Good News for Today

 Episode 525 Celebrating Religious Liberty & Faith That Matters Just a day after remembering the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., Americans are being called to reflect on the importance of religious freedom as they observed religious freedom day on Tuesday. And, in Luke 5, Jesus boarded Peter’s boat to teach the crowd gathered to hear Him speak. Peter had a front-row seat. As he listened, he...

 Episode 524 MLK’s Positive Impact, Biblical Immigration Solutions & When Scripture Seems Silent Facing brutal cold across the country, many Americans took Monday to reflect on the civil rights work of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Evangelical Immigration Table and World Relief issued a letter Jan. 11 signed by more than 500 evangelical Christians to U.S. presidential candidates urging them to c...

 Episode 523 Martin Luther King Jr. Day & Getting Serious About Daily Prayer Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day…a federal holiday set aside to honor the life and legacy of the man who help guide the nation toward providing civil rights for all races. And, in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Kie Bowman writes, “Why does the amount of time we spend in prayer matter?” http://media.blubrry.com/goodnew...

 Episode 522 Start Of Fiscal Year For Churches, Sermon Paintings By Artist & Congregation May Tune Out Your Sermon Some of the most encouraging news we hear has roots in tragedy. This week, Carter McNeese and his wife, Audrey, were awaiting their possessions to be delivered to their new home in Shalimar, Florida when the phone rang. And, Williamstown, Missouri is a small town with a population...

 Episode 521 Nigeria Hostile To Religious Freedom, Idaho Abortion Ban & Being Intentional In The New Year College classmates stoned and torched Deborah Samuel to death in May 2022, in Abuja, Nigeria, accusing her of blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad. The Supreme Court will rule on a case involving an Idaho law which bans nearly all abortions in the state. And, Caleb Davis wants you to have a st...

 Episode 520 Start Of Fiscal Year For Churches, Sermon Paintings By Artist & Congregation May Tune Out Your Sermon For most pastors, the start of a new calendar year also indicates the start of a new fiscal year for their churches. A large blank canvas sits on an easel as Richard Pope, senior pastor of Canvas Church in Salisbury, Maryland, begins his Sunday sermon. And, if you’re a preacher or...

 Episode 519 Global Religious Violence Database, West Point Cadet Transformed By Faith & Pastors Lack Of Work-Life Balance A new searchable global database of violent religious persecution encompassing Christianity and other faiths is available free to the public, Global Christian Relief CEO David Curry announced Jan. 5. In a profound journey of faith, West Point cadet Austin Hemminger’s story...

 Episode 518 Cuba Trip Yields Thousands To Christ, Nigeria Escapes Religious Freedom Violator List & Read More With Pleasure As 2024 dawns, more than 4,800 people in western Cuba are walking into the new year with new spiritual life found only in Jesus Christ. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken omitted Nigeria from the 2024 list of egregious religious freedom violators Jan. 4, disregarding...

 Episode 517 Missionaries in South Africa, Reaching Gen Z & Actively Waiting On The Lord The summer before Leslie Montgomery started 8th grade, her church hired a youth pastor whose parents served as missionaries in Tanzania. The new year brings new beginnings, but a lot needs to be said for consistency. Ministry needs to be face-to-face as much as possible and Gospel-centric, not activity bas...

 Episode 516 Beloved Junior Hill Dies, Gym Members Turns Into Church & Checking On Church Members When a believer dies, it is a time of sorrow and joy. The family of Junior Hill is walking through the season today. The longtime evangelist died this week at the age of 87 in his home in Hartselle, Alabama. As many people are hitting the gym as a new year begins, some believers on the other side...

 Episode 515 Jeremiah Castille Reflects On Faith, Rebuilding Churches After Hurricane & Fasting And Praying For The New Year From the age of 7, Jeremiah Castille had a vision of one day playing professional football, following in the footsteps of those players he watched in recaps of NFL games. Back then, however, he had no idea how God would end up using this vision. Believers from Texas and...

 Episode 513 The Beatys’ Ministry & A Grateful Church A stranger slid into Carina Beaty’s Instagram DMs. The message opened not just chat windows but doors to discipleship Carina couldn’t have imagined when she and her husband opened their apartment windows years ago. And, an grateful church is a church we should all desire. A Lifeway Research article provides some ways a church can help its m...

 Episode 513 Ebeyers’ Outreach To The Village & Reconsidering Church Attendance It started with a coffee run. On a trip to the closest city, International Mission Board missionaries Jason and Robin Ebeyer were praying to find a “person of peace” – someone who would welcome them and help in their ministry efforts. And, in an article for Lifeway Research, church health consultant Mark Dance enco...

 Episode 512 Resolutions In The New Year & Making The Best Use Of Our Time Many people will make resolutions in the New Year. What if you asked some questions first? Here are a few suggestions from Donald Whitney. And, what’s the single biggest time-waster in your life, and how can you redeem the time? Social media? TV? Video games? Sports? Hobbies? Actively replacing it with something better...

 Episode 511 Things That Every Church Needs On Their Website & Amazing Grace According to Lifeway Research, the majority of people moving to a new town utilized in-person visits to churches (69%) and recommendations from family, friends, neighbors, and/or colleagues. And, Amazing Grace was first sung in 1773 on New Year’s Day at Lord Dartmouth’s Great Hall in Olney, England. John Newton wrote...

 Episode 510 Ford Plant Brings Growth to Stanton, Street Evangelism in East Asia & What Pastors Think When They Preach A small town in west Tennessee received some overwhelming news this year. Stanton, a town of 414 souls, was awarded the title of a Blue Oval City by the Ford Motor Company. Markus and Mary Feirer are taking the gospel to the streets of a major East Asian city. Even though some...

 Episode 509 Jesus Revolution, Asbury University & Books to Read During The Christmas Season Many of the reported 4,500 who were baptized at Harvest Christian Fellowship’s “Jesus Revolution” baptism back on July 8 climbed rocky terrain and were subject to state fees to enter Pirate’s Cove Beach. Speaking of spiritual renewal, 2023 will also be remembered as a time when God visited Asbury Unive...

 Episode 508 Christmas Day & Reflecting On The Old Testament It’s Christmas Day! Passed as a federal holiday in 1870 by Pres. Ulysses S. Grant, there are many theories as to why the Congress and the President made the day a national holiday. And, as believers look to Scripture during the holiday season, they often reflect on passages from the Old Testament. A Baptist Press Toolbox pieces remin...