Podcasts about assemblies

In this episode of The Unbroken Podcast, we sit down with Rick Wadholm—associate professor at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, former pastor of 22 years, and author of several insightful theological works, which you can explore at www.rick.wadholm.com. Rick shares his journey into ministry, the unexpected turns along the way, and the deep faith that continues to guide him. But we also get to nerd out—Rick's love for Lord of the Rings and Star Wars shines through, and we had a great time blending thoughtful conversation with a whole lot of fun. Thank you to our sponsors:

Sunday, July 13, 2025 – Pastor Mike continues the series on the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God Fellowship. Today, we are exploring Fundamental 12 – which is “Divine Healing.” Earlier, it was mentioned that there are a couple of beliefs that distinctly mark our fellowship as Pentecostal: the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues is clearly one, and our belief in “Divine Healing” is another. Both of these truths affirm that the “Gifts of the Spirit” evident in the early church are still active today, just as much needed in these last days as they were in the early church’s beginnings. Divine Healing is one of those mysterious beliefs, even for the most mature and dedicated followers of Jesus, because we don’t always clearly understand what God is doing in our lives and those we love. Why does God heal some people and not others? Why do good Christian people have to suffer, while those who live without regard for God seem to avoid pain and suffering? And I’m sure you may have other questions about why God doesn’t always work in the manner or timing that we expect. We will do our best to explore what God has for us during these difficult and confusing times. Here’s what we do know – God loves us, and He is the Healer. Our role is to ask, pray, seek, and trust Him with the rest. Worship and study with us…

Sunday, July 13, 2025 – Pastor Mike continues the series on the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God Fellowship. Today, we are exploring Fundamental 12 – which is “Divine Healing.” Earlier, it was mentioned that there are a couple of beliefs that distinctly mark our fellowship as Pentecostal: the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues is clearly one, and our belief in “Divine Healing” is another. Both of these truths affirm that the “Gifts of the Spirit” evident in the early church are still active today, just as much needed in these last days as they were in the early church’s beginnings. Divine Healing is one of those mysterious beliefs, even for the most mature and dedicated followers of Jesus, because we don’t always clearly understand what God is doing in our lives and those we love. Why does God heal some people and not others? Why do good Christian people have to suffer, while those who live without regard for God seem to avoid pain and suffering? And I’m sure you may have other questions about why God doesn’t always work in the manner or timing that we expect. We will do our best to explore what God has for us during these difficult and confusing times. Here’s what we do know – God loves us, and He is the Healer. Our role is to ask, pray, seek, and trust Him with the rest. Worship and study with us…

The assemblies of four municipalities on the Noto Peninsula have demanded that ruling party lawmaker Yosuke Tsuruho step down from "a key post" over his gaffe about a powerful earthquake that struck the central Japan region last year.

Speaker: Rev. Musa Salifu Taylor  

Speaker: Rev. Musa Salifu Taylor  

Sunday, July 6, 2025 – Pastor Mike continues our study of the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, focusing on Truth #11 – The Ministry. Last week, we discussed “The Church and Its Mission,” which is both the macro global Church made up of all the micro community churches, which are composed of sanctified called-out believers. Therefore, the Church of Christ is called out and set apart for works that please God. With that as a foundation, “The Ministry” we’re talking about today is what you and I are called to do as members of the Church of Christ, even as we belong to our local assembly. So, what is your ministry? How do you know what it is? How do you measure its success? What do you do if you feel you don’t have a ministry? Maybe you feel too young or too old, or too weak or unqualified because you believe you have made too many mistakes in your life. That’s what we’re going to discuss today. God has a plan for your life, and we are going to learn how to discover what it is. Worship and study with us as we lift up our Savior and ask Him to help us find our place of ministry.

Sunday, July 6, 2025 – Pastor Mike continues our study of the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, focusing on Truth #11 – The Ministry. Last week, we discussed “The Church and Its Mission,” which is both the macro global Church made up of all the micro community churches, which are composed of sanctified called-out believers. Therefore, the Church of Christ is called out and set apart for works that please God. With that as a foundation, “The Ministry” we’re talking about today is what you and I are called to do as members of the Church of Christ, even as we belong to our local assembly. So, what is your ministry? How do you know what it is? How do you measure its success? What do you do if you feel you don’t have a ministry? Maybe you feel too young or too old, or too weak or unqualified because you believe you have made too many mistakes in your life. That’s what we’re going to discuss today. God has a plan for your life, and we are going to learn how to discover what it is. Worship and study with us as we lift up our Savior and ask Him to help us find our place of ministry.

The bible starts and finishes with fruitfulness and is a theme running throughout scripture. In this message, guest speaker Dr Glenn Balfour (Missio Dei College, Assemblies of God UK) defines fruitfulness as doing something useful. Fruitfulness demands a good source, good preparation and plenty of hard work. God works through or effort and ensure that our labour is not in vain (2 Timothy 2:6). -------- For more information about Breathe New Life Church or if you'd like to make a decision to follow Jesus, visit our website here: https://breathenewlife.church/becomeachristian

It's been a WILD few weeks! In this special episode of Comm Talk, Dallas and Celeste dive into their experiences taking students to Louisiana Student Summer Camp and then leading students as they put on their own kids camp called Hero Academy. From spiritual breakthroughs to marshmallow debates (burned or roasted?!), this episode is packed with stories, laughter, and powerful lessons in discipleship. Whether you're a parent, youth leader, or camp survivor, this one's for you! Several times we give a special thanks to Charlie Allo, Director of Next Gen Ministries in Louisiana for the Assemblies of God. He and his team made Summer Camp incredibly special. For more info about Next Gen Ministries in Louisiana visit their website: https://www.laaog.org/students  Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro 1:17 What is the Monday Night Play and Pray 2:12 What is happening in this episode 3:53 Why Summer Camp is good for teens 5:19 What is the Louisiana Assemblies of God Student Life Summer Camp 8:46 What is Hero Academy 9:55 Celeste's Win for Student Life Summer Camp 11:33 How Summer Camp Benefits Relationships in Student Ministry 14:43 Dallas' favorite part of Student Life Summer camp 17:29 Why are personal experiences with God so important 20:41 Background of Hero Academy 26:20 Celeste's highlight for Hero Academy 28:37 Dallas' highlight for Hero Academy 29:00 How Student Camp helped students with Hero Academy 31:27 Monster Island Film Vault Promo 33:24 Going to Camp vs Leading a Camp 44:09 Dallas' philosophy about leading 49:04 Devoted Geek Q&A About Camp Life 49:44 Question 1: How many roasted marshmallows did we eat? 51:02 Question 2: Do you roast or burn marshmallows? 52:00 Question 3: Has there ever been a camp game that ended in embarrassment? 54:48 Question 4: What was the “Wow, God” moment from camp? 56:09 Question 5: Did you get many kids who don't come from Christian homes? 57:56 Question 6: How does dealing with youth differ between the two camps? 59:19 Question 7: Have you ever played Grog with your youth? 59:36 Question 8: As a parent, how do I help my kid keep their spiritual fire after camp? 1:04:27 Question 9 1:04:44 Question 10 1:05:06 Question 11:  If you could remember one thing from this camp season, what would it be? 1:06:39 Question 12: What methods do you use to help with homesickness?      

