Warning…some of the material below is of a graphic nature.

David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam), Jeffrey Dahmer, Karla Faye Tucker, Ted Bundy, Susan Atkins (a member of the Manson family) & Charles “Tex” Watson (another member of the Manson family). These are some of the worst serial killers in recent American history. Most people would say that you have nothing in common with them. The acts they committed were horrible. They deprived people of their lives in a most gruesome way. They deprived other family and friends of a loved one. They deserved what they got.

David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam)…in 1976 and 1977, he killed 6 people and wounded seven others as he randomly shot people in New York city. He left one person a paraplegic and another one blind. He killed women with long brown hair. Women cut, bleached or tied back their hair so they wouldn’t look like his victims. He was caught in 1977 and sentenced in 1978 to 300 years in prison.

Jeffrey Dahmer…from 1978 to 1991, he killed 17 young men in Wisconsin and Ohio. He lured young men into his apartment under false premises. His crimes included rape, dismemberment, cannibalism, necrophilia and of course, murder. He kept many of their body parts in his freezer. In 1992, he was sentenced to 15 life sentences. In 1994, he was beat to death by another inmate.

Karla Faye Tucker…in 1983, she broke int a friend’s apartment with her then-boyfriend, to rob him. In the break-in, she killed her friend and his girlfriend with a pickaxe. On drugs since the age of 8, she claimed that she had an orgasm each of the 20 times she axed her friend. She was sentenced to death in 1984 and finally executed in 1998.\

     Ted Bundy…He grew up in a wonderful home with a loving family. When he was 13 years old, he discovered pornography in a dump near his home. In time, he became more and more addicted to them, especially in the more violent images. While he takes full responsibility for his actions, the pornography did provide an atmosphere for addiction and, later, living out that addiction. A former law student, alcohol use reduced his inhibitions and pornography further eroded them.  Between 1974 and 1978, he admitted to raping, bludgeoning, strangling, engaging in necrophilia and then murdering 36 women and girls across the USA, and maybe more. He was electrocuted in 1989 in Florida.

Susan Atkins…in 1969, the then 21 year old, participated in seven brutal murders in Los Angeles over two days with other Charles Manson family members. They became known as the Tate-LaBianca murders. Atkins held down a very pregnant Sharon Tate (the wife of director Roman Polanski) as she stabbed her 16 times even though Sharon begged her to spare her baby. Four other houseguests were killed also, including Abigail Folger (of Folger’s coffee). The next night, they killed grocery store owners, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, an elderly couple. Atkins was also convicted in an earlier killing of the music teacher, Gary Hinman. She was convicted in 1969 and was sentenced in 1971 to spent the rest of her life in prison. She died of brain cancer in 2009.

Charles “Tex” Watson…another Charles Manson family member who lead the family members in the same murders as Susan Atkins. He was an “A” student in his Copeville, Texas high school, a youth group leader and an honor role student. He went to college and got into partying and alcohol. He went to visit a friend in Los Angeles and got into the hippy, drug culture. His life changed when he picked up a hitchhiker, Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. He eventually moved into Dennis’ mansion and began mingling with rock musicians, actors, Hollywood producers, children of stars and Charles Manson and his “family of love”. Dennis Wilson began to pull away from some of these people when reports of child sexual abuse surfaced.  Eventually, Watson moved in with the Manson family at Spahn Ranch. When Manson gave them orders to go and kill 7 people, they went. Watson shot 18 year old Steven Parent 4 times and shot Frykowski twice, killing both. They scrawled “Pig” on the front door in their victims blood before leaving. The following night, they killed the LaBianca’s. In 1971, he was convicted and given the death penalty. When California abolished the death penalty in 1972, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

But there is one thing that I do have in common with these brutal murderers. They, like I, have accepted the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
All I have to go on is their word and the life they have lived since they have been behind bars. While some of them have since died, most are still alive and in prison. Here’s what some of them have said and done:

