Warrior In The Wilderness

"Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.  And he touched my mouth with it, and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips, Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged.'  And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:  'Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?'  Then I said, 'Here am I!  Send me.' "  Isaiah 6:6-8

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Twenty years ago, like Isaiah describes in the sixth chapter of his book, I had a similar vision from the Lord.  To this day, it is as fresh to me as it was those many years ago in that jail cell where I first received the infilling of the Holy Ghost.  In that vision, an overwhelming presence came upon me and I could see a white form come towards me.  He placed something upon my head and put something in my mouth and I heard the voice of the Lord state, "I am preparing you to do battle for me in the last days."

Little did I know where the Lord was taking me.

As the years have gone by, I have been firmly planted in the call of God upon my life.  As I have delved deeper and deeper into the Word of God, His presence has become more and more of a reality to me and His Holy Spirit has abided more richly upon me.

God has called me to stand for Him in the midst of the homosexual community in San Diego, California.  Most would think, what an insane deal I received.  I come to the Lord, seeking His forgiveness, love, and blessing, and He puts me in the midst of a territory where I am hated, and threatened with death.

Jeremiah the Prophet received the same exchange.  In Jeremiah 26:2 the Lord said to Jeremiah, "Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that I command you to speak to them.  Do not diminish a word." 

Jeremiah did as he was commanded by the Lord and look at the response he gets from the people in Jeremiah 26:11, "And the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and the people saying, 'This man deserves to die! For he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.' "

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I have been standing a long time in the midst of this dark and dreary land.  Many times, all alone, I have felt the forces of hell press against me.  I have walked down the streets alone, crying out against the porn stores polluting our city.  The owners have threatened me, twice they physically assaulted me in front of their damnable enterprises.  I have been spit on and mocked by the leaders of the gay agenda, but I refuse to retreat, for where would I go, but to the Lord.  Should I fall back, as a coward, to that place that breeds darkness and death.  I think not!

The homosexual newspapers have mocked me, publicly.  I have been made a spectacle for the whole world to see.  Look at what they have written about me in the gay papers:

March 11, 2004 in the Gay and Lesbian Times:

"But when elections draw near, the gay-baiters come out with distortions that can lead all of us to question this history.  Just before the March 2nd primaries, several of our community (gay) bar owners hosted a fundraiser for city attorney candidate Mike Aguirre.  Following this fundraiser, an AM talk-radio show hosted by Rick Roberts focused two programs on the comments of ananti-gay caller named James Hartline. 

On a program that aired on Monday, Mar. 1, the day before the elections, caller Hartline criticized Aguirre for accepting financial contributions from a business associated with porn stars.  Hartline has a right to an opinion, but because of his very public, anti-gay views, even the most mainstream of journalistic sources would most likely decline to give him major consideration.  On air, Roberts checked out and confirmed that indeed adult porn stars were doing promotions for the community establishment (gay bar) in question."

In response to the Gay and Lesbian Center bringing in hundreds of young teenagers to indoctrinate them into homosexuality and lesbianism at a gay youth event earlier this year, I went down to the San Diego City Council to speak out against this terrible atrocity.  When the Gay and Lesbian Center found out that I and two other Christians, Allyson Smith and Phil Magnan, were going down there to speak against their abuse of our young people, they brought in nearly thirty of the most prominent homosexual leaders in San Diego to speak against us and in support of the gay and lesbian youth event.

In a March 6, 2004 editorial of the Gay and Lesbian Times, the writer attacked me for speaking out at the City Council on behalf of our teenagers:

"...the scary part came with last Tuesday's San Diego City Council meeting, where a

regular homophobic activist, James Hartline, was joined by San Diego News Reporter Allyson Smith, who attended the Gay Youth Pride event, in protesting that the city was 'corrupting children', by giving a resolution celebrating LGBT Youth Pride.  This is when the heart rate starts going--when individuals stand before our city council--and when parents go before schools, openly speaking out in favor of intolerance and discrimination, and do so in the name of youth."

