Category Archives: Ministry Updates

Dr. Gary Smalley, Champion to Marriage and Family Passes on to Heaven

“Life is relationships; the rest is just details.”   Gary Smalley

The PTL Television Network, Jim Bakker Show, the Bakker family and all of us here at Morningside are praying today for the friends and family of a wonderful man, Dr. Gary Smalley who passed into heaven over the weekend in Colorado Springs, Colorado.    

Dr. Smalley devoted his professional life to guiding others in repairing marriages that were all but broken.  He and his beautiful wife Norma began an organization devoted to families and to the intimate and heartfelt ministry of developing good and solid marriages in 1979.  Their organization eventually evolved into retreat centers in 10 different cities.

Gary’s heart was to educate and inspire couples to love better and last a life-time!  But, even with the thousands of couples that he has helped through his retreat centers, counseling, speaking engagements and books, he spoke proudest of his two wonderful sons, Greg and Mike, his beautiful daughter Kari, and the amazing families they are raising. Every single day, there was never a doubt that he was completely aware of the love and blessings he had with the light of his life, his wife Norma.

Gary Smalley became one of the country’s best-known authors and speakers on family relationships. He is the author and co-author of 60 books along with several popular films and videos. He has spent over 35 years learning, teaching, and counseling. In a heartfelt post on facebook a friend wrote these words,  

“For the zillions profoundly impacted by Gary & Norma Smalley’s ministry and all those who have resurrected & salvaged dead-end relationships…and for those who just want to know how to do relationships right….this will be a loss heard around the world for decades to come.”

According to a post by his daughter on her facebook page, Dr. Smalley’s last days were spent surrounded by his loving family. The last words spoken over him were “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;”  Numbers 6:24-25

According to an article in Christian News Today, a celebration of life will take place Saturday, March 19 at 3:00 p.m. at College of the Ozarks Chapel in Point Lookout, Missouri. It will be open to the public for all who wish to honor Smalley’s life and legacy.

Our hearts and prayers are with Dr. Smalley’s family and friends but we also feel the joy of knowing that he is where love begins and ends, held within God’s loving arms.  

 

Hope and Expectancy

I know so many of God’s people who are weary. I don’t mean to sound down, because I’m not, but I have been – and you have been too. It’s not possible to live in this world at this time without feeling the effects of some of its pressures. Everywhere we look, everywhere we turn, there is evil all around us and it wears on us. And, if we don’t watch out, we can be overtaken by the sheer force of it.

Not only are we dealing with the effects of the world’s woes, but most of us are dealing with an unusual effort to bring us down in one way or another – be it finances, relationships, our health, our families, or any number of other life crises. Continue reading →

The Healing Ministry of Kathy Troccoli (Pt. 1)

I am writing a series of blogs on the shows we just taped with Kathy Troccoli because I can’t help but do all I can do to get this word out – it is so powerful!  Kathy is not just a singer, she’s a Voice that God has given to the Body of Christ with a Message for the Times.

Let me first just say that if you didn’t catch the live shows with Kathy Troccoli, PLEASE be sure to catch the broadcasts when they air in your area.  These shows are some of the most powerful healing shows we have ever taped, and I can’t help but believe that God wants to heal so many of His precious ones because it’s time!  We are so close to His Second Coming and yet there are so many hurting, broken people.  When we operate out of our pain, we continue to hurt others and that needs to stop!  It needs to stop in our own lives so that it can stop in the lives of others.  A wounded spirit touches everything around it – and wounds again whatever it touches. Continue reading →

My Great Motivation

On one of our recent shows that Jim was taping without me (because I was just too ill to come to the set) he mentioned that I had to get well so that I could run Lori’s House.  I just want you all to know that there is no greater motivation for me than to know that Lori’s House will be operating soon and we will be saving tiny, innocent lives. Can you imagine anything that would touch the heart of God more?  Jesus said pure and undefiled religion is taking care of the widows and orphans (James 1:27) and with the help of our partners and friends, we will do it very soon here at Morningside!  We can do many ‘good works’ that we think please God, but with this effort, we can know it does!

Statistics have confirmed that in this country, 40% of all women have had abortions –  almost half!  Until recently, that statistic was 25% or 1 out of every 4, supporting the fact that abortion is becoming more and more prevalent.  In this country alone, we have aborted over 55 million (and counting) babies.  Abortion does more than stop an innocent heart from beating.  The long-term effects of having an abortion are proven to be debilitating for women of all ages. Continue reading →

Proud of My Kids

Can I just brag a little? I am so excited about what has been happening with the Generation NOW network and our kids in the Master’s Media. Not only are the kids in the school excelling and finding favor with God and man, but our own kids are moving in the gifts of the Spirit with power and anointing!

