Don't give up hope.

There's a very moving column by Pastor Lynn Walker that ran in The Express-Star. In the column, Walker tells the story of a time in 1992 when he wanted to commit suicide and was running from a broken marriage and everything in life:

I fumbled around under the seat and finally got my hand on my daddy’s old Smith & Wesson snub nose .38 Special. I pulled the hammer back and stuck the barrel up against my temple. Just as I started to pull the trigger, something very strange happened. All of a sudden I felt like someone was pouring a bucket of warm water over my head, and that feeling went all over my body. Then God took his turn to speak to my heart. In a voice that was so real, I could almost swear it was audible; God spoke so clearly to me in just a few sweet words. All He said was, “YOU’RE GOING TO BE OK”. That’s all. He didn’t tell me how or why or when. Just that I was going to be “OK”. That’s all I needed. I was at the end of my rope and thank God I found the knot that kept the rope from slipping through my hands. That knot was the Love of Jesus Christ and He gave me everything that I needed. HOPE.

No matter what is going on in your life, God can give you hope. Whether it's unemployment, divorce or anything else, turn to God.

In God's time

Today after church I noticed that, in general, it's the same people that always are crying and needing prayer. I asked my wife, "Why doesn't God just fix their situation so they don't have to be miserable all the time?"

"Why has it taken so long for God to fix your relationship with your stepdad?" she replied. "Don't ask me. I'm not God -- ask him."

So I did. Here was his response:

I fix things in my time, not your time.

Fair enough. God has a plan, and his timing is always perfect.

Slow down...and listen.

I'm nearing the end of Phase 3 of Christ-Life Solution:  The Ultimate Journey. This past week's lesson instructed us to spend some quiet time focusing on God and hear what is on his mind. So, I slowed down, and here's what I heard:

• Bloom where you have been planted.
• Show my love to your wife and son.
• I will take care of you. You need to focus on me.
• Don't give up.

So often we go to God with our requests. Take a moment to slow down and hear what God desires.

The power of life and death

I'm currently reading an excellent book by Gary Smalley and John Trent, Ph.D. It's called "The Hidden Value of a Man."

The book talks about the two swords of value in every man. There's the silver sword, which relates to a man's positional power. This includes a man's job title, academic degrees, place in the corporate hierarchy, etc. Most men focus on the silver sword and neglect the gold sword, which is the ability to develop meaningful, fulfilling relationships and strengthen our families.

There is an interesting passage on p. 28 of the book under the header "The Power of Life and Death Lies Within a Man's Reach":

Writer Gordon Dalbey describes a deeply moving church meeting where the congregation had just watched the powerful anti-abortion film 'The Silent Scream.' Stung in heart and stirred to prayer, men and women began interceding for the pregnant young women faced with the appalling choice of bringing an unwanted baby to term or destroying it in the womb.

Others prayed for the parents of the young women, for the doctors and nurses in the abortion clinics, for the unborn babies themselves, and for the conscience of the nation.

Yet Dalbey felt a strange uneasiness. Something seemed missing somehow. Overlooked. 'Lord, is there something else?' he asked.

'Almost at once the words burst forth in my mind: Pray for the men! No one is recognizing that without a man to impregnate the woman, the abortion issue would not exist.'

Smalley and Trent go on to explain that the ultimate "choice" in the issue belongs to the man. As men, we have a tremendous amount of power; we need to be aware of how we wield our swords. It is possible to have an effective balance between the silver and gold swords.

Remember Nhu

Carl and Laurie Ralston of Akron, Ohio, were so moved by the story of a sex-trafficking victim named Nhu Thanh in Cambodia that they have dedicated their lives to fighting the sex trafficking of children.

'I had heard about Miss Nhu from a missionary in Cambodia,' Ralston said in a Plain Dealer article. 'After he told his story about her, God spoke to my heart. My wife and I wanted to help this young lady.'

Before the Ralstons even met Nhu, Carl sold his insurance business to establish Remember Nhu, a nonprofit to help prevent children from entering the sex trade.

The Ralstons then took six trips to Cambodia over a three-year period to find Nhu. They finally found her in 2006 working in a hair salon.

Remember Nhu opened its first home to educate and shelter children at risk of sex trafficking in Phnom Penh in 2007. The charity now has eight homes in five countries.

It really could be...Satan.

We live in a spiritual battlefield. As we advance Christ's kingdom, Satan takes notice. I have seen it happen before.

For instance, the outstanding leader of my Heart of a Warrior group took delight in being a father. His son eventually developed a brain tumor and died at the age of seven years and seven months.

The leader of my Focus of a Warrior group got laid off from his job. He was unemployed for nine months and somehow had to manage to continue providing for his wife and four children.

I led two groups (Raising a Modern-Day Knight and Sage Series) to encourage fathers of sons to raise their boys in a godly manner, and I got laid off from my job.

It's really easy to be angry with God when these types of things happen. I believe that there is a spiritual element to this -- Satan is trying to derail us and cause us to lose faith in God. The reality is that these are the times to double down on our faith.

In the midst of being trapped up to her neck

Omayra Sanchez

In 1985, the Nevado Del Ruiz volcano erupted in Armero, Columbia, trapping 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez in debris while she was trying to rescue a sibling.

As noted on Technorati, Sanchez calmly hung in there for three days until she died of exhaustion, gangrene and hypothermia. It was noted that, during those three days, Sanchez calmed people who were overcome with emotion because of her situation, sang and held normal conversations with visitors.

God must have given her courage and tranquility in the midst of a tragedy.

Letting God speak through you

Sometimes when people pray, I am in awe of how heartfelt and specific their words are to my situation. What's their secret? It's not them -- it's God. I get a little nervous when I'm praying with people. I'm not sure if my words will be applicable to their situation.

Jonathan Payne, a senior at Jackson Christian School, also felt nervous about praying with people on a recent mission trip to Kenya, according to an article in The Jackson Sun:

[Payne] spent 13 days in Kenya, where he spoke to children about AIDS and making healthy choices.


