RECENT STUFF D 2013
1958 AGAINST HIS OWN PEOPLE!
Its story time again kiddies!
Come- gather at the media
carnival- they have another great fantasy for us all.
Yes- that’s the way I feel often-
when seeing new narratives emerge.
The past couple of days I have
been hearing ‘he might use chemical weapons- against his own people’.
Heaven forbid it- oh my- we could
never have that.
Yes- that’s the way they want you
to respond.
I’m talking about Syria and the
ongoing tragedy of the civil war taking place in their land.
Now- I’m certainly not a
supporter of Assad- the son of Hafez Assad- who ruled with an iron fist for 40
years.
Hilary Clinton called the son a
reformer- a good man who was for change.
Now he’s a murdering thug with a
bent on using the most horrid thing in the world- chemical weapons! Oh my!!
Yes- for those of you who don’t
know- the standard method of killing- shooting lead [or other metals] into the
bodies and skulls of folk- smashing their skulls as the bullet goes in.
In many cases leaving the wounded
person to die- in great agony.
Well- this method is humane.
Or say dropping a nuclear bomb on
hundreds of thousands of Japanese women and children.
You know- giving radiation
poisoning to tens of thousands of moms- many who were pregnant.
These kids dying of radiation
sickness- their limbs melting off like charred meat from a chicken bone.
Yes- this is ‘humane’.
But chemical weapons- against HIS
OWN PEOPLE- o my.
I guess it would be okay if it
were other people?
Did you know our great Winston
Churchill used- and advocated for the continuation of them- during the war?
Bet you didn’t know that little
tid bit.
My point?
I don’t want anyone to use any
weapons- ever.
And yes- chemical ones are very bad.
But when you see the western
media saying ‘against his own people’.
Watch out- they are trying to
develop a narrative that will excuse our involvement [via NATO] to go in once
again and ruin another country.
Right now- as I write- the guys
who killed our ambassador in Benghazi are walking the streets- freely.
There are reports that no one has
been questioned- everyone in town knows who did it [Ansar Al Shariah].
Yet till this day the U.S. has so
badly dropped the ball- that these guys roam the streets with impunity.
This week I heard an ‘expert’ on
Arab affairs describe the ongoing protests in Egypt as simply a healthy
expression of Democracy.
That the Egyptians were
suppressed for so long- that now that they have freedom- they just can’t get
enough of this new expression of rising up in their streets.
Wow- what a great story.
O- but I forgot- the women have
been raped openly in the famous square- by the great Muslim Brotherhood.
All of these things are examples
of the media wanting to make things look/go a certain way.
It would be terrible if after all
the praise about the Arab spring- the open support we gave to Morsi [Egypt’s
new pharaoh].
If after all this- we now realize
that we were part of a revolution- that simply became anarchy.
That’s why they tell us the story
thru this lens.
That’s why they say ‘chemical
weapons- against his own people!’
So you would think ‘of course we
had to intervene- we had no other choice’.
When the so called rebels
[Al-Qaida] attacked a hospital in Syria and killed innocent victims and
doctors- was this called an attack ‘on their own people’.
No.
When the Al Qaeda group in Libya
hunt down the former relatives and friends of Gadhaffi.
When they torture and kill them.
When the free roaming militias
terrorize blacks and women- do we say they are ‘terrorizing their own people’.
No.
We don’t say it because we backed
them.
The guys running Libya are guys
we put in power.
So when the various atrocities
take place- against ‘their own people’. We don’t say it.
But when it’s time for the west
to intervene again- well watch out- we start saying ‘against his own people’.
All war- and weapons of war- are
sad- tragic.
It’s sad that many young Arab-
Persian and Muslim kids have grown up in this mess.
Its’ sad that some have embraced
radical expressions of their faith because they see no other way out.
It’s sad that Morsi turned out to
be no better than the guy before him [Mubarak].
It’s sad that the U.S. has put
its hand to many times to try and make a certain outcome happen.
Maybe we have done this meaning
well [maybe!] but the end result has not turned out well.
If we go in and depose Assad
[Syria].
That country will fall to
Al-Qaida- that’s a fact.
I don’t want to see chemical
weapons used either.
But don’t fool yourselves.
They are all killing- both sides-
using very bad things- against THEIR OWN PEOPLE.
The only innocent ones are the
true protestors who have not resorted to violence.
Those in the square of Egypt
today- who are not violent- they are noble.
Those in Libya- Syria- all the
other hot spots in the Arab world.
Those who reject violence- they
are noble.
But if you take up a weapon- be
it chemical or any other- then you have chosen to live by the sword.
A great man once said ‘if you
live by the sword- you will die by it’.
His name was Jesus Christ.
1959 SOME OF YOU WILL BE PUT TO
DEATH
Much to say- little space.
Before I forget- the chapter for
the week was [is] Luke 21.
Okay- the last few days I have
seen an interesting thing- this is how you know what’s really going on.
You listen carefully to those who
support the view that they are speaking about.
Example- Gloria Borger is a news
reporter from CNN.
I have seen her lots of times-
she’s fairly good- and she is a supporter of the president.
The other night she gave a short
report about the current fiscal crisis [called the Fiscal Cliff].
She said that Obama and the Dems
are feeling justified after the election- and they seem more willing to not
negotiate- for real- and to let the blame fall on the Repubs.
Now- as she talked- you could
tell there was a sort of concern in her voice- like those who have supported
the president might be worried that he might take the country over the cliff
needlessly [remember- she was giving a sort of behind the scenes view of other
Democrats- that they seem to think Obama is the one that might take the country
over the cliff- even though he is saying it’s the Repubs- his own supporters
kind of think he’s lying about the thing- get it?]
Why needlessly?
She [as well as a bunch of
others] have now come out and said that the thing that’s holding up a deal is
the Repubs insistence on Medicare ‘means testing’.
Right now the 2 sides [Obama and
the Repub congress] are stuck because Obama wants to raise taxes on the rich-
and the Repubs want to means test entitlements [Medicare].
Okay- Obama himself was for means
testing- just last year he gave a speech claiming we could raise 1.2 trillion
by doing this [it’s s simple adjustment to Medicare that makes the rich pay
more].
So- those news papers and media
outlets who have been behind the president 100% are now saying that he needs to
agree to it.
Why are they all out in force
like this?
They realize that he was [might
still] purposefully blow a deal- because the blame will go to the Repubs.
But isn’t that petty- isn’t that
wrong- isn’t that dangerous?
Sure- but that’s the honest read
of this- that’s the only reason why you would have a bunch of more liberal
leaning news media all come out at this time and try to force Obama’s hand.
When Boehner came out and said
the deal the president offered was a joke- most insiders agreed- he was going
to go over the cliff- no doubt about it.
Okay- the clincher for me was the
infamous MSNBC- yes Ed Shultz had on Emanuel Cleaver [a Dem congressman who
kinda looks like Richard Pryor].
Now- out of all the supporters of
Obama- you would be hard pressed to exceed Shultz [now- I’m not saying it’s wrong
to support the pres- I’m showing you how his supporters in the media have tried
to shape the narrative].
Shultz was asking Cleaver about
means testing Medicare [remember- this is the exact thing the Repubs want- and
Obama’s side does not].
Cleaver gave quite a good view of
why WE SHOULD MEANS TEST Medicare.
Huh?
I thought that was the very thing
the Repubs want?
That’s right- now you’re
learnin’.
Yeah- Cleaver went on and
explained why we should do means testing- he gave the entire Repub talking
points- and he was right.
Wow- finally- you mean they might
be admitting the need to compromise?
Actually no.
Shultz then said ‘but you will
never be able to convince the Repubs to do this- because they will try and
protect their rich friends who will pay the most out of means testing’.
And Cleaver agreed.
You see- they both purposefully
lied to their watchers.
They both know that what they
said was an outright lie- like all the racial accusations of those who had real
objections to healthcare reform.
MSNBC spent the last year calling
them all ‘under the cover’ racists- playing ‘dog whistle’ politics.
The fact is- the Repubs are the
ones demanding means testing- not the Dems.
And they gave you a spin that
said the opposite.
They do no service to the country
when they do this.
Okay- lets hit a little from Luke
21.
This is an ‘end time’ chapter
where Jesus speaks to his men about the end of the age.
Just a few points.
I only cover [read] a couple of
chapters a week.
The last year- I don’t think I
read a single ‘earthquake’ chapter at all.
I have found the chapters I’m
covering to have significance.
Just yesterday [or the day
before] Japan was hit with another huge earthquake off its Pacific coast [Luke
21 says at the time of the end- outcome- there will be earthquakes.]
It was the same size of the one
that leveled the area a few years back.
Pray for Japan.
Jesus gives us some of the signs
that will take place at the time of the end.
I kind of ‘spiritualized’ my reading
of the chapter this week- you know- looking for some practical things that are
speaking about the here and now.
So- one of the things that spoke
to me was what I posted about the other day- the post on ‘the dead ones’
remember?
I talked about praying for
inmates on death row.
Okay- this practice became a
habit a few years ago- and I felt like the Lord was in it.
While reading Luke 21 Jesus says-
at the time of the end [or outcome] of these things- some OF YOU will be put to
death.
In a strange way it fit what I
sensed the Lord saying- sort of like ‘John- now that you have adopted these
dead ones- these on death row- they are ‘some of you’- you have embraced them-
this happens at the time of ‘the end’ the time of the outcome of all things.’
Get it?
Okay- there are a few more things
I got from the chapter- but I’m trying to give you a sense of how God can speak
to you ‘outside’ of the text.
Now- when you do this- read with
a personal idea in mind- you should never make it doctrine.
That is- what I just showed you
is fine to do in a devotional kind of way- trying to hear God about personal
direction- but that’s not the actual teaching itself.
The actual teaching is about the
end times- and also the destruction of the city of Jerusalem in a.d. 70.
I shared this with my friend who
I’m doing the halfway house with.
I told him about ‘adopting the
dead’.
He told me an interesting story
about this.
Now- I have told John David's
story many times over the years- so I won’t do the whole thing again.
But John David killed his best
friend in Dallas many years ago.
A very brutal shotgun killing
that made the headlines- his brother told me one day that when they picked up
the dead body- he had shotgun pellets under his feet.
David kept shooting even after
his friend was down.
John David got off for this
crime- his mother got the same lawyer who defended Jack Ruby [who killed Lee
Harvey Oswald] - and he got David off scot free.
Okay- that’s the story.
David told me the night he was in
the Dallas prison- he was with another inmate who also just killed someone.
They were both puking up beer-
sick as dogs- and sitting in the same cell- as murderers.
David was walking out of the
mission here a few years back- and he randomly saw a news paper article- it was
the execution of the Black cellmate that David was with that night[some of you-
but not all will be PUT TO DEATH].
David relayed this story to me
because I told him about the Lord leading me into the ‘adoption’ of the Death
Row Guys.
He felt it fit- I might have even
prayed for this guy he was with.
Yeah ‘some of YOU will be put to
death’.
Yeah- I got it.
1960 MY APPEAL TO ALQAEDA
I woke up early the other day-
around 1 am [I have had this problem for years].
Right before I woke- I had one of
those dreams that you feel are significant.
I was with a friend- Huey- and we
were on top of a building.
To get down you had to climb down
a rope from a tree- Huey jumped on the tree and almost killed himself- he
managed to escape but hurt himself real bad.
Later that day- in ‘real life’
[no more dream] he called me- he had some ride he needed or something [Huey is
one of those guys that always has something going on- but seems to never
accomplish anything. A few months ago he asked if he could store some of his
stuff in the room at my house- I use the room for the homeless guys. Sure
enough- he’ll come by late at night- needing something- I felt I needed to
learn some patience with my buddy].
The phone he was on was breaking
up bad- but I told him quickly about the dream- that he needs to be careful
about something [you know- I thought maybe it meant danger- not an actual
fall!].
So I haven’t seen him in a couple
of days- but wanted to know how he was.
His brothers- who I’m doing the
halfway house with- haven’t heard from him.
So I’m walking to my van at the
mission- and I see Huey for the first time since the dream.
‘Hey- how you doing’?
He was in severe pain- maybe a
broken rib.
What happened?
I just fell off of a pier and
hurt myself real bad.
Huh?
I told him ‘didn’t you remember
the dream’.
He didn’t.
Figures.
The point?
Listen to my dreams.
Okay- not really.
The point is God uses us- all of
us- in community.
That means in the bible the
various gifts of the Spirit- they are intended to function this way.
We have [in modern church] more
of an individual style of the gifts.
