I’m a big believer in the very real power of prayer. Here’s just one example from my personal life.
I had suffered for about 15 years with bad feet and had been examined by several podiatrists. The diagnosis was not good. They all told me the same thing: It was just going to get worse! My toes didn’t contain bones, one doctor told me, they contained “dust”! He couldn’t believe I used only a cane to get around. I would need surgery to fuse the big toes in both feet in place.
One night my wife, Elizabeth, asked me if she could pray for healing. She saw me nightly going to bed and practically screaming in agony if I got as much as a sheet on top of the toes. But I had never thought, with so many people having so many serious maladies, that this really qualified for asking someone else for prayer. It turned out my wife was a born prayer warrior!
She prayed her heart out in the name of Jesus.
That same night, I got out of bed. The feet seemed noticeably better, but I didn’t know if I was healed. I didn’t know if this was just an emotional rush. But I decided to claim the healing the next day during Bible study.
I woke up energized. My toes did not feel like they had for 15 years – maybe longer.
My feet were healed. That was April 30, 2005. I testified of it before about 25 people the next day.
Quite a few years later, I suffered five serious strokes within a few weeks. I was left without speech for a long time. Elizabeth, who has become an even better prayer warrior, has prayed often.
I’ve made some headway, but I can’t always remember names. I’ve been left with a speech impediment. But I have indeed partially recovered. Whether I’ll get back my talk-show chops, I don’t know.
However, I trust in God – more so now than ever. Indeed, after all the miracles He has performed for me – personally and professionally – I am not afraid to suffer, to go to jail, or even to die for Him.
I do, however, have one fear.
I do not wish to FAIL, especially to fail others.
Early on, beginning when WND started to fail a few years ago, I could not admit it. And because of that concern, I have started sharing a lot with you – the very people who have, with God’s help, provided the sustenance for this original, pioneering, alternative, and yes, Christian online journalism organization, which in a few short weeks will mark the completion of its 25th year of publishing.
That’s right. We’re about to begin our 26th year – on May 4, 2022!
Now let me be totally transparent with you. WND is on the edge. Yes, we’re doing somewhat better, but it’s not always easy to pay unexpected bills, often resulting from some new lawsuit or attack or other. And boy, do we have unexpected bills. I know everyone does – which makes it harder to ask for help.
But I don’t want to FAIL YOU, after so many years. I don’t want to FAIL AMERICA, in its most desperate hours.
WND has been an important opposition voice for a quarter century. Many people have clung to it over the decades. They have wanted to hear the truth. They still do – and that even includes the whole team that started the operation, many of whom, believe it or not, have been with WND full-time for over 20 years! Besides Elizabeth and me, there’s David Kupelian, Joe Kovacs, Ron Strom, Art Moore, Bob Unruh, Chelsea Haggard, Patrice Lewis, Amanda Prevette, Janet Falkenstein – and the new kid on the block, Rich Douglas, our gifted finance director.
Let me take you back just a few years: WND had been operating for 20 years very successfully, and then Big Tech began suppressing us, canceling us, shadow-banning us, berating us, writing us out of their search algorithms and news feeds, and finally demonetizing us completely. I didn’t think this was even possible in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Not in the United States of America, with the powerful constitutional guarantees of freedom of the press, speech and religion. But for the last five years, that’s exactly what we have endured non-stop.
What did we do wrong? Well, in addition to upholding Christian moral values, the sanctity of human life and the Constitution at every turn, we also strongly supported Donald Trump for president in 2016. He was a total breath of fresh air, telling America exactly what he thought – unheard-of for a politician – and proclaiming a boldly pro-America agenda. And he won the election in 2016 over Hillary Clinton. What a relief!
However, Big Tech never forgave us for championing Trump; they throttled us in every possible way, eventually demonetizing us. And because of Google and Facebook, which together control the vast majority of online advertising – up to 99% – WND lost a huge amount of advertising revenue that had largely sustained us year after year.
But at least, we all figured, we still had Trump. He was making America successful! And we figured he would help find a solution to Big Tech’s total war against the free press – sooner or later. We were confident he would easily win reelection in 2020. After all, he was running against a nasty, corrupt, senile man who never left Delaware, couldn’t draw a crowd of more than a couple hundred people, and failed in every conceivable way. Yet, Biden magically received more “votes” than any other presidential candidate in the history of the republic – by far!
Of course, his record after one year as president is even worse than what we expected of him, if such is imaginable!
Now, in this climate of wall-to-wall lies, WND is needed more than ever. And we are ready, willing and able to do the job of real journalists as we have for decades – but we are also profoundly hurting.
Nevertheless, this promises to be an eventful year with a midterm election coming in November. So, there’s some reason for hope.
Indeed, I could relate countless examples of how God has pulled us through when I didn’t see any hope. Now I’m hoping God’s Holy Spirit will move upon the hearts of His people to pull us through. I’m still praying. But it’s not guaranteed we’ll still be here in another year. It’s touch and go, and there are many enemies who want to take us down. That’s a fact.
This is a tough letter for me to write, because so many of you have already done so much for WND over the years. I know you will answer the call the best you can, because you always do. But this letter will also hopefully prick the hearts of those many people who quietly cheer WND on, but don’t support us financially.
By the way, there’s so much more we could be doing in these trying times. That’s part of my frustration. I want this enterprise to grow, not just survive.
Maybe you’re thinking right about now, “I would like to help, Joseph, but I don’t have any money. I’m broke, too. The economy is killing me, too.”
There are ways every single person reading this letter can help WND today – even, as I’ll explain below, if you literally don’t have two nickels to put together.
Here’s how.
1. First and foremost, if my plea has resonated with you and you feel moved to help, please consider supporting us and all we do by donating to WND (not tax-deductible). Whether you choose to designate a regular monthly donation or to make a one-time gift, we could really use it right now. You can make contributions for as little as $3 and as much as $5,000 at our online store. You can also mail us a check if you prefer. Just make it out to “WND” and send it to: WND, P.O. Box 100, 580 E Street, Hawthorne, NV 89415-0100.
2. Would you like to make a tax-deductible contribution? You can do so online by supporting our sister organization, the IRS-approved, 501(c)3 nonprofit charity called the WND News Center. Or you can mail us your tax-deductible donation by making your check out to “WND News Center” and mailing it to: WND News Center, P.O. Box 100, 580 E Street, Hawthorne, NV 89415-0100.
3. Even if you cannot afford to make a donation, if you value what we do at WND, we ask you to please sign up for our free WND News Alerts. That way you’ll never miss another big story at WND. At the same time, our email News Alert list generates critical revenue for us. It’s a win-win, and costs you nothing.
5. Become a WND Insider and read WND AD-FREE! That’s right: By becoming a WND Insider, you will receive some terrific benefits and special discounts – including an ad-free reading experience!
6. Make a purchase from the WND Superstore, which specializes in unique, insightful, pro-Constitution, patriotic, God-honoring books, films and other products.
7. And then there’s one last thing you can do: Pray for WND, pray for our whole team!
Thank you so much for reading my message. We at WND would love to be here for you for many more years to come. But today, I am lifting my hands up, forsaking my pride, and just asking you for help. God bless you for your consideration.
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This article was originally published by the WND News Center.