Payne said he was nervous about speaking to the students.


'It was a God thing,' he said. 'I wanted to say the right thing. I'd been praying, 'God give the right words,' and I believe God spoke through me. It was a humbling experience.'

I pray that God will give everyone the right words in their interactions today.

Breast cancer survivor shares journey

Like most women, Sabrina Goble rarely did her self breast examination for cancer. In 2007, she had a routine mammogram. The gynecologist said that everything was fine, and to come back in a year. But God had something else to show Goble, according to a story in the Cabarrus News:

'My husband and I were touring homes on a Saturday. They had nice outdoor bathrooms with sinks and mirrors and skylights that let the sunlight come through the roof. As I went in, the spaghetti strap on my blouse, that had been falling all day, fell again. In the light from that skylight I saw an indentation on the top of my chest. I ran my hand over it and said 'What is this?' It felt distinctively different. Round. And hard. Like a BB. And I saw it with my eyes.

'So I was in the doctor's office on Monday morning. I want people to know this is not something you put off. You go immediately.

'The surgeon removed the 0.6 centimeter tumor the same week. Five days later, I got the devastating phone call. I was in shock when they told me it was malignant and that a second surgery would have to be scheduled because they didn't get it all.

'At that moment, I fell to my knees in anguish. God spoke to me and said that if I would trust Him, He would use it for something good to help others.'

The breast cancer survivor since has embarked on a campaign to educate women about the importance of self breast exams, mammograms, and how to deal with breast cancer.

Sabrina Goble

Everything is spiritual

As I am going through phase three of The Ultimate Journey/Christ-Life Solution, I was reminded of a key principle: everything is spiritual.

During this past week, our assignment was to keep track of how we spent our time. Since I have worked for public relations firms, I have experience with documenting how I spend my time.

When our class was reviewing our time sheets, I noticed that I spent a lot of my time applying for jobs and being with my wife and son. My only "religious" times were reading the Bible for a bit each morning, attending church and doing my Christ-Life Solution homework. When I mentioned that to the group, a classmate reminded me that everything is spiritual.

What an excellent reminder! Every aspect of how I go about my day and how I interact with people is God living through me. It's really easy to feel guilty for not spending enough "religious" time; remember that everything is spiritual as you go about your day.

The Ultimate Journey, Phase 3

Last week I started the final phase of The Ultimate Journey/Christ-Life Solution. This phase is called "Embracing Self-Surrender." I'm excited, but nervous.

I know that God is in control of my life, and during phase three I'm going to learn what it means to abide in Christ and experience the blessings of a life surrendered to Him. During this phase of The Ultimate Journey, I will be allowing the Lord's life to be revealed in and through me.

Here we go!

Prepare for battle

To the men out there -- and the women who love them -- I highly recommend the book "A Rattling of Sabers:  Preparing Your Heart for Life's Battles."

This book, which was released this summer, is by Dr. Greg Bourgond, the creator of the Heart of a Warrior program. I went through his Heart of a Warrior and Focus of a Warrior studies. They were excellent programs designed to align one's heart with God's heart and to find out what we are supposed to do in life.

If there is anyone that I know who wants to see men succeed, it's Dr. Bourgond.

Social media for ministry

Pastors and church staff generally have too much on their plates, so how are they supposed to harness the power of social media to spread God's Word?

Well, they can learn a bit on October 23, when a cool event will be happening in Des Moines, Iowa. It's called the BeDeviant Summit. The mission of the summit is to create a network of social web-savvy ministry professionals and inspire them to use social media in their specific contexts.

There will be several presenters, including Justin Wise, the summit's organizer. Here's how to register.

Follow-up to TV moratorium

Here's an update on how my family's TV moratorium went in August.

It was very challenging, especially for my wife (who likes to watch TV) and my son (who loves to play video games). There were constant cries of "I'm bored" coming from my son. We did spend more quality time together, although since it was summer and my son could go outside, he spent a lot of time with his friends.

We didn't really play any board games, although we did talk and get to know each other better. During the exercise, I did not really hear God more or get closer to Him.

Unemployment has drawn me very close to Him, though.

Sage Series

John Eldredge has outlined the six stages of a man's life, of which the last stage is the "Sage" stage. After leading a group of fathers of sons through "Raising a Modern-Day Knight," I will be co-leading a group in meetings called the "Sage Series."

The series, which starts September 28 with Pastor Scott Peterson of Living Waters Church, will feature sages sharing their insights on how to raise sons.

We're still looking for sages (who are fathers of sons themselves) in the Twin Cities area to speak to our small group. If you have any suggestions, contact me.

Understanding spiritual warfare

Cindy Trimm

I am convinced that spiritual warfare exists. Every time that I get closer to advancing the Kingdom, the devil steps it up to discourage my efforts.

But how does one handle the battle?

Charisma magazine is hosting a conference call with Cindy Trimm, author of "The Art of War for Spiritual Battle," on Tuesday night. On the call, Trimm will be sharing key tactics and strategies for spiritual warfare.

Unemployed. . .(sigh)

I have written before on this blog how God has guided my career (see this post and this post).

Well, due to staffing adjustments, I was laid off from my employer on Aug. 31 (my son's ninth birthday). I can only assume that God is continuing to guide my career. I remember when I was in college how scared I was, thinking that there might not be a job for me when I graduated. (My dad was let go from his job the summer before I started college, so I believe my fear was directly related to that.)

I was terrified of getting laid off at some point in my career, and now it has happened. My only choice is to live by faith, to see what God has in store for me.

Artist creates life-size portraits of 23 fallen Marines

This very moving TV news clip tells the story of Anita Miller, an Ohio artist who painted life-size portraits of 23 fallen Marines from the Lima Company. Miller said that, while painting the portraits, she asked God to help her to capture their personalities. Based on the reactions of the Marines' family members, Miller captured their personalities perfectly.

