STUFF- A-2014
2011
THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH
Let’s cover the chapters for the week.
John 13-15.
Jesus sits with the 12 disciples and gives them an example- he washes their feet and tells them that he- as their Lord- is a servant.
He shares the meal with them- he tells them it is his broken Body- his death experiences- that are going to give life to them.
In chapter 14 he talks about coming to them- that first he must leave them- and they are sad about it.
The bible says that ‘he knew that his time had come that he should depart out of this world’.
THIS WORLD- he spent just enough time in his present location- with the guys he was working with- and he knew this period of time had come to an end.
And the bible says ‘sorrow filled their hearts’.
His men were upset- they were really his friends- remember the accusation the religious leaders made against Jesus?
THE FRIEND OF SINNERS.
He talks about the Spirit of Truth.
I find this interesting- the way he will reveal himself after he leaves them Bodily [in death] is by sending the Spirit of Truth [the Holy Spirit].
In chapter 14 the disciples are confused;
‘How will you show yourself to us- and not to the world’?
He says if a man loves him- he will KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS- and he and the Father [God] will come and manifest themselves unto those who do the will of God.
But the world- those who do not keep the word of God- Jesus will not manifest himself to them.
A key requirement of having God reveal himself to us- is we must keep his commands.
A few weeks back I had an interesting experience.
Today is the first day of May- and I can tell all my friends- I have been clean all year.
Clean?
I told someone the other day- not in a boasting way- but I was ‘pissed off’ as they say [yeah- that’s the only sin I have committed in 5 months- I sill get mad.]
I told them ‘you know- I have been more ‘sin-less’ in the past 5 months than in the last 25 years!’
And yet- it seemed like my prayers were still getting about the same results [now- I’m a person who for whatever reason- prays for hours on end. As God is my witness- I got up today at 3 am- prayed for just under 2 hours- that’s normal for me- no bragging- that’s just my thing].
So- for someone who has been doing this for years- I always thought ‘geez- if I ever get clean- God’s gonna answer all these prayers’.
Yet it seemed like nothing really changed [by the way- I was wrong!].
So- maybe a good month or so now- one day I was doing the normal ministry routine- getting with the guys- dealing with those who ‘relapsed’ not being judgmental at all.
But I realized- some of my friends who are clean from some stuff- they are still messing up in other areas.
Honest?
Lots of my friends think staying off the booze is the goal- and they sleep around- all the time.
Look- I told them I think that’s worse- and it destroys your ‘soul’.
But- I don’t judge- just saying.
And maybe some are on pills and stuff- things I just wont do.
So- after a few months of being in the mix- it hit me one day- that I was trying to show them some new things I was learning- new experiences with God.
And they just couldn’t get it- not that they did not want to- but as long as they ‘walked in the dark’ they were never going to walk this part of the road with me.
Then it hit me- Jesus is saying ‘the Spirit of Truth’.
Many of the guys were just not being honest- lots of the stuff I spoke about this last month or so- yeah- tough stuff- not easy to discuss- but I felt I had to be up-front- honest.
Then in chapter 15 [John’s gospel] Jesus says every branch that is not bearing fruit is cut off- taken away.
Jesus spent 3 years with his men- he taught them stuff- he modeled it for them- and he was brutally honest with them.
He was going to die- that was a fact.
He was going to leave them.
But- those who remembered what he said- and DID GODS WILL- they got real with themselves and others.
To these he would ‘come back’ [by the Holy Spirit- Comforter] and would walk with them again.
In a way that others- who did not choose to do God's commands- would not be able to experience.
Yeah- I liked these chapters- it was like Jesus was speaking in code- he was dropping hints that some would see- others would not.
As I walk this new journey this year- new in a way that I have not experienced in a long time.
At times I see stuff- thru the Word- in daily experiences- things that I want to share with my friends.
But if I see them have a slip- you know- when they slip- they slip [Crack- meth- etc.]
I realize they have disqualified themselves from ‘seeing’ what I’m ‘seeing’ at that point of the journey.
It’s like the Spirit of Truth can only reveal things to those who are walking in truth.
If we lie- live a lie- to ourselves or others- God is still merciful- he still is patient.
But he can not manifest himself to us at that point- until we get real.
2012
CHRISTIANS AND THE COURTS
I wanted to hit a few more verses from yesterdays post.
‘If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin- but now they have no cover for it’
‘You did not choose this, but I did- that you should go and bear fruit’
‘But this happened- so that the law would be fulfilled’
‘If you know these things, happy are you if you DO THEM’
Obviously Jesus is speaking about his life and ministry- because he walked among men sin-less- that left humanity with no more excuse.
But this year I applied some of this to my own situation- talking about things- sharing my struggles- so others too could face up to their own demons.
As I posted this past year- I spoke about open community- people being real about their trials and stuff.
A key verse from the start of the year was ‘God saw the light- that it was good- and he divided the light from the dark- and he called the light DAY’.
This is in Genesis chapter 1.
In a symbolic way I applied it to ‘walking in the light’.
That is- finally getting to a point in life where we hide no more.
Another verse says ‘God made the greater light to rule the day- and the lesser light to rule the night’.
For many years I felt like we- lots of us- people in ministry- we have walked- so to speak- in the Lesser Light.
That is God used us- in a limited way- but it was a ‘lesser light’.
I have had ministry friends over the years- who were embroiled with stuff much worse than my stuff.
I have also seen the familiar faces of high profile people- caught in scandals and stuff.
And some of these public cases were never really resolved- not in a biblical way.
Maybe they had ‘plea deals’ that never said ‘ok- did you do such and such’.
Or others outright lied- maybe they justified it by thinking ‘God forgives me- therefore I will not be ‘lying’ if I say ‘no- I am innocent of the charge’.
But- if they misled- in a court of law- or anywhere else- then they will have to some day give an account.
So- the biblical standard is you tell the truth.
Now- my stuff dealt with a situation where at times- like when you actually do have whats called blackouts [no lie- for real].
Then you do the best you can.
I’m proud that I at first said I was sorry- even though I truly did not know all the details- and there were things that later did seem to say some stuff [not all] was possibly made up.
But- all in all- from the start- I took the Sunlight approach.
The Apostle Paul says to the Corinthian church ‘why are you taking one another to court- are there no wise men among you who can judge these things’.
He was rebuking them because they did not practice open community with each other- because they wanted their rights- they were suing one another.
Now- in today’s world- I don’t fault people for going to the courts- the point I’m making is we often choose ‘lying’ as the first defense- even Christians!
That should not be so- regardless of the consequences- we should not do that.
Now- in some cases- I see how people might be tempted to lie- because there would be very serious consequences.
At the end of the day- It’s better for these things to come out now- then at the judgment.
Okay- I went a little long.
I did want to do a little week in review type thing- I want to mention the danger of the present Drum beats for involvement in Syria.
I fear we might be going down a bad road- again- with the way things are going.
Yes- Syria is bad- and we want the violence to end- but all the ‘limited’ actions being discussed [no fly zone- bomb this part but no more].
All these things are the same mistakes we have made- over and over again- yet we keep going down this same rabbit trail- sad- so sad.
Maybe I’ll hit on it tomorrow- but for today- try and read these 3 chapters in John’s gospel [13-15].
See what a high standard Jesus puts on Truth- the Spirit of Truth.
In any of the above cases- men- well meaning men- that take the ‘less than honest’ route- and then later want to move ahead in ministry- in things that require Truth.
I think if we don’t get the foundation right- then the rest of the house is being built on sand.
2013
REMNANT
Was thinking about the idea of Remnant last night.
Remnant?
Yeah- in scripture there is sort of a scarlet thread- a teaching- that runs thru both the Old and New testaments.
It goes like this;
There are times when there are bunches of people following God- on the Bandwagon so to speak.
Often times all is great- you know- ticker type parade in NY type stuff.
Then- lo and behold- stuff gets hard- and people bail out.
Okay- the Remnant are those who after the bailout- they are still standing in the rubble.
Got it?
There are a few notable stories like this in the bible- Gideon’s ‘army’- etc.
Jesus taught this in his Parables-
He said the kingdom was like someone planting seeds- some fall on good ground- others- not so good.
He said some ‘endure for a while- but when tribulation arises because of the word they are offended and leave’.
Same concept.
The other day I taught a little form John’s gospel- chapters 13-15.
I didn’t’ hit on a conversation Jesus and Peter had.
Peter ‘why can’t I follow you now- I am willing to die for you’?
Jesus ‘’Willing to die? Before the rooster crows you will deny me 3 times’.
The very thing Peter stated as his mindset- being sold out to death- was in fact the actual thing that kept him form following to death- he was afraid to die.
We all know the story- he denies the Lord and falls hard.
Jesus told Peter ‘I have prayed for you- that your faith fail not- and after your are converted- strengthen your brothers’.
Converted?- after the change has come.
Peter was a type of the remnant- he told Jesus at one point- right after others walked away [John’s gospel chapter 6- because Jesus said unless you drink my Blood and eat my Flesh you have no life- The Jewish followers were forbidden to eat blood from the teachings of Moses- so after Jesus said this many left].
Jesus asked Peter ‘will you go too’?
Peter’s reply ‘where can we go- you have the Words of eternal life’.
In essence- even though things got very hard at that stage- Peter was around long enough to recognize that Jesus was speaking to them at a different level- he seemed to be ‘more real’ than the many preachers of the day.
So- Peter and a few others stayed.
The other day I mentioned my buddy Tim- the homeless friend who I have been running into on my walks.
I saw Tim a few weeks back- he stopped at ‘my camp’ [my spot by the water where I pray and hang out].
He was heading into town- he was gonna stop at my favorite spot- half price books- and get some stuff to read.
I had my Dylan book [Chronicles- came out in 2004- excellent book] in my Navy Sea Bag- and I asked him if he liked Dylan.
He told me he loves Dylan.
I gave him the book- he was grateful.
It was the 2nd time I read it- I have given away many of my books over the years- I see it as ministry.
One piece of advice I liked;
Dylan was asking a buddy about his move to NY city- he told Bob ‘get some good boots- you’ll be doing a lot of walking’.
I laughed- I have been walking in work boots for the past 4 months- I mean hundreds of miles [yeah- hundreds!- some days I do about 15- 20 in a single day].
As we all have our own journey to walk- I’m trying to document- and share relevant stuff- things that will last.
One of my favorite journalists of all time was Hunter Thompson.
He’s the character that Johnny Depp played in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas- a Thompson book turned into a movie.
Hunter wrote for Rolling Stone back in the day- he covered politics and eventually wrote for ESPN.
He lost his edge as the years went by- and he knew it.
One day he had his family over- they enjoyed a good day together- after the many years of drugs and stuff he got into.
He was sick at the end- and he walked out of the house- his family heard a shot- Hunter took his life.
It was sad- but he felt like he had nothing left to give.
Yet he lives thru what he wrote.
Morrison [the Doors] was a student of philosophy and a smart guy [did you know that?]
That’s where he got the name for the group- Doors.
He said we only live on thru our songs and poems- sort of the legacy we leave behind.
It’s important to document stuff for the next generation- for the Remnant- if you will.
Sure- there will be some who walked with you for only parts of the journey.
And that’s fine- God had a purpose for you and them at that stage.
Hunter had a saying- he loved riding Harleys- and he said some times he would still get on his bike and head out late at night.
He would up the speed- to a point of No Return.
Sort of like that Runners High- you get to a point where you are feeling high [I get that in my walks- but only after hours of walking with no stopping].
Hunter said- when you reach that point- some slow down.
But he said others- they go past that point- and that’s where they see stuff that you can only see when you push past that point.
I feel like the Remnant- those who stick around like Peter- they have good stuff coming.
It just takes time to let the dust settle- to re-gain your equilibrium-
then get back on the bike.
2014
DIVIDED NATION?
