
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/05/2005

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Terri Schiavo’s death may be catalyst for review of federal & state end-of-life laws
by Michael Foust
Date: April 05, 2005 - Tuesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The passing of Terri Schiavo likely won't be the last of the debate over end-of-life issues. In fact, it may only be the beginning.

Schiavo's case, her supporters say, highlighted problems in both federal and state laws that allowed the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman to die of starvation in spite of an extraordinary effort by Congress to keep her alive.

"Given the nature of this tragedy, I think we have a duty as a society to bring good out of this terrible evil that has occurred," attorney Ken Connor, who lobbied Congress to pass the bill that President Bush signed into law, told Baptist Press.

"The handicapped have complained for years that they are not treated as whole people and that they don't receive the benefit of the law. The Schiavo case is exhibit A to that. We have starved a woman to death because she didn't measure up to somebody's subjective standard of perfection."

The Schiavo law gave her parents -- who wanted their daughter kept alive -- the ability to take their case to federal court, where a judge would have conducted a "de novo" review, considering new evidence and new witnesses. (De novo is Latin for "anew.") Such a hearing would have taken months and would have required the re-insertion of the feeding tube. But the federal courts refused to reinsert the tube, and Schiavo died March 31 -- 13 days after the tube was pulled.

Those who want to see the law changed hope to receive bipartisan support.

The Schiavo bill -- despite the characterization -- was not a partisan effort. It had support from nearly half of the House Democrats who were present, and also had the backing of several prominent Senate Democrats -- most notably Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin. Harkin, in fact, favored an even broader bill that would have covered all cases like Schiavo's. He released a statement March 19 saying he would continue to work with senators on "both sides of the aisle" to pass such legislation. Similarly, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R.-Wis., said he favors a law to "ensure others with disabilities do not receive the same treatment."

Connor, who represented Gov. Jeb Bush in a similar effort in Florida to keep Schiavo alive, said federal and state legislators should consider changing three aspects of the law that led to Schiavo's death by starvation. Among the proposed changes:

-- Ensuring that cases similar to Schiavo's receive a full de novo hearing in federal court. Cases would be heard in federal court only when there is a disagreement about the patient's wishes.

"I think we need to go right back to the original bill that was proposed, which would assure that if you're an incapacitated person who has no prior written advance direction and you are the subject of a court order -- either directing or authorizing withdrawal of nutrition and hydration which is going to result in your death -- then you would be afforded the same rights of review that people on death row get," Connor said.

The bill, Connor said, must have guarantees so as to prevent the courts from denying a de novo request.

"The federal courts thumbed their nose at the Congress &#91;in the Schiavo case&#93;," Connor said. "We need to make sure that that doesn't happen, and we need a carefully crafted bill that will not only allow for federal court review but would require federal court review under certain limited circumstances."

-- Reviewing guardianship laws. Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, was allowed to remain as her guardian despite the fact that he lived with another woman by whom he had fathered two children. Such changes can and should occur on the state level, Connor said.

"Spouses normally get the benefit of the preference in law because of the marriage relationship. That's a good policy, I think," Connor said. "... The preference of a spouse comes by virtue of the marital relationship. If that person demeans or diminishes the marital relationship by their behavior, should they continue to enjoy that preference? And doesn't that kind of activity give rise to an inherent conflict of interest that ought to disqualify the guardian spouse?"

-- Examining how feeding tubes are viewed in end-of-life issues. State legislators, Connor said, should consider requiring a written request for a feeding tube to be pulled.

Florida law allows oral evidence in end-of-life decisions; Michael Schiavo said his wife would not have wanted to be kept alive. But no written directive existed. Connor asserts that state law is inconsistent because it requires financial contracts to be done in writing but allows end-of-life issues to be decided on oral statements.

"If we require writings in those instances, should we not consider requiring &#91;a written statement&#93; in a case that has even more significance and vastly greater implications for the person who is the subject of it?" he asked.

