Posted: 7/21/06

Sweatsuits & socks could
warm injured combat ‘eagles’

By Laura Frase

Communications Intern

LADSON, S.C.—Chaplain Bill Herrmann found his calling about 13 years ago while watching televised news reports of bombed Marine barracks in Beirut. A Marine looked into the camera and asked, “Can someone please send us some support?”

His plea inspired Herrmann to launch Operation: Eagle, a program designed to assist soldiers in any way needed.

“Since that day, I have sought to try to lift soldiers’ morale and spirits and demonstrate that they are loved and not forgotten,” Herrmann said.

His group has sent more than 450 tons of support correspondence overseas, he said.

Herrmann’s most recent program inside Operation: Eagle is Eagles’ Warmth—a drive to collect sweatsuits and socks that will be sent to wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan for their trip back to the United States.

While visiting Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Herrmann talked to troops who mentioned how cold and uncomfortable the flight out of Iraq had been, with some just under sheets and blankets and wearing only hospital gowns.

“The visit at Walter Reed profoundly touched my spiritual life as I witnessed the remarkable courage, determination and resolve to overcome their circumstances … . I was moved to want to do something for them, and all the wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said.

Eagles’ Warmth has gathered more than 1,000 pairs of sweats and socks, boxed and ready to be shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Herrmann planned to ship the boxes through the Denton Program, which is a U.S. State Department and Agency for International Development humanitarian program, where humanitarian donations are shipped on U.S. military transport on a “space available” basis. Total donation weight must be at least 2,000 pounds.

At the final weigh-in, Herrmann’s initial plan came to a halt with a 1,340-pound total. Eagles’ Warmth was disqualified from the Denton Program, which left Herrmann with 38 boxes ready to be shipped out, but with not enough money to do it.

“Each day, more are wounded in Iraq, and many have died since I organized and implemented Eagles Warmth,” he said. “I just desire to reach out and try to help these wounded soldiers.”

Herrmann decided to address the problem two ways.

The original intention of Eagles’ Warmth was to gather 4,500 pairs of sweats and socks, which would provide a pair of sweats and socks to every wounded soldier who passed through the theater field hospital for an entire year, he said. Instead, Eagles’ Warmth collected about 1,000 pairs. While the current total is nowhere near the original objective, Eagles’ Warmth is only 660 pounds shy of the Denton Program’s minimum weight, and it would bring the program closer to its original goal.

“To receive the remaining 3,400 pairs would certainly be an incredible demonstration of God’s providence,” Herrmann said.

Herrmann’s other approach to send the sweats before Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, is a new program called Adopt-a-Box. Rather than asking for a lump sum of money for postage, Herrmann asks people to adopt a box to send to Iraq or Afghanistan. People may purchase a mailing postage label for $38, and they can print out the label to send to Eagles’ Warmth. Herrmann encourages people to enclose a personal letter expressing support for the troops and those hospitalized that will be sent with the box they have adopted.

The program is languishing, because there is little support to send the boxes, Herrmann said.

“I have been praying and praying for months now,” he said. “Because throughout the last two decades of this lay ministry volunteerism, the Lord Jesus has always without exception blessed and opened the doors and provided a way to get materials and items collected for the troops overseas to get to them. Now it’s totally in the Lord’s hands. Completely.”

Visit operationeagle.org for more information.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 7/21/06

Texas Tidbits

Pilgrim provides record gift to DBU. Dallas Baptist University took a major step toward building its first chapel in 108 years, thanks to an $8 million contribution from Bo Pilgrim, chairman of the Pilgrim’s Pride poultry company. The gift represents half of the university’s $16 million chapel campaign. The 1,400-seat Patty and Bo Pilgrim Chapel will be located in the heart of the campus in southwest Dallas. “We are grateful beyond words for the generosity of Mr. Pilgrim,” DBU President Gary Cook said. “With this gift, we will be able to fulfill a dream for a chapel, which has been on the heart of members of the DBU family ever since we moved to Dallas in 1965.” The chapel will accommodate student chapel services and host major campus events. Additional space will be allocated for the Alumni Association office, intercessory prayer ministry and Cook Graduate School of Leadership. DBU has held chapel services in the Burg Center, a multi-use facility that doubles as the school’s gym. For information on the chapel campaign, contact Adam Wright by phone at (214) 333-5597 or by e-mail at adam@dbu.edu.

