Water, water,
rushing
roaring
down
down
down
into the misty basin below.
Slithering and
sliding
over rocks
and sand
rounding this curve
then that one.
forever frozen in eternity.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Peace Reflections
For these troubled times, what shall we think on?
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Is. 9:6
Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.Is. 26:3
I [am for] peace: but when I speak, they [are] for war. Ps. 120:7
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee Ps. 122:6
Jesus is the answer.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Is. 9:6
Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.Is. 26:3
I [am for] peace: but when I speak, they [are] for war. Ps. 120:7
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee Ps. 122:6
Jesus is the answer.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
ARIZONA TRIES TO BALANCE BUDGET ON BACKS OF POOR!
By Linda K. Light
Arizona is trying to balance their budget on the backs of the poor.
Early Friday morning, April 1, around 3 a.m. MST, the Arizona State House of Representatives approved a state budget for the next fiscal year that includes an additional $47 million in cuts from the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). DES includes healthcare services and other assistance to low-income families and single adults under 65 without dependent children, domestic violence victims, the homeless, the elderly, and the mentally and physically disabled. This agency already suffered huge budget cuts this current fiscal year that included organ transplants for the indigent. That left 96 people due to receive organ transplants on the state program without the means to pay for these badly needed and expensive operations and after care. The organ transplant program has been restored in next year’s budget. But who knows how many can wait that long or will even be alive by then. One person in the program has already lost an opportunity for an organ because when one became available, he did not have the money to pay for it out of his own pocket, nor have health insurance that would cover it. So the organ was given instead to someone else who had the money or health insurance to pay for the operation.
I spoke with Rep. Katie Hobbs (D) Friday morning, and she said, “The budget did not pass until 3 a.m. this morning. The legislature was in session all night long. No Democrats were allowed any input, only Republicans. No time was given to read the final budget before it was presented and voted on, so no one could really see who would be impacted.” She asked me who my representatives were, and I told her David Smith (R)) and Heather Carter (R). She told me they both voted for the budget. I will NOT be voting them back in next term should they choose to seek re-election.
Later on Friday afternoon, around 3:30 p.m. the state budget was passed by the State Senate in the same way. Rushed through along partisan lines.
This tactic of presenting a bill and then voting on it almost immediately or within a very short time has been used before to pass bills in the U.S. Congress as well. It seems to me that usually there are things hidden in the bill that the opposition party would oppose and argue against had they been given a chance. But time for argument or discussion before the final vote is not allowed. Instead it is deliberately skipped over. Time is not given to even read the bill before the vote. Sometimes I think it is used to hide things that some legislators do not want the public to become aware of until it is too late to say anything, because they know the public would object to it.
Speaking from personal experience, not all people receiving assistance are defrauding the system. Many cannot afford healthcare on their own, nor purchase healthcare insurance. Many general practice physicians, not specialists, charge as much as $100-200 per visit full price. That cost does not include lab tests or medicines. That is just the price to see the doctor. I’ve read where some state legislators think poor people who get bumped off the state’s Medicaid program, AHCCCS, should go to the emergency room for any kind of illness or treatment instead. Hospitals are not allowed to turn anyone away if they come to the emergency room. But these hospitals will still send a bill to that person even if they have no insurance or money to pay for it. If the patient does not come up with the means to pay the bill, eventually the bill will be sent to a collection agency, and it will show up on the person’s credit report as well. Multiple daily phone calls from the collection agency as well as mail start coming in. The patient may be unemployed and trying very hard to get a job, or just barely have enough income to keep a roof over their heads and the electricity on, but not pay for the bill. Single adults without dependent children under the age of 65 (too young to be covered by Medicare) is one group that is under consideration from being dropped from the program. Just because an adult doesn’t have children in the home to take care of doesn’t mean they can all afford health care.
Yesterday I read on CNN’s web site where the U.S. House of Representatives will be presented with next year’s budget Tuesday, April 5, that will include cuts to Medicaid for the federal budget, and pass the costs along to the states, who are already struggling with their budgets.
I guess the poor are supposed to just die if they get seriously injured or ill, because they can’t afford health care like the wealthier can. Churches and other charitable organizations that provide free healthcare to the poor are struggling financially, too.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Water and Rock Haiku
by Linda K. Light
 |
| Copyright 2010 Linda K. Light |
Gurgling joyfully
Over rock and into pool
Water streaming calm.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
SHARIA LAW at work in Arizona: Dad accused in 'honor killing' will not face death penalty
NOTE: Honor killings are premeditated murder. So why aren't they treated as premeditated murder? A blogger at the Arizona Republic exposes why. His blog is about the Idealogy of Islam. Link is in the title of this blog if you click on it.-- Linda
http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/2010/02/19/20100219honor-killing.html
After sparring with the suspect's defense attorney over its death-penalty-review process, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has said it will not seek death for Faleh Almaleki, 49.
The Iraqi immigrant is accused of killing his daughter, 20-year-old Noor Almaleki, for being "too Westernized."
Police say he used his Jeep Cherokee to run down his daughter and another woman in a Peoria parking lot Oct. 20. Noor later died of her injuries.
Almaleki is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault and two counts of leaving the scene of a serious accident. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The decision not to seek the death penalty comes after Almaleki's attorney, Billy Little, a public defender, asked a judge to take special precautions to ensure the County Attorney's Office wouldn't wrongly seek the death penalty because Almaleki is a Muslim. [NOTE: This is in accord with Sharia law which prohibits a non-Moslem from killing a Moslem for any reason. ]
Little requested that the office make public the process it uses to determine whether to seek capital punishment.
"An open process provides some level of assurance that there is no appearance that a Christian is seeking to execute a Muslim for racial, political, religious or cultural beliefs," Little wrote, referring to County Attorney Andrew Thomas' Christian faith. [NOTE: And so, once again, Moslems are being given special protection just in order to avoid the appearance of prejudice. From now on, it will be clear that the death penalty in Arizona applies only to non-Moslems!!!]
Laura Reckart, a county prosecutor, responded that Little's concern about the "supposed bias" of the office's death-penalty-review process was "without legitimate factual or legal basis." [NOTE: True enough. So, why is the prosecutor's office backing down???]
She wrote that the state can seek the death penalty for any person convicted of first-degree murder if it can prove the existence of at least one aggravating factor, not because of religion.
However, the debate stopped there. On Tuesday, Reckart filed a motion indicating prosecutors would not seek the death penalty. [NOTE: WHY???]
Mike Scerbo, a spokesman for the County Attorney's Office, declined to comment on the decision.
Prosecutors said Almaleki has admitted killing his daughter because she disgraced the family by not following traditional Iraqi or Muslim values. [NOTE: More sloppy, politically correct reporting from the Arizona Republic. What are "Iraqi values"??? We are talking ONLY about Muslim values. Iraqi Christians do not do this sort of thing.]
