The picture above was taken on Interstate 45 that runs between Galveston and Houston, Texas.
The sign on the far right is for a strip club called “Heartbreakers”.
The sign in the middle simply says, “Jesus heals the brokenhearted.”
The story about how this picture unfolded is pretty interesting…
A pastor was home watching football on a Sunday afternoon…
when a commercial for “Heartbreakers” came on…
his young daughter asked, “Daddy, what is Heartbreakers”?
He told her it was a place where sometime daddy’s go but when they do…
they leave with a broken heart.
Then he said… “but Jesus heals the brokenhearted.”
The next day… he rented the billboard above.
A few weeks back I was driving through St.Louis and I got stuck in construction…
so I took this picture…
Looks pretty similar huh?
Larry Flint’s Hustler club on the left…
“Trust Jesus, Repent.” on the right.
Only this display was on Interstate 64.
It took me a passing this a few times before I made the connection between the two signs.
It wasn’t as obvious as the message in Houston…
But what was weird is the St.Louis sign was more in my face.
The message is a good one…
we all need repentance…
deep sorrow, or contrition for a past sin,wrongdoing, or the like.
Most religious definitions define it as, to turn away from.
When we do…
Jesus heals our broken heart by restoring our broken relationship with Him.
I realize the opportunity that the title “Heartbreakers” presents…
I also realize “Larry Flint’s Hustler Club” doesn’t present the same opportunity.
But there is something about the word “REPENT!”
It’s bold.
Some would say it’s too bold.
I think sometimes because of the people with bullhorns that stand on the street corners…
yelling “REPENT!”
the word gets a bad rap.
But really… it’s a word of great beauty.
Acts 3:19-20 puts it like this…
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord,
and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.
Repentance brings refreshment…
I think everyone can agree that refreshment is a beautiful thing.
So today I encourage you…
If there is anything in your life that you need to give to God…
give it to Him… repent from it…
it will bring refreshment… I promise.
Don’t Procrastinate repentance…
It brings refreshment.
If you could put up a billboard… what would it say?
What is the most difficult aspect of repentance for you?
Procrastinating Tomorrow 
I was sent a book titled 23 minutes in hell from a friend in Texas.About a month after reading the book,I put up the billboard.About 2 months later my billboard rep called and said someone out bid me for sign but he could flip me to the other side.I said ok and went to see if the other side was a good read from the road,The billboard that was put up next to mine on other other side said 23 Minutes In Hell.com,I called my rep he said a plumber paid for the sign,I am a pawnbroker by trade.I am a repenting sinner,I say repenting because it is something that takes constant attention.I have 4 billboards and 3 tv spots.When I read the parables I fell the most draw to the son that refused to go work in the vineyard but later repented and did as his father said.My sins are great and I can’t repay my debt,so I guess the parable about those who are forgiven much might apply to me also.I trust Jesus can do that for me with his perfect sacrifice.My priest told me I should pray for spiritual friends,if there are any worker in vineyard that would like to put are heads together and spread the word on a nationwide scale I would love to talk to you.Praise be to god.
Richard…
Thank you so much for your comment! It’s pretty cool that you found my post about your board. When I posted it… I didn’t even fathom that you would contact me. How did you find my post???
I love the placement of your billboard. Which is really why I wrote about it.
I love your vision for our entire nation. I am not sure how I could help with getting the word out on a national level but I am definitely open to conversation.
Thank you for your comment!
The book “23 minutes in Hell” is a demonically inspired character assassination against God. If it were true, then God would be a sadistic tyrant. Read 2 Peter 3:7-12 and see that “hell” is not a place, it is an event. The wages of sin is not eternal life being tortured (Romans 6:23). The dark-age teaching that God continuously restores the burnt up bodies of the damned so that they can burn again and again is worse than any horror movie. If the wages of sin was infinite torture, then to pay for our sins, Jesus would have to be tortured for all of eternity. Only an infinite amount of sin could deserve an infinite amount of torture, but the life of man is finite. God is wise and just. For more information read the book “The Fire That Consumes” by Edward Fudge.
I do love the “Trust Jesus, Repent” ads on TV. I agree with the woman on the ad who says that she believes that a nuclear war is coming and a monetary collapse is coming and that Jesus is coming. I do not believe that this Bible prophecy inspired warning had any connection with the “23 minutes in Hell” book, since the ad had no connection at all with any topic in that book.
Thank you so much for your comments! I really appreciate you reading.
I have not read 23 Minutes in Hell. But that book obviously got the attention of this gentleman that put up these billboards. I’m not so sure that would be productive of Satan’s angels if it truly is “tool” that he is using.
Again, I have not read that particular book, so I am not defending that.
I am curious as to your interpretation of Luke 16…. especially verse 24.
If Hell is not a place of torment… What was tormenting the rich man?
I believe hell is a place of torment if simply for the fact that people will know God exists and yet they cannot be with Him.
As for the Jesus part of your comment… All God requires is a sacrifice… a perfect sacrifice… And Jesus covered that.
