enhancing the Kingdom ministry on Southeastern’s campus now and in the future
Carissa Jones
MESSENGER STAFF
Brian Hobbs | Editor bhobbs@oklahomabaptists.org
Katie Brown | Ministry Assistant kbrown@oklahomabaptists.org
Brook Daniel | Graphic Designer bdaniel@oklahomabaptists.org
Jacob King | Staff Writer jking@oklahomabaptists.org
Bob Nigh | Contributing Writer bnigh@oklahomabaptists.org
CONNECT WITH US
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WHAT I’VE GAINED ON THIS JOURNEY
Friends, thank you for praying for me, as I continue on my journey to recovery after the major car accident I experienced last July. Your prayers have carried me and my family, and the Lord has been so good to us.
Some of you are aware of a recent significant development in my journey. While so much of my recovery from significant bone breaks, nerve damage and more has gone according to plan and on (or ahead of schedule), my right leg was too badly injured from the accident.
Over the course of a few weeks, we had multiple consultations with surgeons on the ortho trauma team at OU. They recommended that the best path forward for me to regain my mobility and quality of life was to amputate my right leg below the knee.
After carefully weighing the options, seeking wise counsel and thoroughly praying, we were confident that amputation was the right choice. The Lord gave us a peace about the decision.
I am writing this update to you in the days following the surgery to amputate my leg. We are praying for good recovery/healing over the next couple of months and starting the process of getting a prosthetic leg. How grateful we are for all the people who have continued to pray for us!
I was asked more times than I can count by the hospital staff, “How do you feel about this?” I tell them that God has given me a deep peace and my belief that He will use everything that has happened and my future life as an amputee for His purpose. What an opportunity we’ve already had in this journey to point people to God and His Kingdom.
Yes, I lost a physical part of my body. I lost the ability to walk and move in a way that I’ve been used to my whole life. I lost some conveniences and perhaps my ability to
do certain things. But I thank God for helping me focus on what I’ve gained in this journey. My physical body has been diminished, but my spiritual life has been enriched.
I’ve gained a greater perspective on not taking for granted the blessings God gives us every day—faith, health, marriage, family, so many other blessings. I have a greater appreciation of how God can use our suffering and how, even in the valley, He is working for His glory and our good. I will soon gain a new way to physically walk with a new chapter in my testimony that I pray can be used to encourage others in their spiritual walk.
And perhaps greatest of all, I have gained a richer understanding that our lives today and our hardships are temporal, our mortal bodies are jars of clay, our focus today must be centered on eternity where one day God will make all things new and give to us glorified, whole bodies to live for eternity in His perfect presence.
God has used this journey the last seven months to teach me in ways I could never have imagined on the importance of what is eternal, about the things of faith and how that impacts the way I live today.
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
“My physical body has been diminished, but my spiritual life has been enriched.”
REACHING THE LOST… LOSING THE ‘REACHED’?
Did you know that Southern Baptists, together through our Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon giving and our International Mission Board (IMB) work, currently have some 3,600 missionaries now serving in 155 countries? These missionaries are working overtime to reach the lost and spread the Good News of Jesus to people who have never heard the Gospel.
If you go to the IMB’s website (imb.org), you can find out how to take part in specific prayer efforts and find out how you personally can participate in this Gospel work. There is even a program called the “Master’s Program,” by which people who are 55-plus in age can participate in a journeymen-program-like missions deployment. Yes, people of every age-stage can participate in missions work.
As Southern Baptists, we have been and will always be a Great Commission people, trying to reach the lost all around the world, near and far. At the same time, we are a people who want to make sure that we continue to disciple and bring up the next generation of Christians within our own families and churches.
We never want to “lose the reached.” Yet recent data shows that we may be at risk of that. In his podcast “The Briefing,” Albert Mohler recently analyzed U.S. Census data and other polling information now available concerning faith and religion. One observable trend among people is those who are self-professing Christians, used to attend church regularly, but no longer do. A pastor described this group as the “dones.”
There are many people who today feel “done” with church. A recent article by Lifeway reported that, “On average, U.S. Protestant churches report current attendance at 85 percent of their typical Sunday morning crowds in January 2020, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Somehow we have come to a place in the church today in which we are “losing the reached.” With the phrase “losing the reached,” I, of course, am not saying that saved people are losing their salvation. Instead, I refer to those Christian believers who have dropped out of church.
