

Over the years at the fire house the guys realized I was a boxing fanatic.

 

I would usually know who would win the fight- and when they had a question about some rule- they would ask.

 

I had a laugh one day- I was upstairs watching the fights- they were down in the main room- I guess they put it on as well.

 

 

James- one of the guys- came up to ask ‘what’s it mean when they say- no 3 knockdown rule’.

 

I told him ‘that means you can’t knock the other guy down- more than 3 times’.

 

Actually- it means you don’t stop the fight if the other guy goes down 3 times in 1 round.

 

 

Some states have this rule- they think it prevents a fighter from getting hurt too much.

 

But in some cases maybe one of the knockdowns is a fluke- then a guy might lose a fight when he really wasn’t hurt.

 

 

 

So- being Henry is a football nut- you guessed it- we watched the bad call in the game the other night.

 

 

I think it was Green Bay and Seattle.

 

It made the news because the NFL has the replacement ref’s in the game- the regular guys are locked out over a dispute about their contract.

 

Henry could not get over the amount of coverage- I mean I had ESPN on for 4-5 hours at the house.

 

I finally told Henry ‘man- I’m gonna catch some news’.

 

Yeah- it was on the world news too!

 

Obama and Romney and all the politicians had to have their say.

 

I’m just waiting for the Al-Qaeda statement.

 

 

So- we watched the play- around a hundred times thru out the day.

 

 

 

In a little while Henry will get up- we will head out to some area- maybe go visit my friends in Bishop/Kingsville- it’s been a while and I probably should see them.

 

 

It really doesn’t take much to do this- I read John chapter 15 earlier.

 

Jesus says the most important thing is to love your brother.

 

That he showed us that to lay our lives down for another- to sacrifice your time- money- etc.

 

That this is the heart of the matter.

 

 

It doesn’t take much- and your friends will never forget.

 

 

 

 

1918- MALE GAY PROSTITUTE?

 

Let’s pick up a little from the last post or 2.

 

The other day at the mission I had an old friend- who I haven’t talked to in a while- just show up.

 

We hung out for a little while- and he told me how ‘so and so’ burned him real bad.

 

Burned- he ‘screwed him over’ type of thing.

 

I heard the story- and of course I was mad at the other friend.

 

 

Yet- my other friend was not around- so I tried to let it drop.

 

 

But- to be honest- it bothered me for a couple of days.

 

 

Then I saw his girlfriend- and she did the same thing.

 

Now- at one point I actually laughed- because my friend- who I have known for 20 years- is what you would call a classic case of being Homophobic.

 

That is- whenever he has a problem with someone- he most of the time accuses them of either being gay- or- a homosexual/lesbian prostitute [as in if the simple accusation of prostitute isn’t enough].

 

Now- because I know this friend well- I take it with a grain of salt.

 

 

But- I did tell my wife a few days ago ‘you know my friend ‘so and so’ I mean he has the classic case of Homophobia.’

 

He just had an argument with his girlfriend- and sure enough- he tells me he thinks she’s hiding something- he thinks she might be a secret lesbian prostitute.

 

So- as I’m talking to his girlfriend- without revealing the accusation- she tells me ‘you know John- he is totally gay- he is a repressed homosexual- he does not know how to please a woman…’

 

On and on- about him being a closet homosexual.

 

Now- first off- I have gay friends- I help gay friends- so this post is not about being gay.

 

But I laughed because my 2 friends- who both have issues- also resort to this accusation- about one another.

 

 

I told my friend one day that years ago- as kids [maybe 16?] me and a friend were going to do a stupid thing.

 

We went to the local park late at night [Hudson County Park to my friends from N.J.]

 

And we were going to rob and beat up a gay person.

 

We recruited a local drunk from the area- he was about 30 years old.

 

 

We told him the plan- and we went.

 

 

We never carried it out- though my other friend did just get out of prison in N.J. - for another very serious crime.

 

Yet I told it to my friend because he was bringing up past attitudes about gay people and for some reason this came up.

 

He tells me years later ‘John- you might be a repressed homosexual- because you told me you guys tried to mug a gay guy’.

 

So- that’s my friend.

 

 

Purpose- lesson?

 

In reality some of the street guys are indeed male prostitutes.

 

Many are addicted to drugs- and they do make money this way.

 

 

I don’t see them in that light- one of the guys has been with us these past few weeks- and we have had discussions about the Lord and he was with us when we prayed for my friend in the hospital- so he was around us the whole time.

 

Which I felt was good for him- to spend the day doing things that were positive.

 

Even though I had to laugh when my friend’s girlfriend dropped the accusation- during the talk she also shared about her experiences.

 

How she was not looking for a relationship- she is an older lady- and a Christian.

 

But she met my friend- she thought he was a good looking guy- and one thing lead to the next.

 

I told her ‘gee- I would like to agree with you that so and so is a good looking guy- but the way you guys throw around the ‘gay male prostitute’ thing- I better not say anything.’

 

I was tempted to ‘disown’ my buddy for a few days- you know- having various people all volunteer to tell me bad stuff about him.

 

But instead I chose to brush it off- maybe some accusations are true- maybe not.

 

I don’t know all the facts about each person’s situation.

 

 

But I’m glad I shrugged it off- because it was the same week that I was told that this friend sees me as his mentor- that he can’t stop saying good things about me- which I had no idea he looked up to me that much.

 

He is about 5 years older than me- and he often speaks bad about brother Rey- a street preacher who helps the poor.

 

So- all in all- I’m glad I stuck with him.

 

 

Hopefully I’ll see him today- he was stranded last week- and I’m not sure if he made it back to town.

 

Pray for people- I know a few of the guys do resort to bad stuff when they need cash.

 

Some of the girls are indeed prostitutes- they don’t hide it- many of them are real friends- they are nice people- who are involved with lifestyles that are not good- lifestyles they do need to change- I make no excuses about that.

