James Collins's Blog: The Point Is..., page 2
January 25, 2025
Buried
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Dad looked out at the vultures circling near the back pasture. I walked onto the back porch and handed him a cup of coffee. He took the cup with his right hand and put his left on my shoulder. I was seven years old.
"Something's dead out there," he said. As he sipped his cup, I looked up at him and asked, "Is it Miss Bossy?" Miss Bossy was the name I had given to Dad's gentle, tan-colored Guernsey cow. We had raised her from a calf. She hadn't come up to the feedlot for the past three or four days. "Most likely," he said.
We lived on a small forty-acre farm. I sat on the wheel cover as Dad drove his old International Harvester tractor. It didn’t take us very long to reach the back pasture. Miss Bossy had been dead long enough to bloat. Flies buzzed around the carcass.
I asked, “What happened to her?”
“All living things die,” he answered. “We have to bury her.”
“Why? Why don’t you let the buzzards have her?”
"Because as she decays, the soil and the groundwater will be contaminated. We don’t know what killed her. She might have a disease that could spread to the other animals. Some diseases can even spread to people.”
I climbed off and watched as Dad started digging. He had a small back-hoe attachment on the back and a bucket on the front of the tractor. Dad made quick work of the hole and climbed down. He attached one chain end to Miss Bossy's back hooves and the other end to the back of the tractor. He climbed back on, pulled the remains into the hole, climbed off, and unhooked the chain. Dad got back on the tractor and used the front bucket to push the pile of dirt into the hole.
Tired of standing, I sat in the grass and intently observed him as he did the job. When he finished, he said, "Son, let's go." I started to crawl back up, but he reached down and pulled me up before I could. He sat me in his lap. I steered the tractor as he shifted gears and ran the pedals.
When we returned to the house, I asked, "Dad, why do things die?" He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Dying is part of living. The trick is to learn to let the dead stay buried and go on with your life."
His words, which I didn't understand then, have stuck with me over the years. I have come to realize that the wisdom of an old Oklahoma farmer is echoed in the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul clearly stated that the Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He died to take away our sins and rose to defeat death, but why does the Bible emphasize His burial?
In first-century Israel, when a Jewish person died, they were embalmed, wrapped in linen, and buried in a tomb. That is what Jesus did with our sins. Paul also wrote in Galatians 2, "I am crucified with Christ…" Not only have we been crucified with Christ, but we have also been buried with Christ. Your past isn't just dead; it's buried.
The point is that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, your old life is buried. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, you can be raised to live a new life of victory.
Are you preyed upon by buzzards of guilt? Is the devil buzzing around the bloated carcass of your old life? Does the stench of past sins remind you of the person you once were? Is the disease of your past killing your present?
You don’t have to live defeated. If you are a Christian, your past is dead and buried. Let the dead stay buried and go on with your life.
The Overcomer: God's Answers to Overcoming Life's Greatest Challenges
Dad looked out at the vultures circling near the back pasture. I walked onto the back porch and handed him a cup of coffee. He took the cup with his right hand and put his left on my shoulder. I was seven years old.
"Something's dead out there," he said. As he sipped his cup, I looked up at him and asked, "Is it Miss Bossy?" Miss Bossy was the name I had given to Dad's gentle, tan-colored Guernsey cow. We had raised her from a calf. She hadn't come up to the feedlot for the past three or four days. "Most likely," he said.
We lived on a small forty-acre farm. I sat on the wheel cover as Dad drove his old International Harvester tractor. It didn’t take us very long to reach the back pasture. Miss Bossy had been dead long enough to bloat. Flies buzzed around the carcass.
I asked, “What happened to her?”
“All living things die,” he answered. “We have to bury her.”
“Why? Why don’t you let the buzzards have her?”
"Because as she decays, the soil and the groundwater will be contaminated. We don’t know what killed her. She might have a disease that could spread to the other animals. Some diseases can even spread to people.”
I climbed off and watched as Dad started digging. He had a small back-hoe attachment on the back and a bucket on the front of the tractor. Dad made quick work of the hole and climbed down. He attached one chain end to Miss Bossy's back hooves and the other end to the back of the tractor. He climbed back on, pulled the remains into the hole, climbed off, and unhooked the chain. Dad got back on the tractor and used the front bucket to push the pile of dirt into the hole.
Tired of standing, I sat in the grass and intently observed him as he did the job. When he finished, he said, "Son, let's go." I started to crawl back up, but he reached down and pulled me up before I could. He sat me in his lap. I steered the tractor as he shifted gears and ran the pedals.
When we returned to the house, I asked, "Dad, why do things die?" He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Dying is part of living. The trick is to learn to let the dead stay buried and go on with your life."
His words, which I didn't understand then, have stuck with me over the years. I have come to realize that the wisdom of an old Oklahoma farmer is echoed in the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul clearly stated that the Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He died to take away our sins and rose to defeat death, but why does the Bible emphasize His burial?
In first-century Israel, when a Jewish person died, they were embalmed, wrapped in linen, and buried in a tomb. That is what Jesus did with our sins. Paul also wrote in Galatians 2, "I am crucified with Christ…" Not only have we been crucified with Christ, but we have also been buried with Christ. Your past isn't just dead; it's buried.
The point is that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, your old life is buried. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, you can be raised to live a new life of victory.
Are you preyed upon by buzzards of guilt? Is the devil buzzing around the bloated carcass of your old life? Does the stench of past sins remind you of the person you once were? Is the disease of your past killing your present?
You don’t have to live defeated. If you are a Christian, your past is dead and buried. Let the dead stay buried and go on with your life.
The Overcomer: God's Answers to Overcoming Life's Greatest Challenges
December 22, 2024
You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out
“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15
"You'll shoot your eye out!" Every adult says to every kid who has ever wanted a BB gun, and this line is repeated in the movie A Christmas Story.
The film, set in the 1940s, tells the story of a little boy named Ralphie. Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that the perfect Christmas gift is a genuine Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model BB Gun with a compass in the handle and this thing that tells time. One of the movie's most touching scenes is when Ralphie’s Dad, the Old Man, gives Ralphie the gun. At the end of the film, the narrator, who is the adult Ralphie, says the BB gun was the best present that he had ever received or ever would receive.
A Christmas present can have a great impact.
Many years ago, before we were married, I asked Amanda what she wanted for Christmas. She said, "My life is so complete now that you are in it; I don't want anything. Don’t get me anything for Christmas.” So, I didn’t. I was young and ignorant. I did not know that when a woman says, “Don’t get me anything,” it means, “You had better get me something!”
That Christmas, Amanda’s parents invited me to their house. Everyone got up early. Amanda, her momma, and her sister were in the kitchen. I sat in the living room with Amanda's dad. I didn't know it then, but Amanda was in the kitchen and said, "I can't believe I have been dating that jerk all this time, and he didn't get me anything for Christmas! I can't believe I thought about marrying him!”
After breakfast, everyone opened gifts. Amanda was sitting with an angry look on her face. She didn’t know I had got her a present, an engagement ring. I reached into my pocket and handed her a tiny box. She opened it and saw the ring and began to cry. I asked her to marry me, and she said, "Yes." Amanda's dad said, "Oh great! Of all the losers she could have picked, I get this idiot for a son-in-law.” Amanda told that story to someone the other day, and she said, "I went from hating him to loving him." She said, "Each day has been the same since. I go from hating him to loving him every day." The ring, a symbol of our commitment, brought a new perspective to our relationship, transforming her feelings from anger to love.
A Christmas present can have a great impact.
A ring is an ordinary gift. Many women get an engagement ring. However, for each lady who gets a ring, it is the most impressionable gift she will ever receive.
The ring I gave Amanda was not much—it was a small, inexpensive ring wrapped in an ordinary box—but Amanda loved it. She loved the ring for what it requested—that she spend the rest of her life with me.
A Christmas present can have a great impact.
God's gift of eternal life is ordinary. It is offered to everyone. But to the individual who unwraps the gift, it changes the rest of their lives. God's present to us, wrapped in Jesus Christ, is full of life and hope. But it is not so much the present as the request behind the present—that you spend the rest of your life with Jesus. Just as Amanda's life changed when she accepted my proposal, our lives change when we accept God's gift of eternal life.
Amanda did not say, “Yes, but I’ll marry you later.” Our life began together when she accepted. Likewise, God’s promise of eternal life is not only when you die. It is now and forever.
The point is: The Gift with the greatest impact is waiting for you today. The Bible calls Jesus the unspeakable gift. He is so incredible; words can't describe Him, and He wants to give Himself to you this Christmas.
Won’t you come un-wrap your Present?
Jesus is the Christmas Present with the greatest impact… and you won’t shoot your eye out.
"You'll shoot your eye out!" Every adult says to every kid who has ever wanted a BB gun, and this line is repeated in the movie A Christmas Story.
