Posted: 12/19/03

West Texas minister keeps lots of balls in the air

By Leann Callaway

Special to the Standard

LUBBOCK–At the end of his junior year at the University of Tulsa, Steve Winger was eager to head home for the summer. But as he walked outside and began to load up his car, he found something out of the ordinary.

“A friend had left a verse on my car,” he explained. “It was Proverbs 16:3, 'Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.'”

This was just the encouragement Winger needed as he applied for a summer job.

Steve Winger

“As I drove, I prayed a simple prayer committing my summer work to the Lord and asking him to establish my plans,” he said. “As I continued to drive and pray, I felt God leading me to spend my summer sharing my faith with young people.”

When Winger returned to his parents' house in St. Louis, Mo., he took a job working in the shipping department at a factory.

“As I did that job, I remembered my prayer committing my work to the Lord and asking him to establish my plans,” he said. “But I wondered what boxes and UPS men had to do with sharing my faith with young people. Then one day, there was an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about a summer job search, where students could place a free four-line ad in the paper that would run once a week for a month.

“On the spur of the moment, I filled out an ad that read, 'Christian youth seeks an opportunity to share his Juggling for Jesus act.'”

The next week, he received a call from a newspaper reporter who wanted to know, “What is a Juggler for Jesus?”

Winger explained his desire to share his faith with young people using the art of juggling.

“The newspaper called me back 30 minutes later asking if they could send a photographer out to my house to take some pictures,” he said. “So I found myself in my front yard having my picture taken by a news photographer. The next day, I spent eight hours throwing boxes at a UPS man. When I came home, my mom met me at the door and asked me to sit down. … I thought someone had died.

“Then she showed me our copy of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. On the front page was an article about me juggling for Jesus. In her other hand was a stack of notes from people who had called wanting me to come and juggle for their groups. In the next two and a half months, I juggled over 75 times in three different states. God had taken the simple prayer of a college student, and he had established my plans in ways I could have never dreamed of.”

Winger caught the juggling bug when he was 13 years old. “I saw a man at a carnival juggling, and I was so impressed with his abilities that I went home that night, picked apples off my tree in the backyard and started practicing,” he explained. “The joke in my family was, 'Steve's in the backyard making applesauce.'

“From those humble beginnings, I developed an increasing appreciation and love for the art of juggling. With limited talent but an abundance of passion, I applied for a position as a street performer at a local shopping center in St. Louis. I wasn't very good, but they gave me an opportunity to develop my craft. It was there that I learned to juggle and tell stories at the same time and interact with an audience. I spent Friday and Saturday nights during my high school years at the shopping mall, juggling in front of stores and entertaining the passersby.”

During his college years, Winger was asked to share the story of the prodigal son in a creative way to his peers.

“As I read the story in Luke 15, I realized I could do a juggling trick to correspond to many of the words I had just read,” he said. “In a matter of minutes, I had written a juggling version of the prodigal son story. I shared the story a few nights later, and it was very well received. There were some members of our college football team in attendance who were involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

“They came up to me after I was done juggling and said, 'You are going with us to the high school FCA groups to share that juggling ministry.' These guys were 6-foot-8, and they told me I was going … so I went, calling myself a Juggler for Jesus. My act consisted of only five minutes–the prodigal son story and my testimony. I was more than happy to go and share with the high school FCA groups, because it was just a few years earlier as a freshman in college that I received Christ at an FCA event.”

Today, almost 20 years after Winger committed to full-time ministry, he continues to share the message of Christ's love with all ages.

“We all have special gifts and talents, and God calls us to use these gifts to serve him and encourage others,” he noted. “I combine the arts of juggling and storytelling to present a highly visual presentation of biblical stories, truths and principles. It is an intergenerational message that touches people of all ages.”

After capturing the audience's attention, Winger stays true to his motto: “Lightening hearts while enlightening souls.”

Currently, Winger juggles a busy schedule with more than 100 events each year, including performances at Vacation Bible Schools, worship services, prison ministries, retirement homes and Upward Basketball award nights.

He also has performed internationally–in Mexico, Costa Rica and Ecuador.

This spring, he will be the featured performer at the International Children's Pastors' Conference in Atlanta. In addition to his juggling ministry, Winger serves as staff evangelist at Indiana Avenue Baptist Church in Lubbock.

“I love making people's hearts light with the humor that is built into my performance,” he said. “But most importantly, I love to tell people about Jesus and connect them to a local church.”

Posted: 12/19/03

TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM:
Claim the name

Every day, the name of Jesus becomes a “rock of offense” to more and more Americans.

In an effort to offend no one, timid church members–especially politicians–are using a new term to escape the scorn of the “politically correct.” Instead of “I'm a Christian,” it's now, “I'm a person of faith.” This brings no criticism from those who don't like the name of Jesus.

E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com

Saying, “I am a person of faith” is just a bit vague.

Faith in what? A rock? A tree? Faith in whom? Buddha? Confucius?

Make no mistake about it. The gates of heaven only open for those who confess Jesus.

Political platitudes won't do it.

Doug Fincher

San Augustine

21st century dream

Over 75 years ago, E.Y. Mullins, president of a large Baptist institution, had the initiative and creativity to bring together a new venture in mission work. We still are the beneficiaries of the Cooperative Program.

Now a new vision needs to be cast by BGCT leaders Charles Wade, Ken Hall, Albert Reyes and Dennis Young. Appropriately, two of these people are leaders of institutions; all have the kingdom of God as their priority. A new vision should have the feel of several initiatives:

Realigning the BGCT budget. It's time to embrace traditional Baptist entities like the Baptist University of the Americas, Truett Seminary and Logsdon School of Theology. Use the money that is going to Houston Baptist University for institutions that train ministers for our churches.

