The unlikely pairing of faithful Christian and former television co-host Kathie Lee Gifford and Messianic Rabbi Jason Sobel seems almost like an act straight from the entertainment world. It's either that or one by Divine design. And I prefer the latter scenario. Gifford and Sobel's second book collaboration, "The God of the Way" is a companion to a new movie musical "The Way," which Gifford calls an oratorio in film form. [An oratorio is basically Scripture telling a story, mixed with musical p...
Sep 04, 2022•37 min
A patriot he certainly is. No one can question that. Lee Greenwood's song celebrating the love of country is also now proclaiming his faith, exploring how the Scriptures are integral to America's founding. Greenwod has created the "God Bless the USA" Bible, which is a King James translation of the Holy Scriptures with America's founding documents in the addendum, showing how the two are related. Greenwood opened the Fox Summer Concert series this year on Memorial Day weekend, and I was privilege...
Aug 21, 2022•22 min
There are many people of faith that believe the Boy Scouts of America has lost its way. Where once the organization was almost a rite of passage for boys on the way to becoming men, today it is not just about boys or affirming their strengths. Girls are also invited to join, even though there's such an organization called, "Girl Scouts". And the BSA is not about character based on serving God and country, but about individual achievements. Then there's the tragedy of thousands of boys who now cl...
Aug 14, 2022•33 min
It's a scientific argument in a video interview with a biologist who studied the research on the link between abortion and breast cancer. But fewer people than normal will see or hear about it because according to the conservative Christian organization The Ruth Institute which produced it, YouTube censored it, removing it from its page. YouTube stated that it “does not allow content about abortion that contradicts expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization (...
Aug 07, 2022•47 min
The parents and children were active church members. They loved Jesus. They believed they were sinners saved by God's grace. They also believed what the Bible says about gender, that God made us Male and Female, that we are born into as one of those two sexes. So, it was a gut-wrenching surprise when their twelve-year-old daughter decided one day that she was a boy and wanted to be called the pronouns 'they/them'. What's a Christian family supposed to do? The secular world celebrates the transge...
Jul 31, 2022•38 min
In the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade, polls on abortion and how Americans support or don't support the decision are rampant. Generally speaking, most polls say the majority of Americans did not support the justices ruling. But does that mean most citizens are pro-choice, or favor no restrictions on abortion? Daniel Darling, Director of the Land Center For Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, says poll results that make it to mainstream m...
Jul 24, 2022•31 min
Michelle Hord thought she had the perfect life and career. A producer for America's Most Wanted and ABC's Good Morning America, she was on a trajectory of certain success. Even a wedding in her late 30's seemed like a fairytale, which later welcomed a beautiful little girl named Gabrielle. But her dream marriage turned into a nightmare when the man she thought was her soul mate, became the source of strife and discontent. An acrimonious separation finally ended in divorce when her husband grudgi...
Jul 17, 2022•36 min
America is 245 years old! Happy Birthday! We've come a long way and become a great nation and a great power. But with great power comes great responsibility. And America could be at a defining moment in history. According to historian Os Guinness, all our struggles and founding documents have as their fuel the covenant the Israelites made with God at Mt. Sinai. Freedom comes from God. Not from man. The only true freedom in this world has as its author, The Almighty. The signers of the Declaratio...
Jul 03, 2022•33 min
The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial may be over, but the strife and struggle of their relationship remains... not only for them but for countless other couples whose relationships will never make the front page of newspapers, nor their conflicts become court fodder. So on this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast we go back and ask two experts, a husband and wife team, Fr. Nicholas Louh and Dr. Roxanne Louh, about marriage. What is marriage? Why is faith important in a marriage? Is there a perf...
Jun 26, 2022•43 min
Wherever you stand on the Roe v. Wade debate, it is clear that no matter how the Supreme Court rules, the conflict over abortion rights will not end. It will go into a new phase. Shawn Carney, who co-founded the pro-life group "40 Days for Life" and whose life was featured in the movie "Unplanned", believes the High Court is set to topple the 1973 decision that made abortion legal. Carney's organization was founded on prayer, and he believes prayer is what will get the country through the next p...
