• This LifeWay Bible Study for Life lesson for Feb. 24 focuses on 2 Timothy 2:1-13

Some cities have passed ordinances prohibiting large billboards on the highway, especially those that use flashing lights at night. Research shows these lights distract drivers and lead to accidents. People traveling fast on freeways must keep all their attention on the road to keep from injuring themselves or others.

Looking at the Apostle Paul’s warnings to his young son in the faith, his writings read much like the ordinance against distracting signs. Paul warns Timothy to stay in his lane, as it were. There will be many opportunities to turn this way or that. Total focus on the gospel and Timothy’s call to it will be his best spiritual compass when things get confusing.

It is interesting, however, that many of these distractions won’t come from the world outside the faith community. Read the entire text again, and count the number of times Paul warns about how those who distracted him came from within the church, not outside it. Paul passes this lesson along to Timothy.

If you visit with people who left the faith and inquire about the reasons, more often than not, it is because of the way so-called Christians treated or misled them. “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:23-25). We are far more likely than not to encounter these petty arguments within the family of believers.

This does not mean there are not external distractions. Yet even those come from within. “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).

This passage is a reminder of the warning of James in his epistle: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1). It is so easy to blame the “lost” world around us for the temptations we face or the attempts to destroy our faith. In fact, the early Christians were mature enough to recognize that, when we face to temptation, it is because of the weakness of our own humanity. Becoming a Christian does not release us from the responsibility to think intentionally about how we live or the direction of our lives. In fact, it only intensifies it.

Paul, as he was nearing the end of his own life, was exploring this fantastic mystery of the Christian faith. God is intending to redeem the lost. For reasons only God knows, God has engaged and called us to participate in that process. God could have waved a magic wand from heaven and completely accomplished the work of redemption. Instead, God called people like Paul, Timothy and you and me to be a part of that process. It is a wonderful, mysterious and challenging call. That call also demands at least two things.

First, we must keep our call in Christ in the forefront of our thinking. It must be the compass that guides our lives. Whether we are at work or play, at the grocery store or interacting with neighbors, our call in Christ should be the dominant force directing our lives.

Second, we must be careful not to let lesser callings distract us from that calling. Calamity waits if we do. When I was in high school, I worked for a cotton farmer. One day, I was transferring a tractor from one location to another. I was driving down the road at full speed and decided to look back to make sure no one was behind me. When I did, I accidentally turned the wheel, went across a ditch and plowed into another farmer’s field, destroying several rows of his freshly planted crop.

Since that day, never I have forgotten the words of Jesus recorded in Luke 9:62: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” The kingdom of God is not underserved because too few are called to serve. It is underserved because too many of the called are distracted by lesser things.

A great text with which to end this study would be 2 Timothy 2:13: “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” There is more truth in that one verse of Scripture than we can unpack in a lifetime. There also is great assurance that, even in our stumbling and falling, our distractions and driving off the road, the One who called us still is faithful to us, to call us back and restore us to that which is our true purpose for living.

• This Explore the Bible lesson for Feb. 24 focuses on Jonah 3:1-4:11

Throughout history, one thing humans unfortunately have been consistently good at regardless of cultural context is drawing lines of division between “us” and “them.” We have drawn these lines based on differences in race, nationality, religion, social status, economic standing, sexual orientation, political affiliation and education, among others.

While it is good to acknowledge and even celebrate our differences, more often these lines have been drawn in order to exclude and oppress “those people.” These divisions give us a way to attach general—often stereotypical or biased—characteristics to groups of people to whom we can then feel superior.

Sadly, professed believers often lead the way in speaking in terms of “us” versus “them.” Yet as one studies the life of Jesus, one sees a man who often went out of his way to tear down walls separating groups. Jesus constantly was dining with the worst of sinners, touching the outcasts, elevating the status of the overlooked and calling his followers to do the same, even to “the least of these.”

When God called Jonah to preach to the Assyrians, Jonah immediately confronted one of the clearest dividing lines he knew. The Assyrians were pagans who defied God. The Assyrians defeated and scattered the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel. The Assyrians were notoriously cruel to conquered people.

As we study the story of Jonah, we hear God’s call to all believers to look beyond the lines we have drawn to divide and see all people as God sees “them.”

Taking God’s message to “them” (Jonah 3:1-5)

Many believers today understand God loves all people and has called us to proclaim God’s love to all people, but are trapped in mistrust or fear of “them.” To get around this, we take on the “if we build it, they will come” attitude. In our minds, we fulfill our call by building churches and developing programs and inviting them to come while protecting ourselves from crossing any of our lines. We provide the opportunity and welcome them when they come, but never go and take the message to them. And when they do come, we often subtly seek to eliminate the lines by asking them to become just like us.

Although Jonah tried to run from God, God’s plan for Jonah never changed. He could not proclaim the message from afar or create a place and program and invite them to come. Jonah had to cross barriers of religion and culture and take God’s message to the streets of Nineveh. It is only when we are willing to leave our comfort zones and enter their world that we fulfill God’s call to show real love and acceptance.

Facing our attitude toward “them” (Jonah 3:6-4:4)

Once he arrived in Nineveh and delivered God’s message, Jonah’s worst fears were realized. Those pagan Assyrians, who deserved only the full measure of God’s wrath, repented, and God forgave them and did not destroy them. This is why he tried to ignore God’s call. He knew his message might inspire the Assyrians to repent, and if they did so, God would forgive.