Having taken about 3 months away from news watching- I mean I have watched/read some- but no where near the usual amount.
It has given me some time to sit back and observe the scene from a distance.
And what I have seen is sad- to be frank about it.
Why?
Our country has become polarized- in my view- like never before.
Now- we have always had haters on the extreme right and left- that’s not new.
But even if you watched the media coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing- as the president spoke- you could tell that one of the main things on his mind was how fast he would call it ‘terror’.
Yeah- he seemed to be more worried about what the ‘right’ would say- then the actual bombing itself!
This past Sunday Israel hit Syria for the 2nd time in a couple of weeks- and the 3rd time this year.
They took out some long range rockets that Iran was supplying for Hezbollah- the group that has been operating out of Lebanon for years.
They are the ones who send rockets into Israel whenever things flare up on their mutual border.
So- it seems as if Syria [Iran] was possibly trying to expand the current war in Syria- and make it a broader ‘The West against the Arab world’ type thing.
Look- our strategy in the entire so called Arab Spring has not gone well.
There our nations/leaders who were at one time allies [Mubarak] - we sat with them and had peace agreements with them.
Then- after a short amount of time- we were siding with those who were going to hang them and their families.
Yes- this created a severe mistrust of the U.S. - the allies of the U.S. felt like we were throwing them under the bus.
Now- Assad- the leader in Syria- was called a reformer by Hilary Clinton.
A year or 2 later- we are on the verge of siding with groups who are affiliated with Al Qaeda- and basically backing those who are about to kill Assad- and more than likely his family as well.
So- if the leaders of these nations- who are just as bad as the ones we support.
Yes- we support the corrupt monarchy of Bahrain- and these guys are just as bad as Assad.
But we have a Naval Fleet stationed off the coast of Bahrain- se we overlook their oppressive rule.
But we side with those who are seeking the overthrow of other Arab nations- and our policy is simply inconsistent- to say the least.
So- what about Syria?
A few months ago Obama did draw a Red Line that he probably now regrets.
He said the use of Chemical Weapons would be a ‘game changer’.
So- there have been reports of them being used.
Some think the rebels themselves have used them- in order to ‘play us’ and get us involved.
Others reported the use of ‘Chlorine’- okay- this is a chemical- and Bob Shieffer even said this was ‘using Chemical weapons on HIS OWN PEOPLE’.
Did we describe the killing of one of the Boston Marathon guys as ‘the U.S. killed their own people’?
Look- Syria is in the midst of a brutal civil war- and I feel for the innocent ones caught in the middle.
But- there are many ‘terror’ splinter groups in this thing- and some are indeed ‘home grown’.
So yes- if you want to call Syria’s action ‘against his own people’
Then fine- but that’s simply a propaganda tool for U.S. involvement.
And if you say using Chlorine is crossing a red line for war- then what about outright bullets in the heads of ‘your own people’.
Yes- many in the media think the killing of people is legitimate- that is actual killing in war is ‘ok’.
But- using Chlorine- well now- that has to stop!
Do you see how the media can manipulate the public here?
I don’t know what the answer is in Syria- but U.S. military intervention is not the solution- period.
We are going to have hearings in a few days on the Benghazi debacle.
And we should.
But understand- the group that killed our ambassador- we enabled them to operate out of Libya because we sided with those who killed Gadhaffi- who by the way was another so called ally of the U.S. [like Mubarak].
So- we want peace- we abhor killing- on all sides.
But- we are a divided people- we are polarized- we can’t seem to function as a nation- as a governmental entity any more.
I don’t know what the answer is- but we as a people are heading for trouble.
One short example;
The other day I was talking to a friend- he was surprised to hear my views on stuff like this.
In my part of the world it’s rare for a blogger- a Christian ‘web site’ to hold to these more liberal views.
I gave him the example of the ‘low’ level of education that our present media has been pumping out to the public on a daily basis.
One day I was watching Glen Beck.
He was hailed as a great historian by one of the guys on the show.
And during the show- some one gave a quote ‘A NATION DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CAN NOT STAND’.
The person said this quote came from a contemporary source.
Ahh-
Beck was quick to correct the man.
‘So and so did not say this- but Lincoln did!’
Beck quipped.
The guests were dumb founded- they were corrected- on national TV- by the ‘historian’ on the set.
Yeah- they submitted like one of Pavlov's dogs- tail between their legs.
One thing- Lincoln didn’t coin this phrase either.
It came from Jesus Christ- it’s in the New Testament for heavens sake.
So- the current state of Western media has been held hostage by a sort of media fantasy land.
Our media is based on what the public wants to hear- what the ratings are.
When we allow national media figures to be so misinformed- and to have forums on a national set- then yes-
Just like Lincoln- and Jesus- and the other guy said
A NATION DIVIDED CAN NOT STAND.
I fear they did get that one right.
2015
NO DEAL?
Thanks for all the great comments guys- I’m still trying to get my stuff resolved and close this chapter.
Yesterday I did my ‘darndest’ to settle the thing.
Really!
Broke all the rules- dropped the lawyer- and told them the whole truth- like I have been saying all along!
My lawyer led me to believe I might have to do a year in jail and pay a 4 thousand dollar fine.
This was months ago.
I took out 4 grand from my retirement- and told them if I can do the ‘time’ in New Jersey- lets go!
They had no idea what I what talking about [yeah- maybe I am nuts?]
Anyway- the reason I flipped out yesterday was because I told my lawyer months ago- lets just do a plea- get me the best deal you can- and where done.
She was out of the country and just got back yesterday- then called me and told me we won’t have the trial till July.
I was fuming.
I said ‘let just plea- cant we just do a plea’.
She told me that prosecutors are busy people- on and on.
I walked down to the courthouse [got a ride half way].
Went to the court- asked some lady in the hall how to do the deal myself.
She was the judge!
She tells me go in and sign the paper that your dropping your lawyer.
I did.
Then I sat with 2 prosecutors and old them the TRUTH- everything- what ever will be will be.
They asked me if I actually flashed the girl.
I told them no- but I don’t care- lets do a plea.
They said it will be on your record.
I DON’T CARE!!
I got warned for using the F word one time.
As I recounted the story- for the umpteenth time in these past months.
They seemed fixed on a certain statement.
I told them that as the months went by- we came to believe Shelby was lying about the flashing part itself.
I told them I really didn’t care- I was still going to plead guilty.
Then I told them Nicolle called my daughter- told her the mom asked her to lie- the whole thing.
I said at that point I was mad- I wanted to find out what she asked her to lie about.
Then I told them it wasn’t what I thought.
But she asked her to lie about Chris breaking my van window.
That I didn’t care about that- I was never going to report it- I felt like it would be ‘playing dirty’ and all.
But- I think I just reported it to them [without realizing it].
They asked me if I saw my window broken.
I told them after I got home- of course- I fixed the darn thing!
Anyway they seemed to think this was important- I don’t know why for sure- I never lied about anything from day 1.
At this point they seemed to not want me to take the plea.
He told me it would be unethical for me to plead guilty to something I did not do.
I told him I don’t care- I’ll do the year in jail right now if they can transfer the thing to N.J.
They had no idea what I was talking about.
I told them that’s what my lawyer had me believing this whole time.
I said ‘what’s the best deal you can give me’.
He said 6 months in jail.
I told them could I start right now.
They kind of laughed- like they were just telling me 6 months because they didn’t want me to plea.
Then they said they could give me 30 days in jail or 40 days in a work program.
My lawyer was going to delay this for months- maybe next year- and this is all I wanted from the start.
I told them I’m going to take this deal right now!
I think because they wanted to do something about the broken window- maybe press charges- that they convinced me to do a bench trial next Tuesday- we will all be there.
I asked him if I lose- will the deal be off.
He said no- if you lose the trial- the deals the same.
They simply did not want me to plea to something I did not do.
I was on the verge of taking the deal- I need to leave Texas and start over.
But I did always want to see the people in this case before I left.
Not to get even- but I don’t want everybody mad- I want it over for all of us.
Trust me- I did not even want to report that the kid broke the window!
It came out while I was spilling the whole thing- I was mad- not at the kids- but that my lawyer was making it sound like it would take month’s to even get a plea.
Geez- I got a deal that I would have taken if the prosecutor accepted it- he was the one who convinced me to do the bench trial!
So- to all the ‘kids’ reading this- to the mom- don’t worry- please.
We will all go to court next Tuesday- just tell the truth- that’s all.
If I lose- that’s fine- I was going to take the same deal yesterday- it's really no big deal.
The thing that upset me was my lawyer putting this off for months- who knows- maybe years!
The county is doing a ‘2 for 1’ deal right now [yeah- sounded strange to me too?]
If I take the 30 days- I only do 15 in jail- great!
Or if I take the 40 work days- I only do 20.
That’s fine- I’m thinking of doing the county time- and maybe start a little group bible thing- I have done this before.
So- that’s it for now- all this will be settled by next Tuesday- I always felt like I needed to see all the people in this before I left.
I want to apologize for the part I did play- even though the whole charge was not true.
And I did not want to leave without telling the people I was sorry.
Now I’m sorry for Chris- the kid that broke the window on the van.
Trust me- I could have reported that long ago- I never did.
It just slipped out when I was talking to them.
Lets just end this-
Talk to you later- John
2016
THE WIDOW AND HER KID
I want to write a little bit on perspective- how we should view ourselves- and others- when going thru difficult times.
For those who have been following the posts- you will know what I’m talking about- for others- you might still get something out of this.
One of the main things I have emphasized about ‘ministry’ and ‘church’ over the years is that God’s main concern is not how religious we are- or pretend to be.
But God’s concern is how we treat our brother- the poor- our neighbor.
One of the parables of Jesus- sometimes called the parable of the unjust judge- goes like this.
This was in a certain city a woman- and she had a complaint- a legitimate issue- that she wanted justice on.
So she goes to the judge [the cops- law- etc.] and she says ‘avenge me of my adversary’.
She wants justice- which is a good thing.
Now- the judge does not really care about God- or the woman.
But the bible says she keeps coming to the system- because she wants justice.
Finally- the story says- that even though the judge did not really care about the case- he helped her- because she was persistent.
The moral of the story at the end is Jesus says ‘how much more will God help his own people who call unto him day and night’.
Now- in all the verses about helping the poor- meeting the needs of people.
The main verses I have always believed were the important themes of Christianity.
These same verses also speak about treating the ‘widow and orphan’ well.
Okay- in the bible- widow does not just mean a lady whose husband died.
It also can mean the single mom- and her daughter.
Now do you see?
God defends the mom- who comes to the system- and wants what’s right for her kid.
And often times the system treats the lady bad.
God is just as concerned about her- and her daughter- as he is about the poor.
Lincoln once said ‘it’s not whose side God is on- but our we on his side’.
We often pray about the best outcome for us- for ‘our side’.
We see things thru the perspective of ‘God will help me’.
But Gods is concerned with everyone in his court- in his world.
In the last post I mentioned how I spoke with the prosecutors about my situation.
Trust me- I did indeed tell them everything- all that I honestly knew.
At this stage- I’m ready to end this thing.
At one point he asked ‘are you saying you were just an innocent guy …’.
No way- I told him everything- but in all honesty- that one part never happened [at least what I do honestly remember].
So- I am not covering up anything [for those aware of this situation].
At one point- one of the prosecuters said ‘say if I put it like this- say if you did not actually have to do the offense- actually flash someone- in order for the charge to still hold’.
I told him at that point ‘that’s great- lets sign right now- I’m ready’.
See?
I want the ‘other side’ to see- for real- I’m not making stuff up- God’s concerned for your side too.
At that point- the younger prosecutor said ‘wait- I think he actually had to do it in order for the charge to stand’.
They had some confusion- they looked in the law book right there- and the first guy said he was sorry- he was mistaken.
