Signs & Wonders Blog

J. Lee Grady has a weekly column in Charisma magazine called “Fire In My Bones.” This past Wednesday, he wrote (in my opinion) one of his best articles: “Which 4 Friends Will Carry You to Jesus?” That was inspired by the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2 who got healed while Jesus taught inside a house in Capernaum. Four men lowered the paralytic lying on a bed after tearing a hole in the roof. As a traveling missionary who has been a loner most of my life, I haven’t had a lot of close friends. Still, I have some, including ministers that helped me grow in the things of God. In this article, I want to honor four men who are not in full-time ministry but would tear the roof off to get me to Jesus: Tom “Rock” S. - While working for Billy Graham’s film ministry in 1996, a coworker who sat on the other side of my cubicle wall reminded me of our meeting two years before at a party hosted by a mutual friend. Tom and I started praying together in between sales calls. We also did some stre...

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines pardon as “the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offense .” The White House has a history of issuing them especially before a president leaves office. One of the most memorable was the 1974 pardon Gerald Ford gave shortly after the resignation of his predecessor Richard Nixon. Ford’s stated reason was to help the country move forward from the Watergate scandal. His press secretary Jerald terHorst resigned in protest. Historians believe the Nixon pardon was a major reason Ford lost the 1976 election to Jimmy Carter. Last Sunday, another controversial pardon came from the White House. Joe Biden issued one for his son Hunter who was convicted of multiple felonies but hadn’t yet been sentenced. What makes this pardon troubling is the Biden administration stating numerous times no pardons would be issued for Hunter. The outgoing president didn’t keep his word. Even if Hunter Biden appears to be getting off scot-free, he will...

A convicted murderer was recently denied parole after spending thirty years behind bars. Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina, made national headlines in October 1994 when she claimed a black man carjacked her vehicle with her two young sons strapped in the back seat. For nine days, multitudes searched for the man, the boys, and the car. After investigators pointed out discrepancies with her story, Susan confessed to plunging her vehicle into a lake, drowning 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex. During a subsequent trial, prosecuting attorney Tommy Pope sought the death penalty. Instead, Susan was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. In a book written by the father of the two boys, David Smith revealed he and Susan had been unfaithful to each other. I also learned about Susan’s rough upbringing. Her father committed suicide when she was six. Her mother got remarried to a man who molested Susan. Susan herself attempted to kill herself a couple of times and almost drowned herse...

Angel Studios has produced “The Chosen” TV series plus a variety of faith-based films including last year’s highly successful “ Sound of Freedom .” I saw their latest release “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.” when it came out two days ago. This biopic is about a German theologian who stood up against the Nazis before and during World War II.  Previously I watched a 2000 made-for-TV movie about Bonhoeffer and expected similarities between that and the new flick. The latter film doesn’t follow his life in chronological order. Dietrich is shown in captivity with frequent flashbacks beginning with his childhood. After his older brother Walter died during World War I, Dietrich became a minister and eventually traveled to America. There he developed an appreciation for black gospel music and desired to share that with the churches back in Germany.  Unfortunately, the Nazis came into power and began dictating what German churches could say and do. Dietrich openly spoke out aga...

Social media is a powerful tool that can be used for good or bad. That includes missing person alerts. Many posted online have the added plea, “It only takes seconds to share.” Verifying that a missing person report is legitimate and still active also takes a few seconds. For years, I’ve noticed many of these cases have been resolved and need to stop circulating .   In recent months, more missing child alerts have become phishing scams. Facebook posts about so-called missing children are later changed to something one might be selling or lead to a link to extract money from people. Unless it’s your child or someone you know, it’s best not to share these alerts until you do some research. A website called TinEye allows one to do a reverse image search. There’s also a national database available to verify if a child is missing.  Here are some red flags to look for when you see a missing person alert on Facebook: The post came from a “buy and sell” group instead of a law e...

A few days ago, I walked by a house that had Halloween decor in their front yard along with signs promoting Democratic politicians. I thought the possibility of a Harris - Walz administration was more scary than the ghosts hanging from the trees. Creepy decorations are usually on display for a few weeks during the year. The election of bad politicians has longer negative effects. Fortunately, enough God-fearing Americans voted so that Donald Trump will return to the White House. Not since Grover Cleveland has a president served two non-consecutive terms. Unlike the previous two elections, Trump also won the popular vote. It was just before 8:30 p.m. EST last Tuesday when I started watching the Victory Channel’s election coverage. Although Kenneth Copeland had prophesied a Trump victory, I had concerns the Democrats would attempt to use invalid ballots to steal the election like what happened in 2020 . Again, some news sources declared Kamala Harris the winner of certain states b...

Last Sunday morning, presidential candidate Kamala Harris spoke at the Church of Christian Compassion in Philadelphia. I did some research to find out more about this inner-city fellowship. Their website mentions them having an evangelism ministry. However, one outreach to encourage voting was sponsored by the Democratic Party. I don’t understand how professing Christians can align with a political platform that promotes abortion and perverted lifestyles. They must be biblically ignorant or in denial. Fortunately, not every congregation member approved of Harris’ appearance. In response to a YouTube video of the Vice-President’s speech, one woman commented: “Omg, This is my church, I am not pleased with this. I’m glad I wasn’t there. Pastor (W. Lonnie) Herndon, please do better.” There were a few hecklers present at the Church of Christian Compassion, Harris’ response to them was “That’s why we fight for our democracy.” Then she repeatedly clapped her hands while saying, “Every voic...

In one of his YouTube videos , conservative radio talk show host Dennis Prager asked, “If you saw your dog and a stranger drowning, which would you save first?” In surveys he’s done with students, two-thirds have voted against the stranger. British evangelist Leonard Ravenhill stated, “Today’s Christians spend more money on dog food than missions.” One study determined Christians spend twenty times more money on Halloween costumes for their pets than preaching the gospel in unreached areas. That demonstrates how some believers value their pets more than men's souls. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I know how painful it is to lose a pet. As a boy, I wept heavily after the family cat got hit by a car and died. While some believe their deceased pets are in heaven , they don’t need to be redeemed. Jesus came to bring salvation to humans, not animals. It should also be pointed out God Himself said that man was alone until He c...

It disturbs me when I meet professing Christians who give excuses not to attend church . Two days ago, I witnessed to a man riding a bicycle in front of my house. He insisted, “We are having church right now.” Jesus did say in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” However, the body of Christ cannot function to its fullest when believers aren’t connected to the fellowship He’s called us to (1 Corinthians 12:18). This man also defended his belief that he didn’t need to read the Bible. I had offered to give him a gospel of John but he refused it because “I have God’s word in my head.” Yes, we should memorize and meditate on it (Joshua 1:8). Still, that’s not a substitute for reading Scripture. Even Jesus read it while in the synagogue (Luke 4:16). Had I thought of it then, I could have quoted Scripture references and challenged this man to tell me what they were. Instead, I recalled this analogy Kenneth Copeland sha...

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 Fir...