That was a problem, because they simply did not deserve kindness. They were unworthy of God’s compassion and mercy. The many times Jonah uses “I” in his speech to God clearly shows his focus is on the walls Jonah had built between himself and those Assyrians. His words highlight the difference in his bias against his audience and God’s attitude toward them.

With God, there is no “them,” for all sin. No one deserves mercy, but all who repent receive it. God’s love for all people is such that whenever anyone turns back to God, God changes his mind about punishing and forgives.

Answering God’s question about “them” (Jonah 4:5-11)

The book of Jonah is unique among the Old Testament prophetic books in that it seems to invite the reader to put himself or herself not in the place of the prophet’s audience, but in the place of the prophet. We are invited to consider how we would respond to the call to deliver God’s message to those we despise. We are invited to consider the walls we have constructed between “us” and “them.” We are invited to consider all of this in light of God’s love for all people.

This invitation becomes clear at the end of the book. The final verse of the book is God’s question to the prophet concerning the rightness of God’s compassion for the Assyrians. We are not told how Jonah responded. Had he learned the lesson God was trying to teach about crossing all lines and barriers between people in order to show and tell them about God?

Perhaps we are not told his response so that we are left to confront the question personally. What lines have I drawn? Am I willing to cross those lines for the sake of God’s kingdom? What is my answer to God’s question about “them”?

• This BaptistWay lesson for Feb. 24 focuses on Mark: 15:40-16:8

 • Download a powerpoint resource for this lesson here.

“This is a test of The Vast Need for Women in Ministry Roles in Your Church system. This is only a test” (insert that terrible noise in your mind here).

So, give it a test drive. This Sunday, proclaim it “no woman can serve in our church” Sunday. Watch what happens. Pastors will go screaming in the night, arms flailing about as they run away. Go walk the halls of children’s classes on that dreadful Sunday. There will be children running amok in every corner. And don’t even think about what would happen in the nursery and with our beloved preschoolers. It would be horrifying.

There would be few hugs at your church. It would be a cold, stale environment. There would be no coffee before Bible study started to go along with the doughnuts, doughnuts and (wait for it) doughnuts. No one would keep any records. The bathrooms would be a disaster. There would be dust in every corner and no toilet paper in the stalls.

The warm, nurturing environment of your church would be replaced with drone-like male zombies, greeting every guest with a grunt and a grumpy face. Hospitality in your church would go out the window. There would be virtually no children’s ministers at all. And I fear the nice blue pew cushions in your sanctuary would be green camouflage instead.

Yes, our churches would be messes were it not for women who perform ministry there. Come to think of it, without the teaching and practice of Jesus, all the above would be true as well. Let me explain.

Jesus and women

Jesus was a rebel on so many fronts. I’m so thankful for that. He performed a full-frontal assault on many social issues of his day, including the issue of the ontology of women.

The study of ontology is the study of being or essence. In Jesus’ day, people believed women and men were not ontologically equal. Said another way, it was believed men were of greater value than women. Hence, one could own a woman.

The same was true for children. Even the disciples believed children, in their being, were not as important as adults. It’s why we have the “let the children come to me, and do not hinder them” stories of Jesus with children. In rebuking the Twelve in these stories, and with Jesus’ unique practice of placing his hands on children and blessing them, he sends a strong ontological argument before a watching world: Children are just as valuable as adults.

As it related to women and children, this was Jesus’ message: Men are in no way superior to women and children. They are ontologically equal, all being created in the image of God. One is not created in a “higher” image of God. They all are equally valuable to God.

But as Jesus always perfectly demonstrates, he backs his teaching with actions. Think through this for a moment. Jesus had an inner circle, the 12 male disciples. However, inside that inner circle is yet another inner circle: Peter, James and John. These men are found closer to Jesus at the most important times—during special healings; the transfiguration; the garden of Gethsemane, just to name a few.

However, in a very parallel way, you also find the same with the women in our story, Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of James the younger; Salome; and even Mary, the mother of Jesus. These four women, along with other women, take a prominent role in Jesus ministry. According to our passage, these women “followed” Jesus (interesting choice of words), and they provided for his ministry (15:41). They supported him financially is the general belief.

When one adds to this the many one-on-one stories of Jesus with women throughout the Gospels, one can realize Jesus’ desire to ontologically raise women to their proper standing before God. Just think of the stories:

• Jesus saves the woman caught in adultery, about to be stoned. He turns to men and basically says, “Go stone yourself!”

• There is the woman at the well, late in the afternoon, not wanting to be seen by anyone else in the cool of the morning. She has the appearance of being friendless, but Jesus intersects with her on purpose, and the entire community hears the woman tell the story.

• What about the woman with the bleeding disorder? This is the famous “who-touched-me” story about Jesus. It seems Jesus could have just kept quiet about that healing, but instead, he creates a “scene” in which the woman falls at his feet in fear and trembling, yet worshipfully. Then, Jesus quickly leaves that scene and goes to raise a little girl from the dead. In Jesus’ day, being a child and a girl placed you at the bottom of society, ontologically speaking.

• And then there is Mary, the mother of Jesus, standing with John while Jesus is dying on the cross. Jesus didn’t want his mother to be alone, so he tells John to serve his mother as if she were his own mother.

• And, of course, who finds Jesus at the tomb? It’s not the 12 guys. Our story teaches it was all women. John’s Gospel says it was just Mary Magdalene.

