CSE Blogs

From:    Kent Hovind
Sent:    August 17, 2007
To:    Hitler
Subject:    Re: August 1936

KH:    Mr. Hitler! You seem really upset! What is the problem?  Why are you leaving the stadium?

Hitler:    I am upset! These Olympic games are supposed to be for humans to compete against humans – not animals!

KH:    I thought that was what just happened. This is the eleventh modern Olympics and I’ve never seen any animals involved in the competition.

Hitler:    Well, you did today! Didn’t you see that black, subhuman animal from America win four gold medals?

KH:    Do you mean Jesse Owens?

Hitler:    That’s what they call him.

KH:    But he’s a man just like us.

Hitler:    No he’s not! Blacks are just animals. They have not evolved as far as other races. The world will be better off when they are gone. The only thing worse on the face of the earth is a Jew. They both must go soon to make more living space for the Aryan race. What race are you, Kent?  You look Aryan.

KH:    I’m of the human race, sir.

Hitler:    No, what nationality?

KH:    My ancestors came from Norway, but I’m an American.

Hitler:    Norway is great! That’s the birthplace of the great Aryan race! I can’t believe the Americans would let an animal like Owens represent them in these games! You Americans are never going to build a great country by allowing so many subhuman varieties to breed and even interbreed with superior races. The result will be a mongrel race of inferior beings. We will never allow that in Germany.

I had hoped that these Olympic games would show the world the wisdom of our extensive eugenics program. We encourage only the fit to breed to produce a race of super human beings one day.

I’m going to complain to the Olympic games committee about their lax policy of allowing non-humans to participate. This is totally unfair.

KH:    How is it decided which race is superior and what is it based on?

Hitler:    It’s all based on the science of evolution! Since the strongest survive and the weakest die off, we have decided to speed up the process by eliminating the inferior races of Jews and blacks. War itself will demonstrate which is the most fit race.

KH:    But the Bible says that all men are of one blood (Acts 17:26).

Hitler:    Oh, that Bible is outdated. Our scientists have proven man arose from apes by evolution. Only the strongest survive, and we will show the world that we are the strongest!

KH:    It didn’t work too well today, sir.

Hitler:    That’s why I’m angry. Now, which way to the Olympic committee?

(See Creation Seminar Part Five for more information on this topic. Also see the books, “The Pink Swastika” and “The Fourth Reich of the Rich.”)

From:    Kent Hovind
Sent:    August 17, 2007
To:    Captain of Second Ship of Alexandria in Acts 28:11
Subject:      Re: “The Original Greek”
(Read Acts 28: 11-13)

KH:    Good morning, Captain. How are things going?

Captain 2:    I’m doing very well, but somewhat confused. My ship is loaded and headed for Rome, but I have a lot of inner turmoil.

KH:    What seems to be causing it?

Captain 2:    I just spent the last three months on the tiny island of Malto with the Apostle Paul. I listened to him preach several times a week and my faith in my home pastor is really shaken.

KH:    What does Paul teach that is different?

Captain 2:    Well, my pastor went to school in Alexandria at the world’s most prestigious university. He is really smart and refined, but he is always correcting the Bible in his sermons. He keeps referring to “the original” Greek when I know for a fact that he and his fellow professors are rewriting the Greek text as they copy it. They leave out things that do not fit what they already believe.

For example, Paul teaches only believers can be baptized. My pastor like to baptize babies and have a ceremony at the church. I think it is only for the money myself, but my pastor left out Acts 8:37 to avoid embarrassing questions about baptizing babies. They are making hundreds of changes like that.

KH:    So what are you going to do?

Captain 2:    After this trip, I’m finding a new church. All the ships out of Alexandria either sink or take their passengers to Rome. I’m moving to Antioch.

KH:    Great idea. All the Bibles from Alexandria either shipwreck their followers, or lead them toward Rome as well. What is the other captain going to do?

Captain 2:    He still doesn’t believe Paul. He is heading back to Alexandria to build another ship.

KH:    Some people never learn.

From:    Kent Hovind
Sent:    August 17, 2007
To:    Captain of Ship to Italy with Passenger, the Apostle Paul
Subject:      Re: Discussions on the Wisdom of Sailing Against the Advice of the Prisoner Paul and the “Preserved Word” from which He Preaches
(Read Acts 27:6-44)

KH:    Hey Captain! I hate to bother you at this busy time, but can you talk for a minute (between verses 11 and 12)?

