A growing number of Christian teens and 20-somethings are attending late-night dance parties–to worship the Lord and introduce their friends to Jesus.
The pulsating techno music builds to a deafening crescendo as space-age-sounding zaps punctuate the heavy bass and drum beat. Red and green laser lights etch twisting torsos against blackened walls as colored glow sticks slice through manufactured fog.

More than 150 teens and young adults crowd onto the spring-loaded wooden dance floor of the Olympian Ballroom in Reading, Pennsylvania, for tonight’s event. Most who have come admit they plan to get high–not on alcohol, drugs or sex–but on God.

“Tonight’s event is all about worship,” says Jeff Stoltzfus, resident DJ and founder of Club Worship. “Dance is one way we can express our worship with a little more energy and passion.” Many regulars of the monthly event agree.

“Club Worship has an awesome, free atmosphere where kids can totally praise the Lord and express themselves in a way they are comfortable,” explains Lyn Laudenslager, 23, who has been collecting the $6-a-head tickets since the club opened in April 2000.

“I’ve discovered a totally whole new way to worship God,” says Kristen Herr, 19, a member of the youth group from Zion Mennonite Church. “It’s amazing how the music can be so loud and yet I can hear God so clearly.”

“Are you ready to dance?” screams Jon Carlson, 18, tonight’s emcee and worship leader. “Get ready to celebrate! Get ready to praise the Lord because He deserves it! Praise God in this place! Testify to His goodness tonight!”

The beat picks up again as the DJ spins a slammin’ progressive house tune peppered with Christian lyrics.

“It’s hard to explain to an outsider how you can worship to music like this,” admits Debra Hoster, 49, the parent of a teen and part of the oversight team for Club Worship. “The lights, the darkened room and the music absorb you, cutting out the distractions of the world so you can open up and focus on God.”

Meanwhile, some 700 miles south of Pennsylvania, in a narrow alley banked by a graffiti wall, a DJ mixes dance music under a star-studded sky. Inside the Murray Hill Theater, a Christian venue in Jacksonville, Florida, three other DJs prepare for tonight’s four-hour, nonstop rave and dance event. Two hundred teens, ages 14-18, have come to dance to cutting-edge house, trance and jungle music, while light patterns of “gobos” and “moonflowers” wash the room in a bright array of color.

Fusion, which celebrated its third anniversary in December, is now the longest running techno music event–Christian or non-Christian–in the Jacksonville area. “We’re known for throwing some of the best parties in the city,” says Jamey Wright, the visionary behind Fusion.

Club owner Tony Nasrallah admits that when he was approached seven years ago about holding a Christian dance and rave event at Murray Hill, his initial reaction was negative. But when Wright convinced him to try a couple events, he changed his mind. “Murray Hill has been a venue for Christian concerts since 1995, but what I discovered was that kids would just come and go at those events,” Nasrallah says. “At our dance events, the kids would come and hang out, which gave us an opportunity for one-on-one friendship evangelism.”

DJ Bill Sikes, 24, says the majority of kids who attend the monthly Fusion event are not Christians. “We don’t preach long sermons from the mike,” Sikes says, “but we do share our testimonies when appropriate.” Everyone is invited to attend a Tuesday night Bible study in the café next door, and the DJs often pass out free dance music CDs that contain the gospel message.

High on Jesus

Club Worship and Fusion are just two of a growing number of Christian dance and rave events popping up across the country. They combine worship, evangelism and a safe, drug-free atmosphere where young people can hang out and enjoy their passion for dance music.

This growing phenomenon follows on the heels of the underground secular rave culture of the 1990s that has been targeted by the U.S. Congress for its widespread use of club drugs such as ecstasy. Held in warehouses and fields, these all-night dance parties spawned a new generation of teens and college students chanting a mantra of PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect).

In his book Rave Culture: An Insider’s Overview, secular author Jimi Fritz notes that there are probably more ravers today than there were hippies in the 1960s. He points out that this “life-changing ritualistic, cultural phenomenon is as powerful as any spiritual practice from the past or present.” In fact, many young people who have had no previous interest in religion start to develop an interest in spirituality after attending a few raves.

DJ Scott Blackwell has participated in enough secular raves to know this is true. “There is something about the repetitiveness and energy of the electronic dance music that causes people to drop barriers and let walls down,” Blackwell stresses. “It’s worship to them–they just don’t know who or what they are worshiping.”

“Music is such a powerful medium,” insists Carlson of Club Worship. “It goes beyond our mental capacity and connects with our spirit. It can be used for good, as in worship, or it can be used for evil.”

Kevin Coffman, who helped establish Shine Productions as a Christian alternative to the Detroit rave scene, knows firsthand the destructive power that music and drugs can have on youth. “A rave is like the devil’s version of church, and ecstasy is the devil’s version of the Holy Spirit,” Coffman explains.

Kevin and his wife, Shyla, were part of the Detroit rave scene in the mid-1990s. Both admit they were heavy drug users at the time. “My wife and I would get high every weekend on ‘E’ [ecstasy] and other drugs. We’d be coming down the morning after, shaking and tweaking, and Shyla would start talking to me about God’s love. She’d been raised in a Spirit-filled church, and she really believed what she was saying, but we were caught up in the devil’s substitute.”

Then in 1999, during a visit to Shyla’s home church, the two committed their lives to God. “We totally turned our backs on our former lifestyle,” Coffman told Charisma, “but Shyla kept having visions of us ministering to rave kids.” When the youth pastor of their church approached her about doing a dance party, Shyla says she knew it was God’s confirmation.

Shine Productions has held five rave events since it was founded in 2001. “We draw at least 80 percent to 90 percent straight rave kids to our events,” Coffman says. “But we offer a different vibe–one that’s pure and clean!”

A Place in God’s Family

Insiders will tell you that one of the draws of the rave scene is the sense of belonging it provides. “Kids in the secular rave scene often turn to their fellow ravers to be their family,” says Cindy Tucker, 26. “There’s such a sense of loyalty and devotion that they would lay down their lives for each other.”

Tucker began frequenting clubs in Cincinnati when she was 13. “I understand where a lot of these kids are coming from because I came from a broken home myself,” Tucker admits. “These kids need to know someone is standing in their corner, cheering them on. They need to know someone loves them.”

A year ago, Tucker, who is a junior high youth director at her church, founded The Palace Cincinnati, which co-hosts a monthly dance night and quarterly rave event at the Underground, an established Christian coffeehouse and concert venue. “We’re very much an outreach event,” Tucker stresses. “The opportunity to get to know these kids and to show them Christ’s love in a very real and practical way is huge.”

Tucker says The Palace has had its share of criticism from the Christian community. “There aren’t many pastors who understand the concept of Christian dance music or dance clubs for Christians,” Tucker told Charisma. “I’ve been asked why on earth I would want to associate myself with something that has such a negative connotation. I tell them, ‘Jesus didn’t come for the well; He came for the sick!'”

The teens and young adults who attend Christian dance clubs and raves represent a wide spectrum of beliefs, lifestyles and backgrounds. Former secular raver Kairsie Miller, 18, says a friend invited her to Club Worship a little over a year ago. “I was a practicing Wiccan at the time, so I wasn’t happy with the Christian aspect,” she admits, “but I had nothing better to do, so I came. The people there were so friendly, so happy and joyful, and the music was beautiful and powerful.

“To this day I can’t really comprehend what happened to me–I had a mental and emotional experience all at the same time, and I became a Christian that night.”

Many, like Miller, who have life-changing experiences at these events, end up working as volunteers. Today Miller is part of the team that helps coordinate Club Worship’s dance events.

Bill Sikes is another who came to Murray Hill Theater in 1997 to complete 300 hours of community service. Finding himself in jail for grand theft, Sikes says, “I was hurting, desperate and so lost from all the failed attempts to make myself complete. I knew I needed God.” After his 300 service hours were up, Sikes decided to stay on at Murray Hill as a volunteer. In addition to DJing, he now leads the Tuesday night Bible study in the café.

