People of faith are on a collision course with the radical homosexual agenda. It is inevitable. In order for the radical homosexual agenda to be fully implemented, people of faith are going to have to be silenced and marginalized. The radical homosexual community will have to violate our religious liberty and our consciences in order to achieve this. People of faith are on a collision course with the radical homosexual agenda. It is inevitable. In order for the radical homosexual agenda to be fully implemented, people of faith are going to have to be silenced and marginalized. The radical homosexual community will have to violate our religious liberty and our consciences in order to achieve this. At this very moment, three issues move us closer to what I believe is an eventual clash. These issues affect our religious liberty in unique and distressing ways. I will mention two related to each. First, “same-sex marriage” will lead to the violation of our children’s consciences. Many of us send our children to government-run schools armed with our convictions and the Bible’s teachings about homosexuality. Yet our children are already getting a much different message in some schools. Imagine what will happen if the … [Read more...]

Thank you for the trust that you placed in my leadership last year at our National Convention. It has been an honor to serve you this year and I appreciate your prayers as well as your concerns that you have shared with me as we have presented to you the Great Commission Resurgence Declaration. Dear SBC Family, Thank you for the trust that you placed in my leadership last year at our National Convention. It has been an honor to serve you this year and I appreciate your prayers as well as your concerns that you have shared with me as we have presented to you the Great Commission Resurgence Declaration. I have heard you loud and clear, and with that in mind I have attempted to honor James 3:17, knowing that wisdom comes from above and that the Bible gives us marvelous characteristics of what that wisdom looks like. The words that really stand out in this passage that really speak to my heart are: easily to be entreated, willing to yield, or reasonable. I want to be God’s man who is reasonable and always generating kindness, and a man with pure motives that are displayed with pure manners. With that being said, there have been several revisions that I have made to this document that I trust will give greater clarity, … [Read more...]

When the movie “Juno” received four Academy Award nominations and actually won the Oscar for best original screenplay, former Planned Parenthood President Gloria Feldt was worried. In the film, “Juno,” a pregnant teenager, decides against an abortion, a change of heart partially due to her experience at an abortion clinic. When the movie “Juno” received four Academy Award nominations and actually won the Oscar for best original screenplay, former Planned Parenthood President Gloria Feldt was worried. In the film, “Juno,” a pregnant teenager, decides against an abortion, a change of heart partially due to her experience at an abortion clinic. Feldt admitted to About.com, “The clinic in “Juno” is terrible.” But, she added: “It’s a terribly untrue stereotype.” When Juno arrives at the clinic, a flippant and heavily pierced receptionist seems to care more about forcing a lavender condom on her than on offering real help for her current dilemma. This is a parody on what we know about Planned Parenthood: They’re a lot more about contraception and abortion than about abstinence and adoption. Feldt described workers in Planned Parenthood clinics as “compassionate” and “dedicated to making women feel comfortable.” However, … [Read more...]

Lafayette is a wonderful city to live – so alive and diverse. It is steeped in culture, history, great food and its Cajun heritage. It is also a city filled with many spiritual needs. LAFAYETTE – Lafayette is a wonderful city to live – so alive and diverse. It is steeped in culture, history, great food and its Cajun heritage. It is also a city filled with many spiritual needs. Church planter and evangelist Toby Ryder felt that he could address some of those needs with a church plant called Friday Night Live. God, however, had other ideas. “Friday Night Live is up and running,” Ryder said. “God, though, led me to where there were others in greater need. By doing the same thing our Lord did – simple carpentry work – I have discovered I can reach so many more people.” Working in a high crime area of Lafayette – Cameron and Mudd Streets – Ryder has begun Project Lafayette. Working through Hospice of Acadiana, Council on Aging or referrals from the community, Ryder and volunteers do simple carpentry work for the elderly, single moms, shut-ins, or people who can’t afford fix it work. “We take on pretty much any need brought to us,” Ryder said. “There is no financial criteria to get us to come out – just a simple need. … [Read more...]

Located in West Africa, Nigeria is hot all year round and has just two seasons: wet and dry. Although it may not be an ideal vacation spot, the climate does not keep First Mandeville from ministering to the people of Nigeria. Mandeville – Located in West Africa, Nigeria is hot all year round and has just two seasons: wet and dry. Although it may not be an ideal vacation spot, the climate does not keep First Mandeville from ministering to the people of Nigeria. On May 24, four men from First Mandeville, including Pastor Ken Schroeder, left for a two-week trip to Nigeria. This is the eighth time the church has sent a mission team there. Under the guidance of IMB missionaries Clint and Harriet Bowman, First Mandeville has adopted the Zari, an unreached people group where less than 2 percent of the population knows Christ. “We’ve linked up with the Bowmans and they showed us around the country, and since November of 2006 we’ve been taking trips each year,” Schroeder said. First Mandeville has helped to start two churches in Nigeria and also employs two native pastors, Haggai Moses and Betrus “Peter” Agwom. These pastors currently have two churches each, and are starting others. “Our goal is to encourage the … [Read more...]