The film, set in the 1940s, tells the story of a little boy named Ralphie. Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that the perfect Christmas gift is a genuine Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model BB Gun with a compass in the handle and this thing that tells time. One of the movie's most touching scenes is when Ralphie’s Dad, the Old Man, gives Ralphie the gun. At the end of the film, the narrator, who is the adult Ralphie, says the BB gun was the best present that he had ever received or ever would receive.
A Christmas present can have a great impact.
Many years ago, before we were married, I asked Amanda what she wanted for Christmas. She said, "My life is so complete now that you are in it; I don't want anything. Don’t get me anything for Christmas.” So, I didn’t. I was young and ignorant. I did not know that when a woman says, “Don’t get me anything,” it means, “You had better get me something!”
That Christmas, Amanda’s parents invited me to their house. Everyone got up early. Amanda, her momma, and her sister were in the kitchen. I sat in the living room with Amanda's dad. I didn't know it then, but Amanda was in the kitchen and said, "I can't believe I have been dating that jerk all this time, and he didn't get me anything for Christmas! I can't believe I thought about marrying him!”
After breakfast, everyone opened gifts. Amanda was sitting with an angry look on her face. She didn’t know I had got her a present, an engagement ring. I reached into my pocket and handed her a tiny box. She opened it and saw the ring and began to cry. I asked her to marry me, and she said, "Yes." Amanda's dad said, "Oh great! Of all the losers she could have picked, I get this idiot for a son-in-law.” Amanda told that story to someone the other day, and she said, "I went from hating him to loving him." She said, "Each day has been the same since. I go from hating him to loving him every day." The ring, a symbol of our commitment, brought a new perspective to our relationship, transforming her feelings from anger to love.
A Christmas present can have a great impact.
A ring is an ordinary gift. Many women get an engagement ring. However, for each lady who gets a ring, it is the most impressionable gift she will ever receive.
The ring I gave Amanda was not much—it was a small, inexpensive ring wrapped in an ordinary box—but Amanda loved it. She loved the ring for what it requested—that she spend the rest of her life with me.
A Christmas present can have a great impact.
God's gift of eternal life is ordinary. It is offered to everyone. But to the individual who unwraps the gift, it changes the rest of their lives. God's present to us, wrapped in Jesus Christ, is full of life and hope. But it is not so much the present as the request behind the present—that you spend the rest of your life with Jesus. Just as Amanda's life changed when she accepted my proposal, our lives change when we accept God's gift of eternal life.
Amanda did not say, “Yes, but I’ll marry you later.” Our life began together when she accepted. Likewise, God’s promise of eternal life is not only when you die. It is now and forever.
The point is: The Gift with the greatest impact is waiting for you today. The Bible calls Jesus the unspeakable gift. He is so incredible; words can't describe Him, and He wants to give Himself to you this Christmas.
Won’t you come un-wrap your Present?
Jesus is the Christmas Present with the greatest impact… and you won’t shoot your eye out.
November 23, 2024
Black Friday
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
Years ago, my wife, Amanda, talked me into going shopping with her. Shopping with Amanda is dangerous and stressful enough, but we went shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving—Black Friday.
The name "Black Friday" sounds awful. It brings to mind being blackmailed, the black plague, and the black death. It doesn't sound good.
Black Friday has always puzzled me. Why is it that on Black Friday, Americans are willing to kill over materialistic items just one day after celebrating what they are already thankful for?
I have heard that "Black Friday" refers to the pattern of pedestrian and vehicle traffic that hits large cities. However, that is not true. Retailers coined the term to describe the day of the year when their shops go from being in the red to being profitable or in the black.
Black Friday has become the most significant day for shopping online and in retail stores. Last year, on Black Friday, Americans spent an average of $938.58 per shopper and $655.8 billion overall.
Years ago, before our children were born, Amanda talked me into shopping with her on Black Friday. For the first and last time, I went shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
At first, I thought it would be fun, might become a family tradition, and we might do a little shopping. Then, we would hang out and have breakfast. I thought it would be a nice way to spend time with my wife, but I was wrong.
The day started out okay. We got up early before dawn. We had coffee. Then we went to Walmart at 5 in the morning. I have never seen anything like what I saw that morning. Three hundred people lined up, waiting for Walmart to open. I can't get three hundred people to get up that early and see a new believer baptized. Man! I can't even get thirty people to get up that early and see a new believer baptized. Truthfully, I can't even get three people to get up that early and see a new believer get baptized.
When they opened the doors, I was almost trampled by a wild pack of shoppers. Inside the store, the situation wasn't any better. I made the mistake of standing in front of a door-buster sign. People pushed me out of the way to get to a video game on sale.
They wheeled out a blue flashing light. Grown men and women ran from all over the store to the blue light to get a Tickle Me Elmo Toy.
Two women almost got into a fistfight. They were both going after the last coat on a 50% off rack. All over the store, people were running, pushing, shoving, fighting, and cussing. I’m telling you, those people were crazy.
The point is that we have lost our way. On that Black Friday, I realized America had become a nation that has slipped away from worshipping God to worshiping material things. One day, after giving thanks to God for all their blessings, Americans fought over TVs and toasters. On the day that kicks off the Christmas season, Americans act anything but Christ-like. It's a disappointing shift from the true spirit of Christmas.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let us pause and thank Almighty God for all His blessings. Let us reflect on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as we decorate for Christmas. Let us spend quality time with family and friends. It is okay to go shopping, but don't let the shopping come between you and your relationship with God.
Besides, I have discovered that Black Friday equals Broke Saturday.
Years ago, my wife, Amanda, talked me into going shopping with her. Shopping with Amanda is dangerous and stressful enough, but we went shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving—Black Friday.
The name "Black Friday" sounds awful. It brings to mind being blackmailed, the black plague, and the black death. It doesn't sound good.
Black Friday has always puzzled me. Why is it that on Black Friday, Americans are willing to kill over materialistic items just one day after celebrating what they are already thankful for?
I have heard that "Black Friday" refers to the pattern of pedestrian and vehicle traffic that hits large cities. However, that is not true. Retailers coined the term to describe the day of the year when their shops go from being in the red to being profitable or in the black.
Black Friday has become the most significant day for shopping online and in retail stores. Last year, on Black Friday, Americans spent an average of $938.58 per shopper and $655.8 billion overall.
Years ago, before our children were born, Amanda talked me into shopping with her on Black Friday. For the first and last time, I went shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
At first, I thought it would be fun, might become a family tradition, and we might do a little shopping. Then, we would hang out and have breakfast. I thought it would be a nice way to spend time with my wife, but I was wrong.
The day started out okay. We got up early before dawn. We had coffee. Then we went to Walmart at 5 in the morning. I have never seen anything like what I saw that morning. Three hundred people lined up, waiting for Walmart to open. I can't get three hundred people to get up that early and see a new believer baptized. Man! I can't even get thirty people to get up that early and see a new believer baptized. Truthfully, I can't even get three people to get up that early and see a new believer get baptized.
When they opened the doors, I was almost trampled by a wild pack of shoppers. Inside the store, the situation wasn't any better. I made the mistake of standing in front of a door-buster sign. People pushed me out of the way to get to a video game on sale.
They wheeled out a blue flashing light. Grown men and women ran from all over the store to the blue light to get a Tickle Me Elmo Toy.
Two women almost got into a fistfight. They were both going after the last coat on a 50% off rack. All over the store, people were running, pushing, shoving, fighting, and cussing. I’m telling you, those people were crazy.
The point is that we have lost our way. On that Black Friday, I realized America had become a nation that has slipped away from worshipping God to worshiping material things. One day, after giving thanks to God for all their blessings, Americans fought over TVs and toasters. On the day that kicks off the Christmas season, Americans act anything but Christ-like. It's a disappointing shift from the true spirit of Christmas.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let us pause and thank Almighty God for all His blessings. Let us reflect on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as we decorate for Christmas. Let us spend quality time with family and friends. It is okay to go shopping, but don't let the shopping come between you and your relationship with God.
Besides, I have discovered that Black Friday equals Broke Saturday.
October 21, 2024
Prayer Is A Priority
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.” Proverbs 15:8
A while back, I bought a new TV. Our old TV was around for a long time. It was one of those giant boxes that took up a quarter of the living room. The picture was terrible. It was time for a new TV.
I wanted the best, so I researched the internet and decided on a 68-inch HD PIP LC TV. That is what I bought.
The day I set up the new TV was a rare Sunday when our church didn’t have something going on that afternoon. I watched a football game on my new HD PIP LC TV. Actually, with the picture in picture, I could watch two football games simultaneously. I decided to watch a Chiefs game on the main screen. In the little picture in picture, I decided to watch a 49ers game. I always cheer for the 49ers to lose. I used to like them years ago when Joe Montana played. However, since that idiot quarterback refused to stand up for the National Anthem, I have always cheered for the 49ers to lose. If you are a 49ers fan, please don’t write to me to complain. You know everybody hates the 49ers now.