 

 

But do your best to not let what others might say effect you- it would have been bad if I ‘dumped’ my buddy because of what I heard- and later found out that he held me in high esteem.

 

It would have hurt him.

 

 

 

1919 PARKIN’ IN PARKIN

 

Maybe I will do a little update tonight.

 

About a week ago I embarked on an unplanned road trip.

 

For a while now I have seen lots of my street friends live in their vans and stuff- and I always wanted to give it a shot.

 

Now- I’m cheating a bit- by staying at my mom’s house for a few nights- but on the road- I lived in the van.

 

It’s not that hard to be honest- the rest stops on the interstates are great- clean- and safe.

 

I was kidding my buddy earlier- I told him that the drive [from TX. To N.J.] was great- cheap.

 

But as soon as I hit Jersey- the toll system cost me more cash [around 30] and time [geez- having to stop multiple times- before getting off!] than the entire trip combined!

 

But all in all it was an okay drive.

 

 

I was detoured just outside of Little Rock- Ark.

 

I blew a fan belt- it was so loud I thought the transmission fell out!

 

I realized it was the belt- and had to drive to the closest exit and get off.

 

 

I wound up in a small rural town named Parkin.

 

To my surprise the town shop was able to get the parts and install them- at half the cost that pep- boys charged in the past![this water pump has a history].

 

As I spent half the day in Parkin- I walked around- took some pics- and made the best of it.

 

As I ‘interviewed’ my mechanic- I asked him what the town was like.

 

He was a young- White kid.

 

 

He said ‘It’s nice here- but the NIGGERS ARE NIGGERS.’

 

Unquote.

 

I then walked around- and talked to the Black people in the area.

 

They were real nice.

 

 

I picked up the Arkansas paper.

 

The top story was the local hero- who looked just like one of Jeff Foxworthy’s Red Neck’s.

 

 

He was on the front page because he made his annual trip to NYC to protest the Iranian president.

 

Yeah- he started making this his cause about 10 years ago.

 

 

This time- as he was standing outside the U.N.- he saw the Iranian security guys walking right by him.

 

They were protecting some top diplomat- and the Arkansan thru a punch- and hit the guy!

 

 

As I read this story- while ‘parked’ in Parkin- I had to laugh.

 

 

The guy said ‘as they walked by- I thought the guy was Ahmidinejab’.

 

Yeah- he was proud- grinning ear to ear.

 

 

They asked him how he got involved with this cause- he has an on-line web site and he leads a group who regularly protest the Iranian leaders desire for Nukes.

 

He told the reporter that his wife died of cancer about 10 years ago- and he needed something to keep his mind occupied.

 

 

Yeah- Foxworthy would have loved it.

 

 

All in all my day [half day] was well spent- lessons learned- prejudice revealed- and hospitality shown to me- by a nice Black owner of the local beauty salon [her name was Shea].

 

 

Yeah- I learned some stuff in while parked- in Parkin.

 

 

 

 

 

1920 SHEEP FROM ANOTHER FOLD

 

 

One of the challenges on this journey is I have friends/family who have hearing problems.

 

My dear mom has a hard time hearing- and it’s natural to talk loud.

 

You think because it’s difficult for you to hear- that to talk loud will somehow help the hearer as well.

 

 

I have a homeless friend who has been legally deaf his whole life.

 

 

He has learned how to talk low- on purpose.

 

 

I was telling my friend Patrick that this homeless friend also likes to dominate the conversation- he will talk- nonstop- literally for hours.

 

 

To be honest- I don’t mind- or lets say I realize that it helps him- so for 20 years I have had lots of talks [or should I say ‘hearings’] with him.

 

 

Okay- so as I’m sitting at my mom’s house yesterday- everyone is out- and I figure ‘wow- some quiet time- let’s make the most of it’.

 

 

Well- let’s at least try.

 

 

My phone rings- it’s a Texas number ‘what the heck- might as well get it’.

 

I usually never answer my phone unless it’s a number I recognize.

 

 

I get it- it’s my deaf homeless friend on the line- yelling ‘hey John- I can barely hear you’.

 

 

I know.

 

So- this is my buddy stuck in the forest in Texas- his girlfriend left him there [remember the last 5 posts?]

 

Anyway- he does not know I’m in Jersey- none of my homeless buddies know- I had no plans to have left the day I left- so no one knows.

 

 

So- as Dirk’s on the phone- telling me ‘I can’t hear you- you’re breaking up’.

 

I keep saying- well- yelling ‘I’M IN NYC [that’s really the spot- N.J. - right on the Hudson] I CAN’T TALK RIGHTT NOW’.

 

He keeps telling me he can’t hear me- but says ‘well- I can’t hear- but I guess I’ll just talk anyway’.

 

No- no- don’t guess that- not today!

 

 

I finally got thru and told him I’ll talk whenever I get back to Texas.

 

 

Okay- the journey has been interesting so far.

 

Whenever I drive cross country [or south to north] I enjoy reading the different ‘church’ names along the way.

 

 

You can see the development of Christianity across the country- by reading the signs.

 

As somewhat of a church historian- when I see the signs- I remember the times I read about the various movements.

 

Some church signs show the debate over the Trinity ‘Pentecostal oneness church’- they emphasize the divinity of Jesus a lot.

 

‘Pentecostal Trinity church’- they are saying ‘we are not the other guys’.

 

Of course you see the standard Baptist churches- the Methodist regions as well.

 

Over the years all of these groups have come to emphasize various teachings of Christianity.

 

As I headed further north- of course I come to my ‘homeland’- and I see the great catholic churches- the ones I remember from my youth [sort of like crossing the Tiber in a way-  for you non intellectuals- google it].

