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by Harold Raymond DUNDEE, MI – “Christmas is the greatest holiday of the year! Merry Christmas! Yes!!! Elves, flying reindeer, chimney arrivals, Santa Claus, and all that candy and presents! Wow, I can hardly wait!” “Yes??? Wait a minute. Isn’t there way more to Christmas than all those things?” “Oh, yeah. Well, sure! We get together with our families and have turkey dinners with all the trimmings, and sometimes we even get some special gifts after we eat! Christmas is incredible! I’m so excited! How many more days till Santa comes?” “Santa???” “Oh, wait, yeah. Now I remember, ah, Jesus was born on Christmas, too . . . right?” Be honest now, Pastors. Have you ever struggled convincing people that Jesus really is the reason for the season? Are people in your church more excited about Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer or the glory and wonder of God Almighty becoming a man in the person of Jesus Christ? What really gives you the most joy at Christmas? What really gives your church the most joy? Is it the secular fairy tales or the Living Christ? I first faced this Christmas question when I was just eight years old. One of my friends at school told me there was no real Santa Claus. Talk about taking the joy out of my Christmas! After thinking about my friend’s denials, I went home and asked my mom if Santa Claus was real. She said, “Of course!” But I trapped her when I answered, “Well how does Santa get the presents under our Christmas tree? We don’t even have a fireplace for him to come down!” The joy in my mom’s eyes disappeared and I knew I had been lied to. My own mom and dad had lied to me! You might think Christmas was ruined forever for me at this point, but the Lord worked a miracle for me. The next day in school one of my other friends heard I had learned the truth about Christmas, but he told me there was something way better than Santa. He actually witnessed to me. He told me about Jesus and about how great He was. I was so shocked at the joy I heard in my eight-year-old friend that it gave me hope. Telling people that Santa was real, lived at the North Pole, and delivered presents to everyone all around the world was a lie. But Jesus was real, the great God and Savior! My friend actually shared Titus 2:13 with me. Talk about a miracle! Talk about joy! Knowing Jesus personally is way better than seeing a little kid yelling with excitement because he got the gift he wanted from “Santa!” Experiencing the true joy of Christmas is for eternity and for every day of the year! How should we in the church respond to this yearly battle? I like this verse: “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation!” (Habakkuk 3:18). And let’s make sure the people in our churches don’t miss this other part of God’s Christmas joy. Christ’s first coming at the “first Christmas” has been preparing us for over 2,000 years for Jesus’ Second Coming! Talk about JOY as we celebrate Christ’s birthday! Please bless us Lord Jesus, and we pray every Christmas season and all year long, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:20-21)! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Harold Raymond serves as Pastor of Dundee Baptist Church in Southeastern Baptist Association. #DECEMBER21

by Matt Carter HOLT, MI – Last Christmas (you remember 2020, right?) was a holiday like no other for many people. Perhaps, like most, you spent it exclusively with your household and were left to celebrate by Zoom with your friends and extended family. This distance from loved ones made the holiday seem a little hollow, a little less joyous than usual. It’s not so merry and bright when you have to keep telling grandpa he’s on mute. Technical glitches aside, what made it such a burden is that we are made for community, for physical presence with others. This is why the incarnation is such a gift. Jesus did not announce His love to us by text or send out a Zoom link to witness His saving work. Jesus is our Immanuel, “God with us.” The God of the universe took on flesh, walked on this earth, sweated, laughed, cried, bled, died, and rose. This great truth is made plain to us in Matthew 1:21-23: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, "God with us").” “God with us” is the great marvel, the great joy, the great wonder of Christmas, and of each day- now and for all eternity. "God with us" was the blessed reality of life in the Garden of Eden before sin entered the world. It is what we are created for, it is our deepest longing. "God with us" was a physical reality, in space and time, during the days of our Lord’s flesh. "God with us" will be the all pervasive reality in the New Heavens and New Earth (Rev. 21-22). "God with us" is the current experience of the people of Jesus. What He promised in Matthew 28:20, He delivered by pouring out the Holy Spirit to indwell believers. Jesus is with His people now, always, and forever. Jesus is "God with us." He will never leave us nor forsake us and His presence brings us many blessings. Jesus is strength when we are weak, comfort in grief, peace in hardship, and confidence in times of fear. He multiplies our joys, grants us boldness to serve Him and speak for Him, and gives us stability when life seems out of control. He is our Victor as we battle sin and when we fail He welcomes us back with open arms. That is good news of great joy! Hopefully, this Christmas you will have the opportunity to celebrate in-person with friends and family. As you cherish time together, remember that Jesus is present with us. Ask Him how you can show His love by being present to the lonely, the hurting, and the needy in your church, family, and community. Who can you bring into the presence of Jesus by showing His love and sharing His gospel? The best present we can give to anyone this holiday is to remind them of the presence of Jesus, "God with us", who saves His people from their sins. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Matt Carter serves as the Lead Pastor of Cedar Street Church in Holt. Prior to coming to Cedar Street, he served in various roles at several churches in North Carolina. He holds an MDiv from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Matt and His wife Anna have four kids and one marginally tolerable dog. #DECEMBER21

