PINEVILLE – It was a weekend to remember for Louisiana College’s Lady Wildcat basketball squad. The 15th-ranked Lady Cats (24-2) fought their way through the 2010 American South Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament bracket to earn their first berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament. LC, though, did not receive much respect from the NCAA selection committee as they are pitted against defending Division III national champions and No. 5-ranked George Fox University in the first round. The Lady Cats and the Bruins, 25-2 and champs of the Northwest Conference, will play Friday, March 5, on George Fox’s home court in Newberg, Ore. Louisiana College was the only team from the ASC to make the 64-team tournament. LC wrapped up its first ASC tournament title with a dramatic 73-69 overtime victory over McMurry, the No. 3 team from the ASC West Division, at H.O. West Fieldhouse before a packed house Sunday afternoon. “First of all I want to give all the glory and praise to God,” said LC’s third-year coach Janice Joseph-Richard told the estimated 1,500 fans. “This has been an amazing journey for the Lady Wildcats. “We wanted to win more than 20 games,” said Richard, who came from San Jose State … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Seeking the match to light a spiritual fire that would sweep the state, Louisiana Baptist Convention President Rod Masteller has begun a series of listening sessions statewide. [img_assist|nid=6139|title=Dr. Rod Masteller LBC President|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=61|height=100]Accompanied by Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins, and LBC Pastoral Leadership Team Director Bill Robertson, Masteller is attempting to canvas the state. He’s already held a pair of sessions in Baton Rouge, one in Lafayette and the latest in Alexandria but plans on doing many more. “I want to share my heart with the pastors and, in turn, listen to their hearts,” said Masteller at a session in the Baptist Building in Alexandria. “God has laid on my heart the need for these sessions.” He offered words of hope and encouragement [Romans 15:13] but told attendees there are real problems facing the country, the state and their own churches. Masteller said he’s a firm believer in the Cooperative Program. He added he doesn’t believe the Great Commission Resurgence is the solution to the problems our nation is facing. “This is not something the Great Commission … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Message Staff Writer The Lord will open doors that no man can close, and close doors that no man can open! – Revelation 3:8 COVINGTON – When the Lord opens doors of service, boldly walk through. Over the past 40 years, Johnny Huffman has learned to do so and has been blessed time and time again. [img_assist|nid=6175|title=Johnny Huffman and Murrey Rabenhorst fill a 40-foot container with supplies for an earthquake-stricken orphanage in Haiti|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=67]Since 1972, Huffman and his wife, Sissie, have run Fairhaven Children’s Home outside of Covington in rural southeast Louisiana. Through the years, the couple have not only ministered to the children in their care, but to their community, and as well as communities in the Appalachian mountains, Mississippi Delta, and on Indian reservations in Montana and Arizona. In 1995, the Lord opened several more doors of service which led them to expand their outreach to assist the needy in Zimbabwe, the Philippines, South and Central America, Mexico, Zululand, South Africa, Sudan, Haiti and Romania, by shipping containers filled with relief supplies, medicine, food, clothing and vitamins. Within days after the earthquake … [Read more...]

By Heather Miller, The Daily Iberian NEW IBERIA – For some, watching the coverage of the devastating earthquake that recently destroyed Port-au-Prince, Haiti, brought a sense of sadness and helplessness. But for eighth-grade Highland Baptist Christian School student Amy Hayes, the tragedy not only hit closer to home than most, it inspired her to keep alive a mission that could have gone by the wayside when her relative died in the aftermath of the earthquake Jan. 12. Hayes had never met her cousin’s wife, Jean Arnwine, who was on her first mission trip in Haiti delivering eyeglasses to clinics that treat the eyes of the overwhelmingly poor Haitian population. Arnwine brought with her to Haiti more than 800 used pairs of eyeglasses that she collected through donations. In hearing of Arnwine’s death, and after traveling to Dallas with her family for the funeral service, Hayes decided something had to be done. “Another one of my family members was starting to collect eyeglasses, so I thought during the ceremony that maybe I could get my school involved,” Hayes said. “We were talking in class the day before that about what we could do to impact Haiti.” The school has embraced Hayes’ idea to continue her relative’s … [Read more...]

By Rod Masteller, President Louisiana Baptist Convention The most powerful force on earth is united prayer. [img_assist|nid=6139|title=Dr. Rod Masteller Louisiana Baptist Convention President|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=61|height=100]Matthew 18:19 (NIV) says that where there is agreement, God will move. “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” He will give us what we ask for. Across the state there are thousands, perhaps even millions of people who could be saved if Louisiana Baptists came together in great unity of prayer. In this same chapter, in verses 15-17 (NIV), Jesus teaches that before there can be unity in prayer and answered prayer, there must be reconciliation with our brothers. “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” In … [Read more...]

