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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Landry selects nationally-recognized attorney to defend Louisiana abortion laws

By Message Staff BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Family Forum is urging all pro-life advocates to send an e-mail to Gov. John Bel Edwards, thanking him for reaching a resolution on how to move forward on a lawsuit that challenges several abortion restrictions. Edwards has agreed to allow state Attorney General Jeff Landry use noted attorney Kyle Duncan, a nationally-recognized conservative litigator from Washington, D.C. to defend against a challenge to the restrictions on abortions that take place in Louisiana, according to a story in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. These include new requirements to force women to wait 72 hours and agree to an ultrasound before they have an abortion. The state also is partially banning the dilation and evacuation procedure, an abortion that occurs during the second trimester of pregnancy. Edwards has signed those restrictions into law. The Times-Picayune reported that Edwards was reluctant to approve the previous contract hiring Duncan because he did not agree to Edwards’ executive order, which would have provided protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the workplace. Edwards wanted state contractors, including attorneys such as Duncan, to prohibit workplace … [Read more...]

Wanted: Louisiana’s longest married couple

By Message Staff BATON ROUGE – The search is on yet again for Louisiana's longest married couple. The Louisiana Family Forum is holding its annual contest to find the top 10 longest-married couples in the state, who will be entered into the family advocacy group’s Marriage Hall of Fame. “Sharing these stories of life-long faithfulness encourages the next generation to understand that being happily married still happens and still lasts a lifetime. We are honored and obligated to communicate these stories of enduring love,” said Louisiana Family Forum President Gene Mills. “Many have been told that marriage cannot last, that it is too difficult, but our longest married honorees demonstrate that being a ‘Covenant Keeper’ is a life-long commitment.” Those eligible for the contest must have been married for at least 70 years before Feb. 5. Eligible couples must submit their contact information and wedding date before Feb. 5 to info@lafamilyforum.org. Last year, Louisiana Family Forum named Lawrence and Varrie Player of Benton as the state’s longest-married couple at 81 years. The contest is held each year during National Marriage Week USA, which is Feb. 7-14. The week is an effort “to strengthen individual … [Read more...]

Former LSU soccer star Mo Isom headlines Fuego Frio youth conference Feb. 10-11

By Message Staff BOSSIER CITY – Former LSU soccer player Mo Isom and First Baptist Bossier City Pastor Brad Jurkovich are among those scheduled to speak during the upcoming Feugo Frio student conference. Scheduled for Feb. 10-11 at First Baptist Bossier City, Fuego Frio will feature eight pastors from throughout the U.S., each speaking for 10 minutes on a variety of topics. Other highlights of the weekend include illusionist Danny Ray of Yucaipa, Calif., comedians 321 Improv of Boca Raton, Fla., and musical guests the Hardcastles of Austin, Texas. “What we’ve got is these eight speakers who represent some of the largest churches in America do 10 minute talks,” said Jeff Luce, director of Camp Fuego. “We have these guys who are really solid communicators commanding an audience of so many on Sundays and they’ve agreed to come in for this short blast to talk to students about their passion.” Last year, 1,594 youth from at least five states attended Fuego Frio. By the end of the conference, 72 of them made a first-time decision to follow Christ as their Lord and Savior. “That’s the purpose of this whole weekend,” Luce said. “In the end, we come together to see major moves in people’s lives, which is the real benefit of … [Read more...]

The day Johnny tried to “Cash” it in!

By Ron F. Hale Raw emotion swept over me the first time I saw and heard Johnny Cash’s video rendition of “Hurt,” a song first recorded by Nine Inch Nails in 1994. Seeing the now frail Cash singing the ghostly opening lyrics made me feel just a hint of the heartache that made the “Man in Black.” I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that’s real   The needle tears a hole The old familiar sting Try to kill it all away But I remember everything   The eerie medley and montage of a life-time of photos and film clips of Johnny along with his unmistakable voice helped rank the video one of the “The 30 All-Time Best Music Videos” by Time. There was a hopeless day in 1967 that Johnny literally crawled into a deep dark cave to die.  The accumulated pain and shame of a decade of doing drugs, popping pills, ruined relationships, while always riding the rapids of whiskey river brought him to the mouth of Nickajack Cave on the Tennessee River north of Chattanooga. All his “uppers” had turned to “downers,” but Johnny wasn’t blaming anyone but himself. He knew that he had been his own worst enemy. The “Man in Black” would die in total darkness that … [Read more...]

GIVE A GIFT

By Message Staff A contest that allows winners the opportunity to gift their favorite Louisiana Baptist ministry is getting a makeover. Launched in 2016, the Give-A-Gift campaign awards one person – whose name is drawn among names submitted either online at baptistmessage.com or through the mail – the honor of giving a monetary prize from the Louisiana Baptist Foundation to a Southern Baptist church, ministry or organization of their choosing in the state. Last year, a $1,000 gift was given monthly to a church or ministry, as directed by the person randomly chosen in the drawing. In 2017, the award amount has been increased to $1,500 and will be given out quarterly. The name of the ministry receiving the gift will be published in the Baptist Message, who is partnering with the Louisiana Baptist Foundation for this contest. “Give-A-Gift illustrates one of the primary functions of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation – assisting Baptists with gifts to support Baptist ministry,” said Jerry Love, director of planned giving for the Louisiana Baptist Foundation. “We started Give-A-Gift in 2016 to raise awareness of the Foundation and the service we provide to God’s Kingdom work through.  In addition to several million dollars … [Read more...]

JEFFRESS: God is in control of everything that happens

By Robert Jeffress, pastor, First Baptist Dallas, Texas The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. --Proverbs 16:9 If you have made a big mistake or bad choice, perhaps you have asked some of the following questions about God’s role in your failure: If God is all-powerful and all-knowing, then did His plan for me include my failure? If my failure was part of God’s sovereign plan, then how can God hold me responsible? If God’s script for my life has already been written, then does it matter what I do? These questions have profound implications for understanding how we can have a second act in life. What is God’s role in our past mistakes? This week, we will look at the relationship between God’s sovereignty and our choices. The most foundational principle is this: God is in control of everything that happens. God’s sovereignty means that God is in charge of everything that happens in His universe. In Isaiah 45:6, God says, “There is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.” God has no competition in this universe. There is nobody He is trying to wrestle control of this universe from. Many people accept the sovereignty of God in theory, but they have a hard time … [Read more...]