Showing posts with label charisma Magazine. Show all posts

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Why the 'God's Not Dead' Films Just Keep Getting Better - STEVE STRANG CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Why the 'God's Not Dead' Films Just Keep Getting Better

A scene from the latest God's Not Dead film, "A Light in the Darkness." (YouTube/YouTubeMovies)

Troy Duhon is one of the most interesting people I know. The son of a Pentecostal preacher, he has become extraordinarily successful in the car business, with 21 automobile dealerships across the United States.

Several months ago, he invited me the International Christian Film Festival, which had over 5,000 people in attendance in Orlando, Florida. I was invited to be one of the presenters for the award for Best Screenplay. I was also asked to have an autograph signing. It was fun to hang out all day with a different crowd than I am normally around. And I enjoyed the time with Troy, who, while we were talking, gave me several excellent story ideas.

I have interviewed and written about Troy before. He is the one who put up the money for the first God's Not Dead movie, which was one of the most successful independent movies of all time. Troy says when the film hit the box office in 2014, it grossed $60,000,000, but DVD sales and streaming brought that number to more than $100,000,000.

Later, he was behind God's Not Dead 2, and even invited me to watch some of the movie being made in Arkansas a couple of years ago. The film confronts the hypocrisy in many public schools, where teachers are free to teach on Muhammad, Buddha and other religious figures, but often aren't allowed to teach about Jesus Christ as a historical figure.

Now, he has come out with God's Not Dead 3, also called A Light in the Darkness. I recently viewed it, and if you haven't seen it, you really should. The DVD released Aug. 21, and you can purchase it here. To me, it was the best movie of the three. The plot and acting were even better than the first two. It deals with some of the issues regarding the role of government regulating the church, the opposition to organized religion on most university campuses and how Christians should respond to ethical and moral dilemmas that face them. There is quite a surprise ending.

With the entire God's Not Dead brand, Troy says he and his team are trying to reach Millennials, whom he calls the almost-forgotten generation in church. He's concerned that fewer Millennials are pursuing the Lord and attending church.

Research done by Rice Broocks—author of the God's Not Dead book that inspired the film—seems to confirm Troy's fears. Rice has done research through his ministries on 700 college campuses and has found that 64 percent of all kids raised in a Christian home end up going to a liberal college and walking away from their faith. I've known Rice since the 1980s and have seen his passion to reach youth for Christ.

Troy believes the fact that the films were so successful shows just how hungry college kids are to know why they can believe God exists. He hopes the films help give Millennials a reason to get involved in church again, which I think is a truly noble goal.

I interviewed Troy a couple months ago on my podcast, "The Strang Report," where he offered some compelling insights. I encourage you to listen to the interview below.

A Light in the Darkness

In this episode of the Strang Report, Steve speaks with Troy Duhon, executive producer of the God's Not Dead 3. The movie is aimed at Millennials, which Duhon refers to as the "almost forgotten generation" at church in these chaotic times.
Listen here: Strang Podcast

Steve Strang is the founder of Charisma Media and president of Christian Life Missions. He is also the author of the best-seller God and Donald Trump. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the Strang Report podcast, and here to sign up for the Strang Report newsletter.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Interesting Spiritual Parallels Between Trump and Kim Jong Un - STEVE STRANG CHARISMA MAGAZINE

North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump (YouTube/ABC News)

Interesting Spiritual Parallels Between Trump and Kim Jong Un

When President Donald Trump meets with North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un in Singapore June 12, it will be a historic summit. We must pray that not only will North Korea be denuclearized, but that North Korea—where freedom of religion or belief is largely nonexistent—will begin to allow religious liberty.

Meanwhile, my longtime friend Kathie Walters, a prophetess who often writes for Elijah List, brought to my attention several very interesting parallels between Trump and Kim.

She told me that in 1906, there was a great revival in Pyongyang that involved Kim Jong Un's grandfather's parents and grandparents. Kim Jong Un's grandfather, the dictator who ushered in North Korean communism, was Kim Il Sung, who was raised a Presbyterian. His father was a church elder, and his maternal grandfather was a pastor.

In the first half of the 20th century, northern Korea is said to have been much more Christian than the southern part. In fact, Pyongyang was called the "Jerusalem of Asia." At the time of the Korean War, there were 3,500 churches in North Korea. Today, Christianity is outlawed there, and at least 50,000—and by some reports as many as 130,000—Christians are in what amounts to concentration camps.

Meanwhile, President Trump was also raised a Presbyterian. His mother was from the Outer Hebrides Islands in Scotland, where there was a massive revival from 1948-51 (ironically almost the same years as the Korean War). The Hebrides was so on fire for God, it was called the "Jerusalem of the U.K."

I'm researching this now for my new book, Trump Aftershock, due to release in November. There are conflicting reports, but some suggest that members of Donald Trump's mother's family were involved in the Hebrides revival. His mother had moved to America about 15 years before, so she wasn't literally there at the time. But since nearly everyone in the Hebrides was touched by the revival in some way, we speculate members of her family (who were known as very devout Christians) were involved.

