OpentheWord.org | A bit of Bible, A bit of Life, A bit of Politics

Guns, Bombs, Muslims and Christians

by smcintos

A few days ago, someone attacked a mosque in New Zealand and killed fifty people, by the most recent count. Now, the entire nation of New Zealand is in shock, and the Prime Minister has vowed to never say the name of the killer. This news moved quickly around the world, and now, a week later, a detailed account is available in Wikipedia: RELATED: Christchurch Mosque Shooting When I heard the news, I waited for the information that we all dreaded. What was the name of the killer? In crude terms ‘One of us or one of them?’ Did a Muslim kill other Muslims, or did the killer have a grudge against that religion? Even worse, what if the killer identified as a Christian and tried to pull the rest of us into the fight? I’m a Christian; is someone dragging me under the bus? Fifty people died in Christchurch New Zealand, including children, and that is very wrong. If this mass killing generates enough payback anger, more wrong will grow from the first...

What in the world are territorial spirits? PODCAST #17

Published by Dean Smith

PODCAST NOTES: Hi my name is Dean Smith, and in this podcast I ask the question: “What in the world are territorial spirits?” Territorial spirits involves the controversial Biblical...

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Bible, Main, Podcasts, Spiritual Warfare

Shining a light on authentic Christianity

Published by Barb Smith

A few weeks back, my daughter and I went to a Saturday-morning woman’s brunch. The temperature was -40 degrees with blowing wind and snow. It was one of the...

Comments 2

Main, Spiritual Life, Women

Is momentum building for the next great wave?

Published by Barb Smith

When my husband showed me Cindy Jacob’s recent prophetic word posted March 15th on Charisma News, I was stunned because I had seen a similar vision and shared it...

Comments 0

Main, Prayer & intercession, Prophecy, Spiritual Gifts, Women

The silence was deafening, but not the explosion

Published by Dean Smith

According to a report by BBC, around noon on December 18, 2019, a large meteor/small asteroid exploded over the Bering Strait. The Bering Strait is the body of water...

Comments 0

Apologetics, End times, Main

40 pre-schoolers sing “Jesus Loves Me” as violent tornado slams into their church

Published by Dean Smith

After a tornado ploughed through Paducah, KY on Thursday, March 14, 2019, Sheriff Matt Carter told the West Kentucky Star: “The Almighty hand of God has provided safety to...

Comments 0

Main, News, Religious, Testimony

Was Jesus referring to another time dimension?

Published by Dean Smith

I am not going to pretend for a moment I understand this, but researchers from the US and Russia claim they have reversed time. No this did not involve...

Comments 3

Bible, Main, Spiritual Warfare, Teaching

Don’t Do This!

Published by Andy Becker

What is wrong with some people! I give them a thoughtful gift and I get flack for it! All you men out there, I’m going to need you to...

Comments 0

Main, Thought for the day

Narcissism and Religion: PODCAST

Published by smcintos

Group narcissism can happen in religion; most of us are guilty. Imagine a peaceful and quiet nursery for mothers with new babies. Everyone is resting, and happy, with...

Comments 0

Bible, Main, Podcasts, Teaching

The Time I Felt God’s Glory Show Up

Published by Barb Smith

This past weekend I attended a conference, Ask for Rain, in our city designed to bring churches together to create relationship and community. During these sessions I believe God’s...

Comments 0

Main, Prayer & intercession, Women

Jonah, Rainer and the whale

Published by Dean Smith

Rainer Schimpf, 51, is a diver and tour operator from South Africa who for nearly 15 years has filmed the ‘sardine run’ that takes place off the Agulhas Bank...

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Apologetics, Bible, Main

Why is a life-sized statue of Christ resting at the bottom of Lake Michigan?

Published by Dean Smith

On top of Corcovado Mountain, overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there is a 30-meter high statue of Jesus. Called Christ the Redeemer, the 635 metric ton statue was installed...

Comments 0

Main, News, Religious

Does God still heal today? An Interview with Andy Becker: PODCAST

Published by Dean Smith

PODCAST NOTES: Hi, my name is Dean Smith and in this episode I am interviewing Andy Becker and asking the question: “Does God still heal today?” Andy is lead...

Comment 1

Apologetics, Main, Miracles, Podcasts

Don’t Make Me Come Down There!

Published by Andy Becker

I have a sign that reads: Don’t make me come down there! God How many of us remember one of our parents yelling that to us when we were...

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Bible, Main, Thought for the day

Millenial Narcissism, and Maybe Death

Published by smcintos

Last Friday, after midnight, a loud sound woke me up. It sounded like a traffic accident, but then it happened again, and again. I realized that someone was pounding...

Comments 0

Apologetics, End times, Main

Cracks in the evolutionary foundation

Published by Dean Smith

In the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul makes a very audacious statement. He says in the end people will be without excuse about their belief in God because...

