Search Results

by Tony L Lynn PLYMOUTH, MI – Peace and joy come from the Lord and are a result of obeying God. We learned that lesson four months into our marriage after we took a giant spiritual U-turn during 1977. We canceled plans where I was going to become a rich engineer after God called us to ministry during the month of April. From April through August, we abandoned old plans and made new ones. I enrolled in a university I had never visited. We rented our first furnished apartment without ever seeing it. We headed to Missouri without knowing if there would be any employment for us. The U-turn was fast and furious. We had less than a thousand dollars between us when we started our marriage; yet, we were happy to be on our own with the Lord leading us. A little over one-hundred days in Missouri, we found ourselves without the funds to return to Michigan to be with family during the holidays. Jamie worked at a pants factory, where she almost lost the tip of one of her beautiful fingers, and I worked at two part-time jobs while attacking my first semester like a madman. Nevertheless, there was a contentment. I think we purchased the shortest, fattest, most oddly shaped Christmas tree on a local lot. It was all we could afford. As we dragged the pitiful pine upstairs needles fell out onto the steps. Realizing we had no decorations for the tree, Jamie’s brainstorm was to cradle Christmas cards from family members into the bare spots of the tree. The mailbox envelopes were slit open, day after day, revealing Noel cards with glitter, handwritten notes, corny sayings, and inspirational wishes from our loved-ones in Michigan. The tree became a perch of testimonies of those who wished us well on our spiritual adventure. Their prayers, I would like to think, brought us that peace even though we were 800 miles away from the life we once knew. One evening, a giant, gift-wrapped, sausage-shaped present with my name on it was under the tree. I knew it was mine because the note on the paper in Jamie’s handwriting said, “To my husband.” Jamie on some evenings placed the mysterious package in my open hands and asked, “Can you guess what it is? You cannot squeeze it. You cannot shake it. Just feel the weight. Can you guess what it is?” I was puzzled until Christmas Day. I was stunned upon opening the gift! It was a blue pup tent for our collegiate camping trips with friends at a nearby river. Jamie had saved her $5-per-week-allowance to buy the surprise present for me. Because of her creativity and generosity for three years, we shared many a Friday night camping with collegiate couples like us who had little, but somehow sharing what we had over a campfire made all the difference in the world. Acquaintances became friends who became family because we shared life. As 2020 with COVID-19, racial tensions, and election chaos stretches out, again and again, reminding us that we do not control as much of life as we would like to believe, I hope you will remember that peace and joy come from the Lord and are a result of obeying him, no matter where he leads, calls or pushes. Just go with the Lord, even if it is a fast and furious U-turn because deciding to obey God is something you and I can control in life. We still hold to that indescribable peace and joy. During this past year, I assured our three precious adult children, their wonderful spouses and our nine grandchildren that no matter what comes, we would sell everything we have in order to help anyone in trouble. During this past year, we said good-bye, for a while, to Jamie’s last living parent, her Christian mother. While her mom was with us we assured her mother that we would sell everything if her needs called for our help. Even now on occasion, after visiting my mom in a memory care facility then visiting with my father at his home I say, “Dad, have no worries about the future. If you or Mom need anything, we would sell all we possess in order to take care of you.” We want others to know that peace and joy that comes from the Lord. You see back in 1977 with less than $1,000 to our names, we started our lives following the Lord. Four months into the marriage, we celebrated our lives with a crooked tree, glittery cards and a blue pup tent that we set-up in the living room of our apartment on Christmas evening and slept soundly with smiles on our faces and peace and joy in our souls. If we ever have to start over with less than we had in 1977, we would do it with peace and joy because the Lord still guides and we just follow. Jamie and I wish you and your loved-ones a Christmas filled with peace and joy even in the midst of fast and furious U-turns! Merry Christmas. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tony 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. #DECEMBER20

by Mike Durbin PLYMOUTH, MI – Snowflakes are falling and so too is the temperature. We are quickly approaching what the classic song calls, “...the most wonderful time of the year!” A recent headline caught my attention, “Hallmark Is Premiering 40 All-New Christmas Movies This Year.” Shar and I have already watched one and I suspect there will be many more in the days to come - something like 39 more! That’s ok. I’ll watch all the boy-meets-girl as they tackle some impending difficulty and fall-in-love movies that Shar wants. She knows, however, that at some point I’ll have cried too much and will need to interject an action movie filled with international intrigue, clandestine operations, and the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Something that starts perhaps with the familiar words: “Your mission should you choose to accept it....” Oh