Don’t ever mention falling through cracks in the presence of Jared Greer—unless you delight in seeing eyes roll, hair stand on end and bodily contortions with “rigors” followed shortly by “mortis.”

With three appearances on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior television show and a fourth segment to run at 7 p.m. (CST) on June 23, the former youth pastor is not one of the four warriors claiming a million dollars each for total victories over all obstacles during the show’s 17-year run.

Yep, he’s found many cracks through which to fall, as have 180 to 200 other participants annually. But he has improved each time, endearing himself to producers and now a tester and consultant for a program receiving up to 50,000 three-minute video submissions annually.

The upside, though, is the discovery of a unique career ministry for presentation of the gospel. At 514 churches, schools and Christian camps during the past decade, some 200,000 young people have attended. Most importantly, 4,156 have accepted Christ.

Youth minister

Son of Pastor and Mrs. Roger Greer, the Lewisville native was a three-sport star at Huffman High School near Houston but decided to forego intercollegiate sports during his four years at East Texas Baptist University.

A professed Christian at age 15, Jared began his youth ministry with a part-time church assignment as an ETBU freshman. As sophomores, he and the former Sally Tacquard were wed. Now, they have sons Micah, 14, and Bennett, 10.

His family leads cheers as he jumps, grabs, balances, reaches, dodges, grimaces and swings in manners he never dreamed of until his church youth urged him in 2013 to submit a video to the TV show.

Since then, they have prayed for him as he faces obstacles known for their dips, dives, rolls, shakes and twists, often changing speeds and sometimes disappearing. Remember, just four of several hundred thousand entries have totally mastered the course.

‘Ninja outreach’

When he was tabbed to compete in 2014—claiming to be “in no way fit for it”—he worked hard and ate right to lose 30 pounds in 30 days to compete at 145 pounds.

Standing 5 feet 9 inches, he keenly remembers his first performance foiled by a large log that added insult to injury.

While half on the mat and half on the log, it swung around, bopping him in the head. He was greatly embarrassed, doubly so a few episodes later when his “pratfall” opened the show—with voice accompaniment—“Jared Greer gets on log, but it comes back for a knock-out!”

Former youth minister at First Baptist Church in Grandview, he resigned six years ago to enter his “Ninja outreach” full time.

He and pastor Corey Cornutt remain strong friends, and another valued encourager is Brad Collins, a fellow churchman and chiropractor who keeps Jared’s body aligned for long road trips, obstacle placement, performances and sharing God’s word.

For a couple of years, Jared’s dad was alongside. At ages 68 and 69, he helped with driving and setting up obstacles. He also joined Jared in scaling a 14-foot warped wall, juggling all the while.

At one church, Jared reached the top, held on with one hand and fired a basketball at a goal a half-court away with the other. Nothing but net!

Like father, like son

It’s evident Jared uses his athletic talents as a means to an end. He knows few candidates over age 40 are selected for the TV show. In fact, now nearing age 38, he had no intention of competing this season, but God’s word goes on. It was his son Micah—committed to following in his dad’s footsteps—who prepared and submitted the video.

“To God be the glory,” Jared beams, referencing Gideon, a biblical figure used of God “to make the impossible possible.”

One day, Micah may go warped-wall-climbing with his dad. And his granddad, now a pastor in Latexo, might join them. What a remarkable trio. God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform.

For more information about Jared’s ministry Overcoming Obstacles, visit obstacleministry.com.

Don Newbury, retired president of Howard Payne University, writes weekly and speaks regularly. This article is adapted from his regular column, ‘The Idle American.’ Newbury can be contacted via email: newbury@speakerdoc.com; phone: (817) 447-3872; Twitter: @donnewbury and Facebook: Don Newbury. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author. Published by permission.

Self-help articles are everywhere, discussing anxiety, depression, substance abuse, addictions and more. In every instance, the reader is urged to “seek help,” because no one knows how serious a disorder is or could become, and in most cases, it will cause personal suffering and have an effect on others.

Counseling or getting medical help from the family physician is a great idea. Better to err on the side of caution than not.

Most of us are used to medical doctors taking our vitals and ordering tests and medications. A medical doctor can fix what is wrong.

However, emotional and psychological maladies may be less clear-cut. We may believe the Bible and prayer can cure our ills. When that doesn’t always happen, we may become more fearful.

In my case (Ruth), panic attacks affected my heart rate so much that I landed in the emergency room with a quick EKG and echocardiogram to follow. Referral to counselors, even a bio-feedback technician, followed that. Things happened fast, and I realized it is wise to educate oneself about psychological counseling and be open to it should the need arise.

Can we trust a counselor? Will they do any good? What can we expect if we go for a session or take our loved one? Will a counselor help me?

The role of a counselor

Counselors are trained to recognize symptoms and develop a diagnostic overview, which can be supported factually through diagnostic criteria. Various treatment theories may be used, the best ones corresponding to the particular problem with positive effect. Skilled counselors utilize several theories.

Counselors are active listeners, attuned to the client without judgment and withholding direct advice. They may repeat the client’s statements back to him or her to show careful understanding. Misunderstanding then can be corrected.

When I (Ruth) was in counseling, the first great relief to me was having a trained person present inside my illness with me. I had been so alone, then amazingly, there was someone who had seen other people like me and was my advocate in survival. From that first moment with my counselor, I had hope.

The practice of counseling

Counselors listen to the client and ask questions—some therapists are more directive than others—leading to insights about feelings and the overall problem at hand.

Sometimes focusing on the past—early relationships, trauma or abuse—is helpful and brings gradual relief. We may feel worse before we feel better as experiences and emotions are brought to the surface. We may feel angry or more energetic, and these should be monitored by our counselor and physician.

As we seek answers, we need a safe place to share about ourselves and find comfort.

The day I (Ruth) realized it was OK to be imperfect, to be emotionally honest, to assign responsibility to those who hurt me and then forgive was a very happy day for me. But all that surely did not happen all in one day.

Progress in therapy may seem gradual. We may walk out of a session with no clear direction, but truths and realizations come to us between sessions, through the Holy Spirit.

Breakthroughs come in prayer and preaching and through Scripture, reading, dreams and conversations with other people. With the brain and spirit, all of life works together—memory with present thought.

