2058- BUS RIDE’S- PROPHETS AND A TAG..
FRIDAY
I have been wanting to do a post
on world affairs- the other week I talked about the ‘feeling’ that the U.S. is
in for more trouble than people realize.
I posted that this year I think
we are going to experience another 911 type event.
A week or so later- we had the mysterious
Malaysian plane go missing- now many think it was a terrorist attack.
Yet- I don’t feel like that was
what I spoke about.
I felt like our country is going
to get hit- big.
Now- the entire story about
Russia/Crimea and Ukraine- might be the one.
Why?
I want to talk about the
justification of what Russia has done so far- and how the U.S. media machine
might get us into World War 3.
Russia- like the U.S. – justifies
action- even military action- on various grounds.
One of them is if they feel there
is a real threat to their nation- they will act.
We too have this as a stated
objective of our military interventions- of which many in the past 15 years
have been absolute failures [Libya- Iraq- Afghanistan- the list goes on].
For various ‘self-interests’
[even the self-interest of so called moral mandates ‘you are on the wrong side
of history’ yeah- but whose history book is Kerry and Obama quoting?]
So- back to Russia.
In the 1950’s Nikita Khrushchev
simply gave away Crimea to the Ukraine.
When he did this- it was against
the will of the people.
There are various ideas of why he
did it- but it was simply a totalitarian move.
At the time- Ukraine was still a
part of Russia [USSR] so- even though it was a cheap shot- yet it was simply a
transference of some land- within a sovereign state.
But later- after the breakup of
the USSR- the Crimea- once again- against the will of the actual people [who
are mostly nationalistic Russian- who never wanted to break away from Russia
for the most part] became a part of Ukraine- one of the former USSR states.
So- like Georgia- they were now independent
of Russia.
The U.S. and other Western
countries- under the ‘flag’ of NATO- began to make a ‘land grab’ in these
former Soviet states.
That is we have indeed tried to
persuade Ukraine to join NATO [who Putin- rightfully has said- is no longer a purely
defensive treaty- but an offensive umbrella alliance that has been used to
actually invade other countries].
The West has been in a battle for
the Ukraine- to win them over- and we have a strong- threatening presence
[threatening to Russia] in Ukraine.
Ok- this year when the protesters
began hitting the streets in Ukraine- in a way- what they did was a sort of
Coup De Tat [which is what Putin has said!].
The protestors were not asking
for Democracy- which they already had- even though the Ukrainian president was
corrupt- yet the protestors were mostly Fascists [would the U.S. give in to Fascist
protestors if they stood at the gate of the White house- threatening violence?]
So- Ukraine- with Putin’s help-
decided to agree on early elections [they voted for this- legally] and the
Ukrainian president took refuge in Russia.
But- the protestors- and the
U.S.- didn’t want to wait for the lawful election- so we simply picked apart
the political puzzle- and chose the parts that best fit our ‘self-interests’.
And started making it look like Putin
was following the path of Hitler in WW2- invading sovereign states and possibly
going all the way to Europe [which indeed Ukraine is a gateway].
Now- the Crimean people did
indeed hold a referendum- and willingly voted- overwhelmingly- to join Russia
again.
The western media made it sound
like they were forced- at gunpoint [Russian troops are in Crimea] to approve
the vote.
That’s simply media spin- the Russian
troops were there so the people could vote for what they wanted all along- to
go back to Russia.
The U.S. [and other European
allies] do have real objections to some of what’s going on- but in reality no
country would allow an adversary to build up a military presence on their
border.
We threatened Nikita Khrushchev
when John f. Kennedy was president for this very thing- trying to place Nukes
in Cuba.
Putin is simply doing the same
thing- when the West started talking about Ukraine becoming a part of NATO- and
putting a defense shield in Poland- Putin was responding the same way we have-
using the reason of self-interest.
Ok- as of today Putin has seized
the airport and other strategic spots in Ukraine.
They have a naval port off the
coast of Ukraine- and yes- they can’t/won’t allow a key strategic waterway to
be taken by a pro-Western group.
