For years (since 1993), no human being had the nerve or compassion to invite us to one our"Lutheran" churches. Tonight it happened ! I wasthrilled that they would ignore the "men in black" behind me or my security force. My children are thrilled and deep in my heart-so am I! I consider the members of this church that are willing to endure the heat of the government a sign that the "times are a changin" !

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), August 12, 2000

Answers

Hey Joel! Good for you and your family! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), August 12, 2000.

I would have been happy to invite you to church Joel, but it is the rare person that wants to travel 3000 miles to church. Praise the Lord that there are still Christians out there that see beyond the surface to the inner man.

Little bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@calinet.com), August 12, 2000.

Joel, Glad to hear that there are still churches out there who can "yack the talk AND track the walk"!! LOL. I hope you are truly blessed with a wonderful church family.

-- (trigger@mcn.net), August 12, 2000.

Joel - Okay, I'll bite - Men in black? Security forces? I thought you sounded a bit cranky in some of your posts, but maybe this explains it.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), August 13, 2000.

Me, too...curious as all get-out!

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), August 13, 2000.

Joel, What are you hiding from us, are you an alien with a weird face or something. Or a traditional hermit. You have got to let us know! Aagje

-- Aagje Franken (Backyard@AOL.com), August 13, 2000.

You are doing better than me! I went to a "church" for 3 years never missed a Sunday! I finally found somewhere I enjoyed(after looking for 23years)- Thought it was a good place and that my children needed it! When I stopped going to take care of my dying sister and then my mom who is very ill~~not a soul has called me not the pastor,Sunday school teacher or anyone else!!!It's been five years and I haven't heard a WORD! My sister die 4 yrs. ago and I haven't went back! Don't need that kind of Church...I don't think I had men in black behind me! :)

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), August 13, 2000.

Debbie, I think you must have gone to the same church as me. Maybe we should have had "men in black" sitting behind us, they might have been a little friendlier!!!

-- (trigger@mcn.net), August 13, 2000.

For those of you with questions, I'll try to`explain. Men in Black are your tax dollars at work aka U.S. Marshalls. They follow me most everywhere I go. My security force are friends who escort my family to protect them. You have to look at the goverments history to understand. In most cases the government targets and kills the women and children. On many occasions and recently, I move my family out of this country for there own safety. However when they are here than I require them to be escorted when off the farm. Go ahead, call me paranoid. But you didn't get to watch Vicki Weavers head explode and fall on her infant--did you ? Members of elite justice department squads are the Gestapo of America. They are highly trained cold blooded killers. There only purpose is to murder people. I intend not to have that happen to my family.

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), August 13, 2000.

Congratulations, Joel! There are people who are willing to follow God as opposed to Government, perhaps you have found a few. You would be most welcome at my church. We meet in the community room of the bank and do not take a 501C, collect no offerings, give as God puts it on your heart, and it ain't tax deductible. If you are ever in Texas, you would be more than welcome! Also, church doesn't have to be on Sunday, but whenever necessary. May God bless you and keep ou and yours safe.

-- Doreen (liberty546@hotmail.com), August 13, 2000.

WoW !! It was the smallest congregation I have ever seen. 6 pews all full. Church was started in 1884 and it's way back in the woods. I loved the message "Icons to Idols". One sad note, the minister announced he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and did not know if he could continue to serve while in chemo. Just my luck--finally got to go to a church that excepted me and the devil kills the preacher.

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), August 13, 2000.

Wow! What an interesting direction THIS thread has taken...(!)

-- Shannon (Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary) (gratacres@aol.com), August 13, 2000.

Or, maybe God is bringing in a dynamic new preacher that He wants to use in your life in a special way....:}

-- (trigger@mcn.net), August 13, 2000.

Or....Maybe he's callin' YOU to be the new preacher!!! You do have a "knack for yack"

-- (trigger@mcn.net), August 13, 2000.

The idea of joel as a preacher would scare the HELL out of me!

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), August 15, 2000.

Well, I guess that would be the point. Glad you got to go Joel, and happy to know the sermon was "on topic"!! God Bless! Wendy

-- Wendy@GraceAcres (wjl7@hotmail.com), August 17, 2000.

Joel, you would always be welcome at my church!

Our church has two rows of pews, with 8 rows each. We can pack in I guess, 128 people. Usually we have about 20! The outside needs some paint, a new roof, and the beautiful steeple (New England style, with shingles) needs help! Our building was made in 1906. I hope we can register on the National Historical register and get some grant money to preserve this beautiful old building. But it's not a priority without it, as our offerings always go to something more important.

Anyway, we have an unusual collection of folks at our church and you would all be welcomed (including your escorts, and followers). As far as you preaching, I think you do a good job here....no need to check into a seminary! :) Glad you found a place to worship!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), August 17, 2000.

Our church is little one; 41 people max. on a Sunday morning and less in the evening. You would be welcome in ours too, but you'd have to travel awhile and as it is a Reformed Prebsyterian church, you probably wouldn't agree with the theology. It wasn't the devil that 'killed the preacher'. It was God's Holy Will. Pray without ceasing. God bless you!

-- Abigail F. (treeoflife@sws.nb.ca), August 18, 2000.