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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Louisiana Baptists in congressional races: Johnson wins, Firment qualifies for runoff

By Baptist Message staff WASHINGTON, D.C. (LBM) - U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a member with Cypress Baptist Church, Benton, won re-election, while State Representative Gabe Firment, a deacon and Sunday school teacher with First Baptist Church, Polock, qualified for a runoff, Nov. 3. Johnson, a Republican, won 58%, or 134,739, of the vote, in the 4th Congressional District race. “Thank you to the great people of Louisiana's 4th District for entrusting us with another term tonight!” Johnson wrote on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter). “We are so grateful for your support, and I will never stop fighting for our community, state, or nation.” Firment, also a Republican, heads to a run-off against Patricia Moore, a Democrat, in the 5th Congressional District race. He received 17 percent of votes to Moore’s 18 percent (39,131 favorable ballots to her 40,789). In Louisiana a candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote to win the election. Otherwise, a runoff election is held between the two top vote-getting candidates. "After a day of reflection, I am even more humbled by your support and grateful for the opportunity to advance to the December 12 runoff against Democrat Pat Moore," Firment wrote on … [Read more...]

Big faith on big stage during World Series: Rays’ ‘Man of Christ’ Richie Palacios

By Staff, excerpted/adapted from a reprised Sports Spectrum article by Cole Claybourn Richie Palacios went 0-3 in his first-ever World Series Game on Saturday, Oct. 24. But his appearance in Game 2 did not reflect his productivity during the regular season. He hit .235 for the year (with a .330 OBP) while scoring 51 times himself, driving in 57 teammates and stealing 17 bases. However, Palacios sees himself as more than just a baseball player. “But for me, I’m just a man of Christ,” he said recently in an interview with Billy Pinckney. Palacios also labels himself a “Christ follower” in his Instagram bio. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Palacios grew up in the church. His father is a pastor now, and Palacios credits his dad for raising him to have a strong faith in Jesus. Baseball is just what he does, but he sees it as his “vehicle” to point people toward God. “He’s greater than anything that’s better than baseball; he’s greater than all that stuff,” Palacios told Pinckney. “I put my faith in Him. I pray every day, I read my Bible and I know that He’s with me and the Holy Spirit is on this earth with me. I’m just amazed to be able to be blessed, to be able to play the game that I love and enjoy. But it’s not because … [Read more...]

Big faith on baseball’s big stage: Brewers’ Aaron Ashby knows ‘Christ loves us’

By Staff, excerpted/adapted from a reprised Sports Spectrum article by Kevin Mercer Milwaukee Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby finished the 2026 regular season with 13 wins (an incredible feat for a relief pitcher), posting a 3.12 ERA and 116 strikeouts. Since then the left-hander has put up dominant numbers in the first two World Series games. Pitching 3.1 innings he has tallied six strikeouts and allowed only one hit. Plus, he earned a “save” for the 5-4 Brewers’ win in Game 2. But while he is drawing attention because of his baseball prowess, his eyes are on Christ. “I recently became a father,” Ashby wrote in a devotional for the Spring 2026 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine, “and it’s helped me gain a new glimpse into how much Christ loves us. … My wife and I look down on [our son] with this love we didn’t even know was possible — and that’s how God looks down on us.” Before becoming parents, Ashby and his wife, Avery, struggled with fertility issues. It was a time that drove them to cling to God’s Word in Psalm 23. “To go through that valley of darkness (v. 4) and then see it redeemed,” he wrote, “it feels like we’re now in a moment of green pastures (v. 2).” “We never understand what God’s doing when … [Read more...]