A few years ago I had a somewhat perplexing dream. In this dream I was about five months pregnant. Now, for starters, I’m not married and had no reason to be pregnant. I was trying to deny it, but my mid-section was clearly swelling—and it wasn’t from eating too many tasty empanadas from the corner Cuban café. In my dream I asked a trusted friend what she thought. To my dismay, she said, “You’re definitely pregnant!”

To say I was none too happy would be a monumental understatement. A flood of thoughts rushed at me in my dream state. “How will I get all my work done with a newborn baby to care for? I’m too busy for this! My life is challenging enough as it is. This is certainly no time to complicate things with a baby!” Even still, I knew there was no way of escape on this one. I had a sense that I really didn’t have a choice in the matter. This baby was coming into the world in about four months whether I liked it or not.

Then I woke up…perplexed.

I’m not spiritually dense. I understood the overarching meaning of the dream. God was birthing a new thing in my life. We were a little more than halfway through the incubation process, and I needed to align my will with His in a hurry. My prophetic friends all chimed in as to what this “baby” could be. Some said it was a new ministry. Others said it would ultimately be a good thing, though times were likely to get rough over the next few months. They were all right.

It’s interesting how God gives His prophets different angles on a thing and at times they seem almost to contradict one another, but in the end you can see how it all fits together. The Messianic prophecies are a good example. But I digress. Or do I? It’s been a few years since I had that dream, and I’ve had others about the baby as both an infant and a toddler since then. In the last dream in this series, the baby was born as a full grown man child and started running as soon as he was delivered.

The Lord recently brought these things to my remembrance while I was reading about Mary, the human mother of Jesus, and a Messianic prophecy she received that changed her life. And there’s a lesson in it for us all.

You’ll remember when the angel Gabriel, often seen delivering messages to God’s people, found Mary in Nazareth. Gabriel told Mary she was highly favored of the Lord, and blessed among women. Then Gabriel delivered his prophetic message: “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (Luke 1:31 NIV). Mary was perplexed and asked the angel how it was possible, seeing as she was a virgin.

Imagine the flood of thoughts rushing through Mary’s mind. She wasn’t married, so turning up pregnant would be more than a little inconvenient to her lifestyle. Unlike my superficial complaints over finding time to get my work done with a newborn’s diapers to change, Mary’s prophetic revelation could have cost her everything. Not only was she in danger of losing Joseph, she could also find herself on trial for fornication. Fornication was reason enough to be stoned under Mosaic Law. Mary probably met with demon-inspired imaginations about her fate.

Then Gabriel answered Mary. “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1: 35). Gabriel also gave her two other insights. He told Mary that her cousin, Elisabeth, who had been barren, was pregnant in her old age. He also told her all things were possible with God. At this news, Mary probably remembered Abraham and Sara’s miracle baby and began to put her faith in God.

“Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true’” (Luke 1:38 NLT). Mary displayed willingness and obedience to allow the Lord to use her however He chose. I don’t believe He would have used her if she had not been willing and obedient. God will not violate our will. That’s why, after I awakened from my pregnancy dream, it wasn’t so much about getting revelation on exactly what I was birthing. It was about lining up my will with God’s will in the matter.

Let’s get real. Birthing anything, from a baby to a ministry to a business, is hard work. It changes your life. It forces you to get more disciplined. It challenges you to go deeper in God to find the grace you need to meet with the spiritual stretching you will no doubt experience. Indeed, birthing new things demands many adjustments. That’s why so many people have aborted the call of God on their lives. It’s not that they couldn’t yield to the Spirit of God and work with Him to birth something new. It’s that they were not willing.

I believe God is birthing new things—and He needs people who are like Mary, willing and obedient to allow the Lord to do what He pleases for His glory. Notice I say for His glory. Mary gave birth to Jesus not for herself, but so the sin of the world could be taken away. Whatever the Lord chooses to birth through us—a song, a book, or an entire ministry—remember that it’s not about you. It’s about the people who need what you are carrying. You aren’t carrying the Savior of the world, but you may very well be carrying something that will save people a lot of pain, bring people greater understanding of God’s Word, or give people the hope of fulfilling their purpose and destiny in Christ. Isn’t it worth it?

Jennifer is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including the Heart of the Prophetic. You can e-mail Jennifer at @ or visit her web site at .

Rattled again. Two underwater earthquakes hit Japan on Thursday morning.

The 30-mile-deep quakes spurred a tsunami warning for the already devastated northeast cost of Japan, with a three-foot wave expected. But officials lifted the warning hours later.

The quakes ranked 7.4 on the Richter scale and shook buildings in Tokyo, about 200 miles away. One quake struck about 41 miles east of Sendai and another 200 miles northeast of Tokyo.

