In the dead of night, Kim Lewis awoke to the fervent barking of her dog, Bear.

Quickly shaking the sleep from her eyes, she saw out her window the neighboring church, Yorktown Assembly of God, going up in flames.

She immediately dialed 911, and then alerted neighboring staff members to vacate their home in case the fire spread.

Upon arriving, the fire chief told Lewis to “buy a raffle ticket because it’s incredible that this is how minor the damage is. … Five or ten more minutes without the 911 call, and the entire building would have been engulfed.”

The church knows, however, that luck had nothing to do with it. “It was God’s protection over His church and people,” its Facebook announcement says.

“We know God was there tonight protecting our building,” the ministry wrote.

“We want to thank God first and foremost followed by, the countless first responders that came to help, and finally, Bear, the BEST dog in the world for keeping us from experiencing a devastating loss here at the church,” the statement reads.

The fire started on the building’s exterior and traveled through to the attic. Barring water damage, firefighters said the sanctuary was damaged far less than they would have expected had not Lewis contacted them when she did.

Congregants flocked to the social media comments to thank God and the 4-year-old German shepherd hero.

“Thank you, Jesus, for everyone’s safety and that the damage was minimal. Good job, Bear!” one user wrote.

Another user commented on the palindrome at play: “Dog spelled backwards is God,” he wrote.

Authorities have discovered an electrical shortage sparked the fire, which caused an estimated $50,000 in damage.

“There is extensive damage to the roof and exterior wall of the building, as well as water damage in the sanctuary and to our instruments, but we are so thankful as it could have been so much worse,” says Jason Graham in the GoFundMe account description.

Donations made to the fund have reached $5,732 of the $50,000 goal.

According to ABC7 NY, congregants had questions about Bear for church administrator Lisa Wain: “What’s his favorite toy? What’s his favorite snack?”

She noted, “We’re forever indebted to Bear.”

The Sunday after the fire, services were held under a tent on the property, according to the ministry website. This format will continue for the “foreseeable future” as the congregation and staff prepare the church to be cleaned, and after a deep clean—which Graham relays will take approximately a month—the rebuilding process can begin. {eoa}

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New Jersey is probably the last place I would associate with spiritual revival. It’s the most densely populated state in the U.S., with clogged highways, crowded beaches and many older churches that are closing. But last Friday night I saw evidence of vibrant Christian faith in the middle of New Jersey’s urban core.

About 85 young adults—most of them Ukrainian-Americans—jammed into a small chapel in the town of South River, a few miles from Newark. They worshipped for an hour, and as they sang, a few more people slipped into the back of the room. Some of them were from Portuguese, Hungarian, Indian, Asian and African-American backgrounds.

The leader of this group, Igor Marach, is only 24, but he’s been involved in youth ministry since he was 18. Like so many Slavic Christians in this country, he embraced faith in Christ at an early age. Now, he’s seeing an unusual spiritual momentum stirring among his peers—and it is spreading outside of his Slavic box to other ethnic groups.

“God is really doing something special with Slavic people in my generation,” says Igor. “Everyone is looking for truth. They are looking for something to believe in. And in this great search they are finding Jesus!”

Grace Church’s young adult service takes place on Friday nights, when many 20-somethings would typically be in nightclubs or bars—especially now that pandemic restrictions have been relaxed. But these kids were worshipping Jesus with abandon. And after a sermon about total surrender, eight people made decisions to follow Jesus the night I visited.

After the first ministry time, another group gathered at the altar asking for prayer to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Greg Szabo, a 22-year-old immigrant from Hungary, came to the front of the church that night and was touched by God as his friends laid hands on him.

“I was filled with the Holy Spirit that night and began to speak in tongues,” says Szabo, who came to the United States when he was 11 years old. He gave his life to Jesus in August during the pandemic. When he got home Friday night, he says he prayed in the Spirit for 45 minutes nonstop, “and a supernatural peace came over me, and a sense of intimacy that I have started developing with God.”

The youth didn’t leave the church after the service ended on Friday. They went to the basement to drink coffee and eat snacks until after midnight. On Sunday afternoon they all went to the Jersey shore to play volleyball and get more fellowship time.

Shady Hebish is a 24-year-old immigrant from Egypt who is now a part of the Grace Church family. He doesn’t understand when people in the church speak in Ukrainian or Russian, but he believes the love of Jesus overcomes the barriers of language and culture.

