Top stories

Pastors get inside look at work of Georgia Baptist Mission Board

MACON, Ga. – Pastors have the most important jobs and perhaps the toughest as they work to share Jesus in a culture that is growing increasingly resistant to the gospel, the leader of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board said Thursday.
After retiring from U.S. military, Georgia's Terry Ryan proves himself in Lord's army
CORDELE, Ga. – Retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Terry Ryan spent 20 years serving in the U.S. military. Now, he’s in the Lord’s army. Ryan, pastor of Penia Baptist Church outside Cordele, spent much of his military service as a flight technician aboard a Lockheed P-3 Orion plane, searching the oceans for enemy submarines.
Georgia lawmakers wrap up legislative session, refuse to legalize gambling
ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers wrapped up this year's legislative session on Wednesday, steadfastly refusing to legalize sports betting or pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing.
Chainsaws buzzing in tornado zone as survivors talk about their frightening experiences
WEST POINT, Ga. – When Sherry Bennett heard hailstones pounding against her roof and walls early Sunday morning, she worried it would put dents in cars in her neighborhood. Turned out the hail was the least of her worries. An EF-3 tornado with winds up to 165 mph picked up her Jeep Cherokee and slammed into the side of her house. The twister also ripped the roof off her house, carried away her garage, and blew two neighboring homes away entirely.
Another 32 saved in single day at Bowdon ministry outreach
BOWDON, Ga. – The small town of Bowdon is the latest to experience a localized revival with more than 32 people making salvation decisions on Saturday at a ministry outreach that drew some 900 people. Several local churches worked together to organize the event – dubbed Love Loud Bowdon – that showered people with a variety of gifts ranging from appliances to groceries. “The whole purpose is to show the love of God,” said Mountain View Baptist Church Pastor Scott Estes.
Deadly tornado outbreak destroys Bethel Baptist Church in West Point, damages Northside in Milledgeville
LaGRANGE, Ga. – A tornado damaged an estimated 100 homes and other structures in Troup County on Sunday, destroying Bethel Baptist Church in the small community of West Point and heavily damaging 20 to 30 additional homes there, authorities said. Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief advance teams were on the ground assessing damage in Troup County on Sunday.
Baptist Life

Atlanta's First Baptist Church celebrating 175 years of ministry

ATLANTA — In 1846 the railroad town of Marthasville, Georgia, was booming. The town, formally called “Terminus,” was no longer a terminus. A rail bridge had been completed over the Chattahoochee River and the Western and Atlantic Railroad was pressing westward. The Executive Committee of the Georgia Baptist Convention decided to take an unprecedented move. For the first time in its 25-year history, a specific location would be targeted for planting a church.
The specifics of Tim and Annie’s call to missions changed, but the calling itself never altered. God led the Tidenbergs to bring the gospel to the nations, and they obeyed. When they retired from their church planting role in East Africa, they moved to the U.S. to lead a church. Then, they felt led to move back overseas. Now, they spend their time in West Africa resourcing, equipping and supporting missionaries as member care consultants with the International Mission Board.
In 2011, when John D. Massey began serving as associate professor of missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he said it was a “great thrill” to serve the Lord by being a “part of the process of training those” who would be “sent out by the churches” to serve as missionaries through the International Mission Board the same way he and his wife, Vanessa, were a decade earlier.
As a homeschool mom, I’ve created something of a problem at my house.  I’ve raised ferocious readers.  C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Laura Ingalls, and many other classic authors line our shelves along with missionary stories recorded by Rosalie Hunt and Elisabeth Elliot. It won’t be long before procuring more shelving is added to my husband’s honey-do list.  What a good problem.
Fear is a Goliath we all face on a daily basis. Life is full of hard things.  Just today, you will face uncertain, unknown situations.  You have the choice of trusting God in scary circumstances. Being afraid is ok.  A while back, I heard when you are scared and your heart is racing, that means you are getting ready to do something very brave.  I like that.  Plus, it’s true.
Georgia

Georgia lawmakers: Localities must apply homeless camp bans

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers are telling cities and counties that they must enforce existing bans on public camping or sleeping by homeless people while saying local governments and hospitals can't dump homeless people in other counties without permission. The House voted 99-76 to pass Senate Bill 62 on Monday. The Senate later approved House amendments adding the ban on dumping, sending it to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto.

