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I have been invited to work on evangelism with Pastor Jesse Colburn, Pantano Christian ChurchSierra Vista Campus Pastor, Sierra Vista Arizona.  Staten Island is not going to be home for me.  I will be sad because there are many that I will truly miss.  Staten Island has been an education in many ways and though we have been a part of many wonderful things, my time, our mission time has come to an end. 

 

 

 

I ended up with a stroke and a broken back.  Hospitalized, I am being repaired and will get teeth and help with 35 years of physical abuse on my body through international mission work.

 

 

 

On the way out the door, I am asking you to bless The Movement Church SI here for their relief work and efforts.  We (my church and the mission) would like to bless them for their service and dedication to helping people.  If you have time, encourage them and join them.  They have done miracles for people and their work for the Lord deserves recognition and reward though it will have to come through the body of Christ.  The local news and international news as well think they talk about Jesus too much and they do.  They have Jesus on their minds. 

 

 

 

Right now the Movement church is rebuilding a worship center and offices.  Their Disaster Relief deserves kudos and there should be rewards from the state of New York and city of Staten Island for their relief work in the New Dorp area.  The Grace of God through them to our mission and efforts here will not go unrewarded.

 

 

 

Since my daughter / partner / secretary is in Sierra Vista, the mission work will keep going and the girls we help will continue to receive help  (phew…) I am happy to go back to Sierra Vista.  Of course, it is the invitation to work on a team that tipped the scale.

 

 

 

Please pray for the many organizations we have had the blessing to work with but especially Christian Pentecostal Church and the Pastors, John, Jeremias, Rufina and, of course, Sandy Carlo.  Then there was Pastor Joseph Chevere, his right hand, Rudy Ortega and the tremendous help they were with Aaron from China.

 

 

 

Then there is Pastor Steve and his wife Pastor Melissa of the Movement Church, Staten Island.  Pastor Al and the office manager, Stephanie, were of great help as were Zara and the other members of The Movement Church SI.  There are many fond memories.

 

 

 

Working here with a disk out of alignment in my neck and a broken back was certainly a challenge but it was a great way to meet people and find out what they were really like.  Fortunately, my stay in the hospital repaired both and I will get new teeth as well as get the insurance and SSI as well as the VA benefits I have finally applied for.

 

 

 

The pain of working in and through Hurricane Sandy is almost over.  I may get a knew knee and, sigh…, so many problems over the years, corrected but we will see what God is going to do.

 

 

Thanks God, thanks Staten Island, turn the page on the book of life.

 

 

The end.

 

Pain, persistence and prayer

Fused back. Spinal disks t8 and t9 are now fused.  The pain is subsiding.
Sonogram of the heart and neck, veins in the arms and legs are clean, no clots.
Statens are now normal.
Blood sugar is now normal.
Blood pressure is now normal.
Cat scan is clean top to bottom.
MRI sez no brain but everything else is where it should be.
6 Coronary calcium scans of the heart and I’m normal.
5 MDR Cardiovascular scans.  Ok.
The doctors and nurses want me to get back to disaster relief and the only things waiting are my teeth and a knee surgery.
I am in one of the best hospitals in New York, maybe the world and they are doing a marvelous job.
The social worker is doing a tremendous job helping me wade through the paperwork and then.  Mercy my daughter is such a great help.  God is so good.  I am praying for you, asking God to help me bless you.
Bless you sooo much.

Now, someone came and helped themselves to my wheelchair.  Really.  New York, Imagine.
And, people are dieing and suffering yet, God lets me be here in the lap of luxury praying.  My, My, My…

His story through us (history)

The work.
Tell me if you have written a synopses of the work you have done, the work that Do and you have done. Unfortunately as an elder of some sort, Do sees me as an income rather than a source of knowledge and though I would have loved to been more of an income than I have, I tend to spend what I get on the lost, rather than maintenance of relationships or family or …

I have far too many shortcomings to talk about as they would simply be longer editions of Romans 7 and I think of little value.