In order for the charge to be true- you actually have to have done it [in the way most people understand it].
I was upset- once again.
I said ‘I thought you said it does not actually have to happen- in that way- in order to plead guilty’.
I wanted him to have been right- because I wanted to settle the thing- and be honest- for real.
Then he said no- in order for this charge to be true- it didn’t fit what I had done.
I was upset- and said ‘you know- it doesn’t make a difference any more- I’ll plead guilty anyway- that’s okay’.
He did not want me to do it- he asked ‘did you do it- do you remember actually doing it’.
I told him- in all clear conscience- no.
Not that part.
Why is this so hard- for everyone?
When I pray- I realize that God is concerned for the single mom- and for her kid.
That’s the ‘widow and child’ in the story.
And God wants her to have justice- for the daughter who was wronged.
That’s God’s concern- not mans.
So- at times- I thought ‘maybe it would be better to just plea to something- though that aspect actually did not happen’.
To me- at various times- it was no big deal.
But as I sat with the prosecutors- I even said the same thing- enough did happen that to me its okay to say- to just plead guilty.
They did not want it.
Maybe all this will help the ‘widow’ maybe she does not know this.
I’m not trying to persuade anybody- trust me.
I know I have had very bad mood swings- and some days I’ll post and be mad.
I’m going to try very hard not to do that.
I’m okay with where we are at- that we can finish this by Tuesday.
Some days I feel very bad for the ‘widow and daughter’.
There is a young girl that helps us at the halfway house.
She has had lots of problems in the past.
I guess she’s in her young 20’s.
As I was talking with the guys I asked her of she had any questions- about the bible- stuff she wanted to ask.
She did- she picked up the bible the guys had there- and she opened up to a chapter.
She said she was reading it the other day- she felt God lead her to it.
I tried to tell her what it meant- and I felt so bad for her.
The bible is real small print- and the poor kid was doing her best to hear God.
So- I made it a point to buy her a bible the next week.
I stopped at Wal Mart and could not find a simple girls bible.
The only one was a new moms bible- it was pink- and I liked the notes- it was nice- a bit more expensive than I was looking for [about 25 bucks].
So I looked at the others- but kept coming back to the moms one.
The problem?
Just last week- when at the halfway house- the guys told me ‘so and so went down to have an abortion’.
She has no kids- got pregnant- and went to abort the baby.
So- as you can see- buying the ‘new moms’ bible might not be the best.
Heck- I liked it- I bought it for her.
I gave her the bible- she loved it.
She never got the abortion- so- she will be a new mom soon.
She told me she felt like that was a sign from God.
This is so sad.
See- God really cares about the ‘widow- and her kid’.
2017
I CAN’T DIG- OR BEG
Okay- let me do my best to try- really try- to end this chapter.
As much as I want to not talk about this any more- I just can’t seem to get past it.
About a year ago I was accused of flashing a girl while very drunk.
Drunk to the point where you don’t even know if you did it.
I was what you would call a black out drinker- which is very bad.
At the time- I simply confessed- sort of- on face book- said I did not remember doing it- but if I did- I was vey sorry.
As the months rolled by- my wife and daughter- and their friends [who all knew each other] were reading this on-line.
They thought the flashing charge was made up.
I did not want to hear that- because I was resigned to just go thru and plead guilty.
As time went on- my wife would say ‘she said you stopped the van here- opened the door- etc’.
That part I remembered- and I knew that here- at least- this was not true.
There were 2 other kids [young 20’s] who were there too.
I always said ‘just ask them- they know I did not flash their friend’.
But- I never knew what they said.
Maybe they said- yeah- he did.
So finally the last few weeks I did hear what they said.
The boy made no statement.
And the other girl- who I’m sure is a very nice girl.
She said she ‘turned her head’ [did not see].
I knew they lied when I heard this.
She did not want to lie outright- and say ‘no- my friend is wrong’.
So- she said this.
Okay- this is where we now realize the girl lied.
This girl should not have said this.
Not asking you to lie- but to have said the truth- at least about the part where we were all there at one time.
So- the last few weeks- I saw that more than likely the charge was false.
Okay- was I totally innocent?
No.
And yes- I could come on today and write- and manipulate- and ‘shape’ the story to make it look like I’m better than I am.
But there are about 5 or so people who would say ‘see- this guy claims to be a Christian- helping the homeless guys- and look- he’s a liar’.
Should I just ‘sacrifice’- that is not care about that small inside group- and heck- lie.
No.
Then these ‘kids’ will live the rest of their life knowing we are all the same- we all lie to make ourselves look good.
And that would be wrong.
No- there were things that did come up- things that I forgot [not real bad- but things you that are not real good].
And when I heard about them- I once again was confronted with the past.
So- yes- I put this in for you guys- the small group- who also knows this.
I want you all to see I have tried so hard in this thing- and at times questioned so much- and don’t want to leave Texas this way.
Okay- I did a no contest plea and will do a 40 day work period [actually 20].
I wish I could start today and work straight thru- but it will take a month to finish.
Why am I leaving?
Isn't it obvious?
I’m leaving because of this- not what others said about me- but because of this whole thing.
Make no mistake- it’s not some great ‘call from God to go save the bums in New York’.
No- I feel like my life is over- that’s how I have felt from day one.
When people drink- are actively drinking- you don’t ‘feel’ the consequences of stuff.
The bible even says this ‘when a drunk wakes up- he goes right back to it’.
But- when I quit [since Jan. 3rd] I ‘feel’ all the consequences- in a big way.
So- make no mistake about it- yes- I’m running from my past- I’m going to ‘hide’ in a crowd up north.
Yes- all the things you would do if this happened to you.
I was talking to my wife last night- telling her I’m glad it’s going to be over- I’m so ready to leave.
Of course my family is staying in Texas.
As I was talking- she was crying.
‘What’s wrong now!’
As you can imagine- there has been a ton of friction since this happened.
She just said something like ‘don’t you know’.
I realized she has been hoping I was going to change my mind as the weeks- months went by.
That I would stay.
I just can’t.
One day not too long after this happened.
I was reading the parable of the unjust steward.
Some guy is the money manager for some rich man.
He gets caught stealing- and the boss hauls him on the carpet to give an account.
He does not try and hide the wrong doing.
But- he quickly analyzes his situation and comes up with a plan.
Jesus is telling the story- it’s a parable.
The guy says ‘what should I do- I won’t beg- I can’t dig ditches’.
And he goes on and makes a plan and God commends him for being wise.
The part of the story that caught my eye was he immediately knew his options.
He eliminated some things right from the start.
About a month after this incident- I knew it was ‘over’ for me.
It took a while before I quit the homeless ministry here in the Bluff.
But it’s been 6 months now- and I haven’t seen the guys.
I took all the ad’s I was running in the papers down.
I knew there were some things that would ‘be no more’.
In essence ‘I won’t dig- or beg’.
See?
And I’m sorry to my dear wife- I know she was hoping I would change my mind.
I just can’t.
I’m not mad.
It’s just over- this whole chapter is over.
For those that I did wrong to- the parts that were indeed wrong.
I’m so sorry- you have no idea.
To all the people- I don’t do anything in the Bluff any more- please don’t be worried about running into me.
I am going to move as soon as the punishment is done.
And to all my friends on line- thanks for the support.
I’m so sorry you had to see all this.
2018
A GAY WITCH?
There are things that I want to cover- stuff that pertains to the recent stuff- but some of this will take time to develop.
I want to be careful- for all involved- when we talk about it.
Why?
In this recent case- the stuff I have been blogging on- I ‘see’ everyone involved thru the lens of ‘what’s Gods’ ultimate will for all’.
For instance- I don’t view this as ‘me against them’.
Or ‘let me use the blog/face book to my advantage’.
No- I see everyone as people caught up in something- that was instigated by my very bad choices [drving for years drunk- and at times black out drunk].
Now- everyone will also be held accountable for the wrong they did after the fact.
At the start of this- I posted- in a very serious way- that it’s not a joke- to law enforcement- to lie in a criminal case- or to ask others to lie.
As time went on- I [as well as both sides of the case] did see that yes- the person lied- about the most ‘important’ thing.
As I recounted the story- many times- I would say ‘look- most of this is my fault- I’m no ‘innocent man’ who got framed’.
But- the actual charge- well yes- that’s false.
It took time for me to see it- because the girl gave her self away- when she herself said it happened- when there were 2 other people there.
That’s when I knew- for a fact- that she made that up.
Then- when I saw the actual statements- I knew she lied.
Okay- why?
Over the next week or 2- I’m going to tell another true story- something that makes this look like ‘child’s play’.
It has to do with a former church member from a church I started years ago.
He was involved in sorcery and witchcraft- and he also was involved with ministry.
This person- who in the coming days I will reveal- had an all out assault against me and my family in Kingsville.
All out?
Yeah- it was very bad.
When this person joined the little church I started- I was warned that he was really an ‘undercover sorcerer’ who just joined churches to ruin them.
Okay- I thought maybe the person- who was my age [we were both in our 20’s] was dabbling in bad stuff- but who knows- maybe God had a purpose for him.
Okay- to cut to the short of it.
Over time- one of my friends told me ‘John- you would not believe what so and so is saying about you’.
He started a rumor- that we were gay lovers.
Okay- as you can see- I really did not want to get into this- now.
But- as I was praying this morning- I felt God wanted me to tell it- because in the coming weeks- there's much more to this story than meets the eye.
Okay- at this point- I have no reason to lie about anything- I have already been very open with all.
The fact is- this guy lied.
Now- I have friends who are gay- I know there are very good people who are gay- and I try not to ‘judge’ people.
But- this has never been ‘my thing’.
My temptation has always been the classic one- going back to the garden.
Yes- the simple reality that women are attractive- so that’s it.
Now- the way I dealt with the guy who said we were gay- is I took a mutual friend with me one night and we drove to Manuel’s house.
The friend in the car was the guy Manuel told this to.
His name is Emmet.
I knocked on Manuel's door- and I confronted him about the story.
Emmet was in the car- hearing.
I told Manual ‘Emmet said you told him we were gay lovers- is this true’.
He acted shocked- and of course denied it.
Then Emmet got out- he knew he was busted.
This began a couple of years of an all out assault against me and my family by Manuel.
I worked at the fire house- he sent people to my house [while I was at work] at 2 am to harass my family.
He broke the window of my car while parked at the fire house.
He set fires in abandoned buildings- and when I got there he was watching.
This never stopped..
He had a friend call the fire house and threaten me- I was pissed- I told him to come down right now- I was waiting outside.
The guys at the station knew I was mad- it was funny- they shut all the blinds and stuff- they thought someone was gonna do a drive by!
Had the tries slashed to my car- etc.- etc.
Eventually I moved to Corpus- because of this.
So- as you can see- any false charge does affect me.
Now- to be very clear- I do not see any one in this recent case like this.
What happened in this case is some girl was indeed offended- and in her way- to get justice- she lied about being flashed.
That’s what happened.
At first I thought the mom knew- but then later was not sure.
I know the girl knows- and her 2 friends.
So yeah- I get it.
What maybe added to ‘the lie’ was the very real fact that I was so drunk that I made a confession to the girl on face book and said- even though I don’t remember- that I’m sorry.
At that point they must have thought ‘wow- this guy does not even know’!
So- trying my best to be honest added to it.
Okay- that’s why I’m really not that mad at the people.
Because my past experience- with the really terrible false charge- makes this look like nothing.
See?
One of the things I want to cover in the coming weeks is unjust scales.
And the biblical teaching on how- at times- justice is not even.
For instance- I think the girl- maybe felt like in order to get justice- they needed to make up the charge.
Okay- I actually do see that- for real.
So- while in a normal case maybe the person accused would be very mad- it is after all not a good thing to say- especially when it’s not true.
But- compared to the other situation- I don’t see the accuser’s in this case as bad people at all.
