Thursday, July 31, 2014

MY STERILE TESTIMONY


"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."

~ Matthew 5:11
I smile as I read about the Pharisees criticizing Jesus about His poor testimony in eating with worldly sinners.

Biblical Pharisees die hard, to be sure, they continue with us today practicing their legalism and teaching their perverted doctrine of ‘convictions' where they can..

The "Biblical" church I grew up in was fanatical about the Christian's testimony. "Whatever you do, don't associate with worldly people, that's a bad testimony!" Like the Pharisees of old, my church had a long list of things that a real Christian was not to do. Convictions, they called them.  Activities we were never to take part in, as well as words we were never to utter, such as ... dang, gosh or darn!

Yet we were to take every opportunity to "witness" to these damn Lepers of the world, but never, never get too close! Stand downwind; worldly lepers smell. We were not even to smell like cigarette smoke. (And if you did spend too much time with "worldly" people, you smelled like it!)

We were known in our neighborhood as Baptists that didn't! That is, we were known for what we didn't do!

I wish I were talking history here, but I'm not.

I'm reminded that there are still seminaries that teach the sick Pharisee's legalism and faithfully grind out Pastors that will continue teaching this heresy to their ignorant flocks. Mexico is full of those so-called seminaries, teaching their convictions rather than Biblical truth. (And we exported this perverted type of "gospel."

Fortunately in most cases their witness is as sterile as they are. Unfortunately though, in many cases they go under the label of "Bible or Biblical." Yet, their churches never grow. Sterile legalistic Believers, who's fruit is choked out by the weeds of "convictions!"

Yep, for years I was a sterile Biblical Super Saint! Right down the line! Thank God I got converted from a Pharisee to becoming a Christian, and now I can actually eat with people who ... God forbid! ... have a bottle of beer on the table, and God forbid ... smell like the world.

Remember it ain't "that beer" that will send them to hell; if they end up in hell, it's because they have never heard of anything better.

By the way, give me a seat at their table! I prefer eating with honest sinners rather than hypocritical Christians.

"Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."

~ Mark 8:15
It's dangerous indeed! 

Image: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, "The Seven Deadly Sins"

Sunday, July 27, 2014

WIDOW MAKER


Why they had a couple of lit candles in the house is any ones guess. It was in the afternoon and six year old Roberto was alone in his house with his two-year old sister. A six-year old boy and lit candles are a bad combination. Mother was at work and father, well he was away looking for a pack of cigarettes. Everything went wrong that afternoon and four lives were radically changed.

Roberto knocked over one of the candles and the fire stated from there, soon it was the whole house. Flames, smoke the whole works. His little sister tried to get out of the bed and make it to the door, but her feet got caught in the blankets. Roberto ran around then made it out the door.

By the time anyone got into the burning house and pulled the child out she was badly burned. In a matter of hours Shriners pulled a copter in and flew the little girl and her mother to their famous burn hospital in Sacramento ... the same hospital Josue goes to every few months.

As of now the little girl with most of her body burned is still living. Fortunately her head and face weren't burned.  Roberto is staying with some neighbors and the father, he's in jail preparing for prison.

Indeed there is more than one way to make a widow, we've a lot of those kind of widows, their men are in prison.

Trinchirasso is one of our areas and we're following the situation to see how we can be of help.  We're just thankful it wasn't worse; the little girl has a long painful journey ahead and could use your prayers.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

VON'S RODENT MINISTRY


I remember some years ago, at a men's Prayer Breakfast we had at our Church. One of our Deacons was talking with me and the subject of my efforts to feed the poor in Tijuana came up. He said to me with a wry smile “ Why do you feed those guys over there? They're just like a bunch of rats, they'll just breed and multiply!” A spiritual leader of our Church sharing that opinion. He shocked me.

Up until that time I had no idea that some people thought I had a ministry to flea bitten rodents.

Mr. Deacon, your right; breed and multiply they do, but animals they're not! They're not rats! I don't feed rodents!

Although no one has made that statement to me since, I sometimes quietly wonder how many people, even Christians, feel efforts like mine are a waste of time and money, maybe that's why givers to our ministry are hard to find.

