Light for the Darkness
From the statement on Sexual Abuse Prevention by the President and Chief Executive Officer of the SBC Executive Committee to the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, June 10, 2008.

As Southern Baptists, we have much for which to be thankful. Our pastors preach the Word of God with power. Our churches witness effectively to the unsaved in cities and communities throughout the country. God continues to call many of our young people to the mission fields of the world; a new strategy for evangelizing the United States has been launched. Our seminaries excel in teaching new theologians and training new pastors. Our moral and religious liberty convictions are well represented in the public square. Our publications are some of the finest Bible study materials in the world. Our pulpits are filled with anointed preachers. Our classrooms are filled with brilliant teachers. Read More

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Charles Lowery The Big "60" My big "60" birthday is coming and my high school class is having a reunion because most of us are almost 60! We are now officially too old to die young. It is funny how we describe age. When you are a kid, you are so proud of your age that you talk about it in fractions. "I'm five and a half." Well, I guess I'm fifty-nine and a half. I turned 30, I reached 40, I made 50, and I guess someday I'll hit 70. After that it's day-to-day — you are happy to hit Wednesday. In your 80s, you hit dinner. Then it is really day-to-day. The insurance company sends you calendars weekly. I'm not going to live in denial. My wild oats have turned to shredded wheat, and my narrow waist and broad shoulders have switched places. It is the autumn of life and all of my organs have headed south. ~ by Charles Lowery

Iowa Town Shows Gratitude to Baptists • Southern Baptists Included at Bush Faith-based Conference • American Family Association Declares McDonald's Boycott [Read More]

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My Hope and Prayer for the Southern Baptist Convention
Jesus prayed that His followers would be unified so that the world may know You sent Me (John 17:23). That prayer is desperately needed for our Convention today.

I will never forget Dr. Adrian Rogers' Convention message, "Unity in Diversity," during the early days of the Conservative Resurgence. We are once again in need of being reminded that we can do far more together than we can do alone. We are in need of unity; we must major on that which unites us and keep our distance from that which divides us. If not, what's at stake? The world will find it difficult to believe the Gospel, namely, that God sent Jesus Christ! Read More

The Kingdom and the Fatherhood of God
Any preacher worth his salt can preach a moving Mother's Day message; it takes a skilled expositor to move the crowd on Father's Day. I had worked hard on my Father's Day message and had illustrated it with anecdotes from my own father, who had loved me with an unconditional love. Dad was a man's man, a country preacher, and a great dad. I was proud of my effort and the members of my small seminary church were rewarding me with warm accolades as they filed by me on their way to the parking lot. I happened to notice a young teenage girl waiting in line. Her countenance told me she had not enjoyed my message. When it was her turn to speak, she sobbed, "My father left me and my stepfather hates me. Now tell me about a father's love." My stunned silence indicated I was not prepared to respond to her question. Read More

Southern Baptist Convention Wrap Up
Southern Baptist Convention messengers meeting in Indianapolis on June 10-11 elected a new president, launched a bold initiative to share the Gospel with every person in North America by 2020, accepted a detailed report from the Executive Committee on the subject of child sexual abuse prevention, and adopted a much-discussed resolution on regenerate church membership. Read More

• Poll: U.S. Split on If Homosexuality is a Sin
• Churches on Mission: Hazen Christian Fellowship
• God — The Father
• LifeWay Christian Resources: Biblical Solutions for Life
• Sharing FAITH Down Under
• The Big "60"
• Mosaic