As for the duration of counseling, insurance companies might initially allow six sessions with a therapist then update after that. Diagnosis leads to protocols with specific session numbers. No reputable counselor overtreats. Treatment plans are carefully monitored.

Confidentiality of counseling

Clients can expect confidentiality from the counselor. However, there are some exceptions: child or elder abuse, the client’s danger to self or others, and when litigation demands confidential information be revealed. Laws vary among states. An attorney should be consulted for any legal questions.

A client reads and signs an informed consent document before beginning sessions. This important document may provide the counselor’s credentials, address of the state professional counseling board, the goals and benefits, risks and methods of or approaches to counseling, testing and reports, and limits of confidentiality. This can be an important, if lengthy, form that outlines the responsibilities of the counselor and client.

How do we know when we are better?

We are better when we are able to accept our situation and develop coping skills to handle symptoms. Symptoms could subside dramatically, or most likely become milder and more manageable. An important job of counselors is helping develop a strong coping plan, using reliable psychological techniques. Medication may or may not be part of the strategy.

I (Ruth) learned, when medication reduced my anxiety and depression to a less overwhelming state, cognitive techniques began to work. Sadly, before I had medication, nothing helped. Medication, along with the presence and skill of my therapist, gave me hope.

Hope builds atop hope. Each small success is the foundation for the next brave attempt to live and grow.

We are spiritual beings

For Christians, a Christian counselor will be beneficial in understanding how our faith is affected by emotional and chemical imbalances. Clients need assurance of God’s love and tender care in illness, even if we are angry and fearful, even if we exhibit “sinful” behavior. God is our healer.

Many factors determine mental health. Humans differ in temperament, genetics and physical make up; past experiences like parenting, abuse, trauma; also, mental health education and opportunity for treatment.

God never requires us to be perfect in ourselves, but that we be made righteous through Christ in faith and salvation. He never requires us to be like everybody else, but to model our lives after Jesus.

We can be gentle with ourselves in our suffering and learn to be our unique selves in God’s peace.

A counselor can model Jesus for us as he or she stands alongside us and prays for us.

My (Ruth) counselors indeed were ministers to me. When I went to counseling, I received help from a well-trained, skillful clinician who knew God. I received and accepted my diagnosis and learned coping skills like self-talk, visualization and deep breathing.

I lost my fear of dying from panic attacks and won my life back, becoming a more mature person in the process. I became more confident in every area of life through more fully trusting God. Trusting really does grow through difficult experiences.

Ruth Cook is a cancer survivor and crime victim. Joe Cook is a counseling professor at Liberty University. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Regent University. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the authors.

How do you determine if someone is preaching or teaching? What makes the difference?

Have you ever thought someone was more of a teacher than a preacher, and why? What would have led you to feel it was preaching instead of teaching?

Years ago, a pastor friend of mine asserted, “All good preaching contains an element of teaching, and all good teaching partakes of the spirit of preaching.”

In a Crossway article about preaching, Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson quote Westminster Seminary professor John Murray as indicating this difference between preaching and a lecture: “Preaching is a personal, passionate plea.”

Murray’s assertion may help us get to the root of the issue, but I believe there is more.

Why do people think some are teaching rather than preaching, and why is that a problem?

Teaching and pastoral ministry

Not all preachers are pastors, but for this part of the conversation, let’s think about pastors.

Ephesians 4:11-13 lists the office of pastor-teacher and asserts the work is to equip believers toward maturity in Christ.

Pastors are doing what the Bible calls us to do when we teach.

Paul tells Timothy to preach and to teach, and the apostolic pattern in Acts includes both preaching and teaching.

The Old Testament prophets and John the Baptist focused on preaching (proclaiming), but they also gave instruction to their hearers on occasion.

Jesus taught extensively about the kingdom and life as kingdom-people, but he also proclaimed (preached): “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15 NIV).

Those who are unhappy that a pastor teaches fail to understand the biblical pattern and mandate and ought to appreciate the opportunity to get quality biblical instruction.

In all fairness however, I have thought a person was more teacher than preacher and have, at times, wanted preaching more than teaching—something that moved me emotionally, spiritually and practically, in addition to providing good biblical information.

Let’s explore some possibilities.

Assumptions about preaching

Occasionally, I make homemade chili. What makes good chili is more involved than this, but the primary difference between goulash without macaroni and chili is chili powder.

If you were to ask, “What one or two ingredients make it preaching instead of teaching,” some of the response would come from assumptions about preaching.

First, there is an assumption about the purpose of a church service and the nature of preaching in that setting.

I believe some are of the earnest conviction that a basic, evangelistic message to present the gospel and call for salvation is the only thing that qualifies as preaching. Preaching ought to point to Jesus.

But think about the situation where people are not bringing the lost to church yet. Plus, Ephesians 4 calls us to develop Christians by equipping them. Now, this wrong assumption about preaching is convenient for saved church attenders, because it means they do not need to engage with the message.

Second, there may be a resistance to teaching when people see “getting saved” as the sum total of the Christian life, rather than understanding the call to discipleship and the need for teaching that leads us to become more Christlike.

If there is a resistance to receiving instruction in God’s word, then a person needs to figure out why.

Third, it may be people assume week-to-week preaching ought to jump from topic to topic and passage to passage, leading them to believe sermon series—particularly Bible book series—are teaching rather than preaching.

There is a difference between teaching a book of the Bible and preaching it, but assumptions may lead people to feel a preacher is teaching instead of preaching.

Fourth, people make assumptions about the use of notes, the use of humor or personal stories, the style of delivery and the amount of biblical information used to support the sermon’s points. One example would be they may equate preaching with speaking passionately without notes.

Fifth, people may make assumptions about what constitutes preaching because of a lack of exposure to certain types of preaching. For those accustomed to topical or devotional preaching, sermons that are expository, textual or thematic may seem more like teaching.

A few more observations about what might make the difference

Here are some additional elements that might make the difference between preaching and teaching for people.

• When the preacher provides a great understanding of the history and meaning of the passage but no actionable items, it may feel as if the sermon is more teaching than preaching.

• When the preacher mentions the biblical principles but fails, as we might say, to “put street clothes” on the principles, it might feel more like a lesson than a sermon.

