News analysis from a prophetic Christian worldview
 
Corrupt trees bring forth evil fruit
NOTEWhen writing about God and Jesus, The Daily Jot means YHVH as God and Yeshua Ha Mashiach as Jesus--the actual original names and the true nature and character of them.
  
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
The recent mass shootings in Texas and Ohio have resulted in headlines, politicians and commentators saying that President Trump is inspiring terrorism against Americans. There is enough visceral going around that no one person can be blamed for the horrible choices people make to commit deadly violence. All things add up. But the politicians are clamoring about to enact bans on private ownership of guns. So far, none of the knee-jerk demagoguery has suggested anything that works. We see their ideas failing in places like Chicago every day. Reputable studies indicate that the problem is the character of the person who has the gun, not the gun. 
 
A study of gun control laws in the 50 states conducted by researchers at Harvard and Boston Universities indicated that neither assault weapons nor handguns owned by homeowners increase homicide rates. The study analyzed the relationship between 10 state firearm laws and total, age-adjusted (firearm) homicide and suicide rates from 1991-2016, which included 1,222 observations of homicide analysis. The author of the study, Michael Siegel, professor of community health sciences at Boston University, told futurity.org in an interview that "tight regulation of who has access to firearms, rather than the type of firearms that are allowed, differentiates states with the lowest rates of homicides." 
 
The study indicated that that universal background checks were associated with a 14.9% reduction in overall homicide rates. Laws that prohibit violent crime convicts from possessing firearms showed an 18% reduction in homicide rates. Siegel told futurity.org, "What surprised us the most was that in states that enacted a combination of universal background-check laws, laws prohibiting the sale of guns to people with violent misdemeanors, and concealed carry permit laws, the homicide rates were 35 percent lower than in states with none of those three kinds of laws. The practice of keeping guns out of the hands of people who are at the greatest risk for violence-based on a history of violence-appears to be the most closely associated with decreased rates of firearm homicide."
 
Siegel said, "Laws regulating the sale of assault weapons are unlikely to have a large impact on homicide rates, because these weapons are used in only a very small proportion of homicides. The vast majority of firearm homicides in the United States are committed with handguns...About 99.9 percent of all [gun-related deaths] in the United States are either suicides, unintentional shootings, or non-mass shooting homicides-none of which will be eliminated by getting rid of assault weapons...In contrast, laws that restrict access to firearms among those people who are at the greatest risk for violence-namely, people with a history of violence-are intervening among a subpopulation of people who are likely to commit crimes."
 
This flies in the face of the shrill narrative that guns must be banned and the US population disarmed to stop mass murders and other homicides. Yet, neo communists keep beating the drum of disarmament. For example, Democratic presidential candidate Corey Booker (D-NJ) claimed in June that " We have in America, in the aggregate, a mass shooting every day, because dozens of people are shot and killed." Disarming America makes tyranny easier, and that's why all the lies about guns. Studies show that it is the character of the person using the gun, not the gun itself, who is the problem. As Christ said in Matthew 7:17, "Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit." Criminal character and lying politicians are both the evil fruit of corrupt trees.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson

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For the children in rural Ghana, the need is great

By Pastor William Agbeti

"Father, we have a huge challenge!" That was the alarming prayer that sprung up in my heart when we registered the 181st child that showed up for our feeding program this month, against an invited number of 150! The makeshift auditorium of the local rural church, Bread of Life Sanctuary, that we are supporting and where we fed the children, was packed to full capacity by both invited and uninvited rural children. These started showing up in their numbers, with great excitement, hours before the announced time of 1:00 pm! They came from poor rural communities spread miles apart. 

As a result, we were compelled to set up an overflow area outside the auditorium to contain the extra numbers that kept pouring in! Many were reported to have come very early in the morning to survey the area to assure themselves that the feeding program was for real! We ran out of rented chairs and could not get any to rent in the whole of the Kojonya community where the program was held, forcing us to go for benches and other types of chairs for the children.  An hour before the official start of the program, which was held under the theme, JESUS - OUR BREAD OF LIFE!, we had 200 rural children on our hands to feed with both spiritual and physical food! 

Naturally, I started panicking! How could we possibly feed all these needy children? And we were still counting! Just then, definitely by divine intervention, a volunteer stepped up unto the platform where the musical instruments were and started singing: "We serve a Miracle working God who never fails!" 

Immediately, the spirit of panic left me and I dashed down to where the cooks were. I asked the chief volunteer cook if we have enough to feed all the children. She reported they had noticed the situation and had reduced the size of the fried chicken by half, thereby creating 300 pieces! Thankfully she confirmed also there was going to be enough rice for all, if the intended por tions were also reduced by half! Thank you Father, I exclaimed silently! Half a portion is better than no portion a t all! I tried to convince myse lf!

It turned out to be a
The Daily Jot supported ministry in Ghana feeds, clothes and provides clean water for hundreds of children
first-tim e experience for the 200 children.  Many of these had never eaten fried rice! They were treated to a popular nutritious local drink called SOBOLO, made out of the hibiscus flower. They also had popcorn and a received donations of clothing. Our regular musical chairs and dancing competitions were held and the winners were presented with Bibles. At the tail end of the program, majority of the children took decisions to accept Christ and were invited to attend church. These were given summarized lessons about the Old and New Testaments. They learned there are 66 books in the Bible, with 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. 

The need for them to have their own Bibles and carry them at all times was emphasized. We had a head count of the children who had Bibles and it turned out only a handful of them had bibles. Well over 150 had no Bibles. We promised to organize Bibles for distribution to them. 

As usual, I observed four developments that greatly humbled me and brought tears to my eyes! First, the portions of meals were obviously not enough for some of the children!  Secondly, many did not have popcorn to eat and were openly disappointed! Thirdly, when we assembled to have a group photograph, scores of children came over to cling to me, and will not let go; making me almost fall down! I had to control the tears welling up in my eyes! Lastly, after it all, a small boy aged about four walked to me and pointed out to something on a table somewhere. 

It was another child's pair of shoes! I checked his name on the register of names, asked a volunteer to find out where he came from, and promised to bring him a pair of shoes! How can I ever fail to deliver on this promise?  Meanwhile, I am still thinking about how to address the overwhelming food needs of the children, with a regular monthly, if not weekly, feeding program for at least a year! This is my newest burden I have chosen to carry, so help me God!

Against above backdrop, we have purposed to have follow up activities to help establish the children in local churches, give them Bibles, supply some of their personal needs and win them and many more away from the reach or influence of Islam, traditionalist and other pagan and oppressive religions!

Hopefully, with a rippling effect and impact on our target children and rural communities, we would make a profound mark on rural Ghana with the feeding program! On the whole we had two local rural churches and two local NGOs supporting the program with children they bused to the venue, biblical literature and volunteers! To God be the Glory for a power-filled program like this!

William D. Agbeti



The Daily Jot is totally reader supported. My wife, Chris, and I do not take a salary or receive any remuneration for this work. Your gifts go directly to assisting us in maintaining this column, the website, outreach, and the Lord's work we do in Ghana, West Africa. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day,

Bill Wilson
The Daily Jot