Bill Glass has seen some 35,000 inmates make decisions for Christ each year for the last decade at his outreach events
He never thought he’d go to prison. Certainly not as a minister.

But in 1970, Bill Glass, a four-time All-Pro defensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns, did a friend a favor. He led a ministry team into a prison in Marion, Ohio, enticing them with big-name athletes such as Roger Staubach, then sneaking in a testimony about Jesus.

Today, 33 years later, Glass is still preaching, still reaching and changing the hearts of prisoners across the country. The 6-foot-6 Texan with the baritone voice and slight Southern drawl spoke in 400 prisons last year and has seen 35,000-plus inmates receive Christ every year for the last decade.

“I wanted to be an evangelist like Billy Graham,” Glass said. “I thought my ministry was going to be citywide meetings.”

Instead, he found it behind barbed wire, bars and locks. Recently, Glass’ volunteer ministry team spoke in seven prisons in western Washington, seeing 1,166 prisoners accept Christ during a three-day event Glass called “A Weekend of Champions.”

“I had never gotten in trouble with the law,” Glass said. “I wasn’t a street kind of guy. So for me to end up in prisons was totally unexpected.”

But he’s not arguing with the results. About 2 million people are behind bars today in the United States. Seventy percent of all prisoners commit another crime after being released and end up back in jail. Glass’ program reverses that number. Of the prisoners who make decisions for Christ at Glass’ outreach, less than 30 percent return to jail.

“I didn’t come to be preached to,” Jack Murphy said. “I came to see the football players.”

Murphy, in prison for murder and for his involvement in America’s largest jewelry heist, went to one of Glass’ outreaches at a maximum-security prison in Florida in 1974. Murphy came to see Roger Staubach, then the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

“Bill came with the same program that he has today,” said Murphy, now a speaker in Glass’ ministry. “Because of that program I asked the Lord into my heart. It started the process. It started the journey.”

The ministry has a twofold effect. It shares hope with the prisoners and trains Christians how to share their faith.”Too many Christians want to hide in the church,” Murphy said. “They get tied into safe ministries. They make quilts.”

Murphy accuses the church of ignoring the prisons, maintaining its distance because of a better-than-thou attitude. Murphy points out that much of the New Testament was written in prison and that the first Christian was the man hanging on the cross next to Jesus.

“Bill leads the largest group of front-line, hands-on evangelists in the world,” Murphy said. “They’re mobilized to win souls. They learn how to share their faith, how to pray with people to get saved. Ninety-five percent of the people who call themselves born-again Christians don’t know how to lead someone to the Lord.”

A Wheaton College study rated Glass’ ministry among the best of the United States’ 450 prison ministries. It received the highest rating for front-line evangelism to prisoners.

Glass’ ministry has 35 full-time workers and relies heavily on volunteers, people who counsel and share the four spiritual laws with prisoners who have raised their hands during evangelistic meetings, asking for prayer. About 250 volunteers worked at Glass’ outreach in western Washington. The counselors huddle with the prisoners after the program, spending 10 minutes to an hour sharing.

Randy Poe, a dentist in Roseburg, Ore., has counseled at Glass’ ministry since 1981 and often drives a busload of volunteers from his hometown, participating in as many of the outreaches on the West Coast as he can.

“This is an amazing school of evangelism,” Poe said. “One of our missions is to help churches ignite Christians to share their faith in Christ. I believe we probably have the most effective school of evangelism of any organization in the United States.”

Glass, now 68, suffered a slight stroke a year ago and has turned over the administrative duties of his ministry, but he’s speaking more than ever. He is scheduled to speak at all 24 of his weekend ministries this year and has no intentions of slowing down. He started a mentor program for juveniles in Corpus Christi, Texas, where Glass grew up. Said Glass, “I’m having too much fun to slow down.”
Gail Wood

Many of the following reports were released during the last month by Charisma News Service. Go to our Web site at to subscribe to the free weekday service or to access full-length versions of each day’s stories. The site also includes a search engine so you can access archived news.

PASTORS ACCUSED OF SPYING FOR ISRAEL
A Canadian pastor accused by Lebanon of spying for Israel claims the charges against him are “trumped up.” Bruce Balfour, 52, field director of Cedars of Lebanon, a ministry that planned to help replenish the cedars of Lebanon in the mountains of the country’s northern region, has been in custody since he was arrested July 10, when he arrived in Beirut, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. The trial of Balfour and Grant Livingstone, 81, another Canadian pastor also accused of spying for Israel, was recently postponed at the request of the prosecution, who asked for more time to summon witnesses, AFP reported.

SLAIN ATHLETE HAD ‘FOUND JESUS’
The Baylor University basketball player whose roommate allegedly shot him to death was memorialized Aug. 5 at a San Jose, Calif., charismatic church, where he became a Christian. Jubilee Christian Center (JCC) pastor Dick Bernal said 21-year-old Patrick Dennehy accepted Christ at JCC last year, the Associated Press reported. “I won’t try to deify the man,” Bernal said of Dennehy, who was kicked off the University of New Mexico team for his temper. “But people were really impressed with Patrick’s new lease on life since he found Jesus.” Carlton Dotson, Dennehy’s roommate and former teammate, was arrested and charged with murder July 21, after reportedly telling authorities he shot Dennehy when Dennehy tried to shoot him.

PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES HAVE MORE BORN-AGAIN EVANGELIZERS
Christians who attend full gospel churches share the good news more than those in mainline congregations. In a survey exploring the evangelistic engagement of 4,265 adults, Barna Research Group (BRG) found that 67 percent of those in an Assemblies of God (AG) church were born again and had evangelized in the last year, as had 51 percent of those who regularly attend a nondenominational congregation. Released in August, the study also found
that 50 percent of the people in Pentecostal churches outside the AG were born-again evangelizers. The rates were lower for adults connected to Baptist (40 percent), Presbyterian (31 percent), Lutheran (24 percent), Methodist (21 percent), Episcopal (13 percent) and Catholic (10 percent) churches.

