By Steve Gaines Matthew 22:9-10 – “‘Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’  Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”  We are all to invite all men to Christ. All Christians are commanded by Christ to invite all non-Christians to become Christians. Whether they are “good” or “bad” is not an issue, for we are all lumped within that less than admirable category called “sinners.” All people have broken God’s laws and fallen short of the glory of God. And the text says that we are to go to them instead of expecting them to come to us. We are to be proactive in our evangelism. We are to join Deacon Philip and go to the road upon which the eunuch is traveling. We are to approach the eunuch and open our mouths using Scripture to proclaim Jesus Christ to the lost. We are to bring precious souls to Jesus. We are to lift Jesus up before them in such a way that will cause them to desire Him for themselves. We are to invite them to receive Jesus. Jesus is all we have to offer them, and Jesus is all they will ever need. As we go out into the streets and gather … [Read more...]

By Trent Baker, Breitbart.com Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson appeared on Fox News Channel’s “The Kelly File” Thursday to discuss the recent police shootings of black men in Tulsa and Charlotte. Watson, who is on injured reserve this year, said people need to learn how to correctly handle conflict and look at themselves in order for the country to move forward. “One of the biggest things that we have to be able to do is handle conflict and handle it correctly,” Watson told host Megyn Kelly. “[When] we’re able to look at our biases, look at our frustrations, look at our sin in this area, our pride and our selfishness, it allows us to move forward.” To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]

By Mac Brunson September 11 has become a significant date in American history. That date did not become noteworthy just in 2001, because it actually has a deeper history for Americans. On September 11, 1814, America was under attack. No one ever imagined that 17,000 British troops would be on the outskirts of the city of Baltimore. Off the coast were nearly 30 British ships of war. The British navy maneuvered 16 of those ships to within striking distance of Fort McHenry. Those naval vessels began a 24-hour barrage on the American forces stationed in Fort McHenry. The plan was to send the British navy up the western branch of the Patapsco River, bomb the city, and make it possible for British troops to take Baltimore. To read the rest of the editorial, please click here. … [Read more...]

By Lane Corley I enjoy gardening. Even though I’m not very good at it. Why? I don’t always have the time to do what’s necessary to grow and multiply plants to their fullest extent. The best gardeners know how and put in the time to create the right conditions for growth and multiplication. The very best gardeners will start with a greenhouse to nurse the plants in early stages before they are ever put in the ground. A greenhouse is a tool where you can create the perfect conditions for multiplication & growth of plants at all different stages and with various needs. I enjoy gardening in part because of the many parallels it has to church planting and ministry. I’ve began to see church as a greenhouse – a tool to create the right conditions for multiplication & growth OF DISCIPLES. Here are five truths I’m learning on church as a GREENHOUSE: Disciples must be nurtured. Like plants, like a garden, like a greenhouse, disciples need time and attention. One of the greatest books on discipleship has in its title a reminder we constantly need – Disciples Are Made, Not Born. While we are not completely responsible for the growth of a disciple, part of our commission from Jesus requires time and attention and energy … [Read more...]

By John Fleming The ability to affirm our nation’s traditional values is central to the First Amendment and America’s way of life. The inherent worth of an unborn child and the sacred religious traditions we practice—these are the foundations that create strong family units, and an even stronger society. As an elected official—but perhaps more importantly, as a husband, father, grandfather, and fellow American—I intend to fight continually for the freedom to practice these rights without being hindered by the government. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Texas state laws designed to protect women by requiring that abortion facilities meet certain health and safety standards. We’ve already seen what happens when poorly managed clinics are not held to the same specifications as other health clinics: negligence, unsanitary conditions, and—within the walls of Kermit Gosnell’s Philadelphia clinic—even murdering women along with their children. The abortion industry’s goal is to make money, not protect women, their children, or their families. To read the rest of the article, please click here. … [Read more...]

By Doug Parkin JACKSON, Miss. (BP) -- The magnitude of the property damage in Louisiana's flooding disaster is incredible. The magnitude of the emotional damage is incalculable. And for disaster relief volunteers, it is hard to describe the emotions of walking into a home and, after performing necessary demolition of flood-damaged flooring and walls, leaving it actually looking worse than when we started. I have just returned from four days in south Louisiana helping lead teams of teenagers and adults in initial recovery support to flooded-out homeowners. To read the rest of the article, please click here. … [Read more...]

I think it was New York Yankee great Yogi Berra who said, “It’s like déjà vu all over again!” This is how I felt when I saw the low pressure system basically park itself over southeastern Louisiana. As I saw the videos being posted on social media and via various news outlets, I couldn’t help pray, “Lord, please, not again. Not so soon.” As you well know, we dealt with historic flooding in March across northern and western parts of our state. Volunteers from across Louisiana, as well as our Baptist brethren from a dozen or more state conventions, responded to the need. All told, volunteers spent 80 days assisting victims during the spring floods – and here we go – again. There is no answer to the “why” question on this side of heaven, but there is a promise found in Isaiah that can encourage us as we face the aftermath of another storm.  “I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.” Isaiah 43:2, HCSB God promises that He’ll be with us when we pass through the waters. Even in the midst of a chaotic scene, God is there. Sometimes we sense His presence during the storm, but most often we do not. Either way, the promise is the same “I will be with … [Read more...]

My Martha Bailey, First Baptist Covington Although I had planned another post for today, my heart won’t let me write about anything except the punch in the gut that our neighbors to the west all the way to Lafayette received last weekend. Caught completely off guard, residents in that area received anywhere from 15-28 inches of rain in a 48-hour period. With such an extreme amount of water falling in such a short window of time, the rivers and tributaries could not accommodate the runoff. The flooding resulted in the deaths of eleven people, 20,000 people having to be rescued from homes and vehicles, and 11,000 victims seeking refuge in shelters. Unfortunately, many of those people hadn’t even gotten over the flood that hit this area only five months ago. Some of them had just completed the restoration of their homes after the March flood. Others were still in the process. How discouraging that must be. Twenty Southeast Louisiana parishes have been declared as disaster areas. It is being referred to as a “historic flood event”. Meteorologists are comparing it to the devastation caused by a hurricane that hit this area in 1940, over 75 years ago. But even though what has happened in our state has been categorized as … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey, Pastor, First Baptist Covington It’s not that we aren’t used to water. We have water everywhere. It’s that we’ve simply never (at least in 100 years) seen this much water before. How much water have we had? Most of the affected area (roughly between Hammond to Lafayette or from Interstate 55 to Interstate 49) had over 2 feet of rainfall in a short period of time. Some areas had 30 inches of rain. The flood waters rose so rapidly that people had to actually flee their homes. Two rivers crested at historic levels and Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas both rose over 6″ in water level. These are both large lakes. People are hurting, especially those who flooded just last March and were about ready to move back into their homes. Many of the affected people do not have flood insurance because either they are not in a flood zone or neither they nor their neighbors have ever been close to flooding before. Some houses received a few feet of water while others were flooded to the roof. Just in our church, which is not in the center of the affected area, we know of members who slept in their attic as the waters rose and one of our pastors and several of our members were stranded on Interstate 12 for 30 … [Read more...]