Good News for Today

It happens with a couch or mattress. It happens with two chairs facing each other across a table.

While refugees’ initial days and months in America can be complex and filled with paperwork and immigration meetings, churches have learned that there are direct, simple ways to meet needs.

Not long after it began six years ago, Living Hope Church in Columbus was helping deliver donated furniture on behalf of a group of non-profit organizations. It became apparent that the items were going toward a growing migrant population consisting of those from the Middle East and Central America.

The need grew, and soon the church took it on as its own. 

Pastor Aaron Taylor it’s been good for the church. It’s helped them work through the question – if our church was gone, would the community miss us?

He says now they clearly know the answer to that question.

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Despite its obscure origins in a rented room in America’s largest city, Vacation Bible School (VBS) has become a widely familiar term in our culture, identifiable with both kids and parents as a fun way to learn about God’s Word.

Vacation Bible School traces its roots to New York City where in 1898 Virginia Hawes, concerned with the spiritual formation of school children, rented a beer hall in the city’s East Side to conduct an Everyday Bible School. Hawes envisioned a place where kids could safely spend their summer while learning about the Bible and receiving spiritual nourishment.

By 1921, Vacation Bible School had spread well into the South and was a strong program across many denominations.

In Hawes’s time, there was an awareness that kids were not learning about the Bible as much as they used to. And that seems even more true today. VBS has consistently been about assessing the needs of the culture and deciding what timeless truth about Jesus needs to be shared.

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1. Church leader Thom Rainer wants to you to rethink using a smartphone or tablet in church service. He writes, “Smartphones and tablets often distract the person looking at them. I see it every week. Rarely do I see church members looking at their smartphones without some kind of notification popping up. Of course, they can’t wait to read the notification.
2. Smartphones and tablets often distract others. I wish I were not one of those prone to distraction, but I am. When that light on someone’s phone catches my eye, I immediately turn to it.

Read the full piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox.

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With more than 2 billion people facing food insecurity, the need is great. Learn how to help at IMB.org.

As a French pastor was setting up for a community outreach event during the Olympics, he recalled a conversation he had overheard years before and had never been able to forget. A mother and child were walking along the street in front of his church.

“What is this place, this building?” the child asked. “It’s a museum,” his mother responded.

The pastor was inspired to set up an art show inside the church building during games. Many families visited the makeshift art gallery set up during the games.

Pastor Jason Harris said now the church is going to be busy following up with locals who were on the streets during the games and visited the art show.

He didn’t know how many prospects they may have but said this past Sunday as the Paris games concluded there were a number of visitors to the church’s Sunday service.

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For three days in July, the population of Sturgis, Kentucky soars from 1,650 to more than 10,000 people when the western Kentucky town hosts the Little Sturgis Bike Rally. 

Along with the motorcycle enthusiasts, ministry opportunities abound for churches and partners who look for creative ways to serve the guests to the city.

A ministry called Showers of Blessings provided showers to more than 400 bikers, said Barry Yates, associational mission strategist for the Ohio Valley Baptist Association (OVBC). They use a mobile unit to set up showers for bikers who camp during the event.

As you can imagine, it creates opportunities for all kinds of conversations, but the volunteers say their favorite ones are the ones about Jesus.

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If you ask someone at church to name their favorite story from the Old Testament, they may mention Moses or Noah, but they might also talk about Jesus or Paul.

“While churchgoers may open a Bible at church, at least 1 in 5 may not be familiar with how it’s organized and what distinguishes the New Testament from the Old Testament,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. Read the full Lifeway study at Baptist Press.

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More than two billion people struggle with food insecurity. Learn how you can help at IMB.org.

Chris Holcomb looks up most days…he’s a meteorologist at an Atlanta TV station…but he says these last few days have been even better days to look up at the Persied meteor showers have passed over the U.S.

Holcomb says looking up reminds him of the majesty of God and how God is in control.

“It’s good to look at the sky and just be amazed,” he said. “When that debris from the comet hits the atmosphere, it’s protecting us by burning them up and creating fireballs across the sky. It reminds you of what a big world this is, but also the size of space.”

The meteor showers over American skies are coming to an end this week.

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Student ministry leader Shane Pruitt is encouraging church leaders to remain focused this school year. Pruitt encourages church to remain dependent on the Holy Spirit.

