We may have missed a grand opportunity in Hollywood, but I’m not giving up yet. As I read about the writers strike, Heath Ledger’s death, and the Britney Spears saga, I see so many opportunities for followers of Jesus to love on the writers, to care for those in pain over Heath Ledger’s death, and to minister to Britney Spears with her struggles.If the writers strike goes on, we may be frustrated that there aren’t more episodes of The Office and that 24 and Kiefer Sutherland has been delayed until who knows when, but we could turn our sorrow into an opportunity to bless the writers of these shows by making and brining them food on the picket lines, and even asking what some of their needs are. This could change how they view Christians! For more info on the writers strike and where they’re striking, check out http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/

When Heath Ledger’s death was first reported on MSNBC.com, I couldn’t believe it. Heath Ledger was only 28! And, as I turn 30 this month, I can grasp how young that is, and at such a time when he was achieving so much success. Heath had just finished making The Dark Knight -the Batman sequel with Christian Bale - that I have been totally stoked on since seeing the preview with Heath’s role as The Joker. How do we respond to such tragedy as followers of Jesus? I don’t believe we stay silent. No, I think we take action and love on those who are mourning and ask how we could help them get through their grieving. And, then we share hope for the future, hope in Jesus and that He has defeated death on the Cross.

As sites like TMZ.com and PerezHilton.com release new videos and pictures of Britney Spears, and news media outlets broadcast the latest in her custody battle and supposed meltdown, I ask myself how I could shine the light of Jesus on this saga. Once again, I don’t think we stay silent on this issue. Today I was reading in Psalm 96:

“2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”

This reminds me that in all things, places, times, circumstances, we need to tell, declare, share about our Savior Jesus. So, as I’m reading about how they are putting Britney Spears in a Psychiatric hospital, I want to declare to her and the world around her that Jesus wants to heal her, Jesus wants to set her free from anything in her life just like Jesus has done for me. I believe that there could be demonic spirits causing these things in her life, and since Jesus set many people free from demonic possession in the Gospels, I believe that Jesus could do that for Britney Spears or anyone else in Hollywood that wants to be set free from these demonic influences.

We haven’t even scratched the surface of Hollywood - Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, Justin Timberlake - and the many opportunities that we have to shine the beauty of Jesus Christ to these people that God cares as deeply about as the homeless or prostitute on Hollywood Blvd! And, with the Oscars coming up on Feb. 24, there are many ways to reach out to Hollywood like never before…Think and Pray for God to give us opportunities.

Will you join me in shining the light of Jesus to Hollywood? What would you do to reach Hollywood? Has God put someone or someplace on your heart to pray for or reach?
Breaking News on death of Heath Ledger

Children of the Night looks at the serious issue of human trafficking that occurs around the world. Take a look at the short video here:
http://current.com/items/88816505_children_of_the_night

As followers of Jesus, we should take this very seriously…Jesus’ heart was to set captives free and if our heart does not break for these children and young people in sex slavery, we need to reexamine if our hearts are surrendered to Jesus as Lord.

FAITH in Jesus without works is DEAD.

What are you doing to help with the sex slavery and human trafficking issue? How could we do more to bring Jesus’ light into the darkness?

Link: Rick Warren on Comedy CentralIn addition, Brannon Howse, the Founder of CWN, has a radio show that looks more in depth at Rick Warren and his beliefs/methods. Here is the latest radio program taking a look at the Topic: “Are Christians that oppose the emergent church, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen and others being unloving and unchrist like? What is the price of unity? Can we get along and go along with those that are contrary to Biblical truth? Are we required to call someone before we publicly talk about what they have publicly written and said? “http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/radio-show-episode.php?EpisodeID=4362

I also encourage you to check out Lighthouse Trails Research, which has a large resource of information on false doctrine from popular “christian leaders”:

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/index.php?s=rick+warren
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/peaceplan.htm

“The urgency of the hour demands that we recapture the role of the evangelist for the planting of new churches and the equipping of churches to mobilize believers for ministry.” - Rice Broocks, Pastor of Bethel World Outreach Center

See the full article here:

An Urgent Cry From the Nation’s Evangelists by J. Lee Grady
A group of charismatic ministers have called on American Christians to reclaim the neglected task of soul-winning. The American church knows how to design functional buildings, develop sophisticated programs, utilize technology and preach to the proverbial choir. But we have forgotten the fundamental task of soul-winning—and as a result churches are closing at a record rate and more and more young people are leaving the faith.

That dire assessment of America’s spiritual condition was proposed last week in Orlando, when 50 national and international evangelists convened for an honest, 24-hour strategy session held at Charisma magazine’s headquarters. The participants included South African revivalist Rodney Howard-Browne, veteran street preacher Scott Hinkle and German crusade evangelist Reinhard Bonnke.