I had everything I needed for a football game: tater chips, ranch dip, and a glass of sweet tea. I kicked back in the recliner to watch my new 68-inch HD PIP LC TV. It had a magnificent picture. You could see the pores on Andy Reid’s nose.
Five minutes after I started watching the game, it came up a big cloud. “It came up a big cloud” means a terrible storm blew through. There was thunder, lightning, and a fierce downpour of rain.
Suddenly, the electricity went out. I sat there looking at a blank screen. The power stayed off for three hours. I missed the football games. All the bells and whistles on that 68-inch HD PIP LC TV—all the money I spent on that TV—didn't make any difference without any power.
Are you looking for power? I am not talking about the power to run a TV. I am talking about power in your Christian walk. You can have the best preacher, the best choir, the most talented musicians, and the best praise team. But, if God is not in the house, it’s a blank screen.
The point is: We need the power of God in our lives. How do you plug into the power of God? Through prayer.
Prayer should be our priority. When we pray, the windows of Heaven open and blessings flow. Plug into the Power today.
A while back, I bought a new TV. Our old TV was around for a long time. It was one of those giant boxes that took up a quarter of the living room. The picture was terrible. It was time for a new TV.
I wanted the best, so I researched the internet and decided on a 68-inch HD PIP LC TV. That is what I bought.
The day I set up the new TV was a rare Sunday when our church didn’t have something going on that afternoon. I watched a football game on my new HD PIP LC TV. Actually, with the picture in picture, I could watch two football games simultaneously. I decided to watch a Chiefs game on the main screen. In the little picture in picture, I decided to watch a 49ers game. I always cheer for the 49ers to lose. I used to like them years ago when Joe Montana played. However, since that idiot quarterback refused to stand up for the National Anthem, I have always cheered for the 49ers to lose. If you are a 49ers fan, please don’t write to me to complain. You know everybody hates the 49ers now.
I had everything I needed for a football game: tater chips, ranch dip, and a glass of sweet tea. I kicked back in the recliner to watch my new 68-inch HD PIP LC TV. It had a magnificent picture. You could see the pores on Andy Reid’s nose.
Five minutes after I started watching the game, it came up a big cloud. “It came up a big cloud” means a terrible storm blew through. There was thunder, lightning, and a fierce downpour of rain.
Suddenly, the electricity went out. I sat there looking at a blank screen. The power stayed off for three hours. I missed the football games. All the bells and whistles on that 68-inch HD PIP LC TV—all the money I spent on that TV—didn't make any difference without any power.
Are you looking for power? I am not talking about the power to run a TV. I am talking about power in your Christian walk. You can have the best preacher, the best choir, the most talented musicians, and the best praise team. But, if God is not in the house, it’s a blank screen.
The point is: We need the power of God in our lives. How do you plug into the power of God? Through prayer.
Prayer should be our priority. When we pray, the windows of Heaven open and blessings flow. Plug into the Power today.
February 26, 2022
Jonathan Cahn: Prophecy, a Pinto, and a President
In 2011, Jonathan Cahn caused a national stir with the release of the New York Times Best Seller, The Harbinger. Since the publication of that book, he has addressed Members of Congress, spoken at the United Nations, and was named as one of the top forty spiritual leaders of the last forty years “who radically changed our world.” He has become well-known as a prophetic voice in this generation and for the way he reveals the deep mysteries of God. Books by Jonathan Cahn have become New York Times Bestsellers – The Harbinger, The Mystery of the Shemitah, The Book of Mysteries, The Paradigm, The Oracle, and his latest bestseller The Harbinger II.
I recently sat down with Jonathan for an interview, and I found him to be very open and honest. He shared at length about his life and ministry – especially about his books The Harbinger and The Harbinger II.
JAMES: Jonathan, I know that you are a busy man. So, I really appreciate you taking the time to visit with me today.
JONATHAN: It’s my pleasure, James.
JAMES: I heard you share your testimony at a conference a while back. You have a fascinating story. You were raised in a Jewish home, at age 8 you became an atheist, somewhere along the way you read The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey, and you were hit by a train. How did you become a follower of Christ? Would you share your story?
JONATHAN: Well, yeah. You did a good job right there (laughs). My father came from Germany. He escaped Hitler. I was raised in a liberal Jewish home. I went to synagogue, and I went to Hebrew school, but there never was a lot of belief. Still, I was taught that there was a God. When I was eight years old, I remember asking, “How do we know that?” I didn’t see any signs in the synagogue of the God of the Bible being alive. In the synagogue, there was a big disconnect from the God who showed Himself and moved in the lives of people. So, I said, “How do we know there is any God?” So, I became an atheist. That lasted until I started going deeper and I realized that atheism doesn’t work. I thought, “There’s got to be something. There’s got to be a reason why we are here.”
So, I started seeking. I explored everything: science, religions, cults, Nostradamus, UFOs, everything. One day, I picked up a book. At first, I thought it was a UFO book because it looked like it. The earth was on the cover, and it looked like it was on fire. But God tricked me. The book was The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey. The book was all about biblical end-time prophecy and how it was coming true with Israel and everything else. I had no idea that was in the Bible. The Late Great Planet Earth totally changed my thinking. So, I started telling my friends about the book, but I still wasn’t living for the Lord. I did not have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I looked in our Hebrew Bible at home. It spoke about the coming Messiah who would die for our sins, who would be born in Bethlehem, and all these things I thought were Catholic were in our Bible. I realized that I couldn’t just be telling people about this. I mean, I was telling people about it, and leading them to the Lord, but I wasn’t saved. Finally, I got to the point where I understood that I wasn’t right with God, but I didn’t want to give my life to the Lord. I thought, “If I get saved, I have to join a monastery and that’s the end of my life and fun.” So, I made a deal with God. I said, “God, if you give me a long life, I will accept you when I am about to die on my deathbed.”
Right after that, I almost got killed twice. The first time it was a car accident. The second time I was crossing a train-track in a Ford Pinto. I don’t know if you remember, but the Ford Pinto was the car that used to blow up if you touch them the wrong way. I was in the car one night and I pulled up on the track. I look to my left and there was a light. It was the train coming right at me. Traffic was stopped in front of me. I couldn’t go forward. So, I backed up. I didn’t realize it, but I wasn’t all the way off the track. I was still in the path of the train. The train slammed into the car. The front of the car was crushed like aluminum foil. The only thing I could do at that moment was call out to God. So, I did. The car was destroyed, but I didn’t get a scratch.
I realized that my life was fragile. There was only a breath between me and eternity. So, I said, “Lord, can we renegotiate?” (laughs). I came up with a new plan. I said, “God, I will accept you when I turn twenty. Just give me until then. Don’t kill me until then.” About a year later, on my twentieth birthday, I made good on the deal. I didn’t know how to do it, but I remembered from Hebrew school that God met people on the mountain. So, I found a mountain. I went up the mountain. There on top of the mountain, I kneeled down and gave my life to the Lord. The Bible says that Jews need signs. I need a locomotive train.
JAMES: I want to thank you for having the courage to speak the truth. Back in January of 2021, you issued a mind-blowing prophetic message for the newly elected United States President, Joe Biden. Although many tried to censor that message, it still has been seen over four million times. Tell me about that message.
JONATHAN: I had been asked to speak at the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast the last few times. I always said, “Okay, but I’m not going to hold back. I’m going to do whatever the Lord says.” But with COVID, they asked me to do something online. So, I put this message out to Joe Biden. In a day, it had a million views.
Then something weird happened. When we typed it in, we couldn’t get the video. YouTube had shadow banned it. It was still there somewhere, but they cut off all the roads to get there. So, we complained, and they put it back. But even with them trying to ban it, it went totally viral. I believe the Lord will get his word out, and we can’t hold back. There’s a big push by the culture to silence believers, and the worse thing we can do is go along with that and keep silent. This culture needs the truth, and we have to be the watchmen.
JAMES: Let’s talk about The Harbinger. That book really thrusted you into the national spotlight. The book was released back in 2011 and with the 20th anniversary of 9-11 in 2021 and with the release of The Harbinger II there is a new interest in The Harbinger. For those who have not read the book, what is the harbinger?
JONATHAN: Yeah. The Harbinger is subtitled The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future. It is the first book that I ever wrote. I knew that I had to write it. I knew I had to get it out. I knew it was from the Lord. In the last days of ancient Israel, there were nine harbingers or nine prophetic signs of warning. These harbingers warned the nation of destruction if they didn’t turn back to God. The amazing thing – the stunning thing is those same nine harbingers have now been reappearing on American soil. Some have appeared in New York City. Some have appeared in Washington, D.C. Some have involved ceremonies. Some have involved American leaders, even the President. These harbingers are a warning that America is now the nation in danger of judgment. Now, in the time we are in, we have to come back to God or face judgment. And two things: First, since The Harbinger came out, the harbingers have not stopped. Second, the mysteries have not stopped unfolding. There’s a chapter in The Harbinger called “Things to Come,” and we are there. The harbingers have continued. It is a critical biblical mystery that has affected every one of us and will continue to affect us in the days to come.
