By Kelly Boggs, Editor Baptist Message

Kelly Boggs, Editor Louisiana Baptist MessageIf you change any aspect of a mathematical or chemical equation, you not only alter the equation, you also affect its outcome.

A judge’s recent ruling on marriage changes the entire concept of matrimony. If it is allowed to stand, it will also influence the outcome of marriage and its impact on society.

A federal judge in San Francisco ruled Aug. 4 that California voters violated the U.S. Constitution when they passed a ballot measure intended to clarify and protect the traditional definition of marriage.

By J. Darin Wales, Freelance Film/Tv Director Virginia Beach, Va.

Recently I had a dear friend of mine read a script on which I had just finished a first draft. I knew the script had a few problems, but overall I thought it was pretty good. More than that, I really liked what I had written.  

My friend took a week to look over the script.  I had given her the green light to “rip my script to shreds,” not realizing just how much she would take it to heart!

By Thom Rainer, President LifeWay Christian Resources

Thom RainerMy wife and I were in a conversation recently about our years together. We will celebrate 33 years of marriage this year, and we dated for almost six years.

The simple math was a surprise. We have been dating or married for nearly four decades!

It was a good conversation. But I had my moments of regret: times that I was too busy for my family, my tendency to want to win an argument with my wife rather than resolve the problem, and failure to slow down and enjoy life.

By Kelly Boggs Editor Louisiana Baptist Message

Apollo 11, NASA’s first manned mission to land on the Moon, launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on July 16, 1969. Four days later, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the lunar surface and proclaimed, “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”

While the first activities by man outside the Apollo 11 lunar module were broadcast and publicized, one of man’s first acts on the moon’s surface – a religious observance that took place inside the lunar module – was kept very private.

By Joe Guthrie, Member Lewiston Baptist Church, Kentwood, La.

There seems to a great deal of political grandstanding of late regarding the establishment of the United States as a Christian nation.  Both sides of the argument seem to have neglected the true purpose of “freedom of religion,” and how it truly benefits believers.

It was not that the United States was formed as a Christian nation, but rather a nation established by Christian men.  Once again, rhetoric and emotion push aside and try to hide history and the beliefs of our founding fathers.

By Ronnie Floyd, Senior Pastor Springdale, Ark.

For a few months, God has really been working in my life about what actions I need to take and our church needs to take to get the Gospel to the nations in a more effective manner. Serving as the Chairman of Southern Baptist’s Great Commission Resurgence Task Force has truly changed my life and ministry perspective.

By David Jeremiah, Senior Pastor Shadow Mountain El Cajon, Calif.

Steve Horn, Pastor First Baptist Lafayette

Much has been written and no doubt will continue to be written about the final report to be presented to the SBC in Orlando from the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force (GCRTF). One can read the strengths and weaknesses of the recommendations from far more knowledgeable and more prominent Southern Baptists than this author.

Steve Horn Pastor First Baptist LafayetteHowever, I believe that I do have a unique perspective as a “younger” pastor – if I still qualify as young being a few months shy of forty years old.

The messengers assembled at the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting held in Louisville, Ky., voted overwhelmingly to approve the motion to allow SBC president,

Johnny Hunt, to appoint a task force to assist Southern Baptists to become more intentional and more effective in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Kenneth S. Hemphill SBC Strategist Empowering Kingdom GrowthOn the positive side, the enthusiastic response to this motion tells us that the heart of Southern Baptist people is to link arms in taking the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.

By Kelly Boggs, Editor Louisiana Baptist Message

The much anticipated Progress Report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force was presented to the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention on Feb. 22, in Nashville, Tenn.

The report outlined six “components” or recommendations the task force believes will enable the SBC and its entities to operate more effectively and efficiently.

Kelly Boggs, Editor Louisiana Baptist MessageIf all the recommendations are implemented in their current form, the way the SBC operates will change dramatically. Depending on your perspective, that may be good or that could be bad. 

The most common complaint denominational people and guest preachers hear when they call on local churches is, “I’m unhappy with our pastor.” Invariably, it’s some lay leader of the church speaking.

Joe McKeever Pastor, cartoonist and retired DOM BAGNOLet’s state the obvious here: some pastors we ought to be unhappy with. I’m thinking of one preacher who was known to curse, tell shady stories, gamble, and drink. When he was forced out of the pulpit, no one shed a tear.

Kelly Boggs, Editor Louisiana Baptist MessageBy Kelly Boggs, Editor Louisiana Baptist Message

The game between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts is surely the most anticipated aspect of Super Bowl XLIV.

However, there is another element of Super Sunday that draws a significant amount of attention – commercials.Because the television audience for the Super Bowl is so huge (last year 148 million people tuned into to watch at least some portion of the game), ad space is not only coveted but is also expensive.

“And if a blind man guides a blind man,” Jesus said, “both will fall into a pit.” You need look no further than the United States Congress and the American populace to see a visual aid of the truth the Savior declared.

He received more than 60,000 pieces of hate mail and profanity-laced e-mails daily filled his inbox. Teaming with the torrent of written abuse were scores of threatening voice messages.

The American Bar Association first published its "Guidelines for the Evaluation of Judicial Performance" in 1985. In 2005 the ABA issued an updated version titled "The Black Letter Guidelines for the Evaluation of Judicial Performance." Both documents articulate the qualities an individual should possess if he or she is to be considered a competent judge.