It’s 3:59 in the morning and I wake up only to lie in bed and think of the Peruvian boy I met the day before.

David couldn’t be more than seventeen, a tall gangly kid with thin body and arms. When I arrived at the Home Depot he was standing outside next to a cart loaded down with very heavy bags of concrete waiting for the man who purchased the material to bring his pickup around to load it up.

David was wearing the orange Home Depot apron so I recognized him as an employee right away. As he stood with his back next to the pillar in front of the loading area looking forlorn and was talking to himself quietly, his lips barely moving, I couldn’t help but think he was praying. He looked to be on the verge of tears or a mental breakdown. I would have stopped then and there but his co-worker stepped into the picture and broke the spell David had on me.

I was there to buy concrete and knew that the eighty pound bags were heavy. I was hand pouring a concrete patio at home, a big one. This was my sixth trip to the store for six bags at a time that I mixed and poured in sections.

I went to the restroom and found David there washing his dainty hands and long fingers. I sidled up to the sink next to his and began talking to him. “You look tired kid.”

“I am, I really am,” he replied in a shaky voice.

Just then a blustery middle-aged man barged in and saw me talking to the young man. He exclaimed, “Don’t listen to that old man, and I replied, “I’ve seen enough in my life to be able to help this young man find his way.”

The antagonist never even looked at me and I had never seen him before. Such aplomb, such gall for him to talk to a stranger like that! But I recognized it as a satanic attack. The man quickly left without washing his hands. I returned to our conversation.

In trying to comfort the young man I asked his name as we walked out of the bathroom together. By now he was practically in tears. I grasped his arm lightly and inquired where he was from. He was from Peru and this was his second job. He had already worked at the Dunkin Donuts earlier that day and was beat.

David lived with his aunt and uncle and rode a bicycle a good distance to work at both places. He was sending money back to his parents and brothers and sisters in Peru and had to maintain two jobs just to stay alive and send his family money. His aunt and uncle were charging him rent, and from the look of his gangly body he wasn’t getting much to eat.

I asked him if he was a Christian, to which he replied, “I don’t know.” By now he was beginning to tear up. I told him I would be praying for him, but just then I stopped in my tracks and began praying for him right there and then, since I know how hollow such a statement can be. The feeling was that we so often tell people that and promptly forget it before we get home.

When I finished the short prayer David let out a sigh of relief and thanked me as he appeared to be infused with hope. I suspect he felt better just knowing somebody cared.

I once led a young man to Christ right on that same loading dock where I first saw David. Hopefully, I can do the same for David. He needs a friend like Jesus, “a very present help in times of trouble.” I’m going back to see David today and find out more about his situation. I’ve dealt with these sad situations before. If my hunch is right, I may have stumbled onto something sordid and wrong, something I can help to alleviate.

Years ago when hurricane Ivan struck the Pensacola coast I happened to be there. My house had sustained damage to the roof so I went down to the local greyhound bus station hoping to find some help. There were two young men, one from Guatemala and the other from Honduras who had just disembarked from the bus, looking for work. The very first thing they asked me was if I knew of a Baptist church nearby. I told them I was a practicing Christian and attended a Baptist church. They were Baptist Christians as well, and I took that as a “sign.”

I asked if they had eaten and they said they didn’t have a nickel between them. I took them to the Mc Donald’s directly across the street. I bought them the big breakfast and gave them an advance for willing to work for me. From there I took them to the Salvation Army where they could bed down for a few days and eat.

They worked for me for three weeks, which was long enough for them to find a place to stay. As a matter of fact I took them to the beach where we met up with another couple of fellows and the five of them were able to rent a house by pooling their money. In the meantime, I took them to the church I was attending and they fit right in. All this time I discipled them in the best way I knew how, by befriending them and sharing the Word of God with them since they were somewhat new to the faith.

Later on, other people that hired them often took advantage of them in one way or another, and I had to step in as an advocate for these uneducated men more than once. Finally, the work due to the hurricane petered out and everyone went their own way.

This was one of the most memorable periods of my adult life, and I’m sure they think of me once in a while just like I think of each one of them. For me, this is what the Christian life is all about.

By the way, the rush of “Christian” movies has dwindled to nothing for the moment. In trying to figure out the reason why, I can only assume that either Christianity is on the wane since not as many people as expected have embraced Christian themes and conversions are slim or next to none.

Mel Gibson is busy co-writing a sequel to The Passion of the Christ with the man who helped him write it. This movie, the way I understand it, will be about the ascension of Christ and the Acts of the Apostles. Given that it is still in its inception it may take as many as two years to get it done and out in the public domain. As good as it sounds and as high as expectations are for it, it may be too little too late for some of us, since we may soon be gone.