They liken the case to honor killings that occur in the Middle East, Africa and other parts of the world. In tribal societies where the practice occurs, male family members feel they must kill a rebellious relative who shames them by not adhering to traditional values. [NOTE: Of the more than 5000 "honor killings a year, according to the United Nations report, the vast, vast majority are committed by Moslems. These Moslems are not members of "tribes" with "traditional values". They are adherents of Islam, with Islamic values.]
Noor had reportedly married a man in Iraq and returned to Arizona to live with a boyfriend and his mother in Surprise, police said. [NOTE: These are violations of sacred Islamic Sharia law which permits, sometimes even requires death as a punishment. Sharia law specifically exempts parents from the death penalty if they kill their children!]
Friday, February 19, 2010 at 07:59 AM
http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/2010/02/19/20100219honor-killing.html
Dad accused in 'honor killing' will not face death penalty
A Glendale man accused of killing his daughter in an "honor killing" will not face the death penalty.After sparring with the suspect's defense attorney over its death-penalty-review process, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has said it will not seek death for Faleh Almaleki, 49.
The Iraqi immigrant is accused of killing his daughter, 20-year-old Noor Almaleki, for being "too Westernized."
Police say he used his Jeep Cherokee to run down his daughter and another woman in a Peoria parking lot Oct. 20. Noor later died of her injuries.
Almaleki is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault and two counts of leaving the scene of a serious accident. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The decision not to seek the death penalty comes after Almaleki's attorney, Billy Little, a public defender, asked a judge to take special precautions to ensure the County Attorney's Office wouldn't wrongly seek the death penalty because Almaleki is a Muslim. [NOTE: This is in accord with Sharia law which prohibits a non-Moslem from killing a Moslem for any reason. ]
Little requested that the office make public the process it uses to determine whether to seek capital punishment.
"An open process provides some level of assurance that there is no appearance that a Christian is seeking to execute a Muslim for racial, political, religious or cultural beliefs," Little wrote, referring to County Attorney Andrew Thomas' Christian faith. [NOTE: And so, once again, Moslems are being given special protection just in order to avoid the appearance of prejudice. From now on, it will be clear that the death penalty in Arizona applies only to non-Moslems!!!]
Laura Reckart, a county prosecutor, responded that Little's concern about the "supposed bias" of the office's death-penalty-review process was "without legitimate factual or legal basis." [NOTE: True enough. So, why is the prosecutor's office backing down???]
She wrote that the state can seek the death penalty for any person convicted of first-degree murder if it can prove the existence of at least one aggravating factor, not because of religion.
However, the debate stopped there. On Tuesday, Reckart filed a motion indicating prosecutors would not seek the death penalty. [NOTE: WHY???]
Mike Scerbo, a spokesman for the County Attorney's Office, declined to comment on the decision.
Prosecutors said Almaleki has admitted killing his daughter because she disgraced the family by not following traditional Iraqi or Muslim values. [NOTE: More sloppy, politically correct reporting from the Arizona Republic. What are "Iraqi values"??? We are talking ONLY about Muslim values. Iraqi Christians do not do this sort of thing.]
They liken the case to honor killings that occur in the Middle East, Africa and other parts of the world. In tribal societies where the practice occurs, male family members feel they must kill a rebellious relative who shames them by not adhering to traditional values. [NOTE: Of the more than 5000 "honor killings a year, according to the United Nations report, the vast, vast majority are committed by Moslems. These Moslems are not members of "tribes" with "traditional values". They are adherents of Islam, with Islamic values.]
Noor had reportedly married a man in Iraq and returned to Arizona to live with a boyfriend and his mother in Surprise, police said. [NOTE: These are violations of sacred Islamic Sharia law which permits, sometimes even requires death as a punishment. Sharia law specifically exempts parents from the death penalty if they kill their children!]
Friday, February 19, 2010 at 07:59 AM
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Well in the Desert
I thought I had a well that was deep and true.
The water was very sweet and refreshing.
The water was very sweet and refreshing.
I tried to take good care of it.
Then one morning I woke up and
The water had disappeared.
All that remained was shifting sand.
Maybe just a mirage in the desert.Then one morning I woke up and
The water had disappeared.
All that remained was shifting sand.
By Linda K. Light
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Apartment Refugee
Refugee from my own home
Clashing disharmony all around
Ever seeking a quiet moment
Only finding it in stranger places.
by Linda K. Light
by Linda K. Light
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Blood Everywhere
Blood, blood everywhere
and not a drop of compassion anywhere.
"Party Hearty!!" the wolves cry
as they suck the last bit of sustenance away.
"Party Hearty!!" the wolves cry
as they suck the last bit of sustenance away.
Linda K. Light
Friday, November 12, 2010
Paying It Forward
There was a movie that came out several years ago called “Paying It Forward”. It was about an idealistic boy around ten years old in elementary school. His teacher gave the class a project to do that involved doing random acts of kindness for strangers without asking for anything in return, and then reporting back on what happened. This young boy took it seriously and began doing that. Soon, other strangers were helping other strangers because they had been helped, asking them only to “pay it forward' by helping someone else that they did not know. Soon the whole city began to change with people doing random acts of kindness all over. It even made the daily newspaper. In the end this young boy gave his life literally by “paying it forward” by helping a fellow classmate who was being constantly bullied by this gang. The gang leader pulled out a knife and stabbed the boy to death. It happened on school grounds. The teacher saw it and arrived in time to break it up and get help, but the helpful boy died in his arms, saying, “Just paying it forward”. Well I had a real experience this evening.
I was shopping for groceries late in the evening and had finished around 9 p.m. I sat down with my several bags of groceries at a local bus stop. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe the last bus had gone by because of it being a holiday and they were on a Sunday schedule, which means the buses do not run as late as they do during a regular weekday schedule. I had forgotten this when I left my place. I called my son on my cell phone and had him check the bus schedule. Sure enough, I had missed the last bus by a half hour. There was another man also waiting at the bus stop. He looked to be a business man in his dark suit and white dress shirt. I went over and told him that the last bus had already gone by and why. I was thinking about if I even had enough money to take a cab home, but never said anything to this guy. The man asked where I was going, and I told him. Turned out it was about half the distance of where he was headed further on, so he asked if I wanted to split a cab fare with him. I said sure, but that I need to go to an ATM to get some cash because I didn't have any on me. He had to do the same, so we agreed to meet back at the bus stop in a couple of minutes. He volunteered to call the cab with his cell phone, so I agreed and we split. Turned out we both used the same bank and there was an ATM right behind us that we both used. The cab arrived about five minutes later. He offered to let me sit in the back of the cab with all my bags and he take the front seat beside the driver. I said that that was ok with me. Well, the driver had stuff piled in the seat beside him, so that was out, but I just stacked my 3 bags around me and left the side open for the other guy. We all managed to fit in the back seat.
