I Can't Brain Today, I Have the Dumb

Work is pretty fast paced right now. We are in full on thanksgiving mode, which means late nites for me (*GROAN*) and tiredness in the morning. On the homefront, the girls are gettin' round and round...
what is happening to my hair. I'm noticing more grey.

So on the BASIC front, the press for pants continues. Got a pair? Give it to us!

So, since I'm hurting my brain by thinking too much I feel obligated to help you think as well. hehe.
here we go:
What about this whole evil thing?
Natural evil, man made evil, whatever kinda of evil you can think up.
Why is there evil in the world? I've heard the question asked so many times, it kinda bores me a little bit. I know people who've suffered, I have suffered myself. I address part of the problem in this post and it's still very valid today.
I have a new thing to add to my argument though.
Ok,
first read that post, come back, and you will understand what I'm saying here. Cause it's a gripe with people who don't get consequence.
People complain when God allows evil people like Hitler or Pol Pot to commit genocide, but when God does something about it, they complain about God committing the same crimes.
Punishment for harsh evil is harsh.
I get that.
why don't others??
here's the example:
What if i told you of a culture of drunken men routinely engaged in religious rape routinely engaged in warfare to spread their way of life upon the earth. They practiced slavery, took advantage of the less technologically advanced, and generally caused a ruckus. You know, they burned cities, killed babies, occasionally offering them to whatever idol they thought appropriate.
God punished them by telling the Israelites to kill them. They had their chance, they just didn't take it. Pull the plug.
God punished evil, and people hate Him for it.
God waits to punish, and the same people hate Him for it.
People are stupid, not God.
Somebody call me a jerk or something please, this is way to simple in my mind. I'm missing something obviously.
Help!
I need clarity.

Muddled and sleep deprived,
GB HOYT

Catfish are Jumpin and the Cotton is High

Summertime is almost over. We are at the peak of the hurricane season, students are back in school, homeless activists are being arrested in my "back yard", and my mom and dad are about under water. It's also been a pretty busy summer. First things first.
We took July and August off, as far as street ministry is concerned. Many of the people and churches who support us had things going on, and couldn't provide the necessary manpower to get everyone together. Even I took a much needed vacation. It's tough raisin' two kids, holding down two jobs, and trying to run a homeless mission on top of that. I need help! I get some every now and again, but what we really need is someone who can do this every week.

Hopefully, that can happen this year. I'm going to see if I can get a couple of college kids from Florida Christian College to take the ministry on a coupla days a week for pay. It's a lot to ask a college kid to give up a coupla days a week for free, and I don't mind shellin' out a little dough if it means that ministry can happen every week. I have a few things going on that keep me from doing ministry in Orlando the way it needs to be done, and I'd like some prayer in that regard.
1. My truck is about broke down. It's got over 180,000 miles on it, more than one ding, and a leaky head gasket. I have every confidence in the world that she'll leave me stranded one day, probably on my way to or from Orlando. I can't afford another car payment, and I can't afford all the repairs necessary. So mostly, I just need to take it easy right now, and be happy if I make it the 6.5 miles to and from work.
2. I had to take a second job. One day the truck will need replacin' and the girls will need to go to college, so I got a second "at home" job with a website developer. That's right, I'm a paid hacker! It's great work, but requires I spend time doing it, and that means my time to spend with my family is greatly impacted. These kids don't raise themselves you know.
3. There is a lot of work in Lakeland to do. I honestly feel guilty not doing more here. This is my community, I can't pretend that I'm connected to Orlando beyond ministering to homeless people once a week. If students were more involved with BASIC I would feel a lot better, and could do something useful here.

What do you think?

peace out!
GB HOYT

Sunday School Lesson

Hey all!
While I am not preaching this Sunday in Orlando, I am giving the Sunday school lesson today at Highlands Church of Christ. I would like to share it here with you so you can see it and so people can view it online as well. The text is from Psalm 129 and here are the nine questions I will be asking tomorrow!
1. How is the suffering of the children of Israel described in Psalm 129:3?

2. What are some of the afflictions they may have been facing at the time? Ezr_3:3; Neh_2:10

3. Why does the Psalmist declare the Lord to be righteous in Verse 4?

4. What does the writer ask God to do? Verse 5.

5. Who is in Zion? What comes from there? Psalm 2:1-6; 9:11; 14:7; 20:2; 50:2 What is the significance of being turned away from Zion?

6. When are some times that the children of God have faced an enemy, only to be delivered at the last moment? Acts 16:16-39

7. Name some of the enemies of the children of God: 1 Corinthians 15:26, 1Peter 5:8 Matthew 13:37-39; Acts 13:8-11; James_4:4

8. Can we continue to expect God to deliver us from our enemies? Revelation 20:7-15

9. Is God's blessing extended to those who oppose and frustrate the children of God? Verse 8

I'm not going to link all the other verse references, if you want that you will need the E-sword topic file from me!!!
It's free to use.
Any questions?
GBHOYT

First New Post of the Year??

Man am I slackin'!
I know there are just tonnes of people out there waitin' to hear what's newz.
here's the Newz:
BASIC once again is mobile. The City Beautiful has regulated us out of our old spot, so now we must make choices, find a new spot (Brian Nichols has given me a possible site) or change our strategy a little bit.
Rafi and I are gonna visit a "new spot" Sunday. Ought to be interesting. Rumor has it that OPD can't bother anyone there, we shall see.
Plan B (*I'm favoring as a more Plan A kinda option though...*)involves starting a small group and intensely meeting the needs of say, 5 homeless people over a period of 6 months, and limiting our larger feedings and clothing distributions to once a month.
We shall see about that too...
Jackie's post breaks my heart, but I will love mercy. Well, I don't know that it's merciful to lock someone up for life or not, I haven't thought about it deeply enough, seems to me that's it perpetuates Injustice to pay for a murderer to stay alive. Curiously enough though, God does seem to choose certain murderers to perform his will, even while smiting down (love that phrase!) others.
IN the end, we all need to learn what is good...
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? " Micah 6:8 ESV.
That is after all, why Jesus didn't stone the woman caught in adultery in John 8.
Think about that.
Clearly if we acted justly, these three boys would die, a life is the only thing that can pay for a life...
...but if we love kindness (other translations say "mercy")perhaps we can learn to be glad when "people get away with it".
Doing so requires that humble walk....
Also check out Jackie's post on what St. Pete is planning on doing.
Why the heck does Government always have to come up with the solution?


Love,
GB HOYT