Texan Digital • Issue #23

January 16, 2014 • ISSUE 23

Couple sells home, possessions to follow God’s call to seminary and mission field

BREAKOUT SESSIONS NEW PART OF EMPOWER CONFERENCE

DALLAS-BASED ENTREPRENEURS USING SMART-PHONE TECHNOLOGY TO SAVE BABIES

FEBRUARY 24-26, 2014

Bill Britt

Mac Brunson

Herb Reavis Jr.

Alvin Reid

H.B. Charles Jr.

Charles Roesel

Sagemont Church • Houston

Johnny Hunt

Fred Luter

Eric Metaxes

John Morgan

Steven Smith

Ed Stetzer

Paul Tripp

Robert Welch

MUSIC Afshin Ziafat MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH YOUR COOPERATIVE PROGRAM GIVING

Matt Boswell

Bill Cole

Bryant Jones

sbtexas.com/evangelism

The Old Paths

OR CALL THE SBTC OFFICE AT 877.953.SBTC (7282)

Phillips Craig & Dean

Contents

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OPINION: Planned, and unplanned, pregnancies Abortion has become our culture’s impertinent answer to complex problems we cannot actually address with money or education. We must continue to engage lawmakers to whom these family problems are merely academic and oppose a predatory abortion industry.

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Dallas-based group using smart-phone technology to save babies nationwide From its Dallas office, Online For Life is using technology savvy to connect scared, panicked, vulnerable women to “people willing to love and care for them in the name of Christ.”

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Pastor defends comments charging Obama policies paving way for Antichrist Despite criticism, theologians say Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress’ example in his latest book, when read in context, properly frames end-time prophecies in light of current events.

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COVER STORY: Couple traveling lightly to answer call to mission field in France Denis and Karla Hammit had most of the things Americans think they need. They were comfortable. That comfort was soon disrupted, though, and the couple could not be happier about it.

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Christian healthcare sharing networks allowed by Obamacare Three Christian-based healthcare sharing networks were written into the Affordable Care Act and qualify as health coverage under the law, leaving uninsured believers with options, writes Brad Moore, a Louisiana-based career and financial coach.

COVER PHOTO: Denis and Karla Hammit, pictured at the train station in Paris.

TEXAN Digital is e-published twice monthly by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, 4500 State Highway 360, Grapevine, TX 76099-1988.

Jim Richards, Executive Director Gary Ledbetter, Editor Jerry Pierce, Managing Editor Sharayah Colter, Staff Writer Russell Lightner, Design & Layout Stephanie Barksdale, Subscriptions Contributing Writers Bonnie Pritchett, Lily Jameson, Brad Moore To contact the TEXAN office, visit texanonline.net/contact or call toll free 877.953.7282 (SBTC)

Gary Ledbetter

Planned, and unplanned, pregnancies

L

ast year was a great year for pro-life Texans, at least when compared with the past 40 years and the other 49 states. I’m not comfortable being too chirpy about the incremental progress pro-life Americans have made, even on the heels of a good year. “Progress” is a weak term when abortion is still the law of the land for nearly any reason and any stage of pre-natal life. But the other side is yelping and their profitable clinics are fewer in number. That sounds good to me.

Those who decry pro-life legislation ranging from parental consent for minors to informed consent for mothers quickly trot out the poignant plight of women with unplanned pregnancies. These examples are quickly followed by figures about how much a baby costs compared to an abortion. Babies, it’s said, cause poverty.

Abortion is the cost-effective but profitable solution.

But let’s look at the myth of planned pregnancies, which is the founding legend of the monstrous Planned Parenthood organization. I know what people mean when they say “planned” as distinct from “unplanned” pregnancies.

It means, “When we can afford it” and “How many kids we can afford” and even, “How will this child at this time impact my career?” For most of us the real answer is that we cannot afford it and becoming a mother (or father) will make your career path more challenging.

So what? Has parenthood become a matter of calendaring and accounting?

I was an unplanned pregnancy if by that you mean that my parents were young and broke. If you further consider that Mom had three children in six years, we became her career without regard to her girlhood planning. If you’re over 40 years old or thereabouts, you were probably not a planned pregnancy either. And I also have 2 TEXANONLINE.NET JANUARY 16, 2014

little doubt that we soaked up a lot of their income and time that might otherwise have been used in ways some would call “fulfilling.” Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds? I’m not sure if the nonsense I hear these days about family planning is mere selfishness or actually anti-child. The result is definitely the latter.

Having a child is never a plan-able event. Babies cost more than you are told to expect; they will sometimes have health problems that clear your calendar and checking account; they will send you to work tired and occupy your thoughts while you’re there; they will wreck your cars and eventually bring sweethearts to dinner who never go home. None of that is controllable, financially profitable or a formula for health and beauty. The only people who find those realities off putting are those who have not experienced them. I don’t know how else to put it. I’d never try to talk a person into having children (my own children excepted) but how despicable it is to try to convince someone to avoid the experience for the sake of skindeep wealth and happiness. Children are intended by God to be, and actually are, a great source of wealth and happiness unavailable by other means.

But what about the single and impoverished mother who is pregnant and cannot bear the pregnancy or the addition of another mouth to feed. This can be a tragic situation, I acknowledge. Despite the fact that some limited help is available, that mother has a hard life and one that is getting harder. But she can’t make her situation less tragic with abortion. It’s an imaginary bandage on a real wound. The most innocent victim in all her hardships is the child she’s tempted to abort. I guess I’d say the same thing about the concept of “unwanted” children. The existence of horrible parents and tragic situations does not justify the death of innocents, still less the death of innocents for profit. Abortion has become our culture’s impertinent answer to complex problems we cannot actually address with money or education.

I am truly grateful to God for the curtailment of abortion because of state laws that protect both children and women from a predatory abortion industry. This debate must continue as we pray for a change in our nation’s heart toward our children. We should not allow those with whom we dialogue about this great moral issue of our day to shame us into retreat with threats of a million “unplanned” or “unwanted” pregnancies.

The issues behind those family problems are far broader and more complex than deferring a symptom can ever address.