Connor, who serves as chairman of the Center for a Just Society, worries about the implications of the Schiavo case on others.

"This precedent that we see in Terri's case really should sound alarm bells for the elderly and the handicapped," he said. "Think about some of the attitudes that have been expressed here -- 'A person who is not self-aware is really not a person and not entitled to constitutional protections'; 'If the method of death is painless, it's OK to use a lethal measure to solve a problem'; 'If someone has no hope of recovery ... death is a satisfactory solution.'"

The same arguments used to argue for Schiavo's death could be applied to the elderly and the disabled, Connor said.

"Those are premises that jeopardize most people in nursing homes," he said. "And I think Congress needs to take a very careful look at what is happening in our nursing home system around the country."

The number of people over the age of 80 is expected to double during the next 30 years, Connor said, and the federal government funds much of the medical care for elderly Americans. Connor represents victims of nursing home abuse.

"The pressures on Medicare and Medicaid financially are much greater than on Social Security," he said. "What that indicates is that we have a tsunami coming in the future -- all of which is influenced by the kinds of attitudes you heard expressed during Terri Schiavo's case.

"... What's going to be the solution? Are we going to deprive them of food and water, too? ... People do not realize the magnitude of the problem. We have a failed system of institutional care in this country, and we are headed really for a cataclysm."
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Southern Baptists saving lives, sharing love after earthquake
by Manda Roten Gibson
Date: April 05, 2005 - Tuesday

GUNUNG SITOLI, Nias, Indonesia (BP)--Five days after a major earthquake rocked Nias, Indonesia, Singaporean relief workers recovered a survivor from the rubble in the capital, Gunung Sitoli. They were using tools provided by Southern Baptists.

Generous giving is allowing Southern Baptists to minister on Nias with effective rescue and recovery tools, reported one worker in Gunung Sitoli. He spoke of the rescued survivor and other recent developments by telephone April 4. An audio clip from his report is available at http://media1.imbresources.org/downloads/BPress/saving_lives.mp3.

HUNGER, GRATITUDE AND FEAR

More than a week after the earthquake, workers in Gunung Sitoli are removing bodies from the rubble and setting up a program to distribute food.

One of the greatest challenges survivors are facing is distribution of rice throughout the island. After the earthquake, most business owners in Gunung Sitoli, Nias’s economic center, either were killed or fled the island. No one remains to distribute rice or fuel to areas outside Gunung Sitoli.

“They’re getting very, very hungry,” said the worker.

Southern Baptists provided one ton of food to be distributed through four churches outside Gunung Sitoli. “The people were very grateful,” the worker reported. “We’re developing a good name in the areas where we’re serving.”

Workers recovered a boy’s body from one crumbled house. As they exited the house, the boy’s family expressed appreciation. “No one else has come to help us,” they said. “Thank you so much for coming.”

Before they left, the workers visited with the family, prayed with them and provided counseling.

On Sunday morning, another family invited the relief workers -- both Southern Baptists and Indonesians -- to hold a worship service on the rubble of their collapsed home. “They were very grateful for the caring compassion that our teams were showing them,” the worker said.

Many of those who survived both the tsunami and earthquake are living in fear. A rumor has spread of a giant volcano close to erupting under Nias that would cause the island to sink into the ocean. “Everyone is traumatized by fear that a major catastrophe is going to happen,” the worker said. “As a result, many people are fleeing on boats, trying to get to the main island of Sumatra.”

On Nias people are asking the same questions asked after the tsunami, the worker said: “Why has God done this to us? Why is this allowed to happen?”

Workers and volunteers are responding by sharing their own testimonies and faith. In addition, trained counselors -- including Indonesian Christians -- are counseling survivors and sharing their faith.

The worker hopes the earthquake will lead to spiritual awakening for the people of Nias. “Although the people on Nias are traditionally Christian, there is very little evidence of Christianity in their lives,” he said. “The one thing they’re seeing in Southern Baptist teams is that these people truly care and want to help. Through this we hope to be able to spread the Kingdom of God here in this place.”