I worked for a bit on military awards and it is often the perception of the leader that determines what happened during intense times of conflict that gets recorded and not actually the facts in themselves.

Financially, God provided an abundance of funds for a while which turned into seeds that people grew and saw the way they wanted. One telling the same story of the same time and place saw things much differently than others. Fair enough. However, I think the scale that Christ Jesus used has allways been obedience and persistence.

I would love to read your story, that of Do’s as well. Having Ruth divorce me always shocked me when reading her side of the story because I am / was too stupid to think that there was an opinion other than my own.

Paul’s story reads differently than the Roman soldiers or Luke and they seem to often be at odds with Jesus story of what happened.

I study antiquities and there are cylendars that betray stories of times that ended up in the Bible in a much different light.

Your story? Do’s story? Aaron, Rudy, Luke, Mark? I would love to find out what happened.

The accident that I was in, or caused, or participated in, looks different from the viewpoint of the 1,000 others that were there.

The doctor who destroyed the disk in my back, brutally cutting and scraping it from my body with much violence was loving me by removing disease and the past two weeks of unending trauma and pain, are worth his viscious attack. I appreciate the force, trauma and violence he used to remove the bone and cushion, replacing it with foreign materials and an unending onslaught of drugs.

I do not ooze love, nor acceptance, nor forgiveness but must mechanically check to see if they are there. So, I ask if I love you. Did I love you or was I even conscious of your feelings or thoughts. I often find myself mindlessly going through my day oblivious of the fact that others have feelings or thoughts or opinions. I believe it is called cranial rectitus. However, God often brings to mind that others are there and do think, act and participate in my blind world.

So, again, the story of Ray, Do, others, do you have them?

Bless you. I know that if I talk to Do, she is the same little girl who knew no English but no and that I would love to give her money because she smiles very big when receiving. I love to give to her because she reminds me of a little girl who I knew who had nothing and yet gave all she had to everyone. Giving her 5.00 was sure to bless everyone around her as she would say, “Look what we just got.”

People are dieing waiting for you to do something.

I hear you. I see you sing, dance and shout about your love of God. I know your priorities.

Lets see, what is it God said? Oh yeah

Jesus said,
“IF – Anything or anyone comes first before God: order of first things
IF – You prefer your own life: idolatry = self-love
IF – You do not bear your own cross: not Calvary’s cross
IF – You do not follow Jesus: Lordship/Submission
IF – You do not count the cost: (not the assets)
IF – You do not forsake all: Set affections above
IF – You do not continue in the Word: Living the Word
IF – You do not love one another: Selfish in giving, sharing
IF – You do not bear fruit: Must abide in the vine
THEY CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.

Luke, a doctor working with Paul penned these quotes from Jesus. Ignore them if you want.

Matthew, a tax collector penned a transcription of a speech of Jesus, in 25:31-46, choose you this day what is important, your life depends on it.

If you cannot go, send me. I will go with or without your permission, support or concern. Know this, God sent Jesus to die for me and I am not here to live happy and die in peace. This country kills babies, destroys women, plans abortion, promotes idolatry and I think is as bad as the Roman Empire. Jesus answer was to move to the streets. I think it is a good plan.

http://bobbywatts.org/index.html

http://www.bobbywatts.org/index.html

bobbywatts.org

Sorry, I follow a loser

Why do we like successful people? There the best. They want something, they go for it, they give it their all. That is why the Olympics is exciting.

Jesus knew this. He sent his disciples out by twos and told them to change the world. Our heroes are Football players, Tennis players, those folks who gave it their all. Sorry, no Jesus there. Sadly, helping the poor and denying yourself is just not heroic. Or is it?

Every religion believes that in the end, it is self denial and service to those in need that will win the race, the award, the prize. However, we spend our day talking about everything else.

What did Jesus say that pleased God. Do you know? Do you take verses from the Bible and make role models of people that look nothing like Jesus.

Jesus came to …. buy his own airplane? I know it sounds ridiculous but then why do we honor, worship, esteem those that do? Stepping over the poor, needy and hungry, we do what Jesus told us not to do? Help me. Something is wrong.

