Author: amadmin

Jesus loves you, Tom Brady

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—One of my favorite bands from high school, Christian alt-rock supergroup The Lost Dogs, had a song on one of their albums titled “Jesus Loves You, Brian Wilson.” In a style reminiscent of the Laurel Canyon sound of which Brian Wilson (and his Beach Boys) were musical pioneers, the Lost Dogs sing about how influential Wilson has been for them and how heartbreaking it was to discover Wilson’s struggles with mental health. The song is both mournful and encouraging. It’s a tribute and a lament.

You may not know anything about Brian Wilson or resonate with the struggles of musical heroes, but I’m willing to bet you’ve experienced your own version of this hopeful mourning about a public influence or hero. I’d actually forgotten about the Lost Dogs’ ode to Wilson’s troubled genius for a while until I began reading all of the public wrestling with the legacy of basketball great Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash a little over a year ago. For whatever reason, the song popped into my mind.

For Christians of a certain age, Bryant represented athletic genius. He was for many the greatest (or almost greatest) who ever played the game. And yet there were those shadows from his past too. It complicates the mourning.

But I think the Christian’s adulation of public greatness is always complicated—or should be. Like the rest of the world, with hope and aspiration we appraise the work of politicians and pop stars, country singers and quarterbacks, and we celebrate success. And there’s a touch of worship in it. Sometimes more than a touch.

Nowhere is this more evident perhaps than in our reverence for athletes. Evangelicals are not as taken with movie stars or politicians (as a class) to the extent that their neighbors are, but we do love our athletes. The most notable example of this is of course Tim Tebow, who turned a stellar college football career into a disappointing NFL career without losing the favor of American evangelicals because of his faith and family values. But we do it with unbelieving athletes as well.

They represent the best of us. They carry on their backs the projection of our selves. We wear clothing with their names on it. We sing their praises on social media. We buy their products. If they so much as mention anything positive about God, we invite them to speak at the men’s retreat and hire a ghostwriter for their Christian book deal.

God’s people have always had an inordinate bent toward strongmen, and athletes are the strongmen who have emerged from among us. (“I went to high school with Shaq!” “My cousin’s boyfriend’s veterinarian saw Tiger Woods at Starbucks!”) If there are any stars Christians will sell their left lung to meet, it would be sports stars.

My favorite athlete of all time is quarterback Tom Brady, who today is basking in the satisfaction of cementing his GOAT status with a decisive Super Bowl win over the favored Kansas City Chiefs. I love Tom Brady. But my love for him is complicated. He is not a believer in Christ. He is undoubtedly an idolater of his sport. And as with all idolatry, the gods will let you down in the end. The clock is ticking on Tom. The greatest QB of all time is still good even at 43. But for how long? I fear for Tom Brady.

A few years ago, when Brady only had three Super Bowl rings, he was on 60 Minutes, and he said this: “Why do I still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what it is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think, ‘God, it’s got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn’t, this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.”

Interviewer Steven Kroft asked him, “What’s the answer?”

Brady responded, “I wish I knew. I wish I knew.”

Brady has seven championship rings now. None of them was the answer. You and I know that. I hope that reality is dawning on my favorite athlete. Because bodies wither and rings fade, but there is a word that stands forever.

This was something I didn’t see in a lot of the evangelical tributes to Kobe Bryant a year ago – a fear for his soul. Certainly bringing up the possibility of his lacking a profession of faith in Christ at the time of fresh grief would be inappropriate. But it should haunt us.

Do we love these heroes? Or just what they do for us?

Is it possible we care about the stats, the talent, the influence, the success, even the legacy, but not their souls?

In the chorus to “Jesus Loves You, Brian Wilson,” the Lost Dogs tell Brian about the Man who can meet his needs and bring him peace. They want their hero to meet the real Hero.

