Me encanta la gente diversa, la comida, y los idiomas  a través del Estado de la Estrella Solitaria, especialmente el “sur de la frontera” con sus sonidos y sabores únicos. La cultura latina es parte de mi herencia y estoy orgulloso de servir a la Conferencia Nacional Hispana de Liderazgo Cristiano como Directora Ejecutiva de la Coalición de Fe y Educación. Me encanta trabajar con padres, pastores y líderes de todo el país que se preocupan profundamente por los estudiantes y la educación de alta calidad.

En muchas comunidades hispanas de Texas, pastores y miembros de la iglesia proveen conexiones educativas vitales para las familias. Desde los inmigrantes y los padres de habla hispana hasta los estudiantes universitarios de primera generación, estos “héroes de aprendizaje” ayudan a las familias locales a superar las brechas lingüísticas y culturales relacionadas con la educación. Invierten en estudiantes porque creen que cada niño es creado a la imagen de Dios y merece la oportunidad de alcanzar su potencial.

Una forma en que estos líderes de la iglesia ayudan a las familias a trazar un curso para el éxito escolar es alentándolos a construir una sólida asociación entre padres y maestros. Esto puede ser intimidante para los adultos que nunca completaron su propia educación, los que fueron educados en otros países, o los que no son fluidos en Inglés. Pero podemos animar a todos los padres a sacar el máximo provecho de esta temporada de “regreso a la escuela” con algunos consejos simples. Los padres pueden ser “héroes de aprendizaje” para sus hijos al comenzar el año escolar con estos cinco consejos:

1. Comience fuerte.

Averigüe cómo preparar a su hijo para su nuevo grado. Asegúrese de revisar los resultados de las pruebas estatales anuales del año pasado. Considere la posibilidad de usar el enfoque TAG (Reacción del maestro + Evaluaciones + Grados) para determinar cómo está progresando su estudiante y qué áreas pueden necesitar apoyo adicional. Si aún no ha recibido los resultados del examen STAAR de su hijo, visite www.TexasAssessment.com para ver los resultados de evaluación de su hijo del último año escolar, así como muchos otros recursos de los padres. Gran parte de esta información también está disponible en español.

2. Tenga Socios.

En su primera reunión de maestros, traiga los resultados de su estado de la prueba del estado y pregunte qué significan para este año. Averigüe lo que se espera de su hijo y lo que puede hacer en casa para ayudar. Usted puede prepararse para la primera reunión del maestro con consejos en BeALearningHero.org.

3. ¡Que sea divertido!

¡Usted es el experto en su niño y puede ayudar a hacer el aprendizaje fresco! Lean juntos sobre temas que interesan a su hijo. Encuentre las matemáticas en la vida cotidiana – conviértalo en un juego. ¡Los pequeños momentos de aprendizaje se suman!

4. Celebre el trabajo duro.

Concéntrese en el esfuerzo y lo que su hijo está aprendiendo. Celebre el trabajo duro y el progreso, en lugar de la perfección, y esto ayudará a su hijo a sentirse menos nervioso acerca de nuevas tareas o temas.

5. Fomentar las habilidades para la vida a lo largo del camino.

Fortalezas como ser capaz de comunicarse, resolver problemas y demostrar paciencia ayudarán a su hijo en la escuela y en la vida. Hable abiertamente con su hijo acerca de cómo él o ella se siente y reacciona ante situaciones en la escuela, en el patio de recreo y en casa. Padres y maestros y líderes de la iglesia pueden asociarse para ayudar a los estudiantes a alcanzar altos estándares, esperando y sacando lo mejor de cada niño.

Las buenas pruebas nos ayudan a medir si los estudiantes están en camino para el siguiente nivel de grado y, eventualmente, para el rigor de la universidad o carrera. Y el acceso a los resultados de las pruebas y otros datos de progreso, tanto en inglés como en español, permite a los padres convertirse en socios completos en la educación de sus hijos. Podemos honrar nuestra diversidad cultural al unir a los padres detrás de un objetivo común – excelentes oportunidades de educación para todos nuestros estudiantes de Texas.

Por Dra. Andrea Ramírez, Directora Ejecutiva, Coalición de Fe y Educación – NHCLC

I was in my early twenties before I ever witnessed a female have an active role in a worship service.

A college friend and I spent the weekend with another friend in another town, and we attended church together on Sunday morning. The order of service was basically identical to the one I had grown up in, even if the liturgy seemed a bit more formal than my East Texas background had exposed me to.