See?
So- maybe this will give everyone some perspective.
In the coming days- I’ll cover a very serious thing that happened these past months- and it is directly related to this whole experience.
There are many verses in the bible that talk about false accusations- and how there is a severe penalty on those who make them.
I knew- from the beginning [because of the above situation] that some of the ‘kids’ in this case did not realize what they were getting into.
That is- there would be a high price to pay- simply because this was being put in ‘Gods court’.
It will take some time over the next few weeks to explain this- but it has to do with Gods desire to purge all of us- yes both those who make false accusations- and those who are falsely charged.
So- over time- hopefully we will get to it.
So- for today- understand that in Gods’ dealings- false accusations carry with them a very high price.
In some cases- like the one that happened years ago- the price is high.
In the recent case- I already know that the people involved had no idea it would be like this- but I did know.
I had past experience with it- I almost felt like ‘no- don’t make a false charge like this- it’s gonna come back and bite you’.
[It looks like charges are already being filed- not by me- on the ‘other side’]
I knew this from day one.
So- to be clear- I do not see these 2 cases as the same.
I see the recent case as good people- yeah- all of those involved.
And that in some type of way to try and get justice [what they felt like was right- but- when you lie about a charge- then you corrupt the system- and justice can’t happen] well yes- they made up something that did not happen.
That even the other witnesses- who were the accusers friends- they basically backed up my story.
So yeah- over time- everyone knew the actual charge- the worst charge- was indeed false.
At times- even those in the system that seemed to know the girl made that part up.
They would say things to me like ‘John- the system is not concerned with whether or not you did it- that’s not their job’.
Huh?
I was shocked.
One investigator told me ‘oh yeah- even if the person goes down to the police station and says she’s sorry- she made it up- they will threaten her to not change her story and tell her if she does they will file a charge against her for making a false report’.
So- along the way- I learned some bad things about ‘the system’.
Okay- that’s it for now.
For you bible studiers- look up what the bible says about false accusation.
It’s vey harsh.
In the end- God’s not vindictive- but he purges us- he puts ‘pressure’ on us- to get us clean.
He does this with everyone in ‘his court’.
He’s not about getting even- or ‘siding’ with one side against the other.
He’s about creating truth in all of us.
That’s the proper perspective.
NOTE- Then why did I plea No Contest?
From the start- I told everyone- even the prosecutors- that I was very drunk- black out drunk.
Yes- I took a huge risk by dropping my lawyer- and telling the prosecutors this.
They could have stacked multiple DUI’s on me- and that could have been jail time in Texas.
But- I let the chips fall.
But- over time- because of what I explained above- I realized- to my surprise- that yeah- the girl made the flashing charge up.
Who’d a thunk it?
But- the prosecutor- who seemed to believe me- also said ‘how can you defend yourself when you’re admitting you don’t remember half of the event’?
So- that’s the reality.
Yeah- maybe if I lied from the start- the outcome would have been different- but that’s how this turned out.
2019
MY FRIEND- THE WITCHDOCTOR
Let’s pick up where we left off last.
First- this situation with my friend- the ‘Christian witchdoctor’ is rare.
For the most part- when you hear stories of Christian leaders who are entangled in some sin- for the most part- they are true.
For instance- over the years- I would see/read a case where some famous leader is caught with a girl.
Maybe in a motel room- then some of my friends- who were followers of the leader would say ‘wait- I heard he was just witnessing to the prostitute’.
IN A MOTEL ROOM?
So- I’m not the type that fell for stories like that.
In my situation- the person who made up the charge [years ago] was dabbling in both the occult world- as well as Christian ministry.
So- I think he really was lost- confused.
And it is true that there were strategies- by occult followers- to make up charges against people [talking about the gay relationship charge- last post].
But- for the most part- I am not into the whole ‘spiritual warfare’ scene- where there is a demon- or satan worshipper behind every bush.
Got it?
Okay- when I moved my family to Corpus- I still worked at the Kingsville Fire Dept- and finished my 25 years.
Manuel came by over the years- admitted what he did- yes- he told me he was sorry for making the charge up- and I forgave him.
He eventually came by with his boy- who came to my little church when he was young.
He was older now- his dad loved him and was proud of him.
I’ll never forget- one day they both came by the station.
Manuel asked me to pray for them.
Of course I did.
As I prayed- his boy started crying uncontrollably.
I knew God was working.
As the years went by- I would see Manuel off and on.
One time I showed up at work and the guys told me ‘hey John- we picked up some guy who had his throat slashed- he was asking for you- he said you were his pastor’.
That was Manuel.
His boyfriend cut his throat and almost killed him.
Yes- Manuel was gay and lived out the lifestyle.
I felt bad for him over the years.
Others never knew I forgave him- and we became friends again.
He did threaten my family- and I never told my wife I forgave him.
Now- this is the hard part.
It was during that time that I learned to ‘put things in Gods court’.
There are verses in the Psalms- called Imprecatory Psalms.
Huh?
Those are the verses where king David is praying for God to ‘get his enemies’.
Christians have different ideas about these passages.
Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies- not to try and get even.
Yet these portions of the Psalms seem to say the opposite.
Over the years- I have come to the understanding that all God’s wrath is redemptive- in the end.
Now- this gets into a heavy theological discussion- that we don’t have time to get into now.
But basically it means- when we pray these verses that seem to ask God to ‘get our enemies’.
What we are really praying is for Gods wrath- his ‘pressure’ to be on everyone in 'his court’ and for it to produce righteousness.
So- I learned to pray this way back then.
Okay- you pray like this whenever there are people accusing you- falsely- of anything.
It seems to bring everyone into Gods court- you in essence are saying ‘okay God- come and work in all of us- what ever will be will be’.
Now- this can get serious- very serious.
The bible talks about believers having authority from God
‘Whoever’s sins you forgive- they are forgiven’
‘Whoever’s sins you retain- they are retained’.
The long and short of it is this- when you pray in this way- you have no control over the outcome.
When I went thru the situation with Manuel- I prayed like this.
This last 6 months- I had to do it again.
Why?
Not to get even- but some who did indeed make false charges- after I tried my best to do what was right- they saw it as a game.
At one point- in the beginning- the girl put on face book ‘wow- this is so cool- I'm at a real line up’.
I guess she was at the police station and looking at pictures [note- my wife told me this- I have never read any of this on line].
Now- when you falsely charge someone- and think it's a game- that’s very serious.
I think the girl just did not realize that this is not a joke.
So- I simply brought us all into Gods court- I placed us all under this umbrella.
See?
Okay- now pay close attention- this is the scary part.
Over the last 6 months- during my long walks- I stopped at a McDonalds and would sit and have coffee and pray.
One day- March 29th to be exact.
I brought an old bible I had for years.
I noticed on the front page- I wrote some notes and stuff.
One of the notes said I had a meeting with ‘Pastor Don’ that day.
It was strange- because I had written that note in 1992- and I was to meet him- at this exact location where I was sitting.
It was sort of a sign in a way.
To see that note all those years later- in the meeting spot.
I also saw another note I wrote.
It was a License plate.
It was the LP of Manuel.
Yeah- years earlier when I went thru the problems- I too was going to retaliate at one time- and I got his car License plate.
When I saw it- I told the Lord I was sorry.
That I too have tried to get even- or have lied about people that wronged me- it was a moment of true repentance.
I wrote the date in a little journal I have been making this year.
That’s why I remember the date- 3-29-13.
Now- this is all happening at a time when I- in a sense ‘re-opened’ the court.
Are you getting this?
I know I might be losing some of you- but this is the best I can do.
I ‘released’ Manuel in a new way- even though I had forgiven him- for a very bad accusation- yet I had to also repent of my anger towards him.
I did this repenting some 23 years after the fact.
Less than a month later- I was driving with my wife.
She says ‘oh- by the way- your old friend was killed’.
Huh?
Yeah- I think his name was Manuel.
Juan Manuel Garza was stabbed to death on April 25th- 2013 [look it up if you want- Kingsville Texas]
Less than a month after I repented of any wrong I had done towards him.
I felt God was telling me that ‘this court’ was very serious.
That the bar has been raised very high.
I don’t want any one to miss read this.
We [Christians] are not in the business of praying for the deaths of ‘our enemies’.
Jesus told us to pray for those who wrong us.
But he said- when we do really forgive- and release them- we are ‘pouring hot coals on their heads’
This releases the redemptive judgment of God on all in ‘the court’.
Manuel was killed by his lover- the same man who stabbed him years earlier.
His name is Barbour- I have him on my prayer list- with all the other prisoners I pray for.
The reason I bring this up now is because we- all of us- don’t realize the seriousness of false accusation.
I’ll admit- in the case with Manuel- that’s about as bad as it gets.
As a young Pastor- it was a miracle that I didn’t just quit the ministry all together.
But when I moved to Corpus I started an outreach to the homeless guys- and this in a way was my salvation.
So- once again- I’m in transition.
I do believe God still has a purpose for all of us- but a lot has changed- things have changed for good.
I mourned the death of Manuel for a few days.
I think my wife was surprised- she knew what he had done.
I told her I had forgiven him- and I still felt responsible for him in a way- that he still saw me as his Pastor.
Yeah- she was surprised- me too.
2020
THIS MOUNTAIN
‘If you have faith- just like a mustard seed- the smallest of all seeds [less than zero?] you would say to THIS MOUNTAIN ‘be removed and be cast into the sea’ and it would do it’!
Jesus says lots of neat stuff ‘I am the door of the sheep- by me- if any man enter in he shall be saved’.
Door?
Yeah.
You mean hinges and stuff?
Well- not really- you’ll see soon.
The other day I caught an interview with Julian Assange.
He’s the WikiLeaks founder who has been hiding out in the Ecuadorian embassy.
The U.S. is hunting him down- and he’s staying there as a shelter.
Why are we hunting him?
He was the recipient [not the leaker!] of thousands of emails and texts that Bradley Manning ‘illegally’ downloaded to his computer disk- and gave them to WikiLeaks [a site that exposes the secrets of corrupt governments].
Now- I am not saying I agree with all the leaks he did- but some were exposing corruption.
The most damaging of the leaks showed secret recordings between the U.S. and other govts- things that are indeed bad- some real bad.
The worst thing leaked was the video of a U.S. chopper killing civilian reporters [by accident].
The problem?
There were kids in the van- and we kept shooting!
On the video- you hear our guys realizing there were kids that we might have shot.
Our guys say ‘that’s what they get for bringing there kids’.
These were civilian reporters for heavens sake!
Okay- that’s the worst of what Assange REPORTED.
The U.S. govt. is trying to catch the guy- if we do- he will never see the light of day.
We tried Manning on charges that could have merited the death penalty.
For what?
National security secrets?
No- for what I just told you.
So- we are trying to execute- imprison- and stop folk- who exposed some bad stuff.
Yeah- now your ‘getting’ it.
I was reading the book of Revelation the other day.
I like the imagery of the powerful angels.
They are putting chains on satan- casting great stones into the water.
These images show us stuff.
Stones into the water?
Yeah- one angel cast a great millstone- ‘like a mountain- into the sea’.
Hmm?
Sounds like the verse at the top.
Mountains represent kingdoms- power structures.
When these ‘mountains’ become corrupt- they are ripe for getting thrown into the sea.
So- in Jesus day they had this custom.
We read in the bible [Acts] that there were those who made/worshipped idols at the time of Jesus.
You could have your own little idol statue made- for a price.
Those who renounced these practices- after becoming Christ followers- they would take these idols and throw them into the sea.
Yeah- like casting a stone into the water.
Now- the bigger the rock- the bigger the splash.
One day Jesus was walking with his men- rumor has it that they were right next to a spot where you would take these statues- stones- and cast them into the water.
Right up the trail there was this strange sight.
It’s still there today.