As my generation gets older, our heroes will continue to fall (in more ways than one). Michael Jordan is going to die. LeBron James is going to die. Patrick Mahomes is going to die. Tom Brady is going to die. And what will it all be worth if we only cheered for their trophies on a shelf? “What does it profit a man,” Jesus asked, “to gain the world but lose his soul?” I fear this weightier business does not inform much of our adulation of athletes.

Let’s keep cheering. Sports are fun and a common grace. Let’s keep rooting for our teams and for our favorite players. Competition can be sharpening and athletic greatness is a testimony to the Creator’s design and artistry. But let’s remember all people are image-bearers – when they fail and when they succeed, when they’re in their prime and when their time is up. Will Christians only contribute to that which for the sports star will only dry up? Or can we carry them further? Athletes are more than the avatars of our tribal loyalties. They are men and women who need prayer far more than praise.

And Tom, if you’re reading this – Jesus loves you. When you get to the end of all you can do and realize it will never be enough, he will be there, more than enough for you.

This article originally appeared at https://ftc.co/.

Churches respond to needs during record cold

KILLEEN  As the overwhelming majority of the country experienced a blast of Arctic air, Southern Baptists joined others in helping weather the cold.

Several Texas churches are serving as warming shelters after a spike in the power grid put millions in the dark, and more to the point, without heat.

Deacons Pete Nichols, Robert Wheat and David McGinnis haven’t left Skyline Baptist Church in Killeen since Sunday afternoon (Feb. 14). In that time, they’ve been maintaining the church’s gym as a warming shelter alongside a handful of city employees.

“We have a place for them to stay and aren’t going to push them out the door in this weather,” said Nichols, a native of upstate New York who hasn’t seen temperatures this low since moving to Killeen 28 years ago.

At least 15 have died from the winter storm that sent temperatures plummeting for days and crippled travel with ice and snow. Those deaths have occurred from crashes, but also carbon monoxide poisoning from attempts to stay warm as well as a tornado that struck coastal North Carolina.

Approximately 35 people, including four families, are staying at the church. Last year Nichols, Wheat, Senior Pastor Ashley Payne and his wife Stephanie attended training sessions that certified Skyline as a shelter for emergencies.

“The city has a building for that use but had to close it down due to a sewage problem,” Nichols said. “So, they called the church. We have staff members staying overnight with the city employees as well as an armed police officer. Our security team is present too.”

On Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 15-16, the church provided breakfast and lunch. And the city’s soup kitchen will be at Skyline for the next three days.

Tuesday, Feb. 16, First Baptist Farmersville Pastor Bart Barber will sleep on the couch in his office as part of the crew of church members hosting seven families on its campus. One of the biggest requests, he said, has been for hot showers.

“A lot of people are fighting a battle with freezing pipes,” he said. “When the sun comes up, they may take an hour to come to the church, get a hot shower, eat a hot bowl of soup and get a respite before going back home.”

Church members Larry and Kerrie Patterson needed a place after their electricity went out. When they asked Barber about staying at the church, he said sure, then congratulated them on being the shelter managers. “Every volunteer we have serving is either a staff member or volunteer/client,” he said.

Preparation for the cold temperatures began earlier for many congregations. In Oklahoma, Pastor Duncan Blackwell of Bethel Baptist Church in Anadarko told The Baptist Messenger that those steps are designed “to share the light of Jesus in our community in this challenging time.”

Bethel Baptist Church in Anadarko, Okla., is providing snacks, blankets and other supplies for people sheltering on the church’s campus during bitterly cold temperatures.

“We knew this bitterly cold weather would be hard on the homeless in the community, as well as other people who are vulnerable in a situation like this,” he said.

Initial discussions over how to provide food, perhaps through a soup kitchen, quickly grew on social media to include others’ involvement from the community. Bethel’s campus would serve as the shelter, with area churches helping supply items such as blankets, coats, pillows, fitted sheets, air mattresses and food.

At least one salvation came about from the effort, Blackwell said.

“One person who was staying with us had no power. She showed up the first three nights of the kitchen and then stayed [at our church shelter] Saturday night. We planned to livestream our service and invited all there to attend. She and others came to the service. God moved in her heart, and she repented of her sin and professed faith in Jesus Christ.”

