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.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 30, 2023 | Episodes
As Hurricane Idalia makes landfall, disaster relief are preparing to responding across Florida and the south east. Commonwealth of Faith in Redford, Michigan was preparing for a car show to end their vacation Bible school on Aug. 27, but due to flooding rains they got more than they bargained for…in a good way. And, how can you tell if someone is truly gossiping? In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Sam Rainer encourages believers to remember people need to talk to process.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 29, 2023 | Episodes
Hundreds of Hawaiians reached out over the weekend to notify authorities they are o-k. Maui County authorities issued a list of almost 400 people on Friday that had not been located since the devastating fires in early August. Nascar driver Michael McDowell says his faith in Jesus impacts everything he does whether its on the track or in own living room. And, in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Kie Bowman says that to deal with disappointment, the believer must slow down to spend time with God.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 28, 2023 | Episodes
Officials in Maui have released the names of hundreds of people who are not accounted for following wildfire that devastated a portion of the island. An estimated 783 million people will go to sleep hungry tonight, according to the International Mission Board. From war to global pandemics to natural disasters and overall economic downturn, a number of factors have caused this number to double since 2020. And, drawing from Jesus’ pattern of life is a great way for Christians to grow as disciples, according to Jeremy Linneman. In his piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, he points out three rythms for spiritual growth.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 25, 2023 | Episodes
South Carolina’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s latest fetal heartbeat abortion ban Aug. 23, although the court in January struck down a previous and nearly identical version of the ban. A 25-year-old legal dispute has finally been settled in favor of Sunrise Children’s Services. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati unanimously affirmed the final dismissal of all the plaintiffs’ claims against Sunrise with prejudice in a ruling Tuesday. And, in her book about Gideon, Priscilla Shirer says “idolatry is very much alive today, no matter what terminology we attach to it.”
by Lauren Keating | Aug 24, 2023 | Episodes
The raid by secret police of Russian evangelical leader Yuri Sipko’s home will not silence the former Baptist Union president’s “uncompromised” stance. Financial prosperity is a goal for many Americans, and most believe it’s God’s plan for them too but that they need to give a little more to ensure that blessing. And, in a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Jen Wilkin and Pastor JT English offer tips in forming your theology – that is your thinking about God.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 23, 2023 | Episodes
Gay Williams and her husband John have been leading disaster relief efforts for the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention (HPBC) as Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers from around the Hawaiian Islands have joined the effort. Relief workers are also helping in California. A storm named Hilary dumped heavy rainfall across southern California over the weekend. And, prayer is a wonderful gift God gives His people. In a Baptist Press Toolbox piece, Kie Bowman says that is especially true in seasons of grief.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 22, 2023 | Episodes
When Manuel “Don” Biadog Jr., looks back on his 30-year ministry as a Navy chaplain many highlights come to mind. When pastor Dale Huntington took his family and a group of GenSend interns out for ice cream, he wasn’t expecting to perform CPR on a man who was likely experiencing a drug-overdose. And, in a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Glenna Marshall talks about the importance of memorizing Scripture and offers specific techniques she’s found are helpful to commit God’s Word to heart and mind.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 21, 2023 | Episodes
North Carolina is the 22nd state to ban medical gender transitions among minors, although similar laws have been either struck down or face court challenges in other states. The Food and Drug Administration erred in easing access to the so-called abortion pill, a federal appeals court ruled Aug. 16 in a decision that will have no impact unless the U.S. Supreme Court agrees. And, in a Lifeway Bible study on Baptist Press we’re reminded, “Jeremiah knew that God was stronger than any earthly kingdom. God would be a champion for His people and redeem them, bringing lasting peace. He will also bring suffering and chaos to those who have mistreated His people.”
