2036
SYRIA [or- when you see a chance-
take it]
The chapter for the week is Acts
7.
Out of all the single bible
chapters- this is the best overview of the whole bible that you will find in
any one chapter.
Of course it only covers the
history of the Old Testament- because the New Testament was not yet written.
Okay- this week I have been picking
up a bit more on my newspaper reading- and of course I always try and catch the
world news on the tube.
And- to be honest- the last
couple of weeks on the handling of the Syrian situation- this has to be the
most botched foreign policy I have seen in my life time.
Why?
Much of what has been happening
is simply tactical responses- by ‘enemies’ [adversaries] – countering ‘off the
cuff’ remarks by the President- or his secretary of state [John Kerry].
Now- I am not a ‘right wing
critic’ of the president- but this has been bad- the worst I have ever seen.
The president got us into this
situation by warning Assad if he used Chemical weapons- that would be crossing
a red line- that we would act.
He has more than likely used them
about 12 times since the start of the civil war [2 years long- 100,000 dead].
Finally- as most of you know-
after the last use [we don’t know for sure he is the one using them- it is possible
the rebels are using them as a ploy to get the U.S. to attack].
Obama said ‘enough is enough’ and
we rattled the war saber.
But- after a couple of days of
political maneuvering- Obama decided to put this action to a vote in congress-
which he did not do with his action in Libya- which by all accounts was more of
a war move than what he planned in Syria [probably launching some rockets from
ships- hitting some targets- and that’s it].
So- after congress got their hand
in- well- it seemed for sure they would not authorize the use of force- which
made the U.S. look bad- because the president said ‘he’ would hit.
Then- Kerry was asked at a press
thing ‘what could Assad do to avoid this’.
And he gives an off the cuff remark
‘well- if he gives up his Chemical weapons- we won’t attack- but he’s not going
to do that’.
Now- that’s a contradiction to
what Obama said- Obama said ‘enough is enough- he poisoned kids- we will hit’.
So- Syria and Russia [allies]
quickly respond to Kerry’s off the cuff remark- and say ‘yes- we are going to
accept the U.S. offer [which was a slip!] and we will comply’.
Now- Obama and Kerry and the team
are all trying to show this as ‘see- we really knew what we were doing- it was planned
all along’.
No- not so.
Is it good that maybe Assad will
do the right thing- and maybe Obama’s threat of force did this?
Sure.
But who knows- this might end up
like the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks- a 30 year ongoing thing that never
leads anywhere.
So- how does this fit in with
Acts 7?
In the chapter Stephen recounts
the story of Moses- and how while in Egypt he defends a Jew- kills an Egyptian.
The next day 2 Jews are fighting-
he tries to intervene- and one of them says ‘who are you- are you going to kill
me like you did the Egyptian yesterday’.
Moses thought that his brothers
would understand that he was trying to help them.
But even though these 2 sides
[brothers] were fighting- yet when big brother tried to assert Moral authority-
they rejected him.
I find it funny that they even
said ‘will you throw us under the bus- like you did the Egyptian yesterday’.
One of the actual reasons we- the
U.S. - have lost the Moral authority- is because of the way we treated the
‘Egyptian’.
Yes- the Arab world saw how
quickly we rejected Hosni Mubarak- an ally- and it created a mistrust in the
region.
Russia is now standing by Syria-
their ally- and has even said they do not throw their allies under the bus-
like we do.
Yes- Obama has tried to make the Moral
argument [and to be honest- there is one- though I personally think military
action is a mistake].
But the ‘fighting brothers’ in
the region- as well as congress- and our allies [British] seem to think we do
not have the moral authority to hit- militarily.
So- as it stands now- this might
indeed be the worst handling of foreign policy I have ever seen [not saying the
worst action- but handling].
One of the other chapters I have
been teaching from is Luke 14.
Jesus says when you go to war-
you sit down first and see if you have everything in place.
If after you take inventory- you
see all is not going well- then you make decisions based on the reality of the
situation.
He also says if you are going to
build a tower- you count the cost first- lest after you lay the foundation- and
are not able to finish- others mock you and say ‘look- he started- but couldn’t
finish’.
I do not write on politics- or
Obama- simply for the sake of finding fault.
But our actions are very serious.
In Syria- like Libya- and Egypt.
We have sided- every time- with
those who persecute the Christian minorities in these countries.
Even in Iraq- the Christians have
fled- because our removal of Saddam has created a situation where others who
hate the Christians have more power.