Baylor Medical named among top hospitals. For the 14th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has designated Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in seven specialties in its 2006 “America’s Best Hospitals” guide. Baylor Dallas made the list in each of seven specialties—digestive disorders (No. 20), endocrinology (No. 17), gynecology (No. 37), heart/heart surgery (No. 44), kidney disease (No. 34), neurology and neurosurgery (No. 42) and orthopedics (No. 22). Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation also ranked 20th among the nation’s top rehabilitation facilities.

BGCT ministries’ volunteers lauded. Two Baptist General Convention of Texas ministries have received Volunteer of the Year awards from the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. Texas Baptist Men and Baptist Child & Family Services received recognition for their ministry to evacuees from hurricanes Katrina and Rita last fall. TBM volunteers put in about 30,240 hours and cooked up to 650,000 meals for evacuees at the Kelly USA business park and prepared meals for thousands more evacuees and support staff at 22 other San Antonio shelters. BCFS cared for more than 1,750 special-needs evacuees and their families in a dozen shelters.

Anonymous donor boosts Baylor success. Baylor University’s highest capital priority—the Paul L. Foster Success Center—has received a $2.5 million gift from an anonymous donor. “One of the major goals of Baylor 2012 (the university’s long-range plan) is nurturing an environment where learning can flourish, and this gift will further encourage our students to use their God-given strengths to reach their goals and serve a global society,” Baylor President John Lilley said. The contribution will be coupled with a $3 million lead gift from Paul L. Foster, president of Western Refining in El Paso. The Success Center will “unite in one location all departments devoted to developing Baylor students to their full potential” by locating them in the Sid Richardson Building, which will be renovated.

UMHB nursing program receives grant. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor received a $87,100 grant from the Sid Richardson Foundation of Fort Worth to help expand programs in the university’s Scott & White College of Nursing. The foundation began working with UMHB in 2001 to increase the number of students enrolled in and graduating from the program each year. From 2001 to 2005, UMHB doubled the number of nursing graduates produced annually, and the number of students entering the program has increased 75 percent.

Scholarships established at Hardin-Simmons. Benson Bentley recently established the Ben and Anne Bentley Endowed Scholarship in Ministerial Studies at Hardin-Simmons University in memory of his wife, Mary Anne Bagwell Bentley. She was a mathematics professor at Hardin-Simmons 22 years. Elisabeth Prude Longbotham established the Jack H. Longbotham Endowed Scholarship in Music at Hardin-Simmons in honor of her husband of 51 years. He served 26 years on the Hardin-Simmons faculty. Both Bentley and Longbotham have been longtime members of Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene.

Baylor names Oliver VP for student life. Dub Oliver has been named vice president for student life at Baylor University. Oliver had been interim vice president. He joined Baylor as director of student activities in 1992 and became dean for student development in 2001. Last summer, Oliver was named assistant vice president for student life and soon became interim vice president. In addition to student life, Oliver serves as a visiting professor in the Hankamer School of Business, where he teaches organizational leadership and change. He also is interim pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in Crawford. He and his wife, Susie, have one daughter—Callie, 13.

Rogers appointed Baylor interim dean. Douglas Rogers, associate professor of curriculum and instruction and associate dean for student and information services at Baylor University, has been appointed interim dean of Baylor’s School of Education for the 2006-2007 academic year. Rogers is a member of DaySpring Baptist Church in Waco.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 7/21/06

TOGETHER:
Next generation deserves investment

Children and teenagers get a lot of attention from churches during the summer, and we are hearing great reports of decisions made and lives touched. This is happening through Baptist camps, Super Summer, Vacation Bible Schools, the Texas Baptist All-State Choir and Band, Youth Evangelism Conference, church mission trips and other activities.

Of course, children and youth ministries are not just for the summer. Every Sunday of the year, young people study God’s word in Sunday school, learn to relate to one another and discover the church and its leaders truly care for them.

Executive Director BGCT Executive Board

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.” Jesus-kind-of-churches reach out to children and young people. They pray for them and give them opportunities to know the Bible and to respond to the Holy Spirit’s invitation to follow Christ. These churches, like Jesus, know how to enjoy life, how to have a party with their kids. They are not stodgy, grim or afraid of life. They believe God loves every kid in town and are looking to reach out to every one of them.

If a church quits caring for children and youth, making a real place for them in the life of the church, soon a whole generation of kids comes and goes without the gospel making a difference in their lives. It can happen before you know it. A church can get preoccupied with other things, can go through division and hurt, and can disappoint through the moral failure of leaders.

Years ago while in college, I was the pastor of a small church in an Oklahoma village. We had a revival meeting at the end of the summer, and 22 teenagers gave their hearts to Christ. It was a great time in that community and in our church, but I was keenly aware that for a few years before then, there had been no revival, no youth activities, not much attention given to the young people in that town.