Ok- this past week it was strange
to here John Kerry say ‘yes- we know the Crimean people will overwhelmingly
vote to be part of Russia- and we have warned Russia to not accept the vote’.
Huh?
We are backing the Fascist
protestors in Ukraine- and rejecting the will of the people in Crimea.
Putin is right- we are simply cherry
picking this stuff- for our own ‘national interests’.
As of today- yes- I think we are
closer to another world war- than ever before.
Russia has state run media- and
one of their top guys said they have enough Nukes to obliterate the U.S.
The only way a statement can be
made like that on Russian media is if Putin allows it.
So- I wanted to give you the
bigger picture here.
Maybe my prediction about another
911 was wrong- maybe it will be worse.
SATURDAY- just a quick note about
the above- I do believe that Putin is on a roll, and will take Ukraine and try
and consolidate the former Soviet states.
The point I made was the U.S.
pushed him to this point.
We aggressively tried to bring
Ukraine and other breakaway states under the umbrella of NATO; It was no secret
that we wanted a real presence on the border of Russia.
A few years ago when protests
rose up in Russia- we made a short public statement- sort of like ‘well- the
will of the people must prevail’.
The same statements we made before
we deposed other leaders- by using NATO as the cover.
Putin saw the writing on the
wall- he realized in time he had to do something.
He did.
Ok- I wanted to teach a bit about
the various genres we see in scripture.
Last week I taught from the
creation account in Genesis.
When I did one of our weekly meetings
one of the guys mentioned how some people think the tree that Eve ate from was
a Pomegranate- or some other type of fruit tree.
Ok- I didn’t want to debate with
my friend.
But maybe we can give a little insight
here.
The bible uses various forms of
literature- just like any other book.
Some forms are Poetic- some are Prophetic
[symbolism] - sometimes we see things like round numbers [Jesus feeds the 5
thousand- or the bible says ‘the whole city came out to see him’].
Now- we do believe the
inspiration of scripture- but did the writers use things like round numbers?
Yes- in the Old Testament we see
it used when talking about armies and stuff- or the 12 tribes of Israel.
Now- in the account of creation-
the 2 trees that are named are the Tree of Life- and the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil.
Ok- we have a description here-
and the description does not speak of fruit trees- but things that symbolize
stuff [like I explained in last week’s post].
Are there any other symbols/types
in the creation account?
Yes- we read about ‘the serpent’
who speaks!
Now- most realize it is referring
to satan- which is right.
Are there any symbolic references
in the bible that speak about satan as a serpent?
Yes- in the book of Revelation we
read about the Dragon- and most of us realize it is symbolic.
Ok- what am I saying here- that
the bible is not to be taken literally?
Well- here’s the problem.
The classic sense of ‘literal’
interpretation does include the symbolic- poetic- etc.
When we say we take the bible literally-
it does indeed include stuff like this.
In the 19th/20th
centuries there arose a school of thought out of the universities in Germany-
we refer to these theologians as being in the liberal school of bible
interpretation [Bultman- etc.]
Now- some of the insights they
had were indeed good [sort of like what I’m showing you now].
Some not so good [like denying
the actual death and resurrection of Christ].
But- when we understand that there
are portions of the bible that fall under the category of Historical Narrative-
others fall under Poetic- others Symbolic.
It helps us explain the bible
better.
Is the whole creation account
symbolic?
In my view- no.
Why?
Because we read other portions of
the bible- referring back to the creation account- and the teacher is using what’s
called Historical Narrative.
Jesus says ‘in the beginning God
made them male and female’.
So- there are tools like this
that we use when trying to understand what portions are historical- and what
parts are symbol.
If you use what’s called the
‘literal interpretation’ then when you read symbol- you must take it as such.
If you interpret symbol as
‘historical’ then you might think you are taking the bible ‘literally’ but in actuality
you are not.
The same goes for the portions that
are historical.
So- in the creation account- we
might be seeing a mixture- some historical- some symbol [most fight for one or the
other- I think it might be better to take it the way I just showed you].
So- what type of tree did they
eat?
