www.msbaptist.orgMay 15, 2021 VOL. 75 NO. 10

JOURNAL OF THE

BAPTIST MISSIONARY

ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

Let all things be done decently and in order. 1Cor. 14:40

Seventy-Second Annual Meeting of the BMA of America

Updated BMA of America Meeting Information

Farley Street Baptist Church, Waxahacie, Texas

We are pleased to announcethat the 72nd annual session ofthe Baptist Missionary Associa-tion of America will be heldMonday August 2 throughWednesday August 4, 2021, atthe Farley Street BaptistChurch in Waxahachie, Texas.By now, all our older pastorsand church members who weremost susceptible to the adverseeffects of Covid, have had theopportunity to be vaccinated,and so we believe that we canhost a national meeting thatwill be safe for those who at-tend.

The theme of this year’s meet-ing will be, “Missions: ThinkGlobally But Act Locally.” It

seems both scriptural and logi-cal to “think globally”—supportmissionaries around the globeand yet at the same time to “act

locally”—share the Gospel withour neighbors next door or acrossthe street. During the time weare together, we hope to share

some ideas that will increasethe effectiveness of missions inour local churches that will im-pact our mission’s footprintaround the world.

The hotel information is thesame as it was for the 2020 meet-ing and is listed below.

Please pray for your officersand the national meeting pro-duction team as we plan a meet-ing that will glorify the Son andedify the messengers and guestsof our churches. We look for-ward to seeing you inWaxahachie as we set a coursefor the coming year.

See ReservationInformation on Page 2

National Day of Prayer heldat Southeastern Baptist College

Pictured above is a good crowdof community and church lead-ers from the Laurel - JonesCounty area pledging allegianceto the Flag. On the right is Dr.Scott Carson welcoming gueststo the campus.

Prayer was led by a numberof pastors and commuinty lead-ers for our nation and for thoseserving our country.

Last year's event was delayeddue the national pandemic

Charles Attebery

Attebery Resignsas Foundationexecutive director

by Holly MeriweatherBMA Global Ministry Center

Charles Attebery has an-nounced his resignation from

the role of BMAFoundation ex-ecutive directoreffective Au-gust 4, 2021. Heassumed therole in 2014 af-ter serving asLifeword’s de-velopment of-ficer for three

years. In 1985 he was namedvice president for institutionaladvancement at Central Bap-tist College then president ofthe college, where he remaineduntil 2004.

A native of Bearden, Arkan-sas, he surrendered to the min-istry in 1969 then pastoredchurches in Arkansas andTexas. He and his wife Janice,currently reside in Texas neartheir son Scott, his wifeMeredith, grandson Bryce, andtwo step-granddaughters,Emma and Maggie.

“It has been an honor to servethe Lord and BMAA churchesas director of BMA Foundation,but after much prayer and con-sideration, I have determinedthat it is time for me to stepaside. I believe the Foundationwill prove to be a real blessing toour work in the future and Ipledge my support to those whowill lead this ministry.”

Missions Department Special EmphasisApril-May 2021 - Our Goal $25,000.00

Religious freedom doesn't matter toBiden White House, says attorneyOneNewsNow.com - In a moveperceived by an attorney as aWhite House attack on religiousfreedom, the Biden administra-tion is appealing a court deci-sion allowing religious hospi-tals and doctors to opt out ofgender-transition procedures.

That decision, handed downearlier this year, blocked a re-quirement known as the"Transgender Mandate." Itwould force medical profession-als and religious hospitals toperform the procedures – includ-ing children – even when the

procedures are potentiallyharmful.

"This is unbelievable that thisBiden administration andXavier Becerra, head of HHS,would want to force religioushospitals and doctors to violatetheir conscience to performthese invasive surgeries thatamputate healthy body parts tomatch someone's confusedmind," says Mat Staver, founderand chairman of Liberty Coun-sel.

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2 May 15, 2021 • Mississippi Baptist

E-Mail - editor@msbaptist.orgWeb site www.msbaptist.org

USPS 353-960P.O. Box 8181

Laurel, Mississippi 39441-8000Phone 601-426-3293

PRICE$20.00 Per Year by Mail

$15.00 Per Year by EmailCHURCH PLAN

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Published on the 1st and 15th ofeach month by the

Baptist Missionary Associationof Mississippi.

Periodical postage paid atHattiesburg, MS 39402.

PostmasterSend address changes toMississippi Baptist Paper

P.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS 39441

Journal of the Baptist MissionaryAssociation of Mississippi

TrusteesAdam Sloan - Jean JeffcoatDanny Bartlett - Clell AllenCorbey Jones - Anders Lee

Don BrownEditor

Carolyn Hagler is a retired educator and amember of Westover Baptist Church in

Hattiesburg. You may conact her via email atcmhagler@bellsouth.net

In His Grip by Carolyn Hagler

Carolyn Hagler

continued from page 1

It’s Time toMake Your Reservations

Housing Information for 2021 BMA Annual Meeting

The 2021 session of the Baptist Missionary Association ofAmerica will meet August 2-4 at the Farley Street BaptistChurch in Waxahachie, Texas. The church and hotels arelooking forward to our meeting there. Please make yourreservations early. Call the local hotels directly to make yourreservations. Local telephone numbers are included below.You must identify that you are with the Baptist MissionaryAssociation of America. Also, when making your reservations,be sure to let them know you want rooms in the block forthe BMAA that begins on August 1. Your stay does not haveto include the night of the 1st, but that will make sure youget the BMA block rate.

The Fairfield Inn and Suites will serve as our headquartershotel for the annual meeting in Waxahachie.

• Fairfield by Marriott, 2020 Civic Center Lane: (Standard1 King or Standard 2 Queen: $135.00). Telephonereservations: 972-937-8886. Reservation cutoff date is July11, 2021.

In addition to the headquarters hotel, additional facilitiesare available in the area. Following is a list of properties thathave blocked rooms for the BMA meeting.

• Best Western Plus, 1701 North Highway 77: (RoomRate: $99.99). Complimentary hot breakfast buffet daily.Telephone reservations: 972-938-1600. Reservation cutoffdate is July 18, 2021.

• Comfort Suites, 131 RVG Plaza: (2 queen suite, $109.00;King suite, $109.00; for more than 2 people in the room, notincluding children, there will be an additional $15.00/personcharge). Hot breakfast buffet daily. Telephone reservations:469-517-1600. Reservation cutoff date is July 18, 2021.