“I joined this community because I saw the love of God in the people,” says Shady, who speaks Arabic and English. “They welcome everyone from every background. I know that when I bring new believers and friends to Grace Church they will feel the love of God.”

Dan Rachkelyuk is only 22, but he helps lead the Friday meetings at Grace Church. Like so many of his Ukrainian friends, his family moved to the United States after the Soviet Union dissolved. He now believes his new homeland is his mission field.

“The Holy Spirit is moving in our youth,” Dan says. “Some people come to our services, and they were not even invited. They are repenting and coming to Jesus almost monthly. And we are seeing signs and wonders following the preaching of the gospel.”

What is happening at Grace Church is actually not unique. A large number of Slavic Christians came to the United States in the 1980s and ’90s, looking for religious freedom. They settled in Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Sacramento, New Jersey and many other urban areas. Today, the children and grandchildren of those immigrants are spreading revival fires beyond the confines of Slavic culture.

And at a time when many American congregations are losing members, Grace Church has run out of seats. On this past Sunday, worshipers had to gather in an overflow room in the basement of their building. The church has purchased property nearby to build a bigger sanctuary, and the pastor announced they will begin an English-language service in two weeks to reach those who don’t speak Ukrainian.

These immigrants who fled from the former Soviet Union didn’t realize God was sending them to the United States to be missionaries. Today’s new generation of Slavic believers is taking that mandate seriously. {eoa}

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God is saying that He has a light, and it is shining in full force.

“Many of my children have believed they are walking in darkness. However, during this season, you have become increasingly determined to keep walking, and your movement has turned on My floodlight to light your path. My light expels the darkness.”

Heavy Blankets Removed!

Some of you have been afraid. That fear has become a massive part of your journey. Not only fear but tiredness has become heavy and overwhelming. I see not just darkness but sense that a heavy blanket has draped over your back, and it says, “overwhelming fear.”

I hear the Lord saying, “My child, you don’t need to walk in fear. I know your plate is full. I know you are emotionally and physically drained. I know how tired and weary you are. Oh, my precious one, grab on to Me, for I am right here. I will see you through this crazy, dark, difficult season, and you will find rest. You will find strength and restoration. Not only will you be restored, but you will take more ground than you ever dreamed possible. As the floodlight of My presence washes over you, the overwhelming blanket dissipates, for it cannot remain on My child. It cannot stand in My light.”

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen, if you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land” (Jer. 29:11-14, NLT).

New Seasons Equal New Fruit

“My child, do not despair, for I am doing more within you during this season than you realize. I know what I have called you to do. A tree can look dead in the winter, but looks can be deceiving. There is life within that same tree. You have not died; there is still life flowing through you. Do not be dismayed. Many of My people have been looking for familiar fruit. However, I am preparing you not to bear old fruit, but you will bear new and exceedingly abundant fruit. This fruit has been developing underground as you have kept walking with Me through a seemingly dark and challenging season. I can already see the fruit and have called it forth. Continue to delight in Me, and remember, as you walk, you will enter the light of My presence! You will experience the abundance. You will experience the fruit.”

Adjust Your Sight

In the natural, when we have been in a dark room and turn on a bright light, it hurts, so we close our eyes. They need time to adjust. As God turns on His light, it is an invitation to “taste and see that He is good” Over and over, I hear Holy Spirit saying, “Open your mouth, and I will fill it!” and “Open your eyes to see at a new level!”. Just as our eyes need to adjust in the natural, we need to have the courage to move forward in the spiritual as He wills our mouths and opens our eyes to see from His perspective.

“God, all at once, You turned on a floodlight for me. You are the revelation-light in my darkness, and in your brightness, I can see the path ahead (Ps. 18:28, TPT).

