Zion Public Radio

Is Jesus God?

2010-05-30T15:38:00.003-05:00

by Brian Schrauger / 31 May 2007 / Encore 31 May 2010

It's a biggie. But this question is not my primary problem with God.

Still, no doubt: the issue is a sizzler. About 12 days ago [from 31 May 2007] an Israeli news agency reported: Chief Rabbinate Finalizes Ban on Christian Women's Conference. The facts are pretty clear. Israel's Chief Rabbinate (CR) issued a ban forbidding Jewish participation in two "Christian-sponsored conferences." The reason? In spite of advertised objectives to focus on social issues, the CR decided that both events were subtle attempts to persuade Jews "that Jesus is Messiah."

Neither conference was cancelled, however. And last week all sponsors announced success.

But oh the uproar that this ban provoked. Is Jesus the Messiah? Is he God?. In 131 Talkbacks there was a scathing storm of words. People on all sides of the issue called each other liars, idolaters and traitors.

It was nauseating. Not because people embrace different answers than I. And not because of anyone's intensity or passion. This question is anything but easy. Arguably it's not even nice. Those who wrestle with it should be fighting hard.

But for heaven's sake with God, not each other! Why? Because the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob blessed his people by naming them Israel, a wonderfully descriptive word that means "he who contends with God." It is a designation that is an invitation too.

The idea of God inviting us to wrestle shocks a lot of people. In fact I think it's self-evident that most monotheists believe God is someone to whom we must submit or die.

The word Islam, for example, means submission--although Muslims are hardly the only ones who approach God from this paradigm. Many if not most Christians believe the only way to God is submit or die. Sure they have different dogmas than Islam, but it's still submit-or-die.

And moi? As a defendant in God's Court of Law here's my affidavit: Jesus is the Messiah. What's more he is the uniquely singular Son of God. Meaning that he is, at once, completely human and completely God.

So, this means my faith's at ease because I have "right" answers? Oh sure, life's a breeze. The 10 zillion problems raised by my affirmations don't bother me a bit. Like: if this answer's true, why has God allowed so many atrocities in Jesus' name?

Ah, but perhaps my sworn testimony is an attempt to convert those who disagree--or maybe recruit gullibles who've never thought about it, hmm? Right; as if I can change anybody's heart about anything. Shoot, I can't even convert myself to stop eating junk food.

But at the very least doesn't my affirmation mean that I regard myself superior to those who answer differently? God forbid. Hear me on this: regardless of your answer, you are alright with me.

Why? Cuz charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, and words alone are cheap. Anyone can say anything. This is Torah truth, not mine: it is the heart God is after. And what kind of heart? Get this: a cir cum cised one; yup, one that's been cut up with a knife, then left wounded and scarred for life.

And that's why my biggest problem with God isn't the question about Jesus.

Go ahead, take a look. My wife and I are proud parents to 3 sons. They are wonderfully unique. I love each one so much I would gladly give my life to rescue theirs.

My biggest problem with God culminated 7 [now 10] years ago today. That's when one of our sons died. His name is Taylor and he was four days shy of turning 12 years old.

[SeeTaylor's YouTube story, embedded below]

He didn't die at the hands of evil men or by a sudden accident. Instead for 2 long years he fought a war with cancer. It literally hacked off an entire hip and leg, then maimed his torso too. In spite of all my tearful prayers, God did not rescue him from 24 months of torture or from a horrific death.

So what have I done with this, my biggest problem with God?

I have done the same thing Taylor always did with me. Even in agony and knowing that I could not take his place, he always accepted my invitation to move toward dad.

Sometimes his fists wailed away at pillows that I used to help absorb the blows. But most of the time my son turned to me and held on tight. Resting his head on my chest, we talked and laughed and cried. Somehow he found nourishment in my heartbroken love. It is the greatest honor I have ever known.

That's why I thank my divine Opponent for naming his people Israel. Sometimes it's tempting, but I don't have time to fight with you. I'm too busy wrestling in muck and mire with God, clinging in my woundedness to him, crying out in protest and in pride,

My son! My Son!! MY SON!!!

Apocalyptic fever, by Brian Schrauger

2009-07-21T11:13:00.004-05:00

The greatest threat to Israel’s existence is not Iran’s erection of nuclear weapons or Ahmadinejad’s publicly declared lust to use them against the Jewish state. Neither is it Hamas, Hizbollah or Fatah. The greatest threat to Israel’s existence is a global epidemic of apocalyptic fever.

A working definition of ‘apocalyptic fever’ is obsessive utopian beliefs that drive its victims to acts of self-destructive behavior. Like any epidemic, apocalyptic fever is indiscriminate: all nationalities, all ideologies, all religions are vulnerable.

The primary symptom of apocalyptic fever (AF) is public advocacy for immediate and extreme changes in personal and corporate conduct.

Accurate diagnosis of AF is not an easy task. Its victims may seem rational and calm while others look and sound fanatical. Contrary to popular instinct, either appearance may—or may not—be symptomatic of apocalyptic fever. The key, then, to correct detection of AF is focusing on words, not appearances; conduct, not affectations; content, not delivery.

Take, for example, the matter of globalization. Technology and trade have created a world in which all nations are economically interdependent. This is not a new development. And inasmuch as it has resulted in a general increase in worldwide standards of living, the interdependence of nations not only is a fact of life, it is a good thing.

The obvious, and literal, downside of this dynamic is today’s global recession and its attending threat of Great Depression. The world’s response is fear. As it should be.

Fear, kept fresh, is usually healthy. When we hear an angry lion roar, it informs us to move away from the beast, not toward it. But when fear goes bad it is anything but healthy.

Fear gone bad should be easy to detect. But it is not, especially in one’s self or culture. Why? Because fear gone bad is a kind of insanity. Its victims refuse to take cover from a rabid, roaring beast. Instead, they freeze. Or worse, they continue moving toward it, believing it will be conquered by taming it, joining it, or by divine intervention. In short, fear gone bad is the perfect environment for apocalyptic fever.

Fear gone bad is the prevailing atmosphere in our world today. No surprise, then, that recent calls for radical changes in global construct are welcomed and embraced.

From Cairo a secular leader calls on religious followers for a “world order” that must not fail while five times crying, “Holy Koran.”

From Rome a religious leader summons a secular institution, the United Nations, to reform itself in order to fulfill the “urgent need of a true world political authority” with “effective power.”

In response, the pluralistic-secular world applauds with relief. At the same time conservative religions are a bit too eager, a bit too certain of an imminent, if bloody, vindication by appearance of their given messiah. Meanwhile the real world continues to stagger with growing threats of horror too ghastly to imagine: nuclear annihilation, biological catastrophes, continental starvation, genocidal slaughters.

Why do we act like these threats have been resolved when, in fact, they are alive and growing? Why do we not persevere in a posture of healthy fear? Why do we drunkenly abandon our sober responsibility to act with justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God?

The reason, I propose, is because there is an epidemic of apocalyptic fever on a global scale. And its current strain is an existential threat to Israel.

It is not an existential threat because of a reluctance to recognize Israel as a sovereign state. It is an existential threat because of its demand that all states sacrifice their sovereignty for the greater good.

Supranational world orders have happened throughout history: empires led by Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. All of them knew success. But the ‘common man’ was always fodder for the ruling class. Jews were always abused, no matter how much they tried to accommodate. And every world order was centered around worship of anything or anyone except the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The only times Jews have been free are when they have been a separate, sovereign, independent state, a single nation under God, as they are today. Israel is more than a homeland for the Jewish human tribe. Its biblical charter is a blueprint for the world. Israel is mandated by God to be a nation-state with permanently limited borders on property that is owned by God.