• Hampton Inn, 2010 Civic Center Lane: (Double Queen:$120.00; King standard, $120.00). Hot breakfast daily.Telephone reservations: 972-923-0666, EXT 0. Reservationcutoff date is July 20, 2021.

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 984 North US 287Bypass: (Single King, $139.99; 2 Queen, $139.99; KingSuite, $169.99). Use Group Code: BMAA 2020. Telephonereservations: 972-938-3300. Reservation cutoff date is July1, 2021.

• La Quinta Inns & Suites, 311 Stadium Drive: (Standardroom, $104.00). Hot breakfast buffet daily. Telephonereservations: 972-937-5525. Reservation cutoff date is July1, 2021.

All room rates quoted above are subject to all local taxes.Jerome Cooper, Bill Thornton, and Daniel Williams

From Mountaintop to MountaintopIf I were to write a book, I would have to entitle it “All My Endings

Were Beginnings in Disguise.” I first read that idea in an article byCraig D. Lounsbrough, but it sums up my life and testimony.

I’ve had a lot of endings and valleys of suffering over the years,but I have learned from those valleys to look to the mountaintops.Looking out that window at the Chapel toward the Tetons duringone of the sisters’ western trips reminded me of Psalm 121:1, “I willlift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”

You may have wondered how my family started traveling to-gether. That beginning started with several losses: We lost Mother,Diva Sister, Daddy, and JB in approximately fiveyears. When Daddy died, I felt a little like anorphan. That’s when, though, my two remainingsisters and I made a commitment to each other toremain close.

I can’t say the three of us were always close, butwe didn’t want our family relationship to end. Deathcan sometimes end relationships as abruptly asslamming a door or finishing a favorite book, but myendings have always led to some type of new begin-ning: closer relationships, a love of southern gospel music, travel,southern gospel concerts, and new eating places.

My favorite teacher in high school was “Miss Mary,” who taughtme typewriting, shorthand, and a view of life. In preparing me formy first travel experience to Washington, D.C., she taught me thatwhen doors close as only God can close them, He will open anotherdoor or maybe a window. That stuck with me all these years.

I also had to unlearn letting fear control me because Miss Maryplaced me in many new situations with no choice to refuse. And Ihad lots of fears as I graduated from high school: speaking beforepeople, flying, facing college, leaving home, meeting new people,and many other experiences. But I remember Miss Mary, whorefused to let any of her students say certain words, such as “no,”or “I can’t.”

Five months after ending life with JB, we took our first triptogether as three sisters plus a brother-in-law (EW) to the SmokyMountains. Who would dream that started our years of traveltogether? That may have been when I discovered the benefits oflaughter for my spirit, soul, and body. Going from a fear that Icouldn’t go on alone to laughing in the moment was quite arevelation.

From listening to country music in Gatlinburg, Tennessee at

night, to touring the mountainsin the daytime, we spent manydays and nights enjoying life.The look on EW’s face whenHelen Cornelius, the countrysinger, sang “Happy Birthday”to him was priceless. No. 1 Sis-ter had made the arrangementwhen we arrived at the restau-rant unbeknownst to us. Thattrip set our pattern of laughingat and with each other.

Those were also the dayswhen Middle Sister did all ofthe driving and didn’t respondwell to our directions of “Stop!There’s a place to shop.” Or “Golike the wind.” Or “Whip it inhere.”

On one certain mountainroad, she had heard our re-quests too many times; so, sheskidded into a small gravel turn-out and slammed on brakes. Asubdued crew climbed out withour knees knocking and lookedbriefly at all the things to buy.We didn’t buy anything, but welearned our lesson that it mightbe wise to keep silent some-times, especially on mountain-ous roads

That same sister suffered

View from the Chapel of the Transfiguration, Grand Teton National Park

Gulfport ChurchSeeks Pastor

Campground Baptist Church,Gulfport, is seeking a qualifiedpastor. Our congregation has adesire to serve with and follow ashepherd led by God. If you feelGod is calling you to serve atCampground please send a re-sume tosouthernirrigation@att.net andthe pastor search committee willprayerfully reach out to you inconfidence.

Our goal at Campground is toserve God and follow his will. Wepray for God’s blessings on you.

Singing School SetRocky Branch Baptist

Church in Sumrall willhave a Singing Schoolfrom May 31 to June 4 at6:30 each evening. Martyand Ann Phillips will be in chargeof the school. Everyone is invitedto attend.

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3May 15, 2021 • Mississippi Baptist

BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

Missions Department &Revolving Loan Fund

State Missionaries, Coaches & Coordinators and Wives

www.bmams.org - 601.428.8616Larry Geraldson

Director

Kenneth & CarolePollock

Sidney & BeckyFarmer

Johnny & Neta Williams

Scott and SusanBrocious

Chris & DeeDeeYager

Estuardo &Yasmine Marroquin

Josh and Mary HelenDaniels

Jason and KylieHoward

Wesley & HolleyMartin

Daniel & SherriAllen

Midway Baptist Missionin Batesville, Mississippi

“Greetings in the name of our LordJesus Christ! May His mercy and gracebe upon each of you who have been sodiligent in prayer and support of Mid-way Mission. The Lord is blessing thework in the Oxford/Batesville area.Some degree of normalcy has returned,and it is much easier to approach peopleto engage them in conversation. Theareas where people gather for lunch,fellowship, or recreation have reopenedso we are again mixing with these withencouragement to be involved in churchactivities. Of course, there is always aninvitation extended to attend servicesat Midway. As we move into the sum-mer months, our expectation is to seenew members in our congregation.

For the past few weeks, a series ofsermons from Jude’s epistle has beendelivered. Worshipers are recognizingthe adverse things that are confrontingthe church, and they are learning howto stand firmly on their Christian faithto achieve victory over the Satanic forceswhile witnessing for Christ. Wednes-day evening Bible Study has focused onI John with emphasis on loving God andloving one another. Really it has been

God continues to bless us in our StateMissions efforts. Most recently, I hadthe privilege of helping with the ordina-tion of Bro. Leo Adan, Hispanic Mis-sionary Pastor of El Camino BaptistMission in Hattiesburg. The meetingwas held at Westover Baptist Churchwhere the mission meets. Bro. SamOglesby preached the charge and Bro.Estuardo Marroquin, Bro. MarcianoMontalvo, and Bro. Byron Moraleshelped by serving on the presbytery. Itwas a good service and a wonderful timeof fellowship. Bro. Leo is doing a greatjob and will make a wonderful pastor ofthis church when they organize in July.