JAMES: Isaiah Chapter 9 and Verse 10 reads, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” Help me understand the context. Would you set the stage for those last days of ancient Israel?
JONATHAN: This is a nation that had once known God, but they turned away from God and were racing away from God. So, God sends warning to them to call them back. He sends them prophets, but they don’t listen. Finally, something happens – the first stage of biblical national judgment. This is the templet. It happened with the Northern Kingdom. Then the same thing happened with the Southern Kingdom. Years before the nation’s destruction, there comes a warning in the form of a strike on the land. The hedge of protection is lifted and an enemy breaches the land. The strike is to shake them, to wake them up, and to call them back. But it is temporary.
It happened in 732 B.C. to ancient Israel. At that time, Isaiah is given a word. That’s the word you just read – Isaiah 9:10 which is a key Scripture for unlocking the mysteries of the harbingers. The bricks fell during the attack, but the people said, “Instead of repenting, we are coming back stronger.” Instead of saying, “We were wrong. We are humbled and we’re coming back. We are going to change.” They say, “We are going to come back better than before. We are going to build with quarried stone instead of bricks. And since the sycamores were cut down, we are going to use stronger cedars. We are not listening to you God. We are defying you.” So, that’s what happens to ancient Israel. Then, a number of years later, they are destroyed because they didn’t listen to the harbingers.
In that verse, are revealed, the harbingers that have come to America. America is also a nation that has known God, but we have turned away. We are rapidly racing away from God just like ancient Israel. Actually, America was founded after the pattern of ancient Israel. Now we are replaying the fall of ancient Israel. Now the judgment of ancient Israel is beginning on America. It begins with that strike on the land. The nation’s hedge of protection is lifted. An enemy makes a strike. That is 9-11. September 11, 2001 is where the mystery of the harbinger begins. All nine harbingers are going to come out of what began at 9-11.
James, I was standing on the corner of Ground Zero. That’s when the whole thing began. I saw this object, and Someone said to me, “You have to seek what this means.” I looked it up in the Bible, and it started unfolding and getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. One puzzle piece, the next puzzle piece. When I didn’t know what the next one would be, somebody would say the word. When I would type something in my computer, my computer would give me something that I didn’t even ask for. However, it was the answer to the next harbinger.
All nine harbingers have come to America and America after 9-11 did the same thing that ancient Israel did. Instead of repenting and turning back to God, we said we are going to come back stronger without Him. Instead of revival, America has gotten worse. We are now racing away from God, we are racing to judgment, and the harbingers have appeared.
JAMES: You mentioned the breach. In The Harbinger, you write about the breach. What is the breach?
JONATHAN: The breach is that first opening up – really the first sign of judgment. The breach is when the nation’s hedge is lifted with the attack. So, you have 9-11, that’s the beginning of it. But the second harbinger is the terrorist. It wasn’t just an attack by enemies. They were terrorists that attacked ancient Israel. The Assyrians who attacked ancient Israel are the fathers of terrorism. Every terrorist in some way is linked to Assyria. And 9-11 wasn’t just an attack, it was an attack by terrorists. They came from the same part of the world. They came from the Middle East. Some were even descended from the Assyrians. The Assyrians spoke Acadian, which is extinct language, but its sister language still exists to this day. The sister language to Acadian is Arabic. So, 9-11 was carried out in the sister language of the ancient Assyrians.
Another harbinger is the fallen bricks. What was the sign of 9-11? The falling buildings – the Twin Towers. It’s all there. The warning is if America doesn’t come back to God, it will collapse, just like those buildings.
But remember, the people said, “We will rebuild with quarried stone.” They began rebuilding Ground Zero and they said, “Hey! We’re going to come back stronger and bigger,” just like ancient Israel did. The stone mentioned in Isaiah is a gazit stone. It’s a massive rectangular block of stone. Amazingly a biblical gazit stone was placed at Ground Zero after 9-11. They held a ceremony around it. The governor of New York said, “We are doing this in defiance of our enemies.”
Then you have, “the sycamore has been struck down.” As the last tower came down on 9-11, a beam from the northern tower falls across the sky and strikes a tree. It was a sycamore growing at Ground Zero.
JAMES: That’s amazing.
JONATHAN: The sycamore was struck down as a sign of national judgment. Then they say, “We are going to replant it with another tree.” The tree in Hebrew is called the erez tree. A few years after 9-11, a tree appears in the sky. It was lowered down into the same spot where the sycamore stood. It is a biblical erez tree. They have a ceremony, and they say, “We’re coming back stronger.” They planted exactly where the sycamore stood.
Now, one of the signs is that a national leader will actually make this vow. On the day after 9-11, on Capitol Hill, America made its response to 9-11. And the Senate Majority Leader gives America’s response. At the end of his speech, Tom Daschle said, “There is a Scripture from Isaiah that speaks to us now.” Then, out of his mouth, to America, he said, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” Word for word, he said the ancient vow that brought judgment to Israel on the day after 9-11. Now, he has no idea as he is saying it – he doesn’t know as he speaks about a sycamore being struck down that there was a tree at Ground Zero that had been struck down. When he said, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones,” he didn’t know it, but he spoke prophetically. That’s just a little taste of how the ancient mystery has been replaying in America in exact detail.
JAMES: Well, The Harbinger is certainly amazing, but you didn’t stop there. You also have The Harbinger II. Tell me about The Harbinger II. How did it come to you and what does it reveal?
JONATHAN: Well, when I wrote The Harbinger, I knew that there was more. There was more to reveal, and the mystery has not stopped. Also, there were things revealed to me back when I wrote the first book that I didn’t put in. There was too much to put in. So, I put those things in the first part of the book in a section called “The Unrevealed.” The second part is called “The Manifestations” and that is what has happened since 9-11 since I wrote The Harbinger. I deal with how the harbingers have continued to be manifested. The last section of The Harbinger II is called “The Coming.” That is about what is happening right now. From the plague that has come on America and all the turmoil, is it all linked to the harbingers?
You know, James, before COVID came to America, I was praying about my next book. I strongly got from the Lord that a shaking was coming to America, and it would be the continuation of the mystery that began with The Harbinger. So, I had to write The Harbinger II to get the word out to God’s people to let them know what is happening, where it is going, and how to be prepared.
JAMES: So, the things that you wrote about in The Harbinger are now coming true, correct?
JONATHAN: Yes! We spoke about when the first strike came on ancient Israel, but that wasn’t the end of the warning of judgment. That was the beginning. Then the nation is given a window of time to come back to God. If it doesn’t come back to God, the shakings or greater shakings are going to come upon the nation. With ancient Israel, they didn’t come back. They got worse. That’s exactly what’s happening now to America, and it was all foreshadowed in The Harbinger.
The rest of this interview can be heard by going to the broadcast archives for October 25th and 26th, 2021, at SWRC.com.
I recently sat down with Jonathan for an interview, and I found him to be very open and honest. He shared at length about his life and ministry – especially about his books The Harbinger and The Harbinger II.
JAMES: Jonathan, I know that you are a busy man. So, I really appreciate you taking the time to visit with me today.
JONATHAN: It’s my pleasure, James.
JAMES: I heard you share your testimony at a conference a while back. You have a fascinating story. You were raised in a Jewish home, at age 8 you became an atheist, somewhere along the way you read The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey, and you were hit by a train. How did you become a follower of Christ? Would you share your story?
JONATHAN: Well, yeah. You did a good job right there (laughs). My father came from Germany. He escaped Hitler. I was raised in a liberal Jewish home. I went to synagogue, and I went to Hebrew school, but there never was a lot of belief. Still, I was taught that there was a God. When I was eight years old, I remember asking, “How do we know that?” I didn’t see any signs in the synagogue of the God of the Bible being alive. In the synagogue, there was a big disconnect from the God who showed Himself and moved in the lives of people. So, I said, “How do we know there is any God?” So, I became an atheist. That lasted until I started going deeper and I realized that atheism doesn’t work. I thought, “There’s got to be something. There’s got to be a reason why we are here.”
So, I started seeking. I explored everything: science, religions, cults, Nostradamus, UFOs, everything. One day, I picked up a book. At first, I thought it was a UFO book because it looked like it. The earth was on the cover, and it looked like it was on fire. But God tricked me. The book was The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey. The book was all about biblical end-time prophecy and how it was coming true with Israel and everything else. I had no idea that was in the Bible. The Late Great Planet Earth totally changed my thinking. So, I started telling my friends about the book, but I still wasn’t living for the Lord. I did not have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I looked in our Hebrew Bible at home. It spoke about the coming Messiah who would die for our sins, who would be born in Bethlehem, and all these things I thought were Catholic were in our Bible. I realized that I couldn’t just be telling people about this. I mean, I was telling people about it, and leading them to the Lord, but I wasn’t saved. Finally, I got to the point where I understood that I wasn’t right with God, but I didn’t want to give my life to the Lord. I thought, “If I get saved, I have to join a monastery and that’s the end of my life and fun.” So, I made a deal with God. I said, “God, if you give me a long life, I will accept you when I am about to die on my deathbed.”
