ATLANTA — Supporters of legal sports gambling in Georgia renewed their push Tuesday, but it's unclear whether they're any closer to assembling a winning coalition after they went bust last year. The Georgia Baptist Convention, the state’s largest religious group with some 1.4 million members, continues to oppose the proposal, saying sports betting would be more detrimental than beneficial to the state’s residents because it produces “increases in human misery.”

For most pastors, the start of a new calendar year also indicates the start of a new fiscal year for their churches. But there is much more variety among pastors when it comes to who is involved in making the budget for the fiscal year.

I once read that the middle of January was among the most depressing times of year for people everywhere. You would surmise the reason would be due to the lack of sunlight during the daytime or colder weather. The real reason some folks are down this early in the year may surprise you. It is around this time in January that credit card and store bills are due from Christmas shopping.

Land is valuable. We are blessed to live on land that has been in the family since the 1880s. As a relative of mine says, “They are not making any more land.” One of the foundational promises God made to Abraham. As a result of the flood, however, the land itself bears the evidence of God’s promise of destruction.

SUWANEE, Ga. — Christians who routinely share their faith are finding a willingness among people to engage in conversations about spiritual matters, including salvation. That’s according to one of the latest articles from Barna Research Group, an organization that monitors cultural and religious trends in America. “Part of the reason may be that the U.S. is culturally Christian,” Barna wrote, citing past surveys. “In fact, 72 percent of people in the U.S. say they were raised Christian.” Barna said Christians aren’t being met with strong resistance when they converse with others about the Bible, because a significant number of non-Christians tend to reverence scripture.

Georgia Baptist Convention President Josh Saefkow has appointed church leaders from across the state to serve on this year’s Committee on Nominations. Wade Lott, pastor at Macedonia Baptist in Hiawassee will serve as chairman. Lott is in his second year on the committee.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee is expected to vote on a presidential candidate Feb. 19. A search team has settled on a yet-to-be-identified nominee after interviewing 30 other potential candidates, said chairman Neal Hughes, director of missions in the Montgomery Baptist Association.

COVINGTON, Ga. — Georgia Pastor David Wheeler’s love for old cars is turning him into a YouTube celebrity. Nearly six million people have tuned in to watch Wheeler and his family restore rusted clunkers on their YouTube program Revstoration. “We take old, forgotten, abandoned things left for dead and bring them back to life,” said Wheeler, who is typically on screen in worn jeans, boots and greasy T-shirts, trying to get long-abandoned cars and trucks back on the road.

WESTERN CUBA — As 2024 begins, close to 5,000 Western Cubans are walking into the new year with new spiritual life found only in Jesus Christ. During a recent mission trip to the island nation, eight Florida Baptist leaders came right beside Western Cuba Baptist leaders for eight days of evangelistic outreach and preaching, resulting in 4,820 professions of faith.

In a world where a cup of hot chocolate is often a simple comfort, five-and-a-half-year-old Hudson Wickiser turned it into a beacon of hope. With a mission as warm as the cocoa he served, Hudson’s tiny hands mixed, poured, and stirred not just ingredients, but also the hearts of his community, raising $150 for a cause that reaches far beyond his hot chocolate stand.

The School of Church Music and Worship at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary received affirmation and commendation from the National Association of Schools of Music, seminary administration announced today. “We congratulate Professor Ben Caston and Dean Joe Crider on this good report and commendation from the National Association of Schools of Music,” said President David S. Dockery.

HARTSELLE, Ala. — Southern Baptist evangelist Junior Hill is being remembered as a powerful gospel preacher and a selfless follower of Christ who preached in churches throughout the Bible Belt and beyond for nearly 70 years. Hill died Wednesday at his home in Hartselle, Ala. He was 87.

DULUTH, Ga. — The Georgia Baptist Mission Board has sold a five-story office building and adjacent property in Duluth to a hotel developer for $23.5 million, bringing an end to a years-long search for a buyer. “We are grateful to the Lord and to all those who worked so hard to make this happen,” said Mission Board Executive Director Thomas Hammond. “The proceeds from the sale of this property will be used to expand the kingdom and continue to grow Georgia Baptist missions and ministries.”