EXPERT VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers from the Baptist state convention disaster relief network have contributed significantly to the positive impact relief teams are having on Nias. Local workers praised their expertise and commitment. “They actually are what make our projects run,” one worker said. “Without them we would not be able to do many of the things we are doing now.”

When the earthquake hit, tsunami relief volunteers -- mostly medical workers -- from California were heading to Banda Aceh, Indonesia. They were diverted to Nias, where most of the team went by helicopter to the hardest-hit villages to treat survivors.

“The doctors were able to medevac out several people who probably would not have made it had we not been there,” the worker said by telephone.

Meanwhile, a firefighter from the California team trained workers and local survivors to do effective and safe search and recovery.

When survivors see disaster relief volunteers, they ask, “‘Why are you out here helping us?’” the worker recounted. “That gives us a great opportunity to share with them our love for the people, which God has given us, and God’s love for these people too.”

PRAYER SUPPORT

The worker said the primary way Southern Baptists can help in the relief efforts is through prayer. “One of the reasons why we have been effective over here is because of the prayer support of Southern Baptists -- praying for us both in Nias and in Aceh.

“The tsunami and earthquake ... have definitely made people more aware of what’s going on in Indonesia, and as a result many more Southern Baptists are praying for our personnel here. Although they may not be able to see it where they are, it’s being felt over here ... in the difference which our personnel are making in the lives of Indonesians.”

The initial team was on the island to rebuild homes destroyed by the tsunami when the recent quake hit. They ran outside the house where they were staying and watched the façade and fence of the church across the street collapse. They followed the town’s residents to a nearby soccer field -- where they would be safe from any falling structures -- and set up tents, giving immediate shelter to pregnant women and a woman who had given birth the previous day. Survivors spent the night singing Christian songs.

The next morning they examined the extent of the earthquake’s damage. With relatively few homes collapsed in the town where they were, they headed to Gunung Sitoli.

Since then, the workers have been searching for buried survivors, recovering bodies and providing relief to survivors. For much of the day, they work under collapsed buildings, sometimes going an entire day without eating.

“To be honest, I’m ready to get out of here; I think all of us are,” the worker said. “However, we realize there is a huge need here. The Lord is really giving people strength and helping them work through the situation.”

Though many Southern Baptist workers will leave in the next few days, one worker is staying to oversee volunteer teams and other aspects of relief operations. In ongoing relief efforts, Southern Baptists hope to work through Baptist churches already on the island.

For initial earthquake relief work, the state Baptist convention disaster relief network will continue furnishing trained disaster relief volunteers. Contact information for each state disaster relief office is at http://www.namb.net/site/pp.asp?c=9qKILUOzEpH&b=238540. More volunteers are needed where initial urgent tsunami and earthquake needs have been met. Monitor those opportunities at http://going.imb.org/vim/main/default.asp.
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AUDIO REPORTS FROM SOUTHERN BAPTIST IN NIAS
-- Southern Baptists saving lives: http://media1.imbresources.org/downloads/BPress/saving_lives.mp3
-- California volunteers diverted to Nias: http://media1.imbresources.org/downloads/BPress/search_rescue.mp3
-- State disaster relief teams: expertise and experience: http://media1.imbresources.org/downloads/BPress/teams_help.mp3
-- Because you gave: http://media1.imbresources.org/downloads/BPress/because_you_gave.mp3
-- Living through the earthquake: http://media1.imbresources.org/downloads/BPress/personnel_in_Nias.mp3
-- After the quake: http://media1.imbresources.org/downloads/BPress/churches_damaged.mp3
-- Church collapses, pastor’s family inside: http://media1.imbresources.org/downloads/BPress/family_survives.mp3


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First his hearing, now his sight, Jacob, 6, carries on by faith
by Luanne Byrd
Date: April 05, 2005 - Tuesday

SNELLVILLE, Ga. (BP)--“You don’t need ears to hear God,” Kristina Seymour said of the miracles she and her husband had experienced through their son Jacob.