by Phil S. Lee COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, MI – King David had to flee into the wilderness of Judah to escape the rebellion of his son Absalom. The wilderness is a desolate and uninhabitable region with no water. Everyone feels pain when they enter the wilderness. It was the same with David. But David actually suffered not because of the lack of water, or the desolated land, but because of his beloved son. When people face difficulties, they easily become pessimistic about their situation. However, rather than being pessimistic and resentful, David called on the name of God and approached Him. In that moment, David confessed, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Ps. 63:1). Christians should realize how miserable and unhappy life without God is and have the wisdom to seek God earnestly in their circumstances. David longed for God in that difficult situation so he was able to overcome the challenges. When we enter the wilderness, we realize the necessity of water in our bodies. But for us believers, we need the wisdom to realize how important God is to our souls as water is to our bodies. The wilderness is like an empty field with nothing, but it provides us a precious opportunity to discover what is missing in our life and whom we can meet. In this wilderness, David was able to discover what he lacked and what was precious to him: the presence of God. The very moment he went into the wilderness, he called on God's name: “O God, you are my God” (Psalm 63:1). In the original Hebrew text, the word “Elohim” is used here, meaning Almighty God. Even though he was in a desperate situation, even though he felt like a failure, he still called his God ‘Elohim’, Almighty God, confessing that his faith in God remained unchanged. When people become unhappy with their situations, when they are defeated, when friends and families leaves them, and when they are abandoned, they often resent God. ‘I believed in God so desperately and earnestly, what kind of God does this to me? Is He really living?’ When we are pushed into the wilderness, we become like this. Despite this fact, David still called God Almighty his God, ‘Elohim’ in the wilderness, where he was pushed, fled and abandoned. Without faith, it’s truly impossible to call God ‘Almighty God’ in the wilderness of desolation. David was able to overcome the wilderness with his unchanging faith. That is right. For God's people, the wilderness is a place to discover God, a place to call on God's name, and a place to meet God. The Israelites, who crossed over the same wilderness, did not call on God's name. They did not try to meet God, and they easily blamed and complained to God. As a result, they had to stay in the wilderness for another 40 years. However, David was different. Even though he went to the same wilderness, he was able to overcome it. It was because he had discovered what he lacked in the wilderness. “Not water, not food, not a veil against the strong sunlight in day and bitter wind in night, not a shield, but I need God” so he can stand in the midst of that desolate and barren wilderness and confess “O God, you are my God.” The field of your ministry may be a wilderness. Your life may be a wilderness. I pray that the same confession will overflow from your hearts. So, I bless you in the name of the Lord that you conquer today's wilderness. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pastor Phil S. Lee is the senior pastor of Korean New Life Church in Commerce Township, MI where he has served since February of 2014. Pastor Lee received his M.Div. degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2004 and completed the coursework of the Doctor of Ministry program at Gateway Theological Seminary. He has been married to his lovely wife, Eunshin Byon for 20 years, and they have two children, David (son) and Danielle (daughter). #DECEMBER21

by Jamie Lynn PLYMOUTH, MI – The 2021 Baptist State Convention of Michigan’s annual meeting is in the books. The 64th annual meeting was hosted at Mile City Church in Plymouth on Nov 5th. The theme for this year’s meeting was “500 churches by 2025- Every Church Thriving”. 157 messengers and guests were present representing 58 churches from the state’s 297 churches. BSCM staff worked with Will Mancini’s team in what they’re calling Denominee. This year’s meeting looked differently than before with an emphasis on giving value to the representatives who came from churches all over the state. There was a buzz of excitement from the moment people lined up to register. (It may have been from the Send Network Michigan backpack giveaways and all the coffee and Looney Bakery donuts being served!) There were two main thrusts to this year’s meeting: Be The Church (Church Strengthening) and Send Network Michigan (Church Starting and Sending). BSCM Executive Director, Tim Patterson, even had a Harley motorcycle brought in with twin cylinders to illustrate our two-prong approach. (We talked him out of riding it up on the stage!) Pastor Tim shared a message of vision and unity over the pastors, church leaders and representatives. The Be The Church morning session was filled with strengthening stories (Ed Emmerling and Jason Loewen), testimonies (Chip Faulkner and Billy Walker) and video reports from State Ministry Directors (Mike Durbin, Evangelism; Pastor Coye Bouyer, Diversity Ambassador and Mick Schatz, Bambi Lake Director). Pastor Joel Wayne of Chapel Pointe Church in Hudsonville brought a powerful word that challenged churches to Be The Church that God had called them to be. It includes a partnership strategy which draws pastors and leaders into cohorts to strengthen them. There are five “Be The Church” cohorts already meeting across Michigan. Pastors and church leader’s hearts were filled with emotion and courage as the words poured over them. The Convergent Church band from Owosso, led the gathering through soul-touching hymns and songs of worship. BSCM President, Roy Henry, led the business of the convention. It included State Director video reports by Sue Hodnett, Women’s Ministry/WMU; Mike Wigle, MI Southern Baptist Foundation; and Bob Kiger, MI