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Nativity scene in France Credit: (required by the license) © Guillaume Piolle / CC BY 3.0/Wikipedia

Did an ‘all-knowing’ God impregnate Mary without her consent?

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Minnesota State University (MSU) professor Eric Sprankle recently received his 15 minutes of fame when he  tweeted that God impregnated, Mary, the mother of Jesus, without her consent. Similar to many provocateurs, Sprankle sent the tweet out purposefully during the Christmas season. In his tweet, Sprankle wrote: The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario. Happy Holidays. — Eric Sprankle, PsyD (@DrSprankle) December 3, 2018 Apparently, Sprankle considers himself as an expert on sexuality and leads the Sexual Health Research Team at MSU and now he claims to be an expert on theology and the Bible as well. Well, let’s take a closer look at Sprankle’s tweet. He describes God as “all-knowing,”  In theological terms, God is “omniscient” which mean He knows everything, past, present and future. So if God is all-knowing, would He know if Mary would consent to being impregnated? Obviously yes. And that is exactly what happened in the birth story found in Luke. An …

Rene Martinez walking in the streets of Nicauragua in lead up to a bare knuckles fight. Credit Rene Martinez/Fox News

The power of testimony: Former ‘Latin Syndicate’ gang leader now preaching Christ

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It has been a remarkable transformation for notorious gang leader Rene Martinez, 44. Martinez, who has been in jail several times, has been behind bars for everything from  attempted murder to drug dealing, theft (including guns), and fights. In an interview with Foxnews, Martinez said: “I did some horrible things in my life that I know that it’s only by the grace of God and His mercy that I’m alive and free. I was gang affiliated from the 80s to 2012. I have seen a lot of people die in front of me and I’ve been through a lot.” It started early in life. Martinez said his mother, who was involved in Santeria, sacrificed an animal over him as a child and growing up he was literally seeing demons. 1n 1989, at the age of 14,  he joined the infamous Latin Syndicate on Halloween night. But when his mother became a Christian shortly after attempting suicide, she began praying for her son and in 2013, while Martinez was performing gangster rap in his garage, Jesus …

Nativity Scene, New York City Credit: Gary Wong/Flickr/Creative Commons

Christmas Without Jesus

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When I was in high school, we had a Christian club called BASIC. That meant “Bothers And Sisters In Christ.” Looking back, our weekly huddle in a classroom, with our dry sandwiches, was the first time I got to be a Christian without supervision. My older generation liked to control the kids, and religion was pushed on me constantly, at home and in church. We knew how to behave, to avoid criticism and discipline, but I think most of my friends dropped out of church as soon as they grew up, and they don’t identify as Christian now. In BASIC, we made our own choices. Maturity had to start somewhere, and I learned about Christianity that was just Jesus. The members of BASIC came from different churches, and some had no family church. I remember two girls from a Plymouth Brethren group, and they seemed to detest Christmas. To them, the season was filled with pagan symbols and idols and shrines, especially those decorated trees. I struggled with their ideas, but I learned that the …

Credit: Jim_McGlone/Flickr/Creative Commons

How I see others?

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I have been seeking ways to view  people in the world around me through the lens of Christ’s love.   When I am disappointed, and focus on the flaws of others from my high and lofty position of arrogance on the mountain of judgement, I am failing not only my fellow man but myself as well. I earnestly desire new eyes, to change the lens of my perceptions and the way I view people — friends, other Christians and strangers. Sometimes people don’t return phone calls, or show up when their supposed to (like me on occasion) or answer e-mails or follow through on things they said they would.  People are not perfect but we expect it more from others than we do ourselves. A daily devotional I read recently summed it best with these words: “We see ourselves through rose-colored glasses and everyone else through a microscope.” If I do not look with eyes of hope on those around me as our Lord did. . . then I have not really  embraced the message of …

Credit: Marie Coleman/Flickr/Creative Commons

The Liberal Grinch who just about stole Christmas: She wanted ‘J’ for Jesus banned?