 

 

It’s a sort of spiritual lesson- this past week- as well as the coming months- the Catholic church is going to focus on Vatican 2- the last church council.

 

 

This council [a meeting of all the catholic leaders/bishops] emphasized Ecumenism- for the first time the church recognized the various Christian churches- you know- all the ‘signs’ I saw on the road- as ‘separated Christian brothers’.

 

 

It was a big step for the church- a step of unity- based on the desire of Christ we read about in the gospel of John- chapter 17 ‘that we all would be one’.

 

In my talks these past few days- and my bible reading in the gospel of John- a theme kept popping up.

 

The Lord has been telling me to ‘shepherd all the people I bring to you- all those who are on a spiritual journey’.

 

 

In John’s gospel the message- at least to me- is to do my best to present the pre-imminence of Christ- that he is the source of salvation- and to recognize that there are also ‘sheep- not of this fold that he will bring’.

 

Now- in context Jesus was speaking about the Gentiles- the ‘non- Jews’ who would convert.

 

In the ‘broader’ context- I am taking it as being open to the other Monotheistic faiths.

 

 

So- I have good talks with Muslims [and have even shared some good things about Islam- yes- there are good things- with fellow Christians].

 

 

My mom told me ‘John- do you know who died’.

 

No- who?

 

Sandy.

 

Huh?

 

Sandy is a nice Jewish lady who lived right up the block from me when I was a kid.

 

I was friends with her son.

 

 

She became a Facebook friend a few years back.

 

I am always grateful when I make Jewish/Muslim friends on the site.

 

 

When I first friended Sandy- we talked some.

 

Then I noticed one time- we didn’t talk much [you know- when you write a lot- people are going to get offended at one time or another].

 

 

So- when I did not see her comments- I figured she got upset about some post.

 

But then one day- about a month ago- I saw some action form her page- I forget what it was- but I saw that she came back to read the posts.

 

Then- well- she passed on.

 

 

When my mom told me that she died- I said ‘are you sure’.

 

I went to Sandy’s page- and there was no indication that she died.

 

So I left a little note to tell my friend good bye.

 

Yes- I’m grateful for ‘the other’ sheep if you will.

 

 

The other friends of mine who are on a spiritual journey.

 

I’m grateful for all the ‘separated brothers’ those various Christian churches who are now seen as brothers in Christ.

 

Make no mistake- as a Christian I believe that Jesus is the Son of God- who died- was buried- and rose again ‘according to the scriptures’.

 

I believe he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

 

I believe in the resurrection of the dead- the forgiveness of sins- and life everlasting.

 

I also believe that in this life God will bring to us others who are on a journey as well- and maybe for a time these people might be on a different path- maybe they do not see everything like I do.

 

But when these contacts are made- do your best to try and see them as ‘others who are not from this group’ but others whom God has brought your way- at least for a season.

 

 

NOTE- One sign I liked was on the side of this huge gun store ‘GUNS- GUNS- GUNS- JESUS IS LORD’.

 

 

 

 

1921 CRAIG

 

I posted some pictures the other day- of Craig- a homeless guy I ran into while going to Wal Mart.

 

As soon as I saw Craig I knew he was homeless.

 

 

He was sitting by the side of Wal Mart- with a couple of well kept carrying bags- and he was organized- as much as someone can be while homeless.

 

 

So before going into the store I walked over to him and became friends.

 

I talked to Craig for about 30 minutes before going into the store.

 

I told him when I get out of the store I will take him to breakfast- my treat of course.

 

 

Craig turned the breakfast down- but he asked instead if I could by him a can of BeefAroni.

 

So I picked him up 3 cans- no big deal.

 

When I got out of the store we took a ride to the park and hung out by the lake for a while.

 

Of course I told Craig that this is ministry stuff to me- I didn’t ‘preach’ to him- but I told him ‘my story’ as he told me his.

 

 

He knew that I was reaching out to the street guys because I believe Christ called us as believers to do so.

 

 

I later took him about 30 miles south/west.

 

I asked him if he needed a ride somewhere- being I had the day and van.

 

He told me he was heading to Lyndhurst the next day- but if I wanted I could start him going that way.

 

He just needed for me to take him to a small town around here called Secaucus.

 

 

We took the ride- and I parked in a store parking area.

 

Craig has these walking routes all down pat.

 

I told him that I would walk with him some before heading out.

 

 

As we started the trek, when we got to the end of the parking lot- he put his bags down [they looked to be well over 50 pounds].

 

And he back tracked about 50 feet- picking something up.

 

At first I thought he saw some change- the street guys are good at spotting change on the ground.

 

But as he got back- he had about 10 cigarette butts- he rolled the little tobacco that was left into a small cigarette- it looked perfect- and the task was finished in a few minutes.

 

 

Its stuff like this that will let you know that the person is a ‘true’ street guy [plus turning down the fast food offer- and opting for food that you can take with you].

 

We walked a good few miles- crossed over a bridge and I told Craig I would start heading back to the van.

 

 

Craig looked at me- we shook hands- and he  said ‘peace’.

 

 

I could tell he was grateful- for real.

 

 

Sure- I gave him 5 bucks for the journey- we spent some time hanging out- but he was grateful to have someone to give him a hand.

 

 

I could tell from the start that he was not a beggar.

 

 

He was not looking for a ride [his plans were to walk the whole trip- till he got to the major highway- where I dropped him off].

 

No- he was just a nice brother- a new friend- you know- like you used to make friends as kids.

 

You saw some kid on the block- never met him before- and within minutes your playing some street ball or something.

 

 

I gave Craig the blog site card/paper.

 

He doesn’t know how to get on line- but I told him if he wound up at a friend’s house who has a computer- he can look us up- and see his picture and story on the site.

 

 

 

Craig was the first ‘real’ homeless guy I have met since being here.

