"A COUNTRY CALLED NEW YORK"

DAY TWO

Well, you might not think New York is a country to itself but it is far a different from the country I'm used to. That culture shock thing, it was sneaking up on me.

Day two, I would be able to experience something very special, "The Brooklyn Tabernacle." Wow! This is the place you hear about but just don't believe in till you really experienced it. The church is an old theater and there is no mistaking it because of the beautiful architecture. Now I don't use the "beautiful" word much without just cause and this was much just cause. Just being in the room was worshipful enough, but when the choir started to sing... WOW!!! You could fill the presence of the LORD God almighty. I've heard that choir on CD before but in person, WOW! For me that was the warm up because I'm into the preaching of God's Word.

Jim Cymbala steps to the "holy desk," and although he didn't stay at the desk long, he began to share a strong message. Now just a side note. I had been selected to preach, that's right preach, and although I had made efforts to prepare my heart and mind, I was having some confident issues of my skill of presenting the true Gospel to grown men and women who had such great needs in their lives. This was just what I needed. To hear a guy like this guy put it out there with confidence and fullness of the Spirit really helped me with my focus. Well, at least for a little while.

After Brook Tab we headed to the USS Intrepid. Concerts were placed and New Testaments were to be handed out.

Wow! I've never seen a real air craft carrier before and from what I was told this was one of the small ones. It was decorated with planes from front to back. Their was even a "Black Bird" spy plane there. After lunch and just prior to set up I noticed parade of motor cycles traveling on the adjacent street. It didn't strike me as anything but a parade until I started seeing some of the bikers colors walking around on the flight deck. With a little snooping I found out that this was the anniversary of this club and people were there from all over the USA. The significance was the club was made up of Viet Nam Vets and/or their families. The entire club assembled on the fan tail end of the flight deck. The charter members all held the edges of a giant US Flag while an NYPD chopper took pictures and an NYFD fire boat sprayed red, white and blue water. VERY COOL!

As this ceremony concluded the vets began to leave and the concert began. Now you have to understand that there was no coordination of these events but as these vets walked by and the choirs sang patriotic song the crowd grew in numbers. As the songs of the different branches was sung the vets began to hug each other and cry. I could only sympathize with their feeling but since I had lost some of my friend went but didn't return from Viet Nam I shed tears myself. Don't tell me that God is not sovereign and that He had the right people and the right songs and the right locations together for the blessings of these vets. Maybe a little pay back for their sacrifice.

I will never forget that moment in time.

As we left the "flat top" I met a few of NYPD's finest. Could help but say hey. I told them that I was from those "parts" and one said "no kidding."

Morning would come early when I was to take position at the Holy Desk at our first homeless shelter for the day to present the gospel.