Some of the rebels in Syria- who
will become emboldened if we strike Assad- have threatened Christians [nuns-
etc.] with death- if they do not convert to Islam.
Now- our track record in these conflicts
has been on the side of those who are more ‘anti-Christian’ then the actual
leaders we are siding against.
I guarantee you- we would not be
doing this if it were the other way around- if we were siding with ‘Christian rebels’
who were killing Muslims [I do realize of course that Muslims are killing
Muslims in this conflict- but they are not targeting them because of their
faith].
Even the Coptic Christians in
Egypt are happy that the military generals removed Morsi.
Yes- the military removal of
Morsi is not seen as a military Coup by the Christians.
No- they stand by the removal of
Morsi- because he was moving the country into an Islamic ruled state- which it
was not under Mubarak.
This is why the Pope even came
out and asked for us to pray for peace- giving a sign that he too was against a
military strike in Syria.
Okay- read Acts chapter 7.
Stephen gives a great overview of
the historical promise of God to the Jewish people- of a coming Messiah.
If you read the chapter
carefully- you see what he is trying to do.
He is making the case that just
like the Jews rejected Moses rule- so the Jewish people of his day rejected
Jesus as the Messiah.
And Stephen quotes Moses ‘the
Lord will raise up a prophet- like unto me- him will you hear’.
He then goes thru the chapter and
shows all the ways that Moses and Jesus were alike.
Moses- like Jesus- was born at a
time when the king/ruler was killing all the young children in the land.
Yes- Pharaoh was killing the new
born males- and that’s when Moses was born.
Herod was killing the young
children- up to the age of 2- at the time of Jesus [he was trying to get Jesus-
but Joseph and Mary were warned by an angel to flee].
Moses- like Jesus- did signs and miracles
in the land.
And Moses- like Jesus- was rejected
by his own people at his first appearance to them as a savior.
It was later- after Moses spent
40 years in the dessert- that God appeared to him in the burning bush- and then
he would return to his brothers in Egypt and deliver them.
So- Stephen is trying to show the
Jewish people that their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah was indeed fore told
in the scriptures.
That Moses himself said ‘God will
raise up a prophet- LIKE ME’.
At the end of the chapter-
Stephen is stoned- and as he is dying- he says ‘Lord- lay not this sin to their
charge’.
And he dies.
The bible says there was a
religious leader there- agreeing to Stephens’s death.
His name was Saul.
2 chapters later [Acts 9] Saul is
knocked off his horse- Jesus appears to him.
Stephens’s prayer was answered-
God forgave those who were there at his stoning- and Saul becomes the apostle
Paul and carries the same message that he heard form Stephen on the day of his
death.
Yeah- Paul- in a way- was a
convert of Stephen.
As the church fathers have said
‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church’.
Paul would take the message of
Christ further than any other missionary of his day.
And he too would die a martyr’s
death in Rome- like his other friend Peter- who took the same message and
brought it to the Jews- Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles.
Yeah- Moses said ‘the Lord WILL raise
up a prophet- like me- him WILL YOU HEAR’.
God raised him- and they heard.
NOTE- The last time I was in New
Jersey- a strange thing happened.
For many years I always wanted to
take a good New York City tour.
I mean I have gone to see the 911
memorial and stuff like that.
But I never really rode the
subway- and visited the boroughs.
So- last year I did it.
I went to spots I never went to
before.
Queens- Rockaway beach- etc.
Then- when I got back to Texas-
hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey- and as I watched the footage with one of my homeless
buddies- the exact streets I walked [for the first time- ever] were the actual
ones that got wiped out.
It seemed strange- and my homeless
buddy even kidded that I was some sort of messenger of judgment.
On my phone right now- I have a
bunch of pictures that I have been unable to upload.
One of the other spots I have not
been to in years was the Jersey Shore.
Now- most of my friends said
Seaside Heights- and the boardwalk- were not worth the ride.
Just go to Sandy Hook or some
closer spot.
But no- as a kid- Seaside- and
that boardwalk were my spot.
So- last week I took the ride-
the boardwalk was empty- but yes indeed- they rebuilt all the arcades and stuff
after Sandy hit- and it looked great.
I showed the phone pics to a few friends
and they were surprised that the boardwalk was so empty.
I mean it was like the spot was
just there for my picture taking.
So last night I was with the crew
at White Castle- and Bob asks ‘did you see the news’.
No.
‘The boardwalk at Seaside Heights
is on fire- and they can’t stop it’.
As of last night- the same spots
that I just took all the pictures of last week- are now gone- again.
I am finding these experiences a bit
strange to be honest- and I’m not sure if they mean anything.
