By Pastor Steve Horn, First Baptist Lafayette Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. As we approach this day, I am grateful for all of the prayer gatherings that will happen across the United States of America. In the Book of Acts, people are said to be praying 31 times. Of these 31 times … 14 times an individual is said to be praying. 2 times two or more people in a small group are said to be praying. 15 times it is the church gathered in prayer. Half of the references to praying in the book of Acts are references to corporate praying! We see in Acts that there were appointed times and places for prayer. We see that the church prayed for power, wisdom, boldness to share Christ, in times of crisis, for missionaries, for pastors, and for each other. When the Early Church encountered a crisis, they didn’t pout, panic, protest, sign a petition, or organize a boycott. Instead, they prayed. Bob Russell, retired pastor of Southeast Bible Church in Louisville, KY, recounts the story of how his church once bought the building next door to the leading abortion clinic in Kentucky. They did some crisis pregnancy counseling out of this building, but mainly they prayed. As a result, in 18 months, the abortion clinic closed! It is … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey, Pastor of First Baptist Covington Yesterday I had the wonderful privilege of speaking to the 2016 graduates of First Baptist Church in Covington at their Senior Banquet. I told the more than 250 parents, grandparents, siblings, and graduates I was surprised at two things. First, how quickly they grew up and, second, how old their parents were getting. I spoke to the group about “The Don’ts of High School Graduation.” While there could be many don’ts for high school graduates, these are the ones I chose. First, don’t be a statistic. Did you know that 65% of graduating church kids don’t go back to church? Maybe they do later own, but most don’t attend church during their college years. They do this for several reasons. Some are simply lazy; others don’t have anybody to prod or prompt them. Some have never had to seek out of a church and therefore don’t know how to go about the process. New college students can make a difference if they will not let themselves become part of that negative statistic. Second, don’t be lazy. Laziness never gains respect. At work or in college hard work and “giving it your best” garners respect and appreciation. These are not the times for Christians to be lazy; it is the time … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, Louisiana College News PINEVILLE --Louisiana College’s 160th Commencement service will feature keynoter Jay Strack, author and minister from Orlando, Fla. Strack’s topic: “The History of the Future.” Attendees must have a ticket to be admitted to the May 7 event that begins at 10 a.m. Strack has more than 40 years as a dynamic speaker among leaders in business, education and religious sectors. He has addressed more than 15 million people in 30 countries in churches, as well as stadiums such as the Georgia Dome, Astrodome, Super Dome, Reunion Arena, and the Olympic Village Stadium in Moscow. He is a graduate of Charleston Southern University, and has known Dr. Rick Brewer, LC’s president, for 35 years. Charleston Southern University took a chance on the former drug addict, giving Strack a semester to prove himself. In spite of being labeled a “trouble student” (with ADD and dyslexia), he earned degrees in religion and psychology. “I went from totally unmotivated to a doctorate degree,” he said. Strack is a licensed and ordained Southern Baptist Minister, who served as senior pastor of a mega-church for five years at the age of 26, and later became a prominent evangelical evangelist. He has spoken 26 times at … [Read more...]

By Staff, Louisiana College News PINEVILLE -- Biblical Studies major Jeffrey Breaux represented Louisiana College this spring in a worldwide effort to examine and transcribe select New Testament manuscripts of 1 Timothy. Breaux -- who recently won academic awards for his achievements in both Hebrew and Greek -- said, “This is a rare opportunity for me as an undergraduate student because work like this is typically done at the graduate level." More than 60 universities and colleges worldwide participated in the collaborative effort among students and their scholastic mentors. “The opportunity to work with scholars and students all over the world on this project is both a blessing and a privilege,” said Dr. Justin Langford, assistant professor of Christian Studies. “Students can deepen their knowledge of textual criticism by sitting under the instruction of top scholars in the field.” Breaux, from Morgan City, was assigned several Greek manuscripts from 1 Timothy for transcription, and was mentored by Langford. “Believe it or not, there are still some Greek manuscripts of the New Testament that have not been thoroughly examined or included in electronic databases,” Langford said. The 1 Timothy project is sponsored by the … [Read more...]

By Mark H. Hunter, Regional reporter DENHAM SPRINGS  – When Willis and Shannon Easley accepted the call to Christ’s Community Church eight years ago the Louisiana Baptist congregation was meeting in a junior high school cafeteria and attendance could be counted on the fingers and toes of two people. Now they are meeting in a spacious new building south of town, holding two Sunday services, averaging 500 in attendance, and, last year they baptized 135, Willis Easley said. What is the key to the growth? “Immediately we started doing outreaches – sowing seeds,” Easley said. “We’ve seen people come into the church as a result of ministry outreach that we’ve done and we’ve seen people come into the church for the opportunity to be part of something. It comes from both directions.” “We pretty much have people with tattoos and piercings every Sunday,” Shannon added. “We really create an atmosphere that no matter who you are, no matter where you’ve been, what you’ve done or what you have on – you will feel loved and accepted. Our job is to love you and let God do the work. We teach the truth but we let God do the work.” Last fall, for example, they had a back-to-school event which provided free haircuts and school supplies. One … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Millions of Christians are expected to gather at churches and various sites throughout the United States May 5 with the single purpose of calling out to God as part of the annual National Day of Prayer. Created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Harry S Truman, this annual observance is held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. Louisiana Baptist Convention President Gevan Spinney said now is the time to cry out to God for a revival and the National Day of Prayer presents the perfect opportunity to focus on that one task. He plans to join fellow members at First Baptist Church in Haughton, where he serves as pastor, in the worship center from noon to 1 p.m. “We have lost many of our freedoms in America while we sleep,” Spinney said. “As believers prepare to gather around our country on May 5, 2016, we are reminded that we have a freedom that can never be lost, and that freedom is prayer. In my lifetime, this country has not been at a greater crossroad than we are right now. As the church, we must cry out to God for revival, for a move of the Holy Spirit of God that would shake us and wake us … [Read more...]