Worship through the sound of silence is a foreign concept to many Christians, but not to the Praising Hands Worship Team. BATON ROUGE  – Worship through the sound of silence is a foreign concept to many Christians, but not to the Praising Hands Worship Team. The deaf group from the First Baptist Deaf Church of Baton Rouge may worship in literal silence, but their hands shout praises to the Lord Jesus Christ. Their form of worship is beautiful and infectious. “This is the first time in over 40 years in deaf ministry that I’ve seen the deaf minister to the hearing,” evangelist Arnold Austin said. “It’s the first deaf group I’ve been a part of that enthusiastically sing praises to God.” Enthusiasm is an understatement. The Praising Hands tell a story that is reflected in their faces. Sometimes tears flow as they sing about a savior who willingly gave his life to redeem them from their sins. Joy and thanksgiving create an aura of expectancy. The worship team recently traveled to Pine, La., to lead a hearing congregation at Pine First Baptist in a weekend revival. Two cultures separated by a gulf of silence came together and allowed the Holy Spirit to bridge that chasm. “I was a bit apprehensive about this revival,” Pine … [Read more...]

rustees at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary have approved a new master’s program in women’s ministry and a new apologetics institute, in addition to electing a new faculty member. NOBTS TRUSTEES: Board OKs women’s ministry degree track, apologetics institute By: Gary D. Myers Original article can be found here, http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?Id=27885. NEW ORLEANS (BP)--Trustees at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary have approved a new master’s program in women’s ministry and a new apologetics institute, in addition to electing a new faculty member. A new master of divinity degree track in women’s studies, approved by trustees April 15, includes the core ministerial competencies of the basic master of divinity program. Emphasis on biblical languages, biblical exegesis and theological and historical reflection is included in the 95-hour degree plan to help women minister to women and to address the needs and concerns of women from a biblical basis. The program also includes a built-in internship component to provide women with supervised, practical women’s ministry experience. “This specialized focus in women’s studies will provide our female students an excellent blend of both the classical … [Read more...]

F.C. Fogleman chuckles, recalling how his uncle paid him for cutting the 5-acre Big Cane Baptist Church Cemetery when he was a young boy. MORROW – F.C. Fogleman chuckles, recalling how his uncle paid him for cutting the 5-acre Big Cane Baptist Church Cemetery when he was a young boy. By today’s standards it wouldn’t even come close. “Usually it was a cold, bottled Coke or sometimes it was two, maybe four, bits,” the 75-year-old Fogleman said. “And to a 10-year-old boy, it certainly seemed like a lot back then.” Using a push mower, Fogleman would cut at least once or twice a week after school and all through the summer, he recalls. “My uncle – Henry Gordon – would help every now and then, but usually he did other things, like fixing different things around the church. It wasn’t hard because there wasn’t as many graves back then.” Today, the cemetery is full, and the church, which is landlocked, has had to buy another two acres adjacent to it, but church members, such as Fogleman and 88-year-old Leo Rabalais, work diligently on the upkeep of both. The church also utilizes the help it gets from inmates who are brought to the cemetery by the St. Landry Sheriff’s Office. The inmates trim and do extra cleaning, such … [Read more...]

”If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn’t,” the famed literary character Alice quipped. “And contrary wise; what it is wouldn’t be, and what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?” ”If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn’t,” the famed literary character Alice quipped. “And contrary wise; what it is wouldn’t be, and what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?” The aforementioned quote from Lewis Carroll’s children’s classic, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” seems to be nonsense. But if you read it again slowly – very slowly – you will see that it adequately sums up the current state of sexual dysfunction in America. Consider the recent sensational news headline, “Man becomes pregnant,” that reverberated around the world. Reading the story, it became very clear that everything was not quite as the outrageous headline made it seem. The story indicated that an Oregon female-to-male transsexual was indeed pregnant. But how could this be? I thought that a person suffering from “gender identity” or “gender identity dysphoria” (belief that a person was born … [Read more...]

It gets pretty crowded around the oasis this time of year. It gets pretty crowded around the oasis this time of year. People from all over are here drinking of this wonderful water. There’s nothing like it in the entire desert. We just received some bad news. Abdul just brought word of a neighbor seen a few hundred yards from here, dying of thirst. His description made cold chills run over me. It’s tough to think about it. That Abdul is great with words. He can make you think it’s you that’s dying. He’s getting up a power-point presentation to go with his talks. We’ve formed a kind of club. We call it ‘Desert Dwellers Who Have Found the Water.’ We meet every week. We even have officers, the whole bit. We talk about how we came to the water, and we drink. Right now there’s a discussion – argument, actually – as to whether the water in well “A” or well “B” is better. Some prefer “A” because they say the water is purer. The others say “B” is cooler. I don’t really know. Seems to me the water is the same since the wells are only twenty feet apart. One time our club sent out a scout to find and rescue the thirsty. He did all right for a while, but carrying delirious and dying people to the water of life was hard, … [Read more...]

