Author Archives: Kami Klein

‘Do I need to be here?’: Some New Yorkers decide to pack up and leave

By Maria Caspani and Angela Moore

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Rebekah Rosler and her husband did not intend to leave Manhattan for good in March when they packed up their three children and headed 50 miles north to wait out the coronavirus pandemic in her parents’ vacant home in upstate New York.

“My kids were all dressed in their pajamas, we loaded up the car with paper towels and toilet paper and food,” said Rosler, 40, who works in mental health. “That was what I thought was going to be a commitment for a week.”

A week became months as New York City emerged as the global epicenter of the outbreak. The Roslers postponed their return again and again until in May, they broke the lease on their apartment after they decided to stay upstate.

Rosler said she loved her Manhattan neighborhood but it was nearly overwhelming to care for her small children in a two-bedroom apartment where her husband was also working remotely at his full-time job for a nonprofit.

The Roslers are not the only New Yorkers re-evaluating whether to stay in the country’s largest metropolis. High costs, small living spaces, density and reliance on public transport make it extra hard to deal with social distancing and staying at home.

This has pushed some New Yorkers to consider alternatives, said Bess Freedman, chief executive of Brown Harris Stevens, a real estate firm specializing in luxury Manhattan properties.

“There’s some that are going to leave because they don’t want to be in vertical living, they don’t want to be in an elevator with other people, they don’t want to raise kids here,” she said. “That’s part of what happens during a time like this.”

There is no hard data on how many New Yorkers fled the city during the pandemic or whether those who relocated will eventually move back. New York has proved resilient in the past, defying predictions of a permanent exodus after the World Trade Center attacks in 2001 and after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Still, New York City’s population was declining even before the pandemic. The city of some 8 million lost more than 53,000 residents during the 12-month period ending on July 1, 2019 – the third straight annual decline, according to an Empire Center for Public Policy analysis of U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

But many New Yorkers cannot afford to pull up stakes and move out even if they wanted to do so.

When the lockdown began in March, Judy Dodd, an actor and director who lives in Manhattan, said a sense of solidarity almost compelled her to stay in her beleaguered city. She changed her mind after sporadic looting in her neighborhood during recent civil unrest, but concluded she could not afford to move away, even temporarily.

“I just don’t have the cash, my work has been decimated,” she said.

As many as 300,000 workers were expected to return to their jobs on Monday as the city entered Phase 2 of reopening, Mayor Bill de Blasio said last week. But with many businesses allowing employees to continue working at home in the coming months, some questioned the need to go back to the office.

“It has a lot of people asking the question, ‘If I can work from home, do I need to be here?,” said stay-at-home mom Stephanie Ellis, 33.

She said the pandemic not only forced her to think about her family’s health and safety, but also to ask whether it was still worth living in a city whose energy and glitz has faded, at least for now.

“To pay such an extremely large amount of money to live there and not really have it be the city that we want it?” said Ellis, who moved from Manhattan to Marlboro, New Jersey in March with her husband and toddler.

“We sort of slowly realized and accepted we are not going back.”

(Reporting by Maria Caspani and Angela Moore in New York, Editing by Frank McGurty and David Gregorio)

Jean Kennedy Smith, last surviving sibling of JFK, is dead at 92

By Peter Cooney

(Reuters) – Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving sibling of slain President John F. Kennedy, who as U.S. ambassador to Ireland in the 1990s played a pivotal role in the Northern Irish peace process, died on Wednesday at age 92.

Kennedy Smith died at her home in Manhattan, her daughter Kym told Reuters, declining to give a cause of death “to keep it private.”

The eighth of nine children born to Joseph and Rose Kennedy, Kennedy Smith was labeled “the shy Kennedy,” long finding herself in the shadow of her famous father and brothers, including U.S. Senators Robert and Edward Kennedy.

Her husband, Stephen Smith, was himself a trusted adviser who helped run the Kennedy family’s business interests, played a senior role in John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign and managed the presidential runs of Robert and Edward.

Kennedy Smith also played family matchmaker, introducing Robert in 1945 to her Manhattanville College classmate Ethel Skakel, whom he later married.

