HOMELESS – DAY 008

Day 008 Started off with Me giving one of my Homeless friends some of my socks. Their Feet end up suffering quite a bit, since they often wear the SAME SOCKS (if they have any) and the SAME SHOES for days and even WEEKS at a time! And because they are outside in the elements 24/7 their feet and shoes get SOAKED and they continue wearing them like that, they often let them dry out STILL ON THEIR FEET and the process gets repeated MANY times! They can’t afford medicated powder to help the situation, and they certainly rarely have EXTRAS to change into!

This really struck a nerve for me, and I have been working on getting clothes donated, inclusing SOCKS and SHOES, to help alleviate the situation. I also end up counseling them quite a bit now, about ways to utilize good hygene… EVEN while homeless! But it is NOT an easy situation to rectify, and because a good percentage of the Homeless are Mentally Ill, some of them don’t listen or care, about such advice!

I liked Ronald Reagan as President for MANY reasons, but THIS was one his failures! Under the Reagan Administration the Mentally Ill without INSURANCE and no way to pay for their care, were simply PUT OUT ON THE STREETS when funding for mental health care was stopped. JUST PUT THEM ON THE STREETS EN MASSE!!!

HOMELESSNESS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY as a result!

Not all Homeless People have Friends or Relatives that can send them money when needed, but some do. Bill is one such Homeless Person. I took him to get money his Sister had sent him, and even had to help him fill out the form, but… There was no money there for him, when he submitted the paperwork. I lent him my Cell Phone so he could call his Sister, and he was able to reach her to work things out!

Meanwhile, I took some others to the store so they could buy cigarettes and whatever else they needed. Cigarettes don’t last long, because ALMOST ALL of the Homeless I have known, are willing to share with each other if they have a whole pack.

Driving to the Publix for the Western Union, I found out that Bill had been a victim of violence a few days earlier…

Violence against the Homeless is all too common! They are easy targets since they SLEEP OUTDOORS, and also because people DEHUMANIZE them in their minds, and otherwise normal people, may end up inflicting VIOLENCE on them, seeing them only as “Bums” or “Dregs of society”.

Hate is not the only motivator. Robbery is also a motive, and this can be from criminals or from other Homeless, who want an easy score!

Sadly, abuse is also inflicted on the Homeless by… COPS!

Some of the have shared their experiences with me, on Police Abuse, with one telling me, how he saw one of his friends TAZED four times, when they didn’t like his response to an order given. The guy being tazed happened to be mentally ill though. According to this person, the cops only tazed him that many times “To Watch Him Dance!” which is what some cops call the “FUN” of attacking their nerous systems enough, to make them flail around uncontrollably!

I KNOW that this occurs, and it is simply: EVIL!

Not all violence is AGAINST the Homeless though… Sometimes it is INFLICTED BY THEM on others! Whether due to anger or mental illness, or…. ROBBERY!!

Even those who are HELPING the Homeless are not immune from being potential victims, and… I am sad to report, that I was likely an intended VICTIM myself this day!

I’m probably fortunate to be ALIVE in fact…

I am CONVINCED that I was an intended target for a Robbery and probably MUCH WORSE!

Some of the Homeless I work with have my Phone Number, so they can reach me in Emergencies, or just if they have needs I may be able to answer!

But, this can also be a RISKY MOVE in some cases!

One of the Homeless who has my number, tried to set me up for a robbery, I believe. And because I KNOW this person’s face and name, it was possible I was in for MUCH MORE TROUBLE than a simple robbery, if he didn’t want to be fingered for the crime!

He has called me for help before, and I did what I could for him. But for the last few days, I haven’t been able to offer him food or cigarettes or a few bucks for whatever he needed!

I suspect he decided to take matters into his own hands!

The other Homeless people don’t like this person very much, because he STEALS FROM THEM quite often! Many homeless won’t steal from each other, even if they normally steal from NON-HOMELESS people! They draw the line at those in the same boat as themselves. But NOT this guy!