First SBTC African American consultant dead at 77

FORT WORTH—Rainey Matthews Jr., a long-time pastor in Texas, died Feb. 12. Matthews was born in Fort Worth and started New Life Complete in Christ Baptist Church (later In Divine Order International Church) in that city. He also served as the SBTC’s first consultant for African American churches. 

Matthews moved to Michigan as a teenager and later became an amateur boxer before turning to pastoral ministry in 1996. 

SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards worked closely with Matthews and said of his ministry, “Rainey Matthews served the Lord Jesus Christ through his local church and the broader Baptist family through the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. His many contributions to Christ’s kingdom will be revealed when we all gather at Jesus’ feet!”

Casey Perry, former senior staff member for the convention, met Matthews when he was pastoring in East Texas and Perry invited him to preach for his church. They became close friends. “After I was chosen to serve as Minister/Church Relations director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, I asked Pastor Rainey to serve as a consultant with our department,” Perry said. “We went to many churches together doing information meetings. It did not matter if they were predominantly Caucasian or African American churches. We did not see race; we saw brothers and sisters in Christ. That was all we needed to do the work of our Lord. It is my prayer that that same spirit will continue among God’s people.”

Matthews was preceded in death by his parents and by his wife Tharetha. He is survived by his wife Barbara, seven children, 27 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. 

At press time Matthews’ memorial service was scheduled in Arlington for Feb. 27. 

Churches celebrate first Baptist missionary and Black 18th Century pastor George Liele Feb. 7

CHARLESTON, S.C. (BP) – It’s not lost on First Baptist Church of Charleston Pastor Marshall Blalock that had Black missionary George Liele visited the church during his 18th century ministry, he would have been required to worship from the balcony.

In advance of Sunday’s (Feb. 7) inaugural George Liele Church Planting, Evangelism, and Missions Sunday on the Southern Baptist Convention calendar, Blalock delivered today’s (Feb. 3) virtual devotion from the church balcony, focusing on Liele. A former slave, Liele was the first Baptist missionary abroad.

“I doubt George Liele ever worshiped here in the Charleston church, but it is likely he would have stood in the gallery of the Savannah church back in the day,” Blalock told Baptist Press. “This Sunday in worship we will honor the memory of the first Baptist missionary, an enslaved man who came to Christ, became a church planter in Georgia and South Carolina, then as a free man went to Jamaica to lead a movement that saw thousands of enslaved African people come to Christ.”

First Baptist Charleston, founded nearly a century before Liele’s ministry began in 1782 in Jamaica, is among churches marking the day Sunday with educational resources from the International Mission Board, exhortation and a special offering for international missions.

At The View Church in Menifee, Calif., Pastor Gregory Perkins will include in all three Sunday services video presentations of Liele’s life and ministry. While Perkins is in the middle of SBC Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd’s Ten Percent stewardship teaching series, Perkins will modify Sunday’s segment to focus on Liele. He’ll use part of Liele’s teaching in the Caribbean as an illustration.

“We are making it George Liele Day at The View,” said Perkins, a board member of the National African American Fellowship (NAAF) of the SBC, the group that successfully advocated for Liele to be officially recognized on the SBC calendar,

with the support of IMB. “In all three of our services, we’re going to have via video, a presentation of who George Liele is, why he is important not only to missions work more broadly, but specifically to African American congregations, given that he was literally the first missionary. We’re going to open him up and give special tribute to him.”

In 1775, Liele became the first ordained African American Baptist preacher in the U.S. and planted in Savannah, Ga., the First African American Baptist Church, officially constituted in 1777 and still active today. He sailed to Kingston, Jamaica, in 1782 and planted a church there.

The View’s special George Liele offering will be donated to IMB on behalf of The View and NAAF. Also Sunday, The View’s youth ministry will announce an international missions project they’ll participate in this year in honor of Liele, to be designated the George Liele Project. Previously, youth there have participated in World Changers and taken mission trips to Ghana.

