My daughter Kristin usually tells me when she is expecting to have guests staying with her, so it was unusual when she drove up Saturday night around 10:30 P.M. and there was another car following her. Two young women from out of state were in the second car. They spent the night at my daughter’s house and went to church with her Sunday morning. The young women left in the early afternoon. When Kristin arrived back home, I called and asked about her “unexpected” guests.” Kristin responded that they were expected and unexpected. I said, “So you were expecting unexpected guests to arrive?” Kristin responded affirmatively. She went on to explain that the young women had contacted her earlier about coming down for a visit, but circumstances arose that led them to cancel their plans. At the last moment circumstances changed again so they drove down for their previously planned visit. They arrived unexpectedly. However they were not wholly unexpected, but rather expected.
I don’t blame you if you find the previous paragraph difficult to read. It was difficult to write. There is a purpose to my sharing what may appear on the surface to be an innocuous experience. I too had an unexpected guest this week, as well as some unexpected experiences. On Tuesday the 6th I had just begun working on a new blog post when my phone rang. It was an unknown number, so I did not answer it. The phone had rung earlier in the morning, but it too was an unknown number, so I did not answer it that time either, and no one left a message. The second time the phone rang the caller left a message, so I listened to it. As I did, I learned that a brother in Christ whom I had met for the first time last year while I was staying on Jekyll Island, was in a nearby town and was coming to visit me. Jonathan ended up staying with me over the course of six days, resulting in some great times of fellowship.
Jonathan’s arrival was unexpected, though it was not unwelcome. Jonathan is twenty years my junior, and has been living an unusual life the past thirteen months. When he came to visit me last year, he arrived on his first day of living out of a van he had recently purchased. He was convicted at that time of the Lord leading him to make numerous significant changes in his life. He described his life B.V. (Before Van) as antisocial, unhealthy, and unrighteous. Jonathan is 6'-1" and weighed 300 pounds when he left his comfortable and unhealthy life and embarked upon what he refers to now as his “trip.” It is a trip that has lasted more than a year. During this time he has parked on Federal forest lands, at wildlife management areas, and Army Corps of Engineers public sites. He has not paid rent a single night, but has been living off the grid while learning to follow the Spirit of Christ wherever He would lead.
Jonathan has also made significant changes to his diet. He eats what he has described as a modified “Paleo” diet; Lots of raw fruits and vegetables, along with nuts and meats and cheese when he can get them. Since he does not have a kitchen in his van, he does virtually no cooking. He has also started running and working out for about 2 hours each day. It was a pleasant surprise to find that he had lost 65 lbs. since his visit with me a year ago. I believe the reduction of the flesh also parallels a work Yahweh has been accomplishing in his life spiritually, for Jonathan manifested a great sensitivity to the voice of God, and spoke often of the convicting work of the Holy Spirit to bring him to rule over the passions of the flesh.
I do not believe it was coincidental that Jonathan arrived when he did. I had been praying for a couple days that Yahweh would speak to me about what to expect in 2015. The blog article I was laboring on, when Jonathan unexpectedly called me, was on this very subject, but I sensed I needed further clarity from the Father before posting anything on this matter. That morning I had prayed and asked the Father to speak to me about the coming year that I might know what to share with His people. Only after Jonathan departed on Sunday, and after I had the aforementioned conversation with my daughter, did I realize that Yahweh answered my prayer regarding the character of the upcoming year by sending me an unexpected guest. Yahweh’s answer to my petition came in an unanticipated form. Consequently, I did not recognize it for what it was until I had time for later reflection.
As I consider the matter now, I am able to discern the profound means by which Yahweh answered my prayer. Rather than simply speaking to me by His Spirit, Yahweh chose to give me an experience which served as both message and messenger. Jonathan arrived unexpectedly, and we spoke over the course of our time together about readying ourselves for events that we expect to arrive unexpectedly.
In answer to my prayer to know what to share with His people about what to anticipate in the year 2015, Yahweh altered my day, and the ensuing week, quite unexpectedly. The Spirit of Yahweh is impressing upon my heart the message I am to share with Christians this year is to “Expect the Unexpected” in 2015.
