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Appreciate Your Pastor

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As last week’s blog article stated, October is Clergy Appreciation Month. There’s also a Clergy Appreciation Day on the second Sunday in October (which happens to be today). Since the early 1990s, these unofficial holidays have reminded congregations to honor ministers and their families.   Sadly, too many Christians use the Internet to criticize preachers  they don’t like. How about they instead express gratitude for the ones who helped them grow in the Lord? Over the years, God has used ministers from various denominations to speak into my life. Some are pastors whom I previously wrote about in this list . This article will highlight others who weren’t mentioned: John Arnott - In 1994, a supernatural move of God began at Toronto Airport Vineyard. Changed lives resulted from what became known as “ The Toronto Blessing .” I first saw Pastor John during a 1995 meeting in Minneapolis. A few weeks later, I made the first of many visits to the church now known as Catch the Fire. Despit
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A Tribute to Al Best

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October is Pastor Appreciation Month. This tribute is for one who went home to be with the Lord last Sunday. Al Best oversaw Light in Anoka Church in a northern suburb of Minneapolis. Originally from Florida, Al first gave his life to the Lord at 17 but then backslid. Meanwhile, he served 21 years in the Navy and worked various jobs. That included selling Rainbow vacuum cleaners. I would eventually get to know his sales manager. Eric Gonyon became an associate pastor at Rodney Howard-Browne ’s church (I usually attend services there when in Tampa).  A few years after recommitting his life to the Lord, Al became a pastor. In 2007, the Lord directed him to head north to Minnesota, where his wife Jean is from. First, they ministered in the small town of Dassel. What started as a youth mission transitioned into regular services for all ages. Then in 2016, Al and Jean moved to Anoka to take on a church originally called New Day Fellowship. To counter the city’s motto as the “Halloween Ca
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An Open Letter to Macklemore

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Dear Macklemore, This letter is a response to your comments at the recent Palestine Will Live Forever Festival. First, let me tell you about myself. I could be considered a rapper since I rap better than sing. Years ago, I pursued a career in the recording industry . I worked as a disc jockey plus produced electronic music that received national radio exposure. Then in the 1990s, I committed my life to Jesus and became a missionary. Occasionally, I glance at the Billboard website to see what’s happening with the music scene. I first became familiar with you in 2013 when your gay anthem “ Same Love ” became a hit. A short time later, a friend who performs Christian rap in parades added “And We Danced” and “Can’t Hold Us” to his repertoire but with rewritten lyrics. I helped him remix the parodies of your songs. You once told an interviewer, “I want to be someone who is respected and not just in terms of my music. I want to be respected in terms of the way that I treat people.” I
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I Voted Early

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Americans shouldn’t take their voting rights for granted. Soldiers have died so that we have the freedom to choose our leaders. Since becoming a Christian in 1991, I’ve made it a point to vote in every presidential election. Billy Graham once said, “It is the duty of every individual Christian at election time to study the issues and candidates and then go to the polls and vote.” We have a responsibility to elect politicians who enact policies in line with Scripture. Some individuals don’t like standing in long lines to cast their ballot. Yet they will do so to buy tickets to a rock concert or a sporting event. On Election Day 1992, I had to work during business hours and attend an evening meeting. So I voted early a few days before. Back then I lived in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. I remember walking into City Hall to cast my ballot and saw Jesse Ventura there. He was mayor of the city then but six years later became governor. Due to my travels as a missionary, I’ve often requested a
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The Ultimate Gamble

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There once was a man who prayed daily for God to let him win the lottery. Despite his persistent begging, nothing happened. Finally, after pestering the Lord one last time, this man heard a booming voice: “Give Me a break! Buy a ticket!” People hoping to become instant millionaires spend billions yearly on lottery tickets. The biggest Powerball jackpot ever won was over $2 billion in 2022. Lottery officials had determined the odds of winning a large jackpot like that are 1 in 292.2 million. It’s been said that you are likelier to be struck by lightning than winning the lottery. Do you know anyone who got struck by lightning? Years ago, Americans had to flock to places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City to gamble. Nowadays, there are state lotteries, sports betting, and casinos all over the country. During the early 1990s, I visited two casinos that just opened up in Minnesota. I had coupons redeemed for rolls of quarters. I played a few slot machines before quitting to avoid losing mo
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Lost and Found

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Yesterday, a Facebook friend posted a meme that said, “I didn't find Jesus; He found me. Because He wasn’t lost. I was. Amen.” It reminded me of the cartoon posted above. I’ve seen other posts debating whether a man finds Jesus or He finds us. Throughout the Bible, men sought the Messiah. Angels told the shepherds in Luke 2:12, “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” The wise men in Matthew 2 went to Bethlehem to seek out and worship the King of the Jews. In Luke 19, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. However, verse 10 from this chapter has Him issuing a paradoxical statement, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” I agree Jesus was never lost. He’s the Savior. Men are the ones who are lost, but they must choose to find Him. Sadly, many people won’t. Jesus said in Matthew 7:14, “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few wh
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The Key to Unlocking Spiritual Doors

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The past few days, I attended Summer Campmeeting at Calvary Pentecostal Tabernacle in Ashland, Virginia. Before going there, I stayed with a pastor and his family in Buffalo, New York. While packing up my stuff, I couldn’t find my portable luggage scale used to avoid baggage fees. A friend who drove me to the Minneapolis airport weeks before offered to get me another one. Since my hosts in Buffalo had a bathroom scale I could use to weigh my bags, I asked for the luggage scale to be sent to my post office box in Ashland.  It was soon discovered that Amazon wouldn’t deliver packages to PO boxes. Instead, my luggage scale was sent to a set of lockers outside a Wawa convenience store. After arriving in Ashland by train on Wednesday morning, I went to Wawa but didn’t know which locker contained my package nor how to open the door. So I called Amazon’s customer service number. My friend who had placed the order needed to send me a special email, which I received several hours later. Th
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