My Story  Talk 22 Facing New Challenges We said goodbye to Basingstoke after a moving farewell weekend at the end of July 1978 and moved to Mattersey with a great sense of excitement and anticipation. We knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord was sending us there, but we were also aware that great challenges lay ahead, not just for the College, but for us as a family too.   Challenges for the family The immediate challenge for the family was that there was nowhere suitable for us to live. The College did not have space to accommodate us for more than a few weeks before the students returned in September and although living in the attic rooms of the old building was fun for a while, it was hardly ideal for a normal family life. But fortunately we knew that the situation would not last for long.   Because I was an only child and, therefore, our children were my parents' only grandchildren, our moving to Mattersey meant that we were now 250 miles away. Naturally, my parents wanted to be nearer to us than that and decided that they would move to be near us. Some new houses and bungalows were being built in the village, right opposite the College and Mum and Dad decided to buy one of them. However, they had still not sold their bungalow in Dorset.   So to resolve the problem of our accommodation as a family the Board of Governors, with the help of the AoG Property Trust, loaned my parents the purchase price of the new bungalow in Mattersey on the understanding that Eileen, the children and I could live in it until a new house could be built for us in the College grounds. My parents were to repay the interest free loan once they had sold their bungalow.   This arrangement worked very well and for our first year at Mattersey we lived in the bungalow, and in the summer of 1979 had the joy of moving into Koinonia, a new four-bedroomed house which we had had the privilege of helping to design, along with the challenges of overseeing the erection of a new-build property! It was also wonderful to have my parents living closer to us than ever before since we were married.   But housing was not the only challenge facing us as a family during our first year at Mattersey. The children had to adjust to new schools. Deborah was 14 and Sarah 13 and having been used to a Comprehensive School in Basingstoke had now been accepted by the Elizabethan High School in Retford where the curriculum was different and meant that they had quite a bit of catching up to do in some subjects.   Jonathan was just 7 and fortunately there was a primary school in the village, where I think he settled in quite well, although he had to get used to the fact that the other children spoke with a different accent and thought that he was ‘posh'. He once came home and said to Eileen, Mummy, my friends don't say ‘something'. They say ‘summat'.   But by and large the children adjusted very well, as also did Eileen who had now become the College Matron. This was not a position she had sought. She had thought that when I became the principal she would just be my wife and lend a hand in the College when she could. However, when, shortly after my appointment, Aaron Linford, the Chairman of the Board of Governors, had asked me,   Will Mrs. Petts be the Matron? and I had replied that she was not expecting to be employed by the College, he said,             Well, if she becomes the Matron we can pay her.   And that, of course, settled it! It did take time for Eileen to adjust to her new role which entailed heading up the entire domestic side of life at the College, but over the 21 years that she did it she grew in confidence, exercising her authority with kindness and firmness, signing off her memos to students with the letter M, which, I think some of the students understood to stand for Mum rather than Matron. I attribute much of our success at Mattersey to her, though, if she were still with us, I know she would be quick to deny it.   So the move to Mattersey presented challenges to all of us as a family, but there were challenges for me personally too. These included the challenges of new responsibilities, new relationships with the staff and governors, and the expectations that my fellow AoG ministers had of me.   The challenge of new responsibilities The Principal of the Bible College was appointed by the General Council, meeting at its Annual General Conference. (The General Council, which under God, was the final authority for decision-making in the fellowship, comprised all accredited AoG ministers together with delegates or representatives from churches which had no minister).   The appointment was for two years, and although this was later changed to four, it meant that I was subject to re-election on a regular basis. Like all other Heads of Department in AoG (e.g. Home Missions, Overseas Missions, etc.), as Principal I had to submit an annual report to the Conference and to answer any questions before the vote for re-election took place.   Although this did, I confess, lead to a certain sense of insecurity, it did mean that I knew that I was accountable, and I knew to whom I was accountable. This is vitally important for anyone privileged to hold a position of authority. And the position with which I had been entrusted carried with it a considerable amount of authority and indeed of responsibility.   But that brings me to the more specific details of my responsibilities as principal. These included overseeing the welfare of the students, staff, and faculty, appointing the faculty and planning the curriculum, hiring the staff, interviewing prospective students, maintaining discipline, and promoting the College by advertising in magazines and visiting local churches, and maintaining the College property, buildings and land.   But of course, I was not expected to do all this single-handed. I soon discovered that what the Lord had shown me at Basingstoke about the principles of team leadership in a local church was to be just as relevant to the leadership of the College. Despite all the authority vested in me as principal and the responsibilities that accompanied it, I was very conscious right from the start that I needed the help and advice of those who worked with me.   The challenge of new relationships When we arrived at Mattersey the key workers at the College were John Carter and Ernest and Joan Anderson. Some of the previous principals on taking up office had seen fit to appoint an entirely new faculty and staff, but this was not something which I was prepared to consider. I felt that I needed the help of those who already had the experience of working at Mattersey and, anyway, asking them to leave would have hardly been fair to them, bearing in mind their faithful service to the College.   John Carter was now in his eighties and living in the College as a resident tutor. He had had a long association with the College, first when his brother Howard was principal when the College was at Hampstead, and later when he himself was the principal at Kenley. For us as a family it was a great pleasure to share meals with this lovely old man in the College dining hall and gain from his wisdom and long experience of serving the Lord. He was always ready to give advice but never offered it unless I asked him for it. He remained as a lecturer at the College until the Lord took him home in 1982 when I had the privilege of officiating at his burial in the cemetery at Mattersey.   Ernest and Joan Anderson and their three children were also living in the College when we arrived. It was clear to me that they had held the College together during David Powell's principalship by their dedicated hard work. I had got to know them during my monthly visits to lecture at Mattersey and I knew that their continued service at the College would be vital for at least the first few years of my principalship.   Ernest served not only as a lecturer but was also responsible for book-keeping, student ministry and evangelism, and for the upkeep of the seven acres of the grounds and garden. Joan had an incredible capacity for hard work and supervised the catering and cooking and much more. I will always be grateful to the Andersons for the help they gave me while I was finding my feet in my first few years as principal. They had faithfully carried a heavy burden, and I understood why in 1980 they decided to move back into pastoral work.   We had worked happily together but there is always the potential for friction when a new leader takes over, and I'm sure that there must have been areas where they were not entirely happy with my decisions, especially as Ernest had hoped that he might have become the principal and had accepted nomination for it. But the humility and gracious spirit displayed by all concerned meant that any friction there might have been was reduced to a minimum.   And what was true of the staff was also true of the Board of Governors who were also appointed by the General Council and to whom I was required to report every term. I think the support I received from the Board was probably due to three main things. Firstly, it was the Board who had nominated me for the job in the first place. Secondly, in my first year I had shared the principalship with Alfred Missen and Keith Munday, older men who contributed much to the reorganising of the College and from whom I gained a clearer sense of what might be expected of a principal.   And thirdly, in line with the earlier history of the College, there was still a widespread feeling in AoG that the man of God's choice should be given his head to lead the College as he felt led by the Holy Spirit. The members of the Board did not see it as their role to tell the principal how to run the College, but rather to support, advise, and where necessary warn. And for this I was always grateful, especially when dealing with the occasional disciplinary situation with regard to a student or even a member of staff or faculty.   So the challenge of new responsibilities and new relationships was made easier because of the dedicated help of the governors, faculty, and staff. Without it we could never have achieved what, by the grace of God, we were able to accomplish during the 27 years of my principalship. But perhaps the greatest challenge I faced throughout those years was meeting the expectations of Assemblies of God.   The challenge of the expectations of Assemblies of God To appreciate fully the reality of that challenge it is essential to understand the variety of expectations held at the time by my fellow ministers. These ranged from those who did not see any need at all for a college to those who saw the urgency of a thorough training, both theological and practical, for those who were called to the important task of Christian ministry.   This tension arises from the fact that as Pentecostals we believe in the power of the Spirit to equip us for service, but we also believe in the authority of Scripture and the importance of understanding the Bible correctly. I remember that when I was first appointed to the Board of Governors, Tom Woods, an elderly pastor, well respected for his proven prophetic gift, approached me and said,   David, I give you this charge, keep the College Pentecostal.   And this, I assured him, was something I fully intended to do. But his comment almost certainly reflected a suspicion of academic learning held by many of the older Pentecostals of that generation.   This was well summarised by Donald Gee, a renowned Pentecostal pioneer and former principal of the College, when, speaking of the beginnings of the college, he wrote:   A movement that embodies such a special testimony to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has always tended to look askance at even the simplest form of scholastic training.   But he then goes on to acknowledge that In more mature years the genuine place and value of Bible schools has been generally conceded, and even enthusiastically welcomed, in the Pentecostal Movement [1].   Nevertheless, at least for the opening years of my principalship, I was sometimes challenged by well-meaning ministers who suspected that the direction I was taking was too academic and I'm sure that there are still those who hold that view. But these good people clearly did not know me very well. The Lord who had baptised me in his Spirit had also given me academic ability, and I knew which was the more important! And improving the academic standard by no means prevented us from keeping the College Pentecostal.   In fact, it had always been a Pentecostal college, as indeed it still is. It was started by the Pentecostal Missionary Union in July 1909. It was led by Pentecostal ministers, most notable of whom were Howard Carter (1921-1948) and Donald Gee (1951-1963), both prominent figures in Assemblies of God.   However, although it always had a close relationship with AoG, it was only in 1951that it was given to AoG. Before then, during Howard Carter's leadership, William Kay informs us that Carter had run his school without a Board of Governors and that:   …though he allowed Assemblies of God representatives to inspect the premises and comment on the doctrinal position of the curriculum, it was always perfectly clear that he had the last word on what was done…   and that it was his wish that   at no stage should the work lose its independence [2].   My purpose in saying this is to point out that for many years the College had run as a separate independent enterprise and although it was now, in the words of the AoG constitution, owned and controlled by Assemblies of God, it was still expected to run its own affairs and to finance itself. For example, the finances of all other AoG departments came under the control of the General Treasurer, but the Bible College employed its own bursar.   So the challenges facing me were not only those of new relationships and new responsibilities, but also the ongoing tension between some Pentecostals and the academic and the dichotomy between what the AoG constitution required of me and the expectations of fellow ministers which were not always in line with that constitution or indeed with what I believed to be the will of God. However, the advice and support of the faculty and the Board of Governors were of great help, and with them behind me I learned to press ahead with what I felt the Lord was saying and leave the consequences with him.     [1] Donald Gee, Wind and Flame, p. 60 [2] William K Kay, Inside Story, p. 208.

It's Thursday, July 3rd, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark and Adam McManus Russia's tight restrictions on missionary activity Individuals and religious groups across Russia continue to face charges of “unlawful missionary activity.” Forum 18 reports the country has conducted 34 such prosecutions this year, an increase compared to recent years. A dozen of these cases affected evangelical Christians. Pastors were fined simply for evangelizing or holding unauthorized church services. Russia enacted tight restrictions on sharing religious beliefs in 2016. The country also imposed “anti-missionary” legislation in occupied Ukrainian territories.  In Acts 5:29, the apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Biologically accurate pronouns allowed despite Australia's wokeness Free speech advocates won a big case against Australia this week. At issue is a post on Elon Musk's social media platform X that used biologically accurate pronouns to identify a transgender individual. Australia's eSafety Commissioner ordered X to remove the post, but X challenged the order. On Tuesday, Australia's Administrative Review Tribunal sided with X in the case.  Paul Coleman with Alliance Defending Freedom International said, “In this case, the Australian government alarmingly censored the peaceful expression of a Canadian citizen on an American-owned platform, evidence of the expansive reach of censorial forces, even beyond national borders. Today, free speech has prevailed.” Elon Musk wants to found The American Party which will cut the deficit Speaking of Elon Musk, the tech billionaire called for a new political party in the U.S. On Monday, he posted on X, “If this insane spending bill passes, The America Party will be formed the next day. Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.”  Musk openly opposes President Donald Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill” for its deficit spending. Afraid of losing $175m, U of Penn agrees to stop transgender nonsense The University of Pennsylvania is backing down from its support for transgenderism. The Trump administration threatened to withhold $175 million in funding to the school for allowing men to compete in women's sports, reports CNN. UPenn came to an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education recently to protect women's sports. Notably, the school will strip a transgender swimmer of his medals. The male swimmer, Will Thomas, who now goes by the feminine name “Lia” Thomas, has been pretending to be a woman, enabling him to win medals by competing in women's sports. Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, said, “It is my hope that today demonstrates to educational institutions that they will no longer be allowed to trample upon women's civil rights.” Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down 176-year-old abortion ban Wisconsin's Supreme Court struck down the state's 176-year-old abortion ban yesterday. The 1849 law made most abortions a felony. But the high court ruled 4-3 that more recent legislation superseded the law. Wisconsin only has a ban on late-term abortions now. Heather Weininger, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life, told LifeNews, “The court did not point to a single state statute that specifically repeals [the law]. To assert that a repeal is implied is to legislate from the bench.” Jimmy Swaggart, known for his “I have sinned” confession, died at 90 Remember this?  JIMMY SWAGGART: “I have sinned against You, my Lord, and I would ask that Your precious blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's forgetfulness. Thank you. Thank you.” That was the tearful confession on February 21, 1988 of televangelist Jimmy Swaggart at the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after it became public that he had an encounter with a lady of the evening in New Orleans.  He was defrocked by the Assemblies of God, reports The Christian Post. The Pentecostal preacher died on July 1st at the age of 90 after suffering a cardiac arrest recently. In the announcement from his official Facebook page on Tuesday, his family wrote, “Today, our hearts are heavy as we share that Brother Swaggart has finished his earthly race and entered into the presence of His Savior, Jesus Christ.” Swaggart's popularity peaked in the mid-1980s, reaching millions of households with his weekly telecasts. In his confession, the televangelist alluded to Micah 7:19. It says, “You [God] will again have compassion on us;   You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” Man's gold necklace cross deflected bullet And finally, a young man in Florida is thanking God for saving his life. Last month, 20-year-old Aiden Perry was shot in the chest, by accident, while visiting a friend's apartment.  The gun was only 10 feet away from him. The incident could have been much worse if it weren't for the gold cross necklace he was wearing. The necklace deflected the bullet from hitting major organs in his chest. Dr. Khafra Henry, who performed the surgery, explained to WESH-TV how Aiden's golden cross necklace was a blessing. HENRY:  “Of its metallic component, it actually shielded a lot of the force of the bullet, so the bullet ricocheted off the necklace and entered his chest wall. However, it was just in his fat tissues because it slowed down the trajectory of the bullet.” Dr. Henry noted what might have happened had Aiden not been wearing his golden cross. HENRY: “It could have been way worse, entering his chest wall itself, into the pleural space, which is the airspace around the lung, between the bones, and injuring his lung itself, or his heart.” Aiden said, “It's just kind of a reminder now – to never stop believing. Keep believing and God's definitely real.” In his comments to WESH-TV, he expressed gratitude to God. PERRY: “I think God played a big role in this. I think He's the reason I'm still here today.” In Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus asked, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Thursday, July 3rd, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

“There are no seasons at the feet of Jesus. There are no age barriers when the fire of Acts 2:4 Pentecost falls. And when the Holy Spirit stirs us as men and women of God, at any age, to speak His words in strategic moments, we sill have a treasured opportunity to trust Him and simply use our voices and obey,” writes Beth Grant. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Grant about how she has made the most of the opportunities God has given her to use her voice for good. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Beth Grant is an ordained Assemblies of God minister, longtime missionary to India, cofounder of Project Rescue, and the first woman to serve on the executive presbytery of the Assemblies of God. She is author of Leading with a Whisper, coming out this September from Charisma House. ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards. Strengthen your family's relationships with God and each other with these easy-to-use Conversation Cards. Each card is uniquely designed with a question, faith builder statement, and a Bible verse to spark meaningful conversations that cultivate an open and nurturing environment in your home. For more information about the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

Sunday, June 29, 2025 – Pastor Mike is continuing our study on the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, focusing today on Truth #10, “The Church and Its Mission.” We discussed the biblical identity of the Church—not as a building or denomination, but as the living Body of Christ, the very dwelling place of God through the Spirit. Each believer, born of the Spirit, belongs to the heavenly assembly— which is the Church Jesus came to establish on earth. One of the most important truths from today’s message is that our citizenship is not of this world, but in Heaven. We examined the divine missions given to the Church: to evangelize the lost, to worship God together, to build up and disciple believers into the likeness of Christ, and to demonstrate God’s love through acts of compassion. This sermon was both a reminder and a challenge—Christ didn’t build His Church to stay still, but to move forward in His mission with power, purpose, and passion.

