By Jeff Ginn, Pastor, Istrouma Baptist Church, Baton Rouge BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) -- Colombia is a South American country that is near and dear to my wife and me because we served there as missionaries with the International Mission Board. It has endured a bloody civil war for many decades. Across the years more than 200,000 people have lost their lives and millions more have been displaced by the violence of that conflict. For years their government tried to defeat and disarm the rebels, all to no avail.  In a desperate and creative step, they turned, of all places, to a marketing executive named Jose Miguel Sokoloff and his communication company. Perhaps words could do what weapons could not. He and his team created a campaign called “Operation Christmas.” Through research they had discovered that the rebel forces were more likely to defect and lay down their weapons at Christmas than at any other time of the year, and they decided to capitalize on that fact. As Christmas approached, elite units of the Colombian armed forces flew Black Hawk helicopters deep into the jungles where the rebel forces ruled.  They selected 10 enormous trees along well-traveled paths. Camouflaged soldiers decorated each of these trees … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Covington ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The Bible is filled with people--all kinds of people. You find the truly evil in the Bible. Herod the Great ruled Israel with an iron hand. He bought his kingdom and did everything in his power to keep it. He killed his favorite wife and several of his sons because he thought they threatened his kingdom. Near the end of his life, he even slaughtered the infants of Bethlehem in hopes of killing the child who was “the born king of the Jews.” In the Bible you find lost people, people who lived for themselves and left God out of their lives. Jesus told us of the life of the “Rich Fool” whose love of money and things kept him from seeing God. These are the people who live tragic lives. Nothing is more tragic than living apart from God. You also find good, godly people in the Bible who failed. David comes immediately to mind. Though a man after God’s own heart, he failed and tragically harmed his family and his nation because of his failure. His failure--like ours--harmed the work of God in the world. But there’s another group of people in the Bible. These are the people who humbly bow before God in their weakness and ask Him to … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) –The Christmas story is so special to me because it declares the Savior has come; and, I find it remarkable in its message because of the multiple perspectives it shares to extend that message to every person in the world: -- Mary and Joseph are humble parents with royal blood. -- Zacharias and Elizabeth are faithful ministry servants whose obedience to God is rewarded beyond their wildest imaginations (She was the first person recorded to have called Jesus “Lord”; and, their unborn son was the first to worship Him, leaping for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the Christ in Mary’s womb). -- The shepherds are the unlikeliest of invitees to the birth of the King of kings, and yet are the special guests of Heaven. -- Simeon and Anna are honored for their dedication, being present in the temple to proclaim to Israel that the Messiah has arrived. But, perhaps no other individual or group speaks to me as much as the Magi who came from Babylon to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. All the others have bloodlines to Israel, but not the Magi, and for me their special part in the Christmas story has implications for the salvation message. … [Read more...]

By Staff, Louisiana Baptist Message MONROE - New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson surprised residents of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home in Monroe December 6 with 40 all-expenses paid trips to Disney World in Orlando Florida. “I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and I just want to let you know you are going to Disney World,” Benson said during a special assembly at the Children’s Home. Benson greeted each child in residential care between the ages of five and 17 with an envelope that contained their all-expense-paid trip to Disney World. Twenty-one children were on hand to receive the early Christmas gift from Benson while another 19, who were unable to attend the special assembly, will also being going in the spring. The 40 children are expected to go to Disney World during spring break in March. “Mrs. Benson has given our children a gift that they will remember for a lifetime,” said Perry Hancock, LBCH President and CEO. “We are so thankful for her love and care.” … [Read more...]