Restructuring Texas Baptist ministries and missions. Let's ask the hard questions. Where are we duplicating efforts with other organizations? How can we cut overhead and focus on missions? Can churches who want to partner with non-Texas Baptist groups send those checks directly to those bodies rather than using the BGCT as a collection and deposit agency?

Making room for the Spirit. We see its work in the lives of women and men deciding to serve vocationally in ministry. The Spirit comes through the work of Hispanic, African-American and Asian leaders who are in desperate need of resources to accomplish the dream God has given them.

Mullins' vision worked for 1925; let's cast a 21st century dream before this open door closes.

Bill Shiell

San Angelo

'Lottie' beneficiaries

Who benefits from the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering? The Southern Baptist Convention? The International Mission Board? No. The chief beneficiaries of your gifts are the lost!

Do you not like a personality in convention leadership? Think the denomination and its agencies already have enough money? Tired of “battlin' Baptists”? Got some other beef?

The lost around the world don't know or care about these things. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is for them. It sends and supports those who deliver good news. It provides for the Bibles, the tracts, the films, the starting of new churches.

More than a century ago, a passionate missionary in China wrote to her fellow Southern Baptists in the United States, urging them to give their lives and money sacrificially so all peoples might know Jesus Christ. Her message may be even more relevant today.

In the December 1887 edition of the Foreign Mission Journal, Lottie Moon wrote: “How many there are … who imagine that because Jesus paid it all, they need pay nothing, forgetting that the prime object of their salvation was that they should follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in bringing back a lost world to God.”

If you love the Lord Jesus Christ and the lost who are without hope that only the Christ of Christmas can give, then please give sacrificially and significantly to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

They don't know it, but the lost are depending on you.

Rodney Hammer

IMB regional leader

Prague, Czechoslovakia

Response to Islam

President Bush has spoken about the fact the word for God in Arabic, “Allah,” is used by both Christians and Muslims. Both groups regard Allah as the Creator, in control of the universe and of our history. Beyond that, the two understandings of the nature of God differ drastically.

In Christianity, the basic nature of God is love. In Islam, the basic nature of God is power. In Christianity, human life is considered sacred because we are made in God's image. In Islam, human life is valued only for what it can do for God through the spread of Islam and the destruction of those who oppose it. In Christianity, God's high moral values are to be reflected in his people. In Islam, moral values are relative to the will and purpose of Allah. In Christianity, God provides salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus, the Lamb of God. In Islam, God only provides a way of salvation through obedience to his revelation through Mohammed.

Islam is a religion of peace where it is the majority religion and its rule is not threatened. Where it comes up against any other religion or threat to its territory or power to rule, it often is violent, seeking to dominate.

Our response to Islam must be compassion and love demonstrated, as we recently did, by the distribution of 45,000 boxes of food in Iraq and by serving their needs in Christ's name.

David King
Marshall

Asian vs. Asian-American

I enjoyed reading your article titled “Asians critical of LifeWay’s Rickshaw Rally VBS theme” (Dec. 8). However, I found your headline highly offensive.

The headline (although unintentional) those critical of the Rickshaw Rally program are not Americans, when in fact they are.

Would your paper mix up Africans and African-Americans? Probably not. The same should go with Asians. Asians and Asian-Americans have highly distinct cultures and heritages. People should stop mixing them up. It only causes more stereotyping, prejudices and generalizations.

The headline is an affront to the Asian-American pastors and people who disagree with the portrayal of Asia in the Rickshaw Rally curriculum.

I am either Asian-American or American. I am not Asian. As Christians, we need to be more sensitive to each other’s identities to minimize outbursts of prejudice and racism. Sadly, such insensitivity starts with how the media portrays other races.

I realize that your editors have no intention in misrepresenting Asian Americans; however, they have.

Li Chung

Evanston, Ill.

Biblical world view includes more

George Barna’s recent poll—which shows only 4 percent of American adults and 9 percent of born-again evangelical Christians (8 percent among Baptists) have a biblical worldview—is eye-opening.

Marv Knox’s editorial (Dec. 8) fills in three noticeable gaps in Barna’s worldview criteria that are helpful. However, even these additions don’t go far enough if we are to grasp what really makes up a biblically worldview-driven church and Christian life.

Doctrinally, among other things, it must recover the glory and worship of God as the church’s chief purpose; creation, fall and redemption as the church’s complete story; Jesus as the cosmic creator and redeemer Christ; the kingdom-rule of God and its total redemptive significance; the nature of the believer as a whole person, including the body; the identity of the church as the new Israel of God; and the “already but not yet” eschatological character of the church in redemptive history.

Ministerially, among other things, it must recover the historic liturgies of the church; the deeper meaning of the sacraments, baptism and communion; expository preaching that is christological and canonically contextualized; the authenticity of Christian community; the vision of Christian humanism as the goal of discipleship and spiritual formation; the Protestant doctrine of the calling and giftedness of every believer in all spheres of life and service; transformative cultural engagement; and holistic evangelism.

This kind of comprehensive biblical worldview fills in even more gaps in our understanding and living and will foster the adulthood of the church.
David Naugle
Duncanville

Scratching my head

I was amazed to read the letter scourging Baptist leaders for their support for America’s “illegal, unprovoked war” against Iraq (Dec. 8).