The Proper Ontology of Women

While modernity says the Bible teaches women are inferior, I believe the reality is the opposite. Were it not for Jesus, there would be more women in captivity. Without Jesus, there would be more women as slaves, trafficked as property. No, Jesus, in his practice and with his speech, says: “Women are important. So important, that you will find them at some of the most important times of my short ministry.” He raises the ontology of women to where they belong—equal with men and created in the image of God.

Strength for the Moment: Inspiration for Caregivers by Lori Hogan (Image)

At one time or another, most people find themselves responsible for a family member or friend during an illness or at the end of life. Others spend hours tending a disabled child or sibling. Each caregiver travels a road fraught with emotional decisions, emotional drain and physical challenges. Lori Hogan has penned a devotional book written just for them.

All 52 entries contain introductory information, a story, a Scripture passage and a prayer. Topics addressed include emotions, choices, changing relationships and daily living. The volume’s pages are filled with stories of family dynamics and changing relationships, particularly when choosing to sell the family home or moving parents or grandparents to live in a nursing home or with a relative.

Strength for the Moment offers comfort and support for caregivers and those who love them. The book also could aid those being cared for in understanding the feelings of the family members they love. However, before buying the book, the reader should be aware Hogan and her husband co-founded a home-care franchise that copyrighted the book and is mentioned frequently throughout its pages. That said, the title targets a unique audience in need of care.

Kathy Robinson Hillman, 2nd vice president

Baptist General Convention of Texas

Waco

Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball by R.A. Dickey with Wayne Coffey (Blue Rider Press)

The No. 1 draft pick for the Texas Rangers in 1996, pitcher R.A. Dickey spent most of his career in the minor leagues working feverishly to make it to the majors until being called up to the New York Mets in May 2010. Now 38, baseball’s best knuckleballer shares about his struggles, his faith in Christ and his pursuit of pitching perfection in this well-written autobiography.

Perhaps what might impact many readers is his account of suffering sexual abuse as a child and dealing with the pain through adulthood. Longtime Dallas sports talk radio host and respected author Norm Hitzges commented: “I thought it took tremendous courage for Dickey to come out and discuss the childhood abuse. … While others have done the same, one doesn’t think of athletes as such victims. I believe it’ll give others the courage to do so.”

A few facts that were unknown to Dickey when he wrote the book may elicit a smile from the reader. This book was released at the start of the 2012 Major League Baseball season, which subsequently saw Dickey elected to his first All-Star Game, set a Mets franchise record of 32.66 consecutive scoreless innings, become the first major league pitcher since 1988 to throw two consecutive one-hitters and finish the season with a 20-6 win-loss record. On Nov. 14, Dickey received the 2012 National League Cy Young Award, the first knuckleball pitcher in MLB history to win the prestigious honor.

Greg Bowman, minister to students

First Baptist Church

Duncanville

If God Made the Universe, Who Made God? by Holman Bible Editorial Staff (Holman)

If God Made the Universe, Who Made God? is a compilation of 130 arguments written to defend the Christian faith. Contributing authors include Chad Owen Brand, Charles Draper and Al Mohler from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and many others—some readers will know and some they will not. Topics are grouped into 10 subjects that begin with “Apologetics: Introductory Issues,” “The Existence of God,” “Science and Faith,” “Ethics,” “World Religions” and others readers will enjoy.

Paul Copan from Palm Beach Atlantic University expands on the title of this book by quoting Bertrand Russell, who mused, “If everything must have a cause, then God must have a cause.” Copan goes on to say, “The question of who or what caused God is misguided.” The essays will stretch your thinking in many ways.

I found this book to be very stimulating. I believe it will challenge you to think about your own faith, which will be strengthened. I think you will be better equipped to give the reason for the hope that is in you. I also suspect you will read again many of these short essays throughout your Christian journey.

Leo Smith, retired executive director

Texas Baptist Men

Alvin

No Man Left Behind by Patrick Morley, David Delk & Brett Clemmer (Moody)

No Man Left Behind emphasizes the importance of all-inclusive men’s ministry. Men’s ministry involves more than Saturday morning pancake breakfasts or big stadium events, the authors insist. Any ministry of the church that involves a man is men’s ministry. That means every man in the church is part of the church’s men’s ministry.

The authors—all from Man in the Mirror ministry—want to see churches build and sustain men’s ministry that makes passionate disciples of Christ. They believe all other initiatives of the church should serve the purpose of making disciples. No Man Left Behind presents a process for creating a system that moves men progressively into an ever-deeper relationship with Christ. While the authors cite helpful examples and illustrations, they do not pretend to offer a step-by-step approach to creating a disciple-making men’s ministry. Instead, they present principles to help churches develop their own ministries.

Each chapter ends with a list of bulleted “remember this” key points, “talk about this” discussion questions suited for small-group study of the book and “pray about this” guides to allow the Holy Spirit to lead churches in creating and nurturing ministries to make men into disciples.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard

Plano

Curiosity got the better of me, and I finally succumbed to temptation.

To my credit, I resisted for months. I thought about it. And I wondered how it would be. I considered it at least once a day, sometimes more. Finally, I gave in.

I hope you won’t think less of me, but I have to confess: I tasted dog food.

Well, not just any dog food. My dog’s food. Both kinds.

Topanga’s diet primarily consists of a basic meal—tiny brown pellets—blended for small-breed adult canines. She’s part Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and part Shih Tzu, and she weighs about 12 pounds. Her diet, plus exercise has served her well, and she’s a healthy 6-year-old dog.