This model is “a light unto the nations.” It is the foremost example of a broad biblical prescription for a healthy world construct: a world order that consists of nations with unique identities and boundaries. And individual sovereignties subject only to the one-and-only God-who-is, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Is there a way to inoculate against apocalyptic fever? Is there an antidote?

Yes. Israel and all who love her must stay sober and alert, abstain from hyperbole, stand firm against the seductive lure of a new world order, and live the Sh’ma no matter what the cost.

Christianity's anti-Semitic virus

2009-02-01T16:26:00.005-06:00

Dear fellow Christians,

Over the past few months there has been a dramatic increase in anti-Semitism around the world. It has been stimulated by Israel's recent operation against Hamas. And by a global recession that could easily turn into another Great Depression.

People are afraid, especially in wealthy Western nations. The Middle East could go nuclear. Energy supplies could dry up. We might lose our houses. Hungry, homeless indigents might coalesce.

Throughout history fear easily turns into terror, terror into blame, blame into hate, and hatred into murder. It is happening again.

Why? Human nature, by itself, will do anything to avoid three aspects of reality: 1) personal responsibility; 2) hardships of life beyond our control; and 3) accountability to the one-and-only G-d who Is. Instead, we look for someone else to blame, people we can hold "morally responsible." And therefore execute "with due cause."

Still, it requires something powerful to convert fear into "righteous indignation," and its attending murder into a self-justifying Final Solution.

That powerful thing is ideology, especially when, like yeast, hate is pinched into the philosophical dough of nationalism. And religion.

NOTE: Nationalism and religion are not inherently evil. But whenever they exalt themselves above G-d or take His place (usually doing so in His Name), they are easily infected by hate, converting themselves into self-righteous monsters.

Today's global fears, once again, are turning into blame against Israel and, respectively, against Jews in Israel and around the world.

For many Christians it is easy to identify the political and religious source of renewed anti-Semitism: the United Nations and Radical Islam.

But there is another ideology that is at least as dangerous. It is among us. And in us. Its viral infection began in the 2nd Century. Ever since it has been used to justify countless atrocities against countless Jews.

That viral infection is Replacement Theology.

A Facebook friend, Dot, has submitted an essay about it and opened a related Discussion Topic. Click this line to read her Facebook note.

This is a painful subject. But we must not look away. We must, instead, look it in the eye, understand it, discuss it, separate its truth from its dangerous errors. And then renounce those errors: first and foremost in *ourselves.*

We must take *positive* action by standing with our Messiah's Jewish family wherever they live, even when we disagree. And by standing with them in their sovereign Jewish State of Israel. Because it is their Promised Land deeded to them by G-d himself. Forever.

And we must unite as one. RECRUIT like-minded Christian leaders to our FACEBOOK Group, Pastors for Israel, and to its related Cause (see links to both below).

Finally, remember the nature of our souls' opponent. Keep your armor on. Stand firm. And please, pray for me as well.

Baruch Hashem: "Blessed is/be The Name"

Take your stand for Israel with Zion Public Radio.

Just click on the icon above. It will take you to
our PayPal link where you can give by bank transfer
or credit card. You do not have to have a PayPal account.

Brian

...Have a question? Shoot me an email by clicking on this line.

For more information, see Facebook's...

A. ...GROUP, "Pastors for Israel,"; and
B. ...CAUSE, "Pastors for Israel — a forum and a call from Zion Public Radio,"

Christian leaders uniting AGAINST Israel

2009-01-16T10:34:00.012-06:00

A growing number of Christian leaders are uniting AGAINST Israel. They are easy to find.

One example is the Facebook group, “Gaza Christian Martyrs,” with membership close to 2000.

I was drawn to it because I agree: there are Christian martyrs in Gaza. But martyred by whom? According to this group these Christian martyrs are being “murdered by Israeli & Zionist terror in Gaza, Palestine.”

No, no, no. They are being martyred by *Hamas.* Hamas has instituted crucifixion as punishment for Palestinian Christians. Hamas is on record, and miles of video, calling for and carrying out execution of Palestinians who follow Jesus as Messiah, Savior, Son of G-d and Prophet. Palestinians who choose Jesus, not Muhammad.

And the Facebook officers of “Gaza Christian Martyrs?” They are *all* Christian clergy. How can this be?

Biblical Judaism and Christianity agree: there is only one G-d: the G-d of Abraham-Isaac-and-Jacob. And according to biblical Christianity this same G-d is not only fully human in His incarnation. He is also fully *Jewish.*

Has G-d abandoned his own ethnic tribe? G-d forbid. He is one of them. Jews remain G-d’s uniquely chosen people. His love for them, his own human family, along with the mission, inheritance and promises He has given them, are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29)

We Gentiles who stand with G-d’s Chosen People in their divinely Promised Land must also unite. We also must take a public stand. Remember the Shoah—the Holocaust. Never again, my fellow Goyim. Silence is not an option.

Does our stand with the Jewish State of Israel mean that we believe she is always right? No. But hello? Neither are we.

Does it mean we are monolithic in our understanding of what it means to support Israel? Of course not.

But we chose to celebrate our different understandings as creative catalysts to take a wide variety of positive actions on behalf of Israel.

What can you do?

Recruit Christian leaders to join Facebook's Pastors for Israel: the GROUP and its sibling CAUSE.

Initiate discussions. Post information. Stand guard against enemy infiltrators. Help lead this cause and this group.

Write me, call me. Let’s pray and with G-d’s help, brainstorm.

Baruch Hashem. And, Shabbat Shalom,

Take your stand for Israel with Zion Public Radio.

Just click on the icon above. It will take you to
our PayPal link where you can give by bank transfer
or credit card. You do not have to have a PayPal account.

Brian

...Have a question? Shoot me an email by clicking on this line.

Fill 'er up and let's roll

2008-10-22T15:25:00.003-05:00

Zion Public Radio (ZPR) was conceived on a Sabbath day in late July last year. That’s when a philanthropist came to visit me in Nashville, Tennessee. She said, “I have done my due diligence and will provide the start-up funding for Zion Public Radio.”

That meant $100,000 to $250,000.

“But first,” she continued, “you need to incorporate and get official recognition from the IRS.”

I was ecstatic. We immediately incorporated. I immediately immersed myself in completion of the IRS application for official approval. My co-founder and I made immediate plans to produce pilot programs: you-are-there interviews of Israelis in their land, their nation: Israel.

Those programs were produced. And they are awesome. There is nothing else like them on the Internet, on the radio or anywhere in the world.

But hey. Listen for yourself. Those programs are right here, on this site. (Click on the links at the top of the page.)

On 27 December 2007 Zion Public Radio was added to the IRS list of recognized nonprofits.

We were ready to roll.

I called our benefactor with the wonderful news.

“Congratulations,” she began. “And yes, I know what I told you. But I have prayed about it, and G-d has told me to put my money someplace else. My decision is final. I wish you all the best. Goodbye.”

So. ZPR is like a brand new car sitting in the driveway. It’s beautiful and paid for. Donations this year have been enough to start the engine and let it idle now and then. But not enough to put it into gear and drive it toward our destination. Not yet.

Great news: we have a business plan that will produce the long-term fuel that’s needed. All that’s needed to implement that plan is one year’s tank of gasoline.

What I mean is that we have a viable strategy to generate money needed to operate and grow, to run, Zion Public Radio. But in order to make that strategy work, we need a few dollars to get it chuggin’, pumping out the fuel we know that, with G-d’s blessing, it will produce.

Help us fill the tank. Let’s get ZPR on the road, on the air, with purpose, style and pride. This is a far, far greater thing we do than almost anything we've ever done.