It’s time to be filled with the Holy Spirit! We need some Holy Ghost ministers! We have to have the Holy Spirit Who gives you power to make it in these Last Days! Ricky and Marie are prophesying and laying hands on people and praying powerful Holy Ghost prayers! God is anointing our children! Continue reading →

A Little Boy’s Voice (Conclusion)

This concludes this series about my life and the abortions in my past. Whenever I share my story, I inevitably have several women report that they, too, had a similar background and after reading my testimony, they finally feel that they’re not alone.

Let me assure you, you are not alone. One in four women today have had an abortion, or multiple abortions. Abortion is an epidemic and it leaves an incredible scar on the lives of those it touches.

In the next few blogs, I will be sharing about the healing process and how it was carried out in my life. My hope is that there will be someone who can receive their healing as well from hearing about mine, though healing comes at different times and in different ways as only God can orchestrate.

If you have abortion in your background, I want to assure you that there is healing, and there is forgiveness, though the hardest thing about it is forgiving yourself. It was for me. But our Heavenly Father cannot and does not hold sin against you when you ask Him for forgiveness – even abortion.

There is freedom. Hold on to your faith and keep reading as we go on this journey together through the healing process.

Love,

 

Lori

 

Master’s Media Kids Need Our Support

Right now, we are focusing on our Master’s Media kids and preparing them to “go ye” into all the world with the Gospel of Jesus.  This can’t happen unless you and I, the older generation, gets behind these kids with our prayers and our finances.

You know, the world doesn’t really look like the world we knew as teenagers.  Before, in the traditional church, we sent missionaries to occupy and evangelize other nations and other places that had not heard the Gospel.  Now, we find that our nation is one of the top mission fields of the world.  We need to embrace a new breed of missionary that knows how to “go” in a new way.  We are doing this with our Master’s Media kids.  We are embracing the technology and their way of evangelizing.

The way we evangelize, especially to the new generation, must be a way that can reach these kids that they understand.  Most kids are not coming to church – they can’t relate to church.  So we need to go get them.  We need to find a way to reach them with Jesus, and it’s not going to be by traditional means.  It’s going to be different – it’s going to be through social media and other web-related technologies.

You see, it has all changed from when you and I were young.  Back then, the social environment didn’t include a world-wide spectrum.  It only included those in your home town and maybe a few close neighboring towns.  Today, kids are influenced by many, many voices world-wide.  Most of those voices are not the ones they should be listening to – but they’re out there, influencing our kids.  Our voice needs to be out there too – dispelling the lies that they’re hearing from every imaginable source.

Here at Morningside, we are busy training young people, and getting them prepared to evangelize in their own way.  We have just remodeled the Tabernacle into a state-of-the-art studio for them to use to creatively produce Christian programs that other kids will see, world-wide.  We have ordered brand new cameras that are dedicated to the school and the student’s work.  We have just launched a new website built for them to express their faith and give their testimonies (see generationNOWiptv.com).   This week, we are taking them all to Dallas, Texas for a Master’s Commission conference.

For those of us who are older, our job is not done – we must support this new generation, not only with our prayers, but with our means. There are many ways to do this.  You can call our Customer Service department at 417-779-9000 or 1-888-988-1588 and:  (1) give a one-time donation for scholarship funding; (2) you can specify support funds for a particular student. We can leave no greater legacy than to support the next generation in their work for the Lord.  Let’s get behind them.

We can leave no greater legacy than to support the next generation in their work for the Lord.

Love,

Jim's Signature Mailchimp

Greatness Comes From the Valley

When you think of the greatest inspirations in music, or in a sermon, or in a book, or in a testimony, you rarely think of those inspirations coming from the mountaintop of life, though the mountaintop provides some encouragement. But greatness comes from the valley of a life lived in triumph through the face of trouble and adversity. Greatness comes from the dark night of the soul experiences in the valleys of life. The only thing that can speak to the sorrows of others is the fellowship of their suffering.

BeBe Winans was with me this week on the occasion of celebrating my 50th year in ministry. BeBe is a friend who loves at all times, and a brother born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17) He is a man that is priceless in his loyalty and his integrity. Though he has spent a great deal of his life on the mountaintop, BeBe knows what it means to struggle in the valley. Through BeBe’s songs, you find his testimony.

On the show BeBe told of a time when he was with the renowned poet, Maya Angelou and she offered this advice: “BeBe, promise me that you will learn to enjoy the struggle.”