 

I can tell from my excursions that this area is not suitable for homeless guys- they know that and that’s why they don’t come here.

 

 

I talked to Craig for about 3-4 hours in total.

 

 

I always try and find out their stories- and I tell them that I share their stories on the site.

 

Craig is 49 years old- my age less a year.

 

 

He was originally from Modesto Cali.

 

He has been in Jersey for many years- usually lives in Atlantic City.

 

That’s the spot where many of the homeless go- Craig gave me the scoop.

 

 

Craig has had various jobs over the years- some good ones.

 

 

But as I first talked to him- it’s obvious he has some real mental problems [yet very smart!]

 

It takes about 3 hours for Craig to communicate 2 hours of stuff you can understand.

 

I’m sure most people would get scared the first few minutes- seeing he has some type of problem- and he rarely makes it to the 3 hour ‘made a new friend’ point.

 

 

Yeah- Craig is a new friend I made on the trip.

 

He did indeed hear the gospel- as a friend- and to be honest- I had a good time hanging out with Craig.

 

 

 

 

1922 HASHWAYS

 

The other night I went to an NA meeting with my friend Pat.

 

It’s basically the meeting for Drug addicts- based on the 12 step program.

 

My friend sponsors his own meeting- and also attends and is real active in the group.

 

Before I came to Jersey [this visit] I was in touch with my friend John David [heart surgery] and he has been wanting to open up a half way house in C.C.

 

I also picked up [by accident] a book defending the 12 step program from a Christian perspective.

 

 

All in all I have been learning/reading on the 12 step program.

 

 

But this was my first actual meeting- so I was looking forward to it.

 

 

It was a really good format- from the things I have read/seen- the key to success is the basic principle- found in the bible- that says ‘confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed’. [James]

 

The meetings are times/places where people share- they speak about their struggles- their victories- and others see that some have been clean for many years- 20-30 or more.

 

 

When an addict sees another ‘addict’- who has ‘overcome the mark of the beast and the number of his name’ [Revelation] he then sees that there are indeed a whole company of people who have come thru this- and are on the other side- clean.

 

 

All of these things are biblical principles.

 

As I sat in the meeting- I had an interesting experience.

 

The table in front of my chair had the names of some of the local restaurants written on them.

 

I’m not sure why- maybe they support the meetings- the meeting was held in the old Catholic church- Our Lady of Fatima- that I attended for CCD classes as a kid.

 

 

The church is a couple of blocks from my old Elementary school- Horace Mann- and I used to walk over every day for class.

 

 

The NA meeting was in the same part of the church that my CCD classes were in.

 

 

So- after 34 years- I found myself- for the first time- back in the old class.

 

 

I had a friend/schoolmate back in those days.

 

His name was Glenn Hashway.

 

 

His parents own a deli- famous- right down the block.

 

 

I have heard that Glenn has been an addict for many years.

 

A friend of mine was in jail with him one year- he didn’t know I knew him- but I did.

 

 

From what I heard- he was in big trouble- looking at many years in prison- if he made bail he was going to try and leave the country type of thing.

 

 

So- this was his story.

 

 

On the table in front of me- the name of the restaurant/deli that was written- was ‘Hashways’.

 

Yea- it just so happened that this was the spot where his family had the name of their deli.

 

 

Sad story for my old friend- seeing how his life turned out.

 

Today I’m supposed to make a trip to NYC- I need to check my phone for messages.

 

I can do the trip on my own- but it’s been so many years- I don’t know all the right subways and buses to catch.

 

So Patrick is supposed to go with me.

 

 

I did want to say a few words about the debate- it has been such a hot political issue- and I do talk about that stuff.

 

 

But- on this trip I’m trying to avoid too much politics.

 

I took a ride yesterday afternoon down to Jersey City- got out at a park on the corner of Manhattan Ave and Kennedy Blvd.

 

Yeah- not really the best spot to hang out when you’re from out of state.

 

But I wanted to just walk around the area.

 

As I walked thru the park- I asked some guy sitting on a bench ‘what’s the name of this park’?

 

He told me ‘Persian field’.

 

Now- I know it’s not Persian- like Asian [or at least I don’t think things have changed that much!]

 

But at the entrance of the park I saw a statue to some war hero or something- I assume the name is Pershing- you know- some past war guy type thing.

 

Anyway- I walked thru the park taking some pictures.

 

Some kids hanging out and all- wondering why I was taking pictures.

 

I talk one of a little blue bag- small- you could fit about 3 aspirins in it.

 

 

It was a Crack bag- empty.

 

I saw 2 more while walking around- wasn’t even looking for them.

 

 

I saw some nice animal statues and a few squirrels.

 

I continued the ride- went down past journal square- and went a few more miles- came back on Tonnele ave.

 

Passed the old Pulaski Skyway- and saw my 2^nd homeless guy- begging for money on the road.

 

I usually don’t give the guys with signs any money- but being I haven’t seen too many- I gave him 5 bucks.

 

Yeah- the old area looks okay- still worn and torn after many years.

 

Sort of like an old war horse- battle scarred but keeps on going.

 

I read a verse in John chapter 17 this morning.

 

Jesus said ‘ Ihave revealed your name to the men that you gave to me out of the world’.

 

I have read this chapter many times over the years.

 

Jesus speaks about the desire for unity in the church.

 

He talks about his disciples as the special people God brought to him along the journey.

 

 

I have run into a few already- I’m trying to hear God- to speak and connect to the ones that he’ gave me ‘out of the world’ –or ‘from New Jersey’.

 

Yeah- there are always at least a few- people who are too on a journey- and it’s important for us [you and me] to speak the right words- to communicate the Father [God] to them.

 

 

At the end of the day- that’s what lasts.

 

 

 

1923 ROCKAWAY

 

 

 

 

Okay- there are lots of good stories to tell on this trip- but I’m trying to keep them short.

