"New Tract I'm Working On (Spotlighting the Testimonies of Bob Wickliffe and Gil Zinke)"

This tract is nearing completion, but may yet undergo changes. There is no official TITLE yet. Other tracts of mine are available via Moments With the Book if you search my name*.

BOB WICKLIFFE lived in Long Island and worked in NYC.   Arriving at his job on 9/11/2001, Bob watched in horror as people jumped out of windows from the top floors of the World Trade Center, and he saw the 2nd tower fall from a distance. A Christian, he was thankful he escaped without harm.  Bob was a relative of mine and I can say with certainty that Bob prayed, thanking God for his safety during that surprise attack and the things he personally witnessed first-hand, things that were hard to forget.

Fast forward 12 years to 2013.  Bob, then retired, and his dear wife Dottie (pictured), now lived in Pennsylvania.  As the Commissioner of their church's Upward Children's Sports Ministry, Bob was at a soccer game when he fainted and fell due to AFib (a heart problem).  He broke his neck/back and was instantly paralyzed from his chest down.

In a sense, what happened to Bob on that fateful day in May was similar to 9-11 in that it was totally unexpected and life-altering.  Yet, with his and Dottie's faith in God, Bob had a radiant smile which people couldn't understand, and commented on.  They were told it was because of his love for God and joy in the Lord.  When I visited them, Bob was more cheerful and upbeat than I'd ever seen him.  The Lord used Bob (and Dottie, an example of steadfast Christian love) to encourage Believers, and to witness to many in person and through his 12 YouTube videos, with at least 4 people becoming Christians and 1 coming back to faith in God.  In God's timing, Bob went to Heaven five years to the day after his injury. 

I don’t doubt that Bob’s cheerfulness in affliction was partly influenced by my father-in-law who, in 2007 at age 85, suffered a sudden stroke which left HIM paralyzed for four years before the Lord took him! Yet (I bear witness, as he lived with my wife and me in New Jersey then), GIL ZINKE remained cheerful every single day during his trial. And though (unlike Bob) Gil lost his power of speech, his smiling face communicated to us that he still believed this key scriptural command: “In everything give thanks.” The Lord took Gil Home to Heaven in 2011, two years before Bob’s accident. Bob was able to use HIS gift of retained speech and spoke with many about the Lord in the five years of his suffering.

What of you, dear reader? Life is full of unexpected tragedies. Proverbs 27:1 warns us, “We don’t know what a day may bring forth;” and James 4:14 states, we “do not know what will happen tomorrow.” The people who died on 9-11 had no idea they’d experience death and “after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27) when they woke up that morning!

Another terrorist attack, or an accident, an illness or a freak storm may claim YOUR life without warning! Or, it may leave you paralyzed without any hope of recovery in this life. GIL ZINKE had no idea he’d have a life-changing stroke that would leave him bedridden from 2007-2011 and BOB WICKLIFFE could not foresee what he’d have to endure from 2013-2018! But those two men had put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins years earlier. If they HAD died suddenly, they would have gone directly to Heaven (see 2 Corinthians 5:8-10). They were READY, you see. Ready to die if called to die suddenly, yet ready to suffer patiently and joyfully if it was God’s Will that they linger in a state of suffering.

In Matthew 27: 24-27, Jesus talked about a wise man who “built his house upon the rock” (the rock being HIMSELF and the salvation only He can offer) and a foolish man who “built his house upon the sand,” which represents anything which is NOT that rock!

 ²⁴ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.²⁶ “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Be prepared! Build your house on the Rock, the Lord Jesus, and you’ll be ready for anything!

* The tract company will not advertise my John Lennon tract with the others, they say it's too controversial. However, here's a direct link....

               https://mwtb.org/products/pmt-dont-harden-your-heart-to-gods-message?variant=32851656802407

And here's the link for the Spanish version of the Lennon tract...

               https://mwtb.org/products/pmt-no-endurezca-tu-corazon-al-mensaje-de-dios?variant=32944126754919

 

"Paycheck Pastors"

DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG DOES NOT ENVISION ANY SPECIFIC INDIVIDUAL OF ANY CHRISTIAN DENOMINATION.  

