
The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-08/22/2006

DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP.
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Dakota Baptists rev up for outreach <br>at annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
by Jerry Higgins
Date: August 22, 2006 - Tuesday

STURGIS, S.D. (BP)--The small town of Sturgis, S.D., has a population of nearly 6,700. The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, however, nearly doubles the entire state’s population, when 300,000 mostly leather-clad motorcycle enthusiasts arrive for what is often described as “Mardi Gras in the Black Hills.”

What a perfect place for an evangelistic effort.

“I lived in Sturgis for five and a half years. The motorcycle rally was the kind of event which was hard to put your arms around and put together something relevant to touch people,” said Garvon Golden, leader of the Dakota Baptist Convention’s serving people team (evangelism director).

“It’s a scary type of event. If you’re not familiar with biker folks and their mentality, it can be threatening. A lot of ministries up there were smaller efforts. It was more servant-based evangelism and not direct intentional evangelism.”

With a tremendous leap of faith, the Dakota convention ventured to this year’s Aug. 7-13 rally.

With the help of the North American Mission Board, Dakota convention leaders were put in contact with evangelist Ronnie Hill of Fort Worth, who has shared the Gospel at a wide range of venues, from small county fairs in Texas to the Calgary Stampede and NASCAR racetracks.

Hill and the Dakota convention’s executive director, Jim Hamilton, agreed that witnessing at an event like Sturgis would take some “out of the box” thought.

“I’ve gone to Sturgis the last 16 years and we were involved in things like giving out water and checking blood pressure with local churches,” Hamilton said. “I came from an alcoholic biker background, was saved at 23, and spent 25 years as a minister. I still have a soft spot for ministry to people in that kind of lifestyle.”

Hill has given away a motorcycle at some of the events where he has evangelized. A person spends as little as three minutes listening to a Gospel presentation, then fills out a card to get a raffle ticket for the prize. Hill said it’s been an effective evangelism tool because the prize brings people inside the booth and gives Christians a great witnessing opportunity.

“They heard what I did in Bristol (Tenn.) at a NASCAR race. I had a Harley &#91;Davidson&#93; bike as a prize and 760 people got saved,” Hill recounted. “This was my first trip to Sturgis. I always wanted to go there but didn’t have any connections. We had to get in a key location and we did that &#91;with a vendor spot downtown&#93;. I trained people to do what I did and they did a great job.

“You just have to get in there and present the Gospel. Did people cuss us out in Sturgis? Yes. That just made us give more presentations and more people were saved. I get tired of people saying evangelism only works in the Bible Belt. It works everywhere. We just have to do what God tells us to do.”

Hamilton and his staff sent out feelers for support for the Sturgis outreach. Financial help came in from the North American Mission Board and from the South Carolina, Florida and Alaska state conventions, as well as Hamilton Baptist Church in northern Virginia, which had been doing mission efforts in South Dakota already. Not one penny of state Cooperative Program dollars was spent for the initiative.

A motorcycle dealer in Sioux Falls gave them a deal on a limited edition Harley. In addition to renting the booth space, insurance for the bike and the booth had to be purchased. In all, the convention had to raise nearly $30,000.

Hamilton Baptist’s pastor, Chris Walker, recounted that one of the church’s laymen “had a dream seven years ago to sponsor a team to go out on an Indian reservation and we went out to the Cheyenne River Reservation. We had opportunities to interact with the staff of the Dakota state Convention and they spoke to our folks here. We were very moved by the enormity of their task.”

“It’s amazing how God confirmed what we were doing,” said Golden, noting that the booth space was leased from a Jewish man from Daytona Beach, Fla., while “the insurance guy is a Lutheran from Fargo and now his church is praying for us.”

The Dakota group shared their testimonies with 2,900 people, 718 of whom said they prayed to receive Christ and marked a box on the registration card indicating their decision. The cards have been sent to NAMB, which in turn will forward the contacts to churches near their homes for follow-up.

“We had a big crowd stand around when the raffle was announced and a 50-ish woman from Pueblo, Colo., won. She’s already made arrangements to come to Rapid City to pick it up,” Golden said.

Golden recounted that an international Christian worker joined in the outreach and witnessed to a couple who knew where he was serving.