This phenomenon of church attenders dropping out has happened with regularity among young people. An estimated two-thirds of young adults who attend church for at least a year in high school will stop attending church regularly for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.
We are seeing far too many people of all ages simply check out. It’s possible COVID closures broke people of the good habit of going to church (Heb. 10:25); or religious scandals have turned the “dones” off to organized Christianity. It’s also possible a bad personal experience has become a barrier to attending.
Whatever the case, the “dones” need the church, and the church needs them. Pastors and church members must reckon with this trend of the “dones” and prayerfully seek the Lord in how we can best reach them.
The recent Oklahoma Baptists’ Advance Conference talked about the link between evangelism and discipleship, and that holds the key to reaching both the “nones” and the “dones.” Moreover, both groups want to and need to see Christians living with better moral integrity.
To that end, together let’s renew our focus to reach the lost and to recapture in church those who are followers of Jesus. Together, Southern Baptists can continue to be a force for good, one that goes with the Good News of Jesus and that “Makes disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28).
Brian Hobbs
Oklahoma Baptists Editor
April 4-6
Collegiate Spring Retreat Falls Creek Conference Center, Davis, OK
oklahomabaptists.org/fallscreek/spring-retreat/
April 25-26
Men's Retreat Falls Creek Conference Center, Davis, OK
oklahomabaptists.org/men/ retreat
April 11-12
Women's Retreat Falls Creek Conference Center, Davis, OK
oklahomabaptists.org/ women/
Reflections on White Socks
It happened several years ago… all right, many years ago… let’s go with “a long, long time ago.” It happened before I got married.
I was teaching school in Konawa. I also drove a bus route for the school because even back then, they had a hard time finding bus drivers. It was in the winter. And the meteorologists (by that I am referring to Gary England) were saying it was going to get icy overnight.
Being the trustworthy kind of individual that I am, I decided that I should probably get up earlier than normal that next morning. That way, if it did ice over, I could get my truck cleaned off and make it to school to drive my bus route on time.
The house I was living in was a three-room deal with all three rooms in a straight line. The first one was the living room. The second one was the kitchen. And the third one was the bedroom.
When I got out of bed the next morning and started toward the living room, when I realized that linoleum floor in the kitchen was probably going to be some kind of cold. So, I stopped long enough to put on my white socks on. One of the benefits of always wearing cowboy boots is you can wear white socks every day. If you had colored socks, you would wear different colored socks. You don’t even have to wear socks. But I put on a pair of trustworthy white socks for my quick walk through the kitchen to the living room.
When I got into the living room, I reached up and pulled the string which turned the light on. I never said the place was fancy. But it was inexpensive, which was just my style.
After turning on the living room light, I took the couple of steps to the front door, grabbed the window shade and pulled it back just far enough for me to see if there was any ice outside. As soon as I pulled the shade back, I spotted someone standing on my front porch.
In one giant leap, I was back in the middle of my living room. My heart was beating out of my chest. I was on the verge of hyper-ventilating. My mind was racing with different actions I could take. Then it dawned on me.
If I saw him standing on my porch, surely he saw me looking at him. And if he saw me, surely he was gone. So, I started creeping in my best Ninja style back to the door. I carefully got hold of the blind and ever so slowly pulled it back. I looked out of the window and the guy was still there. On my front porch at 5:00 in the morning. In the freezing cold.
I leapt back into the middle of the living room. I was close to just all out panic at that time. But as I stood there in the middle of the living room in my white socks wondering what brand of idiot it was standing on my porch, it dawned on me. The guy on my front porch was wearing white boot socks as well. At 5:00 in the morning. In the freezing cold. Outside on my porch.
And then it hit me like my mama used to. There wasn’t a guy in white boot socks on my front porch at 5:00 in the morning in the freezing cold. It was my reflection I was seeing when I pulled the window shade back. So, I crept back to the door, pulled the shade back, raised my left foot first and then my right foot. Sure enough, my reflection did the same thing. After all, a guy just needs to be extra cautious sometimes.
Here are a couple of things to consider. First, being cautious ain’t all bad. Second, if you can’t recognize yourself in your own reflection, you might want to get your eyes checked. Third, if you have the right footwear, white socks are always in style.
