Thursday, February 16, 2023

NOW is the time for a New Great Awakening!

 NOW is the time for a New Great Awakening!

















Early Monday morning (2/13/23), in my devotional reading, Exodus 3:4 got me thinking…. It said “When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ ‘Here I am!’ Moses replied.”  As I read that, I knew I also needed to get a closer, more intimate, look at a “burning bush” (a spontaneous and continuous revival that had started on 2/8/23) that was taking place at Hughes Auditorium on the Campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, KY.


The subject of “Revival” as a whole, and “Revivals” in general, are without a doubt, something I am very passionate about, a part of my daily prayer life, and a key part of my personal Calling and vocation in ministry.  Since the Summer of 2015 I have been a full-time, traveling evangelist, and since the Fall of 2015 I have been inviting others (everywhere I speak) to join me in prayer daily at 3:16pm (see John 3:16) and to ask God to bring about a “New Great Awakening” that would sweep our State, our Nation and the entire Globe.  I believe that the “Awakening” I (and so many others) have been praying for is upon us, and that things like the Asbury Revival are evidence of that fact that we need to take particular note of.


Yesterday, 2/15/23, as a means of turning aside and getting a closer look, my good friend, Pastor Dirk Westerman and I, road-tripped from Kansas to Kentucky.  After driving all day, and… after coming to the aid of a Congolese woman who had been the victim of a hit-and-run traffic accident in Lexington, KY, we finally made it to Wilmore at about 9pm last night.


Arriving in Wilmore, with a long line of cars both in front and behind us, we could definitely see that something significant was… happening.  Once in town, we noticed cars and people were everywhere, and quickly realized that parking was possibly going to be a challenge.  After securing a parking space, one we hoped was legal, we walked towards Hughes Auditorium, and noticed that all over the campus of Asbury Seminary, Asbury University, and all over town, people were milling about, arm in arm, hand in hand, talking, walking, worshiping and praying.  God was touching the lives and the hearts of His people and moving both in and among them.


As we made it onto the Asbury University campus, it intrigued me to see so many people gathered outside, worshiping, praying, talking, and ministering to one another.  Outside of the chapel there was a large screen set up to accommodate those who were waiting to get inside.  Things felt like they were happening… not planned, but as if actions were being taken in response to the leading of God’s Spirit.


As I walked and took video of our approach of Hughes I heard someone say, “Hey, I like your Sweatshirt!  I’m from Western, Kansas!” (I had a Kansas State Hoodie on).  As I turned to see who was talking to me, I found myself face to face with a young man in his early 20’s who said his name was Josh and that he was from Hays, KS.  I’d never met him before but we hugged like we were family and asked each other questions about family, faith, work and exact locations of where we lived and why we were here.  It was awesome!  As we talked… I felt led to do so, and I asked Josh if I could pray for him, he said “Dude, Absolutely!”  As I prayed, God put on my heart to pray Jeremiah 1:4-8 over my new friend, and so I did.  And, as I did, I felt like that passage was not only for Josh in that moment, but that it was a big part of what was happening in this specific “Burning Bush” moment that Dirk and I were there to experience.  Jeremiah 1:4-8 is a part of the calling of Jeremiah the prophet, a young man who, in that passage, had a life altering, personal encounter with God.


   “Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Oh, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.’ But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am a youth’, ‘Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD.’”  - Jeremiah 1:4-8


Last night as we made our way up the steps and into Hughes Auditorium, physically I had a feeling of weightiness and depth, like a truly fulfilling deep breath.  Once inside… things felt so… familiar, like I was supposed to be there.  Like all of us who were there, were “supposed to” be there.  We all felt “purposefully welcome.”  It was like there was something happening I was (we were) “supposed to” see, even if briefly.  Like the moment was “from God” and “for us.”  The worship was… indescribable.  Words like real, raw, vibrant, tangible, spontaneous, intense… none of them do justice to what I heard and participated in.  The voices were… perfect, harmonious, vibrant, passionate, fulfilling, infilling… more than I can explain.  We spent a few hours worshiping, listening, reading Scripture, then… we went to the Altar.  


At the Altar, Dirk and I both spent time in individual prayer, and brought personal things from our own, individual lives, and laid them before God, in that holy space.  On our drive to Kentucky, both of us had talked about things we were struggling with, things we needed, wanted, and hoped God would do while we were there.  There at the Altar, I talked with Jesus about those things from my life.  It was an awesome moment of seeking God’s face, praying privately and together, and praying for one another as brothers in Christ and as friends of more than 30 years, who were both desperately still in need of Jesus.


This morning we got up early, did devotions, had breakfast and hit the road for Kansas.  What will become of the Asbury Awakening of 2023?  I don’t know… but I do know that when God does business with and in the hearts of His people, things change!


“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances.” 

