Category: Testimony

By Michael Brown, CP Op-Ed Contributor | Friday, December 17, 2021

It was 50 years ago today that Jesus saved me from my sins. Fifty years! I am beyond amazed that I can even write these words. Lord, You are so good!

It was 50 years ago today that, after weeks of spiritual wrestling and deep conviction of sin, I encountered His love so deeply that I said, “I will never put a needle in my arm again.” And the rest, as they say, is history.

And what an amazing history it has been. I cannot help but stop and give God praise. And I truly believe that the best is yet to come. Truly!

Thank You, thank You, Lord!

I have shared the details of my personal testimony countless times in many forms and formats. But today, celebrating 50 years as a believer, I want to celebrate what He has done over the decades, publicly and specifically, declaring the depth of my gratitude to the Lord for saving a wretch like me — and I mean a wretch.

I was doing LSD at the age of 14 and shooting heroin at the age of 15.

Stealing money from my own father.

Breaking into a doctor’s office with a friend, just for fun (and to steal drugs).

Full of pride and rebellion, with an ugly, wicked temper, too.

Utterly lost in sin.

And yet, by God’s amazing grace — and I mean amazing! — in these last 50 years, I have had the privilege of:

• Preaching the gospel thousands of times all over America and around the world.
• Taking the message of Jesus across the globe, including almost 200 ministry trips outside the USA to more than 30 nations (with more than 50 trips to Asia alone).
• Writing more than 40 books and over 2,000 articles and op-eds.
• Serving as a leader in what has been called the longest-running, local-church revival in American history.
• Leading many Jewish people to Yeshua through our outreach materials in English, Hebrew, Russian and more.
• Enjoying more than 45 years of marriage to my wonderful bride, Nancy, herself a former Jewish atheist, now the mother of our two wonderful children and grandmother of our four amazing grandchildren. (And a shout-out to our terrific sons-in-law too!)

What a testimony to the grace and mercy of the Lord. Any good that has come out of my life is to His glory alone. For that, I am eternally grateful. All praise and honor go to Him!

Just think.

This same person who used to huff diesel gas to get high earned a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has delivered scholarly papers at venues like Harvard University, conducted debates, or delivered outreach lectures at venues like Oxford University, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Yale University, Ohio State University and contributed to some of the finest academic works in print. That is what you call transforming grace!

I can assure you that, when I was shooting heroin into my veins and listening to Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused,” conducting lectures on university campuses was not on my radar at all.

My life goals used to be getting high and playing drums with my rock band, and I didn’t have the slightest thought of serious study or academic work. Yet the Lord has now given me the privilege of serving as an adjunct or visiting professor at 7 leading seminaries and training thousands of students in our ministry schools. It was the man once known as “Drug Bear” and “Iron Man” who helped train them!

Only the Lord can take credit for that. Only God can get the glory for taking someone so worthless and making his life count. And He can do the same for you or someone you love who is hopelessly lost today. I am living proof. Jesus can completely turn you around.

I know the depth of my own sin outside of the Lord’s goodness. I know how vile and depraved I could have been. And I know the incredible amount of mercy the Lord has shown me over these 50 years as a believer. Mercy indeed!

I am a perfect example of God using something foolish and weak to confound the wise and strong. That’s why my only boast is in Him. And that’s why I am humbled to the point of tears of gratitude. How I love the Lord!

And so, in celebration of 50 years in Him, may I ask you for two small favors?

First, if our ministry has been a blessing to you or played a significant role in your life, would you please take a moment and share some of those details with us? This will allow us to praise Him even more and bring encouragement to our whole ministry team. (You can send your story to us at info@askdrbrown.org.)

Second, please pray with us that the Lord will enable us to blanket the nation with the Line of Fire broadcast. We feel a holy mandate to see exponential expansion in 2022, but we can only do this with supernatural help, favor, wisdom, and provision. Please join us in prayer for this.

And to all of you who have prayed for me and my family and our ministry over the years and supported us in so many different ways, thank you, thank you, thank you. And a special thanks on this day to those of you who are still alive who helped pray me into the kingdom back in 1971 when I was just 16 years old. Your prayers were not in vain!

