Before I begin, I must say that if you can get past the first couple of lines you'll be good to go. But when you see the words "Dare You to Move," please do not quit reading this just because it is a title of an over-played song...
If you are a Switchfoot fan, or a music fan for that matter, you are most likely familiar with Switchfoot's hit song "Dare You to Move." Heck, if you've turned your car radio on in the past 4 years there is a 99.9% chance you have heard it. Back to the song later though...
I have had several conversations lately with different people over the past month, all on the same topic.
Thank God, the topic was not "Dare You To Move..."
The topic, I am sad to say, was on a not-so-used word anymore...that word being "disillusionment."
I have to say, I find it very odd, maybe providential, that this has been brought up by at least 6 different people in only one month's time, without any prodding from myself.
The people that spoke to me about this are all under the age of 25, are in college or recently graduated college, and are all professing believers in Christ...
What they are disillusioned over did not surprise me...they are disillusioned over hypocrisy...
American Church hypocrisy.
............................................
There's the answer to the question the American Church has been asking over the past few decades...why are our college students abandoning faith in Christ?
The answer isn't because we are young, dumb, sinful "adults" who just want to drink, do drugs, and have sex.
The answer is because of American Church hypocrisy.
Trust me, I'm one of those "punk college kids"....
I know...
Because I feel and think the same thing...
I work most Sundays, so I haven't been to Church much over the past few months. Scary as it is, I have accomplished more as far as helping to save the world stuff goes. I have actually grown closer to God being absent from the Church....and there is something seriously wrong with that.
Our churches here in America scream different gospels from different pulpits...
There's the "fire-n-brimstone" gospel...
There's the "tolerant" gospel...
Etc., etc., etc.....
And lastly there is the "prosperity" gospel...
Gulp.
Maybe it would be easier if Wal-Mart added a "purchase your own church aisle"...
Whatever the case may be...all of these churches in the Greater American Church say the same thing:
"Something is wrong with the world, and we must do something to fix it...."
But nothing or very little is ever done to fix it...
We college kids aren't as stupid as we act...we attended church with our parents growing up, we've sat through all the Sunday school classes, we've sang the "Jesus Loves Me This I Know" songs, we went to youth group, heck, a few of us even went on those summer mission trips...the few and far between ones at least.
We may not have seen it then, but we sure as hell see it now...
And its disillusioning, and very wrong...
Sure, there are other reasons why America's youth are leaving the Church in droves...but the main one is the hypocrisy we see.
And not every single Church in America falls under this category. I am sure that there are some who are doing a very good job, but those are few and far between.
A few of the people I have talked to have even gone so far as to say that secular America does more to fix the world than the Church does...a statement that seems to have some proof to back it up.
After all, college kids are known for speaking out on major social issues. But there is only so much we can do...
Almost all of the people I had this conversation with also asked a question:
"How can I help fix the world?"
Once again, we college kids are not completely naive. We know that there is something seriously wrong with the world. We also know that the American Church seems ignorant to it...the prosperity gospel apparently has brought us to that point...
But we are also not completely innocent in this either...we did walk away from the Church...
My answer to my fellow students, go back to church and speak your passion there. MAKE THE CHURCH LISTEN. As long as your passion has biblical support, the Church HAS to at least listen...
While America no longer takes us Christians seriously anymore, the Church still has a tremendous amount of wealth and influence. It took me a couple of months of prodding and pushing some buttons, but my church eventually gave a large sum of money to a Christian organization working to stop the genocide in Sudan. That money is making a difference there...
The Church WILL listen, even if they don't at first. We can be good at being annoying, so if that is what you must do, the do it...
My advice to the Church...before you go off on us college kids for being "crazy" and "out of control," remember how we got there...listening to a bunch of meaningless talk for years pushed us away.
If you want your college students back, kill the hypocrisy, not just for our sake, but for the sake of the name of the Lord...
Stop telling us every Sunday morning from the pulpit that the world is a bad place. We know that, let's work on fixing it now.
It is the right thing to do...
And it is the only option...
Maybe we should listen to that overplayed Switchfoot song one more time...Switchfoot "Dared us to move"...
Maybe its time we took the dare...
In Christ,
Hackett
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Life in the Orchard
Matthew 7:18-20
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Another wise teaching from Christ, then again everything He said was wise. But listening to Christ is one thing, applying the things He says is another.
Fruit.
In the verses preceding this passage in Matthew, Christ is telling His followers to beware of false prophets and false teachings. He also reminds them that these false prophets can come bearing what seems to be Truth and Light, but they could really be harboring Death and Destruction. The way to test them, Christ says, is if they bear good fruit or not...
You might be thinking, "Yea Hackett, that's great stuff...so what?"
So, maybe we should apply it...
And I don't mean apply it to the Church as a whole; at least, not for my topic, because this should be applied to the Church. But let's apply it to ourselves for a moment...
...
Hmm...
I don't like what I'm seeing.
How much fruit do we bear?
Me, personally, my fruit comes in the form of a 10% tithing check, a couple dozen blogs and Facebook Notes, and telling somebody every now and then about the genocide in Darfur...
I should be doing so much more.
Now, take a look at yourself...how much fruit are you bearing? Hopefully more than me.
But honestly, I would say, as a whole, we Christians are like an orchard. It rains twice a week, we are rooted in good soil, the sun shines a lot, we are well taken care of by the Farmer...yet the trees look like it is the middle of winter. No leaves, no fruit, just dead limbs...now, guess who the trees are? Unfortunately, us...
I guess my point is that we really don't take Christianity seriously. We don't have the fruit to show for it, we don't have the results we want, and the world is still dying at an alarming, quickening pace.
Meanwhile, the dead trees remain in the orchard... sitting calmly even as the wildfires of hell consume the world around its walls.
I guess what sucks the most is that dead, dry wood burns the fastest...at least we have the walls of salvation protecting us. But hey, maybe it'd be better if we didn't. Then we might start bearing fruit.
You think that Christ saving us from an eventual hell would be enough to get us to bear fruit...apparently we think we need a little more though. After contemplating these thoughts over the past few days, I honestly don't understand why God still loves us; we sure as hell don't deserve it.
Maybe we aren't as "Christian" as we think we are...
Its time we take a peak over the orchard walls that protect us, it is time to look at what is really happening in the world.
Genocide, rape, theft, murder, war, disease...it is all running rampant; so much so that the 2006 Human Security Brief, done by the Human Security Report Project, listed the state of humanity as "far from positive."
It is almost scary to think that some of those outside the sphere of salvation see the dire state of the world, and we as Christians who have been eternally saved from it do not.
I think we need to take a good long look at ourselves, and look around our little orchard. The Great Farmer stands at the gate, sowing seeds around the entrance, the least we could do is help. Christ, after all, gave His life for us, and our lives should belong to Him now.
We are long overdue to step outside of the orchard...maybe it is fear of life without the wall that scares us into staying. What we need to learn is that the wall goes with us. Christ has bought us eternally; there is nothing to fear. After all, the task before us is not nearly as great as the God behind us.
Christ's command at the end of Matthew wasn't to stay in the orchard, it was "GO and MAKE disciples of all nations..."
Let's get out of the safe zone...
Let's get out of the orchard...
Because, until we do, I will dare to say that we have no right to call ourselves Christians. Christians follow Christ, and we stopped doing that a long time ago.
In Christ,
Hackett
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Another wise teaching from Christ, then again everything He said was wise. But listening to Christ is one thing, applying the things He says is another.
Fruit.
In the verses preceding this passage in Matthew, Christ is telling His followers to beware of false prophets and false teachings. He also reminds them that these false prophets can come bearing what seems to be Truth and Light, but they could really be harboring Death and Destruction. The way to test them, Christ says, is if they bear good fruit or not...
You might be thinking, "Yea Hackett, that's great stuff...so what?"
So, maybe we should apply it...
And I don't mean apply it to the Church as a whole; at least, not for my topic, because this should be applied to the Church. But let's apply it to ourselves for a moment...
...
Hmm...
I don't like what I'm seeing.
How much fruit do we bear?
Me, personally, my fruit comes in the form of a 10% tithing check, a couple dozen blogs and Facebook Notes, and telling somebody every now and then about the genocide in Darfur...
I should be doing so much more.
Now, take a look at yourself...how much fruit are you bearing? Hopefully more than me.
But honestly, I would say, as a whole, we Christians are like an orchard. It rains twice a week, we are rooted in good soil, the sun shines a lot, we are well taken care of by the Farmer...yet the trees look like it is the middle of winter. No leaves, no fruit, just dead limbs...now, guess who the trees are? Unfortunately, us...
I guess my point is that we really don't take Christianity seriously. We don't have the fruit to show for it, we don't have the results we want, and the world is still dying at an alarming, quickening pace.
Meanwhile, the dead trees remain in the orchard... sitting calmly even as the wildfires of hell consume the world around its walls.
I guess what sucks the most is that dead, dry wood burns the fastest...at least we have the walls of salvation protecting us. But hey, maybe it'd be better if we didn't. Then we might start bearing fruit.
You think that Christ saving us from an eventual hell would be enough to get us to bear fruit...apparently we think we need a little more though. After contemplating these thoughts over the past few days, I honestly don't understand why God still loves us; we sure as hell don't deserve it.
Maybe we aren't as "Christian" as we think we are...
Its time we take a peak over the orchard walls that protect us, it is time to look at what is really happening in the world.
Genocide, rape, theft, murder, war, disease...it is all running rampant; so much so that the 2006 Human Security Brief, done by the Human Security Report Project, listed the state of humanity as "far from positive."
It is almost scary to think that some of those outside the sphere of salvation see the dire state of the world, and we as Christians who have been eternally saved from it do not.
I think we need to take a good long look at ourselves, and look around our little orchard. The Great Farmer stands at the gate, sowing seeds around the entrance, the least we could do is help. Christ, after all, gave His life for us, and our lives should belong to Him now.
We are long overdue to step outside of the orchard...maybe it is fear of life without the wall that scares us into staying. What we need to learn is that the wall goes with us. Christ has bought us eternally; there is nothing to fear. After all, the task before us is not nearly as great as the God behind us.
Christ's command at the end of Matthew wasn't to stay in the orchard, it was "GO and MAKE disciples of all nations..."
Let's get out of the safe zone...
Let's get out of the orchard...
Because, until we do, I will dare to say that we have no right to call ourselves Christians. Christians follow Christ, and we stopped doing that a long time ago.
In Christ,
Hackett
Monday, November 19, 2007
Unity: Oneness or Sameness
"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."
Romans 15:5-7
If you've read your way through Romans before, you know that it is not a book of the Bible to be taken lightly. Each word is packed and backed with loads of theology, and even today, centuries after it was written, we still can not fully grasp the meanings of it...
But there is nothing unclear about this small portion of Romans.
Paul makes it very CLEAR how the church is supposed to be:
United...
Now, a quick snapshot of the church today.
There are thousands of Christian denominations worldwide today that are centered around many different topics, ideas, and theologies. There is so much thrashing and bashing going on between these differing denominations, which I myself am guilty of, that it seems like we are all enemies.
It's almost as if Christ, who is leading us, has stopped and is looking back, shaking His head, and asking us if we will ever learn.
And that brings us to the title of our topic:
Unity: Oneness or Sameness?
Does Church Unity mean we all have to be as one, or do we all have to agree on all the same things?
Hmmm...
I can already tell you what you are probably thinking the answer is.
Most of you probably think that to be truly united we must all believe the same things.
To bad the Bible doesn't teach that...
The Bible doesn't call for sameness, in which we agree on everything. The Bible calls for oneness, in which we are to have sameness in the essentials, but grace in the nonessentials.
For example, I believe music is fine in worship. Other believers don't. Does that mean I am wrong, or they are wrong? Yes! We are both wrong, because God nowhere in Scripture says that we are to worship only one way. Scripture is clear that ALL is to be done to the glory of God.
Paul makes the concept of unity clear throughout the Book of Romans.
Romans 14:13
"Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brothers way."
Centuries of putting stumbling blocks, striving for personal gain, and unacceptance of one another have left us with what Paul feared most: disunity. We all think our theology is right, when in reality, we are probably all wrong, because our theology is exactly what it is: our theology, not God's.
So, why should we be united?
For starters, a united Church can better accomplish the Great Commission, which is the Church's ultimate goal. Unity also contributes to the building up of other believers, more effective teachings, and a lot less stress. Unity single-handedly could fix the majority of the Church's problems on its own.
So, how do we become united?
I'm not going answer that question here, and I'm not going to answer it until next year. That is something my upcoming website, www.operationbrokensilence.org will address. On a brief side note, the website will host several projects, one of the first being Project Unity, which will deal with this topic.
So, to answer the original posed question of Unity: Oneness or Sameness?
The answer is both within their correct bounds. Sameness in essentials, such as belief that Christ is God, and grace in nonessentials, such as whether or not music is okay in worship.
Only then can we accomplish the goals that we are supposed to be accomplishing.
That's all I got, keep an eye out for the new website:
www.operationbrokensilence.org
which will launch this December.
And keep an eye out for Project Unity, which will be our second project. The first one will be Project Make A Difference, which hopefully you will visit the site and find out.
In Christ,
Hackett
Romans 15:5-7
If you've read your way through Romans before, you know that it is not a book of the Bible to be taken lightly. Each word is packed and backed with loads of theology, and even today, centuries after it was written, we still can not fully grasp the meanings of it...
But there is nothing unclear about this small portion of Romans.
Paul makes it very CLEAR how the church is supposed to be:
United...
Now, a quick snapshot of the church today.
There are thousands of Christian denominations worldwide today that are centered around many different topics, ideas, and theologies. There is so much thrashing and bashing going on between these differing denominations, which I myself am guilty of, that it seems like we are all enemies.
It's almost as if Christ, who is leading us, has stopped and is looking back, shaking His head, and asking us if we will ever learn.
And that brings us to the title of our topic:
Unity: Oneness or Sameness?
Does Church Unity mean we all have to be as one, or do we all have to agree on all the same things?
Hmmm...
I can already tell you what you are probably thinking the answer is.
Most of you probably think that to be truly united we must all believe the same things.
To bad the Bible doesn't teach that...
The Bible doesn't call for sameness, in which we agree on everything. The Bible calls for oneness, in which we are to have sameness in the essentials, but grace in the nonessentials.
For example, I believe music is fine in worship. Other believers don't. Does that mean I am wrong, or they are wrong? Yes! We are both wrong, because God nowhere in Scripture says that we are to worship only one way. Scripture is clear that ALL is to be done to the glory of God.
Paul makes the concept of unity clear throughout the Book of Romans.
Romans 14:13
"Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brothers way."
Centuries of putting stumbling blocks, striving for personal gain, and unacceptance of one another have left us with what Paul feared most: disunity. We all think our theology is right, when in reality, we are probably all wrong, because our theology is exactly what it is: our theology, not God's.
So, why should we be united?
For starters, a united Church can better accomplish the Great Commission, which is the Church's ultimate goal. Unity also contributes to the building up of other believers, more effective teachings, and a lot less stress. Unity single-handedly could fix the majority of the Church's problems on its own.
So, how do we become united?
I'm not going answer that question here, and I'm not going to answer it until next year. That is something my upcoming website, www.operationbrokensilence.org will address. On a brief side note, the website will host several projects, one of the first being Project Unity, which will deal with this topic.
So, to answer the original posed question of Unity: Oneness or Sameness?
The answer is both within their correct bounds. Sameness in essentials, such as belief that Christ is God, and grace in nonessentials, such as whether or not music is okay in worship.
Only then can we accomplish the goals that we are supposed to be accomplishing.
That's all I got, keep an eye out for the new website:
www.operationbrokensilence.org
which will launch this December.
And keep an eye out for Project Unity, which will be our second project. The first one will be Project Make A Difference, which hopefully you will visit the site and find out.
In Christ,
Hackett
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The American Lie
I was in my Sociology class the other day...strangely I enjoy that class...
Anyways, lots of times in our class we get off topic with all the talking about world issues, elections, and even things here in Memphis. After all, Sociology does cover a broad spectrum of things.
But on this particular day, a fellow student made a statement that, unfortunately, so many people in America have bought into today.
That statement was this:
"I mean, the world is primarily full of good people, making it a good place. Yea, there are some problems in it, but most people around the world make a good living and are happy."
...
I kept my mouth shut, mostly because I wanted to laugh at the person for their naivety, and their stupidity.
It is sad to think that most Americans, including Christians, believe that the world is a good place where occasionally bad things happen.
Just to support my point, and my point is that the world isn't as good as many people think it is, here are a few reasons:
The 20th century has been one of the most devastating centuries for humanity, an estimated 4,000,000,000 individual human beings died from war, genocide, malnutrition, famine, disease...and other reasons besides old age. For you people that suck at math, that number is FOUR BILLION.
The number of wars, and the devastation that follows them, increased nearly threefold in the 20 century. In fact, between the years of 1950 to 1990, there were over 150 bloody conflicts around the world.
The number of genocides worldwide increased to 45 before the end of the century...meaning that the number of those killed in genocide reaches into the tens of millions.
