Signs & Wonders Blog

Back in December 2016 after flying into Florida for my annual stay at Alcance Misionero (a missionary house in Tampa), I noticed a highway sign from Chick-fil-A stating: “Feed our herd or we’ll give yer number to telemarketers.” The next day, I answered three phone calls to the house landline. All I heard were prerecorded sales pitches. I hung up on all of them. Calls from telemarketers can be annoying when you’re trying to relax at home or about to eat dinner. Years ago, I worked a few jobs like that (including one for  Billy Graham ). The rejection rate can be discouraging, especially when people respond with  profanity  and other rude remarks. After becoming an evangelist, I started looking forward to sales calls on my landline. Instead of reacting to them as inconveniences, they became witnessing opportunities.  One day I got a call from a telemarketer named Michael. After he gave me his sales pitch, I asked Michael to take part in a “survey.” Michael eventually ...

Last Sunday, Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota had their morning service interrupted because one of the pastors is also an ICE agent. Protesters came in chanting Renee Good ’s name and using foul language . One of them claimed their disruption was something Jesus would have done. Chauntyll Allen compared it to the Lord chasing the money changers out of the temple. I doubt Allen even knows Him. She is the leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities and “married” to a woman. Allen and two other protesters were later arrested but have since been released. Cities Church issued this statement: “Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus - or any other act of worship - is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation.” Still, their situation had me thinking about other meetings where preachers faced opposition from the congregation. Even if one disagrees with what’s said from the pulpit, it’s rude to interrupt the speaker. One can choose to keep q...

A well-known preacher was once asked who was the most important person he led to the Lord. His response was that all salvations are precious to God. While I certainly agree with that statement, I’ve played a part in a few that were significant to me personally. Probably the most famous person I led in the prayer of salvation was the man credited with discovering Prince . A transplanted Englishman named Chris Moon owned a Minneapolis recording studio during the 1970s. A demo tape of songs he co-wrote with Prince resulted in the first recording contract for the rock star. In 1995, I met Chris during a business opportunity presentation. Two years after that, he invited me over to his house to listen to a demo tape of songs I put together. In his living room, Chris prayed with me to get saved. I’ve also handed gospel tracts to two men well known to Minnesota sports fans. One was Sid Hartman, a local sportswriter who I saw in 2013 at a Perkins restaurant. The other was Bud Grant, the Hal...

I’m a traveling missionary who has lived in Minnesota much of my life. I grew up in Moorhead, but later moved to Minneapolis to pursue a music career. Eventually, I become a Christian, and spent time  working for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association when it was based in Minneapolis. Now for almost three decades, I’ve travelled around the country, but often make seasonal returns to Minnesota when the weather is warmer. I don’t care for the cold winters nor the political climate there. This past Wednesday, an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent named Jonathan Ross shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good. It’s a tragedy that could’ve been avoided like Daunte Wright’s death five years ago. If Good had cooperated and obeyed law enforcement orders, she would be alive today. Instead, she and her lesbian partner spent time taunting ICE officials. Videos show Good attempted to run over an ICE agent with her vehicle and paid the ultimate price. Good had been part of a le...

I wish train travel was more accessible in the United States. Many Americans are car-centric, and avoid using public transportation. In Europe, I found train travel almost effortless. However, it is significantly limited here. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed using Amtrak’s USA Rail Passes . Despite its drawbacks, I’ll be keeping an eye on their website this week for another potential sale, similar to the ones they held in mid-January for the past three years. In the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, where I often spend part of the spring and summer, there are two light rail lines. The blue line connects downtown Minneapolis with the international airport and the Mall of America in the suburb of Bloomington. The green line runs between the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Additionally, new stations are being constructed in the southwestern suburbs and are expected to open next year.  There’s also a train called the Northstar Line that ran between downtown Minneapolis and Big Lake, ...

I make it a point to attend Christian movies that are released in theaters on a national level. This past Tuesday, I saw “David.” I had high expectations since it was the second highest grossing movie in America on its opening weekend. One thing I noticed was better animation than the previous Bible-based movie I attended (“ Light of the World ”).   Based on 1 and 2 Samuel, “David” begins with the title character overseeing his father’s flock of sheep. While one of them gave birth to a lamb, David fought off a lion. He soon returns home and is surprised to be anointed by the prophet Samuel as the next king of Israel. Meanwhile, the reigning King Saul faces personal issues as well as external threats to his kingdom.  The well-known story of David fighting Goliath has two noticeable omissions. It doesn’t show King Saul offering his daughter as a wife, plus tax exemption as rewards for killing the Philistine (1 Samuel 17:25). It also doesn’t show David cutting off Goliath’s h...