I responded to an email recently and i feel like it expresses alot of what is going on in my head, so here it is in full:
Dear Dorothy,
It is so encouraging to hear from you. Our Father and Mother always tell us that people ask about us, and i always think, "why don't they ask us?", so it is really good to hear you, and not just to hear of you. We have not been to any Hutterite communities yet but that is a possibility. As you might know from reading our blog, we are getting a bus. Actually we just got all the money together and got the title today, and are now just waiting until it's livable in order to travel in it. Most of the work we need done on it will be free to us because of connections but there is alot of work to be done, and still alot of money to be raised. We just pray that we can use it enough to make it worth the work. We are actually teaming up with a ministry that already exists, through this whole bus thing. The name of the ministry is David's key ministries ( www.davidskeyministries.com ) and they are a ministry which, up untill this point was just a family that traveled on a bus serving the poor and the forgotten. This includes the amish, native americans, mayans and mennonites. The family includes a son, Howie, who is actually on board with us on our bus, and so he actually has alot of experience with these cultures. We hope to carry out the tradition of helping out the poor and the forgotten. We don't know what that will look like exactly but we hold the bus with an open hand relying on God to direct us and it. Up to this point we have a vague idea of what that means; having a full kitchen set in the bus, and buying food in bulk in order to have enough food to feed anyone who comes to the bus, or whoever we go to, setting up art supplies to minister to people through art, by encouraging people to express themselves honestly and creatively, by serving people by means of transportation, both by having a mobile bike clinic and by offering rides to people on our bus, by praying for and with people, and encouraging people to focus the simplicity of God's Love, and to love their neighbors and enemies as themselves. We hope to minister to American Indians, as well as many other forgotten people- whoever God places in our path, or calls us to go to. This hopefully includes many subcultures that the church ignores or is unwelcoming to. Recently we went to the Rainbow gathering and served there. When i first heard of the rainbow gathering i thought it was the most obnoxious thing ever created, but after being there i have realized that these people, naked or not, are broken in the same ways i am, and have much more crap in their lives to deal with than i do, and need Christians to support them and not always preach to them. I feel like a lot of cultures, like the rainbow family, are mistreated by church. John and I, as well as the other people we are traveling with have had to deal with this sort of treatment by the church recently. Yesterday we went to a big church in Daytona, mainly to help serve food to the homeless, but potentially also to go to the service, and by the end of it 3 of the 5 of us were asked to leave and labeled as security threats by the deacons of the church. Within that time i also witnessed a homeless man almost get the cops called on him for staying in a stall in the bathroom too long, because he was sick and puking. Not a single "deacon" (i think they should be called "security guards") offered him water or bread (which a person needs when he's puking) or even asked if he was o.k.. I also learned that the Homeless had suggested seating in the service, and i watched a minister give the homeless a lecture before they ate about their bad hegiene and about their mannor of leaving the service when it was finished. One Deacon said to some us "You see all those people (pointing at a group of homeless people)? They'll take whatever they can get. Their out to get whatever they can" When i tried to talk to minister about these things she hushed me up by saying she had to talk to another minister and that she didn't have time to talk to me. We feel as if the bible is very clear about treating the poor as you would treat Jesus, and that it is unacceptable to call the cops on Jesus or lecture him before feeding him, or force him to sit through a service before feeding him, or label him as a security threat, or deny him aid when he is sick. So we are trying to live out these ideals the bible gives us in the beattitudes, through this bus opportunity. So that is exciting to all of us, even though it will be a process and alot of work. But we can't turn down the opportunity because we feel like it is what God wants us to do. After all we started daydreaming about this one week ago yesterday with enough in our pockets to buy two mice for 1.39 each and yesterday we got the confermation that the bus is going to be ours. And today we picked it up.
The people we stayed with, and the people who have helped us with this bus effort have shown us what it means to be servants and fully trusting in God. One person gave us 500 dollars towards the bus, as well as speak life into our lives and aid us in countless ways the same day he lost his job. I can only imagine what it is like to have that kind of faith and live out what 1 John 3:18-19 says about loving each other. Compared to these people we have faith almost as big as a mustard seed.
