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Lifting our shields of faith, together

November 13, 2020 By Carmen Halsey

I love being in a room where I’m meeting women in our IBSA family. As I talk to them and learn more about their stories, I start to get a sense of their scars—those things that have cut deeply, caused trauma, and left a mark. We all have multiple scars, and in those rooms, I […]

Testing the foundation

May 11, 2020 By Carmen Halsey

Encouraging Words

“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:10 NLT) My church’s mission team has been meeting weekly via Zoom since the shelter-at-home order began. We’ve been looking for opportunities to serve others, but this is a particularly hard time to serve the […]

How can we think long-term?

April 8, 2020 By Carmen Halsey

The COVID-19 pandemic has me thinking about Lydia from the Book of Acts, the woman who was so changed by Christ that she influenced her whole household to know him too. Her love for God was contagious to those around her. In this unprecedented time, we have the same opportunity. How can we be people […]

What people will remember

January 29, 2020 By Carmen Halsey

A home in the Dominican Republic

A few months after my husband died last year, I went on a mission trip he was scheduled to take to the Dominican Republic. It is a very special place to both of us. We led numerous teams there to help local churches reach the people in their communities with the gospel. This was the […]

Casting a difficult vision

December 3, 2016 By Carmen Halsey

Leaders often are tasked with communicating vision. They call people to action, urging them to move from observers to participants. And often, they become leaders themselves. But sometimes the vision is difficult. Sometimes, successes aren’t resounding. For a few years now, our team has been working to equip and advise churches on the issue of human trafficking. It’s an exceedingly messy, heartbreaking problem, and casting a vision for people to help prevent it is also complicated. When an issue is so big, how do effective leaders guide people to real engagement, even without the promise of results? Here are some helpful tips we’ve learned along the way: Read…

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The Briefing: Baptists respond in Texas

Featured Columns

What’s really important

Nate Adams

Crisis can bring clarity. When I first heard that simple observation from a friend, its truth immediately resonated with me. A crisis has a way of demanding our attention and diminishing the less important things in our lives. The result can be a clearer vision of what truly is important to us. In other words, […]

Start at home: Building a framework for discipleship

Sarah Bordewick

Being a part of a church family is part of growing as a follower of Jesus. But kids spend far more time in their homes. That’s why we want our families to go deeper together. Discipleship at home is a critical endeavor. God made us for relationship, and those first relationships are in the home. […]

How to navigate conflict together

Mark McCormick

Question: We can’t seem to develop a helpful conflict style in our marriage. Whenever a problem arises, one of us shuts down, making the other one angrier. What are some healthy steps we can take to finding resolution? Answer: Reconciliation is the work of God. Pursuing Christ-like character traits of honesty and humility will help […]

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Baptist Press interviews SBC presidential candidates

Baptist Press

Baptist Press will publish interviews with each of the four announced candidates for SBC president. The Illinois Baptist newspaper will excerpt the interviews as they are released and will also publish the excerpts here. Albert Mohler Jr. Louisville, Ky. | R. Albert Mohler Jr. was to be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention […]

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Equality Act threatens religious freedoms

Lisa Misner

Christian leaders are concerned about the loss of religious freedom, expansion of federal abortion funding, diminished protection for women, and the impact on hiring practices by Christian organizations under HR5, the Equality Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Feb. 25. The vote was 224-206, almost totally along party lines. The bill goes to […]

Floyd urges unity and vision, decries ‘sound of war’

Controversial new teaching standards approved

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Mission

Replanting season: Young churches embrace opportunities for growth and new ministry

Meredith Flynn

Grace Family Church celebrated its second anniversary in early 2021 with a worship service in the Art Deco theater they’ve called home for the last few months. But the young church has already been planted twice. At least, that’s how it feels to Pastor Jorge Rodriguez. Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Rodriguez later lived in Chicago […]

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2021 Forecast: Use ‘gap analysis,’ small-scale missions to help people looking for hope

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