“Nothing lies outside the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.”

As I write this month’s newsletter, I share a message by the apostle Paul summarized 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 in verse 22, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (NKJV)

The vision for this prayer conference began long before it first convened in 2007.

The old expression goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Yet, neither was the collapse of Rome accomplished in a day.

Michael Dover surveys the damage outside his home in Austell, Ga., his backyard a sea of muddy water. Looking at remnants of the water-soaked wood from his workshop piled in his driveway, Dover, like many other Atlanta residents, now faces the harsh reality of clean up.

As motorcycle engines roared, more than 4,200 leather-clad motorcyclists and their friends at the 69th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally heard a three-minute testimony of how Christ could radically change their lives. Just for listening, they also were given a chance to win a brand new black Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

The Rest of the Story: Daily Reports from Garvon Golden during the Sturgis Bike Rally

For members of First Baptist Church in Norfolk, the Sunday service wasn’t held in pews but throughout the multi-city area known Hampton Roads.

Kassie Smith, a student at Midwestern Seminary, of Kansas City, Missouri, shared the Gospel with a young lady at a Louisville, Kentucky Crossover block party on June 20.  

One of two great perils in the world that we face today is the ever present danger of missing God at work. There is hardly any greater tragedy than, our neglect of God’s Word, failing to recognize His presence in our lives, His activity in our circumstances, and His invitation to join Him in His work of redemption. p>

"People are going to die tonight."
Not quite the first words most congregations want to hear from their pastor. But that is what David Uth said as an introduction to "Not Ashamed," a three-service celebration of baptism at First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla., June 27-28. In all, 337 people were baptized, including 10 at the church's Ocoee venue.

Calls for intercession have been sent out through the planning of several prayer conferences set for this year. Southern Baptists are asked to return to the discipline of prayer on behalf of their churches, the nation and the world.

Mission Service Corps missionaries Bessie and Lester McPeek watched a God-given vision become reality June 6. That day, volunteers from First Baptist Church, Monticello and Salvisa Baptist Church near Harrodsburg dug footers and poured concrete for a 2,880 sq. ft. building in Jenkins, Kentucky.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20, NASB).

All across North America, the church is out serving the needs of people and sharing the Gospel in their communities this spring. Jesus said, “Go into all the world,” so we need to go where the people are.

Even storied, 135-year-old Churchill Downs -- home of the Kentucky Derby -- will be among the ministry venues as Southern Baptists engage in Crossover Louisville '09.

Please pray for Johnny Hunt and all those in leadership of the annual SBC meeting. Pray for all Southern Baptists to be inspired to love Jesus supremely and share Him generously with others.

Revival. The word often brings to mind camp meetings, large crowds, and overpowering emotions. But, what if a movement swept a town to its knees that did not start with one singular event?

God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS) has four mileposts; Praying, Engaging, Sowing, and Harvesting. The end result is the celebration of baptism, so this story seems to pave the way for many more exciting baptisms in the days to come.

We heartily agree with the call, “Let us covenant together to trust in the Lord with all our heart, to pray fervently, to give willingly, and to look forward expectantly."