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"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Search-and-rescue efforts continue in area affected by Texas floods

By the Baptist Paper staff KERRVILLE, Texas (The Baptist Paper) - Search-and-rescue efforts continue in the hill country of Texas where 68 people are dead and more are missing after a catastrophic flash flood July 4. Kerr County Sheriff Larry L. Leitha said in a press conference this afternoon (July 6) that 40 adults and 28 children are confirmed dead. Ten campers and one counselor are still missing from Camp Mystic, which was hit hard after 15 inches of rain caused the Guadalupe River to rise to record levels and sweep through the nondenominational Christian girls camp. Leitha said local responders have all the resources, manpower, equipment and food they need to continue the effort. ‘Even in the valleys, God is here’ Marc Hooks, a correspondent with The Baptist Paper and The Alabama Baptist newspaper, is on site reporting from the affected areas and said in his mid-afternoon report that the general outlook near the river has been “dismal.” But “even in the valleys, God is here,” he said, noting that local churches gathered this morning to lift up their neighbors and continue to work to minister to those affected. One local church leader said, “Today we are not Baptist, Catholics, Methodists, or Presbyterians … … [Read more...]

Palmettos offers a taste of paradise in Pineville

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) - When the Louisiana heat index reaches triple digits, many long for an island oasis — ice-cold drinks and palm trees. Louisiana Christian University student Morgan Tradewell and her family decided to bring a little bit of that dream to Pineville. Palmettos Shave Ice opened in the summer of 2024, bringing a little bit of Hawaii to CENLA. Morgan, a senior Smith Scholar majoring in biology, and her family took a trip to Oahu, Hawaii, in 2022, and the idea for Palmettos was born. “I’ve always loved Icees,” she said. “Someone told us to try shaved ice, and I fell in love. Shave ice started in the Hawaiian sugar cane fields. Sitting in Waikiki, I wished I could bring it back home with me because it’s just so good. I joked about opening our own shop.” Morgan drew her idea out on a napkin - and her family turned the joke into a reality. Parents Tony and Darla Tradewell, along with her younger brother Marshall, a student at Pineville High School, all bought into the idea and now all help run Palmettos. “We wanted a place to sit and enjoy and slow down,” Darla said. “We had no idea of the response of the community. We just pinch ourselves.” Tony is a landscape … [Read more...]

Speaker Johnson honors third anniversary of lifesaving Dobbs decision

By Office of House Speaker Mike Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the third anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision, Speaker Johnson joined Chairman Chris Smith and other members of the Pro-Life Caucus to honor the anniversary and celebrate the hundreds of thousands of lives saved in the last three years. Below are Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered on June 24: “I rise this afternoon to mark this historic, lifesaving anniversary. Three years ago today, the Supreme Court corrected an egregious and tragic error and affirmed an undeniable truth that was originally affirmed in our nation's birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence. That truth is that every single person is made in the image of God, and they are thus bestowed with an estimable dignity and value. And our values not related in any way to the color of our skin, or what zip code we live in, or what our talents are, or what our hobbies are or our aptitudes – it’s all irrelevant because our value, our intrinsic value, is given to us by our creator. That's what the framers of this grand experiment and self-governance believed. The Dobbs decision, which moved the question of regulating abortion to the … [Read more...]