He instructs leaders to perform ‘for an audience of one’
Worship seminars may be an effective tool for improving corporate praise in local churches, but well-known worship leader Ron Kenoly likes to teach worship teams how to lead the individual congregant into a more personal worship experience.

How? Kenoly takes the emphasis off of music for the masses and places it on a message for an audience of one.

“I’ve been to so many seminars where people leave with head knowledge, but their heart hasn’t been ministered to,” said Kenoly, a renowned songwriter and recording artist. “They go away with notebooks of information but are broken inside.”

His firsthand knowledge of the shortcomings of such seminars led him to start the Academy of Praise, a mentoring program for worship leaders and others in Christian music. Through one-week seminars held yearly in his hometown of Orlando, Fla., Kenoly attempts to impart the musical style that he has demonstrated since the mid-1980s.

With two conferences under his belt, Kenoly is planning the third for May 19-23. The February 2002 conference brought 100 people from 12 countries.

Kenoly, who enlisted help in earlier seminars from fellow worship leader Don Moen, pastor Sharon Daugherty and pianist Adlan Cruz, will again be joined by his personal mentor, Bahamian pastor and author Myles Munroe, for the upcoming seminar. The small number of attendees allows Kenoly to engage in one-on-one sessions crucial to the program’s success.

“I make myself available to 100 people to sit down and counsel them on whatever issues they might be going through,” Kenoly said. “There are some leaders with questions that they can’t ask publicly. Out of personal integrity they can’t stand up and say, ‘My pastor does this, and I hate it.'”

Kenoly believes people look to mirror someone who has done what they’re trying to do.

“It’s not like they’re putting something on me that I’ve never dealt with. I’m 57 years old, and I’ve dealt with health issues, family issues, financial issues and relationship issues, and God has given me victory over them. I can give them a solution that works–praying, fasting, forgiving and submitting to authority,” the singer said.

In addition to the individual sessions, the academy includes nighttime worship services and day sessions on topics such as principles of worship, patterns of worship, power of worship and practicals of worship.

The academy ends with personal prayer, laying on of hands and the presentation of certificates of completion. “So many have never been endorsed by their pastor,” Kenoly said. “Worship leaders need validation and affirmation.”

According to Kenoly, worship leaders often are hired because they have a good voice, but they may not be qualified to deal with the equally important areas of administration, human interaction, music arrangement and Bible knowledge.

“It’s good to know all about the tabernacle of Moses and how the positions of the tribes were located, but when John is not getting along with Karen, you’ve got to step in and deal with that.”

Some pastors don’t understand the importance people place on worship, he noted. Many seekers select churches based solely on that element.

“Music has a way of breaking the heaviness that’s over people’s lives. When Moses brought the children of Israel across the Red Sea he didn’t preach to them, pray for them or prophesy over them. The first thing he did was write a song.”

Although the seminars currently are held once a year, Kenoly’s goal is to offer the courses in three-month terms. He also plans to take the academy to different countries starting with Brazil, England, the Philippines and South Africa in 2003.

The cost to attend the academy is approximately $200, and a pastoral recommendation is required. For information call (888) PRAISES.
Rhonda Sholar

Ted Roberts may have ducked in and out of clouds to avoid enemy jets as a Marine fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, but he isn’t ducking what some claim is one of the most sensitive and destructive issues in society–sexual addiction.

“I realized no one was talking about sexual addictions in the church,” Roberts told Charisma. “As the body of Christ, we have got to wake up to this issue. I didn’t want to do it–I got drafted. I’d much rather travel around and talk about evangelism or signs and wonders. This isn’t funny, ha-ha stuff to deal with. This is serious.”

Roberts, who pastors East Hill Foursquare Church near Portland, Ore., is seeking other draftees all across the country in hope of developing a network of churches committed to leading people into wholeness and healing from their addictions. He has developed a seminar, titled Pure Desire after his recently released book by the same name, that teaches the dynamics of addictions and equips attendees to work through their own issues while helping others through the healing process.

According to Roberts, sexual addiction is no less prevalent among Christians. His own research reveals that 21 percent to 29 percent of pastors have confessed to being addicted to pornography.

“This isn’t a new problem. It’s been an ongoing problem from the beginning of time,” Roberts said. “God says that Israel played the harlot. That wasn’t just an analogy. The believers in the New Testament are riddled with sexual sin all the way through–like the church in Corinth. The real issue with sexual addiction is it’s not about sex. It’s about the way you process life.”

A unique characteristic of Roberts’ ministry is that it reaches both sexes. Roberts’ wife, Diane, travels with him, speaking in mixed crowds as well as in sessions for women only. Together, the couple share their personal experiences as well as the lessons they’ve learned in ministering to others on the topic.

Roberts stresses that his Pure Desire seminars are not a “quick-fix” solution for those who struggle with sexual addiction.