- Ezekiel 36:25-27


This, I believe, is what America needs.  Repentance.  Revival.  Transformation.  “Please Jesus, bring it.  Please, break our hardened hearts.  Replace our stony hearts with hearts of flesh.  Pour out Your Holy Spirit!  Bring about whatever circumstances are necessary to bring us, both as individuals and as a Nation, to our knees and into a right, real and transformational relationship with You!  Come Lord Jesus!”


As for me, I’m so thankful to have been able to carve out the time to “turn aside” and to “come and see” a part of this moment at Asbury University.    With all of my heart I want to both see and be a part of a larger moment and of a new movement of God’s Spirit.  There have been Great Awakenings that have altered the people and the course of our Nation in the past, but I think this one, this one in which we are now in the beginning stages of, will be the Greatest yet.  Bring it Lord, let NOW be the time for a New Great Awakening!

Sunday, November 6, 2022

Election Week and Veteran’s Day Reflections 2022…

 Election Week and Veteran’s Day Reflections 2022…


This past May, my wife and I returned to the United States from a nearly month long adventure/experience in Vietnam.  We returned home having successfully completed a mission of international adoption, and in doing so, brought home with us, a new addition to our family… a sweet, fun-loving, contagiously happy, tremendously curious and very courageous, 9 year old little girl.  We have been blessed beyond words to welcome her into our family, and we love her more than we can even begin to describe.  We are so truly, truly, truly thankful!


It was late on the afternoon of April 30th that my wife and I finished our packing, went to bed early, (and got up even earlier it seemed…) so we could be at the Dwight D. Eisenhower International Airport by 3:30AM and fly out by 6am on 5/1.  That meant that my wife and I had finished packing to leave for Vietnam on the same day that history reminds us that Saigon fell, and that the US had officially packed up and pulled out of Vietnam in 1975.  Consequentially, that meant that we arrived in Vietnam, in “Ho Chi Minh City” (formerly Saigon) on the tail-end of their “Liberation Day / Reunification Day” 3-Day Holiday weekend on May 2nd.  And, for most of the Month of May we found ourselves “in-country” in Vietnam, and traveled the North-to-South length of the Country, from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), all the way to the Capitol of Hanoi in the North, working diligently during our time there to fulfill and complete all of the necessary steps, documents, ceremonies and requirements of and for our adoption process.  


For me, Vietnam has always been an enigma of sorts.  A place of mystery, intrigue, interest and wonder, that took me back to some of my earliest memories of childhood, and to listening to adult conversations with visiting Aunts and Uncles late at night sitting around our kitchen table, or watching the 6 O’clock News with my Mom, and my Nanna and Grandpa.  Literally, all of my life, I have wanted to see Vietnam, to know more about it, and to personally understand and experience it in some way for myself.  Being in Vietnam, this past May, and bringing a child into our family and into our home from that Country, made deep connections in my heart that even reflecting back on them all these months later I cannot fully articulate, or effectively put into words…


Four of my Uncles were US Military Vietnam Era Vets, and my Uncle Will, a United States Marine, shipped out to Vietnam on the day I was born (8/10/1968) and spent most of his tour in and around Da Nang, Vietnam.  My Uncle Pete, USAF, (he disclosed to me on a fishing excursion once) was a part of a team that did insertion type missions, recovering fuel samples and doing demolition of downed US Aircraft in Vietnam.  My Uncle Larry (United States Navy) was at Sea, off the coast of Vietnam (in the South China Sea) during part of his career in the USN.  And, my Uncle Dale (US Army) was stationed in Europe during his time in the military.  Each of them carried their service during the Vietnam era, and their experiences in the military in their own ways and for the rest of their lives.  They were each men that I admired and respected greatly, and the things they had seen and done fascinated me to no end.  


For me, during the brief time I was able to be in Vietnam, there were a few things that stood out, and spoke powerfully to me…


One of the things that struck me most, everywhere we went, was the lush, dense, deep green, fertility of the landscape.  Vegetation, plant life and plant growth was… prevalent in all directions and in all ways, to say the least.  I really can’t overstate, or even accurately describe, what it was like.  I’ve been a lot of places, and seen a lot of the world, but I’ve never seen a more densely verdant countryside than Vietnam.  I can’t even begin to imagine having to engage in combat in an environment like that.