When you are sick and in need, send 1000.00 to someone with a Rolls Royce, Rolex and a private airplane. They must be closer to God, look at what they have.

Do not look at Jesus, he was a failure and not a good example of God’s goodness on earth. He was a looser bound for prison and hell and he told everyone he was. For you. Yes, he did it for you.

So go ahead, make this life the best you can. Ignore God and the commands of Christ. Everybody does it, don’t they?

A mile away from hell with my hands tied

I am a missionary.  I have been called to bring the Kingdom of God to those that need it.

What is the Kingdom of God?  Love for one another.  Righteousness based on this love and considering others in need a priority for my life.  The Kingdom of God is the knowledge that you have something to give to others and that you will be held responsible for what you have been given.

Lets say that your family received a large donation.  Dad decided that you needed a 60 inch TV in the den to watch football games.  Mom decided you needed a new set of electronic kitchen appliances.  Sis, a newer car and baby brother, a motorcycle.  Now, that is the way things usually go, but the Kingdom of God requires us to look around and see what others need.  Our Neighbors.  The folks in Jesus time were in trouble when they asked who their neighbor was because they didn’t like him because… or her because… and they had valid reasons for hating and ignoring and not helping them.  Good religious reasons.

Jesus slammed the people of his time and pointed to the people they hated.  Jesus went into and lived with the ones his chosen people hated, ignored and spoke evil of in every manner.

There are many parables.  Matthew 25:31-46 is not a parable.  It parallels God’s plan from the very beginning of the earth through this day, today.

I am a mile away from hell and my hands are tied.  Hell is when you expect something and cannot get it.  Here in Staten Island, it is called the American Scream.  Many people throughout the history of the USA, planned, worked, saved and believed the lie that things are important.  They bought houses, partied and bought … well, things.  Then God, in his infinite wisdom sent Hurricane Sandy and then the first snow storm and then another.  Don’t be deceived, God is not mocked.  Whatever you plan to do, God will do to you.

Right down the road, literally, there are thousands of people who live the American Scream.  Taxes, Insurance and payments for this and that government project have left them squeezed till they have nothing left.  Yet, on the hill, there is electricity, water and every comfort of God.  The American dream is for the rich, secluded and wealthy.  They get to eat what they made with their own hands.  Well, actually… bread made from the sweat of people that are poor, services provided by the poor and the workers of their factories.  No I am not a socialist, just a realist.  God bless us so we can be a blessing to others.

I visit the homes of the fabulously wealthy.  Fabulously wealthy according to the folks that have houses made of stacked mud that washes away every rainy season.  Fabulously wealthy according to the grandest proportion of people on earth.  Refrigerators that are full, pantries that have food and houses that are warm.  When I look around I often see … well, literally a million dollars worth of…  Stuff.  Stuff they are certain they need.  Stuff that helps them make money so that at the end of the year, they might have 1% to give to someone through their church who ends up giving .1% to someone in need.

Ok, I came here to help the poor and found that though some gave their lives to help the poor, now that it is time to wind down, people are too busy to care about those that tonight, sit in houses without heat and electricity and scream … scream and cry in to the darkness.  Why…  Job’s friends came to help him understand God.  Too bad they did not come with gifts and medicine and help and hope and an offer to assist Job in rebuilding.  Nope…  They brought the word of God as they understood it and in the end, Job had to pray for them so God would not just kill them and send them to hell.  Not what you read?  Maybe you should read again.  I see a man, chosen as an example for God, deserted by his friends and left on a trash dump.  I see a man who was not surrounded by the many that he helped or the many that were religions, bearing gifts and blessings but the law.  The very law they ignored coming to Job in the first place.  They could have been helpful, offering to do something but no, they decided Job got what he deserved.  Then, sigh… Job had to ask God not to give them what the deserved.

I am a mile away from the American Scream and what I hear is, “It’s not my problem, I got my own problems.”   “Don’t help them, they will just get used to being fed.  Make them go to work.”  It all basically comes down to “I got mine, nya nya nya, ask God to help you.”  You know, it doesn’t even make me sick any more.

