Monty Williams: Forgiving the driver who killed his wife
Monty Williams, 49, coaches the Phoenix Suns of the NBA and is considered one of the NBA’s outstanding coaches. And though these are good days for Williams, there were also dark ones.
All posts filed under: Main
When Mental Health Professionals Recognize the Healing Powers of Spirituality
By Dr. Michael L. Brown Critics of the COVID lockdowns often argued that, in the end, the lockdowns would do more harm than good, not just financially but also medically. One reason was that patients needing treatment would be less inclined to visit a doctor or hospital, increasing their health risks. Critics also pointed to the psychological aspects of the lockdowns, leading to increased loneliness, depression and even suicide. What about forbidding Christians (and other people of faith) from gathering together for worship, prayer, and ministry? What kind of impact did this have on the overall health and wellbeing of tens of millions of Americans (along with countless others worldwide)? Or, conversely, what positive role did faith play in the overall health and wellbeing of Americans during the lockdowns? A new article posted in the Scientific American, by David H. Rosmarin, and titled “Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God,” addresses these very questions. The Cost of Not Gathering for Worship According to Rosmarin, “Spirituality has historically been dismissed by psychiatrists, but results from a …
Iranian believers sentenced under country’s amended anti-conversion law
Morning Star News, an organization sharing stories about persecuted Christians around the world, is reporting the first sentencing of Iranian Christians under Iran’s newly amended law targeting the conversion of Muslims to the Christian faith. Under Article 500, the Iranian government can now sentence individuals up to five years, if they are found guilty of sharing “any deviant education or propaganda that contradicts or interferes with the sacred Sharia [Islamic law].” Those found guilty under the new law, that came into effect on March 5, 2021, can also be prevented from voting for 15 years and fined upwards of 40 million tomans (US$1,600). Prior to this amendment, Iranians were charged with actions against the Iranian state (Articles 498 and 499) and typically received jail terms of six months. The recent amendment provides Iranian prosecutors an additional tool that they can use to stop the spread of Christianity in the Islamic regime, as it allows them to tack on additional charges against Christian converts. Morning Star noted that three men, Amin Khaki, Milad Goudarzi and Alireza …
Archaeologists discover rare inscription, Jerubbaal, from the time of the Judges
Israel’s period of the Judges represents arguably the dark ages in Israel’s history. It ranges from the end of Joshua’s rule to the installation of King Saul. It was a time, when Israel was being dominated by foreign invaders resulting in a breakdown in society, where everyone did what was right in their own eyes as the Hebrew people left the worship of God and chased after idols. Judges chapter 2 provides an interesting description of the generation that followed Joshua writing: 10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. … In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Though they were experiencing God’s judgment during this chaotic period, at times God raised up leaders, …
Covid Long-haul and Faith
When I first was diagnosed with COVID back in early May, most people were compassionate and helpful. Some were not, They simply rebuked COVID and claimed that if I had faith, I would not get sick. When I kept getting more sick, some said it was my fault since I was not vaccinated. Others explained that COVID was a judgment of God on the evil of this world and, well, just saying. The bottom line is that the response to this Christian pastor and his ministry leader wife getting COVID were mixed. Believer and non-believer showered us with everything from anger to love, shame to hope. Now that we’re long haulers of COVID poisoning, we have to make adjustments. I am not good at making life limiting adjustments. I’d rather be in some lonely back alley talking to people and feeding them then sitting on my couch waiting for an improvement or just a good day. The prognosis is unclear since the medical profession just doesn’t know. So, we don’t know. We don’t know if …
What happened to religion? Does anyone believe?
