Rabu, 21 Oktober 2015

Ex Wheel of Fortune host Susan Stafford reveals how Rock Hudson received Christ just hours before he died from complications from AIDS

She also shares the extraordinary story of how Elizabeth Taylor comforted the Hollywood superstar shortly before he passed away

By Dan Wooding, Founder of the ASSIST News Service

BEVERLY HILLS, CA (ANS -- October 18, 2015) -- Susan Stafford, the original hostess of Wheel of Fortune, has revealed how she was present when a Catholic priest led Rock Hudson in the “sinner’s prayer” to receive Jesus Christ into his life, just hours before his death on October 2, 1985 of complications from AIDS.

Stafford, who preceded Vanna White as the first hostess on the popular American game show, “Wheel of Fortune,” (from January 6, 1975 until she left on October 22, 1982), revealed the inside story of Rock Hudson’s final hours in an interview with me for my new “Inside Hollywood” TV show at the recent 17th Annual Media Fellowship International Praise Brunch at the Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills, on Saturday, October 17, 2015.

“Yes, it is true that Rock Hudson accepted Jesus Christ on his deathbed,” she told me. “I was staying with Rock Hudson at his home at the time, and Pat and Shirley Boone and also ‘Love Boat’ captain, Gavin MacLeod and his wife, Patti, came to pray with him.”

Stafford, a born-again Christian, said that also there at that time was Fr. Terrance A. Sweeney, a five-time Emmy Award winning producer, an ex-Jesuit priest who was ordained to the priesthood on June 15, 1973.

“Rock was a Roman Catholic and so we called in Fr. Sweeney and he prayed the ‘sinner's prayer,’ with him and then I prayed as did one of his nurses called Toni,” she said. “I later did Rock's funeral.”

Stafford also told me the extraordinary story of how Elizabeth Taylor came to Rock Hudson’s home and when she came into his room, she pulled aside his bed covers, got into bed with him, and comforted him by bringing his head close to her chest.”

Susan says it was a wonderful gesture by Taylor, who had starred in the 1956 film, Giant, along with Rock Hudson and James Dean, as at the time, people did not know how AIDS was passed on, and she may have been risking her own life by doing this, but she loved Rock Hudson so much that she just wanted to express that love to him in his last moments on earth.

In a previous interview, I asked Susan how the famous actor, known for his urbane charm, dashing good looks, and virile masculinity that epitomized Hollywood’s classic matinee idol image, but had been a closet homosexual for many years, had accepted the situation that he was dying from AIDS.

Susan said, “He was a real gentleman and accepted it with a great sense of humor despite being in a lot of pain.”

Stafford, who now has a PhD, has also authored a book called, “Stop the Wheel, I want to get off!” on some of her rather amazing life experiences. She has worked with famous Hollywood celebrities, with leprosy patients in Third World countries with former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, AIDS patients (including, as I previously mentioned, Rock Hudson), working as a Chaplain Intern with Dr. John Stehlin in Houston with cancer patients, receiving a PhD in Psychology, and counseling with survivors and families at Columbine High School in Colorado, following the tragic shootings.

She has been called a “Goodwill Ambassador to the World” and that seems to be a fitting title. Describing her life as full is an understatement.

In that previous interview with Susan, I had asked her to comment on Christians who criticize people who have HIV/AIDS and say that they “deserve to have the illness because of their lifestyle.”

“It's easy to say this because I believe, with every portion of my heart, that you are talking to a sinner,” she said. “Some [of us] sin more than others, but we're all sinners one way or the other. I do not think that a homosexual is less or more of a sinner than I am and I don’t dare to judge that. Shame on the Christians that do it because love is the answer. If we don't love each other and instead just keep on judging everybody, we're not going to have any friends left.”

Bob Rieth gives Chris Mitchell his award

The MFI 17th Annual Praise Brunch was again organized by MFI president, Pastor Bob Rieth and his wife Marion, and it began with an invocation by the Rev. John Boal, Pastor of Development at Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.

It was hosted by Rick Eldridge, Producer, Director, and CEO of Reelworks Studio and the annual event attracted a wide variety of people working in the movie and entertainment business, many of whom were committed Christians.

