Post by jed on Apr 19, 2006 15:34:35 GMT -5
4/18
Amidst record heat went downtown at 5, right as many people were getting off of work. Preached for about 25 min. Had a police man come and tell me that I was a "potential traffic hazard". This was on the exact same intersection that I had problems in December. Strangely the officer could not cite the particular ordinance I was violating. He only wanted me to move to a different location. He instructed me to call his supervisor (who told me last time if I didn't leave the sidewalk I would be arrested.... don't think I will call him) and a supervisor over him.
Is his argument valid? It is true that a lot of people will slow down. Cars will even stop at green lights to listen to the message and read the sandwich sign. I really don't want people to have a wreck, but aren't there signs and advertisements all over every city? I doubt that any such ordinance exists. Moreover, my attorney has already received a statement that declares our city ordinance for "unnecessary noise" unconstitutional. Unfortunately I do not have a copy of this yet.
I was glad to see a man drive around the block at least 3 times to see/hear. Unfortunately I had not spent enough time in the WORD to memorize 1 Cor 1 as I had intended to, for to preach from. Notwithstanding, it seemed reasonable to preach the texts that I already know from heart. People GLADLY take Gospel tracts when you walk around wearing a sandwich sign. If you are reading this, and you don't preach outdoors yet, you will gain a lot of confidence doing this. Go to astreetpreacher.com and order a Gospel sign. I like the black ones with white letters.
4/15
Found a club that I have heard mentioned repeatedly by the high school age young people all over town. Finally found it! First we went to our favourite club to open air but didn't get there til almost 12. The noise was pounding, insomuch that it was nearly impossible to preach over. Talked to one preacher's daughter (ridiculously dressed for anyone's daughter, much less a preachers), who said she "had to make her own decisions". Very distressing to see her. Part of her wanted as she said to "talk about Jesus with these people", but her friend urged her and won.
We then went to the new club and approached the only people outside and one of the guys read Psalm 1. Lo and behold the man we spoke to was the club owner, who said "we are at the wrong place. We don't serve alcohol. You need to go to [the club where previously had been]" We informed him that we had already been there. I couldn't believe he would justify his club, as if alcohol free would somehow gloss over the sin of playing such detestable music.
He also stated "We want to have a place where young people can go without being on the street and getting shot." There have several nightclub related shootings, some 3 blocks away in our city. Nonsense.
We were at a loss to know what to do. So we went home and ordered a megaphone. I predict that the police will bother us about megaphones. Seriously if a club plays music you can hear 4 blocks away, where people have been shot, how do the police have time to hassle a preacher with a megaphone?
Isn't this right: there is no way you can be hassled for having a megaphone if the music from the cars and clubs is already earsplitting, right?
4/14
Streets were nearly deserted on Good Friday. (Jackson used to be a Bible Belt buckle long ago. It has a few things left over). Still maybe 50 or 100 people heard the message. Every soul reached is worth it.
4/9
Went to Mobile to protest Pride parade. Will have to write more later about this. Turned out well. Only TEN protestors in a city with easily 500 churches. Only two protestors even lived in Mobile. Got to borrow a megaphone and used it during the parade. It was "wide open". Much of the parade route didn't even have people! Praise God there were probably only 2500 people there. Also preached next to floats getting ready. Preached on the actual love of God, which is ALWAYS in context of the cross. Pleaded with them to go home and read John 3:16 and 1 John 4 IN CONTEXT. Some of the paraders listened attentively. Many just tried to drown me out singing Jesus loves me. Repeatedly demonstrated that God's love is not a license to do whatever you feel like doing, and that even if being gay was ok, you have still lied and stolen. Yet repeatedly demonstrated that sodomy is a sin. One young man said he was a gay Christian. I asked him if it would be ok to be a murdering Christian. I even asked him if it was ok to kill him. He said yes! Of course I was being sarcastic, but his logic demands that every thing is relative. Sadly this is in many of the churches. It was recently rehashed by a Joseph Fletcher, who wrote a book called Situational ethics. Essentially the only absolute is "love" (not biblical love), and everything is relative (ie its ok to commit adultery if my spouse is rude to me). I was surprised to find out about Fletcher, a priest turned atheist. Very sad that preachers preach from atheist work unknowingly!