He has been around me enough to know I have a computer, but… He may have realized that I have THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS of Musical Equipment with me as well! I had kept the equipment covered as well as I could, but… He may very well have caught a glimpse of some of it. I knew it was not the wisest thing to keep my Equipment with me, but leaving it in a safe place, would mean extra gas-money needed to retrieve it for a gig, and then bringing it back, and then returning to where I sleep at!

But that is EXACTLY what I intend to do from now on!

I cannot be SURE that I was an intended victim, but reason tells me that I was! I got a phone call from this person, with a special request asked of me: “Hey Craig, could you do me a favor?” I said that I would, if possible. “What do you need?” I asked. He said: “I am stuck in downtown right now! But I have a friend who owes me some money. He’s going to give you the money for me, and you can use some of it for GAS, since you are driving all the way Downtown and back!”

I asked him: “How much money is it, and where is your friend at?” He responded: “I’m not sure how much he is going to give me, but I can tell you where he is… It’s close to the Beaches where you are! Let me call him, and I’ll call you back with the information.”

I told him: “Ok”

A little time passed, and I felt my phone vibrate. But I was in the middle of a very important conversation with another homeless person, and didn’t want to interupt it at that moment. I finished my conversation, then dialed his number!

When I did however, I heard a PHONE RINGING… Not only in the phone itself, but… NEAR TO WHERE I WAS!!! I follow the sound, and… LO AND BEHOLD… THERE HE IS RIDING HIS BICYCLE IN CIRCLES, on the other side of the building where I was at!!

THIS IS THE GUY WHO IS SUPPOSED TO BE DOWNTOWN RIGHT NOW!!!

It dawned on me, that what he likely had planned, was for me to drive somewhere isolated under the guise of picking up money for him, where he would have an accomplice or two, ready to roll me, and who knows… Possibly KILL me!

Later that night, I caught him putting a RAZOR (the box cutter kind) into his pocket!

I can think of no other realistic reason for him to pull this charade, than that he intended to ROB ME, and steal my Computer and whatever else he could cop from my Mini-Van!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!! I NEED THEM EVEN MORE THAN I REALIZED!!

But the DANGERS of this day, were not over yet!

This next danger however, was of the SPIRITUAL variety!

If you are averse to believing there are SPIRITUAL FORCES at work in the world, you may want to SKIP this page! — This will sound WACKY to many of you, but… what the heck… I’ve shared WACKY things with you all before! LOL

I had spent a couple days working with Timothy! He is a person who is spiritually open, more of a gift of INSIGHT than anything else, but… He DOES have a gift. He could tune in, to places I was going in a conversation and almost finish my sentences! This is not necessarily easy to do with me, since I often present viewpoints that people have NEVER heard before! But it manifested itself in other ways too. For example, when Timothy found out that I was a Musician and Songwriter, he wanted to hear some of my songs. I indulged him, and he loved my music, and kept wanting to hear more! I played a song I have called “Freedom” and before I even press PLAY, he mentioned Bruce Sprinsteen! In the song, there happens to be a few lines that basically “Bitch Slaps” Bruce Springsteen! LOL

Hey, I like Bruce’s music too! But what I DON’T LIKE is his lack of respect for our TROOPS! He has some songs for example, that purport to GET IN THE HEAD of a fighting soldier… where the soldier is confused and suffering guilt, and not wanting to fight a war, something along those lines. When soldiers are on the FRONT LINES and engaged in a WAR and COMBAT on a regular basis… They don’t need some Hollywood-Style jerk-wad playing Psychiatrist for them, when they need to be SHARP and FOCUSED on the battlefield! Sure there are many other anti-war and anti-soldier songs out there, but most of them are NOT put out by an “All American” type ICON who wraps himself up in the American Flag, like he came out of the womb that way! It would be like John Wayne writing a book on the merits of Communism!

But the song does not NAME HIM as “Bruce Springsteen” and instead calls him “The Boss” Sprinsteen’s nickname! In any event, Timothy NEVER SAW those particular lyrics! Once the song started, he tuned into BRUCE SPRINSTEEN though, which is pretty amazing considering THAT is a huge part of the song.

This happened too many other times with him, to be dismissed as coincidence!

