EDITOR'S NOTE: This article first appeared on Baptist Press. Do you have any goals for your prayer life? C. S. Lewis once said, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” About 60% of young adults will make New Year resolutions this year, hoping new goals will lead to self-improvement. Since we never grow spiritually by accident, here are 4 prayer goals to pursue in the new year. Think why not just how There are innumerable resources on “how” to pray – a … [Read more...]
First Person: My deaf friend now knows that Jesus can calm her fear
by Penelope Sonnen, IMB missionary in Southeast Asia EDITOR'S NOTE: Download the January PrayerPoints featuring daily prayer requests for Deaf peoples around the world. Each month will focus on a different theme or one of IMB’s eight affinity groups. When I first got here as a missionary, I learned that people wouldn’t whistle because they fear that might summon a demon. They wouldn’t clean their homes at night because they believe that might upset demons. They live terrified of evil … [Read more...]
First-Person: IMB President calls churches to increase support of Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year
EDITOR'S NOTE: Paul Chitwood serves as president of the International Mission Board. The following is his appeal to Southern Baptist churches. RICHMOND, Va. (IMB) – Because this year’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is the most important offering in the history of the International Mission Board, I am asking every church to give 10% more to the IMB this year than you gave last year. If every church raises their giving by just 10%, we can fully support our Southern Baptist missionaries … [Read more...]
Give thanks to the Lord, even when it’s hard
The Bible makes it clear to us as followers of Christ that it is our responsibility to give thanks to God in all the seasons of our lives. We know this is especially true right now. As believers things are changing rapidly before our eyes. Some of the logical and foundational views that we all held our being challenged and overturned. This process can cause us real discouragement. What do we do as believers when we encounter a difficult season in life, especially when this coincides with … [Read more...]
MBCH resources help churches minister to children, families
As you drive around our state it is not hard to locate a local church. Most every community in our state, rural or urban, has a church, some have multiple churches. Also true of every community is that there are children and families that are disconnected from the church. Wouldn’t it be amazing if in every community, local churches had the ability to learn about and get connected to families that are living disconnected from those around them. Caring believers in local communities could … [Read more...]
A plea for prioritizing the singing of familiar Christmas carols
by Justin Wainscott Over the last several years during the Advent and Christmas seasons, I have noticed that churches seem to be singing traditional Christmas carols less and less. I’m not sure what all the reasons may be, and I’m certainly not attempting to impugn the motives of those who choose the songs. But I do believe it’s unfortunate for us if we hear familiar carols more in the shopping mall than we do in the local church. Therefore, I want to issue a plea for us to prioritize … [Read more...]
MBCH testimonial: ‘I didn’t even like kids,’ but God had other plans
By Lisa Lowrance//Missouri Baptist Children's Home (MBCH) “I don’t even like kids!” These were the words I uttered for nearly 17 years. I have never wanted biological children. It was never important to me. In all honestly, I hate hospitals, needles and pain, so pregnancy was never going to be a good fit for me. Plus, I had big dreams for my career (none of which panned out, of course). I didn’t like kids. So, of course, I found myself working for the Children’s Division in 2004, an … [Read more...]
First-Person: ‘No better way to spend a summer’ than with Missouri DR
EDITOR'S NOTE: College student Michelle Ryan has served for a few years as a collegiate intern with Missouri Disaster Relief (MODR). JEFFERSON CITY (MODR) – With the devastating scale of this year’s hurricane destruction filling the news, human efforts to help can feel futile. That feeling of despair and the inability to do something eventually gives way to a much more tolerable feeling of apathy, which I believe characterizes the attitudes of many college students like me. After all, … [Read more...]
Praying to get things done
Do you pray to get things done? Do you believe some things will only occur if you pray, or that God can refuse to act until someone prays? How Jesus sees prayer An event in the life of Jesus clarified the relationship between prayer and God’s activity. Mark’s gospel tells the story of Jesus and three of His disciples who, along with Moses and Elijah, gathered on the Mt. of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8). In His absence, the other disciples at the base of the mountain were overwhelmed by a … [Read more...]
The healing provided by MBCH
EDITOR'S NOTE: Juston Gates serves as president of the Missouri Baptist Children's Home. One of the questions that I am asked frequently goes something along the lines of, “What is it exactly that MBCH actually does?” Although this is not the article space in which to list out the varied ministries that MBCH provides, I would like to point out a specific aspect of ministry that occurs due to our efforts in Foster Care Case Management (FCCM), and the other ministry areas associated with … [Read more...]
The case for early morning prayer
Does your morning schedule affect your prayer life? Is the time you pray important? Someone once said that there are two kinds of Christians: One wakes up and says, “Good morning, Lord!” The other says, “Good Lord…morning.” Should this difference affect your prayer life? The morning difference In the Harvard Business Review, Dr. Christoph Randler, a neuroscientist from the University of Tübingen, writes about the advantages of early rising. His research finds that early risers, “…get … [Read more...]
Prayer, fasting, the power of God
John Wesley took a dim view of pre-revival America, but he had a plan to change it. Wesley spent time in the colonies and reported, “I desired as many as could to join together in fasting and prayer, that God would restore the spirit of love and of a sound mind to the poor deluded rebels in America.” Even a side glance at the current cultural moment demonstrates that prayer and fasting are just as urgently needed for the “poor deluded rebels in America” today as they were when the nation … [Read more...]
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