According to the United Nations, disease, famine, and starvation affect 1 out of every 6 people on Earth, that's over 1,000,000,000 people...
Even in the wealthiest nations, it is getting harder and harder to find cures for new diseases and viruses, such as the bird flu, which seem to appear every few years now.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, and during the chaos that followed in Eastern Europe, over $30,000,000,000 in small arms was illegally sold, illegally exported, or downright stolen out of Eastern Europe alone. This is perhaps the greatest heist in human history. Many of these small arms have resurfaced in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and South America, where violence, wars, and genocide are most prevalent today...
The world's five largest arms dealers to third-world countries, where violence is the worst, are the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France. They are also the five permanent members on the United Nations Security Council...how scary is that...
And my personal favorite...Darfur....
In short, I think I can make a case for the world being a not-so-good place. And there are plenty more facts than that...
Maybe I should have said something, heck, maybe I should've laughed at the person. I don't know what held me back. Maybe I didn't want to ruin their ignorance; after all, ignorance is bliss.
The fact that this person said that the world is a predominantly good place when babies are being picked up by their legs and swung headfirst like baseball bats against trees in Darfur.... well, I fail to see the overall goodness of humanity.
And yes, there are reports out of Darfur that babies are being beaten against trees until they die. How someone could do that...man, I can't even comprehend that kind of hate.
The American Lie is easily proven as what it really is: a LIE.
So what is the reality?
In a nutshell, worldwide, people are being shot, starved, murdered, robbed, falling to illnesses, victims of genocide...and we have all fallen to a spiritual genocide, thanks to sin...
In fact, the world is so bad that the very Son of God had to die just so that we would have a way out...maybe that helps to put our plight into perspective better than anything else.
My opinion, stop believing the lies. It just isn't true! Yes, I wish that humanity was perfect, and I wish so many things, that we as Americans and Christians choose to ignore, didn't happen; but they do happen. And we aren't on this Earth just so we can ignore the consequences of others and ours sins.
We can help to fix it.
We just choose not too...
If you don't want to help, I feel sorry for you...and I hope God can forgive you for doing nothing to help stop defenseless babies from being beaten to a bloody pulp against the sides of trees.
For those of you that choose to stick with your ignorance, enjoy the ignorance while you can, because God most likely won't be happy when you stand before Him whenever the appointed time is.
You don't have to go to Darfur, the Middle East, or South America to confront the fallout of sin...because it’s everywhere. If you aren't called to help with Darfur like I am, find your calling. It could be working at an urban ministry, it could be going oversees, and it could just be telling the people around you of everyone's universal need for Christ.
The world can't afford much more ignorance; it is costing us too much...
In Christ,
Hackett
Anyways, lots of times in our class we get off topic with all the talking about world issues, elections, and even things here in Memphis. After all, Sociology does cover a broad spectrum of things.
But on this particular day, a fellow student made a statement that, unfortunately, so many people in America have bought into today.
That statement was this:
"I mean, the world is primarily full of good people, making it a good place. Yea, there are some problems in it, but most people around the world make a good living and are happy."
...
I kept my mouth shut, mostly because I wanted to laugh at the person for their naivety, and their stupidity.
It is sad to think that most Americans, including Christians, believe that the world is a good place where occasionally bad things happen.
Just to support my point, and my point is that the world isn't as good as many people think it is, here are a few reasons:
The 20th century has been one of the most devastating centuries for humanity, an estimated 4,000,000,000 individual human beings died from war, genocide, malnutrition, famine, disease...and other reasons besides old age. For you people that suck at math, that number is FOUR BILLION.
The number of wars, and the devastation that follows them, increased nearly threefold in the 20 century. In fact, between the years of 1950 to 1990, there were over 150 bloody conflicts around the world.
The number of genocides worldwide increased to 45 before the end of the century...meaning that the number of those killed in genocide reaches into the tens of millions.
According to the United Nations, disease, famine, and starvation affect 1 out of every 6 people on Earth, that's over 1,000,000,000 people...
Even in the wealthiest nations, it is getting harder and harder to find cures for new diseases and viruses, such as the bird flu, which seem to appear every few years now.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, and during the chaos that followed in Eastern Europe, over $30,000,000,000 in small arms was illegally sold, illegally exported, or downright stolen out of Eastern Europe alone. This is perhaps the greatest heist in human history. Many of these small arms have resurfaced in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and South America, where violence, wars, and genocide are most prevalent today...
The world's five largest arms dealers to third-world countries, where violence is the worst, are the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France. They are also the five permanent members on the United Nations Security Council...how scary is that...
And my personal favorite...Darfur....
In short, I think I can make a case for the world being a not-so-good place. And there are plenty more facts than that...
Maybe I should have said something, heck, maybe I should've laughed at the person. I don't know what held me back. Maybe I didn't want to ruin their ignorance; after all, ignorance is bliss.
The fact that this person said that the world is a predominantly good place when babies are being picked up by their legs and swung headfirst like baseball bats against trees in Darfur.... well, I fail to see the overall goodness of humanity.
And yes, there are reports out of Darfur that babies are being beaten against trees until they die. How someone could do that...man, I can't even comprehend that kind of hate.
The American Lie is easily proven as what it really is: a LIE.
So what is the reality?
In a nutshell, worldwide, people are being shot, starved, murdered, robbed, falling to illnesses, victims of genocide...and we have all fallen to a spiritual genocide, thanks to sin...
In fact, the world is so bad that the very Son of God had to die just so that we would have a way out...maybe that helps to put our plight into perspective better than anything else.
My opinion, stop believing the lies. It just isn't true! Yes, I wish that humanity was perfect, and I wish so many things, that we as Americans and Christians choose to ignore, didn't happen; but they do happen. And we aren't on this Earth just so we can ignore the consequences of others and ours sins.
We can help to fix it.
We just choose not too...
If you don't want to help, I feel sorry for you...and I hope God can forgive you for doing nothing to help stop defenseless babies from being beaten to a bloody pulp against the sides of trees.
For those of you that choose to stick with your ignorance, enjoy the ignorance while you can, because God most likely won't be happy when you stand before Him whenever the appointed time is.
You don't have to go to Darfur, the Middle East, or South America to confront the fallout of sin...because it’s everywhere. If you aren't called to help with Darfur like I am, find your calling. It could be working at an urban ministry, it could be going oversees, and it could just be telling the people around you of everyone's universal need for Christ.
The world can't afford much more ignorance; it is costing us too much...
In Christ,
Hackett
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Black and White Blended Makes Grey? Why...
Confusion...
Mixed thoughts and emotions...
No wrong or right answer...
Life...
Welcome to the so-called "Grey Area"...
Before you get too involved in this one, I must admit that this blog has no particular direction, no particular answers, and no "deeper" meaning. To my few, avid readers out there, sorry if you are disappointed.
This one is just to show the circle I've been running in the past few weeks.
If your name is Johnny Coggin (and I know you are reading this, because you supposedly read all my blogs), then you might appreciate this one because we talked a little about it the other day over yummy pizza subs...by the way, we should go again soon.
The Grey Area, a blend of black and white...
I hate it...
Sometimes there are no right or wrong decisions in life, only ones that have different outcomes that could have either good or bad ramifications.
Ahh, if only times were simpler, like back in the World War II days when the whole nation was unified as one against a common enemy, and only the big picture mattered.
It's been decades now since America has been united as it was back then, since morals actually mattered in this country, and it's been a few years for me since my feelings, thoughts, and decisions have been united.
All because of the "Grey Area"...
I am currently in a situation in which there is no wrong or right decision, and there is no way of telling which decision would have better outcomes. There is no "black and white" decision, so to speak. There's no right or wrong answer, just a decision that has to be made and soon...
And I made up my mind about, oh, maybe last weekend...
To bad it may be to late for the route I chose, I have a gut feeling it is to late...
If your name happens to Gummy Cole, it is referring to "people"...hope you catch that one Gumbo...
Anyways, I have tried to focus on the bigger picture. If you know me, you know I am big into stopping the genocide in Darfur, which God has given me a great passion for. I do believe that is the calling in my life at the moment, and a very demanding and worthy calling at that.
I guess I know deep down that, when compared with the calling in my life to Darfur, my personal life is very insignificant. But the issue in my personal life right now is affecting my decisions and judgment when it comes to making an impact with the genocide in Darfur...so my personal life kinda does matter.
And that is my circle I've been running in. I guess I feel like a hamster running at his wheel, and I honestly don't see how the hamster does it for as long as he does...because I'm burnt out.
Ha, I guess the irony of it is that the "wheel" I'm running in is painted grey...
Don't take this the wrong way; I'm not complaining...my only assumption is that this is a test from God. Maybe that's why I haven't received an answer from Him when I am praying at two in the morning because I can't sleep...
Or maybe His answer is not evident to me yet; I have no idea at this point.
Or, what scares me even more, is that He has trusted me to make this decision...I pray that isn't it, because I am sure I could very easily let Him down...and like the band Reliant K says, " I hate these consequences, cause I know that I let You down, and I don't want to deal with that..."
I don't need advice, I've made my decision...prayer would be nice, I guess. Please don't tell me to pray about, I already do that every hour of the day for the past weeks. Please don't try and give me the answer, because I am willing to bet my life that you don't have it, sorry if that sounds harsh...
I've made my decision, and that's following my heart...if only I could trust my heart...because as most of you know, the heart is just as capable of choosing a disguised, bad decision as it is capable of choosing a good decision.
Ha, at least there never seems to be a dull moment in my life...although I hope one day I can experience that for a few brief seconds to see what it is like.
The Grey Area...
How I hate it...
Please pray for me...my prayers seem to be falling on deaf ears, even though I know they aren't...and please pray for the genocide in Darfur, God knows that those people are suffering much more than I am right now.
In Christ,
Hackett
Mixed thoughts and emotions...
No wrong or right answer...
Life...
Welcome to the so-called "Grey Area"...
Before you get too involved in this one, I must admit that this blog has no particular direction, no particular answers, and no "deeper" meaning. To my few, avid readers out there, sorry if you are disappointed.
This one is just to show the circle I've been running in the past few weeks.
If your name is Johnny Coggin (and I know you are reading this, because you supposedly read all my blogs), then you might appreciate this one because we talked a little about it the other day over yummy pizza subs...by the way, we should go again soon.
The Grey Area, a blend of black and white...
I hate it...
Sometimes there are no right or wrong decisions in life, only ones that have different outcomes that could have either good or bad ramifications.
Ahh, if only times were simpler, like back in the World War II days when the whole nation was unified as one against a common enemy, and only the big picture mattered.
It's been decades now since America has been united as it was back then, since morals actually mattered in this country, and it's been a few years for me since my feelings, thoughts, and decisions have been united.
All because of the "Grey Area"...
I am currently in a situation in which there is no wrong or right decision, and there is no way of telling which decision would have better outcomes. There is no "black and white" decision, so to speak. There's no right or wrong answer, just a decision that has to be made and soon...
And I made up my mind about, oh, maybe last weekend...
To bad it may be to late for the route I chose, I have a gut feeling it is to late...
If your name happens to Gummy Cole, it is referring to "people"...hope you catch that one Gumbo...
Anyways, I have tried to focus on the bigger picture. If you know me, you know I am big into stopping the genocide in Darfur, which God has given me a great passion for. I do believe that is the calling in my life at the moment, and a very demanding and worthy calling at that.
I guess I know deep down that, when compared with the calling in my life to Darfur, my personal life is very insignificant. But the issue in my personal life right now is affecting my decisions and judgment when it comes to making an impact with the genocide in Darfur...so my personal life kinda does matter.
And that is my circle I've been running in. I guess I feel like a hamster running at his wheel, and I honestly don't see how the hamster does it for as long as he does...because I'm burnt out.
Ha, I guess the irony of it is that the "wheel" I'm running in is painted grey...
Don't take this the wrong way; I'm not complaining...my only assumption is that this is a test from God. Maybe that's why I haven't received an answer from Him when I am praying at two in the morning because I can't sleep...
Or maybe His answer is not evident to me yet; I have no idea at this point.
Or, what scares me even more, is that He has trusted me to make this decision...I pray that isn't it, because I am sure I could very easily let Him down...and like the band Reliant K says, " I hate these consequences, cause I know that I let You down, and I don't want to deal with that..."
I don't need advice, I've made my decision...prayer would be nice, I guess. Please don't tell me to pray about, I already do that every hour of the day for the past weeks. Please don't try and give me the answer, because I am willing to bet my life that you don't have it, sorry if that sounds harsh...
I've made my decision, and that's following my heart...if only I could trust my heart...because as most of you know, the heart is just as capable of choosing a disguised, bad decision as it is capable of choosing a good decision.
Ha, at least there never seems to be a dull moment in my life...although I hope one day I can experience that for a few brief seconds to see what it is like.
The Grey Area...
How I hate it...
Please pray for me...my prayers seem to be falling on deaf ears, even though I know they aren't...and please pray for the genocide in Darfur, God knows that those people are suffering much more than I am right now.
In Christ,
Hackett
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Hell on Earth
"On September 29, the AU base in Haskanita was attacked and destroyed, killing 10 peacekeepers. Rebels were suspected of being behind the attack on the AU base.
In the following days, while the government controlled Haskanita, the former rebel-held town was burned to the ground and thousands of residents were sent fleeing.
Suleiman Jamous, respected humanitarian coordinator for the Sudan Liberation Army, said 105 people died when government forces and allied militia razed the town.
Analysts said the fact that rebel factions were suspected of attacking the AU Haskanita base gave Khartoum cover for an offensive to garner as much land as possible before the talks.
"The upshot of this strategy, of course, is that it becomes more difficult by the hour for any rebel faction or leader to show up in Sirte, Libya in 19 days," said U.S. academic Eric Reeves."
- BBC News.
Darfur, Sudan.
Welcome to Hell on Earth.
The small town of Haskanita, which had only 5,000 residents a few years ago, was home to at least 40,000 refugees from neighboring areas of Darfur.
Today, it is deserted.
To sum up what happened there, rebel forces attacked an African Union peacekeeping base there, hoping to bring more international attention to the genocide in Darfur. Sudanese government troops arrived and forced the rebels out of the area. The remaining peacekeepers were then evacuated.
With the peacekeepers gone, the Sudanese military burned Haskanita to the ground... several women were raped and locked into the burning homes, and over 100 men, women, and children were killed execution style...shot at point blank range.
And the United Nations still refuses to call the atrocities in Darfur genocide.
By the grace of God, the thousands that called Haskanita home had already fled before the Sudanese army arrived. The small African Union peacekeeping force has promised to deal with those responsible for the genocide in a much more forceful manner from now on...to bad for the 400,000 that are already dead, I guess.
With the number of attacks like these occurring more and more frequently now, the peace talks that are scheduled to begin in a few weeks are in danger of not happening. And with the potential delay of the 26,000 strong international peacekeeping force already occurring, the death toll could be on par with the genocide that occurred in Rwanda if a solution is not found soon...history is repeating itself.
At this point, I'm in favor of what appears to be the inevitable: turn the future peacekeeping force into an invasion force. Politics aren't working, peace talks aren't working, and cease-fires aren't working.
While I do believe that the peace Christ offers is the only solution to the bloodshed in Darfur, I also am a realist. Neither side is going to sit down and accept the freedom Christ gives until the fighting is stopped. The Sudanese government, in fact, has already made it clear that it isn't going to accept Christ; it did so when it murdered hundreds of thousands of Christians in southern Sudan over the past twenty years. Another untold genocide in Sudan...
And rebel forces aren't going to sit down and accept the peace of Christ until the Sudanese government can be kept from murdering more defenseless people.
Christ can heal the bleeding wounds of Darfur, but wounds can't be healed until the disease that caused the wound is dealt with. In this case, the disease is the government-sponsored genocide. Until the peacekeepers arrive, the wounds will keep bleeding.
How much genocide does it take to make humanity realize it must be stopped? How many defenseless lives must be lost before we stop it? How long is the Christian Church going to sit back and allow sin to massacre humanity, unchecked and unchallenged?
After the Holocaust, the world said, "Never again..."
After Khmer Rouge, the world said, "Never again..."
After Rwanda, the world said, "Never again..."
Empty words from an empty world.
So, here's the deal. Get off your high horse and off your lazy ass and go to www.savedarfur.org. There are several petitions that need to be signed, there are lists of ways you can get involved, and you can always tell a friend about the genocide.
If you want to make an immediate impact on helping to save lives in Darfur, Samaritan's Purse is in great need of monetary support as they expand their relief operations in Darfur.
For detailed reports on the genocide, visit www.eyesondarfur.org. There you can find satellite imagery, pictures, and eyewitness accounts of the genocide in Darfur.
Being an activist doesn't mean you have to march in protests or give every penny you have to the United Nations. Praying and telling friends about it is more than the rest of the world is doing, and its a good start. Spreading the word will help get the job done.
Getting your church involved is another good way to help. I was very surprised when my church responded with an immediate, emergency monetary donation to Samaritan's Purse, and prayer support.
