MIRACULOUS GLOBAL FIREMAN JOHN GAPS III

It's been a couple of days since news came of the passing of John Gaps III.  There has been a myriad of testimonies of John some marked with sadness, some shock and others with an outpouring of who he was and how humble we knew him to be.  He was stubborn and a risk taker.  I'm sure that's why we were in awe of his work. John was known in the photography circles as "the global fireman".  Whenever there was anything of significance happening in the world, the Associated Press (AP) sent him off to the front lines. 

The Funeral of Princess Di

Sometimes it was the actual front lines, like in Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait in 1991.  Other times it was the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Or maybe it was the funeral of Princess Diana.  Remember the Sammy Sosa-Mark McGuire home run chase.  Gaps was there.  John was ready at the drop of the hat.  Duty called and he was off in a moment's notice.

The home run chase

Not everyone sees the behind the scenes of what makes a person special at their craft. I just happened to be that fortunate.  I had been working on a project for Iowa Public Television which featured people in their careers and John became one of my prized gets, so to speak.  He agreed to have us follow him around videotaping a day in the life of a photographer. Days after his acceptance came word of Pope John Paul II making a whirlwind tour of the United States.  One of those stops was St. Louis.  The year 1999.  

John and I and my crew spent three days together.  We saw him navigating his way through security check points with the right amount of firmness and respect.  He was a reporter by nature that he knew the right questions to ask to get in the right position for the shots he desired.  He had a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C and the Ad Lib Plan.  He got every shot he wanted that day in history.  And the newspaper readers were the beneficiaries of that hard work.  In those pictures you saw in small print the credit, John Gaps III .  It was a name known world-wide. It was like his name on the photo gave relevance to the subject.  

Weeks after the Pope's visit, John and I were talking about the video project and when it would be ready for release.  Our conversation led us to subject he also had a passion for.  Public Speaking.  In short, he told me he was going to speak to a group about his job and travels. The fee, he said was $50. "I can recall so vividly that I looked at him and said, John, you should be charging ten times that", "You think", he smiled.  So, I started booking speaking engagements for him.  His audiences were always blown away by the stories he told and how he used his photos to bring the events to life.  He was a crafty one. 

My point is this.  John brought us images that were so unique and so special.  But what many of us never saw was what images remained in his mind to get those shots.  The death, destruction and man at his worst.  He carried so much of that with him.  But he wanted to do a job and do it right.  No matter the cost.  And there was a tremendous one.  

Just last week he called to tell me that he was thankful that I was such a good friend to him. I can't recall exactly how I responded.  Most likely stumbling words of some degree.   As we talked about my family and some experiences with war, I could hear it in his voice. He had similar memories and emotions of the damage done.  He cried and I choked back tears.  After an hour of reconnecting, he finally said, "I got to go lay down". And we signed off.  Did he know what the following week would bring?    I'll never know.   I want to believe he did.  So, now it's my time......

Love you brother.  You were truly special.  If only I could have uttered that out loud when I had the chance.  

YGG,

John

        

           

  

     

INSPIRED HOPE IS A WEAPON COMING TO THE NYLA FAIR

Branding has always been a vital part of business, but it may be more important now than ever before.  With social media, consumers get exposed to new brands every day.  This can be great for consumers who have plenty of options and are able to do research to find the best one, but it makes it harder for businesses.    

Choosing a Title 

"My Father's Voice", which inspired "Hope is a Weapon", the story of a family and their experiences while their son deployed to Afghanistan is joining forces with Readers Magnet.  This relationship will involve a whole bunch of marketing and promotional ideas to provide exposure.  This November, "Hope is a Weapon" will be one of 150 titles at the New York Library Association's Book Fair.  A fairly dubious honor.  Below you will find a snippet of the book.  

"The year was 2010.  Private First Class (PFC) Charlie Martin, was getting ready for the ride of his life.  He was about to deploy along with some 4,000 other Iowa and Nebraska National Guard troops to the pit they call Afghanistan.  His days were numbered.  In other words.  He was leaving soon....maybe forever.  How would he handle war?  Would the first suggestion of bullets whizzing by his head cause him to duck and run?  Not likely.  Martin had been planning for this day for a long, long time. 

But his deployment wasn't just about him, indeed the whole family was involved.  Charlie's brother, Private Second Class (PV2) Eddie Martin idolized his older sibling.  So much so, he followed his brother's footsteps joining the Guard a year after Charlie had.  And then there was younger brother, Dan.  He was watching the whole thing way to up close and personal.  Hope and Rod Martin were part of the process too.  How would they navigate the coming year.  Would the family be able to handle all of the stress and uncertainty?  They were all about to find out.  In order to do that though, they needed something to arm themselves with.  They found the perfect weapon.  One that didn't use ammunition".  