On May 4th, the Missionary Com-mittee met and, among other things,interviewed Bro. Samuel Yager andapproved him to serve as an AssociateMissionary. He will begin serving inSeptember. He will work as an Associ-ate Missionary for two years before be-coming a State Missionary. During thistime, he will be given extensive train-ing opportunities and will undergo spe-cific training from our missionary

coaches in the areas of dis-cipleship, church doctrineand church polity. We willbe providing you more in-formation about Bro.Samuel in our upcomingarticles.

Preparations are wellunderway for the new con-struction of facilities forRefuge Baptist Mission atthe Kiln. Also, Redemp-tion Baptist Church ofDiamondHead will begin constructionon Phase II of their building soon. Theseare necessary projections that will pro-vide a greater permanent presence ineach of these communities.

Our State Midyear Meeting is sched-uled for May 18 at Southeastern Bap-tist College. I look forward to giving youa more detailed report at that meeting.If you are able to attend, we encourageyou to do so.

Our Special Emphasis continuesthrough May. Please consider sharingour promotional video with your church

as you prepare to take up a SpecialEmphasis offering for State Missions.You can download the video direct toyour church computer atwww.bmams.org. The instructions fordownloading are simple, but if you needhelp, we will be glad to assist you. Justgive us a call at 601-428-8616. Also, ifyour church would rather have a DVDversion of the video, we can mail you acopy. Again, just contact us at the officeand we can get it in the mail to you.

At our annual meeting in October, Iexplained that we had taken action to

put us in a position to operate at a 100%Efficiency. By this, we mean that 100%of everything that comes to us for mis-sions, goes out the door for our mission-aries. Nothing is held back and used forsalaries, overhead, maintenance, utili-ties, insurance, etc. Everything thatcomes in for Missions goes out to ourMissionaries. Since that time, we haveoperated at 100% Efficiency each month.I believe this is a missions programthat is worthy of your support.

In addition to your general offeringto BMA of Mississippi State Missions,which is 100% used for the State Mis-sionaries, I would like to encourageeach church to add to your monthlygiving, an offering for BMA of Missis-sippi 1) Hispanic Missions Fund; 2)Church Ministries; 3) Jail Ministry; 4)Disaster Relief. These funds are Mis-sions Department designated funds andofferings received will always be usedfor these specific areas. Some churcheshave already begun to support theseareas with an additional offering, butwe need others to do the same.

Group meets at Westover Baptist Churchfor the ordination service of Bro. Leo Adan

about living in obedience to the Lord’scommandments. It is a true blessing tobe serving a people who are so eager tolearn.

Looking toward the future, roughdrafts of a constitution and by lawshave been written. Several policy state-ments have also been written. Thesedocuments will be presented to themembers for approval soon. Please prayfor us as we move toward our goal ofbecoming organized as a New Testa-ment Church. Pray also that we willhave boldness in presenting the Gospelof Christ even in difficult times andplaces.” -Dr. Kenneth Pollock MissionPastor

Salt Light Baptist Missionin Waveland, Mississippi

“Since our last report, the missionhas been doing good as far as atten-dance goes. Our members continue tobe faithful and we've been having visi-tors along with first time visitors innearly every Sunday morning worshipservice! We have been praying for newfamilies to join us for the past couple ofmonths and so far we've had two fami-lies commit to the mission; one on state-ment and one on profession of faith and

as a candidatefor baptism.Most recently,we received afamily of threeon transfer ofletters fromone of our sis-ter churches.As a result ofthis, we nowhave a pianoplayer! Halle-lujah! ...andanother manwho can help with singing in our wor-ship service! God is so good!

We will be recognizing two youngladies who have graduated: one fromPRCC and one from Kiln High School,the 12th of May with New Study Biblesand a reception in the fellowship build-ing. Also, we've had one of our membersgive a donation to get our Baptistryplumbed for water and gas! This is ahuge blessing! Glory to God! We havesome waiting on this. We're also ex-cited to be able to give towards specialemphasis for State Missions, as well as,regular monthly support. The Lord istruly blessing Salt Light Baptist Mis-

sion and wegive Him allthe glory. Westill have a lotto do, so pleasekeep us in yourprayers andthank you somuch for yourfaithful sup-port. Knowingthat you arepraying andsupporting usalong with theLord helpingus, we feel very confident in this work.”Johnny Williams, Missionary Pastor

Canaan Land Mission,Buckatunna, Mississippi

“I would like to start by saying thankyou always to our faithful supportingchurches and our State Missions office.We would not be able to do this workand plant a local New Testament churchwithout you all. Thank you from thebottom of our hearts, to those who sup-port financially, as well as, those who

Jonathan and MelissaRich joined the Salt Light

Baptist Mission.The Lynn Dale Perkinsfamily joined Salt Light

Baptist Mission

continued on page 7

4 May 15, 2021 • Mississippi Baptist

4229 Highway 15 North, Laurel, Mississippi 39440, (601) 426-6346

Southeastern Baptist College

Serving Christ With A Biblical World View In A Christian Atmosphere

Dr. Scott CarsonPresident

President’s PerspectiveThere’s a scene in an Indiana

Jones movie where he must takea step of faith off a ledge. Thereappears to be no support what-soever and if Indiana were totake a step off the ledge, it looksas though he would fall hun-dreds of feet to his death. How-ever, being compelled to savehis father’s life, Indiana Jonessummons up all his courage,closes his eyes and steps off. Heis relieved to find that althoughin midair, he is standing on aperfectly camouflaged pathacross a chasm, and it took thatstep of faith to find it.

Many of you know that Ispent quite a few years in theArmy as a paratrooper chap-lain. A paratrooper must placecomplete faith in many peopleand his equipment. He musthave faith in the aircraft engi-neers that they designed an air-worthy aircraft. He has to trustin the people who actually builtthe aircraft. He has faith in thepilot and his experience. He has

confidence in the ground con-trol. He places his faith in thehands of the paratroopers onthe ground who mark the safejump area. The soldier truststhe weatherman’s predictionsfor the jump. He puts an enor-mous amount of confidence inthe one who packed his para-chute. He trusts the person whoinspects the parachute. He looksto the Jumpmaster on his air-craft to safely exit him out ofthat aircraft. He trusts his para-chute to properly open and safely

deliver him tothe ground.He must havefaith in hisparatroopertraining sothat he ex-ecutes a safelanding ontothe drop zoneand there aren u m e r o u sother elements he must trust.Many would say that’s just toomuch trust in fallible humansand pass on the opportunity tojump from an aircraft while inflight.