September 28, 2017

Comments 0

Apologetics, Creation, Evolution, Main, z78

Church youth leader wows ‘The Voice’

Published by Dean Smith

It was a four-chair turn for church youth leader Brooke Simpson on ‘The Voice’ as she sang a song by Demi Lovato called Stone Cold. Entering is sixteenth season,...

September 27, 2017

Comment 1

Arts, Main, Music, News, Religious, Testimonial, Testimony, Videos, Women, z78

Noah’s Flood, Atlantis, and the Okotok

Published by smcintos

People who don’t like the Bible, or believe that it is not true, like to point out the story of Noah’s flood as proof that they are correct. How...

September 26, 2017

Comments 4

Apologetics, Bible, Creation, Main, z78

Study reveals a major reason for child poverty: Divorce

Published by Dean Smith

An article in the National Post came to the stunning conclusion that one of the big reasons for child poverty in Canada is not capitalism run amuck or the...

September 25, 2017

Comments 0

Family, Main, News, Studies, z78, z93

What do Chris Pratt, Justin Bieber and Kourteny Kardashian have in common?

Published by Dean Smith

For many they are household names. All three have fame and money in movies, singing and TV respectively. Chris Pratt, 38, is a movie star with leading roles in...

September 24, 2017

Comments 2

Arts, Hollywood, Main, Music, News, Testimony, z78

Oh no, not again — prediction made world will end September 23

Published by Dean Smith

Up to this week, I had never heard of Jason Meade. But over the last couple weeks he has certainly gotten his 15 minutes of fame when under the...

September 22, 2017

Comments 2

End times, Main, News, Religious, z78

The crime of climate-change denial

Published by smcintos

North America had a solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, followed by a string of hurricanes and earthquakes in Mexico. Also, we have been warned that the world will...

September 21, 2017

Comments 0

Apologetics, Global Warming, Main, Opinion, z78

Territorial Spirits: Defining the spiritual characteristic of the area

Published by Dean Smith

I have been doing a study on territorial spirits, revealing that satan has structured his kingdom putting evil spirits over countries, provinces or states and even cities within that...

September 20, 2017

Comments 0

Bible, Main, Spiritual Warfare, z78

Report: Persecution of American Christians up 133% between 2001 and 2016

Published by Dean Smith

A report recently released by First Liberty Institute (FLI) entitled “Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America” outlines the growing number of attacks on religious liberty in...

September 19, 2017

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Main, News, Persecution, Religious, Studies, z78

Pray that God will bring down North Korea’s strongman

Published by Dean Smith

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness...

September 18, 2017

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Bible, Main, Spiritual Warfare, z78

Emotional health, Main, Women, z17, z24

It doesn’t have to be a life sentence

I lost my eldest son Graham in 2004 to suicide. Six years later my grief took me to a five-day seminar to help deal with the emotional upheaval in...

Apologetics, Bible, Main, z24, z28

Some say Easter is early this year, one ancient scholar says it’s right on time

I have heard a few comments that Easter is early this year, which leads to the obvious questions why is it early and why do the dates fluctuate so...

Apologetics, Bible, Main, z24

Preaching the gospel among the fairy chimneys

When writing his first epistle, the Apostle Peter addresses it to the elect living in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia (1 Peter 1:1). The Apostle’s second letter was...

Arts, Arts, Hollywood, Main, News, Testimonial, Testimony, Women, z17, z24

Was actress Jennifer Garner impacted by a miracle?

Actress Jennifer Garner, 43, recently announced that she and her three children are starting to attend church as a direct result of Garner’s starring role in the Christian movie...

Emotional health, Main, Women, z24

A safe place to grieve

My first-born son, Graham, died when he was eighteen years old. He took his life while stranded on a country road in his vehicle. A few months after he...

Arts, Arts, Hollywood, Main, Women, z24

Selena Gomez surprises crowd with a performance at Hillsong concert

I sometimes get a bit gun-shy writing about the faith of celebrities because invariably something hits the media that can taint their testimony. But then I ask how any...

Main, Opinion, z24

Lies and Refugees

World news everywhere is about refugees and migrants. Millions of people are leaving their homes and travelling to better places. In France the “Jungle” camp for migrants who want...

Bible, Emotional health, Main, Thought for the day, z16, z24

How grief tilted my world

My first-born son, Graham, died on January 15, 2004. He was 18 years old. He took his own life while stranded on a country road in his own vehicle....

Apologetics, End times, Main, z17, z24

NASA tweets about a massive asteroid blast over the Atlantic on February 6, 2016

NASA is reporting that on February 6, 2016, an asteroid exploded over the Atlantic ocean about 1,000 kms (620 miles) off the coast of Brazil. The news of explosion...

Main, News, Religious, Studies, z24

Study reveals weaknesses in mega churches

A study just released by Duke University revealed a concerning weakness in big churches. The larger a church becomes the more sporadic its members are when it comes to...