I was raised in a very religious family. As a teenager, in a tough high school, I tried being a member of the tribe. We had a co-ed physed class, and I remember sitting out for the dance lessons. The teacher made me sit in the bleachers and watch, and my friends thought I was strange, but I thought I was holding up the flag for my faith. In our home, we were never allowed to go to dances. I tried to keep my strict religion because I thought it was important. My friends were OK with my strange habits, and they had their own family traditions. People believed in religion in those days, more than they do today, and we tried to live out the beliefs of our families. As we got older, it seemed like we cared less and less and everyone was busy with important things. After a while I stopped caring. Now I understand how someone could become an atheist. I also understand how someone could follow Jesus. I started my …
No Time for Cowardice
By Dr. Michael L. Brown According to the book of Revelation, “the cowardly,” along with a host of other sinners, like murderers and the sexually immoral, will one day be cast into the lake of fire (see Revelation 21:8). But what is so bad about being cowardly? Why is it such a serious sin? The Greek word used for “cowardly” also means “fearful,” and it is found two other times in the New Testament. As explained by the Greek scholar Celsas Spicq, “Jesus reproaches the apostles for this psychological fear when they are terrified by the storm (Matt 8:26; Mark 4:40), because it involves a moral deficiency: they no longer have faith, or they have but little faith in the presence of the Savior, who has to reassure them.” In contrast, “when one relies on God, there is nothing to fear.” (From his Theological Lexicon of the New Testament.) So, there is something morally deficient in being fearful when Jesus Himself is with you. And in the situation described in the Gospels, when the disciples …
Canada’s earliest Christian prophets were Indigenous
In the midst of the stories of churches being burnt down and vandalized across Canada in response to the recent discoveries of unmarked graves at three Indian Residential Schools, another story is emerging out of Canada’s religious past. It provides an interesting history on the spread of Christianity amongst indigenous tribes in British Columbia, one that I had never heard of before. It makes me wonder if God is taking this bad and working it together for good as promised in Romans 8:28, because it is bringing to light how Canada’s earliest Christian prophets were in fact found among indigenous peoples. They were prophesying before the Azusa Street Revival, that broke out in 1906 in Los Angeles, which is credited as the break out of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts in North America. They had also developed the office of the prophet that would not be fully functional in the church until the revival in North Battleford, Saskachewan, Canada in 1948. In a fascinating story in the National Post by Terry Gavin stated …
Actor Kristoffer Polaha shares his life changing ‘but God’ moment
In a recent interview on Pureflix, Hollywood actor Kristoffer Polaha shared the amazing experience that turned his life back to God. He has appeared in several TV shows since he broke into acting in 2001 including CSI Miami, Bones, Hawaii five-0, and Castle and as well several Hallmark Mystery 101 TV movies where he plays the role of Travis Burke. He has also had several movie roles, including his most recent, “Wonder Woman 1984”. Kristoffer is also co-starring in “Jurassic World Dominion” that is scheduled for release in 2022. Born in 1977, Kristoffer grew up in a Christian family, but as he entered high school, he decided to take a break from his faith, but God’s miraculous intervention while he was in his second year of college caused him to renew his faith. He and a friend were walking down a street in New York City. Kristoffer, who was on the side nearest the traffic, suddenly got a strange feeling that he should be walking on the other side. He switched places, telling her, “I …
Do we need the Issachar anointing today?
The men of Issachar, a small tribe of Israel, had a unique role in Israeli society. In 1 Chronicles, we are told that two hundred leaders of Issachar understood the times and seasons the nation was facing and knew what to do. “from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;” (1 Chronicles 12:32 NIV) There is some debate on what this was actually referring to. But most believe the verse was stating that these leaders had an astute awareness of the political climate, and understood what decisions Israel needed to make. They came to this conclusion, because this description of the men of Issachar was included in a listing of those in Israel who were standing with David as the future king of Israel during the dark days when King Saul was still on the throne and was pursing David in an effort to assassinate him. Aside from the men of Issachar, the list included men from several tribes who had thrown …
God’s Impossible Standards
Why does God have such impossible standards? No one can live up to them. Take the end of 2nd Corinthians chapter 10, verse 5 for example. It says to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. I don’t know about you, but I can’t do this. I don’t know anyone who can do this. Even Peter, the rock upon whom the Christian church was formed, couldn’t do it. Almost everyone knows the time he denied Christ, shortly after claiming he would die for him. You can read about this in Luke chapter 22. So, if Peter couldn’t meet the standards of God, how can we? The law God gave the Israelites in the Old Testament was a huge burden to them, and they just couldn’t live up to it. That’s why they had rituals and sacrifices to purify themselves from their breaking of the law and sinning against God and each other. That law was put into effect by God to show the Israelites their need for salvation. They could not be righteous on …
Those burning churches: Who should we blame?
I was in an online discussion group that I join sometimes, and one man from Russia joined us. Most of us live in Canada, and the Russian man was very unhappy that a church had been burned, close to where I live. That’s what he knew about us. I looked up the news story, and I am surprised. An old and historic Catholic church was burned, in a town called Morinville. I know the town well and I have driven past that old church many times. Many leaders have spoken against the church burning. There has also been a request for the Pope to apologize: READ: Politicians, Indigenous leaders say burning churches not the way to get justice It is easy to understand the concern. The news story about children buried near their boarding schools was carefully managed. Someone has been gathering evidence for months, and probably for years. When they had the right information, they chose the time and method to publish what they had found. I’m not criticizing them, I respect their skill …
Is Communist China’s new digital currency a sign of the times?