Others who come to the events are still looking for the truth. Sarah, 15, wears a white bandanna, several bracelets and a huge metal cross made from horseshoe nails. Although she calls herself a Christian, she readily admits that her religion has no influence on her day-to-day life.

She comes to Fusion every month with her gay, lesbian and bisexual friends because it’s a good place to hang out. Her mom is a lesbian, but Sarah says she’s just “bi-curious” at this point in her life. “My mom said I couldn’t come here if they threw Bibles and preached at us,” Sarah told Charisma. “But they don’t do that here.”

While Christian dance and rave clubs are beginning to flourish in and near larger cities across the United States, some fans have to settle for dance music via the radio or Internet.

Carey Jarvis is the founder and host of “The Dance Chapel,” a Christian dance music radio show in the Lansing, Michigan, area. He estimates there are at least 100 radio shows that spin Christian dance music, with more popping up daily. “Techno music has become more mainstream,” Jarvis says. “You see it in car commercials, video games and TV shows. It appeals to the youth, so why not use it as a vehicle to spread the gospel?”

is a Web community devoted to Christians who enjoy dance music. Launched in 1995 by Jamey Wright of Fusion, the site offers live music, a chat room and a comprehensive list of dance and rave events.

In addition to established venues such as Club Worship, Fusion and The Palace, many Christian dance and rave events are scheduled sporadically whenever venues can be found and finances secured. Planet Jesus, a group of DJs in the mid-Atlantic region, has sponsored three events in Pennsylvania and Maryland since January 2002. Erik “Rapture Man” Sellin, 29, says they are getting geared up to provide more events in the area as an alternative to mainstream clubs and raves.

“God is raising up pockets of people all across the country who are not afraid to identify with the rave culture,” says Tucker of The Palace. “I believe we do the world a great injustice by being afraid of our culture. We must be willing to do whatever it takes to reach these kids for Christ.”

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Christian raves are redefining contemporary worship.

Christian DJs are becoming worship leaders for a generation who say they want to worship God outside the walls of the traditional church.

Jeff Stoltzfus of Club Worship says he was a worship leader in the more traditional sense for years, but began to realize he didn’t need to be locked into a particular style of music for it to be worship. “DJ-led worship uses turntables and CDs instead of an organ or acoustic guitar,” Stoltzfus points out. “But the worship leader still has to sense where the Holy Spirit is leading and help the worshipers connect with God.”

When a drug-washed subculture of youth began turning to Christ through New Generation Missions, a church-planting organization in the United Kingdom, DJ and worship artist Andy Hunter says a new paradigm was needed to teach them about worship. “[These kids] had never set foot in a church before, and the old hymns were too great a leap culturally,” Hunter says. “To sing those would have been like asking them to speak another language.”

Because most were solidly into dance music, Hunter began to experiment with turntables to lead worship. The experiment was successful, and now Hunter says his goal is to take Jesus to the furthest reaches of the youth culture.

But for many Christians, electronic, DJ-led worship is pushing the edge. Parents and pastors alike wonder whether dance music can actually be used for God, given the fact it comes from the secular culture.

“I think it’s the same sort of thing the Christian rock scene went through when it first started,” says DJ Carey Jarvis of “The Dance Chapel.” “People were asking if there was really a place for Christian rock because of all the negative connotations surrounding rock music. Now Christian rock bands are commonplace.”

Jarvis says the church should learn from the past and not make the same mistake today. He believes that while Christian dance music and DJ-led worship is the new thing right now, five or 10 years down the road, no one will be upset with it anymore.

“There are plenty of music styles out there,” Jarvis says. “Techno worship is just another way God is moving.”

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Sandra K. Chambers visited raves in Pennsylvania and Florida to compile this report. She lives in northern Virginia.

Most women who have polycystic ovary syndrome do not ovulate.
Question: I have polycystic ovary syndrome. I’ve gained a lot of weight and have pelvic pain. I’ve been told I may not be able to conceive. What do you recommend?
K.A., Kansas City, Kansas

Answer: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is caused by an imbalance of the hormones in the brain and ovaries. The pituitary gland produces excessive amounts of the hormone LH, causing the ovaries to make an excess of testosterone.

Most women who have PCOS do not “ovulate,” or release their eggs. The ovary follicles that contain the eggs begin to develop normally but do not rupture, and so the eggs do not release. Therefore, women with this condition develop multiple follicles and cysts on their ovaries.

In general, PCOS significantly decreases the amount of progesterone in the body. Because the ovaries do not get the proper hormonal signals to allow the monthly period to occur, menstrual cycles become infrequent or stop altogether.

Physical conditions that may develop as a result of the disease include:

* Excessive coarse hair on the arms, face, legs and abdomen, and possible thinning of the hair on the head caused by elevated testosterone levels
* Pelvic pain that lasts for longer than six months at a time
* Weight gain, or the “apple shape” type of obesity, with weight increase occurring in the abdomen and trunk
* Acne and oily skin, high triglycerides and cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, skin tags (usually in the arm pits or neck area)
* An inability to get pregnant within six to 12 months of unprotected intercourse
* Estrogen secretion that’s unopposed by progesterone because progesterone is very low or absent in the body (this can lead to cancer of the endometrium).
* Insulin-related problems such as insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.

First, I recommend that any woman with PCOS be examined by her gynecologist or family physician and possibly by an endocrinologist. Generally the treatment for PCOS has been oral contraceptive pills, and if pregnancy is desired, usually ovulation induction is recommended. Contraceptive pills are definitely a way of treating polycystic ovaries, but usually the disease starts again after the pills are discontinued.

Because insulin resistance may be the root cause of polycystic ovary disease, some doctors are beginning to treat polycystic ovaries with medications that lower insulin levels. I recommend you have a blood-sugar check, insulin level test and a
4-hour glucose tolerance test.

However, a much simpler approach is the nutritional way. First, you need to start eating a balanced, low-carbohydrate diet. It is important that you choose carbohydrates with a low glycemic index and that you learn how to combine these foods properly. I strongly recommend my books The Bible Cure for Weight Loss and The Bible Cure for Candida, as well as The Bible Cure for Diabetes, because many people with PCOS have insulin resistance.

It is also extremely important for you to exercise at least three or four days a week for 30 minutes so you can lose weight. To help regulate your blood sugar, I strongly recommend you begin taking fiber supplements such as Perdiem Fiber (1 teaspoon with each meal) or Fiber Delights from Phyto-Pharmica (one to two chewable chocolate or vanilla wafers with each meal). Exercise and diet are the foundations for improving glucose tolerance, and a commitment has to be made to follow both.

Other supplements that are excellent for lowering blood sugar include Divine Health Lipoic Acid, 300 mg (milligrams) three times a day; Vana-Chrom from Nutri-West, one tab three times a day; nonrancid fish oil such as Divine Health Omega-3 fatty acid, one tab three times a day. Also, begin using natural progesterone cream, one-quarter teaspoon applied twice a day on days 12-26 of the menstrual cycle (day one is the first day of the period).

Finally, you should use the broccoli supplement Indolplex, which helps prevent breast or uterine cancer, because individuals with PCOS usually have been exposed for long periods of time to unopposed estrogens.

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Donald Colbert, M.D., is a family physician and nutrition expert. For more information about better health, see his book Toxic Relief (Siloam Press), available from or . Send your questions to Doctor’s Orders, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746.

You were probably as horrified as I was when you heard that Carlton Pearson, a prominent leader among charismatics, has embraced universalism–the belief that Buddhists, Hindus and just about anyone else can get to heaven without repentance and a profession of faith in Jesus. Those who heard Carlton explain his “new revelation” labeled it a heresy, and rightly so. As a result, his church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, lost many of its members.