There are these 2 mountains.
But one of the mountains has its ‘top’ cut off- and the other mountain has ‘extra’ on top.
The story goes that king Herod- a corrupt king who ruled Palestine at the time of Christ.
He had the slaves literally cut the top of one mountain off- and put it on top of the other.
Yeah ‘king of the hill’ type thing.
He built this palace/penthouse on top- so all the world could see who was the king of the hill.
Now- you have this radical revolutionary- Jesus- who has come in the footsteps of John the Baptist.
John was a mad man- dressed in loin cloths and ate grasshoppers!
One time Herod had John put in jail- but John couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
He kept yelling ‘Herod- you took your brothers wife- your committing adultery!’
Herod was afraid of John- but the misses- well now that’s another story.
You could imagine the anger- she had to hear this rugged prophet- day in and day out- telling everyone what she did [John was the original WikiLeaker!]
So- one day Herod’s wife’s daughter dances this sensual dance for the king.
The king says ‘wow babe- that was the best lap dance ever- name your price’.
She asks her mom ‘what should I ask for’?
Now- the mom is sneaky- and she says ‘tell him you want John’s head- on a platter’.
Yeah- the deed is done.
So- that’s the Herod that Jesus knows- the one who beheaded his friend/cousin.
So- one day Jesus is walking with his men- they know the scoop- that these stones- when you cast them into the sea- well- it’s representing a kingdom- an idol- coming down.
Now- in this context- standing right by Herods Mountain top Villa.
Jesus says ‘IF YOU HAVE FAITH- YOU CAN SAY TO THIS MOUNTAIN- GO- AND IT WILL’
See?
Well you know the story- Jesus gets crucified- there are various Roman Emperors who will come after and destroy Gods people.
There was this general by the name of Constantine- a great military ruler.
In the 4th century he comes to fight for the rule of Rome- he wants to consolidate the Roman Empire under one rule.
He has this dream before the big battle.
In the dream he sees a vision of a Cross in the sky.
He hears a voice ‘in this sign conquer’.
The next day he paints this Cross on the shields of his men.
He wins the battle- becomes the new emperor- and in a short time he will declare Christianity the new religion of the realm.
Yeah- even this mountain fell- just like Jesus said.
Note- Door of the sheep.
In Jesus day you had these circular walls- they were stone sheep pens- in a circle.
Problem?
They had no gate- no door.
When the sheep would enter in and bed down for the night- the Shepherd himself would lie down in the entrance.
He became the door.
No sheep could leave- or wolves enter- unless they passed over the door.
See?
That’s what Jesus meant when he said HE was the door of the sheep- he would lie down [in death] for his sheep- friends.
UPDATE 7-2013
It has been 6 months since I started our little program [how to get free from addictions].
I am happy to say- at least for me- it has indeed worked.
Yes- I have not acted out- not a single time- since we started.
Why?
There are many reasons- as a Christian I of course credit God.
But- because this program has been based on some simple studies I did on addictive behavior- the simple reality is the brain/mind of the addict WILL INDEED change after a short period of not acting out.
These truths work for anyone- Muslim, Christian, Jew- even the Atheist!
So- just wanted to do this annual update- to keep myself- as well as you guys- honest.
One note I wanted to add.
I don’t remember if I shared this in the study- but it came to my mind recently.
I read a book by Victor Frankl- the famous Psychologist who was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp during WW2.
The book is famous- Mans Search for Meaning.
I liked one of the observations he made- it pertains to this study.
He said because the Nazi’s had them on a very low food intake- and a very high energy output- they had NO desire to think or engage in sex.
One of the habits I formed over the past year has been to walk- for miles on end!
I have always been a very low intake eater- for years I have only eaten one main meal a day [and maybe a snack before bed].
So- for the most part- I was a one meal a day person- for many years.
When I quit drinking- I lost about 50 pounds in a couple of months- yeah- that’s how much I was drinking.
I did not increase my food intake- so- I in a way did what the concentration camp guys did.
In the bible- Jesus and his men practiced fasting- Jesus even said some ‘unclean’ spirits only come out in this way.
They also WALKED all over the area where Jesus ministered.
In essence- they too practiced a low food intake [called fasting] and a high energy output.
The bible also puts gluttony and laziness in the category of sin.
The point being- for those of us who have struggled with addictive behavior- try these tools- simple as they are- but proven.
I do not see one particular ‘trick’ that does it [like some of the material I read- some think ‘aha’ this is the trick!].
No- over all- the simple forming of new healthy habits- to re-place bad ones- does work.
The replacing of sinful situations- what you view- where you go-etc.
These basic things will work over time.
‘My’ above program is really not mine- but it’s a compilation of the most recent data on addictive behavior.
Many of my friends swear by older type programs- which have played a role in the past.
But- many see ‘their program’ as THE answer- almost in a cultic way- I think that’s a major problem in today’s recovery movement.
Okay- that’s it- God bless you all.
www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com
Note- Do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [Facebook] - I have posted lots.
2021
THEY WILL NOT BELIEVE- EVEN IF SOMEOME CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD
As I get ready for my final departure- what I would like to do is tell a couple of the ‘best of the best’ type stories on my way out.
Many years ago- in the early 80’s- I was going to a Fundamental Baptist church- I was the youth leader and filled in for the preacher at times.
Good church- great people.
But- this style of Christianity looks down upon what the bible refers to as the Charisms- or the gifts of the Spirit.
Now- as a teacher for many years- one who tries to ground himself in the historic church.
The main teaching- by most of the churches- is the gifts do indeed still operate today.
But- you have lots of ‘silliness’ in some of the expressions of them- and of course- you have out and out charlatans too.
So- during this time- I was a young believer- just got kicked out of the Navy [maybe will tell that one next?] and was painting houses for a contractor [right before I got hired at the Fire Dept.].
One day we were painting this dentists house- Charles Clements- and I’ll never forget.
I was downstairs in a room- and I thought I heard a bloodcurdling scream!
I went to the spot where I thought the scream came from- and sure enough- the mother of the kids had pulled her young boy out form the bottom of the pool- he drowned to death.
My job foremen- Randy Maltby- started doing CPR- well- he actually just tried to do mouth to mouth- and water was coming out of the boy.
Now- I worked 25 years at the Fire Dept.- I have seen lots of dead folk- this kid was dead.
But- at this time- I did not have the experience and simply asked the mom ‘do you want me to pray’?
She was hysterical- and screamed YES!!
I will never forget the prayer- I was very calm- and simply started praying for God to raise the boy from the dead- for God to put the boy’s spirit back in him.
As I prayed- I heard the boy cough- and in a short time he was awake.
Now- the ambulance came and took him to the ER.
About a week later the news paper came to interview me and the other carpenters- they did a front page story about the boy.
It read ‘CHILD SAYS HE SAW THE LORD’.
The boy was around 3-5 years old- but he made- what the doctors called- a miraculous recovery.
He recounted the story to them.
He said when he as at the bottom of the pool- Jesus came to him and told him he was going to bring him back to life.
The paper [Kingsville Record- early 80’s- maybe you can find it on line?] ran a full story on it- they did say ‘Chiarello was in the room- praying’.
As you can imagine- this was somewhat of a shock for the Baptist Church I was going to.
And the story was the talk of the town.
To be honest- I didn’t see what all the fuss was about- I thought everyone believed God could do stuff like this.
But as the years went by- I realized lots of people- some more Charismatic types- they talk a lot about this stuff- but in actuality- it rarely happens.
In Luke chapter 16 Jesus tells the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
The rich man had it made- all the stuff you ever could want- a ‘more than enough’ mentality for sure!
The poor man was begging every day at the gate- the dogs came and licked his sores.
One day the rich man dies- goes to hell.
Lazarus dies- goes to heaven.
The rich man sees Lazarus with Abraham- and asks father Abraham to send Lazarus with some water- the rich man is hot!
Abraham says he cant- there is this gulf- and you can’t pass over.
The rich man says ‘well- at least let Lazarus go back to my brothers who are still alive- maybe he can warn them’.
Jesus says ‘they have Moses and the Prophets [their writings] let them get warned by that’.
The rich man says ‘no- but if one comes back from the dead- they will listen’.
Jesus says ‘if they won’t be convinced by the Old Testament writings- then neither will they believe if one rose from the dead’.
The boy in the above story is Andrew Clements- his dad is a famous dentist here in South Texas- he runs an ad every week in the paper.
Charles Clements.
Some might think ‘gee John- how do we know your not making this stuff up’.
Look- I take no money- have nothing to sell- and to be honest- at this point- have no reputation to defend.
Why the heck would I make this stuff up?
Yeah- some of you will believe- but some wont- even if one Rose from the Dead.
2022 LAURA
I got a text yesterday- it read ‘Laura was deadwdrunk- got run over’.
I texted David back ‘I’ll be praying for her’.
I thought he meant she was ‘dead drunk’ and was hit by a car.
Later I realized he said ‘she was run over- while drunk- and killed’.
I wrote about Laura a couple of months ago.
She was dating my friend David- and was really into the New Age stuff- crystals- the whole 9 yards.
I must have talked with her for about 8 hours- in 2 days.
She was very intelligent- and I have studied lots of world history and Apologetics [Greek thought- etc].
So- in a way- I was able to present the Christian faith as the final answer- that at the end of the day- it wins the argument among various World Views- Jesus is really the answer.
When I met Laura- she reminded me of my sister- Laura.
After all I’ll be moving to N.J. in about 10 days- and my sister Laura was one of the first people I ‘led’ to the Lord.
She has struggled with drug addiction her whole life- but has also been an open Christian- she learned and grew a lot over the years.
When I got up this morning- I felt like I should write about Laura- the girl who was run over.
But- I wanted to not post anymore in Texas- I’m tired of it all- and wanted to ‘go away’ for a long time- maybe for good?
My phone just rang- it never rings this early- I never have it on this early!
It was Patrick- from New Jersey.
I knew something was up- he told me to call back [he left a message].
My sister Laura just passed away.
I told him to tell my mom I wont make the funeral- because I already have the plane ticket for the following week.
Yeah- I felt like my friends girlfriend was a sign in a way- I guess so.
8-21-22 Who is the Jester? [This happened the other day- posted few videos but today it went on all posts]
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMkUiGIWay2EpjpANq
Note- Why did Counter Social start up now? Why would a hacker start a so called ‘right wing’ site at this time? More than likely the Jester is well known by the U.S. govt.- he has targeted countries that the U.S. govt. wants to target. He more than likely works with the FBI and CIA [though they don’t want you to know]. Counter Social might simply be a project to entrap people who speak out against the U.S. govt- as they have been monitoring many so called freedom of speech sites the last few years.
CLOUTHUB UPDATE- 4-23-22 It would be best if a site tells you upfront ‘we have decided to shadow ban you’ from now on. Many of us use alternative social media because of the bias of big tech. Because I am on so many sites I have dealt with shadow banning for years. And boy was I mad when I realized I wasted time by posting for years on a site- only later to find out that it was a huge waste of time. Yet this is what we deal with in our day. So for whatever reason a site decides to do this- tell them upfront. Many people don’t have a lot of time left on the planet- so it helps if you let them know before they waste another year or 2 thinking that they are using their time effectively- when in reality its a huge game going on. So I leave you guys today on a good note- or the best note I can end this with. Love you all- John
Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- Most updated at bottom.
https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/
Stats
https://ccoutreach87.com/stats-4-21/
Linkedin Update- My name is John Chiarello. I live at 966 Crossbill st- Corpus Christi Texas. Below is a link to all my verified sites [Many are sites that have been around for years- my name- address- email- etc. Have been verified on these sites for some 15 years]. My phone number is 361- 461-0588. My email is ccoutreach87@gmail.com. My back up email is ccoutreach87@protonmail.com. I am not sure what else I can do to verify who I am? Years ago Linked-in deleted my 1st site without notice. I was obviously upset! I asked what happened- they said they sent an email and got no reply. I told them I post 8 times a day to the site and log in every day for 7 years! If a person is that active- you assume they are real. Ok- I started all over again- and have about 13,500 connections as of today. I have once again posted every day for years and been active. The other day I went to post and I saw a notice that the account was suspended- again! So I uploaded documents to prove my identity- More than enough. Pic’s of Texas Driver license- V.A. card- S.S. card and an old fire department I.D.- Still this was not enough? Then more hoops to jump thru. So as of now I simply ask for Linked-in to keep this present site up- that's it. I do not know what else I can do to prove my identity? I am active on many sites- verified on most of them- and simply can’t start a 3rd Linked-in site. Thanks- John Chiarello.