You are invited: become a Charter Member of Zion Public Radio.

Just click on the icon above. It will take you to
our PayPal link where you can give by bank transfer
or credit card. You do not have to have a PayPal account.

Let's fill 'er up and let's roll!

Brian

...Have a question? Shoot me an email by clicking on this line.

HOW

2007-12-21T10:53:00.002-06:00

Are you convinced that Israel has the right to exist—and prosper?

Are you troubled by Radical Islam's infiltration of popular media?
Are you concerned Americans don't know Israelis as real people?

Still, what can one person do? Alone, usually not much.
But if we join forces, combine resources, and share a common goal...
We can give Israelis a voice in the USA, speaking to Americans as neighbors.

Here's How:__
Zion Public Radio is an educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation formed
to do this very thing: produce programming that features Israelis from
every walk of life, sharing their lives, their stories, their convictions.

We have the skill, the programming and the passion.
Now we need a team that shares our passion and our dream.
Are you one of these? Then you no longer have to dream alone.

You are invited: become a Charter Member of Zion Public Radio.

Just click on the icon above. It will take you to
our PayPal link where you can give by bank transfer
or credit card. You do not have to have a PayPal account.

The dues you pay are up to G-d and you.

And the benefits are priceless.

You will no longer be alone in your convictions. Instead you will be a member of our team. A cause dedicated to building media platforms on which Israelis are able to share their hearts and minds and souls directly with listeners in the USA.

You will have priority access to ZPR's broadcasters and producers.

You will have access to "insider information." Things like confidential reports. Secret links to interviews not included in regular broadcasts. Invitation-only opportunities to participate in on-site interviews in Israel. Yes, in Israel.

You will receive behind-the-scenes and real-time correspondence. Things like personal notes from hosts and program directors. Participation in conference calls. Virtual seminars with Israeli VIPs.

And we will give you direct access to our guests—assuming, of course, they give us their okay. Direct access will probably take on different forms. Often it will by email. Other times there will be participation in live online forums. And sometimes face-to-face encounters.

Join the team and make it so.

Brian

...Have a question? Shoot me an email by clicking on this line.

ZPR awarded IRS exempt status!

2007-12-20T09:07:00.000-06:00

December 27, 2007

Earlier today I called the IRS. My highest hope was that, 4 months since submission, ZPR's application for tax-exempt recognition had been assigned to a reviewer.

Well, it had. But whoever it was never called or wrote. Instead she, or he, approved it!

I spoke with IRS Agent, Ms. Griffith. In spite of an uncomfortable cold and seasonal stress, her tone was warm.

Zion Public Radio, she said, "did receive its exempt status and...should receive [its] exempt determination letter within the next two weeks."

Hallelujah!

Among other things, this means that all donations to ZPR are indisputably deductible according to IRS tax law.

Meaning your Charter Membership gifts to Zion Public Radio, an educational nonprofit, are tax deductible.

One of the easiest way to get give—and have records to prove it—is by bank transfer or by credit-debit card, in our case through PayPal. It's as simple as a click above this little icon:

For all of us using the Gregorian calendar, by necessity or choice...

A Blessed New Year!

Let us make it so. Then every day exclaim,

Baruch HaShem!

(For a pdf copy of ZPR's official letter from the IRS,
Click anywhere on this line)

WHY?

2007-11-16T13:34:00.001-06:00

In this blog you can listen to and read about our

newborn program, This Week In Jerusalem—
TWIJ, produced by Zion Public Radio,
an educational nonprofit.

But why? Why this program?
Does TWIJ have a right to life?

I propose 10 reasons why it does. What do you think?

Virtually all U.S. news, opinion-shows and other Western media talk about Israel. None of them focus on listening to her. As a result we've all but forgotten that news about Israel involves real people, real families.

TWIJ believes it is impossible to see anyone's humanity without listening to them. That's why our commitment is to hear and understand what Israelis have to say.

From Fox to PBS to Britain's BBC, Western news revolves around the question, "What is in our country's best interest?"
TWIJ gives Israelis a platform to address topics centered on the question, "How do these issues affect the men, women and children of Israel?"

Secular news, talk-shows and religious programming align themselves with various opinions about Israel.
In contrast, TWIJ's top priority is building a relationship with the people of Israel by hearing what they have to say: the kind of relationship that makes allowance for very different convictions.

Yes, we encounter conflicting beliefs. When we differ, those differences matter. And yes, we too have strong convictions (in case you haven't noticed☺). But take note: near the top is this one: listening to our neighbor is a moral obligation, not a moral compromise.

Mainstream secular media is rabidly PC. And today's PC is that Israel is morally responsible for Radical Islam's murderous rage. This conviction is so pervasive in the news that Israel's right to exist is regarded dubious. What the Washington Post calls Britain's New Anti-Semitism is taking root in the U.S. too.
TWIJ explicitly affirms Israel's right to exist, no less than the USA or any other country, as a fully sovereign nation under G-d.
Radical Islam is spending petro-billions to sell its spin to Western News consumers. It...

...underwrites its own networks: like Iran's super-slick and scary IRIB, along with the "respectable" Al Jezerra through whom all Radical Islamic terror groups funnel threats and claims;

...trains and sends polished lobbyists to Washington, DC loaded with money; and

...educates and bankroles what might be called, Media Reps At-Large—like the super-smooth Adel al-Jubeir. Click his name; trust me, you'll recognize this guy.

TWIJ is like Tom Thumb going against these Goliaths. But we're willing. All we need, relative to them, is a slingshot and some stones (also known as Resources☺).

Articulate opponents of Israel get tons of air time and print space in the Western press. And the opinions they express, no matter how inconsistent or factually wrong, are enhanced by a tone, an atmosphere, of credibility.
TWIJ provides a desperately needed counter-balance, broadcasting the opinions of patriotic Israelis—including a wide variety of pros and cons about all kinds of issues.
From the White House to the United Nations and even to the Knesset, Israel's existence and policies are measured against the shifty, blurry standards of global sensibilities. Call it the All-Arguments-Have-Equal-Moral-Merit point of view.
TWIJ regards this perspective as logically absurd, and its self-righteous expressions, hypocritical. Every program we produce assumes that Israel's existence, policies and future, are measured against independent standards that never change: universal moral laws revealed in the Bible—the only holy book among all the world's religions that explicitly endows a Specific People with a Specific Land.
In the West and at best, Jewish people—especially citizens of Israel—are regarded odd.
TWIJ looks at the Bible and concludes that all Jewish people are G-d's people in a unique way: they are the apple of his eye.
More often than not, Western politicians and newsmakers see their cultures' survival relative to appeasing Radical Islam. No wonder they insist that Israel make concessions to her publicly sworn enemies.
TWIJ regards Israel's existence as fundamental to the West's survival. Sacrificing Israel, all at once or piece by piece, is nothing less than cutting off one's own legs in order to cure a headache.

Western culture takes its existence for granted, independent of the past.
TWIJ recognizes that Western culture owes its existence to Israel's history and culture. And not only to Israel's past-history, but also to her current and future history.

That's why, after listening to Israel, TWIJ encourages it audience to act: for our own sake, doing everything we can to ensure Israel's prosperity.

Does This Week In Jerusalem fill a need? Does it have a right to life? Should it grow and thrive? These 10 reasons compel us to answer, ...Yes.

But when it comes to TWIJ, it really does take a village—a community of people who share our values and our vision.

Are you part of this village, this community? If so, no matter who you are, TWIJ's viability and growth depend on your encouragement. And participation.

Share the dream. Join the team.
Become a Charter Member of Zion Public Radio.

