by Lauren Keating | Sep 28, 2023 | Episodes
The Maryland Supreme Court has ruled 4-3 that a Catholic employer was lawful in denying health benefits to the spouse of a gay married employee because such unions violate church doctrine. This college football season is unlike any other in David Pollack’s life. For as long as he can remember, the sport dominated his Saturdays in ways most people haven’t experienced. And, from 2012-2017, the reality TV series “Duck Dynasty” told many stories of the Robertson family and their duck-call and decoy business. “The Blind,” coming to theaters Sept. 28, tells the story of Phil Robertson’s life before he became a Christian.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 27, 2023 | Episodes
Hard times often are described as “going through a valley.” But Bruce Watson, pastor of First Baptist Jeanerette, La., describes life’s valleys as the place where the soil is the richest. Rudy Kebreau and Randal Lyle are bound by far more than their mutual faith and pastoral calling these days. And, maybe your church has a prayer list. But have you ever considered have a personal prayer list? In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Kie Bowman says it may help you remain faithful in prayer.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 26, 2023 | Episodes
See You at the Pole is engaging parents in prayerwalking schools the weekends surrounding the Sept. 27 event to mobilize families in prayer. Why would a 19-year-old sailor be at church nearly every day of the week? And, many of us are very busy. We go to bed with our to-do list incomplete and wake up with a list of things to try to accomplish.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 25, 2023 | Episodes
Ever-rising numbers of refugees and migrants, a smaller than 1 percent evangelical population and recent fires and floodings make Athens, Greece, a city ripe for Gospel outreach through compassion ministry. World Relief and Open Doors U.S. report that 1 in 7 Christians worldwide suffer persecution or discrimination. And, In a piece on prayer in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Kie Bowman writes, ‘According to the Harvard Business Review, your routines and habits account for about half of your actions each day.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 22, 2023 | Episodes
Life, religious liberty, conscience protections and opposition to gender transition are among top priorities the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission advocated to Congress approaching the 2024 funding cycle. When it comes to X (formerly Twitter), church leaders may soon get the opportunity to truly take it or leave it. And, Jeff Iorg, president of Gateway Seminary in California, says baptisms are just the best.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 21, 2023 | Episodes
Caring Well Sunday, Sept. 24, is on the SBC Calendar this year for the first time, giving churches an opportunity to acknowledge the emotional toll of sexual abuse and commit to ensuring congregations are safe places. A Mobile, Alabama woman knows the heartbreak of miscarriage. Madison Gardner and her husband lost twins on Christmas Eve back in 2020. And, in a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, church leader Chuck Lawless says he wants to be regularly searching his heart for idols.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 20, 2023 | Episodes
Gospel worker in Morocco say there are many remote villages that have yet to receive aid. NAMB church planter Richard Duncan says Cleveland “ranks as the poorest large city in America, and nearly half of the city’s children live in poverty.” And, Mark Dance with Guidestone says there are a couple of things you can do to try to stay fresh.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 19, 2023 | Episodes
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is again urging Congress to prevent the deportation of more than a half million undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a local chapter of a Christian club that meets on public high school campuses nationwide. An, a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox shares some tips on how pastors can work with people who may be upset with them.
by Jonathan Howe | Sep 15, 2023 | Episodes
“Terminal: The Dying Church Planter,” is more than just a story about a guy with cancer. Four ways missions discipleship can help shape children in your church.
by Jonathan Howe | Sep 14, 2023 | Episodes
Women in states that have outlawed abortion are ordering abortion pills through the mail from out-of-state doctors and oftentimes foreign countries. The death toll from the major Sept. 8 earthquake in Morocco has climbed beyond 3,000. The view from the audience is not always accurate and certainly never complete. And the same can be said of viewing the life of Elisabeth Elliot.
by Jonathan Howe | Sep 13, 2023 | Episodes
Chaplain (CPT) Logan Lair recently baptized more than 150 U.S. Army soldiers as a part of summer chapel services during basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Moroccan officials say more than 2,900 people have been killed due to the devastating quake. Church leader Chuck Lawless has great concerns about how the use of digital media and communication will affect the next generation and that includes leaders inside the church.
by Jonathan Howe | Sep 12, 2023 | Episodes
For many who lived through 9/11, the 22nd anniversary of the far-reaching tragedy is now a day to reflect. The Moroccan state news agency says around 2,800 people have been killed by an earthquake in the country on Sept. 9. FBC Madison (FL) has provided around 1,000 meals to those in need following Hurricane Idalia.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 11, 2023 | Episodes
Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber shared his optimistic outlook for the future as he visited the offices of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) Wednesday (Sept. 6). Children begin developing a worldview as early as 15 months old, and parents are doing a poor job of discipling children during formative years, researcher George Barna said in his latest findings. And, veteran church leader Chuck Lawless has some concerns about a generation of church leaders raised in the Internet age.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 8, 2023 | Episodes
Three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, churches have fewer people in the pews, more money in the collection plate and less conflict than they had in 2020. An, a Lifeway Bible Study talks about the importance of prayer.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 7, 2023 | Episodes
Henry Lindo, serves as both pastor of Kaunakakai Baptist Church and assistant chief of operations for the Maui County Fire Department. Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Delray, Florida is trying to serve Haitians and share the hope of Christ with the island nation. And, Lifeway Research says there are encouraging trends in the local church. Aaron Earls writes that local church are seeing attendance to continue to rebound.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 6, 2023 | Episodes
Language is a distinct bond among Hmong people, who have no official homeland today, but generally trace their ancestry to China 4,000 years ago. Every church needs volunteers. Recruiting those volunteers is one of the most difficult tasks in the church’s ministry. And, do you find yourself digging for time off for rest and reset? In the Baptist Press Toolbox, Todd Gray offers suggestions on you avoid working too much and find time for rest.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 5, 2023 | Episodes
Hurricane Idalia’s strong winds may have toppled the steeple on Lakeside Baptist Church in Perry, but the storm did nothing to topple the faith of Lakeside members. Green Valley Baptist Church, located in a senior adult community 30 minutes south of Tucson, Arizone and next door to Sahuarita, a newer community filled with young families, VBS is the event of the summer. And, every pastor preaches a boring sermon from time to time. What do you do if that’s your pastor?
by Lauren Keating | Sep 4, 2023 | Episodes
Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. And, Pearl Goode was a recent widow and retired nurse in her 60s from nearby Pasadena when she joined hundreds of intercessors in the prayer tent at the Los Angeles Billy Graham Crusade in 1949.
by Lauren Keating | Sep 1, 2023 | Episodes
Now that Hurricane Idalia has moved off into the Atlantic, Disaster Relief workers are assessing how they can help. Names and background information for potential inclusion at sbcabuseprevention.com are currently being processed, according to the group assigned to created a database for Southern Baptist churches. And, Kie Bowman says grief can be a way God does significant work in the human heart.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 31, 2023 | Episodes
Following a shooting inside a lab building at the University of North Carolina on Monday that left a faculty member dead, local churches have covered the campus in prayer while providing places for students to process the tragic events. With the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Florida’s Big Bend area, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) teams began assessing the damage in preparation for a response. And, gospel workers are focusing on the Bhojki of India, with a population of approximately 2,900, are a community of priests at Devi Hindu temples.