Right after that, I almost got killed twice. The first time it was a car accident. The second time I was crossing a train-track in a Ford Pinto. I don’t know if you remember, but the Ford Pinto was the car that used to blow up if you touch them the wrong way. I was in the car one night and I pulled up on the track. I look to my left and there was a light. It was the train coming right at me. Traffic was stopped in front of me. I couldn’t go forward. So, I backed up. I didn’t realize it, but I wasn’t all the way off the track. I was still in the path of the train. The train slammed into the car. The front of the car was crushed like aluminum foil. The only thing I could do at that moment was call out to God. So, I did. The car was destroyed, but I didn’t get a scratch.
I realized that my life was fragile. There was only a breath between me and eternity. So, I said, “Lord, can we renegotiate?” (laughs). I came up with a new plan. I said, “God, I will accept you when I turn twenty. Just give me until then. Don’t kill me until then.” About a year later, on my twentieth birthday, I made good on the deal. I didn’t know how to do it, but I remembered from Hebrew school that God met people on the mountain. So, I found a mountain. I went up the mountain. There on top of the mountain, I kneeled down and gave my life to the Lord. The Bible says that Jews need signs. I need a locomotive train.
JAMES: I want to thank you for having the courage to speak the truth. Back in January of 2021, you issued a mind-blowing prophetic message for the newly elected United States President, Joe Biden. Although many tried to censor that message, it still has been seen over four million times. Tell me about that message.
JONATHAN: I had been asked to speak at the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast the last few times. I always said, “Okay, but I’m not going to hold back. I’m going to do whatever the Lord says.” But with COVID, they asked me to do something online. So, I put this message out to Joe Biden. In a day, it had a million views.
Then something weird happened. When we typed it in, we couldn’t get the video. YouTube had shadow banned it. It was still there somewhere, but they cut off all the roads to get there. So, we complained, and they put it back. But even with them trying to ban it, it went totally viral. I believe the Lord will get his word out, and we can’t hold back. There’s a big push by the culture to silence believers, and the worse thing we can do is go along with that and keep silent. This culture needs the truth, and we have to be the watchmen.
JAMES: Let’s talk about The Harbinger. That book really thrusted you into the national spotlight. The book was released back in 2011 and with the 20th anniversary of 9-11 in 2021 and with the release of The Harbinger II there is a new interest in The Harbinger. For those who have not read the book, what is the harbinger?
JONATHAN: Yeah. The Harbinger is subtitled The Ancient Mystery That Holds the Secret of America’s Future. It is the first book that I ever wrote. I knew that I had to write it. I knew I had to get it out. I knew it was from the Lord. In the last days of ancient Israel, there were nine harbingers or nine prophetic signs of warning. These harbingers warned the nation of destruction if they didn’t turn back to God. The amazing thing – the stunning thing is those same nine harbingers have now been reappearing on American soil. Some have appeared in New York City. Some have appeared in Washington, D.C. Some have involved ceremonies. Some have involved American leaders, even the President. These harbingers are a warning that America is now the nation in danger of judgment. Now, in the time we are in, we have to come back to God or face judgment. And two things: First, since The Harbinger came out, the harbingers have not stopped. Second, the mysteries have not stopped unfolding. There’s a chapter in The Harbinger called “Things to Come,” and we are there. The harbingers have continued. It is a critical biblical mystery that has affected every one of us and will continue to affect us in the days to come.
JAMES: Isaiah Chapter 9 and Verse 10 reads, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” Help me understand the context. Would you set the stage for those last days of ancient Israel?
JONATHAN: This is a nation that had once known God, but they turned away from God and were racing away from God. So, God sends warning to them to call them back. He sends them prophets, but they don’t listen. Finally, something happens – the first stage of biblical national judgment. This is the templet. It happened with the Northern Kingdom. Then the same thing happened with the Southern Kingdom. Years before the nation’s destruction, there comes a warning in the form of a strike on the land. The hedge of protection is lifted and an enemy breaches the land. The strike is to shake them, to wake them up, and to call them back. But it is temporary.
It happened in 732 B.C. to ancient Israel. At that time, Isaiah is given a word. That’s the word you just read – Isaiah 9:10 which is a key Scripture for unlocking the mysteries of the harbingers. The bricks fell during the attack, but the people said, “Instead of repenting, we are coming back stronger.” Instead of saying, “We were wrong. We are humbled and we’re coming back. We are going to change.” They say, “We are going to come back better than before. We are going to build with quarried stone instead of bricks. And since the sycamores were cut down, we are going to use stronger cedars. We are not listening to you God. We are defying you.” So, that’s what happens to ancient Israel. Then, a number of years later, they are destroyed because they didn’t listen to the harbingers.
In that verse, are revealed, the harbingers that have come to America. America is also a nation that has known God, but we have turned away. We are rapidly racing away from God just like ancient Israel. Actually, America was founded after the pattern of ancient Israel. Now we are replaying the fall of ancient Israel. Now the judgment of ancient Israel is beginning on America. It begins with that strike on the land. The nation’s hedge of protection is lifted. An enemy makes a strike. That is 9-11. September 11, 2001 is where the mystery of the harbinger begins. All nine harbingers are going to come out of what began at 9-11.
James, I was standing on the corner of Ground Zero. That’s when the whole thing began. I saw this object, and Someone said to me, “You have to seek what this means.” I looked it up in the Bible, and it started unfolding and getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. One puzzle piece, the next puzzle piece. When I didn’t know what the next one would be, somebody would say the word. When I would type something in my computer, my computer would give me something that I didn’t even ask for. However, it was the answer to the next harbinger.
All nine harbingers have come to America and America after 9-11 did the same thing that ancient Israel did. Instead of repenting and turning back to God, we said we are going to come back stronger without Him. Instead of revival, America has gotten worse. We are now racing away from God, we are racing to judgment, and the harbingers have appeared.
JAMES: You mentioned the breach. In The Harbinger, you write about the breach. What is the breach?
JONATHAN: The breach is that first opening up – really the first sign of judgment. The breach is when the nation’s hedge is lifted with the attack. So, you have 9-11, that’s the beginning of it. But the second harbinger is the terrorist. It wasn’t just an attack by enemies. They were terrorists that attacked ancient Israel. The Assyrians who attacked ancient Israel are the fathers of terrorism. Every terrorist in some way is linked to Assyria. And 9-11 wasn’t just an attack, it was an attack by terrorists. They came from the same part of the world. They came from the Middle East. Some were even descended from the Assyrians. The Assyrians spoke Acadian, which is extinct language, but its sister language still exists to this day. The sister language to Acadian is Arabic. So, 9-11 was carried out in the sister language of the ancient Assyrians.
Another harbinger is the fallen bricks. What was the sign of 9-11? The falling buildings – the Twin Towers. It’s all there. The warning is if America doesn’t come back to God, it will collapse, just like those buildings.
But remember, the people said, “We will rebuild with quarried stone.” They began rebuilding Ground Zero and they said, “Hey! We’re going to come back stronger and bigger,” just like ancient Israel did. The stone mentioned in Isaiah is a gazit stone. It’s a massive rectangular block of stone. Amazingly a biblical gazit stone was placed at Ground Zero after 9-11. They held a ceremony around it. The governor of New York said, “We are doing this in defiance of our enemies.”
Then you have, “the sycamore has been struck down.” As the last tower came down on 9-11, a beam from the northern tower falls across the sky and strikes a tree. It was a sycamore growing at Ground Zero.
JAMES: That’s amazing.
JONATHAN: The sycamore was struck down as a sign of national judgment. Then they say, “We are going to replant it with another tree.” The tree in Hebrew is called the erez tree. A few years after 9-11, a tree appears in the sky. It was lowered down into the same spot where the sycamore stood. It is a biblical erez tree. They have a ceremony, and they say, “We’re coming back stronger.” They planted exactly where the sycamore stood.
Now, one of the signs is that a national leader will actually make this vow. On the day after 9-11, on Capitol Hill, America made its response to 9-11. And the Senate Majority Leader gives America’s response. At the end of his speech, Tom Daschle said, “There is a Scripture from Isaiah that speaks to us now.” Then, out of his mouth, to America, he said, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” Word for word, he said the ancient vow that brought judgment to Israel on the day after 9-11. Now, he has no idea as he is saying it – he doesn’t know as he speaks about a sycamore being struck down that there was a tree at Ground Zero that had been struck down. When he said, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones,” he didn’t know it, but he spoke prophetically. That’s just a little taste of how the ancient mystery has been replaying in America in exact detail.
JAMES: Well, The Harbinger is certainly amazing, but you didn’t stop there. You also have The Harbinger II. Tell me about The Harbinger II. How did it come to you and what does it reveal?
