Nathan Hale: The Schoolmaster Turned Spy

On the eve of another Independence Day, it’s always good to retell to stories of sacrifice inspired by our national heroes. Until a few years ago, I had never heard about the exploits of Nathan Hale. In a way, perhaps Hale was the first American hero.

Nathan Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut on June 6, 1755. In 1773, he graduated Yale College and got a job as a schoolmaster. Only a few years later, the Revolutionary War ignited. News of the battles of Lexington and Concord quickly reached Connecticut. Hale’s five brothers had already volunteered. Hale enlisted on July 6, 1775, and soon joined the ranks of Gen. George Washington’s rag-tag army.

The Battle of Brooklyn Heights at the end of August 1776 left the British in control of Long Island. Washington’s troops were holed up in Manhattan, badly in need of reliable information about the opposing forces. So Washington began recruiting spies who would travel behind enemy lines and gather info about British battle plans. Hale decided to volunteer for this incredibly dangerous mission, becoming one of the first known American spies of the Revolutionary War.

Disguised as a Dutch schoolmaster – donning a plain brown suit and a round hat – Hale slipped behind enemy lines on Long Island and then successfully gathered information about British troop movements for the next several weeks. But Hale’s cover was blown when he got into a conversation with a British agent posing as an American sympathizer, and he revealed his mission. This British agent soon tipped off his superiors and authorities promptly arrested him.

Hale was brought to General Howe’s headquarters, where he was interrogated. His sketches of British fortifications and notes of troop movements, written in Latin, were found in his boot. Hale was promptly condemned to death. The following morning, September 22, 1776 he was hanged from a tree. Hale was only 21-years-old.[1]

In one of his books, biographer and historian Eric Metaxas writes, “History tells us that the handsome, pious twenty-one-year-old acted so nobly in the face of death that many around him on the British side, were deeply affected, that some were horrified that this gentle soul should be executed. But the man in charge, was a hardened soldier who relished the idea of making an example of this handsome traitor who dared spy for the foulest of foul traitors, George Washington. Hale was hanged from a tree in an orchard near what is today East 63^rd Street in Manhattan, NY. Though it’s almost inconceivable in our time, this area was once all farmlands. We know that the officer ordered that Hale’s body be left hanging from the tree, so that he would be deliberately denied a Christian burial and his family would never recover what was left of his remains. Immediately after his death, word spread among the soldiers and citizenry of how he had died and of his now-famous words as he stood in a noose, about to step into eternity: ‘My only regret is that I have but one life to give for my country.’”[2]

Nathan Hale’s memory is preserved in a statue outside Connecticut Hall at Yale, where he lived as a student. An insignificant schoolteacher who never wrote anything important, never owned any property, never had a permanent job, never married or had children and who failed in his final mission — made history in the last few seconds of this life. Hale’s sacrifice forces us to ask the question, “Is what I’m living for worth dying for?”

-DM

---

[1] David McCullogh, 1776 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), 223-225.

[2] Eric Metaxas, If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty (New York: Viking, 2016), 121-128.

Another Pandemic?

On June 21, 2022, US President Joe Biden made a comment during a press conference that furrowed many brows. The FDA had just authorized COVID vaccines for children under age 5, and Biden was encouraging parents to make sure their kids got the jab. In his remarks, Biden said, “We need more money. We don’t just need more money for vaccines for children, we need more money to plan for the second pandemic. There’s gonna be another pandemic.”[1]

Humm…what exactly did he mean by that? What does he know that we don’t? Is he saying the quiet part out loud (that another “plan-demic” is in store) OR was he simply being prudent, the way a beach dweller might prepare for the inevitability of hurricane season? Reading between the lines is a tricky business. You make your own conclusion, but I will say this: he was right from a biblical standpoint. There will be another pandemic.

In His prophetic sermon called “The Olivet Discourse,” Jesus predicted that just prior to His return there would be, “great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences” (Luke 21:11). Note, the word “pestilence” is the biblical word we would use today to describe a deadly infectious disease. In that verse, Jesus was foretelling the various natural disasters that will ravage the earth during the dreaded 7-year period of judgment known as “The Tribulation.”

The signs of earth’s last days that Jesus predicted are expanded upon in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 6, we read about the “seven seals” of God’s judgment that lead-up to the return of Christ. The fourth seal judgment unleashes the last of the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” Revelation 6:8 says, “And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.”

