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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Things God enjoys most

By Joe McKeever "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." -John 8:29 “Well, I know there’s a lot of big preachers that know a lot more than I do, but it could be that the good Lord likes a little pickin’ too.” –Tom T. Hall, “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died” Yogi Berra watched as the batter approached the plate. The Yankee catcher had seen it all, and this guy was like so many: eager to get a hit, but needing all the help he could find. The batter stood at the plate and made the sign of the cross, then pointed toward the skies, both symbols of prayer as he summoned the Almighty to his aid. “Hey buddy,” said Yogi from behind his mask, “Why don’t we just let the Lord enjoy the game?” I’m with Yogi. That begs the question of course. We wonder if the Lord enjoys a baseball game occasionally. Does God smile at the antics of a small child? Revel at the cuteness of puppies? Does He ever sit back and enjoy the music of an orchestra or choir? Did God like that rainbow I saw yesterday? Does the Lord ever summon an angel in and say, “Look at that waterfall! And take a gander at those butterflies. Didn’t we do good?” I wouldn’t be surprised. He has been … [Read more...]

NC DR team gives storm victims victory

By Will Hall, Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Alexandria, Louisiana, is 130 miles north of the shoreline where Hurricane Laura made landfall with 150 mph winds. Still, a number of residents in this crossroads city were not spared catastrophe from the fierceness of the storm and yet some received blessings despite tragic damage to their homes. NEEDS ASSESSED The North Carolina Baptist Men disaster relief teams were some of the first out-of-state responders to arrive in Alexandria to offer aid in the form of tarps, bottled water and food, and to deploy chainsaw crews to remove trees that had fallen on homes or that threatened private houses. Tony Hodge and Bill McCumbee, members of East Belmont Baptist Church in Belmont, North Carolina, were dispatched Sept. 16 to Dartmouth Street and later, Sept. 18, to 15th Street to perform needs assessment and also to prioritize work in these neighborhoods. “We were writing up what it would take to help the people get back in their homes,” McCumbee recalled. “They had such a story that touched Tony and me such that Tony decided to hold back the reports” (to personally oversee completion of the work orders instead of submitting them through normal … [Read more...]

LBC Annual meeting changed to Louisiana College, format cut

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) –The site for the Louisiana Baptist Convention annual meeting in 2020 has been changed to Guinn Auditorium on the campus of Louisiana College in Pineville, the LBC Executive Board announced during its Sept. 29 business meeting. The meeting at will be held Nov. 10 from 12:45 to 5 p.m. and will not include exhibits or auxiliary meetings such as seminary luncheons. The Pastors’ Conference also will not take place. Originally, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans was named the host, but on June 30 the decision was made to change the venue due possible attendance restrictions in the city relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The reason that we are recommending this is because this allows our messengers from most any point in the state to drive to Pineville in the morning, attend the meeting, and return home that evening if they would choose to do so,” Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn told board members at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth. “The annual meeting at Louisiana College at Guinn Auditorium also allows for us to have maximum social distancing guidelines that are important for us to maintain during this … [Read more...]