yeah! The Mission Impossible movies are just as make-believe as the Hallmark ones and yet there’s something about the storyline of love overcoming difficulty or good overcoming evil that draws us to them. God wired us that way. That may be why so many people love the Christmas season. It is the ultimate declaration that love overcomes and that good triumphs. Unlike the movies, Christmas is real. It is real people experiencing a real God on Mission Possible to save us from our sins. No one experiences Christmas quite like Mary, the mother of Jesus. Christmas starts for her when the angel Gabriel appears to her and tells her that she’s going to have a baby. It’s a conversation that’s going to change the world, especially her world. As they talk, Gabriel says: “for nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Mary is going to experience the truth of these words over and over again in her life. “For nothing will be impossible with God,” is a refrain God writes on her heart. It’s a promise that He will be with her wherever she goes, whatever she faces, or whoever she encounters. It’s a promise that will sustain her all the way from the cradle to the cross. God’s promises make the difference in how we face life’s difficult moments. They strengthen us and sustain us. Gabriel tells Mary that she is blessed among women, but that doesn’t mean that her life would always be easy or without pain. In the same passage, the “blessed” one becomes the one “troubled” in heart. During that first Christmas season, Mary will survive the talk of the town about her pregnancy, giving birth to her firstborn son where they kept the animals, and fleeing to Egypt to escape the madness of Herod. These are not painless experiences, but in everything she goes through, Mary knows that “nothing will be impossible with God.” She will rely upon Him for strength when she has none, direction for when she doesn’t know where to turn, and comfort when she is troubled. For most of us, this Christmas is going to be different than any we’ve ever experienced. COVID-19 has guaranteed that. We’re being asked to stay home and minimize our contacts with others to as small a bubble as possible. Hopefully this will be our first and only virtual Christmas. We’ll make the best of it. Though it will be different, we can still experience Christ. Nothing can take Him from us. Somehow, some way, despite all that is happening in the world, we will experience Christmas because, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” Merry Christmas! 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. #DECEMBER20

by Jamie Lynn PLYMOUTH, MI – The Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) had its 2020 Annual Meeting this November. What is the Annual Meeting all about? Why even have one? Great questions. This year we had about 80 people come from all over the state and another 30 were online watching LIVE. Many drove for hours to be together for this yearly meeting. This is the one day that Michigan Baptists come together from churches all over our state to celebrate how God is moving and working in Michigan. There was a spirit of togetherness and strength that prevailed over the whole meeting. BSCM President Scott Blanchard led the first half of the meeting with grace and passion. We heard greetings and a heart-felt challenge from J. D. Greear, our Great Commission Baptists President. We had several business items to vote on that included the 2021 budget and a change in the wording of the BSCM Constitution and Bylaws. Tim Patterson, our BSCM Executive Director/Treasurer, shared that the convention was doing well with a few churches suffering financially while others were thriving and some even growing during this time. We’re thankful to have the Pandemic Pastor Relief Fund gathered through the Frances Brown State Mission Offering this year to help pastors struggling due to the pandemic. A poignant time came when Tim Patterson shared that Michigan’s Cooperative Program giving to date for 2020 was remaining strong and even a bit higher than 2019. Also, Michigan is projecting high numbers of baptisms from our churches. God is still moving! Tim Patterson expressed his passion and heart while sharing the 5-year BSCM Vision, (500Churchesby2025.com): 2021 – Every Church PRAYING 2022 – Every Church THRIVING 2023 – Every Church EQUIPPING 2024 – Every Church ENGAGING 2025 – Every Church CELEBRATING The convention floor had a reverent hush as the attendees were grasping the vision laid before them. The powerful times of prayer sprinkled throughout the time together was overflowing with seeking God’s face. They asked God to help the families and churches especially that had lost loved ones to COVID-19. New BSCM officers were chosen for the 2021 year: President – Roy Henry, Faith Baptist Church Battle Creek 1st VP – Ed Emmerling, Westside Church Flushing 2nd VP – Roland Caldwell, Burnette Baptist Detroit Recording Secretary – Jerome Taylor, Eastgate Baptist Church, Burton Assistant Recording Secretary – Michele White, Middlebelt Baptist Church, Inkster First Vice President, Roy Henry, led with faithful assurance the session as the State ministry leaders (MI Foundation, Bambi Lake State Camp, MI Disaster Relief, Women’s Ministry/WMU, MI Church Strengthening/Sending, and MI Church Starting) gave moving presentations of how God has moved in 2020 even during the difficult quarantine. We prayed and entreated God for the Michigan Church Planters and their families that have struggled during 2020 with their new church launch and with those who have lost their public meeting places (many were in schools and not allowed to meet there anymore). There was a feeling of encouragement and togetherness among the pastors, church leaders, and attenders, even with masks and social distancing, as they exited the Annual Convention Meeting, and drove back to their city determined to continue being the church to their community who need to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. That’s why we have an Annual Meeting. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jamie M. Lynn, I'm married to a God warrior, have 3 wonderful married children and 9 super grandkids. I love working at the BSCM office to help the churches in the Great Lakes area to thrive, serve God by drawing others to Him and to love their communities. #NOVEMBER20

