It’s almost a ‘Leave it to Beaver’ life, and the youngsters who live in the cottages of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home recognize it’s a special place. MONROE – It’s almost a ‘Leave it to Beaver’ life, and the youngsters who live in the cottages of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home recognize it’s a special place. But long after the youngsters become accustomed to sleeping safely every night in their own bed, and to having three meals a day, and to riding their very own bicycle, deep-seated pain lingers in their eyes. One resident was sexually abused by her father, and blamed for it by her mother. She was put in a “support” group, but all the other girls in the group had been abused by stepfathers. How could her very own, real life father do that to her? How could her mother blame her for seven years of abuse that started when she was 5? She grappled with these questions at the same time that she learned about forgiveness, learned about making choices that benefitted – rather than hurt – her, and learned to love this Jesus who was loving her through the LBCH family and her church family. One young man cared for his two younger brothers. They’re all at the Children’s Home now, but he still … [Read more...]

What do you do when no one is watching? Are you different alone than when you are in the presence of others? It has been said that true character is who you are when no one is looking. What do you do when no one is watching? Are you different alone than when you are in the presence of others? It has been said that true character is who you are when no one is looking. I recently sat in a parking lot waiting on my wife as she attended to business at a local women’s boutique. As I waited,  I noticed a family friend making her way to her car. She was not aware of my presence. Before I knew it, she was crawling on the hood of her SUV, across the windshield and onto the roof of the vehicle. I was overcome with total amazement as my friend performed never-before-seen parking lot acrobats before my very eyes. It was as good, if not better, than any Barnum and Bailey circus act. This definitely qualified for Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Next thing I knew, she shimmied, twisted and squeezed her way through the sun roof like Santa Claus down a tight chimney. As if that weren’t enough of a surprise, what happened next really caught my attention. Once successfully inside the car, she didn’t drive away. No, with … [Read more...]

There is much symbolism in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The two ordinances of the Baptist church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, are beautifully symbolic. The cross that is displayed in so many churches is emblematic of the atoning death of our blessed Redeemer. The church spire originated in the 12th century as a symbol of heavenly aspiration. There is much symbolism in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The two ordinances of the Baptist church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, are beautifully symbolic. The cross that is displayed in so many churches is emblematic of the atoning death of our blessed Redeemer. The church spire originated in the 12th century as a symbol of heavenly aspiration. For years the pulpit has been placed in the center of the platform of Baptist churches to symbolize the centrality and priority of preaching the gospel. Years ago, during a pastor’s conference sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, a well-known pastor proclaimed, “If the church is alive, it’s because the pulpit is alive – and if the church is dead, it’s because the pulpit is dead!” Today many churches are flirting with death, because there is a greater focus on filling the pew than filling the … [Read more...]

First-century evangelists had a short life expectancy –- and no shortage of enemies. First-century evangelists had a short life expectancy –- and no shortage of enemies. “Endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist,” the Apostle Paul wrote in a letter to his young disciple Timothy. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the aged apostle boiled the missionary task down to its rugged essence (2 Timothy 4:5). Threats, persecution, beatings and probable martyrdom were all part of the job description. Paul and Timothy preached the Gospel in a violent, decadent and pagan world. The Roman emperors demanded submission and even worship. Roman and Greek idols captured the gentile imagination –- and local economies –- in Roman-ruled cities like Ephesus in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). The political/religious/economic power structure didn’t take kindly to competition, as Paul discovered when he ran afoul of the Ephesian merchants who made a good living off the cult of the goddess Artemis (Acts 19). Paul eventually died at the hands of the Romans. Years later, according to church tradition, Timothy was dragged through the streets of Ephesus and stoned to death after trying to stop a pagan procession and … [Read more...]

“Dad,” my daughter Karis said, “it was just so random!” She added, “This is the kind of stuff that happens to other people.” What my 15-year- old was reacting to was the recent carjacking she had endured. “Dad,” my daughter Karis said, “it was just so random!” She added, “This is the kind of stuff that happens to other people.” What my 15-year- old was reacting to was the recent carjacking she had endured. My wife, Mindy, and our two daughters -- Karis and 12-year-old Hannah, were visiting family in Texas. They had arranged to meet my oldest brother’s family at a convenience store near my in-laws home in the small town of Salado. The purpose of the rendezvous was to pick up my 15-year-old niece so she could spend the night with her cousins. At approximately 10 o’clock that evening, Mindy and Karis arrived at the convenience store about the same time as my brother and his family. Hannah had elected to stay behind at their grandma’s house. Karis left the passenger seat to welcome her cousin, Sidney. Mindy left the van and walked around to greet our sister-in-law. They said “hi” and hugged as the girls were transferring Sidney’s overnight bag from my brother’s car to our van. When Mindy returned to the … [Read more...]