Maybe we attend a church- or go
to some function- and often times we want to hear what God said – ‘thru the
prophet in the house’ type of thing.
But actually these types of
scenarios lean too heavily on one person.
You might have a gifted young
man- a real go getter- maybe the pastor of a church.
Okay- good- but if the format is
trying our best to hear God- mainly thru the speaking gift of one person- then
thats limited- it really is not the way ‘church’ was done in the bible.
Okay- enough of that.
I have a couple of things I want
to write on- but can’t do them both.
I want to write a post- just to
Al Qaeda.
What?
Yes- not one of those ‘got ya’
type titles- but a real life post to members of Al-Qaida.
What would possess you to do such
a thing?
This last year I have had a lot
of web hits from countries where many Muslims live.
My blog changed a function a while
back.
It shows me- not on the site- but
in the private section- how many hits we get.
A while back I stuck a thing on
the site to see what countries view- but I realized the hits were much more than what that Fidgit thing was
showing.
We were goin up a few hundred
every couple of days.
Grant it- that’s not much- but
it’s more than I thought.
We just passed 37,000 hits the
other day.
So- I also noticed that the posts
where I mention Islam- or some type of political thing- they get the most hits.
So- being I already said this
much- might as well make this the Al-Qaida post.
I’m grateful to have Muslim
friends who read the site- I’m grateful if some are Al-Qaida.
My appeal- what I try to do over
the years- is to simply see both sides of a thing- to try and understand the
others view- and then do my best to present the Christian idea.
Now- when I was talking to a
friend the other day- Islam came up.
I told him ‘did you know that
Muhammad- the founder of Islam in the 7th century- had many of the
same protests that other Christian groups would later voice too’.
I explained that Muhammad’s rise
in defense of the poor and down cast [by the way- that’s actually a biblical
characteristic of prophets- in the bible] were similar to Christian movements
that would rise later on- like the Salvation Army.
I went on to show that he also
felt like the growing use of statues in Christian worship was a violation of
the commandment that says you should not make images/idols.
Now- to my Catholic friends- I
have taught the entire history of the use of art- and yes- statues- in
Christian worship.
I have also taught against the
Iconoclasts- those Protestants who destroyed the statues in the Catholic
churches- during the times of the Reformation [16th century].
So- I’m not ‘Catholic bashing’ at
all.
The point is- Muhammad had some
of the same objections- based on the bible- that later Protestants would have.
Gee John- I never knew this? That’s why I teach it- it helps to have less
of a negative view of Muslims as a whole.
So- after I try to look at some
of the good things that Islam has done [Hamas- in the Palestinian area. Why do
they garnish so much support among the populace? Because they start hospitals-
they feed the poor- they start welfare programs for the kids. Do they do this
as some sort of trick- a way to gain the hearts and minds of people? No- they
do this because it’s a basic tenet of their faith].
Okay- then what do I say to any
Al-Qaida on the site?
I say that the historic
divisions- the things that divide the East from the West- many of them are
actual misunderstandings.
Yes- some of the religious
objections were misunderstandings.
The classic one.
Muhammad believed that the
Christians worshipped 3 Gods- what we call the Trinity.
But he thought the believers
worshipped God- Jesus- and Mary-the mother of Jesus.
That’s of course not the trinity-
this is simply a misunderstanding.
Christians believe that there is
one God- in 3 persons.
Those persons being the Father-
Son and Holy Spirit.
But the biggest thing I like to
show my Muslim friends- my friends form other faiths- is that the message of
the Cross- it’s one of grace.
Christians believe that Jesus
kept all the commandments of God- then he died to pay the price for our sins.
As Christians- we don’t teach
against the 10 commandants- but we don’t use them to gain acceptance with God-
the acceptance we have with God comes because of the death of his Son on our
behalf.
In actuality- this message is a
great relief for all people who live ‘under the law’.
That is- if your Muslim- if your
Al-Qaida- you too can take this.
Yes- Jesus died for you too.
That’s the appeal I make- I’m not
asking my friends from other faiths to convert- if they want to- fine.
But that’s not my appeal.
I’m saying to all my friends-
this message of the Cross- this is for all people.
Heck- if you want to stay Muslim-
stay- but just accept the reality of this post.
Yes- Jesus is spoken about much
in the Quran.
The prophet Muhammad respected
Jesus.
Jesus can become- should become-
all that he was intended to become- that is he died for you guys too.
Right now in the Muslim world
there is a movement going on- it’s highly debated in Christian circles.
The movement is many Muslims are
receiving Christ in this way- and staying Muslim.
Yet- they are accepting the
Christian view of the death of Christ on their behalf.
As somewhat of a scholar type
guy- yeah- I see where the objections arise.
But as a real world person- who
is glad that I get many readers from countries where I know many Muslims live.
To you- go ahead- accept the
benefit of Christ’s death and resurrection.
Many Muslims have already done
this- many more will.
If you want to keep the other
good points of Islam- fine.
But don’t see acceptance thru
your ability to keep the law- no one can ultimately live up to that standard.
Jesus was the only one who never
sinned- his death on our behalf allows us to come into the presence God.
He died for all- Muslims- Jews-
Hindu’s’ the list goes on and on.
In today’s world- many of the
objections against Christianity are really objections against Western
Imperialism.
A thing I too reject.
That’s not the heart of the
Christian faith.
You can receive Christ- and keep
objecting to all the political ideas of the Western world.
Heck- Jesus railed against the
money changers [the rich capitalist pigs of the day].
In some ways- Jesus was the
ultimate Revolutionary who spoke truth to power.
Yeah- many radical’s- even
Al-Qaida could respect him for this.
That’s my appeal to Al-Qaida
today.
Glad some of you might read- keep
reading- that’s the point.
NOTE- There is a famous prophecy
about Jesus in the bible- it says ‘Gentiles shall come to your light- and kings
to the brightness of your rising’.
This also applies to the ‘rise’
of the church- the people of God.
But in context- the gentiles are
all the nations [even various religions- some are called Denominations] that
are not Christian- not considered benefits of the Covenant of God.
The apostle Paul teaches us that
we are all now part of the covenant of hope- we all now benefit from the
promises of God [Ephesians].
The point being- the bible speaks
about other groups- other nations- seeing the reality of Jesus and his kingdom-
and that these too will come to the ‘brightness of his rising’.
1961 What is the main message of
the bible?
I want to continue with the
strain of thought from the last post.
But first- some politics.
Yesterday Susan Rice pulled
herself out of the race for Secretary of state.
Obviously the president felt it
would be bad to have her at the center of a huge nomination process- being
she’s at the heart of the Benghazi scandal.
Okay- what’s the big deal?
Yes- once again- some on the left
side of the aisle [not all] have accused the other side of not being ready for
a Black woman secy of state.
Huh?
Yes- the pundits were out saying
‘when will the Repubs ever be ready for anyone but a White male holding the
office’.
You know- for the money these
guys get [MSNBC] you think they would maybe educate themselves on the main
subject of their job.
We haven’t had a White- male
secretary of state for around 20 years [last one was Larry Eagleburger].
As a matter of fact- the last one
a Repub president had- just happened to be a Black woman – with the last name
of Rice! [Condi].
Sad- these race baiters are
destroying the fabric of the country- and they are doing it on the altar of
vanity.
Sure- they think [make it sound like]
they are the defenders of the minorities- but they hold an elitist attitude-
one that has scorn for the rest of the country [outside the media market of
NYC].
At the end of the day- they
misinform their viewers- they believe that their racist charges are true- and
they incite a sort of ‘reverse racism’ by creating an underlying distrust of
those who are not like them.
Okay- in the last post I
discussed the main message of the bible- what the main purpose is.
Over the years- as Christianity
developed- the church had councils and meetings to hash out various
controversies.
Over time- these meetings
produced the historic creeds of the church.
Now- as a Protestant- I am not an
‘anti- traditional’ one.
I have read- taught- studied the
creeds and the councils- and I’m on the side of those who hold to the creeds.
But- this has tended to cloud the
main message of the New Testament.
Which is called The Good News.
What was the message the Apostles preached in the book of Acts?
The bible says they ‘preached the
word’.
This was not simply a ‘bible
message’ per se.
That is- they were not doing what
many modern preachers do- simply going thru the bible to find various verses-
about all types of subjects- and then making application.
No- they were preaching Christ-
they were telling the world of their day that Christ came as the promised
Messiah and died and rose again.
Then they told the people if they
had faith- and they became followers of ‘This Way’- they would be justified by
God- in a way that the law would not be able to do.
This is the heart of the New
Testament message- that people are now saved by faith in the death and
resurrection of Christ- as opposed to the old way of Law.
This is the basic message- what
we call the good news.
But- like I said above- in the
world of politics and religion- this simple message has been obscured.
Many people reject Christianity
because of the hard line creeds and statements that came out of the church
councils.
Many object to the way the Church
has defined the doctrine of the Trinity.
Now- I’m with the creeds on this-
but I do understand how Muslims- Jews- and even many Christian ‘groups’ have
also had problems with the historic definition.
A friend asked me the other day
about the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Now- at first I had no idea why
he asked- but I told him I try and take a much more gracious position then you
might hear from the average Christian teacher.
I told him they did break away
from the historic position of the Trinity- but I also told him there have been
many believers- all thru the history of the church- that have done the same
thing.
I did a quick review of the Arian
controversy [not Aryan- like the racist group].
In the early centuries of the
church there was a famous Catholic bishop by the name of Arias.
He held to the same belief that
the present Jehovah’s Witnesses do- that Jesus was not God- in the same sense
that God the Father is God.
Okay- eventually the church
overruled him- but there was a time where this belief was widely accepted- and
taught- in much of the church.
Till this day there are entire
groups of Christians that never rejected this initial belief- and they have
been around since the days of Arius.
So- when discussing this with my
friend- I tried to say I do understand how other religions have a problem with
the historic way we have defined the Trinity.
He then told me his dad- who was
a heathen his whole life- married a wonderful Jehovah Witness woman later in
life- and he has become a devout believer.
So- in a way he was glad to see
that even though the church does not believe the same way his dad believes- yet
at the same time- there have been- and continue to be- many sincere believers
who have had the same ideas as his dad and step mom.
Okay- said all that to say this.
Many good Muslims- who try to
serve the Lord to the best of their ability- they see this doctrine as the
major point of Christianity.
That is- they do not see the main
message spoken about in the New Testament as the simple truth that God sent
Jesus as the Messiah- more than a prophet- though a prophet he was.
But he came as the fulfillment of
the promise that God made all thru out the history of Israel.
That someday a Messiah would come
and he would not just die for the Jewish nation- but for all people groups.
And that all those who are
struggling to please God thru their own obedience to the law- they are now free
from ‘the law’ and can come to God based on the obedience of Christ.
Now- this would later become a
debate- both in church history- and in the pages of the bible itself.
We read in the New Testament that
some were accusing the apostle Paul of teaching that we can go out and sin-
break the law- because we are now under grace.
Paul defended himself against
this charge- and said we- as children of God- do God’s will.
He did not teach it was okay to
break the commandments.
But- he did teach we are not
justified- made acceptable in the sight of God- thru our doing of the
commandments.
He taught that this system of
trying to please God thru the obedience of the law was flawed from the get go.
Simply because all men are
sinners- and no man could ever keep the law 100%.
Therefore God made a New Covenant
with man [as opposed to the Old Covenant which was based on the law and works].
In this new ‘deal’ Jesus dies for
the sins of the whole world- and all who now believe are forgiven by God and
have eternal life.
This is a free gift that God
gives to man based on the death of his Son.
Jesus said ‘For God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son- that whoever believes in him will not
perish but have everlasting life’.
This is the Good News- this is
the main message of the bible.
When I hear people of other
faiths- or even people who have joined various sects of Christianity- when I
hear them have sincere objections to the Trinity- or to some other doctrine- I
try and bring them back to this main message of the bible.
This simple message of Christ
dying for the sins of men- and freeing man from the struggle of trying to
please God by keeping the law- that’s the old Testament that is no longer in
force.
Paul the apostle wrote the
Corinthian church and he said he was worried that satan was blinding their
minds form the SIMPLICITY that is in Christ.
I have found this to be true over
the years- many people have all types of objections to Christianity.
Some have to do with politics and
the Western world.
Some have to do with the way the
church has come to define certain doctrines.
But for the most part- many of
these well meaning objectors have never really understood what I just showed
you- that none of these things are the main message of the bible.
No- the main message of the bible
is that because of Christ we now have a New Covenant with God.
