JOURNAL OF THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF MISSISSIPPI

April 1, 2014 VOL. 68 NO. 7www.bmaofmississippi.com

MISSIONS ACROSS MISSISSIPPI: APRIL - MAY 2014SPECIAL EMPHASIS GOAL - $30,000

Little Rock Holiday InnExtends Special Rate

from BMAA Committee on ArrangementsThe Holiday Inn Presidential Hotel in Little Rock has agreed

to extend their special room rate of $105.99 (1-4 people per room)beyond the cut-off date of March 28.

The hotel is located at 600 Interstate 30 just six blocks from theStatehouse ConventionCenter. Free parking isavailable to registeredguests and shuttle serviceis available to the conven-tion center if arrangedthrough the front desk.

If you will be attendingthe BMA of America meet-ing April 28-30 and havenot reserved a room withinthe block of rooms arranged by the Committee on Arrangements,please consider making a reservation at the Holiday Inn Presi-dential. Please use the code BMA when making your reserva-tion. You may make your reservation by phone at 501-375-2100.

Meeting space at the Statehouse Convention Center will berent free if we fill our hotel room block. Please help save ourchurches money by using the available rooms at the Holiday InnPresidential Hotel.

Missionary Care - Sarah (Hebert) HamiltonMissionary Care - Sarah (Hebert) HamiltonMissionary Care - Sarah (Hebert) HamiltonMissionary Care - Sarah (Hebert) HamiltonMissionary Care - Sarah (Hebert) Hamilton

Sharing the Rock with Little RockEvangelism Effort Set For National Meeting

BMAA Department Directors and Bro. Paul White, BMA ofArkansas Missions Director, have planned Sharing the Rockwith Little Rock. Those who will are willing to "do the work of anevangelist" should meet at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, April 28, 2014,near the Northeast corner windows overlooking the river on theBallroom Level of the Convention Center.

Participants will receive survey forms, tracts, and instruc-tions. Teams will be formed and sent from there to witness inselected neighborhoods where BMA churches are located. Dr.Holmes will lead a team that will reach out to the area around thehotel and convention center. Just bring your New Testament andan expectant, prayed-up heart. There is no admission fee for thisevent.

Sarah & Chris Hamilton

By Dr. John David SmithBMAA Executive Director of Missions

Sarah (Hebert) Hamilton served as a BMAAmissionary in the Philippines from 2010-2013.Her role on the missionary team there consistedof teaching classes at the BMA Bible College,discipling young ladies, and serving as a coun-selor to the Bible college students. Sarah re-turned from the mission field in 2013 and wasmarried to Chris Hamilton. Chris recently com-pleted his undergraduate degree at Central

Baptist Collegeand plans to at-tend seminarylater this year.

When Sarahtrans i t i onedback to the U.S.,the Missions’leadership feltlike this wouldbe a golden op-portunity to in-vite Sarah to bea part of ourM i s s i o n a r yCare team andserve alongsideBro. Jerry Kiddin this ministry. Missionary Care is the arm ofBMA Missions that invests in the spiritual,emotional, physical, and family lives of ourmissionaries before they go to the field, whilethey are there, and as they are readjusting totheir home culture when they return. Theyminister to those who are on the front lines ofmissions all over the world.

Sarah has adapted well to her new part-timerole with BMA Missions. Even though she ispart-time, her support structure is “65/35” whereshe is responsible to raise 65% of her salary. Wewould like to recommend Sarah to speak at yourchurch concerning Missionary Care and herrole in this ministry. She grew up in GMAs andshe would make an excellent speaker in thosecontexts as well.

What a great opportunity to have someoneserving with us in this vital ministry who has amissions degree, has served on the field, andhas a heart for missionaries and their specificchallenges. If you feel led to partner with Sarahor invite her to speak at your church, you maycontact her at 662-401-5673 orsarah@bmaam.com.

BMA MissionsOffers Short-TermMissions Training

Short-Term Mission Teams from all acrossthe BMA landscape are gearing up for a busysummer. More and more churches are allowingtheir members to get first-hand missions expe-rience by taking a team on a short-term missiontrip. Whether they are traveling to a foreigncountry or right here in America, Short-TermMissions has gone from being a culture phe-nomena to a tremendous missions movementacross the American Christian landscape, in-cluding the BMA. If done well, these trips can bea wonderful tool that God will use to enhancethe ministry of the missionary on the field. Ifdone poorly, it can become an albatross that candamage the missionary’s long-term success andactually hurt the cause of Christ.

BMA Missions is committed to helping ourchurches get to the mission field and do a greatjob of ministry once they arrive. BMA Missionsis offering free on-line training for short-termmission teams. At http://bmamissions.org/shorttermtraining/ you will find great teaching

continued on page 2continued on page 2continued on page 2continued on page 2continued on page 2

2 April 1, 2014 • Mississippi Baptist

on how to prepare and thencarry out a short-term missiontrip for your church. There aretremendous video lessons de-signed for your mission teamto watch together and corre-sponding printed training ma-terials for your team to down-load. A veteran Short-TermTeam Leader with years ofmission trip leadership experi-ence teaches each video lesson.All of the videos and materialsare offered free of charge.

Your BMA Missions teamurges all Short-Term Mission-aries go-ing to takethe timeto watchthese vid-eos witht h e i rteam andto down-load thec o r r e -spondingprinted materials. MissionTrips are only as effective asthe time that is spent in train-ing. Disastrous mistakes canbe avoided if teams and teamleaders will give themselvestime to be trained by others.Tremendous blessings can berealized if teams are truly pre-pared before they leave for thefield.