• When the spirit of the preaching is too distanced—more head than heart—and it seems not to stir the preacher’s own passion, it might seem more like teaching than preaching. The Bible tells us to love God with our mind, but I suspect people are looking for heart—albeit an informed heart—in the preaching.

• When the sermon informs without an effort to persuade or provide a plea for action, people may feel it is teaching more than preaching.

• When the hearer’s heart is not right, it might seem more like teaching than preaching. A listener with a hard heart, a cold spirit or an unteachable mindset is unlikely to be moved by the preaching, regardless of its quality or style.

Goal of preaching and teaching

The ministry of God’s word ought to include preaching and teaching, since hearers need accurate biblical instruction and a call to action based on that information. The goal of both forms of communication is an encounter with God in his word that produces Christlike followers of Jesus.

There may be considerable overlap between preaching and teaching in the oral ministry of the Scriptures. Listener, have the grace and flexibility to let your expectations be stretched. Preacher/teacher, be sound in your content and passionate in your plea.

Ron Danley is pastor of First Baptist Church in Jefferson and blogs at Pastor Ron Danley, where this adapted article first appeared. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

I spend a lot of my week counseling married couples. There is a reason for this. Satan hates marriage. He does not want anyone to make any commitment except to please oneself.

The Bible forewarns: “Those who marry will face many troubles in this life” (1 Corinthians 7:28).

If we follow the Lord and seek him above all things, we can overcome every trouble, every trial. In Christ, we can do all things.

Every couple has struggles. The happiest marriage you can think of has trouble, conflict, stresses, hardships, disappointments, friction, conflict, needs, bills, health issues, communication and intimacy issues, and unmet dreams.

Each person thinks they are the only ones facing such things. They look out their window at a family playing in the yard with a nice car in the driveway. They drive down the street to see another couple their age or younger in a much bigger home. They return from the mailbox with a handful of bills they can’t pay.

The husband turns to the wife and says, “You’re spending too much.”

She is hurt, because she cuts every corner she can and does without so many things her peers easily obtain.

The wife turns to the husband and says: “You’re not making enough money. In fact, I make more money than you.”

He is humiliated.

What they do not see is even the wealthy spend more than they have. Athletes with million-dollar contracts file for bankruptcy almost daily.

The No. 1 cause of divorce once was in-laws. Today, the No. 1 cause of divorce is money, or the lack thereof. We want. We think our wants are needs. When our wants and needs aren’t met to our satisfaction, we become dissatisfied and turn on the ones we love, the ones who love us most.

Love and money

A lady from another church called to meet with me. This happens often. Maybe I’m easier to reach, or more likely, they are embarrassed for their pastor to know their struggles. If they only knew, pastors face the same problems as those in the pews. So, no embarrassment ever is warranted.

The woman told me she is thinking of leaving her husband. She makes more money than he does. They live paycheck to paycheck at best. Often the paychecks can’t cover the month’s bills.

Her mother told her to ditch the guy. Her best friend told her the same. They both told her the wife never should be the breadwinner, and life should be easier. She should be able to take trips, buy things, live in a nice home and have a life of bounty. She wanted my opinion.

Several times in sharing her plight, she had to stop to compose herself. The one thing she kept telling me: “I love my husband. What’s more, he loves me like no one has ever loved me in my life. I am just sick of the struggle.”

I prayed before I answered. Two things came to my mind. One, this woman has something money cannot buy.

Marilyn Monroe—the biggest, wealthiest star of her era—said all she ever wanted was to be loved. She was used by many—movie producers, athletes, businessmen, even a president—but never really loved.

I believe Marilyn would trade all she had to have what this young wife had found—a husband who truly, unconditionally loved her.

Love and provision

The second thing that came to my mind: Who is the breadwinner?

Sometimes husbands make more money. Sometimes the wives make more money. But truly, God is the Giver of all we have.

Speaking of bread: During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the government gave out bread to the poor. People would stand in line to get their family’s portion.

Sometimes the man went. But he wasn’t the breadwinner or the bread provider. He was the bread picker-upper.

Sometimes the wife went. She wasn’t the breadwinner, nor the bread provider. She was simply the one who picked up what was given.

Everything we have comes from God. Sometimes the husband picks it up. Sometimes the wife, but God is the One who provides it.

Love and grace

I walked around the porch of our cabin on our farm the other day. I just began to thank God for giving me a job, for giving me a wife, for giving me a house, for giving me a farm, for giving me our cows, for letting me preach, for giving me books to write and companies to publish them, and for giving me you to read what I write.

Everything we have comes from God. Rejoice in God. Be thankful for what and for who he gives to us. He is the Bread of Life. God is all we need. Everything else simply is grace.

Johnny Teague is the senior pastor of Church at the Cross in West Houston and the author of several books, including his newest The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

On March 15, an EF-3 tornado tore through the Poplar Bluff, Mo., area, leaving one person dead and causing widespread devastation, impacting about 500 homes and 50 businesses.

In response to a call from our Missouri Southern Baptist disaster relief partners, Texans on Mission sprang into action.

Chainsaw teams from across Texas quickly mobilized, but the response went far beyond tree removal and debris cleanup. Support teams, such as shower/laundry units, also responded and are essential in our ability to demonstrate God’s love to the survivors.

Disaster relief isn’t just about clearing trees and debris. It’s also about serving our volunteers on the front lines, providing them with clean showers and clean clothing, often in great volume, all while selflessly showing God’s love through these acts of service.

Laundry before sunup

At 4:30 a.m. on March 20, Eileen Anderson, our shower/laundry Blue Cap, awoke from a restful night’s sleep energized and ready to dive into the day.

Without hesitation, she got up and headed straight for the shower/laundry unit. Eileen quickly began running the used towels through the washer and dryer, ensuring fresh towels would be ready for the teams that evening.

As daylight broke, she and the rest of the shower/laundry team gathered for breakfast with the rest of our Texans on Mission disaster relief teams staying at Temple Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff.

Following breakfast, Eileen and her team focused on scrubbing down the shower stalls while the laundry machines hummed away in the background. Towels were folded and organized in preparation for the teams arriving later in the day.