Susan Stafford was able to introduce Chris Mitchell, the CBN Middle East Bureau Chief, who for many years, has been based in Jerusalem, and has had a front seat to history in the Middle East, especially reporting on the terrifying growth of Islamic terror groups in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria. Mitchell was then presented with the Andrew Award for his courageous work by Pastor Bob Rieth. In return, Chris Mitchell presented all of those at the event with a copy of his fascinating new book called “DESTINATION JERUSALEM: ISIS, Convert or Die, Christian Persecution and Preparing for the Days Ahead.”

Music was provided by a gospel group called Soldiers for the Second Coming founded and led by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., who were once in the 5th Dimension, an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera and Broadway -- the mélange was coined as “Champagne Soul.”

Billy Davis Jr and Soldiers for the Second Coming

Dr. Alvin McKinney, a virtuoso Alto Saxophonist, song writer/composer, arranger, and producer, also known as “The Prime Minister of Joyful Jazz,” had much of the those there, dancing as he performed, among the audience, his exciting Gospel music renditions.

One of the most moving moments in the program was when veteran broadcaster, Mark Larson, presented a video montage on the life of state, film and television actor, Dean Jones, who was a member of MFI, and recently passed away.

Old and New Testament readings were read by former NBA star, Al Woods, a huge figure who had played with the Hawks, Clippers, Sonics and the Mavericks, and then the keynote speaker was David A.R. White, an actor, writer, director and producer of “God’s Not Dead,” “Do you Believe?” and “Revelation Road.”

In his captivating presentation, White shared about his life, as a Christian in Hollywood, and brought much laugher when he said that he was raised in a Mennonite home, and added that the Mennonites were so strict that they “make the Mormons seem like a group of Hells Angeles.”

For over twenty-five years, Media Fellowship International has been impacting the media and the message from the inside out. MFI is a Christian ministry that works with people in the media and arts community in a confidential and non-judgmental manner. It is a safe support group where people can receive encouragement and Godly counsel and have fellowship with other Christians in the industry. Its slogan is: “Shining His Light in the Industry.”

For more information, please go to: http://www.mediafellowship.org/

Photo captions: 1) Susan Stafford at the MFI event (Photo Dan Wooding). 2) A gaunt Rock Hudson pictured shortly before his death. 3) Rock Hudson on the silver screen with Elizabeth Taylor. 4) Bob Rieth presents Chris Mitchell with the Andrew Award. (Photo: Dan Wooding) 5) Billy Davis Jr. leading the Soldiers for the Second Coming. (Photo: Dan Wooding) 6) David White speaking (Photo: Dan Wooding). 7) A playful Susan Stafford with Dan Wooding after an interview.

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 74, is an award-winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for more than 52 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He is also the author of some 45 books and has a radio show and two television programs all based out of Orange County, California.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)

If You Weren’t the Youth Pastor … Would You Go to Your Church?

By Josh Griffin

Unpacking a question people are too afraid to ask.

I hear this all the time—and want to just throw it out there and shine some light on it. Here goes:
Is it wrong or unhealthy for a youth pastor to work at a church he or she would never attend? Is it uncommon for youth pastors and a sign that I’m in the wrong place?
What a great question! First, don’t freak out and do something rash. There are seasons of everyone’s ministry where they face challenges and may feel this way. Hang in there! Maybe God has called you to that church to help lead into some serious change. Don’t run just yet.
However, it isn’t ideal and it’s probably not something sustainable the long term. You have to be able to take care of your own faith before you can care for and lead others. And if you’re graduating seniors into a church that doesn’t agree on philosophy/style of student ministry, it isn’t going to be long before it creates crises for families when their students reach college age then don’t assimilate into the congregation.
In the short term, not wanting to attend the church you’re serving at isn’t the end of the world. Maybe you’re getting some ministry experience and want to get something on your resume. Maybe the church is experiencing a shift in leadership or a season of difficulty, and you’ll help them weather it.
Keep in mind that it is generally difficult to worship at a church that you work at, even if you like the worship style and leadership. Maybe find a service at a church in the area (be sure to drive a little way away from your church) and worship there at an alternate worship time. It is hard to worship at a church where you are so known and always on.
If you’re just starting out and reading this—remember, when you are interviewed to work at a church, you are also interviewing the church. Think about you and your family sitting in that church week after week. And if you’re going into a church position hoping to drastically change the church, it’s probably not going to happen.
What would you add to these thoughts?

