What does a a muddy trail, 6-foot mudhole and an ATV (all terrain vehicle) have to do with evangelism? BASTROP – What does a a muddy trail, 6-foot mudhole and an ATV (all terrain vehicle) have to do with evangelism? A lot when organizers are trying to reach as many unchurched people as possible. In what Andy Myrick, Evangelism Director for the Northeast Louisiana Baptist Association, calls “a first,”  his association partnered with Morehouse Baptist Association and the Louisiana Baptist Convention to put on a family-oriented 4-Wheeler Ride. “This is a first for Louisiana,” said Myrick. “I am seeing lots of teenagers, kids and peoples in their 70s. I didn’t expect this type of participation, but I know it is God at work. It seems to be such a hit that we are thinking about expanding it to do a block party next year.” “I hope it does turn into an annual event,” Gibbie McMillan, director of the LBC’s Men’s Ministries/Disaster Relief program said. “An event like this is capable of reaching people you don’t reach on Sunday. “This is Louisiana, and this is ideal way to reach those you wouldn’t normally be able to reach,” McMillan said. “An event like this is also vital, because it provides us with … [Read more...]

I would consider pastoral malpractice among the greatest treasons a minister can commit against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it is practiced weekly without inhibition. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – I would consider pastoral malpractice among the greatest treasons a minister can commit against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it is practiced weekly without inhibition. What do I mean by pastoral malpractice? I mean ministers who stand and preach a gospel other than God’s rightful need for punitive justice against our sin and His wrath being appeased by pouring out upon Christ judgment intended for us. He in turn sets us in right legal standing before Himself, through faith in what Jesus has done, while simultaneously giving to us His holy righteousness. Regrettably, too many evangelical churches have become centers for motivational speaking where congregants learn that “God helps those who help themselves;” that sin is something that keeps us from reaching our full potential, not an infinite offense against the Creator who demands from His creation unblemished righteousness. The Apostle Paul tells us that humans inherently know we are separated from God by our sin and we try to suppress that truth … [Read more...]

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought fourth her sons,” Isaiah wrote. There are many – Jews and non-Jews alike – who believe the prophet’s words were fulfilled on May 14, 1948 when Israel became an independent state. “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought fourth her sons,”Isaiah wrote. There are many – Jews and non-Jews alike – who believe the prophet’s words were fulfilled on May 14, 1948 when Israel became an independent state. It has been sixty years since Israel was established as an independent state.  In the six decades since the historic pronouncement, Israel has experienced constant tension and periodic conflict with its neighbors – some of whom have expressed a desire to see Israel annihilated. In spite of hostility and war, Israel has not only survived as a nation for six decades, but is has managed to thrive. The population of Israel in 1948 was estimated at around 800,000. Today it is more than seven million and growing. As a Christian, … [Read more...]

Wednesday evenings are always busy at Live Oak Baptist Church. WATSON – Wednesday evenings are always busy at Live Oak Baptist Church. Youngsters are in either Mission Friends or Children in Action groups, youth gather for discipleship and adults meet for Bible study and prayer – about 70 people in all, for a church where about 165 gather for Sunday morning worship. Howard Turner, pastor for 13 years, didn’t expect May 14 to be any different, when he went home at 3:30 p.m. for an early supper. But then the wind came up and the rain came down, and back at the church by 5:15 p.m., he could tell it wouldn’t be a typical Wednesday. “When I opened the door to the sanctuary and saw four inches of water, I knew that wasn’t a good sign,” Turner said. He’d had to park his vehicle a mile from the church because of downed trees, he added. “We got between seven and ten inches of rain in two hours, and 93-mile-an-hour winds; some people said it was a tornado.” By 6:15 p.m., eleven men from the church were tarping the roof; by 7 p.m., 20 men were on the job – including those who had gone to town for more tarp and 1x4s to secure the tarping. By 11 p.m., the building was tarp-roofed. “About midnight the rain started … [Read more...]

In the aftermath of severe storms that swept across central and southern Louisiana last week, Gibbie McMillan, director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Men’s Ministries/Disaster Relief program, activated three chainsaw teams and placed a feeding team on standby. STATEWIDE – In the aftermath of severe storms that swept across central and southern Louisiana last week, Gibbie McMillan, director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Men’s Ministries/Disaster Relief program, activated three chainsaw teams and placed a feeding team on standby. Heavy storms swept across central and southern Louisiana Thursday, packing damaging winds, spawning reports of possible tornados near Folsom and Pontchatoula, killing at least one person in Grosse Tete. On Tuesday and Wednesday in northwest Louisiana, officials reported more than 10 inches of rain deluged the Shreveport area, flooding at least 125 homes. In addition to the wind and rain, golf ball-sized hail also was reported as a line of thunderstorms moved across southeast Louisiana, said Phil Grigsby, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “It’s one of the most intense storms we’ve had down here in quite a few years,” he said. Thursday’s storm, which packed winds of … [Read more...]

