Nothing makes the Bible come alive like sitting on the shores of the Sea of Galilee or atop the hill where it is believed Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Unlike Jerusalem and other areas, where centuries of destruction and rebuilding have covered over the first-century stones, the Sea of Galilee looks just like it did 2,000 years ago.

The city of Capernaum was never rebuilt, so visitors can easily see the first-century street and what is most probably the home of Simon Peter, where Jesus healed his mother-in-law. The first-century synagogue that Jesus taught in has been built over but only once, and the original foundation stones are clearly visible.

In Mary Magdalene’s hometown of Magdala, just a few miles down the shoreline, the first-century synagogue was never built over. Since Jesus was said to have taught in the synagogues throughout the area, we can be rather certain He stood on the actual first-century floor that has been uncovered.

I hope that one day you can go to Israel with me and see all of these places for yourself. But in this week’s podcast, I describe these physical settings of Jesus’ miracles that bring the stories to life. Learn how Jesus could have preached the Sermon on the Mount and been heard by thousands. The stones had been formed to literally carry His voice!

Join me this week on the Out of Zion podcast episode titled Jesus’ Galilean Ministry, and we will talk about the many proofs of the Gospel stories found in the area. This study is part four of our 3D Jesus series. {eoa}

Dr. Susan Michael is USA director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and host of the Out of Zion podcast.

Most of us would agree that God’s timing is different from ours. His work in our lives rarely matches the timetable we would have laid out.

Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Jentezen Franklin agrees. “Many times the greatest miracles God will do in your life come in the most inopportune times,” he told Dr. Steve Greene on an episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. “When you study the life of Jesus and the miracles that He performed, most of them were divine interruptions to the normal schedule He was taking. The woman with the issue of blood was an interruption, and had He not been sensitive, He was on his way to go do something else. … And many times I think we miss God’s blessings because we have our schedule, and we have our timing when God is supposed to do it.”

Franklin shared the story, also told in his book Acres of Diamonds, of how—at a time that was far from convenient—God launched him into television ministry through famed Pentecostal preacher R.W. Schambach. “We had been at the church about four or five years, and we had just finished building our new sanctuary,” Franklin said. “And this was the first building that we built. And it was quite a stretch for us to do that. We built it and had been in it a few weeks, and a preacher by the name of R.W. Schambach called me. He was a Pentecostal preacher and boy, he could preach. He was in the heyday of his ministry; he was on all over Christian TV. And he had thousands of people show up wherever he went to preach.

Schambach called him on a Saturday and asked if he could preach that Sunday evening, Franklin explained. The illustrious preacher arrived late, so the two didn’t get to talk. “He was supposed to preach and take an offering for his ministry,” Franklin said. “And instead of taking an offering for his ministry, he said, ‘God spoke to me.'” He told the congregation that he didn’t know Franklin, but “The Lord wants him on TV. And we’re going to take up an offering to put him on TV. And that night, he took up a cash offering for $138,000, still one of the most miraculous miracles. … we went out the next week and bought TV cameras.”

Despite the miraculous gift, Franklin said he never would have chosen that time to launch what soon became an international television ministry. “We were in a new building; I needed to hire staff; we needed furniture; we needed so many things,” he said. “In my mind, TV ministry would be 3-5 years down the road. But God had the timing. And God had the blessing. And when He did that, we went on television. And it wasn’t long until TBN and other networks reached out to us and said, ‘We’ve seen your TV show; would you come be a part of our broadcast ministry?’ And we began to go to hundreds of nations of the world.”

To learn more about why Franklin says to stay where God has you because “acres of diamonds are coming your way,” listen to the entire podcast episode at this link, and be sure to subscribe to Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network for more inspiring stories. {eoa}

Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two-part article. Read part one here.

She then went inside and shut the door and informed the American soldiers that they had guests but that they would not be harmed. She explained that there were German soldiers who likewise needed help and that they would come inside for supper and stay the night. She then asked for their weapons, and they agreed. She took the American soldiers’ weapons outside and leaned them against the cabin with the German soldiers’ weapons. Then she invited the German soldiers to come inside.

