God Answers Prayer - Kenneth and Vera Brand Update

Thanks for praying for my parents, Kenneth and Vera Brand.

I received word last night that they had made it as far as Memphis, Tennessee. Dad's voice sounded so tired and weak when he called me over the phone from a hotel lobby in Memphis. I was really concerned about his his physical state, given his history of five heart attacks, knowing that he had been living in the cold for three days, and that he had been informed that all the hotels in Memphis were completely full with no vacancies available anywhere before Little Rock. Suddenly, though, the hotel front desk where he and Mom just "happened" to be standing received a call with word of an unexpected cancellation. Minutes later, he and Mom were checked into a warm, comfortable room for the night! Isn't God good?! Praise the Lord and thanks again for partnering with me and my family in prayer! They are scheduled to arrive in Dallas late today.

Although there has not been much mention given to this situation today in the national media, it continues to be very serious. So far, twelve deaths have been reported in Kentucky alone, including some people found frozen in their beds. There are still many people in rural areas that authorities have not been able to make contact with. Over 600,000 are still without power and over 200,000 without water in that state alone. Here are a couple of excerpts from the Associated Press:

Dozens of deaths have been reported and many people are pleading for a faster response to the power outages. Some in rural Kentucky ran short of food and bottled water, and resorted to dipping buckets in a creek...the uncertainty of when power might be restored had many appealing for help. Officials urged those in dark homes to leave. "We're asking people to pack a suitcase and head south and find a motel if they have the means, because we can't service everybody in our shelter," said Crittenden County Judge-Executive Fred Brown...Local officials grew angrier at what they said was a lack of help from the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In Kentucky's Grayson County, about 80 miles southwest of Louisville, Emergency Management Director Randell Smith said the 25 National Guardsmen who have responded have no chain saws to clear fallen trees. He said roads are littered with fallen trees and people shivering in bone-chilling cold are in need. "We've got people out in some areas we haven't even visited yet," Smith said. "We don't even know that they're alive." Smith said FEMA was still a no-show days after the storm...FEMA spokeswoman Mary Hudak said some agency workers had begun working Friday in Kentucky and more help was on the way. Hudak said FEMA also has shipped 50 to 100 generators to the state to supply electricity to such facilities as hospitals, nursing homes and water treatment plants. "We have plenty of folks ready to go, but there are some limitations with roads closed and icy conditions," she noted...Doris Hemingway, 78, spent three days bundled in blankets to ward off the cold in her Leitchfield mobile home. News that it could take up to six weeks for power to be restored sent Hemingway and his husband, Bill, into a shelter at a local high school. "I'd pray awhile and I'd cry awhile," Doris Hemingway said. "It's the worst I've ever seen."

It is great to know that God is always near even when it seems we are all alone!

Special Prayer Request - Rev. Kenneth and Vera Brand

When you read this, would you please take a moment and pray for my parents, Rev. Kenneth and Vera Brand? They are in their seventies and are retired in rural western Kentucky, the area hardest hit by the recent ice-storm. I was finally able to make contact with them by phone late last night and learned they have been three days without electricity or water. Their only heat has come from a propane-fired gas log in their fireplace and their only water from boiling snow over a propane camp stove on their back patio. The electricity outage has shut down the water treatment plant in the small town where they live and their propane tank is on the verge of running out. The latest word for their immediate region is that it could take up to thirty days for power to be restored. Dad’s concern for their home has kept them from leaving until now but they are finally en-route at this moment from Kentucky to Texas by car. Please pray that God’s hand will be upon them as they drive the first part of the journey on icy roads and that they will be able to find gasoline, etc.

Please pray as well for the more than 600,000 people in Kentucky that are without power in freezing weather. Pray that loss of life will be kept to a minimum and that emergency rescue teams will be given wisdom as they tackle the enormous damage that region’s infrastructure has suffered and that they will be kept safe as they work. This situation has the potential to become very serious for a very great number of people if power is not quickly restored and freezing temperatures continue.

If you are interested in seeing the circumstances my parents and others are dealing with, click on the window below to watch a very brief video on CNN’s website.

Thanks for praying. I'll keep you posted.

Pat Robertson's Perspective on 2009

Pat Robertson has been regularly maligned in the mainstream media and has been marginalized in the minds of many. I believe he is a man who loves and walks with God. I received this video clip in my inbox this morning of him sharing what he believes the Lord has shown him about this new year and I wanted to share it with you. Like all prophetic utterance, it should be prayerfully and carefully weighed, i.e., "judged" in light of Scripture and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit in our own hearts. "29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said." (1 Corinthians 14:29 NIV)

Time Magazine Article - Finding Jesus In London

There is a great article on Time magazine's website today about the impact of the Alpha course on London, England. It is entitled, "Finding Jesus in London." When Teresa and I lived in France, we saw the ripples of what was happening at Holy Trinity Brompton Church in the neighborhood we were living in. I would love to see someone start this as a ministry of Hillcrest Church...! Alpha exists in several languages, including Spanish. Any takers?