 

Let’s do the NYC trip today [do=tell].

 

The other day I took a trip to the city with Patrick—an old friend I met about 12 years ago- he was my ‘tour guide’.

 

I haven’t been to the city in many years- and I have no idea what buses/trains to take.

 

Pat knows all the routes.

 

So we took this nice route that lets you see all the famous areas- from the top of the rail road tracks.

 

We got off at the last [and final! For you Pat] stop on the A train- Rockaway.

 

This is the Queens section of the city- Howard Beach- Gotti’s club- you know- the ‘famous’ spots.

 

As we walked to Pats brothers’ house- he told me the story of his family.

 

Pat grew up in somewhat of a dysfunctional home- like most of us have.

 

His parents died early on- and he had this older brother that he never really knew- 20 years his senior.

 

So- one year Pat made an attempt to find him- he looked him up in the phone book and tracked the house.

 

As Pats brother came home- Pat was on the steps- blocking his way- he said ‘can you move- you’re in my way’- and that was the reunion.

 

Pat told me that his brother was an addict for many years as well- he used to see him sleeping on the subway stop- he would give him a few dollars if he had it.

 

After many years- his brother finally got clean- and married a great Christian lady- Veronica.

 

I met them both on the trip this day.

 

We hung out most of the day at Pat’s brothers place- we had a good time- we were helping Veronica hook up to Facebook and stuff.

 

She has a nice computer- but needed help getting everything working- you know- most people are not experts like myself [okay- maybe not- this trip was the first time I ‘texted’].

 

It was funny- after I helped her hook up to Facebook- and Pat was helping her get the phone hooked in as well.

 

I said ‘that’s it Veronica- you’re in- now all that happens is you get a bill for 50 each month’.

 

At that point she looked at me- yeah- you could tell she’s a real New Yorker [of course I was kidding].

 

On the way back to Manhattan- I took a few more pics from the rail- and me and Pat had some good time fellowshipping.

 

Pat now sponsors a couple of guys thru the NA [narcotics anonymous].

 

He got a call from one of the guys while we were waiting for the train to leave.

 

It was a learning experience- to see how the group works along biblical lines.

 

 

The last time I saw Pat was about 8 years back- Pat was hooked and you could tell.

 

Pat overdosed real bad a few years ago- I got a call and they told me he might have died- he was in the hospital and I put him on the web site and asked for prayer.

 

 

Pat pulled thru- but he messed up his leg real bad- he walks with a very bad limp- but he never complains.

 

 

This week I have been reading John 17- it’s the famous prayer of Jesus [besides the Our father]

 

Jesus says ‘for their sakes I sanctify myself- that they too might be sanctified thru the truth’.

 

Sanctify means separate.

 

Jesus was saying he set himself apart to do God’s will- he did this so others too might be free.

 

The example from my friend Pat- and his brother- and a few other people I have met on this trip- is one where people got to the end of the road [last AND final stop].

 

They lived many years in bondage to things- Jesus said ‘whoever commits sin becomes the slave of sin’.

 

These have learned what that means.

 

And they got to a point where they had enough- they have now ‘separated themselves so others too could be free’.

 

 

Yeah- my Rockaway trip was a real learning experience- in more ways than one.

 

 

 

 

1924 A FREE BUS RIDE

 

In the last week I have had some good conversations- talked to various people- from different backgrounds.

 

I have actually defended other groups [Catholics] from false accusations.

 

One friend said ‘the Catholics put tradition OVER the bible’.

 

I said- ‘actually-that’s not true’.

 

The other person- a fellow Protestant- insisted it was.

 

I told them that the church believes that Gods voice comes to us in 2 ways- scripture and tradition- but they see them both as means to communicate God’s word- they hold equal value- at least in official Catholic teaching it is this way.

 

 

I had another friend- a Muslim- ask me about the teaching from the bible that says ‘another prophet will come’.

 

Is this in the bible?

 

I told him there is a famous teaching you find in the bible that says ‘another’ prophet must first come.

 

 

But- he was under the impression that this verse was referring to Muhammad- I explained that the disciples actually asked Jesus about this.

 

 

They said ‘if you’re the one- that what about the prophecy that says Elijah must come first’.

 

Jesus said that there was indeed a prophecy that says before the Messiah comes- Elijah must first come.

 

 

Then Jesus said ‘John the Baptist was Elijah’ [John the Baptist came in the power and spirit of Elijah- and according to Jesus- he fulfilled the prophecy].

 

Jesus said that the prophecy about another prophet was fulfilled by him and John the Baptist- Jesus was the final and ultimate ‘prophet’ –Messiah- sent from God.

 

 

In all of these dialogues- I was friends with these people- I talk to these people as co-equals- I try real hard not to ‘preach at them’.

 

Sure- in a way- this type of conversation- is a type of preaching- but how long would it have taken my Muslim friend to have wandered into some church and have heard this?

 

 

Maybe never.

 

The point?

 

We- all of us- need to have friendships with people from other backgrounds.

 

We need to know- really- what other people believe.

 

My Protestant friend started from a wrong understanding of what Catholics believe.

 

If she wants to dialogue with Catholics about the differences between us- then she needs to know what the differences are.

 

 

The other day I was riding the old bus that drives down Bergenline ave.

 

Back in Texas when you buy a ticket with a transfer- it’s good all day.

 

So when I got on the bus I asked the guy if it was still good.

 

He looked at it real quick and said ‘yeah’.

 

 

After I sat down he told me ‘you know it did expire- but don’t worry about it’.

 

 

I told him I would pay for the ticket- but he said that’s okay.

 

 

So I talked to him from 48^th street to 91^st.

 

I told him I was visiting from Texas but grew up here in the area.

 

 

I told him I retired from the Fire Dept. after 25 years.

