The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-08/31/2015 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- KATRINA 2005-15: Faithfulness, courage prevailed by By Will Hall/Louisiana Baptist Message Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is from an Aug. 27 Baptist Message anniversary edition marking the 10-year point since Hurricane Katrina's landfall on Aug. 29, 2005. NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- A decade ago, it was difficult to see anything more than the devastation that accompanied Katrina as she swept across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. But looking back now, it's possible to see the triumph that emerged from the tragedy. After passing over the Florida panhandle as a moderate Category 1 hurricane, then weakening to a tropical storm, Katrina grew in ferocity fueled by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, growing in intensity to a 200-mile-wide Category 5 tempest. But before it made a predicted direct hit on New Orleans, dry air from the Midwest absorbed some of its energy, dropping it to a strong Category 3 system and causing it to shift direction, making landfall about 25 miles east of the city, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. Moreover, the winds over New Orleans, where the weakest part of the storm passed, reached only Category 1 levels and the storm surge failed to top the levees as predicted. But, where a natural disaster of the predicted magnitude failed to materialize in New Orleans, a man-made one burst forth. Levees along the Mississippi River held, but some holding back Lake Ponchartrain, Lake Borgne and the waterlogged swamps and marshes to the east and west of New Orleans were built atop sandy and erodible soil, and these failed, resulting in about 80 percent of the city being flooded, in some places up to 19 feet. A Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals study found that around 400 mostly elderly residents drowned, largely in the neighborhoods near the compromised levees, and nearly 550 died from acute and chronic diseases in hospitals, nursing homes and private residences because of the interruption of hospital and emergency services. Additionally, about 70 percent of all occupied housing in New Orleans suffered damage, The Data Center in New Orleans stated in a 2014 analysis. Elsewhere, Katrina's winds and storm surge had a more direct impact. Mississippi's coastline was devastated by a storm surge of 27 feet, as reported by CBS News, and an estimated 90 percent of structures were flattened within a half-mile of the coastline. The surge was so large and powerful that it traveled as far as six miles inland over land, and 12 miles up bays and rivers. Winds of about 127 miles per hour tore through the state, snapping trees in half and leveling homes. President Bush declared a state of emergency for all of Mississippi, but the greatest damage occurred in the lower two-thirds of the state, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided full federal assistance to 49 of 82 counties -- about 1 million of 2.9 million Mississippians were seriously impacted. A storm tide about half the height of the one in Mississippi hit Alabama with the estimated 14-foot surge nearly destroying the infrastructure and the fishing fleet in Bayou La Batre. Tornadoes were spawned around Brewton and power was lost for nearly a week for about 600,000 in the state of 4.5 million residents. In all, more than 1,800 people lost their lives; the federal government spent about $120.5 billion ($75 billion in emergency relief operations); and insurers paid out about $41 billion in claims -- making Katrina the largest natural disaster in U.S. history, CNN summarized. Southern Baptists launched and maintained one of the largest sustained disaster relief operations in its history -- 196 continuous days, according to Baptist Press. Indeed, on the order of 21,000 trained Southern Baptist volunteers and 500 Southern Baptist Disaster Relief units responded just in Louisiana and Mississippi. Nearly 15 million hot meals were served, 17,000 homes were cleared of mud and downed trees, while almost 8,000 children were cared for. After emergency relief operations wound down, long-term operation began like Project NOAH (New Orleans Area Homes) Rebuild. Southern Baptists invested nearly $25 million to build or rebuild some 500 homes in the most ravaged of New Orleans neighborhoods, and 26 water-damaged churches, schools and ministry centers were repaired. Importantly, another 26,500 Southern Baptists participated as volunteer workers. Homes were restored, so was hope, and the message of eternal hope was shared as well. When all was said and done, Southern Baptists had ministered to tens of thousands of storm victims and disaster relief responders, and shared the Good News to those who would receive it, with thousands responding by submitting their lives to Christ. -------------------------------------------------------------------- KATRINA 2005-15: God's work during, after the storm by Marilyn Stewart/Louisiana Baptist Message Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is from an Aug. 27 Baptist Message anniversary edition marking the 10-year point since Hurricane Katrina's landfall on Aug. 29, 2005. NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- From the belly of a Coast Guard helicopter, Aviation Maintenance Technician 3rd Class Allan Campbell snapped photos of Edgewater Baptist Church days after levee breaks from Hurricane Katrina left 80 percent of New Orleans under water. The church steeple dangled on its side, its tip pointed downward into deep water. For Campbell, the devastation was personal. Two months earlier, he had walked his bride down the aisle on their wedding day and out through doors now submerged in water. "My heart seemed to stop," said David Platt, International Mission Board president but Edgewater staff evangelist at the time, on seeing Campbell's photos. "This was the place where I gathered together with the people in New Orleans I loved the most. The people I laughed and cried with. The people I worshipped with and served alongside," Platt said. "I knew that we would likely never gather together there again in the same way." Hurricane Katrina crossed the tip of Louisiana early Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, pushing water over the tops of homes in lower Plaquemines Parish, then overwhelming the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet in New Orleans to flood the city's east side. To the north, Slidell took the brunt of Hurricane Katrina's storm surge as water was lifted out of Lake Pontchartrain and pushed into homes. A timeline published by the Times-Picayune of New Orleans showed that levee walls broke at various points across the city throughout Monday morning as the storm lumbered by. The Industrial Canal break, next to the Lower Ninth Ward, released torrents of rushing water that pushed homes off foundations and tossed cars around. Water rose through the night in New Orleans and on Tuesday morning the nation woke to learn of the storm's second punch that helped put Hurricane Katrina on the record books as one of the deadliest and costliest storms in history. Bobby Welch, the Southern Baptist Convention's president at the time, toured the area the following day. "This is a disaster of biblical proportion, and it demands a biblical response -- now," Welch said in an S.O.S. call to Southern Baptists as reported by Baptist Press. "How can I be more explicit? This situation is dire...." Joe McKeever, then-director of missions for the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans -- renamed later the New Orleans Baptist Association -- began his first blog after the storm with the ominous words: "They've been telling us the big one was coming. Finally, they were right." Relief & redemption begin Southern Baptist Disaster Relief units rolled in the day after the storm, moving in tandem with the Red Cross and The Salvation Army in what would be an unprecedented effort that would earn Southern Baptists a commendation by the White House six months later. After authorities gave clearance to re-enter the city, McKeever surveyed the damage, driving past miles of closed businesses, schools and banks. At Edgewater Baptist, he stopped and prayed. "It's not just a house here or a business there. It's the whole thing," McKeever said he prayed. "And Lord, I don't know what to do about it." God's answer was clear. "'This is not about you. This is about Me,'" McKeever said God told him. "I can't tell you how comforting that was." For three years prior to the storm, Edgewater members had prayed: God, give us this city and do it in such a way that only You get the credit. The congregation changed the prayer to "give us the nations," not knowing that the eyes of the world would soon be fixed on New Orleans. "The more we processed through the implications of Katrina, the more we realized that God was working behind the scenes in all of this in ways that we never could have imagined," Platt said. "He was doing a work in our city that would send us out across that city and around the world in the days to come." Devastated by loss, a young pastor emailed McKeever a month after the storm expressing his dismay. "My friend, you are about to see something you will be talking about the rest of your life," McKeever wrote in reply. "God is about to do a work that will change your ministry forever and you will always be grateful you were there to see it happen." 