They had a choice- and the bible
tells us they disobeyed God- and thru that action were cut off from the
presence of God [tree of life] and were left to their own devices [living your
life out of your own intellect- the tree of the knowledge of good and evil].
So- God is showing us stuff-
maybe the story contains the major doctrines of scripture- in a symbolic way
[original sin- etc.].
The more liberal schools of
thought argue that the first 10 or 11 chapters of Genesis are not to be taken ‘literally’
[as historical narrative].
The more conservative scholars
disagree.
I think there is truth on both
sides of the argument.
Either way- God gave us the names
of 2 trees- and neither one of them are around today [that is- in a literal
way].
SUNDAY- WE FLIPPED A COIN- THATS
HOW.
Later this week I want to cover the bible
teaching for the week- John the Baptist.
But for today- lets tell some
more of my story.
I want to be careful- because
some of these people have relatives who are friends of mine on Facebook- and I
don’t know how much they know about things that happened.
But- in a way- maybe they too need
to hear the story.
Ok- after I got kicked out of the
Navy- I went back to North Bergen for about 6 months [1981].
When I got back- my good buddy
Miguel heard that I was in town and we hooked up again.
Miguel and I were good friends
growing up- I used to eat at his grandma’s house in Union City- last year I
took a picture of that old spot.
She cooked great Cuban food.
Mike was glad to see me- and I
him.
He had just gotten kicked out of
the Army- so we were a ‘good team’.
During his year- I lived in the
downstairs apt. - where I lived last year for a while- when my sister died.
I remember one day my dad noticed
I was polishing off is beers in the fridge- he said ‘you start early son- maybe
you should let up’.
He was glad to see me back- but
his father [who I never met] was an alcoholic- who beat my dad when he was a
kid- his dads name was Amadeo.
My granddad Veto told me this- my
dad never mentioned his real dad- who died young.
Being I was back in town- I got
with my buddies- one day Fred, me and Miguel took a ride in Mike’s Monte Carlo.
Mike was dangerous in a car- we
used to go down to West side avenue [North Bergen] and he would open it up-
maybe about 135- high as a kite- he did crash this car several times.
One year at the Fire Dept. he
called me- he just got out of the hospital [in North Bergen] he flipped his car
off ‘suicide turn’ on Blvd. east- we used
to walk the train tunnel at that spot- it was known as a dead man’s turn.
Yeah- he went off- and lived!
So- me and Fred and Mike took a
drive one day to Elizabeth N.J. - the town where they filmed the Sopranos.
We just went for a drive- were
drinking and getting high.
We went up some country road and
saw a new car parked right on the edge of this cliff.
Mike pulled up to the bumper- and
yeah- we started pushing it over the cliff.
No one was in it- but after a few
minutes I heard a loud bang on the window where Mike was siting- the guys who
owned the car saw us- they must have been partying on the mountain.
This big guy- probably a football
jock- and his 2 buddies were slamming the driver side window with a huge bat-
like the one you see in the movie walking tall.
I rolled down the window of the
passenger side where I was sitting- and broke my beer bottle on the roof- so it
would smash in the kids face.
I got out- the guy was big- and
to be honest- you never know when you’re the one that’s gonna be at the wrong
end of the fight.
So- I changed it up.
I of course threatened the guy-
and told them that we were gonna ‘mess’ them up.
I yelled at Fred- he was in the
back seat ‘Fed- get my gun’.
He of course went along with the
story [I had no gun].
Boy- those kids got scared- they
begged Fred to not ‘give me my gun’.
By the time we left- they were
apologizing for us destroying their car- sad.
As we left- about 5 miles down
the road we passed a cop car- realizing in about a minute they were going to
pull up to the scene- and see this kids car hanging off the cliff.
Miguel hit the pedal and we did
about 120 all the way back to North Bergen.
During these few months- to be
honest- it was exciting- but dangerous.
One day- on a whim- I told Mike
‘I’m driving to Texas Tomorrow’.
He said ‘wait Johnny- lets go together’.
But he wanted to go to Florida.
I had a 1976 Chevy Nova- Mike had
a AMC Javelin by then.