 

 

He has worked for the state for 30 years.

 

He asked me what it was like to retire- sort of like he is thinking about it too.

 

 

I told him that a lot of my friends put it off- they are scared of doing it.

 

 

Even though a job like mine might be considered dangerous- yet you get used to the routine- and some guys don’t know  what they will do if they retire.

 

 

He kept agreeing with me- like he is having the same thoughts.

 

He was nice guy- a Black guy.

 

 

Why mention Black?

 

I asked him where he lives- he said East Orange.

 

 

I haven’t been around here for so long- I did not know that it is a predominantly Black area [I found out later].

 

 

But when he said he lives there- he said ‘you know- I like it- I don’t want to go home and have a lot of drama- I get that on the job’.

 

 

I think he was saying he has to deal with people who are racist- people who look down on others because they are different.

 

 

And when he’s home- he doesn’t want the same thing.

 

 

Sure- I understood what he was saying.

 

 

When I sat down that day- I never met the man before- after about 40 blocks- we were talking like friends- plus- I got a free ride.

 

It’s worth treating others with respect- listening to their side of things.

 

Sometimes they have picked up ideas that you might be able to correct- to show them that they might have a wrong impression about Christianity.

 

Other times you will learn too.

 

All in all- if you start without prejudice- you can go a lot further.

 

 

 

 

 

1925 WHEN TWO BECOME ONE [a short critique on the pastoral letter from the Bishop of Newark]

 

Today I want to comment on the Pastoral letter that the Archbishop of Newark put out last month.

 

Being I’m here in N.J. for a few days- one of my goals was to visit all the old places I saw as a kid.

 

And 2 of those spots were the Catholic churches I went to as a kid.

 

 

I went last Sunday to Our Lady of Fatima- and this Past Sunday I visited Our Lady of Grace.

 

 

It just so happened that the Bishop of Newark put out this Pastoral letter- a letter to all the Christians in his area- a few weeks before I arrived.

 

 

The letter;

 

The letter is in some ways a defense of the historic position of the church.

 

It’s titled ‘When Two become One: A Pastoral Teaching on the Definition, Purpose and Sanctity of Marriage’.

 

In short the Bishop does an excellent job of defending the traditional definition of marriage between One man and One woman.

 

He bases this teaching on both Natural [Moral] law- and what we call Revelation [or Revealed Truth- which means teaching that comes to us from God].

 

Natural Law?

 

 

Natural law simply means in society in general- since the early times of man- there was a basic understanding of what was right or wrong.

 

 

Where did this Moral foundation come from?

 

The Church teaches that this comes from God [Apostle Paul- Romans 1 and 2].

 

Since this Moral law exists- and part of this ‘collective conscience’ includes the basic idea of traditional marriage- therefore we [the Church] make the argument that traditional marriage is not only a Church teaching- but also a foundational truth that all men have known since the beginning of mans existence.

 

 

The bishop notes that the early Greek philosophers and other ancient societies have indeed believed that Moral law does exist- and therefore it is not only a church belief.

 

 

The Bishop is also careful to treat Homosexual people [language that the church does not use- the church teaches that all people- even those with ‘homosexual tendencies’ are indeed created in the image of God. The Church says both Heterosexual and Homosexual are words that describe sexual attractions- but are not fundamental identities] with respect.

 

That is even though the Church believes in One man One woman union- that it recognizes that all people struggle with ‘sin’ and that the Church calls all people to live repentant lives- and to strive to live an abundant life in  Christ.

 

 

The Bishop emphasizes that the Christian community does include people who have homosexual attractions- but it simply does not legitimize homosexual lifestyles as an acceptable way of life for the practicing Christian [I do understand that others see this very thing as discriminatory- and that would take a long time to get into- my purpose in this post is to kind of break down the 4 page letter of the bishop and hit the high points.]

 

 

All in all the letter was written in a scholarly way- the bishop used what we call the classic Apologetic tools to defend the Faith [he appealed to natural law- he quoted the Greek philosophers- etc.]

 

And he made the case in a way that was as gracious as possible to those who consider themselves Homosexual- while still defending the Traditional definition of marriage.

 

 

I of course did read- and re-read the letter.

 

I guess that around 10 % of Catholic Christians might have gone home after Mass and read the letter [it was kind of long- and a little scholarly].

 

But it was written in a well thought out way- and it does give you the official Catholic teaching on this matter.

 

 

The Church teaches that those Catholics who reject the traditional definition of marriage are rejecting a serious doctrine of the church- a ‘Grave matter’- and the church says these Catholics need to repent from this position.

 

In the Catholic Church there are degrees of Moral teaching- that is some areas are not considered as serious as others- the Church teaches that this doctrine- traditional Marriage- is one of those serious doctrines.

 

At the end of the letter it has the signature of Archbishop John J. Meyers- the bishop of Newark.

 

 

This was the first time I ever read an official Pastoral letter- one that was actually circulated in the handouts from the Church meeting.

 

I found it well written- scholarly- and of course- in keeping with the teaching of the historic church.

 

Whether you agree with the teaching or not [for instance I am a Protestant- and not bound to the teaching of the Catholic church].

 

You must admit- that the Catholic church puts out responsible material- material that is well thought out and in a way ‘peer reviewed’.

 

Yea- all in all- it was a good letter.

 

 

 

 

1926 THE DEBATES

 

What the heck- might as well do a post while the guy works on the van.

 

I am surprised that I picked up wireless here- Inkys or something.

 

O.K.- I have been wanting to mention the debates.

 

Of course last night we had Biden and Ryan go at it [I slept in the van and caught it on NPR].

 

If you’re a Dem- then you think Biden won- if a Repub- Ryan.

 

What do I think? [I am independent]

 

I think they both did well- maybe a sort of tie.

 

 

Now- what about the Obama/Romney one?