BMA Missions wants yourchurch to experience the ful-fillment of taking the Gospel ofChrist to the nations. They arecommitted to providing eachShort-Term Missions Teamhigh quality training so eachtrip can fulfill its ultimate pur-pose: To make the name ofJesus more famous around theworld and to enhance the min-istry of the local missionary onthe field.

For any questions you mighthave concerning BMA Short-Term Missions contact DonnyParrish at 972.571.0357 or atdonny@bmaamerica.org.

Short-TermMissionsTrainingcontinued from page 1continued from page 1continued from page 1continued from page 1continued from page 1

Donnie Parish

If there is no

opposition there

is no victory!

3April 1, 2014 • Mississippi Baptist

From TheMind of

Chuck Lee

A Bug’s LifeWhat moves like Elvis after

six, five minute energy drinkstaken consecutively in threeminutes while listening toBuddy Holly's "OllieV" during a martialarts workout? Me,but only after run-ning head first intothe first spider webof three thousandwhile walkingthrough the woodsto go turkey hunt-ing. By the way, aschool girl screamcan evoke a shockgobble from a tomturkey on the roost.Granted, the turkey is prob-ably gobbling while on his wayto less haunted woods and ee-rie screams. You would thinkthat after forty or more years

tromping through fields,woods, swamps, mountains,and every other type of land-scape, that I would react a little

calmer to this ex-hilarating experi-ence. But, alas, Icontinue to createmoves that wouldmake Michael Jack-son envious.Aheeeheee! (Thatwas a Michael Jack-son imitation forthose of you whowere wondering.)

Bugs annoy me.One reason is thatthey have an un-

canny ability to zip up a nostrilat the exact moment that I amsucking a copious amount ofair into my lungs to expel asneeze. If a doctor looked in-

side my lungs, he would prob-ably find an enor-mous amount ofbug legs and wingsfossilized on theside walls or restingcomfortably on thebottom. It's best onenever look in there. A n -other reason is that some-thing as small as a wasp or anant should not have the abilityto inflict an enormousamount of pain whenstinging or biting.Then, if the initial as-sault wasn't enough, youhave to deal with the itch-ing for days to come. It'sunfair.

I would be willing tocohabitate peaceablywith the creepycrawlers, but everytime I sit down to ne- g o t i -ate over dinner, a fly will zip inand go hiking across my moun-tain of potato salad. I live next

to a field full of beef cows. Thereis something about know-ing where that fly was be-

fore he joined our partythat ruins a good po-tato salad. A deadskunk in the road, a

pile of cow, uh, well, a pileof…or a bowl of spaghetti, itis all the same to a fly.One day we will perhaps un-

derstand the mystery of 'WhyLove Bugs?', but until

that day I will con-tinue to drop flam-ing bombs of plastic

coke bottles onto ant-hills, spray generousamounts of insect killer

around the house, andcomplain every yearwhile washing amillion love bugs off

the grill of my truck.The spider incident did al-

low me a few moments of cardioexercise that would rival P90X.So I say, BRING IT!

2014 Galilean Camp Update

Philip Christian (left) is Mr. SeniorGalilean and Maverick Farrisis Mr.Junior Galilean

by Mark JonesGalilean Promoter

The Galileans held their an-nual state camp March 14-15at Camp Garaywa in Clinton,Mississippi. We had 60 camp-ers this year. Our theme was'mystery' from Ephesians 6:19-20 . We had 7 churches thisyear with 1 new church attend-ing. There were 4 speakers thisyear each teaching a differentpart about telling others aboutJesus. A special thanks to LarryTramel, Josh Awtry, DrewWheeler, & Glen Walley

Philip Christian was selectedMr. Senior Galilean and Mav-erick Farris Mr. JuniorGalilean. These young men willmove onto the national compe-tition June 9-13 in Gary, Texas.Please be on prayer for them asthey work towards this goal.

This year’s camp was so spe-cial; a great time of fellowshipwith all the boys and youngmen. You make lifelong friendsat Galilean Camp whether it isstate camp or national.

We are already planning

next year’s camp where ourtheme will be "Building Barri-ers" from II Peter 5-9. If anychurch would like to start aGalilean Program please con-tact me. You will be blessed byworking with these young men.

Guest OpinionFIRST-PERSON: Cuteness vs. divine revelation

by Paul MatheniaMOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. (BP)-- How do you compete withcuteness?

Everybody loves the cute-ness, innocence and honesty ofchildren. Now comes the storyof Colton Burpo who, at age 4,

told of a three-minute trip toheaven and returned to tell us"Heaven Is For Real," a NewYork Times Bestseller pub-lished by Thomas Nelson in2010.

Millions have read the grip-ping story that will soon be

seen by predictably larger num-bers when the movie version isreleased in April just in timefor Easter.

Should this amazing testi-mony be taken at face value?Or as Todd Burpo, Colton's fa-ther asked in the book's pro-logue, "How could he [Colton]have known?" And, "Could thisbe real?"

Todd concluded that there isonly one explanation for hisson's knowledge -- it's an eye-witness account in heaven it-self. Therefore, what Coltonsaid must be real. Reading vari-ous reviews and endorsementsof the book, it appears thatmany, including evangelicalleaders, have come to the sameconclusion.

But how should a Bible-be-lieving Christian respond?

The cuteness, innocence andhonesty of 4-year-olds as wellas the testimony of adults mustbow before the divine revela-tion of God's Word.