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. [img_assist|nid=5974|title=Kelly Boggs, Editor Louisiana Baptist Message|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=78|height=100]If 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 GCRTF described the Progress Report as interim in nature. A final report is due out on May 3. Until then, task force members say they are open to altering some or all of the recommendations. “We have said since our first press conference following the release of the Progress Report,” Floyd wrote recently on his blog, “if Southern Baptists have ideas about how we can improve the report, we are open to hear them.” The fact that the Task Force is willing to listen and remain open to changes is a good sign. Not so … [Read more...]

Dear Editor, With so many bills being signed by Governor Jindal, at the close of the 2009 Legislative Session, one got by all of us who serve as family advocates. The bill that slipped through was Senate Bill 238 or what is now known as Act 194. It has dozens of co-authors, all looking for a way to streamline the Department of Social Services. One of the consequences of this bill is that it has complicated children’s ministries and child-care providers within the church. This act leaves many regulations up to the discretion of state bureaucrats for application and implementation.  It removes the religious exemptions from churches that we have enjoyed for many years. Churches provide children’s activities at little to no cost to the family and at no cost to the government. Now, this bill infringes on our religious liberties and Constitutional rights. This act lowers the threshold of the number of hours a church can serve children, without going through the costly hassle of Class A licensing and regulations. A church with a low cost Mother’s Day Out ministry to the community is unable to sustain the additional regulations and costs. The Governor has been made aware of this debacle. He and his staff know they … [Read more...]

By Ed Steele, Associate Professor of Music Leavell College, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary I was reading and thinking through the Ten Commandments in my quiet time this week and began to walk through some interesting insights. Perhaps for many this is old hat, but it was new to me and certainly caused me to pause and think. [img_assist|nid=5774|title=Ed Steele Professor of Music in Leavell College at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=67|height=100]In Exodus 19, we see the fulfillment of what God had told Moses at the burning bush, that He would bring the people out and that they “would worship Him at this mountain.” [Exodus 3:12] Sure enough, there they are in the place where God had told them they would be. Moses first consecrates the people, and he tells them to cleanse themselves and prepare to meet with God. [For those who like alliteration: Consecration, Cleansing, Communion.] The important point is that there was definite preparation to meet with God. God was about to give the “ten words” and they had to be ready to listen, able to hear Him. The First Four Commands The first words were words that revealed who He was: “I am the Lord your God.” The first four … [Read more...]

Question: How should Christians handle life’s problems? [img_assist|nid=6013|title=Archie England PH D NOBTS Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=73|height=100]Archie England responds: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Well, the going is pretty tough right now. The economy, job market, stock market, banking industry, war on terror, among other societal ills, are all making us fearful about our tomorrow. When there’s so much harm facing life’s way, how should we face such trouble? Let’s see how David handled the hurts of life in Psalm 27. David faced his problems with resolve. When a host descended upon him, David turned to the Lord. Rather than melt with fear, David exuded confidence. Neither the thought of war nor the threat of a hungry sword devouring his flesh could diminish his trust in God. The innumerable host camped about him motivated David to want God more – and to want more of God. To do so, he sought the Lord. David addressed his problems, therefore, by calling upon the Lord. He sought God with a focus (“one thing he asked,” v. 4). He sought God where God could be found – in the Temple. That’s how David faced his reality: he took his cares and concerns … [Read more...]

How does a parent keep up in the accelerated, technology-saturated, and sexually-charged world of their kids? How do they handle information overload with their children? Whose responsibility is it anyway? Commit to Take Responsibility This is a monumental task that must be accepted in order to protect your kids. How does one prepare in a world of over-exposed sex? The principle of “first mentioned” takes effect. The first information received about a subject will form the foundational mindset about that subject. So, if the first thing our children hear about sex will determine their views on the subject, we must be very sure they hear the truth, and that they hear it from us. If we do not accept the task, believe me, the world will snatch the opportunity. Talk to your kids early but appropriately. Be Confident in the Truth Do Not Fear! The first step is to form a personal spiritual, theological ethic of sex – what does God say about sex? Use scripture to build the theological platform. Also ask, “What do I believe about sex?” “Has the world’s misinformation clouded my perspective on the issue?” and “What really is the truth?” Write out your answers and be prepared to verbalize them in a way that kids will … [Read more...]