“Even more than seeking to be a numerically growing ministry this school year, seek to be a Spirit-led ministry. If you desire to be Spirit-led, everything else will fall into place. Leonard Ravenhill said, “Gifts and talents can build a crowd, but only the Holy Spirit can build the church.”

Pruitt encourages church to remain faithful to God’s Word.

“If you want to be a relevant ministry this school year, then preach the Bible. The Word of God is always relevant,” he says.

He also says this a great time so share your faith.

“Often, people will be open to the Gospel during changes in their lives. There is something about entering a new grade, going from middle school to high school, and going from high school to college that causes people to desire community, stability, and support. Students going through ever-changing seasons of life desperately need a never-changing God that provides eternal life,” Pruitt says.

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Cultural commentators in many sectors are now lamenting the combined impact of expressive individualism and technology on human behavior, particularly on the socialization of young men.

The gospel, the church, and the challenge/expectations of Christian service are antithetical to expressive individualism. The gospel centers on God (not you), the church is about others (not you), and God’s mission (serving others and sharing the gospel) is definitely not about you.

Read the full piece from Jeff Iorg at Baptist Press.

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Lostness is the world’s greatest problem. Learn how to share hope at IMB.org

As rainfall totals passed 12 inches, saturated ground led to fallen trees, dams giving way and more than 100 damaged roads in Bulloch County, Georgia, from Tropical Storm Debby last week.

Pastor Todd Wiggins of Southbridge Community Church was among those affected, as floodwaters crept into his home. 

“We were blessed, because there were people who lost their whole home,” he said. “Others had damage up to 4 feet high, so in the grand scope, it’s not too bad.”

Area rivers are being monitored as they continue to swell. Wiggins has heard stories from other parts of the county of rainfall as high as 18 inches in 48 hours.

Disaster relief crews continue to work in the south and up the east helping those affected by the flooding rains.

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Most U.S. adults believe human beings came about because of divine intervention, but there’s disagreement over what that involvement looked like.

A Gallup survey finds 37% of Americans believe God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so. Additionally, 34% say human beings developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life but God guided this process.

While 71% see God as having an active part, 24% contend human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life but God had no part in this process. Another 5% either say they aren’t sure or volunteer another answer.

The numbers have not changed significantly since 2019, but the percentage who believe in God’s direct creation of humans fell to its lowest point in the four-decade history of the survey. The previous low was 38% in 2017. Also, those who say God had no role in human origins reached its highest percentage since the survey began in 1982, up two percentage points from 22% in 2019.

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Chuck Lawless has two suggestions for getting the most out of our schedule:

1.     Do the things I don’t want to do first.  If I do them first, though, (a) I can do them when I have the most energy, and (b) I always have more exciting things to look forward to during the day. 

2.     In most cases, limit meetings to 30 minutes. You can accomplish a lot in that time if you’re focused and intentional. He says you can always allow more time if it’s really needed.

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Springfield Church in Hays, North Carolina had been planning their afternoon of service for months. Weeks of preparation had gone into delivering care packages to residents near the church’s property in mountainous region of Wilkes County. They had planned to hit the streets after the morning worship service.

But as they finished the Sunday School hour before the service, they heard an elderly woman with dementia had wandered off. When they finished the morning service, local first responders had set up a command center in the church’s parking lot.

The church decided to postpone their planned service project and join in the search for their neighbor. After a little more than two hours of searching in the woods members of the church found her standing in a creek at the bottom of a steep bank about a quarter of a mile from the church building.

Thankfully, she only had scratches and bruises. 

Sometimes being available to God doesn’t go the way you think it will.

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In her new book I Surrender All, Priscilla Shirer, says, surrender to Christ is “the crux of what the invitation to discipleship demands.” In the book she talks about the heaviness of the task but Shirer says this sacrifice is worth it because losing one’s life is the only way to find it.

“We’re afraid surrendering the whole of ourselves to Him, giving Him full access to our entire lives, will cause disruptions to our preferred way of living our lives,” she says.

Shirer makes the case that being a true disciple of Jesus means being will to truly allow the Jesus to be the Lord of your life.

