Tri-City Medical Center faces $129,500 in fines for failing to promptly report four "adverse events" [...]]]> Other North County hospitals incurred lesser penalties

By PAUL SISSON -

psisson@nctimes.com |
Saturday, July 25, 2009 10:09 PM PDT

∞

Tri-City Medical Center faces $129,500 in fines for failing to promptly
report four "adverse events" at the hospital, including a patient death, in 2008
and early 2009, according to state records.

Such reporting problems aren’t unusual —- almost all of North County’s
hospitals have been fined at least once in the past two years for failing to
report such incidents within five days of becoming aware of them, as state law
mandates.

However, Tri-City’s fines are significantly larger because its delays in
reporting were much longer. The fines grow by $100 a day.

In two instances, it took Tri-City more than 400 days to file a report with the
California Department of Public Health, the agency that collects the data. Among
other North County hospitals, the next-longest delay was at Scripps Encinitas,
which incurred a $6,600 fine for reporting an incident 66 days late.

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Obama plans to announce his decision on Wednesday in the Oval Office, a White House official said Tuesday. The official spoke on the condition [...]]]>
WASHINGTON — President Obama, under growing criticism for not seeking to end the ban on openly gay men and women in the military, is extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

Obama plans to announce his decision on Wednesday in the Oval Office, a White House official said Tuesday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the president hadn’t yet signed the presidential memorandum.

The official said Obama would release more details on Wednesday.

The decision is a political nod to a reliably Democratic voting bloc that in recent weeks has grown frustrated with the White House’s slow movement on their priorities.

Several powerful gay fundraisers withdrew their support from a June 25 Democratic National Committee event where Vice President Joe Biden is expected to speak. Their exit came in response to a June 12 Justice Department brief that defended the Defense of Marriage Act, a prime target for gay and lesbian criticism. Justice lawyers argued that the law allowed states to reject marriages performed in other states or countries that defy their own standards.

The legal arguments — including citing incest and sex with minors — sparked rebellion among gay and lesbian activists who had been largely biting their tongues since Obama won election. They had objected to the Rev. Rick Warren’s invitation to participate in the inauguration despite his support for repealing gay marriage in California.

Their January protest won the invitation of Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, whose consecration as the first openly gay bishop divided and almost split his denomination.

Gays and lesbians later fretted as the White House declined to intervene in the cases of enlisted military members facing courts martial for defying the Clinton-era “don’t ask, don’t tell” policies. White House officials say they want Congress to repeal the policy as part of a “lasting and durable” solution, instead of intervening on individual cases.

“The president agreed that … the policy wasn’t working for our national interests, that he committed to change that policy, that he’s working with the secretary of defense and the joint chiefs on making that happen,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said last month.

In the meantime, the administration has tried to make small, quiet moves to extend benefits to gays and lesbians. The State Department has promised to give partners of gay and lesbian diplomats many benefits, such as diplomatic passports and language training.

But without a specific change in the Federal Employees’ Health Benefits Program, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s promises left out financial benefits such as pensions. Obama’s move could make that shift.

Gay and lesbian activists had expected Obama to take action some time in June, which is gay pride month.

John Berry, the highest-ranking gay official in the administration and the de facto human resources chief for the administration, told a gay rally last weekend that Obama planned to take action on benefits soon.

Berry, who heads the Office of Personnel and Management, has repeatedly told reporters that he expected the White House to turn to legislation to give domestic partners access to federal health and retirement plans.

But Obama so far has sent only one piece of legislation to the Hill — a pay-as-you-go measure that is part of his wooing of fiscally conservative Democrats.

Instead, Obama will use his signature instead of legislation to achieve the benefits parity sought by same-sex couples.

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According to a media release, more than half the region’s churches are involved, representing most denominations.

The Highland Festival with Luis Palau is anticipated to be the [...]]]> INVERNESS, SCOTLAND
More than 100 churches have come together to partner with world evangelist Luis Palau for a far-reaching campaign with the goal of winning Scotland back to Jesus Christ.

According to a media release, more than half the region’s churches are involved, representing most denominations.

The Highland Festival with Luis Palau is anticipated to be the largest and most significant outreach since the Highland Revivals in the 1940s and 50s.

In an otherwise declining spiritual climate, an excitement is burning today in Scotland due to the upcoming Festival, the news release says.

“I have a tremendous love for Scotland,” said Palau. “My family in Argentina became Christians back in the 1940s through the witness of missionaries from this area. Today, it is an honor for me to partner with the churches and believers there.”

