Submitted by philip on Mon, 01/13/2014 - 12:46 By Steve Horn, Pastor First Baptist Lafayette, President of Louisana Baptist Convention First of all, let me extend my thanks to the Louisiana Baptist Convention for your confidence in electing me to serve you this year as president. I need your prayers and offer my intention to serve our Lord and our Convention well. Together, we have heard and pledged our support to a collective vision framed by a report we have called Vision 2020. Let me be solidly on the record as stating my unequivocal support of this vision. In fact, since a quiet time back in 2006, I have endeavored to build our church’s strategy around similar themes. In the summer of 2006, while reading Psalm 71, the Lord clearly spoke to me through His Word, particularly in verse 18 which says: Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Vision 2020 and this Psalm both indicate we must be intentional in sharing the Gospel with the next generation – our “this” generation. We must be intentional with sharing the Gospel with “everyone who is to come.” We have work to do Louisiana Baptists. This … [Read more...]
Louisiana church’s poverty game raises $30,000 for hunger
Submitted by philip on Wed, 01/02/2013 - 13:39 Sweetwaters, South Africa, is a community whose population has been decimated by HIV/AIDS. Tabitha Ministries in Sweetwaters uses resources from the World Hunger Fund, channeled through Baptist Global Response, to provide food parcels to more than 6,000 orphaned children living in child-headed households. By Mark H Hunter, Regional Reporter AMITE (BP) – Instead of preaching a sermon for World Hunger Sunday Oct. 14, pastor Mike Foster divided his congregation in Amite, into three groups and played the Poverty Bean Game. The game, which demonstrates the disparity of wealth between developed countries like the United States and Third World countries like Haiti, convicted members of First Baptist Church to put nearly $30,000 in the offering basket – more than three times the usual Sunday morning offering, Foster said. "It was amazing – it just confirmed that God is great!" Foster said. "It really opened our eyes to see there is a world out there that needs help. It was more than we’ve ever taken up for the World Hunger Fund." The World Hunger Fund (www.worldhungerfund.com) is the channel Southern Baptist churches use to provide financial resources for … [Read more...]
Big ministry in Big Apple: Sandy ends busy 2012 for Louisiana Disaster Relief volunteers
Submitted by Brian Blackwell on Wed, 01/02/2013 - 13:55 Sailboats lay stacked up like cordwood after being swept ashore by the fierce wind and storm surge from Hurricane Sandy on Staten Island in New York. By Brian Blackwell, Marketing Director STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers exhibited the spirit of Christmas recently when they gave back to those affected in one of the hardest-hit areas by Hurricane Sandy. No stranger to receiving assistance from others during disasters, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers spent most of November and some of December – including the week just before Christmas – helping those in need in Northeast communities not accustomed to direct impact of major hurricanes. According to the North American Mission Board, volunteers from 32 state and regional Southern Baptist conventions sent crews to areas. Those volunteers prepared more than 1.6 million meals and assisted more than 1,200 homeowners with clean-up and recovery efforts through early December. "In some respects, it was a bigger disaster than Hurricane Katrina because of the high population density that was affected," said Louisiana Baptist disaster relief coordinator … [Read more...]
Sandy Hook a tragedy to be sure, but what about abortion?
Submitted by Brian Blackwell on Wed, 01/02/2013 - 13:58 While I believe that the shooting in Newtown, Conn., that took the lives of 26 people – 20 of them precious children – was a horrible senseless tragedy, I believe the lives of 3,562 preborn children perishing at the hands of an abortionist because their mothers do not want to be inconvenienced is also a horrible, senseless tragedy. By Kelly Boggs, Editor On Friday morning, Dec. 14, a gunman shot his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and gunned down 20 precious children and four adults before taking his own like. Earlier that same day, the shooter fired several shots into his mother, killing her while she slept in her home. The death toll of Friday’s murderous rampage that shocked the nation was 26. In the ensuing days memorials were held all over the country. People wept and wondered how someone could be so calloused as to murder children in cold blood. People have expressed disbelief, dismay and outrage over the tragedy that transpired in Connecticut. Everyone agrees something must be done so the horror at Sandy Hook is never repeated. Some policy makers believe the answer lies in restricting access to guns. … [Read more...]
Do you know how much I really, really hate typos?
By Art Toalston, Editor, Baptist Press I hate typos. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them. Working in the media, I’m horrified when I see a typo on our website, especially in something I’ve written or edited. I’d rather stub my toe. Typos make me look stupid. They make me drop everything and urgently fix them. You probably hate something with a passion. Go for it, I’m prone to say. I hate typos so much that I don’t care if I’m blatantly repetitive: I hate my typos. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them. The other morning, the horror of a typo popped into my prayer time. And then, to my shame, God helped me to realize something. I apparently hate typos more than I hate sin. Yet what can be more tragic than sin? Not only does it make people look stupid, it ruins their lives and, if unchecked, ushers them into hell. Sin of one sort or another is the primary cause of human misery. It tears families apart. It leaves teenagers on the verge of a hopeless life. It leaves the elderly in acute fear of death. It leaves all of us in an inner torment of guilt, regret and brokenness. Whether it’s self-centeredness, pride, greed, lust, inebriation or a myriad of other sins, the person suffering from … [Read more...]