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According to Liberty Counsel, candy canes are now in the sites of liberal wanting to wipe out any hint of Christ this Christmas season. The story of the Grinch who just about stole Christmas was reported by The Blaze. Liberty Counsel is a non-profit law firm that fights for religious liberty in the US and it recently sent a demand letter to the superintendent of Elkhorn Public Schools about the actions taken by Jennifer Sinclair the principal of of Manchester Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska. Apparently, this is Sinclair’s first year as principal at the school and she wanted it to be a memorable one. It worked. She is getting her 15 minutes of notoriety. She sent a memo to teachers in her school telling them what their children may or may not do at school to celebrate the Christmas season. In her memo, Sinclair wrote that she “come(s) from a place that Christmas and the like are not allowed in school.” RELATED: Read Sinclair’s Memo So what is on Sinclair’s banned list? Well Candy …

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What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol?

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Several decades ago, I was part of a church that took a strong stand against drinking alcohol, but it wasn’t just alcohol, it also had an opinion on several other things like long hair on men. The list of unwritten rules and regulations was quite extensive. Looking back now I realize the church was caught up in a religious spirit which I define as making up rules for Christian living that are not required by Scripture. The church leaders were essentially adding man-made rules to Christianity. In fact, one of the respected teachers that the church connected with wrote a book trying to prove that when the Bible talked about wine, it was speaking of non-fermented grape juice. Yes, he believed when Jesus turned water into wine at the Cana wedding, the headwaiter was shocked that the bridegroom had reserved the “best grape juice” for last (John 2:1-11). Though the Bible condemns becoming drunk, it does not forbid drinking wine. In fact, the exhortation forbidding drunkenness proves that the wine people were drinking was alcoholic. …

Morris home with its 200,000 Christmas tree lights Credit: Youtube capture/Fox News

Hide your faith?

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In our rapidly changing culture, some are now demanding that Christians hide their faith in public. Recently, First Liberty, a non-profit legal organization defending religious freedoms in America, sent a letter to a school district in Texas that allegedly forced students wanting to pray at lunch time to hide behind a curtain. According to First Liberty the problem started when a group of students from Honey Grove Middle School in Honey Grove, Texas met during lunch hour to pray for a former student who had been injured in an accident. When the school principal saw them praying he ordered them to stop. When the students met the next day to try praying again, the principal said that they needed to either go behind the curtains in the cafeteria or into the gym or even outside if they wanted to pray. At the bequest of student Hannah Allen and her mother, First Liberty sent a letter to the school district telling them that under the US Constitution the school had no business infringing on student’s right …

Lahore, Pakistan Credit: Dr Ranjha/Flickr/Creative Commons

Oops, Did the Muslim Prime Minister of Pakistan just question the Koran?

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I know it wasn’t his intention, but Imran Kahn, the Muslim Prime Minister of Pakistan, inadvertently took a swipe at the Koran, while bashing the Christian faith. Officially known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the country has a population of 212 million where 94.6% of the people are Muslim and only 1.5% are Christian. Yet despite the small percentage of Christians, in his speech honoring the birthday of Mohammad on November 30, 2018, Kahn decided to take a swipe at Jesus stating that He is not mentioned in human history: “There were prophets of Allah other [than Muhammad] but there is no mention of them in human history. There is negligible mention of them. Moses is mention of Jesus in history… But the entire life of Muhammad, who was Allah’s last prophet, is part of history.” Khan made this statement as part of his push to have any defamation of Muhammad and the Koran declared illegal by the international community. Now here is where it gets tricky. Because the Koran cites Jesus several times. …

Churches in South Korea often display red crosses. In what is described as Reverse Missionary, South Korean Churches are sending missionaries to the West. Two churches side by side in Suwon, South Korea Credit: donut2D/Flickr/Creative Commons

Have you met a Reverse Missionary?

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Recently, a young man named John Allen Chau traveled to a place that belongs to India, North Sentinel Island, where the natives attacked him and probably killed him, although some family members think he might still be alive. The North Sentinelese have a long history of killing anyone who visit their island, and it is likely that Mr. Chau is dead. The government of India bans all travel to the place, and now no one can recover the body, or even identify it. RELATED: Missionary wrote ‘God, I don’t want to die’ right before tribe killed him Mr. Chau was a missionary, he went to the island to tell the natives about Jesus. His las name “Chau” might seem Asian, but he is from the U.S. Apparently his home is Vancouver Washington, on the north side of Portland Oregon, and I think he trained to be a missionary in Kansas. His story, and his probable death, have generated some discussion, like ‘He’s crazy.’ and ‘Those Christians are colonial imperialists.’ and ‘Why do those island people …