So there they were. The German soldiers were on one side of the living room and the American soldiers on the other side, facing the opposing side while Mrs. Vincken prepared Christmas Eve supper. The silence was apparent. Out of the silence emerged the voices of the German soldiers singing the German hymn “Silent Night” in Latin. “Silent Night” was renowned in both German and Latin. Also, the Lutheran denomination in those days held mass in Latin. So German Lutherans often sang in Latin. Then their American brothers in Christ joined in, singing in English. Tears came down the faces of the German and American soldiers as they sang “Silent Night.”

The German soldiers brought out of their supplies a flask of wine and a loaf of bread. They shared their wine and bread with the American soldiers. With tears running down their faces, they had Communion. Then one of the German soldiers began speaking in perfect English to the American soldiers and said he was a medical student. He offered to operate on the wounded American soldier.

For several hours this German soldier operated with no anesthesia. It was such a meticulous and intense operation that his forehead was perspiring. Finally, he got the bullet out and bandaged up the wounded American soldier. He said the cold weather prevented infection from spreading. Mrs. Vincken had finished preparing the Christmas Eve supper. She invited them to the table and prayed, “Komm, Herr Jesus, and be our guest.” They had Christian fellowship that holy night.

According to Fritz Vincken, in an interview in later years, “There were tears in her eyes, and as I looked around the table, I saw that the battle-weary soldiers were filled with emotion. Their thoughts seemed to be many, many miles away. Now they were boys again, some from America, some from Germany, all far from home.”

In the morning, Mrs. Vincken gave them back their weapons and said she would pray for their safety. The German corporal showed the Americans on their own map how to get back behind American lines and gave them his compass. The German soldiers and the American soldiers all shook hands and went in opposite directions. Fritz later recounted, “She asked them to be very careful and told them, ‘I hope someday you will return home safely to where you belong. May God bless and watch over you.'”

In 1965, Mrs. Vincken died. Mr. Vincken had likewise died in the 1960s. Their son, Fritz Vincken, and his wife moved to Hawaii, and he opened up Fritz’s European Bakery in Kapalama, a neighborhood in Honolulu. For years he told the story of what happen that solemn Christmas Eve.

In 1985, President Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States, had heard the story and retold it during a visit to Germany, saying, “The story needs to be told and retold because none of us can ever hear too much about building peace and reconciliation.” The story caught on like wildfire.

In March 1995, Unsolved Mysteries dramatized the event and put it on national television. The American soldier who had been shot was Ralph Blank. He had served with the 121st Infantry, 8th Division, during World War II. Ralph was residing at Northampton Manor Nursing Home in Frederick, Maryland. He had been telling the story, just as Fritz had been, for decades. But when he saw it on Unsolved Mysteries, he went public with the story.

Fritz flew to Frederick, Maryland, to be reunited with Ralph Blank. When Ralph saw Fritz again, he said, “Your mother saved my life.” Fritz was pleased that his mother had received credit for saving the lives of seven American and German soldiers. Ralph told Fritz where one of the other American soldiers was located. So Fritz went to see him as well. None of the German soldiers came public with their stories. It could be that none of them were still alive; they may have been killed during the war.

Fritz died on Dec. 8, 2002. But the historical account of peace through Christ on that legendary holy night—Christmas Eve, 1944—remains as a testimony of the peace that passes understanding, which only comes from an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul the apostle said, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).

The power of the cross of Christ brings peace through Christ no matter what your circumstance may be. {eoa}

James F. Linzey studied church growth under C. Peter Wagner and signs and wonders under John Wimber at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the chief editor of the Modern English Version Bible and is a retired Army chaplain with the rank of major.

What must ministry be like in 2021? Have we learned anything from 2020? For me, it has meant asking the question, “Have we (I) done it wrong?”

Honestly, self-reflection in the mirror is never as powerful as catching a glimpse of yourself in the eyes of a loving Savior. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). He never said, “Come to me, all who have gotten it all together and have a big ministry platform, and I will give you more approval.”

You see, I must first ask forgiveness. Over the last few months, I have realized that I have needed to change. I needed a reset. I have found that the removal of the platform and ministry nonstop calendar dates caused me to awaken to the fact that I had some bad concepts and dangerous misconceptions. I now realize God can do ministry with or without each of us, but He sure loves having partners in the harvest.