Thank You, thank You, Lord!

Lord, on that glorious night of December 17, 1971, I would never have dreamed in a million years what You had in store for me in the decades that would follow. And so, today, overwhelmed with gratitude, wonder, and awe, I wholeheartedly consecrate the rest of my days to You — whatever the cost or consequence, whether by life or by death.

You are worthy of it all!

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter | Thursday, December 16, 2021

Chris Pratt has faced adverse treatment in Hollywood and on social media because “he just believes in Jesus,” according to Joe Rogan, who has the No. 1 most-listened-to podcast in the United States. 

On Tuesday’s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” (offensive language warning), the eponymous host lamented that people in Hollywood are “terrified that if they step outside the lines,” they will experience criticism and ostracization from their overwhelmingly liberal and secular colleagues.

“Chris Pratt gets in trouble because he’s Christian,” Rogan remarked, explaining that the adverse treatment Pratt has received is unwarranted. He described the actor as “the nicest … guy I’ve ever met in my life.” … He’s done nothing. He’s so nice.”

“He’s kind of outside of the lines in terms of his ideology. He’s a Christian and pretty open about it,” he added. “Because of that, they attack him. It’s something so simple, like, he just believes in Jesus and he … likes to be a good person.”

Most recently, Pratt experienced backlash for a Nov. 2 Instagram post expressing gratitude for his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, and illustrating how faith has played an important role in their relationship.

“Guys. For real. Look how she’s looking at me! I mean. Find you somebody that looks at you like that!! You know? We met in church. She’s given me an amazing life, a gorgeous healthy daughter, she chews so loudly that sometimes I put in my ear buds to drown it out, but that’s love!”

Pratt received criticism for the post because it didn’t acknowledge his son with his ex-wife, Anna Faris, who’s had health issues. In response to the pushback he received for the Instagram post, Pratt posted an Instagram story declaring that while he woke up depressed as a result of all the negative feedback he had received, “I knew that if I put on my Christian music playlist, and I got out of the woods and ran that I’d feel better.”

Although he “just didn’t want to” at first, Pratt said he “did it anyways and, gosh, was I right. It felt amazing. I got out of the woods, got my blood pumping.” After noting that listening to Christian music made him feel better, he proclaimed: “All glory to God.” 

In 2019, actress Ellen Page, who now identifies as Elliot Page, claimed in a tweet that Pratt’s Church, the Zoe Church in Los Angeles, was “infamously anti lgbtq.”

Pratt denied the allegation in an Instagram story: “It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which ‘hates a certain group of people’ and is ‘infamously anti LGBTQ.’ Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone. Despite what the Bible says about divorce, my church was there for me every stop [sic] of the way, never judging, just gracefully accompanying me on my walk. They helped me tremendously offering love and support. It is what I have seen them do for others on countless occasions, regardless of sexual orientation, race or gender,” he wrote.

While Rogan noted that Hollywood has an anti-Christian bias, Pratt offered a different take in 2018, telling The Associated Press that he thinks “there’s this narrative that exists out there that Hollywood is anti-Christian, but it’s just not the case.” He added that “They are kind of not anti-anything.” 

In recent years, Pratt has discussed his faith in numerous social media posts, interviews and public appearances. As his wife gave birth to their son last year, Pratt took to Instagram to share the Bible verse Psalm 127:3-4.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate,” Pratt declared.

In a 2019 appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Pratt credited his faith with saving him from the “lion’s den” of fame, which he warned has the power to “kill” those it entraps.

As he delivered an acceptance speech at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards, Pratt thanked God before telling the audience that “I always do that when I’m up on a big platform in front of a bunch of young faces. I say, ‘I love God!’ That’s my thing, I love Him — and you should too!”  

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Christian Post Editor | Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Since shooting to fame on the 10th season of “American Idol” in 2011, country star Lauren Alaina’s popularity has continued to grow, with chart-topping albums, books and even a Hallmark movie under her belt. 

But while the Rossville, Georgia, native’s world continues to change at a rapid pace, her anchor remains in Jesus Christ. 

