The opening chapter of the Gospel of Mark describes a Savior who wasted no time beginning His ministry. In quick fashion, Jesus received baptism, went into the wilderness and was tempted, proclaimed the good news of God, called the sons of Zebedee to follow Him, taught in the synagogue with authority, cast out an unclean spirit from a man in the synagogue, healed Simon’s mother-in-law and cast out demons.

Some games we played as children seem to be as old as time itself. We would be hard-pressed to trace the origins of hide-and-seek. The rules are obvious and the winner is clear. One person secures a clever place to hide and after the warning count is completed, the seeking begins.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — In the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, residents of south Georgia have been turning to Christ for hope, comfort and salvation. “When people get into these kinds of life-or-death situations, they start thinking about their own mortality,” said Bob Sprinkel, a longtime volunteer with Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief. “When a hurricane hits, people need hope, and Jesus is that hope.” Disaster Relief volunteers reported that nine people had made salvation decisions in the Valdosta area as of Monday.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Lt. Col. Scott Smith’s regular job is flying F-15s for the U.S. Air Force, but during the long Labor Day weekend he was manning a chainsaw for one of the Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief crews helping Valdosta residents clean up in the wake of Hurricane Idalia. “I don’t know that I have a whole lot of the spiritual gifts the Bible talks about, but God has given me a strong back,” said Smith, a member of Central Baptist Church in Warner Robins. “I feel like manual labor is one way I can serve.” People from all walks of life have joined forces through the Disaster Relief ministry to help hurricane survivors in the Valdosta area, where thousands of trees were toppled by Idalia’s winds.

GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. — Why would a senior adult church with no children’s ministry hold Vacation Bible School at the church? And how could they possibly do it successfully and even bless other churches year after year? For Green Valley Baptist Church, located in a senior adult community 30 minutes south of Tucson and next door to Sahuarita, a newer community filled with young families, VBS is the event of the summer.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — In Georgia’s hurricane zone, the long Labor Day weekend has been no walk in the park for Disaster Relief crews who are volunteering their time to help storm victims. Sweat soaks their conspicuous yellow shirts as they balance on sweltering rooftops, sawing away fallen trees that had been toppled by Hurricane Idalia on Wednesday.

OZARK, Mo. — “What would Vacation Bible School look like for participants in their 80s, 90s, and 100s?” That’s a question Baptist Home leaders in Ozark had to answer before offering Vacation Bible School to their residents in June. They decided it didn’t have to look much different than for children as many residents already had fond memories of experiencing VBS.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Cleanup is underway in south Georgia after a pummeling blow by Hurricane Idalia knocked trees onto homes and downed powerlines, leaving thousands without electricity in the summer heat. A chainsaw crew from Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief spent Friday removing a fallen tree from the Baptist Collegiate Ministries building at Valdosta State University. Others prepared meals for storm victims.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- Lifeway Christian Resources announced the appointment of Scott Arvay as its new chief revenue officer. “Scott brings significant expertise in sales, marketing and customer relations that will be invaluable to Lifeway as we continue to lean into our growth strategy,” said Lifeway President and CEO Ben Mandrell. “His proven strategic leadership experience will be a huge asset to Lifeway.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Prior to the fall semester, Midwestern Seminary’s faculty traveled to Israel for a once-in-a-lifetime leadership development retreat. The trip to the Holy Land featured daily tours of historic sites and devotionals led by faculty members at select locations. The faculty retreat was made possible by a generous gift from a Midwestern Seminary donor.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The opening convocation for the Fall 2023 term of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College was marked by a spirit of exuberance as the Southern Seminary community gathered in Alumni Memorial Chapel. As the faculty processed in to the opening hymn, the newly restored Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ was on full display.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — Truett McConnell University marked a historic milestone earlier this month during its first chapel service of the Fall semester. An installation ceremony was held to officially appoint Dr. Maël Disseau as the inaugural occupant of the distinguished Dr. Charles F. Stanley Chair of Theology for the Charles F. Stanley Global Impact Center. The ceremony was a moment of recognition for Dr. Disseau’s contributions to the field of theology and his unwavering commitment to the principles championed by Dr. Stanley.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — More than 3,700 students made salvation decisions at Lifeway camps over the summer, President and CEO Ben Mandrell said this week. Camp locations across the country hosted 111,686 campers from more than 4,000 churches.

