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August 02, 09 & 16, 2008
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

I really need to write a report every week. It is too stressful to try to remember what went on each time we minister. Sometimes the events bleed into one another, especially when we are in the same place every week. But I'll do my best.
     August 02, 2008 My good friend and brother in Christ John Billman and his family joined me this night. He was also with us last weekend, had to work in Milwaukee during the week (he's a commercial pilot), and decided to come back again for fellowship and to do ministry with us. We set up in front of Nig's Bar on Broadway in the Dells, as usual, not because of the bar so much, but because it is the busiest corner. There is a protected left turn for some of the traffic, which causes people to have to wait longer than at other corners. Even so, we do get residuals from the bar. It was a good night of ministry. We usually pass out about 1000 tracts each Saturday night, and this night was no different. The weather was perfect, and we had many good conversations with people on the street. I printed up some tracts in Arabic in the afternoon, because so many Muslims speak Arabic, and I did end up having a long debate with three young Muslim men, but they were from Afghanistan, and did not speak Arabic. Oh well, you can't have lit in every language.
     Daniel, who owns the sleazy t-shirt shop next to where we minister, came over and asked me if I would move to another location. He didn't do it in a nice way (not that I would have moved anyway). He said, "You know, no one wants you around here. Why can't you move down a little way in front of the photographer's shop that is closed?" I just told him I like this corner, and that I'm only here once a week. Later, a young punk kind of kid, about 18 or so, came up with a veiled threat. He got in my face and he said, "Don't you ever say anything about Daniel or about his store." And so I said, "Well, all I've said is that he has sleazy t-shirts in his shop." He told me, "Well, you better not be saying anything bad about him, or else!" I asked him, "Or else what?" and he just said, "That's all, just 'or else!'" I asked him what he thought I said bad about Daniel, and he said that I had called him a dirty Jew. I told him I would never say that to anyone, but that I had only told Daniel that his Jewishness could not save him, and that his sleazy t-shirts exposed his heart, and that if he really loved God, he wouldn't be selling sleazy items. Then I started to witness to him this kid, and we got onto the subject of immorality. Then he got extremely vile and said, "Oh yeah?! Well, I like to ---- girls! If I want to ---- twenty girls every night I will!" Then he walked away. This night, Daniel also continued his loud singing, trying to drown us out, which is his right, but he kept turning up the music in his store really loud, and it was tough to speak over that. By the way, "sleazy" can mean "morally degraded" or "disreputable." That's my opinion, it's not slander. Especially in a religious situation.
     August 09, 2008 I was joined this night by my friend Jim Knickerbocker, his wife Debbie, and their two boys. My grand-daughter Kasey was also along as well as were my wife and our four children, and my our friend Victor and two youngsters joined us. We had the biggest crowds of listeners ever. At one point there were nearly 60 people listening at once. It's always hard in the Dells to get people to stop. They are all in such a hurry to get somewhere. I used this to its advantage and called out, "There's gonna be a lot of church-goers in hell!" This tended to cause people to stop more, and to debate with us. Pew-warmers don't like to hear the reality of their destiny, and it gets their demons hopping. At least once every Saturday night, and sometimes three or four times, a "bachelorette party" will flow down the street and into Nig's bar, often toting a perverted inflatable item, such as a six-foot penis or a life-sized "anatomically correct" doll. Funny how many of those girls end up being Catholic. How do I know? I ask them, and they tell me. The Dells is such a family place, isn't it? The photo below is of some nice bar-hopping Catholic girls dressed as Devils.
     One man was very drunk and got down on his knees in front of me with his hands in the air, and then bowed over and over with his hands to the ground. His drunken father kept pulling him up from the ground. A woman was literally screeching out something for a while and had to be dragged away physically by her friends. I didn't pay much attention to her, because she was near the rear of the crowd, but it seemed to me that she was trying to get through the crowd so she could get at me in some way, but then her friends restrained her. This went on for some time, and she was dragged away, screeching and struggling. This kind of stuff makes more people stop to see what's going on, and so I then use that opportunity to speak the Gospel clearly to the crowd. I looked out over the crowd and saw many sober eyes that were listening to my words, and so I am not discouraged into thinking that I am merely preaching to a bunch of drunks. Some people stay for a long time, some for hours. It's like they can't get away. The Word of God is alive and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword! I explain very clearly to the listeners that you cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve money, a party lifestyle or an immoral lifestyle, and serve God at the same time. You'll hate the one and hold to the other. This parable of Jesus goes deeper than just money. I tell the listeners what Titus says in 1:16, that "they profess to know God, but in their works they deny him." I say, "Jesus said, 'If you love me, keep my commandments' and 'Why do you call me Lord, but you don't do what I say.'" It's amazing how many people think they can live an immoral life and still claim salvation. One disgusting, filthy-mouthed woman screamed at me, "Don't you know that God never judges, you a--hole?!!!" I told her and all those listening, "What about in Revelation where it says that all those whose names were not found in the book of life were cast into the Lake of Fire? Huh? Isn't that judgment? Jesus said to the adulteress, 'Go and sin no more.'" Where do people get these twisted ideas?