According to a former executive director with the World Bank, Erik Bethel, Communist China is on the verge of creating a digital version of its currency (official called renminbi but popularly referred to as the yuan) that could result in the regime going cashless in the near future. It will be the world’s first government-backed digital currency. In an interview with CBN, Bethel states the regime’s digital currency, similar to the Bitcoin, will be controlled by the country’s national bank, the People’s Bank of China. As part of its testing phase, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will soon release $6 million dollars to its citizens that can use one of two apps approved by the CCP to make purchases. It is believed that the communist regime is preparing for a full launch of its digital coin in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Once this process starts, the CCP will have full access to people’s spending 24/7. Many believe the move is just another step in the Communist regime’s attempt to regulate and moderate the …
Now Is the Time to Preach Endurance Not Escape
By Dr. Michael L. Brown Living in America, it is easy to develop a theology of escape, one that says, “When times really get hard, God will remove us from the scene. When real tribulation comes, we will be long gone.” But is that the attitude we should be encouraging? Is not the gospel made for hard times? I’m aware, of course, that there are divergent views of the end times among Christians, including the debate over a pre-tribulation or post-tribulation rapture (or a variation of those themes; for my own views, see here.) Fine Christians can disagree on this, and my goal here it not to debate eschatology. We can agree to disagree and work together just the same. Instead, my goal here is to focus on our attitude. What kind of mindset should we have in a difficult time like this? What should our mentality be? In the last decade, Christians in Syria suffered bombing, hunger, torture, exile, and death. They did not escape the hard times. To this moment, Christians in Nigeria …
Is there a demonic side to COVID?
Bob Burckle serves as the president of the Eastern European Mission, whose primary goal is to print and distribute Bibles throughout Eastern Europe. Burckle has served as the organization’s president for 20 years. In an op-ed for the Western Journal, Burckle shared his miraculous recovery from COVID. The first hint that he was sick started with a complete loss in energy. He found it difficult to even stand up. After he went to the hospital, the nurse was shocked that he walked in, because the oxygen level in his blood was only 73%. His COVID test came back positive and along with that, doctors also diagnosed him with bacterial and viral pneumonia. He was immediately admitted to hospital and put on oxygen, a step below intubation. He was extremely sick, and Burckle felt that death was a very real possibility. But he sensed something else, Burckle also believed he was under spiritual attack from satanic sources and immediately put out a call to supporters for prayer as he lay in his hospital bed. So, can …
Egyptian farmer stumbles upon tablet of obscure Pharaoh mentioned in the Bible
There have been hundreds of archaeological discoveries confirming the accuracy of the Old and New Testaments, but the ones I appreciate the most are those that confirm the obscure mentions, where an individual whose name is only mentioned once in the Bible is confirmed by archaeology. Even the smallest of details is accurate. In the Book of Jeremiah, the prophet warned Judah that with Babylon poised to invade the country as part of God’s judgment, the Jews should simply give up, and they would be treated mercifully by their Babylonian captors. However, false prophets rose up who told the King of Judah to resist the Babylonians and God would bring a great victory. They were wrong. Part of this resistance included King Zedekiah asking an Egyptian Pharaoh by the name of Hophra to help Judah resist Babylon. Hophra failed and Jerusalem was conquered and the people of Judah were hauled off into captivity. 30 This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies …
Nothing But God
What if you had nothing to do and nobody to do it with? For some this is a horrible fate, for others it is a paradise. I have a place like that. I have never been there except in dreams and in my imagination. But I know it exists. Sort of. It is a composite of places I’ve been to in my life that I found relaxing and rewarding. It is usually a cabin and is almost always on a beach, and almost never are there other people. My wife and I have no cell phones, no interruptions, just peace and quiet. One time I was by myself in a trailer in the middle of the desert like a stranded astronaut on some distant planet. That was weird. What these dreams have in common is that there is nothing that needs to be done. No houses or cars to fix, no meetings to attend, no people to see. There is nothing but nature and time. When I imagine these places, I find myself usually sitting …
COVID and gaslighting: Who are we really?