Lessons learned from Raising a Modern-Day Knight

In February I wrote about how I would be taking a group of fathers through the "Raising a Modern-Day Knight" curriculum. There was a group of 12 of us, and we learned a lot during our time together.

Here are some of the highlights:

• There are three types of dads:  absent, involved and strategic. Boys need a strategic dad -- one who has a well thought out plan and vision. Strategic dads understand the true sense of masculinity and know how to deposit it in their son's life.
• Every son longs to hear three powerful and universal affirmations from his dad:
• "Son, I love you."
• "Son, I'm proud of you."
• "Son, you're good at ________________."

• A long-range plan is important for fathers to raise their sons to manhood.
• The definition of a real man is:
• Rejecting passivity
• Accepting responsibility
• Leading courageously
• Expecting the greater reward -- God's reward

• Ceremonies define and celebrate a young man's life as he's growing up.
• Joining together with dads to raise sons together provides great power.

There is much more in the curriculum, and I highly recommend it to any dad that wants to raise his son in authentic manhood.

God speaks life into Kathie Hobson's leadership

Kathie Hobson, one of the leaders at Christ-Life Solution, has a powerful testimony. She struggled with perfectionism and performance for a long time until God spoke to her about it.

Here are a couple of compelling excerpts from her testimony:

I remember sitting down one day, excited about filling out a new Bible reading chart. Perfectionists love ways to measure their performance. I quickly read through the Scripture passage for that day because what I was really excited about was checking it off my chart. As I picked up my pencil to check it off, the Lord spoke to me. He said, 'What are you doing? Don’t you know I just want to spend time with you?' It was a profound moment for me. I thought that living a good Christian life was up to me and then when I couldn’t do it as well as I wanted to, I could ask Jesus to come along and help me. I loved God and wanted to please Him, but I just didn’t really know what that looked like apart from performance.

As I went through my healing journey, God gave me a mental picture that when I was on the performance treadmill he was sitting on the comfy sofa watching me. And the look in his eyes was not one of cheering me on, but sadness. He knew what perfectionism was doing to me. He just wanted me to get off the treadmill and sit on the big comfy couch with Him. He was the one that had already finished all the work. He just wanted to BE with me. During this time I read a little quote that has come to mean a lot to me. 'When I work God rests, when I rest, God works.' Instead of a scale of 1-10, I am now at ground zero. That is where God shows up. Anything more than zero is the Kathie Hobson Show, not the Jesus Show. People need to see the Jesus show.

Thanks to God, Kathie no longer feels that she has to be a perfectionist and is less stressed out by leaving everything in God's hands.

No TV = more God?

This week my family and I decided that we're not going to watch TV for the month of August. In addition, we are not going to watch DVDs or play video games -- anything that involves using our television set.

We were finding that TV-related activities were becoming too much of our entertainment focus, and that my eight-year-old son was more interested in watching TV than connecting with the family.

So, with our August moratorium on TV-related activities, we hope to:

• Spend more quality time together as a family
• Enjoy nature and outdoor activities more frequently
• Play more board games
• Talk and get to know each other better.

I also hope that, by cutting out the noise, I will be able to better hear God.

People of faith: four questions with Tom Henderson

Tom Henderson

1.  Tell me about yourself (church, family, work, etc.)

I am married to a wonderful woman named Debra. We've been married for 15 years this past May. Our relationship has been tested, and our foundation has proven solid. I can honestly say that we love each other more every day.

We attend livingWaters Church in Lakeville, Minn. I play bass guitar and electric guitar there, and that is one of my true passions. I love to exercise my creativity in music for the good of the body (as long as I keep in tune...)

I work as a software developer at Data Recognition Corporation. God has blessed me with skills that I need to be able to support my family, and to be a blessing to others.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, movies, and writing on my blog: http://www.hendersonhome.net/tom.

2.  What are some of the highlights of your Christian walk?

Two seasons come to mind, and they ran concurrently. The first one was leading a group of men through two life-change programs:  Heart of a Warrior and Focus of a Warrior (more information about these can be found at http://heartofawarrior.typepad.com). I had already been through Heart of a Warrior, but found that taking it again, and leading it, was much more enriching. For the two years that I was in Heart of a Warrior (both times), I felt God's presence more closely than I ever have before. It was as if my faith took one or two quantum leaps. During Focus of a Warrior, I struggled through a drier period of my walk, but I learned to trust in God more, instead of worrying about my walk with Him.

The other season occurred while I was leading my group in Heart of a Warrior. Our only child, Ian, was diagnosed with a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma when he was six. He fought bravely through radiation treatments, but ultimately went home to be with our Lord nine months later. During that time, I saw God come around us through friends, family and strangers. God used others to provide support, encouragement and hope. We also saw the Lord use a seven-year old boy to touch lives in a mighty way. People were drawn closer to Him because of Ian's witness; what more could a parent ask for? I also received incredible insights into how much God loves us, His own broken children.

Debra and Tom Henderson

3.  How has God guided or spoken to you?

I feel God speaking to me on a weekly, even daily basis. It's in a very personal experience, the way intimate friends would communicate with each other. Typically, it's an insight into God's nature as revealed by scripture, or into my own heart, as shown by the Holy Spirit.

However, one memorable instance was shared with my wife, Debra. We had found out that Ian's tumor was regrowing, and were able to get away for a night together to try and regroup. We decided to watch a DVD in Chip Ingram's series God as He Longs For You to See Him. It's a great series that studies six attributes of God (His goodness, sovereignty, holiness, wisdom, justice, faithfulness and love). We decided that, in those hours, we needed to hear about God's love for us. Unfortunately, the discs were not labeled with what attributes they covered, so we had to guess. The disc covering God's justice got ejected right away. We started to do the same with the presentation about God's wisdom, but five minutes into the message, we were hooked. One phrase that resonated with us, and that we still cling to, came through loud and clear. In the middle of wondering why a loving God would do this to us, and to our precious son, it rang like the clearest bell: "The wisdom of God tells us that God will bring about the best possible results by the best possible means, for the most possible people, for the longest possible time." We found comfort in that. If God could devise some other way to reach the same number of people without taking Ian, He would do it.