Georgia deputies shoot, wound motorcyclist after chase

CALHOUN, Ga. (AP) — Sheriff’s deputies shot and wounded a motorcyclist following a high-speed chase in northern Georgia, authorities said. The shooting happened early Sunday in Gordon County, where a motorcyclist sped away when Gordon County deputies tried to pull him over for not having a license plate, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

Police investigate after drugs, alcohol put teen in hospital

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Police in coastal Georgia are investigating what led up to a teenager being left at a hospital after becoming severely intoxicated with drugs and alcohol. Glynn County police said investigators interviewed the 19-year-old victim Sunday at a hospital in Brunswick, five days after he was admitted. Three juveniles brought the teenager to the emergency room late Tuesday, police said, and left before officers arrived.

Georgia activist killed by troopers shot first, officers say

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia authorities say state troopers in January fatally shot an activist who had fired at authorities after a trooper shot pepper balls into the protester’s tent, according to incident reports obtained Friday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Nation

Justice Department sues Norfolk Southern over derailment

The federal government filed a lawsuit against railroad Norfolk Southern over environmental damage caused by a train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border that spilled hazardous chemicals into nearby creeks and rivers. The U.S. Department of Justice said it's seeking to hold the company accountable for “unlawfully polluting the nation’s waterways and to ensure it pays the full cost of the environmental cleanup,” in the lawsuit filed Thursday.

Former President Donald Trump indicted by New York grand jury

NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump in the first-ever criminal case against a former U.S. president. The indictment, confirmed Thursday by Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, and other people familiar with the matter, is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings. It is likely to embolden supporters who feel the Republican is being unfairly targeted by a Democratic prosecutor.

US Army investigating crash of 2 Black hawk helicopters that killed 9 soldiers

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — U.S. Army investigators are trying to determine what caused two Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopters to crash during a routine nightime training exercise in Kentucky, killing all nine soldiers aboard. No one was hurt on the ground.

Fiery train derailment in Minnesota prompts evacuations

A train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in Minnesota early Thursday and nearby residents were ordered to evacuate their homes, authorities said. The BNSF train derailed in the town of Raymond, roughly 100 miles west of Minneapolis, about 1 a.m., according to a statement from Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson.
World

Japan unveils proposal to promote marriage, raise birthrate

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese Cabinet minister in charge of tackling the country's declining birthrate unveiled a draft proposal Friday aimed at reversing the downtrend, including increased subsidies for childrearing and education and a salary increase for younger workers to incentivize marrying and having kids.

Sudan state media says 10 workers dead in gold mine collapse

Sudanese authorities say at least 10 people are dead after a gold mine collapsed in northern Sudan. State media reported the workers died after the roof of the Jebel Al-Ahmar gold mine, near the …

Philippine ferry fire kills 31 people; at least 7 missing

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A fire broke out on a ferry in the southern Philippines and raged overnight for eight hours, killing at least 31 of the approximately 250 passengers and crew, officials said Thursday. Many of the more than 200 people who survived the blaze jumped off the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 and were rescued from the dark sea by the coast guard, navy, a nearby ferry and local fishermen, said Gov. Jim Hataman of the southern island province of Basilan. Rescuers were still searching Thursday for at least seven missing people, he said.