On the one hand I am happythe movie is coming out. Whata great opportunity to getpeople talking about heaven!Those who view the movie willbe open to discussing its viewsof heaven compared to biblicalteachings. A clear and accu-rate presentation of the Gospelcan easily flow from this.

On the other hand I am sad-dened. Many people will suc-cumb to the real temptation tobase their view of heaven onthe word of a 4-year-old boy

instead of the Word of God.This type of reaction has al-ready followed the book.

Space will allow just a fewareas in the book that causeconcern and may be part of themovie version:-- Colton said that in heaven,"Everybody's got wings" (p.72), and "Pop [Todd'sgrandfather] has really bigwings" (p. 87). This is notfound in the Bible. Thisdescription could furthera common misunderstand-ing that humans becomeangels in heaven; but wedo not.-- Speaking of Pop on an-other occasion, Coltonsaid, "He's in heaven. He'sgot a new body. Jesus toldme if you don't go toheaven, you don't get anew body" (p. 136). TheBible assures believersthey will get a new body,but the new body is notreceived until the resur-rection. During the timebetween physical deathand resurrection we continueto exist, but not in a physicalbody (1 Corinthians 15:12-58;2 Corinthians 5:1-8).-- Then there are odd revela-tions by Colton that seem to beaccepted without question:God's throne is "really, reallybig, because God is the biggestone there is" (p. 100) and theHoly Spirit is "kind of blue" (p.103). These descriptions are notsupported by Scripture.

-- My greatest concern is seenin the mostly subtle inferences,and sometimes direct state-ments, that God's Word is some-how confirmed by the testi-mony of Colton. The Biblestands true on its own meritsand is not dependent of one's

experiences to confirm it; onthe contrary, the Word of Godmust confirm all experiences.

Remember Todd's first ques-tion, "How could he [Colton]have known" some of the thingshe talked about? How could aperson know information aboutdead loved ones they didn'teven know existed?

Anyone with young childrenknows they are like sponges.By 4 years of age, children'sconcepts of heaven and Godhave been heavily colored bytelevision shows they havewatched, books that have beenread to them, and conversa-tions of countless adults andolder children they have over-heard. Further, the ability ofthe enemy to provide deceptiveinformation cannot be ignored.The descriptions of heaven inthis book are a common themein other books that relate near-death experiences.

The Bible commands us, "donot believe every spirit, but testthe spirits to see whether theyare from God" (1 John 4:1).Whether through testimoniesof near-death experiences, asin this instance, or overt falseteaching, the test must alwaysbe God's Word (Isaiah 8:20).

Think about this: God hasspoken with finality by send-ing His Son back from the deadto show us the way to heaven.Would the One who has thus

continued on page 8continued on page 8continued on page 8continued on page 8continued on page 8

4 April 1, 2014 • Mississippi Baptist

Baptist Missionary Associationof Mississippi

www.bmaofmississippi.com

DEPARTMENTS & COMMISSIONS

Mississippi Baptist PaperP.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS 39441

601-426-3293

Southeastern Baptist College4229 Highway 15 North Laurel, MS

39440 - 601-426-6346

State Youth DepartmentP.O. Box 4247, Laurel, MS 39441

662-397-6832

Baptist Children's Home118 Lowe Rd., Laurel, MS 39443

601-426-3928

Missions & Revolving Loan Fund4226 Highway 15 North, Laurel, MS

39440 - 601-428-8616

Commission on Senior Adults4226 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440601-729-3198

History & Archives Commission4229 Highway 15 North

Laurel, MS 39440601-729-8098

Moral ActionP.O. Box 88, Mantachie, MS 38855

Don J. Brown, EditorE-Mail - editor@msbaptist.orgWeb site www.msbaptist.org

USPS 353-960P.O. Box 8181

Laurel, Mississippi 39441-8000

Phone 601-426-3293

PRICE$20.00 Per Year by Mail

$15.00 Per Year by EmailCHURCH PLAN

$ 1.30 Per Month per Family

Published on the 1st and 15thof each month by the Baptist Mis-sionary Association of Mississippi.Periodical postage paid atHattiesburg, Mississippi 39402.

Postmaster: Send addresschanges to the Mississippi BaptistPaper, P.O. Box 8181, Laurel, MS39441-8000.

Opinion PageJournal of the Baptist Missionary Association of Mississippi

Don Brown - EditorDon Brown

Telling Others That They May KnowThe Big Creek Association just

completed its third annual Asso-ciation Wide Revival. Dr. TravisPlumlee was the speaker and theconstant theme of his messageswas about witnessing and tellingothers about Jesus.

This local effort has been ex-tremely successful. We have metat different churches each nightand the crowds have been over-flowing. This is something that Iencourage each local association toconsider. The cooperation betweenchurches increases good Christianfellowship and strengthens ourbonds in Christ.

It is good for brethren to meettogether and work together. BigCreek Association memberchurches have grown closer to-gether due to this effort. Try it.You'll like it!

Sharing The RockSharing The RockSharing The RockSharing The RockSharing The RockOur national association meets

That they may know

from the rising of the

sun, and from the

west, that there is

none beside me. I am

the LORD, and there is

none else. Isaiah 45:6

in Little Rock, Arkansas, later thismonth. One of the highlights willbe on Monday afternoon before themeeting officially be-gins. The ArkansasState Missions officein cooperation withBMA Seminary andother departmentswill be "Sharing theRock with LittleRock". More informa-tion about this effortcan be found in thearticle on the frontpage of this issue.

