Carol Kent says God taught her how to surrender to Him after her son committed murder in broad daylight
Her son was a respected soldier with a promising military career, but Carol Kent doesn’t want to give anybody the impression that he is a hero. That is far from the truth–he shot and killed a man in broad daylight. Instead, she wants to share with others the painful journey of faith God has helped her walk for the last half-decade.

Her journey began on Oct. 24, 1999. The telephone rang at 12:35 a.m. Her husband answered, listened, then informed her that their son, Jason, had been arrested for the murder of his wife’s ex-husband. Kent said she collapsed to the floor in shock.

Her son–a 25-year-old who loved Christ, was a model student and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy–had become so obsessed with the alleged abuse of his two stepdaughters that he shot their biological father in plain view of passers-by.

An author and speaker, Kent prayed and interceded for 2-1/2 years before her only child’s trial. When the trial finally took place, she walked around the courthouse seven times in a Jericho-style prayer walk, petitioning God for His will. But her prayers did not yield the results for which she had hoped. The jury delivered their decision and Jason accepted his sentence: life in prison, without the possibility of parole–ever.

“Jason received the punishment with a demeanor of quietness,” she said. “As if he had prayed much. He didn’t break down. He didn’t show anger. He was just at peace, much more at peace than any of the rest of us. Then they put the cuffs on him and the waist chain, and they sent him out.”

As her son serves his penalty, Kent, too, lives out a life sentence of hope deferred. But she says with the loss of former expectations comes the possibility of new dreams forged by fire, heartache and suffering that are made of strong metals.

She tells her story in her book When I Lay My Isaac Down (NavPress). She says through the darkness, she found a path to redemption in the story of Abraham and Isaac.

God tested Abraham, commanding him to offer his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. Abraham rose early the following morning and headed toward the altar. His son asked, “Father, where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God will provide for Himself the lamb, my son.” And the two of them walked on together (see Gen. 22:1-8).

Kent knows that her son is not a picture of Isaac, who had done nothing wrong. “I don’t excuse what he did,” she said. “His actions would not have been God’s plan for his life. But Jason is my personal ‘Isaac.'”

She says God enabled her to lay down her claim to her son with complete trust and submission, even while her mother’s heart recoiled at letting go. “I realized that what I sacrificed on the altar were my own desires, prideful ambition for my son, family holidays and an idyllic future.”

The first time Kent saw her son after his arrest, it was through the filter of a thick Plexiglas barrier. Ten inmates had assaulted him at the jail. “He was beaten and bruised, his two front teeth were jagged pieces. He was broken, hurt and sad. And so was I,” Kent said. “There was nothing I could do about the circumstances that brought Jason to that place. There was no way to bring [his victim] back to life. There was no way to fix things and make life as it was before.”

The Kents spent Easter with Jason following his trial. They sat together, as a family, in the prison courtyard and determined they would not waste their sorrow. They would allow God to use their tragedy as a platform upon which to proclaim His goodness to a world in need. A part of that proclamation is the Kents’ prison ministry called Speak Up for Hope, , a nonprofit organization through which the couple helps churches and ministries reach out to prisoners and their families.
Tonya Stoneman

Jack Dyer has spent 26 years delivering food and medical supplies to remote regions in Honduras and India
The man known as “Papa Jack” to thousands of Miskito Indians has taken a break from his adventures after a nasty fall on a mountain trek. But just because he’s 73 years old doesn’t mean Church of God missionary Jack Dyer is considering retirement.

“I’m a perpetual motion machine,” he told Charisma. “If I stop moving I’ll die.”

Dyer has been recuperating following that nearly fatal fall in the Himalayas in India last year. But that was just one of countless close calls he’s had in his 26-year missionary career, most of it spent among the Miskito Indians of Honduras, where he used his plane to ferry medical supplies and people to remote clinics, among many other duties.

Dyer grew up in Baton Rouge, La., and became a successful engineer before experiencing the “anointing of the Holy Spirit,” as he put it. He was a deacon and Sunday school teacher in a Baptist church but felt something working on him spiritually. “The Holy Spirit was touching me,” Dyer said.

The turning point came when he heard a sermon on Revelation 18. “It tells them to get out of Babylon,” he said. “God spoke to me just as clearly as I’m talking to you and said: ‘That’s you, Buddy. You’re mine, but you live in Babylon.’ And He said, ‘Get out.'”

Dyer heeded the message and began selling his extensive properties, including an Arabian horse farm, using the money to fund his future mission work and other “spiritual endeavors” such as a church camp for wayward boys. He moved with his wife, Shirley, to Honduras to be a missionary bush pilot, working with the Church of God and an organization called Friends of the Americas.

Dyer describes his experiences in his unpublished memoirs, which he wrote in third person. “I don’t like people blowing their own horn, so I just didn’t put my name in the book,” he explained. “I just think it’s more interesting that way.”

In the book, he writes of his arrival at a refugee camp in Mocoron, Honduras, in 1981: “He soon realized he was in a situation like he had never seen before. There were some 11,000 people living in an open field. There was no clean drinking water, no sanitary facilities, almost no food and nothing but the crudest thatched roofed sheds to protect them from the torrential rains that fell intermittently. They were living in a sea of mud mixed with human excrement. The odor was almost more than his stomach could bear. For a moment he thought he would throw up.”

But Dyer said he adjusted to the living conditions and was soon busy helping, sometimes transporting too-heavy loads to save lives or landing on dangerous terrain.

His adventures didn’t end with the refugee crisis. The day-to-day routine of a jungle bush pilot keeps Dyer living on the edge. On more than one occasion he damaged his plane and nearly lost his life landing on remote jungle strips. But he said he felt that he was in God’s hands, which enabled him to perform feats far beyond the limits of his own skills.