Not one that is based on our
ability [or inability] to keep the law.
No- that was doomed from the
start- no man could do it.
But this New Deal we have is
completed in Christ- we can come boldly to the throne of grace- because Jesus
made the way.
1962 VIRGIN BIRTH
I wanted to close up the last
couple of posts on the common misunderstandings of Christianity and Islam.
But also mention a few things
about the halfway house.
Okay- the last misunderstanding
between Muslims and Christians is the term Son of God.
This term is found in the New
Testament- and around this time of year we celebrate the Virgin Birth as well.
Strict Muslims are not supposed
to see- or ever read this term.
Why?
Islam teaches that to say Jesus
is the Son of God- that it denotes a sort of sexual relationship between God
and man [woman].
Of course the church does not
teach this- when Christians say – Son of God- they are speaking about Jesus in
a unique way.
He ‘came out’ from God- was
‘Generated’ from God- in a way that no other creature can lay claim to.
Now- when the church uses this
statement ‘first begotten of God’ or ‘the first born among many brothers’ [both
found in the bible].
The church is not saying that
Jesus was the actual ‘first created being’ from God.
Okay- I know this gets a little
tough- but it’s hard to clear up the misunderstanding without a little
theology.
So- historically- the church
interprets these terms as meaning Jesus has the first place- the Preeminence
over all creation.
Grant it- those who reject the
Christian teaching about the Deity of Christ- they think the church is denying
the bible- in these areas- when she says these terms do not mean Jesus was
created.
To be fair- I think the New
Testament does tech that Jesus is not a created being [John 1:1- The Word was
God- speaks about Christ].
But I also see how others can
view these verses differently.
The main point today is the
church does not believe that Jesus was the product of a sexual physical
relationship between God and Mary.
No- Son of God means- to the
contrary- that the Holy Spirit came upon Mary in a non physical way- and she
became pregnant- thus ‘The VIRGIN Birth’.
But- because devout Muslims are
forbidden to read this term- Son of God- some have made New Testament
translations that leaves the term out.
Instead of ‘Son of God’ these
bibles say ‘he that was generated from God’.
Okay- it kind of means the same
thing- I’m not against making the change [though some are- because it is not an
actual translation form the Greek].
But if it’s done so Muslims can
read the New Testament without violating their faith- then I’m for it in that
limited use way.
Okay- obviously Christians and
Muslims have many other things they see differently- but in the last 3 posts I
wanted to hit on some of the main things.
Often times when studying
different religions- we [as humans] have a tendency to read what others have to
say about a group.
But it helps- a lot- if you read
what the group itself actually says.
Now- you still might find some
shocking stuff- stuff that is downright in opposition to your faith- but if you
read it straight from the ‘horses mouth’ at least you know you’re not opposing
something that the other group might not even believe!
Okay- I guess we’ll skip the skip
the few things about the halfway house.
I wrote a couple of posts the
last week or so about my friend Huey who fell off of a pier and hurt himself
pretty bad.
He spent the weekend at my house-
he probably broke a few ribs- but does not want to go to the doctor so I put
him up for a couple of days.
All is going real well with the
halfway house- we already had a judge release an inmate to the house.
It’s kind of funny- the guy we
sent down to represent the house- Andy- was a drunk on the streets about a
month ago.
Yeah- it worked out well.
That’s it for now- figured I
would not post on the terrible tragedy of the killing of the little kids.
That story has already consumed
the news cycle- no need for more.
Talk to you later- John.
1963 NO BULL
Let’s talk a little about this
past week- and if I have time maybe hit on today’s House [of Rep’s] vote on the
millionaire tax increase [which should be an Obama dream come true!]
Okay- over the weekend I had one
of the street guys stay over.
Huey fell and probably broke a
few ribs- he’s been struggling in the camp and called around 4:30 pm on Friday.
I was sitting at the halfway
house- which I helped start with Huey's brother- John David.
I was talking to my friend who
has terminal cancer- and was getting ready to go home and take the weekend off
from ministry stuff.
That’s when Huey called- so to be
honest it was a sacrifice to bring him home- and give the weekend to ministry
stuff.
But- earlier in the day Henry
mentioned the story of the Good Samaritan- how he put the man up- paid for his
bill at the hotel [Inn] and went out of his way for the man.
When I got the call- I knew I was
supposed to do it.
It’s funny- every time Huey comes
over- if he leaves some type of trinket- there is always a sign to the thing.
Because he’s homeless- he has his
stuff all over the area- maybe some clothes at another friend’s house- he’ll
leave his guitar over here [hanging on the wall].
So- when I came back from my trip
to N.J. - I brought back a walking staff/stick that I found in the park where I
grew up.
I stuck it here at my house- in
the room I use for the street guys.
I have all types of biblical nick
knacks in the room- verses on the wall- stuff like that.
So- I was looking for a couple of
little angel pins a few weeks ago- was going to use it on one of these walking
staffs that I made [not ‘girly’ angels- but saint Michael the Archangel- you
know- tough stuff!]
So- Huey spent the night a while
ago- the next day I go I to clean the room- and sure enough- he left a hat on
the stick- and the hat had 2 angel pins on it [I could not find them on my own
by the way].
So- after this last weekend stay-
before I clean the room after the guys spend the night- I usually write and do
my blogging in the morning.
That morning I read some of the
Psalms and wrote down a verse about Bulls.
It’s a common theme in the bible-
it actually fits in with the posts I did last week.
The Psalm says God is more
pleased with the sacrifices of praise and worship than he is with the offerings
of ‘Bulls and Oxen’.
Okay- the point is God did not
really want animal sacrifices- he wanted our hearts.
Today- in the New Covenant church
that we all belong to- we have no more animal sacrifices- Jesus died for us on
the Cross and he was the final sacrifice for the sins of man.
The apostle Peter writes we now offer the
sacrifices of praise to God- the same theme we read in the Psalms.
So- I write down the Psalm on a
piece of paper and hang it on the wall.
I start cleaning the room- and
Huey must have broke a belt buckle- he left the 2 pieces of the broken buckle
in the room.
They were 2 Bulls.
After I hung up the Psalm- I
stuck the bulls to the wall.
Yeah- true story- no bull.
[Actually ‘no bull[s]’ means we are now living
in a new age of grace and praise- no more need for animal sacrifice- get it?]
Okay- I have not written much
about the news lately- though there is always stuff going on.
I mentioned a few weeks ago it
looked like the president was really not looking for a deal with the House
Repubs- not like in the past.
He seemed to have abandoned the
idea of serious cuts to entitlement programs- and simply wanted to win a
political feud to raise taxes on- quote- ‘millionaires and billionaires’.
Now- in reality- the president
and many other Dem’s have said that they just want to raise taxes on the ‘rich’
and not do any cutting.
But the Repubs have never agreed
to this.
So- the last few weeks that’s
what they have been haggling over.
It looked like Obama was gonna go
over the ‘cliff’ and let the Repubs take the blame.
So- as a counter punch- the Repub
house is going to try and pass a bill today that will raise taxes on
millionaires- and that’s it.
Huh?
In essence- the bill would let
the Bush tax rates expire on everyone else- except ‘Millionaires and
Billionaires’.
Look- I have watched this stuff
for years- if Obama really means what he says- this is looking a gift horse in
the mouth- this is what has said he wants- and in the past he would never- ever
get a deal like this- without entitlement cuts.
Is he going to take the deal- by
making the Dems in the senate vote yeah?
No.
He said it’s a game- a ploy- and
they are already saying it’s no good.
This tells me he really does not
want what he told us- ‘millionaires and billionaires’.
No- at this point- he wants to
win the game.
Sure- we all know just raising
the tax rate on millionaires really won’t raise enough revenue- but he has not
played it that way this last year.
He has the average American
thinking all he wants is to raise taxes on millionaires.
Well- if that’s what you say you
want.
Then Merry Christmas Mr.
President- from John Boehner.
NOTE- in Revelation chapter 4 we
read about a beast vision that the Apostle John saw- the image had 4 things to
it- 2 of them were a Calf [bull] and an Eagle.
One of the church Fathers taught
that these images are types of Christ- sort of like the 4 gospels can be seen
in these images of 4 beasts.
I find it interesting that Huey
has left me 2 of these 4 images already [Bull and Eagle].
Let’s see what’s next.
1964 LETS ARM OUR KIDS!!!
As we end the week- lets hit a
few hot topics.
By the way- the chapter for the
week was Jeremiah 33.
Okay- we are still here.
Yes- the Mayan calendar thing did
not pan out.
I always had my doubts-
especially after I saw a short clip about a year ago.
Some guy was interviewing an
actual Mayan expert [priest?]
He was the real deal- dressed up
and all.
The documentary was a serious
thing- not some comedy central skit.
The priest was asked ‘and what do
you think about the end of the world prediction’.
He says- I kid you not- 'that’s a
bunch of crap’.
Form the priest!
So- I always had my doubts.
Did you hear what the preacher
said?
He couldn’t believe people could
call for stuff like this- yeah- you tell em Harold [Camping].
Okay- the news.
The other day I posted about
Boehner’s Christmas present to Obama.
The Repubs were trying to pass a
tax raise on millionaires only- and kick the ball down the road on the other
stuff.
Now- that would have been a great
deal for the Dems- they said that’s what they want [but they really don’t].
Because when the Dems saw what
Boehner was doing- they hooped and hawed and swore they would never pass it in
the Dem controlled senate.
And if it passed the President
swore he would veto the thing.
So- some Repubs in the house
bailed out- and Boehner never passed it.
O my- you would have thought the
world was coming to an end- again.
The Dems were on all the shows-
saying how this is one of the greatest failures of all time- the Tea party are
even holding their leader hostage.
On and on.
So- last night Obama says ‘lets
just pass an extension of the tax cuts for the middle class- and 0 yea- lets
extend unemployment insurance’.
Huh?
Was this not the basic plan
Boehner just tried to pass- and you swore it was a disaster?
Sure was [Obama’s quick fix would
have raised taxes on lower incomes than Boehner’s- but still- it was the same
basic thing].
He only wanted to beat the Repubs
in the house- if he were serious he would not have threatened to veto their
bill in the first place- that’s a fact.
Okay- last night the NRA guy came
out with their delayed response to the tragic shooting in Sandy Hook.
I’m not an NRA guy- never was.
I actually listened to most of
the speech- on PBS.
He advocated for- be careful now-
putting cops in the schools.
Yeah- he was careful with the
language- he said COPS.
Okay- do I think his plan will
fly?
Not on your life.
Does he think it will fly?
Probably not.
Then why float it?
They want to turn the
conversation from just gun control to a broader one.
They want to talk about kids
being raised with video games that kill people.
Hip Hop songs that talk about
shooting cops.
They want to extend the
conversation beyond more gun laws.
Sure enough- MSNBC had short
clips on the screen ‘NRA WANTS MORE GUNS IN SCHOOLS’.
Stuff like that.
I guess they equate having armed
POLICE with ‘more guns’.
So- according to this line- if
you call the cops after a school shooting- you are irresponsible- you are
calling for more guns on the scene?
See- I don’t support the NRA
view- but when a media outlet purposefully lies- misleads the people- they
destroy as much as any right winger ever did.
One clip showed the words of the
NRA speech.
They then went to some mayor who
is the head of ‘mayors against illegal guns’.
The clip of the speech said ‘lets
put cops in the schools so if another deranged person comes in to kill kids-
the cop can be there as a deterrent’.
Okay- have cops stopped people
from shooting people before?
Just about every day.
When a cop comes to shoot a bad
guy- do we usually call that ‘bringing more guns to a spot that already has too
many’?
No.
So- after the clip- the mayor for
gun control said ‘how insane- he thinks the answer to having too many guns on
the street is more guns’!
Actually- what the mayor did- and
Msnbc and the others- they answered their own question.
The NRA guy did not say he
thought this was the solution to having to many guns on the street.
He said it might prevent another
shooting- which- in reality- it just might.
But the media- the mayor- they
wanted you to think that the NRA- the ‘right wingers’ that they want more guns
in schools.
That they want ‘security guards’
in schools.
Yeah- MSNBC did not use the
actual term ‘More cops’ no- they wanted you to think ‘security guards’ and
teachers- and who knows- even arm the kids!
Yeah- keep playing the game-
nothing gets solved- you breed dissension in the country- and at the end of the
day- you harm the country.
So John- you are for the right
wingers?
No- in no way.
I’m for telling the truth- on
both sides.
I am not against a ban on the 30
round clips.