Reaching OthersReaching OthersReaching OthersReaching OthersReaching OthersApril and May 2014 are Special

Emphasis months for the Missis-sippi State Missions Department.Bro. Geraldson has sent informa-

tion to our churches to encouragegiving to this effort. Without suffi-cient funds, spreading the Gospel

and plantingchurches on a statewide basis would beimpossible. Yes, ittakes money to do theLord's work!

Around The WorldAround The WorldAround The WorldAround The WorldAround The WorldThere are other ar-

ticles in this issuethat stress world-wide missions. Maywe never lose the vi-sion that Jesus lovesthe world and as be-lievers, it is our duty

to tell all that they may know thereis a God in Heaven who loves themand a Savior who will save them.

CONSIDER

THISAll it takes for evil to

prevail is for God's peopleto be satisfield where

they are, happy with thecondition of their local

church, always lookinwardly and to donothing to increase

the kingdom.Jesus came and spake unto them,

saying, All power is given untome in heaven and in earth

Math 28:18

5April 1, 2014 • Mississippi Baptist

COMMISSION ONSenior Adults4226 Highway 15 North, Laurel, Mississippi 39440 Kenneth Flynt

Director

A Great Senior Jubilee Senior Jubilee Senior Jubilee Senior Jubilee Senior Jubilee at Big Creek. Over 400 Senior Adults and friends gatheredat Big Creek Baptist Church for the 2014 South Mississippi Senior AdultSouth Mississippi Senior AdultSouth Mississippi Senior AdultSouth Mississippi Senior AdultSouth Mississippi Senior AdultConferenceConferenceConferenceConferenceConference. A great time of singing, preaching, worshiping, fellowship and eatingwas enjoyed by all! It was a great day in the Lord!

North MississippiConference

May 13, 2014East Fulton

Baptist ChurchFulton, Mississippi

Christopher FlynnChristopher FlynnChristopher FlynnChristopher FlynnChristopher FlynnChristopher Flynn has resigned as pastor of First Baptist

Church of Orange Grove in Gulfport, Mississippi, after 3 years ofservice and is available for service! He may be reached at 228-297-3562.

Ministry OpportunityChurch Seeks Pastor

Midway First Baptist Church of Sumrall, Mississippi is seeking apastor. Those interested may send a resume to the church at 77Midway Church Rd, Sumrall, MS 39482 or email tomidwayfirstbaptist@hotmail.com.

Parkview WelcomesDr. John Adamsfor Spring Revival

We would like to invite youto join us in our revival ser-vices being held April 6-9 atParkview Baptist Church. Dr.John Adams, pas-tor of First BaptistMantachie, and di-rector of MoralAction on both thestate and nationallevel, will be ourspeaker. Bro.Latrelle Windham, minister ofmusic at Parkview, will be lead-ing in the song service.

Services begin Sunday morn-ing at 10:45 A.M. with lunch,and then the afternoon service,to follow. Service time throughthe week is 7 P.M. each evening.We would love for you to bepart of this revival effort, but ifyou cannot share with us inpresence, we ask that youplease support us with yourprayers.

John Adams

Progress in the fight against abortionAppeals court upholdsAppeals court upholdsAppeals court upholdsAppeals court upholdsAppeals court upholdsTTTTTexas abortion restrictionsexas abortion restrictionsexas abortion restrictionsexas abortion restrictionsexas abortion restrictionsAUSTIN, TexasAUSTIN, TexasAUSTIN, TexasAUSTIN, TexasAUSTIN, Texas - Dr. Lester Minto knows he won't be able toreopen his clinic after a federal appeals court upheld tough newabortion restrictions in Texas.

Minto has been providing abortions for three decades, but heclosed his clinic near the Mexico border earlier this monthbecause of a law that imposessome of the nation's strictestlimitations on the procedure.The law, which was overwhelm-ingly approved last summer bythe Republican controlledTexas Legislature, has helpedforce numerous clinics to close.

A lower court judge initiallyruled that parts of the law wereunconstitutional and served nomedical purpose, but the 5thCircuit allowed some regula-tions to remain in effect whileit mulled the appeal. On Thurs-day, the appeals court ruledthat the law "on its face does

not impose an undue burdenon the life and health of awoman."

The case however, will likelyend up at the U.S. SupremeCourt.

Restrictions already in ef-fect require abortion doctors tohave admitting privileges at anearby hospital and place strictlimits on physicians prescrib-ing abortion inducing pills. Butother facets of the omnibus lawwon't take effect this fall, mean-ing some of the 24 abortionclinics still open in Texas — astate of 26 million people —also could close.

So far, the regulations havehelped force at least 19 clinicsto close statewide, includingMinto's in Harlingen.

Planned Parenthood hadfiled the lawsuit seeking toblock part of the law. On Thurs-day, the organization said theappeals ruling meant that "safeand legal abortion will continueto be virtually impossible forthousands of Texas women toaccess."

Texas Attorney GeneralGreg Abbott, a Republican run-ning for governor who defendedthe law in court, cheeredThursday's ruling from thepanel of 5th Circuit judges.

"This unanimous decision isa vindication of the careful de-liberation by the Texas Legis-lature to craft a law to protectthe health and safety of Texaswomen," Abbott said.

Other aspects of the newrules, including a requirementthat all procedures take placein a surgical facility, are set tobegin in September. Those ele-ments also may be challengedin court.

