Fishing for Men with Mack

Supposed to die, yet you live?

Hezekiah was an ancient Israelite king who was about to die. God told him to get his life in order and make ready to die. But Hezekiah prayed and begged God for life, and God did. He gave him another fifteen years to live.

What did he do with those fifteen years? The question in this podcast episode is really about how would you live your life differently if you just just escaped death? Would you value your life more if you had almost die?

This show grapples with the question of legacy and influence. what is the best thing you can do with your time on earth? If you died today, would you leave something behind that is a blessing to the world?

2000 Year Old Advice on Marriage

Peter, the Great Apostle, walked with Jesus, started the Christian movement, performed extraordinary miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit. He was a Spiritual man, a Godly man, and a leader in the greatest movement Earth has ever seen. And...he was married. Would you like to know what he said about marriage?

In this podcast I look at the seven verses he wrote about marriage. We have wisdom in these verses that surpasses any modern day self-help marriage book. Too often "Christians" tend to believe in Jesus, but their marriages are falling apart. Most Christian marriages that fail, do so because they don't read these verses and obey them.

This episode tries to show how these verses are relevant to our marriage experiences, what each party needs to do to participate in a good and Godly marriage and who should take the greatest responsibility. 

Life After Death, Ghosts

One of the most frequent questions people have as we have spiritual discussions with people is this: What happens to people after they die? That often brings up the question of ghosts because most people believe ghosts are the spirits of dead people roaming the Earth and looking for rest.

Well, does the Bible speak about ghosts? Does the Bible teach that the spirits of dead people roam the Earth? And if the Bible says ghosts don't exist, then what do people actually see when they claim to have seen ghosts?

These questions are loaded. But they are briefly addressed in this episode to give us some clarity on life after death. 

Why People Follow Islam

It seems like Islam is growing faster than Christianity. Projections are there that Islam will be larger than Christianity by the year 2050. How could this be? How is Islam growing if more Muslims convert to Christianity than the other way around?

In this episode I suggest that Islam is not growing faster than Christianity but simply retaining more members. This episode provides at least four reasons or ways that Islam retains adherents.

When Demons Start Religions

In this week's episode the following question is answered: Is it more likely that Muhammad was sent by God or by demons? If we evaluate the respected Islamic sources and compare them to Biblical texts the answer becomes exceedingly clear.

The Apostle Paul warned 600 years before Muhammad lived that even if an angel from heaven brought another Gospel, that angel should be destroyed forever. Could that text indeed be a form of prophecy regarding the birth of Islam?

If we consider the demeanor of the angel Muhammad met, the behavior of Muhammad when he had angelic encounters and as he lived out his life, could we confidently state he was influenced by God or demons? Tune in to make up your own mind. 

The Beheading of Samuel Patty

This episode is stimulated by the recent gruesome murder of a high school teacher in Paris. The 47-year old man was beheaded by an 18-year old Muslim man in the public in front of the school where he worked.

This story sparked the following questions that are dealt with in this episode: Why do some Muslims kill this way? Why do most Muslims say Islam is a religion of peace? And how is Christianity related to all this since some people believe Christianity and Islam actually worship the same God since both are derived from Abraham.

In this episode you will hear about the source of the division within Islam. At the heart of the problem is the Quran, written by a man and not a God. And his personality shaped the contradictory text of the Quran which leads some to believe Islam is a religion of peace and others that it is one of violence. 

Many Religions, One God?

In this episode I explore two important questions: (1) Do all religions worship the same God, but just in different ways? (2) Why do I choose Christianity over all other religions?

To answer the first question I briefly compare the four largest religions in the world: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. If we compare the basic tenets of each of these faiths it becomes quite clear that they are vastly different. Conclusion: If there is one God and many religions, then that God is inconsistent, contradictory and confused. 

As I explore the different faiths I show how the Christian God is totally unique and meets man where he is. Christianity is the only faith where your salvation is not about your performance, but His. It is the only faith that solves our biggest problem, death. 

Muslim Scriptures, Jihad & the Bible

In this episode I deal with two very important questions: (1) What are the Muslim Scriptures? (2) Is there a comparison between Jihad (armed struggle against infidels) and the Bible? These are topics birthed out of questions regarding the first podcast on Islam.

In answering the first question I reveal how complex the Muslim corpus of Scriptures is. It seems to be a mixture between holy unaltered texts written in God's language to biographies of the prophet to texts in the Bible and long lost texts. The reason for this exploration is to prove that the unsavory character traits of Muhammad are recorded by the Scriptures that Muslims actually respect. 

In answering the second question I deal with the murders the Israelites committed when they conquered the land of Canaan. If they could do that, what is so bad about what Muhammad did? I try to answer that question. But I also strive to point out that we are following Jesus, not Joshua, and Jesus never murdered anyone.

Why Islam is a bad idea: Muhammad

In this first episode I answer two questions regarding Islam: (1) How did it start? and (2) Who started it? Islam seems to currently be the fastest growing religion in the world. In order to determine its validity I thought it best to start with evaluating its founding and founder.

Muhammad was born in a pagan place with an important pagan temple that seems to have been associated with the god Baal of the Old Testament Scriptures. Islam was birthed in a cave through an angel that showed Muhammad what to recite, this recitation was later compiled into what we know as the Quran.

Muhammad unfortunately, although being a brilliant leader, was not a person to introduce your children to. From lust, rape, murder and slavery to warfare, this man made a name for himself. I don't think he is a good role model to follow, what about you?

Rebuttal 11 on 22 Reasons to Stop Believing in God

In this final rebuttal on the 22 reasons Hemant Mehta gives on why one should stop believing in God I broadly deal with two questions: 1) Is it true that if God loves me He will never let bad things happen to me? 2) If we are made in God's image, does that mean we look like Him physically?

These two questions come from the last two criticisms on faith in God as proposed by Hemant. Number 21:Between tornados in Oklahoma, droughts in Texas and Hurricanes in Alabama. There sure are a lot of natural disasters in the places that God supposedly loves. 22) You were made in God’s image, except for your foreskin, apparently, you need to cut that off.

In response  to (21) I suggest that God's children are nowhere told they would be immune from suffering. But if it is true that natural disaster is evidence for God's judgment, then God definitely exists, because the most catastrophic natural disasters has happened in the most ungodly place. And then in response to (22) I point out how being created in the image of God has nothing to do with our physical bodies. If it were so then people like Nic Vujicic would not have been created in the image of God.