Having spent about 4 months in Egypt, ministering in Cairo, encountering persecution from the religious "pharisees", the Lord directed us to Nigeria. But we lacked the finances for the trip. People in America beckoned us to come home, but we held firm - either we go to Nigeria or we rot in Egypt. The Lord surprisingly also wanted a very talented Egyptian youth minister to accompany us. The Lord had even showed his wife them getting TWO VISAS! But she balked, and that was his weakness. He was willing to sacrifice, but he could not bear watching his family suffer should conditions in Nigeria be difficult. Sadly, we had to go on without him, even though he knew he was to go to Nigeria with us.
And the Lord opened a door whereby we could get to Nigeria cheaper flying Ethiopian Airlines via Ethiopia first, and so we did. We landed in Lagos' airport with no where to go. But someone in the airport told us about a Bible guest house, and so at least we had a place to sleep! Glory to God. Later, we would meet a pastor who helped arrange accommodations (temporarily) at an Assembly of God guest house.
Early on the Lord began to tell us personally of what was going on in Nigeria - serious issues, or prayer points - from all the violence, to the police corruption, to the promiscuity, to witchcraft in the government, to the NEED for reconciliation. I compiled a list and began to share it with various people and church leaders. It was our "LETTER OF INTRODUCTION" since no one knew us. We literally became messengers for God, urging church leaders to pray about what God obviously wanted targeted. It was positive in that obviously God was ready to move on those issues if the church would but address them in prayer. And since prayer is such a strong suit of the Nigerians, it should have been a relatively simple matter. No one could dispute anything on the list. How could someone so knew to Nigeria know so much about the country? It even addressed the church - specifically, that 40% of the pastors were in it for the money! But after a while, it became obvious that the church was not specifically addressing these issues in prayer. Again, it was time to leave.
While there, we again faced persecution - for taking a homeless lady in to stay with us at our living quarters on church property. After fasting and praying, church people came as a mob to drag her off church property. Later, the daughter of the pastor came to visit us and urged us to flee from her dad unless something worse happen to us! A short time later, indeed, the Lord warned us not to return!
We also encountered disease there. I came down with malaria -an excruciatingly painful disease that takes many lives - over and over in a short span of time. My weight lowered so much. Four months in Egypt, and 11 months in Nigeria, and already we had experienced the wonder, power, and glory of our Lord, as well as the sufferings, trials, and tribulations associated with the Lord's work. We were naive - to mission work and to Africa, but we were beginning to grow up as missionaries.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Sunday, November 06, 2011
The errors of the Wall St. protesters: part 2
November 6, 2011
The errors of the Wall St.
protesters: part 2
Last week, on October 30th, 2011, I began this
examination into the errors behind the street protests labelled “Occupy Wall
St.”. To recap from part 1, the very MOTIVES
FOR THE PROTESTS ARE SELFISH AND IMPURE!
Union man Stephen Lerner himself laid out the real reason – the
unions and community organizations are almost dead! Thus, they laid out a plan to create chaos in
order to make a POWER GRAB!! And
already these protests have attracted some of the most ungodly, unAmerican
groups in America: the socialists, communitst, nazis, and islamists!
Secondly, the
protesters want to protest the “rich” in this country, when actually most of
America is already “rich” when compared to the rest of the world who
don't come close to enjoying what Americans take for granted. I would challenge any American to visit real
people in developing countries around the world in order to grasp the wide
disparity in living conditions. There
is even a video of a young African American lady bragging about all the money
she can get from welfare – no work, just receive taxpayer dollars!!
Another major error in the protesters' perspective has to do
with them blaming capitalism for America's problems. That's like blaming the spoon for
obesity!!! As old as America
itself, if not longer, capitalism has been around! And during this time America has grown and
become one of the premiere countries of the world! America became such a “land of opportunity”
that people from all over the world desired to come here to enjoy
of its fruits while employing a capitalistic system! Thus, if the system was so deeply flawed then
wouldn't its flaws have become self-evident long before now? Instead, America has produced very positive
results, such that people even come here illegally!
The protesters act as though the 'big banks” and Wall Stl
are some kind of new phenomenon, but actually they have been around for
decades! They have pretty much remained
a constant variable. Thus, there
must be another variable, or variables – something that has indeed changed, to
explain this current economic crisis!!