“We tell men when they come into our program at our church to expect the healing process to last anywhere from two to five years,” Roberts said. “I don’t know any man who has been healed of this issue instantly. It takes time.”
Jason Chatraw

Indian intercessors chose historic Plymouth Rock, Mass., as the site to repent of unforgiveness toward white Americans
Believing that hardness of heart among Native Americans has stopped the gospel from moving through Indian nations, Native believers gathered at historic Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts in September to repent for their peoples’ unforgiveness of white Americans for hundreds of years of oppression against them.

The Native American Reconciliation and Thanksgiving service on Sept. 27 brought representatives from more than 20 Indian tribes as well as 39 countries to the spot where Pilgrims seeking religious freedom landed in 1620 and established the first permanent colony in New England.

“I repent!” cried Jay Swallow, a Southern Cheyenne. “I repent for my every turning our back on Your Son, Jesus Christ. Our people turned our backs on the gospel that the white man brought to America. We have used broken treaties and broken promises and so many other excuses. Today, we have come to repent, to start the healing today.”

Swallow huddled under the famous Plymouth Rock monument with several other Indians as he prayed. The reconciliation pilgrimage came about because of a dream God gave to Swallow. The gathering has been called the first repentance initiative of this magnitude by Native American Christian leaders.

“These Native leaders have witnessed the resistance of the gospel on their reservations,” Swallow said. “They came to stand in the gap for their people, to begin to heal the wounds of things done in the name of Christianity that have wounded their people and caused them to resist the gospel.”

Swallow understands the pain his people have endured.

“I have had to deal with ‘Indian country,’ where suicide is taking our next generation out at a rate that is not acceptable in a country like ours,” he said. “I feel that as we submit and humble ourselves to the Creator and repent for building a resistance to the humbly ask Jesus to forgive us, visit our tribes for our children’s sake, a major move of God will happen for our tribes that will affect all of America.”

Days before the trip, the Native leadership team met for concerted prayer at the Church on the Rock in Oklahoma City, Okla.

“You could really feel the Lord honoring what this team [did] to restore covenant back to this nation. Once covenant is restored, Psalm 91 becomes a reality,” national intercessory-prayer leader Chuck Pierce said.

Although the delegates were predominately Indian, the non-Natives among them shared a desire for ministering to Native peoples. U.S. churches do comparatively little missionary work among American Indians. Though more than 90 percent of all Christian mission funds are earmarked for overseas, the 10 percent left for domestic work is given largely to inner-city works.

Moreover, living conditions on many U.S. Indian reservations are at about the same level as those in developing countries. The average life expectancy on reservations is only 43, and more than 75 percent of all reservation families are affected by alcoholism. In some areas, unemployment is close to 80 percent.

“Our Native American leaders not only want to be included in what God is doing in this season but are willing to take their place of authority and responsibility to see America turn back to God,” Swallow continued. After the prayer at Plymouth Rock, the Native leaders took their seats at a historic colonial inn for a Thanksgiving meal with white Christians who were part of the initiative.
Mary Hutchinson at Plymouth Rock, Mass.

A street preacher and a Hollywood actor combine to take the gospel outdoors to draw unbelievers to Christ
Call preacher Ray Comfort and actor Kirk Cameron “the odd couple” of evangelism. Just like Odd Couple stars Felix Unger and Oscar Madison of the 1970s hit TV-sitcom, Comfort and Cameron are opposites who attract plenty of attention. Unlike Unger and Madison, though, Comfort and Cameron are a real-life duo–veteran street preacher and Hollywood actor–who are getting the public’s attention as a pair dedicated to preaching and sharing their personal
testimonies open-air.

Comfort is best-known as a zany New Zealander who each Friday night for years has parried with hecklers and preached the gospel on the colorful Santa Monica, Calif., beachside Promenade. A seasoned speaker, accomplished writer and aggressive open-air evangelist, Comfort also has preached in more than 700 churches but always stays loyal to his most favorite preaching spots–anywhere in public.

Said Cameron: “Standing in a pulpit in front of 10,000 people–that’s easier than open-air preaching with 50 strangers.” The actor, who has been a Christian for some time but is new to public preaching, noted: “It’s where the rubber hits the road.”

The pressure of preaching may be new to Cameron, but performing is not. At 15 and already a seasoned actor, he landed the roll of Mike Seaver on Growing Pains, a TV series about a family far more dysfunctional than his own who lived in the nearby San Fernando Valley.

Seven years and 166 episodes later, it ended with the clean living, anti-Hollywood type married to Chelsea Noble, the pretty actress who played Kate McDonald on the show. Last year Cameron played Buck Williams in Left Behind, the much anticipated but poorly received film adaptation of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins’ first book in their thus far 10-volume series. Cameron also starred in Tribulation Force, the movie adaptation of the second book that was recently released on video to good reviews.

While promoting Left Behind last year at the Christian Booksellers Association convention in Atlanta, someone gave Cameron a tape of Comfort’s Hell’s Best Kept Secret. Impressed, he ordered the entire 16-cassette series. Comfort’s office included his latest book, Revival’s Golden Key. After listening and reading, Cameron called Comfort, whose home base is in the Los Angeles suburb of Bellflower.

