Belinda Bukovitz was jolted into action by the sound of police outside her home shouting through a loudspeaker: “Go now, go now, go now!” Realizing this was not like other wildfires that had threatened her mountain village before, she, her husband, son and two cats bundled into three separate cars and fled.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer on Carlos Rodón’s second pitch of the night, Austin Riley and Matt Olson also went deep off the left-hander and the Atlanta Braves routed the suddenly struggling New York Yankees 8-1 on Friday for their seventh win in eight games.

SQUAM LAKE, N.H. (AP) — As New England baked in a heat wave Thursday, guests at one campground were keeping their food and beer cold with blocks of ice harvested months earlier from a frozen lake.

BEIJING (AP) — At least 47 people have died as downpours in southern China’s Guangdong province caused historic flooding and slides, state media reported Friday, while authorities warned of more extreme weather ahead in other parts of the country.

ATLANTA (AP) — Lionel Messi’s through ball led to Julián Álvarez’s goal in the 49th minute, then he assisted on Lautaro Martínez's goal in the 88th as Argentina began the defense of its Copa America title with a 2-0 victory over Canada on Thursday night.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Sutherland, the Canadian actor whose wry, arrestingly off-kilter screen presence spanned more than half a century of films from “M.A.S.H.” to “The Hunger Games,” has died. He was 88.

Jane Hwang’s eyes scanned the list of cities. The last job, for student ministry in Tokyo, caught her attention. In the job description, she noted the lack of hope and knowledge of eternal life among the Japanese, and she felt the Lord was leading her to serve in Japan. 

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — After 30 years of service, Don Startup, worship pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, Ga., is retiring. On Sunday, June 16, one week before his final service as worship pastor, the church celebrated Pastor Startup and his ministry.

Repentance is a change of mind and attitude that results in a change of life and actions. Repentance is necessary after hearing and understanding the previous six essential elements of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

CARTHAGE, Texas — An East Texas church’s year-end surplus enabled Baptist World Alliance partners to deliver thousands of Bibles to people in a rural area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The good news is that we can celebrate the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24th. Under the Lord’s leadership, we can keep working together to build a culture of life in Georgia that stands up for all innocent human life and ministers both to mothers and babies.

Listening to the morning sounds in the mountains, I hear birds tweeting and greeting. They call across the hills, “Good morning! It’s time to get up.” God didn’t have to make birds sing. But He did.

MWINGI, Kenya (AP) — Esther Kangali felt a sharp pain while on her mother’s farm in eastern Kenya. She looked down and saw a large snake coiling around her left leg. She screamed, and her mother came running.

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — The first shock wave shattered aisles stacked almost to the ceiling with home improvement products. The next Russian bomb streaked down like a comet seconds later, unleashing flames that left the megastore an ashen shell.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed at least a dozen deals with his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday and offered to supply fossil fuels including natural gas to Vietnam for the long term during a state visit that comes as Moscow is seeking to bolster ties in Asia to offset its growing international isolation over its military actions in Ukraine.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A new agreement between Russia and North Korea reached by their leaders requires the countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of war, North Korean state media said.

Three sentences were jotted on the piece of paper a church member handed Nicholas Peveto after a morning worship service in 2011: “The time is short. You need to go. Trust God.” “Do you know what that means?” the church member asked. “I know exactly what that means,” Peveto answered. 

I was recently hiking on the Appalachian Trail in north Georgia with some friends. One of my companions was Jack, a 25-year-old young man from Nashville, Tenn. I was told Jack had just checked his compass when he called out to me, “What direction are we going?” It’s an important question while navigating the AT, you don’t want to become disoriented on the trail.

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Heavy rain and hail fell Wednesday around an evacuated village in New Mexico threatened by wildfires that have killed at least two people and damaged more than 1,400 structures, offering the hope of some assistance for firefighters but adding the threat of high winds and flash floods.

TAMPICO, Mexico (AP) — Tropical Storm Alberto formed on Wednesday in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the first named storm of what is forecast to be a busy hurricane season. Alberto, which is bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall and some flooding along the coasts of Texas and Mexico, is expected to make landfall in northern Mexico on Thursday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Sean Murphy hit a pair of two-run homers, Reynaldo López threw five scoreless innings and the Atlanta Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 7-0 victory on Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — First Baptist Church of Springfield suffered a tragic loss Monday when one of their VBS directors was killed in a traffic accident. The Effingham County Sheriff’s Department reported on its Facebook page that emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle crash near the intersection of McCall Road and Highway 21 in Springfield. Two occupants of a pickup truck were taken to the hospital, and the driver of the other vehicle, Laura Devisscher, was killed

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom, the latest move from a GOP-dominated Legislature pushing a conservative agenda under a new governor.

In April of 1860, Deacon Benajah S. Sheats, a Baptist layman/farmer from Clarke County, stood to make a motion at the Georgia Baptist Convention meeting in Macon.

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Tony Dickerson is known as a Baptist statesman, an anointed expository preacher, and a loving pastoral shepherd who is about to enter his 52nd year as senior pastor of Pinehurst Baptist Church in Columbus. He is also a proven leader and a genuine man of God.