By Waylon Bailey Last month, Martha and I were in a business to make a purchase which took several minutes to complete. We met a delightful man who waited on us and did a good job showing us what we needed to know. After several minutes, I had this intense urge to ask him where he went to church. All of this took place out of state so I had no real need to know where he went to church. I didn’t even know if he did go to church. At first, I resisted the urge but then it came again and so I asked him where he went to church. He seemed a little taken aback, but he immediately began to tell me about his church. After his answer, I explained that I am a pastor and would love to have a man like him at my church. That opened the door to his story. He described himself as a Jewish Christian who came to know Christ a few years ago. He told us how and when he was saved. It was a great story. When he described it as a bit unusual, I told him how many Jews are coming to faith in Christ. I also used the words of Joel Rosenberg, another Jewish Christian, to help him with what had taken place. When someone said to Joel Rosenberg that it seemed weird for him to be a Jewish Christian, Joel said, “it’s the most normal thing in the … [Read more...]

By John Hebert, Louisiana Baptists missions and ministry team leader I am an avid sports fan. Basketball, golf, football, baseball – it doesn’t matter, I love them all. One of the most fascinating things for me about athletics is the skill levels of players. Some are gifted physically, blessed with height and a big body frame, for example. But, they are not necessarily the top performers in their sport because they do not possess the same level of skills of the great players. Take basketball for example. If it just took physicality, every tall and strong person could play in the NBA. But obviously, that is not the case. The NBA has its share of big players, but these men have honed their skills in shooting, dribbling, passing and rebounding in ways few have mastered. In football there are positions filled by “skilled players” – quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, field goal kickers (people who put points on the board) and punters (guys who keep the other team on the other side of the field). They are “specialists” who have developed unique skill sets in order to make a team. In his biography, legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant made some key observations about the differences between natural physical … [Read more...]

By David Jeremiah EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) -- When our family moved from Fort Wayne, Ind., to San Diego in 1981, I didn't realize people came from all over the world to experience its attractions. San Diego not only offers a year-round moderate climate but also features a beautiful harbor, sandy beaches, wonderful shopping and restaurants, a world-famous zoo, professional sporting events and much more. I've lived here for nearly four decades and still have not seen all of my hometown's attractions. But every locale has its own attractions. They quicken our anticipation for what we will experience when we get there. And I believe that is one reason God showed the apostle John a picture of heaven -- "the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:2). Revelation 21-22 is meant to promote the glorious "coming attractions" for all who belong to Christ. Highlighting what the apostle John saw in his vision of heaven, I emphasize "saw" because this is an eyewitness account. John reports what he saw with his own two eyes (literally or in a spiritual vision): "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1). First, heaven is massive in size. … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn A few days ago I wrote about some spiritual lessons that we can learn from catastrophic events. Let me continue with a few additional thoughts today. Advanced preparation is the key. In all matters of life, we must get ready well in advance of the problem. The time to prepare for eternity is now. The time to prepare for God’s calling on your life is now. The time to gain spiritual maturity is now. The next crisis is coming. You don’t like to hear that, but it is true. The next crisis of life is coming, so… We are going to have to learn to put our faith into practice. And… Because the future is uncertain, we must know the One who holds the future. Corrie Ten Boom said, ““Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” It really is true what Jesus said, “Don’t Worry about tomorrow.” The rest of that quote is “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” We are all in this thing together. Have you ever noticed that during crisis, we are all in it together? Why does it take something like a flood or hurricane to cause us to remember that we need each other? I will never completely understand the mercy of God. Why did some communities and families get hit … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey Over the weekend, folks in Louisiana dealt with Hurricane Barry while folks in California are still jittery over the two recent earthquakes. Both of these strike fear and concern. The folks in Louisiana say, “At least you know when a hurricane is coming.” The folks in California are very aware their state has a major earthquake every 150 years or so. It’s now been over 160 years since the last one. How do we deal with natural disasters which are bad and many of the personal aspects of life which are even more hurtful? First, we have to recognize that life is hard. We constantly deal with pain and suffering. We ask if God really is working all things together for good (Romans 8:28), and we question how we can count it all joy when we face various trials (James 1:2-4). Second, we have to recognize that we live in a broken world. Our sin has affected not just our lives but the whole creation. Paul stated it so powerfully, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility . . . because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole … [Read more...]