Last October the two met for lunch. “I was expecting this real godly man,” Cameron recalled. “You know, this giant of a pastor to step through double doors–who had written this masterfully weighty book. Instead I met this 4-foot tall lunatic.”

At first, Cameron was put off by Comfort who writes, sells and personally distributes tracts by the truckload.

“Ray was running around the restaurant passing out tracts and saying, ‘Did you get one of these; did you get one of these?’ I wanted to crawl under the table. Then I watched some of the open-air preaching tapes and I thought: Whoa, this is hard-core. This is like the book of Acts. This is the real thing.

Soon the two were flying cross-country together.

When they visit churches, Comfort teaches his theology of using the Ten Commandments law to reveal the universality of sin, as well as the art of moving from reliance on self to reliance on the Holy Spirit in sharing the gospel, and the importance of Christians’ ignoring the promise of a rosy future in heaven so they can focus on the ultimate fate of nonbelievers. Then Cameron gives his testimony and invites the congregation to join Comfort and him for a nearby session of open-air preaching and sharing the gospel individually.

Cameron and Comfort have plans for a joint formal tour also. The Way of the Master will be nationwide, and they hope it will take them to 12 of the country’s largest churches. Comfort will host afternoon teaching seminars, and during the evening Cameron will relate his experiences in filming the two movies, give his testimony, and in some cases invite the congregation to preach publicly.

Cameron said Comfort’s teaching has turned his weak walk into a long run.

“It shook the foundation of my theology and even caused me to question my own salvation,” he said.

While Cameron hopes his new zeal will not jeopardize his blossoming career, he said he has made a decision to entrust it all to Jesus. In a newsletter, he underscored how the apostle Paul in Galatians 1:10 had said, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Cameron wrote: “I know that whoever tries to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for [Jesus’] sake will find it. So I got out my photo ID, got on the airplane and started passing out more tracts.”

Comfort smiled when asked about Cameron’s transition and noted: “He has not only come out of the closet, he’s come out of it riding a motorcycle.”
Ed Donnally

To her Christian critics, the former TV host says the church should be a ‘hospital,’ not a ‘courtroom’
The former co-host of the controversial PTL Television Network, Tammy Faye Messner, has been enjoying a burgeoning ministry to homosexuals.

Once adored by viewers of the electronic church, Messner now appears at gay-pride events nationwide, such as a Tammy Faye look-alike contest held in Washington, D.C., recently where she was “surrounded by men in falsies and pancake makeup to upstage,” as a National Public Radio report pointed out.

In a recent interview with Charisma, Messner described how her new work began. After she and then-husband Jim Bakker lost their ministry and he went to prison for defrauding viewers of millions of dollars, Messner began a church in Orlando, Fla.

During this time, a self-confessed homosexual wrote to Messner and sent her $10,000 to use as she wished. Years earlier, the gay community had realized Messner’s concern for homosexuals when she had interviewed a man who had AIDS. “I told the church that they were created to love people with AIDS, not shun them,” she said.

When Messner filed for divorce from Jim Bakker, she gave up her Orlando church and as a result had no income. However, she still had money in reserves and with the help of a girlfriend was able to find a place to live in Palm Springs, Calif.

Messner subsequently was contacted by a homosexual fan of hers, Joe Spotts, who told her that gays all over the country loved her and would like her to start working with them. Would she consider doing that? he had asked. Messner said she agreed to do so after she had prayed about the request.

“I felt that God was opening up an avenue of ministry with which I was totally unfamiliar. He was expanding my ministry,” she said.

“How can you not love people who have treated you so kindly at the lowest part in your life?” Messner added. “I’m just trying to give back to them. them there’s a God who loves them and cares for them. I told them there’s a better way nothing can give you peace except Jesus.”

Spotts continues to have a close working relationship with Messner. He emphasized that Messner is not sanctioning the so-called gay lifestyle but added that she isn’t condemning gays either.

“All she wants to get across is that God loves you,” he said.

Messner admitted she does not specifically address the issue of homosexuality being a sin when she talks to groups of gays. “I leave that up to the Holy Spirit because unless He speaks to them, they won’t change anyway,” she said.

Alan Chambers, executive director of Exodus International North America–an ex-gay ministry organization–agreed. “[Messner] is right. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin,” he said.

However, Messner said if someone comes up to her and asks her if homosexuality is a sin, then she tells them that “it’s best not to take a chance with your soul.”

“If you have a what you’re hearing from God and read the Bible,” she said.

“If when asked point-blank [Messner] never says homosexuality is a sin, then there is a danger in that,” Chambers cautioned.

Spotts said the value of Messner’s ministry is that she “gives people who have spent a lifetime with an arm’s-length relationship with their respective churches–and by extension, God and heaven–[a chance to realize that] ‘God does love me, and I can’t shut Him out of my life.'”

Messner is known for her use of makeup and fashion and an overall outrageous appeal. Could that be why homosexuals are drawn to her? Chambers said the gay community “loves a diva, and Messner can use that effectively.”

In addition, Chambers added, Messner is viewed as “an outcast of the Christian community.”

“No one holds more credibility in a community of outcasts than an outcast herself,” he noted.

