Submitted by philip on Tue, 08/27/2013 - 10:39 Churches wanting to undergo training for Billy Graham’s My Hope evangelistic outreach in November should do so soon. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Time is winding down for churches to undergo training for the My Hope with Billy Graham evangelistic outreach. Scheduled for November 2013, My Hope is a grassroots effort to reach others throughout the United States with the gospel in a method different from the usual Billy Graham Crusade. Instead of holding an event in an arena or stadium, Christians across the country will host in their homes “Matthew Parties,” where the gospel will be presented to their friends, neighbors, co-workers and family using a message by Graham along with music and testimonies. Others will gather at coffee shops and parks to watch the program on a tablet or smartphone. This strategy is modeled after the biblical apostle Matthew, who after accept Christ’s call to follow Him, invited friends for a gathering in his home to meet Jesus. Since the campaign kicked off nationwide earlier in the year, Christians have prepared for the event by conducting training sessions, including 35 in churches around the state, most of which have taken … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONROE – First Baptist Monroe will host an apologetics conference with the goal of helping Christians to share, discuss and defend their faith. Scheduled for Sept. 14-15, the SALT conference (acronym for Strategic Answers to Life’s Thoughts) will include topics such as the intolerance of tolerance, trusting the Bible, preparing students for the real world, women in Islam, the resurrection of Christ and communicating a biblical worldview. The featured speaker will be Greg Koukl, an author, professor and talk-show host focusing on defending Christian worldview. Other speakers scheduled to speak include Steve Cowan, associate professor of Christian studies at Louisiana College, and Bob Stewart, professor of philosophy and theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The cost for the SALT conference is $10. Registration forms can be found at www.firstmonroe.com. “One of the things that believers are hesitant to do in this culture is openly dialogue with those who do not agree with the biblical testimony,” said Craig West, pastor of First Monroe. “We wanted to host this conference to give believers some real-life tools and methods to help them to engage their world. “For a small … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor Of all of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches, perhaps the most significant was delivered on the evening of June 16, 1858. Likely one of the least known of Lincoln’s oratories, his “House Divided” address is believed by many historians to be a speech that changed the course of history. More than a thousand Republican delegates had gathered in Springfield, Ill., for the Prairie State’s Republican state convention on June 16. That afternoon, those in attendance chose Lincoln to be their party’s candidate for U.S. Senate against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. That evening, just over 155 years ago, Lincoln delivered an address to his Republican colleagues that is as pertinent today as it was when first uttered. The title reflects part of the speech’s introduction, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” a concept familiar to Lincoln’s audience as a statement by Jesus recorded in all three synoptic Gospels. For those who study the historical context of the life and times of Lincoln and the United States, the entire speech is worth examination. However, for those of us living in the current reality of America, the following few lines of Lincoln’s address are most apropos: “A house divided against itself … [Read more...]

By Michael Foust, Writer Nashville, Tenn. Think of the worst temper tantrum your child ever threw, or the worst moment of rebellion in your teen’s life, or – if you’re still struggling – that time in your high school days when you treated your parents like dirt. I’m not talking about those times when you laughed at your 2-year-old as he or she ridiculously squirmed all over the floor because you wouldn’t budge on the no-you-can’t-eat-DVDs rule. And I’m not referring to Opie Taylor’s fake temper tantrum on “Andy Griffith,” when he tried to pitch a tantrum, but failed. I’m referencing situations in which you, as a parent, felt like a failure, and you grieved over your child’s actions. But you still loved your kid. Not really fun to ponder, huh? Several years ago, a pastor and I were talking about our children, and he disclosed how his son went through a rebellious stage as a youth. At home, the boy would say horrible things to his parents, and at church, he would walk in late and sit on the back row, talking to friends and passing notes. He and his son’s relationship, the pastor said, was a picture of the sinner’s relationship with God. The son was rebelling, just as we so often do. The father still loved his son, just as God … [Read more...]

By Joe McKeever, New Orleans Pastor, have you ever had a meltdown in the pulpit? In the news recently, two Atlanta radio personalities were fired for the on-air mocking they did of a New Orleans icon, former Saints football player Steve Gleason who has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and lives in a wheelchair and speaks through a computer.   They made fun of him, parodied his situation, and someone role-played Steve speaking of his coming death and such. It was the ultimate in offensive. In the article which ran here in New Orleans, one of the terminated idiots (I’m so objective in this story, as you can see) said, “What were we thinking?” The jocks apologized, and in a subsequent story, Gleason said he accepted their apology. One of the men called it “a moronic two minutes.” No argument here. I have had a few moronic two minutes in my long lifetime, and expect some of you have as well. I know a pastor who was so exasperated with his small congregation that in a Sunday morning sermon, he berated them for their laziness and unresponsiveness and, working himself up into a lather, stalked out of the service, leaving his people sitting there. The deacons – I think the church had three – went to him that afternoon to try to … [Read more...]