The world isn’t getting better, and in many locations the church is getting smaller. We must change our approach. Could it be that the demise of morality in our nation is not just a cultural issue but also a problem that lies at the doorstep of the church for which Jesus loves so much that He died (Eph. 5:25)? The greatest hindrance to the gospel and the call to minister is the ego of man.

I once heard it said that “ego” stands for “Edging God Out.” Could it be that we are no greater than our last God-encounter? Ministry starts at the cross and ends at the grave of resurrection. For far too long, we have made ministry a platform instead of a mandate. If we are indeed Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20), that means we have died to praise and are pure enough to handle His glory. We must not preach holiness and purity without also exemplifying purity, brokenness and compassion. Yet if our identity is found in our meager accomplishments and accolades of ministry, have we not decided that the prostitution of our calling to be more ingratiating than the simple words, “Well done, you good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23a)?

Humanity is crying out for leaders who know the voice of God and not just the echoes of ministry textbooks taught by many who have never once scraped their knees on the floor of brokenness. As vessels that house God’s Spirit (2 Cor. 4:7), we must be last in the line of recognition and first in line for fresh revelation. We must be kind in the face of adversity and run far from self-promotion. Ministry is hard, and often it means getting hurt. It costs, but it should never rob of us our new-creation identity. Hurting people hurt people. It is true we are never as bad as our worst critic and never as great as our biggest admirer believes. How often have we allowed our scars to be an excuse to release harshness in the name of spiritual authority?

We are called to be “prisoners of the gospel” (see Eph. 4:1) Nevertheless, the prison of ministry can seduce even the most faithful. I, for one, have been the worst convict in the prison of self-exaltation. To possess true humility and love for the hurting requires that we step back from the platform and plaudits of man. It means loving the unlovable and forgiving the unforgivable. We must listen to the beating hearts of the broken and the exhausted spirits of what the world considers irrelevant. Dare we arrive in heaven and realize that our desire to arrive in the eyes of man on earth resulted in the loss of our heavenly reward? Maybe somewhere along the way, we decided it was better to drink the oil instead of anointing our weary brow. Rather than dressing for relevance, we instead must put on a servant’s robe and grab a towel. Washing feet is a much better approach than the mashing of toes via the latest and most excellent sermon. Sermons matter, but only if they are birthed with tears of compassion.

The next great move of God will most likely not happen in a beautiful cathedral or a stadium that houses our sports teams, but rather in the alley of lost hope at the corner of “Broad and Narrow.” You will find this corner in the part of town less traveled. It will be the awakening of the wounded and the transformation of the rebellious. Maybe, just maybe, it will not be about titles bestowed by man. The greatest testimonies of restoration are found at a filthy altar where the righteous and unrighteous, the reverent and irreverent, and the clean and unclean decide to seek the face of a wounded Savior who died for us all.

I pray that Jesus will forgive us for forgetting what it means to be renewed daily.

I pray that He will forgive us for believing our own press.

I pray that He will use us to pull one more person out of despair.

I pray that He will use us as his hands to be repairers of a breach called “trust.”

Let’s get salty and lit for Jesus. {eoa}

Find out more about Evangelists Pat and Karen Schatzline by going to:

Watch and listen to powerful messages by Evangelists Pat and Karen by going to their YouTube channel, “Pat and Karen Schatzline” or click here:

Certain verses of the Bible are associated with different times of the year. For instance, Messianic Jews like me read the verses that depict Yeshua’s last Seder meal with His disciples during the season of Passover. We read the narrative about the binding of Isaac and the ram caught in the thicket during the season of Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, when shofars (or ram’s horns) are sounded. We read the book of Ruth during Shavuot or Pentecost because the events of Ruth and Boaz take place during that harvest season. And we read the book of Esther during the Feast of Esther, known as Purim (Lots).

Beyond the times when all of Judaism is reading certain books or verses from the Bible, there are certain texts that have become meaningfully associated with certain times or seasons throughout my faith walk. A few examples would be: I read Genesis 2:23 (TLV) each year around my wedding anniversary:

“Then the man said, ‘This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh from my flesh. This one is called woman, for from man was taken this one.’ This is why a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife; and they become one flesh.”