Joe Ligon Oklahoma Baptists Sr. Associate Executive Director
Building the future
Excitement fills the air for many in the Durant and Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) communities. After nearly a decade without facilities for its home, the BCM at Southeastern Oklahoma State University is celebrating the grand opening of its new facilities this month. Generous gifts, faithful prayers and dogged determination helped pave the way for the new building that sits strategically on the north end of campus.
Cris Lowery, BCM Special Projects Manager for Oklahoma Baptists, has coordinated the building campaign for the last several years. He acknowledges that the work had some additional help as well.
“The BCM project in Durant was full of God moments where the project only moved forward because the Spirit of God worked in miraculous ways,” says Lowery. “He worked through a group of local leaders who represented the Bryan Baptist Association, local churches, individuals, and the state convention.”
Though original efforts toward a new building began in 2012, very little happened until the project was rebooted in 2019. “We set out to begin the project anew,” said Garry McNeill (Durant, First) who led out in this new initiative. The work soon had local leadership, local input, a local architect and a local builder working together toward a facility that could best meet the needs of the ministry.
McNeill notes that fundraising work began in earnest in 2021, but inflation and post-Covid supply chain issues drove the estimated cost up exponentially. “We prayed for God to help lower that cost. And He did.”
Lowery applauds McNeill and the rest of the group in their efforts toward making this dream a reality. “They persevered through the challenging process, and when things looked dismal, God answered prayers again and again until the needed funds were acquired,” he said. According to McNeill, God provided in particularly astounding ways in the early months of 2023. The giving in those six months totaled approximately 70% of all that had been given previously, enough to meet the financial goal needed to secure a substantial grant.
The collaborative nature of the work is evident in every facet of the project. “[The work] continues even today as the building is in its completion stage and being furnished with funds made possible by donors,” said Lowery. Even the university got involved, working “hand in hand at every turn to ensure the project could be completed.”
Throughout the planning, fundraising and building process, the goal remained the same: enhancing the Kingdom ministry on Southeastern’s campus now and in the future. Trey Hedrick, BCM Director at SOSU since 2015, is already seeing that goal come to fruition. Though final touches are still being made, the BCM hosted a free lunch for students in their new building in January. Free lunches are one aspect of ministry Hedrick says the BCM has had to do without for the last eight and a half years.
Hedrick affirms that, in spite of the challenges, God has faithfully blessed the ministry that has happened in the meantime – including dorm Bible studies and corporate worship in university facilities. “The Lord continued to work among students, and we saw what ministry outside a building could look like,” he says, “[but] offering a free lunch has given us a lot of access to students who would not normally attend our events.”
The new BCM building also provides continuity for the ministry. Without a building, Hedrick and his team found themselves officing miles away from the university and frequently having to find new meeting spaces based on the availability of various rooms on campus. This became increasingly problematic as the ministry outgrew many of those spaces.
“I am looking forward to students knowing where to find us,” said Hedrick. “I felt really inaccessible in my old office, but now they can come over and find me or one of our staff members here if they need spiritual guidance or to have a conversation. They know there are people just across the street who are there for them and care for them.”
Will Sandmann, former student and current staff member of the BCM, echoed these sentiments. “I enjoyed my time as a student, but the fact that we have one place to meet every week is huge. Now there is some security in what we do. Even as a heavily involved student, I didn’t always know where we would be from week to week. Now, as a staff member, I get to hang out with students more, playing ping pong and things like that. I think I would have enjoyed that as a student.”
All those involved in the process desired to see the building become a tool in the Lord’s hand to reach far beyond its four walls and this moment in time. Lowery states, “This building has been designed to meet the needs of students and leaders for years to come and is a great addition to the campus at Southeastern.” Already the project and the space
itself has opened doors for Hedrick to engage with faculty members he had not previously met, allowing for increased ministry on the campus.
“All of this is for the Kingdom,” says Hedrick. “The Lord has been preparing us for even greater ministry with the new building. He is already doing a great work on campus – freshman retention is up, students are sharing the gospel with other students. Every week this fall we were seeing students come to faith. We are so thankful for everyone’s generosity in making this happen,” he says. “We covet everyone’s prayers for the ministry.”