I expect such language from Democratic presidential candidates, but to read such words from a fellow Baptist boggles my mind.

Evil condoned and pursued by Hussein and his sons? Torture chambers and mass graves? Genocide of Iraqi and Kurdish people? Development and use of biological and chemical weapons, intentionally killing tens of thousands of Iranian soldiers and innocent Kurdish civilians? Seventeen U.N. resolutions, including the last authorizing “extreme measures,” which was approved unanimously by the Security Council? Congress voting to give the president bi-partisan authority to use military force?

I suspect the writer would have criticized Baptist leaders for supporting the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany (genocide) and imperialist Japan (Pearl Harbor).

“Turning the other cheek” never was meant to be national foreign policy. “And when your east coast is attacked, turn unto them thy west coast also.” Jesus was telling us, as born-again citizens, how to treat each other in the kingdom.

But then we find a quick slap at these same Baptist leaders for speaking out against homosexuality. Perhaps the actual focus of the letter was an attempt to silence the moral condemnation of homosexual behavior by employing the fiction of an “immoral war.”

I applaud the freedom of Americans (including Baptists) to express opinions freely, but I am also free to scratch my head at such convoluted thinking.

Rick Yount

Fort Worth

Advent resources

Your recent article on Advent (Dec. 8) made for interesting reading. Our church has observed Advent, with candles, for the last three years. It has been a blessing to our church and helped us focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

Texas Baptists don’t have to go to Oklahoma to find help in planning and celebrating Advent. An excellent book, “Worship Innovations: Hanging the Greens for Christmas,” by Janet Burton is available and published CSS Publishing Company of Lima, Ohio.

Don Doyle

Cotulla

What do you think? Submit letters for Texas Baptist Forum via e-mail to marvknox@baptiststandard.com or regular mail at Box 660267, Dallas 75266-0267. Letters must be no longer than 250 words. They may be edited to accommodate space.

Posted: 12/19/03

Louisiana College restricts textbooks

PINEVILLE, La. (ABP)–In a move that already has generated considerable outcry, Louisiana College trustees will now require college administrators to approve textbooks for classes at the Baptist school.

Previously the selection of textbooks and other classroom materials was at the sole discretion of faculty members. Trustees said the change will bring accountability to the process.

Under the new policy, approved by trustees after a lengthy executive session, all materials used at the school must be approved by department chairs and the vice president for academic affairs.

One trustee said the new policy brings the school in line with the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message, the Southern Baptist Convention's new doctrinal statement.

Two days after the trustee action, the school's faculty approved a statement warning the new policy will damage the college's reputation, devalue degree programs and hinder recruitment and fund-raising efforts.

Trustees took action after a student complained about “A Road Less Traveled” by Scott Peck and “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines.

The new policy is “manifestly impossible,” said Thomas Howell, chair of the history department. “There is no conceivable way to review all the materials. There is no other way but to trust our faculty members to use good professional judgment on these kinds of things.”

Meanwhile, opponents of the new policy organized a candlelight vigil near the Pineville campus.

The issue of textbook approval surfaced in September when university President Rory Lee removed two books from the college bookstore after complaints from a student. The books–“A Road Less Traveled” by Scott Peck and “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines–are considered modern classics in many circles and had been used for several years in a values class. The complaining student noted the Peck book contains profane words and the Gaines novel includes a love scene.

A single complaint should not be enough to get a book pulled, one student told the local newspaper. “Only one student had a problem with the book out of all the years they've used it,” Dale de Perrodil said. “'The Road Less Traveled' is an excellent text.”

Lee acknowledged he ordered the removal of the books without following the established procedure, which provides for students to be assigned alternative readings for materials they find objectionable.

The incident prompted a trustee review of the textbook-selection process.

Fred Malone, chair of the trustee academic affairs committee, said the old policy provided “literally no academic governance or oversight” in the selection of materials. As established, faculty members do not have to submit textbooks or materials for review by anyone, he said.

The changes, which took effect immediately, assign “primary” responsibility to faculty members but require additional approval farther up the academic and administrative ladder. Malone said the new policy falls in line with the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message because it provides the balance of academic freedom and academic responsibility called for in the doctrinal statement.

Posted: 12/19/03

POSITIVE CHARGE:
Interstate Batteries' Norm Miller

Norm Miller is chairman of the board of Interstate Batteries System of America and is widely known for his appearances at NASCAR racing events with driver Bobby LaBonte and the race car sponsored by Interstate. More than that, however, he is an outspoken Christian. A one-time alcoholic, he testifies to God's power to change people's lives. Miller is a member of the Dallas Theological Seminary board, the Dallas Seminary Foundation and the Overseas Council. He is co-founder of the Great American Race, a premier vintage car event. He and his wife, Anne, have two children, Tracey and Scott, and five grandchildren. They attend Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas.

Q.

What are your responsibilities as chairman of the board of Interstate Batteries?

Primarily what I am doing is looking ahead, seeing where Interstate can grow and where we can do better and kind of being an out-front-looking person. Of course, we have our board meetings every few months where I preside and look at our plans and how we are stacking up.

Norm Miller

Q.

How did you get to be chairman of the board, and when was that?

I went to work for the founder, John Searcy, in 1965. Prior to that, I had been a distributor for Interstate with my dad in Memphis, Tenn. Mr. Searcy talked to my Dad about joining him. I was fortunate. He was 22 years my senior and was my mentor. I worked with him, and he trained me from 1965 to 1972. Then he decided he wanted to make a buy/sell agreement with me. And graciously, he made it with me in 1972, and it had a 10-year mandatory enactment, meaning I could buy the company in 1982. However, he elected to exercise the option earlier, so in 1978 he elected the option for him to sell his stock and for me to buy controlling interest. I became chairman of the board in 1978.