My stop was first. I had told the driver an intersection a couple of blocks away from my place so as to keep us going in a straight line and not to inconvenience the gentleman sharing the fare with me. The driver let me out at the corner gas station. I told them here was fine that I could walk the couple of blocks to my home from there. They both graciously offered to take me all the way, but I said I was fine, that I did not wish to inconvenience the other passenger. I asked how much I owed the driver and had my wallet out to pay, when the businessman said that it was only a couple of dollars and that he would take care of it. He routinely took the cab this distance when he got off work late at night to his home sometimes about another mile away, so he was familiar with the cost. I graciously thanked him, utterly astounded, and he said, “Just pay it forward. Just help somebody else.” I laughed in joyous understanding and said that I would. I left the cab in a daze and started my trek home with grocery bags in hand.
God bless you, kind stranger.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Is Modern Israel a Fulfillment of Prophecy?
| I fully agree with the ideas and theology expressed in this article. I am wholeheartedly against replacement theology.-- Linda L. | ||
By Mark Ellick
Is modern-day Israel the fulfillment of prophecy? In this article we will consider and evaluate various positions and determine whether it is or not.
A Closer Look at Replacement Theology
However, God's promise that Abraham's descendants (the Jewish people) would possess the land God promised to Abraham is initially found in a covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional, meaning that its fulfillment does not depend on the obedience of Abraham or his descendants. Rather, its fulfillment depends solely on the faithfulness of God. The Abrahamic Covenant is mentioned a number of times in Genesis. Two of these are particularly relevant to our study:
"And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are-northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.'" (Genesis 13:14-15).
"And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." (Genesis 17:7-8)
Neither of these passages place any conditions on Abraham or his descendants, and it is in these passages that God promises Abraham, "all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever." God, who never lies, promised Abraham that his descendants would possess the land forever - and He will keep that promise!
The prophetic Scriptures concerning Israel's future are founded on the promises contained in the Abrahamic Covenant. Because the promises in the Abrahamic Covenant are unconditional, these same promises found in the prophetic Scriptures must also be unconditional. This includes the promises concerning the re-gathering of the Jewish people to Israel that they might possess the land.
Allegorical Or Literal?
Replacement theology's claim that the prophecies concerning Israel's future should be interpreted allegorically is also incorrect. The promises God made to Abraham were clearly literal. For example, God's promise that He would make Abraham a great nation (Genesis 12:2) has been literally fulfilled. Likewise, the covenant promises concerning Israel's future - and the prophecies that elaborate on these promises - will be literally fulfilled as well. Additionally, the prophecies regarding the reestablishment of Israel are part of a group of prophecies concerning the second coming of Messiah. Because the prophecies concerning Messiah's first coming were fulfilled literally, consistent interpretation dictates that the prophecies concerning His second coming - and the reestablishment of Israel - should be interpreted literally as well.
Conclusion
We may conclude that the teachings of replacement theology are not the most literal interpretations of the teachings of Scripture, and replacement theology must be carefully scrutinized. The covenant promises made to Israel still apply to Israel, and they will be fulfilled literally. This includes the possession of the land of Israel by the Jewish people.
Israel And The Prophetic Scriptures
Let's now consider one of the prophetic Scriptures that elaborates on the promises made to the Fathers concerning the land."For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God." (Ezekiel 36:24-28)
In this passage, Ezekiel prophesies that the Jewish people will be gathered from the nations among which they have been scattered and return to live in the land promised to their forefathers. This prophecy records, far in advance, the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham concerning the Land. There is neither a literary nor a biblical reason to interpret this prophecy allegorically. Its fulfillment is, as Ezekiel clearly indicates, literal.
Two Re-Gatherings
We have established that the promises God made concerning the land of Israel still apply to Jewish people and will be fulfilled literally. Now we will determine whether modern-day Israel is a fulfillment of these promises.There are some who say that while it is true that God will restore the Jewish people to the Land, it is possible that there may be a number of "non-prophetic" re-gatherings preceding the prophetic re-gathering. According to this view, modern-day Israel may be a work of man, not a work of God - and therefore not necessarily a fulfillment of prophecy.
However, according to the Scriptures, there are to be only two re-gatherings of Israel. This is confirmed by the prophet Isaiah:
It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. (Isaiah 11:11-12)
Isaiah chapter 11, which contains the prophecy of a second re-gathering, describes it as a final and permanent re-gathering. Scripture thus indicates that there will be precisely two re-gatherings - no more and no less.
One view of this passage asserts that the modern-day re-gathering and reestablishment of Israel is the first re-gathering, a re-gathering in unbelief for judgment - and that a second re-gathering in belief for blessing will follow this first re-gathering. However, this view does not account for a previous re-gathering: the return of the Jewish people to their homeland after the Babylonian captivity. This appears to contradict Isaiah 11, which calls for precisely two re-gatherings.
A different view of this passage, which accounts for precisely two re-gatherings, asserts that the first re-gathering took place when the seventy-year Babylonian captivity prophesied by Jeremiah ended (Jeremiah 25:8-11), and the Jewish people returned to their homeland (Ezra chapters 1 and 2).
According to this view, since the prophecy concerning the first re-gathering has been fulfilled, the modern day re-gathering of the Jewish people and the reestablishment of Israel as a nation must be the second and final re-gathering and a fulfillment of prophecy. This view is consistent with the promises made in the Abrahamic Covenant and the prophetic Scriptures based on that covenant.
Based on our study of the Abrahamic Covenant and the prophetic Scriptures, we may conclude that God has declared unconditionally that Israel would one day be reestablished - and God has been faithful in keeping this promise. The prophetic Scriptures, properly interpreted, indicate that modern-day Israel is indeed a fulfillment of prophecy.
* The views above are those of the author.
Mark Ellick serves with Chosen People Ministries in Irvine, California
http://www.chosenpeople.com/main/index.php/prophecy/261-is-modern-israel-a-fulfillment-of-prophecy
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A New Day
The veil was thin this morning.
Doves were cooing
As the sun peaked thru
The billowing grey clouds,
Full of promise of rain to come.
Yahweh's children were up and about
Greeting their Father
As a new day arose.
Linda K. Light
Doves were cooing
As the sun peaked thru
The billowing grey clouds,
Full of promise of rain to come.
Yahweh's children were up and about
Greeting their Father
As a new day arose.
Linda K. Light
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Easy to Talk
It's easy to talk about someone else's woes when you are in an armchair a safe distance away.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Walking Wounded
[Dedicated to MR]
by Linda Light
I walked by the hospital one day
And out back I heard the sounds of shots fired.
Hurriedly I ran back there to see
A man kneeling on the ground,
Writhing in pain,
As a doctor stood pointing a gun
At a man who was already ill.
I shoved the gun aside and ran
To the man on the ground.
I screamed at the doctor
“ You’re supposed to help people heal here,
Not wound them more! What do you think you are doing??”
I took hold of the elbow of the now shot man,
Helped him to stand, and
Took him to a humble cottage down the road.
Urgently I rapped on the door.
A bearded man robed in white
Soon opened wide the door.
“Father, please take us in! Another patient rescued
From down the road.”
With eyes full of love, he helped the man in.
He touched his wounds and healed them,
Then lastly he touched the man’s heart.
“Go and tell others of what you’ve learned this day.”