'We had nothing' With a safety harness strapped to his waist, Fred Luter saw his church, Franklin Avenue Baptist, for the first time as it sat in 7 feet of water. With Luter in the helicopter that day were Welch and David Hankins, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. "At that moment, I thought, 'This is it, everything is over.'" With more than 7,000 members, Franklin Avenue was the largest Southern Baptist church in the city. In the heart of New Orleans, military personnel wielding M16s met pastor David Crosby as he stepped out of a helicopter onto the parking lot at First Baptist Church, then went before Crosby as they searched every room of the building. As many as 30 people had sought refuge inside as water rose up the front steps and then stopped. The church had been an island in a putrid sea. To the west, just over the Orleans Parish line into Metairie, Dennis Watson, pastor of the 2,500-member Celebration Church, came in by police escort two days after the storm but could go no farther than the Causeway Avenue and Airline Boulevard interchange where boats were launching off the Causeway Avenue ramp. And in the east, First Baptist in Chalmette and St. Bernard Baptist churches took on more than water as a nearby oil refinery a million gallons of oil into the mix. "The immediate effect of Katrina was that everybody was in a mess. Everybody. The world does not understand that," Crosby said. "150,000 houses; 100 square miles. There's no place to put your foot down; no neighbors to call on; no stores; no barber shop." After surveying damaged church sites, McKeever blogged, "I spent all day Thursday with three good friends and it was one of the worst days of my life." Waylon Bailey, pastor of First Baptist Church in Covington, told of a single mom with young children who came to the church asking for food just hours after the storm. "We had nothing," Bailey said. "Our janitor came out with two jars of peanut butter. He was living in the church trying to care for the 200 people living there. That's all he had and he gave it to her. We all broke down and cried." By Wednesday, the Covington church's parking lot was covered with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief units. In New Orleans, SBDR units were deployed to Williams Boulevard Baptist and First Baptist in Kenner and soon at Calvary Baptist and Westwego Baptist churches to the south. Across Louisiana, SBDR units also served evacuees and emergency workers at Baton Rouge, Alexandria, Lafayette, Bogalusa, Hammond and Prairieville. By Oct. 5, Southern Baptist volunteers had served a record 6 million meals in the Hurricane Katrina-affected Gulf Coast. Open hearts As Southern Baptists opened their hearts, special funds set up to help victims swelled. Gifts from Cooperative Program-funded entities came in almost immediately, with $2.5 million from the International Mission Board; $10 million in low-interest loans to churches from the North American Mission Board; $6 million from LifeWay Christian Resources; the guaranteed continuation of benefits and retirement plan protection by Guidestone Financial Resources; and gifts to pastors from the Louisiana Baptist Convention. A continuous stream of volunteers poured into the city to care for stunned residents trickling back in to face deserted neighborhoods and loss that was layers deep: home, church, job, stores, schools, friends and family connections. Luter became a circuit-rider serving three campuses as First Baptist Church in Houston and Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge welcomed in Franklin Avenue members and, at home, First Baptist New Orleans. "Going through Hurricane Katrina, I couldn't see it as God's will, though it obviously was," Luter said. "There are no mistakes with God." Buzzing with activity as a distribution center for supplies and a point for ministry, First Baptist's campus remained unlocked for four months to accommodate workers, Crosby said. As many as 100 volunteers slept nightly in the fellowship hall. "Something about those days just changed the way we thought," Crosby said. "We tried to plan but realized … that we couldn't plan anything because things changed daily. We ended up living day by day, hand to mouth." In the year before the storm, First Baptist's relocation from Uptown to mid-city came with a fresh commitment to serve its community. Baptist Crossroads, a housing initiative to help break the cycle of poverty, was set in place weeks prior to the storm. "We kicked off [Baptist Crossroads] in June; Hurricane Katrina kicked us in the gut in August," Crosby said. "For miles around, nobody lived here. For months, we had no babies in the nursery. No youth in the youth group. Zero." For others, the storm meant sudden death. Dozens of churches in the association closed their doors. Kenneth Foy, pastor of New Life Ministry Baptist Church, a healthy, African American congregation of more than 100 prior to Katrina, became a casualty of the storm with every member relocated. "We could not overcome Katrina," Foy said. Delacroix Baptist Church at Delacroix Island had averaged 25 in attendance. After the storm, only "a few of the pilings were left," McKeever said. 'Rise up, man of God' For Dennis Watson, the low point of the storm came in the early hours after the levee breaks. With cellphone towers down, Watson had received no word from staff, church members and friends. "I've been through a lot of tragedy in my life -- my father died when I was young, my brother-in-law was killed in a tragic accident -- but that day was the darkest day of my life," Watson said. "It seemed like everything I had prayed for, dreamed for, hoped for and worked for was gone in a single day." The clock read 6:33 a.m. when the first call came through on his cellphone two days later. The call from a pastor-friend in Johannesburg, South Africa, jolted him out of depression, Watson said. For eight hours, the friend had prayed for Watson, his church and the city. "He said to me, 'Dennis, my son, I know that you are devastated. Rise up, O man of God, for what you perceive to be a day of devastation is actually the destiny God has called you to,'" Watson recounted. "Then he told me, 'The Lord has revealed to me that while this is indeed a great tragedy, out of this tragedy will come the greatest opportunity your nation will ever have to experience spiritual transformation. Rise up, man of God,'" Watson said. Celebration Church soon realized that God had been at work all along, Watson said. Two weeks before the storm, the church had purchased property across town and assumed another church's debt to prevent the site from becoming a Muslim mosque. "We didn't need the indebtedness. We didn't need the campus," Watson said. "We just felt like the Lord wanted us to take it over to save the reputation of that church and ministry." The newly acquired property was quickly recoverable and served as a worship center and headquarters as Celebration Church ministered to a hurting community. The parking lot of the flooded main campus became a relief center, distributing 1,500 tractor-trailer loads of supplies and serving 5,000 meals daily. An additional 1,000 people received other supplies daily, Watson said. Before the storm, the congregation had prayed for greater opportunities to minister in the community. "With 6,000 people a day coming to our campus, I'd say that prayer was answered," Watson said. Mobilizing for ministry At First Baptist, 200 air scrubbers and dehumidifiers were hooked to a 400kw generator on loan from an Illinois farmer who had loaded it on a trailer and driven to New Orleans. Though floodwater had not entered the building, First Baptist's bill topped $3.5 million as wind and mold damage took its toll. Surrounded by need, the church set up a home recovery ministry, eventually deploying 21,000 volunteers to gut flooded homes and build new ones through Baptist Crossroads, surpassing the original goal of 40 to provide 91 homes. "Nobody can overstate the contribution that Southern Baptist relief teams made at the height of this disaster," Crosby said. "They were here from the very beginning. They were just tremendous in every way." At Edgewater Baptist, four blocks from the London Avenue canal break, heavy damage and a fear that the neighborhood would not rebound kept the facility untouched for weeks. Philip Robertson, then-president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, received a phone call from a friend, Dan Spencer of Thomasville Baptist Church in Thomasville, Ga., asking for his help in finding a church to adopt. The result was a partnership with Edgewater that helped fund rebuilding and evangelism efforts and paid the pastor's salary for two years. Charles Ray, an deacon at Edgewater and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary professor, said the three-way phone call from Robertson and Spencer was "like seeing daybreak" after a long night. "We realized we wouldn't have to face this alone," Ray said. New doors for the Gospel were flung open Louisiana native and former Edgewater member Randy Bond, then-director of the New London Collegiate