She got her introduction to politics helping with John’s 1946 campaign for Congress. In 1960, by then a wife and mother, Kennedy Smith traveled the country campaigning for him ahead of his narrow victory over Republican Vice President Richard Nixon to become America’s first Catholic president.

John F. Kennedy’s presidency ended tragically with his assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas. Five years later, Kennedy Smith and her husband were at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when Bobby, two years her senior, was gunned down after winning the California Democratic presidential primary.

Like the rest of her family, Kennedy Smith had already been no stranger to tragedy. Born on Feb. 20, 1928, in Brookline, Massachusetts, she was just 16 when her oldest brother, Joseph Kennedy Jr., was killed in World War Two. Four years later, her older sister Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy died in a plane crash.

She married Smith in 1956 and they settled in New York, where they raised four children. Her husband died of lung cancer in 1990 at age 63. A year later, she was in attendance in Florida at the rape trial of her son William Kennedy Smith, who was acquitted in a heavily publicized case that cast a darker light on the family once considered American royalty.

Kennedy Smith also helped care for brother Ted before he died of brain cancer in August 2008, just two weeks after the death of their older sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

“It’s the philosophy of our family that you keep moving,” Kennedy Smith told USA Today in a 2010 interview, reflecting on her family losses. “You have to do things and look at the bright side of life — and remember them with love.”

STEPPING OUT OF THE SHADOWS

Kennedy Smith made her own leap into the spotlight in 1993 when she became U.S. ambassador to Ireland, 30 years after accompanying brother Jack on his triumphant visit to their family’s ancestral homeland. Nominated by President Bill Clinton at the suggestion of her brother Edward, she was determined to use the Dublin post, traditionally a sinecure for retired Irish-American politicians or business leaders, to advance the cause of peace in Northern Ireland.

Washington had long deferred to close ally London on efforts to end decades of sectarian violence in the North. But acting on signals that the Irish Republican Army was open to discussions about abandoning its armed struggle to end British rule in Northern Ireland, Kennedy Smith helped spearhead an Irish government-backed effort to secure a U.S. visa for Gerry Adams, the head of Sinn Fein, the IRA’s political wing.

Despite fierce opposition from the UK government, Northern unionists loyal to Britain, and even many U.S. officials, Kennedy Smith enlisted the support of brother Edward in persuading Clinton to approve the visa in early 1994. A year later, the IRA declared a ceasefire, leading to negotiations that culminated in the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement that largely ended three decades of violence that killed more than 3,600 people.

While Kennedy’s five-year tenure in Dublin attracted its share of criticism, she won recognition from all corners as a catalyst for change. Irish journalist Tim Pat Coogan, who has written extensively about the IRA, said Kennedy Smith helped “change Irish history for the better.”

“Her courageous and determined diplomacy helped to bring peace to our island, built bridges, opened doors to all communities, and to all those striving for peace when peace was not a certainty,” Leo Varadkar, the prime minister of Ireland, said in a statement on Thursday.

She was awarded honorary Irish citizenship in 1998 for her efforts and told the Washington Post: “I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.”

For her diplomatic and philanthropic work, including founding Very Special Arts, an organization for the developmentally disabled, Kennedy Smith in 2011 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honor, by President Barack Obama. In 2016, she published her memoir, “The Nine of Us,” about growing up in one of America’s most famous families.

“We all pitched in for each other. That’s the way we were growing up, and that’s the way we went into history,” Kennedy Smith told Parade magazine. “We were always together. Our best friends were our brothers and sisters.”

(Reporting by Peter Cooney and Gabriella Borter; additional reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Steve Orlofsky and David Gregorio)

In landmark ruling, U.S. Supreme Court bars discrimination against LGBT workers

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delivered a watershed victory for LGBT rights and a defeat for President Donald Trump’s administration by ruling that a longstanding federal law barring workplace discrimination protects gay and transgender employees.

The landmark 6-3 ruling represented the biggest moment for LGBT rights in the United States since the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015. Two conservative justices joined the court’s four liberals in the decision: Neil Gorsuch, a 2017 Trump appointee who wrote the ruling, and Chief Justice John Roberts.

The justices decided that gay and transgender people are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex as well as race, color, national origin and religion.