Disaster Relief. Our current Officers were all re-elected for a second term: President Roy Henry, 1st VP Ed Emmerling, 2nd VP Roland Caldwell Sr, Recording Secretary Jerome Taylor and Assistant Recording Secretary Michele White. Pastor Roy Henry gave a potent sermon on being bold as a church to spread the Gospel of Christ. In addition to re-electing officers to second terms, the BSCM passed a 5 percent increase to it’s Cooperative Program giving, and approved a $2,279,793 budget. Patterson said this annual meeting reduced business time to only what was necessary to allow more time for inspiration and encouragement. The SEND Network afternoon session kicked off with Matt Thompson, MI Church Planting Catalyst, passionately sharing about Church Planting Residencies, and how any church can be a part of the process. Tony Lynn, Director of Missions, and Wayne Parker, Send Detroit Missionary, enthusiastically testified about the amazing things that God is doing in Detroit and across Michigan in the area of church starting! They shared how God continued to spread His Kingdom in Michigan even during the post pandemic time. Pastors Ken Nether and Josh Tovey gave their stories of challenges and victories as God led them to start multiplying churches. Dean Fulks, Send Network Ohio Valley Regional Director and Pastor of Lifepoint Church, Lewis Center Ohio, brought the message stirring the everyone to do more in following, serving and sharing Christ. Letting it permeate all of life, community and the world. As they left, the faces of the people were encouraged and ready to go back to their church field with renewed strength and passion. They looked ready to strive to share the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ with everyone around us. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jamie loves working for the Michigan churches at the State Convention Office. She is married to Dr. Tony Lynn, State Director of Missions and enthusiastic follower of Jesus Christ. They have 3 married children and 9 amazing grandchildren. #NOVEMBER21 #DECEMBER21

by Tim Patterson PLYMOUTH, MI – We are excited to welcome you to the 2021 gathering of Great Commission Baptists for the annual meeting of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM). The day will be filled with inspiration, encouragement, fellowship, visioning, looking to the future, and preparing for that future by taking care of needed business matters. We will start with Worship with Convergent Church, and Church Strengthening - Be The Church testimonies, and a Q & A Panel. Pastor Joel Wayne, Chapel Pointe Church, Hudsonville, MI, will be the dynamic speaker. Lunch will be provided by the SBC Executive Committee. Our BSCM President, Roy Henry, Pastor of Faith Baptist Church Battle Creek, MI, will lead us through the Business Meeting section of our day. We will see video reports from all our State Ministry Directors. The afternoon will be filled with Church Starting/Sending. We’ll hear stories, testimonies, and videos of sending from the SEND Michigan, SEND Detroit and IMB Missionaries. The keynote speaker will be Dean Fulks, Send Network Ohio Valley Regional Director. I want to thank you for making plans to be together on Friday, November 5th with others of our family, and to share what God is up to here in Michigan. It is my prayer that you will catch the vision of the powerful possibilities that awaits us as we seek to be in the very center of God’s will. Please know that as your Executive Director, I count it a great privilege and joy to help catalyze the vision and mission to which God has called you. Friday, November 5th 8am Registration with Coffee & Donuts from Looney Bakery 9am-4pm Annual Meeting 2021 BSCM Annual Meeting Mile City Church 13100 Haggerty Rd. Plymouth, MI 48170 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tim Patterson is Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Elected unanimously in May of 2015, Patterson formerly served for 9 years as pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. He also served as trustee chair and national mobilizer for the North American Mission Board. #NOVEMBER21

by David Jones TRENTON, MI – In the classic Thanksgiving TV special, from 1973, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown remarks to Snoopy, "We've got another holiday to worry about. It seems Thanksgiving Day is upon us." Although I don’t share Charlie Brown’s sentiment with regard to worrying about the holiday, we are quickly approaching that wonderful time of year when we gather with family and loved ones to share food and fellowship, and consider the many ways the Lord has blessed our lives. Sadly though, meal preparations, sports, and getting the family from point A to point B in a happy and unwrinkled state tends to dominate our thinking when the day arrives. Too often the day is almost spent before we stop to count our blessings, and give thanks to God for His kindness, care and provisions. On October 31st in the year 1517, Martin Luther nailed his list of ninety-five grievances he had with the Roman Catholic Church on the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany, igniting what was to become the Protestant Reformation. At our church, we have dubbed October as Reformation month. We have spent the month celebrating the Reformation, highlighting its significance with regard to the Gospel, and the doctrines that were rediscovered as a result of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of these great men. In our worship services we have used the “Five Solas” or “Alone” statements of the Reformation to guide our focus. These five doctrinal statements have guided evangelicalism ever since, and are the basis of what we understand the Gospel to be. Namely, that our salvation/justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. The study of these doctrines is yielding a greater understanding of what God has done for us through His eternal Son, Jesus Christ in providing salvation and placing us in a right standing with Himself. It is easy to recognize the many ways God has blessed us. Family, possessions and jobs immediately come to mind. We are all certainly grateful for our salvation, but a deeper study of the Atonement