Jun 19, 2022•39 min
Wherever you stand on the controversy over denying Catholic politicians Holy Communion because of their stance on abortion, one conservative priest has a totally non-political take on this ever-growing dispute. Fr. Gerald Murray, who by all accounts is no close compadre of the Speaker of the House, says Nancy Pelosi is blessed. Why blessed? Because, he says, she has an Archbishop who cares enough about her eternal soul to decree that she should no longer receive the Holy Eucharist in her home Ar...
Jun 12, 2022•40 min
Michael W. Smith's greatest cheerleader in life was his father, Paul Smith. He supported him in his passion for music, even though his own talents were in sports. What a unique relationship that is. A father who not only lets his son find his passion in life, even if its different from his own.. but encourages him to pursue it wholeheartedly. But that was Paul Smith, who passed away in 2015, leaving the Grammy Award winning Christian artist with a huge hole in his heart. However, Paul Smith gave...
Jun 05, 2022•33 min
There is no question that the mass shooting of 19 children and two teachers in a Uvalde, TX elementary school was anything other than pure evil. And so, the question becomes, "Why wouldn't God prevent such evil?" And "Is He not all powerful? Or is He not all good?" Theologian and pastor Dr. Jeremiah Johnston is expert in mental health and spiritual evil, and he says what most Christians, and people of faith, haven't understood is that God, in the Bible does make a distinction between having the ...
May 29, 2022•50 min
"Mediating institutions, such as the family, churches, and Fraternal organizations, feed the life of the civic community. They stand between the individual and the state. And when they recede, the state fills the vacuum." - Archbishop Charles Chaput That's a quote from an article in "First Things" magazine written by the retired Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput. If you're not familiar with him, just know that he is student of political and American history, as well as a keen observer o...
May 22, 2022•40 min
As the abortion battle grows to a fever pitch pending the expected Supreme Court ruling, a new pro-life documentary takes a broad look at abortion; its history, morality, philosophy, and its politics... And targets the church as part of the problem and the solution. "The Matter of Life" ads have been banned from Facebook for content. Filmmaker Tracy Robinson faults the far-left ideology of tech companies. But that hasn't swayed Robinson, who less than a decade ago was a pro-choice Evangelical. A...
May 15, 2022•35 min
Summer blockbuster movie season is upon us, and for the next few months audiences will be mesmerized and dazzled by superheroes with superhuman powers, technological gadgetry, or otherworldly strength and moral fortitude. There's also one other thing these characters have in common: they are willing to sacrifice themselves to save their friends, family, or the world. These multi-gazillion dollar movies have been telling this story repeatedly, mimicking the narrative of the greatest story ever to...
May 08, 2022•34 min
Mitch Albom's best-selling book Tuesdays With Morrie was an up close and personal look at the death of a dear friend and the learning wisdom from an older person's wisdom of life. Albom's other books also take a deep dive into the spiritual reality of life's journey, like The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Stranger in the Lifeboat. But his recent book is much more personal, because it deals with the death of a child; his child... And the journey of trying to save her life. Finding Chika: A L...
May 01, 2022•32 min
Millions of Orthodox Christians are celebrating Easter this weekend. They'll hear the traditional chants and hymns, centuries old, always solemn, and reverent. But some would they are also distant and unconnected to the daily reality of the culture we live in. No one knows that better than Rev. Dr. Nicholas Louh, a Greek Orthodox priest who's lighting a fire, you could say, to the Orthodox world with his motivational speaking around the country. In style, substance and easy to understand theolog...
Apr 24, 2022•38 min
The new movie Father Stu tells the real-life story of Catholic priest Father Stuart Long. Mark Wahlberg stars as the main character, and Mel Gibson plays the role of Fr. Stu's dad. It's hard to encapsulate an entire life into a two-hour movie, but according to Fr. Bart Tolleson, a personal friend of Fr. Stu, the movie does an admirable job, although not perfect. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Fr. Bart, who consulted on the film, talks about the real Fr. Stu. His early life struggle...
Apr 17, 2022•34 min
Cole Lyle, a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan, once put a revolver to his head intending to kill himself. The depression and anxiety of post-traumatic stress had taken its emotional toll. He saw no other way out. But for some reason instead he put down the gun and took up a Bible, locked himself in a room telling himself he wouldn't come out until God's Word helped him figure out what his life was for. Mission Roll Call is the result of that crisis of faith. On this "On the Road" edition...