Josh Griffin is high school pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. He’s the co-counder of DownloadYouthMinistry.com and host of the Youth Ministry Garage Podcast. He's authored more than 20 youth ministry resources and is the author of "99 Thoughts for Small Group Leaders" with Doug Fields. Josh is a father of 4 who speaks a little, podcasts a little, Twitters a bit, and blogs a lot. You can find him at DownloadYouthMinistry.com! More from Josh Griffin or visit Josh at http://www.downloadyouthministry.com

KISAH PERTOBATAN PEMIMPIN TRIAD HONGKONG TERIMA YESUS

KISAH PERTOBATAN PEMIMPIN TRIAD HONGKONG TERIMA YESUS

TRIAD merupakan salah satu organisasi kriminal besar yang berbasis di Hongkong. Pengaruh mereka selalu tersembunyi di dalam kegelapan. " Hal terburuk dalam TRIAD adalah pengkhianatan. Siapa pun yang melakukannya akan mati," ungkap Teddy Hung, mantan pemimpin TRIAD mengawali kisah hidupnya.

Dalam organisasi ini, Teddy memimpin bisnis pencucian uang, obat-obatan, prostitusi, dan segala bisnis ilegal lainnya. Ia memiliki harta dan kekuasaan, sehingga ke mana pun ia bepergian, Teddy selalu mendapatkan layanan yang terbaik.

Pada awal berdirinya, TRIAD mendapat dukungan dari pemerintah Taiwan sebagai alat bertahan dari serangan Cina. "Saya dapat mengatakan bahwa TRIAD sangat tegas dan memiliki sistem yang terorganisir. Ketika saya pertama bergabung, tujuan saya ingin menjadi orang yang sangat spesial dan hebat. Jalan tercepat untuk mencapai hal tersebut pada waktu itu adalah lewat jalan mafia dan organisasi TRIAD. Mungkin orang-orang berpikir bahwa orang yang bergabung dengan TRIAD adalah orang yang tidak punya karakter, tetapi sebenarnya saya pastikan orang-orang di dalam TRIAD adalah orang yang berkarakter dan bukan orang sembarangan. Orang merasa takut kepada TRIAD karena apa yang kami lakukan selalu dalam kegelapan dan kami semua memiliki integritas dalam menjaga rahasia sehingga orang takut dan hormat kepada kami," ungkap Teddy.

"Semua anggota organisasi diberi kode nomor. Nomor saya 415. Tugas saya memimpin setiap operasi di lapangan. Saya berurusan dengan perekrutan orang, menyelesaikan setiap masalah anggota di lapangan, memikirkan bagaimana memperluas jaringan," ungkap Teddy mengisahkan peranannya dalam organisasi TRIAD.

Teddy berada di puncak kekuasaan, tetapi bukan berarti ia lepas dari masalah.

"Ada polisi dari Inggris, beberapa kali selalu datang dan mengganggu bisnis kami. Hongkong waktu itu masih di bawah kekuasaan Inggris sehingga polisi itu menggunakan kekuasaannya untuk menangkapku terlebih dahulu," ujar Teddy.

Namun, penjara tak menghalangi sepak terjang Teddy dalam memimpin organisasi TRIAD. Teddy mengurus bisnisnya dari penjara.

"Saya dipenjara di sebuah penjara yang sudah terbengkalai sehingga hal pertama yang saya lakukan adalah merenovasinya agar menjadi tempat yang lebih baik untuk saya tinggali. Saya mengeluarkan banyak uang sehingga saya dapat berbisnis obat dan melanjutkan bisnis saya di penjara," kisah Teddy.

Di balik kesangaran dan ketenangan sikapnya, tidak ada yang tahu bahwa sebenarnya Teddy mengalami depresi berat. Yang diinginkannya hanyalah mati! Namun, kunjungan seorang pendoa sedikit banyak memberi harapan pada Teddy.

"Pada waktu saya di penjara, ada seorang pendoa yang sering datang mengunjungi saya. Dia mengatakan sesuatu kepada saya. Orang itu berkata, "Kamu sangat sukses dan terkenal di seluruh dunia. Akan tetapi, ketika suatu saat nanti kamu meninggal, kamu akan dikenang sebagai apa?" Pertanyaan itulah yang membuat saya mulai berpikir dan saya mulai merasa sangat sedih. Yang membuat saya merasa depresi adalah saya mulai sadar, semakin saya sukses, semakin saya merasa bersalah dan merusak hidup banyak orang. Semakin saya sukses, saya tidak membantu banyak orang, justru saya banyak menghancurkan hidup orang lain," ungkap Teddy mengenai awal perubahan hidupnya.

