By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM)–Speaking, March 10, to the audience gathered for the 2020 Governor’s Prayer Breakfast in the Crowne Plaza Executive Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University Football Coach Ed Orgeron emphasized spiritual character as a defining quality of his daily coaching approach and as a key trait of his championship football team. DAILY PRAYER “Here’s how I start my morning, every day,” Orgeron offered. “When I get to work -- at 6 o’clock that truck’s going to be in the parking lot – I’m going to say my prayers; sit by myself; and, get my mind ready for the day, because I know something’s going to happen and I’m going to be ready for it. “But I get outside – I don’t know if you’ve been to our complex, but I’ve got a beautiful patio,” he said, offering the description: “you see the bridge; you see the stadium; you see the football field.” “And here’s my prayer,” he shared. “God, thank you for letting me be the head football coach of Louisiana State University. Please give me the words and the wisdom that you want me to use to lead this team, today. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.” Orgeron also scored some laughter, adding that he also offers thanks “for … [Read more...]
PRAYER BREAKFAST: ‘Live like you’re dying’
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Prior to the start of the second day of the 2020 Louisiana Legislative Session, U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black urged elected officials to live each day like it could be their last. “I’m living on borrowed time, and I resolve never to do anything I would be afraid to be doing if I knew it were the last hour of my life,” Black said during his keynote address at the 56th annual Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. “In other words, I am going to live like I am dying.” LIFE AND DEATH Black told lawmakers and others gathered inside the Crowne Plaza Executive Center in Baton Rouge that no one is promised tomorrow and that they should realize life is brief, uncertain and ultimately about eternity. He explained his perspective in terms of a life and death experience that took place when he was a U.S. Navy chaplain. Black said he had been consoling a sailor to whom he had broken the tragic news via a Red Cross message regarding seven family members who had died after their car stalled on a railroad track. The helicopter which was transporting Black among the various ships in the destroyer squadron was hovering above the vessel unable to land because … [Read more...]
Thrift store provides ‘helping hand’ to pregnancy center
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Helping Hands Thrift Store in Pineville has donated a portion of its proceeds from the sale of its facility to the CENLA Pregnancy Center in Alexandria. Representatives of both organizations gathered at the pregnancy center office in Alexandria on March 11 to celebrate the unspecified gift that will help further the pro-life cause. Although both parties preferred humbleness, over announcing the actual amount, both conceded it was a sizeable contribution. In that regard, CENLA Pregnancy Center Director Claire Lemoine said the generous gift will help expand services in such areas as: pregnancy decision coaching by trained advocates; pregnancy testing; ultrasound imaging; counseling about pregnancy options; distributing maternity and physical resources; and, providing post-decision support (parenting education and abortion recovery group classes). “We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Ray Powell and the board of directors of Helping Hands for a timely gift to us,” Lemoine told the Baptist Message. “God has provided for our needs and continues to provide for the future needs of the center.” Ray Powell, director of Helping Hands -- who attends both the First … [Read more...]
STUDY: In the beginning, the Earth was a void, watery expanse
By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor AMES, Iowa (LBM)—A joint research team from the Iowa State University and the University of Colorado have helped dispel the long-held notion that the earth’s oceans resulted from water transferred to the planet via ice trapped in space objects and released upon impact of these meteorites with the earth. Instead, they say, in a newly released report in the journal, Nature Geoscience, that from the start the whole earth was covered in water, consistent with Genesis 1:1-2 which states that “In the beginning … the earth was without form, and void … and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The research team had set out to measure the temperature of the early Earth. But they learned from measuring isotopes of ancient rocks that the chemical history of these rocks indicated the earth was covered by a continuous ocean, with no continents at that time. Basically, they found an unexpected universal presence of oxygen-18, an isotope typically absent in areas with large landmasses. Now the team plans to pursue the answer to the question: When exactly did the continents emerge, pushed out of the ocean by tectonic plates crashing together? In this next step of their … [Read more...]
Sabine 2020 shares hope for community
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MANY, La. (LBM) – Many High School’s gymnasium became the center of a Holy Spirit movement during the Sabine 2020 revival, March 8-11. By the end of the four-day event, 17 people came forward to declare Christ as Lord, 76 indicated a desire to restore fellowship with the Lord and one individual proclaimed a call to ministry. Attendance ranged from 800 to more than 1,200 for each of the sessions. FIND HOPE Throughout the revival, evangelist Sammy Tippit urged those attending the services to find hope in a relationship with Christ. “Hope is here because Jesus is here,” Tippit told 1,000 people gathered inside Many High School’s gymnasium Sunday, March 8. “There is life in Jesus. “He gives abundant life,” he continued. “Do you have the Son living in you?” Tippit shared how Christ transformed his life when he was a freshman at LSU in 1965. Although he was raised in church, Tippit never surrendered to Jesus and eventually chose a life of partying. But during an evangelistic harvest event at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Tippit turned to Christ and surrendered to preach two nights later. Since then, he has conducted evangelistic crusades and other events in more … [Read more...]
