March 2024
Dear Friend of Creation Moments,
In the 2017 documentary-drama Darkest Hour, Winston Churchill is under pressure from the high-ranking members of parliament to negotiate a treaty with Adolf Hitler. The Nazi war machine had moved across western Europe and pinned down remaining British and French forces at Dunkirk on the English Channel in May of 1940. These “heady” ministers were being quite sensible, strategic, and logical about the facts and horrific dangers for the British army and the entire country of Great Britain.
But looking back on history, Churchill was God’s man of the hour. And his “gut feel” was strongly against capitulation to Hitler. On the verge of being forced to concede to the strategically minded ministerial advice, he decided on an impulse to ride the London Underground (for the first time in his life) and assess what was in “the heart” of the average British person. Everyone he talked to on the subway ride was vigorously against surrender to the Nazis. God confirmed something to him, and he came off his subway ride knowing what he would do. He immediately called for a full meeting of the Parliament as he strode back into the halls of government. There he gave the great inspirational speech which included:
“We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end! We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be! We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!” – Winston Churchill, June 4, 1940
He rallied the Parliament behind him – and the rest, as they say, is history. There was the “miracle at Dunkirk” (a true story for another time), the totalitarian axis powers were defeated, and the world entered an era known as the Pax Americana (American Peace), an era of relative tranquility and freedom as the United States became the world’s dominant economic, cultural, and military power after World War 2. This included new freedom and incentive for worldwide gospel missionary outreach!
Shortwave radio broadcast stations were constructed by Christian missionary organizations at strategic locations in the world, the broadcasts of which could be received over almost the entire globe – in the languages of local listeners. Radio carried the sound of God’s Word – “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Gathered around a shortwave radio, listeners could hear truth from the Bible as transmissions bounced up and down between the ionosphere and the earth. The shortwave broadcasts thus provided independent international programming that could travel enormous distances, could not easily be “jammed”, and were – as it is to this day – the best means to avoid an information stranglehold in a closed country, or to reach a very rural location.
As Creation Moments has expanded our international outreach, we have been able to use these stations to broadcast our Bible-centered programming. Only God knows how many millions of people have been called into Christian faith because of the “free exercise” of religion made possible in the Pax Americana after World War 2. My own parents were part of the surge in American missionary outreach, becoming missionaries in 1954 to Thailand where I was born some years later.
Many people predicted the demise of shortwave radio with the advent of the internet, but the reverse has happened – especially in the international setting. Over 3 billion shortwave receivers now exist worldwide. And though they may have local AM and FM radio, millions of people prefer shortwave radio to listen to programs that originate on the other side of the world. God’s word “shall not return unto me void” (Isaiah 55:11), and it is the means through which faith comes (Romans 10:17) because it is made “quick and powerful (alive and active)” (Hebrews 4:12) by its infusion with the power of the Holy Spirit as men “spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21).
Indeed, the first convert of missionary Adoniram Judson in Burma (now Myanmar) in 1819, a man named Moung Nau, said in response to hearing a reading of the Sermon on the Mount, “These words take hold on my liver; they make me tremble.”1 I find this statement quite interesting because of the Bible’s original terminology and what modern science only in the last 30 years recognizes to be our “second brain”, the enteric nervous system which lines the gut and the organs in our torso. (You can read more about this in our Blog post of 2/19/24 titled “You Have a Second Brain!” https://bit.ly/3UHHqQj or more thoroughly in my letter of January 2016 https://bit.ly/3I7bduc.
The gut, the belly, our internal organs are repositories in Scripture (scientifically “ahead of its time”!) for thinking and feeling, and for receiving and giving communication prompted by the Spirit of God! For example, the Bible says, “If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly (Gr., koilia) shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit…)” (John 7:38-39).
The Bible cautions us, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Had they been implemented, the strategic calculations of the other top ministers of the British Parliament would have led to a completely different world – one with much less freedom! Like Winston Churchill, we all need the check of the “gut feel”, informed as it can be by the Holy Spirit!
There is a true history of how the world got into, went through, and came out of World War 2. And there is a true history of the ancient world, pre- and post-Great Flood of Noah’s time. Where the Bible touches on that history, we know it can be trusted. That is why I want to offer this month the new book Archaeology and the Bible: 50 Fascinating Finds That Bring the Bible to Life with archeological corroboration of biblical events and places – many of which have been disdained by the liberal skeptics of so-called “higher criticism”.
And if you haven’t seen the movie Darkest Hour, you really should! I will send it to you this month if you’d like it on DVD. It is a great reminder from history of how when things seem to be the most dark and dire, we can be inspired and determined to stand in faith and fight for truth and right against seemingly insurmountable odds!
Indeed, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is our “comforter” and our “guide” who empowers us to do ministry. That’s why I’d also like to send you the short book The Apostle’s Code: Unlocking the Power of God’s Spirit in Your Life as a bonus when you support us with a gift of $10 or more.
And I ask for your prayers and support in what seems to be a darkening time in world history. The light of truth of the Word of God can and will prevail, according to the Lord’s intent. And I thank you and urge you to be a part of it with Creation Moments as we continue to expand our worldwide outreach of biblical and gospel messaging!
Yours in Christ,
Mark Cadwallader, Board Chairman
P.S. As I mentioned above, this month I’m excited to bring you Archaeology and the Bible: 50 Fascinating Finds That Bring the Bible to Life (fair market value $24.95). This beautiful 160-page hardcover is filled with photos of the actual discoveries and covers 2,000 years of biblical history. The author demonstrates that the Bible’s people and places really did exist and the events it reports really did happen! This book will equip you with the truth you need to defend the accuracy and reliability of the written Word of God! It’s yours for a (total suggested amount) of $45 or more!
I will also send you the powerful Darkest Hour DVD (fair market value $9.99) – the award-winning docu-drama featuring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill. This engrossing and inspirational DVD is over 2 hours in length and includes several bonus features, including a full-length director’s commentary. I’ll send it to you for a donation of $25 or more. Or receive both items for (total amount suggested) of $60 or more.
When you donate $10 or more, I will also send you The Apostles’ Code: Unlocking the Power of God’s Spirit in Your Life, a 90-page softcover that leads you on a 40-day journey from Easter to Pentecost. Each reflection includes a code word for the day to discover the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the apostles … and in our lives!
To order any or all three items and make your donation… … simply click here or call us toll-free at 1-800-422-4253 during regular office hours (Mon – Th 8:00am-4:30pm CST). Even if you want to receive either of the featured items alone for a smaller donation of $10.00 or more, I’ll also include The Apostles Code to thank you for supporting us!
1Piper, J. “The Holy Spirit: Author of Scripture”, 2/26/1984, desiringgod.org