The current war between Hamas and Israel has exposed a generational rift among U.S. Christians and their perceptions about the conflict. A Lifeway Research study sponsored by The Philos Project explored the attitudes of self-identified Christians in America about Israel, Palestinians, and the fighting happening in their region.

HORSHAM, Pa. – Riverside Community Church, planted in 2000, has started four other churches, all with men from the church. Pastor Ezra Strickhouser was part of the original launch team. He came on staff after eight years, and became lead pastor in 2017, right as the church transitioned from setting up and tearing down every week in a rental location to purchasing a church property.

Way back in the 1900s, there was an amazing, magnificent, almost magical book of wishes.  Each year, Sears, Roebuck and Company issued a treasured catalog containing all the toys on earth, and it went to every household. Every.  Single.  Household.  Kids young and old anxiously awaited its arrival in the fall. 

It’s that time of year when people make “resolutions.” I have never been big on those, mainly because if I made a resolution I would stress myself out trying to fulfill it and feel guilty if I didn’t totally complete the goal. It’s just not worth it to me.

MARSHALL, Mo. — It is not uncommon for viewers to leave a movie with strong emotions. In fact, most movies are crafted to elicit an emotional response. But rarely is the intended response anger. This summer, after seeing “Sound of Freedom” in theaters, one Missouri Baptist pastor went home angry.

STATESBORO, Ga. — An electronic timer on display at First Baptist Church in Statesboro showed the alarming rate at which people around the world are dying without the hope of salvation. The number climbed as seconds ticked by. Within 10 minutes, the count had reached 325 people. Each successive 10 minutes added that many more. And in the next 24 hours, according to the International Mission Board, the total would climb to 157,000. Pastor John Waters used the display during his sermon on Dec. 10 to highlight the urgency of the work of missionaries serving in countries around the world. Since then, he has seen an outpouring of financial support to get the gospel to the nations.

STATESBORO, Ga. — Tom Kollars walked into a Starbucks coffee shop in Statesboro not long ago, chatting with people as they waited for their cups of java. By the time the 64-year-old college professor left a short time later, he had led five strangers to Christ. Pastor Mike Dann of Botsford Baptist Church saw it all unfold and was amazed by the ease with which Kollars was able to successfully engage people in lifechanging conversations about the gospel. “He’s the most incredible soulwinner I’ve ever met,” Dann said.

Towels mop up sweat from foreheads after another successful workout. Several gym members finish stretching, while others arrange the benches and Plyo workout boxes in a church-pew formation in preparation for that evening’s church service. It’s an unorthodox location for a church—a cross-training gym—but that’s what it is—a growing body of believers and seekers who gather to worship and hear the Word of God preached each week.

Today’s technology is amazing and ever-changing. As part of renovations to our family’s home, a lock was added to the main door we use for entry. It came with a keypad, a wireless signal and an app for my smartphone. With the app on my phone, I can lock and unlock the door, set timers and various codes and know when the door is opened or closed.

CLARKSTON, Ga. — A 12-member team of Mississippi Baptists have visited Clarkston, an Atlanta suburb that has become home to refugees from around the world. Once a largely white community, Clarkston is now home to people speaking some 100 different languages, and many of them can be heard in the multi-ethnic and multi-generational Clarkston International Bible Church.

God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 6 describes in many ways the destruction of God’s good earth. God’s judgment of sin during the days of Noah is a narration of the destruction of God’s earth. In a wicked generation, one man —  Noah —  finds favor with God. Genesis 6:9 describes one man God would use as an instrument of faithfulness in the midst of a sea of evil. 

VALDOSTA, Ga. — More than 350 Georgia students made commitments to Christ at the Wild Adventures amusement park in Valdosta on Thursday and Friday, providing a spiritual grand finale to a year that will be remembered for large numbers of salvation decisions. More than 2,500 people attended the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s annual MOVE Conference, a two-day evangelistic outreach for middle and high school students at a venue billed as 170 acres of rides, slides and exotic animals.