“We are really excited to support this partnership with the IMB,” Perkins said of the Liele emphasis. “I hope it will open up our SBC family to understanding that African Americans have a long and storied commitment to global missions. And we’ve not just been the beneficiary of services, we have been the provider of them.”

At First Baptist Church of Crestmont in Willow Grove, Pa., February has long been dedicated to missions. Proceeds of February’s mission offering are already slated to provide food and water for several villages the church adopted in Nigeria a decade ago, to support a Martin Luther King, Jr. chapel at Abington Hospital in Abington, Pa., to fund an MLK scholarship to Abington’s Dixon School of Nursing, and support other church initiatives.

Leaving that offering in place, First Baptist Crestmont will celebrate George Liele in July, the only month on the church calendar that was not already dedicated to a special emphasis, Pastor Jerome Coleman said. The church added Liele to its calendar in 2020, making this July the church’s second recognition of Liele. The Liele offering supports NAAF’s missionary outreaches.

“We just decided to do it in a month where we didn’t have any extra offerings and put the emphasis on (Liele),” Coleman said. “I think it’s important for us to recognize that the first Baptist missionary was George Liele. I think it’s very important for us to recognize that before Lott Carey, before all of these persons that we recognize before Annie Armstrong, before all of these persons there was George Liele.

“George Liele simply wasn’t recognized because there was no official sending organization. And I find that interesting because I don’t think the Holy Ghost has to work through any official human organization to anoint somebody, to send them.”

Liele’s ethnicity and former enslavement also hindered his recognition, Coleman said.

“But if anybody’s really looking at this in terms of the providential hand of God,” Coleman said, “you can’t help but see God’s hand on George Liele.”

Empower Feb. 22-23 updates

IRVING  Registration is underway for Empower. The 2021 evangelism conference will be held at the Irving Convention Center Feb. 22-23 as an in-person event at reduced capacity as mandated by current COVID-19 guidelines. The reduction in capacity at the convention center has resulted in a few changes to the line-up of speakers. The women’s session has been canceled, but in its place are newly added breakout sessions covering a wide variety of topics. The updated agenda and sessions are listed online at sbtexas.com/empower. Individuals who are unable to attend in person can reserve a free digital ticket to join the main sessions.

Freedom Hill: A replant that works

SAN ANTONIO—Freedom Hill Church in San Antonio is what Doug Hixson, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention director of church planting, calls a “unicorn,” a replant so rare it had only a one percent chance of working out in the first place, pastor Ryan Napier said.

God called Napier to plant a church in 2018, and while that was in the beginning stages, he ended up filling the pulpit of Eisenhauer Road Baptist Church—once a bright light in San Antonio drawing more than 800 people—for a couple of Sundays. The church had dwindled to below 50 people, and after he preached, several members asked Napier to be their pastor.

“I was like, ‘I appreciate that. I’m humbled by that, but I’m already a pastor of a church plant, and this is what God has called me to do.’ Basically, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’” Napier told the TEXAN. 

A deacon at Eisenhauer Road asked Napier if he had considered replanting a church. “I told him, ‘I have no idea what that means. I don’t even know if that’s a thing.’”

Napier called Hixson, who told him replanting means a church has to vote to dissolve on paper “and then give all their stuff to the church plant,” Napier recounted. Thus, chances of success are slim. 

The church plant core that Napier had been preparing by leading a Bible study in his home continued to plan a launch for September 2019. Meanwhile, Napier went back to Eisenhauer Road and explained what a replant would entail. 

“I said, ‘I’m willing to back up and then take another run at the starting line.’ … Long story short, 55 days after the first day that I preached there, they voted yes to do that,” Napier said.

“We went from 25 people meeting in my house for a Bible study to 70 people overnight. We went from no place to meet to 10 acres of land and a 32,000-square-foot campus.”