At the age of 1, Jacob’s deafness was confirmed through an Auditory Brain Stem test. Jacob was categorized as profoundly deaf, a condition that hearing aids couldn’t correct.

Helpless, Brian Seymour, Jacob’s father and a local public school teacher, happened upon a student in his seventh-grade math class whose sibling had just received a cochlear implant, a surgical procedure to stimulate hearing via an electrode device implanted in the inner ear.

After multiple trips to doctors and additional testing, Jacob was approved for his cochlear implant at the age of 18 months -– miraculously, the minimum age to qualify for the surgery.

In the months between the diagnosis and the surgery, Kristina sought out God through prayer. “God, please give me lessons that I can teach Jacob. Teach me to teach him,” she fervently prayed. She worked with him at home on foundational concepts such as counting, sorting and “hot” versus “cold” and also enrolled him in the Atlanta Speech School.

To Kristina’s surprise, Jacob said his first word when she was using a baby wipe in changing his diaper. “Old,” Jacob said. Kristina knew exactly what he meant, “Cold,” knowing that he had watched the formation of her mouth in saying the word.

“I wanted God to actually speak to him. My prayer was that when Jacob began to speak, his knowledge and understanding of the world would be so great that people would have to acknowledge that God had been speaking to him the entire time,” Kristina said.

Disappointment mounted, however, in the weeks prior to Jacob’s surgery; he had not sounded another word. But during her daily Bible study, Kristina was led to the words of Psalm 147:19: “He declares His word to Jacob....” After spilling her coffee in astonishment, she sensed that God had provided confirmation. And she recalled how the Lord had laid on her heart to name their son Jacob and realized that, had she not, she never would have come across that Scripture verse. It’s no coincidence that the Seymours’ other child, an older daughter age 10, is named Faith.

Jacob’s cochlear implant surgery was a success and, after a time of healing, the device was turned on. “His face lit up when he heard his first beep, but he was scared to death when he heard the nurse’s voice. He crawled up into my arms,” Kristina recounted.

Immediately, Jacob re-entered the Atlanta Speech School, where the teachers were amazed at how quickly Jacob progressed. “The teachers asked me what I had taught Jacob and how I knew what to teach him, not having the professional training I needed to do so,” Kristina said.

“I told them, ‘Whatever I haven’t taught him, God taught him.’”

Jacob graduated from speech school at the age of 4, right in time to be mainstreamed into a 5-year-old public kindergarten class where he continued to excel, reaching third-grade math skill level while still in kindergarten.

“Jacob is a testimony of God’s faithfulness. Now he hears the world, but he knows the voice of God,” Kristina said.

Over time, Jacob became inquisitive about God, asking his mother numerous questions, with Kristina praying that God would give her wisdom and insight to answer his questions.

“For Jesus to be Lord of our lives, first we ask Him into our hearts ...,” Kristina explained to her son.

“I want to do that,” Jacob said. He went on to repeat a prayer with his mother: “Dear Jesus. I know I am not perfect and I know You died on the cross so that I can be forgiven of my sins and save me so that I can go to heaven and get a new body and be with You forever when I die. I ask You to come into my heart and save me and help me. Amen,” Jacob said.

Kristina told her son, “Jacob, you know with Jesus in your life, it doesn’t mean things are going to be easy.”

“I know, Mom, life is hard, but now I have help,” Jacob said.

Jacob continued to have problems with his balance, which is common among children with hearing impairments. And in another visit to the doctor, the Seymours were told that Jacob’s hearing loss and lack of balance were caused by Usher’s Syndrome.

The doctor recommended that the Seymours see a geneticist, but Kristina quickly went to the Internet for information and was shocked to learn that Usher’s syndrome often leads to blindness.

