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Illinois Baptist State Newspaper

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Meredith Flynn

Be near, O God

May 25, 2022 By Meredith Flynn

Meredith Flynn

A good friend recently told me she and her daughter pray in the car on their way to whatever they’re doing that day. Inspired to follow their example, my children and I have been praying during the last few minutes of our commute to school, asking God for a good day, listening ears, and patient […]

Brighter Day: Small seasons

May 20, 2022 By Meredith Flynn

Meredith Flynn

My family will soon celebrate the end of an era for our youngest daughter. Molly and her classmates will walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, marking the end of preschool and the beginning of their elementary years. Some preschools even dress graduates in miniature caps and gowns. Ours does not, but Molly will […]

Unshakable expectations

March 21, 2022 By Meredith Flynn

Meredith Flynn

Our children have a new bit where they pretend to be halfway finished with a task or project. “We’ve only cleaned part of the playroom,” they say, or “I’ve only worked half of the puzzle.” When we go to inspect their progress, they reveal that in fact, they are finished! They’ve lowered our expectations so […]

In praise of glue guys (and girls)

February 15, 2022 By Meredith Flynn

Meredith Flynn

Most Tuesday nights this winter, our family heads across town to watch our 6-year-old play on her first-ever basketball team. With only a handful of games under her belt so far, it’s still unclear what Lucy’s specialty is on the court. Her hands are a little small yet to dribble easily, and the lowered hoop […]

My worry box

November 27, 2021 By Meredith Flynn

Meredith Flynn

There’s a box of worries in my closet. It’s part of a resolution I made when fears over the continuing pandemic, national unrest, and regular day-to-day concerns crowded in to the point that it was difficult to concentrate on anything else. I decided to put my worries in a box. When one threatened to consume […]

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Featured Columns

Paul Cooper

What’s greater than independence? Hebrews 10:19-25

Paul Cooper

We got news from my sister in New Mexico, and my brother, Dave, immediately called me. He wanted to see her, but the 20-hour drive was too hard to do alone. It would be easier with his brother. We could share the load. Even so, we would spend more than half our time on the […]

George

Our nation’s half-celebration at 250

Eric Reed

During these red, white, and blue months, YouTube keeps sending me a video clip. It’s King George’s solo from the musical “Hamilton.” Amid endless rapping and stamping of boots and swishing of tailcoats by Founding Fathers, a lone figure walks slowly to center stage, decked in satin knee breeches, ermine cape, and a crown. And […]

Our new open door

Scott Foshie

Could it be that Jesus has opened wide a new door of shared ministry and missions for Southern Baptists to walk through together? That’s the question that continues permeating my mind after our time together in Orlando. We need to remember we ‘have but little power’ in ourselves. Southern Baptists have always found themselves called […]

More Columns

Mindy Cobb’s endless summer

Illinois Baptist Staff

Mindy Cobb moved to Chicago with her husband, Lindsay, nearly 50 years ago to be a part of a church plant and hasn’t looked back. In Longevity, a collection of essays by Nathan Carter, Cobb shared she originally planned to give God one summer of her life, but he wanted the whole thing. Out of […]

News

Illinois State Capitol

New Illinois laws raise concerns for Baptists

Lisa Misner

Springfield | The spring session of the Illinois General Assembly passed multiple bills that conflict with the biblical values of Illinois Baptists. Some were signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in late June: – HB 4834, the Prescription Monitoring Program, removed testosterone, estrogen, mifepristone and misoprostol from the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program. The law […]

World Cup visitors, America’s 250th celebration reminders of ‘how good we have it’

New team leaders

More News Stories

Mission

“While we have not yet arrived at the destination we envision, I believe we are clearly headed in the right direction,” said IMB President Paul Chitwood to trustees in the May 22 plenary session. IMB Photo

IMB trustees appoint new missionaries, elect first woman chair

Leslie Caldwell

Richmond | International Mission Board trustees approved 65 fully funded missionaries for appointment during their May 21-22 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. The missionaries approved for appointment will be recognized during a Sending Celebration on Tuesday, June 10, at 10:08 a.m. CDT in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas. The event will […]

Metro East church plant hosts multiplication meeting

Sallateeska baptism demonstrates SBC connections

More Mission Stories

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