After the worker shared his testimony, the couple told him they already were Christians. “They were in town going to a funeral and wanted to see what the rally was like,” Golden said. “They asked &#91;the worker&#93; to pray for their daughter who was engaged to a Muslim.” The worker asked the couple where they were from and it was the exact location where he is serving, and they plan to be in touch upon their return.

“That’s an example of what God can do,” Golden said.

A new Christian from Hazen, N.D., came to work at the rally for a couple of days -– “a man whom we brought a horse tub to his church for his baptism because they didn’t have one,” Golden recounted. “The first man who came up to him was from Hazen, a town of about 1,800 people. The man shared how low he was. They made an appointment to go fishing. He didn’t make a decision there, but who knows what will happen?”

“&#91;H&#93;ow do you put a price on one soul?” Hamilton asked. “The Dakotas never saw this kind of harvest in one week. Few places in the United States see that kind of harvest. God really blessed the effort.”

Next year, Golden said they will ask Hill to return to Sturgis and they will expand to two booths. One booth will have the electronic bull and they hope to give away another motorcycle.

“This is not your grandma’s ministry. Not everyone wants to come to downtown Sturgis and deal with bikers,” Hamilton said. “God is pushing us to be on the cutting edge to reach people. This pushed people way out of their comfort zone to talk to strangers, especially with people dressed up like bikers.

“God demands us to be obedient and we were. And He blessed our efforts.”
--30—-


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Rulings against 'gay marriage' could change legal landscape
by Michael Foust
Date: August 22, 2006 - Tuesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A string of recent defeats for "gay marriage" supporters has set a body of precedent that could make it tougher for future courts to rule differently, conservative attorneys say.

In July alone, conservatives won in seven different states, including two monumental cases -- New York and Washington -- where state supreme courts handed down rulings against "gay marriage." And in Nebraska, a federal appeals court panel reinstated that state's marriage amendment, one year after it had been struck down as unconstitutional.

"It has created a body of precedent. It gets harder with every decision that comes down for the next court to reject that &#91;state&#93; limitation and to say, 'That's not what marriage is really about,'" Chris Stovall, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, told Baptist Press. ADF was involved in all seven cases in July.

Although none of the state court rulings are binding on other states, they nonetheless can have an impact when justices on other courts research for and write opinions. For instance, the Washington court's majority opinion cited the New York court's opinion at least three times, even though the cases were handed down only 20 days apart.

Within the last two decades five state high courts -- Massachusetts, Vermont, Hawaii, New York and Washington -- have ruled on the constitutionality of marriage statutes. Massachusetts is the only one so far to legalize "gay marriage."

"Only one court of last resort has gone the wrong way, and that's Massachusetts, and it was by a margin of one vote &#91;in a 4-3 decision&#93;. And that one-vote margin has affected all of us," Mat Staver, president of the conservative legal group Liberty Counsel, told BP. Liberty Counsel was involved in the New York and Nebraska cases.

In 1999, Vermont's high court struck down that state's marriage statute, although it gave the legislature the option of legalizing same-sex civil unions, which the legislature did. Civil unions grant same-sex couples the legal benefits of marriage without using the word "marriage."

In 1993, Hawaii's high court sent a "gay marriage" case back down to a lower court, but in doing so ruled that the state must show how its traditional marriage laws further a "compelling state interest." A few years later, with the high court seemingly on the verge of redefining marriage, Hawaii voters passed a marriage amendment giving the legislature the power to protect the natural definition of marriage.

In addition, within the last three years mid-level courts in Arizona and Indiana upheld traditional marriage laws.

But the rulings in New York, Washington and Nebraska could change the legal landscape for the near future, conservative attorneys say. One reason is that, compared to other legal issues, there have been few decisions from appellate courts on "gay marriage." Another reason is that all three decisions affirmed the idea that procreation and child-rearing can be used as a legitimate basis for protecting the natural definition of marriage.

"Every one of those decisions -- Washington, New York and also the &#91;Nebraska ruling out of the&#93; Eighth Circuit -- ... all adopted the notion that it is a legitimate purpose for the marriage laws to steer human procreative activity into stable long-term relationships so that, as often as possible, children will be raised by their mother and their father together," ADF's Stovall told Baptist Press. "That's what we've been stressing all along. That is the reason why states have marriage laws."