For those who criticize her work with gays, Messner had a quick response: “I thought the church was supposed to be a hospital and not a courtroom.”
Jeremy Reynalds

“Heathen” Ian McCormack claims to have died after being attacked in the Indian Ocean and says God’s love sent him back
Ian McCormack claims to have died–and had a vision of heaven and hell–before returning to life. Now the former self-proclaimed atheist is promoting a fresh vision for revival and shared his testimony on a recent tour of Great Britain.

It was while living on Mauritius, an island paradise in the Indian Ocean, that McCormack had his life-changing experience in 1982. While diving at night for lobster and fish, he was horribly stung five times by the highly venomous Box Jellyfish. The Sea Wasp, as the jellyfish also is known, has a bell-shaped body and tentacles so transparent as to be almost invisible. A fully grown specimen (about the size of a basketball) has enough poison to kill 60 adults.

“It felt like thousands of volts of electricity,” McCormack said. “My forearm was swollen like a balloon, and where the tentacles had stung, there were burn-like blisters across my arm. I felt on fire as the poison began moving round my body.”

McCormack was in complete paralysis by the time an ambulance arrived to transport him. Within a few minutes of reaching the hospital, it was too late for medicine to save him. A nurse who treated him discovered that McCormack had no pulse and that his veins had collapsed. He later would be told by hospital staff that he was clinically dead for 15 minutes before he revived without medical intervention.

While in that state, McCormack claims he saw startling visions of heaven and hell–even though he was an atheist, a self-proclaimed “full-blown heathen” at the time. Not surprisingly, the doctors and nurses recoiled in shock when he came back to life.

“I had an experience that totally transformed my life when the tangible love of God came into my heart. It brought me to tears,” he said.

Since then, McCormack, a 45-year-old New Zealander, has been a pastor in the Assemblies of God, a missionary among the poor of Asia, and now travels the world sharing his story. His strange and chilling testimony has gone around the world via audiotape and videotape. He has found British Christians to be hungry to win souls and already beginning to see “quite a number” of young people turning to Christ.

He became aware of how recent renewal movements have emerged from former countries that once were British colonies, such as Canada, South Africa and Australia. “Wherever England planted, those nations are still lighthouses for Christendom,” he told Charisma.

Pointing out that many of today’s key revivalists also came from parts of the British Commonwealth, McCormack said he believes the old empire will strike back–no longer colonizing nations by force but “colonizing with the gospel.” He has shared his own remarkable experiences with audiences in a range of locations across England and Scotland–from pubs and restaurants to churches and concert halls.

While traveling around the country from the fall of 2001 to spring 2002, McCormack noticed that a much greater emphasis was being placed on evangelism than in the mid-1990s when the Toronto Blessing was hitting the nation’s churches.

“That was a time of healing for the body of time of real closeness to Jesus,” he explained. “Some of the churches have progressed from that–and are now in a position where they want to reach out.”

He cites the London-based Pentecostal church Kensington Temple as an example of a new English “fire.” The church had booked the city’s world famous Royal Albert Hall for an Easter Sunday outreach–but the guest speaker could not make it in time. Kensington Temple senior pastor Colin Dye invited McCormack to step in.

“Thousands of people turned up to the meeting, and 200 got saved. Colin Dye ministered, and a bunch of miracles took place,” McCormack said. The event also was recorded for later transmission to other countries.

“I got to speak to more people on Easter Sunday than I would in two months of ministry across the United Kingdom,” McCormack said.

Touring the United Kingdom has encouraged him that a wave of revival could flow from Great Britain. “Some of the greatest moves of God I’ve seen have been in England,” he said. “I feel the U.K. has a great place in the kingdom of God.

“It’s still going to be a sending place of ministries to the world–and it has a depth of maturity, character, and of people and resources that can be powerfully used.”

More about McCormack’s dramatic physical recovery is available at his Web site, .
Clive Price in England

SonicFlood now prays with its fans after a band member was miraculously healed of incurable disease
When Rick Heil’s autograph is requested, the lead singer of SonicFlood instinctively includes Psalm 103:3. The verse which says, “[God] heals all your diseases,” has truly become a “life verse” for Heil.

About three years ago, he was miraculously healed from Crohn’s disease, a life-threatening intestinal disorder that is considered incurable. “God is a healer, and He healed me,” Heil told Charisma. “So I chose to share that with everyone.”

At the group’s live performances, he often shares his story of faith-healing with concertgoers, and the four other members of the Nashville, contemporary worship band have what they call “ministry time.” A Christian rock group that one newspaper said creates “music that ushers people into the presence of God,” SonicFlood invites audience members to receive a touch from God through intercession.

Two-thirds of the way through their concerts, Heil and other band members, including drummer Brett Vargason, keyboardist David Alan, bass guitarist Thomas Michael and guitarist Todd Shay, come down from the stage to pray and lay hands on people.

