Okay. So, there I was, just minding my own business. Okay. Let’s be honest. Minding your own business is no fun!! Much, much more fun to butt into other people’s business and see what happens! Now, discretion is a good thing, too. If you see a hornet’s nest being stirred up with some people right in front of you, it might be best to just stand back and enjoy the show! But it’s more than okay to interrupt someone’s day to talk about the Lord.
Fill, ‘Er Up!
So I stopped to get some gas yesterday. One thing I do at every gas station I go to is pay for someone’s gas. I have had two fascinating conversations in the past week at gas stations because I did.
At this particular gas station, I was handing out tracts, but everyone there was already pumping their own gas. Finally, a car pulled in next to me, and a black woman got out. I said, “Are you getting gas today?” Now, that might seem like a crazy question, but you would be shocked by how many people park at the gas pump, go into the store, get their beef jerky and pork rinds, and then drive away!! Why don’t they just park in front of the store? Oh well. You have got to love America! The lady answered back that she was, so I said, “I am buying your gas for you today. I am a Christian, and Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than receive,” and I love to bless people. So you get a blessing today!
Acts 20:35
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
She was so grateful. She told me she wasn’t going to put much gas in her car because she was moving that weekend, and it was already proving to be more expensive than she thought it would be. So, if someone gave you that reply, what would you say? I said, “Fill ‘er up!” Then, she got really happy!
Behind the Mask
The funny thing was that I could tell by her eyes she was very grateful and thankful, but I couldn’t see it in her smile. Why? She was wearing a mask! One of the worst parts of how “masky” we have become as a society is that you cannot see people’s smiles anymore. Smiles are a great thing, and not being able to see them is one of the huge downsides of people covering their faces.
However, being the perceptive young man that I am, I decided to read what was written on her mask. And there it was: “Black Lives Matter!” So then, what was I going to do? Better yet, what are we going to do? Just avoid it? Hope she hasn’t read any of my previous newsletters? Hope she doesn’t key my car because she met someone who believes differently than her?
Every one of us should want to know people who believe differently than we do. That is okay. If your argument is better than mine, convince me. If mine is better than yours, then I should want to share it with you.
Need a Transfusion?
When I saw that mask, we were off and running! I asked her if she had ever had a blood transfusion. She told me, “No.” So, I said, “If a doctor were going to put someone else’s blood in you, would you ask him, or her, Hey, did that come from a black person? A white person? A Hispanic person? She said, “Of course not.” Correct. That is the least of someone’s concerns when they need a transfusion. What you really want to ask is, “What is my blood type, and which blood type do you plan to inject into me?
“If you are A+, A-, B+, B-,O+, O-, AB+, or AB-, you want to make sure that A+, A-, B+, B-,O+, O-, AB+, or AB- is put into you. It is really that simple. I recently read that 4.5 million lives are saved each year by blood transfusions. That is a lot of blood!
Putting the wrong type of blood in someone can have some nasty side effects:
An acute, immune hemolytic reaction “AHTR” incompatible donor blood occurs suddenly, usually within an hour of starting the transfusion, although, sometimes, it may occur immediately after the transfusion. Signs and symptoms may include anxiety, trouble breathing, fever, chills, flushing of the face, or severe pain, especially in the lower back. If the person goes into shock, the skin will become cold and clammy, the blood pressure will drop, and the pulse will be rapid and feeble. Later, the person’s skin and the whites of the eyes may become yellowed, a condition called jaundice. The severity of the signs and symptoms depends on a number of factors, including how much blood the person received, how fast the blood was flowing, and the condition of the recipient’s heart, kidneys, and liver.
https://livehealthy.chron.com/happens-give-someone-wrong-blood-type-1165.html
https://livehealthy.chron.com/happens-give-someone-wrong-blood-type-1165.html
I then told this lady that we are all made of one blood, and it doesn’t matter what color skin the blood donor has.
Acts 17:26
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
Christmas in July
She really liked that thought. Then I asked her if she celebrated Christmas as a kid. She said her family did. I said, “Wasn’t it just awesome to come running down the stairs, turn the corner, and look at all of those packages? How they each had the exact same color wrapping, the exact same bow, and pretty much everything else looked the same? I could see by her eyes that she wasn’t tracking with me. So I said “No” We turned the corner and saw a kaleidoscope of colors. Our eyes were soaking it all in. The packages, the bows, and the ornaments all got our attention, but that’s not where it stopped. We couldn’t wait to rip off that wrapping and find out what was on the inside of those packages.
Have you ever seen the light bulb turn on in someone’s eyes? That little glint happened with her, and I knew she understood. So, we stood there and talked about how it is a thousand times more important “who” someone is on the inside than the color of the packaging God wrapped them in. I also said, “Isn’t it interesting how we love all of the different colors on Christmas morning, but suddenly, when God wraps someone in a different colored package, we get all bent out of shape about it?
We really had a good give-and-take. She was fun to chat with. She, loved to read. So she took four books that I offered her from out of my car. I decided to reach into my pocket, and put some funds in her hands to help with her expensive move that weekend as well. She was extremely grateful. Her eyes gave her away. So I leaned over and gave her a big hug. (Yes, I broke every social distancing recommendation known to mankind! And I will keep doing so until my last breath.) We need to see more people of different races hugging during these days. She was very thankful as we parted ways.
Wondering Why?
And, Just in case you are wondering and you should be wondering makes don’t work. They don’t work at all like you think they do. Don’t believer me: believe a doctor:
https://twitter.com/jcho710/status/1273924949162340353
Also from this same Twitter thread:
https://twitter.com/jcho710/status/1276117912860758018
The Department of Labor holds the same opinion:
https://twitter.com/jcho710/status/1276118294445973507
If you buy a mask, read the label on the outside of the box. You might be a little surprised by what it says:
https://twitter.com/RobertSeanForr1/status/1276253948182016002
Shouldn’t we be asking some simple questions, like, “If masks work, then why do we need to social-distance six feet away from others. And,“Where did they even come up with the six-foot number? And, “If social-distancing actually works, then why do we need masks? And, “If masks and social-distancing work, then why do there need to be lockdowns? And, “If masks work for you, why would anyone else have to wear one? Aren’t you completely protected by wearing that mask?
Did you know that wearing a mask may actually harm you?
You don’t have to trust me; you can trust Dr. Denis Rancourt who said, “There have been extensive randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies, and meta-analysis reviews of RCT studies, which all show that masks and respirators do not work to prevent respiratory influenza-like illnesses, or respiratory illnesses believed to be transmitted by droplets and aerosol particles.”
We live in interesting times. The people with the so-called “power” really just want sheeple. Follow, obey, and don’t ask questions. Any leaders out there? Anyone out there who follows only after doing your own research first? The days we live in are very interesting, and they are only going to get “more” interesting as these days continue.
There are opportunities everywhere we go to make Jesus well known and to make Him look good. Go for it mightily in the days to come!
Until the nets are full,
P.S. I watched this video today. It’s of a black man who just may have a different take on the Black Lives Matter movement than many who follow it without having thought through their position:
https://twitter.com/SFY/status/1278064470435090438
Did you know that one leader of the BLM movement calls herself a trained Marxist?
https://nypost.com/2020/06/25/blm-co-founder-describes-herself-as-trained-marxist/
Also, at some point, go to the Black Lives Matter website and click on the “About tab”. Read it. See what they stand for. See what some of their ultimate goals are. You will read some things that are the antithesis of a biblical worldview.