Workplace bias against gay and transgender employees had remained legal in much of the country, with 28 U.S. states lacking comprehensive measures against employment discrimination. The ruling – in two gay rights cases from Georgia and New York and a transgender rights case from Michigan – recognizes new worker protections in federal law.

“The Supreme Court’s historic decision affirms what shouldn’t have even been a debate: LGBTQ Americans should be able to work without fear of losing jobs because of who they are,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of the gay rights group GLAAD.

The legal fight focused on the definition of “sex” in Title VII. The plaintiffs, along with civil rights groups and many large companies, had argued that discriminating against gay and transgender workers was inherently based on their sex and consequently was illegal.

Trump’s administration had backed the employers who were sued for discrimination. The administration and the employers argued that Congress did not intend for Title VII to protect gay and transgender people when it passed the law. Gorsuch conceded that point in his opinion but said what mattered was the text of the law.

“An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex,” Gorsuch wrote. “Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids.”

Strongly supported by evangelical Christian voters, Trump has taken actions that have undermined gay and transgender rights since taking office in 2017.

Conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the ruling. Writing in dissent, Alito said the court had basically re-written the law.

“There is only one word for what the court has done today: legislation,” Alito wrote.

‘TREATED FAIRLY’

The court ruled in two consolidated cases about gay people who have said they were fired due to their sexual orientation. One involved a former county child welfare services coordinator from Georgia named Gerald Bostock. The other involved a New York skydiving instructor named Donald Zarda who died after the litigation began, with the matter then pursued by his estate.

The court also ruled in a case that involved a transgender funeral director named Aimee Stephens fired by a Detroit funeral home after revealing plans to transition from male to female. Stephens died in May. Stephens’ wife Donna is now representing the estate.

“I am grateful for this victory to honor the legacy of Aimee, and to ensure people are treated fairly regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Donna Stephens said in a statement.

Gorsuch wrote that “there is no way an employer can discriminate against those who check the homosexual or transgender box without discriminating in part because of an applicant’s sex.”

“By discriminating against homosexuals, the employer intentionally penalizes men for being attracted to men and women for being attracted to women. By discriminating against transgender persons, the employer unavoidably discriminates against persons with one sex identified at birth and another today,” Gorsuch wrote.

The Human Rights Campaign gay rights group called the decision “a landmark victory for LGBTQ equality.”

Alphonso David, the group’s president, said, “No one should be denied a job or fired simply because of who they are or whom they love.”

The White House had no immediate comment.

Trump’s Justice Department reversed the government’s position taken under Democratic former President Barack Obama that Title VII covered sexual orientation and gender identity.

Trump’s administration last week issued a rule that would lift anti-discrimination protections for transgender people in healthcare.

His administration also has backed the right of certain businesses to refuse to serve gay people on the basis of religious objections to gay marriage, banned most transgender service members from the military and rescinded protections on bathroom access for transgender students in public schools.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley in Washington; Additional reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)

Summer outside? Calls to preserve U.S. public lands after lockdown

By Gregory Scruggs

SEATTLE (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Before March, avid mountain biker Levi Rose never used to see a full parking lot at Beacon Hill, a popular trail destination in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington.

But with state parks and gyms closed after Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued a stay-at-home order to stem the novel coronavirus, cooped-up residents began looking for exercise options closer to home.

Rose suddenly found himself sharing the trailhead with many new faces precisely at a time when the public was being asked to maintain physical distance.

“Parking lots were filling up, so I changed my behavior to seek out non-peak hours,” Rose, a geographic information specialist, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. “At dinnertime, places I liked to bike (through) were less crowded.”

Outdoor recreation features heavily in the first phases of reopening plans for most U.S. states, even as public officials continue to discourage large gatherings and many national parks remain closed.

With summer approaching and diversions like music festivals, cinemas and theme parks still largely off-limits, conservation groups are lobbying Congress for dedicated public lands funding, ahead of the coming surge of crowds to parks around the country.

“Everyone is coping with the crisis by going outside,” said Tom Cors, director of government relations for lands at The Nature Conservancy, an environmental charity.