 

Most people think Obama did poorly- me too.

 

 

But- when I first heard the liberal side of the aisle skewer Obama- I thought it must have been really bad.

 

Whenever you hear a news guy- whether Liberal or Conservative- try and give you their narrative- always be open and make your own call.

 

 

I saw the Pres. Debate the next day on CSPAN- I thought Obama lost- but I did not see it as the Titanic.

 

I told a liberal friend ‘it really wasn’t as bad as they made it out’.

 

 

A few things.

 

Right after the pres debate- the campaign people for Obama put out a line that said ‘sure- Romney won- but it was simply a good performance from a liar’.

 

Then- the news media ran with that story- night after night- you heard them say Romney is a liar- who lied well.

 

 

I was at my mom’s house- she watches MSNBC a lot [I do on and off].

 

And I saw how it affected her.

 

 

She was furious at Romney for being a liar.

 

 

 

I explained to her that they all lie- Obama- Romney- all of them.

 

I told her how many see Romney as a ‘liar’ because he flip flopped on ‘Obama care’.

 

He was ‘for it- before he was against it’ type thing.

 

I told my mom that I don’t see either of these men as angels- or demons.

 

I said Romney says his health care plan in Mass [while governor] was different.

 

Okay- I have heard his explanation- I think it pretty much was the same.

 

 

But- I don’t hate the man- he’s running as the Repub candidate- and the Repubs don’t like Obama-care- so he’s against it.

 

I got it.

 

 

But how many Dem’s- who hate Romney for switching his view- over a period of years- also ‘hate’ Obama for doing the same thing?

 

 

When the president ran against Hillary- he vowed to never do ‘Obama care’ the way he did it.

 

Hillary was for universal health care- with a mandate.

 

 

A mandate is the law that says you must purchase it- or pay a fine.

 

Now- during the nomination process- right up until the election- Obama was dead set against a mandate.

 

Some people voted for him because of this- during the Dem nomination process.

 

Yet- it did not take him 6 years- 3 years- or one year to ‘switch’ sides.

 

It took him one day.

 

Yes- the day before he was elected- he was against the mandate.

 

The first thing he did after being elected- the major ‘accomplishment’ of his first term- was health care- with a mandate.

 

Yet- I don’t remember the news media spending days with a narrative [story] that said Obama is a liar.

 

 

So- it’s better to simply listen to the sides- if you prefer the conservative side- then you will vote Romney.

 

If you prefer the liberal side- then you will vote Obama.

 

 

But do we have to watch days on end of the news reporting- openly- that Romney is a liar?

 

 

I said about a month ago that the real big news story- that is worthy of coverage- is the situation that happened in Libya- the killing of our people at the embassy.

 

 

 

In last night’s debate- that was the first question that came up.

 

 

Yeah- their catching on- ya think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

1927- THE END OF THE ROAD [TRIP]

 

 

Well- the N.J. trip was long- and I realized that I can’t drive like I did when I was younger.

 

It’s hard to see at night- and it just seemed much longer than it used to be.

 

 

From now on I will fly.

 

 

Okay- since I’ve been back I was able to catch up on all the news- all the shows I missed [I have Rocu- they basically DVR everything for you].

 

On the trip I caught some shows- but I realize now that there are things I do need to cover.

 

But for today- let’s just hit a few thoughts from the trip.

 

 

 

On the way back I broke down- for the 2^nd time [the first was on the way to N.J. - I blew a belt and water pump in Arkansas].

 

I was in Kansas- and it sounded like the water pump went out again.

 

But the guy checked it out and it was a fan clutch [I have changed these before- it’s much easier/cheaper].

 

So I lucked out [of course prayed!]

 

 

On both of the ‘breakdowns’ I wound up getting the van repaired by small- kind of ‘po-dunk’ type shops.

 

 

I managed to drive to the shops- or to the town- and thru using the local stores was able to call the shops.

 

The shops both did great jobs- very professional- in Kansas I drove back in the tow truck- a brand new one- nice.

 

 

As we got back to the small shop- the tow driver was also the repairman.

 

He had it done in around an hour.

 

 

All these services were done by small businesses.

 

 

In actuality- they would be in the category of the ‘rich who are not paying their fair share’.

 

 

Yes- most small businesses fall under this category.

 

 

Why did these guys do such a great job- treat me well- and were available to do it?

 

 

Because they are in business- they are the capitalists of our world.

 

Now- if I had to use ‘government’ services- would they too have been there?

 

Yeah.

 

If I never made it to a town I would have called 911- and some type of ‘govt.’

worker would have helped.

 

Whether it was the local cops- the DPS- the highway patrol- all of these services fall under the heading of government- whether city or state- they would be considered govt. [public safety].

 

Why?

 

They are paid by taxes- and they are in a ‘non profit’ job.

 

Yet- they do it for a salary as well.

 

Point?

 

 Right now in our country there is a debate that says ‘should we be a conservative people- or elect liberal folk’.

 

Joe Biden said that’s the choice- and in a way he is right.

 

 

But I think if we see only one side or the other as the national ‘savior’ then we are setting ourselves up for a fall.

 

 

In a way we do need both- that is there is a need for government- how big? - well that’s the debate.

 

But a strict ‘capitalist’ society- where everything was based on services for profit- would not totally do the job.

 

Why?

 

Because there are needed- vital services- that would not make a profit.

 

 

The whole debate on health care- why do Insurance companies drop- or not insure- the elderly or sick [unless they are forced to]?

 

Because there is no profit if you have all chronically sick people.

 

That’s the whole point about the mandate/universal care- the private industry will not do the job- in this particular case.

 

 

So- I get that.

 

But in many areas- like my tow truck/mechanic experiences- they do indeed get the job done- and they do it well.

 

 

It’s sad that many of these small business guys have been demonized this past year.