JIM BAKKER LAWSUIT NETS SMALL SUM
A 16-year-old class-action lawsuit against Praise the Lord (PTL) founder Jim Bakker netted $ for each of the 165,000 plaintiffs. Their lawyers were to get $2.5 million of the $3.7 million settlement, The Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times reported. The plaintiffs gave $1,000 each for four-day vacation stays at a PTL resort that was never built near Charlotte, N.C. Settlement checks were to be issued within a month of the July order. Char Graham, Bakker’s business manager and mother-in-law, said Bakker had no comment “because he doesn’t have all the facts on it. He hasn’t been included in any of that.”

Black Pastor Launches ‘Pay to Pray’ Campaign

A Shreveport, La., pastor decided to pay white people to attend services through the month of August to increase the diversity at his Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church. Bishop Fred Caldwell paid $5 per hour for Sunday services and $10 an hour for midweek services in a campaign that gained worldwide media attention. “This is about the Lord drawing attention to the fact that the church is segregated,” he said. By mid-August about 80 whites had visited, and Caldwell had paid $500 of his own money, though he said most refused the payments.

Pastor Javier Vásquez Dies

Javier Vásquez, head of the Methodist Pentecostal Church of Chile, which is affiliated with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC), died of liver failure July 25. He was 86. The IPHC said Vásquez was pastor for nearly 40 years of the Evangelical Cathedral (Jotabeche Church) in Santiago, which is one of the largest Pentecostal churches in the world. Vásquez is survived by his second wife, Olga Hansen; four children; 16 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Businessmen’s Group Names Executive Director

In July, Business Men’s Fellowship International (BMFI), a network of charismatic businessmen, named Chuck Evans the first full-time executive director of its U.S. group. Evans, 36, is a partner in a real-estate development firm and former associate pastor. Founded in 1995, BMFI has nearly 1,400 U.S. members, and operates in Brazil (the largest network, with 38,740 members), Europe and Asia.

MUSIC

City on a Hill: The Gathering
By various artists, Essential.

City on a Hill: The Gathering is the final chapter of Steve Hindalong’s award-winning City on a Hill series, and he ends it on a resoundingly worshipful note with its 14-tracks aiming to remind the church to love others as an extension of our faith.

The Gathering combines original worship music with remakes of traditional hymns and features the impressive musical collaborations fans have come to expect from the City projects.

Unique vocal pairings include Ginny Owens with GlassByrd (“We Will Trust You”), FFH with Paul Colman (“Instrument of Peace”), and Caedmon’s Call with new Essential act Silers Bald (“Hallelujah Never Ending”).

Bebo Norman and Sixpence None the Richer’s Leigh Nash blend their distinctive vocals on album highlight “Beautiful, Scandalous Night,” a stirring portrait of Christ’s death and resurrection, written by Hindalong and Derri Daugherty. The Gathering also features Jars of Clay, Sixpence None the Richer, Sara Groves and Andrew Peterson.

Rich lyrics, solid vocal performances and masterful production make The Gathering a beautiful finale to this series and should leave listeners yelling, “Encore! Encore!”
Angela Folds Fox

Simple Things
By Amy Grant, Word.

Amy Grant’s new album finds the singer getting back to the basics because when the world becomes almost unbearably complicated–with its international conflicts and general unease–it’s comforting to seek out simplicity.

This may be why Grant sings, “I believe in simple things” on the album’s title track. Simple Things is not as spiritually centered as her recent album of hymns, nor is it as lovey-dovey as the music she made during her “Baby, Baby” pop hit phase. Instead, it’s a little of each.

“Out In the Open,” for example, is a Point Of Grace-ish song about God’s desire for fellowship with humanity; and the album-closing “After the Fire” is a simple, acoustic guitar-accompanied gem that expresses God’s steadfastness during trials.

“Looking for You” details a romance almost too good to be true, whereas “Eye to Eye” concerns itself with ironing out the rough spots in a relationship.

“Innocence Lost,” which features a Celtic hymnlike feel, is probably this album’s best song. It’s a meditation about the price paid for maturity. On it Grant sings: “I miss my innocence/Oh, to be innocent.” Such innocence is one of life’s better simple things.
Dan MacIntosh

Jekyll & Hyde
By Petra, Inpop.

Jekyll & Hyde is an appropriate title for this long-lived Christian rock band, in that the band’s lineup is always doing an about-face. Petra recently lost three members–drummer Louie Weaver, guitarist Quinton Gibson and keyboardist Bryce Bell–leaving only vocalist John Schlitt, founding member Bob Hartman and bassist Greg Bailey.

Hartman wrote or co-wrote all 10 songs on this heavily-reminiscent-of-1980s-metal album. Petra’s new songs sound like a combination of early Alice Cooper, Poison, Styx and AC/DC, with aggressive, crunchy electric guitars laying the foundation for each tune.

Schlitt provides the vocals and continues to be the consummate rock ‘n’ roll screamer, making Jekyll & Hyde no doubt a great album to hear live. However, on disc it alternates sonically between fresh and dated.

Overall, Jekyll & Hyde lives up to its promise of being the most aggressive album Petra has ever made, but that doesn’t mean it is the band’s best. Petra seems so determinedly out to prove it can still rock that the songs sound much the same, the relentless metal beat driving the point home every time.

Yes, Petra can rock out, but it should take a lesson from the band’s 1982 album, More Power to Ya, which rocked hard with single “Judas’ Kiss” but also softened the mood with the title track and “Rose-Colored Stained Glass Window,” and lighten up a little.
Natalie Nichols Gillespie

BOOKS

Spiritually Parenting Your Preschooler
By C. Hope Flinchbaugh,
Charisma House, softcover, 167 pages, $.

