‘Dominion’ Over Technology Use a Must, Leaders Say

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November 15, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – Whether it is a new app sweeping the nation, a brand-new must-have iPhone upgrade or a new way to use virtual reality, technology is advancing at lightning speed.

As usage of digital devices increases, some Southern Baptist leaders are urging Christians to examine ways technology may be shaping them.

Jason Thacker, director of research and chair of research in technology ethics for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), told Baptist Press he believes technology is no longer merely a tool we use, but something that is changing how we view the world.

“Technology’s complexity, usefulness, growth and development often happen at an exponential scale,” Thacker said. “This is the nature of technology and what we’re experiencing now will only continue to increase in some sense. Technology isn’t going anywhere.

“As technology keeps advancing, things will become faster, get complex and more connected. Digital devices are not just a tool that we use, but it’s a tool that’s radically altering us.

“It’s shaping how we understand the nature of reality and truth, as well as how we connect in relationships. In a way, technology is discipling us. I think people are starting to wake up and see that something is not right about this.”

In his work with the ERLC, Thacker leads a research project for the entity called the Digital Public Square. The project focuses on providing resources for Southern Baptist churches related to navigating the ever-changing technological landscape.

Specific focus is given to issues related to free speech and religious liberty.

He explained this research is important for ministry, because technology influences every area of life.

“Technology isn’t a separate set of issues that Christians have to address or think about. It’s an element of all of the other issues related to the Christian life and Christian ethics,” Thacker said.

“Issues like marriage, sexuality, human dignity or justice, they are all affected by technology because we live in a digital society.”

In his book “Following Jesus in a Digital Age,” released this year, Thacker encourages Christians to use technology in a more sanctifying way.

One of the main pieces of advice he shares is for Christians to take their time in deciding how to use technology in their lives, and take steps to be a light in the digital space.

“At the heart of technology is making things faster, but what we see throughout the wisdom literature is we are called to slow down,” Thacker said. “Wisdom is not gained overnight. There is not an app for that. There is no on and off switch.

“It’s important for Christians think wisely and think deeply, and that is going to come from slowing down and asking some of these big questions how this is shaping me and how do I then walk with wisdom and seek to follow Jesus better.

“Christians need to engage the culture for how it is, not as we want it to be. A digital society comes with a lot of unique challenges, but also a lot of unique opportunities, and I believe God’s calling us to step into these things and be a voice of hope, peace and of Gospel transformation in our communities.”

One Southern Baptist seeking to apply this kind of wisdom in his own life is Jeff Mingee, regional strategist for the Southeast Region of the SBC of Virginia.

What began as a doctoral research paper while a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary became a self-examination into the way he was using technology in his own life.

Southern Baptist Seminarians, Pastors Discuss Role of Women in Pastoral Ministry

By

Brandon Porter

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November 15, 2022

Southern-Baptist-seminarians-pastors-discuss-role-of-women-in-pastoral-ministry- — SBC President Bart Barber speaks to students during a discussion with Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. (MBTS photo) Courtesy of Baptist Press.

NASHVILLE (BP) – The role of women in pastoral ministry was front and center in discussions on the campuses of at least two SBC seminaries last week.

Jason Allen, president of the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, released a podcast with SBC Pres. Bart Barber Nov. 6 in which the two discuss both theological and practical applications regarding the role of men and women in pastoral ministry.

In the final regular chapel service of the fall semester at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a group of key leaders participated in a panel on the topic led by seminary President Albert Mohler. Panelists included Dustin Bruce, Denny Burk and Jeremy Pierre.

Barber says churches dealing with relatively new staffing issue

In Fort Worth, a personal conversation between Allen and Barber turned into a conversation that Allen believed needed to be recorded.

Barber believes that while most Southern Baptist churches are clear on the role of senior pastor being reserved for men, modern churches are dealing with an issue that would not have been understood by most Southern Baptist churches in 1965.

“The idea of what terminology to use with regard to your second pastor would be similar to trying to figure out where you were going to park your second Lamborghini. Churches didn’t have more than one member on staff,” he said.

Barber reflected on how in his local church they would never have imagined having a full-time staff member to lead in the areas of worship or student ministry.

“We had a song leader when I was a kid, not a worship pastor,” he said. “We had youth volunteers, not a student pastor. And so, this idea that a church has a staff that consists of different people with age-graded or talent-based responsibilities is something that’s really taken off since kind of the mid-1970s.”

Barber and Allen agreed the issue of women in pastoral ministry is a watershed one for Southern Baptist churches because it deals with the biblical authority given to pastors in the local church.

Allen said churches are wrestling through the issue on a local level with what he called a Baptist Faith and Message that is “more descriptive” for churches.

“And the truth of the matter is, look, the Baptist Faith and Message is prescriptive for the entities, and I’ll die on that hill, but, it is really more descriptive for our churches. It is. And that’s just the truth of the matter,” Allen said.

Mohler: New Testament “isn’t compatible with the modern ideal of egalitarian opportunism”

In a wide-ranging panel discussion on the state of the SBC, SBTS leaders talked about the relationship of the convention and the local church and Conservative Resurgence before discussing the issue of women in pastoral roles.

Mohler, who started as a student at SBTS in 1980, said the issue was just becoming a hot topic on the campus in those days, “… but it really took on an enormous amount of energy that women should be pastors of churches, that the church had misread scripture for 20 centuries. And that this was the inevitable wave of the future in the society, and thus the church was going to have to be reconciled to it.”

Years later, Mohler served on the committee that forged the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

He said he would have “preferred the New Hampshire Confession language about elders and overseers or bishops” when it came to the office of pastor.

Unify Project Set to Launch With Widespread Participation

By

Diana Chandler

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November 15, 2022

MOBILE, Ala. (BP) – The Unify Project, a Gospel-centered, ethnically diverse racial reconciliation ministry designed to mobilize Southern Baptist pastors and leaders in unifying their communities, is expected to launch Nov. 15 with widespread national participation, project co-chairman Ed Litton told Baptist Press.

“The response has been good and it’s across the board,” said Litton, immediate past Southern Baptist Convention president and senior pastor of Redemption Church in Mobile. “Obviously we had some concern. We wanted to see, are they going to come from certain regions over others. And it is everywhere Southern Baptists are.”

