The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-11/16/2015 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Newbell: Fight fear with faith in God by Tom Strode Date: November 16, 2015 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- If Trillia Newbell were limited to sharing one truth to help a Christian woman overcome fear, she says it would be the Gospel of Jesus. "If God, the holy one, would sacrifice His Son for you, surely he'd help you in this situation too," Newbell would tell a fearful believer, she told Baptist Press in an email interview. "If God is for you, who can be against you? The Gospel enables us to worship, trust and rest in our sovereign and good God." Newbell shares much more, however, in "Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves," her latest publication from Moody Publishers. The book, released in April, followed the 2014 publication of her book on ethnic diversity in the church. Her latest book grew out of Newbell's focus in ministry, as well as her personal experience. Not only does she have "a heart and desire to serve and care for women," she told BP, but fear "is a struggle that I fought for most of my life." In Fear and Faith, Newbell -- director of community outreach for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission -- addresses various fears and how fearing and trusting God addresses them. In the first seven of the book's 11 chapters, her topics include fear of the future, of other women, of not measuring up and of physical appearance. For women, Newbell is unsure if there is any greater fear "than the fear of what's to come (or what won't come)," she writes in her book. "You and I have to fight to remember the faithfulness of our Father when we are faced with great fears of the future," she tells women in the book. "Ask yourself, how has God been faithful?" The belief she knows "what is best for my family and me" is a reason she tends to fear the future, Newbell says in the book. "I am convinced that I would do what is best, and therefore I want to take control. During these times, I do not trust that the Lord knows best, and I do not trust that He is operating as my Father. "All fear has an element of unbelief, but the fear of what will happen in one's future seems especially derived from a lack of faith." she writes. "Since God is real and powerful and good, why wouldn't I rest in the unknown? It's because, during those moments when I feel that everything is out of control, I believe God isn't who He says He is and that I must take matters into my own hands." The Bible is a weapon for combating fear, she says. "If we are struggling with fear, it's likely that we are battling to trust that God is who He says He is," Newbell says in the book. "Getting in the Word of God helps us remember God so that we can fight rightly, so that we might rest." Jesus is the answer for the fear of not measuring up, she says. "[Y]ou and I don't measure up, and our fearful pursuit of measuring up is in vain," Newbell writes. "We don't measure up, but Jesus does. The good news is that Jesus died and fulfilled the law that was required of us. "You will never overcome the fear of not measuring up until you embrace the finished work of Jesus on the cross," she says in the book. "Ultimately we fight fear by trusting in the Lord and fearing Him." The local church can help Christians overcome fear through a particular kind of culture and preaching, Newbell told BP. In order for church members to care for and disciple one another, there needs to be a "culture of grace" in which Christians are able to open up about their fears, she said. "Members should feel free to confess sin and temptation," Newbell told BP. "Without that, members will be tempted to pretend like everything is okay. We must have churches where repentance and grace are celebrated and where people are not looked down upon because of various struggles." If a pastor is preaching from the Bible "the supremacy of God and Christ, the member will have a good foundation for fighting fear," she said. "We can't give faith, but we know that faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ." Newbell lives with her husband and two children in the Nashville area. Her book is available at LifeWay Christian Stores, among other booksellers, and Amazon. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Support for MKs affirmed by WMU foundation board by Candice Lee Date: November 16, 2015 - Monday BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- The Woman's Missionary Union Foundation board of directors has affirmed their support for missionary kids (MKs) by committing to raise additional funding for MK scholarships. The WMU Foundation currently offers scholarships for International Mission Board and North American Mission Board MKs and will work toward providing additional scholarships for a larger number of recipients. "Increasing scholarship support is one way we can take care of our missionary families, both North American and international," said Kerri Johnson, WMU Foundation board member. "It helps take a bit of the financial burden off missionary parents." Johnson, a NAMB missionary serving in New York at the Graffiti 2 Ministry Center, personally understands the financial needs of missionary