An Ominous Day?

By: G. Brandon Hoyt
LAKELAND, FL
As you can well imagine, all the guys downtown this last week were thinking about "today", June 6, 2006. I wrote the full date out on purpose, it's silly to think that a day is "The Mark of the Beast" when 1. it's mentioned as a number, sixhundred sixty six, to be exact; 2. the people OF THAT DAY could understand it. I doubt the church was thinking "man, 6/6/06 is going to be a horrible day!" They had greater things to worry about like emporers whose names just happened to add up to sixhundred sixty six. Did I mention that they made you carry papers to serve as proof that you had made an offering to Caesar, and that without this paper, you could not buy or sell anything? Now I could be wrong, but because of the precision of this line of thinking, and it's something every Christian everywhere can understand once they had all the facts, I choose to believe that unless GW demands sacrifices to him, we are allright.
Still don't mean I want an RFID chip implanted in me though :)
Well, as Doc Smith always says: When people want to focus on the sensational, focus on Jesus instead.
So we talked about the mark of the beast and the mark of the spirit.
Every time I think about the spirit's mark, I think about "the fruit of the spirit" found in Galatians 5:23-25. Call me oldschool, but I believe that THIS is what we are to be concerned about seeing in a person or on a person, not some tattoo or national id card. With the spirit's fruit in our lives we can be confidant that God is our maker, we have his seal!
Thank God we are more than conquorers!!
Praise God for the power of His seal in our lives!!!

This Week's BASIC Prayer list includes:

Dan McMillan: "Always need prayer. Want to leave town maybe miami."
Garrick Mitchell: "Let me live through today"
George Graham: "Strength"
Edwin Cabrera: "Power to resist Temptations"
James Aiken: "Work"
Steve Soglin: "Pray to reinforce my relationship with God. And to change my life."
Dannie Paul: "Yes, get off drugs."

Jesus said the way you know a person is a disciple by the love they have for each other, and the spirit marked life is a life marked with love.

RAFI UPDATE!!!
Rafael returns to central florida today! He's got a cast on for the next four weeks, and phys. therapy after that. Pray that his leg will heal and that he has a safe trip here. He's a great kid, and he would appreciate an email or two of encouragement. Thank him for supporting BASIC, and pray that BASIC can support him though this physical trial.

Kelly and I's special day!

It's our wedding anniversary!
We've been married three years. Seems like it's been longer than that, and yet, like it's not been long enough.
You know you've got a special woman when you go out to your ham shack, look in the fridge, and it's got a buncha Dr. Pepper in it!
Man I love that girl....
Makes me want to do the laundry!
Summer time is strange for BASIC. we sometimes get people who want to do stuff for a mission's trip, and our regular helpers sometimes want a break so they can go on vacation or something like that. In all, it usually works out. We had 15 people this last Sunday. I saw Connie Boltz this last sunday, she is someone I perpetually pray for. No Red Feather though...
I've thought about calling the system we use at BASIC "B.U.M.S." : Basic Urban Ministry System. What do you think?

Finally some ISP...

Verizon comes through!
Now I've got internet back, but we've been so busy, I haven't got much to say.
Seems like my momma said something about not saying anything at all if you ain't got nothing nice to say...
Some BASIC Newz"
Next week, 1st sunday in June, BASIC will receive a special collection of food from Southside Christian Church as part of their service about Hunger Awareness Day.
Thanks in advance guys!

Where's my ISP?

