For those of you who prayed for me in my recent operation to restore my left arm and hand I wanted to give you a praise report. This week I went to San Antonio for a checkup with the surgeon and he gave a glowing report. He said everything looked great and all circulation was restored. The once gone pulse in my fingers is now back to normal and the doctors words were, “you have a better pulse than me in your fingers now.” This is God!
After last years surgery debacle in June where it was a complete failure, it was sure good to see how the Lord moved on my behalf in this recent operation to set things in order for the rest of my life. I need my left arm and hand. My final prayer for all this is that soon I will be able to play my violin again. Something I have not been able to do for 3 years.

Sometimes it feels like life works in circles. This last couple of days has really felt like that for sure. After moving to the church property earlier this summer, it came time for me to move out of that temporary situation and into something more permanent. The logical choice for me was to move into the house I once shared with my brother Jonathan before we both married the Hart sisters. I never thought that I would find myself living in that house again and a flood of emotion coursed through me as I came back to look things over. Life has many turns and bends. Who knew when I left this house for St. Thomas in Oct. 04 (where Dovie and I were married at the Ritz-Carlton) that I would ever be back living here again? In some ways it seems like a dream. Not bad, not good, but still a dream.
In the big picture, life goes on and my heart has time to heal and prepare for the wonderful future that Jesus has for me. Day by day and month my month the Lord does His healing work in me. If you have suffered loss or tragedy in your life my advice to you is take it one day at a time and allow the Holy Spirit to be your Comforter and Counselor.
Psa. 73:23-24 Yet I still belong to You; You hold my right hand. You guide me me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

In the last week we have seen 2 things happen in the body of Christ that show us the need for greater discernment and greater covering from men of God who have true discernment. Last week we heard the news that Canadian revivalist Todd Bentley, of the Lakeland Outpouring, was filing for divorce from his wife. This week, we heard of the unbelievable fraud that took place as singer and songwriter Michael Guglielmucci from Australia concocted a 2 year lie that fooled the whole world saying that he was dying with terminal cancer and even made appearances with oxygen and a wheel chair. After one performance, where he sang his song “Healer” with oxygen in his nose and from a wheel chair, the place was said to be raptured into the place of highest worship and the song recorded went to #2 on all charts in Australia.
This causes us to ask the question? Was God’s Spirit really poured out in Lakeland? Was this really His presence upon the song of a pathalogical liar? I believe so. This may shock you but God has been using imperfect vessels since Peter, who denied the Lord with violent cursing before the Cross, and then went on to be the catalyst for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 50 days later. Having said that, which is a whole other subject, is it ok for us to follow after anyone who sounds spiritual, writes a great song, or even sees miracles happen? In the words of Jesus in Matt. 23:3- So practice what they say and obey whatever they tell you but don’t follow their example. Verse 5 goes on to declare, Everything they do is for show. In other words, people all over were releasing their faith for miracles and seeing results in the Lakeland move. In the case of the song Healer, people were genuinely moved into awe and faith of Jesus the Healer and thus God’s precious presence descended upon that place. None of this means that the life of the leader or songwriter is in order or even that they are saved.
From the onset of the Lakeland revival my authority has been very cautious. Having carefully investigated the message and ministry of Todd Bentley they concluded that he was not right. His doctrine and character were off. This turned out to be exactly correct. This is why we need mature, stable, seasoned leaders in our midst to help us discern who to follow and who to leave alone.
Many saw that a group of well-intentioned “apostles” went down and “authenticated” Todd as an evangelist. This was both premature and obviously not of God. They were swayed by the outside and not sensitive to the inside voice of the Holy Spirit. Please don’t think that I am in any way saying or believe that I am always right on and cannot be wrong or miss something the Spirit is saying. We walk in humility and keep an attitude of prayer and cautiousness concerning every voice in the Body. So should you! Don’t just jump on board anything or anybody that comes along. Listen to your covering and the witness of the Holy Spirit. We must quit accepting every preacher and teacher like the world accepts celebrities. They can do whatever they want and the adoring crowds don’t care but we must be careful to love all but not accept the leadership and input of all.
In the end, I believe the enemy would have us discredit and be suspicious of everyone in the Body so that we miss out on the life-giving message and ministry of those who are really sincere before God and have things in order in their life. There are so many seasoned, anointed, character-filled men and women of God that we should pray for and support.
Ps. Todd and Michael both need our prayers as well that they not be shipwrecked in this time by the ploys of the enemy. Remember, this is not about right and wrong but eternity.

More today than ever we need the power of the HS to help us in the much forgotten arena of discernment. In a day where you just can’t know whether someone is legit or not without that superhuman power that is promised in 1 Cor. 12:10, it becomes increasingly important to rely on the all-knowing 3rd person of the Godhead. Maybe you say, Give me some specifics, and I say gladly!
Last year we saw the divorce of Christian celebrity Paula White from her “Bishop” husband who was neither her first husband or his first wife. Conceived in adultery, a fact that many never knew and i didn’t find out till later, these two managed to fool the whole Christian world for many years. Not the Holy Spirit! I remember sitting down to watch a video of Paula White in 2002. I had been telling my sister we needed to watch her preach because everyone was just rantin’ and ravin’ about how “anointed” she was. There is always an excitement in my heart when God powerfully anoints anyone, especially a woman of God. After turning her on for about 10 min. my sister and I both begin to feel a serious check in our spirit about her. It wasn’t long before i turned that tape off. Later I watched her again to see if it was just that one time and sure enough the same check came up in my spirit. After that I begin to investigate further and begin to find out all kinds of shady things that had been swept under the rug and never repented for. Women from our church were going to her meetings in FLa. and I warned my youth team that they were not to be under her ministry because the Lord had shown me that she was major off.
Wow! has the last year or so demonstrated the proof of what the Holy Spirit was showing me years ago. Not only divorcing her husband but being involved immorally with another pastor in San Antonio. She has continued to minister and even “restore” other ministers when she herself is not accountable for anything herself. Big excuses and no repentance proves a heart that is not right with God and a ministry that preys on itching ears. Oh God, give us discernment in these last days to find voices that echo your heart!
2 Tim. 3:1- You should know Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money.