The mission spans two weeks and includes nearly 50 events that will culminate in Inverness.

Starting June 8, Luis Palau, son Andrew Palau, and other partner evangelists with Luis’ Next Generation Alliance® will proclaim the Gospel in 8 towns and villages throughout the Highlands. They include Gairloch, Mallaig, Lochinver, Golspie, Buckie, Fort William, Thurso, and Forres.

In addition, affinity events are planned specifically for women and business leaders, and thirty school assemblies will feature live action sports demos for youth.

On June 17-18, Luis Palau will speak at large indoor gatherings featuring traditional music performances by the All Souls Orchestra from London. The culminating outdoor festival will be on June 19-20 at Bught Park in Inverness.

Performing artists include Delirious, Hillsong London, LZ7, and other musicians well-known in the United Kingdom. Local churches have committed to follow up with those who respond to the Gospel or have questions about the Christian faith.

The news release says that in an effort to bless the community through this campaign, a massive area-wide food drive is being conducted throughout June, helping meet the needs of the community and replenish area food banks.

Luis Palau and his ministry have shared the Gospel with more than 1 billion people worldwide through events and media. His radio broadcast in both English and Spanish are heard by millions on over 2,600 radio stations in 48 countries. His festivals have produced some of the largest audiences ever recorded in cities from south Florida to South America.

Websites formore information:

http://media.palau.org

www.highlandfestival.org

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** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael has traveled to Albania and the former Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany and the former Czechoslovakia, Israel,and Canada. He has reported for ANS from Jordan, China, Russia, Jamaica, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Michael’s volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department — Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) — of A.C.T. International at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of ‘Truth Through Christian Journalism.’

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“She has taken a lot of abuse from people who shouldn’t be handing out abuse. But [...]]]> Carrie Prejean will not lose her Miss California crown, Donald Trump announced in a press conference on Wednesday. He was responding to controversy over whether Prejean violated her Miss California contract, with modeling photos and an ad supporting traditional marriage.

“She has taken a lot of abuse from people who shouldn’t be handing out abuse. But she is tough, she’s smart and she’s very beautiful, and that’s why she’s Miss California,” Trump said.

Miss California pageant co-directors Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler have publicly expressed their disapproval of Prejean’s support for homosexual marriage. “Her message was dividing us rather than bringing us back together,” Lewis, who is a homosexual, said on Tuesday.

At the press conference, Trump invited Perez Hilton to judge in next year’s Miss USA pageant. He was the judge who asked the same-sex marriage question in this year’s competition and later called Prejean unprintable names. Hilton prompted accepted via Twitter.

Sitting next to Trump on Wednesday, Prejean paid an emotional tribute to her grandfather, who fought in World War II’s Battle of the Bulge, the bloodiest battle in American history.

“He did speak about the freedom he fought for, and taught me to never back down, and never let anyone take those freedoms away from you,” Prejean said.

“I exercised my freedom of speech. And I was punished for doing so,” she said.

Prejean is claiming a heritage earned on the battlefield — and one that many Americans, judging by the response to the Miss USA controversy, are determined to keep.

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A convert from Islam, Abdi Welli Ahmed is an East Africa Pentecostal Church pastor from Kenya who in February tried to visit [...]]]> May 11, 2009
NAIROBI, Kenya (Compass Direct News) — A pastor trying to visit Somalia’s autonomous, self-declared state of Somaliland earlier this year discovered just how hostile the separatist region can be to Christians.

A convert from Islam, Abdi Welli Ahmed is an East Africa Pentecostal Church pastor from Kenya who in February tried to visit and encourage Christians, an invisibly tiny minority, in the religiously intolerant region of Somaliland.

Born and raised in Kenya’s northern town of Garissa, Ahmed first traveled to Addis Ababa, the capital of neighboring Ethiopia. When he arrived by car at the border crossing of Wajaale on Feb. 19 with all legal travel documents, his Bible and other Christian literature landed him in unexpected trouble with Somaliland immigration officials.
“I was beaten up for being in possession of Christian materials,” Ahmed told Compass. “They threatened to kill me if I did not renounce my faith, but I refused to their face. They were inhuman.”

