Fun note — I get to share with an assembly of students at my alma mater, Phil Campbell High School, in a few weeks.
As I started thinking about my presentation, I realized I’m more nervous about this opportunity than I am about giving my report to the crowd at the annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention each November.
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All I can see in my mind is an auditorium full of high schoolers bored, distracted and totally ignoring me. Some are sleeping while others stare down at the floor. A few are whispering, and all of them wish the school allowed them to have access to their phones about now.
After all, what can I really share that might inspire them? Do I have any information of interest to them? Why would they care about my story?
Even beyond sensing an all-out audience rejection, I’m more concerned about missing a pivotal moment, however.
Who is that one person in the crowd needing to hear something super specific only I can share? Will I be prayed up and appropriately prepared as to not miss the opportunity?
How can I pull them into the stories so they find themselves dreaming a little, maybe even developing a new level of courage for growth and development?
Staying focused
What would pique their interest enough to keep them focused on striving for excellence and becoming productive, positive contributors to society? What would help bring others along who previously settled for mediocre?
As I ponder and prepare, I’m sending a shout out to all of you teachers, preachers and motivational speakers out there. Thank you for putting in the work to keep us moving forward.
30 for 30: Celebrating three decades of partnership, friendship
Help me celebrate my 30th anniversary as a full-time staff member of The Alabama Baptist, Inc.
It’s easy. I’ll list 30 suggestions, and you pick your favorite.
The goal is for each of the 30 items to be contributed by at least 30 individuals or groups. We’ll keep you updated on how the 30 for 30 celebration is going throughout the year.
Email me at jrash@tabmedia.group or call 800-803-5201 to let us know which item you covered.
Here are the 30 items:
1. Set up a bulk order of 30 copies (or more) of our new Kids Edition.
2. Recruit 30 people to follow one of our social media channels — Facebook, Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
3. Donate $30.
4. Recruit 30 people to subscribe to our YouTube.com/tabmediagroup channel.
5. Read 30 articles (every word) in the next few print editions.
6. Click on and read (skimming is OK) 30 articles on thealabamabaptist.org site.
7. Click on and read (skimming still OK) 30 articles on thebaptistpaper.org site.
8. Find 30 mistakes, outdated information or general problems with our websites (we know you’ll find some). Start with tabmedia.group.
9. Tell 30 people what you like best about The Alabama Baptist and how they can subscribe.
10. Send us 30 people’s email address (with their permission of course) to sign up for our Monday-Wednesday-Friday Highlights email newsletter.
11. Spend 30 minutes reviewing our Ground Level Reports coverage items from 2025. Poke around groundlevelreports.com and some of the social media channels.
12. Spend 10 minutes looking in this edition for three nuggets of information to share with friends or family.
13. Take a 30-minute break from thinking about the most frustrating or discouraging item in front of you at the moment.
14. Spend an extra 30 minutes reading God’s Word this week.
15. Donate $3 to The Alabama Baptist, The Baptist Paper or both.
16. List 30 people connected to your church family and pray for them by name.
17. Add 30 families to your church’s group subscription list.
18. Send us a letter to the editor with at least 30 words but no more than 300.
19. Write down three story ideas and send those to us within 10 days.
20. For the next 30 days, look to see where God is working around you.
21. Encourage 10 kids to submit an entry to The Kids Edition and remind them up to three times to make sure they follow up. Email submissions to thekidsedition@tabmedia.group.
22. Share a comment on three social media posts and click on like or love for 10 other posts.
23. Donate $3,000 to the Hudson Baggett Student Internship fund held at The Baptist Foundation of Alabama. Mail a check to TBFA with a note attached about the internship fund for TAB: P.O. Box 241227, Montgomery, AL 36124-1227; or call TBFA at 334-394-2000 for more information.
24. Spend 30 minutes with a group on a Wednesday night (or other appropriate time) to discuss articles you’ve read in one of the TAB Media Group print publications or online since Jan. 1.
25. Watch/listen to one or more of the interviews featured at youtube.com/tabmediagroup for at least 30 minutes.
26. Jot down 10 different contributors to a recent print edition and pray for them over the next three days.
27. Select three negative items in your life and remove them for the next 10 weeks (or longer).
28. Order three books from Iron Stream Media (look for the one from TAB Media Group).
29. Order 10 or more copies of TAB Media Group’s coming Easter devotional by Denise George or Soncoast’s Easter book by TAB editor emeritus Bob Terry, both available from Amazon.
30. Take a 30-minute walk at least three times in the next 10 days.
Who’s Who among 30-for-30 challenge
Shout out to the following for their early participation in the 30-for-30 challenge:
- David George — bulk order of The Kids Edition
- Trennis Henderson — scanning websites for mistakes
- Morris Murray — letters to the editor
- Denise George — story ideas
- Jason Rash — donation
We’d love for the list to showcase at least 30 participants by the next edition, so be sure to let us know by emailing jrash@tabmedia.group or calling 800-803-5201.
I’m also grateful for the large number of kind messages coming my way regarding the 30th anniversary. It has been so much fun hearing from all of you.
Thank you for being such an incredible source of support and encouragement.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This editorial was written by Jennifer Davis Rash, president and editor-in-chief of TAB Media Group, for her Rashional Thoughts column and will appear in the January 8 edition of The Alabama Baptist newspaper. To subscribe, click here.
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