Brian

This Week In Jerusalem is a production of ZION PUBLIC RADIO,
an educational 501(c)(3) U.S. nonprofit organization
incorporated in the State of Texas

AUDIO: Broadcast spans 2000 years

2007-10-23T11:12:00.000-05:00

This post includes another edition of This Week In Jerusalem,

a "you-are-there" broadcast that spans 2000 years.

I don't think there's anything else like it on the radio or Internet. But what do I know? Listen for yourself—just below—and tell us what you think.

Yehuda Rapuano, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority takes us back in time beside the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He shows us the gates most people used to enter and ascend the holy site. And beside massive rocks thrown down by the Roman general, Titus, when he destroyed the 2nd Temple, Yehuda dips his fingers in the ash of Titus' hellish fire.

Linda Olmert is the only child of parents who survived Auschwitz. She grew up destesting Christians whom she blamed for the Holocaust. Sitting in Jerusalem's Crowne Plaza Hotel, Linda explains how she came to love people of a faith she once despised.

Avi Lipkin has written several books under the pen-name Victor Mordecai. And for good reason. They are glaring exposés of Radical Islam. But today Avi no longer hides his true identity. Why? Because he is beginning a new political party in Israel: a Jewish-Christian coalition party. Oy!

Yishai Fleisher and his wife, Malkah, explain the meaning of Yom Kippur: their dialogue is some of the best radio I've ever heard. Of course they are both broadcasters with IsraelNationalRadio.com, but it feels like we are sitting with them over dinner in their home.

LISTEN HERE...
(If one track will not stream, choose another. One of them will play!)

OR TO DOWNLOAD, click (or right-click) one of these 5 links:
(If one gives you a funky message, like "Bandwidth Exceeded," just click another site)

Click here! (Site 1)
Or here! (Site 2)
Or here! (Site 3)
Or here! (Site 4)
Or here! (Site 5)

Looking, and listening, for your thoughts,

Brian

This Week In Jerusalem is a production of ZION PUBLIC RADIO,
an educational 501(c)(3) U.S. nonprofit organization
incorporated in the State of Texas

AUDIO: Walking on the Temple Mount

2007-10-12T09:29:00.000-05:00

The year is 5768, and together with some Jewish friends we walk atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City // A discussion with Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute, sitting in his office in Jerusalem's City Center // Judaism's perspective about the times in which we live—with Yishai Fleisher of Israel National News.

It's a fascinating, you-are-there broadcast of This Week In Jerusalem.

LISTEN HERE...
(If one track will not stream, choose another. One of them will play!)

OR TO DOWNLOAD, click (or right-click) one of these 5 links:
(If one gives you a funky message, like "Bandwidth Exceeded," just click another site)

Walking on the Temple Mount: Site 1
Walking on the Temple Mount: Site 2
Walking on the Temple Mount: Site 3
Walking on the Temple Mount: Site 4
Walking on the Temple Mount: Site 5

Now, share your thoughts: post feedback!

Brian

This Week In Jerusalem is a production of ZION PUBLIC RADIO,
an educational 501(c)(3) U.S. nonprofit organization
incorporated in the State of Texas

AUDIO: On the air in Israel: hear it here!

2007-10-04T13:37:00.000-05:00

July 12, 2007

My partner, Greg, has engineered a terrific audio introduction to the radio program we would love to start producing ASAP. Well, I think it's terrific.

But hey, listen for yourself and let us know what you think:

Click Play to hear the program demo: in Microsoft's browser, IE, click Play twice
(give it just a little time to load up from another site)

And here's an amazing thing. One week ago today I was visiting executives at Arutz Sheva: Baruch Gordon, Director of English Media for IsraelNationalNews.com and Yishai Fleisher, head of programming for IsraelNationalRadio.com, a division of IsraelNationalNews.com.

We talked about many ways our respective efforts can reinforce and help each other. One idea was the possibility of hitting a circuit of U.S. cities with "An Evening of Jewish-Christian Dialogue."

What fun, especially if we could wrap the discourse with mini-concerts featuring Jewish musicians on the front-end and the back.

Then, while visiting, Yishai invited me to join him on his show, Yishai Fleisher and friends, that same afternoon. How cool is that? Such an honor!

Here's the portion of Yishai's program on which I was his guest:

Click Play to hear Brian on-air with Yishai Fleisher: in Microsoft's IE click Play twice
(again, give it a few seconds to load up from another site)

There are two other ways you can access these mp3s. Click on the option you prefer:

Program Demo: Download or play inside your browser
Brian as a guest on Yishai Fleisher's program: Download or play inside your browser

Let us know what you think: post feedback! Send an email!

And if you're not aware of the unlikely path that has brought us to this point, take look at prior posts...

Impossible: posted Monday, May 14, 2007
Is Jesus G-d?: posted Thursday, May 31, 2007
IJS: Israel-Jerusalem Syndrome: posted Monday, June 25, 2007
Radical Islam hits home: posted Wednesday the 4th of July 2007

This Week In Jerusalem is a production of ZION PUBLIC RADIO,
an educational 501(c)(3) U.S. nonprofit organization
incorporated in the State of Texas

Death hits home again

2007-10-01T03:01:00.000-05:00

For the rest of the story, see media links at the bottom of this post. I've also included a link to a photo album posted on Facebook. Thank you, Brian (on 2007.10.09 Tuesday)

Monday, October 1, 2007

Timothy and Joshua Schrauger, ages 14 and 17, were killed in a car accident on Saturday afternoon. Professionals at the scene believe their deaths were instantaneous.

The Detroit News has just posted an article with details: Deaths add to family's trials: Teens die in crash as GI brother heals. (Click on the title to see the online report.)

Timothy and Joshua are the youngest sons of my brother, Cliff, and his wife, Vicki. Their oldest son, David, is still fighting to recover from life-threatening wounds incurred last June. He is in the army and was serving in Iraq where a Humvee in which he was riding hit an IED.

Pictured Left to Right: Vicki and Cliff Schrauger, Kate (David's fiancé),
Joshua and Timothy Schrauger

You can read David's story in the post I wrote, Radical Islam hits home. That same post includes directions to the online blog of David's story. And now, as well, the first announcement of his youngest brothers' deaths.

David Schrauger's fiancé, Kate, greets him in the
Brook Army Medical Center near San Antonio, Texas

I am leaving Jerusalem tonight instead of this coming Saturday, arriving in Detroit, Michigan early Tuesday morning. Timothy and Joshua's combined funeral is Thursday afternoon, October 4.

I'm not certain, but I think the service will be held in their school's auditorium: Lake Orian High School near Pontiac, Michigan.

On a personal note, I cannot help but wonder: during this trip to Israel, starting our new program, death has struck my partner's family and my own. Greg's mother died about a week ago.

I know that my nephews' deaths are not about me. But I too have had a son die. No parent should have to go through this lifelong amputation of the soul.

And so I ask and wonder, "G-d, wasn't one Schrauger child enough? What is going on? And why? I know that you are good, but your goodness is to me an almost terrifying mystery. But. To whom else shall I turn? Who else can I fully trust with my messy, raw and wounded heart? Only you. Only you."

Standing with my horrified family, and together in the need of prayer,

Brian

Post Script on Tuesday, October 9, 2007:
Here are several links to media reports that tell the rest of this story.Each one is very well done. The last link is to a personal photo album.Thank you for your generous expressions of love expressed to all our family.

Two sons killed in traffic accident, October 2, 2007: Article and video reports
Things will never be the same, October 5, 2007: Article and photos
Farewell friends: 2 brothers remembered, October 5, 2007: Article and photos
Death of 2 sons only part of the story, October 7, 2007: Article
Schrauger family days: portraits of love and sorrow, a personal photo album

Program debut: from Jerusalem to you

2007-09-28T08:37:00.000-05:00

Friday, September 28,2007

Reporting from Jerusalem...