Even as we continue to respond in compassion to women whose immediate problems seem insurmountable, we must also engage lawmakers to whom these family problems are merely academic and oppose an industry for which women and children are commodities.

Briefly //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// APPEALS COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS OVER TEXAS ABORTION LAW Texas’ new abortion law appears headed to the Supreme Court eventually, but if the tone of questions and comments by federal judges on Jan. 6 is a clue, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will let it stand.

At issue is whether federal district court judge Lee Yeakel erred in ruling last October that the new law places an undue burden on abortion access. The three-judge panel in New Orleans questioned state lawyers defending the law, and those from Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights, which have challenged its admitting privileges provision and its stricter regulation of how abortion-causing drugs are administered.

According to reports in the Dallas Morning News and The Wall Street Journal, the judges seemed unconvinced that requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges would create an unconstitutional “undue burden” on women seeking abortions.

Reporter Christy Hoppe of the Dallas News wrote that Judge Edith Jones was particularly skeptical of claims that travel to Corpus Christi, which has the closest abortion clinic to much of the Rio Grande Valley now that several clinics have closed, would be a significant burden. Jones commented that the main road to Corpus Christi is 75 miles per hour and 150 miles is not a high hurdle.

Also, she noted that some abortion doctors have gotten admitting privileges since the law passed and asked the lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights to keep the court abreast if more doctors get those privileges.

According to Hoppe, the judge then added cryptically, “or have you notified the New York Times?”

The appeals court did not say when they would issue their ruling.

‘CHOOSE LIFE’ LICENSE PLATES AIDING ADOPTION Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced grants to 13 non-profit organizations to help promote adoption across Texas. More than $46,000 is being distributed in the inaugural round of grants from funds raised by sales of the “Choose Life” specialty license plates that were authorized by the Texas Legislature under a 2011 law.

“Every day across Texas, children are adopted into loving families who provide for their needs and raise them to be healthy and happy adults,” Attorney General Abbott said. “The Choose Life grants will enable recipient organizations to build on the good work they are already doing and help adoption become a reality for even more children and families in the Lone Star State.”

The 13 Choose Life grant recipients are: 4Aggieland Pregnancy Outreach, Inc. (Brazos County) 4Austin LifeCare (Travis County) 4Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services, Inc. (Dallas County) 4Community Pregnancy Center of Pasadena (Harris County) 4Corpus Christi Hope House, Inc. (Nueces County) 4Foundation for Life (Harris County) 4The Gladney Center for Adoption (Tarrant County) 4Highland Lakes Pregnancy Resource Center (Llano County) 4Houston Pregnancy Help Center, Inc. (Harris County) 4Involved for Life, Inc. (Dallas County) 4The John Paul II Life Center (Travis County) 4Pregnancy Help 4 U, Inc. (Denton County) 4Pregnancy Resource Center of Lake Ray Hubbard (Rockwall County) Choose Life license plates were authorized by the Texas Legislature in 2011. SB 257, sponsored by Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, and Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, instructed the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a “Choose Life” specialty license plate. Proceeds from the sale of those plates are deposited in a “Choose Life” account in the general revenue fund, and the attorney general’s office is charged with administering those funds to encourage adoption as an alternative to abortion.

JANUARY 16, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 3

FIRST BLACK GRADUATE OF SOUTHWESTERN DIES AT 90 Marvin C. Griffin, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s first African American graduate, a longtime pastor and trailblazing civic leader, died Dec. 25 at age 90.

SWBTS President Paige Patterson remembered Griffin with mixed emotions of appreciation for the pastor’s storied career and sadness for the seminary’s segregated past.

“The home-going of pastor Marvin Griffin brings mixed emotions to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,” Patterson said. “On the one hand, heaven’s value continues to rise and the heavenly reunion must have been something to see. On the other hand, Brother Griffin was our oldest living African American graduate, and that is a loss for us.

“Remembering with shame when African Americans were not welcome as students at Southwestern, Brother Griffin stood as a triumph of love over prejudice,” Patterson said.

Griffin and L.F. Hardee became the first two African American graduates from Southwestern in 1955, paving the way for hundreds more in the decades to follow.

Griffin held his longest pastorate at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Austin, where he served from 1969 to 2011, when he retired from the pastorate at age 88.

In 1988, Griffin led the church to create the East Austin Economic Development Corporation to provide affordable housing, care for senior adults, a child-development center and other services in its neighborhood. In addition, Griffin expanded Ebenezer’s outreach ministry through radio and television, established a tape ministry for members incapable of attending services, and housed at Ebenezer the first “Meals on Wheels” program in East Austin.

Ebenezer Baptist Church posted a tribute to Griffin on its website.

“Pastor Griffin was on the ‘Battlefield

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Marvin Griffin (left) and Leon Hardee became the first two African American graduates of Southwestern Seminary in 1955. SWBTS ARCHIVES PHOTO

“The home-going of pastor Marvin Griffin brings mixed emotions to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. On the one hand, heaven’s value continues to rise and the heavenly reunion must have been something to see. On the other hand, Brother Griffin was our oldest living African American graduate, and that is a loss for us.

—PAIGE PATTERSON for the Lord’ shepherding God’s people for over 59 years. We, the members of Ebenezer Baptist Church, believe that ‘The spirit of The Lord God is upon him,’” the church said, invoking Isaiah 61:1. “We thank Our Lord and Master for allowing Rev. Griffin to render his faithful and devoted service to Ebenezer. And we salute Dr. Griffin for his vision, his persistence and his willingness to give his all in the service of the Master.”

From 1951 to 1969, Griffin served as pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church in Waco. There, amid the tumultuous period of the civil rights movement, Griffin led marches and picketing for restaurants to open to African Americans.

During his pastoral ministry, he served a two-year term as the

first black president of the Austin Independent School District Board of Directors. Beginning in 1978, he was a stabilizing leader for the district during the tense period of school desegregation.

Griffin also was appointed by Gov. John Connally to Texas Southern University’s board of regents and was elected first vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 1996. Over the years, Griffin also worked as a lecturer, author, historian and Southwestern adjunct professor.

