Author: Jayson Larson

SBTC’s Lorick lauds prayer, progress at Puerto Rico convention’s annual meeting

PEÑUELAS, Puerto Rico—God is moving in a big way on this small Caribbean island.

At its annual meeting Feb. 15, the Convention of Southern Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico heard a series of encouraging reports revealing heightened participation among its pastors and leaders, as well as with organizations such as the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

Luis Soto, executive director of the Puerto Rico convention, said affiliated churches experienced a 24% increase in baptisms, as well as increased Cooperative Program giving, during the past year. Those achievements, he said, “mark a milestone in the history of Southern Baptists in Puerto Rico, evidencing the commitment and faithfulness of our congregations.” Soto noted that representatives from 75% of the convention’s churches were present at the meeting.

In November 2022, the SBTC Executive Board voted unanimously to enter into a multiyear ministry partnership with the Puerto Rico convention, offering resources, tools, and training to strengthen existing churches on the island—roughly the size of the state of Connecticut—while also working with leaders to plant new congregations.

As a result of the partnership, Soto told the Texan the Puerto Rico convention has experienced a 30% increase in participation in its programs to train pastors and leaders, as well as a 25% increase in donations directed toward its projects supported by the SBTC over the past two years.

“The partnership with the SBTC has been incredibly fruitful,” Soto said. “We have seen an increase in collaboration and support for our initiatives, which has allowed our churches to be trained in church revitalization, providing our pastors with the tools to carry out the Great Commission.”

SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick spoke at the meeting, emphasizing the foundational role of prayer as a catalyst for change in Puerto Rico’s churches and cities. Lorick led a corporate time of prayer, imploring pastors and church leaders to cry out to God for revival.

“It was an honor to be with our friends at the annual meeting [in Puerto Rico],” Lorick said afterward. “My friend, Luis Soto, is doing an incredible job leading this network of churches. I am excited for the SBTC to continue ministering alongside these great churches.”

Other highlights from the meeting, hosted by Oasis of Love Baptist Church and Pastor Raúl Torres, included:

A report from Xavier Torrado, director of Send Puerto Rico, who highlighted God’s faithfulness over the past year and presented a plan to plant new churches this year;
Charles Grant, associate vice president for convention partnerships for the Southern Baptist Convention, who offered a message of encouragement and support for the Puerto Rico churches;
The introduction of Pastor Bryant Morales, who will coordinate efforts and resources to reach and disciple college students in Puerto Rico;
Recognition of Pastor Camilo Méndez, who concluded his term as president of the convention’s board of directors, as well as the unanimous election of his successor, Pastor Gil Ramos from Renacer Baptist Church in Ponce; and
The celebration and welcome of two new churches to the Puerto Rico convention: La Iglesia Bíblica la Comunión in Bayamón and Coram Deo Church in the town of Aguada.

Molina to lead National Hispanic Baptist Network in full-time role

DALLAS (BP)—The National Hispanic Baptist Network has elevated its executive director, Bruno Molina, from a part-time role to a new full-time role to oversee the organization’s diverse offering of support to Hispanic churches and leaders across the Southern Baptist Convention.

“I’m thrilled that, after two years of serving in this role on a part-time volunteer basis, I can focus full-time on reaching the Hispanic community and through them realizing our vision ‘that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God,'” Molina said.

“I’m so glad that the NHBN will now have Dr. Bruno Molina serving as executive director on a full-time basis. He not only had the vision of what NHBN can and will become, but his life-long service to Hispanic Baptists will serve him well as he serves Hispanic Baptists all across the United States,” said Jesse Rincones, chairman of the NHBN’s Board of Directors. Rincones is also the Executive Director of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas (Convención Bautista Hispana de Texas), and the pastor of Alliance Church in Lubbock.

“The work of the National Hispanic Baptist Network is needed now more than ever. The 3,400 Hispanic churches in the SBC need a network like this at the national level. It’s exciting to see how God is already working to bring unity, collaboration, and culturally contextualized resources and experiences that is so needed in our churches,” Rincones added.

Molina will oversee the NHBN’s daily operations, including its 11 ministry teams: Prayer, Evangelism, Discipleship, Missions Mobilization, Emerging Leaders, Revitalization, Finance, Education, Women’s Ministry, Pastoral Care, and Church Planting.

He served bi-vocationally with the Navigators ministry, and for the last 16 years Molina has been the Language & Interfaith Evangelism Associate for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, partnering with churches by encouraging, equipping, and resourcing them to evangelize the people of over 300 language groups and many faiths throughout Texas.