The Nature Conservancy joined more than 850 organizations, ranging from outdoor clubs to tourism boards, in a letter last month urging Congress to pass the Great American Outdoors Act.

The bill was first introduced in March, just as the new coronavirus pandemic began occupying lawmakers’ attention.

Congress would spend up to $9.5 billion over five years on the National Park System, which comprises about 4% of total land in the United States, and dedicate $900 million annually to the recently reauthorized Land and Water Conservation Fund.

“We know that Americans are getting back to the basics with their families and going out more into their public lands, which provide excellent social-distancing platforms for people’s activities,” Cors said in a phone interview.

“The Great American Outdoors Act supports all of these goals through maintenance and increased access by providing more land for conservation and recreation.”

‘MORE PRESSURE ON PARKS’

Rose, the mountain biker in Spokane, volunteers with a mountain bike club to build new trails in a county that is 92.5% private land, according to data tabulated by Montana-based research firm Headwaters Economics.

“When you don’t have that much public space and you restrict it even more, what we end up seeing is more pressure on city and county parks,” he said.

Passing the Great American Outdoors Act could help ease that pressure, say the bill’s supporters.

The National Park Service estimated an $11.9 billion deferred maintenance backlog at the end of the 2018 fiscal year.

Chipping away at that list of potholed roads, crumbling bridges and aging visitor centers would help make less popular parks more attractive at a time when the public has been urged to spread out, say park advocates.

“We’re trying to disperse visitation across the country to more close-to-home places,” said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, the parks’ official charity.

“And even within parks, we’re trying to disperse visitation so we’re not creating large crowds in small places.”

Just 10 national parks – including the Grand Canyon in Arizona and the Great Smoky Mountains, straddling North Carolina and Tennessee – account for 15% of annual visitors, according to park service figures.

“The enactment of (the Act) would be historic and would allow the Department of the Interior to better care for the lands it manages,” National Park Service spokeswoman Kathy Kupper said in emailed comments.

SHORT-TERM SOLUTION

The other beneficiary of the bill’s passing would be the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which was permanently reauthorized in February 2019.

Using about $900 million a year from offshore oil revenues, the program allows for the purchase of private land for parks and recreation.

Rose’s mountain bike club has requested $500,000 from the fund to secure 160 acres (65 hectares) of private land whose future development would threaten the Beacon Hill trails.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important close-to-home public green spaces like Beacon Hill are, and without LWCF it would be very difficult to purchase these important green spaces,” he said.

Last month Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate would vote on the Great American Outdoors Act in June.

“Our mountain towns were hit hard by COVID-19. The ski season ended early, restaurants closed and hotels emptied,” said act co-sponsor Republican Colorado Senator Cory Gardner in a statement.

“Now is the time to pass this bill that will provide billions of dollars in funding for new jobs across Colorado and the country while protecting our public lands.”

Jill Simmons, head of the Washington Trails Association, a nonprofit, said that local outdoor groups support permanent funding for the LWCF, but cautions that the National Park System needs more than five years of funding to solve the long-term maintenance needs of U.S. public lands.

“The Great American Outdoors Act is a good first step. Just like our road system, our trail system is infrastructure that needs ongoing support,” she said.

“When you’re talking about an infrastructure system that can meet demand for generations, (the Act) is a boost and a start, but not the end-all, be-all.”

(Reporting by Gregory Scruggs, Editing by Jumana Farouky and Zoe Tabary. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org)

Stay at Home with the Jim Bakker Show! Great week coming up!

By Kami Klein

The Jim Bakker Show has some great guests airing next week!  We hope you will tune in to our program to learn and grow from our amazing guests!  Follow this link to all of our T.V. listings! You can watch The Jim Bakker Show on PTL Television Network from your Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, or ptlnetwork.com.  Don’t forget, if you download the PTL network phone app you can watch us anywhere!  

Monday, May 18th – Former director of marketing for Tommy Hilfiger, Dr. Gordon Pennington, will be our guest on The Jim Bakker Show discussing his thoughts and views on how he feels our constitution is in crisis.  Dr. Pennington is an international consultant to corporations, governments, and institutions. His clients have included J.P. Morgan, Chase, CBS, British Airways, Mercedes Benz and others. He currently serves with Burning Media Group in New York. 