In 2007, the Black Southern Baptist Denominational Servants Network presented Griffin with the KennedyBoyce Award, named after the pastors of the first two African-American churches to join the Southern Baptist Convention in 1953.

—Briefly section was compiled from staff reports and Baptist Press

ERLC PODCAST TO TACKLE ETHICAL QUESTIONS The Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics entity has inaugurated a podcast to provide practical assistance on ethical issues.

The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) debuted “Questions & Ethics” Jan. 13. The podcast, hosted

by ERLC President Russell D. Moore, provides answers to questions from listeners regarding ethics and culture.

In introducing the podcast’s first episode, Moore said many people tend to think ethics is “about really, really complicated sorts of moral questions about human cloning and nuclear war.”

“But for most Christians, the issues that we deal with ethically have to do simply with what it means to follow Christ,” he said. “How do we live as Christians in our workplaces, in our families, around our dinner table, when it comes to choosing our entertainment options?”

Marriage, pornography, immigration and pop culture will be among the topics addressed by Moore on the podcast, according to the ERLC. Listeners may ask questions on Twitter using #AskRDM or by email at questions@erlc.com.

Episodes will be available at erlc.com/questions and on iTunes.

BILL WOULD PROTECT STATE MARRIAGE LAWS Federal legislation to protect state authority in crafting state marriage policy has been introduced in Congress

by Rep. Randy Weber, R.-Texas.

The proposed legislation would mandate that the federal government recognize marriages based on where a couple resides, not where their wedding was performed or celebrated.

The State Marriage Defense Act of 2014 (H.R. 3829) seeks to clarify state authority in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act last summer.

In the DOMA decision, the Supreme Court addressed the following situation: Edith Windsor was considered “married” to her lesbian partner in her state of residence, New York, and filed taxes accordingly.

But the couple’s “marriage” was not recognized for tax purposes by the federal government. Edith Windsor sued the federal government on the grounds that the “death tax” on her deceased partner’s estate was

discriminatory against her as both the heir and spouse, and the court ultimately sided with Windsor.

Weber’s bill, filed Jan. 9, would require the federal government to levy taxes based on the marriage law of New York, which happens to recognize same-sex marriage, but not permit federal agencies to presume samesex marriage upon states where it is not recognized. While striking down section three of DOMA, the Windsor decision did not create a definition of marriage for the federal government.

GUIDESTONE PUTS ‘PERSONAL PLAN’ POLICIES ON HOLD Participants in GuideStone’s group health insurance plans are not effected, but GuideStone has temporarily suspended writing new policies in the so-called “personal plans” for smaller employers effective Jan. 1.

In a GuideStone statement released on Dec. 20, the Southern Baptist entity charged with meeting retirement investment and insurance needs for about 70,000 Southern Baptist ministers and their families stressed that those on personal plans who were covered prior to Jan. 1 are continuing to be covered, noting that the “temporary freezing measure” for new enrollees “is being implemented to best position the Personal Plan medical plans for the longer term.”

At issue is the unique way federal law treated health plans for small employers prior to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. That special treatment is now in question, according to the news release.

“We fully anticipate the continued enrollment of new participants in our Personal Plans once we determine the final results of our legislative, administrative and judicial initiatives,” GuideStone said.

JANUARY 16, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 5

Breakout sessions new to Empower Conference Sagemont Church in Houston hosting annual SBTC evangelism event, Feb. 24-26.

By Jerry Pierce THE ANNUAL EMPOWER CONFERENCE WILL INCLUDE a new offering this year: Breakout sessions to complement the preaching and speaking lineup that characterizes most Baptist state evangelism conferences.

“This year is the first time we have done breakouts.

We designed these to be a time of practical training for pastors, staff and church leaders,” said Nathan Lorick, the SBTC’s evangelism director, of the Feb. 24-26 conference at Sagemont Church in Houston. “I believe that this will set the tone for a great conference.”

The breakouts will be Monday afternoon (Feb. 24), and the speakers will be Afshin Ziafat, pastor of Providence Church in Frisco; Steven Smith, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary vice president of communications and professor of preaching; Alvin Reid of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and an expert on reaching the next generation; Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research; Charles Roesel, pastor emeritus at First Baptist Church, Leesburg, Fla., which under his leadership grew largely through baptisms; Matt Boswell, pastor of ministries and worship at Providence Church in Frisco; and Paul Tripp, author of “Dangerous Calling: Confronting the

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Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry,” published by Crossway.

“The breakouts are a great opportunity for church staff to come away with some new ideas on how to reach their communities with the gospel,” Lorick noted. “Our desire is that these breakouts may somehow rekindle a desire for intentional evangelism with churches’ strategies.

“I believe that everyone who comes to a breakout session will walk away refreshed, encouraged and inspired to further fulfill the Great Commission in their context.”

There will be two sessions—from 1-2:30 p.m. and 2:45-4:15 p.m.

In both sessions, Stetzer will speak on making small groups evangelistic, based on his latest book. Ziafat, a former Muslim, will address cross-cultural evangelism in the first session and will team with Boswell during the second session for a dialogue on gospel-centered worship. Roesel will discuss doubling baptisms through ministry evangelism while Smith will address connecting through preaching.

Meanwhile, Tripp will cover offering care that leads to cure, and Reid will address leading churches to reach the coming generation.

For the latest information on breakout sessions, visit sbtexas.com/ec14breakouts.

Pastor defends comments charging Obama policies paving way for Antichrist

BOOK REVIEW ‘Dying to Grow: Reclaiming the Heart for Evangelism in the Local Church’ Is your church’s pursuit of growth actually a silent killer lurking beneath a façade of health and wellbeing? Has the pursuit of nickels and noses obscured a biblical focus on kingdom growth through evangelism?

These are questions Nathan Lorick asks in his book “Dying to Grow: Reclaiming the Heart for Evangelism in the Local Church” (Aneko Press, paperback, 141 pages.) Lorick, director of evangelism at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and a former Texas pastor, tells how as a younger man he was awakened to find himself pursuing “the ministerial version of the American dream,” valuing worldly definitions of church success over real, biblical, Christ-centered obedience and Great Commission focus.