parents facing college tuition. Children of current IMB and NAMB missionaries are eligible to apply for scholarships through the WMU Foundation, as well as those whose parents accepted IMB's recent voluntary retirement incentive. During the past 20 years, the WMU Foundation has granted scholarships to more than 400 MKs. Because the number of applicants has increased in recent years, the WMU Foundation board made it a priority to increase its ability to grant scholarships. "We are seeing a trend where there are more applicants than available scholarships," noted David George, president of the WMU Foundation. "We do not want to continue turning down MKs for scholarships simply because there is not enough funding." Securing donations from those who wish to support MK scholarships is key. "The WMU Foundation stands beside our missionaries and their children in a number of ways," said Judith Edwards, chair of the WMU Foundation's development committee. "A gift to MK scholarships is a good way to put feet to your prayers for these special young people who have served during their growing up years alongside their parents." While the WMU Foundation offers a variety of scholarships for MKs, the Julia C. Pugh scholarship is the most widely used because it can support both IMB and NAMB MKs. "When people want to support MK scholarships but aren't sure where to give, I usually direct them to the Pugh scholarship. It is a great way to help all missionary families," said Linda Lucas who administers the WMU Foundation's scholarship program. George said, "We know this is a tremendous need, and we will do everything in our power to raise the funds needed to help MKs." To learn more about making a gift to MK scholarships or for scholarship applications, visit wmufoundation.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: What happened to evangelism in the SBC? by Ronnie Floyd Date: November 16, 2015 - Monday EDITOR'S NOTE: Ronnie Floyd is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas. SPRINGDALE, Ark. (BP) -- What happened to evangelism in the Southern Baptist Convention? It was our commitment to evangelism in the past that set us apart from all other denominations. The events and experiences churches offered to their community were done with the specific intent of winning others to faith in Christ. What happened? Where did this go? Waking up to reality I do realize that all of our 51,094 churches and congregations do not complete and report the Annual Church Profile. However, of the churches that did report, in the church year from Oct. 1, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014, the number of baptisms was lower than it was in 1948. This is deplorable! The U.S. population in 1948 was 146 million compared to 317 million in 2014. Therefore, with thousands more Southern Baptist churches with millions more members, along with having 171 million more Americans to reach today, we are reaching and baptizing less people than we did in 1948. We need to wake up to reality. We need spiritual revival in the church and spiritual awakening in America. I can remember when.... I can remember when some of my seminary classes were filled with exciting challenges about reaching people for Christ. I can remember when my seminary evangelism classes equipped me in how to lead an evangelistic church that had a strategy to reach your town or city for Christ. I can remember some of my seminary classes built within me a deep belief of how God wanted to work in our day, just as He did in and through the revivals and awakenings of past generations. I can remember when there was a proven record of evangelism regarding pastors and evangelists who were invited to bring the keynote message in the local association, or speak at an evangelism conference of a state convention, or preach the national Pastors' Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention, or preach at the Southern Baptist Convention. The only pastors considered led a strong evangelistic church and had a reputation for baptizing great numbers of people for Christ in proportion to their community and their opportunity. I can remember when nominations for offices of any kind in Southern Baptist life were not even considered if you were not a part of a strongly evangelistic church. Is it still like this today? I really cannot answer all of these questions, but I can surely answer some of them. Quite honestly, I am not impressed by how many books a pastor sells, how many Twitter followers he may have, at how many conferences he speaks, how great of a preacher he is, or how much his church does around the world if he pastors or is associated with a church that has a lame commitment to evangelizing and baptizing lost people and reaching his own community with the Gospel of Christ. Could it be.... Could it be that we have scrutinized the evangelism of others so much that we have cut the heart of evangelism out of our pastors and churches? Could it be that we so fear what others think about the ways we reach others because we fear being misunderstood, we have ceased talking about evangelism with our pastors and churches? Could it be everything else in our convention is more important than evangelism? Could it be that we recognize and reward many other things before we ever