FRONTLINES OCTOBER 2021 / CBN.COM
Partners Sharing the Love of Christ
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Step Into the Future With
FAITH 60 Years of Broadcasting by Gordon Robertson President and CEO
It’s amazing to reflect on the past 60 years and consider all that God has accomplished through CBN, thanks to the dedicated prayers and support of partners like you! Now, as we look to the future, I believe that you and I are about to come into a whole new appreciation of God’s power. He is preparing to give us new designs and new avenues so that, together, we can fulfill Jesus’ command: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). 2 frontlines
In our journey, it’s important to remain humble before God and trust Him completely. Recently, I was reminded of Moses’ final sermon to the Israelites just before the people entered the Promised Land. He tells them in Deuteronomy 9:1-2, “Hear, O Israel: You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, a people great and tall.” He was speaking of the “giants” that the Israelite
spies had thought were too big to conquer 40 years earlier. Soon after Moses’ sermon, God did an astounding miracle. The Jordan dried up, allowing the Israelites to cross over into the Promised Land. Yet as Joshua 3:13-17 tells us, the river did not stop flowing until— at God’s command—the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant took the first step into the water! Today, we are about to come into a tremendous inheritance that God has stored up for us—great new ways of delivering media to every nation, tongue, tribe and people. This has been our prayer for decades, and He is answering that prayer! We just have to take that first step. Are we ready for God to do a new thing? You and I simply need to say, “All right, God; You want us to go in and take the land, so we will do it.” And Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:26, “With God all things are possible.”
dedicating CBN’s new studio in Portsmouth. We had gone from a little rundown shoebox studio to a larger place. Even so, it had a metal roof, so the sound of rain would drown out our productions! But it was a big deal, with a $250,000 construction contract that was more money than we could really think about back in the 1960s. Harald Bredesen, a longtime friend of CBN and a member of the board of directors, gave a word from God, declaring, “These days shall seem small in light of where I am going to take you.” Here we are, 60 years since CBN was founded and over 50 years after that prophecy, and it is coming true. The technology now exists for us to bring the Gospel to all nations. All we have to do is say yes to the Lord. God bless you! Excerpted from a teaching at CBN Staff Chapel. Scripture is quoted from the NKJV.
Everything we have is a gift from God. We can’t claim credit for any of it. Our entire future is from the hand of the Lord—and we thank Him for it. Let’s also remember the prophecy that was spoken over CBN decades ago, when my father was OCTOBER 2021 3
CBN’S OPERATION BLESSING: HUNGER STRIKE FORCE
FIGHTING ADVERSITY
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Giving thanks after hardship and heartbreak “There are times when I open the refrigerator and I go, ‘Oh, there’s nothing there,’” said Lois. At 83 years old, she had weathered many hardships, but food insecurity at this stage of her life was unexpected. Having lost her son to cancer and her husband to a heart condition all within a two-week period, she lives on a tight, fixed income that doesn’t always cover the bills. “There are a lot of things I don’t buy because I just can’t afford them,” she explained.
But thanks to an Operation Blessing-supported center near her home in Michigan, she is now able to put food on the table each month. Because of the generosity of partners like you, CBN’s Operation Blessing can work with local ministries like the one that helped Lois and others in her situation. “I’m just thankful that you’re here,” said a grateful Lois. “It’s a blessing that you have people around that can help!” Read more on how Operation Blessing is feeding families in America
Roxana and her family now have plenty of food! 4 frontlines
CBN’S SUPERBOOK
SAVED FROM THE DEPTHS OF DEPRESSION More
Providing hope and healing for a young heart Ira’s grandmother was worried. Every time Ira would draw a picture, she insisted on dark colors. Her grandmother feared that Ira was depressed due to the violence and unrest she had witnessed near her home in Ukraine. But one day, the young girl attended a local Superbook club where she found friendship, acceptance and, most of all, the transforming love of God. Over Ira has found new hope in the Lord.
time, Ira gradually opened up to the staff. Not only did she learn to pray, but as she fell in love with Jesus, her life began to change. Ira is now a joyful girl who trusts in the Lord with all of her heart, enjoys participating in church worship services, and is learning to play the violin. Ira’s transformation had such an effect on her grandmother that she gave her life to Christ. The generosity of partners like you is making a far-reaching difference worldwide. More stories of young lives touched by Superbook
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Roberto Torres-Cedillo and Jessica Datsko: siblings and co-hosts of Club 700 Hoy are sharing the Good News of God’s love to a growing Hispanic audience in the United States.