Not only does the pale rider picture the color of a decomposing corpse, but “Death” will be able to swing his sickle across one-fourth of the earth’s population. The current world population is about 7.6 billion, so if this happened today that would be 1.9 billion people dead! We are not told what this disease will be, but it will be unparalleled in its lethality.  

Historically, the greatest killer of all time has not been bullets and bombs, but bacteria and viruses. Each year, approximately 1 million people die of an AIDS related illness and in 2016 an estimated 36.7 million people were living with HIV (1.8 million children).[2] 30 million people died during the great influenza outbreak of 1918-1919, more than 3x as many as the estimated 8.5 million soldiers who died in WWI.[3]

Notice that the fourth rider is armed with a curious combo: “pestilence” and “the beasts of the earth.” When you read, “beasts of the earth” you might first think of a fierce animal, but David Jeremiah has an interesting interpretation on this. He wrote, “The most destructive creature on earth is the rat. He is a menace to human health and food supplies. The nasty creature comes in more than 100 species. Rats are extremely prolific, producing five or more litters of eight to ten babies each year. It has been estimated that rats are responsible for the loss of more than one billion dollars with of food each year in the US alone. Their fleas carry all manner of disease, and in the 14^th century the fleas from rats killed one-third of Europe’s population with bubonic plague.”[4]

It's interesting that in recent years, zoonotic diseases – that is, animal borne plagues that cross over from animals to humans – have mushroomed. AIDS (chimpanzees to humans), Ebola (bats to humans), Avian flu (birds to humans), Swine flu (pigs to humans) and COVID-19 (bats to humans) all fit into this category. In fact, virologists are reporting that 3 out of every 4 new diseases that emerge cross from animals to humans and that on average, a new infectious disease has emerged every year for the past 30 years.[5] It could be that the pestilence of the end times will mutate and pass from animals to humans.

Jesus also said that the “pestilence” would arrive like “birth pains” (Matt. 24:8). This means it will increase with frequency, intensity and visibility leading up to His return. In other words, as the end approaches, we should expect infectious disease outbreaks and other natural calamities to occur with greater regularity, impact more people and be more deadly.” Bible scholar and preacher, John MacArthur suggested that “the present afflictions may merely be like Braxton-Hicks contractions – premature labor pains – but they nonetheless signify that the time for hard labor, and then delivery, is inevitable and quickly drawing near.”[6]

Before we get carried away, it’s important to note that the above Scripture passages describe the Tribulation period. Since, we are not living in that terrible time, then we can say confidently that those Scriptures have yet to be fulfilled. However, we can see how the sign of pestilence and many signs indicative of the Tribulation are casting their shadows back on the present.  

In fact, I think that the pestilence that Revelation and Jesus spoke about will be much worse in global impact than anything we’ve ever seen. Just think of the way COVID was politicized and used by governments to overreach into people lives shutting down business, schools and industries. The plagues of the end-times will not only take life but also fuel tyranny.   

Prophecy buff, Mark Hitchcock, adds, “The pandemics plagues of the end times will have repercussions beyond the plagues themselves. These plagues will further the argument of the Antichrist for a one-world leader who has the reach and power to respond to such plagues to bring them under control. The pale rider will give greater power to the rider on the white horse (or Antichrist) to consolidate his global kingdom.”[7]  

What does all this mean? For those who don’t know Christ as Lord and Savior, it means they ought to investigate the Bible and the Gospel ASAP. The only way for the unredeemed to escape the Tribulation or to have assurance of their salvation in the event that there’s another plague in the near future, is to repent of sin and turn to Jesus for forgiveness. For those who are believers, its time to witness to our unsaved friends and family. With the acceleration of chaos in our world people are searching for truth as the foundations of stable society are cracking. Yes these are dark days, but they are also golden opportunities to speak into people’s fears with the hope of the Gospel by helping them connect current events with the prophetic Word. -DM

---

[1] Christina Laila, “Joe Biden Says the Quiet Part Out Loud: We Need More Money… There’s Gonna be Another Pandemic,” Gateway Pundit, 21 June 2022 <https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/06/joe-biden-says-quiet-part-loud-need-money-gonna-another-pandemic-video/>

[2] <https://www.avert.org/global-hiv-and-aids-statistics>

[3] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Revelation 1-11 (Chicago: Moody, 1999), 184.