Second… Traffic and Scooters.  I have never seen traffic like the traffic I saw in Vietnam.  I’m pretty sure there are more scooters/motorbikes in Vietnam than anywhere else in the world.  However, it was the most orderly, respectful, “total chaos” of vehicular and pedestrian interaction I’ve ever seen.  In all of our time there, though traffic and people were flowing everywhere, every way, and in every direction, I never saw a single accident.  I did see a t-shirt though I wish now I would have bought.  It said: “Traffic in Vietnam” and had a picture of a Traffic Light.  Next to the Green Traffic Light it said: “I Can Go!”  Next to the Yellow Traffic Light it said: “I Can Also Go!”  And, next to the Red Traffic Light it said: “I Can Still Go!”   And, that pretty much sums up how it was.  Traffic there was like a river you paddled your way into with your horn, hands and primal reflexes.  And, yes, I have videos to illustrate what I’ve described.  But again, there was no road-rage that we saw, and though I’m sure there had to be one somewhere, we personally, as stated before, didn’t see a single accident.


Third… the people.  In the Urban environments we were in, people were everywhere.  I mean everywhere!  I don’t think I’ve ever been in more densely populated urban areas than those I was in while in Vietnam.  With that said, our experience of the people of Vietnam, literally everywhere we went, was ALL good.  They were some of the kindest, most helpful, and hospitable people I’ve ever experienced.  And, wherever we went, when whoever we were interacting or conversing with, found out we were adopting a Vietnamese child… they were so… indescribably thankful, gracious, encouraging, and even generous.  It truly meant something deep to them, and they let us personally know how much they appreciated our desire and our willingness to adopt a child from their Country.  


Fourth… the Vietnam War and a few Veteran’s Day reflections.  In Hanoi, toward the end of our trip, from our Hotel (The Somerset Grand) and our room on the 17th floor, I looked out and thought I recognized some of the architecture below from old arial, and historical photos I had seen, in books which I had read about the War.  I wondered if maybe we were close to what American POW’s held captive in Hanoi during the war, had called the “Hanoi Hilton.”  I had no idea just how close we were…


The old “Hoa Lo” (fiery furnace) prison, officially named “Maison Centrale” by the French (who originally built the prison in the late 1880’s, during the French Colonial period, to deal with Vietnamese insurgents and political prisoners), had been used during the Vietnam war, by the North Vietnamese, as a prison to house United States POW’s (primarily pilots and airmen), who, during their time there, had re-named it “The Hanoi Hilton.”


As it turns out, as I had looked down from our hotel room window, I was actually looking down on the last remaining three buildings of the old Hoa Lo prison complex (now a museum).  And, the high-rise hotel we were staying in was actually built on the grounds of the old “Hanoi Hilton” prison compound.  When I realized that fact, I was stunned, to say the least.  I could remember watching news broadcasts as a small child, of POW’s being released from imprisonment in Hanoi, and could remember family conversation about it… and, there I was, literally in that very place.  Two days later (5/13), Friday the 13th (a tremendously fitting coincidental date), I went down and toured the museum itself, and saw some of the dark, dismal, horrific and oppressive conditions that I can only imagine POW’s would have encountered and experienced in that place.  I also saw Sen. John McCain’s parachute, helmet, and flight suit, as well as many other pictures and artifacts of the prison’s past use and inhabitants.  


As a patriotic American, from a family of military veterans, it was a deeply meaningful experience for me to feel the weight of being there.  And, though our hotel and accommodations were amazing (and maybe because of that fact) I couldn’t shake being disturbed by the reality, that we were staying in literally the same geographical location, where just a few decades earlier, American Servicemen had been incarcerated, had been tortured, and had died, ultimately as an expression of their love, devotion, and loyalty to our Country.


During the morning of our last daylight hours in Vietnam and in the city of Hanoi, my wife decided she needed to go on “one more” shopping excursion before we left.  We were headed back to “P Hang Gai” street which had the main “Silk Market” and was lined primarily with shops that sold silk dresses, goods and clothing.  This, as you might suspect, was not of particular interest to me, but I accompanied my wife and our new daughter on the adventure, and provided navigational assistance and personal security for the mission.  As Angel and our daughter went in to “dress shop” after “dress shop,” I hung out on the street, enjoyed some street food, and browsed the various (seemingly endless impromptu) street shops (all along the streets) which were set up outside of the storefronts themselves.  That’s when I came across a little shop-stand, you could describe as a “kiosk” perhaps, that really caught my eye.  It was a rather small, primarily plexiglass case or cabinet, with shelves throughout its height, and wheels on the bottom.  It was about the height and size of a couple of highschool lockers fastened together, and was filled with things I instantly recognized… There were old Vietnam War era US M-16 mags, old US military compasses, old US Military patches, old US military mess kits/shaving kits, a few old pocket knives, old zippo lighters, and a bunch of old wrist watches… and it was as I looked at the watches that it slowly dawned on me what I was looking at… These weren’t “military surplus” items.  These were things that had all, at some point in time, been taken off of Killed In Action, Missing In Action and perhaps even Prisoner of War, US Servicemen.  


