John Shrader Part 12: Empty Baptismal, Empty Brains

[Gobsmacked]

12 hours ago, Granwych said:

Like he gives them so much attention ever.  The kids' birthday cakes probably get more scrutiny than the kids do.

Said it before, john is a hoarder. Children, books, pamphlets, big boy toys and (if he had his way) souls. 

His leghumpers appear to still be daft enough to image that they are paying for the souls.  The reality is they are paying for his hoarding. Oh! And his extended holiday in a warm magical country. 

[BabyBottlePop]

It makes my head hurt to think of moving my book collection to another country, let alone Africa. I probably have about 800 books, maybe more. I moved recently and was able to use my car to move them in boxes and that was horrible enough. 

How did John move any of their stuff? With as many kids they have, the amount of things they had to move. 

And leave it to John to think talking about the number of MATERIAL things he has is a good thing. I'm surprised he's not spotting off about how minimalist for Jesus he is. Next schtick, I guess.  

[slickcat79]

14 hours ago, BabyBottlePop said:

How did John move any of their stuff? With as many kids they have, the amount of things they had to move.

A bunch of suitcases strapped together with zip ties, and a shipping container that showed up a few months later.

[formergothardite]

John posted a video of himself grinning like a fool while he staples stuff. 

He also wrote another poem. 

Spoiler

ootprints in Africa

Footprints, Lord, I see them,
of sandals, shoes and feet
Footprints, Lord, of people, 
some I see and whom I meet 
Footprints, as a marker,
as they walk along the way
But where those steps are heading? 
Eternal night or endless Day?

Oh how I want to reach them, 
with Thy Gospel's Mighty Power
To show them of Thy Saving Grace
Before their dying hour
To share with them the message, 
that Jesus died to save
His Precious Blood He freely spilt
then Rose up from that grave!

His Living Words are written,
within His Book Divine
Those Words today are ringing, 
within this heart of mine
But if I do not tell them, 
what I know of Truth and Grace
Then the lake of fiery judgement
will be their eternal place

Footprints, Lord, I've seen them,
but unless Thy Power you give
I'll fail to warn and reach them,
and they'll die and will not live
So help me Lord to see with eyes,
far beyond this dust today
Help me see into the future, 
and proclaim Thy Power to Save!

Bro. John Shrader 

 

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, formergothardite said:

John posted a video of himself grinning like a fool while he staples stuff. 

Looks like some child labor going on there.

Quote

He also wrote another poem. 

Make him stop!!

I finally caught up with this thread and almost 2 months of the World's Worst Missionary's Facebook.

So what happened to that other church he was going to plant in the south.  The one near the airstrip.   Malamba village is old news, and we all  know Bro. Phellion is Roderick's brother in law.

[Lurky]

@formergothardite I adore the pomes, but my favourite part of this one is how it's basically "If I'm no good, and these people all go to hell, it's because God didn't answer my prayers" which is pretty fascinating.

It's not the first time he's expressed this sentiment - that he has the will to bring people to God, but needs God to grant him the powers to do so. It's almost like there's a flash of self-awareness that he's actually really crappy about this job, but then he runs from it with these passive aggressive prayers. 

It's not "I am humbled, grant me the strength to see my failings, and to work on them to be better", or "show me how I can serve you better in another way" - instead it's "YOUR son died for this, and you don't seem to care about these sinners, and you need to give me powers so I can help them".  Admittedly, I've always been an atheist, so I'm not familiar with praying, but this seems an unusual approach to be putting out there publicly.  It's kind of bargaining, in that young-teenager-to-parent way ("You want me to pass my exams, don't you?  Well I need an iPad/laptop/iPhone to study with, if you don't get me one, you can't blame me if I fail")

[subsaharanafrica]

So John posted a picture and this gem of a caption, 

"Some neighbor boys playing football (soccer) out in t'ont of our church house this evening. 

Their ball is home made from plastic bags.

Please pray for their souls.

-js"

FFS John, maybe they'd be more apt to listen to what you're trying to sell if you were to pony up the $15 it costs to buy them an actual football. 

[Grimalkin]

57 minutes ago, subsaharanafrica said:

So John posted a picture and this gem of a caption, 

"Some neighbor boys playing football (soccer) out in t'ont of our church house this evening. 

Their ball is home made from plastic bags.

Please pray for their souls.

-js"

FFS John, maybe they'd be more apt to listen to what you're trying to sell if you were to pony up the $15 it costs to buy them an actual football. 

     Think how much that would mean to them. 

ETA: someone offers to send some and it turns out they do have them but they just were not out at the time.

[formergothardite]

@Lurky, I think John words things that way because he must always absolve himself of any wrong doing. Nothing will ever be his fault.  If the people die and go to hell or his mission fails, well that won't be John's fault, it is God's. This isn't the first time he has firmly placed the blame for failure on God. 

[Aine]

55 minutes ago, Grimalkin said:

     Think how much that would mean to them. 

ETA: someone offers to send some and it turns out they do have them but they just were not out at the time.

Well he wouldn't have been able show the deep need of "wild Africa" if the kids were playing with a real soccer ball and not plastic bags. Besides which, I zoomed in a lot on that photo and I couldn't really make out the plastic bags. If they truly were doing that, a normal human would go and offer them one of the church's balls rather than photograph it and post it publicly to the world.

