By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA – Take a good look at Jacob Barker Hall. Whether in person or by photo it’s hard not to see his bright eyes and engaging smile and not know the joy and the zest that define this 19-year-old’s life. His speech and his physical awkwardness give glimpses of his Down syndrome, but any signs of motor or mental difficulty are overshadowed by the special person he is as a child of God. Jacob is a great name for my youngest son. Roughly translated into “supplanter,” a more practical definition for his personality would be “steals the show,” but not in a bad way. He showers others with love and encouragement, likely to say “good job” loudly to the choir or the pastor (along with a visible “thumbs up”) – without concern for when he says it during the service (I finally figured out it’s his way of saying “amen”). He runs to give hugs to old and young alike, but he especially delights in carefully approaching a baby, gently cupping his hands along the child’s jawline and slowly, tenderly stroking forward until the heels of his palms meet at the baby’s chin. His affection is authentic and so are his prayers, and he’s likely to pray anytime, anywhere. One of the most memorable times was … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2017
President Trump: It’s time to “think big, and dream even bigger”
By Will Hall WASHINGTON, (LBM)—Speaking before an enthusiastic inauguration crowd who endured a light rain, Jan. 20, newly sworn-in President Donald J. Trump shared his vision for how he will “make America great again.” Framing his plans for governing in terms of “a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people,” Trump said it would begin by transferring power not from one administration to another or between political parties, but from Washington, D.C., “back to you, the American people.” Trump re-emphasized this theme throughout his remarks as he promised to be responsive to “the just and reasonable demands” of Americans for “great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.” Declaring a new day for the country, Trump promised “from this moment on, it’s going to be America first,” and that “every decision” will be made “to benefit American workers and American families.” “We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world—but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first,” he said, offering that the two rules for his administration … [Read more...]
How to pray for Donald J. Trump
By Waylon Bailey Today at 12:00 EST Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States of America. This is always history making. It is especially so this year. America is the envy of the world for a reason. Let us be a people who pray for our country and its leaders. How should we pray today for President Trump and for America? First, we should pray for the blessings of God on all who lead. “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved ad to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Second, we should pray for revival and righteousness in America and in our lives. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people” (Proverbs 14:34). “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people, and my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear … [Read more...]
Louisiana Baptists say atmosphere for inauguration is ‘Absolutely electric!’
By Will Hall, Message Editor WASHINGTON — Louisiana Baptists in the nation's capital say the atmosphere is “absolutely electric” as they await the official ceremony marking the transfer of power between Barack H. Obama and Donald J. Trump. Patti Hankins, wife of Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins, said the crowds at purposely Christian activities were enormous, including a line more than two blocks long to attend a special prayer service Thursday at Greater New Hope Baptist Church – an event sponsored by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, a Louisiana Baptist who is interim pastor of Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, Greenwell Springs. But even just visiting congressional offices in the Capitol and taking part in festivities around the city, she said, “The Christian presence here is so strong, you can feel it!” … [Read more...]
Grace & faith result in 16 salvations at Philadelphia Baptist Church
By Message Staff DEVILLE – Grace works. That’s the simple yet life-changing message evangelist Ken Freeman shared with a roomful of students and adults Wednesday night, Jan. 18, at Philadelphia Baptist Church. Citing 1 Corinthians 15:10, Freeman said grace works for us, in us and through us. “Grace is a gift,” Freeman said. “Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” A product of God’s saving grace, Freeman shared with the students how he accepted Christ during a lonely time in his life. The son of an absentee father and alcoholic mother, Freeman felt as if his life was out of control. He even accepted a friend’s invitation to church 50 years ago, only as a means to meet girls. He found Jesus. And his life has never been the same. For more than 30 years, Freeman has shared the Gospel at more than 3,000 churches and seen more than 200,000 individuals make a decision for Jesus, including 134 who responded to the Holy Spirit during a revival he conducted last October at Tioga High School. Wednesday at Philadelphia Baptist’s Deville campus, another 16 responded to Freeman’s message about Christ. “I say salvation is the greatest of all miracles,” Robertson said. … [Read more...]