Yahweh further emphasized this message to me through a number of unexpected events that occurred during the week Jonathan was visiting. Foremost among them was that we had some unusually cold weather for this part of Georgia. It was fortuitous that Jonathan visited me at this time, for he does not normally have access to electricity. Consequently, he does not own an electric heater. I have a spare heater, a small ceramic heating unit, and was able to set Jonathan up so that he could have heat in his van at night. The temperature dipped down to 16 degrees Fahrenheit one night, followed by a day when the temperature did not rise above the 30s. The following two nights were in the low 20s. It was so cold that Champ’s water dish froze solid.
Chunk of Ice from Champ’s Water Dish
On the coldest day, the drain from my kitchen sink to my waste water holding tank froze up. This had never occurred before. It resulted in my not being able to use the sink for about 24 hours. Also, the water line running to the toilet in my RV froze up, so it had to be flushed by pouring water into the bowl from another source. My bus/RV would have been frigid if I had to rely only upon the single electric heater I run in it. The heater generally does a good job as long as the temperature remains above freezing, but it is insufficient for colder temperatures. Fortunately, Yahweh allowed me to install a cast iron wood stove in my bus when I outfitted it. The wood stove quickly heats the 200 square feet of living space in my bus, removing the chill and making it quite toasty. I ran the wood stove for portions of 3-4 days last week, making it quite comfortable for me to entertain my guest inside the bus.
Although it is unusual to have such cold days here in this part of the state of Georgia, it is not unheard of. Consequently, I both anticipated and made provision for cold weather. In essence, I was expecting the unexpected, and I was ready for it. I had even gotten outside on a number of days in the previous two months to cut firewood with the battery operated chain saw I purchased a couple years ago. (See the article linked below to read about the chain saw.)
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/home-improvements.html
Acquiring the battery powered chain saw was itself an act of preparation for days whose character cannot be perfectly forecast. I have good reason to anticipate that there will be times when gasoline and electricity will be unavailable either due to my relocating to remote places, or disruptions to supply and infrastructure in this nation. I believe the Spirit of Christ has indicated such experiences to be forthcoming, and I have acted accordingly to make provision for these events. I am living in expectation of the unexpected. In other words, I do not anticipate what is now accepted as “normal life” in America to continue unabated or uninterrupted.
During one of our conversations, Jonathan shared with me about his initial launch out into the van-living he has been experiencing for the past 13 months. He shared that the Spirit of Christ spoke to him, communicating that he could voluntarily surrender to embrace a departure from a “normal” American lifestyle 13 months ago, or the change would come upon him suddenly and with little notice at a later time. Jonathan sensed the Spirit advising him that it was much better to yield to the Spirit’s guidance for his life, for then he would have the opportunity to consider at length what possessions to take with him on his “trip.” He would also have an extended period of time to find out what worked, and what did not work, and to discover what additional items he needed, and to adapt to the changes required to his lifestyle.
Jonathan informed me that part of his motivation for taking up running is that the days ahead hold the potential for much trouble in the form of societal unrest. He wants to be physically ready to exit a dangerous or threatening situation, should he “unexpectedly” find himself in one. Jonathan is a living example of someone who is making himself ready physically and spiritually as he expects the unexpected in days near at hand. I would stress that Jonathan did not “choose” this form of living through the reasoning of his soul, or as some personal ambition to live a non-traditional life. He has shared with me on a number of occasions that he sensed God directing him to this mode of living.
I bear much concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are living as if the good times and days of peace and prosperity will continue forever. The Spirit has been testifying solemnly, and showing through many signs and parables, that troublous days are near at hand. Just to mention two recent testimonies through which the Spirit of Christ has spoken, I would refer readers to the blog posts on the former ocean liner, the SS United States facing the imminent peril of being scrapped, and the young woman named Christian Faith who died of heart failure caused by fear as she was at a horror theme park.