Revival springs forth on the LC campus
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Twenty-five students came to the altar to cry out publicly to the Lord for personal renewal during the recent Louisiana College spring campus revival. Held inside Guinn Auditorium, March 10-12, the revival featured challenging messages by Blake Newsom, pastor of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, and music led by the worship staff of Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, the LC Elevate worship band and the Voices of LC. Philip Caples, the LC vice president for the integration of faith and learning, said the fruit of the revival will be seen in the months to follow both on campus and in the community. “I am grateful to see our students praying over each other and for each other, which is a sign of revival happening on our campus,” Caples told the Baptist Message. In his messages, Newsom challenged students to reach out to Jesus and allow Him to rescue them from the abyss of their sins. “We need someone outside the depths who can go into the depths and pull us out,” Newsom said. “And that’s what Jesus has done.” He encouraged the students to admit their need for repentance and seek God’s forgiveness. “Sin can grip us so tightly we … [Read more...]
Revival fires lit at First Blanchard
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BLANCHARD (LBM) – On a day when the nation faced uncertainty from the pandemic of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), members of the First Baptist Church in Blanchard witnessed the hope found in Christ with the baptism of four new converts on March 15. BAPTIZED BY WATER Andrew Roe, 18, was among those who shared their testimony of belief through baptism that day,and one of nine believers baptized by the congregation in 2020. He professed his faith in Christ during a church-wide revival that saw 100 people turn to Christ, Feb. 16-21. His dad, Jamie Roe, was given the honor of baptizing Andrew, and described the moment as emotional. “I cried like a baby when I did it,” the father told the Baptist Message. “I was so happy when we trusted God and we had worship that day. It does give us a sense of hope, knowing that Jesus is still in the saving business.” Pastor Clay Fuqua credits prayer as a factor for the Holy Spirit moving during the revival, which drew as many as 211 worshipers for one of the sessions. During the month prior to the revival, the congregation participated in 21 days of prayer, and fasted every Thursday. Additionally, they received a daily text … [Read more...]
Unprecedented times, unprecedented actions
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists are facing a new normal since the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) led to the shutdown of schools, restaurants, entertainment venues, other businesses and churches in mid-March. President Donald J. Trump has essentially closed down U.S. borders, banning foreign travel to our country from coronavirus hot spots in Europe as well as Asia and the Middle East. He also has issued guidelines for protecting individuals from infection, asking Americans to work from home if at all possible and to limit assemblies to no more than 10 people. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued a proclamation March 13 that mandated all events of more than 250 people in attendance be halted through April 13, but days later decreed even tighter limits, restricting gatherings to no more than 50 people, leaving many people of faith wondering how to worship on Sundays and hold other church-related activities. In response to the directives from federal and state officials, the Louisiana Baptist Building in Alexandria closed March 18 and will reopen April 1. All state mission service personnel has been assigned specific tasks which can be done at home. LBC events … [Read more...]
Children’s Home responds to COVID-19
By Louisiana Baptist Children's Home communications MONROE, La. (LBCH) - Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries is joining efforts to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. All administrative and support service offices on the Monroe campus will be closed from Saturday March 21st through Sunday April 5th, LBCH President and CEO Perry Hancock said. Administrative staff will continue their work through remote access portals. Granberry Counseling Centers will serve clients through a secured teleconferencing network. The Children’s Home will continue services for all children, young adults, and families in residence. The campus will be closed to visitors. Campus tours and church group activities will be rescheduled. These measures and others will reduce the exposure that our residents and staff have to the virus, Hancock said. "Ultimately, we trust God to accomplish His will and purpose through this crisis," Hancock said. "Know that our LBCHFM family is praying for you as you pray for us. Remember Philippians 4:6, 7 - 'Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, … [Read more...]
Louisiana College updates COVID-19 response
By Norm Miller, LCNews PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews)—Based on advisories from local, state, and federal health officials, Louisiana College administrators have updated responses to the coronavirus COVID-19. All public events previously scheduled for the current semester have been postponed. The May 9 Commencement services are rescheduled for August 8 and will be held in Guinn Auditorium: one at 10 a.m. for undergraduate students and the other at 2 p.m. for graduate students. Both services will be livestreamed. On March 30 and for the remainder of the semester, face-to-face classes will transition to online classes for remote learning. “For students without Wi-fi access, we are asking local churches to give students access to their Wi-fi,” said Louisiana College President Dr. Rick Brewer. For students who opt to remain on campus for the rest of this semester, Louisiana College’s food service will remain uninterrupted. However, all cafeteria meals will be take-out. No meals will be served in the cafeteria. For the foreseeable future, LC is discontinuing all campus food service to the local community. During the March 23-27 Spring Break, the Den and Starbucks will be closed. Subway will remain open. The Student Success … [Read more...]
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