That day we made a pact- I said
‘hey- lets flip a coin- heads I win- we go to Texas- tails- we go to Florida’.
I said ‘some day we can tell our
kids this story- and tell them that’s how we moved- by the flip of a coin’.
I won the flip- and the next day
we drove to Texas- in the Javelin.
Ok- I’ll tell more in the coming
days- but I want you to see that in a way- when I started doing ministry- God put
me back in ‘my element’.
It was God’s plan for me to surround
myself with these guy's- because in a way I was like them.
I’m comfortable with them- being
in the mix- every person has a calling- and I in no way recommend everyone to
do things the way I do them- yes- it is high risk stuff.
But that’s the calling- God
brings people with various backgrounds- and then he uses them with that back
ground in mind.
I’ll tell more about my conversion
and how I led Mike to the Lord- and how he later died.
Mike had 4 boys- I remember the
oldest well- Andrew.
But the younger ones were just
babies when I saw them- they came to my Texas church- the one I stated in the
late 80’s.
One of the boys- Joshua- was just a baby when
I saw him[Or maybe he was born in N.J.?- I don’t know if I saw him or not].
About a year ago he became a
friend on Facebook.
He reads the site.
See- I told Mike ‘one of these
days we will tell our kids how we wound up in Texas’.
Today was the day.
MONDAY- HE MUST INCREASE AND I MUST GO AWAY.
The next day or 2 I want to teach a bit on
John the Baptist.
The other day David had some
questions about him- like why did John send 2 disciples to ask Jesus ‘are you
he that should come- or look we for another’.
If I remember- I’ll get to it.
John the Baptist was spoken about
in the Old Testament prophets [Isaiah- Malachi].
The last verse in the Old Testament
is about him ‘Before the day of the Lord comes I will send Elijah the
prophet..’.
John was the fulfillment of this
prophecy.
At the time of Jesus- John’s
parents- Zechariah and Elizabeth were up in age.
Zechariah was a priest and one
day he was fulfilling his normal duties and the Angel Gabriel appeared to him
in the temple.
The angel said ‘your prayers are
heard- your wife will have a son’.
Now- they were old at the time-
and Zechariah had some doubts ‘How can this be’?
The angel is kind of shocked
‘Geez- I’m an angel for heaven’s sake- I stand in the presence of God!’ [Sort
of like- what more do you need man! - by the way- this is my ‘version’ but
accurate].
So the angel pronounces a judgment
on him- he will not be able to speak until the promise comes to pass.
The angel gives him the name for
the child ‘he shall be called John’.
Sure enough- the time comes and
John is born.
Now- John did not fit the mold at
all- he was wild- had strange eating habits [locusts and wild honey] and did
not dress for the part [camel’s hair clothes].
Yet- God was in the thing.
When Gabriel appeared to the
Virgin Mary- and told her that she would have the baby Jesus- Gabriel also informed
her that her cousin Elizabeth was already 6 months pregnant with John.
Mary visits her and when she
walks in- the 6 month Fetus in the womb of Mary ‘leaps’.
John was already fulfilling his
purpose as the forerunner- before he was born!
Ok- John begins his ministry by calling
the people to repentance ‘Repent and be baptized- the kingdom is here!’
He gains a following of sorts.
One day Jesus comes to be
baptized- John says ‘I need baptism from you- not you from me’.
But Jesus says this has to
happen- and John baptizes him.
This is the beginning of Jesus
ministry- the Spirit descends on him like a Dove and a voice from heaven says
‘this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased’.
In the gospel of John we read how
Jesus begins gaining a bigger following than John- and some of John’s men kind
of feel the competition.
‘You’re losing your men to
Jesus’.
John says that ‘he must increase
and I must decrease’.
John says he is not the center of
attention- but that Jesus is the bridegroom and the bride [people] belong to
him.
John’s joy is being able to
simply hear the voice of the bridegroom- and to see the great romance play out.
Now- getting to the question
above- why did John send 2 of his men later to ask if Jesus was the one.
Surely John knew.
