Now that the dust has settled and we have had a chance to absorb the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Gonzales v. Carhart, which upheld the constitutional validity of the national ban on partial-birth abortion, we can step back and assess the significance of the court’s decision. Now that the dust has settled and we have had a chance to absorb the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Gonzales v. Carhart, which upheld the constitutional validity of the national ban on partial-birth abortion, we can step back and assess the significance of the court’s decision. In the immediate aftermath of the decision, some in the pro-life community hailed it as a huge advance, while others who support abortion decried it as a major setback. Unfortunately, it is neither. At best, this decision represents a small step forward in our long struggle to protect the lives of unborn children. While it is significant that this is a step forward, it would be excessively optimistic to imagine that the Carhart ruling has paved the way for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. What is clear from the opinion is that the court continues to use the principles of Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey as its benchmarks for measuring the constitutionality of … [Read more...]

Each year Forbes Magazine publishes a list of the richest people in the world. It is interesting to note the variety in this year’s list, from the variety in the types of businesses to the variety of nations in which the wealthy live. Each year Forbes Magazine publishes a list of the richest people in the world. It is interesting to note the variety in this year’s list, from the variety in the types of businesses to the variety of nations in which the wealthy live. But the matter that stands out most is this: The wealthiest among us are self-made billionaires. Their wealth may have come from computer software or insurance investments, manufacturing or entertainment. These self- made wealthy individuals may live in America, Mexico or India, but most of the super-rich are entrepreneurs who grew their financial assets from comparatively little wealth. A corollary to this observation is that the children of the super-rich of previous generations are either no longer on Forbes’s list, or they are much further down the list than in previous years. It seems that inherited wealth tends to dissipate rather than grow. The Rockefellers and Carnegies and Morgans are no longer on the list, which is now dominated by names unknown … [Read more...]

The Feed and Seed Storefront Ministry takes seriously the Great Commission, using what it has to plant gospel seeds in the hearts of DeSoto Parish residents. MANSFIELD – The Feed and Seed Storefront Ministry takes seriously the Great Commission, using what it has to plant gospel seeds in the hearts of DeSoto Parish residents. Established under the sponsorhip of First Baptist Church here in 1991 and originally housed in a feed and seed store, the ministry has since moved to a new location, keeping its visionary name. “It’s a ministry of spiritual food,” said Barbara Lilly, a volunteer pianist/record keeper at the ministry. “The idea is to get [people] to church. It doesn’t matter why they’re coming.Our goal is to get them in to preach to them and to teach them about the gospel.” The first director of the ministry, Robert Peterson, was a Mansfield pharmacist with a heart and soul for the poor, said DOM Lee Dickson. Though he suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease, he continued to serve from a wheelchair before passing away in December 2003. Peterson’s passion ignited those around him with a desire to reach the lost through meeting their needs. In a 2002 interview with the Message, Peterson said the center is another … [Read more...]

Lee Dickson, like Abraham’s Sarah, has laughed in unbelief at a prophetic word, only to see that word come true a few years later, he said. NATCHITOCHES – Lee Dickson, like Abraham’s Sarah, has laughed in unbelief at a prophetic word, only to see that word come true a few years later, he said.  Director of Missions for the DeSoto Association, as well as four others, for 30 years, Dickson had his start in pastoring at Benson Baptist Church in  Converse where he learned much, he said. Once a member shared what turned out to be a prophetic word with him.   “We were painting the building when one of the men standing beside me said, ‘One of these days I’m gonna watch you preach on television,’” Dickson remembered. Though he laughed at the man in unbelief, God caused it to happen six years later, when Dickson went to Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport as associate pastor under Dr. Scott Tatum.  There, he had the opportunity to be televised while preaching, he continued.  “It was a very nice privilege,” he said, and the man who’d made the comment years earlier was quick to call Dickson afterward.  Another time at Benson Baptist, a man drove by the church, Dickson said. After observing the men of the church working … [Read more...]

When Desert Harvest Baptist Church isn’t helping ex-felons, the homeless and teenagers, they’re reaching out in other ways locally and globally. Second in a two-part series of snapshots as to what Southern Baptists across the nation are saying about the Cooperative Program. LAS VEGAS, Nev. (BP) – When Desert Harvest Baptist Church isn’t helping ex-felons, the homeless and teenagers, they’re reaching out in other ways locally and globally. “By giving to the Cooperative Program, we don’t have to be concerned about ‘How do we help?’ We’re already helping,” Pastor William Upchurch Jr. said. “We’re supporting missions, we’re supporting families, we’re supporting disaster relief through the Cooperative Program.” When the predominantly African American church was launched in 1999, Upchurch led the congregation to give 10 percent of its offerings to missions through Cooperative Program, Southern Baptist’s unparalleled way of reaching people and supporting missions across America and around the world. He’s quick to voice a good word about Las Vegas. “I’ve been here 22 years and I just don’t get the sense that this is the seat of Satan,” Upchurch said. “I don’t want to give Satan too much credit. I see the mission of … [Read more...]