Tuesday, May 19th – please join Lori Bakker, Mondo De La Vega, and Maricela Bakker Woodall as they discuss “The Red Horse” of Revelations.  This is a special show with added teaching from Pastor’s Revelation Revealed teachings.  You can find the entire series on the PTL Television Network.  

Wednesday, May 20th and Thursday, May 21st – Our guest and at one-time co-host of The Jim Bakker Show, Zach Drew will be on The Jim Bakker Show.  On Wednesday, Zach will dive into our first amendment freedoms.  Thursday, Zach will lead a discussion on The Black Horse and hidden agendas.   

And don’t forget to make your voice known and sign the petition to keep our show on the air!  We do need your help!  In less than a minute you can make a statement regarding the attack on so many ministries including our own!  Sign it now and encourage your friends to sign too.  What is happening now will continue to spread.  NOW is the time to take a stand!  

Save the Jim Bakker show PETITION.  

An Important Message From Lori Bakker

Message from Lori Bakker:

As a family and staff, we continue to fight the good fight of faith and take a stand against the evil forces and hatred that has come against our ministry.

In Jim’s words, this has been the most vicious attack that he has ever experienced.

For many years now, Jim has been working non-stop, working hard to bring incredible prophets and guests to our show, discovering and developing new products to share, building at Morningside, and bringing forth the message for the days that we are living in. All of these projects, and the vigorous warfare that we have experienced in the last several weeks, have taken a huge toll on Jim’s health.

I wanted to share with you, our loving and caring partners, that Jim recently experienced a stroke. We are thankful that Jim is okay, and that he is now at home with our family. Under the guidance of medical professionals and our Board of Directors, Jim will be taking a sabbatical from the show. Jim will be back! He is still dreaming and hearing from the Lord, and he already has a powerful word to deliver when he returns to the air.

In the meantime, the show will continue. Jim is a Watchman on the Wall, and we as a family are committed to carrying his mantle by bringing more prophets, news, updates, and more in the coming weeks on The Jim Bakker Show.

We ask that you continue to pray for Jim, and pray for our ministry, during these challenging times. As Jim always says, God loves you, He really does! And so do we!

Love,
Lori

Why I believe Jim Bakker is being unfairly attacked online (by Stephen Strang)

Steve Strang

“Our good friend Stephen Strang of Charisma News wrote this excellent article. We are reposting it here with his permission.”

“The Strang report” is also an incredible podcast.  Click here to listen to Steve discuss this article. You can read the original article with this link.

Why I believe Jim Bakker is being unfairly attacked online
By Steve Strang

Jim Bakker is no stranger to controversy. He went to prison in the late 1980s and received a 45-year sentence. He could have spent the rest of his life there if it weren’t for what I consider a miracle. Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, whom I highly respect, did something unexpected. He defended Jim pro bono (free) because he believed Jim’s sentence by a biased judge was an injustice, and the courts agreed. Jim was released for time served in 1994 after spending almost five years in prison. After losing everything, including his wife and ministry, he has started over and built a successful ministry in Missouri.

Now, Bakker is in the news again. As I’ll explain in more detail, he offered a “Silver Solution” supplement on his The Jim Bakker Show. The silver solution is known to help fight some viruses. Dr. Sherrill Sellman, a board-certified integrative naturopathic doctor, appeared on his show Feb. 12 and clearly said it had not been tested for COVID-19, but it might help your immune system fight viruses. The show was taped Feb. 5, less than a week after President Donald Trump issued the travel ban from China and long before we really knew much about this strange new coronavirus.

In hindsight, Jim was unwise to even mention COVID-19 with any product. But his enemies twisted his message to say he was “selling a cure.” He wasn’t. But the spin in the fake news media’s coverage that followed is that Bakker went to jail for bilking people, and now he’s at it again. In my opinion, that’s a lie, and I want to do my part to set the record straight. In fact, you can watch the clip for yourself here (the conversation about the Silver Solution Starter Kit starts at the 42-minute mark).