John was cast into prison by
Herod- and as he sits in jail- he might have been thinking ‘ok- I’m the
forerunner- Jesus is the Messiah- in time I’ll be rescued’.
It’s possible that John felt
resentment about what was happening to him.
Sort of like ‘Ok Jesus- I’m still
here in the cell- are you the one or what?’
Now- I don’t know for sure if
this is why he ‘doubted’- maybe he did have some doubts- John was human too.
The religious leaders asked John
one day ‘who are you- are you the Elijah that was to come’.
They were quoting the verse from
the prophet Malachi that I mentioned above.
Now- John says ‘no’.
But then he does quote the
prophet Isaiah- ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness- prepare ye the
way of the Lord- make his paths straight’.
Now- we read later that the people
ask Jesus ‘isn’t Elijah supposed to come first- before you’.
And Jesus says ‘yes’ then he goes
on and says that John was indeed the one who came in the power and spirit of Elijah.
It’s funny- John recognized part
of his significance- but not all.
He knew he was spoken about in
the prophet Isaiah- but did not know he was the fulfilment of the Malachi
prophecy- the Elijah that was to come.
Ok- a few practical things.
Often times we too do not see the
significance of our calling- our purpose in life.
The bible tells us that we too
were chosen before the world was made- to be children of God and to fulfill a
purpose.
John was filled with the Spirit
from his mother’s womb.
In a way we are marked from the day
of our birth- to fulfill a specific destiny in life.
Sometimes that purpose might be
tough [John eventually gets his head chopped off!].
But it’ not about our own
survival- the creature comforts of life.
No- it’s about being forerunners-
in a way- making a new path- so others can follow in time.
When you cut thru the brush for
the first time- it’s hard- it takes time- you get ‘cut’ a lot.
But if you do it long enough- it
makes a path.
Others will naturally follow that
path- it makes it easy for them- even if it was hell for you.
John knew his purpose- it was not
about him- he would fade from the scene soon.
When the disciples of John came
to Jesus with the question ‘are you the one’.
Jesus told them ‘among all that
are born of women- there is none greater than John’.
Then he goes on and says an
interesting thing.
‘Yet he that is least in the
kingdom- is greater than John’.
Some think Jesus was saying that those
of us today- who are born of God- in the Church age- are ‘greater’ than John-
being he was a sort of Old Testament prophet- not yet in the ‘church’.
Yet I think Jesus was saying
something else.
Jesus often spoke of himself in
the 3rd person ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son…’
John 3:16.
I think Jesus might have been
saying ‘he that is least [speaking of himself] is greater than John’.
See- John fulfilled the purpose
of his life- he showed us who Jesus was.
Yet Jesus- he became the least of
all- humbled himself to death on a cross.
Humiliating as ‘hell’.
Was mocked- spit on- rejected of
men- a man of sorrows.
‘Reduced’ to the point of agony and
‘depression’ that none of us could ever relate to.
He said things like ‘God- why
have you left me- if you can help me- please do it’.
The prophet Isaiah said he was a
‘man of sorrows- acquainted with grief- we hid our faces from him when we saw him
coming’.
I’ll tell you- that doesn’t feel
good.
Yes- John was a great man- a
great prophet.
But Jesus was the seed- ‘except a
seed all into the ground- and die- it remains alone- but if it die- it brings
forth much fruit’.
It becomes a tree- and the birds
of the air nest in it.
Yeah- remember last week’s post-
the Tee of Life.
He had to die first- then the
Tree.
Malachi 4:5 Behold, I
will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the LORD:
Matthew 11:2
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his
disciples,
Matthew 11:3
And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Matthew 11:4
Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye
do hear and see:
Matthew 11:5
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and
the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to
them.
Matthew 11:6
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Matthew 11:7
And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,
What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
Matthew 11:8
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they
that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
Matthew 11:9
But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than
a prophet.
Matthew
11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before
thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Matthew
11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not
risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth
violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 11:14 And if ye
will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
John 3:29 He
that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which
standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice:
this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
John 3:30 He
must increase, but I must decrease.
Mark 9:11
And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Mark 9:12
And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all
things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many
things, and be set at nought.