Rabbi Marty Waldman - Hanukkah

While I was at breakfast this morning with my dear friend, Rabbi Marty Waldman, from Baruch Ha'Shem Messianic Synagogue here in Dallas, he agreed to appear as my guest on our Word and Spirit telecast next Wednesday, December 17th at 9:30am. Marty will be sharing concerning the significance of Hanukkah and what it means to him as a follower of Yeshua.

You won't want to miss this program...!

Paul & Carol Alexander Healing Testimony, Promiseland Television Network, 10-31-08

Click on the image above to view the incredible healing testimony Paul and Carol Alexander gave recently concerning their son during the Promiseland Live! telecast I hosted for Mike and Hazel Simons. It will inspire your faith and be well worth your time. It originally aired on 10-31-08

Thirteen at the Table Testimony

Here are the web links to the full version of the testimony I used during my sermon this morning. Once the file is displayed on your screen scroll down to pages 8-10:

In Adobe pdf format (easiest to read, but you need to install the free, Adobe Reader program if you have not already done so): PDF format.

In html format (harder to read): HTML Format.

God's Economy Holds Steady In Uncertain Times!

Palin the Pentecostal: Journey From Obscurity to Ubiquity

In his interesting piece in the Washington Post last Friday, September 12th, 2008 entitled, "Faith Based Condescension," columnist Michael Gerson takes issue with recent media coverage of Governor Sarah Palin's Pentecostal roots. Early in his article Gerson writes,

"...liberals have been drawn, helpless and mesmerized -- like beetles to the vivid, blue paradise of the bug zapper -- toward criticizing Sarah Palin's religion. Palin's former Pentecostal church is called a "shout-and-holler tabernacle." Reporters press Palin's former pastor to reveal if she has ever spoken in tongues, the way it was once asked if candidates had ever used drugs...Palin sounds most like President Franklin Roosevelt, who prayed on D-Day that, "by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph."

He continues,

"The media treatment of Pentecostalism (Palin's main religious background) and Bible church evangelicalism (her current affiliation) has had the quality of a National Geographic special on a newly discovered Amazon tribe. You might not suspect that Pentecostalism -- grown from the admirable, racially integrated roots of the Los Angeles Azusa Street Revival of 1906 -- is one of the fastest-growing and most influential forms of mainstream Christianity. There are now between 250 million and 500 million Pentecostals in places from Latin America to sub-Saharan Africa to rural Alaska....While most religious people in America don't speak in tongues, many pray for healing in times of sickness and trouble, and most are offended when sneering elites attack the religious practices of their friends and neighbors. "

Then he concludes with a trenchant observation,

During the first Pentecost -- the one recorded in Acts -- Christians spoke strange languages in public. Many observers dismissed them as drunk. The critics of religion, as is often the case, did not get the last word.

Statistically speaking, Gerson is quite right. In its press release in October 2006 announcing the publication of the results from its ten country public opinion survey on Pentecostalism entitled,"Spirit and Power," the highly respected and very mainstream Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life noted that at least one quarter of the world's two billion Christians consider themselves Pentecostal or Charismatic, as do 23% of the inhabitants of the United States. The preface to the report points out that Pentecostals/Charismatics rank second only to Roman Catholics in the number of global Christian followers.

I think the actual numbers may be higher. Many Roman Catholics testify to profound Holy Spirit experiences but their numbers are not always included in such summaries. Many U.S. pastors of ostensibly non-Pentecostal/Charismatic churches come from Pentecostal/Charismatic roots but have intentionally "re-branded" themselves and the churches they serve in an effort to sidestep the social stigma and religious prejudice they encountered earlier in their lives. Very often, these leaders continue to lead Spirit-filled lives in private without being publicly identifiable by research methodologies like those used by the Pew Forum.

In any event, even if one accepts the Forum's statistics, it is clear that over the last century Governor Palin's stream of Christian faith has moved from obscurity to ubiquity. Both the Pew Forum and the Religion News Service have recently pointed out that Barak Obama has integrated two openly Pentecostal members into the highest levels of his own campaign: Joshua DuBois as his Religious Outreach Director and Leah Daughtry, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee. So far, the same members of the media who have publicly scorned Governor Palin's spirituality have been silent about Senator Obama's affiliations. I suspect their attacks are more political in motivation than philosophical, sociological, or theological.

