From: Kent Hovind
Sent: July 13, 2008
To: Simon the Cyrenian
Subject: Unexpected Circumstances
First Read: Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26
Simon the Cyrenian (SC): Hey, Kent, God asked me to knee-mail you to help you learn something today.
Kent (KH): Hey, Simon. I’m always up for learning things. Especially today, the two-year anniversary of my arrest. I read about you in the Bible. You carried Jesus’ cross, didn’t you?
SC: Yes, but there is a lot more to the story than you realize.
KH: I’d love to hear it.
SC: Well, as you can see, I’m black. I’m from North Africa. For several years, I had been asking God to show me how to know His will and how to go to heaven (James 1:5). Nobody in my country served the true God. We were all brought up in our pagan ways and worshiped many gods. I knew there must be truth out there somewhere, but I couldn’t find it. God answered my prayer in a way you would never believe!
KH: Please tell me about it.
SC: Well, I went to Jerusalem on a business trip many years ago. I took my two boys with me. From the moment we arrived, we could tell that the whole city seemed to be stirred up about something important that was happening. We had no idea what it was. Suddenly I saw a man carrying a cross down the street right toward us. He had been beaten beyond recognition. He was being followed by a huge crowd of people. Some were laughing and jeering at him and others were crying. He was surrounded by Roman soldiers. They had pulled out his beard (Isaiah 50:6) and beaten a crown of thorns down on his head. It was awful! The soldiers were calling him a king and mocking him. He was a bloody mess. It was hard to tell that he was even a man (Isaiah 52:14).
KH: So what did you do?
SC: They were coming at us, so I stepped back into a doorway with my sons as they got close. I guess the soldiers thought that Jesus, the guy carrying the cross, was going too slow to please them—so one of them grabbed me (Luke 23:26) and ordered me (Mark 15:21) to carry his cross for him.
KH: Did he stumble or something? I heard that he fell down under the weight of the cross.
SC: I never saw him stumble or fall. Who told you that?
KH: Oh, never mind. There is a huge church organization I used to go to that adds all sort of things to the Bible stories. I should know to check out anything they say about the Bible. Go ahead with the story.
SC: Anyway, that Roman soldier made me carry that blood-soaked cross. It was awful! I had no idea who this Jesus guy was. All I knew was that his blood was getting all over my business suit and that rough wood was tearing holes in it as I dragged the cross down that bumpy street. I didn’t say anything because Romans are not the guys to argue with!
KH: That’s what I’ve heard too. So, what happened next?
SC: Well, there was a huge crowd following me (Luke 23:27) and Jesus turned to preach to them (Luke 23:28-31)! I couldn’t believe it! He was beaten and bleeding all over the street and headed to die, but he seemed more concerned about his followers! Wow! Some of the people in the crowd were calling him the Messiah. I wondered if God was answering my prayer. I had read some of the Hebrew Scriptures and knew they were expecting a Messiah (Isaiah 9:6-7). I guess I didn’t understand that He would have to die first (Isaiah 53). I carried the cross out to where he was to be crucified on the northwest side of the city. My boys, Rufus and Alexander, were with me. We sat down and watched them nail his hands and feet to the cross and then drop it into the hole with a sickening thud. It was awful! I now know that he had to be wounded for my transgressions (Isaiah 53:5), but at the time I was in shock.
KH: How did it affect your boys?
SC: They were shocked as well. We all became believers that day. It caused all of us to really search the Scriptures. We went on and served God for the rest of our lives (Romans 16:13).
KH: Why did God send you to tell me this?
SC: Boy, you are a little slow! Don’t you see? I was just passing by (Mark 15:21) minding my own business and trying to seek God’s will when government officials grabbed me (Luke 23:26) and forced me to go places I didn’t want to go to and see things I never would have seen otherwise. Even though the experience was traumatizing in many ways. It brought us all closer to God and caused my boys to dedicate themselves to serve God. It looked like a tragedy, but God worked it out for good (Romans 8:28).
KH: He always does, for those who love Him.
SC: He’s doing that for you right now. God also told me to remind you that He’s got everything under control and that He’s got your back.
KH: Thanks!
Dr. Kent E. Hovind is currently at the Edgefield Federal Correctional Institution in South Carolina.