[4] David Jeremiah, Escape the Coming Night (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2018), 118.

[5] Mark Hitchcock, Corona Crisis (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2020), 99-100.

[6] David Jeremiah, Where Do We Go From Here? (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2021), 59.

[7] Hitchcock, 101. 

A Tough Love Dad

 

As a teen, young Billy Graham showed signs of rebellion. Billy wasn’t an out-of-control wild child, but he did get into his fair share of mischief – fistfights, chewing tobacco, and getting his father’s car stuck in a muddy sinkhole while trying to impress his buddies. When word got back to Billy’s dad, Frank, that the young man had been running around with boys who’d been experimenting with alcohol, he determined to “nip it in the bud,” as Barney Fife would say.

In his biography on Billy, author Greg Laurie explained that when Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Frank Graham brought home a case of beer, placed one bottle in front of Billy and one in front his sister, Catherine, then directed them to drink up. The shock of it not only made them green with sickness, but it turned them against the bitter brew for the rest of their lives. “From now on,” said Mr. Graham, “Whenever any of your friends try to get you to drink alcohol, just tell them you’ve tasted it, and you don’t like it.”

Later as an adult, Billy explained to a reporter why he was a teetotaler for another reason, “The Bible says if I do anything to make my brother stumble or fall then I’m not to do it. If people saw me sitting at a table drinking, they might say, ‘Well, Billy does it, so its alright for me’ and they may become alcoholics as a result of it. I want to be careful about my Christian witness.”[i]

Wow! Talk about an unforgettable lesson. You may not agree with Frank Graham’s parenting style, but there’s a dad who was involved. I’d say looking at the results, Mr. Graham did pretty good. Imagine how different our nation would be today, if we had some more “old school” dads that weren’t afraid to apply some discipline, wisdom, instruction and even tough love.

I praise God every day that I had a dad like that. When it came time for me to be a dad, I had the best example a man could ask for to help me learn the ropes of fatherhood. Sadly, these days, many young men become fathers and don’t know what to do, because they either had lousy dad or no dad at all. Some guys end up making it up as they go, others do the opposite of what their dads did. Thankfully, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. God wrote the best parenting manual of all time. The book of Proverbs contains some timeless wisdom on how fathers can exert a positive influence in guiding and shaping their children. For example:

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.” (Pro. 3:1-2). Fathers, teach your kids the truth of God’s Word for it will save them from a lot of heartache and regret.   

“In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.” (Pro. 14:26) Fathers, if you want your kids to enjoy security and have a sense of identity then show them what it means to submit to God’s authority.

“The righteous who walks in his integrity—blessed are his children after him!” (Pro. 20:7) Fathers, your kids are going to imitate what they see on a daily basis – are you leading them to the Lord?

“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.” (Pro. 22:15). Fathers, dare to discipline your kids. Don’t try to be their friend. Be their parent. They actually crave rules, limits and structure. Give it to them so they don’t grow up to be a fool.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Pro. 22:6). Fathers, your children are each unique. Study your child. Find out how he or she has been uniquely wired by the Creator. Discover what motivates them, what their gifts are, where their fallen nature is “bent.” Then you can train them in the path of righteousness. That training you invested in during their younger years will set them on a firm foundation they won’t be likely to stray from.

That’s just a sample, of what Proverbs has to offer us dads. That’s distilled truth that if applied correctly can make any strong father. I don’t remember where I first learned this, but its always stuck with me. Here’s a great acrostic that every man can remember. If you want to be a great dad, then remember these four principles.

Direction: You are the archer, the kids are the arrows. The goal is Christ-likeness. Aim wisely, you only get one shot before they are launched out into the world.   

Availability: Make time for your kids. Be there for them and stay involved.

Discipline: Be firm. Be fair. But also remember to be fun.  

Spirituality: You can’t be the dad God has called you to be unless you are walking with Christ daily. Pray every day for God’s guidance and feed your own soul with His Word.     

There’s no greater privilege and no greater responsibility than being a dad. You don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to be all-in. -DM  

---

[i] Greg Laurie, Billy Graham: The Man I Knew (Washington DC: Salem, 2021), 18.