Fred Luter, senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and the lone African American to have served as SBC president, joins Litton as co-chairman of the project that has renowned pastor Tony Evans as a chief collaborator.

Luter appreciates the widespread project participation.

“I am truly encouraged by the number of pastors and members of churches who have expressed interest of wanting to be a part of the Unify Project,” Luter told Baptist Press. “Since then-SBC President Ed Litton first introduced this project in California at the Southern Baptist Convention with the support and input of nationally respected Dr. Tony Evans, the response has been overwhelming and supportive.

“This project has the potential of unifying the Southern Baptist Convention, which is so desperately needed not only in this Convention but across this nation.”

Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas and a noted author, theologian and radio host, has helped shape the Unify Project with resources used in The Urban Alternative ministry he leads.

“Dr. Tony Evans has been so helpful,” Litton said. “The Urban Alternative has a three-step process that they have very graciously allowed us to share.”

The Unify Project will encourage pastors to assemble in their communities, to address racial strife and to act by serving their communities in tangible acts of love aimed at healing. The outreach is also inspired by The Pledge Group, which Litton helped launch with an ecumenical Christian group of pastors and leaders in Mobile after the murder of George Floyd.

“Basically, it’s to begin assembling, meeting, sitting at the table. That is the first step, and it’s getting to know people,” Litton said. “This takes some time, but it doesn’t take a long time. It just has to start. What we say in Mobile is we had to come to the table and we had to stay at the table. … When you have people from such different cultures coming together, we learn about each other. We learn to respect and appreciate and honor one another.”

The project’s steering committee embraces the SBC’s ethnic diversity, including Asian, Hispanic, African American and Anglo members.

“To me, this is the most exciting part of the Unify Project,” Luter said. “We have purposely made reaching all ethnic groups a necessity starting with the chairman and vice chairman to all the members of the steering committee, there is diversity across the board.”

At the grassroots level, Litton said, the work is expected to address the unique needs of each community.

“We promised Southern Baptists that we would give simple tools and encourage them, for pastors and leaders in our churches to become leaders in racial reconciliation in their community,” Litton said. “Our hope is it will have a different expression just about everywhere it goes.

“Our hope is that it will begin to reveal to our communities and to the nation the power of the Gospel to heal old wounds, to unify for the sake of the Gospel, so that our churches will serve our communities together. And we believe it will open doors for the Gospel.”

The project will launch at theunifyproject.org with a series of web events for pastors and leaders including discussions, individual experiences and stories of success predating the project. The group is planning a celebration for the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

“The real heart of Unify Project is not to tell people here are the strict rules you have to follow,” Litton said. “We want to give a simple game plan, a lot of encouragement and resource the local pastor and local leader to really be the hero of this story, to really see what God will do in their cities.

“Our goal is to give the SBC the tools and encourage them to promote the cause of racial reconciliation in their community. That’s the only reason we exist.”

Members of the steering committee are:

Marshall Blalock, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Charleston, S.C.;
Missie Branch, SEBTS assistant dean of students to women and director of graduate life;
Victor Chayasirisobhon, SBC first vice president, lead pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Anaheim, associational mission strategist for the Orange County Southern Baptist Association, and president of the California Baptist Convention;
Brett Golson, vice president for spiritual development and church relations and dean of the Cooper School of Missions and Ministry Studies at William Carey University;
Charles Grant, SBC Executive Committee associate vice president for African American relations and mobilization;
Marcus Hayes, lead pastor, Crossroads Baptist Church, The Woodlands, Texas;
Ramon Medina, lead pastor for Spanish Ministries, Champion Forest Baptist Church, Houston and president of the SBC Hispanic Council;
Greg Perkins, lead pastor of The View Church in Menifee, and NAAF Western Region director
Keith Whitfield, provost, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS);
Frank Williams, senior pastor of The Bronx Baptist Church and Wake-Eden Community Baptist Church, both in New York, and president of the National African American Fellowship of the SBC (NAAF).

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

How Pastors Can Help Their Churches Overcome Apathy

By

Dale Chamberlain

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November 15, 2022

Being a pastor has never been easy, but pastoring in America today seems to come with certain challenges that weren’t present even a few short decades ago.

Amid social unrest, political discord, and economic crises, pastors are working tirelessly to show with their words and lives that Jesus is the answer to all that ails us. Very often, however, they are met with apathy in their communities—and even within their own congregations.

Recent research has revealed that even while almost all churches in America have reopened following the lifting of pandemic restrictions, most are still struggling to regain traction in attendance numbers relative to pre-pandemic expectations.

In short, the pandemic has led many, even those who would characterize themselves as deeply committed followers of Jesus, to reorder their priorities, with regular church attendance dropping on that list.

The same can be said of giving, which has been down in many churches, partly as a result of a down economy. Furthermore, pastors have seen some of their congregants leave for churches that are more vocally supportive of their own political policy stances, which has been part of a trend wherein many Christians are apparently becoming more committed to a particular political expression of their faith than the call to be a body that is unified in its diversity.

Pair these statistical realities with the fact that an alarming number of Christians in emerging generations believe that evangelism is morally wrong, and you may begin to believe that things are looking bleak for the mission of Jesus in America.

But pastors ought not to be without hope. Revival often comes just as things are looking their most spiritually grim.

While only a move of God can redress the spiritual apathy that is often present in our churches and communities, there is much that pastors can do to ensure that they are prepared for such an awakening.

Here are three things pastors can do to fight apathy in their churches and communities.

1. Remember That It Starts With You.

A church will never be more spiritually vibrant than its senior leadership. Furthermore, the overall temperature of a pastoral staff or elder board will never exceed that of its lead pastor. So it has to start with you. If your heart has grown cold, so will the hearts of those whom you lead.

Church staffs, elder boards, and volunteer leaders should be marked by their commitment to praying together, discussing the scriptures together, and being committed to one another.

These are behaviors and traits that must be modeled by the pastor. When your elders, staff members, and volunteer leaders come into contact with you, they should have a sense that they are interacting with someone who regularly encounters God. In order for that to be the case, you must actually be someone who regularly encounters God through prayer, scripture study, and contemplation.

12 Ways Pastors Help Their Kids Hate Church

By

David Manner

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November 15, 2022

12 Ways Pastors Help Their Kids Hate Church…

Always ask how something might impact your ministry before asking how it might impact your family.