Monday, January 11, 2010
Jewish Salvation Is Not Automatic
There are some false teachings going around in the “Christian” world that the Jewish person does not need to be told about Yeshua HaMachiach (Jesus Christ) because the Jewish people are automatically saved by being Jewish and therefore they will automatically go to Heaven when they die. Not so!! This is a lie straight from the pit of Hell to keep the gospel from the Jewish people. I love the Jewish people. I believe they are a chosen people by God to bring the law (Torah) into the world and to be the earthly line that the Messiah would be born into and enter the world of mankind in physical form. But I believe they have to make a choice about what they will do with Yeshua just like everyone else. The Bible supports this. Here is an excerpt from an article by Dr. Mitch Glaser of Chosen People Ministries that explains it very well.
The Church and Jewish Evangelism
By Dr. Mitch Glaser
Introduction
As the leader of a traditional mission to the Jewish people, I believe that all Jewish people need to accept Jesus in order to have a place in the age to come (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). I do not believe that a Jewish person is capable of keeping the Law to the extent that their human efforts would in some way satisfy God’s demands for righteousness, enabling the individual Jewish person to enter heaven on their own merit (Gal. 2:15-16, 3:23-25, Romans 10:2-4 ff.). This is true of non-Jews as well, who are judged on a different basis than the Jewish people according to the argument of the Apostle Paul in the early chapters of Romans (Romans 2:12-16, 3:9-20), but non-Jews are also made acceptable before God by the same act of conscious faith in the Son of God who died and rose for our sins (Romans 10:9-12).
I also believe it is a biblical mandate for Gentiles in the Body of Messiah to reach Jewish people with the Gospel message. In fact, according to Paul’s statement in Romans 11:11, the Gentiles are to make the Jewish people jealous. The Great Commission has application to both Jewish and Gentile believers; however, the Scriptures do not present Jewish evangelism as simply one aspect of the Great Commission among many. It is a unique venture that is specifically addressed in Scripture and once again, Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, is the biblical spokesperson who argues for this position.
This mandate for Jewish evangelism (and discipleship) that Paul calls upon the Gentiles in the Body of Messiah to embrace is based upon many different passages from the New Testament, but the following two passages seem to be the most prominent.
The Mandate to Evangelize Jewish People Based Upon Romans 1:16
Franz Delitzsch, the well-known Old Testament scholar, wrote, “For the church to evangelize the world without thinking of the Jews is like a bird trying to fly with one broken wing.”
The Apostle Paul expresses it this way, For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).
It is in this thematic verse of Romans that one is able to see the clear progression of evangelism. The rest of the world is not to be ignored, but the first step is to reach out to God’s chosen people. Even the word “first” clearly exhibits that the Jewish people are the first priority for evangelism in time, place and rank.
…for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first…
Of course, Paul is not suggesting that the Roman believers withhold the Gospel from the Gentiles until every Jewish person in the world is reached.
Neither is the Apostle implying that the Gospel has already come to the Jewish people first and therefore preaching the Gospel to the "Jew first" no longer has any particular application to the year 2010. Romans 1:16 is written in the present tense - so let's follow the logic of the text. If the Gospel is still the power of God "unto" salvation and is still for "all who believe," then the Gospel is still "to the Jew first."
The Greek word used by Paul and translated first is protos. It implies a priority, rather then a sequential order of events. The word is also used in Matthew 6:33 where the Lord Jesus reminds us to Seek first the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God should always be sought as a priority in our lives, even as we seek other things. In a similar way, reaching Jewish people with the Gospel must be a priority concern for all who know the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, focused his ministry on reaching non-Jews with the Gospel message. But this did not lessen his concern for the salvation of the Jewish people. Wherever Paul went in his ministry among the Gentiles, he also tried preached the Gospel to the Jewish people living in that area (Acts 13:13-52; 14:1-5; 18:7-11; 19:8-10). He would regularly attempt to evangelize the Jewish people of a particular city before he spoke to the Gentiles. The salvation of the Jewish people was an ever- present concern for Paul, and his actions in the Book of Acts reveal his understanding of what he wrote in Romans 1:16.
However, all too often Jewish evangelism has become the Great Omission of the Great Commission. This is beginning to change and some church bodies are taking Jewish evangelism more seriously than ever before - and it is my hope that this will continue.
A wonderful story is told of the relationship between John Wilkinson, a Gentile missionary to the Jews who founded the Mildmay Mission to the Jews, and of J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission (which is now OMF). It seems that every January, Taylor would send Wilkinson a check for a sum of money with a note attached, “To the Jew first.” Wilkinson would then the same amount back to Taylor with a note that read, “And also to the Gentiles.”
I hope this is a true story, though it has almost reached the zenith of myth within the Jewish missions community! However, it does characterize the interdependence that missions to both Jews and Gentiles have in Scripture. One mission does not negate the possibility of fulfilling the other. We can reach Jewish people as a priority founded upon God’s own choice of Abraham’s seed according to the flesh, and still reach the world as commanded by our Messiah prior to the ascension.
Romans 9-11
Romans, chapters 9, 10 and 11 are passages of Scripture with which most Christians are familiar, but which are not usually understood in respect to Jewish evangelism. These texts are often utilized by preachers to instruct believers in the doctrines of election and predestination - especially Romans chapter 9.
Romans 10 speaks about the role of preaching and the preacher in evangelism: “How can they hear without a preacher?” This is the passage believers use regarding evangelism in general and the role of the Word of God in evangelism.
In Romans chapter 11, where clearly the relationship of Israel and the Church is central to the Apostle's thinking, the text is mostly known for the final few verses which form a doxology, “For from Him and to Him and through Him are all things, to Him be the glory forever and ever.”
Yet for our purposes, Romans 9, 10 and 11 are some of the most critical chapters of Scripture dealing with Jewish evangelism, the role of the Jewish people in God’s plan, and the role of the evangelist among the Jewish people.
Some Key Thoughts from the Text
In Romans 9-11, the Apostle Paul points out some key thoughts about the Jewish people and about Jewish evangelism.
For example, in Romans 9:1-3, we learn of Paul’s burden for the Jewish people. The statement “I wish that I would be accursed” shows Paul’s willingness to go to hell so that Jewish people might go to heaven. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, had a great burden for his own people.
In Romans 10:1 we learn about Paul’s desire to pray for the Jewish people. “Brethren, my heart’s desire, my prayer to God is that Israel might be saved.” The Apostle Paul relates his struggle in Romans 9-11 as he attempts to figure out how in God’s plan, the Jewish people did not embrace Jesus as their Messiah.
In chapter 11 Paul concludes that God has not rejected the Jewish people and that there is hope for their salvation in the present age and in the age to come.
The following summarizes the Apostle's struggle and conclusion. Did all Israel reject Christ? Did God reject the Jewish people? No - all Israel did not reject Christ because Paul himself declares that he is a Jew in Romans 11:1 ! So not all Jewish people rejected Jesus, because Paul himself was Jewish! Had God rejected the Jewish people for their unbelief? No! Paul is living evidence of God’s faithfulness. I too am a Jewish believer in Jesus, and there is a remnant of Jews today who are accepting the gift of salvation through our various ministries.