Captain:    Sure, knee-mail suspends time; so it won’t effect me at all.

KH:    I understand that you own the ship that is headed to Italy.

Captain:    Yes, I do. She’s a beauty, isn’t she!

KH:    Yes, sir! It’s huge too. One like this must cost a fortune!

Captain:    Oh, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you! This one holds nearly 300 people (27:37) plus cargo and tackling (27:19). Even though she’s big, she can sail fast. I’m mighty proud of her!

KH:    I heard you just decided to try to sail on for Italy. It’s past good sailing time (27:9) and pretty dangerous to try now, isn’t it?

Captain:    I know it’s the end of the season, but there is no good place to spend the winter here (27:12). I’ve got a great crew and a tough ship. We’ll make it just fine.

KH:    Isn’t one of your passengers a famous preacher named Paul, and didn’t he advise you not to try to sail?

Captain:    Yes, he did. But why should I believe him?  Let’s look at the facts here. Paul is a convicted felon with a long history of legal battles. He is not a sailor or a weatherman. He has a lot of religious schooling, but it is all wrong.

Paul believes God guides him through life and even claims he saw the Lord in a bright light (Acts 9:3; 22:6)! Come on, Kent! This Paul guy is a certified lunatic! He claims the light knocked him off his horse. Can you believe that?

KH:    He has done some interesting miracles (Acts 13:11; 14:10; 16:18, 26; 19:11) God seems to have His hand on Paul. You may want to reconsider your decision about sailing.

Captain:    No way! Paul is also part of that cult that believes God actually preserves His very words (Psalm 12:6-7 KJV). My pastor in Alexandria (Acts 27:6) says the Bible has lots of mistakes. He is a graduate of the large university in our town that is known around the world for having the largest and most complete library anywhere on earth. It is the home of the great mathematician Euclid and the 400-foot-tall Paphos lighthouse. My pastor and other scholars are working on rewriting the Bible to correct all the thousands of mistakes in it. Paul doesn’t have a clue about these things. He still rejects the idea of fixing the old Bible he preaches from. I don’t believe or trust his opinion on spiritual matters. We are sailing on.

KH:    It seems like your mind is made up.

Captain:    Yes, sir. We are packing now and leave in an hour.

KH:    Just two more quick questions then. First, can you swim?  Secondly, is your boat insured (27:41-44)?

Captain:    Huh?

By Kent E. Hovind, in a Federal Prison in South Carolina
May 20, 2007

I loved Boy Scouts! It was a great experience for me in many ways. I became Eagle Scout in 1968 at age fifteen. I still have fond memories of working hard for sometimes hundreds of hours to get a pin, a medal, or a patch. It felt so good to complete the task! I still have my coat, completely covered in patches in my closet.

Once you have earned an award, it gives you a feeling of accomplishment which is sweet (Proverbs 13:19), but it also gives you a feeling of comradery with others who have earned the same award.

I would spend hours at the scout rifle range trying to get a perfect score of fifty—ten bulls-eyes in a row! As I earned various pins for marksmanship, I would begin to notice other boys wearing the same pin. Almost like magic, we were drawn to each other to talk and become friends. Without a word being spoken about it, we each knew the hours of patience and practice and discipline the other had endured. It made us “brothers.”

I remember one year when I earned the Order of the Arrow! To get this award, you had to be isolated for 24 hours in the woods without food and you could not say one word. That was almost forty years ago, and I don’t recall all the details of it, but that was the general idea. If you made it through this ordeal, you, brave warrior, could wear the arrow sash! This put you in a class just under God with the other scouts! You were a man now!

Over the years, I’ve earned various awards like three chess tournament trophies in high school and letters for tennis, but the past twelve months, July 2006 through July 2007, I’ve earned many that will make me “brothers” with millions of people both dead and alive. You would have to be there to understand.

I have been through the ordeal of public arrest; court; jail; front-page news; diesel therapy; solitary confinement; lousy food and beds; cold showers; loud, obnoxious swearing cell mates; snoring cell mates; uncertainty; “the hole;” “the tank;” ugly jump suits; freezing cells; some arrogant, power-hungry guards without compassion; stand-up counts; claustrophobia in seven-by-twelve-foot cells locked in twenty-three hours per day; hunger; tears by the bucket; long lonely days and nights; blaring televisions broadcasting dumb shows announcing “You are not the father!”; “recreation” with an egg-shaped, slick basketball in a chain link cage; “inspections” where guards just take whatever they want; recorded phone calls; “visits” through a glass on a phone that is forty-years-old; and breakfast that is the same bland stuff every day at 4:30 a.m.

