Alone and Afraid in Phoenix

Alone and Afraid in Phoenix

Alone and Afraid in Phoenix

When God gives us “divine appointments,” they are unmistakable. They usually challenge us to step out of our comfort zone and into His hands of grace.

Here’s how He recently reached out to a “missing person” and to me as well:

I combine my love of walking and my love of architecture and construction with routes that feature the newest construction here in metro Phoenix. This past Wednesday took me to the Central and Indian School Road area. It ended up being a divine appointment, God putting me in the right place at the right time.

As I was getting ready to cross the street, a very thin young homeless person approached me, or at least I assumed he was homeless. Somehow that didn’t add up. He had on nice clothes and yet had mud on his hands and shoes. I immediately realized he was way too young to be living on the streets.

He asked me if I knew where the BNO bank was and with his dirty hand pulled a muddy rolled-up check out of his pocket. He handed me the check; I unrolled it and saw that it was from a school in the valley.

It was for $40 and dated November 1st. His name was Quincy.

Immediately the Holy Spirit began to speak to me about this kid and his circumstances, so I began to ask him some questions. He seemed very weak… he limped, and I knew it was too far for him to walk to that bank’s location.

I was about four blocks from my car, but it was still closer than the bank location. I asked Quincy if he had any identification on himself, and he said that he didn’t. Realizing that he would not be able to cash the check, I pulled $6 out of my pocket because I knew that he was hungry.

As I handed him the money, he fell into my arms weeping. He was so appreciative at this very small gesture. I knew I needed to understand his circumstances. I began to ask him questions so that I could better know how to help him.

I knew he needed food as soon as possible, and so we headed to a pizza place near my car. He was very, very thin. 

The story he began to share was heartbreaking.

Born to a drug addict mother, Quincy was raised by his dad until the age of five. His dad died from a drug overdose, and since his mother had lost custody, he went to live with his grandparents in Show Low, Arizona.  He spoke very fondly of his grandfather and grandmother. He told me how his grandfather taught him how to hunt and fish; his grandmother was so good to him as well. As he spoke, I realized he had a developmental challenge of some sort, and I assumed that possibly it was from being born to a mother who is addicted to drugs. He had the maturity level of a nine-year-old kid even though he was 16. There was a sweetness and an innocence to his demeanor.

Quincy spoke fondly of his grandparents taking him to church and Sunday School every Sunday, and he said that he believed in Jesus. He asked me if we would we be able to see Jesus when we got to heaven, and he smiled a sweet smile.

His story continued with his grandfather dying from cancer and then his grandmother dying from breast cancer. Quincy was then put into the foster system about four years ago. He was in several group homes and ran away from one because the kids were abusing him, and I could see how easy that would happen because he would be an easy target. Imagine this kid trying to survive on the street. There are so many evil people who would take advantage of him.

Then he shared with me that his current foster parent, a female, got angry at him because he wasn’t cleaning the house well enough; she picked him up and threw him out the back door and onto the concrete. He hurt his back and was bruised. I cannot verify most of his story. But he had blisters on his feet.

This kid said that he walked from Buckeye all the way to Central Phoenix, which could have been as much as 30 miles. Quincy had no money, no ID, nothing but that little check. He said he spent the night in a house that was under construction and that his clothes got wet from going across the fields because he was afraid the police would arrest him.

I could barely say anything to him…on the inside, I was weeping for this kid. I got him a good pizza, and he ate the whole thing. While he was eating, I called a dear friend to see if he could help me find out who could take him, other than the police.

I discovered there is a national organization called Safe Place where children can be dropped off to a QT filling station and some other locations; the Safe Place representatives will come and pick up the children.

I would have adopted Quincy on the spot, but of course that was impossible. Because of his minor status, I knew he needed to get back into the system.

I drove him to the nearest QT gas station and found the manager. The process of finding someone to come and get this teenager took over an hour.

There were calls back and forth.

I’m assuming they were able to verify he was in the foster system. While we waited, we had an enjoyable time talking about his love of hunting and fishing. He said he was an outdoors guy.