In addition to formerly serving as a pastor, church planter, and human resources manager, Molina is an adjunct professor of apologetics, theology, and world religions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also teaches at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, taught at Louisiana Baptist University, the Baptist Seminary in Havana Cuba, and Baptist Seminary in Nogales, Mexico.

“Hispanic Southern Baptists make up a mission force of bilingual and transcultural missionaries that are poised to make a significant kingdom impact,” Molina said. “United for the His glory, we exist to connect on mission, contribute resources, and celebrate what God is doing among us in collaboration with the body of Christ.”

This article originally appeared in Baptist Press.

SBDR Roundtable celebrates year of ministry and innovation

SAN ANTONIO—More than 200 leaders and volunteers representing 37 Southern Baptist state conventions gathered Jan. 28-30 for the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Roundtable.

The three-day event resembled an extended reunion of family and friends, with ample opportunities for attendees to acquire advanced training in the latest DR practices. SBDR holds two national Roundtables per year, one in January and one following the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in June.

Coy Webb, Send Relief crisis response director, called the meeting a celebration following an “extremely active year of disasters” in which SBDR offered “help and hope during times of crisis.”

Continuing education to meet crises

The day before the conference opened, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention DR Director Scottie Stice and SBTC DR associate Wally Leyerle conducted a special “train the trainer” session for Alaska DR leadership.

Participants chose among training sessions on mass feeding, incident management, data reporting, and electronic asset protection. Some opted for instruction in the safe operation of man lifts and the latest methods of using ladders and tarping roofs. Others received training in shower and laundry operations or emergency first aid.

Kentucky’s Karen Smith, chair of the SBDR national feeding committee, conducted special training for a new position in DR: feeding operations chief. Stice and Leyerle, both on the national feeding committee, assisted Smith. Recent SBTC DR work in Spruce Pine, N.C., following Hurricane Helene generated discussion—the deployment followed a new model for SBDR involving a cooperative arrangement with Walmart which offered both parking lot space and support.

A Tuesday session featuring state Baptist DR directors addressed questions from last June’s Roundtable.

On Wednesday, a panel discussion among Salvation Army and SBDR representatives explored the successful cooperative relationship between the two groups in mass feeding efforts recently showcased in the response to Hurricane Helene, with Stice serving as a panelist. The current national model of cooperation between SBDR and The Salvation Army was piloted by SBTC DR and the Texas Division of The Salvation Army.

Dennis Belz, Colorado Baptist DR director, presented Resiliency in Disaster Relief, a workshop on preparing DR teams to recognize the signs of stress and trauma precipitated by disaster work.

Send Relief continuing national and international efforts

Thursday’s Roundtable featured the annual directors’ meeting, kicked off by the Send Relief report from Webb and Send Relief vice president Josh Benton.

Send Relief supports SBDR with resources, assistance in coordination and administration, national partner relations, and advocacy, the report noted. Benton highlighted some accomplishments of Send Relief in 2024:

53,503 volunteers mobilized
6,117 churches engaged
2 million people served
More than 1 million people presented with the gospel
Supported ministry centers serving communities and saw the development of 37 affiliate ministry centers in the last 18 months

Webb offered the following SBDR-specific 2024 statistics:

109 responses to disasters
110,603 ministry contacts
42,472 gospel presentations
4,204 professions of faith
120,396 volunteer days
83,239 homes helped with recovery
1,430,938 meals provided
50,604 showers provided
26,061 laundry loads washed

Praising SBDR’s work during hurricanes Helene and Milton, Webb said SBDR workers have been noticed at a national level for “consistent work in times of disaster.” Send Relief provided approximately $3 million of supplies and grants to the SBDR network for relief during Helene and Milton, he added.

SBDR workers during the 2024 hurricanes made 2,602 gospel presentations, saw 261 professions of faith, initiated 51,584 ministry contacts, served over 1 million meals, and completed 55,373 recovery jobs, Webb said.

SBDR continues to serve the survivors of Los Angeles area wildfires, with California and Arizona state teams engaged in chaplaincy and feeding. Fire clean-up is anticipated to begin this month, Webb said, noting that Send Relief is supporting DR efforts with funds and supplies.

Webb shared that over the last 12 months across the globe, Send Relief International has done some 420 projects in 78 countries, resulting in 933 new areas being opened to the gospel, impacting 1.54 million people, and involving more than 3,600 church partners. Food assistance has been provided to 686,000, and 684,000 have heard the gospel.

International aid has been provided in the Sudan, where over 40,000 have heard the gospel and 833 have come to Christ; the Middle East, where 11 new areas have been opened to the gospel and 2,400 have heard the gospel with 20 coming to faith; and Cuba, where 26 new areas have been opened to the gospel, over 943,000 have heard the gospel, and 821 have responded in faith. Send Relief has also supported relief efforts following flooding in Kenya and Brazil and wildfires in Chile.