Q.

Do you ever miss your old selling days?

Oh, some, because you're out there in the midst of it all and know what all is going on. But it's also a lot of work, and there is some rejection. Some people turn you down. But it also was a lot of fun because you had immediate response. At the end of the week, you knew things had gone well or they hadn't.

Q.

What college did you attend and what was your major?

I went to North Texas State University and graduated in general business in January 1962.

Q.

What did you plan to do at the time?

My father had a service station and garage in Galveston for 20 years but had sold it and was looking at some new business ventures. He had one that was coming to fruition, and he had asked me if I wanted to join him in it. But by the time I got out of college, it had fallen through. I met a fellow my brother knew and with him starting selling World Book Encyclopedias. I did that until I could figure out what to do. My dad knew some people with Interstate, and he asked me to come to Dallas. We talked to Mr. Searcy and took an Interstate Battery distributorship in Memphis in 1962.

Q.

By any measure, you are very successful. To what do you think you owe your success?

First, of course, to the grace of God. He has given me the gift of creativity in marketing. Also a major thing is Mr. Searcy really trained me in just doing it, the application of what we knew was right and getting out there and trying real hard and staying late, using our brain to make it all better. I tried to do things better and faster, being tenacious and diligent. I guess that's it–start early and stay late and do the best you can while you're out there.

Q.

Interstate Batteries seemed to emerge overnight. One day, it seemed, no one had ever heard of Interstate Batteries, and the next day they were everywhere. How did that happen?

We did not advertise. We were out building the distribution system door to door. I sold the batteries myself, going up and down the streets. I counted it up one time, and I did it in 43 states. I would go into an area and work for a week, all day every day, going into places that sold batteries and talking to them about selling ours. With a couple of us doing that 25 or 30 weeks a year–we went from that to 60 people going out every-other week from Dallas calling on service stations, garages, car dealers, marinas, recreational vehicle dealers. If you have 60 people going out and making 100 calls a week and if they can set up 20 accounts, that's 1,200 accounts every-other week. All of a sudden, that's 25,000 accounts in one year, which was about what we did at our maximum. At this time, we have 200,000 wholesale stocking accounts, serviced regularly by our trucks. We have probably set up out of Dallas 165,000 of those ourselves. It took a number of years. I was on the road like that for nine years. I spent a lot of man hours on the street. I called it fullback up the middle. You get three yards and then go back and get three more.

Q

. Aside from material things, how has your life been changed by your success?

I guess my life has been changed by success in the ability to explore all different kinds of cultures. I have been able to go to a lot of places while on mission trips and visiting resorts. Most of it has been related to my Christian faith. It has given me an ability to participate in different ministries and get to know different people. It has expanded my range of relationships in the body of Christ, from paupers to presidents. God has allowed me to participate in both ends and all points in the middle. It's been a wonderful life of experiences.

Q.

What kinds of advice have you given to your kids about how to make it in the business world?

That's funny. I have two children, a daughter and a son. My daughter was never interested in the battery business. My son was not interested in it early and said he never would be, but he has been in business with me now for upwards of 15 years. I always told them to be happy, to do what they wanted to do and to give a day's work for a day's wages. I never was concerned. I saw they both were intelligent and if they worked they would be able to make a living, and whatever they did would be all right with me.

Q.

If you weren't in the battery business, what would you be doing?

I've thought about that. A number of years ago, I said if I wasn't in the battery business I would sell insurance. Everybody is a potential customer, and they are right at hand. There's no traveling involved, and you don't need a warehouse for your goods. As long as you have a policy, you have a product to sell, and once it is sold you earn a commission that not only pays today and tomorrow but has a long-term payout. There's a good accumulation of money to effort. I have enjoyed the battery business, but if I weren't selling batteries, I would probably be dealing in insurance or maybe mutual funds.

Q.

What role has religious faith played in your life?

I became a Christian in May 1974 when I was 35. At that age, I had already reached my goals I had set in college, but I considered myself an empty failure in regard to happiness and anxious about life. A friend began to tell me about the word of God. I challenged him to prove to me that it was the word of God. I began to study to see if a person of intellect could accept it. I studied not the Bible but ancient manuscripts and archaeology and looked at the fulfillment of prophecy. It was too much. Then I began to study the Bible to see what it said to me. I realized I was a sinner in rebellion against God, that his Son, Jesus, had paid the price for my sins and was a bridge to God. I embraced Christ as my Lord and Savior in 1974, and he is my Lord and Savior. That has given me freedom, peace and joy and an ability to love people where before I had liked people but was shallow and cold, and I saw them as here today and gone tomorrow. My relationship with Christ has changed my heart. It has been a great adventure and a wonderful fulfillment.

Q.

How do you apply your Christianity to the way you do business?

Simply said, I try to treat others the way we want to be treated. God in Scripture says we are to consider others' interests before we consider our own. In doing that, I have to ask how would I want to be treated. Not only do I feel that is God's mandate and the wisest way to do business, if I can meet their needs and make them happy in a reasonable financial relationship, they are going to be happy with me and take care of us.

Q.

Is it difficult to be a Christian and successful, hard-charging businessman?

