Episodes
Published 03/17/24
Twenty years ago, Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui made a promise to God that he would not do any work that offended his Catholic faith, his family or his culture. The vow meant he didn't work for four years as he had to constantly turn down offers. Then he started a production company with two friends and together produced "Sound of Freedom," about child trafficking and sexual exploitation that starred Jim Caviezel as the agent who hunts down traffickers. And now Verastegui's new film,...
Published 03/17/24
Former GOP consultant Bunni Pounds may have lost an election for U.S. Congress, but she gained valuable experience. And she's using that experience to mobilize Christians to come out and vote. In 2020, some 25 million sat on the sidelines and didn't cast their ballots. Now Pounds, from the great state of Texas, is pulling out all the political stops to make a serious dent in that number. She's created an organization that shows churches how to get their congregations involved in praying,...
Published 03/10/24
Who knew prayer could be so offensive to so many? But that's exactly the reaction Pastor Jack Hibbs received from several members of Congress after he gave a prayer on January 30th to open their session. Hibbs is the pastor of mega church Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, California. House Speaker Mike Johnson invited him to deliver the invocation. In his prayer, Hibbs called for "humility and repentance of national sins in a time of great need." In a letter that was sent to the Speaker of the...
Published 03/03/24
There's a hunger in this world for God. You may not know it; you may not feel it. But the insatiable need for a transcendent love that surpasses all understanding, is at the root of all our angst and anguish. Just think about this year's Grammy Song of the Year, "What Was I Made For?" It may be the Billie Eilish tune for the movie Barbie, but it may as well be the soundtrack of this generation's burning question: What's the purpose of my life? Why am I here? With mounting levels of despair,...
Published 02/25/24
The data doesn't lie. Getting married and staying married benefits women, children... and men. Social scientist, Professor Brad Wilcox, gives convincing proof that marriage, despite being much maligned today, is actually a better way to live, well, happily ever after. But there are some caveats. First, the myth of the soul mate. No human is perfect and so no potential spouse, no matter how much he or she makes your heart flutter, is capable of fulfilling your every desire. Sooner or later the...
Published 02/18/24
In the more than 25 years since Promise Keepers began, the culture has shifted tremendously. And it's not been a positive move for men. Masculinity is called "toxic", and "straight white male" has become a euphemism for "devil incarnate". But Promise Keepers president Ken Harris and Dr. A.R. Bernard, the Senior pastor of New York mega church, Christian Cultural Center, are undaunted, and fearless in beckoning men to biblical manhood, and understand and live out what God has called them to be....
Published 02/11/24
While technology moves ahead with seemingly lightning speed, it's sad to say that in the realm of religious freedom, we as a culture are moving backwards. This week, the Religious Freedom Summit wrapped up in Washington, DC. One of lead participant was Eric Patterson, president of the Religious Freedom Institute in the nation's capital. He spoke to Lighthouse Faith podcast just before the summit began, but already knew what the pressing issues would be. The basic human right to worship how...
Published 02/04/24
The destruction of the biblical sister towns of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the most well-known and controversial stories in the Bible's Old Testament. God's reasons for obliterating this thriving metropolis have had incredible consequences for us today and hence the subject of intense debate. But for centuries, many secular, and some Christian scientists, believed Sodom was just a mythical town meant to support an allegorical telling of God's wrath against sin. But in 2001 archeologists...
Published 01/28/24
Nearly every poll shows Donald Trump the likely GOP 2024 Presidential nominee, which is why the vitriol against one of his largest group of supporters has risen to near derangement levels. One MSNBC anchor accused White Christian Iowans of wanting to have people of color bow down to them, while another said White Evangelical Christians are worshipping Trump as the Second Coming.  But California Pastor Shane Idleman is pushing back, saying this battle is not about Trump, but about spiritual...
Published 01/21/24
The 9th Commandment against bearing false witness seems straight forward as a directive against lying. But what happens if you tell a lie unknowingly because you're trusting nature is being abused and used for evil? That is the message of Mitch Albom's novel, "The Little Liar." Set during the Holocaust, the story revolves around a lie that a Jewish boy in Greece tells the people in his community a lie he doesn't know is untrue. "The trustworthy boy is discovered by a German officer, who...
Published 01/14/24
Hollywood rarely makes a positive film about priests. You have to go back a few decades to 1945 to find Bing Crosby in his role as the respected Father O'Malley in "The Bells of St. Mary's." That was way before the decline in reverence for not only faith, but also for the men and women of the cloth. But Fr. Stephen Fichter, a New Jersey priest, wanted to be a part of changing people's attitudes about the priesthood. The feature length film, "Trinity's Triumph," is his offering. It was a...
Published 01/07/24
As we say goodbye to 2023 and reflect on this past year, Cal Thomas has some observations about the last fifty years! He says, "One thing that always amazes me is how things never really change. You can change hairstyles, clothes, styles, modes of transportation. You can even change politicians. But nothing really seems to change. A lot of that has to do with human nature." On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Thomas, best-selling author, syndicated columnist and political...