BUT TO CONTINUE:

I had been discussing God quite a bit with Timothy, since he believed in God, but had struggled for years, in JUDGING GOD for some of the tragedies in his life! I explained things to him, that he had never considered himself, and this led to MANY MANY crying jags, as he became liberated from his anger towards God, and then felt GUILTY, realizing he had made a terrible mistake for MANY YEARS!! After two days of helping him with this issue, but also other issues involving his family and his past… Timothy was feeling like a NEW MAN! You could see it in his disposition. He had told me as well: “Craig you saved me from this hatred! I’m ready for a new life! I want get off this alcohol too!”

It was VERY rewarding to see him RENEW his Spritual Life, through our discussions!

BUT… That would get challenged THIS DAY in a very powerful way!! As I was talking with Timothy on the second day, A MAN came meandering up to the passenger’s side window, where Timothy was sitting. When he came up, I felt something unusual SPIRITUALLY… something VERY POWERFUL and it shook things up around me! I knew these were SPIRITUAL things happenening, and they surprised me, by their FORCE! I have felt spiritual entities that were DARK before, but… NTOHING LIKE THIS!!

But I continued listening to this guy, as he said hello to Timothy (Clearly they knew one another) but then things turned even MORE bizarre!!

This person INSISTED that we KNEW one another and had had a big conversation many years ago! I am VERY GOOD at faces and people, and I KNEW that I had NEVER met this person before… EVER!! But then he tripped me out, by recounting a conversation we allegedly had… and all of it was VERY FAMILIAR as he told me the advice I had given him all those years ago, when I was much younger!

Realizing there was literally a SPIRITUAL BATTLE going on, between the forces around him, and those around me, I lined my good forces up, and FOCUSED THEM and got very serious in the way I spoke with him. Every time he LIED I called him on it, and I flooded him with TRUTH while turning all the lies he was trying to use, back on himself! The spiritual environment around me, gained strength and it made some of the spirits using him FLEE temporarily! I regained control of what was going on, and he began to change his demeanor and calm down dramatically, becoming more calm!

Just before this though… My spiritually aware friend Timothy, had turned to me, and said solemnly: “The Devil is trying to send a message, and he is standing right here next to me!” He was referring to this Spiritually Possessed man standing next to him at my passenger’s window!!!

I told Timothy: “He is NOT the Devil, but he has some very powerful spirits having their way with him! But God’s love is stronger, so don’t fear!!”

Well, well… It turned out that TIMOTHY and the POSSESSED GUY, had run into one another SEVERAL TIMES over the years! They first ran into each other 30 years ago, and then again 10 years ago! THEY KNEW ONE ANOTHER! And right when I am deep into helping Timothy find spiritual liberation and rekindling his love for God… This guy shows up???

During the discussion with the possessed guy, he mentioned the state where we had met: VIRGINIA! I knew the CONVERSATION he claimed we had, and that conversation DID take place in Virginia, but… NOT WITH THIS GUY!!! It was ANOTHER GUY,yet this man KNEW EVERYTHING there was to know about it!

Suddenly God made me aware, that this was not the SAME MAN I had that conversation, but it was the SAME SPIRIT I had had the conversation with!!! In other words: This SPIRIT had invaded a man in Virginia, that I had had a conversation with, and NOW this SAME SPIRIT had invaded THIS NEW GUY, and the spirit was recounting our previous conversation THROUGH THIS GUY NOW!!! Woah!!! I mean…. WOAAAH!!!

God told me that what I was doing for Him was VERY IMPORTANT, and that it would become MUCH BIGGER in time. And He told me, that this was ONLY THE BEGINNING!! More powerful forces than THIS would be aligned against me as this progressed! — I have always been VERY CLOSE to God, and that closeness has left me fearing NOTHING. I always KNOW that God’s love is stronger than anything else, and because I am deep withthin it, I have NEVER had fear of spiritual entities who intend evil and harm! Defeating them has been easy. But now God was telling me: “You must RESPECT my adversaries, or they will manipulate you!” He told me: “Now that they understand your importance to Me they will work together against you! BE SERIOUS! BE STRENGTHENED! BE READY!!”

