On the Caboose

I have never been in a Starbucks coffeehouse, I understand that they serve very expensive coffee. Recently, the CEO of Starbucks, overseer of 9000 Starbucks said, “if one shop closes, we feel we have lost part of our soul.” I have said to many relatives and friends who just play church, who are on the fringe of commitments, but who love the world too much to let go, why go to hell on the caboose? Why not go first class?

A black preacher, Reverend Jackson, in my living room, said to me, “Doctor, before I was saved, I was a first class sinner. Now, through the mercy of God I try to be a first class Christian.” Someone said to me, “if a man murders ten people, rapes ten people, robs ten houses, then repents and god forgives him for his sins, will he go to heaven as quickly as my grandmother who has only told a small white lie?” I said, “yes, sin is sin. No sin large or small will God allow into his heaven.” The apostle Paul, writer of most of the New Testament, said to Timothy that he was chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

I was in Damascus, one of the world's oldest cities, in the country of Syria. I have walked down the street called Strait, where Paul after his Damascus road conversion was sent by God. Those who have not experienced redemption, do not know redemption. Those without God cannot know God.

Someone asked me if it is sinful for a believer to have a social drink. I said, “it is a matter of your own conviction, your own testimony to God. I cannot give you scripture that prohibits a social drink anymore than I can give you one that prohibits cigarettes, the overeating of food. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

If you can glorify God by over-drinking, over-eating, over-smoking, taking illegal drugs, or any sinful act, you have yourself fooled. Every alcoholic started with a first drink. I will give you a written guarantee that if parents drink cocktails in front of their children, if children grow up seeing beer in the refrigerator, you will have drinking children, and who knows which will become addicted.

More people dig their graves with a fork than smoke themselves into one. There is no reason, from my long years of study, why any Christian should be overweight, why any Christian should be unhealthy. We have an answer book, the answer for every question involved in human existence. There is no reason for a believer in God to seek the services of a psychologist or a psychiatrist, to seek the services of a social worker, a behavioral therapist, a palm reader, mystic, or hypnotist. When I hear a Christian talk about their astrological sign... that they are a Pisces or Cancer or talk about Karma, I know they have been in the devil's bookshop, not the storehouse of the Lord. Why go to hell on the caboose, why not go first class?

On one round-the-world trip, one wealthy couple, he, an official with Pricewaterhouse, traveled the entire trip, about 50 flights, first class. From what I could tell, this couple got on and off the plane at the same time that I did. Unless bumped up, I always traveled the cheapest way. The billionaire William Buffet said he would fire any employee who rode on a plane first class. Another couple, officials with Caterpillar Corporation, traveled first class, they would tell me about their extravagant meals, free liquor, pampered service. I do not need these things.

Only corporate officials, movie stars, sports figures, television preachers (remember Dr. Schuller of the Chrystal Cathedral and Victoria Osteen, Joel's wife, and their problems in first class?) deserve such extravagance. Of course, these days, with the inflated salaries of sports figures, television preachers, etc. most have the enjoyment, privacy and security of private planes. Those with fortunes to spend such as the Bush family (41, 43 and the others), the Limbaughs, the Hannitys, the Giulianis of the world, certainly all Democrat and Republican officials, these civil-masters who like to call themselves civil servants would not dare breath the air of the common man, those whom they profess to love, and many of which so love them. Many Americans, including some of my relatives, spend more time with Rush Limbaugh than they do with Jesus Christ.

Many politicians are known for politicking from the caboose of the train, hot air from the end of the train. China and Russia still use steam engines, on one trip around the world, mostly by train, even crossing the Gobi desert. I was on a steam powered train and I made photographs from the caboose...airy, desolate. Early trains were not air conditioned, windows could be opened, we all remember those western movies involving trains. Like the front porch, fresh air is a thing of the past, the most dangerous thing in the world as far as contagions is a jet plane, recirculating the air of everyone.

Before AC and television, people sat on the front porch, people enjoyed the most wonderful instrument of man, the rocking chair, they visited, house to house, you could ride through the countryside, any town and see human beings visiting. I have learned a lot about my family from listening on the front porch. Today's childrens are fed “muck”, a form of hypnosis and mind control, contrived by Satan in the dungeons of pornography and satanic culture, Hollywood. An American 65 years of age will have spent a total of 10 years watching television, just think of how this time could have been spent.

If you want to throw your life away, if you are desperate to serve Satan, do a first class job of it. There are many you can imitate, don't go to hell on the caboose.