One such feat occurred when he decided to land on a sandbar in the Coco River. He scouted it out by air but saw it was covered with logs, so he sent an Indian friend upriver by canoe to clear it. Then he flew up to deliver Christmas boxes to the Miskitos. Dyer finessed the risky landing and handed out the boxes to grateful Indians.

Dyer was in his late 60s when he wrapped up his work in Honduras. But rather than retire to Baton Rouge to fish and dandle grandkids like an ordinary person, he set off to India for a new chapter in his missionary career. That led him on the trek that almost ended his life: He blacked out while hiking in the Himalayas and wound up at the bottom of a mountain. Doctors said a heart condition apparently caused the blackout.

Dyer returned “home” to Baton Rouge for medical treatment last year, but he made a monthlong trip to Honduras in November and planned another to India early this year. “I’m open to what God does with me,” he said. “I just want to be used.”
Ernest Herndon

Charles Blair said one of the nation’s presidents has pledged to donate a piece of land to build a church for every 25 converts
Charles Blair is no mathematician, but he is a fan of numbers. The former pastor of Calvary Temple in Denver has a particular favorite: 1,850. That’s how much he says it costs in dollars to support an Ethiopian missionary for a year, build a church and furnish the congregation with Bibles and discipleship materials.

Another favorite is 25. That’s the number of converts needed in order for the government to donate a patch of land for a church building.

Those figures form the crux of a fund-raising effort Blair launched nearly two years ago. Dubbed The Ethiopian Call, the campaign’s goal is to raise enough money to plant 1,000 churches in Benishangul-Gumuz, which has a population of 600,000 and is located in western Ethiopia near the Sudan border. So far, Blair says, enough money has been raised to sponsor 649 churches.

Blair said he hopes North American Christians will support the Ethopian church ” and trigger a ripple effect that will be felt throughout all Ethiopia. We believe God’s going to give us the nation.”

Blair spent more than 50 years as founding pastor of Calvary Temple before he retired in 1998. In the 1970s, he found himself the subject of newspaper headlines after he unwittingly sold unsecured securities in an effort to raise funds for a retirement center. He was fined and put on probation, and the church went on to repay the investors.

Now, despite retirement, Blair said he doesn’t want to miss what he calls an “unprecedented” opportunity to help fulfill the Great Commission. Blair has been working in Ethiopia since the early 1990s, when communism fell in the east African nation. At the invitation of the Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia, a consortium of more than 20 denominations, Blair began training promising young leaders to evangelize their nation and plant churches in remote villages. Blair’s organization reports that some 60,000 Ethiopians have converted to Christianity through their efforts.

Blair said the spiritual and social transformation is apparent. Roughly two years ago Yaregal Aysheshim, president of Benishangul-Gumuz, contacted Blair. A Christian, Aysheshim said he noticed a marked difference in the villages in his region: crime was down, the AIDS infection rate had dropped and alcoholism had decreased, Blair recalled.

“He said he’d be in office for 2-1/2 more years, and he wanted to establish 1,000 churches within that time,” Blair said. “He was willing to donate a piece of land for every 25 converts. … We felt it was an open door, one that could close.”

Since then, Blair has met quietly with Christian leaders, telling them the story of how he met an African president willing to donate land for building churches. Thousands of dollars have poured in, and more than 100 churches are currently under construction. But Blair said more is needed to reach the 1,000-church goal by Sept. 1, when Aysheshim’s term ends.

Ray Noah, pastor of Valley Christian Center in Dublin, Calif., has led his church in sponsoring 50 Ethiopian church-plants, and he hopes to sponsor 50 more. He visited Ethiopia twice last year, assisting Blair in training the sponsored pastors.

“These pastors … don’t have anything, but what they have is a passion for the Lord,” Noah said. “They’re very grateful for the resources we bring in, but once you give them that help, they go out there and do the work.”

Though Ethiopia is home to the world’s oldest Christian community, the residents of Benishangul-Gumuz are largely animists. Many still plow by hand and survive by hunting and fishing. Many don’t wear clothing or attend school.

“There’s spiritual darkness and with that spiritual darkness is cultural darkness,” Noah said. “You can tell where a church has been planted. It not only changes the spiritual life of that community, it changes the cultural and social life of that community.”
Adrienne S. Gaines
For more information about The Ethiopian Call, contact the Blair Foundation at 877-418-6265; write 2265 Fraser Road, Kawkawlin, MI 48631; or visit .

Bob Heath says his Kids for Christ ministry has seen thousands of children come to Christ; many have led others to salvation
An Oklahoma evangelist is training young missionaries in one of the nation’s most unlikely places: public schools.

Bob Heath, founder and director of Kids for Christ USA said his organization has seen more than 6,000 children accept Christ since it began launching Bible clubs in Tulsa public elementary and middle schools in January 2001. In turn, he said, the children have used the tools they learned during the weekly meetings to lead 2,500 of their friends and family members to salvation.

“I … simply wanted to empower people–children and their parents and leaders–to start Bible clubs in their schools,” Heath told Charisma.

Based in Broken Arrow, in suburban Tulsa, Kids for Christ (KFC) began informally about seven years ago when a parents group invited Heath to be the guest speaker at a Bible club at a Tulsa elementary school. Then children’s minister at Calvary Church of the Nazarene, Heath had gained recognition locally for his evangelistic festivals for children.

He said the students were crammed on the floor of the small meeting room. “I taught them that Jesus was like chocolate; the more you get the more it takes to satisfy you,” Heath said. “It blew me away when 20 of those kids responded to an invitation to give their lives to Christ.”

That experience stayed with him for the next several years. Yet despite “constant nagging” by one of the moms to organize similar Bible clubs around Tulsa, he kept the idea on the back burner. Then in 2001, while participating in Dad’s Day with his son’s kindergarten class, Heath noticed one of the men giving out gospel tracts. At first Heath thought the man was a loose cannon, but then he “had one of those ‘open your mouth and let God fill it’ moments,” he said.

