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A Memorial to the Maller

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Me with the Maller During the past couple of months, two men whom I evangelized with in Minnesota passed away. First, there was Rick Keenan in July. Then earlier this week, Bob Lutsey died. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Bob was a drug user until he came to know the Lord in 1990 after experiencing a powerful dream of him preaching. Before becoming a full-time minister, Bob was employed at the Star Tribune for 32 years. The newspaper once published his testimony that he later used as a tract. From his workplace, Bob could see the Metrodome where the Twins and Vikings played their home games. Bob often prayed that the stadium would be used to preach the gospel. Billy Graham held a crusade there in 1996. After U.S. Bank Stadium was built in its place two decades later, it hosted other Christian events. I met Bob in the mid-1990s at Living Word Christian Center . I had become active in the church’s evangelism ministry. Bob often ministered by himself in malls (earning the nickname “...
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Bow or Burn: A Review of “Daniel and the Fiery Furnace”

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One of the best known Bible stories is from the book of Daniel. The namesake’s three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were cast into a furnace for refusing to bow down to a huge statue of the king. I first became familiar with this story when my fourth grade music class performed a musical called “It’s Cool in the Furnace.” Other variations of this story include the VeggieTales parody “So Many Chocolate Bunnies.” A new live action drama titled “Daniel and the Fiery Furnace” premiered in theaters last weekend. I saw that with a friend two days ago. An older man begins telling the story to a group of men sitting around him in a desert. The movie then flashes back to the city of Jerusalem  Due to continued disobedience by the children of Israel, the city is invaded by the Babylonian army. During and after the long march to Babylon, Daniel finds favor with Nebuchadnezzar, especially after interpreting a dream the king had. There were two noteworthy scenes that have no Biblic...
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Saved by the Bell?

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Some people give strange excuses not to go to church. Two days ago while evangelizing in Saint Petersburg, Florida, I witnessed to a man who professed to be a believer. I had doubts about that. Besides refusing to confess Jesus as his Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3), he insisted the park where we were talking was his church. Soon I heard bells ringing from a nearby building. I pointed to it while saying to this man, “That’s a church!”  Later it occurred to me that the Bible doesn’t command churches to have bells. They aren’t found at all in the New Testament. Exodus 28:33 and 39:25 does mention priests with golden bells at the hem of their garments. Their ringing was to verify the priests were still alive while ministering in God's presence. It also says in Zechariah 14:20 that on the Day of the Lord, “…’HOLINESS TO THE LORD’ shall be engraved on the bells of the horses.” Church bells held more significance years ago. They alerted communities that it was time to meet for prayer, worsh...
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The Five Pillars of Islam Vs. The Bible

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It’s been 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened. Because radical Muslims caused the deaths of almost 3,000 people on American soil, I figured Islam would decrease in popularity in this country. Instead, it’s increased due to migration, birth rates, and conversions. One source claims that over 20,000 Americans convert to Islam each year. Surprisingly, two-thirds of these converts are women. Why would they submit themselves to a lifestyle of bondage and possible abuse? What’s also surprising is New York City’s current mayor is a Muslim. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Many I’ve encountered while evangelizing have been cordial. I can think of at least two that received salvation. Unfortunately, I witnessed to some that became belligerent. Still, it’s helpful for Christians to know a few things that Muslims believe so they can minister to them more effectively. Here are the Five Pillars of Islam and how they compare to the Bible: The First Pillar is the Shahada, the asser...
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My Reaction to the Death of Dolly Parton

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A few days ago, Dolly Parton died of cancer at 80 years old. Subsequent tributes to the singer’s death reminded me of how the world mourned after the 1997 car crash that killed Princess Diana. Numerous celebrities have eulogized the country music icon. President Donald Trump ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff for a week in honor of Dolly.  As a boy, I first heard of Dolly Parton when seeing her introduced on The Porter Wagoner Show. I disliked country music and usually turned the TV channel after briefly watching the intro. Then in the late 1970s, Dolly’s songs started appearing on “ American Top 40 .” One of them titled "Baby I'm Burnin'" was played in discos. By the time I became a DJ , the pop hits for her dwindled except for 1983’s “Islands in the Stream”, her number one duet with Kenny Rogers (written by my favorite group The Bee Gees ). Like many other performers, Dolly got her start singing in church. Her grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher....
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Choose Charities Carefully

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I’m all for feeding the hungry. The Bible commands us to do that. I also agree we should be good stewards and not let food go to waste. However, that doesn’t mean we must always gorge ourselves at every meal. During my childhood, my parents exhorted my sister and me to be part of the “clean plate club” at dinnertime. When I resisted eating certain foods, my mother often said, “You should eat that. There are starving kids in Africa.” I usually replied, “Let’s send it to them.” Mom didn’t like my response. Last Sunday, I evangelized in Jacksonville, Florida. Across the street from a downtown park, I noticed a group of people offering free meals. I approached them and asked if they were part of a ministry. One of them said they were from Food Not Bombs. I figured this was an anti-war group, but didn’t question them about that. Instead, I proceeded to hand out gospel tracts to individuals eating nearby. Still, my curiosity was piqued to eventually go online to learn more about Food Not ...
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The Good Fight of Faith

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Among my favorite motion pictures are the “Rocky” franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. One thing often shown in those movies is the boxer running up stone steps toward the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A bronze Rocky statue now sits just beyond the first set of steps. When I went to Philadelphia last Tuesday, I climbed the steps and had my picture taken next to the statue.  An hour before after arriving at the train station, I prayed with a man who mentioned being part of a boxing club. Then I thought of 1 Timothy 6:12, which tells us to “Fight the good fight of faith.” To live for Christ is an ongoing battle. I once heard Jerry Savelle compare our spiritual walk to paddling a canoe upstream. The world will always try pushing people away from the things of God.  1 Timothy 6:12 goes on to say, “…lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” The New Living Translation sa...
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