Legend has it that there’s gold in the hills at the end of Robert Smart Road, once known as Snell Road and close to the junction of highways 392 and 111 West. ANACOCO – Legend has it that there’s gold in the hills at the end of Robert Smart Road, once known as Snell Road and close to the junction of highways 392 and 111 West. Les and Debi Comeaux – owners of the 80 acres of pasture, bottomland, and forest – believe it. “When I can look into a tent and see people giving testimony and praise to what God has done through this property, that’s the gold,” Les said. “Just not the kind most people want to hunt for.” That tent gets put up on a regular basis as the couple invites small groups of people out to their property, Haven Ministries, for an encounter with God. Working mostly with families or with leadership groups from local churches or even Fort Polk, the couple provides space and time for people to explore God’s creation and experience moments that help them hear the Holy Spirit and help them bind together, Les said. At the cattle gap, look west and you’ll see rolling pastures dotted with goats, cows and horses as well as the occasional sycamore or oak. To the east, pasture slopes gently down to Sandy Creek, an … [Read more...]

Recently, I had the privilege of participating with 11 other Southern Baptist information technology (IT) professionals in the most extraordinary encounter I have ever had with the Cooperative Program. OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) – Recently, I had the privilege of participating with 11 other Southern Baptist information technology (IT) professionals in the most extraordinary encounter I have ever had with the Cooperative Program. For 20-plus years, IT directors/managers from several state conventions have come together for a conference to share and discuss common problems and solutions in a cooperative manner. Last year, we decided to try something new and add an element of missions to our conference, and we planned an event to assist Yellowstone Baptist College in Billings, Mont. The small college relied on a contractor charging $125 per hour for their computer design and major repair issues for about 20 computers and three servers to meet a wide variety of needs for both staff and students. The servers were not doing anything for the school when we arrived but by the end of our conference we had built an entire network for the school that provided for much greater security, sharing of files and printers, automated virus … [Read more...]

Ruined buildings, their walls peppered by bullets and shrapnel, still mark Lebanon’s landscape a year after the 34-day conflict with Israel ended. Where homes and schools once stood, empty lots remain. SOUTHERN LEBANON (BP) – Ruined buildings, their walls peppered by bullets and shrapnel, still mark Lebanon’s landscape a year after the 34-day conflict with Israel ended. Where homes and schools once stood, empty lots remain. On the surface, it doesn’t appear much different from last summer when Baptist relief workers came to provide medical care for the injured, distribute blankets and heaters, water and food -- and Bibles -- to those who had been caught in the crossfire. Rami,* a local believer, remembers that time. He was one of the Lebanese Christians who worked alongside the American volunteers. He was afraid of identifying himself as a Christian in this predominantly Muslim area. He remembers sitting in a van, afraid to get out, afraid he would jeopardize the safety of his family if he did. He also remembers that the hardest step to take was the first one. When Baptist workers “asked me to go with them to pass out things, I hesitated a little bit,” he recalled. He feared for the safety of his family. “I didn’t … [Read more...]

We’ve all seen situations involving children that made us uncomfortable. Perhaps it was a parent in the grocery lecturing loudly as a shamed toddler bawled, or a youngster with a runny nose and dirty clothes. Either scenario might set off mental alarm bells about child neglect or abuse. We’ve all seen situations involving children that made us uncomfortable. Perhaps it was a parent in the grocery lecturing loudly as a shamed toddler bawled, or a youngster with a runny nose and dirty clothes. Either scenario might set off mental alarm bells about child neglect or abuse. Yet it is possible that neither situation might be as it seems. The first parent might have endured a grueling day at the office, then snapped when her curious two-year-old dismantled a store display. The second child may have allergies that cause a perpetually runny nose but don’t keep him from searching for mud puddles. Sadly, child abuse and neglect have far more insidious aspects than short tempers and runny noses. This is why Christians must be able to decipher between neglect, abuse, and a parent having a bad day. Whereas unsubstantiated reports of abuse can pose untold damage to innocent parents or caregivers, failure to report abuse can cost a … [Read more...]

'Experiencing God' has become one of the most popular Bible study resources ever published. And now this powerful resource has been revised and expanded. The new 'Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God' is now available. NASHVILLE – Experiencing God has become one of the most popular Bible study resources ever published. And now this powerful resource has been revised and expanded. The new Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God is now available. For more than 16 years, God has used this study to invite people to join Him in what He is doing. While many people simply ask God to bless their plans, Experiencing God helps lead believers into a deeper love relationship, teaching them to pray to and hear from God, and to join with God in accomplishing what He purposes to do. Leader Kit New features include DVD messages from authors Henry and Richard Blackaby and a new Unit 12 with lessons on experiencing God in your marriage, with your children, and in your marketplace. There are also new applications and stories - from Angola Prison inmates earning seminary degrees to the spiritual and economic rebirth of a poor Appalachian community. Henry Blackaby originally wrote Experiencing God as a … [Read more...]