Ministry in Connecticut, led teams of U.S. Coast Guard cadets and college students to gut homes for Edgewater's neighbors, most of whom were unbelievers. Bond said his students came from a gospel-hardened area and had a minimal view of Christianity but were impressed in seeing Christians' response to those in need. One student, a self-identified secular humanist who noticed that secularists were visibly absent from the recovery effort, told Bond, "'I've got to rethink my worldview,'" said Bond, a Mission Service Corps missionary with the North American Mission Board. Repentance & unity Soon after the storm, Watson invited pastors of all denominations to meet. One African American pastor addressed the group and said white pastors had never before cared about the African American pastors or churches -- frank words that sparked "a time of repentance," Watson recounted. Out of that meeting grew a citywide pastors' coalition that led prayerwalks into the areas most damaged by the storm and neighborhoods most affected by crime. Writing recently, Crosby noted that Bourbon Street and the "flesh markets" of the city were untouched by the flood, but that churches and thousands of homes of faithful believers were destroyed. "I have come to believe that God was purifying His church in the midst of this storm," he wrote. Washed out of the pews and into the street, Crosby wrote that Christians were experiencing a revival to "the central command of Jesus to love your neighbor." God's long-term plan for the association came into focus as Duane McDaniel, pastor of Hawaii Kai Church of Honolulu led seven teams to rebuild homes of Franklin Avenue members so they could return to minister to their neighbors. In 2009, McDaniel stepped into the position of New Orleans Baptist Association executive director and charted a new direction for the association. McDaniels' dream of a clinic to serve the underserved in the Lower Ninth Ward came to fruition last year, three years after his untimely death from a stroke at age 54. McKeever said that long before the storm, he had considered the churches of the New Orleans association to be isolated and insulated from each other, but the storm changed everything. "A lot of churches went out of business. Some needed to. Some were spending all of their resources just to keep up an old building," McKeever said. "The storm put a stop to that." Camaraderie grew as the pastors met weekly at First Baptist Church in LaPlace, a fellowship that often lasted three hours, McKeever said. As First Baptist New Orleans opened their facility to Franklin Avenue for worship and ministry, the two racially different congregations developed a lasting bond. "Through disaster, God allowed a beautiful partnership to come together between a predominantly Anglo church and a predominantly African American church that produced relationships that still are strong to this day," Luter said. For Watson, Southern Baptists' outpouring of help strengthened his bond with his fellow Baptists. Four months after the storm, Watson spoke at the state convention's evangelism conference. "I've not always been a very good Baptist," Watson said he told the crowd. "But today, I'm proud to be a Southern Baptist." Delacroix Baptist experienced an opening for the Gospel and an explosion of professions of faith. A church of another denomination donated its facility and the congregation grew again. But for some, the road back was long and difficult. With all members scattered, Foy took a pastorate in Huron, Ohio, not returning to New Orleans for two years. The task of starting New Life Ministry Baptist Church over from scratch was too hard, Foy said. But God's prompting made him both uncomfortable and refreshed, Foy said. His congregation's first Sunday "back" included only eight members, all of them family. Today, Foy's church is thriving in New Orleans East in a newly refurbished facility. For the first time in its history, the congregation has classroom space for children's and youth ministries. "We don't fully understand how we got here, but we do understand that God got us here," Foy said. "We're waiting to see what great things God is going to do next." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Jesus myths need correction, Darling writes by Tom Strode Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Even evangelical Christians can believe in a mythical Jesus, and that needs to be corrected, says Daniel Darling. "I've seen a tendency among evangelicals, including myself, to create a Jesus in our own image rather than surrendering to the Spirit's work of creating us in Christ's image," Darling told Baptist Press in an email interview. "The Scriptures present one Christ, the Christ of history, the Christ who is. I think chasing down a Jesus who looks just like us ends up with disappointment and disillusionment. The Jesus who is is infinitely better than the Jesus we create." Darling's new book, "The Original Jesus: Trading the Myths We Create for the Savior Who Is," is his effort to clear up some popular and misguided notions about Jesus. "I want to peel away the faux Jesus we've constructed and expose the real Jesus," writes Darling, vice president for communications of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, in the introduction. "My only goal is to help knock down some Jesus myths, our ideas about Jesus that are either incomplete or totally false." In a review for The Gospel Coalition, Justin Dillehay concludes Darling succeeded in his mission, saying he "peels back the husk of cultural myths and gives us the historical, biblical kernel -- a Jesus who is both God and man, transcendently above and immanently (Immanuel-ly) with us, and a Jesus who is different than we would have chosen, but better than we could ever have imagined." Darling addresses 10 myths in the same number of chapters in the book, which will be released Tuesday (Sept. 1). The chapter titles -- and myths -- include "Red-letter Jesus," "Braveheart Jesus," "American Jesus," "Dr. Phil Jesus," "Prosperity Jesus" and "BFF Jesus." Two of these, Darling said, are particularly prevalent and worrisome in American culture: "Red-letter Jesus" and "BFF Jesus." "I understand the sentiment of wanting to follow Jesus in the way of compassion and relief and peace," he told BP regarding the "red-letter" emphasis practiced by some Christians. "But we do damage to the revelation of Scripture and of the presentation of Christ from Genesis to Revelation if we accept a hermeneutic that says only the words quoted by Jesus in the gospels are Scripture that matters." The BFF version of Jesus produces a casualness about the Son of God that can imperil people, Darling said. In the book, he writes, "Our homogenized evangelicalism can at times make weekly worship more like a divinely inspired TED talk than an act of worship, offering a Jesus who desperately wants to be your BFF but is totally chill if you're, like, not that into him." Darling told BP, "When we reduce Christ down to a jogging buddy or a sidekick, we lose the powerful deity who has come to save us, rescue us and bring us home. We need to recover a sense of the transcendence and holiness of God." Holding onto a mythical Jesus who is a mascot for a favorite cause may mean the American church will be "in for a rude awakening over the next several decades," he writes in the chapter on "American Jesus." "I don't want to sound alarmist," Darling says in the book, "but the coming years will force us to make difficult choices. The unbroken social contract between the church and the culture, rare in human history, is fraying, and I'm afraid we're not ready for what comes next. We will have to choose between cultural acceptance and the way of Jesus." He told BP, "If we've followed a Jesus who is so well-liked by the world that there is no difference between the Christian and the culture, then we've followed the wrong Jesus." The most significant action Christians can take to avoid following a mythical version of Jesus is "to surrender our assumptions about Jesus to the revelation of Scripture," Darling told BP. "Let Scripture, not our emotions, not our feelings, not our preferences, form our view of Christ." The solution involves a corporate aspect as well, he said. "[I]t's important to be deeply involved in a local, Bible-believing church and embedded in community. One thing we've lost in America that we need to recover is the sense of growing in Christ in community." Pastors, meanwhile, have the responsibility "to get out of the way and let the Word of Christ dwell in people with richness and power," Darling writes in his book, commending expository preaching. "This stewardship is why we must lay aside our opinions and proclaim God's Word." The Original Jesus, published by Baker Books, will be available at Lifeway Christian Stores, among other booksellers, and Amazon. -------------------------------------------------------------------- KATRINA 2005-15: Storm lifted hearts toward God by Marilyn Stewart/Louisiana Baptist Message Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is from an Aug. 27 Baptist Message anniversary edition marking the 10-year point since Hurricane Katrina's landfall on Aug. 29, 2005. NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Raw emotions bubbled to the surface as people struggled with the