CBN PARTNERS ARE SHARING THE OF GOD with Hispanics in the United States
They are passionate, deeply rooted in faith, and devoted to family. With a cultural preference for large families, Hispanics are the fastestgrowing minority in the United States. “They’re also the key to the United States being a Christian nation,” says Gordon Robertson. Because of their commitment to faith, Hispanics in Latin America have been the focus of CBN from the very beginning—both for ministry and as partners in reaching the world for Christ. 6 frontlines
CBN’s first missionary station, Nuevo Continente, was launched in CBN’s first year and it was the first evangelical radio station in Colombia, South America. Over the years, CBN has produced hundreds of episodes of a program called Vida Dura, featuring testimonies of people who found a way out of tragic circumstances through Christ. Vida Dura is currently viewed in more
LET THE YOUNG HISPANICS SEE
God’’s work in us and see God work through us. than 15 Latin American countries and on regional networks in the United States, airing on broadcast and cable television stations. CBN has also ministered to the physical needs of the Hispanic people. “We’ve been in Operation Blessing offices all throughout Latin America,” says Ben Edwards, vice president of CBN International. “And we have very strong U.S. Operation Blessing activities, as well.”
“especially for young Latinos. Let the young Hispanics see God’s work in us and see God work through us. That when they see us, they don’t just see another host or another minister, but that they would be able to encounter God through the things that we say.”
“What I really want to see is people coming to know Jesus. That’s the main goal,” says Roberto. “I really believe that when the Lord gets a hold of this people group, this community, Launching Club 700 Hoy they are going to do incredible On September 4, CBN expanded its things. There’s been prophecies outreach in the U.S., broadcasting about how important their role is going to be in bringing revival to Club 700 Hoy, a weekly Hispanic version of The 700 Club on Spanish this nation, and I believe not just for the United States, but for other networks here in the United nations of the world.” States with hosts Jessica Datsko and Roberto Torres-Cedillo. This More than 13 percent of brother-and-sister team was raised Americans speak Spanish, and in Mexico and in the U.S., and it is projected that by 2050 one the two spent their early years in three Americans will speak traveling with parents who were Spanish. This represents a in full-time ministry. They powerful ministry opportunity, currently live in Virginia Beach, and with the help of faithful Jessica with her husband and partners, Club 700 Hoy, along with Roberto with his wife and young CBN’s many life-transforming son. They are excited about the outreaches, will continue to make vision of Club 700 Hoy. an eternal difference.” “My hope is that it would really Sandra in Michigan shake up the Latino culture, the Hispanic community,” says Jessica, Sandra and her husband, Ubaldo, OCTOBER 2021 7
You bring hope to all the lives you’ve helped.
have four children between the ages of 2 and 9. Her husband owns a small business, and Sandra also sells accessories for girls with her oldest daughter. “It’s something to keep my daughter entertained,” she says, “but also to show her responsibility. Not everything is given to you. You have to work for things you want.” This precious family has sometimes struggled during Michigan’s long winters, and the couple has had a hard time putting food on the table. “Things got really hard,” says Sandra. She often had to choose between the energy bill and groceries. “It was one or the other,” she says. Driving past a local partner of CBN’s Operation Blessing, she decided to stop inside and said she was thrilled to discover that she could go there twice a month, filling a cart with groceries. 8 frontlines
Fortunately, the family was able to get back on their feet for a while, but the pandemic provided a new set of challenges. Sandra says, “I actually went a while without coming [back], and then COVID hit.” Sandra was grateful that with the continued support of CBN partners, there was a place where she could once again go for help until the family could get on their feet again. “We are blessed and thankful for all the help that they’ve given,” she says.
Piedad in Peru “We were going through rough times when the quarantine started. There were times when we were struggling with food, sometimes eating one time a day, only a cookie in the afternoon,” says Piedad, a single mother of four.
To the World
In November of 2020, the lockdown lifted, and Operation Blessing arrived with the necessary supplies to start the program for mask production and teach mothers like Piedad the skills she needed to operate the machines and make fabric masks to sell. “I learned how to use the machines, which I probably would have never been able to learn myself, because that costs money,” says Piedad. “And for this program to arrive here and teach us free of cost is such a blessing.”
With a heart to proclaim the Gospel and demonstrate God’s love through humanitarian outreaches like feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and hurting, rushing aid to survivors of disaster, and more, generous friends like you offer hope for desperate people here in America and worldwide.
With the help of Operation Blessing partners, this single mother was able to sell her masks and pay for food along with her children’s enrollment fee for school. “Now we can eat three times a day,” says Piedad. “Thank you for the help!”
Piedad now has a business making masks.
A Partner Special to Commemorate 60 Years of Ministry Coming October 1, watch The CBN Story, the remarkable story of the founding, growth, and global impact of The Christian Broadcasting Network.