Our first full program is complete, and you can hear it here.

There are at least a thousand reasons why this flagship effort should have failed. Three weeks in Jerusalem, with another week to go, have felt like 3 years. The time has been good. Very good, in fact.

But good doesn't equal easy. Ha! If only it were so. The spiritual-emotional intensity has often seemed overwhelming. If you'd like to get an idea why, check out the post I wrote, IJS: Israel-Jerusalem Syndrome.

And this time, like a virulent virus, IJS reached out 8,000 miles all the way to Dallas, Texas. That's where my partner in this venture, Greg Cromartie, lives. He's the engineer-producer of our effort.

His first symptom of IJS was unusual difficulty in putting the pieces together into a cohesive single program. And then his mother died. Oy vey. It was as if invisible but tangibly malicious forces were conspiring against us.

But with G-d's help we persevered.

So, listen in! And please, tell us what you think. We know the program will change a lot over the months to come.

AND NOW ... MAKING IT'S DEBUT, HEEeeer's

This Week In Jerusalem:

You are also welcome to download the show,
then play it on your iPod or computer.

Just click this link:

Rosh Hashanah in Jerusalem

Grateful for you, including your encouragement and prayers,

Brian

Presenting... Zion Public Radio

2007-08-31T11:00:00.000-05:00

Friday, August 31, 2007

Can't believe it's been so long since my last post. It feels like I've been submerged in a kind of ectoplasmic Twilight Zone: yech. Now, at least for 7 days, I have surfaced to try and catch my breath. Then once again I plunge into a world far different from our Western U.S. homes.

Sound a bit abstruse? Sorry about that. Could be oxygen deprivation. Or maybe it's because I've aged another year! Okay, so here's a headline summary; maybe it'll clarify...

ZION PUBLIC RADIO, A NONPROFIT CORPORATION, LAUNCHED ON AUGUST 3RD

SEQUESTERED FOR 3½ WEEKS COMPLETING IRS FORM 1023

LEAVING SEPTEMBER 7 FOR ANOTHER MONTH IN ISRAEL

FOUR RADIO PROGRAMS PLANNED

Don't worry. As I write these words I'm battling the enemy of TMD (Too Much Detail). Oh the agony. Here then, for those of you who know me, are shockingly brief synopses:

ZION PUBLIC RADIO (ZPR) is the umbrella organization for our emerging radio-Internet-podcast program, This Week In Jerusalem. ZPR is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation. It's structured so that, as feasible, it can produce or acquire other programs down the road.

IRS FORM 1023 is the U.S. government's application for official recognition as a 501(c)(3). The law allows new nonprofits up to 2 years before filing this lovely document, but all-in-all it seemed best to do it now and get 'er done. Meanwhile ZPR is, nonetheless, a fully registered State of Texas nonprofit corporation.

And 1 week from today I leave again for Israel. It will be my third full month there this year, most of it in Jerusalem.

My cohort in this venture is Greg Cromartie. While he is in his Texas studio and I'm about 8,000 miles away, we plan to produce 4 one-hour programs.

Why are we moving so fast? 3 major holy days are happening in Israel during these four weeks:

Rosh Hashanah: the Jewish New Year of 5768!

Yom Kippur: the Day of Atonement; and

Sukkot, also known as The Feast of Booths--a full week of party-hearty time in Israel

Wow, what rich opportunities to record unique Israeli sounds and intriguing interviews.

Soon, I'm sure, ZPR will be inviting Charter Members. But more about that in another post.

Meanwhile if you haven't heard the audio clips from Israel, especially our sample program, take a listen. It's in the post called On the air in Israel: hear it here!

Click on What Do You Think at the bottom of each post. And then, well, do it! Let us know what you think. Greg and I would love to hear your thoughts.

Crazy as it often feels...here we go. Oy vey. Grateful for your encouragement,

Brian

P.S. Feel a need to read ZPR's incorporation, bylaws and/or Form 1023? Click on this line to shoot me an email with your request. I'll send links to our pdf copies.

Radical Islam hits home

2007-07-04T04:39:00.000-05:00

Elephants are among the world's most potentially dangerous animals, capable of killing any other land animal, from rhinoceros and lions to humans.

I visited a village [just] demolished by a herd of elephants. It looked like an earthquake had hit. 20-foot palm trees were uprooted. Villagers told us the herd stood patiently by while a single male wreaked all this destruction on his own. And they knew the reason why. The herd was making a new route and were not happy at finding the village in the way.

Elephants never forgive, either.

July 4, 2007

In the USA this is Independence Day. There is a rabid elephant crashing our parades and ready to explode with something worse than fireworks. It’s time to stop pretending that it isn’t there.

***********************

17 days ago my brother’s oldest son was riding in a Humvee somewhere in Iraq. His name is David Schrauger. He’s 23 years old and in the U.S. Army. Riding with 3 other men, the Humvee hit an IED.

SPC David Schrauger, Pre-IED injuries

I heard about it here, in Jerusalem. Almost immediately after David was wounded he spoke with his dad by phone. He expressed a number of I-love-you messages.

For a long time information was sketchy. David had a spinal injury, two shattered arms, a damaged knee and shrapnel wounds from shoulders to toes. But his bruised lungs contracted pneumonia. Necessary surgeries were put on hold.

Doctors insisted his parents immediately fly to their son’s bedside in Frankfurt.

Cliff is David’s dad and one of my two brothers. We are close. Before Cliff left we prayed, begging G-d to spare David’s life, to restore his spirit and his heart, his body and his mind.

***********************

During these ensuing days I have continued praying for my nephew. And I’ve thought a lot about that angry elephant’s intent: crush anyone outside its herd.

This dangerous behemoth isn’t George Bush, Tony Blair, Republicans or Democrats. True, they and others like them are big and sometimes bad.

But Bush didn’t blow up 4 young men riding in a Humvee, defending Iraqi citizens from terrorists. Blair didn’t bury the IED that has damaged my nephew for life. Imperfect as these men and others like them are, none of them planted that IED any more than they hijacked those jets on September 11, 2001.

I’m all for blame. But for heaven’s sake let’s put it where it belongs.

The unapologetic rogue is Radical Islam (RI). That’s the rabid mastodon stomping a path through our lands: a rampaging ideology that’s wooing wounded souls with promises of Paradise. And crushing anyone who won’t convert or at least submit.

“Now-now-now,” patronizes the starry host shining in the West’s night sky. “That mammoth and its Ice-Age herd are Over There, not Here. If we’ll get off their land and bring our soldiers home, they’ll leave us alone. After all, they’ve promised.”

Oh. Well. That sounds reasonable. But when I turn the TV off and shut down my computer prickly thoughts resuscitate unease. Remember President Carter’s 1978 Camp David Accords? It created a sovereign Palestinian Authority to rule in Gaza and West Bank territories. And persuaded Israel to withdraw from Sinai.

And 29 years ago it was all based on the same promise: Land for Peace. And such a peace hath this promise wrought. Just ask Egypt’s Anwar Sadat. Whoops, can’t; sorry about that. He was murdered with religious sanction by the EIJ.

(Shh, don’t tell, but today’s CEO of the EIJ is al-Zawahri: al-Qaeda’s Number Two; Bin Laden’s right-hand man.)

Hello? Read that "Shh" again!

For 30 years RI has promised. Its ivory incisors (one called Land, the other Peace) cut deals in two Oslo Accords. Then after Camp David’s Summit “failure” the rogue went on rampage. It was the 2nd Intifada against the State of Israel: indiscriminate suicidal murders that lasted several years. And on that 9/11 day RI celebrated, dancing in the streets.