First, one must understand that America is a “land of
opportunity” due to a variety of reasons!
First and foremost this country sought God, to honor Him, and to put Him
first! As one Argentinian famously
explained the differences between the 2 countries despite similar
comparisons to newsman Peter Jennings: “Our
forefathers came here (to Argentina) looking for gold, but your people went to
America looking for GOD!!!”
Different priorities produced different results! Godly priorities made the difference!! It is estimated that by the time of the
American Revolution that God had so transformed America and its people that 90
to 99% of Americans were CHRISTIANS! In 2001 a Nigerian told us that they call
America “GOD'S OWN COUNTRY!” Thus, when BO said that he was going to
“fundamentally transform America” just some years later, understand clearly exactly what he was
saying.. Our motto became “ONE
NATION UNDER GOD”! Even on our
currency, we put the words, “IN GOD WE TRUST”. That sends a strong message that God is
first, not our economy, nor our money!
And as America sought to honor God, God indeed blessed America! The right priorities, the right values,
produce the right results! Those values
included honoring God, hard work, discipline, personal sacrifice, personal
responsibility, delayed gratification, respect for one another, love,
generosity, kindness, living within one's means, and honesty. America extolled virtue.
So what has changed?
For one, America's time-honored values have been eroding. Greedy, corrupt politicians, interested in
staying in office, have propagated a welfare state mentality in order to buy
votes. This has encouraged a decline in
morals, responsibility, and work ethic!
A whole subculture arose of people who exploited other people and the
system (not capitalism, but the government welfare system!) to feed their
stomachs and get big! And they
continued to elect people who enabled their irresponsible lifestyle. This was explained well in Star Parker's
book: “PIMPS, WHORES, AND WELFARE BRATS.”
She broke the “code of silence” to expose what was going on. The movie “BLINDSIDE', based on a true
story, illustrated very well the devastating effects of this subculture and
its lifestyle. It was also a beautiful illustration of
Christian love making a difference in someone's life.
Love and unity produces strength. Selfish disunity, ambition, and laziness do
not. There is now a whole subculture of
people in America bred on an “entitlement mentality” who don't want to work,
who want to feed their stomachs by exploiting others and using taxpayer money
given to them by the government. In effect,
they have been bought out (for their votes) by the government
“plantation”. Their neighborhoods seethe
with lawlessness, crime, drugs, gangs, murder...... yet the democratic party
continues to coddle them. This is a
major drain on the country and its economy.
This decline in values and this growth of “entitlement mentality” has been 2
main factors that have changed that would help to explain current
problems. We must return to the
Godly values that built this nation.
A grave error of the protesters, therefore, is to demand
“redistribution of wealth”. That's
exactly what has been going on since the 60's!
That's exactly what has contributed to the problems. A
COUNTRY NEEDS TO
PRODUCE. Every citizen
should be producing, and then a country will grow! Otherwise, one “eventually runs out of other
people's money” to pass around!
PRODUCTION needs to be encouraged, nor more irresponsibility, laziness,
and esploitation! What the protesters
want is VERY ANTI-BIBLICAL. The
Bible teaches that someone “reaps what they sow”. But the protesters want people to reap what
someone else has sown! The Bible
teaches CHARITY – the voluntary giving of one to a neighbor our of
love. It does not teach coercion and
governmental tyranny! Chapter 5 of
James teaches us that God is very well aware of fraud in the working
place. But, then the Bible tells the
defrauded to be PATIENT, and to “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest
ye be condemmed.....” James 5:9. Those are some very serious words. And the protesters are in direct
disobedience of God's Word!
What has changed?
Capitalism has been pretty much a constant throughout America's
history. History itself refutes
the protesters claims! Histoy
also clearly illustrates the disastrous, murderous, and ironically
impoverishing results of a socialistic/communistic system of
“redistribution”. What has changed has
been the Christian values that contibuted mightily to the growth of this
nation. Now both the government and the
protesters are promoting values which
are contrary. Typically, agendas such
as those embraced by the protesters will
actually lead to the destruction of a country, to chaos on the streets, and
then eventually heavy-handed tyrannical government! PEACE, LOVE, UNITY, SACRIFICE, CHARITY,
HARD WORK, PRODUCTION is what we need, not divisive class warfare, hate,
envy, covetousness, violence, and destruction.