“We tell them, ‘If you have any need, whether it’s physical, spiritual or mental, make your way forward,'” said Heil, who attends Belmont Church, a nondenominational charismatic congregation. “It’s the pinnacle of our set; it’s what we’re focusing on. A lot of times the people we play for are very surprised when we get off the stage and pray with them. They’re like, ‘We’ve never seen a band do that.’ So it’s really fun. It’s my favorite time of the concert.”

Vargason calls the ministry “life-changing.”

“To be able to be used by the Lord is just a privilege,” said Vargason, who along with Michael and Shay attend Grace Presbyterian Church. “It really puts what we do in perspective. I play the drums, but ultimately being in a band and all that really is not that big a deal. It’s who we are in Christ that is the big deal. When we go out and pray for people, it shocks us back into that truth.”

Shay enjoys the ministry time because “it’s not a typical altar call.”

“We don’t count [conversion] numbers and try to categorize all the people into groups,” Shay says. “It’s just a time where we go to God as beggars saying, ‘We need You here in this guy’s life because he doesn’t know You,’ or, ‘We need You in this girl’s life because she’s dying of cancer.’ It’s not about bragging on numbers. It’s just a plea to God for these people.”

Added bassist Michael: “I may be up there worrying about my groove, but there may be someone struggling with getting a divorce or a life-threatening sickness.”

The band members, who all are in their 30s, have received testimonies from people they have ministered to, including a young teen who was healed miraculously after Jason Ingram, a Christian artist who toured with SonicFlood last year, prayed for her.

“She had a tumor on her neck, and [Ingram] just went and slapped his hand down,” Heil said. “He didn’t know it was a tumor or anything. She went to the doctor the next day, but there wasn’t anything there. She called her mom saying, ‘I know the Lord has taken it away.’ It was God’s sovereignty to heal and bless that girl with health.”
Eric Tiansay

Jackson Senyonga’s congregation in Kampala has grown from seven people to 22,000 since 1995
Jackson Senyonga was left to die in a garbage heap when he was 3 months old. Today he pastors the 22,000-member Christian Life Church (CLC) in East Africa and is a key leader in a nation that has turned from the destruction of tyranny to the stability and peace of Christianity.

Senyonga told Charisma that although his native country of Uganda was birthed out of witchcraft and controlled by demon worshipers, it is being transformed by prayer, the Bible and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“The Lord called Uganda as a nation to tell other nations about the simple message of Jesus Christ,” Senyonga said. “But we had to pay a terrible price to carry that message.”

The 35-year-old pastor referred to the horrific acts of violence and death suffered by many Ugandans from 1971 to 1979 at the hands of now deposed and exiled Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. During Amin’s “reign of terror,” he was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people–including Senyonga’s father. Tortured, beaten and run out of their homes, people across the country were forced to their knees to petition God for mercy.

Uganda is now reaping the benefits of a nationwide prayer movement that began after the country had suffered at the hands of another tyrant in the 1980s, Milton Obote. “We became too comfortable when God moved on our behalf the first time, and that’s why we had to go through it again with another cruel leader,” Senyonga explained.

And when AIDS swept through the country, the people cried out to God, and once again He moved. Today, Uganda is experiencing spiritual and community transformation in political circles, the marketplace and in the church. Many of Uganda’s politicians are acknowledging God in political

affairs as they seek Him for wisdom. Prayer has been initiated in state-
government offices, and some judges pray before they convene for court, Senyonga said.

In a historic move, the nation’s president, Yoweri Museveni and his wife, Janet, issued a proclamation in 2000 rededicating the nation to God and renouncing its sins.

God moved on Senyonga’s heart 8-1/2 years ago to do His work, Senyonga said. The Lord told him that He was tired of his “small mind” toward His work. The young church-planter continued in prayer until God instructed him to start a church in the bustling city of Kampala, the capital.

“The Lord told me that if I would obey, He would use my obedience to touch my city, my nation and the nations around me,” he said.

As a result, Senyonga and his wife, Eve, saw CLC grow from seven people to 2,000 people during two weeks of 1995. Within its first 10 months, the church had swelled to 7,000 people. Located in one of the worst neighborhoods of Kampala, the church grew because thousands of unbelievers began to see God’s power at work in their own lives.

When a local witch doctor came to CLC to place a death curse on Senyonga, people in the community flocked to watch the pastor drop dead. After three days had passed and Senyonga was still teaching and preaching the gospel, the witch doctor and others quickly gave their lives to Christ. That demonstration of God’s might prompted thousands of others to accept Christ and join CLC.

CLC’s 22,000 members support its radio and TV stations. Church members minister to the community with food, clothing, counseling and educational training.

Pastor Daniel Nkata, founder of Reach-out Village Ministries, which helps underprivileged children, said Senyonga is a godsend. “He’s helping churches come together in unity because he’s a man for the people,” Nkata explained.

He praised Senyonga’s commitment to help indigenous churches and missionaries in his role as leader of the 300-member National Fellowship of Born-Again Churches.

For Senyonga, preaching to thousands of people is a good thing, but he said it’s more important to see people’s lives changed forever by the Holy Spirit.
Valerie G. Lowe

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.

