Easter Week Devotional Guide: Day 1

Meredith Flynn —  March 24, 2013

EasterStep by Step: Following Jesus from the Palms Parade to the Resurrection

Day 1: Palm Sunday, March 24
The pre-Easter parade (Matthew 21:1-11)

Crowds are fickle. One day they’re cheering, another they’re calling for execution. Such was the crowd that greeted Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem less than a week before His death.

At the time of Passover, up to 2 million people crowded into Jerusalem for the annual celebration of their ancestors’ deliverance from slavery. They greeted Jesus and his entourage as they would a king, making for him the red carpet of the times.

The parade goers declared him a King in the line of Israel’s great king David, answering the city’s question, “Who is this?” And they called out a Hebrew word meaning “save us now” to the One who would soon deliver their salvation. Yet, these shouts of “Hosanna!” would turn to “Crucify him!” before week’s end.

How can we explain their faltering commitment? Or ours?

Lord, open our eyes to see who you really are. Help us to hold you as our true King, and to never turn on you or away from you.

Devotion by Eric Reed, artwork by Kerry Jackson

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What McDonald’s taught me about missions

Meredith Flynn —  March 21, 2013

Serena_McDonaldsCOMMENTARY | Serena Butler

When our small mission team arrived in New Orleans, we planned to roof houses for a week. We had packed hammers, squares and other tools, but when we arrived, we were asked to hang insulation instead.

The experience took me back to a time several years earlier, when I started my first dream job – working at McDonald’s. I was 16. With great excitement, I put on my new uniform and my mom drove me to my first shift. Little did I know that much of what I would learn over the next 7½ years would be utilized as I served on mission teams.

Like flexibility. Some days I would be at the grill all day. Others, I worked the counter for a few hours and then switched to fries. Still other days I would learn a new skill. One night, ten minutes before closing time, four buses pulled into the parking lot. Even when you’re tired from a long day, put a smile on your face and serve with graciousness.

That particular lesson has certainly come in handy on mission trips. In New Orleans, we quickly shifted gears and accepted our new assignment graciously. We gathered utility knives, staplers, work gloves and masks and started to work. And we gave individual assignments to each team member so we could operate more efficiently. Some cut the lengths of insulation while others stuffed it in the walls and ceiling before stapling it into place. Others made sure the area was clean of debris. When someone needed a break from their assignment, we rotated.

Being flexible often means relying on your team, because you realize pretty quickly you can’t do everything on your own. My first assignment at McDonald’s was toasting and dressing Big Mac buns. It was fairly simple, but had to be done in exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds. On command from the manager, place the buns in the toaster. When the buzzer sounded, remove the buns and put on the right amount of sauce, onions, lettuce, cheese, and pickles. When I fell behind, the whole grill team (and our customers) suffered.

Similarly, as we installed insulation that week in New Orleans, we knew we had to finish our task, because a drywall team was coming in behind us.

Each time I go anywhere on mission, I try to remember these hard-earned lessons from my time at the Golden Arches. When I clock in, I want to be ready to do whatever task I am asked to do that day, and play my part on the team.

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Tuesday Briefing: 900 volunteers serve during Illinois’ Children’s Ministry Day

Meredith Flynn —  March 19, 2013

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/62112542″>CMD 2013 recap</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/ibsa”>IL Baptist State Association</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

A story is told every year around this time, about a little girl from an IBSA church who knocked on the door of a crisis pregnancy center one Saturday in March. She wasn’t alone; bolstered by several others her age, she answered the question, “Who is it?” with a bold proclamation:

“We’re missionaries!”

It was Children’s Ministry Day, and the young missionary was delivering handmade blankets to mothers and babies in need.

Hundreds of kid took up her rallying cry in mid-March, as the third annual IBSA Children’s Ministry Day sent 900 volunteers into five communities. At the Mt. Vernon site, IBSA’s Rex Alexander told the story to help motivate more than 200 kids who gathered at Park Avenue Baptist Church before scattering to their ministry sites.

“The church is often guilty of overlooking children when it comes to mission action,” Alexander said later. “We send youth and adults on mission trips, but we limit mission involvement with children to teaching ‘about’ missions.

“Our kids are very capable of serving the Lord outside the walls of their church and having an impact on their world.”

Children’s Ministry Day is an Illinois expression of a nationwide initiative created by Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU). Mark Emerson, IBSA’s associate executive director for missions, has let the statewide project from the beginning, when it started in 2011 with several projects in the Springfield area. Children’s Ministry Day expanded to three last year, and this year, host associations coordinated various projects in five cities – Bourbonnais, Carbondale, Mt. Vernon, Springfield and Troy.