We also supplement her meals with what we call her “treat.” It’s tan and about four or five times larger than the main food. It’s hard, and it’s supposed to be good for her teeth. So, she gets two treats when she finishes every meal.

You don’t have to be a dog whisperer to know Topanga likes her treats way, way, way better than her regular food.

Sometimes, she’ll leave her breakfast in her bowl until dinner. She just doesn’t seem to have all that much interest in it.

But then she’ll follow me around the house, looking at me expectantly. I’ll go check her bowl and explain—once again—she has to eat her food before she gets a treat.

Actually, she reminds me of our girls when they were preschoolers. When they wanted something, they demonstrated absolute tenacity in longing for it—and letting me know their lives would not be complete until they got it.

That’s how Topanga is with her treats.

After every meal, no matter if she gobbles it as soon as I pour it or if she waits for hours before getting around to it, Topanga finds me immediately. She doesn’t speak English, but she has a low moan-growl-whine that, properly interpreted, insists: “OK, I ate the stupid, boring meal. So now, according to all the laws of decency and Pavlovian response, you owe me two treats.”

For the longest time, I’ve been wondering what’s so different between her regular food and her treats.

Then, when I ask, “Do you want your treat?” she practically quivers, she’s so excited.

She always beats me to the kitchen, and she’s there beside the cabinet where we keep both her regular food and her treats, waiting. If a butterfly can flap its wings on one continent and cause-and-effect results produce a hurricane on another continent, then I’m sure Topanga’s pre-treat tail-wagging has provided the catalyst for monsoons and tornadoes the world over.

The best thing about Topanga’s treat obsession is it provided the motivation for her to learn to sit on command. She knows she must be seated to get her treats, and now I don’t even have to say, “Sit.” Just one look is all it takes, and her fanny is flat on the ground.

For the longest time, I’ve been wondering what’s so different between her regular food and her treats. They’re both hard, dry dog food.

Eventually—and I knew it was only a matter of time—I tried them myself. Frankly, I wouldn’t wag my tail, even if I had one, for either.

OK, I know Topanga’s nose works approximately 259 times better than mine. And odor is a huge part of taste and enjoyment of food. So, maybe Topanga whiffs something I can’t comprehend. But they both tasted about the same, which is to say I hardly tasted anything. Maybe the treat tastes a little more like corn and the regular food trends toward wheat. But that’s it. No primordial meaty tang; nothing to make carnivores howl at the moon.

Here’s another confession: Sometimes, I’m jealous of Topanga.

She leads the most stress-free life you can imagine. She has plenty to eat and a comfortable, safe place to live. She gets enough exercise, and I massage under her ears and scratch her belly several times a day. She sleeps when she wants to and roams the house when she wants to. If it amuses her, she runs around the back yard chasing squirrels. She has found meaning in playing with me and lying by my lap in our easy chair. “It’s a dog’s life” is a good thing.

Except for that boring food. Thank God, I’m a man and not a beast.

Why don’t Christians, and especially pastors, talk more about a strategy for dealing with the obvious water shortage in large portions of Texas and other states?

One reason is our tendency to differentiate between spiritual and material issues. Many ministers mistakenly feel they need to preach only on spiritual matters. Before you finish this column, I hope you realize a shortage of water is as much a moral issue as is violence in our communities.

The Bible stresses the necessity to address people’s material needs. Jesus declared the value of his disciples offering a cup of cold water to others (Matthew 10:42). He later explained giving a drink to a thirsty person was one of the actions of the righteous who would inherit the kingdom (Matthew 24:34-35). Jesus recognized the importance of providing water to the thirsty. In the Old Testament, the Hebrews were called to link their worship of God to how they related to other people.

Treating water shortages as a moral issue in sermons is appropriate, but discussion groups might be better. You could invite stakeholders in this issue from various fields to form a panel to lead the conversation. “Experts” could include your pastor for biblical insight, a government official (city, county or even state) with responsibility for water delivery, a landscaper, a property developer and a farmer/rancher. Each of these has some vested interest in how water can and should be used. Don’t forget your local television weather anchor.

One underlying reason for our hesitancy to discuss water is we underestimate the extent of the crisis. All my pastorates have been in Texas. One of our frequent prayer requests is for rain. I continue to pray for rain, but I recognize the current crisis is more complex than simply the lack of adequate rainfall. The crisis is widespread, with the entire land area of seven states experiencing elevated levels of drought. Texas legislative leaders have begun calling for tapping Texas’ “rainy day fund” for $1 billion to $2 billion.

A growing population has heightened the demand on available resources. More people require more water for health and hygiene. More people need more food, which drives farmers’ and ranchers’ productions. Increased production requires greater irrigation, thus drying up aquifers that, in the past, were not tapped to capacity. Throw in the amount of water used for landscaping, and the crisis worsens.

I encourage you to check out two websites to get you started in congregational conversation: First, www.droughtmonitor.unl.edu/monitor.html, sponsored by the University of Nebraska, provides vast information on current crisis and historical drought conditions and links to all things drought-related. The second is by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. Sites like this vary from state to state, but most have a similar department that addresses these issues. Scanning these may not answer every question you have, but it can steer you in the right direction. Summer, with predicted worsening drought, is just around the corner. Acting now is critical.