by Mark Maynard TAYLORSVILLE, KY (BP) – A Kentucky Baptist pastor unearthed a real treasure in the church office on Monday. Pastor Chance McConnell had heard about the photograph from 1953 of the late Rev. Billy Graham holding a child on his lap in the church parsonage, but he’d never seen it. Until Monday. And thanks to social media, a lot of other people have seen it now too. The color photograph shows Graham holding Bill Crouch, the son of Henry Crouch, who was pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylorsville, Ky. That little boy grew up to become the president of Kentucky’s Georgetown College, retiring in 2013. They were doing some sprucing up around the office and found the photograph in a filing cabinet with some office supplies like staples and paper clips, McConnell said. “I know it sounds kind of weird but I was excited,” he said. “Somebody like Billy Graham is such a giant in the faith. It’s cool to think he was here. It was cool to me anyway. I put it on my Facebook page, and it started picking up some traction. It was getting likes from some of my high school classmates and even a comment from Dr. (Adam) Greenway, the president of Southwestern Baptist Seminary. It’s funny the range of people who were liking it, from my high school friends to the president of a seminary. It speaks to the testament of Billy Graham.” The most well-known evangelist in the world, Graham died in 2018 at the age of 99. That would make him 34 in the photo. McConnell said that Henry Crouch was from North Carolina, as was Graham, so the two may have known each other that way. He believes the photograph may have been taken while Graham was holding one of his two crusades in Louisville. McConnell, who has been at Taylorsville FBC for two years, said he is a bit of a history buff. The church will celebrate its 195th anniversary in a couple of years, and McConnell promised to do something special with the photo during that time. He has a photo in his office of a 1947 youth and children’s choir of about 20. One of the little girls in the photo is now a church member in her 80s. “In a non-COVID world, she’d be in our auditorium singing some of the same songs she sang then,” he said. As for the Graham photo, he said it would be stored in a safe place. “It didn’t just make my day, it made my week,” he said of the find. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mark Maynard writes for Kentucky Today, www.kentuckytoday.com, where this article first appeared. Kentucky Today is a news resource of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. #NOVEMBER20

by Matthew Gibbs WARNER ROBBINS, GA – “I don’t have enough volunteers.” Have you ever heard a ministry leader in your church say this? Perhaps you have said it or at least thought it. Here’s a question to ponder:  Can we ever have enough volunteers? I am convinced that one of the biggest mistakes that I have made in ministry was to assume at any time that I had enough leaders and volunteers. Volunteer recruitment and leader development in the church should be an on-going, all-the-time thing. Successful and healthy ministries almost always have a pipeline for recruiting, training, and developing volunteers and leaders. The reality is that we can never really have enough volunteers because the back door never fully closes. As our ministry grows and expands, there will always be a need for additional volunteers and leaders. The challenge becomes even more difficult with the new circumstances we face in 2020 – a pandemic and churches trying to figure out how to safely reopen. As churches open up and provide ministry programs, finding, recruiting, and training volunteers has now become a tremendous discussion and frustrating subject. Many of our previous volunteers are not returning because of health concerns or fear over the pandemic. Others are not volunteering because they have gotten comfortable with not serving. This has happened as churches have been forced to temporarily suspend some of their ministries. In a recent blog, Thom Rainer writes that many in our churches have also lost their motivation to serve. He goes on to say that “many church members in small groups are motivated to volunteer together with fellow small group members.” As small groups have stopped meeting or suspended in-person meetings, the motivation to serve has diminished among group members. So, what are we to do? How are we to move forward and recruit, train, and develop new and returning volunteers? It takes people to minister to people, and we know that we need more people to do this effectively. I have read several articles and blog posts about volunteer recruiting. Here are a few suggestions to consider as you move forward with volunteer recruiting and training. Build ministry teams Spend more time building teams and investing in your volunteers. We can become the lid for ministry impact, volunteer recruitment, and leader development. We spend time doing ministry, but little to no time building ministry teams, training volunteers, and developing leaders. Some have suggested that ministry leaders should spend as much as 80% of their time developing and investing in their leaders and ministry teams.  