Top of the Week: Rick Warren Announces Retirement From Saddleback Church and Names Successor

(YouTube/Saddleback Church)
Following are snippets of the top stories featured over the past week on charismanews.com. We invite you to visit the links to read the stories in full.

Rick Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, has announced his retirement after more than 42 years as the senior pastor there. He will step down in September and will hand the reins of one of the largest churches in America to Andy Wood, who, with his wife, Stacie, will come to lead Saddleback after serving 14 years at Echo Church in San Jose, California.

Warren, 67, and his wife, Kay, founded Saddleback Church in 1980. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and is said to be the largest church in California. Warren announced his retirement and successor this week on the church's website and Facebook page.

"This is the historic news that I've wanted to share with you for quite some time," Warren wrote to his congregants. "There are many details that I'm eager to share with you. You can watch this video for more information.

Prophet Chuck Pierce says that between now and the end of July, believers need to watch very closely what is happening in our capital of Washington, D.C.

Ever-accelerating inflation, the crucial abortion issue and debilitating division between the two political parties have put a vise grip on our nation in recent months. Many crucial decisions are expected to come down from Washington in the next two months, including the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe v. Wade.

Pierce says believers should heed the decree of Daniel 7:9 (MEV), which reads, "I watched until the thrones were cast down and the Ancient of Days was seated, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and its wheels as burning fire."

I Love Lucy has been called the greatest show in television history, and red-headed firebrand Lucille Ball, who starred in the title role, paved the way for today's comediennes. But the actor who played "Little Ricky" on the program remembers the show a bit differently.

At one point, Keith Thibodeaux even blamed I Love Lucy for tearing his family apart and ruining his life. But in the end, God redeemed him from all of the pain.

"I was about 4 1/2 years old at the time, and my dad said, 'Keith, this is really important. This is a really big show in Hollywood.' I knew from my father's explanation of it that it was something big."


Are people tormented in hell before Judgment Day?

The answer is yes. There are a few reasons why we know that people are in hell before Judgment Day.

When a person dies in their sins, they exist separated from God and His goodness. There is nowhere else for a person to go who rejects Jesus Christ as Savior.

At a Friday morning prayer service (June 3), stunned and shattered worshippers gathered to weep, pray, sing and mourn two young women killed at an Iowa church.

The service was hours after a fatal shooting in the parking lot of Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa, home to Iowa State University. The shooting occurred on the night of the first summer gathering of the Salt Company, a ministry for college students. About 80 students were at the church that night.

Church leaders did not identify the women who were killed, citing the ongoing investigation.

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