In our church in Arlington, I remember a time when we were going through a drought in our youth activities. Leaders had gotten distracted and had forgotten how to relate to young people. One evening at church, I realized it had to change. An unwillingness to do what needed to be done to care for young people was costing a whole generation of youth the opportunity to really know the gospel and find God’s direction in their lives. We changed.

Working with children and youth is serious as well as joyful business. It requires our best efforts, our prayers and our willingness to be involved with a caring and generous heart.

A mother wrote in appreciation for the Texas Baptist All-State Youth Choir experience for her daughter: “I know this is a lot of work for you and the other adults, but it is sooo appreciated. The adults are all so talented, on fire for the Lord and genuinely love to spread his word through music. My daughter will never forget this experience. She has not stopped talking about her week yet!”

When I think of all the people in our Texas churches who help work with children and young people, I think of a quote I heard the other day from Melinda Gates of Microsoft fame: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”

Texas Baptists believe in going together.

We are loved.

Charles Wade is executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 7/21/06

Americans back off values legislation

By Daniel Burke

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—The number of Americans who believe the federal government should promote “moral values” has dropped significantly in the last 10 years, a recent Gallup poll revealed.

In 1996, 60 percent of Americans thought the government should promote moral values, but that number fell to 48 percent in 2006.

“Moral values” are not defined in the poll. So-called “values voters” emerged after the 2004 elections when exit polls found that “moral values” ranked highest among voters’ concerns.

In September 2005, half of Americans said the government should promote “traditional values,” and 47 percent said it should not favor any values. Prior to that, there had been roughly a 10-point margin in favor of promoting “traditional values,” according to Gallup.

More than 60 percent of conservatives and people who attend church weekly believe politicians should legislate morality or promote ideology. Sixty-six percent of liberals disagreed.

A separate Gallup poll found a strong majority of Americans continue to support “right-to-die” laws for terminally ill patients. More than six in 10 support the idea of euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide, according to the poll.

Seventy-one percent of Catholics said they support a doctor ending a patient’s life by painless means, and 62 percent said they support doctor-assisted suicide. Fewer Protestants support the practices—61 and 50 percent, respectively.

Though support for euthanasia bumped up to 75 percent following the death of Terri Schiavo in 2005, approval has now settled down to 69 percent. That number has remained fairly constant since 1990, according to Gallup.

In addition, support for doctor-assisted suicide climbed to 64 percent in 2006 from 58 percent in 2005.

A third Gallup poll found that al-most three-quarters of Americans say they’ve maintained the same religious preference during their entire lifetime. Of those who did change preferences, 40 percent said they did so because they disagreed with the teachings on their original religion.

Each of the three polls was conducted by telephone interviews of a national sample of 1,002 adults. The maximum sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 7/21/06

Clergy, laity see windfall differently

By Preetom Bhattacharya

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)—A survey of Protestant ministers and churchgoers shows significant differences in the ways the groups would spend an unexpected surge in income in their churches.

The top priority for ministers was to improve church facilities. About half as many laypeople agreed, but they also would want to retire church debt and help the needy.

The studies, conducted by Ellison Research, compared responses to companion surveys of 504 Protestant pastors and 1,184 congregants who attend church at least once per month.

The survey found 31 percent of pastors would spend a “sudden financial windfall” on buildings or facilities, compared to 17 percent of lay people.

Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, said the differing priorities reflect perspective, with “the typical layperson (having) very little idea of what it takes to run a ministry, and ministers sometimes (losing) sight of what’s important to people in the congregation.”

Published in the a recent edition of Facts & Trends, a magazine produced by the Southern Baptist Convention’s LifeWay Christian Resources, the study provided options for ministers and churchgoers to select their priorities for spending a sudden swell in the budget.

The choices included spending money on building/expanding /updating facilities, increasing evangelism activities, paying off debt, adding staff members and increasing social programs, such as for homeless outreach.

Eighteen percent of churchgoers and 12 percent of ministers chose paying off debts as a main concern. Laity and clergy from larger churches were more likely to stress this than those from small or medium-sized churches.

Spending on social programs was a priority for 18 percent of laity but just 6 percent of pastors.

Evangelism was identified as a primary concern for both groups, with 26 percent of clergy and 25 percent of laity saying money should go toward those efforts. However, pastors leaned toward focusing evangelism on the local community (16 percent) over international (7 percent) or domestic programs (3 percent). Laity were equally divided among the three, with 8 percent favoring community evangelism, 8 percent foreign and 9 percent domestic.

