How would Dorris Dowden make a difference for Christ in a ministry at East Leesville Baptist Church when she devoted most of her time to care for seriously-ill family members? How would Dorris Dowden make a difference for Christ in a ministry at East Leesville Baptist Church when she devoted most of her time to care for seriously-ill family members? That was the question Dowden faced after participating in the 40 Days of Purpose study last March at the western Louisiana church. At the time, her husband had Alzheimers disease, one sister was handicapped and her other sister had cancer. That is when fellow church member Dianne Stratton shared with Dowden her vision to organize the Compassion In Action ministry. After much prayer, God provided someone to assist Dowden with her duties of caring for her family members so she could dedicate Mondays to work with the fledgling ministry. Soon, she was working three days a week with Compassion in Action, which seeks to impact a person’s life in the Leesville community with acts of kindness. “Those visits are so fulfilling when the people tell us how it brightens their day just because we took a little bouquet of flowers, sat, visited and prayed for them,” … [Read more...]

When Jim Blakely faced medical difficulties in recent years and had to be admitted to the hospital, a friend would ask if there was a family member who needed to be contacted. When Jim Blakely faced medical difficulties in recent years and had to be admitted to the hospital, a friend would ask if there was a family member who needed to be contacted. “I have no one,” Blakely always replied to the query. “You are my family.” Ask Blakely about his family now, and he ticks off a list of people – a son, a daughter-in-law, a daughter, two grandchildren, even a great grandchild. Indeed, what alcohol stole away from Blakely for three decades or more, the Brantley Baptist Center in New Orleans, a tenacious daughter-in-law and the grace of God itself has restored. Blakely has a family again – the same family he once abandoned and then some.  ‘I just disappeared’ Blakely’s story begins in the Northeast – in Massachusetts – where he was living in the 1960s. He was drinking heavily and finding it difficult to hold down a job. The situation was straining his family, which including two small children at the time – a son and a daughter. “I was destroying everybody around me, ...” Blakely admits as he sits at a … [Read more...]

Half of all Americans age 12 or older – 119 persons in all – can be classified as current drinkers of alcohol, the most-recent nationwide study on drug use and health indicates. Half of all Americans age 12 or older – 119 persons in all – can be classified as current drinkers of alcohol, the most-recent nationwide study on drug use and health indicates. About 50.1 percent of Americans currently use alcohol, the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows. The survey was based on 136,000 interviews conducted in 2002 and 2003. The survey results recently were reported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For the study, a current user of alcohol is defined as one who has had at least one drink in the previous 30 days. Binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the past 30 days. In turn, heavy drinking is defined as having five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least five different days in the past 30 days. The findings of the national survey show the extent of drug and alcohol use across the nation. In alcohol-related findings, it indicates: • About 54 million (22.6 percent) of Americans age 12 or older had participated in … [Read more...]

Recent indictments in a sophisticated antiquities forgery ring have cast a pall over the entire field of biblical archaeology and could provide new arguments for those seeking to delegitimize Jewish claims to the Holy Land. Recent indictments in a sophisticated antiquities forgery ring have cast a pall over the entire field of biblical archaeology and could provide new arguments for those seeking to delegitimize Jewish claims to the Holy Land. That is because religious leaders – and even governments – use the presence or absence of archaeological discoveries to bolster their claims to truth and territory or to refute someone else’s. “There is a huge fight over who has a claim to the Land of Israel,” said David Hazony, editor in chief of Azure, a Jerusalem-based journal. “When archaeological finds emerge that show certain aspects of the Bible are historically true, it strengthens the claim that there were Jewish people in this land and, therefore, have a right to be here.” When such biblical artifacts are not discovered or are shown to be hoaxes, some draw the opposite conclusion. “There are people who say the Bible is false, so the Jews had no right to come to Israel, that Zionism is a … [Read more...]

Depending on the statistics used, two-thirds – or as many as eight in 10 – Southern Baptist churches are plateaued or declining these days. Depending on the statistics used, two-thirds – or as many as eight in 10 – Southern Baptist churches are plateaued or declining these days. Ken Hemphill has seen the numbers. He thinks he has a solution. “How do you turn the plateaued or declining church into a growing, vibrant church?” asked Hemphill, Southern Baptist Convention strategist for the Empowering Kingdom Growth emphasis that seeks to help persons focus all of life on the kingdom of God and its work. “My conviction is the problem that creates plateaued churches is spiritual myopia. When we look inward, we see all of our flaws and shortcomings – we don’t have enough staff, we don’t have enough room, we don’t have enough buildings. Everything turns inward. “The only way to change that is to get a global vision as we begin to look at the world as God sees it,” Hemphill said. The church growth movement contributed to the condition by leading churches to focus on their particular congregation without equal concern for the world, Hemphill suggested. “The problem is such thinking creates a competitive … [Read more...]