The Seymours took Jacob to Emory University Hospital in Decatur, Ga., where his Usher’s Syndrome was confirmed. “The whole time we were going through Jacob’s hearing issues we kept telling ourselves, ‘Thank God it’s just his ears, not his eyes,’” Kristina recounted.

With Jacob’s retinitis pigmentosa (degeneration of the retina) progressing as a result of Usher’s Syndrome, the Seymours have placed Jacob into a public school in their county that offers a full braille and speech therapy program.

“I remember the first week was so hard. He was sad about recess and not knowing anyone. I told him that Jesus was there with him and that He was his friend” -– counsel that helped Jacob adjust to his new setting.

Jacob, now 6, faces many “unknowns.” He has lost his peripheral vision but is still able to see well enough to get around.

“We serve a God who can heal,” Kristina said, “but that doesn’t mean He is going to heal everything. The ball is in His court.”

Feeling vulnerable in public from the emotion of their ordeal, the Seymours “took a break” from attending church for a short time. Expressing his concern, Jacob asked his mother why they had stopped going to church. Jacob conveyed his love for church and his desire to go to the “big, fun church.”

“Because of Jacob, we had the strength to go back,” Kristina said.

The Seymours attend the Atlanta-area First Baptist Church in Snellville, Ga. Triss Brakefield, Kristina’s Sunday School teacher and an administrative assistant at the church under pastor Russ Shinpoch, said the class “surrounds her and her family with prayer.” And Shinpoch has visited and prayed with the Seymours in their home.

“We don’t have to worry about tomorrow. Regardless of what tomorrow brings, God is still there,” Kristina said.
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Luanne Byrd is an Atlanta-area freelance writer.


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Hoops & life: LifeWay employee guides team to state finals
by David Roach
Date: April 05, 2005 - Tuesday

PECOS, N.M. (BP)--For most high school basketball teams, reaching the regional tournament is good enough to consider the season a success. But the Pecos High Panthers coached by Leroy Ortiz are no ordinary basketball team, and this was certainly no ordinary season.

Ortiz, who serves as food service manager at the LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center, began coaching the Panthers just one month before basketball season started when the former head coach, Adrian Quintana, died unexpectedly. As the small northern New Mexico town of Pecos grieved over the loss of its coach, Ortiz and his team set a goal of reaching the state tournament in honor of Quintana.

Quintana's death "was a shock to everyone," Ortiz said. "The boys went through an emotional trauma.... But we set a goal of reaching the state tournament."

Providing basketball and spiritual leadership, Ortiz guided Pecos through a season plagued by injuries and emotional setbacks. The Panthers engineered a 21-11 record, but saw their season on the brink -- trailing in the second half of the regional semifinal.

Responding to a halftime pep talk by Ortiz, the Panthers opened the second half on a 30-6 run, won the game and advanced to the state tournament. 

"That game was real stressful because if you don't win that one, you go home," he said. "And we didn't want to go home. I wanted to get these guys at least to the state tournament ... and be a participant in the final eight."

More important than advancing to the state tournament, however, was the emotional and spiritual maturity the team had gained during the season, Ortiz said. At the beginning of the season the Panthers' players received technical fouls in several games. But by the end of the season Ortiz was leading his team in prayer before each game.

"We would say a prayer before our games," he recounted. "One of our kids ... would lead us in a prayer, and each time he would ask for God to help us out and keep us free from injury."

Frequently the pre-game prayers were led by Ortiz's son, Lee, a member of the team. Ortiz said his sons Lee, 18, and Greg, 20, served as major encouragements to him throughout the difficult season.

Ortiz has raised his sons largely by himself since his wife died of an asthma attack when Lee was six months old. Sports have always provided good opportunities to spend time together as a family, Ortiz said.

Another major encouragement during the season, Ortiz said, were fellow employees at LifeWay who shared his burdens since Quintana's death and encouraged him to lead the team in a godly manner.

Each week co-workers would ask for updates on both the team's basketball progress and their spiritual progress.