Sunday, June 29, 2025 – Pastor Mike is continuing our study on the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, focusing today on Truth #10, “The Church and Its Mission.” We discussed the biblical identity of the Church—not as a building or denomination, but as the living Body of Christ, the very dwelling place of God through the Spirit. Each believer, born of the Spirit, belongs to the heavenly assembly— which is the Church Jesus came to establish on earth. One of the most important truths from today’s message is that our citizenship is not of this world, but in Heaven. We examined the divine missions given to the Church: to evangelize the lost, to worship God together, to build up and disciple believers into the likeness of Christ, and to demonstrate God’s love through acts of compassion. This sermon was both a reminder and a challenge—Christ didn’t build His Church to stay still, but to move forward in His mission with power, purpose, and passion.

What if building homes could be faster, smarter, and more energy-efficient—without sacrificing quality or customization? In this episode of Anewgo of New Home Sales, we sit down with John Harding, Senior Manager of Offsite Solutions at CertainTeed, to explore One Precision Assemblies (OPA), a panelized construction system designed to streamline building timelines while boosting performance.John breaks down how OPA differs from traditional stick-built and modular construction, the ideal builder profile for this innovative approach, and how his team is tackling labor shortages, energy codes, and rising buyer expectations. Whether you're a builder looking to scale, or just curious about the future of construction tech—this one's for you.

Christina Foor is joined by Pastor Carlos Rincon to discuss what life is like right now in Los Angeles. Pastor Carlos shares about how he and his church are serving their community right now, the importance of showing up with compassion, and some ways you can pray for those in LA. If you want to learn more about how you can get involved, check out CCDA's Immigration Network at ccda.org/immigration. And for more information on the immigration process, watch our Immigration Law Basics webinar. Click here for prayer requests from CCDA members in Southern California.Rev. Carlos Rincon is the CEO and president of Instituto de Avance Integral Latino Community Development Corporation. Carlos Rincon has been pastoring in Los Angeles for over 35 years and has developed strong ties with the community. He is also a member of many coalitions, such as COPALA, which works closely with Chirla, LA Voice, Homeboy Ministries, Jesse Miranda Center, and Assemblies of God Network. Pastor Carlos is also part of CCDA's Flourishing Congregations Initiative. Connect with Pastor Carlos on his Facebook page, facebook.com/vidavictoriosa. Connect with CCDA on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Follow CCDA on YouTube.

On Sunday, June 22, 2025, Pastor Mike continues the series on the Assemblies of God 16 Fundamental Truths by teaching on Sanctification, which is the 9th tenant. This message centers on the essential doctrines of Justification, Sanctification, and God’s Holiness. The sermon emphasized the absolute righteousness of God and the incredible supernatural grace by which we are justified by faith through Christ alone, not by works. Building on this foundation, Pastor Mike highlighted the necessity of progressive sanctification—a Spirit-empowered journey of becoming more like Christ in thought, word, and deed. Even in our pursuit of Godly Holiness, we will make mistakes and sin. When we do, God still loves and desires for us to acknowledge our shortcomings and return to Him through the Holy Spirit-inspired conviction, repentance, and forgiveness. In this process, we must recognize the difference between Holy Spirit conviction, which lovingly draws us to repentance and restoration, and Satan-inspired condemnation, which shames, isolates, and paralyzes the believer. The message challenged the church not to settle for spiritual stagnation but to pursue holiness with boldness, knowing it is both God’s command and His promise to complete the good work He began in us.

On Sunday, June 22, 2025, Pastor Mike continues the series on the Assemblies of God 16 Fundamental Truths by teaching on Sanctification, which is the 9th tenant. This message centers on the essential doctrines of Justification, Sanctification, and God’s Holiness. The sermon emphasized the absolute righteousness of God and the incredible supernatural grace by which we are justified by faith through Christ alone, not by works. Building on this foundation, Pastor Mike highlighted the necessity of progressive sanctification—a Spirit-empowered journey of becoming more like Christ in thought, word, and deed. Even in our pursuit of Godly Holiness, we will make mistakes and sin. When we do, God still loves and desires for us to acknowledge our shortcomings and return to Him through the Holy Spirit-inspired conviction, repentance, and forgiveness. In this process, we must recognize the difference between Holy Spirit conviction, which lovingly draws us to repentance and restoration, and Satan-inspired condemnation, which shames, isolates, and paralyzes the believer. The message challenged the church not to settle for spiritual stagnation but to pursue holiness with boldness, knowing it is both God’s command and His promise to complete the good work He began in us.

How do federal and foreign aid cuts impact anti-trafficking work, both directly and indirectly? In this episode, we talk with Rev. Dr. Sandra Morgan from Vanguard University about how global aid and domestic budget cuts are affecting efforts to fight human trafficking around the world, both individually and systemically. Dr. Morgan shares how collaboration, trust, and elevating smaller organizations are key to a sustained fight against trafficking, and how to foster these practices. We also discuss how churches can step in to fill critical gaps and why training the next generation of advocates matters. It's an honest look at the challenges, and where hope and resilience are still showing up. Listen in to learn more :  23:54 - Tool to Evaluate Collaboration: Visible Network Labs 26:09 - To Change the World by James Davison Hunter 27:59 - Anti-Human Trafficking Certificate at  Vanguard   More from Dr. Morgan: Ending Human Trafficking Podcast  Ending Human Trafficking: A Handbook of Strategies for the Church Today Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanderbilt University     BIO: Rev. Dr. Sandra Morgan is Executive Director of Vanguard University's Global Center for Women and Justice (GCWJ). As an educator, a nurse, and an ordained Assemblies of God minister, she is recognized globally for her expertise in combating human trafficking and working to end violence against women and children. She hosts the Ending Human Trafficking podcast and is co-author of IVP's Ending Human Trafficking: A Handbook of Strategies for the Church Today.    —-- The Better Samaritan podcast is produced by the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, which offers an M.A. in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership and a Trauma Certificate. To learn more and apply, visit our website. Get your application fee to the HDL M.A. program waived with code TBS25. Jamie Aten, Ph.D., and Kent Annan, M.Div., co-direct the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College and are the Co-Founders of Spiritual First Aid. This episode was produced by WildfireCreative  Theme Song: “Turning Over Tables” by The Brilliance Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | TuneIn | Stitcher | RSS Follow us on Twitter:  @drjamieaten |  @kentannan Follow on Instagram: @wildfirecreativeco @wheaton_hdi (Note to the listener: In this podcast, sometimes we'll host Evangelicals, and sometimes we won't. Learning how to “do good, better” involves listening to many perspectives with different insights and understanding. Sometimes, it will make us uncomfortable; sometimes, we'll agree, and sometimes, we won't. We think that's good. We want to listen for correction–especially in our blind spots.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this interview with author Manda Scott we explore Manda's journey as bestselling fiction author into the realms of the shamanic and her subsequent search for new and ancient narratives that can lead us through and beyond collapse. Listen above or watch the episode here:About the episode:In this interview, award-winning novelist and the host of Accidental Gods Podcast Manda Scott explores humanity's precarious position at the edge of chaos and transformation. She introduces "thrutopia," a visionary framework for crafting hopeful, actionable paths to flourishing futures amidst the climate crisis and broader metacrisis. Scott highlights how fear paralyzes our ability to act, urging us to embrace empowering narratives that move beyond trauma culture toward a culture rooted in myth, hope, and imagination. Through discussions on participatory democracy, citizens' assemblies, and regenerative economics, she calls for a cross-generational movement to reimagine systems and mobilize toward sustainable, thriving futures. Chapters:01:20 – Ursula K. Le Guin and the Non-Inevitability of Capitalism 04:35 – Defining Thrutopia 06:26 – Overcoming Fear in the Climate Crisis 07:50 – Alternative Futures Already Possible 16:05 – Manda Scott's Background 21:00 – Economics and the Need for a New Collective Story 25:00 – Achieving Escape Velocity from the Current System 28:45 – Trauma Culture vs. Initiation Culture 46:56 – Participatory Democracy in Thailand 49:27 – The Power of Citizens' Assemblies 53:00 – Urgency for a Cross-Generational Political Movementecological collapse. 54:00 – The Inner Work Required for Change 56:00 – Understanding the Dark Triad About Manda Scott:Manda Scott is an award-winning novelist, podcaster, and visionary thinker renowned for her pioneering work in "thrutopian" fiction, which maps plausible paths from our current crises to flourishing futures we'd be proud to leave for future generations. A former veterinary surgeon with an MA in Regenerative Economics, she blends myth, technology, and radical compassion in her mytho-political thriller Any Human Power. As host of the chart-topping Accidental Gods podcast and co-creator of the Thrutopia Masterclass, Scott inspires writers and creatives to craft stories that bridge divides and foster collective action for a sustainable world. About Rufus Pollock:Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author as well as a long-term zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com. Production:Podcast Production by Jacob Kishere & SENSESPACE Studio Get full access to Life Itself at news.lifeitself.org/subscribe

Sunday, June 15, 2025 – We continue our study of the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God by reviewing the 7th truth and studying the 8th truth. The 7th truth is that we believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the 8th truth is that the initial evidence of receiving this Baptism is speaking in tongues. It’s important to note that our belief in the active Gifts of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers, not just a select few. Even though speaking in tongues is noted as the initial physical evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, it is much more than just that in a person’s life. We find that Paul spoke in tongues more than anyone else, and he encouraged everyone to develop that special prayer and worship language. One might ask, why are tongues necessary? That’s a legitimate question, and we aim to address it in today’s message. Worship and study with us as we seek to learn more about the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday, June 15, 2025 – We continue our study of the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God by reviewing the 7th truth and studying the 8th truth. The 7th truth is that we believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the 8th truth is that the initial evidence of receiving this Baptism is speaking in tongues. It’s important to note that our belief in the active Gifts of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers, not just a select few. Even though speaking in tongues is noted as the initial physical evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, it is much more than just that in a person’s life. We find that Paul spoke in tongues more than anyone else, and he encouraged everyone to develop that special prayer and worship language. One might ask, why are tongues necessary? That’s a legitimate question, and we aim to address it in today’s message. Worship and study with us as we seek to learn more about the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Today we're following up on last week's baptism episode by addressing a listener question: What is the relationship between baptism and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? The team reads from Acts 2:38 and Acts 19:1–7, discusses different theological backgrounds—including the former Assemblies of God roots of the church—and explains why Acts is descriptive rather than prescriptive. They emphasize that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit happens at conversion, before water baptism, and unpack the distinction between John's baptism and baptism in the name of Jesus. They also touch on 1 Peter 3 and the idea of baptism as an appeal to God for a good conscience.Contact us at podcast@tobethechurch.comSocial Media:Instagram.com/tobethechurchfacebook.com/tobethechurchyoutube.com/tobethechurch