I know this all sounds WHACKED, but… it also seemed WHACKED that A Psychic, the real deal… One who has solved crimes for Police.. told me 10 years ago: “You are an old soul, and you have a message to give to the WORLD! It is both an old message and a new message, and… The World *WILL* receive your message!” She had also asked whether I was a musician or singer, and I had confirmed that I was a singer, Musician and Songwriter! She told me: “Music is involved!”

If you had the whole background on this conversation with the psychic, it would be even more unusual and amazing to you!

And this psychic is not the only one, who has told me such things! Devout Christians (who would think psychic ability comes from the Devil) have had Visions and Revelations in dreams about a “great mission” that I would have in the future!

If this all comes to pass, as I know it will, then it would make an AMAZING BOOK! If it doesn’t: I will willingly let you lock me away, for being crazy! Ha ha! — But seriously, what is the chances of this many people, some only strangers, telling me essentially the SAME THINGS!!!

I’ll lose some friends over this, but… I’ve said that before, and somehow my friend’s list only grows, no matter who deletes me! LOL

All I can say for myself, is that: I TRUST GOD! I TRUST HIM COMPLETELY! And I love Him, more than I love anything or anyone else… Including my own life! He chose me from childhood, and one day, I will be able to share even more profound experiences than this with you all!

GOD IS REAL, and He has been assembling an army for a long while now! Evil is real too, and it has been doing the same! The days mentioned in the Bible and in many other sources, are not “near” my friends… THEY ARE HERE! 2012 will not be pretty! PRAY ALOT and then PRAY MORE!!!

I decided that I needed to LEAVE the Beaches area for now, at least for a few days! So I got out of there, and went to catch up on some personal errands…

LAUNDRY DAY!!! WOOHOO!! Ha ha!

Living in a vehicle for 8 days, creates A LOT OF DIRTY CLOTHES!! The Homeless can get Mission House charity to do their laundry for them, but… I am essentially HOMELESS BY CHOICE! So… I didn’t want to burden them with my own things. There were several loads and I didn’t have the money to spare for Coin Laundries and Detergents etc… So…

I WENT TO MY MOM’S HOUSE!!

Her house is not a mansion, but it is not shabby either! It may as well BE A MANSION THOUGH, compared to living on the streets, but… God has a plan, and living among the Homeless is part of that plan for me, for now!

What I miss MOST though, about her house, is the Recording Studio inside of it….

My mom had a Recording Studio built into her house! It is a professional space and designed to spek with acoustic tiles on the ceiling, and a special foam-like Soundproofing material that complete encircles it all.

I had hoped to turn it into a Professional Studio for paying customers, and was working towards that end, but several things delayed it coming to fruition, not the least of which, was God putting me on this Homeless Journey!

My Mom had built the studio more than 10 years ago, yet did VERY LITTLE with it herself! I had always wondered why she didn’t utilize it more, as a source of revenue, and it was only after moving back to Jacksonville, that she finally told me “WHY” she had built it in the first place…

GOD TOLD HER TO BUILD IT!!

After my return to JAcksonville, my mother and I got into a conversation about the studio, with me asking her: “You have this amazing space, this recording studio, and you have NEVER really used it for anything! Why would you BUILD IT, if you weren’t going to USE IT??!!”

She answered: “God told me to!”

I said: “Wow! Why did He tell you to build it?”

She said: “He told me it was the only way to get you to come back to Jacksonville, and He wanted you HERE!”

Woahhh!!! I was stunned!

I knew it was sort of miraculous that she was able to build it in the first place! She had NO MONEY to build it… Not to build it as professionally as this! But she BELIEVED God on FAITH, and she began taking the steps to do what God had told her to do! She had limited funds though. It seemed impossible!

But one day she was talking to a friend of hers, and she casually mentioned that “God told me to build a Recording Studio at the house.”

Right then and there, her friend… who happened to be a professional contractor, told her: “Well, if God told you to build it… Let’s build it!” he said: “If you can buy the materials, I will design it and provide all the labor, including the other workers I’ll need!”

Wow! God is good!

She built it, and then WAITED, for God to move ME HOME!

END OF DAY 008

GO TO DAYS 009-10-11: http://craigmaxim.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/day-009/

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