It was interesting the feelings that accompanied that moment of realization, shock… revulsion… sadness….  Do these words accurately express the feelings of that moment?  Do they describe what I reflexively felt?  I honestly don’t really know how to explain them.  In that real-time moment, as I became aware of what I was looking at, I wanted to walk up and buy all of the contents of that display case, but I looked down and realized I had involuntarily taken a few steps back.   For a moment, I just stood there, almost in the street, thinking about the real cost of war, of lives lost, and of families changed forever.  As an American, in that moment, I knew that in the US, we were just a week away from the Memorial Day holiday, but here I was looking at a cabinet filled with the last personal possessions of some of those who had payed the ultimate price for the freedoms I so haphazardly enjoy and take for granted every day.  For a moment I wondered what Memorial Day was or would be like for the families of these Servicemen, and how remembered they still were by their families, friends and Nation all these many years later.


I don’t believe wars are ever really over for those who have fought in them.  And, for the families of those who fight, who have fought, and who have died in Wars, I believe there are wounds that will never be healed this side of eternity.  War, in truth, is only ever really over, for the dead.  And, for us who live and breathe on, wether we have been those who have served our Nation in the US Armed Services, or we never have, it is important for all of us to remember, on this, our Nation’s Veterans Day, that it was and is through the blood of our best and our bravest that we actually have access to all that we do, and are able to enjoy the freedoms we so daily take for granted.


The only time my Uncle Pete ever mentioned anything to me about what he did in Vietnam was as we waded, shoulder to shoulder, a rock-bottomed creek, deep in the Kansas Flint Hills, fishing for catfish on (if I remember correctly) a 4th of July (a family tradition for the Schmutz family, dating back to the 1930’s and perhaps before…).  He had casually mentioned to me that morning, hiking in to the creek, that the dense foliage we had to find our way through, always reminded him of Vietnam.  Later, as we waded that creek, and fished it alone, just the two of us, I said, “Uncle Pete, I didn’t know you had served in Vietnam…”  I then asked him a question or two, and then just listened.  After he said what he said, he waded on ahead a few yards, hooked a nice channel cat, put it on his stringer, and never said another word about Vietnam that day, or at any other time ever after that.  I believe that was the last time we fished together.  He died a few months later, in April of 2008, very suddenly, of Pancreatic Cancer (a Cancer that is 7-10x more common in Vietnam Vets than in the general populous).  He was 64 years old.


Before writing this post, I reached out to my Uncle Pete’s sons, both of them United States Air Force Vetrans, to ask about his service record.  They both told me that to their knowledge, their Dad hadn’t served in Vietnam.  A few weeks later, after checking his Dad’s DD214, one of my Cousins found that during his time “officially” stationed in the Philippines, his Dad had been awarded the Gallantry Cross by the South Vietnamese Government.  This discovery was news to my cousin, and he found no further record or information about it.  While visiting The National Museum of WWII Aviation, this past Summer, I got into a pretty in depth conversation with a retired USAF Pilot and Vietnam Veteran, and told him about the conversation with my Uncle and the mystery of his service record and his Gallantry Cross.  He said… “Well, there were a lot of things that happened in Vietnam that the outside world didn’t know, and for those who were a part of them… they weren’t at liberty to talk about them.  Your Uncle was probably a part of a team that… ‘covered tracks.’  He probably never talked about it because he couldn’t.”


As for me, I’m not a Veteran, but… I’m truly thankful today to live in the Nation that I do.  Truly thankful.  I’m thankful today for men and women who have fought and died for our Nation and who have ultimately defended my opportunity to live in the greatest Nation to ever exist on the face of the earth.  I’m thankful to be an American, and to live in a Nation that is still “…the land of the free and the home of the brave.”


This week… as we get ready to celebrate Veteran’s Day on Friday, November 11th, I hope and pray that you will join me in going to the polls and casting your ballot on Tuesday, November 8th.  As Americans, perhaps the best way to honor our Veterans, is to help to preserve this great Republic they have served, fought and died for, by exercising our own personal freedom and right to vote.  There is a lot that hangs in the balance for this election.  Will you choose to be one on whom America can depend to make a difference with your ballot?




Thursday, September 2, 2021

Can’t Get No Satisfaction?!?


 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.”  1 John 2:15-17

When you really think about it, this world doesn’t actually have all that much to offer us.  Nothing, anyway, that really lasts, satisfies or endures the true tests of time.  The reality of human experience is that we can, and often do, have “too much” of so very many things, and yet, though we have too much… we never seem to ever actually have enough.  The Rolling Stones were right, we just “…can’t get no satisfaction!”