I read Proverbs 31 each year on my wife’s birthday. I read Deuteronomy 34:7 on my birthday. And three times a year I read Hebrews 12:1: on Nissan 1, on Rosh Hashanah and on Dec. 31/Jan. 1.

“Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also get rid of every weight and entangling sin. Let us run with endurance the race set before us.”

There are three reasons that I choose to read these words at the end and beginning markers of a yearly cycle. The first reason is found in the closing sentence of the verse. I understand that I am running a race and, with each year’s cycle, I have run further from where I began, and I am closer to the end of my race. These words encourage me to continue the race holding on to every promise of G-D for my present and for my future. It reminds me that G-D knows the race isn’t always easy, or else He would not have told me to “run with endurance.” The words also let me know that it is my race set before me and that, while every faithful runner will end up at the finish line, we will not all run the same course.

The second reason I read this verse is because of the second part of the verse, which mentions getting rid of sin. I know it is popular today to say we cannot get rid of and rise above sin, but if we were not able to do so, G-D wouldn’t have told us to. At the end and beginning of a yearly cycle, I ask myself if I am still carrying entangling sin that I need to get rid of. This helps me focus my prayers on my sins instead of spending time complaining about other people’s sins.

The third reason I read this verse at these times each year is because of the beginning of the verse, which speaks about a “great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” If you notice, this verse begins with the connecting word “therefore.” This means that Hebrews 12:1 is a continuation of Chapter 11, which is a list of people considered the heroes of our faith. But, when I read Chapter 11, I find myself reading beyond the surface truth that these heroes did great things through the power of G-D’s Spirit. I see that every one of these individual heroes stepped out in faith to overcome sin and failure.

As I read Hebrews 12, I am reminded of Hebrews 11, and when I think about Hebrews 11, I am reminded that the entire Bible is provided for the same reason that Hebrews 11 and 12 were written. The Bible is a history book written of failures that were overcome, provided by our loving Father, so that we could read about the past and learn from previous failures, enabling us to walk in victory.

So, at the beginning of a year, I read these words again and say to myself, “I can run my race with endurance. I can run my race more easily if I choose to get rid of the weight of my sins, which make running more difficult. I can run my race because I have an entire book that provides evidence of those before me who were able to run their race while also living in a sinful world.” {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is author of With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

Dr. David Jeremiah knows about trials. And the longtime pastor also knows about God’s faithfulness to bring us through them.

Twenty years ago, Jeremiah, who is also a New York Times bestselling author and the founder of Turning Point Ministries, went through two bouts of cancer, including stage 4 lymphoma.

”The problem with it all was that I never had been sick,” Jeremiah told Dr. Steve Greene on an episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. “I had never experienced anything like this. I didn’t know what to do. And I had lots of people trying to counsel me telling me, ‘You need to do this, go there, do this.’ And once I realized that my life was in God’s hands, and I realized that He’s the only one who could help me, I totally threw myself on Him.”

That experience came to mind this past summer when he and his wife tried to make one of their regular trips to New York City. “We got a call from the hotel where we normally stay telling us that the hotels wouldn’t be available because they’re being booked for people that were just getting out of the hospital, and for workers that were coming in from all over the country to help with the pandemic,” Jeremiah said. “And then they asked this question: ‘Does Dr. Jeremiah have anything that we could put in the hotel rooms that would be an encouragement to people when they show up?'”

Jeremiah said that, in view of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, he had been preaching a sermon series on the concept of shelter. “I had done some homework in the Psalms over a long period of time. And when this whole thing hit, it just seemed to me that this was the time for the Psalms to get working in the lives of God’s people. And actually, there are some psalms that are called ‘the sheltering psalms.’ That’s what some of these are.”

Jeremiah’s publisher decided to run with the idea, and his sermon series became the book Shelter in God: Your Refuge in Times of Trouble, which the COVID-19 heroes received in the New York hotel. “The miracle of this whole thing was from the day we decided to do this until the book was in our hands was four weeks,” Jeremiah said. “That’s never happened in my lifetime ever, in 40 books. And I haven’t been able to find anybody else who ever had that happen.