Move to a new church every couple of years.

Consider unscheduled phone calls or visits from church members as divine interruptions, but unscheduled phone calls or visits from your children as disrespectful intrusions.

Never remove your pastor hat to wear your parent hat.

Attend out of town conferences at prime locations but never have enough time for family vacations.

Miss ballgames and concerts to attend church stuff that you scheduled.

Don’t protect them from unfair and unrealistic church member expectations.

Have a different spiritual persona at church than you have at home.

Use them as sermon or teaching illustrations without their permission.

Express your disappointment or embarrassment when they act like regular kids.

Never show them affection at church.

Expect them to have the same passion for your calling as you do.

This article about things that make pastors’ kids hate church originally appeared here and is used by permission.

Led by the Spirit—What Does it Mean?

By

Nicholas Batzig

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November 15, 2022

Deep down, we’re all intrigued by the mystical. Many find it to be more “spiritual” if they experience something working powerfully and inexplicably upon them. This, no doubt, is partially the reason why charismatic views of the Holy Spirit prevailed throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. There is everything right about wanting to experience more of the power and working of the Holy Spirit, provided we rightly understand the biblical teaching about the power and work of the Spirit. Two of the most frequently misunderstood and wrongly interpreted passages of Scripture with regard to the work of the Spirit are Romans 8:14 and Galatians 5:18: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God,” and “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Many have intimated that these verses speak of a personal, supernatural guidance by which God directs those who are living in a close and intimate relationship with Him. Without in any way wanting to diminish the privilege believers have of living in a close and intimate relationship with the triune God, I do wish to correct misunderstandings about the “leading” of the Spirit in these passages. So, what does the Apostle Paul mean when he talks about being led by the Spirit?

B.B. Warfield once explained that many misunderstand the concept of being “led by the Spirit” by suggesting that it is referring to “something sporadic, given only on occasion of some special need of supernatural direction.”1 Rather, Warfield insisted, it is “something continuous, affecting all the operations of a Christian man’s activities throughout every moment of his life.” How did Warfield arrive at this conclusion?

When we consider the contexts in which these verses occur, and specifically the context of Romans 8, we will have to conclude that being led by the Spirit is related to our sanctification. Romans 6:1–8:14 forms a pericope about the place of holiness in the lives of believers. Giving consideration to the immediate context, Warfield wrote,

“In the preceding context Paul discovers to us our inherent sin in all its festering rottenness. But he discovers to us also the Spirit of God as dwelling in us and forming the principle of a new life. It is by the presence of the Spirit within us alone that the bondage in which we are by nature held to sin is broken; that we are emancipated from sin and are no longer debtors to live according to the flesh. This new principle of life reveals itself in our consciousness as a power claiming regulative influence over our actions; leading us, in a word, into holiness.”2

It is the process of sanctification that Paul has in view in this context. In short, the “leading” of the Spirit is merely shorthand for “sanctification.” Again, Warfield explained,

“When we consider this Divine work within our souls with reference to the end of the whole process we call it sanctification; when we consider it with reference to the process itself, as we struggle on day by day in the somewhat devious and always thorny pathway of life, we call it spiritual leading. Thus the “leading of the Holy Spirit” is revealed to us as simply a synonym for sanctification when looked at from the point of view of the pathway itself, through which we are led by the Spirit as we more and more advance toward that conformity to the image of His Son, which God has placed before us as our great goal.”3

Being Led by the Spirit

Every true believer is being led by the Spirit of God. We are led away from our sin and into paths of righteousness. This is what it means to be led by the Spirit of God. There is, to be sure, no greater experience to be enjoyed by the children of God than that of being transformed by the Spirit of God into the image of God. When the Spirit leads the sons of God, He leads them into conformity to the Son of God. As children of God we gain the family likeness. God is committed to conforming His children into holy sons and daughters. In order to do this, He gives us His Spirit to lead us to mortify sin. The leading of the Spirit then is not a special mystical experience reserved for the few, but a present reality for all true believers in Jesus Christ.

This article on being led by the Spirit originally appeared here, under the title “The ‘Leading’ of the Spirit?”

B.B. Warfield The Power of God Unto Salvation (Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1903) p. 158
Ibid., p. 156.
Ibid., pp. 156–157.

6 Ways to Integrate a Special Needs Ministry at Your Church

By

Brian Dodd

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November 15, 2022

Intentionally building a program for individuals with special needs provides your church an opportunity to share the Gospel with individuals of varying abilities and allows them to fully grow in their faith. It also lets the families of those with special needs feel supported, knowing their loved ones feel comfortable and confident in their environment, and are valued members of the church family. The church is called to special needs ministry.

The following projects we worked on for Chapelstreet Church’s Masterpiece Ministry and Parkview Community Church show how design can help support a special needs ministry:

Sensory Rooms

These rooms provide a range of stimulating experiences that can be designed for groups or individuals. They can include swings, weighted blankets, mini-trampolines, exercise balls, and squeeze toys. Some sensory rooms also incorporate special visual features, such as lava or colored lamps, water fountains, and dimmable lights.

Chapelstreet Church, Geneva, Illinois

Parkview Community Church, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

“We have new families come in and check out our space and say, ‘Wow! You made this just for us!’” –Jamie Valenti, Director of Special Needs, Chapelstreet Church.

Quiet Rooms

These small, comforting spaces with soft, oversized furniture provide a calming, peaceful environment for those who might need short-term respite from larger, more active rooms.

Chapelstreet Church, Geneva, Illinois

Soothing lights, sound machines that play various sounds, and essential oil diffusers can be helpful additions for those with visual, auditory, and olfactory sensitivities.

Strategic Check-In Areas

These specially designed drop-off areas allow families to check in with leaders or volunteers in an organized and confidence-inspiring way. These check-in zones can help parents feel less overwhelmed when arriving to church, and give volunteers the peace of mind when working with individuals.

Parkview Community Church, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Oversized Restrooms

These restrooms are intentionally designed to accommodate wheelchairs and may include adult-sized changing tables. Because of their height, size, and stability, loved ones can manage diapering needs of any sized person.

“You need the right furniture in the room, but you also need space to move in the room.” –Jamie Valenti, Director of Special Needs, Chapelstreet Church.