But it reminds me of the verse I
used the other day- that life is short [and the stuff in it].
It appears for a little time- and
then vanishes away- like smoke.
Okay- a few updates about this
time in North Bergen.
When I first left Texas [over 2
months ago] the ‘plan’ was to permanently move north.
As of now- I think I’m gonna
finish 3 months- and try and come back every year.
Some of the new crew [the street
guys I have met] told me they are disappointed that I’m gonna do it like that.
We have been getting together
every day or so- I even got a text from Nick the day I was in Seaside.
So we have a little group of
‘street guys’ who are in this area.
Just like the Texas street guys.
And a few of these guys have
already mentioned maybe making the trip back to Texas- or coming down to visit.
So- this time back- I finally did
break some ground- I will see these guys each year when I come back.
Any Progress with them?
Some.
This ‘style’ of outreach [which all
the guys know I’m doing- when they ask ‘what’s John here for’- I tell them
straight up].
This is a style of ministry I
have been doing for years.
I tell them ‘I’m not a Narc-
undercover cop- I’m not gay [look- they see some guy being nice- and you have
to let them know].
I tell them I see this as
ministry- and over time- they know I’m not giving them some story.
So- when the guys make a Beer run
[or another more expensive purchase] - they come back- and they have a diet
coke- for me.
Yeah- Nick knew I quit drinking-
so he brought back the coke.
Last night- Rick was happy.
We were at White Castles- he got
some good news [he’s gonna get some money- legally!]
And he said ‘you know John- when
a person is happy- it makes them more healthy’.
I told him yeah- and I said ‘actually
there is a bible verse- Proverbs- that says that’.
And I quoted ‘A merry heart doeth
good like a medicine’.
Rick asked ‘is that in the
bible’.
Sure- and of course Bob and the
other guys listen in.
Know- it’s not a game- I’m not
trying to ‘trick’ these guys.
No- over time- they know the
scoop- and I’m not ‘preaching’ per se- but I am sharing stuff- and stuff about
God.
I even quoted another verse.
One of our mutual friends- let’s
say- who has a ‘selling business’.
If his buyers don’t pay- he gets
mad- and has a bad day.
So- Rick will text me ‘so and so
was sad today- he left early’.
We actually kid around about it
some- because our friend says stuff like ‘I can’t believe he did it again’!
Talking about the ‘purchaser’ not
paying him- buy pretending he handed him 20-but it might be a ten and a few dollars
rolled up.
So- after seeing this happen- more
than once- I tell Rick ‘geez- he keeps saying ‘I can’t believe it happened
again’- but it happens every day’!
Then Rick let me in on the scoop-
yeah- the guys know he’s not the best person for this type of business [nice
guy- older guy- but maybe getting senile?]
And Rick tells me he has heard
him say ‘I can believe he did it again- for the 13th time!’
So- it’s kinda funny to be
honest.
I have been showing the guys a
gold coin my dad gave me- there like ‘that’s worth money!’
So our friend- the ‘business man’
asks if I could buy him his coffee- he gives me the money- 1.17- and I- or one
of the other guys- buys it.
White Castle won’t serve him- so
he asks us to buy it.
So- he’s a penny short.
I tell him ‘dont worry- I’ll
cover it’.
So I get the coffee- I bring it
back to my friend- and I say-
‘I was a penny short- so I had to
give her the gold coin’.
He says ‘NOOO- get it back!!’
I tell him ‘No- I’m just
kidding’.
He says ‘I hate it when people
kid like that- that fools me’.
Another friend- who you might say
‘fools so and so’ too- he was right there- and he was holding in the laugh.
Yeah- he’s a nice guy- but not
cut out for his ‘line of work’.
So yeah- I know people have
problems with my style of ‘ministry’.
And over time- after doing this
for around 25 years- I have found that these guys- yes- even hardcode users-
they become friends- and they know that I’m not gonna use- or get high.
And yes- over the years- some of
the street guys do get clean- do accept God- and live a changed life- that has happened.
So- I let the guys know I’m gonna
finish this month- and I’ll come back every year- for a few months.
When I go back to Texas- Maybe
I’ll stay for a while- or maybe try another state.
One of the lessons I learned from
the burning down of the boardwalk is- when you ‘see a chance- take it’.
Last year- when I was leaving- I
did see the signs for the shore- and thought ‘well- maybe next year I’ll come
back and go to the boardwalk’.
So- I did.
But if I missed the chance this
time- there was not going to be another- until they rebuild it- again.
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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