I don't think so. The issue is if you are going to trust God in your life or not. My brother–who joined me in 1969–and I made the decision we would try to operate our company in the way God would expect. We had to ask how far to go with the Christian aspect. We saw that if we carried it too far we could offend people, our employees could quit or we might get sued by the government. We decided to pray about it and came across Matthew 10:28, where we are told to fear not, but if we feared anyone to fear someone who can do something to you after you are dead. We concluded that if we were going to make someone unhappy, we didn't want it to be God. We prayed and asked God to help us to be a great witness for him but at the same time to be perfectly bold and perfectly sensitive so we wouldn't offend anyone. We prayed, “Thy will be done.” It's going on 25 years now, and he has allowed us to be successful and at the same time I pray that we are winsome inside and outside the church.

Q.

Are you a NASCAR fan aside from your business interests in car racing?

I wasn't before. We got into the NASCAR thing because we thought it would be a good way to advertise. But once you get into it and you get to know the drivers and crew chiefs, you become a fan.

Q.

How difficult is it to be a Christian in the business of motorsports.

Not difficult at all. They have a chaplain, a ministry every Sunday. There is a church in the garage area where 25 to 35 drivers and their crew chiefs attend. It's all Christ-centered. We sing hymns, worship together. A great many involved are Christ-believers and honor God in everything they do.

Q.

Who are heroes in your life?

I always can say Joe Gibbs. I met him in 1995. He tries to live for the Lord and applies himself to it at all times. He uses every opportunity, uses his platform and do it in a way that is winsome to advance his faith. I read Oswald Chambers every morning and also writings of Charles Spurgeon, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Colson and Luis Palau.

Interview by Toby Druin

Posted: 12/19/03

On the Move

Byron Ayres to Mildred Church in Corsicana as interim youth minister.

Chris Baggett has resigned as minister of youth at New Hope Community Church in Venus.

Bob Baldwin has resigned as pastor at Oletha Church in Thornton.

Matt Bernard to Higher Ground Church in Whitesboro as youth minister.

Carl Bilderback to Hyde Park Church in Denison as interim pastor.

Joe Brady to First Church in Centerville as minister of music and education.

Michael and Sandy Brooks to First Church in Coolidge as youth ministers.

Mike Cariker to First Church in O'Fallon, Ill., as minister to students from First Church in Grapevine.

Jess Cooke to Pilgrim's Way Church in Sanger as interim pastor.

Jeff Cramer to Grace Temple Church in Denton as pastor.

Andrew Crosby to First Church in Lampasas as youth minister.

Ray Crumpton has resigned as pastor of England Grove Church in Commerce.

Greg Darley to Gardendale Church in Corpus Christi as Next Generation minister.

Karl Fickling to First Church in Waxahachie as interim pastor.

Eddie Frazier to New Zion Church in Bonham as pastor.

Carey Gable to Levita Church in Gatesville as interim pastor.

Van Gladden has resigned as pastor of Spring Creek Church in Meridian.

Phillip Golden to First Church in Denver City as pastor from First Church in Lockney.

Don Guy to Hyde Park Church in Denison as interim minister of music.

Wes Havard has resigned as associate education minister at Prestonwood Church in Plano.

Jose Miguel Hernandez to Iglesia Emanuel in Hillsboro as pastor.

Morris Holcomb has resigned as pastor of Powell Church in Powell.

Matthew Homeyer to First Church in Hubbard as youth minister.

Gary Hughes to First Church in Desdemona as pastor.

Rob Kessler to Texas Baptist Encampment in Palacios as administrator.

Jan Lafon to First Church in Melissa as minister to children from Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen.

Stanley Lohse to Woodbury Church in Hillsboro as interim pastor.

Randy Marsh has resigned as pastor of Vista Ridge Church in Carrollton.

David McPherson to Coryell Community Church in Gatesville as minister of music.

Jeff Miller to New Hope Church in Aubrey as minister of music.

Kyle Miller to Great Hills Church in Austin as minister of lay ministries and pastoral care.

Harry Monroe to Shady Shores Church in Denton as interim music minister.

Ken Moore to Union Grove Church in Gladewater as pastor.

Kelly Overcash to First Church in Melissa as minister of missions and women's ministries from Parkway Hills Church in Plano.

John Owens to Broadway Church in Fort Worth as assistant youth minister.

Enrique Quevedo to Iglesia Jerusalem in Corpus Christi as pastor.

Pat Riley to First Church in Cisco as pastor from Calvary Church in Abilene.

Jana Roan to First Church in Buffalo as music minister.

Joseph Savanhak to Living Word Laotian Mission in Venus as pastor.

Scott Shaw to First Church in Hillsboro as minister of music.

Ron Smith has resigned as music minister at First Church in Wortham.

Eric Spano has resigned as pastor of First Church in Slidell.

Wayne Spoonts to McKinney Street Church in Denton as minister of music.

Bounthot Sysavath has resigned as pastor of Living Word Laotian Mission in Venus.

Lain Teel to Emmanuel Church in Corsicana as pastor from Timber Crest Church in Waco.

Mike Tieman to Roganville Church in Kirbyville as pastor.

Mike Trickett has resigned as minister of youth at First Church in Argyle.

Matthew Vandagriff to Turnersville Church in Gatesville as pastor.

Steve Walvoord has resigned as minister of music of The Church at Wichita Creek in Flower Mound.

Brian Whitney to New Hope Church in Cedar Park as pastor from Central Church in Hillsboro.

Terry Williams to First Church in Childress as youth minister from First Church in Teague.

Wes Willie to New Zion Church in Bonham as associate pastor and youth minister.

Posted: 12/19/03

Pornography snares women as well as men today

By Mark O'Keefe

Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS)–After putting her daughter to bed, Maggie, 42, routinely sat at her computer for hours, mesmerized by an online world of erotic stories and real-time sexual discussions.

