Cynthia Crane was busy with her daily routine when God altered the forces of nature to send her a very clear, if not so subtle message. Normally this mother of six has her plate full doing laundry and washing dishes. However, on this sultry September day she had gotten ahead. With an unusual bit of free time she determined to find some mid-morning inspiration from television. Bypassing the usual suspects: Days of Our Lives, Oprah, Montel Williams, she paused on her local cable affiliate to watch Pat Robertson’s  700 Club. It was at that moment that her life changed forever.

It wasn’t the story of a 9/11 survivor who birthed a ministry out of tragedy.  It wasn’t the incredible story of weight loss inspired by faith. It was a bolt of lightning that came crashing down on her, entering her head and exiting through her tailbone.  Fortunately for Cynthia her son was home. Reaching into her back pocket he pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911. Soon emergency medics arrived and, by the grace of God she is alive to tell the story today.

Her pastor, Rev. Larry Stallworth, has a different spin on this compelling story. Cynthia had better be more careful about what she watches on TV. That’s right. This not-so-little act of God was a warning that she’d better stay away from Pat Robertson. “The evangelical church has gotten downright nutty over the last couple of decades. Guys like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Pat Robertson? These guys are very close to abandoning evangelical faith altogether in favor of some covetous, mystical belief that, at times, borders on utter nonsense,” said Stallworth. Crane is not entirely convinced. “Guys with such great hair can’t be entirely beyond the pale,” she quipped. “But my pastor has a lot of wisdom, so I’m considering his words.”

“If God judged the sins of New Orleans by sending a hurricane then I have no doubt that he would send a bolt of correction to one of his children for the sin of watching TBN,” Stallworth said.