We need God to bless America!
With the right priorities, values, and attitudes it can happen. With all the poor in the world who are
suffering, America needs to repent of its selfishness, and begin to reach out
in CHRISTIAN LOVE AND CHARITY TO THE POOR, and not to be so concerned
about ourselves all the time.
Thanksgiving is approaching. Let us give THANKS TO GOD FOR HIS
MANIFOLD BLESSINGS TO AMERICA and at the
same time begin to find ways to love and help one another here, as well as find
ways to reach out to the poor in other nations. There are so many people living on $1 or
$2 a day. There are so many single
mothers in the world trying to support their family without the education and
work opportunities we have here in America, and without government programs
that we already have here in America.
Let us remember the less fortunate.
Let us help them.
paul
Nigeria, Africa 2001
Ikorodu Road in Lagos
Street vendors selling clothes, water, juice, tools, etc.. On the right a bridge to cross over the main road in Maryland, Nigeria.
Vendors along roadside - women with their tables. Selling roasted corn, apples, lemons, potatoes...by Maryland town.
Outside compound of church - high walls and open sewers.
Children at market place - spontaneous meetings
Well to do house in Lagos
Outdoor restaurants, and some have indoor AC
Our room lot mosquitoes, no table, blue plastic for dishes
Lekki Peninsula
Evelyn - front of Atlantic Ocean, Eleko Beach, Nigeria
Like the day God created. Palms, sand, majestic ocean
Paul
Creek by Four Square Camp
Girl in door of village hut near Epe, Nigeria
Boy at the village
Village Leaders
Bose, Evelyn & Mrs. Oboh at the village where Mrs Oboh is missionary.
At this village they have a garri factory, and also produce pineapples.
Making of garri from Yuca
Pineapples
Children & goat
Our friend Funke - we still communicate.
The errors of the Wall St. protesters: Part 1
October 30, 2011
The errors of the Wall St.
protesters: part 1
Though they purport to be right, the application of Biblical
wisdom, reason, and logic expose the errors that the Wall St. protesters are
employing. The very initiation of the
idea of these protests was not even to “protest”, but rather to disrupt the
system, destabilizing it, and eventually taking it down for selfish
reasons! This is taken right from the
very words of one of the main organizers
- Stephen Lerner from the SEIU union, with which Mr. Obama has closely
worked. Thus, it is also no surprise
that he has expressed his solidarity with this movement which has also been
enjoined by socialists, communists, nazis, and islamists. Mr. Lerner stated that the need to disrupt
the system stems from the fact that “unions (and community organizations) are
almost dead”! So he concocted a plan
for unions and community organizations to unite to carry out their dirty deed-
basically a marxist-style revolution.
Unfortunately for Mr. Lerner, there are these things called video
cameras and recorders that document what people are saying and doing. And so he lays out the plan to “disrupt how
the system operates.” His top goal is
to “bring down the stock market”. His
plan entailed “politically” isolating the rich, revving up the propaganda
machine against them, and attack them.
He avoided details just in case “there are any police agents in the
room”! But the one detail he cannot avoid is that he will be destroying the
system for the very ones the protesters purport to be protesting for!!! Once again, “class warfare” used to advance
the agenda of the selfish. When will
people learn?
Thus, from the very outset the protest organizers wanted to
conceal the real premises for this street action – their survival – by creating
a “villain” to hide their own selfish and evil motives. Basically, they saw that they are a dying
entity, and in their lust for power and greed, have decided to make a power grab
against those who are successful!
The Lord warned about these “increasingly fierce street
protests” LAST YEAR. HE clearly saw the
evil and warned of what was to come, which we see being played out right
now. He has warned of even children
turning against their parents. And last
night He warned that this will turn into guerrilla warfare, chaos on the
streets if not handled properly!
One of the best ways to handle a combustible fire is to cut off
its “fuel” source! The people
and the money behind the people on the streets must be exposed and cut off.
