Could God be responsible for the crime rate decrease in Orlando?

This fall, the Orlando, Fla., police department organized 40 days of praying to end the violence in the city's Parramore district.

Did it work? Well, Orlando police said that the crime rate dropped drastically last month, and Central Florida News 13 reported that many religious leaders credit God.

Coincidence? I think not. It's great that Orlando police recognize the power of prayer.

12-year-old gives -- instead of gets -- toys at Christmas

We know that God wants us to have a giving spirit. Tyler Strasser, age 12, has been giving in a unique way since he was three.

When Tyler was two, God spoke to him. Tyler couldn't speak, but his mom thought that it was interesting that Tyler started stashing away unopened toys that he had bought with his allowance. When Tyler was three, he was able to tell his mom, "They are for the children." He then explained how God spoke to him.

He has given away gifts since then. He has a charity called Tyler's Mission, and he does special things for Easter, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day in addition to Christmas. He has given toys to "kids" from birth to age 105.

The Charlotte Observer reported on his story and obtained comments from Tyler and his mom, Trish:

Trish Strasser says she feels blessed that her son took the time to listen to God at an early age.

'What I am blessed about is that he stood still long enough to listen to God's plan for his life,' she says. She says that while Tyler is welcome to quit his mission any time he chooses, he refuses to even think about it.

'I plan to do this throughout life,' insists Tyler. In addition to providing toys, food, clothing and toiletries to those in need, Tyler's long-range goals include building a safe place for his kids to come and play, which he says he will call 'Ever Ever Land.'

To donate or volunteer, or for more information contact Tyler or his mom at

P.O. Box 958

Paw Creek, NC 28130

Phone: 704-604-8917

San Francisco Chronicle columnist mocks Richard Roberts

Mark Morford, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote a column today mocking Richard Roberts, the former president and chief executive officer of Oral Roberts University. In the column, Morford talks about God visiting him while he was enjoying some Thanksgiving leftovers.

Enjoy his column with a grain of salt. . .

Joining the Army instead of listening to God

When Shante Roseboro was 22, God told her to open a home for women in need. She ignored His words and decided to go into the U.S. Army.

She wasn't happy in the Army.

But God is persistent. Six years later, Roseboro started the New Beginnings Maternity/Transitional Home for Women outside of Morganton, N.C.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the home is a long-term facility for women and children in need of emergency or transitional housing due to substance abuse, unplanned pregnancy or other circumstances.

Roseboro has worked for the past two years as New Beginnings' executive director without a salary in order to ensure the home's success.

Actor cuts off drinking partners to return to God

A Q&A with actor Larry Koldsweat recently ran in Modern Ghana. In the interview, he talks about how he was a Christian, but ran away from God when his sister died.

Koldsweat described his behavior after that point as "really bad, terrible."

Then his mother died. He hit a low point and decided to return to God:

As we were praying, I prophesied to myself and said God was giving me another chance. After that prayer, Alex [a friend] said that God spoke through me. I then decided to return to God.

The first thing the Holy spirit did for me was to cut off all my drinking partners. A pastor-friend one day phoned me and said people should stop praying for me. Instead, I should be praying for people.

God's hand always is in our lives, even if we distance ourselves from Him.

Evel Knievel finds God

All his life, daredevil Evel Knievel told people that he didn't believe in God. Fortunately, Knievel was saved a few months before his Nov. 30 death, according to his final interview, which was published in Maxim magazine. Ontario Now ran an excerpt:

During the interview Evel opens about how he found God a few months ago, in a hotel room in Daytona Beach. 'All my life I was an atheist,' he says. 'I’d tell people I didn’t believe Jesus could walk on water. Then something happened in Daytona. God spoke to me. He said, ‘Robert, you got to stop tellin’ people you don’t believe in me. I been takin’ care of you for years, watchin’ over you. I done everything for you. And you go tell people you don’t believe in me. You gotta stop it.' Evel puts his hands over his face, then sobs, 'I told God I’d never insult him again.'

There's a daredevil in heaven now.

GOD ROX

On my way to church yesterday, I saw a car with the license plate "GOD ROX". I thought about how great it is that someone would proclaim their faith out loud to the world in this way.

I also thought about how shy I am when it comes to proclaiming my faith and talking to non-believers about God. Could my attitude stem from my dad putting Minnesota Twins player Gary Gaetti down for becoming a born-again Christian, with Gaetti's hitting production decreasing around that time? Or the fact that my mom talks negatively about our relatives who are Christians?

Nonetheless, it is a privilege that God has called us to share His word. And Romans 10:13-14 tells us that it's really difficult for people to get saved unless they have heard about Jesus Christ in the first place. That's where we come in -- it's up to us to spread the word.