And you know what? Even if they were playing with a ball made of plastic bags...doesn't that truly show that happiness and joy can be found in non-material things and by recycling what is available? Humans have a great capacity to find joy without some material comforts, even when it isn't ideal. I don't believe this is something that the Great Grifter Shrader has ever realized for himself.

[Palimpsest]

2 hours ago, subsaharanafrica said:

FFS John, maybe they'd be more apt to listen to what you're trying to sell if you were to pony up the $15 it costs to buy them an actual football. 

A leg-humper already offered to ship him some footballs to help with his missionarying.  He said no.  Apparently they have plenty of footballs but he just hadn't put them out yet. 'Cos it was almost time for worship.

What, ship him footballs?  When will these leg-humpers twig that he only wants cold hard cash!

[Grimalkin]

@Aine, I was trying to get a better look at the striped shirt to see if I recognized it. People who love the sport are passionate about it.

[BlackberryGirl]

in 1984 we moved from IL to NY. We rented a UHaul truck,  one of the big ones and loaded up our possessions. The first things in the truck were box after box after box after box after box of books. Liquor boxes hold a nice amount of books and the boxes are stable.  When we got to NY we discovered that the weight of the books had ripped the  frame of the truck. They pulled the  frame of the box loose from the skeleton of the cargo box. by the time we got to NY the damn cargo box had separated from the front of the truck. It was pissing down rain (we were in the middle of a freaking literal flood.. and BlackberryBoy and my mother were throwing stuff out of the truck onto the porch to get to the boxes of books before the rain ruined them. Rufus, what a mess.

[Griftwood]

Quote

Their ball is home made from plastic bags.

Please pray for their souls.

Because plastic bags are from Satan? Or because homemade things are evil?

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

Typical John.  Keeping all the balls to himself only to be used at a time he deems appropriate rather than giving them a ball of their own or having free use. 

He really is a terrible human being. 

[Gobsmacked]

1 hour ago, Milly-Molly-Mandy said:

Typical John.  Keeping all the balls to himself only to be used at a time he deems appropriate rather than giving them a ball of their own or having free use. 

He really is a terrible human being. 

More hoarding. 

[BabyBottlePop]

John's reasoning makes no sense. He didn't get the ball out because it was almost time for worship... but the kids were still playing football before worship, so what's the difference if he gives them a ball? 

I don't think he thought someone would offer to send some. I think he wants to portray Africa as even worse than it is and make people swoon. "I can't believe John and family are living like this for Jesus!" 

It's all about John and his appearance of godliness.

[Lurky]

Imagine what a disappointment it was to him when he got there and people had gasp! electricity! computers! homes!

(Although I am pretty intrigued at how he seemed to assume no Zambians have FB, so he could bitch about his ex-disciples without them seeing it.  It's like his version of the world is more real than the physical!)

[nastyhobbitses]

24 minutes ago, Lurky said:

Imagine what a disappointment it was to him when he got there and people had gasp! electricity! computers! homes!

(Although I am pretty intrigued at how he seemed to assume no Zambians have FB, so he could bitch about his ex-disciples without them seeing it.  It's like his version of the world is more real than the physical!)

I remember that Arthur had an episode where Brain's cousin from Senegal came to visit, and had to explain to the other kids that in Africa, he lives in a big city in a house just like them, has only seen giraffes and lions at the zoo, and goes to school just like them. I think the episode did a really good job of showing that Africa isn't a monolith and a lot of stereotypes about Africa simply aren't accurate at all.

[formergothardite]

58 minutes ago, BabyBottlePop said:

I don't think he thought someone would offer to send some. I think he wants to portray Africa as even worse than it is and make people swoon. "I can't believe John and family are living like this for Jesus!" 

It's all about John and his appearance of godliness.

Yep. He did a big thing before he went to Zambia where he made a ball out of plastic bags because that is what the children in Zambia have to play with. I bet he was annoyed that he had to admit that he has plenty of balls for the kids to play with, he just didn't share them. 

Jolis seems to have really gotten a good grasp on who John really is. 

Quote

EVER SINCE THE PHARISEES WERE EXPOSED BY JESUS CHRIST FOR THEIR PRIDE-PRIDEFUL MEN NOW ALWAYS PORTRAY THEMSELVES AS HUMBLE MEN.

 

[Jellybean]

I seem to remember John talking about the football made from plastic bags before. Didn't they make one themselves while on deputation (for a birthday)?

Sorry! Cross-posted with @formergothardite. Here is the post with the video in which they made the ball:

 

[Palimpsest]

Yes.  John is big on footballs made from plastic bags.  To him they demonstrate poverty not creativity.  

Here's the video of John whiling away some time on Deputation making one for his own kids.  

Ooops, @Jellybean was faster than me again!

[Grimalkin]

5 hours ago, Griftwood said:

Because plastic bags are from Satan? Or because homemade things are evil?

Maybe it's the BPA?

@nastyhobbitses I love Arthur! I don't think I saw that one.

OMFG the dramatic music as they made the soccer ball!

[Hane]

Slightly OT: I was listening to the Broadway soundtrack of "School of Rock," and the following lyrics reminded me of John Shrader:

"Give up your dreams

And get a frigging job

We are through supporting you 

You parasitic slob!"

[Exposed Collarbone]

Why does John sound like the children were doing something illegal? Do we need to pray for them because they were enjoying themselves? Because it was too close to the service, and they weren't acting sufficiently reverential? Do we now need to pray for children that are having fun?