Sometimes we learn something, and we don’t know how important it is until much later. That happened to me, years ago, and I am only learning the truth now. Someone told me how to argue. I was told: Don’t attack the person Don’t attack their ideas Don’t attack the people they associate with. Always criticize the way they communicate. I now know that is true. In our modern world, we don’t like this advice. We like to say things like: “You’re such a stupid …” or “That’s a crazy conspiracy theory and …” or “The people who think like that are …” To really make this work, make critical comments sound like jokes. We are all terrified that people might laugh at us. When we communicate like that, we are wrong. The way we communicate makes us wrong, and we lose the argument, and we usually don’t see this truth. We feel like winners when we scare off the other people. If we will hear it, we are directed in another way: “Let every person …
Did a personal prophecy play a role in actor Stephen Baldwin becoming a Christian?
With all the mockery Christians have received on the dozens of false prophecies given over the past couple of years, that then President Donald Trump would win a second term as US president, it is nice to see that legitimate prophecies have impacted people’s lives. Because it appears that a prophetic word played a key role in the salvation of actor Stephen Baldwin and his wife, Kenya, a Brazilian graphic designer. Their daughter, Hailey, also a believer, is married to mega pop star Justin Bieber. Stephen is also brother to actors Alec Baldwin and William Baldwin. Though, Stephen became a Christian shortly after the September 11, 2001 attack in New York City, in an interview with CBN, Stephen stated that the real transformation started before that tragic day, after they hired a young Brazilian woman, Augusta, as a nanny for their children. Within a week of her arrival, Augusta was singing songs about Jesus in Portuguese to the Baldwin children. Stephen said: “So we hired this lady from Brazil named Augusta, and the whole first …
Knowing God as a Forgiving Father
by Dr. Michael L. Brown As many of you know, before I came to faith in Jesus in late 1971 as a 16-year-old, Jewish, hippie rock drummer, I was a heavy drug user, even boasting about my drug use. I also broke into a couple of houses with my friends, as well as a doctor’s office. (The primary motivation was just to do something crazy.) Even more shamefully, I stole money from my father on several occasions when some of my friends needed a few bucks. This was the most despicable act of all. A few weeks after coming to the Lord, I was sitting in the kitchen one night talking with my dad, who was the senior lawyer in the New York Supreme Court. As we sat there alone, he asked me a direct question: “Michael, did you steal that money from me a few months back?” Not only had I stolen the money, but I had cut through the screen door in the back of the house to make it look as if …
A Bellwether survey: Americans acknowledge the importance of Freedom of Religion
The term bellwether refers to the bells that are often attached to the lead sheep of a flock (a wether) which helps shepherds to track their movement even though they are unable to see them. In the same way, the term bellwether is an indicator of ‘future trends’ and many believe the loss of religious freedoms is warning of growing political oppression in a country. According to a recent poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports and Summit Ministries, most Americans agree, as 82% believe freedom of religion is very important (67%) or somewhat important (15%) for maintaining “a healthy American society.” Only 9% of those surveyed had a negative view of freedom of religion, stating it is “not at all important” or “not very important” for a healthy American society. What was equally curious, there was not a huge difference in opinion between Democrats and Republicans, with 79% of Democrats stating that freedom of religion is ‘very’ or ‘somewhat important’. Though this reflects the broad-based opinions of Americans, it also tells us that the attacks on …
Europe’s Gypsy revival
There is a revival taking place among the Gypsies of Britain, but it is also causing a bit of controversy at a religious festival that recently took place in Rutland, a small market town in England. Also referred to as travellers or Romani, many of this group lead a nomadic life, living in trailers or caravans as they are referred to in England, travelling back and forth across Britain, with the summer being their most active time. They earn their living by providing casual workers for agriculture, asphalt paving and as well selling horses, scrap metal, wood sculptures and other items and as well by holding fairs. Many have settled down and bought permanent homes, but still travel to festivals and other Romani gatherings. The group is made up of people who migrated to Europe from Northern India between the 10th and 12th century. But there is increasing evidence that God is moving in a powerful way among this often stigmatized group, as a recent article in the Daily Mail spoke of a Pentecostal festival …
God’s a Bad Ref?
I watched a sporting event last night in which the referees were not doing their job. The game became out of control. Penalties were not called and roughing the opponents became the norm in the game. When this happens, it tilts the game towards the team that plays rougher or has the bigger meaner players. As is often the case, the game went to the team most willing to cheat. When referees or umpires do not do their job at least three things happen. The rules are not applied or they are applied unevenly or one sided. The second thing is that the players become confused about they are allowed to do. The third thing is there is frustration among the players and often a kind of idea that if the rules aren’t being applied, why follow them? Many people see God as an unfair referee or umpire. In life, you can’t just take off your uniform and go home. Life goes on and if life goes on with an unfair God, how does that …
Muslims and Christians: Did one of ours kill some of theirs?