Beth, 33, usually clicked on the most visually graphic sites, disproving the theory that only men are enticed by pornography.

“A lot of people don't realize this happens with women too,” said Beth, who, along with Maggie, asked that their last names not be revealed.

The myth began long ago, perhaps because women rarely were seen walking into seedy adult bookstores or asking for plastic-wrapped magazines kept behind convenience store counters.

But in recent years, the accessibility, affordability and anonymity of the Internet has made pornography undeniably attractive to millions of women. While some women simply find it exciting, others have battled addictions.

Nearly one in three visitors to adult websites is a woman, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, the industry standard for measuring online audiences. From a study of the Internet use of 40,000 panelists at home and work, Nielsen estimated 9.4 million women in the United States accessed such sites in September.

Julie Neff, 29, of Mukwonago, Wis., sees nothing but benefits. Internet pornography “is pretty much an adjunct to my regular sex life,” she said. She estimates she views it less than an hour a week, and is open about it with her boyfriend.

Others think it can lead to problems. There is some evidence Internet pornography is luring even women whose values oppose it. Some speculate a forbidden-fruit factor can make it tantalizing for religious women in particular.

The editors of Today's Christian Woman, an evangelical magazine, had heard anecdotes of churchgoing women getting hooked on pornography, so they conducted a survey asking readers of their online newsletter if they had intentionally visited porn sites. Thirty-four percent said they had.

“Apparently online sex addiction isn't just a male problem anymore,” the magazine's editors wrote in the October issue, which suggested Internet filters and other pornography-avoiding tips.

While the frequency of female pornography “addiction” is difficult to measure, psychologists agree that some women, as well as men, do engage in destructively compulsive behavior fueled by the Internet.

Maggie said she began exploring pornography to try to understand what it was that captivated her ex-husband. Soon, she was spending up to 30 hours a week surfing the Internet for arousal.

She realized she had a serious problem when she couldn't wait for her daughter to go to sleep so she could get on the computer. “The light went on that I preferred porn to spending time with my child.”

Marnie Ferree, a Nashville, Tenn., marriage and family therapist, calls Internet pornography “the crack cocaine” of sexual addiction.

“On the Internet, I can be whoever I want to be. I can look however I want to look. It's a totally false environment that's about objectification and deception, and that's not going to be satisfying in the long term,” said Ferree, author of “No Stones: Women Redeemed From Sexual Shame.”

The interactivity of the Internet makes it especially appealing to some women, said Al Cooper, a staff psychologist at Stanford University and the author of “Sex and the Internet: A Guidebook for Clinicians.”

“We see women all the time who may not feel that attractive, but they get 20 guys going after them at a time in a chat room, e-mailing them instantly. That's affirming to a woman, and it's hard to match when your husband is in the next room drinking a beer, maybe asking you if you're going to exercise next week” because he thinks you're overweight, Cooper said.

Posted: 12/19/03

Pastors encouraged to be shepherds rather than executives

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

The pastor is no longer the chief executive officer of the church, but a minister who serves as the shepherd of his members, gathering them and moving with them toward a goal, according to Texas Baptist leadership experts.

Gone are the days of the administrative pastor who hands down orders that his staff and membership carry out, argued Bob Cavin, director of Texas Baptist Leadership Center, and Lewis Timberlake, a leadership consultant who works primarily in the business realm.

While the CEO style of pastoral leadership is needed in some situations, it can easily get a pastor fired, Cavin noted. The average tenure of a Baptist pastor is notoriously short, and about 95 percent of terminations are due to leadership issues.

“Often the issue is people running over people,” Cavin said. “It's the pastors not bringing people along with them.”

Following a trend that is happening in the business world, church leadership is slowly moving toward a team-management and consensus-building style, said Timberlake, a deacon at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin whose clients have included AT&T, American Airlines and McLane Group.

People are accustomed to having input in work-related decisions and want the same in their church life, Timberlake said. Members want to share their passions and ideas for the church. They want to be consulted. Therefore, ministers must work by influencing the congregation, not telling them what to do.

By trying to build agreement, a pastor ensures congregational support for his efforts and knows when the church is not prepared to take a particular action, Cavin and Timberlake said.

“The church has got to get back to the type of leadership that reaches out and brings people in,” Timberlake added.

The process helps leaders gain the trust of the congregation, Cavin added. Members will see their pastor cares about their concerns and will know their leader has their best interests in mind.

This style of servant leadership does not mean a minister is weak in his beliefs or stances, Cavin said. To the contrary, ministers can survive taking a stand on an issue because they have built the trust of the congregation.

The duo believes the servant model follows the example Jesus set. Christ chose his words and actions carefully, moving the disciples along as he could. But when appropriate, he took a stand.

“Jesus was a strong leader,” Cavin said. “There were times he was very decisive in his action.”

This style of management relies heavily on personal relations skills, Timberlake added. Leadership is mostly communication, especially non-verbal. It relies on a consistent example of being a Christian shepherd.

Timberlake encouraged pastors to ponder this: “What are you preaching outside the pulpit?”

Not everyone is born with the gifts that lend to this style, Timberlake acknowledged. But he insisted the skills can be learned.

In January, the Texas Baptist Leadership Center will launch a program Timberlake tailored for church leaders. The 16-hour curriculum will include personality profiling and concrete pointers on how to improve leadership skills.

For more information, contact Texas Baptist Leadership Center at cavin@bgct.org or (888) 447-5143.