The scripture is clear. We arecalled to walk by faith and notby sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Italso says in Hebrews 10:30,“Now the just shall live by faith:but if any draw back, my soulshall have no pleasure in him.”

Joshua and the Israeliteswere instructed to walk by faithand not by sight. The Lord toldthem when they were about toenter the promised land, and

though the enemy appeared tobe stronger and more numer-ous, they were not to fear. TheLord had already given theirenemies into their hands, how-ever, Joshua and his soldiersstill had to courageously go ontothe battlefield and fight them.They only needed to trust in theLord’s good promises and theenemy would be defeated. Thesoldiers first had to obey theLord and the Lord would do Hispart for the soldiers. The oddsdid not matter. The enemy hadthe best and most modern equip-ment and I am sure that thePhilistine’s iron chariots were aterrible sight to see. But God’speople were called to walk byfaith and not by sight. God prom-ised that the enemy was alreadydefeated even before the Israel-ites crossed the Jordan River.

The staff and trustees ofSoutheastern Baptist Collegeare held to the same standardsas all God’s children. We arecalled to walk by faith and notby sight. We entered 2020 witha significant budget deficit. Weprayed, we pressed forward andwe actually ended the 2020 cal-endar year in a better fiscal po-sition than previous years! Wecontinue to see tremendous op-portunities for growth in thecoming Fall Semester. We cur-

rently have more studentschoosing to come to SBC thanwe can house in the Fall Semes-ter! Therefore, we must moveforward in confidence, knowingGod will provide that housingsolution.

A major part of that solutionis money. We must trust thatthe Lord will move special peopleto support this important min-istry of the BMA of Mississippi.One of our staff members oftenreminds us that God has all themoney we need; He just has tosend some of it our way. PrayGod will open hearts and thatHis people will be obedient toHis calling. Our infrastructureneeds remain great, but our needfor a housing solution is mosturgent! The last thing we shoulddo is turn away students whodesire to attend SBC simplybecause we do not have enoughroom to house them. Are youwilling to help SBC grow intothe future as Mississippi’s pre-mier Christ centered, conserva-tive Bible college?

“But without faith it is im-possible to please him; for hethat cometh to God must be-lieve that he is, and that he is arewarder of them that diligentlyseek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Equipping the SaintsDr. Carson

National Day of Prayer BreakfastThe National Day of Prayer Breakfastfor the Laurel and Jones County areawas held May 6 in the SBCgymnasium. Thank you to all whohelped in so many ways to make thisanother successful time of fellowship aswe prayed for our community and na-tion. See the adjacent photos of theevent.

2021 GraduationCommencement will be held on Sat-

urday, May 15 at 11 a.m. in the South-eastern Baptist College gymnasium.Our guest speaker is Brother BoBankston, retired BMAA MississippiArmy National Guard Command Chap-lain and pastor of Pleasant Hill BaptistChurch in Quitman, Mississippi.

Equipment TrailerSBC is in need of a small enclosed

trailer for hauling sports equipmentand luggage for our athletes during outof town games. Perhaps a church or anindividual has a trailer that hasn’t beenused for a while that can be quicklyfixed up and donated to SBC for thisneed. Contact us at 601-426-6346 if youhave a solution for us.

Available to Fill Your Pulpit!Thank you to First Baptist Church of

Calhoun for inviting Dr. Carson to re-cently preach for your great folks. Dr.Carson is available to fill the pulpit forpreaching or to make a presentationabout the work and vision of Southeast-ern Baptist College. You can reach himat 601-433-4736 or atscarson@southeasternbaptist.edu

Cheyanna Skye Pierce of VancleaveMississippi signs with Chargers Softball

Makayla Cobb of Stone County Mississippijoins Chargers Softball Dr. Randy Turner, pastor of First Baptist

Church of Laurel, Mississippi delivers the finalSBC chapel message for the Spring Semester

The Lighthouse Café was recently featuredin the Mississippi Magazine!Ladies Bible study group of Highland Baptist in Laurel take advantage of the Lighthouse Café.

5May 15, 2021 • Mississippi Baptist

MississippiBaptistChildren'sHome

118 Lowe Road, Laurel, Mississippi 39443 - (601) 426-3928Dwight Lindsey - Director

Lindsey

What we shall beThere is so much joy and

promise in a new born child.The world around us has lostsight of the fact that joy in chil-dren comes from the promise ofGod’s Messiah. Even with thatpromise fulfilled in Christ, hu-manity cannot break the cycleof joy at the arrival of children.The hope seen in each childstems from the question, “Whatwill he or she become?” Willthey be like their father or theirmother? Will they be so inde-

pendent they merely carry simi-larities of their family whilebecoming such a unique indi-vidual? While we should notpluck this verse completely outof context, there is someoverarching truth found in, 1John 3:2 “Beloved, now are wethe sons of God, and it doth notyet appear what we shall be: butwe know that, when he shallappear, we shall be like him; forwe shall see him as he is.” Wedon’t know perfectly what wewill become. We do know what

God has said we will become.One day all believers will be likeHim.

A transition event is on ourhorizon. The first young manthe Lord sent our way, IsaacHousley, will be graduatingfrom High School on May 21st.

When we came to work at theChildren’s Home we had no teen-agers our own, but by the end ofthis year we will have a handfulof them. Watching young menat this stage in life is not alwayseasy, but we have hope in whatthey will become by maturingin Christ. Isaac has professedfaith in Christ. Now he is grow-ing in him. I cringe when I thinkback to this phase of my life. Ipray none of our kids take themissteps I did. But, I am thank-ful that if the Lord led me outmany of my mistakes then Hecan lead anyone else out oftheirs. As much hope as we havefor Isaac’s future worry stillabounds as a parent. As manyknow, it is not always easy let-ting go. Now we trust God to doa better and more complete workthan we could ever hope to do.

Pray with us for Isaac duringthis time. He has kept manyirons in the fire as it pertains to

his future. He is still trying tosettle on academics, athletics,and vocational trade. Right nowit looks like a combination of allit until something sticks. I haveoften preached progress to findpurpose. If any of you would liketo help Isaac along the wayplease feel free to send dona-tions through the Children’sHome to help pay for his truck,tuition, books, and the inevi-table need for spending moneyfrom time to time, or join uscelebrating with him 5:00 pmon May 23rd at First BaptistShady Grove.

