Witness and testimony. Places you most likely will never skate. Eugene Oregon

Big shout out to homeboy Dan Clements singer for Venice thrash band Excel for his hospitality putting me up for a few days. Eugene is a very pleasant small city and is home to the University of Oregon. The city has a beautiful and state of the art skatepark. Like most skateparks it has its disenfranchised and marginalized folks hanging out, smoking dope, drinking and loitering around the place. It appears homeless live in the park or on the railroad tracks which cross under the freeway where the skatepark is located.

I met a few kids on the west end of town as they hit me up for money. I had a bunch of groceries and Anti-Matter stickers punk band out of Hawaii and L.A) , so I gave them food for their stomach and soul as well as a few stickers. Yes I gave them my testimony of being homeless, being a veteran, a punk rocker, being involved with an infamous woman in pornography etc. Seeing an old geezer ripping around on a skateboard allows me an “in” to kid that are resitant or unwilling to hear about Jesus. The stickers also help. I just tell them about who I was prior to accepting Jesus as Lord and who I am now. I skated around town eventually making it to the skatepark.

The fore mentioned riff raff and wholesome kids and adult all get down and do the concrete boogie at the skatepark, which is free, very rippable! I did not see One Time at the sk8park and I did not wear pads or helmet but I just flowed around the park. I could not afford to bust myself up as I am on major N.W tour of the USA and must report unscathed to me new job in Yakima WA in a week. Sakters don’t die, we multiply! Upon my return to the west side of town, I skated through the center of downtown and was jammed up by 5.0. He help me up for a bit and told me no skating in downtown. I gave him my I.D and Veteran I.D and after the preliminary B.S we talked and he was pleasant enough and did not cite me adding have a good stay in Eugene. All in all Eugene is a great city!

T.D Jakes at City of Refuge Los Angeles CA.

 In the presence of a very skilled orator and communicator, is unfortunately not a common experience these days. Yes these days, these days of mass media relative (un)-truths and instant communication, the likes of  which has mislead, deluded and diluted the minds of several generations. Yes these days, which may perhaps be the last days of the human race as we know it on the Earth.

T.D Jakes, bigger than life on the podium of City of Refuge extolled and exhorted me to, leave it be! Teaching on Saint Matthew’s (13:30) book of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he  proceeded to dismantle and examine the lesson of the wheat and tares.  As I absorbed the message of  Bishop Jakes, the thought of Orson Wells and James Earl Jones immediately come to mind.

The man is a pro’s pro. Captivating and all absorbing he commands and demands your undivided attention in Jakes’ taking you with him from introduction to end of the sermon. All the theatrics, dramatics and skills are employed to move the individual and corporate to the a point of enlightenment and knowledge.

How many times have I heard and read Matthew 13:30? 500 times perhaps? I am sure the number is actually greater. The common teaching is be wary of false teachings, deceptive practices & teachings  and look alikes that proclaim a gospel other than the Messiah’s. However never have I been brought to the depths of T.D Jakes’ instruction. He brought me to the core of human thought as he expounded on Jesus’ command to leave the tares alone, as the average thought for most men and women is to go immediately and fix the problem or in this case to remove the tares.

Jakes expounded the teaching exploring human psychology in the face of the enemy (Satan). The uncanny propensity of men to want and need to fix things, especially men and women in the ministry. Jakes brought us directly to the human problem, the inability to let go and let God handle the situation. Continuing, Jakes takes us into the middle of the night into the lonely, worried, and doubting mind of man as he tossed and turned in the bed, sifting and sorting the impossible, as frustration and overwhelming inability entraps the human mind. You see, Jakes’great empathy is on full display as he self-discloses his own experiences in ministry and life.

Suddenly the building seems to shake either from the multitude shouting and leaping or Jakes’ amplified voice as he bellows, “Jesus said, let it alone!”  Just as suddenly his voice is calm and soothing allowing us a respite from the the tounge lashing and he again allows us into his world and the challanges he has faced in his humanity and converstions with the Lord.

This is no ordinary sermon, the man has an annoiting from the Lord all mighty and he uses it to all advantage and appointment of the supernatural to urge you to the great salvation of Christ Jesus.

The existence of God and the will of God has been the question for many a great philosopher and common folk alike since the dawn of time. For this lowly blogger,  God Jehovah, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is mighty and real.

Look man, 8 months ago I was living in the bottom of a very remote canyon of central Oregon, having become so disillusioned with media, the American government, the big city,  world events, I beganshutting  it down, three years ago as far as T.V and began listening to strictly Christian programing on the radio, resulting in a cumulative entire shut out of all media. The garbage they are feeding folks became unbearable for me.

Bible in hand  I sought relief in the seclusion of  Wasco County’s Deshutes River canyon. I had no knowledge of T.D Jakes or Noel Jones’ ministries.

How did I find myself back in L.A a memeber of Noel Jones’ “mega church” shouting and praising with perhaps 1,200 other  followers of the way you ask? Surely it is the will of God and I reckon you will have to keep reading this here lowly blog to find out. Stay tuned, G-Money.

 

Leaving Home or in this case my Church.

My church. I mulled that over for a bit. My church, hmmmmm. Well yes I felt very at home for decades at my church. My mother and father were married there, my daughter and I baptized in the baptismal.

Several years ago a number of changes began to shake up the leadership and congregation the ramifications concluded just this year with the longtime pastor (18 years) leaving not only the church but the ministry as well. Some sort of “deal” was put into place and I was not allowed to vote on the new new church’s buy out of “my church” as I was out of state working and the bylaws of the church prevented me from voting absentee. Returning from out of state and attending service for the first time under the new leadership, I differently felt and noticed the change in the leadership as well as general atmosphere. Many of my long time friends and family had left the congregation and the remaining congregation seemed very unsure as to the direction of the church and the future of the church. I gave my best to be patient with the new leadership and attended several services. However I felt distant and just as importantly I felt the doctrine was headed in what is known as the “emergent” church. Several other issues bothered me such as women wearing very short shorts and men in flip flops, shorts and muscle t-shirts bearing all their tattoos. Look man, I have tattoos also and my clothes are not of the highest fashion. Yet I cover up my tattoos, iron and press my shirts & pants and clean and brush my shoes. I fully understand if one does not have clean and new clothes to come with what you have. However almost all of these folks have clean and decent clothes. To arrive at church as if you are going to a night club or the beach in my humble opinion is not giving your best to the Lord. Therefore I resigned my membership.

My suspicions, I believe were confirmed as the new pastor did not even bother to contact me as to my decision to leave. Not a word on his behalf. I suppose he did not want me to question any of the doctrine as I had in several discussions with him especially on the issue of sin.. Well the door works two ways and I took my leave. It was a difficult decision as now I must establish a new church home but I am sure God will put me in a solid biblical teaching church.

part II:https://gerilewis.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/finding-a-spiritual-home-city-of-refuge-noel-jones-bishop/