“And that was a God thing for sure. And so that’s where it all came from,” Jeremiah said.

For more from Pastor David Jeremiah about how we can shelter in God no matter what storms life brings our way, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines here, and be sure to subscribe to the Greenelines podcast at . {eoa}

Editor’s Note: This is part one of a two-part article. Watch for part two, coming soon on .

One of the most inspiring stories of peace through Christ among ardent enemies unfolded in a potentially volatile setting. Here is the World War II story of a German mother, her 12- year-old son, three American soldiers and four German soldiers—each of the three parties previously unknown to one another, and how they came together to celebrate Christmas in 1944 in the height of the Battle of the Bulge. This battle was the turning point of World War II on the Western Front.

On Dec. 16, 1944, the Germans initiated a massive campaign against the Allies in the Ardennes Forest, a mountainous region extending throughout Belgium, France and Luxembourg on the Western Front. Over 250,000 German troops mounted a blitzkrieg, attempting to divide the Allies in a major offensive from the Ardennes to Antwerp. This set the stage for the Battle of the Bulge. Heavy snowstorms erupted unexpectedly, forever changing the course of this infamous battle and possibly World War II, along with the individual lives of millions of people, and particularly nine individuals one Christmas Eve.

The soldiers were fighting in trenches, on the plains and on the mountain sides. Supplies came to a devastating halt. In thousands of cases, no ammunition, no food, no medical help, no shelter from the elements, no field jackets, no gloves, wet socks and wet, worn-out boots, no heat and separation from their platoons! Soldiers were using newspapers and curtains from the wreckage of houses and cabins that were bombed to wrap their feet in. Additionally, there was a lack of communication, broken morale and a broken chain of command.

Disorientation prevailed. But eventually, the weather improved, and the Army Air Forces dropped supplies. The battle lasted until Jan. 25, 1945. The Allies declared victory. But with more than 100,000 casualties on the American side alone by freezing to death or by shooting and the 106th Division nearly destroyed, is this what victory looks like? It seemed like the battle simply came to an end because the Germans ran low on fuel, ammunition, and manpower. The Battle of the Bulge has been called the most devastating battle of World War II. But out of it came forth an example of what peace through Christ looks like.

In the Ardennes Forest an American soldier was shot in the upper leg and was bleeding to death. Two fellow American soldiers tried to help him get behind the American line several miles away. They were starving and freezing. There was deep snow on the ground, and a heavy snowstorm erupted. However, the cold weather prevented infection from setting in the wounded soldier. But disorientation set in. They wandered aimlessly in the Ardennes Forest for three days.

In the distance they saw a cabin and approached it. When they approached the cabin, the two laid their wounded soldier on the snow. They kept their speaking to a minimum and in a low tone of voice to try not to be overheard, but failed.

One of the soldiers knocked on the cabin door. Inside was a German mother, Elisabeth Vincken, and her 12-year-old son, Fritz Vincken. Their home was in Aacken, Germany. It had been partially destroyed when Americans bombed the area and hit their home and the family business which was a bakery. The Vinckens were not injured when their house and bakery were badly damaged. Mr. Vincken sent his wife and son to their cabin, where they stayed when Mr. Vincken went hunting.

Mr. Vincken remained behind to repair their house and business. He rode his bicycle every four days to take food to them. His plan was to join them at the cabin when he completed the restoration of their home. He had hoped to be done by Christmas Eve and celebrate Christmas with his wife and son at the cabin. But he did not show up due to the severe snowstorm.

When Mrs. Vincken heard the American soldiers speaking outside, she blew out the candle. When the American soldiers knocked at the door, Fritz, her son, went to the door. Mrs. Vincken followed. She gently moved him away from the door and she opened it. There stood two American soldiers with weapons and a third lying in the snow. They looked like teenagers. In those days, any 16-year-old male could like about his age and get into the U.S. Army if he looked old enough.

Mrs. Vincken did not know English, nor did the Americans know German. But one of the Americans spoke some French, as did Mrs. Vincken. So in broken French and with some sign language, they explained that they were lost, hungry, close to death and that the soldier lying on the ground was shot and bleeding to death. The American soldiers asked for any assistance she might be able to provide in terms of shelter and food for the night, so that they could start in the morning to find the American lines to get to safety.