When the man asked Heath if he was a Christian, he said: “‘Yes. In fact, I am a minister. As a matter of fact, if I started a Bible club here would you help me?'”

Heath said he then realized God had set him up. Heath later launched KFC at the elementary school his sons attended.

According to the Family Research Council, the 1984 Equal Access Act (EAA) requires schools to grant religious student groups the same rights and privileges as nonreligious student groups. Though some Christian organizations have been challenged for hosting Bible clubs in public schools, Heath said he hasn’t received any significant opposition. He said he spoke with a representative of the American Center for Law and Justice in the developmental stages of KFC to make sure he was on solid legal ground.

Now children’s director for fourth- through sixth-graders at Believers Church of Tulsa, Heath describes the weekly KFC meetings as “Nickelodeon-style, high-energy, virtue-driven, simple gospel.” They kick off with praise songs, a game and a Bible story with a very practical application. After more worship and prayer, the children are invited to accept Christ.

Instead of praying the traditional “sinner’s prayer,” the youngsters meet Christ through the “Ticket to Heaven Prayer,” which Heath said gives the children an easy way to lead others to Christ. The prayer comprises eight simple phrases: “I thank You, Jesus. You died for me. Rose again for me. Forgive all my sins. Come into my heart. Make me the champion You want me to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Genevieve Delaune, parent-sponsor of a KFC club at Andersen Elementary in Broken Arrow, said her three children struggle getting up every day except Wednesdays. “All I have to do is say: ‘OK, kids. It’s KFC day,’ and they jump out of bed,” she said.

In its 2004 year-end survey, KFC reported that of the 238 children who responded, 56 percent had led someone to Christ using the Ticket to Heaven prayer. During KFC’s 2004 “Operation Treat-or-Treat” outreach event, students from three Tulsa schools chose to hand out Ticket to Heaven tracts to the adults who answered the doors on Halloween. As a result, 22 adults accepted Christ.

With 25 clubs in the Tulsa area, KFC receives requests from groups nationwide who are interested in beginning Bible clubs in their local schools. Though Heath has said his goal is to “have a thriving Bible club in every school in the nation,” he believes Jesus is already in most public schools. “If there is one child in a school that has given his or her life to Jesus,” Heath said, “then Jesus is in that school.”
Carol McClain Bassett

Ohio ministers Lawrence and Darlene Bishop say the six-story King of Kings statue has helped lead travelers to faith in Christ

A 62-foot statue outside a charismatic church in Monroe, Ohio, got people across the country talking about Jesus.

After the replica of Christ was unveiled in November along Interstate 75 roughly 20 miles outside Cincinnati, the statue won cheers and jeers from observers nationwide.

Some decried it as a highway distraction or an idolatrous “graven image,” said Lawrence Bishop, co-pastor of Solid Rock Church, which funded the project. Others, however, said the statue reminded them of Christ’s love. Bishop said the statue motivated one man not to end his life. “He passed by and saw that statue and said at the next exit he started weeping, and he got off the exit and gave his heart to God, saved his life,” Bishop said.

The “Giant Jesus,” whose hands are the size of dump trucks, has become something of a tourist attraction. Considered the largest image of Christ in North America, the statue soon was to be included in the Guinness Book of World Records. But Bishop and his wife, Darlene, a popular conference speaker, say the $250,000 project wasn’t designed to make history.

“We’ve had people say, ‘Why didn’t you take that money and feed the poor?'” Darlene Bishop said. “Maybe we could have fed a few hungry people, but for years to come, I believe, this is going to give people hope. Not just a meal to eat, but hope for their eternal life.”

“We tell them, also, that we do feed the poor,” Lawrence Bishop added. “That’s why we can afford to build this Jesus. Because God has blessed us because we do help the poor.”

Nashville, artist Brad Coriell has designed paintings and sculptures for several charismatic ministries and has artwork in four presidential libraries, but he said the “King of Kings” project, which took almost a year to complete, is his largest to date. He believes God gave him the idea to make the steel-and-fiberglass sculpture that started at 45 feet but later was altered to be more than six stories tall.

“It’s the witnessing tool I always wanted,” Coriell said. “Everybody’s talking about Jesus. Negative or positive, they’re all talking about [the statue], and that’s what I wanted. Because someone that doesn’t know Jesus is going to hear that talk, or someone’s going to use that as the witnessing opportunity to get to that person and get that soul saved, and that’s what it was all about for me.”
Adrienne S. Gaines

EVANGELISTS SAY TSUNAMI HAS BROUGHT GREATER UNITY

Evangelists working in Southeast Asia say the recent tsunami has helped unite Christians and Buddhists in Sri Lanka, where more than 50,000 people died in the disaster. “For so long churches have been persecuted, but today we see everybody joining hands,” said Raymond Mooi, who founded the School of Acts in Malaysia and ministers throughout Asia. Gospel for Asia president K.P. Yohannan agreed, saying Christians have been reaching out to help Buddhists who lost everything in the disaster. “One [Buddhist] man said, ‘I never knew your Jesus made you do things like this,'” Yohannan told Charisma. Still, Mooi said Christians are being urged to exercise caution when sharing their faith. “At the moment, I’d say … it is not wise to proselytize,” said Mooi, who visited the United States in January to raise money for relief efforts in Sri Lanka and Thailand. “But as the Lord leads and relationships develop, there may be opportunity to present the gospel. People are wary of some people’s motives.”

SUDANESE VP, REBEL LEADER SIGN PEACE DEAL

Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha and John Garang, chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, signed a comprehensive peace agreement Jan. 9, in a move that observers hope will end the 20-year civil war that has left some 2 million Sudanese dead, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Secretary of State Colin Powell signed the agreement as a witness and said the deal will “close a dark chapter in Sudan’s history” if both parties implement the provisions of the agreement. The agreement still needed to be ratified by the Sudanese parliament and the rebels, the AP said. Peace talks are still under way to end the violence in Darfur, in western Sudan, where thousands have died since February 2003.