Keys to Walking in Light

Declaration and worship are keys to walking into a greater degree of the light of God’s presence. We must not allow the weariness to woo us into compliance. As we declare the goodness of God, we remind ourselves to put one foot in front of the other and to keep focused. As we worship, our focus narrows and is increases in sensitivity and discernment. And suddenly God’s light shines—at the exact moment to break us out of the darkness, and we find ourselves bathed in His light. {eoa}

Ruth Hendrickson is an ordained pastor, itinerant speaker, ministry trainer and board-certified biblical counselor who has extensive experience in the development, training and oversight of emotional healing ministry teams, recovery ministries, prophetic ministry, prayer ministries and women’s ministry. In addition, she is a course facilitator for Patricia King Institute and Charisma courses. She writes for Elijah List and Charisma and has a podcast titled Real Truth with Ruth. Through biblically based teachings and practical applications infused with love and laughter, her goal is to introduce people not only to the living God who saves, but also to the God who desires an intimate relationship with each one of us. Her latest book Everyday Prophetic will help you find the prophetic voice that God has given you. Connect with Ruth at her website, ; on her Facebook page; on her podcast on CPN at Real Truth with Ruth; and on her YouTube channel at

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Did you know you were designed to run around barefoot? Genesis tells us that originally Adam and Eve were created naked. It wasn’t until after sin that clothes—and eventually shoes—came into being. But when we shed our shoes, we see that God’s design is the best.

An incredible 25% of the bones in your body are found in your feet. These bones form three arches; the transverse, medial longitudinal and lateral longitudinal arches found behind our toes and on the right and left sides of our feet. These arches beat the design of manmade arches because they absorb shock and even change shape to redistribute our weight as it shifts during different activities.

Our arches, together with a set of tendons, also act as springs. The tendons wrap around your toe joints, and when we take a step forward, our toes curl, shortening our feet by half an inch! This pulls the bones in your foot into a locking position. This “windlass” design allows the bones to relax when your foot falls forward and then tighten up to propel us further.

This specific arch design is uniquely human—you won’t find it anywhere else! Why? Because humans were designed for bipedal walking, and our feet have been beautifully designed for that exact purpose.

But then we stick shoes on our feet. Shoes immobilize the foot, stopping the complex system God designed. Arch supports, high heels, thick soles and even the curve at the toe of your shoe all force your foot into an unnatural position, disabling your windlass mechanism. And, of course, the dark, moist environment found inside a shoe is the perfect environment for nasty fungi and athlete’s foot.

The thing is, in many places, going without some kind of foot protection has its hazards. Thorns, stones or ants might threaten those in rural areas while broken glass, hot pavement or a clumsy dancer might be dangerous in more urban environments. Shoes are also a very nice luxury in the winter! But it’s fun to just stop and realize that God’s design is amazing wherever you look—from the soles of your feet to the top of your head—you’re wonderfully made.

Listen to the David Rives Show on the Charisma Podcast Network for more intriguing content like this. You can also check out David Rives Ministries on YouTube for more fascinating content about creation like “The Human Foot: Incredible Design.” {eoa}

The Creator left a pattern of His fingerprints across each corner of the universe, a pattern that David Rives has devoted his life to researching, revealing and sharing, while declaring the glory of God. The president of David Rives Ministries, his weekly TV show Creation with David Rives airs to millions globally on TBN. Author of 21 Verses Backed By Science, his work has been featured on the History Channel, DirecTV, NRB, TBN, CBN, METV, and heard daily on Christian radio. Having gained millions of views on social platforms, his Facebook, TikTok and YouTube pages continue to grow, as Rives captures the attention of Christians and skeptics of all ages. Rives leads annual dinosaur field trips, photo safaris to Africa, expeditions into the Grand Canyon and shares the gospel to millions along the way. He may be reached at booking@

If you pay attention while you’re watching TV shows and movies, you might be surprised by the amount of evolutionary content the writers and producers work into the finished product. Everything from children’s movies about the ice age, to Flintstones cartoons and sci-fi movies have subtle (or not-so-subtle) messages of evolution over millions of years.

This is especially common within the science fiction genre of films. Many of them feature backstories that dip into the far distant past or alien civilizations that have evolved elsewhere in the universe. Indeed, this genre started to become popular with the widespread acceptance of evolutionary ideas and one of the “fathers of sci-fi” was ardently anti-Christian and a committed evolutionist.

Actually, the whole idea of alien civilizations or finding extraterrestrial life comes from an evolutionary worldview. If life evolved here on earth, then it simply must have evolved somewhere else in the universe because we can’t be special. There must be other life somewhere! And yet, in the real world, this other life that’s supposedly out there remains elusive.

But from a biblical perspective, God created earth to be inhabited so it isn’t likely we’ll find intelligent life on distant planets. Also, Adam’s sin affected the entire universe, and Jesus came to earth as God and man to save the descendants of Adam. So, if there are other intelligent beings, they aren’t descendants of Adam, yet they are suffering from the curse and can’t be saved. This is a major theological problem. Starting from God’s Word, we don’t expect to find alien life. Also, I don’t think this standpoint precludes the idea of the claimed “alien encounters and abductions” because I do believe that the spiritual realm is very real. But these “beings” don’t originate from distant galaxies.

