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4 Friends Who Would Carry Me to Jesus

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J. Lee Grady has a weekly column in Charisma magazine called “Fire In My Bones.” This past Wednesday, he wrote (in my opinion) one of his best articles: “Which 4 Friends Will Carry You to Jesus?” That was inspired by the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2 who got healed while Jesus taught inside a house in Capernaum. Four men lowered the paralytic lying on a bed after tearing a hole in the roof. As a traveling missionary who has been a loner most of my life, I haven’t had a lot of close friends. Still, I have some, including ministers that helped me grow in the things of God. In this article, I want to honor four men who are not in full-time ministry but would tear the roof off to get me to Jesus: Tom “Rock” S. - While working for Billy Graham’s film ministry in 1996, a coworker who sat on the other side of my cubicle wall reminded me of our meeting two years before at a party hosted by a mutual friend. Tom and I started praying together in between sales calls. We also did some stre...
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I Beg Your Pardon

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The New Oxford American Dictionary defines pardon as “the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offense .” The White House has a history of issuing them especially before a president leaves office. One of the most memorable was the 1974 pardon Gerald Ford gave shortly after the resignation of his predecessor Richard Nixon. Ford’s stated reason was to help the country move forward from the Watergate scandal. His press secretary Jerald terHorst resigned in protest. Historians believe the Nixon pardon was a major reason Ford lost the 1976 election to Jimmy Carter. Last Sunday, another controversial pardon came from the White House. Joe Biden issued one for his son Hunter who was convicted of multiple felonies but hadn’t yet been sentenced. What makes this pardon troubling is the Biden administration stating numerous times no pardons would be issued for Hunter. The outgoing president didn’t keep his word. Even if Hunter Biden appears to be getting off scot-free, he will...
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My Prayers for Susan Smith

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A convicted murderer was recently denied parole after spending thirty years behind bars. Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina, made national headlines in October 1994 when she claimed a black man carjacked her vehicle with her two young sons strapped in the back seat. For nine days, multitudes searched for the man, the boys, and the car. After investigators pointed out discrepancies with her story, Susan confessed to plunging her vehicle into a lake, drowning 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex. During a subsequent trial, prosecuting attorney Tommy Pope sought the death penalty. Instead, Susan was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. In a book written by the father of the two boys, David Smith revealed he and Susan had been unfaithful to each other. I also learned about Susan’s rough upbringing. Her father committed suicide when she was six. Her mother got remarried to a man who molested Susan. Susan herself attempted to kill herself a couple of times and almost drowned herse...
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“Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.” - A Review

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Angel Studios has produced “The Chosen” TV series plus a variety of faith-based films including last year’s highly successful “ Sound of Freedom .” I saw their latest release “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.” when it came out two days ago. This biopic is about a German theologian who stood up against the Nazis before and during World War II.  Previously I watched a 2000 made-for-TV movie about Bonhoeffer and expected similarities between that and the new flick. The latter film doesn’t follow his life in chronological order. Dietrich is shown in captivity with frequent flashbacks beginning with his childhood. After his older brother Walter died during World War I, Dietrich became a minister and eventually traveled to America. There he developed an appreciation for black gospel music and desired to share that with the churches back in Germany.  Unfortunately, the Nazis came into power and began dictating what German churches could say and do. Dietrich openly spoke out aga...
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Before You Share, Beware!

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Social media is a powerful tool that can be used for good or bad. That includes missing person alerts. Many posted online have the added plea, “It only takes seconds to share.” Verifying that a missing person report is legitimate and still active also takes a few seconds. For years, I’ve noticed many of these cases have been resolved and need to stop circulating .   In recent months, more missing child alerts have become phishing scams. Facebook posts about so-called missing children are later changed to something one might be selling or lead to a link to extract money from people. Unless it’s your child or someone you know, it’s best not to share these alerts until you do some research. A website called TinEye allows one to do a reverse image search. There’s also a national database available to verify if a child is missing.  Here are some red flags to look for when you see a missing person alert on Facebook: The post came from a “buy and sell” group instead of a law e...
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Reflection on the ’24 Election

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A few days ago, I walked by a house that had Halloween decor in their front yard along with signs promoting Democratic politicians. I thought the possibility of a Harris - Walz administration was more scary than the ghosts hanging from the trees. Creepy decorations are usually on display for a few weeks during the year. The election of bad politicians has longer negative effects. Fortunately, enough God-fearing Americans voted so that Donald Trump will return to the White House. Not since Grover Cleveland has a president served two non-consecutive terms. Unlike the previous two elections, Trump also won the popular vote. It was just before 8:30 p.m. EST last Tuesday when I started watching the Victory Channel’s election coverage. Although Kenneth Copeland had prophesied a Trump victory, I had concerns the Democrats would attempt to use invalid ballots to steal the election like what happened in 2020 . Again, some news sources declared Kamala Harris the winner of certain states b...
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Politicians in the Pulpit

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Last Sunday morning, presidential candidate Kamala Harris spoke at the Church of Christian Compassion in Philadelphia. I did some research to find out more about this inner-city fellowship. Their website mentions them having an evangelism ministry. However, one outreach to encourage voting was sponsored by the Democratic Party. I don’t understand how professing Christians can align with a political platform that promotes abortion and perverted lifestyles. They must be biblically ignorant or in denial. Fortunately, not every congregation member approved of Harris’ appearance. In response to a YouTube video of the Vice-President’s speech, one woman commented: “Omg, This is my church, I am not pleased with this. I’m glad I wasn’t there. Pastor (W. Lonnie) Herndon, please do better.” There were a few hecklers present at the Church of Christian Compassion, Harris’ response to them was “That’s why we fight for our democracy.” Then she repeatedly clapped her hands while saying, “Every voic...
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