Thus, from its inception this movement is flawed. Apart from that, though, even their openly
expressed rationale for protesting is flawed and steeped in error.
First, Americans should leave the country – at least for a
little while – to visit and even live in other countries. Sometimes, one cannot “see the forest,
for the trees”! Avoid the
tourist destinations and go see and talk to the real folk, especially in
developing countries. One would
hopefully come back with a much different perspective from that of many
Americans today. There are
millions, if not billions, of people all over the world who would love to come
to this country. They would
love it, appreciate it, and respect it.
One can see and sense this love, respect, and appreciation in them,
except for some of those crossing our southern border. I have run into them. Abroad, people ask me how I can help them
get an American visa! Even college kids
in Ethiopia lining up (under an oppressive political system by the way) to fill
out diversity visa lottery applications!
America is one of the most blessed countries to have ever
graced this earth, and they know that!
It is therefore very sad and ironic that many Americans do not even
understand what they have, much less appreciate it. And instead of being GRATEFUL FOR
BEING AN AMERICAN, they complain and grumble!! How many people in the world would love to
have what they don't value! It's just
like Esau who gave away his birthright to Jacob for some potage!!!
An ESPN commentator, one day on national television,
recounted the story of how basketball
player, Dikembe Mutumbo, took him to his country in Africa. Visibly impacted and shaken, this commentator
reiterated to his audience that if they could picture the worst ghetto in America, it would be paradise
to someone in Africa! That is the
perspective that is needed here!
Compared to many parts of the world, anyone with electricity at
the flip of a switch, air conditioning, carpets on the floor, running indoor
water, warm water showers, clean water, an indoor toilet (much less multiple
toilets), a refrigerator, a stove, a washing machine, a clothes dryer,
computer(s), television(s), and a car on top of all that would be RICH!!!
Compared to the world, most Americans are already rich! So, are the protesters protesting
themselves?!! Jesus indicated that before
one tries to “remove the speck from someone else's eye, first to remove the
beam from their own”!!! Compared to
the utter extreme poverty and suffering in other parts of the world, for
Americans to be protesting their own state of “impoverishment” is like the
spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum in front of his/her parents because
he/she cannot get even more candy on top of candy!!
Many Americans have been spoiled by an “entitlement
mentality” promoted by political operatives eager to pass out “candy” for the
votes to build their power base. Today,
people get housing subsidies – Section 8.
They get food subsidies – food stamps, school breakfast and lunch
programs. They get day care
subsidies. They get education subsidies,
loans, grants. Where is all this coming
from? Government doesn't have
money. It takes taxpayers' hard-earned
wages! It is already well known that
over 40% of Americans do not pay taxes, and that the wealthy already carry a
significant amount of the tax burden.
Still the government has spent the country into a fiscal mess. How can people demand more “candy “ on top of the “candy” they already have, WHEN THERE IS NOT EVEN THE MONEY TO PAY
FOR WHAT HAS ALREADY
BEEN SPENT AND/OR
BORROWED?!! This is ludicrous.
One day last week some yellow jackets swarmed around my food
as I ate lunch outside at work. I left
some syrup in a jar, and the next day I
found some of them had died in that jar.
Likewise, America is also DROWNING IN A
“SEA OF ME” and DECADENCE. People focus on “themselves, trivial
things, and want to live the 'good life'”; but who wants to help the poor and
needy in Africa?! You do not hear
the protesters chanting for the rights of people in Africa to be earning more
than $1 or $2 a day. Their demands are
in and of themselves selfish, in that they have forgotten those in greater
need. They have also conveniently
forgotten those AMERICANS whose rights are truly being violated in this
country in the abortion “killing fields”
of America!!!
Truly, when one examines the impure motives of the protest
organizers and those “fueling” the protests, and the ALREADY PROSPEROUS
VANTAGE POINT OF AMERICA
when compared to the rest of the world, one can truly see that these
protests are not about what they purport to be about, nor are they truly based
on reality from the perspective of the world's poor and needy! The grumblings of the protesters are an
insult to all the children in the world dying from preventable diseases and
complications due to such things as diarrhea!
LORD HAVE MERCY.