Unless, that is, we turn to Jesus.  Jesus saves, satisfies, fulfills, and faithfully carries us in and through each and every day… if we’ll let Him.  This world, my friends, and all that goes with it, is passing away.  But, Jesus and a saving relationship with Him is forever.  Do you know Him?  Do you love Him?  Do you know that He loves you?  You can…

All you have to do is call…

http://besavednow.org/


Friday, August 27, 2021

The truth in love…

“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.  When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his blood I will require from your hand.  However if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have saved yourself.  Again, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require from your hand.  However, if you have warned the righteous person that the righteous is not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall certainly live because he took warning; and you have saved yourself.”  Ezekiel 3:17-21

This is a passage of Scripture I literally think about in some way, shape, or form, every day.  We are living today, in an age of an abundance of God’s Grace.  A time in which all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved…. But, as it says in Romans 10:14: “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed?  And, how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?  And, how shall they hear without someone who proclaims?” 

If you are reading this today as a believer in, and a follower of Jesus, make no mistake, you are also a Watchman, you are also a proclaimer…. And, as the events of these days, weeks, and years, in which we live, continue to unfold in exactly the ways that the Bible has told us in advance that they would, our job is to simply and honestly share with others the hope, faith and life we have found in Him who laid down His life for us.  

Sometimes when you share, it will be a warning, given in love.  Sometimes it will be a word of Hope, also spoken in love.  Whatever it is, keep speaking the truth in love, and let the Holy Spirit lead in everything you say and do.  Not everyone will listen to you.  Many will make fun of you.  And, many will reject you.  Just keep being faithful no matter what.  Jesus sees.  Jesus hears.  Jesus knows.  And, someday His words to you will be “Well done, my good and faithful servant…”

Keep on keepin on in Jesus!

Thursday, August 26, 2021

It's Later Than You Think...

“…and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”  Revelation 13:17

So, what do we do with this? First, I encourage you to read Revelation 13:11-18. Then read all of Revelation 13. Then, take a deep breath, and read all of the book of Revelation. It really doesn’t take all that long. Then read Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. Can you see today, and these recent days, reflected in these verses? Can you see current events, things going on all around us… can you see them intensifying with each passing day and reaching levels we’ve never seen before?

Friends, I believe we have crossed the bridge from the “…beginning of birth pangs” that Jesus spoke of (Matthew 24:8, Mark 13:8) and have entered into the territory of the accelerated progression of end-time events. If you disagree with me, that’s fine. I’m okay with that. But… Consider the implications of what I’m saying to you. Please. 

When we read or see in the news, talk about the
establishment of orders, mandates, or the passing of laws that will require people globally, not just “free” US Citizens, to be forced to… 1) take a vaccine that they do not want to take, or that they have a conviction about not taking.  Or 2) require everyone to have a “vaccine passport” in order to have access to businesses, goods, services, airlines, etc….

Do we understand what territory, prophetically speaking, that now puts us in?

It’s possible my friends, that it’s much later than we think. 

Are you ready for what comes next?

If you do not yet know Jesus, come to Him now. Call out on His Name. Ask Him to forgive you for your sins and come into your life. He can
and will hear you.

Check out: http://besavednow.org/

Keep on Keepin on IN Jesus! 

- Rob Schmutz

Jeremiah 29:11-13

FB: www.facebook.com/rob.schmutz

Twitter: @robwas2

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Canceled By Big Tech II

 


Canceled By Big Tech II

Unbelievable...  And yet, this is real folks.  And, it can happen to you.  Here’s my story.  It’s long, but it’s as true as I can tell it.  Read it if you will.


Late Friday afternoon (8/13) I found out my Ministry Outdoor Adventures PayPal account had been restricted.  MOA is a legal, legitimate, faith based, 501c3, non-profit organization, recognized by both the State of Kansas and the Federal Government.  As it’s founder and CEO, I make sure all of the bills are paid, and all of my paperwork is up to date, so I was a little baffled as to what might be going on.  Then, within just a few moments, I also discovered that my Watchman Evangelism Ministries (also a legal, legitimate, faith based, 501c3, non profit organization, recognized by both the State of Kansas and the Federal Government, with all of it’s bills paid, and paperwork up to date) PayPal account had also been restricted.  Hmmmm….  


I was in a situation in which I literally had donors who wanted to donate through PayPal (as they had for years in the past) who were now, for some reason unbeknownst to me, not able to do so.  Why?  And, why had my accounts been restricted? 


If you saw my post from 8/13/21 you saw the images of my “chat/instant messaging” with “customer support.”  If not, scroll down on my timeline and check it out.  Mind numbing…  And totally unhelpful.  In that post I also included a video of me telling my story and explaining the situation.  Quite frankly, at the time, I was pretty ticked.  (I still am.)


But, as the weekend went by I began to think to myself, “Well, maybe I over-reacted.”  “Maybe they (PayPal) just had a glitch in their system.”  “Maybe I can clear all of this up with a phone call to PayPal customer service on Monday.”  I actually began to feel bad for my “over-reaction.”  Ahhhh, but then Monday came along and things became even clearer.