n America’s celebrity-driven culture, perhaps the most harmful “Pied Piper” of heresies leading millions astray is Oprah Winfrey. Her adoption of anti-biblical doctrine is on display every day this year through her satellite radio network channel “Oprah & Friends.” It’s time for Christians to “just say no” to the big “O.” JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) –  In America’s celebrity-driven culture, perhaps the most harmful “Pied Piper” of heresies leading millions astray is Oprah Winfrey. Her adoption of anti-biblical doctrine is on display every day this year through her satellite radio network channel “Oprah & Friends.” It’s time for Christians to “just say no” to the big “O.” In recent weeks, I have received multiple copies of the same e-mail warning Christians about Oprah Winfrey’s promotion of New Age teaching. Oftentimes, broadcast e-mails are baseless and erroneous –  like the one that warns Madalyn Murray O’Hair is attempting to get the FCC to ban all Christian broadcasting. In spite of numerous repudiations of this bogus warning (to which I contributed with an April 2001 editorial), the claim continues to float around the Internet. Sometimes, however, e-mails turn out to be true and worthy of our … [Read more...]

Pat Townsend admits she’s living outside her comfort zone. RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – Pat Townsend admits she’s living outside her comfort zone. Between the bugs, mud and freezing showers, Townsend, a missionary with the International Mission Board’s Masters Program, admits it could take her awhile to adjust to life in and around the Amazon Basin of South America. “The bugs haven’t been as bad as I anticipated,” Townsend, 56, says. “I’ve asked people to pray for me about the bugs.” Townsend and her husband Mike, 59, left the comforts of retirement and their home in Mississippi to work among the southern Shuar people for two to three years. Fewer than 2 percent of these 15,000 people are evangelical Christians. Religion for many southern Shuar blends worshipping spirits with Catholicism. Some Christian workers say that’s an all too common practice among indigenous people groups of South America. “They will take some of the classic religion [Catholicism] and then mix it with their own [animistic] beliefs,” says Russ Bare, who leads indigenous work in Ecuador. “And then you just get a hodgepodge of mixed-up beliefs.” Couples like the Townsends are a godsend to Bare. “I think it’s great that people with good health, … [Read more...]

Take a leisurely drive down Louisiana Highway 6, and you will find yourself retracing the path used by early settlers along the El Camino Real. NORTH SABINE BAPTIST ASSOCIATION – Take a leisurely drive down Louisiana Highway 6, and you will find yourself retracing the path used by early settlers along the El Camino Real. The historic El Camino Real was one of the first roads in the area and helped to establish trade between Mexico and Fort Jesup. As you drive, you may notice the numerous historical markers along the highway telling of a very famous fort (Fort Jesup) that guarded Louisiana’s western frontier or a famous Civil War battle (the battle of Pleasant Hill) in which Conferedate forces decisively defeated Union forces. Fort Jesup was founded by General (later president) Zachary Taylor as the U.S. Army’s southwestern most outpost until the Mexican War. You will also see acre upon acre of loblolly pine tree plantations that cover the landscape and provide the lush green carpet for as far as the eye can see. But most of all you will notice the number of boats and trailers coming and going. Big boats, small boats, and those in-between make their way down this famous road day after day. Campers – some … [Read more...]

Director of Missions for the North Sabine Association, as well as four others, for 31 years, Lee Dickson is an old hand at juggling five associations at once. But it wasn’t always so easy. NATCHITOCHES – Director of Missions for the North Sabine Association, as well as four others, for 31 years, Lee Dickson is an old hand at juggling five associations at once. But it wasn’t always so easy. “I faced a serious learning curve when I first started,” said Dickson. “Thank God, I had Arnold (Nelson) and Barbara, his wife, to lean on. Arnold was not only a very good friend, but a great mentor as well.” The years have taught how best to handle the five associations he oversees. “Well, I let Barbara, my wife, do all the work, and depend heavily on my moderators,” Dickson said. “Barbara is just a God send and I have some very good moderators. “I’ve learned to become a cheerleader or a waterboy,” Dickson said. “I guess you can say my job is to be a promoter for all the great things done in District Eight.” Dickson got his start in pastoring at Benson Baptist Church in Converse before heading to to Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport six years later. He would not become DOM for District 8 until 1978, when the legendary … [Read more...]

Prayer is something that always has to be a priority in our lives. Prayer is the way to strengthening our fellowship and friendship with God, and the key to understand His will for our lives and experiencing His power in our lives. Prayer is something that always has to be a priority in our lives.  Prayer is the way to strengthening our fellowship and friendship with God, and the key to understand His will for our lives and experiencing His power in our lives. That’s why Jesus and the Apostle Paul modeled and taught us about the importance of prayer (Luke 11:1-13, 18:1; Ephesians 3:14-21).  Read and reflect on the following statements about prayer from great Christians in times past. n “The principal cause of my leanness and unfruitfulness is owing to an unaccountable backwardness to pray. I can write or read or converse or hear with a ready heart; but prayer is more spiritual and inward than any of these, and the more spiritual any duty is the more my carnal heart is apt to stay from it. Prayer and patience and faith are never disappointed. When I can find my heart in frame and liberty for prayer, everything else is comparatively easy.” (Richard Newton) n “The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It … [Read more...]