I also wonder why the poor have so many kids! There are reasons, yet I must remember that's not my business! And the many children they bring into their wretched world? The kids didn't have any say in the matter ... it's not their fault.

I don't enter my world to judge or condemn. My mandate from our Lord is to help. I'm to show compassion. I'm to give. I'm called to love the unloved, the unlovely and the unlovable.

I sincerely hope and pray that our small team of like minded Christians will grow so we can reach more that are caught in this dark hole.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

THE G. F. WORD


Early in my years I became aware of abuses within our nation's General Fund. Sleazy politicians in our Federal Government taking funds designated for Social Security and using them in other areas. Since then I found the practice to be common, not only in our Federal Government, but in Sacramento and even in good old San Diego. Once it's in the fund what the money went for is anybody's guess. Political-Integrity is a misnomer!

It's true that Churches and non-profit organizations have similar problems. Innocent and concerned donors can be misled! Good hearted people burned. Abuses can be conveniently hidden in the General Fund.

That's why many Donors make specific designations and/or put their gifts toward a specific project.

Running Spectrum, a non-profit organization, opened my eyes. The Board and I had to be careful that we maintain our integrity and not abuse our General Fund.

The General Fund or what we may call "Overhead" despite its bad name is an essential part of any organization ... simply an "enabler," as essential as oil is to an engine.

When I started Spectrum. My rather naive and cynical eyes were opened! I too had to have a General Fund, Spectrum had overhead costs. Gas for the vehicles, electric bill, telephone bills, Internet, stamps and printing; the director has to have a salary (Although I can't take one now ... try and live in San Diego on only Social Security!) Yes, even now, we have Overhead so we have a General Fund.

In our particular ministry in Mexico we have to have cash available where lives like Maribel and Fernando are at stake we had to move quickly! We always need a pool of several thousand dollars. Remember, when I write of a real and immediate need, it may take days or weeks for the finances to come in ... all of these needs must be paid in cash up front! They can't be paid by faith, they must be paid by dollars.

Indeed the General Fund can be an instrument of abuse or an instrument implementing true ministry. It all depends on the integrity of the one who holds the purse-strings.

Photo: I'm often invited into a home to eat.

Monday, July 07, 2014

A FREE BADONI


Several years ago at Hume Lake Conference Center we had a camp of about 500 teenagers. The first night of the week-long camp, I was asked to give the announcements; the DOs and DON'Ts of camp. I'm humorous and the kids liked my approach.

All the kids were crowded into the auditorium, new friends, new experiences ... ready for the week at this beautiful camp.

As I was giving the announcements a thought struck me and I followed it through. "You guys listen up! This year with your registration you all get a free badoni. Just go to the snack bar and ask for it." Well, you could see the impact immediately! All the kids started asking each other what a badoni was.

Yep, the seed was sown.

Looking back it was really unfair to the speaker, bless his heart. The kids weren't into the message at all, they were into the badoni, what ever that was. They figured it was free and it must be something to eat.

So much for the bait, now for the hook!

Ah the snack bar just across the street from the auditorium. Every teen knew where the little snack bar was.

As soon as the service ended, literally everyone headed for the doors and out to the snack bar. They wanted to be first at the badonis; whatever they were.

Well, the snack bar could hold about fifty people or so as I recall, and now it was flooded with teens asking for their badonis. Of course the snack bar staff knew nothing about badonis. They asked the kids "what's a badoni?" and the kids didn't know ... only that Pastor von said that they had a free badoni coming. Some of the kids sitting at the counter were starting to chant ... "We want our badonis!!!, We want our badonis!!!" The terrified staff went into the kitchen to see what they could come up with. Indeed terror produces genius. They took two saltine-crackers and put a slice of pickle in the middle, stuck a toothpick in the thing and it became the first badoni! They handed that out to all the kids that wanted one.

As you might expect, I wasn't popular with the snack bar staff that week! (To be honest I have no idea what a badoni is, I just made it up as I was speaking.)

I love doing things like that (Forgive me Lord.)