I have seen guys fight over dumb stuff, worn “the jewelry” of handcuffs and leg shackles, taken five-hour bus rides in chairs and shaved with the cheapest razor on earth. I’ve seen guys get tattooed with burned paper mixed with deodorant and pushed under the skin with a staple sharpened on the dirty concrete. I’ve seen many get staph infections that way.

I’ve seen the look on men’s faces when the judge gives them twenty years, or their wife writes for a divorce. I’ve sat and cried and prayed with grown men whose lives were coming unglued. I’ve seen men light smuggled cigarettes with a battery and a razor blade. I’ve heard how drugs have destroyed men’s lives as well as their family. I’ve seen the men with rotten teeth from dope.

I’ve had to kneel on the floor and back up to the little hole in the door to be handcuffed behind my back to move ten feet to take a shower. I’ve sat on the freezing toilets with no privacy.

I’ve seen the warden take a good man’s furlough away the night before for no reason other than because he felt like it. Even though plane tickets had been purchased and plans had been made for six months and it was for the nine-year-old daughter’s birthday, who hadn’t hugged her dad in six years!

I’ve been in rooms where an idiot painted latex paint over oil-base paint and watched as it pealed off in big sheets. I’ve been searched and strip searched, “breath-a-lyzed” and drug tested. I’ve slept on old lumpy two inch thick mattresses with no pillow in rooms of concrete and steel that echo with every whisper.

I’ve seen guys heat water with a “stinger,” make rope out of garbage bags, and pass notes between cells on a bar of soap. I’ve used a roll of toilet paper for a pillow. I’ve been crammed in a ten by twelve foot room with twenty men while the guards slowly did their job between telling hunting stories.

I’ve sharpened my pencils on the concrete floor and gone days with no paper or pencil because the CO (correctional officer) was too lazy to get one for me. I’ve seen “counselors” ignore inmates’ urgent requests for attorney calls.

I’ve strained to understand the guard’s unintelligible announcements over the scratchy PA system. I’ve swept the floor with a twenty year old broom that is two feet tall and has eleven straws left. I’ve brushed my teeth with the lousiest toothpaste on earth with a brush two-and-one-half inches long. I’ve been moved four times—always the day before commissary—and I arrive the day after commissary at the new location. I’ve seen scores of men sleep on the floor due to the tremendous overcrowding. I’ve tried to shave looking in the “mirror” that is a badly scratched cookie sheet bolted to the wall. I’ve worn the pink underwear because some idiot in the laundry washed it with the orange jump suits.

I’ve been fingerprinted six times and filled out the very same form seven times. I’ve watched as inmates try to plaster vents shut with wet toilet paper to keep the freezing-cold air out. I’ve heard the sickening mechanical, heartless thud over 1,000 times, as the heavy steel door locks to seal you in. I’ve seen miles of razor wire on acres of chain link fences. I’ve been moved hundreds of miles from my family for no reason, by a system that doesn’t care. I know full well the feeling of being hopelessly trapped in the belly of a great beast who really doesn’t worry about anyone in it. I know the long days and nights of yearning to hold my family in my arms.

But, I have seen men come humbly to God and grow in ways that are miraculous. Yes, I’ve earned a few badges this year and now I’m brother to about thirty million other Americans, plus countless others worldwide throughout the centuries, who have the same badge! I will use it to win souls. The badge feels good—because God does give grace for the test!

Kent
I Corinthians 4
I Corinthians 9
II Corinthians 11

From:    Kent Hovind
Sent:    August 16, 2007
To:    Joseph in Egypt 1780 ± BC
Subject:  Re: Discussions on Joseph’s Prison Sentence
(Genesis 39:7-20)

Knee-mail Always On, Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere!

Fees Accessed if not qualified for free access to knee-mail; see Isaiah 59:1-3; Matthew 21:22; and John 14:13-14 for details.

KH:    Hey Joseph! How are you doing?

Joe:    Well….from man’s perspective or God’s?

KH:    I’ll take God’s first.