To be blunt, I believe that the message from “Richard” is a lie. His message starts out promoting the book, then it gives the website for the book, and then a testimony to make it all look good. Experienced con-men know that they can fool almost all of the people all of the time by including a lot of unverifiable detail. Some people believe that the ends justifies the means, and there are some people who think that they are led “by the Holy Spirit” or by “The Queen of Heaven” to warn people about “Hell”. I live in the St. Louis area. I have heard the “Trust Jesus” prophetic warning TV advertisements about 4 or 5 times. I know what the ads said. If “Richard” does not live in the St. Louis area then I doubt that he would know what they said. If he made the ads then I would love to meet with him and study out the details of his prophetic warning. I doubt that he even knew that the ad was a prophetic warning about a nuclear war and a monetary collapse. Also, his use of the word “Priest” does not fit with the Fundamentalist sounding prophetic warnings from the ad.
Concerning the interpretation of Luke 16, is it a true story or is it a parable? Lets look at the context. It is in the middle of a long list of parables which starts with Luke 14:7 (then see Luke 14:16, 15:3, 15:11, 16:1, 16:19, 18:2, and 18:10).
Notice that the rich man in Hell talked to Abraham in Heaven. Will the saints in Heaven hear the screams of the burning damned being tortured in the fires of Hell for all of eternity?
Notice that the rich man has a tongue, and Lazarus has a finger. Where did the tongue and finger come from? A tongue and finger are both body parts, but the resurrection of the dead does not happen until the second coming of Christ. That is a problem.
How is it that Lazarus received his reward when he died when Luke 14:14 makes it clear that the just shall be repaid at the resurrection? Death is not “swallowed up in victory” until the resurrection (1 Cor 15:55).
These men are dead. And “the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Yet, they sure seem to know quite a lot for men who know nothing.
If this were a true story then the rich man is being tortured even now with his body literally on fire. Would you expect him to really say something like “excuse me kind sir, I am in extremely horrible pain with all of my flesh being repeatedly burned up, would you please put a drop of water on my tongue?” Doesn’t that sound unrealistic? Having a continual screaming of obscenities is what would be expected. After all, its not like he would ever stop being tortured anyway.
Pay close attention to the “punch-line” of this story. It says “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.” Did Jesus raise someone from the dead? Didn’t he raise a friend of his from the dead? What was his name? (John 11:11-44).
If Lazarus died and went to Heaven, and Jesus pulled him out of Heaven in a one man resurrection, then you would expect Lazarus to have so many great things to say about all that he experienced in Heaven. Certainly a book would have been written. But where is “The Book of Lazarus”? Nothing was written because Lazarus was “asleep” (which implies being unconscious). Nothing was written because “The dead know nothing.”
When a Christian dies, we should “comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess 4:18) that God will resurrect the dead and “accompany” them to Heaven. The common translation “God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep (1 Thess 4:14) is wrong. The word for “bring” actually does not say “bring” at all. The word means “to accompany.” It can mean “bring” as in “accompany from Heaven to Earth” or it can mean “take” as in “accompany from Earth to Heaven.” Indeed, the later verses in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 only make sense if it means “take.” The 1,000 year reign (Rev 20:6) is in Heaven, and the eternal reign which lasts “forever and ever” (Rev 22:5) will be on the newly restored Earth (Rev 5:10, Mt 5:5, 2 Pet 3:10-13, Mt 5:18, Rev 21:1).
Satan needs to deceive people about the millennium in order to succeed in his ultimate end time deception. God will allow this strong delusion, but He warns us of it, and even lets us know when it will happen.
For more information concerning the “Hell” debate I highly recommend the aforementioned book “The Fire That Consumes.” A website with similar information can be found at “HellTruth.com”.
The 1,000 year reign (Rev 20:4-6) is in Heaven (John 14:1-3, John 14:28). The purpose of the millennium is judgement (Rev 20:4, 1 Cor 6:1-3).
The Feast of Tabernacles represents the Millennium. The Israelites were delivered from Egypt, they tabernacled (dwelled) with God in the desert, and then they entered into the promised land. We will be delivered from the Earth, we will dwell with God in Heaven, then, “when the thousand years are ended” we will go back to Earth where the judgement will conclude. Then a New Earth will be made where we will reign over the earth forever as Adam and Eve once did. Paradise will be restored.
I know what the lady in the trust jesus repent tv commercial says because I wrote it and I pay for it to air monthly.Each statement starts with I believe and it is what I believe.Didnt mean to promote a book ,just read the book then put up the billboard.Have a love god ,repent billboard on hwy 70,read the bible and put that one up.Only wish for people to take time and reflect on why they are here and what they are doing.I would like people to repent and give praise to the king of heaven,Van do you think that is wrong.
Richard… Keep doin what you’re doin man! I love it!
Hey Richard…
I saw your Love God, Repent Billboard this weekend on 70… as well as your Trust Jesus Repent one on 64. I see them both when I go to the airport in St.Louis.
I love it man.
The bottom line is this… the only thing that we have to prove to us that Hell is a literal place are the words of Jesus. IF Hell is a literal place… we cannot afford to write it off as a mere thought. We must treat the lost as if Hell is real. Jesus’ words are enough for me.
thanks,rick