Posted: 12/19/03

Texas Tidbits

HSU graduates 198. Tommy Brisco and Pam Williford were keynote speakers at winter commencement ceremonies at Hardin-Simmons University Dec. 13. Brisco is dean of HSU's Logsdon School of Theology. Williford is dean of the Irvin School of Education. Aileen Culpepper, retired residence hall director, received the honorary doctor of humanities degree. Bachelor's and master's degrees were awarded to 198 students.

Spanish course offered. The Baptist University of the Americas will offer a Spanish-language immersion course Feb. 9-13. Participants will learn conversational Spanish through a variety of classroom and practical experiences during a week of training on the San Antonio campus. Tuition is $100, but members of churches and missions affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas receive a full-tuition scholarship provided through the Mary Hill Davis Offering. For more information, contact Mary Ranjel at (210) 924-4338 or mranjel@bua.edu.

Potter receives UMHB honor. Clark Potter of Belton received the honorary doctor of humanities degree during the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor's winter commencement Dec. 13. Potter served on the university board of trustees 27 years and twice was elected chairman of the board. He also served twice as the mayor of the Belton. Degrees were awarded to 279 students.

HSU students create profit for charity. As part of the requirements for the Hardin-Simmons University introduction to business course, groups of students conducted business projects on the HSU campus and in the community. These projects included producing and selling pens, key chains, afghans, foam spirit hands, seat cushions, shirts and golf towels. Other groups sponsored video game tournaments and one provided laundry services to HSU students. These student enterprises began with $3,100 in venture capital and returned nearly $4,900 at the end of the semester. Three checks for $600 each were given to Toys for Tots, Food Bank of Abilene and Abilene Baptist Association Social Ministries.

DBU gives big to Christmas Child. Dallas Baptist University students, faculty and staff contributed 2,677 gift boxes to Operation Christmas Child this fall. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse. Shoe boxes are filled with toys, school supplies, hygiene items, candy and other gifts for either a boy or a girl. Among the creative means of generating student involvement, Laura Stafford, a DBU resident assistant, organized an Operation Christmas Child dinner party for the women on her hall to meet and put their boxes together. Other campus organizations held wrapping parties. DBU started participating in Operation Christmas Child in 1996 with a total of 194 boxes. The university used to transport the boxes to the drop-off location in a van. Now it rents a 25-foot moving truck.

UMHB gets Hillcrest grant. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor received a $100,000 grant from the Dallas-based Hillcrest Foundation. The grant is designated for construction of and equipment for the Mayborn Campus Center Exercise and Physiology Laboratory. The equipment will be used for the degree programs in exercise and sport science.

UMHB offers writers' festival. The 2004 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Texas Writers' Festival, Jan. 8-10, will feature keynote speakers Marie Chapian Jordan, a poet, playwright and novelist, and fiction writer Debra Monroe. Many workshops also will be offered, including one by acclaimed poet Barbara Crooker and another by novelist Greg Garrett. For more information or to register, contact Audell Shelburne at (254) 295-4561 or ashelburne@umhb.edu.

DBU honors Reyes. Albert Reyes, president of Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio, received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Dallas Baptist University during commencement ceremonies Dec. 19. Reyes already holds one earned doctorate and is working on another.

Posted: 12/19/03

TOGETHER: True joy follows obedience to God

Happiness is now an academic discipline, complete with a scholarly publication, The Journal of Happiness Studies.

Studying happiness, joy and pleasure is becoming a big business. It has implications for people who sell insurance, market entertainment, hire a lot of people, develop drugs or try to move merchandise out the door. Someone already may be lurking behind the Christmas tree to study what we really mean when we say, “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”

What makes you happy? What brings you joy? As you celebrate Christmas and contemplate the New Year ahead, are you excited and grateful? Or are you depressed and frustrated?

Here is the word I have shared with people this year, “A blessed Christmas and a New Year full of grace.” If you can get your mind and heart around that greeting, you will be on your way to both joy and happiness.

CHARLES WADE Executive Director BGCT Executive Board

I know people who are happy in the midst of the most trying circumstances. They have a debilitating, long-term illness, but happiness is still a friend to them. They have lost a job or experienced deep sorrow and grief, but they still experience joy. Joy is the deep satisfaction that all is well even though the circumstances are painful or even tragic.

Two hymns come immediately to mind: “It is Well With My Soul,” and “Now, Thank We All Our God.” Both of these hymns were written after great tragedy in the lives of their authors.

Sometimes we say happiness can be taken away, but not joy, because it is the fruit of the indwelling Spirit of God. But most Christians can testify that there have been times when they feel they have been robbed of joy. They discover they must wait for joy to come back to their soul.

Our bedrock joy, the kind that rescues us from despair and keeps us going in the midst of failure or loss, is the joy we sing about: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”

Jesus said to his disciples as he faced the cross: “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again, and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16:22).

Happiness is not a destination. It is what happens to you on the way to doing something worthwhile.

If you try to measure it with a happiness thermometer, you lose it right away. Happiness is a tantalizing but ultimately unsatisfying goal. The very things you thought would make you happy leave you feeling empty.

But when you do the good thing, the right thing, happiness shows up. If you want to be happy, go do the right thing. When you only do what you feel like doing, you invite frustration and disappointment. But when you act out your best intentions, happiness joins you on the journey.

Jesus said: “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:10-11).

Joy follows obedience. We would like it to be the other way around, and sometimes by the grace of God he does give us joy before we have been fully obedient.

But the joy that brings long-term happiness grows from obeying his commands.

