I’ve always loved writing in coffee shops. It feels sort of like the atmosphere is…literary. Somehow. Plus the actual atmosphere. The air itself. Oh, that magnificent smell of coffee. I’m pretty sure the aroma alone caffeinates a writer’s brain and gets all the neurons a-firing. A friend gave me a coffee shop scratch-and-sniff bookmark once. No big surprise, it wasn’t the same. So at the most daunting deadlines—and especially when I’ve waited until the last-lastest of all the last-last minutes and I’m freaking out a little—I’ve still been know to pack up and head for a real-live coffee spot. I ..read more

JOPLIN – Christian movie-goers are slowly becoming used to more faith-based films being available to watch at home or at the box office, but one Missouri church is taking matters into its own hands to release new films and follow up with resources that point people back to the biblical truths brought up on screen. Journey Church is a Southern Baptist congregation here, and the owner of Light of Life Films, which released its first feature-length film this spring, “Undefiled.” It addresses one of the largest – and often unspoken – issues in the church: the sin of pornography. It tells the ficti ..read more

This is another in a series of excerpts from What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus, released by High Street Press and available at Amazon.com. The second coming of Jesus is implied in hundreds of Old Testament prophecies that center on future judgment of the world and a coming kingdom of righteousness. Jesus and the New Testament writers elevate these ancient prophecies and apply them to the unfinished but guaranteed future work of the Savior. One challenge of messianic prophecies is their compressed view of the future. We see predictions of a Suffering Servant who is desp ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. (IMB) – Some days June Estes pinches herself to make sure she isn’t dreaming. As an International Mission Board missionary explorer, she experiences a lot of things she never imagined doing in her lifetime: Like, standing under a string of prayer flags flapping in the wind along a remote hiking path. Or zooming around a noisy city via a bright green rickshaw. Or tears rolling down her cheeks when she finds a group of people who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. Estes is part of an IMB initiative called Project 3000. Her job is to find and research the culture and beliefs ..read more

ROBY – For 10 years Roby Baptist has been meeting its small community’s clothing needs through its Helping Hands ministry, a retail store that charges nothing for its items. The expanding ministry just added a food pantry. Pastor Wes Mayfield says the ministry’s vision “is to meet the needs of others, both physically and spiritually. In addition to clothing and shoes, we give out free Bibles and gospel tracts.”  The church of around 130 is located about 60 miles southwest of Rolla and 10 miles south of Fort Leonard Wood. The population for its zip code area is 200. ROBY – Roby Baptist Ch ..read more

May is foster care awareness month. Do you know much about foster care? Are there opportunities for your church to serve right here in Missouri? Children’s Division reports indicate 12,143 children are in Missouri state custody. When comparing other states with similar populations, Missouri has nearly double the number of children in state custody. There is a shortage of foster homes, and a need to reduce the number of children in foster care by focusing on prevention. No organization is better suited than the church to serve children and families in crisis, helping them find healing by the po ..read more

JEFFERSON CITY – The Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI), a research-based consulting firm, has announced that the Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries (BHHM) corporate office has been certified as a 2024 Best Christian Workplace. To achieve certification, organizations must complete the Best Christian Workplaces Institute employee engagement survey and meet predetermined standards of excellence. Employees of BHHM’s corporate and regional staff answered more than fifty questions measuring employee satisfaction in terms of organizational commitment, Christian witness, supervisory ef ..read more

BRIDGETON – It was a cold day in February when Rae picked up Anna from the psychiatric hospital, but Anna shook her head no when Rae offered her a jacket. With short sleeves that showed off all the scars on her arms, Anna was a little too open, too exposed as she slouched into the passenger seat and twisted the cap off the water bottle Rae handed her. It was a long drive to the MBCH residential facility where Rae, a Family Foster Care Specialist, was assigned to transport Anna. Small talk quickly snowballed into Anna’s life story; she had no reservations telling a complete stranger exactly how ..read more

JEFFERSON CITY – Since being elected for the first time to office in 2018, Pastor Doug Richey of Pisgah Baptist Church, Excelsior Springs, has served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives. Last month, I spoke with Richey about the importance of Christian involvement in the public sphere, as well as about ongoing efforts to keep Missouri a pro-life state. The following transcription of our conversation has been edited because of space limitations: BENJAMIN HAWKINS: Why should Missouri Baptists get involved? DOUG RICHEY: “Because truth matters. When you look at the issues of the d ..read more

JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Baptist leaders will be featured during the 2024 Midwest March for Life on May 1. Among keynote speakers at the event are Wes Fowler, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC); Brandy Meeks, president of the Vitae Foundation and a member of the MBC’s Christian Life Commission; and Susan Klein, executive director of Missouri Right to Life and Missouri Baptist pastor’s wife (Her husband, Dusty, is pastor of Cedar Grove Baptist Church, Holts Summit.) The event begins with a prayer walk at 8 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda led by Bonnie Lee, a member of Open ..read more