On Monday AM, I began a journey of trying to get through to their equivalent of customer service.  At first I gave up and resorted back to instant message “chatting.”  (See screenshots of Monday’s conversation below.)  Finally, after realizing I was getting nowhere, I gave that up, and once again tried calling.  After again being placed on hold I finally opted for their “call back” feature, and waited… I was eventually called back.  That’s when the real insanity began, and my eyes were truly opened.


I was told that my account was not just restricted, it had been permanently and irreparably restricted.  And, that there was no way for me to work things out because I was in violation of their terms of use policy.  I tried to inquire as to how I was in violation… after some more time on hold, I was then told it was due to the fact that Ministry Outdoor Adventures promotes the sale and use of firearms, ammunition and weapons.  I tried to explain that MOA was a 501c3 and that my ministry, my non-profit, my business, takes persons in ministry on hunting trips in which firearms are used… and, that we have used perfectly legal knife and gun raffles as a means of raising support for the ministries that we do…  But… there was no explanation I could provide, describe, or try to enunciate clearly and slowly enough, that was going to take me anywhere I needed to go with the customer service agent I was on the phone with.  I was talking to a person with a bluetooth headset on, residing in a cubicle, who viewed me as a blinking light on her screen, an unpleasant problem she had to deal with, and was talking with me from what I suspect was actually some faraway place outside of the US.  And, bless her heart, she obviously had no “button” on her touchscreen that could provide me either the real answers I needed or a conversation with a human being to whom I could reason with about my situation.  But, I kept trying.


As the conversation continued… I discovered that not only had MOA been permanently restricted for the above mentioned reason, but so had my Watchman Evangelism Ministries PayPal account been permanently restricted.  Really?  Again, I tried to explain that though I was the Founder and CEO, Watchman Evangelism was a separate 501c3, with a different mission, a different EIN, and a different advisory board…  It didn’t matter.  In their view it too was in violation of their “Acceptable Use Policy.”  Hmmmm…


I said “How did all of this happen?  I’ve been a faithful customer since I began my ministries in 2015 (she insisted it was 2017)…”  Whatever.  I said “Okay, can you explain to me what happened here?”  She said, “We received a report and our Back Office Team determined you were in terminal violation of our Acceptable Use Policy.”  I said, “I was reported?  By whom?  And, what is a ‘Back Office Team?’”  She said again, “It was determined that you were in violation…”.  I said, “So, have your policies recently changed?”  She said “Sir, you can view our Acceptable Use Policy at… (you know the drill here).”  So, I verbally reiterated what you see posted in the screenshots of my chat with customer service.  And, then I said, “Look, I understand that you are a person who is just trying to do your job.  But please understand the company you work for is discriminating against me, treating me unfairly, and is in violation of my constitutional rights, they have deprived me of two months worth of support and donations, and they are literally preventing me from engaging in lawful, legal, legitimate business and ministry.”  With that said, I then said “I’m done.  Thank you for your help.”


That happened Monday morning.  Now, since this all came to my attention last Friday, I began to do some more digging through as many old emails from PayPal as I could find.  There were a myriad of them.  Truly!  And, among them were a large number of bogus PayPal “phishing” and “scam” emails.  A bunch!  But, I did however, also find several legitimate and regularly occurring ones from PayPal that would say things like “We’re making some changes to our legal agreements that will apply to you.  There’s no action needed from you today.  But if…”  And, honestly, I would get to that point and just move on, because at first glance, everything seemed okay.  And why should I worry… if I’m doing nothing wrong or different?  Am I the only one who does that?  


But, then, finally, I found two more emails, one to Watchman and one to MOA.  (See posted screenshots.).  And, though I’m not certain, I think I do actually remembered seeing them at the time, but I just assumed they were also bogus “scam” or “phishing” emails.  Because… why would all of a sudden things change with PayPal?  And, how could it be true that I could no longer do business with PayPal?  That’s crazy!  Surely PayPal would contact me personally if this were legitimate…  Surely I’d get a phone call if I were in violation of something…  surely I’d get a certified letter which is a common business practice when legal situations are unfolding… Or, surely if something were going on, a PayPal policy person or Customer Service Agent would be in touch with me via telephone if something were wrong…  Nope.  What I got, was one email for each 501c3.  And then, unbeknownst to me, the PayPal “lights went out” for both MOA and Watchman Evangelism.  But, the “business as usual” emails from PayPal, like the ones mentioned above, continued.  (I even got one today, as if nothing were wrong).  And, all the while, I had no idea I had been cut off.  Permanently.  Without a chance at restoration.  Without recourse.  