By U.S. Sen. John Kennedy All across our country, we have memorials and monuments to remind us of great people who did courageous things. Some of these memorials and monuments are under attack simply because they happen to reflect what I believe and what all of you believe: God exists. On Sept. 18, 1919, the mother of a fallen WWI soldier led the groundbreaking ceremony for one of these monuments—the Bladensburg “Peace Cross.” The cross serves as a symbolic grave for 49 local men who died in World War I. That monument has stood for 100 years, but a recent lawsuit nearly brought it down simply because it is shaped like the cross on which Jesus died. A liberal group, the American Humanist Association, filed a complaint in 2012 claiming the Bladensburg cross violated the First Amendment because it was a religious symbol - more specifically, a Christian symbol - on public land. The case eventually wound up before the United States Supreme Court. The left’s argument was both absurd and offensive. That is why I joined a group of 109 members of Congress last August in submitting a letter — called an amicus brief — to the Supreme Court saying that the cross should stand. The First Amendment prevents Congress from establishing a … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn If you live in my part of the world (Louisiana) you likely have seen a headline in recent days that indicated, “All Eyes on Gulf” or “Watching the Tropics” or something similar. We are waiting to see how much rain we get with a Tropical System. After a similar system in August 2016 which flooded us to the point that some never returned, we tend to get a little jittery with such headlines. Maybe the headline is not “All Eyes on Gulf.” It might be “All Eyes on Trump” or “Russia” or “North Korea” or “Iran.” The truth is we wait for the next news. Some wait for the next episode of their favorite show. Some watch their online bank account for the next automatic payroll “drop.” We live in a day when we “watch” Facebook or Twitter for our “friend’s” (or “enemy’s”) next post. The point is we live “to watch.” The writer of Proverbs gave us a wise word about watching. As wisdom is personified, the writer of Proverbs said, “Anyone who listens to me is happy, watching at my doors every day, waiting by the posts of my doorway.” (Proverbs 8:35) I have learned through the years living in Louisiana that updates from the National Hurricane Office comes every four hours so we wait for the next update. As I wait, I … [Read more...]

By Joe McKeever “My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and they have hewed out for themselves cisterns–broken cisterns, which can hold no water.”  Jeremiah 2:13 You make a very small god, friend. An executive with Walmart  made an observation before a group of business people recently  that has stuck with me.  “You know who our biggest competition is?”  People suggested Target, K-Mart, Best Buy, the, malls, and such. “Dollar stores,” he said.  “That’s what Walmart started out to be and they are now eating our lunch.” Well. Makes sense.  Those little stores are everywhere. You know who God’s biggest competition is in this world? It’s not Islam’s Allah. It’s not any of the big religious alternatives. Not Buddhism, Hinduism, and not animism. The biggest competition of the living God in this world is personal idolatry. Self-worship. People are worshiping themselves, their own bodies, appetites, personal needs, their wants and desires and ambitions.  Everything else is secondary.  They sacrifice everything else for their bodies, for their appearance, for their careers, for their wants. They choose cars and houses and jobs for “how this will make me … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey We have just celebrated the 243rd anniversary of American Independence. In many ways, it seems the worst of times. When you look at the world and when you look at America, you often feel that things are just not right. You may have seen the reports out of France last week where the highest court in France ruled that a disabled man had to be starved to death. His parents are distraught and unbelieving that this could happen. To show how incongruous the situation is the man will be sedated as a humanitarian gesture. Dying of thirst and starvation is one of the most horrific ways to die. Since many people see secular Europe as a precursor to a secular America, this can and should be frightening for us. How should we respond to this kind of thinking? First, we should not give up. When it seems that all the world is against you, it’s easy to quit. Evil often wins simply because the righteous throw up their hands in defeat. Paul understood the strategy of Satan and the tendency of the righteous. For this reason, he told the saints in the Roman Province of Galatia to “not be weary in doing well” (Galatians 6:9). Second, we should seek righteousness in all things. Jesus told us to seek first the … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn In 1928 one of our American submarines, S4, sank off the eastern coast on a dive after routine maintenance work. Divers made contact through Morse code. After initial exchange of how many on board, what is your condition etc., the divers received the message from those on board, “Is there any hope?” In the midst of the circumstances, what a penetrating question! Many are still asking that question today about America. Is there any hope? I am confident that there is hope, and I am confident that we find our hope in God. Our hope is not in Washington but in Heaven. Our hope is not in the Constitution but at Calvary. Our hope is not in more laws or less laws or better laws, but in a strict observance of the law of laws—God’s Holy Word. Our hope is not in the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, or any forthcoming party; our hope is in repentance, revival, and a spiritual awakening. Until we as believers understand these things, I’m afraid “There is no hope for America!” But, there is always hope. I have heard before that our national anthem is among the most difficult songs to sing. Maybe that explains why we usually only sing one verse of The Star Spangled Banner. Did you know that it … [Read more...]