“Each group probably needs to understand the priorities of the other group more clearly,” Sellers said.

The survey also concluded only 1 percent of ministers would raise staff pay or benefits. Sellers noted “virtually all ministers are thinking first about their church, their community or the world at large before their own needs.”

The survey carried a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points for clergy and plus or minus 2.7 percentage points for laity.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 7/21/06

Susan Womack cares for the children of one-time children she has served during her 32-year tenure as minister of preschool education at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston.

Another generation grows
in faith under Womack’s care

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

HOUSTON—Six-year-old Zoe couldn’t contain herself. She had made what she believed to be the most important decision of her life and had to tell someone.

When she saw “Mrs. Susan and Mr. Joe” down the street, she took off in a full sprint. Zoe told them how she prayed that Jesus would come in her life and how she knew Christ was her Savior.

The scene seemed familiar to her mother and to Susan Womack, minister of preschool education at Tallowood Baptist Church. Nearly 30 years ago, Zoe’s mother toddled under Womack’s watch.

The preschool education ministry at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston focuses on creating a positive environment where children can learn about the Bible.

“She and her husband, Joe, have been very special friends to our family,” Zoe’s mother said. “They’ve taken a special interest in our children, especially because we are neighbors.”

Zoe is one of several second-generation children to whom Womack is ministering—offspring of one-time children she has served during her 32-year tenure at Tallowood Baptist Church. She continues to see the fruit of her ministry as she watches adults help their children grow into faith in Christ.

“I’m overwhelmed,” Womack said. “I’m humbled. God is so good, and to think, he would use me. I am just overwhelmed he would use me in such a wonderful way and for me to love and make a difference in so many people’s lives.

“It’s just such a privilege to see this next generation grow up and see God be faithful to what we are doing here.”

The church has grown, generations have changed and life became busier for most people, but Womack said her calling and how she carries it out have remained the same. She aims to lay a foundation for faith.

“Ministry itself has not changed that much,” she said. “We continue to provide good Bible teaching for the children. That’s our emphasis—providing a biblical foundation for the children’s lives.”

But the children’s ministry at Tallowood is more than teaching, Zoe’s mother said. Womack goes out of her way to make sure each feels like he or she is cared for at church. Zoe has severe allergies that restrict what she can eat. Womack changed the snacks in all the children’s rooms to accommodate her.

When Zoe told Womack and her husband, Joe, about her decision to follow Christ, the couple celebrated with her. Later, they gave her a cross to help her remember the choice she made.

This kind of individual attention to each child helps children understand God loves them, Zoe’s mother said. Young people learn about the Bible in nurturing surroundings.

“Loving those children and providing an environment where they can learn about Jesus is her life,” she said.

Womack also serves families. She is present shortly after many births. She is there for baby dedications. She talks with parents each week as they raise their children. Womack helps adults understand how churches can help parents develop their children spiritually.

“When you minister to the children, you minister to the family,” Zoe’s mother said. “When you meet the needs of the children, you meet the needs of parents.”

Because of Womack’s ministry, Tallowood is a special place for Zoe and her family, including her younger brother, Elijah.

“It’s home for my children,” her mother said. “They love Tallowood. It’s their second home.”

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Storylist for week of 7/24/06

TAKE ME TO: Top Story |  Texas |  Opinion |  Baptists |  Faith in Action |  Faith & Culture |  Book Reviews |  Classifieds  |  Departments  |  Bible Study




• Missionaries reported safe in Lebanon, as national Baptists take in refugees

• House passes bill to protect San Diego cross monument

• Ban on same-sex marriage fails in House

• 'Pledge Protection Bill' passes House

• Bush vetoes bill to expand embryonic stem-cell research



• To see the face of AIDS in Africa, take a look at Susan


• To see the face of AIDS in Africa, take a look at Susan

• African leaders look to Buckner as ally in war on AIDS

• Despite the danger, 'closed' countries lure Christians

• In crisis, churches unprepared for dealing with media

• Burgi home bubbles with boys after 1st BCFS adoption

• Churches must be 'irresistible influence' in community

• On your mark, get set: 'Run & tell'

• Another generation grows in faith under Womack's care

• Technician's speed spares Baptist Memorials resident

• Students' All-State music echoes through 3 decades

• Impact of Million More in '54 echoes across 5 decades

• VBS 'makeover' puts children to work

• Sweatsuits & socks could warm injured combat 'eagles'

• Texas Tidbits

• On the Move

• Around the State


• Baptist Briefs


• 'Fear of God enables him to fear no man'


• Is decency 'left behind' in video game?