Finally, two ladies from the nonprofit organization came over and took him away to a safe house that night—at least that’s what I hope and pray they did. The teen said he had a new case manager who was in Casa Grande, Arizona.

He didn’t know what her name was. He also said he had an aunt who lived in Phoenix, but she is a long-haul truck driver and was on the East Coast.

Quincy thanked me over and over again for being kind to him. I felt an extraordinary presence of God the whole time, and I felt as if he were a very special child to God Almighty.

I wept for hours and barely slept that night thinking about how many children there are in his circumstances.

Quincy could have been your child.

I’ve literally pleaded and begged with God to intervene in his life and get him into a foster home that would be safe and nurturing. Quincy said that when he turns 18, they will help him find a job and move him into a group home for disabled adults.

When Quincy left, he gave me a hug, and I told him that I would see him in heaven—I believe that with all of my heart. In the state of Arizona, there are 14,000 kids in the foster system and only 5,000 families hosting them.

I’m sure there aren’t enough caseworkers to keep up with all of these kids. In 2020, they lost 300 children in the system. I pray that God will help me find a way to volunteer and help these kids.

I also pray that God will find a way for me to help Quincy again. I’ve been learning more about the system.

If you think about it, pray for Quincy. And don’t miss those “divine appointments” when God hands them to you—you don’t want to miss the blessings He will give to others and to you.

 

Alone and Afraid in Phoenix


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Pondering Existence Considering God’s Perfections

Pondering Existence Considering God’s Perfections

Pondering Existence Considering God’s Perfections

Sixty-seven years of life on earth – my current state is one of…

The results of living on planet Earth under the effects of fallen man, broken man, rebellious man, dying man, needy man, unfulfilled man, fragile man, men motivated in positive and negative ways, coping man, an enslaved man, deceived man, fantasy man, expectation man.

A heartbroken man, resentful and spiteful man, jealous man, lusting man, addicted man, immature man, pleasure-seeking man, controlling man, the man who lives vicariously through others, success man, obsessive, compulsive disorder man, fearful man, anxious man, seduced man, enslaved man, ignorant man, impulsive man, inattentive man, indecisive man, inhibited man, insecure man, angry man, clumsy man, grumpy man.

An argumentative man, blunt man, crafty man, abrasive man, aimless man, artificial man, boring man, careless man, condemnatory man, judgmental man, destructive man, irresponsible man, killjoy man, lazy man, foolish man, malicious man, mechanical man, narcissistic man, paranoid man, shameless man, unrealistic untrustworthy man, tactless, tasteless, temperamental man.

Above is a list, a “scratch the surface.” 

A list of the types of people you will meet during your lifetime. 

I did not list positive character traits for the sake of the point that I want to make. 

People are made up of good and bad for sure, but I believe that the very fact that humans can identify negative, bad, evil, “less than the standard.”

Character traits are one of the great proofs of a Being we identify as God and Christians identify as Jesus Christ (God on earth), God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

And so, when you describe a person with a negative character trait or you describe the consequences of that negative character trait, oh, it simply illustrates the truth that on this planet you will meet and experience the lives of these people with these traits are combinations of these traits. 

You cannot deny that they exist. 

You suffer the consequences of those negative character traits in yourself and others. 

You are almost compelled to do the things you do not want to do.

Vast chunks of your life can be spoiled because of one negative Character defect.

The defective suggest a standard of ineffective or of right, positive, good.

We have found that there is one cohesive standard and one alone that everything is weighed by, compared to, judged by and described by Christians as God Almighty Himself.

There are no glitches, blemishes, no broken or misguided circuits, and the Hardware, no design flaws – he is the only, ultimate, perfect, perfectly working standard that exists.

We can conceive of a being that is perfect because we can conceive of, for example, a perfect ultimate computer. 

A computer that works perfectly because it does not have one design flaw, either and its software nor Hardware. 

Now God is not a computer, but this illustrates perfection two our immature minds.

Imagine a good computer and a bad computer. 

A bad computer would miss the mark, must be corrected continually, tweaked, etc. A computer that was perfect would 100% of the time do what it was designed to do.