How you design and utilize your space is crucial in supporting those with special needs, as well as communicating your understanding of their world and your desire to meet them in effective and creative ways.

Each church’s special needs program will be unique and the space should mirror that, so it should be approached with intentionality. Talk with the families and special needs experts to get their advice and wisdom in this area before starting out.

Is your church looking to incorporate a special needs ministry? Let our design experts help you create a space that supports individuals of varying abilities. Let’s talk!

This was a guest post by Lynn Pickard of Aspen Group. The Aspen staff includes architects, project managers, field superintendents, and other design and construction professionals working together as a unified team. We believe this collaborative approach brings forth the highest level of innovation and integration and creates a true partnership between Aspen and the churches we serve.

Scores of churches have benefited from our ministry-focused planning, design, and construction process. The goal of each church building project is to create a facility that radically enhances ministry effectiveness. I cannot recommend this group enough!!! Click HERE to learn more about this great organization and start a conversation with them today!

This article on special needs ministry originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Thanksgiving Bible Lessons: 12 Great Grateful Resources

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 14, 2022

Thanksgiving Bible lessons teach children gratitude for God’s blessings. These 12 resources work well in Sunday school, for children’s church, and as at-home family devotions. Gratitude is a worthy teaching topic at any time of year. But Thanksgiving Bible lessons are especially important during November, as we gather to give thanks to God.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever,” says Psalm 107:1. What an important message to convey to children through Thanksgiving Bible lessons!

Lessons about gratitude can be short and informal. In fact, teachers and parents can sprinkle these Bible truths into day-to-day life. Adapt the Thanksgiving Bible lessons below to the ages and attention spans of your children. Add an activity, game, or prayer to round out the class time or devotion.

Enjoy using these Thanksgiving materials with your students and kids!

12 Thanksgiving Bible Lessons

Choose from a wide variety of materials at these sites:

1. One Gave Thanks

Use this free Thanksgiving lesson from Sermons4Kids to teach about Jesus and the 10 lepers. Based on Luke 17:11-17, the material encourages children to express gratitude, as the one healed man did.

2. Lessons for Multiple Age Groups

These free Thanksgiving lessons come with downloadable teacher and student guides plus a variety of activities. Children will explore many different aspects of Christian gratitude.

3. Bible-Based Gratitude

Through Scripture-based Sunday school lessons, children discover why we should always give thanks to God.

4. Give Thanks for Everything

Teach kids that God wants us to give thanks in all circumstances!

5. Thanksgiving Lessons to Gobble Up

These lesson plans come with all kinds of fun activities, including cute crafts.

6. Thank You, God

Check out these free materials, complete with solid discussion questions.

Interactive Bible Studies for Youth: 11 Options to Engage Teens

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 14, 2022

Using active and interactive Bible studies for youth is a great way to keep teens engaged while they learn God’s truths. Lecture-type sermons have never been a big hit with high school kids. That’s especially true in the digital age, which has led to shortened attention spans. Getting listeners involved with the message is key to life application and life change.

By using interactive Bible studies for youth, you aren’t sacrificing the message. Instead, you’re leveraging new ways to present God’s Word and make it relevant to teenagers’ lives.

Interactive doesn’t need to mean high tech. At its core, it means your youth group and small-group participants are talking, brainstorming, questioning, and growing. So encourage kids to interact with each other—and with Jesus—through interactive Bible studies for youth. We’ve assembled a variety of options to help you get started.

11 Interactive Bible Studies for Youth

Check out the wide range of active and interactive lesson ideas for youth groups.

1. Bible Adventures for Teens

Escape rooms are super popular. So take advantage of the trend to add adventure to youth meetings and Bible studies. Lots of creative youth ministers post tips and teen-friendly puzzles online.

2. Rep the Role

Teens love exploring identities, so let them step into the shoes of Bible characters. Use mini dramas and role-play scenarios to explore the actions and reactions of Old Testament and New Testament people.

3. Prayer Stations for Interactive Impact

Incorporate active prayer into your youth gatherings with these outside-the-box ideas. They’re great for showing teens that we can talk (and listen) to God in a wide variety of ways.

4. More Bible Activities for Teens

We love these suggestions, including Bible Jeopardy, Biblical 20 Questions, and Bible Jigsaw. Adding elements of fun and surprise to youth group activities keeps kids coming. Plus, word will spread that your church is a great place for teens to gather and grow!

5. Lively Leaders

Here’s a helpful list of tips, including a reminder to let students lead. Ask teens for their ideas, and then let them run with them.

Mike Pence Says He Told President Trump He Was Praying for Him After Jan. 6; Trump Replied, ‘Don’t Bother’

By

Jessica Lea

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November 14, 2022

Mike Pence says that when he offered to pray for Donald Trump on Jan. 14, 2021, eight days after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol and the day after Trump was impeached the second time, the former president responded, “Don’t bother.” Pence shared this story and other experiences of his days following the 2020 presidential election in a Nov. 9 op-ed for The Wall Street Journal.

“In a Dec. 5 [2020] call, the president for the first time mentioned challenging the election results in Congress,” said Pence in his article titled, “Mike Pence: My Last Days With Donald Trump.” “By mid-December, the internet was filled with speculation about my role.”

Mike Pence on the 2020 Presidential Election

Mike Pence is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, former governor of Indiana, and former vice president of the United States. His op-ed for The Wall Street Journal is adapted from his memoir, “So Help Me God,” which releases Nov. 15. A description of the book on Amazon says it is “the inside story of the Trump administration by its second highest official—what he said to the president and how he was tested.”

On Jan. 6, 2021, members of the United States Congress met at the U.S. Capitol to count the electoral college votes from the 2020 presidential election. It was Mike Pence’s duty as the vice president to preside over the counting of electoral votes and formally announce the next president of the United States. Despite it being clear that Biden had won, Trump had repeatedly called the election’s outcome into question and tried to make it appear that Pence had the power to decide who the victor was.

In his op-ed, Pence says that 13 days after the November election, he had told Trump that “if his legal challenges came up short, he could simply accept the results, move forward with the transition, and start a political comeback, winning the Senate runoffs in Georgia, the 2021 Virginia governor’s race, and the House and Senate in 2022.” According to Pence, Trump responded, “I don’t know, 2024 is so far off.”