If your church would like tohear a more personal update onthe work of the Children’s Homedon’t hesitate to call (662-605-0996) and schedule a time I couldcome and share. Thank you allfor your patience and support inthis ministry. It is truly a bless-ing to begin seeing fruits fromour labor.

Isaac Housley

Fast Track Summer SessionSBC will offer a full semester of courses in a shortened format this

summer, and at a significantly discounted rate of $450 per class.That is half price! Dorms are available. Dates of classes are May 26to July 2. Courses are both in classroom and online. You maypreregister NOW! Call 601-426-6346 or stop by the college Mondayto Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.1.

- New Testament Survey- Old Testament Survey

- Evangelism- Art Appreciation

- Accounting Principles I

- Accounting Principles II- English Composition I

- World Literature I- History of the U.S. I

- College Algebra

THE TEACHER'S CORNER HELP FOR THE

CHURCH'S CLASSROOM

Philip Attebery

Don’t be Afraid to Say “I Don’t Know”A friend of mine called to ask me a question during my days as a student at BMA Seminary. I cannot

remember the question, although it related to Bible, but I do remember my answer. I simplyresponded with “I don’t know.”

My friend began to laugh and said something like this, “You don’t know! You arestudying for a master’s degree at the Seminary and you don’t know?” I affirmed thatall she had said was true and that “I just don’t know.”

My friend attended a Baptist college which was well-attended at the time bystudents preparing for the ministry. She said, “You know we have lots of preachershere. They always have an answer to any question, even if they have to make oneup. I cannot believe that you are willing to admit that you do not know.”

I learned a few good lessons that day. First, people are more aware of a leader’sweaknesses than he or she might realize. Second, willingness to admit “I don’t know”is rarer than we might realize. Third, willingness to admit “I don’t know” is appreciated by others.I do recommend that a leader commit to researching the question in hopes of later providing ananswer. Let me encourage you, when necessary, do not be afraid to admit or say, “I don’t know.”

Staver points out that despitethe fact America was founded toprotect religious freedom, "theBiden administration and thisCabinet and these agencies un-der Biden's authority literallycould care less about religiousfreedom," the attorney contin-ues. "Their agenda is L, G, B, T,and Q and abortion – and noth-ing else matters to them."

Staver characterizes Presi-dent Joe Biden as a "kind ofpretender in the White House"who is out to destroy Americaand Judeo-Christian values.

"It's time for people to wake up[to that], and we must push backand speak up at every opportu-nity," he adds.

By way of illustration, Staversays doctors aren't expected togive liposuction to someone whois anorexic and requests theprocedure.

"[Such patients] think thatthey're overweight when in factthey're emaciated," he describes."You don't give them liposuctionto match their confused, dis-tressed mind – you do mentalhealth behavior modification;and that's exactly what you havewith these people who are con-fused about whether they'remale or female. You don't cut offparts of their body and give themopposite-sex hormones that will

ultimately destroy them for therest of their lives and perma-nently maim them."

Christian Medical & DentalAssociations is also concernedabout the Bidenadministration's appeal, de-scribing the White House's ap-peal as "misguided" and not sci-ence-based.

The administration's appealis based on a January 2021 rul-ing in the U.S. District Court forthe District of North DakotaEastern Division involving theReligious Sisters of Mercy,Catholic Benefits Association,et al. against the federal gov-ernment and the Obama-eramandate for doctors and hospi-tals to perform gender-transi-tion procedures.

ReligiousFreedomfrom page 1

“Where the Battle Rages”by Josh Howard

Christians face many chal-lenges in this day andage and new challengesseem to present them-selves on a near dailybasis. A quick scrollthrough the news onany given day could pro-vide plenty of cause forconsternation: high-profile stories of apos-tasy, disagreementsover doctrine, governmental in-terference in church life, etc. Inthe face of such challenges (bothfrom without and within), it maybe tempting to step back andremove oneself from the conflictaltogether. After all, one mightargue, is not love more impor-tant than dogma? Is not unitymore important than theology?Is not peace more importantthan principle?

We may certainly recognizethat none of us should be en-gaged in foolish controversies(Titus 3:9). Yet what do we do

with more pressing issues? Is-sues of salvation and damna-

tion? Light againstdark? Truth againstfalsehood? We may con-sider Martin Luther’swords from the not-so-distant past: “If I pro-fess with loudest voiceand clearest expositionevery portion of thetruth of God except thatlittle point which the

world and the Devil are at thatmoment attacking, I am not con-fessing Christ, however boldly Imay be professing Christ. Wherethe battle rages, there the loy-alty of the soldier is proved, andto be steady on all the battle-field besides, is mere flight anddisgrace if he flinches at thatpoint.” Luther’s conclusion ispowerful: our love for Christcompels us to fight for our Kingwherever the battle rages.

continued on page 6

Dr. Josh Howard

6 May 15, 2021 • Mississippi Baptist

WOMEN'S MISSIONARY AUXILIARYWMAofMS20@gmail.com

President Theresa Reus264 Dean Nursery Rd., Lucedale, MS 39452 - 601-508-9697

Treasuer Mrs. Shirlene Smith730 Hwy 533, Laurel, MS 39443 - 601-729-5638

From No Hope To New Hopefrom Jackie Ricks

National WMAThe people in Ukraine believe

they have no future because theyhave a “God void.” Therefore,they have no hope. They justexist from day to day, goingabout life as if it’s a drudgery.Larry and Tammy Wood spendtheir days in Ukraine trying tooffer the people hope—the hopethat can only come throughGod’s Word and Jesus Christ.

The Woods have spent overthe last 2 years in the country,learning the language and help-ing organize churches. They had

a plan, but so did God. Needlessto say, God showed them howmuch better His plan was. Theyhad hoped to organize a churchafter many months. Instead,God worked things to get theWater of Life Baptist Churchgoing by November of 2019, just

after three months on the field.Within a year that group aver-aged 65. A second church plant,Grace Church is also movingalong. God’s time line is fasterthan the Wood’s.

You may wonder how thework is growing so fast. Well,besides the fact that God is obvi-ously in it, the Woods use theconcept of teaching the Englishlanguage to gain the confidenceof the people. At first, they wereable to teach in person, as theyhad done many times before onmission trips. Now, however,due to the pandemic, they haveto use the virtual teaching overthe computer. They also gainhelp with learning the languagethere, spending two to threehours a day in a coffee shopstudying and making friendswith the ones who come in. Theyhave learned a most importantlesson to “wait on God.”