Joe:    Everything is awesome! God is the Supreme Creator of everything. He is all powerful, all knowing, in all places and fortunately—all loving and just. He has never failed to keep His promises. I’m honored to be a child in His family. Everything is great!

KH:    Wow! I agree!! I can’t wait to go live with Him. Now, how about from man’s perspective?

Joe:    Oh! It looks hopeless! I was just thrown (literally) into prison on false charges. I’m in leg irons (Psalm 105:18) in a cold, damp dungeon (Genesis 41:14) with lots of other royal prisoners. They all lost their case in court. I don’t think anyone can win in Pharoah’s courts! The future for me looks bad—from man’s perspective.

KH:    I know exactly what you mean. Hey, how much time did they give you to serve?  When do you get out?

Joe:    What?  First of all, I don’t serve time; I serve God. Secondly, all the king’s sentences are for life. No one gets out of here alive unless the king himself decides it.

KH:    Have you explained how you were framed under false charges and put in an appeal?

Joe:    To Pharoah?  Are you kidding?  It would be a waste of time and money. I did put in my appeal to God. He can turn the heart of any pagan king (Proverbs 21:1).

God watched over my father, Jacob, my grandpa Isaac, and my great-grandfather, Abraham. I trust Him to turn all this to His glory like He always does.

KH:    Why did God let this happen to you?

Joe:    Oh, He doesn’t always tell me why, but He always does what is right.

KH:    Do they let you have a Bible to read while you are there?

Joe:    A what?

KH:    Never mind; it hasn’t all been written yet. It is God’s preserved Word telling how He created the world all the way to how it will end.

Joe:    I don’t know about how it will end, but my dad has the preserved sacred records (Romans 3:2) that covers from the creation story (Genesis 1:1) all the way up to my uncle Esau’s family tree (Genesis 36:43; also see Creation Seminar Part Seven, Question and Answers, “Who wrote Genesis?”)

KH:    Well, your story is in the finished book.

Joe:    My story! Why?  I’m just a regular guy who has been sold into slavery and ended up in prison. This has happened to thousands of other people. Why is my story in there?

KH:    I guess God likes to get the glory by fixing hopeless situations like yours. God must like the way you are trusting Him. Most of His children get angry and bitter at God when bad things happen to them.

Joe:    Why?  That won’t do any good. Hey, you said my story is in there. My dad was writing some things when I was sold into slavery. Is that going to be part of the sacred record (II Peter 1:21)?

KH:    Yes, it sure is (Genesis 37:2 – 49:32)!

Joe:    Wow! Does it tell how my current situation turns out?

KH:    Oh, it sure does!

Joe:    Well tell me, how long will I stay in prison?  Do I ever get my job back with Potiphar?  Will I get to see my ten half brothers again?  Do I get to see my brother Benjamin?  I miss him most of all. Do I get to see my dad again?  Is he even still alive?

KH:    I’m sorry, Joe, but knee-mail blocks answers to questions like that. All I can say is that God never fails or lies or abandons His children. You will fine, Joe, real fine! Trust Him!

Joe:    Okay. Hey Kent, so will you.

KH:    Thanks. Hey, how long have you known the Lord?

Joe:    Well, I was just a young child when my mother died giving birth to my brother Benjamin (Genesis 35:18-19); so I was basically raised by my three stepmothers. None of them really wanted me and they had lots of ways of showing their resentment as did my ten half brothers. I guess they all picked up their mothers’ attitudes. I soon learned to avoid them as much as I could and spend time by myself.

My Dad, Jacob, saw this and started to spend lots more personal time with me. He took me with him quite often and taught me the business side of the sheep ranching industry. He also taught me all about the things of God that he had learned from his dad and grandfather.

Dad even let me see and read the original clay tablets written by Adam, Noah, and the patriarchs. They have been passed down for centuries but perfectly preserved. They are now entrusted to Dad. I don’t know who gets them next. Maybe Reuben; he is the oldest.

The story of the creation and flood are proof that God is in control of the world and can handle a little guy like Pharoah or Potiphar.

KH:    So what are you doing?

Joe:    I read a lot and pray. I know this is all part of my training for God’s future service. My dad taught me that I’m a child of the King of Heaven. That makes me a prince! Princes must go through a lot of special training to be ready to work in the palace with the king.

He says that kings’ children must walk, talk, and act a lot differently than regular people. It is often a very long training program that they go through. It lasts for years with refresher courses that last for life.

