By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer HAUGHTON – Will Taylor stepped into the baptismal waters, joining his wife, Lori, and their teenage daughters for a moment in time his family will never forget. As Pastor Gevan Spinney baptized each member of the family, the Taylors beamed with excitement over the journey that brought them to this point in life. ALL IN THE FAMILY The family had resided in Haughton for four months when the historic floodwaters in March 2016 nearly overtook their neighborhood. But tragedy became jubilation as they continued to see how the church ministered to families in the community. One by one, they grew closer to Christ as they became more involved in the life of First Baptist Church in Haughton. First, Lori and Will Taylor joined a small group, leading to growth in what had been a stagnant spiritual life after both had made commitments to Christ. He at 17 and she at nine. Then Will and Lori repented to restore their fellowship with Jesus, and their resulting zeal for the Lord manifested in big changes in how they lived. Their teenage daughters witnessed the authenticity of the transformation, and subsequently accepted Christ at the 2017 Louisiana Baptist Convention Evangelism … [Read more...]
ANGELIA CARPENTER: Walking on Water
By Angelia Carpenter I have: --the best husband --beautiful home --job I enjoy --faith --family that loves me --fun friends AND my fingernails have finally recovered from months and months of chemotherapy. OH....and two cats! You would think that at my age I would know that life isn't always smooth and easy. Even though there is a long list of good there have been traumatic experiences, bumps, low points, and depression! God, family and friends have been there through good and bad. This week I was diagnosed with lymphangio sarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer. Only about 5% of cancer survivors will have this cancer and it’s attributed to radiation therapy. If misdiagnosed or untreated the prognosis isn't good! The above was posted on my blog May 29, 2016. Today is March 13, 2017. Ten months and 14 days later. On March 9th I had a biopsy (nine months to the day from my mastectomy) because the week earlier I had found two spots around my mastectomy scar. A month earlier I had seen my surgeon and everything “looks good”. Today, March 13, the surgeon called and asked if my husband and I could come to his office that afternoon. He has never asked us to do that before. The lymphangio sarcoma has returned. The next two … [Read more...]
