ATLANTA – The state began a new fiscal year on a positive note last month, with July tax collections increasing 2.7% over July of last year. The Georgia Department of Revenue brought in $2.56 billion in taxes last month, up $66.3 million over July 2023.

As summer comes to an end, late vacations wrap up and students prepare to go back to school, Georgia Baptist camps celebrate a fruitful season of ministry. Close to 1,000 students spent time this year at Camp Kaleo and Camp Pinnacle, with more than 30 placing their faith in Christ for salvation.

CLAYTON, Ga. — More than 500 campers and their moms attended sessions at Camp Pinnacle, owned and operated by Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union of Georgia this summer. Camp director Tabitha Ferrell said 10 campers made salvation decisions.

The Baptist Collegiate Ministry serves Arkansas churches by reaching next generation leaders with the gospel. 

BOSTON — An abiding passion to live as disciples of Jesus has attracted a church full of college students, graduate students, and people with advanced degrees to Antioch Baptist Church, which is located in the world-class academic community of Greater Boston.

Two psychiatrists reconnected at their 20th class reunion. One looked as though he had just graduated. The other appeared, as the expression goes,  “rode hard and put up wet.” Though the same age as his colleague, he looked much older — wrinkled and worn.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexia and Bart Collart braced for a hard visit. Marines came to their home in Arlington, Virginia, last week to brief them on what caused the Osprey crash in Australia last year that resulted in the death of their son and two other Marines.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump recounted his assassination attempt in vivid detail and promised the largest deportation in U.S. history during a high-profile return to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — a conversation that was plagued by technical glitches.

Home Depot's second-quarter sales rose slightly as the nation's biggest home improvement retailer benefitted from an $18 billion acquisition this spring, but customers continued to rein in spending because of broadly higher costs and elevated interest rates.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Chris Sale and Blake Snell put on a pitching show Monday night in a matchup of aces before the Atlanta Braves edged the San Francisco Giants 1-0 on pinch-hitter Travis d'Arnaud's sacrifice fly in the 10th inning.

Some Jewish leaders opposed contact with Gentiles lest the leaders become ritually unclean. Jews called Gentiles “dogs.” But God had called the Hebrews to be a light to the nations (Isa. 42:6). As the gospel progressed, the Church learned that God is no respecter of persons.

If my wife, Amy, had her wish, she would do almost anything while being invisible. Previously, she served as a stage manager for a local theater company. Her attention to detail, ability to encourage and motivate others and hard work made her ideal for the position.

Georgia is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll for the second straight year as the superconference era begins with the SEC and Big Ten dominating the top 10 of the rankings.

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College faculty heard from a group of state convention executive directors during their fall workshop earlier this month.  The executive directors shared about ministry needs they see throughout their particular convention, and how NOBTS can help partner with them to meet these needs.  

HENDERSONVILLE, Tn. — First Baptist Church Hendersonville, Tennessee, announced Sunday, Aug. 11, that it will be the first church in the state to ever give more than $1 million in one year through the Cooperative Program, to support Southern Baptist missions and ministry around the globe.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's top military commander says his forces now control 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russia's neighboring Kursk region, the first time a Ukrainian military official has publicly commented on the gains of the lightning incursion that has embarrassed the Kremlin.

PARIS — A French pastor was setting up for a community outreach event during the Olympics. He recalled a conversation he had overheard years ago and had never been able to forget. A mother and child were walking along the street in front of his church.  “What is this place, this building?” the child asked. “It’s a museum,” his mother responded.  

STURGIS, Ky. (KT) — For three days in July, the population of Sturgis soars from 1,650 to more than 10,000 people when the western Kentucky town hosts the Little Sturgis Bike Rally. Along with the motorcycle enthusiasts, ministry opportunities abound for Sturgis First Baptist Church, the Ohio Valley Baptist Association, Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief and other ministry partners.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the name of consumer protection, a slew of U.S. federal agencies are working to make it easier for Americans to click the unsubscribe button for unwanted memberships and recurring payment services.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A major wildfire raged across the northern suburbs of Athens on Monday, leaving at least one person dead and triggering multiple evacuations as swirling winds hampered the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and dozens of water-dropping planes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the chaotic aftermath of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally last month, a local police officer told a fellow officer he had warned the Secret Service days earlier that the building where the 20-year-old gunman opened fire needed to be secured.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The trial of a Las Vegas-area politician accused of killing an investigative reporter who wrote articles critical of him will take center stage in Nevada on Monday, with jury selection scheduled to start in a case that stunned Sin City and the world of journalism.

LONDON (AP) — A man has been arrested after an 11-year-old girl and a 34-year-old woman were stabbed in central London, London’s Metropolitan Police said Monday. The attack occurred in Leicester Square, a magnet for tourists with its shops, theaters and cinemas. The square and surrounding area have an estimated 2.5 million visitors every week.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that the Ukrainian army’s incursion into the Kursk region, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee and embarrassed the Kremlin, is an attempt by Kyiv to stop Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks.

During the long life God has so graciously given me, I spent more than seven years formally studying and earning college degrees in science and theology. However, the most important thing I know is what I learned as a knuckle-headed teenager. And that most important fact can be expressed in a mere two words: “Jesus saves.”