My Story  Talk 20  Ministry at Basingstoke 1968-78  Part 5 Welcome to Talk 20 in our series where I'm reflecting on God's goodness to me throughout my life. Last time I was telling you how God was clearly blessing my trips abroad, to Switzeralnd, France, Belgium and the USA, and, thanks entirely to the gift that God had given me, my teaching was in increasingly great demand both at home and overseas. But how did all this fit in with my responsibilities as the pastor of the church in Basingstoke? The Lord showed me that the answer lay in two things – writing and team ministry.   Writing ministry Today, of course, it's relatively easy to communicate with people all over the world by a variety of options available through the internet. But before the internet, apart from radio and television, speaking on which was not readily available, Christian literature was the main means of communicating with potentially thousands of people. What you write can travel further than you can.   One example of this was Andy Anstey, a Canadian who became a student at Mattersey during the early years of my principalship. He told me that he had been baptised in the Spirit in a university library in Canada as a result of reading my book, The Dynamic Difference. I have never been to Canada, but one of my books had found its way there.   It had started as a booklet I wrote for the Students' Pentecostal Fellowship in 1971, Be Filled with the Spirit. Jim Hall had used it on my first trip to Illinois and persuaded me to expand it, as a result of which Receive Power was published in 1974 in time for my second trip to the States. It was finally published in 1978 by Gospel Publishing House, Springfield MO, under the title, The Dynamic Difference.   I was also writing articles for magazines like Redemption Tidings and Youth Aflame, the AoG youth magazine. At Basingstoke I had given a series of Bible studies on the Fundamental Truths of Assemblies of God, and I asked Vernon Ralphs, the editor of Youth Aflame, if he would like me to write a series of articles on the subject. Those articles were eventually published by Peniel Press as a book under the title, Know the Truth, in 1976, and with the cooperation of the publisher, I was able to give a free copy to every AoG minister at the General Conference that year.   And something similar happened with another series of articles I wrote for Youth Aflame. At Colchester I had duplicated a series of short talks for young people who had just given their lives to Jesus and these were eventually published as a book in 1977 under the title How to Live for Jesus. Both these books are still being used, over fifty years later, by a number of churches today, though Know the Truth is now published under the title You'd Better Believe It. It has been translated into several languages including German, French, Italian, Finnish, Spanish, Urdu, and Nepalese.   Another publication that is still being used widely around the world is the distance learning course I wrote on the Major Prophets for the International Correspondence Institute in Brussels under the title Themes from the Prophets. I have already mentioned that this was a subject I was lecturing on in Kenley Bible College and I already had many pages of lecture notes that I had produced and duplicated for the students.   So when Dr George Flattery, the brother of Warren and founder and director of ICI, asked me if I would be willing to write the course, I was happy to do so. This involved several visits to Brussels, each of which lasted for two weeks, where I could get on with writing the course undistracted. It was also a great opportunity to meet other Pentecostal educators from around the world, including the renowned New Testament scholar, Professor Gordon Fee who was writing the course on 1 Corinthians and became a good friend.   So I will always be grateful for the opportunity I was given to be a part of ICI, but especially for the induction teaching they offered to all their course writers, which included the requirement to read The Art of Readable Writing by Rudolf Flesch the basic message of which, as I remember it, was to write as you speak, rather than writing in the academic style you were required to use at school or university.   Other things Flesch recommended were, wherever possible, to use short words rather than long ones, personal names rather than pronouns, the active voice rather than the passive, and short sentences rather than long ones – which prompts me to close this sentence before it gets any longer!   So, to summarise, I had realised that by using literature a person's ministry could be extended far beyond their time and ability to travel. But that in itself did not solve the problem of reconciling what I perceived to be my obligations to the church where I was pastor with the travelling ministry the Lord was clearly opening up for me.   And, as I was praying about this, he answered my question by whispering into my heart the word Antioch. Of course, I knew that Antioch was the place where the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26), but at first I couldn't see how it was relevant to my problem, so I decided to turn to Acts to see if I could find the answer. And I did. The answer was the development of team ministry.   Developing Team Ministry The church at Antioch was started by believers who had been scattered as a result of the persecution of the church that took place after the stoning of Stephen. Some of them went to Antioch spreading the word to both Jews and gentiles and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. When the apostles at Jerusalem heard about this they sent Barnabas to take care of the work, and even more people became Christians. Realising that he needed help, he went to Tarsus to find Paul and brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught great numbers of people.   From this it is clear that they were both, to say the least, key people in the church. And yet in Acts 13 we are told that the Holy Spirit sent them away from the church for a time in order to pioneer churches in other countries. The reason they were able to do this and, on their return, find that the church was still strong, was because they were not the only leaders in the church. Acts 13:1 talks of three others at Antioch who were prophets and teachers.   As I read about this it became obvious to me that this was the Lord's answer to my question. If I was to continue travelling we would need other leaders in the church. So I started on a detailed study of what the New Testament has to say about the leadership of the local church, and I discovered that churches were led by a team of elders, overseers, or pastors, and as I investigated the passages where these are mentioned I saw very clearly that these were all interchangeable terms. In the New Testament the elders were the pastors. They were the ones who were the shepherds of the flock and had the responsibility of watching over, or overseeing it.   I have gone into this in detail in my book, Body Builders, and so there is no need to repeat it here. All I need to say is that I came to the conclusion that the traditional system of having just one person as the church leader really has no biblical basis and that team leadership must be the way forward.   I have already mentioned how the pastor in East Saint Louis had come to the same conclusion and it soon became apparent that this was something the Lord was saying to many different leaders around the world. I preached on this in the Home Missions Conference at Weymouth in 1973 and was pleasantly surprised that I was not the only one to hold this view.   But where were these new leaders for our church in Basingstoke to come from? The answer was simple. We already had them, but they had never been recognised. There were two men, David Moncaster and Keith Davidson, who, I felt, both met the biblical qualifications mentioned in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. But before I asked the church to appoint them, I spent several weeks teaching about the principles of church leadership. If we are going to persuade people to break away from long held traditions it is vital that we show them very clearly that what we are proposing is in line with scripture.   I have already mentioned that Bill Mitchell had already been recognised as an elder in the church before I came. But after my teaching on the biblical qualifications of elders he graciously came to me and said that in the light of what I had taught he thought he was probably a deacon rather than an elder and offered to resign. I told him that I thought he was probably right, but that, as his resignation might be misunderstood by some of the members, I would prefer him to remain as an elder, nominally at least, as long as we both understood that this was not really his role. And to this he readily agreed.   So for the final few years of my time in Basingstoke the church was led by a team which we referred to as the pastoral oversight, Willaim Kay being added to the team a little later. The church continued to grow under this system of leadership, and when the Lord moved me on to Mattersey the church was in safe hands.   The call to the Bible College I have already mentioned that in 1970 I started as a visiting lecturer at Kenley Bible College. On one of my visits in January 1972 I learned that John Phillips, who was a full time residential tutor at Kenley would be leaving, and as I was travelling home that evening, I was wondering who might be chosen to replace him. It would surely be someone who was already teaching at the college and I was thinking through the names in the college prospectus when I came to my own name. But I quickly dismissed the thought as I was sure that I would be considered too young for such a responsible position. And anyway, God had called me to build a big church in Basingstoke, hadn't he?   But no sooner had I thought this than I felt a check in my spirit and said, But of course, Lord, I'll do whatever you want me to do. But if you ever do want me to leave Basingstoke I will need very clear guidance on the matter.   You may remember the struggle I had when we first moved to Basingstoke and how for some months I wondered if we had done the right thing. I didn't want a repetition of that. But now, having prayed that prayer, I tried to put the matter out of my mind. This turned out to be harder than expected and that very night, some time between 1:00 and 2:00, on Tuesday 25th January, I woke up with a burning conviction that I was going to live at the Bible College. I tried to shake it off, but it would not go away, so I went downstairs to pray. What I said to the Lord went something like this: Lord, you know I need my sleep, so if this is of you, and you want me to go to the college, would you please tell me quickly?   And he did! As I opened my King James Bible, it fell open at 2 Chronicles 34:22. I could hardly believe my eyes. It contained the words dwelt… at the college. With the exception of the parallel verse in 2 Kings 22:14, this is the only reference to the word college in the whole Bible. This had to be more than coincidence.   I had asked the Lord to tell me quickly, and he did. But, rather like Moses in Exodus 3 and 4, I found myself making excuses like, I've only been in Basingstoke for four years, and, They wouldn't choose me. I'm too young. I don't have enough experience etc. But just as God had an answer for every objection Moses made, he had an answer for mine too. For each objection I made he led me directly to a Bible passage that answered it.   As a result I was entirely convinced that I was going to live at the College. I didn't know when but thought that it might be in September after John Phillips had left. In fact it was five or six years later! I have discovered that one of the hardest things in understanding the will of God is his timing. I have also discovered that God seems to give us the clearest guidance when he knows that there is trouble ahead! It's only the certainty that we are in his will that will sustain us through trials and difficulties and tests to our faith.   And there were to be plenty of those before we got to Mattersey! But that's something for our next talk.  