It is encouraging to see these people live out their faith and wake up everday because God tells them to wake up, and work hard for the kingdom that seems so far away. And it is such a blessing to see and meet people of like-mindedness. We met one minister who , after it had become illegal to feed food to homeless people in St. Pete Florida in a public setting, said that he will continue to eat with his homeless friends and that if he got arrested he would file a religious freedom lawsuit against the city of St. Pete because his bible tells him to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. That is what excites me- people serving God and his children despite circumstances. We also have met with a minister who has told us about alot of opportunities to serve through non-traditional means and opened up possibilities such as volunteering at the P.A.P.A. festival (People Against Poverty and Apathy), which is linked with the Christian Anarchist Convention, and other more radical events and things.
Hopefully we can fit in as much of that, and serving different communities, and traveling to different places as possible.
The Most important thing i've learned about community is that it must be Christ and mutually respectful as possible. But even that doesn't work unless you learn to have grace and forgiveness with each other. And I've learned that you have to be really intentional about living or interacting with others, otherwise it's fruitless. That's all stuff i had to deal with and learn while living in the community i lived in in Colorado Springs. All of those things I fail at and suffer because of it. But that's the grace part.
Its really important to both John and I to hear from people back home and it's so encouraging. Thank you again for writing.
Enjoy the cold and God Bless
marcus
2.25.2008
2.24.2008
I have a confession to make...
In the last few days Marcus, Gary, Bailey, Bill (the good brother we're staying with) and I have filled our time trying to follow G-d's leading in what to do while we wait for G-d's timing.
We've approached numerous ministries and multitudes of friends asking for prayer and potentially financial support in the process of obtaining a bus to do G-d's work feeding people, sharing art, and loving people in various subcultures around the U.S. (whether that be "traveling kids" "home-bums" 1st nations people...... and the list goes on), as well as everyone else.
We've raised over half of the funds for this bus, and praying with people left and right. And in the mean time we've spent our time trying to meet the needs and opportunities that G-d puts in our paths.
But the truth is that running around and approaching ministries , as a brother in Christ, is exhausting. Especially when most ministries push you out the door. And you watch some ministries push other people out the door. And while we understand that it is better to ask why the light isn't shining as bright as it could rather than complaining about the darkness, it is hard not to become jaded against our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
The good news is we are officially a part of a ministry called David's Key Ministries now, and can receive donations towards the bus online.(www.davidskeyministries.com)
And the better news is we need lots of continual prayer to stay steadfast in the spirit of the beatitudes. And even more prayer when we approach those marred by the church and appologize to them for the terrible job we do as Christians representing Christ himself.
Thanks for the prayers
We've approached numerous ministries and multitudes of friends asking for prayer and potentially financial support in the process of obtaining a bus to do G-d's work feeding people, sharing art, and loving people in various subcultures around the U.S. (whether that be "traveling kids" "home-bums" 1st nations people...... and the list goes on), as well as everyone else.
We've raised over half of the funds for this bus, and praying with people left and right. And in the mean time we've spent our time trying to meet the needs and opportunities that G-d puts in our paths.
But the truth is that running around and approaching ministries , as a brother in Christ, is exhausting. Especially when most ministries push you out the door. And you watch some ministries push other people out the door. And while we understand that it is better to ask why the light isn't shining as bright as it could rather than complaining about the darkness, it is hard not to become jaded against our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
The good news is we are officially a part of a ministry called David's Key Ministries now, and can receive donations towards the bus online.(www.davidskeyministries.com)
And the better news is we need lots of continual prayer to stay steadfast in the spirit of the beatitudes. And even more prayer when we approach those marred by the church and appologize to them for the terrible job we do as Christians representing Christ himself.
Thanks for the prayers
2.21.2008
Bus
So 2 posts ago, we mentioned a bus.....
we went and saw it.