RADIO STATION NIXES ‘GRAPHIC’ FOCUS ON THE FAMILY KWVE
In Santa Ana, Calif., run by Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, dropped James Dobson’s Focus on the Family radio show from its format because the broadcasts were too graphic. A statement at KWVE’s Web site says concerns came to a head earlier in the year with a series of broadcasts on women and sexuality, which included ” [discussions] concerning marital sex.” Paul Hetrick, Focus’ vice president of media relations, said the organization was “shocked” at the decision. He says the program has not changed in Focus’ 25-year history, but tackles tougher issues.

MUSLIM CLERIC WANTS CHRISTIAN LEADERS KILLED
An Iranian newspaper reported that during an Oct. 11 prayer sermon, Ayatollah Mohsen Mujtahed Shabestari called for the killing of Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell, evangelist Franklin Graham and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson for a recent series of disparaging remarks they made about Islam. Shabestari reportedly referred to the three as “the Israeli mercenaries” who needed to be “separated from other Christians.” Experts say the ministers’ remarks sparked riots in India, helped religious parties win elections in Pakistan and undermined public sympathy in Islamic countries for the U.S. war on terrorism, The Washington Post reported. Falwell recently apologized for calling Muhammad, the founder of Islam, a “terrorist” during a 60 Minutes broadcast in October. But Akbar Ahmed, chairman of Islamic studies at American University, said Falwell’s comments already had been “flashed all over the Muslim world” and “are doing serious damage to U.S. interests,” the Post said.

MISS AMERICA ‘BULLIED’ OVER ABSTINENCE MESSAGE
Pageant officials are allowing Miss America, who is a Spirit-filled Christian, to talk publicly about sexual abstinence as part of her platform. Pageant officials reportedly urged Erika Harold, 22, to talk only about youth-violence prevention. The Washington Times reported that she was “furious” about the decision and said she “will not be bullied.” Miss America President George Bauer later told Harold she could speak out on abstinence along with her violence-prevention platform, reported Project Reality, a pro-abstinence organization Harold is affiliated with.

CHURCH MEMBERS CONVICTED OF ABUSE
An Atlanta pastor and four members of his church were convicted Oct. 17 of abuse for whipping two boys in front of the congregation. Arthur Allen Jr., 70, who leads the House of Prayer, and the other defendants were found guilty of aggravated assault and cruelty to children and were given prison sentences ranging from 20 to 90 days, the Associated Press reported. They were also fined amounts ranging from $250 to $8,000, placed on probation and ordered to attend parenting classes. Members of the 150-strong congregation have repeatedly said the church was being persecuted for its biblical beliefs.

Bishops Council Examines Pearson’s Doctrine

Bishop Carlton Pearson agreed to appear before the World Bishops Council (WBC) in October to address their concerns over his teaching on universal reconciliation. Pearson is not a member of the 488-strong WBC, a broad ecumenical group comprised of Catholic, Episcopalian, Orthodox, Lutheran and Pentecostal bishops. WBC president Timothy Paul said the closed-door meeting was called after the group received more than 100 e-mails inquiring about Pearson’s doctrine.

Juanita Bynum Marries

Well-known preacher and author Juanita Bynum and Bishop Thomas Wesley Weeks Jr. announced their marriage during a live interview on the Trinity Broadcasting Network Oct. 1. The couple was married this summer during a small, private ceremony. The groom is the founder and pastor of the Center of (Helping Other People to Excel) New Destiny Christian Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The newlyweds, who both have been married before, plan to have a public wedding ceremony in April.

Jonah Debuts at No. 6

Jonah–a VeggieTales Movie was the No. 6 film after its Oct. 4 debut, earning $6.5 million, the Associated Press said. The weekend’s only other new wide release, Red Dragon, debuted at No. 1 with $37.5 million. Jonah, however, was released in just 940 theaters, while Red Dragon played in more than 3,000, Reuters reported. In its third week Jonah had grossed $16.2 million and had been viewed on 1,581 screens.

BOOKS

Ordinary Heroes Of the Bible

They Walked With the Savior
By Scott Hagan, Charisma House,
223 pages, paperback, $

The first book in the Supporting Cast Trilogy by Michigan pastor Scott Hagan presents a collection of word paintings that provide a fresh perspective on 20 often-cited Gospel characters who encountered Jesus. Very visual, They Walked With the Savior reads like a beautifully illustrated Bible storybook for adults, sure to impress its images on the heart.

Hagan places the 20 Gospel characters in three categories according to the relationship ensuing from their encounter with Jesus. The first seven, including Zacharias and Martha, discovered their need for Him. Another six encountered Jesus’ power and forgiveness, such as the hemorrhaging woman and the Samaritan woman. The final seven found their destiny in Him, among them Simeon and Anna.

Readers will readily discern life application of the Gospels through this study, especially because Hagan, pastor of Grand Rapids First Assembly of God, so often shares the life lessons he has learned for himself. Readers not only gain new insight into oft-repeated narratives, but they also develop a new appreciation for the humanity they share with the 20 biblical characters. Those who believed they knew these characters before will certainly be delighted with these intimate portraits.