Each graduating class of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary aptly may be called a “Katrina class” for the next several years: In one way or another, NOBTS students were all put to the test by the storm. ANGOLA, La. (BP) – Each graduating class of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary aptly may be called a “Katrina class” for the next several years: In one way or another, NOBTS students were all put to the test by the storm. The Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, home to the seminary’s first prison extension program, escaped the damage and destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. However, inmates there are well-acquainted with the far-reaching impact of the hurricane, as some 2,000 prisoners from the New Orleans area were deposited there temporarily. “About two years ago, our program underwent a major test,” said Darryl Waters, an inmate who was among 44 Angola graduates to receive their diplomas May 22. “Within a week after Katrina hit New Orleans, an influx of Orleans and Jefferson Parish prisoners entered the gates of Angola. “Our local, state and federal governments were not quite prepared to handle a catastrophe of that magnitude,” he continued, “but we were.” Shortly after the … [Read more...]

Southern Baptists topped the 2006 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal, delivering the largest gift in the offering’s 118-year history.  RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – Southern Baptists topped the 2006 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal, delivering the largest gift in the offering’s 118-year history. After the books closed May 31, the final tally hit $150,178,098.06, an 8.9 percent increase over last year’s $137.9 million. Southern Baptists last exceeded their goal three years ago by giving more than $136.2 million to the 2003 offering after missionary appointments lagged because of insufficient funds. The offering supports the work of more than 5,100 missionaries across the globe. This year’s gifts are expected to have a notable impact on the number of personnel being sent to the field. Board leaders anticipate sending 200 extra missionaries over the next two years, in addition to the normal appointment numbers. “Because we are a missionary-sending organization, the number of missionaries we are able to send is directly related to the gifts we receive from Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering,” said Jerry Rankin, president of the International … [Read more...]

Southern Baptists meeting in San Antonio June 12-13 reelected Frank Page as president, focused on a call for repentance and passed a motion identifying the Baptist Faith and Message as the denomination’s “only consensus statement of doctrinal beliefs.” SAN ANTONIO (BP) – Southern Baptists meeting in San Antonio June 12-13 reelected Frank Page as president, focused on a call for repentance and passed a motion identifying the Baptist Faith and Message as the denomination’s “only consensus statement of doctrinal beliefs.” The pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., Page was elected unopposed, one year after he surprised many observers by being elected on the first ballot in a three-man race. Page this year used his first presidential address to say the denomination must repent of its “hubris” and “arrogance” in order to hope for revival. With more than 8,600 messengers in attendance, it was the first annual meeting held in San Antonio since 1988. “For 30 years we’ve been trying to raise baptism levels among non-revived churches among non-revived people who’ve lost their passion for the lost,” said Page, adding he was paraphrasing longtime evangelism professor Roy Fish. “But interestingly enough, … [Read more...]

Twenty-three churches in the north central Louisiana piney woods of Winn Parish will mark the association’s 148 years of service this fall. … [Read more...]

As a child, Beth Roach wanted to be the world’s first singing-astronaut-turned-international missionary, she told the Vernon Baptist Association WMU gathered at First Baptist Church here recently. LEESVILLE – As a child, Beth Roach wanted to be the world’s first singing-astronaut-turned-international missionary, she told the Vernon Baptist Association WMU gathered at First Baptist Church here recently. Though the singing-astronaut gig fell by the wayside, Roach did become an international missionary with the IMB and served with her husband, Bruce, for almost seven years in Yemen, a small, Middle Eastern nation that is almost 100 percent Muslim, she said. Now, however, the couple, along with their two sons, leads a quieter life in Minot, N.D. “Wherever God sends you is exciting,” Roach told her audience. “God knows where we are now. He brought us to the Dakotas and knows what He has for us.” The Roaches, both Louisiana natives, are entrenched not only in North Dakota life but also in the task of spreading the gospel in that state, Beth said. She is the adult missions consultant while her husband, a doctor, is also very active in their church, Cross Roads Baptist, as a deacon. The Message incorrectly listed Roach’s … [Read more...]