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In a Lifeway Bible Study, Bartholomew Orr writes, “Too many people listen to others and change frequently to fit the status quo. They pursue the American dream and not God’s assigned destiny. They are coerced or influenced to follow in their parents’ footsteps, instead of seeking their heavenly Father’s plan for their life. Don’t feel pressured by those around you to be somebody you’re not. Be who God says you are.”

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With 2.3 billion people plagued by food insecurity, the fight against hunger has never been greater. Learn how you can help at IMB.org.

Help is on the way to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas as the remnants of Hurricane Debby continuing churning up the east coast.

Rivers and lakes stand above flood stage from west Florida up into northeast Georgia and predictions of flooding continue through the Carolinas as what was Hurricane Debby makes its way north. At least six deaths are being blamed on the storm.

The storm is slowly churning up the East Coast dumping significant rainfall. The National Weather Service predicts the storm will still be a Tropical Depression as late as Saturday when it arrives in Maine.

Debby crossed the Florida panhandle over the weekend, trekking across the Southeast to Charleston, S.C., Wednesday before reversing course, coming back on land and turning north.

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A Chinese church in Paris is working to reach the more than 600-thousand Chinese who call Paris home. During the Olympics, they are joining with the IMB to pass out pins that not only celebrate the games but give hope. So far, they’ve given out more than 1,000 pins that lead the recipient to a website where they can hear the Good News.

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Maybe you aren’t a pastor, but Mark Dance wants to offer you an encouraging word about what you can value in your pastor.

He writes, “Good preaching won’t make up for bad pastoring. How we treat people offstage is more important than how you teach them onstage. Yes, even those members who are resisting all of your initiatives. Most church conflict is the result of slow, relational erosion, not any one issue.

“I believe gradual relationship erosion sneaks up on a lot of pastors, which is why so many are surprised when their sheep dig in their hooves in response to their vision and initiatives. r

“If you try to lead or feed them without loving them first, you may get bit—or worse—ignored.”

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With 2.3 billion people plagued by food insecurity, the fight against hunger has never been greater. Learn how you can help at IMB.org.

Two members of Providence Church in Pasadena, Texas haven’t been there for weeks. But that hasn’t stopped the church from praying for them.

Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Tracy Dyson are astronauts who are currently working aboard the International Space Station.

Dyson’s tenure on the ISS runs through September. Wilmore is waiting to catch a ride home the Boeing module currently undergoing tests while docked to the floating science lab.

Through the marvels of technology, the pair were able to join their church on Sunday morning recently via video call. 

Both say they’re grateful their church family is lifting them up to the One who created the heavens and the Earth.

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A pastor’s resumé might include multiple churches and ministry roles, but most won’t have much non-ministry experience listed.

Most current U.S. Protestant senior pastors worked outside of ministry as adults for only a short time, according to a Lifeway Research study. Only 3 in 10, however, began vocational ministry as the senior pastor.

“A person’s journey to the pastorate can happen at almost any age, but the majority of pastors are in a ministry job by their early 30s,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. 

Most senior pastors didn’t step immediately into a lead pastor role as their first ministry position. Seven in 10 started somewhere else in the church. On average senior pastors two other ministry roles before their current position as a senior pastor.

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Jacki C. King says, “Leaders who embrace their humanity are better equipped to lead effectively. Acknowledging weaknesses and seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness. Building a strong team and delegating responsibilities can also help alleviate the burden of leadership.

It’s also important for leaders to prioritize self-care. This includes physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. In an often isolating and high-stress role, confession, repentance, and community are still factors for the Christian life that we have to fight for.”

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With 2.3 billion people plagued by food insecurity, the fight against hunger has never been greater. Learn how you can help at IMB.org.

Disaster Relief workers in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are on alert as the remnant of Hurricane Debby sweeps across the southeast.

Damage will be assessed after its passage for a more comprehensive response, Disaster Relief leaders announced today.

Flood watches remain in effect through Tuesday across much of the southeast.

The National Weather Service says “potentially historic rainfall” will follow Debby as the storm moves with “considerable flooding” across areas of east-central Georgia, said the National Weather Service.

Charleston Southern University has moved all classes online until the end of the day Thursday.

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Though markets are uneasy, a financial analyst with GuideStone Financial Resources urges calm.

The confluence of high inflation, a weak labor report and the unwinding of a carry trade with roots in Japan has caused financial markets in the United State and around the world to shudder.