For instance:

-- Washington Supreme Court Justice Barbara A. Madsen, writing for the majority, said that the state legislature "was entitled to believe that limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples furthers procreation, essential to survival of the human race, and furthers the well-being of children by encouraging families where children are reared in homes headed by the children's biological parents."

-- New York Court of Appeals Judge Robert S. Smith, who voted in the majority, wrote that it would be OK if legislators decided that "it is better ... for children to grow up with both a mother and a father.... Intuition and experience suggest that a child benefits from having before his or her eyes, every day, living models of what both a man and a woman are like."

-- U.S. Court of Appeals Judge James Loken, who serves on the Eighth Circuit, wrote that "whatever our personal views regarding this political and sociological debate," the court "cannot conclude" that Nebraska's justification for its marriage amendment "lacks a rational relationship to legitimate state interests." The state had argued in court that the government has an interest in "steering procreation into marriage."

The New York and Washington courts also ruled that issues such as "gay marriage" should be settled in the legislature, and not in state courts. In her ruling, Washington Justice Madsen said the court had a "limited role."

"The cases are coming down routinely saying that the proper role of the judge is to adjudicate the law, not to legislate," Liberty Counsel's Staver told BP. "There's no question &#91;gay marriage supporters&#93; were expecting victories in both of those states. They felt that those states, if any states, could be picked off and would have strategic impact for the rest of the country -- New York so large and influential and Washington having no residency requirement on marriage."

Although the Nebraska ruling is being appealed, the New York and Washington cases cannot be. All three rulings, ADF's Stovall said, underscored the argument that marriage laws are tied to child-rearing -- and not simply love between two people, as "gay marriage" supporters argue.

"The state's interest in licensing and regulating marriage -- through benefits -- is not simply because it's a good thing for people to be in loving, committed relationships," Stovall said. "It's because there is a need to make sure that men and women, when they produce children, will raise them together in stable households. The focus is on children and on families, and &#91;the family&#93; being the basic building block of stable societies."

All eyes now focus on New Jersey's Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in a "gay marriage" case in February and could hand down its ruling any day. It is the same court that in 1999 ruled the Boy Scouts could not prevent homosexuals from becoming troop leaders -- a decision that was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"&#91;T&#93;hey &#91;gay marriage supporters&#93; still have their fingers crossed on New Jersey, which is thought to be an even more liberal Supreme Court than New York and possibly more so than Washington," Stovall said.

The major homosexual activist organizations favor an incremental strategy on "gay marriage," whereby they rack up victories on the state level before taking their case national. For instance, they oppose any federal lawsuits being filed against the federal Defense of Marriage Act, believing the timing isn't right for such a suit and the makeup of the Supreme Court isn't friendly to their cause. DOMA prevents the federal government from recognizing "gay marriage" and allows states to do the same.

In addition to New Jersey, state courts in California, Connecticut, Iowa and Maryland also are entertaining "gay marriage" cases, although all the cases remain in lower courts. There also is a federal case in Oklahoma, but the major homosexual activist groups aren't on board.

"They're not retreating," Staver said. "They're not going to stop their legal challenges. But they &#91;have&#93; had some devastating defeats."
--30--
For more information about the national debate over "gay marriage," visit <a href="http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage">http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage</a> 


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Bush signals support for ‘morning-after’ pill
by Staff
Date: August 22, 2006 - Tuesday

WASHINGTON (BP)--President Bush seemed to indicate Aug. 21 he supports over-the-counter sales of a “morning-after” pill that has abortion-causing qualities.

The president told reporters at a White House news conference he believes the drug, known as Plan B, “ought to require a prescription for minors.” He also said he supported the proposal of the acting head of the Food and Drug Administration to permit non-prescription sale of the pill to women 18 years of age and older.

Bush’s remarks would appear to end any hopes pro-life advocates had of persuading the FDA or the White House not to expand Plan B’s availability beyond prescription-only sales.

Plan B, as well as another “morning-after” pill known as Preven, is basically a heavier dose of birth control pills. Under the regimen, a woman takes two pills within 72 hours of sexual intercourse and another dose 12 hours later. The “morning-after” pill works to restrict ovulation in a woman but it also acts after conception, thereby causing an abortion, pro-lifers point out. This mechanism of the drug blocks implantation of a tiny embryo in the uterine wall.

Plan B and Preven are now available only with a prescription.