I am for the ban on ‘assault
weapons’ [though in reality- they are simply semi automatic guns- they just
look more like a military weapon].
I’m for having fewer guns on the
streets- but we live in a country whose founding document gives the right to
have guns to its citizens.
Because of this- we will never be
an Australia that bans all guns.
So- in the Sandy Hook shooting-
the kid got the guns from his mom- who legally owned them.
She lived in a state with some of
the most strict gun control laws in the land.
So- when sick people decide to
get a gun- they get it.
If we totally banned all guns-
would that reduce the threat?
Yes- because the deranged kid
would have to use another weapon- and if he did not have a gun to steal- then
yea- he would not be able to do this type of damage.
So- there are points to be made
on both sides.
But when the media- when MSNBC
describes the position of the right as wanting more guns- more guns in schools-
more guns for teachers- and heck- the right thinks the answer is more guns for
everyone!
When all the man said was ‘lets
have cops in the schools’.
Then we will get nowhere.
Because the uninformed [the viewers
of MSNBC] will have no idea what the real debate is about.
1965 JUST ASK
I should have covered this
chapter last week- but I’m behind a little.
So let’s start the week with a
famous verse.
“Call unto me and I will answer
thee and SHOW THEE great and mighty things that thou knowest not”.
Jeremiah 33:3.
This chapter deals with the
restoration promises that God made to his people in the Old Testament.
The other week I did a few posts
about the main meaning of the bible- the message of Christianity.
One of the main themes of the
bible is the promise of a coming Messiah- someone who the Jewish nation was
looking for- he was a future deliverer.
In this chapter the prophet talks
about the promise made to King David- that there would be a Son from his
genealogy that would someday sit on the throne of David.
In the New Testament we see the
promise fulfilled thru the coming of Christ.
If you carefully read the book of
Acts- the main preachers [Peter and Paul] speak about this Davidic promise
being fulfilled thru Jesus.
Jesus came from the lineage of
David and he was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of God.
Okay- Jeremiah is preaching to
the Jewish people during a time of captivity- the people are in bondage- again [Remember
Egypt?]
In order to encourage them he
tells them God has not forgotten the promises he made to them.
He says he will restore them- he
will fulfill the promise to David- and there will ‘never fail to be someone
form David’s house to sit on the throne- a Branch will grow up from David’.
When the apostles Paul/Peter talk
about this promise to David in the New Testament- they say it must be speaking
about the resurrection of Christ- because it says a Son [Jesus] will sit on the
throne forever.
How can there be a king who takes
the ‘job’ forever?
Because this king has an
everlasting life- seated in the position.
Get it?
So- the whole chapter is simply a
reminder to a depressed people- people heading for their own ‘fiscal cliff’ and
yet- there is still hope.
A few weeks ago I wrote a post
about getting a special ring from a friend- it has the words ‘Trust God’ on it.
So- with my history of losing
rings- I made sure that this one stays on most of the time.
I only take it off when I shower-
and it goes back on.
The other morning I woke up- and
the first thing I realized was the ring was gone.
No!!
I mean I looked all over for it-
turned the house upside down- went to the van- traced my steps- the whole 9
yards.
So- after about an hour- I knew
what needed to be done.
We all know- but we get mad- and
we don’t like to do it.
Yup- I prayed.
‘Lord- this week I’m reading
Jeremiah 33- and it says to call unto you and you will show us stuff we don’t
know- so here it goes- what happened to the ring?’
So- my daughter says ‘dad-
someone will find it- it will show up’.
Yeah- I knew I had to wait- but I
really did not want to.
So- I’m thinking ‘who will find
it?’
Then- when I wake up the next
day- I’m doing some dishes the morning- and I have a thought.
When I was at the halfway house I
worked on the toilet- and I’m sure I took my ring and watch off.
Now- I had the watch- but maybe I
left the ring?
I called the guys and asked
around- there were a bunch of people there that day.
I waited a couple of days- and
when I went to the house- sure enough little Charlie found the ring.
See- the verse doesn’t say ‘call
unto me and I will bring it back’- it says ’I will show you things you don’t
know’.
I didn’t know I took the ring
off- I didn’t remember it- so the answer was God showing me something I forgot.
Okay- try and read the chapter
this week- it’s a great chapter.
Pay attention to the promises
that God is making to the people.
The promises that God will work thru
their families- he will restore the things that are broken- fix stuff.
We all need those types of
promises.
And if you are stuck- pray the
verse- verse 3- and see if the Lord will show you something.
Maybe not an outright miracle-
but just a thought- something you might have overlooked.
Often times that’s the answer to
the prayer- it works.
1966 WERE WALKING TO ZION
Merry Christmas to all [and happy
holidays to you politically correct types].
I debated on posting today-
you’re normally obliged to do some type of Christmas thing.
But last night I was thinking
about an experience that one of the guys at the halfway house shared with me-
and I thought maybe we’d go with that.
And if possible- turn it into
some type of Christmas story.
Okay- over the past few years I
have developed all sorts of images- scenes- bible verses- they are here in my
office and in my backyard.
These are simply reminders for
prayer.
For instance- in my yard I have
this gazebo- it has all the names of the guys I have prayed for- for years.
I have the thing looking like a
modern day Tabernacle of Moses.
Huh?
Yeah- in the Old Testament we
read about this Tent system that God ordained when the people were in the
wilderness.
It’s called the Tabernacle of
Moses.
It was simply this 2 room
portable tent- with various items of worship in and around it [the courtyard
was the outer area].
So- in my ‘remake’ I have sort of
the same things- I even covered this gazebo with outdoor hanging material- you
know- like a tent.
I also started playing my
harmonica every day- I started this about a year ago.
Now- I’m no musician- but I read
some verses over the years that seemed to incorporate this type of harmonica
‘prayer’ in with regular type prayer.
Okay- last thing.
This last year I started making
staffs- yeah- you know- things that people carry around while they are walking.
I even brought one or 2 down to
the mission- I was carving on them while hanging out with the guys.
So- right now I have 5 of them-
and they surround all these spots I mentioned.
So- that’s sort of the imagery
that I feel the Lord gave me- ways to see the community of people when praying
for them.
Okay- I’m talking with John Boy
the other day.
John Boy is one of the first guys
to stay at the halfway house.
He’s dying of cancer- and he
kinda came with the idea that he would die while staying with us.
John was an addict for most of
his life- and is trying to ‘die clean’ [those are his exact words].
So- when I take the guys into
town to run errands and stuff- I take John too.
He loves getting out- you can see
his pictures on my Facebook page- he’s the one holding the ax.
So John tells me this story- this dream he had about
20 years ago.
He was climbing this mountain
[journey in life] and when he gets to the top- he could see all the other
people climbing their mountains too.
When you get to the top- you see
all these roads leading to one central thing.
It’s a tent- a ‘tabernacle of
Moses’ type [I asked what type because John is an American Indian- he told me
it was not an Indian type].
As all the trails are leading to
the tent- all the people are carrying staffs [Hmmm?]
As they near the tent- you smell
incense [which I forgot to mention- I’m always burning them- even now].
And last but not east- there is
this beautiful sound of a harmonica playing from inside the tent.
John does not remember what the
song was- I took his bible and outlined my ‘harmonica song’ from the book of Revelation
[it says those who overcame the beast stood on a sea of glass and had these
harmonicas/harps. There are multiple verses in the book of Revelation that I
get the idea from- but the actual words I use are in chapter 5 starting in
verse 9].
I marked the song and asked him
to read it later.
Yeah- I felt in many ways Johns
dream was prophetic- it had meaning.
Okay- now the Christmas part.
We read in the bible that Jesus
was the bread of life who came to us thru the Virgin Mary.
He was born in a lowly stable
[ark- box]- yet was Divine in nature.
A type of the Ark of the Covenant
that was in the Tent of Moses- it held the 10 commandments [Deity- Gods
character- inside a fleshly tent].
Jesus was God and man- not half
God and half man- but fully God and fully man.
That’s why the images with the
‘Moses tent’ had both Gold and precious metals- as well as the skins of
animals- showing a combination of deity along with humanity/flesh.
Over time the tent system would
be replaced with a temple- that was basically the tent in a more permanent
form.
This temple- built 2 times
[really 3- King Herod built the 2nd temple into this grand
masterpiece right before the time of Christ- it was the temple that the
disciples referred to when speaking to Jesus].
This temple had a huge veil- a
blanket type material that separated the 2 rooms on the inside.
This veil represented separation
from God- sinful man could not approach a holy God.
The high priest went alone once a
year behind the veil- and he would offer the blood of a sacrifice for the sins
of the people.
During the crucifixion of Christ
we read that an earthquake shook the ground-
and the ‘veil of the temple was torn apart- from top to bottom’.
This signified that thru the
Cross we now all have access to God- no more veil.
Yes- the whole thing pointed to
Christ- there are entire books written about all the things in detail- how they
all have meaning.
But for today- I’ll end with that
picture in my mind- my friend John has reached the top of the mountain- he
hears the harmonica playing- he smells the incense from the room.
Oh- one more thing.
John said when he got to the
tent- in his dream- that everybody left their walking canes outside.
There was no more need for them.
John the Apostle tells us that in
that day there will be no more crying or pain or anything like that.
Yeah- we will leave our canes at
the door.
Amen.
1967 I’M
JUST A RACIST- I GUESS?
I read a news article yesterday-
it was ‘fascinating’ to say the least.
It talked about the evil
congressional republicans.
[I’m an independent myself- just
sayin’]
It explained that they have 2
choices that they must make as a direct result of Obama Care.
They either have to eliminate the
Mortgage interest deduction- or eliminate the pre tax dollars for employer paid
insurance.
I had this benefit for 25 years
at the Fire Dept.
We called it the cafeteria plan-
each year we signed up for it and we paid our insurance premiums with pre taxed
dollars.
We never paid taxes on the money
we spent for the insurance.
Okay- I remember during the
health care debate- many who objected to Obama Care said that this would
happen.
You had not one single Republican
vote for Obama Care- it was a rare vote where major legislation that would
affect the entire country would be passed by a strict party line vote.
So- the Repubs voted nay- Obama
and the Dems voted yes.
Now- the point I’m gonna make is
simply one of media propaganda- I am not ‘anti’ universal health care- I was
for the more progressive [liberal] choice- I wanted health care- European
style.
So- just letting you know my
position.
The article yesterday made it
sound like the Republicans are solely responsible for the choice of either
eliminating the pre tax insurance benefit- or the mortgage interest deduction.
Yes- we have a Dem president- a
dem controlled senate- and the Repubs are in the majority in the house.
Every single Repub voted against
Obama care- yet- the actual people who did not want this- who warned that this
would happen- are now depicted by the media- and the president and Dem senate-
as the bad guys who are forcing a choice between the 2 options.
This is utterly amazing- that the
media can have so much power- to actually blame one side for something that
side never wanted.
And the other side- who wanted
the law- they are actually teaming with the media to say that the Repubs are
forcing this choice.
Now- for the average news
watcher- they believe the propaganda- they hear this stuff- and let it affect
them.
I posted last week that the
Repubs were going to try and pass a tax raise on millionaires- and ask for not
one single cut in spending.
This would have been a huge plus
for the president and the senate- who were trying to not cut anything while
raising taxes on the rich.
Boehner- the house Repub leader-
got his base mad- yet he would have forced the vote anyway.
But you had a couple of dozen
Repubs say that the president had already swore that he would veto it- and they
would be stuck with a vote to raise taxes on the rich- which would have hurt
them in the next primary.
So- they never passed the ‘plan
b’.
The next day- the president came
out and said ‘let’s try and pass a tax raise on the rich’ and we can settle the
rest later.
The exact thing that the day
before he swore to veto.
Then why did he say he would veto
the legislation?
Because what he is doing is
trying to win a game with the Repubs- he wants to gain the upper hand [not
saying he’s wrong- both sides do this- just showing you the game].
If the Repubs passed the
millionaire tax raise- which would have indeed hurt them with the Tea party
guys- then Obama would have to sign it [if he meant what he has been saying
‘lets tax millionaires and billionaires’] and then he would have signed a bill
that was passed by the Repub house.
So what?
He should have just signed the
thing- not threatened a veto.
[by the way- this was the exact
plan that both Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer wanted- they wanted to raise
taxes only on millionaires and over- because they have rich districts that they
represent].
Some of the Repubs said they
would not vote for the plan- because even if they voted for it- and Obama
vetoed it- the media would still blame the Repub congress.
They were right.