• Americans back off values legislation

• Clergy, laity see windfall differently


• Book Reviews


• Around the State

• On the Move

• Texas Baptist Forum

• Classified Ads

• Cartoon


• EDITORIAL: 'Best person available' has character

• DOWN HOME: Centennial memory; Popo would be 100

• TOGETHER: Next generation deserves investment

• 2nd Opinion: Moderates, evangelicals together

• Right or Wrong? Hospitality to Strangers

• Texas Baptist Forum

• Cybercolumn By John Duncan: Dreams


• BaptistWay Bible Series for July 23: Living with single-minded purpose

• Family Bible Series for July 23: God's provision is bountiful and continuous

• Explore the Bible Series for July 23: Our understanding of God's ways is limited

• BaptistWay Bible Series for July 30: Paul provides Timothy with direction for living

• Family Bible Series for July 30: Pleasing God begins with desiring to obey him

• Explore the Bible Series for July 30: The meaning of life cannot be found in pursuits


Previously Posted
• If they can quit fighting, anyone can

• BWA shows Baptists' 'essential unity'

• Bell decides not to seek 2nd BGCT term

• African-American leader Evans elevates focus on church

• Russian siblings to be separated if families don't adopt

• My Father's House offers a safe home for a fresh start

• Flip-flops provide perfect fit for foreign AIDS orphans

• DeFoores long way from Abilene as 'Texas Envoys' to Afghanistan


• See complete list of articles from our 7/10/ 2006 issue here.

Posted: 7/21/06

CYBER COLUMN:
Dreams

By John Duncan

I’m sitting here under the old oak tree, pondering the dog days of summer. Recently, I heard of man who had a dog named Dreams. Family members uttered with a wry smile the dog’s name and how much the man loved his dog. After all, a dog is a man’s best friend, so it goes.

The whole thought of dreams left me wondering, was the man’s dog named for dreams, you know, “dreams,” the hopes, plans, visions and future wishes that with hard work or dumb luck or shear charisma might come true? Or was the man thinking of bleary-eyed video reels in the brain that awaken you in your sleep then cause you to smile or create restless, heart-pounding nights by scaring you out of your pajamas?

John Duncan

In the 21st century leaders on every corner talk about the concept of a dream. They will say glorious words about vision statements, mission statements and the importance of a clearly defined purpose or what it is you seek to accomplish or your stated goals for the company, the school, the church or even your life. The Lord knows we have heard the words “purpose-driven” until our eyes pop out of our heads like the annoying sound of a false fire alarm that rattles your brain, heightens your senses, but cannot be shut off. Purpose, I suppose, is necessary like a fire alarm, but like a fire alarm, at some point you have to move on, get out of the building, find out what really happened, put out the fire and actively and safely move on with life. A dream, vision and mission are only good when action results.

Since this is a cybercolumn for church leaders, I should add that every church needs a dream, a vision, a mission and purpose statements. Rick Warren was right. We need purpose-driven churches and a purpose-driven life. Long before Rick Warren, whom I respect, the wisdom writer of Proverbs spun his front-porch wisdom, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). The Hebrew idea is that no vision leads to “no restraint,” chaos, pandemonium and stuff out of control, like destructive winds during a storm. Lord knows we understand chaos. Lord knows we have enough chaos in our churches. That is why dreams, vision, mission and purpose are good for churches.

Christian leaders, though, must realize that trying to define purpose all the time and not getting your feet moving in action kills a church. As a Christian, the Christ of Philippians 2:5-11 serves as a good model, as one to help you live in God’s purpose. Since Christ is our vision, or dream if you will, then most of the people I know, beginning with me, have a ways to go. You can name Matthew 28:19-20 as your church’s dream for reaching a lost world, but at some point, you have to go into the world to talk to them and engage them. That is action. Everybody needs a dream that spurs meaningful, spiritual action that touches the kingdom of God and other people.

Where there is vision, the people flourish. Live your dreams, as they say. Go for your dreams. So, the dog’s name was Dreams, the best friend a man could own, a prize dog on the journey of life, a dog fit for a king or at least one that made his owner feel like one. Who knows but what the man thought that dog was the dog of any man’s dreams, faithful to lick him when he came home from work, friendly when no one else would say one word to him, and always present at his feet in those down-and-out times, responsible like a bird dog is for hunter when it comes time to fetch the prey.