What clinched our belief that God was talking to us that night happened later in the video. Chip was listing situations where people may doubt God's wisdom, saying "we don't know why this happens."  He was speaking in generalities, listing events like divorce and bankruptcy. Among them, he said, "We don't know why a seven-year-old boy gets cancer." Deb and I looked at each other with eyes as big as dinner plates. Did Chip really just say our situation that specifically? We had to pause the DVD and listen to it again. Sure enough, God spoke specifically to our situation. 

We don't know why it happened, and we probably never will this side of eternity, at least not in full. However, we have learned that we can lay down our need to have the question "Why?" answered, and can be satisfied instead with God himself.

4.  Is there anything else you would like to add?

God wants to speak to each one of us. I would say that He wants to speak to us more than we want to listen. There are times when I feel that God is being silent. He does use silence at times, but most of the time it's that I'm not letting myself get quiet enough to hear him. I have to wipe out the noise in my life in order to get a clear signal. That involves avoiding music, TV, movies, video games, and anything that might be a distraction. God can use those to speak, and he has before, but it's not the same as reading scripture and feeling the Holy Spirit point out a passage, saying "This is for you, right now."

In short, the King of the Universe is looking forward to having a conversation with you.

If you would like to be interviewed for "People of faith:  four questions with. . .", contact me.

Hearing God's voice

At my church this past Sunday, the sermon topic was about hearing God's voice. The pastor prefaced his talk by saying that we need to learn to listen and make space for God in our busy lives.

The four key points from the sermon were:

• People hear from God when they're willing to listen to him about issues of obedience. Rather than focusing on hearing about something new, do we need to revisit something old to align with God?
• People hear from God when they take time to listen to God. We need to reduce the noise in our lives and partner with God each day.
• People hear from God as they begin to identify what God sounds like. God's voice tells us to be more like Jesus; he doesn't appeal to our pride, greed or addictions.
• People hear from God when they have confidence that God is committed to speaking to them. As I have seen through this blog, God has creative ways of speaking to us. He is a great speaker and leader, and is committed to speaking to each one of us.

One of the worship songs this past Sunday was "Full Attention" by Jeremy Riddle, which has some very notable lyrics:

May Your voice be louder

And may Your voice be clearer

Than all the others

Than all the others

God wants to talk to us, but we need to listen.

Medal of Honor winner escapes haunting images

Medal of Honor winner Hershel "Woody" Williams (l) with fellow veteran Darol "Lefty" Lee (r).

Hershel "Woody" Williams won a Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II.

He took a 70-pound flamethrower to seven Japanese pillbox bunkers on Iwo Jima, clearing them out.

According to an article in the Winona Daily News, the war had a residual effect on Williams:

Williams has no idea how many people he killed that day, but images of the fighting haunted him. In the years that followed the war, he suffered sleepless nights as the medal changed his life’s course.

'I was bothered a bit by the residuals of war,' Williams said.

He had new responsibilities — a new role he didn’t anticipate when he was growing up on a farm in West Virginia.

After years of bitter independence, Williams said God spoke to him in a church in 1962. The dark visions of war dissipated, and he became chaplain for the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a position he held for 35 years.

Williams is one of 19 Medal of Honor recipients from World War II still living today.

Annie Moses Band: all in the family

Annie Moses Band

The Annie Moses Band is a family ensemble, whose members include parents Bill (composer/arranger/pianist) and Robin (lyricist/vocalist) Wolaver and their children: Annie, Alex, Benjamin, Gretchen, Camille, and Jeremiah, in ages ranging from 24 down to 10.

According to a press release, the band's roots originated in God speaking to Robin while she was in college:

'We had some Suzuki violinists that came and played in our music survey class. There was a little-bitty girl from Asia, and she was so tiny and cute. She had a violin… God spoke to me at that point and said, ‘When you have a little girl, they should do that.’ And, Robin did give birth to a beautiful little girl and named her….Annie. Five more children followed but having a band with six kids certainly wasn’t in their plans.

'We didn’t have any idea this would happen,' says Bill Wolaver. 'We did want a large family and wanted to have children.'

Annie says, 'As each child came of age, our parents really prayed and considered our talents and our personalities to determine what the best instrument would be. Things just kind of grew gradually from there.'

The band's name comes from Robin's grandmother. For more on the Annie Moses Band, visit their website.

On the road again

I love traveling. In fact, I just returned from Ireland for my brother's wedding. (Here's a photo of me in a kilt reading at the event.)

In 2006, I spent time in Fairbanks, Alaska, to build homes for Habitat for Humanity. That was my one experience with a volunteering vacation.

Jay Loecken and his family have taken the idea of traveling for a higher purpose a lot further than that. Since April 18, 2008, they have been driving around the country in an RV looking for people to help. In the process, they have visited 44 states.

According to a recent Star Tribune article, God showed them the way:

'My wife and I always dreamed of traveling, but then God showed us that we don't need to just travel for adventure,' he said. 'We travel for a purpose.'

The Loeckens' journey started when they took a mission trip to Africa in 2007 and discovered the extreme poverty. When returning to the U.S., the Loeckens discovered that there was poverty nearby, and decided to make a difference here.

God's Gardens by Claire

CHAMPLIN, Minn. -- In 2003, Claire Lichy was facing tremendous health problems after having abdominal surgery. She had excruciating pain through the right side of her back. During the surgery, several nerves leading to her back were nicked, and scar tissue from a previous operation was damaged.