God had preserved a remnant, and there is a remnant today as there was in even in the Old Testament period, as evidenced by Paul’s recounting of the story in 2 Kings 18. Elijah went up to Mt. Carmel to stage a contest with the Ba’al worshippers. What ultimately happens is that God shows Elijah when he feels all alone that he has company, because there are 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Ba'al.
This remnant doctrine is extremely important in Scripture and is mentioned throughout Scripture from Genesis through Revelation. Sha’ar, the remnant, is a key term and a very important concept in Scripture.
Noah is one example of the remnant. God was willing to preserve a city, Sodom, for the sake of the remnant. Often you see the phrase, “except for the sake of the remnant, I would have destroyed...” Jewish believers today are also part of the remnant.
This doctrine points out that we are not alone. The Apostle Paul's teaching reminds us that in every age there exists a remnant of Jewish people who are open to the Lord and willing to follow Him! In this age, clearly, accepting Jesus as the Jewish Messiah fulfills this faith in God.
One of the reasons I am excited about serving with Chosen People Ministries is because I know that in every corner of the globe and every community within our own country, there are Jewish people ready to hear the Good News and respond positively.
This is why we should preach the Gospel “to the Jew first” in our communities, knowing that the Lord has promised to save a remnant.
I hope we will follow the Lord’s mandate and proclaim the Good News to the Jewish people and keep Jewish evangelism close to our hearts, as we know from Scripture that God is not finished with His people yet! (Romans 11:25-27).
The Church and Jewish Evangelism
By Dr. Mitch Glaser
Introduction
As the leader of a traditional mission to the Jewish people, I believe that all Jewish people need to accept Jesus in order to have a place in the age to come (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). I do not believe that a Jewish person is capable of keeping the Law to the extent that their human efforts would in some way satisfy God’s demands for righteousness, enabling the individual Jewish person to enter heaven on their own merit (Gal. 2:15-16, 3:23-25, Romans 10:2-4 ff.). This is true of non-Jews as well, who are judged on a different basis than the Jewish people according to the argument of the Apostle Paul in the early chapters of Romans (Romans 2:12-16, 3:9-20), but non-Jews are also made acceptable before God by the same act of conscious faith in the Son of God who died and rose for our sins (Romans 10:9-12).
I also believe it is a biblical mandate for Gentiles in the Body of Messiah to reach Jewish people with the Gospel message. In fact, according to Paul’s statement in Romans 11:11, the Gentiles are to make the Jewish people jealous. The Great Commission has application to both Jewish and Gentile believers; however, the Scriptures do not present Jewish evangelism as simply one aspect of the Great Commission among many. It is a unique venture that is specifically addressed in Scripture and once again, Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, is the biblical spokesperson who argues for this position.
This mandate for Jewish evangelism (and discipleship) that Paul calls upon the Gentiles in the Body of Messiah to embrace is based upon many different passages from the New Testament, but the following two passages seem to be the most prominent.
The Mandate to Evangelize Jewish People Based Upon Romans 1:16
Franz Delitzsch, the well-known Old Testament scholar, wrote, “For the church to evangelize the world without thinking of the Jews is like a bird trying to fly with one broken wing.”
The Apostle Paul expresses it this way, For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).
It is in this thematic verse of Romans that one is able to see the clear progression of evangelism. The rest of the world is not to be ignored, but the first step is to reach out to God’s chosen people. Even the word “first” clearly exhibits that the Jewish people are the first priority for evangelism in time, place and rank.
…for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first…
Of course, Paul is not suggesting that the Roman believers withhold the Gospel from the Gentiles until every Jewish person in the world is reached.
Neither is the Apostle implying that the Gospel has already come to the Jewish people first and therefore preaching the Gospel to the "Jew first" no longer has any particular application to the year 2010. Romans 1:16 is written in the present tense - so let's follow the logic of the text. If the Gospel is still the power of God "unto" salvation and is still for "all who believe," then the Gospel is still "to the Jew first."
The Greek word used by Paul and translated first is protos. It implies a priority, rather then a sequential order of events. The word is also used in Matthew 6:33 where the Lord Jesus reminds us to Seek first the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God should always be sought as a priority in our lives, even as we seek other things. In a similar way, reaching Jewish people with the Gospel must be a priority concern for all who know the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, focused his ministry on reaching non-Jews with the Gospel message. But this did not lessen his concern for the salvation of the Jewish people. Wherever Paul went in his ministry among the Gentiles, he also tried preached the Gospel to the Jewish people living in that area (Acts 13:13-52; 14:1-5; 18:7-11; 19:8-10). He would regularly attempt to evangelize the Jewish people of a particular city before he spoke to the Gentiles. The salvation of the Jewish people was an ever- present concern for Paul, and his actions in the Book of Acts reveal his understanding of what he wrote in Romans 1:16.
However, all too often Jewish evangelism has become the Great Omission of the Great Commission. This is beginning to change and some church bodies are taking Jewish evangelism more seriously than ever before - and it is my hope that this will continue.
A wonderful story is told of the relationship between John Wilkinson, a Gentile missionary to the Jews who founded the Mildmay Mission to the Jews, and of J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission (which is now OMF). It seems that every January, Taylor would send Wilkinson a check for a sum of money with a note attached, “To the Jew first.” Wilkinson would then the same amount back to Taylor with a note that read, “And also to the Gentiles.”
I hope this is a true story, though it has almost reached the zenith of myth within the Jewish missions community! However, it does characterize the interdependence that missions to both Jews and Gentiles have in Scripture. One mission does not negate the possibility of fulfilling the other. We can reach Jewish people as a priority founded upon God’s own choice of Abraham’s seed according to the flesh, and still reach the world as commanded by our Messiah prior to the ascension.
Romans 9-11
Romans, chapters 9, 10 and 11 are passages of Scripture with which most Christians are familiar, but which are not usually understood in respect to Jewish evangelism. These texts are often utilized by preachers to instruct believers in the doctrines of election and predestination - especially Romans chapter 9.
Romans 10 speaks about the role of preaching and the preacher in evangelism: “How can they hear without a preacher?” This is the passage believers use regarding evangelism in general and the role of the Word of God in evangelism.
In Romans chapter 11, where clearly the relationship of Israel and the Church is central to the Apostle's thinking, the text is mostly known for the final few verses which form a doxology, “For from Him and to Him and through Him are all things, to Him be the glory forever and ever.”
Yet for our purposes, Romans 9, 10 and 11 are some of the most critical chapters of Scripture dealing with Jewish evangelism, the role of the Jewish people in God’s plan, and the role of the evangelist among the Jewish people.
Some Key Thoughts from the Text
In Romans 9-11, the Apostle Paul points out some key thoughts about the Jewish people and about Jewish evangelism.
For example, in Romans 9:1-3, we learn of Paul’s burden for the Jewish people. The statement “I wish that I would be accursed” shows Paul’s willingness to go to hell so that Jewish people might go to heaven. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, had a great burden for his own people.
