By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS – When Jay and Elizabeth Terrill decided to forego Christmas gifts to each other and instead give the money to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, they knew their family could do more. Their daughter Mollie, 11, along with cousin, Lexi Cole, 11, had an idea: a Christmas Market craft fair to benefit the International Mission Board. With the recent IMB financial/personnel cuts in mind, the girls enlisted the help of their church – Gentilly Baptist Church, New Orleans – and set a goal of $1,000 for the December 5 fair. With donated crafts, baked goods, garden plants and other items for sale, the fair netted $1,067. “I was so excited,” said Pam Cole, grandmother of the two girls. “For them to have other people on their hearts at this time of the year was what was so special to me. They wanted to give and help the missionaries stay on the field.” Staged less than a month after the girls approached pastor Ken Taylor with the idea, the event drew in nearly 80 in attendance, said Dennis Cole, associate pastor and the girls’ grandfather. Taylor and Cole are both serve as professors at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Pre-teen aged girls at the church made … [Read more...]
Kelley to grads: ‘God with us’ changes everything
By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley pointed to Christ's birth and the meaning of Emmanuel during the seminary's Dec. 19 graduation ceremony. "'God with us' changes everything," he told graduates. Speaking to a class of 224 candidates, Kelley began his charge by noting that some members would soon be going into places too dangerous to name publicly. "This is a day of great joy but also a day of sobering reality," Kelley said. He noted the importance of the day "because of what we see in the world around us." Kelley explained that the course of history is marked by pivotal, epic-making moments. Kelley pointed to the Battle of the Bulge in WWII where German forces broke through the Allied line but were held back by American paratroopers long enough to allow Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. to reposition his tanks, and ultimately secure victory. "It was an epic moment," Kelley said. "That's what happened when Jesus came into the world." 'God with us' matters because nothing can come against the believer committed to God, Kelley said. There are no dead ends where God leads, he explained. "'God with us' changes everything," Kelley … [Read more...]
ADF, chaplains to court: Reverse court-martial against Marine who posted Bible verses
By Staff, Alliance Defending Freedom WASHINGTON – Alliance Defending Freedom and the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty have filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in support of a Marine court-martialed for posting a Bible verse in her workspace. Lance Cpl. Monifa Sterling posted the verse “No weapons formed against me shall prosper,” a reference to Isaiah 54:17, three times around her workspace at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in honor of the Trinity. Her supervisor said, “I don’t like the tone,” and told her to take them down. When Sterling declined, her supervisor took them down at the end of the duty day. Sterling reprinted and re-posted the messages, but she found them in the trash the next morning. She was then court-martialed. “No one in our military who goes to work every day to defend our freedoms should then be court-martialed for exercising those very freedoms,” said ADF Legal Counsel and Director of Military Affairs Daniel Briggs, a former Air Force JAG officer. “This case is about Monifa, but it is also about every American who puts on the uniform in service to this country. The question is whether they will be allowed to exercise their faith in the military, or … [Read more...]
ADF: Missouri officials unlawfully exclude Christian learning center from children’s safety program
By Staff, Alliance Defending Freedom WASHINGTON – Alliance Defending Freedom filed a brief Dec. 18 with the U.S. Supreme Court that answers arguments the state of Missouri has made in favor of religious discrimination in what is supposed to be a religion-neutral state program. ADF attorneys, who represent the school, argue that the high court should reverse a lower court decision that allowed the state to exclude a Christian pre-school and daycare center from the program, which provides recycled tires to surface children’s playgrounds. Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit upheld a district court’s decision in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Pauley that ruled the state was justified in denying the center because a church runs it. This month, 10 states filed a brief with the Supreme Court arguing that the high court should grant the ADF petition and reverse that ruling. “Children’s safety is no less important on church daycare playgrounds than it is on other daycare playgrounds,” said ADF Senior Counsel Erik Stanley. “Missouri should understand that the U.S. Constitution prohibits anti-religious bias, which is what the state exhibited when it denied Trinity Lutheran’s scrap tire … [Read more...]
City changes tune on Christmas Carol ban
By Staff, Alliance Defending Freedom FALLS CHURCH, Va. – A small city in Virginia has changed its tune on ban on Christmas caroling on public sidewalks. After receiving a letter from Alliance Defending Freedom, the city of Falls Church, Va., has decided to allow Christmas carolers to sing on a public sidewalk outside of an abortion business Dec. 22. “No one should try to shut down Christmas carols on a public sidewalk, and we’re pleased that that city has changed its tune and says it won’t do that again,” said ADF senior counsel Matt Bowman. “We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that the carolers will be able to exercise their constitutionally protected freedom to sing tomorrow as planned.” Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter Dec. 21 to the Falls Church Police Department after two officers told several Christmas carolers to stop singing on a public sidewalk outside of an abortion business. One of the carolers captured the officers on video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpWEa85iZbc&feature=youtube) informing the carolers that singing is prohibited under a noise ordinance and that they must cease singing. The letter explains that police cannot use the ordinance to stop a constitutionally … [Read more...]