I was trained as a secular journalist at the University of Florida and I began my career at the Orlando Sentinel. But I’ve spent most of my career covering the charismatic Christian community. I remember covering Jim when he was just coming into prominence in the late 1970s. I watched him build Heritage USA, and I visited there several times—once in 1983 to do an in-depth interview for Charisma magazine on Jim and his huge vision. He was controversial back then—mostly due to his flamboyant style and partly over how fast he was growing. As a result, some people considered him somewhat arrogant. I remember observing back then that there was a “childlike” purity in his love for the Lord and for people. But there was also a certain “childishness” (self-centeredness, naivety) that seemed to make some people not like him.

I was also at Heritage USA with my family not long before the Charlotte Observer broke a big “expose” that Bakker had a fling with a secretary. In Christian circles, that’s scandalous. The backlash was enormous and Bakker resigned.

Then a tragic set of circumstances created a downward spiral. Bakker’s PTL ministry began to unravel and he ended up going to jail. History will show there were people out to get him. There were all the elements of a scandal that the press loved—lots of money in the ministry, an extramarital fling, a flamboyant religious experience and loyal followers (who some of the “elites” of the day looked down on as deplorables long before Hillary Clinton made the word popular).

So what did Bakker do that landed him in prison? As an incentive to donate, he told his partners they could stay free in the magnificent hotel his ministry built at Heritage USA. Some prosecutors said that if the partners all came at one time, PTL couldn’t fulfill its promise, and somehow that was fraud! Well, airlines routinely overbook, and furthermore, PTL didn’t turn away partners for being overbooked because they never all showed up at the same time. That was his offense. He did not bilk millions of dollars as some people online are saying.

Bakker did raise millions of dollars, but it was to spread the gospel via television and to build a huge media center and a facility near Charlotte, North Carolina, for his partners to gather for camp meetings, concerts, religious services and other events. (As a child I used to attend Pentecostal camp meetings with my parents in cheap, rundown facilities. Bakker provided a really nice setting to gather to hear preaching, sing and enjoy fellowship with other believers.)

With the millions he raised, Bakker also paid salaries, bought air time and, over the years, gave millions of dollars to missions. I know this to be true. He was generous with my late father-in-law, who was a missionary to the Philippines.

I believe Bakker was targeted by people who didn’t like what he was doing, and when he resigned over his “fling,” they found some things they felt they could prosecute. When I reported on it at the time, I found Bakker to have done things I felt were wrong yet pretty trivial—but not bad enough to send him to prison! The courts freed him for time served. Since then, Bakker has owned up to whatever he did wrong, a lot of which was a lack of wisdom on decisions he made. He even wrote a book, I Was Wrong. (I read every word, and you can’t read it without believing that Jim Bakker, for all his mistakes, is sincere and his repentance was heart-felt.)

What Jim Bakker went through would have destroyed most people. Yet he did something I admire: He started over and has built a new ministry called Morningside in Missouri with his wife, Lori Bakker. He has learned from his mistakes and, instead of relying just on donations to fund his ministry, he supports it by selling products—mostly books and products he believes in, including health supplements. I wrote about his restoration in a cover story for Charisma, which you can read here.

One such product is the “Silver Solution,” which he has offered for the past 10 years. I’ve used it myself, because I use products I believe will help my immune system. It was this product (which had not been controversial until now) that stirred up this new media firestorm. You can see the video for yourself. Bakker and his guest, Dr. Sherrill Sellman, talked about the health benefits, but clearly said it had not been tested for COVID-19.

The implication was if you didn’t know what to do to guard yourself from this dangerous new virus (and no one at the time knew), this solution might help. That’s all. He never said it was a cure. But the attorney general of Missouri, responding to complaints, issued a cease-and-desist order with which Bakker has complied. He even refunded money to those who bought the product.

When I heard about this, I looked up the tape (I missed that program) and saw he was being unfairly criticized. I also saw the distortions in the media of his past wrongdoings when reporting this newest controversy. Some even said he went to prison for rape. He did not. It was a one-time extramarital fling—there was never a charge of rape. But see how things spin out of control, especially when people don’t seem to care to know the truth? I believe the truth needs to be told. Jim Bakker is a good man who has spent a lifetime trying to help people and preach the gospel and support his ministry.