In Ukraine, “Christian” sim-ply means being part of the Or-thodox Church. Yet, many don’teven know who Jesus is. Some-times the people ask Tammy or

Larry for “help” and what theymean is “prayer.” They don’tunderstand all the concepts ofChristianity that most of usgrew up with. It usually takesabout three years for a person to

move from being interested inthe gospel to being a follower ofChrist in Ukraine.

The Wood family came homeon furlough during the pan-demic of 2020. In that time, theyalso got the corona virus. Be-sides causing health problemsat the time, it also slowed them

down some. They returned tofind the work was continuing.Now they are back for a briefstay for family reasons. TheSunday before they left wasEaster Sunday in Ukraine. That

was May 2, 2021. Seven mem-bers were baptized into theWater of Life Baptist Church inLutsk that day. Larry andTammy are excited to see whathappens while they are away asthe new believers trust Jesus togive them new hope in Him.

Home Bible study group by the Woods

Larry and Tammy Wood

Daniel SpringsSummer Schedule Released

by Jason Prewitt, Camp Director

We are excited about the up-coming summer after very limited

events for the past year due to theglobal pandemic. The summerschedule will feature nine differ-ent camp options, beginning withPre-Teen Camp 1, followed by

two split-week “combo camps”for both Pre-teen (3rd - 6thgrade) and Students (6th gradethrough college), then Pre-teenCamp 2, followed by two Ark-La-Tex camps and finishing the sum-mer with Student Camp. Here isthe summer camp schedule:• GMA National Camp - June 15-18• Pre-Teen Camp 1 — June 23-26• Combo Camp 1 — June 27-30• Combo Camp 2 — June 30-July 3• Pre-Teen Camp 2 — July 14-17• Ark-La-Tex Camp 1 — July 18-21• Ark-La-Tex Camp 2 — July 21-24• Student Camp — July 25-28

Daniel Springs is also availablefor retreats and private event rent-

als. We pride ourselves on provid-ing beautiful, clean and spaciousfacilities that will make a lastingimpression on all that attend. Con-tact us to reserve a time for familyreunions, birthday parties, col-lege groups, weddings, corporateevents, community events, fieldtrips, Bible study groups, churchgroups, school events, craftingevents, team building tourna-ments, recreational activities, suchas archery tag and pool rentals, oranything else we can help makememorable!

For more information about anyof our camps or making an eventreservation, please visit ourwebsite atwww.danielspringscamp.com orcall us at (903) 685-2433. Youcan also email us atinfo@danielspringscamp.com.

Sofilthy's Attic by Barbara White

Our Preacher is all time telling us to “fall in” which Iunderstand is a military term meaning line up and getready to march.

Well, I took the term “fall in” literally and I fell into thechurch building after stumping my toe on the threshold.I was wallowing around trying to get up when God senta young lady to help me. She asked if I had fallen and of

course I said, “yes” even though I wanted to say “No, I’m just takinga quick nap.”

All this got me to thinking how quickly our lives, our days, ourminutes, can change with no forewarning. I didn’t know I was fallinguntil I hit the floor. It’s not the fall that gets you, it’s the landing!

None of the changes that come to our lives is a surprise to God. Heorchestrates every change.

One of my go to scriptures is I Cor. 10:13. “There hath notemptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God isfaithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye maybe able to bear it.”

Fall In!

Consider three biblical ex-amples. First – in Jude 3, we aretold that although Jude longedto write the ‘beloved’ concern-ing their common salvation, he“found it necessary to write ap-pealing to you to contend for thefaith that was once for all deliv-ered to the saints.” Though Judelonged to write about otherthings, his attention was di-rected to the battle at hand.Christian: contend for the faith.Second – near the beginning ofhis encouraging and instructive

letter to Timothy, Paul remindsTimothy of the battle they areengaged in: “This charge I en-trust to you, Timothy, my child,in accordance with the prophe-cies previously made about you,that by them you may wage thegood warfare” (1 Tim 1:18).Paul’s letter to Timothy exaltsChrist, lauds the power of thegospel, and encourages Chris-tian unity, humility, and faith-fulness. Yet, this instructionincludes an early charge to en-gage the battles that arise.

Christian: wage the good war-fare.Third – near the conclusion ofthis warmly-written letter fullof pastoral instruction, Paul in-structs Timothy to “fight thegood fight of the faith” (1 Tim6:12). Paul’s final words in thisletter urge Timothy to go tobattle, defending believersagainst the dangers of false doc-trine. Christian: fight the goodfight.

We do not pick the battles weare given, yet we are called toengage the battles as they arise.Consider that in all the aboveexamples, the threats they facedcame from within the church aswell as from outside it. Fighting

Howard is Associate Pastor at Cal-vary Baptist Church, Horn Lake

false doctrines within the churchis surely a difficult battle to face.Yet we remember that we pro-fess Christ and we do not runfrom the battles that assail Hispeople. We are called to love, yetwe are also called to contend for

“Where the Battle Rages”from page 5

the faith, to wage the good war-fare, and to fight the good fight.Let us do so with courage inwhatever battle we may face.

Submission PoliciesArticle submissions should be sent by email to editor@msbaptist.org

or in typed format by mail to P.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS 39441.Photos should be emailed in jpg format. Photos lose resolution

when printed on newsprint, therefore the original quality is vital.Photos should be well lighted, in focus, clear and sharp. Photos shouldcontain people if at all possible. There is no guarantee that all articlesand/or photos will be published. Unsolicited items will be givenconsideration, but publication is not guaranteed. Date sensitivearticles will take priority.

We publish on the 1st and 15th of each month with the exception ofDecember. Articles announcing events should be in the issue that ispublished at least 2 weeks prior.

7May 15, 2021 • Mississippi Baptist

Missions Department Special EmphasisApril-May 2021 - Our Goal $25,000.00support prayerfully. We thank

our Lord for you all. Over thecourse of the last month, wehave been busy here in theBuckatunna area. We have been

doing visitation and meetingsome amazing people. Pleasepray for these efforts that seedsplanted may take root and growaccording to the will of God.Since our last update, our Godhas proven Himself once againfaithful! He is answering theprayers of his people and thispreacher in particular. We havespoken of and asked the inter-est of your prayers for a familythat has been visiting with usand spoken of looking for achurch home. After muchprayer, they have decided to jointhe Lord’s work here at CanaanLand, and we are thankful towelcome our newest members,the Taylor family! The Taylorshave hit the ground running intheir efforts to serve God in ourchurch. They have shown inter-est in wanting to start a Wednes-day night class for the youth inour church. Our first youth classshould be May 19th! We areexcited for our youth. Please bein prayer for these efforts thatthey may grow into somethingthat can benefit the community.