Teddy kemudian mulai menemui banyak dokter karena ia tidak dapat tidur selama berbulan-bulan.

"Saya selalu merasa takut. Para kekasihku berusaha menghibur dan memelukku. Namun, saya tetap merasa selalu khawatir dan takut. Entah kenapa, saya tetap tidak bisa tidur," ungkap Teddy.

Satu malam saat tak dapat memejamkan mata, Teddy melihat Alkitab yang diberikan sang pendoa kepada dirinya.

"Saya hanya berkata, 'Yesus, jika memang Engkau benar ada, biarkan saya tidur, maka saya akan percaya kepada-Mu.' Saya memegang Kitab itu, dan sebelum saya selesai mengucapkan kalimat itu, saya sudah terlelap di dalam tidur," kisah Teddy.

Sejak saat itu, tiba-tiba bisnis Teddy mengalami perubahan drastis. Bisnisnya hancur total.

"Semua teman saya mulai mengatakan bahwa Tuhan yang saya sembahlah yang membuat bisnis ini hancur. Mereka berkata, 'Dia adalah Tuhan yang jahat, karena buktinya, bisnis kita hancur satu per satu.' Saya juga mulai berpikir bahwa Dia itu Tuhan yang jahat. Saya mulai kecewa kepada-Nya. Di situlah, saya menjadi bingung saya harus memilih yang mana. Jika percaya Tuhan, bisnis hancur. Tidak percaya Tuhan, saya tidak bisa tidur," ungkap Teddy mengisahkan persimpangan iman yang dialaminya.

Kemudian, seorang teman memberikan kalimat pencerahan kepadanya.

"Teman saya berkata, 'Andai kamu memiliki anak, akankah kamu mengizinkan anakmu melakukan bisnis seperti yang kamu lakukan? Jika kamu terus berbisnis seperti itu, kamu akan menuju ke neraka.' Ini adalah bukti bahwa Tuhan mengasihi saya," ungkap Teddy.

"Bukan hal yang mudah untuk melepaskan semua bisnis dan teman-teman kerja saya. Namun, saya terus memohon kepada Tuhan untuk memberikan hidup yang baru dan pekerjaan baru. Tuhan membuktikan, perlahan tetapi pasti, saya akhirnya mampu melakukan sebuah bisnis yang bersih," ujar Teddy.

Teddy menutup semua bisnis lamanya dan merintis sebuah bisnis yang baru, sebuah klinik kesehatan elektrik, di berbagai belahan dunia.

"Sepuluh tahun sudah saya belajar bergantung pada Tuhan dan sepanjang waktu itu banyak hal hebat terjadi dalam hidup saya. Dahulu, saya merasa hati saya seperti terikat dengan rantai yang sangat berat. Rasanya sekarang semua ikatan itu terlepas dan saya bebas," kisah Teddy mengungkapkan kebesaran Tuhan dalam hidupnya.

Diambil dan disunting dari:
Nama situs: Jawaban.com
Alamat URL: http://www.jawaban.com/index.php/spiritual/detail/id/9/news/120906204620/limit/0/Kisah-Pertobatan-Pemimpin- TRIAD-Hongkong-Terima-Yesus
Penulis artikel: Tidak dicantumkan
Tanggal akses: 29 Januari 2015

POKOK DOA

1. Mari berdoa kepada Tuhan Yesus untuk Bapak Teddy Hung, kiranya pertobatannya menghasilkan kehidupan rohani yang bertumbuh dalam Kristus.

2. Mari berdoa kepada Tuhan Yesus untuk usaha dan pekerjaan Bapak Teddy Hung. Kiranya Tuhan memberkati usaha pekerjaan Bapak Teddy sehingga ia dapat memuliakan Tuhan melalui usaha dan pekerjaannya.

3. Mari berdoa untuk setiap orang Kristen yang belum sepenuhnya mendasarkan iman mereka kepada Yesus. Kiranya Roh Kudus menuntun dan menolong mereka untuk memahami Kristus dan karya keselamatan bagi setiap orang yang percaya kepada-Nya.

