By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer JOHNSON BAYOU – After two hurricanes forced Johnson Bayou Baptist Church to meet in temporary facilities since 2008, the congregation has received an early Christmas gift – a new building at its original location. During a special worship service Dec. 10, a crowd of 70 people dedicated the new facility which includes an auditorium with seating for 100, classrooms, a kitchen with a small fellowship area, restrooms and an elevator. Pastor Jack Gandy said now that the church has a permanent presence in the community, he believes the best days are ahead for Johnson Bayou Baptist Church. “During the dedication services we were asking the Lord's blessing on us as we begin this new phase of ministry,” said Gandy, who became pastor in 2007. “This is a miracle that has been nine years in the making. It is hard to believe that we are finally in our own building.” For the past nine years, the congregation has worshiped and met for Sunday school at a community center and briefly in the church parsonage, while hoping to relocate back to its original site. Instead of giving up, they chose to continue with their dream. That persistence paid off with an official groundbreaking ceremony and … [Read more...]

By Matt Tullos The incarnation is God’s message that God the Father holds nothing back in order to make room for us. So common and yet so extravagant! Heaven and earth embraced that night and this is what we celebrate. It’s also is a grand proclamation that if you enter the story, you’ve got everything you need in the person of Christ. All else becomes trivial in the light of His appearance because He’s EVERYTHING from A to Z. “I AM the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.” AUTHOR of my everything, my story A to Z BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR above, my blinded eyes can see COMFORTOR of weary souls, COMPANION of the lost DELIVERER, DEFENDER despite the cruel cost EXALTED ONE who stooped to save, found in a humble place FAITHFUL ONE of Glory who came to me in grace GUARDIAN of my destiny, GOD in flesh and bone HEALER of my solitude, I never walk alone. INTERCESSOR standing tall, speaking for me, still. JEHOVAH God creator, with hands of grace and skill KING of all the universe, immortal God of love LORD in every circumstance, watching from above MAN OF SORROWS, MIGHTY ONE who came to seek and save NAZARENE of providence whose life He freely gave ONE AND ONLY Sacrifice, The lamb … [Read more...]

By Rebecca Holloway If you’re like me, you’ve been watching Christmas movies since before Halloween. Or maybe you have strict rules that you don’t start doing that until after Thanksgiving. Kudos to you! One thing I have noticed about those movies is this: Someone in the movie is always waiting for something. They’re waiting for their true love to come. They’re waiting on Santa to arrive. They’re waiting for the first snowfall so they can kiss under the mistletoe. They’re waiting for the fight they’ve had with this new love they’ve found to end so the movie can end. Somebody is always waiting for something. We’re always waiting for something – no matter the time of year. But have you noticed something? We’re not good waiters. I mean, if it’s only for a few minutes, we’re okay. We understand and we’re gracious. But if we have to wait for something over an hour or day or a week or God forbid months or years, we start getting a little salty about it. We get angry. We start making smart alack comments. We start complaining. We are a very, very impatient people. And it’s even worse if God has told us to wait on something. There have been lots of times of waiting in my life. One of the greatest “waits” I ever had was while I … [Read more...]

By Alex Sibley, Southwestern Communications BATON ROUGE (BP) -- As both a crew member at Trader Joe's and a minister at Progression Church in Baton Rouge, Joe Handy essentially gets to pastor two locations -- his "Trader Joe's campus" and his "Progression Church campus." Serving “full time” in both, Handy is continuing a bi-vocational pastoring legacy that has been fundamental to the health and growth of Southern Baptist churches across the state and the nation. IN THE MISSION FIELD At Trader Joe's, a grocery store chain, Handy rubs shoulders with nearly 85 coworkers from a wide range of social, cultural, political and spiritual backgrounds, most of whom have little to no interest in visiting a church. "So I try to pastor them right where they are," Handy said. "I'm the only pastor some of them have. I love that I have opportunity to bring church to them. "As they get to know me," he continued, "trust builds, and I get to play the role of friend and pastor in their lives. It's fun seeing the worlds of Progression Church and Trader Joe's collide like that." Handy is one of four bi-vocational ministers on Progression Church's five-person pastoral team. Lead pastor Brian Crain is Progression's only full-time … [Read more...]