Watch on the CBN Family App, Oct 1 OCTOBER 2021 9
CBN NEWS: HEALTHY LIVING
FINDING VICTORY OVER FATIGUE
Watch
How healing the gut can increase your energy
If you depend on that afternoon cup of coffee to keep going, you’re not alone. Chronic tiredness is becoming an epidemic. And not just in older Americans. Dr. Steven Gundry, author of The Energy Paradox: What to Do When Your Get-Up-and-Go Has Got Up and Gone, says this rampant exhaustion can be caused by a leaky gut. He says we can stop leaky gut and has devoted the last 21 years in teaching people how to do just that.
Dr. Gundry says it’s critical to feed the healthy bacteria in our gut with so-called prebiotics. Healthy bacteria prefer eating fiber, which is in most vegetables including leafy greens, onions, sweet potatoes, and most other foods in a grocery store’s produce department. Gundry suggests, when possible, to avoid taking too many certain over-the-counter medicines such as ibuprofen. He also cautions against the use of antacid medications, also known as proton pump inhibitors, which he said should not be taken longer than two weeks.
The first step, Gundry says, is to avoid taking antibiotics when not needed. While these livesaving drugs are sometimes necessary, For more information, you can go to people should steer clear of using DrGundry.com. them when they don’t need to, such as to treat a viral infection, he says. “It turns out antibiotics kill off most of the good bugs in our intestines that actually protect us from leaky gut,” says Gundry. The next step involves increasing healthy bacteria in the gut, which are called probiotics. These can be found in probiotic supplements and certain foods and drinks such as yogurt, fermented vegetables like Increase healthy bacteria with probiotics! kimchi, and drinks like kombucha and kefir. 10 frontlines
WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE CBN NEWS How should you respond to today’s uncertainties, like “cancel culture” and anti-Christian bias? There’s a battle going on between church and culture. Where you get your news is critical, and discerning people like you are making CBN News their wise choice—a choice that offers: • Stories that matter most to you • Breaking news from award-winning Christian journalists • A trustworthy, faith-based perspective on world events Watch 24/7 on CBNNewsChannel.com Download the CBN News App — The App Store, Google Play, Roku, Amazon Fire
CBN NEWS CHANNEL | YOUR WISE CHOICE
UPDATE!
As this issue went to press, Operation Blessing launched a response team to provide much-needed relief aid to hurricane survivors along the Gulf Coast. OCTOBER 2021 11
DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE SPECIAL BENEFITS TO DONATING VIA STOCKS OR IRA? More
RECEIVE DOUBLE TAX SAVINGS
Donate stock to CBN and receive double tax savings. You can receive an immediate income tax deduction for the stock’s fair market value and pay no capital gains tax.
GIVE A TAX-FREE GIFT
If you are 70 ½ or older, you are able to give “tax-free” directly from your IRA to CBN. It will even satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution, if applicable. Do you want to know more about your options and give a meaningful gift today? Email plannedgiving@cbn.org or call 800-333-2373 for more information.
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CBN’S ORPHAN’S PROMISE
HOW ANI FOUND FAITH
Changing the course of a little girl’s future
When Ani’s mother tried to find work abroad, she became a victim of human trafficking. When she was rescued, she was left with the effects of the trauma. She married, but her husband abandoned the family, leaving her to raise Ani alone. Their income consisted of a small benefit from the Armenian government. One day, Ani was invited to a nearby children’s club connected with CBN’s Orphan’s Promise. While
there, she got to know teachers and counselors, and she even attended Bible classes and a life skills class. Gradually, Ani began to trust people and dream about the future. More important, she learned about God and opened her heart to the Lord Jesus. With sincere gratitude, she expressed, “Thanks to you, now I know God and trust people. Thank you very much!”
You helped Ani and her mother find comfort through Christ. OCTOBER 2021 13
SEEN ON THE 700 CLUB
YOUR QUESTIONS, HONEST ANSWERS WITH PAT ROBERTSON
Q
When receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues, is it the same for every believer?
A
I don’t think we ought to put God in a box and say, “Well, you’ve got to do it this way.” But I do think when the Holy Spirit came upon people, their highest senses, the speech senses, were activated and they began to praise God. They were worshiping God. They were magnifying the Lord and talking about the Lord, and they were speaking in other languages so other people heard them. The Bible says, “He that prays in the Spirit edifies his spirit.” That is a good thing. But to say, “Well, you’ve got to have this or you’ve got to have the other,” I don’t believe that’s right.
Do you have a question for Pat? Log on to CBN.com/AskAQuestion and follow the instructions.
If you need prayer, please call our Prayer Team at 800-700-7000.
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