The bus is beautiful, except the inside. it needs alot of work, but we are willing to make it happen. We feel as if God has put it on our hearts to obtain a bus to use for his ministry.
when the idea first came up, from Howie, a friend of ours that has spent the last little while traveling with his parents on their bus, we got excited but knew we had to pray about it and needed to search after God's will in this situation. after we dreamed it up a little bit, we left the rainbow gathering on our friend's, Josh and Shallen, bus to head up towards Daytona, knowing that the bus was less than a half hour away. Josh ended up hooking us up with a pastor who was letting a group stay at the church, and we got to stay there too. In that time someone ended up donating one hundred dollars towards us getting a bus, without us asking for it. Thats when we started to think that we were being led towards actually getting this bus. We started talking about all the possibilities of a bus and all the things we could do on it, but we were still unsure and knew more prayer was needed. so we prayed. And started to feel like this was a call that we had to respond to. But we were still uncertain, and all day we discussed our hessitations but decided we would at least get down to New Smyrna to see the bus. But with all this hessitation and disscussion we ended up only walking about a mile down the road towards the highway we needed to take to go south in about 6 hours.
But as we were crossing the street, a man waiting at the light called out to us and asked where we were going:
"new smyrna"
"well, i'm going to church, but i can pick you guys up on the way back and give you guys a ride"
"well, we'll go to church"
"alright"
turns out he was really excited by our idea, and told us that God put him there at the right time to meet us, and help us. We agreed. So he let us spend the night at his house and in the morning we found out that the church we went to with him was a church that was led by a pastor who had helped Howie's family with their bus, and that we could go and talk to him about getting the money together.
We also found out:
- that the bus we are looking at is being sold by a guy who really wants to help ministries
and is actually selling the bus for alot less than he could get for it
-that the man who had picked us up actually got up at 6:30 this morning to call people, and we have been given even more towards this effort
and
-that the people we are staying with fully support us and are willing to help us
And now that we have seen the bus, and all these things have lined up helping us along, we've all decided to work for a common mission: To obtain a bus to use for God's glory and to minister to the poor and needy and to serve people and ministries as best we can through the use of this bus. We pray that we can utilize it to feed people, serve those needing transportation and to help us move and transport in order to serve in different places.
so we are pleading with people to please help with this effort. Please contact us if you would like to know more or how you could help if you feel called to and please look at our photo log to see the bus (http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh264/brontosaurous/)
Prayer is the most effective way to help.
John (719)640-3240
Marcus (719)640-3241
Bailey
Gary
we went and saw it.
The bus is beautiful, except the inside. it needs alot of work, but we are willing to make it happen. We feel as if God has put it on our hearts to obtain a bus to use for his ministry.
when the idea first came up, from Howie, a friend of ours that has spent the last little while traveling with his parents on their bus, we got excited but knew we had to pray about it and needed to search after God's will in this situation. after we dreamed it up a little bit, we left the rainbow gathering on our friend's, Josh and Shallen, bus to head up towards Daytona, knowing that the bus was less than a half hour away. Josh ended up hooking us up with a pastor who was letting a group stay at the church, and we got to stay there too. In that time someone ended up donating one hundred dollars towards us getting a bus, without us asking for it. Thats when we started to think that we were being led towards actually getting this bus. We started talking about all the possibilities of a bus and all the things we could do on it, but we were still unsure and knew more prayer was needed. so we prayed. And started to feel like this was a call that we had to respond to. But we were still uncertain, and all day we discussed our hessitations but decided we would at least get down to New Smyrna to see the bus. But with all this hessitation and disscussion we ended up only walking about a mile down the road towards the highway we needed to take to go south in about 6 hours.
But as we were crossing the street, a man waiting at the light called out to us and asked where we were going:
"new smyrna"
"well, i'm going to church, but i can pick you guys up on the way back and give you guys a ride"
"well, we'll go to church"
"alright"
turns out he was really excited by our idea, and told us that God put him there at the right time to meet us, and help us. We agreed. So he let us spend the night at his house and in the morning we found out that the church we went to with him was a church that was led by a pastor who had helped Howie's family with their bus, and that we could go and talk to him about getting the money together.