Last week’s poor jobs report caused concerns that consumers’ buying power will be limited in the months ahead. That, along with high inflation rates, caused U.S. financial markets to decline 1,000 points last week, and world markets reacted based on elevated concerns that the U.S. could be headed toward a recession.

As the markets adjust during an election year, Josh Chastant told Baptist Press, “I think that everyone can prepare for a little bit more volatility.”

“If you have a plan, stick with the plan and don't get rattled by individual day-to-day kind of price movements in the overall investment markets,” he said.

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Prayer and evangelism go hand in hand says Joe Allen, a professor at Midwestern Seminary. The two practices mutually reinforce one another and enhance the other spiritual disciplines. The dynamic happens like this: the more you pray, the more you attune your heart to God’s heart, and specifically, God’s heart for the lost, he says. Read his piece at Baptist Press that will help you grow as a disciple of Jesus.

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With 2.3 billion people plagued by food insecurity, the fight against hunger has never been greater. Learn how you can help at IMB.org.

They may not be able to control the results, but a group of believers are being faithful to the task about the millions of people gathered in Paris for the Summer Olympics.

Jason Harris is leading a team of more than 300 short-term volunteers to hit the streets of Paris sharing the gospel.

He says they are united around a common vision to make Christ known among Europeans and a long-term goal to plant five churches in Paris over the next five years.

Harris explained that short-term volunteers are vital to sharing the Gospel broadly and making connections that will catalyze their local church-planting strategy and lead to longevity.

Each week of Olympics outreach, volunteers are focused on sharing the gospel within specific geographical and cultural segments of Paris. They are using a number of creative strategies as entry points for evangelism and have invited local French churches to work alongside them.  

“My prayer has been that the outreach for the Olympics would be a launching point for church planting in the city,” Harris said.

Ultimately, the harvest is in God’s hands. They have already witnessed God drawing people to Himself through volunteer efforts this summer.

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Park Street Church in Butte, Montana is trying to live out Acts 8:4. What is Acts 8:4?

The verse says, “Those who have been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

Through the church’s ministry in the community and their very intention ministry to students at Montana Tech University, they are seeing God use them to reach their neighborhood and the nations.

Pastor Judson works to reach college students and many of them end up serving in some type of missions or ministry capacity all over the world.

The church isn’t large, but they are seeing God bless their faithfulness to His call to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

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If you’ve ever led a group of people, you know it’s a challenge. Much of the pressure comes from within. In that Baptist Press Toolbox, Jacki C. King offers tips on how you can grow as a leader and give yourself room to fail. Read the full piece at Baptist Press.

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With 2.3 billion people plagued by food insecurity, the fight against hunger has never been great. Learn how you can help at IMB.org.

Most Americans, even most Christians, remain supportive of IVF. Around 4 in 5 U.S. adults (82%) say IVF is morally acceptable, according to Gallup. One in 10 believe it is wrong. The more someone attends religious services, the more likely they are to see IVF as morally wrong. But even among those who attend weekly, 63% say the practice is morally acceptable while 25% believe it’s wrong.

A 2022 Lifeway Research study found 35% of Americans believe human life begins at conception. 

Jason Thacker, a Christian ethicist, says decisions concerning IVF can be challenging.

“Navigating the deep pains and realities of infertility can be quite daunting and overwhelming,” Thacker told Lifeway Research. “While the desire for children is both good and godly, we must think deeply about the ethical complexities of artificial reproductive technologies. This is especially true with the routine practice of IVF as it relates to both the sanctity of life. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should.”

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Stephen Silver was married 51 years before his wife died suddenly and unexpectantly. In his new book Grief Redeemed, he shares his grief journey.

While it is filled with deep sorrow, he helps us understand how grief can be a friend. He says that he’s “discovered that the more visceral these feelings, the greater the opportunity to draw closer to the Lord in the midst of my anguish. I’ve learned that in those moments, He has me exactly where He wants me—pouring out my heart and tears before Him and asking for His help to get me through.”

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Paul told believers in Philippi that knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection was the most valuable treasure in life. The same is true for us today. A Lifeway Bible Study helps us understand how. Find it at Baptist Press.

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The world’s greatest problem is lostness. Learn how to share the light of Christ at IMB.org.