Credit: Blake Chen/Flickr/Creative Commons

Breaking out of your victim cage

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I am on an email list for Lana Vawser who has a prophetic ministry in Australia. Almost every time I receive a prophetic email from her it speaks directly into my life about where I have been and where I am now and where I am headed spiritually in the future. Even though she has hundreds of followers, her emails often address issues I am facing at the moment.  She recently sent out a prophetic word about an issue that has controlled my life for many years: “The enemy has tried so hard to place false lenses on you in your battles and attempt to cage you in fear … “You see not through eyes of defeat, you see not through eyes of a victim mentality, you see not through eyes of fear, but you are now arising and seeing with greater clarity and vision through My eyes.  The enemy has tried so hard to place false lenses on you in your battles and attempt to cage you in fear, but now you are arising …

Pontius Pilate presenting Christ to the crowd by Antonio Ciseri (1821-1891)/Wikipedia

2,000-year-old ring discovered belonging to Pontius Pilate?

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A copper alloy ring discovered 50 years ago during a dig at Herod’s burial tomb and palace between 1968-69 may have belonged to Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect who ruled Judea between 26 and 36 AD (CE). The ring was part of hundreds of artifacts discovered at the dig. After being in storage for several decades, the Israeli Antiquities Authority had the ring cleaned and analyzed. Using a special camera, they discovered the words “of Pilate ” (Pilatus) engraved on the center of the ring around the image of a large wine vessel called a Krater. Because of its discovery in the Herod excavation, there is speculation the ring belonged to Pontius Pilate, the man who ordered Christ’s crucifixion. The down side is the ring is not of great quality which caused some to question whether it would be a ring Pontius Pilate would have worn. However, the best evidence that it belonged to Pontius Pilate is due to the name. While Pontius is common enough, the name Pilate was “extremely rare.” In fact, there …

The Dead Sea Credit: Daniel Goodwin/Flickr/Creative Commons

Evidence found supporting the Biblical description of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction?

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In an article published in Science News, archaeologists working at Tall el-Hammam located in Jordan, a site that many believe is the remains of the ancient city of Sodom, have found evidence corroborating its massive destruction recorded in the Bible that spoke of brimstone and fire falling from the sky: 24 Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, 25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. (Genesis 19:24-25 NASV) Archaeologists have found evidence of the area being hit with a massive explosion that turned glaze on potsherds into glass. They also found stone fragments stuck in the glaze that supports the idea that something poured down upon cities from the sky. According to lead archaeologist Philip J. Silvia, the heat was “perhaps as hot as the surface of the sun.” They also discovered that the bricks used in the buildings were totally obliterated leaving only the stone foundations. The Bible records that …

Andrea Logan White Credit: Andrealoganwhite.com

Did a Word of Knowledge turn Hollywood actress Andrea Logan White’s life around?

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In an article on PureFlix, Hollywood actress Andrea Logan White, 40, recently shared the unique encounter she had with with God during a very difficult time. White has starred in several movies including Mom’s Day Out, Marriage Retreat and Do You Believe. She and her husband Dave are co-owners of PureFlix, a Christian equivalent of Netflix. Born in Chicago, she had moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career, but was struggling. She was 22 and acting jobs were difficult to find. Andrea was also behind in her rent and had thrown herself into the Hollywood partying scene. She was coming to the end of herself and tells the story of the time she was in her car on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard, when she cried out to God: “God if you’re real I need You to show me who you are, because I don’t know why I’m here and I don’t want to live anymore.” She had just prayed this, when a man in the convertible beside her hit his horn and pointed at his …

Credit: Bob Jagendorf/Flickr/Creative Commons

Is Religion Evil?

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Is all religion evil? Some people think so. Recently, a large number of devout Muslims met in a wedding hall in Kabul Afghanistan to celebrate the birthday of their Prophet Muhammad. As they were celebrating their holy day, a suicide bomber detonated explosives among them, killing at least fifty and injuring many more. RELATED: Suicide bombing at Kabul religious gathering kills dozens I am not a Muslim, but I sympathize with the victims; they were innocently commemorating something that is sacred to them. The killer was a fellow Muslim, but many extreme Muslim terrorists have condemned the bombing. Some really dangerous people are appalled by what happened. They would never take it that far. Stories like this just boost the argument that religion is an evil force in the world and it should be removed. One famous quote, apparently by Karl Marx is “Religion is the opiate of the peoples” but that might have been a common proverb in his time. My impression of anyone who wants us to quit something, is that they want …