“I feel fortunate to pastor people who have caught the vision to be what we’re supposed to be as a church,” Pastor Stephen Davis said of First Baptist Church in Russellville, Ark. RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (BP) – “I feel fortunate to pastor people who have caught the vision to be what we’re supposed to be as a church,” Pastor Stephen Davis said of First Baptist Church in Russellville, Ark. This is a body of believers who determined 10 years ago to do everything they could to give themselves away. Davis, who has led the church for 23 years, said, “You’re talking to a guy that is just overwhelmed. I’m just trying to stay out of the way. I watched them get focused and catch hold of the vision. Now I’m watching their kids – their kids are becoming the leaders.” In 1987, before there was an “Acts 1:8 Challenge” in the Southern Baptist Convention, Davis said the church started becoming an Acts 1:8 church. The staff first became convicted that intentional outreach to what Acts 1:8 calls the church’s “Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria” and to “the ends of the earth” was the right thing to do. They began to pray, and then they began to line up opportunities to get their people involved. “People want to have ways to express their … [Read more...]

Louisiana College announced at a press conference Aug. 16 the formation of the Judge Paul Pressler School of Law. The first future lawyers are expected to begin classes the fall of 2009. PINEVILLE – Louisiana College announced at a press conference Aug. 16 the formation of the Judge Paul Pressler School of Law. The first future lawyers are expected to begin classes the fall of 2009. “I have been asked over and over again, ‘Why a law school?’” LC President Joe Aguillard told the 100 or more people packed into the Granberry Conference Center on the LC campus. “Why a Christian law school?” While the president of Louisiana College answered the question by quoting George Washington, John Adams and John Jay – some of America’s most prominent founding fathers – Congressman Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman, La., underscored the need in more practical terms. Judiciary action is causing the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments to be removed from “some of our schools and in their place we are putting metal detectors –  to keep our children from killing each other,” Alexander said. “Are we in trouble?’ One might ask,” he continued. “I fear the answer is yes. Thank you, Dr. Aguillard, for recognizing the need ....” To address … [Read more...]

During the week of July 22-27, Fellowship Baptist Church here was transformed into the Seaside town of Galilee. JENA – During the week of July 22-27, Fellowship Baptist Church here was transformed into the Seaside town of Galilee. No longer were we in Sunday School classrooms but Galilean homes and shops. We saw Jesus on the seashore, feeding with loaves and fishes, calming the storm, teaching us, providing for us, protecting us and loving us. Because of His love for us, 18 decisions were made for Christ, all because we were willing to set aside one week of time known as Vacation Bible School. Yes, we do things here a little different at Fellowship. Workers and children alike dress in biblical costumes. The children are divided into 12 tribes according to age, with Ruben being the Youth and the tribe of Benjamin the Nursery. We have two drama rooms where our Bible story of the day is acted out and the children see Jesus and His disciples. They can ask questions about what they’ve just seen and heard. One of the main things we do differently here at Fellowship during VBS is no crafts. That’s right, No crafts. Yes, that’s the same reaction we got when we first broached the subject. Let’s go back a few years. … [Read more...]

This town has it all going its way. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – This town has it all going its way. The area’s economy is excellent, fueled by technology. Some are calling it the “second Silicon Valley.”  Unemployment is only 2.9 percent.  Retirees are moving there yet the median age in Sioux Falls is just 33 years.  That means they’re having children, productivity is high and individual involvement in the community is high. Business Week puts it in the “Dazzling Dozen” pockets of prosperity in the nation, a “diamond in the rough,” while Ladies’ Home Journal taps it as the third least-stressful city for women.  The state ranks fifth in the nation of students completing high school and sixth for students going on to college. In that booming city of 150,000 (make that 200,000 if you include the surrounding metropolitan area, there are 110 languages spoken by the residents. But there’s one language that’s not spoken nearly enough…the Word of God, according to Clovis Sturdivant, director of missions for Louisiana’s Jackson Baptist Association.  In that great city, there are only 11 Baptist churches and just one is affiliated with Sioux Land Baptist Association, making it Southern Baptist.  It’s Crosspoint Baptist Church … [Read more...]

When Hurricane Katrina reduced the 45-member congregation of a year-old church plant in Slidell to six, members wondered what the future held for them. The week of prayer for Louisiana’s Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering is Sept. 16-23. The state goal is $1.5 million. At least one recipient this past year of the State Missions Offering is to be highlighted every issue leading up to the Week of Prayer, to give you snapshots of your missions offering at work around the state. SLIDELL – When Hurricane Katrina reduced the 45-member congregation of a year-old church plant in Slidell to six, members wondered what the future held for them. But God used the faithfulness of Louisiana Baptists and the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering to confirm in pastor Randy Boyett and his tiny congregation that He (God) would see them through the task of starting over. “It’s a tremendously important offering, and I hope we never lose sight of that,” Boyette said. The 2006 Georgia Barnette allocation enabled Thompson Road Baptist Church to regain its foothold and continue its ministry as families relocated out of flooded areas and into the church’s southwest Slidell part of town. Within months after Katrina, the congregation … [Read more...]