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. So begins the story of Elmer and Minnie Hammons. QUITMAN – It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. So begins the story of Elmer and Minnie Hammons. Elmer, 73, and Minnie, 64 reside in Quitman and are members of Beech Springs Baptist Church. One year ago, on May 27, they joined hands in holy matrimony. Both had previously lost a spouse through death. This union began a new page in their storied lives. The wedding ceremony was picture perfect. Afterwards, Elmer and Minnie hit the road. They not only hit the road in a figurative manner, they literally hit the road. Tears of joy were replaced with tears of sorrow. Traveling in a Coronado Motor Home, they set their sights on Colorado. The quest for the perfect honeymoon had begun. After driving a while, Elmer handed the wheel to his new bride. Cruising along Highway 287, towards Amarillo, Texas, something went wrong. In an attempt to pass someone, Minnie lost control of the motor home. At highway speed, the motor home flipped over and landed in the median. It was totally destroyed. The only things left intact were the two seats holding Elmer and Minnie. Soon thereafter helpers arrived at the scene. … [Read more...]

n college, Yong* learned the questions to ask when he met a foreigner: “What is your name? What do you do for a living? What is your religion?” NORTH KOREA (BP)--In college, Yong* learned the questions to ask when he met a foreigner: “What is your name? What do you do for a living? What is your religion?” He asks questions to get a glimpse of life beyond the borders of one of the most isolated countries in the world. A citizen of North Korea, Yong asks tourists one more question: “Do you believe in God?” In his years of asking, no one had said “yes” to that last question. Until now. The young father has never seen a Hollywood movie, talked on a cell phone or surfed the Internet. Working at a government-assigned job, he goes home each night to the three-bedroom apartment he shares with his parents, brother, wife and child. He doesn’t own a car. To get to work he stands in a queue with his fellow North Koreans, waiting for an old-fashioned, electric bus. He wears a portrait of his country’s “eternal leader” Kim Il Sung pinned over his heart, a sign of allegiance to a man dead for 13 years. In many ways, Kim still reigns over the land Yong repeatedly refers to as “my country.” Yet, even while the portrait of … [Read more...]

Flicking ashes from his Chinese cigarette, Yong* contemplates a visitor’s question: Do North Koreans have lucky numbers? *Name disguised. NORTH KOREA (BP) – Flicking ashes from his Chinese cigarette, Yong* contemplates a visitor’s question: Do North Koreans have lucky numbers?  *Name disguised. As my husband, Thomas,* explains the significance of the No. 7 in gambling to him, I break out laughing. “Here you were thinking about casinos, and I was thinking about the No. 7 relating to religion and Christianity.” “You’re a Christian?” Yong asks, swiveling his head in my direction. “Yes,” my husband and I reply.       He quickly surveys the other foreigners. Each answers with a resounding “No.”  “Do you believe in God?” I ask him.  “No,” he replies quickly. “Do you?” It isn’t the conversation I’d envisioned having in P’yongyang, capital city of North Korea – the isolated, communist country known officially as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Yet, as we shuttle from restaurants to monuments during our strictly guided tour, the impact of that short conversation colors my view of a nation one guard proudly calls “the last true socialist country in the world.” On the second day of our three-day tour … [Read more...]

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary celebrated its spring graduation service in centennial fashion, May 9. FORT WORTH, Texas – Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary celebrated its spring graduation service in centennial fashion, May 9. Hundreds of guests, students and faculty members gathered on the lawn in front of the B.H. Carroll Memorial Building “as a salute to all of those who have gone before and made an immeasurable contribution” to the seminary. In honor of the seminary’s western heritage, faculty members traded in their academic caps for black, beaver felt cowboy hats. During this spring 2008 commencement service, the seminary conferred degrees on 239 students from 26 states and 12 countries, including Korea, Indonesia, Zim-       babwe and Germany. In a last word to these students, President Paige Patterson pointed to the heart of service displayed by the seminary’s founder, B.H. Carroll, and ultimately by Jesus Christ. He urged graduates to leave Southwestern not with the desire for a career and financial gain but with the desire to serve and proclaim the Gospel. As they go into the world to fulfill this call, they will face many trials, but Patterson reminded them of God’s … [Read more...]

Ben Stein’s movie “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” has been out less than a month but apparently already is having a significant impact in the debate over the teaching of evolution in public schools. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Ben Stein’s movie “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” has been out less than a month but apparently already is having a significant impact in the debate over the teaching of evolution in public schools. Legislatures in three states – Louisiana, Michigan and Missouri – are considering academic freedom bills that would give teachers greater protection and freedom in teaching the strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution. Passage of any of the bills would be a first for any state, according to officials at the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that supports the bills. Similar bills in Alabama and Florida died this month, although the ones in the other states, particularly Louisiana, seem to stand a better chance. “There has definitely been a raising of consciousness among people that there is a problem of censoring scientific information that challenges evolution,” the Discovery Institute’s Casey Luskin told Baptist Press. “I think “Expelled” definitely has played a role. However, … [Read more...]