Recently, a young man drove his pickup truck at a high speed, and drove into a family that was walking on a summer day. Four adults were killed, except for one survivor, a young boy who was badly injured. The whole family was Muslim, originally from Pakistan, and that was obvious by their appearance. They were attacked because they were identified as Muslims. In the world, the number of Muslims is almost two billion, 1.8 billion, and this incident is being reported everywhere. This all happened in a peaceful country, Canada, in a very quiet part of that country, London, Ontario. The family probably felt very safe walking in London on a summer day. The young man, who drove the truck, was arrested, and now he is being charged with a hate crime. READ: Terror charges against London, Ont attack suspect could be Canadian legal milestone At this time, people who knew the young man are surprised that he did this. He had issues with his mental health, but otherwise there is nothing in his …
73 | How the worst chapter break in the Bible impacts your identity in Christ
In this podcast, I discuss one of the worst chapter breaks in the Bible and how it has the potential to profoundly impact your relationship with God.
If God Does Not Exist Then Injustice Does Not Exist
By Dr. Michael L. Brown I recently had a friendly online debate with a former Muslim known as Apostate Prophet (called AP for short). The subject was, “Does God Exist?” In my opening comments, I stated that I did not specialize in debating this issue and that I realized that arguments that seemed compelling to me would be mocked by many atheists. Conversely, I stated that I have listened to the best arguments of atheists and said to myself, “Are you kidding me? Is this the best you have to offer?” (For similar reflections from a Christian apologist on the weakness of atheistic arguments, see Tom Gilson’s recent article here.) So, I made clear from the start that my goal was not to convince the viewers that my view was right. Rather, it was to explain to them why I was 100 percent sure that God is real, especially since so much of my faith is based on my own life experiences rather than on abstract philosophical arguments . To make my case, I gave …
Casting and thanking are keys to dealing with stress
According to an article published in Psychology Today, personal prayer provides several psychological benefits to the individual praying. The article entitled, ‘”Prayer and Mental Illness’, written by Rob Whitley, Ph.D., discussed two large studies that revealed prayer positively strengthens a person’s mental well-being. One study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, concluded that young adults who prayed daily experienced less anxiety and had a higher self-esteem and were more satisfied with life than those who didn’t. This was a large study involving several thousand students and even included follow up for several years after. Whitley cited another survey of 2,000 adult Californians experiencing mental illness, where 80% “agreed or strongly agreed” that prayer helped them during their struggles. This second study confirmed Whitley’s own research on African Americans, who stated that “regular prayer was a major factor in their recovery” from their struggles with mental illness. Stress is a significant contributor to physical and mental health problems. In 1 Peter 5:7, the Apostle Peter encourages us to cast or throw all our concerns and …
Christianity vs Wokeism: The critical difference, forgiving others
In a recent podcast, Blaze TV host Jason Whitlock and Steve Deace discussed the new woke religion emerging in America. It is erasing the Christian foundation of the nation.
