PINEVILLE – During the wee hours of Sept 24, 2005, Phillip Vincent faced his own “shadow of death.”
By Brian Blackwell
Staff Writer
PINEVILLE – During the wee hours of Sept 24, 2005, Phillip Vincent faced his own “shadow of death.”
As the twelfth grader witnessed through a television
screen Hurricane Rita cause destruction to his hometown – Lake Charles
– Vincent began to think about life from an eternal perspective.
“As the storms of life come and the winds shake us
to our very foundation, we stand in the rubble of our lives with eyes
fixed upon the heavens,” the Lake Charles resident recently told
hundreds of state Bible Drill and Youth Speakers’ Tournament
participants at Louisiana College in Pineville. “Waiting for some
miraculous show of might to save us, we, like Elijah, must wait for the
silence and the whisper – peace that can only come from God, the
strength of conviction that allows us to say, ‘I have faith in a God
who’s much bigger than any of this.’”
One of two twelfth graders who participated in the
Youth Speaker’s Tournament, Vincent captured first place among those in
his grade level. In all, seven teenagers participated in the tournament.
The Youth Speakers’ Tournament is designed to
stimulate growth toward Christian maturity by asking youth to think
seriously about their Christian commitment. Open to tenth, eleventh and
twelfth graders, the tournament centers on a speech on an assigned
topic by each participant.
“The topics keep getting better and better each
year,” said Vincent, a member at First Baptist Church of Lake Charles.
“I like Speakers’ Tournament because the material doesn’t repeat
itself. This helped me stay in prayer. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t
speaking but that the Lord was, through me.”
The top finishers in each group won a variety of
awards, depending on their grade level. Each speaker was judged on
content and delivery.
The two tenth grade award winners received full
scholarships to this year’s Youth Evangelism Celebration in Alexandria.
Four-year scholarships to Louisiana College were awarded
to the top two eleventh-grade winners.
The top twelfth-grader, Vincent, will represent
Louisiana Baptists at the National Youth Speakers’ Tournament in early
June.
Each participant in the Speakers’ Tournament won at
the church and associational level before advancing to the recent state
event.
A tremendous amount of memorization, skill
development and research required for each topic, explained Kevin
Boles, youth ministry strategist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention.
“And this was on top of their already hectic school
schedules and extra-curricular activities,” Boles said. “It again goes
to show that these students are just top shelf. But more importantly,
these students participated in this event because they have
demonstrated that they have a passion for God’s word and a passion to
share Christ’s love with their friends.
“The tournament is a life changing event for many
students,” Boles added. “… The event is more than a one-day tournament.
It is a life experience.”
For more
information about Youth Speaker’s Tournament, call (800) 622-6549, ext.
230, or e-mail kevin.boles@lbc.org or julie.woodrum@lbc.org.