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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Don’t be afraid to pray for yourself

By Steve Horn ALEXANDRIA, La. - In 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, in an otherwise mundane list of genealogy, we get these powerful two verses about an otherwise unknown man named Jabez. This mention is truly a great “pause” over a man named Jabez. The brief mention is about this one thing of prayer—specifically a prayer for himself. Are you afraid to pray for yourself? Are you afraid to ask God to bless your life? If your response is “yes,” maybe you have said more about your beliefs about God than you intended. Why wouldn’t God want to bless you? Don’t you want to bless your children? In the same way, God wants to bless you—His child! The prayer of Jabez gives us a Biblical prayer that we might pray for ourselves. In the prayer of Jabez we can identify four specific requests that can become our model for praying for ourselves. Before we consider these four requests let’s consider what we know about Jabez, the person. The Bible does not tell us much about Jabez, but we do learn a few things about his life. We know that Jabez was named for the pain that he brought in childbirth. We know that Jabez stood out among his brothers. We know that God granted his request. In addition to all of these things, the most … [Read more...]

CENLA gathers to pray for schools, community

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist pastors joined other concerned citizens from Central Louisiana, Oct. 2, to pray for students, teachers, families and the community. Held outside the Rapides Parish School Board offices in Alexandria, the event was marked by special music and prayer led by pastors of various denominations and by small groups who prayed for an area recently impacted by social media shooting threats involving several schools, Sept. 27-29. Juveniles who published the threats against Alexandria Senior High School, Peabody Magnet High School, Pineville High School and Tioga High School have since been arrested on charges of “terrorizing” and  were placed into the Renaissance Home for Youth in Alexandria. The Peabody Magnet High School principal as well as local officials and law enforcement considered the social media posting against that school to be a credible threat and consequently cancelled the homecoming parade and football game that had been scheduled for Sept. 27. Brad Webb, pastor with Family of Grace Church, Alexandria, said that the events of the week did not take God by surprise and that God still is on His throne. “Today, God, we come, … [Read more...]

Miss LC 1966 comes home to serve as pageant judge

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) – The Miss LCU pageant will be held Oct. 16 during Homecoming Week and for one judge it will feel like even more of a homecoming. “I’ve done my homework,” said Judy Griffin Perkins, Miss Louisiana College 1966. “I’ve been researching what judges do, and what questions we can ask.” Perkins, a vocal music/music education major who sang an operatic aria for her talent, refelected upon her own time competing in the Miss LC pageant. Perkins said the contestants today are fortunate because they can move on to the Miss Louisiana competition. “At that time, the student body voted on the 16 contestants,” she said. “Ten were selected for interview, tea and talent. We met in President (G. Earl) Guinn’s home. Mrs. Guinn was such a fantastic hostess.” After being chosen Miss LC in 1966, Perkins felt challenged to be the best representative of the school for life. She said she and her husband, Larry, who she met as a student, have done their best to give back to the school from the many blessings they have received in their lives. They have established several scholarships and routinely give to the Board of Visitors, which supplies scholarship money to deserving students. … [Read more...]

LCU President Mark Johnson offers encouragement amid school social media threats

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Shortly after several Central Louisiana schools received social media threats of possible shootings, Louisiana Christian University President Mark Johnson travelled to be the light of Christ on the campuses of Alexandria Senior High School, Peabody Magnet High School, Pineville High School and Tioga High School, Sept. 29-30. “Normally I’m allowed to go and visit with students in lunchrooms but recently they've had a lot of shooting threats in our area,” Johnson told the Baptist Message. “We’ve been having a lot of opportunities to sit alongside young people and remind them they’re going to be okay. “I went from being president to pastor real quick because they're nervous over these last few days,” he continued. “And it turned out to be a time of great encouragement and hearing from the students.” All four schools received threats on social media, Sept. 29, though the shootings never took place. The juveniles who made the threats were arrested, placed into the Renaissance Home for Youth in Alexandria and charged with terrorizing, according to the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Department. Additionally, Peabody Magnet High School’s homecoming parade and football … [Read more...]