It's Tuesday, June 10th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson Panama grants asylum to 11 Iranian Christians Eleven Christian asylum seekers from Iran have been given a 6-month reprieve in Panama. A 27-year-old woman, Artemis Ghasemzadeh,  told International Christian Concern that “If you're a Muslim and you convert to Christianity, it's a problem. The police want to catch you.” The Christians will continue searching for a country that will take them to avoid repatriation, imprisonment, and possibly death if they return to Iran. According to Open Doors, Iran is the ninth most dangerous country worldwide for Christians. Cuban prosecutors threatening pastor and wife with prison Cuban prosecutors are threatening eight years of imprisonment for a Christian pastor and his wife who mentioned God in a public trial. Pastor Luis Guillermo Borjas and  his wife, Roxana Rojas, of the Assemblies of God, were detained on May 19th for mentioning God's justice in a trial involving their son. The trial for the couple is scheduled for this week. Please keep Pastor Luis and his wife Roxana n your prayers. Open Doors reports that Cuba is the 26th most difficult country worldwide in which to be a Christian. Franklin Graham: We need evangelists who are unafraid and unapologetic A thousand delegates attended the European Congress on Evangelism in Berlin, Germany at the end of last month.   Fifty-nine years ago, Evangelist Billy Graham addressed the first European Congress on Evangelism in Berlin. BILLY GRAHAM: “The city of Berlin has influenced the world in every field. What a place from which to shout to the world: Christ is the Savior.” On May 30th, Evangelist Franklin Graham, his son, addressed the conference as well. FRANKLIN GRAHAM: “The Gospel has power. We're going to reach Europe. We need an army -- an army of evangelists -- unafraid, unashamed, unapologetic, uncompromising.” In his closing remarks, Graham spoke of the opposition he received in England recently. He said, “When we were losing our contracts in the U.K., it was coming from the LGBT+ community. They were the ones opposing us, who have the rainbow flags, which I see as the flags for the anti-Christ. And they wanted to have victory. Well, God gave us victory! … This is the group coming after us. … “So, don't compromise, and be strong. Fulfill your ministry. We know there's going to be suffering and challenges, some fights, but let's be strong. We go in the power of the name of Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Conservative Columbian presidential candidate shot in head The conservative candidate for President in Columbia, Miguel Turbay, was shot three times on Saturday, twice in the head. The 39-year-old senator remains in serious condition in a Bogota hospital.  U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “We stand in prayer with Miguel's family, loved ones, and his supporters. Those responsible for this attack must face justice.” Lenin statue toppled in Kyrgyzstan The legacy of atheist tyrants does not last forever. Kyrgyzstan is removing a 75-foot-tall monument of Vladimir Lenin in the city of Osh.   Photos showing Lenin's statue face down on the ground were made public over the weekend. This comes as Moscow has just installed a large monument to the communist  dictator Joseph Stalin in a city subway. Keep in mind Psalm 49:12-13, 16. It says, “Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish. This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts.  …  Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.” (ESV) CA protestors clash with ICE over illegals; Trump send 2,000 troops California protestors who are at odds with the Trump administration's policy on arresting illegal immigrants have taken to the streets, creating mayhem in major cities, reports The EpochTimes.com. Police arrested 150 protesters in San Francisco, and about 60 in Los Angeles over the weekend. The riots started with protestors attempting to thwart Immigration and Custom Enforcement's arrests in Los Angeles on Friday. President Trump has deployed 2,000 National Guard troops.  California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is calling for a withdrawal. Plus, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a court order attempting to gain a restraining order on the deployment.  Silver hits an all-time high Silver has hit a 13-year high — topping out around $36.70 per ounce on Monday. Gold is still hovering around $3,330 per ounce. The gold to silver ratio is still about the highest it has been in history — right around 90:1. The ratio has averaged around 65:1 since the year 2000. Historically, prior to the 1920s,  the ratio was about 20:1.  Michael Tait of Christian band Newsboys confesses to sexual sin The Contemporary Christian Music band, Newsboys, revealed over the weekend that lead singer, Michael Tait confessed to having been leading a “double life.”   This comes after a lengthy investigative report was released from the Julie Roys organization, alleging drug abuse and the sin of homosexual behavior on the part of the lead singer. The report included multiple testimonies of scandalous behavior dating back as far as 2005. Michael Tait was a founding member of dc Talk, another big Christian Contemporary band from the 1990s. The two bands won 20 Dove Awards and four Grammys combined.   The Newsboys group was featured in the films God's Not Dead, God's Not Dead 2, and God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness. Actor Tim Allen reading through whole Bible Tim Allen, known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement, is reading through the whole Bible. He posted on X that since beginning the challenge last year, he's finished reading the whole Old Testament. He called the read a “humbling overwhelming experience.” And, he said, “What a treasure!” Allen just posted that he is in the book of Romans. He announced last year that this would be the first time he has ever read the Bible.  Psalm 19:8, 10-11 says, “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them, Your servant is warned. And in keeping them, there is great reward.” See The American Miracle movie tonight Last night, I brought my family to see The American Miracle docudrama in San Antonio, Texas. It's in 1,000 theaters through Wednesday, June 11th.  We loved it.  It was inspirational to learn about God's providential intervention in human history to enable America to win the War for Independence against seemingly insurmountable odds. We especially enjoyed hearing a portion of Daniel Webster's speech given on July 4, 1826, on the 50th anniversary of the birth of America  and the deaths that day of Thomas Jefferson, age 83,  and John Adams, age 90.  TAYLOR:  “My name is James Arnold Taylor. I played Daniel Webster in The American Miracle. The most powerful thing is the power of Providence on this country that we have forgotten. I can't wait for everybody to be blessed by this film and to know that we're here for a purpose and that God has a plan.” The people who have seen the film, including this homeschool mom, have raved. HOMESCHOOL MOM: “I was very inspired by this film. I'm just a home school mama who just finished 25 years of homeschooling my three kids.  And as I was watching this film, I thought, ‘I've poured into my kids. Now, I wish so many other people could hear this story.' This message could go out to so many kids who don't have the privilege of homeschooling.” MOM #2: “This movie will help you equip your children to understand the true history of America.” Go to www.AmericanMiracleMovie.com, watch the trailer, click on the Tickets tab, type in your zipcode, and purchase tickets for tonight or Wednesday night since it's only in the theaters for a total of three days. 21 Worldview listeners gave $2,439.20 to fund our annual budget And finally, toward our midpoint goal of $61,750 to fund half of The Worldview newscast's annual budget by this Friday, June 13th, 21 listeners stepped up to the plate.  We surpassed our 20-donor goal by one donor. Our thanks to Esther in Bolivar, Missouri, Joseph in Blountville, Tennessee, and Augustine in Auburn, California – each of whom gave $25 as well as Tim in Derby, New York who gave $49.20. We appreciate Linda in Lutz, Florida, Katherine in Reddick, Florida, Jeff in Boise, Idaho, and Janna in Midvale, Idaho – each of whom gave $50. We're grateful to God for Heather in LaGrange Park, Illinois, Katherine in Derby, New York, Kara in Granbury, Texas, Jeanne in Thomasville, North Carolina, Raymond in Fort Worth, Texas, Eric in Lakewood, Colorado, Justin in Cary, North Carolina, and Casey in Wilmington, North Carolina – each of whom gave $100. And we were touched by the generosity of Todd in Interlaken, New York who gave $200, Keith in Longview, Texas who gave $240, Karl in Grand Rapids, Michigan who gave $250, Daniel in Raleigh, North Carolina who gave $300, and Michelle in Lexington Park, Maryland who gave $325. Those 21 Worldview listeners gave a total of $2,439.20.  Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please.  (Drum roll sound effect) $14,671.20 (People clapping sound effect) That means we still need to raise $47,078.80 by this Friday, June 13th to hit the half-way mark, to stay on the air, and fund our 6-member Worldview newscast team for another fiscal year. Listen to this. On Saturday night, I spoke to Scooter in Naples, Florida who was moved by God to give something bigger due to the challenge from my Michigan friend to consider larger gifts.  He has generously offered to match, dollar for dollar, the next 12 Worldview listeners who give a one time gift of $1,000. But, if that's not in your budget, just give the amount that God has placed on your heart. Just go to TheWorldview.com and click on Give on the top right.   Click on the button that indicates a recurring donation if you want to give monthly. Invest in a newscast that's succinct, factual, and Biblically based. Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, June 10th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ. Print story South Korean federal and local governments are offering up to $29,000 in cash to couples who agree to get married. The Korean Times also reports that government-provided benefits intending to stir up romantic interest include $370 for dating expenses, $750 for  engagement meeting costs, and $7,500 for travel subsidies. Korean and other Asian societies maintain a very low illegitimacy rate. So, marriage is supposed to help the birth dearth. South Korea's fertility rate is just about the lowest in the world — 0.75 child per woman.

“We don't have to look far to realize there's a void of godly voices in modern youth culture. When we look around and see students struggling with self-harm, gender identity, as well as depression and anxiety, to name a few, we can see the void of godly voices,” writes Ashton Peters. “There's a void of Christ-honoring love, biblical discipleship, and authentic mentorship. There's a void of spiritual mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, who deeply love a generation and want them to be all that God calls them to be.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Ashton Peters about why youth ministries need to fill that void with good adult mentors, and how they can best do so. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Ashton Peters is national Fine Arts coordinator for the Assemblies of God and author of The Third Voice, forthcoming from Gospel Publishing House. ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards. Strengthen your family's relationships with God and each other with these easy-to-use Conversation Cards. Each card is uniquely designed with a question, faith builder statement, and a Bible verse to spark meaningful conversations that cultivate an open and nurturing environment in your home. For more information about the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

India is a union of states — a structure enshrined in the Constitution that gives States a central role in legislating critical areas like health, agriculture, and public order. But how well are India's State Assemblies functioning? A new report by PRS Legislative Research that examines how 31 State Assemblies performed in 2024 has found that States passed over 500 Bills, yet most Assemblies met for just 20 days and spent around 100 hours in session. Many laws were cleared on the very day they were introduced, and States issued 100 ordinances in total. What does this say about legislative scrutiny, accountability, and the democratic process at the state level?  Guest: Niranjana S Menon, a Senior Analyst at PRS Legislative Research.  Host: Nivedita V. Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremy Stein was born in Dansville, New York, in 1991 and raised on Long Island, New York. In 2013, he completed his BA in Biblical Theology as well as in Pastoral Ministries at Northpoint Bible College (formerly known as Zion Bible College). In 2016, Jeremy married his wife, Miriam. In 2019 he earned an MA in Ancient Judaism and the Origins of Christianity from Nyack College in New York, NY. Jeremy is the former Associate Pastor of Neighborhood Assembly of God in Bellmore, New York. He is an Ordained minister with the Assemblies of God and has been actively traveling to, and teaching in the Holy Lands for the past 10 years. Jeremy and his wife, Miriam, currently live in Springfield, MO.

If God is all-powerful, why didn't He fix my situation? The story of Lazarus reveals something surprising about God's power - it's not that other powers don't exist, but that He has the final word over them all. Are you carrying disappointment with God? What 'tomb' in your life needs its stone rolled away, despite the 'smell' you fear exposing? God can handle your doubts and questions. He might just be waiting for you to create the conditions for a miracle. Join, Dr. Jimmy White, the Adult Discipleship Director for the Assemblies of God, as he unpacks the story of Lazarus. 

Sunday, June 1, 2025 – As we continue our series on the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, we are focusing on Tenant #7: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Today, we will learn that this belief, along with the Initial Evidence of Speaking in Tongues, differentiates a Protestant church from a Protestant Pentecostal church. Most, if not all, Protestant churches agree on the first six Fundamental Truths we’ve already discussed; it’s when we discuss the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that the differences arise. It’s crucial to realize that for a person to acknowledge their sins and receive forgiveness, the Holy Spirit is the active agent who convicts and leads them to Jesus for forgiveness. At that moment, the Holy Spirit is welcomed into that person's life and takes residence within them. That’s the saving power of the Holy Spirit, but it’s not the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It’s the same Holy Spirit with a different purpose and result. The Baptism is a distinct and subsequent act following salvation. That’s what we’re going to learn today. Worship and study along with us.

Sunday, June 1, 2025 – As we continue our series on the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, we are focusing on Tenant #7: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Today, we will learn that this belief, along with the Initial Evidence of Speaking in Tongues, differentiates a Protestant church from a Protestant Pentecostal church. Most, if not all, Protestant churches agree on the first six Fundamental Truths we’ve already discussed; it’s when we discuss the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that the differences arise. It’s crucial to realize that for a person to acknowledge their sins and receive forgiveness, the Holy Spirit is the active agent who convicts and leads them to Jesus for forgiveness. At that moment, the Holy Spirit is welcomed into that person's life and takes residence within them. That’s the saving power of the Holy Spirit, but it’s not the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It’s the same Holy Spirit with a different purpose and result. The Baptism is a distinct and subsequent act following salvation. That’s what we’re going to learn today. Worship and study along with us.

