Book Burning and Interview!

Loved of The Lord, I have to interject this, Right smack in the middle of The Book, as I am excited about how my writing is not only the bases for ‘The Book’, yet, such an opportunity to Learn More about Spiritual Perspectives and also about Blogging per se. I have a couple other thoughts that have pop up thru this that I will touch on later.

I came across another link of a Spiritual Blogger i.e. ‘Brother Maynard’, and his Blog ‘Subversive Influence’ and I found that I needed to write another ‘News Article’ on one of our Business Sites! Bro. M. interviews Frank Viola and questions him on his position and his republished work ‘Pagan Christianity’. Both of these Believers have come under fire because of their ‘Un-Orthodox Thoughts’ about The Body i.e. ekklesia, (Gk.) and Her Head, The Word Of God Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ!
Bro. M. holds no punches in his five part Review of ‘Pagan Christianity’ and holds Frank to the fire in his three part Interview via E-mail.

You have by now figured out that I do not necessarily agree with every preacher from tit to tat, Nevertheless, these two brothers have stepped out of the ‘Accepted Roll’ that is Demanded from Participators and Spectators of the Traditional / Institutional Church and let their ‘Thoughts’ be known.

Should you be looking for more of The Living Christ in your life, take a gander at my latest ‘Book and News Report’, where you will find out what about the'Book Burning'. Then go have a latte with these two brothers in this “Cyber Coffee Shop Interview”. Afterwards come back Here and tell me what you thought of the coffee!!!

Be Blessed, 1 aka DP

Faith Under Pressure Part 4 (Trip To Moldovia)

'The Book'

Loved of The LORD, I will again back up a paragraph or two to lay out a little more ground work. Remember when I arrived in Minsk I was told that I had two weeks to be orientated and would then find another place to abide. See: Sunday, January 6, 2008. This trip was taken before that first two weeks were up.

The first move was to the flat owned by Olga Korbut (Four Times Olympic Gold Medal Winner)

This is where Patrick’s & ‘my newfound’ friend Rich Lived. He worked for a US Company that was working with the Belarusian Government for Agriculture and I believe something to do; with Toxic waste clean up. Nevertheless, they had offices all over. He became aware of our adventure and mission to Chisinau and said he would do what he could to make a connection down there for us.

When the four of us got off the train, we started to look around for someone who was looking for us and not a hundred feet and we heard this, maybe middle thirties, woman hollering in our direction as she was making a b-line for us. She came right up to me and excitedly started talking fast to me in Russian and before I could get out a ‘Ya ne pony mi yoo Paroskie’ all the way out, (I do not understand Russian.) the boys started explaining that to her.

We found out that Rich’s office there in Moldova had contacted her and had given her a description of us and she spotted me right away. You can see in the last post that I had a full beard and with the topcoat and 'Ushanka' hat. (That is a traditional Russian winter headwear. Ushanka is roughly translated ‘Hat With Ear Flaps’) I was told that I looked like a Russian Gypsy Wood Cutter, but that would be an oxy-moron. Gypsies do not chop wood, … they steal it!

Talk about being blessed … She had a car and a four room flat and she was going to put us up and drive for us in the daytime for a hundred US Dollars. All we had to do was buy the groceries. She took us to the open-air market and we were going to be there about 5 or 6 days, so we bought a few vitals and headed home. She introduced us to her son who was an older teen, and Pat & I slept in a double bed in the guest room, the two boys slept in the son’s room, one in the bed and one on a mat on the floor and the son slept in his mother’s room. As strange, as it was to Pat and me, it must have been the norm in special situations; the boys never mentioned that to us nor we to them.

That evening Pat and I took her to dinner, so we could express our gratitude. The strangeness of our arrangement grew each day, while at dinner she explained to Pat that her husband had been killed a couple years before, not really saying how. He was apparently high military and so were her parents. When we offered her bread, she emphatically refused it, as she emphasized needing to keep her shape. Which I had noticed was in very good condition. Somewhere in the conversation, she let us know again that she would run us in the day time and we would have to make do for ourselves in the evening, as she had business appointments then.

The next day we went looking for Pat’s connection and to make some contacts for the time they would establish a beachhead there latter on. I think it was about two years later Pat had received his teaching credentials during the trips back home and Jamie was administrating in Belarus. Then they accepted the opportunity to open another school in Chisinau. That is another story in itself!

The preacher we were looking for had moved and a neighbor explained where he had started a church and off we went. When we arrived, he was not there, but we met another preacher, who was looking for him, too. Mix as he called himself was a missionary sent out from an established faith church in St. Petersburg. He was looking to see if he could help rent the first preachers place, so he could hold meetings there too. I will write more about Mix Later on.

We finally placed the rest of the books and we had found a few other ministries that we conferred with about the work and the fruition of the same. One was a Baptist from Texas, who had a small congregation of about thirty or forty people. When Sunday came, we made sure that his Church was one we visited. It was an on fire group and we really enjoyed our fellowship there.