Be that as it may, Governor Palin's recent nomination has not only affected the political debate in our country but has also raised doctrinal issues for certain non-Pentecostal/Charismatic Evangelicals. As David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University asks in his article entitled, "The Palin Predicament," in today's online edition of USA Today,

The GOP’s evangelical base rejoiced when the Alaska governor joined the McCain ticket. But how can the theological vision that women are subservient to men jibe with a Palin vice presidency?

He continues,

It is an uncomfortable fact that many of the theologically conservative Christians who have endorsed Palin's nomination would not be willing to endorse her or any other woman for service as pastor of their church. Women cannot serve as pastors in groups such as the Churches of Christ, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Presbyterian Church in America, most non-denominational Bible churches, and an influential advocacy group called the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood(CBMW)...at the local church level many congregations would not accept Palin or any other woman even as associate pastor, or deacon, or youth minister or Sunday school teacher in a gender-mixed classroom. The most conservative would not consider it appropriate for her to stand behind a pulpit and preach a sermon, or teach from the Bible, or lead a praise chorus, or offer a prayer, unless her audience consisted entirely of women or children.

In my view, Dr. Gushee paints with too broad a brush when he asserts elsewhere in his article that only more modern elements within evangelicalism have permitted women to function in leadership positions. From the earliest days of both the classical Pentecostal revival a century ago and the more recent Charismatic renewal, women have been allowed to exercise whatever gifts God granted them within their faith communities. I do agree, however, that the Sarah Palin phenomenon is giving rise to fresh and ardent discussions of many topics theological as well as social and political.


As late as yesterday evening, Sunday, September 15th, the ABC World News broadcast contained a video report entitled, "What Does Palin's Faith Mean for U.S.?" It opened yet another window that people around the nation can look through for a glimpse into one genre of Spirit-filled worship. During that piece, University of Rochester religion professor Anthea Butler notes the connection between a deep, personal work of the Holy Spirit and a greater role for women in all areas of life,

"Sarah Palin, if she was just a plain Evangelical woman, would have a tough time thinking that she could be VP," said University of Rochester religion professor Anthea Butler. "An evangelical woman might have issues with submission. What's gonna happen with my kids? But a Pentecostal woman is saying God is calling me, I'm gonna answer this call."

All of us who exult in genuine moves of God's Spirit and who long to lead other people into such fullness should make it a point to pray during this season that these journalistic forays, however imperfect or polemical they may be, will result in many more people coming into a personal encounter with the Creator who longs to be their Redeemer. I think the Apostle Paul would agree. He wrote to the Corinthian Christians,

"...if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25
NIV)

Let it be, Lord...!
For more online information regarding Pentecostals, including links to many other websites, check out the Pew Forum's page on Pentecostalism.

Washington Post Cartoon Mocks Speaking In Tongues

In case you have any question concerning the religious bias of certain, mainstream media outlets concerning the present-day work of the Holy Spirit, take a look at this cartoon which appeared on the Washington Post website... (To view it online, click here.)

On Sarah Palin and Religious Prejudice

In the midst of all of the current controversy regarding John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate in the upcoming Presidential election, one specific development has caught my attention more than any other. Yesterday I noticed that the media "feeding frenzy" began to take a new turn as articles began popping up which highlight the churches she has attended and the shepherds who lead them. These include popular blogs like the Huffington Post and the Daily Kos and historic print publications like Harper's Magazine. News items surfaced which cast both pastors and congregants in a very negative light, asking whether or not someone from a "Pentecostal" or "Charismatic" background is fit to serve our country in such a high office.

Certain of the articles I have read portray attitudes reminiscient of those I encountered toward Christian churches in Eastern Europe before the fall of the Iron Curtain when Pentecostals were considered to be in need of psychiatric treatment. Newsweek's article about Sarah Palin's church was much more irenic in tone, but ended by saying, "Sarah Palin may not call herself a Pentecostal, but she has deep and long experience in Pentecostal churches. And as the race wears on, this biographical fact will likely become another religious Rorschach test--pleasing to some, discomfiting to others."

This is the second time in this election that a candidate's choice of a church home has sparked controversy. Barak Obama's long-term friendship with Pastor Jeremiah Wright turned out to be such a flashpoint that the candidate publically disassociated himself from both the man and his message (Read more about this here). What strikes me as very different this time around is that criticism has moved from controversy surrounding specific, issue-related comments by Rev. Wright to a visceral rejection of such foundational Christian doctrines as eternal punishment for those who reject Christ as Saviour or certain facets of New Testament spirituality clearly depicted in the New Testament Book of Acts as normative for members of the Christian faith.

