By James Dobson In our secular age the battle rages not only over the question of religion in our public life. The very concept of faith is under attack. Cynicism and unbelief mock faith and the sacrifices it brings forth. Yet no nation can long survive if it does not have among its people a deep reservoir of faith in all its forms. This is especially true for democracies where the will of the people prevails. In a purely secular sense, faith that things will get better (if not now, then later, and if not for you then for your children) is what motivates millions of people to make countless sacrifices. Faith is the force behind the worker who holds down two jobs so that a son or daughter can be the first in the family to go on to college. It is faith in the notion that hard work and right behavior will be rewarded (in the next life, if not always in this one) that causes us to continue to strive and toil. Religious faith permits a nation to overcome adversity and to deal with the exigencies of life that cause both individuals and countries to suffer. Faith teaches that life is more than a mad rush for wealth, that sacrifice matters, that some of the most important things men do often cannot be completed in one … [Read more...]

By Lonnie Wascom Of all the various ups and downs and ins and outs of the past nearly 15 years serving our Lord by serving His churches in the Northshore Baptist Association, there has been no event or encounter or experience more transforming for me and our region than the arrival and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It was on this day in 2005 she arrived and wreaked havoc on our region. And it was in the days, weeks, months, and years following that God's churches, all of you, from Springville southwest of Holden in Livingston Parish to Hebron in Bush in NE St. Tammany Parish, from Ridge Memorial over near the Rigolets near Slidell, west to Pass Manchac, all the way to the north ends of our Parishes and everything in between, that God did a mighty work for His glory by way of the churches that made up what were then the Chappapeela, LaTangi, and St. Tammany Baptist Associations and what is today the Northshore Baptist Association. It was a defining period. It was God's people responding as only God-empowered people can. A part of Psalm 29 ministered to my spirit all through that season, especially verses 3-8, and continues to do so today. Look at these verses pertaining to the voice of God: The voice of the … [Read more...]

By Fred Luter NEW ORLEANS (BP) - In September 1986, my life was changed forever when I was elected as pastor of a dying Southern Baptist mission called Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. I grew up in the National Baptist denomination. I was the middle of five kids raised by a single mom who required everyone in her house to attend church on Sunday mornings. At the age of 21, I was radically saved while lying in Charity Hospital in New Orleans not knowing if I was going to live the next 24 hours because of a serious head wound. A deacon of the church I grew up in put his finger inches from my face and said without apology, "Boy, obedience is better than sacrifice. If you were obedient to your mom, you would not be sacrificing your life here in this hospital!" That night I asked Jesus Christ to come into my life and woke up the next morning with a commitment to live the rest of my life as a born-again Christian. After getting out of the hospital, I started a street ministry in the neighborhood I grew up in because I wanted everyone to know about this Jesus who turned my life around. While preaching one Sunday at a National Baptist church, someone mentioned to me that Franklin Avenue was looking for a pastor and asked if … [Read more...]

By David Jeremiah EL CAJON, California (BP) - Instead of having one slow brain, today's computers have several really fast brains that can handle tasks independently of each other. While the brain God gave us is more powerful than any computer, we only have one. And it works best when it is focused on one thing at a time. If you're a student of the Bible, you already know where we're headed: Matthew 6:24 - "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (NKJV). Spiritual multitasking First, let's look carefully at Jesus' words in this part of the Sermon on the Mount, then define them more closely. To give context, Jesus is talking about the practice He witnessed in Roman occupied Galilee - slavery. When He says, "No one can serve two masters," the word for serve is "douleuo," from which comes the familiar Greek word for slave - "doulos." A doulos was a bondservant, a slave, not an employee. His allegiance was to only be to one, and only one, master. Those listening to Jesus' teaching would have understood perfectly what He meant: "Being a slave is a full-time job. You owe complete allegiance … [Read more...]

By Greg Laurie "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." - Romans 8:15 My grandkids call me “Papa.” The other day one of my grandchildren said, “Uppy, Papa!” which means, “Pick me up!” How can you say no to that? It’s a term of affection. Other people can’t call me “Papa” because that term is based on my relationship with my grandchildren. Jesus said, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9 NKJV). The Bible tells us, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15 NKJV). The word Abba is more or less the Hebrew equivalent of “Papa” or “Daddy.” Don’t think of your heavenly Father as distant or disinterested. Rather, think of Him as a warm, loving Father. Perhaps the most vivid illustration of what our heavenly Father is like is found in a story Jesus told in what is called the parable of the prodigal son. Usually, this story’s emphasis is on the son, but we could just as easily call it the parable of the loving father. It’s the story of a father who had two sons. One son went astray, wrecked his … [Read more...]

By Rick Warren “It is the LORD who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6 GNT). You say, “I want to trust God, but I don’t hear him.” You don’t hear God when your mind is filled with a thousand other distractions. To hear God, you’ve got to get near God. You have to get alone with God and be quiet. The Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NIV). That means sit down and stay quiet. That’s how you hear God and get near God. You have to sit alone and just be quiet with your Bible and say, “God, is there anything you want to say to me?” You read God’s Word, and you talk to him about what’s on your heart. God says he will give you the wisdom you need to recognize his voice and follow through on what he says: “It is the LORD who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6 GNT). Pray this today: “God, I want to listen to you, not the voices of doubt. I want to get close to you and get to know you better. I want to hear you, and I promise to then obey you. I want to be one of the people that you can use and bless.” Rick Warren is founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. The church recently celebrated the 50,000th … [Read more...]

By US Senator John Kennedy There are certain things that deserve respect and appreciation, and a memorial dedicated to those who died fighting for our country is one of those things.  The Bladensburg peace cross in Prince County, Md., is a 100-year-old memorial that honors 49 local men who died in World War I.  Unfortunately, an unreasonable progressive organization is taking legal action to tear the cross down. Members of this far-left organization believe the memorial is a violation of the First Amendment because it’s shaped like a cross and sits on public property.  They plan to argue their case to the Supreme Court. To me, their argument is both ridiculous and offensive.  They are showing a blatant disrespect for men who fought and died defending our constitutional rights. That’s why I joined a group of 109 members of Congress, including six of my Republican colleagues in the Louisiana delegation, in submitting a letter - called an amicus brief - to the Supreme Court.  This memorial is not an infringement of freedom of religion.  It is a symbolic monument to those who fought in World War I.   The First Amendment forbids the establishment of a national religion, but it also discourages hostility toward a particular … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:39 NIV) In case you haven’t heard, many people, including some who claim to be Christians, are rather down these days on the church. But, we have an encouraging word about the church from someone who was definitely not a believer in Jesus. His name was Gamaliel, and he was a respected Pharisee and teacher of the law. The Book of Acts reveals the story about the history of the early church. Starting with a small group in the beginning of Acts, the book ends with the Gospel being preached throughout the world. Luke, the author, gave repeated summary accounts of how many were being added to the church. The early days of this Gospel progress and church expansion is the context of Gamaliel’s assessment: “But if it is from God.” We now have two thousand years of testimony that the church is “of God.” What does this mean for us who are part of the church? We cannot be silent regarding the life-changing message of Jesus. This is the church’s mandate. Indeed as Peter and the other apostles declared to those who tried to shut them up, “We must obey God rather than man.” (Acts 5:29) We … [Read more...]