PREACHER DIES DURING SERMON

A Florida minister collapsed and died Jan. 9 in the middle of a sermon after saying, “And when I go to heaven,” the Associated Press (AP) reported. Jack Arnold, 69, was nearing the end of his sermon at Covenant Presbyterian Church in the Orlando suburb of Oviedo when he suffered an apparent heart attack. Several church members tried to revive him, but Arnold appeared to have died instantly, the AP said. Arnold served as pastor of Covenant Presbyterian until the late 1990s, when he began training pastors in Africa and the Middle East. President of Equipping Pastors International and a former UCLA basketball player under Coach John Wooden, Arnold contributed to Wooden’s book, Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, which Regal Books is scheduled to release this month. Covenant’s associate pastor, the Rev. Michael S. Beates, told the AP: “It was traumatic, but how wonderful it was he died in his own church among the people he loved the most.”

NEW PALESTINIAN LEADER ELECTED

Observers hoped the Middle East peace process will continue under the direction of newly elected Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Winning 62 percent of the vote, Abbas had spoken out against violence and promised to reform the government and security services, the Associated Press (AP) reported. But after Palestinian militants killed six Israelis in a bombing attack in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cut all ties with Abbas, saying he was too soft on militants, the AP said. Abbas is viewed as a moderate, but an Israeli spokesman told the AP his nation opted to cut all ties because the bombing was launched from a Palestinian Authority base.

Gospel Artists Honored at Stellar Awards

Martha Munizzi became the first Caucasian woman to receive a Stellar Award after being named New Artist of the Year during the 20th annual music awards show held in Houston Jan. 15. Other recipients included Tonéx, who was honored with six Stellar Awards, including Artist of the Year; Bishop Paul S. Morton, who received three Stellar Awards, including Traditional Vocalist of the Year; Cece Winans, who was named Female Vocalist of the Year, and Israel Houghton, whose honors included Male Vocalist of the Year.

World Evangelical Alliance Leader Resigns

The Rev. Gary Edmonds, secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), has resigned from his post as leader of the global network of evangelicals. Assist News Service reported that on Feb. 1 he was to become executive director of Churches Together, a ministry that mobilizes North American churches to partner with African congregations in the fight against AIDS. Meanwhile, the WEA Mission Commission announced the appointment of Bertil Ekström, 52, as successor to William Taylor, who had served as executive director for 20 years. The change is to take effect in 2006.

Pro-Life Candidate Seeks DNC Chairman Post

Former Rep. Tim Roemer announced plans Jan. 9 to run for the top spot in the Democratic National Committee. A Catholic and longtime abortion opponent, Roemer said he respects the position of pro-abortion Democrats but hopes to expand the party geographically and ideologically, the Associated Press said. In an interview on ABC’s This Week, Roemer noted that Democrats “lost 97 of the 100 fastest-growing counties in the United States” and had lost ground among Hispanic voters and African American churchgoers. Abortion advocate Kate Michelman said the election of a staunchly anti-abortion committee leader would “signal that the Democratic Party is retreating from one of its core principles.” The election was scheduled for February.

BOOKS

Why Christian Kids Rebel
By Dr. Tim Kimmel, W Publishing Group,
Softcover, 256 pages, $.

What if the thing you think will save your child is the thing that drives him or her away? Dr. Tim Kimmel, author of best-selling Grace-Based Parenting, does an excellent job of demonstrating why mere Christian formula and tradition can never replace a passionate relationship with Jesus in his new book, Why Christian Kids Rebel: Trading Heartache for Hope.

The author is quick to point out that there is nothing necessarily wrong with tradition and tried-and-true Christian disciplines. It is just that kids are looking for authentic relationships rather than empty activities, and they need the relationships before they see the value of the activities.

Kimmel talks to parents about their own relationships with God, challenging them to see in what areas they might have become religious rather than real. He also talks about parenting styles and claims the one that fosters the least rebellion is the grace-based parenting style.

The author helps parents identify what true rebellion is. True rebellion has little to do with bucking traditions and more to do with a heart deliberately turning away from the Christian faith and morality. Kimmel gives hope and wise counsel to parents of kids who are growing up and hopefully learning to make the Christian faith their own.
Deborah L. Delk

Understand My Muslim People

By Abraham Sarker, Barclay Press,
Softcover, 304 pages, $18.

Abraham Sarker, raised a Muslim in Bangladesh, gave his life to Christ in a conversion that took four years and a miraculous Bible–written in his native language and found in an American University–to complete. Understand My Muslim People opens with the amazing story of this courageous man and leads to a host of challenges related to reaching millions “blinded by Islam.” Sarker discusses why Jesus is greater than Muhammad and gives insights on winning converts.

Sarker desires to see Christians become like the apostle Paul, but sharing the gospel in Muslim centers of influence ranging from Asia to America. He wants them to handle Islamic history with care in order to open avenues of discussion.

Paul did use the surroundings of the idol-worshiping ancient Greeks to get their attention, but he nevertheless made plain the message to reject ignorance and accept the truth. Sarker adds compassion.
J. James Estrada

Desert to Destiny
By Wendy Yapp, Creation House,

softcover, 237 pages, $.

Fulfilling destiny requires actively claiming the inheritance that God gives. Desert to Destiny: The Daughters of Zelophehad creatively retells the story of five daughters who, they they lived in an era when only males inherited property, were filled with enough faith and boldness to claim the inheritance of their father.

Author Wendy Yapp introduces Zelophehad’s daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah, and revealing the meaning in their ancient Hebrew names. Each name’s meaning is an element in character development that carries the women through the desert into the promise land. They demonstrated the ability to allow God to turn weakness into strength, to wait on the Lord’s timing and pass His sifting process, to understand our position in our relationship with God and to bring destiny to pass through prayer, worship and clinging to His promises.