“My faith is the foundation of everything that I do,” the 27-year-old singer-songwriter told The Christian Post.

“I was very fortunate to be raised in a Christian household and to be taught early on. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve defined my faith even more for myself. I think the thing that’s the most important about it to me is that it’s constant. It’s the one thing I can always count on. My life is all over the place and very unexpected, and it’s a very different life than most people live. The Lord is my one constant that I always can rely on. And that’s so nice, living such a hectic, crazy, unbelievable life — and beautiful life, it’s amazing. But it’s unexpected. So to have something that I know is always there, it’s just so important.”

When Alaina reflects on some of her most formative experiences, she’s quick to see the role her faith played in sustaining her, from her stepfather’s death in 2018 and her parent’s divorce to a public breakup and her past struggles with an eating disorder. The multi-platinum-selling singer shares these experiences and more in her latest book, Getting Good at Being You: Learning to Love Who God Made You to Be.

In addition to personal stories, Alaina shares practical tips, tools and encouragement for the reader’s own personal and spiritual growth in her latest book. Every lesson she shares, she said, is based on her own — sometimes hard-learned — experiences. 

“When I wrote the book, I really wanted to write it from a perspective of, ‘These are the things that I’ve been through, and this is how I got through it,’” she said. “Being on the other side of it, being healed, I just want you to know that it’s possible; you can get through it.”

“I kind of had to go through all of these things to become the woman I am,” Alaina added. “And we’re all going through things. And this book felt really necessary to me at this time, because it has been a time of brokenness and fear. And we all need love and healing right now … after the two years in this pandemic, I think we could all use a little extra healing and a little extra love.”

Though she’s publicly discussed her battle with eating disorders before, the artist dives deeper in her latest book in an effort to remove the stigma surrounding related health issues. A Harvard study conducted in 2020 found that 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.

“I really deep dive into it in the book, explain kind of how it was established in my life, how long I really struggled with it and why, and all of the health problems that I suffered with because of the extreme choices I was making to be thin,” Alaina said.

“I didn’t know how to tell my story without that, because everything in my life, as far as a brand, is kind of shaped around that experience. Because when I went down the journey of loving myself and accepting myself for who I am, I was inspired or pushed to do that because of my eating disorders.”

Alaina described herself as the “most outgoing, loudest person in the room at all times” — proving that oftentimes, a joyful veneer can mask a deeply hurting soul. 

“You would have never thought when I was 19 years old, bubbly, loud all over the place like I always am, that I was struggling so severely internally,” she reflected. “And I think it’s like anything, the more we talk about something, the less that stigma kind of goes away. And the more that we all realize, hey, this is a real issue for a lot of people, and we need to figure out a way to get these people help and … get ourselves help.”

The topic of grief — one the artist stressed many are familiar with after a particularly difficult year — is also featured in Getting Good at Being You. When her stepfather died after a battle with cancer, Alaina said, her faith was “really tested.”

“I felt very alone. I felt like [God] wasn’t there with me, but my grief was clouding that. He of course was there,” she said. “In traumatic experiences like that, I think that we sometimes want to play God; like, we think if we pray enough for something that we think should happen, that it’s what’s going to happen. However, none of us are god. We don’t have all of the answers.”

The day her stepfather died, he “described Heaven” to his family, the artist shared — “and the peace in the room was indescribable.”

“He had been in so much pain, tremendous, tremendous pain, and it seemed like all of the pain in his body left, and he was reassuring us and telling us who he saw — his mother, and Jesus. It was truly a gift to our family in such a traumatic time,” the “Road Less Traveled” singer recalled.

After writing her book, Alaina said she felt “Iike a survivor a little bit,” adding: “I did have an overwhelming sense of pride and vulnerability. I’m a songwriter, so I’m always writing from a vulnerable place, but they’re three-minute songs. So to really deep dive into what that three-minute song was about — each chapter is titled after a song of mine, so to really kind of deep dive into that was it was intense, but it was really, really worth it.”