Lichy found peace during her recovery time through flowers. Gardening always had been a passion of hers, and she transformed her backyard into an amazing garden when she fully recovered. At first, she called it "Claire's Gardens." Then God spoke to her, according to a Star Tribune article:

'I was out here one day and I felt God tugging at my arm,' she said. 'It just hit me: This isn't about me: it's about God. I feel so grateful that he has given me this talent to make things pretty.'

So, she changed the name to "God's Gardens by Claire." She opens up the gardens (by appointment only; call 763-427-2644) to everything from garden clubs to Bible study groups.

Forgiveness in a teenage drinking death

Last July, 15-year-old Makamae Au Mook Sang died of acute alcohol intoxication after drinking hard liquor at a party hosted by 25-year-old Michael Clark in Hawaii. This month, Clark was sentenced to a year in prison. Au Mook Sang's mother has forgiven Clark, though, according to a story on Honolulu's KITV:

'When God spoke to me I felt like he was telling me that you, Michael, are just as much a child of God as I am,' said Tracy Ah Mook Sang. 'So, God is, like, telling me he loves you too.'

While this tragedy highlights the dangers of teenage drinking, it also puts a spotlight on the power of forgiveness.

The beginning of a nursing career

Christina Jundt recently wrote a profile of 89-year-old Margaret Follingstad for the Gainesville Times. Follingstad always has followed God's lead for her life, including her decision to be a nurse:

Lying in bed one night, Margaret recalled, 'I felt a hand on my shoulder. God spoke to me, and talked to me as clearly as any person would. He told me that I needed to go back to school and be a nurse.'

Follingstad obeyed the Lord with a servant's spirit and knew that the Lord would always protect her. Her advice to people is to "trust in the Lord with all your heart."

It's all about you

Juliana Pasha, a disco diva from Albania, has a hit on her hands with "It's All About You." When watching the video, one might think that she is man crazy. The truth, according to a quote from Pasha in The Huffington Post, is that she is God crazy:

But for Pasha, salvation hasn't come through her makeover: it's come through Jesus. Her official Facebook page reveals that she's a devout Christian. She recently told reporters that her spiritual journey began six years ago as she and her husband struggled to get by. 'At that moment, God spoke to our hearts,' she said. 'We were in the car. We prayed and cried and decided for a life with Christ.' As part of that, she turned down an offer to play a female bodyguard in a stage production of Chicago because it conflicted with her ability to testify for the Lord.

It turns out that "It's All About You" really is about a woman and her God.

God gives a former Statler Brother direction

For former Statler Brothers tenor Jimmy Fortune, God has guided his musical career. When he was a performer at Wintergreen Ski Resort in Virginia, Fortune caught the ear of Statler Brothers' singer Lew DeWitt and was invited to join the group. The funny thing was that Fortune was supposed to have the night off, but went in to work anyway -- because he felt God telling him to do so.

In an article in The Herald News, Fortune shares how God guided him in his solo career as well:

Six years ago, while he was in the midst of trying to find a new direction for his solo career he said God, once again, made his plans known to the singer. 'I was out on my tractor mowing the grass when God spoke up and said, ‘You need to move to Tennessee’ and I started arguing with him: ‘But God, This is my dream house – I don’t want to move.’ So I put a price on it that was so high I didn’t think it would ever sell and it sold within four days. And when the lady handed me the contract, I knew God needed me out there making music in Tennessee,' he said.

Fortune last performed with the Statler Brothers in 2002.

People of faith: four questions with Serenity Charlebois

1.  Tell me about yourself (church, family, work, etc.)  I am 35. I've been married to Chris for over 13 years now. We have three energetic boys (Rand, Matrim and C.J.) who are true gifts from God! They brighten my life (and keep me busy) every day. We live close to my parents and I am so thankful that they are a part of our lives! My brother and his family live in International Falls. I wish they were closer.

I have been attending South Metro Vineyard Church (SMVC) for over 20 years now! My family started attending when a friend of mine invited me to youth group there. My husband started attending SMVC (then called Victory Vineyard Church) when we were dating. The people at SMVC truly are our family! They have helped us (and cried with us) through many tough times in life, and have rejoiced with us in times of joy. We are involved in a few different areas at SMVC. I lead a ministry called Christ-Life: The Ultimate Journey. It is a discipleship ministry which made a big difference in my life and I have been privileged to be facilitating groups at SMVC for about four years now. My husband has also been involved and facilitates groups from time to time. We also lead a small group, which is where our closest relationships are forged. Chris helps run sound on Sunday mornings and I am on the worship team. Chris used to spend his Saturday mornings working at our food pantry (Fruit of the Vine), but has had to give that up as he is working two jobs right now. And I get to spend a few hours on Fridays volunteering in the office. Our oldest son, Rand, helps teach the preschoolers on Sunday mornings. It is so great watching him get involved in the kids' lives, knowing them and loving them!


I am currently not working outside the home. What a blessing it has been to be a stay-at-home mom! I am hoping to get back to school, though, sometime soon.
 
2.  What are some of the highlights of your Christian walk?
 
When I ponder what my highlights have been in my Christian walk, it is interesting to me what pops into my head immediately... the lowest, hardest times in our lives! Certainly at the time they didn't feel like highlights! I wondered, 'Where is God? Why is He letting this happen? Why didn't He take care of this before it got so bad?!' But I have started to understand what James chapter 1 means. 'Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.' Every time we encounter something in our lives that seems insurmountable and the only recourse we have is to turn to God, He is able to not only provide for us, but to show us His love! To show us who He is! And each time, I remember a little bit more, how much I can rely on Him, how faithful He is, and how incompetent I am without Him! So when Chris loses his job, or one of my boys is in the hospital, I can 'count it joy'... I can say to God, 'Thank you for reminding me that I can, and should, rely on You at all times!' And as God is faithful and provides for me and for my family, I am made more complete in my understanding of who He is, and hence, who I am in Him.
 