The more time we spend recruiting, developing, and expanding our volunteer teams, the more significant our ministry impact can be. Essentially, we multiply our influence.  Remember, TEAM stands for “Together Everyone Accomplishes More!” Make it personal We are guilty of “cattle call” recruitment for volunteers all too often in our desperation for volunteers. Email blasts, bulletin ads, sign-up sheets, and church-wide announcement videos are usually very ineffective recruiting good volunteers. People pay little attention to these because they are impersonal. When we spend intentional and personal time with an individual and recruit through a relationship, our recruiting will be more effective. We will recruit better volunteers, and our volunteer retention will go up significantly. This type of recruiting process allows you to cast a vision for the ministry, share job/position descriptions, and get to know the individual you are recruiting. You can share your own passion for the church and gauge their passion and giftedness for the ministry position. This type of intentional and personal recruiting also communicates the high value you place on the service/ministry position. Still, even more, the value you place on the individual as a servant. Offer training and help One of the best ways to lose a quality volunteer is to stick them into a ministry position with little or no training and support. You are essentially setting them up for failure and frustration. Remember that you must prepare them to serve, and this includes adequate training. Training and support give volunteers the tools needed for success and the opportunity to grow and develop as a servant and leader. Some ministries even offer apprentice type positions to help volunteers to learn the ropes and get their feet wet in a service position. Make sure that they have an avenue to ask for help and additional information. This line of communication can be with you or with another volunteer leader. Align your ministry calendar and programs Often our church calendars are overcrowded and crammed full with church events, programs, and other things. If your church culture communicates that people are expected to be at every event and involved in every program, people actually can’t find the time to serve. This is a sure-fire way to create burn out among your volunteers and leaders. Being at every event and involved in every Bible study does not make you a better Christian. In fact, it could actually lead to stagnation in your spiritual growth. A healthy, balanced approach to ministry provides opportunity and time for people to serve. Show your appreciation One way to ensure that you lose good volunteers is to fail to appreciate them. People need to hear you say, “Thank you.” People need to be recognized for their faithful service and appreciated and even rewarded. The primary motivation for serving as a volunteer is the love of God and love for people. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t let them know how much we appreciate and love them. Appreciation dinners, small gifts, and even something as simple as a hand-written card expressing appreciation can be a powerful encouragement for those who serve in ministry so faithfully. As we show gratitude, we must also communicate that we value them as individuals and not just for the service they give. There are certainly some other things that you can do to increase the effectiveness of your volunteer recruitment. Still, the five I have mentioned above are a great start if you find yourself stuck and even a little frustrated with volunteer recruitment. I have found that when I using these best practices, the volunteers that were recruited became great servants in our ministry and some of our best recruiters as well. Another great takeaway? As they were empowered, trained, and appreciated for their service, they naturally invited their friends and fellow church members to join them in ministry. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Matthew Gibbs is the East Central Region Discipleship consultant for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. #NOVEMBER20

by Ken Nether SOUTHFIELD, MI – Can I be honest? I believed this year would be a year of exponential growth in our ministry. Just as we started catching momentum, COVID-19 came knocking at our door and it seemed that everything we worked for came to a screeching halt. So for the next several months, my living room became our sanctuary, and instead of preaching from the pulpit on Sunday mornings, I would wait until everyone in the house was sound asleep as I would muster up the energy to preach as if I was speaking in front of a packed house. Well, one thing is sure, it was at my house, but it was far from being packed. At first “home church” was exciting for me because I was learning so much about online ministry, and how we can creatively share the gospel with people who ordinarily would not step foot in our church. However, as time went on, I became weary of connecting with people’s profiles and not being able to see people’s faces. Amid “homeschooling” our kids due to the virus and learning various new skills as a pastor, I started to become frustrated because most of what I was doing was not a part of my “job description.” Amongst homeschooling, racial tensions, political divisiveness and the like, I began to feel overwhelmed with leading myself, let alone leading a church. Have you ever felt that your best was not good enough? One thing that has helped me get out of moments of discouragement is to cultivate a heart of thankfulness. So how do we begin to have a heart of thankfulness? It begins with our mindset. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 (ESV) As a result of the “stay at home” orders, my wife and I started to think about how we could spend time together as a family and do things creatively. Since my living room was already converted into a studio for filming my messages, we decided to do a family photoshoot which allowed us to create memories with our kids that are now portraits which are plastered on our wall in the dining room. I am thankful for Debbie who is the wife of Tim Shrader, a Church Planting Catalyst for NAMB, who gave my daughter piano lessons online and in-person as she needed to release some stress due to her being away from her friends from school. I am thankful for Mile City who allowed me to use their facilities to record my messages when I became weary of staying up all night editing videos for our online broadcast. I am thankful for my fellow Church Planting Catalysts who have decided to engage and offer solutions in regard to racial reconciliation so we can serve our churches more effectively moving forward. I am thankful for Crossover Church, as we were able to provide free pizza for more than 200 families in need over the summer when people needed hope. Now that I think about it. This was the year of exponential growth in our ministry. Also, I believe it was the year of growth in yours. Perhaps God was more interested in growing us instead of growing our buildings. Maybe God was teaching us to learn how to have a thankful heart regardless of the hardships we face. I don’t know what the future may bring but, in the meantime, I have decided to be thankful. I think you should too. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ken Nether is the lead pastor of Crossover Church in Southfield, MI, and also a Church Planting Catalyst with the North American Mission Board. He has been married to his beautiful wife Tolice for 9 years and has two children Kennedy (8) and Lincoln (6). #NOVEMBER20

by Mike Durbin PLYMOUTH, MI – There’s an old story about Rudyard Kipling, the famous British writer. At the height of his popularity, a newspaper reporter approached him and said, "Mr. Kipling, I just read that somebody calculated that the money you make from your writings amounts to over $100 a word." Mr. Kipling raised his eyebrows and said, "Really, I certainly wasn't aware of that." The reporter cynically reached into his pocket and pulled out a $100 bill, gave it to Kipling and said, "Here's a $100 bill Mr. Kipling. Now you give me one of your $100 words." Kipling looked at the $100 bill for a moment, took it, folded it up, put it in his pocket and then said, "Thanks." The reporter got a great word for his money. "Thanks" is certainly a big money word. It’s important to the economy of social relationships. Forgetting to say “thanks” can be costly. People who lack the social grace of gratitude are considered rude and unappreciative. A grateful spirit is something that all of us can cultivate in our lives. Giving thanks is an important part of our relationships with each other and our relationship with God. Jesus is heading to Jerusalem in Luke 17. As he approaches one of the villages on the way, ten lepers cry out to him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Jesus cleanses all ten lepers of the dreaded disease as he sends them to the priests, but only one returns to say, “Thanks.” Jesus points out his gratitude and asks, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” He sends the grateful, former leper, away with the words, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.” It is Thanksgiving in that former leper’s life. A spirit of gratitude fills his life as he literally falls at the feet of Jesus and thanks him. He’s glorifying God with a loud voice. We don’t know what he says, but it might have been something like: “Thank you Jesus for my health!” The text does not tell us the degree to which the disease has ravished his body, but it’s gone. The man is cleansed and he’s grateful for his health. He may never have realized how important his health was until he didn’t have it the day the first spot appeared. “Thank you Jesus for reuniting me with my family and friends!” Leprosy was such a dreaded disease that lepers were banned from their homes and forced to live outside the cities. If anyone approached them, lepers covered their lips and cried, “unclean, unclean” so people could stay away. The isolation ate away at their souls as they were cut off from everyone - especially those most precious to them. But this man is on his way home grateful that he can embrace those dearest to him. As he hugs each one, you can almost hear him say, “Thank you Jesus!” “Thank you Jesus that I can worship with Your People again!” He never knew the pain of being separated from his spiritual family - until it happened. He tries to do the things they did together alone, but it’s not the same. He realizes just how important community is and he’s so grateful Jesus gave it back to him. Now that he can be with his faith family, he lingers longer, sings louder, and gives more as he thanks Jesus for making it all possible! So much in this story sounds familiar in 2020: fear of a dreaded disease, isolation from loved ones, inability to gather with our spiritual family for in person worship. As Thanksgiving approaches, I hope the part that most describes you and me is gratitude. “Thanks” is still a “high dollar” word...one that never loses its value. 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. #NOVEMBER20

