‘God will Always Respond to Those with Spiritual Hunger & Thirst’ – Frankly Speaking – 5/11/23

My guest for this episode of, ‘Frankly Speaking’ was Tyler Thomas, who’s an Assistant Pastor at the Christ Temple, which is a Pentecostal church in Tiverton, Rhode Island. This was a Skype interview, which took place on 5/11/23.

I had initially heard Pastor Thomas preach about a month earlier during the Easter service at the Sanctuary Pentecostal Church in Hudson NH. This guy’s message titled, ‘Wake Up – The Answer’, was delivered so passionately and enthusiastically that I just had to try to convince him to be a guest on my show.

After a brief introduction, Tyler who was born and raised in Alabama, was asked about the contrast of the folks in Rhode Island versus those from his Home State regarding their willingness to accept the Gospel message of the Bible. There was a Gallup Poll, several years ago, that ranked all the States in the U.S.A. on ‘How Religious they Are’. After a couple of years of polling this question, the New England states, which includes Rhode Island, indicated that it was one of the ‘least religious States’, while Alabama scored among the top. One individual offered a theory via the local Nashua Telegraph (NH) newspaper, that the reason for this might be because the employment situation is much more plentiful in this part of the country versus Alabama thus, the need to believe in God more if the job situation is few and far between. We definitely talked about that.

The discussion shifted to the Asbury Revival, which was at Asbury University (a Methodist school) in Wilmore Kentucky earlier this year. Apparently, there was quite a bit of Internet debate among Christians on whether or not this event that took place over several weeks actually qualified as a, “Revival”. There was reportedly a considerable amount of: praying, singing, worship, praising, testimonies, and even a couple of “Exorcisms”. But some Christian skeptics contended that “time” would be the best gauge on just how significant this event would be in American Christian history.

One individual cited, the ‘Day of Pentecost’ as a typical Revival, although the Bible states on that day, the Holy Spirit came down from Heaven, people from numerous different countries were present, they experienced hearing a new phenomenon called, ‘Speaking in Tongues’, which turned out to be ‘the wonderful words of God’. The Bible goes on to state in the book of Acts, that about 3000 people were added to the Church that day.

The problem with equating this Asbury Revival with the ‘Day of Pentecost’ is God inserted Supernatural, Miraculous, Phenomenon in the latter event, which He doesn’t seem to do now, in this day and time.

We also discussed if Jesus’s comment in the Bible of that, the works that I did you’ll do these works and even greater works – was that a reference to ‘Speaking in Tongues’, which was something Jesus never did. Also, in a fun discussion, we compared which Christian holiday Jesus might view as his ‘Super Bowl’ between: Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost – or would he probably say, every day has its own significance?

Arguably, one of the biggest obstacles for most Christians to overcome – myself included – is the ability to Forgive others who may have messed them over in life, as in Matthew 6:14-15. It just seems like automatic human response to either get revenge or retaliate against someone who hurts us. I had posted a Meme on a Christian Facebook page basically stating that the gauge for a Christian is not about loving Jesus, it’s rather about loving Judas. Jesus is also quoted in the Bible, referring to Judas, that it probably would’ve been better had he never been born, but Jesus did forgive Judas en route to his crucifixion.

In response to my Meme on the same Facebook forum, somebody posted a Meme equating Forgiveness to Forgetting. I brought up the example of a woman who is constantly being beaten by her boyfriend or husband when he keeps apologizing yet, the physical abuse keeps on coming. We talked about exercising the Word of Wisdom, or Discernment to leave a violent situation like that, but forgiving the abuser so you can move on with your own life.

I also mentioned that I was active with the Internet forum, Yelp.com , which if I ever had a bad experience (or even a good experience) with, for example, a mechanic, lawyer, or restaurant, I’d post a comment about it to perhaps prevent someone else from ever getting ripped off by that same establishment I did.

Then we came to Pastor Thomas’s Easter sermon of, ‘Wake Up – The Answer’ which was a shortened, Cliff Notes type version of what he preached about a month earlier in Hudson NH.

One of the most amazing testimonies he presented was when Tyler had the opportunity to spiritually heal, via prayer, his daughter’s Kindergarten teacher from a medical situation she encountered after falling from a ladder at about 10 feet off the ground (see attached photo). The teacher thought that she’d have to be prayed for at the next Sunday church service. But Tyler believed the Lord was telling him that she needed to be prayed for immediately, which is consistent with, 2 Corinthians 4:4, referring to Satan as, ‘the god of this world’ and further states that, Satan had, ‘blinded the minds of those who believed not’.