3.  How has God guided or spoken to you?
 
Worship has always been important to me in my walk with God. When I take time to intentionally state that He is God, and that I am not, to praise Him for who He is, to focus on what He has done for me and in my life, I can hear Him most clearly. I feel His love for me and His love for His people. Another time that I hear from God is when I am praying. Whether it be a quiet time with just God and me, or a time of praying for others, God often gives me pictures or stories that are meaningful. Praying in tongues through the Holy Spirit is always a time of edification for me. It builds me up, and makes it easier for me to hear what God is saying at that moment.



One of the things we do in Christ-Life: The Ultimate Journey, is give affirmations to each other. Not the silly, pat-yourself-on-the-back affirmations that everyone thinks of in connection with the SNL skit... but affirmations of truth. Who God is, what reality is, and who we are in Him. One affirmation that I often remember is that we can always turn our faces to God and He will always be there... 'like a flower turning towards the sun.' I love that image! At any time, I can turn my face, my attention to God, and He is ALWAYS there, ready to shine His love and peace upon me. I can ALWAYS look to Him for comfort, and He will ALWAYS be there! He will never leave me, nor forsake me! And NOTHING can separate me from Him!

4.  Is there anything else you would like to add?

I think that one of the most important things that God has been showing me in the last few years... yes years, maybe I'm a slow learner... is what I have to do to follow Him. What do I have to do to be a 'good Christian,' to 'succeed'? Simply say 'yes' to Him. 'Let Your will be done. (Not my will!) Let Your kingdom come. (I'm not the one calling the shots or choosing what direction we are going to go!)' And I don't have to figure it out or know what to do... simply listen to Him and obey. Because He already knows what to do. He is the solution for every situation in life, every problem, every choice. What freedom there is in that knowledge!

If you would like to be interviewed for "People of faith:  four questions with. . .", contact me.

'The Shack' journey continues

For William P. Young, the author of 'The Shack,' an amazing journey continues, according to an article in The Toledo Blade:

'When people ask me what I do, I tell them I hang around burning bushes all day,' William Paul Young said, referring to the biblical story of how God spoke to Moses from a burning bush. 'You get to hear people's stories and you get to listen in on really precious, intimate things.'

Young said that from the start of his 'Shack' 'journey' he felt he was just going along for the ride with God.

As Young travels the world talking with people, something amazing has happened: the openness and vulnerability in his writing has helped people to open their hearts, stop hiding their failures, and overcome living in fear.

How to defeat fear, worry and insecurity

Beth Moore, the author of "So Long, Insecurity," describes on beliefnet a unique exercise that God took her through recently. Moore recounts how God interrupted a prayer of hers:

Child, tell Me your worst fears.

I was a little taken aback. After all, I was in the throes of a particularly descriptive lament. Still, in my human estimation, He had no doubt spoken, so who was I to ask Him to wait His turn? I did what He requested. I told Him my worst fears. Then He 'said' something I never could have anticipated:

Let's say those things happened.

Trust me when I tell you, that is not what I wanted to hear from God. I wanted reassurances like, 'I will never let any of those things happen to you.' I sensed Him continue the interaction despite my bewilderment and dread.

Beth, picture yourself going through the whole process of one of your worst fears becoming a reality. Get all the way to the other side of it. What do you see there?

So I did. I saw myself getting the news I feared most, bawling my eyes out, grieving a loss, or going through all the emotions of betrayal. The tears stung in my eyes. Butterflies flew to my stomach. My insides turned out. But something odd happened on the other side.

What happened next for Moore in the exercise was picturing the entire scenario, with God helping Moore back up on her feet -- just like He has dozens of times.

It's so easy to worry. I know that I do it all the time. I'm trying to cut down on it though, because it's such a waste. Romans 8:18 says that there is something glorious coming in the future. It's time to relax in God. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us?

God leads James King to Nadia Bloom

Nadia Bloom, an 11-year-old girl from Winter Springs, Fla., recently became lost in the alligator-filled Lake Jesup forest near her home. Bloom got off of her bike and quickly became lost -- for four days. Rescue teams and the police searched for her, but a man named James King found her -- by following God.

King is quoted in a recent column from The Huffington Post:

Rescue teams searched for days on foot, by helicopter, and with search dogs, but James King, a volunteer and member of Nadia's church, began to pray while searching. On ABC's 'Good Morning America,' King said, 'I prayed and prayed, and God showed me the way. The hardest part of it was getting out of my own way; putting my own thoughts aside and listening to God.' Appearing on NBC's 'Today Show,' King confessed to Meredith Vieira that his wife, Diane King, gave him advice the night before joining the search, 'James, when we lose something we pray in the spirit and we always find it.'

Kudos to King for being open about God leading the way. As you can read in The Huffington Post column, he had plenty of people criticizing him in the national media; King handled their criticism very well.

New book: 'When God Spoke to Me'

I noticed that there is a new book available that is filled with inspiring stories of God speaking to people. It's called "When God Spoke to Me:  The Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Have Received Divine Guidance and Wisdom."  The author, DavidPaul Doyle, has compiled a collection of 70 stories. It looks quite intriguing. Let me know if you have read the book and what your thoughts on it are.

Doug Green, a man who served the poor

Doug Green, the recently-deceased chaplain of Edmonton's Hope Mission, was remembered for his compassion for the poor in a column in the Edmonton Journal.

Green's call to serve the poor got its genesis when he gave his life to God:

Doug Green landed in Canada during the Second World War and trained as a pilot in Calgary under the Empire Training Scheme. During this time, Doug recalled, 'God spoke very definitely to me through the Gospel -- but also through an air crash involving two of my fellow Australians. It was this that challenged me to fully surrender my life to Christ.'

At age 60, Green took an early retirement package from his employer to focus on serving God. He served Hope Mission in many ways:  as a board member, full-time staff member, and mainly by providing hope to the people who walked through the shelter's door. Green is an excellent example of God's call on us to help those less fortunate, and he felt that he met God through serving the poor.

