1. Joe the plumber
2. Kermit the frog
3. Cedric the Entertainer
4. Vlad the Impaler
5. Mott the Hoople
6. Felix the Cat
7. John the Baptist
8. Mack the Knife
9. Bozo the Clown
10. Eric the Red
11. Mandrake the Magician
12. Sonic the Hedgehog
Not including kings and queens.
My situation is beyond ridiculous. I can’t give my work away. How utterly sad.
On January 1, 2007, I had a dream about a 16 year old girl named Sarah Conrad. She lived in a small town in Montana in the year 1910. She went through various trials and used wisdom and Christian values to succeed.
In April of 2008, I perfected this dream through my website. I made all of my stories free and filled them chalk full of good stuff. The result of my efforts has been a deafening silence.
I am under the delusion that the majority of mass media has horrendous messages aimed at teenagers. With this in mind, I’ve tried to contact churches and let them know about my material. From June to July, I called 130 churches. I spoke to numerous ministers and youth ministers. The result…. deafening silence.
I went to the Spiritual Growth Workshop. I wore a t-shirt that said “Jason Gold Trap .com” and I passed out 150 business cards. The result… deafening silence.
The only logical summization I can make from this experience is that I am trapped aboard a Klingon Bird of Prey and I am being held inside of a holodeck. In the real world, the mass media is full of positive message aimed at teens.
“Gossip Girls”? Apparently this show has never been watched by anyone. Sure, why not? Bad media is an illusion like that whole fake hurricane Ike which alegedly hit Texas.
Frustrated beyond belief, any other human would have given up long, long ago, but I, the insuferable Christian masochists, sails on. I believe the work I am doing is not held within the bounds of perceivable reality nor fettered to my fragile, falible ego.
My most recent effort to get attention is a video aimed at Richland Hills Church of Christ in Dallas, Texas. Check out the video on YouTube. Only a few folks have seen and I’ve heard nothing from the two men specifically mentioned. They probably think I’m a stalker. It’s a lot of fun to believe the worst in people. The truth is, however, I’m more like a prophet. I have a story to tell and I refuse to let it be silenced by the forces of evil manifesting themselves through rejection. Oh, no, not I- I will survive. I write on and on and on. Let God be praised. -Jason Goldtrap www.JasonGoldtrap.com
I exist.
Though I have no children or even a job right now I know God appreciates my efforts to reach out to people with my novels. Please visit…
JasonGoldtrap.com
I’m Jason Goldtrap and I am this message.
Praising God in an Economic Downturn
Delivered to Central Church of Christ, Haines City, Florida
By Jason Goldtrap on October 8, 2008
www.JasonGoldtrap.com > Jason’s World > My Devos > Downturn Blessings
Origin: Greed manifested through consumerism. Assigning blame to any one party or person at this point is moot because the problem has only just begun. Blame the true cause- greed: which is, idolatry. Neither presidential candidate is capable of or intends to change the inevitable conclusion of this matter. Isaiah 3:4-5.
Blessing One: Recognize God as the Author of Life, Director of Providence and King of all men. 1 Timothy 1:17, Proverbs 19:23, Philippians 4:11-13. We are made for times as these. God put us here for a reason. The world needs to hear this blessing. Ephesians 4:17-19 & 29, Proverbs 19:21.
Blessing Two: Sow and Reap. As a nation we must return to principle centered living. A nation is a people; a people are individuals. For two generations, the consumerism economic model has ruled in America; in the last ten years, that model has transferred to most of the world. Instead of manufacturing goods or growing food, the primary function of most workers has been to push paper. There is no substitute for using your hands to work. The most immediate way to demonstrate this is to grow a garden. Any amount of food will be a blessing to others.
Ephesians 4:28, Proverbs 12:14, Joel 2:26, Philippians 4:14-19, 1 Timothy 6:18.
Blessing Three: Know your neighbors. Tell them God reigns. Proverbs 22:9, Luke 6:38, 1 Timothy 4:1-5.
Blessing Four: Father, Mother, Child and Church. Establish in your hearts and under your roof that God has ordained the family to exist, behave and prosper in a defined manner. Mother is different from father. Infidelity is a sin. Children are a blessing. Boys must be forged to be leaders by their fathers. Proverbs 19:18. Girls must be taught to be beautiful. 1 Peter 3:1-7. Stronger families lead to stronger churches which are inoculated from most worldly woe. Submission, tenderness, obedience, selflessness, forgiveness, beauty: this is your necessary vocabulary. Consider your entertainment choices only by how they will uplift your family. Read my novels on my website. There is no cost, nothing to join and I don’t care who you vote for. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.
Blessing Five: Hand up. Pass along skills. Teach girls to be productive, entrepreneurs, to listen to their head over their hearts. 1 Timothy 3:11. Teach boys to be leaders, innovators and mechanics devoted to a higher calling. 2 Timothy 1:7. Teach older men and women to be worthy of honor. Titus 2:1-3 & 11-15. Real world skills.
Conclusion: Recession or Depression. 1 year or 10 years. God is in control. Every day, every circumstance is an opportunity for Christians to spread the Good News. Psalm 27:1-3
Noah Webster, the Father of American Scholarship and Education, once said, “God has provided but one way, by which nations can secure their rights and privileges … by obedience to His laws. Without this, a nation may be great in population, great in wealth, and great in military strength; but it must be corrupt in morals, degraded in character, and distracted with factions.”
Jason Goldtrap in 2008 said, “When you obey God, you live with liberty and self-determination. When you disobey God, you induce a life of concession and tyranny.”
Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free, ‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right, ‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gain’d, To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d, To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning, turning we come round right.
-Elder Joseph Brackett, 1848
