BATON ROUGE -- Two key pro-life bills in Louisiana Right to Life's 2016 Legislative Package overwhelmingly passed the Louisiana Senate May 3. The Women's Enhanced Reflection Act (HB 386) and the Compassionate Burial Options Act (HB 618) will soon head to Gov. John Bel Edwards' desk for his signature. Authored by Rep. Frank Hoffmann (R-West Monroe), HB 386 would increase the current time for reflection between pre-abortion counseling and the actual abortion procedure from 24 hours to 72 hours. The bill passed the Senate floor by a 34-4 margin and now heads back to the House of Representatives for technical concurrence before going to Gov. Edwards, who has expressed his support for the legislation. "Reflection periods longer than 24 hours are common across major decisions people must make in America, including getting married, signing a mortgage, and more,” said Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace. “It is appropriate to allow women to have extra reflection time before abortion because of the magnitude of the decision in a woman's life. As testimony has shown, many women regret their abortion decision and now wish they had been given a longer reflection period. "We must also remember that abortion … [Read more...]

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 Diana Chandler, Baptist Press NEW ORLEANS (BP) - New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is assisting police in the disappearance of John W. Russell, a 39-year-old master of divinity student reported missing April 25th. Russell was last seen April 21 at NOBTS around 7:45 p.m., and last had contact with his mother April 22, NOBTS Director of Public Relations Gary Myers confirmed to Baptist Press. NOBTS informed the New Orleans Police Department of Russell's disappearance after receiving a call from his mother April 25th, Myers said. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley told BP, "At this time we are assisting the authorities in every appropriate way to find John Russell, and we are praying for his safe return to his family." Russell, a commuter student, is described in news reports as 5'9" tall, 190 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. According to New Orleans police, he was last seen wearing a long sleeve blue shirt and jeans, and drives a gray 2007 Chevy Silverado with Louisiana license plate C30-9240. In Facebook and Twitter posts, Russell is described as the son of Jan (Hays) Russell of Memphis suburb Collierville, Tenn. Various friends and family members have asked the public to pray for Russell's safe return. "Pray, … [Read more...]

By Message Staff PINEVILLE - Larry Cordaro believes his purpose is bigger than winning two conference championships in his first two seasons as head coach of the LSU-Alexandria men’s basketball team. Though Cordaro strives to be successful on the court, the Ruston native is also intent on building better men, God’s way. “I’m wanting my players to be champions in three areas – the classroom, the community and the court,” Cordaro said during his message today at the monthly First@First Business Leaders Lunch at First Baptist Church in Pineville. He added that two of his players have been baptized – one before and one after the most recent season. Cordaro said knowing that some of his team will graduate with a deeper relationship with Christ – whether it be accepting Him as their personal Lord and Savior or gaining wisdom through an assigned mentor from the community – makes his role rewarding. "God has given me a passion for coaching basketball and has put me in a leadership role that I am grateful for," said Cordaro, a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria. "My purpose is to equip these young men I am responsible for to enter life after college with Godly values and habits." Since he became head coach at LSU-A in … [Read more...]