Let us UNITE around the truth, reason, and wisdom, exposing
and discarding selfish, impure greedy motives. There are problems to be solved, and work to
be done in this country, and in many parts of the world. It will take LOVE AND
PRAYER, not hate, riots, division, and violence!!! I think reasonable people can agree on that.
paul
WARNING FOR AMERICA -- Oct 30, 2011
October 30, 2011
WARNING FOR
AMERICA
On Wednesday, October 26th, 2011, the LORD gave
me a startling and dramatic warning for America. His revelations will carry varying degrees of
“impact” levels. This was VERY, VERY
FORCEFUL !! Then, just days later on
October 29th the Northeastern part of the States got hit with a
major snow storm while the leaves were still on the trees! Some places got more than 2 feet of snow,
millions of people lost power, and 4 STATES DECLARED AN EMERGENCY! How ironic. God has been declaring a “STATE OF
EMERGENCY” in America for years, but most of the country has yet to
wake up!!! Saw a tape recently that went
back to 1987 of a missionary, Lester Sumrall, God sent back from the
Phillipines to America to expressly warn America of its moral decline and
depravity! He said America would depart
from its “historic faith”. The
proper teaching of American history is very important, and ungodly elitists
should never have been allowed to delete our DEEP RELIGIOUS ROOTS AND
HERITAGE!!! Time has shown his
prophetic word to be very accurate, though at the time it was very stunning to
the missionary that such things could take place in America! A few years ago, in 2008, John Paul
Jackson came out with a prophetic word, a warning to America of what was to
come. He titled it “The Perfect Storm”,
referring to a series of events that would hit in waves one after another. He explained that there were “CONSEQUENCES FOR
A LACK OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE
LAND” !
As the Lord showed me recently, from Heaven's perspective America
is like unto a boy who vomits into a toilet bowl, and then licks it up with his
tongue!!! That is pretty
despicable. And that's exactly how
America looks to God. It mirrors what
the Lord showed me right after the 2008 election in this country: “For
how long will people publicly parade their shame with millions of people
applauding? IT
IS COMING! IT
IS COMING! IT IS COMING!” Missionary friends from Canada turned on me
for that one, just before the fullness of the current economic collapse was
going to hit America. Certain “family”
members turned on me long ago, that the Word of God may be fulfilled. Not my will, just the reality. Popularity must be put on the altar, in an
effort to help people to “see” BEFORE they get hurt. Not only is there “shame” in America, but it
is “public”. Scandals galore. From Congress to sporting figures to
church leaders making the headlines for the wrong reasons! And yet people continue to re-elect them,
pay big bucks to applaud them, and practically worship them! Practicing individuals of sodomy publicly
parade down the streets of major cities with people lined up along the streets
applauding!!!
And it is as though nature itself can no longer bear the
depths of the extreme moral depravity in the land, and - like a bucking bronco,
has begun to buck wildly to discard the evil from the land. Horrific storms have hit America one after
another. But apart from the devastated
areas, the culture does not change.
What is remarkable is how many warnings the Lord can send, and for how
long He can be patient with America's stubborn ways. The northeastern part of America has now
been hit by a hurricane that caused the NY subway to close, an earthquake
that cracked the Washington Monument, and now a record-setting October
snow!!! One right after
another!!! Are there no college degrees
for connecting the dots?!! Hurricanes,
floods, and tornadoes are ripping up the land, devastating lives, while America
drowns itself in a “SEA OF
DEBT”! S&P
downgrades America to a AA. People
unemployed by the millions, with criminals and drugs flowing across our
southern border, and islamists working with our federal government while they
sanction the cold-blooded killing of millions of babies!!! How much economic, cultural, social, and
physical hardship must be endured?