Hope Flinchbaugh firmly believes in making the home a positive spiritual environment for the nurture of children, and for readers of Spiritually Parenting Your Preschooler, it is a joy to listen in as she instructs her own children in the ways of the Lord. Many parents will identify with the exasperation Flinchbaugh felt when she asked God, “Is it really possible to actually walk in the Spirit with three wild preschoolers in the house?” This book is her answer.

Not a book about “historical parenting,” Spiritually Parenting shows parents how to teach their children to come to Jesus and to follow the Spirit. Among other important topics, Flinchbaugh offers advice on choosing a school, spanking (she believes in it, in moderation) and winning the war of wills.

The author also encourages new mothers to pray the Scriptures with faith for their babies and urges other mothers not to place burdens on the new moms by sharing birthing stories that are not edifying.

Flinchbaugh writes insightfully and with humor, incorporating illustrations of everyday life. She seems to have thought through the child-rearing process with great care, and her readers will appreciate the effort.
Christine D. Johnson

FICTION

Cover Girls
By T.D. Jakes, Warner Faith,
hardcover, 256 pages, $.

Best-selling author T.D. Jakes has attempted what few writers can do well–cross genres.

In his first novel, Cover Girls, Jakes tells the story of four women in four different seasons of life–none of them aware of how intricately their lives are woven together. Nor do they realize that what appears on the outside is a cover-up for harsh, intimate truths.

Michelle is young and pretty, but her marriage is as shattered as her past is violent. Tonya appears to be a spiritual giant, but her outward appearance suggests anything but the joy of the Lord. Their boss, Delores Judson, with all her money and power has a life spinning out of control and a great-grandchild on the way who was conceived in incest. The fourth woman, Miz Ida, knows people think she is “three bricks shy of a load,” but it will be her faith and prayers that see these three women to the throne of God.

Although the beginning of Cover Girls displays the typical mistakes of a first-time novelist–point-of-view shifts, weak dialogue–the author’s talent strengthens as the pages turn–and pages will turn. The book will sell well because of the author’s name but will do well because of the author’s talent.
Eva Marie Everson

And the Shofar Blew
By Francine Rivers, Tyndale House
Publishers, hardcover, 464 pages, $.

In the Old Testament, God used a shofar–a trumpet made from a ram’s horn–to call His people to action. And the Shofar Blew by award-winning novelist Francine Rivers is a contemporary story about hearing God’s voice and about building–both churches and relationships.

Young Paul Hudson is zealous about serving God and building the church he believes God wants him to pastor. But over time he stops listening to God’s voice, and his success becomes his focus. The consequences of his actions affect everyone around him–his faithful wife, his son who is ignored by Paul, and his church members–all of whom also must discern God’s will or follow their own paths. Conflict builds slowly as the author carefully develops each character’s motives and responses.

The resulting believable spiritual growth of several characters will inspire readers to
examine their own hearts. Discussion questions at the end of this novel are designed to help readers take the lessons learned from the story and apply them to their own lives.

With And the Shofar Blew Rivers has succeeded in constructing a timely novel that ministers as much as it entertains.
Leslie Santamaria

Firefly Blue
By Jake Thoene, Tyndale House,
softcover, 361 pages, $.

Dubbed “the Christian Tom Clancy,” Jake Thoene’s writing does have that edge, with quick action, suspense and government conspiracy. Firefly Blue is the sequel to Shaiton’s Fire, both volumes in a series of post-9/11 novels by Thoene. However, reading the first novel is not necessary for understanding and enjoying this second
offering.

Firefly Blue centers on the FBI’s special counterterrorism unit called Chapter 16, a reference to the book of Revelation. The discovery of a hijacked shipment of sodium cyanide tips off an old enemy who has made new friends. While dealing with a potentially deadly plot, main character, Special Agent Steve Alstead, is caught between family, faith and country. He has to maintain his marriage and faith while fighting terrorism.

Thoene effectively develops the secondary characters in the novel, adding interest. However, it is at some expense to knowing more about Alstead and his family.

Thoene does a good job avoiding a preachy style. Some characters quote Scripture, but the Christian aspect of the book does at times seem to be tacked on as an extra thought.

The author excels in exploring with great insight the emotional aspects of law-enforcement work, giving his writing depth and validity. And even though this novel has many side stories, Thoene masterfully ties all the twists together for a satisfying and intriguing ending. Readers looking for a fun and light read will enjoy Firefly Blue.
Margaret Hull

The Light of Eidon
By Karen Hancock, Bethany House

Publishers, softcover, 400 pages, $.

In the tradition of . Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, Karen Hancock has created an exciting allegorical fantasy. The Light of Eidon, the first novel in the Legends of the Guardian King series, is a classic hero’s journey. Fifth in line for Kiriath’s throne, Abramm Kalladorne has renounced his title, changed his name to Eldrin and entered a religious order to make himself worthy to tend the Holy Flames of Eidon.

As the story begins, Eldrin’s years of study are about to culminate in his initiation, but he has reservations. Evil forces thrust him into slavery in a foreign land where he must fight in gladiator-style games. In captivity, Eldrin faces many false gods with counterfeit powers and must decide what he believes about Eidon and truth.

Hancock’s writing, often eerie and suspenseful, is rich in sights, smells and sounds. Tension is sustained as the reader wonders whom Eldrin should trust. The allegories for atonement and salvation are fresh and insightful.

Hancock’s book will appeal to Christian fantasy readers and to fans of Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion trilogy, but The Light of Eidon is so well-done it also should attract new readers to the genre.
Leslie Santamaria

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Retired syndicated cartoonist, speaker and author Tim Downs delivers his first novel, Shoofly Pie, a book you can’t put down once you get involved with its roller-coaster plot. The title alone is intriguing.