Looking back, I did notice though… that there weren’t any PayPal donations coming in.   For a couple of months actually.  Hmmmm…  But, it was Summer, and gas prices were up, inflation was on the rise, a lot of people were still out of work, the economy was tanking…  I just explained away the situation to myself, and filled in the blanks of my perceptions.  But, then I mailed out my “2021 MOA Fall Elk Hunt Ministry Retreat Support Letters.”  (As stated in my previous post, this is our biggest group ever, 17 ministry participants, working with 4 different outfitters, in 4 different locations in Colorado.  No small financial undertaking.) And, that’s what led to the text I got from a confused donor who had received a letter from me and and who wanted to donate, but couldn’t, because PayPal wasn’t working…  And, that’s how I got here.


Included in this lengthy post are screenshots of PayPal’s “Acceptable Use Policy” which was apparently most recently “Updated May 6, 2021”.  I may be wrong, but I don’t recall seeing the specific changes I saw in the policy this time, the last time I had looked at it.  But, it starts off with this phrase: 


“You may not use the PayPal service for activities that: 


1) Violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation.   

2) Relate to transactions involving…”  


…and then the policy goes into this very long list of “Prohibited Activities” which are clearly and blatantly illegal activities.  It’s a “Captain Obvious” list, until… it comes to the end.  If you look closely at the highlighted text I provided in the screenshot, buried at the bottom of their long list of multiple illegal and criminal acts and actions, there is also listed (literally at the very bottom) the following: 


“… (j) ammunition, firearms, or certain firearm parts or accessories, or (k) certain weapons or knives regulated under applicable law.”   


Firearms aren’t illegal things.  Are they?  Ammunition isn’t an illegal thing.  Is it?  Firearm parts aren’t illegal things?  Are they?  Knives aren’t illegal things.  Are they?  Why are they placed at the bottom of a list of clearly unlawful and illegal activities?  Ammunition, firearms, firearm parts and knives are law abiding citizen things.  I mean, I personally carry a knife everywhere, and I carry a handgun, almost everywhere.  I’m a law abiding citizen.  Why is something that is Constitutionally legal, everywhere in the US, included on their “bad list?”  As stated before, my ministry, Ministry Outdoor Adventures, takes people in ministry on hunting retreats and also regularly engages in activities in which safe and lawful firearm ownership and use are both promoted and encouraged.  Is that in some way illegal?  Where?  How?  And, as stated above, MOA also generates funding for its ministries and activities through legitimate and legal knife and firearm raffles, for charitable purposes.  Is this illegal?  As far as I know, it is completely legal, and everything associated with these raffles are handled according to all State and FFL rules and regulations.  What’s PayPal’s problem?


I don’t know about you, but it sure seems to me that PayPal’s “Acceptable Use Policy” is discriminatory towards me and people, organizations and businesses like mine.  Especially in light of the fact that they threw their cancelation blanket not only over MOA but also over Watchman Evangelism.  That definitely feels discriminatory to me.  That feels like “Conservative Profiling.”  Why are they able to violate my personal, Constitutional Rights with their own leftist, anti-firearm, policies and politics?  Why are their politics able to arbitrarily hinder my legitimate, legal ministry actions and activities?

Why do I, as a law abiding citizen, have to pay the price for shifts and changes in corporate policy that place me in violation of peremptory policies that have distanced themselves from the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the foundational laws of the land?  In this age of insanity, when right has become wrong, and wrong has become right, I certainly cannot be the only conservative who believes they are being discriminated against in this or in similar ways.


Now, here’s the really scary thing… PayPal has scads of lawyers.  Scads!  Will I now be sued for simply stating my case?  Is it wrong to speak up when you are wronged?  Is it wrong to point out wrongdoing?  


I’m nobody.  Nobody.  I’m just a guy who works hard everyday and has worked hard for years to build what I have and to get where I am.  I’m a Christian, a husband, a father, a pastor, a theological and political conservative, an entrepreneur, and in 2015 I started and now run, two non-profit organizations that, in my opinion, do a lot of good.  A lot of good!  Maybe as you read this, you realize you’re a hard working “nobody” too.  Personally speaking, just between you and me, I don’t make a lot of money, and maybe you don’t either.  But, I sure do like the work that I do.  And, I consider it an honor to be able to get up and do what I do every day.  


Here’s the deal my friends.  These huge tech companies… they may make billions and billions of dollars, but the reality is, we are their customers.  Remember customers?  Remember customer service?  Remember back when the customer was always right?  When companies changed policy to meet the needs of their customers and trained their employees and service personnel to do the same thing?  These big tech companies have gotten so big, they don’t care about customers anymore.  They can throw around whatever leftist, un-American, un-Constitutional policy they want whenever they want and nobody says a word.  They have so much money and power they can squash a “nobody” like me (and you) at will.  People like you and me, we are nothing to them.  Personally, I think that needs to change.  Now.  And, I believe our Country, our United States of America, is currently in the condition it is in because far too many of us “nobody’s” have done… nothing… for far, far too long.  Well, I’m done with that.  Aren’t you?  Somebody has to stand up.  I’ve decided it’s going to be me.  And, I’ve decided it’s going to be now.  I don’t care what they do to me.  


