According to Baptist Press, “O.S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, has announced he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will undergo surgery in September.”  To read the entire article click here.

All of us at SBC Today send our best to Dr. Hawkins and his family during this time.  We ask all to pray for a speedy recovery and that God will continue to be glorified through His servant.

About three years ago I heard that Caycen had a lump in his abdomen. It turned out that it was cancer. From that time our church began praying for him and his family. The first round of Chemo seemed to have worked, but six months later the cancer returned. This young child, who is now six, has not improved. These past three years have been a struggle of ups, downs, and delays. The family and Caycen desperately need your prayers.

Caycen has Neuroblastoma Cancer of the nervous system. He has relapsed and just found out that he has 2 NEW spots and it is in his bone marrow!

My requests:

1. If you are on facebook, go to this link: Praying for Caycen and join that group. Leave a message to his parents letting them know that Caycen is in your prayers. I would love to see if we can get 500 members on this site by the end of tomorrow praying for him.

2. If you don’t have facebook, you can link here at Caring Bridge and sign on as a guest.

I thank the readers of SBC Today for their prayers. While Caycen and his family desperately need them, may I humble myself to you all and covet your prayers as I minister to them.

His Truth Abideth Still

Bro. Robin

I encourage you to read the post at this link. Once you read that I encourage you to stop and pray for two families. First, pray for the Scroggs family. They are going through a rough time, especially at this time of the year. Second, pray for the Barber family. Pray that Jim, Bart’s son, that he will be able to get over this in his young life. Also, pray for Bart as he is dealing the loss of life of young Nicholas Scroggs. Pray also for Tracy, as she is dealing with this tragedy in their family’s life.

Let us pray also that Christ will be exalted in this time and that Bart will be used in a tremendous way during this time of tragedy and grief.

Just received word this morning that Dr. Vines is preparing for a funeral.  Why am I asking our readers to pray for him as he prepares a funeral?  This funeral is being prepared for Dr. Vines’ 94 year old mother who went home to be with the Lord Sunday AM.

I have never had to lead a funeral service for my parents, though I lost my Dad back in 2001, we had another pastor to lead in that service.  I can only imagine the Grace and strength that is needed in this situation.  Pray that God will envelope him in a special way and the Holy Spirit will guide him and minister to him as he serves as Pastor for the rest of his family.

We are praying for you Dr. Vines!

As many of you probably already know, another incident of a school shooting happened in Knoxville. Our friend, Tim Guthrie, pastors in Knoxville and actually had two of his sons in school when this occurred. We are reprinting his viewpoint below of the events that occurred and we are asking that you pray for God to do a mighty work in the Knoxville area.

This morning I left Knoxville around 4: 45AM heading for Houston for two days of ministry. Around 7:20AM I called both of my sons to wish them a good day and say those all too needed words: I love you!

As I entered the security at Nashville Airport, my phone began to ring over and over again as it waited to go through the screener. A TSA agent handed it too me when I told him that that name on the screen was my wife and I had spoken with her several min. prior and she knew I was going into the security process so it was odd for her to just keep calling. When I answered I discovered that a shooting had just taken place at my oldest sons High School – T (as we call him) is a Sophomore. Heidi was letting me know that she and T were safe before I saw it on the monitors at the airport, which when I looked up – there it was.

I cannot describe the emotions and relief, the panic, and the thankfulness that all hit at the same time. My phone immediately went into vibrate orbit as text messages from staff and friends began to pour in. T was safe and my youngest son Nathan was in lock down down the road at his Middle School.

The emails and text messages confirmed that it was not “mass” in size and that the shooter was in custody. One boy was dead. Hundreds of others had been shielded from worse. It was bad, yet not as bad as it could have been. Pray for the two to three families involved. It is tragic and more.

I made the decision after speaking with T and Heidi to continue on with the schedule. It was the most difficult flight ever. Yet God knew. I sat next to a Grandmother and her granddaughter out for a week long trip together (the girl is 4). She attends church in Florida at an SBC church. Across the isle was a Deacon from a church in Nashville. GOD WAS TAKING CARE OF ME!

I spoke with T and Heidi throughout the day and am still amazed at what God was doing and how He was working. I just finished speaking with him again as he has several friends at our house hanging out and spending the night – their homes are not peaceful nor answer generating and T asked them over. What a guy! Now he and Heidi are talking with parents and students that yesterday would not have occured.

The silly STUFF of today’s arguments and watered down approaches to church and ministry faded as the day passed. God kept saying over and over again – DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE – SHARE ME WITH EVERYONE!

I end the day with that as my priority and passion, thanking God for his protection over my family. It was a day NO parent wants to experience! It was a day that only God can get you through.

WE ARE THE ONES TO SHARE JESUS – LET”S MAKE SURE WE ARE DOING IT! Nothing else matters – NOTHING! Please God, may we be found FAITHFUL!

We, at SBC Today, have learned about the recent loss of Debbie Kaufman’s son-in-law. We call upon all to pray for the Kaufman family and their daughter during this time of heartache. Debbie, all of us at SBC Today wish to express our love to you and pray for the Grace of God to shower your family at this moment.

God Bless