ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Georgia Baptists will launch into the new year with two statewide Evangelism Conferences built around a theme drawn straight from Scripture: Not Ashamed. Hosted at North Metro Baptist Church in Hoschton on Feb. 22–23 and First Baptist Church of Thomasville on March 1–2, the conferences will offer pastors, staff members, volunteers, and church leaders a weekend of preaching, training, and practical encouragement for reaching their communities with the gospel.

The phone rang in the night. I tensed. Only one time has good news ever come in the night: to shepherds when Christ was born.

FORT WORTH (BP) – Imagine being a child at the mall asking Santa Claus for a wish he cannot possibly fulfill. Now imagine watching as Santa bows his head in prayer to ask God to make your wish come true.

TOCCOA, Ga.  — Four people accepted Christ as their Savior, and more than 450 kids received Christmas presents during First Baptist Church of Toccoa’s Associational Toy Store on Saturday, Dec. 13.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the beloved animated television program, turns 60 this year. It is hard to imagine that it almost did not air. 

I realized something about my finances a long time ago. It may seem trivial to you, but it changed how I look at my bank balance. I concluded that if I didn’t have any bills, I would have much more money!

In Matthew 5–7, we find Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5 takes us to the hillside along the Sea of Galilee. As the multitude is seated, Jesus shares the Beatitudes (or “Attitudes to Be”). The word translated “blessed” is best understood as, “oh, the contentment of …”

SENOIA, Ga. — New Hope Baptist Church in Senoia welcomed hundreds of families to its second annual Christmas Store on Dec. 12–13. The event is designed to support families across Fayette and Coweta counties, providing assistance with dignity and joy while sharing the love of Christ in a tangible way.

Charlie and Robin Janney have been International Mission Board missionaries serving in Mexico for 27 years. They partner with the Mexico Baptist Convention to minister to migrants and displaced peoples. Through trauma healing, they help people process their pain and turn it over to Jesus.  

CUMMING, Ga, — First Redeemer Church is launching the Redeemer Bible Institute (RBI), a new comprehensive Bible training program designed to equip believers for serious, life-long study of Scripture and for effective Bible teaching in the local church and community.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — Brewton-Parker Christian University is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Meadows New Foundation. This funding will provide scholarships for nursing students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and directly support nursing faculty.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of War Pete Hegseth released a video Tuesday evening, Dec. 16, announcing immediate changes to directives given to military chaplains.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (BP) — Alex Lyons was touring the International Mission Board’s training center in late April, lagging behind the group, when he spied the life-sized, black-and-white Lottie Moon cutout familiar to many churches. And as Lyons is prone to do, he had an idea and acted on it.

RIALTO, Calif. — Gateway Seminary President Adam Groza encouraged graduates to walk in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit during commencement at Sunrise Church on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College celebrated more than 250 graduates during its fall commencement ceremonies on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. 

At work. That’s where it started. On a regular, boring, nothing-ever-happens-around-here night. Suddenly, the sky exploded with light, and they were face down, surrounded by glory.

I love Christmas. I love to find gifts for others that I think they might like. I know everyone in my family likes to make a "list," but I like to get something that I might just come across that reminds me of them or that I think they would be surprised over. It's not always an easy task.

EPWORTH, Ga. — Since 1994, First Baptist Church Epworth has taken shoeboxes to South Dakota, and now to Oklahoma. On Dec. 5, 2025, 37 church members traveled to the Muscogee-Seminole-Wichita Indian Baptist Association in Henryetta, Oklahoma, to deliver 1,904 shoeboxes so children could have a better Christmas.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — This January, around 4,000 ministry leaders and volunteers will gather in Nashville, Tennessee, Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and the Houston and Dallas/Fort Worth areas of Texas for Lifeway’s VBS Preview events.

MUNCIE, Ind. (BP) – “Wasn’t brain cancer enough?” Melissa Reynolds asked her husband Bruce, resting her head on his shoulder. “Now we have to lose our son.”

ATLANTA — Mike Griffin, Public Affairs Representative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, hosted a special prayer tour of the State Capitol especially for a group of Deaf visitors, on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Barb Coffan and Karen Green interpreted for the group, which visited various offices and chambers in the building, stopping and praying at each one.

MT. VERNON, Ky. (KT) — A fire at Maretburg Baptist Church Sunday night could have had disastrous results. Instead, Pastor Peyton Bowman said the grace of God was seen in abundance. The fire started as a result of a power line that fell across several vehicles at the church as it prepared for its Christmas program.

After years of efforts, theologians, pastors, and Bible teachers can finally agree on one essential truth. This core truth spans all denominations, preferences, languages, and cultures. It can be proclaimed from any Christian pulpit or platform around the world without fear of repercussions or backlash.

Since we are close to Christmas, we back up to Matthew 2 in today’s passage and read about the birth of Jesus. Following the genealogy in chapter 1, Matthew takes us to a scene where wise men are seeking this newborn King.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Addressing the Georgia Baptist Convention Executive Committee on Tuesday, Dec. 9, Chairman Steven Fountain offered a devotional message built on Acts 1:8, encouraging pastors and ministry leaders to remain faithful to their calling by leaning on the Holy Spirit, embracing their purpose as witnesses, and prioritizing the ministries closest to them.