It is time for us to speak up for those who have no voice
By Nathan Rush, Pastor, First Baptist Houma We have all grieved with a deep sadness over the tragedy at an elementary school in Connecticut. A single gunman murdered 26 other people, 20 of them children aged 7 and under. The numbers are staggering, in what is now the second deadliest school shooting on American soil. Across the nation, hearts are broken – and well they should be! But, there are some other numbers we, as God’s people, should consider. How about 55,763,976? That is the number of abortions performed in the United States since 1973. Here is how that breaks down: one child every 24 seconds, 2.4 every minute, 144 every hour, 3,456 every day, 24,192 every week, 106,380 every month, and 1,261,440 every year. Do you feel distressed yet? But, wait, there’s more! Let us put this into modern perspective. As of May 4, 2010, the Vietnam Wall contained 58,272 names and stretched 246’9." A similar memorial containing the names of abortion victims would stretch more than 111 miles. There really is very little way for most of us to fathom such a thing. We have become almost numb to unspeakable tragedies and their human cost. Since 1973, abortions have totaled more than nine times the number of Jews murdered in the … [Read more...]
Twelve spiritual tips for new year
As the New Year rolls around, many folks will make New Year’s resolutions to change or improve something in their lives. One of the topics that make every Top Ten list is "get out of debt." But what about spiritual goals? With the Bible as our guide, here are 12 tips and corresponding scriptures to help you make the coming year your best ever: 1. Commit yourself fully to Jesus Christ. God wants more than a relationship; He wants a total commitment.Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart. – Psalm 119:2. 2. Put your commitment to Christ above all else. Only when Christ has first place in your life can the rest of your life be in right order. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you, – Matthew 6:33. 3. Put the needs of others ahead of your wants. If we look at the life of Jesus, we realize that our time on earth is not about personal comfort, but about being a comfort to others. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve .... – Mark 10:45a. 4. Spend time daily in the Word and in prayer. The Living Word wants you to spend time with Him. Remember that prayer is a two-way conversation; don’t just talk to God – … [Read more...]
Impact of a Baptist missionary’s widow on Lottie Moon
J. Landrum Holmes and his wife, Sallie, went to China before 1860 as pioneer Southern Baptist missionaries in Chefoo in the Shantung providence of northern China. Mr. and Mrs. Jesse B. Hartwell joined them in 1860, living in Tengchow. In a few short years the lives of Sallie Holmes and two missionary sisters, Edmonia and Charlotte (Lottie) Moon, would intersect. On the first day of October in 1861, J. Landrum Holmes and another missionary tried to stop invaders and robbers from an attack on the village of Chu Kia on the Shantung Peninsula during the Taiping Rebellion. He was brutally murdered. With his death, Landrum Holmes became the first Southern Baptist missionary to meet a violent death while taking the gospel to the nations. Sallie Holmes, now a widow, was expecting a child. She later reflected on her decision to stay in China saying: "I would not go back. I would stay and work." Contrary to advice and counsel, she remained, gave birth to a son named Landrum, and moved to Tengchow in 1862. Sallie supervised a boarding school for girls, but was especially known for traveling out to villages to share the gospel with women and teach them in homes. She is said to have traveled to as many as 400 villages in … [Read more...]
Questions We Ponder
Question: I hear the word "grace" used a lot by church people in singing and Bible readings. What is grace and how is it different from faith? Bill Warren responds: One of the best-known passages on "grace" and "faith" is Ephesians 2:8-9: For by means of grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not from you – the gift is from God. Not from works, so that no one should boast. Grace is the reason salvation is even possible, for the possibility of salvation is a gift from God and not due to anything done by us that would obligate God to give it to us. A primary context for understanding "grace" in the New Testament is the Greco-Roman society where "patrons," those higher up the social ladder, sought to have "clients" from those below them. The patrons bestowed increased social standing, social access, and even material bene-fits on their clients, thereby providing things that were beyond the reach of the clients otherwise. In return, the clients showed their gratitude by being faithful to their patrons. This included speaking well about them in all settings, acting in their daily life in ways that reflected well on their patrons by being upright in their character and … [Read more...]
SACS to continue LC ‘warning status’
PINEVILLE – Information released by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) indicates that the accrediting organization determined at its recent annual meeting to continue Louisiana College on "warning status," a status SACS placed LC on during its annual meeting in December 2011. LC remains fully accredited. The warning status means that accreditation, which is determined as part of a 10-year cycle of evaluation and review of all academic institutions, has not been reaffirmed by SACS. Information on the accrediting organization’s web site indicates that warning status is "less serious of the two sanctions" (the other being probation) and is usually "levied at the earlier stages of institutional review." When the warning status was issued a year ago, SACS deemed eleven specific deficiencies in eight categories that needed to be addressed by LC. In issuing the continuation of the current status, SACS found six specific areas in three categories that still needed attention. In the category of Institutional Effectiveness, LC needs to address some deficiencies related to: Institutional Effectiveness, Educational Programs, Administrative Support Services and Academic and Student Support Services. In the category … [Read more...]
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