It’s sad enough that a brother has left the faith and that a once-vibrant church could be wiped off the map by false doctrine. But what really disturbs me is that I see potential for more Carlton Pearson scenarios. I’ve identified five unhealthy trends in our churches that are sure breeding grounds for heresy:

1. Egotism. We’ve become so comfortable with the one-man show that we forget where pride leads. Does your pastor, bishop or apostle think it is a sign of his superior spirituality when he arrives at the church 40 minutes late in a limousine? Is he so full of himself that he does multimedia presentations in church about the mansion he built with your offerings? If so, you will regret
following him when his latest revelation proves him to be a spiritual fraud.

2. Authoritarianism. If you assumed that the Shepherding Movement died in the late 1980s, think again. Unhealthy views of spiritual authority are rampant in charismatic churches today, and if these teachings go unchallenged then another wave of Christians will be abused. Please note: True shepherds do not control, manipulate, threaten or dominate people. If your pastor uses fear or gestapo tactics to motivate his members, your church is headed for disaster. You should leave.

3. Elitism. Is it taught from the pulpit that your church or denomination is better than other groups? Do leaders imply that they have a special “inside track” with God? Do they suggest that you should not associate with outsiders? If so, you should challenge this prideful spirit and then find a healthy church. Groups that do not embrace the entire body of Christ can fall into deception and become cults.

4. Legalism. Rigid religious people persecuted Jesus and the early apostles, and the same spirit is still at work today. If your church teaches that salvation is based on your following a dress code or conforming to some outward religious practice, then modern Pharisees are running the place–and their doctrines produce joyless, loveless faith.

5. Mysticism. We charismatics are challenging the church at large to embrace the supernatural gifts of the Spirit, and that’s a good thing. But let’s not forget that the gift of discernment is just as necessary as visions and miracles.

Weird, immature prophets are busy today splitting churches and distracting God’s people from kingdom priorities. These flakes shouldn’t have a platform. If your church is being controlled by a superspiritual know-it-all (whose character doesn’t match his “prophetic anointing”), then be on your guard.

This is an exciting day of revival, but we can’t be careless watchmen when the devil is plotting to deceive us. If we deal with the unhealthy spiritual environments that breed deception, then maybe Carlton Pearson’s crisis won’t have to be repeated.

For Christians, “war” means gaining victories over the kingdom of darkness.
Every day from every direction the winds keep blowing. The continuing possibility of a war with Iraq coupled with the ongoing global war on terror threaten to disrupt the peace and calm so many of us have taken for granted. Since 9/11, it has been easy to see that we in America were not prepared for this period of instability.

Often there is a parallel between the natural and supernatural realms. In the supernatural realm today, the winds of war are blowing as well. The church in America needs to be prepared for the spiritual challenges that lie on our very doorsteps. But are we?

In Judges 3 we read how a generation of Israel was somewhat oblivious to what war was really about. The Lord remedied this situation by allowing some enemy nations to exist so that “the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war” (see v. 2, NKJV).

For Christians, learning to do “war” means gaining measurable victories over the kingdom of darkness. Think about it this way: When a thief gets saved, stealing diminishes; when a wife-beater gets saved, a family might be restored; when a drug dealer gets saved, drug dealing decreases in one neighborhood. As James 5:20 says, “He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

There are five primary ways for us to effectively fight the good fight of faith–the kind that changes lives for Jesus.

The will to work, fight and win. Gen. Douglas MacArthur said, “It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” The Bible says that the Jews in Nehemiah’s day “had a mind to work” when it came time to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in the face of their enemies (see Neh. 4:6).

Knowing and having faith in Jesus’ victory at Calvary and how it has changed countless situations, lives and families through the ages ought to provide plenty of motivation for pressing through to victory.

Righteous living. A clear heart and life allow us to stand in the face of adversity as well as to draw inner strength and stamina for undertaking spiritual action. Without righteousness, the devil can rightfully accuse us of attitudes and actions we have not repented of.

If our lives are not right with God we can pray the prayers, sing the songs and yell the formulated declarations but our voice is a shout with no clout. The condition of our heart matters: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).

Prayer. So much can be said about praying, but I like what James wrote best: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). The “much” it avails includes the power of God being loosed in us and through us as we fight for the lives of our family, friends, cities and nations. I have watched it thwart the works of darkness and help open the doors to evangelistic ministry.

The Word of God. God’s Word ought to be stored up in our lives so that when we need it, we don’t have to run to a bookshelf to find it. The Word is to be hidden in our hearts where it is available to be brought to our minds by the Holy Spirit on a moment’s notice. In this way, Scripture becomes “the sword of the Spirit”–ready to be used when we face a situation in our own life or in another’s. Is your ammo ready?

Winning people to Christ. This could be the most underused or even forgotten weapon of spiritual warfare, especially when influencing families, neighborhoods–even cities. There is no spiritual weapon that can replace evangelism. There is no spiritual substitute for evangelism, for it is the primary way of actually reaching out and touching another person with the life, love and gospel of Jesus Christ.

One of the easiest ways to measure the victories of our war is with this question: Are lives being changed and people getting saved? People coming to Christ and lives being transformed are a sure way to measure if our ministries or churches are effectively waging war in our communities.

Let’s not be like the Israelites in Judges who knew nothing of war. Every day gives us great opportunities to make a difference. Let’s move to the front lines.

It’s time for a new generation to rise up. And I’m proud my son is rising to the challenge.
Twenty years ago this month I launched a new magazine named Ministries Today for charismatic pastors because I realized they had no publication to call their own. In the 20th anniversary issue, January/February 2003, I discuss the 20 top issues I feel are facing the church. I encourage you to request a sample copy of it on the magazine’s Web site, .

Just as Ministries Today was conceived to fill a felt need for pastors, so a new magazine is being birthed to speak to a specific group of people who often feel they have no voice in the church–20-somethings. Some of them have been hurt by the church, and the TV programs, books and magazines we produce don’t speak to their interests and needs. They long for something that’s relevant to their lives, that speaks about God within the context of their world.

Now they have it–an 84-page magazine with an emphasis on worship and knowing God in a deeper way that also discusses money, careers, music and the progressive culture they cope with daily. In a world of things that are irrelevant, it’s relevant. And that’s its name: Relevant magazine.

This new magazine is not the latest publication from Strang Communications. It’s being published by Relevant Media Group, whose president and owner is my son Cameron.

Publishing such a magazine had been a dream of Cameron’s since he was a 19-year-old student at Oral Roberts University. When he first talked to me about it, I was concerned that there was no established advertising base for the age group he wanted to target and no easy way to find readers–two necessary prerequisites for success. But the vision wouldn’t die, and he found a way to reach his audience–through the Internet.

Since last March, has been online with something new every day. It has attracted 100,000 unique visitors per month, and with practically no marketing promotion, has garnered an amazing 4,000 subscribers for the print version.

The cover story in the first issue, March/April 2003, is a profile of Jon Foreman, lead singer for the Christian group Switchfoot, just signed by Columbia Records. A sure indicator that Cameron knows his audience–or maybe that I don’t–is that I had to ask him who Jon Foreman is.

I believe there are a lot of people like me who want to be relevant but don’t know how. Subscribing to Relevant is a way to stay tuned to what this generation is longing for–more of God as He really is, not the shallow stereotype projected by most evangelicals and charismatics.

This generation believes the church has neglected them. We’ve published books and magazines aimed at teens, Cameron explains, and materials for people over 30.

“[But] people my age feel they have no voice,” he says. “They’ve been neglected by the church, which they don’t think is relevant. So Relevant makes God relevant for them.”

I’m asking you to help Cameron reach the 18-to-34-year-old crowd. You can do this in several ways.

Talk about the new magazine to young people you know, or buy a gift subscription. And buy a subscription for yourself–just to stay informed. If you are in ministry, you need Relevant as a resource for ministering to this age group.