It seems movies and TV shows have been a great way of promoting evolutionary ideas. This is just another way evolution has become increasingly popular with the public. But when we study God’s Word, we find that it provides the true history of the universe. Let’s spend just 10 fewer minutes each day on television and unwind with a good book. You know the one I mean.

Listen to the David Rives Show on the Charisma Podcast Network for more intriguing content like this. You can also check out David Rives Ministries on YouTube for more fascinating content about creation like “Don’t Self-Feed the Ducks!” and “Spontaneous Generation: The Foundation of Evolution.” {eoa}

The Creator left a pattern of His fingerprints across each corner of the universe, a pattern that David Rives has devoted his life to researching, revealing and sharing, while declaring the glory of God. The president of David Rives Ministries, his weekly TV show Creation with David Rives airs to millions globally on TBN. Author of 21 Verses Backed By Science, his work has been featured on the History Channel, DirecTV, NRB, TBN, CBN, METV, and heard daily on Christian radio. Having gained millions of views on social platforms, his Facebook, TikTok and YouTube pages continue to grow, as Rives captures the attention of Christians and skeptics of all ages. Rives leads annual dinosaur field trips, photo safaris to Africa, expeditions into the Grand Canyon and shares the gospel to millions along the way. He may be reached at booking@

After Noah and his family got off the ark, God gave them a simple command: “Be fruitful and multiply on the earth” (Gen. 8:17b). But just three chapters later we read the response of Noah’s descendants, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top will reach to heaven, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

God had commanded Noah and his descendants to fill the earth, but they decided they had a better plan. Instead, they wanted to do something people would remember, so they built a city and a tower to make their own name great instead of God’s.

God judged their rebellion in an interesting way. He confused their language, turning the universal language into a variety of language families. Basically, this forced the people to spread out over the earth like He had commanded in the first place.

The account of the Tower of Babel only takes up about nine verses, but it has profound significance for us even today. The division of the languages broke the human gene pool into groups. These groups spread out and tended to stick to themselves. In other words, most people wanted to marry someone who could understand their language! So certain genetic characteristics, such as eye shape or skin shade, became dominant in certain groups. We all look a little different because of the event of the Tower of Babel.

The Tower of Babel also explains why we find the remains of people and their tools in caves. Around the same time as the dispersion of the peoples, there was an ice age. This ice age was a direct result of the post-flood climate change. As people split up and began spreading out over the earth, some areas were much cooler than others, and people naturally took shelter wherever they could. Caves made great temporary homes. It would take a while before any single language group could acquire the tools, skills and manpower to start building cities and permanent settlements again, but that’s why certain groups made homes in caves and used stone tools—they were working with what they had. Not only that, but God had allowed the ice age to lower the ocean levels and create natural land-bridges to most of the continents. This meant that animals coming off of Noah’s ark had a limited time to go fill certain ecological niches. People had the same limited time, but they weren’t spreading out! The confusion of the languages at the tower caused mankind to head out while the ocean levels were still low.

The event of the Tower of Babel explains not only people-group differences, but also language, cultural similarities and more. The Bible provides a historical framework through which to interpret archaeology and anthropology—and it fits perfectly! {eoa}

Listen to the David Rives Show on the Charisma Podcast Network for more intriguing content like this. You can also check out David Rives Ministries on YouTube for more fascinating content about creation like “Don’t Self-Feed the Ducks!” and “Spontaneous Generation: The Foundation of Evolution.”

The Creator left a pattern of His fingerprints across each corner of the universe, a pattern that David Rives has devoted his life to researching, revealing and sharing, while declaring the glory of God. The president of David Rives Ministries, his weekly TV show Creation with David Rives airs to millions globally on TBN. Author of 21 Verses Backed By Science, his work has been featured on the History Channel, DirecTV, NRB, TBN, CBN, METV, and heard daily on Christian radio. Having gained millions of views on social platforms, his Facebook, TikTok and YouTube pages continue to grow, as Rives captures the attention of Christians and skeptics of all ages. Rives leads annual dinosaur field trips, photo safaris to Africa, expeditions into the Grand Canyon and shares the gospel to millions along the way. He may be reached at booking@

Megachurch pastor Rick Warren has announced his retirement after 42 years of leading Saddleback Church in Southern California. A search for his successor will be launched this week.