Although no damage has been reported to the already compromised nuclear plant, the quake did shake the U.S. stock markets. The Dow Jones industrial average was down points, or percent and the S&P 500 was down points, or .21 percent. The NASDAQ was down points, or percent.

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The founders of Daystar Television Network have acquired WMFE, Orlando’s public TV station, for $3 million.

Marcus and Joni Lamb acquired WMFE, known as Channel 24, through a company called Community Educators of Orlando. The acquisition is pending Federal Communications Commission approval.

WMFE announced a decision to sell its television station on April 1, citing financial strain from decreased donations, critical uncertainties in federal and state funding, and predicted increases in programming costs.

Lamb hinted at the acquisition in an April 2 letter to Daystar partners in which he outlined growth plans for the network. Lamb’s letter noted, “Daystar has reached an agreement in principle to purchase another full power TV station in a Top 20 market, our Network’s 25th full power station.” No immediate plans for the new station have been announced.

Steve Strang, CEO of Charisma Media, which publishes Charisma, Ministry Today and Christian Retailing magazines, along with Christian minister and physician Dr. Don Colbert, and professional golfer Lee Janzen are on the board of directors of Community Educators of Orlando.

Daystar Television Network has emerged as the fastest growing and one of two largest Christian television networks in the world. Daystar operates over 70 television stations in major markets across the United States with production facilities in Dallas, Houston, and Denver. Daystar has a potential audience of over 80 million households in the U.S. alone.

Rebel troops are fighting for freedom in Libya. But Libya Dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s troops on have forced the rebels out of their Brega stronghold.

Now, Libyan rebels are criticizing NATO for not doing enough to help. The anti-government forces only have about 1,000 official military troops to lead hundreds of untrained civilians with a passion for freedom.

Clearly, the unrest in Libya is different than in other Middle Eastern nations. Although anti-government protests have turned violent in Yemen and Syria—and although tensions continue rising across the Middle East—there is a true civil war in Libya.

Charisma News caught up with Dr. Mark Gabriel, who was born and raised in Egypt as a Muslim before converting to Christianity, changing his name, and moving to the U.S., to discuss his take on Libya and the future of the evangelism in the Middle Eastern nation.

Charisma News: What are your observations on Libya? 

Gabriel: These coming days are going to be difficult days for Libya and the Libyans. The violence is going to increase severely in these coming days. It has reached a very serious stage. But my expectation is that the Libyan people will win the battle.  And they will throw the Gaddafi regime away. These things are going to take time and many, many people are going to die.  

Charisma News: How is what’s going on in Libya different than what happened in Egypt?

Gabriel: The regime of Libya who has controlled the nation for the past 42 years radicalized the nation. The Libyan people are very tough. When you deal with Libyan people, you’ll find yourself dealing with very harsh and tough people.  This toughness is because of the Bedouin lifestyle. The Bedouin is a tribal system of Arabs that you don’t see in Egypt.  

 At the same time the influence of this regime in the past 42 years has brought nothing to civilize to educate the nation. So you’re dealing with people that are very, very aggressive, both the people who are demonstrating and the people who are allies with Gaddafi himself.

Therefore, the conflict in Libya is taking a totally different direction than Egypt or Tunisia. I believe the people are going to win the battle and the regime of Gaddafi is going to be crushed somehow.

Charisma News: What happens then? How will a victory for the people change the face of Libya?

Gabriel: I have very positive feelings that the Libyan people are going to put their foot in the right position and start a new page.  Libya is very open to the world community. This is why we have to pray for these Libyan people who are demonstrating and fighting against this regime. We will pray for their liberty there because God is going to glorify Himself through this difficult situation. When the change happens the country will become a democratic society. Then you’re going to see total liberty and freedom for Christians to go there and live there and share the gospel. 

Tired of Facebook? Looking for a more spiritual alternative where you can fellowship online with those of like precious faith?

There’s a new Christian social network online that aims to gather people who name Jesus as Lord.

Dubbed , the online community just launched. It offers free profiles for Christians who want to meet new friends, arrange Bible study groups, and search for Christian resources. The site also invites business owners, churches, ministries and organizations to create listings and classifieds on the network.

“Our vision is to grow a loving and safe Web environment to bring Christians together locally and around the world,” says SanctuaryNet founder Gary DeCuir. “We believe that by uniting Christian churches, families, missionaries and business owners, Christ’s mission will come to life and inspire His community to greatness.”

That’s a tall order, but one that Decuir is passionate about. As he sees it, in today’s world the Christian family needs to stick together more than ever and he wants to provide opportunities for this to happen.

Much like Facebook, lets you create a profile with detailed information about yourself, including your church denomination, hobbies, occupation, and favorite Bible verses. You can also search for Christians with similar interests and send friend requests, develop groups based on common interests, and send event invitations.

Some ministries are suggesting Crescent Project’s “31 Days of Prayer for Muslim Women” as a resource to pray for Muslim women in the month of May. Women At Risk International is one of them.

“Women At Risk International is an international organization that creates circles of protection around women and children that are at risk in 25 countries,” explains ministry president Becky McDonald. “We address 14 different risk issues. Many of them are issues that the Muslim world of women deals with.”

Women at Risk International, or WAR International, introduces hope and dignity into the lives of at-risk women and children through various means. The ministry also preaches the truth of the gospel to these vulnerable women.

WAR shares the Crescent Project’s heart for Muslim women. McDonald, who grew up surrounded by women living “behind the veil” can personally attest for the character of these strong women. “They have difficult lives, and they are trying their best to just be a good mom and survive in a world that is really stacked against them in many cases,” attests McDonald.

Despite their often harsh treatment, McDonald says Muslim women almost never complain about their situations. Most of them are just trying to raise their children well and lead pious lives. McDonald says, “They are really seeking to know truth, and they’re up against so many odds.”

McDonald says one of the best ways to get an idea of what their difficult lifestyle looks like is to read the ghost writer book, Princess. As believers grow to understand the lives of Muslim women worldwide, they can better empathize and pray.

Prayer is imperative.

“Because we’re not there, because we are not behind that closed door, because we don’t know what goes on in private (which is where the trouble happens in their lives), prayer is that one way to get behind closed doors,” expresses McDonald.

As a result, WAR International is encouraging people to spend May-the month in which Mother’s Day is celebrated-in prayer for Muslim women, and especially Muslim mothers. They suggest Crescent Project’s 31-day prayer guide as a resource.

“This is a precious month to honor our mothers and to honor these mothers there who are desperately trying to raise their children,” says McDonald, who reminds us that mothers are vital keys to raising generations that seek to live peacefully.

Most people do not have the ability or know-how to enter the Middle East and help transform the lives of struggling Muslim women–which is all the more reason to pray. God has the ability and power to bring peace and the Truth to these women, and, as McDonald puts it, “His work is far more significant than anything we might come up with.”

Terry Jones may go down in Charismatic church history as a religious zealot who burned a Koran, inciting riots in Afghanistan that killed nearly 20 people and injured another 90.

Indeed, Fox’s Bill O’Reilly called him an “insane Christian” and an “idiot” with “blood on his hands.” And members of his former flock are vocal about his cult-like rules.

Jones has said he’s willing to die for what he believes in, and he just might. There are significant death threats and even bounties on his head.

How does the mind of a man who essentially disregards the strong advice of both the U.S. president and the Catholic pope think? New raw interview footage at offers some insight into the thought process of the pastor much of the world has painted as a villain. 

The online Christian network has decided to release never-before-aired footage of an interview with Jones, pastor of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla. The raw footage records Jones saying Christians, Christian TV networks, and pastors are “cowards and they have no guts.”

During the interview, Jones addresses allegations of child pornography and rumors of an $180,000 dollar security bill for his protection. With regard to radical Muslims, he boldly asserts that “they must kill us to stop us.” Jones also discusses the more than 300 death threats made against him, and confesses that he and his staff carry weapons for their protection.

“Islam is of the Devil and it leads you to the Koran leads to terrorist activities, murder, violence, and rape,” Jones says in the interview. Despite his reputation for spouting hatred against Muslims, Jones claims he “loves Muslims” and calls the media “a necessary evil.”

The interview takes place before the Koran burning, but David Wright, CEO of , decided it would be in the best interest of the world at large to understand how Jones thinks and reasons.

“I truly believe that once the media airs this interview it will show all people, Muslims and Christians, the true motive behind Pastor Jones actions and people will make up their own minds in how to judge his actions and words,” Wright says. “Hopefully this raw footage will in some way help to put an end to the violence based on one pastor’s actions.”

Watch the Terry Jones interview.

Infants born in the Congo today are battling two deadly diseases: measles and cholera.

Indeed, measles are spreading quickly in the African nation. According to the latest figures form local health authorities, 16,112 suspected cases of measles have been reported since early 2011. At least 210 are dead—90 in the Katanga province.

Measles is highly contagious, and can lead to pneumonia, severe dehydration, blindness and death, especially among children. When a population has not been vaccinated, measles can kill between one and 15 percent of afflicted children, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). That number rises to 25 percent among those with impaired access to healthcare. It only cost $1 for the vaccine.

Health and humanitarian workers report that the measles virus has spread beyond a few rural areas to cities and is poised to move beyond five provinces to the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, there is danger from a new cholera outbreak in and around Kisangani, in the north of the country. Cholera kills by causing an infection in the small intestine, which leads to severe dehydration.

Humanitarian missions are racing to the rescue.

MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) is airlifting emergency immunizations and humanitarian health workers into remote areas of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) while the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the American Red Cross are working to increase the number of volunteers for the vaccination campaign.