Mark 9:13
But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him
whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.
Luke 1:13 But the angel
said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife
Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luke 1:17 And he shall
go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make
ready a people prepared for the Lord.
John 1:6 There was a
man sent from God, whose name was John.
John 1:19
And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from
Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
John 1:20
And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
John 1:21
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou
that prophet? And he answered, No.
John 1:22
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that
sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
John 1:23 He
said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of
the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Luke 7:28
For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater
prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is
greater than he.
MONDAY NIGHT- THE BUS
RIDE.
Today I had an interesting
experience- but let me talk first.
Last week I took my car in to
have an oil change and to check on a fuel smell.
Sure enough- they said I needed a
new gas tank.
Ok- my usual response is ‘these
guys are trying to rip me off!
So- I took the car home and got
under it- yeah- they were right.
I figured I’d at least by the
tank [it cost 80- the shop adds an extra 80 just for them to get it].
So I went to the salvage yard
[Sables are no longer in business- the dealer did not carry a new one].
Sure enough they had three 16
gallon tanks- each different- and I had to drop the tank to see which one it
was.
Forget it- took it back to Pep
Boys and had them do it.
But- I did look forward to having
to walk for the day- and catch the bus.
Last year I rode the bus more
than any other time in my life. I sold my vehicles and the plan was I was moving
from Texas- and from now on I’ll use the buses in North Bergen [NY city area].
But- things changed.
So- I actually looked forward to riding
the bus today.
I thought ‘well at least I’ll get
a break from Timons [the local mission] and I won’t get bugged for someone bumming
a cigarette’.
Sure enough- a guy I know from
the mission gets on the bus- the first thing he says- yeah- you guessed it.
But- as I walked from the bus to
the mission- I stopped in a store I would never stop in.
One of my homeless buddies works
part time there- and I figured it would be cool to see him.
As I went inside- the owner was
talking about God to my friend- and kind of grilled me too.
I told him I do a ministry- and
he kinda looked at me like ‘yeah right’ [I do look homeless at times].
He asked me what the ‘word’ was
for today.
So- I launched into the teaching
for this week [above] and quoted stuff- like I do at the meetings.
I think it was a bit much for
him.
Anyway- I did talk about the
ministry- the years of working with street guys- prisoners- the whole 9 yards.
Told him I have had friends who
have done it all- murder- etc.
He started really getting something
from this short ‘ministry’ time- he saw I was for real.
He then asked me to pray for him-
I did.
Then he handed me some papers- he
told me ‘this is my rap sheet- I’m praying for God to help my record get
dismissed’.
He wanted me to see it- as I
flipped thru the first page- yeah multiple felonies.
He had 3 pages- but he wanted me
to see the last page.
Felony conviction- Murder.
He asked if I would pray again- I
did.
It was strange- when I walked in
to this store [this ‘kid’ is rich-and has really made a turnaround in his
life].
He doubted my story- I could tell
[plus I do smell like a smokestack].
But after a while- he realized I
was sent there for him.
Later- after I left- my homeless
buddy who works there told me ‘John- he really likes you- he asked if you would
come back and visit’.
Yeah- I was mad about the whole
gas tank thing- but glad I rode the bus today.
TUESDAY- In a little while we’ll
be heading to Bishop for our meeting.
First I want to wrap up this past
week.
The other day I got another call
from my friend in North Bergen.
He said it was important [he
texted first] that he needed me to call.
I called back in a little bit- he
told me ‘John- I’m ready to quit drinking- there’s something wrong with my body
John- I can feel it’.
I told Rick that has been the
theme these past few months- that now’s the time- we are running out of time in
a sense- so we have to make the best of the time we have left.
He texted me a few times last night-
he’s on his 3rd day of being sober.
I told him to attend the AA
meetings- there’s one right where we hung out- an old church in Fairview.
He did ask my advice- I told him
go to the meeting.
Last week I gave an old refrigerator
to Pop’s- he had a small one [I’ll post the pics to Facebook] and I told him
I’ll give him one.