“Shoofly Pie,” Downs explains, “is made from a concoction of molasses and brown sugar. It’s so sweet that it’s impossible for flies to resist, and that’s why I used the term as a euphemism for a decomposing body.”

Set in rural North Carolina, Shoofly Pie finds Kathryn Guilford questioning a friend’s death. She enlists the help of Nick Polchak, the “Bug Man.” He studies bugs on corpses, offering clues to the when, where and how of death.

Intensely curious and even-keeled, Kathryn has to work with sarcastic wiseguy Nick, best described as an endearing eccentric. Their relationship is the basis for much of the novel’s witty dialogue.

According to Downs, Nick is “a scientist who takes a completely material view of life and death.” As Nick gets closer to the truth, a personal tragedy forces him to reconsider the inadequacy of his worldview. Says Downs: “That’s what I want my readers to ask themselves: Where is my own worldview inadequate? How am I like Nick?”

Shoofly Pie will not disappoint fans of the popular CBS-TV series CSI. “It’s a love story, a mystery and an adventure all rolled into one,” Downs says.

The author hopes to do a series, with sequel Chop Shop on the way. With his detailed style of writing that makes you feel as if you’re right alongside the characters, here’s hoping Bug Man novels become movies.
Mark Weber

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CHARISMATIC

TOP SELLERS

1. Matters of the Heart
Juanita Bynum (Charisma House)

2. Pigs in the Parlor
Frank and Ida Mae Hammond
(Impact Christian Books)

3. Total Forgiveness
R.T. Kendall (Charisma House)

4. A Divine Revelation of Hell
Mary K. Baxter (Whitaker House)

5. The Three Battlegrounds
Francis Frangipane (Arrow Publications)

6. The Tongue: A Creative Force
Charles Capps (Harrison House)

7. A Divine Revelation of Heaven
Mary K. Baxter (Whitaker House)

8. Holiness, Truth and the
Presence of God
Francis Frangipane (Arrow Publications)

9. No More Sheets
Juanita Bynum (Pneuma Life Publishing)

10. Prison to Praise
Merlin R. Carothers (Merlin R. Carothers)

CHARISMA RECOMMENDS

Upside Down
By Benny Perez, Charisma House,

224 pages, softcover, $.

Author and speaker Benny Perez has a heart to encourage youth to become consumed with God’s purposes. Perez offers a comprehensive training manual for today’s youth, addressing topics such as bucking the trend, setting the pace, influencing culture, and advancing the atmosphere of faith and revival. He wants young people to have a blazing passion for radical evangelism and discipleship.

Divine Desperation
By John Hurston,
Creation House Press,
224 pages, softcover, $.

John and Maxine Hurston gave their lives to God in the 1950s. They served first as missionaries in the United States and then in Liberia, witnessing a national revival. Later, they moved to Seoul, South Korea. There John Hurston became mentor to a young Bible student, David Yonggi Cho, who today pastors the world’s largest church. This account is proof of what dedication to God’s will can do.

Heaven Is So Real!
By Choo Thomas,
Creation House Press,
224 pages, softcover, $.

Raised in Korea, Choo Thomas was the only child of nonreligious parents. She embraced the Lord in 1992 and wanted to spend every moment in His presence. Her desire led to a deep prayer life, moments of seeing Jesus and a series of heavenly journeys, which changed her life forever. As Thomas recounts her heavenly visits, she often says she wants everyone to realize that heaven is very real–and that heaven and hell are closer than we think.

Favor Makes No Sense
By Jerry Grillo, Creation House Press,

128 pages, softcover, $.

Jerry Grillo has been in ministry for more than 20 years. He issues a challenge to Christians to move from poverty to prosperity, from fear to faith and from failure to favor. Grillo reminds us God is not hiding from us and that He wants us to know Him and the power of His resurrection.

Adoracion sin reservas
(Extravagant Worship)
By Darlene Zschech, Casa Creación,
204 pages, softcover, $.

Well-known worship leader Darlene Zschech shares that we can enter the presence of the Lord when we understand what it means to be an extravagant worshiper. Worship is not about performing–it’s a way of life. Zschech teaches how we can become people of excellent and extravagant worship in every area of our lives.

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

I personally believe Bush is the real deal in terms of his walk with Christ.
It will be interesting to see how the secular media respond to the new book The Faith of George W. Bush when it comes out next month. More than any other presidency in recent memory, Bush’s has been “faith-based,” yet the media often have trouble knowing how to cover the faith aspect.

For those of us who are believers, there is something that rings true about the conversion experience described in the excerpt from the Bush book we’ve featured in this issue. It’s more than just knowing “one of us” is in the White House. Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, you have a sense there is something real about our president’s faith and how it motivates him to lead the country.

When Bush was running for president he gave J. Lee Grady, the editor of Charisma, an opportunity to interview him. The headline for Grady’s article in November 2000 became prophetic. We called it “The Faith of George W. Bush.”

Little did we know how close the presidential election would be or how soon our country would be embroiled in a war against terrorism. Little did we expect this man–who wasn’t considered a success until he was nearly 40 and was labeled by many an intellectual lightweight–to become a leader of almost Churchillian proportions.

The key to his success? In a word, faith. It was his faith that transformed him from the mediocre son of a famous father and grandfather into what many are already considering a great president.

That’s the topic of this book. I believe the author, Stephen Mansfield, did a masterful job in not only explaining where Bush came from but also identifying his spiritual roots and telling his spiritual odyssey in a way that is believable to the nonbeliever.

We didn’t want to publish a book that, like so many others, merely preaches to the choir. We wanted to get out the message to the wider market–not to preach, but to show what can happen to a man when his life is touched by Christ and
he believes God has called him to the presidency because, in his words, “My country is going to need me.”

