Signs & Wonders Blog

In the fall of 1985, I moved to Minneapolis to pursue a career in the recording industry. One thing that inspired me to do so was a local musician who had become a superstar. Prince put the Twin Cities on the musical map by pioneering what was known as the “Minneapolis sound.”  Although I never sought assistance from the Purple One, we had a very brief encounter in 1990 when I was cast as an extra in his movie “Graffiti Bridge.” Initially, I wore sunglasses on the set until Prince approached me in between takes and asked me to take them off. After I removed my sunglasses, Prince said, “You look better without them.” There were other memorable encounters I had with individuals associated with Prince. The previous year I worked at a music store selling keyboards and other pieces of sound equipment. One day a pastor and his wife stopped in to buy a synthesizer. They mentioned Prince’s former bodyguard "Big Chick” Huntsberry attended their church and offered to introduce me...

Three days ago a friend of mine along with two companions started on a road trip from Minnesota to Texas. Halfway through the trip, one of those companions learned her father was in a motorcycle accident. The three of them made a U-turn back to Minnesota. Shortly afterwards, the motorcyclist died after being taken off life support. Fortunately he professed to know the Lord. This reminded me of an incident last year involving another female friend. Ironically she also lived in Minnesota but traveled down to Texas with her new husband. One day the two were in a motorcycle accident. My friend was critically injured but has since recovered. Her husband died at the scene. An estimated 54 million people die every year. That’s almost 150,000 every day. Many of these deaths are sudden and without warning. Scripture describes just how fragile life really is… “For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, Because our days on earth are [like] a shadow [just a breath or a vapor].”...

Two days ago I read in the news about a state trooper who was fired for proselytizing during traffic stops. Brian Hamilton (pictured here) was a 14-year veteran of the Indiana Police Force. During an eighteen month period, he was sued by two different drivers who were asked questions about their religious beliefs after being pulled over. Despite given a warning after the first lawsuit was filed, Hamilton insisted he was following the Lord. This reminded me of an incident told by the evangelist who taught me to be a soul winner. Before Nick Kinn went into full-time ministry, he worked for the post office. One day while witnessing to a coworker, Nick was approached by his supervisor who asked, “Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal?’” He then pointed out Nick was stealing company time by witnessing instead of sorting mail. Nick apologized and from that point on witnessed to coworkers only during breaks.  As much as Jesus wants His people to share the gospel with oth...

Twenty years ago I worked for World Wide Pictures , the film ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I saw firsthand how movies can be a powerful tool to reach people with the gospel. Many pastors who showed one of Billy’s films in their churches testified of individuals getting born again and/or recommitting their lives to the Lord. While it’s unfortunate many faith-based movies have been rather cheesy, others with higher quality productions have surprisingly done well in secular venues. The 2014 release “God’s Not Dead” grossed over $60 million on a $2 million budget.  Yesterday I saw “God’s Not Dead 2.” Many of the characters from the original reappear in this sequel including the Newsboys. The main protagonist is a public high school teacher named Grace Wesley (played by Melissa Joan Hart). Grace is confronted by her superiors for quoting Scripture in response to a question one of her students asked regarding Jesus. Refusing to apologize for her faith, Gra...