Apr 10, 2022•31 min
Keith Stubbs tried the normal route in comedy to make his jokes a little bit saucy and sexy. In other words, not meant for the entire family. But now he's a defender of the faith... faith in clean comedy. Dry Bar Comedy is an organization started by Neal and Jeffrey Harmon in 2017, devoted to keeping comedy clean. Stubbs and hundreds of other comedians are on a mission to show that you can still be funny without cussing, cursing, or relying on gratuitous sexualized jokes. Some of the comedians e...
Apr 03, 2022•26 min
To say appearances are deceiving just doesn't describe the total persona of John Cooper, lead singer of the Rock group Skillet, a band that has performed with the likes of Aerosmith and Metallica. Cooper, a Grammy nominated, multi-platinum musician, looks more like a hardcore biker-- tattoos, black leather et al-- than a Bible thumping theologian. But there you have it. His book, "Awake and Alive to Truth" is a conviction of modern society that preaches truth is something you make up for yoursel...
Mar 27, 2022•32 min
Being a good citizen is everyone's civic responsibility. But if you are a Christian, you are first a child of the Living God, made in His image. How can those two things work together? Because the Holy Bible and our Constitution are closely related, says Rick Green, founder of the Patriot Academy, who's also known as the American Constitution Coach. He says, the founding fathers did more than just "breathe the atmosphere" of spirituality, "They were studying the Bible every year. There was a dee...
Mar 20, 2022•33 min
Is a Holy War over religion and politics the real impetus for Russia invading Ukraine? Former Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback believes it was probably a huge factor, largely downplayed or ignored by Western officials. Three years ago the Patriarch of Orthodox Churches in Istanbul granted the Ukraine Orthodox Church independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. Putin, who sees himself as the defender of the faith, was livid, and so was the Russian Church hierarchy wh...
Mar 13, 2022•35 min
As members of the National Religious Broadcasters meet this week in Nashville for their annual convention, they are doing so under a cloud of challenges the Church has not seen in centuries. The modern era has brought a full throttle assault on the Church from persecution of Christians in countries where it is most dangerous to be a believer in Jesus Christ, like North Korea, Afghanistan and China, to name a few. But then there are the attacks in the West with legal cases brought against believe...
Mar 06, 2022•26 min
Just like the famous Route 66 connects Chicago to Los Angeles in the United States, Route 60 in Israel connects the Bible's most famous events and people. From Abraham to Moses, Jacob to King David, and David to Jesus Christ... this Biblical Heritage Highway is the original Bible Belt and is in the works to become a new pilgrimage for the biblically minded tourist. Yishai Fleisher is the impetus behind the move to make Route 60 more than a two-lane highway, but an historic site commemorating sha...
Feb 27, 2022•37 min
For Christians, the entirety of the Bible hinges on a short verse in the Gospel of John in the New Testament; John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." It pretty much sums up the narrative of God's plan for redeeming the entire human race and the whole of creation, rescuing them from the Fall from Grace, and the evil now rampant in our world because of it. Pastor Max Lucado's 2007 best-sellin...
Feb 24, 2022•36 min
This week, closing arguments are scheduled in Finland at the trial of a Paivi Rasanen, a member of parliament, that may be a test case for whether quoting the Bible could be considered hate speech deserving of a crime. It all started in 2019 when Rasanen tweeted to her Lutheran minister questioning the church's support of the Gay Pride parade, quoting verses from the Bible as her reasoning. The exchange ignited a national debate where all of Rasanen's writings, including a 2004 pamphlet, became ...
Feb 13, 2022•33 min
She has the voice of an angel - an Irish angel that is. Actress Roma Downey grew to fame on the TV series "Touched by an Angel," telling millions of viewers each week that "There is a God, that He loves you, and wants to be a part of your life." It's a message that's now embedded in her work with husband/producer Mark Burnett. Their mini-series on The Bible a few years ago became a surprise hit; a surprise to the secular world of Hollywood elites that is, not to Roma and Mark. Their latest offer...
Feb 06, 2022•30 min
It's a lawsuit that was bound to happen as Critical Race Theory and other social agenda curriculum make their way through schools across the country. The state of Virginia, in particular has seen its share of controversy as parents there have been riled up for months about what schools are teaching their children; an unforeseen byproduct of the pandemic as thousands of students stayed home taking their classes via zoom. Just a few weeks ago, a group of parents of different religious backgrounds ...
Jan 30, 2022•30 min
