By Colleen Walker Burroughs “How much does it cost to drill a well?” is the most frequently asked question we get at Watering Malawi. The answer, around $6,000, is based on a series of geological variables as well as the…
Church shares passion for orphan soles
By Jenny Pope Most churches greet the rush of the back-to-school season with special worship services and promotion Sundays, but one Houston church stays grounded with an annual project that has now helped protect the feet of more than 100,000…
Like parents, like daughter
By Jeff Brumley Now and then, a preacher’s kid follows a parent into the ministry. But when the moment of decision came for Leah Anderson Reed, she decided to follow both her father and mother into ordination. Reed, 27, was ordained last month…
Suffer little children
By Miguel De La Torre Wouldn’t you do anything for your children? Your grandchildren? Is not their wellbeing important to you? To our culture? To our society? And yet, political policies advocated by some within the Christian community are damning…
On the margins
By Bill Leonard “No amount of pacification will be able to last, nor will harmony and happiness be attained in a society that ignores, pushes to the margins or excludes part of itself.” That’s what Pope Francis said July 25…
Needs here at home
For the first summer in my 28 years, I am not going on a mission trip or retreat of any kind. Instead, I am filling pulpits of other pastors who are on mission trips. It’s a strange experience to be…
Youth trip boosts Miss. Delta town
By Jeff Brumley No one expected a vacation Bible school run by a visiting Baptist youth group to be a catalyst for racial healing in Shaw,Miss. Yet, by all accounts that’s just what the June visit by 34 youngsters from Houston’s South Main…
In + Out: a few thoughts on breathing
Some time ago, thanks mostly to the Comcast home page usually concerning itself with tracking the intricate and myriad movements of the Kardashians, I came across an article ranking the “most stressed out” countries in the world. In the study…
Letter seeks ‘circle of protection’ for poor
By Bob Allen Christian leaders across the country released a pastoral letter July 18 urging Congress to make hungry and poor people a priority in negotiations over a new federal budget. With Washington set to reconsider sequestration — across-the-board spending…
Housing miracle for struggling KY family
By Jeff Brumley For Shawna Barnett and her husband, Malachi, a lay Church of God preacher, “the Lord works in mysterious ways” took on special meaning Wedneaday when a few dozen Baptist volunteers started building their new home in McCreary…
Ministry gets artsy with fundraising
By Daniel Wallace The Christian mandate to fight poverty is as old as Scripture, but doing it requires constant creativity. “We recognize that we can’t rely on any one source of funds or any one way of doing things to…
Mother’s Day hunger goal $1 million
By John Hall Texas Baptists are seeking to raise $1 million on Mother’s Day for an annual hunger offering that provides relief and aid to hungry people across the state and around the globe. “In the heart of mothers throughout…