There was a German law forbidding German citizens from harboring enemy soldiers. Mrs. Vincken could be shot for providing any assistance. But it was a holy night—Christmas Eve. Mrs. Vincken was Lutheran. Lutheran was the state religion of Germany. So Mrs. Vincken let them in. Had Mrs. Vincken turned them away, the American soldiers would not have forced their way in. They would have continued on and hoped to survive the night. I would like to point out that Mrs. Vincken was not a sympathizer with the Allied forces at all. She was a Christian and would have assisted anyone needing humanitarian help.

Mrs. Vincken sent Fritz to get six more potatoes from the shed outside and to bring in the rooster. She was going to prepare a Christmas Eve supper for the American soldiers. So Fritz went outside and soon returned with the six potatoes. Then he went back out to get the rooster, and then brought the rooster in. She went to work in the kitchen preparing supper. Shortly thereafter, there was another knock at the door. So she assumed more American soldiers had arrived needing help.

She opened the door and turned as white as a ghost. There stood four German soldiers with weapons. Mrs. Vincken greeted them. They had lost their way in the forest during the snowstorm. Separated from their unit with no food nor warmth for days, they were hungry and feared they might die in the sub-freezing weather with no help in sight. The German soldiers were probably as young as the American soldiers, except for the corporal, who was 23 years old. The three other German soldiers held the rank of private. Mrs. Vincken stepped outside and shut the door to speak to the German soldiers privately.

She explained that three American soldiers came and that one was severely wounded and bleeding to death, and that they were inside. She said, “It is the holy night, and there will be no shooting here.” And she told them that they could eat as much as they wished. She then asked them to give her their weapons. They agreed. She had them lean their weapons against the cabin outside.

Watch for part two of this article on .

James F. Linzey studied church growth under C. Peter Wagner and signs and wonders under John Wimber at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the chief editor of the Modern English Version Bible and is a retired Army chaplain with the rank of major.

It was April of 1983, and I had arrived in Shillong, Meghalaya, in northeast India to minister for 10 days among the Khasi people of that region. I was staying in the home of my host, Dr. R. Joseph Skinner.

The night before our first service, God gave me a word of prophecy to speak forth in that service. Interestingly, I knew that the message I had been given was an interpretation to a tongue. First Corinthians 14:5 tells us that tongues with interpretation is equal to prophecy, and I knew that I was to wait for a message in tongues before speaking the prophetic message I had been given.

This raised the question in my own mind as to how I would know when somebody gave a message in tongues, since I knew nothing of the Khasi language. In addition, I did not know if they even practiced messages in tongues and interpretations in their services.

I went to the church service the next morning in faith and with a determination to be spiritually alert and see how things would unfold. The small building was packed, with every seat filled and people standing shoulder to shoulder, filling every nook and cranny.

I stood alongside several other leaders on the platform, and someone began to lead in singing and praise in the Khasi tongue. At the close of the singing there was a long, extended time of fervent, corporate prayer. The crescendo of prayer eventually descended until everything became still and quiet. No one moved or spoke, including the leaders on the platform.

Suddenly, from out in the congregation, the silence was broken by someone speaking in a beautiful, melodious tone. I was alert and thought, That sounds like a message in tongues.

I then stepped to the microphone and gave the interpretation I had been given the night before. I finished speaking, and one of the Khasi pastors stepped forward and interpreted to the people in their language what I had said. Shortly thereafter, the service was turned to me, and I preached my first sermon in India.

After the service, I asked my host, Dr. Skinner, if that was a message in tongues to which I had responded. He said, “Yes, that person spoke in an unknown tongue.” Wow! God had worked the prophetic gift through two people of different languages and cultures who had never met! And it flowed so seamlessly.

God used this manifestation of prophecy to introduce me to the Khasi people. It brought an immediate acceptance and respect that I could not have earned on my own. We then had a wonderful 10 days of teaching, preaching and powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit.