Ahmed said the chief border official in Wajaale, whom he could identify only by his surname of Jama, took charge of most of the torturing. Ahmed said their threats were heart-numbing as they struggled to subdue him, with Jama and others saying they had killed two Somali Christians and would do the same to him.
His pleas that he was a Kenyan whose faith was respected in his home country, he said, fell on deaf ears.
“I was abused, and they also abused my faith as the religion for pagans, which they said is unacceptable in their region,” he said. “I told them that I am Kenyan-born and brought up in Kenya, and my Christian faith is respected and recognized in Garissa.”
Jama ordered Ahmed’s incarceration, and he was locked up in an immigration cell for nine hours. The officials took from his bag three CDs containing his personal credentials and Christian educational literature. They also took his English Bible, two Christian books and US$400, he said. Ahmed said he was released with the aid of an unnamed Ethiopian friend. “They warned me to never dare step into or think of going to Somaliland again,” said Ahmed, who doubles as a relief and development worker.

On March 22 he sent letters of complaint to Ethiopian, Kenyan and even presumably less-than-sympathetic Somaliland officials; none has shown any signs of pursuing justice, he said.
Compass e-mailed a copy of the letter to Alexander O. Oxiolo, head of consular affairs at Ethiopia’s Foreign Affairs ministry, who subsequently denied receiving it. When Compass printed the letter and took a hard copy to him, Oxiolo said he could not act on it because the complainant had not signed it.

He also questioned whether Ahmed was a Christian because of his Muslim name, apparently expecting him to have changed it after conversion.

Ahmed converted to Christianity in 1990. Soon after he was baptized in 1995, Ahmed came under threat from Muslims and fled to Niger in 1996, where he married. He and his wife returned to Kenya in 2000, Ahmed said, and since then he has received a steady stream of threats from Muslims in Garissa. On several occasions he has been forced to leave Garissa for months at a time, he said, waiting for tensions to cool.

Ahmed was ordained in 2004.

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Crystal Lewis Lewis, a mother of two, told the audience heart-warming stories of her own children, both teenagers. As teenagers, Lewis explained that her [...]]]> Sunday May 10th, 2009
By Brian Nixon
Special to ASSIST News Service
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS) — Dove award-winning singer, Crystal Lewis, was in Albuquerque, New Mexico to sing at Calvary of Albuquerque’s Mother’s Day services.

Crystal Lewis
Lewis, a mother of two, told the audience heart-warming stories of her own children, both teenagers. As teenagers, Lewis explained that her children’s favorite phrase is “I know.”

“No matter what I am telling them- something they never heard or knew- they still say, ‘I know.’ It can be frustrating, because this ‘teenage phrase’ conveys a know-it-all attitude. But as a mother, my prayer is that they- and all children- would know God’s love in a real way.”

Lewis’s musical career is a testament to God’s love. At the ripe age of 15, Lewis began singing for the creators of Psalty, and by the age of 17 she was offered a recording contract.

After two albums with a Southern California record company, Lewis starred in a Nickelodeon T.V series called, Roundhouse.

Then, in 1992, Lewis began recording full time once again, this time under her own label, Metro One.

Her albums were quite successful, especially, Bride, which produced, “Shine Jesus Shine,” reaching #1 on the Pop/Dance charts.

In 1996, Lewis released her album, Beauty for Ashes. On this album came Lewis’ most recognizable song, “People Get Ready…Jesus is Coming.”

With Grammy award nominations, female vocalists awards, Dove awards, and collaborations with Kirk Franklin, Mary J. Blige, and Bono (at the 1999 Grammy Awards), one would think Lewis would stay close to the entertainment world in her native Southern California.

But this is not the case.

Crystal told me that the Lewis family moved to Montana three years ago.

“We live in a small city in Montana. It is such a beautiful place.”

The church Crystal calls “home” is Fresh Life Church, a Calvary of
Levi Lusko

Albuquerque church plant, led by Levi Lusko.

Levi Lusko was youth pastor at Calvary of Albuquerque before planting this church two years ago.

According to Levi’s father, Chip Lusko, the church now has 1,000 members and is having a great impact on the city of Kalispell.

Levi states that his goal for the Church is that “people would be enamored with Jesus Christ.”

“We want to see people integrated into the community of believers and equipped to impact their culture and the world.”

Crystal seems to love her new home and church (calling Levi, “her little brother”).

Moving is something Crystal is familiar with. On her blog, she writes,

“I have moved around a lot. I’ve lived in only 2 states but I’ve moved from house to house, city to city about 17 times in my 39 years. That’s a lot of packing my friends. And one thing I love about moving is the act of taking inventory as you pack. You go thru your things…the stuff that inevitably accumulates as we buy, buy, buy… and decide what to give away. I actually enjoy this process. I love change.