The FDA, with Andrew von Eschenbach as acting commissioner, announced July 31 it was working with Duramed, a subsidiary of Barr Pharmaceuticals, toward possible approval of Plan B on a non-prescription basis for women 18 and older. Barr previously had asked the FDA to approve over-the-counter sale of the pill to females 16 and older.

Barr, however, signaled Aug. 9 it is uncertain if it will accept the federal government’s proposal elevating the age for over-the-counter sale to 18.

The following exchange between a reporter and Bush occurred near the end of the Aug. 21 news conference.

Question: “Thank you very much. Mr. President; some pro-life groups are worried that your choice of FDA commissioner will approve over-the-counter sales of Plan B, a pill that, they say, essentially can cause early-term abortions. Do you stand by this choice, and how do you feel about Plan B in general?”

Bush: “I believe that Plan B ought to be -- ought to require a prescription for minors, is what I believe. And I support Andy's decision.”

Pro-life advocates generally oppose all sales of the “morning-after” pill. Some pro-life leaders were dismayed at Bush’s stance on Plan B.

“What happened to President Bush’s campaign promises of respecting the dignity of every human person and creating a culture of life?” asked Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, in a written release.

“President Bush is showing inconsistency in his support for life,” Brown said. “He recently vetoed a bill that would allow for extended funding of human embryonic stem cell research because of the potential loss of human life. However, he has no problem lending support to a drug that can do the very same thing he supposedly opposes -- kills human embryos."

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said the president was taking the country down a “disastrous path."

The president vetoed in July a bill that would have funded stem cell research that destroys embryos stored at fertility clinics. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act would have weakened Bush’s policy barring federal grants for experiments that result in the destruction of human embryos. The president’s rule allows funds for research only on embryonic stem cell lines already in existence when his policy was announced in 2001.

Bush appointed von Eschenbach as acting FDA commissioner last year.

Last August the FDA postponed a decision on Barr’s request to sell Plan B over the counter. In May 2004, the agency rejected Barr’s appeal for over-the-counter sales, citing a lack of evidence about the pill's effect on girls 16 and younger. It gave the company an option of reapplying for over-the-counter sales for females 16 and older and prescription sales for girls 15 and younger. Barr resubmitted its request under those guidelines.
--30--


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Evangelistic church offers hope to cancer patient in need
by Erin Roach
Date: August 22, 2006 - Tuesday

SANTA CLAUS, Ind. (BP)--Ron Bays is proof of the need for the Southern Baptist Convention’s “‘Everyone Can!’ Kingdom Challenge” for evangelism. Because the people of Heritage Hills Baptist Church in Santa Claus, Ind., took the mandate to witness, win and baptize 1 million people seriously, Bays is now a cancer survivor at peace with God.

Bays, 61, told Baptist Press he accepted Christ at a young age but then fell away from a close walk with God when his best friend died of appendicitis during college.

“I questioned why that happened and stopped going to church,” Bays said. “I still believed in God and would pray, but I stopped going to church.”

In April 2005, Bays was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on his bladder that was the size of a softball and was told he had less than six months to live. 

“I didn’t have any idea that I was ill or anything, but I was taken to the emergency room and they decided that I had to have an emergency operation,” Bays recounted. “They opened me up and they closed me up -- there was nothing that they could do.”

Numerous people in the community started praying for him and people invited him to church. While enduring six intense chemotherapy treatments, Bays decided to go with one of his friends to Heritage Hills just to “see what it was like.”

“That was in October of last year, and I’ve been going since,” he said. 

Bays has been able to keep going to church because his tumor eventually disappeared and he apparently is cancer-free now.

“Since this past year, I have a peace of mind that I’ve never had in my life before,” Bays said. “What happens, happens. I’m comfortable with myself and my status with God.”

Bays taught social studies at Heritage Hills High School for 34 years, so many of the church members were familiar to him from day one because they were former students.

“So that makes it even better. When I went in, I wasn’t really a stranger,” he said.

Bays particularly enjoys Sunday School, where he’s part of a class of men 55 and over who enjoy studying the Word of God.

“I like to get different perspectives because for the most part I’m sort of a novice when it comes to what’s in the Bible and the interpretations of things,” he said. “I really get some good information from the other guys in that class.”

