Edited by Michael Hernandez
(Michael Hernandez, co-founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted at [email protected] and is editor of “America: The End and Our Hope”. This special edition has reversed the column on purpose from The End and Our Hope to Our Hope and The End due to evangelistic efforts such as the SoCal Harvest Crusade led by Pastor Greg Laurie on Nov. 4 and 5th and prayer across America for the upcoming Nov. 8 elections. VOTE IN PERSON AT YOUR ASSIGNED POLLING PRECINCT ON TUESDAY.)
Greg Laurie says the ‘message hasn’t changed’ at SoCal Harvest
By Ian M. Giatti, (Nov. 5) Christian Post Reporter
It’s safe to say there’s not much that hasn’t changed since 1990 — and that goes for SoCal Harvest. Started that year by Greg Laurie and Chuck Smith, pastor and founder of Calvary Chapel, the annual evangelistic event held in Southern California has seen thousands come to Christ through the preaching of the Gospel.
Laurie is set to return to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, for two nights on Nov. 5-6 for SoCal Harvest, along with music from artists like Phil Wickham, Jeremy Camp, Andy Mineo, Newsboys and Crowder.
Even back in 1990, when the internet was still in its infancy, Laurie, founder and lead pastor of Harvest Churches and Harvest Crusades, saw the potential reach for SoCal Harvest. “It has evolved in every way imaginable,” Laurie, 69, told The Christian Post.
Since then, Laurie says over 6 million people have attended in person, and over 600,000 have made professions of faith to follow Jesus Christ.Though the inaugural event was streamed in what he called a “very jerky webcast,” it wasn’t until Laurie received a letter with a photo that showed someone watching that year’s Harvest event using a computer hooked up to a battery in a field somewhere in Africa that he realized its potential.
“I thought, ‘Well, we need to do this every year,’” he said. “As time has passed, our message has not changed but our methodology certainly has.” According to Laurie, so have the audiences: he said the level of biblical literacy compared to when he began preaching in the early 1970s is “mind-blowing.”
“People know so little about the Bible, so little about God, yet there’s this openness,” he said, pointing to a survey released earlier this year which found over half of Americans hold largely positive views of Jesus Christ. “I don’t think it’s Jesus Himself that turns people away,” said Laurie. “Sometimes it’s the actions of His followers, other times its sheer ignorance on the part of people where they don’t realize Jesus is not merely a historical figure, but He’s a Saviour.”
Rapper Andy Mineo, who’s part of the Reach Records family of Christian hip-hop artists including Lecrae, Tedashii, Trip Lee, and others, told CP he’s looking forward not only to performing at Angel Stadium, but also just to be a part of it all.
“Those are the type of things that you only dream of, the opportunity to perform on stages and spaces like that,” he said. “But beyond that, I love what the purpose behind the whole thing is, to give a world-class experience and top-notch production to people to come to enjoy for free and to hear a message of hope and positivity and goodness. “I hope that I get to play a little part in seeing somebody have an evening that’s memorable forever for them.”
In addition to music, this year’s SoCal Harvest will also feature exclusive, never before seen scenes from the upcoming Laurie-produced feature film, “Jesus Revolution,” which he hopes will stir the hearts of those who attend.
In fact, Laurie said he plans to call on the thousands of believers at SoCal Harvest to join in prayer for another “Jesus Revolution” in California and beyond, even as he acknowledged the seeming mass exodus of Californians to other states during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I wish we could have a new export to the rest of America, a new fresh spiritual awakening that, God willing, would start here,” he said. “He did it before, He can certainly do it again.”
About Pastor Greg Laurie:
Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship with campuses in California and Hawaii. He began his pastoral ministry at the age of 19 by leading a Bible study of 30 people. Since then, God has transformed that small group into a church of some 15,000 people. Today, Harvest is one of the largest churches in America, and consistently ranks among the most influential churches in the country.