We borrowed a truck and I took
Charlie and Damien- a neighbor- in a bad area of town- they are using drugs and
stuff in that spot.
But Damien has the gang look- the
whole 9 yards.
He rode with me- and I told him
‘brother- you’re the type of person that I love working with’.
I told him about the ministry and
all.
I thought he was Mexican- he’s
100 % Sicilian.
Wow- right up my alley.
We moved the fridge- spent about
an hour or so talking to him about life change.
When I dropped him off- he told
me to come by whenever I’m in the area- visit him.
This is how this stuff woks- no-
I’m not perfect- far from it- but when people see your real- they connect.
Charlie rode with me this day-
when we got back to his apt- as we got out of the car- he said ‘preacher John-
I need to tell you something’.
Sure- what's up?
‘I’m sorry- I talked about you
behind your back- stuff I don’t really know about- I’m sorry’.
He felt bad- almost started to
cry.
I of course told him I forgive
him.
We went inside for a bit.
I hung out with Pop’s for a
while. When I was leaving Charlie called me over.
‘I need to tell you something
else’.
Ok.
‘When I was in the hospital [he was
on his death bed- in a coma and on a respirator- for 2 months] the only face I
saw- out of all the people who told me they came by and prayed for me- was
yours’.
He said it freaked him out.
I remember a few weeks ago when
he called- he didn’t tell me this yet- but that day said ‘man- when I talk to
you on the phone- I see your face’.
At the time I didn’t get it.
But now I see that when I prayed
for Charlie- we in a way our all ‘on our deathbeds’.
I mean when we connect with
people- show them God’s love- live life like it was your ‘last day’- then you
are walking in a different path.
You’re not concerned about lots
of other stuff- you’re doing the best you can- and God sees that.
I remember when Charlie got out
of the hospital- a few people did tell him ‘we went and prayed for you-
Jackie’s prayers saved you!’ [Jackie has been relapsing for a long time- again
just the other day. David- my partner with the halfway house- tells me ‘she
didn’t get step 1 right- she had the wrong sponsor’- on and on. I have written
about this problem- in an honest way. David keeps seeing a program [AA] in his
mind- that is without flaw. And every time Jackie relapses- which she does a
lot- he always seems to see how she did not work the program right- I have a
lot of trouble with this. I am now sober for about a year and a half- I had to
leave AA for various reasons that I have written about. But even to this day-
David sees me as a ‘dry drunk’- meaning even though I’m not using- and doing
God’s will- yet he sees me at flaw- almost waiting for me to relapse. Yet-
those in the program- who are relapsing a lot- he sees them as on the right
track- because in his mind they are still in AA- I try and be nice about it-
but if someone continues to relapse- don’t keep trying to see how they did some
step wrong- or had the wrong sponsor- be open enough to see that maybe they
should seek help another way].
I felt uncomfortable hearing
stuff like this- to be honest.
And I did pray for a few of my
buddies this past month or so- all 3 were on their death beds- and made it.
But I don’t think it was ‘my
prayer’ I mean it was like people were competing for who’s prayer saved these
guys.
But when Charlie told me this- I
knew God was indeed giving him one last chance.
Let’s hope he makes the best of
it.
WEDNESDAY-
Ok-
Let’s end this post with a few
practical things.
Yesterday I did one of our
meetings in Bishop.
I covered the teaching on John
the Baptist- and talked about God’s purpose for every one of us- just like he
chose John ‘from his mother’s womb’.
One of the verses I forgot to
mention above was that John was ‘filled with the Spirit from his mother’s
womb’.
In the letter to the Ephesians the
apostle Paul says ‘God chose us before he made the world- to be holy and without
blame before him in love’- the chapter goes on to say that he had a particular
destiny for our lives- even before we were born.
In the case of John the Baptist-
God actually had the Old Testament prophets speak specifically about him.
In our case- we have the overall
general call of God- that even though there are not particular verses that
mention us- by name.
Yet- the calling of God is just
as real.
In 2012- in the middle of a personal storm-
one morning I got up early- and I usually do some house cleaning in the
morning- after prayer and writing.