I am a retired firefighter and the Pastor of ccoutreach87. I take no money ever. All teachings free to download from my sites.
Here’s a link to my sites-
https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/
Stats
https://ccoutreach87.com/stats-4-21/
3-5-22 You will reap
https://ugetube.com/watch/3-5-22-you-will-reap-mp4_dmi8wNlpIsWosXC.html
https://www.bitchute.com/video/CAo4Hpy6FhOp/
Links to my sites here and the bottom of every post- Most updated at bottom.
https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/
Stats
https://ccoutreach87.com/stats-4-21/
Russia- Ukraine video’s linked here as well
https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2022/03/acts-6-text.html?m=0
https://ccoutreach87.com/2022/03/03/acts-6-text-2/
https://ccoutreach87.webstarts.com/blog/post/acts-6-4
https://corpusoutreach.weebly.com/most-recent-posts/acts-65241205
https://ccoutreach87.wixsite.com/mysite/post/acts-6-1
https://ccoutreach87.site123.me/blog/acts-6-3
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/3-23-17-acts-6.zip
3-1-22 This can stop the war today
https://www.bitchute.com/video/b8v11RV3Ep2X/
3-2-22 A prayer for Russia- Ukraine
Sunday sermon 2-24-19
My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
Jeremiah 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
Sunday sermon videos made 2-17-19
https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5/videos/10205356622553253/
https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMil4a9tApT-GYM2ar
ON VIDEO
.Bishop Mulvey and the interesting prayer
.The sign of the ‘pen’
.Jeremiah 45- a message in itself
.Prophets- true and false
.The remnant principle
.North Bergen- White Castle and the paintings
.The parable of the trees [or bushes- plants]
.Don’t be ‘careful’ in the time of drought
.But be faithful even in the storm
.The historical truth of the Resurrection- a brief apologetic [defense]
.Karl Barth- Kant- Gnostics- Docetists
.A lesson from the morning glories and the bamboo [seen at the end of the video]
.Fruit that remains is the goal
.The nature of local church
.Look at Jesus and the disciples in the gospels
.The 501 c3 question
.See the corporate seal [on this video]
.Buildings? 501 c3? only if you really need it to accomplish mission
.Often times it’s simply a hindrance to the work
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.Jeremiah 17:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Blog- www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks
Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg?view_as=subscriber
Other sites- https://ccoutreach87.com/links-to-my-sites-updated-10-2018/
Cloud links- https://ccoutreach87.com/cloud-links-12-2018/
Youtube Playlist- https://ccoutreach87.com/youtube-playlist/
[Links to all my sites at the bottom of this post]
NOTE- Every so often some of my sites think I am Spam- or a Bot- I am not. My name is John Chiarello and I post original content [all videos and text are by me]. I do share my past posts from my other sites- but it is not spam- Thank you- John.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
[Other videos below]
All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
OTHER VIDEOS [These are the videos I upload nightly to my various sites- PAST POSTS below]
Acts 3 https://youtu.be/Zdx2ZP4VqOo
Kings 13 https://youtu.be/twt47Xhpa84
Nightingale https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg1RfJZV3JKGmLI_5
Samuel 5-6 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PIygHG-LyafcLQAA_bFOg-CEtE3Acl-g/view?usp=sharing
9-23-18 Sunday sermon https://dai.ly/x722izl
Samuel 15 https://flic.kr/p/2eLosr3
Friends https://www.instagram.com/tv/BuEH_nQHoVg/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet
10-14-18 Sunday sermon https://youtu.be/fH2oqS0H7aw
Mercy https://www.bitchute.com/video/Z4Gx1CxFEl6O/
Teaching with homeless friend- Robert https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhD0rfgp757-zfNMu
9-16-18 Sunday sermon https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o41eCriFMA18lSaOH88kt6-7F1pnWiwd/view?usp=sharing
Bethlehem christians https://youtu.be/3QiH9JSXn90
The loft- the windmill https://dai.ly/x6wgu4z
John 12 https://flic.kr/p/R4JR3H
Jimmy n Pops https://www.instagram.com/tv/BuBjJPqnGMR/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet
John 19 https://youtu.be/iS9OG-fiBL0
Ephesians 4 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMa9oOLIoJHhLVQi8
Samuel 10 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ibnPsNxBiSv1XNTB-28ep2Y2wiYWKuUS/view?usp=sharing
9-30-18 Sunday sermon https://dai.ly/x6weyw3
7-22-18 Sunday sermon https://flic.kr/p/29HNXUF
Alabaster box https://www.instagram.com/tv/Bt8X639ncik/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet
10-1-17 Sunday sermon https://youtu.be/54aI6rJ-Cl8
Acts 2 https://youtu.be/tEvhnzSd7OY
Teaching with friends https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMhD99kPwelxp8dLt8
God- science n logic https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vC16P3aMQvifjmzcCbrKA3LepElJnV4m/view?usp=sharing
10-7-18 Sunday sermon https://dai.ly/x71w6sd
Pops going to the chapel https://www.instagram.com/tv/Bt5xYvBHiWO/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet
John 14 https://flic.kr/p/SF2p61
Video- Acts 25 https://youtu.be/GO_EbKzNSpk
Galatians 5 https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMejbeju1g4BLexRc
James 1 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YOQrZmDp257tueFi1E4u3DipSTaE6oHI/view?usp=sharing
Friends n Teaching https://dai.ly/x6vt6z3
Shepherd of Hermes https://flic.kr/p/28bn2mu
Homeless friends https://www.instagram.com/tv/Bt3ZEo5nf3Z/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet
Danny- North Bergen https://youtu.be/Jr__T9QHwtI
Volume of the book https://youtu.be/AEBDf7BgAJg
Revolution https://1drv.ms/v/s!Aocp2PkNEAGMg06zjS2yGQ-87xPh
Church history https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cz0Kyt77nZ6dsA93KOJjDbVii5tiqzTu/view?usp=sharing
Freely you got- freely give https://dai.ly/x71t9ze
Mark 15 https://flic.kr/p/R1Lw3c
Homeless friends https://www.instagram.com/tv/Bt0p1tmnV29/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet
7-22-18 Sunday sermon https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u7Wzz7qXaJ3mBpmP1xjXdVXiLbF8xhmY/view?usp=sharing
Mark 13 https://corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com/2019/02/mark-13.html
PAST POSTS [These are links and parts of my past teachings that relate in some way to today’s post- Verses below]
https://ccoutreach87.com/further-talks-on-church-and-ministry/
https://ccoutreach87.com/john-complete-links-added/
Historically- Christianity is what we call Trinitarian [for the most part- this is also a very long study]. Sometimes we refer to this as Nicene Christianity [from the famous council at Nicaea].
Or we can look to a few other church councils that hammered out the language of the Trinity.
I am Trinitarian- I hold to the historic belief on this- just to be upfront at the start.
Now- have all ‘Christians’ at all times held to the doctrine? No. Now- some will say ‘Then they are not Christians’ okay- I agree.
But the way I define ‘Christian’ while making the argument from history- I am speaking of all those who saw themselves as part of the church [men like Bishop Arius- who rejected the Trinity] and yet did not agree with the historic position.
Church history is littered with men/movements that fall into this category.
Muslims and Jews [even some Messianic Jews] also take the side [doctrinally] with those ‘Christians’ who reject the Trinity. Why? Both of these religions believe that exalting Jesus to Deity [being God] violates the teaching that there is only One God [the Father].
Many of these same objections are made by the various ‘Christian churches’ that also reject the Trinity.
Okay- the historic Christian doctrine- accepted by Catholics, Orthodox and most Protestants- says that God is One- and there are 3 persons in the God Head. The famous Christian him says ‘God in 3 persons- Blessed Trinity’.
So- the belief is there is only one God- yet 3 persons in the God head.
The various groups who disagree with this doctrine usually say it’s a contradiction- and they have various ways they try to explain it.
They will point to bible verses that say ‘Jesus is the Firstborn of all creation’ or ‘Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God’ and they will argue that Jesus was the first creation of God- but not ‘God’ in the sense of True God.
Most scholars will show you that looking at these few verses- in context of the entire bible- show us that they are not meaning that Jesus was actually created- but that he has pre imminence among the whole creation- he is Lord of all.
I really did get into the debate- have taught it in the past on the blog- and today’s intent isn’t to do it all over again.
But- we needed to cover that to say this- what then is the Mormon belief?
While most churches that disagree with the Trinity- usually disagree by saying the doctrine is Tritheistic [meaning you believe in 3 Gods] Mormons actually go the other way- they believe/teach that you actually do have 3 Gods- that the Father and the Son and the Spirit are 3 different Gods.
Okay- that’s the main reason [there are lots of other things] that scholars classify Mormons as ‘non Christian’.
But it’s really hard to have these debates in the political arena- and because of the various ways we use the term ‘Christian’ [most of the times in the media it covers a much wider range than what we use in studying theology] I would not say ‘Romney is not a Christian’.
Why? Because I would have to qualify it by explaining all of this- and you do have many groups that have branched off from historic Christianity- who never accepted the final councils on the Trinity- and many of these groups would still be defined as ‘Christian’ in a broad sense- say if your studying Sociology and not Theology.
Now- you ask ‘geez John- this can get a little confusing- does the bible actually give us a test on this’.
Glad you asked.
The only biblical ‘test’ that is where you have a clear cut statement on ‘if you believe this your okay- if you believe this you’re not’- the statement comes from the epistle’s [letters] of the Apostle John [New Testament].
In 1st John and 2nd John he talks about those who believe that Jesus is the Christ- they are ‘from God’ ‘Born of God’ and those who say that ‘Jesus has not come in the flesh’ these are not ‘of God’ these are ‘the anti christ’.
It’s interesting to note- that in the entire bible- the few times the actual word ‘anti christ’ is used are in these passages.
So the test- if you want to look at it this way- is a Christological test- do you believe Jesus is the Christ [Messiah]. And ‘do you believe he has come in the flesh’ [what we call the Incarnation].
That’s the test- you do not have a ‘Trinitarian’ test so to speak- though the doctrine itself is found in the bible.
Why would the apostle John give these 2 criteria as ‘the test’? Because for the 1st century Jewish believer- Jesus did indeed come as the promised Messiah- and the question is indeed ‘do you believe he is the promised one- or not’.
The other ‘test’ is a little more tricky- but in the 1st century you began having a challenge to the main belief of Christians- it came from the Gnostic ‘cults’. These were the quasi ‘Christian’ groups that mixed in Greek concepts of matter with Christian belief.
The last few weeks we discussed their ideas a little- and one of the ideas that Plato taught was that matter itself was evil.
This is not the Christian view- the Christian view is that matter [creation] is from God- it is good- not inherently evil.
Okay- so you had a division of the Gnostics [which their name meant Knowledge- they believed they had secret knowledge about these things that the average Christian did not have] called Docetists.
These guys taught that Jesus was not Really a human being- who came ‘in the flesh’. Why did they teach this? Because they also taught that matter/flesh was evil- and Jesus could not have really been ‘in the flesh’.
