Knock-knock, Who’s there? Luke. Luke who? Luke through the peephole and find out! Yes, it’s a corny joke, but aren’t most knock-knock jokes? When I read Psalm 103, the one repeated word is “Who.” When I consider the greatness and attributes of God, who can compare? No one, that is who.

The term “good” functions as a key concept in Genesis. In Chapter 1, “good” occurs seven times to describe God’s creation (vv. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). In Genesis 3, however, a change takes place because of the first sin of humans and its consequences. This chapter affirms that human sin marred God’s created order as well as individual human beings, family life and the world.

MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. — With Christmas just around the corner, many Tennesseans are dealing with the aftermath of a series of tornadoes that swept through West and Middle Tennessee on Saturday. Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief teams responded immediately to the storms, and recovery efforts are underway.

I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard the name Lottie Moon. I was sitting at the Sunday dinner table talking with my aunt, who worked at Lifeway (then known as the Baptist Sunday School Board). One of the jobs she had at the time was to produce and distribute envelopes for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, a yearly opportunity for churches to come together in a spirit of cooperation to give directly to missionaries around the world.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — During Friday's fall commencement ceremony, Southeastern Seminary and The College at Southeastern celebrated 228 Great Commission graduates representing 29 states and 19 countries. Joining the thousands of Southeastern alumni serving around the world, these graduates are being sent to serve local churches and make disciples wherever God calls them.

KANSAS CITY, Mo—Hundreds of new graduates received their diplomas Friday during the 74th commencement exercise at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. President Jason Allen began the graduation ceremony by recognizing God’s continued faithfulness to His Church in providing yet another group of God-called men and women to be and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. — A South Carolina church that focuses heavily on reaching the unchurched baptized 141 new believers on December 3. Wayne Bray, lead pastor of First Baptist Simpsonville/Upstate Church, called the mass baptisms "thrilling." “I’m overwhelmed,” he told his congregation in his Sunday morning sermon. “God is doing something supernatural, not just in this place but on every campus today.”

HOUSTON, Texas — Georgia preacher Levi Skipper will be heading west to serve as lead pastor of a Texas megachurch. Sagemont Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in Houston, announced Sunday that Skipper had been called as lead pastor. Skipper, with 17 years of experience as a senior pastor, has led the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s church strengthening and evangelism teams since 2019.

RICHMOND, Va. — As new International Mission Board missionaries gathered for a special commissioning service near Richmond, Virginia, on Thursday, six representatives of the Myanmar Baptist Churches USA fellowship traveled from Maryland. They were on-site to support one couple who represents a historic milestone for the Southern Baptist Convention.  

Following his recent diagnosis of kidney cancer, Steve Gaines shared in a video update Dec. 7 that his doctors said the cancer has spread to his lungs. Gaines, former Southern Baptist Convention president and a Tennessee Baptist pastor, appeared in the video with his wife, Donna. Gaines first announced his cancer diagnosis Nov. 19 to Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, which is one of the largest congregations in both the SBC and the Tennessee Baptist Convention.

It was just a normal meeting of some Zambian pastors and a few workers from Christian organizations. When Randy Windham stood up and handed a sign-up sheet to the person next to him, they had no idea that ministry as they knew it was about to change. “I’ve been to a training on how to plant churches,” the International Mission Board missionary told them. “I’d love to share this knowledge. If you are interested, just sign up and we’ll set a time for training.” 

MANSFIELD, Texas — From meeting each other in the classroom at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2007, to serving in a church 20 minutes from the campus, Spencer (’07, ’13) and Shelley (’08) Plumlee have been following God’s will to make the biggest Kingdom impact possible. Through discipleship and remembering where they came from, they help show Christ’s love in the Mansfield, Texas, community and beyond.

Jimmy Dukes, a visionary and innovator who served New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College as a faculty member and administrator for more than four decades, died Monday at the age of 81. Dukes was integral to the founding and establishment of Leavell College, the ground-breaking and highly successful NOBTS prison theological education system, and the NOBTS extension center system that made theological education accessible to pastors without resources for education.  