In addition, I'm researching Christianity in North Korea as well as the country's glorious history of revival. I'm also documenting its enormous persecution of Christians, which has made North Korea one of the most—if not the most—oppressive regimes on earth.

Another interesting coincidence is that the day of the Singapore summit is June 12. That's the exact date when in 1987, President Ronald Reagan said to the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in Berlin, Germany: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Let's pray President Trump challenges Chairman Kim to tear down the barriers to Christianity in North Korea.

Another interesting fact Kathie mentioned is that the summit is being held on the island of Sentosa. The luxury location, however, has a dark past. It was used by Japan as a camp for British and Australian prisoners of war after Allied forces surrendered to the Japanese in 1942.

It was also where Singaporean Chinese accused of anti-Japanese activities were executed in large numbers. Until 1972, Sentosa was known as the "island of death from behind" and was renamed by the Singaporean government as part of the campaign to turn the island into a luxury destination. It is connected to the main part of Singapore with only one causeway, which makes security easier for the summit.

"It is now a five-star resort with a curse on it," Kathie says. "What an opportunity to reverse the curse. Don't you think God might be up to something?"

To that, I say, "Amen."

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Thursday, May 17, 2018

Watch My Interview on CTN for an Inside Look at Trump's Success With Evangelicals - STEVE STRANG CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Watch My Interview on CTN for an Inside Look at Trump's Success With Evangelicals

U.S. President Donald Trump (YouTube/MSNBC)

I'm still promoting God and Donald Trump as I have opportunities. Recently, I went to the Christian Television Network in Fort Myers, Florida, and had a very interesting interview with Paul Lodato on his show, "Contending for the Faith."

The show will air at 6:30 p.m. EST on Friday, May 18. You can watch it on on Direct TV (channel 376), Dish Network (channel 267), Glory Star Satellite System (channel 117) or Thaicom 5 satellite, which covers 75 percent of the earth overseas. Or you can watch the interview from anywhere in the world on livestream at contendingforthefaith.tv or ctn10.com. C-SPAN will also record the event for a later program.

I believe you'll be interested in watching this 30-minute interview. I told Paul I wanted to send out a newsletter about it to encourage those who are interested to tune in.

Paul is an impressive young man. He was hired in 2005 as the youngest general manager of the Christian Television Network, which established Florida's first Christian station in 1979. When Paul took the helm of CTN Southwest Florida, formerly known as WRXY-TV, he brought with him a vision to produce and broadcast innovative and engaging programming that provides viewers a message of hope while entertaining and educating the entire family.

Not only did he found Southwest Florida Film and Television Academy in 2014, but he is also well-established in the business community. In 2008, GulfShore Business magazine named him one of its "40 Under 40" individuals who have distinguished themselves in Business & their communities. He's often invited to speak about media/business to civic, nonprofit and church organizations.

But Paul doesn't confine his passions to the TV and business realm. He and his wife, Ivette, founded Light of the World Ministries to awaken, empower and equip the body of Jesus Christ to discern truth and win the lost. He's also an accomplished preacher, singer and worship leader.

I hope you'll tune in to my interview with Paul tomorrow. If you know anyone who would be interested in watching the show, make sure to send this newsletter to them!

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Why I'm OK With Being a Spiritual Misfit - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Why I'm OK With Being a Spiritual Misfit

(Getty Images/iStock/Getty Images Plus/creacart)

It annoys me when Christians force people to fit in neat categories. For years we've done this with gender. I wish I had a dollar for every time a preacher has claimed that "all men hide their feelings" or "all women are domestic" or "all men refuse to ask for directions."

Those are stereotypes. While God made only two genders, men and women come in all types. Our uniqueness is shaped by our bodies, skills, interests, personality quirks, communication styles, ethnicity, life experiences and so much more.

Christians also love to fit people into personality types. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates invented the concept of the "four temperaments"—choleric, sanguine, melancholy and phlegmatic. He believed the levels of our bodily fluids caused these traits (what?!) yet his theory stuck around even though it was totally unscientific. Christians started imposing these rigid personality types on each other after author Tim LaHaye wrote the book Transformed Temperaments in 1971.

In the 1990s, family counselor Gary Smalley updated the concept of the four temperaments by describing them as animals: "Beaver," "lion," "otter" and "golden retriever." This began a cottage industry of "personality assessment" that continues to this day. It's based on the idea that every human being on Planet Earth fits into four groups.

More recently, Christian organizations invented questionnaires and tests to determine a person's spiritual gifts. I've taken all of these tests, and sometimes they helped me understand myself better. Yet I always end up feeling like a misfit because I don't stay inside the lines. I certainly don't fit the stereotypes.

For years I've struggled to put a label on what I do in ministry. Am I a prophet? (Prophecy often flows out of me when I minister in a church setting.) Am I a teacher? (I teach regularly in ministry schools.) Am I a pastor? (I don't lead a local church, yet I mentor and disciple many young leaders.)

A few weeks ago I went through an identity crisis. I was tired of people asking me, "What are you?" and my response was to blankly stare back. I wanted a label. I wanted to fit in a clear-cut category. Yet I felt like a weirdo because I don't see my odd combination of gifts and talents in most surveys.