My Story   Talk 19  Ministry in Basingstoke 1968-78 Part 4 Welcome to Talk 19 in our series where I am reflecting on God's goodness to me throughout my life. Today I'll be talking about how, while I was at Basingstoke, the Lord started to open up a wider ministry overseas.   It all began when early in 1971 Willy Droz, a pastor from Switzerland appeared on my doorstep and introduced himself. He had trained at the International Bible Training Institute in Sussex where he had met his wife Brenda. He knew about me through the SPF newsletter which reported details of my travels around the universities preaching on the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He was organising a youth weekend retreat at les Rasses in the Swiss Jura mountains and asked if I would be the main speaker.   I had not been to Switzerland since my first visit in 1958 when I heard about the baptism in the Spirit from Laurie Dixon, and I eagerly accepted the invitation. But I first made sure that they would not expect me to preach in French. There are no less than four different languages spoken in Switzerland, German, French, Italian, and Romansh (spoken only by a small minority). Les Rasses is in the French-speaking area, known also as La Suisse Romande.   It was fifteen years since I had taken my French A level and I had forgotten, or thought I had forgotten, all of it. So I was grateful for the assurance that my preaching would be interpreted, which was a particularly interesting experience as I was at least familiar with the language into which I was being interpreted. In some ways it's much easier when you don't know the language and just have to trust the interpreter, but, when you know the language, you're constantly checking to make sure the interpreter is getting it right! And on one occasion I surprised everyone by saying, Non, je n'ai pas dit cela – No, I didn't say that.   So the French I had learnt at school had not entirely deserted me, but I have to confess that, when I was introduced to the wife of the pastor from Geneva, I could not even remember how to say, I'm pleased to meet you. It was only when in La Chaux-de-Fonds they lodged me for a few days with an elderly woman who spoke no English, that I was compelled to speak French and found the language coming back to me.   But I was far from ready to start preaching in French. The opportunity to do so came three years later in March 1974 as the result of my meeting Jerry Sandidge at an SPF house party at Capel, then the home of the Elim Bible College. Jerry told me he was the director for University Action in Eurasia for the American Assemblies of God, had heard about my ministry in Britain and the USA – about which, more later – and invited me to preach in the University of Louvain (or Leuven) in Belgium on the subject, Charismatic Gifts – are they for today?   He also said that he could arrange for me to speak at CBC, the Continental Bible College, later to become the Continental Theological Seminary, near Brussels, where they had two language streams, one in English and the other in French. It was there, I think, that I first met Warren Flattery, who asked if I would mind taking one of his French classes.             In French? I asked.             Oh no, he said, I always do it in English. To which I responded by politely asking how long he had been living in a French speaking country, and didn't he think he ought to be doing it in French? And so I asked him for a French Bible and, as I had a day or so to prepare for it, after apologising to the class up front for the mistakes I was sure to make, I somehow managed to preach my first sermon in French. At the end of which the class applauded and Warren said,             Lui, s'il peut le faire, moi, je peux le faire!             If he can do it, I can do it!   And the class applauded again, and from then on Warren took all his classes in French. In my case, the applause was certainly not for the quality of my French, but, I suspect, was an expression of sympathy and appreciation that I had made the effort.   The next opportunity came in 1977 as a result of my meeting Marie-France, a French student at Mattersey. The Bible College had moved in 1973 from Kenley to Mattersey and in 1976, in the final week of the summer term, I was giving a lecture when I happened to mention that on one occasion in Switzerland I had spoken to someone in French. Marie-France approached me afterwards, pleased to know that there was someone she could speak to in her own language.   The outcome of that conversation was that over the next few years Marie-France came to stay with us in Basingstoke on several occasions. She became a good friend of our family and a great help to me in improving my spoken French. Several of my sermons had been recorded on cassettes and Eileen had patiently typed them up, word for word as I had preached them. Marie-France kindly offered to translate them for me, so that I could refer to them whenever I might need to preach in French.   The following year, having heard about me from Marie-France, the pastor of her church in Paris invited me to preach whenever I would next be on the continent. So while I was in Brussels for a fortnight writing a course for ICI (International Correspondence Institute, later to become Global University) – more of which later – I travelled to Paris for the weekend and preached one of the sermons Marie-France had translated for me. The French, of course, was excellent, but I can't say the same about the delivery! I was so nervous that I read every word of it! And I did the same the following year when Willy Droz arranged for me to preach in several churches in Switzerland – Vevey, Ste. Croix, Payerne, Lausanne, Saxon, Colenberg, Neuveville, Couvet. I think it was in Vevey that some people came up to me after the service and, after chatting with me, in French of course, for about twenty minutes said, Thank you for your message. It was very good. But why did you read it all? To which I replied that someone had translated it for me and that I did not have enough confidence in my French to do it without reading it. But they replied, You've been speaking with us in perfectly good French for the last 20 minutes. You should trust in the Lord. And I can hardly believe that I made the following stupid reply, Yes, I know how to trust the Lord in English, but I don't know how to trust him in French! But the time did come when occasionally I would have to trust the Lord to help me preach in French without notes, but that's a story for a later talk. It's time now to mention the trips I made to the USA while we were still in Basingstoke.   I have already mentioned John Miles who was my closest friend while we were at Oxford. He was part of that group of Pentecostal students who very much took the initiative in the formation of the Students' Pentecostal Fellowship. After graduating John spent a year or so school teaching in England before going to the Congo as a missionary. It was there he met and married Sara, an American missionary and where their first child Julia was born. By 1972 they were back in the USA where John did a PhD in French at the University of Illinois and eventually became Professor of French at Wheaton College.   However, at one point they were thinking of returning to Congo and in 1972 John wrote to me saying that, if I was thinking of visiting them in the States, I should do so fairly soon. His letter coincided with one of my regular visits to Kenley Bible College where I met Don Mallough, a guest lecturer from America who, over lunch, asked me if I had ever visited the States and encouraged me to go if I had the opportunity.   In those days travelling to the States was far less common than it is today, and to me the decision to go there was far from easy. However, I was talking to Eric Dando, a well-known preacher and member of the AoG Executive Council and asked him what he thought. His reply went something like this: Well, David, I go to America like I go anywhere else. If I feel that I can be a blessing to them and they can be a blessing to me, I go. That put things in perspective for me and on that basis I decided to go, even though at the time I had received no specific invitation to minister anywhere. So I arranged to go for the month of October, and shortly after received an unexpected letter. It was from Jim Hall who had heard about the work I was doing for the SPF in the universities in Britain and asked if I would do something similar in Illinois where he was the Assemblies of God Director for University Action.   So that's what I did. Jim arranged preaching engagements for me in churches morning and evening every Sunday and on Wednesday evenings. An offering was taken in each meeting, half of which was designated for the University Action department, the other half for me, to cover the cost of my airfares and a gift for my ministry. This was a complete surprise for me as I had decided to go to the States before I knew of this.   It was also a wonderful answer to prayer. We had been struggling financially as the church was not yet able to pay me an adequate salary and any funds we originally had as the result of the sale of our bungalow in Colchester had now run out. But now our needs were met, and I came home with a renewed faith and expectation that God would always find a way to meet our financial needs.   But the most satisfying thing about the trip was not the financial reward but the response I received in the churches and universities. I was based at Urbana with John and Sara, and I preached there the first Sunday morning I was there. I preached on repentance and was amazed to see how many people came forward in response to the appeal. I received a similar response everywhere I went, and I quickly learnt how different Americans are from us Brits in responding to an appeal.   But for most of the month I was travelling around the state of Illinois accompanied by Jim Hall who acted as my chauffeur and guide and was a great encouragement to me. We learned a lot from each other over the many miles we travelled together and became great friends. We visited eight universities altogether, spending two days in each. These were: Illinois State University, Normal; University of Illinois, Urbana; Northwestern University, Evanston; Northern Illinois University, DeKalb; Western Illinois University, Macomb; Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; and Eastern Illinois University, Charleston.   Over the course of the three weeks we were touring, dozens of students were baptised in the Spirit and began to speak in tongues, one professor telling me how grateful he was to God ‘for the wisdom he had given' me in the way I taught the Word and how I prayed for people to receive. And Jim Hall was so encouraged that he sent a report about my ministry to Aaron Linford, the editor of Redemption Tidings, which was published shortly after I returned to England.   I made a similar trip to Illinois two years later in October 74, visiting the same universities, but this time speaking on two main themes, The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and The Christan's Armour (Ephesians 6:10-20). On each of these trips I had left Eileen and the children back in England and we all missed each other very much. For Eileen it was particularly difficult as in 1972 Jonathan was only two, and the girls were just seven and eight.   One example of this was when I returned at the end of October 72 and Eileen had driven up to Heathrow with the kids to meet me. During my trip people had asked me about the weather in England and if it was very foggy – I think they must have been watching some of the Sherlock Holmes movies – and I had replied that we occasionally get a bit of fog, but not very much. But ironically, when our flight approached Heathrow, the captain announced that our landing would be delayed because of fog. The delay was so long that we had to go back to Shannon in Ireland to refuel and we eventually landed at Heathrow four and a half hours later than scheduled. And all this time Eileen was waiting with three young children in a very crowded Heathrow. But the third time I went to the States Eileen and the children came with me. This was for six weeks from mid-February to the end of March 1977, and the children had to have special permission to miss school. This was granted on the educational value of the trip and on the condition that whenever possible they went to school in Wheaton, where John and Sara Miles were now living. Most of my ministry during the trip was in churches rather than in universities, although I did speak to students at a breakaway retreat in Carlinville, the headquarters of the Illinois district of Assemblies of God. I also conducted a seminar in Wheaton College on the baptism in the Spirit, more of which in a moment. Once again, the churches we visited were in Illinois. These included Rockford, Urbana, Granite City, Springfield, Naperville, Schaumberg, East Saint Louis (where we took the opportunity to go to the top of the famous arch), and La Grange. The experience at East Saint Louis was interesting for two reasons, first because after the morning service the whole congregation stayed behind for what they called an agapē meal, or love-feast, where they presented a delicious array of both hot and cold dishes.   That church was also significant because during the meal the pastor showed me the notes of a sermon he had preached which were almost identical to what I had preached that morning. It was on the subject of team leadership based on the church in Antioch (Acts 13), about which I will say more next time. The Lord was clearly saying the same thing to different people in different parts of the world.   Our experience at La Grange was even more interesting. I preached there on the first Sunday of our trip and they invited me back for a series of meetings from Sunday to Wednesday towards the end of our stay when I gave a series of talks on Gideon. We were invited by a family whose children were about the same age as ours for a typical Thanksgiving meal specially prepared for us as it was not really the season for Thanksgiving. It was on the Wednesday before the final service and we really enjoyed it, so much so in fact that we arrived a little late for the service and I was so full I could hardly preach!   Even more interesting was the fact that they enjoyed the ministry so much that they asked me if I would seriously consider accepting the pastorate of the church as the pastor had recently announced that he was moving on. The offer was extremely tempting, but, as I will explain later, by this time I was already convinced that the Lord was calling me to Mattersey.   Other significant features of that trip included a visit to the Assemblies of God headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, a journey to Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the invitation of Oral Roberts to attend as his guests a seminar at the Oral Roberts University, and finally, a seminar I was asked to conduct at Wheaton College on the baptism in the Holy Spirit on Saturday 19th March. On the Friday evening I had been asked to appear on television by a Christian TV station in Chicago and was on my way there accompanied by Pastor Tom Richardson when he received a phone call to say that they had made a last-minute decision to have instead a telethon evening to raise much needed funds.   Although this was disappointing, we had no alternative than to return to Wheaton where the next morning I preached on the baptism in the Spirit and several came forward for prayer and were filled with the Spirit. When the meeting was over, one of them asked me if I had heard Professor James Dunn the previous evening.   I said no, at which she expressed some surprise. Dunn, who is well-known for his rejection of the Pentecostal understanding of baptism in the Spirit, had given his reasons for doing so, but I, without knowing what he said, had answered him on every point. This was clearly, without my knowing it, due to the leading of the Holy Spirit in all I had said, and was in itself an evidence of the truth of what I was preaching.

In Episode 383 of the Influence Podcast, I talked to Allen Tennison about the good news of Christ's death and resurrection. The biblical narrative doesn't end with Christ rising from the dead, however. Consider Acts 2:32–36, for example, where Peter says: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” Pentecostals rightly emphasize the second half of verse 33 about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But we often overlook the first half of that verse, which alludes to Christ's ascension and enthronement at God's right hand. This episode releases on May 29, 2025, which happens to be Ascension Day, so in this episode, I talk to Allen Tennison about how Ascension and Pentecost are part of the gospel. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Allen Tennison is theological counsel of The General Council of the Assemblies of God. ————— This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler. The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler equips you with an understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in your life. As a resource for both laypeople and ministry leaders, it also imparts practical insight for anyone discipling others in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. For more information about The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