Then I thought, maybe the man who named his dog Dreams pondered his own dreams. I guess we do this sometimes. I do not dream often. But recently, I dreamed I was driving a car backwards and into a body of water. The dream did not scare me, because I made it to land on a sunny day before I woke up. If an interpreter showed up, he probably would say it was stress in my life or that I would soon be traveling to England over a large body of water where they drive cars on the wrong side of the road and things seem backwards. I know, the interpretation does not make sense, but humor me here. Life can get confusing.

Imagine how wonderful the Bible is in its divine word, imaginative spark and purpose-driven-God-talk truth that we all need. The Bible, of all books, speaks of dreams and the interpretation of dreams. Joseph, in prison mind you before he became second in command in the politics of Egypt, had a dream that his brothers would all bow down to him. Joseph also interpreted dreams for a butcher, a baker but no candle-stick maker. Actually, a butler, not a butcher, but the butler was restored to his former glory, while the baker was beheaded. Either way, all of Joseph’s dreams came true: His brothers bowed down to him, the butler smiled again while answering a knock on the door, and the baker was butchered, hanged, never to smile again. So much for dreams.

You can check this out in your Bible, Abimelech dreamed, Laban dreamed, Jacob did, too, of ladders, Joseph dreamed in shock before the birth of Jesus, and you could argue that Paul dreamed when he was caught up the third heaven. Young men, the Bible says, have visions, old men dream dreams. Maybe my dream means I am getting older.

I’ve said all this to say that a man named his dog, Dreams. May your life be blessed with purpose. Live your dreams. Put God in your dreams. Who knows—you might one day be second in command in a kingdom or be restored to previous honor or write a book about a life of purpose or sing on American Idol or ride a victorious bike down the streets of Paris or graduate from college or tour Europe. Dream big, but do not forget God in your dreams.

That goes for you, me, churches, businesses, the high school football team and the Lion’s Club. And beware: A day comes for all when dreams die and can no longer be lived, a day of reckoning, hopefully, unlike the butchered baker whose dream came true.

For such a time, make sure that you know God, because whether you drive backwards into a body of water or build a big business or church or live your dreams or all your dreams come true, you still have to deal with God in the end. I always figured it’s best to make sure it is his light lighting the way in your dreams. And if none of this works, just get you a dog. Dreams might not be a bad name! Sweet dreams!

John Duncan is pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, and the writer of numerous articles in various journals and magazines. You can respond to his column by e-mailing him at jduncan@lakesidebc.org.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 7/21/06

Missionaries reported safe in Lebanon,
as national Baptists take in refugees

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

BEIRUT (ABP)—As United States Marines began evacuating Americans in earnest from a besieged Beirut late this week and U.S. Baptist groups reported their missionaries in the region safe, a Lebanese Baptist leader said his people’s suffering would seem “quite saddening and depressing” if he weren’t upheld by the power of prayer.

Nabil Costa, executive director of the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, said Baptist communities in Beirut were relying on prayer to sustain them.

In a letter to friends of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Costa, who directs the group that owns the seminary, the affiliated Beirut Baptist School and Arab Baptist news publications, wrote:

“Eyes half closed from fiercely interrupted sleep (if any) at the sounds of air raids and deafening bombs, we listen to the early-morning news before heading to work. Needless to say, what we see and hear could be quite saddening and depressing had it not been for our daily energizing prayer meetings at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. One starts us off in the morning, and the next helps us settle down following the challenges of tending to so many needs.”

"Needless to say, what we see and hear could be quite saddening and depressing had it not been for our daily energizing prayer meetings at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary." –Nabil Costa, executive director of the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development

The schools are housing and providing humanitarian assistance to displaced Shiite Muslim families from the nation’s southern region, which has been hit hard by air strikes from Israeli forces since hostilities erupted July 12. As of July 18, Costa reported, more than 760 such refugees were staying at Beirut Baptist School, located near the seminary.

Lebanon’s heavily Shiite southern and eastern regions are hotbeds of support for Hezbollah, the Shiite political-militia group that sparked the conflict with a cross-border raid on an Israeli military outpost. Since the conflict began, Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon have fired about 100 rockets a day into northern Israel, striking several cities. One Hezbollah rocket killed two Arab Israeli boys July 19 in the city of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan decried the Israeli operation as an “excessive use of force,” according to the New York Times.

Israeli officials have said they are only attempting to destroy Hezbollah’s military capacity in Southern Lebanon, which constantly menaces the northern part of Israel. A U.N. resolution requires the group to disarm, but it has not been enforced.