The well-known evangelical pastor and bestselling author told his congregation on Sunday that the search is not the end but the “beginning of the beginning,” The Orange County Register reported Monday.

Warren, 67, said he will continue to serve as lead pastor until a successor is in place. He said he will then step back into a less “visible position as founding pastor.”

There is no timeline for the search, which will look at candidates both within and outside the church. Warren declined to speak about his retirement plans on Monday.

“Kay and I made this crazy promise when we were 25 years old that we would give 40 years to one location, that we wouldn’t move and that we wouldn’t be tempted to go to another church,” Warren said before preaching his 40th Easter service in 2019.

Warren said then that he was offered a series of jobs with Christian organizations, seminaries and denominations, but never moved.

With its main campus in Lake Forest, south of Los Angeles, Saddleback Church has grown to 14 locations in Southern California with an average weekly attendance of 30,000. There are four international campuses, in Hong Kong, Germany, the Philippines and Argentina.

Warren, who has more than 11 million social media followers, has written multiple books, including The Purpose Driven Life. In 2005, Time magazine named Warren one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.” {eoa}

© 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Conservatives have pushed back against the “For the People Act” since its passing in the House in March. Democrats, however, have largely supported it. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has taken a stunning leap away from his Democratic peers and has said he will not be voting in favor of the act.

The act, which aims to overhaul election procedures, is said to open the floodgates for fraud.

“I believe that partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy, and for that reason, I will vote against the For the People Act. Furthermore, I will not vote to weaken or eliminate the filibuster,” Manchin wrote in an op-ed published Sunday in the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette-Mail.

For more on this story, watch this Charisma News update.

“But with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26b).

We’ve all heard this verse and probably have said it several times ourselves. Yet as Pastor Mike Signorelli of V1 Church points out, it can be hard to believe. You can know God and His heart, and have proven your character, yet also be overtaken by fear.

Signorelli states, “Fear is always the first assignment to counteract faith.” In fact, the Bible tells us 365 times to not be afraid!

He then tackles our belief that all things are possible for someone else. We believe his wife can be saved, that her mom will be healed from her illness, that that person will do great things or that region will see great revival. We often don’t believe it for ourselves.

Yet as Signorelli points out, the verse doesn’t say some things are possible. The verse says that all things are possible, and he challenges you to remind yourself, out loud, that all things are possible with God.

Click here to watch this video clip and build your faith today.

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The church is not just brick-and-mortar. We are the church; our bodies are the Lord’s tabernacle and called to be a “house of prayer.” Were you aware that one of heaven’s most powerful weapons in its arsenal is prayer? In the Old Testament, there was a veil that separated God’s chosen people from entering into the holy of holies and into the holy place, or in other words, the presence of God.

However, God still gave specific instructions in Exodus 25-27 on how the tabernacle should be built. The tabernacle was the place for His Spirit to indwell and where believers could go and worship. I’m here to tell you, Freedom Fighters, that you are the tabernacle; the veil no longer exists thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus and the blood atonement made for our sins. God has set a pattern before us in prayer where we can be completely consumed in Him by entering into His presence in prayer.

In the episode How to Bring the Unseen on the Scene of Flawed & Free on Charisma Podcast Network, I share tangible strategies of how you can effectively create intimacy with our Father through worship and call heaven down to earth. Be mindful that it is the enemy’s job to send as many distractions as possible. However, by partnering with the Holy Spirit, I have equipped the saints with the tools needed to combat those attacks and strategically hit a bullseye in heaven through prayer.

For more warfare strategies regarding how to be obedient as a believer, fasting to find freedom and breaking free from soul ties, be sure to check out some of our other episodes where we shatter the glass ceiling of religion and focus more on relationship with our Father.{eoa}

Tyna Jalieba, CEO and founder of Flawed and Free, is the warrior princess who hosts the Flawed and Free podcast on Charisma Podcast Network. Tyna has spent almost 20 years as a registered nurse and five years as a family nurse practitioner and now utilizes those gifts in discipleship and kingdom building through healing and deliverance. As a spiritual warfare strategist, prophetic intercessor and deliverance minister, the Lord allows Tyna to steward and support the servants of God to free them from the flaws of their past into the freedom of their future.