But this particular church, unlike most I had known, had a variation on the offering and offertory prayer in which the prayer was prayed by the song leader as the ushers came quietly to the front of the sanctuary, rather than one of the ushers saying the prayer after walking up as a group.

The effect was that if you were a good Christian with head bowed and eyes closed during the prayer, you couldn’t see who the ushers were on that morning until the “Amen” was uttered.

Luke, the friend we were visiting, sat in between Scott and me, enhancing the comedic value of this story. After the “Amen” came, the scene went down like this:

We all looked up.

About two seconds passed between looking up and assessing that a couple of the ushers that day were female. (It should be noted that there was no indication either in the bulletin or announced in the service that it was a special WMU or GA Day.)

Luke continued to look forward, as he had likely done every Sunday before.

Scott and I, having grown up in similar East Texas churches, dropped our jaws, slowly leaned forward and pivoted our heads toward each other, leaving Luke (who knew us well enough to know what was going on) laughing hysterically throughout the rest of the service.

All that because of a female usher.

Decades without change

Not long after, the same church would make news for being the first Southern Baptist Church in Texas to call a woman as the lead pastor, setting off one of the many skirmishes that culminated in schisms that you, if you are reading this publication, likely are well aware of.

I would eventually, over the course several years, evolve from being shocked at seeing a female usher in a worship service to being uncomfortable if all the leaders on a Sunday morning were men.

I graduated from being a fierce supporter of “women in ministry” to being someone who was careful to say “women in lead pastor roles” when having the conversation about gender and ministry because even many of our estranged Southern Baptist brothers and sisters agree that the sisters can take part in some kinds of ministry. The seminary I attended and graduated from has always been a strong advocate for female preachers, graduating some of the very best.

Yet almost twenty years after that eye-opening experience of mine, and almost that long since one group of Baptists broke away from another group of Baptists over the rights of churches to appoint women as lead pastors, (not to mention the refusal of seminary professors and denominational leaders to sign a document relegating women to subservient roles,) none of us are significantly more likely to walk into a Baptist church in Texas led by a female now than we were back then.

We are doing ourselves a grave disservice if we aren’t asking ourselves why this is the case, and what was the point of our split if the leadership of our churches looks essentially the same as those we split from?

And if we aren’t living into the reasons for our existence, do we owe those we split from an apology for not acting on what we said we believed twenty years ago?

I understand and empathize with the tendency of moderates to want to move slowly, even if I want to slip a copy of MLK’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” into the pages of their Bible where Acts 2:17 is located. (“Your sons and daughters will prophesy.”)

But c’mon. Twenty years?

Past Time

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the opening worship service of the “Nevertheless, She Preached” conference just a couple of miles down the road from where my jaw dropped at seeing my first female usher.

The service, led by an (almost) all female worship team, along with women preachers, prayers and Scripture readers, was one of the most evangelical, good-news-filled worship experiences I have experienced in years. The experience revealed to me that it isn’t just our women who are being hurt by our churches’ refusal to call them to preach, it is the big “C” Church that is losing.

If they were both, male and female, created in the image of God, then it only makes sense that we are being deprived of knowing God more fully if we aren’t sitting under the teaching and leadership of women who have answered the call of God on their lives to preach and to lead.

As someone who is holding on to his Baptist identity despite all the reasons not to, I pray it is not too late.

In the years between declaring that we theoretically believe women can preach and lead congregations and now, I have watched many of our greatest potential leaders knock on doors of churches, making themselves available to preach and lead, only to be told that it isn’t “quite time.”

In addition to this, on a denominational level, we have cast votes and passed resolutions that make it less likely that our most gifted female preachers will want to remain in the fold. The result is that some of the greatest female preachers who have graduated from “moderate” Baptist seminaries are now preaching, if they have remained in Texas, in UCC and Disciples of Christ congregations.

It’s not time for our most prominent Texas Baptist churches to invite women into their pulpits on Sunday mornings.

It’s past time.

It’s not time for our denominational and seminary leaders to lean heavily on search committees to invite (and give preference to) female candidates for ministry positions.

It’s past time.

It’s past time for our young men to hear the word of God, the good news of Jesus Christ, preached with power and tenderness from the mouths of the daughters of God. In pulpits. On Sunday morning.

It’s past time, but it’s not too late.

Be courageous, churches. The Spirit that is within you is greater than the spirit that is in the world.

Craig Nash grew up in Chandler, Texas, and is a graduate of East Texas Baptist University and Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. He has lived in Waco since 2000, where he works for Baylor and attends University Baptist Church. If he were any more Baptist, he would need a committee on committees to help him decide who will help him make major life decisions.