But Lebanese and international critics dispute that characterization of the attacks. According to multiple media reports, Israel’s Lebanese targets have included bridges and other infrastructure, fire stations, schools, homes and the Beirut International Airport.

For the first time, a July 19 attack targeted one of Beirut’s Christian enclaves. Nobody was killed or injured in the attack, which reportedly struck well-drilling equipment parked in a lot.

Costa said employees and visiting partners—including international missions volunteers—had assembled “200 hygiene and food packs for internally displaced families” housed at Beirut Baptist School and a nearby public school.

He asked Baptists around the world to continue to pray for those displaced, mourning and still endangered due to the attacks; “wisdom for the leaders;” and “that we be salt and light in our community (so) that (God) may be glorified in all that we do or say.”

Costa also asked for continued prayer for “safe arrival of our non-Arab friends in their respective countries.” As of July 20, missionary officials from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the American Baptist Churches USA and the Southern Baptist Convention reported that their personnel in the region were either safe or had left the area.

Lance Wallace, a CBF spokesman, said he had learned “that our field personnel in the Middle East arrived safely in the U.S. this morning.”

The SBC’s International Mission Board reported all its Middle East workers were “accounted for and safe.” A group of 10 people from First Baptist Church in Forney, had been detained for several days in Beirut as the missionaries tried to return to the United States.

ABC International Ministries reported July 19 that its three missionaries currently assigned to Arab Baptist Theological Seminary—two career missionaries and one volunteer—were safe. A press statement said the career missionaries—seminary professor Dan Chetti and his wife, seminary administrator Sarah Chetti—“have chosen to remain and minister with our partner in Lebanon.”

The British Baptist Times newspaper reported July 20 that British Baptist officials as well as the European Baptist Federation and the Baptist World Alliance have pledged to help deliver financial aid to Lebanon to help those displaced by the violence.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 7/21/06

House passes bill to protect
San Diego cross monument

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (ABP)—The House of Representatives has passed a little-noticed bill attempting to make it easier for a controversial cross to remain on public land in San Diego.

On a vote of 349-74, the chamber approved a bill designed to transfer the land the Mount Soledad cross stands on from the city to the federal government.

The effort is the latest bid to protect the 29-foot-high monument, located prominently at the crest of an 800-foot hill in a city-owned park. It has been at the center of a legal dispute for 17 years.

In May, U.S. District Judge Gordon Thompson issued the latest in a string of rulings against the cross, claiming it violates the California constitution’s ban on government endorsement of religion. He gave the city 90 days to remove the monument—or begin facing daily $5,000 fines.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will consider the case in October but had denied cross supporters’ request to delay enforcement of Thompson’s order until then.

In early July, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy issued an emergency opinion halting enforcement of Thompson’s ruling until the appeals court reviews the case. Kennedy ruled on the issue because he is the justice assigned to hear emergency requests from the 9th Circuit’s boundaries while the Supreme Court, which ended its 2005-2006 term June 29, is in recess.

In an opinion explaining his ruling—rare in such cases—Kennedy said the case’s circumstances “support preserving the status quo while the city’s appeal proceeds. Compared to the irreparable harm of altering the memorial and removing the cross, the harm in a brief delay pending the court of appeals’ expedited consideration of the case seems slight.”

Kennedy also noted that Congress’ then-apparent interest in protecting the monument would make it “substantially more likely” that the high court would eventually agree to consider the issues in the case. The justices have denied appeals to hear the litigation at previous stages.

The cross’s legal saga began in 1989, when a local atheist and Vietnam veteran, Phillip Paulson, sued the city for removal of the structure. He argued that the monument was clearly intended as a religious symbol and that its presence in so prominent a position in a city park suggests government preference for Christianity.

Attorneys for the city have argued the cross simply is a monument to veterans. Although some version of a cross has stood on the spot for the past century, the present version was dedicated as a Korean War memorial on Easter 1954. It gradually grew to include plaques and walls with the names of casualties from the Korean conflict and other wars.

Paulson’s attorneys have argued, however, that the private group that maintains the site did not add the commemorative elements until after the lawsuit was filed and that the cross continues to play a prominent role in Christian worship services.

Cross supporters have attempted to sell the property to a private group to solve the dispute, but state judges have said that also violates the California constitution. A lower state judge has ruled that the attempt to transfer the property to the federal government is also illegal, and an appeal regarding that matter is still pending in the state’s courts.