The backdrop of the culture from Egypt to Canaan is also illustrated with insightful details that make this journey come alive. Although this is primarily about women, it also has life lessons for all who would come into their destiny. Yapp proves to be an excellent teacher and storyteller, making this book a valuable find.
Deborah L. Delk

MUSIC

Bridges
By Various Artists, Waterfront Records.

Many have speculated about what the new trend in contemporary music is going to be, following years of a worship emphasis. Some have guessed hymns and, if new and upcoming projects are any indication, they could be right.

Bridges: Classical Hymns, Modern Worship attempts to build a bridge between the modern-worship movement and the return to traditional hymns. The lyrics on the songs are hymns that the older generation will know and love but are handled in a contemporary fashion.

Artists on the collection include Paul Coleman, Michael Tait, Ginny Owens, Todd Agnew, GlassByrd, Jason Ingram, Jill Paquette, Leeland Mooring and Cherie Adams (formerly with Avalon). Hymns include “Come Thou Fount,” “Be

Thou My Vision,” “Fairest Lord Jesus,” “It Is Well With My Soul” and “How Great Thou Art.” Along with the songs, the enhanced CD includes guitar chords, piano sheet music, lyrics and a hymn history.

Though some of the songs have been taken from the artists’ previous recordings (Owens’ “Be Thou My Vision,” for example), under the direction of Marc Byrd (City on a Hill, God of Wonders), the collection has a cohesive feel and should be a welcome listen for modern-worship listeners looking to reconnect with their church music heritage.

DeWayne Hamby

Passionate Voice
By Lisbeth Scott, SHELTERecords.

Even if you don’t recognize Lisbeth Scott’s name, you might recognize her voice. Scott was a co-lyricist and vocalist for The Passion of the Christ soundtrack. Her original songs and vocal performances have also been featured on other popular films and TV shows, including Shrek, Shrek 2, Alias and Touched by an Angel.

Scott’s Passionate Voice is captivating, with her lyrics and wide range of music and vocal styles. With a sound similar to Enya’s, Scott offers pleasant surprises as she mixes breathy, ethereal melodies with songs that are earthy, raw and natural. One particularly unique offering is “Stones,” with its cello music and allegorical lyrics about forgiveness.

Scott uses traditional piano and guitar, mixed with the unique sounds of the duduk from Turkey; the ocarina, a wind instrument from Pakistan; and the harmonium and dilruba from India. The different instruments infuse the lyrics, some in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic, with emotion.

Inspired by The Passion of the Christ, the original music and lyrics of Passionate Voice seem to extend the emotional stirring of that film.
Leigh DeVore

MOVIES

Luther
MGM Home Video,
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Luther (now available on DVD and video) brings history alive. Joseph Fiennes’ portrayal of Martin Luther is emotionally charged yet thought-provoking, as he changes from a tormented soul who struggles with an image of a wrathful, damning God to a joyous man delighted with God’s abundant grace and love.

Luther’s joy, however, is mixed with anger and sorrow over the corruption of the church. This film shows that he was not intending to bring a revolution but was trying to compassionately teach liberating truth. After he clashes with the greedy indulgence sellers who claim salvation can be bought, he is unable to back down for the sake of his conscience and the people’s spiritual welfare.

Sir Peter Ustinov’s performance as a German nobleman caught in the middle of the political struggle is particularly enjoyable. Clearly, Luther’s transformation affects not only the church life but also his entire culture.

Today’s church reformers will undoubtedly identify with Luther as he deals with those who privately agree with him but put unity before holiness, or followers who allow a vindictive spirit to rule their responses, or leaders who have completely lost the point of the gospel and are intent on building their own kingdoms.

Deborah L. Delk

Because of Winn-Dixie
Twentieth Century Fox, Walden Media.

An adaptation of the best-selling book Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo came to life on the big screen February 18.

The people of the rundown town of Naomi, Florida, get a new lease on life from an unlikely source: a stray dog. Reminiscent of classic canine heroes Benji and Lassie, who saved people and animals from danger, Winn-Dixie rescues hearts. This dog seems to know which people are most in need of a friend.

First on Winn-Dixie’s list to save is India Opal Buloni. The two become fast friends. AnnaSophia Robb, as Opal, is such a natural on-screen that moviegoers will be surprised to learn that this is her big-screen debut.

Opal is the daughter of the town’s new preacher and struggles with being separated from her parents: her father, who is emotionally absent, and her mother, who actually left the family. As the dog and girl duo make new friends, Opal learns valuable lessons.

“Preacher” (Jeff Daniels) is still hurting from his wife’s abandonment. He is a good father to Opal, but they both need a little help to begin to connect in a loving relationship.

Oscar-winner Eva Marie Saint plays local librarian Miss Franny Block, a woman who seems reluctant to embrace the outside world. Yet her wisdom and friendship enrich Opal’s insight and compassion for others.

Dave Matthews of The Dave Matthews Band makes his film debut as Otis, a man misunderstood and misjudged. Opal discovers that there is more to Otis than the past he’s trying to forget.

Casting Dave Matthews as Otis, a gifted musician, is ingenious. Matthews’ fans will be pleasantly surprised to see and hear a favorite artist on the big screen. And Matthews is likely to gain new fans as moviegoers experience a taste of his obvious talent.

Legendary actress Cicely Tyson gives a perfect performance as Gloria Dump. It might seem she is a recluse, but Gloria is not a loner in spirit and eagerly embraces Opal and Winn-Dixie as friends. This sweet woman’s hard-earned wisdom and personality are softened by an innocence and a vulnerability that make her seem childlike at times.

Winn-Dixie is the biggest character of all. Children and adults alike will fall in love with his grand personality, antics and visible grin.