The two books of Kings get less attention than they deserve in contemporary Christian thought. They tell the story of the long rise and fall of the nation of Israel, from the death of the faithful King David to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

The writer of Kings isn’t interested in history for history’s sake, though; the writer is preserving the mistakes made by the nation in hopes that future generations will avoid them.

If you’ve read through the books, you probably noticed that each king whose reign is recorded gets a “value judgment” by the author as either good, good with reservations or wicked. Of all of the kings described, only two receive a “good” mark. Six receive “good with reservations,” and the rest are judged as wicked.

One criterion prevails as the most important, separating the “good” from the “good with reservations:” whether or not they “tore down the high places.”

High places then

What were the “high places” that were so important to the writer of Kings?

The high places were the sites of false worship: they were places where idols were worshiped or where God was worshipped in a twisted way. They were sites where idolatry took place, and the righteousness of the kings of Israel and Judah were all judged according to whether they removed these stations for false worship or not.

Kings is not interested in the leaders’ political or military success — only in their faithfulness in tearing down the high places. Only two kings did this (Hezekiah and Josiah), and by the end of the book, God has punished the people for their unrighteousness with exile and loss of the Promised Land.

High places now

Idol-making is no ancient problem. Twenty-five hundred years later, we still build high places for false and irreverent worship.

One of the most prominent examples in American history is the “Religion of the Lost Cause,” a spinoff of Christianity not as open as it once was but still in full force today. Following the defeat of the Confederacy in the Civil War, a new sort of hybrid religion venerating the old Confederacy and incorporating Christian practices emerged in the south.

It revered the old heroes of the Confederate army as forces for good fighting against the evil forces of the Union and saw the defeat of the South as analogous to the suffering and death of Christ. This suffering, southern practitioners of this civil religion believed, would one day be righted. Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, “the South will rise again.”

Of course, this hybrid worship of south and Christ was less than friendly to freed blacks, unwelcomed reminders of national defeat. The famous “Jim Crow” laws were enacted to make life miserable for blacks living in the South.

Following the passage of the “Jim Crow” laws, practitioners of Lost-Cause religion erected statues of Confederate leaders to intimidate and remind blacks that they were not welcomed in that area. The Confederate monuments that dot so many southern towns today were not constructed in the aftermath of the Civil War but during segregation and the Civil Rights movement, with the explicit purpose of intimidating blacks. They were erected as “explicit symbols of white supremacy.”

Think about it. Statues are not for recording history but for admiration and admonition. We have many ways of recording and remembering history: books, museums, battlefields and so on. We aren’t in danger of forgetting that a war happened. In postwar Germany, concentration camps remain as a reminder of the evil humanity is capable of committing. Statues of Hitler have been taken down.

There’s a difference between preserving history and venerating it.

Remember Kings

The town where I went to college has a Confederate monument on its courthouse square that is currently being debated. I recently saw pictures of a group of white men holding machine guns and signs in front of the monument protesting calls for its removal. If those men walked two blocks over, they would find a county history museum with a fantastic collection regarding both the Civil War and the Jim Crow era in which this statue was built. Removing the statue isn’t erasing history; no one is calling for the museum to remove its exhibits.

God doesn’t like idol-worship. Neither does he like oppression or the intimidation of others. I can only imagine how my black brothers and sisters in Christ must have felt seeing men armed with machine guns standing in front of a statue erected to celebrate a culture in which their ancestors were beaten and lynched. These statues are literal idols.

If we take history seriously, perhaps we should remember the books of Kings. God doesn’t like high places, and no one who allows them to stand is righteous.

Jake Raabe is a student at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Waco, Texas. He is also a co-founder of Patristica Press, a Waco-based publishing house.

For 11 years, Ernie McCoulskey has served as the director of missions for the Kauf-Van Baptist Association in Terrell, Texas. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on church and ministry. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated leader to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.  

Background

Where else have you worked, and what were your positions?

I pastored Baptist churches in Texas for 25 years. The last 17 years were at First Baptist Church Terrell.

Where did you grow up?

We moved a lot growing up, but I graduated from high school at Cedar Hill, Texas.

How did you come to faith in Christ?

I was influenced greatly by my parents and the Kinney Avenue Baptist Church in Austin, where my family lived when I was young.

Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?

I have a B.A. in religion and philosophy from Dallas Baptist University (College at the time) and an M.Div. from Southwestern.

Ministry/Profession

Why do you feel called to your particular vocation?

