OVERCOMER, OVERCOME - BOOK REVIEW

Overcomer, Overcome by Caitlin Hawk is a stunning book. More importantly, it is a testimony to the power of God to rescue the hurting, restore the broken, and right the ship of anyone’s life for His Glory and our own good.  I had to go through it twice to get into Caitlin’s life story, B.C. (Before Christ).

This young lady’s honest, open, transparent account of her tough life from early teens, all the way through high school and junior college is an absolute must-read for anyone who thinks there is no hope for any family member, friend of even themselves who may be stuck in the vicious cycle of addiction.  With the availability of so many formerly illegal addictive substances, the number of adults, but especially our youth, who are addicted to vaping cannabis is staggering.

Then there is a crisis of identity amongst so many people these days, mostly young women, who are deceived by the shiny objects on social media or the “influencer” cult, etc.  Caitlin’s incredible journey led her to the REAL TRUTH (in Christ), through a very tough, difficult road.  It was only after her transformation at the life-changing Mercy Ministries, founded in 1983 by Nancy Alcorn, that Caitlin not just turned around but began growing into who she was all along – a daughter of the Living Christ. It was Jesus Who gave her the identity she possesses now, which is blessing her husband, daughters, and community around her in Knoxville, TN. (Mercy Multiplied, in Nashville, TN, was the home where Caitlin found her purpose in life).

(On a personal note, I was blessed to be able to meet a delegation in 2011 from St. Louis Mercy Multiplied at the Illinois State Capitol. Former Illinois State Senator Kyle McCarter and his wife Victoria were great supporters of Mercy St. Louis and twice brought up dozens of young ladies whose lives were transformed due to Nancy Alcorn’s ministry. Kyle later became the US Ambassador to Kenya in the first Trump Administration.  His wife and the girls participated in my Annual National Day of Prayer event at the Illinois State Capitol Lincoln Steps that year. What an incredible ministry/mission! God’s Hand continues to guide, now thousands of young women, to better lives because of Mercy Multiplied!)

What Overcomer Overcome shows is that it is not an easy walk; even Jesus rescues you out of the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of His Marvelous Light. As Caitlin mentions, sometimes you will feel like a “fish on pavement”. This is a tough proposition, as the Christian fails a lot, but we have a loving God Who draws us in if we draw near to Him. One of the attractions of this book is a chapter in Scripture which is super meaningful to our author friend – John Chapter 15.  It is the chapter on Abiding, remaining, connecting, living in the zone, feeding off the vine… tied into the “Source”

In the great new movie “A Great Awakening”, the George Whitefield character asked America’s Founding Father Ben Franklin, an avowed unbeliever, “What’s the Source, Ben”?  Franklin, of course, did not answer, but in her book, Caitlin Hawk tells us not just WHO the Source is, but how and from what He rescued her.

WATCH A FULL INTERVIEW ABOVE WITH CAITLIN ON "LIFE TODAY" (2023) ALONG WITH NANCY ALCORN OF MERCY MULTIPLIED.

Read this book with the frame of mind of “how can this either help me, or someone I know”….and it will.  After glancing through it, I camped on it to understand the author's heartbeat and what she was trying to say. What she said will make you cry, cringe, hurt, smile, pray, put the book down, pick it up, feel empathy, feel love, feel sadness, feel hopeful, rejoice, and again, I say – rejoice.

If you’re looking for immediate answers in a book, any book, except the Bible, you won’t find it. If you want to become part of the process that can lead someone, including oneself, to Deliverance, get a copy of Overcomer Overcome by Caitlin Hawk and you will be on the road to freedom, which can only be found in Jesus. 

PURCHASE CAITLIN'S BOOK HERE 

ON AMAZON.COM 

REALLY?!! TOURING WITH QUEEN?

Marc Martel is the son of a Canadian choir director and the powerfully gifted lead singer of the Christian group DOWNHERE. These talented singers, who all met at Briar Cliff College in Saskatchewan, Canada, are concert favorites all over the U.S. - from church halls to outdoor music events like the three day outdoor Agape Festival at Greenville, Illinois.

Recently, DOWNWHERE (click here for their songs) disbanded for a variety of personal reasons - most of them good. Except one - Martel is off to join the 1980's rock band on tour QUEEN for a three month tour. His voice sounds eerily like that of Queen's late singer Freddie Mercury, who died from AIDS a long time ago. Now Queen's music is everywhere - from Hockey games to college football and even the London Symphony (Bohemian Rapsody, We Will Rock You, We are the Champions etc). That is good for them.

But can a man take fire into his bosom and not be burned (Proverbs 6:27)? After reading the interview with Marc Martel and the complete lack of discernment of both him and his wife about this Queen thing and all the promotional secular hoopla surrounding it, a couple things struck me. One is this- it is no wonder the church has lost its salt in flavoring the world. We have brought the secular, corrupt and fleshly world culture into the Body of Christ and think nothing of it. All the big music million dollar hits aside, have this couple even researched the background of QUEEN to see how they lived and how they got where they did? What next, Michael W. Smith sings Lady Gaga?!! By the way, Smitty would never do that.

Two, I reject the notion put forth by some that you have to engage the culture, and be like them, to change it. Yes, you engage those who walk in the world - but you do so in love WITHOUT compromising the Gospel of Christ- that is, the Gospel of Truth, Holiness, Repentance and Righteousness. The reason this move by the DOWNHERE lead singer is so important AND troubling is this - nowhere in his talks and especially this principal interview with the Christian Post does he even mention God, reaching another audience for Christ or using this as a tool for reaching the lost and dying who follow these groups. He is not alone in this so-called young evangelical world, where now over 57% of them believe there is another way to heaven than Jesus Christ!

In the final analysis, while Mr. Martel is probably going to come out of this three month stint with QUEEN with his career intact, by doing this he has cheapened the Cross and the exclusivity of the Gospel and what it means to be a true follower of Christ. By appearing on some of the TV shows and platforms he will have to, in order to promote and make this worldly adventure successful, he will be showing the culture that there is no clear line between then and Christ....and this is what is so sad, because his young fans in the Christian music world will now be more willing to walk in doublemindedness than ever.

By the way, in advance and anticipation of being now classified as a "fuddy-duddy" and a "wet blanket" and an old dude who can't see the value of this - I accept those names gladly, in order to have just a closer walk with Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, who dined with sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors - to show them a more excellent way - then moved on to save the world, amen.