“I know it took a lot of prayers and support from a lot of people,” says Sandmann. “This is a collective work through our brothers and sisters in Christ across the state. As someone who has seen both sides, I am super thankful. We are really excited to see what God is going to do in the future through this facility.”
“I took the little book...and __ it up” (Rev. 10:10)
“Whosoever shall not receive you...__ off the dust of your feet” (Matt. 10:14)
He wrote two epistles
WORDSEARCH
“Let us not __ it, but cast lots” (John 19:24)
__ Minor (Little Dipper)
Peanut caramel bar
assoc. (Abbr.)
“By faith they passed through the __ sea” (Heb. 11:29) 21 Early movie innovation
Where Prodigal Son worked
Book before Revelation
UFO riders
Fix again
Annoys 30 Mediterranean, e.g. (Fr.) 32 Corinth to Philippi (dir.)
Tax agency 36 Belonging to (Suffix) 37 Holy Land 38 What 8 Down came to do 39 5 Down might detect one
Short epistles, maybe
Medical research org. (Abbr.)
40 Everlasting __
41 “If __ man thirst, let him come” (John 7:37)
42 Wedding at Cana need
43 Those who look back are not “__ for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62)
45 Conversation fillers
46 B vitamin
48 Angolan capital
49 Semitic language
50 Paul’s theological treatise
52 Fooled
56 Warm color groups
57 Beget
58 Longest NT book
59 Religious scholar’s deg. (Abbr.)
60 Number of epistles to Timothy 61 Moray
63 Card game
64 Wager
SECURITY
SOUTHEASTERN SPACE STUDENTS SUPPORT TOOL UNIVERSITY
BERTHA HOSTETLER HONORED AT BILLINGS, FIRST
Bertha Hostetler, 98, was honored at her birthday celebration for being the Billings Baptist Church pianist & Sunday School Teacher for over 76yrs. Presenting her award was Rev. Floyd Westfall, deacons Paul & Frank Wright & HB Evans. Her great-granddaughter Jacie, 2, helped with the presentation.
RETIREES
Carolyn Varble (center) retired after 43 years of service on staff at East Central Baptist Association. She is pictured with Andy Latta, representative with Oklahoma Baptists Historical Commission and former Directors of Missions Ed Baker and Joe Taylor and DOM Kevin Russell.
Smith (center) retired after serving as pastor at Akins Baptist Church in East Central Baptist Association for 49 years.
TRIBUTES
Frances Marie Roberts died Jan. 16. She graduated in 1955 from the OU School of Nursing. While at OU, she was very active in starting a Baptist Student Union program for doctors and nurses. She and her husband, Will J. Roberts, served as IMB missionaries for 38 years in eastern Africa. After retirement, she served alongside her husband when he served as pastor of Willow Baptist Church from 2003 to 2016.
Mike Tompkins died Jan. 25. He served 20 years as DOM of the Commanche-Cotton Association, where he ministered to and served 53 churches. Tompkins had pastored in other states, including Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. He also served as pastor served as pastor in multiple Oklahoma Baptist churches.
Vernon
MINISTRY In Focus
JASON YARBROUGH Director, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief
Oklahoma
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR CALL TO MINISTRY AND WHERE ALL YOU HAVE SERVED? ALSO, ABOUT YOUR FAMILY.
I grew up in Skiatook and attended Immanuel Baptist Church. This church family made a huge investment in my life through its children and youth ministries, providing mission trip opportunities and sending students to Falls Creek each summer. It was at Falls Creek in 1985 that I surrendered to God’s call to ministry, specifically to be a pastor. I preached my first sermon during a youth-led revival at Immanuel. After graduation in 1987, I attended Oklahoma Baptist University. I’ve been privileged to serve as pastor at Agra, First; Bowlegs, First; Atoka, Harmony; Holdenville, First; and most recently, Glenpool, First, covering 32 years.
Vickie and I have been married for 34 years (that relationship started on a Sunday morning at Skiatook, Immanuel in 1986). We have two grown daughters –Breanna (and husband Mikey) and Katlyn. Currently, we have one granddaughter, Ruslynn, and a second scheduled to arrive in late April/early May. The kids live in Mounds and attend Glenpool, First. Vickie and I moved to Oklahoma City when I started working for the convention. We are members at Cherokee Hills. Vickie works for Casady School as a teacher assistant.