Heritage Hills certainly has an emphasis on evangelism, Bays said, and during the brief time he has attended the small church, more than a dozen people have joined and most have been baptized -- including himself.

“The church is starting to grow, and I would say the church definitely is out there evangelizing,” he said.

It’s a good thing the church members care about others, Bays said, because they helped him get back on track with God at a time when he was in great need.

“After my operation last year, I was laying in the hospital bed and I was in horrible shape,” he said. “I had a friend of mine -- we had taught together at Heritage Hills High School -- and then one of my former students make the trip over to Louisville to visit me. They both prayed for me and asked if I believed in God. I said yes, I did.

“When they prayed for me, we held hands and it felt as if I had been hooked up to 220 volts worth of electricity,” Bays said. “I had a power surge go through me, and as bad as I felt physically, mentally I thought, ‘Everything is going to be alright.’”

At that point, Bays said he felt like he was going to get through the battle with cancer, and so far he has.

“Nobody knows how long they’re going to live. I consider every day a blessing,” he said. “From October of last year to the present, I figure it’s like icing on a cake. Every day I get up and look out the window, and if it’s raining, I say it’s a nice day. And if the sun is shining, it’s a nice day. It just doesn’t matter. Every day is a blessing, and I try to keep active physically. I’m getting my strength back.”

Bays works in his yard and garden and he rides horses to keep busy. He and his wife Janet have three daughters. 

“I try to get the most out of everything,” he continued. “I know I’m here because of the grace of God and I go out of my way to tell people that I’m here because of Him. I know that.”

Now, instead of avoiding church, Bays looks forward to each time he can fellowship with other believers and delve deeper into the Christian life.

“It’s probably the highlight of my week now,” he said.

Bobby Welch, immediate past president of the SBC, challenged Southern Baptists starting last Oct. 1 to witness to, win and baptize 1 million people before the end of the church year, which is Sept. 30. Welch wanted to raise the bar for baptisms because they represent people who are being reached with the Gospel and saved from eternal separation from God.

“I guess it takes something catastrophic sometimes to wake someone up,” Bays said. “I told the pastor one time, it takes a puppy two weeks to open its eyes but it has taken me 60 years.

“But I’ve finally got my eyes open and am awful thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to do that. Sometimes people don’t have the chance to get right with God, but I have and I feel great about it.”
--30--


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Seminarians carry Gospel to Buddhists, Muslims in Thai city
by Benjamin Hawkins
Date: August 22, 2006 - Tuesday

CHIANG MAI, Thailand (BP)--Students from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary joined with their counterparts at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to hit the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand, this summer for three weeks of spreading the Gospel and learning about Buddhism and Islam.

The group was jointly led by Keith Eitel, professor of missions at Southwestern, and Bruce Ashford, assistant professor of philosophy and intercultural studies at Southeastern.

“The partnership between Southeastern and Southwestern seemed natural,” said Ashford, who also is the director of Southeastern’s Center for Great Commission Studies. “Our students and faculty worked together in seamless fashion.”

Actually being in a country like Thailand and learning about other religions in that context was an eye-opening experience for the students.

“I have taken classes where I’ve learned about other religions. I just thought I knew all there was to know about both religions, but ... being able to go out in that culture and learn among the people -– that helped tremendously,” said one Southwestern Seminary student who asked that his name be withheld because he will take the Gospel to a closed country after seminary.

“I think many of our students realized, for the first time, that there are folks all over the globe who have little or no access to the Gospel,” Ashford said. “In fact, there are Muslims and Buddhists in Southeast Asia who could leave their houses and drive for hours and hours, and never find a church. That is a hard-hitting reality. As American Christians we have the means and the ability to share the Gospel with those who, otherwise, would have no opportunity.”

“We engaged literally hundreds of Buddhists and Muslims in various capacities,” Eitel added, “and dozens and dozens of times we shared our faith.”

Eitel, director of Southwestern’s World Mission Center, taught a session on Buddhism and Ashford taught a session on Islam. Following classes each day, students used their classroom discussions as the basis of interviews with people on Chiang Mai’s streets to gain a better understanding of what most Buddhists and Muslims actually believe.

“If we were discussing the origins of Buddhism, students would frame two or three questions regarding who Gautama Buddha was, and how Buddhism got started,” Eitel said. “What they quickly discovered is that most of the typical Buddhists on the street are fairly nominal in their understanding of Buddhism.”