Published 12/31/23
If the Bible had never been written, America probably wouldn't exist. Our founding documents and beliefs about law, justice and grace come directly from the pages of Scripture. It also means that it is so much more vital for Christians to not only celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, but to live out its core tenets by engaging a culture that continues to grow more secular. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Dr. Robert Pacienza, Senior Pastor Of Coral Ridge...
Published 12/24/23
King Josiah of Judah was one of the leaders of the Hebrews who, as the Bible said, "did right in the eyes of God." Despite his father and grandfather being wicked men, Josiah emerges as one of the heroes of God's chosen people, becoming a light in a darkened world. Best-selling author Jonathan Cahn says there is more to Josiah than just his ancient standing as a Jewish monarch. Cahn taps into clues from Josiah's reign to show that recent events like the October 7th attack on Israel, the...
Published 12/17/23
This time of year is filled with expected joy, dazzling lights and festivities. But if you're suffering from a recent loss, these few weeks can be acutely painful. You feel the absence of someone or something that at one time contributed greatly to your happiness and wellbeing. Dr. Lee Warren understands the pain of searing loss; his son was stabbed to death by a close friend. The details of the murder are not clear, so Warren, a brain surgeon, inventor, and Iraq War veteran, had to deal with...
Published 12/10/23
As the Christian Advent season begins, there's always talk about faith and what people actually believe. The Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, is also a part of the season. But for Christians, Christmas is the high and Holy time of welcoming the birth of Jesus, Savior of the world. And it's also the time atheists offer more vitriol against belief in God. So, here's a preemptive strike that will help people of faith enjoy the Christmas season. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast,...
Published 12/03/23
With war raging in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, historian Rick Richman wants people to know the back story of how Israel came to be and why IDF soldiers know they're fighting for the very survival of the Jewish state. In his book, "And None Shall Make Them Afraid," Richman, a resident scholar at American Jewish University in Los Angeles, highlights the lives of eight individuals with different backgrounds and talents, that helped bring about the creation of Israel. From Viennese...
Published 11/26/23
Professor Al Fadi was born in Saudi Arabia and felt privileged to be born in the center of Islam. He believed the only sure way to get into heaven was through giving the ultimate gift to Allah–sacrificing his life in the “holy war” against nonbelievers, that Jews and Christians were infidels, and that Islam was the final revelation from God. But while a student in America he became a devout Christian and biblical scholar who now teaches at Arizona Christian University. Since the October 7th...
Published 11/19/23
There's a plague running rampant in Western society. But there's no vaccine, no shot you can take. But it's the infection causing so many other problems including crime, homelessnes, drug addiction, even suicide. The plague's name: fatherlessness. More poignantly, it's fatherhood abandonment. Men walking out on their children and the mothers who bore them, either through divorce or dysfunction. And what's the root cause? John Smithbaker says it's men's inability to forgive. Is it that simple,...
Published 11/12/23
More than 200 times a second the question 'Is God Real?' is Googled. So best-selling author Lee Strobel decided to do the research and answer the question. He wasn't answering for himself since Strobel, a former atheist, is known for his best-selling book, "Case For Christ," as well as other books exploring the big questions surrounding Christianity about Heaven, Christmas and Easter. But for millions of people in this tech-saturated world, God, if there is One, seems distant at best. On this...
Published 11/05/23
We are at a crucial time in America. And the waning of a biblical worldview among younger generations has had catastrophic consequences. The pro-Palestinian support on college campuses, in communities and in the halls of Congress is part of it. Back in 1858 at the close of the Illinois Republican State Convention, then senate candidate Abraham Lincoln quoted the words of Jesus when he warned that "A house divided against itself cannot stand," that America could not be made of half free and...
Published 10/29/23
It is one of the most controversial books in the Holy Bible; some say its theological underpinnings are responsible for launching the Protestant Reformation, blaming the Jews for the problems in the world, and challenging the cultural conflicts of today's post-modern society. But right in the middle of the Apostle Paul's letter to the churches in Rome is the summation of Christianity, its power, its hope in a Spirit filled life, and the edict that nothing can separate us from God's love! On...
Published 10/21/23
It's the part of Christianity that is not often talked about but is central to its doctrine embedded in the Gospel. Theologians call it eschatology, that which is "concerned with death, judgment and the destiny of our souls." But Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Billy Graham, and her daughter Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright, simply call it, "Preparing to Meet Jesus." The Bible is very clear that no one really knows when the end of the world is, although Anne is certain that with all the wars...
Published 10/15/23
Last March 27th, a tragedy of unimaginable proportions unfolded in Nashville, Tennessee, as a transgender gunman opened fire at The Covenant Christian School, killing three adults and three children. While news outlets brought the calamity to the world, counselors at Daystar Counseling Ministries, some three miles away, mobilized immediately, grabbing therapy pets and other tools to the reunification centers. Sissy Goff, Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling, was one of them. She spent...
Published 10/08/23