David Morgan, pastor

Trinity Baptist Church

Harker Heights

Right or Wrong? is co-sponsored by the Texas Baptist theological education office and Christian Life Commission. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to bill.tillman@texasbaptists.org.

• San Marcos Baptist Academy is set to begin construction on the 31,000-square-foot Lee Hage Jamail Special Event Center. The center will consist of two wings—one for athletics and the other for fine arts. It will include a gym, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, band and choir rehearsal halls, performance space, individual practice rooms, a music library and a student lounge. The center is the result of the largest cash gift ever given to the academy, presented by Joe Jamail in memory of his wife, who graduated from the school in 1944.

• The Sam B. Hall Jr. Lecture and Banquet will be held Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at East Texas Baptist University. Ronald Wells, director of the Maryville Symposium on Faith and Learning at Maryville College, will speak on the peace processes in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century and the essential role of Christian communities in achieving peace. Tickets are $35 per person and can be reserved by calling (903) 923-2083.

• Buckner Children and Family Services will present a free foster care and adoption information meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Buckner Dallas campus. A representative will give an overview of foster care and adoption options in Texas, including foster-to-adopt, Waiting Texas Children and domestic infant adoption programs. International adoption options, through Buckner’s affiliate Dillon International, also will be discussed. For information or a reservation, call (214) 319-3425.

• Grammy-winning gospel singer Cynthia Clawson will headline Hardin-Simmons University’s Round Table Scholarship luncheon Feb. 26 in the Van Ellis Theater. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. It is a fundraiser for a scholarship awarded to a female student who reflects the principles of service and virtue. Individual tickets are $20, and the reservation deadline is Feb. 19. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (325) 670-1489.

• The Mirabeau B. Lamar Medal was awarded to Baylor University regent emeritus and longtime university benefactor Drayton McLane Jr. of Temple.

Drayton McLane Jr.

The medal is presented to individuals, foundations and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to higher education in Texas. Members of the Council of Public University Presidents and Chancellors, the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, and the Texas Association of Community Colleges present the award each year. McLane was nominated for the award by the presidents of Baylor University and the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. In addition to Baylor and UMHB, McLane also has been a benefactor of Austin College, Baylor College of Medicine, Dallas Baptist University and Temple College. He also is a board director for the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, a member of the board of trustees for Baylor College of Medicine and a member of the University Cancer Foundation Board of Visitors with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He is chairman of the McLane Group and CEO of McLane Advanced Technologies in Temple. He is the former CEO/owner of the Houston Astros. He is a member of First Baptist Church in Temple, where he teaches Sunday school and is a deacon.

• Dallas Baptist University conferred degrees on 484 graduates during winter commencement ceremonies. Two hundred sixty-four students received bachelor’s degrees, 220 earned master’s degrees and four garnered doctorates. Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, La., and president of the Southern Baptist Convention, delivered the commencement address and was presented an honorary doctor of divinity degree.

• Shelley Conroy, dean of Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing, has been appointed to the board of trustees at Baylor University Medical Center.

• Howard Payne University was the site for the 15th annual meeting of the Christian Association of Student Leaders Conference. More than 250 student leaders from nine Baptist universities attended. Mike Jorgensen, executive director of I Am Second, was the keynote speaker. He told the students the conference was not for them but for the benefit of the people God wants to bless through them.

• Wayland Baptist University’s show choir, Spirit, held its final performance Jan. 27. Formed in 1974 as the Spirit of America Singers, the ensemble was disbanded due to changing curricular requirements. A new choral performance lab course will be introduced in the fall.

Anniversaries

• Crosspoint Baptist Fellowship in Abilene, 10th, Jan. 20. Jerry Hendrix is pastor.

• Willis Moore, fifth, as pastor of First Baptist Church in Odem, Feb. 6.

• Davey Smith, fifth, as pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Tyler, Feb. 7.

• Southside City Church in Fort Worth, fifth, Feb. 10. Darrel Auvenshine is pastor.

• Jose Sanchez, fifth, as pastor of Iglesia Bautista de Fe in Tyler, Feb. 14.

• Charles Strength, fifth, as pastor of Byrd Lane Baptist Church in Tyler, Feb. 14.

• Stanley Wooden, fifth, as pastor of Family Way Baptist Church in Tyler, Feb. 14.

• Butch Smith, 15th, as pastor of Living Hope Baptist Church in College Station.

• Bronwyn Stanley, 15th, as children’s minister at First Baptist Church in College Station.

Retiring

• David Cason, as pastor of Broadview Baptist Church in Abilene, where he has served more than 37 years. A reception will be held Feb. 16 from noon to 3 p.m.

• Benny Mayo, as senior adult minister at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, where he served five years. He served in ministry 53 years. He is available to play guitar and sing for senior adult events, and he can be contacted at bennymayo@att.net.

Events

• A reception will be held Feb. 24 at Berclair Mission in Berclair to celebrate the 33 years of ministry of Pastor Moises Gonzalez. The celebration will begin at 3 p.m.

• Lloyd Pullam has been named pastor emeritus at St. Emmanuel Baptist Church in Denton.

Ordained

• Brian Gunter to the ministry at First Baptist Church in Canyon Lake, where he is youth/missions pastor.

• Aaron Pardue to Northway Baptist Church in Angleton as pastor.

• Peter Allen to First Baptist Church in Argyle as youth and adult minister.

• Roland Contreras to First Baptist Church in George West as pastor of youth ministries.