Available For Service

6 April 1, 2014 • Mississippi Baptist

Mississippi WMAPresident - Jessica Hayden

3208 Hwy 29 NorthSoso, MS 39480662-251-0455

Email: blhaden@gmail.com

Corresponding SecretaryMrs. Shirlene Smith

730 Hwy 533, Laurel, MS 39443601-729-5638

Ten Mile District WMATen Mile District WMATen Mile District WMATen Mile District WMATen Mile District WMA2013-2014 Theme: It Is Well

“Run now, I pray thee, tomeet her, and say unto her, IsIt well with thee? Is it wellwith thy husband? Is it wellwith the child? And she an-swered, It is well.” 2 Kings 4:26

The Ten Mile District WMAmet in January at VardamanStreet Church in Wiggins. OurTen Mile District GMA andSunbeam Coronations wereheld and led by Dianna Willamsand Angela Givens.

The GMA Theme is fromPsalm: 26 10-11 “In whosehands is a sinister scheme. Andwhose right hand is full ofbribes. But as for me I willwalk in my integrity; Redeemme and be merciful to me.” TheDistrict GMA Promoters areJerrica Kirkland and Assistant

Adrianne Compston.Our Projects for 2013-2014

are as follows:75% Bro. Bobby & Lesa Elliot,25% General FundState Project 2013-2014,National Project 2013-201440% I Am Woman in Beirut,Lebanon15% Youth Fund, 5% GeneralFund40% New Missionary BobbyElliot next Quarter

Historian Louise Crawleyrequested for all the ladies towrite a brief testimony of theirSalvation.

We enjoyed refreshmentsand a great fellowship withVardaman Street BaptistChurch. Our next meetingwill be on April 14, 2014, 7:00PM at Ten Mile Baptist Church.

Reporter Maria Ochoa

Family ArkMinistries

Travis Plumlee

Jumbled Nerves and Knotted StomachAlmost everyone has experi-

enced anxiety. It actually hap-pens from time to time through-out our life. Some folks get alittle anxious before taking offin an airplane. Some are evenmore anxious and won’t evenfly. You might not sleep wellthe night before you leave on abig trip. You might feel anx-ious before surgery, a majorexam in school, a job interviewetc… The list is endless. It ispart of us being human and notknowing the future. Some-times it is a double whammy.We don’t know the future, butwe have had some past experi-ences with the same thing thatdidn’t end well. You couplethose things together and wehave liftoff to the old anxietyrocket.

This winter has producedsome anxious moments for mewhile driving to churches orback home. I have had to gothrough horrible road condi-tions in the Ozarks from win-ter weather. Here it is in Marchand back home they are havingtheir 3rd winter storm withsnow! I guess that means an-other anxious trip home downthose ice and snow coveredmountains with their steepdrop offs and curves. We allhave anxiety. But some people

have it all the time. It is un-ending.

When I have gripped thewheel hard and my neck isstrained and my stomach is ina knot from winter driving, ittakes time to sit at home and

unwind. But what if my bodyhad that experience all thetime? People who suffer withanxiety disorders and panicattacks feel this way every day.Some people have so muchanxiety that their bodies arefeeling like they are comingapart on the inside every dayas long as they are awake. Ofcourse people with anxietydon’t sleep well either.Whether it is a little anxietyfrom some situation that wefind ourselves in, or you sufferfrom an anxiety disorder, thegood news is that it is some-thing that we can conquerthrough the power of Christ.Romans 8:37 means we can

conquer our anxiety.There are two huge compo-

nents to dealing with anxiety.One is learning to control yourthinking. While the devil maywant you to think thatyou have no controlover your thoughts– in fact we do. AnOlympic athletehas to train theirbody to perform.Professional ath-letes even say it isnecessary to get yourhead straight becausethe mental aspect ofperforming is crucial.Maybe you have heardthe old saying, “getyour head in thegame”. To deal withanxiety you must con-trol your thinking.Stop allowing yourmind to dwell on thingsthat “might happen”. The“what if this happens” mind setproduces anxiety. You are al-ready defeated if you say I can’tcontrol my thoughts. Yes, youcan. Train your brain!

When you start with all thenegative projections of whatmight happen, tell yourself inyour own mind that you willgive these thoughts to God be-cause He is in control. He is allpowerful and mighty and noth-ing can happen to you withoutHis knowledge. Even if some-thing bad happens, He is stillthere for you to help you andcomfort you. Bottom line – nomatter what happens to me, I

face an eternity with no prob-lems and no worries when I goto heaven because I am savedby Jesus. Jesus loves me. He ishere for me. I have the victory.

Look at the problem orsituation from a positionof victory. You are the

victor because Christis in you.Colossians 1:27. Hetells you to behappy because hehas overcome ev-erything that can

come into your life. Ev-erything! John 16:33.The Lord also tells youto take every thoughtcaptured for Him. IICorinthians 10:5. Youare not training your-self in your brain whenyou let your thoughtsrun unabated withworry. Capture them.

Give them to God. Let Godhave them and know he lovesyou.

When you give these worri-some thoughts to God get busy.I am not saying to repress ormask emotions. I am sayingwhen it comes to anxiety stopyour train of thoughts. Derailthem and give them to God.Quote scripture or read yourBible. Reading the Bible al-ways has a calming and heal-ing component to it because itis coming from the mouth ofGod. Then do something. Getyour mind occupied with some-thing. Anything. If thethoughts come back, give them

to God again and change youractivity again. Keep doing thisuntil you learn to control yourthinking. Finally, learn to prayfor the fruit of the spirit of self-control and peace found inGalatians 5:22, 23. You havenot because you ask not. AskJesus to guard your heart andmind. Philippians 4:6, 7. Keeppraying for Him to guard yourmind and heart until it hap-pens.