by Tim Patterson PLYMOUTH, MI – The stress of the past few months, because of the ongoing pandemic, economic swings in world markets, and the never-ending presidential campaign, is really taking a toll on many of us. In just a matter of days, the nation will have selected their new/old Commander and Chief and depending on your political persuasion, the situation may be more stressful than ever. I will just be relieved to not have to watch another political television commercial! Nevertheless, remember Who really controls the affairs of man. Taking all of this into consideration, as we move into the holiday seasons, even our times of celebration can be very enjoyable and stressful at the same time. Statistics show there is a great deal of depression and even suicide during what should be the most joyous and festive seasons of all. Many marriages won’t make it through to the New Year because of the added tensions that seem to pile up from Thanksgiving through Christmas. It is my opinion that 2020 and 2021 will be banner years for marriage disintegrations. But for those who have strong families and committed marriages this will be a wonderful time to renew family bonds and strengthen those relationships. Millions of families and friends travel thousands of miles just to be with each other while untold others cannot wait to be separated. One such couple used the emotions of the season to their advantage. Maybe you can identify with them. An elderly man in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; 45 years of misery is enough." "Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old man says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her." Then he hangs up. Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "Like heck they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at the old man, "You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says, "They're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own fares." Some people will do anything to be with the ones they love! Take time to be thankful for the friends and family God has placed in your life. Oh, I know that they are not perfect and that they get on your nerves now and again, but that’s part of what it means to be family. Being part of a family or being a true friend requires that you accept one another, “warts and all”. It means loving and accepting them just as they are and just to let you know, love AIN’T for sissies! Sometimes it’s just plain hard to love those who can be downright unlovable. During this season of Thanksgiving, take time to be truly thankful. Do whatever it takes to seize an opportunity to express to your friends and family your thankfulness for them being a big part of your life. We have lost too many during this crazy and stressful year and for many we have been made painfully aware of just how fragile and uncertain life can be. Love without limits. Don’t wait until it’s too late to say, “I’m sorry. Forgive me. I love you……..” When all others forsake you, family and true friends will remain. For that we can be thankful. 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. #NOVEMBER20

by Dr. Tony L. Lynn PLYMOUTH, MI – COVID tried to crush everything, but I am here to remind us that Christ is still King! I am thankful for the spiritual grit I saw during 2020. Grit is having the courage, resilience and dedication to pursue a quest while overcoming obstacles. A 1969 Hollywood film with John Wayne, entitled “True Grit,” displayed some not so spiritual examples of grit; however, during 2020 I have seen some sterling examples. We may look cleaner and more sophisticated in our uploaded images compared to Darby, Wayne and Campbell’s theater poster but our fight to rescue the millions of unsaved Michiganders is an urgent fight we can only win with an unbreakable alliance. Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) rightly directs our eyes to the correct battlefront and our enemies when it says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.” Here are some shining illustrations of what COVID could not stop. Courageous Planters Single men and young couples still pursue their personal pathway in starting new congregations. Nathan and Alison Sharpe of Adrian attended a thorough virtual assessment retreat for two days followed by an endorsement from the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM). The Sharpe family will replant a formerly non-Great Commission Baptist church into a Great Commission Baptist church in Adrian, MI. The pastor and church sending the Sharpe family out as missionaries is Josh Tovey and Redemption Church of Grandville. Nathan and Josh’s friendship goes back a decade and displays how God orchestrates his plans throughout our entire lives to increase his glory throughout our lives. My friend Josh Tovey says, “God has you where he has you to advance the Gospel through you.” Sharing Shepherds Some established pastors are assisting new pastors and planters during the most difficult times. New planters lost meeting places, such as school buildings, due to COVID restrictions. Could you imagine how discouraging it would be that no one would be willing to share what they have with you, including space? That is why the partnership of Ed Emmerling, the lead pastor at Westside Church, Flushing and church planter Jason Loewen of Union Church, Flint and the founding pastor Shea Prisk of Grumlaw Church, Grand Blanc rises to the top as one of my 2020 celebrations. Emmerling offered space to