JONATHAN: Well, when I wrote The Harbinger, I knew that there was more. There was more to reveal, and the mystery has not stopped. Also, there were things revealed to me back when I wrote the first book that I didn’t put in. There was too much to put in. So, I put those things in the first part of the book in a section called “The Unrevealed.” The second part is called “The Manifestations” and that is what has happened since 9-11 since I wrote The Harbinger. I deal with how the harbingers have continued to be manifested. The last section of The Harbinger II is called “The Coming.” That is about what is happening right now. From the plague that has come on America and all the turmoil, is it all linked to the harbingers?
You know, James, before COVID came to America, I was praying about my next book. I strongly got from the Lord that a shaking was coming to America, and it would be the continuation of the mystery that began with The Harbinger. So, I had to write The Harbinger II to get the word out to God’s people to let them know what is happening, where it is going, and how to be prepared.
JAMES: So, the things that you wrote about in The Harbinger are now coming true, correct?
JONATHAN: Yes! We spoke about when the first strike came on ancient Israel, but that wasn’t the end of the warning of judgment. That was the beginning. Then the nation is given a window of time to come back to God. If it doesn’t come back to God, the shakings or greater shakings are going to come upon the nation. With ancient Israel, they didn’t come back. They got worse. That’s exactly what’s happening now to America, and it was all foreshadowed in The Harbinger.
The rest of this interview can be heard by going to the broadcast archives for October 25th and 26th, 2021, at SWRC.com.
March 6, 2021
Going Home
“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20
On an overcast day, we gathered to mourn the death of Tammy Combs. Her metallic gray casket sat toward the front of our hometown church. Flower arrangements of pinks, yellows, reds, and purples surrounded it.
The church that had seemed so big to me as a child, now seemed so small. It was crowded with people who had known her, who had loved her, and who still did. The pews filled up quickly. Latecomers sat in folding chairs in the aisles and along the back wall. Those who couldn’t find a seat stood in silence in the foyer. Grief is shared best in silence.
The old preacher walked up on the platform and stood tall in the pulpit behind the casket. He read Scripture in a baritone voice, “…that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” His funeral sermon was filled with words of comfort. He ended by saying, “And she lives on.”
When the preacher finished speaking, a recording of Tammy singing The Old Rugged Cross was played. Throughout her life, Tammy often sang in church. Now in her death, she sang there again.
I grew up with Tammy, but I hadn’t seen her in years. We stayed in touch only through Facebook. It took her funeral to bring me back home. Over twenty years had passed since I had stepped foot in our hometown church. After high school graduation, I joined the U.S. Army. Trips back home became less frequent. Everything seemed so different. The place had changed.
The church was filled with people from my youth. I didn’t recognize many of them. Some didn’t recognize me. Age has caught up with us. Everyone seemed so different. The people have changed.
Somehow, I feel different. When I left home, I was lost. Then Jesus Christ found me, and He saved my soul. I am different. I have changed.
There is an old saying: You can’t go home again. I think I understand that saying a little better now. The old hometown will never again be the same place I left all those years ago. I will never again be the same boy who left all those years ago. That home exists only in my memory.
When I think about home, I don’t think so much about a place. When I think of home, I think of people. I think about my wife, Amanda, and our children. They make home – home. At least, on this earth.
However, this world is not my home. The Bible says that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, your citizenship is in heaven. When I think of my future home, I think of a Person. I think about Jesus. He makes heaven – heaven.
The point is: All of us are pilgrims on a journey in this land. Someday, if the Lord tarries, each of us will die and go to our eternal home. If you belong to Jesus, then you’ll be with Him in a home called heaven. If you don’t belong to Jesus, then you’ll spend eternity separated from Him in a home called hell. The choice is yours.
The death of my friend, Tammy, has made me homesick. Not for a small town in Southeast Oklahoma. No. I am homesick for heaven. I am homesick to be with Jesus.
My heart longs for home.
James Collins is a pastor and writer. He can be reached through the webpage www.thepointis.net.
On an overcast day, we gathered to mourn the death of Tammy Combs. Her metallic gray casket sat toward the front of our hometown church. Flower arrangements of pinks, yellows, reds, and purples surrounded it.
The church that had seemed so big to me as a child, now seemed so small. It was crowded with people who had known her, who had loved her, and who still did. The pews filled up quickly. Latecomers sat in folding chairs in the aisles and along the back wall. Those who couldn’t find a seat stood in silence in the foyer. Grief is shared best in silence.
The old preacher walked up on the platform and stood tall in the pulpit behind the casket. He read Scripture in a baritone voice, “…that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” His funeral sermon was filled with words of comfort. He ended by saying, “And she lives on.”
When the preacher finished speaking, a recording of Tammy singing The Old Rugged Cross was played. Throughout her life, Tammy often sang in church. Now in her death, she sang there again.
I grew up with Tammy, but I hadn’t seen her in years. We stayed in touch only through Facebook. It took her funeral to bring me back home. Over twenty years had passed since I had stepped foot in our hometown church. After high school graduation, I joined the U.S. Army. Trips back home became less frequent. Everything seemed so different. The place had changed.
The church was filled with people from my youth. I didn’t recognize many of them. Some didn’t recognize me. Age has caught up with us. Everyone seemed so different. The people have changed.
Somehow, I feel different. When I left home, I was lost. Then Jesus Christ found me, and He saved my soul. I am different. I have changed.
There is an old saying: You can’t go home again. I think I understand that saying a little better now. The old hometown will never again be the same place I left all those years ago. I will never again be the same boy who left all those years ago. That home exists only in my memory.
When I think about home, I don’t think so much about a place. When I think of home, I think of people. I think about my wife, Amanda, and our children. They make home – home. At least, on this earth.
However, this world is not my home. The Bible says that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, your citizenship is in heaven. When I think of my future home, I think of a Person. I think about Jesus. He makes heaven – heaven.
The point is: All of us are pilgrims on a journey in this land. Someday, if the Lord tarries, each of us will die and go to our eternal home. If you belong to Jesus, then you’ll be with Him in a home called heaven. If you don’t belong to Jesus, then you’ll spend eternity separated from Him in a home called hell. The choice is yours.
The death of my friend, Tammy, has made me homesick. Not for a small town in Southeast Oklahoma. No. I am homesick for heaven. I am homesick to be with Jesus.
My heart longs for home.
James Collins is a pastor and writer. He can be reached through the webpage www.thepointis.net.
February 25, 2021
Perfume on a Pig
“The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.” Proverbs 22:2
“Collins,” the old sergeant snorted. “Putting you in that fancy dress uniform is like putting perfume on a pig.” The old sergeant was Sgt. 1st Class Luster, my platoon sergeant. Behind his back, we called him, Luster the heart-buster, because he ran us ten miles a day. He had served multiple tours in Vietnam. He was a hard man, but he knew his stuff. That was why I asked him to inspect my dress uniform. I had to look my best.
The year was 1992. I was a young enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army. Somehow, I had been chosen to have dinner with the President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. To this day, I still don’t know how I was chosen. Maybe it was White House charity. Maybe some politician said, “I’ve got an idea that will make us look good with the common folk. Let’s find the dumbest redneck in the armed forces and send him to an official state dinner.” It must have been something like that because I knew I didn’t belong there from the moment I entered.
The place was full of big-shots – corporate presidents, heads of state, politicians who hadn’t been caught yet, and Hollywood celebrities. Sylvester Stallone walked past me with a famous swim-suit model clinging to his arm. Tom Brokaw stood behind me in the entrance line.
We were ushered past a reception area. President Bush grabbed my hand and gave me a firm handshake. A photographer snapped our picture – a photograph which still hangs in my office today.
A man in a tuxedo escorted me to my table. I was seated across from President Bush next to a man from Boston. I think he owned Massachusetts or something. He had more money than the Kennedys.
“What’s your racket, young man?” he asked striking up a conversation with me.
“I’m an artist.” I could tell my answer surprised him.
“What kind of artist?”
“I’m a painter. I paint men and women.”
“Is your work well known?”
“Yes, it is in some of the most respected places,” I said, which wasn’t a lie. I painted “MEN” and “WOMEN” on the bathroom doors at Fort Knox.
When it was time to eat, I panicked. There were four forks. I didn’t know which one to use. So, I watched George H.W. and the rich guy next to me. I just used whatever fork they used. The meal was elegant – seven courses. If I had to pay for it, I am sure it would have cost my mortgage.
All evening long, even in my Luster the heart-buster inspected uniform, I felt out of place. If you put perfume on a pig, the pig still stinks. I was just a penniless boy from the country. I was worried one of those elegant sophisticates would discover an imposter was among their midst. I didn’t belong. We had nothing in common.
Yet, when President Bush died in November of 2018, I realized we did in fact have something in common – the Lord is our Maker. Both millionaire Bush and minimum-wager Collins have the same Creator. The Lord is the maker of us all.
The point is: God has given life to both the rich and the poor. No matter where you fall on the income scale, you owe your existence to God Almighty.
Since He has given life to you, wouldn’t it be wise to live for Him?
