Daytona 500, Racial Unity, & Intentional Relationships

It’s a long road from racing on the small tracks across America to victory lane at the Daytona 500. In a new I Am Second video, Michael McDowell, winner of the 2021 Daytona 500, says lessons of humility and faithfulness don’t end when a driver reaches the senior racing circuit.

A death-defying crash during his rookie season in 2008 sent McDowell on a 14 year journey that he says God used to teach McDowell to rely on Him.

In the video, the Daytona 500 winner talks about his faith in Jesus Christ and how it brings him peace with God despite his circumstances.

A conversation aimed at pursuing unity could provide another move toward racial reconciliation and an opening for the Gospel of Jesus, says Ed Litton, a pastor in Mobile, Alabama and the president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

“I think we have made some good strides in our [Southern Baptist] family, but the next step needs to be going deeper with one another, learning to love one another and learning how to give hope through the Gospel,” said Litton.

The live webinar is planned for February 23 at 11 a.m. (EST) online event Feb. 23. Register to watch the webinar live or on-demand at ERLC.com.

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.

In a piece on Baptist Press, Jayson Larson writes that we need to be reminded that we must be intentional to build relationships with others.

In a piece entitled Choose the Hard Investment, Larson says there are several things that keep us from connecting with other.

We let circumstances keep us from connecting with others.

We make faulty assumptions.

Despite these things that keep us apart, Larson says we must be intentional to connect with people.

God created us for relationship with Him and with others. Look to the beginning of the Bible. Before sin entered the world, Adam needed a relationship with God and with Eve. God made him this way. The same is true for us today. We need relationships with God and other people.

Find more stories at BaptistPress.com.

A federal district judge ordered the U.S. government to pay more than $230 million to survivors of the 2017 massacre of 26 worshipers at First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas.

U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez ruled the U.S. government was 60 percent liable for the massacre.

Rodriguez levied that the U.S. Air Force had failed to report to the FBI shooter Devin Kelley’s bad conduct discharge in 2014.

First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs Senior Pastor Frank Pomeroy, who lost a daughter in the attack, has chosen not to comment on the court case out of respect for the victims. Pomeroy is not listed among plaintiffs.

Women from 19 states and hundreds of churches came together for Abide 2022 conference at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College Feb. 4-5 to hear Jen Wilkin, popular Bible study author and speaker.

Wilkin encouraged the women to take a specific approach to their Bible study that would cause to not only learn about God, but to grow in their love for Him.

“The heart cannot love what the head does not know,” Wilkin said. “If we want to feel deeply about God, we must think deeply about God.”

In her follow-up plenary Saturday morning, Wilkin offered a better approach for Bible study that begins by understanding that the Bible is “not about me” or about making believers “feel better.”

“The Bible is a book about God,” Wilkin said. “Read it first for what it says about Him.”

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.

Wayne Bray, pastor at FBC Simpsonville, SC, says, “Common sense tells us that it’s impossible for us to convince others of something we don’t believe ourselves,” in a First-Person piece at Baptist Press.

He encouragers readers to examine their own hearts to make sure they truly believe God’s redeeming power for their lives.

Pointing to Romans 1:16, Brays writes, “The Gospel still has the power to change lives, and Jesus still saves sinners who call on His name.”

Find more stories at BaptistPress.com.