Jason with details of unselfishness that will bring tears to your eyes. While Prisk continues to develop Loewen as the newest church planter in the Greater Flint area, Emmerling will share space with Loewen and the Union Church launch team. Emmerling said, “By sharing our space with Union Church we will share in the ministry to a part of Flint that has been ignored for too long.” Established Churches Joining Us Suburban churches as well as urban churches, decades old throughout Michigan, are joining the convention family. What attracts a church to move from decades of independence to cooperation within the BSCM family? I believe there are two important factors. First, pastors are creating authentic, caring friendships where they share their hearts and dreams about impacting communities. Second, those same men conclude that they can achieve more by working together than alone. A large church, with years of impact in the western region, recently joined our BSCM family, not because of what they could receive from us, but rather for what they could give to pastors, churches and communities throughout the state’s robust network. Lead Pastor Joel Wayne and Associate Pastor Luke Bilberry of Chapel Pointe Church, Hudsonville have a passion for leadership development, revitalizing established congregations and church planting. After months of conversation, built upon prior friendships with pastors already participating in the state’s network, Joel who has the heart of a lion for the Lord and Luke who knows how to construct processes and systems to bring glory to God, asked their congregation to join the BSCM family in order to do more for God’s kingdom. That mood of collaboration and unselfish sharing is on the rise. We do not know what the winter months will bring concerning COVID, but I am certain of this, Christ is still King and COVID cannot crush what the Lord will continue to do! I am thankful for the spiritual grit I saw during 2020. Just remember, grit is having the courage, resilience and dedication to pursue a quest while overcoming obstacles. Can I ask if you have that same sort of grit for the Lord, for your family, for your church, and most of all for the lost around you? It's been my experience after decades of observation, that when we as a spiritual community are laser focused on salvations, baptisms, discipleship and missions we are at our best. At the national convention in 2012, the Southern Baptist Convention created a second name which displays our aspirations. That is why in this article I sometimes referred to “Great Commission Baptists”. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tony 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. #NOVEMBER20

by Mick Schatz ROSCOMMON, MI – The year 2020 has been a unique year to say the least. Back in 2019 I remember looking ahead to 2020 envisioning an amazing year here at Bambi, and relishing the endless possibilities the year could bring. If only I would have had 20/20 vision to see the realities of the coming year maybe I could have been better prepared - probably not, but WOW! what a year it has been. Now I don’t want to get caught up in reminiscing about 2020, but I do want to share a truth that has been pressing on my heart over the course of the year. I’ve been challenged to ask myself, “Am I truly thankful?” - “Is being thankful simply a mental or emotional state of being or should it be reflected in how I live everyday?” Growing up in Florida it was steamy hot in the summertime, and having access to water was essential for staying hydrated as well as keeping plants and grass growing. At my house we put down shallow wells to supply our sprinkler system so the grass wouldn’t die. If mom wasn’t watching, we would run like wild banshees through the sprinklers in our bathing suits or whatever we had on at the time and get as muddy and nasty as possible. It was awesome! Nevertheless, the problem with shallow wells is just that - they are shallow. They will run dry if there is not an abundance of rain because they are not down very deep in the ground, especially in Florida. They also have a pungent sulfur odor that smells like rotten eggs - you could drink it if you wanted, but we didn’t, no matter how hot or thirsty we became. However, in our front yard we had an old fashioned hand-pump. It was connected to a well that ran deep, deep into the aquifer, and tapped into some of the best and coldest water you could imagine! On hot days when we were playing or working outside, we would prime that pump and crank up some cold, refreshing H2O. That memory has given me pause to question whether my thankfulness to God depends on the shallow well of my circumstances which is wet or dry depending on the good or bad times in my life. Or does my thankfulness come from a deeper well that will never run dry. A well full of faith, hope, trust and an ever deepening relationship with Christ-the source of life. You see, when I keep my soul hydrated from the deep well of Christ, living and expressing a heart of thankfulness renders my circumstances powerless. I can’t help but be thankful because my thankfulness comes from the overflow of a life wholeheartedly serving and enjoying a relationship with the One Who provides everything for which I should be thankful. Over the past months I have tried to purposefully make the choice to give thanks and live thankful in spite of the present situation we all find ourselves facing. Amazingly, choosing thankfulness has opened my eyes to see all of the ways God has been moving in my life, my family's life, Bambi, and those around me. He has reminded me of His provision in the past, present, and His continued provision in the future. It has given me strength to stay the course and not lose heart. So how about you? Do you need to be refreshed and renewed. Choose to give thanks and live thankful. Take a look at Joshua 24 and read how Joshua called the people to a time of remembrance and thanksgiving to reinvigorate their relationship and exuberance for God. He was challenging them to live with thankful hearts. Being thankful will enable you to see and experience God through the fog of the chaos. Drink deeply and stay refreshed and hopeful as you journey through this present craziness. Maybe we truly can have 20/20 vision in 2020 and beyond! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mick Schatz serves on the staff of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. He is the State Director of Spiritual Enrichment and Retreats and lives at Bambi Lake. #NOVEMBER20

by Chip Falkner HILLSDALE, MI – Are you feeling more and more like an exile in a foreign land? Do you find it a challenge to remain thankful as attacks to your faith grow more blatant? What is the right response to conspiracies and persecution aimed at you? Daniel was a captive in Babylon and faced constant pressure to compromise his convictions. Yet, in spite of his difficult circumstances, Daniel remained faithful to God. The Lord had placed him in a position of influence, but Daniel was not exempt from high-level collusion. His enemies looked hard to unearth corruption in his life, but they were disappointed to find him a completely honest administrator. Driven by jealousy, they knew the only way to bring him down was to conspire against his belief in God. Daniel’s devotion to prayer was actually the strategy the jealous rivals used to bring an indictment against him. Three times a day Daniel was consistent to get on his knees and pray. What’s even more amazing is the customary theme of Daniel’s prayer. He “gave thanks to his God.” His heart longed for home, but he habitually expressed gratitude despite his circumstances. When Daniel learned of the evil plot against him, he still managed to give God thanks. Note also that he added to his prayer a request for God’s help. The fact remains that “all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12 CSB). Even as a target of unjust attack due to your bold faith, you can still learn to be a thankful intercessor. Evil people may use the law and government as traps, but you can remain faithful in offering gratitude to God. In times of intense oppression implore God for his help. You may even be thrown into the lions’ den, but God will ultimately rescue. “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 CSB). ABOUT THE AUTHOR Chip was called to Hillsdale Baptist Church, Michigan in March of 2020. He has served churches in Oklahoma and Illinois and also as a missionary with the IMB. Chip and his wife Gail have three grown children and 5 grandchildren. #NOVEMBER20

by Meredith Flynn The 2020 State of Theology survey, released in September by LifeWay Research and Ligonier Ministries, had both good and bad news for churches seeking to share the gospel in a culture moving farther from it. First, the good: 65% of Americans agree God is a perfect being and he cannot make a mistake. A similar percentage agree the bodily resurrection of Jesus really happened. And over half agree God counts a person as righteous not because of his or her works, but only because of faith in Jesus Christ. Now, the challenges: More than half of Americans say religious belief is a matter of personal opinion (although the percentage is down from 2018). Almost two-thirds say people are good by nature. And just over half agree Jesus was a great teacher, but not God. That question also elicited a troubling response from evangelicals: 30% agreed at least somewhat that Jesus was a great teacher, but not God. The finding shows “a significant need for Christians to be taught Christology, the doctrine of the nature and identity of Jesus Christ,” Ligonier said. It also may show a connection between church attendance and belief, said LifeWay’s Trevin Wax. In a blog post about the research, Wax noted attendance appears to matter more than affiliation. “Those who claim the evangelical label and also attend church at least once a week were much more likely to have beliefs that align with Christian orthodoxy,” he wrote. Wax noted 76% of evangelicals who attend church at least once a week disagree Jesus was a great teacher but not God. But among evangelicals who attend church less often, only 42% disagreed. That’s more good news and bad news for churches: it’s encouraging that Christians appear to grow in their knowledge and embrace of Christian orthodoxy while at church. But it’s also a particularly tricky time to be a churchgoer, as some gatherings are still limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More Americans disagree than agree that churches must provide entertaining worship services if they want to be effective (49% to 37%), giving churches an opportunity to hone in on meaningful worship, even if it happens online for now. A few statements in the survey garnered 100% agreement from evangelicals, who expressed a high view of the Bible’s authority and affirmed that Jesus’ death on the cross is the only sacrifice that can remove the penalty of sin. The survey also found 100% of evangelicals agree strongly that it’s very important for them personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior. In a challenging year, that’s good news. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Meredith Flynn is the managing editor for Illinois Baptist. #NOVEMBER20