It was a constant back-and-forth—cleaning stalls, starting new laundry loads, moving towels from washer to dryer, folding and cleaning. Once the towels were fresh and neatly folded, the shower team shifted focus to washing the team’s dirty clothes, keeping the rhythm fast and seamless.

Laundry through the day

They started by heading into the church building, hauling out dozens of bags of dirty clothing, each carefully labeled with the volunteer’s name. Without pause, the shower/laundry team dove into washing, drying and folding the clothes. The chainsaw cutters’ protective pants, which should not go through dryers, were hung carefully to air dry.

Load after load, they washed, folded, stacked and bagged laundry, then returned everything to the church and placed it on the designated laundry pick-up table.

Finally, they had a brief moment of respite, a time to sit and relax in the warm sunshine as the machines cycled through their work. However, there was little time to rest as they quickly jumped up to fold, stack and bag again each load as it finished the cycle. They started new loads and kept the fast-paced cycle going until every piece of laundry was finished.

It makes me tired just trying to write an account of their day.

Laundry when the sun goes down

As the Texans on Mission teams began arriving late in the afternoon, the volunteers bagged their dirty clothes and headed straight for the clean showers and clean towels. Meanwhile, the shower/laundry team shifted their focus to serving the volunteers, ensuring they have everything they needed for their showers.

Each day, 60 volunteers come in from the job site with clothes covered in dirt. They’ve been asked by the laundry team to sort their laundry into two days’ worth and then place it in a small garbage bag with their name clearly marked on it. This reduces 60 loads of laundry down to 30 loads.

The time and effort required to process 30 bags of laundry is no small task. Each load takes 15 minutes to wash and 45 minutes to dry.

We are thankful the laundry unit is equipped with four washing machines and four dryers, allowing the team to complete the volunteer laundry in about eight hours. But that doesn’t include the additional 10 hours spent on towels.

The reality is the shower/laundry team works tirelessly behind the scenes, faithfully ministering to their brothers and sisters on the front lines of the disaster.

Your place in disaster relief

When disaster strikes and your heart is moved with compassion to help, but you know the physical demands of chainsaw or mud-out ministry aren’t for you, there are still many ways to get involved.

Consider praying about joining a shower/laundry team. Jesus taught us the blessing of humbling ourselves to serve others as he washed his disciples’ feet. The shower/laundry ministry is a beautiful example of this kind of humble service.

If you’re interested in learning more, I encourage you to reach out to Phil Elery, specialty coordinator for shower/laundry, at showerlaundry@texansonmission.org or visit Texans on Mission’s volunteer page.

Paul Henry was the first incident commander for the Texans on Mission Disaster Relief deployment in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He noted later this was Eileen’s first time as Blue Cap, and long-time volunteer Monica McDougal “was right there with her” providing training. Henry lives in Horseshoe Bay and is a member of First Baptist Church in Marble Falls. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

“School choice” is a hot potato.

When several Texas superintendents make $400,000 to $500,000 a year, questions skyrocket.

When your child is bullied, “school choice” sounds right.

When your daughter is forced to undress with a boy to stay in sports or parents must fight against luridly graphic X-rated sex books—describing the very act, many kinds of which are abhorrent especially to Christians, in shocking detail—then, “school choice” sounds like a necessity.

I recently read a high school graduate sued her school because she could not read or write.

Good parents do not want their children bullied, sexed or failing the three Rs—reading, writing and arithmetic.

Yet “school choice” is a cover for “school vouchers,” where parents can opt in through a variety of ways to receive taxpayer funding for private schools or homeschooling, with the religious part hidden.

With all that, we have a religio-political hot potato not easy to dress and serve.

Hiding religious aims

I have been a champion of religious freedom for 30 years. I documented in When Texas Prison Scams Religion how the far-right has abused religious freedom. When the state prison “buys faith from prisoners with favor,” that diminishes the authenticity of the very faith favored.

“School choice” vouchers are pushed almost totally by Christian legislators and politicians. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has supported Baptist dominance in our Texas prisons and has been ramrodding school vouchers.

Baptists like myself revere the heritage of Roger Williams, who founded the first Baptist church in America, and his fight for true religious freedom. Compare Williams to John Calvin, who ruled Geneva, Switzerland with an iron Christian fist. Many of us see Patrick and others edging more toward Calvin than not.

I am guessing there are not many—if any—Muslim or Buddhist or communist private schools where any of the “school choice” parents are wanting to send their children. Marinate on that. Then you will see through Patrick’s gloss he has used in the prison system to horridly devasting effect.

Texas has great private schools. Most are Protestant or Catholic. What politicians like Patrick are doing knowingly, in fact, is forwarding “Christian school vouchers,” though this agenda often is hidden and never, ever written out like that.

Flip this over. Do you as a Christian want your tax money spent on a Muslim or Buddhist or communist private school?

If passed, the plan is for tax dollars to fund Christian private schools. If there was a chance a lot of funding would go to a communist “school choice” school, well, Christian legislators cannot have that.

Valuing religious freedom

If we value religious freedom—unlike “buying faith with favor” as I documented in Texas prisons—then we believe the authenticity of one’s faith is best forwarded when the state has no stake in favoring or in persecuting any faith.

No citizen should feel like they are any less a citizen for any faith they choose, or if they choose no faith at all. That’s the crux. Therein, when a person feels truly free to believe or not to believe, that is where the authenticity of faith best grows.

Do you support the freedom to be authentic?

When you see “school choice,” know that is a surreptitious cover-up for “Christian school vouchers.” I, myself, do not like my faith exploited in such a cover-up.

There is little left to the hot potato of “school choice” when boiled down to its essence, skinned of political allegiances and the knots of differences removed.

Therefore, the choice is between “Christian school vouchers” or honestly valuing religious freedom within the authenticity of faith.

Michael Maness retired after 20 years as a Texas prison chaplain and is the author of many articles and books, including How We Saved Texas Prison Chaplains 2011 and When Texas Prison Scams Religion, the latter of which documents one of the greatest government religious entanglements in Texas history. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

I accidentally arrived half an hour early to church one morning. While I wondered how to fill the extra time, a small group of people invited me to join them in prayer about human trafficking. The group members explained how they met every week to intercede in prayer against modern-day slavery.