I ordered internet service on the 24th of April.
Yesterday I still had no modem, so I call my supposed ISP, Verizon. They don't have a record of me, so I had to order again. I got a call today telling me to expect service at the end of the month. It was a dark day.
Enough of the Hemmingway.
Moving should be a sport, that way, we'd figure out better accessories and whatnots than the patented U-Haul appliance dolly. We'd also really think about what we packed before we moved. Right now, Kelly and I have thrown out about two boxes of stuff we didn't even need to pack, and that amount is going to grow. I have a shack now. A real Radio shack! I'll have to share space with the Christmas Tree though. It also needs a door, but we'll replace our old doors soon, and when we do, one of those will go onto the shack door. Hehe! Late nite QRP operations on 40m, here we come! I'm a ham radio operator, KG4GVL, if you didn't know that already. It's a great way to relax, plus it helps me be ready for emergency type things. I've got dreams for this little shack. I call it the "Shack in the back". Sounds great for a QSL card, eh?
Enough shop talk.
Last sunday, Rafael covered for me again. This young man is phenomenal! Unfortunately, he twisted his ankle sometime later on, and is now on crutches. With your prayers, he'll be back up and at'em in two weeks. We won't go downtown next Sunday to give our volunteers some time to spend with their mamas, but in two weeks, we'll be back downtown. Rafi and I are also looking into Orlando's underground, to find the network of punk rockers and fringe elements. It's an area of ministry he's really interested in. It's also the proverbial tough row to hoe, so keep us in prayers about that.
Since buying a home, I've realized a few things about God and myself. Number One: No matter how hard I try, I am not in control. I only control how I respond. Number Two: God's love is big. I love my wife, and would do anything for her, but God's love is bigger. God will protect me and her late at night when bad things happen. It's so easy to say I trust that, but acting on it is a different matter. God is teaching me to pray to him, not to my own abilities. Number Three: Ministry in groups works! Everyday a group of people minister to me, and it is helping me. Whether it's my Pop, The Gravy, Raphael, or my Wife, they collectively nuture my soul.
Keep it up Guys!
And thank you.
Thank you too Mom, for doing all you do!

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Now it's Thursday!

hey!
here's the list for prayer requests, Rafael Rocks, I'm just a leeeeetle Slow...

Prayer Requests.

Danny Baptist: To be closer to Christ
Jonathan Mitchell: Psalms 24
James Aiken: Work
John Taruer: For my mom and brother.
Dan McMillan: Family and self.

And of course, don't forget to pray for Redfeather.
Raf didn't say whether or not he was there.
My Mom has a blog now. I wonder what she will say. Hopefully nothing embarassing about me! :O

Keep On Keepin' On!

We're moving!
Today we went to Orlando to get all our stuff out of storage. Stuff is strange. We keep it, and sometimes it keeps us. That's another story for an0ther time.
Downtown ,
Rafael, Carey Oster, and a rag tag group of people served about 30 homeless people tonite. From all reports things went real well. Rafael covered the story of the Prodigal son. The best news is that we may be getting some more help on a semi-regular basis with some more people. I'll have the prayer requests later too.
Moving has made me tired. I might actually get some sleep tonite.
Bout monkey time!

What's Worse than Working at Nights?

I'll tell ya what, it's that whole "Can't get to sleep on your night off" feeling you get on your nights off. I can't get to sleep now before midnight. Sometimes, just lying in bed stinks because I'll lie there, and have to constantly keep my thoughts focused on Christ. Focusing on Jesus gets harder as one becomes a parent I think. Lots of times I'm thinking "Must keep Katie Rosie safe" instead of thinking "Hey, this is God's problem, all I got to do is say Yes!" It's strange. Working nites also makes it harder to communicate with my wife. She's out, and she should be, she works hard, but now I can't talk to her. That's stressful when you've got issues you need to get off your chest. I mean don't get me wrong, blogging is great, but nobody who reads this can respond the same way my Kelly Shawn does.
We laugh because she created a blog account just to keep up with me...
I'll talk to her anyway I can.
Until then, I'll have to survive, talk with the people who hold me accountable. Of course, they'll have to be awake :(
What's your struggle with today?
I've been having control issues.......

New Office, New Faces, New Things, New Orleans.

Hi!
I have a "New Office"- Well, not really new, it is still the same old office, just it's finally been cleaned. Two students from Licoln Christian College came down two weeks ago and cleaned stuff up. Man they helped out a lot! They didn't get a chance to help out with what we do Sundays, but they did do a lot to get us ready for this last Sunday. So thank you twin Amandas!