Topics such as alcoholism, incarceration and spouse abandonment are mentioned but are not so blatant that parents would have to explain them to younger children. Parents of older children could use this film as a discussion starter for these issues but would not feel forced to do so.

Though this movie does not offer an overt presentation of the gospel message, it does clearly demonstrate godly principles through the lessons Opal learns. Because of Winn-Dixie is a story of transformation from sadness and loneliness to hope and friendship. This film is an entertaining reminder that we need to see others for who they really are and reach out in love.
Leigh DeVore

Chad W. Thompson presents a truthful approach balanced by love in his book Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would ( ).

Thompson says the church is the last place a homosexual would go for help. But church should be a safe place where homosexuals can come and be accepted and loved. One way we can create a haven is to change our language.

He says we have to stop using the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin.” He explains that homosexuals honestly believe they were born this way so “to them it’s an identity. In their eyes it’s impossible for you to love the sinner and hate the sin.”

Thompson also challenges us to listen. “There are so many things that the gay and lesbian community is trying to tell us. They’re trying to tell us how to love them. And they’re trying to show us what they need in order to live lives that are free from harassment and ridicule and discrimination.

“And the church is not listening. … Yes, homosexuality is wrong. Yes, it doesn’t fall in line with God’s design for marriage and family and how society’s supposed to work. … But we’re so focused on trying to get them to change, that we’ve missed the point.

“We’re called to love them, as they are, where they are, just as Christ [does]. That doesn’t mean we don’t call them to change. But we still need to love them whether or not they choose to change.”
Leigh DeVore

I believe God is giving Christians an open window for four more years.
Because Christians and their values played such a big part in the re-election of President George W. Bush, I wanted to witness his inauguration January 20. I admit I watched his speech on a large-screen television in a warm place on that cold day–partly because I had attended the Ask for America Inaugural Prayer Breakfast across town at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, hosted by Carol and Stephen Poulos of Ask for America, and I couldn’t be two places at once.

To me, it was significant to pray for this president, whose faith has become a driving force not only in his personal life but also in the policies of his administration. And pray we did. A long list of well-known Christian leaders prayed for every conceivable aspect of public life. They even asked me to pray for the media.

The event went largely unnoticed by the media, even though more than 1,500 attended. It was overshadowed by the pageantry of the day, the unprecedented security, the few protesters who seemed to get far more coverage than they deserved and the tendency of the media to downplay anything “religious.”

They couldn’t ignore it completely because of the prayers, the religious songs and the remarks the president made in his speech. He spoke of the “longing of the soul” and of having “mercy, and a heart for the weak.” He pointed out that “God moves and chooses as He wills.” He said we “bear the image of the maker of heaven and earth.”

In a nod toward our pluralistic society, Bush also mentioned the Quran. Later the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, senior pastor of Houston’s Windsor Village United Methodist Church, prayed a powerful benediction that closed with the words, “Respecting persons of all faiths, I humbly submit this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Americans have long embraced a tradition of referring to the deity in public even when there was little belief behind it. But true Bible-believing Christians have generally been marginalized. That is changing because we have a president who claims his favorite philosopher is Jesus.

But it’s changing also because Christians are becoming a part of the process. Though ministries are hampered by laws preventing them from being “too political,” individual Christians can speak up–and did during the recent election–by voting for righteousness. Even political pundits credited moral values as the factor that determined which candidate was chosen.

The mood was upbeat at both the prayer breakfast on the morning of the inauguration and the Christian Inaugural Eve Gala the night before, sponsored by Lou Sheldon’s Traditional Values Coalition. The latter was a fancy affair held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and attended by more than 800 people, including evangelicals D. James Kennedy and Ralph Reed and charismatics Keith Butler and Jan Crouch. Politicians such as Karl Rove, Bush’s senior adviser, and Ken Mehlman, newly elected Republican National Committee chairman, and media personalities such as Janet Parshall showed up. Outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft made one of his final appearances before retiring to private life.

Attending these events was fun but sobering. Our nation faces many threats from without and within. Terrorism threatens our way of life, but so does an ultraliberal agenda that wants to legitimize homosexuality and take all references to God out of public life.

Charismatics and Pentecostals have traditionally been more interested in foreign missions, correct theology and personal piety than they have been in politics. But the time has come when we cannot stand on the sidelines.

I believe God is giving us an open window for four more years. This is a time to change laws, put in new judges, elect godly officials and regain lost ground in what many have called the cultural wars.

As people of prayer, we must pray not only for our president but also for all those in authority (see 1 Tim. 2:1-2). And we must get involved.

It’s time to be “silent no more,” as Rod Parsley prayed eloquently at the Inaugural Prayer Breakfast, “because our times demand it, our history compels it, our future requires it, and … because You, Almighty God, are still watching.”

In a new book they co-authored, pastor John Hagee and his wife, Diana, deal boldly and honestly with issues that are destroying families today
Christian marriages are being torn apart today–by alcoholism, pornography, immorality, materialism and selfishness. But Texas pastor John Hagee, who has officiated at hundreds of weddings in his 46 years of ministry, knows that couples can stick together for life if they are willing to follow biblical principles.

In a unique new book What Every Man Wants in a Woman; What Every Woman Wants in a Man (Charisma House), Hagee and his wife, Diana, tackle some of the toughest issues facing married couples today. Written as two messages in one, the book addresses both men and women with candor–sharing wisdom from a couple who have been happily married for almost 30 years. We talked with the Hagees about their views on marriage in America and how Christian couples can avoid divorce and develop fulfilling, intimate relationships.

Charisma: It’s no secret that Christian marriages are in trouble today. What’s happening to us?

John: It’s unbelievable to me that the courthouse will give any human being with brains enough to find the front door a license to get married. My father, who pastored for 53 years, often said, “If you have half a mind to get married, do it; that’s all it takes.”