As you can see from the meme above, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, spoke of those who are NOT good shepherds. "Hirelings," those who don't care about the sheep, is how Jesus described them. Now it's important to establish that at the outset because some will object to the very subject of this blog. To any who think we shouldn't openly discuss phonies in the pastorate because "then the world will see our dirty laundry," I respond: they ALREADY see it!! They see it often better than WE do because we are too close sometimes and they can see with better perspective from outside the church. And, not to be irreverent, JESUS saw it....he SAW something and he SAID something. He said HIRELINGS. DON'T. CARE.

In baseball and other sports, there are some players known as "Paycheck Players." They, TOO, are only in it for what they can get out of it. "What they get out of it" may be monetary gain, it may just be prestige, or it may just be FAME and the "comps" that come with it. Paycheck Players don't love the game, you see. They don't care about the fans, except when it serves their purposes. They don't care about TEAMMATES and are often jealous of them, badmouthing them in the press. Once they sign a big contract, "Paycheck Players" seem to get hurt more and more and are on the field PLAYING, less and less.

Well, in the spirit of Jesus who warned against "hirelings" I wish to do the same about what I'm calling "Paycheck Pastors."

Now, "Paycheck Pastors" will never make as much money as professional athletes can make, but they can get "paid" in other ways. Respectful greetings in public places. Prestige, and the perks that come with it. The undue adoration of some in their flock which they nurture, rather than shoot down. SOME are "paid" by having psychological needs met because being a pastor makes them feel important or accepted. And some DO make good money being pastors, "milking the flock" wherever they can. Job security OFTEN brings out laziness and half-heartedness in a Paycheck Pastor. Jesus spoke of those who get their reward in this life, but not in eternity. He also stressed that there will be some on Judgment Day reminding God of all the great things they did "in His Name," but He casts them away saying He "never knew them."

I could go on and on with my description of "Paycheck Pastors," but I prefer not to. In my 46 years of being a Christian I've had mostly TERRIFIC pastors, only two could be described as "Paycheck Pastors."

On October 1st, coming soon, it begins PASTORAL APPRECIATION MONTH and, as I do every year, I will dwell on the GREAT pastors God has blessed me with in my life. But the reality of Hirelings...Paycheck Pastors...exists and we need to be on our guard.

"Meeting Rush Limbaugh: He Was a Very Humble Man"

 

                      

This blog was originally published on Feb. 18th of this year.

  When Rush Limbaugh, who died yesterday at age 70, had his TV show in the 1990s, I went from NJ to NY on three occasions to be part of his studio audience. I always went in either January or February as that was the slow season for my carpet cleaning business (my Boss, ME, would always understand, Lol)!! After all, for the REST of the year I worked six days a week, so it was nice to do "special" things in the winter when business was "dead." It was especially nice to do UPLIFTING things. (By the way, the photo above is FROM one of Rush's TV shows...more later).

The first time I attended a taping of Rush's show was on 2-22-95 and I went alone...my wife stayed home as she was Homeschooling our three kids and that type of work HAD no slow season!! The show was taped at a CBS studio in NYC and I remember waiting in a long line to get in to the studio. As Rush came past us, wearing one of his "Rush ties" that was as bright and optimistic as HE was, I was videotaping his entry with my small, hand-held 8mm camera.  As he approached me, I said how much Beth and I appreciated him and he said "Thank you, Sir." The fact that HE called me "SIR" was mind-boggling to me....I've met lots of celebs and believe me, very few treat you like you are something special!! (Note: the show did not allow camera in the STUDIO but again, we were in a hallway OUTSIDE the entry point when I met him). Rush was respectful to EVERYONE...his fans, his staff, EVERYONE he interacted with on the set that day. I was more impressed by this manifestation of good CHARACTER than I was of his obvious communication skills.

The second time I attended a taping of Rush's TV show I brought Beth (we got a babysitter) and it was Rush's 45th birthday that day, Jan. 12th, 1996. The show was, remarkably, NOT about him as I'd expected but very enjoyable, nonetheless. After the show he signed autographs and I got him to sign "See, I Told You So." He treated each one seeking an autograph with respect and again, not all celebs do that. But it was my THIRD trip, on Feb. 6th, 1996, that REALLY showed me who Rush was. You see, it was former President Ronald Reagan's 85th birthday that day...and the entire SHOW was a tribute to The Gipper!!