Directors’ meeting

Following the Send Relief presentation, DR leaders heard reports from representatives of SBDR partners including Bobbi Geery and Jeff Jellets of the Salvation Army, Laurynn Myers of the Red Cross, Justin Harris of Home Depot, and April Wood and Bethany Piehl of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD).

Webb introduced new state DR directors Bill LaFolette of Michigan and Keith Myer of Maryland/Delaware.

Highlights from the committee and regional reports included information on the establishment of the feeding chief position and the adoption of a new SBDR IMT manual. “These two policy matters were the most significant coming from the Roundtable,” Stice said.

Other major issues addressed included updates in financial policy and reporting, plans to develop materials offering long-term rebuilding guidance to states, technology, and regulations covering drone and UAV use during disasters.

Regional reports summarized the disasters each state faced, often involving multi-site responses.

The meeting closed with an address by Gaylon Moss, current chair of the SBDR steering committee and Missouri Baptist DR director. Moss, who also served as presiding officer of the Roundtable, urged leaders to “Hold the Net,” reminding them that SBDR is “not an entity” but a “network of Southern Baptist state conventions working together to bring help, hope, and healing to people in crisis.” Southern Baptist DR “brings order to chaos” and mobilizes people for mission,” Moss said.

SBDR will assist in Crossover events at the SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas this June, which will be followed by the second SBDR Roundtable of the year scheduled for June 12 in Grapevine at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention offices, with SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice and SBTC DR hosting. The June 2026 Roundtable will take place in Orlando, Fla.

This article includes reporting from Baptist Press.

Learn of George Liele, others in Black History book of family devotions, recipes

NASHVILLE (BP)—When the 18th century church planter, evangelist and foreign missionary George Liele was imprisoned in Jamaica, he spread the Gospel in prison, reminiscent of the apostle Paul.

Liele, celebrated Feb. 2 on the Southern Baptist calendar, is among historical African American Christians author Trillia Newbell invites families to center dinner table devotions around in her book, “Celebrating Around the Table: Learning the Stories of Black Christians Through Readings, Fellowship, Food, and Faith.”

“It’s my family tradition in book form,” Newbell, a former director of community outreach with the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said of the book released in September 2024 by Harvest House. “Yes, it’s for Black History Month, but you can use it any time.”

She began the tradition perhaps a decade ago with her family, discussing famous and not-so-famous African American trailblazers around the kitchen table with her family over traditional dishes, with prayer and devotions.

“You can use the book anytime,” she said. “We don’t want to just study history in a certain month. We want to study it all the time. And so, any time you can gather around the table and start a discussion, and look at the Bible verses together, and talk about people and learn about what God says in His Word, you want to do it.”

Liele rose from slavery, was granted freedom, and began preaching in Georgia during the American Revolutionary War. He borrowed $700 on an indentured servitude agreement to travel to Jamaica, arrived there in 1782 and, after earning his freedom from bondage, planted a house church with three other Americans.

Liele is remembered as the first foreign Baptist missionary. While preaching in Kingston in 1797, he was falsely charged with inciting a rebellion through his sermons and ended up in jail. Acquitted, he still served time in jail for a debt he owed on a church he pastored, and remained in jail until the debt was paid, preaching while imprisoned, Newbell pointed out in her narrative.

Newbell tells Liele’s story alongside 11 trailblazing African American Christians including Frederick Douglass, Betsey Stockton, Charlotte L. Forten Grimké, Lemuel Haynes, Ruby Bridges, Mahalia Jackson and others, offering original Bible-based devotions for each.

“In the book, I feature … godly characteristics that each of them displays,” Newbell said. “The devotionals kind of feature those characteristics. So whether someone was brave, humble, forgiving, loving, … all sorts of biblical characteristics that I found as I learned about the people, I pulled out. And then, I wrote a devotional based on what I learned about the people.”

The dinner table is important to Newbell’s family, she told Baptist Press, and she advocates for the dinner table as a prominent place to build unity in all family units. And while the book is built around family, including photos of cherished moments of Newbell with her husband Thern and their son and daughter, she presents the book as a useful tool for singles and includes “children’s corner” resources for those 6 and older.

She encourages families and individuals to try the practice to learn about a variety of cultures, continuing beyond Black History Month.

Unique to the book are recipes for Southern favorites learned in her mother’s kitchen, family traditions and personal contemporary tweaks.