This “folk Buddhism” is more about “generating good luck” than applying the full teachings of Buddhism, Eitel said. 

“We picked this country because it’s one of the few places in the world where you have a sizable number of Buddhists living with a moderately good-sized number of Muslims,” Eitel said. He added that the people of Thailand are free to discuss religious beliefs.

The seminary students also mixed with local students at Chiang Mai University -- a secular university in the city -- as well as a Buddhist university. At the Buddhist school, they attended “Monk Chat,” a program created to help the monks practice their English. Cultural bridges were crossed among one group of monks because a Southeastern student came from their same non-Thai culture, Eitel said.

Similarly, Eitel reported a unique openness in one mosque that was used by a non-Thai population. This resulted, in part, because a seminary student was able to speak their language.

One of the goals of the June 29-July 27 program was to push the seminary students outside their comfort zones. That task fell to Josh Brown*, one of program’s leaders now on a ministry assignment in Asia.

“I was helping them get exposed where they were just a little uncertain of themselves, trying to take them into the little, back-alley restaurants where only a Muslim would go in the heat,” Brown said. He hoped to build up the students’ confidence in these cross-cultural experience so they would someday lead other groups through these settings.

“I think what was exciting to watch ... was the transformation of the students going from scared and shy to bold and excited about their faith,” Brown said.

Brown also reported that interviews “almost instantly” opened up opportunities to share the Gospel, as the people of Chiang Mai often responded to their interviewers with questions about Christianity.

Eitel noted that a large Mormon influence in Chiang Mai has raised misunderstandings about Christianity. He encouraged students to give a “focused summary” at the end of each interview that compared and contrasted Christianity with the religion being discussed.

Eitel used this method in a discussion with a Buddhist monk whose view of Christianity was skewed by Mormonism.

“You could see there was conviction on the monk’s face at how the two religions were so different,” Eitel said. After their interaction, the monk asked for a Bible and some guidance as to what to read. Eitel pointed him to the Gospel of John.

“‘The gospel is the power of God unto salvation,’” Eitel said, quoting Romans 1:16-17. “We emphasized to the students that somehow, in spite of the potential for misunderstanding ... the Spirit of God can and does break through and speak to the heart.”
--30--
*Name changed for security reasons.


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FIRST-PERSON: Eating healthy snacks
by Tamara Quintana
Date: August 22, 2006 - Tuesday

DALLAS (BP)--These days, we are bombarded with information on what to eat and what not to eat from television, newspapers, the Internet, our doctors, mom and other “experts.” 

For years we have been hearing that fiber is one of the main ingredients to a healthy diet, but I recently heard on the news that there is now conflicting information about how beneficial fiber is to us.

With so much conflicting information about what’s good for us, it’s hard to know what to do. The most important thing to remember is to use logic, to do the best you can with the information we have and to read labels. Keep your cupboards and fridge filled with healthy foods and snacks, and you and your family will get more accustomed to making wiser choices.

The children in my grandson’s daycare were preparing to have a fruit drink and cookies for a snack one day. When the teacher came to Joshua he said, “My mom says that has too much sugar for me. Do you have some milk and fruit?” As you can imagine, my daughter was both shocked and pleased. Joshua was learning to make healthy choices on his own.

What we will eat is just one of the many choices we face every day. Start early teaching your kids about good nutrition. And teach by example. When our roots are grounded in good nutrition, day-to-day choices are a littler easier to make.

The following recommendations for healthy snacks come from a campaign the San Antonio, Texas, school district has implemented for all the vending machines in their schools. The program is called Fit City/Fit Schools.

HEALTHIEST 

-- Animal or graham crackers, vanilla wafers.

-- No chips.

-- Nuts, seeds (plain or spiced).

-- Trail mix (plain).

-- Fresh, canned or individually packed fruit (in natural juices only).

-- Dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries; fruit leather).

-- Fat-free popcorn.

-- Beef jerky (95 percent fat free).

-- Yogurt (nonfat).

-- No pudding or gelatin.

-- Milk (non-fat, any flavor). 

-- Juice (all natural, no added sugar).

-- Water -– pure.

-- No soft drinks.

HEALTHY

-- Granola bars, whole-grain fruit bars.

-- Baked chips, corn nuts, rice cakes, cereal/nut mix.