JASON, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR ROLE WITH OKLAHOMA BAPTIST DISASTER RELIEF?
In January 2023, I began my role as the state director/ ministry partner for Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief. As I shared about my call to ministry to pastor back in 1985, the Lord also confirmed this call to serve in this capacity with the state convention in the Fall of 2022. I won’t forget that Sunday morning, sitting on the front row preparing to preach and tears just start streaming down my face. In those moments, God gave me a release from pastoring and a clear call to pursue this role for Oklahoma Baptists.
As director of this ministry, I have the privilege to lead the best group of volunteers in responding to disasters whenever and wherever they occur. I see my role as one that seeks to enlist people to serve, provides opportunities to equip volunteers to serve, empowers them to serve, and encourages them while they serve.
We can’t do what we do in disaster relief without the local church and association. So, traveling our state speaking in churches and at association meetings allows me to share our DR ministry opportunity and how we can help the local church advance the Gospel through disaster relief.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE RECENT DEPLOYMENT AND ACTIVITIES OF OKLAHOMA BAPTIST DR?
Oklahoma DR volunteers have been busy. In 2024 we were deployed in response to a disaster for 220 days (that’s over 7 months of the year). Our state experienced fires in western Oklahoma, floods in the panhandle and tornados/wind events across widespread areas. Volunteers traveled out of state to New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Our most recent responses were during hurricane season this past Fall where we utilized all facets of our ministry – incident command, showers, laundry, feeding, chaplains, assessing, chainsaw, feeding, flood recovery and our new box ministry. Teams spent three weeks in Louisiana cleaning up after Hurricane Francine. Following that we deployed teams and resources to Georgia and North Carolina in response to Hurricane Helene. These were difficult days for our volunteers who served. Many who traveled to Swannanoa, N.C. said it was the worst disaster they had seen, but knowing they were bringing help, hope and healing to the residents gave them the strength to carry on.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CURRENT NEEDS, SUCH AS VOLUNTEERS OR DONATIONS?
Volunteers are the core of this ministry and there is always a need for more folks to say ‘yes’ and become a credentialed and trained volunteer. Our statewide Spring training event will be from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., March 29 at our Team Center, 7180 Northwest Expressway, Okarche. Registration is available online at okdisasterhelp.org
If you have a knowledge and expertise in maintenance and repairs, especially related to vehicles, trailers and equipment and/or would help drive equipment to disasters we can use your help. Our state equipment is housed at the Team Center in Okarche and volunteers work every week to keep our resources ready to deploy and then transport to where it is needed.
Churches that have the required space and availability to serve as a disaster response site are another need. Would your church be willing to serve in this capacity –allowing us to set up in the church for all our volunteer and response needs – housing, feeding, showers, laundry, incident command, etc.?
Oklahomans are faithful to financially support this ministry and for that we are grateful. We plan to always say ‘yes’ when the need arises, to respond in faith and trust the Lord to provide through His people. Donations can be made with confidence knowing that every dollar is used to keep the ministry ready and able to respond when disasters strike.
HOW DOES OKLAHOMA BAPTIST DR MAKE A GOSPEL IMPACT?
According to Scripture our marching orders are to advance the Gospel and as we do that throughout the year, we get the privilege to prepare a few thousand meals, do some chainsaw work, and clean-up mud, debris, and ashes of those impacted by a disaster. When we meet a person where they are and minister to their physical needs, their hearts often become open to why we are there. It is then that we get to tell them about Jesus and His love. It is my desire that Oklahoma Baptist DR would serve impacted communities in such a way that the door is always wide open for the local church to continue to minister to and help those impacted individuals and families.
Here are some numbers to paint the picture of our Gospel impact. In 2024, DR volunteers served more than 44,000 hours; gave more than 400 Bibles; had more than 3,400 ministry contacts; had 375 Gospel Conversations that led to 30 professions of faith! I often say, “Oklahoma Baptist DR is advancing the Gospel one disaster at a time.”
WHAT’S NEW OR ON THE HORIZON FOR OKLAHOMA BAPTIST DR?
Volunteers need to renew their credentials every three years at one of our in-person training events, but starting this Spring current volunteers can go to the website and renew through our completely online option.