If the media are able to take a
law that not a single Repub voted for [Obama care].
And then blame that side for the
decision to either eliminate the mortgage interest deduction- or the Ins
deduction.
And then the side who voted for
Obama care- they are teaming up with the media to say ‘look what the Repubs are
doing’.
Then yes- the media will twist
the story to benefit them- the side that most of them vote for.
This is simply a lesson in the
media- the bias that exists- at times- on both sides.
When I read the article
yesterday- I saw right thru the game- because I write on this stuff- but there
are many who simply have no idea.
I’ll end with one example.
I told a liberal friend the other
day that I will wind up paying the Obama Care ‘penalty’ this year.
It’s about 700 bucks that I don’t
have.
Why will I pay it?
When I retired from the Fire Dept
in 2008- I had to drop my health Insurance.
It would have cost me 70% of my
monthly retirement check to have kept it.
So- I dropped it.
And as the ball bounces- within a
week- I noticed some stuff that really needed to be checked by a doctor.
I panicked and called my Ins
people to see if I could get back on- then I tried to get checked thru the VA-
I am a vet.
No luck.
So- after about a month of this-
I got mad and said ‘the heck with it- whatever will be will be’.
So- how did I get treatment?
Okay- don’t laugh- I went on
line- typed in what the problem was- and simply picked the least terrible possibility-
and then typed in what ‘free’ or natural remedies I could try to fix it.
Yeah- that’s what I have been
doing.
Now- do remedies like this work?
I have no idea- but just sayin’.
So- if I have to- I spend around
120 bucks and take the hit and make a doctor visit.
[by the way- people- like me- do
not get free health care from the E.R. - that’s false. If you go to the E.R.
with a possible long term disease- they simply recommend you to a doc and then
they do tests. If you do not have Ins-
you can’t go thru the process. And if
the E.R does any work- you get a HUGE bill. There is no ‘free health’ care thru
the E.R. - unless your poor and they can’t bill you].
That leaves me with 7 possible
out of pocket visits a year- for 700 bucks.
Oh yeah- I just got an Obama Care
tax raise for 700- that I don’t have.
My friend who I told the story
too could not believe that I was gonna get fined.
They watch MSNBC all year- and
they thought that everyone that was against Obama Care was a racist.
That those who opposed it just
could never accept a ‘Black Man’ in the White House.
I told my friend that what Obama
Care did for me was it leaves me a choice to get on line [when?] and choose
between an option of private insurers to get insurance.
This is called the Health Care
Exchange.
The govt. will pay for some of
the premium- but not all.
From what I know- I will still
have to cough up money I don’t have- so I will still have to pay the fine.
My friend whose already on govt.
care [all my buddies get Medicaid] had no idea that this was how Obama Care
worked.
That you get to choose from a
group- and you still have to pay- they thought it was some actual ‘universal
health plan’.
So- why would a person like me be
against it?
Because I just lost 7 doctors
visits- that I could not afford to lose.
I now will save that money for
the 'darn’ fine.
Yeah.
Were not all racists.
Some of us just wish we could
have used the money- even for the ‘on line’ drugs.
They still cost you know.
NOTE- I told my friend it was sad
that they never heard about the Health Exchanges- which is what Obama Care
actually is.
They spent a whole year watching
MSNBC.
They heard how all who were
against it were playing ‘dog whistle racism/politics’.
That those in the south can’t get
passed the Civil War.
They heard this ‘stuff’ for a
whole year- and never once learned what the plan was.
That’s why I say outlets like
MSNBC are destroying the country.
They were ‘taught’ that people
like me were racists- because why else would any sane person be against Obama
care?
1968 7 PRINCES TO THE RESCUE
I want to try and comment on
Micah chapter 5- an Old Testament prophet.
But first a few other things.
Last night I was watching Fox
news- and Greta mentioned the top stories of the year.
Lots of the news shows do this
every year.
I thought- in general- that it’s
harmful to re-tell the school shootings- over and over again- right at this
time.
In our media world there is a
sort of voyeurism that takes place- we want to see- hear- the actual events-
over and over again.
Sometimes after a tragic event-
maybe it’s already a few days old.
And some network will get hold of
the actual 911 call- and run that as the news ad during the day.
‘Hey look- tonight we have the
actual call’.
Oftentimes it’s the call a parent
made when she found her kid was killed- or some other tragedy.
We do not need to air that type
of stuff.
Anyway Greta said she thinks that
‘Africa will be the top story of this new year- not the Arab Spring’.
Okay- I know my liberal friends
are mad at me- some ‘un-friend’ me and stuff.
Because I have been hard on the
Dems.
But this time I’ll be hard on
Fox.
Who remembers the Arab Spring
posts I did last year?
The 3 nations that ‘sprung’ were
Tunisia- Egypt- and Libya.
All these nations border each
other on the Mediterranean sea- on the North part of the African continent.
In short- all the Arab Spring
nations are Africa- so far.
The only possible one that’s not
African is Syria- and it hasn’t ‘sprung’ yet.
So yeah- we should not always
believe what we see on the tube.
Okay- Micah 5 is the chapter for
this week.
It has the famous prophecy that
out of Bethlehem Jesus will come.
It speaks about Bethlehem as a
small- po dunk type town.
‘You are the least in Judah- yet
from thee shall he spring forth who is to be the ruler’.
See?
Jesus hailed from the wrong side
of the tracks in many ways.
Galilee was also a sort of
underclass area- Jesus and his men spoke Aramaic- which was kind of a lower
class language.
A sort of Ebonics of the day
[ouch!]
Yet- from that spot where it
seemed no good could come- yet good did come.
A couple of verses caught my
attention.
‘Daughter of troops- gather
yourself into troops’.
And ‘When the enemy comes into
the land you will raise up against him 7 shepherds and 8 principal men’.
When I read these verses this
week- I applied them to the halfway house ministry we started a couple of
months ago.
Often times in scripture we read
symbols- things that might use warfare imagery- yet they are not talking about
‘killing’ the way we think.
One of the tragedies of our time
is we have too many religious people who have never made this distinction.
And even in the church we hold to
many ideas- that come from images about war- that are only symbols- but some
teach them as actual war.
In the book of Revelation the
apostle John talks about the Christians overcoming the enemy.
It talks about a battle- Jesus on
a White horse- a sword coming out of his mouth.
When Evangelicals turn these into
actual war prophecies- they do damage to the truth.
I mean the image of a sword from
Jesus mouth is understood as the Word of God.
So Jesus ‘slays his enemies’ with
the word of God.
Does Jesus actually kill them?
No- when people accept the
message of Christ- they get baptized.
Baptism is a type of death to the
old man- and life to the new.
So- the images of those being
killed by ’the sword from Jesus mouth’ should be seen in this way.
[Or as a type of end time
judgment that Gods word carries out- Jesus said ‘the words that I speak to you’
will judge you in the final day.]
Revelation says those who ‘died
the first death and had part of the first resurrection’ the second death has no
power over them.
All who are in Christ have died a
sort of ‘first death’ on these- the 2nd death [when you die] has no
power.
The writer of Hebrews says Jesus
delivered us- who thru fear of death were all our lives in bondage.
Those who have died the first
death- who have joined themselves unto Christ and are 'crucified’ with him.
Yeah- on these the 2nd
death has no power.
Okay- I could go on and on like
this- but the point is we as believers need to be careful when we teach the
verses that speak about killing- death and swords.
Often times they are not to be
taken literally.
So- when I read that God raises
up ‘7 princes’ against the enemy.
I realized- at the halfway house-
there are a total of 7 of us working together in the ministry.
I liked that- God uses people-
princes- to come against the enemy.
How?
Okay- back to Revelation.
There is this image of Jesus with
7 stars in his hand- and it says these are the 7 angels of the churches.
Some see these ‘angels’ as church
leaders.
The Greek word means messenger-
and it can mean angels or people.
The point is- Jesus has these
people- these chosen ones- and he uses them as ‘weapons’.
That is- those who are sent into
the world with the message of the gospel- these are in a way soldiers for the
Lord.
But they don’t go out and kill
people in the literal sense- but when they carry the message of the Cross- and
when others believe in that message- then yes- those who believe and are
baptized have died in a way.
The apostle Paul says ‘I have
been crucified with Christ- never the less I live- yet not I but Christ lives
in me’.
So yeah- when the enemy comes in-
God sends messengers against him.
These messengers too have
‘swords’ in their mouths- they speak the Word of God.
And yes- every so often they
‘kill’ people- that is- those who hear the message- they die a sort of ‘first
death’.
They die to the old man- the old
nature.
They are raised with Jesus also-
to walk in a new way.
Yeah- on these- the next death
will have no power.
NOTES- I also wanted to mention
yesterday’s ruling by Supreme Court justice Sotomayor.
She ruled that the Catholic
owners of Hobby Lobby must either provide birth control thru their company- or
start paying a 1.3 million dollar a day fine.
I remember when the debate was
going on about Obama Care.
Many good people—Bishop Tim Dolan
from N.Y. and others.
They were assured by the
president himself that the religious views of Catholics would not be trampled
over by the new law.
Yet- since the law passed- many Catholics
have already been affected by the law in a negative way.
As most of you know- the church
teaches that birth control is not an acceptable practice for Catholics.
Now- being raised as a Catholic-
and now a Protestant- I do realize that many Catholics do not obey this rule.
But- others do.
It is sad that the Obama Care law
does indeed trample over the rights of Catholics.
When a law forces a Catholic to
provide something that goes against their conscience- that’s wrong.
The president and his supporters
swore that this would not happen- tell that to the owners of Hobby Lobby as
they start writing checks for 1.3 million- every day!
1969 CLIFF DIVING
Jack n Jill went down the ….
Actually- Obama and Boehner went
over the cliff ….
Yeah- last night the Dems in the
senate passed a compromise of sorts.
But- we did actually do the
‘cliff’ thing- the house has not passed it yet- but it’s not as bad as the
media made it sound.
I fell asleep early and didn’t
catch the whole scoop- but from what I saw it looks like they are gonna raise
taxes on those who make over 400 grand a year and try and settle the rest
later.
It really was just kicking the
ball down the road- and letting the president get some of what he wanted-
though those on the hard left- and right- are not happy.
Okay- the past few weeks as I
have been doing the halfway house with my friend John David- I have been kind
of teaching a chapter of the bible each week to the guys.
It is funny how every chapter I
read for the week seems to have some type of personal ‘word’ for what we are
doing with the house.
For instance- a couple of weeks
ago the chapter was Jeremiah 33.
I told the guys the other day
that I felt it was no coincidence that a lot of the guys we are working with at
the halfway house are all relatives of David.
John David was a long time addict
in the area where I live- he has 5 or 6 generations all living right around me.
I helped his brother's [Andy]
granddaughter the other day- her name is Kayla.
Plus- she has a cute 2 year old-
so I see her every now and then.
At the house- we have Little
Charlie- Big Charlie- John Boy and Andy.
All related to John David- minus
John Boy.
So- I felt like it was a family
thing as well as an open ‘house’ for others.
So- Jeremiah 33 speaks about the
promises of God to ‘David and his house/family’.
It says there will never fail to
be a family member who will be a part of ‘this house’.
Now- the promises are actually
speaking about the Davidic covenant/promise that God made to the great Jewish
king- King David.
These promises play a very
important role in the history of salvation.
I wrote on this a couple of posts
back- basically God promised king David that he would set a Son upon David’s
throne- and this Son would hold the position ‘forever’.
The Apostles in the book of Acts
saw this promise as being fulfilled thru the death and ascension of Christ to
the right hand of God.
So- that’s what the chapter in
Jeremiah is actually speaking about.
But I also felt like the Lord was
giving us confirmation about what we were doing as well.
See?
It is important- very important-
to make this distinction.
When people begin ‘seeing’
themselves as the actual fulfillment of some bible promise- like the prophet
Jeremiah was actually- in context- speaking about them- then that’s not good.
David Koresh- right up the road
from me in Waco- made this tragic mistake- and we have all seen the end result.
Koresh believed he was the
fulfillment of verses found in Revelation- he took his new name- Koresh- from
an actual figure in the Old Testament [king Cyrus].
When people go down that road-
it’s not good.
But- to apply stuff like the way
I was doing Jeremiah 33- I think is okay.
Now- when I shared this chapter
with John David- I told him a funny thing happened when I read it.
All the promises to David and his
family being involved with ‘the house’.
Well- in my bible- it does not say David.
It says ‘John David’.
Huh?
John- are you going Koresh on us?
No.