losses brought about by Hurricane Katrina. As Southern Baptists faithfully offered care to those suffering from the storm, hearts warmed to the Gospel. The power of relationship When the local news warned that those remaining behind must write their Social Security numbers on their arms so bodies could be identified after the hurricane, Kelli and George Esler knew it was time to leave. The Eslers went to Grenada, Miss., where a couple who had befriended them the previous year, John and Candy Saxon, found them a place to stay. John was a New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary student. Candy and Kelli taught school in Chalmette, a New Orleans suburb. With news of the Chalmette's devastation, Kelli realized her perfect life was over. "Living on the floor of some lady's house, in a city I'd never heard of, in a state I'd never visited, that was the breaking point," Kelli said. "I knew how out of control all of this was." Kelli saw how far they had fallen when her husband, a computer programmer, took a job sweeping the floor of a sawmill. But as George worked alongside John at the mill, he came to faith in Christ. The following Sunday, Kelli bowed her head and prayed, "I don't know what this means, but I know I have no other option but to follow You." Afterward, Kelli said, the world appeared more in focus. "The color was so much clearer to me," she said. The couple's journey to faith had started long before Katrina through their friendship with John and Candy. Kelli said they had faithfully shown her Jesus, though she didn't realize it at the time. "I recognized that there was something about them that was attractive, something that we wanted," Kelli said. "Something I wanted." As the two couples spent time together, John brought up faith, salvation and the Bible. Through their relationship, the hurdles that kept her and George from the Lord were cleared away one by one, Kelli said. Today, the couple is active at Westwego Baptist Church where Kelli is assistant to pastor Jay Adkins. Looking back, Kelli said she knows God was at work every step along the way. "It is the power of relationship," Kelli said. "They invested in us and got down to where we were and brought us to where they were." Turning point Jason Bezou decided God didn't exist by the time he was 13 years old. As a mathematical, solutions-oriented person, Jason thought Christians "sounded crazy" when they talked about the Holy Spirit. The day before Hurricane Katrina set its sights on Louisiana, Jason sat in a restaurant with Sara Blackwell, the woman who would later become his wife. When the conversation turned to their pasts, Jason said they drew a line and decided the past was over, never to be brought up again -- a line that became a lesson in forgiveness for Jason. "That's what Jesus does," Sara said. Sara was a nurse at a Denhem Springs nursing home in the Baton Rouge area and aided patients and evacuees the next day with Jason at her side. Though he had come to help others, he soon realized his own family was in danger. His grandmother had not left New Orleans, and his father remained in Waveland, Miss., ground zero for the storm's landfall along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. When all efforts to find Jason's family members failed, Sara suggested they pray. Though he scoffed at first, Jason decided to give God a chance. "Just for this moment, I'm going to believe," Jason said. As he prayed, everything he and Sara had discussed about God came together. The comfort and reassurance he received from the Holy Spirit became the turning point that sealed his commitment to Christ. "In all of the moments leading up to the storm and in the aftermath, there was one thing that was certain. Jesus was with me," Jason said. "I didn't know He was there all the time, but I'm glad He waited for the right moment to reveal Himself." Active at First Baptist Church in New Orleans, Jason shares his testimony and the story of the rescue of his family members in his book, "Saved: One man's salvation through Hurricane Katrina," and through speaking engagements and his nonprofit media producer, www.savedproducer.org. Part of the family Depression had been a part of Kathi King's life for some time, but after losing her home in Hurricane Katrina, life became even more difficult. "Things started to fall apart," Kathi said. "I went through the worst depression of my life. I didn't want to live." Kathi said she and her husband "washed ashore in California" after the storm, returning to New Orleans eight months later. For four years, the couple lived in an RV as they rebuilt their home next to the London Avenue canal, not far from where the levee broke. As the strain of rebuilding took its toll, Kathi felt compelled to walk into the service one Sunday at Edgewater Baptist Church, where she had never visited. A church member who recognized the look of someone struggling with depression suggested to another member that Kathi needed a hug. That day, a bond formed, Kathi said. "The church just took me in. They were God's people taking care of me," Kathi said. Cole Gilbert, wife of pastor Chad Gilbert, took long walks with Kathi through their neighborhood, talking about God and faith. "She discipled me," Kathi said. Soon, Kathi began to realize that God had led her into the church that day for a reason. "Before, I was kind of an agnostic," Kathi said. "But not anymore." Kathi prays for her husband's salvation and prays that God will use her to reach others. When she looks at the difference in her life since the storm, Kathi added, "Being part of God's family is the best thing that ever happened to me." 'Happiness more than anything' Richard Scesny grew up in church but left it all behind when he joined the U.S. Navy as a young man. For decades, he lived "as far from God as you can imagine," Richard said. As Hurricane Katrina barreled toward New Orleans, Richard, then 67, gathered up his mother, sister and a nephew, the nephew's wife and their two young children. With the cash savings he had at his house, Richard braved evacuation traffic, checking his family into a hotel 18 hours later in Beaumont, Texas. As news reports over the next few days showed the deteriorating situation in New Orleans, Richard grew anxious. Fearful for his children, he prayed one evening, "Lord, we need some help." The following morning, the family went to a restaurant for breakfast but drove off when they saw the line formed to the street. As they parked at a second restaurant, a woman pulled up behind them and asked if they were from New Orleans. Beth Smith, wife of Robert Smith, pastor of Pinewood Baptist Church some 15 miles away, told Richard and his family that their church wanted to "adopt" a family from New Orleans. Church members helped the Scesny family settle into a temporary home as they waited to return home to Marrero, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. At Pinewood's prayer meeting days later, Richard knelt and committed his life to the Lord. "I was all choked up and bawling like a baby," Richard said. "It was happiness more than anything else." While in Pinewood, Hurricane Rita forced Richard and his family to evacuate once again. This time, Robert and Beth Smith took the Scesny family with them and headed north. Subsequently returning to Pinewood, Richard and his family found that the house they had stayed in had been spared the damage others had suffered. Back home in Marrero weeks later, Richard sought out a Southern Baptist church. He passed Ames Boulevard Baptist Church and stopped, later telling his mother, "I've found the church for us." Baptized at Ames Boulevard three months after the storm, Richard remains a faithful member. -------------------------------------------------------------------- N.C. pastor dies while cleaning gun by Dianna L. Cagle Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include funeral arrangements. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) -- A prominent Southern Baptist pastor in North Carolina died Aug. 29 in an accidental shooting in his home, according to news reports. Phillip M. Davis, founder and senior pastor of Nations Ford Community Church in Charlotte, reportedly was cleaning his pistol at the time of the incident in Weddington, N.C. The pistol fired, hitting his chest, the Charlotte Observer reported. In the story, the Union County sheriff's office said there were no signs of foul play. Milton A. Hollifield Jr., Baptist State Convention of North Carolina executive director-treasurer, described Davis as "a friend and a man blessed with great vision and strong determination." "Not only was he a popular and respected pastor in North Carolina," Hollifield noted, "but he and Cynthia [his wife] are loved and respected by many people across the Southern Baptist Convention." Nations Ford was in the midst of a founder's celebration. Special services Aug. 26-28 were to be followed by two different speakers Sunday, Aug. 30. The church was celebrating 36 years of ministry under Davis' leadership. Davis and his wife were celebrating 42 years together, and Davis would have turned 63 Sunday. "Today is a very sad day for us here at Nations Ford Community Church," church spokeswoman Jacinda Garabito told the Charlotte Observer. "It's a shock to us. This morning was supposed to be a huge day of