My dad started training me, but my brothers were jealous and sold me into slavery (Genesis 37:27). When Potiphar bought me (Genesis 37:36), things got a lot better for a while. I was promoted to business manager of his large organization. God really blessed, and I learned a lot. More training!

Then my master’s wife tried to seduce me every day for weeks! I always said, “No” because I knew that God watches everything (Proverbs 15:3), and even this temptation was part of my training to serve in His court one day. God sends all kinds of subtle tests to prepare us.

KH:    I know. It is so cool! It’s sort of like the movie, “Karate Kid.”  The kid thought the master had enslaved him to sand the floor, but it was really training to fight the bully. The Karate Kid, Daniel, finally got the picture.

Joe:    What are you talking about?  My dungeon is way beyond “cool”; it’s cold. I understood that part just fine, but a “kid” is a baby goat. We don’t even let them on the floor and would never even try to train them to fight a bull! They wouldn’t stand a chance! Also, what is a “movie?”

KH:    Oh boy! I’m sorry. That would take a long time to explain all that. Let’s just say that sometimes things happen to us that we don’t like or understand, but God uses it all for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28).

Joe:    Now that I understand real well.

KH:    I’m going through a test in my prison right now as well. Satan keeps telling me that I’m finished, done, washed up. He says he is going to destroy me, my family, and the creation ministry.

Joe:    He’s a liar (John 8:44). Don’t listen to him. How is your prison?  Do you wear leg irons like us?  How long is your chain?  Do you have mean rats or can you train them?  How often do you get beatings from your mean guards?  Do you get one small meal of rotten food scraps every day at least?  The guys in here tell me that’s the way it is in all the prisons they have been to. Is it the same where you are?

KH:    Well….no. I’d be embarrassed to tell you about mine. It’s a lot different than yours! How do you keep a good attitude in there?

Joe:    I just keep looking at the bigger picture and trusting God to know what He is doing for my training. I’m pretty worried about Pharoah, though. I don’t think he realizes that he just locked up one of God’s children (Psalm 105:15)! I know God will step in and judge him when my training is over, so I pray that I will get a chance to tell him about God so he can repent before it is too late! Anyway, I keep a good spirit because I don’t focus on the prison or the problems but the promises of God. God made a lot of promises to my family.

My dad actually saw God and even wrestled with Him (Genesis 32:24-30). He told me the story hundreds of times. He still limps today from that experience. I don’t think his walk will ever be like it used to be.

My grandpa Isaac also met God. He personally heard Him speak and stop his dad from killing him (Genesis 22:11). I was only thirteen when grandpa Isaac died, but he must have told me that story a thousand times. I can still repeat it word for word. He also told me about all the times his dad, that’s my great-grandpa Abraham, met with God and heard Him speak (Genesis 12:1; 13:14; 14:18; 15:1-21; 17:1-22; 18:1-33; 22:1-18).

I wish my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great- grandpa Shem had lived a little longer so that I could have met him! My dad knew him. (See Longevity Chart in Seminar Notebook.)  Shem told my dad all about the world before the big Flood, life on the ark, the tower of Babel (Genesis 11) and how the earth was divided in the days of Peleg (Genesis 10:25). I loved hearing those stories!

God has a very special calling on my family. He has always provided for us even when there is a bad-looking situation like mine right now. I trust Him to fix it. Are you trusting Him to fix yours, Kent?

KH:    Well……it has been hard, but I’d say yes! I’m learning more and more each day how to lean on the everlasting arms.

Joe:    I guess all we both can do is wait on the Lord (Psalm 27:14) to step in and override these politicians. I’ll see you when we get to Heaven. Then you can explain why a kid would want to prepare to fight a bull on a sand floor. I really don’t get any of that.

KH:    Okay. I’ll see ya in Heaven and explain it all. Good night for now.

Joe:    Good night, Kent.

(Ref: Daniel chapter 6)

  Written May 22, 2007
(Written during my eight-day stay at the United States Penitentiary Maximum Security Holding Unit in Atlanta—one of the worst prisons in the system)

Dear God,

I hate to complain, but, I’m sitting in a den of lions! Thanks for closing their mouths and keeping me safe. Lord, I’ve been tested all my life. I was a teen when my country was destroyed and my family slain. I had to watch it all. Then, they made me a eunuch and destroyed my hope of having my own family. To top it off, I was dragged all the way to Babylon and made to work for the very people who did all this to us!