In Romans 10:1 we learn about Paul’s desire to pray for the Jewish people. “Brethren, my heart’s desire, my prayer to God is that Israel might be saved.” The Apostle Paul relates his struggle in Romans 9-11 as he attempts to figure out how in God’s plan, the Jewish people did not embrace Jesus as their Messiah.
In chapter 11 Paul concludes that God has not rejected the Jewish people and that there is hope for their salvation in the present age and in the age to come.
The following summarizes the Apostle's struggle and conclusion. Did all Israel reject Christ? Did God reject the Jewish people? No - all Israel did not reject Christ because Paul himself declares that he is a Jew in Romans 11:1 ! So not all Jewish people rejected Jesus, because Paul himself was Jewish! Had God rejected the Jewish people for their unbelief? No! Paul is living evidence of God’s faithfulness. I too am a Jewish believer in Jesus, and there is a remnant of Jews today who are accepting the gift of salvation through our various ministries.
God had preserved a remnant, and there is a remnant today as there was in even in the Old Testament period, as evidenced by Paul’s recounting of the story in 2 Kings 18. Elijah went up to Mt. Carmel to stage a contest with the Ba’al worshippers. What ultimately happens is that God shows Elijah when he feels all alone that he has company, because there are 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Ba'al.
This remnant doctrine is extremely important in Scripture and is mentioned throughout Scripture from Genesis through Revelation. Sha’ar, the remnant, is a key term and a very important concept in Scripture.
Noah is one example of the remnant. God was willing to preserve a city, Sodom, for the sake of the remnant. Often you see the phrase, “except for the sake of the remnant, I would have destroyed...” Jewish believers today are also part of the remnant.
This doctrine points out that we are not alone. The Apostle Paul's teaching reminds us that in every age there exists a remnant of Jewish people who are open to the Lord and willing to follow Him! In this age, clearly, accepting Jesus as the Jewish Messiah fulfills this faith in God.
One of the reasons I am excited about serving with Chosen People Ministries is because I know that in every corner of the globe and every community within our own country, there are Jewish people ready to hear the Good News and respond positively.
This is why we should preach the Gospel “to the Jew first” in our communities, knowing that the Lord has promised to save a remnant.
I hope we will follow the Lord’s mandate and proclaim the Good News to the Jewish people and keep Jewish evangelism close to our hearts, as we know from Scripture that God is not finished with His people yet! (Romans 11:25-27).
Thursday, December 24, 2009
If Jesus Had Not Been Born, There Would Have Been No Crucifixion
'Tis the season to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, God's Anointed One, Yeshua HaMachiah.
There are some who would be spoil sports and try to take the joy of our Savior’s birth out of this time of year, saying Christmas has pagan origins and that we don’t know for sure if Jesus the Messiah was really born on December 25. Also, they would remind us that it was Jesus’ death on the cross that brought salvation to humankind. Well, I’m here to say that Jesus’ birth is an event worth celebrating regardless of when it happened. It did happen! He is THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD! He offered his perfect, sinless body up on the cross as the perfect blood sacrifice to pay the price for our sins. Jesus TOOK UPON HIMSELF all the sins of humankind, past, present and future in those hours of suffering on the cross. BUT, if He had not come down to earth into the womb of a human woman, a virgin, supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit, in human form and been born, He would have never been on earth to do that in the first place. He had to become wholly human, yet wholly divine to fulfill EACH AND EVERY Messianic prophecy foretold in the Judaic Tanakh, or Old Testament in the Christian scriptures. He could not truly claim to be God’s Anointed One if he failed to fulfill even one Messianic prophecy. One of those prophecies foretold centuries before His birth is found in Isaiah 7:14:
A virgin shall conceive and bear a son. A woman who should not even be pregnant is going to have a BABY! And IT’S A BOY! His name will be IMMANUEL, which means GOD WITH US! The Divine Creator is sending his only Son to earth in human form to literally live among mankind, and laugh and cry and suffer rejection JUST LIKE US! Immanuel will know what it is like to be human in every way. To humble Himself and become as one of us. What a loving God!
Truly the message for this time of year is one the angels sang after one of them announced Jesus’ birth to those shepherds long ago: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men”. Hallelujah!
There are some who would be spoil sports and try to take the joy of our Savior’s birth out of this time of year, saying Christmas has pagan origins and that we don’t know for sure if Jesus the Messiah was really born on December 25. Also, they would remind us that it was Jesus’ death on the cross that brought salvation to humankind. Well, I’m here to say that Jesus’ birth is an event worth celebrating regardless of when it happened. It did happen! He is THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD! He offered his perfect, sinless body up on the cross as the perfect blood sacrifice to pay the price for our sins. Jesus TOOK UPON HIMSELF all the sins of humankind, past, present and future in those hours of suffering on the cross. BUT, if He had not come down to earth into the womb of a human woman, a virgin, supernaturally conceived of the Holy Spirit, in human form and been born, He would have never been on earth to do that in the first place. He had to become wholly human, yet wholly divine to fulfill EACH AND EVERY Messianic prophecy foretold in the Judaic Tanakh, or Old Testament in the Christian scriptures. He could not truly claim to be God’s Anointed One if he failed to fulfill even one Messianic prophecy. One of those prophecies foretold centuries before His birth is found in Isaiah 7:14:
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
A virgin shall conceive and bear a son. A woman who should not even be pregnant is going to have a BABY! And IT’S A BOY! His name will be IMMANUEL, which means GOD WITH US! The Divine Creator is sending his only Son to earth in human form to literally live among mankind, and laugh and cry and suffer rejection JUST LIKE US! Immanuel will know what it is like to be human in every way. To humble Himself and become as one of us. What a loving God!
Truly the message for this time of year is one the angels sang after one of them announced Jesus’ birth to those shepherds long ago: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men”. Hallelujah!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Who Is the Rich One? or, 'The Man on the Street'
I’ve been feeling really bummed out, depressed lately. Unemployed and feeling useless. Didn’t want to write anything here because I want this blog to be a place for being uplifted, encouraged, comforted, maybe exhorted from time to time. But just when I’m feeling at my lowest and feeling sorry for myself, God sends someone across my path to remind me that there are people out there who are in a far worse situation than I am, and yet they bear it with such grace and faith in God. They put me to shame.