Perhaps you might give some thought to what it would be like to be homeless, helpless and living on the streets.  Funny, God left his home and family and got pretty angry at the church they built him when he was Jesus.  Why didn’t Jesus build big buildings.  He could have.  Why didn’t he honor the educated and wealthy but constantly hung out with … them.  Perhaps they are important?

I need, not so I can build, but so I can go to Job and say, “Dunno why God did this but here, lemee do something to help.”  I need to help others.  Sigh…

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You have to be kidding me!

So, I came from Arizona without a banjo on my knee.  I am watching people get sick and die because of Hurricane Sandy.  Cold, constant and penetrating is turning mighty men of labor here in Staten Island into sickly cold and frustrated individuals who have lost hope.  I traveled the Island when I got here, slept in my truck for a month, not taking invitations to be warm and well fed.  I am not happy that I am finding that the government has abandoned the people on the beaches of the East Coast.

The rich sold the plots to themselves and to the others, the poor followed.  Of course, living on the shore of the North East United States is dangerous, but when they could have stopped it, they used it to make money.  When they could have required a sea wall or upgrades and helped people move, they didn’t.  They simply took the taxes and the money from the poor and ran. 

Then, God, in his anger, smited those who laughed at him and ignored him and threw him out of their schools and lives.  I know you don’t like that part.  It is easier to imagine a great fuzzy God that is always soft and kind.  I don’t know that one.  35 years in mission work have introduced me to a Father that knows what he is doing, that doesn’t share what he is doing and asks for obedience.

I laugh as I see people charge God in prayer and shout at him commanding him to do things.  Grace keeps them alive.  He is my daddy, but talking loud to him is certainly not necessary and demanding he do what he asked me to pray for seems ridiculous.

So, an October hurricane Sandy means, punch after punch after kick in the hearts and minds of those on the beach.  Listen, I heard a local church pastor say, “Give them the wet ones, they can dry them out, save the dry ones for an emergency.”  My God, please help the pastor understand that this is an emergency.  Sending wet blankets to cold and hungry people in the name of a loving and kind God?  Please…

I know you don’t care.  God knows you don’t care.  Pray?  Sure.  Shout and sing and dance?  Certainly.  Bark like a dog and slobber like some insane man, that’s all easy but God knows how well you care.  He looks at your check book and your credit card and sees ….  Aahhhh, you bought electronics, shoes, food, movies, ….. stop.

And whatever you have done for the least of these … whatever you have done for the hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked, sick and imprisoned, …  then he said, “Go to hell.”

If that doesn’t scare you, don’t worry, when you face the father, daddy, the loving kind and sole savior of the world will send you to hell because that is where you will be comfortable.

You sing, dance, hold conferences and do what you gotta do.  The Bible sez, deny yourself.  Don’t know what you don’t understand about deny yourself, look it up.  Deny self and help others. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/cpc900statenisland

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Pentecostal-Church-of-Staten-Island-Inc/475104245866412?ref=ts&fref=ts

http://www.cpc900.com

https://www.wepay.com/donations/christian-pentecostal-church

http://www.indiegogo.com/RebuildStatenIsland

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html?ie=UTF8&id=1F3LZOLGS0CFI&type=wishlist

http://www.handsonnetwork.org/nationalprograms/handsondisasters

http://www.facebook.com/RebuildStatenIsland

https://sparkrelief.org/?_escaped_fragment_=/disaster/hurricane-sandy#!/disaster/hurricane-sandy

http://www.facebook.com/RebuildStatenIsland

http://www.facebook.com/ThirdDayMissions

And the world goes round and round and round

I am more than amazed. I get requests for help from around the world. This one is for grace and patience to replace a ball joint on a BMW, that one is for a little girl that had her arm hacked off with a machete and then she was raped, bleeding and dieing. This one is for a better job and an apartment this year so they can move away from mom who wants the house cleaned and that one for food for a village that is starving. And Jesus hears all the prayers, knows all the secret thoughts and knows what to do. I certainly do not.