I’ve been faithful, Lord. In spite of everything, I’ve always prayed and read my Scroll. I’ve been bold for You. I have even witnessed to the king (Daniel 5) in spite of the fact that he has total power and a violent temper.

I heard how you protected my three friends from the fiery furnace while I was away on business, and I watched you protect me when Babylon fell to the Medes and the Persians (Daniel 5:28-31). Even when those evil men passed that dumb law about prayer (Daniel 6), I was faithful to pray to You (Daniel 6:11).

And now, I’m sitting in a den of lions at age ninety-three. Does the testing ever stop, Lord?  I am tired. Do I deserve a retirement yet?  I love You, Lord, and I trust You, but I don’t always understand You.

Thanks for the soft lion to lean on, Lord. At my age, that really helps. But Lord, I do have one last request before I go to sleep. Would you please make that frisky lion cub stop pulling off my socks?  I’m too old and tired to play today.

Thanks!
Daniel

From:    Kent Hovind
Sent:    August 10, 2007
To:    Elijah the Tishbite
Subject:      Re: Discussions on Elijah’s Proclamation for “No Rain” (I Kings 17:1-7)

Knee-mail Always On, Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere!

KH:    Hey Elijah, how are things going?

Elijah:    For me—real well; for the nation—not good at all. Which one do you want to hear about?

KH:    Well…let’s start with you. Where are you?

ET:    I’m camped out by the beautiful little Brook Cherith. It flows into the Jordan River (I Kings 17:5). The water is real clear and tastes wonderful. I have a beautiful campsite.

KH:    How long have you been “camping” there?

ET:    About two years now.

KH:    Why would you go camp by a brook for two years?

ET:    Our country, Israel, has a very wicked king named Ahab. His wife, Jezebel is even more wicked. They worship the false god, Baal. The real God, the God of Israel, told me to deliver a message to Ahab and then come here and wait for my next assignment; so here I am.

KH:    What message did you deliver?

ET:    I told him that I represented the Lord God of Israel and that it would not rain again until I said so (I Kings 17:1).

KH:    Wow! That was pretty bold! Did you know it would really work?

ET:    Actually…not for sure. I’m a man just like you, Kent (James 5:17), and I suffer from doubts and fears quite frequently. I felt sure God was telling me to deliver that message to Ahab, but I sure prayed fervently every day after that (James 5:16)! I confess I had doubts, especially at first. After a few months of no rain or dew, my confidence in God grew rapidly. It wasn’t like I felt I was special or that God worked for me now or anything like that. It’s just that I learned that if God tells you to deliver a message, just do it and trust Him. Faith “comes” in a slow trickle sometimes rather than a quick flood. The more you read His Word, the more your faith grows (Romans 10:17).

KH:    How did God speak to you?  How did you know God wanted you to deliver that message?  Did He actually talk out loud?

ET:    No. I wish He would! That would make it so much easier! He talks to me just like He talks to everyone, through His Word. I was just a regular Jew reading my Bible when I read Deuteronomy 11 where Moses was giving his final instructions to Israel. He told them of how God would bless them if they obeyed His Word (Deuteronomy 11:7-15). He said they would always get enough rain to have great crops and live a great life. He mentions rain specifically four times. Then the fifth time He mentioned rain, it was “no rain” (Deuteronomy 11:17) because of not obeying His Word by serving other gods.

I know Ahab had started worshiping Baal with his wicked wife (I Kings 16:31-33); so it seemed obvious God would honor His Word and stop the rain. It was weird, but I felt a small voice in me say, “I honor my Word, Elijah. Go tell the king it won’t rain.”

I was real scared; so I didn’t do it right away. I kept reading and came to Deuteronomy 28 where God said it again in verse 24. The same still small voice told me to go tell the king.

This time I had more faith; so off I went to see the king. I was still nervous, but I was also scared to not tell the king. It was obvious he wasn’t reading his own Bible to seek God’s face. He needed someone to tell him.

KH:    Do you consider yourself a prophet?

ET:    I don’t know about all that. I never went to Bible college or had anyone tell me I was “anointed” or “called.”  I’m just a regular guy who read his Bible and tries to put his faith into action. Since it hasn’t rained for two years, my faith has really grown! I’ve seen God honor His word, not my words.

KH:    Did the king believe you?

