Dr. Mark L. Williams, General Overseer of the Church of God–Cleveland, TN and Dr. Steve Land, President of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary are pleased to present the inaugural episode of FAITH MATTERS–a bi-weekly discussion that will focus on relevant doctrinal issues and matters of faith.

We Believe (Live), the debut album from the Assemblies of God’s music imprint, Influence Music, has taken this week’s No. 1 position on the Nielsen SoundScan praise and worship chart. (The chart compiles digital and physical sales and then ranks albums based on total U.S. sales.)

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, says the nature of her latest health issues is not important. What she wants the world to know is that she’s has been “miraculously” healed.

Devotional material by one of the 20th century’s all-time best-selling authors, C. S. Lewis, is now available on Bible Gateway, the world’s largest Christian website (bg4.me/11Km8QK). Email subscription signup is at www.biblegateway.com/newsletters.

Dr. Thomas Grassano, who leads Urban Harvest Ministries, submitted the following testimonial of lives changed at the recent Hope for the City event.

We give God praise for the mighty things He has done for His glory through Hope for the City this summer!

Deeply committed to his religion, Jayesh went to the local temple every morning to worship his gods and godesses. One day, he met Gospel for Asia pastor Nabhith as they were walking past one another through the village. It didn’t take long for Pastor Nabhith to share his love for Jesus with Jayesh.

With a few pastors falling and many churches dwindling or closing, many Christians are concerned about the state of the church. If you add to that “flaky” charismatics, doctrinal error, compromise and lax moral standards, it’s easy for someone like me, who observes trends in the church up close, to become cynical.

Thomas Harrison is the founder of Secret Church Shopper, a firm that travels to churches across the country to secretly evaluate worship experiences. (CBN News) You have no doubt heard of mystery shoppers who visit department stores and secretly evaluate customer service. Now, there is a new wrinkle to this old concept: Pastors are using it to improve people’s experiences at their churches.

Children who grew up in the “Home” forty plus years ago came together for their biennial reunion August 2-4, 2013.They are now adults from many different walks of life.