The Cooperative Program comes to life in several video and print resources available to churches. Second in a two-part series. Other video and print resources about the Cooperative Program include: --The Difference – A Resource Suite for Southern Baptist Missions and Ministries, Volume 2 ($15). Promoted as “The Ultimate Resource for the Mission-Minded Church,” the DVD-ROM features more than 30 video features, most under three minutes in length, including never-before-seen features highlighting various Southern Baptist missions and ministries. Sermons, Sunday School lessons, PowerPoint presentations, posters, bulletin inserts and graphics also are included on the disc. Potential uses of The Difference include ongoing missions promotion; missions conferences or special emphases; morning, evening or midweek worship services; new member classes; leadership meetings; a church’s budget planning team; small-group Bible studies; church newsletters; and missions bulletin boards. --Project M Praise and Worship and Project M Classic. These music CDs (sold separately for $8 each) feature praise and worship songs from the artists who made them known as well as beloved hymns of the faith. The CDs are punctuated with stories of … [Read more...]

Royal Ambassadors (RAs) across the state rev up east spring at t he annual RA Congress for a time of good-natured competition, Christian fellowship, and insight into God’s work through missionairies. WOODWORTH — Royal Ambassadors (RAs) across  the state rev up east spring at t he annual RA Congress for a time of good-natured competition, Christian fellowship, and insight into God’s work through missionairies. This year’s Congress at Tall Timbers drew almost 500 RA’s and their counselors. Armed with tiny cars they built and decorated themselves, boys and counselors alike pitted their creations against one another in an event that usually takes several hours to complete said Joe Waggener, RA Director at First Baptist Church Mansfield and a participator in the event for at least the last 27 years. “We have to start months ahead,” Waggener said of preparing for the event at his church. “We have to order our cars or have them made.” Participants can choose to order pre-cut cars or blocks of wood out of which they cut their own cars. “After that, we let the boys sand them,” he said. “We usually ask them what design they want and give them a choice of different designs. Some are slim, some look like pick-up trucks, and … [Read more...]

Eric Crochet, bass singer for the Southern Plainsmen Quartet and a member of Davis Crossing Baptist Church here, has no plans to move on any time soon, he said. GLENMORA – Eric Crochet, bass singer for the Southern Plainsmen Quartet and a member of Davis Crossing Baptist Church here, has no plans to move on any time soon, he said. Crochet, who knows his gift for music is from God, has not only mastered his own voice, but can play other instruments as well, including piano, banjo, guitar, bass guitar, bass violin, and mandolin. He’s learning the violin, he added. “What I do, the Lord gave me, and I give all credit to Him,” said Crochet, who has a special passion for singing. “I’ve been singing my whole life, unofficially, I guess,” he said. “My mama says I could sing before I could talk. The way I see it, I’ve always been called to sing,” he continued. “It’s something I feel like the Lord wanted me to do ever since I can remember. As far as I know right now, God wants me to sing. That might be for another five years or the rest of my life.” The Southern Plainsmen Quartet, organized in May 1978 in West-Central Louisiana, appears in Christian churches regardless of denomination on an expense- plus-love-offering basis,  … [Read more...]

It’s a winding, nine-hour car trip from Greencastle, Pa. (pop. 3,700), down to Lynch, Ky. (pop. 900) But Fred and Nicole Smith, their two kids and grandma Theresa Farson don’t mind.  ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – It’s a winding, nine-hour car trip from Greencastle, Pa. (pop. 3,700), down to Lynch, Ky. (pop. 900) But Fred and Nicole Smith, their two kids and grandma Theresa Farson don’t mind. They have driven it once and, this July, they’ll drive it again as part of the North American Mission Board’s “Families on Mission” initiative. During the Fourth of July weekend, when many American families will be trekking through amusement parks or to the beach, the Smith clan will be sharing the Gospel, hammering boards, installing siding, painting, cleaning or maybe baking. “The economy in Lynch is so poor and the people there are so needy,” Nicole Smith said. “It was such an eye-opening experience for our kids and even for us adults. We got a bigger blessing from the people down there than they received from us.” Smith said her 16-year-old son Brandon and 11-year-old daughter Cierra are excited about going back to Lynch, clawed out decades ago from eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian Mountains and the nearby coal mines. “We all hope to … [Read more...]

Nearly 600 people went through Servant Leadership training on Friday, May 3, at East Bayou Baptist Church in Lafayette. LAFAYETTE – Nearly 600 people went through Servant Leadership training on Friday, May 3, at East Bayou Baptist Church in Lafayette. The 3 ½ hour conference was led by Jim Hunter, internationally known for his development of executives in developing the skill of a servant leader. “You are either green and growing or ripe and rotting,” Hunter told the 570 attendees of the need to step up their game as leaders. “Everybody wants to change the world, but nobody wants to change themselves,” he added. Hunter told the crowd of local business professionals that good leaders get the attention off themselves and help others accomplish tasks as a result of building relationships. “We get the job done not by lighting a fire under their butts,” he said, “but rather when we light a fire in their hearts.” Hunter is the author of the internationally best-selling book The Servant, subtitled A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership. The Servant teaches the timeless principles of servant leadership and is the text used in many MBA and other higher education curriculum around the world. Hunter’s … [Read more...]