Giving yourself 48 hours Credit: mike Lietz/Flickr/Creative Commons

The ’48 hour’ rule

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Many times through various seasons of my life, the voices of my loved ones were calling out to me in the wilderness of my emotions as I circled around the same issues and same people over and over again. They were voices of reason reminding me to calm down in the midst of my emotions that were suddenly triggered. But, how does one calm down when every sense in your body is reacting? I have learned the hard way, when unchecked, emotions send us whirling into bad decisions that often create more havoc, confusion and damage in our personal lives. It’s never about the other person. It’s about you and your emotional well-being. Because of this during times of emotional turmoil, I decide to practice the 48 hour rule that I recently read about. The 48 hour rule puts you in a timeout, gives you space to settle down and allows you to re-evaluate the circumstances once your emotions have calmed. During this two-day period, I don’t make any decisions, send reactionary emails or texts, …

Broken cell phone Credit: Julian/Flickr/Creative Commons

Does Facebook cause depression?

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According to a study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, there may be a link to depression and loneliness to the amount of time a person spends on social media. In fact, Psychologist Melissa Hunt who was part of the study described the connection between depression and social media usage as “striking.” In their study, published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, the researchers studied the impact social media usage had on 143 undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania who were struggling with moderate forms of depression. They focused on three social media platforms: Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. Half the group was limited to using social media just ten minutes a day (tracked by battery usage on their phones) and the other half continued on as normal. When the researchers tested the two groups at the end of three weeks, they discovered that the group with limited usage saw their levels of depression fall from moderate to mild and there was absolutely no change in the other group that continued usage. Though …

John Chau (R) Credit: Daily Mail

Christian missionary’s last words before he was killed by Sentinelese tribesmen

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For three years, American John Allen Chau, 26, a graduate of Oral Roberts University, was planning to bring the gospel to a remote tribe on islands in the Indian Sea. In particular he wanted to visit North Sentinel Island, where the isolated Sentinelese tribal group lived. The Indian government had declared the island off-limits because it believed they were the world’s last “pre-Neolithic” tribe. The group was very protective of their privacy. A few years earlier, two fisherman who landed on the island were killed by the tribesmen. Despite the danger, on November 15, 2018, John arranged for fishermen to take him close to the island where he kayaked in. He wrote of his first encounter in a journal that he left on the fisherman’s boat. In the journal, he described his first encounter, his fears and a vision he received and his decision to return to the island. He described the tribesmen as short, 5′ 5″, wearing yellow paint on their face. Some were friendly while others appeared angry and aggressive. He offered them …

Great White Pelicans: Credit: Costel Slincu/Flickr/Creative Commons

Inner healing: My story of three pelicans

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In my previous article, I wrote how Jesus wants to bring healing to our inner hurts and when the Lord does this He often takes us back to the point when we were first hurt. Jesus did this for Peter through a charcoal fire and the Lord did it for me through three pelicans. In the summer of 2018 I was at a church senior camp, enjoying all the fun a “senior” can get away with – kayaking, swimming, climbing a climbing wall and practicing karate, as well as tormenting people with a water gun! In the midst of this, I had no idea what God had in mind to complete my healing. Although I had experienced significant healing in the 90’s, there was more to be done. One day at camp the movie “I Can Only Imagine” was going to be shown. It’s a fantastic must-see movie about the life of Bart Miller and what led to his writing the song. I had not seen it yet, so was looking forward to spending the …

Credit: Vincent Maurin/Flickr/Creative Commons

Inner healing: Peter’s ‘charcoal fire’

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Have you ever had a sports injury that put a stop to your active life? Sometimes once the medical treatments have been done and we have a clean bill of health to continue our sport, the fear of not really being healed or of re-injury can cause us to freeze in our tracks. It started with a real physical injury, but the real problem has become an inner one, a fear of moving forward, an “infirmity.” We can look healthy on the outside, but inside be broken with fear, doubts, anger, insecurities, etc. The gospels use similar phrases to describe how Jesus ministered in different communities, phrases like, “healed the sick,” “forgave sins,” “cast out demons,” “preached the good news,” and “healed people of their infirmities.” Most Christians can easily define the first four phrases, but many are not sure exactly what an infirmity is. Matthew 8:17 says, “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” Other references to infirmities can …

Oceans are not 60% warmer than previously thought. Photo of Jamaica coast Credit: Ethan Crowley/Flickr/Creative Commons

