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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Johnson, Landry publish guidance on religious expression in schools

By Hayden Haynes, Office of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson BATON ROUGE – U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry have released the Louisiana Student Rights Review, a publication that provides guidance on prayer and religious expression in public schools. The resource was created to answer many of the most frequently asked legal questions and misconceptions about religion on campus. The Louisiana Student Rights Review is available as a free online resource at:http://www.mikejohnsonforlouisiana.com/religious_expression_in_schools. A hard copy of the publication will soon be mailed to all school superintendents throughout the state. “It is important to remember that our Constitution and laws protect the rights of students to live out their faith on campus," said Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church, Bossier City. "Religious liberty is the first freedom listed in the Bill of Rights, and the next generation of Americans needs to be encouraged to help preserve it." The U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged almost 60 years ago, "The vigilant protection of constitutional freedoms is nowhere more vital than in the community of American schools." “Unfortunately, too many people have been misled into … [Read more...]

Finishing strong and beginning well

By Waylon Bailey I have been blessed to study and preach from the Birth Narrative of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew’s Gospel gives the events of the birth of Jesus from the point of view of Joseph while Luke gives us the point of view of Mary. What we see in Matthew’s Gospel is an emphasis on divine providence and human faithfulness. Matthew shows that Joseph was a man of character who could be counted on in the worst of times. When God called Joseph he called him to stand up to one of the cruelest tyrants in the history of the world. Joseph was found faithful as he listened to God and cared for “the child and his mother” (Matthew 2:19-23). Joseph gives us a great example of both finishing strong and beginning well. Matthew 2:19-23 gives us the end of the birth narrative and the beginning of training “up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). These verses point to an ending and a beginning. We all have the responsibility to finish strong and begin well. Life is filled with endings and beginnings. Today is one of those times. Even if we didn’t finish this year strong, we can certainly begin well. Sometimes we think of giving the next year to God of giving Him the rest of our lives. While we all … [Read more...]

A New Year’s Resolution – family first

By James Dobson Successful family life is difficult to achieve. It is never perfect and is often problematic. You have your own set of challenges as you seek to meet the needs of your children. You may be a single parent with very limited financial resources. Perhaps you suffer from illness, disability, or addiction. Or maybe you have strong-willed kids who are tough to handle. The last thing I want to do is add to your pressures or sense of frustration. Nevertheless, if there is any way you can give priority to your children amid those limitations, even if it requires serious sacrifice, you will not regret giving it to them. This might mean staying married when your impulse is to divorce. It could cause you to make choices that will handicap you professionally. It might mean financial hardship for the family because Mom is staying at home with her children. It might mean giving up your four-hour golf outing every Saturday. What I am saying is that from where I sit today, children are worth everything they cost us. It was this perspective that led me to walk away from my position as a professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. My responsibility in this rewarding position required … [Read more...]

The real meaning of Christmas

By Billy Graham There are three symbols which mean Christmas — the real meaning of Christmas. An illustration of a cradle The first is a cradle. There, in Bethlehem, were cradled the hopes and dreams of a dying world. Those chubby little hands that clasped the straw in His manger crib were soon to open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears and still the troubled seas. That cooing voice was soon to teach men of the Way and to raise the dead. Those tiny feet were to take Him to the sick and needy and were to be pierced on Calvary’s cross. That manger crib in remote Bethlehem became the link that bound a lost world to a loving God. An illustration of a cross The cross. There were both light and shadow on that first Christmas. There was joy with overtones of sadness, for Jesus was born to die. Jesus, approaching the cross, said, To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world To Christians the joy of Christmas is not limited to His birth It was His death and resurrection that gave meaning to His birth. It is in the cross that the world can find a solution to its pressing problems. An illustration of a crown The crown. Jesus was crowned with a crown of thorns and enthroned on a cruel cross, yet His … [Read more...]

Christmas brings a great hope for all

By Eddie Wren For four hundred years there was silence. Darkness, if you will. There was no communication from Heaven as the prophets had no word from God. That sounds very strange to those of us who have a copy, or multiple copies, of God’s Word at our disposal. Even so, that was the situation for the world before the first Christmas. Can you imagine the desperation the world found itself in? Perhaps you can. Maybe you are in such a desperate situation yourself at the present. If so, maybe reflection on the Christmas story will help. The world was in darkness and I am not sure anyone noticed. But then all at once there was light. It began with a visit from an angel to a priest named Zechariah. Luke 1:8ff tells us Zechariah was performing his priestly service to the Lord when the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared. As you can imagine, Zechariah was terrified. But the angel brought news of joy and gladness and informed Zechariah that he and Elizabeth would have a son who would be the forerunner of the Messiah. Then in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Gabriel appeared again, but this time to a relative of Elizabeth named Mary and then to Mary’s husband to be, Joseph. The angel informed Mary and Joseph … [Read more...]