celebration for us." The church's usual live Sunday broadcast was suspended. Members were invited to grieve and pray, and the messages that had been scheduled were cancelled. A statement from the church said "Bishop Davis was a prolific, focused man of vision as well as an effective leader who served God selflessly and touched countless lives. His teachings were profound and transformative. His passion was to help people reach their fullest potential in Christ and to 'Occupy Their Destiny.'" Davis served the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina as first vice president in 1996-97. He planted several churches throughout the United States. He founded the Male Leadership Academy of Charlotte and Envision Life School of Leadership and Ministry. He had a business degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and received his master of ministry and doctor of divinity degrees from the Carolina School of Theology. Davis wrote "The Vision Casting Congregation" and "Father Force." His book, "The Untapped Power of a Man," was scheduled for release soon. He also was on the board for North Carolina Division of Social Services. Davis's radio broadcast, "Envision Life," has aired for many years on WordNet Radio. "Through his wisdom from God and unique gift of leadership, he was most instrumental in leading … Nations Ford … to become a strong and influential church that greatly impacted numerous communities in Charlotte and beyond," Hollifield said. "I always respected Brother Phil and admired how he led his parishioners to give God their best efforts and always in everything pursue excellence. We will miss his influence in the Christian movement and his magnetic personality, but the investment of his life in others, for God's glory, will never be forgotten." Nations Ford was part of the Metrolina Baptist Association, where Bob Lowman serves as the executive director. Lowman posted on the association's Facebook page about Davis' death and sent an email out to remind people how "temporary life can be, and how true it is for the Christ-follower that this world is not our home." In a statement to the Biblical Recorder, Lowman said, "He was an active part of Metrolina Baptist Association for many years, from serving on the staff of the association years ago, to being a leader in missions and church planting, to being a significant and respected voice in the African-American community in our region." Lowman said Davis' leadership will be missed. "Phillip was a partner and a friend to me and to many pastors," Lowman said. "He and his leadership will most definitely be missed. Our prayers are focused on lifting his wife, Cynthia, their children and grandchildren, and the Nations Ford Church family to the Lord for grace and peace during this time of loss and grief." A 2012 Biblical Recorder story about the election of Fred Luter as Southern Baptist Convention president, quoted Davis, who took a contingent of messengers to that historic meeting. "I hope … whether you are African-American, whether you're Anglo, Hispanic, whatever the case may be, people will see that leadership is leadership, and Fred Luter is a good leader," he said. Davis described Luter as having "tremendous zeal for winning souls, starting churches and preaching the Gospel and reaching people," he said. "The bedrock of evangelism runs through his blood, and that's critical in this day and time." Lowman said Davis has made a difference in Charlotte. "His work in recent months in the Reconciled Church Summit effort, bringing churches together across racial and denominational divides for times of discussion, networking and prayer, was a very important part of the healing needed in the Charlotte area in these times," Lowman said. In addition to his wife, Davis is survived by three children and three grandchildren. The church held a vigil Aug. 31 and plans to host prayer services today (Sept. 1) from noon until 3 p.m. and Sept. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. A public visitation is scheduled at the church Sept. 4 from 4 - 6:30 p.m., followed immediately by a memorial service ending at 8 p.m. The funeral service will be held Sept. 5 at 11 a.m. at Calvary Church, 5801 Pineville – Matthews Rd. in Charlotte, preceded by visitation at 10 a.m. Memorial gifts may be made to the Male Leadership Academy of Charlotte, 5901 Nations Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28217. -------------------------------------------------------------------- KATRINA 2005-15: 'All we had was the spirit of God' by Dennis Watson Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: Dennis Watson is pastor of Celebration Church in New Orleans. NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- On the weekend before Hurricane Katrina, we had 2,051 people in worship at Celebration Church. God was blessing our ministry, and we were growing significantly. Then Hurricane Katrina came to New Orleans. Both of our campuses were inundated by the waters of Hurricane Katrina. Our largest campus on Airline Drive was hit with a seven-foot wave of water. It was under water for two and a half weeks. We lost everything at that campus. Our smaller campus on Transcontinental Drive that we had just procured also was flooded. Fortunately it was flooded by the rainwater of Katrina -- the fresh water, not the salt -- in the sewage canal that flooded our Airline campus. We were able to get in quickly and gut out the latter facility with the aid of volunteers from around the nation and resume services one month after Katrina. The day that Katrina hit, I was in Lafayette, La. I had said I would never evacuate for a hurricane, but my daughter and son-in-law came to me with my two little grandsons and said, "We're not leaving if you don't leave." I couldn't imagine those two little boys having to swim out. One was just a tiny baby, and I couldn't risk them. So we all evacuated. I saw the satellite images of the storm, saw the pictures of the broken levees where water was pouring into the city. I watched in horror as the city was devastated. I also saw a picture of our Airline campus under water. That night I went to bed more depressed, more discouraged than I've ever been. I remembered the shock of seeing a city devastated and depopulated before our very eyes and the helplessness I had felt watching as it happened. I've had a lot of tragedy in my life. My father died at an early age, my brother-in-law was killed. ... I know what it means to grieve, but that night I felt lower than I had ever felt because it seemed like everything I prayed for, dreamed for, hoped for, worked for was gone in one day. The next morning, my cell phone wasn't working because the cell phone towers were down. I had no way to see if others were safe, and they couldn't see if I was safe. I did not know what had happened to my staff or the people of Celebration. But at 6:33 that morning, my cell phone miraculously rang. It was a pastor from South Africa whom I had been scheduled to visit in a few days. … Hundreds of people were trying to reach me, but this pastor from all the way around the world in Johannesburg was the only one who was able to get in touch with me that morning. It was more than incredible. It was miraculous. These were his words to me: "Dennis, my son, I know that you are devastated, but rise up, man of God, for what you perceive to be your day of devastation is actually the destiny that God has called you to. I've been on my knees and my face these eight or nine hours praying for you, your family, your church and your city, and the Lord has revealed to me that while this is indeed a great tragedy, out of this tragedy will come the greatest opportunity your nation has ever had to see a major city experience spiritual transformation. Rise up, man of God!" No other calls got through to me that morning. For me, that call was the voice of the Lord speaking to me, and it helped me out of my depression. That is when I knew that God had spoken to me and that I had to return to New Orleans and help people find help, hope and healing through Christ. That is when I knew that no matter how hard it was to see the devastated and depopulated city, God was doing something much greater than Celebration Church. He was giving us the opportunity to see a city transformed by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We did not know how many people would show up at that first service after Katrina. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, we were a multiracial and multicultural church with 35 different nations represented in our congregation. We were about 30 percent African-American. Almost all of our African-Americans and internationals lost their homes, as well as our St. Bernard Parish people. We permanently lost nearly 65 percent of our pre-Katrina attendees because they had lost their homes and everything. We started back with 25 percent of our pre-Katrina attendance, 550 people. In fact, on that first Sunday as we worshipped together at this new location that God had provided for us two weeks before Katrina, we had no carpet, we had no pews, we had no inner walls. All we had was the Spirit of God and one another. When I stood to preach that day, our people stood and cheered for five minutes. Understand, they were not cheering for me, they were cheering for the Lord. Many of them had lost everything, and they were cheering the Lord. Up to that moment, I had wondered if we would survive as a church. Well, at that moment I knew we would survive because our people's faith in God was bigger than their fear of the circumstances. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CT cover highlights ERLC's Moore by David Roach Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- Russell Moore's five meetings with President Obama and a personal objection to displaying the Confederate battle flag that predates Moore's public stance on the issue are among the highlights of a Christianity Today cover article profiling the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission president. "Moore may be a fitting figurehead for evangelical public policy leading up to November 2016, during which, absent an evangelical pope, media will look to him to speak for the movement," wrote editor at large Sarah Pulliam Bailey in the September issue of CT. All five of Moore's meetings with Obama have concerned immigration, according to CT, which noted Moore's public disagreement with the president regarding abortion and same-sex marriage. With both the White House and Congress, Moore "shifts between prophetic dissent and hearty support, depending on the issue," CT reported. During one of the regular conference calls Moore hosts with Southern Baptist pastors, a participant asked him how to criticize Obama "in a way that is Christian," according to CT. Moore responded, "Make sure you are publicly praying for the president and honoring him in situations where you're not criticizing him. Some of the ways I've heard people pray for the president have been things like, 'Lord, we pray you turn his wicked heart.'" By avoiding passive-aggressive prayers, Moore said pastors can "signal you really do want the president to succeed but you're disappointed with what he's doing." Moore's opposition to displaying the Confederate battle flag dates back at least to an occasion when he was preparing to host African-American friends in his home and noted the Confederate battle emblem on a Mississippi flag he had pinned to a bulletin board. "He noticed the Confederate cross in the corner of the flag -- and couldn't imagine trying to explain why he had the flag hanging in his home," CT reported. "As Moore unpinned the flag from the wall, it fell apart in his hands." Moore remembered that experience when he spoke against displaying the Confederate battle emblem following the fatal shooting of nine black churchgoers at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., this summer, according to CT. Regarding the Southern Baptist Convention, Moore said, "If in 10 years Fred Luter is the only person of color" to have served as SBC president, "that will not be progress." Among other highlights of the CT cover article: -- After being "raised by a Catholic mother and a Baptist father in a working-class neighborhood in Biloxi, Mississippi," Moore went on to become an aide to U.S. Congressman Gene Taylor, a Catholic pro-life Democrat from Mississippi, CT reported, noting Moore has since switched to the Republican Party. Taylor, Moore wrote in 2006, is "the greatest public servant I've ever known." -- Moore's adoption advocacy, including his 2009 book "Adopted for Life," "has given him a broadly evangelical platform that combines theological, cultural, and political engagement," according to CT. Moore and his wife Maria adopted two boys from Russia before having three biological sons. -- Labelling Moore a "big-tent Calvinist," CT said he embraces four of the traditional five points of Calvinistic soteriology. "He's not on board with Limited Atonement," CT notes, a reference to Moore's rejection of the idea that Christ's death atoned for the sins of the elect only. -- "Country music and hip-hop are the only two popular music forms in America that have a more holistic view of a person and deal with sin," Moore said. "Both of these forms of music at their best tend to be more honest." Moore "occasionally meets with hip-hop artists like Lecrae," CT noted, "though he retains deep affinity for his Mississippi church that sang Fanny Crosby revivalist songs." Moore "may be uniquely equipped" to reach both Millennials and Baby Boomers, according to CT. -- The article notes Moore's willingness to embrace "the cultural margins" and countercultural aspects of Christianity. "The end of the Gospel," he said, "is not a Christian America." While "America is important," Moore said "the end goal of the Gospel is redeemed from every tribe and tongue and nation and language. ... We belong to another Kingdom." -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: What now for the IMB & the SBC? by Ronnie Floyd Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: Ronnie Floyd is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor of Cross Church in northwestern Arkansas. SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) -- I feel I should address the financial situation of the International Mission Board, released last week to the Southern Baptist Convention. I know there are many questions and concerns that Southern Baptists have about these matters. When I first became aware, I had several questions myself. A reminder I want to remind all of us of two things. First, the Board of Trustees has the responsibility of overseeing the fiscal responsibility of the International Mission Board. Annually, the Southern Baptist Convention approves the board of trustees of each of our entities. Secondly, Dr. David Platt, our new president of the International Mission Board, has been in this job less than one year. Each of us knows of his commitment to reaching the nations. I am very thankful that he and his team are taking the necessary steps to operate within the financial means given by our churches and people annually. I believe it is the right thing to do. Where do we go from here? Now that this situation has been made known to our Southern Baptist Convention, what do we do now? I want to appeal to each of us to consider these things seriously. 1. Trust our proven trustee system The trustees of our International Mission Board will lead through this time and provide a future long-term financial strategy. Under God's leadership, the trustees called Dr. Platt to provide leadership to Southern Baptists with mobilizing our churches to reaching the world for Christ. Therefore, our proven trustee system is at work, and we need to trust they will lead through this hour. 2. Rally together to reach the world Unquestionably, reaching the world for Christ is what rallies us together. It is our missional vision of presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and making disciples of all the nations that has kept us together through the years. This commitment has not changed, nor has our passion decreased. It is this very missional vision that has moved Dr. Platt and the Board of Trustees to take the action they have taken. 3. Reset does not mean regress The financial "reset," as described by the IMB, means to set again, while regress means to move backward. I can assure you, this moment of resetting is only about one thing: Getting into a financial posture to launch into a greater commitment than ever before to reach the world for Christ. There is no intention or desire to go backward in fulfilling our missional vision. If you know anything about Dr. Platt or know him personally, I'm sure you realize he is consumed with the Gospel and reaching the nations. Resetting matters today will only provide support to re-launch into a wiser and more intentional way to reach the world. 4. Evaluate where our churches are financially I am so thankful for every gift our churches make through the Cooperative Program and our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. Many have been leading the way for years, and others are stepping up in this season of our convention. But each of our churches can again evaluate where we are in our missions giving through the Cooperative Program. This serves as our financial base for the International Mission Board. With the monies the Southern Baptist Convention receives, over one-half of those funds go to the International Mission Board. Our church recently re-evaluated again financially. We have chosen to give more monies through our Cooperative Program, and I want to encourage you and your church to do the same. The 90-year history of the Cooperative Program is proven, not just statewide, but across the nation and the world. I want to appeal to each pastor, church leader and finance committee member to please reevaluate your commitment of giving through the Cooperative Program. Regardless of your church's size, this is a tremendous way to advance the Gospel to America and the world. 