In other words, if this prayer for healing hadn’t been done immediately, the teacher may have gotten distracted from attending the next church service and continued having the severe pain. Needless to say, the prayer and subsequent healing were a huge success. Please watch Tyler explain it all in the aforementioned video, on what exactly happened for a much more accurate context.

The rest of the sermon was based on Matthew 8:23-27, which the Disciples were out on the Sea during a Horrific storm, and feared they may lose their boat – all while Jesus was sleeping. The Disciples eventually woke up Jesus, who in turn, immediately calmed the storm proving that people needed to turn to Jesus in the midst of trying to solve everything on their own.

If you wish to contact Pastor Thomas, please log onto the Christ Temple church at:  ctchurch.faith . Local entertainer Sharon DiFronzo of Screamin’ Heart Records sang the Intro & Outro song for this episode, Comin’ and Goin’ .

Creationism 3: A Debate within some Christian circles — Frankly Speaking

Is the Earth millions, if not billions, of years old or was it actually created within a week of the first man, Adam, approximately 6,500 years ago? When the vast majority of the Earth’s population was destroyed by the Great Flood, were dinosaurs among the animals on Noah’s Ark?

Apparently, questions like these are not only debated between Christians and secular scientists, but even among Christians themselves.

Old Testament scholar John Sailhamer authored a book in 2011 titled, ‘Genesis Unbound‘, which he basically argues that the Hebrew word for “beginning” used in Genesis 1:1 sets a narrative for a duration of time, which could be anywhere from a couple days to millions, if not billions, of years, hence allowing for a period that might have had dinosaurs, along with other prehistoric entities like cavemen, freely roaming an undefined and unruly planet Earth. Sailhamer further asserted in this publication that this same Hebrew word for “beginning” in Genesis 1:1, is also used in the Biblical book of Job to set the narrative of Job’s successful life situation just prior to his faith being put to the test.

Then in Genesis 1:2, according to Sailhamer, God starts going to work and basically makes the land on Earth more inhabitable for human beings.

It should be noted here that Amazon.com promoted this publication, ‘Genesis Unbound’ on its website as, Why do people, specifically Christians, have to choose between God and Science? It sort of insinuated that people who were often confused by these types of Creation issues can now have the best of both worlds.

Needless to say, having read this book, it prompted me to invite Creation Science Evangelist Steve Grohman of CreationSeminar.Net to my government access TV show, ‘Frankly Speaking’ to discuss the matter. This was Grohman’s third appearance on my show since 2016.

So after a brief introduction by myself and Pastor David Howe of, The Sanctuary Pentecostal Church in Hudson NH (which sponsored Grohman’s stay in New Hampshire), and then ribbing him a little bit of how much Grohman resembles actor, Pat Boone, the interview turned to more serious stuff.

Grohman stuck to his guns that not only did God create the Earth and all its inhabitants in just six days but in the book of Exodus, which God gave Moses a stone tablet of the 10 Commandments, God reiterated this specific point and even literally etched it in stone.

We also discussed the Garden of Eden and some of the various theories of where it might be located on earth such as, Syria, Albania, and Palestine. Then we talked about how many people theorize that the Garden of Eden must be located in a place where the rivers: Nile, Ganges, Tigress, and Euphrates all meet. Grohman contended, however, that since the Great Flood, a lot of property was destroyed and many of the rivers back then probably were redirected afterwards. We both agreed that the Garden of Eden probably doesn’t currently look anything like it did when Adam and Eve resided there.

Bible Contradiction or Bad Science Theory?

One interesting point we raised on the show was a Bible passage that Sailhamer brought up in his book that’s caused a fairly large amount of controversy. In Joshua 10:12-13 , Joshua is praying that God makes the Sun and the Moon stand still, I assume for a few more hours of daylight so they could put the finishing touches and win the war against a wicked and evil enemy. God apparently grants Joshua’s prayer to make the Sun and the Moon stand still, in essence, freezing time. But wasn’t the Sun always “still”, while the Earth rotated around it?

So Polish scientist Nicolaus Copernicus initiated the Theory of Heliocentrism (the planets and stars all rotate around the Sun) around the 1500’s and that’s been the widely accepted consensus since then. But then again, people like Theologian Martin Luther always believed that everything, including the Sun, rotated around the Earth — probably because of the aforementioned Bible passage. Grohman was also hesitant to say this might’ve been a Bible error because who the heck knows if the Sun is actually somehow “moving”.

“Given the choice between something that’s in the Bible versus Science, I’ll go with the Bible every time”, Grohman said. The Creation Science Evangelist went on to say that he once saw a Science textbook specifically published for school youngsters that had a big disclaimer in front basically stating that the facts published in that publication were subject to change upon new evidence being discovered and proven. In other words, the facts stated in that science book may have been “true” at the time the thing was actually published, but might become disproved and obsolete some time afterwards. The Bible, on the other hand, has no such disclaimer. Advantage Bible over science publications (or any secular item) when it comes to truth, integrity, and credibility.