I suppose none of this should surprise me. The flurry of speculation and observation surrounding Sarah Palin's particular flavor of Christian spirituality appears to be emanating from the same segments of American intelligentsia that have gleefully stooped to holding up a seventeen year old girl's pregnancy as an object for intense public scrutiny, sometimes tinged with ridicule. This is being done while that same young woman is walking through a very difficult time in her life, simply in order to score what the journalists mistakenly believe to be political "points." I for one wholeheartedly commend Governor Palin's daughter for courageously welcoming another precious life into the world instead of killing it for the sake of convenience.

Politics has always been a rough and tumble business and our civic history may be replete with examples of journalistic excess, but in my opinion we have just reached an all-time low. I believe these latest jouralistic extremes bode ill for what lies before us as Christian believers in our nation unless God graciously sends our country a deep spiritual and moral renewal. I also believe it shows the extent to which spiritual forces are at work on many different levels and in many different quarters during this election.

Whatever your political persuasion, I urge you to join me in prayer for the Palin family and for the pastors and churches cited in the aforementioned articles. While I have never met Governor Palin, I have known one of the ministers referenced, Pastor David Pepper from the Church on the Rock in Wasilla, and his family for over thirty-five years. Pastor David and his wife, LaRae, are two of the finest people I have ever met and form a very effective ministry team. I would be honored to call them pastor and consider their flock privileged to have them serve them in that capacity. David and LaRae certainly do not deserve the treatment they are getting in the press.

As all of you who attend Hillcrest Church know well, I do not take public positions regarding political candidates or openly share my personal political opinions or intentions about what I will do when I enter the ballot box. My appeal to you as your pastor is very simple:

1. Be sure to vote! This is an historic election. Be a part of it.
   
2. Find out all that you can about the candidates and their policies. Focus on reputable sources and ignore the gossip and innuendo you hear from others, whatever their political persuasion.
   
3. Prayerfully ask God to help you make the right choice in light of His Word, His character, and His purposes in the earth. Vote your deepest convictions. Pray in faith for His hand to be upon the process, assuring its outcome will be according to whatever He knows is best for our nation.
   
4. Intercede before the Lord on behalf of all the candidates and their families. Pray God's protection upon them, that they will speak truthfully in all things, and that anything hidden in their hearts or lives that might disqualify them from public office will be known before Election Day.

Let's believe God together for a better future!

Eric Liddle - A True Champion

Thanks to one of my favorite theological bloggers and authors, Ben Witherington, for a great post this afternoon about missionary Eric Liddle, entitled, "A Christian for the Ages." Eric Liddle was the Scottish Olympic runner whose life inspired one of my all-time favorite movies, "Chariots of Fire." Ben says NBC ran a piece during their Olympic coverage with Mary Carillo today on Eric. I wish I had seen it. If you find it anywhere online, please email me...!

The movie has some great lines and scenes, including Eric Liddle's famous statement, "God made me fast and when I run I feel His pleasure." My favorite scene is probably the one near the end of the movie where Eric runs and wins a race clutching a piece of paper with a particular verse of Scripture written on it (at least that is the way I remember it...I haven't viewed it in quite a while...!)

If you have never watched the movie, by the way and you live in Dallas, you can check it out for free from the Dallas Library system. Click here to see the movie's record in their online card catalog or here to see it on Amazon.com. I highly recommend it...!

Moving TV video files to new Word and Spirit Blog

In order to keep this blog as a means of sharing my thoughts with you in written and VLog format, in the future, I will be posting the video streaming files from our "Word and Spirit" television program to a seperate blog at: wordandspirittv.blogspot.com.

Word & Spirit Telecast - Gifts of the Spirit - August 14, 2008

Word & Spirit Telecast - Gifts of the Spirit - August 13, 2008

Word & Spirit Telecast - Gifts of the Spirit, August 12, 2008

Word & Spirit Telecast - Gifts of the Spirit - July 28, 2008

I continue my new series of telecasts dealing with the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

Word & Spirit Telecast - Gifts of the Spirit - July 18, 2008

On this "Word and Spirit" telecast, I began a new series dealing with the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Originally aired on July 18, 2008.

Teresa - Dealing with Doubt, Part Two

Teresa hosts "Word and Spirit" dealing with the theme, "Dealing With Doubt in Difficult Times." Part II of III. Originally aired on July 16, 2008.

Teresa - Dealing with Doubt, Part Three (Gideon)

Teresa hosts "Word and Spirit" and shares part three of a three part series on "Dealing with Doubt." In this live broadcast, she shares from the Old Testament account of the life of Gideon and a personal testimony of a supernatural phone call during an hour of deep need. Originally aired on Thursday, July 17, 2008.

Teresa - Dealing with Doubt, Part One

Teresa hosts "Word and Spirit" and shares part one of a three part series on "Dealing with Doubt." In this live broadcast, she shares from the New Testament account of the life of John the Baptist. Originally aired on Tuesday, July 15, 2008.