“As much as I love change and as much as it has been, and I’m sure will continue to be, a significant part of who I am as a person, there is something else that is of far greater importance that keeps me loving life… the truth. It never changes. It has been the theme of my songs from day 1. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”! He is truth. He never changes. His word remains the same. Is that not comforting? To know that no matter what changes and encounters we face in this life, Jesus is there! His word is there! The truth remains the same!”

On this Mother’s Day we can thank God for mothers, but- just as Crystal has reminded us- we can thank God for His truth that all people- mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters, can stand on!

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Brian Nixon is a pastor, writer, musician, and family man. He currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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My Mother, Father, Brother Tony and Myself (sitting) in an Undated Photo.

For this year’s celebration, let’s make sure that we do more than just buy mom a rose or two, take her out [...]]]> By Jeremy Reynalds
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS) — With Mother’s Day on our minds, our thoughts obviously focus on “mom.”

My Mother, Father, Brother Tony and Myself (sitting) in an Undated Photo.

For this year’s celebration, let’s make sure that we do more than just buy mom a rose or two, take her out to lunch and then go back to the way we’ve acted all year. Let’s make a resolution to start appreciating mom EVERY day of the year while we still have the opportunity to do so.

Here’s my mother’s day story. While I wrote it in 2000, I believe that it is still just as relevant this year as it was back then.

The man made his way slowly up the stairs to the second floor of the hospital where his mother was a patient in the geriatric unit. He walked through the ward, passing by a variety of elderly people in various states of apparent mental and physical decay.

While he had been warned that his mother’s health was rapidly deteriorating, it was still a shock to him when he saw her. She was sleeping but her breathing was heavy and labored. Her hands, lying pathetically at each side of her frail body, were badly swollen. Her once immaculately permed hair fell untidily in all the wrong places.

Being assured by a nurse that it would be okay to wake up his mother, the man went over to his mom and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “Mom, it’s me,” he said. “Can you wake up?”

The woman stirred, blinked, opened her eyes fully and although a little confused appeared to be pleased to see her visitor.

“How are you?” the man asked.

“Not so good,” she said in a raspy, wheezing voice, speaking with difficulty. “I ask them to come and they don’t. I’ve got bad phlegm. Can you get me some tissues?”

The man took the nurse aside, and asked her what exactly was wrong with his mother. She told the man that despite running all sorts of tests they didn’t exactly know. However, none of the tests explained the physical problems being faced by the man’s mother. The nurse pointed out that the man’s mother did have a drug patch attached to her back to help alleviate some of the pain she was experiencing.

After saying goodbye, the man left and came back the next day. His mother was sleeping. This time, things were worse than yesterday. When the man’s mother was woken up, her face was permeated with a blank, vacant stare. She was even unable to recall who had visited her that morning.

Then with the man standing directly in front of her, she said how nice it would be if her son would come to see her. The man sighed inwardly and went to see the nurse, who again reiterated that while they didn’t know exactly what was wrong with his mother they were still doing all they could to help her. However, his mother apparently didn’t think so. With that vacant gaze she still kept telling her son, (apparently referring to the medical personnel) “I keep calling, but they never come.”

A tragic story, but one especially gut wrenching for me – because the elderly woman was my mother. I visited her in late February 2000 as she lay in a hospital bed in South England: a “guest” of the country’s nationalized health service.

A couple of days later I was back in the United States, so glad that some good friends had all told me that I should do whatever it took to pay a visit to my “mum” while I could. The week after my return, life went on as usual — except that as you might imagine my mother was never that far from my thoughts.

The following weekend arrived and with it plans for a birthday party for one of my sons, combined with a high school graduation celebration for another. While it was a happy occasion, the joy was tempered by a phone call I received the day of the party.

My mother’s hospital had called saying that she was getting steadily worse, and it was not anticipated that she would live through the day. When I asked exactly what was wrong they still didn’t know. In fact, the response I received was very vague and non-committal. However, being on the other side of the ocean, and unable to visit physically, what else could I do except pray and commit the situation to the Lord? So that’s exactly I did.

Mid-way through the gathering, the phone rang. It was a nurse from the hospital in the United Kingdom, saying she was sad to have to tell me that “mum” had passed away a couple of hours before.

As you can imagine, I was very glad that the Lord had prompted me to go see her before she passed on. (The Lord had also been gracious enough to provide the funds for the airfare as well). However, I was especially thrilled that some months before this, when “Mum” first became ill, that I had contacted the pastor from my old church in Bournemouth, England and that he had agreed to go and visit my mother.