 

 

From what I saw- both of the shops I stopped at were hard working guys/kids.

 

They treated me with respect- they did not rip me off [I know mechanics somewhat- I ‘diagnosed’ the initial problems and all- right away].

 

And they did it all under a ‘for profit’ venture- yet they met a vital service- - one that serves the community well.

 

And not just their local community- I was just one of many road travelers that have used them- and they do a real good job.

 

 

Okay- this week I will try and hit on some of the major news stories of the last few weeks- there are some important things to cover.

 

Last week I read Hebrews 2 [Psalms 128 and Gen 2]- this week lets read Hebrews 4- Psalms 90 and Mark 10.

 

I will try and comment on them at the end of the week.

 

Okay- that’s it for now- remember- pray for one another- if you disagree with people about stuff [often politics or religion] try not to demonize them- they are also created in the image of God.

 

 

 

 

1928 BENGHAZI- LIBYA  

 

So much to say- where do we start?

 

Okay- I have caught up on the news shows/papers for the past couple of weeks.

 

And even though I have been able to follow snippets of the news on my trip- yet I really didn’t see the entire picture until now.

 

First- as most of you know many in the Muslim world protested the U.S. on 9-11-2012.

 

Many of these protests seem to have been instigated by a stupid film about the prophet Muhammad that was put out by some guy living in the U.S.

 

One of the attacks that took place on that day was in Libya- our embassy was stormed and for the first time in 30 years an American ambassador was killed on foreign soil [the other incident was the famous raid in Iran].

 

The difference between the attack in Benghazi- Libya- and the other protests was the attack in Libya was a militia type attack- they used heavy weapons and there were no protests during the day.

 

Now- for whatever reason- the White House ‘spun’ the attack as part of the protests about the film.  They used this language to describe the attack- even after the U.S. knew this was false.

 

 

I saw Ambassador Rice on the Sunday talk shows saying that the killing of Stephens was part of the protests over the movie- this was 5 days after we knew that this was not true.

 

As more facts surfaced- and the White House began adjusting their story- they later said that the Libyan attack was different.

 

 

Now- what’s wrong here?

 

As the story developed- it was in the best political interest of the president for this attack to have not been Al Qaeda related.

 

If Al Qaeda was indeed responsible for the hit- then it would contradict one of the major arguments for the president to be re elected.

 

That argument being he has ‘Al Qaeda on the run’ and ‘go ask Bin Laden if we are tough on terror’.

 

Now- whether you’re a Dem or Repub- there is no doubt that this has been a major part of the campaign this year.

 

If you ‘tune out’ the first story- about the attack being a response to a film- and look at another set of facts- you will see a quite different story.

 

Okay- the ‘other facts’.

 

 

A few days before the Libyan attack- we killed a very top official of Al Qaeda.

 

A few days after the killing the president once again said- publicly- ‘we have them on the run- they are on their heels’.

 

 

Now- we just killed one of their tops guys- we basically said ‘look- you guys are on the run-we are killing you like ducks in a pond- and you can’t respond’.

 

Okay- this is not the smartest move on our part.

 

Then while all this was happening- the top Al Qaeda guy who replaced Bin Laden said ‘we are going to retaliate for this’.

 

A few days more- Stephens was killed- by Al Qaeda related groups in Benghazi- Libya.

 

 

Questions?

 

 

Why did V.P Biden say- in the debate ‘we did not know this was a terror attack- our intelligence learned about it later’.

 

Actually- there were congressional hearings on this very thing- the same day of the debate- in the hearings our guys testified that we did indeed know it was a different attack- a terror type attack- and not the same type of protests that were taking place in the other nations.

 

The next day- when this came out- that Biden simply got it wrong [heaven forbid that we use the word lie- which by the way just happened to be the actual label they put on Romney for 2 weeks].

 

When the contradiction surfaced- the White House press secy- Jay Carney- said that Biden was telling the truth- that he and the president did not ‘personally’ get a call telling them about the nature of the attack.

 

It seems unthinkable that the intelligence agencies- the state dept.- and many other top officials- including some Administration officials- could know about the nature of the attack- and yet a sitting Vice President would still say ‘WE did not know’.

 

Who are we?

 

We- the U.S. govt. did indeed know- it came out in the hearings.

 

 

The best spin you could put on this is that Biden simply flubbed it once again- the worst is that they are trying to cover for themselves at the expense of the state dept.- by making it sound like they got the info wrong- and that’s why Susan Rice and others said the attack was simply a protest- versus an Al Qaeda attack.

 

 

Okay- now do you see what’s been going on- why this story is not simply some silly thing- like the first page coverage the papers gave to a 40 year old story about Romney cutting some kids hair in prep school?

 

 

No- this story is about the false spin that we have been hearing the last year- that Al Qaeda is ‘on the run’.

 

 

No- lara Logan- the news reporter who was raped during the protests in Egypt- she put out an article that said Al Qaeda is in no way on the run- that they have grown strong- and that they are on the verge of hitting us here in the U.S.- once again.

 

 

 

No- this is a serious story- it’s about whether or not the current administration took seriously enough the real threat that our ambassador in Libya faced.

 

 

Ambassador Stephens said he was on an Al Qaeda hit list.

 

 

CNN found his diary a few days after he was killed [it’s amazing that we left the crime scene open- to the point that 3 or 4 days later CNN walked in and found this key piece of evidence just sitting there next to a chair].

 

In the diary our ambassador wrote about the very real threat of Al Qaeda in the area- he had requested additional resources to guard against the threat.

 

 

For some reason- we turned him down.

 

A few days later he was attacked- dragged thru the streets- sodomized [yes- most news shows did not tell you this part] and murdered in cold blood.

 

 

And till this day- over a month later- we don’t have the answers.

 

Yeah- this is a story that deserves coverage- real news coverage.

 

See?