Also, we have been blessed byBro. Yager, with Living Hope inMeridian coordinating a mis-sions team coming from Michi-gan to help them, and to help usat Canaan Land. Our intentionsare to pass out flyers and churchinvitations in the Waynesboroarea. They will also be in ser-vices with us while they arehere. Please help us pray forthis outreach effort, as well as,the team’s safe travel. We alsohave had couple of visitors withus over the last couple of weeks,and some have returned mul-tiple times. This is always en-couraging. We have had anotheropportunity to help someone in

a community by building amuch-needed wheel chair ramp.It is our intention to show thosearound us that Canaan Landloves them and our community.If you know someone in our areathat may be elderly, widowed orin need of yard work or lightcarpentry projects, please do nothesitate to reach out. This is agood way to show the love ofChrist to those around us.

Continue to pray for us as welabor here. We have several newideas to reach and connect withthose in our community. Praythe Lord gives wisdom and opensall the doors to minister to ourcommunity.” Bro. ScottBrocious, Missionary Pastor

Living Hope Baptist Mission,Meridian, Mississippi

“The month of April broughtLiving Hope Baptist Missionrich blessings from the Lord!We were able to see visitors at-tend our services as a directresult of contacts made in ourcommunity. It is always a joy tobe able to see fruit for your laboras a young mission church. It is

encouraging to those alreadyattending, as well as, to thechurch planter! I pray it is alsoencouraging to those hearingthis report, knowing that it isalso fruit to your account be-cause of your faithfulness to prayand give so graciously.

Another blessing was the op-portunity to participate inMeridian’s Alley Cat Run &Festival which raises awarenessfor Donate Life Mississippi. Itwas a beautiful day to be outwith the community and wewere able to make many moregood connections. One in par-ticular was a young man namedBo who works at Meridian’sNational Guard Base. We are

excited for the possibilities tominister to those on base, aswell as, begin a Bible study soonfor these young men and womenseeking answers and Christianfellowship.

One more blessing was theability to host our first Men’sSteak Out & Bible study. It wasan awesome evening of fellow-ship and some good eating too!We are so blessed to have menat Living Hope that love God’sWord and are willing to take theextra time out of their busyschedule to be challenged by itand desire to grow closer to ourSavior.

We are faithfully praying to-gether with you as we reach outto those in our community, pass-ing out invitations door to doorweekly, that the Lord will directour steps to reach souls with thegospel of Jesus Christ and besaved. We are praying for opendoors in the community to con-tinue to promote the ministry ofLiving Hope. We are praying forthe Lord to show us every dayhow we can all be missionarieswith the Good News that JesusSaves!” - Bro. Chris Yager, Mis-sionary Pastor

Bro. Daniel Allen,Associate Missionary

“Greetings from RedemptionBaptist Church. As most of youknow, Redemption is now orga-nized and is no longer a missionbut a church. “All Praise andGlory be to God.” Now that thisprocess has been completed, Iwill continue to serve there andwork with Brother Wesley Mar-tin. However, I will also con-tinue in my training in the ar-eas of church doctrine andchurch polity. I am receivingmany opportunities to fill pul-pits as a part of my ongoingtraining. The month of April, Iwas able to fill the pulpit atHelton Road Baptist Church, inTheodore, Alabama. I preachedmy first Easter Sunday mes-sage there. It was a great day.God continues to give me oppor-tunity and I am truly thankfulfor it. To Him be all the Glory! Ialso want to personally thankyou for your continued supportand prayers. God Bless!”

Hispanic Missions Report,Bro. Estuardo Marroquin,Hispanic Missions Manager

Ordination Photos for Bro. Aden

Presbytery meets for ordinationBro. Aden

answering questions

Below - Laying on of hands

Ordaining council with Bro & Mrs Aden

We thank God for His bless-ings over the past few weeks inHispanic missions in our Stateof Mississippi. Each field con-tinues to advance sharing thegospel with the goal of magnify-ing the kingdom of our LordJesus.

CANTON - The Hispanic mis-sion in Canton continues to ad-vance in its work plan for thisyear 2021. Brother Lucas Gomezreports several people contacted,the gospel was shared witheleven people and three acceptedJesus as a personal savior. Wor-ship meetings each Sunday have

an average attendance of 12people. We continue to ask foryour prayers so that soon ourbrethren in this missionary fieldcan find a place to have theirmeetings. In the coming weeks,we will be visiting Clinton, Mis-sissippi with the goal of evange-lizing people who Bro. Lucashas contacted in this city.

HATTIESBURG - “And Ithank Christ Jesus our Lord,who hath enabled me, for thathe counted me faithful, puttingme into the ministry”. 1 Timo-

Missionsfrom page 3

New family (The Taylor Family) joinsat Canaan Land Baptist Mission

continued on page 8

Bro. Chris Yager runs in the “Alley CatRun” in Meridian which led to newcontacts for the mission.

8 May 15, 2021 • Mississippi Baptist

thy 1:12. We thank God for the life ofour brother Leo Adan, who was ordainedto the Ministry on May 1st. It was avery special ordination service. Manypeople from El Camino Church, Laureland Hattiesburg Mission were presentat this important activity. Bro. LarryGeraldson, Bro. Sam Oglesby, and Bro.Byron Morales were present, also.Brother Leo has served our Lord for thepast 5 years in the Hattiesburg missionby doing a great job in the missionaryfield. We are pleased by his call to min-istry and continued service to our LordJesus. In the last few weeks, they havecontacted more people and shared thegospel. Everyone in the Hispanic mis-sion continues to be faithful to prayermeetings, small groups, and worshipservices. We want to announce that onJuly 10th, this Hispanic mission will beorganized in a New Testament church.Service will be at 2:00 p.m. We invite allpastors who would like, to attend thisorganization service and support us withtheir prayers.

