By Tobin Perry, Christian Examiner NEW ORLEANS (Christian Examiner)—In a preaching ministry that has stretched for more than 50 years, Joe McKeever has taught on just about every biblical topic you could imagine. For the past 15 months, he has lived a sermon — on grief. It's a lesson he began teaching on the afternoon of Jan. 23, 2015. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]

NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary student John Russell, missing since April 22, has been found in an Alabama hospital. Russell has been in the ICU at D.W. McMillan Hospital in Brewton, Ala., since April 22 following an accident. Hospital officials were unable to identify Russell until May 4. After identifying Russell, who is still in ICU, Alabama authorities notified NOBTS that he had been found. Russell’s mother has been notified and is traveling to be with him during his recovery. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley asked for continued prayer for Russell as he recovers. “We rejoice that our student John Russell has been found and is receiving the medical care he needs,” Kelley said. “Please join us in praying for his full recovery.” … [Read more...]

BATON ROUGE -- Two key pro-life bills in Louisiana Right to Life's 2016 Legislative Package overwhelmingly passed the Louisiana Senate May 3. The Women's Enhanced Reflection Act (HB 386) and the Compassionate Burial Options Act (HB 618) will soon head to Gov. John Bel Edwards' desk for his signature. Authored by Rep. Frank Hoffmann (R-West Monroe), HB 386 would increase the current time for reflection between pre-abortion counseling and the actual abortion procedure from 24 hours to 72 hours. The bill passed the Senate floor by a 34-4 margin and now heads back to the House of Representatives for technical concurrence before going to Gov. Edwards, who has expressed his support for the legislation. "Reflection periods longer than 24 hours are common across major decisions people must make in America, including getting married, signing a mortgage, and more,” said Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace. “It is appropriate to allow women to have extra reflection time before abortion because of the magnitude of the decision in a woman's life. As testimony has shown, many women regret their abortion decision and now wish they had been given a longer reflection period. "We must also remember that abortion … [Read more...]

By Pastor Steve Horn, First Baptist Lafayette Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. As we approach this day, I am grateful for all of the prayer gatherings that will happen across the United States of America. In the Book of Acts, people are said to be praying 31 times. Of these 31 times … 14 times an individual is said to be praying. 2 times two or more people in a small group are said to be praying. 15 times it is the church gathered in prayer. Half of the references to praying in the book of Acts are references to corporate praying! We see in Acts that there were appointed times and places for prayer. We see that the church prayed for power, wisdom, boldness to share Christ, in times of crisis, for missionaries, for pastors, and for each other. When the Early Church encountered a crisis, they didn’t pout, panic, protest, sign a petition, or organize a boycott. Instead, they prayed. Bob Russell, retired pastor of Southeast Bible Church in Louisville, KY, recounts the story of how his church once bought the building next door to the leading abortion clinic in Kentucky. They did some crisis pregnancy counseling out of this building, but mainly they prayed. As a result, in 18 months, the abortion clinic closed! It is … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey, Pastor of First Baptist Covington Yesterday I had the wonderful privilege of speaking to the 2016 graduates of First Baptist Church in Covington at their Senior Banquet. I told the more than 250 parents, grandparents, siblings, and graduates I was surprised at two things. First, how quickly they grew up and, second, how old their parents were getting. I spoke to the group about “The Don’ts of High School Graduation.” While there could be many don’ts for high school graduates, these are the ones I chose. First, don’t be a statistic. Did you know that 65% of graduating church kids don’t go back to church? Maybe they do later own, but most don’t attend church during their college years. They do this for several reasons. Some are simply lazy; others don’t have anybody to prod or prompt them. Some have never had to seek out of a church and therefore don’t know how to go about the process. New college students can make a difference if they will not let themselves become part of that negative statistic. Second, don’t be lazy. Laziness never gains respect. At work or in college hard work and “giving it your best” garners respect and appreciation. These are not the times for Christians to be lazy; it is the time … [Read more...]