In 1990, Laurie began holding large-scale public evangelistic events called Harvest Crusades. Since that time, more than 9.8 million people have participated in Harvest Crusades events in person or online around the United States. In 2012, Laurie launched Harvest America, a nationwide event using the internet to simulcast live HD video to thousands of locations across the country. With an unprecedented 306,000 Americans in live attendance, Harvest America ranks among the largest presentations of the gospel in US history. Harvest Crusades have also been held internationally in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. More importantly, some 506,644 people have made professions of faith through these outreaches. In 2020 and in partnership with Kingdom Story Company, Laurie premiered his first-ever cinematic crusade, A Rush of Hope, viewed by over 2 million people in its opening weekend. Some 150,000 people made professions of faith in 2020 through Harvest Ministries.
Laurie is the featured speaker of the nationally syndicated radio program, A New Beginning, which is broadcast on more than 1,100 radio outlets around the world. Laurie has a weekly television program on major TV networks like Lifetime, Fox Business, Newsmax, Daystar, KCAL 9 Los Angeles, and the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and he has appeared on many other television news programs.
Along with his work at Harvest Ministries, Laurie served as the 2013 Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer, and also serves on the board of directors of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He holds honorary doctorates from Biola University and Azusa Pacific University.
In addition to speaking and assisting other ministries, Laurie has authored over 70 books including Lennon, Dylan, Alice, & Jesus, Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon, Jesus Revolution, Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon, Live Love Fight, Tell Someone, The New Believer’s Bible, Hope for Hurting Hearts, and his autobiography, Lost Boy. The accompanying documentary film, Lost Boy: The Next Chapter, as well as the film Hope for Hurting Hearts, and his most recent film, Steve McQueen: American Icon, features the story of the famed actor finding salvation in Christ. In 2021, Pastor Greg Laurie released a new book Billy Graham: The Man I Knew.
Greg has been married to Cathe Laurie for more than 40 years and they have two sons: Christopher and Jonathan. Greg and Cathe also have five grandchildren.
Prayer for the 2022 Elections
By Denise Cappuccio (Oct. 27) Chief Financial Officer, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” Proverbs 29:2 (NKJV)
Prayer for the 2022 Elections:
Lord, we ask that Your perfect will is done in the 2022 elections, in each race taking place. Establish righteous leaders in every state across our nation. We ask you to remove those in leadership who have set their hearts and minds against You and the Truth of Your Word.
May there be many more elected officials who are “oaks of righteousness,” planted and standing with unwavering tenacity for Biblical principles. We know that following the Truth of Your word brings life and prosperity to individuals, families, and nations, and we ask for leaders who understand this principle.
Lord, we ask You to remind Your people of the importance of voting their values in this election and in future elections. Let there be a tremendous turnout of believers voting in this election! May Christians understand the urgency of the hour and all that is at stake in our country.
If there are any plots being planned to alter the results of the elections in any state, we ask that You uncover that which is hidden in darkness! Shine the light of Your truth into all areas of corruption and bring complete exposure of lies and deceit! We pray and believe that each election taking place will have truthful and accurate counts and results.
We thank You in advance, Almighty God! The future of our nation is in Your hands, and we trust You for a great turnaround in 2022!
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!”
–Psalm 126:3
The End
Edited by Michael Hernandez
(Editor’s Note: this is part of a compendium of recent significant events, this weekend, culled from U.S. news and curated by Michael Hernandez.)
Report on DOJ politicization points to ‘very top’
By Sandy Fitzgerald (Nov. 4) NewsMax
A 1,000-page report from Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee focusing on the politicization of the Department of Justice and the FBI shows that the problem begins “at the very top” with President Joe Biden, Rep. Andy Biggs, a member of the committee, told Newsmax on Friday. It could also mean examining the FBI and determining what sections should be dismantled, the Arizona Republican said on Newsmax’s “National Report.”
“You want to keep some of the areas that are relied on by local law enforcement, but you’re going to have to clean that up and maybe disband certain sections of the FBI,” Biggs said. “You’re going to have to address it financially. They’re claiming that they want to build a brand-new facility that’s going to cost over half a billion dollars. Well, that can’t happen until you clean up your act internally. So, you have a leverage point with that.”