• Jordan Cosper to Calvary Baptist Church in Abilene as student minister.

• Tiffany Forsyth to Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas as social work intern.

• Chris Robeson to Friendly Baptist Church in Tyler as pastor.

• Diego Silva has resigned as youth minister at First Baptist Church in Pettus.

• Jeff Stehle has resigned as pastor of First Baptist Church in Mathis.

• Remey Terrell to Texas Christian University as Baptist Student Ministries director.

WASHINGTON (RNS)—Standing before the throngs at the recent March for Life, Ryan Bomberger admitted he was the poster child for one of the most difficult aspects of the abortion debate: His mother had been raped.

“I’m the fringe case that even pro-lifers have a hard time embracing,” said Bomberger, an anti-abortion activist whose mother chose to continue the pregnancy and put him up for adoption.

Forty years after the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion, children conceived through rape—and women who were raped and chose to end the pregnancy—are speaking out, opening a new front in the often-fraught discussions of a decades-old culture war.

Standing before the throngs at the March for Life on Jan. 25, Ryan Bomberger admitted that he was the poster child for one of the most difficult aspects of the abortion debate: his mother had been raped. (RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks)

While Bomberger, 41, considers himself a warrior on the front lines of the anti-abortion movement, Jason Lovins sees himself as a worship leader more than an activist.

When he performs with his contemporary Christian band, the 31-year-old shares his testimony of being born after his mother was raped at age 15. Lovins insists he still remembers her high school graduation on his third birthday.

“I was so loved that it never became an issue for me that I was a product of rape,” said the singer, whose Jason Lovins Band has performed with Michael W. Smith and for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

From campgrounds to churches, he has shared his story to encourage women who find themselves in the same situation as his mother to make the same choice she did.

But adult children who were conceived by rape are not the only ones revealing their pasts.

The 1 in 3 Campaign, a project of the abortion rights group Advocates for Youth, has introduced 40 women’s stories in a new book to mark the Roe v. Wade anniversary. Among the stories is one from a 51-year-old minister and stepmother who ended up pregnant twice after she was raped at the ages of 18 and 21.

“I chose abortion over suicide. Twice,” she wrote. “Those were the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made. I commemorate them each year with great sadness. But, also, with tremendous gratitude for having had the freedom to make those decisions for myself.”

Julia Reticker-Flynn, manager of the 1 in 3 Campaign that produced the book, said the stories aim to end the shame that comes with abortion—and rape.

“Whether a pregnancy was the result of rape, or a pregnancy was very much wanted and because of dire medical circumstance the person could not carry the pregnancy to term, our stance is that we should not judge,” she said.

When Jason Lovins performs with his contemporary Christian band, the 31-year-old shares his testimony of being born after his mother was raped at age 15; he still remembers her high school graduation on his third birthday. (RNS photo courtesy Courtney Thompson)

Joyce McCauley-Benner, 35, was working her way through college when she was raped by a co-worker. Because she was involved in a sexual relationship with her boyfriend at the time, she did not know until months after her son was born who the father was.

Now, 13 years after her son’s birth, the spokeswoman for the group Feminists for Life chooses not to reveal the information about his father.

“We shouldn’t rank people based on how they’re conceived,” she said. “My child, if he was conceived in rape, that doesn’t make him any less than you if you were conceived by two loving parents.”

McCauley-Benner doesn’t argue that every rape victim should keep a child under such circumstances. But she said stories like hers show that there are no easy answers—even for those who decide to carry the child to term.

“It doesn’t mean that all of a sudden the child is going to make memories even worse, nor does it mean that the child is going to magically heal you,” she said.

Recent statistics on how many pregnancies occur as a result of rape are not readily available. According to the website of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, about 10,000 to 15,000 abortions occur annually among women whose pregnancies resulted from rape or incest. It also said about 22,000 pregnancies resulting from rape could be prevented each year if female assault victims had access to emergency contraception.

A 2011 Gallup poll revealed Americans’ mixed feelings on rape and abortion. The vast majority—91 percent—of respondents who define themselves as “pro-choice” support abortion being legal when pregnancy was caused by rape or incest. Yet even 6 in 10 (59 percent) of those who call themselves “pro-life” agree with such a policy.

Bomberger, an evangelical Christian, said his inclusion at the January rally—and increased chatter on social media—are signs this issue is getting more attention. His Virginia-based Radiance Foundation aims to “shatter the myth of the unwanted” through campaigns that focus on adopted children, including those who were products of rape.

Michele Dillon, a sociologist at the University of New Hampshire, said the political debates show the absolutes on either side. For those who believe life begins at conception, “life is life and hence abortion should not be an option,” she said. Those supporting abortion rights, meanwhile, are more likely to see the choice as up to the mother “whatever the reason.”

Last year, the role of rape in the abortion debate made an unexpected entrance in two key Senate races. Missouri Republican Todd Akin said women rarely become pregnant in cases of “legitimate rape,” and Indiana Republican Richard Mourdock said a pregnancy that results from rape was “something that God intended to happen.” Both men lost their races.

Although politicians used “inelegant language,” they raised what Susan Wills of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called “one of the hard cases.”

“These are the tough sells in the public,” said Wills, assistant director for education and outreach at the bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. “It’s very easy for us to convince people that partial-birth abortion or other gruesome late-term procedures ought not to be happening, but when we talk about rape and incest, it’s not a sound-bite issue.”