“Set the small cooler out on the front porch,” my beloved called to say on his way out of the hollow.  “And put the ice packs from the freezer in it, too.”  I had no clue what was going on but did as I was instructed.  With my own errands to run, I wouldn’t be home for a bit either.  Apparently, someone was dropping off something that needed to be kept cold.  My curiosity began to stir.

Are you tired? I feel like I stay tired in my life. Tired as in need of sleep and rest. Maybe it’s my age but I just don’t sleep well. I wake up at least three times during the night and if I get a solid five hours of sleep I consider that a good night’s rest.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Following a shooting inside a lab building at the University of North Carolina that left a faculty member dead, local churches have covered the campus in prayer while providing places for students to process the tragic events. An emergency alert issued shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 28, put the campus on a three-hour lockdown while authorities searched for a suspected gunman following reports of shots fired at Caudill Labs in the heart of UNC’ campus.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Southeastern Seminary announced Monday that Chuck Lawless, vice president for spiritual formation and ministry centers at Southeastern, would serve as the new director for its Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership, starting this fall semester.

FORT WORTH, Texas — A group of over 120 Brazilian pastors met earlier this month for a retreat and officially voted to declare themselves as the Brazilian Churches Fellowship. During the event, held in the Riley Center on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the pastors elected Ebeneezer Santos the new executive director and made their formal declaration as a fellowship.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Midwestern Seminary inaugurated a new academic year during a convocation service Tuesday, featuring a sermon by President Jason Allen on the centrality of the gospel for life and ministry. From Acts 9, Allen presented one of the most well-known conversion stories of all time, namely, the conversion of the Apostle Paul. As he said, “Something happened in these verses that not only changed this man’s life but changed the world. These verses radiate the amazing grace of God.”

As an estimated up to 15.9 million visitors prepare to descend on France’s capital from July-September 2024 for the Paris Olympic season, International Mission Board teams are ramping up efforts to reach the nations that will be in their backyard. IMB teams, headed by IMB missionary Jason Harris, are eager to partner with Southern Baptists from the United States for evangelistic outreach. In addition, IMB teams in Paris are partnering with French Baptists and Great Commission Christians across the globe.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Starting this fall, Southeastern Seminary is now offering a Master of Theology  with a concentration in theology and worship to strategically equip pastors, worship leaders, and students interested in worship-related ministry or research. As one of seven applied theology concentrations for the Master's degree, the new theology and worship concentration offers students an opportunity for advanced research and theological reflection on various worship-related topics.

FORT WORTH, Texas - A record number of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary faculty and students met last Wednesday to participate in a guided prayer time in the first Prayer 10:02 meeting.  Participants, inspired by the text of Luke 10:2 from which the meeting draws its name, met in Lottie’s Lobby of Mathena Hall  on the seminary campus.

JEFFERSON CITY,  Mo. – The Executive Board of the Missouri Baptist Convention has named former Georgia pastor Wes Fowler executive director-treasurer. Fowler succeeds John Yeats, who steps aside after 12 years of leading the network of 1,750 self-governing churches through challenging times and to higher levels of cooperative ministry.

ROME, Ga. – Freshmen and returning students arrived for the start of the academic year at Shorter University earlier this month. Members of the Class of 2027 began their semester by attending Camp Hawk, a weekend-long welcome event allowing students to make new connections and learn more about the campus.

One of the most wonderful times of the year is here — football season! Allegiances in the South run deep for the many high schools, colleges and universities that dot our landscape. I have conducted weddings and funerals around football game times. To confuse an Alabama fan for an Auburn supporter is comparable to a slap in the face for some. For whatever reason, convictions run deep for a few hours each Saturday these next few months.