It makes more sense than putting perfume on a pig.
James Collins is a pastor, writer, and columnist. Find out more about his ministry at the webpage www.thepointis.net.
“Collins,” the old sergeant snorted. “Putting you in that fancy dress uniform is like putting perfume on a pig.” The old sergeant was Sgt. 1st Class Luster, my platoon sergeant. Behind his back, we called him, Luster the heart-buster, because he ran us ten miles a day. He had served multiple tours in Vietnam. He was a hard man, but he knew his stuff. That was why I asked him to inspect my dress uniform. I had to look my best.
The year was 1992. I was a young enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army. Somehow, I had been chosen to have dinner with the President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. To this day, I still don’t know how I was chosen. Maybe it was White House charity. Maybe some politician said, “I’ve got an idea that will make us look good with the common folk. Let’s find the dumbest redneck in the armed forces and send him to an official state dinner.” It must have been something like that because I knew I didn’t belong there from the moment I entered.
The place was full of big-shots – corporate presidents, heads of state, politicians who hadn’t been caught yet, and Hollywood celebrities. Sylvester Stallone walked past me with a famous swim-suit model clinging to his arm. Tom Brokaw stood behind me in the entrance line.
We were ushered past a reception area. President Bush grabbed my hand and gave me a firm handshake. A photographer snapped our picture – a photograph which still hangs in my office today.
A man in a tuxedo escorted me to my table. I was seated across from President Bush next to a man from Boston. I think he owned Massachusetts or something. He had more money than the Kennedys.
“What’s your racket, young man?” he asked striking up a conversation with me.
“I’m an artist.” I could tell my answer surprised him.
“What kind of artist?”
“I’m a painter. I paint men and women.”
“Is your work well known?”
“Yes, it is in some of the most respected places,” I said, which wasn’t a lie. I painted “MEN” and “WOMEN” on the bathroom doors at Fort Knox.
When it was time to eat, I panicked. There were four forks. I didn’t know which one to use. So, I watched George H.W. and the rich guy next to me. I just used whatever fork they used. The meal was elegant – seven courses. If I had to pay for it, I am sure it would have cost my mortgage.
All evening long, even in my Luster the heart-buster inspected uniform, I felt out of place. If you put perfume on a pig, the pig still stinks. I was just a penniless boy from the country. I was worried one of those elegant sophisticates would discover an imposter was among their midst. I didn’t belong. We had nothing in common.
Yet, when President Bush died in November of 2018, I realized we did in fact have something in common – the Lord is our Maker. Both millionaire Bush and minimum-wager Collins have the same Creator. The Lord is the maker of us all.
The point is: God has given life to both the rich and the poor. No matter where you fall on the income scale, you owe your existence to God Almighty.
Since He has given life to you, wouldn’t it be wise to live for Him?
It makes more sense than putting perfume on a pig.
James Collins is a pastor, writer, and columnist. Find out more about his ministry at the webpage www.thepointis.net.
February 20, 2021
Stop Global Whining
“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:14-15
Uncle Elmer lay in a bed in a darkened hospital room. He was attached to a maze of tubes, wires, and machines. Near the end of his life, he struggled for consciousness one last time. Next to him was my Aunt Maimy, his wife of 55 years. Elmer reached for the hand of the person he had known for more than five decades of marriage.
“Maimy, is that you?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m here.”
“Maimy, you have been with me for 55 years of marriage.”
“Yes, I have been with you.”
“I remember in our first year of marriage when a fire destroyed everything we owned, you were there with me.”
“Yes, I was with you.”
“I remember when I lost my job and was unemployed for over a year, and you were beside me.”
“Yes, I was with you.”
“And several years ago, after my first stroke, you were with me then.”
“Yes, I was with you then.”
“Now, in these final months, as I lay dying in this hospital bed, you’re with me again.”
“Yes, dear, I am with you.”
Uncle Elmer paused for a moment and said, “Maimy, you’re nothing but bad luck.”
Do you know someone like that? Do you know someone who finds something to complain about no matter how good things are going?
There is a woman in our church, Lois Steam, who complains about everything. “I don’t know how anybody can praise Jesus in this icebox,” she said two weeks ago. “What is this, a church or a walk-in freezer?” The following Sunday she quipped, “It’s so hot in here that you could poach eggs in the baptistry.”
Lois would complain if her ice-cream was cold.
“You shouldn’t talk so loud when you preach. I’m not deaf,” Lois said a while back. When I toned it down she yelled, “Speak up! You, soft-spoken nitwit!”
I was tempted to rebaptize her and hold her under for a while.
“We need more young people around here,” Lois said when I first came to the church. “Why are all these kids running in the halls? Why do we have all these kids in in here?” she said last week.
Lois makes me want to fire the church and form a congregation search committee.
The point is: Complainers can drain the joy not only out of their own lives, but also out of the lives of everybody around them. Clearly, complaining is no laughing matter to God. God hates complaining. The Bible says to do everything without murmurings and disputings. In other words, stop complaining!
The next time you feel like complaining, resist the urge and look for a way to pay a compliment. Who knows, if you do that enough, you may be cured of your complaining?
James Collins is a pastor, writer, and columnist. For more information about his ministry go to www.thepointis.net.
Uncle Elmer lay in a bed in a darkened hospital room. He was attached to a maze of tubes, wires, and machines. Near the end of his life, he struggled for consciousness one last time. Next to him was my Aunt Maimy, his wife of 55 years. Elmer reached for the hand of the person he had known for more than five decades of marriage.
“Maimy, is that you?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m here.”
“Maimy, you have been with me for 55 years of marriage.”
“Yes, I have been with you.”
“I remember in our first year of marriage when a fire destroyed everything we owned, you were there with me.”
“Yes, I was with you.”
“I remember when I lost my job and was unemployed for over a year, and you were beside me.”
“Yes, I was with you.”
“And several years ago, after my first stroke, you were with me then.”
“Yes, I was with you then.”
“Now, in these final months, as I lay dying in this hospital bed, you’re with me again.”
“Yes, dear, I am with you.”
Uncle Elmer paused for a moment and said, “Maimy, you’re nothing but bad luck.”
Do you know someone like that? Do you know someone who finds something to complain about no matter how good things are going?
There is a woman in our church, Lois Steam, who complains about everything. “I don’t know how anybody can praise Jesus in this icebox,” she said two weeks ago. “What is this, a church or a walk-in freezer?” The following Sunday she quipped, “It’s so hot in here that you could poach eggs in the baptistry.”
Lois would complain if her ice-cream was cold.
“You shouldn’t talk so loud when you preach. I’m not deaf,” Lois said a while back. When I toned it down she yelled, “Speak up! You, soft-spoken nitwit!”
I was tempted to rebaptize her and hold her under for a while.
“We need more young people around here,” Lois said when I first came to the church. “Why are all these kids running in the halls? Why do we have all these kids in in here?” she said last week.
Lois makes me want to fire the church and form a congregation search committee.
The point is: Complainers can drain the joy not only out of their own lives, but also out of the lives of everybody around them. Clearly, complaining is no laughing matter to God. God hates complaining. The Bible says to do everything without murmurings and disputings. In other words, stop complaining!
The next time you feel like complaining, resist the urge and look for a way to pay a compliment. Who knows, if you do that enough, you may be cured of your complaining?
James Collins is a pastor, writer, and columnist. For more information about his ministry go to www.thepointis.net.
February 13, 2021
What Do You See?
“…For the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b
My nine-year-old son, John, has quite an imagination. He loves to build things with Lego bricks. The other night he said, “Look at this rocket ship I built.” He held up what looked like a square glob of tiny, multicolored, plastic bricks. To me, it looked more like a toaster than a rocket ship.
John spends hours in his room playing with Legos. He builds everything from tractors to towers, from cars to castles, from submarines to space stations. He has quite an imagination.
When I look at those toy plastic bricks, I see toy plastic bricks. When John looks at them, he sees knights slaying dragons, airplanes flying across the sky, and heroes on a jungle quest. In his imagination, Legos are not Legos at all. They are robots, Batmobiles, and skyscrapers.
What people see in their minds and what they see outside are two different things.
Not too long ago, John saved his money to buy a new Lego set. He saved allowance, birthday, and Christmas money. When he had enough for the set he wanted, I took him to Walmart.
As we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed a family sitting in an old station wagon. The father sat on the hood. He held a cardboard sign that read, “WILL WORK FOR FOOD.”
The station wagon looked to be on its last leg. The family inside looked dirty and disheveled. They appeared to be living in their car.
I looked over and noticed John was staring at the family. Neither one of us said anything.
We went inside and made our way back to the toy aisle, but John didn’t seem interested in Legos. He looked up and asked, “Can I use my money to buy those people some food?” I choked back tears and answered, “Sure.” John said, “I can’t wait to tell them about Jesus.”