The report, compiled from information ranking committee member Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, gathered from whistleblowers, claims that the FBI has abused its authority to spy on American citizens, including some with former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. It also outlines concerns about the progress of the investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
“Right now, there’s dissension in the ranks in the FBI because of this politicization,” Biggs said Friday. “Don’t forget that they’re trying to purge people who have conservative points of view.” He added that leverage to clear away “this mess” could include using federal rules that would allow stopping the salaries “of bureaucrats like Christopher Wray, who refused to clean up this mess that’s been there for some time.”
The report also addresses the matter of Hunter Biden, saying that mounting evidence shows that the federal agencies appear to be turning a blind eye to the potential dangers to national security from his dealings with China, Russia, and other foreign nationals.
“They apparently have been suppressing the evidence,” said Biggs. “They didn’t bother to look at the evidence, the evidence being the laptop that was there, plus additional evidence in the second laptop. It was in the FBI’s position for over a year without them actually even looking into it, even though there had been allegations that it contained criminal conduct or records of criminal conduct on that laptop. Then when they did begin to look, they actually suppress that evidence and they didn’t ever transfer for further investigation and prosecution where necessary.”
But still, the FBI and DOJ worked to “elevate and misconstrue and mischaracterize parents who were showing up at school board meetings to protest woke policies,” said Biggs. “That’s just such a blatant political abuse of power that’s going on there, and that’s got to come out. We’re going to have to hold the FBI and DOJ accountable.”
Biggs added that Hunter Biden “almost assuredly” will have to be subpoenaed to Congress to answer allegations that have been made about him, said Biggs. “We won’t do it like the Democrats do,” he said. “He’ll have the right to have a counsel there, and we’ll do the appropriate due process. But the bottom line is, you have to get to what’s gone on here, find out if there was suppression, and then we have to hold people accountable.”
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/andy-biggs-doj-fbi/2022/11/04/id/1094927/
Biden vows to shut down coal plants ‘all across America’
Caroline Downey (Nov. 5) Yahoo News
President Biden said Friday that all of the country’s coal plants should be closed because they’re too costly to operate and can’t be relied upon as a dependable energy source for future generations. “Wind and solar” will replace them, he said.
“I was in Massachusetts about a month ago on the site of the largest old coal plant in America,” Biden said during a speech at communications company ViaSat in San Diego County. “Guess what? It cost them too much money. They can’t count. No one is building new coal plants because they can’t rely on it. Even if they have all the coal guaranteed for the rest of the existence of the plant.”
Biden’s message could disadvantage Democrats just three days before midterms, considering that many of the battleground states that will determine the balance of power in Congress are home to coal plants and the blue-collar Americans who work in them. Pennsylvania has 24 plants, Ohio has 15 plants, and Michigan has 13 plants.
“So, it’s going to become a wind generation. And all they’re doing is it’s going to save them a hell of a lot of money and using the same transmission line that they transmitted the coal-fired electric on,” he said. “We’re going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power, also providing tax credits to help families buy energy efficient appliances, whether it’s your refrigerator or your coffee maker, for solar panels on your home, weatherize your home, things that save an average, experts say, a minimum of $500 a year for the average family.”
The Republican National Committee suggested Biden’s comment was tone deaf to the tough economic transition that switching to wind and solar would require of many Americans. “Joe Biden celebrates coal plant workers losing their jobs,” an RNC account tweeted. In 2020, Biden said the switch to clean energy will involve growing pains for coal miners, who he advised should pick up more marketable skills to remain competitive job applicants.
“Anybody who can go down 300-3,000 feet in a mine sure as hell can learn how to program as well,” Biden said in New Hampshire at a campaign event. “But we don’t think of it that way. Anybody who can throw coal into furnace can learn how to program, for God’s sake.”