recognize evangelism through our churches? I pray not, but could it be? What our Southern Baptist Convention can do The 42 state conventions and 12 national entities of our Southern Baptist Convention can hold up high the banner for evangelizing lost people and baptizing new believers. Within their assigned roles, they have the influence to help our churches by elevating evangelism to unprecedented levels. We need them to elevate evangelism before our churches through conferences, conversations and strategies they implement. We need to begin to celebrate, again, pastors and churches who are reaching and baptizing great numbers of people in proportion to their opportunity afforded to them. We need to celebrate them in relationship to the size of their community and what has been entrusted to them by the Lord. What our pastors and churches can do The real issues of evangelism lie with our pastors and churches. It is on us, not our Southern Baptist structure, regardless of how they could be or should be assisting and helping our churches. Therefore, pastors and churches, please consider these things to see more people reached for Christ and baptized by your church: 1. Through each event or experience you offer as a church, regardless of the audience, strategically use it for evangelism. 2. Preach each message and plan each service with the eventual goal of calling people to follow Jesus Christ. 3. Offer a public invitation weekly. If not a "walk down front" invitation, use other ways to call people to follow Jesus weekly. 4. Highlight baptisms in your worship services weekly. 5. Creatively offer ways for people to begin to follow Christ; we did this recently and 74 people came to Christ and are being baptized as a result of a unique Sunday morning emphasis. 6. Add outreach events or experiences to your church calendar that are solely committed to reaching people with the Gospel. 7. Renew your commitment to develop, equip and empower people to share their faith with lost people regularly. 8. Create a specific strategy to reach your community or city with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's not be paralyzed. By no means do I believe I have all the answers, but I do know: It begins with us. It begins with our churches. Do something. Do more than you are doing now. Take a risk. Return to the importance of reaching and baptizing people. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Completion of Ark theme park expected July 2016 by Kristen Lowry/Kentucky Today Date: November 16, 2015 - Monday WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. -- Modern-day construction crews will finish in about a year what it took Noah a century to do: build an ark. Work on the life-sized replica of Noah's Ark is expected to be completed and opened for visitors on July 7, 2016. The infrastructure of the mammoth boat rises above a rural swath of rolling farmland in Williamstown, Ky., about a half hour south of Cincinnati. Cranes are doing the heavy lifting, putting massive wooden beams in place some four stories high. Ken Ham, co-founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis, said the Ark Encounter theme park is opening on schedule despite the state of Kentucky refusing to provide a hoped-for package of tax incentives. Answers in Genesis, the company building the ark, already operates a Creation Museum in nearby Petersburg. The Ark Encounter will be open for "40 days and 40 nights" during its first 40 days of operation, in reference to the 40 days and 40 nights of rain described in the Bible as the flood commenced. When completed, the ark is expected to be the largest timber-frame building in the world at 510 feet long. "It's really not commonplace for a conservative Christian organization to actually be building such a world-class, professional themed attraction as the Ark Encounter," Ham said. "But by the grace of God, we are thrilled and thankful that we've been entrusted with such a project as this." The project will cost a total of $102.7 million, and will feature 132 exhibit bays with an "educational and entertaining" Christian message. Ham said the Ark Encounter will offer an opportunity for Kentucky churches to reach out to out-of-town visitors, as well as friends and neighbors. "We look on the Ark … as really a facility for the church," Ham said. "It's really for God's people to use to bring others to help make the Christian message real to them and to start up a conversation." The Ark Encounter is expected to draw between 1.4 and 2.2 million visitors a year, boosting the economy for the region. The state of Kentucky initially approved a tax incentive package worth millions for the Ark Encounter, but reversed their decision last year due to the religious nature of the theme park. The tourism incentive would have allowed the project to recover 25 percent of development costs through sales tax rebates after the Ark opens. The ark's builders are suing in federal court to get the incentive back and Ham says he expects the judge to rule at any time. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Jan. 19, 2016. They will be $40 for adults, $28 for children and $31 for seniors. Parking is $10. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Report: Efforts to punish sex traffickers improving by Gaye Clark/WORLD News Service Date: November 16, 2015 - Monday ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP) -- When the advocacy group Shared Hope released its first report card on efforts to combat sex trafficking of America's children, 26 states received a failing grade. This year's report card, released Nov. 11, proved a surprise to Shared Hope founder Linda Smith. "I was excited there were no Fs," Smith said. "In 2011, we had 26 states with failing grades -- so many places in the United States that could be scary places for our children." In addition to no Fs, more than half the states earned either an A or a B. The Protected Innocence Challenge assigns A through F letter grades to all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It evaluates states on critical elements in the fight against sex trafficking of minors, including special criminal provisions for the men who buy children and legal and restorative services for their victims. This year, Louisiana retained its top spot on the list. Michigan earned the title of most improved. Two other states, Montana and North Dakota, improved their scores by two letter grades. While the scores this year show dramatic improvement, Smith said they reflect several years of persistent effort on the part of state attorneys general and legislators. She said lawmakers in the states that received higher marks found a way to work together, across party lines and without hubris, for the common goal. Critics say existing legislation is sufficient to prosecute sex traffickers and more laws are not needed, suggesting anti-trafficking advocates should focus on enforcing existing laws. Smith noted she believes in new legislation as well as enforcement. "We have to build law and then practice what we have built," she said. "Good people make laws work." While Smith is greatly encouraged at the progress of the last five years, she still sees more ground to cover. For example, only 15 states protect minors from being criminally charged as prostitutes, a stigma that can keep victims from getting support and recovery services. Smith also believes many states have much work to do toward punishing buyers to lower demand. In 2013, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo introduced a trafficking survivor who shared her story, illustrating the need for legislation that targets buyers and protects victims. "Brianna" was 9 years old when her school janitor kidnapped her, raped her, and sold her to a pimp. She recounted a life controlled by a series of brutal pimps who sold her "to men who knew my age and bought sex because of it." During her ordeal, Brianna saw her mother out the window of the room in which she was trapped. Her mom was hanging "missing" posters with Brianna's face on them. She screamed, trying to get her mother's attention, but her pimp yanked her away from the window by her hair. When police finally came, it didn't feel like a rescue. "I was arrested and placed in handcuffs. … I was called a prostitute even though I was a child, even though I was a trafficking victim," she said. A jury eventually convicted her abuser of kidnapping -- a charge for which he will serve about four years, Brianna said. "This man who owned me as a slave, who sold me to child rapists, who profited off of my body deserves to be punished more harshly," she said. Shared Hope plans to continue monitoring legislative efforts to fight sex trafficking but in the future the group also hopes to track implementation. "We're going upstream," Smith said. "Improvement doesn't happen overnight. We're in this for the long haul." -------------------------------------------------------------------- LifeWay reopens search for new headquarters by Art Toalston Date: November 16, 2015 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- LifeWay Christian Resources is stepping away from the purchase of a 1.5-acre site in downtown Nashville to look at other sites for a new headquarters, LifeWay President Thom Rainer said in a letter to employees today (Nov. 16). Rainer said the Southern Baptist entity does intend to complete the sale of its 14.5-acre campus, also located in downtown Nashville. LifeWay's bid for the 1.5-acre property was accepted in July for $12.7 million with a $4.9 million tax incentive, lowering the overall cost to less than $8 million. The site is owned by Nashville's Metro Development and Housing Agency and is situated across the Cumberland River from Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL Tennessee Titans. Rainer, in his letter to LifeWay employees, said, "The property is a great downtown location, and would be an exciting place for our new building. But, we have concluded it's not the best location for LifeWay. … We simply have found other potential downtown properties that are a better fit for LifeWay's future. "We still anticipate closing on the sale of our property to [the development group] Uptown Nashville in the next few days," Rainer continued. "And, we will let you know as soon as we can about where we intend to build LifeWay's new headquarters." Once sold, the LifeWay property, near the city's historic rail lines, will be redeveloped by Uptown Nashville into a mixed-use development including office, retail, residential, entertainment