[1]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–From Christian education to gospel music enjoyed by seniors, conferences for an array of audiences throughout the year are part of the ministry of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Among them:
KINGDOM EDUCATION SHOWS GOD’S GLORY — The task of Kingdom education is to study reality as a manifestation of God’s glory, to speak of it accurately and to engage its beauty, speakers said at the eighth annual Building a Kingdom School Institute.
Glen Schultz, author of “Kingdom Education” and headmaster of Sherwood Christian Academy in Albany, Ga., noted that the Bible sets the foundation for education.
Schultz noted two facets of education: 1) the preparation of a child intellectually, physically, socially and spiritually for life and eternity and 2) the study of God’s creation through which God reveals His nature to man so that He will get the glory.
“It starts with Genesis 1:1,” Schultz said. “‘In the beginning God….’ It begins with truth. That tells us God is eternal. His nature is eternal. Nothing can add to His perfectness,” Schultz said. “Then you add ‘… created the heavens and the earth’ and that helps me understand life, which helps me understand education.”
Creation is “the expression of God’s nature. God determined to make Himself the ultimate end behind creation. Everything was created for God’s glory,” Schultz said, adding, “Knowing this tells me that Christian schools were created for His glory.”
During the June 23-24 institute in Nashville, Tenn., 140 administrators and teachers from Christian schools around the country participated in their choice of 13 modules: parent, teacher, staff, student, curriculum, athletics, marketing, guidance, worldview/scholarship, biblical worldview integration, stewardship/business, admissions and learning lab.
Larry Taylor, headmaster of Prestonwood Christian Academy, the Christian school of Prestonwood Baptist Church in suburban Dallas, co-led the institute with Schultz.
Taylor credited Schultz’s book Kingdom Education with changing “my entire philosophy of education as I transitioned from working in public schools to Christian schools. It gave me a whole new vision.”
But Taylor added that even though he made the change philosophically, “You will never hear me bashing public schools. Never. We have more than enough issues in Christian schools.”
For information about the 2011 Building a Kingdom School Institute, visit www.lifeway.com/ChristianSchools.
WRITERS ENCOURAGED, CHALLENGED — Nearly 400 writers drew on a wide array of ideas, resources and networking opportunities during the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, May 16-20 at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center.
In addition to the worship times and keynote talks, aspiring and well-accomplished writers from all genres — women’s fiction, suspense, mystery, magazine features, popular nonfiction, children’s stories and more — attended breakout sessions led by respected writers, editors, agents and other publishing industry veterans.
Each day began and ended with keynote talks from such writers as Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the “Left Behind Series” and Todd Starnes, reporter for Fox News Radio and author of “They Popped My Hood and Found Gravy on the Dipstick,” recapping some of their own experiences as successful writers and encouraging conference attendees to keep writing their stories.
“The only way we can reach out to the world today is with tender hearts,” Jenkins told the crowd during his “The Feeling Writer” talk on opening night. “There’s nothing wrong with becoming emotional about your faith. I hope you can still be moved by your own salvation story and tell it.”
Attendee Cindy Jones, who is currently working on her first novel, said the conference not only provided excellent instruction as well as time to spend among other writers.
“I just want to go back to my room and write,” Jones said during a breakout session titled “Beginning Novel Writing” led by author and former conference director Yvonne Lehman. “I just get more excited coming in here and talking about it.”
Lengthy works like novels were certainly addressed at the conference, but writers interested in less extended writing projects also found tips, tricks and helpful workshops.
Michelle Adams, an award-winning journalist and full-time freelance writer, focused on the freelance article market during several breakout sessions she led. She encouraged individuals to find a particular niche or two in which they are qualified and comfortable writing. Then “rework, resell and reap” by substantially adding to or rewriting some of their best “evergreen” articles — those that aren’t date-specific — and selling them to various publishers.
One challenge reiterated by multiple breakout leaders, regardless of genre or job title, was that every serious writer must schedule a regular time to write. “Treat writing like an appointment,” novelist Deb Raney said during her “Ideas and Inspirations” workshop. “Create a routine or ritual where you schedule your writing time.”
While many attendees each year are first-timers, the conference also boasts a significant number of loyal attendees, many of whom have attended half-a-dozen times or more. But one writing conference alumnus, Don Brown, returned this year not as a student but as a breakout session leader — “Fiction as a Weapon in the Culture War” — with several best-selling novels under his belt. According to Brown, his first literary mentor, writing conference director Alton Gansky, should be credited with helping him get his start in the writing business.
Helpful spirits and supportive attitudes pervaded the breakout sessions, one-on-one meetings between conference staff members and attendees, and the main sessions. Gansky introduced the conference on opening night as an opportunity to learn from great writers and publishing industry professionals who willingly devoted their time to encouraging up-and-coming writers.
“It’s their ministry to you,” Gansky told the audience.
A Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Novelists Retreat is scheduled Oct. 3-7 at Ridgecrest; for more information, go to LifeWay.com/conferencecenters.
SENIORS MAKE MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS — New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains seemed to hum tunes of a bygone era during the Senior Adult Southern Gospel Springfest at LifeWay’s Glorieta Conference Center.
The Talley Trio, Buddy Griffin, Mark Trammell Trio, Geraldine and Ricky, Tim Williams and The Master’s Men were featured at the four-day gathering in May, along with preaching by John Bisagno, retired pastor of First Baptist Church in Houston, on the themes of heaven and grace.
“Heaven is a place where you can’t get enough of Jesus,” said Bisagno, who encouraged attendees to live for Christ every day of their lives.
In a sermon on grace, Bisagno listed three reasons why it is amazing.
First, Jesus paid a debt He didn’t owe, Bisagno said. “God could not ignore man’s sin,” he said. “God is a holy God and He cannot accept an unholy payment for sin…. Therefore, God poured on Him [Christ] the iniquity of us all.”
Second, grace is amazing because of the dramatic change God can make in a person’s life, Bisagno said, citing Saul of Tarsus as an example.
“Jesus changed the world’s biggest antagonist to the biggest protagonist,” Bisagno said. “Jesus changed Saul from a hater of the church to [Paul] a defender of the church.”
Third, grace is amazing because God has been waiting a long time for some individuals to come to repentance. “The Book of Revelation says that Jesus stands at the door and knocks,” Bisagno noted.
Following the daily sermon, attendees enjoyed free time for sightseeing near Santa Fe, while one group ministered to the community.
Angela Irby, a sponsor from The Heights Baptist Church in Richland, Texas, took a group of 24 senior adults to sing at area community centers.
“The afternoon free time has taught us to give back, just as we have been given,” Irby said. “We look for opportunities, even at events like this, to give back through music.”
The attendees regrouped for dinner at Glorieta’s dining hall and capped off the evenings by singing Southern gospel music in the campus chapel.
Lois Buck, a 36-year member of Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, traveled with 40 others to attend the Springfest.
“The music and the messages during the week have been so inspiring,” she said. “It’s also nice to enjoy this time with others in our senior adult group. Attending events like this helps us to get acquainted with others in our group, as well as hear messages that strengthen our faith.”
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Compiled from reporting by Polly House, Brooklyn Lowery and Kelly Shrout of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. For more information about events and accommodations at LifeWay’s conference center in Ridgecrest, N.C., visit www.RidgecrestConferenceCenter.org; for the conference center in Glorieta, N.M., visit www.glorietaconferencecenter.org. The websites also include scheduling information for the centers, including facilities and food services.