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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Forgive? Of course! It’s what I do

By Joe McKeever Freely you have received; freely give. (Matthew 10:8) JACKSON, Miss. (BP) -- Dr. Watson was complimenting Sherlock Holmes on a brilliant observation no one else had noticed. "Of course," Holmes remarked. "It's what I do." Forgiveness and grace -- that's what we believers do. Here is one page from Ruth Bell Graham's 1989 book, "Legacy of a Pack Rat,": "Someone has said, 'If there had not been a Stephen, there might never have been a Paul.'" "A tribal war was raging in Uganda. The soldiers led a line of prisoners to a bridge over a crocodile-infested river where they could shoot them and dump their bodies into the water for the crocodiles to dispose of. "Among the prisoners that day was a young Christian. When his turn came to be shot, he asked permission to say a word first. 'Make it quick,' his captors ordered. The young man looked at them calmly, without fear. "'I am a Christian,' he said. 'I am not angry with you, for the same Jesus Whom I shall see in a few moments died for you as well. I forgive you. May you accept His forgiveness also.' "They shot him. Turning to the next in line, they recognized a man from another tribe. 'What are you doing here?' they demanded. 'We are not at … [Read more...]

Urgent prayer request needed for disaster relief volunteer

By Message Staff LAFAYETTE – Urgent prayers have been issued for Mel Granger, a Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer with the Acadia Baptist Association shower and laundry unit, who sustained injuries in a motorcycle accident Friday, February 14. According to Gibbie McMillan, Louisiana Baptists disaster relief strategist, Granger was struck by another vehicle around noon in Eunice. Granger, who is a member of North Eunice Baptist Church, is on life support at Lafayette General Medical Center. “Pray for the Lord’s will and for God’s grace to be with his family in this time of uncertainty,” McMillan told the Baptist Message. … [Read more...]

Adding value to others

By Waylon Bailey James Clear is a favorite writer. He has written about the power of habits and how you develop those powerful habits. Recently he wrote about adding value to other people. He said that before you ask for value you must give value to others. This fits many areas of life. Think about marriages. Most of the time we think about what our spouse doesn’t do. He/she doesn’t meet my needs, think about me, etc. James Clear would say that we have to add value to others before we can ask value from others. In other words, be sure that you are giving fully before you ask to receive. While I don’t know about James Clear’s religious beliefs, like so many other helpful people he is really expressing powerful words found in Scripture. Jesus told us to “do unto others as you want them to do for you.” Have you applied that to your marriage, your family, your friends at school, or your workplace? Have you considered the kind of difference this could make? What about what Jesus said about loving others as you love yourself? Would this turn everything around you upside down? And, what if two people in the marriage practice “doing unto others” and “loving others as we love ourselves?” Have you thought about your … [Read more...]

Skills of a church planter: Using the giftedness of others

By John Hebert ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM)—I’ve learned a lot about leadership through the years, especially as a pastor and working with other pastors in my ministry with the Louisiana Baptist Convention. But some of the most memorable lessons, and many of the fundamentals, I learned while playing basketball for great coaches: -- Dale Skinner, the Rapides High School head coach during my freshman year, was inducted into the Louisiana High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame; -- Rick Huckabay was my Rapides High coach for the next three years; won the 1973 AA State Championship; and was inducted to the Louisiana Athletic Hall of Fame; and, -- LSU Coach Dale Brown, a four-time SEC Coach of the Year, and was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. What was common about these championship coaches is the unique emphasis each of them placed on using each player’s strengths, or giftedness, as they put together top teams. Wise leaders always use the giftedness of others – taking inventory of the resources of the people around them and employing them on their team according to their giftedness. In a previous article on creating ownership, I discussed in depth the need for leaders to recruit capable … [Read more...]