The pastors of New Hope International church raised a boy to life after following the directions of the Holy Spirit, according to reports.  

Eric Angeles says he felt the Holy Spirit tell him to embrace the distraught father and say, “Llame el nombre de Jesus” (“Call the name of Jesus”), he told PE News.  

His wife, Ruth, said she “prayed in the name of Jesus. ‘Lord, just bring back life into this boy. Perform a miracle right in front of our eyes.'”

And then, the Lord did indeed perform the miraculous—the boy’s eyelids began to flutter.  

READ: Here’s Some Proof of Modern-Day Resurrection

“I announced that he was alive and asked everyone to call on the name of Jesus,” Ruth tells PE News. “Even the man who hit him and other relatives were kneeling around the boy crying and calling on the name of Jesus.” 

The boy’s testimony is not the only recent one of God performing the same miracle he did for Lazarus in John 11.  

Pastor and evangelist Robby Dawkins gave reports of seeing the dead raised.  

“What I saw was a strong demonic presence over him. His head was contorting and looked to me like it would almost twist, as well as his jaw, face and hands contorting,” Dawkins recalls. “They were drawn up towards his chest and neck. It seemed every muscle was at an extreme strain in his body. He was jerking and twitching severely.”

READ: Woman Says God Raised Her From the Dead to Give This Message 

Then, “I turned him towards me and pulled him into my chest—like a hug—and declared a full impartation of life. He let go and then embraced me again,” Dawkins says. “I did this because I had a friend who had raised the dead and said there is something about the chest-to-chest connection—like in the Bible—that seems to impart life. I continued to pray and break off the enemy’s assignment against him. Some men helped him to the back of the church to wait for the ambulance,” Dawkins said.  

Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman has just gone political. Well, sort of.

His wife, Beth, has been named president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States, the “National Voice of the Bail Agent.” PBUS’ mission is to provide information, education and representation for the 15,000 bail agents in the U.S.

It is that latter charge that Beth Chapman acted upon as one of her first official acts. She hired Terry Allen, formerly campaign chairman for former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum’s 2016 presidential campaign, to lobby Congress against a bill to prohibit federal judges from using bail as a condition of pretrial release in criminal cases.

“I’ve just taken over this association and I’m going to be very aggressive in this fight,” she told Politico. “A law like this shows nothing but blatant disrespect for our law enforcement. It’s criminal welfare.”

The No Money Bail Act was introduced by U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.). It is co-sponsored by Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).

“America’s broken criminal justice system goes against the core of our values,” Lieu said. “We cannot both be a nation that believes in freedom and equal justice under the law, yet at the same time, locks up thousands of people solely because they cannot afford bail.”

Sherrod Shackelford, also known as Viktory, was projected to be a drug dealer, gang member or dead by 25 until God intervened.  

“God revealed Himself to me in college,” Viktory tells Charisma News. “I was totally unchurched, and He began to tug on my heart. He pulled me out of a world of real darkness and gave me an intense appetite for His Word. I broke away from my friends and addictions and all things that separated me from Him. I was ordained in 2007.” 

Born to a 16-year-old mother in Chicago, the rapper actively seeks to tell the world about God’s miracles through his music, including tracks like “So Good,” which features Erica Campbell of Mary Mary.  

His song, “Lunch Tables,” is a modern-day example of how Jesus reached out to the spiritually broken.  

“When Jesus ‘ate with the tax collectors,’ it was more than a meal. To eat with someone is very intimate,” Viktory says. “In many cases, it will require learning, or even growth, especially when eating with someone of a different culture. You will have to embrace all of their cultural differences. Proper etiquette, food types, prayer style … This isn’t an endorsement of their culture, it’s simply an attempt to understand who they are and build an open line of communication. 

“In the same way, God’s arms are open to all humanity. God is not in agreement with all humanity, but He’s available to any that call on Him. All are welcome at His table. Before the hearts of men can change for God, an encounter must with Him take place. The ‘table’ is where that encounter happens. The Children of God help prepare the table,” Viktory said.  

The rapper wants to turn “Lunch Tables” into a ministry to give those marginalized by society a voice and an opportunity to connect with God.  