We also found out:
- that the bus we are looking at is being sold by a guy who really wants to help ministries
and is actually selling the bus for alot less than he could get for it
-that the man who had picked us up actually got up at 6:30 this morning to call people, and we have been given even more towards this effort
and
-that the people we are staying with fully support us and are willing to help us
And now that we have seen the bus, and all these things have lined up helping us along, we've all decided to work for a common mission: To obtain a bus to use for God's glory and to minister to the poor and needy and to serve people and ministries as best we can through the use of this bus. We pray that we can utilize it to feed people, serve those needing transportation and to help us move and transport in order to serve in different places.
so we are pleading with people to please help with this effort. Please contact us if you would like to know more or how you could help if you feel called to and please look at our photo log to see the bus (http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh264/brontosaurous/)
Prayer is the most effective way to help.
John (719)640-3240
Marcus (719)640-3241
Bailey
Gary
see pictures
we moved our picture log, for more space;
their not in order at all but they are all here:
http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh264/brontosaurous/
their not in order at all but they are all here:
http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh264/brontosaurous/
burn the rainbow
since either one of us last wrote we have gone to rainbow gathering and found out about some pretty awesome opportunities........
howie and amber, the kids we were staying with in clearwater, were going to go to the rainbow gathering, and after many attempts of making money (one night we made 70 something dollars off of just a few people while busking) and some good coonversations (including a conversation with a minister, who we helped do a feeding with, about how he is going to file a religious freedom lawsuit if he gets in trouble for feeding his homeless friends in st. pete and a few conversations with a minister named bruce about Christianity and social justice and anarchy) and times of breaking bread together, we finally made the trip out towards the rainbow gathering
(breif description of gathering:
a while back people decided that the world was corrupt, and that they needed to find truth in creation, outside of what they call "babylon", so they fled to the woods and decided no governing or heirarchy was allowed. good premise, and actually simillar to what the desert fathers did in olden days to relly on God. but of course, it has its faults.)
on the way to the gathering we picked up a couple of hitch hikers, one having "horse" and "shit" tattooed on his cheeks. then we soon made it too the first of the two gatherings (generally its all at one spot, but this year it was split up). when we first got there, we got our van stuck in the mud and ended up having a whole group of drunk hippies pushing a van for us. but then we got quickly settled in over by the jesus camp and first aid area. after settling in, we went and ventured through the gathering.
lots of drunk hippies, begging for ciggerrettes and drugs, and being very agressive. the kitchen line had a sign that said "vegans and vegetarians be ware". by the third day of being there we were all ready for a change. so we went to go to the main gathering. this gathering was much bigger and much better.
after we got through "A" camp ("alchohol" or "agressive", we don't know, but we know it was a bunch drunk people tellin us were to park) we again settle pretty close to the jesus kitchen.
the second gathering was a lot easier to get along in for a few reasons ( at least for me).
first and foremost, there were more people out there being respectful of each other, and not just out there to have a good trip or to get completely wasted. there were those people out there, but there was much more people out there that were generally trying to have good experiences and find some sort of truth.
secondly, at the Jesus kitchen, the kids felt welcome and appreciative. the words "Jesus kitchen kicks down phat" was heard many times, and the food we served was so good that the neighboring kitchens would come eat our food when they had food being served at the same time.This Jesus camp was actually a kitchen, unlike the first camp which was there to minister and to give first aid. The first Jesus camp didn't have as many people staying and hanging out so it seemed as if it was just a one time stop. This is mostly due to circumstances and is not meant to be criticism of their ministry, and i feel like a hypocrite if i say anything to put down their ministry. The problem I feel was that people didn't necessarily want to hang out all that much at that camp. Alot of this is due to the reason why people had chosen to stay at that gathering and not move to the main gathering. It seemed to me that alot of the people who stayed at that gathering were more about drinking and roudiness than the main gathering. The second camp served food and had much more space and volunteers and things going on which people wanted to be a part of, and therefore people kept coming back. I regret and apologize if I make anyone feel as if their ministry isn't adequate, and I am in full support of both ministries. In fact I feel like the first camp seemed to be effective in many ways- like helping a woman who had bronchitis, and if this kitchen had not been there she might not have been helped. I feel as if we have been blessed to visit both ministries, and to see them work in their own ways, because both were effective and necessary.
