Reaffirmed Faith After Brain Injury, Halloween & The Bugkalot Tribe

Four years ago Erica Baggett nearly lost her life. She also marks it as the day she received a great gift.

An avid runner, Erica completed the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Nashville last April.

That would make you wonder why she was so emotional after finishing a fairly nondescript 5K earlier this month.

It’s because that race was hosted at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which treats those with traumatic brain injuries. It’s the place where not that long ago Erica’s family was told to be ready; she likely would need help for the rest of her life with simple tasks like showering and brushing her teeth.

In the same way she has exceeded that prognosis, Erica not only finished the 5K that day. She was the first woman to cross the finish line.
Erica recently talked to our Scott Barkley about how her faith propelled her challenging recovery. Read the full story at Baptist Press.
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In a recent survey of 1,000 pastors, Lifeway Research found that more pastors are viewing Halloween as an opportunity to engage neighbors in at least some capacity. Younger pastors are more likely to encourage their congregations to engage in Halloween by inviting friends and neighbors to church events or by building relationships with neighbors who trick-or-treat. Pastors ages 18-44 and 45-54 are among the most likely to encourage members to build relationships with neighbors (66 percent and 63 percent, respectively) and to invite neighbors to church events (78 percent and 79 percent, respectively).

But older pastors are more likely to encourage their churches to hand out Gospel tracts to trick-or-treaters. Those 55-64 (38 percent) and older than 65 (37 percent) are among the most likely to encourage church members to give out tracts.
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Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

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.
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Only a few decades ago, the Bugkalot people were one of the fiercest tribes in the Philippines, known for beheading their enemies. No outsider who contacted the tribe survived, and the people around them lived terrified of them.

Then, in the 1950s, the Gospel slowly took root in the tribe after some of the leaders met believers and came to faith. The first believers established churches that grew and multiplied as more and more Bugkalot people chose to follow Christ.

As the Bugkalot church grew in its burden for the unreached, God inspired the people to reach the lost and neglected in their own community as well. For example, everyone thought a village had been completely wiped out by in-fighting within the tribe decades earlier, but church leaders heard that a few survivors relocated.

Though the survivors had since passed away, the church sent a delegation to their children and Grandchildren. They apologized for the violence and tragedy decades earlier and shared the gospel.

Read the full piece and sign up for our daily emails at Baptist Press.com.