Those of you who have followed my story know I founded Charisma magazine when I was in my mid-20s. During the years the average age of our readers has mirrored my own age–until now that I’m slightly north of 50. But it’s time for a new generation to rise up. And in case you can’t tell, I’m proud that my son is rising to the challenge.

It’s easy to subscribe to Relevant. Just go to and click on the selection for Charisma readers to take advantage of the special one-year offer of $10. What an inexpensive way to get relevant!

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Stephen Strang is the founder and publisher of Charisma.

As you forgive… you will be peeling off one layer of hurt at a time.
Do you know that many physical and emotional problems are rooted in negative emotions? Anger, fear and guilt are the most destructive. They block the natural, harmonious flow of life and lead us down a path to disease and emotional breakdown. If we do not forgive those who have hurt us and surrender our pain and anger to God, over a period of time our bodies begin to show the effects of the unresolved hurt. I have personally experienced this phenomenon.

Specific behaviors and emotional responses can be associated with particular diseases. For example, people who are fixed or rigid in their approach to life are often plagued with arthritis.

In a similar way, pent-up emotions with resultant stress–unrelieved internal pressure–may lead to high blood pressure. Cancer has been linked to feeling lonely, disconnected or having a fear of loss. And blocked coronary arteries are often found in people who have a hard time expressing love and other feelings.

We must deal with our “emotional demons.” The process is similar to peeling an onion. As you forgive, and release old patterns and choose to love, you will be peeling off one layer of hurt at a time–and often, there will be tears.

But the reward is sweet. With God’s help, you will be renewed, regenerated, revitalized and able to handle future emotional pain from a changed perspective.

A few years ago, I had a client who was dealing with intense emotions. As she began to peel her onion, fear about many issues came to the surface. Fear was clearly disrupting her life and undermining her health.

After designing a nutritional health-building program for her, I recommended that she begin each day with a 30-minute walk. What started as a stress-relieving exercise routine turned into a life-changing spiritual experience for her. As she walked each morning, she prayed.

She prayed about her relationship with her husband, their finances and the health of family members. She prayed for people in her neighborhood and friends who were struggling. She prayed for her business and for direction in all that she undertook.

As she continued to peel her onion, her stress levels fell dramatically, her relationships became more fulfilling, her needs were met, and she stopped feeling anxious, because she had turned everything over to God in prayer. Add in the positive effect that walking had on her health, and the transformation was complete–body, mind and spirit. Her life was now “sweet to the core.”

The following health challenges are often a result of negative emotions: anxiety attacks (fear); asthma (feeling stifled); candida (anger, frustration); colitis (fear, insecurity); chronic fatigue (stress, insecurity, inadequacy); fibromyalgia (resentment, feeling unloved); heartburn (fear); insomnia (fear, guilt); liver problems (anger). If you experience any of these health challenges, I have good news. There is a way to rebuild your health and get back on the road to happiness, enabling you to be the full expression of who God intended you to be.

A total emotional makeover is possible. Here are the steps to take to achieve one.

First, pray and ask God to transform you by the renewing of your mind. Go through the process of forgiving past hurts, pain and wounding, and make an effort to resolve and heal strained relationships. Do as the Bible commands: “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16, NKJV).

Second, replenish your brain with specific therapeutic amino-acid formulas such as GABA, glycine and glutamine that will feed the brain and restore balance. Finally, rebuild your body with good nutrition, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids. Stress and emotional pain take a toll, so it is important to fortify your physical “temple.”

Don’t be reluctant to “peel your onion.” It may cause a few tears–but the tears will help wash away years of hurt and pain that have hindered your true potential in Christ.

BOOKS

Power-Packed Devotionals

30-Day Devotional Treasury
Compiled by Lance Wubbels,
Emerald Books, 31 pages each,
hardcover, $.

Like a packet of potent multivitamins, this six-book set of 30-day devotionals from well-known Christian writers and spokesmen will help bring vigor to any Christian’s spiritual life. Each book features a prominent figure in Christendom writing about a targeted topic. Missionary Hudson Taylor writes about spiritual secrets; evangelist R.A. Torrey focuses on the Holy Spirit; pastor Andrew Murray explores holiness; preacher Charles Spurgeon delves into prayer; George Müller, known as the “apostle of faith,” surveys faith; and revivalist Charles Finney addresses spiritual power.

Series editor Lance Wubbels distilled the most compelling points of each personality into concise passages that take only five minutes to read. Though each writes in a distinctive and sometimes formal style, all six manage to develop a personal rapport with the reader. Hudson Taylor uses questions liberally in his writings, making the words personal and penetrating. Discussing spiritual priorities, George Müller uses a first-person approach and shows his own steps toward faith.

The devotionals’ meaty spiritual content best invites Christians who are ardent in their desire to grow spiritually. These aren’t simply inspirational thoughts to start the day, but wallops of real truth about living a life that reflects the King. Like nutrient-filled vitamins, this assortment of devotionals can’t help but stimulate growth and health in devoted believers.
Karen Schmidt

Facing Persecution

Daughter of China
By C. Hope Flinchbaugh,
Bethany House, 278 pages,
paperback, $.

Journalist C. Hope Flinchbaugh opens readers’ eyes to the persecution of Christians in China in her debut novel, Daughter of China. The book recounts the plight of a young Christian girl named Mei Lin, who grows up in China. Recovering from an awkward beginning, Flinchbaugh moves beyond the Christian posturing and fashions a tale of heartwarming grace.

Mei Lin’s innocent defiance, born of watching family members and friends suffer, grows into patience and love as she bears the abuse herself. She is taken from her home and sent to prison without any hope of leaving unless she renounces Christ. While there, she completely surrenders her heart to God.

Under His leadership she begins a ministry in prison. Her undaunted faith carries her through nearly a year of starvation and beatings. Miracles happen, and she is finally released. As she makes her way home she leaves a wake of new Christians in the path behind her.

Daughter of China is a heartfelt and moving story that is easily read. (And better read with a box of tissues handy!) A journalist who has written extensively about the persecuted church, Flinchbaugh includes interesting anecdotes in her acknowledgements, with more facts about persecution that is happening in the world today.
Laura Joseph

MUSIC

Chapman Sings All About Love

All About Love
By Steven Curtis Chapman, Sparrow Records.

After 12 albums, more than 40 Dove Awards and a plethora of other commendations, Steven Curtis Chapman has produced a release dedicated to “the girl of my dreams, my best friend, and the love of my life (who incidentally happen to be the same person).” In All About Love, Chapman records a series of songs dedicated to February’s theme of love and the relationship that has been most important to him, next to his relationship with Christ.

Filled mostly with original songs, Chapman celebrates his wife, Mary Beth, writing heartfelt, honest tunes that ask “How Do I Love Her,” and muse about what life looks like on “Your Side of the World.” Couples young and old will relate to the intimate lyrics that explore one of life’s most trying and rewarding gifts.

Using the same musical excellence that brought Chapman past acclaim, songs such as “Echoes of Eden” and “We Will Dance” are deeply sincere, setting to music emotions that are often difficult to express. At his wife’s request, Chapman borrows two tunes, “500 Miles” and “I Will Take Care of You.” He also includes his classic, “I Will Be Here.”

The Chapmans will release a companion book discussing the highs and lows of marriage, a relationship that Chapman says brings out the best and worst in a couple. He says: “Ultimately, this recording is a celebration of what I still believe to be one of the most important, mysterious, wonderful, exciting, challenging and beautiful of all the good gifts God created for us to enjoy and experience: true love.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

Making Music That Speaks Life

Speak Those Things
By Fred Hammond, Verity Records.

Fred Hammond opens another chapter in his musical journey with the release of Speak Those Things, Pages of Life, Chapter 3. Although this album is a solo effort, Hammond has the same Radical for Christ and F. Hammond Music crew that backed him on the platinum-selling Pages of Life, Chapters 1 and 2. Therefore, it is no departure from his unique mix of soul and urban gospel that has drawn such critical acclaim.