That was 25 years ago this month and on Feb. 6th, I posted this update on my Facebook page...

If you search "Rush Limbaugh-Tribute to Ronald Reagan Part 1" on YouTube, you can see videos of this show and that shot of Charlie and me above flashes across the screen (I'm the bearded guy). But WATCH ALL FOUR VIDEOS of Rush's tribute to Reagan, please!! Those unfamiliar with Rush often think that he was arrogant, or vain, but believe me....if he WAS, that his show on his 45th would have been a tribute to HIMSELF. And, that tribute to Reagan would never have happened (IF Rush Limbaugh was arrogant or vain). Instead, he honored ex-President REAGAN and bypassed HIMSELF (three weeks prior).

Unlike my last post, where I mentioned meeting the late Cicely Tyson, I can't PROVE many of the things I've said about meeting Rush Limbaugh. And many who don't know the REAL Rush wouldn't believe me about his humility even if I could. No matter!! In 1998, on my birthday I think it was (Feb. 12th), I called Rush's RADIO show and got on the air with Rush. This happened one other time, also and he always treated me with respect even though I don't recall saying anything really brilliant or noteworthy. Something about CLINTON, who was President then.

The Beatles once sang "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." NOT that I think this life IS the end, mind you...but the point is RUSH HONORED AN EX-PRESIDENT, RONALD REAGAN, WHEN HE WAS ALIVE AND WHEN HE DIED (2004). AND YESTERDAY, AN EX-PRESIDENT HONORED RUSH...so the honor that Rush showed REAGAN came back on HIM!! I close this blog by reminding everyone that Trump awarded Rush the Medal of Freedom when learning he was terminally ill a year ago, and yesterday he issued this tribute after his death.....

RUSH LIMBAUGH WAS THE LINK BETWEEN RONALD REAGAN'S PRESIDENCY AND DONALD TRUMP'S.

WE LOVE YOU, RUSH, AS WE LOVED THOSE TWO GREAT PRESIDENTS.

Previous blogs about Rush, written last year.....

***FEB. 4th, 2020

Rush’s cancer and my hope for him

http://chetitorial.blogspot.com/.../rushs-cancer-and-my...

***OCT. 20th, 2020

Good news about Rush

http://chetitorial.blogspot.com/.../good-news-about-rush...

***DEC. 23rd, 2020

Was Rush saying Goodbye for good today?

http://chetitorial.blogspot.com/.../was-rush-saying...

BLOG #500---" Random Thoughts About ANIMALS, and How to Treat Them, From the Bible"

 

THIS BLOG FIRST APPEARED IN 2020.

Even before I was a Christian, I hated the needless mistreatment of animals. I was upset when my dad shot a songbird to show off how his new rifle worked, and when he'd heartlessly, almost sadistically, boil crabs ALIVE in a big pot. This turned me off to hunting and fishing.  And, I walked out of Biology class in high school when live frogs were dissected for experimental purposes. These things just didn't seem right to me even BEFORE I got saved.

And SINCE I've been a Christian (1975) my thinking about animals has been honed by the Bible....I realize it is NOT wrong to hunt or fish, as long as we eat what is taken and these aren't just exercises to show off our "Manhood." The Bible says "the righteous man regards the life of his beast" (emphasis mine) which means that if we have a pet OR work animal or ANY animal that we "take", we should TAKE CARE of it.  This is one of the reasons I don't have pets, by the way...I am LAX in the "take good care of" department, and I know it.  I prefer animals (mostly birds) that I can WATCH or DRAW, but being one who cultivates HUMAN relationships a whole lot I don't have much energy left for PETS, frankly....and I know it. 

And to me, the idea of a dog being "man's best friend" doesn't square with Scripture....our best friends tell us the truth about ourselves and (do I have to say it?) dogs. can't. talk.

I, personally, don't hunt or fish but those who do it lawfully and ethically are FINE by me now.