I do feel called to this task. It was a challenging realization because I had not considered it previously. I had some local pastors challenge me to pray about the possibility and the Lord led from there.

Please tell us about your association—where it’s located, the key focus of its work and ministry, etc.

Kauf-Van Baptist Association primarily serves the churches of Kaufman and Van Zandt counties. We do have a couple of churches in Rockwall county and Henderson county as well. The western edge is made up of rapidly growing suburban communities and the eastern side is more stable and rural.

What do you like best about leading your association? Why?

I love investing time into the lives of senior pastors. It is a hard time to pastor, and most guys need a safe support network. We strive to provide that.

How has your association and its mission changed since you began your career?

We have become much more responsive to individual church needs. We still do a few big events, but it is much more about building relationships that encourage churches and their leaders than it used to be.

What one aspect of your job gives you the greatest joy or fulfillment?

Working directly with pastors.

About Baptists

What are the key issues—opportunities and/or challenges—facing Baptist churches?

With all the changes in our society today, we can’t allow ourselves to be lured into thinking of the church as an entity that needs to be maintained. It is a militant force that must be unleashed!

About Ernie

Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?

As a young pastor, there were some guys in the Dallas Baptist Association that were seen as “successful” pastors that would love on us young guys. Men like Gene Colton, Henry Kinkeade and Don Childress were such an encouragement when I was just trying to find my way in the pastorate.

Other than the Bible, name some of your favorite books or authors, and explain why.

I have appreciated the writings of Jeff Iorg on leadership issues and Paul Tripp on the challenges of serving in ministry and dealing with discouragement.

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Why?

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 2:7). As I was wrestling with the call to associational work, God used this verse to calm me as I looked at how many things would change if I did make the move.

Who is your favorite Bible character, other than Jesus? Why?

It may seem strange, but I love the account of Ananias of Damascus in Acts 9. We have no hint that he held any office or position, but he heard God call him to go to Saul of Tarsus, and, while it scared him, he went anyway. Faithful obedience is a quality I want to emulate.

I love the diverse people, food and languages across the Lone Star State, especially our “south of the border” sounds and flavors. Latino culture is part of my heritage, and I am proud to serve the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference as Executive Director of the Faith & Education Coalition. I love working with parents, pastors and leaders across the nation who care deeply about students and high-quality education.

In many Hispanic communities across Texas, pastors and church members provide vital education connections for families. From immigrants and Spanish-speaking parents to first-generation college students, these “learning heroes” help local families bridge the language and cultural divides related to education. They invest in students because they believe every child is created in God’s image and deserves the chance to meet his or her potential.

One way these church leaders help families chart a course for school success is by encouraging them to build a strong parent-teacher partnership. This can be intimidating for adults who never completed their own education, those who were educated in other countries, or those who are not fluent in English. But we can encourage all parents to make the most of this “back to school” season with a few simple tips.

Parents can be “learning heroes” for their children by starting the school year with these five tips:

1. Start strong.

Find out how prepared your child is for his or her new grade. Be sure to review the annual state test results from last year.  Consider using the TAG approach (Teacher feedback + Assessments + Grades) to determine how your student is progressing and what areas may need additional support. If you haven’t received your child’s STAAR test results yet, visit www.TexasAssessment.com to view your child’s assessment results from last school year – as well as many other parent resources. Much of this information is also available in Spanish.

2. Partner up.

At your first teacher meeting, bring your child’s state test results and ask what they mean for this year. Find out what’s expected of your child and what you can do at home to help. You can prepare for the first teacher meeting with tips at BeALearningHero.org

3. Make it fun!

You are the expert on your child and can help make learning cool! Read together on topics that interest your child. Find math in everyday life – turn it into a game. Small learning moments add up!

4. Celebrate hard work.

Focus on the effort and what your child is learning. Celebrating hard work and progress, rather than perfection, will help your child feel less nervous about new tasks or subjects.

5. Encourage life skills along the way.

Strengths such as being able to communicate, problem-solve and demonstrate patience will help your child in school and life. Talk openly with your child about how he or she is feeling and reacting to situations at school, on the playground and at home.

Parents and teachers and church leaders can partner to help students reach high standards, expecting and bringing out the best in each child. Good tests help us gauge if students are on track for the next grade level and, eventually, for the rigor of college or career. And accessing test results and other progress data, in both English and Spanish, empowers parents to become full partners in their child’s education. We can honor our cultural diversity as we unite parents behind a common goal – excellent education opportunities for all our Texas students.