Speak Those Things is filled with music that ministers to the soul and spirit by focusing on God’s greatness and ability to heal, encourage and deliver. The album starts with two power-praise tracks, “You Are My Daily Bread” and “Lord of the Harvest.” Hammond also gets a little help from Mary Mary on the funky jam “Great.”

Hammond focuses on the importance of worship on such compelling songs as “Show Me Your Face,” “When It Gets Down to It” and “He Is Not Just a Man”–a reverent piece in which Hammond lyrically explains the essence of the Lord (“The Lion of Judah / Savior and ruler of all”).

Speak Those Things also includes messages of encouragement and healing on such soulful tracks as “Praise Him Through the Night” and “A Song of Strength,” which features Joann Rosario. The album’s theme is reiterated in the smooth, mid-tempo groove “I Will Say” that simply sends a message to speak life instead of death. It closes out on a high note with the hard-hitting groove “That Ain’t Nothin’.”

Hammond uses his music in Speak Those Things to serve as a reminder to look to God regardless of the situations life may bring.
Twanna Powell-Crenshaw

NEWS

Marriage Ministry On the High Seas

Love is said to be a many splendored thing. But for gospel recording artists Phil and Brenda Nicholas, who made the theme the bedrock of their music ministry, it proved to be the glue that kept them together through their most trying circumstance. Today through their Love Cruises, they teach couples about a love that bears all things.

In the 1980s, Nicholas, as the pair was called, was well-known for their romantic ballads written from a Christian perspective. Songs such as “Dedicated” and “A Love Like This” were wedding staples and garnered the couple professional acclaim. Though some churchgoers considered the romantic themes too secular, Nicholas discovered Christians were hungry for this type of ministry.

But behind the scenes the couple endured much private pain. In an effort to have a second child, Brenda suffered a string of miscarriages. Then good news arrived: A baby was on the way. But after Phil Jr. was born in 1991, the couple was devastated to learn their long-awaited son P.J. had Down’s syndrome, as well as two holes in his heart and a debilitating eye disorder.

When the doctor called with the news, Phil and Brenda both cried. Then, Phil says, he began to play a melody and wrote these words: “Nobody ever said there wouldn’t be dents in your armor / But He promised the armor would always hold / Nobody ever said the road would be easy / But He promised the strength to make it through / God will see you through.”

They were touring the country, singing hits such as “Got to Tell Somebody (God’s Been Good to Me)” but thinking God hadn’t been so good. “I remember Satan saying to me: ‘How can you sing that song? How can you say that God’s been good?'” Brenda says.

Taking a break from the music scene, the couple saw God perform several miracles that helped build their faith. When they took P.J. to prepare for a surgery to close the holes in his heart, doctors told them one hole had disappeared and the other was closing. And the disorder that caused his eyes to dart back and forth had ceased. Says Phil: “We believe God has the power to heal him. He started it, and we’re just believing God on that.”

After nearly a 10-year hiatus, Nicholas has re-emerged to again minister to couples via their five- and seven-day Love Cruises, which tour the Caribbean (). Past cruises have featured guests such as Myles Munroe and Rev. A.R. Bernard, and they offer marriage-enrichment seminars to help couples strengthen their relationships both practically and spiritually. Their recent musical release is filled with songs that focus on the truths that keep marriages strong, such as good communication, forgiveness and intimacy.

Celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this year, Nicholas now communicates the depth of a love that has learned to endure all things. “Trials really come to make you stronger if you use them right,” Phil Nicholas says. “The fire refines pure gold. Going through that tough stuff really strengthened our relationship.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

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Sitting in her driveway in May 2000, prophetic minister Juanita Bynum had an encounter with God that transformed her way of thinking. She had been “burdened” about a conference that didn’t draw the crowd she expected. And a subsequent summit was beginning to experience logistical difficulties.

“[God] started showing me that my ‘burden’ was not for the people and what they would receive,” Bynum writes in her new book, Matters of the Heart (Charisma House). “I was more concerned for my image, what I would project and what others were going to ‘read it’ to be.”

She describes this as a watershed moment in her spiritual life, one that led her on a journey to walk after God’s Spirit and not after her flesh. Using scientific metaphors, she writes that her answer was in receiving a “new heart”–one that is fully submitted to God’s will over her own. She says she had learned to “act” saved without fully submitting to God’s process of sanctification. “Every time I think about it, I am amazed how I could help others find the way to Christ while I was lost in the church! I shake when I think that I could have gone to hell from major platforms.”

Though Bynum is well-known for her teaching on sexual purity, she believes this “new heart” message is her most important. “In all of Scripture, that with which God is most concerned is this vital truth–the matters of the heart.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

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CHARISMA RECOMMENDS

Ancient Wells Living Water
By Rod Parsley,
Charisma House,
224 pages, hardcover, $.

Many Christians seem to replace that old-time religion with doctrines that claim to be “new” and “improved.” In Ancient Wells Living Water, best-selling author and speaker Rod Parsley explains how believers today are drinking from polluted wells that were once built by the faith of our spiritual fathers. Drawing from the story of Abraham and Isaac, Parsley communicates the need for the church to tap into its past in order to pave a new way for its future by using examples of “wells” as analogies to biblical truths. His message rings loud and clear: We must recapture the tried-and-true faith of our forefathers.

The Compulsive Woman
By Sandra LeSourd,
Creation House Press,
301 pages, paperback, $.

Addressing compulsive behaviors such as food addiction, smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, compulsive shopping, and more, author Sandra LeSourd shows women how to beat compulsive behaviors. A frequent conference speaker and former Miss Vermont, LeSourd teaches women how to diffuse anger, conquer addiction, end male dependency, restore their self-worth and lead constructive lives.

Total Health and Restoration
By Terry Dorian, Ph.D.,
Siloam Press,
234 pages, paperback, $.

Health researcher Terry Dorian, Ph.D., unlocks a six-month strategy to renew and restore physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health in her book Total Health and Restoration. She explains the paradigm shift that must occur in the way
individuals approach medical and scientific issues in order for them to achieve optimum health. She also includes information on the role of whole foods, exercise and the spiritual nourishment that comes from Scripture.

The Breaking Free Series
By Linda S. Mintle, Ph.D.,
Charisma House, 96 pages each,
paperback, $.

Covering issues such as anorexia and bulimia, stress, anger and unforgiveness, depression, negative self-image, and compulsive overeating, author Linda S. Mintle, Ph.D., shows readers the pathway to freedom through this new Breaking Free booklet series. Mintle, a Virginia-based licensed clinical social worker and Charisma columnist, offers biblically based advice with practical action steps that can help break the chains of common disorders that bind Christians and non-Christians alike.

Dancing in the Wilderness
By Samanthia Cassidy,
Creation House Press, 208 pages,
paperback, $.

Gospel singer and songwriter Samanthia Cassidy shares her autobiographical account of life in the Deep South as a young girl in the 1960s. At that time a member of a dysfunctional family and part of a pseudo-Christian cult, Cassidy seemed to face insurmountable challenges. Yet her tale is a vivid account of God’s provision and deliverance after her years of spiritual and emotional abuse, and His ability to transcend every obstacle.

To order these books call (800) 599-5750 or go to .

The popular gospel recordng star endured a painful season that included lawsuits and a struggle with pornography. Now he’s enjoying a spiritual transformation.
He has sold more than 10 million albums in less than a decade. He’s a three-time Grammy Award winner, a seven-time Dove Award winner and a 20-time Stellar Award winner. His smash hit “Stomp” from the triple-platinum album God’s Property (1997) landed him in heavy rotation on MTV–at the time, a feat practically unheard of in Christian music circles.

Kirk Franklin, the self-described “church boy”–as he titled his 1998 autobiography–has taken his zeal for God and coupled it with R&B and hip-hop musical styles and caused a revolution. One by one his hit songs helped erode discriminatory walls of religion and tradition in the church, and it all happened by the time he was 30.

