Signs & Wonders Blog

One of the best known Bible stories is from the book of Daniel. The namesake’s three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were cast into a furnace for refusing to bow down to a huge statue of the king. I first became familiar with this story when my fourth grade music class performed a musical called “It’s Cool in the Furnace.” Other variations of this story include the VeggieTales parody “So Many Chocolate Bunnies.” A new live action drama titled “Daniel and the Fiery Furnace” premiered in theaters last weekend. I saw that with a friend two days ago. An older man begins telling the story to a group of men sitting around him in a desert. The movie then flashes back to the city of Jerusalem  Due to continued disobedience by the children of Israel, the city is invaded by the Babylonian army. During and after the long march to Babylon, Daniel finds favor with Nebuchadnezzar, especially after interpreting a dream the king had. There were two noteworthy scenes that have no Biblic...

Some people give strange excuses not to go to church. Two days ago while evangelizing in Saint Petersburg, Florida, I witnessed to a man who professed to be a believer. I had doubts about that. Besides refusing to confess Jesus as his Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3), he insisted the park where we were talking was his church. Soon I heard bells ringing from a nearby building. I pointed to it while saying to this man, “That’s a church!”  Later it occurred to me that the Bible doesn’t command churches to have bells. They aren’t found at all in the New Testament. Exodus 28:33 and 39:25 does mention priests with golden bells at the hem of their garments. Their ringing was to verify the priests were still alive while ministering in God's presence. It also says in Zechariah 14:20 that on the Day of the Lord, “…’HOLINESS TO THE LORD’ shall be engraved on the bells of the horses.” Church bells held more significance years ago. They alerted communities that it was time to meet for prayer, worsh...

It’s been 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened. Because radical Muslims caused the deaths of almost 3,000 people on American soil, I figured Islam would decrease in popularity in this country. Instead, it’s increased due to migration, birth rates, and conversions. One source claims that over 20,000 Americans convert to Islam each year. Surprisingly, two-thirds of these converts are women. Why would they submit themselves to a lifestyle of bondage and possible abuse? What’s also surprising is New York City’s current mayor is a Muslim. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Many I’ve encountered while evangelizing have been cordial. I can think of at least two that received salvation. Unfortunately, I witnessed to some that became belligerent. Still, it’s helpful for Christians to know a few things that Muslims believe so they can minister to them more effectively. Here are the Five Pillars of Islam and how they compare to the Bible: The First Pillar is the Shahada, the asser...

A few days ago, Dolly Parton died of cancer at 80 years old. Subsequent tributes to the singer’s death reminded me of how the world mourned after the 1997 car crash that killed Princess Diana. Numerous celebrities have eulogized the country music icon. President Donald Trump ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff for a week in honor of Dolly.  As a boy, I first heard of Dolly Parton when seeing her introduced on The Porter Wagoner Show. I disliked country music and usually turned the TV channel after briefly watching the intro. Then in the late 1970s, Dolly’s songs started appearing on “ American Top 40 .” One of them titled "Baby I'm Burnin'" was played in discos. By the time I became a DJ , the pop hits for her dwindled except for 1983’s “Islands in the Stream”, her number one duet with Kenny Rogers (written by my favorite group The Bee Gees ). Like many other performers, Dolly got her start singing in church. Her grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher....