It seemed like a Norman Rockwell scene: Six young friends, four girls and two guys, gathered around a table at the local Steak ‘n Shake, enjoying some milkshakes and time together.

Until something spoiled that moment—the same “something” that seems to spoil many of our moments today. Our obsession with technology has snatched our attention away from anything resembling real relationships.

“Each kid had a cellphone,” says Dr. Steve Greene, who sat at a nearby table, on a popular episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast network. “And so you can probably guess where the rest of the story is going; it’s going to the thumbs. The thumbs were all over those phones.”

Greene says he watched the table closely, and none of the young people ever put down their smartphone. “Yet they laughed at each other. They were cutting up; having a great time.”

What he noticed, Greene says, was “more attention being placed on the apparatus, the technology, than on what kids used to do when they would go to Steak ‘n Shake—they would relate to each other. They would talk more to each other. They would look at each other.”

To hear the rest of the story—and the lesson for leaders Greene pulls from it—listen to the entire episode of Greenelines at this link, and be sure to subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform for more inspiring stories like this one. {eoa}

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MercyMe’s inhale (exhale) may be the band’s most collaborative work yet, featuring disco queen Gloria Gaynor on “Brand New” and Rascal Flatts lead vocalist Gary LeVox on “A Little Love” along with other out-of-band writers. But there’s no question which collaborative effort has most captured the heart of lead singer Bart Millard: “On Our Way,” co-written by his son Sam Wesley, 19, who also sings on this track (watch the official lyric video for “On the Way” here).

“We’ve got a few cool features on the album, but that one really means the most to me,” Millard tells host Dr. Steve Greene on a popular episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. He also shares the story of how the song came about—including the awkward dad moment that helped put the song on the album.

“My son was writing with some friends of his … they actually got some publisher that was out there looking for songs for American Idol where they pay a couple hundred dollars, flat rate and no royalties or anything; it feels like a little bit of a scam,” Millard says. “But they heard about the opportunity; they wanted to try to do it.

“And he played me the chorus, and I said, ‘Buddy, this is really good. I don’t know if you should be giving this to the publisher,” Millard explains. “You should hold onto it for another opportunity.”

“And so I was playing it for the band and the label, just bragging on my son, and the label said, ‘Man, you should consider this for the album. It’s really good,'” he says.

And then came the awkward dad moment, Millard says. He had to go back to his son and tell him, “Hey, Daddy likes your song; now Daddy wants your song.”

“So we ended up recording it, and Sam just kind of sang the back half of the demo because I was sick that day,” Millard says. “He wasn’t meant to sing on it, but everyone said, ‘Man, we should leave him on there.’ It was a huge proud moment for me for sure.”

For more stories behind the songs on MercyMe’s new hit album, inhale (exhale), listen to the entire episode of Greenelines here, and be sure to subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform for more inspiring stories like this one. Find inhale (exhale) wherever fine music is sold. {eoa}

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A pastor, charged by God to “keep your lighthouse open” despite COVID-19 restrictions.

A sheriff, charged by his oath of office to enforce the law.

A recipe for conflict? In many cases, yes. But as Pastor Caleb Cooper tells host Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network, this situation catapulted him into a strong relationship with his local sheriff—and later propelled him into the writing of a new book, The Call for Strong Godly Leadership: A Compilation of Leaders from the Church, Marketplace and Law Enforcement.

“We received a voicemail on the phone, and it clearly said that the church is nonessential and must be shut down,” recalls Cooper, pastor of New Hope Revival Church in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. “From that moment, I went straight to the sheriff’s office, knowing that the sheriff is really the last line of defense concerning our constitutional rights.

“I sat down and I said, ‘Sheriff Glenn Hamilton, I’ve watched you fight for the Second Amendment, you and 29 sheriffs in the state,'” Cooper says. “You fought for gun rights; I want to know if you’ll fight for God rights.

“And he looked me right in the eye; he said, ‘Pastor, I will defend your rights to have church, even if that means I have to go to jail,'” Cooper says.

That began a continuing relationship between Cooper and Hamilton that included Hamilton deputizing members of Cooper’s congregation and helping him stand up against New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham for the church’s right to worship. More recently, it has included Cooper choosing to include chapters from law enforcement officials, including Hamilton, in his new book.

“Give those in blue a voice,” Cooper says the Holy Spirit told him as he set out to write the book.

His hope, he says, is to “build or rebuild the relationship between the church and law enforcement today,” and he has already gotten the book, with its many contributions from law enforcement officers, into the hands of a number of law enforcement officials. “They’re also going to hear godly leadership,” Cooper says. And so the hope is we’ll build a bridge between the church and law enforcement; we’ll labor together.”

For much more from Pastor Caleb Cooper on the church, law enforcement and the bond the two share under God, listen to this entire episode of Greenelines, and be sure to subscribe to the Greenelines podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Check out Cooper’s new book, The Call for Strong Godly Leadership, wherever fine books are sold, and listen to his podcast, Uncompromised Revival Fire, also on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

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God can bring life from dead bones. We read that familiar story in Ezekiel 37, but do we believe it in our daily lives?

Pastor, author and podcast host Steve Hannett does—and he’s seen God show up in wonder-working power to do just that. He shares a powerful story of a miraculous healing with Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network.

Not long ago, a woman came to his church who had been watching services online. She had endured the pain of a spinal deformation, which led to a neck deformation, for 38 years.

“And all of a sudden, the Lord begins to put on her this desire to come into the presence of God in the sanctuary,” Hannett says.

The church had been presenting a drama about how God brings life to dead bones, Hannett explains. “Can these bones live? Can life once again come to something that looks dead?”

As the Word of God went forth, he says, the woman began to feel hope. If God can bring life to a valley of dry bones, He can touch my body, she thought.

“We pulled her up, and we began to pray for her,” Hannett says. “I prayed for her in the name of Jesus Christ, and the power of God filled her body, because that’s what happens when you speak His name with faith. And she couldn’t remain on her feet; she had never experienced that before.”

“She fell back into the chair, and we just glorified God,” he adds.

But even that didn’t reveal the level of God’s wonder-working power.

“I looked at her and I said, ‘You’re OK, in the name of Jesus,’ and she stood up, weeping uncontrollably, because she felt no pain,” Hannettt says. “Now, this is a woman who had 18 operations. And some of those operations actually were working to burn the nerve endings of her back so she could deal with the level of pain she was experiencing. And she was on a lot of pain management medication.”

Pain had ruled this woman’s life. But even the miraculous, instant resolution of her pain did not yet reveal the level of God’s wonder-working power.

For the rest of the story—and the MRI report that even doctors couldn’t refute—listen to the entire episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network and find out about a special offer just for you. Be sure to subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform for more inspiring stories like this, and check out Hannett’s own Be Healed podcast, podcast, also on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

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Matthew Lilley’s passion for God’s presence bleeds over into everything he does: speaking, writing, podcast hosting and his ministry, Presence Pioneers. But when he can share that passion with others, he knows he’s fulfilling the calling God first put on his heart as a teenager.

A few years ago, Lilley had an experience reminiscent of Paul and Silas’ ministry with the jailer in Acts 16:25-40, where the man and all his household were saved. It all began with 100 hours straight of worship and prayer that Presence Pioneers set out to do in a low-income neighborhood in Greenville, North Carolina. He shares the story on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network.

“We gave away free food, free hot dogs, had ministry teams going out into the neighborhoods, knocking on doors, sharing the gospel with people, offering to pray with people,” Lilley explains. “And there was a couple who came over to the tent to get some free hot dogs. As they’re standing in line, someone from our team goes and talks to them, shares Jesus with them, they get saved on the spot.”

The next day, Lilley says, his team discovered the couple lived right across the street from their outreach tent, so they went over to visit them. “Come to find out, there’s about three or four generations all living together in this house,” he says. “And they’re talking to this great-grandma who’s in a wheelchair … And she’s a believer, and she’s been praying for her family to come to Jesus. And so she was excited that this couple had accepted Jesus. But she said there were others in her family who still hadn’t. And so they invited those in the family who were there.

“At the time, seven or eight people … come into the living room,” Lilley continues. “They shared the gospel with them. They said, ‘Hey, your grandma’s been praying for you. Would you like to follow Jesus?’ And all of them who were in the house got down on their knees and put their faith in Jesus on the spot.”

But the story gets bigger. To hear how God turned this Acts 16 message into a media miracle, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines here, and be sure to subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform. You’ll also find the rest of the story in Lilley’s new book, David’s Tabernacle: How God’s Presence Changes Everything, available wherever fine books are sold. Check out Lilley’s own podcast, Presence Pioneers, also on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

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We all know America as a leader among nations. And we also lead in the Christian world. But is our leadership pulling people into the demonic realm?

“We have absolutely promoted sickness within our church gatherings by serving these foods that are not foods at all,” naturopathic doctor Mark Sherwood tells Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. “They’re actually ‘frankenfood,’ next to demonic foods, and we serve them with a celebratory mindset.”

Sherwood says these evil-inducing foods have led us to be “perpetually inundated with avoidable illnesses in the church, which are type 2 diabetes, many cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, dementia, osteoporosis, non-immune, and we then think, OK, let’s call the prayer chain. But we actually go to the doctor first, which is the most contrary thing that I’ve probably ever heard.