 

Pondering Existence Considering God’s Perfections

 

Now imagine a self-existing computer that was immutable or never changing, self-sufficient with no needs, Omnipotent with all power, and everything exists because it exists, omnipresent meaning it is in and outside of space and time, wise and full of complete, unchanging wisdom, infinitely unchanging true.

Now here is the kicker… good, infinitely unchangingly kind and full of Goodwill, infinitely unchangingly right and perfect in all it does, merciful, unchangingly compassionate and kind, gracious, infinitely inclined to spare the guilty, loving meaning to infinitely unchangingly love someone outside of itself, holy in that it is infinitely unchangingly perfect and glorious, infinitely beautiful and great.

This very idea of “imperfect” proves the necessity of a “perfect,” and the very existence of imperfect man proves ” perfect God”. 

Without the perfect imperfection would have no meaning.

We have a concept of negative character oh, that of missing the mark, being corrupted, broken, not up to the standard, inferior, incomplete, worthless as is, gives us the concept of the perfect man or the perfect being. 

The finite gives us the concept of the infinite.

We think about God more in terms of cartoonish Superman powers and less about His character traits. 

The trait of humility would not exist if it weren’t for the concept of something superior to measure oneself to.

Every good thing, trait, or idea we can conceive of existence because it is from the very nature of God. 

Everything good and everything contrary to his nature and character is a counterfeit mainly and probably connected to Satan and his Rebellion. 

The idea of good and evil could not exist without an infinitely good being, a perfect standard to measure everything by.

All evil is anti-God. 

It doesn’t have to be the opposite but can be even a slight Corruption of his good. Using the computer as an example again, one small line of incorrect code can corrupt the entire program.

Adam and Eve took over the programming and severely corrupted the very nature of the program, and we see the results all through history.

Perhaps we can’t conceive of God’s state or Essence? It is impossible for us to conceive of a state that is not broken or ruled by our lust, cravings, self-rule, self-righteousness, or of the fleshly desires for pleasure and its millions of forms. 

Mankind is tempting to live apart from the infinitely perfect, and I have only been able to produce death and destruction.

There is only one solution to fix the problem. 

The Perfect, Jesus Christ, becomes one with the imperfect mankind, and imparts His perfection, removing the corrupted software, eventually making it perfect, and finally, replacing the Hardware itself with something transcending the original design. 

We have existence because He exists.  

We as Christians, through Jesus Christ, will have eternal, perfect existence never to be corrupted ever again, thus enjoying infinite, perfect unity and love with the Creator of the universe.

I haven’t included any Biblical Scriptures even though these ideas are supported Biblically. 

My purpose was to illustrate these ideas and truths from a slightly different angle.

 

Pondering Existence Considering God’s Perfections


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A Coming Judgment of Mankind

A Coming Judgment of Mankind

A Coming Judgment of Mankind

“But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times of great stress and trouble will come, difficult days that will be hard to bear. For people will be lovers of self, narcissistic, self- focused, lovers of money impelled by greed, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, and they will be unloving devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control, intemperate, immoral, brutal, haters of good, traders, reckless, conceited, lovers of sensual pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of outward godliness (religion), although they have denied its power (for their conduct nullifies their claim to Faith). Avoid such people and keep far away from them.” 2 Timothy 3: 1-5

We live in a day of spoiled, entitled humans including the professing, Christians.

 

This is a time of the greatest world prosperity in human history.

More people have been brought out of poverty that ever before and yet especially in America we are thankful and appreciative for little. We are overwhelmingly self-centered, self-absorbed, lukewarm pleasure and comfort seekers treating God like our servant instead of Holy, Infinite God Almighty. 

Apparently, no one will spend eternity in hell separated from King Jesus because the church seems neither concerned nor focused on a person’s state of salvation and the church overall may not even understand the theology of salvation or the importance of the work of Christ on the cross on mankind’s behalf. 

People Rarely Need Each Other to Survive Anymore

My grandparents didn’t have the damnable luxury of divorce because they were working so hard to just survive and provide for their families.