More next time. Be Blessed, 1

©2008

Faith Under Pressure Part 3 (Trip To Moldovia)

Pat Took Picture of Gena, Andre and Me

Loved Of The LORD, We paid the porter for our Chi (Tea) then and for the next morning and got comfortable. Pat and I got the bottom bunks and the two young men, Gena and Andre were happy in the top two. There was a fold down table under the window. We left it up all the way, as it was stacked with our provisions for the trip.

We sang to The LORD and laughed about many of the crazy situations and issue involvements that it took to get this far. I have no doubt that they would have made Pat & I hang it up had it happened back home.

We had all just fallen asleep when we made the first border crossing into the Ukraine. The stopping of the train had us almost awake when Immigration banged on our compartment door. Pat understood most of the conversation between the Officer and the … let me just refer to them as ‘The Boys’ for now on. I was catching the gist, by the inflection of their voices and the body language. I knew there was a conflict developing and informed later that the Officer wanted to go thru our bags. This is where Pat put his foot down, because of the effort to exploit a share of anything found as payola to let us pass. Here was a reminder of my several adventures crossing into Mexico again.

After finding out that, we were not to be intimidated and his time to check all the passengers for pass ports and visas running out the Officer move on to the next compartment. It was an hour later after the boys explained everything before we got back to sleep.

Waking up early and taking turns with all the passengers on our car to toilet privileges, the porter had brought our hot Chi and we partook of some of the provisions we had brought. BTW! The bath had a sink with cold water and the toilet itself was a straight hole to the railroad ties below. I took note not to be walking along side of the tracks outside of town when a passenger train was passing.

Later that day we crossed in to Moldova and stopped again for Immigration. Remember that Pat and I did not have a visa for Moldova. The citizens of the former USSR only needed their passports and had access to all the Confederacy of Independent States. i.e. Called the CIS for short.

We opened the door in response to the rap and were in anticipation of anything that could possibly happen. When the, older this time, Officer asked for our passports, he glanced at the other three and when he got to mine he did a double take on mine as he looked back at me a couple times with a smile on his face. My passport picture was of me clean-shaven and now I had a full rap around beard. He wished us all the equivalent of, ‘Have a pleasant trip’, as he handed us all back our passports and then said, Das ve danya, as we closed the door.

The boys were incredulous at Pat and I having skated through that issue so smoothly! Pat & I, aware of the boys un-belief played it for what it was worth and gave everybody the look that we expected it to happen that way. To GOD be The Glory! Later when we were alone, Pat & I discussed how surprised we were too! Nevertheless, we BOLDLY ENTERED Moldova and were inspired to believe GOD for anything. We will talk about some of those things next time. … … © 2008

Faith Under Pressure Part 2 (Trip To Moldovia)

Loved Of The LORD, as you who are following this story know; one of the main reasons for me to make this adventure was to encourage and help the Saws get down to Moldovia (Now called Moldova). We needed to make an explorative trip to see where they would set up a camp to operate. Pat had made a contact in Chisinau the Capitol City and the contact had requested some books in Russian by Word Of Faith authors … Preacher/Teachers for his little Church.
So we started to put “Irons in the Fire” to get thing moving, My experience in my walk with The LORD is that it being a ‘Joint Venture’ that we start finding doors to go thru and HE Will open them before us. (Yet of course knowing that if it was not to be HE would use the Philippian Stop Sign . Php. 3:15)

Because of the conglomerate organization we knew the Brother that was in charge of the ‘Churches Of Faith’ organization and we set an appointment with him. Talk about a Gracious Servant he loaded us down with the latest works of all the well-known Authors. We had to stop him from loading us up anymore, as there were only to be four of us to make the trip and we had to pack every thing by hand.

The next thing was to get Visas for the Ukraine, as we had to travel thru there to get to Moldova. That was won kind of wrestling match, as their Embassy bureaucrats made us labor, getting appointments and then finding out that we needed different paperwork and on and on for almost a week. That in itself was a cakewalk, as we made many trips to the Moldovan Embassy, as they did not have a working telephone and every time we went there … no-body home! Nevertheless, we received the Ukrainian Visa the afternoon before we left on the following day. Oh what a hassle getting the train tickets, as all visiting citizens of other countries had to pay an arm and a leg to ride. We had the two young Belarusian men from the Saw’s Bible study running interference for us all thru this ordeal. They finally bought four tickets for nationals, as they were going with us. Do not believe that we question them how that came to pass, as we did not really want to know.

Not having a Moldovan Visa, we decided to chance it and make the trip anyhow. We had to have the Ukrainian Visa, as we were already aware of all the stories of non-Visa traveling passengers who were thrown off the train at the border and waiting for a returning train to return them to Minsk. We knew that GOD had designed this trip and HE would get it done!

By the way, we had to go on this assignment at this time, as the Pastor of the NonDenom Church was taking his family back to the San Diego area for some R & R and Pat was going to be Pastoring while they were gone. That was only to be for a couple weeks, which developed into several months, which is another interesting story in itself. We smiled many times, about what the Sponsors back home would go thru should they find out what we were doing.