Several years later, I am still a member of this group that upholds the mission of “Asking God to end human trafficking while bringing awareness to Galveston Island.”

Reflecting on our group’s beginnings, founding-member Becca remembers how she and her friend “felt called to start a prayer group [about human trafficking]. We saw a gap in the ministry of our church and a population that needed prayer.

“Very quickly,” she continued, “we learned that another couple was interested in joining our group as God had placed that same topic on their heart. It was a sweet and early confirmation that this group had a purpose and a place at our [church].”

As the group continued to meet, the Lord was gracious to provide specific topics for us to lift up, such as praying for anti-human-trafficking resources for Galveston Island.

Prayer and perseverance

I never will forget one particular Sunday morning. In the middle of asking God to bring victim resources to our community, two visitors from the church lobby interrupted our prayer time. They shared how they planned to move to Galveston to build a restoration center for human-trafficking victims.

I was shocked with joy.

This “God wink”—this holy interruption as an answer to our prayer—is one of the ways I see God demonstrating grace toward our group. He is working all things, including our prayers, together for his glory.

I later was disappointed to hear building the victim center was cancelled. Why would God answer our prayer so directly only for it to fail?

When seeing little tangible progress, I must remind myself “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 ESV).

Prayer and dependence

Galveston is a city with evident spiritual darkness from the presence of witchcraft to signs of the sex industry. In this darkness, prayer can be discouraging.

For all my fellow “doers” and “fixers,” praying may feel disheartening, because it can feel like “doing less” than hands-on, frontline work.

As an unqualified person who wandered into a prayer group one Sunday, I have felt discouraged that “all I am doing” in prayer is making a request in the name of Jesus for God to move, for him to bring someone qualified to the frontlines. I have realized, however, feelings of helplessness in prayer are not unfounded.

Because prayer is both the acknowledgement of dependency on God and the means of communication with God, praying helps us recognize our own limitations while communing with a limitless God.

Praying is the most helpless and most helpful posture a believer can take.

Larry, a founding member of the prayer group, explains: “As we intercede, we have witnessed the power of God bringing transformation and peace to torn and restless hearts. In our weakness, we seek to align ourselves with his sovereign purpose, believing that his justice, mercy and redemption will prevail where human efforts fall short.”

Feeling helpless in prayer only becomes a problem if it leads to despair, rather than reliance on God’s sovereignty.

Prayer and God’s timing

In his plan and timing earlier this year, members of our prayer group sat in the Galveston County Courthouse to celebrate an agreement between the Texas Governor’s Office and the anti-human-trafficking organization Unbound Now. This collaborative effort intends to streamline resources to Galveston youth who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

David, a fellow church member who serves as an investigator on human-trafficking cases explains: “This is something that we all have been praying for. The group that meets on Sunday is a big part of this because of their standing firm in prayer.”

God is answering our prayers for this island community.

Joining in prayer

While continuing to pray against human trafficking, our group has been inspired to encourage other believers to form prayer groups within their own congregations.

In light of how God has answered and is answering our prayers, I encourage you to take consistent action in prayer.

While you may not feel stirred to intercede about human trafficking, is there other injustice you see but are unqualified to handle? Are there others around you who also feel called to pray about a particular topic? Is there a time you could meet consistently for prayer?

Through prayer, you have access to the God, “who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20 ESV). He is the God of limitless resources. Prayer, therefore, should not be our last resort but our first.

To join us in prayer against human trafficking, please consider these topics our prayer group has shared within our own congregation:

• Recovery and restoration of victims.
• Those at risk of being trafficked.
• Children born into trafficking.
• Confusion of traffickers.
• Law enforcement fighting trafficking.
• Wisdom for victim service providers.
• Healing and salvation for all involved.

Mary Madison Weaver is a member of Coastal Community Church on Galveston Island off the Texas coast. She is a medical student with an interest in human-trafficking education for healthcare professionals. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

Depression is a sneaky illness. I have seen it a lot of in my lifetime.

If you have been depressed, you likely have turned to the Bible for help.

In the Old Testament, we read about the depression of King David and the prophets. They seemed to have good reasons for stress and anxiety—David being chased and threatened with the javelin, the prophets being terribly sad because Israel was sinning and no one was seeking God.

My reasons for depression were not so spiritual. I was not thinking about the lost world as much as I was processing my own dreams and losses.

1 Timothy 6:17 tells us God gives us richly all things to enjoy. In Philippians 4:19, Paul writes that God will supply all our needs from his riches in glory in Jesus. Apparently, God’s will is for us to be joyful with nothing to worry about.

While that is God’s will, depression and its accompanying altered brain chemistry feels powerful enough to cancel all that divine plan. We even may feel beaten over the head with the good news, asking: “What is wrong with me? Of course, I want God’s joy!” But that is the illness talking, and not truth. The illness tends to be very talkative.

Once, I saw a psychologist for depression, and I made the statement in my therapy session: “We cannot proceed any further on how I feel. I have to go forward on what I know.”

Several times in my life, those words have guided me to walk toward truth and act on truth. Feelings were not reliable at those times.

Causes of depression

Not meeting expectations we place on ourselves is a common source of depression and low self-esteem. The media shows us prototypes of the popular teenager; the perfect homemaker and mother; the rising “professional;” the good-looking, young pastor with a huge church. Everyone looks healthy, gorgeous and rich. Many of us expected for our lives to be like that.

Sometimes, the expectations others have of us cause depression, such as when people don’t accept us for who we are. We feel unloved.

Myths we hold about other people, even heroes we deeply respect, are often misleading. All people have a human side with imperfections.

Often, we elevate certain people influential in our lives to a position they cannot maintain. We think they will take care of us, remain loyal, never choose self-interest over what is right. Then … bam! We are sorely disappointed with them and ourselves for naively trusting them. This can be depressing.

We find ourselves dealing with major disappointments, usually loss.

Depression can be caused by job loss, loss of a close relationship, business failure, extreme loneliness and/or feeling inadequate to take the next steps in life. Physical illness and decline are reasons for depression. Death of a loved one and prolonged grief may lead to depression, as well. The list of causation is very long, personal and individualized.

The bright side

A positive aspect is through these excruciating experiences, we learn about life, what to expect, what to do and how to cope. As we cope better, we tend to feel better.

