Wistful Thoughts From a Sinking Ship

If you want a testimony to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, look no further. You only have to see how I behave in the morning.

I have three friends staying in my house; a couple and their teenage son. All are younger than I am. Yesterday, we went to the grocery. They couldn’t believe I didn’t have coffee in the house. They didn’t buy any, however.

This morning I woke up at 7:00 and started praying. Walked into the kitchen two hours later, and I saw two zombies peering into the refrigerator. My friend and his wife were squinting at the food through tiny slits. Their shoulders were hunched. They looked like someone had just rolled them out of bed at three a.m.

They were not happy about the lack of coffee, even though it was their choice.

I must have been annoying. I was bouncing around like a high school kid, feeding my birds and getting food ready for lunch. I kept trying not to talk too loud.

They managed to get themselves some eggs and bacon. Watching them eat was like watching a seating in the cafeteria at an assisted living facility. Thankfully, no one passed out in the food.

I felt great even though I strained my back yesterday. I was eager to get the day started. It has been almost two hours, and they are still trying to get into the shower.

When I was younger, I detested mornings. I was perfectly happy to sleep until noon. I hated getting up. When I was practicing law in downtown Miami, I used to drink an entire colada before getting started. A colada is a small container of espresso intended for several people.

I don’t want caffeine in the house now. I’m not a drug user. Why would I want to take drugs every morning?

When I used caffeine, I ground my teeth at night. I had to have some work done on some teeth that were worn. I don’t do that now. If I drank a cup of tea today, I would probably have to take benadryl in order to get to sleep tonight. The Holy Spirit doesn’t need help from drugs.

If you can’t get it together in the morning, there is a kink in the hose between you and God. You weren’t created to dread life.

By the time I’m ready for lunch, they should be dressed.

The husband is Nicaraguan, and his wife is Puerto Rican. They’re charismatic Christians. Yesterday, we talked a lot about the insanity (literal) of modern leftists. They support Trump a hundred percent, as does their son. How do their relatives feel? They’re not happy. They think all Hispanics should support illegal immigration instead of supporting the generous country they swear allegiance to in order to be allowed to stay. They have had fights with friends.

Blessed foreigners move to this country and then join our persecutors. How about that? Says a lot about human depravity.

Why are my friends on the right side of history? It’s the Holy Spirit at work. We look different, and we come from different places, but the Holy Spirit protects serious charismatics from the delusions of the Beast’s socialist, white-hating children, so my friends and I have harmony. I stand against white nuts who don’t know the Holy Spirit, and they stand against brown nuts.

My friends say there is a movement to destroy the statue in the Lincoln Memorial. I guess freeing the slaves was a racist move. Anyway, they are not pleased with what is happening.

I always feel a certain amount of gratitude on the Fourth of July, but this year, it’s different. We didn’t just get independence, which wasn’t actually that great a blessing. We got over 200 years of relative freedom from persecution. Now that’s over. Christians in the US are going to be like Christians in China, and after that, we’ll be like Christians in Iran or Indonesia.

Yesterday we watched a video by Zev Porat, the Israeli Messianic rabbi. He told how his family had tormented him after his acceptance of Yeshua. His grandfather, who is also a rabbi, threw dishes at his head and cut him so badly he needed stitches. His sister asked a religious court for a restraining order. He has never seen his nephews. He was physically thrown out of his grandfather’s funeral, by hired goons. He was fired from his job and ended up living in a tent. His multimillion-dollar inheritance was taken away because he refused to sign a paper saying he renounced Yeshua. He was punched and beaten by a mob. Seven rabbis barged into his tent, tried to bribe him to quit, and spat on him when he refused.

I have never had to deal with that kind of thing, which is very typical among religious Jews. I’ve been completely rejected by crooked pastors and most people who went to the churches I attended. I have stopped communicating with many aquaintances with whom I no longer have much in common. That’s the extent of my persecution and separation. No one spits on me, although I know a few people who would like to.

In Muslim countries, Christians are crucified and beheaded. Some have had their arms cut off. Their churches are burned. The news doesn’t tell us, because Satan controls the press, but you can look it up. Socialist countries have killed innumerable Christians. They have tortured and imprisoned them. They have forced them to do slave labor.

America has been a beautiful haven. Many people have to fight their way into Christian-dominated cultures. I was born into one. I didn’t have to earn a thing. What a blessing.

It was wonderful while it lasted, and whatever protection God will give me in my remaining time will be a magnificent gift. I wish I had always understood what a treasure I had.