Rice Broocks, pastor of Bethel World Outreach Center in Nashville, Tenn., and founder of the Every Nation church-planting movement, organized the Orlando gathering because he believes the charismatic segment of the church has become distracted from its evangelistic mission.

“The statistics don’t lie,” Broocks says. “America has been described as a post-Christian nation. The urgency of the hour demands that we recapture the role of the evangelist for the planting of new churches and the equipping of churches to mobilize believers for ministry.”

Broocks recently teamed up with charismatic author and pastor Larry Tomczak to form ICE-CAP, the International Center for Evangelism, Church-Planting and Prayer, which just opened its offices in Nashville. ICE-CAP’s mission is to help train a new generation of evangelists and mobilize churches for strategic evangelism efforts.

Broocks introduced Tomczak as “the only guy I know who still gives out personal tracts.” Tomczak then told the story of how, on the previous night, he led a hotel desk clerk to salvation after giving him his printed testimony.

In three sessions held over two days, the leaders outlined several reasons why evangelism has waned. They include:

1. A lack of spiritual zeal in our churches. “Soul-winning must be a passion, not a program,” one attendee said. The renewing power of the Holy Spirit is the key to shifting our churches into a place of contagious faith.

2. A spectator mentality. Many Christians have been deceived into believing that evangelism is the work of paid clergy or itinerant specialists. Said one evangelist: “You don’t limit tithers to those who have ‘a gift of giving,’ do you? Everybody tithes. In the same way, everybody is supposed to be doing evangelism.” Broocks, Hinkle and others made it clear that the primary role of the evangelist is not to conduct meetings but to train and equip all believers to win souls.

3. A cultural disconnect. Hispanic leader Samuel Rodriguez pointed out that a large segment of the millennial generation has abandoned church because they feel it isn’t relevant to their lives. As long as the church remains mired in superficial religiosity, we won’t reach young people—who crave authenticity and want to apply the gospel to their world.

4. An increasingly secular culture. Vincent Esterman, who has done street evangelism for decades in France and Australia, believes the United States would do well to study how Christian faith has waned in Europe. Americans will most likely face similar hostilities in our culture, since universalism and atheism are growing here.

5. Tensions between evangelists and pastors. Eric Cowley of Global Focus Ministries spoke for many in the room when he shared that many pastors feel threatened by evangelists and don’t want to share local church resources with them. At a time when the role of apostles and prophets has been reclaimed in charismatic circles, the role of the evangelist has been marginalized.

6. The church’s credibility crisis. Recent religious scandals, incessant fundraising on Christian television and reports of televangelists living in opulence have produced increased skepticism about preachers’ motives. Many of the leaders in Orlando were incensed by the blatant moral and ethical abuses occurring in our movement. Said one leader in a moment of candor: “If I see one more telethon on Christian television I’m going to puke.”

7. Bad theology. Broocks pointed out that American Christianity has, at times, morphed into an errant “virus” that has had a negative impact on countries where it has been exported. “We preach a gospel that offers faith without repentance, grace without the fear of God and destiny without discipleship,” he said.

8. A poorly defined mission. Many churches no longer understand what evangelism is. Missionary mobilizer David Shibley offered the group a succinct definition, borrowed from his days in Southern Baptist seminary: “Evangelism is sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit with a view to bringing people to repentance and faith in Christ so that they might serve Him in the church.”

In the first evening session, after a time of spontaneous prayer, Bonnke laid his hands on all the participants and asked God for a fresh anointing of evangelism on the American church. This humble man who has led 47 million people to Christ (and once saw 2 million make decisions for salvation in one meeting in Nigeria) told the group that this anointing has nothing to do with him. “I am not giving you my anointing when I lay hands on you. Jesus is the one who anoints you,” he said.

As Bonnke laid his hands on my head, I stood in the gap for all of us. I believe there is indeed a new grace available to the American church in this hour. I hope we are ready for the changes it will bring. When the spirit of evangelism grips our hearts, it will totally reorder our priorities, interrupt our schedules, mess up our church programs, destroy our religiosity, challenge our timidity and burn up our selfishness.

If you are willing to embrace that anointing without placing conditions on it, please ask for it now.
To see short videos with J. Lee Grady, Charisma’s publisher, Stephen Strang, and other Charisma editors, click here.

J. Lee Grady, Charisma’s editor, has been involved in Christian journalism since 1981 and has faced a monthly deadline ever since. A native of Atlanta, he has been with Charisma since 1992, serving as news editor, managing editor and then becoming editor in 1999. He and his wife, Deborah, have four daughters. Lee has won three first-place reporting awards from the Evangelical Press Association, and his monthly column in Charisma, “Fire in My Bones,” has won awards from the Florida Magazine Association. Also an author, Lee’s book 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, published in 2000, opened a unique door for him to preach internationally. He has since traveled to 12 nations, challenging the church to release women in ministry and to end abuse and gender discrimination. In his spare time Lee is trying to learn to speak Spanish. www.fireinmybones.com