It was also the beginning of a lifelong friendship with the late Dr. Joseph Skinner, his brother, Kitbok Ryntathiang and the Khasi people of northeast India. {eoa}

This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s latest book, Prophets and Prophecy: Timely Insights from the Bible, History and Personal Experience. The book’s projected publication date is Jan. 10, 2021, and it will be available on Amazon and Dr. Hyatt’s website at .

This article originally appeared at .

These days, superheroes are all the rage. And although he’s not part of the Marvel series of comic-based movies, DC Comics’ Superman remains a role model for many. But psychologist and bestselling author Dr. John Townsend says there’s something about the mild-mannered reporter turned multifaceted hero that, especially as leaders, we shouldn’t try to emulate.

“Anytime we talk about transparency, or, or we talk about authenticity, or we talk about vulnerability, that’s what the next generation and further want because they’re so tired of that perfect person who’s not really perfect,” Townsend told Dr. Steve Greene on an episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. “They’re drawn to it. And what we found out is that [people want] leaders who are more vulnerable, who will say, ‘I’m struggling, and I messed up here, and I’m going to learn from this,’ as opposed to Superman.

“Nobody can relate to Superman. He comes from another planet,” Townsend explained. “A leader who says, ‘Yeah, I’ve got spots, too—people are drawn to that. And they did some studies that show that the employees are actually more loyal and walk over hot coals to the vulnerable leader.”

In his recent book, People Fuel: Fill Up Your Tank for Life, Love and Leadership, Townsend discusses this and other qualities that will help leaders and others have positive relationships with others that move them into the lives God wants them to have. “You’ve got to do what the Bible says, in Ecclesiastes 4, ‘Woe to you if you fall and there’s not another to lift you up,'” Townsend said. “In the Hebrew, that doesn’t mean Jesus. That means another person; you’ve got to get what the book calls a life team. That’s three to 10 people, not less than three, not more than 10, where they sit down with you and just have lunch, and you have your time to talk about what’s going on in your challenges.

“And leaders are really uncomfortable with that at first because they feel selfish, and they want to be a giver, and they don’t want to be high maintenance,” Townsend said. “But I tell them, ‘Your tank is not going to be full, and you have nothing to give somebody if nobody’s filling your tank.'” This group can be local or spread across the country and connected via technology. For more of Townsend’s insights on kingdom relationships for leaders and others, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines here. {eoa}

God has granted author, actress and Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer a significant place of impact in our culture. As a Black woman who is also the daughter of respected pastor Tony Evans, Shirer recognizes she is a role model for others. But she also knows God is the one who has shaped her platform.

In a popular episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network, Shirer opened up to host Dr. Steve Greene about her part in the Kendrick Brothers’ War Room movie, which won a GMA Dove Award for Inspirational Film of the Year and an Academy Award nomination, among other honors.

“The Kendrick Brothers, who are the writers of these incredible films like Courageous and Facing the Giants, and then War Room and yes, now Overcomer, when they were writing War Room, they called me one day and said, ‘Priscilla, we’ve been crafting our next film,'” Shirer explained. “And they said, ‘Every time we write the lines for the lead character—her name is going to be Elizabeth Jordan—every time we write the lines, we’re thinking to ourselves, What would Priscilla Shirer say?

“They were familiar with my ministry and my writing,” she said. “And so they were saying, ‘We’re writing it as if you’re speaking it. So we want to call and ask you, “Will you just do it?”‘

“And when they asked me—me—my husband laughed out loud, and I said, ‘Absolutely not. I won’t do that. I am not a trained actress. And movies are not what I made for; I’m supposed to be in ministry.’

“And they said, ‘Well, Priscilla, if you will read the script, we think you will see that it’s not just a movie. It is ministry,'” Shirer said. “And of course, for anyone who has seen War Room, they know what I read that day. And that is that it is not just entertainment. It’s a movie that has drawn people back to the priority of prayer in their lives. And so I’m so grateful that the Lord didn’t let my own fears and insecurities and lack of experience keep me from the gift of being a part of the impact that War Room has had the world over.'”

To hear more from Priscilla Shirer about War Room and the key lessons she believes the film teaches, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines at this link. And be sure to subscribe to the Greenelines podcast for more inspiring episodes. {eoa}