I couldn’t resist the fresh and pointed insight into the subject matter addressed here by Pastor Kevin Hansston. Pastor Hansston pastors a church in Sparta, IL. He is a long-time friend of mine and has spent many years in Zambia as a missionary at the same time that I was there. Pastor Hansston has a uniquely practical and intelligent way of looking at life. When I read his article as it is being published on a flyer, I just had to ask for permission to re-post it here. With Pastor Hansston’s permission, please read on and enjoy…

Pastor Kevin Hansston’s Writing: Good News! A small bridge about four miles north of Sparta is set to be completed in August, maybe. The Project was started almost one year ago and everyone who has watched this painfully slow process wants to know why it has taken so long.

Here is one man’s understanding of why: “The ‘way we do things’ involves endless paperwork, union regulations, environmental red tape, and the like. That’s why it only took 410 days to build the Empire State building and 16 months to build the Pentagon but nearly 20 years to complete Boston’s Big Dig.”

The great Alaskan Highway with bridges and tunnels crossing the Rocky Mountains for 1,390 miles was built in 7½ months.

Any man would be ashamed to admit that he was part of a project that took over a year to build a 30 foot bridge. He knows it could have been done faster, but… But what!

We are taking on the character of Babylon as described in the bible:

"Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting; they remain in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become like women. Her dwellings are set on fire; the bars of her gates are broken." – Jeremiah 51:30

When men begin to act as women the “gates” will begin to crumble. Currently, 20% of the men of this nation are unemployed. Now we are a six cylinder machine running on five.

What makes a man a man is to take care of a wife and children. Fornication, illegitimacy, adultery and divorce are the sinful seeds that have been planted into our society with one result being the estrangement of many men from their children and wives.

“In 1969 the Winstons hit it big with “Color Him Father”. Richard Spencer wrote the song and won a Grammy for it. The father depicted in the song both sets a good example and emphasizes the importance of education. He also has a big heart for his seven kids. As if that is not enough, Spencer loads an O. Henry twist in the last verse; the man is the kids’ stepfather.”

Here is a prophetic verse that will accompany revival, if it is not too late:

"And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." – Luke 1:17