Amidst record heat went downtown at 5, right as many people were getting off of work. Preached for about 25 min. Had a police man come and tell me that I was a "potential traffic hazard". This was on the exact same intersection that I had problems in December. Strangely the officer could not cite the particular ordinance I was violating. He only wanted me to move to a different location. He instructed me to call his supervisor (who told me last time if I didn't leave the sidewalk I would be arrested.... don't think I will call him) and a supervisor over him.
Is his argument valid? It is true that a lot of people will slow down. Cars will even stop at green lights to listen to the message and read the sandwich sign. I really don't want people to have a wreck, but aren't there signs and advertisements all over every city? I doubt that any such ordinance exists. Moreover, my attorney has already received a statement that declares our city ordinance for "unnecessary noise" unconstitutional. Unfortunately I do not have a copy of this yet.
I was glad to see a man drive around the block at least 3 times to see/hear. Unfortunately I had not spent enough time in the WORD to memorize 1 Cor 1 as I had intended to, for to preach from. Notwithstanding, it seemed reasonable to preach the texts that I already know from heart. People GLADLY take Gospel tracts when you walk around wearing a sandwich sign. If you are reading this, and you don't preach outdoors yet, you will gain a lot of confidence doing this. Go to astreetpreacher.com and order a Gospel sign. I like the black ones with white letters.
4/15
Found a club that I have heard mentioned repeatedly by the high school age young people all over town. Finally found it! First we went to our favourite club to open air but didn't get there til almost 12. The noise was pounding, insomuch that it was nearly impossible to preach over. Talked to one preacher's daughter (ridiculously dressed for anyone's daughter, much less a preachers), who said she "had to make her own decisions". Very distressing to see her. Part of her wanted as she said to "talk about Jesus with these people", but her friend urged her and won.
We then went to the new club and approached the only people outside and one of the guys read Psalm 1. Lo and behold the man we spoke to was the club owner, who said "we are at the wrong place. We don't serve alcohol. You need to go to [the club where previously had been]" We informed him that we had already been there. I couldn't believe he would justify his club, as if alcohol free would somehow gloss over the sin of playing such detestable music.
He also stated "We want to have a place where young people can go without being on the street and getting shot." There have several nightclub related shootings, some 3 blocks away in our city. Nonsense.
We were at a loss to know what to do. So we went home and ordered a megaphone. I predict that the police will bother us about megaphones. Seriously if a club plays music you can hear 4 blocks away, where people have been shot, how do the police have time to hassle a preacher with a megaphone?
Isn't this right: there is no way you can be hassled for having a megaphone if the music from the cars and clubs is already earsplitting, right?
4/14
Streets were nearly deserted on Good Friday. (Jackson used to be a Bible Belt buckle long ago. It has a few things left over). Still maybe 50 or 100 people heard the message. Every soul reached is worth it.
4/9
Went to Mobile to protest Pride parade. Will have to write more later about this. Turned out well. Only TEN protestors in a city with easily 500 churches. Only two protestors even lived in Mobile. Got to borrow a megaphone and used it during the parade. It was "wide open". Much of the parade route didn't even have people! Praise God there were probably only 2500 people there. Also preached next to floats getting ready. Preached on the actual love of God, which is ALWAYS in context of the cross. Pleaded with them to go home and read John 3:16 and 1 John 4 IN CONTEXT. Some of the paraders listened attentively. Many just tried to drown me out singing Jesus loves me. Repeatedly demonstrated that God's love is not a license to do whatever you feel like doing, and that even if being gay was ok, you have still lied and stolen. Yet repeatedly demonstrated that sodomy is a sin. One young man said he was a gay Christian. I asked him if it would be ok to be a murdering Christian. I even asked him if it was ok to kill him. He said yes! Of course I was being sarcastic, but his logic demands that every thing is relative. Sadly this is in many of the churches. It was recently rehashed by a Joseph Fletcher, who wrote a book called Situational ethics. Essentially the only absolute is "love" (not biblical love), and everything is relative (ie its ok to commit adultery if my spouse is rude to me). I was surprised to find out about Fletcher, a priest turned atheist. Very sad that preachers preach from atheist work unknowingly!