Simplistic? Yes, but be very sure that there is more wisdom in those few words than many long, flowing dissertations and even countless books written by those who have not been in the valley and know not its struggles and its triumphs. It’s in the valley that the Word of God becomes your rhema. It’s in the valley that you are given the understanding that in your weakness, He is strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

During the show, BeBe sang a song by Donnie McClurkin, “Stand” which he and CeCe have performed many times. A key line in the chorus of this song says “after you’ve done all you can… Stand!” You can’t sing this song with the fervor and believability BeBe sings it with – without having been to the valley. If you didn’t catch this show on our ‘live-streaming’ internet, be sure you watch next week when it airs on regular television programming.

BeBe told me “You have been an example and a blessing to me and my entire family.” It doesn’t get any better than that, except to hear: “Well done, Good and Faithful Servant.”

Monster May – Recap

I recently returned from a mission trip with my crew to several states where flooding and storms have caused death and destruction in the lives of many people.  We are emotionally spent.  You can’t look on that much human suffering without it taking its toll.  Everything else that may be going on, pales in light of it.

I have seen other newscasters unable to speak or describe the scenes they were looking upon – it was all so overwhelming. We are doing what we can to alleviate some of the suffering.  It will take the efforts of millions of people, organizations and especially churches to reach out with whatever they have to give – and everyone has something to give! Continue reading →

I Care!

Most of you know about the times of my life, nearly 25 years ago now, when there was great destruction and ruin that surrounded the ministry of PTL.  Anyone with access to a newspaper or television back then, saw the devastation of Heritage USA and witnessed the carnage of all that was built there… or so it seemed.

Though the world saw only devastation and ruin, there is much more to the ‘end of the story’.

At Heritage USA, the partners who gave faithfully made it possible to build a home for unwed mothers. There were many young women and girls who came there to live while their babies were growing and developing safely in their wombs. The girls were cared for with all their needs met in that safe place until the time they delivered their babies.

Through the home for unwed mothers at Heritage USA, these babies were given the gift of life instead of issued the sentence of death in an abortion clinic. I still hear quite often about someone who was born there at the home and what they are doing today. These now adult young people and sometimes their birth mothers, often express their gratitude for the provision they received which allowed them to make the right decisions. There are people who live today because we did what we could back then, and those who made that possible will receive a reward in heaven – the Bible tells us so!

Today, in this day of  unrestrained abortion of epidemic proportion, we have an even more pronounced opportunity to help young mothers make the right decisions about giving the gift of life to their unborn babies. So many babies have been murdered in the womb by this lawless generation, and it’s time now for the Church to stand up and do all that we can to help give life.

We have received the commission in a prophetic word by Cindy Jacobs to build “Lori’s House” and we are going to do it with your help! “Lori’s House” will be a safe place for girls and young women to come and have all their needs met while the little child within them grows strong enough to one day take its first breath. That life may go on to use that breath to glorify God and declare His love to a lost and dying world!

Today, we are filming several shows and partnering with Philip Cameron in the ministry of saving young girls and boys from a life of certain death in the sex trafficking trade. We are helping them to build “Stella’s House” in Moldova. Do you think Jesus is interested in this? Do you think Jesus cares if we give shelter, clothing, food and most of all love to these young girls and boys? Do you think Jesus cares?  You know He does and I care too!

In addition to helping Philip save lives in Moldova, we are going to build “Lori’s House” right here in Peaceful Valley at Morningside. We need your help. Just as those who helped Heritage USA’s home for unwed mothers are seeing the fruits of their labors in living beings who are precious to God, you can now sow into the lives of those yet to be born, those whom God has designed to be here on this earth in the Last Days.

When you help to give the gift of life, you will receive rewards in heaven. I didn’t say that, Jesus did! In Matthew 24, Jesus is talking to his disciples and giving them detailed information about the physical signs of the Last Days. The disciples continued to question him about the end of the age, and Jesus then expanded their understanding by telling them who will be chosen to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Here is what he said in Matthew 25:31-46

“The Son of Man will come again in his great glory, with all his angels. He will be King and sit on his great throne. All the nations of the world will be gathered before him, and he will separate them into two groups as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The Son of Man will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, my Father has given you his blessing. Receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made. I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then the good people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our house? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’

“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.’
“Then the King will say to those on his left, ‘Go away from me. You will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever that was prepared for the devil and his angels. I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

“Then those people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or alone and away from home or without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not help you?’

“Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you refused to do for even the least of my people here, you refused to do for me.’ “These people will go off to be punished forever, but the good people will go to live forever.“Love,

Jim