"I had people at work that would constantly remind me of how they were praying for me and praying for those boys -- not necessarily to win but to take care of them and have a successful season," Ortiz said. "... I really appreciate all the support they gave me and their emphasizing the ministry that I was spreading to these boys."

Ortiz's ministry continued as Pecos advanced past the first round of the state tournament to the state semifinals at the 20,000-seat University Arena in Albuquerque. The morning Pecos was to play its state semifinal game, Ortiz remembers arriving with his team at the empty arena before 7 a.m.

"That was an experience," he recalled. "Their eyes were wide open. They were ready to roll. Just looking down the ramp, looking at the floor and then walking onto the floor and looking around in an empty gym ... was great for them and for me."

After winning their state semifinal game, the Panthers lost 73-58 in the state final March 12. But the loss didn't deter Ortiz or his players from declaring the season a success.

Along with his sons and his fiancé, Fredalene, Ortiz enjoyed the season as a time of growth and maturation.

"I think that's what made the run that we made: the prayers and the faith in God to keep us strong through the whole thing," he said.
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GuideStone wellness walk/run slated for SBC in Nashville
by Staff
Date: April 05, 2005 - Tuesday

DALLAS (BP)--GuideStone Financial Resources (Annuity Board) will sponsor the third annual Living@YourBest Wellness Walk/Run during the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

SBC messengers and their families and Nashville-area Southern Baptist churches and denominational employees are invited to join GuideStone staff and local volunteers at 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, at Hilton Park across from the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“With the participation of local churches and Southern Baptist organizations, we’re expecting a record turnout this year,” GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins said. “We want Southern Baptists across the country to see this walk as an outward demonstration of GuideStone’s ongoing commitment to wellness.

“The body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,” Hawkins continued, “and we must be good stewards of the physical gifts of God. We hope this event will encourage Southern Baptists to make a commitment to living more healthful lifestyles.”

As a provider of life and healthcare coverage for Southern Baptist employees, GuideStone has made a commitment to promote healthy lifestyles and physical fitness. In addition to feeling better and having more energy, living a healthier lifestyle can yield healthcare savings.

“God is really blessing our wellness efforts,” Hawkins said. “Since our first walk in Phoenix in 2003, we’ve received letters and met face to face with individuals who have been inspired to make a commitment to good health as a result of GuideStone’s encouragement. We’re hearing from medical plan participants who tell us they’re getting off medications and requiring less medical care than before.

“When a participant tells you that he’s 70 pounds lighter this year and training for his second marathon, you know the message is getting across and the commitment is paying off,” Hawkins said.

In support for the wellness initiative, LifeWay Christian Resources and many of the companies that provide services for GuideStone’s life and health products are providing financial support for the walk. LifeWay also will be providing volunteers to help during the event.

Warm-up for the walk/run will begin at 6:15 a.m. for the one-mile and 5K course for both runners and walkers. Start times will begin at 6:30 a.m. and will be staggered for runners and walkers.

The 5K course will take participants over the Cumberland River, around the Coliseum, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, and back to Hilton Park. Healthful refreshments will be served to all participants at the end of the walk.

Interested individuals can register online at www.GuideStone.org or by calling 1-800-262-0511. Registered walkers can pick up their bib numbers at the SBC annual meeting site, the Gaylord Entertainment Center, on Sunday, June 19, or Monday, June 20. The first 750 registered walkers (age 10 and older) to pick up their bib numbers will receive a free T-shirt.
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Union prof, at Vatican, participates in morality conference
by Staff
Date: April 05, 2005 - Tuesday

JACKSON, Tenn. (BP)--Union University professor David Gushee was one of a handful of Protestants to participate in a “Call to Justice” conference in Vatican City in March.

As it turned out, he also was in some of the last crowds to see Pope John Paul II before he died.

“I have a great deal of appreciation for his moral thinking,” said Gushee, the Graves professor of moral philosophy at Union. “His work contributed to bringing evangelicals and Catholics together on certain moral issues that we both care about –- like abortion and euthanasia.”

