Lighthouse Faith

A lot of women when asked about their relationship with their mother will answer: "It's Complicated." That's because mothers and daughters have a special bond that also makes their conflicts that much more hard to work through. To say Sarah Mae's relationship with her mother is beyond the normal complexities is putting it mildly. But that's just the beginning. She's a best-selling Christian author whose new book, "The Complicated Heart", shares her personal experience growing up with an alcoholic mother, whose own insecurities, anger and dysfunction became Sarah's. But that's not the end of the story; because as Sarah says, "dysfunction does not have to be your destiny." On this episode of Lighthouse Faith, Sarah takes the listener through her healing and restoration that she says could only be possible because of the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Faith is what makes her whole, and light always finds a way to dispel darkness.

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The greatest generation as they're called, has given us many heroes. But not every heroic story of World War II has been told. One though, is now finally being heard to its fullest: that of Roddie Edmonds. He served as a master sergeant in the U.S. Army and fought with the 422 regiment of the 106th infantry division. He was a prisoner of war, captured sometime during the Battle of the Bulge. A man of faith, a Christian,  whose defining moment came when as the senior officer of the American POW's in the German camp, he refused to give up the Jewish soldiers among his regiment. Even when the Nazi commandant threatened to shoot him point blank. He told him, "We're all Jews". Even his son Chris, a minister, didn't know the story until after his father died. Searching for clues he Googled his name and it popped up in a New York Times article about real estate. A very grateful New York lawyer named Lester Tanner said a man named Roddie Edmonds was the reason he was even alive today. Tanner was one of the Jewish soldiers saved that day. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Chris Edmonds tells his father's story as it is now in a new book called, "No Surrender."  He became close friends with Tanner, who's 96 and lives on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Roddie Edmonds was declared one of the "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.

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A father is not only needed in a child's life, he's a crucial part of a child's mental and emotional well-being.  Statistics show some disturbing facts when children don't have a father. Eighty-five percent of prison inmates grew up fatherless. That's also the case of 71  percent of high school dropouts and 90 percent of runaways. Pastor Louie Giglio founder of Passion City Church is talking and writing about why a child craves and yearns for a father's love and affirmation. But there's good news. Giglio says when earthly fathers are absent or have a dysfunctional relationship with their children, there is a heavenly Father who will always be there. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Pastor Giglio talks about his book "Not Forsaken', and our fundamental longing for a father's closeness, and to "understand the character of God in a life-changing way: as a perfect Father who wants you to live under the waterfall of His blessing."

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Our world today is not short on spiritual gurus who want to help you discover a hope and a purpose for your life. But what about a 4th century African priest? Would he have anything pertinent to say to you, to today's people of the digital age or millennials about how to find your reason for being? Well, if the person is St. Augustine of Hippo, then the answer is a resounding, Yes!  Philosopher and author James K. A Smith, takes a more contemporary look at Augustine and his famous tome, Confessions, in his book, 'On The Road With Saint Augustine'.  James calls it, "an invitation to journey with an ancient African who will surprise you by the extent to which he knows you."  While Augustine is one of the pillars and fathers of the Catholic Church, Smith actually compares him to modern day, pop culture icons like Jay Z, as the priest takes a raw look at who he is and who we strive to be in the reality of who God is. Smith says Augustine is less judge and more AA sponsor. He's the kind of priest who wants to walk with us through our struggles to do what is right, because whatever it is we've done, he's done it as well. He knows what it means to want, to strive for success, to work towards a higher goal, only to see it become an unsatisfying achievement that leaves us wanting more. In this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Smith explores St. Augustine's take on sex, justice, freedom and Death. In the eyes of Augustine, we are all prodigals, searching for a way to come home into the Father's embrace.

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Few films today deal with the Second Amendment from a sympathetic or positive point of view, but that's exactly what actor Kevin Sorbo's new film, Reliant is about. Sorbo, who starred as Hercules in the syndicated TV show, and a host of faith-based films including God's Not Dead and Let There Be Light, is now taking on one of the most controversial topics in our culture today: the right to bear arms, from a faith point of view. This independent film will have a one-day showing in theaters on October 24th. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Kevin is joined by his actress wife Sam Sorbo and they talk about the studio film industry which is dominated by big budget blockbusters, Hollywood's uncomfortable but cordial relationship with faith-based audiences,and how independent filmmakers will be the best source for films that appeal to them.