Cornbread, homemade butter, baked ribs, black-eyed peas, greens, salmon croquettes, shrimp and grits, sweet potato pie, apple pie and banana pudding are among recipes presented as approachable by most cooks in modestly appointed kitchens.

“The recipes are meant to give you a taste of common southern African American cuisine. But remember, I am not a chef,” Newbell writes in the book, “and none of the meals will be gourmet. These recipes are for the everyday cook. And although the recipes have modern ingredients, I intentionally didn’t add complicated ingredients or require special equipment. So you won’t need an air fryer.”

Only, no microwaves, she’s quick to add.

“I said easy, but not that easy!”

This article originally appeared on Baptist Press.

Southern Baptists join thousands at the 52nd March for Life

WASHINGTON (BP)—Thousands of pro-life Americans, including many Southern Baptists, gathered near the U.S. Capitol Jan. 24 for the 52^nd annual March for Life.

This year’s March for Life, which is understood to be the world’s largest annual human rights demonstration, marked the third time the event has been held since the historic overturning of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, which returned abortion legislation to the states.

It was the High Court’s Roe decision, handed down in January 1973, which inspired the first March for Life event, held the following year in 1974.

Since that first march, numerous pro-life Americans (including many evangelical Christians) have come together each January near the Capitol in Washington, D.C. to support the cause and re-affirm their commitment to protect unborn children and care for their mothers.

Among the Southern Baptists gathered at this year’s event were several staff members of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

“It is an honor to be in our nation’s capital for the annual March for Life,” said ERLC Vice President and Chief of Staff Miles Mullin.

“For many years, Southern Baptists have stood on the front lines to promote a culture of life and we wholeheartedly affirm that every life is made in the image of God, including our preborn neighbors. Many of our SBC churches are already working hard in their communities, creating a culture of life where children are welcomed, mothers are cared for, and families are given resources they need to succeed. Here at the ERLC, we will continue to prioritize and advance policies that both protect life and support our churches in those efforts, work that will help usher in a new era in the pro-life movement.”

This year’s March for Life falls just after Sanctity of Life Sunday in the Southern Baptist Convention, which was Jan. 19. It was the 40^th observance of Sanctity of Life Sunday on the SBC Calendar.

Each year’s event begins with an opening rally featuring numerous speakers before the physical march around the Capitol building. March for Life President Jeanne Mancini welcomed the large crowd.

“Whether this is your first March for Life or you’re are a seasoned veteran … I just really want to honor you and thank you for making history,” she said.

“By being here, you are advocating for the poorest of the poor. You are advocating that social justice begins in the womb. Thank you for standing on the right side of history and for being here.”

This year’s March for Life was Mancini’s last time serving as president of the event. She has served in the position since 2012, overseeing 13 marches, which she called “the honor of a lifetime.”

Mancini expressed her sincere gratitude to the numerous marchers over the years, and introduced this year’s crowd to March for Life President-Elect Jennie Bradley Lichter.

Lichter served during President Trump’s first administration as deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

In addition to Southern Baptist participants, another notable Southern Baptist was one of the event’s guest speakers.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Southern Baptist and former ERLC trustee, said seeing the crowd of thousands of pro-life Americans gathered in Washington is a great encouragement to him and his fellow congressmen.

Johnson referenced the House’s recent passage of the Born-Alive Act (meant to protect babies who survive failed abortions) during his remarks.

“House and Senate Republicans are committed to protecting innocent life,” he told the crowd. “We will do it.”

Johnson shared some of his personal life story about being the product of an unexpected pregnancy and his teenage parents’ refusal to listen to those who urged them to get an abortion.

“It’s a very simple fact that if they had not done that, then I would not be here,” he said. “I often wonder who else we have missed and what those individuals might have contributed to our society and to our world, but they were just never given the opportunity.”

This was the second straight year Johnson has spoken at the March for Life.

Johnson’s remarks were preceded by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, marking the first time in history that both the speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader have attended and spoken at the event.

Many other politicians attended, including newly inaugurated Vice President J.D. Vance. It was Vance’s first public event since his inauguration Jan. 20.

President Trump addressed the crowd via video, where he promised his new administration will continue to stand for families and for life as well as ensure protections for churches, crisis pregnancy centers and other pro-life organizations.

Other speakers at the rally included Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, pro-life advocate Lila Rose, and Bethany Hamilton, motivational speaker and subject of the popular film “Soul Surfer.”

After the rally concluded, the marchers began their walk around the Capitol, and among the many Southern Baptists doing so was Kayley Fruendt, a sophomore at Colorado Christian University.

Fruendt, who attended the March for Life for the second time, said although she was raised in a Christian household, she was undereducated about the issue of abortion until her late high school and early college years.