Eisenhauer Road also had a sizable staff and ran a licensed daycare. “It was mind-boggling,” Napier said, comparing the experience to Star Wars where “the stars go from little dots to lines because they’re going so fast. That’s what it felt like. We went into hyper-speed.” 

The SBTC helped extensively with the transition, Napier said, walking the church through the considerations and training to make the replant happen. Hixson reminded Napier, “This doesn’t happen. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it,” the pastor remembered.

“I was like, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m just following God, and whatever God tells me to do, that’s what I’m doing. He’s just blessing it,” Napier said. “I don’t have this crazy wisdom or all the answers to all the questions. I just know that God called us to start a church, God provided a place for us to meet, and here we go.” 

Something Napier wants to be careful to do at Freedom Hill is to honor the fact that the current congregation has a stable foundation to build upon “because of the sacrifice, the blood, sweat and tears of the people of Eisenhauer Road Baptist Church.” 

Napier was born and raised in Houston, and for 10 years he traveled with the gospel music group Paul’s Journey, leading worship in churches across the country fulltime. He served as worship leader and assistant pastor at his home church for several years before becoming a church planter. He and his wife, Angela, have two children.

Freedom Hill Church got up to 110 people by the end of last February. They were seeing people saved and baptizing people. Then COVID hit. The replant never really had an official launch date, Napier said, because they had been planning that for the springtime, near Easter. 

Throughout the pandemic, the church has been ministering to people much like other churches—offering online services and making disciples through Zoom. 

Part of the foundation of their ministry is a strong commitment to the Cooperative Program, and though they’re a small congregation, they forward 10 percent of all receipts through the Southern Baptist Convention’s plan for supporting missions and ministry.

“What a way to be a part of a bunch of different things,” Napier said of CP, “and it doesn’t matter the size church you are. We can be involved in the same things that the megachurches are involved in. It may not be as big of a dollar figure, but it’s a good percentage of what’s coming in here. 

“We’re able to make those investments, and obviously, it’s going to pay big dividends because many people are going to get to hear the gospel because of that, many people are going to come to Christ because of that, many people will get help because of that,” the pastor said.  

Swanberg, Hemphill to highlight Classics lunch, session at Empower

IRVING This month’s Empower Conference at the Irving Convention Center will kick off with a Classics luncheon at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 22 featuring Christian comedian Dennis Swanberg.

According to his website, Swanberg, a mainstay of Christian entertainment over the last three decades, served the local church in pastoral ministry for 23 years before starting his “ministry of encouragement” in 1995. He received an undergraduate degree from Baylor University and both an M.Div. and D.Min. from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth.

Following the lunch at 1 p.m. will be the Classics session, which will feature speakers Ken Hemphill, Jerry Chaddick and Ted Traylor.

Hemphill, who served as the president of Southwestern Seminary from 1994-2003 and national strategist for the SBC’s Empowering Kingdom Growth emphasis from 2003-11, is currently an administrator at North Greenville University. He was a candidate for president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2018.

Having spent time serving the local church and as an evangelist, Chaddick has pastored churches in Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. He is currently the president of Spirit Truth Ministries and pastor of Mims Baptist Church in Conroe.

Traylor has been the pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola since 1990. He served on the Great Commission Resurgence task force and was the first vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000, in addition to being nominated for president of the SBC in 2010.

Music for the Classics session will be provided by the Southern gospel group Greater Vision.

The COVID-19 pandemic will undoubtedly have an effect on attendance at this year’s Empower Conference, although it is difficult to know how many people will choose to attend in-person vs. online.

According to a statement released by the SBTC, they are working with the Irving Convention Center to do everything possible to ensure the event is as safe as possible for all attendees.

Kenneth Priest, SBTC senior strategist for cooperative ministries, confirmed that attendees will be asked to wear masks and practice social distancing. The convention center has advised the SBTC that it has implemented safety protocols in compliance with local health authorities, including include reduced occupancy, required mask wearing in all areas except when individuals are eating or drinking, additional hand sanitation stations, signage and floor markers to aid in social distancing, and increased housekeeping in which the building will be sanitized multiple times daily.