I told David about a year ago I
heard a preacher say ‘this year- start personalizing the promises in the bible-
write your name in the spot when a promise is made to someone else’.
So- I did that for about a week
and quit.
But- it just so happened that
this chapter was converted to say ‘John David’.
Yeah- I simply wrote my name over
‘David’ and all the promises were to ‘John David’.
Okay- was going to teach a little
more about these promises and how they are spoken about in Acts chapter 15- the
first church council.
Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.
For now- just hold tight- we have
to finish repelling down the cliff.
1970 UNTO YOU IS BORN…IN THE CITY OF DAVID…
Had a few things I wanted to
share.
These past few months- helping
with the halfway house has been ‘cool’.
Just a few notes;
I was telling my partner- John
David [partner in starting the house!]
That the Lord has been confirming
lots of stuff- when I’m helping with the guys the Lord opens doors that I have
been trying to ‘open’ for years.
On Facebook- over the years- I
have had a few old friends that I wanted to find.
One of my original buddies I came
to Texas with was Miguel Rodriguez.
We were best buddies as kids
growing up on the streets of Jersey.
So- I ‘led’ him to the Lord and
he became part of the little church I started in Kingsville.
Eventually he went back to
Jersey- married a great girl- and came back to Texas.
He had some boys [I had 4 girls]
and we were all friends- doing ministry- stuff like that.
He went back to Jersey again and
settled back home.
One day I got a call from his
wife- my friend had died.
It was sad- but I knew it was
coming.
So- over the years- as sort of a
‘pact’ I promised my friend that I would try and keep in touch with his wife
and kids.
As you can imagine- they were
some of the first people I looked for when I got on line.
Could never find them.
So- as I have been helping at the
house- who my buddy David started- I kept telling him that the Lord has been
blessing me ‘in the House of David’ [a spin-off from the last couple of months
posts- you’ll have to read them to get the full idea].
So- I tell David I was listening
to some radio preacher and he quotes the famous Christmas verse ‘for unto YOU
is born this day in the CITY OF DAVID a Savior’.
I told him I felt the Lord was
saying ‘see- I’m blessing you- fulfilling promises to you in David’s
house/city’.
Okay- I got it.
Then I tell him I was sitting at
my house- thinking the guys would text me- someone always needs something- but
no texts- huh?
So- it was a Sunday- I was doing
my normal fasting thing- trying to not eat till at least 3- praying and reading
and stuff.
To be honest- I felt like it was
a waste of time.
Then finally- my phone does the
buzz sound- you know- when someone text’s you.
Finally- a bite!
I look at the phone- it says
‘LuAnn Rodriguez sent you a friends request’.
I was shocked.
I’m now friends with her and her
boy Joshua- yeah- I kept the pact.
So- I tell my buddy John David
about the verse and how the Lord worked it out.
He tells me ‘hey- just yesterday
some neighbor gave me a card with that verse on it’.
Sure- it’s common on Christmas
cards.
He gets the card- he really does
not know the people- even their last name.
I open the card- it was the verse
I associated with the above family- and the card reads ‘Merry Christmas- from
the Rodriguez family’.
Okay- one more.
I was at the halfway house the
other day- and somehow we started talking about past experiences of drugs- and
bad experiences.
One of the things David shared
reminded me of a bad overdose on acid as a kid- the story was almost identical
to David’s.
I shared what happened- and then
mentioned another incident about a friend of mine at the time.
Now- I haven’t told this ‘war
story’ in years- but I got into a very bad fight with my friend- and almost
killed the guy.
I saw him a few years later and
he has permanent scars from that night.
So- for some reason I was sitting
at the halfway house and it came up.
About 10 years ago I got an email
from a mutual friend of ours- he knew us both- and remembered him going to the
hospital after that night- and he wanted me to know that now he was in prison
for a very serious crime.
I read the crime on line- and it
reminded me of the old days- I even read the quotes from his cousin- who I also
knew- and it was like I was there.
So- he joined some biker gang-
they planned a bad crime- and there was an FBI undercover agent in the gang.
He got busted with his cousin on
the night of the attempted crime- right where we grew up- on 70 something
street in North Bergen.
So- I wrote him a couple of times
in prison- we made up after the fight years ago- and he was real glad to have
been in touch with me.
I sent him some old radio tapes
of me preaching and he got a kick out of hearing my voice- we never actually
spoke in 25 years- just a couple of letters.
So- I haven’t heard from him in
years.
The next day- sitting at the halfway
house with the guys- my phone rings.
Now- those who know me know I
never answer my phone.
For some reason I get it- its
‘C----h’.
I couldn’t believe it.
He just got out of prison- and of
all things- he’s in a halfway house in Newark- N.J.
I was telling David that I wanted
to try and branch out into N.J.- but I don’t know anyone with the experience of
being in a house in Jersey- someone I can visit and check out the scene and
all.
Well- not until now.
So- these are just a few of the
things that have been goin on.
Yeah- for unto you is born- ‘THIS
DAY- IN THE CITY OF DAVID..’
Yeah- I like the ‘City of David’.
How bout you?
1971 John Wayne Gacy or Manson?
Believe it or not- I have stories
about both of these villains!
Okay- today we’ll do Manson.
The other day we brought a new
guy into the halfway house.
When I first saw Bret he was bad-
I never saw someone with withdrawals so bad.
We talked for about an hour- he
told me some of his story and I told him I’ll post about it.
Bret is my age- 50- he has
hitched all over the country and has been to the local AA meetings on and off.
The other day David saw him at
one of the meetings and saw how bad he was doing.
He volunteered to go thru the
halfway house.
As I talked with him I told him a
story from the bible- I have found this one example to be helpful with a few
other people who have tried the 12 step programs before.
There seems to be a real sense of
hopelessness when the guys [or girls] mess up- especially after being clean for
a while.
So- the story is in the gospel of
John.
Jesus is with his men at the
meal- and he begins to wash their feet- an act of true leadership- being a
servant.
When he gets to Peter- Peter says
‘no Lord- I am not worthy for you to do this’.
Jesus says ‘if I wash you not-
then you have no part with me’.
Then Peter says ‘okay- then give
me a complete bath’.
Jesus says ‘he that is already
washed- does not need another whole bath- but just a foot washing- and then he
is clean just like before’.
I used this with a couple of
people already- right after they fell off ‘the wagon’.
And I told them that Jesus was
saying don’t lose all hope- don’t feel like all the ‘clean time’ served no
purpose.
He that is washed [had a period
of cleansing] does not need to start from scratch- in the sense that he needs
another ‘whole bath experience’.
No- he or she simply needs to get
a foot washing.
So- I found this helpful in a
couple of cases.
Yes- the goal is total sobriety-
whether from drugs or alcohol.
The apostle John said ‘these
things write I unto you that you sin not- but- if any man sin- we have an
advocate with the Father- Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the sacrifice for
our sins- and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.’
Okay- let’s get to Manson.
As I talked with Bret- I told him
that God has a purpose- even for those who seemed hopeless by the worlds
standard.
I told him I started praying for
people on death row- because even in those cases God can still do something for
his glory.
He agreed and told me when he was
in prison in California he was locked up with a couple of the guys from the
Manson gang.
One of the guys- Davis- gave him
a bible and became a real Christian while in prison.
Bret told me that Davis’ witness
to him got him into the bible for the first time.
So yeah- even a Manson disciple
has hope.
Jesus will even wash their feet.
NOTE- We visited Bret in the
hospital yesterday- he was so bad the Detox clinic could not admit him.
When the ambulance picked him up-
we found out later that he almost died that day.
He will be in the hospital for a
few days- going thru Detox- then he will move to the halfway house.
You know me with the pictures-
I’m sure I’ll be posting pics of Bret soon [on Facebook].
1972 MY
JOURNAL FOR 2O13 [also called- how to stop addictive behavior- for good!]
Today is February 2nd-
2013.
The reason you have not heard
from me in a year [if I stay on what I feel is God’s schedule].
Is because when leaders have
moral failures it is their responsibility to ‘retreat’ and have a time of real-
honest- evaluation.
So- being I’m an independent
blogger- with no real oversight [I do attend a fine church and have brothers
who I am very accountable to].
I asked the Lord how long I
should ‘go away’.
I knew I would at least take a
few months off.
But then I re-read an old book I
had on addictions- and the author [Christian based approach] suggested a
minimum of 1 year.
I took that as a word from God-
and as of today- I think that’s the way I will go.
So why am I writing on Feb 2nd-
2013?
Good question.
As I continue to pray- and seek
God- I felt the Lord released me to ‘journal’ in a way.
So- however many posts make up
this journal- I hope they benefit all my friends.
I do pray for every one of my
‘on-line’ community.
All the blog readers and Face
Book friends.
If I never mentioned this- I
believe that reconnecting to my old friends from New Jersey was a major
‘accomplishment’- that is- I always wanted to be able to share my story- the
ups and downs- for the benefit of my North Bergen friends.
I really love you guys- no joke.
Okay- what happened?
I don’t want to go into all the
embarrassing details- but it was another case [yes- I had a DWI a few years
ago] where drinking and sin went hand in hand.
I really did not [or do] remember
all the details [no joke].
I did- for real- have a blackout
out of sorts [not the first time- when I drink beer and hard liquor [crown] I
usually have blackouts].
But- when you have them [at least
me] when you wake up your not sure if you had a bad dream.
At least that’s how it works for
me.
When I was first confronted with
the act- I did not say ‘O no- you got the wrong person’ [denial]
But ‘you gotta be kidding me-
this is terrible’.
I went home- told my wife- and
from the start did not try and lie [that’s the truth].
You might think ‘that’s not the
way people respond John- are you holier than us!’
No- but that’s what happened.
Okay- there were some things that
were in question- whether the whole allegation was true- but because most of it was- I tried hard to not defend
one part- while knowing some was true.
I just chalked it up to my
decision to drink and drive- again.
Okay- how long have I been an
alcoholic?
I guess around 25 years.
I have drank- pretty heavily- for
those years.
Now- today is my ‘31st’
birthday [as AA says].
I only had 2 periods of non
drinking in all those years [at the meetings I hear many stories of people who
have had lots of 30-60-90 day chips- periods of time when they went sober and
reduced the damage to the brain- I never had those periods].
About 6 months ago I tried to
stop- I went about 21 days [an important number! I felt during this time- that
something was happening at 21 days- not 28 or 30. I made a note that in the bible- Daniel
prayed for breakthrough- and the angel Gabriel could not ‘break thru’ with the
answer for 21 days. As I have read up on
addictions- some say the main breakthrough happens when you abstain from an
addictive behavior- for 21 days].
Also about 10-15 years ago I had
a whole year of sobriety.
I just went ‘dry’ on my own with
God’s help.
Okay- it’s too early for me to
critique the 12 step/group movement.
I have attended 3 different AA
groups in my area- been to around 20 meetings.
One is sort of a high class
group.
Professionals and others who are
seeking sobriety.
I also went to what my friend
Bret calls ‘low brow’.
This group is sort of the Skid
Row group in town.
To be honest- I liked them the
best.
Then I went to the Anchor group-
not far from my house [by the Navy Base- Anchor- get it?]
There sort of in between.
Why am I sober now?
As a reader- of lots of stuff- I
of course noticed the Big Book [the basic text of AA- which is actually a small
book- so when my friend who gave me one kept asking ‘have you read the Big Book
yet’?- I told him ‘I don’t think so’ but I’m reading the little one you gave
me] is a very well meaning book- but a little dated.
I told my friend John David- who
I started the halfway housed with- o yea- you might think ‘how could you start
a halfway house when you too were an alcoholic’- because David asked!
I told him that it would benefit
all of us if we tried to read some more updated material on addictions- not
just the Big Book.
So- I went to half price books
and picked up a couple of more non AA books- that deal with addictions.
I also went on-line- which it
seems many of my AA friends [especially from the ‘low brow’ meeting] don’t have
the ability to do.
I began seeing that many of the
AA meetings would benefit tremendously if they expanded their reading to more
than the basic text [I’m sure some do- but I have some AA friends that seem to
not like this idea].
What’s wrong with the Big Book
John?
Nothing!
It’s just one part of
restoration- and the meetings [from what I see] do have a danger of not
cultivating a holistic approach to sobriety.
For instance- my friend David-
who was a drug/alcohol addict for many years- he swears by AA.
To the point where some
Christians- and preachers- won’t have much to do with him.
I was never like this- from day
1.
I told David I like the
accountability of the group [if you fail- then you have to face your brothers
and sisters- they ask you!]