A total of 903 volunteers, including kids, their leaders and host site helpers, served at the most recent event, a 25% increase over last year. The number of churches represented also increased, from 50 to 64.

For more about Children’s Ministry Day, see the upcoming issue of the Illinois Baptist, online Friday at ibonline.IBSA.org.

Other news:

Alabama cop turns over badge
But Montgomery Police Chief Kevin Murphy did so willingly. While speaking at First Baptist Church as part of the 13th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama, Murphy (right in photo) gave his badge to U.S. Rep. John Lewis (left) and apologized to him on behalf of the police department, Baptist Press reports. The Georgia Congressman and long-time Civil Rights activist was beaten along with other Freedom Riders at a Montgomery bus station in 1961, while Montgomery police stood down. “He us my hero,” Murphy said of Lewis. Read the full story at BPnews.net.

NAMB sends Bibles to every church
The North American Mission Board will send this spring a case of New Testaments to every Southern Baptist and Canadian National Baptist church. “If your church hasn’t been out in your community sharing Christ in a while, we think these Bibles are a great tool for outreach,” said NAMB President Kevin Ezell. The New Testaments are part of NAMB’s vision to see every Christian sharing the Gospel by 2020, and should arrive in churches by early April. Read more at BPnews.net.

Tomlin gives spotlight to God
On any given Sunday, worship artist Chris Tomlin’s songs are sung in at least 60,000 churches. And it could be as many as 120,000, estimates Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI). In a recent CNN interview, Tomlin said he likes stepping back from the microphone during his concerts so he can listen to others worship. “It’s about a greater name than my name,” he told CNN. “My name is on the ticket, but this is about a greater name.” Read more at CNN’s belief blog.

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As the smoke clears

Meredith Flynn —  March 14, 2013

TravelCOMMENTARY | Meredith Flynn

One member of our reporting team describes working for a newspaper when Pope John Paul II was gravely ill in 2004. “My editor called it ‘Pope Watch.’ We knew the world’s eyes were trained on the Vatican, and pope news would exceed in importance anything else we’d put in the paper.”

For the past few weeks, Catholics and non-Catholics alike were back on Pope Watch. From Pope Benedict’s surprise retirement announcement, to yesterday’s announcement that Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio would assume the post, media outlets have provided extensive coverage of the search for a new leader. Software manufacturers even jumped on cultural wave, creating smart phone apps to help people more closely follow the conclave’s progress.

As the world watched for a puff of white smoke from the Vatican chimney, Southern Baptists also had occasion to consider more closely relationship to the Roman Catholic church. We are deeply divided on key doctrines, but have compatible positions on marriage and family issues and the sanctity of human life. And we share the struggle of protecting the children in our care. The Catholic church’s very public failures have forced us to ask: Are our churches doing enough to secure children’s safety?

We face many of the same challenges. A new study by Barna Research shows that is especially true when it comes to young people in the church.

Barna surveyed young Catholics (age 18-29) with a variety of faith journeys – some still attend a Catholic church, while others admit to dropping out. In fact, 56% of those surveyed say they stopped going to church at some point after attending regularly. Previous Barna research found the dropout rate among Protestants is 61%. A majority, 65%, of young Catholics also admit to being less active in church than they were at age 15, compared to 58% of Protestants.

The numbers point to a common story that seems to transcend denomination or religion: Many young people are leaving the church. Barna’s research also gives clues as to why. Of young Catholics surveyed, 60% say the church’s teachings on sexuality and birth control are out of date, and 57% say mass feels like a “boring obligation.”

Protestant church leaders – including Southern Baptists – also can attest to the tension between youth and experience, between progress and tradition. There’s anecdotal evidence aplenty that suggests denominational leadership isn’t skewing younger as a rule.

Most people of faith want to leave a legacy of belief in God – they want to pass on what is most important to them. As we seek to do so, it’s increasingly apparent that it will take more than smoke and mirrors to show younger generations the truths in the Bible, and to convince them of the value of cooperation. It will require the utmost authenticity, and we’ll have to give young people space to wrestle with issues that come naturally to older believers. It’s essential, and it’s what they’re watching for.

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TV miniseries invites Bible-focused water cooler conversation

Meredith Flynn —  March 12, 2013

Tuesday_BriefingTHE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

Even if you haven’t watched an episode of History Channel’s miniseries on the Bible, chances are you’ve heard about it. More than 13 million people watched the March 3 debut of “The Bible,” making it the evening’s most-watched program (broadcast or cable), and the most successful entertainment telecast on cable so far this year.