You can’t cut someone’s hair without a license. You can’t fish without a license. You can’t go hunting without a license. But to get a license to get married, a license that empowers you to create new life, destroy your life, or crush the dreams and hopes of your spouse and family, all you have to do is have $25, and you are an instant player.

Charisma: So you’re saying many marriages fail because people aren’t ready to marry?

John: There’s more to marital readiness than a blood test. How sad that we spend so many years training for a career and so little time preparing for marriage. A hasty courtship can often lead to a marriage that is a disaster.

Delaying your marriage by choice or because of financial or educational circumstances is usually beneficial. The passage of time allows all infatuation to die, while it tempers and develops true love and spiritual attraction.

Trying to escape from an unhappy home via marriage is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. More than 60 percent of teenage marriages end in divorce. The more mature you are at the time of your marriage, the greater the probability of your success in marriage.

Charisma: You say in your book that premarital sex is a big reason why many marriages fail.

John: I have never seen a marriage built on sexual excitement that was successful. If you are building a dating relationship on sexual excitement, you are violating the laws of God as a fornicator, and your relationship in the future is doomed without total repentance and reformation.

When you become romantically involved, you experience an intense adrenaline and endorphin high. Romantic love can be very exciting. Sex ups the ante even more.

However, the body can keep the flow of adrenaline and endorphins going for just so long. Soon you become exhausted, depressed and bored.

The relationship is dumped, and you go on to someone else who will give you that same excitement. But soon that new relationship dies, also, because it has a faulty foundation.

Almost everyone has experienced the physical sensations of romance–the pounding of the heart, butterflies in the stomach, goose bumps, chills, tingling, trembling and sexual excitement. That is not love; it is romance.

Many people become addicted to romance. As a result of such an addiction, there are many disappointments in love, and many marriages fail. Relationships built on the excitement of sex alone are doomed to failure.

Charisma: You say marriage is not just about sex. But in your book you place a lot of emphasis on the importance of a physical relationship.

Diana: I tell women it is very important to show affection to your husband every opportunity you get. Take his hand when you are walking together, or pat his shoulder as you pass by him. Kiss him often. Even if it hasn’t been part of your past behavior, try beginning anew by giving him what it is you want in return.

One of the most beautiful pictures of romance I have ever seen is one I witness every Sunday morning at Cornerstone Church. On the front row center of the second section sit a wonderful man and his precious wife. They are in their late 80s. They sit so close to each other you couldn’t get a sheet of paper between them. Every Sunday they hold each other’s hand. These two wrinkled and gnarled hands are clasped tightly, and the other two hands are raised in praise and worship to the Lord.

What a statement they make! The message of romance they send every Sunday is a memorial to the love they have for each other and the love they have for God.

Charisma: You point out that men, in particular, don’t realize that women need intimacy that is not always sexual.

John: Emotional intimacy includes touch, caressing, hugging, kissing and romancing. There are approximately 5 million touch receptors in the human body. More than 2 million receptors are in the hands alone.

The right hand of touch releases a pleasing and healing flow of chemicals in the bodies of both the toucher and the touched. Studies have shown that even the tender touch of a pet dog or cat can cause people to get healthier.

My mother was a person who could hug you and make the world go away. From my earliest childhood, I watched her reach out and hug all the people she loved, and many others, too. I adopted that practice as a teenager, and I practice it to this day. I believe it’s beneficial for every person to receive affection from another person through touch.

I tell men: Without the emotional intimacy of touch and warm personal communication, sex with your wife is little more than domestic rape.

Charisma: A lot of couples say they divorced after enduring years of living together without any passion. What can a couple do if the fire has gone out?

John: The first step is to determine that both of you want to improve your marriage. Every marriage can be a better marriage.

Turn off the football game. Put down the newspaper and plan a date night. Sit down and make a list of exciting things you would like to do together, and then do it. “Insanity” defined is “doing the same things the same way and expecting a different result.” Your marriage can sizzle, but not without planning to make it happen.

Charisma: How can a couple safeguard their marriage from adultery?

Diana: In his book His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage, Willard F. Harley Jr. refers to the high expectations men and women have for their marriages. Both want their needs met, yet seldom do they communicate those needs to their spouse or take the time to know the needs of the other.

I have found that many individuals try to learn to “do without” having their needs met. They would rather do without than attempt to convey to their mate their true needs. There is no greater fear on Earth than to stand emotionally naked before the one you love most in life, fearing that person will laugh at your desires or refuse to give you what you desperately want.

A man who lists sexual fulfillment as one of his needs, and whose wife fulfills this need, makes his wife a continual source of intense pleasure, and his love for her grows stronger.

Charisma: Is there anything that women, in particular. can do?

Diana: Adultery does not occur overnight. The man usually begins by conversing with a close female friend, someone at the office or a neighbor.

The “conversation only” friendship then develops into a deeper relationship of trust and desire. One step at a time the marriage is compromised by deeper feelings of trust in and emotional dependence on the third party, and if he does not stop himself, adultery will result.

We women must ask ourselves these questions: What are my husband’s needs? What am I doing to meet his needs? What am I doing to create frustration in him? Have I communicated to him what my sexual desires and needs are?

Charisma: John, what have you done over the years to cultivate the spark in your marriage?

John: Diana and I have something between us we call . It’s an acronym for One Way Everyday. One way, every day, I seek to find a way to make Diana feel good about herself or to help her accomplish a task that is becoming overwhelming.

Last night we washed dishes together. Some days, it’s a rose from the rose garden. Other days, it’s a card. Other times, there is a date night. But one way, every day, there has to be the transmission of my effort to make that day a better day.

Charisma: Diana, you spend a lot of time in your part of the book talking about honesty and communication.

Diana: So many times we hear men tell us that we are so much more “emotional” about the events of our lives than they are. Because of that, it is sometimes easier for a wife to keep her emotions hidden from her husband.