Our desire to reach nonbelievers is the reason we teamed up with Penguin Group (USA), the second-largest book publisher in the world, to publish this book. Our publishing house–Charisma House–is promoting it in the Christian products market. Penguin is pushing it in the secular arena.

The books are identical. And the message, while not written in Christianese, is very clear. At one point, the narrative even includes the plan of salvation as it was presented to Bush in 1984.

So how will the secular media respond? Usually they ignore books on conversion or spiritual experience. But it’s hard to ignore the spiritual journey of the president of the United States–especially when he has been so open about his faith. I suppose that’s why some in the media have started writing about it–even if what they say is critical. Recent articles in Newsweek, Vanity Fair and Gentlemen’s Quarterly have taken a skeptical look at the Christian experience of the president.

Nevertheless, their focusing on it has perhaps made it acceptable to write about faith. Early indications are there is a great deal of interest in this book, and we expect to get a lot of publicity and have a lot of books in the marketplace.

But we could use your help. First, you can pray. Pray that what God has done in George W. Bush’s life will be a witness to the entire world.

We didn’t write the book to proselytize or convert anyone. But it’s my belief that when confronted with genuine Christianity–the kind C.S. Lewis called “mere Christianity”–people do notice and are touched.

The Faith of George W. Bush makes it clear that Bush is not perfect and that his walk as a Christian leaves much to be desired. But I personally believe he’s the real deal in terms of his walk with Christ. Hopefully you’ll want to buy a copy and come to your own conclusion.

This book wasn’t written just to make money for the author or publisher. It was written to spread a message about a life that has been changed and a man who is affecting history as a result. Please join with us in getting the message out to those who desperately need to hear it.

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Stephen Strang is the founder and publisher of Charisma.

God made our bodies to produce health unless we interfere.
Lately I have received many e-mails from Christians who are filled with fear about their health. My passion is to help people overcome health challenges by balancing their bodies with proper nutrition, herbs, vitamins and minerals, and their minds and emotions with the Word of God. But I believe too many people are ingesting supplements without proper supervision. They are running “to and fro” seeking the latest elixir for vitality or the latest pill for eternal youth.

Some people are so desperate for a pill to “fix” them that they forget the true source of all healing–God.

Nutritional supplements do have a place in our lives. They fill nutritional gaps left by our poor American diets. But if searching for the perfect supplement or newest supernutrient has become a way of life for you, you may have allowed fear to take the throne in place of God.

Take comfort in this fact: God wonderfully designed your body with an immune system that acts as the greatest pharmacy in the world. It makes more than 100 billion types of medicines, called antibodies, to attack just about any unwanted germ or virus that enters your body.

It helps keep you well and healthy and makes you well after a viral, bacterial or fungal infection. It can even manage to stop a cancer cell from setting up shop in your body and multiplying.

All the medicines made by your own internal pharmacy are completely natural and custom-tailored to work specifically for you. They do not produce side effects, are free and are the most powerful healing agents known to man.

Your faith in God and education about your body can arm you with the knowledge you need to stimulate and support your body, especially during times of stress, poor eating, lack of sleep and negative thinking. In addition, renewing your mind will reverse negative thoughts that can destroy your health.

I recommend that you become educated on the subject of your body. The Bible says, “‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge'” (Hos. 4:6, NKJV). A good source of information for you is my book The 90-Day Immune System Makeover (Siloam).

Also, continue to focus on God as your source for healing. Have faith and take part in the process, but do not become a slave to it! Before your eyes, you will see and feel signs that will cause you to be in awe of God’s intelligence at work in your body.

Here are some practical things you can do to improve your health:

Get enough rest. Regeneration takes place while you sleep. Sleep experts agree that although seven hours of sleep per night is the minimum amount needed for a properly functioning immune system, eight hours is still optimal.

Control stress. Stress and a depressed outlook can lower immunity. Prayer is especially effective in managing stress.

Go low-fat. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating a low-fat diet may help boost the activity of your natural killer-cells, thereby enhancing your immune response.

Eat less sugar. Consumption of refined sugar can interfere with immunity. A study reported by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that sugar slowed the ability of the immune system to eradicate, engulf and consume alien material.

Eliminate alcohol. Alcohol lowers immunity by inhibiting the ability of your white blood cells to react to infection.

God made our bodies to produce health unless we interfere. Notice the self-curing nature of many conditions such as colds, fevers, cuts, swelling and bruises. These are examples of how the body always strives for health and healing unless we do something to stop the process.

If you are too preoccupied with your health, take comfort in Philippians 3:20-21: “We are citizens of heaven … and we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same mighty power that He will use to conquer everything, everywhere” (New Living Translation).

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Janet C. Maccaro, Ph.D., ., is a leading expert on natural health. She holds doctorates in nutrition and naturopathy and appears frequently on national radio and TV programs. She is the author of 90-Day Immune System Makeover and Breaking the Grip of Dangerous Emotions (Siloam). Maccaro lives in Central Florida with her husband and three children.

Bright modeled the Spirit of Christ even in the most ordinary things.
History ultimately decides who is great and who isn’t. Even in Christian circles, those who are well-known when they die aren’t always remembered as great. Others, obscure while alive, become bigger than life later.

One man who is certain to be remembered as great is Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International, who died in July at age 81. Our obituary on page 15 lists his impressive accomplishments. He tirelessly pursued his stated goal of “fulfilling the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns.”

Bright’s memorial service in Orlando, Florida, was a virtual who’s who of the Christian world. Leader after leader recounted how Bright had influenced his life.

More than one person mentioned a contract Bright signed 50 years ago in which he made himself a “slave to Christ.” Perhaps this act of total surrender is what allowed God to trust him with an annual ministry budget of $450 million as well as the winnings from the Templeton Award–$1 million–every penny of which he donated to funding his ministry.