With plenteous biblical and real-life examples, Lorick shows how these “fatal attractions” of church growth ensnare well-meaning pastors and what the antidote is. Quite simply, as Lorick writes in the first chapter, “Churches today need to find their way back to the gospel by ignoring the newest self-help church growth books and following the example of the fastest growing and most effective church that history has ever seen—the church in Acts.”

Lorick urges church leaders to become desperate for God, to keep the gospel in focus, to eschew the myths of worldly church “success,” to pray fervently for the lost, to be burdened by the gospel mandate, and to lead local churches to share in that burden.

The end of the book includes two appendixes providing practical suggestions for implementing evangelistic endeavors in churches.

In the book’s foreword, LifeWay Research President Ed Stetzer notes that “fewer and fewer unchurched individuals are visiting churches, necessitating Christians living out a missional, incarnational faith on a daily basis.”

With that in view, “Dying to Grow” provides a much-needed prescription for what ails too many congregations.

—Jerry Pierce

Robert Jeffress said comments are a small part of a larger narrative about end times.

By Bonnie Pritchett DALLAS

Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress Jan. 9 defended statements he made in his forthcoming book charging President Barack Obama’s policies have “paved the way” for the coming usurpation of religious liberties and moral law by the Antichrist.

Critics balked at naming Obama and the Antichrist in the same sentence. But noted theologians said Jeffress’ example, when read in context, properly frames end-time prophecies in light of current events.

“I don’t sit around in my office thinking up controversies. But I do use controversy to shine the light on Jesus Christ,” said the pastor of the 11,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas.

Jeffress knew the quotes issued by the publishing company for his new book, “Perfect Ending: Why your eternal future matters today,” would be provocative, but he approved their use in the press release. No stranger to controversy, Jeffress drew attention during the 2012 presidential elections when he referred to Mormonism as a cult. And, on the eve of the election, he warned his congregation against voting for Obama. Jeffress stands by his comments, arguing each ensuing media eruption allowed him to share the gospel from a national platform.

With the Jan. 6 release of a press statement by Worthy Publishing, Jeffress has come under fire JANUARY 16, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 7

yet again. Using current events to illustrate how a future world ruler could easily subvert moral law, Jeffress named names.

“Although President Obama is certainly not the Antichrist, his policies are paving the way for the Antichrist,” Jeffress stated in the book.

“I understand what Jeffress is saying,” said Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

Agreeing with the overall message, Patterson said he would have couched it in broader terms. As Western governments grow in power and influence—beyond the limited authority intended by God—there is a corresponding decrease in individual freedom.

“To exceed that has always been dangerous and portends a day when government will be irresistible and totally corrupt. Is the Obama administration guilty? Yes, and so are almost all Western governments,” Patterson said.

Craig Blaising, Southwestern Seminary provost, a professor of eschatology and theology and member of First Baptist Dallas, said the pastor’s comments are nothing new or out of character.

Jeffress preached a sermon series by the same name in 2013.

“Dr. Jeffress was not identifying the Antichrist and he emphatically said so,” Blaising said.

In the book and from the pulpit Jeffress revealed a pattern of influence that allows a leader to overturn religious and moral laws. Using a current president as an example is acceptable and prudent, Blaising said.

Patterson said, “If mentioning present sitting politicians in an effort to identify them with someone in Scripture, that is a failed policy and a hermeneutical mistake … But as I understand it, Pastor Jeffress did not make that mistake. He simply pointed out that some of the policies of the Obama administration were clearly [contrary to] the Bible and set the stage for the coming of a world ruler.”

In researching the book Jeffress questioned how the Antichrist would be able to thwart political and personal resolve, forcing people to subjugate their will to the collective will of government with so little opposition. He found the answers in recent U.S. legislation.

“Jeffress describes how our current political leaders are enacting laws and issuing court orders that

offend or trespass against God’s Law as shown in the Book of Daniel—such as the baker in Colorado who was ordered, against his religious convictions, to create a cake for a gay wedding or face punitive fines,” the press release stated.

Jeffress told Baptist Press that for too long pastors have neglected to speak authoritatively and accurately about biblical eschatology. Failed attempts by endtime prognosticators in the 1970s and 1980s to name names and predict the coming of Christ embarrassed many pastors and theologians into silence. But in that void has risen more false teachings, Jeffress said.

The pastor said he wanted to enlighten and engage Christians, not forecast the coming apocalypse.

“I am not Harold Camping reincarnated,” Jeffress quipped, referring to the widely popular radio Bible teacher who predicted the world would end May 21, 2011. Camping died on Dec. 15.

“There are a whole lot of people saying a lot of things that are not supported by the Bible. They may have a little bit of truth with a lot of imagination,” Blaising said.

Pastors need to speak the truth —ROBERT JEFFRESS about end times and can do so as an effective apologetic approach to witnessing. But Blaising said there will be increasing push-back from an increasingly secular society.

“There is a great effort underway to control public discourse and silence Christians,” he said.

The only “acceptable” speech is that which gives recognition to select groups the society deems worthy of promotion. Christians are not among that group and so their speech is disallowed regardless of the truth or merit of its content, Blaising said. And it is that context into which Jeffress’ statements were cast.

But that reality should not stymie Christians, Jeffress said.

“The truth is always provocative. The desire for political correctness should not trump the message of truth,” Jeffress added.

“To single out the leader of the Western World and call attention to the unbiblical policies of his administration is certainly no different than what biblical prophets did including John the Baptist. Policies have promoters and simply to act as though this were not the case is also a mistake,” Patterson concluded.

“The truth is always provocative. The desire for political correctness should not trump the message of truth.”

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Surrender …

‘WHEREVER THAT MIGHT BE’ Couple traveling lightly to answer God’s call to the mission field in France.

By Sharayah Colter

hey had established careers—he in the commercial tire business and she as a church treasurer. They owned a home and most of the things Americans would consider to be “normal” possessions. They had finished raising their children and were faithful servants in their local church.

The Hammits were, by most definitions, comfortable.

That comfort soon was disrupted, though, and the couple could not be happier about it.