But it will be difficult for your husband to give you the emotional support you want and need from him if you cannot openly express your emotions–positive and negative–to him.

Because you have not given him your emotional honesty, he will disappoint you by his lack of understanding the emotions you are feeling.

I used to hide my feelings from John. Well, that has changed!

I am so honest with what I need and want from him now that I write it on the bathroom mirror with lipstick! I leave notes in his briefcase and in the pages of his sermons! Notes are left on his office calendar: “Diana needs a date night–now!”

Satan is present to destroy the works of the Lord in His people. He wants to keep you from communicating honestly with your husband. If you are dishonest, you will be falling right into the evil one’s trap to rob, kill and destroy your marriage.

Charisma: You give some amazing testimonies about how various marriages have been repaired–including those that were torn apart by addiction and unfaithfulness. You even describe a couple who were about to divorce because the husband had a gay affair. Is reconciliation in such cases truly possible?

John: Let me tell you the story of Robert and Rachel. Robert was a very successful stockbroker. He had feminine characteristics, and he was homosexual. He came to the church and confessed that he wanted to make a change in his conduct and become a Christian. He began to serve and serve well in a number of ways in our church.

He met Rachel, who was far more successful in her business than Robert. Rachel was extremely intelligent, a type-A, turbo-charged woman who lived in a man’s world and was extremely successful. They met and were married within six months.

For the first year, life seemed to be a thing of beauty. And then the thing that I had feared from day one began to manifest itself. Robert told Rachel he was having an affair with a man.

Rachel came to my office shaken but committed to solving the problem. She said, “If it were another woman, I know how to fight that fight. But how do you fight a relationship with a man?” I had no intelligent answer.

I asked Robert and Rachel to come to my office together, and I asked Robert the question I have asked everyone in the first five minutes of the first counseling session: “Do you want to save your marriage?”

Robert said yes, and we began to work toward removing the roots in his past life that would bring him to reconciliation with God and Rachel. What we did and said and experienced is in and of itself worthy of a book, but the point of this story is to say that, years later, Robert and Rachel are living together in divine harmony with their children without another homosexual manifestation. Yes … a marriage can survive even homosexuality.

Charisma: How important is it for couples to pray together?

John: A man and a woman talking to God, bound together in prayer, is an unbreakable union.

Diana: My husband and I have prayed together for almost 30 years. When we pray together, we get answers from heaven. And it is simply not possible to be angry with each other when you pray.

I tell couples to make a prayer list and to find a private time and place for prayer. John and I like to have our prayer time while we walk. We are away from intrusions and able to call on the Lord in freedom.

First, we come into a time of repentance, asking forgiveness for anything we have said, done or thought that has grieved the Holy Spirit.

Our list then begins: We pray for our children by name, their spouses and our grandchildren. We pray for the protection, direction and prosperity of our church, TV outreach, and school and for everyone associated with them.

Then we submit any personal petitions we may have. Finally, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem and end in a time of praise for our Lord and His blessings.

Learn to pray in agreement, not in competition. There is a sweet sound in heaven when a husband and wife are in harmony before God.

The more this divine communication occurs, the more you will want to talk to each other about other things. You will find that the “things” you speak about will not include gossip or tale bearing. Your conversation will concentrate on your petitions and the testimonies associated with those prayers.

You will share the dreams and aspirations each of you has as you come into agreement. Your children will know that when Mom and Dad pray, things happen.

This teaching is far greater than any book or class you will ever enroll them in. Without communication, your marriage will become dry and wither, just like the soul when it has no time with God.

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Sex should no longer be ‘the last straw’ that causes us to question one’s ministry.

Sexual immorality is usually not the first stop on a leader’s road to perdition. Satan’s smarter than that, and he knows we are too. That’s why he tempts us with more innocuous delicacies, such as greed, power and false doctrine. A real-life example of this principle is vividly–and sadly–described by our columnist R.T. Kendall in this issue (see page 24).

Our demise begins rather like the familiar frog in the kettle. We allow ourselves to believe our own marketing: “Yes, I am a prophet–that’s why people are criticizing me.” “It’s OK if I misuse this text … as long as I get the point across.” “I do deserve this kingly treatment. After all, I have a very special gift.”

Before long, we’re sitting in a boiling hot tub, surrounded only by people who will affirm our delusions of greatness. We’ve successfully distanced ourselves from all opposition, and they’ve moved to a safe distance to observe our demise. We still draw crowds of people who view our heresy, pride and extravagance as idiosyncrasies of the anointing.

The problem is not that the church is too tolerant of sexual immorality. Instead, it is that we tolerate the more insidious behaviors that are the precursors to moral failure. It is only when the final straw of sexual immorality is laid on the back of the proverbial camel that we throw up our hands in exasperation and act as though we didn’t see it coming.

This was particularly poignant in the case of PTL founder, Jim Bakker. As he notes in his book I Was Wrong, many of his friends, spiritual peers and a nationwide audience loyally reinforced his adherence to a gospel of greed … that is until it was revealed that he had engaged in a one-night fling.

Friends, as spiritual leaders, sex should no longer be “the final straw” that causes us to question the validity of one’s ministry. We must be willing to challenge and confront those who persist in ethical and doctrinal ambiguity before Satan lays his last trap.

Paul’s instructions to his protégé Timothy reveal the inseparable link between false doctrine, greed and sexual immorality–none of which are to be tolerated among Christian leaders. He warns Timothy to watch both his life and doctrine closely, “for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16, NKJV).

The flip side of Paul’s warning reveals the destruction in the church wreaked by those who fail at this. I, for one, have seen enough of this destruction and heard too many stories from sincere believers strewn in the wake of those who fall. We must have the grace and conviction to intervene–before the fall. *

Matthew Green is managing editor of Ministries Today.

“Too often we
tolerate the strange doctrine, shoddy ethics and greed that are the
precursors to
moral failure.”