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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LCU alumna attorney doing Lord’s work in Grant Parish

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) - The adage “The Lord works in mysterious ways” is definitely true for Louisiana Christian University alumna Bonita Preuett Armour. What started as a desire to remain young and healthy has become a growing ministry in Grant Parish. “It’s not about me; this is the Lord’s place,” Armour said. “This campus is a ministry for the Lord. I’m just His hands and His feet. He does it all.” Armour, a native of Grant Parish, is a 1989 pre-law and history LC graduate, attended LSU Law School, and has been a successful practicing attorney in Central Louisiana for decades. She has recently turned the former Dry Prong Junior High School into a thriving location for fitness, a community garden, her law office and a pizza restaurant—and more is in the planning. The school had been in operation until 2011 before it was auctioned off. The owner, James Crooks, listed the gymnasium for sale on Facebook in 2018. So, when Armour saw the gym at the old school campus (where she had attended as a child in 1978) up for sale, she felt like the Lord was telling her something. “I had started B22 in my garage in 2012, and we had outgrown my garage and backyard,” she said. “I called … [Read more...]

EVANGELISM 101 (Part 4): Special Cases

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The focus of the Gospel conversation must prioritize eternal redemption – salvation – to the lost. However, it is often the case that a person brings other needs into the conversation that are important to hear and, in some cases, demand immediate action. Baptist churches record, on average, 25 percent of their annual baptisms because of Vacation Bible School, so it is fitting to start this discussion about special cases by addressing some considerations when Gospel counseling children. Even more so, Christ declared that every person must come to Him “as a little child” to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 18:3; Lk. 18:17). Consequently, pointers about counseling children apply whether the child is five or 95. CHILDREN Everyone comes to the Father the exact same way – through the Son (John 14:6). There is one plan of salva­tion. However, explaining that plan might need to take into account a number of consider­ations -- even about our choice of words – so that every individ­ual may understand. With children, particularly, it is important to put them at ease. Make sure that both of you are sitting so that there is a relatively level eye contact … [Read more...]

Louisiana Governor’s prayer breakfast draws more than 20 to Christ

By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) - More than 20 people made decisions to follow Christ at the conclusion of the 61st annual Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, April 16. Held inside the Crowne Plaza Executive Center in Baton Rouge, the breakfast featured a Gospel-centered message by keynote speaker Will Graham, evangelist Billy Graham's grandson and executive vice president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. After the event concluded, a spontaneous time of prayer broke out and some attendees remained for up to an hour to pray with Jay Johnston, chairman of the task force which organizes the annual event, as well as with other prayer intercessors Johnston had enlisted. Johnston, also the pastor of First Baptist Church, Melville, told the Baptist Message that the event was bathed in prayer for 10 months leading up to the event. “I pray with expectancy and believed God would do a work in this,” he said. “As the chair of the Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, I along with our task force, am dedicated to guiding people through the work of the Holy Spirit to fulfill 1 Timothy 2:1-4 for God’s glory. “We are thankful that God inspired and empowered individuals to leave the breakfast with … [Read more...]