“Even the few existing roads in DRC are in poor condition from lack of maintenance, and in the rainy season they’re totally impassible, hence air travel is the sole means of transport to most of the country,” says John Boyd, MAF president and CEO.

Garth Pederson, a Kinshasa-based MAF pilot, says MAF has flown 12 charter flights for MSF since January, including four within the last 10 days that transported 35 Congolese and European humanitarian health workers to Tshikapa in Kasai province, 350 miles east of Kinshasa. From there, workers travel by vehicle or motorcycle to outlying communities, Pederson says.

“The success of measles vaccination campaigns depends largely on spreading the word to communities,” says Dr Alain Kapete, from the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Red Cross volunteers make door-to-door visits to ensure all children, especially those in remote villages, are included in the immunization campaign. We need to vaccinate as many children as possible to prevent the spread of the virus.”

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Nearly two dozen have died, including seven UN workers, and nearly 150 are wounded as a result of the demonstrations across Afghanistan that began April 1.

The murders took place in Mazar-i-Sharif after extremists overran the United Nations compound there as the frenzy began to take hold.
The protests were driven by anger at a self-named Christian leader who supervised the burning of a Quran in front of about 50 people at a church in Florida on March 20 following a mock trial. Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs says, “A small church in Florida held what they called a ‘trial’ for the Quran. They ended up finding it guilty of whatever charges, and they lit the Quran on fire.”

What’s worse, “They actually streamed this ‘service’ live on the Internet for the world to see and posted the video apparently on their church Web site. The Islamic world responded with anger and outrage.” Not surprisingly, this pastor has also been the target of more than 300 death threats, and the Taliban responded with a $2.4 million bounty on his head.   

There’s an increasing concern about how quickly related violence is spreading. For example, Nettleton says, “If you’re angry at something that a Christian pastor has done, you strike back against any American, and you strike back against a Christian. Christians become a target. Churches become a target. It really just spirals from there.”

And this has already proven true: “There are churches in Pakistan that were attacked with stones and fire. We’re seeing a lot of anger around the Muslim world that is coming back against Americans, against people of other countries, and against Christians.”

Mobs formed in Wah Cantt, and the attacks raised questions about the already shaky security for believers in Pakistan. The unrest follows the recent assassinations of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti. Both men were known for their outspoken views on the blasphemy law and for their sympathy of the Christian plight.

Watchdog and advocacy groups like Voice of the Martyrs keep the persecuted church in front of those who are resourced to respond. Nettleton says there are a lot of things to pray for in this scenario. “I think we can pray for Muslims to take a hard look at their take a hard look at the Quran, at what it says, and hopefully to be influenced by the difference that the Gospel an make.”

The actions of an American at the helm of the Dove Outreach Center in Florida are not ones that speak of the love of Christ. However, it is one way to counter the anger that fuels the violence. It presents an opportunity for Christians to step forward and say, ‘The way we act like Christ is by loving our enemies. It’s by offering forgiveness to those who persecute us. It presents an opportunity for a real practical example of what Christ’s love can look like.

It’s National Networking Week—but not the kind of networking you might think. No, it’s not about organizing power lunches to make new business and ministry connections. It’s about using social networking tools to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

During National Networking Week, Christians are encouraged to post more God-honoring social networking updates—one a day all week.

With 500 million people on Facebook—that’s 7 percent of the world’s population—and another 50 million people on Twitter, the opportunity to spread God’s Word is real and growing.

Imagine if the apostles in the early New Testament days could update their Facebook status and impact the lives of hundreds or thousands of people all at once?

Reinhard Bonnke is a good example of using Facebook to reach the masses. His Facebook page has more than 250,000 members and he posts inspirational messages several times a day. One of his recent messages reads, “This world has false standards, false values, false gods, and false heroes. Its honor is a wreath of fading fame. True greatness is not bigness or spiritual prominence. It is doing the will of God.”

Joyce Meyer has more than 1 million Facebook fan page members. She posts status updates like “What do you do when disappointment comes? You can either let it press you down or you can use it as a stepping-stone to better things.”

But National Networking week aims to give regular Joes and Janes an opportunity to reach their friends with the Word of God in an easy-going way. It’s like planting a seed in the garden of someone’s soul—and it only takes a minute.

Marnie Swedburg, author of SANE: Social Networking in 15 Minutes a Day, is sponsoring National Networking Week. As she sees it, the key to reaching others for Christ is authenticity, whether online or face-to-face. While some people feel great about posting pithy comments, others about posting Bible verses and still others about posting a link to an uplifting YouTube video, she says, each person needs to find their own fit.

“The average social networking site member has 120 connections,” Swedburg says. “Each time a person sees a posted comment and either shares it, comments on it, or retweets it, the original comment is given a new audience to influence, and at no point does the networking host stop this outward flow. The powerful potential makes some people put on facades.”