Will you join me?  Here’s how.


First, if you will, I suggest a call to PayPal.  Let them know you don’t appreciate their anti-second amendment policies.  And, their profiling and discriminatory actions against conservative, faith based businesses and organizations. (844)368-6632


Second, while you have them on the phone, let them know that they have violated your personal ethical businesses policy and that you are no longer going to do business with them.  Then, if you have a PayPal account cancel it.


Third, let others know about your action and why.  And, encourage them to do the same.


Fourth, call Congress.  Here’s the number for the Congressional Switchboard (202)224-3121.  Let your elected Representatives and Senators know that you are against the leftist, woke, anti-Constitutional, anti-Conservative, anti-Faith, anti-Free Speech, anti-Free market, anti-American corporate policies and practices of big-tech, and that you expect to see them (as an elected representative) fight for your rights, and against big-tech, both as one of their constituents and as an American Citizen.


Will it make a difference?  Believe me, if enough “nobody’s” stand up, and put leftist, “woke” big tech, and leftist “woke” corporate America on notice, someone will notice, and things can and will begin to change.


But, you’ve got to take action.  If you just sit there… what happened to me, can and will, eventually, happen to you.  And, by then, it literally may be too late.


Wake up America!  Get up!  Take action!

Canceled By Big Tech Part I

 


Canceled By Big Tech Part I

Well friends, I’m posting this video because “big tech” is apparently in the process of “canceling” me and my ministries.  And, if it can happen to me, it can happen to you.


I am the founder and CEO of two Non Profit 501c3 organizations.  One is called Watchman Evangelism Ministries (@WatchmanEvangelism) and the other one is called Ministry Outdoor Adventures (@MOAFoundation).  It is through these two ministries that I both fulfill my calling and provide for my family.


If you saw my post from 8/11/21 you know that my FB account has been placed in “warning” status due to my so called “violations of their community standards.”  I urge you to search my personal timeline and my ministry timelines to see exactly how I have “violated” their community standards.


TODAY (just a few moments ago) I received a text from one of my MOA Supporters saying that PayPal was not allowing him to contribute.  So… I checked it out.  He was right.  (See the pictures posted in this post.). Apparently, without warning, because my ministry “violates their community standards” they can shut me down at will.


This is particularly damaging to me and the work that I do because I am currently in the middle of fundraising for our MOA Fall Elk Adventures (we have 17 total participants going with 4 different outfitters.).  If you know anything about elk hunting, this is a considerable financial undertaking.  And, I haven’t been able to post my usual fundraising posts on FB due to their warning me about posts having to do with fire-arms and weapons.  And, now PayPal has shut me down…


(Please take the time to watch this video and look closely at the pictures I’ve posted with it.)


As Non-Profit, Faith-Based Organizations, both of my ministries rely on charitable contributions from persons, groups, congregations and organizations in order to function.  And, PayPal has (up until now) been a significant means for people to make donations in support of the work that I do and the ministries I provide.  Similarly, Facebook has been the platform which has (up until recently) allowed me to network and make connections that help me communicate with individuals, groups, congregations and communities.  I’ve even preached and taught internationally through FB.  But… that is, apparently, all about to change.  And, as stated above, it has already changed with PayPal.


My encouragement to you is… 


1. Join me in praying for America!  Every day at 3:16 central time I pray for a New Great Awakening to sweep our Nation.

2. Speak Up!  Exercise Free Speech!  Stand up for your Faith.  Stand up for yourself.  Speak the truth in love.  Make Noise.  Make calls.  Write letters.  (Not for me, for you!  For our Nation.  Because, as stated above, if this can happen to me, it can happen to you, to your church, to your faith based organization, to anyone.).  America, we need desperately to be Awakened not “woke.”

3. Run for office.  Any open office you hear of.  Become the “elected” voice of Faith, Stability and Sanity in a world that is so obviously and desperately upside down.  (Yes, I’m actually strongly considering it myself.)


If after reading this post, or after watching this video you would like to give in support of either Watchman Evangelism Ministries or Ministry Outdoor Adventures, you can still do so by sending a check.  Because these ministries are legitimate 501c3’s, your contributions are tax deductible.


Ministry Outdoor Adventures

c/o Pastor Rob Schmutz

PO Box 71

Haven, KS. 67543


Or 


Watchman Evangelism Ministries

c/o Pastor Rob Schmutz

PO Box 71

Haven, KS. 67543


Bless you!


Keep Your Eyes On Jesus!

Hebrews 12:2