After reading through the first chapter of Genesis, it does appear like God put His priorities on the Earth and its inhabitants versus the Sun. In fact, God somehow, someway created “light” which not only lit and heated the earth but had the capability to separate day from night, and then on the fourth day, God created the Sun, the moon, and the stars. Absolutely amazing! To quote the late great Christian songwriter Rich Mullins, “our God is an Awesome God!”

But getting back to Steve Grohman, sitting through one of his Creation presentations is more than just a sermon or a teaching, it’s more like an experience you’ll never forget. It’s obvious that this guy puts a lot of heart and passion into his lectures. Please log onto his website, http://www.CreationSeminar.Net , and make it a point to see one of these forums for yourself. I can assure you, it’ll be well worth your while.

Sharon DiFronzo of Screamin Heart records sang the Intro and Outro theme songs for this particular episode.

Creationism evangelist explains Evolution, Dinosaurs & Noah’s Ark in easy terms

Did Speaking in Tongues die with the Apostles or does it still exist today?

I had a great conversation with ministers David and Paul Howe from The Sanctuary Pentecostal Church in Hudson NH on this very controversial topic on my TV show earlier this month. As you might’ve already guessed, the Howe brothers still believe in this gift of the Holy Spirit and they offer numerous Bible scriptures to substantiate their belief. I would highly recommend that you check out The Sanctuary Church, http://www.TheSanctuaryNH.org , or any other Pentecostal church, and draw your own conclusions about Speaking in Tongues.

An open letter to NH State Rep James Spillane regarding HB 387 (proposed elimination of annual vehicle inspection stickers)

Dear Representative Spillane:

I would agree with you that the current laws surrounding annual vehicle inspection stickers in New Hampshire could definitely use some “modifications”, so to speak, I think we do need to have some safety measures in place for the protection of pedestrians and other motorists on our state’s streets and highways.

It’s bad enough that it is NOT a requirement for a NH resident to have insurance on their vehicle(s), I think we definitely need some type of assurances that the vehicle we’re driving alongside, or passing by, have well maintained brakes, tires, lights, windshield wipers, horn, etc.

I do feel, however, that some of these vehicle maintenance facilities that distribute vehicle inspection stickers ought to be seriously investigated and better regulated by government officials, such as yourself. Several years ago, I personally experienced this situation when one of these shyster facilities in Hudson, screwed me over for “supposedly” needing four (4) brand new tires due to the fact that just one of my tires had microscopic cracks in the sidewall. To read more details of my particular situation, log onto this link:

https://onebaddecisionawayfromhomelessness.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/monro-mufflers-hudson-nh-screws-me-regarding-annual-inspection-sticker/

So in the event Mr. Spillane that your fellow legislators don’t support your recent (or current) proposal to completely eliminate the annual vehicle inspection stickers, would you respectfully consider amending (or resubmitting) your Bill to include the following:

1) Right to Appeal a Failure: So if a motorist goes to one of these facilities during their Birthday month, and the vehicle winds up being “Failed” – What options does that motorist have? If they tried to take the maintenance facility to Small Claims Court, you probably won’t get a case scheduled for about 4-5 months down the road (at least in the Nashua area). By that time, your inspection sticker will have long expired and you’ll be driving your vehicle illegally – is that fair? In my particular situation with Monro Muffler, they ONLY told me that they could put four new tires on my car, right then and there, for a mere $600 or so. They NEVER informed me of any right I may have had to appeal its decision to Fail my car. Perhaps New Hampshire should initiate a new Court system specifically to hear appeals on vehicle inspection sticker “failures”.

2) Right to a Second Opinion (or, why is a “Failure” locked into a computer network system?): When I had “failed” on my inspection sticker with Monro Muffler, I discovered it had entered my vehicle into a computer network (or Red Flagged it) stating the reason why they failed it – What authorized these shysters to do that? Why couldn’t I have the opportunity to have another “certified” NH facility to view my car and see if they too would agree that it “required” to get four brand new tires? It just seems like the State Rep who originally designed the legislation governing annual inspection stickers actually owned one of these vehicle maintenance facilities, knowing that they’d pocket a ton of money in the long run.

