Don't Shoot The Messenger--(Flash Fiction Tale)

This is a fictional story, Please enjoy.

Don’t Shoot the Messenger 

“You can’t shoot those things.”

Behind me, an unfamiliar voice made that statement as I lined up a shot at a large Canada goose.

Hunting alone, surrounded by only my decoys, I hadn’t expected any other voice within miles. My gun jerked, my shot was lost and the flock of geese I had artfully called took flight. I lowered the gun and craned around to see who had spoken. In my defense, I was cross about the interruption. “I happen to have a valid license.”

The man looked old enough to have lived two lifetimes. His face was long, with heavy lines, eyes thick-lidded, drooping, and moist. The clothes may have fit him in a younger era but now were too large. To add to my annoyance, he wasn’t even looking at me but at some point beyond. Managing not to swear, I stood up, my efforts lost for the day.

Before I could complain, he smiled and pointed, “See, there. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

All I saw was a muddy, harvested cornfield and my decoys. "Huh?"

“There,” he stabbed a gnarled finger forward. “You were aiming right at it.”

I squinted at the distant mountains. “The view? Yeah, beautiful scenery but why interrupt my hunt just to tell me that? You some sort of nature nut?”

He looked at me. “Well, Son, maybe that. I'm more inclined toward God creating everything and all nature speaks of Him."

I began to consider him a fruitcake. “My license for hunting geese says I can shoot them. You gonna give me trouble on that?"

He laughed, a hard, grunting, deep throaty noise. “Of course, you can hunt the geese. I meant you can’t shoot angels.”

My mind was working, thinking he'd escaped some nearby facility. “You see angels, Pop?”

The laugh came again. “Occasionally. Lately a bit more. I think it’s like maybe God is letting me know.”

“Know what?”

He pointed up. “Time to go home.”

Thinking he was talking about the actual hour of the day, I asked, “Your family worried about you wandering off?”

“Son, I’ve stayed on the straight and narrow path since I was fourteen.” He shook his head. “I strayed a little in my twenties and again in my late forties, but I’ve always returned to my Savior Jesus Christ.” When he rubbed his veined hands together against the chill, they sounded like old paper. “Yes, I have family waiting for me there. I'm wanting to see them, though, it'll be hard on the great grandkids. Ah, but their parents will raise them up in the Lord.”

He had me baffled. It was like we were having two different conversations. Breaking open the shotgun, I popped out the shells. Sliding the gun into the case, I closed it safely inside, securing the latches.

I asked, “You gonna be here tomorrow, Pop?” I only had this one week off from work and considered moving my spread to another field if he was going to interrupt my hunting.

“I don’t know. I suppose it depends on God. I keep waiting for that angel to step toward me and beckon me to come.” He sounded wistful and his eyes teared up, looking somewhere only he could see. “I'd like to be home to be with Jesus.”

“What are you talking about?

“Don’t you know Jesus, Son?”

“Sure, my mother took me to church.”

He laid his hand on my shoulder. “Son, do you know Jesus took your punishment because the wages of sin are death. He took the Father’s wrath so you wouldn’t have to. And if you don’t ask Jesus to save you, you're headed for eternity in the Lake of Fire?”

The hairs on my neck stood up. “I haven’t heard that in years. Not since Sunday School.”

"Son, will you ask Jesus to save you today? I wouldn't want to know that you were suffering forever in that tormenting fire.”

That old man's words burned like a hot brand on something other than my flesh. I thought sure the ground was opening to swallow me. I looked down expecting to see that flaming lake and was thankful just to see mud.

"Do want Jesus to save you?"

“Y...yes." And I did, kneeling with him right there in the mud.

The next morning, I parked the truck at the edge of the cornfield, having spent a sleepless night while my brain repeated every word he said, like a continual recorded loop. For some reason I didn't get out right away, just sat there listening to the radio. When suddenly, I reached out and cranked up the volume.

In that tone all newscasters have, he said "Last night, Mr. Hendrickson, our well-loved local minister died peacefully at home, in his sleep. We will miss him deeply. Heaven has gained a great saint."

The broadcast went on but I didn’t hear it. I stared out the windshield, thinking about God.

The End

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Bible Phophecy is Amazingly Right! -Guest Post

Guest blog by

John Michael Hileman

As always, Bible prophecy isn't just right,

it is AMAZINGLY right.

Looking at pictures of Damascus Syria turning into a "Ruinous Heap," by the miles, exactly as the Bible described, is startling. Scrolling down through Youtube and seeing all of the channels pretending to be current news, I am immediately reminded of Jesus saying there would be "wars and rumors of wars."