will increase our gratitude immensely. Over the past several months, I have had the privilege of filling our pulpit many times while my father recovers from his automobile accident. My focus has been an in depth study of the first chapter of Ephesians. During this time my understanding of the work of God in the Atonement has greatly increased, and through this the Lord has impacted me in such a powerful way. Here, the Apostle Paul explains (1) the work of the Father in planning our justification and adopting us into His family, (2) the work of the Son as He provided for our redemption through His blood, and (3) the work of the Holy Spirit in sealing us and guaranteeing our inheritance. I know we will never fully comprehend the Atonement in this life, but the more we take time to consider it, the more deeply we will fall in love with the Lord. Many times we have gone around the table during our Thanksgiving feast, sharing the things for which we are grateful. We often express our gratitude for our parents, our children, our jobs, and a plethora of temporal blessings, but beyond all of these tangibles, we find our greatest blessings in what we read in Ephesians 1:3 where Paul exults, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Thanks be to God! ABOUT THE AUTHOR David and his wife of 37 years, Pamela (church pianist) have been blessed with six children and eight grandchildren, with three more expected by January. In addition to teaching college level courses in music theory and conducting for the International Academy of Music, Indianapolis, IN (1996-2012), David Jones has ministered on the staff of churches in Michigan, Ohio, Texas and Georgia since 1980. Currently, David serves as Minister of Music/Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church, Trenton, MI and has built a business performing Highland Bagpipes for all types of events. #NOVEMBER21

by Garth Leno WINDSOR, ON – When we planted The Gathering Church in 2014, I was inexperienced. I was always the lead guy in a larger, been-around-a-long-time, denominationally top-heavy church, but I had never planted a church — nor did I ever want to plant a church! Now that I’ve led established churches and planted a new church, I’ve discovered pastoral leadership in a church planting environment is vastly different from the established church. What are some of the most common challenges we face as church planters leading the church we planted? 1. Adapting First-time pastors and first-time church planters often find it difficult to adapt to their new role and take ownership of it. They just want to be friends with everybody. Most of us plant churches with friends at our side, and it can be tricky leading people who are your friends. We need to learn how to blend friendship, ministry, mission, and leadership. One way of doing this is by asking for feedback and receiving it gracefully. My friend, Brian Bloye from West Ridge Church is fond of saying, “If I’m humble enough, I can learn from anybody!” So, humble yourself, pastor, and ask for feedback without pushback (James 4:10). This will empower your people and help you adjust to your new role. 2. Over-managing One of our roles as church planters is to support and coach our people so they can perform at the top of their game. There’s a fine line between leading well and not giving people the space to do their work. A common misconception when becoming a church planting pastor is that suddenly you must control, micro-manage and oversee everyone’s work — double checking what’s been done. But this can quickly become stifling for the team. They won’t feel trusted, and they will soon disappear. Explain how to do it. Show them how to do it. Let them do it while you watch. Then let them do it…and don’t interfere. 3. Leading as servants While over-control can be an issue, on the other end of the spectrum is not giving people enough guidance on what is expected of them. While people may know what individual tasks they’re supposed to complete, a pastor’s responsibility is to ensure everyone is fully aware of how their work aligns with the mission and vision of the church, and how it contributes and compliments the team. Pastors need to demonstrate humble, servant-leadership (Matt. 20:25-28; Mark 9:35). 4. Communicating Church planters may find it difficult to openly communicate with their team about expectations, or to bring up issues they are struggling with. However, it’s important to keep communication frequent and open so everyone is on the same page. Rick Warren says, “Vision leaks, so you need to repeat, repeat, repeat.” Ensure the vision and values of your church are clearly communicated at every level. Developing a culture of open communication within a team is essential if you want them to be effective. Celebrate the wins on your team, however big or small. Make sure your team feels recognized. They will be motivated, and want to contribute more. Recognize your people with a hand-written thank you note. It’s old school, I know, but there’s something magical about opening a note that comes in the mail. Host a team meeting once a quarter and share more information with your leaders. Information is power, and when you share information and communicate frequently and effectively with your core team or leadership team, they will feel empowered and trusted. One more thing: Always, always, always answer your email, texts and messages the same day. 5. Evaluating Every staff meeting at our church includes an evaluation of the previous weekend. What went well, where did we fail and what do we need to change? We are honest with each other because we want to be better and do better in the future so we can make more disciples and plant more churches (Matt. 28:19). Evaluation needs to be in your DNA. You have to assume the people who are “with” you in this church planting endeavor are people who are eager to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and in the ministry of the church. One way to stimulate and support that kind of exponential growth in kingdom-focused people is frequent, consistent, loving evaluation. “What’s going well?” “What’s not going so well right now?” “How can I help?” “How can I pray for you?” If the goal is to present everyone mature in Christ (Col. 1:28), it will require some gospel-centered, grace-infused evaluation. If you start early in your church planting experience, everyone will get used to it, and they won’t take offense when you come alongside them with ideas on how to be better and do better. It becomes part of your church culture. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Garth Leno lives in Windsor, Ontario Canada, with his wife Patty, and one daughter, Jamie. Two more children, Nathan and Kristin, are married with families of their own. Garth is the senior pastor at The Gathering, part of Send Detroit, which he planted with friends in 2014. He is also on the Send Canada Advisory Board. He has an M.A. in church planting from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a D.Min from Bethel Theological Seminary. #NOVEMBER21