So, stop worrying about your girlfriend or boyfriend problems. They pale in comparison to what is happening in Darfur. PEOPLE ARE DYING! Would you want the world to ignore your desperate case if our government was killing us? OF COURSE NOT! Millions of lives are at risk, and if the violence isn't stopped soon, it could be years before it is over. And God knows the last thing this world needs is another Holocaust or another Rwanda...
Let's kill genocide...
In Christ,
Hackett
In the following days, while the government controlled Haskanita, the former rebel-held town was burned to the ground and thousands of residents were sent fleeing.
Suleiman Jamous, respected humanitarian coordinator for the Sudan Liberation Army, said 105 people died when government forces and allied militia razed the town.
Analysts said the fact that rebel factions were suspected of attacking the AU Haskanita base gave Khartoum cover for an offensive to garner as much land as possible before the talks.
"The upshot of this strategy, of course, is that it becomes more difficult by the hour for any rebel faction or leader to show up in Sirte, Libya in 19 days," said U.S. academic Eric Reeves."
- BBC News.
Darfur, Sudan.
Welcome to Hell on Earth.
The small town of Haskanita, which had only 5,000 residents a few years ago, was home to at least 40,000 refugees from neighboring areas of Darfur.
Today, it is deserted.
To sum up what happened there, rebel forces attacked an African Union peacekeeping base there, hoping to bring more international attention to the genocide in Darfur. Sudanese government troops arrived and forced the rebels out of the area. The remaining peacekeepers were then evacuated.
With the peacekeepers gone, the Sudanese military burned Haskanita to the ground... several women were raped and locked into the burning homes, and over 100 men, women, and children were killed execution style...shot at point blank range.
And the United Nations still refuses to call the atrocities in Darfur genocide.
By the grace of God, the thousands that called Haskanita home had already fled before the Sudanese army arrived. The small African Union peacekeeping force has promised to deal with those responsible for the genocide in a much more forceful manner from now on...to bad for the 400,000 that are already dead, I guess.
With the number of attacks like these occurring more and more frequently now, the peace talks that are scheduled to begin in a few weeks are in danger of not happening. And with the potential delay of the 26,000 strong international peacekeeping force already occurring, the death toll could be on par with the genocide that occurred in Rwanda if a solution is not found soon...history is repeating itself.
At this point, I'm in favor of what appears to be the inevitable: turn the future peacekeeping force into an invasion force. Politics aren't working, peace talks aren't working, and cease-fires aren't working.
While I do believe that the peace Christ offers is the only solution to the bloodshed in Darfur, I also am a realist. Neither side is going to sit down and accept the freedom Christ gives until the fighting is stopped. The Sudanese government, in fact, has already made it clear that it isn't going to accept Christ; it did so when it murdered hundreds of thousands of Christians in southern Sudan over the past twenty years. Another untold genocide in Sudan...
And rebel forces aren't going to sit down and accept the peace of Christ until the Sudanese government can be kept from murdering more defenseless people.
Christ can heal the bleeding wounds of Darfur, but wounds can't be healed until the disease that caused the wound is dealt with. In this case, the disease is the government-sponsored genocide. Until the peacekeepers arrive, the wounds will keep bleeding.
How much genocide does it take to make humanity realize it must be stopped? How many defenseless lives must be lost before we stop it? How long is the Christian Church going to sit back and allow sin to massacre humanity, unchecked and unchallenged?
After the Holocaust, the world said, "Never again..."
After Khmer Rouge, the world said, "Never again..."
After Rwanda, the world said, "Never again..."
Empty words from an empty world.
So, here's the deal. Get off your high horse and off your lazy ass and go to www.savedarfur.org. There are several petitions that need to be signed, there are lists of ways you can get involved, and you can always tell a friend about the genocide.
If you want to make an immediate impact on helping to save lives in Darfur, Samaritan's Purse is in great need of monetary support as they expand their relief operations in Darfur.
For detailed reports on the genocide, visit www.eyesondarfur.org. There you can find satellite imagery, pictures, and eyewitness accounts of the genocide in Darfur.
Being an activist doesn't mean you have to march in protests or give every penny you have to the United Nations. Praying and telling friends about it is more than the rest of the world is doing, and its a good start. Spreading the word will help get the job done.
Getting your church involved is another good way to help. I was very surprised when my church responded with an immediate, emergency monetary donation to Samaritan's Purse, and prayer support.
So, stop worrying about your girlfriend or boyfriend problems. They pale in comparison to what is happening in Darfur. PEOPLE ARE DYING! Would you want the world to ignore your desperate case if our government was killing us? OF COURSE NOT! Millions of lives are at risk, and if the violence isn't stopped soon, it could be years before it is over. And God knows the last thing this world needs is another Holocaust or another Rwanda...
Let's kill genocide...
In Christ,
Hackett
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The American Suicide
Three things before we start:
1. This blog may sound very familiar to others I have written, but it is not. In this blog, I will also speak of the consequences of a society with no truth, which I have avoided in my previous writings.
2. Also, there are some issues and things discussed in this blog that are very controversial and may offend some, so I apologize in advance.
3. This is perhaps my longest blog...and I ask that you read it all at one time or not at all...with that said, here we go.
The young man paces on the deck, thinking and planning. It is early morning, and few others seem to be up and about. Those that are awake are the seasick ones. Weeks of the endless up and down of the ship on the waves, with no sight of land, had taken its toll onboard. The fog that hides the waves all around the ship is not helping either...
It is around the year 1900. Many had fled a recovering Ireland due to the potato famine that took place decades before and have come to the United States of America, in hopes of a better life. The young man we are following is an example of this. He is pacing on the deck, dreaming of the business he wants to start. The thought of never going hungry or thirsty again has been the one thing that has kept him going for years now.
And now, his dream is about to become reality...
A shout is suddenly heard from the far side of the deck. The man runs over, wondering what it is...and then, he sees it.
There, barely visible in the distance is the Statue of Liberty...standing tall over the clearing, morning fog.
For decades now, the Statue of Liberty has met millions of immigrants as they have come to America. She stands for all that America is proud of: freedom, democracy, and truth. She is a welcoming sight to many of the world's weary and heavy-laden. Some immigrants even heralded America as Heaven on Earth; a land filled with food and plenty of jobs...the pursuit of happiness was a reality in America, the land where the people rule...
Now, here we are in the year 2007, and in a much different America.
Before I really dive in though, let me clarify that I am not speaking of America's stagnant political situations. There is a fine line between government and religion, a line that is crossed by both sides too often. I will be crossing this line several times, due to the many grey areas that exist between the two.
So, keeping in mind my protective disclaimer, let's get on with it...
Over the past few decades, many have changed their view on what "Truth" is. Some believe truth exists, others aren't sure, many believe it doesn't exist...and of course there are those that just don't care.
According to recent polls, America's view on truth has changed dramatically over the past three decades.
A poll done by Barna Research came up with these results:
"Compared to two years ago, just half as many Americans believe that absolute moral truth exists, dropping from 38% in January 2000 to only 22% in November 2001."
This means that approximately 78% of Americans are unsure or believe there is no such thing as absolute truth.
America was not founded as a Christian nation, but it was founded on many Judeo-Christian principles. The basis of the American Constitution is that mankind has certain rights and freedoms, which should not be taken away. There is an absolute truth running through the very veins of the Constitution, that is, that there is a greater law mankind is bound too. Many future laws would also be based off Judeo-Christian concepts and beliefs.
That is what the Constitution was built on...and it is also the very thing that is now being taken away.
This country was founded with the belief that truth had to be at the very core of it, or it would fail. Now that the majority of Americans don't believe in absolute truth, that core has been taken away.
Compare America to a watermelon. If you take out all of the pink, edible flesh of the fruit on the inside, you just have a shell remaining. That is what America has become, a mere shell of its former beauty.
If you don't believe me when I say that truth is slipping away in America, look around you. Government officials falling into moral black pits, ethics being a required class at many schools across the nation due to zero ethics in society, and even religious leaders, the ones who have protected America's truth for years, can't do what they say is right.
The new philosophy that there is no truth goes against everything the Constitution stands for. The very people who say they are trying to save America by ridding it of religion are the very ones who are killing America. America was founded on truth, and a country cannot stand if its basis is stolen from it.
So, what are the consequences going to be?
I read an article the other day by a man who believes that if morality and truth keep slipping away at the rate they are, the freedom of religion will be gone in America within this century. The freedom of speech, right to assembly, all the basics of the Constitution could be gone within our lifetimes. The American Church has never had to endure true persecution before, but it soon may have too. Can you imagine our own government persecuting us? It sounds like such an unreasonable thought, yet it is a very real threat; in fact, it may be just around the corner.
With every little ground gained by secular America, every Ten Commandments taken out of courthouses and schools, every corporal punishment banned, with every form of discipline that disappears in America...America comes one small stop closer to going from democracy to chaos, from being a Republic to being a totalitarian state, from light to dark. Separation of Church and State exists for a reason; the Church upholds the country's standards, while the State protects them and its inhabitants. It has always been a partnership, until now. My only question to the insane lunatics who sincerely believe that the government can function well without the Church there to uphold its values, is this:
Why change something that has always worked? We've seen what happens when the church holds the state to a moral code, and the state in turn protects the freedoms of everyone. IT WORKS! It works very well! Homeless shelters are built, the country prospers, crime rates go down, as do divorce rates...life gets better.
So, my only conclusion is this. Those who believe that the universal absolute truths, that America was founded on, should not be applied anymore to society are seriously deranged and insane.
Some think these people should be considered domestic enemies of the Constitution and enemies of America, because they threaten the freedoms the Constitution ensures to all citizens. Their logic: the Federal government is bound by the Constitution to protect and defend the freedoms of America, from enemies both foreign and domestic, and these people threaten those freedoms.
I am torn on that viewpoint, it seems very extreme, but there is so much truth in it. And I have to say, very sadly, I find myself agreeing with it more so then disagreeing.
I will probably hear a lot of crap for agreeing with that...
But standing for the Truth comes with blessings as well as prices to be paid; besides, my right to freedom of speech still exists, for now...
I'm almost done. I know this is long, but hang in there...
America has already passed its Golden Age, but the midnight is still approaching, slowly gaining momentum. Every time the Church gives in and exits the arena without a fight for morality, those that seek to save America by destroying it come one step closer to achieving their goals.
Today, America is at a precarious point. Let's go back to the opening story, and to a new theoretical one...
Picture another boat this time, in the year 2007. It is early morning, foggy, and as the fog clears, another young Irishman sees the Statue of Liberty for the first time. Cheers rise up from the boat, it is a new day for a ship of Irish immigrants coming to America…
But the cheers stop as the boat enters the harbor. Something is horrendously wrong…
Instead of holding a torch aloft, the Statue of Liberty holds a gun instead, pointed at her own head…ready to commit the ultimate American suicide.
And that is precisely where America is today. It will be interesting to see when the trigger is pulled, why it will be pulled, and the devastation it will cause. But one thing I do know…
In that hour, when America hits midnight, the real, few Christians in the American Church will make their stand for Truth. Whether they will be ruthlessly destroyed or not, they will make their stand. And I pray to God that America will come to its senses before then…
In Christ,
Hackett
1. This blog may sound very familiar to others I have written, but it is not. In this blog, I will also speak of the consequences of a society with no truth, which I have avoided in my previous writings.
2. Also, there are some issues and things discussed in this blog that are very controversial and may offend some, so I apologize in advance.
3. This is perhaps my longest blog...and I ask that you read it all at one time or not at all...with that said, here we go.
The young man paces on the deck, thinking and planning. It is early morning, and few others seem to be up and about. Those that are awake are the seasick ones. Weeks of the endless up and down of the ship on the waves, with no sight of land, had taken its toll onboard. The fog that hides the waves all around the ship is not helping either...
It is around the year 1900. Many had fled a recovering Ireland due to the potato famine that took place decades before and have come to the United States of America, in hopes of a better life. The young man we are following is an example of this. He is pacing on the deck, dreaming of the business he wants to start. The thought of never going hungry or thirsty again has been the one thing that has kept him going for years now.
And now, his dream is about to become reality...
A shout is suddenly heard from the far side of the deck. The man runs over, wondering what it is...and then, he sees it.
There, barely visible in the distance is the Statue of Liberty...standing tall over the clearing, morning fog.
For decades now, the Statue of Liberty has met millions of immigrants as they have come to America. She stands for all that America is proud of: freedom, democracy, and truth. She is a welcoming sight to many of the world's weary and heavy-laden. Some immigrants even heralded America as Heaven on Earth; a land filled with food and plenty of jobs...the pursuit of happiness was a reality in America, the land where the people rule...
Now, here we are in the year 2007, and in a much different America.
Before I really dive in though, let me clarify that I am not speaking of America's stagnant political situations. There is a fine line between government and religion, a line that is crossed by both sides too often. I will be crossing this line several times, due to the many grey areas that exist between the two.
So, keeping in mind my protective disclaimer, let's get on with it...
Over the past few decades, many have changed their view on what "Truth" is. Some believe truth exists, others aren't sure, many believe it doesn't exist...and of course there are those that just don't care.
According to recent polls, America's view on truth has changed dramatically over the past three decades.
A poll done by Barna Research came up with these results:
"Compared to two years ago, just half as many Americans believe that absolute moral truth exists, dropping from 38% in January 2000 to only 22% in November 2001."
This means that approximately 78% of Americans are unsure or believe there is no such thing as absolute truth.
America was not founded as a Christian nation, but it was founded on many Judeo-Christian principles. The basis of the American Constitution is that mankind has certain rights and freedoms, which should not be taken away. There is an absolute truth running through the very veins of the Constitution, that is, that there is a greater law mankind is bound too. Many future laws would also be based off Judeo-Christian concepts and beliefs.
That is what the Constitution was built on...and it is also the very thing that is now being taken away.
This country was founded with the belief that truth had to be at the very core of it, or it would fail. Now that the majority of Americans don't believe in absolute truth, that core has been taken away.
Compare America to a watermelon. If you take out all of the pink, edible flesh of the fruit on the inside, you just have a shell remaining. That is what America has become, a mere shell of its former beauty.
If you don't believe me when I say that truth is slipping away in America, look around you. Government officials falling into moral black pits, ethics being a required class at many schools across the nation due to zero ethics in society, and even religious leaders, the ones who have protected America's truth for years, can't do what they say is right.
The new philosophy that there is no truth goes against everything the Constitution stands for. The very people who say they are trying to save America by ridding it of religion are the very ones who are killing America. America was founded on truth, and a country cannot stand if its basis is stolen from it.
So, what are the consequences going to be?
I read an article the other day by a man who believes that if morality and truth keep slipping away at the rate they are, the freedom of religion will be gone in America within this century. The freedom of speech, right to assembly, all the basics of the Constitution could be gone within our lifetimes. The American Church has never had to endure true persecution before, but it soon may have too. Can you imagine our own government persecuting us? It sounds like such an unreasonable thought, yet it is a very real threat; in fact, it may be just around the corner.
With every little ground gained by secular America, every Ten Commandments taken out of courthouses and schools, every corporal punishment banned, with every form of discipline that disappears in America...America comes one small stop closer to going from democracy to chaos, from being a Republic to being a totalitarian state, from light to dark. Separation of Church and State exists for a reason; the Church upholds the country's standards, while the State protects them and its inhabitants. It has always been a partnership, until now. My only question to the insane lunatics who sincerely believe that the government can function well without the Church there to uphold its values, is this:
Why change something that has always worked? We've seen what happens when the church holds the state to a moral code, and the state in turn protects the freedoms of everyone. IT WORKS! It works very well! Homeless shelters are built, the country prospers, crime rates go down, as do divorce rates...life gets better.
So, my only conclusion is this. Those who believe that the universal absolute truths, that America was founded on, should not be applied anymore to society are seriously deranged and insane.
Some think these people should be considered domestic enemies of the Constitution and enemies of America, because they threaten the freedoms the Constitution ensures to all citizens. Their logic: the Federal government is bound by the Constitution to protect and defend the freedoms of America, from enemies both foreign and domestic, and these people threaten those freedoms.
I am torn on that viewpoint, it seems very extreme, but there is so much truth in it. And I have to say, very sadly, I find myself agreeing with it more so then disagreeing.
I will probably hear a lot of crap for agreeing with that...
But standing for the Truth comes with blessings as well as prices to be paid; besides, my right to freedom of speech still exists, for now...
I'm almost done. I know this is long, but hang in there...
America has already passed its Golden Age, but the midnight is still approaching, slowly gaining momentum. Every time the Church gives in and exits the arena without a fight for morality, those that seek to save America by destroying it come one step closer to achieving their goals.
Today, America is at a precarious point. Let's go back to the opening story, and to a new theoretical one...
Picture another boat this time, in the year 2007. It is early morning, foggy, and as the fog clears, another young Irishman sees the Statue of Liberty for the first time. Cheers rise up from the boat, it is a new day for a ship of Irish immigrants coming to America…
But the cheers stop as the boat enters the harbor. Something is horrendously wrong…
Instead of holding a torch aloft, the Statue of Liberty holds a gun instead, pointed at her own head…ready to commit the ultimate American suicide.
