Where Was God? Understanding our place.

When I wrote my book: Where Was God? An NYPD first responder’s search for answers following the terror attack of September 11th 2001, I did so as someone who had responded to the attack and struggled with the question as to why a loving and benevolent God would allow such tragedy to happen.

It was a long journey, with many ups and downs. Admittedly, there were times I was angry at God and I wonder if this was how Job felt?

Right from the beginning, we are told that Job ‘was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.’ Yet unspeakable tragedy befell him, sanctioned by God: The loss of his children, the loss of his wealth, chastisement at the hands of his ‘friends.’

And then in Job 38:1-3, He reminds us just who we are: “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”

What occurs next is a reminder of the power and majesty of the Lord. From Job 38 – 41, He tells us exactly who He is.

Then, in Job 42:2-6, Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”

We must never forget that we are the creation, but He is the Creator.

We will never know, this side of Heaven, why God allows certain things to happen, but I take comfort in knowing that He is in charge of everything.

Is there a God? Yes there is and I truly believe we need to learn our place and get right with Him before it is too late.

Revelation 22:12 – “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.”

Where Was God? Update (Royalty Donation – August 2020)

Well, if you are like us, 2020 has been, for lack of a better word, beyond hectic, but it is precisely at times like this that we need to take a step back and reflect. Reflect, not on the world, but upon God. You see, I truly believe that when we shield ourselves from the pandemonium that is all around us, we are able to hear God speak to us.

Several months back, my wife, Nancy, came across a YouTube video by Pastor J.D. Farag of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe, in Hawaii. His video sermons quickly became a part of her morning routine, and one day I joined her. To say that his sermon moved me would be an understatement. Unfortunately, this topic was not the traditional sermon one would expect, but dealt with the Bible prophecy of the End Times. Pastor Farag’s candor in teaching a topic that is often neglected at the pulpit struck a chord in me. Several videos later and I felt a sense of peace, deep in my soul, which replaced the heavy weight I’d been feeling throughout this COVID crisis.

I had originally intended to make a donation at the beginning of the year, but with everything going on it kept slipping down on the list. Not that I didn’t want to send it, but I didn’t know who to send it to. Sometimes I think God hits the brakes and you have to get to a place where you can hear his will for you.

When I first wrote Where Was God? I did so knowing that God was using me to send a message. Since I was only the messenger, it didn’t seem right that I should profit from any sales; God’s work, God’s reward.

Those who know me know that I am terrible in math. I mean, I make Common Core look easy.  So as I sat down to figure out how much I needed to donate this time around. Amazon, as good as they are, doesn’t give you much choice. I could choose to ‘figure out’ how much I owed, since the last donation, or I could take the simple way out. I chose the latter, hitting the button to show the ‘Life to Date’ amount. Since the book was first published in September 2018, I have made $592.76 in sales. I don’t believe you should ever ‘short’ God, so I decided to make this donation for the full amount, plus.

Today, Nancy and I were proud to donate $650.00 to Pastor Farag’s church. It is an honor to support him and provide some financial assistance so that the word he is inspired to preach reaches as many as possible.

If you are interested in watching his sermons, and I highly recommend that you do, you can view them on his YouTube channel here: Pastor J.D. Farag of Calvary Chapel Kaneohe

Thank you & God Bless,

Kindle Sales - Where Was God? Life to Date

Print Sales - Where Was God? Life to Date

Where Was God ? Update (2nd Qtr Royalty Donation)

This summer has been beyond hectic, with both personal and professional demands vying for limited time, and I have gotten woefully behind on my updates.

Now, with things slowing down, I wanted to take a moment and announce that the numbers are in for the second quarter sales of Where Was God ? and, as promised, we are donating all royalties to charity. Thankfully, a new advertising campaign has increased sales of the book and we are blessed to be able donate twice the amount ($200.00) this time.

As we were deciding who to make the donation to, we received word of a tragedy that spoke to our hearts. Friends of ours lost their son, Casey Scott MacPherson Pomeroy, along with his friend, Caleb, in a mysterious death on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, on December 30, 2018.  The details on this tragedy are not clear, and both families continue to search for answers from the local officials. I can tell you, from over two decades in law enforcement, that the official story raises a lot of questions for me. 

They have hired an investigator to look into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of these two young men and the funds raised go directly towards the investigation fees.

I cannot fathom the pain these families are going through, in their search for answers, but I believe this is a worthwhile cause to contribute to. I ask that you visit the website and please consider contributing. Nothing will bring these two men back, but their families deserve to know the truth.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-campc?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

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$200.00 Royalty Donation

April 19th, 2019

As I sit here writing this, I cannot help but reflect on the significance of this day.

In Christianity, today marks Good Friday, the day that Jesus Christ went to the cross to pay for our collective sins. In doing the research for my book, Where Was God?, I delved deeper into this horrific event. It is truly a very humbling experience when you realize just how much pain and suffering was endured for us. As much as I thought I knew the story, I came away with not only a deeper appreciation of what Christ did for us, but also a deeper understanding of the history behind it.  I think this is something that most people do not truly understand. Sometimes I feel that we treat Him as a mystical figure, instead of a historical one.

Sadly, most do not understand that there is history to the story of Christ. Among New Testament scholars, there is little doubt that Jesus Christ lived. While the most detailed story of Jesus’ life is contained in the four Gospels, they are not our only source. First-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus referenced Jesus twice in his twenty volume history of the Jewish people. Additionally, Tacitus, the first-century Roman senator and historian, referred to Him in his history of Rome.  There are other anecdotal references to Jesus from a wide variety of non-biased sources. Even beyond Christianity, members of the Jewish and Muslim faiths also acknowledge the existence of Jesus.

If you are interested in learning more, I would highly recommend taking a look at, Where Was God?

Today also marks two very significant events in American History.

On April 19th, 1775, British troops, who had been sent to seize colonial weapons, fired the first shots of the American Revolutionary War, when they confronted about eighty militia members at Lexington, Massachusetts.  Eight militiamen were killed in the initial confrontation at Lexington, but upon arriving in Concord the English were met with a much larger force of around four hundred. These two battles would set the stage for the war that would ultimately secure American independence.

On April 19th, 1995, America was shaken to its core by the terror attack at the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This attack left nearly seven hundred injured and one hundred and sixty-eight dead, including four members of the United States Secret Service. At the time I was a member of the NYPD’s Intelligence Division and was sitting inside a USSS Suburban, on a protection detail, when the call came over the radio about the attack. There are no words to describe the feelings you get, as you are processing the fact that your country is under attack, and wondering if you are next. It was an unfortunate experience I would face again on September 11th.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." – George Santayana (Vol. I, Reason in Common Sense)

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Where Was God ? - Amazon Bestseller

As an author, I cannot begin to tell you just how incredible the feeling is when your book reaches that best seller status. No, it isn’t the NY Times of the USA Today list, but it is a start and I want to share my pride with you.

This week, my non-fiction book: Where Was God?: An NYPD first responder’s search for answers following the terror attack of September 11th, 2001, hit the Amazon best seller list, reaching the #22 spot. It’s moved a few slots over the last few days, but I’m still proud that this book is reaching an audience that might find comfort in my findings.

This journey started with God and I owe any and all success to him.