New Faces
by G. Brandon Hoyt
evangelist at Large
ORLANDO, FL.
Orlando is called "the City beautiful". It boasts of being the entertainment center of the world, and the place where everyone comes for vacation. The seedier side of the city tells a different story. Beneath the thin veil of beauty rests an ugly secret. Everyone at disney looks nice when they go to work, but all is not well here. I see new faces downtown every week. Many time their stories go something like this: I came here for work, I worked, I lost my job. Usually the "lost my job" part is because of some substance or lack of payment because the work was all done under the table so to speak. Unrighteousness keeps the city beautiful.
I've also seen some more new faces.
Every now and again someone steps forward and says "I want to help." Last month, a young man named Raphael was that person. He is 18 years old, and Ecuadorian. Pretty cool guy all around. Click his name to learn more about him.
New Things:
Somebody stole my idea! Believe it or not, I've had this idea for a while to get people networked, and whatnot. Even the cool picture id bit...
Mark of the beast...
**Sheesh**
Seems like the more scared a person is about getting an rfid tag is the more likely they are to have the mark as I understand it. LET HE WHO HAS EARS TO HEAR HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS.
New Orleans:
Louisiana politics as usuall.

mmmmhmmmm

Watch the world reel!
It's time for the
"Brandon is wayyyyyy to paranoid for his own good" segment of the blog again.....
Some weird things I've been thinking about...
1. "Immigration protest" on May 1st- aka May Day- aka Communist's fav. holiday. Most of the protestors are expected to be hispanic. Fidel is a commie and hispanic... Coincidence?? I think not!
2. People say I'm paranoid! I've been hearing a lot on so called Christian talk radio about RFID tags being the "mark of the beast". I don't think these people read their WHOLE Bible.
Remember that part about phylacteries??? I mean, it just possibly couldn't be related... Makes too much sense to think that what phylacteries were to the jews is what "The Mark" is to the beastie boys and girls.

Seems like we're a little too willing to jump the gun.
Not sayin' I'm getting one or anything mind you.
Can't be too careful...
You never know who's listening.........
;)

The random blog feature at the top of this page is neet.
I found This one about a month ago. Keepin' up with it has been interesting. Remember we have all kinds of brothers and sisters out there facing some pretty dire straits.

What's so Good About This Friday??

Sometimes,
we just create weird names for days...
Yesterday was "Maundy Thursday" and today is "Good Friday." I just found out what the Maundy part means, and it makes sense. What's so good about this friday, though?
Yesterday, I was given a new command, "Love one another" today I watch my Messiah Crucified. My hopes are dashed because of the shear horror of today.
Thank God for Hindsight! I have something that the Apostles and the rest of the early disciples ignored, the Truth. I know what has happened (through faith), and I can thank God today for that knowledge.
I know that Jesus is dying today because of my sin, and without his Death and Atoning worth on the cross, I'd never have fellowship with my Lord.
Is today Good? No, but it really is.
:)

Finding a New Home

My wife and I are buying a home.
The place is in Lakeland, FL. The calm neighborhood has no idea what's about to happen. Little Girls change everything but themselves. My Wife's blog chronicles some of the struggles we face together in finding a new home. It's a challenge, and the house has been a Godsend.
Downtown Orlando is undergoing some changes too. Seems like every week I notice a new building here, and an old building gone. Things are being torn down, new things are going up. Jimmy the Gravy has something to say about that. Cities can sometimes go through the same growing pains I think. Perhaps that is why God mentions cities by name sometimes, talking about their sins and whatnot. The city has the personallity of the people in it. What does that mean where you live? In Orlando, everything has a great exterior, but the insides are often bad, I call that the "disney effect". Perhaps your city has something similar. Time and time again, I think that Christians are unwilling to create the city God wants them to because of their unwillingness to love on another.
Loving means acting.
Act up!

Worshiping God Downtown...

Finding a serene place in a city is a difficult task.
I go out of my way to do so sometimes.
I would consider this a serene place. Why though?
It's filthy, it stinks, it's right behind all the rowdy spots on Church street in Orlando.

Well how is that different from my own soul?