3) Why can’t the annual inspection sticker fee be just ONE STATEWIDE DOLLAR AMOUNT?: After talking to numerous Granite Staters about how I got ripped-off from Monro Muffler on my inspection sticker several years back, everybody then advised me to stay the heck away from car dealerships, and chain maintenance franchises, like Monro Muffler, which more often than not, seem to offer inspection stickers for like $10 or less – but then these rip-off artists are more inclined to “Fail” you for the most trivial type things and you’ll find yourself owing several hundred, maybe even several thousand, dollars just to get an inspection sticker. So why not put ALL “certified” NH vehicle inspection sticker facilities on the SAME LEVEL PLAYING FIELD when it comes to the price of these things? If nothing else, it’ll help NH resident from being unwittingly lured into a facility offering a lower price but, realistically, setting them up for a royal screwing.

Hey, don’t get me wrong, Rep. Spillane, if you’re successful on your bid to totally eliminate annual NH vehicle inspection stickers, that’ll work just fine for me as well. I’ll personally do anything and everything to keep my own vehicle safe and protective for me and my family, as well as pedestrians and other motorists. And, of course, keep a close eye on other motorists who might be driving on bad brakes or flimsy tail lights.

But if you need to do a little politicking or compromising to get your Bill through, I sure hope you consider some, if not all, of my suggestions here. Good luck, sir, and I’ll be carefully watching how this Bill proceeds through our State legislature.

How do YOU know for sure if a Panhandler is legitimately needy?

(So what exactly do you think about this particular issue?

I think the comments which were posted on NashuaTelegraph.com immediately following this article are much more revealing about this subject than the article itself — see initial comment to this particular Thread. 

On the one hand, you’d love to help out someone who’s genuinely needy. People are losing their jobs, as well as their homes. It’s really tough to pay your regular bills and buy food for your family to survive.

But on the flip-side of that, what about these panhandlers who post their exploits on Facebook with their i-Pads? Or dress up in more expensive clothes than you or I have? Or drive away from their popular begging spots, much of the time in Cadillacs or some other newer and pricey model vehicle? To donate money to folks like that, would make most people feel as if they’ve just been ripped-off.

And lets not forget that panhandlers who stand out and walk around busy intersections can easily cause accidents, hence that’s probably why most communities initiate laws against jay walking.

So do you think communities like, Hudson NH are just ignorant for denying panhandlers the right to get some money to help make ends meet — or do you feel they’re justified on instituting ordinances to prevent these types of practices?)

Beggars Beware: Hudson (NH) officials examine anti-panhandling ordinance

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1022827-469/beggars-beware-hudson-officials-examine-anti-panhandling-ordinance.html

By BRADFORD RANDALL

Staff Writer

12-3-13

HUDSON – Panhandling has become a new focus of concern for several selectmen who have begun debating the merits of outlawing beggars within town borders.

“We’ve talked to the police department on a number of occasions, and it’s becoming a big problem,” Selectman Ben Nadeau said at the board’s Nov. 26 meeting.

Nadeau said his inspiration for proposing an anti-panhandling ordinance came when he became witness to an accident caused by a motorist giving money to a beggar. Nadeau said the motorist had stopped at a green light to give money to the panhandler when they were rear-ended by another vehicle.

“It’s a big scheme,” Nadeau said. “People are feeding this problem by giving (panhandlers) money.”

Nadeau’s concerns were echoed by Selectman Roger Coutu, who said he hopes that Hudson follows a recent example set by the city of Lowell, which banned panhandling downtown after a controversial vote by the city council earlier this month.

Coutu said he has been in contact with Lowell City Councilor Martin E. Lorrey about crafting a similar ordinance in Hudson.

“The ordinance is well crafted,” Coutu said. “There is one exception that would be for nonprofits.”

Coutu said any anti-panhandling ordinance in Hudson should take nonprofit activities, such as the fire department’s boot drive, into consideration.

Coutu also elaborated on Nadeau’s suggestion that panhandlers in Hudson were operating as part of a “scheme.”

“They’re standing out there … and you can watch them as they leave,” Coutu said. “They go down to their new vehicles.”

Coutu said Nashua is also expressing interest in anti-panhandling measures that would replicate the ones in Lowell.

However, Selectman Chairman Rick Maddox was less than enthusiastic about the suggestion of an anti-panhandling ordinance and said it likely would have little effect.

“I think this is just a case of making an ordinance that isn’t going to do us much good,” Maddox said.

Selectman Nancy Brucker remained silent during the discussion and Selectman Ted Luszey said any ordinance should be geared toward enforcement, should the need arise.

No decision relating to an anti-panhandling ordinance was made at the Nov. 26 meeting but Maddox directed the two main proponents of an ordinance, Nadeau and Coutu, to “continue the search for good stuff about panhandling.”

Maddox said the board likely would revisit the idea of an anti-panhandling ordinance, once more information is gathered, at an upcoming selectmen’s meeting.