Dr. Andrea Ramirez serves as the Executive Director of the Faith and Education Coalition for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Coalition (NHCLC), America’s Largest Hispanic Christian Evangelical Organization.

“It is not an enemy who taunts me – I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me – I could have hidden from them. Instead, it is you – my equal, my companion and close friend. What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God.” —Psalm 55:12–14

We have long known that domestic violence exists, affecting one in three women in Texas. There are no racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, educational or age-related boundaries when it comes to abuse—nor is it defined by religious affiliation.

Domestic violence is a worldwide epidemic, and in order to end it, we need to understand that it affects all of us, including those within the church and within your congregation.

Faith communities are often the first responders for those experiencing domestic violence, as many people turn to their faith for answers before seeking support or counseling outside of their place of worship. Unfortunately, leaders and members of the church are often ill-equipped to know how to respond to abuse or don’t think it happens within their own congregations.

The truth is that women in faith communities are at a higher risk of being abused, less likely to leave the abusive relationship and least likely to reach out to experts for help.

Although the faith community may have the best intentions in responding to domestic violence situations, too often, victims hear blaming or are given advice that unintentionally perpetuates the abuse and excuses the abuser. Abusers may manipulate scriptures like Ephesians 5 or Proverbs 31 to keep women in abusive homes for fear of displeasing their God.

Given the escalation patterns and potentially lethal nature of domestic violence, it becomes an even greater responsibility for all intersections of the faith community to respond effectively by turning to the experts, establishing a church-wide commitment against domestic violence and actively taking an individual stance by getting involved.

Rely on the experts

The church is not immune to secular problems like alcoholism or domestic violence. Considering that domestic abuse is the leading cause of injury to families, all faith communities—including both leaders and members—need to be prepared to face this issue. We cannot ignore it when it happens, nor can we pretend it doesn’t happen in our church.

To end this epidemic, the church isn’t expected to be an expert on the issue, but rather to stand beside victims, believe them, tell them there is help and hold abusers accountable.

There are resources available like Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support, an organization that exists to give women and children in abusive situations a path to lead independent and safe lives. They are the experts so you don’t have to be, providing staff trainings and materials on how to respond to domestic violence from the pulpit to the pew.

Establish a church-wide commitment against domestic violence

We are called to hold abusers accountable: if you suspect something, say something.

The Bible says again and again, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Suppose the news of the gospel was only talked about at church once a year; imagine the missed opportunity. Similarly, domestic violence shouldn’t only be discussed one Sunday a year during October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

In order to truly make an impact, the church needs to be blanketed with this message, from informational cards in the women’s restroom to sermons on Sunday and in Sunday school classes. If you don’t know where to start, Genesis Women’s Shelter can help determine the best ways to reach your congregation.

For a woman to hear and believe that she is worth it, she must receive the same message everywhere she goes — Genesis, the police, the courts and from her faith community.

Take an individual stance by getting involved

Understanding the intersection between faith and domestic violence is the first step in responding effectively. At Genesis, we recognize the incredible opportunity and responsibility we have to partner with faith communities to support our mission. With this in mind, we have launched the Genesis Faith Community Coalition.

The Faith Community Coalition’s mission is to unite and mobilize faith communities to respond effectively to domestic violence by spreading awareness and providing resources. Our hope is to see congregations and leaders join Genesis in recognizing abuse within the faith community and standing up on behalf of survivors.

If we ever hope to end the epidemic of domestic violence, we can’t ignore it when it happens, and we can’t pretend it doesn’t happen in our church. Both abusers and victims are in our choirs, in our pews and in our congregations.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call Genesis’ 24-hour hotline at 214.946.HELP(4357) or visit GenesisShelter.org for more information. If you’d like to discuss ways your congregation can take a stand against domestic violence, please reach out to me at 214-389-7709 or email jlangbein@genesisshelter.org.

Jan Langbein is president and CEO of Genesis Women’s Shelter.

Editor’s note: At a rally Friday in Huntsville, Ala., President Trump called on NFL owners to release players who took a knee during the national anthem like former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who intended to draw attention to police violence against African Americans. Here, Michael Frost reflects on the differences between Kaepernick and Tim Tebow.

They’re both Christian football players, and they’re both known for kneeling on the field, although for very different reasons.

One grew up the son of Baptist missionaries to the Philippines. The other was baptized Methodist, confirmed Lutheran, and attended a Baptist church during college.

Both have made a public display of their faith. Both are prayerful and devout.