We all are waiting final sanctification when our bodies are exchanged for better stuff. Our flesh bears sin's mark, and we continually roll around in the goo of life.
Think going to church makes you any better? I don't. Our worship needs permanent fixing, and we need to be reminded of that often.

Back to "Church Street, Flipside". It's full of junk, smells funny, and hides the darkness of sin.
Just like me.
So it can be serene, because Christ's serenity lives in me.

Will you join me there to pray some day?

Prayer Update

Hullo!
Finally, last Sunday's prayer list!
We served about 24 people last Sunday,
these people asked for Prayer:
Marilyn Lucas : "For daughter to be safe"
Ben Chattmon : "to be positive, patient and faithful"
Edwin Cabrera : "God gif me power for resist tentatious"
J. L. Johnson : "Please keep my mother safe and in good health along with the rest of my family, thank you"
Johnny Tatum : "yes"

found out my best friend has a blogsite too!
The Gravy is a neat guy. He's also a minister, and he's persevered at it.
Have fun reading his insites into recovery!
GB HOYT
-your about to close on his first home at the end of the month
Positive Activist.

RULE NUMBER 3

Rule Number 3:
"Lather, Rinse, Repeat".
This rule is tricky,
Remember, in the religion we are to practice, we are to take care of orphans and widows, and keep one's self from being polluted by the world.
That second part's a tall order. Staying Holy ain't no joke. That's where the Blood of Christ comes in. Remember what we are taught in first John. We who walk in the light are continually cleansed by the blood. Let us make our confession to God and each other about our sins.

The tricky part to this rule:
we are to preach the Gospel, and when God gives us fruit, we are to tell those who Come to JEsus, to spread the news. Christianity is the OCD plagued individual's dream religion, we keep making disciples over and over again, and we teach them to do the same. Many times we miss the mark. In my efforts to reach the inner city folks, I teach them to take their witness out with them, preach with their lives. Sometimes they listen, othertimes, well....
Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Nothin' but the blood baby!
prayer list from the weekend coming in the morning, it's dang late, and I need sleep.

RULE NUMBER 2

Romans 14:1 "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters."

There are many disputable matters, how loud is too loud, are musical instruments to be used in worship, do churches even needs buildings?
Maybe you can think of your own...
Now for some people, these "disputable things" are not disputable at all, but in REALITY, a person needs faith in Christ, salvation in Christ, and action in Christ to be saved from their sins. Worshipping God the right way won't get you into heaven, heck, if it did, maybe God wouldn't have given us this whole new covenant deal. Christianity deals with sin, worship is something Christians are saved to do. Maybe that's why Jesus took the emphasis about worship off the places and forms and put them on the person doing the worshipping, and himself. Remember that passage in John chapter 4: True worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth." Also remember when you read that that Jesus Identifies what the truth is, namely His word (John 8). Pray on that today! Pray that you will worship God in spirit and in truth. Personally, I believe Church buildings should be used a lot more than they are, after all, we spend so much money on them. If we expected to get the $ amount of return out of Church buildings that we get from what we pay ministers, a building would probably be worth about 10 preachers at least. Is that a weak area of my faith? I don't know. One thing I do know is that it has nothing to do with building the body to argue about it. So I won't do it. Same thing goes for worship styles. I don't care if it's a cappella or not, some songs should never be sung cause they teach against truth. Do I argue about it? Only if it's fun! :)
So what do we do? "Do the work of an evangelist" that's the charge I have, and if you aren't a Christian, decide today what you will do about that.

RULE NUMBER 1

I am a theologian of Action:
Rule number one:

"Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it to the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31

I just got done doing a sermon series on the sermon on the mount. I say sermon series, it's really sermons and lessons, if you go to the B.A.S.I.C. website, you can download it in e-sword .TOP format. Useful program if you aren't using it already, BTW.
In the third or fourth lesson, we covered Jesus' command to "Let your light shine before men" Our purpose in doing so brings glory to God.

Motives matter:
Why are you doing what you are doing right now? How will it bring glory to God? Do you bring home a paycheck, throw your brain into spin cycle, and just get a little bread and grape juice on sunday? Do you even believe in Jesus?
Frustrated yet?
Take a minute today, stand up, go to someone at your office, home, school, or down the street, and smile and give them a compliment.
Let that be a snowball.
MEET SOME NEEDS!