That question is up to America right now. Many a church leader has long ago foregone
their responsibility to lead and to be “light” that puts darkness to flight in
the land. As the 12-year-old boy who
came back from Heaven with a message from God said, today's church is the
church of Laodicea! Many church “leaders”
have bunkered down, no longer active as change agents in the community around
them even. Many a congregation does not
even have a strong prayer program to pray corporately for America and for
revival in the land. To pray for
revival would be an admission of their failure. Stubborn pride, with an ego bigger than
need. The Lord some time ago disclosed
that the American pulpit by and large is being influenced by a “strong, secular
spirit”! The results show. Even the summer 2011 edition of the Church
of God magazine admits that the church has lost its passion for missions! Charisma magazine talked of how a Puerto
Rican congregation has more meaningful fellowship than American churches. A prayer minister at a local congregation
in Kannapolis recounted 4 major visions the Lord gave her of what was going on
right in the congregation! In one, she
smelled a “putrid smell coming from the people of the cloth”!!! Years ago, the Lord told me that, “if not
for the immorality in the 'monastery', then the church could ask for what it
wanted......”!! It was later on I
figured out that 'monastery' meant church hierarchy – those very people who should
represent the pinnacle of holiness and devotion!
Why cite all this stuff?
The first requirement God cites in II Chronicles 7:14 in order for there
to be “healing in the land” is for HIS people to “humble”
themselves. Thus, pride has got to
go! People must clearly see the reality
of the situation to the point that they are broken like Nehemiah was and ready
to “rend their hearts” over what is happening!
Then, maybe people will get serious enough, again like NEHEMIAH, to DO SOMETHING
ABOUT IT!! And as long as church people keep flattering
themselves, and patting one another on the back, it ain't goin to get
done. Some may not like it, but sweeping
dirt under the rug does not solve the problem.
God is serious. The sin
of one man in Joshua's army (Achan, Joshua 7) meant that Joshua's army
was never going to win another battle again!
They had to take very serious action.
Sin has consequences. It will
even weaken a country's military. All
those with a political agenda who blamed George Bush for the brave soldiers who
gave their lives for America don't even realize that most likely all those in
this country who promote, sanction, or ignore the sins of the land are the very
ones with blood on their hands! How many
lives have been devastated in the abortion “killing fields” of America? How many lives have been devastated by all
the drugs flowing across our southern border?
Things, like snow, can build up. But then there is a “tipping point”, and the
“avalanche” is triggered!
Right before waking up for work on Wednesday, October 26th,
I passed by a certain person and met with a family to join them for a run
outside. Conditions were cloudy. I could feel rain in the air. The man set out and I followed. It began to rain! I knew that I had sensed rain! The man continued, with his family behind
me. He picked up the pace. It was fine with me. It was comfortable. He picked it up again. I did not like it, deciding to stay with the
former pace. And he settled back too. SUDDENLY, a THUNDERBOLT
RANG OUT! I said, that was it. Running in the rain was alright, but
lightning was dangerous! The man
ahead turned around, looking as though he wanted to continue. He commented that this is from Saudi
Arabia. And as I turned around I could
see the lightning still in the sky at a distance. It was staying and I could see something
flaming! Puzzled, I looked closer, and
I could see that the part that was flaming were logs – like cut timber – which
were on fire! It was as though the
lightning had come down, struck these logs, setting them on fire, and now they
were being taken up into the sky by the lightning bolt!! IT
WAS PHENOMENAL ! And as I was gazing at this, like a flaming,
speeding meterorite the gigantic log or logs, maybe as big as a skyscraper, if
not bigger for it took up such a large portion of the sky, came crashing
earthward! It was so hard to calculate
the angle it would take that one did not know whether to retreat, stay put, or
run ahead. What filled the scene was that
DANGER WAS NOT ONLY IMMINENT, BUT THAT THIS WAS A
SIGN OF GOD'S
JUDGMENT. IT WAS SUPERNATURAL;
IT WAS HUGE; IT WAS APOCALYPTIC!!! God was going to put an end to all the
sinful rebellion! I began to shout out to the people,
“REPENT! REPENT!” And something else as well, that I don't
quite recall – something like “the Kingdom of God is at hand”, or “the return
of Jesus is at hand”! The huge,
flaming log stood in the sky close– like God's gigantic “rod of
correction”! There was an utter
state of suspense as to what was going to happen next! And I awoke – a few minutes before the alarm
would go off at 4:00 a.m.!
THIS WAS A VERY,
VERY SERIOUS WARNING.
GOD IS SERIOUS. And people
better get serious to get all things right with God now, and keep it that
way! “But seek ye first the Kingdom of
God, and His righteousness....”.
Priorities must be rearranged.
God must be first. Sin must
be destroyed.
paul
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