“Many people dealing with this type of issue have to endure in silence. I wanted to put a face on the evil. I wanted them to have an outlet. I also wanted them to know that they aren’t alone, and again, God’s arms are always open,” Viktory says.  

The song is on his album, Tomorrow Came, which will release in June. 

Donald Trump’s lead over U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the GOP convention delegate counts has been trimmed again.

Thursday evening, voters in Colorado’s Seventh Congressional District met in Arvada and elected their delegates and alternates for the Republican National Convention to be held later this summer in Cleveland, Ohio. So far, the senator has won all 9 of the Colorado delegates elected.

Another 12 delegates were up for grabs Friday night as voters in the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth congressional districts were slated to meet. The Colorado state GOP convention will take place Saturday; another 16 delegates will be elected at that event.

Cruz, who won the Colorado Caucus back on March 1, is widely expected to win most, if not all, of the state’s delegates.

He now has 528 pledged delegates, compared to Trump’s 760. He needs 709 of the remaining 798 delegates to win the nomination outright ahead of next summer’s national convention.

“It is important that we elect tested and tough delegates to the convention in Cleveland,” Libby Szabo, a former state legislator who is a Cruz supporter told the Denver Post. “Because if we don’t, the establishment would have the opportunity to put their candidate in and we all know what we will get—same result we got in ’08. We got Barack Obama.”

Pope Francis on Friday called for a Church that was less strict and more compassionate towards “imperfect” Catholics, such as those who divorced and remarried, saying “no one can be condemned forever.”

Francis said gays should be respected but firmly re-stated the Church’s position that there are “absolutely no grounds” to equate gay unions to heterosexual marriage.

In a 260-page treatise called “Amoris Laetitia,” (The Joy of Love), one of the most eagerly awaited pronouncements of his pontificate, Francis quoted Martin Luther King, Argentine Poet Jorge Luis Borges and even the 1987 Danish cult film Babette’s Feast to make his case for a more merciful and loving Church.

The keenest anticipation centered on what he would say about the full re-integration into the Church of Catholics who divorce and remarry in civil ceremonies.

Under current Church teaching they cannot receive communion unless they abstain from sex with their new partner, because their first marriage is still valid in the eyes of the Church and they are seen to be living in an adulterous state of sin.

The number of divorces has risen markedly in recent decades in most of the leading economies grouped in the OECD. About 42 percent of marriages in England and Wales ended in divorce in 2013, according to an estimate by the UK Office for National Statistics.

“No one can be condemned forever, because that is not the logic of the Gospel! Here I am not speaking only of the divorced and remarried, but of everyone, in whatever situation they find themselves,” the pope said.

Presenting the document at a packed Vatican news conference, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Vienna, called it “a classic case of the organic development of doctrine,” which he described as being a continuation of theological thought without rupture with the past.

Progressives have proposed the use of an “internal forum” in which a priest or bishop work with a Catholic who has divorced and remarried to decide jointly, privately and on a case-by-case basis if he or she can be fully re-integrated and receive communion.

Discernment, Not Rigid Rules

Francis seemed to embrace this view, saying he could “not provide a new set of general rules … applicable to all cases”, but he called for “responsible, personal and pastoral discernment of particular cases”.

Father James Bretzke, professor of moral theology at Boston College, said while Francis did not explicitly give a green light for remarried Catholics to return to communion, “the dots are pretty close together, you can connect them reasonably easily and conclude that he is saying this is a possibility.

“If he’s not opening the door, he is at least showing you where the key under the mat is.”

The document appeared to be partly aimed at the pope’s own bishops, saying while basic tenets of the faith remain, there had to be more consultation and debate within the Church about how they are applied locally in the type of decentralized institution Francis has called for.

Francis said he understood those conservatives who “prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no room for confusion” but the Church should be more attentive to the good that can be found “in the midst of human weakness”.

“The Church turns with love to those who participate in her life in an imperfect manner,” he said, including in this category those Catholics who are cohabiting, married civilly or are divorced and remarried.

Conservative American Catholic author George Weigel said he did not see an opening to the divorced and remarried but rather “a call for the Church to be creative in integrating people in difficult situations”.