On Facebook, they link to quite a few videos about ANIMALS that I often watch.  These are in four main categories...

1.)  INFORMATIVE videos about animals (mostly fascinating insects, birds or fish, which make me MARVEL at God's creativity!! In Scripture, animals of ALL kids are used as "teaching helps," and that includes, spiders, snakes and ants which many hate because of their appearance and behaviors).

2.) Animals (usually lions or hyenas) hunting OTHER animals. Often gruesome, but "real life."

3.) Animals that are ABUSED as they are prepped to be USED as food for humans. These videos are put out by PETA or NSPCA, and, though these should be more concerned about human babies being aborted, they DO make some good videos exposing the abuse of animals awaiting slaughter. 

And,

4.) PET animals, "pets" that are treated like they are the "children" of their "parents" (Humans.) It's very instructive that the ark God told Noah to build was for ANIMALS as well as HUMANS.  But God gave instructions to NOAH, not to those creatures!! God VALUES animals but He values humans MORE, the two are not equal in His sight. God had NO special relationship with the "Ark Animals" like He had with Noah.

The Bible says we DO have the right to EAT animals, but frankly the callous way some are put to death by people is sickening. When WILD animals eat OTHER animals alive, THAT is heart-wrenching ALSO but these creatures are merely following their brute instincts. PEOPLE, made in God's image as we are, should not TORTURE animals because that does NOT reflect God's Heart.  

And this idea of experimenting on monkeys is both cruel and mistaken with the assumption that we EVOLVED from them.  Those crying that we should end experimenting on monkeys (to improve our lives as HUMANS) need to stop buying into the concept of EVOLUTION...attack the ROOT ASSUMPTION.  We did not EVOLVE from apes, so how can experimenting on them HELP us in any way??

As for people in certain cultures who dress monkeys up as babies, call them their "children" and treat them as such, in my opinion they ALSO need to realize that God created us as PEOPLE, and if our sexual acts can only reproduce other HUMANS....not MONKEYS...monkeys or other pets can never be your "children."  Sad to say, many CHRISTIANS seem to love animals inordinately, as well....they're more concerned if their dogs or cats will go to Heaven, than if their NEIGHBORS will.

Bottom line...animals should NOT be mistreated, NOT hunted for "entertainment" or to show off how "macho" we are, that is NOT what God intended when He gave us dominion over them. Staged videos which make small animals battle to fight for their lives are despicable, they are as bad as Cockfights or live Pitbull fights, and should be illegal. God created animals TO SHOW FORTH HIS GLORY AND POWER AND (regarding the edible ones) TO PROVIDE US WITH FOOD.  I believe that EVERY animal teaches us life lessons by the very way it lives, and this is where those INFORMATIVE videos come in so handy. But the OTHER error is to treat animals as if they are HUMAN...as if they are even SUPERIOR to humans.  To conclude, in Scripture, though we are told to treat animals well, the true barometer of our love to GOD is how we love (or don't love) our fellow MAN.

"My OTHER 9-11 Poem"

 

 THIS BLOG FIRST APPEARED ON 9-11-'19.

As always, 9-11 is a sad day. 
"Unshaken" is my MAIN "9-11" Poem  but here's my OTHER one (above), written in 2007...




For anyone who wants to see "Unshaken," published on this blog one year ago, go HERE....


http://chetitorial.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-9-11-poem.html

That's all I feel like saying today, honestly.

"The Time I Tangled With Sly ('Rocky') Stallone"

 

THIS BLOG IS REPRINTED FROM MAY 2020....

15 years ago this month, I got into a (written) confrontation with Sly ("Rocky") Stallone....over semi-PORN he was publishing in his then-new magazine.

You see, in early 2005, the first issue of "SLY" magazine hit the stands.  It was mostly a vehicle to tell older men how to keep in shape and to promote the "ROCKY VI" movie Stallone was making (eventually retitled "Rocky Balboa" and released the following year.)  And, as I am a HUGE "Rocky" fan and had just turned 50 myself, I bought the mag and LOVED it...except for ONE PART.  A feature on a female PORN STAR.