And herein lays the secondkey to controlling anxiety. Youhave to grow spiritually andstart trusting God more. Worryand anxiety comes from nottrusting Him fully with theoutcome of our daily lives. I’mnot knocking you. We all haveto work on trusting God more.We humans think we have tocontrol our life and that of ourloved ones. Trust the one whohas the whole world in Hishand. He loves you and yourfamily more than you do. Hiswill is the best for you.

The only way to trust himmore is to spend more time inhis presence : the Bible, prayerand church. Quiet times withthe Lord increase your trust.Also, remember how he hasbeen there for you in the past.Now all I have to do is practicewhat I preach later this weekwhen I drive down that 11%grade road that is covered insnow with not even a guard railat the bottom and a 100 footdrop off. These winter days aresome of my best revivals in mytruck. Ha.

Sofilthy's Attic by Barbara White

The Split Gown(A Whole New Meaning to ICU)

"I was sitting here minding my business,Kind of letting my mind go slack,When in comes a nurse with a bright sunny smileAnd a gown with a split down the back."Take a shower," she said,"And get ready. And then jump into this sack."What she's really talking aboutWas the gown with the split down the back."They're coming to do some tests," she said.They're going to stretch me out on a rackWith nothing twixt me and the cold, cruel worldBut a gown that's split down the back!It comes only to the knees in front.In the sides there is no lack.

Not many of us are able to spend our entire life without at least one visit to ahospital for treatment of something. So if you've ever had that experience, you willunderstand this little poem:

But by far the greatest shortcomingIs that blooming split down the back.Whoever designed this garmentFor humor had a great knack,But I fail to see anything funnyAbout a gown that is split down the back.I hear them coming to get me,The wheels going clickety clack.I'll ride through the halls on a tableIn a gown with a split down the back.When I get to heaven, I'll make me no oddsIf my robe is white, red, or black,The only thing I ask is please!Give me one with no split down the back.

7April 1, 2014 • Mississippi Baptist

MISSISSIPPI BAPTIST

CHILDREN'S HOME118 LOWE ROAD, LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI 39443 - (601) 426-3928

SIDNEY DAVIS - DIRECTOR SIDNEY DAVIS

What Manner of ChildWhat Manner of ChildWhat Manner of ChildWhat Manner of ChildWhat Manner of ChildMany times when we look at a child we ask

ourselves, “What is this child going to become?”They said the same thing about John the Bap-tist, “What manner of child shall this be! Andthe hand of the Lord was with him.” Luke 1:66.Oh, how we ought to give thanks to the Lord forthe life of John the Baptist for he is the one whopointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb ofGod, which taketh away the sin of the world.”John 1:29.

One never knows what God is going to do withthe life of a child. When the nation of Israelneeded to be delivered from Egypt, what didGod do? He sent a crying little baby boy and thatlittle baby’s tears broke the heart of a princess.And God used Moses to deliver the people ofIsrael. Later when the nation of Israel hadbackslidden and turned from the Lord, God senta child, Samuel, and he brought them back tothe Lord. When God wanted to save sinners inthis world He sent a child, the Lord JesusChrist. “And she shall bring forth a son, andthou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall

save his people for their sins.” Matthew 1:21.When you look at a child and wonder, “What

shall become of this child in life?” Ask yourself,“What can I do to help fulfill God’s purposes inthe life of this child?” You never know what Godmay be planning for his or her life in His service!

Progress Reports for StudentsProgress Reports for StudentsProgress Reports for StudentsProgress Reports for StudentsProgress Reports for StudentsCan you believe there is just one more nine

week period before this school year will come toa close? Progress reports were recently givenout as the third nine week period came to a closeand the fourth nine week period began. We arethankful for our girls and boys as they continueto do well in their studies at school. The girlsand boys that we recently received into theHome are improving in their school work aswell as they continue to adjust to their newschool.

Remember in PrayerRemember in PrayerRemember in PrayerRemember in PrayerRemember in PrayerThank you for your prayerful and financial

support of the Home. Continue to rememberour girls and boys as you pray in your prayers.

An apology is not enough -World Vision needs

to clean houseby Bryan Fischer

gelical mission.President Richard Stearns

must step down immediately.He is the leader of this organi-zation, and he led it straightinto a ditch. He must be re-placed.

But that's not enough. Ev-ery board member who votedfor the original apostasy fromthe Word of God must likewiseresign. Stearns made it clear inhis original communication,announcing the embrace ofhomosexual marriage, that theWV board's decision was not aunanimous one. Although thevote for embracing sin was over-whelming, there were boardmembers who objected andvoted to uphold biblical stan-dards. They get to stay, therest need to go. ASAP.

I anticipate that WorldVision's mettle will soon betested. I predict that the Obamaadministration will now pullsome or all of the $330 millionit sends to World Vision, inorder to punish them for beinghate mongering homophobes.

Also, the state of Washing-ton will likely sue them for vio-lating its anti-Christian em-ployment discrimination laws.If the attorney general will suea florist in the Evergreen Statefor not embracing same-sex"marriage," you can bet it won'tbe long before he sets his sightson one of the largest Christian

Sure, we'll forgive World Vi-sion for its temporary policyblunder. But this is just thebeginning of testing for the hu-manitarian aid group. They hadbetter make sure they haveleaders who are up to the task.And right now, they don't.

World Vision, in one of themost abrupt turnarounds inmodern history, has done acomplete about-face on its em-brace of sodomy-based mar-riage.

