By Marilyn Stewart, Regional reporter NEW ORLEANS -- Race is an issue that continues to divide, said New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson during a book signing at the LifeWay campus store at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The solution is "changed hearts" in Christ, Watson said. The event fell on Nov. 24, the one-year anniversary of the ruling in the racially charged Ferguson, Mo., case of the shooting death of Michael Brown. Watson's book, "Under Our Skin: Getting Real about Race -- and Getting Free from the Fear and Frustrations that Divide Us," expands on his lengthy Facebook post that resonated with readers the day after the news broke that officer Darren Wilson would not face criminal charges for the shooting death of Brown. "[Race] is something that keeps on coming up," Watson said. "It's something we're always talking about and it's not seeming to be going anywhere." Calling his book "part manifesto, part memoir," Watson told the line of fans that snaked past shelves and out LifeWay's door that he put his thoughts to paper after seeing a public reaction to the verdict that seemed to split along racial lines. "I was conflicted because so much was tied into it. I wanted to work out my … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LC Communications PINEVILLE (LCNews) – Louisiana College is set to confer 135 degrees at its 159th commencement ceremony on Saturday. The ticketed event begins at 10 a.m. in Guinn Auditorium. The keynote speaker is Rev. David Edwards, president of David Edwards Publications. Edwards - an ordained and licensed preacher - is a professional speaker and author, who travels full-time speaking in schools and churches. He holds a BA in Religion with a minor in Mass Communications and Art from Oklahoma City University. He has completed additional graduate work at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. An approved speaker for many school boards in 16 states, Edwards has spoken at seminars and chapel services at colleges and universities. He has spoken at Pride World Drug Conferences, Youth Evangelism Conferences (Y.E.C.), and Xtreme Winter Youth Conferences. Edwards has served as a mission minister in Brazil, Switzerland, Belgium, Amsterdam, Jamaica, and South Korea. Having written 23 books, Edwards formed David Edwards Publications in 2005 with a mission statement of “Meeting people where they are in life and bringing them one step closer in the process of knowing Jesus … [Read more...]

SLIDELL – A fund has been set up to help Bayou Baptist Church in Slidell with rebuilding costs following a fire on Oct. 22. According to Pastor Frank Treme, the fire which he believes to have been arson caused extensive damage to all of the buildings on the church grounds. The fire destroyed a part of the building that houses classrooms, a nursery and the kitchen. While the sanctuary did not burn to the ground, the interior sustained a significant amount of damage from the smoke and water. “We have brought in the adjustors and engineers and it looks as if none of the buildings can be saved,” Treme told the Message. “We are going to demolish all of the buildings and rebuild back again on this spot. “We did it once with God’s provision and we will do it again because we are faithful to Him,” said Treme. “Right now we are proceeding slowly to see what the cost will be for the demolition and the rebuilding,” Treme continued. “We are a small congregation so to help with some of those costs not taken care of by insurance an account has been set up at Whitney Bank and anyone who would like to donate to our rebuilding efforts can go to any branch in the state and say this donation is for Bayou Baptist Church.” Whitney … [Read more...]