Perhaps because of this life-long learning process, we are less depressed in later years, or we have different reasons for depression, reflecting our time of life.

Seeking help

Depression has felt like a shaking rhythm of nerves that will not quit. Since nerves are throughout our body, nervous symptoms can cause physical disruption throughout the body.

Nerves also get tired. I have experienced depression as exhaustion, depletion and excess sleep, as well.

Whenever we are feeling “off” with mental health, whatever our symptoms might be, a visit to our doctor is in order, so our overall health is assessed and other disorders are ruled out.

If you are depressed or anxious, you may need to seek a medical diagnosis; take medication as prescribed; engage in talk therapy or perhaps new treatments that help alleviate traumatic memory, such as EMDR—eye movement desensitization and reprocessing; or even therapy that electrically stimulates the brain.

Science is giving us new paths to healing every day. A well-trained physician will know what you need.

Be willing to try more than one medical protocol. I can recall several medications that did not suit me because of side effects, but now, oddly, through cancer treatment, I found the perfect medicine for me.

Do what you can to be with other people and share what is in your heart. Talk to God. He has been my loyal companion through many a sleepless night, through weeping to joy in the morning.

God delivers

The Bible is rich with Scriptures that promise God’s unending presence and protection and his power to lift us out of the pit of depression.

Psalm 34:17 says: “The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; and he delivers them from all their troubles.”

He hears us when we are too ill to form sentences, too weak to talk to anyone for a long time, or too unsure of ourselves to attend church. He hears in the Spirit.

God loves us, and he delivers.

Take heart. You are very important and loved just as you are.

Ruth Cook is a longtime Texas Baptist. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

I grew up in a small town in East Texas and lived in Texas until recently.

As a young student, I was in a dual-language program in which I was placed in class with Hispanic English-as-a-Second-Language students. When they would learn English, the dual-language students would learn Spanish. I had more Hispanic friends as a kid than I had white or Black friends.

Before and after graduating from seminary in 2024, I had a hard time getting a job in Texas. My theological positioning on issues like women in ministry and other issues made it near impossible for me to get a job. After a year and a half of applications, a small church in North Carolina called me to be an associate pastor.

Not living in Texas has been a struggle, but what has been more of a struggle has been watching what Texas has become since leaving.

As a pastor in North Carolina, I have watched congregants lose jobs to government budget cuts, and health care and disaster relief put on hold for people in desperate need due to politicians hoping to score points off the suffering of others.

Those were painful things, yet it has been even more painful to hear of and watch friends I grew up with be separated from their families due to deportation or not knowing if they will be allowed to remain in the country, to watch them live in fear while waiting for their lives to change dramatically.

Pastors are meant to be community leaders, and it has been angering to watch my home be changed without any ability to do anything about it. I hope this is an opportunity to make my voice heard, even if I no longer live in Texas.

Immigration proof texts

The Bible has a lot to say about immigration. This debate has been played out over and over again.

Proponents of immigration and the rights of those who have fought to reside in this country have their proof texts—Leviticus 19:33-34; Deuteronomy 10:18-19; Psalm 146:9; the entire book of Ruth; Matthew 25:31-46; the story of the Good Samaritan and more.

Opponents of immigration who support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s policies of dehumanization and violence against immigrants have their proof texts as well—Nehemiah, for example.

My goal is not to settle this debate here, because that’s not going to happen. I want to offer a different take. This, to me, is not a political issue or an immigration issue. That debate is insufficient. This is an imago Dei and ecclesiology issue.

Immigrants in God’s image

In a 2024 PRRI American Values survey, “white evangelical Protestants (60 percent) are the only religious group among whom a majority agree that immigrants entering the country illegally are poisoning the blood of the country.”

“Poisoning the blood” is a phrase lifted directly from Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

According to PRRI’s survey results, 60 percent of white evangelical Protestants, 46 percent of white Catholics and 36 percent of white nonevangelical Protestants think immigrants are not made in the image of God, based solely on which side of an imaginary border a person was born. This is a major issue.

The Bible claims God made humankind—all humankind—in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). One of the primary principles Nazi Germany sought to destroy in the German church was the imago Dei.

Once we lose the belief the human being next to us is made in God’s image, it becomes significantly easier to commit violence against one another.

The solution to the onslaught of political violence and hatred of immigrants is preaching and teaching the imago Dei. Our churches need to recapture being human is a value in and of itself, based solely on the love of God and the imago Dei, before we ever begin to discuss the “how” of immigration.

An immigrating church

Secondly, this is a church issue. Baptist life in particular has become so isolated from the global church, we forget many of those who travel to our country are brothers and sisters in Christ and often are members of churches in their country of origin.

As the American church dwindles in attendance, it seems impractical, at the very least, to desire the expulsion of our own church membership. However, churches have become more and more “purified” and isolated within their own echo chambers through social media.

As pastors, our job is to help our people grow. The best way we can offer growth is by exposing congregants to new ideas and people and challenging them to get out of their comfort zone.

That could mean joint worship services with churches outside of our denomination or ethnic group. It could mean learning ancient traditions that may not exist in our modern worship styles. Christ does not call us to sit in our churches mumbling about others outside of it.

I am a new pastor, but the challenges we are facing aren’t new. These issues have happened time and time again, and our churches have failed time and time again. It can happen in the United States if pastors do not do the work to help their congregants appreciate the value of God’s children. It’s time for us to do and be better.

True Head is the associate pastor of First Baptist Church in West Jefferson, N.C. He is a graduate of Baylor University and Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary, and is native to Athens, Texas. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

It was dark as I headed to church one recent Wednesday evening. Traffic was heavy. Pedestrians were hard to see, crossing between cars, so I focused.

At the Westheimer and Dairy Ashford intersection for my turn-off, I was about five cars back from the traffic light. I could barely make out on the median a man with a cup and some sort of paper in his hand. He had a bucket to sit on, though at the moment, he was walking down the median, car to car, looking into each driver’s window soliciting for help.

The man was dressed in a pair of jeans, a pull-over shirt, a jacket and athletic shoes. There in the dark of night, in a not-so-safe and very busy intersection near 7 p.m., he was doing what he could to survive.