Our office has a new resource for the local church available titled, Ready Church. It is a tool that will help a church come up with their unique plan for how to respond to crisis or disaster – large or small; how to involve the church family with training and various roles; how to minister and evangelize during a crisis or disaster; and how to be the light of Christ beyond the disaster. This is a strategic plan to aid churches to prepare, connect and respond in times of crisis or disaster. Churches interested should contact me to set up a time for me to come and help a group from the church to walk through and think about what becoming a Ready Church looks like.
For more information, you can email me at jyarbrough@oklahomabaptists.org
WOMEN’S AND MEN’S RETREATS ARE ALMOST HERE!
By Staff
DAVIS—Every year, Falls Creek Conference Center hosts the Oklahoma Baptists Men’s and Women’s Retreats in April to offer a time of revitalization and fellowship for Oklahoma Baptists.
WOMEN’S RETREAT
Women from across Oklahoma will gather at Falls Creek and at host churches, April 11-12, for fellowship, and spiritual renewal. Centered on the story of Esther, this retreat will encourage women to embrace God’s purpose for their lives. Whether attending in person at Falls Creek or through a host church, women will be equipped to live boldly in their faith.
The retreat will feature a dynamic lineup of speakers: Kelly Minter, an author, Bible teacher, and podcaster, is passionate about making Scripture relevant and will speak at all three sessions.
Caroline Saunders, a Lifeway Bible studies writer, Bible teacher, and pastor’s wife, is dedicated to helping women, teens, and children grow in faith.
Melissa Spoelstra, a speaker and Bible teacher, is known for her works, Isaiah: Striving Less and Trusting God More and Acts: Awakening to God in Everyday Life.
Sydney Dorrough, a fellow Oklahoman, occupational therapist and associate dean at Northeastern State University, owns Prosper OT Consulting and integrates her expertise with a Biblical worldview to support families.
Connie Dixon, the national WMU president since 2021 and former executive director of New Mexico WMU, brings years of mission leadership experience.
Worship will be led by Matt Roberson, Lead Pastor of Marlow, First and Oklahoma Baptist University Worship Coordinator.
Don’t miss this opportunity to gather at Falls Creek or online for a special time of Bible study and worship. Visit oklahomabaptists.org/women/retreat for more details and registration.
MEN’S RETREAT
The Oklahoma Baptists’ annual Men’s Retreat is set for April 25-26 at Falls Creek.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Men’s Retreat, celebrating a quarter-century of restorations, transformations, accountability, maturity and brotherhood.
Inspired by the theme verse of Ecc. 4:9-10, “Life is better with partners,” and for the retreat’s purpose, saying, “Life is better with brothers.”
Matt Roberson, a Men’s Retreat staple, will lead worship. The popular “Man Talk” moments are set in our general sessions. Tarvoris Uzoigwe, the evangelism director for Oklahoma Baptists, also known as Coach Tee, will present Friday night’s Man Talk. On Saturday morning, Sam Porter, the founding Men’s Retreat director, will share a Man Talk.
The main session speaker Friday Night will be Josh Smith, son of renowned Oklahoma Baptist pastor Bailey Smith, and author of The Titus Ten: Foundations for Godly Manhood.
On Saturday, Keith Burkhart, the former director of the Oklahoma Baptists Men’s Ministry, will be the main session speaker.
The annual offering that is taken up during the retreat will help churches establish a Celebrate Recovery program, which is designed to assist men and women to overcome addiction through Christ.
There will be six breakout sessions on Friday and one session on Saturday.
On Friday, Bubba Burcham, a former Men’s Ministry Partner, will lead a breakout session on “Developing Godly Habits.” Additionally, there will be the following breakout sessions: Andy Taylor on “Discipleship Strategies,” Vern Charette on “Abstaining from Alcohol,” Lawrence Kirk on “Strategies for Studying the Bible,” Brian Camp on “Men and Mental Health” and Matt Holland on “Scripture Memory.” On Saturday morning, Kenny Mossman will lead a breakout session on “Leading and Pastoring Men.”
In addition to the Bible teaching, there will be games, activities and competitions for everyone to enjoy while at the Men’s Retreat.
For more information, or to register your church group, visit oklahomabaptists.org/men/retreat.
Join us throughout the year in praying for our missionaries, serving locally and around the world!