after being at the gathering i realized a few things, first that the gathering is abused as a place for people to do alot of drugs and other messed up stuff
secondly, the gathering does not have any problems that the world outside of it (Babylon) doesn't have, however it is more apparent to some people because inside the gathering you dont have to hide anything
thirdly, the gathering, even with all of its rediculousness, crude jokes, and intoxication, is a fairly mutually respectful place, and much more so than an everyday babylonian scene, and they are much more likely to help each other out, whether that be health wise or other wise (even as far as ciggerrettes go)
fourthly, (is that right? fourthly?) the gathering depends on places like the Jesus kitchens, and a few really dedicated and awesome people
and finally, the gathering has alot of confused and hurt people trying to mend their problems and find some better understanding of truth through community and life outside of the
corrupt world we live in, not a bunch of criminals
it seems that the rainbow gathering could teach the church a lot, and that the church really needs to make an effort to welcome these people into their communities
Towards the end of our time there we had to say goodbye to Howie and Amber, but before we did they told us that we ought to go and talk to this guy he knows in new smyrna about getting a school bus that is converted into a r.v.
we decided that weld think about it and then ended up getting a hundred dollars donated towards getting a bus. so now we have to figure out if thats what we need to be doing. it looks as if it is since we know that through the people we know, we can get this bus for less that half its worth, and we might be able to raise the money, and we already have money donated to do that, and we could serve alot more people if that happens.
But we know we must be intensional about the things we do and not try to do this without God's ok. So now we have to figure out what we are going to do.
We now also have two mice named Cinnamon and Pau d'arco and cinnamon is probably pregnant.
howie and amber, the kids we were staying with in clearwater, were going to go to the rainbow gathering, and after many attempts of making money (one night we made 70 something dollars off of just a few people while busking) and some good coonversations (including a conversation with a minister, who we helped do a feeding with, about how he is going to file a religious freedom lawsuit if he gets in trouble for feeding his homeless friends in st. pete and a few conversations with a minister named bruce about Christianity and social justice and anarchy) and times of breaking bread together, we finally made the trip out towards the rainbow gathering
(breif description of gathering:
a while back people decided that the world was corrupt, and that they needed to find truth in creation, outside of what they call "babylon", so they fled to the woods and decided no governing or heirarchy was allowed. good premise, and actually simillar to what the desert fathers did in olden days to relly on God. but of course, it has its faults.)
on the way to the gathering we picked up a couple of hitch hikers, one having "horse" and "shit" tattooed on his cheeks. then we soon made it too the first of the two gatherings (generally its all at one spot, but this year it was split up). when we first got there, we got our van stuck in the mud and ended up having a whole group of drunk hippies pushing a van for us. but then we got quickly settled in over by the jesus camp and first aid area. after settling in, we went and ventured through the gathering.
lots of drunk hippies, begging for ciggerrettes and drugs, and being very agressive. the kitchen line had a sign that said "vegans and vegetarians be ware". by the third day of being there we were all ready for a change. so we went to go to the main gathering. this gathering was much bigger and much better.
after we got through "A" camp ("alchohol" or "agressive", we don't know, but we know it was a bunch drunk people tellin us were to park) we again settle pretty close to the jesus kitchen.
the second gathering was a lot easier to get along in for a few reasons ( at least for me).
first and foremost, there were more people out there being respectful of each other, and not just out there to have a good trip or to get completely wasted. there were those people out there, but there was much more people out there that were generally trying to have good experiences and find some sort of truth.
