Joni Eareckson Tada, one of the most beloved women in America, has had her loving little heart trampled on by the Oscar crowd in Hollywood.  If the so-called ‘celebs’ who have won Oscars in the past had any integrity, they would bring their trophies to a wreckers’ yard and have them crushed en masse like the trash they are.

What is this all about?  In case you haven’t heard, Joni sang the song ‘Alone But Not Alone’ for the film of the same name.  When I heard about the film and the song, it thrilled my heart that perhaps there is a modern film worth seeing, with a song which gives glory to God.  The song was nominated for an Oscar!  

Well the song has now been un-nominated.  I am glad, because who in their right mind wants a statue of a naked man on their mantelpiece?  And who wants any kind of accolade from Hollywood, world capital of pornography?

Being barred from the Oscars is a badge of honor!  And it is not Joni who is being rejected; it is the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Joni, as many readers will know, became a quadriplegic after a tragic diving accident as a teenager.  Her story, her struggles and suffering, her beautiful faith shining through, her sweet spirit, her loving compassion for others who are suffering…these things are an inspiration to many Christians.  And now, because of this Oscar business, we hope that many more people will hear of Joni – and her faith in Jesus Christ. 

Here is a link to the song which will not now win an Oscar, sung by Joni, who has a very limited lung capacity.  She recorded the song with the help of her husband, who had to squeeze her chest to enable her to reach a high note. To see the song being recorded click on http://www.rforh.com/blog/oscar-song-joni-eareckson-tada/   Scroll down and click on the picture of Joni.

The movie is the true story of two young girls abducted by savage Indians in the early days of America.  The song was a hymn which had been sung by the mother of one of the girls, and it was how she recognized her mother years after the abduction, when at last she was free.

The song not only made me cry; it made me cry out to God to remove the evil men who rule America now and who are destroying the beautiful nation He gave us.  They are even worse than the savages who abducted the girls.  They are sophisticated savages in designer suits.  Instead of taking scalps, they poison the souls of men.  They call good evil and evil good, and they have kicked God out of our schools and our society.  There is hardly a movie made which does not blaspheme His holy name.

God is so patient.  He sees all that goes on; He stays His hand because He does not want any to perish.  But Hollywood’s days are numbered.  The moguls have been weighed and found wanting.  The handsome, foul-mouthed actors – my grandma would have washed their mouths out with soap!  That was her strategy to stop blaspheming, and it worked! Unless they all repent, their fate is certain, and it will not be pretty.

We often think…how  interesting that Hollywood sits on tarpits.   On our one and only visit to Hollywood, we didn’t see the studios or the houses of the ‘stars’.  We went to see the La Brea Tarpits museum on Wilshire Boulevard, where bones of huge, extinct animals are displayed in the museum. 

The bones were pulled up out of the tar, and more are being pulled out today.  You can see gas bubbling up through the thick tar just outside the museum.    

No prizes for guessing what the Lord has in store for Hollywood!  Our guess is – bye, bye, down it will go, sinking into the tarpits.  What a relief for the whole world that will be.  A day of rejoicing.

The town continues to spew out filth, and the Lord restrains His holy hand.  For now.  Maybe there is just one more person there who will turn to Him and be saved, even now.  For one more person, He would wait. 

People ask: if God exists, how could He allow so much sin and suffering to go on?  Why didn't He kill those bad Indians who abducted the girls?  Why doesn't He stop the evils of the world if He is a God of love (which He is).   Why doesn't He just heal Joni of quadriplegia?   The truth is we really don't know.  We see through a glass darkly.  One day we will know.  What we do know is that God is working to a plan, revealed in the Bible - His great plan of redemption.  Through Joni's tragedy, and her faithful gospel witness, countless people may have come to know Him.  Her eternal reward is probably beyond imagining. 

As for bad Indians...yes, I would have whacked them then and there and their tomahawks (provided by the English and the French, to our shame), would never have touched a human head.  But God gives us free will!  Even the freedom to do terrible things.  He gives us free choice.  He does not directly intervene, although sometimes He does.  I really don't fully understand either, but I do trust God, and I know that He is good. 

And God had plans for the Indians!  We know three men of Indian descent and their lives are devoted to getting the gospel out.  God knows!  God sees the end of things; He is outside time; He sees the future as well as the bad things happening now.  He sees sinners whom He knows will one day fall to their knees and beg for forgiveness, as I did.     

He is merciful, dear friends.  He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for all our sins, and we now live in the age of mercy, when even the worst sinner can repent and turn to Him for salvation.  Christ died for sinners, and that includes me, and you too, by the way.   We are still in that age of mercy, but it will come to a sudden end.  God is still holding His door open, for all those who will come to faith in Jesus Christ.  He is waiting, maybe for you.

I am so glad that He waited for me! 

Have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior, dear friend?  He told us in John's gospel that He is the way to heaven.  He is the door.  No one gets to the Father except through Him. 

As for the Oscars…how about going down to Wilshire Boulevard and chucking them all in the tarpit?