Signs & Wonders Blog

As a missionary who hasn’t owned a car for over two decades, I’ve often used public transportation to get to various places. While living out of a suitcase (à la Corrie ten Boom), I’ve learned a few things I will share in this article. Many of these tips will be helpful whether you are just visiting family for the holidays, going on a short-term missionary trip, or out of the country for an extended period. If you need to use public transportation, keep in mind mask mandates are still in effect (which is one reason why I haven’t traveled as much this year). During recent trips, I brought along a bag of Tootsie Pops. As long as one is “actively eating,” masks can be off your face. You can suck on lollipops for several minutes at a time. Another benefit is a mask cannot cover the stick coming out of your mouth. That allows extra moments to breathe easier. Here are some more tips for these public transportation options… 1) Planes - Flying is a more attractive choice when going ...

Two topics that often generate disagreements are religion and politics. This is especially true when the two are mixed. A few days ago, a Facebook friend posted two short video clips taken at John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. Members of the audience shouted, “Let’s Go Brandon!” My friend opposed the use of that phrase (a substitute for an obscenity aimed at Joe Biden ) by saying, “…the church is suppose [sic] to pray for leaders.” In response, I suggested she not jump to conclusions . Additional research revealed the following… The videos originated from PatriotTakes, a group whose goal is “Exposing Right-Wing Extremism.”  The videos weren’t part of a worship service but a three-day conference called “ReAwaken America.” Among the speakers were former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell. Neither John Hagee nor his son Matt (who now pastors Cornerstone) led the “Let’s Go Brandon” chant. Matt later published an apology on t...

@ Rhema in 1994 Romans 13:7 tells us to give honor to whom honor is due. In this article, I want to express gratitude for fifteen preachers who played a big part in my spiritual growth. This list is in chronological order to show the progression of my Christian walk. 1) Mac Hammond - Mac is the founder and senior pastor of Living Word Christian Center in suburban Minneapolis. I started attending his church in February 1991, just before committing my life to the Lord. Later that year, I became a member of Living Word. Every weekend I looked forward to listening to Pastor Mac. I was impressed with his speaking abilities and knowledge of the Bible. Pastor Mac repeatedly reminded us from the pulpit that we come to church to hear from God and not man’s opinion. Because Living Word is a megachurch, I never really got to know Pastor Mac personally (discipleship mostly came from associate pastors and lay leaders). Nevertheless, I consider him my first spiritual father . 2) Jerry Savelle ...

The Bible tells us many times to sing to the Lord a new song. However, we should be cautious of hymns with unscriptural lyrics. Last year, I briefly visited a church where the praise and worship band promoted sin consciousness instead of who we are in Christ. When one of their songs repeated the line “our sins are many”, I quietly slipped out of the sanctuary. Last week while watching a minister’s conference streamed from The River, Rodney Howard-Browne talked about green activism invading the church. He read the lyrics to “The Climate is Changing.” This “hymn-prayer” uses music from a traditional Welsh hymn. New lyrics written by Presbyterian pastor Carolyn Winfrey Gillette are “to support efforts to counter climate change.” Let's examine some of these lyrics and compare them with Scripture... We pray for the animals here in our midst who cannot defend their own right to exist. Immediately, I thought of Romans 1:25, which warns of people worshipping the creature rather than...