The artist is now gearing up for her headlining “Top of the World Tour,” opening in February 2022. Alaina’s tour comes on the heels of her third studio album, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, which was released in September and included her collaborative single with Jon Pardi, “Getting Over Him.” Her Hallmark Channel film, “Roadhouse Romance,” also released this year.

“I tried to keep myself busy in the pandemic so that when I came back I came back with a bang,” Alaina said with a laugh. 

But whether she’s writing a book, penning a song or performing before thousands on stage, the artist said she wants her fans to be uplifted, inspired, and recognize their God-given worth. 

“If you look at me and you think I’m inspiring and super confident and all of these things that seem unattainable — listen, I get up every single day, put my pants on one leg at a time,” she emphasized. “And I would just say that with book and the music and stuff, I’m always trying to humanize myself because I am no better than anyone else. I just happen to be able to sing. That’s the only difference.”

“I just want to be a source of love and guidance as much as I can and inspire others to be nice to themselves,” Alaina added. “If anything, just please be nice to yourself. Let me be an example of that.”

By Jeannie Ortega Law, Christian Post Reporter | Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington has opened up about the spiritual aspect of his Christian faith and highlighted the importance of having an “anchor” in an ever-changing culture. 

Washington is gearing up for the release of his new film “Macbeth,” and in an extensive New York Times feature titled “Denzel Washington, Man on Fire,” the actor and his co-stars talked about his Christian faith.

Washington, who described himself as “a God-fearing man,” shared about God, the Bible and Heaven in the interview. He revealed that it was a promise he made to his late mother that would encourage him to “honor her and God.”

“What I do, what I make, what I made — all of that — is that going to help me on the last day of my life? It’s about, Who have you lifted up? Who have we made better?” he told the NYT.

“This is spiritual warfare. So, I’m not looking at it from an earthly perspective. If you don’t have a spiritual anchor you’ll be easily blown by the wind and you’ll be led to depression,” he added.

The Oscar-winning actor then lamented what he said is a self-obsessed society.

“The enemy is the inner me,” he continued. “The Bible says in the last days — I don’t know if it’s the last days, it’s not my place to know — but it says we’ll be lovers of ourselves. The number one photograph today is a selfie, ‘Oh, me at the protest.’ ‘Me with the fire.’ ‘Follow me.’ ‘Listen to me.’

“We’re living in a time where people are willing to do anything to get followed. What is the long or short-term effect of too much information? It’s going fast and it can be manipulated obviously in a myriad of ways. And people are led like sheep to slaughter,” Washington said.

The entertainer then shared his view of Heaven, explaining that “there are going to be two lines, the long line and the short line, and I’m interested in being in the short line.”

The New York native encouraged the interviewee, Maureen Dowd, to read the Holy Bible. He suggested that she “start with the New Testament, because the Old Testament is harder.”

“You get caught up in the ‘who-begot-who-begot-who thing,'” he said.

Washington later revealed he “fills up” spiritually every morning before starting his day.

“You have to fill up that bucket every morning,” he said. “It’s rough out there. You leave the house in the morning. Here they come, chipping away. By the end of the day, you’ve got to refill that bucket. We know right from wrong.”

While at “The Better Man Event” hosted by First Baptist Orlando in Florida recently, Washington revealed what the Lord has been telling him to do when he prays in this season. 

“At 66, getting ready to be 67, having just buried my mother, I made a promise to her and to God, not just to do good the right way, but to honor my mother and my father by the way I live my life, the rest of my days on this Earth. I’m here to serve, to help, to provide,” Washington shared at the Christian men’s conference. 

During the nearly 30-minute sit-down discussion, Washington shared what he hears from God with his spiritual mentor Pastor A.R. Bernard, the senior pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York.

“In every prayer, all I hear is: ‘Feed my sheep.’ That’s what God wants me to do,” the “Fences” actor shared. 

By Jon Ackerman, SportsSpectrum.com | Monday, December 13, 2021

Bryce Young took over as the starting quarterback for the University of Alabama following a string of elite QBs who are now starting in the NFL (Mac Jones, Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts). Yet, the sophomore stepped in and did something even that trio didn’t accomplish.

