Signs & Wonders Blog

As a young Christian, I listened to numerous sermon tapes. Among the ministers I gleaned from the most were Mac Hammond , Jerry Savelle , Jesse Duplantis , Kenneth Copeland , Mike Murdock , and Joyce Meyer . God used them at different seasons in my life to build a solid foundation on His word. In recent years, I’ve probably listened to Perry Stone more than any other preacher. Perry estimates he's studied the Bible for more than 100,000 hours in his lifetime. His “Manna-Fest” programs often filmed in Israel help illustrate his points. Besides their pastor, most believers have a favorite preacher they like listening to. However, one must avoid seeking out ministers who proclaim only what they want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3 warns, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers” Wrong doctrines have been built based on one Bible verse alone. Look at...

This past Friday marked the 40th anniversary of a tragedy . On October 20th, 1977, an airplane carrying the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd plus their crew ran out of fuel and crashed in a swampy area near McComb, Mississippi. Most of the passengers were seriously injured. Six people died including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and his sister Cassie Gaines who was a backup vocalist. Three days before, the band released their album “Street Survivors.” The cover eerily depicted the musicians engulfed in flames. There’s some things we can learn from  this incident . First, our words affect our destiny. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” Ronnie Van Zant prophesied his own death. Former bandmate Artimus Pyle recalled a moment when Lynyrd Skynyrd toured Japan and Ronnie told him that he would never live to see thirty. Van Zant's father, Lacy, heard his son say many times, “Daddy, I'll never be 30 years old…that's ...

Whenever a mass shooting takes place, there is increased talk in the media about gun control. That is happening again following the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, Nevada. From two 32nd story hotel windows, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock used automatic weapons to fire upon a crowd gathered for a country music concert. 59 people died and over 500 others were wounded. This surpassed last year’s Orlando nightclub massacre as the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history. Back in 2012, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend before committing suicide hours later at the team’s practice facility. The next night during a nationally televised football game, NBC Sportscaster Bob Costas stated, “If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins [Belcher’s girlfriend] would both be alive today.” Some Americans think taking guns out of public hands will reduce the amount of murders in this country. One of my Facebook friends posted th...

Those of us who grew up in the United States learned about the Italian-born explorer Christopher Columbus. Back in 1492, the purpose of Columbus’ voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was to find a shorter route from Spain to Asia but ended up discovering the Americas. I was also taught Columbus wanted to prove the earth is round (though that truth was already widely believed). Over 500 years later, it surprises me how some people still believe in a flat earth despite photos from space proving otherwise. Many travelers have embarked on round-the-world trips. The recent solar eclipse should be additional evidence of a round earth .  Still, f lat earthers have resorted to spreading lies such as Donald Trump supposedly being one of them . There are even Christians promoting a flat earth gospel. This past summer, I talked with one at a friend’s machine shop. I pointed out Isaiah 40:22 says, “It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshopper...

50 years ago when Bud Grant became coach of the Minnesota Vikings, he instructed his players to stand still at attention during the national anthem. This discipline helped them become one of the least penalized teams in the NFL. Nowadays, a select number of players are dishonoring the national anthem by taking a knee or staying in the locker room. President Trump’s recent S.O.B. comment was a bit harsh but I agree with reprimanding players who won’t participate just like they are fined for other acts of unsportsmanlike conduct. In some churches, the congregation is asked to stand whenever the preacher reads the opening text of his sermon. The first time I noticed this practice was while watching Pastor John Hagee on television ministering from his church in San Antonio, Texas. A short time later, I started making trips to Pensacola, Florida to attend revival meetings at Brownsville Assembly of God. Then-pastor John Kilpatrick also had everyone stand up as he read from the Bible ...

A recent surge of friend requests I received on Facebook included members representing the Church of Almighty God, an organization I hadn’t heard of before. Their graphics accompanying their posts reminded me of those used by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Therefore, I suspected this group is a cult. To find out more about this “church”, I watched a BBC documentary about them that looked rather disturbing. Then I logged onto their website . Immediately, a chat window opened up. I decided to respond to the other person online. Here’s how the conversation went (my comments are in bold)… Hello, and welcome to the Gospel of the Descent of Kingdom. Think back on the “Your kingdom come” prayer that we have often made in the past. Now, God's kingdom has already descended, and God has returned in the flesh to express the truth and carry out the work of judgment in order for us to be able to come face to face with God and listen to His voice with our own ears! Do you want to understand the de...

Statue of Peter in Madrid (2003) In our politically correct society, protests have arisen against certain statues. Among them are of Civil War general Robert E. Lee. Some argue leaving such statues intact celebrates slavery. On the other hand, monuments are erected to remind us of regrettable events like the Holocaust. There’s an old saying, “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” Statues have a part of American history. Immigrants are excited to see the Statue of Liberty while passing by Ellis Island in New York City. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC honors the president who helped end slavery in the United States. Mount Rushmore in South Dakota features the face of Lincoln plus three other past presidents. Romans 13:7 says we are to give honor to whom honor is due. However, Exodus 20:4 in the New Living Translation says, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.” Statues b...