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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Ann Hyatt remembered as encourager to Louisiana Baptists

Elizabeth “Ann” Hyatt, the wife of long-time Louisiana Baptist Convention director of church extension Leon Hyatt and a life-long encourager to Louisiana Baptists, passed away Wednesday, July 4. She was 90. Hyatt, a Louisiana College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary graduate, began serving  Louisiana Baptists at an early age. She collected pennies to help build Daddy Flowers Chapel on the campus of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home as a young person and shared the Gospel in prison, on the streets and on the Red River levee as a member of First Baptist Church in Pineville as a college student. While at Louisiana College, Hyatt met and married her husband, Leon. For the rest of her life, Hyatt encouraged her husband as her served on the Louisiana Baptist Convention staff and in churches. She also was active with ministry efforts when Main Street Mission in Pineville began, served as a trustee of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and LBC Executive Board, was director of the Woman’s Missionary Union of North Rapides Baptist Association, taught English as a Second Language classes and participated in numerous mission trips. She is survived by her husband, Leon, who she was married to for 68 years, her … [Read more...]

Freedom beyond Independence Day

By Eddie Wren As a child I always referred to July 4 as simply “the fourth of July.” I really did not associate the holiday with freedom, but with watermelon, cookouts and mostly fireworks. But July 4 is Independence Day and I am grateful for the freedoms we have in this country and for those who have served in our armed services to protect those freedoms. Even so, there is a greater freedom we should celebrate. A freedom no king or army can provide. No amount of military might can secure this freedom, but only surrender. The freedom I am referring to is freedom in and through Christ Jesus. Romans 6:6-7 reads, “Our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” Freedom is a word that is often used improperly. For example, many times people will use the words freedom in Christ to justify sinful behavior. But Christ was not crucified on the Cross to allow man to live any way that seems right in one’s own eyes. Jesus died to free us from sin. In freeing us from sin, Jesus has freed us to live an abundant, overflowing life only found in a relationship with Him. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I came that … [Read more...]

Kennedy: Louisiana families are paying higher taxes because of DHH’s incompetence in managing Medicaid

By U.S. Sen. John Kennedy Sunday was supposed to be the day that Louisiana’s state sales tax finally regained some semblance of fiscal sanity. After a year of paying sky high taxes. Louisiana families were in line for much-needed relief when sales tax dropped from 5 percent to 4 percent. Instead, they’ll be paying a rate of 4.45 percent. The reason for the ludicrous tax burden isn’t difficult to decipher if you read recent news reports about an audit by the nonpartisan Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office. That report uncovered the truth behind Gov. Edwards’ threats to yank TOPS from your kids, evict your grandmother from the nursing home and close your community hospital. The state isn’t strapped for cash because you need to pay even more in taxes. The state is strapped for cash because it can’t competently manage a program that consumes nearly half the state budget. That’s what the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office discovered when it peeked behind the curtain at the state Department of Health and Hospitals’ Medicaid program books. Auditors looked for errors in DHH’s paperwork for management of the Medicaid program. The results were far from pretty. The scathing audit found that DHH has been downright sloppy … [Read more...]