Hagan leads ordinary Christians to understand that they also may experience extraordinary encounters with the Savior in their daily walks with Him.
Pamela Robinson

God’s Business

Anointed for Business
By Ed Silvoso, Regal, 160 pages,

paperback, $.

When many people think of the term “anointed,” images of fivefold ministers often come to mind. But in his recent release, Anointed for Business, author Ed Silvoso encourages readers to broaden that definition to include those ministering in the workplace. He explains that all Christians are set aside for service–some in the church, others in the business world.

Silvoso, founder of Harvest Evangelism, scoffs at the notion that the pulpit is the more lofty pursuit when it comes to ministry; he believes Christians should bloom where they are planted–even if they are in a boardroom. He writes that believers should use their jobs and influence in the marketplace (whether in business, education, government or other field) to change the world for Christ. Citing numerous scriptural references throughout, he notes that all the disciples were businessmen before entering full-time ministry with Jesus. Even Jesus made a living as a carpenter before entering ministry.

The book also challenges the perception that success in business (and its financial rewards) lies in contrast with Christian principles. Silvoso writes that as long as the motive for profit is pure and the means ethical, monetary compensation is a gift from God. He also speaks about the social gap between the haves and have-nots, and explains how Christians in the business environment can bring reconciliation.

Anointed for Business challenges all Christians to look at their occupations as their parishes, and their co-workers as their congregations. By doing so, they bring the message of Jesus to those who may never step into a church. Silvoso also
encourages believers to allow God to use the marketplace to shape their destinies and to enlarge the body of Christ.

Andrea R. Williams

Humility’s Heights

The Low Road to New Heights
By Wellington Boone, Doubleday,
196 pages, hardcover, $

In his challenging and inspiring book The Low Road to New Heights, Wellington Boone identifies the source that often leads Christians to feel depressed and defeated in their lives, offering spiritual therapy to recover from the common curse of “self”–pride.

Humility, prayer and leading by serving remove pride, Boone writes. The pastor of The Father’s House in Atlanta and chief overseer of the Fellowship of International Churches, Boone identifies modern problems, common trends and dangerous temptations, showing how Christians can grow in grace, faith and maturity.

He writes that selfish demands–such as using prayer to get one’s way or searching for a superstar’s voice of God–make God’s people shallow. He reminds readers, “No good father gives a child everything he wants.”

Contending that many have lost the willingness to sacrifice, Boone argues against churches that have little more than an entertainment medium: “It’s time for the Church to develop saints with substance who are willing to lay down their lives, who are committed to reaching people, regardless of the personal cost, and become spans in the bridge of reconciliation to God.”

Written for those sidetracked or stuck in their journey toward Christ-likeness, Boone challenges Christians to truly die to self. Taking such a road, he believes, can lead servants to new heights.
Chris Maxwell

MUSIC

Singing Around the Christmas Tree

Christmas in Black and White
By Nicole C. Mullen, Word.

It is hard to argue about the appeal of Nicole C. Mullen. As the 2002 Dove Award recipient for female vocalist of the year, Mullen has established herself as a great musical artist whose talent goes far beyond just stellar vocals. In time for the Christmas season, Mullen has released Christmas in Black and White.

Sharing production responsibilities with her husband, David, Mullen has woven an album that seems to give a glimpse into what is important to the Mullen family at Christmastime. As a result, it is not only a remake of Christmas classics, but it is also a new work full of original material.

There are even some tracks that are of people telling Christmas stories in the foreground, and others where these stories make up the background sounds. The result is an album that plays like a visit to the Mullens’ reverent and joyful house. The music and mood of the disc are quite laid-back and extremely comfortable.

For those looking for the vocal power of songs such as “Redeemer,” this project may seem slim, but for those who love Mullen’s trademark vocals and instrumentation, Christmas in Black and White deals up extra portions. Songs such as “Lamb of God” and “Merry Christmas, Baby,” along with Mullen’s rendition of “Angels We Have Heard on High” will delight listeners. But without a doubt the crown of this offering is a priceless collaboration with Phil Keaggy on “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” This song alone is easily worth the price of admission.

For those looking for a bit of a departure from traditional Christmas albums, Christmas in Black and White is a fresh prospect. For those who enjoy the classics, there are still some great nuggets that will catch the listener’s ear.
Doug Joseph

Holiday Harmony

Rose of Bethlehem
By Selah, Curb Records

Rose of Bethlehem is the first Christmas-themed project from Selah. Siblings Todd and Nicol Smith, and friend Alan Hall continue to establish themselves with yet another solid offering that should once again give them deserved recognition.

Rose of Bethlehem is full of choice selections. Nicol’s vocals on the slightly modernized version of “What Child Is This?” are compelling and moving. The timely harmonies on songs such as “Silent Night” and the wonderfully upbeat song “Light of the Stable” add significantly to the overall quality of the album. The unexpected vocal support of Dolly Parton on the track “Once Upon a Christmas” is surprisingly refreshing.

The excellent production of Selah and Jason Kyle, who together have produced all three Selah releases, complements the musicianship of this exceptional project. The end result is a truly great Christmas offering from this young trio. Rose of Bethlehem successfully blends old and new to make a truly worthwhile experience.