by Doug Munton I’ve never seen the idea of the church so marginalized in all my lifetime. The secular world mocks the church and the Christian world devalues the church. The local church is seen, even by believers, as unnecessary and antiquated and optional. You can kind of understand the issues perhaps. After all, churches are filled with imperfect people. Churches often have a well-earned reputation for being argumentative. They frequently get sidetracked by secondary issues. They sometimes lose sight of their purpose. Critics can accurately point out all the problems, failures, and imperfections of the church. But, with all of that said, the church still matters. There is great inherent value in the work of the local church. There is value and purpose and potential in this institution. Here are three reasons why the church still matters. 1. God made the church. If the church was man’s idea, we might rightfully ignore it. But it isn’t. God formed the church and he did it for his own reasons. He knew that the church would be made up of imperfect people. He knew every pastor and every small group leader would be “frail as dust and feeble as frail,” the hymn says. But he formed it anyway. We ought not easily turn our backs on something God created. And, I note that God’s word admonishes us that we ought not be in the habit of “neglecting to gather together” according to Hebrews. This isn’t the word of your pastor or your grandmother. God is the one who calls us to gather. God’s command is reason enough to connect with an imperfect church filled with imperfect people. We might not understand why God formed the church, but we can’t escape the fact that he did. We may not see the value of the local church, but God apparently can. We need to remember this important truth: the church is a God idea. 2. We need each other. I don’t think every Christian believes that. I think many believe they can be just fine on their own—no need for fellowship or accountability or encouragement from other believers. But the longer I live, the more I see the importance of other believers in my life. Don’t underestimate the enemy. He loves to divide and conquer. He wants you to be spiritually isolated. He knows the Bible says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.” (Prov. 27:17) He tells you that you don’t need anyone else because he wants you to be vulnerable and ineffective. But, the Spirit of the Living God reminds you of the value of other believers. We disciple others and are discipled by others. We benefit from the wisdom and zeal and encouragement that comes from worshiping and learning with others. Never have believers needed each other as we do now! 3. We are stronger together. I had a friend who lost his little finger in an accident. He told me how amazed he was at how much grip strength he lost just from that tiny digit. The church is described as the body of Christ. We all have different gifts and backgrounds and personalities and perspectives. But, we function best when we work together. We are stronger in missions, evangelism, discipleship, and worship when we are connected. The church separated is weak and ineffective. The church connected is powerful beyond the sum of her parts. The church can prevail against the very gates of hell. You will benefit from others and others will benefit from you. You need the church and the church needs you. Don’t underestimate the importance of a healthy connection to a local church. God will use this institution made up of imperfect sinners who have found the perfect Savior to impact you and your world. Find a church, plug in fully, and participate actively. The church still matters. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Doug Munton is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in O'Fallon, Ill. #NOVEMBER21

by Tim Patterson PLYMOUTH, MI – The month of November always brings with it a change in atmosphere. Of course, the temperatures drop with the onset of those northern fronts sweeping down from Canada, and that “white stuff” begins to accumulate in our region and at times frustrate our population. The cold crisp air is so refreshing to me, especially after this unseasonably warm and humid October we have experienced. The hunters especially love the change because it will bring “Bambi” out into the open when even the best of scent attractors fail and corn or apple piles won’t entice. November also brings a change in atmosphere amid the emotions and psyche of the people who inhabit this area. I’m not sure what truly precipitates the change, but I have noticed that we seem to move into a slower, more lethargic mode coming out of the summer months. Things are more relaxed and not as fast paced. Life just seems to slow down. It could be some internal instinct that is being triggered and as a result, is preparing us for the soon to be present Christmas season with it’s maddening rush to celebrate. Once that season officially begins, the day after Thanksgiving this short season of rest will be long gone. Whatever the reason for the slowing down, I greatly enjoy it, and highly value the season for the opportunity to quietly review the blessings of my life and goodness that God has sent my way. The cool calmness of November affords me time for perspective and provokes me to a spirit of thankfulness. It helps me to be thankful for the opportunity to share the Gospel with a world