Gushee’s group didn’t get to meet the pope but they did get to see him in the window of his apartment.

The conference on Catholic moral teaching Gushee attended was sponsored by the Vatican and six other Catholic study centers and universities to provide reflection on the 40th anniversary of one of Roman Catholicism’s major social teaching documents, “The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.”

Gushee has studied and taught the document in his classes at Union. The conference consisted of scholars who presented papers and those who responded to the presentations, and Gushee was one of the respondents.

Of the roughly 300 participants at the conference, only about 10 were Protestants -– and only four of those were Baptists, Gushee said. It is the first time a Union professor has had any role at a Vatican event.

“We felt that we were very hospitably welcome, that they were very glad to have some Protestants there,” Gushee said. “It was a very memorable experience. I continue to be impressed by the depth of Catholic moral teaching and the way in which they have developed a tradition of moral reflection.”

Gushee said the Catholic Church’s ability to release documents and then reflect on them years later allows the church to be “a living tradition.”

“You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every generation,” he said. “You build on what’s been done before.”

One of Gushee’s goals is to bring an evangelical witness to broader ecumenical gatherings, and the Vatican event gave him the chance to do that. Gushee said the experience also will allow him to bring insights of the broader church into his teaching and writing.

In addition to his role at the conference, Gushee had the opportunity to visit St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican museum.

“We got to really take our time and look at some of the most magnificent art ever produced,” he said.
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Bob & Cheryl Reccord advise on ‘Launching Your Kids for Life’
by Linda Ebert
Date: April 05, 2005 - Tuesday

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Preparing children for a successful life takes more than developing a solid foundation. Parents also need to give their children a successful launch into adulthood, according to a new book by Bob and Cheryl Reccord.

“A successful journey to adulthood doesn't happen by accident,” says Reccord, president of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board. “Parents need to equip their children, prepare them for life’s challenges, help them discover their life's mission and celebrate the milestones along the way.”

With those goals in mind, the Reccords have written “Launching Your Kids for Life,” released in March by W Publishing Group.

Reccord began to see the need for such a book after writing “Made to Count” with coauthor Randy Singer in 2004, relaying eight biblical principles to help readers discover and fulfill God’s mission in their lives.

“After Made to Count someone said to me, ‘It’s a shame you have to be an adult to be on mission,’” Reccord said. “Cheryl and I decided to pull together the best we’ve learned through interviewing parents whose kids are living an ‘on mission’ lifestyle and from raising our own three kids to show people how they can give their kids these tools for life.”

In Launching Your Kids, the Reccords use the analogy of a space shuttle launch. With insights from Tommy Holloway, past director of the NASA space program and three-time shuttle astronaut David Leetsma, the Reccords take readers through eight steps paralleling a successful shuttle mission.

“We didn’t want to burden any parent with something else for their to-do list,” Cheryl said. “It’s meant to lighten their load. For most, a slight attitude adjustment and tweaking the activities they are already doing is all that’s necessary.”

These principles aren’t just for kids with a stable start in life. Adopted at an early age, Reccord said his adoptive mother understood that God had a unique calling and plan for his life -- even before he was born.

“That meant a lot to me,” Reccord said. “God had a plan even though my birth mom didn’t. He has a plan for every kid.”

The Reccords share a concern that sometimes a “Christian” culture can inadvertently send the message that “real” missionaries go oversees. Launching Your Kids for Life helps parents model being on mission right where they are. For the kids, the mission field might be the soccer team or the kid whose locker is next to theirs.

One couple highlighted in Launching, Ron and Mary Jenson, believe deliberate planning is needed to effectively communicate this kind of attitude. Mary encourages parents to have what she calls a “Business-Plan Weekend” to focus on reaching goals of both character and activity with kids in all areas of their lives.

A unique feature of Launching is the free online personality profile for children. It is designed to help parents understand the uniqueness of each child and how to mesh their parenting style with their child’s personality.