The Nature of Man.

Very simply put, born innocent, once a sinner, always getting worse.

I've debated how I will defend this position if ever tested on it, but all I can think to do is say "read the Bible" - God always holds us personally responsable for our sins, and that's unfair for Him to do that if we have no choice.
End of story.

Pretty simple, eh?

I'm a theologian of action more so than argument.

Speaking of Action:

Here's the latest news from Afghanistan. Talk about crazy! I'm sorry about catching up to this late, the original story was posted Monday it seems. I heard about it on talk radio last nite on the way home from work. All I can say is, at least we know about it now. Under the Taliban, dude would be dead by now. It's amazing what dark can do when the light is out.

Oh God, Grant me strength in the nite!

Finally able to update prayer list...

Strange days here, blogger wasn't let me do my thing...
Anywho:
Sunday was good. Thirty six people turned out to be helped with what we had, we need shoes and pants something fierce. Now that warmer weather is just around the corner, we'll also need short sleeve stuff. Other things we need:
Bibles! Got to get the word of God into people's hands.
Belts
Support, About $2000 a month more would go a loooooonnnnngggg way.

And Prayer, always prayer.
Here are this week's requests:
Thomas Wman : Recovery
Manuel Lopez : Quest in heck (Hey, I write em as I see em)
Red Feather Stands : help with pray to help me overcome my addictions

((*** Let's get a lot of people on Red Feather, I feel lead by God to minister to him especially***))

Mike Nehring: Remember that God needs your love also.
James Crumpton: food
Tyrone Logan: Stop using drugs, get back with family, keep this job I just got.
Aaron Butler : family
Ronald Yapp: Pray that I can work all this week so I can buy things I need
Mark Bertloff : Pray for all the homeless
Connie Boltz : good health ((**Connie told me she had a cold, I also know she recently got out of jail, and they ain't healthy places.**))

This coming sunday we won't be going downtown, my wife and I need to get together, hardly get to see each other sometimes it seems, and her spring break is next week. We're looking at buying a house, found a great place, just need to see if we can get it at a price we can afford.

Keep praying!

****Tomorrow I will post some more theology stuff: The Subject: Man, his Nature.
Tune in next time....

Sunday Prayer...

Pray this sunday that we will bear fruit.
Pray for Ron who is in jail.
Pray for everyone on last week's prayer list.
Pray for our safety.
Pray for our provision.
Pray for the people helping us (youthgroup from Southeast Christian of Orlando) that they will experience something positive for the sake of the Gospel.

Thank you for your prayers, one thing I definately believe is that prayer is effective, one way or another.

"Begin, the Rest is Easy"

So goes the cliche signboard in several locations around my place of secular employment.
The quote is attributed to George Jenkins, founder of the Publix chain of grocery stores. It might work for your basic grocery store employee, but this Jesus thing is a whole new ballgame. Persistance is the key to the Christian life. Beginning means nothing without persistance. In an effort to keep myself consistant, I want to give a few posts about my theology, how that theology is applied, and what my theology implies. Ultimately, I will give my philosophy of ministry.
To Begin:

I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ and the Son of God.

There's a lot of things that are packed into that one statement, and because it is so meaningful it is the only thing that I confess that could possibly be construed as a Creed. Think about what "Christ" implies: He is annointed of God, the One spoken of in the Old Testament, the "Crusher" of Genesis 3, the "Healer" of Isaiah 53, the "Forsaken" of Psalm 22, the "root" the "vine" the "branch" of all the prophets, a prophet like Moses (who saw God and revealed Him to us). The list goes on and on. I think to confess that Jesus is Christ makes the Nicene Creed redundant. So does the confession that He is the Son of God.
What a scandal!
As a church, few things should impact us as much as the fact that Jesus is God's only Begotten Son. Think about how that impacts the relationship between God and man.
It drives me crazy just to think about it.
So I've begun.
I don't think it can stop...
GB HOYT