Online pre-registration will remain open throughout Saturday, June 20, for the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Louisville, Ky. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – Online pre-registration will remain open throughout Saturday, June 20, for the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Louisville, Ky. Thereafter, messengers from local churches attending the SBC’s June 23-24 sessions will be directed through the traditional registration process at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Convention manager R. Clark Logan, vice president for business and finance with the SBC Executive Committee, said online pre-registration “is quick and easy and available with complete instructions at www.sbcannualmeeting.net.” Messengers from churches that register online can avoid waiting at the counter upon arrival at the convention. By registering online, the SBC website gives a church a messenger reference number form to be printed out and presented by each messenger at the SBC registration booth in exchange for a nametag and a set of ballots. The appropriate church-authorized representative must complete all online registrations. For the traditional registration method, churches that are unable or opt not to access the … [Read more...]

Having a Baptist Collegiate Ministry at LSU helps us to disciple Christian students, engage non-believers with the gospel, and connect students to local churches. There is no way to calculate the impact that discipleship at the collegiate level has on local churches by sending them graduates and current students with a biblical worldview. Having a Baptist Collegiate Ministry at LSU helps us to disciple Christian students, engage non-believers with the gospel, and connect students to local churches. There is no way to calculate the impact that discipleship at the collegiate level has on local churches by sending them graduates and current students with a biblical worldview. – Mandy Trammell, associate director, LSU BCM, Baton Rouge “From the moment we arrived, it was very obvious that it was in God’s perfect plan for our team to be in Puerto Rico this spring break.  The church had been praying for two years for a group to come and assist their ministry. We participated in the church service, fed the homeless, evangelized in the streets of Mayaguez, cleaned out rooms of the church, presented the Gospel to a group of high school students, painted the sanctuary of another local church, and helped with the church’s weekend … [Read more...]

“He was just an average man, but you don’t see the impact of his life until something like this happens,” Deanna Corbett, Minister of Youth at First Rayville, recalled as she described the life of Chuck Stephenson. RAYVILLE – “He was just an average man, but you don’t see the impact of his life until something like this happens,” Deanna Corbett, Minister of Youth at First Rayville, recalled as she described the life of Chuck Stephenson. Stephenson was a loving husband, father, uncle and friend. He was loved in the community of Rayville and made a huge impact as a deputy sheriff and D.A.R.E – Drug Abuse Resistance Education – officer in the schools of Richland Parish. “He was the kind of guy that if he was in, he was all in – including his relationship with God. He had such a passion for Jesus,” Corbett said. Nearly two months ago Stephenson, an active and previously healthy man, contracted a mysterious illness and was hospitalized. Within weeks of hospitalization and tests being done on Stephenson, medical bills began to add up very quickly. “His wife wasn’t working and they were without an income. The church took up a love offering, but we felt a call from God for the youth to get involved,” Corbett … [Read more...]

My daughter just turned 3, and it seems like all she does is defy me. Help! What can I do to make her mind me? Question: My daughter just turned 3, and it seems like all she does is defy me. Help! What can I do to make her mind me? Michele Louviere answers:Many parents are shocked at their sweet baby’s behavior when he or she turns 3. The description of “terrible twos” actually is more accurately described as “terrible threes.” Of course, children do not become horrible at this age, but they do begin challenging authority. As three years become more and more their own persons;they will challenge parents to see how far they can go. Surviving the challenging threes involves parents having a good parenting plan, being unified as a couple and practicing consistency. As parents, take some time to discuss the appropriate expectations and consequences when those expectations are not followed for your 3-year-old. Remember, discipline is not punishment; rather, it is training. Discuss your thoughts with other parents who you trust and read good parenting books. For example, one of the most important lessons for a three year old is learning obedience, which helps them be successful at home, school, society, work and, ultimately, … [Read more...]

From new paint to new programs to new buildings, the 10 Baptist encampments throughout the state have been busy preparing for the coming summer camping season. And many are being rewarded with an upswing in campers, despite the downturn in the economy. Here is what’s new at the encampments: STATEWIDE – From new paint to new programs to new buildings, the 10 Baptist encampments throughout the state have been busy preparing for the coming summer camping season. And many are being rewarded with an upswing in campers, despite the downturn in the economy. Here is what’s new at the encampments: ACADIAN BAPTIST CENTER EUNICE – “We’re doing OK,” ABC Director James Newsom said. “A lot of our camps are starting to fill up. We’ve already had a good start to the camping season as we doubled the number of kids in our Outdoor Education Program. “Our Equestrian Camp, which began this week, is well attended, and we are looking forward to a busy summer,” Newsom said. Plans are being drawn up for a $600,000, 6,000-square-foot expansion of the camp’s cafeteria. Besides increasing seating in the cafeteria to 450, plans also include updating the kitchen. “The expansion will allow us to triple our size,” Newsom said. “We are hoping to … [Read more...]