ET:    I don’t think so. He laughed at me and said Baal would provide rain. He had a lot of his preachers tell him to ignore me. They said I was crazy. I must admit, I still had some doubts. All of his prophets have been educated lots more than me. Many have doctor’s degrees and all that. They told Ahab that God really didn’t say that stuff about rain “in the original language.”  They said they read the original “Paleo-Hebrew” and it meant something else. I don’t read Paleo-Hebrew, but I know God promised to preserve His Word for all generations (Psalm 12:6-7; 119:89), so I figured my authorized version was “preserved” and I could trust it. So far, it has worked out exactly as He said.

KH:    How are you eating?  Do you have a job there by the brook?

ET:    No job, no money, no supporters, no visitors, no friends, no credit, and no stores anywhere around here. I don’t even have an orchard, vineyard, or garden. If I told you how God provides for me, you wouldn’t believe me!

KH:    Try me. I might.

ET:    Every morning and evening a raven flies in with fresh bread and meat. Sometimes several come. I don’t even know where it comes from, but it is always great and exactly enough.

KH:    You are right, Elijah, that’s hard to believe. The raven is one of the greediest birds on earth. They don’t share anything—especially food!

ET:    I know, I can’t believe it myself, but it happens every day. I wish they would bring enough for a few weeks at a time, but there seems to be something about “daily bread” (Exodus 16, Matthew 4:4; 6:11; Luke 11:3). I think God likes it when we have to trust Him every day.

He also seems to wait until the last minute to provide as well. I read where Moses was in a hopeless situation and God opened a way across the Red Sea (Exodus 14:13-16). He did it at the last minute for Moses and He does it for me. Just when I start to feel hungry, here comes food right out of the sky! It’s weird, but it works. God told me the ravens would feed me (I Kings 17:4) but I secretly still had doubts. Now, after seeing it every day for two years, it gets easier to trust God every day.

KH:    Does Ahab believe you now?

ET:    I don’t know for sure; since I haven’t seen him or anyone else for two years. I’m sure he has noticed that it hasn’t rained! I would bet his false prophets have given him some lie to believe in. God told me to hide from him (I Kings 17:3); so I did.

KH:    What do you do all day?

ET:    I have all my physical needs met by God every day (Philippians 4:19), so I spend time reading my Bible, praising Him and enjoying His creation. This campground is awesome! I feel like God is using this experience to completely rebuild my ox cart! As I read His Word and lots of other good books, I see more and more areas in my life that need fixed. I’m a mess!

KH:    I know exactly what you mean. I feel like I’m being beaten up every day where I am too. I’ve read books and heard sermons that cut right to my heart. If all this cutting, grinding, soaking, and squeezing means anything, I would say God is overhauling my motor as well. I’m being blueprinted, balanced, bored, and stroked! I’ll be high horsepower when He gets done!

ET:    What are earth are you talking about?

KH:    I’m sorry. I forgot. You don’t have internal combustion engines yet.

ET:    Internal what?

KH:    Never mind. I’ll just agree that God seems to “rebuild” us once in a while. Do you know what God is preparing you for?

ET:    I have no idea. I just take one day at a time.

KH:    Me too. I wish I knew what was coming and how long this rebuilding would last!

ET:    So do I! I miss my family most of all! God sent me here so here; I sit. The brook is starting to dry up a little, so I have a feeling God is getting ready to do something.

KH:    I read your story in the Bible and you won’t believe all God is going to do with you (I Kings 17 – II Kings 2)!

ET:    My story is in the Bible?   I never saw it.

KH:    You don’t have the finished version yet. Just trust me, it’s real good! God is always looking for a man that will let him be used to glorify Him (II Chronicles 16:9).

ET:    But I’m just a regular guy who believes God’s Word.

KH:    I know, me too. I guess they are rare on earth these days.

ET:    What do you mean “these days?”  Who is king now where you are?  What year is it?

KH:    Sorry, but I can’t tell you that. Plus, you probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you. All I can say is, keep reading your Bible and listening to that “still small voice” (I Kings 19:12). Everything will turn out fine (Romans 8:28).

ET:    I think so too. It took God forty years to rebuild the Egyptian-trained Moses into what he became. I hope your oxen can pull your internal whatever-you-called-it when God gets done with you.

KH:    Ah…I’m sure the oxen will have no problem. I’ll write you later.

ET:    Okay. I’ll be here, I think.