In the ancient world, guidestones were used as markers for a journey, indicating the proper distance one had traveled and had yet to travel, along with warnings of what to avoid. The Reccords said they hope to help parents recognize those guidestone moments and find creative yet meaningful ways to celebrate them. Toward that end, Cheryl Reccord developed a website called TotalLifeImpact.com where parents or grandparents can design and order a “Guidestone Crest” plaque to convey the biblical qualities and a verse of Scripture they’re praying will be evidenced in their children’s lives as they continue to mature.

“All parents discover sooner or later that parenting doesn’t end until you enter the grave,” the Reccords note in their book. “So there is never a point during life that is too late to pray, support, influence and encourage your child.”

One father of a 32-year-old son took the message to heart, creating a crest for his son and writing a letter each week sharing something about his life with Christ.
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Linda Ebert is a freelance writer who lives in Cumming, Ga. “Launching Your Kids for Life” is available at LifeWay Christian Stores and other booksellers and at www.lifewaystores.com.


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FIRST-PERSON: Circumstantial evidence
by Judy Woodward Bates
Date: April 05, 2005 - Tuesday

DORA, Ala. (BP)--Glen and his wife left their teenage son at home while they took a vacation. They arrived home a day early to find a full-fledged keg party going on.

Bonnie’s daughter, Caroline, shares her bedroom with a live-in boyfriend.

Marshall has a son on crack cocaine.

Which of these parents would you want in a position of leadership? The answer, I hope you immediately said, would depend on the circumstances. Glen and his wife are wonderful parents who have faithfully taught their son, Max, through their own lifestyles and through their faithful involvement in church. They were horrified to discover a drunken party in their residence.

They not only let Max verbally know how angry and hurt they were by his behavior, they grounded him from all extracurricular activities and hauled him down to a nearby mission where the entire family spent the next month doing volunteer work. By the end of this time, Max had seen enough of what alcohol had done to the mission’s residents to cause him to re-think the whole issue of drinking.

Bonnie’s 16-year-old daughter, Caroline, moved her boyfriend in one night, telling her mom that his parents had kicked him out. When Bonnie protested, Caroline threatened to run away with her boyfriend. “What can I do? She’s all I’ve got,” Bonnie shrugged.

Lucas was 9 when his mom died, and Marshall has done his best to play the role of both parents. Marshall had worked with Lucas’s church youth group and even had taken up golf so that he and Lucas could spend Saturdays on the courses together. He’d prayed for Lucas, counseled him, disciplined him and hauled him to counseling and treatment, but the drug problems continued. Marshall has forbid Lucas to live under his roof as long as he’s involved with illegal drugs.

It’s a matter of looking at the whole picture. It’s kind of hard to feel sorry for someone who stands with their hand on a hot stove yelling, “It’s burning! It’s burning!” When a person allows or even encourages a sinful situation, he or she is a part of the problem.

While Max’s parents continued to love their son, they also let him know that his bad behavior wouldn’t be tolerated. Bonnie, on the other hand, had let her daughter manipulate her into allowing a situation that definitely was not God-honoring. Marshall had done his best to raise his son in a manner pleasing to the Lord, but Lucas had chosen to take a different path.

So, who are these folks? Well, Glen is an associate pastor whose son now serves as a minister of music. Bonnie was a Sunday School teacher who was asked either to get control of her household or step down from teaching. She resigned. Marshall is a state director of missions. Lucas is now drug-free and active in the prison church while he serves a two-year sentence for possession of stolen property.

Anytime we accept a position within the church, we are opening ourselves up –- and rightly so -– for greater scrutiny and accountability. How does your household management qualify you for His service? It’s all about the input. What are you investing into your family?

“If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?” (I Timothy 3:5, HCSB).
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Judy Woodward Bates is the creator of Bargainomics, a Bible-based time and money management philosophy, and the author of “The Gospel Truth about Money Management.” Visit her website at www.bargainomics.com.