Pence then describes how the idea that he could influence the election results developed in private conversations and in public, beginning with an “irresponsible TV ad by a group calling itself the Lincoln Project.”

The former vice president says that he was not totally opposed to challenges to the 2020 election. “I supported legitimate challenges to the 2020 vote counts,” he said. “I also recognized that the Constitution didn’t give me authority to override the voters.”

Pence says he had no problem with Sen. Josh Hawley co-sponsoring “election objections brought by representatives…because it meant we would have a substantive debate.” Pence did, however, oppose a lawsuit filed by Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert and other Congress members asking a federal judge to rule that Pence could determine which electoral votes counted and, therefore, the election’s outcome.

‘No Excuse Not To Prosecute’ Virginia Pastor Arrested in Sex-Sting Op, Says State Delegate

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 14, 2022

A newly released report offers more details about the October 2021 arrest of Virginia pastor John Blanchard. It elaborates on the sex-sting operation that nabbed the lead pastor of Rock Church International in Virginia Beach. The report is prompting backlash from an official who speculates that a deal was involved and that prosecutors abused their discretion.

As part of a sting last fall, Blanchard, then 51, was arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution from a minor age 16 or older and using a vehicle to promote prostitution or unlawful sex. The case, which was continued several times, didn’t reach trial before the felony charges were dropped last month.

Church Leaders has been reporting on the case, including news of a previous sexual assault accusation against Blanchard. In 2019, a former assistant pressed charges against the pastor, who was acquitted.

John Blanchard Denied Wrongdoing

The police incident report contains text messages between Pastor John Blanchard and an undercover detective, who posed as a 17-year-old girl. Police say the pastor used abbreviations that indicated he was seeking sex, and he asked for a location to meet. When Blanchard showed up at a local hotel room, he was arrested.

When interviewed by detectives, Blanchard claimed he just wanted to spend time with the individual and considered the text messages he received as “odd.” The pastor also said money would change hands for time, not for sex—and then only if the person was having a “financial crisis.”

According to the report, Blanchard said he didn’t know the website he had been visiting featured porn. He also denied seeing the message that noted the person’s age. During the interview, Blanchard repeatedly claimed he was innocent.

After charges against Blanchard were dropped last month, Rock Church co-founder Bishop Anne Gimenez released a statement praising his “exoneration…after nearly 11 months of delays and continuances.” She wrote: “We have always believed in John’s innocence. His humility and submission to those over him during this time has been a testimony to his character. He has spent the time in fasting and prayer and has invested much of his time in his family and education. We anticipate his resumption of church duties in the near future.”

According to his bio on the church website, Blanchard comes “from a background in atheism and a dysfunctional childhood” and has a “heart is to reach a generation with a message of hope through the healing and delivering power of Jesus Christ.” He and his wife, a fellow senior pastor at Rock Church, have two daughters.

Officials React to New Details

Delegate Tim Anderson, a politician representing the Virginia Beach area, pushed back on the church’s statement. He also questioned the prosecutor’s decision to drop charges.

Some Canadians See Government Funded ‘Medical Assistance in Dying’ Preferable to Poverty, Homelessness

By

Dale Chamberlain

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November 14, 2022

In light of legislation that has expanded access to medical assistance in dying (MAID), some Canadian residents are considering death as an alternative to ailments that would not have otherwise claimed their lives.

Amir Farsoud, a 54-year-old resident of St. Catharines, Ontario, has applied for MAID in light of a chronic back injury. Only, he openly admits that he does not want to die.

Farsoud has applied for MAID because the multi-tenant house where he lives is up for sale and he cannot find a new place to live that he can afford. Because of his injury, he relies on Ontario disability support payments, living on a fixed income of just $1,200 a month.

Referring to the prospect of homelessness, Farsoud told CityNews, “I know in my present health condition, I wouldn’t survive it anyway.”

Legislation legalizing MAID was originally passed in June 2016, with eligibility limited to patients with a terminal diagnosis and whose death was imminent. Subsequent legislation was passed in March 2021 to expand eligibility to those whose natural death is not “reasonably foreseeable.”

In fact, under new requirements, the patients need not even have a “fatal or terminal condition to be eligible.” Guidelines for eligibility include: “have a serious illness, disease or disability,” “be in an advanced state of decline that cannot be reversed,” and “experience unbearable physical or mental suffering from your illness, disease, disability or state of decline that cannot be relieved under conditions that you consider acceptable.”

Because Farsoud’s chronic back condition is a disability that causes both physical pain and mental suffering, he could be approved for MAID in as soon as a month.

According to CityNews, Farsoud’s doctor is fully aware that Farsoud is seeking MAID not because he wishes to end his life but merely sees it as a favorable alternative to dying from causes resulting from homelessness, yet still approved his request to move forward with the MAID application.

Farsoud would need a second doctor to sign off on the request, something that the Canadian government told CityNews is unlikely, given safeguard measures in place.

“I don’t wish to be dead. Even with the pain, even with the meds, I still want to be here,” Farsoud said, nevertheless adding, “At the end of the day, it’s a personal decision.”

9Marks Author, Louisville Pastor Was on a Plane Nearly Shot Down by the President on 9/11

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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November 14, 2022

President_George_W — Series: Photographs Related to the George W. Bush Administration, 1/20/2001 - 1/20/2009Collection: Records of the White House Photo Office (George W. Bush Administration), 1/20/2001 - 1/20/2009, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Greg Gilbert, senior pastor of the Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and well-known Christian author, shared over the weekend (Oct. 12) that he was on a plane that was moments from being shot down by President George W. Bush during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“On 9/11, President Bush was asked for authorization to shoot down a plane that was coming from Madrid, only to be told minutes later that the plane had turned around and landed back in Madrid,” the pastor tweeted. “I was on that plane.”

Gilbert explained that he and a friend who was with him on the flight did some research and verified that two planes had been flying from Madrid, Spain, to Washington, D.C., one of which was an Iberian Air flight and the other Spanair—the flight Gilbert and his friend were on.

A previous Washington Post article, which included a 2004 interview George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, reported that one of those flights was cause of concern on the day of the terrorist attacks, because pilots did not respond to United States military radio contacts.

Gilbert said, “That’s not surprising, as our pilots barely spoke a word of English.”