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Foremost expert on the Catholic Church, George Weigel, is an acclaimed scholar and Church analyst. Right after recording this podcast he took off for Rome to cover the controversial three-week Amazon Synod, or meeting of Bishops, going on at the Vatican. Although we briefly discuss the synod,  George has bigger things on his agenda, like the past 250 years of Catholic Church history and why we should look at four very important events in those years that have had a profound influence on the Church today. First, in 1849  a Pope's first step on U.S Sovereign soil;  Next,  the resulting document of the Second Vatican Council in 1965; Third, John Paul II's return to Poland in 1979 giving a fiery sermon in an in-your-face moment to Communist leaders; and finally,  in 2007, a little known document coming from a gathering of  Church leaders in Brazil... one of the chief signatories, Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, who would in a few years become Pope Francis.  George lays it all out in his  new book, "The Irony of Modern Catholic History: How the Church Rediscovered  Itself & Challenged the Modern World to Reform."  Just listening to George speak will make you feel smarter and much more well informed about what's happening in the Catholic Church, and why it matters.

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She is the daughter of the most famous evangelist America, and probably the modern world has ever known. Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy Graham, has made a ministry of her own, for the generations who perhaps didn't know the man who was once called America's Pastor. Anne's faith is not inherited per se. But it is in her DNA. It is definitely her own; bought and paid for through a life of enduring prayer, trust, and humility. Now in her early 70's she has several  life altering tragedies in her rear view mirror. Traumas that would crush the average person: the death of her father, the death of her husband of almost 50 years, and now the fight against breast cancer. But through it all she still has joy. And she credits the Holy Spirit with getting her through. Her latest book, Jesus In Me,  takes a deeper dive into that mysterious member of Christianity's Holy Trinity of Father, Son, Holy Spirit. It is Anne's candidness about struggle and pain that is so heartwarming... and in the end, a wonderful positive voice in a world that has so few places to turn for real comfort and caring.

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India is one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world. Although it is majority Hindu, it has some 200 million Muslims, as well as Sikhs, Jews, and a native Christian population dating back 2000 years. In fact, Christianity in India has deeper roots than in America. Which is why it is an extremely disturbing fact to Bishop Joseph D'Souza of Good Shepherd church that his country has just entered the top ten list of nations where Christians are  most persecuted. He blames a small band of extremist Hindus, who've painted Christians as an enemy of the state and have marketed the lie that Christians are involved in forced conversions. As President Trump this week sounded the alarm at the United Nations for countries to rally together in a shared value of religious freedom, Bishop D'Souza has the detailed forensics of why religious persecution has grown, and continues to be a threat to global peace.

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If you've walked through a shopping mall or an airport terminal, you've probably whiffed the savory and sweet scents of Auntie Anne's Pretzels. They are some of the most popular franchise eats around. But what you probably don't know is story of the woman who started it all: Anne Beiler. Her rise from sheltered Amish girl to high powered businesswoman, is a unique journey filled with the pain of a toddler daughter's tragic death, to years of sexual abuse from the very person she reached out to for help in dealing with the pain. But to talk to her today, she is happy and hopeful, because she says her Christian faith has given her a joy 'that surpasses all understanding.' On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Anne Beiler talks about her life story is told in her new book, "The Secret Lies Within: An Inside Out Look At Overcoming Trauma And Finding Purpose In The Pain." The 'Secret Lies' is a double entendre. It's about the secrecy of lies we tell ourselves that let abuse and pain fester. And, that the solution to that same pain from abuse, is exposing the secrets to the light of faith.

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It's sometimes hard to tell the difference between truth and fiction when reading Jonathan Cahn's books. So much of what he writes about is based on real people, real events, and predictions for the future, that one commentator called him a modern-day Nostradamus. His new book The Oracle, is in line with his previous offers, "The Harbinger" and "The Paradigm".  Cahn says the story is merely the vehicle through which he delivers his message of biblical truth. He's Jewish, but was an atheist until he researched some of the biblical prophecies tied to the Jewish tradition of  the reading of the scrolls. "They're appointed words that are read every week on the Sabbath in the synagogues." This latest book draws on a biblical prophecy, from the words of Moses that predicted a foreigner’s visit to the Land of Israel and sees its desolation. Cahn says that victor came 150 years ago, and that it was Mark Twain, whose famous book "The Innocents Abroad", described the desolation of the Holy Land. What's more, the reading of the Jewish scrolls during the same week, read the words of Moses predicting the visit. You can choose to not believe all that Cahn ties together, but regardless, it's a fascinating way to view today's events, and even today's politicians, like President Donald Trump, whose coming to power, is also featured in the book as predicted in biblical prophecy. 

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