“I felt really convicted that I didn’t know anything about it,” she said. “I really had to face this question and search out what I thought was right.”

While attending Colorado Christian University (CCU), Fruendt would join the pro-life club and begin attending Storyline Church in Arvada.

She explained that her pastor, J.T. English, is “very outspoken” about the topic of abortion, which has helped her develop her own positions.

“I have a real passion to fight for the unborn and I think there’s a real lack of education on what abortion is, especially in my generation,” Fruendt said.

“They (Storyline) talk about abortion, and it’s not a hush-hush issue. It was brought up frequently enough that it was on our minds. Just having a church that talks about it was really important for me, along with their other values that I really love. I would then go back to school and learn how to be self-sacrificial and be like Jesus. CCU’s motto of grace and truth is more than just a slogan; it’s put in action.”

Fruendt mentioned the influence of social media on Gen Z in spreading misinformation about the topic or trying to coerce people into getting an abortion. Someone she knows personally was deeply influenced in this way before getting an abortion, after which she told Fruendt she felt “terrible.”

It was important for Fruendt to travel to Washington for the march because it gives an opportunity to supply some of the education she believes is lacking.

“To March for Life means to fight for principles, especially the principle of justice for both mother and child,” Fruendt said.

“The first thing I would recommend to get involved with the pro-life issue is to pray and seek the Lord. Follow where He leads you and find a community that supports you in your calling from the Lord.”

This article originally appeared on Baptist Press.

Pastoring in ‘Negative World’

Editor’s note: The following opinion column was written by a member of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Young Pastors Network.

In his new book Negative World, Aaron Renn chronicles the changing cultural posture toward Christianity over the last 60 years. Positive World functioned from 1964-1994, such that the church was seen as a good thing for society. Neutral World existed from 1994-2014 and was characterized by a more tolerant posture. It was one of many voices in our pluralistic society and was neither good nor bad.

Negative World started in 2014 and continues into the present, ushered in during the Supreme Court’s decision about gay marriage. This saw a shift in cultural attitudes among many to see the church as a moral evil that must be opposed.

How do we pastor and lead in Negative World? Let me make five suggestions:

Get your church polity locked down

A church statement of faith coupled with a church covenant that outlines how you will treat each other is essential in this cultural moment. Why? More and more people will engage with us who do not assume the best of us. Many of these people will look for ways to intentionally hurt the church. If you have inconsistencies in what you affirm you believe or how you, for example, discipline members, this will bite you.

Go hard after young men

As Negative World has been established, younger men are struggling. As a result, there’s an openness and hunger for guidance and direction among young men today more than ever, opening the door for the gospel. The church has largely been more calibrated to women in our marketing and programming over the last 20 years. Continue to love your ladies, but gear up to reach out to guys. Simple things like changing your church logo to look more masculine can help. More than that, make sure the men you hire on your staff or who lead on your elder teams are model men. Young men are looking for mentors and guides, and they will gravitate to places that have that.

Prepare your leadership community for resistance

If you are outspoken about the truth, at some point you may be canceled. Not only must you be ready to take hard stances, you need to prepare your leadership community for the blowback that will come. What you must not have are leaders who want you to pull back from saying something hard because of the potential blowback. Be bold, but also wisely bring your leaders along. Show them examples of what other churches have walked through in being canceled and talk through how to respond.

Go all in on the Holy Spirit

We have officially reached a point where just “doing church” isn’t gonna do it. In Positive World and Neutral World, so much of church growth was shuffling the deck of Christians in a town. Most of what we were doing in those days was not so much planting a church but planting a worship service and expecting people to show up. I’m not bashing it—in many ways it worked! Healthy churches came out of this model. I believe those days are over. If we are going to see churches planted and grow, we are going to have to pray like crazy, begging God to move. Your leadership community needs to be a burning center of prayer, begging the Spirit to convict, unify, and send.

Call for response in worship

We have a spectrum of pastors in the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, some more reformed and others more revivalistic. One of the easiest ways to tell where you fall on the spectrum is by how you end your worship service. For a number of years, I was uncomfortable with a more deliberate, intentional response time because of abuses I’d seen growing up. I’m over that. I want to help people know how to become a Christian at the end of our services. I want people to have the ability to be prayed over or counseled during worship. Why? Because I believe when the Word is preached, God is speaking and today, people need help sifting what God is doing.

Positive and Neutral World people did not need as much guidance about the basics. Many of them were exposed to Christianity and just needed a nudge. We are now officially reaching people whose grandparents didn’t take them to church. They’ve got no background, and they absolutely need more deliberate, intentional opportunities to get help. A more focused response time can help.