For years, I have watched as the United States has become more and more a mission field for the gospel of Christ. This fact seems not only more evident, it also reflects a growing, more complex mission field. Two events in the last weeks have driven this home. For years, I have watched as the United States has become more and more a mission field for the gospel of Christ. This fact seems not only more evident, it also reflects a growing, more complex mission field. Two events in the last weeks have driven this home. Last month, I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That area’s mission needs are not just shown by its increasing population, but the kind of social structures that make reaching the people there more difficult. One could describe this difficulty by saying folks have a tendency to live in ghettos. But, the kinds of ghettos are significantly different from what one might imagine. While on a touristy cruise along the Intracoastal Waterway and New River, the guide explained a number of the 40-story, block-long buildings contain hundreds of condominiums whose sale prices start at one million dollars. Amazingly, the buildings are sold out before they are completed. Of … [Read more...]

Louisiana gambling The Jena Band of Choctaws and Louisiana officials apparently are talking again about allowing the tribe to open a casino – in Central Louisiana this time. The tribe has been trying to establish a reservation for years in order to open a casino. In 2002, it gained state approval to open one in Vinton. However, the deal was not approved by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. Now, the tribe has entered into talks with the Gov. Kathleen Blanco administration about locating a casino in the Creola community of Central Louisiana. An environmental assessment of the proposal is underway – but a formal compact agreement between the state and the Indian tribe to open the casino has not been negotiated. Nevertheless, an attorney for the tribe voiced confidence that the casino will be built. If so, it will represent further expansion of legalized gambling in Louisiana, which already is saturated with a variety of types. In some ways, Louisiana has led the nation in gambling expansion – but other states are not far behind. In 1985, only Nevada and New Jersey allowed casinos. Today, 17 states allow some type of casino gambling, 40 states have lotteries, 40 states have horse or dogtrack racing and Indian … [Read more...]

The merger between two Lake Charles churches Feb. 20 was seven years in the making. By Brian Blackwell LBM Newswriter The merger between two Lake Charles churches Feb. 20 was seven years in the making. What transpired during those years is a testimony to how God had his hand on the entire situation, says Alan Weishampel, pastor of the newly-merged East Ridge Baptist Church. “I’ve been in awe of everything that has happened to this point,” Weishampel says of the process. “It’s not us at all. It’s not the two congregations. “It’s God at work.” About 120 people were on hand last month to witness the official merger of Twelfth Street Baptist Church and Murray Street Baptist Church. The two congregations have chosen “East Ridge Baptist Church” as their new name from 46 submitted possibilities. The blended congregation currently is using the Murray Street Baptist Church facilities. However, when it relocates in the near future, facilities will be located on a ridge on the east side of Lake Charles, hence the new name. Danny Busby served as pastor of the former Twelfth Street Baptist Church and now serves as associate pastor of the new congregation. Weishampel serves as pastor of the new … [Read more...]

A major court battleground is – and will be for several years – the meaning, limits, enforcement and respect for the separation of church and state. A major court battleground is – and will be for several years – the meaning, limits, enforcement and respect for the separation of church and state. In Louisiana, this subject burst back into news headlines because United States District Judge Ginger Berrigan ruled that the Tangipahoa School Board could not open its regular meetings with prayer. Judge Berrigan’s ruling shows a continued lack of understanding of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States on the part of many in the court systems of our nation. In this case, the judge does not recognize the difference between public school officials leading prayer among a group of students in a required gathering in a public school and a group of adults exercising their freedom of religion by praying before a meeting of the school board. When a teacher or another school official leads a required gathering of students in prayer, that obviously is an agent of the government requiring – or strongly encouraging – students to engage in particular religious exercises. While we may think such action … [Read more...]

Our neighboring state to the west prides itself on excellent highways, as well they should. As much as it pains this dyed-in-the-wool Louisianian, one can usually tell when one crosses the state line from Louisiana to Texas. Our neighboring state to the west prides itself on excellent highways, as well they should. As much as it pains this dyed-in-the-wool Louisianian, one can usually tell when one crosses the state line from Louisiana to Texas. The roads get much better. So, it was with a chuckle I observed something that showed their road builders make mistakes along the way. There is a small town in East Texas with a gangbuster of an overpass. It is a small masterpiece. The overpass is to provide safe, uninterrupted passage over the railroad just on the edge of downtown, such as it is. The highway through town and downtown – there is no real way of knowing where one ends and the other begins – is a five-laner. It has two lanes headed south and two lanes headed north. A nice turning lane separates the southbound traffic from the northbound. It is a road any community would be proud to have passing through it. As the beautifully-constructed concrete overpass rises, it also bends into a slowly … [Read more...]