By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WELSH – Judy Bertrand felt the sting of tragedy twice in August. After 49 years of marriage, her husband Joe passed away, having lost a lengthy battle with cancer. Next, floodwaters deluged her house near Welsh, destroying most of her possessions and forcing Bertrand out for what she thought would be a long while. Home for Christmas seemed unlikely for 2016. But those prospects greatly improved when an army of Louisiana Baptists and other volunteers converged in late August to rebuild what nature had destroyed. Now, unwrapping presents under the tree is just a matter of her avoiding Santa’s naughty list. Bertrand calls what transpired “a Christmas miracle.” “It was surreal,” she said. “I felt like God was taking care of me. How else do you get that kind of help? From day one they were a blessing to me.” After meeting Bertrand during a meeting at the First Baptist Church in Welsh, one disaster relief volunteer felt led by the Holy Spirit to spearhead the rebuild effort. “The Lord just tells you to do things some time, so I put my arm around her at the church and told Mrs. Bertrand we would rebuild her house,” said Reggy Saxon, the project manager who is a … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAKE ARTHUR – The four-day revival may have ended in late November, but for the congregation of First Baptist Church in Lake Arthur a season of spiritual awakening has only just begun. The revival drew around 175 each service, with 23 making first-time salvation decisions in all. Four people were baptized during the revival itself, with many more expected to do so before the end of the year. It was the culmination of months of prayer by the congregation capped with 24 hours of continuous prayer by a sequence of members just prior to the revival. “People let go of their pride and gave their lives to the Lord,” said Jered Thomas, pastor of First Baptist Lake Arthur. “We had fire beginning to burn in the hearts of our people. “They are pressing on,” he continued. “Revival has just begun. It starts now, today, with each person. They are ready to continue on. We will continue to grow, invite and get those to come.” Bill Britt, an evangelist and native of Haughton, preached each night and Broken Vessels of Deridder performed music. “The biggest thing Bill Britt got across to those coming to the revival was gaining a relationship with the Lord,” he said. “From the beginning to … [Read more...]

By Joe McKeever, Special To The Message We interrupt this program to bring you the following news…. “I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people!  Today in the City of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.” We return you now to your regularly scheduled program. Wonder how Heaven decided who would deliver the news of Jesus’ birth that night? Was there a competition among the angels? Did they draw straws? Was the announcer chosen by merit? Did anyone say, “Gabriel got to tell Mary and Joseph; it’s my turn?” What were the requirements?  A good speaking voice? Fluency in Aramaic? And was the announcing angel disappointed when Heaven’s light was switched on and the audience for this event-for-the-ages was revealed to be a few rag-tag shepherds? Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite eat your hearts out!  This was the best announcing job of all time. Let’s break this wonderful announcement down into its ten components… Do not be afraid. Angels always prefaced their announcements with these words.  We smile at that because it makes complete sense. We get … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Louisiana College President Rick Brewer announced Dec. 1 the school’s plans to start three new programs, and shared details about a matching gift opportunity for alums, saying Louisiana College has much to be thankful for heading into the Christmas season. During the press conference held in the Granberry Conference Center, Brewer told the crowd about the development of programs for students to attain a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Social Work. The school also hopes to offer an online RN to MSN program, which will enroll registered nurses practicing with an associate degree in nursing or hospital diploma. These new programs could accept students as early as next fall, pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges. “Our academic leaders in this room have been working on these for several months and we’ve identified a need in our region and are trusting that these programs will help us meet that need,” Brewer said. He also explained that two of the proposed degrees will receive funding thanks to a Healthcare Occupations Program Grant from the … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer HAUGHTON – Bill Britt had aspirations of playing big time football as a promising high school athlete, but his life’s plans and priorities  changed  immediately when he accepted Christ during a revival at First Baptist Church in Haughton. Excited about his newfound faith, the next morning Britt posted a handmade sign in the locker room asking teammates to come talk to him about how to become a Christian. That same day, he shared the plan of salvation during math class. It would be the beginning of a lifetime spent sharing the Gospel from Louisiana to the uttermost parts of the earth. “I think getting saved at a revival is one reason I am so passionate about evangelism, especially in large settings,” said Britt, founder of Compel Outreach International. “I saw how much of an impact revival meetings can have on a local church and surrounding community.” A graduate of Louisiana College, Britt was called to evangelism in 1982 while serving as pastor of Freedom Baptist Church in Pitkin. His invitations to preach at other churches steadily increased to the point that Britt felt it was time to say yes to God’s invitation to “step out in faith.” Compel Outreach International, … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer HAMMOND – Since it was constituted 30 years ago, Hillside Baptist Church has been known as a loving congregation which survived its share of trials. Despite an optimistic attitude, the congregation of 20 could not overcome several feet of water that filled the worship center – after the Natalbany River overflowed its banks in August – wiping out pews, hymnals and three decades of memories. Among the few items not destroyed was the baptistery. Lacking flood insurance, the congregation decided to close permanently, but they were looking for a way to continue contributing to Kingdom work, even in the face of shutting down and turning over the keys Sept. 8 to the family who originally donated the property. During this time of seeking God’s guidance, Hillside members were inspired to donate the baptistery to a congregation that was busy soul-winning and in need of one – and found out Still Water Baptist Church in Hammond was waiting to baptize 13 new believers. Pastor Gerald Burton was excited his Hillside congregation was able to give away something that can bless others for generations to come. “The devastating fact that all was lost was a very hard blow to the few … [Read more...]

By Russell L. Meek, Louisiana College ALEXANDRIA – The Babylonian army descended upon Judah in the sixth century BC, destroying the city of Jerusalem and the temple of God in 586. The people had been consistently warned this would happen, but they were confident it would not be so, even though the Northern Kingdom Israel had suffered a similar fate some 150 years earlier. FORWARNED The prophets warned Judah repeatedly that their idolatry – looking to things other than God for their safety, satisfaction, and fulfillment – would end badly; and, because the vertical relationship between God and the people was broken by idolatry, the horizontal relationship between people also suffered greatly. The prophets also warned the people about this: Their social injustice – exploitation of the poor, the orphan, the widow, the stranger – would also bring about God’s judgment. But why were God’s people so confident that judgment would not befall them? In a word (or two): religious ritualism. They were convinced that simply going through the motions of worship was sufficient to keep God happy and secure His blessing. Biblical scholars J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays describe Jeremiah’s prophecy about these covenant … [Read more...]