The Promise works so well, why change it? Today’s RI continues offering Land For Peace. And we continue buying it.

“Here’s an idea,” susurrates Western Intelligentsia like a Miss Universe contestant. “Let’s just bounce-bounce-jiggle-wiggle ourselves out of the Middle East and the Jews out of ‘Palestine.’ Then we’ll have our greatest wish: world peace. Land-for-peace, land-for-peace, land-for-peace…”

Let’s pretend we executed Miss Universe’s plan. Uh-oh, what about members of the RI herd who have trekked West? Are they going to pack their trunks and go home?

Not likely. Just ask the British who are defusing car bombs. Or in the USA let's add this activity to our Independence Day. Check out the government report, Exposing Terrorists in America. Look at the property they own in your State! Check out the training compound nearest to your home!

RI rogues aren’t only There; they are Here.

Soldiers fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan—and in Israel’s IDF—are risking their lives protecting the West from a whole-herd-rampage in our lands. It is high time we thank them and help them all we can. Especially with our prayers.

***********************

Over the past 17 days David has been moved from Baghdad to Frankfurt to Washington D.C. and finally settled at the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. That’s where he will remain for some time to come. His badly damaged body is recovering, but the road ahead is long.

As it also is for his heart and mind. In spite of a resilient spirit, he is fighting flashbacks. And he's only just begun a pilgrimage of grief. David recently learned that one buddy riding in the Humvee did not survive his injuries.

SPC David Schrauger, Post-IED injuries, in San Antonio's
Brooke Army Medical
3851 Roger Brooke Dr., Rm 462, Bed 1
Fort Sam Huston, TX 78234-4501

For the complete story of David’s drama and updates on his status, click this paragraph. Scroll down the new page and click on David's photo. That will take you his blogsite. Yes, this is the easiest way to get from here to there.

IJS: Israel-Jerusalem Syndrome

2007-06-25T08:04:00.000-05:00

June 25, 2007

“There’s something in Jerusalem that makes some 150 tourists a year lose their minds. Some think they’re Messiah or the devil--or Samson trying to knock down walls near the Western Wall. [Some believe] they must destroy a mosque or church. Others know where the Ark of the Covenant is hiding.”

(From Crazy about Jerusalem, YNetNews.com, 18 June 2007)

Broaden this phenomena and call it
IJS: Israel-Jerusalem Syndrome.

Three days ago Michael, an Israeli, said to me, “Whatever baggage people have, they bring it with them when they come here. Once in Israel all their quirks and problems are magnified 10 times. And when they arrive in Jerusalem it’s multiplied by another factor of 10. For many the breaking point is about a month when they simply have to leave.”

I am half-way through a month-long visit to Jerusalem; it is my second one this year. I know what Michael’s talking about. I see it in people I meet, especially non-Jewish tourists. And I feel its malice hunting me: confusion, distorted thoughts, and an extra-forceful pull from black-holes in my soul.

At the same time I have discovered Positive IJS: a passion to know and please the heart of G-d no matter what the cost. And mostly I have found it in the faces, words and conduct of Jewish people in their Promised Land: in citizens and visitors alike.

My first encounter with Positive IJS happens within 48 hours of arrival. While walking through the Old City I ask directions from two teenage girls. Turns out they are students at a Yeshiva for women near the Western Wall. And whoa, are they excited. Not about boys or parties or Paris Hilton. They’re bubbling with enthusiasm about Torah.

“We just graduated from high school,” they announce with Aussie accents. “We hated homework. Now here we are, studying for a year where we never have to take a test. But every day we can hardly wait to study Torah and how to live it!”

Two days later a friend and I are in the West Bank at a city called Bethel. Ramallah, capital city of the PLO and Yasser Arafat's metropolitan tomb, stands on a neighboring hill. In Bethel executives of an Israeli news organization warmly welcome us to the production heart of their English-division studios. “Everything we do,” they say, “is to please the heart of Hashem. And you are welcome to use anything we produce on your radio program.”

The director, Baruch, asks me to make a sample recording. Handing me a script, he turns on a mic. I read the copy cold. Later in the week it will be used on an Internet TV report: my voice interpreting a man speaking Hebrew. What fun, and what a hoot--because I don’t speak Hebrew. (Pictured here with Yishai Fleisher, Program Director of IsraelNationalRadio.com)

Another example of Positive IJS. It also happens in West Bank territory; this time in Hebron. For religiously observant Jews Hebron is the second-holiest city in the world. Because Hebron’s where Abraham paid cold cash for title to a plot of land where he buried his wife, Sarah. Later Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebecca, and Leah were also laid to rest in The Cave of the Patriarchs.

80% of Hebron is “governed” by the PLO. Recently, like Gaza, it has become a killing zone for competing factions: Hamas versus Fatah, with countless innocents trapped in murderous crossfire. Call it Negative IJS with Extreme Prejudice.

Meanwhile in the 20% of Hebron governed by Israel there is a tiny minority of Jewish settlers raising their children under the din of gunfire and Islamic calls to worship 5 times every day. Their determination and success in making this place home is breathtaking. Call it Positive IJS with Extreme Chutzpah.

Where in the West are we hearing positive reports like these about Israel? Aren’t almost all mainstream voices condemning the entire nation? Repeatedly portraying her as an oppressive, genocidal, land-grabbing State? Even accusing her of committing a “holocaust” against duly elected terrorists who have publicly sworn to “wipe Israel off the map.”

But the nauseating lie that Israeli’s are today’s Nazis is winning the PR propaganda war. 21st century Thought Police have been so successful in their portrayal of Israel-The-Bully it has become an Orwellian thoughtcrime to say it isn't so. Call it Globally Negative IJS.

Western entities are declaring boycotts. The latest is a British academic lecturer's union that voted to boycott all Israeli universities and faculty members. Days later Britain's largest labor union voted to sanction all business dealings with Israeli companies. And so the novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, shakes hands with reality in 2007. Wherever his departed spirit lives George Orwell must be proud.

In a world where day is called night and dark is called light, will no one stand up in our public squares and tell the truth?

Greg and I would like to try with This Week In Jerusalem. We have the content and the skills. But we don’t yet have the structure or the means. Should we set up our own entity or work beneath an existing one? Is it best to be a non-profit or for-profit corporation?

These are huge issues; every path is peppered with land mines. Sitting in Jerusalem today there isn’t any visible way to get from here to there; the obstacles are simply insurmountable. IJS taunts me with despair.

But G-d is greater than every human insurmountable. And though it's worldwide, he also taunts every evil strain of deadly IJS. So be it.

Is Jesus G-d?

2007-05-31T06:46:00.000-05:00

May 31, 2007

It's a biggie. But this question is not my primary problem with G-d.

Still, no doubt: the issue is a sizzler. About 12 days ago an Israeli news agency reported: Chief Rabbinate Finalizes Ban on Christian Women's Conference. The facts are pretty clear. Israel's Chief Rabbinate (CR) issued a ban forbidding Jewish participation in two "Christian-sponsored conferences." The reason? In spite of advertised objectives to focus on social issues, the CR decided that both events were subtle attempts to persuade Jews "that Jesus is Messiah."

Neither conference was cancelled, however. And last week all sponsors announced success.

But oh the uproar that this ban provoked. Is Jesus the Messiah? Is he G-d?. In 131 Talkbacks there was a scathing storm of words. People on all sides of the issue called each other liars, idolaters and traitors.