“A lot of this is not just ignorance; it’s actually rebellion” Sherwood says. While he doesn’t place blame solely at the feet of pastors, he adds that he doesn’t understand why they and other leaders who have the truth about good nutrition often refuse to change.

“The standard American diet/lifestyle is utterly demonic to the core—not of God, never of God,” Sherwood says. “All these foods we class as foods today have never been foods. Satan’s whole idea and concept is about substitution. He can’t create; he confuses, he distorts … Jesus calls Himself the bread of life; at the same time, what is the thing that people eat when they go to the comfort food? They go to bread. … When they go to Jesus for a Comforter, the Holy Spirit is our Comforter. He’s our bread, not comfort food … and yet we go there, and we think nothing of it. And then we laugh about it, and we joke about it.”

For more from naturopathic doctor Mark Sherwood on the demonic nature of the average American diet and what we can do to walk in health and wholeness, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines at this link. Be sure to subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform, and check out Sherwood’s podcast, Hope and Health, with his wife, Dr. Michele Sherwood, also on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

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Have you heard the recent uproar from the Hearties? The loyal but outspoken fans of the Hallmark Channel’s top-rated series, When Calls the Heart,, made social media waves recently in protest of the decision to resolve the ongoing love triangle between Elizabeth Thornton Thatcher (Erin Krakow), Mountie Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry) and Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally). Elizabeth’s shocking choice of Lucas in the heart-gripping season eight finale left Team Nathan fans beyond upset. But Brian Bird, the family-friendly show’s executive producer and co-creator, says this difficult creative choice will yield ultimate benefits for all those who love When Calls the Heart.

“Fan polls that are out there indicate that Mountie Nate was the more popular… you know, that was the genesis of When Calls the Heart,” Bird tells host Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. “In Janette Oke’s books, it was a teacher and a Mountie; that was always how it was.”

And despite the outcry, Bird says, the creative reasons behind the choice will “give us more seasons … because we have not gone down that road before. We feel this will breathe some new life into the show, keep us telling fresh and robust and vibrant stories.

“I really feel a big responsibility to give the Hearties Hope Valley for as many seasons as possible,” Bird, who recently saw the series renewed for a ninth season, says. “And we believe that decision is going to make that a possibility. So we took the harder path; there’s no doubt about that.

Bird has responded with grace to the social media criticism the decision has received, and says, “We know that this decision doesn’t sit well with a lot of Hearties. But my request, at least my hope, is that the Hearties will trust us to do the right thing, as we’ve given them a show full of faith and love for eight seasons. And that’s not changing; that’s still the mandate for us. And we believe there’s lots of story left to tell.”

For much more from Brian Bird of When Calls the Heart about season 9, some new projects he’s involved with and even a tease about a potential return of Abigail Stanton (embattled actress Lori Loughlin) to the show, listen to this entire episode of Greenelines here. Be sure to subscribe to the Greenelines podcast on your favorite podcast platform for more interesting, inspiring stories like this one. {eoa}

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Would you like to weigh in on the latest When Calls the Heart controversy? Join the Facebook discussion at this link.

Wars. Rumors of wars. Fires. Earthquakes. Economic collapse. And more. We see it all in the daily news.

“Global events are accelerating,” economist and cultural commentator Michael Snyder tells Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “We’re moving deeper into the period of time the Bible calls the end times,” he adds, noting that these are “exciting” but “deeply troubled” times. What’s more, he says, it has become harder to get the truth out to interested people because of the tight control the mainstream media holds on the public narrative.

“News is a product, and it’s controlled by just a very few hands,” Snyder says. “In fact, just five giant corporations control more than 90% of all the television news that Americans consume.” These same sources control the news whether we access it via the internet or television, he says, adding, “and then you’ve got 15 billionaires who own and control America’s newspaper industry. And collectively, they’ve been designated by Facebook, by Google News, by Twitter as the trusted sources … where the algorithms have been designed to funnel people and to highlight the news from the trusted sources.”

This blocks people like Snyder and other Christian, conservative sources from their former audience, he says. A critical story such as the recent Gallup poll that showed 70% of Americans now favor same-sex marriage, he adds, “Didn’t make the No. 1 headline on any of the news sites, but to me, this was the most significant news story that came out this week, because it really shows the decline of America and where we’re at these days.”

“They really dominate news and information, and they want to keep it that way,” Syder says. “And they’ve gone to great lengths where you’ve got Facebook, you’ve got Twitter, and they’ve cracked down on with censorship. And of course the vast majority of the censorship is against Christians, it’s against conservatives. We saw more big names being banned over the past week.”