This is the tale of two Christian sports personalities, one of whom is the darling of the American church while the other is reviled. And their differences reveal much about the brand of Christianity preferred by many in the church today.

Read the rest of the article at The Washington Post.

Sometimes, in the pain and suffering of this life, we wonder where God is in the midst of our trials. We can’t feel his presence and we don’t hear his voice. Many times, in the midst of these valleys, our prayers seem futile, our spiritual well seems dry. Where does our help come from?

This is the question the Psalmist asks in Psalm 121. The answer given is simple: “My help comes from the Lord.” But, where can we find this help, where can we find the Lord when it seems he is absent and we feel alone?

Paul answers this question for us in 2 Corinthians 1. God comforts us through his church. When we don’t seem to feel his presence in our life, we should turn to his church. Here in 2 Corinthians 1, Paul reveals at least three ways God comforts us through the ministry of the body of Christ.

The experience of others

In verses 3–7, we see one of the ways God comforts us in our suffering is through the presence of our brothers and sisters in Christ. God comforts his people in their affliction through the comforting presence of those who have already walked through affliction.

We need the church. We need to be in close relationship with others who are walking by faith in Jesus.

I don’t know all of the reasons why we experience pain and suffering, but I do know God wants us to use our experience to comfort others who are walking their own path through the valley of the shadow of death. When we walk through affliction, we should turn to others who have walked similar paths.

In the middle of your trial, when you wonder where God is, look to his church. He is in their hugs and pats on the back. He is in their volunteering to drive you to the doctor and sit with you in waiting rooms. He is there in their silent presence.

He is in their own experiences of pain and suffering, of loss and grief. God uses his people to be his hands and feet, to represent his love and grace.

The hope of the gospel

Another way we experience comfort in our affliction is by continuing to preach to ourselves and remind one another of the hope of the gospel. God will deliver us, Paul promises, and we can bank on this sure hope because of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

In verse 20, Paul says all of the promises of God find their yes in Jesus. Jesus is God’s ultimate yes to our deepest questions about his goodness, presence and power.

Is God there in the midst of our suffering? Jesus is God’s yes.

Is God good? Jesus is God’s yes.

Is God working even in the midst of this pain? Jesus is God’s yes.

Will God deliver me from this affliction? Jesus is God’s yes.

When we doubt God and his goodness, we must look to Jesus. The hope of the resurrection of Jesus and our own resurrection in him gives us a foundation of hope to stand on in the storms of affliction.

The power of prayer

In verse 11, Paul asks the Corinthian church to pray for him and his ministry. God works when his people pray. God brings comfort to those walking through affliction when his people pray.

We often tell other people we are praying for them in order to sound spiritual or because we don’t know what else to say, but prayer is not a throwaway activity. It is the most important thing we can do because it fuels our comforting presence and calls us back to the foundation of hope in Jesus.

God comforts us through the prayers of others. This requires us to be honest and to trust others with our affliction while trusting God to work through those prayers.

When we walk through affliction and suffering and we wonder where God is, we must turn to his church. Through the presence of others who have already walked through an affliction similar to ours, the hope we have in Jesus of all things being redeemed and restored and the powerful prayers of those all around us. God comforts us.

Instead of looking to the sky for a sure sign of God’s presence, we should turn to those all around us already who are prepared to be his hands and his feet.

God comforts us through his people.

Zac Harrel is pastor of First Baptist Church in Gustine, Texas.

When did the art of pleasant conversation and open dialogue end? Every national news item — it seems — sparks vitriol that demands an alignment in one political camp or the other, one race or the other, or one sexual orientation or the other. I am afraid we have lost the ability to exchange ideas, to communicate freely, to learn from one another. To celebrate our differences rather than condemn them. Passionate speech and polite speech are not incompatible.

But I am afraid to speak, for fear my words are misinterpreted. I am afraid to write, lest my writing not encourage the thoughtful conversation I intended, but provoke a hateful backlash. Is it no longer possible to have civil discourse?

I am afraid to laugh, for fear my laughter is misconstrued. Can’t I both laugh at Tina Fey’s ‘‘Saturday Night Live’’ sheet-caking stunt, for example, as well as at Chad Prather’s “Unapologetically Southern” YouTube videos? At political cartoons of both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times? Or is humor no longer funny, only hateful? Can’t we laugh at ourselves anymore, at our own hypocrisies? We all have them. I’m afraid we no longer recognize that; we are blinded by our self-interest.