Less than 48 hours after say-ing the organization was justfine hiring couples who were insame-sex "marriages,"the organization hasrepudiated thatstance, acknowl-edging thatthe board"made amistake,"and admit-ting theyhad failed"to be con-sistent withWorld Vision U.S.'scommitment to the tra-ditional understanding of Bib-lical marriage."

Says its president and boardchairman, "We ... humbly askyour forgiveness."

Forgiveness is herebygranted, as Jesus instructed usto do.

One very encouraging partof this debacle is that the evan-gelical church and other pro-family organizations stoodfirmly, directly, and unani-mously against this apostasy.World Vision's decision was op-posed by thousands upon thou-sands of donors who calledWorld Vision to complain. Per-haps the sleeping giant that isthe evangelical church has fi-nally been awakened.

WV's heretical decision wasalso publicly opposed byFranklin Graham, the Ameri-can Family Association, theFamily Research Council, theAssemblies of God, and theSouthern Baptist Convention.This united stand for truth andagainst sexual debauchery gotWorld Vision's attention andgot their minds right.

However, there is a pro-nounced difference betweenforgiveness and trust. Trust,once shattered, cannot be re-built with just a letter of apol-

ogy. Rebuilding trust and con-fidence requires change andaction.

One key question that mustbe answered is whether thisrepentance represents whatPaul, in II Corinthians 7, calls"godly grief" or "worldly grief."The sorrow that is according tothe world is a sorrow that I gotcaught, a sorrow that mytwisted plans blew up in myface. The sorrow that is accord-ing to God, on the other hand,is deep-seated and produces"what eagerness to clear your-selves, what indignation, what

fear, what longing,what zeal, what pun-

ishment!" (II Cor.7:11).

Luke 3:1-14 containsa thoroughaccount ofthe minis-try of John

the Baptist.When individuals,

tax collectors and sol-diers came to John to re-

ceive baptism at his hands,a baptism of "repentance forthe forgiveness of sins," therewas one question on everyone'slips. This question is the hall-mark of genuine, biblical re-pentance.

The people all said, "Whatthen shall we do?" The tax col-lectors all said, "Teacher, whatshall we do?" The soldiers, tothe last man, said, "And we,what shall we do?"

John's answer was simpleand direct: "Bring forth fruit inkeeping with repentance."

What does this mean forWorld Vision, if its leaders alsoask the question, "What thenshall we do?"

The minimum change thatis in keeping with professedrepentance is a sweepingchange in leadership.

The larger issue here is thatan environment has been fos-tered in the upper echelons ofWorld Vision that made it pos-sible for its leaders even to en-tertain an option that shouldhave been absolutely unthink-able for anyone committed toGod's design for marriage.There is something diseased inthe boardroom of World Vision,and that diseased tissue mustbe cut out if this organization isonce again to fulfill an evan-

organizations in the world.In other words, this is not

the end of testing for WorldVision, but the beginning. Theyhad better make sure they haveleaders who are up to the task.Right now, they don't.

Minority taking over UMCOneNewsNow.com OneNewsNow.com OneNewsNow.com OneNewsNow.com OneNewsNow.com - Accordingto one expert, supporters of"homosexual marriage" in theUnited Methodist denomina-tion have made their strategyvery clear, perhaps withoutrealizing it.

One example is aPennsylvania pas-tor who wasdefrocked af-ter conductinga wedding cer-emony for hishomosexualson. Anotherfaces trial inthe denomination for doing thesame thing. Meanwhile, 30churches in northern Califor-nia and other Western stateshave adopted a declaration say-ing they will violate church doc-trine and theology.

"What we have is a very so-cially liberal, theologicallysecularized minority in thechurch that is very vocal abouttheir opposition to biblical stan-

dards for sexual self-control,"observes John Lomperis of TheInstitute on Religion and De-mocracy (IRD).

He says their strategy is tomake a lot of noise about theirbeliefs, which are contrary to

United Methodist theology,and hammer on it fre-

quently."Really it

seems clear:What they'rehoping is thatmembers ofthe faithfulmajority of the

church will just get discour-aged and fed up and will feeldriven out of the United Meth-odist Church and hand over allthe property and all the re-sources in the name of thechurch to the current minorityof the church that doesn't evenbelieve in historic Methodistdoctrine," Lomperis suggests.

The majority of United Meth-odists, he says, stand on bibli-cal doctrine.

The IRD spokesman goes onto add that the pastors andleaders who have gone againstdoctrine actually swore whenthey became pastors to upholdthe biblical standards of thechurch.

8 April 1, 2014 • Mississippi Baptist

DiscipleGuideScott Attebery, Executive Director

Email: scott@discipleguide.orgFacebook: Facebook.com/scott.attebery

Twitter: @scottattebery

Scott Attebery

PASTORS, WHAT IS YOUR VALUE?First chore. That’s monu-

mental in every child’s life,right? For my son, Bryce, themoment came recently when Itold him I would pay him anickel for every time he madehis bed.

A few weeks with his newchore, things have been goingwell (and Bryce is getting rich).

This morning, Bryce told me

that I forgot to pay him for theday before. Oops.

I thought this would be agreat learning moment, so Iasked him, “What coin could Igive you that would equal twonickels?”

His first guess was, “Thatbig silver one.” Then, he wascertain it must be a penny.

After I pulled out a dime, he

actually laughed and said,“Dad, that one’s too small!”

I had forgotten about themysterious way that the size ofour coins doesn’t necessarilymatch the size of their value.It’s a good lesson for all of us,isn’t it? (Especially for pastors).