Just one year ago, as Karla Hammit ran through a sound check with a Lottie Moon Christmas Offering video to be played in a Sunday morning church service, God pricked her heart with a stinging burden for the lost around the world and her duty to share the saving knowledge of Christ with them.

“That clip and the message portrayed broke my heart, and I could not get away from the conviction of the Holy Spirit and God’s call to get busy about his work,” she said.

That burden continued to grow, though Karla had not yet shared it with her husband Denis. When Karla joined the rest of the church staff on a retreat, the burden turned into a clear call from the Lord—one so distinct that she could not deny its presence. As she shared aloud about the burden on her heart for the first time, she asked the staff

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This memorial to World War I soldiers is in Vitry-le-François, a commune in the Marne department of northeastern France. It is located on the Marne River and is the western terminus of the Marne-Rhine Canal. The population is 31,826 and mostly unreached. This area is a likely destination for the Hammits.

I could not get away from the conviction of the Holy Spirit and God’s call to get busy about his work.”

—KARLA HAMMIT

The Porte du Pont (or gate bridge), seen from a car window, was built in honor of Louis XIV in 1748.

10 TEXANONLINE.NET JANUARY 16, 2014

to join her in prayer for what God would have her do and for how she should broach the subject with Denis, not wanting to interfere with the Holy Spirit’s work or timing in his heart.

A few months later, Karla attended the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s SENT Conference in Euless in order to gather travel safety information for their church’s short-term missions teams. Denis came along to see what the conference was all about and to spend a few days with his wife. God, though, had bigger plans.

Karla said that Brad Womble, International Mission Board missionary and mobilization strategist, captivated them with his story and message that all Christians are called to go and to tell of Christ’s redemptive work.

“Again we heard, ‘True followers of Christ don’t sit in the safety of the church building. They go,’” Karla recalled.

For the Hammits, “going” began with a walk to the altar to pray and surrender to a call from the Lord that was now clear to both husband and wife, though the details remained completely obscured.

“At the end of the last sermon, the altar was open for people to come and pray or make commitments,” Karla said. “Denis took me by the hand and we knelt there before the Lord and surrendered our lives to his service, wherever that might be.”

They took seriously the surrender they offered that day at the conference and did not let it become an emotionally charged or passing moment. Instead, they got busy, selling their home, paring down their pos-

sessions and preparing to “go” by preparing a will.

“We sold everything,” Karla said. “We were homeless and happy about being homeless.”

In keeping with God’s continually clear direction for them, preparing their will led them to what the Lord would have as their next step. As they met with Johnathan Gray, executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation, to begin the process of preparing the will, they shared what the Lord was doing in their lives and the call to missions they believed he laid on their hearts. Gray encouraged Denis to look into attending seminary, which Karla said was in line with other godly counsel they had received. Within the next few weeks, Denis enrolled in classes at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, the foundation hired Karla and then Denis to work at its Grapevine office and the seminary approved the couple’s application to move into campus housing.

The student housing situation could have sent the two into a frenzy, the rental being unfurnished and the couple having just sold all their furniture, but the Hammits by then had come to expect God’s faithfulness and provision. They soon found a solution to their predicament, literally, on the side of the road.

“As we drove through a neighborhood to visit family, we saw a round, wooden kitchen table sitting on the curb with a sign taped to the front: ‘FREE,’” Karla recalled. “Our hearts were beating fast when we walked to the door of the house to be sure this was for real. The man said the table had been there for two days and was ours for the taking.”

And those are the sorts of things the Lord has just continued to do over and over for the couple who has now returned from the first of several vision trips to France—a place to which they feel the Lord drawing them.

“Day after day after day, we’ve seen God do these things and provide.”

The simpler life they now live in their campus tri-plex with no TV, preparing to go share the gospel with the lost people of France—a population which providentially includes some of Denis’ family whom he had never met—has given them more time for the things that matter.

“We now have more of a dependent focus on what

This building in Vitry-le-François formerly served as a house church meeting place. Catholic Cathedrals in towns such as these date back centuries, but missionaries see the gospel’s power at work in house churches and home BIble studies.

God’s going to do next,” Karla said. “I’m a planner.

This has totally taken the planning out of things.

There’s such a sense of freedom. We own very little.

It’s our culture to be like, ‘Everybody has this, and I want one just like it.’ We’re not having that and not really even missing it.

“That’s part of what God’s done in our life—shown us that all of the excess and waste we have in our country is not going to be needed on the mission field.”

During their first vision trip to France, Karla and Denis, whose French name was given to him by his mother—a native French woman who married an American during World War II—had the opportunity to connect with Denis’ French family members, who, like many in France, do not know the Lord.

“There were seeds planted there,” Karla said. “They were curious about what we were doing and why we’re doing it. If we don’t ever touch another life, we can start there.”

JANUARY 16, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 11

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Dallas-based group using smart-phone technology to save babies nationwide.

By Bonnie Pritchett

“OnlineForLife: Center TX02 is speaking with someone considering abortion. Will you pray?”

The notification popped up on my iPhone screen. Agreeing, I clicked “Yes,” adding my voice to those interceding on behalf of an unknown woman seeking counsel at an unknown Texas crisis pregnancy center. That the woman was even speaking with a life-affirming counselor can be credited to a simple yet underutilized tool in the pro-life movement: Marketing.

Attracting women to crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) often requires a personal touch. A woman facing a difficult pregnancy may confide in a friend or family member. The prayers of a sidewalk counselor may be the last words a woman hears before entering an abortion clinic. But what if there were a way to direct a woman to a CPC before she leaves her home and simultaneously rally a national network of partners to pray for her?

“We’re business guys and we test things so we can maximize the number of babies we save,” said Brian Fisher, co-founder of Online For Life (OFL), a pro-life, non-profit business.

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Brian Fisher (standing), co-founder of Online For Life (OFL), and Tim Gerwing, OFL vice president of technology, discuss demographics in their office in Frisco. In 2007 Fisher and a co-worker at Coral Ridge Ministries in Florida toyed with the idea of using the Internet and social media to direct women from abortion clinics to CPCs. On June 21, 2010, the first OFL baby was rescued and the number is growing daily.