In a day when self-promotion and greed are commonplace in ministry, Bright was different. He lived an average, middle-class lifestyle and modeled the Spirit of Christ even in the most ordinary things.

I had the privilege of knowing him from the late 1980s, when we hosted a dinner for him in our home. That was several years before he announced he would be moving his ministry to Orlando in 1991. During the years I interacted with him numerous times and once invited him to address our staff.

In the 1970s I was influenced by Campus Crusade for Christ while a student at the University of Florida. Later, after my life was touched powerfully by the Holy Spirit, I became aware of the Campus Crusade policy against speaking in tongues and assumed Bright was against charismatics.

By the time I met him years later his position about charismatic gifts had mellowed somewhat. And toward the end of his life, he seemed to welcome charismatics, who were drawn to his emphasis on intercessory prayer and fulfilling the Great Commission.

Two years ago we ran a cover story in Charisma on Bright by Andy Butcher that served as a living tribute. You can find the article online at by clicking on the Bill Bright article icon.

After the article appeared, Bright sent me a letter. In the 28 years I have published Charisma I’ve received no more than a few dozen letters thanking us for an article. So the fact that he wrote was unusual.

But even more striking was the humility with which he wrote. First, he said how much he appreciated the wonderful cover story “about Vonette’s husband.” (Vonette was his wife of 54 years.)

Then he added: “My prayer is that our precious Lord will use it in a mighty way to touch and encourage the readers, and that they will know what a powerful Savior we serve. To Him be all praise and glory!”

Andy and I had visited him in his apartment overlooking a lake near downtown Orlando. I went along in part–I thought–to say goodbye to him.

At the time he was already afflicted with the debilitating lung ailment that took his life, and he was not expected to live long. But he actually survived for two more years, during which time he accomplished more, Ted Haggard of the National Association of Evangelicals says, than most men do in their lifetimes–including fulfilling all 80 of the mandates God gave him when he was first diagnosed with the disease.

That day Bright thanked us in person for the article. Then he prayed for me and Andy–a prayer I will never forget.

He repeated some of his prayer in his letter to me. I share his words now both to give tribute to his memory and to show his open, loving spirit.

He wrote: “Your great witness for our Lord, through your various publications and other activities, are an inspiration to us. May His hand continually rest upon you and all of your endeavors for His kingdom. It is an honor to be serving with you in the greatest spiritual harvest of all time.”

The honor, Dr. Bright, is all ours.

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Stephen Strang is the founder and publisher of Charisma.

The ‘G12’ model made popular by a 300,000-member Colombian congregation is spreading
A cell-church strategy that is credited with growing a Colombian congregation to more than 300,000 members is spreading in the United States, with one Louisiana pastor seeking to use the model to plant churches worldwide.

The G12 cell-church model made popular by César Castellanos, founding pastor of International Charismatic Mission in Bogotá, Colombia, is being touted as a new key to church growth by several prominent charismatic pastors, including Dick Bernal of Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose, Calif., and John Hagee of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio.

Castellanos is touring the world teaching at G12 conferences in places as diverse as New York, London and Nigeria. This month pastor Larry Stockstill of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, La., one of Castellanos’ chief supporters in the United States, will host an Encounter God, America! G12 Cell Conference to explain the model that he said more than doubled the cells in his church–from just under 500 to more than 1,200, with each group comprising 12 members.

“There are other cell-church systems; we don’t come against them,” Stockstill told Charisma. “But we feel this is a discipling mechanism. You’re not just putting people together in groups of shared interests; this is discipleship.”

Though cell-church ministry is not new, in the last decade G12 has emerged as a leading strategy, employed nearly as often as the model popularized by Korean pastor David Yonggi Cho, whose Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul once was the largest in the world.

“We tried it [Cho’s system] but just didn’t experience the growth we longed for,” Castellanos said. “From 1983 to 1990, we only had 70 cells.”

He said he received a vision in 1990 regarding a new discipleship program based on Christ’s model of mentoring 12 disciples, then sending them out to disciple others. “Jesus was reproducing His character in His group of 12,” Castellanos said. “We have to do the same thing. You have to choose 12 people, then you have to reproduce the character of Christ in those 12, then every one of them will do the same with another 12.”

Calling his program the Government of 12 (G12), Castellanos incorporates an intensive, gender-specific training curriculum; an Encounter weekend at which participants address hidden areas of sin and emotional hurt; and a School of Leaders course.

Castellanos said the approach caused his church to grow to 48,000 cells throughout Colombia. After an assassination attempt in 1997, Castellanos and his wife, Claudia, a former Colombian senator, moved to the United States and in 2001 planted a church in Miami that is said to have 200 cells.

“We have been able to show the world something that has been proven,” Claudia Castellanos said.

Indeed G12 is going global. In 2002 Stockstill began leading a Global G12 Project aimed at training leaders and planting churches worldwide. Dividing the world into 12 regions, Stockstill oversees leaders in each area, who all mentor groups of 12. With more than 700 churches planted since the initiative began, Global G12 leaders hope to start a total of 1,759 churches by the end of the year.

“I haven’t found a place where it doesn’t work,” said David Pursifull, a missions pastor at Bethany and coordinator of Global G12. “It’s a principle that’s flexible. It’s basically just going back to the Scriptures and doing what Jesus did.”

At Cornerstone Church, pastor John Hagee said since he began using G12 in 1998 he has had to add roughly 1,000 seats to accommodate the weekly attendance. But he said the system has changed his congregation’s spiritual maturity more than its size.

“Every member of our church was instantly accountable to someone,” Hagee said. “We were developing leaders of high caliber … very rapidly. What used to take years was taking weeks and months because of the intensity of the training. These [leaders] were mature, better-equipped … Spirit-filled Christians who were excited about evangelism.”

G12, however, is not without its critics. Some have said the model can become legalistic and works best in nations where people are used to being told what to do.