This doctrine violates the very clear N.T. teaching that Jesus was indeed born of the Virgin- and was fully God and fully man- thus the apostle John was targeting them when he said ‘if anyone does not believe that Jesus has come in THE FLESH he is not from God’.
Got it? Okay- we did a little teaching today- as you can see these types of debates cannot really take place in a 30 second news sound bite.
So even though most scholars [if not all?] would agree with the teaching that Mormonism does not fit in with historic Christianity- yet to say ‘this guy is not a Christian’ without being able to make the distinctions that I just did- well it just sounds bad- to be honest.
I personally could vote for Romney- to me it would be more of an issue of his political positions- if I felt he could do a good job- I personally would not use the ‘religious test’ on the guy- but you do have a large group of Evangelicals who would not vote for him- mainly because of this very issue.
I think these issues are important- and people should be aware of them. I also think the term ‘cult’ or ‘he is not a Christian’ if we are going to throw those words out- they need to be surrounded by the above context- when they just pop out on a short sound bite- without the time to explain them- then it’s probably better not to throw them out at all.
[parts]
ACTS 1- Luke, the writer of this book, feels the need to document the ongoing work of Jesus and his revolution. He already wrote a gospel and believes this to be the beginning of the story. In essence, the reality of Jesus and his resurrection are just the start, we have much more to do and become on this journey. Most writers jump to chapter 2. We have churches and music groups called ‘Acts chapter 2’. Why does Luke seem to wait till chapter 2 before getting to ‘the good stuff’? Chapter one records the 40 days of Jesus showing himself alive after his death. Luke feels this singular truth to be important enough to simply stand alone [I do realize the early letters did not have chapter and verse divisions like today]. The real physical fact of Jesus bodily resurrection is without a doubt the foundational truth of the gospel. The outpouring of the Spirit and the whole future of the church depends on the reality of the resurrected Christ. Paul will write the Corinthians and tell them if the resurrection were not true then they are the most miserable of all people. Luke tells us Jesus gave instructions for the Apostles to wait at Jerusalem for the Spirit. Thy will be witnesses of him to all the surrounding nations after the Spirit empowers them. We also see Peter emerge as the key spokesman for the group. He quotes freely from the Psalms and reads their own history into the book. He sees the prophetic verse from David on ‘let another take his office’ as referring to Judas betrayal and death. They cast lots and choose Matthias as the one to replace Judas. Peter shows the importance of Judas replacement to come from one that was with them thru out the earthly time of Jesus. Someone who saw and witnessed Jesus after the resurrection. Scholars have confused this with the ‘ascension gift Apostles’. Some scholars have taken the truth of the early Apostles having the criteria of being actual witnesses of Jesus, and have said ‘therefore, you have no Apostles today’. Paul will teach in Ephesians that after Jesus ascension on high he gave gifts unto men ‘some Apostles, others Prophets, etc.’ The New Testament clearly speaks of Apostles as an ongoing gift in the church. Barnabas will later be called an Apostles [Acts 14:14] as well as many other references in the original Greek using the same Greek word for Apostle. But here we find Peter seeing the need to replace Judas. Other scholars think Peter might have jumped the gun. They see Paul’s apostleship as the possible person the Lord picked out as the replacement. You do find Paul referring time and again to his Apostolic authority as one ‘born out of due time’ who saw Jesus on the Damascus road. If Paul was simply an ascension gift Apostle, why would he refer time and again to his authority based on being a witness who also saw Jesus? It’s possible that Paul was in this group of ‘Apostles of the Lamb’ who had extra authority based upon their testimony of being eyewitnesses. So in chapter one we see that Jesus appeared for 40 days giving instructions to the early leadership and told them to wait at Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We see the incarnational purpose of God, Jesus was and continues to be the express image of God to man. He was not some ‘phantom’ like the Docetists will claim, but a very real physical resurrected Lord. Luke begins the early history of the church with this reality being important enough to stand on its own.
[parts]
In the 19th century there was a movement in Christian theology called ‘Liberal theology’- not liberal in politics- but a whole genre of teaching/thought that challenged a lot of the ‘old time’ beliefs [like original sin] and focused on the ability of modern man to rise above the ignorance of the past [even in religious thought] and man was on the road to a true Utopian society that would never fail. This belief was strong- both in the universities of Germany as well as in the politics of the Western world. Then you had the world wars- 8 million people killed in the first one- and 50 million in the 2nd one. Men like Karl Barth [a Swiss theologian- teacher] would challenge the liberal view of mans ‘inner divinity’ and he would blast the Christian world with his famous ‘the epistle to the Romans’ his commentary on Paul’s famous treatise- released in 1918. Though Barth is what some describe as 'Neo- Orthodox’ [the strong Reformed teachers don’t appreciate Barth very much] yet he did bring the church back to the biblical doctrines of original sin and mans inability to ‘save himself’. Barth saw the reality of the WW1 and rejected the Utopian belief that man was so advanced that he would reach for the sky- and grab it! Today we see lots of shaking in the world- some are focused on March madness- some find it profitable to do a story on a stripper- we need to keep our eyes [and bibles] open- mankind is in need of God- man has gone thru stages where he thought the ‘old belief’ in God would fall away- to the contrary- the govt’s of man [apart from God] seem to be the thing that’s falling away.
www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com
[1467] JESUS MANIFESTO, Frank Viola and Leonard Sweet. The other day I received an interesting email, Thomas Nelson book publishers offered me a free advanced copy of the above book, they are giving away 200 advanced copies and they offered one to me. They simply said they would appreciate it if I mentioned the book on my blog. So here I am; I’ve read a few chapters and ‘Frank-Len’ make a good case for restoring the church back to a strong Christology [I think I would have said ‘Christ centric model’ instead]. The point they argue is that the people of God and Christianity itself has lost the matchless vision of a magnificent Lord and has replaced it with all types of other stuff. They give a list of some of the stuff; it includes end time things, prosperity, leadership…theology, evolution versus creation- well you get the hint. While it’s difficult to argue against the authors main point [who can argue against returning the church to Christ?] the danger is in thinking that ‘theology’ or any other attempt at clarifying the orthodox Jesus is a substitute for Jesus himself, that is we as believers do need to be aware of the many rabbit trails we often get sidetracked on but at the same time we need to understand the need for good Christian doctrine [theology]. I noticed that the authors did not include ‘organic church’ on the list. I do like the many quotes from historic church figures; Tertullian, Aquinas, Barth, etc. and I like the ‘folksy-popular’ style the book is written in, sounds like reading Eugene Peterson’s Message version. All in all the first few chapters are well worth reading, they do center you back on Jesus Christ, and the devotional style restores the soul. To be fair the authors do answer the charge that the bible itself teaches lots of subjects, so why be against all the other things on their list? They explain well that although we as believers will learn and teach various subjects, yet according to the apostolic pattern, these things are like ‘spokes on a wheel’ they are needed at times, but Jesus is the center of the wheel. All in all it’s hard to disagree with the main point of the book. I have found the argument ‘we focus on Jesus only’ to be at times an excuse for ‘unlearned preaching’ sometimes preachers have used this as an excuse to not delve into good Christian ‘theology’ but I don’t sense this with this book. Over the next few days I will finish the book [it’s not big, I’m just busy!] and hopefully will comment a few more times. I’m not sure how I got on the list to receive an advanced copy, but I’m grateful for the copy- as a book collector its cool to have a copy that says ‘advanced copy- uncorrected proof- not for resale’. I guess Frank must have recommended me for the book; I have blogged on a mutual site in the past. I have heard of Leonard Sweet before, but am not familiar with him at all. I should note that I have taught many of the same themes found in this book, and I think it would benefit all of us to re focus on the early church’s emphasis on knowing the Lord, not just doctrinally, but in a real way- this is the main point of the book.
JOHN 15
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
https://youtu.be/fYld3Wm4elE John 15
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/8-30-16-john-15.zip
ON VIDEO-
You tube songs below-
https://youtu.be/vBecM3CQVD8 I mention this song on the video
https://youtu.be/H3By4DZyTNM I like this one too [sound of silence]
.Longest last supper discourse
.True Vine
.Branches cut- pruned
.Sympathy for the devil?
.Cards in a deck
.Most high
.Suicides in the bible
.King Ranch
.What is a valuable legacy?
NEW- [links- verses below]
Jesus teaches us that he is the TRUE VINE- God is the gardener- and we are the branches.
Warning-
Branches that do not bear fruit get cut off.
The ones that produce fruit get pruned.
Ok- in the history of the church- some Christians believe that ‘believers’ can get cut off [lose their salvation].
Others don’t.
My purpose in covering this chapter is to show you that good Christians do disagree on this- and they are all Christians.
Now- what does it mean?
I’ll give you my view.
Remember- John’s gospel is unique in many ways.
One way is he gives us the longest discourse of Jesus which seems to have taken place at the last Supper.
We read about the meal in chapter 13- and if you read the beginning of chapter 18- it seems as if all this instruction was in the upper room.
Even the great prayer of Jesus recorded in Chapter 17.
So- here’s context.
Judas was no longer at the table- he went out already.
As far as we know- the only disciple that knew Judas was getting ‘cut off’ was John.
But they all knew that one OF THEM was going to betray Jesus.
This was tough stuff.
Jesus might have been giving them some ‘reasons’ for this.
Meaning ‘ok- Judas was part of the group [branch] and some tough stuff is still to come- remember- those who do not produce fruit [as Judas] will get cut off’.
‘What about us Jesus- the good guys’?
Ok- you guys get pruned- because that’s the process.
See?
Now- this obviously extends to all of us- Jesus was teaching the church- but maybe this will help us see a little better.
We have a peculiar insight from John’s gospel- because out of the other 3 gospel writers- only John wrote 3 teaching epistles [1-2-3 John].
Peter wrote 2 letters [1-2 Peter].
But he didn’t write a gospel [there is a gnostic one- but most say it was a fake].
So- John talks about abiding in Christ in his letters- and also about sins that lead to death
16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
1st Jn.
He says we should not pray for those who ‘sin unto death’.
Sounds harsh- but remember- John was at the table that day.
And Jesus taught his men that this betrayal was meant to be.
Peter also tells us there were some who were false preachers- yet- when they fall away-
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of truth- then after knowing it [like Judas] to then fall away.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
2nd Peter
Both Peter and John seem to say that these were never really true believers
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 1st Jn. 2:19
And Judas did have a special place- yet we know he was not sincere from the start.
John also teaches us much about abiding [resting] in Christ- and warns us that if we don’t learn how to abide- then we will face shame.
The overall theme in the New Testament is there are indeed judgments for those who turn away.
Some might die psychically 1Corinthians 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
1Corinthians 5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
1Corinthians 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Corinthians 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Others might face a harsher sentence.
The reality of apostasy is indeed in the bible-
And whatever side you fall on [Arminian -From the preacher Jacob Arminius – Calvinist- Comes from John Calvin’s name] that warning remains clear.
Hold fast to the doctrine of Christ- walk in the Spirit- do not justify a sinful life.
And in the end- all will go well.
PAST LINKS- [verses below]
JOHNS GOSPEL
LINKS-
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/amos-5/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/15/jesus-christ/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/17/father-abraham/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/the-flood/ John 3
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/the-well-john-4/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/john-5/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/05/john-6/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/09/john-7/
https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/8-10-15-john-14.zip
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/16/john-8/
https://youtu.be/f8VpxlYM_kU John 8- ‘who the Son sets free’
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/john-9/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/07/31/john-10/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/john-11-the-8th-sign/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/10/i-found-a-verse/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/13/john-12/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/samuel-john-hebrews-review/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/22/john-13/
https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/2016/08/26/john-14/
I mention Corinthians on today’s video- here’s my study- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/1st-2nd-corinthians/
The 6th session of Trent was the one where the church dealt with justification [how we become saved in Gods sight].