Looking forward to where this marketing will take us.  It's in your hands God.

YGG, 

John

Going to the Fair 

MIRACULOUS TURN OF EVENTS

 A number of years ago when my oldest son, Kristopher, was in Afghanistan, our family was struggling with the last days of deployment.  It's during those times where danger is heightened.  It's like the enemy knows when one group is coming and one is going.  They try like the dickens to leave a big impression.  That generally means loss of lives.  

It was during this time that a friend of my wife named Martha sent an email to her. She told Joanne during her prayer time, this phrase kept coming to her..., "Miraculous Turn of Events".   She kept repeating herself.  Well over 15 times.  She said, "I'm not sure what it means, but it's something big".  Around that same time, we initiated a Prayer Vigil at the State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa.  The reason?  An uptick in enemy fire had killed a number of U.S. soldiers and we were feeling desperate.  So we prayed and prayed and prayed.  

Some two weeks later we found out that roughly the same time we were undertaking the Prayer Vigil one of the more amazing battles in U.S. Military history took place.  It was called the Battle of Do Ab.  Here's the Wikipedia version of the event: 

"The Battle of Do Ab took place in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on May 25th, 2011.  In the battle, a scout platoon from the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, United States Army, 20 Afghan soldiers and two U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) operators and one Law Enforcement Professional (LEP) were ambushed by an estimated 400-500 Taliban near the village of Do Ab,  With assistance from close air support, the coalition forces repulsed the ambush, killing 270 Taliban.  The coalition forces suffered no casualties".  Let me repeat that again.   NO CASUALTIES.  This despite taking immediate fire 360 degrees around the two helicopters when they tried to disembark.    Definitely a MIRACULOUS TURN OF EVENT.  

So why do I bring this up?  Look around and see if we have a number of things going on in our lives that are festering towards a blow up.  If anything politics and religion are about to collide.  

This recent election has done much to bring emotions to the fullest.  Regardless of who wins, which I think is still in doubt, there will be chaos.  No one can guess to what degree.  That is except God.  

So, will Biden pull one out or will Trump turn the table?  If Biden is named President then this country will head to depths never imagined.  It will be a give away party.  Socialism will take over the Country.  Yet, should Trump turn things around in showing voter fraud, what will it buy us?  A couple of more years?  Will burning and looting and killing be common place?  Most likely...

This brings me to the other aspect of the subject.  God.  There is a thing called prophesy that most Christians are totally unaware of.  And that's the Churches fault. They don't teach it and most don't even talk about it.  Why, I'm not sure.  After all, God didn't provide us with prophesy to scare us, he did it to prepare us.  

The Battle is real....and it's right outside your door

 Last week, this took place and most people had no idea it even happened.  From the Associated Press: (November 19)-Israel said it struck dozens of Iranian targets in Syria on Wednesday in a "wide-scale" operation in response to rocket fire on the Israel-controlled Golan Heights the day before.  A Britian-based war monitoring group said the strikes killed at least 23 people, including 15 non-Syrians, some of the Iranians".  Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "I have made clear that whoever hurts us, we will hurt them".

And the significance of this is what, you say.  

"An oracle concerning Damascus.  Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.  The cities of Aroer are deserted; they will be flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid.  The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the Lord of hosts-Isaiah 17:1-3

Things are lining up all over the place.  Prophesy tells us so.  As a good friend of mine put it the other day, "God has never lied to us.  All of his prophesies have come true".  Shouldn't that be enough to put on your armor and be ready for battle? 

People.  I've said this before.  Time is running out.  There will be a turn of events coming in the not to distant future.  Will you be ready?  I hope so.  Because it's going to be Miraculous!!!

YGG,

John     

ONE NATION UNDER GOD....NOT

This country....this land we call the United States of America was founded over 200 years ago. With all of our history you'd think it was nearly 400.  Through it all, our forefathers laid a great foundation for us.  They spent hour after hour after hour streamlining the Constitution as a road for success. Other important things took place along the way.  Take for example this:  An early pledge of allegiance to the flag of the Republic was offered up in 1887 by Captain George T. Bach, a veteran of the Civil War.  It read, "We give our heads and hearts to God and our country, one country, one language and one flag". 

Several years later, 1892 to be exact, Francis Bellamy put forward another form of the pledge that became a big portion of what we now know today.  His version was formally adopted by Congress in 1942.  The official name of the Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1945.  Lastly, on Flag Day of 1954, the words "under God" were added".  That brought us to these words:

"I pledge the allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all".  

These words used to be recited in classrooms around the country before the beginning of each school day. They were words that meant something.  Kids loved to sing the song, so to speak.  The pledge might have been recited more than, "Now I lay me down to sleep"......    

So what happened in a little over 10 years, after the pledge became official?   