     Often, people think they are very clever in front of all the others in the crowd, and their words end up as fuel for the preaching of God's Word. One fellow yelled out that God is just the invention of man, and I said, "It's true. Most people's gods are of their own creation. They make up a god (small "g"), even a god that seems like the Christian God, who will fit their lifestyle and approve of their sins, but the true God is a Holy God that has a standard of righteousness!" I always stress the fact that salvation is a free gift, and that we cannot earn it, but that God demands that those who believe live a certain way. One line I use is, "Those who don't obey do not truly believe!" Another woman yelled out, "Homosexuality is not a sin!!!" I quickly asked, "Do you believe in God, young lady?" and she said "Of course not!!!" so I replied, "Then why do you care what I consider sin? Sin is the transgression of God's law, and breaking God's law makes a person a sinner!!!" Many Catholics (and others in false or dead denominations) are notorious for initially defending their faith, but then when they are cornered they begin to cast doubt upon God and God's Word. Hmmm...
     At one point earlier this evening, before I started to preach, I had moved down the sidewalk a bit, because there were about six of us passing out tracts in the same area. So I stood in front of Daniel's store, between his two doors, in front of his window. I was not preaching, just saying hello to people and giving them a tract. I was totally within the law to be there. About ten minutes later he came out and told me, "Look, I'm only going to tell you once, get away from my store, and that's all I'm going to say." So I asked him, "And then what?" And he said, "Then I'll call the cops." When the police came, he had two or more people in the store say that I had been standing in front of his door, which I never do (in fact, I occasionally need to tell someone with me to stand back from a door). The police interviewed me, and I told them that my whole family and my friends were "right over there" (like twenty feet away), and they could see clearly that I was not in front of the door. I told the police officer that the legal way to handle this would be to inform Daniel of my right to be on a sidewalk. While the officer was in Daniel's store, I went back over to where our people were. I eventually had a nice talk with the lieutenant, who told me that there was an ordinance that said that the store owners had control of the sidewalk three feet out from the building. I doubted that, and told him I'd look it up. As a side note, I had a nice half-hour talk with the police chief in his office on August 18th, and he told me that this would only apply if the store was set back from the sidewalk three feet (which I was well-aware of). Anyway, nothing ever came of the complaint and the lies.
     A woman who said she was a nurse at a hospital spoke with us for a while and thanked us over and over again for what we were doing. We gave her plenty of literature to take along.
     During the night there were two young women that had made their own signs. One said, "Don't Listen (with an arrow pointing our way) God Loves All. We Love All." The other sign said "Police: 608-253-1611. File a Complaint." They stood near us for quite a long time, trying to rouse sympathy for their cause. They got a bit of sympathy, but they weren't as fun as we were.
     Early on, a young man named John came up and made an issue of homosexuality, asking what was wrong with it, and why, if two people loved each other, shouldn't they be allowed to love each other, and all that rot. Although he was a bit irate, I sensed a tenderness, and I opened the Bible with him, and read him some passages and told him the truth. He'd said he was a Lutheran, and that he believed in God, so I didn't need to jump that hurdle. He soon changed his attitude, and began defending us, and by the end of the evening he was on our side. He even walked back to our car with us and helped carry some of our equipment. That's him on the bench with Stephanie. All in all, this was a great night of ministry.