2025 MISSIONARY Prayer Guide
Who & Where Why How to Pray
Bruce Perkins directs and teaches the prison divinity program for Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) in Shawnee. Incarcerated individuals in the Oklahoma prison system are offered a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Studies. The mission is to see lives changed by the Gospel and then to change the prison culture. Through them, God will then extend His kingdom into their communities. More than 400 men have trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord in an 18 month period.
Jessica Wagner is serving with the International Mission Board in Yokohama, Japan. The Japanese are one of the most unreached people groups. Jessica says it is a blessing to share the Gospel in a country where Christianity was once prohibited and to serve in a city that is in desperate need of Jesus. She never tires of sharing truth and hope with those who have never heard the name of Jesus.
Paul and Hannah Yount serve through the International Mission Board. Paul heads a Bible translation organization called Deaf Pathway Global that is based in Nashville, Tenn. Deaf Pathway Global is dedicated to working with deaf nationals in translating Bible passages into more than 300 heart sign languages of the world. They love seeing how their translated Bible stories impact deaf nationals into sharing, teaching, and living out their faith in God in deaf communities across the world.
Alex and Diana Montgomery serve through the International Mission Board in Medelin, Colombia. They serve an unreached people group from jungle areas. Most have never before heard of Jesus Christ, so the Montgomerys share Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation in hopes they will follow Jesus and take the Truth back to their communities. Alex says it’s a privilege to bring them the hope and light of Jesus Christ, the only answer for freeing their bondage.
Pray God will continue to open doors for our students to share their faith so many more will come to Christ.
Pray God will continue to grant His favor through the officials that interface with OBU’s program.
Pray God will continue to supply our needs.
Please pray for Jessica as she continues to study the challenging language of Japanese.
Pray doors will swing open wide for Gospel conversations when she is in school, on campus, or surfing the ocean on her sabbath.
Amidst the challenges of life, pray God would use the difficult times for His glory and for Jessica’s sanctification.
Pray for Deaf Pathway Global.
Pray God will give Paul wisdom to effectively lead Deaf Pathway Global.
Pray for the Younts as they transition to America and that all things will proceed well with minimal difficulties.
As the first believers in their families, pray for young believers who are struggling to follow Jesus.
Pray the Montgomerys will have continued access to people from unreached people groups.
Pray the Holy Spirit will draw people to Himself, transform their hearts and minds, as the Montgomerys bring light into darkness.
Bruce Perkins
Jessica Wagner
Paul & Hannah Yount
Alex & Diana Montgomery
WHAT TO DO WHEN TEMPTATION COMES
Temptation. We all face it. And, we’ve all lost the battle many times.
Here are some ways, though, to fight this battle and win:
RUN TO GOD IN PRAYER. Literally, stop everything. Find a quiet place in your heart. Plead for God’s help. Ask Him to help you see Him as more significant to you than anything you get from the sin. Ask Him to deliver you from the evil one. He’s the one who told us to pray this way (Matt. 6:13), so He’ll hear you.
REMEMBER HIS WORD. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says, “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.” When I read and believe
these words, it’s much easier for me to say “no” to temptation.
DELIGHT IN GOD’S GRACE. In your mind, meditate on the love of God evidenced in the cross. See the Savior dying there for you, asking God to forgive even those who were gambling away His clothing (Luke 23:34). Hear Him say, “It is finished” (John19:30) as He fulfilled the Father’s plan to bring redemption. Somehow, the lure of sin loses its appeal in the shadow of the cross.
REMEMBER YOUR GUILT You’ve been there. I’ve been there. We knew that if we crossed the sin line, guilt and conviction would set in. It would be a pounding, painful ache of the heart, knowing we had displeased God. We sinned anyway, though – and what we thought would
happen did happen. We hurt. We cringed. We wept. We felt shame. We learned again that the temporary pleasure of sin is not worth the agony of Holy Spirit conviction and breaking. It’s really not.
REMEMBER YOUR JOY I doubt that you’ve lost every temptation you’ve faced. I assume you’ve experienced victory sometime, and you know the incredible joy that comes when you don’t give in. You know it – the peace, the excitement, the happiness, the glee. We get almost giddy when the devil doesn’t win. If the conviction from sin is deeper than the pleasure of sin, the joy of victory is much, much, much greater. Remember that truth.