Feeling a head cold coming on and not feeling like cooking, but wanting something warm to eat, I walked to a local fast food place for some late breakfast. I can’t afford to eat out very often, yet if I do, it’s usually a cheap fast food place. While sitting inside the dining area eating I saw this presumably homeless man from his somewhat shabby, disheveled appearance come in through a side door and sit down a few seats from me at a counter. Another man whom I did not see was sitting in a booth behind me and he began talking to the guy beside me, asking him if he was hungry and walking over to give him some money to get something to eat with. He then sat down back at his booth and told the guy about the food stamp program and how it worked. The man beside me never once asked anyone for money or anything. He just quietly came, used the bathroom and sat in the dining area. After a few minutes of silence and thinking, I decided to chime in with some further information on what office location he could go to specifically for this area of town since the other guy was originally not from this part of town, and government assistance offices here in the Phoenix area each serve people according to the ZIP codes assigned to that office. The other guy behind me talked to him some more. From that conversation I learned the guy beside me had a camp somewhere up the road from there. He said his church was helping him out a lot, too. Then man behind me then told the other guy that he was homeless, too. This latter guy had bought something to eat there, finished, and walked out after that. I then saw him with his overstuffed backpack, clean and neat nevertheless, walk out the door. It then dawned on me what had just happened. One homeless man had just helped another homeless man out for a meal after seeking reassurance that he would use the money to buy something to eat with the money, not something else. The first homeless man went to order something to eat then, and I felt led to quietly go up and slip a dollar on the counter before him to insure he got enough to eat. I said not a word, just quietly went and sat back down to finish eating. After awhile when he had gotten his food, the guy thanked me and told me he knew where to go but had not had a chance to go there yet and fill out the paperwork for food stamps. Both of the homeless men were very sober, and fairly clean, in spite of their situations. Most homeless men I encounter smell strongly of alcohol and are drunk as a skunk, very belligerent, always trying to start an argument and beg for money or cigarettes. These guys were very polite and well-behaved. The guy beside me looked to be in his 40’s somewhere. The other guy was younger, probably in his late 20’s or early 30’s. The guy beside me started talking to me some more. He asked me if he could ask me a personal question. Hesitantly, I said yes, but fearing he was now going to “hit” on me and try to sweet talk his way into me taking him home and having sex with him, making him kinda my gigolo. I’ve had it happen to me before. Turns out all he wanted to know was my name. I gave him just my first name. He said he asked because he wanted to say a prayer for me that night. I thanked him. I asked him just before I left what his name was and he told me his name was Kurt. But while I was still there eating, Kurt began to talk some more. He told me how Jesus had saved him one day on the street corner just across the street. He was filthy dirty at the time, had hit bottom in his life, and was wanting to go to church but did not have a way to get there. He said most people usually thought he was “out of his mind” when he told them that, about Jesus saving him there, but it was the truth. God had also provided a way for him to get to church that day. Being a woman I did not want to appear too friendly, so I didn’t ask him details, but nodded and told him that I believed him. I told him that I was a born again Christian, too. He told me how rich he felt, in spite of his homeless situation, and how it wasn’t material goods that mattered in this life, but having Jesus in one’s heart. He told me that at one time in his life he had had nice homes, owned several nice cars and motorcycles, but that now he had nothing, nothing at all. Yet he acknowledged that all those things meant nothing, and that the only thing that really mattered was to have Jesus’ in one’s heart. So he felt rich, actually. He had the only thing that really mattered. He had a positive attitude. Gentle. Not bitter or angry. I felt in my spirit the love for God that he had in his heart. He went on to tell me how the manager of the place where we were at, John, was also a Christian. I told him that I thought so, but I wasn’t sure, because of the man’s friendly welcoming, sincere smile he greeted a person with when they came in the door, and his genuine pleasure at serving others and bringing their food to them if they ate in. Not a superficial attitude for on the job. His attitude was sincere. He makes a person feel like he/she is a welcome guest in his home. Anyway, Kurt told me how John and he were friends and how they shared books. Turned out Kurt loved to read fiction books, adventure and mystery and when he had finished with a book he would pass it on to the manager, John, to read because he liked to read also. When I heard about his love of books I was reminded that I had some books at home that I was going to donate somewhere and they were the kind of books that Kurt liked to read. I had finished with the books and don’t have much space to store things. It occurred to me that I could bring a little joy to this homeless man’s life by giving him my books even though I had not much money to give him. So I told him I liked those kind of books, too, and had some at home that I was going to give away anyway, and if he was going to be around long enough, that I would go home and get them and bring them there to him. I told him if they were books that he did not like, maybe he could pass them on to someone else who would like them. He joyfully said sure, he would do that, and he would be glad to accept the books. He said he respected books and never threw them away if he was done with one, but tried to find someone else to pass it along to who liked it. So I told him I didn’t live far from there, told him I had the books ready to go, and for him to wait there while I went home and brought them back there for him. That’s when I asked him his name and told him that I would pray for him also. I walked home, got the books in a plastic bag, and brought them to him. He was still sitting at the counter where I had left him. I handed over the books to him and just smiled and said “Enjoy!”. He smiled as he accepted them and said he had made a new friend and repeated that he would pray for me that night. I just smiled and nodded at him and left to go back home.
Afterwards I reflected on the experience. While listening to his story, I felt ashamed for my own self pity and lack of gratitude to God for all that he had given me. This man had nothing materially, not even a roof over his head, but he was content, knowing that it profits a man nothing to gain the whole world, but lose his soul. Suddenly, materially I felt rich and humbly blessed of God. Sure I had no job, but I had a roof over my head, however small and cramped, food to eat, clothes. I had family, a son, whom I love very much, living with me. We manage to get along in spite of close quarters. So who was the richer person in this story, I or the homeless man, Kurt? I would say Kurt was.