The Impact of the Small Church

 

For decades now in American Christianity we have become intoxicated with the idea that “bigger is better.” The mega-church model is the target that ministry leaders have been shooting for – bigger budgets, multi-campuses, a deeper pool of talented musicians, large numbers of converts, and charismatic pastors that often border on celebrity status.

The tendency among many pastors is to base their self-worth on the size of their congregation. Some ministers feel “less than” or even failures if they don’t climb to the top of the coveted pedestal of mega-church. Obviously, this is wrong and even sinful to the extent than ministry can become an idol by which we measure our value.

I’m not knocking the mega-church. There is certainly a place for them in the big picture of the body of Christ, but the reality is that most churches are small. According to a 2020 Faith Communities Today study, about 380,000 churches dot America’s landscape. Of that number, roughly 1,500 are considered megachurches that average 2,000 or more people each weekend. But that same survey revealed that half of U.S. congregations have 65 people or fewer.[i]  

When we study the growth of the church in the New Testament, we see a similar distribution. Jesus started with just 12 disciples, and by the end of His ministry the following was up to 120 (Acts 1:15). On Pentecost and after, the church experienced times of explosive growth – 3,000 baptized on “birthday” of the church (Acts 2:41) and 5,000 added as Peter and John’s ministry gained traction in Jerusalem (Acts 4:4). But those times of miraculous expansion were tempered with persecution (Acts 8:1, 4) and small church plants in pagan cities. In some cities like Joppa, Antioch, Derbe, and Lystra believers were “multiplied” with encouraging results (Acts 9:42, 11:21, 14:21, 16:5). But in other places, those who came to Christ were limited to households and smaller numbers (Acts 10:48, 16:15, 16:33, 17:34, 19:5).        

The point is this – when it comes to ministry, size doesn’t matter and numbers aren’t the final measuring stick. What God is looking for is faithfulness to the Gospel and disciple making. Sometimes the apostles experienced a bountiful harvest, other times it was few converts along with persecution, imprisonment, 40-miles of bad road and even shipwreck. A smaller church doesn’t mean it’s a failure in Christ’s eyes and a big church doesn’t mean it’s a success. The metric we use to measure church health shouldn’t be just numbers, we must also look at methods, community context and a commitment to preach the full Gospel.

Moreover, there are positives and negatives that come with each. For example, not everyone is looking for cutting edge worship music and wanting to get lost in the crowd. I have known several who joined the church because they said, “I went to church XYZ and it was just too big. I felt like a little fish in an ocean, and I could never build a relationship with the pastor.” Bigger churches may be able to offer more, but it can be difficult to create community; while smaller churches may lack resources, they can feel more personal, authentic and friendly.

As Robert J. Morgan wrote, “In a big world, the small church has remained intimate. In a fast world, the small church has been steady. In an expensive world, the small church has remained plain. In a complex world, the small church has remained simple. In a mobile world, the small church has been an anchor. In an anonymous world, the small church calls us by name.”[ii] -DM

[i] Wendy Griffith, “Small Is the New 'Big' When It Comes to Churches,” CBN News, 10 February 2022

<https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2022/february/small-is-the-new-big-when-it-comes-to-churches>

[ii] Robert J. Morgan, More Stories for the Soul (Nashville, TN: Nashville, 2000), 107.

The Penny

 

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

Suppose one day our civilization were destroyed and our cities were laid to waste. Suppose in 20,000 years an archaeologist from another society were rummaging through the ruins of America. If he could dig up just one penny, he would know a lot about us. 

The coin is a blend of metals and so he would know we were scientists who understood metallurgy. 

From the shape - a perfect circle - he would know that we understood geometry. 

This was an old penny, with wheat on the back, and so he would surmise that we were an agricultural country who regarded their crops as a major source of wealth. 

With the date on the face of the coin he would conclude that we knew arithmetic and had a calendar. The portrait of Abraham Lincoln would mark us as artists who had an advanced society. 

The words “United States” would tell him that we were a federated group of local communities bound together by a strong central government. The phrase “E Pluribus Unum” would tell him we were scholars who knew other languages. 

The word “Liberty” on the face of penny would let the archaeologist know our country sought to guarantee freedom for its citizens. 

Finally, the motto, “In God We Trust” would tell him that we believed in a deity and had a moral law. That somehow We had grown strong and mighty under God’s hand of blessing. 

Then considering this small copper penny he might wonder, “Where did they ever go astray?”  -DM