Archives for January 2018
Consumers may be less willing to pay more for smartphones
Fewer teens are having sex as declines in risky behaviors continue
Stock market hits record high
White House wants to open up nearly all federal waters for offshore drilling
US adds 148,000 jobs in December
Louisiana Baptist youth leader, NOBTS student, dies on mission field
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer NAKARU, Kenya – Even as family and friends mourn the loss of a loved one, they are celebrating the Christ-honoring legacy left behind by Emily Martin, an interim youth leader at Hebron Baptist Church in Bush, Louisiana, who died Jan. 1 while serving on her third mission trip to Kenya. Martin, 21, passed away following complications from a blood clot that developed inside her lungs shortly after arriving in the country. Martin organized the trip, traveling with her brother, Joshua, cousin, Ashtin Mullett, and friend, Vally O’Connor. While in the country, she worked alongside missionaries Len and Susan Eastwood, who represent Neighbors Outreach Worldwide ministry in Nakaru, Kenya. Her father, Scot, told the Baptist Message that his daughter spent her final days in a place she loved. Even before her first visit to Kenya, Martin had a strong love for missions that began as a teenager with a church evangelistic trip to Oklahoma where she took part in conducting Vacation Bible School. She also took mission trips to Belize and Guatemala in recent years. A student with the Leavell College of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Martin likely would have moved to Kenya to continue … [Read more...]
Johnson, Landry publish guidance on religious expression in schools
By Hayden Haynes, Office of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson BATON ROUGE – U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry have released the Louisiana Student Rights Review, a publication that provides guidance on prayer and religious expression in public schools. The resource was created to answer many of the most frequently asked legal questions and misconceptions about religion on campus. The Louisiana Student Rights Review is available as a free online resource at:http://www.mikejohnsonforlouisiana.com/religious_expression_in_schools. A hard copy of the publication will soon be mailed to all school superintendents throughout the state. “It is important to remember that our Constitution and laws protect the rights of students to live out their faith on campus," said Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church, Bossier City. "Religious liberty is the first freedom listed in the Bill of Rights, and the next generation of Americans needs to be encouraged to help preserve it." The U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged almost 60 years ago, "The vigilant protection of constitutional freedoms is nowhere more vital than in the community of American schools." “Unfortunately, too many people have been misled into … [Read more...]