Rome made a distinction between mortal and Venial sin in the council- the church said that Baptism is the INSTRUMENTAL CAUSE of justification. Yet faith is the Root- Foundation and Initial act that justifies.
Rome also taught that Mortal sin kills the grace in the soul that brings justification- and when a person commits a mortal sin- they need the ‘2nd plank of justification’ in order to be brought back into a state of Grace.
This 2nd Plank is the Sacrament of Penance [confession]. Catholic Moral Theologians use an example to show the difference between Mortal and Venial sin.
Drinking- if you take a drink [alcohol] not a sin. If you get tipsy- Venial- and if you get flat drunk- mortal.
This is a true teaching by the way- not making this up.
Catholic scholars are not in total agreement on all the Mortal/Venial sins.
Some teach that missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin.
I just threw this in to show you the debates that take place.
The teachings from Trent are referred to as Tridentine.
The Protestants [early on] rejected the belief that a person can lose Gods grace once he has it- later on the Protestants would divide- severely- over this teaching- Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints.
But early on all the major Reformers did indeed teach this.
Luther believed in the doctrine of Predestination just as much- if not more- than John Calvin.
But sometimes in these history shows they get this wrong and say Luther and Calvin disagreed on it- that’s a common mistake that you hear every so often.
Luther actually wrote a book dedicated to the subject [The Bondage of the Will] Calvin never wrote a book solely on the subject.
Okay- as we end this brief study of the Protestant Reformation- you could also call it a primer on Catholic doctrine [short one].
Why is it important that we study this?
In John chapter 17 Jesus said that he desired unity for all of Gods people- and many of these divisions- which date back 500 years- are commonly misunderstood on both sides.
It is common in our day to run across an ex Catholic who might say ‘you know- I left the church because I don’t believe I need to confess to a priest’ or ‘the Catholic church teaches you are saved by works’.
The original Reformers did not have a problem with confession- the Lutherans carried the practice over into their communion.
And like I just showed you- the Catholic church rejected the doctrine of being saved ‘by works’ [Pelagianism] and simply emphasized the teaching found in the bible- the book of James- and focused more on James than Paul [who the protestants focus on].
So yes- there are still differences- but if we are not informed- then it makes it harder to strive for unity- and at the end of the day God does desire unity for all his people.
The other day I quoted the great Civil rights leader- MLK. In one of his famous speeches that’s played when we celebrate his life- you hear Martin say that not only was he seeking unity among the races- but also in the church.
He said he wanted to see Catholics and Protestants- as well as Blacks and Whites- sit down together- he referred to us all as Gods kids.
I think we should strive to achieve the desire of Martin- and Jesus.
Amen.
[parts]
1782- PROTESTANT REFORMATION CONCLUSION
Today let’s finish up the study on the Protestant Reformation. We left off on Luther disputing with the church over the doctrine of how a person becomes just in the sight of God- is it by works or faith?
Now- to the surprise of many Protestants [and Catholics!] both sides agreed that a person cannot be justified by works.
Yes- the Catholic Church rejected what was known as Pelagianism. In the early centuries of the church there was a Catholic priest- named Pelagius- who taught that people had the ability within themselves to obey Gods law and become saved that way.
He rejected the doctrine of original sin and another famous bishop- Saint Augustine- would refute Pelagius and teach salvation comes by the Grace of God. The official Catholic position was to reject Pelagius and accept Augustine.
Okay- then where’s the difference?
The church council that spells it out is the Council of Trent [named after the Italian city where the council took place in the 1500’s- Trento].
This council is often referred to as the Counter Reformation. The church rejected the Protestant line- but also acknowledged the need for reform and made some changes.
This is the council where the church rejects Pelagianism- and also says the position of Luther [Justification by Faith ALONE] was flawed.
The church appealed to the New Testament letter of Saint James- where James uses an example from the life of Abraham [found in Genesis 22] where Abraham obeys God and is willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on an altar.
Of course this never happens- God was simply testing Abraham- but James says this act of obedience justified him in Gods sight.
James says ‘see how a man is justified by works- and not by faith ALONE’.
The argument from Rome was Faith played THE major role in justification- but was not sufficient by itself- there had to be righteous works eventually associated with it in order for God to say ‘you are just’ [saved].
Luther disagreed and said God justified Abraham before he had good works- we find this in Genesis 15. God says to Abraham ‘look- count all the stars- so shall your offspring be’ and Walla- the bible also says Abraham was justified in God’s eyes the moment he believed the promise.
Who’s right?
Actually they both are.
I have taught this a few times over the years- and it would take too much time to re-do right now.
But I believe James and Paul [the 2 who debate this in the bible] are simply looking at different aspects of salvation/justification.
Paul emphasized faith- and James showed us how true faith always has works with it.
When you read the statements that came out from the council of Trent- some of them do seem to indicate that both sides might have been talking past each other at some points.
In the heat of the day they were too quick to condemn the other side- without really trying hard to achieve unity [like politics!].
The 6th session of Trent was the one where the church dealt with justification [how we become saved in Gods sight].
Rome made a distinction between mortal and Venial sin in the council- the church said that Baptism is the INSTRUMENTAL CAUSE of justification. Yet faith is the Root- Foundation and Initial act that justifies.
Rome also taught that Mortal sin kills the grace in the soul that brings justification- and when a person commits a mortal sin- they need the ‘2nd plank of justification’ in order to be brought back into a state of Grace.
This 2nd Plank is the Sacrament of Penance [confession]. Catholic Moral Theologians use an example to show the difference between Mortal and Venial sin.
Drinking- if you take a drink [alcohol] not a sin. If you get tipsy- Venial- and if you get flat drunk- mortal.
This is a true teaching by the way- not making this up.
Catholic scholars are not in total agreement on all the Mortal/Venial sins.
Some teach that missing Mass on Sunday is a Mortal sin.
I just threw this in to show you the debates that take place.
The teachings from Trent are referred to as Tridentine.
The Protestants [early on] rejected the belief that a person can lose Gods grace once he has it- later on the Protestants would divide- severely- over this teaching- Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints.
But early on all the major Reformers did indeed teach this.
Luther believed in the doctrine of Predestination just as much- if not more- than John Calvin.
But sometimes in these history shows they get this wrong and say Luther and Calvin disagreed on it- that’s a common mistake that you hear every so often.
Luther actually wrote a book dedicated to the subject [The Bondage of the Will] Calvin never wrote a book solely on the subject.
Okay- as we end this brief study of the Protestant Reformation- you could also call it a primer on Catholic doctrine [short one].
Why is it important that we study this?
In John chapter 17 Jesus said that he desired unity for all of Gods people- and many of these divisions- which date back 500 years- are commonly misunderstood on both sides.
It is common in our day to run across an ex Catholic who might say ‘you know- I left the church because I don’t believe I need to confess to a priest’ or ‘the Catholic church teaches you are saved by works’.
The original Reformers did not have a problem with confession- the Lutherans carried the practice over into their communion.
And like I just showed you- the Catholic church rejected the doctrine of being saved ‘by works’ [Pelagianism] and simply emphasized the teaching found in the bible- the book of James- and focused more on James than Paul [who the protestants focus on].
So yes- there are still differences- but if we are not informed- then it makes it harder to strive for unity- and at the end of the day God does desire unity for all his people.
The other day I quoted the great Civil rights leader- MLK. In one of his famous speeches that’s played when we celebrate his life- you hear Martin say that not only was he seeking unity among the races- but also in the church.
He said he wanted to see Catholics and Protestants- as well as Blacks and Whites- sit down together- he referred to us all as Gods kids.
I think we should strive to achieve the desire of Martin- and Jesus.
Amen.
[parts]
NOTE 3- Augustine.
I personally am a fan of Saint Augustine. He is one of the famous church fathers of the early centuries.
In my view he holds a distinct place- he is admired by both staunch Protestants [Reformed Theologians]- and Catholics.
Why?
The original Protestant Reformation of the 16th century had 3 key figures.
Martin Luther [Germany]- Ulrich Zwingli [Swiss] and John Calvin [studied for the priesthood in Paris- later took a key role in Geneva Switzerland].
One of the key beliefs- of at least 2 of these 3- was the doctrine mentioned above- Predestination.
It is a common mistake in our day to see historical documentaries [I have seen some] that refer to Calvin as someone who believed in Predestination [true] and that Luther disagreed with him.
That’s wrong [but you have to study theology to find this out- a brief reading of church history does not show you this- that’s why some of the well meaning documentaries you might see on the History channel get this wrong].
Okay- Martin Luther was a Catholic Monk- under an order called the Augustinian order- named after St. Augustine.
See?
Even though he would break away from the church- and the Lutheran church would form- yet he held to the original belief that the founder/namesake of his order taught.
Now- you do indeed find many verses in the bible that speak about God choosing us- and not us ‘choosing him’.
Or chapters [Romans 9] that say Gods choice of us has nothing to do with our own goodness- but he chose us because he loved us.
So- this teaching does indeed have scriptural backing.
But- you also have scripture to back up the opposing view- which is referred to as Arminianism.
Named after another church leader- Jacob Arminius.
He held to the Calvinist view at first- but as he began studying- to defend this view- he came to the belief that this view [at least among its more radical adherents] was wrong.
These 2 groups- Calvinists- Armenians- became enemies as the Protestant Reformation grew.
The followers of men like John Wesley [founder of the Methodist church] disagreed strongly with those who held to the Calvinist view.
In our day- you still have adherents of both views- seeing the ‘other side’ as non Christian.
It’s sad- but this is just one- of thousands of teachings- that have had this effect.
The Catholic leaders warned of this at the time of the breakaway- which took place in the 16th century.
They feared that once you made a clean break from the historic church- that the ‘breaking’ would never stop.
As you look at the scene over the past 500 years- it’s hard to say they were wrong.
One last note- many modern Protestants do not hold Augustine- or any of the men mentioned above- in high regard at all.
Some hold to a belief [another popular one in groups that are Restorationist- as opposed to Reformist] that all of the early Christian expressions got off course [apostatized] and that the only ‘true’ church- just happens to be the group they are in.
Once again- this type of belief simply increases the division in the church- in my view.
Many reject men like Augustine- because of his influence by the Greek philosophers- they charge that some of the early church leaders were too much into philosophy.
For instance- one of the first Christian schools ever founded was in Alexandria- Egypt.
In the 2nd/3rd century Origen- an early church father- would take over the school and teach Christian theology.
But- the school was basically a school that first taught Greek philosophy.
Origen is respected by many [like me] but officially the church does not recognize him as a legitimate Church farther.
Why?
Because he did indeed hold to some views that were not Christian based- like the pre- existence of the soul.
This belief comes straight from Greek philosophy- not Christianity.
He also believed in what we refer to as Universalism- that at the end- everyone gets saved- even the Devil!
So- this debate has gone on for centuries- the debate over how ‘Platonic’ so and so is- or did men like Thomas Aquinas [ 13th century- another favorite of mine] simply mix Aristotelian thought [Aristotle] in with Christian teaching- and thus water down the true faith.
This is also the reason many [most] Protestants do not teach Philosophy- as a basic plank- in their seminaries.
I think this is a big mistake.
Philosophy- as a field- deals with the basic issues of life.
Why are we hear- what’s the purpose of mans existence- etc.
For the Protestant church to have basically abandoned this field- this left the secular world to shape it as they wish.
But- the Catholic Church has indeed engaged in this field- and in my view- has presented a better world view- than the secular philosophers.
Okay- now this post is becoming an entire study!
That’s it for now- I have lots of posts like this on the blog- if you want- just look them up there.
[The above comes from my study on the Protestant Reformation- here’s the complete study- https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/protestant-reformation-luther/ ]
[parts]
GW BRIDGE- https://youtu.be/70CVdZxFIMg GW bridge
