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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Cassidy challenges LC grads to dream, make a difference for God

By Message Staff ALEXANDRIA – Louisiana College celebrated its 163rd commencement May 5 by conferring the most degrees since Rick Brewer became president of the school in 2015. The school presented 155 undergraduate and 46 master’s degrees at the Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria. In a special recognition during the ceremony was Clavoisiea Dupree, a member of the basketball team who was on pace to graduate with this classmates. However, on March 31 Dupree passed away. Brewer awarded Dupree with an undergraduate degree posthumously during the ceremony. “We are preparing students not to just get a degree,” Brewer told students. “We are not just preparing you for careers. Our job as faculty and administrators has been to prepare you for life. “Education that instructs the mind without deepening the soul is not true learning,” he continued. “Louisiana College’s goal is to graduate students to make a difference for the common good as a redemptive voice in the world. Our graduates are hopeful realists who recognize the brokenness of the world, but believe God has called them to work for its healing and restoration.” During the keynote address, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy challenged the students to dream and make … [Read more...]

What makes prayer so difficult, why we keep at it

By Joe McKeever In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know how to pray as we should.  But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  (Romans 8:26) Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer.  That’s a good thing.  It keeps us focused on the importance of prayer, and probably dumps a load of guilt on all of us for not praying more or better. Three aspects of prayer make it difficult, and probably even unreasonable.  And then, one overwhelming reality keeps us at it with the strong confidence that praying is the best thing we can ever do. The three impossible aspects of prayer that befuddle us… –One.  The Object of our prayers is unseen. In prayer, we are addressing One we’ve never seen and can’t even prove exists.  And yet, we keep at it, drawing aside day after day, year after year, speaking to the Invisible, Unprovable Lord in the firm belief that He is there, that He hears, and cares and will answer. Is this bizarre or not?!  Smile, please. –Two.  The expression of our prayers is uncertain.   We simply do not know how to word our prayers.  We are mortals addressing the Immortal, the creation speaking to the Creator, sinners kneeling before … [Read more...]