and hotel components, according to various reports. LifeWay stated in July, meanwhile, that its new headquarters would encompass 216,000 square feet in facilities best suited for the ministry's future. LifeWay's current site encompasses several buildings, with more than 1 million square feet of office, warehouse and parking space. About 1,100 of LifeWay's employees work in the downtown offices, utilizing about a third of the workspace. The SBC entity also operates 186 LifeWay stores and a national conference center in Ridgecrest, N.C., with a total workforce of more than 4,000 in 29 states. While LifeWay has not announced a sale price, The Tennessean daily newspaper stated that Uptown Nashville will pay "around $125 million" for the property. LifeWay, the Southern Baptist Convention's primary publishing entity, was founded in 1891 as the Sunday School Board in Nashville. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Democrats debate use of term 'radical Islam' by David Roach Date: November 16, 2015 - Monday DES MOINES, Iowa (BP) -- In a debate the day following terrorist attacks in Paris, all three Democratic presidential candidates declined to use the term "radical Islam" to describe Muslim terrorist organizations when asked if they "agree with that characterization." One candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, argued there is "a war for the soul of Islam" between ISIS and Muslim nations. No candidate mentioned abortion or same-sex marriage during the Nov. 14 debate in Des Moines, Iowa, though former secretary of state Hillary Clinton referred to the "alarming plans" of Republican presidential candidates and added immediately, "I mean, all of us support funding Planned Parenthood." Her comment presumably referenced GOP proposals to defund America's largest abortion provider after undercover videos allegedly showed Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of body parts from aborted babies. The subject of fighting terrorism dominated the first segment of the debate, with a notable exchange occurring when moderator John Dickerson of CBS News asked the candidates whether they agreed with Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio's statement that the West is at war with "radical Islam." Clinton responded "that you can talk about Islamists who are clearly jihadists" but said using the term radical Islam is "not particularly helpful" in the quest to build a coalition of Muslim nations to oppose ISIS. She said America is not at war with Islam or Muslims, citing former Republican President George W. Bush's agreement with that point. "We are at war with violent extremism," Clinton said. "We are at war with people who use their religion for purposes of power and oppression. And, yes, we are at war with those people. But I don't want us to be painting with too broad a brush." Sanders said "the term" used to describe terrorists isn't "what's important. What is important to understand is we have organizations, whether it is ISIS or al Qaeda, who do believe we should go back several thousand years, we should make women third-class citizens, that we should allow children to be sexually assaulted. They are a danger to modern society." Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said he believes in calling ISIS "what it is": "radical jihadis." He warned against "falling into the trap of thinking that all of our Muslim American neighbors in this country are somehow our enemies." Clinton repeatedly used terms like "jihadi extreme terrorism" and "jihadi radicalism." The apparent intentionality of their word choice contributed to headlines like Politico's "Democrats carefully avoid saying 'Islam'" and Fox News's "Democratic candidates avoid term 'radical Islam' in debate." Sanders noted Muslim nations in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Jordan, must "get their hands dirty, their boots on the ground" and "take on ISIS." "This is a war for the soul of Islam," Sanders said. "And those countries who are opposed to" ISIS are "going to have to get deeply involved [in the fight] in a way that is not the case today. We should be supportive of that effort. So should the U.K. So should France. But those Muslim countries are going to have to lead the effort." Among the candidates' other comments on Islamic terrorism: -- Clinton said ISIS "cannot be contained; it must be defeated." -- Clinton said the war against ISIS "cannot be an American fight, although American leadership is essential." -- O'Malley said the war with ISIS "actually is America's fight," but "it cannot solely be America's fight." -- Sanders stood by his assertion in a previous debate that climate change is the greatest threat to American national security. "In fact, climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism," Sanders said. "And if we do not get our act together and listen to what the scientists say, you're going to see countries all over the world -- this is what the C.I.A. says -- they're going to be struggling over limited amounts of water, limited amounts of land to grow their crops, and you're going to see all kinds of international conflict." The next Democratic presidential debate will occur Dec. 19 in Manchester, N.H. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Naghmeh Abedini regrets emails of marital woe by Diana Chandler Date: November 16, 2015 - Monday NASHVILLE (BP) -- The wife of imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini has voiced regret for emails she sent to close friends reportedly accusing the pastor of spousal abuse stemming from what was described in press reports as his addiction to pornography. In two emails to close friends, Abedini disclosed that her marriage to Saeed Abedini has been troubled by "physical, emotional, psychological and sexual abuse (through Saeed's addiction to pornography)," Christianity Today reported Nov. 12. Naghmeh Abedini expressed regret a day later. "I regret having sent the emails," she said in a statement released Nov. 13 through the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). "I was under great psychological and emotional distress. I am now taking time off [from public advocacy for her husband's release] to heal and to rest and to spend much needed time with my kids." She did not specify the content of the emails nor retract their content. Baptist Press does not have access to the emails, which reportedly were never intended for wide release. "I would appreciate for those who care about Saeed and our family to give us time for rest and healing and to respect our privacy," Abedini said through the ACLJ. "I will continue to pray for my husband's release and advocate for him as he suffers in an Iranian prison for his Christian faith. I would also ask others to join me in continuing to pray for his release." Christianity Today reported Saeed Abedini has continued to abuse his wife since his 2012 imprisonment for his faith, communicating with her through "phone and Skype." Saeed has kept in touch with his public supporters through letters and messages relayed through family members who have been able to visit, according to media reports in Baptist Press and other news services. The ACLJ would not comment on Saeed Abedini's reported use of Skype in a prison where he has been subjected to beatings and inadequate medical care, but committed to continue advocating for the pastor. "In recent days, Naghmeh -- Pastor Saeed's wife -- has revealed that she is dealing with some very serious personal issues inside her family. She has asked for privacy and prayer. We are respecting her request," the ACLJ said in a statement. "The ACLJ will not have any comment on the personal issues that she is addressing. What we are focused on is this: bringing home an American pastor who has been wrongly imprisoned in Iran because of his faith. "We know that Pastor Saeed remains in grave danger in prison where he continues to be beaten and psychologically abused by Iranian guards and remains in need of medical care," the ACLJ said. "We continue to pray for Naghmeh, Pastor Saeed, and their family. We will continue our work -- in this country and abroad -- to secure the freedom of this U.S. citizen." He was sentenced Jan. 27, 2013, to eight years in prison on charges he threatened national security by planting house churches in Iran years earlier, and had been under house arrest since July 2012. Naghmeh Abedini has advocated widely for her husband's release, maintaining a Facebook page, meeting with President Obama, speaking before Congress and in many venues. She marked Sept. 27 the third anniversary of her husband's imprisonment with fasting and a prayer vigil in Boise, Idaho, one of 810 such commemorations held worldwide in support of the pastor. Just a week earlier, she addressed more than 100 parliamentarians from nearly 50 countries at the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief, where 67 parliamentarians signed a letter to the speaker of the Iranian Parliament calling for Abedini's release. An ACLJ petition at BeHeard.org has over 1.1 million signatures. Naghmeh Abedini posted on Facebook Nov. 1 that she would not make any more posts for as many as three months, but did not mention spousal abuse. "I am going to be taking time off of my social media and Facebook (at least for the next 2-3 months) and will be spending more time with the Lord and more time with my kids who desperately need it," she said in the post. "I will not be checking my message [sic] and will not be able to answer my messages. Love you all. Keep your eyes on Jesus!" She continues to live in Boise, Idaho, with the couple's two children, 9-year-old Rebekka and 7-year-old Jacob. Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research, wrote in Christianity Today that Christians should maintain wisdom in response to the allegations of spousal abuse. "It matters that a wife has spoken up. We should take seriously any accusations from those who speak up about abuse. Therefore, we are hurting with Naghmeh in this moment," Stetzer wrote Nov. 12. "Yet at the same time, we do not forsake Pastor Saeed. We must carefully consider the situation, the people involved, and the implications moving forward. This is no time to be hasty or reactionary. Wisdom is necessary." He encouraged Christians to continue praying for the Abedini family and working for the pastor's release. "Obviously, we continue to pray for the Lord to provide for Pastor Saeed and pray for his safe release," Stetzer said. "At the same time, we must ferociously pray for Naghmeh and their children."