"The reasons for this deterioration is simple.  In the beginning our founding fathers framed our Constitution around God, His moral government and laws. God was the supreme authority for government, the authority for oaths", according to the Courier of Montgomery County, Texas.  "This is a binding put in place to bind us together as one nation under God.  In the early 1960's, the Supreme Court and because of the lack of opposition made it unconstitutional to teach, suggest or recognize that there is a God.  In one uncontested opinion, our nation was brought to its knees, no longer bound as one nation, no longer liberty and justice for all (liberty and justice for the highest bidder), no longer united but heavily fragmented.  No longer a government of the people, by the people and for the people, but a government of the people, by politicians and their greed and struggle for power and for control.  One of our founding fathers gave a profound prediction, 'Those who will not be by God will be ruled by tyrants".  

Would it be helpful if I said, "well, we got what we deserved".  Of course not, but didn't we, though? We turned the other way and we let evil worm it's way into every facet of this country's makeup.  Greed, lust, power and deceit are all around.  And today, if we turn to the Church, are they teaching us what we should be doing?  Most aren't. They're not teaching prophesy. As a churchgoer, you'd be hard pressed to know that Satan is attacking us NOW MORE THAN EVER.  If you're attending a church that is fully committed to where we are biblically in these times, consider yourself fortunate.       

God is WAITING.  He so wants to bring every last person to his kindgom.  Remember Noah and the Ark?  If you'll recall there wasn't a whole lot of room.  So....      

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those who heart is loyal to Him.  In this you have done foolishly, therefore from now on you shall have wars- 2 Chronicles 16:9

One Nation Under God.  Not anymore.  It hurts to say that.  But the truth is...the whole truth and nothing but the Truth, so help me God.

YGG,

John  

WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

UPDATE:  The post below was published on the 29th of October.  Today, Friday, November 6th we sit as a country awaiting news of the next President of the United States.  The flawed process and the myriad of bad press is adding fuel to the FIRE.  

I'm going to rant today.  And it's long overdue. Way way overdue.   I have several choice words for the press in this country, the profession that looks nothing like the ranks I joined back in 1973. I was a member of the first graduating class in Mass Communications at Mankato State College in Mankato, Minnesota.  It was a proud moment for me and the College.  An emerging era had been born.  

As I look back at what led me to choose this major....I think of Watergate.  It was the chief reason the journalism profession exploded with graduates.   For those of you who don't know, here is the Wikipedia version of Watergate.

"The Watergate scandal was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of the U.S. President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation.  The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continuous attempts to cover up its involvement in the June 17,1972 break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Washington D.C. Watergate Office Building. 

Not too long after that, things began to change.  It's that change that has led us to today's media....one that I'm embarrassed of.  Read from an article in the Wall Street Journal from former head of CBS and Fox News, Van Gordon Sauter.  He didn't see it coming despite the train already leaving the station. 

"About 35 years ago I was sitting at lunch next to Jeane Kirkpatrick, a one-time Democrat, who became a foreign-policy adviser to President Reagan and later U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.  She was lamenting what she called the "liberal leaning" media.  As President of CBS News, I assured her it was only a "liberal tilt" and could be corrected. 

"You don't understand," she scolded.  "It's too late". 

Kirkpatrick was prophetic.  The highly influential daily newspapers in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and Boston are now decidedly liberal.  On the home screen, the three broad network divisions still have their liberal tilt.  Two of the three leading cable news sources are unrelentingly liberal in their fear and loathing of President Trump.  

News organizations that claim to be neutral have long been creeping leftward, an their loathing of Mr. Trump has accelerated the pace.  The news media is catching up with the liberalism of the professoriate, the entertainment industry, upscale magazines and the literary world.  Recent arrivals are the late-night TV hosts who have broken the boundaries of what was was considered acceptable political humor for networks.  (Note:  Not to mention the Tech Giants, Twitter, Facebook and Google).  

To many of the journalists, objectivity, balance and fairness-once the gold standard of reporting-are not mandatory in a divided political era and in a country they believe to to be severely flawed.  That assumption folds neatly into their assessment of the President.  

So let's back track a little.  There is a thing called a Journalists Creed.  It was written in 1914 by Walter Williams, the founding dean of the Missouri School of Journalism.  The creed has been published in more than 100 languages and a bronze plaque of the Creed hangs at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. 

Here is one of the main points of the creed.  "I believe in the profession of journalism...I believe that a journalist write only what he holds only what he holds to be true.  I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society is indefensible".  

Perhaps just as important is this tenet.  "I believe that the journalism which succeeds best-and best deserves success-fears God and honors Man: is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power, constructive, tolerant but never careless, self-controlled, patient, always respectful of it readers but always unafraid, is quickly indignant at injustice, is  unswayed by the appeal of privilege of the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wage and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance: is profoundly patriotic while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for today's world. 