That’s good- that’s biblical.
But there is also the danger of
defining your life by what you don’t do.
Let me explain.
Many in the low brow group-
though well meaning- seem to be in danger [as we all are] of simply seeing life
as a person who does not drink.
Though that’s a noble goal- that
can be achieved by Gods grace- yet you need to move on to seeing more than that
as a goal.
I know the AA does teach this
also- I’m just trying to give you an honest account of my journey- of what I
have seen in the meetings- that’s all.
Okay- I have already read 2 books
on addiction [besides the Big Book- I’m at page 350 or so] and just started my
3rd one.
The one I wanted to read was the
Alcoholism and Addiction cure by Christ Prentiss.
I have seen that one advertised
the most over the years- on the tube- and wanted to see his approach.
I try hard not to be judgmental-
but from the beginning of the book I could tell Chris believes strongly in
Eastern religions [which is OK- I have friends who also embrace this].
But- as a Christian- you will be
a little leery when you see that in a book that gives advice about addictions.
I finished the book in a few of
days and did like it.
I noticed a lot of the books do
have problem with AA.
Some are based on NOT BEING AA.
Some see the entire 12 step
movement as cultic- and an actual contributor to relapse [I will try and get to
this down the road- this is a real concern that I had felt- even before reading
any of the critics].
So- some of the other approaches
do not like AA because they do not like Christian based ideas of sin and a
‘higher power’.
Yes- some critics don’t like God-
at least not in the way historic Christianity defines him.
Others [I’m a few chapters in to
a book about the AVRT method- or Rational Recovery].
This book simply teaches a
technique to recognize the voice of ‘the beast’ [their words- not mine] in you.
And then teaches you to reject that
voice- for the other voice- the ‘real you’.
In many ways- this can be seen as
the biblical idea of rejecting the voice of the old sinful nature [the beast]
and hearing the voice of God- or listening to the ‘angel on your shoulder’ as
opposed to the devil.
So- all in all- I find that the
other approaches- who all preach total abstinence by the way- have good points-
just like AA.
One of the most helpful things I
learned [or re-learned] was why 28 days [or in some case- 21] is so important
in recovery.
A brief synopsis from all the
above stuff- and on-line reading- goes like this;
The brain of the alcoholic [or
other addictions- sex addicts- drugs- etc.]
Has become dependent on the
addiction- the brain has actually been ‘re-wired’ to function off of the
addiction.
It usually takes about 30 days
[yes- many sources say this- this is important for you to see!]
To ‘re-wire’ the brain back to
the old state- at least in some way.
The brain actually does not
repair the old parts that have been ‘addicted’.
I thought this was the way it
worked for years- that if you quit the addiction [yes- HEAR ME- many sources
say- teach- and have a track record of going clean- without the ongoing groups-
that is without an unhealthy dependence on other sources- be they well meaning
sponsors- or groups- etc.- while these
things do work for some- when they are held up as a must to stay clean- then
you need to have grace with people- I told David that there are many- many stories
of people who have ‘gone clean’ and stayed clean- without all the things that
the 12 step programs teach. If you
benefit from all the steps- good. But
there is a danger in making everyone think that they will never be clean
without all the steps- all the time].
So- what happens in the brain-
during that 28- 30 day period- is the other side of the brain will actually
create new pathways [Nuero Pathways] and will REPLACE the old addictive patterns.
Sort of like what happens in
people with brain damage- the part of the brain that’s not damaged will ‘make
up’ for the damaged part.
Now- as a Christian- this fits
into the biblical idea.
We are told to renew our minds.
To mediate on the things of God.
‘Commit thy works unto the Lord
and THY THOUGHTS will be established’ [re-wired].
But- for my readers who are not
Christian [who I appreciate very much- Muslims- Jews- eastern religions- etc.]
This works for you too!
Yes- there is much evidence that
ALL OF OUR BRAINS can get this re-wiring- if we simply abstain from any
habit/addiction- for around 30 days.
Now- you might be thinking ‘John-
you’re in dangerous territory- the Big Book says….’
Yes- I know.
I’m just trying to give you an
honest account of what I’m learning- and what many others have said- and done.
So- there is hope- for all of us.
Of course- even the ones who
advocate a non religious approach- will say- the first 30 days IS HARD!!
Yes- when the brain goes thru
that re- wring process- its hell.
That’s what we call withdrawal.
You experience that fight or
flight syndrome.
You overreact to stuff- you get
mad.
This happens in all the above
scenarios- the AA approach- the non AA folk- all of them say this.
This is part of healing- that
re-wiring of the brain.
Okay- as you can see- for the first
post of the 2013 ‘journal’ I have gone long.
My purpose in these types of
posts for this year is to help you guys- as I too get help.
I don’t have a sponsor [nor do I
feel like I will get one].
I had to tone down my attendance
at the meetings- some actually made me feel LIKE DRINKING- YIKES!]
All in all- I will continue on
this journey- I am now accountable to you guys- so- if I mess up- you will know
for sure.
And- when I return to the blog-
and Facebook- I will of course pick up where I left off.
I will continue- by God's grace-
to write.
I did have some really
interesting stories about the Halfway House- the friends who we met- and the
whole thing.
As of now- I [we- me and David
are the founders] don’t know if it will continue.
To be honest- I did not think any
of us were ready to launch it when we did.
But my buddy David- such a good
friend- I love him like brother.
He looked so desperate when he
asked me to join him.
Geez- the guy just had open heart
surgery- was diagnosed with PTSD- for real- because of the surgery.
And he was a street guy- a hard
drug addict- a murderer- who found grace.
How could I tell him no?
So we launched the thing- I told
David [a few times already!] that I feel as a teacher- blogger [he refers to me
as a preacher- I hate that! He means
well though].
That I need to be responsible and
‘self discipline’ myself because of my moral failure.
Most times when ‘preachers’ fall-
they reject any and all discipline- even if they do have oversight.
Being I really don’t have another
ministry over us- I felt I needed to ‘man up’ and pull myself back for a while.
As I began the year- I thought
for sure one month- then I felt the Lord wanted one year.
So- as of now- that’s the course.
I don’t want to write more than a
few of these a month- or else when I post the whole thing- it will be too much.
So- whenever you guys read this-
I’m still alive- I love you all and have never stopped praying for you.
If I have time- I’ll share more about
some of the friends I have made along the way.
I liked Bret- he had an
interesting story- I wanted to tell it.
We both had the same ‘clean time’.
Bret ‘went out’ the other day- he
went back to drinking- I felt bad.
So- as I learn the lingo- try and
be open and honest- I hope this whole experience helps you.
That’s all for now- God bless.
1973 CAN I QUIT MY ADDICTION- IN 30 DAYS?
Today is Feb. 4th-
2013.
I was going to limit my weekly
posts- but I do find the journaling beneficial so whenever I post these- I hope
they help all of you.
A few weeks back I was reading
Genesis 1.
I liked the passage where God
says he ‘saw the light- and it was good’.
He called the light ‘Day’.
Over the years I have liked the
scriptures that talk about the Day- walking in the Light- etc.
As I read the creation account-
and recalled the verses about the Day- I felt like God was saying to me ‘Son-
when I expose things- hidden sins- it’s painful at first- but when things come
into the light- it’s actually a good thing’.
So- in my recent ‘fall’ from
grace- I felt God was saying it’s good ‘God saw the light- and it was good- he
called it day’.
Now- some of the Day verses.
‘In the day I deliver you from
all of your iniquities I will cause you to dwell in the cities and the wastes
shall be built’.
‘There are 12 hours in the Day-
if you walk in the light you will not stumble’.
There are many more like this- but I think you get the idea.
So- when dealing with addictive
behavior- God says the Day- Light- is good- it’s good when things are brought
out into the open.
That’s one of the good things I
see with the AA meetings- things are brought out into the light- you share with
a community of like minded people- who too are seeking to be free from
addictions.
Now- as I am progressing thru the
3rd book on addictions- I see how there are many ‘addiction
specialists’ who have a real problem with AA.
When I picked up these books- and
read on-line- I was not looking for criticism of AA.
I simply read to about page 350
in the Big Book [AA basic text].
And wanted to get some more up to
date info on addictions.
But I noticed that some of the
alternative treatment programs were indeed very critical of AA.
The book I’m in now- Rational Recovery-
is an alternative to AA.
The main book for this group is
called the Small Book- a direct contrast to the Big Book.
Now- I’m about 100 pages in- and
to be honest- the book is quite refreshing.
The author- Jack Trimpley- was an
alcoholic who seems like he went thru the AA meetings and all- and decided to
simply ‘Quit Drinking’ without an overdependence on groups- sponsors- ongoing
steps- etc.
There program uses a technique
that I think I mentioned in the last post- it’s simply a tool to learn to
recognize your ‘addicted voice’ [when you start saying to yourself stuff that
will lead to drinking] and to learn how to ignore that voice.
In many ways it’s like the
biblical concept that says ‘resist the devil- and he will flee from you’.
Now- the funny things is- Jack’s
program is a counter to the Deistic [God based] approach found in AA.
Rational- for those not in ‘the
know’ is a description that counters ‘faith’.
That is- in the field of
theology- and the whole debate in Western thought [which I covered over the
years].
When you say ‘rational’- like the
Age of Reason- it springs from Enlightenment thinking- Back to Kant- and it’s
saying ‘we can heal ourselves! Reason is the answer’.
So- that’s Trimpley's approach.
Now- he gives cases- many
thousands of cases- where alcoholics were told – STOP DRINKING- it’s hard the
first month or 2- but if you abstain from it for a couple of months- the
‘addiction’ is gone.
Now- even before I read this
book- I began having some debates with hardcore AA friends- I would say ‘I am
benefiting from the group- I like the accountability’ and then there would be
pressure- well meaning mind you- but pressure to get a sponsor.
Or some would say ‘if you don’t
do everything this way- your gonna drink’.
Now- as I said before- I was [am]
not one of those Christians who opposed AA- there are many that do- I was never
one of them.
Many opposed it because they
speak of a Higher Power- okay- I’m open minded- I see how this can be a problem
for strong scholarly types- but I’m liberal too!
Others oppose the idea of
Alcoholism as a disease- the whole disease paradigm that developed since the
founding of AA back in the 30’s.
Now- one thing I learned is there
are also many in the medical community who too reject the idea of alcoholism as
– quote- Disease.
‘But John- the medical
associations agree that it is a disease.’
Sure- but just saying there are
many- not just some Christians- who do not accept this idea.
Now- if you’re in AA- right off
the bat- what I’m saying will seem like heresy- I know- I’m just trying to help
all of us see that there are many examples of people- from various
perspectives- who have rejected the lifelong idea of group meetings- they do
not believe that alcoholism is a disease- they do not say ‘I’m an alcoholic’
and yet- these people are indeed not using today- some for 30 years or more
[And they were indeed alcoholics- not simply drinkers].
Now- in my discussions with
friends- I did say that before AA- there were many cases of true Alcoholics-
back to biblical times- who simply repented of their sin [as they saw it] and
yes- stopped- to never drink again.
Does the bible say stuff like
this John?
Yes- many times over.
‘Repent- for the Kingdom of
Heaven is at Hand’ Jesus and John.
‘These things write I unto you
that you sin not’- Apostle John.
‘Resist the Devil and he will
flee from you’- James.
Okay- I could go on.
But the point I want to make is
yes- it’s not unreasonable- or even wrong- to tell the alcoholic ‘you need to
stop drinking’.
And it’s also not impossible for
him/her to do this act- to not drink- ever.
Yes- there are thousands of
testimonies of real problem drinkers- who fit all the categories of an
alcoholic- who simply stopped drinking.
Okay- I know this messes with
some paradigms that are out there.
And I’m trying to be very open at
this stage in my own recovery.
I have been sober since Jan 3rd-
of this year.
As of now- once I passed the 30
day mark [my mental struggle was strongest at 21 days] yes- there is great
relief of mind.
As lots of the literature on
addiction says- if you can stop doing an act- any act- for 30 days- it’s over.
Now- to some of you- you might
think ‘O- how I wish this could be true- to not have to be co-dependent on
lifelong groups- etc.’
Well- I’m telling you- it is true [If you
benefit from the groups- fine- I’m not against them. But when you tell people it is impossible to
not drink unless you attend them- all the time- that can be a problem. I had well meaning friends tell me they were
basically waiting for me to go out and drink- so I would come back more humble
and submit to the program- yikes!]
Not because I’m 30 something days
in- but because of all the other real life examples of people who have done
this.