He came to my window, but I looked straight ahead. I pacified myself with the thought we help people like this man every day in our church.

As he moved down the median, I watched him in my mirror. The darkness cloaked his presence. I could make out his outline and shoes, nothing more.

His beginnings

I thought of this man’s beginning. He looked about 40 years old. I wondered about the day his mom gave him birth. I am sure it was in a hospital. I imagine the greatest care was given to him and his mom.

I would not doubt a dad was somewhere nearby waiting with nervous expectation. Maybe a dad wasn’t there. Maybe his mother decided, in the father’s neglectful absence, she’d brave the task of raising a child alone. Maybe the woman’s mother was there for her, or a sister or a friend.

Let’s say it was on a March 5th when the woman gave birth to this man who is now making his way back toward my truck after exhaustingly searching for help from every car awaiting the light to change.

After she gave birth to a baby boy, she held him. She caressed him. Perhaps she even prayed for him and his future. She wondered what his life would be like, what theirs together might face.

I would imagine she was full of hope, even if she faced the harshest of realities. She had dreams for this baby son she held in her arms, all wrapped in the warm white and green-striped blanket, wearing a little blue onesie the hospital provided along with a little blue cap for his tiny head.

The mom soon would take him to her bare apartment. Again, maybe the proud daddy was in tow. Maybe not. The little boy would speak his first words, take his first steps, enter his first day of school. He would be in school choirs, play on school sports teams and go on school field trips with his classmates.

His present

I could not help but stare at the man with the cup and a piece of paper, in a pair of jeans, a pull-over shirt, a jacket and sports shoes.

I was struck with the question: “Is this what this mother envisioned for her son? Did she imagine him being homeless with no hope, no job, no one to lean on, depending on the kindness of strangers for each day’s sustenance?”

Just then, someone rolled down their window and handed him a bottle of water.

Walking back to his spot at the head of the intersection, the light turned green before I could give him the only dollar I had on me.

I drove forward heading to church, looking in my rearview mirror in the dark at the man I did not help.

What caused him to be in this situation? Was it a bad break or a bad choice. Was he raised in a home or put out as a teen? Were drugs involved or some mental illness? I prayed for him, but this seemed empty.

His presence

I was running late for church. I tried to justify not helping, but this did me no good. God gave me a story, a picture, a visible need, and I drove by. How could I face our church family and listen to Pastor Seye lead our Bible study, knowing I left a man without giving aid?

Do you know what? I turned my truck around. I got back into that traffic on Westheimer, first going in the opposite direction of church, then U-turning so I could get back in line for the light.

I wondered if the man would be there or if he had been an angel God used to test me. I prayed he was a man and still there. He was.

As he made his walk to my truck seven cars from the light, I rolled down my window immediately, waiting. I had my dollar bill in my left hand. When he came to my truck, I held it out.

He took it and said: “Thank you. God bless you.”

He made his way down the median in the dark of night.

The next morning, the Christian radio station I listen to played a new song called “Looking Up.” The song told of a homeless guy on a median in the dark, who was out of luck and had no way out but looking up to the God who cares.

My encounter was no accident. I pray we see with the eyes of God.

Johnny Teague is the senior pastor of Church at the Cross in West Houston and the author of several books, including his newest The Lost Diary of Mary Magdalene. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

I arrived in Muleshoe in 1991 at age 28. The changes to rural Texas have been drastic and rapid. Many of those changes impact both rural and urban areas.

For instance, demographic shifts, declining volunteerism, political division and religious disinterest impact all of society. However, some changes are unique to rural life. Many of these changes are unintended consequences.

Unintended consequences arise from societal choices, legislation, technological advances and more. They may be positive, neutral or negative.

For instance, the invention and proliferation of the cell phone enabled greater freedom in communication and data. An unintended consequence was the loss of privacy.

As Lee Child wrote: “Imagine the uproar if the Federal government tried to make everyone wear a radio transmitter around their neck so we can keep track of their movements. But people happily carry their cell phones in their purses and pockets” (A Wanted Man).

Unintended consequences come in all shapes and sizes.

I want to give you a small sample of the effects of unintended consequences faced in rural living. The issues I describe are not unique to rural Texas, but to rural America.

Speed

I am grateful for the 75 mph speed limit. Most of my hospital visits are 70 miles to the southeast and 100 miles to the northeast. I remember making those trips at 55 mph.

Sen. Phil Gramm argued in favor of raising the speed limit: “Most people traveling from Dallas to Lubbock give up before they get there.”

I am thankful for the additional speed. Higher speed limits allow people and goods to move from population center to population center more quickly. However, the 75 mph speed limit had unintended consequences that radically reshaped rural living.

The 75 mph speed limit allows people to live in urban areas but make a rural living. Farmers and dairymen now can live 100 miles or more from their land. Their families gain the advantage of a variety of shopping and dining, easier access to medical care, private school choices, access to university events and more.

However, a rural community deeply feels the loss of every family that moves to the city. The school system loses good students and involved parents, merchants lose valuable customers and churches lose good members. The 75 mph speed limit enables all of it.

Mechanization

When rural America was settled, there was a family on every 40 acres. As mechanized farming gained traction, fewer people were required to farm the same number of acres. Since the 1960s, the size and scope of farm implements have grown exponentially.

Before performing a funeral in a rural community, a proud deacon gave me a tour of their facility.

“This church was overbuilt the day it was completed. Eight-row equipment changed this part of the country,” he said.

Today, farmers use 24-row equipment. Satellite and cellular technology enable farmers to manage sprinkler systems from anywhere, allowing farmers to live away from their land.

The advances in agriculture feed and clothe billions of people but require fewer workers. Factory and dock workers worry about losing jobs to automation. Those unintended consequences came to the farm decades ago.

Health care

A topic too complicated for this brief article is rural health care. The perils of rural health care are covered extensively in regional and national media.

Rural hospitals struggle daily to provide care and cover expenses. The health professionals who serve rural patients are to be commended for their dedication.

Education

The Texas state legislature is debating a policy called “school choice.” For the last few years, the rural legislators have taken the blame for gumming up the works and denying “school choice.”

Rural school systems will feel the changes in student enrollment quickly. Rural districts are concerned by the potential loss of a valued student and a loss in funding. Every remaining student will feel that loss.