PHOTO BY RICK LINTHICUM

Drawing upon the expertise of professionals in the business and technology industries, OFL has developed cutting-edge online marketing techniques to direct abortion-minded women to CPCs and their life-affirming message.

That work is then undergirded in prayer. The OFL iPhone application asks followers to pray. Being able to pray in real time for a woman considering abortion has powerful potential, Fisher said. Mustering the prayers of many thousands of people across the nation on behalf of abortion-minded women and their families could be a culture-

changer.

“When you have that many people interceding, you’re going to have babies saved,” he said.

Fisher admitted the “abortion Holocaust” was not on his radar in the 1990s. But the friendship of a crisis pregnancy center director in Pittsburgh and the birth of his first son in 1999 began an eight-year journey leading to his involvement in the pro-life movement. In 2007 Fisher and a co-worker at Coral Ridge Ministries in Florida toyed with the idea of using the Internet and social media to direct women from abortion clinics to CPCs. And

it worked.

Fisher took the prototype to Dallas in 2009 and launched Online For Life. On June 21, 2010, the first OFL baby was rescued. That reality crashed over Fisher in a wave of gratitude toward God. All of the hard work and dedication wrought a priceless reward—the life of a baby rescued and a mother saved from the heartache of abortion.

“That’s our baby,” declared Lori Szala, executive director of Pregnancy Resource Center South Hills in Pittsburgh.

One of three CPCs involved in the 2007 test project, the Pittsburgh center became the first CPC in the nation to affiliate with Online For Life and the partnership has proven invaluable. Szala said non-profit centers like hers cannot compete with government-subsidized abortion giant Planned Parenthood and for-profit abortion clinics in the Internet marketing arena. But OFL gives them an edge. For a monthly fee, the Pittsburgh center partners with OFL to get the clinic’s foot in the proverbial marketing door. That has translated into a 75 percent increase in inquiries from abortion-minded women, Szala reported.

Fisher and Tim Gerwing, OFL vice president of technology, would not divulge much detail about OFL operations out of concern that abortion advocates might use that knowledge to undermine their efforts. Gerwing called OFL an extension of a pregnancy center’s

“Our goal is to get her talking to a pregnancy resource center as fast as possible. It’s like a 911 call. Clearly she’s shopping for an abortion.”

—TIM GERWING, OFL VICE PRESIDENT OF TECHNOLOGY

ministry. Leaving careers in highly competitive businesses and technology ventures, OFL employees now dedicate their skills to saving babies and their families.

OFL works with 50 CPCs in 23 states to direct women in crisis to

their affiliated centers as quickly as possible. Just as in the business world, there is competition in the abortion industry—non-profit CPCs are competing against well-financed and market-savvy abortion providers to see who can be more persuasive.

“We have to out-fund or outwit them to get the same person,” Fisher said.

Using Internet target marketing, OFL programming recognizes Internet searches for abortion

services. The goal is to have OFL affiliates pop up on the first page of results along with the abortion clinics, giving the searcher a choice of services. Research indicates 80 percent of the Internet traffic OFL monitors is on mobile devices. That puts a woman just one click away from an abortion provider or a life-affirming pregnancy center.

“Our goal is to get her talking to a pregnancy resource center as fast as possible,” Gerwing said. “It’s like a 911 call.

Clearly she’s shopping for an abortion.”

As a result, staff at CPCs have been retrained to counsel women on the phone.

Szala said getting callers to calm down and think clearly is the greatest challenge. Once done, the counselor details the options available including a visit to the CPC. Callers are told in the initial conversation the center does not provide abortions or abortion referrals.

Gerwing said it is gratifying to be a part of that connection. From its Dallas office, OFL connects scared, panicked, vulnerable women to “people willing to love and care for [them] in the name of Christ.”

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The endeavor hasn’t been without growing pains.

As the network grew, more phones calls were coming into the pregnancy centers than there were available people to answer calls. Because the centers have limited office hours, only 42 percent of calls coming in were answered by a person.

“You only have one chance to pick up,” Gerwing said.

With no one answering at the CPC listed on her Google search, an anxious woman would simply scroll to the next listing, possibly an abortion clinic.

So OFL established a 24-hour phone service. Calls going to centers after office hours are rolled over to an OFL counselor in Dallas who can schedule an appointment with any affiliated center in the country.

And because OFL is staffed by business and tech wonks, the urge to tweak and improve never stops. That is why the logical next step for the organization is the establishment of their own pregnancy resource center in the Dallas area.

“We’ve designed the end-to-end care center that rescues families and children,” Fisher said.

Recognizing the impact abortion has on women and their extended families, the new center will serve not only as an outreach to women in crisis but serve as a learning laboratory for OFL. As entrepreneurial businessmen, Fisher and his team are always looking to discover how they can do their jobs better so that more babies will be saved.

Such is the motivation behind the upgrade of the iPhone application. Gerwing said the new version— due to roll out this month in time for national sanctity of life emphases—is designed for all smartphones and Windows applications.

“Our heart is to build a nationwide prayer network,” he said.

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The application will allow users to: • See real-time prayer requests from as many or as few CPCs as they wish; • See the number of people praying at a given time; • Post notifications to social media; • Allow churches and pregnancy centers to post needs or events advancing the pro-life cause in their communities.

And it will continue to notify users of the number of babies saved. Until recently, pro-life organizations did not keep such a public tally. Fisher said that tactical change is most notably seen in the work of 40 Days for Life. The organization not only announces the number of babies saved through their efforts but the abortion workers who leave the industry (most notably Abby Johnson of College Station, who became a pro-life advocate), and the number of abortion clinics that close.

And that, Fisher contends, will be the impetus for cultural transformation. By celebrating the number of babies saved from abortion—the exclamation point at the end of the pro-life message—society will regain its appreciation for the miracle of life and champion its cause. Keeping the numbers in front of the culture that engages so prolifically in social media while using that same media to draw women to CPCs will create a self-perpetuating paradigm shift.

“By accelerating the number of babies saved you create the cultural transformation of more people wanting to save babies,” Fisher said.