Please send postcards and letters to:
Kent E. Hovind #06452-017
FPC Edgefield D-2
P.O. BOX 725
Edgefield, SC. 29824 USA
Feel free to send Dr. Hovind a letter or postcard. Please understand he is not able to answer every letter he receives, but he certainly appreciates any support and encouragement. He can also receive new books, but only directly from bookstores. And no hardcover books are allowed. No DVDs, CDs, or anything hard or sharp such as staples, etc (no tracts with staples in them). Do not send more than one tract at a time, as all gifts containing more than one tract will not be allowed. Do not put “Dr.” on his name, or it may be discarded by the guards. They do not always return postal items that are not delivered to inmates, so you may want to save a copy before mailing, so that you might try again in the event that he was recently moved for example.
http://www.bop.gov/inmate_programs/visiting.jsp
Please write with the understanding that whatever you write could be subject to monitoring by the guards. Please do not write politically-charged or tax-related comments, etc. In the event that Dr. Hovind is moved to another facility, one can always check for Dr. Hovind’s current address by using the Inmate Locator on the Bureau of Prisons website:
http://www.bop.gov/
From the CSE team,
Thank you for your continued support.
It is so true, that the Lord can put us through some very unexpected situations. But, we know that His plans are to help us, and not harm us; to give us a hope and a future! (Jer.29:11-13) We just have to KEEP searching for His plans for our life with our whole heart and move by His Spirit – Sometimes in places and situations we would not imagine to put ourselves. We are remaining in prayer for your situation and praise the Lord for your witness and that of Eric who was here for a seminar just recently. May God continue to guide and use us as we determine to stay pliable in His hands and open to His direction. Kent, Thank you for your witness to us out here and to those whose lives you touch inside the walls. May He grant you release soon to rejoin your family. Thanks again and May God continue to bless you and yours.
Jim Tucci
Time goes so quickly! I can’t believe it has gone two years. WHAT A BLESSING!
I’m not nut’s. But I truly believe that this is a blessing from the Lord. Just think! What an oppertunity to reach people for the Lord, whom probably elsewise never would have an chance to hear of the Lord. And what an even greater blessing it is that Kent is being moved around to different facilities. That way he has the oppertunety to wittness to so many more people. I truely believe that Kent is where God want’s him to be.
God doesn’t give us want we wan’t, but we can be sure that He will give us what we NEED. And the good Lord never sends a trail that we can not handle, He never let us go thruogh things unless He send us the strength to persevere it.
My prayers are with Kent and his family, I believe this to be harder on his family then it is for Kent him self.
Go strong in the Lord!
Jenjen
Hi Kent,
Hope you are well, thought of you a lot on remembrance day.
Greeting Kent,
I was recently asked by the headmaster of my kids’ homeschooler association to be a guest speaker for one of the sections in an apologetics course. The section dealt with biology and the viewpoints from various worldviews.
This was the first time I’ve ever spoken in front of a group of people, let alone “instructed” a gathering of students.
I had printed off the definitions of science & religion and shared that of the 6 “types” of evolution claimed to be fact, the first 5 are never observed, thus not science but instead are belief systems or “religions”.
I can’t begin to tell you how much I’d rather have had YOU in front of the students instead of me, but alas, there should be thousands of Creation Science instructors out in the world. We must take the mantle and run with it.
Back to work later that morning, I was debating yet again with my Roman Catholic defender of ancient earth, evolution & modern medicine co-worker. Sheesh.
It never ceases to amaze me that the default belief of SOOO many “Christians” is that they will dis-believe Genesis (and the Bible) until proven true in their minds, when the default belief of any Christian should be to BELIEVE Genesis (and the Bible) until proven false.
I would love to come visit you in your bonds, but as I read of Henry Thoreau in Civil Disobedience, I would have to conclude that you are more free than the automatons of society that placed you in prison. Still, I would love to share with you how much you & your ministry have blessed me.
Sincerely,
Bill
Just want to say G-d Bless you Dr. Hovind.
Please please never stop believing that the LORD, HE IS KING over EVERYTHING! It looks
like it is really awful and you are suffering I know, but I believe that you are going to
have a bigger mansion than most of us when time comes to an end. Your present suffering
is not even going to be remembered. 2Cr 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory;
Kent I will pray for your sides and your heart. Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A M E N
Hello Brother Kent Hovind,
I’ve not read comments on CSE blog for a while due to certain circumstances.
The Lord be praised that I can check the ones I missed & still leave my comment.
Hopefully someday, if the Lord wills you will still read them or it will be a blessing to someone the Lord will lead to read later in future.
How true the connection between what is happening to you now & Joseph of Arimathea.
Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
This situation has worked together for your good for the word of God is sure. I pray that we will continually see how it is working & has worked together for good.
Remain joyous in the Lord beloved brother Kent Hoving. James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations
Sade Tennyson.