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State Missionary Rick Lance is executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

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The Caleb Spirit in 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
In my mind, Caleb is the Barnabas of the Old Testament. When others seemed to lose hope, he offered encouragement to them.

A Year to Remember
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
This can be the most wonderful time of the year if we allow the Christ of Christmas to guide us through the experience. Rather than being caught up in the routined frenzy of long lines at stores shopping for gifts and the endless social gatherings during the season, we can focus on what is called the Advent.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Thursday, December 8, 2011
This can be the most wonderful time of the year if we allow the Christ of Christmas to guide us through the experience. Rather than being caught up in the routined frenzy of long lines at stores shopping for gifts and the endless social gatherings during the season, we can focus on what is called the Advent.

Finishing Strong
Monday, November 21, 2011
I do not pretend to be a football coach, but I do believe this "sports experience" translates into our everyday lives, most notably in our Christian lives. There are times when we have seemingly given our all and we feel spent, emotionally, physically and even spiritually.

Be Encouraged!
Thursday, October 28, 2011
In periods of history like the one we now face, Christians have often done some of their most effective service for Christ. But in order to be an effective servant, we must find our source of encouragement in the face of these discouraging situations.

SBC Today: An Interview
Thursday, October 16, 2011
Managing ourselves means more than controlling the calendar, staying morally and ethically pure, reading the latest books, keeping family time balanced, and running things smoothly in one's ministry. I am convinced this means staying in touch with Lord and with yourself in such a way that you make the right decisions and lead in the right direction.


May 2008

When a Barn Becomes a Church

Submitted: Monday, May 19, 2008; 8:14 p.m.
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Those of you familiar with the Jacksonville, Ala., area are most likely aware of the unique Barn Restaurant located on Highway 21, on the south edge of that university city. For more than eight years, people enjoyed the environment of having a delicious meal in the spacious area, which once was a dairy farmer's barn. The rather imposing silos, which years earlier were used in handling the needs of dairy farming, are still present. They are a reminder of what took place on the property in the past.

There is some bad news to report. If you haven't already heard, the Barn Restaurant has closed its doors. It no longer is a place for unique dining. Yet there is some really good news to share with you. The Barn has become a church. Recently, the forward-thinking family of faith at FBC Jacksonville purchased the building for a second campus for church ministry. The building has now become a place for worship of the Risen Lord.

I was at the first service held at the Barn. It was a Sunday night and there was an evening meal served, followed by a celebration worship service. "Think Big" is the theme for the financial campaign which will seek to cover the costs accompanied with the purchase of the facility and, the funds will also be used to upgrade the facilities at the main campus.

I was excited to witness the baptism of two ladies at the inaugural worship service. They were baptized in an old-fashioned trough and the people of the church gave the Lord a standing ovation following their baptism. It was a moving moment for me personally. I was glad to see a new place for worship begin with this testimony for the Lord.

Since participating in this unique worship experience, I have mused over the significance of this occasion. A building formerly used to feed people physically has been transformed into one which seeks to nourish people spiritually. A place where people met to have secular fellowship has now become a place where spiritual fellowship thrives. This is a remarkable effort to establish all kinds of ministries to reach all kinds of people.

The pastor and the church family are to be commended on their kingdom vision for the future. This unique place will be used to reach people with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. They will feed those who are "hungering and thirsting for righteousness." They keep the baptismal trough full of water, so others can give testimony to their faith in Christ.

I left that night encouraged to the core of my being. I was glad to be in the house of the Lord, even when it once was a barn, then a restaurant. In fact, I felt like I was in the middle of a miracle in the making. A barn had become a church.
 

America and the Middle East

Submitted: Friday, May 9, 2008; 1:39 p.m.
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Americans of this generation have always been somewhat familiar with the region of the world called the Middle East. The historic events during the last several decades have all but ensured that this nation would be concerned about the volatile group of nations which comprise that area of the world. Michael B. Oren, well-known author of several books on the subject of Middle Eastern history, has added to that inventory with Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present.

Oren chose the title because he feels these three words summarize the fascination and interest that Americans have had with the Middle East throughout this nation's history. His book is a historical journey through American history as it relates to this enchanting area of geography.

He begins the pilgrimage in the Washington Administration as the young nation had to come to grips with the Barbary Pirates who created havoc for American trade in Mediterranean coast of North Africa. This problem became a chronic one for future administrations. Presidents Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln were challenged by relationships in this important part of the world as well, even though their administrations were known for other more notable events in American history.

In 1902, an American coined the term Middle East to differentiate from the Far East and the Near East. The name developed a life of its own and today is almost universally used. Teddy Roosevelt and his distant cousin FDR had to deal with the growing prominence and importance of the region. World War II had a major battle front in North Africa and the fading Ottoman Empire, which now is basically Turkey, and was an adversary during the Second World War.

However, with the establishment of the Israel after the war, the volatile region became even more of a foreign relations challenge for every president. From Truman to the second Bush Administration, which now means the War on Terror, the nation's leaders have confronted colossal difficulties.

Power, Faith and Fantasy represents a relatively readable approach to these complex issues. Oren is an authority on the region as is evidenced by being a Senior Fellow at the Shalem Center. He takes an ostensibly objective approach to the matter as he fleshes out the story.

For America, power or influence in the Middle East came as a result of World War II and the demise of colonial European presence worldwide. Oren also eloquently describes the interest Americans have in faith or religion as it relates to the region. Present-day Israel and its former provincial state form have always held huge interest for American Protestants, Catholics and Jews. The city of Jerusalem, as a holy place for Christians, Muslims and Jews illustrates the point quite well.

Oren further contends that Americans have historically held some fantasy ideas about the Middle East. A Thousand and One Arabian Nights is a longstanding example of the myth making concerning the people of the region. The Indiana Jones films also offer such evidence. However, the fantasy ideas have been almost eradicated by 9/11 and other terrorist events of recent decades.

My interest in the Middle East is admittedly seen through American eyes. Like most evangelicals, the Bible lands are very special to me. My visits there served only to enhance that connection. Yes, I did grow up on the Arabian Knights story, along with King Arthur and other noble accounts of adventure. Furthermore, I recognize the important influence, or as Oren calls it "power," that the U.S. has in the Middle East. Therefore, the book interested me and informed me. It helped me understand America as well as the Middle East.