Photo by JMH

Rumors of wars? I never really understood why that piece of information was important, until I started realizing that these Youtube channels are spreading incredible rumors of wars.

The bible says that in the end "knowledge will increase." One hundred years ago we road horses to get around, now we travel by the speed of sound and communicate at the speed of light.

Jesus said we would recognize the end by an increase in earthquakes--not just this, but that they would increase like the pains of a woman giving birth. Have you looked at the frequency of earthquakes? It is startling. Our earth is in labor. Not just with earthquakes but with other natural disasters as well.

These last 3 years have been undeniable proof that the Bible is a supernatural book. And, before you say, people have always been claiming that we're in the "end times," consider:

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." 2 Peter 3 & 4

Scoff if you'd like, but no time in history have we seen such incredible volumes of prophetic correlations. Specific correlations, like countries that were listed in the Bible as enemies of Israel, like ancient Persia (modern day Iran) which had been a friend of Israel for over a century, but is now its greatest enemy, just as the Bible foretold.

Please consider the time in which you are living,

and put your trust in Jesus.

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John Michael Hileman is the author of Messages, Book 1 in the David Chance series, available on Amazon

Click Image for link to Amazon

Check out more titles in the David Chance series by John Michael Hileman

Voices: Book 2

Lies: Book 3

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A Theorized Explanation of Satan in the Garden

This is not to be taken as a Biblical fact, nor to be used as a commentary, but it is my theory and mine alone, of which I hope you find interesting.

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”1 Timothy 2:14.

There is no way to say how long Satan examined this couple before he approached them. My personal theory is Satan fell from heaven after God created the heavens and the earth and Adam and Eve.

Here he is, the most beautiful creature ever created. He’s the voice of worship and his place among the angels of glory is gorgeous and glorious. He enjoys pleasing God with his music, his magnificence, and all the splendor of his being, created to lead worship before God’s Throne. Lucifer is a great worshipper.

Then God fashions this tiny thing called the universe, and these puny little beings He calls humans. Suddenly, God has another worship leader, Adam. Yet Satan sees something exclusive about the worship Adam brings to God. Adam freely adores God with loving reverence. Worse, it brings God enormous pleasure the more Adam learns to worship.

Not one of the angels ever had the thought of not worshipping God. God created Lucifer to worship and lead worship. It hadn’t been a thing to contemplate before; it was how God ordained heaven's business.

Satan starts looking at Adam as a rival. Now Satan’s character changes and he begins to see where he is now second fiddle and it’s no place to be in the orchestra of the heavenly host.

That’s where we get God’s explanation of Lucifer’s sin in Ezekiel 28. Satan decides he wants the type of worship Adam brings to God. God says that pride entered into him and the most gorgeous cherub suddenly became the most abhorrent thing in heaven. Sin can never stand before God’s perfection and Satan has to leave heaven’s throne room.

Where’s he going to go? He’s a created being and there’s only two places available. Kicked out of the one God entirely occupies, he heads for earth and the garden.

Because everything is as it should be, Eve would have no qualms about submitting to Adam. He shows her around the neighborhood introducing her to the animals and all the fruit trees. She learns him and he learns her. It’s flawless, they are one, and both are naked. They’re naked of clothing because it wasn’t necessary and they are naked of fear, faults, or worry. God visits and the abundant life is theirs. Nothing is missing in Eve’s life. Eve’s submission was without fault and there’s no flaw in her marriage. There is no pain, no sorrow, no jealousy, and no strife. Their relationship doesn’t hurt at all.

The lord of the flies is about to land in the perfume. Satan has examined these simple little creatures for some time now and has seen how they walk and talk and interact with God. Since his defection, his one desire is be worshipped and these creatures have minds of their own. Maybe he’s tried to get cows to worship him, or serpents and concluded that’s futility. Adam and Eve, they’re different.

He can’t approach Adam, he’s always studying what to ask God at the next meeting But Eve, well, she’s always studying how to please both Adam and God.

Satan comes dressed as one of the peaceful garden creatures and offers her something other than submission. It might have seemed natural for it to speak to her, after all everything God made was good. Instead of asking why it was speaking, she entered into conversation with it. The first thing Satan does is deceive her with a lie about her relationship.

Eve could have said no. She should have said no. Eve had the perfect support group to run to and rat him out: Adam, and God. However, Eve stopped being submissive the moment she desired that fruit and ate it.