Poll shows concern about on religious liberty. Half of adult respondents told the Barna Group they worry religious freedom in the United States is at risk, and many say activist groups—particularly gays and lesbians—are trying to remove “traditional Christian values” from the public square. The poll of 1,008 adults showed 29 percent of respondents were “very” concerned religious liberties are under threat, and 22 percent “somewhat” concerned. Evangelicals were the religious group most likely to be concerned, at 71 percent. Asked for their opinion as to why religious freedom is threatened, 97 percent of evangelicals agreed “some groups have actively tried to move society away from traditional Christian values.” And 72 percent of evangelicals also agreed gays and lesbians were the group “most active in trying to remove Christian values from the country.” That compares to 31 percent of all adults who held this belief. The results are somewhat at odds with a March 2012 poll sponsored by Religion News Service and the Public Religion Research Institute. That poll found a majority of Americans—56 percent—did not feel religious freedom was under attack in this nation. But results between the two polls align in that the PRRI survey concluded white evangelical Protestants were the most worried about religious liberty. It found them to be the only religious group in which a majority (61 percent) considered it under threat. The Barna poll, conducted in November 2012, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Arkansas Senate OKs guns in churches. The Arkansas Senate passed a bill that lifts a ban on carrying concealed weapons in church. The proposal, which goes to the Arkansas House for consideration, would allow churches to decide which, if any, worshippers with concealed carry permits can bring their firearms inside.

Pope seeks review of rules for marriage annulments. Pope Benedict XVI has asked the Vatican’s highest appeals court to consider reviewing church rules on marriage annulments—a statement that may signal a change in tone more than a change in substance. Speaking to the members of the tribunal of the Roman Rota, Benedict said “lack of faith” on the part of the spouses can affect the validity of a marriage. While the Catholic Church forbids remarried divorcees from taking communion, church tribunals can declare a marriage void if it can be demonstrated that some key elements—such as a commitment to have children—were missing in the first place. Catholics who obtain an annulment for their first marriage can then remarry without facing church sanctions. In his speech to Rota judges, Benedict stressed he wasn’t suggesting an automatic link “between the lack of faith and the invalidity of marriage” but seemed to equate a “lack of faith” with other justifications for an annulment.

Churches agree to mutual recognition of baptism. Leaders of Catholic and Reformed churches have signed an agreement to recognize each other’s sacraments of baptism, a public step toward unity among groups often divided by doctrine. Signers of the “Common Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Baptism” represented the Christian Reformed Church in North America, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, Roman Catholic Church and United Church of Christ. While most of the Reformed denominations already recognized Catholic baptisms, the statement puts an official stamp on mutual recognition of baptisms by each of the church groups. The document calls for extending invitations to each other’s baptism ceremonies and attesting to individuals’ baptisms when a church requests documentation.

Vatican signals options for protecting gay couples. A high-ranking Vatican official voiced support for giving unmarried couples some kind of legal protection even as he reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Council for the Family, also said the church should do more to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in countries where homosexuality is illegal. Paglia suggested nations could find “private law solutions” to help individuals who live in nonmatrimonial relations, “to prevent injustice and make their life easier.” Nevertheless, Paglia adamantly reaffirmed society’s duty to preserve the unique value of marriage, saying, “The church must defend the truth, and the truth is that a marriage is only between a man and a woman.” Other kinds of “affections” cannot be the foundation for a “public structure” such as marriage, he added.

CLINTON, Miss. (RNS)—In a few weeks, Mark Simpson will lace up his sneakers, set out some 5-gallon water coolers, and start waiting for a miracle.

Over the past 10 years, Simpson, a 47-year-old pastoral counselor from Clinton, Miss., and his wife, Robin, helped train more than 3,000 people to run a marathon.

Most, like Simpson, were couch potatoes before they started. They learned to run using a method that’s part fitness class, part prayer circle and part support group— concerned as much with spiritual transformation as physical fitness.

Penny Danforth, Nancy Jordan, Nancy Cline participate in the Marathon Makeover program. (RNS photo courtesy Marathon Makeover)

“We have just hauled water, and we have encouraged runners—and it has changed lives,” Simpson said.

He began running back in 2003 on a whim. A friend who was a marathoner complained to Simpson, saying few Southerners ran marathons. The friend said he could teach almost anyone how to run a marathon if they were willing. Simpson took him up on the offer and asked his wife if she wanted to try as well.

“I went home and said, ‘Baby, why don’t you run a marathon with me?’” Simpson said.

They eventually convinced 20 friends—none of whom had run a marathon before—to join them. They began with a few weeks of meetings to go over the basics of stretching and proper nutrition. Then they started walking or running on a daily basis, first for short distances and then gradually working their way up.

Forty weeks later, they all finished the Chicago Marathon.

“When you are running the Chicago Marathon, and there are 40,000 people running and a million people cheering you on, including your friends and family, that will change your life,” Simpson said.

Marathon Makeover

Every year since, the Simpsons have invited more people to train with them and eventually founded a company called Marathon Makeover to organize the program. Over the past 10 years, the company has held training groups in six states.

All the groups are based on a few simple principles: Start slow. One foot in front of the other. Don’t run alone. Break the race into small pieces.

That last lesson stuck with Keith Duncan of Ocala, Fla., who trained with the Simpsons in 2009.

“A marathon isn’t 26 miles,” Duncan said. “It’s one mile run 26 times.”