Russia charges US journalist with spying in first such case since Cold War

Russia's security service arrested an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal on espionage charges, the first time a U.S. correspondent has been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War. The newspaper denied the allegations and demanded his release.
Perspectives
This year's legislative session began slow but ended very busy because it was the first year of a two-year legislative cycle. This was the first year of the Governor’s second term and it was also the first year of a new Lieutenant Governor and a new Speaker of the House. Georgia Baptists monitored around 12 legislative subjects with 27 bills. Once again, we were able to support more legislation than we opposed. Of the 12 legislative subjects that we dealt with, we were in favor of moving legislation in 10 of those areas.
 Although I’ve settled into somewhat of a routine at this stage in life, it wasn’t that long ago that, after nearly 18 years, I made a monumental move from small-town Georgia to the fringes of Metro Atlanta. It was a move I prayed about and anticipated for quite a while. Nevertheless, the transition was much harder than I thought it would be. Here are nine things I learned.  
My first car was a green Ford Maverick with the shift on the column and a broken gas gauge. I had to keep up with my miles between gas purchases so that I would not run out. I think it was a 1971 model. I bought this baby for $500 with my grass-cutting earnings. When I was 10 or 11 years old, I decided it was time to make some money. I hung a poster in the nearby convenience store on Highway 49 in my hometown of Milledgeville that read “Will mow lawns in Allenwood. Call David Chancey at . . .”
Challenging. Exciting. Humbling. I’ve met numerous SBC missionaries during my years of service at NAMB, and these three words surface in many of their stories. From planting churches to meeting needs through compassion ministries, the calling these missionaries have given their lives to is not easy, but it’s worth it as they get to share the hope of the gospel and see lives forever changed by Jesus. 
Last week, the Georgia Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism replaced House Bill 237, sponsored by Rep. Leesa Hagan, which would establish the Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby as the official soap box derby of the State of Georgia with language that now makes it a Sports Betting bill. See my Public Affairs Ministry FB video: https://fb.watch/jj4m-2bDrL/
Business

A key inflation gauge tracked by the Fed slowed in February

The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge slowed sharply last month, an encouraging sign in the Fed’s yearlong effort to cool price pressures through steadily higher interest rates. …

Used-car prices, after finally easing, are back up again

Well, it was nice while it lasted. For nearly a year, the average used vehicle in the United States had been gradually edging toward affordable again for millions of people. The relief felt belated …

Honda recalls more than 330,000 vehicles due to mirror issue

Honda is recalling more than 330,000 vehicles because heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, which could lead to the mirror glass falling out and increase the risk of a crash. Vehicles included in the recall are 2020-2022 Odyssey, 2020-2022 Passport, 2020-2021 Pilot and 2020-2021 Ridgeline.

First Citizens to acquire troubled Silicon Valley Bank

NEW YORK (AP) — North Carolina-based First Citizens will buy Silicon Valley Bank, the tech industry-focused financial institution that collapsed earlier this month, rattling the banking industry and sending shockwaves around the world.

Fed raises key rate by quarter-point despite bank turmoil

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve extended its year-long fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point despite concerns that higher borrowing rates could worsen the turmoil that has gripped the banking system.
Sports

MASTERS '23: Trivia quiz covering nearly 90 years at Augusta

No other major has such cool trivia as the Masters. That's because it's played at Augusta National every year. There are great champions. And there's a lot of heartache. See how you fare on this …

MASTERS '23: Tiger draws big roars with a touch of nostalgia

One thing hasn't changed through the years. Tiger Woods is must-see golf. But it's different than it was 20 years ago when Woods was healthy, younger and at the peak of his game. Players who have …

MASTERS '23: A capsule look at top contenders for Augusta

Jon Rahm might break through and join his idol Seve Ballesteros by winning the Masters this year. Rahm already has won three times this year. Among other contenders, the attention will be on Rory …

Braves lose Max Fried on opening day, beat Nationals 7-2

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Atlanta Braves overcame the early exit of NL Cy Young Award runner-up Max Fried because of a bad leg Thursday with four hits by Travis d'Arnaud and three errors by Washington shortstop CJ Abrams during a 7-2 victory over the Nationals on a sunny, chilly opening day.