The document, formally known as an Apostolic Exhortation, followed two gatherings of Catholic bishops, or synods, that discussed family issued in 2014 and 2015.

In other sections, Francis said young people had to be better prepared for a life-long commitment, praised the “erotic dimension” of love within marriage and said the Church needed a “healthy dose of self-criticism” for in the past preaching that procreation was the “almost exclusive” reason for marriage. {eoa}

© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.

By the most generous estimates, less than 0.3 percent of the American population identifies as “transgendered.” But if LGBT and “transgendered rights” activists had their way, the rest of the population will abandon their social practices to accommodate that tiny minority.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is apparently OK with that.

“When I look at South Carolina, we look at our situations, we’re not hearing of anybody’s religious liberties that are being violated, and we’re again not hearing any citizens that feel like they’re being violated in terms of freedoms,” the potential GOP vice presidential pick said Thursday when asked about neighboring North Carolina’s new law banning “transgender bathroom bills.” She said similar legislation in her state wouldn’t be necessary.

But the issue isn’t really about religion as much as it is about recognizing the truth about human biology versus the belief that one can be whatever gender he or she wishes. Such “bathroom bills” have been thrown in other countries where they were previously adopted because they were abused to allow sexual predators access to vulnerable targets.

Legislators in South Carolina have authored a bill similar to the North Carolina, called the “gender-affirmation law.” State Sen. Lee Bright (R-Greer), a co-sponsor of the legislation, said the bill is “common sense.”

Beginning with a working definition of terms creates a platform of understanding, lest misunderstanding come in and try to steal the truth that is being presented.

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people die for lack of knowledge.” They don’t die for lack of anointing, they die for lack of knowledge; they don’t die for falling down, they die for lack of knowledge. What we don’t know can hurt us, has hurt us and will continue to hurt us if we remain without knowledge of the ways of God or, better said, the nature of God, which is why we need to build a stronghold. Most Christians have been taught a stronghold is somewhere the enemy dwells in our lives, so we need to demolish strongholds (2 Cor. 10:3-5), which is many may be wondering why I am exhorting us to build a stronghold. When I was a new Christian in the late ’80s, there was a song line that said, “Why does the devil have all the good music?” Now that we have such incredible Christian music coming from Toby Mac, Dustin Smith and Bethel Music, we may not understand this song lyric. But when all you had was Amy Grant’s “Baby, Baby” or DC Talk’s “Heavenbound,” you can understand what the song was asking. Context is crucial when presenting a quote.

So let’s begin with a definition of terms and take back what the devil has stolen from us.

Stronghold: a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack; a fortress.

Fortress: a military stronghold, especially a strongly fortified town fit for a large garrison.

Garrison: the troops stationed in a fortress or town to defend it.

In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, we see a process of rebuilding the walls of protection for the people of God, and re-establishing the gates within those walls. As I was talking to a friend today, I realized the Lord has built a stronghold in my mind, He has used His words (walls of salvation) and worship/prayer (gates of praise) to build a stronghold that can protect His nature from attack in my life. He has built a fortress of truth with His word in my mind, so when the enemy comes and tries to tell me God is against me, or when circumstances try to tell me God is not good, the stronghold of His nature rises up in defense of His truth.

We are all familiar with negative strongholds in our lives or the lives of others. Some have a stronghold of anger, fear, anxiety, worry, depression, addiction, suspicion and the list goes on. When a situation arises, a word is spoken or something happens, the stronghold defends that which is housed inside of it from the attack or perceived attack they are facing. Money gets tight, and people start to worry; a job is lost, and people start to panic; a spouse says something you don’t like, and tempers flare; strongholds create a fortress that protects a belief, whether positive or negative.

I believe it is time to build a stronghold in your life of the nature of God. It can only be built by spending time in the Word of God, for His Word is like our walls of salvation. We also need to be in prayer and worship, for this is how you build the gates of praise that keep out what you want out and let in what you want in. As we need to continue to allow the Lord to tear down the demonic strongholds in our lives, why don’t we also begin to allow the Lord, through His Word, build new strongholds in our lives. So when the enemy comes in like a flood, like a fear, like an attitude, we have a standard to raise against it, because we have built a stronghold.