By Jerry Love, LBF Planned Giving Director ALEXANDRIA, La. – The Louisiana Baptist Foundation Board of Trustees received good financial news all the way around at its October meeting. In reviewing operations and investment performances for the third quarter of the year, trustees learned the Foundation’s portfolio continues to see positive returns for the year with each component performing well year to date. Fixed income portfolios are performing as should be expected based on interest rate movements.  With rates low the fixed income managers are being more “defensive,” meaning the portfolios have a shorter duration than their stated benchmarks in anticipation of rates eventually moving upward. The alternative investment portion of the LBF portfolio (preferred stocks, convertible securities, MLP’s, covered calls and infrastructure) continued to add value.  All the individual segments had strong returns with the majority showing returns in the teens.  The alternative mix is designed to enhance the overall portfolio while adding diversity and reducing volatility. Equities continue their positive performance for the year with the domestic and international components meeting or exceeding their benchmarks.  Morgan … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAFAYETTE, La. (LBM) – Nora Mire knew a great deal about religion as a young adult, but she knew very little about Christ. After losing a spouse to cancer in 2008, Mire was introduced to the living hope found in Jesus. She did not accept Christ at the time, but the seeds that were planted guided her through a journey that ended in Mire’s acknowledgment of her sins. Her desire to become a Christ follower was sparked after hearing the Gospel presented at The Bayou Church in Lafayette, just days into the month of October. “I kept hearing Pastor Sean Walker say that it [baptism] is a symbol, just like his wedding ring, and that it is an outward display of an inward commitment to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior,” Mire told the Baptist Message. “I understood. My parents made the decision to baptize me as an infant ... I am making the choice for myself, professing my faith, my belief that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.” LIVES THAT LAST Mire was one of 67 new believers baptized at The Bayou Church on Sept. 29. The catalyst for the mass baptism service came from the culmination of a sermon series, “Unleashing A Life that Lasts,” in which Senior Pastor Mike Walker … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer HAUGHTON, La. (LBM) –Luke Hockenjos was on a collision course with death until the Holy Spirit intervened and prevented him from killing another man at the end of a high-speed chase near Ruston on Nov. 2, 2014. Hockenjos, now a Louisiana Baptist evangelist, experienced life transformation on the interstate that day, finding hope in Christ. “I had the nose of his truck on the other driver’s side and was going to push him over the guardrail on the interstate and in the process kill myself,” Hockenjos told the Baptist Message. “God intervenes at the perfect moment because He’s a perfect God. “I heard, ‘This is not the plan I have for you, it’s time for you to go.’ So, I put my truck in reverse, got out of there and a few hours later I stopped using drugs and surrendered it all, he recounted. “I told God I would do whatever He wanted me to do. “I went to places and people who had seen me live that false lifestyle and I confessed my sins to all of them,” he continued. “I traveled wherever God led me, which was all over the place.” Hockenjos will speak during the Jan. 27 evening session of the 2020 Louisiana Baptist Convention Evangelism Conference at First Baptist Church in … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Ed Newton commissioned more than 6,000 students to leave the Rapides Parish Coliseum and be salt and light in their schools, communities and world during the 2019 Youth Evangelism Celebration. “I believe as the world grows darker, the light gets brighter,” Newton told the students. “And I believe God is rallying a group of teenagers who will say ‘We are the salt of the earth! We are the light of the world! God’s got a mission for us!’ “You have a choice to make,” he continued. “Are you going to be a thermostat or a thermometer? God’s trying to raise up thermostats in the world that will change the atmosphere of their campus, that will change the atmosphere of locker rooms, that will change the atmosphere of friendships that you have. God wants you to embrace that you are salt and that you are light.” EMBRACE THE CALL Newton, pastor of the 27,000-member Community Bible Church in San Antonio, Texas, headlined the gathering, Nov. 24-25. Newton challenged Louisiana Baptist teens in multiple sessions to share what Christ has done in their lives, and encouraged them to change the world for the Lord. By the end of the two-day spiritual encounter, 500 … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MANY, La. (LBM) – Christmas will be merrier in Louisiana and seven other states for more than 11,000 needy families, who have received a backpack filled with gifts and a message of hope for the holiday season. Included in that number are 4,500 backpacks filled with hygiene items, snacks, canned food items, school supplies, clothes, a Bible and a booklet of the Christmas story, contributed by 20 Louisiana Baptist churches and ministries. Throughout December, the Louisiana-based Mississippi River Ministry has coordinated the distribution of the backpacks to families at Christmas parties and other outreach events. Since the backpack giveaway began in 2015, more than 34,000 backpacks have been distributed that have resulted in 1,100 professions of faith in the eight-state region served by the ministry, according to Mississippi River Ministry regional backpack coordinators Marshall and Janell Ingle. Alabama’s Women on Mission has adopted the ministry and provided most of the backpacks since 2015. “The backpacks are more than just gifts to children who are marginalized,” Janell Ingle told the Baptist Message. “The backpacks not only meet physical needs but they are used as a bridge … [Read more...]