The case is Paulson v. City of San Diego. The bill transferring the cross to federal ownership was H.R. 5683.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 7/21/06

Ban on same-sex marriage fails in House

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (ABP)—As expected, the House of Representatives July 18 defeated a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage—for the second time in as many election years and after the Senate had defeated the same proposal.

The proposal, H.J.Res. 88, died after a vote of 236-187 in its favor. Although a simple majority voted for it, the measure failed to muster the two-thirds majority a proposed constitutional amendment needs to pass each house of Congress.

However, its support was slightly stronger than that received by a nearly identical amendment in 2004, which failed on a 227-186 vote.

The Senate rejected its version of the latest amendment earlier this year. In that chamber, it failed to receive even a simple majority on a procedural vote.

The Senate vote effectively killed any amendment’s chances of making it out of Congress for the rest of the year. But the House’s Republican leadership forced the amendment to the floor without sending it through the customary committee process, spurring amendment opponents to charge it was an election-year political ploy aimed at hurting incumbent Democrats in moderate or conservative districts.

“I regret that this House is being so demeaned by this debate. It saddens me,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) in debate before voting on the measure. “We know this amendment is not going anywhere; we know this is merely a political exercise. Shame on this House for playing games with political bigotry.”

Meanwhile, amendment supporters said Congress should be addressing the issue legislatively because gay marriage remains a subject of litigation in state and federal courts. Several referred to a 2003 ruling by Massachusetts’ highest court that said the state’s constitution required officials to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples on an equal basis with heterosexual couples. That state remains the only jurisdiction in the United States that legally recognizes gay marriage.

“I would say to you that marriage is certainly one of the top-tier issues, that it is the right of the United States Congress to address,” said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). “Not one that we have chosen to have, but that has been brought upon us.”

The amendment’s chief House sponsor told her colleagues that, given polls showing the majority of Americans opposed to legalized gay marriage, the voters deserve to know where Congress stands on the issue.

“The people have a right to know that their elected representatives agree with them regarding the definition of traditional marriage,” said Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.). “The American people want us to settle this issue now—they don’t want us to wait and see how much havoc the courts will wreak on the institution of marriage before we act to protect it.”

But opponents of the amendment have pointed to several recent setbacks that state and federal courts have dealt to gay-marriage supporters. On July 14, a federal panel reinstated a particularly restrictive Nebraska ban on gay marriage and domestic partnership rights, and the Tennessee Supreme Court said a gay-marriage ban could go on that state’s November ballot.

Those decisions came a week after the judges on New York’s highest court, choosing not to follow the lead of their colleagues in Massachusetts, said the New York constitution does not require the legalization of gay marriage.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.

Posted: 7/21/06

'Pledge Protection Bill' passes House

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (ABP)—Angering civil libertarians and supporters of church-state separation, the House of Representatives voted July 19 to strip the federal courts of the ability to decide cases involving the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools.

The so-called “Pledge Protection Act” passed on a vote of 260-167. It echoed a similar bill the House passed by a similar margin in 2004—the last national election year.

The measure is one of many “court-stripping” bills that House Republicans have pushed in recent years. The Senate did not consider the 2004 bill and is not expected to consider the latest version.

Religious Right groups have claimed the bill is necessary to keep the words “under God” from being removed from the pledge. Although they were not part of the original 1892 version of the oath, Congress added them in 1954 as an act of anti-communism.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals originally ordered the words removed from the pledge in 2002 and said their recitation in public schools violates the First Amendment’s guarantees for religious freedom. After a public backlash, the appeals later backtracked on the removal of the words but maintained their ruling that public-school teachers should not lead students in reciting the oath.

The Supreme Court overturned that decision.

But conservatives have said the pledge is still at risk from lawsuits like the one that inspired the 9th Circuit decision. The bill relies on a hotly debated section of the Constitution that supporters say allows Congress to remove federal courts’ jurisdiction over any matter it chooses.

Many legal experts have debated that conclusion, saying a removal of the federal courts’ power to adjudicate civil-rights cases would violate the Constitution’s equal-protection and due-process provisions.

Civil-liberties groups blasted the House for passing the bill, while conservative religious groups hailed the act. The head of Americans United for Separation of Church and State released a statement immediately after the vote, calling it “a disgraceful measure that jeopardizes the rights of religious minorities” and “election-year pandering at its worst.”

Meanwhile, the head of the conservative Family Research Council cited “nearly 90 percent of Americans” who support the pledge as it is currently written and said, “the threat from crusading atheists and activist judges will not cease until the Pledge Protection Act is signed into law.”

The bill is H.R. 2389.

News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the BGCT, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.