God knows I am an idiot. I think I know … everything and I often get so tired wrestling God that I just pass out. I want the kids to have food, the lame to walk, the blind to see (I lost an eye in Mexico) and though I used to want everyone to live forever, I am now content if they pass on to Heaven peacefully. I am tired of war and fighting and pain and suffering and … and …

I pray that you are at peace, maybe sitting in a nice comfy chair with family around. There are so many hurting and dieing and suffering. I pray, and pray, and ask God to do things that He knows to do but often does not. Come quickly Jesus. I thought that meant for the whole world but now I will settle for folks to pass into Heaven quickly and peacefully.

Today at the church, there was a wake for a dear woman of God who served her whole life and at the same time a meeting for disaster relief agencies while Times Square Church sent volunteers to feed the poor through our food and clothing handout. So many in Staten Island are in trouble.

I am praying for you. Like a fast forwarded movie, pictures go through my head of people I know and people who need help. I pause mentally on one or two but there are tens of thousands that made it into my prayers in 35 years of missions and study. And God knows all about it and them and billions I have not even heard of.

I am praying for you as you read this. Think on good things, if you can. If you can’t, cry out to God, you are being heard.

How quickly we forget!

Cold, I am blessed by the churches that go out of their way to rise early and prepare food. They drive to the disaster areas, park and start feeding those that come. No requirements for identification, they feed people. I want to do that and need partners. It can happen quickly but it requires the parts of the body, like fingers and thumb to come together to do this.

Today, the world wants to go on. Happy New Year, forget those in pain, forget others, I am doing ok. I am happy. I, I, I, but they have nothing. Jesus spoke these words to his family and to his church. He left his home and family and went to the streets and when he did go to church, they hated him because he pointed out errors and even beat the wealthy from the church because they wanted to make money off of God.

How many churches do I go to where they have coffee shops and book stores and sell things when there are people right here who have nothing. They have been wiped out by the storm. They are not professional street people but trying to keep the thieves from taking their remaining lives, their history, their prized possessions. A heater, a dehumidifier, the thieves are here to pick the carcases of the bleeding and hurt on the beaches.

Robberies have been happening and the things that were bought to help people have been stolen. If it were you, God would want to help you but he left it to us. It is in our hands.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Pentecostal-Church/475104245866412

What does it take for God to move us?

Jesus told us to go to the ends of the earth. I have done quite a bit of trouble and find that most people want to build a cave (house, well protected that you can leave but others cannot get into) and the stay there. I was in a house recently that was fenced, had video surveillance and all of the windows and doors were barred. Reminded me of a really nice comfortable cave.

So, Jesus told us to go to the ends of the earth and sometimes the only way Jesus can achieve that goal is through … disasters. Yup, it took the crushing of the Jews in Jerusalem to make them leave and go to the ends of the earth.

It would be funny but only to a sadist. Hurricane Sandy caused untold damage and motivated people from all around the world to help. Yup, Christians had to go and in their going, preach the Gospel. Unprepared, untaught and certainly not willingly, people from all races, creeds and religions came together to help those that had been stepped on by life (God?). I listen to the volunteers and they come from everywhere and each has their desire to help and need to talk about what they believe.

I am in a Pentecostal Church that provides room for volunteers. I am housed with people from Rastafarians and Buddhists, Scientologists and just plain unbelievers of anything (so they say) and a lot of Christians who have to defend themselves and what they believe, even when they don’t really want to. I mean, who wants to come out of their cave.

So. Volunteer or not, you will go and do God’s work. You will either be prepared or un-prepared or just confused. But, you will go. You will go to the store where the Hindu fellow or girl sells you something or buy gas from someone who is a believer of Islam. Once you get past hello, you are into the weather and weather or not you are a well-prepared ambassador of Christ or maybe a confused candidate that misrepresents God to others.

Hrmmmm… Yer call baby. What are you going to do when God makes you an evangelist?