"Karena dengan hati orang percaya dan dibenarkan, dan dengan mulut orang mengaku dan diselamatkan." (Roma 10:10)

‘Braveheart’ Sheila Walsh thanks God every day for her mental health treatment

‘Braveheart’ Sheila Walsh thanks God every day for her mental health treatment

By Dan Wooding, Special to ASSIST News Service

LAKE FOREST, CA (ANS – October 21, 2015) – For many, Sheila Walsh’s life epitomizes success. Coming originally from Scotland, as a talented singer, Sheila had her own television show on BBC TV in London, and then after moving to the States, she became the co-host with Pat Roberson of the 700 Club, while at weekends, Sheila would have sold-out concerts across the country.

Besides that, she is a powerful Bible teacher and best-selling author with over 5 million books sold. And her international ministry has reached more than 5.5 million women by combining honesty, vulnerability, and humor with the transforming power of God's Word.

But, despite all of that success, Sheila, who now lives in Texas, has had to deal with mental health issues, and after speaking recently about her own battle with mental health at Rick and Kay Warren’s recent Gathering on Mental Health and the Church (October 8-9) at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, she bravely shared with me in an interview about her own story.

I began by asking Sheila why she had spoken at the conference, and she replied, “There are two reasons. One is because I personally suffer from that problem. I was diagnosed with severe clinical depression about 23 years ago and I think I struggled with it long before I was ever diagnosed. I was prescribed medication all those years ago and I still take it to this day. I take that little pill every morning with a prayer of thanksgiving that God has provided help in this world for us who need it.

“And I know that there’s help available for people, but over the last 20 years, traveling around the States with Women of Faith and talking to other women. the very moment that I say from the stage that I suffer with depression and I take medication, it’s like it unlocks a key into other women’s lives and they’re they’ll come up and say this is the first time I’ve ever told anyone about this.

“The second reason is that I have such a profound love and respect for Kay and for Rick Warren. I remember when the tragedy happened in their family (when their son, Matthew shot himself), I remember literally falling to my knees and sobbing because I knew that their son had struggled for some time. But the way that they have turned what was a devastating tragedy into an offering is really breathtaking to watch. Rather than allow that to let them sink, they determined that they will raise others up.

I have known Sheila Walsh now for about 40 years, and have learned that she does not pull her punches when talking about her own struggles, which she said, began as a child.

Sheila Walsh with Pat Robertson on the 700 Club

“I was born in a small town on the west coast of Scotland and I was really blessed to have a mom and dad who just didn’t go to church, but they really loved Jesus,” she stated in my interview for my Front Page Radio show. “My dad was kind of my hero and was very funny and had a beautiful singing voice. He was just a great adventurer. I was a tomboy so I just adored my dad.

“But then my father had a massive brain aneurism one night which really affected his personality. He was paralyzed down one side, he lost the power of speech, and was never able to talk again. But as his illness progressed the blood clot in his brain began to move and press on an area that affected his personality. So he just became a stranger in our home and ultimately a violent stranger.

“And the last day I ever saw my father alive was turning just in time to see that he was about to bring his cane down on my skull. I was 5 years old at the time, my sister was seven and my brother was two. It was a life altering moment, because my mom immediately called 999 (in the UK, 911 here) and so my father was carried out of the house that day by four men to our local asylum and I lived with such shame thinking that I had destroyed my family.”

She went on to say, “My father committed suicide after he had escaped from the hospital and drowned himself in the local river. And I believed that I’d taken my mom’s husband away I’d had taken my sister and my brother’s father away. And I thought a lifetime will never be enough to pay for this.”

So, although it was nothing to do with Sheila, she admitted that she took this terrible burden onto her young shoulders.

“Children,” she said, do that. Like if there’s divorce in the family or sexual abuse, children are the best recorders of information but they’re the poorest interpreters of that information. Children always think, ‘I did something. This is my fault.’

“So often, we think it’s a lack of faith and if only I had more faith -- and Christians will often rub salt in our wounds by saying, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ You say that to someone who just broke their leg and they’re lying on the ground and you say to them, ‘Why don’t you get up and skip.’ it’s ridiculous. Instead of using Scripture as the healing balm, often we use it to punish people.

“So I would simply say, ‘it’s not your fault’ and ‘there’s help available.’ In fact, there’s wonderful help available.”

