Signs & Wonders Blog

One of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible is Jesus telling the rich young ruler, “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:21). Religious folks quote that while criticizing megachurches and so-called prosperity preachers . Others may try using the verse to manipulate people into giving them things. Last Sunday while evangelizing in Austin, Texas, a homeless man who professed to be a Christian quoted that Scripture in hopes of getting money from me. I offered him something to eat, but he told me to keep walking.  Jesus didn’t command everyone in the Bible to give away everything they own. When Zacchaeus offered to give half his goods to the poor plus restitution to those he defrauded, Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house…” (Luke 19:9). He didn’t say, “That’s not enough. Give it all away.” It also says in Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…” How can anyone receive an inheritance if their pare...

During a recent visit to Niagara Falls, I remembered a scene from the 1980 movie “Superman II.” Clark Kent and Lois Lane were on assignment in Niagara Falls. Lois noticed Clark disappeared while Superman saved a boy from plunging into the water. She then intentionally fell into a river to see if Clark would turn into Superman. Clark saved Lois without exposing himself by using his X-ray vision to cut off a tree branch. He then instructed Lois to grab onto the branch. That helped her swim over to the shore. If you fell into a body of water and couldn’t swim, you would eventually drown. However, your life could be saved if someone threw a life preserver at you. You would want to hold onto it until you swam to shore or someone pulled you out of the water.  Many sinners unknowingly are headed toward the lake of fire. There is only One way for them to be rescued and avoid eternal damnation. That’s by reaching for the Ultimate Life Preserver. Jesus said in John 14:6,  “I am the w...

Many people reading this will remember what they were doing twenty-one years ago today. Previously in this blog, I shared testimonies connected with the September 11 terrorist attacks including close calls involving individuals I knew. This is another story about a man I met a year later.  On September 23, 2002, I went into a Starbucks coffee shop in Northern Virginia. There I got into a conversation with a Christian named Chuck. I later found out he was a colonel in the Army. Chuck told me he was assigned to the Pentagon and started work there the day before the terrorist attacks happened. The next day he woke up with a terrible headache. His wife encouraged him to “take it easy”, but Chuck eventually decided to come to work. That delay saved his life. The jet crashed into the Pentagon when Chuck was just two minutes away. The cockpit of the hijacked jet stopped in what used to be Chuck's office!  Three weeks later, Chuck was assigned to help clean up another damaged of...

When ministering over the Internet, I’ve noticed selected topics spark doctrinal debates more than others. Among them are tithing , the rapture , and “ once saved, always saved .” In response to a recent Facebook post I wrote regarding the latter, one friend made reference to blaspheming the Holy Spirit (also called “the Unpardonable Sin”). Jesus talked about this in Mark 3… 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.” 23 So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  27 No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. 28 “...

I was born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised across the river in Moorhead, Minnesota. Years later, I would appreciate the conservative values instilled in me and still shared by many F-M residents. Unfortunately, a growing number there are promoting ungodly ideas. I remember the ruckus caused by then-Fargo mayor Jon Lindgren proclaiming the area’s first “Gay Pride Week” in 1984. It’s since become an annual event. During return visits to my birthplace, it grieved me to see rainbow flags hanging on lampposts and pride parades marching downtown.  North Dakota’s largest city recently made news for another ungodly purpose. On August 9th, the Fargo School Board voted 7-2 to nix reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before each meeting (that decision didn’t apply to classes). The phrase “under God” supposedly didn’t align with the district’s values. The resulting backlash prompted the board to reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance a few days later by an 8-1 vote. Like the Lord’s Prayer and t...

Yesterday I learned from a friend’s Facebook post that it was National Radio Day. This man shared a photo of himself at the first radio station he worked at over 40 years ago. I responded by posting the meme above featuring Wolfman Jack and cast members from the old sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati.” That brought back memories of my disc jockey work. As a boy, I pretended to be a DJ using my Panasonic tape recorder and playing records on my parents’ stereo system. Listening to Casey Kasem ’s “American Top 40” was an inspiration. It wasn’t until my first year in college I became a DJ for real. I volunteered as an announcer for the radio station at Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minnesota. That same year, the roller rink I worked at promoted me to floor guard. Part of that job was playing the records. I had a blast doing that but resigned after eight months due to disagreements with the managers. Less than a year later, I landed my only paying announcer job on terrestrial radio. I c...

Despite the Bible having promises of long life on earth (Psalm 91:16, Ephesians 6:3), some Christians die at a younger age including ministers. Sometimes they are martyrs. Other times it may be due to bad decisions on their part. A few days ago, a well-known prophet unexpectedly passed away in his late 50s. At the time of this writing, the cause of his death hasn’t been determined. My intent with this article is not to be critical of this prophet. His ministry impacted many lives. However, red flags should go up when ministers repeatedly issue prophecies with a definite timeframe   and they don’ t come to pass. This prophet claimed God promised Donald Trump would serve back-to-back terms as president. He later stated the military would reinstate Trump before the end of April 2021. Those things didn’t happen.  As far as I know, no retractions were issued. While I prefer to see Donald Trump back in the White House , that likely won’t happen before the 2024 election. If Joe Bi...