She just wanted a drink of water. That’s all the girl wanted. I was visiting my daughter Kaley while we worked on a book. Being a gracious hostess, she took the blow-up mattress on the floor and gave me her bed. Her apartment was cute but with a sort of hobbit-sized bedroom, so with the air mattress, bed, dresser and my suitcase, there was not really any part of the floor still showing. Which would’ve been fine. Except that in the night, Kaley wanted that drink of water. She was … [Read more...]
A 20-year-old prayer and God’s faithfulness
God’s answers to prayer are grounded in God’s graciousness and faithfulness. But He will not answer if we do not petition Him. An examination of Scripture reveals that Christian prayer has always been essentially petitionary. Thus prayer should be part of our everyday lives. We may ask God for spiritual and material needs (though the latter should be subordinated to the former), letting God know the desires of one’s heart (Job 6:8; Ps. 21:2; Phil. 4:6). I, like many of you, have been … [Read more...]
Evangelists to hear Paige Patterson
SPRINGFIELD – Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention’s “Conservative Resurgence,” is slated as the keynote speaker for the meeting of the Fellowship of Missouri Baptist Evangelists (FMBE), Feb. 4. The meeting is the pre-conference to the Feb. 4-5 Missouri State Evangelism Conference, “Desperate for Jesus,” at Crossway Baptist Church here. All Missouri Baptists are welcome to the pre-conference, and FMBE … [Read more...]
When God troubles you
There are so many things in life that require our decisions. One of the great things about being a follower of Christ is that the Word of God lifts the fog on many important decisions. Common sense says there are some things that are clearly the right thing to do. So what do you do when common sense is abandoned for expediency? What do you do when a culture “stiff arms” the parameters of God’s Word and considers His perspective antiquated and irrelevant? The convictional people of God … [Read more...]
Covered with chocolate, grace
I never cease to be amazed—and pretty thrilled—at the new things people come up with to cover with chocolate each year. We’re still relatively in the neighborhood of “National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day.” December 16th. Oh my. That seems like such a great idea. I highly—yea, emphatically—support chocolate coverings for the food beauty treatments they are. But some of these people have gone and made it weird. Chocolate-covered bacon. What? Eat your bacon. It’s good. Then eat your … [Read more...]
New churches draw new people
NASHVILLE (BP) – America is launching new Protestant churches faster than it loses old ones, attracting many people who previously didn’t attend anywhere, new LifeWay Research studies show. More than 4,000 new churches opened their doors in 2014, outpacing the 3,700 that closed, according to estimates from the Nashville-based research organization based on input from 34 denominational statisticians. And on average 42 percent of those worshipping at churches launched since 2008 … [Read more...]
23 states increase CP for SBC missions, ministry
NASHVILLE (BP) – Twenty-three state conventions voted to increase the portion of Cooperative Program receipts being forwarded to Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries in the coming year, continuing a trend inspired by passage of the Great Commission Task Force recommendations five years ago. This year, Florida Baptists made the largest shift, moving from 41 to 51 percent allocated to SBC causes. “This epic, pacesetting decision will set a precedent in the Southern Baptist … [Read more...]
Mo. Baptists defending the faith in 2016
Thanks, Missouri Baptists, for defending the Christian faith this year through the MBC’s apologetics ministry. A few metrics in the paragraphs below illustrate the degree to which you have sought to fulfill Peter’s exhortation to “always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you … with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15-16). New resources In 2015 the MBC released two timely new resources: What Every Christian Should Know about Islam and … [Read more...]
Jesus Christ better than Old Saint Nick
Christmas – it is one of the most anticipated seasons of the year! It is a time of joy, of endless celebration, and peace. People bustle around in efforts to display kindness and love to one another. It is a season of extravagant lights and décor, of delicious treats and simmering meals. It is a time of familiar music, warm coffee, and corny movies that we watch over and over again. Christmas is one of the truly best times of the year, for a multitude of reasons. Why is that so? What is it … [Read more...]
Clinton church raises $2.5 million for missions
CLINTON – Two-and-a-half million dollars seems like a lot of money. Many Missouri Baptist churches will not handle that kind of cash in several decades or a hundred years. But a western Missouri county seat town church has generated that much or more for funding missions efforts in the last decade. After a mission celebration which highlighted the need of missionary efforts, the First Baptist Church of Clinton began sending out mission teams and doing missions in their local community. … [Read more...]
Down syndrome does not exclude from serving God
MARSHFIELD – As TJ Slocum took his place behind the microphone that Sunday morning, he looked out at the congregation of Timber Ridge Baptist Church. Every church member looked up at him expectantly; each with a warm smile on his or her face. TJ’s song selection that morning was “Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)” by Chris Tomlin. He loves to sing Chris Tomlin songs. “He’ll get up there and sing his heart out and the beauty of it is he’s not doing it to hear himself sing; he’s doing … [Read more...]
First days of Jesus’ life explored: What really happened
NASHVILLE (BP) – Everyone knows the biblical Christmas story, with Mary riding on a donkey, an innkeeper turning away Mary and Joseph, animals surrounding the Christ child and three wise men visiting Jesus on the night of His birth. Or do they? It may come as a surprise to some that none of these elements are included in the two scriptural accounts of Jesus’ birth in Matthew and Luke -- though they commonly are featured in Christmas pageants. In The First Days of Jesus, published this … [Read more...]
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