“What I didn’t know until now, though,” Gilbert continued, “was that the President was actually asked for (and gave?) authorization to shoot the plane the down!”

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary alum’s new information came via an article that was recently published in The Wall Street Journal containing information from a newly declassified document.

A previous report explained that Bush acknowledged the fact that Air Force One, the place the President was taken to shortly after the attacks began, had poor communications. Bush gave Vice President Dick Cheney authorization to shoot down any commercial aircrafts that were unresponsive to military communications.

The new report revealed some of the communications between Bush and Cheney while Bush was aboard Air Force One in the midst of the deadliest terrorist attack in world history, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives.

“Yes, engage the enemy,” the President told his Vice President at the time. “You have the authority to shoot down an airplane.”

ERLC, Iowa Baptist Convention Urge Court To Protect Parental Rights

By

Tom Strode

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November 14, 2022

classroom — Photo via Unsplash.com @Taylor Flowe

ST. LOUIS (BP) – A Southern Baptist Convention entity and a Baptist state convention have joined with other organizations in urging a federal appeals court to block a public school district transgender policy they contend prevents the rights of parents to care for their children.

In defense of parental rights, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the Baptist Convention of Iowa (BCI) signed onto a friend-of-the-court brief filed Thursday (Nov. 10) with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in St. Louis. The brief asked the appeals court to reverse a federal judge’s ruling and issue an injunction barring enforcement of a policy by a school district in eastern Iowa.

The Eighth Circuit Court has announced it will hear oral arguments in the appeal during the week of Feb. 13-17 in St. Paul, Minn.

The Linn-Mar Community School District – headquartered in Marion, a suburb of Cedar Rapids – instituted a policy in April of this year regarding the treatment of transgender students. In part, the policy bars the district from informing others, including parents, of a student’s transgender status unless he or she provides authorization or it is legally required, such as in the case of national standardized tests.

The brief endorsed by the ERLC and the BCI says the Parental Preclusion Policy, as it describes this section, “permits students and schools to determine the name and pronouns that a student will use at school, to decide the gender of those that the child will sleep with on school trips, to select which restroom and locker room to use at school, and to determine which gender sports teams to join, all without parental notification or consent.”

By concealing the transgender status of students, the school district violates parental rights in two fundamental ways, according to the brief. The policy infringes on the parents’ right to “direct the care and education of their children,” including what school they attend, and infringes on their due process protections.

“God has ordained the family as the fundamental institution of our society,” said Hannah Daniel the ERLC’s policy manager. “Schools should not come between parents and their children, especially in such sensitive and important matters of gender and sexuality.

“Our brief argues that the Parental Preclusion Policy ultimately violates parents’ inherent and due process rights, and it is our hope that the Eighth Circuit will share this view and strike down this harmful policy,” she told Baptist Press in written comments.

Ben Bradley, the BCI’s communications and outreach director, told BP, “We believe parents were given authority and responsibility by God, as seen in scriptures such as Deuteronomy 6. We are fortunate to have our beliefs represented in the public square when we see God-given authority undermined by local governments.

“We are grateful to partner with the ERLC because they give voice to concerns our Iowa church members have,” he said in written remarks.

The organization Parents Defending Education sued the school district on behalf of seven parents, but U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams denied the request for a preliminary injunction that would have prohibited enforcement of the policy.

In his Sept. 20 opinion, Williams ruled the parents “will not suffer irreparable harm” without an injunction. They had presented evidence only of possible harm and were unlikely to succeed on the merits, he said. Williams also said the parents had not sufficiently demonstrated they had been injured and therefore lacked standing. They “will have difficulty showing [the policy] violates their constitutional rights,” he wrote.

The brief joined by the ERLC and BCI said the Parental Preclusion Policy “usurps the parental role.”

Historic Election of Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s First Black President Put Into Perspective With Facebook Post

By

Scott Barkley

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November 14, 2022

Historic-election-of-N-C-convention’s-first-Black-president-put-into-perspective — Quintell and Christie Hill photo courtesy of Baptist Press.

MONROE, N.C. (BP) — Quintell Hill’s election as the first African American president in the history of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina is notable on its own merit. But just as Hill’s ascension to that role is indicative of the growing diversification of the Southern Baptist Convention, so is his testimony on the need for Southern Baptists to continue to address instances of racism.

The latter was expressed in a Facebook post by Hill’s wife, Christie, celebrating her husband’s new role as state president but giving readers a look at what happened in years past.

“Fifteen years ago we were newly married and living in on-campus housing at Southeastern Seminary,” she wrote. “We applied for probably 100 youth pastor positions within that year. Some never called, some called and were surprised to hear Quintell’s voice when he picked up the phone. Others invited us for interviews. But, every time the same thing happened – we weren’t hired because he was black and I was white.”

The most heartbreaking moment, she said, came when one church expressed excitement for Hill as a candidate. Its search team leader invited the couple to visit for an interview and even stay at his home.

At that point Quintell said it was time to tell the individual they were an interracial couple. So, they did.

The Hills waited weeks before getting a call. “You’re no longer a candidate for this position because of your marriage,” said that same search team member, according to Christie Hill.

“The heartbreak, y’all. We were a young 20-something couple just excited to share Jesus with students – and our hearts were broken. It just didn’t make any sense,” she wrote.

It made them want to walk away from the SBC, she said, with her husband expressing as much to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Danny Akin.

“He encouraged us to keep our heads in the game,” Hill wrote.

The SBC’s growing diversification has been well-chronicled in recent years, including a report at the September Executive Committee meeting that the Convention is now 22.3 percent racially and ethnically diverse.

Since 2000, growth among ethnic Southern Baptist congregations has stayed in double-digit figures, with that among Asian American churches showing at 20.7 percent and African Americans at 10.2 percent. Other ethnic congregations grew by 33.2 percent according to a research portal dedicated to the subject.

During that same time frame, the amount of growth among Anglo congregations has remained below 4 percent.

The Hills eventually did get a call to serve, first at North Cary (N.C.) Baptist then First Baptist Church in Weddington, N.C., before moving on to Georgia at New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville and First Baptist Mableton. In 2019 the couple moved back to North Carolina to plant Multiply Church in Monroe.

Christie Hill expressed the joy in following through on Akin’s encouragement.