I am afraid of social media. Facebook has unfortunately turned into a forum where, other than the annual birthday wish or mundane vacation photo, posts are filled with inflammatory opinions and commentary-as-fact with the self-righteous, ignorant replies that follow. Mob mentality sets in and people post things they would never say to your face. Hurtful — hateful — things.

Free speech is not the same thing as kind speech, uplifting speech, or frankly, intelligent speech. Nor should honest disagreement be labeled hate speech. Unfortunately, much speech today is designed to shut down the conversation by labeling one’s opponent — are they really an opponent? — a bigot, or by declaring they have no moral standing even to join the conversation. That is coercion, intimidation and bullying no matter which side is doing it. That makes me very afraid.

I am afraid when I see fellow Christians deciding that following politics is more important than following the Ten Commandments. When they opt for strict party affiliation over and above “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mark 12:31, KJV). And when they decide it is expedient to legislate hate, discrimination and economic disparity while ignoring inconvenient moral issues like poverty and health care. What happened to being Jesus to those around us?

Rod Dreher, in his timely book “The Benedict Option,” notes that political victory does not vitiate the vice of hypocrisy. The socially liberal churches are just as guilty of blindly aligning with the Democratic Party as the fundamentalists are with the Republican Party. Could it be that Jesus understood this when he said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21, KJV)?

I am afraid our clumsy, partisan involvement has resulted in a political environment increasingly hostile to the very real — and very Christian — charitable work of the church. We must redirect our gaze outside our church walls and into our increasingly diverse and desperate communities. Putting our faith to work on the ground speaks volumes and accomplishes so much more than legislating selective moral conformity.

It often takes a crisis — a disaster? — to bring the country together to work for the common good. Perhaps Hurricane Harvey will accomplish that. It appears to be doing so; I just hope it lasts.

Dreher wrote, “The state will not be able to care for all human needs in the future, especially if the current projections of growing economic inequality prove accurate.” Christians need to rediscover an ethic that marries personal responsibility with intentional charity and corporate love and respect. I fear we may have drifted too far to do so.

But I am afraid not to try.

Reprinted with permission of The Lufkin Daily News.

Sid Roberts is a radiation oncologist at the Arthur Temple Sr. Regional Cancer Center in Lufkin. Previous columns may be found at srob61.blogspot.com.

For 17 years, Danny Pickens has served as the director of missions for the Smith Baptist Association in Tyler, Texas. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on church and ministry. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated leader to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here. 

Background

Where else have you worked, and what were your positions?

• Director of Church Services, Smith Baptist Association
• Associate Pastor, FBC Canton, Texas
• Associate Pastor, FBC Hallsville, Texas
• Minister of Youth, FBC Kilgore, Texas
• Minister of Youth, Southern Oaks Baptist, Tyler, Texas
• Minister of Youth, FBC Hallsville, Texas
• Minister of Youth, FBC Winona, Texas

Where did you grow up?

I was raised in El Paso but moved to Tyler in 1969. I have lived in and around Tyler since 1969.

How did you come to faith in Christ?

I attended a youth rally at First Christian Church in Tyler where I heard a Christian comedian. Although I was a church member, I realized that night that I had not asked for forgiveness and had not repented. I knelt that night and, with the help of a counselor, asked Christ to come into my life and heart.

Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?

• 1984 East Texas Baptist College: Bachelor of Arts
• 1995 Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: Master of Arts in Religious Education
• 2003 Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: Doctor of Educational Ministries

Ministry/Profession

Why do you feel called to your particular vocation?

I love people and I love missions. The Director of Missions position allows me to do both! My ministry to and with pastors and staff in effect multiplies my gifts and talents by the number of ministers I assist. The opportunity to expose people to missions around the world is a true joy. Traveling and sharing the gospel with those less fortunate than us is a priority in my ministry.

Please tell us about your association—where it’s located, the key focus of its work and ministry, etc.

Smith Baptist Association is located in Tyler, Texas. We dropped the word “County” from our name years ago because we extend to neighboring counties as well. Currently, we have churches in Smith, Cherokee, Wood and Van Zandt counties. We serve 90 churches and missions. One of the key focuses of our ministry is that of the Baptist Student Ministry. We have two campuses in Tyler and feel called to provide for both. We also have a strong Hispanic and African American ministry within our Association. We help churches participate in local missions, home missions and foreign missions when possible.

What do you like best about leading your association? Why?

SBA is one of the best Associations in the state (in my opinion). Our pastors work together in harmony to carry out missions and ministry.

What aspect(s) of associational ministry and/or its mission do you wish more people understood?