And that is precisely where America is today. It will be interesting to see when the trigger is pulled, why it will be pulled, and the devastation it will cause. But one thing I do know…
In that hour, when America hits midnight, the real, few Christians in the American Church will make their stand for Truth. Whether they will be ruthlessly destroyed or not, they will make their stand. And I pray to God that America will come to its senses before then…
In Christ,
Hackett
Monday, September 10, 2007
Price Tags
June 4, 1940. Our story begins approximately 5 miles outside the small seaside city of Dunkirk, which rests on the Franco-Belgian border in Europe, with a small German army squad.
The past few weeks had proved to be very beneficial for the German military. Belgium had fallen in only four days. The French Army was in the middle of a full retreat. And now the British Expeditionary Force, the core of the Allied Army, was pinned against the English Channel. To our German squad, it looked as if this was the end for nearly 400,000 of Europe’s finest soldiers…
There was a rumor floating around between the German squads that the British had begun evacuating their troops, along with some French and Belgians, a few days before.
At last, the orders came in. The German squad we are following were ordered to lead a final assault on the city. It looked as if the British were about to lose their entire army.
The hours went by quickly as the Germans stormed the city. With every small field and street won, the Germans were expecting to discover a huge mass of tens of thousands of soldiers crammed against the ocean, ready to be annihilated…
Our German squad finally reached the other side of the city, and stepped out on to the beach, in shock.
Looking around, they saw not a single Allied soldier on the sands. Instead, they saw weapons and equipment strewn about the beach.
The Germans then looked out over the ocean. In the distance, a few British battleships were sailing away, the rearguard of the largest evacuation fleet ever assembled in the history of mankind. The fleet was a hastily thrown together group of military, fishing, and civilian watercraft. On those thousands of ships sat nearly 340,000 Allied soldiers.
The prized jewel of the Allied Army had escaped destruction by only one hour.
That night, Prime Minister Winston Churchill stood up before a scared British nation and a shocked world and gave the most important, rallying speech of his life. In it, he sent a very threatening message to Nazi Germany. If Hitler wanted Britain under his “Third Reich,” he would have to kill every British soul on the island to claim it. Britain, he said, “will never surrender.”
Good story right?
So, some of you that actually read my blogs, are probably asking, “Come on Hackett, what’s your point?”
My point…
Price tags.
Price tags?
Yes, I said price tags. You know, those little things hanging off the sides of clothing at Target…
So what do price tags have to do with a WWII story?
EVERYTHING.
In today’s capitalistic world, we understand that everything comes with a price. From the shirt you are wearing now to the food you ate for lunch last week, it cost something.
So, back to our story…
The British evacuation at Dunkirk came with a heavy price. While the majority of the British narrowly escaped, 30,000 soldiers didn’t. They died, defending their brothers so that they could still have the one thing that we in America take for granted today…
That thing is freedom.
Freedom is perhaps the one thing that comes with a price tag so hefty…the price of blood.
Winston Churchill understood that better than anyone else of his time. Churchill swore to the world that he would rather have England die than be without freedom. Churchill knew what freedom was, he had tasted it. And once you have gotten a taste of freedom after not having it, it is all you can think about.
Yes, 340,000 lives had made it to freedom from Dunkirk…but the cost was paid for. The price tag was 30,000 people. Expensive, right?
History is full of accounts of freedom being paid for with blood. From the 30,000 who died at Dunkirk to the 300 who died at Thermopylae, freedom is dipped in blood. The two are inseparable…
God knows that; after all, he is the inventor of freedom. Humanity was enslaved to sin, and freedom was needed so that God and mankind could be reunited. The price was high, as it always is with freedom. The price was Christ. The perfect, only Son of God had to pay humanity’s debt to sin with His own blood… a price that was paid at Calvary.
It amazes me that freedom-loving people do not love Christ. Christ purchased freedom for humanity, and many people just don’t care. It is sad, but the freedom that Christ purchased was the freedom to choose, because if there is no choice there is no freedom. Had Christ died for humanity in a way that would have forced us to love Him, it wouldn’t have been freedom. He died so we could choose and have the chance to be forgiven by a loving God…
Hang in there, I’m almost done…
I would like to end with another WWII story, this one being a much less known one:
April 25, 1945 Leckwitz Germany. The European Theater of WWII was coming to a close. American and British forces were sweeping into Germany from the west, Soviet forces from the east. The Americans and the Soviets knew their forces would meet at some point. So, both sides had agreed upon a signal to the other, so that Soviet and American forces wouldn’t attack one another by accident. American soldiers were to shoot a green flare when they came upon Soviet troops, and Soviet soldiers were to fire a red flare when they saw American troops.
Maybe it was just by chance, or maybe it was God’s plan, but the flares were not fired that day as an American patrol leader met a Soviet patrol leader halfway across a bridge spanning the Elba River in Leckwitz.
Weeping, they embraced one another. They could not understand each other’s native tongue, nor did they know each other’s name. One thing they did know, however…
The once great cities of Europe lay in smoldering ruins, millions had perished, they had both watched their brothers and friends die for months on end…
But freedom had been won for Europe. The price was high; perhaps it was too high, only God knows…
But that meeting on that bridge decades ago points to something much larger…
Christ is standing on a bridge as well. He is ready to embrace you and weep for joy. All you have to do is walk out onto that bridge and embrace Him back. Laugh joyfully, sing with happiness, or cry like the Soviet and American soldiers who met on that bridge in Leckwitz, Germany…because freedom is yours. All you have to do is accept it, and choose to serve the one King who is and never will be a tyrant over your soul.
Look around you, the world we live in today is a “smoldering ruins” as Europe was by the end of WWII, millions have perished eternally, and you have watched your friends and brothers in humanity die all around you…
But freedom has been won for humanity. The price was high, perhaps too high, only God knows…
If there is no blood paid, there is no freedom. History points to that. Many people say Christianity confuses them. My answer to them is this:
Humanity was enslaved to sin, and a price had to be paid to set us free. The price was blood, Christ’s blood. The price was paid…all you have to do is accept it and follow the One who saved you.
Because Christ is the one thing that comes with no price tag…because He already paid the amount on the price tag.
In Christ,
Hackett
The past few weeks had proved to be very beneficial for the German military. Belgium had fallen in only four days. The French Army was in the middle of a full retreat. And now the British Expeditionary Force, the core of the Allied Army, was pinned against the English Channel. To our German squad, it looked as if this was the end for nearly 400,000 of Europe’s finest soldiers…
There was a rumor floating around between the German squads that the British had begun evacuating their troops, along with some French and Belgians, a few days before.
At last, the orders came in. The German squad we are following were ordered to lead a final assault on the city. It looked as if the British were about to lose their entire army.
The hours went by quickly as the Germans stormed the city. With every small field and street won, the Germans were expecting to discover a huge mass of tens of thousands of soldiers crammed against the ocean, ready to be annihilated…
Our German squad finally reached the other side of the city, and stepped out on to the beach, in shock.
Looking around, they saw not a single Allied soldier on the sands. Instead, they saw weapons and equipment strewn about the beach.
The Germans then looked out over the ocean. In the distance, a few British battleships were sailing away, the rearguard of the largest evacuation fleet ever assembled in the history of mankind. The fleet was a hastily thrown together group of military, fishing, and civilian watercraft. On those thousands of ships sat nearly 340,000 Allied soldiers.
The prized jewel of the Allied Army had escaped destruction by only one hour.
That night, Prime Minister Winston Churchill stood up before a scared British nation and a shocked world and gave the most important, rallying speech of his life. In it, he sent a very threatening message to Nazi Germany. If Hitler wanted Britain under his “Third Reich,” he would have to kill every British soul on the island to claim it. Britain, he said, “will never surrender.”
Good story right?
So, some of you that actually read my blogs, are probably asking, “Come on Hackett, what’s your point?”
My point…
Price tags.
Price tags?
Yes, I said price tags. You know, those little things hanging off the sides of clothing at Target…
So what do price tags have to do with a WWII story?
EVERYTHING.
In today’s capitalistic world, we understand that everything comes with a price. From the shirt you are wearing now to the food you ate for lunch last week, it cost something.
So, back to our story…
The British evacuation at Dunkirk came with a heavy price. While the majority of the British narrowly escaped, 30,000 soldiers didn’t. They died, defending their brothers so that they could still have the one thing that we in America take for granted today…
That thing is freedom.
Freedom is perhaps the one thing that comes with a price tag so hefty…the price of blood.
Winston Churchill understood that better than anyone else of his time. Churchill swore to the world that he would rather have England die than be without freedom. Churchill knew what freedom was, he had tasted it. And once you have gotten a taste of freedom after not having it, it is all you can think about.
Yes, 340,000 lives had made it to freedom from Dunkirk…but the cost was paid for. The price tag was 30,000 people. Expensive, right?
History is full of accounts of freedom being paid for with blood. From the 30,000 who died at Dunkirk to the 300 who died at Thermopylae, freedom is dipped in blood. The two are inseparable…
God knows that; after all, he is the inventor of freedom. Humanity was enslaved to sin, and freedom was needed so that God and mankind could be reunited. The price was high, as it always is with freedom. The price was Christ. The perfect, only Son of God had to pay humanity’s debt to sin with His own blood… a price that was paid at Calvary.
It amazes me that freedom-loving people do not love Christ. Christ purchased freedom for humanity, and many people just don’t care. It is sad, but the freedom that Christ purchased was the freedom to choose, because if there is no choice there is no freedom. Had Christ died for humanity in a way that would have forced us to love Him, it wouldn’t have been freedom. He died so we could choose and have the chance to be forgiven by a loving God…
Hang in there, I’m almost done…
I would like to end with another WWII story, this one being a much less known one:
April 25, 1945 Leckwitz Germany. The European Theater of WWII was coming to a close. American and British forces were sweeping into Germany from the west, Soviet forces from the east. The Americans and the Soviets knew their forces would meet at some point. So, both sides had agreed upon a signal to the other, so that Soviet and American forces wouldn’t attack one another by accident. American soldiers were to shoot a green flare when they came upon Soviet troops, and Soviet soldiers were to fire a red flare when they saw American troops.
Maybe it was just by chance, or maybe it was God’s plan, but the flares were not fired that day as an American patrol leader met a Soviet patrol leader halfway across a bridge spanning the Elba River in Leckwitz.
Weeping, they embraced one another. They could not understand each other’s native tongue, nor did they know each other’s name. One thing they did know, however…
The once great cities of Europe lay in smoldering ruins, millions had perished, they had both watched their brothers and friends die for months on end…
But freedom had been won for Europe. The price was high; perhaps it was too high, only God knows…
But that meeting on that bridge decades ago points to something much larger…
Christ is standing on a bridge as well. He is ready to embrace you and weep for joy. All you have to do is walk out onto that bridge and embrace Him back. Laugh joyfully, sing with happiness, or cry like the Soviet and American soldiers who met on that bridge in Leckwitz, Germany…because freedom is yours. All you have to do is accept it, and choose to serve the one King who is and never will be a tyrant over your soul.
Look around you, the world we live in today is a “smoldering ruins” as Europe was by the end of WWII, millions have perished eternally, and you have watched your friends and brothers in humanity die all around you…
But freedom has been won for humanity. The price was high, perhaps too high, only God knows…
If there is no blood paid, there is no freedom. History points to that. Many people say Christianity confuses them. My answer to them is this:
Humanity was enslaved to sin, and a price had to be paid to set us free. The price was blood, Christ’s blood. The price was paid…all you have to do is accept it and follow the One who saved you.
Because Christ is the one thing that comes with no price tag…because He already paid the amount on the price tag.
In Christ,
Hackett
Saturday, September 8, 2007
The Food Crisis
Hey guys,
As you know, the situation in Darfur Sudan is getting worse everyday. But now, there is a new danger threatening the region.
The World Food Programme announced recently that its operations in Sudan have now become it's largest, and it is costing $685 million a year to continue feeding those that have been plagued with genocide, drought, and disease.
But, there is one problem...
If the money supply runs out, the United Nations estimates that the death toll in Sudan will raise to 100,000 a month. That's 100,000 individual lives that could perish, EVERY MONTH.
The problem is that the money is running out...
Because of this, I started this email.
Please visit the following link:
https://www.kintera.org/site/c.diJRK4PFJpH/b.1147339/k.66D5/Generic_Donation_Form/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=diJRK4PFJpH&b=1147339&en=duIVL6NHJcKWK7NIJgJSL0NKLoJ7IeMQIhJQI9PUImLZLgO6G
Please go to that link and make a five dollar donantion. Just five dollars. That's it.
And please forward this email to everyone you know. Together, we can potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives.
In Christ,
Hackett
As you know, the situation in Darfur Sudan is getting worse everyday. But now, there is a new danger threatening the region.
The World Food Programme announced recently that its operations in Sudan have now become it's largest, and it is costing $685 million a year to continue feeding those that have been plagued with genocide, drought, and disease.
But, there is one problem...
If the money supply runs out, the United Nations estimates that the death toll in Sudan will raise to 100,000 a month. That's 100,000 individual lives that could perish, EVERY MONTH.
The problem is that the money is running out...
Because of this, I started this email.
Please visit the following link:
https://www.kintera.org/site/c.diJRK4PFJpH/b.1147339/k.66D5/Generic_Donation_Form/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=diJRK4PFJpH&b=1147339&en=duIVL6NHJcKWK7NIJgJSL0NKLoJ7IeMQIhJQI9PUImLZLgO6G
Please go to that link and make a five dollar donantion. Just five dollars. That's it.
And please forward this email to everyone you know. Together, we can potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives.
In Christ,
Hackett
Saturday, September 1, 2007
The Need for an American Church Revival
Is it time to awaken the sleeping church today?
The American Church as a whole is a great example of this. With few exceptions, most churches in America aren't focused on what they should be focused on. We here from our pulpits that we need to tithe only 10%, that we need to come every Sunday and "get our church on," and an occasional mission trip is good for us. In short, we hear that the church is about the individual.
After all, giving 10% of your paycheck is a huge "sacrifice"...I hope you can detect the sarcasm in that.
I read something very interesting the other day. Statistical analyst's, after much research have come up with some very intriguing numbers about the Great Commission. These analysts say that if every church in America did at least two international mission trips a month to areas where the Gospel has not yet reached, the Great Commission could be accomplished within ten short years. That's TEN YEARS.
If you don't know what the Great Commission is, I'll briefly explain it. After Christ rose from the dead, He visited His disciples and told them what they were to do.
Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Those are th exact words of Christ. Other portions of the New Testament also hint that Christ will return soon after the Great Commission is accomplished.
To think that I could see Christ return in my lifetime...that is almost unbelievable. It's shocking. Only ten years...that is, if the church got its act together.
So, "is it time to awaken the sleeping church today?"
The answer is yes. The Church should always be awake...
BUT...
I do not for-see a major American Church Revival. In my opinion, the Holy Spirit has left America. We have seen throughout history that the Holy Spirit moves around the globe, to the front battle lines where Christianity has to fight for its' life. In America, we don't have to fight. The Holy Spirit is present wherever there is great opposition to the Faith...and without the Holy Spirit, revival cannot occur.
Martin Luther described this perfectly:
"If the devil were wise enough and would stand by and let the Gospel be preached, he would suffer less harm. For when there is no battle for the Gospel it rusts and it finds no cause and no occasion to show its vigor and power. Therefore, nothing better can befall the Gospel than that the world should fight it with force and cunning."
In America, Christians aren't murdered because of their beliefs daily...in China, Africa, and the Middle East however...they are. Realize that the greatest gains for Christianity today are being made where the Gospel is being most persecuted.
The Church needs to be woken up, but I do not foresee, at least anytime soon, the "Great Revival" the American Church is in desperate need of. If it does occur, it will be decades from now. Until then, we must carry on in our own "little platoons" as Chuck Colson so lovingly calls them. We must do what we can, and hope that our actions inspire those sleeping Christians around us.
This world is at war. And perhaps one of the greatest potential weapons for the Kingdom of God is the American Church. We must try to awaken it, but we must not go in with high hopes. Even if we fail, one voice crying for revival in the dark is better than no voice at all.
In Christ,
Hackett
The American Church as a whole is a great example of this. With few exceptions, most churches in America aren't focused on what they should be focused on. We here from our pulpits that we need to tithe only 10%, that we need to come every Sunday and "get our church on," and an occasional mission trip is good for us. In short, we hear that the church is about the individual.
After all, giving 10% of your paycheck is a huge "sacrifice"...I hope you can detect the sarcasm in that.
I read something very interesting the other day. Statistical analyst's, after much research have come up with some very intriguing numbers about the Great Commission. These analysts say that if every church in America did at least two international mission trips a month to areas where the Gospel has not yet reached, the Great Commission could be accomplished within ten short years. That's TEN YEARS.
If you don't know what the Great Commission is, I'll briefly explain it. After Christ rose from the dead, He visited His disciples and told them what they were to do.
Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Those are th exact words of Christ. Other portions of the New Testament also hint that Christ will return soon after the Great Commission is accomplished.
To think that I could see Christ return in my lifetime...that is almost unbelievable. It's shocking. Only ten years...that is, if the church got its act together.
So, "is it time to awaken the sleeping church today?"
The answer is yes. The Church should always be awake...
BUT...
I do not for-see a major American Church Revival. In my opinion, the Holy Spirit has left America. We have seen throughout history that the Holy Spirit moves around the globe, to the front battle lines where Christianity has to fight for its' life. In America, we don't have to fight. The Holy Spirit is present wherever there is great opposition to the Faith...and without the Holy Spirit, revival cannot occur.
Martin Luther described this perfectly:
"If the devil were wise enough and would stand by and let the Gospel be preached, he would suffer less harm. For when there is no battle for the Gospel it rusts and it finds no cause and no occasion to show its vigor and power. Therefore, nothing better can befall the Gospel than that the world should fight it with force and cunning."
In America, Christians aren't murdered because of their beliefs daily...in China, Africa, and the Middle East however...they are. Realize that the greatest gains for Christianity today are being made where the Gospel is being most persecuted.
The Church needs to be woken up, but I do not foresee, at least anytime soon, the "Great Revival" the American Church is in desperate need of. If it does occur, it will be decades from now. Until then, we must carry on in our own "little platoons" as Chuck Colson so lovingly calls them. We must do what we can, and hope that our actions inspire those sleeping Christians around us.
This world is at war. And perhaps one of the greatest potential weapons for the Kingdom of God is the American Church. We must try to awaken it, but we must not go in with high hopes. Even if we fail, one voice crying for revival in the dark is better than no voice at all.
In Christ,
Hackett
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Who is God?
Who is God?
I recently read somebody’s attempt at answering that question.
In response to the question "Who is God?” somebody wrote the following...
"God is whoever you want him to be."
From nearly every religious, philosophical and moral standpoint, that is the wrong answer.
I am a Christian, but I will put aside my beliefs on who God is for a minute so as to give unbiased answer to the person who wrote that sentence.
The concept of God or gods is found in nearly every society today. Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, even Satanism (yikes, scary!)
All of these religions agree on one thing, God or gods aren't whoever you want them to be...
The very concept of God is that it is a being or force more powerful than us humans.
So to say that God is whoever you want him to be is a complete and total lie. Here are four reasons why:
1. If there is a God, and if He is all-powerful, then He is what he is regardless of what you believe. He cannot be "whoever you want him to be" as someone so naively wrote.
2. If there is a God, and if He is not all-powerful, then He is still more powerful than us humans, otherwise He wouldn't be considered God. This would mean the same thing as Reason #1...that is; God is who He is regardless of what you believe.
3. If you believe "God is whoever you want him to be," then He is not really God, because you can control what He is. The universal concept of what God or gods are is that they are above us, more powerful then us, and cannot be controlled by us.
Saying that "God is whoever you want him to be" makes God a figment of your imagination that holds no true power, because that makes you controller of God, making Him not God. Put shortly, this statement defeats itself.
4. If there is NO God, then where did we come from?
Many scientists would say evolution. With all due respect to the scientist, evolution has so many holes and gaps in it that it is amazing it hasn’t fallen apart yet. It is still called the “Theory of Evolution” for a reason after all…because it is just a theory, a theory that will never be proven as absolute truth because it is based on a lie.
Some people would say the Big Bang Theory, but that doesn’t explain where we came from, just where the universe came from. However, the evidence for the Big Bang Theory points to the Christian Creation Theory. The Big bang theory says the universe came to be in a huge cosmic explosion in a flash of light. There are still the radio waves moving through space from the point of explosion scientists have discovered, and I believe in those radio waves because it has been proven! The account in Genesis says the universe came into being in just six days. That would require a huge amount of power and energy unimaginable! Is it so hard to believe that those moving radio waves are from the first moments of Creation, when God, in a burst of unimaginable glory, beauty, and power sent the galaxies and planets hurtling into the empty universe?
God is who He is regardless of what you say He is. An elephant is still an elephant, even if somebody said it was a fish. 2+2=4, even if someone says it equals 347.
These things are absolute truths, and you can say whatever you want too, but the elephant will still be an elephant, 2+2 will always equal 4, and God will always be God, even if you don't believe in Him.
So, now that we've covered why God can't be whatever you want Him to be, who is He really?
God is a being who loves His Creation so much, even after sin viciously marred it, that He allowed His own, perfect Son to be murdered so that He can be reunited with us again.
That sounds a lot better to me than "God is whoever you want Him to be."
It makes more sense too; God did something for you even if you choose not to accept it. His own Son died so you can be united with God again. God did something you may not believe or agree to because He is God and not "whatever you believe." You had no control over it, because God isn't "whoever you want Him to be."
The whole "God is whoever you want Him to be" spill is a lie straight from the pits of hell that resides comfortably with 21st century post-modernism. Frankly, it's a load of lies that is easily proven as "untruth" when placed under the light. It doesn't hold up, and unfortunately, lots of people are going to pay the consequences for it when we all stand before God on the Day of Judgment and they say, "But you are not God because I don't believe in you!"
It saddens my heart to think that so many will be saying that...
In Christ,
Hackett
I recently read somebody’s attempt at answering that question.
In response to the question "Who is God?” somebody wrote the following...
"God is whoever you want him to be."
From nearly every religious, philosophical and moral standpoint, that is the wrong answer.
I am a Christian, but I will put aside my beliefs on who God is for a minute so as to give unbiased answer to the person who wrote that sentence.
The concept of God or gods is found in nearly every society today. Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, even Satanism (yikes, scary!)
All of these religions agree on one thing, God or gods aren't whoever you want them to be...
The very concept of God is that it is a being or force more powerful than us humans.
So to say that God is whoever you want him to be is a complete and total lie. Here are four reasons why:
1. If there is a God, and if He is all-powerful, then He is what he is regardless of what you believe. He cannot be "whoever you want him to be" as someone so naively wrote.
2. If there is a God, and if He is not all-powerful, then He is still more powerful than us humans, otherwise He wouldn't be considered God. This would mean the same thing as Reason #1...that is; God is who He is regardless of what you believe.
3. If you believe "God is whoever you want him to be," then He is not really God, because you can control what He is. The universal concept of what God or gods are is that they are above us, more powerful then us, and cannot be controlled by us.
Saying that "God is whoever you want him to be" makes God a figment of your imagination that holds no true power, because that makes you controller of God, making Him not God. Put shortly, this statement defeats itself.
4. If there is NO God, then where did we come from?
Many scientists would say evolution. With all due respect to the scientist, evolution has so many holes and gaps in it that it is amazing it hasn’t fallen apart yet. It is still called the “Theory of Evolution” for a reason after all…because it is just a theory, a theory that will never be proven as absolute truth because it is based on a lie.
Some people would say the Big Bang Theory, but that doesn’t explain where we came from, just where the universe came from. However, the evidence for the Big Bang Theory points to the Christian Creation Theory. The Big bang theory says the universe came to be in a huge cosmic explosion in a flash of light. There are still the radio waves moving through space from the point of explosion scientists have discovered, and I believe in those radio waves because it has been proven! The account in Genesis says the universe came into being in just six days. That would require a huge amount of power and energy unimaginable! Is it so hard to believe that those moving radio waves are from the first moments of Creation, when God, in a burst of unimaginable glory, beauty, and power sent the galaxies and planets hurtling into the empty universe?
God is who He is regardless of what you say He is. An elephant is still an elephant, even if somebody said it was a fish. 2+2=4, even if someone says it equals 347.
These things are absolute truths, and you can say whatever you want too, but the elephant will still be an elephant, 2+2 will always equal 4, and God will always be God, even if you don't believe in Him.
So, now that we've covered why God can't be whatever you want Him to be, who is He really?
God is a being who loves His Creation so much, even after sin viciously marred it, that He allowed His own, perfect Son to be murdered so that He can be reunited with us again.
That sounds a lot better to me than "God is whoever you want Him to be."
It makes more sense too; God did something for you even if you choose not to accept it. His own Son died so you can be united with God again. God did something you may not believe or agree to because He is God and not "whatever you believe." You had no control over it, because God isn't "whoever you want Him to be."
The whole "God is whoever you want Him to be" spill is a lie straight from the pits of hell that resides comfortably with 21st century post-modernism. Frankly, it's a load of lies that is easily proven as "untruth" when placed under the light. It doesn't hold up, and unfortunately, lots of people are going to pay the consequences for it when we all stand before God on the Day of Judgment and they say, "But you are not God because I don't believe in you!"
It saddens my heart to think that so many will be saying that...
In Christ,
Hackett
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Sin on Horseback
Last week, the United Nations passed the UN Security Council Resolution 1769, aauthorizing the deployment of thousands of peacekeepers to the war-torn region of Darfur, Sudan.
But will it really be over soon?
In May of 2006, the Darfur peace agreement was signed by the majority of those involved in the Darfur genocide which was supposed to bring peace to Sudan.
Now over a year later, the genocide continues.
Over the next six months, according to the United Nations, nearly 26,000 troops are to be deployed to Sudan.
This has brought little comfort to those that are being raped and murdered in Darfur, however. This isn't the first they have been promised peace and safety.
Just to give you an idea of how bad the situation in Darfur is, here's an event that took place in December 2006 in the Darfuri capital of El Fasher. This account is from African Union forces that were in the area when the incident occured:
"We were helping a woman put together a small shelter for her and her two sons. Suddenly, we heard vehicle's approaching and saw many of the Janjaweed militiamen riding towards us.
We quickly called for help. More of our soldiers showed up. They brought word that paramilitary forces that appeared to be Sudanese government soldiers and Janjaweed militiamen had surronded the large camp just outside of the city we were guarding, filled mostly with women and children.
We were outnumbered and to underequiped to confront them, but we stayed anyways, thinking that we being peacekeepers would save us from being killed.
A small group from the paramilitary force drove up in a Sudanese army vehicle and told us to go to our barracks, or we would be killed along with everyone in the village. One of our soldiers told the man we weren't leaving. He was promptly shot in the chest.
Needless to say, we went to our barracks, taking our wounded man with us.
By God's grace, the Janjaweed and Sudanese military left instead of raiding the village that was home to thousands of women and children. We guess they just want us to know that they are in charge. Now the Darfuri civilians don't trust us to protect them."
It's doesn't even take common sense to see that the UN peacekeepers need to be deployed now to replace the African Union peacekeepers.
400,000 are already dead, more have been raped and beaten and the world goes on as if nothing is happening.
It makes me sick.
I've been told more than once that I have bashed the American Christian church over its' inaction to the Darfur genocide without any right to...
Yet the American church is right there with the rest of the world, ignoring genocide and sin.
It's not hard to understand why. It's two completely different worlds, Darfur and America that is...
Here in America, we Christians try not to "sin" by avoiding cursing, stealing, and lust.
Yes, those things are sin...
But in Darfur, Sin sits on horseback wielding rifles and machine guns.
The problem with the Chruch in America, is that its' been "Americanizied."
There are so many Christian self-help books, and we are told by our own churches that we need to work on becoming better people.
To sum it up, the Church in America is telling its followers to focus on themselves, not on God or what we should be doing for Him.
The American church is dying, and so are innocent people in Darfur.
And sin is the reason for both, just different kinds of sin. I guess it just shows how much power sin really has in this world, that in one place it has an entire nation focused on itself, only so another sin can ride about freely on horseback killing whenever it wants to, unchallenged.
It is sad to think that the Church is doing nothing to help. I even emailed the pastor at my church, asking him if he would pray for Darfur in the congregational prayer we have after worship every Sunday...I never got a reply and it was not mentioned in service.
If you want to know more about what is happening to end the the violence in Darfur, you can go to the following websites:
www.savedarfur.org/
www.eyesondarfur.org/
This last one has actual video footage from Darfur that is in an upcoming film.
www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com
Find a way to help, if you can't find ways, I know of several.
In Christ,
Hackett
But will it really be over soon?
In May of 2006, the Darfur peace agreement was signed by the majority of those involved in the Darfur genocide which was supposed to bring peace to Sudan.
Now over a year later, the genocide continues.
Over the next six months, according to the United Nations, nearly 26,000 troops are to be deployed to Sudan.
This has brought little comfort to those that are being raped and murdered in Darfur, however. This isn't the first they have been promised peace and safety.
Just to give you an idea of how bad the situation in Darfur is, here's an event that took place in December 2006 in the Darfuri capital of El Fasher. This account is from African Union forces that were in the area when the incident occured:
"We were helping a woman put together a small shelter for her and her two sons. Suddenly, we heard vehicle's approaching and saw many of the Janjaweed militiamen riding towards us.
We quickly called for help. More of our soldiers showed up. They brought word that paramilitary forces that appeared to be Sudanese government soldiers and Janjaweed militiamen had surronded the large camp just outside of the city we were guarding, filled mostly with women and children.
We were outnumbered and to underequiped to confront them, but we stayed anyways, thinking that we being peacekeepers would save us from being killed.
A small group from the paramilitary force drove up in a Sudanese army vehicle and told us to go to our barracks, or we would be killed along with everyone in the village. One of our soldiers told the man we weren't leaving. He was promptly shot in the chest.
Needless to say, we went to our barracks, taking our wounded man with us.
By God's grace, the Janjaweed and Sudanese military left instead of raiding the village that was home to thousands of women and children. We guess they just want us to know that they are in charge. Now the Darfuri civilians don't trust us to protect them."
It's doesn't even take common sense to see that the UN peacekeepers need to be deployed now to replace the African Union peacekeepers.
400,000 are already dead, more have been raped and beaten and the world goes on as if nothing is happening.
It makes me sick.
I've been told more than once that I have bashed the American Christian church over its' inaction to the Darfur genocide without any right to...
Yet the American church is right there with the rest of the world, ignoring genocide and sin.
It's not hard to understand why. It's two completely different worlds, Darfur and America that is...
Here in America, we Christians try not to "sin" by avoiding cursing, stealing, and lust.
Yes, those things are sin...
But in Darfur, Sin sits on horseback wielding rifles and machine guns.
The problem with the Chruch in America, is that its' been "Americanizied."
There are so many Christian self-help books, and we are told by our own churches that we need to work on becoming better people.
To sum it up, the Church in America is telling its followers to focus on themselves, not on God or what we should be doing for Him.
The American church is dying, and so are innocent people in Darfur.
And sin is the reason for both, just different kinds of sin. I guess it just shows how much power sin really has in this world, that in one place it has an entire nation focused on itself, only so another sin can ride about freely on horseback killing whenever it wants to, unchallenged.
It is sad to think that the Church is doing nothing to help. I even emailed the pastor at my church, asking him if he would pray for Darfur in the congregational prayer we have after worship every Sunday...I never got a reply and it was not mentioned in service.
If you want to know more about what is happening to end the the violence in Darfur, you can go to the following websites:
www.savedarfur.org/
www.eyesondarfur.org/
This last one has actual video footage from Darfur that is in an upcoming film.
www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com
Find a way to help, if you can't find ways, I know of several.
In Christ,
Hackett
Monday, July 30, 2007
"Time is Up!"
"Time is up!"
Those words are beginning to ring out worldwide since the Sudanese government officially rejected the United Nation's latest efforts to bring peace to Darfur.
Why has the Sudanese government rejected this newest proposal?
The answer is because of one line found in Chapter Seven in the resolution for the Darfur peacekeeping force, writeen by the UN.
The line says this: "use all necessary means."
This line is referring to the African Union/United Nation's hybrid force and how they are to protect the persecuted in Sudan.
President Al-Bashir of Sudan is not "comfortable" with a well-equiped 25,000 strong peace-keeping force working within his country's borders, especially if they have free reign to "use all neccesary means'" to keep the peace.
Why is President Al-Bashir "uncomfortable" with a PEACEKEEPING force?
Because Al-Bashir and his government are supporters of the genocide in Darfur. Proof of this has been found when Janjaweed soldiers have murdered the innocent using Sudanese army weapons.
Since Sudan rejected the latest proposal, worldwide outcry is beginning to increase at a rate yet to be seen in the face of this bleak event on humanity's history record.
"Time is Up!"
Those words are beginning to spread worldwide as groups like the Save Darfur Coalition are joining together to put more pressure onto the United Nations, America, and China in a desperate effort to stop the genocide.
The Save Darfur Coalition is still hoping that this problem can be solved politically, but the coalition is beginning to gear up for what appears to be the inevitable. The inevitable being a military takeover of Sudan.
As more and more activists worldwide continue to raise awareness and support for Darfur, more and more people are calling on the Western world to put politics aside and do what needs to be done.
One Darfur activist had this to say,
"Al-Bashir is 'uncomfortable' with the United Nations sending a peacekeeping force? Fine then. Let's see how 'uncomfortable' he gets when UN forces shoot their way into his presidential palace..."
As liberal as that may sound, I couldn't agree more. The Sudanese government doesn't want to yield, I'm fine with that. Let's force them to yield.