One of the most dramatic turning points in Sheila’s life was the day that she walked off the set of the 700 Club and admitted herself into a psychiatric hospital for treatment. So, I asked her what had led up to it?

So what led up to you walking out one day and going to the psychiatric hospital?

“A lot of things led up to it,” she said. “There are signs where you’re just slowly disappearing a little more every day, but it literally during one morning’s show that I had a guest and I asked her the first question and before she answered, she said, ‘You sit here every day asking us questions, but I would like to know how are you doing?’ She meant it kindly, but I wasn’t expecting it and there was a look in her eyes of true compassion and so I started to cry.

“It was live on television and the studio audience and crew didn’t know what to do. Eventually they ran through to a commercial break and I took my mic off and went to my dressing room and I called a friend of mine, Dr. Henry Cloud, and I said, ‘Henry, I think I’m losing my mind.’ And he asked me some questions and then he said, ‘No, you’re not, but you need some help and you need it quickly.” So by the next day I was in the psych hospital.”

Even that wasn’t without humor as Sheila told me.

“That first morning, when I showed up with in the patients lounge, it was one of those moments when you walk into a room and everyone’s talking and suddenly they stop and stare at you. And one guy said to me, ‘Are you Sheila Walsh? I said that I was and he then said, ‘What are you doing here?’ And I said, ‘I’m a patient.’ and he answered, ‘Yeah. Right!” So I said, “Do you think I’m here to do a documentary in my bathrobe?’ Then he said this line that really impacted me. He said, ‘Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but we watch you every morning and you’re supposed to be helping us.’ And it was actually a very freeing moment where you fall off the shelf and you just become one of those who are broken. It was the beginning of what I call the ‘companionship of brokenness.’ Where you’re not the one with all the answers, but you begin to walk beside people.”

After completing her treatment, Sheila moved for a while to Southern California, and I was able to persuade her to “get back on the horse” and do a series of concerts for ASSIST, where she would tell her story, sing many of her songs, and then pray for people in the audience who were feeling suicidal. It was quite amazing to see how so many broken people were ministered to by someone who had been broken herself.

“There were a lot of people at that time who wanted to help me put my career and ministry back together, but I didn’t want to do that,” she said. “I was really ministered to by that verse that talks about unless a seed falls to the ground and dies it produces no fruit,’ and I wanted to let go of everything and really that’s why I decided to go to seminary. I just want to study God’s word and start at the beginning the foundations of our faith. I had no idea I would ever stand on a stage again. That was just something that God had prepared.”

She Sheila enrolled in Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where she did a Masters in Theology.

“I remember at my very first class, the professor, Nate Feldman, was just the loveliest man,” said Sheila. “He did his doctorate degree at Edinburgh University and the class was about early church history. One of the things about depression is that it affects your memory and I thought I wondered if I’d be able to do this. I sat in the very back of the classroom with a yellow legal pad and a pencil and I remember he stood up at the front and he said. ‘This is our story so let’s start at the beginning.” And I just wept. It was so incredibly moving.

“I used to study scripture and listen to messages through the window of my pain and I always thought, ‘Well, that applies to you but it doesn’t apply to me.’ But when you’ve been reduced to nothing and in that moment discover how loved you are by God, it was like hearing everything for the first time. I had very little, but I felt as if I had everything.”

Sheila has since married Barry, who she met while in Southern California, and they have son called Christian, and now she is able to minister again, she said that she particularly aims her message at people who are feeling depressed and, even suicidal.

“Most people think that it’s just them who have these feelings,” she said. “They think that no one thinks ‘what I think’ and ‘no one feels the way that I feel,’ and so I have to set aside a little time every day to answer the private Facebook messages that I get from every single weekend’s event and there are so many. At last conference that I was at in Dallas, a woman came up to me and said, ‘You won’t remember me, but I came years ago and I intended to take my life. I had the medication in my purse, but I just wanted to give God one last chance. She said after she had listened to my message and heard where I’d been and where God had taken me, she said, ‘I went to the bathroom in the arena and I flushed the medicine down the toilet.’ And she talked about how her life is now so rich and so beautiful.”

Now Sheila is launching a new ministry called Braveheart Sisterhood (Braveheartsisterhood.com) for women.