“Our experience in trying various traditional small-group models was that they often have to be managed heavily from the top level of church leadership, they involve fairly complicated systems, and require a commitment that most people are hesitant to make,” said Ted Whalen, pastor of small-group ministries for New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo.

While he said G12 is helping fine-tune cell-church ministry, Joel Comiskey, California-based missionary-turned-professor who did his doctoral dissertation on G12 and has written two books on the subject–takes issue with G12 advocates’ insistence that churches adopt, not adapt, G12 principles.

“Castellanos followed Cho exactly, then adapted [his model],” Comiskey said. “Now he’s not giving room to others to adapt his model as he did. My feeling is that we should be just as César Castellanos: adapt and be creative.”

Stockstill said his church did not experience strong growth until it adopted G12 precisely. And having observed the shepherding movement in the 1970s, he said G12 is not authoritarian. “The shepherding movement was based on total control of a disciple; this is based on releasing disciples, ” Stockstill said.

Other critics have expressed concern about placing undue significance on the number 12. Typically, scholars say Christ’s choice of 12 disciples symbolized that He embodied a restored Israel, according to the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. But Hagee believes 12 is the number of government in Scripture.

“When God established a nation, He established it around 12 tribes … and it has been through 6,000 years of persecution … yet it endures. Jesus chose 12, and He established the kingdom of God, and it has been through persecution … yet it stands. When you have that number, you have for whatever reason a divine paradigm that God endorses.”

Yet observers say G12’s strength lies in its emphasis on mentoring and releasing new leaders. Ted Haggard, pastor of New Life Church and author of Dog Training, Fly Fishing and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century, which explains his philosophy on building cells around areas of shared interest, said Stockstill is a strong leader whose church would have flourished with or without G12.

“I think the strength of G12 is that it places individual responsibility and specific goals on people so they feel that ministry is something they can do,” Haggard said. “Larry Stockstill is such a great Bible teacher that he could use any system and it would work. His success comes from his anointing, not from this system.”
Kevin Hrebik and Adrienne S. Gaines

After a nearly three-year battle with pulmonary fibrosis, Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) founder Bill Bright died July 19 in his Orlando, Fla., home. He was 81.

“Bill Bright showed us not only how to live and serve, but he showed us how to die well,” said pastor Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. “For any of us to live like he lived would be a wonderful manifestation of the grace of God.”

Once a self-described “happy pagan,” Bright is credited with sharing the gospel with billions worldwide through the Jesus Film Project, which has been shown to some 5.1 billion people; his Four Spiritual Laws tract, which has been translated into 200 languages; and through CCCI, which has 26,000 full-time employees and more than 225,000 trained volunteers.

In 1996, he received the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, worth more than $1 million, which was donated to promote his prayer and fasting initiatives. “He has carried a burden on his heart as few men that I’ve ever known, a burden for the evangelization of the world,” evangelist Billy Graham once said of Bright. “He is a man whose sincerity and integrity and devotion to our Lord have been an inspiration and a blessing to me ever since the early days of my ministry.”

In May, President Bush called Bright early one morning to tell him he was thinking of him. In July, actor Mel Gibson stopped by his house to discuss his film project The Passion, then viewed a portion of the Jesus film at CCCI headquarters.

Yet friends say Bright was among the most humble men they knew. Evangelist Benny Hinn prayed for Bright several times and visited him a couple of months before his death. “Rather than us ministering to him, he ministered to us,” Hinn said. “Everything he said was about the Lord … it was like sitting at the feet of one of the apostles. He never once mentioned his sickness; his focus was on Jesus.”

Bright remained busy until the end, preaching–though from a wheelchair and sometimes via satellite–and completing a list of 80 tasks he said the Lord wanted him to see through. In 2001 he tapped Steve Douglass as his successor at CCCI, and in 2003 he named author and noted speaker John Maxwell as chairman of his Global Pastors Network, which he co-founded with the Rev. James Davis to train indigenous ministry leaders.

Bright is survived by his wife, Vonette, his sons Zachary and Bradley, and four grandchildren. A memorial service was held July 30 in Orlando.
Adrienne S. Gaines

Phil Vischer, creator of the popular VeggieTales videos for children, is looking for someone to buy Big Idea Productions
A multimillion-dollar federal ruling against VeggieTales creator Big Idea Productions has landed the struggling children’s entertainment company on the sales block.

On July 1, U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn of the Northern District of Texas upheld an $11 million April jury verdict that found the VeggieTales company had breached a verbal contract with former general-market distributor Lyrick Studios Inc. Lynn also tacked on court fees, attorney fees and interest, which could bring the judgment to $15 million.

As a result, Big Idea founder and CEO Phil Vischer announced a major restructuring and admitted he was actively seeking a buyer or large investor to save the company.

“We are in a full restructure,” Vischer told Charisma after the ruling. “We have to rethink how does the ministry go on in a more financially responsible, viable way?”

During the production of its first full-length theatrical production, Jonah: A Veggie-Tales Movie, Big Idea had a record full- and part-time staff of roughly 200. In the last several months, the company has downsized to 45.

Vischer said troubles began when Big Idea tried to develop too many new products too fast, creating a financial burden that could not be sustained. Then came the lawsuit by Texas-based Lyrick, distributor of the popular children’s shows Barney and Wishbone, alleging that Big Idea broke a verbal contract with Lyrick when the Veggie- Tales company shifted its general-market distribution to Warner Home Video in late 2001.

Big Idea made the move to Warner after Lyrick underwent a buyout that Vischer said changed the mission of the company. Vischer said he believed he was legally free to switch when negotiations with Lyrick failed to culminate in a signed contract after three years.

Vischer said Lyrick’s attorneys painted an inaccurate picture of Big Idea’s intent, convincing the jury that the VeggieTales company that touted itself as operating under Christian values just wanted more money.