Negative World is here. Are you ready? I hope these five things help you.

Man diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer surrenders to ministry: ‘I don’t worry about tomorrow’

LACENTER, Ky. — “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” That verse, from Psalm 118:24, is one that John Plumley embraces every day.

When you know what is happening in his life, you understand why it dictates how he lives each day.

Plumley, a member of First Baptist Church in LaCenter, was diagnosed Oct. 20 with Stage 4 cancer. Despite that drastic upheaval in his life, it has fueled his passion to tell others about Christ. He left his long-time secular job at the end of 2024, and on Jan. 12, he surrendered to the ministry.

“I don’t worry about tomorrow,” he said, referencing Psalm 118:24.

His pastor, Jason Hay, talked about the blessing that Plumley has been at the church.

“John has faithfully served the church and has truly exemplified being the hands and feet of Jesus,” Hay said. “Over the years, he has served as a teacher, youth and children’s chaperone, bus driver, deacon and more. On Sunday morning, I had the privilege of witnessing John publicly surrender his life to God’s calling, and it was deeply inspiring.”

Despite the recent diagnosis of terminal cancer, “John has embraced his reality with unwavering faith, determined not to waste a single day. It has been incredible to see him live each moment to the fullest, engaging in gospel-centered conversations with everyone he encounters. My heart has been filled with both encouragement and conviction, a powerful reminder that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow and that we must dedicate today to Christ.”

When Plumley’s cancer diagnosis came, he was told he could live five to six months if he didn’t take any treatments. Chemo might give him up to 18 months, and at Vanderbilt Medical Center he was told he might have up to two and a half years. “At that point, I knew that before I was born God had a birth and a death date for me. I am not going to let man put a date on my death.”

He and his wife Lynn have four children, ages 4 to 28. “I taught them that God is in control. But when this (cancer) happens to you it affects every area of life, your financials, your relationships. Through this God has supplied unbelievably — He has provided every single thing we need.”

It has built his faith and widened his impact in the community. “It’s not natural for me to go up to strangers and tell them about the Lord, but in this sickness, God has used it as an opportunity to witness to people on a daily basis. It might be a conversation of God being involved and how He is working in our lives and taking care of our needs. My testimony from a young child until today is that it’s not me, it’s always God. Every single thing we do, He is part of it. When you are working and healthy, you know that it is God. When it disappears overnight, it is God. We lost half our household income in one day. I was hospitalized and couldn’t work and haven’t been back to work since October 20 … but I don’t worry about tomorrow.”

As Plumley enters the ministry, he looks back on his life and sees how God was at work. When he was 16 and living in Illinois, he thought he was called into the ministry. He had the opportunity to preach, and after that message he received a phone call that the pastor’s daughter had been saved.

Upon moving to Kentucky, he said he went to church but was a “benchwarmer — not involved in anything.” But then he found out that the church had been seeking a bus driver for months, and since he drove a truck for his living, he reasoned that was something he could do.

“It opened one door after another,” he said, prompting him to study and pray for ways to be used by the Lord. Then came a call asking if he would do a six-week series based on a Tony Evans’ “Kingdom” study.

“God started opening one door after another,” he said. He began teaching Sunday school for third through fifth garders, then started going on mission trips, one to New York and a couple to Cuba.

“I wanted to go because the Lord wanted me to go — not because I did,” he said. He recalled the time in church that he heard about the Cuba opportunity and asked to Lord to show him if the Lord wanted him to go. “When they said ‘amen,’ the woman in front of me said, ‘You need to go to Cuba.’”

As a member of First Baptist in LaCenter for almost a decade, Plumley said he “got involved in everything at church. Because I was living in God’s will, we still had time for family even though it was a busy schedule.”

He said, “COVID hit me hard. I needed to be in church and around people to influence me. I wanted to do things, but I was doing the things I wanted to do. God changed my ministry—I still did youth trips but not teach Sunday school. He opened up an opportunity for me to be a Gideon … God started using me in different ways.” He said handing out a Bible helped him realize “nine out of 10 people you meet are going through something … and it gave me an opportunity to witness to them.”

Since his cancer diagnosis, he has had opportunities to share his testimony at various churches.

“When I get up (at the pulpit) I have the urge to preach and share the Word,” he said. “I feel that is God’s calling on my life. I have been given a lot of opportunities.” Saying he was never comfortable in a hospital setting, that has changed since his recent hospitalizations. “There are things I couldn’t do before that I am able to do now.”

The Plumleys live in Bandana, Ky., only a few miles from LaCenter First Baptist. Many in the community are aware of his health situation, and that has opened doors for him to be used by the Lord.