“To think that 15 years ago we almost walked away. We would have never seen how God would use that pain for His glory! … The Lord is sovereign, friends.

“He uses every bit of our lives to bring honor and glory to HIS name.”

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Churches Vital in Helping Vulnerable Children, Send Relief Advocate Says

By

Timothy Cockes

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November 14, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – The task can seem daunting. Most estimates put the number of children and teens in foster care at 400,000 at any given time.

But Send Relief’s Family Advocacy Ministry (FAM) program is trying to tackle the problem one child – and one church – at a time. In fact FAM is hosting a webinar Nov. 15 for those who want to learn more about how their church can help. (Register here.)

Josh Benton, vice president of North American ministry for Send Relief, explained FAM is a “step-by-step ministry strategy that helps churches serve and advocate for vulnerable children and families.”

Meeting the great need should be a priority for all local churches, Benton said.

“No matter what community, city, or state you are in, vulnerable families are present,” he told Baptist Press.

“This isn’t a ministry opportunity that is somewhere else; it’s everywhere. Churches have an important role of recognizing the need that exists, articulating the biblical call to meet the need, and blessing those in their congregation who are led to pursue the ministry opportunity.”

Benton made it clear that the ultimate goal of FAM ministry is fulfilling the Great Commission.

“At the center of every FAM is the Gospel,” Benton said. “Because FAMs are church based, each FAM is designed to care for the physical and emotional needs of families and children but also point to our ultimate need, salvation in Christ.

“When a church goes on mission, it is obediently following the call of the Great Commission. In serving others we all can meet the needs of people around us, but we also have the opportunity to share the Gospel. When we do this, many will come to know Christ and followers of Christ will grow in their faith. This ultimately gives glory to God by proclaiming His name and strengthening the local church.”

One recent challenge for FAM and the foster care system as a whole has been the difficulties brought on by the pandemic.

Benton said although exact statistics related to foster care are sometimes hard to discern, the pandemic had negative effects on vulnerable children.

“When you factor the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, foster children faced a disrupted support system that they would typically receive in an educational environment,” he said.

One More Rep: UMHB Football Player Honors Brother’s Recovery

By

Scott Barkley

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November 14, 2022

Jerry Cephus is a sophomore slot receiver for the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders who wears number 11 in honor of his brother, Brock. Photos courtesy of UMHB Athletics

BELTON, Texas (BP) – “One” isn’t a big number. In fact, it’s the smallest positive integer, barely enough to count. Just one more isn’t a whole lot.

Except when it is.

Brock Stricklin didn’t know a brain tumor was causing the headaches wracking him in early 2019. The high school sophomore was young and healthy, or so he thought. When his dad, Cory, took him to the hospital and they received the diagnosis, doctors scheduled immediate surgery.

The procedure was a success, but a long recovery process followed.

Brock embraced the challenge. If a therapist asked him to do 10 reps of an exercise, he did one more. It was his way of showing his determination to get home, not to mention matching his football jersey number – 11.

Rehab started with the basics. Cory Stricklin told a reporter that his son had to relearn “how to breathe, make a noise, do anything. Eat, walk, talk, all that stuff.”

Jerry Cephus, who had been living with the Stricklins for years and considers Brock his brother, was also at the hospital that day.

“Dad texted me that they decided to take Brock to the hospital,” he told Baptist Press. “He had been complaining that his head hurt.”

When news about the tumor came, he said, “My heart dropped.”

Cephus left football practice and went straight to Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical Center in Temple, where Brock was to undergo surgery. He stayed throughout the night, snatching doses of sleep from a hospital chair and refusing to leave until 6 a.m. when Brock was in recovery.

Cephus, who maintains a good relationship with his birth family, came to live with the Stricklins when he was in the fourth grade. He and Brock were the same age and already a lot alike.

“We grew really close,” he said of the years that followed. “Playing football, basketball, baseball. We’d stay up late playing video games. Pretty much, we did everything together.”

Those interests grew into competition.

“Oh man, we’d race for the front seat of the car. See who could get to the next level of a video game. Wrestle in the living room for hours until someone got tired,” Cephus said. “We pushed each other to get better.”

Being two competitive boys, things got broken. Cephus isn’t sure how many windows had to be replaced in the Stricklin home. One day the two thought it a good idea to bring the TV from Jerry’s room into the living room, putting it beside the family TV for them to compete in a video game.

“We started wrestling and someone got thrown into the TV,” he said.

In their youth football days, both played for the Round Rock (Texas) Outlaws, Cephus as a dual-threat quarterback and Stricklin at receiver.

Cephus adopted his brother’s “one more” mantra on the football field. His work ethic and athletic talent led him to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where he plays wide receiver, his brother’s old position, for the Crusaders.

When he made the varsity squad as a sophomore this year, Cephus also got a surprise when they handed him jersey number 11.

“[It’s] probably the most exciting phone call he’s given me the whole time he’s been at college, you know,” Cory Stricklin said. “He said, ‘Dad I got the number!’ because it meant a lot to him.”

Cephus continues to add a rep in workouts. He runs one more route in practice.

That work has led to 12 receptions on the season for 150 yards and a touchdown with the 8-1 Crusaders. UMHB, affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, rides a seven-game winning streak and No. 3 ranking into their regular season finale this Saturday at home.

The defending Division III champions, the Crusaders are going for the fourth national title since 2016.

No team or individual gets to that level without the drive to finish the drill or make the extra rep. It’s a truth Cephus knows firsthand.

“Right now, I’m just a role player, but I want to be the best I can be,” he said. “I want to push myself to do my best.”

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

A ‘Missionary to Christian Nationalists,’ Phoenix Pastor Urges Conversion, Not Confrontation

By

Bob Smietana

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November 14, 2022

(RNS) — Phoenix pastor Caleb Campbell has a theory about the growing number of Americans who are labeled as Christian nationalists.

Most would rather go to Cracker Barrel than storm the Capitol.

Many see themselves as good Christians who love their country. But somewhere along the way, they began to think being a good American and being a Christian were one and the same.

“Their whole life has been the intermingling of their American civil religion and their Christian religion,” said Campbell, pastor of Desert Springs Bible Church and a self-described missionary to Christian nationalists.