5. Pray more than ever before Regardless of our thoughts or feelings about the International Mission Board's budget announcement, now is the time to go to the Lord in prayer about it more than ever before. We are a people who believe in our powerful and providing God, and no one is more committed to reaching the nations than the Lord Himself. When His people fasten their eyes to joining Him in this eternal task, God will move powerfully and provide generously. He always has and will do so again. -------------------------------------------------------------------- BP Ledger, Aug. 31, 2015 by BP Staff Compilation Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: BP Ledger carries items for reader information each week from various Southern Baptist-related entities, and news releases of interest from other sources. The items are published as received. Today's BP Ledger contains items from: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Southern Baptist Theological Seminary National Organization for Marriage Chuck Colson Center Australia team works with local church to evangelize Brisbane by Katie Coleman BRISBANE, Australia (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) -- Southwestern students and faculty partnered with City Tabernacle Baptist Church in Brisbane, Australia, July 7-23, to engage the city with the Gospel. Located in Brisbane's inner city, the church is just a few blocks away from one of the city's most popular shopping districts. The church's proximity to such cultural attractions positions it to reach thousands of people from all ethnic and religious backgrounds. The Southwestern team engaged in more than 130 Gospel conversations and saw four people profess faith in Christ. One such experience took place when Bachelor of Science student Daniel Brown saw a young man, Camilo, sitting alone at the Queen Street Mall, the main shopping area in the popular Brisbane Central Business District. Brown passed him twice without thinking much of him, but he later sensed the Holy Spirit prompting him to talk to Camilo. At first unsure of what to say, Brown approached him and simply asked, "Do you know of a good place to get breakfast around here?" Although a seemingly ordinary question, their conversation quickly progressed into a discussion about religion. After presenting the Gospel, Brown asked Camilo if he wanted to give his life to Christ, to which Camilo replied, "Of course!" After ensuring that Camilo understood the Gospel and the implications of following Christ, Brown walked him through a prayer of salvation. Throughout the trip, the Southwestern team was also involved with various ministries of City Tabernacle. One such ministry, called "Tab Tots," provides an opportunity every Wednesday morning for mothers of young children to gather and fellowship with other mothers. Welcoming more than 100 women each week, the ministry has increased in popularity as international families have moved to the city and are now looking for ways to meet people. In addition to assisting with childcare, the Southwestern team was able to talk with the mothers and share the Gospel with them. After numerous conversations, two mothers who had already been connected with the church's ministry for several weeks prayed to receive Christ. "It was great to see that a majority of the professions of faith during our trip came from people who had already been touched by City Tabernacle," Doctor of Philosophy student Brandon Kiesling says. "One of the hardest things to do is follow-up. It's great to know that the church will be able to follow up with these women because they have already connected with them several times." The team also hosted two conferences for church members, including one focused on evangelism. After the conference and after church members joined Southwestern students in the afternoons for evangelism, many were encouraged to learn that evangelism is not as intimidating as they once believed. Kiesling, who led the evangelism seminar, says that many people approached him afterward to tell him they never realized how easy it is to evangelize. "I think a lot of people think evangelism is difficult because of the many misconceptions we have," Kiesling says. "If we can work through those misconceptions, we can realize it is not that difficult a task. It was encouraging to see these church members get excited about that." ********** First-ever Boyce College soccer team fuses sports with passion for missions By Robert Chapman LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) — The Boyce College Bulldogs soccer team will kick off its inaugural season in September. In recent weeks, the program hired an experienced head coach, finalized its roster of players and secured a location in downtown Louisville for its home games. But the work to start the program began more than a year ago with the persistence of three students who had a vision for playing soccer to glorify of God and share the Gospel with others. “I wanted to start a team because playing at Boyce College is the best way to utilize a sport that you love to glorify a God that you love,” said sophomore Nicholas Kampouris, a business administration major from Stoughton, Mass. “Growing up I viewed soccer as a way to glorify myself, so having an opportunity to approach soccer in a way that is not self-glorifying is why I wanted to play here.” Kampouris said he sensed the desire to start the program as a means for ministry early in his freshman year. He said word spread around campus after he opened a Facebook page for Boyce soccer and eventually the administration of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary approved the program, which will compete in the NCCAA Division II Mideast Region. In 2006, Boyce formed a basketball team which also competes in the NCCAA. Boyce is the undergraduate school of Sotuhern Seminary. Sophomore teammates Luiz Moreira of Campo Grande, Brazil, and Samuel Johnson of Buchanan, Mich., helped Kampouris form the vision for the program and share his desire to glorify God through Great Commision faithfulness as their ultimate goal. Moreira, a global studies major, said the worldwide appeal of soccer is an avenue for international missions. “I want to use soccer in missions because it is the most known sport in the world,” Moreira said. “In any country you go into, we might not even have a language that we can communicate with, but soccer is a language in itself. It can break barriers and infiltrate societies for missions.” Dennis Brooks, who has more than 10 years of coaching experience and recently founded the soccer program at Louisville’s Christian Education Consortium, assumed head coaching duties in July. Brooks said he became interested in the Boyce post because of his dual interests in coaching soccer and teaching young men. “I am very passionate about pouring into guys and talking to them about becoming godly men, and soccer presents the opportunity to teach a lot of life lessons through the game,” Brooks said. “So the two things are perfectly aligned in this setting, to have that passion of pouring into guys in a godly environment with the game that I love.” Brooks said he believes athletics teams perfectly align with Boyce College’s mission to train future Christian leaders and advance the Gospel. “God gives us all different abilities and talents, and some of those are abilities and talents in the world of sports. In America it is a sports crazy culture, so if we can use soccer as a vehicle to reach the culture then I am all for that,” Brooks said. “What better way to try and reach the culture than with something they are crazy about, but we do it from a godly perspective with the idea that it is a mission trip every time we go out on the soccer field.” Brooks said the team has already fused together its love for soccer and passion for missions. During the team’s Aug. 17 morning practice at Louisville’s Seneca Park, Brooks said a young man playing soccer alone asked if he could practice with the team. “He did not know who we were, but he spent an hour and a half with us. And at the end of practice I heard one of our players sharing the Gospel with him,” Brooks said. “I do not know what the result of that will be, but that is what this is all about. And if all we accomplish this season is that young man, then the season was a success before we even play our first game.” Boyce will open its season Sept. 4 against Warren Wilson College and host its first home game Sept. 12 at Champions Park in downtown Louisville. For more information on the Bulldogs soccer team, visit boycebulldogs.com. ********** NOM identifies marriage champions in Republican presidential field By Paul Bothwell WASHINGTON (Christian Newswire) -- The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) recently identified four Republican presidential candidates they have dubbed "Marriage Champions" for having pledged to the American people that they will take several specific actions as president to restore marriage to the law and protect people of faith from discrimination because of their support for traditional marriage. NOM said that Sen. Ted, Cruz, Sen. Rick Santorum, Gov. Bobby Jindal and Dr. Ben Carson have emerged as the top candidates for marriage supporters. "Electing a president in 2016 who is a true champion on marriage is a critical priority, something that is essential if we are to overturn the outrageous, illegitimate decision of the US Supreme Court imposing same-sex 'marriage' on every state in the nation," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "While many of the GOP candidates talk the talk about supporting marriage, these four candidates have distinguished themselves as true champions, having pledged to the American people to take very specific actions to advance the cause of marriage. NOM is committed to educating people about the importance of electing a true marriage champion as President of the United States." NOM's presidential pledge that has been signed by candidates Cruz, Santorum, Jindal and Carson makes several specific commitments to preserve marriage and restore a thriving marriage culture, including: 1. Support a federal constitutional amendment that protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman. 2. Work to overturn the US Supreme Court's Obergefell decision that illegitimately imposed same-sex 'marriage' on every state in the nation, including nominating to the U.S. Supreme Court and federal bench judges who are committed to restraint and applying the original meaning of the Constitution, and appointing an attorney general similarly committed. 