El Camino, Laurel- People in ElCamino Church keep serving the Lordfaithfully. The evangelism team con-tinues to do a good job. In recent weeksthey have been able to take to the streetsand share the gospel. Thank God theyhave had good results by sharing withmore than 25 people and eleven ac-cepted Jesus as their personal Savior.The church has returned to its prayerservices in the middle of the week; smallgroups continue to move forward eachweekend and there is good attendancein worship services. The Bible Institutecontinues to train more than 15 peopleevery Sunday and people in the churchare praying for more laborers. People atEl Camino Church are preparing tohold their Summer Camp on June 12

and 13. Everyoneis very encour-aged by this ac-tivity that is car-ried out everyyear with the par-ticipation ofpeople from themissions ofH a t t i es b u r g ,Canton, Biloxiand Laurel.

We are prayingfor more laborersto send to the mis-sionary fields inour state wherethe Hispanic com-munity continues to grow, and so theneed to preach the gospel becomes moreand more necessary every day. We thankthe churches and associations in Mis-sissippi for their prayers and their con-tinued support for moving forward inHispanic missions, in Christ.”

Refuge Baptist Mission Kiln, Mississippi

“Greetings to the churches of theBMA of Mississippi! We are thankful toreport to you about the work going on inRefuge Baptist Mission. Currently, weare still meeting in the Kiln Shelter forour Sunday morning worship servicesand for the children and youth minis-tries on Sunday evenings. We continueto meet new people in our area andinvite them to church, as well as, manyof the regular attenders and membershave been doing. Personal evangelismand personal invitation is working, aswe often have new visitors and theaverage attendance has increased somethrough the first few months of the yearand seems to be holding steady. Alongwith attendance increase, we have wit-nessed God put on many hearts to tithe.Offerings have increased as well, andthat is a good thing, as we prepare for abuilding project sometime this year.

We are beginning to meet once amonth again to discuss, plan, and orga-nize different activities, outreaches,ministries, and services. This has beena great need that we have neglected,but pray that it will give us some orga-nization and better function again inthe areas of visioneering and planningahead. Our mid week classes are stillbeing held in two different homes andcontinue to be well attended. Many ofthe people of Refuge continuously growin unity, friendship, and spirit. It is ablessing to watch this happen. Thissummer we are attending summer campwith other BMA missions and formermissions at Waukaway Springs. Thishas been an exciting spark for many ofour people and the signup list contin-ues to grow each week.

There is also great excitement andexpectation for the start of the buildingproject on the Refuge property. Godwilling, we will be able to start some-time this year and work toward accom-plishment through 2022. Plans havebeen made and final drawings are beingput together to give to contractors andbuilding companies. Please pray for usas we move in this direction. This can bea difficult time that needs much pa-tience, wisdom, and a move of God each

step of the way. Our people are READYto be in a set location that does not needsetup and breakdown each week, butthat in itself has been one of the thingsGod has used to bring unity and close-ness.

I close with a petition to considersupporting Refuge Baptist Missionthrough prayers and finances. We havebeen blessed with five supportingchurches and three associations. If youpersonally or your church has room inthe budget, we would greatly appreci-ate your considering partnering withthis work in Kiln, Mississippi. As wetake the next steps of permanent loca-tion, building, and even organizing inthe next few years, your support willhelp us get to that place in better shapeand to be better prepared for furtherministry as an organized church. MayGod bless the churches and associa-tions of the BMA of Mississippi. De-creasing for HIS Increase!” - Bro. JoshDaniels, Missionary Pastor

Sidney Farmer,Senior Missionary Coach

“The missionary coaching/trainingcontinues to go well. Missionaries areprogressing with the various trainings/coaching available to them with visibleresults. For the next few Sundays, wewill be with Bro. Wesley Martin andBro. Daniel Allen and some folks fromRedemption to provide evangelismtraining. Recently, our coaching team:myself, Bro. Jason Howard and Bro.Wesley Martin, appeared before the Mis-sionary Committee to give a report onan assessment of each missionary, re-quested by Bro. Geraldson. We pro-vided our input and explained our strat-egy for helping each missionary in theirareas of need. Please continue to prayfor all of our missionaries and theirfamilies as they serve the Lord in theareas which He has placed them andpray for us, as this is a much neededministry.”

Missionsfrom page 7

Mission team from Faith Baptist Church in Warren, Michigan come south tohelp Bro. Chris Yager and Bro. Scott Brocious. They knocked doors andplaced door hangers and handed out flyers across Meridian and Buckatunna

from ‘Insectophobia’ for a lack of a bet-ter term. She feared frogs, lizards,snakes, taking a wrong road, being lost,but there doesn’t seem to be an inclu-sive term for all that she was afraid of.

On that first trip to the Smoky Moun-tains, we discovered Rising Fawn, Geor-gia. But as we were leaving, I kepthearing a noise and said several times,“Something’s wrong with the car.” Sheseemed to ignore me because she keptdriving until she suddenly jumped fromthe car, clawing at her clothes. EW wasable to jam his foot on the brake beforewe headed down the bluff. Then we sawit! A cicada flying away. Middle Sisterdidn’t find it funny since it was in herblouse, but a cicada’s buzzing serves asa memorial to me and brings a giggle

every time. Have you started hearingthem this year?

Our travels turned our small groupof four into friends until another begin-ning came when EW developed cancer.Our travels continued, mainly to M. D.Anderson, where we were able to laughover new skills learned in cleaning IVports, driving on railroad tracks, andbeing lost. Because of Middle Sister’sfears, she insisted No. 1 Sister also hadto be trained with her to clean his PICCline. (They had to pass a test before theycould be approved.) My job was to readthe directions. We found togethernesseven in chemo and radiation treatments.EW used to credit his cancer to my notbeing in Hattiesburg for HurricaneKatrina.

Because of that kinship that becamefriendship, we sisters were togetherwhen we came to the end of that chap-ter. Shared ends are sweeter, and me-morials bring them to mind.

All my endings have turned into be-

ginnings because through them all, Hehas been and will always be faithful. Ifit were not for the endings, I would havenever understood, “And we know thatall things work together for good tothem that love God, to them who are thecalled according to his purpose.” Ro-mans 8:28.

I have held to His promises to walkwith me, to be by my side, and to providesufficient grace as it’s needed. One daymy book will come to The End, whichwill still be a beginning when I seeJesus face to face and all the saved whohave been a part of my life. Makes evena Baptist feel like shouting, “Hallelu-jah; praise the Lord!” Until then, I re-main in His grip.

In His Gripfrom page 2

Some people go to church

three times in their lives:

when they're born,

when they're married,

and when they die -

hatched, matched,

and dispatched,

The first time they

throw water,

the second time rice,

and the third time dirt.

-Adrian Rogers

Everything we trulybelieve, we obey.

Everything else isjust religious talk!