Signs & Wonders Blog

During my youth, I was a chronic complainer. I frequently griped about things such as annoying TV commercials and overplayed songs on the radio. When I later became a Christian and learned that our words have power (as mentioned in Proverbs 18:21), I became more mindful of what I said. One dictionary defines complain as “express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something.” Sometimes I’ll rant about things on social media, but when possible, I'll also offer a solution. Constant complaining grieves the Lord. The children of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness because of that. Some of them experienced an early death because of their moaning and groaning. Numbers 11:1 says, “Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.” Occasionally, I’ve caught myself complaining about traffic, but I soon thank God when I have a car to driv...

Prior to my salvation, I often went dancing in nightclubs and also worked as a DJ in a few of them. After getting saved, I continued going to clubs for a couple of years but eventually stopped. I could no longer put up with smoke-filled rooms plus listening to music with explicit lyrics. One reason many sinners resist Christianity is the mistaken idea God doesn’t want us to have fun. Some religious leaders have a problem with dancing in general. When I worked for Billy Graham ’s World Wide Pictures, one film we distributed called “The Homecoming” featured students at a high school dance. A pastor who planned to show “The Homecoming” in his church changed his mind because he was afraid the dancing would offend members of his congregation. A more famous movie that dealt with this issue was 1984’s “Footloose.” Based on actual events that happened in a Oklahoma town, an overzealous pastor convinced his city council to ban public dancing. He was challenged by a young man who read the fol...

During a recent evangelism outing, I led a young man to the Lord who might have been Catholic. After he finished praying with me, this guy drew an imaginary cross on himself. Then he insisted on giving me a card that had a prayer from St. Francis of Assisi on there. Here is the full version of that prayer: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. While this prayer promotes godly ideas, I’m not interested in making this a regular recitation. A Christian’s prayers should be done to the Father in Jesus’ name (...

While teaching on evangelism at a church a few weeks ago, one woman asked if I witness to children. I explained that it would depend on the situation. Given the increasing fears of child abduction and human trafficking , one must use wisdom when approaching little kids. Whenever possible, I try to obtain their parents’ permission first. During outreaches, I often seek out high school students to talk to. Teens are mature enough to make their own decisions about Christ. They have reached what some refer to as  “ the age of accountability .” There have been exceptions. One day, while living in a house in Minnesota, the doorbell kept ringing. I didn’t answer the door immediately because I was on the phone with my mother . A couple of minutes later, I went outside and found five young children playing by the side of the house. They wanted candy, but I correctly discerned I wasn’t supposed to give them any. Since they were on my property, I offered them something more important: eterna...