YBIC

Jim Torres “Towers” jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com andwww.theprophecies2016movie.com

“Mene Mene Tekil Upharsin” (Daniel 25:1b). Are we seeing the finger of God writing on the wall of our once great Christian country?  Like the drunken and glutinous Nebuchadnezzar many are being shaken to the core as they watch and read the message, “You’ve been weighed in the balance and have been found wanting.”

The surprising thing is that after eight years of uncertainty and our rights being taken away surreptitiously and incrementally, we still seem to be asking for more of the same by putting God on the back burner or kicking Him to the curb altogether by choosing to do things our own way.

With so many apathetic people who profess to be Christians in our country not doing anything about the demise of moral and spiritual leadership, we may have missed the opportunity once again to salvage what’s left of our nation. Are we any different than the people who attended the Laodicean church, those who went to church only to be seen as nice people but were neither hot nor cold?  Will Christ Jesus spew us out of His mouth? Well, maybe He’s already begun. We have turned our backs on God, and rely on our own form of godliness: “Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.” So we may be facing God’s wrath in the days to come.

Even as I write these things we can understand the worldly people, their point of view when they say with a worn weary yawn, “Oh, gosh.  Since our fathers died these things have always been so. People have said ‘the end is near’ for the past two thousand years.” After all many of us have thought that very thing before we were saved. Now however, Scripture can’t be denied, even by most non-believers—as we are watching prophetic events unfold all across the globe.

Just look where we are today; all too often a person on the street can’t tell a Christian from an unsaved individual. We dress like them, we try to look like them and we take all our worldly pleasures just like them. We cheat like them, live like them, tell lies like them; we tell filthy jokes and … need I say more? We seek recognition and power over others; we put self on a pedestal and walk around as though we are all that. We are good at playing Church games.

First, it’s self-righteous piety, then speaking in a perverted rendition of biblical tongues (to show how holy we are); phony healings by the hand of Man and, the ultimate lie: prophesying. But be careful with the last one, because the voice you may be hearing in your head may be your own, or even satanic promptings.

But many of us think we are immortal and invincible, yet we are like a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. In spite of our human frailties the human mind has the propensity to elevate itself to God-like levels of importance. “I will ascend to the uppermost reaches of heaven and …”

What is it going to take before we quit playing church? Will God have to reveal His awesome power before our very faces? Why can’t we see the uncertainty of life? Do you feel a foreboding fear of what’s going to happen next? Already, He is shaking the very foundations of this world  to wake us up—with more earthquakes than we can count. Maybe some of us just don’t get it. God says, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” In other words they just don’t read and study the Bible.

And when they do it’s only to study the geographical locations for a Bible class on Sundays. Remember, judgment will begin in the house of God. Far too many Christians are still drinking milk instead of eating meat. They need a good reprimand from God, for God chastises those He loves.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. America and even lukewarm Christians need to repent; the sooner the better.

But, alas, it may be too late already for the country as a whole, and now it is every man and woman for themselves. If you sense a feeling of despair or fear about what lies ahead for our country, ourselves and our families, do yourself a favor and pray this prayer:

“Heavenly Father, I’m so sorry for having neglected you in my life, for not even thanking you neither for my daily food nor for life itself. I’m a sinner Lord, please have mercy on me, forgive me. Let me be born again. I repent in utter humility before you – at your very feet. Please forgive me and create in me a new heart, in Jesus Holy name, Amen.”

Then go and get baptized as soon as possible to show your sincerity toward Him.

By the way, the movie Miracles from Heaven continues to do business at the box office. It looks like some people want to believe in something or someone greater than themselves, a God who hears their desperate cries for help in times of trouble. “Call on me in your time of trouble and I will rescue you and you will give me praise.” says the Lord.  Just when we are about to sink into despair He comes to our rescue if we cry out to Him in earnestness. I know this to be true, because I’ve been there on more than one occasion.

Don’t misunderstand, I’ve always considered myself a winner and not a whiner and have excelled  in life. This could be because I’ve taken life seriously, and after receiving Christ I never looked back. I also try to strike a balance between being a concerned Christian and a happy one. One of the things that keeps me well-balanced is participating in life to its fullest by sharing Christ with others and praying for them. Daily reading of Scripture and prayer give me the power to do so.

(Today I prayed for a young man who was despairing of life right in the center isle of Home Depot.)  He was very grateful I did.

Jesus said, Only those who throw their lives away for my sake will ever know what it really means to live.

Until next time…

YBIC Jim Torres “Towers”