“The best-case scenario for us is that there’s an opportunity here for people to be discussing the Bible at the water cooler the day after this has aired,” said actress Roma Downey, who produced the five-part miniseries with her husband, reality TV hitmaker Mark Burnett. The couple was interviewed on LifeWay.com (the website of LifeWay Christian Resources) before the show’s debut.

At a time when biblical literacy is at an all-time low, Burnett told LifeWay, he and Downey felt compelled to create a series that would get people engaged with Scripture for the first time ever, or the first time in a while.

“People who really know the Bible will say, ‘Oh, I forgot about that or I don’t remember that part.’ That’s what’s so great. It will make people say, ‘I’m going to look that up.’”

It may also send viewers to their Bibles to fill in the missing pieces in an understandably abridged narrative. Ten hours is a lot, especially in broadcast time, but the Bible is far too expansive a story to include even every familiar story. For example, God’s covenant with Abraham is the focus of much of the first episode, but Jacob, Esau, Joseph and his scheming brothers only get a sentence or two before we find Moses cowering before the burning bush on Mt. Sinai.

On the other hand, “The Bible” is an opportunity to highlight stories that could be considered minor, like Samson and Delilah. The tragic tale from Judges is included in the miniseries’ second episode. Samson’s journey – from God’s promise, to tempted man, to eventual spiritual and physical blindness – has implications for today, and could very well make for great water cooler conversation.

Read LifeWay.com’s interview with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey here.

Other news:

Dolan: Next pope will face threats to religious liberty
(From Baptist Press) Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said the next pope will have to address rising threats to religious liberty, and the Catholic church’s perceived irrelevance. “We hear that more and more people have absolutely no problem with faith, but they do with religion,” Dolan told Reuters. “… More and more people don’t see the need for the church.”

Recently, Catholic bishops proposed the creation of a Vatican office to monitor religious liberty violations. Dolan told Reuters such an office would need to monitor violations that “take place not in Third World countries but in First World countries.”

“There seems to be a pretty well-oiled choreography to reduce religion and faith to the excessively private and where religion may have absolutely no public witness and voice in the public square.” Read more at BPNews.net.

Mississippi schools may see more religious freedom
The Mississippi State Legislature has sent a bill to Gov. Phil Bryant that would allow public school students to express their religious beliefs through assignments, in classrooms, and at school events, reports Christianity Today. Read more at ChristianityToday.com.

How much news do you know?
Most Americans can identify the symbols associated with Judaism and social media site Twitter, but fewer recognize U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren or know where Syria is on a map. Those results are from the Pew Forum’s latest News IQ quiz, given at least twice a year to measure Americans’ current events acumen. Read more results or take the quiz at PewResearch.org.

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From ‘normal job’ to church planting in Chicago

Meredith Flynn —  March 10, 2013

HEARTLAND | “I just was like any other normal person with a nice secular job,” said Marvin Del Rios. “God kept on pushing me and impressing on me that this is what you need to do.”

Del Rios’ “this” was pastoring and church planting in Chicago. Watch the video below for more of his story, and how others are sharing the Gospel in the Windy City.

SEND North America: Chicago from IL Baptist State Association on Vimeo.

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Week of Prayer for North American Missions: Day 8

Meredith Flynn —  March 10, 2013

Today marks the end of the Week of Prayer for North American Missions. In this post, we go back to Day 1 for a look at Chicago church planters Scott and Ashley Venable.

Scott Venable“It’s the most eclectic place you can imagine,” church planter Scott Venable says of his Chicago neighborhood. “It has drug dealers and businesspeople. When we prayerwalked as we were looking for a place to start the church and we got to Wicker Park, we just knew it was it.”

One of the most famous neighborhoods in the Windy City, Wicker Park is the kind of place where million dollar homes are just a few blocks down from government housing. It’s also a place that needs churches. Scott and his wife Ashley are planting Mosaic Church with a focus on serving the community, and sharing the Gospel in Chicagoland, where only 10 percent of people know Christ.

Pray for Mosaic Church Chicago as they live out  the Great Commandment and carry out the Great Commission – may they see many transformed lives.

Go to www.anniearmstrong.com/scottvenable to watch “Where to Start,” a video about the Venables’ work in Wicker Park.

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Week of Prayer for North American Missions: Day 7

Meredith Flynn —  March 9, 2013

Many Southern Baptist churches will mark the Week of Prayer for North American Missions this week. For more information about the week of prayer or the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, contact IBSA’s Missions team at (217) 391-3138.

PowerPlantDay 7 – Short-Term Missions
Every day of the year, young men and women are working alongside missionaries throughout North America. Through summer and semester opportunities, they are discovering future areas of service as they learn from experienced church planters and missionaries. And they’re also developing their own relationship with God as He uses them to meet the spiritual and physical needs of others, and to experience new cultures and missional living firsthand.