Pastors, we all know thatthe size of our attendance, bud-get, or facilities doesn’t equatewith our value as ministers ofthe gospel. We remind eachother of this often (althoughwe rarely act as if we believeit).

But when was the last timesomeone reminded you ofwhere your value as a pastordoes come from?

It doesn’t come from yourachievements. It’s not derivedfrom your reputation. It hasnothing to do with your gifts,

talents, or abilities.Your value as a pastor is

100% in Christ.While that sounds simple

enough, let me elaborate onwhat that does and doesn’tmean.It doesn’t mean:

1) The more you do to pleaseChrist, the more valuable youare.

2) The more you pastor asHe would pastor, the more valu-able you are.

While pleasing Christ andconforming to His image areboth vitally important, yourvalue does not lie in becomingthose things. It lies in the factthat 1) because of justification,you are already pleasing toChrist and, therefore, 2) be-cause of sanctification you arebecoming more like Christ.

It does mean:1) Your value as a pastor is

based upon Christ’s righteous-ness. You please God becauseJesus pleases the Father.

2) Your value as a pastordrives your ministry and is nota result of your ministry.

During the inevitable diffi-culties of ministry, we are alltempted to get thisbackwards. But remember,your value is not a product ofwhat you’ve done, but of whatChrist has done for you and isdoing in you. And anything thatHe does through you is all toHis glory.

Whether you feel like a“penny pastor,” a “quarter pas-tor,” a “nickel pastor,” or a “dimepastor,” consider changing yourperspective. Trust me, it’s valu-able!

Opportunities on the Mission Fieldby Jesse Hales

BMA Missionary to the Dominican RepublicRecently I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a few days in Nicaragua with two of the

other BMA language students that are here. We stayed in Catalina where Oscar Gaitan pastorsand spent that Saturday gettingto know him and his family whilethey allowed us to tag along withthem and a group of veterinar-ians they were hosting from thestates. It was a great opportu-nity to get to know a pastor friendand my fellow missionaries bet-ter. That’s the main reason Iwas hoping to go on the trip inthe first place.

As you know though, God al-ways seems to have more in storefor you than you anticipate. Inever expected to find myself inNicaragua witnessing to a guyfrom Iowa about the importanceof knowing you have placed yourfaith in Jesus to forgive you ofyour sins. Thankfully that con-versation was held in English and there was no question that the point was received clearly. It’samazing how God sets up divine appointments though and I’m so very thankful for thoseopportunities.

Thank you for allowing God to use you in our lives through your prayers and support. May Godcontinue to bless you abundantly.

(right to left) Chris Huson, Tommy Rose, Oscar Gaitan,and myself (Jesse Hales) in Nicaragua.

spoken send a dead loved oneback to confirm His Word? Wemust remember that Satan, thegreat deceiver, can presenthimself as "an angel of light" (2Corinthians 11:14).It shouldnot surprise us if he misleads ayoung child.

Furthermore, for the rareoccurrences in Scripture whenGod did allow one who had seenheaven to return, He did not

permit any record of what theysaw. He gave His reason to therich man in hell: "... They haveMoses and the Prophets; letthem hear them.... If they donot hear Moses and the Proph-ets, neither will they be con-vinced if someone should risefrom the dead" (Luke 16:29–31).

How should believers re-spond to "Heaven Is for Real"?Be cautious. Have a holy skep-ticism. Judge everything byGod's Word. Use the opportu-nity of this book and movie totalk about heaven. But of firstimportance, use the moment toshare the Gospel of Jesus, theonly hope of heaven!

Heaven IsFor Realfrom page 3from page 3from page 3from page 3from page 3

Wise Readingby Danny Pitts

from First Baptist Church of Shady Grove NewsletterActs 8:30 “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read theprophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.32The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led asa sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before hisshearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation hisjudgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation?for his life is taken from the earth.34 And the eunuch answeredPhilip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this?of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened hismouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto himJesus.”

The Greek term read is formed by combining the words "toknow" and "again." Someone knew something. They wrote itdown. The reader is able to know again what was known earlier.This ability to profit from the knowledge of others who lived inthe past is unique to human beings. It allows us to learn from thethoughts of great minds who developed their understandingfrom the accumulated knowledge of past scholars in a particularfield. It allows us to be inspired by the reasoning processes andconclusions of deep thinkers. This progression of knowledge hastransformed our lives in the secular world. In fact, many arealive today because God has allowed man to grow in his under-standing of the physical body and the world in which we live.Have you thanked the Lord for that mercy?

In our text Philip the Evangelist hears the Ethiopian Eunuchread from the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah 53. Philipasks the black man if he understands what he has read. As isoften the case, the reader could not be sure of the meaning of histext. He needed a teacher to clarify the context. Philip explainedhow the scripture was all about Jesus. Under the inspiration ofGod, Isaiah had written this prophecy over 700 years beforethese two men knew the truths again. The greatest value ofwritten words is that they can lead many to salvation in theMessiah. Have you thanked the Lord for being merciful inpreserving the message about salvation?

Having established the value of reading, some balance mustbe stressed. Solomon wrote, "And further, by these, my son, beadmonished: of making many books there is no end; and muchstudy is a weariness of the flesh" (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Afterwarning that reading can be never ending and exhausting, heconcludes the book by stating that preparation for God's judg-ment is most important. The wise man had pointed out thatprinciples learned can be motivate us as the sharp point of oxgoads would prick them to move forward (Ecclesiastes 12:11).Read wisely.