secondly, at the Jesus kitchen, the kids felt welcome and appreciative. the words "Jesus kitchen kicks down phat" was heard many times, and the food we served was so good that the neighboring kitchens would come eat our food when they had food being served at the same time.This Jesus camp was actually a kitchen, unlike the first camp which was there to minister and to give first aid. The first Jesus camp didn't have as many people staying and hanging out so it seemed as if it was just a one time stop. This is mostly due to circumstances and is not meant to be criticism of their ministry, and i feel like a hypocrite if i say anything to put down their ministry. The problem I feel was that people didn't necessarily want to hang out all that much at that camp. Alot of this is due to the reason why people had chosen to stay at that gathering and not move to the main gathering. It seemed to me that alot of the people who stayed at that gathering were more about drinking and roudiness than the main gathering. The second camp served food and had much more space and volunteers and things going on which people wanted to be a part of, and therefore people kept coming back. I regret and apologize if I make anyone feel as if their ministry isn't adequate, and I am in full support of both ministries. In fact I feel like the first camp seemed to be effective in many ways- like helping a woman who had bronchitis, and if this kitchen had not been there she might not have been helped. I feel as if we have been blessed to visit both ministries, and to see them work in their own ways, because both were effective and necessary.
after being at the gathering i realized a few things, first that the gathering is abused as a place for people to do alot of drugs and other messed up stuff
secondly, the gathering does not have any problems that the world outside of it (Babylon) doesn't have, however it is more apparent to some people because inside the gathering you dont have to hide anything
thirdly, the gathering, even with all of its rediculousness, crude jokes, and intoxication, is a fairly mutually respectful place, and much more so than an everyday babylonian scene, and they are much more likely to help each other out, whether that be health wise or other wise (even as far as ciggerrettes go)
fourthly, (is that right? fourthly?) the gathering depends on places like the Jesus kitchens, and a few really dedicated and awesome people
and finally, the gathering has alot of confused and hurt people trying to mend their problems and find some better understanding of truth through community and life outside of the
corrupt world we live in, not a bunch of criminals
it seems that the rainbow gathering could teach the church a lot, and that the church really needs to make an effort to welcome these people into their communities
Towards the end of our time there we had to say goodbye to Howie and Amber, but before we did they told us that we ought to go and talk to this guy he knows in new smyrna about getting a school bus that is converted into a r.v.
we decided that weld think about it and then ended up getting a hundred dollars donated towards getting a bus. so now we have to figure out if thats what we need to be doing. it looks as if it is since we know that through the people we know, we can get this bus for less that half its worth, and we might be able to raise the money, and we already have money donated to do that, and we could serve alot more people if that happens.
But we know we must be intensional about the things we do and not try to do this without God's ok. So now we have to figure out what we are going to do.
We now also have two mice named Cinnamon and Pau d'arco and cinnamon is probably pregnant.
2.13.2008
moving and staying moving and staying.....
In the past week or so we've made it from Ft.Myers FL to Clearwater FL, and the Lord has kept us put.
We came to Clearwater to meet up with two friends that we had met in Kansas City at the International House of Prayer. It was Howie's birthday on the 6th and so we made a point to make it there by then.
Although it was never really a desire of mine to make it to a Rainbow Gathering we decided we would attempt to make the trek to Ocala and help out at the Jesus Camp kitchen set up there. However, for the time being the Lord has kept us put.
While we're still planning to move that way, we've been spending our time between the most wonderful host's house and Clearwater beach. We've been spending a number of days busking (playing music) and had a couple of cool opportunities to meet new people. Last Friday we had the opportunity to celebrate the beginning of the sabbath with a Messianic Jewish congregation. And then on Saturday we had the opportunity to serve with the Church of the Beatitudes in St. Petersburg, feeding the homeless. And shortly after we met a man named Bruce at Kathrine's Dinner and for the first time in a long time it felt like we got to meet someone new who spoke a similar language.
We talked with Bruce for a while about the usual idealism all of us struggle with and then we decided to meet again before we left town. Tonight we will met with Bruce again, only for more of a bible centered conversation.
Here is something you may want to check out; www.JesusforPresident.org.
And if you would like to be praying here is how you could be praying....
It is easy in a search with two potential outcomes to just choose one end and settle rather than remaining in a place that truly looks at the criticism of both sides to reform the all around views. This is an attitude I would like to flee from and it is definitely something that needs prayer.