“I can’t go anywhere that I have people say they are praying for me,” he said. “People have been encouraging me,” including when he saw a police officer near his home who prayed for him. Also, at the local Walmart he got into a conversation with an employee and explained about his cancer and was able to share with the person how God was working in that situation. “God has put somebody everywhere I go for me to witness to or to encourage me.”

While praying for a miracle regarding his health, Plumley understands God can say yes, no or maybe later. And that is why his daily mindset will be “this is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice in it.”

This article originally appeared in Kentucky Today and was distributed by Baptist Press.

Some things are just better together

There are some things we can only do by ourselves.

No student has ever taken a group SAT or ACT exam. No, you are on your own on those! Only you could have married your spouse. You could not have sent someone for you or had a group come to the wedding and say a collective “We do.” No, it has to be “I do.” When you apply for a job, you have to go it alone in the interview because you are being hired as an individual, not as a group.

This is also true spiritually. You and I are accountable to God and how we respond to His offer of grace. We have our own individual quiet times with Jesus. I cannot ask you to be my proxy and go pray in my place and read the Bible for me.

However, there are some things where we are just simply better together. If you are married and have children and you are to sit for a family portrait, you do not sit alone; you sit with the family. If you play a team sport like football, you do not go out and line up by yourself against 11 other football players. You are doomed if you don’t have your team lined up beside you.

Let’s say you have a very large house with 30 rooms and you have your family over for the traditional Thanksgiving meal. You could have everyone get their plate and go to their individual rooms to eat in silence—but we would never do that! We want to be together. The food is sweeter and the fellowship so much more rich when we share the meal together rather than in isolation.

In corporate worship, the people of God come together and do what no one could adequately do alone—join in the chorus of other believers and worship Him. The Bible commands us to worship with the people of God. Hebrews 10:24-25 states,^“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

There is power in numbers. When a watching world sees the people of God gathering on Sundays, we want them to ask why we are doing that. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, said there are a lot of other things he could do on a Sunday morning than go to church. He is right, but he is also mistaken. Of course, there are many things he could do other than go to church, but there is nothing more important than going to church with the people of God on the Lord’s Day—when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

Speaking of being together, I invite you to the annual Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Empower Conference Feb. 24-25 in Irving. You will be blessed with excellent Bible teaching and worship. There is strength in the people of God coming together to be encouraged in our mission of making disciples, so come join us!

10 reasons we should all resolve to take care of ourselves in 2025

I confess I don’t always take care of myself as I should. I have to work hard to maintain a healthy weight, keep my blood pressure down, etc. In fact, I’m re-posting this blog from 2019 as a way to hold myself accountable to you, my readers. I don’t want to give guidance that I myself don’t follow in 2025.

As a Christian, I see this issue of exercise and bodily well-being as more a spiritual one than a physical one. Here are some reasons believers need to take care of ourselves:

1. We are created in God’s image.

The Bible is quite clear here—we are made in the image of the Creator. That image was marred in the fall of Adam and Eve, but not destroyed. That fact alone should give us reason to take care of ourselves.

2. This body is the only one we have.

This point might sound silly, but sometimes we live as if we have bodies to spare. When this one is worn out, we don’t have a replacement until the day of resurrection.

3. Poor discipline is a bad witness.

It’s hard to tell people to be disciplined in their Bible study, prayer life, giving, etc., when they can look at us and see we are undisciplined in exercise and eating. A lack of effort in one area of life is often indicative of problems in other areas.

4. Bad health is costly.

Eventually, the costs of poor health add up. Medical bills pile up. Insurance costs increase. Moreover, bad health makes us less productive at work. Others are forced then to carry some of our load.

5. Our families deserve better.

Frankly, it’s unloving not to take care of ourselves. Our families worry about us when we struggle to climb steps or find clothes to fit. Our love for them ought to motivate us to do better.

6. Being out of shape might indicate idolatry.

Those words might be difficult to hear, but they’re necessary ones. If we cannot push away from food in order to take care of our bodies, we must ask if something other than God has become our god. On the other hand, it’s also possible to idolize exercise because we’ve become our own god—so balance is in order.

7. Better health = more energy to do God’s work.

God’s work is not easy. Those of us in ministry know the burdens are sometimes heavy. The hours are often long. Being out of shape makes the work only that much more difficult.

8. Proper care requires rest—and it’s biblical to get rest.

God expects us to take time off, focus on Him, and enjoy His blessings. In fact, nottaking time to rest can be self-centered (that is, we think we must be doing everything). I struggle here, but I’m learning.