People of faith: four questions with Jeff Berletic

This is the first installment of an occasional series in which I ask Christians their thoughts on various topics. Today we talk with Jeff Berletic.


1.  Tell me about yourself (church, family, work, etc.)

I am 45, and attend South Metro Vineyard Church. I believe this to be my church home. I am involved with the music ministry there as well as the Fruit of the Vine food pantry. I have been going there for about 20 years. I've been married for 10 years and have a nine-year-old daughter.
 
I also have a daughter that we adopted in our hearts who herself has a daughter. We are grandparents.
 
The economy has affected our household as well, like so many. The Lord has provided for our needs in this time. After all, how can I know him as provider if I never need provision.
 
I have not been able to find gainful employment, so I am now a licensed bus driver.

2.  What are some of the highlights of your Christian walk?

This may sound odd, but some of the highlights of my Christian walk have been to be when I have gone through the toughest times in my life. That's where the rubber meets the road in faith. The only place to go is on the knees.

3.  How has God guided or spoken to you?

God speaks to me primarily through his word.
 
The Bible is what God has said and what He is currently saying.

I know He is with me no matter what I go through. This again is where the rubber meets the road.

4.  Is there anything else you would like to add?

When I finally realize that I have let go of something, it is when I look back on the thing I was letting go of. The struggle is part of the process.

By the way, Jeff is an excellent handyman. If you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and would like to hire him for a home improvement project, feel free to send him an e-mail.

If you would like to be interviewed for "People of faith:  four questions with. . .", contact me.

Mt. Reagan?

Arthur Mijares of Oakley, Calif., recently heard God telling him to do something:  lead a campaign to get a local mountain name changed from Mt. Diablo to Mt. Reagan.

Rich Mayfield wrote about Mijares' campaign in the Summit Daily News:

Mr. Mijares describes himself as 'an ordinary man that worships God,' who received his instructions from the aforementioned divinity during his prayer time. Much like Moses, Mijares was initially reluctant — 'Lord they're going to think I'm a loon.' But religious man that he is, Mijares moved forward, filing the proper papers with the proper authorities. And that's when all hell broke loose.

It caused controversy among his neighbors in Oakley. More than 80,000 people registered their opposition to renaming the mountain. In the end, the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to oppose the renaming. But at least Mijares followed God.

The hidden miracles

When a relative or friend is facing a terminal illness, the natural tendency (of course) is to pray for that person's miraculous healing. A pastor wrote in the Bowling Green Daily News about the wife of a dear friend who died from complications that resulted from a surgery. While they were focused on praying for the woman, something else happened:

The real miracle was the peace and the love that God provided during this time.

Her husband, my dear friend, and his boys were visited with such an amazing peace. People the family did not know showed up and shared messages from God that encouraged their hearts. The Word of God spoke to them most clearly and the reality of God’s Spirit at times was unmistakable. The mindset of my friend and the joy in his heart are something I will never forget.

Many miracles happened instead of the woman's life being saved, including friends and families reconciling, marriages healing and people focusing on God.

Walking in love

Joyce Meyer had an interesting column last week about putting God's love in your relationships. She shared a story about how God convicted her of her selfish ways:

I used to feel as if I was fighting the devil from daylight till dark, seven days a week. One morning about 11 years ago I discovered that the primary reason for my struggle was that I wasn’t walking in love.

My husband, Dave, and I had just returned from doing a conference. We went to McDonald’s to have some coffee and read our mail. Both of us were very tired.

When I’m tired, I like to sit in the sun to be revived. But in order to sit in the sun, we needed to sit in one of the booths near the windows, and by the time we arrived, there was only one left. So Dave said, 'You go get the booth, and I’ll go get the coffee.'

As I started walking, I saw out of the corner of my eye a little old man heading for the same booth. I stepped up my pace a bit and beat him to it. Fortunately, he knew the lady who was sitting in the booth right behind us and asked if he could sit with her.

She answered, 'Yeah, you can sit here. She beat you to it, huh?'

The worst part of the story is that the man was crippled.

God convicted me right then and there. 'Aren’t you cute?' He asked me. 'Here you are, a born-again, baptized-in-the-Holy-Ghost preacher, in the middle of teaching an ‘anointed’ series on love, and you’re racing a crippled man for the last seat at McDonald’s!'

Meyer goes on to say that by giving up the need to be right, she has been more in tune with the needs of others -- and has had much better relationships as a result.

How will your son learn what it means to be a man?

I want to be an effective father, and I want my son to know just how much he means to me.

A few years ago, I read a book by Robert Lewis called "Raising a Modern-Day Knight." In the book, Lewis provides a blueprint for fathers to use today to raise their sons in a Godly manner. Since reading "Raising a Modern-Day Knight," I have implemented some of the suggestions in the fathering of my eight-year-old son.

Now I'm taking it to the next level -- I and a friend of mine, Chris Blom, will be taking a small group of fathers of sons through the "Raising a Modern-Day Knight" curriculum.

The curriculum includes DVDs hosted by Lewis, along with Family Life founder Dennis Rainey. We hope to help dads:

• Discover the key issues that separate fathers and sons.
• Learn how to offer special manhood instructions their sons can use throughout their lives.
• Communicate the definition of authentic manhood clearly -- giving their sons a compelling vision for life.

Raising a Modern-Day Knight also provides:

• an overall fatherhood game plan -- what sons need to see, receive, experience and hear each year of life from ages one to 21!
• age-appropriate ways fathers can create special ceremonies as their sons grow and mature.
• what every dad needs to know as he leads his son on this great adventure called authentic manhood!

I have felt a stirring in my heart to do this for a long time, and I'm excited that it's finally coming to fruition. We are starting out with an orientation session on March 15. If you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and are interested in coming to the orientation session, contact me.

An evening of hope

The last time I had heard of a house concert, it was from some MTV contest in the early '90s where Slaughter performed in a person's living room.