Everything in the cellar was something to be thankful and grateful for because it was hard earned.

Literally few people had a silver plate handed to them. 

In this day and age, the idea is for “Almighty” government to hand you a silver plate. Children don’t respect their parents because they do not reflect the character of their Creator but instead reflect the world system and for many, Satan their father.

Or, if they profess to be Christians, they betray any real belief in Jesus Christ but teach their children religious hypocrisy. 

They don’t think they need God on any real here on earth, including God in heaven, much less, Jesus Christ on his earthly throne.

To them, it appears that God is a type of non-entity, and Heaven is a boring state of floating on a cloud in some satirized cartoon of heaven with no personal, all-powerful, holy, all-consuming being that you prostrate yourself before.

Satan lampooning, mocking and parodying heaven has been the norm for centuries especially in movie and television productions.

The reality of an All-Consuming being, burning more brightly than a trillion nuclear bombs, is suppressed in their minds and intellects. 

A coming judgment of mankind is old-fashioned and does not fit into this woke day.

What is your standing and relationship with Jesus Christ? 

He is our only hope.

 

A Coming Judgment of Mankind


 

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Sixty Seventh Birthday Message

Sixty Seventh Birthday Message

Sixty Seventh Birthday Message

Gentlemen, this is my 67th birthday message.

Today I get to preach to the group!

Each year I love getting closer to the arms of Jesus. Everything we have ever hoped for, dreamed for, longed for and the final fulfillment of every need that has been built into us by God Himself is to be with Jesus someday.

The ultimate perfect relationship and marriage is the best illustration.

Everything here on this planet is a reminder that we are not yet with Him and the battle, the great battle is not to find temporary substitutions for those need fulfillments in the flesh or in the world but in the Spirit, in Him.

We see people achieve great things like Olympic medals or prizes on game shows or the lottery, or superior dream jobs or places of power, or some living vicariously through their children’s successes, even victory in battle or a political race.

Millions of books are rooted in some kind of lacking or insurmountable obstacle and then the hero winning the prize, be it the kingdom, the revelation that your Father is a King and that you were kidnapped as a child or meeting your Prince Charming or finding the love of a beauty queen.

Movies that resonate with people…

…usually have to do with this idea of winning, of overcoming, of the enemy or the evil one being destroyed, of reward.

I believe that culture has always pointed towards the day that you and I will be complete in Jesus Christ.

It is like winning the ultimate Lottery and anyone can enter by faith and when the prize.

Every good thing that exists is wrapped up into Jesus Christ.

All good is found in Jesus. Everything else of the flesh and the world is temporal and not eternal.

We don’t have any fairy tales that end in a divorce. The hero’s fairy tale lives in a type of Eternal Bliss and happiness.

What billions of people have excepted as fantasy, we as children of God (believers) believe is a certain reality in Jesus Christ , the Author and Creator of this entire story.

I am one of the heroes in God’s story!

 

Sixty Seventh Birthday Message


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My War With Covid-19

My War With Covid-19

My War With Covid-19 

January 15th of 2021 was the beginning of a very difficult experience with Covid-19. 

It started with what I thought were some allergies, and I begin taking Zyrtec-D. 

On Saturday the 16th, I developed a dry cough but didn’t think anything of it as I did not have a temperature. 

I hiked and biked on that Saturday and went out with friends to eat. 

By Monday morning, I went out to eat with a good friend at a breakfast place and had delicious blue corn pancakes with Bananas Foster. 

By that afternoon, I was tired and then exhausted, and by that night, I had a fever and chills all night long.

At that point, I realized I either had Covid-19 or the flu. On Tuesday, it felt as if my brain were literally on fire. I had a helmet headache and was unable to do anything but lie still. I was taking Aleve, but it did not help much.

Most All Of the Symptoms Developed Tuesday Night

Extreme aches and pains, my bronchial tubes feeling like they were on fire, breaking out in a rash similar to shingles, but normal temperature and blood pressure. 

On Wednesday, I was tested for covid-19, and it confirmed I was positive. 