9. We might be called to the mission field.

Many missions organizations will not consider sending someone who is out of shape. The work is often rigorous, and the stresses of cross-cultural living are only compounded by poor health.

10. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

This truth is difficult to comprehend, but God really does live within us (1 Corinthians 6:19). He who created us and indwells us expects us to be wise stewards of the body He gave us.

This article originally appeared at ChuckLawless.com.

4 prayer goals to pursue in 2025

Do you have any goals for your prayer life? C.S. Lewis once said, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

About 60% of young adults will make New Year resolutions this year, hoping new goals will lead to self-improvement. Since we never grow spiritually by accident, here are four prayer goals to pursue in the new year.

Think why not just how

There are innumerable resources on “how” to pray—a teaching which is desperately needed. In addition to instruction on the mechanics of prayer, however, we also need to grasp the motivation for prayer.

For instance, the most common understanding of prayer is that through it we receive things from God. Of course, Scripture itself insists that prayer is often transactional. After all, God said to Jeremiah, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3). Maintaining a dynamic prayer life, however, involves more than presenting God with a list of our pressing requests. Yes, prayer is transactional; but, more importantly, prayer is relational. Consider, for instance, the example of David who prayed, “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek”’ (Psalm 27:8).

An important goal for your prayer life in the new year, therefore, is not merely to get something from God. Pray in order to get to know God.

It’s a matter of time

Prayer is one of the most common exercises in the world, practiced in some form by all the major world religions, as well as the smaller sects and cults. We might assume, therefore, that prayer is the easiest of the spiritual exercises; but, in fact, a real prayer life requires discipline.

One of your prayer goals for the new year involves your most valuable non-renewable resource—your time. There are three aspects of time related to a powerful prayer life. The first is the frequency of your prayers. Most people seem to understand the importance of frequent prayer since an astounding 55% of Americans report praying at least once a day.

The second aspect of time involving your prayer life relates to the time of day you pray. E. M. Bounds said, “The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees.” Of course, Jesus set an example by rising for prayer “a great while before day” (Mark 1:35); but people in the Bible, including Jesus, also prayed at all hours. A question for your prayer goals, therefore, is clear: What time will you pray? Before we answer, consider the third detail of prayer related to time.

How long will you pray? The Bible describes prayers of all lengths. Still, Jesus was astounded when his close disciples could not pray for one hour (Matthew 26:40). Since none of us runs the risk of being too prayerful, the answer to the question “how long should I pray” is simple—you should prayer more.

Why is time for prayer significant? Putting prayer on your daily calendar is like placing an object in a body of water—the object displaces the volume of water equal to the volume of the new object. In the same way, when you add a standing appointment with God to your calendar every other calendar entry is affected, thus requiring a schedule adjustment. As Craig Groeschel said, “We sacrifice what we love for what we love more.” If you want a prayer life you will find the time. Otherwise, nothing will change.

Feed the stream

Mark Twain bluntly said, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” In order to motivate yourself in prayer, you must constantly read good books on prayer.

From the time of the Prayer Revival of 1857-58 until after the 1904 global revival that erupted in Wales, an avalanche of classic books on prayer rained down from Great Britain and America. It was the “golden age” of prayer literature. E.M. Bounds, R.A. Torrey, Andrew Murray, Samuel Chadwick, and S.D. Gordan are representative of the giants who roamed the land.

During the mid-20th century, the prophetic voices of A.W. Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill, and David Wilkerson framed the conversation on prayer for a modern time. In the 1990s Bill Bright, Jim Cymbala, and Richard J. Foster woke us up to the incredible possibilities of prayer.

Today, authors Pete Greig, Mark Batterson, John Mark Comer, Donald Whitney, Daniel Henderson, Ronnie Floyd, and others are elevating the prayer lives of Christians and our churches.

How can you feed the stream of your spiritual life? Read books on prayer so you won’t dry up!

Take the long view

Rosie Ruiz won the Boston Marathon in 1980. Her secret for success disqualified her eight days later, because she only jumped into the race at the last half mile. In other words, she cheated. Later it was discovered she rode the subway for the bulk of the New York Marathon six months earlier. The laurel wreath of marathon victory is not awarded to those who cut corners.

Similarly, in order to excel in prayer, there are no shortcuts to success. Your prayer goals for the new year, therefore, must include a commitment to persistence. The prayer life you desire isn’t a sprint—it’s a marathon. In other words, your prayer life can only finally be measured by its consistency. Remember, Paul told the church in Rome, “be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). Corrie Ten Boom said, “Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.”

An old adage is trite but true even for prayer: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Setting goals for your prayer life will propel you toward the prayer life you’ve always wanted.