Forced Dysfunction
For those who are parents or for those who grew up in some type of family, you know that a family needs certain things to survive. Daily routines require someone to take charge and in normal families the one in charge takes into account what is necessary for the entire family. For example, if one child likes donuts for supper, it is unlikely that every supper will consist of only donuts. Surrendering the entire family to the needs of one of the children makes no sense. Yet this happens often. I know a few families with several kids but the one that shows promise in sports or academics gets the bulk of if not all the attention. The other children feel less then when compared to that child. I have also seen cases in which the dad or the mom puts their career or their needs first and the rest of the family has to adjust to their schedule or their desires. In these cases, families don’t work well. There is division and strife, …
Those dead children in the Kamloops residential school: One Lesson
You might have heard about a mass grave discovered in a residential school, in Canada. Recently, technicians with ground penetrating radar found something near a school at the city of Kamloops, BC. An investigation will confirm what they found, but the claim is that the searchers found the bodies of 215 children. The school was for native children “Indians” and the children were taken from their families, to the school, to adapt their behavior to modern society. The children were taken from their families by government order. The school in Kamloops was run by the Roman Catholic Church, for the Government. The school opened in 1890 and closed almost ninety years later. There are many rumors, and we don’t know what really happened. The investigations will continue, probably for years. We don’t know yet what the radar scanners found in the ground. There are old rumors of abuse of young students, in the school. It is obvious that before the time of modern medicine, with antibiotics and vaccines, and modern hospitals, children could die in …
‘The Red dragon ain’t no evil’: I am not sure the Apostle John agrees
According to Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, in the lead up to the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on July 1, 2021, it is flooding the few churches allowed to be open with Communist propaganda and ordering them to celebrate the CCP during services. The CCP has set up two organizations that churches must join in order to be approved. This includes Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) for protestants and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association for Roman Catholic churches. These churches are heavily regulated and monitored by the CCP that has set up video cameras in the churches to identify who is attending and what is being spoken during the services. According to the Apple Daily (AD) several Catholic churches are actually holding masses singing the praises of communism. AD added that in May, Liu Yuanlong, the vice president of the Catholic association, released a public statement endorsing the CCP: “God has chosen the Chinese Communist Party… We have to firmly support the Chinese Communist Party with Xi Jinping at its core. We listen to …
How an Extreme Optimist and an Absolute Realist Process Life Together
By Dr. Michael L. Brown Nancy and I have been married for 45 years. We are absolutely joined at the hip, totally united in our deepest faith convictions and our love for the Lord. But in other ways, we are radically different. How do we process life together? This past Friday night [ed. April 9, 2021], I had to rush to the emergency room with a kidney stone, with Nancy as my driver. Interestingly enough, this was my second kidney stone, about seven years after the first one. (I’ve been told that I need to drink more water since, otherwise, by God’s grace, I’m in nearly perfect health.) In both cases, Nancy got her first and second kidney stone a couple of months before me. Talk about being in harmony! While we were sitting in the waiting room and I was quietly moaning in pain, I said to her, “Underneath this pain I have a real sense of excitement. Whatever the problem is, it’s about to be solved, and I’ll be feeling much better soon.” …
Arrowheads discovered confirming ancient battle for the Philistine city of Gath
For Bible readers, the Philistine city of Gath is best known as the home town of Goliath, a 9+ foot giant in the Philistine army who was taken down by a young boy, named David, with a sling (1 Samuel 17:4). It was also the city that Joshua had earlier described the city as being home to giants (Joshua 11:22). Archaeologists with Bar-Ilan University have been working at the ancient city of Gath, located 21 miles west of Bethlehem, for several years and now believe it was one of the largest cities of that time. According to an article published in Near Eastern Archaeology, they believe they have found evidence supporting the Bible’s narrative that the city was besieged and successfully captured by King Hazel of Aram, an attack recorded in 2 Kings: 17 About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. (2 Kings 12:17 NIV) Archaeologists working at the site known as Tel-es-Safi/Gath discovered bone arrowheads and as well a workshop where …
How a daughter forgave her infamous serial killer dad
In a recent interview on 100 Huntley Street, Kerri Rawson, shared the heartbreaking story of when she found out her dad, Dennis Rader, was a serial killer and how God brought her to the point of being able to forgive her father. In 2005, the police arrested Dennis Radar for murdering ten people including a father, mother and two children between 1974 and 1991 in and around Wichita, Kansas. He was a serial killer who went by several acronyms including BTK, which Rader gave himself, that stood for ‘blind, torture, kill.’ He was also labelled as the BTK strangler and BTK killer by the media. During his killing spree, Rader sent letters to media and police taunting their efforts to catch him, but it was these letters that eventually led to his arrest and subsequent sentence of 10 consecutive life sentences. The arrest came when Rader started re-sending letters and messages to the media in 2004 after a several year hiatus. It was a floppy disk sent to Fox News that played a major role …
My Covid Experience
My experience with covid has been five weeks of struggling, and now I get to be a long hauler. I had most of the symptoms including respiratory problems, fatigue, coughing, aches and pains, and a general emotional and spiritual upheaval. I also developed two pneumonias, one bacterial and one viral. So, I was really ill with three severe respiratory illnesses at the same time Even now, as I start back into my daily activities, I am struggling with chest pain, hurting lungs, tiredness, loss of breath, and small bits of brain fog. Although it has been years since the last time I was really unwell, I experienced a difference with COVID. It wasn’t that it was fast. I mean really fast! Literally one day I was fine and within two days I was struggling to breathe. It wasn’t the severity or the wide range of symptoms that came with the virus that hit me the hardest. What really struck me as the most significant issue of this illness was the darkness that accompanied it. It …