Each day for eight days, I got progressively worse as the virus was multiplying in my body, but my immune system had yet to produce enough antibodies to fight the infection. 

On Thursday of that week, my spinal cord begins to burn, and I felt as if World War 3 was going on in my body. 

One of my cousins, a doctor, suggested I have the antibody infusion as soon as possible. A doctor at the hospital helps me set up the paperwork; however, due to different slip-ups, it took me five days to get the infusion finally.

On the day of the infusion, I finally developed a fever that stayed around 102 for seven days. 

For the first 14 days, I was more comfortable sitting up at night. During the whole experience, I talked to five doctors and saw seven nurses. 

I was not admitted to the hospital because my vital signs were still normal, and my blood oxygen when awake was around 92.

Today is the end of week 4 of having covid-19.

I am progressing and healing very slowly but was able to attend a men’s meeting at church that night. 

As I went through this experience, I thought of the scripture, “yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me.” 

I had nothing to do but lay still and trust God, and I could most definitely tell that he was with me in the suffering.

I had numerous people reach out to me with prayers and supplies of chicken soup. 

I lost my sense of smell and taste, but both are coming back slowly, and my hair was falling out, so I got a very close-cropped haircut the other day.   

I continue to struggle with a covid-19 rash. 

Five days ago, I got a new rash on my chest, but the rash on my back and neck, and sides has healed. 

They assume that I’ve had for 35 years that my covid-19 case with more severe because of lupus. 

I am insulin resistant and considered overweight even though I am very active.

I was disappointed that none of the doctors suggested any medicines and said that I would have to be in the ICU to get any medication.

 Last night was what I wouldn’t consider a regular night of sleep for the first time in four weeks. I also tested negative for the active virus, for which I am grateful. 

I observed a lack of standardization or consistency with treating someone with Covid-19.

I feel very blessed to be able to write this today.

Each day I feel as if I’m getting 2% better. I can’t say that the vitamin C, D, and zinc helped me that much, but I believe that the antibiotic later in my sickness helped. 

I was drinking 2 gallons of water a day with electrolytes. 

Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss covid-19 and possible long-term side effects and treatments. 

I am researching this very nasty virus, and I am grateful for all of the prayers and love I received.

 

What the government says about the test for past infection at the CDC

 

My War with Covid-19


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Reaching the Well Adjusted Person for Christ

Reaching the Well Adjusted Person for Christ

Reaching the Well Adjusted Person for Christ

How do we, as Christian brothers, help the men who would be considered well adjusted?

The guy who didn’t have abuse and severe trauma in childhood resulting in addictions or extreme dysfunctional behaviors, the kid who had a relatively stable childhood?

I’m thinking of the normal, contented average Christian man who loves the world more than Jesus but may not know it.

As a Christian, the worldly guy has no vision, no real relationship with Christ, and whose nature is passive and non-confrontational about everything that doesn’t measure up to Christ.

He won’t act or listen when confronted by the Holy Spirit.

 This guy will miss rewards in heaven because he half-heartedly or lukewarmly chose by an act of his free will to seek, ask and knock after Jesus.

He is disinterested in loving God with all his heart, soul and mind, and strength. He wants fire insurance but still be able to call most of the shots.

I am thinking about someone I know, a Christian who Satan sidetracked.

What happened, and how did Satan draw this person into a web of deceit?

Was it a lack of submission to the Holy Spirit and those seemingly little things, for example, having to do with self-discipline or believing truth?

Or was it a matter of entitlement/ ego?

Did he believe the hype about himself instead of believing what Jesus thought about him?

Or was it a “Williams” family curse kind of thing; hardheadedness, stubbornness, and a lack of humility and meekness to be corrected and to listen to someone?

(PROVERBS) Or was it giving in to the sinful flesh and its sensual desires and needs? What caused the downfall?

Today, I’m thinking about what it would look like to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ because that is where we are going.

All of my brokenness, self-dependence, self-rule, and pride must be broken and removed even if by the fires of purification.

It includes the broken addict or the extremely successful person.

 

Reaching the Well Adjusted Person for Christ


 

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