All this has a chilling effect on free speech and on the spread of the gospel, Snyder says. “The stuff that is in the Bible is not politically correct at all. And it’s getting worse by the day as our society moves farther and farther away from God. And so at this point, the establishment media is openly anti-Christian.”

For much more from Michael Snyder on the real news behind the false narrative touted by the mainstream media and how it relates to end-times prophecy, listen to this entire episode of Greenelines at this link. Be sure to subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform, and check out Snyder’s recent book, Lost Prophecies of the Future of America, wherever fine books are sold. {eoa}

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America’s mental health crisis extends way beyond statistics, grim though they may be.

It’s the college student raised in a Christian home who chooses the desperate path of suicide.

It’s the teen mocked or bullied at school.

It’s the widow overwhelmed by grief. And so many more.

“Before the pandemic, we had a mental health crisis in our country,” Dr. Tim Clinton, professional counselor, bestselling author and president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, tells Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. He and the AACC offer a powerful solution to help everyone from lay counselors to pastors to mental health professionals to everyday church members address this crisis: the 2021 AACC Waymaker World Conference, taking place Sept. 15-18 at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Florida.

After the problems associated with the pandemic as well as election concerns, racial trauma and more, Clinton says, “It was intuitive that we would have an uptick” in various mental health concerns … “And we have seen that on steroids.

And the church cannot ignore these problems, Clinton says. “We can’t turn a blind eye again and just continue to focus on not ministering to these people who are flooding into our churches looking for help and encouragement.

“If we don’t meet them at that point of need, like Jesus always did, they’ll go bright out the back door, and they’ll wind up believing that God doesn’t have an answer for the pain and the trial and the challenge that they’re going through in this very moment,” he adds.

AACC’s goal, Clinton says, is to be “clinically excellent, meaning understand the latest on what’s happening in the field, and then be biblically anchored and solid theologically. And it’s been stunning to see what God’s done with it.”

The Waymaker World Conference offers 25 tracks and 175 workshops as well as 50 pre-conference workshops, Clinton says, designed for anyone who works or desires to work in the area of biblical Christian mental health ministry. Keynoters include former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson, Lee Strobel, Darryl Strawberry, Lysa TerKeurst, Levi Lusko, Lt. Gen. William Boykin, Shaunti Feldhahn, John Bevere, Sam Rodriguez, Janet Parshall and worship with popular leaders including Danny Gokey and Jeremy Camp.

“I can’t promise everything,” Clinton says. “But I promise you this: You come to the Waymaker World Conference, and you’re going to be excited about what God’s doing in and through Christian counseling and local church ministry.”

For much more from Dr. Tim Clinton about how anyone with a heart for ministry to others can benefit from the 2021 Waymaker World Conference Sept. 15-18 in Orlando, Florida, listen to the entire Greenelines podcast here. Be sure to subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform, and check out Clinton’s books at , {eoa}

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We see headlines about the ongoing crisis in Israel every day—if not every hour. Dr. Michael Brown believes this tragic loss of life in what he says is a “planned provocation by Hamas” is another birth pang pointing to the return of our Savior.

“It’s yet another example of why Jerusalem is the most controversial city on the planet,” the popular author, Messianic Jewish apologist and podcast host tells host Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network.

“Zechariah 12 tells us—just as Acts 1 does—that the Messiah is coming back to that city,” Brown says. “Zechariah 14 explicitly says his feet will touch down in the Mount of Olives just as in Acts 1. He left from there; He’ll return there. And a Jewish Jerusalem must welcome him back.

“And therefore, Satan will do all in his power to stop that,” he adds. “Zechariah 12 says Jerusalem will be a stone that makes people stumble, that it will be the ultimate place of controversy at the end of the age. All nations will one day come against it. Whether that means every nation on the planet, or a coalition of nations, they’ll come against Jerusalem, and a Jewish Jerusalem will welcome the Messiah back.

Brown says Satan intends to destroy the Jewish people. “If you can’t wipe out the Jewish people, you certainly want to keep Jerusalem from being in their hands,” he says. “And if you can’t keep Jerusalem from being in their hands, you certainly want to keep them from believing in Jesus the Messiah. That’s why the controversy over Jerusalem and the land of Israel.”

For much more from Dr. Michael Brown on the current crisis, why Satan is targeting Jews and how anti-Semitism is rearing its ugly head even among Christians today, listen to this entire episode of Greenelines and subscribe to Greenelines on your favorite podcast platform for more spiritual takeaway on modern events. You’ll also want to watch for Brown’s new book, Christian Antisemitism, available wherever fine books are sold, along with his podcast, The Line of Fire, also on the Charisma Podcast network. {eoa}

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