I'm a conservative person for the most part, and I would like to see the situation in Darfur be solved peacefully, but not at the cost of more lives.
I came across a verse in Proverbs a few months ago that has made me want to be solution to this situation that is growing bleaker by the day for those that are being raped and slaughtered in Darfur.
Proverbs 24:11-12
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what He has done?
God makes it clear in His Word that we are to rescue those that are part of genocide. He doesn't say how we are to do that, He just says to do it. In my interpretation of it, that leaves more than enough room for a military takeover of Darfur, if not the whole of Sudan.
Activists worldwide in the next few months will be putting more pressure than ever on those who can stop these tragic events. Now is the time to act, now it is possible for us to make a difference. When the genocide began, only a few voices spoke out against it, now millions do. With every person that joins in the efforts to end the genocide, more of an effect is being made. The UN is now commited to stopping the genocide in Darfur, no matter what the cost. But we can make the end come sooner, and all our voices are needed to make that happen.
"Time is Up!"
Join those that are screaming those words. Go to www.savedarfur.org.
There is a petiton you can sign there, ways you can get involved and ways your church can get involved.
"Time is Up!"
It's now or more killing for years to come...and you can help decide which it is.
In Christ,
Hackett
Those words are beginning to ring out worldwide since the Sudanese government officially rejected the United Nation's latest efforts to bring peace to Darfur.
Why has the Sudanese government rejected this newest proposal?
The answer is because of one line found in Chapter Seven in the resolution for the Darfur peacekeeping force, writeen by the UN.
The line says this: "use all necessary means."
This line is referring to the African Union/United Nation's hybrid force and how they are to protect the persecuted in Sudan.
President Al-Bashir of Sudan is not "comfortable" with a well-equiped 25,000 strong peace-keeping force working within his country's borders, especially if they have free reign to "use all neccesary means'" to keep the peace.
Why is President Al-Bashir "uncomfortable" with a PEACEKEEPING force?
Because Al-Bashir and his government are supporters of the genocide in Darfur. Proof of this has been found when Janjaweed soldiers have murdered the innocent using Sudanese army weapons.
Since Sudan rejected the latest proposal, worldwide outcry is beginning to increase at a rate yet to be seen in the face of this bleak event on humanity's history record.
"Time is Up!"
Those words are beginning to spread worldwide as groups like the Save Darfur Coalition are joining together to put more pressure onto the United Nations, America, and China in a desperate effort to stop the genocide.
The Save Darfur Coalition is still hoping that this problem can be solved politically, but the coalition is beginning to gear up for what appears to be the inevitable. The inevitable being a military takeover of Sudan.
As more and more activists worldwide continue to raise awareness and support for Darfur, more and more people are calling on the Western world to put politics aside and do what needs to be done.
One Darfur activist had this to say,
"Al-Bashir is 'uncomfortable' with the United Nations sending a peacekeeping force? Fine then. Let's see how 'uncomfortable' he gets when UN forces shoot their way into his presidential palace..."
As liberal as that may sound, I couldn't agree more. The Sudanese government doesn't want to yield, I'm fine with that. Let's force them to yield.
I'm a conservative person for the most part, and I would like to see the situation in Darfur be solved peacefully, but not at the cost of more lives.
I came across a verse in Proverbs a few months ago that has made me want to be solution to this situation that is growing bleaker by the day for those that are being raped and slaughtered in Darfur.
Proverbs 24:11-12
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what He has done?
God makes it clear in His Word that we are to rescue those that are part of genocide. He doesn't say how we are to do that, He just says to do it. In my interpretation of it, that leaves more than enough room for a military takeover of Darfur, if not the whole of Sudan.
Activists worldwide in the next few months will be putting more pressure than ever on those who can stop these tragic events. Now is the time to act, now it is possible for us to make a difference. When the genocide began, only a few voices spoke out against it, now millions do. With every person that joins in the efforts to end the genocide, more of an effect is being made. The UN is now commited to stopping the genocide in Darfur, no matter what the cost. But we can make the end come sooner, and all our voices are needed to make that happen.
"Time is Up!"
Join those that are screaming those words. Go to www.savedarfur.org.
There is a petiton you can sign there, ways you can get involved and ways your church can get involved.
"Time is Up!"
It's now or more killing for years to come...and you can help decide which it is.
In Christ,
Hackett
Friday, July 13, 2007
The Church's Potential to Fail Again...
Throughout history, the Church has been involved in many things. Some good, some bad...
The Church protected Jews in Europe during World War II.
The Church has always given help to those who need it...
But the Church has also not helped at some points in history...especially when it was needed most.
An example of this occuring right now...but we'll get to that in a second...
In today's world, the Church is quite powerful, in more ways then one.
Financially, the Church has access to hundreds of billions of dollars as a whole.
Many leaders of coutries seek out advice from the Vatican.
The Church is one of the greatest humanitarian outreaches on the planet.
No matter what your beliefs, it cannot be denied that Christianity is a major part of this world.
Now, to the point...
Christianity weilds quite a bit of power, both monetarily and politically. It has a track record of helping when needed.
But the Church is needed greatly now, and the Church is doing nothing.
And now to the topic I've written about before...
Within the past few years in Darfur, nearly 400,000 people have been murdered and 2.5 million people displaced by war, famine, and strife.
The situation in Darfur is messy situation.
The government backed Janjaweed are raping and murdering innocent people in Sudan (and recently in Chad).
Rebel forces that used to be fighting each other in Sudan have now joined together to rebel against the Sudanese government, which is preventing international intervention.
And the deployment of the United Nation/African Union hybrid force, which will soon be 25,000 strong, has been delayed from bringing peace to this region of the world which has been declared "genocide" by the United Nations...
And in all of this, what is the Church doing as a whole to end this genocide?
The answer: next to nothing.
Some churches are giving money, and some are helping to tell the world about Darfur, but these churches are few and far between.
My opinion, the Church is in the process of failing at what it should be doing.
What should the church be doing?
The Church has the power politically to put pressure on Sudan, the United Nations, and China (which has very close ties to Sudan) to put an end to this 21st century Holocaust.
It has the money to at least help support the new UN/AU hybrid force.
And it has the missionaries to bring the Gospel to those who need it the most.
The church IS failing here...
But God isn't. In all of this mess, God's miracles and mercies are beginning to appear.
The militias that used to be fighting each other have now joined together to go against the Janjaweed and Sudanese government, because they believe the events in Darfur are wrong.
Janjaweed soldiers are beginning to leave the evil they are doing and joining the rebels that are slowly pushing their full military and political pressure onto Sudan.
China is beginning to use its political leverage to deal with the Sudanese government, after activists started calling the future Olympic games in Beijing the "Genocide Games."
And the few missionaries that are in Darfur send reports out that some are accepting Christ.
The Church is failing...but God isn't.
If the Church had done its job from the start, hundreds of thousands if lives could have been saved. Or at least more of those that were killed could be in Heaven right now...
The Pope, a key leading figure of the Chruch as a whole, made a comment the other day that Protestant churches are not "true" churches. While just across the Mediterrainen, the killing in Darfur continues.
I guess that shows how much the Church is ignoring the bigger picture when the Pope cares more about Catholic supremecy than the people who are being raped and murdered everyday just a few flight hours away...
The Church is failing, but there is still time to change that fact. Darfur needs to end, now. The more political pressure there is on the countries involved, the sooner this genocide ends.You can get your church involved by going to www.savedarfur.org and have your members sign the petiton there, which is updated to the United Nations, White House, U.S. Congress, and other organizations that have the political power to end the genocide daily.
All you have to do is sign a petition, it takes less than two minutes, and you will be doing something to help save lives. If you believe that your one name won't count, think again. The United Nations didn't even start considering to do something about Darfur until people started signing petitions to put an end to this genocide.
www.savedarfur.org is also a place where you can make donations and it lists other ways you can get more involved.
Today, the Holocaust is remebered as something horrible that happened because humanity did nothing to stop it until it was to late...
How will Darfur be remembered 60 years from now? Will it be taught in history classes as a Second Holocaust, or will it be remebered as a bad situation in which many were killed, but humanity did something to put an end to it before it could get worse?
The answer to that question is up to all of us. We are all responsible for this, because none of us did anyting to stop it.
And when I stand before God after I die, I don't want to hear the words "You had a chance to help save lives, why didn't you take it?" come from His mouth.
Sign the petition, at least do that much...you never know how much impact we all together can really have...
In Christ,
Hackett
The Church protected Jews in Europe during World War II.
The Church has always given help to those who need it...
But the Church has also not helped at some points in history...especially when it was needed most.
An example of this occuring right now...but we'll get to that in a second...
In today's world, the Church is quite powerful, in more ways then one.
Financially, the Church has access to hundreds of billions of dollars as a whole.
Many leaders of coutries seek out advice from the Vatican.
The Church is one of the greatest humanitarian outreaches on the planet.
No matter what your beliefs, it cannot be denied that Christianity is a major part of this world.
Now, to the point...
Christianity weilds quite a bit of power, both monetarily and politically. It has a track record of helping when needed.
But the Church is needed greatly now, and the Church is doing nothing.
And now to the topic I've written about before...
Within the past few years in Darfur, nearly 400,000 people have been murdered and 2.5 million people displaced by war, famine, and strife.
The situation in Darfur is messy situation.
The government backed Janjaweed are raping and murdering innocent people in Sudan (and recently in Chad).
Rebel forces that used to be fighting each other in Sudan have now joined together to rebel against the Sudanese government, which is preventing international intervention.
And the deployment of the United Nation/African Union hybrid force, which will soon be 25,000 strong, has been delayed from bringing peace to this region of the world which has been declared "genocide" by the United Nations...
And in all of this, what is the Church doing as a whole to end this genocide?
The answer: next to nothing.
Some churches are giving money, and some are helping to tell the world about Darfur, but these churches are few and far between.
My opinion, the Church is in the process of failing at what it should be doing.
What should the church be doing?
The Church has the power politically to put pressure on Sudan, the United Nations, and China (which has very close ties to Sudan) to put an end to this 21st century Holocaust.
It has the money to at least help support the new UN/AU hybrid force.
And it has the missionaries to bring the Gospel to those who need it the most.
The church IS failing here...
But God isn't. In all of this mess, God's miracles and mercies are beginning to appear.
The militias that used to be fighting each other have now joined together to go against the Janjaweed and Sudanese government, because they believe the events in Darfur are wrong.
Janjaweed soldiers are beginning to leave the evil they are doing and joining the rebels that are slowly pushing their full military and political pressure onto Sudan.
China is beginning to use its political leverage to deal with the Sudanese government, after activists started calling the future Olympic games in Beijing the "Genocide Games."
And the few missionaries that are in Darfur send reports out that some are accepting Christ.
The Church is failing...but God isn't.
If the Church had done its job from the start, hundreds of thousands if lives could have been saved. Or at least more of those that were killed could be in Heaven right now...
The Pope, a key leading figure of the Chruch as a whole, made a comment the other day that Protestant churches are not "true" churches. While just across the Mediterrainen, the killing in Darfur continues.
I guess that shows how much the Church is ignoring the bigger picture when the Pope cares more about Catholic supremecy than the people who are being raped and murdered everyday just a few flight hours away...
The Church is failing, but there is still time to change that fact. Darfur needs to end, now. The more political pressure there is on the countries involved, the sooner this genocide ends.You can get your church involved by going to www.savedarfur.org and have your members sign the petiton there, which is updated to the United Nations, White House, U.S. Congress, and other organizations that have the political power to end the genocide daily.
All you have to do is sign a petition, it takes less than two minutes, and you will be doing something to help save lives. If you believe that your one name won't count, think again. The United Nations didn't even start considering to do something about Darfur until people started signing petitions to put an end to this genocide.
www.savedarfur.org is also a place where you can make donations and it lists other ways you can get more involved.
Today, the Holocaust is remebered as something horrible that happened because humanity did nothing to stop it until it was to late...
How will Darfur be remembered 60 years from now? Will it be taught in history classes as a Second Holocaust, or will it be remebered as a bad situation in which many were killed, but humanity did something to put an end to it before it could get worse?
The answer to that question is up to all of us. We are all responsible for this, because none of us did anyting to stop it.
And when I stand before God after I die, I don't want to hear the words "You had a chance to help save lives, why didn't you take it?" come from His mouth.
Sign the petition, at least do that much...you never know how much impact we all together can really have...
In Christ,
Hackett
Saturday, June 23, 2007
A World War II Pilot's Dream
This is a long one, but it is well worth the time it will take to read.
I came across an interesting story the other day. It's about a British pilot who was shot down near the end of WWII over Germany.
The pilot was found in a Nazi concentration camp a few months later, and he soon died after the camp was liberated by the Allies, after suffering from severe ailments that millions fell to in those horrific camps.
But this story wasn't about the pilot living under Nazi tyranny, or his experiences flying.
This story is about a dream this pilot had, which he recorded in a small book that was found in his possession upon being rescued by the Allies.
Before I continue though, I must mention that this man's view of salvation was very different from what most of us see salvation as. But do to this man's profession and the times he was living in, I think it is a very important aspect of salvation.
The following is an excerpt from his journal:
"I have finally discovered what this world really is. I've discovered the sin that infests it, the salvation that has come to fix it, and the war that is being waged between the two.
I understand this because of a dream I had last night. It goes as follows:
All of us are like pilots in little fighter planes, buzzing around in the skies above the clouds. We occasionally fight with one another in spectacular little dogfights, hoping to gain some small achievement for ourselves; because up here, it is all about us. The clouds are white and fluffy, the view is spectacular.
Yet, something is missing. I guess deep down we all know that there has to be more than these fluffy clouds and little fights with each other. There has to be something more important, something to live for, besides ourselves.
It is at this point that a small plane flies by ours, and from it we hear of life under the clouds. We hear that there is something to live for down there. We are told the only way we can get there though, is to ask Christ into our hearts.
But the clouds are all we know? Would we dare leave all we know behind to join those under the clouds? What is it like down there?
Because of this, many ignore the call from this plane. They would rather live a meaningless life above the clouds, because they feel safe here.
But one brave pilot dares to accept the call. As soon as he does, a rocket flies up through the clouds, striking his plane and crippling it. And so, he begins his plunge through the meaningless clouds to what lies below them.
The pure whiteness of the clouds slowly gives way to darkness; rain begins to fall, and lightning strikes. This once daring pilot who accepted the call is now terrified, not knowing his fate.
The fall continues, the clouds give way to smoke; the rain is still falling and hammering into the poor little plane. It seems as if this will be the end for the pilot.
Suddenly, however, the plane breaks through the last cloud, and escapes the last pillar of smoke. And suddenly the pilot sees what he has always longed to know, that is, what lies under those clouds. And it is not what he expected.
The view consists of a large city that his plane is pummeling towards from the sky. Fires are everywhere in the city, gunfire and heavy artillery can be heard, and a huge battle is being waged inside of it. Explosions are everywhere. The fighting is so fierce that the city seems to be destroying itself at a rapid rate.
After a few moments of shock, the man remembers his parachute. He quickly escapes the plane, and is soon hovering down to the city.
He barely misses a building as he floats down to the middle of the street, hitting the pavement hard. Bullets pound into the ground all around him. He quickly cuts himself free of the parachute, and dives for cover behind a street corner, drawing his measly little pistol to defend himself.
He peaks back around the corner, and sees dozens of evil looking, well-armed creatures and humans approaching his location quickly.
The man fires several rounds at the approaching enemy, but his weapon has no affect on them.
The small group reaches him, and their leader steps out from among them, and comes close to him. This leader does not appear to be human, if anything, he is a demon. He draws his weapon, and prepares to kill the pilot, who is wishing he had never left the fluffy clouds behind.
But suddenly, shouts and yells are heard. A bright flash of white light. Gunshots. Several of the evil creatures and men fall, the rest flee. The pilot is grabbed by strong arms, the noise of gunshots grows louder, and then fades, and a voice yells, 'Fear not! You are safe now brother!' as the man passes out...
The pilot slowly awakens; the noise of battle can be heard in the near distance. The man opens his eyes, sitting up slowly. He is under a blanket on the ground, underneath a tent. Men are walking to and fro, well armed. They are battle-hardened, yet they have a peaceful appearance about them. One of these men approaches the pilot.
‘How are you brother?’ the man asks.
The pilot replies, ‘I honestly don't know.’
The man says, ‘Well, you are safe here in the stronghold of our Lord.’
‘Those…those things aren’t going to kill me?’ the pilot asks.
The man smiles.
‘No brother, they can never kill you now. Indeed brother, you made a wise choice when you decided to leave the clouds behind, because those that fly around up there are no better than those evil beings that tried to kill you. Your soul is no longer protected by you, but it is in the protection of our Lord, who is here to reclaim this place from the enemy.’
The man gets up to leave. The pilot asks him one more question as he walks off.
‘Kind sir,’ the pilot says, ‘what is this place you speak of?’
The man stops, then turns around.