I wish people understood the role of the Association as one of equipping for the churches. We exist to “equip and serve our member churches.” That does not mean we lord over them or tell them what to do but rather help them in all things. We stand ready to do whatever we can to help them “fulfill the Great Commission” and be the best church possible.

How has your association and its mission changed since you began your career?

In the beginning, the Association was primarily focused on programs. Today, we are more focused on missions and ministry. We seldom come up with or promote a program of our own but rather help churches to carry out their own ministry through their own programing. We have “church first” philosophy, meaning that we want what is best for the church and we will do all we can to help them.

How do you expect your association and/or its mission to change in the next 10 to 20 years?

I wish I knew! I do know that the Association will have to continue to morph and adapt. It must remain relevant to the ministry of the churches and staff. It must be a resource and help. It must not think that just because it exists that it will be supported financially by churches.

Name the three most significant challenges and/or influences facing your association.

1. Involvement of younger people.
2. Peace among the churches in spite of Baptist politics.
3. Continued ministry that is relevant and useful to our churches.

What one aspect of your job gives you the greatest joy or fulfillment?

That one is easy. Exposing staff and laypeople to foreign missions. There is something about participating in a mission trip for the first time that changes people. They come back with a renewed sense of purpose, with a love for missions, with a desire to educate others about the need for missions and with a desire to fund missions.

About Baptists

What are the key issues—opportunities and/or challenges—facing Baptist churches?

Revitalization of dying churches is and will be a challenge for years to come.

About Danny

Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?

I was influenced early on by my pastor, Dr. R. S. Crawford (Southern Oaks, Tyler), by my youth minister, Pete Parnell (Southern Oaks, Tyler), by Kirby McGuire (former DOM, Smith Baptist Association), and by a pastor I served with on two occasions, Bro. John Taylor (FBC Hallsville). Each of these men provided a godly example for me and mentored me in various ways. Each has left an indelible mark on my life. I will forever be grateful to them for how they influenced my ministry.

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Why?

Galatians 2:20 is one of my favorites! I am not the person I used to be, I have been “crucified with Christ!” Micah 6:8 is another favorite.

Who is your favorite Bible character, other than Jesus? Why?

The Apostle Paul: such a missionary, such a mentor, such an example of a Christ-like life!

Name something about you that would surprise people who know you well.

I am mildly OCD. That leads to an obsession with whatever hobby I am currently pursuing. Whether it is falconry, photography, stamp collecting, coin collecting, hiking, woodworking, etc. I do it to the fullest extent possible. This often turns a hobby into an obsession.

If you could get one “do over” in your career, what would it be, and why?

I would be a missionary much earlier in life. I feel I missed a great opportunity as a young man to enter the mission field. I did not surrender to the ministry until I was 27, I was married and with two small children. By the time I finished my education, I felt it was too late to go to the mission field in a foreign land. However, God saw to it that I was able to do missions by bringing me to my current position, for which I am eternally grateful.

Bonus

Write and answer a question you wish we had asked.

What is your favorite hobby?

I love falconry and photography. I have done both for over 30 years.

Somewhere in the mists of time, it got a label that stuck: “Sneak-a-Preach.” That’s when a church leader — usually a pastor — uses any element of worship that’s not supposed to be a sermon to insert a mini-sermon anyway. Most often, this happens in a prayer.

You may also be acquainted with a related phenomenon I’ll label “Sneak-An-Announcement.” That’s when the pastor has forgotten to make an important announcement and thus slips it in the benediction or some other prayer during worship. Like this: “And Lord, please bless the youth who will gather here at the church at 9:30 Saturday morning for their trip to Six Flags with $15 each for lunch money and a ride home around 9 p.m.”

We can laugh about announcements not-so-subtly stuffed into a prayer because the act is so obvious. But theologically, I have a greater problem with the sermon inserted into corporate prayer because it demonstrates a lack of thoughtfulness about the role of prayer in worship and denies the congregation a voice in prayer. This appears to be an increasing phenomenon in the Christian church today.

Read the rest of this article at Baptist News Global.

The church needs to be more digital. For small churches especially, the digital world can level the playing field, giving us a broader reach and wider ministry impact.

As I wrote in The Gatekeepers are Gone: What’s Holding Your Ministry Back?, we need more churches taking advantage of online services, podcasts, livestreaming, social media, blogging, you name it.

Online church is not just necessary, it’s important, even essential. The speed, convenience and world-wide reach of the internet is a wonderful tool. The digital world is a great place to network about faith.

But church will never be entirely digital.

Read the rest of this article at Christianity Today.