Man-made error in man-made global warming study, oceans are not 60% warmer

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On October 31, 2018, a report released in the prestigious peer-reviewed science journal Nature, broadcast that man-made global warming was much more serious than generally believed, because between 1991 and 2016, the oceans absorbed 60% more heat than previously thought. They concluded from this that the earth must also be warming faster. The report produced by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography was front page news in major dailies and online news around the world. In an interview with the Washington Post, Princeton professor Laure Resplandy, who led the study, stated: “We thought that we got away with not a lot of warming in both the ocean and the atmosphere for the amount of CO2 that we emitted. But we were wrong. The planet warmed more than we thought. It was hidden from us just because we didn’t sample it right. But it was there. It was in the ocean already.” It was giddy times for those promoting the man-made global warming mantra calling for carbon taxes and cuts in CO2 emissions. But the celebration only …

United Church on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia Canada converted into a museum. Credit: Harvey Barrrison/Flickr/Creative Commons

In the name of ‘diversity,’ an atheist allowed to pastor a church in Canada

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It is a bizarre world when an atheist is allowed to pastor a church, but that is exactly what happened recently in Canada. Now to be fair, it took place in the United Church of Canada, a very liberal denomination and holds some flexible opinions on God, Jesus and the Bible. Over the past several years, attendance has been in a free fall in the denominations with church closings happening regularly as congregations are no longer viable. But being a religious organization, one would have thought that there would be a line drawn in the sand somewhere on how liberal its views would get, but apparently not. Rev. Gretta Vosper, 60, pastors West Hill United Church in Toronto. In 2001 she came out publicly as an atheist in a sermon to her congregation. It had an impact as over the next several months people started leaving including 100 who left when Vosper decided to no longer say the Lord’s Prayer during Sunday services. The United Church was aware of Vosper’s announcement, but in the name …

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ARGENTINA 2008 – ‘Spring up O Well’

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Español: ARGENTINA 2008 – ‘ La Fuente del Avivamiento ‘ We were in Argentina in 2008 and had made contact with a church in Resistencia that had been involved in the powerful revival that shook that country in the 1950s. I believe God had sent me to Argentina to open the revival wells and bring it north to Canada. The pastor of the Resistencia church, Alejandro Juszczuk, had invited me to speak. I Corinthians 12:4-6 says that there are varieties of gifts, ministries and effects, but the same God who works. It is not up to me to tell God, but to follow Him. When I got to the service the next morning and stood in the pulpit, after Alejandro Juszczuk said “Peter, you speak” and I said “Yes, Alejandro, I will speak” I looked to see if the Sign from God was in place. The ministry couple was sitting in Row 4, on the aisle, just as God had told me. So in obedience to the Sign from God I opened the Revival Well. …

Las Vegas Credit: Mr. Jason Hayes/Flickr/Creative Commons

Vegas and Hollywood: the truth

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On the evening of October 1, 2017, a man named Stephen Paddock used a gun to kill and injure spectators at a country music concert in Las Vegas. You probably know something about the story, but have you noticed all the comments and conspiracy theories that have spun off from the incident; the story about the story? It’s interesting because Mr Paddock is such a mystery. We don’t know why he shot those people except that he made a decision. His background story gives us no clues, so we are free to make our own judgments. That’s useful for some people. RELATED: Las Vegas Shooting: Wikipedia A few days later, on October 5, the New York Times published an article about Harvey Weinstein, one of the most powerful men in the Hollywood movie industry. He has been accused of gross misconduct with young women who were trying to make careers in movies and television. At this time, it is fair to say the accusations have been denied, and any accusations are only alleged; but that …

The bush displaying its leaves and berries late in the fall while we were on our prayer walk,

Our prayer walk

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My friend Linda and I were on a walk praying for the nation of Canada. As a prophetic act we released leaves into water representing “healing for the nations” spoken of in the Book of Revelation: “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:2 NIV) We prayed that racial divides and rifts in our country would be healed and Canada, together with the nations, would stream to Mount Zion and be healed and restored to God and one another. Afterwards we were attracted to the shrubs that lined the path around the lake. Though it was late fall, their leaves were still green and clusters of red berries filled the branches. It was in stark contrast to the barren trees and leaves that were laying on the ground. We were drawn to the clusters of bright red berries on the shrubs. Linda shared that the berries were …

Resistencia, Argentina Credit: patricurcio/Wikipedia/Creative Commons

ARGENTINA 2008 – How do you birth a revival?