David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam)…Ten years into his sentence, a fellow inmate urged him, a Jew, to read the Psalms. David resonated with the anguish and depression that King David experienced. One night, in 1987,  while he was reading Psalm 34:6, which says “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles”, the Holy Spirit descended on him and he said, “I got down on my bunk, like a little kid in the dark.” He recalls, “I said, ‘Jesus, God, I don’t know who you are, I don’t know if You have any interest in me. I don’t know if You hate me or what, but I just want you to know how sorry I am for the things that I’ve done wrong, how I hurt people, how I hurt my family’. I just cried and cried.” He said, “When I got up it felt as if a very heavy but invisible chain that had been around me for so many years was broken”. He then started going to chapel. He’s now 66 and is a Messianic Jew (a Jewish person who believes in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah). Steve Nash, a Wesleyan pastor in New Jersey, has visited Berkowitz for the last 25 years. He says other inmates call him “pastor”. He works for the Prison Chaplain, cleaning the room before worship services. He releases videos thru an independent website, talking about his testimony. He counsels young people thru letters and also counsels other inmates. He goes to his parole hearings only to apologize and take responsibility. He won’t ask anyone to advocate on his behalf at parole hearings.  But he does look forward to the rest of his life, not behind. He says that “The Lord has taken all my sins and thrown them into the depths of the sea, never to be remembered anymore, so why should I go fishing them up again. You can ask for forgiveness and do as much as you can to try to have reconciliation. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. But the Lord wants us going forward with thankful hearts, you know. I feel I have a thankful heart because God has had mercy on me. My situation could be a lot worse.”

Jeffrey Dahmer…Curt Booth, an Oklahoma believer, saw an interview with Dahmer. He felt lead by God to send him a bible study course. Weeks later, Dahmer had completed the course and sent the answers back, indicating that he had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior.Curt got in touch with a Christian chaplain that lived closer to where Dahmer was incarcerated. Roy Ratcliff, a local pastor, set up weekly bible study meetings with Dahmer. He baptized Dahmer in May, 1994. Another believer, David Hartman, wrote to congratulate Dahmer on his baptism. Dahmer sent David $5 worth of stamps asking him to send 25 copies of the bible correspondence course so he could pass them out to other inmates. Dahmer said his religious education taught him that the “lie of evolution” was the root of evil since it denies the presence of an all-powerful, all-seeing God. In an interview with MSNBC reporter Stone Phillips he posed the question: “If a person doesn’t think there is a God to be accountable to, then—then what’s the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep it within acceptable ranges?” On November 28, 1994, a fellow inmate beat Dahmer to death.

Karla Faye Tucker…in 1984, a former druggie, Karen Gill of the Family Life Training Center, spoke at Karla’s prison. After hearing her incredible testimony, Karla walked forward to receive Jesus Christ as her Savior.Up until her execution in 1998, she worker with fellow prisoners leading them to Jesus and discipling them in their newfound faith. She apologized to the families of those people that she had killed.

Ted Bundy… A new Florida state attorney, John Tanner, had met with Bundy about 50 times during his incarceration and lead him to the Lord. Ted Bundy’s last dinner included a communion with Tanner and his wife. Bundy was remorseful for what he did. In the last few months of his life, he was working with the police to remember all the murders and where he had buried the bodies. While remorseful, he doesn’t expect the victims families and friends to forgive him. He says that kind of forgiveness only comes from God. His only interview was with Dr. James Dobson, an evangelical Christian author and psychologist.

Susan Atkins…
In 1974, she had a vision of Jesus in her cell and became a born-again Christian.She went on to write the book “Child of Satan, Child of God” about her salvation testimony. She then devoted herself to bible studies and chapel services. She prayed with other inmates and even some guards. She started an online newsletter that spoke of God’s forgiveness, love and hope. By all accounts, she became a model prisoner, ministering to many people. Even the family members of the people she killed said so and praised her efforts behind bars. She passed away in 2009 of brain cancer.

Charles “Tex” Watson…
In 1975, Christ became real to him in prison. A lady in the visiting room, clergy from the outside and other inmates who were believers, shared Christ with him. They told of a God who had forgiven all of his sins, no matter how grievous they were. A God who loved Charles so much that He died for him and could fill him with love, peace, assurance and give his life meaning. Immediately, Charles began sharing this Good News with other prisoners. He dove into bible study. In 1978, he co-authored the book “Will You Die for Me?”.  In 1980, he began Abounding Love Ministries. In 1981, he became an ordained minister. In 1997, a website was started for him called Abiding Love. He also wrote another book, called “Manson’s Right Hand Man Speaks Out”. In 2009, he completed a B.S. degree in Business Management.
He spends his time ministering to other prisoners and contributing to his website. By all accounts, he is a model prisoner. Thru his books and website, he is ministering to thousands of people worldwide.
He feels great remorse for all the pain and suffering he has caused the families and friends of the people he killed. He hates what he did. He hates having to be the person that committed crimes that were so hideous. The LaBianca’s daughter has forgiven him and supports his ministry.