While my mother had initially been very hostile to the gospel when I gave my life to the Lord in England in the mid 1970’s, (probably due at least in part to my over zealousness in the way I shared the gospel with her) she received Pastor Vic very warmly.

As I knew he would, Vic told my mom all about the love that Jesus Christ had for her. When he asked her if she believed what he was saying, she apparently replied (in that feisty manner that only she could), “Of course I do, I’m Church of England.”

I believe that one day I will join “mum” around the throne of the Lord, and we will praise and worship Him together for all eternity. Maybe some of you reading this have poor or severed relationships with your loved ones. Perhaps some of you haven’t spoken to your parents for years and still have no desire to do so. Maybe they were bad parents and you have absolutely no desire to remember anything at all about your childhood.

I understand. There were some pretty rocky moments between my mother and myself. However, as a believer, I made up my mind some years ago that I was Biblically obligated to forgive my mother and love her no matter what she had or hadn’t done.

And after a close friend of hers died a few years ago, I made a schedule to call her regularly so I could at least check on her in some limited fashion.

For me, the situation boils down to this. A pastor friend once said that the most important thing in life is relationships; firstly with God and then with each other. With that in mind, make sure your relationship with God is right, and then take care of all of the other relationships in your life. You will never regret doing so. We are not promised tomorrow. In fact, tomorrow may never come.

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Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico’s largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master’s degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is “The Face of Homelessness.” Additional details are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com. Reynalds’ latest book is “We All Need a Little Help.” It was released on October 3 2008. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 400-7145.

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You have responded quickly and helpfully to my first two columns on the “101 Things a pastor needs [...]]]> By Bill Ellis
Special to ASSIST News Service
SCOTT DEPOT, WV (ANS) — Pastors, both men and women, of thousands of churches throughout the world, are very important to millions of people. We all have a special concern for pastors.

You have responded quickly and helpfully to my first two columns on the “101 Things a pastor needs to know”. These five may conclude the columns on the subject for the present.

1. Parenting is what a father and mother become deeply and conscientiously involved with when children are born and for as long as they live. We commonly believe that “Daddy’s little girl will always be daddy’s little girl.” There is lasting truth in that statement. We should never reach the place in life when we are divorced and separated from being loving and caring parents.

No matter what others think of our children and what they would do with them we still say, “They are mine.” The minister must always model to his congregation, by word and example, a biblical view of being a parent.

2. Continuing education seems to be a necessity in our day. It has often been said, “You can look at a preacher’s library and tell what kind of pastor he is.” What kind of books is he reading? Is he continuing to be involved in an academic setting, perhaps earning an additional degree or more? Does his congregation provide him with sufficient funds to attend conferences, seminars and training sessions? Sermons are often indicators of continuing education, learning, a growing church and a fulfilling ministry.

3. There are things that destroy ministers and ministry. Sex outside of marriage, booze (alcoholic beverages), pornography in magazines, movies, television, the internet and by any other means and the love of money will destroy any minister, man or woman. Throughout our nation and the rest of the world, thousands who were called to the ministry were defeated and driven out as failures. Those who sought forgiveness through repentance and made some degree of recovery have seldom, if ever, come back to the level of effectiveness from which they so unnecessarily fell.

4. Beginning well is extremely important. Blessed are the persons who are called to the ministry who have good mentors — examples, teachers, colleagues and friends who will stand by them with assistance, correction and instruction. Those who have had good mentors may also become good mentors for others.

I strongly encourage those entering the ministry to listen to and engage in serious conversation with those who are older and more experienced. The older the mentors are, the better they may be. Learn from those who have successful track records.

5. Finish well. Many ministers, and I have known scores of them personally, did well and had effective ministries, but they did not windup with victory. They faltered and failed before they crossed the finish line and gained the prize. They continue to hear in their own hearts and minds, “You did run well, but who hindered you?” (Galatians 5:7).

St. Paul, commenting on his own ministry wrote, “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Be faithful to the very end and enter into the joys of a life lived well on earth.

We have mentioned 20 of the “101 things a pastor needs to know”. One response to the first column on this subject prompted this request, “Please send the 91 others.” They have not been finalized. I am waiting for your suggestions at: bill@billellis.net. Watch for the book.

Help your pastor to be as effective and faithful as possible. You can do that by being present when he or she preaches and teaches and by praying for your pastor each day — just as you pray for our president and vice president and other leaders daily.