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Español: ARGENTINA 2008 – ¿Cómo naciste un avivamiento? It was now five years after receiving three Heavenly Visitations (read here and here) in which the Angel of the Lord had said “I want my Argentinian Revival to move north, the Resistencia Fountain open!” I desperately wanted to give to the Lord what He desired. He wanted it; I wanted to give it to Him, but how? The answer is both profound and extremely simple: “My Father is working until now and I myself am working.” (John 5:17) “Whatever the Father does these things the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19c) How do you birth a revival? You see and you obey. I attended a retreat weekend at Saskatchewan Beach when I was 19 years old, in 1973. A 21 year old, named John, spoke a word of God to me (prophesied). He said, “You are like a young child that lets go of his father’s hand and runs ahead and falls down scraping his knee. Then the father comes and picks you up …

California fire in August 2018 Credit: Forest Service. USDA/Public Domain

Church becomes a refuge in California’s devastating fire

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The Baptist Press reports a remarkable story in midst of the catastrophic fires sweeping California. The fire, that started November 6, 2018, has resulted in the deaths of 42 people and the destruction of 7,000 buildings as of November 13. This makes it the deadliest fires in California’s history. The story involves the preservation of a church in the town of Magalia, a small town of 12,000 people, in Northern California, that became a refuge for 30 people. On November 9, with the fire sweeping down on the town, Doug Crowder, who pastors Magalia Pines Baptist Church, was with 30 residents of the community, including 4 members of the Church planning to evacuate the town. Though most of the town residents had already left, Crowder stayed behind to help those who were unable to flee on their own, including the homeless, elderly and disabled. As they were loading into their vehicles, the forest surrounding the town dramatically burst into flames. A small restaurant across the street also exploded and suddenly they were surrounded by fire. …

Credit: Marc D. Thomas/Flickr/Creative Commons

Beware of wolves wearing ‘I Love Jesus’ hats?

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This story out of Chesterfield, Virginia, may serve as a warning for Churches across North America. Times are changing and Christians need to take note. Late in the evening on election day, November 6, 2018, a man wearing a black hat with the words “I (heart image) Jesus” imprinted on it broke into Ironbridge Baptist Church. The church had earlier served as a polling station, but the building was now closed. Apparently one of the doors had not locked properly or perhaps was left ajar. A man, between 20 and 30 years old, entered the church found Bibles and began ripping pages out of them. He then shattered a nearby window and spray painted a wall. The church estimates damage was minimal at around $500. The intruder was caught on surveillance cameras and according to the Ironbridge’s executive pastor, Dennis Green, there is indication the “I Love Jesus” man knew his way around the building. Though this happened at night when no one is around, why was he so familiar with the church? Now we …

The boy who cried ‘polar bear’

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“The boy who cried wolf” is one of Aesop’s fables about a shepherd boy who repeatedly tricked the people in the village about a false claim that wolves were attacking his flock. When wolves did attack, the people didn’t believe him and the flock was destroyed. Today the phrase “to cry wolf” speaks of “raising false alarms.” And we seem to have the same thing happening today. People promoting man-made global warming are using all sorts of elaborate claims to get our attention. One of them suggests the polar bear population is dying off because bears are unable to hunt on the ice. However, a report recently produced by the Nunavut government, a territory in Northern Canada, is stating the exact opposite. The people in the arctic are claiming the bear population is booming and actually becoming a hazard to people. The draft report stated: “Public safety concerns, combined with the effects of polar bears on other species, suggested that in many Nunavut communities, the polar bear may have exceeded the co-existent threshold.” As a …

Lodi, California Credit: Wayne Hsieh/Flickr/Creative Commons

California doctors can’t explain what happened to Paul Wood’s brain tumor that suddenly disappeared

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Lodi is a small rural town of 6,000 people located 40 miles south of Sacramento. Oddly up to now, the town’s biggest claim to fame is a song written about it by an old mega rock band, Credence Clearwater Revival. But that may soon change. It is now home to an unexplainable miracle. But it is only unexplainable, if you remove faith from the equation. Paul Wood lives in Lodi with his family where he attends Gravity Church. Several months ago, he started experiencing intense head aches and found it difficult to walk without holding on to the walls. His doctor suspected bleeding on the brain and referred Paul to a San Francisco neurosurgeon. However, testing there revealed a tumor on his brain that was probably malignant and preparations were made for surgery. At this point, Paul turned to faith, prayer and his church for support. In an interview with KOVR TV, Gravity Church pastor Jason McEachron said: “He just kept saying, ‘no matter what happens to me, I’m going to be okay. I trust …