Can you accept these former killers as brothers and sisters in the Lord? As believers, we don’t have a choice. Jesus said that if we don’t forgive them, He won’t forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15).  Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” Isaiah 59:1 says that the Lord’s arm is not too short to save anyone. No one is beyond His reach.

Remember, forgiveness is not an emotion. It’s an act of your will. We can forgive someone even if we don’t “feel” like it. I rejoice that these former killers have repented and received Jesus as their Savior. His Spirit will give new life to any one who asks Him to.

Is there someone in your life that you cannot forgive? Or that you don’t think would ever accept Christ? Maybe you shouldn’t live your life by your “feelings”? If God lays that person on your heart, forgive them and pray for them. Eventually, your feelings will follow your will to forgive them.

References:

Karla Faye Tucker:
https://poptop.hypermart.net/testkft.html
https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/chris-watts-christian-david-berkowitz-religion

Jeffrey Dahmer:
https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/chris-watts-christian-david-berkowitz-religion
https://christianchronicle.org/did-jailhouse-religion-save-jeffrey-dahmer/

David Berkowitz:
https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/chris-watts-christian-david-berkowitz-religion
World Magazine, 2/15/20, Volume 35, Number 3

Ted Bundy:
https://pureintimacy.org/fatal-addiction-ted-bundys-final-interview/
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-01-27-8901270405-story.html

Susan Atkins:
https://www.ariseandshine.org/september-2009/susan-is-dead
https://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/25/california.manson.atkins/index.html

Charles “Tex” Watson:
http://www.aboundinglove.org/main/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/tex-watson
https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/07/tex-watson-today-now/

Because of Christ,
Dave Maynard

     One #criticism of Christians is that we’re #harsh and #judgmental when speaking with non-Christians. Is this true?

     I’m sure there are some believers who are like this. But consider the following:
– What do non-Christians mean that we’re harsh and judgmental?
– Do they mean you have be Mr. Nice Guy even when confronted with terrible evil?
– Do they mean you have to agree with them?
– Do they mean we have to legally support their right even if we disagree with it?
– Do they mean that no one can be offended by what we say?
– Do we have to remain cool, calm and unemotional when discussing controversial subjects?

     It’s no surprise that people may disagree with Christians on certain issues. But when they are passionate about their beliefs while expecting us to be cool, calm and collected about ours, that’s #hypocritical. If we’ve been civil and polite, don’t let them tell you otherwise. If they feel offended by our views, that’s their problem, not ours. Be able to support your viewpoint without losing your temper. If it’s an online exchange, be civil and polite but firm in your convictions. If they accuse you of being judgmental, point out that they’re doing the exact same thing by judging you. You don’t have to accept their opinion as a fact.

     Some believers feel if we offend someone, we’re not speaking the truth in love. Why are they focusing on the “in love” part while ignoring the “truth” part? Sometimes the truth hurts and sometimes it offends people. We should never let the “in love” part stop us from telling the “truth” part. Please understand, I’m not saying it’s OK to be obnoxious. But there were times when Jesus was mad and even called people names. Ephesians 4:26 says, “In your anger do not sin”. So yes, we can be angry about something evil or someone that’s done evil. But there are guidelines that the bible gives that we should follow so that justice can be served without falling into sin. That is why we’re commanded to “love your neighbors as yourself (Mark 12:31). Jesus reserved His name-calling for those who twisted the scripture to suit their own religious/political agenda. This is a fine line for us Christians to walk but walk it we must.

The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were the religious leaders of Israel, but they were also the political leaders. Rome let them rule and only interfered when collecting taxes and applying the death penalty. All other religious and political rules were up to these “leaders”. All of Matthew 23 has Jesus addressing these “leaders”. It’s in this chapter that He calls them “blind guides”, “a brood of vipers”, “hypocrites”, “blind fools”, “whitewashed tombs” and a slew of other names. Yes, Jesus called these people names. He even accused them of murdering the Old Testament prophets that God has sent to correct the ungodly path that these “leaders” had lead Israel down. Somehow, I can’t imagine that the Old Testament prophets were “nice, inoffensive guys that everyone liked” (1^st Kings 22:13-28).