Pray for more young people to answer God’s call to serve in short-term missions experiences. Pray also for summer and semester missionaries to be stretched and challenged during their times of service so they may more easily discern God’s call to missions for the long term.

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Week of Prayer for North American Missions: Day 6

Meredith Flynn —  March 8, 2013

Many Southern Baptist churches will mark the Week of Prayer for North American Missions this week. For more information about the week of prayer or the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, contact IBSA’s Missions team at (217) 391-3138.

Victor Thomas, Simon Fraser University, collegiate ministry, campus ministryDay 6 – Victor and Candice Thomas
Victor and Candice Thomas landed in Vancouver from South Africa promising they’d never stay. They meant to be there for four months, but Victor, a researcher at Simon Fraser University, found a new calling in Burnaby, a quick train ride from the city’s downtown.

Three weeks before they were to go home, Thomas walked the Burnaby campus of Simon Fraser, his eyes seeming to open for the first time. “I saw these students with blank looks on their faces…” he said. “It was as if God was saying, ‘Isn’t this the poverty I’ve called you to?’”

The Thomases now lead The Point, a church they’ve helped grow from a small Bible study to four sites where 90 people gather for weekend worship services.

Pray for more ministry partners to answer God’s call to reach the lost in Vancouver.

Go to www.anniearmstrong.com/victorthomas to watch “We Had to Do Something,” a video about a young couple who heard the Gospel at The Point.

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Christians keep praying, lobbying at the Illinois Capitol

Meredith Flynn —  March 7, 2013

 

Christians gathered to pray on the Illinois Capitol steps Thursday. David Howard, director of missions for the Capital City Baptist Association, and Kevin Carrothers, pastor of Rochester First Baptist, were among the group of about 25 people.

Christians gather to pray on the Illinois Capitol steps Thursday. David Howard, director of missions for Capital City Baptist Association, and Kevin Carrothers, pastor of Rochester First Baptist, were among the group of 25.

SPRINGFIELD | Meredith Flynn

Christians from several Christian denominations – including Southern Baptists – gathered on the Illinois Capitol steps Thursday to pray together and voice their support for a traditional definition of marriage.

Esther Wang and her husband, Pine, were among the group of about 25 people. “Some of the Christians I know – Chinese Christians – say, ‘Oh, there’s no way, because state after state” has approved legislation in favor of same-sex marriage, Esther said. The Wangs, who work with a network of Chinese Christian churches in Chicagoland, came to Springfield for the prayer vigil with fellow Moody Bible Institute graduates John and Grace Chao.

“My husband and John Chao, they said whether the bill will be passed or not is not in our hands,” Esther said. “But our duty there, our responsibility there, [is] that we should speak out the truth, in this moment.”

The State House vote, yet to be scheduled, is the final step before Governor Pat Quinn would receive the same-sex marriage bill. He has promised to sign it.

After they prayed, the group went inside the nearby Stratton Building to lobby their representatives to vote no on the bill. They met up with two busloads of Christians from Chicagoland who were mobilized by New Life Covenant Church, affiliated with Assemblies of God.

On the Stratton Building’s second floor, where many representatives have offices, Pastor Danny Holliday of Victory Baptist in Alton stood in the hallway with the inter-denominational group of volunteer lobbyists. Holliday spoke against same-sex marriage during the House Executive Committee hearing, and has spent time in Springfield this week meeting with legislators. Opponents of the bill have been getting good response at the Capitol, he said.

“We want to shore up the people that are coming our way, because a lot of pressure has been applied by President Obama, and by people from Illinois who want this to go through.”

The President expressed his support for same-sex marriage last spring, and has since said he would support the bill in Illinois, were he still a State Senator. On Feb. 28, the U.S. Justice Department filed a friend-of-the-court brief that asked the Supreme Court to overturn California’s Proposition 8, which protects a traditional definition of marriage. The move is seen by some as an abandonment of a states’ right position on marriage, and the next step in legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.

-With reporting by Baptist Press

Esther Wang and John and Grace Chao pose with a sign reading "Vote No" in Chinese characters.

Esther Wang and John and Grace Chao pose with a sign reading “Vote No” in Chinese characters.

Rev. Bob Vanden Bosch (third from left) of Concerned Christian Ministries helps people locate their representatives' offices at the Stratton Building in downtown Springfield.

Rev. Bob Vanden Bosch (third from left) of Concerned Christian Ministries helps people locate their representatives’ offices at the Stratton Building in downtown Springfield. Photos by Meredith Flynn

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