‘This place was stolen from Him once, long ago, but He has returned in full force, after the glorious work of His Son. He has come to save us mere mortals from what we cannot defend ourselves against. Even now brother, you are welcomed into His army and at His table. Many battles await us yet, but the day is coming when the Son Himself will return in His power, and we will fight the last fight with Him by our sides. Until then, brother, you must fight along side of us so that more can be ushered into the Kingdom before it is to late. This place is Earth, and the Lord will stop at nothing until it is His again.’
That was my dream…
And now I think I truly understand what I should be fighting for. Yes, I am doing the right thing by resisting Hitler, but the true battle is on a spiritual level, and the war this world is being dragged into now is only a small battle in this great spiritual war.
By just fighting Hitler I am fighting the consequence. But when one is ill, the remedy is to fix thing that is causing the consequence. Yes, Hitler will be beaten one day, but the main problem won’t be fixed that way. The solution to all these consequences lays in killing the very thing that is causing the consequences, and that is sin. And as far as I know, Christ is the only solution to that.”
By the time I got to the end of this pilot’s story, I was speechless.
This story reminded me of 2 Thessalonians 3: 1-3.
2 Thessalonians 3: 1-3
Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
I don’t think I need to explain anything on this one. I hope you walk away from this pilot’s story and dream with as much as I did.
In Christ,
Hackett
I came across an interesting story the other day. It's about a British pilot who was shot down near the end of WWII over Germany.
The pilot was found in a Nazi concentration camp a few months later, and he soon died after the camp was liberated by the Allies, after suffering from severe ailments that millions fell to in those horrific camps.
But this story wasn't about the pilot living under Nazi tyranny, or his experiences flying.
This story is about a dream this pilot had, which he recorded in a small book that was found in his possession upon being rescued by the Allies.
Before I continue though, I must mention that this man's view of salvation was very different from what most of us see salvation as. But do to this man's profession and the times he was living in, I think it is a very important aspect of salvation.
The following is an excerpt from his journal:
"I have finally discovered what this world really is. I've discovered the sin that infests it, the salvation that has come to fix it, and the war that is being waged between the two.
I understand this because of a dream I had last night. It goes as follows:
All of us are like pilots in little fighter planes, buzzing around in the skies above the clouds. We occasionally fight with one another in spectacular little dogfights, hoping to gain some small achievement for ourselves; because up here, it is all about us. The clouds are white and fluffy, the view is spectacular.
Yet, something is missing. I guess deep down we all know that there has to be more than these fluffy clouds and little fights with each other. There has to be something more important, something to live for, besides ourselves.
It is at this point that a small plane flies by ours, and from it we hear of life under the clouds. We hear that there is something to live for down there. We are told the only way we can get there though, is to ask Christ into our hearts.
But the clouds are all we know? Would we dare leave all we know behind to join those under the clouds? What is it like down there?
Because of this, many ignore the call from this plane. They would rather live a meaningless life above the clouds, because they feel safe here.
But one brave pilot dares to accept the call. As soon as he does, a rocket flies up through the clouds, striking his plane and crippling it. And so, he begins his plunge through the meaningless clouds to what lies below them.
The pure whiteness of the clouds slowly gives way to darkness; rain begins to fall, and lightning strikes. This once daring pilot who accepted the call is now terrified, not knowing his fate.
The fall continues, the clouds give way to smoke; the rain is still falling and hammering into the poor little plane. It seems as if this will be the end for the pilot.
Suddenly, however, the plane breaks through the last cloud, and escapes the last pillar of smoke. And suddenly the pilot sees what he has always longed to know, that is, what lies under those clouds. And it is not what he expected.
The view consists of a large city that his plane is pummeling towards from the sky. Fires are everywhere in the city, gunfire and heavy artillery can be heard, and a huge battle is being waged inside of it. Explosions are everywhere. The fighting is so fierce that the city seems to be destroying itself at a rapid rate.
After a few moments of shock, the man remembers his parachute. He quickly escapes the plane, and is soon hovering down to the city.
He barely misses a building as he floats down to the middle of the street, hitting the pavement hard. Bullets pound into the ground all around him. He quickly cuts himself free of the parachute, and dives for cover behind a street corner, drawing his measly little pistol to defend himself.
He peaks back around the corner, and sees dozens of evil looking, well-armed creatures and humans approaching his location quickly.
The man fires several rounds at the approaching enemy, but his weapon has no affect on them.
The small group reaches him, and their leader steps out from among them, and comes close to him. This leader does not appear to be human, if anything, he is a demon. He draws his weapon, and prepares to kill the pilot, who is wishing he had never left the fluffy clouds behind.
But suddenly, shouts and yells are heard. A bright flash of white light. Gunshots. Several of the evil creatures and men fall, the rest flee. The pilot is grabbed by strong arms, the noise of gunshots grows louder, and then fades, and a voice yells, 'Fear not! You are safe now brother!' as the man passes out...
The pilot slowly awakens; the noise of battle can be heard in the near distance. The man opens his eyes, sitting up slowly. He is under a blanket on the ground, underneath a tent. Men are walking to and fro, well armed. They are battle-hardened, yet they have a peaceful appearance about them. One of these men approaches the pilot.
‘How are you brother?’ the man asks.
The pilot replies, ‘I honestly don't know.’
The man says, ‘Well, you are safe here in the stronghold of our Lord.’
‘Those…those things aren’t going to kill me?’ the pilot asks.
The man smiles.
‘No brother, they can never kill you now. Indeed brother, you made a wise choice when you decided to leave the clouds behind, because those that fly around up there are no better than those evil beings that tried to kill you. Your soul is no longer protected by you, but it is in the protection of our Lord, who is here to reclaim this place from the enemy.’
The man gets up to leave. The pilot asks him one more question as he walks off.
‘Kind sir,’ the pilot says, ‘what is this place you speak of?’
The man stops, then turns around.
‘This place was stolen from Him once, long ago, but He has returned in full force, after the glorious work of His Son. He has come to save us mere mortals from what we cannot defend ourselves against. Even now brother, you are welcomed into His army and at His table. Many battles await us yet, but the day is coming when the Son Himself will return in His power, and we will fight the last fight with Him by our sides. Until then, brother, you must fight along side of us so that more can be ushered into the Kingdom before it is to late. This place is Earth, and the Lord will stop at nothing until it is His again.’
That was my dream…
And now I think I truly understand what I should be fighting for. Yes, I am doing the right thing by resisting Hitler, but the true battle is on a spiritual level, and the war this world is being dragged into now is only a small battle in this great spiritual war.
By just fighting Hitler I am fighting the consequence. But when one is ill, the remedy is to fix thing that is causing the consequence. Yes, Hitler will be beaten one day, but the main problem won’t be fixed that way. The solution to all these consequences lays in killing the very thing that is causing the consequences, and that is sin. And as far as I know, Christ is the only solution to that.”
By the time I got to the end of this pilot’s story, I was speechless.
This story reminded me of 2 Thessalonians 3: 1-3.
2 Thessalonians 3: 1-3
Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
I don’t think I need to explain anything on this one. I hope you walk away from this pilot’s story and dream with as much as I did.
In Christ,
Hackett
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Loyalty and Values
"The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values."
Norman Thomas (1884 - 1968)
While I disagree with Mr. Thomas' political, socialist beliefs, I think he makes a good point here if it is taken in a certain context. That context is, of course, relating to loyalty with God.
The right loyalty in the right scale of value...apply that to belief in God, sounds like a winner.
But what should the extent of those two things be too?
Jude 1:3
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
So, we must "contend for the faith"...
If we must contend for our faith, our loyalty to God and knowing His value in our lives must be beyond our understanding.
So how can we find out what our value and loyalty to Christ should be?
The answer is found in friendship. Good friends are loyal to each other no matter what, they value their friendship...how much more so with Christ!
Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, His loyalty to us has been unending, even after the world has turned its back to Him due to the Fall.
Our loyalty to Him and His value to us should be the same in return, and as Mr. Thomas mentions, it is the secret to a good life.
After all, life is not life if you aren't willing to die for something. Without that, there is nothing to live for.
In Christ,
Hackett
Norman Thomas (1884 - 1968)
While I disagree with Mr. Thomas' political, socialist beliefs, I think he makes a good point here if it is taken in a certain context. That context is, of course, relating to loyalty with God.
The right loyalty in the right scale of value...apply that to belief in God, sounds like a winner.
But what should the extent of those two things be too?
Jude 1:3
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
So, we must "contend for the faith"...
If we must contend for our faith, our loyalty to God and knowing His value in our lives must be beyond our understanding.
So how can we find out what our value and loyalty to Christ should be?
The answer is found in friendship. Good friends are loyal to each other no matter what, they value their friendship...how much more so with Christ!
Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, His loyalty to us has been unending, even after the world has turned its back to Him due to the Fall.
Our loyalty to Him and His value to us should be the same in return, and as Mr. Thomas mentions, it is the secret to a good life.
After all, life is not life if you aren't willing to die for something. Without that, there is nothing to live for.
In Christ,
Hackett
Monday, May 14, 2007
Life: The Security Issue
If you've ever talked to Johnathan Todd, you've probably had this conversation with him before.
I saw Zach Braff's movie "The Last Kiss" for the first time last night, by the way, Zach Braff is amazing. And I strongly suggest everyone see "The Last Kiss."
If you haven't seen this film I'll give a brief outline of the plot.
Zach Braff's character is about to turn thirty, about to have a baby, and is supposed to be getting married in the near future.
Yet, something isn't right. He feels like his life is planned out.
He has security.
And that bothers him.
Most of us would do anything to know that are job is secure, our family is secure, and life is secure. But this movie points something out...
What happens when we have all those things? What happens when we have security?
The answer..................Boredom.
No more surprises...
No more uncontrolled events...
Zach Braff's character is scared of that. And in my opinion, we all should be scared of it. Here's why:
Zach Braff's character solves the problem by sleeping with a college girl, who is not the person he is supposed to marry eventually.
Well, following that, he got many surprises.
Zach Braff's character handled the situation wrong, but its' a situation we all have and will deal with.
Life...it gets mundane when there is security. Sure, enjoyment can be found in that somewhere.
But, Braff's character calls it "a death sentence."
And he is 100% correct, that is, if you can't find the enjoyment in security. Because security can lead back to insecurity.
How do we deal with this?
Job 33:28
He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.
We find our enjoyment in God, who redeemed us.
It's easier to enjoy God and find Him when your life is a disaster.
It's harder to enjoy God and find Him when your life is secure.
Job's solution?
Remeber that God can or has saved you. There is an endless amount of enjoyment in that, even in the security.
Zach Braff's character had the wrong solution. And even though "The Last Kiss" points out that security and the American dream are shallow things, it also points out that sin is not the way to solve the security issue.
There is only one solution to it, Christ.
In Christ,
Hackett
I saw Zach Braff's movie "The Last Kiss" for the first time last night, by the way, Zach Braff is amazing. And I strongly suggest everyone see "The Last Kiss."
If you haven't seen this film I'll give a brief outline of the plot.
Zach Braff's character is about to turn thirty, about to have a baby, and is supposed to be getting married in the near future.
Yet, something isn't right. He feels like his life is planned out.
He has security.
And that bothers him.
Most of us would do anything to know that are job is secure, our family is secure, and life is secure. But this movie points something out...
What happens when we have all those things? What happens when we have security?
The answer..................Boredom.
No more surprises...
No more uncontrolled events...
Zach Braff's character is scared of that. And in my opinion, we all should be scared of it. Here's why:
Zach Braff's character solves the problem by sleeping with a college girl, who is not the person he is supposed to marry eventually.
Well, following that, he got many surprises.
Zach Braff's character handled the situation wrong, but its' a situation we all have and will deal with.
Life...it gets mundane when there is security. Sure, enjoyment can be found in that somewhere.
But, Braff's character calls it "a death sentence."
And he is 100% correct, that is, if you can't find the enjoyment in security. Because security can lead back to insecurity.
How do we deal with this?
Job 33:28
He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.
We find our enjoyment in God, who redeemed us.
It's easier to enjoy God and find Him when your life is a disaster.
It's harder to enjoy God and find Him when your life is secure.
Job's solution?
Remeber that God can or has saved you. There is an endless amount of enjoyment in that, even in the security.
Zach Braff's character had the wrong solution. And even though "The Last Kiss" points out that security and the American dream are shallow things, it also points out that sin is not the way to solve the security issue.
There is only one solution to it, Christ.
In Christ,
Hackett
Sunday, April 29, 2007
"The Way I See It"-Round 2
Once again, Evan and I at Starbuck's...
Once again, my wallet wept as I paid a riduculous amount for mediocre coffee...in an eco-friendly cup of course (gotta save those trees!)
And what do you know, I got lucky and had another decent "The Way I See It" quote on the side of my partially recycled cup, among many horrible quotes.
The Way I See It #196
"The greatest leader is a servant. Don’t be a boss. Be a real leader, a servant leader. A servant leader is a winner. Even when he loses everything, even when he loses his life, a servant leader wins it all."
-- Pat Williams
Senior vice president of the Orlando Magic.
Mr. Williams is one smart dude...
This quote reminds me of a Bible verse.
Isaiah 52
The Suffering and Glory of the Servant
13 See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15 so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
Back to what Mr. Williams of Orlando Magic says,
"Even when he loses everything, EVEN WHEN HE LOSES HIS LIFE, a servant leader wins it all."
Christ, the ultimate servant, even to death, won everything.
And Mr. Williams, whatever his beliefs are, hits the secret of a true leader dead center.
And Christ is the ultimate example of that...
In Christ,
Hackett
Once again, my wallet wept as I paid a riduculous amount for mediocre coffee...in an eco-friendly cup of course (gotta save those trees!)
And what do you know, I got lucky and had another decent "The Way I See It" quote on the side of my partially recycled cup, among many horrible quotes.
The Way I See It #196
"The greatest leader is a servant. Don’t be a boss. Be a real leader, a servant leader. A servant leader is a winner. Even when he loses everything, even when he loses his life, a servant leader wins it all."
-- Pat Williams
Senior vice president of the Orlando Magic.
Mr. Williams is one smart dude...
This quote reminds me of a Bible verse.
Isaiah 52
The Suffering and Glory of the Servant
13 See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15 so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
Back to what Mr. Williams of Orlando Magic says,
"Even when he loses everything, EVEN WHEN HE LOSES HIS LIFE, a servant leader wins it all."
Christ, the ultimate servant, even to death, won everything.
And Mr. Williams, whatever his beliefs are, hits the secret of a true leader dead center.
And Christ is the ultimate example of that...
In Christ,
Hackett
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Christ- The Messiah?
The world has questioned Christ's authority many times. Is He God, is he not?
The Jews, for the most part, have denied his authority.
Islam calls Him a great prophet, but not the Savior.
Did this world reject its' Savior?
First, I will question the Jewish belief that the Messiah has yet to come...
The Old Testament has hundreds of prophecies concerning the Messiah. Many of them are found in the books of Isiah, Psalms, and Jeremiah. There are others scattered throughout the other books of the Old Testament though, such as in Micah.
Here are a few of those prophecies:
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Micah 5:2
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
There are hundreds more.
George Heron, a French mathematician, calculated that the odds of one man fulfilling only 40 of those hundreds of prophecies are 1 in 10 to the power of 157. That is a 1 followed by 157 zeros. Compare it to this; your odds on winning the state lottery are 14 followed by 6 zeros.
The Messiah, therefore, is one of a kind.
Jesus Christ, however, fulfills more than just 40 prophecies, he fulfills all of the hundreds of them.
Christ was born a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14)
Christ would be killed. (Isaiah 53:8)
Christ was born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)
Christ was counted among criminals. (Isaiah 53:12)
Christ was resurrected. (Psalm 16:8-10)
The list goes on and on...
From the Jewish standpoint, Christ fulfilled every single Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah. Of course, many people argue Christ was not born of a Virgin and there is no physical proof of His resurection.
There is one prophecy, however, that cannot be denied.
Daniel 9
25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
Here, we see that the Messiah will come to Jerusalem.
Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem occured 173,880 days (483 times the Hebrew 360 day year) after Artaxerxes' decree was given in 445 B.C. (as recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-20) to rebuild Jerusalem. This was the first time that Jesus allowed anyone to proclaim him as "King." Note, the Hebrew word for "week" is "shavua" and literally means "seven." Therefore, in Hebrew, the idea of 70 weeks is "seventy sevens." The meaning of the word "weeks" was used in reference to both days and YEARS. Many scholars, both Christian and non-Christian, agree that the "weeks" here refers to years, which adds up to 483.
It's almost eerie that Christ comes to Jerusalem 483 years later, to the exact day, in accoradnce with the prophecy made by Daniel and the records found in Nehemiah concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Considering the prophecies, I think the Jews missed their Messiah.
Now, for those of you who are neither Jewish nor Christian, here's more reasons on why Christ is the Messiah and God.
1. The prophecies made in the OT, which were written hundreds of years before Christ, point to Christ as the Messiah. From a historical standpoint, considering the accuracy of the Bible with world events that occured at different times, the fact that Christ fulfills all of the prophecies from the Old Testament is nearly impossible. But He does! It's eerie, borderline weird that human beings from the Old Testament prophesied things about the Messiah that Christ fulfilled.