BAXLEY, Ga. — Georgia-based evangelist Rick Gage rocked the Bible Belt in 2023 with his powerful brand of preaching in a series of crusades attended by tens of thousands. In his final crusade of the year, some 17,000 people packed into an open-air amphitheater just outside Jackson, Miss., for four nights of preaching. More than 2,000 people made decisions for Christ.

A middle schooler recently told his mother he didn’t like Sunday School because he knew all the Bible stories already.  I got a little bit tickled but beg to differ with that young man.  Even though I am 62, every single time I open God’s Word He speaks to me.

My brother Ken and I were in prison when our sister was born. At least it felt like prison. Our grandmother—we called her Mama Hudgins — piled four quilts onto our skinny bodies — bedded down in a cold, unheated room—turned the calendar toward the wall so that we wouldn’t strain our eyes trying to figure out the date, pulled the light chain and shut the door.

Do you ever feel like you hear the phrase “Just a minute” quite often? Well, I know at my house I do. It feels like you can call a name and they seem to answer, “Just a minute.” I can ask someone to put away their items scattered around the house and they will say, “Just a minute.” A request can be made to get the mail and I normally hear, “Just a minute.” Sometimes when I have heard “Just a minute” enough I make the decision to just do it myself.

MONROE, Ga. — Pastors are sometimes depressed, distressed, discouraged, despondent, dejected, disconsolate, disheartened, even doleful. However, that is not true of Mike Peavy, pastor of Gratis Church in Monroe, Ga. At least a recent visit with him gave every evidence that he is a joyful, compassionate, dedicated pastor who always seems to see the glass as half full rather than half empty.

AUGUSTA, Ga. —The greater Augusta area is gearing up for what locals affectionately call Tree Week – the 45th annual Abilene Baptist Church Singing Christmas Tree. You might be wondering why a church continues to invest time, effort, and resources into an event that seems old-fashioned. Dr. Brad Whitt of Abilene Baptist Church sheds light on the tradition, revealing its impact on the local community and the spirit of the holiday season.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Churches are offering Christmas events and activities beyond weekly worship services this Christmas season, which will make many churchgoers happy. On average, pastors are planning four events or activities to help their churches celebrate Christmas this year, according to a Lifeway Research study. A Christmas Eve service tops the list, with 4 in 5 pastors (81%) planning to offer such a service this year in addition to weekly worship services.

Amy Whitfield first heard the name Lottie Moon as a child, and she learned more about Lottie’s life and ministry over the years, thanks, in part, to the annual missions offering that bears her name. Lottie’s life became a research interest for Whitfield, who’s worked for Southern Baptist Convention entities for 20 years. So when the opportunity to write a children’s book on Lottie Moon presented itself, Whitfield jumped at the chance.

SWAINSBORO, Ga. — Robbie Lane, the starting shortstop on the East Georgia State College baseball team, has hit a grand slam of a different sort in an at bat as an aspiring minister. The 19-year-old baptized 11 of his teammates last week in a shiny aluminum watering trough set up on the baseball field.

Lostness is growing every day. That is the reality that the International Mission Board wants Christ-followers to realize. “We will not ignore it. We won’t be silent. We won’t stand still. We will reach the nations, no matter the cost,” the IMB states on its website.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Framing his address around Martin Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” W. Madison Grace II, provost and vice president for academic administration at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, challenged the 339 men and women who received their diplomas and certificates during the commencement ceremony Friday on the Fort Worth campus to remember longevity and flourishing in ministry requires dependence on the Lord.

SHREVEPORT, La. — As Christmas approaches, the Lovewell Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, is gearing up for its annual Toy Shop event on December 9, bringing joy to local families in need. This festive and heartwarming initiative allows parents who are members of the Lovewell Center to “purchase” Christmas toys for their children using the hard-earned credits they’ve accumulated throughout the year.