What is the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)? And what does it have to do with conservative political power in the United States and abroad? Leah Payne and Caleb Maskell join Mark Labberton for a deep dive into the emergence and impact of the New Apostolic Reformation—a loosely affiliated global network blending Pentecostal Christian spirituality, charismatic authority, and political ambition. With their combined pastoral experience and scholarly expertise, Payne and Maskell chart the historical, theological, and sociopolitical roots of this Pentecostal movement—from Azusa Street and Latter Rain revivals to modern dominion theology and global evangelicalism. They distinguish the New Apostolic Reformation from the broader Pentecostal and charismatic traditions, and explore the popular appeal, theological complexity, and political volatility of the New Apostolic Reformation. Episode Highlights “Isn't this just conservative political activism with tongues and prophecy and dominion?” “At no point in time in the history of these United States … have Protestants not been interested in having a great deal of influence over public life.” “You can be super nationalistic in Guatemala, in Brazil, in India, and in the United States. … It is a portable form of nationalism.” “They are not moved by appeals to American democracy or American exceptionalism because they have in their mind the end times and the nation of Israel.” “Charismatics and Pentecostals, unlike other forms of American Protestantism … do not have a theological value for democracy.” Main Themes Pentecostalism's history and global influence Charismatic Christianity versus Pentecostalism Defining and explaining the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) C. Peter Wagner, Lance Hall, and Seven Mountain Mandate Dominion theology, Christian nationalism, and the religious Right Pentecostals and Trump politics Zionism in charismatic theology Vineyard movement, worship music, and intimacy with God Linked Media References About Vineyard USA God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music by Leah Payne The New Apostolic Churches by C. Peter Wagner This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti Atlantic Article: “The Army of God Comes Out of the Shadows” by Stephanie McCrummen Bonhoeffer's America: A Land Without Reformation, by Joel Looper Another Gospel: Christian Nationalism and the Crisis of Evangelical Identity, by Joel Looper Show Notes Leah Payne defines Pentecostalism as “a form of American revivalism” William J. Seymour Marked by interracial desegregated worship and spiritual “fireworks” like tongues and prophecy Mystical experiences of God Desegregation and physically touching one another in acts of miraculous healing The Azusa Street Revival (1906) identified as a global catalyst for Assemblies of God denomination There is no founding theological figure, unlike Luther or Calvin Caleb Maskell emphasizes Pentecostalism's roots in “a founding set of experiences,” not a founding theological figure “Limits to what makes a church” Lack of ecclesiological clarity leaves Pentecostalism open to both renewal and fragmentation Leah highlights Pentecostalism as “a shared experience … a shared series of practices.” “Holy Rollers” and being “slain in the Spirit” “A different way of knowing” “Christians are made through an encounter with Jesus.” The global “charismatic movement” and how it has had cross-denominational Influence “Charismatic” was a mid-twentieth-century term for Spirit-led practices arising within mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions Charismatic means “gifted” or “being given gifts” “‘Charismatic' has typically been a more inclusive word than ‘Pentecostal.'” Emphasis on personal spiritual gifts and intimate worship styles “They are not respecters of institutions.” Figures like Oral Roberts and Amy Semple McPherson were “too big” for denominational constraints “Too-bigness” as driven by both an over-inflated ego and spiritual mysticism Frederick Buechner: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.” Spellbound, by Molly Worthen (see Conversing episode 212) What are the origins and key ideas of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)? New Apostolic Reformation: “a form of institutionalized charismatic identity that builds on grassroots consensus.” “NAR” coined by C. Peter Wagner at Fuller Seminary in the 1990s Wagner promoted post-denominationalism and “reality-based” church governance centred on individual charismatic gifts Emerged from a “larger soup” of charismatic ideas—often practiced before being systematized. Closely tied to the “Seven Mountain Mandate”: that Christians should influence key societal sectors—family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government The role of dominion theology and political alignment “The convergence of egos, the convergence of ethos … is a natural thing to see emerging.” “Dominion is really just two or three logical steps from an obsession with cultural relevance.” Payne sees dominionism as a Pentecostal-flavoured version of a broader conservative political strategy. “Charismatics and Pentecostals are everywhere … so we should expect them on the far right.” Many deny the NAR label even as they operate in its mode. ”When Bob Dylan's in your church, suddenly your church is relevant, whether you like it or not.” Defining “Dominionism” “Dominion is really just two or three logical steps from an obsession with cultural relevance. Cultural relevance says church should fit—not prophetically, but should fit all but seamlessly—into modes of culture that people are already in.” What are the “Seven Mountains of Culture”?  Family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government—”the world would go better if Christians were in charge of each of those arenas.” “At no point in time in the history of these United States and the history of European settlers in the new world have Protestants not been interested in having a great deal of influence over public life.” Trump, Zionism, and global Pentecostal nationalism Christian nationalism versus religious Right “They are not moved by appeals to American democracy. … They think the nation of Israel is the nation of all nations.” “Isn't this just conservative political activism with tongues and prophecy and dominion?” Anti-institutional and anti-structural How Trump seeks power and ego affirmation Christian theocratic rule? ”It may simply be a part of what it is to be a Christian is to say, at some level, within the spheres that I'm given authority in, I ought to have the right kind of influence, whatever it is.” “ I think what's scary about the moment that we're in right now is in fact the chaos.” A book about Donald Trump—God's Chaos Candidate, by Lance Wall ”The beliefs in divine prophecy are so widespread that they transcend partisanship.” Black Pentecostalism: immune to the charms of Trump and populist conservatives Trump's Zionist overtures strategically captured charismatic loyalty The rise of global Pentecostal nationalism in countries like India, Brazil, and Guatemala parallels US patterns. “They don't actually care long-term about American democracy.” “They are not moved by appeals to American democracy or American exceptionalism because they have in their mind the end times and the nation of Israel.” Prosperity gospel Dominionism and the Roman Catholic “doctrine of discovery” The gospel of Christ as “sorting power” “It is a portable form of nationalism.” Concerns about power, order, and eschatology Mark Labberton reflects on Fuller Seminary's controversial role in NAR's intellectual development. Payne critiques the equation of widespread Pentecostal practices with far-right dominionism. “What's scary … is the chaos. And a number of people associated with NAR have celebrated that.” NAR theology often prioritizes divine chaos over institutional order. Warnings against super-biblical apostolic authority and spiritual authoritarianism. Pentecostalism beyond politics “There's a vivid essentialism—make everything great and all the nations will gather.” Vineyard worship as a counterweight to dominionism—emphasizing intimacy and mystical union with Christ. “That emphasis on Jesus as a friend … is a really beautiful image of God.” Vineyard music helped export a gentle, intimate charismatic spirituality. About Leah Payne Leah Payne is associate professor of American religious history at Portland Seminary and a 2023–2024 public fellow at the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). She holds a PhD from Vanderbilt University, and her research explores the intersection of religion, politics, and popular culture. Payne is author of God Gave Rock and Roll to You: a History of Contemporary Christian Music (Oxford University Press, 2024), and co-host of Rock That Doesn't Roll, a Public Radio Exchange (PRX) podcast about Christian rock and its listeners, and Weird Religion, a religion and pop culture podcast. Her writing and research has appeared in The Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service, and Christianity Today. About Caleb Maskell Caleb Maskell is the associate national director of theology and education for Vineyard USA. Born in London, he immigrated with his family to New Jersey in 1986, at the age of nine. Caleb has been involved in leadership in the Vineyard movement for twenty-five years. After spending a gap year at the Toronto Airport Vineyard School of Ministry in 1995, he went to the University of Chicago to study theology, philosophy, and literature in the interdisciplinary undergraduate Fundamentals program. While there, he joined the core planting team of the Hyde Park Vineyard Church, where he served as a worship leader, a small group leader, a setter-up of chairs, and whatever else Rand Tucker asked him to do. After college, full of questions that had emerged from the beautiful collision of serious academic study and the practical realities of church planting, Caleb enrolled in the MDiv program at Yale Divinity School. For four years, he immersed himself in the study of theology, church history, and Scripture, while also leading worship and working with middle school and high school youth groups. After graduating in 2004, he worked for three years as the associate director of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University. In 2007, along with his wife Kathy and their friends Matt and Hannah Croasmun, Caleb planted Elm City Vineyard Church in New Haven, Connecticut. That year, he also began a PhD program at Princeton University, focusing on the history of American religion, with an additional emphasis in African American studies. After moving to Manhattan for four years while Kathy went to seminary, the Maskells ended up in suburban Philadelphia, where Caleb completed his PhD while teaching regularly at Princeton Theological Seminary, and serving as the worship pastor at Blue Route Vineyard Church. Since 2010, Caleb has led the Society of Vineyard Scholars, which exists to foster and sustain a community of theological discourse in and for the Vineyard movement. Caleb is passionate about developing leaders and institutions that will help to produce a healthy, courageous, and hospitable future for the church in the twenty-first century. Caleb and Kathy now live with their two kids, Josiah and Emmanuelle, in the heart of Denver, where Kathy pastors East Denver Vineyard Church. Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

Rejecting Deliverance Theology | Historical Overview & Biblical ResponseI have enclosed a personal letter for everyone listening to this serieshttps://member.bulldozerfaith.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Introduction-Letter-for-the-Series-Deliverance-Pitfalls.pdfIn today's teaching, we explore the historicaldevelopment of the deliverance ministry movement - from early churchpractices to modern-day trends- and why it departs from sound biblicaldoctrine.Key Points1st- 3rd Century: Exorcism was forunbelievers prior to baptism—not for Spirit-filled believers.1970s Onward: Teachers like Derek Princeand Frank Hammond introduced controversial doctrines—e.g., believerdemonization, naming spirits, generational curses.1980s - 1990s: Sensational teachings (e.g., RebeccaBrown) led to paranoia and spiritual confusion.Biblical Pushback: Leaders like John MacArthur,R.C. Sproul, and even Assemblies of God rejected these teachingsas unbiblical and harmful.Why It Spread: Emotional testimonies, spiritualsensationalism, and lack of discipleship left many vulnerable. CommonErrors ExposedConfusing sin with demon possessionReplacing sanctification with exorcismPromoting fear over faithUndermining the finished work of MessiahWhat the Bible TeachesFreedom comes through repentance, truth,and discipleship (John 17:17; Romans 6–8).The Holy Spirit dwells in believers - notdemons (1 Cor. 3:16).Our identity in Christ gives lasting victory (Gal.2:20; Col. 2:15).Goal of this SeriesTo equip the Body of Messiah with biblical truth, expose error, and restoreconfidence in the power of the Gospel - not deliverance formulas.Let's walk in truth, freedom, and maturity—together.

Welcome to the Word of Life AG podcast! Today Rev. Jared Berry, the Next Gen Director for the New York Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God, is our special guest speaker. If you're looking for next steps, please head to our website at https://www.wordoflifeag.org/

Sunday, May 18, 2025 – We are continuing our study of the Assemblies of God 16 Fundamental Truths by focusing on the 5th Fundamental – The Salvation of Man. The reason we are going back to the basics of our faith is that it’s vital to have a solid foundation as one builds their life, especially in these end times full of deceptive and false teachings. Knowing and being sure of one’s faith affords peace and security when it’s difficult to find elsewhere in the world we live in. Truth sets one free, yet sometimes it brings a hard message and challenges the way we live. The Salvation that we are offered comes simply, but it’s a process to which we must commit. Until a person realizes they need to be saved, there’s no salvation – sometimes that’s a hard fact for one to accept. When one does see it, then it’s the Grace of God alone that brings salvation. The purpose of today’s message is to present the process of Salvation. It’s a three-step process, beginning with Repentance/Forgiveness, Redemption, and finally Restoration. Worship and study with us…

Sunday, May 18, 2025 – We are continuing our study of the Assemblies of God 16 Fundamental Truths by focusing on the 5th Fundamental – The Salvation of Man. The reason we are going back to the basics of our faith is that it’s vital to have a solid foundation as one builds their life, especially in these end times full of deceptive and false teachings. Knowing and being sure of one’s faith affords peace and security when it’s difficult to find elsewhere in the world we live in. Truth sets one free, yet sometimes it brings a hard message and challenges the way we live. The Salvation that we are offered comes simply, but it’s a process to which we must commit. Until a person realizes they need to be saved, there’s no salvation – sometimes that’s a hard fact for one to accept. When one does see it, then it’s the Grace of God alone that brings salvation. The purpose of today’s message is to present the process of Salvation. It’s a three-step process, beginning with Repentance/Forgiveness, Redemption, and finally Restoration. Worship and study with us…

“I am a survivor of child abuse,” writes Samantha Rose Jones. “The abuse impacted every aspect of my humanity — physically, emotionally, socially, mentally, and spiritually. All the instances were in a severe category, and the evil I faced was unfathomable. My starting point is bleak, but my current story is miraculous. I am a miracle because I am a child of the living Miracle Worker — God.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Jones about her journey from the pain of abuse to the miracle of love and joy. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Samantha Rose Jones is a grant writer for Evangel University. A credentialed Assemblies of God minister, she copastors Lifehouse Assembly of God in Cadillac, Michigan, with her husband Keith. She is author of God and Trauma: The Lessons I'm Learning ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards. Strengthen your family's relationships with God and each other with these easy-to-use Conversation Cards. Each card is uniquely designed with a question, faith builder statement, and a Bible verse to spark meaningful conversations that cultivate an open and nurturing environment in your home. For more information about the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