Stretcher bearers at the Battle of Passchendaele, August, 1917, World War I Credit: Wikipedia

Major English cinema bans short film of Bible comforting World War I soldiers because it’s “too religious”

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On the 100th anniversary marking the end of World War I, a short video produced by the UK Bible society that talked about the importance of Bibles to British soldiers fighting in that war was banned by a Empire Cinema as being too religious. The UK Bible Society produced the clip as part of this year’s Remembrance Day services where nearly 19 million people died. The film showed that during World War I, the British military included a Bible in the kit of every UK soldier. For many soldiers fighting in that horrific war, these Bibles were an important source of hope. During the three-minute video several people recited a passage in the Book of Revelation that spoke of a new earth, where all tears will be wiped away: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride …

Rio Negro River in Resistencia, Argentina Credit: Google Earth

2006 Argentina – The Black 666

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Español: 2006 Argentina – El Negro 666 The discovery of Clifford Long and the Resistencia revival of the 1950’s had been accomplished in the September 2005 trip. I returned to Regina, Saskatchewan with great excitement and continued to pray “Lord let your Argentinian Revival move North, the Resistencia Fountain open!” I hoped that we were making progress and that revival annointings would show up, but I knew of no further reason to return to Resistencia.   Alejandro Juszczuk had other plans. Seven months after our first trip Alejandro asked “You come again?” The language barrier (Spanish-English) made it hard for me to know why I would go back, but I respected this man of God and soon my wife Trish and I along with another couple were taking the 11,500 km trip to Resistencia. We arrived in the middle of a Conference. Reyos de Luz church had a a visiting minister, Julio Donati, speaking in a week-long conference. The Regina contingent checked into the same hotel where I had stayed in 2005 , the Covadonga, and …

Brussels, Belgium Credit: Francisco Antunes/Flickr/Creative Commons

God Bless You

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Do you feel better now? I hear people getting blessed all the time, when they sneeze. In ancient times, people worried that the soul would come out with the sneeze, where the devil might steal it. A blessing would put it back safely. But really, what is the point of a blessing? Is there something we should know here? I learned some lessons about blessing yesterday. Lesson 1) I already know that words spoken into the air have no power, unless God does a miracle. OK, not ‘no power’; I might feel better about myself if I hear myself saying the words, but the other guy only gets words. “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2: 16) Lesson 2) Blessings are common in the Bible, so they must be a good idea. In ancient Israel, the priests were told to say these …

Church in Hishult, Sweden Credit: Jacob Surland/Flickr/Creative Commons

Where Is the Love?

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Cue Black Eyed Peas I always seem to get a giddy feeling when I see competitive sports with good sportsmanship. Something about the opposing team helping their opposition up off the ground, giving acknowledgement when someone makes a good play against you, or giving a high-five after a solid punch to the face. Granted, it’s not a very common occurrence, but I absolutely love to see that type of comradery from the opposition. But then, the question begs to be asked: Why do we lack this type of behavior in the church? I don’t mean to say that it doesn’t exist, but nearly every church has seen some kind of separation through its years. I haven’t seen anything extreme, but I’ve heard of people getting worked up enough over the music or seating arrangement that they feel the need to find a new home for Sunday morning. A couple of years ago, I did see some division in my home church. While I won’t get into the specifics of what went on, one of the …

Bridge in Resistencia, Argentina going over Rio Negro River Credit: Google Earth

RESISTENCIA – The Discovery 2005

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Español: RESISTENCIA – El Descubrimiento 2005 Gary, Robin and I had travelled to Resistencia, Argentina to try to discover corroborating evidence of the existence of Clifford Long and a Resistencia Revival. Veto, our driver and interpreter arrived at the hotel to pick us up and I gave instructions to Veto that we needed to go to the oldest area of Resistencia. The building that we were looking for had to be at least 50 years old. I also inquired of Veto whether there was a river that ran thru the northwest of Resistencia. “Yes, he replied, it’s called the Rio Negro.” Veto took us to the old area of town and whenever we saw a building like the one that was described in a prophecy we would ask him to stop, we would get out and I would put my hand on the wall of the building and see if I felt anything. This we did about 4 times, I later found out that Veto thought we were in the movie industry and we were …