3. Conduct a review of actions taken by the Obama Administration that have undermined marriage and work to restore our policies to be consistent with the proper understanding of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Consistent with this, prevent the promotion of a redefined version of marriage in public schools and other government entities. 4. Support the First Amendment Defense Act and other legislation that recognizes the right of organizations and individuals to act in the public square consistent with their belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman without fear of retaliation from the government. 5. Direct the Department of Justice to investigate, document and publicize cases of Americans who have been harassed or threatened for exercising key civil rights to organize, to speak, to donate or to vote for marriage and to propose new protections, if needed. "NOM has invited every candidate for president to sign our pledge, and we encourage those who have not yet signed to do so as soon as possible," Brown said. "We will not support a candidate for president who has not pledged to the American people to take specific actions in support of restoring marriage to our law and protecting people from government discrimination over their beliefs that marriage is the union of one man and one woman." Brown said that several candidates have issued strong statements in support of marriage but have decided not to sign any pledges as a candidate. Governor Mike Huckabee covered marriage in his own pledge to the American people and Gov. Scott Walker has promised to support a constitutional amendment restoring true marriage. "It's unfortunate that some candidates have adopted a blanket position against signing pledges because it puts them at a tremendous disadvantage in seeking our support when there are strong candidates who have pledged to us and our supporters to take very specific and important actions as president. We are far past the point where we will simply rely on generalities and broad statements from a candidate; we need to know with specificity what actions they will take as president. As President Reagan once said, we must 'trust, but verify.' Accordingly, we urge these candidates to reassess their stance and sign NOM's pledge," Brown said. ********** John Stonestreet to lead Chuck Colson worldview center By David Carlson LANSDOWNE, Va. (Chuck Colson Center) -- John Stonestreet has been appointed president of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. A gifted communicator on areas of faith and culture, published author, and a popular conference speaker, Stonestreet is the anchor for "The Point" and "BreakPoint This Week" radio broadcasts. Since the death of Chuck Colson in 2012, Stonestreet has served as co-host with Eric Metaxas on Colson's daily radio program, "BreakPoint." Regarding his appointment, Stonestreet said, "Working with Chuck Colson was one of the greatest honors of my life. I believe deeply in his vision of Christianity as the fundamental truth about reality and the task of Christians to be the restorers of culture." Colson invited Stonestreet to join the Colson Center staff in 2010, specifically with an eye to reach a new generation of Christians. "It's a tough, confusing world for Christian young people," Colson said on a "BreakPoint" broadcast. "The problem's compounded by the fact that we older Christians aren't particularly adept at communicating our faith and worldview to younger Christians." Colson then announced how pleased he was "that we've added one of the truly fine, leading, young worldview thinkers and teachers to the 'BreakPoint' fold." Stonestreet is the co-author of three books -- the latest being "Restoring All Things" (with Warren Cole Smith). He remains a featured faculty member of Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs, Colorado, and has engaged deeply in collegiate life, lecturing frequently on college campuses and formerly serving on the teaching faculty of two Christian colleges. Best-selling author and radio host Eric Metaxas praised Stonestreet's appointment: "After working with John and co-hosting 'BreakPoint' for the past three and a half years, I have no doubt that John is God's choice to take the Colson Center forward. I congratulate the board on this important decision and rejoice to think what lies ahead for the Colson Center under John's leadership." The Colson Center also announced the appointment of Steve Verleye as executive director. Verleye spent nearly 35 years in the technology industry with roles including chief administrative officer of Coinstar/Redbox and CEO of Applied Microsystems. A graduate of the Colson Center's Centurion Program, Verleye also serves as chairman of the board for Pioneer Human Services, a nonprofit that helps former prisoners with housing, treatment and job skills training. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 'War Room' 1st at box office opening night by Diana Chandler Date: August 31, 2015 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- The Kendrick Brothers' "War Room" opened in first place in box office sales on the single night of Aug. 28, but finished second to "Straight Outta Compton" over the entire opening weekend ending Aug. 30, Box Office Mojo reported. War Room, promoting the power of a disciplined prayer life, grossed $4.045 million on Aug. 28, averaging $3,564 on each of 1,135 screens. Straight Outta Compton, an R-rated movie about the American hip-hop "gangsta rap" group N.W.A., took in $3.85 million that same night, averaging $1,225 on 3,142 screens. While Straight Outta Compton took first place for full weekend sales with $13.2 million and maintained the top spot it debuted in three weekends ago, War Room did better than industry insiders predicted by grossing $11 million. War Room's per-screen average for the weekend was described as "robust" at $9,692. "Sony's faith-based film from their Affirm division flew so far under the radar that it didn't even get a Cinemascore," Box Office Mojo reported. "But it nearly stole Compton's title and, at the same time, became the biggest hit for the Kendrick brothers, director Alex Kendrick and his writer/producer brother, Stephen. Their modestly-budgeted flicks have a great return on investment." The movie is the Kendrick brothers' first project independent of Sherwood Pictures, the filmmaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga., where both brothers are associate pastors. It is also their first offering since the successful "Courageous," which grossed $34.5 million at the box office four years ago and sold 5 million DVDs. War Room stars noted Bible teachers Priscilla Shirer in a lead role and Beth Moore in the supporting cast. Shirer is cast as a young wife and mother who heeds the advice of an older, wiser woman to establish a room in her home for prayer -- a war room -- and to pray earnestly for her husband, marriage, child and home. While Southern Baptists and other faith leaders promoted War Room as a must see, TV Guide said the film's success was contrary to the forecast of secular critics. "Despite receiving nearly universal bad reviews from critics," TV Guide reported, "the faith-based film War Room emerged as a formidable force at the box office this weekend and almost knocked Straight Outta Compton out of first place." Southern Baptists recommending the film include Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church of northwest Arkansas; SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page; LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer, and Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research. The Southern Baptist North American Mission Board has linked its Evangelism Resource Center (ERC) prayer line to the War Room website, offering prayer at 888-537-8720, and through the FindItHere.com online chat. The ERC offers personalized prayer 24 hours a day, 365 days a year all over the U.S., offering callers the life-changing hope found only in Jesus, and pointing them to local churches for discipleship, according to the website. The film is accompanied by several resources from B&H Publishing Group and LifeWay including a book by the Kendrick brothers titled "The Battle Plan for Prayer," and a book titled "Fervent" by Shirer, a New York Times best-selling author. Resources include two children's books written by the Kendricks, "Prayer Works: Prayer Training and Strategy for Kids" and "Peter's Perfect Prayer Place." A "War Room Bible Study" and Church Campaign Kit include a 5-week small group study, sermon outlines and promotional items.