“We thought we were right in leaving Lyrick for three reasons,” Vischer said. “No. 1, we had never signed a contract. No. 2, we had inserted a ‘key-man’ clause in the contract we were negotiating that would allow us to leave Lyrick if the Christian owner, Dick Leach, left the company. Third, we had also put in a ‘change in control’ clause to allow us to leave if the company was sold. When Dick sold Lyrick and died two months later, we clearly felt that both of those clauses had been invoked.”

A Lyrick spokesperson said the litigation was not meant to attack the integrity of Big Idea’s product.

“The business litigation between Lyrick Studios Inc. and Big Idea Productions Inc. was based upon a contractual dispute regarding distribution of the VeggieTales video and audio products,” a Lyrick spokesperson said. “The litigation was in no way a reflection upon the quality content of the product, as we continue to believe in the value of the product.”

“The jury bought it that all we wanted was more money and wanted to make an example out of us,” Vischer said.

At press time, Big Idea planned to continue developing new products using its original creative team comprised of Vischer, Mike Nawrocki, music director Kurt Heinecke and others. The next VeggieTales video, The Ballad of Little Joe, was scheduled to release in early August, and Big Idea planned to roll a re-priced classic VeggieTales DVD line this fall. Another new VeggieTales release, The Easter Carol, is in the pipeline for next spring.

“I think we are going through a great maturing process here, and I am not sure exactly how it’s going to come out,” Vischer said. “But I can say that this trial by fire has forged a very strong core team of creative and business people who are still about the mission.”
Natalie Nichols Gillespie

People are flocking from as far away as the United Kingdom and New Zealand to experience ‘a fountain of cleansing’
With ripped carpets, unfinished walls and holes in the ceiling, Jubilee Christian Fellowship could use a makeover. But instead of getting its own face-lift, this small church in California’s central agricultural belt has been hosting pilgrims seeking the Holy Spirit’s renovation in their lives.

Since April, Jubilee has become the focus of growing attention as–it is claimed–God began unleashing His power. The Holy Spirit has been pouring Himself into people’s lives, resulting in conversions, healings and deliverance, according to evangelist Joe Cicchino, whose planned two-week crusade at Jubilee was extended indefinitely.

“This church has become a fountain of cleansing,” said Cicchino, a former business executive who quit the rat race to start Oklahoma-based Vision of Love ministries. “This is not just about healings. It’s about repentance, restoration, reconciliation and moving into God’s heart of unconditional love,” he said.

In Tulare–a farming town of 40,000 about 170 miles north of Los Angeles–the nightly “visitations” at Jubilee have caused quite a stir. The community was soon buzzing with talk of “miracles and people falling over,” prompting local TV and newspaper reporters to investigate.

Why Tulare? Jubilee pastor Ken Bowman admitted he’s nonplused. A quiet, unassuming man, Bowman told Charisma he received a prophecy last September that his 50-member church would be “visited by God” and that the effects would ripple around the world.

Seekers have come from the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Some say they’ve been physically healed; others, delivered of emotional hurts. Many have come to bask in God’s presence, Bowman added. “People are falling in love with God and getting to know Him intimately.”

Every evening up to 200 people have crammed into the small sanctuary with the pews pushed back to create space for those who Cicchino said fall under the power of God. “There’s no preaching, no offering, no introductions,” he explained. “God’s presence is so intense.”

Rebeca Gomez has lived in Tulare for 37 years. Almost two years ago, an accident left her blind. Since Cicchino prayed over her, Gomez said her sight has gradually returned. Recently she was able to see her grandchild for the first time, she added. “Before, I could see only darkness, but God opened my eyes.”

Another Tulare resident, Esther Slape, said God healed her deafness. “I was stone-deaf. … All I could hear was a distant hum. Now I don’t even need to wear a hearing aid.” Slape said she also experienced spiritual healing. “Nothing compares to the deep peace I feel.”

When Steve Halberstadt heard about Jubilee, he traveled across country from Ocala, Fla. Three weeks later, he was still in Tulare. Halberstadt said he no longer needed his prescription medications because God healed his diabetes.

Like others at Jubilee, Halberstadt insisted he was not chasing signs and wonders. “I just want more of Jesus,” he said. “Right here, He is so vivid, so real.”

So real, in fact, that some claimed Jesus appeared to them in the church sanctuary. Others described visions of heaven and angels, or wept as they recalled God’s overwhelming presence.

Cicchino, a Rhema graduate ordained by evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne, claimed that almost 400 conversions in a two-month period–along with healings and signs–showed that the Holy Spirit was moving in a remarkable way.

“God wants to consume us with His cleansing fire,” Cicchino added. “It’s about less of us and more of Him.”

Cicchino’s wife, Ellen, said that just as California’s fertile Central Valley helps feed the nation, “God wants Tulare to feed the world spiritually as well. People are coming filled with pain, and the Holy Spirit is setting them free … removing the splinters from their hearts.”

Tim Vink, pastor of Tulare Community Church, described Jubilee as an answer to prayer. “Several pastors have been praying together weekly for seven years for renewal and awakening in our city,” he said. “The outpouring at Jubilee and the launch of the Healing Rooms in Tulare last year are answers to prayer. The kingdom of God is displacing the kingdom of darkness.”

Not everyone, however, has been impressed. Bowman said many church members stopped attending when the “visitation” began. Some people have walked out of the church after a few minutes–upset by the sight of those lying on the floor, covered by red sheets. “Others look through the door and say: ‘We want nothing to do with that,'” Bowman added. But he is unruffled by allegations of theatrics. “If we’re acting, we deserve an Oscar.”

Still, many mysteries remain. For instance, why would God choose to visit such a simple, humble church? Cicchino offered his view: “There was no room in the inn, but there was plenty of room in the stable.”
Julian Lukins in Tulare, Calif.