Both the Classics luncheon and session are open for all age groups. Tickets for the luncheon are $15 each and can be purchased at sbtexas.com/empower. 

COVID-19 relief legislation signed in December includes provisions for churches, ministries

DALLAS  While Congress debates new coronavirus relief under the Biden administration, legislation signed Dec. 27 by President Trump included provisions that could assist churches and ministry organizations, including additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), among other items.

An additional $284 billon was made available for forgivable PPP loans, and $20 billion was included for Economic Injury Disaster Loans for businesses and nonprofits provided through the Small Business Administration (SBA). The PPP under the program are “Second Draw” loans. If a church or ministry has 300 or fewer employees, has sustained a 25% revenue loss in the first, second or third quarter of 2020 as compared to the same quarter in 2019, and has used, or will use, the full amount of the first PPP loan, then it is eligible for a Second Draw PPP loan.

GuideStone® offers a question-and-answer document with key questions related to the new legislation at GuideStone.org/Promotions/COVID-Relief-Legislation.

The December law provides that a church or ministry may borrow an amount equal to 2.5 months of average monthly payroll expenses up to a maximum of $2 million. Employers may not borrow more than $10 million in aggregate between the first and second PPP loans. Additionally, the law provides a more streamlined loan-forgiveness process for those applying for PPP loans under $150,000.

“Many Southern Baptist churches availed themselves of the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans in the early part of 2020,” GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins said. “Every church and individual must come to their own decisions as to whether they feel it’s appropriate to pursue these options. While we would not presume to tell a pastor what he should do in these circumstances, we want to make this information available for churches who are interested in learning more.”

Churches and ministries should work with a local SBA-approved bank or credit union to apply for PPP loans. GuideStone does not provide banking services, including loans.

Search team recommends Lorick as SBTC executive director

GRAPEVINE—A committee formed to seek the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s next executive director has unanimously agreed on a candidate. Nathan Lorick, currently executive director of the Colorado Baptist General Convention, will be considered during a called board meeting, February 21, in Grapevine. Lorick, 39, has served the Colorado convention since 2017 and was evangelism director for the SBTC, from 2012 to 2017, after pastoring two churches in Texas.

The committee was formed during the November 11, 2020, Executive Board meeting, after the board heard Jim Richards announce that he was stepping down as executive director during 2021. Richards is the founding leader of the convention, beginning his tenure in 1998. The committee went to work immediately. 

The committee chairman credited the members’ commitment to prayer, as well as the prayers of those across the convention, for clear leadership from God and the unity the search committee experienced. 

“I’ve been on several search committees, and often it takes quite a bit of time to narrow to one candidate. However, after weeks of prayer, and the interview process, we were impressed that God laid the same candidate on each of our hearts.,” said SBTC Executive Board (and search team) Chairman Mark Hogan, of San Antonio. “In this instance, we were completely convinced this candidate was uniquely qualified. We are very excited about the possibility of Nathan leading SBTC into the future.”

Lorick found the experience humbling. “Walking through this process has been an extremely humbling experience. The possibility that God could be calling me to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Jim Richards, a man of unparalleled leadership and integrity, is truly an honor.” 

Current Executive Director Jim Richards said of Lorick’s recommendation to succeed him, “Nathan did a phenomenal job for SBTC as our evangelism director for nearly five years. I have been excited to see his success leading Colorado Baptists since then. If the board elects him executive director of the SBTC, it will be my greatest pleasure to walk alongside him for the remainder of this year. I think he’d be a great leader for our convention.” 

Lorick is married to Jenna and they have four children. He earned Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Liberty University, and a Bachelor of Arts from East Texas Baptist University.  

According to a succession plan approved by the Executive Board last year, Lorick, if elected, will serve under Richards as executive director-elect for three months and then become executive director, with Richards continuing in an advisory role through the remainder of 2021.