To help his fellow Christians make a clearer distinction between their faith and their identity as Americans, Campbell founded a group called Disarming Leviathan and spent the last year reading Christian nationalist books and attending events like Turning Point USA’s monthly Freedom Night in America, held at a Phoenix megachurch.

Caleb Campbell. Courtesy Desert Springs Bible Church

He also signed up to teach a “biblical citizenship class” run by Patriot Academy, founded by Rick Green, a former Texas state legislator turned Christian “Constitution coach.” The class mixes details about America’s founding and the Constitution with Bible verses and conservative politics.

God-and-country patriotism remains popular in the United States, according to a recent report from Pew Research. Nearly half of Americans (45%) believe America should be a Christian country, including 78% of white evangelicals and 62% of Black Protestants.

Though few want the U.S. government to adopt Christianity as the country’s official religion, according to Pew, many Americans fear religion is losing influence in the culture. That fear, says Campbell, has led a growing number of his fellow believers to embrace a more extreme form of God-and-country patriotism, one more focused on winning the culture war than following Jesus.

Campbell expected many of the people in Christian nationalist settings he met to be angry political partisans. But instead, most were good-hearted people who thought they were doing the right thing for God.

“That was an aha moment,” he said.

At the time, Campbell had been focused on arguing with Christian nationalists, trying to convince them their ideology — popularized by politicians, pastors and online activists — is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus. But that approach did not work. He began to think of them as “Aunt Betty” — a loved one who is misguided and fearful.

“Aunt Betty is watching a whole generation of Americans deconstruct their American civic religion, and it’s freaking her out,” he said.

How To Kick-Start Evangelism in Your Youth Group

By

Greg Stier

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November 14, 2022

Today’s motorcycles are mostly press and play. You turn a key, press a button, and the engine automatically starts. But back in the day, it wasn’t so simple. To get a motorcycle going, you had to kick-start it. Are you a motorcycle enthusiast, then it’s best for you to check out this kawasaki z400 for sale here if you want to purchase quality used motorcycles!

Here’s how it works: You put the motorcycle into neutral. Then you put your foot and body-weight down on what’s called “the kick.” At the bottom of your foot-stroke, the motorcycle should start. If not, you have to go through the process again.

It’s old-school cool to kick-start a motorcycle. You feel like a true rebel without a cause.

Well, youth leaders are called to be rebels with a cause—the cause of Christ to “go and make disciples” and equip their teenagers to do the same.

I wish there were a press-and-play button that would help you automatically do this. Unfortunately there isn’t. Youth leaders who do this well must kick-start their group’s evangelism efforts.

Here are four proven ways to do that:

1. Give Them Gospel Urgency.

…snatch others from the fire and save them. (Jude 23)

Teenagers need to understand the urgency of the Gospel. As Jude reminds us, when we share the Gospel we’re snatching the lost from the flames of an eternal Hell. As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 9:36, we need to view the lost as “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Help your teenagers understand that their non-Christian friends need rescued from the Hell they’re headed to and the one they’re going through apart from Jesus.

2. Teach Them Gospel Fluency.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Even the apostle Paul was trained in Gospel fluency. Someone trained him with a creedal summation of the Gospel (“what I received…”), and then he trained the Corinthians in that same creed (“I passed on to you…”).

In the same way, we must help our teenagers master the message of the Gospel before we teach them a method for sharing the Gospel.

At Dare 2 Share, we provide youth leaders with a simple acrostic to share the Gospel message. It goes like this:

God created us to be with Him. (Genesis 1–2)

Our sins separate us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. (Genesis 4–Malachi 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew–Luke)

Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. (John)

Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. (Acts–Revelation)

Here’s a link to some free curriculum based on this acrostic that we’ve used at Dare 2 Share to teach teenagers Gospel fluency.

3. Equip Them With a Gospel Strategy.

As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures. (Acts 17:2)

He Already Knows the Answer, But God Still Calls Us to Pray

By

Kristy Fry

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November 14, 2022

Recently, a question about God and faith has been stirring in my heart, especially amid great tragedy and pain and loss: If he already knows the answer and has decided the outcome, why do we need to pray? I’ve been pressing into God more heavily and attempting to trust him when things don’t make sense.

Many of us end up at a crossroads of faith and confliction. Death just doesn’t compute here on earth. Our souls long for God’s original, perfectly intended design. Death is contrary to our Creator’s first desires for us, and the ache it creates is unmatched.

Loss, by itself, is so tough to comprehend. But what if you’ve been praying for God to bring healing or resolution that never came?

What happens when we don’t get what we asked for?

If he already knows what will happen, then why would God ask us to pray? Is there a fault in our prayer or a flaw in our faith? Is something missing? Or does God just ask us to pray but then withhold anyway? Is He angry? mean? unfair?

Is God even there?

So many questions. Last night, the Lord spoke to me in a dream just two words: “John 15 .“ The reference repeated itself until I finally woke to have it engraved in my heart.

I read my Bible and studied and prayed. I wrestled with the text and why God had decided I needed to read it. Then I went to a meeting, and we discussed this same question: If he already knows the answer, why does God want us to ask him? Why pray? To what end?

I drove home, and that reference engraved in my heart, lit up as though on fire: John 15.

Verses 4 and 5 especially replayed: “Remain in me as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”

I love the imagery of vines and branches. I love how it speaks to our beings as intended and created specifically for connection to our Savior. These words say to me, “I give life, and I designed you to live in constant connection with me and, through doing so, receive all you need.”

Connection with our Savior.

Isn’t this prayer? Isn’t the opportunity to offer up any and all emotions and requests and decisions and heartache and celebration…to offer up every piece of our hearts and souls to Him… isn’t that the epitome of connection?

1. Remember That It Starts With You.

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Strategic Check-In Areas

Oversized Restrooms

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1. One Gave Thanks

2. Lessons for Multiple Age Groups

3. Bible-Based Gratitude

4. Give Thanks for Everything

5. Thanksgiving Lessons to Gobble Up

6. Thank You, God

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1. Bible Adventures for Teens

2. Rep the Role

3. Prayer Stations for Interactive Impact

4. More Bible Activities for Teens

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1. Give Them Gospel Urgency.

2. Teach Them Gospel Fluency.

3. Equip Them With a Gospel Strategy.

What happens when we don’t get what we asked for?

Connection with our Savior.

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