Now 33, Franklin is just as busy praising God as he was when he first showed talent in Christian music at the age of 4. Whether or not that was when he first started pointing people to God, he’s certainly been doing it ever since.

With mostly platinum and multiplatinum albums under his belt, every project this songwriter has put his hands to has turned either gold or platinum. “Stomp” skyrocketed to an impressive No. 4 on Billboard magazine’s R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart. “Why We Sing,” from his first album, remained on the magazine’s Gospel charts for 100 weeks.

And Franklin’s strong crossover draw with mainstream listeners also has landed him on the cover of secular publications such as Vibe and Jet magazines. Though the Fort Worth, Texas, native admits he’s not the world’s best singer, many consider him a songwriter par excellence.

But at the height of his career, in the 1990s, Franklin’s Midas-touch success had to endure the Refiner’s fire. Internal struggles led to the breakup of his group and other problems.

“God was blessing our projects. The response to the albums was big–I mean extremely big. But privately, I couldn’t enjoy it because of what was happening,” Franklin told Charisma.

“What was happening” were two lawsuits that plagued his ministry, and a private struggle with pornography. Now that his problems are behind him, he refers to that time in his life as the “wilderness,” from which he says he has emerged.

The Birth of a Ministry

Long before there were any multimillion-dollar recording contracts and throngs of admirers scurrying to concerts to watch him perform, Franklin was known simply as “Gertrude’s boy.” His elderly aunt, Gertrude Franklin, whom he calls Mamma, adopted him when his biological mother abandoned him. Although Gertrude was up in age, she took young Kirk to Mount Rose Baptist Church religiously during his early years.

He was only around 4 years old when he told Mamma he wanted to be a preacher.

“I was watching television with Mamma when a rerun of Martin Luther King Jr. reciting his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech came on. I told her then that I wanted to preach,” Franklin recalls with a big smile. He can remember his pastor calling him to the pulpit to give a closing prayer.

By the time he was 7, Kirk was offered his first recording contract, but Mamma declined the offer. And when money was tight and Mamma couldn’t pay for his music lessons, she collected cans and sold them to cover the cost. Her efforts paid off when he, at age 11, was appointed choir director at his church.

When he was a teenager, Franklin says, he considered Mamma’s Baptist teachings to be strict and overbearing. Today, with four children of his own, he admits that the Scripture verses she rattled off and the biblical truths and lessons of holiness she instilled in him years ago have sustained him during the turbulent times of his life and keep him grounded today.

Mamma, however, did not see the fruit of her labor. She died when he was 17.

By the time he’d reached his early 20s, Franklin was well-known in Dallas music circles. Still, it wasn’t until a deacon in his church suggested he cut an album that he started his own group, The Family. In 1992, he sought out 17 musically gifted singers, some of whom were longtime friends of his, to be part of the group.

The deacon who suggested the album also financed the project, and in 1993 Franklin released his self-titled debut album, Kirk Franklin and The Family. The freshman project produced the blockbuster single “Why We Sing,” and the record went platinum, putting the group on the map.

“I’ll never forget it,” Franklin recalls. “I added all of my bills including my child support for my son, and then I told the Lord that if He would just bless me to make $24,000 a year, I would be happy.” After the album hit music stands, Franklin was shocked by the sales and concert attendance. Instead of $24,000 a year, he made $24,000 a month.

Two years later, Franklin released two more albums with The Family, Whatcha Lookin’ 4 and Christmas. Whatcha Lookin’ 4 went platinum, and Christmas was a gold album.

In 1996, Franklin married Tammy Collins, a 26-year-old Fort Worth native who worked as a makeup artist. The same year, he joined forces with the Dallas-based group God’s Property, a move that added a whole new dimension to his music. When their joint single, “Stomp,” later sold 3 million copies, Franklin, in particular, was catapulted into mainstream music circles.

“God’s Property and Kirk Franklin was the answer to the Christian music dilemma,” says Dahlia Jones, a member of the Florida A&M University Gospel Choir. “There are a huge number of people who like either urban, hip-hop or contemporary Christian music, but just several years ago the church was dragging its feet on embracing anything that had a beat.”

Jones says “Stomp” was the answer to a younger generation’s prayers.

Franklin is the first to admit that he wasn’t prepared for the backlash of criticism leveled at him by traditional churches because of his music’s upbeat, makes-you-wanna-dance style. Nor was he ready for the avalanche of attention he received from people who didn’t profess Christ at all.

When he traveled he was invited to stay in nice hotel suites and ride in limousines. Arsenio Hall, Jay Leno and David Letterman all invited him on their TV programs. When he fell off a stage once in Memphis, Tennessee, Jesse Jackson visited him. Get-well cards and flowers poured in from well-known people including former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

Things were flourishing for the little boy who had high hopes of being a preacher like Martin Luther King Jr. It wouldn’t be long, though, before his dream would seem more like a nightmare.

Transformed by God

One sign of disappointment came in 1998 when Franklin lost the fellowship of someone he considered a spiritual father. It was during this low point in his life that God led him to a church that did not cater to the “Christian celebrity.”

When he arrived at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, he was stunned by the lesson God had in store for him–which began right away in the church’s overflow parking lot.

“I was heated because I couldn’t find a place to park. Mind you, I’d become Kirk Franklin, and I had reserved parking wherever I went, or I had someone to park my car for me,” he recalls.

Not only did he have to park in a distant lot, but he also was forced to sit in the church balcony after he was unable to find seating in the lower level of the sanctuary. That was the first time he started to see attitudes in himself that he didn’t know were there.

Yet something about pastor Tony Evans’ message prompted Franklin to return Sunday after Sunday. Though he considered the music too “Anglo,” he joined the church because it met a deep spiritual need. Evans, who had founded the church 26 years before, treats all members with genuine love and respect.

“One of the great tragedies is when we give people the impression that a certain status in society gives them kingdom privileges,” Evans, 53, told Charisma. “The only thing that gives you privileges is your humility and servanthood to the Lord Jesus.”

Evans says although he believes in giving “honor to whom honor is due,” as the Bible says (see Rom. 13:7), he says pastors commit a disservice to their congregations and send the wrong message to members if they believe certain people should be accepted on the basis of performance.

“Celebrityism decimates Christian ministry and the church,” Evans says.

Franklin was grateful to God for Evans’ solid Bible teaching, and he knew that Evans would be the right person to help him with another personal problem. Sexual thoughts beginning at age 10 had eventually led Franklin into pornography. Again, Evans helped Franklin gain a spiritually healthy approach to his struggle.

“I shared with him how to live under grace,” Evans says. “He was living under the law or a performance-based approach to living for God, which is always defeating. I helped him understand walking in the Spirit, intimacy with God and how to draw near to Him.”

After learning the principles of life under grace, Franklin gained total victory over pornography.

Franklin insists that churches should foster open discussion on the issue–which he himself did when he appeared on Bishop T.D. Jakes’ The Potter’s Touch TV program and talked candidly about his own struggle.

He also cautions parents to beware of what he calls a “Lucifer spirit” that can captivate children who have artistic gifts or leanings. He believes the devil wants to pervert creativity in children gifted with artistic expression.

“Lucifer was very beautiful and talented and wanted to be like God. Sexuality for creative people is a time bomb because creative people don’t program things the way other people do,” he says.

Franklin points out that when he was a child growing up, sexuality was always a part of his life.

But just as Franklin started getting the victory in one area of his life, he found himself struggling in other areas. While working on The Kirk Franklin Show for Universal/ABC, the sitcom was dropped suddenly from the network’s lineup.

“That took a chunk out of me because everything I had done professionally up until that time was successful,” Franklin explains. Then there was the talk of a lawsuit by the founder of the group God’s Property.

“That album came out, and because I was so involved in it creatively, and she had her own vision for it, we started to clash,” Franklin told Charisma.

