Post by messengermicah on Jul 25, 2005 23:47:47 GMT -5
South Beach-Saturday July 16: Elizabeth, John, Onica, and myself went to South Beach with our new banner that reads 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 on one side and Mark 1:15 and Luke 13:3 on the other side. We set up the banner and I started preaching in front of the Majestic Hotel. I had a consistent, small crowd. After about twenty minutes the police showed up. I figured the police would be called as had happened the previous two times I had preached here. I even thought it would be a good idea to preach somewhere else, but I preached there anyway.
After the initial lieutenant came on the scene about 4 other officers also arrived. Several of them were officers I had dealt with before. They said I was disrupting the peace, that I was interfering with the businesses there, and my voice could not exceed being heard within 100 yards (or feet?). The officers I had dealt with before threatened me, telling me I have been warned several times about this sort of thing, and they had been lenient with me. We were told we could preach, but, ?it should not interfere with others right to peace. If people complain then it is disturbing the peace.? We decided to move down the beach with our banner.
The banner worked great. Everyone would read it. We stopped at Wet Willie?s and stood with the banner for a while. John and I exhorted the passersby to repent of sin, warned them of hell, and to come to the Savior from sin Jesus (Matthew 1:21). John did some preaching there as he was almost at full volume most of the time he was exhorting the passersby. I had a great conversation with two young Hispanic guys who were paramedics and very honest and receptive. One of them wanted a Bible so we gave him one but he insisted on paying us for it.
We then moved down the beach to Mango?s bar, lifting the banner high all the way. John and I stood on the corner and preached to the passersby. John was again preaching almost full volume and an officer came over to us and warned us about the volume, saying we had already been warned. Still everyone read our banner and this provoked many good conversations.
We then moved down to the front of the Clevelander bar, stood with the banner awhile and started conversations with the passersby and the people hanging out in the grass across from the bar.
We then moved down about 25 yards to the Lummus Park sign and lifted our banner again. We each took a turn preaching there and had no police interference. There are always multitudes passing by at this point, but there are 3 vacant buildings in front with no businesses in the close vicinity. People outside the Clevelander can hear us 25 yards away, but usually they do not complain. I finished preaching at around 9:30 PM and we headed out. Leaving the area we preached to the revelers on the bullhorn in the car.
Florida International University-Tuesday July 19: I obtained my permit for the free speech area, which I am allowed one time per semester. I had two brothers who said they would try to meet me out there but they were unable to make it. My wife Elizabeth took the day off from work to accompany me. My permit was from 12 to 2 PM so I arrived at 11:30.
Unfortunately, the fountain was on at the free speech area and I was not able to get anyone to turn it off. Also the area around the fountain where I usually preach had wet paint signs on it so I chose a spot across from the fountain that was about 5 feet off the ground. My wife agreed to hold up the banner while I began preaching.
I started preaching at exactly noon and there were only a few people walking around at the time. Some began stopping when they heard me. The classes began to let out, and as I began to make comments about hell, a mouthy, cigarette smoking, fornicating, female that has had an abortion and works for Planned Parenthood began to heckle me. I made some choice anti-feminist comments and the crowd began to build. I had a steady audience of at least 100 to 150 people gathered around the fountain area. The Planned Parenthood female continued to heckle me along with a few others. I rebuked the students for their fornication, drunkenness, homosexuality, abortions, idolatry, immodest dress, etc.
I preached to the crowd for about 20 to 25 minutes until a group of about 15 to 25 students came right up in front of me and began to ask me all kinds of questions. A majority of the arguments they had were in defense of sin. Most accused me of condemning them, or judging them, and ?Jesus did not do these things, he was tolerant, loving,? etc. I answered their questions and refuted their arguments for about another hour and a half. Some of the students who really opposed me at the beginning were agreeing and supporting me at the end of the day.
The feminists were particularly riled up, and surrounded my wife. They would ask her if I kept her in the kitchen, why doesn?t she leave me, she is educated and can do better. It was funny that she was the only one with me and she was holding the banner. They probably thought I drug her out there and made her hold it up for me. While I had the group of 15 to 25 she had a group of 8 to 10. From seeing the responses and from what Elizabeth told me I believe she did an excellent job of handling the feminists.
The Planned Parenthood student whose name was Rebecca, stayed out there until about 2:30 PM and hugged Elizabeth before she left. We continued talking to students until about 2:45 PM.
One angry professor walked by threatening to call the police and somebody else kept taking pictures (I think he was from the school newspaper).
South Beach-Saturday July 23: I had John, Doug, and his sons Dougie and Michael join me to South Beach on this day. Elizabeth and Onica did not go. During the drive out we discussed keeping a low profile along the sidewalk in the business area due to last week, and how we would focus on preaching around the Coral Wall until things cooled down.
We got a parking space directly in front of the Lummus Park sign where we like to preach. After some prayer we set up the banner and walked over to the wall. A group of about 20 were hanging around the showers. I stood on the grass facing the wall and started preaching to them. Two girls walked by with a guy and I rebuked them for their immodest dress. They began to do lesbian acts in front of us. As they walked away they spit at me. I preached there a few more minutes and we left.
We decided to walk down about 25 yards to the homosexual bar called the Palace (so much for the low profile talk). We set up on the Coral wall directly across from the bar with our banner and Doug stood on the wall and started preaching. Although we are not on the sidewalk, but are about 50 yards away it is quiet here and they can easily hear us in the bar. They actually turn down the music so they can hear us, trying to accuse us of hate speech.
After Doug finished preaching, then John preached. When John finished, then I started preaching. As I was lobbing my Romans 1 homosexual sermon towards the bar I noticed the police car drive down the street slowly, watching me. He then turned into the grass area and drove down the sidewalk right in front of me. I kept on preaching as I kept an eye on him. He passed by me and drove down a way. He turned around after awhile, came back and stopped right on the side of me as I was preaching. Doug came over and warned me the police were filming me. At this point some of the homosexuals from the bar came over and started debating with us.
I stepped down from the wall and some more homosexuals came over. The police continued to film all of our dialogue with them, but never said a word to us. After about half an hour (for those of you who know, most homosexuals do not reason too long before they resort to calling names because they have no truth to stand on), I told the guys so the police would hear, ?Let?s go preach to the heterosexual fornicators and drunkards!?
We went back toward the beginning of the Beach and lifted the banner everywhere we went. We stood in front of all the most populated bars (Wet Willie?s, Mango?s, The Clevelander), and reproved, rebuked, and exhorted the revelers to repent, turn to God and do works meet for repentance (Acts 26:20).
We walked back to where our parking spot was and each took a turn preaching on the Lummus Park sign. I finished preaching around 9:15 PM and we headed back home.