     August 16, 2008 (my birthday!) Tonight we were joined by Victor and family, Mary, a teen friend of our daughters, and Ben, youth pastor from our church. As soon as we set up this night, an officer came up and asked if we could talk. I said sure and stepped around the corner with him. He informed me that Daniel had taken out a restraining order against me. He asked me if I had been served with the papers, and I told him no. He called in and then told me that if he found out that I had been served, and if I was still there, he would arrest me. I said okay, because I hadn't been served. I told him that if I had been served, that I would not be there, because I am not a fool. I went back to pass out tracts and inform my family of what he'd told me. I began to wonder also about what Daniel had told the police or the court, in order to get the restraining order. (FYI: a restraining order is only temporary until the scheduled hearing, where both sides give their versions of the story, then the judge determines whether or not it should be continued or thrown out. Even so, it's a hassle having to defend yourself against false accusations, even if there are no criminal charges.) I suspected that Daniel had told lies, and found out later that nearly everything he said was a lie, as you'll read below. I had a talk again with the lieutenant, who tried to say I would be the "bigger man" if I chose another place to minister this night. I told him that a restraining order has no effect until it is served, and that I had not done anything to deserve that kind of treatment, and that I was standing my ground. I merely went on with our ministry.
     This night of ministry was just as good as the previous week. One girl didn't like my sign that had Catholicism listed under "false hopes," and she yelled, "I'm a Catholic and I go to church every Sunday you m----r f----r!!!" Really loud, too. This was not just some person who claimed to go to church, she was adamant about her religion (and quite proficient in vile language, I might add). She continued to rail at me in the vilest language I have heard in awhile. She pulled out all the stops and I think she might have secretly consulted her dictionary of smut. She went on and on until my good heckler handler (my wife Evi) started a conversation with her and distracted her off to the side. We quit at about 10:30 as we had to leave quite early in the morning for Milwaukee.
     August 17th 2008 We drove to Milwaukee and worshiped with Mercy Seat Christian Church. My two girls, Stephanie and Nicole, were joining a number of people from this church, along with others, to go to Colorado on a pro-life tour, which is designed to raise the awareness of the November ballot where citizens of that state can vote on whether or not the unborn should be considered persons, with all the legal and constitutional protections that persons enjoy. Seems like a no-brainer, eh?
      August 18th 2008 I drove to the Courthouse in Portage to view the file concerning the restraining order. Yes, Daniel had told them numerous lies, for example, that every Saturday night I stand in front of his store and tell people not to have abortions. We have never set up in front of his store, and only once did I stand in front of his store, for ten minutes handing our tracts. And, he stated that I continually call him a "dirty Jew" and a "filthy Jew." Those are not things that I ever say.
     August 19th 2008 I contacted Liberty Counsel and asked to talk to an attorney.
     August 20th 2008 I had a forty-minute talk with an attorney from Liberty Counsel who advised me, among other things, to go to the hearing this afternoon, even though I have not been served. I wrote up as much as I could in notes, packed up my family, picked up my grand-daughter (who is a witness), and headed to Portage. Two judges had recused themselves because they were my clients (of my p.i. biz), and the hearing does not proceed. The hearing has not been rescheduled as of this writing. The lady at the desk tells me that the temporary restraining order stays in effect, even though the papers say they are in effect only until Wednesday, August 20, 2008. So I am now wondering whether or not I should set up this Saturday at the usual spot. I will probably speak with an attorney tonight or tomorrow.
     Thanks for being there, my friends. We just continue to fight the good fight. The Word goes out. Seeds are planted. God brings forth the increase.
     Enjoy the photos. They say as much or more than words. Most of the time the photos don't show the sincere listeners in the back, those with the desperate looks on their faces, but it's the clowns and jesters in the front that end up most prominent in the photos. Don't let that discourage you. See the photo of Evi sharing truth with the woman.
     Please pray that we will be victorious in this restraining order business, that we get a judge who is not anti-Christ, and will see that Daniel is playing the victim, and playing the Jewish card, to try to use the law to violate our right to preach the gospel publicly. By the way, the police chief and I had a great talk on Monday (what a nice man he is), and he told me that he had informed his officers that I was totally within the law to be there, and that Daniel doesn't hold much credibility with the police. I found out on my own that Daniel was charged in July of 1999 (in Wisconsin) and then convicted of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. A charge of using a child to manufacture or distribute drugs was dismissed, probably in a plea bargain. Did he learn his lesson? Four months later he was busted in Florida (and subsequently convicted) for possession of MDMA (ecstasy) and marijuana and drug paraphernalia. And now, just a couple months ago, he got a drunk driving ticket in Wisconsin. Pray also for him—if you pray—that the Word of God will mightily change his heart and convict him of sin.
     Also, pray for this ministry, that we would continue to be bold, that we would speak the Lord's words, and that we would have protection from harm and arrest.

Because of Jesus,

KNOW JESUS
KNOW PEACE