Another glance at my iPhone.

“OnlineForLife—Baby number 1335 was just saved in Dallas, TX. Share the good news!”

Indeed.

SBTC’s webinars alternative to costly training events

By Sharayah Colter WHEN THE SOUTHERN BAPTISTS OF TEXAS CONVENTION asked its churches how it could better serve them, many answered back that they wished to attend more conferences and training events but that costs for registration and travel usually kept them at home.

So, problem in hand, the convention sought a solution. From the beginning they knew that solution needed to provide maximum impact for as little cost as possible. It became clear that offering webinars would be the way to go.

“The SBTC tries not to just come up with things to do,” said Kenneth Priest, director of convention strategies at the SBTC. “We listen to our churches. We offer our webinars as a response to the needs of the local church.

It’s designed to provide discipleship training for our churches where they are without them having to come to us.”

The SBTC offers a once-a-month leadership training webinar at 11 a.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month in addition to a handful of other webinars throughout the year. Priest said even the timing of the monthly webinars has been tailored to fit churches’ needs, explaining that some churches and associations host local luncheons in conjunction with the webinar training.

Now, after having offered webinars since 2010, the convention has rolled out an expansion in its online offerings that will include live events and more than 100 hours of archived content in addition to the live webinars. Prior to the 2013 SBTC annual meeting, both the live streaming webinars and the archived webinars could be found at sbtexas.com/webinars. Now, while live webinars and webinar schedules remain at that address, archived webinars and all additional online content are housed at sbtexas.com/online.

Lance Crowell, SBTC church ministries associate, said using the Internet to offer resources to churches allows the convention to substantially increase training opportunities for a minimal investment.

“This allows us to provide more avenues to reach more church leaders through dollars from the Cooperative Program,” Crowell said. “It’s trying to multiply our

WEBINAR. Kenneth Priest (left), SBTC director of convention strategies, speaks with David Alexander (middle), church planting associate, and Felix Cornier, pastor of El Companerismo Biblico El Camino in Lewisville and a church planting ministry facilitator, during an SBTC webinar last fall. Such webinars, offered through the SBTC website, provide training for pastors and church leaders without the costs associated with large training events.

PHOTO BY RICK LINTHICUM

ministry without multiplying cost. We’re really trying to be faithful with the dollars we’ve been given.”

The Cooperative Program (CP)—the shared funding mechanism for Southern Baptist missions—provides the people and resources to make webinars and online training possible at no cost to participants, Priest said.

“Because our churches give through the Cooperative Program, this ministry exists,” Priest added.

Priest also said that the SBTC designed the content in the webinars and online training to be applicable to pastors and lay leaders.

“My original vision was, ‘Let’s provide something for the pastor so that when he sees it, he says, ‘Oh, my people have to watch this,’” Priest said. “Part of what we’re trying to do is give them a tool they can use for training.”

Webinars cover a wide range of topics including church revitalization, Sunday school issues, leadership styles, discipleship strategies and many others.

Find the webinars and online training at sbtexas. com/webinars and sbtexas.com/online.

JANUARY 16, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 15

Patterson to address immigration reform event Feb. 9 in Dallas

By Sharayah Colter DALLAS

4Where do evangelical churches stand on the issue?

NEW LIFE BAPTIST CHURCH IN DALLAS will host pastors for a

prayer service focusing on immigration reform on Feb. 9 in Dallas.

The Sunday event, set to begin at 6 p.m., will include prayer and a keynote address from Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

The event will address questions such as: 4What should pastors know about immigration reform? 4What have been some misunderstandings?

Patterson told the TEXAN that the issue is a challenge for all believers and should drive believers to prayer for wisdom in decisionmaking and for salvation for every soul involved.

“We are obligated to uphold the law except when it violates biblical principles,” Patterson said.

“Yet, the country of one’s origin or his present circumstances do not change either our evangelistic mandate or our responsibility to care for every human need that we have it in our power to meet.

So what happens when these two

mandates appear to be in tension?

Among other things, the most important response is fervent prayer—prayer that we may know the best approach, prayer that God will guide the decision-makers in America to just and equitable conclusions and, most of all, prayer that God will give us the souls of every person in America whether legal or illegal. This conference is, as I understand it, about prayer.

Join us please.”

The event will be held at 2626 Gus Thomasson Rd., Dallas 75228.

Call 214-327-0535 or email newlife@newlifedallas.org with questions.

Cultural engagement meeting precedes Empower Conference on Feb. 24

By TEXAN Staff HOUSTON

A SPECIAL MORNING EVENT preceding the SBTC Empower Conference will equip pastors to engage their communities for Christ.

Richard Land, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary and former president of the SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, will headline the morning.

Danny Forshee, pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, will tell how his church keeps the gospel at the forefront of their

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own cultural engagement. Craig Mitchell, associate professor of cultural studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, will speak on how churches can engage the issues and needs of their communities.

The conference is sponsored by the SBTC’s Texas Eth-

Richard Land

Danny Forshee

ics and Religious Liberty Committee, chaired by Mitchell, and will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 24, and adjourn by noon at Sagemont Craig Mitchell Church in Houston, site of the SBTC Empower Conference that begins that afternoon.

There is no charge for the conference, and pastors and church leaders are encouraged to attend. No pre-registration is required.

Philippines reconstruction far from over SBTC team integral part of long-term recovery on typhoon-stricken Panay Island.

By Lily Jameson ROXAS, Philippines

CEZAR AND CARMEN BARTOCILLO HUDDLED in their home with their children Nov. 7, when Typhoon Haiyan’s powerful winds tore through the city of Roxas on the island of Panay. It damaged their house as they cowered inside it.

“We were in the house together—me and my husband and my five children,” Carmen Bartocillo said.

“Our roof blew off while we were still inside. We were all crying.”

When a volunteer team from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s Disaster Relief ministry traveled to Panay a month after the storm, the Bartocillo home still lacked a roof. The team traveled to Panay to help restore the local computer college, which the Bartocillos’ daughter attended. However, they also stopped by students’ homes and distributed 30 sheets of tin roofing, food packages and personal hygiene items. Cezar Bartocillo helped them unload roofing for his home.