Now- as a Christian- when I went
thru the first 30 days- there were 2 times where I was at the end of the
proverbial rope- and simply prayed ‘God- help- quick’.
In my mental state- I was going
to stop for my beer- I actually stopped- but bought some cigs instead and smoked
a few [by the way- I’m quitting all addictions at once- yes- on line porn-
smoking- etc.]
Now- were gonna get real in this
journal- for everyone’s benefit.
I stopped- yes 100%- looking at
on-line porn [and all others by the way].
Yes- I think this seems to be an
underlying addiction- maybe even stronger than the drinking and drugs [or a
root that leads to it].
It’s not spoken about openly in
the meetings- and from what I pick up- I think many are still addicted to the
porn because it’s not ‘in the light’ yet.
See?
God saw the Light and said ‘It
was good’.
So- were going to discuss this in
the coming posts- as of today- the only slip I had was about 5-6 cigarettes- in
the last 33 days.
That’s it.
I gave the rest of the packs to
my buddies at the halfway house [The 5-6 were from 3-4 packs- I would stop- get
a pack- smoke 2-3- then give the rest to me buddies].
Now I feel bad- one of the guys
never smoked the Marlboro Blacks- until I gave him mine- now he has a new
addiction to deal with!
Okay- I want these posts to help
all of you.
I’m not sure how my journey will
go this year.
As of now- I’m praying about a
move [for obvious reasons].
As I pray- I feel very strongly
like going back to N.J.
I was never open to this- I love
the N.Y. skyline- I love the Hudson [and Hacky!- my Jersey friends know what
this is].
So- I’m in February of 2013- and
maybe when you read these- I might be living in N.J.
Okay- that’s it for today- it
looks like I will be writing in this ‘journal’ much more than I thought.
I’m going to try and do a 30 day
test- that is- give people a forum to get everything out into the Light.
Some of you might be struggling
with addictions- like many of us.
If we do a 30 day test- those who
want to make a public ‘confession’ by simply posting a comment like ‘I’m in’
you will be able to do it [did your heart rate just go up? That means you need
to be IN].
In a way- it will be like an AA
meeting on line.
Okay- that’s it- talk to you
later- John.
1974
Feb 5- 2013
Caught an AA meeting last night-
got my first 30 day coin ever!
I’m actually past 30 days- but
didn’t get one on day 30.
It was kind of a good/bad time
mixed into one.
My good friend was there- who was
living at our little halfway house.
He ‘went out’ a few days back- we
had the same clean time together- so it was sad to see him.
He was very drunk- and wound up
sleeping behind the building where we meet.
This meeting- called Humility- is
what he calls ‘low brow’.
I have attended high class ones-
middle class- and this one.
He says it’s the Skid Row group-
sort of like the original gang that started AA.
So- I got the coin- and enjoyed
the time with my other friends.
Some of my friends have told me
that they did not realize how addicted I was to alcohol.
At this time- 35 or so days in-
you do very much see a real change in me.
I have gotten very edgy- have had
the ‘fight or flight’ thing going on.
And because I was what you call a
functioning drinker- I maintained a very long period of constant drinking.
Never had the 30-60- 90 day
‘breaks’ during my drinking years.
Because of that- you can see the
difference real clearly.
My friend David- who is really
into AA- tells me I’m the classic case- that I show every sign he has learned
about.
I guess that’s good in a way.
We do have a few friends- in and
out of the halfway house- these are young guys- early 20’s- or late teens.
We are glad they are there- but
when I shared with one of them the very real struggle at this point- he said
‘o- I never feel like drinking or anything- it’s all gone’.
He’s young- I felt like maybe
these younger kids- as well meaning as they are- might not really have the
addiction- and its effects- like us longer drinkers.
But that’s fine- we don’t judge
them- we are glad they are recognizing the danger early in life.
Okay- the prescription drug
danger.
A few days ago my mind was having
a difficult time- I felt like a Valium.
I did ask a friend if he had any
[I took one 30 years ago- that was the only time- from the ER].
He said they had some Xanax- he
could get me one.
I told him to wait- I really did
not want any hard prescription drugs.
That seems to be a problem with
some of the guys- they are not drinking- but are on a host of all types of very
strong drugs.
Some are also seeing the meetings
as places to meet people.
Now- meeting people is good.
But one of my friends told me
that some people simply use the meetings to pick up girls [or guys].
H said to me ‘John- they stopped
one addiction [drinking] for another [sex addicts]’.
I saw his point.
I have found the book of James-
in the New Testament- to be the most helpful during this time.
John David told me that the name
of the original group was ‘The James Group’ [ or the Oxford Group].
The letter of James [from where
the name came from]- written by the step brother of Jesus [not the apostle
James] is in a category we call Wisdom Literature.
Sort of like the book of Proverbs
in the Old Testament.
It talks about humility and
humbling ourselves.
Also resisting temptation.
‘Every man is tempted when he is
drawn away by his own lust and enticed- and when lust conceives it brings forth
sin- and sin- when it is finished- brings forth death’.
It shows you the cycle of
addiction in a way.
We need to recognize the process
from the start- and not allow tempting thoughts to be entertained.
In the last post I mentioned Porn
addiction as well.
Jesus said ‘the light [or
gateway] of the body is the eye- if your eye is evil- your whole body will be
full of darkness’.
When we look at lustful things-
there is a demonic attachment that embeds within our soul- our body eventually
wants to act out on what the eye sees.
All in all- I have found the
basic teachings of Christ- the things that we learned as kids- as helpful to
overcome all types of sins.
James also said ‘resist the devil
and he will flee from you’.
Yes- we can all try that one- the
hard core AA’ers- the ones who do not like the 12 step approach- yes- people
from all walks of life can practice this one.
May God help us all as we seek to
do it.
1975 CHANGE WHAT YOU THINK- SAY
Ok- day 35.
Yes- 35 days with no acting out
on my addictions.
‘You mean all of them’?
Yup.
Of course by God’s grace alone-
and a ‘little help from my friends’. [Real friends- not ‘Mothers little
helper’- yeah- Stones- Beatles- you older guys get it].
Now- why say ‘all my addictions’?
Remember about the Light- God
said ‘it was good’.
Yes- no drinking- NO on line porn
[or any other for that matter].
And yeah- no smoking either.
Now- for that last one- that’s
your choice.
I have found that for me- when I
drank and viewed porn- I also smoked a lot- 3 packs.
So- just being real with you
guys.
Now- as I continue reading about
‘addiction’ therapy- and the various studies and views on how to deal with it.
I find various things- from all
sides [pro AA- anti AA] that are helpful.
In one of the anti AA books the
guy talks about a practice they have found helpful.
When some went down the path to
getting ready to use- they ‘heard’ a voice in their head- and they would begin
to MOUTH things like ‘I’m going to get some beer right now’.
Maybe they began a process of
looking for the car keys- or stashing some cash for later.
The point was- they began
‘hearing’ the voice of addiction.
They began ‘saying’ to themselves
that they were going to do it.
The book recommends that at this
stage you simply change the Voice.
My practice- which I have done
for years on my own- was to memorize a few key verses- and when I had a
tempting thought- or dream- I began automatically quoting these verses.
Now- over the years I have
memorized thousands of verses- so instead of trying to think of which one to
‘say’ at these moments of weakness- I stuck with 2 basic ones.
One I use at night [tempting
dream or thought] is says;
I HATE VAIN THOUGHTS- BUT THY LAW
DO I LOVE
Got it?
That’s it- that’s the one.
Don’t remember where it is- it’s
in the bible somewhere.
But years ago it stuck in my
head- and after a while [a few months?] this practice becomes automatic.
When the bad dream pops up- this
verse gets quoted automatically- almost like an addiction- get it?
The verse I used during the day
was;
COMMIT THY WORKS UNTO THE LORD
AND THY THOUGHTS WILL BE ESTABLISHED
That’s it.
Get this one down too- and you
have the 2 main parts of my ‘program’.
Okay- it’s really not a program-
but these are practices that I already started doing- and they are also found
in some of the addiction literature.
For today- try and get at least
one of these short verses down in your head.
Try this practice for a few
weeks- when you ‘see’ a bad image at night- dream- etc.
Use it!
When you feel yourself going into
a pattern of acting out- then use them.
Over the years- even in the
middle of drinking and acting out- I would still use them- and I found that
after a few minutes- if I CHOOSE to use them- then the pattern will change.
Yes- this practice is biblical-
try it for today.
Remember- I’m on your side as I
share my journey with you guys.
I’m trying to give you the best
advice- not just from me [I know- I’m only 35 days in]
But these are things- experiences
from many others- as well as my own journey.
Remember- if you stop doing a
practice- any practice- for around 30 days- it will be gone!
Try and believe this is so- there
is LOTS of evidence that says this- lots!!
If you are thinking ‘gee John- I
was taught that is denial- to think you can be free’.
Yeah- I know that.
I’m not here to argue with
anyone.
Use the things God has given you.
But in the end- yes- if you stop
PRACTCING an addiction-any- it will go away.
Many movements/recovery ministries
do a fine job.
Take what you can- leave the
rest.
And try the things I wrote in
this post.
God bless you all.
I love you all.
2-7-13 DENIAL?
Yesterday I met the new kid that
joined our halfway house this past week.
John David was real excited about
this kid- and he wanted me to work with him.
Cameron is really into the bible-
and I sort of play the role of Pastor with the guys.
Anyway- I had a good talk with
him- he’s around 25.
Has been in trouble because of
drugs- but is trying by God’s grace to make a new path.
As I spoke with Cameron- I found
some of his responses to be interesting- he has been familiar with the 12 step
groups.
And as we were discussing the
possibility of being free from addictions- he gave some of the familiar
responses.
Some are taught that if you think
you are actually free- you are in a state of denial.
I went thru some of the studies
that have been done.
There is a large amount of
evidence that many people have simply quit addictions- on their own.
Huh?
That’s seems impossible!
Does it- have you ever read any
other material on this subject?
Yes- there are many- some say the
majority- who after a short period of abstaining from the addiction- who never
go back to it again.
As I have been researching on
this topic- many feel that the mindset of ‘disease’ ‘possible relapse’ etc.
Many feel that these ways of
seeing addiction are in themselves a sort of bondage.
When I mentioned the simple
possibility of being free- some of the responses I have gotten are ‘that’s not
possible- without ….’
\
I think it would help if we all
at least accepted the possibility that you can stop ‘sinning’.
Now- it would be by God’s grace
[in my view] but either way- it is possible to stop engaging in addictive
behavior- and the studies show that after a short period of time [around 30
days]- there is an actual change that takes place in the brain of the addict.
He will ‘fix himself’ so to
speak- by simply not doing the act.
Okay- I spoke with another friend
who is partnering with us at the halfway house.
He brought up the addiction of
co-dependency- and how some have fallen into this addiction.
If you view your freedom as being
dependent on a certain act- a certain rigorous following of rules [any rules].
Then you can be in danger of
becoming co-dependent on that practice.
For instance- in my first few
weeks of going to the meetings- some well meaning friends kept telling me
‘John- you must/should make 90 meetings in 90 days’.
They all meant well- some also
added other things you ‘must’ do- or else you will drink.
To be honest- a few times I had
to rebuke these very good friends.
They would slip and say ‘well
John- we are just waiting for you to drink- so you then can come back and fully
surrender’.
After a few times of this I said
‘STOP IT’!
I would remind them that there
are many thousands of people who have indeed quit.
Without submitting to any
program- never mind the 12 step ones.
At times- you can get the feeling
that some use the 12 step programs as others use their religious faith.
In a sense- almost cultic.
I have told a couple of friends
that we should never tell anyone- who is achieving sobriety ‘that we are
waiting for you to fall- so you can get the program’.
The goal is sobriety- not getting
the program- we need to keep that in mind.
Okay- I just wanted to share that
concept today.
Yes- my new friend had the
mindset that if you talk about not drinking- drugging- or whatever [ sort of
just stopping].
Then in a way- you are in denial
[he meant well- I only mention this because the book I’m in now- written by an
ex-alcoholic- sees this as a real problem. He- and others- feel like some of
the well meaning concepts in AA have caused people to embrace a defeatist
attitude- that does not allow for them to ever be free- for good.]
I think there are some real
problems with some of the ideas we have given people [we- the 12 step movement
of the past 70-80 years].
As helpful and well meaning as
they are- we need to also be aware of the latest advances in addiction
treatment.
And be aware that there are many
people who have indeed quit there addictions- to never return.
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.
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