There was an excitement in our steps as we filled up a cart with groceries. We hurried through the checkout, loaded up our car, and drove to the end of the parking lot. John leaned out the window with two bags of groceries, and said, “Sir, I want to give you some food.” The man put down his sign, took the groceries, and said, “Thank you.” John said, “You are welcome, and Jesus loves you.”
To tell the truth, most likely, I would not have noticed the needy family in the station wagon. I am proud of my son. He sees things that I miss.
What people see in their minds and what they see outside are two different things.
We need to see people as God sees them.
The point is: God looks at people differently than you and I look at people. We look at people on the outside. God looks at the heart. It doesn’t matter if you are freshly bathed and wearing a three-piece suit, or dirty wearing a t-shirt, and torn jeans, God looks at your heart.
The Bible says that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. God loves everyone, but all have sinned, and come short of His glory. Every person we meet is lost without Jesus. The only cure for the sin-sick heart is the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Christ, even people who look nice on the outside go to hell.
When you look at people, what do you see?
Do you see somebody who needs Jesus?
Tell somebody about Him today.
James Collins is the author of Don't Throw the Believer Out with the Baptistry Water, now available on Amazon.
My nine-year-old son, John, has quite an imagination. He loves to build things with Lego bricks. The other night he said, “Look at this rocket ship I built.” He held up what looked like a square glob of tiny, multicolored, plastic bricks. To me, it looked more like a toaster than a rocket ship.
John spends hours in his room playing with Legos. He builds everything from tractors to towers, from cars to castles, from submarines to space stations. He has quite an imagination.
When I look at those toy plastic bricks, I see toy plastic bricks. When John looks at them, he sees knights slaying dragons, airplanes flying across the sky, and heroes on a jungle quest. In his imagination, Legos are not Legos at all. They are robots, Batmobiles, and skyscrapers.
What people see in their minds and what they see outside are two different things.
Not too long ago, John saved his money to buy a new Lego set. He saved allowance, birthday, and Christmas money. When he had enough for the set he wanted, I took him to Walmart.
As we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed a family sitting in an old station wagon. The father sat on the hood. He held a cardboard sign that read, “WILL WORK FOR FOOD.”
The station wagon looked to be on its last leg. The family inside looked dirty and disheveled. They appeared to be living in their car.
I looked over and noticed John was staring at the family. Neither one of us said anything.
We went inside and made our way back to the toy aisle, but John didn’t seem interested in Legos. He looked up and asked, “Can I use my money to buy those people some food?” I choked back tears and answered, “Sure.” John said, “I can’t wait to tell them about Jesus.”
There was an excitement in our steps as we filled up a cart with groceries. We hurried through the checkout, loaded up our car, and drove to the end of the parking lot. John leaned out the window with two bags of groceries, and said, “Sir, I want to give you some food.” The man put down his sign, took the groceries, and said, “Thank you.” John said, “You are welcome, and Jesus loves you.”
To tell the truth, most likely, I would not have noticed the needy family in the station wagon. I am proud of my son. He sees things that I miss.
What people see in their minds and what they see outside are two different things.
We need to see people as God sees them.
The point is: God looks at people differently than you and I look at people. We look at people on the outside. God looks at the heart. It doesn’t matter if you are freshly bathed and wearing a three-piece suit, or dirty wearing a t-shirt, and torn jeans, God looks at your heart.
The Bible says that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. God loves everyone, but all have sinned, and come short of His glory. Every person we meet is lost without Jesus. The only cure for the sin-sick heart is the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Christ, even people who look nice on the outside go to hell.
When you look at people, what do you see?
Do you see somebody who needs Jesus?
Tell somebody about Him today.
James Collins is the author of Don't Throw the Believer Out with the Baptistry Water, now available on Amazon.
February 6, 2021
May I Be Excused?
“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:30
Some things are just hard to say.
On my first day of kindergarten, I asked Momma what I should do if an emergency came up. She said, “Raise your hand. When the teacher notices you, walk up to her and whisper, ‘May I be excused?’”
“Excused?” That was a new word for me. When I was five years old, I had never heard of asking to be “excused.” The word sounded foreign. It sounded French. I reasoned that “May I be excused?” was French for “Can I go to the potty?”
However, I soon realized that most people don’t speak French. One day, I walked into Kate’s Country Store. An old man smoking a cigar was sitting behind the counter. I said, “Sir, may I be excused?” He blew out a puff of smoke and said, “Sure, kid,” but he never told me where to go. So, I said again, “Sir, may I be excused?” He looked at me and asked, “What’s wrong with you, boy? Are you brain damaged?”
Later, as a teenager, I enlisted in the U.S. Army. I was standing in formation one day and I raised my hand. The drill sergeant looked at me, frowned, and said, “Private Collins, what’s wrong with you now?” I said, “May I be excused?” I never did get to go. I did pushups instead.
Obviously, some people do not understand French.
I used the word “bathroom” for a while, although I never thought about taking a “bath” in the tiny wash basin of a public “bathroom.” Then I noticed “restroom” on a sign. That was a good word, but I was not comfortable using it. I didn’t “rest” in a public “restroom.”
A while back, I was out with some people from church. Someone said, “I need to use the washroom.” That’s perfect. Now, after the waitress takes my order, I look at my hands, turn to her and ask the perfectly logical question, “Ma’am, where is your washroom? I need to wash my hands.”
It would be a lot simpler if everyone knew French.
There is another statement that is hard for people to make, “Lord, save me.”
One night, the disciples of Jesus were sailing across the Sea of Galilee when a strong storm blew up. During that storm, Jesus showed up walking on the water. Peter asked Jesus if he could walk on the water with Him. Jesus said, “Yes,” and Peter stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. But he lost his focus and started sinking. He screamed, “Lord, save me,” and Jesus rescued him.
Today, someone is reading this, and you are going through a storm. Your life and circumstances have not turned out the way you intended. You feel like your boat is taking on water and you are about to go under. As difficult as it may be for you to say, the best thing you can do is cry out, “Lord, save me.” Pray to Him and ask Him to save you.
The point is: Some things are hard to say. Because of stubbornness, pride, self-reliance, it is hard for you to turn to Christ. Eternity depends on you swallowing your pride and saying, “Lord, save me.”
You can ask the Lord to save you in any language, even French, “Seigneour sauve-moi.”
James Collins is a chaplain, pastor, author, and columnist. He speaks some French, but with a country accent. For more information on his ministry, check out the website www.thepointis.net.
Some things are just hard to say.
On my first day of kindergarten, I asked Momma what I should do if an emergency came up. She said, “Raise your hand. When the teacher notices you, walk up to her and whisper, ‘May I be excused?’”
“Excused?” That was a new word for me. When I was five years old, I had never heard of asking to be “excused.” The word sounded foreign. It sounded French. I reasoned that “May I be excused?” was French for “Can I go to the potty?”
However, I soon realized that most people don’t speak French. One day, I walked into Kate’s Country Store. An old man smoking a cigar was sitting behind the counter. I said, “Sir, may I be excused?” He blew out a puff of smoke and said, “Sure, kid,” but he never told me where to go. So, I said again, “Sir, may I be excused?” He looked at me and asked, “What’s wrong with you, boy? Are you brain damaged?”
Later, as a teenager, I enlisted in the U.S. Army. I was standing in formation one day and I raised my hand. The drill sergeant looked at me, frowned, and said, “Private Collins, what’s wrong with you now?” I said, “May I be excused?” I never did get to go. I did pushups instead.
Obviously, some people do not understand French.
I used the word “bathroom” for a while, although I never thought about taking a “bath” in the tiny wash basin of a public “bathroom.” Then I noticed “restroom” on a sign. That was a good word, but I was not comfortable using it. I didn’t “rest” in a public “restroom.”
A while back, I was out with some people from church. Someone said, “I need to use the washroom.” That’s perfect. Now, after the waitress takes my order, I look at my hands, turn to her and ask the perfectly logical question, “Ma’am, where is your washroom? I need to wash my hands.”
It would be a lot simpler if everyone knew French.
There is another statement that is hard for people to make, “Lord, save me.”
One night, the disciples of Jesus were sailing across the Sea of Galilee when a strong storm blew up. During that storm, Jesus showed up walking on the water. Peter asked Jesus if he could walk on the water with Him. Jesus said, “Yes,” and Peter stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. But he lost his focus and started sinking. He screamed, “Lord, save me,” and Jesus rescued him.
Today, someone is reading this, and you are going through a storm. Your life and circumstances have not turned out the way you intended. You feel like your boat is taking on water and you are about to go under. As difficult as it may be for you to say, the best thing you can do is cry out, “Lord, save me.” Pray to Him and ask Him to save you.
The point is: Some things are hard to say. Because of stubbornness, pride, self-reliance, it is hard for you to turn to Christ. Eternity depends on you swallowing your pride and saying, “Lord, save me.”
You can ask the Lord to save you in any language, even French, “Seigneour sauve-moi.”
James Collins is a chaplain, pastor, author, and columnist. He speaks some French, but with a country accent. For more information on his ministry, check out the website www.thepointis.net.