that is lost without Him. It helps me to be thankful for a country in which the freedom of worship and the right to freely express that worship is unimpeded by the laws of man. It helps me be thankful for my immediate family and the extended one with which I am blessed. It helps me to live a life of thanksgiving. As you know, this month we will officially celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday as a nation. It is interesting to note that it wasn’t until we were at war, the Civil War to be exact, that Congress officially recognized our Thanksgiving holiday. It had started in the small Plymouth Colony in 1621 when the English Pilgrims feasted with members of the Wampanoag Indians, who brought gifts of food as a gesture of goodwill. The custom grew in various colonies as a means of celebrating the harvest. In 1777, more than 100 years later, the Continental Congress proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving after the American Revolution victory at the Battle of Saratoga. But it was twelve years later that George Washington proclaimed another National Day of Thanksgiving in honor of the ratification of the Constitution, and requested that Congress finally make it an annual event. They declined, and it would be another 100 years and the end of a bloody civil war before President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November Thanksgiving. The year was 1865. It might surprise you to learn that it took still another 40 years, in the early 1900’s, before the tradition really caught on.The purpose of Lincoln’s official Thanksgiving and it’s sanctioning was done in order to bolster the Union's morale. Many Southerners saw the new holiday as an attempt to impose Northern customs on their conquered land, and were recalcitrant toward its acceptance. Many years passed before this particular Thanksgiving was fully embraced by the South. It is apparent that deep wounds do not heal quickly but nonetheless Thanksgiving is now nationally recognized. The fact is, we do not need a national holiday to tell us to be thankful. Thanksgiving should be the natural outflow of the heart of a people who know “from whom all blessings flow.” I am glad that our forefathers understood the importance of a nation acknowledging God as its source and supply. God does not need our thanks, but we need to be thankful. Just as the climatological atmosphere of Fall permeates and affects our surroundings and attitudes, I pray the atmosphere of our lives be one of Thanksgiving, and that it has a marked effect on everything about us. It is also my prayer that we maintain this atmosphere all year long. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tim Patterson is Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Elected unanimously in May of 2015, Patterson formerly served for 9 years as pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. He also served as trustee chair and national mobilizer for the North American Mission Board. #NOVEMBER21

By Dr. Tony L. Lynn PLYMOUTH, MI – Jamie and I attended a local concert and loved it! It was our first, in many months. The Michigan Philharmonic is one of our indulgences. I think we enjoy classical concerts because we played instruments in high school, Jamie the clarinet and I played the coronet. The classical rivalry was always there. The brass instruments would drown-out the woodwinds until Mr. J, the conductor, would clack his baton on his music stand while yelling at the brass sections to play in unison with the other sections of the band. We saw Mr. J’s baton splinter and break like a baseball batter breaking his bat on a swing and a hit. We pulled those stunts when we were rehearsing among ourselves, but when concert time arrived, every single person stretched himself or herself to perform the best they could on that day. During live concerts, the mood of the band members changed. Each member of the band watched Mr. J with his hand movements, even his facial expressions to synchronize our playing with his slightest directions. All of us wanted our family and friends to hear the beautiful music: pop tunes like Elephant Walk by Henry Mancini and Yesterday by the Beatles, or to hear the symphonies, and movements written by the likes of Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. God has been conducting a symphony this past year and with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought I would let you hear some of the music in God’s movement so that we could rejoice together. Total of 17 New Churches in Less than 18 Months that is a Percussion Crescendo Let me offer you the concert’s program so you can see the big picture. Since our last gathering as a state convention November 2020, the Lord added 4 new churches by affiliation and 13 new church plants! That is a grand total of 17 new churches that were not part of our Great Commission family 18 months ago! To me that is as if we are starting the musical piece off with the percussion section hammering out an echoing sound on those large kettle drums. Do you feel that vibration in your chest? A total of 17 new additions to our family. 4 Existing Churches and 13 New Church Plants in Different Sections of Michigan The 4 established churches are from different locations. One is in Holland, another in South Branch, the third is in River Rouge, and the last one is in Pontiac. The 13 new church plants can be found in Adrian, Port Austin, Kentwood, Owosso, Grand Blanc, Howell, West Bloomfield, Westland, Gaylord, Southfield, Eastpointe, Flint, and Windsor. When you are at your next concert, watch the conductor’s line of vision and you can anticipate the musical section he or she is prompting to enter the musical piece. It may be the oboe or French horn section you will hear next because their sound is a gorgeous contrast to the rest of the instruments. I believe, this past year, we have watched God cueing-up sections of the orchestra for more than two years, even longer. Some of the pastors and planters have been in conversations with us for as long as two years or more; but it was during this most challenging past year that those men decided, by following their spiritual conductor, that it was time to join the music. I am grateful for the