Your Christmas Eve message
By Joe McKeever A pastor’s Christmas Eve message will have a flavor all its own. Because of the relaxed nature of the evening, the sermon is often directed toward the child in all of us. Hence, the following…. My friend Annette loves to pass along to me her assignments. Her Mississippi church frequently invites her to give a talk on this or that, and she messages for my take on that subject. She uses nothing I do verbatim, but I suspect some of my responses provokes creative ideas in her. Some of the most interesting pieces on our website were instigated by Annette. The other day her message said, “I have to explain the Christmas story to children ages 4-11 in my church. Help!” I began by assuring her that I am not the best one to ask about this. I’m fast approaching birthday number 75 and my youngest grandchild becomes a teenager in February. Furthermore, women explain things to children better than men do. But always eager to assist, I jotted down a few thoughts for her. And that’s when something occurred to me. All the people sitting before the pastor on Christmas Eve will be children. Some will be old children, with white heads (or bald ones), while others will be younger parents and adult singles. … [Read more...]
The Good Shepherd cares for all people
By Billy Graham On that first Christmas night, the angels appeared to shepherds on a hill near Bethlehem. Alfred Edersheim, the great 19th-century Jewish-Christian scholar, wrote in his book The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah that the shepherds and the sheep to whom the angels appeared near Bethlehem were no ordinary shepherds and sheep. The sheep were those bound for the temple sacrifices. The shepherds were outcasts because of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances. And their manner of life rendered legal observances unlikely, if not absolutely impossible. How wonderful that in God’s wisdom and love the angels should appear to them—the doomed and the outcast—that night. Today we can declare to the world that the Good Shepherd cares for all people and wants to give them peace. Christ came on that first Christmas for one great purpose—to die on the cross for our sins. Now God offers forgiveness, inner peace, and eternal life to all who will repent and believe in His Son. This is the Christmas message! Do you know people who need to hear about God’s love and forgiveness? Will you share the true Christmas message with them this year? … [Read more...]
Christmas: to receive is to give
FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) - This poignant beatitude from the lips of Jesus is so typical of the Savior -- "... and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'" (Acts 20:35). Though not found in the four Gospels, its spirit is seen in Luke 6:38: "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure -- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." These words represent the heart of the Lord with marvelous clarity. Although the greater blessing lies in the right kind of giving, the implication is that to receive is also blessed. The whole ministry of the Lord was wrapped up in giving, and the glory of the Gospel is its testimony to the unfolding of God's gift to man. GIVING & RECEIVING How often have you given or tried to give in a spirit of love and compassion only to be rejected or ignored? There is nothing that cuts so deeply and leaves an ache so painful as spurned giving -- whether it be an object carefully chosen or a deed lovingly planned. Surely God has designed that the receiving of a gift or ministry is a vehicle that will also bless the receiver … [Read more...]
Responding to God’s call
By Billy Graham We’re given just a little glimpse of Mary and Joseph before Jesus was born. They lived in the hill country of Galilee. Joseph was a religious man. Mary gives every evidence of having a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, even though she was a teenager. The Bible teaches that God was so pleased with her that He chose her to be the mother of Jesus. Mary and Joseph weren’t married, and yet Mary became pregnant. I’ve often put myself in Joseph’s place— imagined his thoughts, his aspirations about the girl to whom he was engaged. But Joseph decided to break the engagement privately. While he was thinking about these things, God’s angel appeared to him in a dream to give Joseph an explanation of the situation. All Joseph’s suspicions were put away. He accepted what God had said through the angel, and he was immediately married to Mary. Both Joseph and Mary followed the call and plan of God, and through their obedience the way was prepared for Christ to come and bless us. Are you seeking to follow God’s call on your life? Are you actively responding to Him? … [Read more...]
Trinity Baptist-affiliated school giving adults brighter future
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – A high school for adults age 19 and older operated by a Louisiana Baptist church has received state approval to operate as a non-public school. The move now allows students to take advantage of financial aid that was not available before this year and positions the school for a brighter future, school leaders say. “It’s a ministry for us,” said Dan Davis, director of the year-round school. “There is a need and I believe if there is a need, there’s a ministry. There’s a need to give adults a chance at an alternative to the GED program. Plus, we’re giving them the gospel.” Located at Trinity Baptist Church in Pineville, the year-round school allows students who lack anywhere from a few credits to a few years of high school to attend classes and take a test to earn their high school degree. The school charges a maximum tuition of $665 for the entirety a student is enrolled. A new student can enroll every eight weeks. Two years after opening its doors, Trinity High School saw the first graduates in 2005. The school has been operating as a Christian accredited entity but in June received non-public school approval by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary … [Read more...]
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