Doug Joseph

VIDEOS

Capturing Worship Live on Video

Worship
By Michael W. Smith, Reunion Records,
DVD/VHS, Dolby Digital 5.1

My first impression that Michael W. Smith was delivering something very real in his new video, Worship, came when a person watching the DVD with me began to cry. Within minutes it became clear this person was being touched by God in some deeply personal way. What surprised me about this was the timing–Smith was only halfway through his first song.

Worship provides continuity to Smith’s recent emergence as a “worshiper,” and–being a visual work–it also provides a product bridge between Smith’s CD released last year (also titled Worship) and his new October CD release, titled Worship Again. The DVD includes songs from both projects and was filmed at the Skyreach Centre, a hockey arena in Edmonton, Alberta, during a youth conference last April.

After leading off with a medley of “Step by Step” (Rich Mullins) and his own “Hallelujah,” Smith continued with a finely played set list that included classics such as “Open the Eyes of My Heart” and “Awesome God,” as well as a cover of U2’s “40.” The trilogy of “Breathe,” “Let It Rain” and “Agnus Dei” climaxed with the audience of 15,000 singing the chorus without accompaniment for close to five minutes, in what appeared to be a spontaneous expression.

By this time the person with me had segued from tears into a quiet personal encounter with God. It offered visual evidence that Worship delivers on its theme. Let’s hope Smith forges deeper into this type of musical and spiritual expression.
Jimmy Stewart

At one time or another we all have asked ourselves the universal question: What on earth am I here for? The good news is that pastor and author Rick Warren has written a book to help answer that question. It is titled The Purpose Driven Life, the sequel to Warren’s blockbuster volume The Purpose Driven Church, which has sold more than a million copies since its release in 1995.

Organized into 40 short chapters, the book can be read as a daily devotional or used for small-group study. Compelling questions also are included for personal reflection and group discussion. “You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense,” Warren writes. “But if you’ll make a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, you’ll make a great Christian.”

Warren suggests God created people for five purposes. He says we were planned for God’s pleasure, formed for God’s family, created to be like Christ, shaped for serving God and made for a mission. “Most books on purpose miss the point,” he says. “Life is not about you finding yourself; it’s about you fulfilling .”

Other Purpose Driven-related products also are available, including a companion journal and a CD titled Songs for a Purpose Driven Life. Based on the content of the book, the album spans a variety of musical genres from pop to gospel to contemporary Christian.
G. Sean Fowlds

Experiencing the Father’s Embrace
By Jack Frost, Charisma House,
238 pages, paperback, $.

Author Jack Frost introduces the love of Father God in a way that has changed the lives of thousands who have heard him minister on the subject. Frost helps readers untie themselves from religious duty and aggressively pursue the love of God–which can heal past hurts and rid them of unconscious pain.

Spiritual Secrets to Weight Loss
By Dr. Kara Davis, Siloam Press,
233 pages, paperback, $.

For those struggling to lose weight, the real root of obesity may not be physical hunger, but spiritual hunger. So says Dr. Kara Davis, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and an internist at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Many Christians are out of shape spiritually, she says, and their “silver bullet” is in understanding the power of the fruit of the Spirit to work miracles in their lives. Examining each fruit, Davis writes that a life in the Spirit could be a Christian’s secret weapon for losing weight.

Kissing the Face of God
By Sam Hinn, Charisma House,
224 pages, paperback, $.

Author Sam Hinn feeds an insatiable hunger to develop a more intimate relationshiop with God as he urges readers to develop a lifestyle of worship. In this revealing message, Hinn weaves together the coming move of God with his personal encounters with the Holy Spirit. His unforgettable stories will help readers develop a practical lifestyle of worship–without a worship leader, vocalists, keyboard or music. Speaking to all generations, Hinn urges men and women to live every day in close proximity to God, where they will see more of His glory, His presence and His character, and then imitate Him.

When Heaven Is Silent
By Ed Montgomery, Creation House Press,
195 pages, paperback, $.

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Author Ed Montgomery asks the tough questions Christians “have been told they must not ask.” Writing as a father who lost his 14-year-old daughter to cancer, Montgomery probes the
issues of tragedy and triumph, pain and purpose to show how they are intimately connected. He says readers will discover how to pick up the broken pieces in their lives and shape them into steppingstones that lead to a place of restored faith, hope, peace and joy.

The Twelve Transgressions
By Sergio Scataglini, Charisma House,
228 pages, paperback, $.

Christians with even the best intentions commit transgressions that can release poison in their marriages, families, careers and the body of Christ. Author Sergio Scataglini acknowledges this and shows readers how to avoid falling into these traps. Profiling 12 biblical characters who loved God yet made costly mistakes, Scataglini explains how readers can dodge such sins as using carnal means to reap divine benefits, fearing man more than God, using godly anger in ungodly ways, putting charisma over character and failing to set boundaries. These sins lurk in the shadows, he writes, to hinder holiness and block a believer’s relationship with God.

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