We finally boarded our train the next morning and were off on our twenty-two hour ride to Chisinau. Now what I need to remind you is about when the Saws got to Moscow and said that they were on their way to Moldova, the response was, “It is a long train ride to Moldova!” 12 hours to Minsk and another 22 to Chisinau!
We will pick up on this next week! Be Blessed! ©2008

The Humor of JESUS!

How hard is it for you to imagine JESUS being Funny? It would be easier to see Mr. Spock as an ‘On Fire Preacher’. Take a look at this short cut from Mark Driscoll’s sermon on humor. I found it interesting and smiled thru it. You find the whole message by clicking here. Enjoy! I did, 1 ©2008

Tip A Cashier

While checking out a link on Blogosphere I came across an article:
"Spiritual Discipline: Tip Your Cashier" by Pastor Jim Moss. It caught my eye and I left this comment:

Very Interesting!
Hi Jim,
The Wife of my youth and I were in a restaurant yesterday and we watched an elderly, somewhat handicapped woman tip the cashier, looking at wonanother we question our selves about it, to no avail. Taaaaaaa Daaaaaaaaaa!

And today 'Jim' comes up with an answer for us. Now we know that that might not be the answer for her, yet we will consider your contribution to being a part of our expenditures.
Thanks, and I will make a link on our Blog. dp aka www.wonpreacher.com

Jim has a Good Perspective in this post and I recommend that you take a look!

©2008

Faith Under Pressure Part 1

Loved Of The LORD, need to give you a little more of this “Won Preacher’s” Domestic Ministry to lead into the next Story. To preface even this portion, I have to go back three decades to re-commitment to The LORD, as my Savior and making HIM LORD of my life. Remembering seeing seasoned believers watching me (And Helping me grow.) with a big smile on their face. Myself being blessed and basking in the deliverance from Alcohol, Tobacco and a Filthy Mouth partaking of that Real Live Zeal for GOD and HIS Ways, that never shadowed by the neophyte finesse that was always present. I always came forth with a “Praise The LORD!” at Every opportunity, never intimidated by who may be present. Laying hands on and praying at the drop of a dime.

Today I still enjoy being around a Fired Up Baby Christian and love to love them and encourage them, as they Splash all over me, while having that same grin on my face as those present thirty years ago watching me.

No Doubt most of you know about ‘Brother Andrews’ “GOD’s Smuggler”. That phenomenal work “Open Doors” accomplished getting Bibles into the USSR and China since the fifties is a ministry classic. Still going strong and are continuing that ongoing ministry even today, getting ready for the 2008 Olympics. What a blessing for us to have a part in sponsoring a brother who was smuggling bibles into China back in the Eighties.

Said all of that to say this: In that first fifteen years or so being a part with the FGBMFI, when Demas was still alive, (A men’s Global Parachurch Organization) we found ourselves somewhat smuggling food & clothes into Mexico. The reason was that Mexican Customs &/or Immigration wanted ‘Payola$’ or at least a cut of what we were taking in. Enabling us to minister to fledgling churches, orphanages and even just setting up on the street, feeding, and clothing poor people while one of the brothers published The Gospel in Spanish.

On one of our trips, we were taking a Van in to a little Church for their use in the ministry. Something was wrong with it and it was barely making it up the hills on the way to San Diego. We stopped at several Gas Station Garages and trying to fix the problem, put on a new coil, a new fuel pump, filter and several other things to no avail. We were always in a caravan, when the van started to fail the driver and his partner would raise their arms out the windows signaling for prayer, and in turn, the rest of us in the different vehicles would do the same thing as we let them know we were in agreement with them. That must have been a sight to others on the road. They have no idea of who we were or what we were doing.

The van did not have current tags on it and going up one hill a CHP was passing all of us up on this two lane road and got stuck behind the van. No arms out this time, nevertheless, we were all praying and after what seemed like 10 minutes, the CHP passed the van up with out stopping it. Talk about the Praising The LORD!!! As if The Lord put Blinders on him, to never see the expired tags!

This is longer than I thought, so let me finish with this. In San Diego and with all these new parts the van finally quit. I pulled up behind the van and we joined our hearts and minds. With the hood of the van up, I started to jiggle different things on the motor while making the comment, “The only thing I know what I was doing is just laying hands on it and believing GOD would intervene.”

While doing this an experience came to mind about me having a an old Studebaker doing just about the same thing. What I finally figured out after several days of it trying to quit going up a hill was that the fuel line had a tiny pebble it front of the fuel filter. Keep in mind that we had replaced all of those things. I started to trace out the fuel line and when I reached the gas tank I found a kink in the line that only let a nominal amount of fuel get to the pump, but when there was a demand from the pump still only a metered amount would get thru.

That was the day that another verse of Holy Writ became my own personal promise. Let me paraphrase.

John 14:26. But the Helper Himself, the Precious Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you ALL things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I Taught you! said to you.

How many times HE has brought to my remembrance things HE has taught me in the mechanics of construction, using the same words again, ministering not in the traditional way and too many more to mention.

Next week our trip to Moldova and how I tie this above to it.

©2008