When this story broke, I kept expecting Bakker’s ministry to issue a press release to tell his side—especially after I saw the actual program. I knew from years ago what really happened and that Jim is not the ogre his critics portray him as. So I finally called him because of the years I’ve come to consider him a friend. He told me in hindsight he shouldn’t have mentioned COVID-19. He obeyed the cease-and-desist order, and you can’t even buy the product from him now. He’s offered to refund money to any partners who ask for it. But he’s basically a humble man and doesn’t want to defend himself. So I decided to speak up on his behalf.

The Jim Bakker I know loves people. He has spent a long time helping people, spreading the gospel, and ministering to those who need to know Jesus and the power of His love. Some of his critics don’t understand his Pentecostal fervor. They believe our theology of speaking in tongues or believing God still speaks is wrong. That’s their right as Americans. (I believe they are wrong too.) Maybe they don’t like the Pentecostal worship style of raising hands or speaking in tongues. But is that any reason to destroy Bakker or other ministries that believe like him?

Like the coronavirus pandemic, this controversy will be over someday. When people know the facts, I believe Bakker’s name will be cleared. Then he can get back to preaching the gospel and doing what he believes God has called him to do. That may not satisfy his critics. They didn’t like him before—or other ministries like his—and they won’t like him after this pandemic is in the history books. But Jim doesn’t answer to his critics. They are not his jury or judge. There is a judge Jim will stand before one day—just as every person on earth will.

My brother Paul is a charismatic music minister in Kentucky. If someone attacked him, I’d stand with him because he’s my brother! Jim Bakker is my Christian brother, so how can I do less? I wrote this to share my perspective—and the facts—hoping it makes sense and people will see Jim and what happened as I do.

 

 

HE IS RISEN! With Joy and Hope, we worship together in our hearts! Happy Easter!

By Kami Klein~~

HE has RISEN! We Worship with JOY and HOPE today from our homes, our cars or even in our backyards! It does not matter where you are for it is in our hearts that we find Him! Whether we are with family, sheltered together or alone we have New Life through Jesus! No matter what happens here in the world, God gave us His promise through the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross. His message is clearer today than ever! YOU are special, YOU are a child of God, you are forgiven and He LOVES YOU!

This Easter, may you truly understand that the Church is not a building or tradition, the Church is not the creeds or statements of belief found in your faith or denomination. The Church is the bride of Jesus. We are a family built from the greatest Love that has ever been known on Earth. No building can hold us, no statement can ever be bigger than the one made on the cross.

Sing with Joy today! Leave your troubles in God’s hands and Celebrate our new lives! Let today bring you strength as we trust HIM and HIS purpose!

Matthew 28 (MEV)

The Resurrection
28 At the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

2 And then there was a great earthquake. For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his garments white as snow. 4 The soldiers shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid. For I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here. For He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and indeed, He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him. Listen, I have told you.”

8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 As they went to tell His disciples, suddenly Jesus met them, saying, “Greetings!” They came and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell My brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

The Report of the Guard
11 While they were going, indeed, some of the soldiers went into the city and described to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel, they gave much money to the soldiers, 13 saying, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were sleeping.’ 14 If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this saying has been commonly reported among the Jews to this day.

The Commissioning of the Disciples
16 Then the eleven disciples went away to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshipped Him. But some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

HE is ALWAYS with us!

Happy Easter!

For God SO LOVED the World! Good Friday from God’s Word

Three Crosses

By Kami Klein~

This Easter season we can no longer focus on our holiday traditions. This year will not be one of creating memories by gathering in our churches, Easter egg hunts and meals with all of our family and friends. We are on pause. The world is holding its breath for salvation and we are living in a time that is unprecedented. We wake each morning to lives that have been altered, no longer ‘normal’. There is fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty in every country, and in every nation. No souls have been left untouched by this worldwide emergency.