It was nauseating. Not because people embrace different answers than I. And not because of anyone's intensity or passion. This question is anything but easy. Arguably it's not even nice. Those who wrestle with it should be fighting hard.

But for heaven's sake with G-d, not each other! Why? Because the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob blessed his people by naming them Israel, a wonderfully descriptive word that means "he who contends with G-d." It is a designation that is an invitation too.

The idea of G-d inviting us to wrestle shocks a lot of people. In fact I think it's self-evident that most monotheists believe G-d is someone to whom we must submit or die.

The word Islam, for example, means submission--although Muslims are hardly the only ones who approach G-d from this paradigm. Many if not most Christians believe the only way to G-d is submit or die. Sure they have different dogmas than Islam, but it's still submit-or-die.

And moi? As a defendant in G-d's Court of Law here's my affidavit: Jesus is the Messiah. What's more he is the uniquely singular Son of G-d. Meaning that he is, at once, completely human and completely G-d.

So, this means my faith's at ease because I have "right" answers? Oh sure, life's a breeze. The 10 zillion problems raised by my affirmations don't bother me a bit. Like: if this answer's true, why has G-d allowed so many atrocities in Jesus' name?

Ah, but perhaps my sworn testimony is an attempt to convert those who disagree--or maybe recruit gullibles who've never thought about it, hmm? Right; as if I can change anybody's heart about anything. Shoot, I can't even convert myself to stop eating junk food.

But at the very least doesn't my affirmation mean that I regard myself superior to those who answer differently? G-d forbid. Hear me on this: regardless of your answer, you are alright with me.

Why? Cuz charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, and words alone are cheap. Anyone can say anything. This is Torah truth, not mine: it is the heart G-d's after. And what kind of heart? Get this: a cir cum cised one; yup, one that's been cut up with a knife, then left wounded and scarred for life.

And that's why my biggest problem with G-d isn't the question about Jesus.

Go ahead, take a look. My wife and I are proud parents to 3 sons. They are wonderfully unique. I love each one so much I would gladly give my life to rescue theirs.

My biggest problem with G-d culminated 7 years ago today. That's when one of our sons died. His name is Taylor and he was four days shy of turning 12 years old.

He didn't die at the hands of evil men or by a sudden accident. Instead for 2 long years he fought a war with cancer. It literally hacked off an entire hip and leg, then maimed his torso too. In spite of all my tearful prayers, G-d did not rescue him from 24 months of torture or from a horrific death.

So what have I done with this, my biggest problem with G-d?

I have done the same thing Taylor always did with me. Even in agony and knowing that I could not take his place, he always accepted my invitation to move toward dad.

Sometimes his fists wailed away at pillows that I used to help absorb the blows. But most of the time my son turned to me and held on tight. Resting his head on my chest, we talked and laughed and cried. Somehow he found nourishment in my heartbroken love. It is the greatest honor I have ever known.

That's why I thank my divine Opponent for naming his people Israel. Sometimes it's tempting, but I don't have time to fight with you. I'm too busy wrestling in muck and mire with G-d, clinging in my woundedness to him, crying out in protest and in pride,

My son! My Son!! MY SON!!!

Impossible

2007-05-14T11:24:00.000-05:00

May 14, 2007:

Last night I was reading a novel enjoying the escape into make-believe. Then without warning the author used a character to thrust a sucker-quote. It cut my heart so fast at first I didn't feel it. Then all at once my mind protested, Ow! And, wow.

"There are three stages in every work of G-d: Impossible; Difficult; Done."
(attributed to J. Hudson Taylor, 1832-1905)

Impossible, ha! Along with a number of colorful expletives Impossible! has been the protest assaulting my brain and hammering my heart for two weeks and a day. That's how long it's been since my soul "heard" a burning-bush kind of order, a Level 10 command from God: "Go! Return to Israel!"

Trust me, I know how that sounds. On Sunday morning, May 6, while driving in my car it was an unmistakable mandate. But as days and weeks have passed jeering thoughts have mocked what seemed to be so clear. "A call from God? Yeah, right. Impossible."

I was just there, in Israel, last February. Our oldest son is a student in Jerusalem where he has lived 2 years. The main reason for that visit was spending time with him.

But there was another thing, a wild dream shared with an old college friend. His name is Greg Cromartie. For about 30 years he has engineered, produced and hosted countless radio programs. Our far-fetched aspiration, something only G-d could pull off? Develop and produce our own radio program: one that is...

A regular broadcast aimed at English-speaking goyim listeners in N. America,
A lively, you-are-there kind of production that brings our audience the voices and the sounds of Israel,
A platform featuring patriotic and provocative Israelis,
A format urging listeners to listen, and listen hard, to Israeli points of view,
And so perhaps for all of us to hear the heart of G-d himself.

When I returned to the U.S. on February 26 Greg and I realized that we had secured:

A U.S. radio network willing to put our program on their satellite,
An Israeli news network willing to let us use any of their broadcast materials,
A well-connected Israeli citizen who can get us in front of almost anybody in that country's government,
An serendipitous new friendship with a man named Sam who has just started a job as the most recently appointed Director at Yad Vashem--aka, The Holocaust Museum: the very soul of Israel.

Basically Greg and I found ourselves with a wealth of material to produce a program.

Everything except for funding. Of course. And how much would it take to get our broadcast on the air by Yom Kippur this fall? Only about $300,000.00.

Impossible.

Which is why 15 days ago when I "heard" God's order, my first reaction was something like, "Impossible!" And to which I felt, in response, a deep, unhappy growl.

After clearing it with a few close friends, and especially my wife, that same day I booked another trip. While Debbie and our youngest son are at a boys' camp for four-and-a-half weeks, I will be in Israel. I leave on Wednesday, June 6, and am scheduled to return on Monday, July 9.

After charging the airline tickets to a credit card I drafted an overall budget for a month in Israel: $10,000.00. That's big--big--money for us. It is in fact impossible.

Within days of committing myself to the trip, $3,500.00 of the needed $10,000.00 came in. And since? Nada but a number of looks that seem to question my sanity. Not that I don't wonder too...

So, wanna sink some shekels into an impossible thing? Send money now.

And if the remaining balance doesn't show up before it's time to leave? I find this prospect terrifying. Only one thing scares me more; I've heard that growl and do not want to hear him roar.

Brian

ZPR wins IRS exempt status-Original

2006-12-27T09:37:00.000-06:00

December 27, 2007

Earlier today I called the IRS. My highest hope was that, 4 months since submission, ZPR's application for tax-exempt recognition had been assigned to a reviewer.

Well, it had. But whoever it was never called or wrote. Instead she, or he, approved it!

I spoke with—and recorded—my conversation with IRS Agent, Ms. Griffith. In spite of an uncomfortable cold and seasonal stress, her tone was warm.

Zion Public Radio, she said, "did receive its exempt status and...should receive [its] exempt determination letter within the next two weeks."

Hallelujah!

Among other things, this means that all donations to ZPR in 2007 are indisputably deductible according to IRS tax law. Which begs the obvious question,

When must a contribution be made in order to qualify for a deduction in 2007?

The answer, according to the IRS, is at this link:
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p526/ar02.html#d0e2922

Bottom line: contributions are deductible in the year that they are made.

Meaning you have until this coming Monday, December 31st in order to obtain a deduction in 2007 for your Charter Membership in Zion Public Radio.

The easiest way to get this done—and have records to prove it—is to give by bank transfer or credit-debit card, in our case through PayPal. It's simple as a click above this little icon:

Because I'm not an expert in tax-law or accounting, and because every situation is unique, you should direct any questions about your own situation to a qualified tax-accounting professional.

But hurry. And for all of us using the Gregorian calendar, by necessity or choice...