America on Deathwatch
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/america-on-deathwatch.html
Christian Faith Dies in the Land of Illusion
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/christian-faith-dies-in-land-of-illusion.html
The world is full of threats at this time. Calamity could come from any quarter. The dollar could collapse, plunging America and the world into great economic turmoil, societal unrest, and martial law. There could be terrorist attacks, an outbreak of some plague such as Ebola, or war. In the following article I listed a number of threats, and posed the question “Come What May, Are You Ready?”
Come What May, Are You Ready?
http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/come-what-may-are-you-ready.html
Yesterday morning a brother in Christ sent me a link to an article on the Vigilant Citizen website. The post was examining the January 2015 magazine cover for The Economist. This is a Rothschild owned publication that is used to promote the views of the New World Order and to serve as an organ for disseminating their propaganda to the world. The cover of the magazine was styled after the album cover for the Beatles’ 8th studio album titled Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The magazine cover contained a collage of images, mostly consisting of famous persons, while also including some symbols whose interpretation is deeply disturbing due to what they may be predicting. You can read the article on Vigilant Citizen at the link below.
http://vigilantcitizen.com/vigilantreport/economist-2015-cover-filled-cryptic-symbols-dire-predictions/
(Click on Image to View Larger)
There are an abundance of cryptic messages and forewarnings on this magazine cover. A person could spend massive amounts of time chasing all the rabbit trails that present themselves from this one piece of artwork. No doubt the depiction of Alice from Alice in Wonderland, who chased the rabbit down the rabbit hole, is intended as a reference to those who will give themselves to chasing after all the possible future scenarios. It should be kept in mind that the Rothschilds and their ilk are servants of Satan, and they operate upon the same principles as their master. He is a liar and a deceiver. You will never get a straight answer, or an honest prediction of what is to come, through Satan or his servants. There will always be some subtlety, some cunning at work. Consequently, trying to divine the future by following the trail of bread crumbs such people leave behind is fraught with peril.
What we can be certain of is that evil men and fallen angels have planned many diabolical events for coming days. Satan comes to “kill, steal, and destroy.” This is Christ’s own testimony regarding the devil. We can therefore be assured that as Satan’s plans come to maturity now at the end of this age, they will include much death, theft of wealth and prosperity, and destruction. How these things manifest is anyone’s guess, and the servants of Satan want humanity to keep on guessing. The message of the Holy Spirit, however, is simply to Expect the Unexpected.
If the people of God will yield themselves to be led of the Spirit of Christ in all their actions, Yahweh will prepare them both spiritually and physically for what is to come. Although we may see the events of the future through a glass darkly, there are no surprises for God. He sees the future as clearly as the past or the present. Yahweh will have His sons and daughters in readiness if they will submit themselves to His rule and authority.
The question should be answered, “How does one live in expectation of the unexpected?” One of the vital requirements is that the people of God remain pliable and supple in the hands of their Creator. If you are rigid and inflexible; if you are unmovable from the life you have been living, unwilling to accept anything other than a 9-5 job, a home in the suburbs, and the typical American way of life with its amusements and pleasures, you will undoubtedly find yourself unprepared when all these things are suddenly wrested from you.
Over the course of my ministry I have encountered numerous individuals like Jonathan (and some families) who have yielded themselves to follow the Lord wherever He would lead. Many are living non-traditional lifestyles and are considered unorthodox in their spiritual beliefs. Nonetheless, this remnant are being used of God as lights in a world that is growing ever darker. Because they are surrendered to accept whatever form of living Yahweh chooses for them, they are being made ready for days of uncertainty which are quickly approaching.
Jonathan Helping Me Prepare Newsletters to Send to Men in Prison
On a closing note, I would share that through the gracious financial gifts of brothers and sisters in Christ, I have acquired a replacement printer, additional toner cartridges, and toner refill units so that I can print out the new series of newsletters I am adding to the Parables Bookshelf series. Jonathan helped me to print out five different mailings for these men, to staple them, fold them, and seal them with labels. I have not found any less expensive means of getting the newsletters printed, so I continue to print them myself with the color laser printer in my bus. The first batch of newly added newsletters went out in the mail today, along with the regular mailing of newsletters. This more than doubled the amount I send out weekly. I am deeply grateful to be able to continue to reach a growing number of men in prison with the teachings Yahweh has entrusted to me.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
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