Lisa Great is an author, speaker and blogger with Mouthpiece Ministries International. She has been in ministry for over 25 years, she has a BA in Youth and Family Studies, a M.A. in Education. She can be reached at ; mouthpieceministries.; or on her Facebook page Lisa Great. 

“Never in my lifetime have I seen anything like what is going on at the moment in the U.S. presidential campaign,” my friend Dr. R.T. Kendall wrote in an article explaining to Brits why many Americans are backing Donald Trump. “Many Americans are fed up with what is going on in Washington. Many high-profile Christian leaders have come out publicly for multibillionaire Donald Trump. They see the other candidates as perpetuating ‘business as usual.'”

I agree this is an unusual election and that people are frustrated. I’m frustrated. That’s why I’m supporting Ted Cruz, who will shake things up in Washington and help get the nation back on course.

What I can’t believe is how some Christians who I believe have the same values I do are supporting Donald Trump. One leader I respect told me privately that he supports Trump, partly because he met the billionaire once and Trump was respectful of him in that meeting. Conversely, he invited Cruz to speak at one this leader’s conferences and Cruz declined. To me, it’s petty to make your decision based basically on the fact that you were offended by one candidate and felt affirmed by the other. What about their policies and ability to govern?

And some of the comments that I have read online by supposed Christians are just idiotic. As if they will focus on one policy above all else and not look at the total picture.  

Many conservative Christians are supporting Sen. Ted Cruz, as I am. Yet I’m surprised that some leaders I respect have come out for Donald Trump. I was taught in journalism college to “name names” when you write an editorial like this. But my purpose is not to embarrass anyone and I’m not wanting to single out any leaders. They have as much right to endorse someone as I do. Yet it seems some of them seem to ignore his multiple marriages as well as the fact he made much of his wealth in casinos and that, in the past, he favored abortion.

It seems it is not Trump’s religious views that have enthralled them. It comes down to his forceful personality and political views. Or they like the fact he’s not dependent on donors or that he’s strong on defending us against radical terrorists or that he will address hot potato issues like immigration. Those are things I can admire.

But that’s not the whole package. And they seem to ignore that the man who has a great chance of winning the nomination is Ted Cruz!

For the first time in many decades, we have a serious conservative, principled Republican who shares our beliefs. It’s not even like Jimmy Carter, who was a Baptist Sunday school teacher and who was then and is still very liberal. Apparently, his Baptists beliefs didn’t shape his policies. Ted Cruz, on the other hand, says there are two documents that shape everything he believes. The first is the Bible, and the second is the U.S. Constitution.  

I personally believe that God has raised up Ted Cruz, and God could raise up someone else if he doesn’t win. God could also turn the hearts of either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton just as He turned hearts of leaders in the Bible. But in a democracy, we have the rights to put into office whom we want. Why assume that the only way to get righteous leadership is for God to change the hearts?

On the other side are some Christian leaders who are seemingly sitting out the election. While there very important issues at stake, I’m concerned that some Christian leaders are often more concerned about their own ministry and their own offerings than they are with getting involved and seeing that the very direction of our country (which will undoubtedly negatively affect their ministries and their offerings in the future) is at stake.  

The church must wake up! We are no longer a majority, but we are a serious plurality that could tip things in the right direction. Why is that that “other side” is more passionate, more organized and more committed to their cause than we are to ours? Why are we lukewarm when it comes to these issues that shape the nation?

I know that there are those who will disagree with me. In a democracy, we have the right to disagree. We also have the right to advocate, and with whatever platform God has given me and whatever influence I have, I want to encourage people to wake up to see what the options are and to support Ted Cruz. I personally believe that, with the choice between Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton (who seems certain to win the Democratic nomination), Americans would pick Ted Cruz. That is not so certain with Donald Trump. Individually, none of us can affect the election, but together, we have more power than we think we do.  

The greatest power we have is prayer, and we need not only to vote, but we need to pray. There needs to be a shift in our nation. We need people’s eyes to be opened.

It’s akin to what R.T. Kendall wrote at the end of his article: “Whatever (people say), we can only pray and trust that God’s purposes will ultimately be served in this nation.” {eoa}

Candace Cameron Bure, no stranger to her commenters’ fiery Instagram remarks, found herself at the center of yet another debate—this time over swimsuits. 