In a July 8, 2004 edition of the Gay and Lesbian Times a female reporter wrote an attack article on Jim Holman, publisher of the Reader Newspaper, for articles that his paper had written about me:

"Both, Oct. 30th and Nov. 6th, 2003 editions of The Reader featured articles fit better with the political agenda of the News Notes or one of its spin-offs.  These were written by Ernie Grimm, now (though not then) editor of News Notes, for the City Lights section.  "Too Close" and "Bathhouse Quagmire" both not only quote heavily from but focus on "ex-gay" conservative activist  James Hartline--known to many in the gay and lesbian community for his anti-gay, religious zealotry--as an expert on the issues of San Diego adult entertainment bookstore zoning laws and the closing of San Diego's three remaining bathhouses due to the spread of HIV/AIDS.  In "Bathhouse Quagmire", Hartline is quoted outlining his past involvement with bathhouses, which he blames for his own HIV infection.  Grimm does not mention Hartline's religious and anti-gay activism, though they are a major factor in Hartline's public persona."

Nearly two years ago, I began to put pressure on the city of San Diego to shut down the thirteen illegal adult porn stores inside of the homosexual community.  As a result, I have been threatened and identified by many, many evil forces.  Horrible, corrupt people own these businesses.  But do I allow the fear of man, to hinder me from doing what the Lord has called me to do.  The Word of the Lord is like a burning fire in my belly and I cannot be silent against that which would harm the little children and would dishonor my God.

The Crypt, an adult porn store right in front of a bus stop where the kids wait to go to school,  does not have any of its windows covered.  So the little children look at the most ungodly filth imaginable.  The City of San Diego has refused to shut this place down, but I have been fighting this evil place for a long time.

One of the managers of The Crypt, Scott "Scix" Maddix, who now has been fired from that evil place, publicly practices satanism in various forms.  Mr. Maddix, furious that I have been attacking The Crypt, last year wrote in his internet journal about me:

"I work at The Crypt--the one with the tarty mannequins like the one pictured on page 3 of the Reader posed in our window.  As the esteemed Mr. Ackerman (et al) has not attempted to show any harm our presences causes the community or the minors that are not allowed in our shop, he must merely be seeking to oust our store based on perceived violations of code--...his crony James Hartline (inexplicably identified in the article as a "Christian activist and former homosexual") states that while we have kept our legally adult content under 15% of the store, the other merchandise should also be counted (as violations).

Maddix's journal readers responded with their own attacks:

"On Aug. 7, 2003, Ackerman, Hartline, and a group of church representatives, activists, and reporters met with Sherry Carr (Code Enforcement Director) at the department's eigth floor office overlooking the City Concourse....luckily the Mad Hatter, Alice and her white rabbit showed up just in time for tea."

"Go straight to hell.  Do not pass go.  Do not collect $200."

"Fomer homosexual!  What?"

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I live just two blocks from The Crypt, in a little studio apartment.  I've been there now for over four years.  I have no fences to keep any one out.  Everyone in the homosexual community, even the owners of the porn stores know where I live and at any time they could follow through with the death threats that I have received over the years.

One night, about six months ago, at about three in morning, I was awakened to hear someone trying to turn the knob on my front door.  I jumped out of bed and looked out the window to see and there were two men standing on the patio.  I called the police and all they did after they arrived was run them off, not even asking them for identification.

This is my world.  This is how I live my life, but I hold onto God's truth as a greater reality, than the threats and difficulties of this life.  In fact, after that incident where someone tried to break into my apartment six months ago, I hung this sign on my door:

"In peace, I will both lie down and sleep.  For Thou alone, O Lord, doest make me to dwell in safety."  Psalm 4:8

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I have yielded my life to my God and in Him do I trust.  It is in that trust that I stand in a land crawling with spiritual scorpions that constantly pant their evil breath as they seek to sting me.  I often feel the slithering touch of poisonous serpents that glide beneath me, they in their pained hunger seeking to sink their vile fangs into my flesh to see me done away with.

 But I take my stand, as did the Prophet Jeremiah, as they sought to kill him:

 "As for me, here I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you.  But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing."   Jeremiah 26:15

From the Journal of James Hartline

Living My Life For My God

Preparing For My Departure