Duncan, 50, played baseball in college and after graduation became a banker and then a pastor.

Years of working behind a desk left him overweight and worried about his health. Still, he was skeptical at first about joining the program, because he’d always hated running long distances.

This time was different. Training with a group of people made the process easier, he said. The group was there to cheer him on when running got tough, and he felt guilty if he didn’t show up for their Saturday training run. Group members walk or run on their own during the week and then do a long run together on the weekend. The Simpsons map out the course and set out coolers of Gatorade and water along the way.

Life lessons

Breaking the race down into shorter pieces also helped, Duncan said. It’s a lesson that spilled over into other areas of his life.

“I have learned that life really is about just putting one foot in front of the other,” he said. “You may not think you are making progress, but you are moving forward.”

Duncan has run one full marathon and six half-marathons since 2009. When he moved to Florida in 2010 to work for Church@theSprings in Ocala, he started a Saturday morning running group using the same principles.

Most of the folks who sign up for Marathon Makeover, which costs about $450, are middle-aged, and many use the program to deal with some kind of life issue, said Jana Parrish of Ridgeland, Miss.

When she first started in 2009, Parrish was overweight and had tried a number of other exercise or diet programs, quitting most after a few weeks. She hoped 40 weeks of training might be different.

Marathon Makeover participant Shunika Stallworth gives a thumbs-up sign while running. (RNS photo by Sports In Motion)

To get ready, she sent an email to friends asking for help.

“I said I am going to finish a marathon in October—and once you stop laughing—figure out what you can do to help me out,” she said.

One friend suggested Parrish memorize a Bible verse for each mile. That proved too much to keep track of, so she settled on Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength,” and Isaiah 40:29, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

“Being weak and weary are two things that happen to me on the course,” she said. “I was in need of some strength and some power, and I knew where to get it.”

Both Duncan and Parrish credited the Simpsons for inspiring them. Unlike the trainers seen on reality shows who use an in-your-face approach to push people to get fit, the Simpsons use a gentle but firm approach.

“Hardly anyone ever quits,” Simpson said. “The key is to get them moving.”

Simpson learned this kind of approach as a boy. When he was 9, he fell out of a tree and broke his left arm so badly it had to be amputated mid-forearm.

While he was in the hospital, a family friend brought a new pair of sneakers and told him he should try to tie them with one hand before he got out.

“They believed in me before I could believe myself,” said Simpson.

He takes the same approach to Marathon Makeover.

“We have faith in them,” he said, “until they can have faith in themselves.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—As singer/songwriter Rhett Walker performs concerts around the country, he desires to connect audiences with the gospel by sharing messages about how God has transformed and redeemed his life.

“There’s just nothing we can do without God’s grace,” Walker said. “When we try to do things our own way, the plans fail or cause trouble. We’ve all messed up plenty of times in our lives and need a Savior. Because of God’s grace, we find his love and mercy waiting for us when we surrender to him.”

During his teenage years, Walker followed the wrong crowd, and it took him down a rebellious path. 

Rhett Walker Band will appear on the 2013 Rock & Worship Roadshow at American Airlines Center in Dallas Feb. 15.

“When I was 16, we moved away from my hometown, and I was trying to find my way around a new place,” Walker said. “The loudest crowd was the easiest crowd to join, but it wasn’t the smartest choice. I started getting in trouble with the law and expelled from school. My girlfriend became pregnant when I was only 17 years old. That was the moment when I realized that I needed to give up living for myself.” 

As Walker’s life was interrupted with a dose of reality, he decided to step up and changed the direction of his life by returning to Jesus. 

“Growing up in the church, I knew all the right answers,” Walker said. “I knew how I was supposed to be living and acting, but I still chose to live selfishly. It was a pivotal moment when I realized that I needed to turn back to the Lord.

“I sat down with my girlfriend, April, who is now my wife, and said: ‘We’ve done everything wrong. Let’s do things right from here on out and give everything to Christ.’”

Soon after the birth of their daughter, Rileigh, the young couple became involved in a church, where Walker began leading worship.

“I started out playing the drums, but one day, they asked me to sing ‘Grace Like Rain’ by Todd Agnew.  I didn’t think I was a good singer, but my wife kept encouraging me.  I remember thinking, ‘Lord, I don’t know why I’m being asked to sing, but I will this one time.’ After that song, they never let me go back to drums. From there, opportunities started opening up for me to lead worship at other churches. With these opportunities, I knew that I wanted to share my testimony and help other people who were struggling to find their way in life.”

Last year, Walker released his debut album, Come to the River, and has garnered a Grammy nomination for the hit single, “When Mercy Found Me.” 

“This record is full of personal stories—encouraging people to live each day to the fullest and to stand up for what you believe in,” Walker said. “It’s been amazing to hear so many stories about how people are attaching themselves to these songs and how God is using the lyrics to speak truth into their lives.  I recently received a message from a lady who said this album and my story opened up a door to share the gospel with a co-worker.”

Desiring to further help audiences connect with the message behind the music, Walker maintains a busy touring schedule and will appear on the 2013 Rock & Worship Roadshow Feb. 15 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

“It’s such an incredible experience to look over a crowd of people and to hear them singing about where I’ve been and how God has redeemed. My life drastically changed when I was willing to surrender my life to Christ. We can’t make it through this life on our own strength. Sometimes, it takes us coming to the end of our rope when we’re broken and on our knees to realize that we must give our lives over to the Lord.”