“God is raising up a ragtag army of women all around the world,” she explained. “I’ve been in Russia, Ukraine, London, and Australia. It’s not a generational thing, it’s not a denominational, it’s a remnant thing. There’s a remnant of women who understand that something bigger is going on.”

If you would like to hear the entire radio interview, with lots more information in it, just go to: http://oldassistnews.net/frontpageradiofiles/SheilaWalshMono.mp3

I would like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing this interview.

Photo captions: 1) Sheila Walsh 2) Sheila with Pat Robertson on the 700 Club. 3) Sheila Walsh singing. 4) Sheila Walsh with Dan Wooding after the interview.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)

Kill the Music: When the Music Gets in the Way of Worship

Kill the Music: When the Music Gets in the Way of Worship

In worship leading, sometimes the music can get in the way of worship.

We Recommend

Kill the Music: When the Music Gets in the Way of Worship

By Dan Wilt Sometimes, the music gets in the way of worship. Sometimes, the best thing a band can do for the worship experience is to stop what they’re doing—either partially or completely.
In my last two decades as a worship leader, I’ve had the privilege of working with some amazing musicians. They are professional, capable and have a lot to offer to any moment that something special is needed.
And executing a song? They nail it—the pushes, the rises, the falls, the musical elements—like masters.
I also have many peers who are simultaneously worship leaders and producers. They know how to build a song, sonically, from the ground up. They can arrange and paint that same song in many different ways, and can shift styles like most of us change clothes.
But the music can get in the way of the worship. A professional musician can miss reading the moment. And worse yet, a worship leader can fall into executing the songs instead of leading the worship.
The Music Can Get in the Way of Worship
A nice, clean song, with a verse, chorus, verse, big double chorus and sweet chorus out—is a well-executed worship song.
Most worship leaders can execute a song like that, and the musicians can fill the sonic space from start to finish.
But I’ve noticed, for myself and for some of the best musicians/producers/worship leaders I know, that sometimes the music is leading the way, rather than the heart.
It’s a problem.
In worship leading, the music can get in the way of worship.
Great Music Is Not Enough
When the music leads, we execute the experience, and our community appreciates it. Well done.
We would also agree together that weakly executed music hinders worship. It just does.
I’m still convinced that’s why Saul threw the spear at David.
But it doesn’t follow that excellently executed music always facilitates worship in the best possible way.
Rather, it is great music, led by the heart of a worship leader and bandmates, that facilitates the kind of worship that ultimately moves us.
A Call to Lead From the Heart
When the heart leads, we still execute the experience and the music, but we are also free to lose ourselves in the worship moment, to pull the band back to creating a space that is sonically sparse—for people to personally respond to God.
In fact, when the heart is leading, the leader and the band know when to stop completely, reading the moment, to allow silence in the community’s worship experience.
Silence. It is music itself.
I’ve been in many corporate silent moments in the last few years, even in large conferences, that have been profound moments where God was truly leading the worship. Those moments, pregnant with the presence of God, are often missed when executing the music is the primary modus operandi.
Communities Need Worship Leaders Who Are Able to Kill the Music
People need open spaces to converse with God. Those spaces can be created with songs, but also with simple music played repetitively and without flourishes, and with silence.
Worship musicians who can play 15 minutes of a 4-chord pattern, tastefully and without throwing in lead breaks or distracting (in this context) frills, are worth their weight in gold.
Worship leaders who are sensitive to more than the music, who can read that moment well, are also worth their weight in gold.
It’s in those moments prayer can occur—a woman struggling with depression can taste God’s nearness, a man who’s mistreating his family can hear some straight talk from the Spirit, or a desperate soul who needs physical healing can be prayed for by others.
I am convinced that such sensitivity is learned only in the secret place—not in the rehearsal hall, on the stage or even in the leading of a thousand worship sets.
We can never replace leading from the heart with leading from the music, and the heart can only be cultivated in the secret place—when no one but God is listening.
In knowing when to quiet or kill the music, we can experience fresh life in our worship gatherings.
Question: When is the last time the music had to take a back seat to leading worship, in your experience?

Dan Wilt, M.Min., is an artist, author, musician, educator, songwriter, communicator and spiritual life writer. With 20+ years in the Vineyard family of churches, he serves in various ways to further a “New Creation” centered vision of the Christian life through media.
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Rabu, 21 Oktober 2015

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