The 51st Annual March for Life is happening Friday in Washington, DC. Shakira loved being a mom. She calls it the greatest job there is.
And, more pastors are encouraging members to adopt and provide foster care at a time when adoptions have declined in the U.S.
Refugees and immigrants from all over the world are coming to the U-S. Imagine if churches from across your city or community came together to pray for God to stir spiritual awakening in your hometown. And, maybe you struggle to get help. Pastors can be guilty of that.
Just a day after remembering the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., Americans are being called to reflect on the importance of religious freedom as they observed religious freedom day on Tuesday. And, in Luke 5, Jesus boarded Peter’s boat to teach the crowd gathered to hear Him speak. Peter had a front-row seat. As he listened, he heard about living by faith instead of religious observance.
Facing brutal cold across the country, many Americans took Monday to reflect on the civil rights work of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Evangelical Immigration Table and World Relief issued a letter Jan. 11 signed by more than 500 evangelical Christians to U.S. presidential candidates urging them to consider biblical principles when drafting solutions to the immigration crisis. And, while the Scriptures speak about many issues, they do not speak to all issues. A piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox offers some suggestions on how believers can understand what God thinks about an issue when there is no specific, related Scriptural reference.
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day…a federal holiday set aside to honor the life and legacy of the man who help guide the nation toward providing civil rights for all races. And, in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Kie Bowman writes, “Why does the amount of time we spend in prayer matter?”
Some of the most encouraging news we hear has roots in tragedy. This week, Carter McNeese and his wife, Audrey, were awaiting their possessions to be delivered to their new home in Shalimar, Florida when the phone rang. And, Williamstown, Missouri is a small town with a population of only 60 souls. There only one church left in the small community and on January 4, Pastor James Leezer of Providence Church received the call no one wants – the church and the parsonage are on fire.
College classmates stoned and torched Deborah Samuel to death in May 2022, in Abuja, Nigeria, accusing her of blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad. The Supreme Court will rule on a case involving an Idaho law which bans nearly all abortions in the state. And, Caleb Davis wants you to have a strong start to the new year but he believes it won’t happen accidentally. You must be intentional he writes in the Baptist Press Toolbox.
For most pastors, the start of a new calendar year also indicates the start of a new fiscal year for their churches. A large blank canvas sits on an easel as Richard Pope, senior pastor of Canvas Church in Salisbury, Maryland, begins his Sunday sermon. And, if you’re a preacher or a teacher…you know when the listeners is tuned in and when they’re tuned out.
A new searchable global database of violent religious persecution encompassing Christianity and other faiths is available free to the public, Global Christian Relief CEO David Curry announced Jan. 5. In a profound journey of faith, West Point cadet Austin Hemminger’s story is one of transformation amid the rigors of basic training. And, pastors can face significant challenges as they try to balance their family and their work. Sam Rainer offers some reasons in a Baptist Press article.
As 2024 dawns, more than 4,800 people in western Cuba are walking into the new year with new spiritual life found only in Jesus Christ. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken omitted Nigeria from the 2024 list of egregious religious freedom violators Jan. 4, disregarding widespread outcry from advocacy groups including the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. And, Dan Darling believes you can read more and with pleasure in 2024.
The summer before Leslie Montgomery started 8th grade, her church hired a youth pastor whose parents served as missionaries in Tanzania. The new year brings new beginnings, but a lot needs to be said for consistency. Ministry needs to be face-to-face as much as possible and Gospel-centric, not activity based, veteran youth leaders say. And, an Lifeway Bible Study reminds us, “No one likes to wait for God to move. We are an impatient, impetuous people. But waiting is often a necessary step for our growth and ability to receive God’s blessings.”
When a believer dies, it is a time of sorrow and joy. The family of Junior Hill is walking through the season today. The longtime evangelist died this week at the age of 87 in his home in Hartselle, Alabama. As many people are hitting the gym as a new year begins, some believers on the other side of the world are utilizing a gym for more than just physical health. They are strengthening their spiritual muscles. And, when a lead pastor leaves a church, it affects the entire congregation. In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Stephen Vail who serves as the executive pastor at First Church in Charlotte, North Carolina says the right kind of communication can go a long way.
From the age of 7, Jeremiah Castille had a vision of one day playing professional football, following in the footsteps of those players he watched in recaps of NFL games. Back then, however, he had no idea how God would end up using this vision. Believers from Texas and Mexico continue to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Otis. The category-five storm claimed at least 50 lives and did more than $10 billion in property damage in Acapulco in late October. And, in a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Kie Bowman says, “Prayer connects us to Heaven.
A stranger slid into Carina Beaty’s Instagram DMs. The message opened not just chat windows but doors to discipleship Carina couldn’t have imagined when she and her husband opened their apartment windows years ago. And, an grateful church is a church we should all desire. A Lifeway Research article provides some ways a church can help its members be grateful.
It started with a coffee run. On a trip to the closest city, International Mission Board missionaries Jason and Robin Ebeyer were praying to find a “person of peace” – someone who would welcome them and help in their ministry efforts. And, in an article for Lifeway Research, church health consultant Mark Dance encourages pastors to reconsider how they are related to attendance at their church.
Many people will make resolutions in the New Year. What if you asked some questions first? Here are a few suggestions from Donald Whitney. And, what’s the single biggest time-waster in your life, and how can you redeem the time? Social media? TV? Video games? Sports? Hobbies? Actively replacing it with something better helps us in “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).
According to Lifeway Research, the majority of people moving to a new town utilized in-person visits to churches (69%) and recommendations from family, friends, neighbors, and/or colleagues. And, Amazing Grace was first sung in 1773 on New Year’s Day at Lord Dartmouth’s Great Hall in Olney, England. John Newton wrote it to accompany his New Year’s sermon from 1 Chronicles 17, encouraging worshipers to remember the Lord’s “past mercies and future hopes,” the Museum of the Bible records in an online exhibit.
A small town in west Tennessee received some overwhelming news this year. Stanton, a town of 414 souls, was awarded the title of a Blue Oval City by the Ford Motor Company. Markus and Mary Feirer are taking the gospel to the streets of a major East Asian city. Even though some told the gospel workers that approaching strangers and striking up conversations about the gospel wouldn’t work, they tried anyway. And, maybe you’ve wondered what your pastor is thinking as he preaches. In a Baptist Press article, a few pastors share some observations you might find interesting.
Many of the reported 4,500 who were baptized at Harvest Christian Fellowship’s “Jesus Revolution” baptism back on July 8 climbed rocky terrain and were subject to state fees to enter Pirate’s Cove Beach. Speaking of spiritual renewal, 2023 will also be remembered as a time when God visited Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. And, maybe you have some extra time to devote to reading during the Christmas season. A Baptist Press Toolbox piece suggests five good books to read.
It’s Christmas Day! Passed as a federal holiday in 1870 by Pres. Ulysses S. Grant, there are many theories as to why the Congress and the President made the day a national holiday. And, as believers look to Scripture during the holiday season, they often reflect on passages from the Old Testament. A Baptist Press Toolbox pieces reminds us the ancient writings are still relevant today.