The Creed has fallen under the same notion as the Ten Commandments.  They no longer serve as a means and way to live your life.  They're merely a SUGGESTION. 

Perhaps you don't see some things on the horizon.  These three words, State Run Media, out to make you shudder. We aren't far from that now.  And if the Democrats succeed in capturing the Presidency and the Congress...it will Happen.  Mark my WORDS.  Here is a short definition of that type of media:  The authoritarian media strategy is not designed to block everything, but is designed at obstructing news about politics or other sensitive issues from consistently reaching key audiences.       

Embarrassed, disgusted and fed up.  Yes, you bet I am.  The media were to be gatekeepers of ours.  They were to help keep us informed and educate us and even provide us some entertainment along the way.  No more.  

We've let this happen to us.  We've stood there and watched this shift of power take place.  We haven't been good stewards of our country and our liberties.   35 Years after Ms. Kirkpatrick echoed those words, "It's too late".  We now have an Apocalypse at our doorstep.  

Now, I ask the question, "Who can you trust?"   

YGG,

John 

  

LOOK AROUND YOU

There are days when I sit in front my laptop and I'm totally blank as to what I should write about.  But never for too long.  God is always there to offer a thought or drop a seed, so to speak.  

My last writing had to do with "Keep Looking Up".  It's a theme that I've completely bought into.  I remind people all the time now that they need to that.  And you should too....because if you haven't gotten on the train to freedom you'll be sadly mistaken.  But perhaps I could offer a suggestion to help you along the way.  Maybe looking around you first, is what you need to do before looking up.  Which brings me to a song written by the Little River Band many a moon ago, "Lady".  The lyrics go like this: 

Look around you

Look up here

Take time to make time

Make time to be there

Look around

Be a part

Feel for the winter

But don't have a cold heart

Makes you wonder where musicians get their inspiration for a song.  They must search places where they can find words that inspire, hope, motivate or offer a direction to live by.  And wouldn't the Bible be an obvious place to start.  So with that idea in mind, look around you.  What do you see?  People coming and going appearing oblivious to what's going to happen in the not to distant future.  It makes a person want to yell out...."hey, what are you all thinking?  Don't you get it?  Don't you see it? 

It's not to difficult to see the apathy that is running rampant today.  The looks on peoples faces wear it like a badge....and yes, not a mask.  The ones behind the masks are in deeper trouble.  But that's a story for another time.  Are people that stubborn or clueless they are looking the other way?  Maybe so.  But you don't have to be like that.  If what I'm saying hits you between the eyes and you want to be a part of something so super special.... then use that realization to LOOK UP.  It's just that easy. And then get right with God and keep looking up for as long as it takes.  If you could only imagine what it will look like when he comes back for us.     

9The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing.  They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness-2 Thessaloanisans 2:9  

YGG,

John           

ARE YOU LOOKIN UP?

 "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man".-Luke 21:36

I find I'm using a phrase I borrowed from my wife a whole lot more these days.  "Keep lookin up".  I had a little reservation in saying it at first.  It didn't seem natural to me.  But now, the more I use it, the more I feel convicted in laying it out there.  I did a little research on the subject and found out this about the quote.  Remember the comic strip, "Peanuts?"  Yeah, that Peanuts.  The creator of the animal, so to speak, was Charles Schultz.  He often times spoke in feeling stuck in a rut.  His answer was to try and look up and in doing so, you will find there are many more possibilities there!   

Now, it would be easy to say that having a positive attitude about things helps.  But it means so much more.  You need to look up for a reason.  God is there and he will provide what we need in no uncertain terms.   

Which leads me to this 2020 election cycle.  Weeks ago I found myself digging more into prophesy and less into what the results of the election might mean.  Here is what I now feel convicted of.  While I'm still hopeful Donald Trump wins,  I'm no longer of the belief that if he doesn't win...all is lost.  If Trump wins, I believe God will have given us a reprieve of sorts to get things right with him.  And if Trump loses, it will be the beginning of the end.  Just as simple as that.  So, really, it's a win-win thing.    

How could I say such a thing you might ask?  And I would respond by saying, look at the truth, the whole truth. That would be in the Bible.  Look at the Book of Revelations.  Errr, read it I mean.  Study it and let it soak in.  If you do, I am fairly certain my thoughts won't seem so far off base.  

Look up.  Take a long, long look.  If you think we are long for this world then you are sadly mistaken.  He's coming back.  I don't know when.   But soon.....  

12 "Look, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.  13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and many go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.  16 I Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. 17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who wishes take the free gift of the the water of life.  18  I warn everyone who hears the words of prophesy of this scroll: If anyone adds to the  plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from the scroll of prophesy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.  20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon".   Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.  21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen". -Revelation 22 12-21  

One more time.....Keep Lookin UP.  

YGG,

John