I decided to take my own gifts assessment test by asking some friends to describe my ministry in their own words. I asked them to text me one sentence, but many of them wrote paragraphs. They often used words like "prophet," "teacher," "encourager," "apostle," "mentor" and "father's heart." But I noticed one common thread:

Fernando said: "Your ministry is versatile. Don't worry about fitting in a box."
Kent said: "Don't let people put you in a box."
Ray said: "You don't need to feel any pressure to fit a mold."
Grant said: "You can't be put in a box. There is too much 'cookie-cutter' identity in the church today."

I wanted to categorize myself. But God's answer was a pleasant surprise: I don't need to fit in! Rather, I just need to stay connected to God and let Him manifest Himself though me however He wants!

Many people follow horoscopes because they think their destiny is determined by which Zodiac sign they were born under. That's dumb, because people don't fit in 12 cosmic categories, much less four personality types. And even though there are a limited number of spiritual gifts listed in the Bible (the "power" gifts of 1 Corinthians 12 and the "motivational" gifts of Romans 12), these gifts come in an infinite number of combinations.

Besides that, the "package" those gifts come in—you—is totally unique. Did you know that one DNA molecule in your body has enough coded information to fill 100 30-volume sets of encyclopedias? That's more than 2.25 million pages of computer code! If all the DNA in your body were joined from end to end, it would stretch 94 billion miles. And that code is different from any other person who has ever lived.

We know our fingerprints are unique from everyone else. Now, researchers have discovered that scanning the iris of the eye is five times more effective than fingerprinting because there are 240 unique features in your iris to prove it's yours! Scientists are also discovering the same uniqueness in our retinas, our faces, our insulin and the protein molecules in one strand of our hair.

David wrote: "I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well" (Psalm 139:14, NASB). If you are this unique in a biological sense, how much more is it true in the Spirit? We have been fashioned by the Creator to manifest His power in a unique way.

Don't be so eager to put a label on yourself. Don't try to be a copy of someone else. It's okay to break the mold. You can't be summarized, categorized or boxed in. You are a unique vessel of the Holy Spirit. Let Him flow through you without limitation

J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website, themordecaiproject.org.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Trump Fulfills His Promise to Support Israel in What Many See as a Prophetic Event - STEVE STRANG CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Trump Fulfills His Promise to Support Israel in What Many See as a Prophetic Event

U.S. Embassy Jerusalem Dedication Ceremony (YouTube/The White House)

As Israel marks its 70th anniversary as a modern nation today, most faithful evangelicals are familiar with the words of Genesis 12:3, in which God says to Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, "I will bless them who bless you and curse him who curses you, and in you all families of the earth will be blessed."

The promise of this passage is simple enough: The nation of Israel is sacred in God's eyes. His blessings have preserved the Jewish people through destruction and disaster countless times over the centuries. He has blessed the nation and its people, and He has promised to bless those who uphold the Jewish nation and to curse those who harm His chosen people. Evangelical Christians believe this to be one of the most fundamental promises of Scripture.

But not everyone agrees. Today's opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem came with mass protests yesterday along the Israel border, casting a cloud over the event. The Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital was heralded by many pro-Israel activists but decried by Palestinians and America's Arab allies, Fox News reported.

President Trump had long planned a greater and more supportive relationship between Israel and the U.S.—months before the 2016 election. Trump's support for Israel was just one reason Christians rallied around him.

The Jewish minority in America exists in a different category from other ethnic groups, and Jews occupy a special place in Christian theology. There has been a substantial bedrock of support for Israel among evangelical Christians since the modern nation was established in 1948, but the Hebrew roots of both Christianity and Judaism are as ancient as the Bible itself.

Despite this country's connections with the nation of Israel, America's support was seriously eroded under President Obama. Liberal Christians tend to favor the Palestinian cause, but most evangelicals were horrified by the disparaging remarks the former president made to and about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Trump administration's actions in Israel have been decisive thus far in the presidency. For example, last May, Vice President Mike Pence invited about 100 rabbis, Israeli diplomats, a few congressmen and about 30 evangelicals to the White House to celebrate Israel's 2017 Day of Independence. This was a public decree that as long as this administration was in place, Israel would be America's best friend—and the U.S. would be Israel's.

Trump also did what no other sitting U.S. president had ever done before. While in Jerusalem, Trump visited the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, standing at the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray. He said a few words before inserting a note between the stones. The president later said he prayed for wisdom as he reached out and touched the walls.

Trump has been clear about his support for Israel. In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, published Feb. 26, 2016, Trump said, 'My friendship with Israel is stronger than any other candidate's.' When asked about his plans regarding a possible compromise agreement with the Palestinians, he said that peace between the two is not only paramount, but possible. He also stated long before his election that he wished to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and added that the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran is the 'worst deal that Israel could have gotten.' Today, both of his goals for the capital and the Iran deal are reality.

Be sure to read my book God and Donald Trump and get an inside look at the Donald Trump campaign, election and the presidency, including how he engaged with evangelicals and other faith groups to claim victory.

For more information about my book, visit godanddonaldtrump.com.