By J. Randy Forbes, U.S. Congressman The First Amendment is a promise that we are free to live holistically, according to the dictates of our conscience. Recently, however, the First Amendment was subjected to assaults seeking to force the fully free exercise of faith into the most private of places: our homes and houses of worship. The intent is simple and fatal: Redefine the meaning of religious freedom, making it a secondary right when exercised in the public square. If religious freedom becomes a secondary right, how will it affect you and your family? What challenges would you face if pressured to choose between your religious convictions and your job, business or livelihood? Imagine you run a bakery. You love your customers, have never denied services to anyone and have employed openly gay individuals. One day, a regular customer and her partner order a cake for their wedding ceremony. You are very fond of this customer but believe that marriage was created by God as the union of one man and one woman. Affirming the marriage by baking a cake would violate your belief. You thank your customer for her business and politely explain that you cannot provide a cake. The next week, you receive a letter saying you have been … [Read more...]

By Bill Warren, NOBTS Question: How can I understand the Bible better when I read it? BillWarren responds: This is a broad question, so let’s approach it both in the general sense in this column, then with more detail in subsequent columns. A major key to understanding a Bible passage is to read it within its immediate context, thereby keeping in mind the text before and after the passage. Many times the theme being treated in the immediate context clarifies the meaning of the passage very quickly. For example, Phil. 4:13 is a well-known passage – I am strong enough for all through Him who strengthens me. The immediate context surrounding this passage is about making it through both positive and negative circumstances. In line with this context, Phil. 4:13 is not about being able to do anything I want or desire to do, but is actually about making it through whatever circumstance life throws my way because of being strengthened by Christ to make it through. The literary context clarifies the meaning of this verse instantly. Also, the larger context of the book has to be kept in mind, meaning considering matters like when the book was written, why, for whom, what is happening in history at that point, etc. For the New … [Read more...]

By Pete Charpentier, Louisiana College I’m sure you’ve seen it. The image is simple, but the truth behind it is profound. It’s the sight of a child at the point of “falling” into a father’s arms. Perhaps you’ve not only seen a picture like this; maybe you’ve acted it out with your child. I know I did. When my sons were young, I would stand below them while they stood on our kitchen counter. As I reached out my hands, I would ask them to leap into my arms. While the distance between us was only a few inches, it must have seemed like miles to them. I could see their little minds wrestle with trusting me. They wanted to leap, but stepping into thin air was hard. Yet, their safety was never in doubt. There was no way I was going to let them fall. My love, strength, and commitment to do whatever I had to do to catch them guaranteed their well-being. You probably already know where I’m going with this, don’t you? The title of this article seems simple and foundational: We can trust our heavenly Father. Every true believer reading this is probably already mumbling silently, “Sure, I know I can trust my heavenly Father. I learned this as a child in Sunday School. Please tell me something I haven’t already heard a thousand … [Read more...]

By Wildcat Staff, Special to the Message PINEVILLE – In an effort that was years in the making, the Louisiana College Department of Music learned July 3 that LC has been granted membership into the prestigious National Association of Schools of Music. As an accrediting organization, NASM has more than 600 members, and its acceptance of Louisiana College into that membership came after a review of both the college and music department that culminated in a final report filed by LC in May. “I was elated,” said Fred Guilbert, Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Media. ”There was just a ton of effort that went into it. “ According to Gabriel Miller, Department of Music Coordinator, the process to apply for NASM membership and accreditation started five years ago. LC had been a member previously, but let that membership lapse when the number of music majors had dwindled. But, with a recent upturn in music majors – currently more than 40 in the program – LC sought to regain accreditation from NASM as a way to not only validate the effectiveness of its program, but also to ensure that current curriculum offerings would be up to standard moving forward. Under the initial leadership of Loryn Frey and then in the last two years under … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Tue, 08/27/2013 - 14:08 Teens and youth listen to Richard ‘Whitey’ Koons during a recent youth rally at Twin Bridges Baptist Church in Alexandria. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Richard “Whitey” Koons had just about everything a youth minister could dream about leading up to July 17, 1987. But a tragic event at a youth camp along the Guadalupe River that day changed his life forever. Koons – youth minister of a thriving group of young people at Seagoville Road Baptist Church in Balch Springs, Texas, at the time – was enjoying camp when they were given orders to evacuate, as the river waters were suddenly rising at the campgrounds. While the majority of the 300 campers made it to higher ground – including more than 30 from his church – 10 of his youth were swept away in the normal tranquil but suddenly raging Guadalupe River. “There is no seminary class, seminar or conference that can prepare you for what happened that fateful morning in July,” said Koons, who shared his story at a recent youth rally at Twin Bridges Baptist in Alexandria. “The struggle of identifying bodies of my teenagers, the pain of sharing with those parents who lost their kids and then the guilt of … [Read more...]