-30-

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Bill Ellis is a syndicated columnist, and convention and conference speaker on every continent. He is the writer of more than 1600 columns and widely known as a motivator utilizing enjoyment of life and just plain fun and laughter while speaking to high school, university and professional sports teams as well as to business and professional groups of all kinds. His keen understanding of human problems make him a favorite speaker for youth, parent, and senior adult meetings. He is accompanied by Kitty, his wife, favorite singer, editor and publisher.

For information on becoming a subscriber to the Ellis Column for your newspaper or magazine, you may contact him at: BILL ELLIS, P.O.Box 345, Scott Depot, WV 25560 or by calling: 304-757-6089.

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Al Kasha with his two Oscars

The songwriting duo [...]]]> Double Oscar-winning composer, Al Kasha, reveals the inside story

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
BEVERLY HILLS, CA (ANS) — Al Kasha (born 22 January 1937) is a Brooklyn–born composer, songwriter and arranger, as well as businessman. He is most noted for his years of collaboration with songwriter Joel Hirschhorn.

Al Kasha with his two Oscars

The songwriting duo won two Oscars for Best Song, “The Morning After” from The Poseidon Adventure in 1972 and “We May Never Love Like This Again” from The Towering Inferno in 1974.

Along with Hirschhorn, Kasha also received two Tony nominations for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Copperfield, two Grammy nominations and an Emmy, as well as four Golden Globe nominations and a People’s Choice award. In all, Hirschhorn and Kasha’s songs sold over 90 million records.

But Kasha had a terrible secret; he suffered from agoraphobia and for a while would not leave his Beverly Hills home. But one night, Al Kasha, who is Jewish, turned on the TV late a night and at the end of the program, he prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his savior and Messiah.

After studying at theological seminary, he became an ordained Southern Baptist pastor, and then started a weekly Bible study in his home where he would teach with his two Oscars on the piano.

Dan Wooding with Al Kasha at he MFI event

In an interview, Kasha told me that one of the regulars at his Bible study in 1979 was Bob Dylan.

“Bob’s nature is that he’s a very much a seeker and he was interested to see why a fellow Jew would come to know Christ,” Kasha began. “He started at the Vineyard church and then, when we met there, he came to a first Bible study, and at the second bible study, he gave his life to the Lord.”

I asked Kasha what exactly happened.

“I prayed the prayer of confession, which he repeated, about his sins and that Jesus was the Son of God and is God, and I pointed out to him in John four that ‘salvation shall come through the Jews’ and that Jesus came to this earth as a Jew. I’m a Jewish believer now going on since nineteen-seventy-eight so it’s a long time. That Bible study started in seventy-nine and never ended until this past year.”
Bob Dylan performing

Kasha went on to say, “Bob would stay until three or four o’clock in the morning asking me questions beyond my knowledge. The interesting thing is that he felt a comfort that I was a fellow song writer.

“He wrote ‘Slow Train Coming’ mostly in our home. I gave him a key and I’d be sleeping upstairs with my wife (Ceil) and he’d come in at three or four o’clock in the morning, and I’d hear him picking as he felt a kind of Holy Spirit comfort.”

Sadly, Dylan eventually appeared to move away from his born-again faith, and so I asked Kasha where he thought Dylan was today spiritually.

“I think he’s a little confused spiritually,” he said. “If you want to know the truth, and I always try to be as honest as possible, I think some Christians took advantage of him. They would tell him, ‘Go out and sing for nothing.’ Why should he sing for nothing if he’s being paid by other people?’ So I think that that bothered and hurt him. But if you look at his life, even before he was saved, he always wrote a song about Jesus. And, as a believer, I believe once you’re saved, you’re saved forever; you really are. Once that Word has been in you your conscience it will never leave you and Christ will never leave you or forsake you never.”

So did Kasha believe that Dylan is still seeking the truth?

“Yes, I believe that he is still seeking and he has never renounced his faith,” he said.

Al Kasha is still receiving awards for his work. On April 25 he was given the prestigious Robert A. Briner Award at the Biola Media Conference at CBS Studios in Studio City, California. Other honorees included award winning director/producer Howard Kazanjian and famed film and TV producer Ken Wales.

For more information on Al Kasha, go to www.alkasha.com.

I would like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing this interview.

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Dan Wooding, 68, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 45 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS); and US Bureau Chief for the Missionaries News Service (www.missionariesnews.tv) and Safe Worlds IPTV’s Faith, Hope and Charity channel. He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC., and now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California and which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on UCB UK and Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com.

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