“I got to do a little of this today! Gorgeous #SouthernCaliforniaafternoon! #socalliving #malibu#funinthesun Some bathingsuits are meant for public beaches and others for my own backyard. #KeepingItReal” Bure posted with a picture of three swimsuits: two one-pieces and one bikini. 

READ: Candace Cameron Bure: You’re Not Representing Jesus Well

Commenters quickly jumped into a modesty debate.  

“@candacecbure from one sister in Christ to another, modesty goes along way. What mean by that is you want to wear those bathing suits in the privacy of your home, cool! We (the public) don’t need to know about it though. That’s private, girl. Plus you have men on this feed wanting to see you in these suits. While flattering, they are looking at you or fantasizing of you in a sexual way,” One person posted. “As daughters of the Most High we have to be in the public eye or not. Narrow is the way and there is a fine line. I cross it everyday, but I’m learning and doing my best. My prayer is that you see this as wisdom and NOT criticism. I can’t imagine the difficulty of being a celebrity & christian.  As it’s tough being a christian without the fame factor.” 

Another posted: “Don’t know who said, ‘you wear a bikini’? I used to wear a two piece when I was younger until someone said, ‘you might as well wear your bra and underwear in public’ and brought me to my senses. I’m not judging her, that’s just my opinion about two piece swim suits.” 

Yet another commented: “As @candacecbure profess she is a Christian when u are married & living a Christian life a woman’s body is for her husbands eyes only it is her temple the Lord uses …I’m talking about d bikini more …yes mrs bure it’s in d scripture new testament to be exact but I’m not judging that is between her & God I was only asking a question.” 

Others defended the star’s suit choices.  

“Oh for goodness sakes… I’m a 51 year old Christian mom and gramma. Her bathing suits are not inappropriate, and she also stated some are for public and another for private. They are stylish and cute! Really like the colors in the palm tree one!” posted one fan.  

READ: Why Conservative Christians Are Livid Over ‘Fuller House’

Another posted: “Man, she can’t win for losing with some of you people. She wears them in a ‘re all over her, questioning her faith. She doesn’t wear them in a you’re still all over her. Seriously, get a life. The if she wears that ONLY when she’s with her husband. She’s a female and wants to share her new finds with her fans. So, a life of your own and quit trying to be a mom to an adult woman.” 

What do you think? Sound off!

When addressing evangelical Christians, whether it be in a small group, or an enormous arena, Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) knows his audience.

During a campaign stop Thursday near Albany, New York, the senator engaged another key voting bloc in his multifaceted approach to chipping away as many of the Empire State’s 95 delegates as possible. GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who is a lifelong resident of New York, is currently leading with a little more than 50 percent support in the polls.

Cruz visited Mekeel Christian Academy in Scotia, a suburb of New York’s capital city, and immediately shifted into his usual 30-minute stump speech filled with all the things he’s said to evangelical voters in state after state along the 2016 presidential campaign trail. It kicked off with the obligatory “God bless the Great State of New York.”

And, as usual, it connected with the roughly 1,300 committed Christian voters in attendance.

“I will not compromise away your religious liberties, and I will not compromise away your Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms,” he said. “We will protect your constitutional right to live according to your faith and your conscience without government getting in the way.”

He also warned the U.S. is “one liberal Justice away from a radical, leftist Supreme Court.”

New York is among the most unionized states in the country, and while the Cruz speech focused on guaranteed applause lines, given the audience, he also branched into targeted territory, bringing up stagnant wages. He provided the audience with details about how his plans would improve the economy, resulting in opportunities for higher wages.

The rest of the stump speech focused on his plans to to abolish Obamacare, pass a flat tax, end welfare benefits for illegal immigrants, and abolish the IRS. He also made sure he got in a few shots at Trump, criticizing his opponent for donating to the campaigns of New York Democrats like Gov. Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer.

The Scotia stop was the first of many Cruz plans to make in Upstate New York ahead of the state’s April 19 presidential primary. The goal is to gain the support of Upstate evangelicals, in addition to his outreach efforts with New York City Hispanic and Jewish voters.