Also it is hard to listen to the voice of G-d and when He's telling you to stay or to go.
I think we're all learning little by little how to listen more and how to heed our own advice before we dish it out.
May the Lord continue to guide our footsteps in the direction of ascension.
We came to Clearwater to meet up with two friends that we had met in Kansas City at the International House of Prayer. It was Howie's birthday on the 6th and so we made a point to make it there by then.
Although it was never really a desire of mine to make it to a Rainbow Gathering we decided we would attempt to make the trek to Ocala and help out at the Jesus Camp kitchen set up there. However, for the time being the Lord has kept us put.
While we're still planning to move that way, we've been spending our time between the most wonderful host's house and Clearwater beach. We've been spending a number of days busking (playing music) and had a couple of cool opportunities to meet new people. Last Friday we had the opportunity to celebrate the beginning of the sabbath with a Messianic Jewish congregation. And then on Saturday we had the opportunity to serve with the Church of the Beatitudes in St. Petersburg, feeding the homeless. And shortly after we met a man named Bruce at Kathrine's Dinner and for the first time in a long time it felt like we got to meet someone new who spoke a similar language.
We talked with Bruce for a while about the usual idealism all of us struggle with and then we decided to meet again before we left town. Tonight we will met with Bruce again, only for more of a bible centered conversation.
Here is something you may want to check out; www.JesusforPresident.org.
And if you would like to be praying here is how you could be praying....
It is easy in a search with two potential outcomes to just choose one end and settle rather than remaining in a place that truly looks at the criticism of both sides to reform the all around views. This is an attitude I would like to flee from and it is definitely something that needs prayer.
Also it is hard to listen to the voice of G-d and when He's telling you to stay or to go.
I think we're all learning little by little how to listen more and how to heed our own advice before we dish it out.
May the Lord continue to guide our footsteps in the direction of ascension.
2.05.2008
haikus
i had a dog once
his name was not spot or lucy
but Eukaryote
if i were a plane
ild crash into your heart girl
im a terrorist
tourists and police
vacation means fanny packs
carchoal posioning.
i wrote a song once
it went a little like this
"i dont trust your face"
like salt in my wounds
like salt in my underwear
bathing in the sea
i have a picture
it is from my camera
i'm tourist marcus
his name was not spot or lucy
but Eukaryote
if i were a plane
ild crash into your heart girl
im a terrorist
tourists and police
vacation means fanny packs
carchoal posioning.
i wrote a song once
it went a little like this
"i dont trust your face"
like salt in my wounds
like salt in my underwear
bathing in the sea
i have a picture
it is from my camera
i'm tourist marcus
I've been feeling like a hundred dollar bill these days, these days....
Since the last post Marcus, Gary, our new freind Baily, and I decided to go even further south from fort myers to see what we could find. Baily had been thinking about traveling with Gary and given the option to head south and come back to Fort myers with us before we headed north she decised to give it a try for a few days before decided.
So last thursday the 31st, we began a race. Gary and Marcus against Baily and myself. Who would make it to the southern most point of the continental united states (Key West, FL) first? And by night fall, an overheated car, an alligator or two on the alligator expressway through the everglades, and a number of wonderful people later we found ourselves being picked up by a wonderfully nice lady named Gabrielle. Gabrielle owns an organic farm named Paradice Farms in the last town before you hit the 130 miles of highway one that takes you over the keys into the last "key." And after a 20 minute ride she offered to let us spend the night on the farm and eat of her Organic Vegan Chef's food. And then she even offered to go and pick up Gary and Marcus so they could come too.
We fell asleep to the smell of starfruit and the tour of a young Hari-Krishna man named Billy's voice, telling us about how to use the composting toilet and so forth. And in the morning after eating as much starfruit as possible and spending a few hours tending to the farm with the other volunteers Gabrielle gave us a ride to U.S. Highway 1. And by night fall we were all in Key West fixing our bedding for a long night's sleep on Smarthers Beach.
We spent the day checking out the Island's beautiful water and colorful jellyfish. And then before we were told we had to have a "permit" to play our mondolin and banjo on the street we were playing an old song from our Pete Seeger book called Study War No More. And just as we got to the chorus a group of old men walked up and began singing with us...