After visiting several residents, volunteer Sherry McDugle of Bois D’arc Baptist Church in Palestine said although the storm damaged many sections of Panay, life continued for residents. If Haiyan left a particular family with nothing but a roof, they crawled under it for protection.

“No matter what condition their homes were left in, they are living in them,” McDugle said. “They are doing what they have to do.”

And as recovery efforts continued, these people struggled to survive. The team visited the home of another computer school student, Caren Mondia, who lives with her aunt, Ayen Balgos. The storm also blew the roof off Balgos’ home while the family hid inside.

And immediately after the typhoon ended, water

Sherry McDugle of Bois D’arc Baptist Church in Palestine gets playful with a young Filipino girl held by her mother during an assessment of damage from Typhoon Haiyan in December. The SBTC is teaming with Baptist Global Response in calling for six-person relief teams to deploy for two weeks each.

Previous DR training is not required for most volunteers, but each team must be led by someone trained in DR. PHOTO BY GARRY MCDUGLE

flooded the house, ruining many of their possessions and much of their food. They didn’t eat for five days after the storm.

Balgos then had to make a choice: she could either repair her home or pay for her children’s school fees.

She chose her children’s education, and so, her home remained in shambles when the team arrived.

These two families served as proof that reconstruction in the Philippines was far from over. At the time, the volunteers from Texas helped as much as they could.

“The destruction can be overwhelming,” McDugle said. “This is one of the situations you really have to let the Spirit guide you.”

TEAMS NEEDED FOR CONTINUING WORK IN PHILIPPINES As disaster relief leaders from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention lead a first wave of rebuilding efforts in the Philippines alongside Baptist Global Response (BGR), six-person volunteer teams from Southern Baptist churches in Texas are needed for two-week deployments.

Garry McDugle of Bois D’arc Baptist Church north of Palestine will coordinate the SBTC/BGR efforts through the end of March.

McDugle said volunteers don’t need previous disaster relief experience, but each team must be led by someone trained in DR. McDugle spent two weeks assessing the needs near Roxas City on the island of Panay in December. For more information on volunteering, call the SBTC DR office toll free 877-953-7282 (SBTC) or email jrichardson@sbtexas.com.

JANUARY 16, 2014 TEXANONLINE.NET 17

Brad Moore

Real healthcare options to Obamacare As I have watched Fox News over the past few weeks, I have become increasingly concerned about Obamacare’s effect on the average American family. Consequently, I decided to call a few insurance agent friends. What I found was disturbing, especially because part of my work is to help people budget effectively.

Before Obamacare, a Blue Cross plan for my family of five cost about $900. With Obamacare, the agent informed me that I could expect a monthly premium of anywhere from $1,500$1,800. As soon as I heard this I knew I needed to let my clients and other believers know that there are other options in the form of several Christian non-profit healthcare sharing groups.

In 1981, the first healthcare sharing ministry, Christian Healthcare Ministries, was formed.

Years later, Samaritan’s Ministries and MediShare followed suit.

A healthcare sharing ministry has members who share common religious beliefs and resources to pay one another’s medical expenses in accordance with those beliefs. Currently, the total membership of the three ministries is about 208,000 and rapidly growing, with one ministry reporting a 150 percent increase in inquiries last October. MSNBC, Time magazine, and Fox News have featured these ministries and an online search reveals articles from Consumer Reports, NPR, and USA Today. These three health-sharing ministries are written into Obamacare, meaning their members are exempt from the requirement to purchase traditional health insurance.

COST COMPARISON OF HEALTHCARE OPTIONS

Monthly Fee Annual Total 4Traditional Health Insurance (before Obamacare) $800 (approx.) $9,600 (approx.)

4Obamacare Bronze Plan $708 $8,496 4Samaritan Ministries $404 $4,848 4Christian Healthcare Ministries $475 $5,700 4Medi-Share $604 $7,248

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The healthcare ministries are alike in that all require members to be Christians living by biblical principles.

This includes abstaining from the use of tobacco and illegal drugs, using alcohol only in moderation and attending group worship regularly in a home or worship center.

On the other hand, the ministries differ in the way each handles preexisting conditions, the coverage of preventative healthcare and the responsibility of the members. For more information regarding these differences, visit their websites or call them.

My wife and I have been members with Christian Healthcare Ministries for nearly three years. Overall, we are happy with the ministry, especially related to my wife Kelli’s bout with cancer earlier this year. Up until December, Christian Healthcare Ministries had paid approximately $110,000 while we had paid less than $500 out of pocket. We also pay a $195 monthly premium for Kelli’s healthcare. Truth be told, we have had communication issues at times, often encountering difficulties sending and receiving medical bills electronically. But all things considered, the experience has been positive and we have been thankful for the work of Christian Healthcare Ministries.

In addition, a ministry representative once prayed with me over the phone. I would encourage anyone who signs up with Christian Healthcare Ministries to also sign up for Brother’s Keeper, an additional program that provides an unlimited lifetime maximum cost and an unlimited maximum per medical incident. Relative to the significant benefits, this additional option is well worth the $100 annual fee ($8.50 monthly).

By looking at the adjoining cost comparison graphic for a family of five, you may notice that the healthcare sharing ministries cost less than traditional health insurance.

Notice that my family would pay slightly more with the pre-Obamacare health insurance than with the Obamacare Bronze plan. At the same time, keep in mind this Obamacare Bronze plan is the least expensive government option and that it only covers 60 percent. In other words, this plan would only pay $24,000 of my $40,000 surgery that I had three years ago. I would be responsible for the other $16,000. On the other hand, the healthcare sharing ministry Medi-Share would pay 100 percent of the $40,000. Therefore, it is important to look at all of your healthcare options very carefully.

Obviously, this article cannot provide all of the information and details you need to make decisions regarding your healthcare. But I pray it is a start in alerting readers that there are viable, affordable and morally acceptable alternatives to government healthcare.

—Brad Moore, certified as an Independent Dave Ramsey Financial Coach, is a member of First Baptist Lake Charles, La. Find more at bradmoorecoaching.com.