He started working with a group of African American and Hispanic youth called One Nation Crew, which he nicknamed “1NC.” But the purpose of his newly formed group was not just to sing. 1NC was created to attract young people to events that ministered to them through song and the Word.

In 1998, Franklin and 1NC came out with the blockbuster hit “Revolution,” from the Nu Nation Project.

Suddenly, Christians and unbelievers alike were singing the song’s lyrics that addressed the spiritual and moral decline of society: “Sick and tired of my brothas/Killing each other/Sick and tired of daddies leaving/Babies with their mothers/To every man that wants to lay around and play around/Listen potnah you should be man enough to stay around.”

“Revolution” also addressed the religiosity of many churches today.

“Sick and tired of the church talkin religion/But yet they talk about each other makin decisions/No more racism/Two facism/No pollution/The solution/A revolution/Do you want a revolution?/Do you want a revolution?”

But when the album did not do as well as the others–though it sold 2 million copies–Franklin was extremely disappointed. In fact, any time one of his projects did not sell as well as the previous one had, he saw it as a failure. It didn’t matter if the record had been a huge success by industry standards.

As if to make things worse, the first lawsuit hit on the same day “Revolution” released. As word traveled about that suit, Franklin was notified of a second one. Other people were being named in the suits, but it was his name that kept surfacing with the public.

Today he does not like to discuss the particulars of the multimillion-dollar legal cases, other than to say: “Both lawsuits ended up being destructive for everyone, and nobody won anything. That’s the truth.”

Looking back, Franklin says legal woes and battles over failed albums were certainly difficult but that his own identity problem was the true enemy of his success. He had no way of knowing how much attention he would receive just for being a platinum-selling music artist. As a child he had longed for recognition, so the ultralavish affirmation he received from musical success devastated him because he had to have more of it.

“Selling a lot of albums and crossing over made me famous, and it gave me an audience. It gave me validation. It was almost like I was the worst person God could have ever chosen for it because it’s like sending a crack addict to be a missionary in a crack house,” he explains.

After going through several seasons of being angry with God and asking Him, “Why did You cross me over if You knew You were going to pull it from me?” Franklin is grateful that God used his triple-platinum albums, TV appearances, gold albums and more to break him and get his attention.

“God used He knew that would be the tool to break me,” Franklin says. “He was right.”

Teresa Hairston, the Nashville, Tennessee-based publisher of Gospel Today and Gospel Industry Today magazines–the leading consumer and trade magazines covering gospel music–says Franklin’s success is rooted in his uniqueness. She points out that he almost single-handedly helped to bridge gospel music and secular listeners, and she echoes his belief that only God could have authored his success.

“Kirk took urban gospel and fused it with mainstream audiences,” Hairston says. “This wasn’t something he was able to manufacture. God did it, and then He opened a door for Kirk to be used.”

Nowadays Franklin crisscrosses the country offering hope and a timely word about God’s love in his concerts. His current album, The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin, already is raking in nominations, including the NAACP’s Image Award for Outstanding Album.

Franklin’s wary of the attention he knows will come from another successful album. But he’s willing to let God use his music. He knows it’s one more way for him to tell everyone he knows, firsthand, that God can and will deliver His people in the toughest of times.

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Kirk and Tammy Franklin say their blended family is a testimony.

If you ask Kirk Franklin what gives him joy in life, he won’t respond with a laundry list of TV shows he’s appeared on. Neither will he give you a rundown of the many accolades he’s received–including his being selected as People magazine’s “sexiest” gospel artist of 2002.

What really matters to both Kirk and his wife, Tammy, is their family. They consider Kerrion, 14; Carrington, 13; Kennedy, 5; and Caziah, 2, their greatest accomplishment of all. Living the life of a gospel artist is hectic and stressful at times, but the couple say they decided early in their marriage to do two things: put each other first, and provide a normal, healthy and loving environment for their kids.

“When I return home from a long road trip, I have a decision to make, Should I not be bothered with my kids because I’m too tired, or should I take time out to play with them? I choose to be with my children,” Kirk says.

Maybe that’s why toddler “ZiZi” ran to the front door sounding like a broken record when Kirk returned from his interview with Charisma. “Hi, Daddy! Hi, Daddy! Hi, Daddy!” Caziah blurted, as his father scooped him into his arms.

Tammy, who is a stay-at-home mother, is committed to rearing godly, responsible children. That’s why the two teenagers in the family have limited telephone time and have to earn their modest allowance, which is given to them as a check in an effort to help them learn financial-management skills.

Because her children have the opportunity to attend such events as the nationally televised Grammy Awards and BET Awards programs, Tammy says it’s very important that they have a realistic view of life. “My daughter has autographed pictures from basketball players and from others such as Lil’ Bow Wow, but that’s not realistic,” she says.

Referring to her family as “ready-made” because the couple both have had children outside of marriage, Tammy knows that God has given the two of them a platform from which to share their testimonies with others.

“For Kirk to stand up and say: ‘I had a baby before I got married. Don’t do it,’ or for me to share my experience because I know a lot of girls have babies before they get married–only the Lord could do that,” she stresses.

The challenges of being a blended family have strengthened the couple’s resolve to seek God for His wisdom as parents.

Having gone through the highs and lows of being a minister’s wife, Tammy is comfortable with being herself.

“When we first got married, I was overwhelmed with who I was and what I was supposed to be,” the former makeup artist said. She went from wearing big-brimmed hats and gloves and feeling like she was dressed up for Halloween to realizing who she was created to be.

“God started reminding me that I was uniquely made by Him and that girls needed to see that a person could be in love with the Lord and sold out for Him and still wear blue jeans,” she explains.

For now, the 33-year-old mother says her primary ministry is twofold: being at home with her kids and being available to her husband when he needs her help in his ministry. She plans one day to reach out in ministry to single mothers.

As for Kirk, the test of his calling is doing what God wants him to do in the field as a gospel artist and a minister while being the husband and father God wants him to be at home.

“The more I learn about dying to myself, the more I learn about being successful in life,” he says.

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Kirk Franklin says his porn addiction was linked to a craving for acceptance.

Kirk and Tammy Franklin spoke candidly with Charisma about the dangers of pornography and how it destroys lives. They hope that by sharing their story marriages will be saved and families will be strengthened or restored.

Charisma: How did you get hooked on pornography?

Kirk Franklin: With magazines. We have to understand something about pornography. Porn is perceived as not being a dirty thing anymore. It’s looked at like you’re not cheating, which is a trick of the enemy, of course. But you are cheating. The Bible says whatever a man thinks, so is he. Porn gets written off as not being dangerous, but it is.

Being young and being around other kids, things happen that shouldn’t. There are seemingly innocent little games that kids play, like “hide and go get it.” Some of those experiences never leave the mind. They become habitual.

People get hooked on porn in a number of ways. A drunken man will give a child some money to go to the corner store to buy a dirty magazine for him. Or someone’s older brother has a dirty magazine in his bedroom and his younger brother finds it and takes it to the park for other kids to see.

Charisma: Is it addictive?

Kirk Franklin: It is very addictive. But when God started giving me the victory over it, it was not as addictive as the [need for acceptance] I struggled with. When I shared my problem with my wife, I told her that it was going to be harder to break my addiction to people than my addiction to porn.

For God to have called me to public ministry like He has is nothing short of His love for me. I am the most ill-equipped person on the planet because of my struggle with the acceptance of people.

Charisma: Explain how this need for acceptance affected you.

Kirk Franklin: I wanted to be liked and popular. I wanted to be known and validated.

Wanting to be approved of is a thorn that I struggle with even now. Being popular in music just fed that. When my pastor told me I needed to be discipled, something screamed out in me, Yes! Discipleship fills up the holes in a person’s life.

Charisma: How did you react when Kirk confessed that he had a problem with pornography?

Tammy Franklin: It was a challenge, but for some reason God has gifted me with the ability to communicate with people, and that’s what I did. I’m able to listen to people and put myself in their shoes.