Well, tonight my wife and I are going to a house concert at the house of our friends Tom and Deb Henderson.

Jason Gray will be appearing at their house. The concert is called "An Evening of Hope" to mark the one-year anniversary of the passing of the Hendersons' son, Ian.

I, as many people in this world do, miss Ian a lot. I remember chasing him and my son in the gym at Living Waters Church. My son Branson and Ian would have so much energy. It didn't take long for me to get tired from chasing those fast boys. When I wanted to quit, Ian would say, "C'mon, Mr. Brant! Chase us some more!" And somehow I would find enough energy to chase them again.

I'm looking forward to tonight. By the way, the photo is of Ian and Tom Henderson driving a go-cart in Brainerd, Minn., in 2007.

Christ-Life Solution: Phase Two

Tonight I start "Christ-Life Solution:  Phase Two" at my church. It should be interesting. While Phase One took an introspective look at my past and God's presence in my life throughout my ups and downs, Phase Two deals with God in the present.

I look forward to changing my thinking to the way that God wants it to be.

Ya gotta have faith

It's important to have faith. Faith that God's plan works out better than any plan we might have. Faith that God will take care of us. Faith that even though we don't understand it, God knows what He's doing.

I was struck this week while reading Hebrews. There's an amazing summary of the stories of the Bible where people needed to have faith. And because they had faith, miraculous things happened.

The summary is in Hebrews 11:1-40. Check it out.

Go home

As much as I like to be in control (a side effect of being an adult child of divorce), I'm realizing more and more that it's God who really is in control. I just have a suction-cup steering wheel; it's really God in the driver's seat.

Therefore, I'm trying to ask God about what He wants me to do in all aspects of my life. Last Thursday, Minnesota was hit with overnight freezing rain. I started my morning commute going north on Highway 77 -- total gridlock. I then shifted over to I-35E -- total gridlock.

I asked God what I should do. Go home, he said. I went off on a side street, drove home, and was able to have a very productive day working from home. Now, it might seem logical that it was the right move to go home. Of course it was! Sometimes God makes sense to us, while other times we just know that He has a plan even if we don't understand it.

(By the way, the photograph wasn't my commute -- just add a lot of ice and snow, and you'll get the picture.)

God the wooer

On p. 70-71 of "Love and War:  Finding the Marriage You've Dreamed Of," John Eldredge shares some great insight into how God woos us:

Some of you found the romance of God at the beach. Some of you found it on the rivers or in the meadows. Some of you found it in books. All that has ever stirred your heart, that was God romancing you. For as the Bible says, 'Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father above' (James 1:17).


Sometimes I (John) will walk out of the house in the early morning or I'll be taking the dog out in the late evening and suddenly a breeze will come and just brush my cheek. I have finally come to realize that it is God wooing me. And you know what I'll do? I'll turn my face into it. That is what He wants. He wants us to turn our faces into those things that he is bringing to woo our hearts. He wants us to turn all of that longing and all of that desire, and just give it over to him. That is how you experience the love of God.

For me, I think that I find the romance of God in music. Some music just really moves me.

My son found the romance of God at the ocean on our recent vacation to Hawaii. It was a thrill to see the joy in his face; I'm sure that God lights up whenever He sees us enjoying His creation.

Marriage is. . .love and war

I recently finished reading "Love & War:  Finding the Marriage You've Dreamed Of," the latest book by John and Stasi Eldredge. In the book, they are very open about the ups and downs of their own marriage, and what it takes for a marriage to succeed.

In one passage (p. 65-66), John talks about an experience one morning related to our insatiable desires:

This time of year it is still dark at 5:30, and I just sat there, holding the cup in my hands, letting the warmth seep into me. My soul felt like it was coming back from some distant place. Where does it wander off to at night? I have no idea. My dreams are a vague memory. Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, cradling my cup, I began to turn my thoughts toward God. It was so good to know that I had time to linger and just be with God. What are you saying this morning, Jesus? What do I need?

A few moments of quiet, and then I hear, My love.

I'm not in crisis. Yesterday was a good day. We held some pretty energetic meetings at work; it was fun. When I got home, I fixed the leaking kitchen sink -- a triumph that makes a man feel mighty fine. (I tried to help Stasi relate, 'Imagine you just lost five pounds today.') After dinner I finished a book I'd been enjoying. Stasi and I are in a good place. We snuggled when we went to bed. But all that was yesterday. As I am regaining consciousness this morning, coming back to myself, none of that remains. My soul is needy again. Good grief -- I feel like a sponge. I can take in so much in a day, almost ravenously, feel pretty good, but the next day I am dried out. Again.

This is the nature of our condition. All of us are leaky vessels. Sandy soil. When it comes to happiness, our soul is like a colander, a tire with a nail in it, our grandfather's memory. It feels like there is a homeless person inside of us, wandering around pushing a shopping cart.

This is brutal on a marriage.

What happens is that we end up looking to our spouses to fill us up. That's too much pressure, and of course we're going to be disappointed. Jesus is the only one who can quench our desires.

Here's to a successful 2010!

At my church this past Sunday, the pastor shared three key points that we need to follow through on in order to fulfill God's vision for our lives.

1. You need to let go of your worries.

• Worry is one of the ways that we play God.
• Prayer is a primary way to let go of worries.
• See Proverbs 12:25, Psalm 46:1-3, Matthew 6:27, Psalm 55:22, and Philippians 4:6-7.

      2.  You need to let go of your wounds.

• Emotional wounds take longer to heal than physical wounds.
• Forgiveness is the way to let go of our wounds.
• See Psalm 109:22 and Ephesians 4:31-32.

      3.  You need to let go of your wrongs.

• Confession is the only way to get rid of our wrongs.
• See Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 32:3, Psalm 51:9-12, 1 John 1:9, and Job 14:14-17.

I hope that you all are able to partner with God in 2010 to do all that He has called you to do!