As I walked thru the hall- I noticed
something on the floor.
It was some type of tag- made out
of strong material- it said ‘First kiss- but not the last- New York’. [I have
no idea where it came from- I guess one of my kids bought something?]
Over the years I always wanted to
do outreach in N.Y.
But- for reasons I mentioned
above- I put it off.
But as I picked up the tag- I
stuck in in my bag [I carry a little back pack with my books- so if I’m in the
yard- or the house- I have all the stuff right there].
I thought ‘this might be a sign
of sorts- that someday I’ll make the trip again’.
I haven’t been back to New Jersey
in a few years [maybe 10?] at this time- and the spot where I grew up is really
the NYC area- right off the Hudson River.
As a matter of fact- my last trip
there- I walked over the George Washington Bridge and headed towards 42nd
St. - Times Square.
So- that’s the area.
As the day progressed [when I
found the tag].
I had an argument with my wife-
and without planning any trip- yeah- I jumped in the Van and headed out- to
N.J.
I hate leaving late like this- it
was in the afternoon- but like I said- it wasn’t planned.
Later that day [or a few days
later?].
I opened my bag- and saw the tag.
It was strange- almost like God
was saying ‘you’re going to go back to N.J. soon’.
I had no idea it would be this
soon!
So- that was 2012- and I went back
for 3 months in 2013 [the longest return since I moved back to Texas in 1981].
And I plan on going back at least
once a year- maybe more.
Yeah- first kiss- but not the
last.
As you read these long posts- I’m
trying to mix in teaching- along with my story.
I never told the full story about
all of this stuff- until this last month.
I had a lot of friend’s I have
been doing ministry with- who were surprised to say the least.
One of the guys at the mission-
who I never told the story to- must have heard from someone else.
He always made an excuse of sorts
‘Well John- the reason I’m on the streets- is because I never had the church upbringing
like you’.
He has said this for many years-
and I never really corrected him.
I mean I did go to church as a
kid- but was not the ‘good Christian’ type boy.
The other day he asked ‘you were raised
in the church- right?’
This was the first time he put it
like that- as a question- so I simply said ‘no Dirk- I too have a background’
[and to be honest- probably worse than his- absent the recent stabbing- that is].
Another friend- who I won’t mention
by name [ see- now it’s hard to do this- without my buddies thinking it’s them-
let’s say this friend does not read my site- or Facebook- that way you will at
least know who it isn’t]
I have known him for years- yet-
he has never confessed to using hard drugs- and he is a loner- I know much more
of the homeless crew then he does.
I shared some of my story with
him the other day- and for the first time- he told me he used to spend about
400 dollars a night- on Meth.
So- in a way- I think it’s been good
to finally tell it all- like they say.
What’s God’s calling for you?
Maybe you won’t find a tag on the
floor [or maybe you will?] but often times you already know what he wants- he
puts that desire in you.
In my case- finding the tag
wasn’t the reason I left- but no- I had been putting off this trip for years.
The tag [or sign] simply prods
you along the way.
The past few days my North Bergen
friend has been keeping in touch daily- he has about 3-4 days sober now- and we
text about every day.
In a way- you could say I’m his
sponsor- though this is not AA.
One of the good things I did get
from AA was seeing my friends who sponsor these guys- how they call each other-
do help each other- and keep in daily contact with them.
Because of my short time in AA- I
now do this with some of our guys.
In the past it was almost
impossible to get me on the phone- but because of learning/seeing my friends do
this as sponsors- I changed my pattern.
So yeah- I do credit AA for the
good- and when I critique AA- the purpose is not to put AA down- but to help
all of us find the best path.
Yeah- I ‘kissed’ North Bergen for
the first time in 2012 [There’s a verse that says righteousness and peace will
kiss the earth- so the ‘first kiss’ tag symbolized a type of ministry thing]
and again in 2013- and will in 2014.
Yeah- that was my path- that’s
not everyone’s path- but that was mine
God- like in the case of John-
also has a path for you.
I pray that you will find it-
soon.
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 [FaceBookl]
- I have posted lots.