Producer and host of “Six-Thirteen Boks” Podcast Heather Dean's featured guest on this episode of “Six-Thirteen Books” Podcast is author Shannon Nuszen, who founded the nonprofit organization Beyneynu, and is also a sought-after public speaker. Shannon is a former Evangelical Christian missionary who grew up studying and analyzing Christian scriptural polemics as the daughter of a former Assemblies of Gd minister. She was deeply immersed in the Evangelical Christian movement from a young age and even traveled with her father as an evangelist in his ministry. Her involvement in the movement provided her with knowledge of the inner workings and strategies used to convert Jews to Christianity. Shannon has since converted to Judaism and regrets her past associations. Her experience has given her an intimate knowledge of the Christian missionary agenda, which she uses to educate Jewish communities in Israel and the Diaspora about its dangers. Shannon has worked in various roles within the counter-missionary field for over fifteen years, and recently began speaking publicly about her personal Jewish journey. = = = Show Notes: Featured Guest: Shannon Nuszen Featured Book: I Once Was Lost: One Woman's Exodus From the Depths of the Church Link to Purchase though Beyneynu's website: https://beyneynu.com/product-details/product/i-once-was-lost-book Link to Purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Once-Was-Lost-Womans-Exodus/dp/B0DZSWRMCL Shannon's website, Beyneynu: https://beyneynu.com/home Invite Shannon to speak at your community or organization: https://beyneynu.com/shannon Show Announcer for 613 Books Podcast: Michael Doniger Michael's contact info, voice-over samples, and demo: https://michaeldoniger.com/ SUBSCRIBE to “613 Books” Podcast and discover new books every week!

Sunday, May 4, 2025 – We are in the second week of our study on the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, focusing today on our 4th Fundamental Tenet: “The Fall of Man.” We spend the entire message discussing something as basic as the fall of mankind because unless we recognize from what we are saved, we cannot truly appreciate what we are saved from. Before man can fall from the grace of God, mankind must first be created. Sometimes we forget how grand our creation was. God had a plan for all of mankind when He formed man from the dust and breathed His eternal breath into that lump of clay. That plan was a plan of perfection and eternal relationship with Himself. God’s pattern for mankind was His own image. Have you ever considered what it means to be created in the image of God? When we fathom what that means, it gives us a whole new perspective on our purpose for living and how we should strive to live. Here’s the amazing part: even after mankind sinned and fell away from God’s grace and relationship, He had a plan to redeem. We will spend our next time discussing the fifth tenet of our faith, “The Salvation of Man,” but first we need to appreciate how much God loves us unconditionally, even after mankind fell. Worship and study along with us and appreciate God’s love.

Sunday, May 4, 2025 – We are in the second week of our study on the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, focusing today on our 4th Fundamental Tenet: “The Fall of Man.” We spend the entire message discussing something as basic as the fall of mankind because unless we recognize from what we are saved, we cannot truly appreciate what we are saved from. Before man can fall from the grace of God, mankind must first be created. Sometimes we forget how grand our creation was. God had a plan for all of mankind when He formed man from the dust and breathed His eternal breath into that lump of clay. That plan was a plan of perfection and eternal relationship with Himself. God’s pattern for mankind was His own image. Have you ever considered what it means to be created in the image of God? When we fathom what that means, it gives us a whole new perspective on our purpose for living and how we should strive to live. Here’s the amazing part: even after mankind sinned and fell away from God’s grace and relationship, He had a plan to redeem. We will spend our next time discussing the fifth tenet of our faith, “The Salvation of Man,” but first we need to appreciate how much God loves us unconditionally, even after mankind fell. Worship and study along with us and appreciate God’s love.

“As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.” That is what 2 Chronicles 26:5 says about Uzziah, king of Judah in the early eighth century B.C. According to Warren D. Bullock, this verse is key to understanding Uzziah's success as a king, as well as his ultimate failure. “When [Uzziah] prayed, all went well; he had amazing success,” Bullock writes. “When he failed to seek the Lord, he acted out of pride, violated the boundaries of his calling, and was cursed with leprosy.” What lessons does Uzziah's example of both prayerfulness and prayerlessness teach spiritual leaders today? That's the question I ask Bullock in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine and your host. Warren D. Bullock is a veteran Assemblies of God minister with six decades of experience as a pastor, superintendent of the Northwest Ministry Network, and General Council executive presbyter. He is author of Seven Life-Changing Words: The Power of Persevering Prayer, published by Trilogy. ————— This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler. The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler equips you with an understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in your life. As a resource for both laypeople and ministry leaders, it also imparts practical insight for anyone discipling others in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. For more information about The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

Join us for a two part conversation with Dr. Joe Girdler. Dr. Joe is a published author, current superintendent of the Assemblies of God of Kentucky, and has a lengthy career in ministry. In part 1, we discussed Dr. Joe’s story, some practical ways in which small town pastors can set the atmosphere on a Sunday morning, and how to encourage conversations about the Holy Spirit. In part two we are shifting towards talking about generosity and missions. You can find links to all of Dr. Joe’s books at joegirdler.com As always, if you would like to reach out to the show with ideas or feedback, or just for encouragement, contact our host Joe Epley at joseph.g.epley@gmail.com

Send us a textWhat does authentic autism advocacy look like when powered by faith? Ron Sandison offers a compelling answer in this thought-provoking conversation from the International Autism Summit. As a mental health professional speaking to over 30,000 people annually across 70 events worldwide, Ron brings a unique perspective shaped by his extraordinary gift—15,000 scriptures memorized word-perfect—and his journey as one of only two openly autistic licensed ministers in the Assemblies of God's 114-year history.Ron takes us behind the pages of his new book, "Adulting on the Spectrum," revealing the critical connection challenges autistic individuals face. "Most of us are like old, 30-year-old Velcro shoes—we don't connect well," he explains, before outlining his three-part framework for building meaningful relationships through mentoring, marketing, and the ability to delight others. Through powerful stories and accessible metaphors, Ron demonstrates how identifying personal strengths while accommodating limitations can transform an autistic person's relationship with both the world and themselves.The conversation tackles persistent misconceptions head-on, particularly the damaging assertion that autism can be "outgrown." Ron eloquently describes how autism's manifestation evolves from childhood meltdowns to adult "neuro-crashes," emphasizing that sensory challenges persist regardless of outward appearance or public speaking abilities. His vision for truly inclusive faith communities goes beyond token participation, advocating for autistic voices in leadership positions where they can influence institutional change. Most powerfully, Ron introduces his concept of developing a "hope complex" through spiritual connection, offering neurodivergent individuals an antidote to the "hopeless complex" that often accompanies autism's social and employment challenges. Whether you're autistic, support someone who is, or simply want to understand neurodiversity through a spiritual lens, Ron's insights will transform your perspective on advocacy, faith, and human potential.Support the show

What happens when a lifelong Protestant pastor becomes Catholic? In this explosive and thought-provoking episode of the Men's Alliance Podcast, Goose sits down with Keith Nester — former Methodist and Assemblies of God youth pastor turned Catholic convert. Keith shares his raw and riveting story of theological wrestling, spiritual discovery, and how meeting one fired-up Catholic graphic designer flipped his entire worldview upside down.From Calvary Chapel sermons to deep dives into church authority, Keith unpacks the biggest questions Protestants and Catholics grapple with: salvation, church leadership, Mary, the Pope, baptism, and more. Whether you agree or disagree, this is the conversation every Christian man needs to hear.⚔️ Join us at the Men's Alliance National Rally (May 2-4) for an unforgettable weekendGet your tickets here

Today we bring you Story #6 in our Week of Citizening. We’ve already shown you how people are rethinking democracy through libraries, labor, and school boards. Now we’re headed to a place often overlooked but brimming with democratic possibility: West Virginia. See the visuals and links to all these stories here: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/dont-wait-for-better-leaders-become We’re told politics is about picking the lesser of evils. Ordering off a fixed menu. But what if we left the table… and headed for the kitchen? That’s what the folks behind West Virginia Can’t Wait are doing. And it’s a clear sign that democracy is evolving. They’ve passed legislation that’s rare even in liberal strongholds They don’t run candidates but communities They help hold elected officials accountable and offer ongoing support This is what Jon Alexander calls the shift from Consumer Democracy to Citizen Democracy. Not just new processes like Citizens’ Assemblies or Participatory Budgeting (though we love those too) — but real people getting a grip on the systems we’ve got, starting from where we are. “One of the things I’m most proud of in my career is helping to demystify politics. It’s just everyday work for everyday folks.” — Rosemary Ketchum, West Virginia Can’t Wait This isn’t happening in some liberal stronghold. This is Appalachia — a place many assume to be too red, too rigid, too far gone. But that’s just not the whole story. I’ve seen firsthand the level of commitment and creativity in Appalachia through my recent travels there for my PBS America Outdoors show. Trust me, these stories are happening in all sorts of underestimated places.

Doug Clay and Sam Brownback work in very different arenas. But both have a heart to serve Christians around the world. Doug Clay, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God - USA, shares about the genesis of the AG church and their current goal to put a church within walking distance of all humanity—including people living in hostile areas and restricted nations. “The finishing of the Great Commission is doable in our lifetime,” Clay says. Clay will share three ways to pray for your pastor and how he works to help the church equip the saints to have a biblical worldview and to endure. Seeing the church as the expansion of God's Kingdom, Doug knows it's crucial to encourage and pray for your pastor and for church leaders around the world. Sam Brownback served as United States Ambassador for International Religious Freedom during the first Trump administration. He has worked for decades to defend religious liberty in nations hostile to Christian teaching. Brownback will share from his experiences meeting with leaders of foreign nations, including one conversation that led directly to the release of a Christian pastor from prison. He'll also share how a formerly imprisoned Christian in Saudi Arabia encouraged him to continue in the work God called him to, and how raising religious freedom issues with your elected officials can be a practical way to serve persecuted brothers and sisters. Currently, Brownback is working on a book about persecution in China. The VOM App for your smartphone or tablet will help you pray daily for persecuted Christians throughout the year, as well as giving free access to e-books, audio books, video content and feature films. Download the VOM App for your iOS or Android device today.

Could the way we celebrate kids at school actually be leaving many of them behind? In this episode, Dr. Justin and Kylie Coulson unpack the hidden costs of awards, assemblies, and school trips. From motivation to mental health, they explore how traditional recognition systems can impact children—and what we can do instead to help every child feel seen, supported, and valued. KEY POINTS: Awards ceremonies often benefit the same high achievers, leaving many students feeling invisible or unworthy. External rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation, especially in areas of creativity, effort, and behaviour. Assemblies can either unite a community or create anxiety and disconnection, depending on how they're run. Away days and camps offer valuable opportunities for growth—but need to be inclusive and purposeful. Children thrive when they feel seen, valued, and part of something bigger than themselves. QUOTE OF THE EPISODE:“Kids don’t need a trophy to know they matter. They need connection, encouragement, and a belief that they belong.” KEY INSIGHTS FOR PARENTS: Praise effort and process, not just outcomes. Be cautious about over-relying on rewards—consider what motivates your child from within. Talk with your child about how school events make them feel—do they feel recognised and included? Encourage educators to focus on connection and belonging in school-wide activities. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Deci & Ryan’s research on Self-Determination Theory Studies on rewards and motivation from Alfie Kohn and Carol Dweck Justin Coulson’s book 10 Things Every Parent Needs to Know ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS: Ask your child how they feel during awards assemblies—validate their emotions. Focus your praise on effort, character, and perseverance rather than outcomes. Advocate for inclusive school events that celebrate all students, not just a few. If your child misses out on recognition, remind them of their value through connection and encouragement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.