-- Nuts w/light sugar covering; honey roasted.

-- Popcorn and nut mix.

-- Canned or individually packed fruit in light syrup.

-- Fruit-flavored snacks.

-- Light popcorn.

-- Yogurt (low-fat or light).

-- Sugar-free pudding or gelatin. 

-- Milk (1 percent or 2 percent fat, any flavor).

-- Juice, at least 50 percent pure.

-- Vitamin or flavor-enhanced water.

-- Low-calorie or no calorie soft drinks.

NOT HEALTHY

-- Cookies, candy bars, toaster pastries, marshmallow treats.

-- Regular chips, cheese flavored crackers, cracker sandwiches.

-- Candy or yogurt covered nuts.

-- Trail mix w/candy or chocolate.

-- Candied or sugar-coated dried fruit.

-- Butter, butter lovers, or movie style popcorn.

-- Pork rinds.

-- Regular sugared pudding or gelatin.

-- Whole milk.

-- Fruit drinks.

-- Carbonated beverages with sugar.
--30--


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FIRST-PERSON: Making evangelism good news again
by John Avant
Date: August 22, 2006 - Tuesday

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--My daughter is married. Mrs. Christi Watson. Now, that just sounds weird. But wonderfully weird. 

I helped conduct my daughter’s ceremony Aug. 12. She married Matt Watson, the wonderful young man who we have prayed for since Christi was born 20 years ago. Walking her down the aisle was an experience I will never forget. It only lasts a minute or two but it seems to encapsulate time –- all the experiences that led us this far. I knew that would be a special moment but I didn’t anticipate what it would be like to look into the faces of family and dear friends as I walked down the aisle of New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga., where I served as pastor for almost nine years. 

Through my tears I saw their love and felt them sharing our joy. I wanted to stop by each one of them and thank them for all the times they encouraged me, all the times they showed Jesus to my daughter, all the times they shared the adventure of mission and life following Jesus with me. It struck me that with all its faults and fumbles, this thing called the church is still the most beautiful, wondrous force on this earth. Jesus founded it. Jesus made her His bride. And so on Aug. 12 there were two beautiful brides in the worship center that day. 

I am not sure if as a pastor I took the opportunity often enough to thank the churches I served for putting up with me and allowing me the great privilege of serving them, of proclaiming God’s wonderful Word to them, and of leading them on mission to bring the Good News to everyone we possibly could. Let me take that opportunity now. Thanks to the churches I have been blessed to serve as pastor -– Hay Valley Baptist, Sand Flat Baptist, Northrich Baptist and Coggin Avenue Baptist, all in Texas. And most of all, to New Hope Baptist -– I love you and am so excited about your future.

As I pronounced Matt and Christi husband and wife and felt the awesome bond of love in the body of Christ, I wished every seeker could have been there to see it, to experience it, to sense the power, the beauty, the mystery, and the authentic community that are found in the body of Christ. How I pray that all of our gatherings will become like this. Whether it is Sunday worship, a Sunday School class or a church basketball game, shouldn’t our gatherings be full of the most contagious joy that can be found anywhere? 

In anything you do in your church, try asking these questions: Who is it for? And if an unbeliever came, would they be in awe of the love and acceptance they would experience? Most of what we do in our churches is really for us, isn’t it? If we are to be real followers of Jesus, that must change. He told us that he leaves the 99 who are doing fine to go find the one who is lost. If we are to follow him, we must go there where He is, always seeking and loving the lost. And when we find them, and they actually come with us to the place where we worship, God forbid that they don’t encounter the authentic love of God. Let’s bring them to the wedding every week!

A couple that I led to the Lord came to Christi’s wedding. Afterward, the wife said, “This is what we want for our lives, and for our daughter. You gave her a mother and father who stayed together and all these people who love her. We want that, too.” The whole world wants that. Most of them have just never really seen it in a way that was compelling. They need to see Jesus. And we can show them.

Someone asked me today if I have “gotten over” the wedding yet. Don’t plan to. I want to remember for the rest of my life the sheer wonder and joy of that day that only Jesus could have put together. I want to remember that most people don’t know that joy yet. And I want to make evangelism good news again –- so they can. Why don’t we do it together -– and remember that the greatest wedding supper of them all is not far away?
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John Avant is vice president for evangelization at the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board.