This is the time when the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, when the miracles of His life, His teachings, should mean more to us than ever before. His message of the unsurmountable love that God has for us was shown by Christ’s suffering on the cross. He died so we may live.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Today on this Holy Good Friday, reflect on that love and find hope. Let us sit silently with the Lord, look within His Word and walk with Jesus in His agony for us. Today we fall to our knees and Thank you God for the hope that is in your son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

THE GOOD FRIDAY MESSAGE FROM GOD’S WORD

Matthew 27:11-65 (MEV)

Jesus Questioned by Pilate
11 Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said to him, “You have said so.”

12 When He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 But He never answered him a word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Jesus Sentenced to Die
15 Now at the feast, the governor was accustomed to releasing to the people a prisoner whom they chose. 16 They had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over out of envy.

19 When he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man, for I have suffered much today in a dream on account of Him.”

20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and kill Jesus.

21 The governor answered, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”

They said, “Barabbas.”

22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”

23 The governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”

But they cried out all the more, “Let Him be crucified!”

24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail, but rather that unrest was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous Man. See to it yourselves.”

25 Then all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But when he had scourged Jesus, he handed Him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole detachment of soldiers before Him. 28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, 29 and when they wove a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a staff in His right hand. They knelt before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spit on Him, and took the staff and hit Him on the head. 31 After they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

The Crucifixion
32 As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. This man they compelled to bear His cross. 33 When they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, 34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He tasted it, He would not drink it. 35 When they crucified Him, they divided His garments by casting lots to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, “They divided My garments among themselves and for My clothing they cast lots.”[a] 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37 They put His accusation over His head, which read:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Then two thieves were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. 39 Those who passed by insulted Him, wagging their heads, 40 saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 Likewise, the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, 42 “He saved others. He cannot save Himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God. Let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 Even the thieves who were crucified with Him insulted Him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

47 Some of those who stood there heard it and said, “This Man is calling for Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with wine, and put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink. 49 The rest said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

50 And Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, released His spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom. And the ground shook, and the rocks split apart. 52 The graves also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had died were raised, 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the Holy City and appeared to many.

54 When the centurion and those with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they feared greatly and said, “Truly He was the Son of God!”

55 Many women who were there watching from afar followed Jesus from Galilee, serving Him, 56 among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

The Burial of Jesus
57 When the evening came, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out of the rock. And he rolled a large stone to the door of the tomb and departed. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, following the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember that deceiver saying while He was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ The last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go your way. Make it as secure as you can.”

In three days the rock will have been rolled away and Jesus will have risen! God’s promises are true! Hold on to each other, pray for one another and lift your hearts to Him with Joy!

Never forget, God loves you, He really does!

We are in this together! Stay Home and watch The PTL Television Network! Let’s Grow a little with God!

During this unprecedented time in history, we are all in this together! For most of us, this means remaining safe at home. In our lives before this terrible pandemic, it was difficult to find the time for in-depth Bible study and experiencing glorious hours talking with our Lord. The world’s news today shifts and changes moment by moment but the Word of God stays the same. Perhaps now is the time to go a little deeper and uplift your spirit as you study and grow in your faith. The PTL Television Network exists to bring you great teachings on your beautiful journey with Jesus.

There are amazing programs on the PTL Television Network! Programs such as Skye Watch TV hosted by Tom Horn, Derek Gilbert, and the News Raiders Team. SkyWatch TV covers the latest breaking news and information on cutting-edge topics such as religion, prophecy, discovery, and the supernatural through in-depth, investigative reports on what is happening in the world today.

Follow the latest news headlines and information as well as experience some amazing fellowship and encouragement on The Zach Drew Show, Life with Lori and The Mondo Show!

For an incredible Biblical learning experience tune in to the PTL Television Network and join Jim Bakker on an epic journey through the Book of Revelation in Revelation Revealed and see Revelation events unfold before your very eyes!

Read the Scriptures along with Pastor, complete with direct translations and word studies in the original Greek and Hebrew to enhance your understanding of this prophetic text. These 28 lessons are so important to know in these end times and Pastor shares in-depth to help you see the incredible supernatural wisdom direct from God. Create a virtual study group with your friends and family! You will want to share all you learn from this amazing series!

The PTL Television Network has programs that will inspire everyone! You can watch the PTL Television Network from your Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or ptlnetwork.com. Don’t forget, if you download the PTL network phone app you can watch us anywhere!