In a city filled with 6-A school systems, there might appear to be an endless supply of students to accommodate every educational circumstance. But in rural America, where every student makes a difference and contributes to the life of the school, the “school choice” debate is personal and will be filled with unintended consequences.

Community

I never would suggest rural challenges are more significant than urban challenges. They’re simply different.

If you gather rural pastors, they will speak of these issues and others. There is a strong commitment and calling among rural pastors. Christ is neither an urban nor rural Savior.

As I write this, I plan to have dinner with a young couple creating a path in the cattle industry. Their life choices are rural choices. They will raise and educate their children, encourage others and serve their Lord in our community. Our job is to ensure they have the fellowship of a Texas Baptist church that nurtures them along the way.

One unintended consequence of their choice is they never will be required to leave early because of the traffic. They may leave early because of snow, but never traffic.

Stacy Conner is pastor of First Baptist Church in Muleshoe. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.

For the past few years, I have followed the developments within the Southern Baptist Convention as we have investigated allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up within our convention. To say I have very mixed and very strong feelings about it all would be a profound understatement.

However, I was encouraged to learn recently the Department of Justice closed its investigation into the SBC’s Executive Committee and other entities without filing any further charges than those brought against Matthew Queen.

Unfortunately, I was shocked and disgusted by some of the public comments I saw from prominent Southern Baptists in the wake of this news.

For example, Denny Burk, a professor at Southern Seminary, said: “So here’s the bottom line on the SBC abuse ‘crisis.’ There wasn’t one.”

Pastor and former Executive Committee chairman Mike Stone said, “It was all a political ruse within our own denomination.”

That was not all they said, and they were not the only ones who said it. But you get the idea. Numerous individuals jumped onto the internet to publicly declare there really never has been a sex abuse crisis within the SBC, and it was all just a bogus scandal engineered by leftists and liberals within the convention.

To be frank, these remarks are shockingly ignorant at best and outright dishonest at worst, and they are a slap in the face to sex abuse survivors, both within the SBC and beyond.

The scope of the DOJ investigation

It is bizarre that anyone would think the Department of Justice closing its investigation represents anything like an exoneration of the SBC regarding sexual abuse and cover-ups.

The DOJ investigates violations of federal law. The DOJ does not have jurisdiction over state or local crimes, and the DOJ does not bring charges against actions which are not illegal. The SBC became the subject of a DOJ investigation to see if there was any violation of federal law.

Most cases of sexual abuse are not federal crimes. Most cases of sexual abuse cover-up are not federal crimes. They can be federal crimes under certain circumstances, but they are not such automatically. The fact the DOJ brought no charges against the SBC or its entities does not mean no crimes were committed. It simply means no federal crimes were committed.

But even more importantly, many of the ways in which SBC leaders were accused of mishandling sexual abuse allegations and mistreating survivors were not illegal at all.

The most prominent example is probably Augie Boto, former Executive Committee general counsel, who has been accused of suppressing sexual abuse allegations and attacking sexual abuse survivors in ways which, while morally reprehensible, are (to my knowledge) not technically criminal.

The DOJ closing its investigation into the SBC is not an exoneration from anything except federal crimes. That’s it.

The money problem

One of the biggest complaints many Southern Baptists have expressed over this whole process has been legal expenses. The Executive Committee has spent more than $13 million on legal fees and other costs related to the sexual abuse investigation. This has left the committee nearly bankrupt and may force them to use Cooperative Program dollars to pay those bills.

Southern Baptists who faithfully give money to the Cooperative Program understandably are dismayed at the idea their gifts will be used, not for missions and ministry, but for paying legal fees.

However, critics of the sexual abuse investigation have sought to discredit the investigation because of these mounting legal bills. After calling the investigation a “political ruse,” Mike Stone continues: “Now, the Executive Committee is on the brink of bankruptcy … [and] the Cooperative Program is in serious jeopardy.”

Stone and others are saying the sexual abuse investigation was a waste of time and money, and that supporters of the investigation—such as Russell Moore—are responsible at least partially for the convention’s financial woes.

But you know who Stone doesn’t mention? Johnny Hunt or David Sills. Both men are suing the SBC and are responsible for millions of dollars of those legal fees threatening to bankrupt the Executive Committee.

Why are Hunt and Sills suing the convention? After all, both men have admitted to committing sexual misconduct. But they claim their sexual sins were consensual. Therefore, Hunt and Sills are suing the SBC—and GuidePost Solutions—for defamation, since both groups publicly called Hunt and Sills’ sins sexual abuse.

You read that right: Two self-admitted adulterers (and accused sexual abusers) are suing their fellow Southern Baptists (1 Corinthians 6, anyone?) for accusing them of sexual abuse. And that is a major reason for the Executive Committee’s financial woes. But somehow, those financial woes actually are Russell Moore’s fault?

A standard smear tactic

I have noticed a common tactic in many of the public attacks leveled against the SBC’s sexual abuse investigation—accusations of “liberalism.” I’m not sure if these critics mean political or theological liberalism, but they most likely mean a mix of both.

This is just a standard smear tactic certain activists like to use when they have nothing of substance to say. Make no mistake, I believe there are legitimate, substantive criticisms to be offered regarding how the SBC has handled this investigation. But throwing around accusations of “liberalism” and “Marxism” is pure nonsense.

Terms like those have become essentially meaningless, particularly in SBC circles of late. The idea any major figure in the SBC truly is liberal—in either the political or theological sense—is absolutely laughable. And that’s exactly the response such accusations deserve—laughter.

The SBC has plenty of flaws, both theologically and politically. I think some within the SBC are too lax on certain matters of doctrine and ethics. But that’s a different essay. However, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—inherently “liberal” in opposing sexual abuse and standing up for victims.

The SBC sexual abuse investigation is not above criticism, but to label the Southern Baptists who initiated and support the investigation as “liberals” or “leftists” is simply crazy. Such accusations belie an emotionally immature and intellectually vapid approach to debate that deserves no respect from anyone, let alone Southern Baptists.

And it is a slap in the face to survivors of sexual abuse everywhere.

Joshua Sharp is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Chappell Hill, and a graduate of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., and Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary in Waco. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.