STEVE HORN: A Prayer for Inauguration Day
By Steve Horn, pastor, First Baptist Lafayette I am sure that since today is Inauguration Day, more articles will come your way than you can possibly read. Well, here is one more. I will try to keep it short. Back in December, I had the privilege of praying as the Louisiana Electoral College formally cast their votes. I want to share with you the content of my prayer that day in hopes that you might join me in praying along these lines as President Trump takes office today. Heavenly Father, As the Psalmist declared, “Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God.” (Psalm 20:7) We give You thanks today as we should do in all things. We give You thanks for grace upon our nation. We give You thanks for the opportunity to participate in an election. We give You thanks for the election of Donald Trump. And now, oh God, we pray in the spirit of the prophet of old, Zechariah. We pray for favor and union. We pray for unity in our nation and we pray for the favor of God to rest on our nation. (Zechariah 11:7) We pray for God’s wisdom to rest both on President Trump and Vice-President Pence. We pray in the spirit of 1 Timothy 2 that they might lead us in such a way … [Read more...]
NOBTS prof. rejected threats, cast Electoral College vote for Trump
By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS -- A raucous presidential election year turned personal for Lloyd Harsch, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary history professor, when his seminary inbox filled with more than 90,000 emails. Harsch is a member of the Electoral College, and most of the electronic messages, primarily from people outside Louisiana, asked him to flip his commitment from Donald J. Trump, who carried the state with nearly 60 percent of the vote. As Harsch, with wife Jill, prepared for travel to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony and related festivities in Washington, D.C., emails and letters continued to come in, causing Harsch to pause and reflect. “I had to evaluate [voters’] concerns about the purpose of the Electoral College,” Harsch said. “I had to ask, ‘What was it designed to do?’ and ‘What is my actual responsibility?’” Most of the writers expressed genuine concern, Harsch said, and the few veiled in innuendo or threat were passed on to authorities. Louisiana is one of 21 states whose electors are “unbound,” meaning they are not constrained legally to vote for their party’s nominee, the winner of the state’s popular vote. Phone calls, a fax, and about two … [Read more...]
NOBTS Conference, Defend, highlights needs for apologetics
By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS -- Abdu Murray was a devout Muslim who rarely encountered Christians who could defend their faith. His nine-year journey from Islam to faith in Christ began after meeting the few “annoying” Christians who could. Murray, North American director for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, told of his journey at Defend 2017, an annual apologetics conference presented by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s Institute for Christian Apologetics (ICA) Jan. 2-6.The conference that hosted 250 participants brought together noted apologists to address issues and worldviews prevalent in today’s culture. “Truth always has a cost,” Murray said. “A lot of Muslims know there are issues with Islam and they know there is a beauty to the Gospel, but they don’t want it because of the price.” Other plenary speakers included Sean McDowell, author of 18 books on apologetics including several co-written with his father Josh McDowell; Braxton Hunter, former president of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists; Craig Hazen, author and renowned apologist at Biola University; Robert Bowman, Jr., Institute for Religious Research; Greg Koukl, Stand to Reason Ministries, and … [Read more...]
LC announces new library director
By Kaitlyn Moore PINEVILLE (LCNews) - Concluding a months-long, nationwide search, Louisiana College tapped Mr. Howard “Rusty” Tryon Jr as director of the College’s library. “We are blessed to have Mr. Tryon join the LC family as the director of our library,” said Dr. Rick Brewer, president of Louisiana College. “We were keenly interested in adding a Christian leader to our team and someone who was student centered. He has exceeded our expectations because these attributes were obvious from Rusty’s background and interview.” Tryon comes to LC from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where he was Head of Collection Management for 4.5 years. Tryon told LCNews he is “highly attracted to the Christian identity and mission of Louisiana College.” Previously, Tryon was acquisitions librarian at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. He also holds a Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University. Tryon also earned an undergraduate degree in German and International Relations from Indiana State University. “We are thrilled to fill this critical role with someone of Rusty’s credentials and heart for academics,” Brewer said. “The vision and … [Read more...]
Franklin Graham: Pray for Our New President
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