On Saturday night, Young won the Heisman Trophy, college football’s highest individual honor. He earned 2,311 points in the voting, and was followed by Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (954), Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett (631) and Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (399).

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In his acceptance speech, Young was quick to give glory to God.

“This is amazing,” he said. “First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him I couldn’t be here. And through Him all things are possible.”

Young continued on and thanked his father, Craig, his mother, Julie, Alabama head coach Nick Saban, and a long list of others. To end his speech, Young noted how some people counted him out because he didn’t look or play like a “typical” quarterback, but through hard work and the “grace of God,” he is the top player in college football this season.

“I’ve always been labeled as someone who’s not the prototype, being an African-American quarterback and being quote-unquote undersized and not being that prototype, I’ve always been ruled out and counted out,” Young said in his speech. “People a lot of times have told me that I wasn’t going to be able to make it. And for me, it’s always been about, not really proving them wrong but proving to myself what I can accomplish. I’ve always pushed myself to work the hardest and I try my best to do all I can to maximize all that I can do. And thanks to the people around me and through the grace of God, I’ve been able to make it here, and I’m truly grateful for that.”

Young’s strong faith in Christ was noted by his father before winning the award. In an interview on ESPN before the announcement was made, Craig Young was asked why Bryce has been able to manage the spotlight so well this season.

“He’s very grounded in faith, puts God first, and he has this amazing ability to compartmentalize things,” Craig said. “One of the things he says really often is, ‘I only want to focus on the things I can control.’ And I think that has served him well. He focuses on the things that he can control, and focuses on the things that are important, and doesn’t get distracted in the outside noise because he’s intrinsically motivated. He’s motivated to be the best by himself, not to prove anybody wrong but to be the best that he can be, and in doing that, glorifying God. And also just striving to get better and better. I just could not be prouder.”

It certainly was a fine season for Young — and isn’t quite over. Alabama, the reigning national champion, has gone 12-1 this season and earned the No. 1 seed for the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide will face No. 4 Cincinnati in its semifinal on Dec. 31, and that game will be followed by No. 2 Michigan facing No. 3 Georgia. The winners will play for the national championship on Jan. 10.

In leading Alabama as a first-year starter, Young has thrown for 4,322 yards (fourth in the nation), 43 touchdowns (second) and just four interceptions, while also rushing for three more touchdowns. He also won the Maxwell Award, given to the best player in college football, and the Davey O’Brien Award, given to the nation’s top quarterback.

Young’s productivity has come despite a mass exodus of talent from Tuscaloosa after the program won yet another national championship (18th overall, sixth under Coach Saban) last January with a 13-0 record. Ten starters had to be replaced in 2021, including Jones and Heisman Trophy-winning receiver DeVonta Smith.

But the impressive manner with which Young has handled success should come as a surprise to no one. At Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, Young turned himself into arguably the top player in his class of 2020. He originally chose USC before de-committing and heading to Alabama to play behind Jones and under Saban’s tutelage.

Despite the hype and the early success, Young says he can play with calmness and without fear, unburdened by the pressure or scrutiny, because of his faith in God.

“I think [my demeanor] comes a lot from my faith,” Young said in September. “I feel like that’s really where I get my power from. My job is just to glorify God on the field, and I know that everything is written and I can have faith and trust in that.”

In January 2020, Young told 247 Sports: “On the football field, for me, it’s kind of about letting go. I’ve played a lot with faith. I’m trying to trust what I’ve done, God and my decisions. I try to play as free and relaxed without holding onto anything.”

Young, who calls himself a “Follower of Christ” and has an image of a cross in his Twitter bio, knows that God is sovereign over everything in this world. It’s why he plays freely, knowing a good God holds all things in His hands.

While at Mater Dei, Young was asked about his favorite Bible passage. Psalm 23 was a no-brainer.

“‘Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,’” Young recited in 2019. “I try to apply that to anything in life. Whether that valley of death be me being annoyed, me being stressed, a football game, a decision … I know regardless of what I’m going through, there is nothing to fear because God has my back.”

This article was originally published on SportsSpectrum.com. Visit Sports Spectrum for daily sports and faith content, including magazines, podcasts, devotionals, videos and more.