I always pay attention when something strange gets a lot of attention. Sometimes God is speaking through the news. A great example of this was the Titanic craze that swept the country in the late 1990’s. Not only was there the movie, but there was a (bad) broadway play, a traveling artifact exhibit, and numerous items that were auctioned off by the top houses in the country. The fact that this craze was over a very real tragedy that killed thousands, including some of the best and brightest of a generation, was really strange. In late 1999 I told a friend that something horrible was about to happen to this country, and this Titanic craze was a prophetic sign. My friend shrugged, and I wrote it in my journal. We all know what happened about 18 months later. It pays to pay attention.
On Easter weekend another unusual thing happened. An outwardly unimpressive woman stood before a pretty unsympathetic audience. To put it lightly, she “blew them away.” Personally, I hate these talent shows. I think most of the winners are second rate, and it’s more about salesmanship than ability. Most of the entertainment industry gave up on real talent a long time ago, and I lost interest. That is, until someone emailed me the video of Susan Boyle.
Last week there was a frenzy to get her on every major TV show on both sides of the Atlantic. Last Friday, during my morning prayer time, God gave me a download about Susan Boyle. I think she is another one of these peculiar signs that sometimes appear. Here is what the Lord said:
She is my Bride.
My bride has been the source of ridicule.
She has neglected her own needs while she cared for her dying mother, the church.
All the while, she has contained a hidden treasure.
She has a new song to sing.
She has dreamed a dream, and today she will burst forth.
All the earth will take notice and hang their heads in shame, because they judged by outward appearance.
Sing a new song my glorious one.
The world is prepared to say “YES” to you.
YES, YES, YES
Now is the time for the sound of dreams to come true.
I think we should stay tuned, because I think that the next 18 months are going to get really interesting.
***
On other things, here is a sign of something that I felt was pretty hopeful:
Newsweek interrupted it’s succession of Obama covers for this one during Holy Week. I don’t think that the timing was accidental, and probably intended to be insulting to Christians. Considering that the Department of Homeland Security also singled out those who were “pro-Life” and had an undefined “violent Christian Identity” as potential threats to national security later that same week, I think we are moving toward more fun for the church.
As Mark Twain once said, “reports of my death have been grossly exaggerated.” It reminds of me of another national magazine that did a story on the global decline of Christianity, complete with graphs and diagrams. I remember reading it, with my first hand knowledge of world missions and international ministry, and thinking “this is hogwash.” The writer created a piece based on the presuppositions of his training in a liberal journalism school. He reinforced them with his own media groupthink. The truth was, and is, Christianity globally is experiencing explosive growth in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.
Well, I digress. This nasty Newsweek cover encouraged me a lot, because I think we are on the verge of one of the greatest spiritual Awakenings in history. How do I know? Because there are more people praying than I have ever seen, and more and more people are asking me questions about spiritual things (Just last week in the grocery store, a woman asked me if I thought if a lot of people were demonized. I said yes). A shift has taken place since the beginning of the year, and those who are anti-Christian have become bolder. This overreach has caused a lot of people to take notice. I think we are experiencing the last tired gasps of the Sixties radicals and their dull, worn out ideas. This isn’t the first time an anti-Christian wave has swept our nation. The period immediately after the American Revolution was also vehemently anti-Christian, with colleges sponsoring Bible burning parties, and drunkenness at epidemic proportions. By 1820 things had changed radically, after a series of Methodist flavored revivals swept the country bringing huge social and cultural reforms.
Yes, I think that is going to happen again. Yes, I think a lot of the garbage from the culture wars will be laid at the curb. Yes, I think this cover from Newsweek will be seen as a quaint and absurd remnant from a dim season in our nation’s history.
Get happy!