obedience and courage those men possessed. Grateful for Section Leaders Did you know there are section leaders, or those who sit in what we called first-chair, who are responsible for performance of the rest of their musical section? I look at the established church pastors and new church planters as section leaders who led people who believed in their vision and their leadership enough to join with the Great Commission Baptists of Michigan. I am humbled by the fact that 17 spiritual leaders said, “Yes, to joining our family.” We can respond by including them, reaching out to them, spending time with them, supporting them, and loving them – because when we do so we imitate our Lord. What Do I Love the Most About Orchestras? I love musical contrast the most. My ears and my heart are the happiest at a concert when I hear juxtaposed instruments and rhythms. The staccato of woodwinds against the ambling long tones string instruments are hypnotizing. For me, when I listen and look at what God did in creating a total of 17 new congregations among our family, I see a similar mesmerizing contrast. I do not attend concerts with 60 violins, I attend concerts with more than a dozen instruments with unique sounds. All the new churches do not look alike, and they do now sound alike. That dissimilarity is a major part of the attraction for me when it comes to our churches. God conducts each one of us stretching us to play our personal best. Imagine the sound of grace and love as the newest churches, in our family, celebrate the Lord in English, Burmese, Bengali, and Spanish. My Thanksgiving Prayer As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year with family and friends, would you say a prayer along with me that will sound something like this, “Lord, thank you for blessing us with 17 new congregations, who in their own unique way, under your leadership will help us reach the lost in our region. Lord, direct us to work together in harmony and in unison with your directions.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Tony L. Lynn is the State Director of Missions for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before coming on staff at the BSCM, Tony served as lead pastor for more than six years at Crosspoint Church in Monroe, Michigan. He and his wife, Jamie, also served with the International Mission Board in Africa and in Europe. #NOVEMBER21

by Mike Durbin PLYMOUTH, MI – Mrs. Sabra was 89 years old when I became her 21-year-old pastor. She was born in 1890 in New York. As a young woman, she moved with her husband about 1200 miles to Deepwater, Missouri in a horse drawn covered wagon. She proudly showed us an old black and white photo of the wagon that took them to Missouri. She is the only person I ever met who moved halfway across the country in a covered wagon. Her story intrigued me, so I looked up some information about that time in history. According to the 1910 Census, the population of the United States was just a little over 92 million. Mrs. Sabra would have been 20 years old. The automotive industry was growing, but in 1908, there were less than 200,000 cars on the road. It was the year Ford Motor Company produced the first Model T. It took 12.5 hours to assemble and cost $825 - way more than the average person could afford. In the first month of production, they only made 11 Model T’s. In 1913 Henry Ford developed a system of using interchangeable parts and perfected the moving assembly line. By 1925, Ford Motor Company was producing up to 10,000 cars a day and the cost of the Model T had come down to $260. Henry Ford set out to make a car “so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one - and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces.” It wasn’t until 1909 that the United States had the first mile of paved cement road in Detroit. The automobile was going to radically change travel in the country, but it hadn’t taken off when Sabra and her husband moved to Missouri in a covered wagon. By the time we met her, Mrs. Sabra’s husband was buried in the church cemetery. I remember the first time we went to her home. She had nicely typed descriptions on every piece of furniture she brought with her on that covered wagon decades earlier. There was a note on her dining room table, on her bed, on her hope chest, and on something I’d never seen before - a pump piano. We had a wonderful meal and a fascinating conversation with Mrs. Sabra that Sunday afternoon. After a while, she asked if we wanted to take a nap before the evening service. The conversation that followed was hilarious, but we didn’t laugh in her presence. She wanted Shar and me to rest in different bedrooms. We said, “Mrs. Sabra, you know we’re married, don’t you? We’ve been married for a couple of years.” After a little more discussion, she put us in the same bedroom, but it was the only bedroom in the house that didn’t have a door on it. I guess she thought Shar was going to get frisky! I was fascinated by the contrasts in Mrs. Sabra’s life. She was a woman who left the most modern city in the United States, just about everything and everyone she knew, for a place she’d never been in a covered wagon. It took incredible courage, optimism, and faith to make a journey like that. I don’t remember how many other families made the journey with them. It’s easy to imagine them and any other travelers circling the wagons every night. They sat around the fire eating, talking, laughing, singing, and dreaming together of life where they were headed. Then they rested for the night. Circling the wagons must have felt great after a long, dusty day on the trail. They needed to eat, rest, and take care of the horses, but the journey was never about the circle. The next morning, and every next morning, they broke camp and hit the trail. There were miles to travel. Finally, they arrived in Deepwater. Sabra and her husband built their home, had children, and raised cattle. This incredible, trailblazing, pioneering, never quitting woman, along with her husband, started life together with a dream and the few things they could pack in a covered wagon. They built an amazing life together. I’m thankful that God allowed us to meet her. By the time our lives connected, 89-year-old Mrs. Sabra was a little bit more about circling the wagons than blazing the trail. She was looking back, nostalgic, thankful for a life blessed by God, and wanting to tell her story. Her 21-year-old pastor, Mike Durbin, was thinking more about breaking camp and hitting the trail. The contrasts between us were vast - young and old, rich, and poor, married and not, wise and inexperienced - and yet, Jesus brought us together in the amazing mosaic of His church. And I love it! As we approach Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful for the incredible people I have met in Christ’s church and the stories that surround their lives - people like you. Happy Thanksgiving. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mike Durbin is the State Evangelism Director for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Before joining the state convention staff, Mike served as Church Planting Catalyst and Director of Missions in Metro Detroit since 2007. He also has served as a pastor and bi-vocational pastor in Michigan, as well as International Missionary to Brazil. #NOVEMBER21

by Coye Bouyer LANSING, MI – Just as the world looks for and needs heroes, at times, God looks for one who is available to be made into a hero. Whether we are talking about something as fictional as the Avengers or DC Comics, or a real-life situation where a person runs into a burning building to rescue someone inside. People often look for someone to give us the sense of security in a very insecure, and at times chaotic and traumatic world. But what happens when our search yields no one. The chaos, confusion, and sin in our communities has gotten so bad that everywhere we look, there seems to be no one standing up for righteousness? THE LORD SAW… God never acts arbitrarily. He does not run this world amorally as no one receives His divine judgment simply because they are human. But God is moved to anger by man’s deliberate violations of the code by which He designed His world to live. In Genesis 6:5, we see what God saw. God saw the extensiveness and intensiveness of sin. Geographically, the problem of sin had infected the earth as the earth had become infested with the sinfulness of men. This infection was not just centrally located, rather this infection had gotten so extensive it had spread throughout the entire world. Like cancer throughout the body or an infestation of cockroaches, rodents or ants, not only had sin entered the world, it was taking it over. The situation is aggravated even further because such depravity controls not only man’s actions, but also his thoughts. For every scheme in man’s imagination was nothing but evil. For their minds had even become perverted and this kind of malaise “was only evil continually.” THE LORD FELT… Viewing the depravity man lives in, God is grieved, even to the point of experiencing pain in His heart. A peculiarly strong anthropopathic expression, which presents a truth that God, in consistency with His immutability, assumes a changed position in respect to changed man (Ps. 18:27). He must assume the appearance of hating the sinner in the sin, even as he hates the sin in the sinner. Yet, even in God’s grief, somehow, He does not begin to hate man, as understood in the words, “and it grieved Him in His heart” (v. 6) THE LORD DECIDED… I will blot out man: blot out translates a verb meaning “wipe out, erase, do away with.” The LORD’s decision to eliminate the source of the problem; means He will “erase,” or “blot out one’s name out of a book” for just as God can erase sins (Psalms 51:3), He can erase sinners. In translation, there are two parts to God blotting out the people: He will not only eliminate, He will also erase, remove them entirely from the world, “From the face of the ground.” Moreover, not only will people be erased, but so will all other living creatures, both beast and creeping things. BUT THE LORD FOUND… But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord: Most interpreters understand this as Noah won God’s favor which would have required some level of moral qualities that would have qualified Noah for the favor in which he had found. However, the Hebrew word for ‘favor,’ and one who finds it, usually insinuates the grace and mercy of God as opposed to the works or morality of a man. And while many assume that Noah received God’s favor because of his personal righteousness, more than likely Noah was righteous as a result of receiving God’s favor. This does not mean God always finds someone; (Ezek. 22:30), however it was not without an intensive search throughout the entire earth. For just as heroes are being made and heralded by the continual sin and rebellion of angels and men (6:4), God goes to work finding His own hero, for just as the world has her mighty men amongst regular men, the LORD takes regular men and makes them mighty. CONCLUSION Within Noah’s story we see the sad state of mankind physically, mentally and spiritually. We also see the heart of God as He is grieved, even hurt by the chaos and sin of His creation. And while God will destroy all the earth wiping away and even erasing just about everything, within this story is also the Redemptive and Restorative nature of a God who does not give up on His creation. Rather, He has chosen to work in and within it by finding men and women whom He might find favor upon. Men and women who will respond faithfully and obediently to Him; men and women whom He will make into heroes of FAITH here on earth as they live like His kingdom down here in light of what we will all experience up there. Will YOU be one of them? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pastor Coye L. Bouyer is the founding pastor of Kingdom Life Church in Lansing, MI where he has served since March of 2010. Pastor Bouyer recently stepped into the Diversity Ambassador role for the BSCM and firmly believes that he was not only called to Preach the Gospel as part of the process of reconciliation of man to God, but also using any platform as a bridge of reconciliation of man to man, and even more so amongst the brethren. Pastor Bouyer and his lovely wife Keturah (Gen. 25:1) have been married four over 20 years and have four children; Sierra, Seth, Cayla and Coye II. #NOVEMBER21