A Blessed New Year!

Let us make it so. Then every day exclaim,

Baruch HaShem!

My Fleece. Your Vote. G-d’s Choice

2005-02-25T09:01:00.000-06:00

CHANGE. Last November our country elected a president who promised change. During his first month in office, changes have indeed begun. Major changes. In the U.S.A. Around the world. And in Israel.

Zion Public Radio (ZPR) has reached a point where it too must change. The big question is how. But an even bigger question, the biggest one of all, is this: how does G-d want it to change?

I was recently approached with an offer to acquire ZPR. And there has been talk about merging it with another entity.

Early negotiations have begun.

What do you think…about the change that G-d wants?

ZPR is a U.S. educational nonprofit. It is officially recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

According to its by-laws, ZPR’s mission is “to produce and acquire programming...to the broad community of people in North America who support the existence, prosperity and sovereignty of Israel.”

I am ZPR’s CEO. As an individual, I am a Christian. ZPR, however, is not a religious entity. The heart of my dream has been to strengthen non-Jewish support of Israel, Christian or not. And to provoke all non-Jewish supporters to *act* on Israel’s behalf: through business, educational activities, personal visits and meaningful dialogue.

ZPR was born 18 months ago. It has encountered many challenges. The biggest was complete withdrawal of promised support—life support—from our original underwriter.

The result is a bright-eyed but skeletal infant.

There are only three ways that ZPR, as it must, can change: 1) Adoption by new “parents;” 2) New sources of nourishment from a community that believes it must survive; or 3) Euthanasia.

This coming March 20-29 three people will be in Israel: Katrina and Martin Dzuris and I will be emissaries of ZPR. We will interview, record and film Israelis about their lives and their opinions. About America, the rising tide in global anti-Semitism. And their own new government. All of this is in-line with ZPR’s mission.

And it is a fleece. Kind of like what Gideon did in Judges, chapter 6. The difference is, unlike Gideon, G-d has not given me a crystal clear command.

MY QUESTION OF G-D: do You want ZPR to grow according to its original conception, get adopted by new management, or be …dismantled?

If ZPR is supposed to remain under current management, it needs immediate and *ongoing* help from a like-minded community of friends.

MY FLEECE BEFORE G-D: If we receive 500 donations of $50.00 by March 31, the L-rd is telling us to move ahead with ZPR’s original vision. If we do not, then He is telling us to relinquish it.

If the L-rd is leading you to be part of His decision, you can do so by making a $50 donation at this link:

Cast your vote for Zion Public Radio

NOTE 1: You do not need a PayPal account to make a donation.

NOTE 2: Multiple, and ongoing, “votes” will not be rejected. :-)

Or you may send a check payable to Zion Public Radio to 6561 Rolling Fork Dr, Nashville, TN 37205.

Between now and 31 March 2009 I will keep you posted about the number of votes—$50.00 donations—that have come in.

And by all means, pray. Pray that our hearts will be receptive to clearly hear, and obey, G-d’s will.

Blessings and Shalom to you,

Brian

...Have a question? Shoot me an email by clicking on this line.

GO or SEND: Now, Today. Why?

2005-02-11T11:46:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, 11 February 2009 / re 20-29 MARCH 2009

NEARLY ONE-THIRD of Europeans “blame Jews for the global economic meltdown” (reported yesterday by the Associated Press).

President Obama is establishing diplomatic relations with Iran, known underwriter of global terrorism and about to join the Nuclear Club. Its president, Ahmadinejad, denies the Holocaust and is standing by his public vow to "wipe Israel off the map."

One month ago, and for the first time since Israel was re-born, there was not a single country in the United Nations Security Council who stood with her. UN Resolution 1860 condemned Israel's self-defense by a vote of 14 to Zero. The U.S.A. abstained.

Nations, popular sentiment and media are lining up against all Jews and the sovereign State of Israel.

Fellow Christians, now is the time, today is the day, to take a side and stand with G-d's Chosen People in their Promised Land.

But how can we do so unless we know the truth? And how can we know the truth unless we hear from Israelis in their Land? And how can we hear unless we are sent?

On MARCH 20-29 we have a chance to hear it first and hear it firsthand in Israel itself.

It is an opportunity so timely, I contend it is an obligation.

An obligation to either GO or SEND Christian leaders. Not to talk and teach. But to listen and to learn. And then to spread the truth throughout their spheres of influence all around the world.

To GO...

Read the complete PDF information packet. You can get it at this link: ZPR's PDF Briefing Tour Packet

Complete your registration form (included in the pdf packet).
Book your own airfare NOW. Lock in low rates while you can. Do it on airline websites, or using an all-in-one site like http://www.ytbtravel.com/sbeaufort

Reserve your spot with Katrina D Dzuris. Email: Katrina@Dzuris.com.

To SEND:

Immediately send this information to Christian leaders who need to go.

Commission them to go.

Support the trip. The sponsor is Zion Public Radio, a U.S. nonprofit recognized as such by the IRS. Help underwrite—right now—by clicking on the PayPal link below

Pray, pray, pray.

And call or write with any questions. Toda raba. And, as always, Baruch Hashem

Take your stand for Israel with Zion Public Radio.

Just click on the icon above. It will take you to
our PayPal link where you can give by bank transfer
or credit card. You do not have to have a PayPal account.

Brian

...Have a question? Shoot me an email by clicking on this line.

Introducing Katrina: our Get-It-DONE Briefing Tour Admin!

2005-02-10T13:06:00.000-06:00

A great BIG welcome to...
Katrina D. Dzuris.
Woo-Hoo!

Katrina is our Get-It-DONE administrator for the Christian Leaders Briefing Tour to Israel.

MAKE HER YOUR FB FRIEND. Click this line for her Facebook profile page.

CONTACT HER: Katrina@Dzuris.com;

Give her YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION;

PRAY for her;

Read the Post on this site about Briefing Tour: GO or SEND: Now, Today. Why?

GET COMPLETE DETAILS at this online *PDF*

DECLARE YOUR INTENT: GO or SEND. Procrastination, passivity or silence are not refusals to act; they are actions of refusal.

(Yes, I am speaking to myself as well; mea culpa. But this time, by G-d's grace, I have made a clear-cut choice. My tickets are purchased. No matter what, I'm going. And you? Will you join us? And if you cannot, will you send?)

Thank you, Katrina. You go, girl! :-)

Take your stand for Israel with Zion Public Radio.

Just click on the icon above. It will take you to
our PayPal link where you can give by bank transfer
or credit card. You do not have to have a PayPal account.

Brian

...Have a question? Shoot me an email by clicking on this line.

For more information, see Facebook's...

A. ...GROUP, "Pastors for Israel,"; and
B. ...CAUSE, "Pastors for Israel — a forum and a call from Zion Public Radio,"

High drama: Israel's new government

2005-02-10T11:32:00.000-06:00

10 February 2009

High drama: yesterday in Israel was Election Day.

Today's results seem to indicate that Benjamin Netanyahu has an edge in forming a coalition and so becoming Prime Minister. But this is far from certain. Tzipi Livni is very much in the game.

EITHER WAY, THIS IS CERTAIN: The outcome will have a global impact, a big global impact.

Pray about this matter.

And get informed.

Our CHRISTIAN LEADERS BRIEFING Tour, MARCH 20-29, could hardly be more timely.

For more information, click on this line

Your choice: ATTEND or SEND.

Toda raba,

Take your stand for Israel with Zion Public Radio.

Just click on the icon above. It will take you to
our PayPal link where you can give by bank transfer
or credit card. You do not have to have a PayPal account.

Brian

...Have a question? Shoot me an email by clicking on this line.