Feeling a head cold coming on and not feeling like cooking, but wanting something warm to eat, I walked to a local fast food place for some late breakfast. I can’t afford to eat out very often, yet if I do, it’s usually a cheap fast food place. While sitting inside the dining area eating I saw this presumably homeless man from his somewhat shabby, disheveled appearance come in through a side door and sit down a few seats from me at a counter. Another man whom I did not see was sitting in a booth behind me and he began talking to the guy beside me, asking him if he was hungry and walking over to give him some money to get something to eat with. He then sat down back at his booth and told the guy about the food stamp program and how it worked. The man beside me never once asked anyone for money or anything. He just quietly came, used the bathroom and sat in the dining area. After a few minutes of silence and thinking, I decided to chime in with some further information on what office location he could go to specifically for this area of town since the other guy was originally not from this part of town, and government assistance offices here in the Phoenix area each serve people according to the ZIP codes assigned to that office. The other guy behind me talked to him some more. From that conversation I learned the guy beside me had a camp somewhere up the road from there. He said his church was helping him out a lot, too. Then man behind me then told the other guy that he was homeless, too. This latter guy had bought something to eat there, finished, and walked out after that. I then saw him with his overstuffed backpack, clean and neat nevertheless, walk out the door. It then dawned on me what had just happened. One homeless man had just helped another homeless man out for a meal after seeking reassurance that he would use the money to buy something to eat with the money, not something else. The first homeless man went to order something to eat then, and I felt led to quietly go up and slip a dollar on the counter before him to insure he got enough to eat. I said not a word, just quietly went and sat back down to finish eating. After awhile when he had gotten his food, the guy thanked me and told me he knew where to go but had not had a chance to go there yet and fill out the paperwork for food stamps. Both of the homeless men were very sober, and fairly clean, in spite of their situations. Most homeless men I encounter smell strongly of alcohol and are drunk as a skunk, very belligerent, always trying to start an argument and beg for money or cigarettes. These guys were very polite and well-behaved. The guy beside me looked to be in his 40’s somewhere. The other guy was younger, probably in his late 20’s or early 30’s. The guy beside me started talking to me some more. He asked me if he could ask me a personal question. Hesitantly, I said yes, but fearing he was now going to “hit” on me and try to sweet talk his way into me taking him home and having sex with him, making him kinda my gigolo. I’ve had it happen to me before. Turns out all he wanted to know was my name. I gave him just my first name. He said he asked because he wanted to say a prayer for me that night. I thanked him. I asked him just before I left what his name was and he told me his name was Kurt. But while I was still there eating, Kurt began to talk some more. He told me how Jesus had saved him one day on the street corner just across the street. He was filthy dirty at the time, had hit bottom in his life, and was wanting to go to church but did not have a way to get there. He said most people usually thought he was “out of his mind” when he told them that, about Jesus saving him there, but it was the truth. God had also provided a way for him to get to church that day. Being a woman I did not want to appear too friendly, so I didn’t ask him details, but nodded and told him that I believed him. I told him that I was a born again Christian, too. He told me how rich he felt, in spite of his homeless situation, and how it wasn’t material goods that mattered in this life, but having Jesus in one’s heart. He told me that at one time in his life he had had nice homes, owned several nice cars and motorcycles, but that now he had nothing, nothing at all. Yet he acknowledged that all those things meant nothing, and that the only thing that really mattered was to have Jesus’ in one’s heart. So he felt rich, actually. He had the only thing that really mattered. He had a positive attitude. Gentle. Not bitter or angry. I felt in my spirit the love for God that he had in his heart. He went on to tell me how the manager of the place where we were at, John, was also a Christian. I told him that I thought so, but I wasn’t sure, because of the man’s friendly welcoming, sincere smile he greeted a person with when they came in the door, and his genuine pleasure at serving others and bringing their food to them if they ate in. Not a superficial attitude for on the job. His attitude was sincere. He makes a person feel like he/she is a welcome guest in his home. Anyway, Kurt told me how John and he were friends and how they shared books. Turned out Kurt loved to read fiction books, adventure and mystery and when he had finished with a book he would pass it on to the manager, John, to read because he liked to read also. When I heard about his love of books I was reminded that I had some books at home that I was going to donate somewhere and they were the kind of books that Kurt liked to read. I had finished with the books and don’t have much space to store things. It occurred to me that I could bring a little joy to this homeless man’s life by giving him my books even though I had not much money to give him. So I told him I liked those kind of books, too, and had some at home that I was going to give away anyway, and if he was going to be around long enough, that I would go home and get them and bring them there to him. I told him if they were books that he did not like, maybe he could pass them on to someone else who would like them. He joyfully said sure, he would do that, and he would be glad to accept the books. He said he respected books and never threw them away if he was done with one, but tried to find someone else to pass it along to who liked it. So I told him I didn’t live far from there, told him I had the books ready to go, and for him to wait there while I went home and brought them back there for him. That’s when I asked him his name and told him that I would pray for him also. I walked home, got the books in a plastic bag, and brought them to him. He was still sitting at the counter where I had left him. I handed over the books to him and just smiled and said “Enjoy!”. He smiled as he accepted them and said he had made a new friend and repeated that he would pray for me that night. I just smiled and nodded at him and left to go back home.
Afterwards I reflected on the experience. While listening to his story, I felt ashamed for my own self pity and lack of gratitude to God for all that he had given me. This man had nothing materially, not even a roof over his head, but he was content, knowing that it profits a man nothing to gain the whole world, but lose his soul. Suddenly, materially I felt rich and humbly blessed of God. Sure I had no job, but I had a roof over my head, however small and cramped, food to eat, clothes. I had family, a son, whom I love very much, living with me. We manage to get along in spite of close quarters. So who was the richer person in this story, I or the homeless man, Kurt? I would say Kurt was.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Health Care Reform to Be Voted on in House Nov. 7
I have just finished a public teleconference call with my U.S. Representative, John Shadegg. The House wants to vote on this bill this Saturday, November 7. CALL YOUR U.S. STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THE HEALTHCARE REFORM BILL TODAY OR SATURDAY. Their offices will be open Saturday. Call your local representative’s office in your state if you do not want to call Washington D.C. and let your voice be heard!
http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html
There are some things about Nancy Pelosi’s version of the Healthcare Reform Bill that are not getting out in the media. Contrary to what is being put in the media, the states WILL NOT be allowed to have a choice on whether to accept the provisions of this Healthcare Reform Bill. Rep. Shadegg said, “I would almost say that is a bald-faced lie!”. If this bill is passed, it WILL BE FORCED on the states to comply with it.
Nancy Pelosi is calling members of Congress and asking them what do they need to vote FOR this bill. We’re talking special interest projects here for the individual states. At least one Michigan representative was mentioned as needing a special walkway over one of the lakes. Nancy Pelosi is promising that the Congress members will get whatever they want for their state if they will just vote to pass the Healthcare Reform Bill.
In a poll that was done, 83 percent of people with healthcare insurance expressed satisfaction with their current healthcare insurance plan. Yet, if this bill is passed, ALL healthcare insurance plans will be revised in two to three years. NONE of them will be allowed to stand as is.
There have been protests organized for this Saturday, November 7, for people to come to Washington D.C. to show in numbers on the streets that many people oppose this bill. Nothing in the regular media about this. This was organized only a week ago. People who live further out of the D.C. area are at a disadvantage if they want to make plans to attend this event.
Congress members have been given a 2000-page document for this bill and being allowed only one or two days to read it before a vote is being called on it.
http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html
There are some things about Nancy Pelosi’s version of the Healthcare Reform Bill that are not getting out in the media. Contrary to what is being put in the media, the states WILL NOT be allowed to have a choice on whether to accept the provisions of this Healthcare Reform Bill. Rep. Shadegg said, “I would almost say that is a bald-faced lie!”. If this bill is passed, it WILL BE FORCED on the states to comply with it.
Nancy Pelosi is calling members of Congress and asking them what do they need to vote FOR this bill. We’re talking special interest projects here for the individual states. At least one Michigan representative was mentioned as needing a special walkway over one of the lakes. Nancy Pelosi is promising that the Congress members will get whatever they want for their state if they will just vote to pass the Healthcare Reform Bill.
In a poll that was done, 83 percent of people with healthcare insurance expressed satisfaction with their current healthcare insurance plan. Yet, if this bill is passed, ALL healthcare insurance plans will be revised in two to three years. NONE of them will be allowed to stand as is.
There have been protests organized for this Saturday, November 7, for people to come to Washington D.C. to show in numbers on the streets that many people oppose this bill. Nothing in the regular media about this. This was organized only a week ago. People who live further out of the D.C. area are at a disadvantage if they want to make plans to attend this event.
Congress members have been given a 2000-page document for this bill and being allowed only one or two days to read it before a vote is being called on it.
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