Balloon Boy
The most bizarre news event this past month was the story of the ‘Balloon Boy’. I might have missed this story, had I not been in the gym when this story broke. It was the afternoon of 15th Oct. The TV's in the gym were tuned to a news channel where all the activity was taking place in real time. A homemade helium balloon was floating away over the Colorado landscape at what seemed to be ‘breath-taking speed’. The balloon ( described as a large silvery craft like a flying saucer) was aloft for 2 hours and travelled roughly 55 miles southeast over Colorado, before it came down at 1.35pm local time. It was feared that 6-year-old Falcon Heene was adrift in the balloon when it became untethered from their back yard. At one point, the Authorities thought the boy may have fallen from the balloon. The Colorado Army National Guard scrambled an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter and a Black Hawk UH-60 to try to rescue the boy, possibly by lowering someone to the balloon. The helicopter flights alone cost about $14,500. There was concern at one point that the balloon might drift into air traffic control corridors used by Denver International Airport, based on its location and direction. Deputies alerted DIA air traffic controllers to warn them about letting aircraft fly through the area. Flights heading to the north from DIA were diverted while the balloon was in the air. A DIA spokesman said flights were diverted for 15 to 20 minutes but airport operations were not affected.
Eventually the story turned out to be a hoax. Falcon’s mother and father, Mayumi and Richard Heene had cooked up the stunt in an attempt to land themselves a TV reality series. According to Associated Press; “Now, whatever legal woes Richard Heene may face, he’s known around the world. In the hands of the right producer, he’s promotable and marketable. This alleged scam may have given Heene a boost beyond his wildest dreams.”
Here we have an extreme example of a man who is desperately searching for significance and acceptance.
A number of our New Life church family are studying “Freedom in Christ”in our small home group. We are viewing a DVD series of teachings derived from the books of Neil Anderson (Victory over Darkness and Bondage Breaker). The teaching for Week 1 was titled “Where did I come from?” We studied the fact that Adam and Eve’s disobedience caused mankind to be born spiritually dead with driving needs for significance, security and acceptance. Since the "fall" Man has struggled with feelings of inadequacy, helplessness, worthlessness and hopelessness.
Jesus came to make a way for man to be reconciled to God and to restore to us, Spiritual life and the significance, security and acceptance that was stolen away from us. Thankfully, we do not all go to the extremes of the Heene's to gain significance and acceptance, but we do all need the restoration that Jesus alone can bring.