2. Historically speaking, the Bible has recorded events about wars, etc that are backed up by other secular sources. If this is true, is it so hard to believe that maybe the Bible is right on Christ being the Messiah as well.
3. "Luke 23:44
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining."
This occured in the last three hours of Christ's life, at least according to the Bible, but did it really happen?
According to Phlegon, a Greek author from Caria, it did. Writing a chronology soon after 137 A.D., Phlegon reported that in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e. 33 A.D.) there was "the greatest eclipse of the sun" and that "it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea."
That is non-biblical attestation by a Greek author to the darkness that occured in the final hours of Jesus life. Even though Phlegon writes the dakness off as an eclipse...we know it was not an eclipse.
Because in AD 221, however, Julius Africanus proved that it couldn't have been an eclipse that covered the sun, due to the time.
Of course, there are hundreds upon hundreds of reasons why we know Christ is the Messiah, and these are just a few.
After studying information like this, I don't see how anyone could deny the authority of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
In Christ,
Hackett
The Jews, for the most part, have denied his authority.
Islam calls Him a great prophet, but not the Savior.
Did this world reject its' Savior?
First, I will question the Jewish belief that the Messiah has yet to come...
The Old Testament has hundreds of prophecies concerning the Messiah. Many of them are found in the books of Isiah, Psalms, and Jeremiah. There are others scattered throughout the other books of the Old Testament though, such as in Micah.
Here are a few of those prophecies:
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Micah 5:2
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
There are hundreds more.
George Heron, a French mathematician, calculated that the odds of one man fulfilling only 40 of those hundreds of prophecies are 1 in 10 to the power of 157. That is a 1 followed by 157 zeros. Compare it to this; your odds on winning the state lottery are 14 followed by 6 zeros.
The Messiah, therefore, is one of a kind.
Jesus Christ, however, fulfills more than just 40 prophecies, he fulfills all of the hundreds of them.
Christ was born a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14)
Christ would be killed. (Isaiah 53:8)
Christ was born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)
Christ was counted among criminals. (Isaiah 53:12)
Christ was resurrected. (Psalm 16:8-10)
The list goes on and on...
From the Jewish standpoint, Christ fulfilled every single Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah. Of course, many people argue Christ was not born of a Virgin and there is no physical proof of His resurection.
There is one prophecy, however, that cannot be denied.
Daniel 9
25 "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
Here, we see that the Messiah will come to Jerusalem.
Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem occured 173,880 days (483 times the Hebrew 360 day year) after Artaxerxes' decree was given in 445 B.C. (as recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-20) to rebuild Jerusalem. This was the first time that Jesus allowed anyone to proclaim him as "King." Note, the Hebrew word for "week" is "shavua" and literally means "seven." Therefore, in Hebrew, the idea of 70 weeks is "seventy sevens." The meaning of the word "weeks" was used in reference to both days and YEARS. Many scholars, both Christian and non-Christian, agree that the "weeks" here refers to years, which adds up to 483.
It's almost eerie that Christ comes to Jerusalem 483 years later, to the exact day, in accoradnce with the prophecy made by Daniel and the records found in Nehemiah concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Considering the prophecies, I think the Jews missed their Messiah.
Now, for those of you who are neither Jewish nor Christian, here's more reasons on why Christ is the Messiah and God.
1. The prophecies made in the OT, which were written hundreds of years before Christ, point to Christ as the Messiah. From a historical standpoint, considering the accuracy of the Bible with world events that occured at different times, the fact that Christ fulfills all of the prophecies from the Old Testament is nearly impossible. But He does! It's eerie, borderline weird that human beings from the Old Testament prophesied things about the Messiah that Christ fulfilled.
2. Historically speaking, the Bible has recorded events about wars, etc that are backed up by other secular sources. If this is true, is it so hard to believe that maybe the Bible is right on Christ being the Messiah as well.
3. "Luke 23:44
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining."
This occured in the last three hours of Christ's life, at least according to the Bible, but did it really happen?
According to Phlegon, a Greek author from Caria, it did. Writing a chronology soon after 137 A.D., Phlegon reported that in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad (i.e. 33 A.D.) there was "the greatest eclipse of the sun" and that "it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that stars even appeared in the heavens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea."
That is non-biblical attestation by a Greek author to the darkness that occured in the final hours of Jesus life. Even though Phlegon writes the dakness off as an eclipse...we know it was not an eclipse.
Because in AD 221, however, Julius Africanus proved that it couldn't have been an eclipse that covered the sun, due to the time.
Of course, there are hundreds upon hundreds of reasons why we know Christ is the Messiah, and these are just a few.
After studying information like this, I don't see how anyone could deny the authority of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
In Christ,
Hackett
Friday, April 20, 2007
Evolution: The Impossible Theory
The first thing I ever remember reading out of a high school science textbook are the following words: Science is based on observation. Unfortunately, that statement, which is the basis of science, is disregarded by many scientists who claim that the Theory of Evolution is science. The study of history is not considered to be a science because the person studying cannot observe the events as they take place; this of course being because the events have already happened. The skeptic evolutionist would reply to this by saying something along the lines of “I was not around when you were born, so you must have never been born.” No, but there is conclusive evidence proving that I was born, and evolution, in simple terms, does not have such evidence. My purpose of this speech is to show you the problem with this Theory of Evolution that so many people believe is the truth today.
My first example of evidence that proves the Theory of Evolution wrong is the “Geologic Column.” Simply put, the geologic column is layers of rock and sediment, which date back in time over history. The deeper you go through these layers, the older the fossils are supposed to be that you find in those layers. Supposedly, according to evolutionists, all fossils fit into a specific order. This order goes from simple organisms to complex ones over time. However, there are many flaws in this area of the Theory of Evolution. In the past decade, archeologists and scientists have begun to discover fish scales in the Cambrian layer of the geologic column. But, according to the column, fish did not appear in the world until much later, perhaps millions of years later. This is just one of the many places Evolution contradicts itself.
My next point that challenges Evolution is the layer-transversing fossils. If you don’t know what a layer-transversing fossil is, it is a fossil that runs through thousands of years of layers in the geologic column. These fossils have been found all over the world. Perhaps the most frequently found layer-transversing fossils are trees. A possible explanation for this is that these “layers” weren’t laid down over billions of years, which evolutionist say they were laid down over billions of years. If the evolutionist were correct, and the layers were layed down over billions of years, then the evolutionist is implying that these ancient trees had the ability to grow through solid rock, not to mention with no sunlight. If the evolutionist were even to consider this insane notion, or even one like it, another argument can be made against it. Some of these trees have been found upside down, indicating a sudden catastrophe, such as a great flood, which a possible explanation for is found in the Bible.
More evidence against Evolution is that there is a lack of transitional fossils, which evolutionists claim show the changes in organisms over time. Only a handful of these so called “transitional fossils” have been found over time. If evolutionists are right, then there should be millions of transitional fossils everywhere in our museums and science labs, because of the millions of years of transition that should have made us who we are today would have left billions of fossils behind. Yet, there are only a few, and many of them have been proven to be fake. A good example of this is the so-called “Nebraska man” that was found. This was a huge deal in the scientific world, at last, a real piece of hard evidence had been found that supported evolution. Unfortunately, when the evidence was tested and analyzed, the bones were discovered to be that of a pig. Not only was this evidence found lacking in integrity, but also more of the skeleton was found later, and indeed, it was a pig.
The evidence against evolution continues on in that the theory evolution contradicts many laws of science. One example of this is the Law of Thermodynamics. This law states that as time progress, things wear down and become less effective. A good example of this is the human body, as it grows older; it reaches a peak, and then slowly begins to become weaker. Evolution, however, implies that things became more complex and more improved over time. But considering the Law of Thermodynamics is a proven Law, and Evolution is just a theory, I am more inclined to believe what has already been proven to be true, not a theory that contradicts the Truth. This is just one more thing that disproves the theory of Evolution.
I have one last example that proves evolution to be false and to be a lie. Some evolutionists argue that given time, anything can happen, including the extreme changing of organisms. Sounds like a good argument, right? I mean, we don’t know what humans may look like millions of years from now. Of course, there is a problem with this concept of Evolution as well, and that is, evolution doesn’t have enough time to prove itself. Billions of trillions of years is not even close to what would be needed. Rick Ramashing and Sir Fred Hoyle, two respected mathematicians, calculated what the probability of one cell would be to evolve by chance. Now, these two men are coming from an unbiased standpoint. They have many times told others they are atheists, and they looked the Theory of Evolution only from an educational standpoint. After calculating the correct number, they found to their disbelief that is a 1 in 10 to the 40,000 power years just for one cell to evolve. After their findings, Sir Hoyle had this to say about evolution:
"The chance that higher life forms might have emerged in this way is comparable with the chance that 'a tornado sweeping through a junk-yard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein.' "
Although I already believed that a sovereign God created this world before I researched for this speech, this is called the creationist theory, the information I found only convinced me further that what I believe is the truth. Evolutionists say that it is unreasonable to believe in a sovereign God that created the universe. But, when looking at the evidence, everything points to creationism, not the Theory of Evolution. I mean, the Creation theory has answers to everything evolution doesn’t. I mentioned earlier about trees being found in several layers of rock that is supposed to represent thousands and millions of years of change. Some of these trees were found upside down, indicating some great, forceful catastrophe. Evolution has no answer for this, but the creationist does:
"Genesis 7: 17-24
For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. 21 Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark."
A flood would account for overturned trees, shifting of the land, and layers of mud that would eventually turn into rock over time. Yet, evolution says this is unreasonable, even though evolution has no reason for these happenings itself.
I also mentioned the Law of Thermodynamics earlier. As you recall the Law states that things wear down over time. Evolution states things get more complex and better over time. They do not agree with each other. Yet, the fact that there are Laws in the universe states that there is order and control. Could this order and control come from the theory of evolution, which insists that the survival of the fittest is what really happens? No. If this were true, then the universe would be in chaos, because the fittest would be destroying the weak. The fact that there are things such as the Law of Thermodynamics in the universe points to order and control, that something is sustaining the universe. By default, Evolution attempts to disprove Laws of science, which have been proven as true. Can a mere theory disprove what is known to be absolutely true? Of course not.
In conclusion, I hope I have been able to show you the weaknesses and sometimes lies of evolution. I cannot make you believe one thing or another, but I can show you the evidence that goes against the Theory of Evolution. The choice is yours to make. Do you believe in a theory known as Evolution, which has so many weaknesses and contradicts many things we know to be true, or do you believe in something else?
Evolution is simply not the truth, there is too much overwhelming evidence against it, and what I spoke of before is only a small portion of it. Does this mean you should stop searching for the truth? No. The truth is out there, but the truth is not evolution. Look somewhere else for it, because, after all, it is important to know where we come from. Because, in finding where we come from, we find out if we have hope or not of something else after our deaths. I myself believe I have found the truth, in the deep pages of the Bible, but I cannot force you to go there. That is a journey you must take on your own in your own search for what is truth. If you don’t get anything else from what I am saying today, please understand this, that the Theory of Evolution is based on misread evidence and lies. Go and keep searching for the truth, but remember, the Truth does not lie in the realm of Evolution.
My first example of evidence that proves the Theory of Evolution wrong is the “Geologic Column.” Simply put, the geologic column is layers of rock and sediment, which date back in time over history. The deeper you go through these layers, the older the fossils are supposed to be that you find in those layers. Supposedly, according to evolutionists, all fossils fit into a specific order. This order goes from simple organisms to complex ones over time. However, there are many flaws in this area of the Theory of Evolution. In the past decade, archeologists and scientists have begun to discover fish scales in the Cambrian layer of the geologic column. But, according to the column, fish did not appear in the world until much later, perhaps millions of years later. This is just one of the many places Evolution contradicts itself.
My next point that challenges Evolution is the layer-transversing fossils. If you don’t know what a layer-transversing fossil is, it is a fossil that runs through thousands of years of layers in the geologic column. These fossils have been found all over the world. Perhaps the most frequently found layer-transversing fossils are trees. A possible explanation for this is that these “layers” weren’t laid down over billions of years, which evolutionist say they were laid down over billions of years. If the evolutionist were correct, and the layers were layed down over billions of years, then the evolutionist is implying that these ancient trees had the ability to grow through solid rock, not to mention with no sunlight. If the evolutionist were even to consider this insane notion, or even one like it, another argument can be made against it. Some of these trees have been found upside down, indicating a sudden catastrophe, such as a great flood, which a possible explanation for is found in the Bible.
More evidence against Evolution is that there is a lack of transitional fossils, which evolutionists claim show the changes in organisms over time. Only a handful of these so called “transitional fossils” have been found over time. If evolutionists are right, then there should be millions of transitional fossils everywhere in our museums and science labs, because of the millions of years of transition that should have made us who we are today would have left billions of fossils behind. Yet, there are only a few, and many of them have been proven to be fake. A good example of this is the so-called “Nebraska man” that was found. This was a huge deal in the scientific world, at last, a real piece of hard evidence had been found that supported evolution. Unfortunately, when the evidence was tested and analyzed, the bones were discovered to be that of a pig. Not only was this evidence found lacking in integrity, but also more of the skeleton was found later, and indeed, it was a pig.
The evidence against evolution continues on in that the theory evolution contradicts many laws of science. One example of this is the Law of Thermodynamics. This law states that as time progress, things wear down and become less effective. A good example of this is the human body, as it grows older; it reaches a peak, and then slowly begins to become weaker. Evolution, however, implies that things became more complex and more improved over time. But considering the Law of Thermodynamics is a proven Law, and Evolution is just a theory, I am more inclined to believe what has already been proven to be true, not a theory that contradicts the Truth. This is just one more thing that disproves the theory of Evolution.
I have one last example that proves evolution to be false and to be a lie. Some evolutionists argue that given time, anything can happen, including the extreme changing of organisms. Sounds like a good argument, right? I mean, we don’t know what humans may look like millions of years from now. Of course, there is a problem with this concept of Evolution as well, and that is, evolution doesn’t have enough time to prove itself. Billions of trillions of years is not even close to what would be needed. Rick Ramashing and Sir Fred Hoyle, two respected mathematicians, calculated what the probability of one cell would be to evolve by chance. Now, these two men are coming from an unbiased standpoint. They have many times told others they are atheists, and they looked the Theory of Evolution only from an educational standpoint. After calculating the correct number, they found to their disbelief that is a 1 in 10 to the 40,000 power years just for one cell to evolve. After their findings, Sir Hoyle had this to say about evolution:
"The chance that higher life forms might have emerged in this way is comparable with the chance that 'a tornado sweeping through a junk-yard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein.' "
Although I already believed that a sovereign God created this world before I researched for this speech, this is called the creationist theory, the information I found only convinced me further that what I believe is the truth. Evolutionists say that it is unreasonable to believe in a sovereign God that created the universe. But, when looking at the evidence, everything points to creationism, not the Theory of Evolution. I mean, the Creation theory has answers to everything evolution doesn’t. I mentioned earlier about trees being found in several layers of rock that is supposed to represent thousands and millions of years of change. Some of these trees were found upside down, indicating some great, forceful catastrophe. Evolution has no answer for this, but the creationist does:
"Genesis 7: 17-24
For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. 21 Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark."
A flood would account for overturned trees, shifting of the land, and layers of mud that would eventually turn into rock over time. Yet, evolution says this is unreasonable, even though evolution has no reason for these happenings itself.
I also mentioned the Law of Thermodynamics earlier. As you recall the Law states that things wear down over time. Evolution states things get more complex and better over time. They do not agree with each other. Yet, the fact that there are Laws in the universe states that there is order and control. Could this order and control come from the theory of evolution, which insists that the survival of the fittest is what really happens? No. If this were true, then the universe would be in chaos, because the fittest would be destroying the weak. The fact that there are things such as the Law of Thermodynamics in the universe points to order and control, that something is sustaining the universe. By default, Evolution attempts to disprove Laws of science, which have been proven as true. Can a mere theory disprove what is known to be absolutely true? Of course not.
In conclusion, I hope I have been able to show you the weaknesses and sometimes lies of evolution. I cannot make you believe one thing or another, but I can show you the evidence that goes against the Theory of Evolution. The choice is yours to make. Do you believe in a theory known as Evolution, which has so many weaknesses and contradicts many things we know to be true, or do you believe in something else?
Evolution is simply not the truth, there is too much overwhelming evidence against it, and what I spoke of before is only a small portion of it. Does this mean you should stop searching for the truth? No. The truth is out there, but the truth is not evolution. Look somewhere else for it, because, after all, it is important to know where we come from. Because, in finding where we come from, we find out if we have hope or not of something else after our deaths. I myself believe I have found the truth, in the deep pages of the Bible, but I cannot force you to go there. That is a journey you must take on your own in your own search for what is truth. If you don’t get anything else from what I am saying today, please understand this, that the Theory of Evolution is based on misread evidence and lies. Go and keep searching for the truth, but remember, the Truth does not lie in the realm of Evolution.
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