     There is such a thing as righteous anger and Jesus displayed it at times. If we want to be more like Jesus, shouldn’t that include this aspect of His character also? Many of the Old Testament prophets railed against Israel for sinning against God. Should we be different? God has called believers to be watchmen-on-the-wall (Ezekiel 33). God has harsh words for watchmen who don’t do their job (Ezekiel 33: 4-6). Like the Old Testament prophets warning Israel that they were sinning against God, shouldn’t we be warning people when America turns against God when they enact ungodly laws, politicians or by their actions? We aren’t being faithful to God when we are speaking “in love” but not the “truth”. But our anger should not control us long. We shouldn’t live there and we should always be forgiving toward the person who wronged us. We don’t want a ‘root of bitterness’ to grow inside of us (Hebrews 12:15). Maybe we should wait awhile to consider how we react to something (James 1:19-20).
I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world than stand with the world and be judged by God. We shouldn’t be pressured into silence because we might offend someone. The gospel is offensive (1^st Corinthians 1:18).

     Finally, what does the bible mean when it says to #“Speak the truth in love”? It doesn’t mean to always be ‘Mr. Nice, Inoffensive Guy’. It is love that causes a person to flag down passing cars that the bridge ahead is out. Some people see this as a nuisance and drive right by that person. You may never know how you affected that person. Maybe he just wrote you off as a religious fanatic. Maybe God used what you said to him years later, right before he accepted Jesus as his Savior. This happened to me. I had ridiculed my college roommate’s faith several times. But years later, when I accepted Jesus into my life, God reminded me of some of the things that he has said to me. My old college roommate planted and watered the seed that eventually grow into faith in Jesus. Unfortunately, he never knew of my decision to accept Christ. I’m sure he’ll know about it in heaven.

We may be despised and ridiculed by the world for what we believe in, but what sweet words Jesus will say to us when we meet Him, “Well done good and faithful servant…” (Matthew 25:21).
     But some people will not listen to you no matter how nicely you witness to them. Jeremiah spoke against the evils of his day. He was sawn in half because he kept doing what God had called him to do.

Web References:
https://www.compellingtruth.org/Jesus-angry.html
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/the-lord-s-anger-4-times-jesus-did-not-turn-the-other-cheek.html
https://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/bible-answers/theology/righteousanger.html

In Christ,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com

Proverbs 17:22….Laughter is good medicine: My husband says I feed him like he’s a god….every meal is a burnt offering—-Rhonda Hansome

Did you know that 75% of statistics are made up? Think about that statement for a minute. Mark Twain once said, “There are lies, there are damn lies and then there are statistics”. You can manipulate people’s statements about things by asking them leading questions (a question that points to only one answer)…like “Are you still beating your wife?” WOW! You cannot answer that question with a simple yes or no.

Example: all of my adult life I have heard the divorce rate is about 50%. What a crock! This figure is arrived at by taking the number of marriages in one year (say 100 for ease of argument) and comparing them to the number of divorces in that same year (say 50). 50/100 = 50% The BIG, BIG, BIG problem is that you’re not accounting for people who have been married several times. In the mid 1990’s, some sharp sociologist noticed this. At the same time, a landmark study of human sexuality was released. This report used modern polling techniques on the general public for the 1st time ever. Yes, you read that right! Up until the mid 1990’s, any survey on human sexuality or marriage/divorce was NOT done using modern polling techniques.The Sex In America report went out into the general public and asked couples if they had ever been divorced (among many other questions about their sexuality). About 3 out of 4 couples had NEVER been divorced. So the ‘real’ divorce rate is about 20-25%, although it has been trending upward in the last few years. Why this discrepancy? The ‘real’ divorce rate takes into account that many divorced people have been divorced several times. Think Elizabeth Taylor. She was married 8 times and divorced 7 (one husband died). The 50% divorce statistic doesn’t take that into account. As is commonly known, 2nd marriages have a higher divorce rate than 1st marriages. Read www.afajournal.org/recent-issues/2015/january/the-real-threat-to-marriage/. A good book is “The Good News about Marriage: Debunking Myths about Marriage and Divorce” by Shaunti Feldhahn & Tally Whitehead. But there are other reasons that the 50% divorce statistic is wrong. Read www.divorcesource.com/ds/main/u-s-divorce-rates-and-statistics-1037.shtml .

Another example is the oft-quoted ‘10% of Americans are gay’ figure. This came from the 1948 Kinsey report. Unfortunately, Kinsey loaded his sampling with a lot of prisoners & prostitutes. Dr. Judith Reisman was the first to point this out in the early 1990’s. Its incredible that our academic elite NEVER noticed this. Read www.williamsinstitute.law.UCLA.edu/press/how-many-gay-people-are-therer-in -america-nope-youre-wrong/. The Williams Institute is a gay/lesbian think tank…hardly an unbiased group. Their findings: 1.7% are gay/lesbian.