I did not judge him. If he was transparent enough–or, I should say, fearless enough–to tell me, I knew the least I could do was listen and try to understand. What blessed me is this: He looked at pornography as something wrong. There are a lot of guys who don’t look at it that way. They don’t think it’s wrong.

Charisma: What advice would you offer other women whose husbands are battling pornography?

Tammy Franklin: Be understanding, but hold him accountable. My husband wanted to change, which made it possible to deal with the problem. He said to me: “I’m not happy about this.”

If he had responded differently, I would not have overlooked his behavior. Plus, I wasn’t willing to just sit back and let the enemy attack my husband like that, so I covered him in prayer. Don’t ever stop praying.

Charisma: How do you suggest protecting children from pornography?

Tammy Franklin: We watch our children. We look for the telltale signs. Do they feel loved? Do they feel accepted? I think talking with kids is the best defense. Be available to them.

One thing we do is watch secular videos with our oldest son, and we use it as a ministry tool. We want him to have a proper view of women, and he’s learning that those videos give boys a warped view of women.

These support groups offer help for those who struggle with pornography:

Heart to Heart Counseling Centers
Doug Weiss, director
(719) 278-3708

Overcomers Outreach
(800) 310-3001

For Men Only / For Women Only
A ministry of East Hill Church
(503) 661 -4444

Sexaholics Anonymous
(615) 331-6230

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Valerie G. Lowe is an associate editor with Charisma. She interviewed Kirk and Tammy Franklin at their home in Dallas.

Frightened and persecuted believers say removal of Saddam Hussein will not
secure their future
Iraq’s Christians believe U.S. military intervention may only make their situation worse, anonymous sources have told Charisma. Frightened to speak out, and targeted by the authorities as well as the majority Muslim communities in which they live, Iraqi believers say they are caught between a rock and a hard place.

They feel as exposed and vulnerable as any other Iraqi to impending attacks by Western forces, which is a likely next-step action if weapons inspections fail to appease a determined Bush administration from either disarming or removing Saddam Hussein.

If Iraqi Christians criticize Hussein’s government, they invite arrest, torture and death, yet by remaining silent the world judges them to be compliant with a repressive and unjust regime, they say. Sources in Iraq say there are many silent witnesses who would be happy to speak against Hussein’s tyranny if they were living outside the country.

Whether Hussein remains in power or is replaced, Christians fear internal forces almost more than the threat of war. They cannot see anything but a bleak future for the church in this land that is so often mentioned in the Old Testament.

Nineveh was the biblical city God told the prophet Jonah to visit and warn of impending judgment. According to the prophet’s account, the people in those days repented. Today, ancient Ninevah’s ruins lie next to the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. Christians there are praying that God will again visit the city.

“They are rebuilding Babylon, and we feel that evil spirits have long been in control over large areas of Iraq,” one Christian leader told Charisma. “We are organizing special prayers–spiritual warfare–to come against the spirits and their strongholds–from Nebuchadnezzar to Saddam Hussein. We would be encouraged to know that other Christians around the world were praying for the same things.”

Sources differ on exact figures, but most estimate there are more than 1 million Christians in Iraq, which is about 5 percent of the population. Not all of these Christians are active believers. In fact, the churches have been so infiltrated by Hussein’s security forces that Christians dare not risk being seen doing evangelism or other Christian work.

“There are Christians who just go through the motions–they are Christians because of their background and culture,” the leader said. “If you enter a traditional church you might find all the trappings of Christianity, but there is no real growth in these churches. Some Christians obviously love God but fear to talk about the gospel openly, in case spies will report them to the authorities.”

This has forced the active evangelistic church and its work underground, especially in Muslim fundamentalist areas where churches have become house meetings that can be moved and changed at a moment’s notice. Ironically, it is the very threat of persecution that brought about a return to the style of meeting and worship that characterized the first believers.

The oldest church in Iraq is the Assyrian Church, the roots of which go back to the Assyrian nation, which adopted Christianity in A.D. 179. The language they speak is related to Aramaic, spoken in the time of Jesus.

The Chaldean Church, in union with the Vatican, numbers some 500,000 in Iraq. Its leader, Patriarch Raphael I. Bidawid, is well-respected throughout the country.

The Nestorian Assyrians follow the teachings of Bishop Nestorius, who did not accept the Virgin Mary as the “Mother of God.” Their churches are bare of any trappings or images. A simple altar on which a plain cross stands is preferred.

Formerly persecuted by the Chaldeans, the Nestorians have today drawn closer to their Chaldean cousins and even share buildings and resources. Some estimates suggest there are more than 300,000 Nestorians still in Iraq. They claim to have sent the first missionaries to Mongolia, China and Japan.

There are also small groups of Anglicans, Lutherans and evangelicals, especially in Baghdad and other more populous areas.

Saddam Hussein is reported to have destroyed hundreds of Assyrian villages. Meanwhile, in the north, Kurdish extremists have destroyed 150 churches.

Christians are frightened to wear their traditional crosses. They are being called “crusaders” and are seen by Iraqi Muslims as potential traitors and allies of the Western powers. “Go to the Americans to ask for food,” they are told.

Many have emigrated. One estimate suggests that 150,000 Christians have left Iraq since the Persian Gulf War. The largest Chaldean community outside Iraq is in Detroit.

In Baghdad, there has been an influx of fundamentalist Muslims from radical areas. Once well-known for its open secularism, Baghdad is changing today. More women are seen wearing the hijab, or face covering, and they disappear from the streets before sundown.

Iraqi Christian leaders say if another government were to replace the current one, the Christian communities would have no hope of better representation.

If a Muslim wants to become a believer, few churches would baptize him or offer him teaching and assistance. His family would do everything possible to bring him back into the fold of Islam. His life may be threatened, and his goods, property, and wife and children could be taken away.

Yet Iraqi Christians do not believe war is the answer. There is a great deal of respect for the pope for his stance against military action against Iraq.

“War is the last thing we need,” one Christian leader said. “But we don’t want to be forgotten by the international community. Tell the churches in the West to pray for us.”
David Freeman

It was an early Christmas for old friends and family at Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Fla., where pastor John Kilpatrick and associate Michael Brown once served together. The two men announced in December that they had repaired their relationship–ending a painful two-year separation that had dampened the fervor of the internationally known Pensacola revival.

The split occurred in December 2000 after Brown was fired from his position as head of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry (BRSM). Brown took most of BRSM’s instructors and many students across town to start his own school and church–known as FIRE (Fellowship for International Revival and Evangelism). Kilpatrick, who ordered Brown’s ouster over differences in BRSM’s direction and other issues, met privately with Brown for the first time since the split on Dec. 12, in Kilpatrick’s office.

Kilpatrick said Brown had sent him an e-mail suggesting reconciliation. “I was riding in my car with my wife, Brenda, and my son called me on my cell phone and read me Dr. Brown’s e-mail,” Kilpatrick told Charisma. “When I heard the tenor of what Dr. Brown had written, I held my thumb up and told my wife ‘It’s over.’ Literally it felt just like a dam broke.”

Previous attempts to reconcile had stalled. After the December 2002 meeting, Brown and Kilpatrick issued a joint statement and scheduled a reconciliation service for Jan. 12 at Brownsville, with leaders and congregations from both sides attending.

The two asked for forgiveness from each other, and apologized for the hurt felt by many believers both in Pensacola and in the worldwide church. Kilpatrick said the two men met from 11:20 p.m. until 3 a.m. to resolve their differences. “It was like old times… absolutely wonderful,” the pastor said. “We didn’t get into issues. I’m really relieved all of this is behind us now.”

Brown agreed. “I’m sure both of us wanted reconciliation for many months now, but two years had gone by, and we still had not talked. This whole process has been painful for everyone involved, but I have no doubt it was God who birthed FIRE and that it is God’s desire to continue to bless Brownsville. We are not looking backward. We are moving forward.”
Billy Bruce