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes many tax incentives for adopting renewable energy. It offers a 10 percent tax credit bonus if a clean energy facility is constructed at a brown field site or a fossil fuel area. However, many coal-mining locations are not conducive to solar or wind power installation, though the vast majority of them can be converted to host advanced nuclear reactors, the Daily Caller noted.
https://news.yahoo.com/biden-vows-shut-down-coal-141249268.html?
Senator Joe Manchin: “It is time, (Biden) learn a lesson”
PAUL SACCA (Nov. 05) The Blaze
President Joe Biden vowed to shut down coal plants “all across America” during a speech on Friday. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin from West Virginia shot back at President Biden and demanded he apologize for his remarks.
“President Biden’s comments are not only outrageous and divorced from reality, they ignore the severe economic pain the American people are feeling because of rising energy costs,” Manchin began his statement.
“Comments like these are the reason the American people are losing trust in President Biden and instead believes he does not understand the need to have an all-in energy policy that would keep our nation totally energy independent and secure,” the Senator from West Virginia continued.
“It seems his positions change depending on the audience and the politics of the day,” he added. “Politicizing our nation’s energy policies would only bring higher prices and more pain for the American people.”
Manchin stressed, “Let me be clear, this is something the President has never said to me. Being cavalier about the loss of coal jobs for men and women in West Virginia and across the country who literally put their lives on the line to help build and power this country is offensive and disgusting,” he said.
Manchin concluded by demanding an apology from Biden, “The President owes these incredible workers an immediate and public apology and it is time he learn a lesson that his words matter and have consequences.”
There are more than 62,000 Americans employed in the coal industry according to research company IBISWorld. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the top coal-producing states in 2020 were:
- Wyoming: 218.6 million short tons — 40.8%
- West Virginia: 67.2 million short tons — 12.6%
- Pennsylvania: 36.3 million short tons — 6.8%
- Illinois: 31.6 million short tons — 5.9%
- North Dakota: 26.4 million short tons — 4.9%
Trump: “Your Commonwealth” is being totally destroyed
By Eric Mack (Nov.5) NewsMax
Mocking the crowd for Democrat rallies in Pennsylvania and hailing his own, former President Donald Trump warned the commonwealth is being destroyed by radical left policies.
“You know, they had a little rally here: Nobody showed up for their rally; look at this rally,” Trump told his Save America rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night that aired live on Newsmax. “And then they’ll say how many votes they got and tell you it’s wonderful, right? This is the biggest poll you can have. And we always had this poll. Except now it’s bigger and better and stronger than we’ve ever had before.”
Trump began by promising to end House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s political career and stripping away the power of President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“Under Biden, Pelosi, Schumer, and the radical Democrat Congress, your commonwealth is being totally destroyed,” Trump told the crowd. “Our country is being destroyed. Biden and the far-left lunatics are waging war on Pennsylvania energy, crushing Pennsylvania jobs, gutting Pennsylvania communities, and strangling Pennsylvania families with soaring prices like you’ve never seen before. Inflation is costing the typical household nearly $800 every single month. Congratulations! Who the hell voted for these people? What are we doing?”
Trump repeated his America First agenda items of curbing illegal immigration, protecting Americans and making cities safe again, and defend parental rights in education.
“The southern border is wide open — millions of illegal aliens are pouring into our country,” Trump continued. “Your commonwealth is enduring a massive and bloody crime wave. And the far left is indoctrinating our children with twisted race and gender insanity in our schools. Other than that, they’re doing a fantastic job.”
Trump, stumping for GOP Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz and GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, said voting for Republicans is the only way to turn back the damage the Biden administration and Democrat congressional control has done. “There is only one choice to end this madness, and it is indeed madness,” Trump said. “If you support the decline, fall of America, then you must vote for the radical-left Democrats. “If you want to stop the destruction of our country and save the American dream, then this Tuesday, you must vote Republican in a giant red wave.”
(Michael Hernandez, co-founder of the Citizens Journal—Ventura County’s online news service is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor. Mr. Hernandez can be contacted at [email protected] and is editor of “Ame