So be careful whenever you hear statistics, especially when they don’t sound right. If you know of any other statistic that is not accurate, let me know. Thanks!

For His Kingdom, Dave Maynard
BSSSB-LLC.com/bible-studies-blog-some-things-considered/

     Dan and I have breakfast together often. We’ve both been married about 40 years. One time we were just laughing about some of the things that took us years to learn about our wives. Like when your wife talks to you about a problem she’s facing. You offer her some GREAT advice. Instead of graciously and willingly accepting your ‘pearls of wisdom’, she pushes back at you, and you cannot figure out why she’s not accepting your wise counsel.
I mean, she came to you for advice and now she’s not taking it.  An argument ensues.

     It took us years to learn that our spouses didn’t want to be “fixed”. They just wanted to invite us into their process of solving their problem themselves. What they saw as something intimate, we saw as a problem to be fixed. All we guys had to do is listen to them, offer some words of encouragement, and hug them at the end. That’s it….nothing more! No figuring out how to solve their problem.
Why did it take Dan and I, like 10 years, to figure this out? Our wives are capable of figuring it out themselves. They just wanted us to walk with them on their journey of self-discovery. How intimate and awesome is that!

This is the type of thing that Dan and I would laugh about. Then it hit us! What if we could share it with couples about to be married? It may save them years of frustrations. So we went to our pastor with it and… Lo and Behold…we and our wives wound up teaching the pre-marital class at our church. While we did use prepared material, we were able to intersperse our own “nuggets of wisdom” to them throughout the course.
The 8 sessions class went so well, that these couples want to get together about 6 months after they’re married just to see how they’re all doing. And we “old folks” (Dan and I and our wives) were invited too! I think we’ll teach the class next year.

It’s interesting to see how God works in peoples lives and who He chooses to do that work, as long as we’re available to be used by Him. It’s also very interesting to see how He can take our past failures and struggles and use them for His glory.
Has He worked this way in your life? Are there any past struggles that He has used in your life to bless someone else? Please share them with me!

For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
http://BSSSB-LLC.com

     I have an idea….let’s do some math right now! What rapturous joy must be coursing thru your veins right now. Do you know that math can be used to prove that the #Bible comes from God? The math we’re going to use is the probability of fulfilled biblical #prophecy. But first, I have to teach you about exponents. Oh, stop complaining, it’ll be easy.

The number 10 can be expressed exponentially as 10¹ or 10 to the 1^st power or the number 1 followed by 1 zero.
The number 100 can be expressed as 10 x 10 or 10¹ x 10¹ = 10¹⁺¹ = 10² o 10 squared or the number 1 followed by 2 zero’s.
The number 1,000 can be expressed by 10 x 10 x 10 or 10¹ x 10¹ x 10¹ = 10¹⁺¹⁺¹ = 10³ or 10 cubed or the number 1 followed by 3 zero’s.
The number 1,000,000 (one million) can be expressed by 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 or 10¹ x 10¹  x 10¹  x 10¹  x 10¹  x 10¹  = 10^1+1+1+1+1+1 = 10⁶ or the number 1 followed by 6 zero’s.
The number 1,000,000,000 (one billion) is written as 10⁹ or the number 1 followed by 9 zero’s.
The number 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) is written as 10¹² or the number 1 followed by 12 zero’s (the whole US gov’t takes in less than 3 trillion dollars in tax money each year).

     So if you have 1 chance in 100 of winning something, you have 1 chance in 10².
If you have 1 chance in a million of winning, you have 1 chance in 10⁶.
If you have 1 chance in a billion of winning the lottery (which only one lottery has gotten this big before), you have 1 chance in 10⁹ of winning.

Great! Now you’re an expert in exponents.

     Now I want to introduce you to two men:
#Peter Stoner…M.S. degree, Department chairman of Mathematics & Astronomy at Pasadena City College until 1953 & Chairmen of the Science division of Westmont College from 1953-1957.
Dr. Robert C. Newman…Phd. in Astro-Physics, Cornell University 1967, post-doctoral fellow at the Bartol Research Foundation of the Franklin Institute and assosciate professor in Physics and Mathematics at Shelton College, both from 1968-1971,  S.T.M., Biblical School of Theology, 1972; Associate professor of New Testament, Biblical School of Theology, 1971-retirement.

     In 1944, Professor Stoner gave 600 of his students the task of finding the chance that one person could fulfill just 8 of the Old Testament prophecies of a coming #messiah. They came up with 1 chance in 10¹⁷. That’s 1 chance in one hundred quadrillion. To illustrate this, take 10¹⁷ silver dollars and put them all over Texas. They would fill all of Texas and be 2 feet high. Mark one of them and throw it randomly into the bunch. Blindfold a person and have them pick out one silver dollar. Would you bet they would pick out the marked one? Not very likely, is it?

     Scientists have defined the chance of something NEVER happening (impossible) as if it has less than 1 chance in 10⁵³. If you don’t have 1 chance in 10⁵³ of it happening, it’ll NEVER happen. Remember 10⁵⁴ is 10 times impossible.

     What if we picked 48 Old Testament messianic prophecies? The chance of one person fulfilling 48 of these prophecies turns out to be 1 chance in 10¹⁵⁷.WOW! This number is incomprehensible. If you could count 250 numbers per minute, it would take you almost 7 TRILLION years to reach this number.

     What about all the other prophecies in the Bible. It’s been said that there are about 700 total prophecies in the Bible with about 500 of them already being fulfilled. No one that I know of has calculated what the probability of them being fulfilled by chance is but I can bet it’s ridiculously past zero.

     In the regard of fulfilling prophecies, the Bible in unlike any other book in existence. With this kind of mathematical proof, don’t you think you can trust God with your life?
Write and tell me what you think of all this.

Website…http://sciencespeaks.dstoner.net/

For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://BSSSB-LLC.com

If I told you that my whole life had been changed by a run-in with an auto assembly line worker, you wouldn’t believe me.  If I told you I’d known several people who had the same experience, you’d wonder what we’d been smoking.  In our technologically advanced society, we tend to look down on such people.

Yet history and reality teaches us the exact opposite.  Here are quotes from ‘respected’ people, all experts in their fields, who talk about a man who was only “visible” for 3 years, had no formal education and no support from leaders, shakers or movers in his day.  Enjoy!

A Civil War general, lawyer,  politician and atheist, Lew Wallace set out on a 6 year mission to destroy & disparage Christianity.  He wrote a book as a result of his very biased research.  You may have heard of it.  It’s a little book.  It’s called “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ”.  It became the best selling novel of the 19^th century and is regarded as the most influential Christian book of that era (www.christianheritagefellowship.com/ben-hur-the-conversion-of-lew-wallace/).

He said, “After 6 years given to the impartial investigation of Christianity as to its truth or falsity, I have come to the deliberate conclusion that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of the Jews, the Savior of the world and my own personal Redeemer”.  While writing the 2^nd chapter of his book, he found himself on his knees, crying out, “My Lord and my God.”  The evidence was overwhelming.

     H.G. Wells, a science fiction writer & historian said, “I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history.  Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”

Napoleon, French general, politician, Emperor and also not a believer, said “I know men and I tell you Jesus Christ is no mere man.  Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison.  Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and myself founded empires; but what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius?  Upon force.  Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”  Napoleon also said that while he was alive, men would die for him.  But he could not believe that men would die for him after he died.  And yet that is exactly what believers in Jesus were doing….dying for Jesus several hundred years after He died.

Albert Einstein, the 20^th century’s  most respected scientist said “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.  Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase-mongers, however artful…No one can read the gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus.  His personality pulsates in every word.  No myth is filled with such life.  Theseus and other heroes of his type lack the authentic vitality of Jesus.”

One man wrote, “Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.  He worked in a carpenter shop until He was 30, and then for 3 years He was an itinerant preacher.  He never wrote a book. He never held an office.  He never owned a home.  He never had a family.  He never went to college.  He never put His foot inside a big city.  He never traveled 200 miles from the place where He was born.  He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness.  He had no credentials but Himself.  He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of His Divine manhood.  While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him.  He was turned over to His enemies.  He went thru the mockery of a trial.  He was nailed to a cross between 2 thieves.  His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying, and that was His coat.  When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.  Such was His human life.  He rises from the dead.  Twenty centuries have come and gone and today He is the Centerpiece of the human race and the Leader of the column of progress.  I am within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life.”  James C. Hefley – Christian writer.

What have you done with this man?  This same man, Jesus, said that He rose from the dead, conquered the grave and is coming back again to settle all scores.  Do you believe Him?

For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com