"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside,
I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
Down by the riverside,
I Ain't gonna study war no more...."
When it got dark found ourselves in the midst of a large group of different people that considered themselves transients but looked nothing like it. And within a few moments they taught us a song on their Yukelali (I don't know if that's spelled right) and then offered us a place to sleep with them in a house with a pool.
And in the morning we woke up humming
"I've been feeling like a hundered dollar bill these days, these days,
I've been feeling like a hundred dollar bill these days, these days,
I've been *something* and fightin', cursing and writing,
I've been feeling like a hundred dollar bill these days, these days."
By then it was time to leave Key West and we found a ride all the way from Key West to Miami.
Now we're back to Fort Myers and Baily has decided to join us until we get to North Carolina. There she'll most likely stay with a friend for a while and maybe take a bus back home. By friday we'll be in Clearwater with a couple of kids we met in Kansas City.
For now though the most memorable thing we heard in Key West was a man's remarks on giving money. He said,
"The only real vote you've got left is the Dollar Bill. How you spend it, is how you vote."
May the Lord bless all of the people that we've encountered so far and prepare our hearts for the people we will meet. Because among those people we will find Christ and I pray that we might treat him the way he deserves.
May the Lord forgive us for all of the ways that we misrepresent His perfect love and may we continue to have the mindset of less of us and more of Him.
So last thursday the 31st, we began a race. Gary and Marcus against Baily and myself. Who would make it to the southern most point of the continental united states (Key West, FL) first? And by night fall, an overheated car, an alligator or two on the alligator expressway through the everglades, and a number of wonderful people later we found ourselves being picked up by a wonderfully nice lady named Gabrielle. Gabrielle owns an organic farm named Paradice Farms in the last town before you hit the 130 miles of highway one that takes you over the keys into the last "key." And after a 20 minute ride she offered to let us spend the night on the farm and eat of her Organic Vegan Chef's food. And then she even offered to go and pick up Gary and Marcus so they could come too.
We fell asleep to the smell of starfruit and the tour of a young Hari-Krishna man named Billy's voice, telling us about how to use the composting toilet and so forth. And in the morning after eating as much starfruit as possible and spending a few hours tending to the farm with the other volunteers Gabrielle gave us a ride to U.S. Highway 1. And by night fall we were all in Key West fixing our bedding for a long night's sleep on Smarthers Beach.
We spent the day checking out the Island's beautiful water and colorful jellyfish. And then before we were told we had to have a "permit" to play our mondolin and banjo on the street we were playing an old song from our Pete Seeger book called Study War No More. And just as we got to the chorus a group of old men walked up and began singing with us...
"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside,
I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
Down by the riverside,
I Ain't gonna study war no more...."
When it got dark found ourselves in the midst of a large group of different people that considered themselves transients but looked nothing like it. And within a few moments they taught us a song on their Yukelali (I don't know if that's spelled right) and then offered us a place to sleep with them in a house with a pool.
And in the morning we woke up humming
"I've been feeling like a hundered dollar bill these days, these days,
I've been feeling like a hundred dollar bill these days, these days,
I've been *something* and fightin', cursing and writing,
I've been feeling like a hundred dollar bill these days, these days."
By then it was time to leave Key West and we found a ride all the way from Key West to Miami.
Now we're back to Fort Myers and Baily has decided to join us until we get to North Carolina. There she'll most likely stay with a friend for a while and maybe take a bus back home. By friday we'll be in Clearwater with a couple of kids we met in Kansas City.
For now though the most memorable thing we heard in Key West was a man's remarks on giving money. He said,
"The only real vote you've got left is the Dollar Bill. How you spend it, is how you vote."
May the Lord bless all of the people that we've encountered so far and prepare our hearts for the people we will meet. Because among those people we will find Christ and I pray that we might treat him the way he deserves.
May the Lord forgive us for all of the ways that we misrepresent His perfect love and may we continue to have the mindset of less of us and more of Him.
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