Vandal attempts to destroy crosses inside Bedico Baptist worship center

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer PONCHATOULA, La. (LBM) – A man attempted to destroy crosses inside the Bedico Baptist Church worship center, Sept. 25, but its surveillance camera helped lead to his capture before he left the facility. According to Pastor Jonathan Gers, the incident began around 1 a.m. Sept. 25. The individual only tried to damage crosses situated throughout the worship center. While the individual destroyed one cross that was painted onto a stained glass window, the other six crosses were not damaged. “When we arrived at the church, the man was exiting the building and babbling,” Gers told the Baptist Message. “We recognized quickly it was a demonic attack.” Gers said the identity of the man has not been released and that he and 150 others from at least three churches who gathered for a prayer and praise service at the church on Sept. 26 are hopeful he may one day turn to Christ. “We gathered to pray and sing the night after the break-in and it was a great time of healing for us,” Gers said. “We are praying for his salvation. When I get the okay from the jail where the man is staying, I hope to go and pray with him.” … [Read more...]

Six Louisianans among 54 commissioned by IMB

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer CHESTER, Va. (LBM) – Former Louisiana Baptist Sunday School and Discipleship Strategist Sean Keith and his wife, Pam, former director of preschool ministries with Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville, were among 54 individuals commissioned as missionaries by the International Mission Board, Sept. 24. Hosted by Ironbridge Baptist Church, Chester, Virginia, the Sending Celebration highlighted a commitment to missions by the newly commissioned missionaries from 13 states and a charge to share the Gospel by IMB President Paul Chitwood. “Perhaps God is calling you to a deeper commitment to His work around the world through praying, giving, going or sending,” Chitwood said before introducing the new missionaries giving their testimonies. Chitwood read aloud some of the testimonies from missionaries whose faces could not be shown or their voices heard. “These brothers and sisters are going to some difficult and hard-to-reach places,” he said. “We don’t want the broadcast of this service to compromise their ability to work among the least reached people on earth.” CALLED TO SERVE The Keiths and two other couples from Louisiana were commissioned. Due to security concerns … [Read more...]

LSU BCM: 16 salvations during ‘welcome week’

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry welcomed back students for the fall semester, including 39 who made decisions for Jesus, according to LSU BCM Director Blake Grundy. The decisions, including 16 who placed their trust in Jesus, took place during the final day of a week that included a Cajun lunch, waffles and trivia gathering, a freshman fest and a worship night attended by 300 students that included a steak and potato supper. Grundy said he was excited to see the Lord move during the week. “It’s been really encouraging,” Grundy told the Baptist Message. “When we arrived over the summer, the campus felt empty. We didn’t see many students around. We spent those months preparing, reaching out via text, and praying, all without much face-to-face interaction. But then during Welcome Week, seeing so many students come through, and witnessing the decisions made — it was incredibly rewarding.” Grundy asked for continued prayers as they disciple those who made decisions, and as they seek to obey Christ’s call to reach a campus of nearly 40,000 students with the Gospel. “Just like every other campus, ours is in desperate … [Read more...]

At Survivor Camp, 17 find sufficiency in Christ

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer EUNICE, La. (LBM) – Survivor Camp taught survival skills to 93 boys and 80 fathers, and more importantly, connected through the Gospel with 14 boys and three dads in the group who found Christ. Held Sept. 5-6 at Acadian Baptist Center, the 17th annual camp focused on survival skills, spiritual growth, and deepened relationships. Activities include water purification, go-kart racing, medical training and rifle shooting. “We’re teaching boys how to be men,” Camp Director Steven Ancelet told the Baptist Message. “The weekend is based around physical and spiritual survival that’s filled with many life and Gospel lessons.” Survivor Camp also included a time for the dads to have a “man talk.” “As a man, you need to be a leader in your marriage, in your home, in your workplace and in your community,” continued Ancelet, a member with First Baptist Church, Lafayette. “You can’t be passive and must be willing to accept change. We walked the men through that and were pleased at the change we saw in them in just a short time.” The weekend also featured a tribute to Hartie Spence Jr., long-time director of Survivor Camp who lost his life in a glider crash near Salt Lake City Utah, … [Read more...]