Signs & Wonders Blog

A few years ago, actress Jennifer Anniston purchased a one-bedroom penthouse apartment in New York City for $8 million. Around that time, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought a $7 million home in California. It was also reported Michael Jordan was building a home in Florida with an estimated value of $20 million. The secular media doesn’t mind celebrities and athletes owning multi-million houses. Yet they will launch an “exposé” if a preacher buys (or is given) a house for a fraction of that amount. Even some believers are critical of brethren with nice domiciles. One time a homeless man I met in Florida complained about a local pastor having a $500,000 house. Before you pity this homeless man, it should be pointed out he was a modern-day Jonah running from the call to preach. God will bless those who will obey His will for their lives. Isaiah 1:19-20 says, “‘If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured b...

Today is Earth Day. According to Wikipedia, “Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection.” I agree men and women should be good stewards of this planet. After all, the first two people on this earth were assigned to take care of the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, green activism has grown to ridiculous levels . While staying in hotel rooms, I’ve noticed signs encouraging guests to conserve vital resources such as water. By doing so we can supposedly “save our planet.”  The Bible repeatedly reminds us God made the earth. He made sure it has plenty of natural resources. Psalm 65:9 says, “You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it.” It also says in Ecclesiastes 1:4, “One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever .” The earth is not in d...

A friend once invited me over to his place to watch “42”, a biopic about Jackie Robinson. The title comes from the uniform number Jackie wore. When he became the first African-American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era, Jackie initially faced all kinds of discrimination and persecution. His courage and playing abilities opened the door for other black athletes to play on the professional level. Nowadays, Jackie’s uniform number is retired by every Major League Baseball team except during the annual “Jackie Robinson Day” on April 15th when every single player wears #42. A couple weeks before seeing the movie “42”, I learned of another fact involving that number. One morning I made my usual trip to Caribou Coffee. They offer a 10-cent discount for correctly answering a trivia question. The question that day was, “What is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything?” I answered “Jesus Christ.” That wasn’t the answer the Caribou employee s...

On Good Friday I saw the third installment of the “God’s Not Dead” movie series. As expected, “A Light in Darkness” begins where “ God’s Not Dead 2 ” left off: A pastor had been arrested for not turning in copies of his sermons as mandated by a city prosecutor’s subpoena. The pastor is soon released but then faces more difficult challenges. His church is destroyed in a fire that takes the life of an associate minister. Then a local college tries to block the rebuilding of the church through eminent domain. The pastor prepares for a legal battle. Mixed emotions are experienced both by the pastor and a young man who caused the church fire. The movie also addresses a dilemma Christians often face: when to continue fighting for our rights. It appeared this movie would feature a court hearing like its predecessor but takes an unexpected turn at the end. The overall message is that whatever we do for the Lord, love must always be the motive. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT) reminds us, “Lov...

Mr. T This year Easter and April Fools Day land on the same day. While most Christians today will focus on observing the Resurrection, some of them may also participate in various pranks. According to Wikipedia, “April Fools' Day (sometimes called All Fools' Day) is an annual celebration in some European and Western countries commemorated on April 1 by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes…People playing April Fool jokes often expose their prank by shouting ‘April fool’ at the unfortunate victim(s).” Is it ever appropriate for believers to joke around like that? Perhaps it’s okay with people you know who have a sense of humor. Occasionally, I see pastors make wisecracks from the pulpit but then quickly clarify to their congregations they are teasing. Sometimes when holding the door open for a friend about to walk inside a church, I’ll say, “We’re all full” and after pausing a second add “…of the Holy Ghost.” A few days ago, I went to a church where coffee wa...