December 19, 2021
HEADING TO LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Sprawling desert mountains and plains
Carved out crevices of highway
Protruding Red Rock
The drive to Nevada was stunning. So much variety in the terrain from elevation to types of plant life. The desert is amazing to me. The air at this time of season is crisp but the sun is often harsh during the day. I never knew there were mountainous deserts or that it snows and rains there.
This place makes me think of our current political climate. Vaccines, masks, critical race theory, abortion... There is so much tension and fear and opposition. At times, it feels like a "desert", like there's no life. But God! Even in the midst of dryness there is the eternal living water. When the "weather" appears unbearably dry, there is a cactus holding water. Maybe we're like the cactus. We have protective needles on our surface, a means to withstand the pain life throws at us. But inside, deep beneath the hard encasement, is sustenance. When we ask the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, we breathe life into our bodies on every inhale and exhale out the toxic thoughts the devil places in our minds. Nature helps me reflect on how majestic God is and how He always provides.
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
~ Luke 12:24
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them.
~Matthew 6:31-32
Snow patches in the desert
A Lone Tree
Dips and Dives, Curves and Swerves
At the 3/4 tank empty mark, I try to seek a rest stop. When I pulled off, I noticed this big sign below posted outside the store. The small print basically warns you that you are on Indian territory and all the rules you once knew, don't apply. In this land, you may not sue or have legal rights.
I had been eager to show kindness to the Indians and apologize for what was and is being done to them. When I arrived inside the store, I walked up to the woman at the cashier. I asked if she was American Indian and she said "Duh". I told her I would like to bless her with prayer and she agreed. It was a beautiful moment. Her eyes soften and she thanked me. I told her that I was sorry for what this nation has done to her people. At the time, I didn't even know the story of the Paiute Tribe. In this particular area (Utah), the Mormon Church admitted that members of their church were the moving force behind the Mountains Meadow Massacre that killed off a large portion of their people. In 1957, our government terminated the federally recognized status of the Paiute Tribe in efforts to assimilate them into society. Funding was cut. In 1980 they were recognized again, and funding returned.
This is where my understanding of governmental, church and artistic interference have taken a wild turn. My college self would say "How dare the government extract funding from these poor people, the people we have ripped the land away from continually!" But current me sees more of the evil plot to keep certain cultures and groups of people strapped to the idea of victimhood. The government continually diminishes their land and shifts them around when it is convenient for real estate or discovered resources.
And the church? Well, the backlash that I receive from most people that are sour with God is the misrepresentation from His people. Those of us professing to love Jesus are ambassadors for Him. We can only do our best to represent the Prince of Peace but we will fall short. I ask the Lord to cover all of us who desire to do His Will with His endless mercy and grace and to position us in a posture of humility, so as never to grow prideful and assume to operate in our own strength.
Indian Land & Rules
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Gambling at the Rest Stop
Rest stop in Nevada
Tattered homeless man
The minute I reach Las Vegas, I pulled into a gas station. Palm trees lined the streets. I thought for a moment I was in Miami or SoCal (Southern California). As soon as I pull up to the pump, I felt like I was at the circus. A guy comes sailing in through traffic riding his bike like a surf board. Then I notice this homeless man beside me rummaging through the garbage. As someone else put it, "the homeless in Las Vegas are the worst than any other place I have experienced. They make the NYC homeless I've seen look good." I personally have never seen the clothing on a homeless person in this country look as tattered as this man. Then two teenage boys come to ask me for money. They look far from famished or lacking, wearing designer clothes and jewelry and a mouth full of sparkling braces.
The boys let me pray for them. The taller one wore a real hard face. He held a stare with me until breaking into a laugh and finally succumbed to a softness. The other boy who claimed to be his brother taunted him for crying. I was grateful for that moment. I know God penetrated him and a seed was planted. I don't remember their names but God does. Please join me in asking God for their provision and protection. That they would find peace and restoration in the arms of Jesus.
Hallway to the Airbnb
Bizarre encounter with the Cats
I picked a really affordable room on Airbnb for Las Vegas. The host greeted me outside and took me up two flights of stairs and down this long hallway. Thank God it was daylight. He handed me a set of keys and showed me to my room. The place reeked of chemicals. The hosts answer to every question that increasingly frustrated me was "everything is ok". Feeling claustrophobic, I opened every door and window I could find and went for a prayer walk around the complex. The bathroom in the place was disgusting and I didn't know if I should stay or find somewhere else. It didn't exactly give me the warm fuzzies.
I just continued to pray, left it in God's hands and finally returned to the apartment. When I returned, I discovered one of my roommates, Amber. I sat in the balcony (with the broken screen and pile of junk) and spoke to her while she ate at the table inside. She understood why I sat outside, commiserating about the stench. It wasn't long before I discovered her love for Jesus! She had received the jab, fearful of losing her job as a public school educator but heard much about the Deep State. As I shared my understanding of how sick and corrupt our leading officials and Hollywood stars are, she said her friends were telling her the same thing. I shared with her my concern about standing up for our rights and no longer remaining silent. That as the evil is exposed we must speak up, for silence could cost us our lives.
My conversation with Amber gave me hope. She was a fellow Christian that was hearing (what I believe) is the truth and perhaps willing to take action. I will get into what the Deep State is and the corruption that is being exposed in future posts. Maybe you will even experience the unveiling of these things before I can write them down. I pray that all of our eyes, hearts and ears can incline to Jesus and not waver. Take the blinders off us now, God! Expose all evil in the government and in ourselves. Help us to turn from our evil ways.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble;e themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
~2Chronicles 7:14
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