by Lauren Keating | Aug 18, 2023 | Episodes
Her last seminary class came in 1957. She was just three weeks from graduation. That’s when Mary Glenn Ingouf went into labor. She delivered a healthy baby but life moved her in a different direction and she never finished her coursework at New Orleans Seminary. Most Gen Z adults say their lives have been transformed through Scripture despite their three- year decline in Bible engagement, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in the latest chapter of the 2023 State of the Bible. And, nominations for the 54 th annual Gospel Music Association Dove Awards were highlighted by Brandon Lake’s 11 nods, which include Artist of the Year, and multiple nominations for Worship Recorded Song of the Year.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 17, 2023 | Episodes
Recent decisions by World Aquatics, requiring transgender men to compete in an “open” category rather than against women, are examples of common sense prevailing in the transgender debate, an ethics leader says. A guide on human trafficking by Send Relief points to two primary types of trafficking. And, in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Kie Bowman says God wants His people to be persistent in prayer.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 16, 2023 | Episodes
Age verification laws written to protect minors from adult content have driven pornography hotbed Pornhub and other websites out of service in at least four states. Lifeway Research reports an estimated 783 million people will go to sleep hungry tonight. And, a Bible Study based on 2 John 1 points to how believers are known by who they are and how they live.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 15, 2023 | Episodes
Immigration is largely affected, of course, by the flow of refugees. The need for refugee ministry has grown significantly, said Josh Benton, vice president of North American Ministry for Send Relief. Seattle, Washington is a city of around five million people. Did you know that a study reveals that nearly 85% of the population there says they do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ? In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Ron Aguiar writes, “Barna research indicates that more than 60% of Christians became believers before the age of 14, indicating how vitally important a youth a children’s ministry can be in young people’s lives.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 14, 2023 | Episodes
Relief crews are at work across Maui as they assess damage and help those who are grieving. Matthew is a young man in Guinea. The International Mission Board is asking you to pray for him. And, Is prayer in public schools? While it may not be led by school officials, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission says students are free to pray voluntarily.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 11, 2023 | Episodes
American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed Wednesday in Haiti. “Fear not” is a frequent command in the Bible, but most pastors feel churchgoers aren’t getting the message. And, while churches are families of faith, they are still made up of people wrestling with sin and its devastating consequences.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 10, 2023 | Episodes
American nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter were freed Wednesday in Haiti. “Fear not” is a frequent command in the Bible, but most pastors feel churchgoers aren’t getting the message. And, while churches are families of faith, they are still made up of people wrestling with sin and its devastating consequences.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 9, 2023 | Episodes
Parents, clergy and public education advocates are challenging Oklahoma’s approval of the first publicly funded religious charter school in the nation. A U.S. appeals court has upheld the elimination of religious exemptions for childhood vaccine requirements in Connecticut on August 4. And, in a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Kie Bowman reminds us that Jesus withholds some blessings until you pray.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 8, 2023 | Episodes
As a new school year approaches, many church leaders seek church members who can serve in the church, 66% said they did not volunteer for a charity (ministry, church, or non-ministry) in the last year. Officials in Haiti continue to search for a missing nurse and her young daughter. Alex Saindival, a nursery with a Christian ministry called El Roi, and her daughter were kidnapped in late July at gunpoint. And, making guests feel welcome is important whether you’re in your home or heading into your favorite store. The local church is no exception. Devin Maddux says there are some specific things churches should be doing.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 7, 2023 | Episodes
If you happen to pass by the Faith Tabernacle in Chicago, you might have an opportunity to pray with Phillip Griffin. Pastor Samson Doreliens ministers “right in the middle of the violence in Port Au Prince,” the site of the July 27th kidnapping of an American nurse and her daughter who remain missing. And, when you sing in church…do you realize you may be accomplishing more than you know? In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox says that when we sing in church, believers are speaking to God.
by Lauren Keating | Aug 4, 2023 | Episodes
Samford University’s School of Nursing has received more than $2 million to improve the preparation of primary care nurse practitioner students committed to careers in medically underserved and rural areas. Many church will pray for Send Relief this Sunday. The group is a joint ministry of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the International Mission Board (IMB) that launched as an effort to help churches share the gospel through compassion ministry, both with their next-door neighbors and with the nations throughout the world. And, scholars says the Kingdom of God is already and not yet. The subject is explored in a Lifeway Bible study at Baptist Press.