We are loved.

Posted: 12/19/03

Powell stays on as Truett Seminary dean

WACO–Although he had intended to retire at the end of the current academic year, Paul Powell will stay on as dean of Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary.

Baylor President Robert Sloan announced Powell's decision Dec. 5.

Powell came to the post in February 2001 with a commitment to serve up to three years.

“It had been my intention to retire this spring, but President Sloan requested that I continue as dean, and I have agreed to do so because of the importance of Truett to Baylor's mission and to traditional Baptists everywhere,” Powell said.

Powell has given “extraordinary leadership” for the seminary, Sloan said. “He has been particularly effective at strengthening the seminary's relationship with Texas Baptist churches, resulting in significant increases in enrollment and expanded financial support for Truett.”

Under Powell's leadership, Truett's enrollment has grown from 247 to 380 students, new joint master of divinity/master of music and master of divinity/master of education in counseling degrees have been approved, and more than 200 endowed scholarships have been established.

“Truett is a traditional Baptist seminary committed to our historic Baptist principles, and it is our mission to train the next generation of ministers and missionaries,” Powell said. “Our vision is to be the premier Baptist theological institution in the world.”

Prior to joining the seminary in 1991, Powell served on the Baylor board of regents and was president of the Rogers Foundation. He retired in 1998 as president of the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

He was a longtime Texas Baptist pastor, serving 17 years at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler. He has written numerous books and continues to preach regularly at churches throughout Texas.

Posted: 12/19/03

Texas Baptist volunteers help spur Baptist growth in Vermont

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

Working hand-in-hand with Texas Baptists, Vermont Baptists witnessed record membership and baptisms during the past year.

Resident membership numbers topped 1,000 people for the first time in the history of Green Mountain Baptist Association, which serves all Vermont. The 25 churches in the association baptized 104 people, another record.

The increase represents about one baptism for every 10 church members, well above the average for Southern Baptist Convention church, which typically record one baptism annually for every 42 members.

The statistics show a small portion of a year filled with growth. Sunday School enrollment totaled 884, an increase of 30 percent. Average Sunday School attendance jumped by 100 individuals to 574 people. A record 791 people went to Vacation Bible Schools.

The growth can be attributed to a strong emphasis on following up evangelistic efforts throughout Vermont Baptist churches, according to Terry Dorsett, associational missionary for Green Mountain Association.

Evangelistic efforts proved fruitful in the past, but churches often failed to disciple new converts, Dorsett found. During the last year, the association has trained church leaders in discipleship methods.

Along with the associational push came a record number of mission teams to the second least-churched state in the nation. The teams encouraged Vermont Baptists and helped residents share the gospel, Dorsett said.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, Mississippi Baptist Convention, Alabama Baptist Convention, Tennessee Baptist Convention and the Baptist General Association of Virginia are all involved in the Impact Northeast partnership to work in New England.

Additional workers came from South Carolina, Kentucky and Georgia.

Texas Baptists played a significant role in the work, according to Johnnie Loar, a mission mobilization coordinator for Green Mountain Association.

More than 200 Texas Baptists traveled to the state through the Northeast Impact Partnership, facilitated by the BGCT's Texas Partnerships Resource Center.

Texas Baptist volunteers from many cities, including Midland, Temple and Waco, helped with evangelism and Vacation Bible Schools throughout the state. Several groups of Texas Baptists prayerwalked the state, while three others served as summer missionaries.

“Everywhere they've been, they've been a blessing,” Loar said.

For more information about mission opportunities through the Texas Partnership Resource Center, visit www.bgct.org/ Texas_partnerships.

Posted: 12/19/03

WorldConneX adds staff and adopts budget

DALLAS–The WorldconneX administrative committee has added two part-time staff to the new missions network, adopted a preliminary budget for 2004 and agreed to secure office space near downtown Dallas.

Meeting in Dallas Dec. 9, the committee selected Frank Dang of Keller to join the network's staff as part-time ethnic and emerging church associate.

Dang is a first-generation Vietnamese-American who has been an associate pastor at NorthWood Church in Keller for three years. In January, he will begin serving as bivocational pastor of the Vietnamese Church of Fort Worth, a mission of Travis Avenue Baptist Church.

Carol Childress of Rockwall will join the WorldconneX staff as part-time information and evangelical networking associate. Childress will resign from the WorldconneX board to assume the staff position. She will continue to work part time with Leadership Network, a Dallas-based organization that works with innovative church leaders.

Dang and Childress will join Bill Tinsley, network leader, and his associate, Stan Parks, on the WorldconneX staff.

The committee adopted a basic operating budget of $594,450, with an additional $100,000 earmarked for reserves. The budget is based on $702,688 in anticipated funds. These include $317,829 in unspent funds from 2003 and $252,743 from the Baptist General Convention of Texas Cooperative Program.

In 2003, WorldconneX also received nearly $114,000 from Texas Baptist churches through the “Texas missions initiatives” worldwide giving option offered on the BGCT giving form and about $18,000 in designated gifts.

The administrative committee authorized Chairman MikeStroope of Dublin and Tinsley to lease office space in Dallas. The offfices will be located at South Side on Lamar, a historic property that for many years was a Sears catalogue center but has been converted into lofts and office space.

The new WorldconneX office address is 1409 South Lamar No. 905, Dallas 75215.

The committee also agreed to recommend as a new board member missions strategist Bill O'Brien of Frisco. Pending confirmation by the board of trustees, he will replace Keith Parks, who resigned from the WorldconneX board after his son joined the network's staff.