Signs & Wonders Blog

O ne of my favorite Bible teachers is Perry Stone. In addition to his “Manna-Fest” program, I watch shorter videos by Perry posted on YouTube. In one of the latter , he read this story from a book his grandfather had put together: A church was in need of a pastor. One of the elders was interested in knowing what kind of minister they desired. He therefore wrote a letter as if he had received it from an applicant. He read this letter before the Pulpit Committee: “Gentlemen, understanding that your pulpit is vacant, I would like to apply for the position. I have many qualifications that I think that you would appreciate. I've been blessed to preach with power and have had some successes as a writer. Some say I'm a good organizer. I've been a leader in most places where I've gone in the past. Some folks, however, have some things against me. I'm over 50 years of age. I've never preached in one place for more than three years at a time. In some places I have left...

One hundred years ago, an organization was formed to help individuals improve their public speaking skills. Toastmasters has grown from a single club in California to approximately 16,000 worldwide. The meetings feature prepared speeches and impromptu talks (called Table Topics) to get people to think on their feet. Members are assigned various tasks to help others expand their vocabulary and get rid of vocal fillers like “um,” “ah,” “er,” and “you know.” I joined Toastmasters shortly after giving my life to the Lord in 1991. I no longer wanted to be a nightclub disc jockey but still desired to speak in front of crowds. At the time, I was a distributor for a multilevel marketing company . People responded very favorably whenever I gave a testimonial at their meetings. Initially, I attended a Toastmasters club in the St. Paul suburb of Little Canada, Minnesota. Months later, I transferred to a different club called Sunrisers . Many of my early speeches were about topics relevant to m...

This past week I stayed with a friend in Topeka, Kansas. Robert reminded me of a well-known church based in this city. Westboro Baptist Church has attracted international attention but for the wrong reasons. This small congregation regularly protests at a variety of venues such as government buildings, sporting events, rock concerts, and funerals for fallen soldiers. They hold up signs claiming God hates the USA, the military, and other things. Most members are relatives of founder Fred Phelps who died in 2014.  Westboro Baptist Church primarily preaches against homosexuality. Instead of using a domain like westborobaptist.com, their website is “godhatesfags.com.” Yes, the Bible calls homosexuality an abomination. However, there are other things God considers abominable. Look at Proverbs 6: 16 These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that ar...

Several decades ago a dairy farmer and his wife in North Carolina held a prayer meeting. One of the things they prayed for was someone in their area who would go on to have a massive worldwide ministry. Their prayers were answered through their own family. On November 7, 1918, the dairy farmer's wife gave birth to William Franklin Graham Jr.   It is widely believed Billy Graham preached the gospel to more people (an estimated 215 million) than anybody else in history. He was also a spiritual adviser to multiple U.S. presidents. In an era when preachers are not as respected as they used to be, Billy was constantly on the upper rungs of Gallup's List of Widely Admired People. During the late 1990s, I worked at World Wide Pictures , the film ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. My job there was calling pastors throughout the United States scheduling evangelistic films to be shown in their churches. Although telemarketing work can get tedious, my job at...

This past week at the church I’ve been working with, we had a visiting evangelist named Joe Jackson. That had me thinking of famous people with that name such as Michael Jackson’s father, a baseball player with the nickname “Shoeless,” and a British singer whose biggest U. S. hit was the Grammy-nominated “Steppin’ Out.” As I watched the music video of that song for the first time in years, I suddenly realized how Joe Jackson’s tune could be turned into an exhortation to obey the Great Commission. The hardest part about evangelism is simply getting started. Even after doing street ministry for over twenty years, there are times I don’t feel like talking to people. But once I get over myself and start sharing the gospel, the Holy Spirit flows through me and I feel much better afterwards. Back in the early 1990s when I was involved with network marketing, I heard a sales trainer point out if we only do things that are comfortable, we are “screwing up big time.” One way we matur...

One of the things the Lord used to prepare me for ministry was Toastmasters, an organization people join to improve their public speaking skills. In every Toastmasters meeting, the person assigned as the grammarian introduces a “word of the day” to encourage speakers to expand their vocabulary. My particular Toastmasters club also used a clicker whenever the person speaking uttered filler words like “um”, “ah”, “er”, and “you know.” I’ve noticed many Christians habitually insert the word “just” whenever they are praying or praising the Lord. Listen closely the next time you’re at a church service or prayer meeting. You will likely hear people say, “I just pray that…” or “I just praise You for…” or “We just thank You…” Perhaps you picked up that habit because you heard other believers doing the same thing. The Bible does say, “The just shall live by faith” and the blood of Jesus justifies us. But I don't see how the overuse of the word “just” adds extra power to prayers an...

This past Tuesday morning I had a dream in which I was witnessing to actress Alison Arngrim who played Nellie Oleson in the TV series “Little House on the Prairie.” In the dream I started quoting a Scripture to Alison. She then requested I read it directly from my Bible. Later I asked Alison if she knew where she will spend eternity when her life ends. Alison was reluctant to answer my question. Hours after I woke up from my dream, I found out actor Richard Bull (who played Nellie’s father Nels Oleson) had died the day before. I was in third grade when I first heard about the original “Little House on the Prairie” book written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My teacher read a few pages from it during class after we went through one of Laura’s previous books “Little House in the Big Woods.” The “Little House on the Prairie” television program debuted on national television just over a year later in September 1974.   During its run on NBC, I often watched “Little House on the Pr...