In the Garden of Eden, Satan won a small battle. But a small victory was all it was, even for the centuries he's walked to and fro on the earth, tormenting people and destroying souls. Compared to the Omnipotence of Almighty, Eternal God, it is a small victory. The created being he is, there is no successful future for Satan. His defeat was at the cross where Jesus Christ died.

And his future, final defeat is when Satan loses even the stolen control of the world when he is thrown into his eternal prison, the Lake of Fire.

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The Two-Fold Purpose of God Moving Dynamic Workers

The Antioch church was growing and service was abundant, then God says, "Okay, now those who are doing the majority of the work, I want them to go where I send them, to further My work somewhere else."

"Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away." Acts 13:1-3.

Most churches would hate having their hardest workers leave. Even to disagreeing with God. "After all, God, their ministry is extremely vital! They can't leave, who will do the work!"

Kinda selfish isn't it? And also terribly restricting. It could be God wants to raise up someone else to do another work in that church, It may be these dynamic people leave no room for the new workers, or even a new work. Someone of importance might have to step down, or step away, from their ministry so another person may serve God. Hmmm?

No one would go to the mission field if dynamic workers didn't go. Even if that mission field is another church body, God can bless those who go, the church they leave, and the church they join for their obedience.

If Barnabas and Saul had stayed, would their work have continued to flourish or would it have stagnated and died over time? If they had said, "No, Lord, we are too busy here, we don't want to go," would God have continued to enjoy their service to Him in that place?

What do you think? Can God have a two-fold purpose for moving people out of a flourishing ministry?

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None Perfect, No Not One!

Born again Christians are not perfect people.

Born again Christians are imperfect people living on this imperfect earth who know God saves imperfect people and He will change us into perfect people in the next life for all eternity.

  "Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--
  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:50-53."


Perfect, Holy God knows we're not perfect but by His grace He chooses to accept all believers as perfected in His Son Jesus. Because born again Christians accept Jesus' death on the cross as the substitute for their own punishment, God gives all believers this future of perfection guaranteed in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

  "So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
  "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"
  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:54-57."

Have you gotten your guarantee of perfection yet?

   "Jesus said, "Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" John 3:3."

"Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." Hebrews 3:7."

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Do You View Circumstances Through Scripture Glasses?

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" 2 Timothy 3:16,17.

If we look at all the uses of maximizing Scripture in our daily lives, decision making, the eyes we see through, and the way we discern our circumstances, our lives can be the easiest way to exalt our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And just maybe it will be contrary to what we might have originally thought.

Scripture Glasses for Church Ministry

"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. There are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all" 1 Corinthians 12:4-7.

If God has given someone a vision and you don't see how it is going to work out, accept that maybe you don't have a part in their ministry but you should do your ministry alongside them and thus build the body of Christ as you exercise your gifts.

The growth their vision brings is going to offer you more opportunities to serve God in your gifting because this person is being faithful in theirs.

As when Peter preached the first sermon; many gifts were used after the church began to grow.

"Then those who gladly received his (Peter's) word were baptized; and that day three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread and in prayers. Then the fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles" Acts 2:41,42,43.

Scripture Glasses for Personal Witness

"For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God"
Romans 10:17.

When witnessing, try to speak verses during the opportunities. It doesn't matter if the other person can recite Bible verses. If they don't know God, their recitation is nothing. When you speak the word of God, you are representing Almighty God and His power is in the words you speak.

"And when He (The Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement" John 16:8.

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" 1 John 4:4.

Scripture Glasses in Obedience to Serve

Even when you've done everything right in your witness, and the person you have witnessed to doesn't receive what you've told them and maybe even gotten really angry, God's word has done exactly what God intended.

You could be witnessing to someone and think you blew it but it could be God has done something you don't know anything about!

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and shall prosper in that thing for which I sent it" Isaiah 55:10,11.

Scripture Glasses When Things Change

How do you view someone leaving your church for another body of Christ. Is your sorrow for losing a number or a member? Are you upset because they went to a rival congregation? Are you upset because you and they maybe couldn't reconcile a disagreement?

How about this--Are you sorry that maybe your church lost an evangelist, a prophet, a preacher, an administrator, a teacher, an encourager, or an exhorter.

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers"
Ephesians 4:11.

Do you ever consider maybe God has given that person who's leaving a vision so strong God has to move them to a place where He can use them, because traditions or patterns at your church are too restrictive?

"As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" Acts 3:2.

"Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey with haste, that they may lack nothing" Titus 3:13.

If you've been praying for revival, watch for God to do things that are contrary to your comfort zone.

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