I immediately wrote to "Sly" mag to state this, hoping I would not be a lone voice in the wilderness and that we could SALVAGE this (otherwise interesting) new men's magazine. 

So when May came, I bought issue #2 (shown above) to see if my letter was in it.  It was...(below)

I give Stallone LOTS OF CREDIT for printing my letter as it was the ONLY one critical of him and his magazine.  He could have just not printed it at all, or EDITED it (he did not.) But sadly, he did not back down on the SOFT-PORN stuff, either as there was more in that very issue.  And that was the LAST issue I bought, because subsequent ones had covers with models that resembled PLAYBOY covers more than anything, making it clear that "Sly" would continue on the course he started out on. In that case I absolutely DID "judge the book by its cover" and did not purchase it anymore.

Sadly, the mag folded a few issues later. "Rocky Balboa" came out in late 2006, I went to see it and it was GREAT. The Rocky character lives on in the "Creed" movies and Stallone, now over 70, made a profession of faith in Christ a few years ago.  (Come to think of it, around the time "Rocky Balboa" came out, Stallone started talking like he was a Christian, but IDK if he was / is WALKING like a Christian. God knows.)

As for me, there's a great true story my kids can tell to my six grand kids one day....the time Grandpa tangled with SLY....and WHY.

"Clint"

 

CLINT EASTWOOD, NOW 91, HAS A NEW MOVIE COMING OUT SOON. I FIRST WROTE THIS IN MAY OF 2020 AS HE TURNED 90.

Clint Eastwood will be 90 tomorrow.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...as much as I find the man's creativity, drive and perseverance to be ADMIRABLE, I worry for his eternal soul.  He has publicly said he doesn't believe there's a God, nor does he believe in an afterlife.  Problem is, whether we believe there's a God and afterlife or not, He DOES exist and all of us are either going to Heaven or Hell when we die.

And right now, there is ZERO evidence that Clint is headed for Heaven.

Clint has had AMAZING success in life as an actor and director of movies, but in many ways he's been what we ALL are, by nature....a thief.  He has taken the gifts God has given him and stolen all of the glory for HIMSELF, rather than bringing glory to The Giver.  In Scripture there is recorded a case of a man who was a thief and got saved at the very end of his life.  I hope Clint Eastwood will get saved one day soon, as well.

Like Cat Stevens (see previous post) I still like Clint Eastwood and partake of his artistic offerings (and I get some heat for DOING just that.) But I will never stop praying that one day he will repent and get saved, before it's too late.

"Pelosi Helps HERSELF, as Trump Helps OTHERS"

 

THIS BLOG WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ON 4-17-2020.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) actually thought it wise to show off her 24k freezer loaded with designer ice cream recently!! Lol, I guess this was her way of displaying how SHE is "toughing it out" at home during the Coronavirus Crisis...


https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/04/16/nancy_pelosis_quarantine_stash_of_very_expensive_ice_cream_in_a_very_expensive_freezer.html


Now, what can you say about someone who isn't even smart enough to understand how this comes across to millions of  Americans who are struggling?? The BEST you can say is that "Nancy Antoinette" (as some have dubbed her) is simply....NOT-TOO-SMART.

And so are those who've put her in the position she's in, by the way.  What can you say about those VOTERS?? How about "Let 'Em Eat CROW," for starters.  Oh, that Democrats WOULD admit what Nancy Pelosi really is...but, after all, if they were capable of such perception, they wouldn't BE Democrats, would they.

Can you believe this person is THIRD IN LINE TO BEING PRESIDENT?? Lol!! What a contrast, Pelosi shows off how WEALTHY she is right around the time President Trump sends $1,200 CHECKS to needy Americans.  You want to know the REAL reason Pelosi hates Trump so much?? In terms of CARING ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE, Trump is everything she is not....even though he is WEALTHIER.  Trump has a SOUL where NANCY has a HOLE...she is heartless, her wealth has destroyed any compassion she MIGHT have had at one time in her life.  Seriously, she needs prayer, she needs to get SAVED.

While the President tries to help others, all NANCY can do is help herself .........to more taxpayer-funded designer ice cream.