Submitted by Brian Blackwell on Wed, 01/02/2013 - 13:58 While I believe that the shooting in Newtown, Conn., that took the lives of 26 people – 20 of them precious children – was a horrible senseless tragedy, I believe the lives of 3,562 preborn children perishing at the hands of an abortionist because their mothers do not want to be inconvenienced is also a horrible, senseless tragedy. By Kelly Boggs, Editor On Friday morning, Dec. 14, a gunman shot his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and gunned down 20 precious children and four adults before taking his own like. Earlier that same day, the shooter fired several shots into his mother, killing her while she slept in her home. The death toll of Friday’s murderous rampage that shocked the nation was 26. In the ensuing days memorials were held all over the country. People wept and wondered how someone could be so calloused as to murder children in cold blood. People have expressed disbelief, dismay and outrage over the tragedy that transpired in Connecticut. Everyone agrees something must be done so the horror at Sandy Hook is never repeated. Some policy makers believe the answer lies in restricting access to guns. … [Read more...]

By Art Toalston, Editor, Baptist Press I hate typos. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them. Working in the media, I’m horrified when I see a typo on our website, especially in something I’ve written or edited. I’d rather stub my toe. Typos make me look stupid. They make me drop everything and urgently fix them. You probably hate something with a passion. Go for it, I’m prone to say. I hate typos so much that I don’t care if I’m blatantly repetitive: I hate my typos. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them. The other morning, the horror of a typo popped into my prayer time. And then, to my shame, God helped me to realize something. I apparently hate typos more than I hate sin. Yet what can be more tragic than sin? Not only does it make people look stupid, it ruins their lives and, if unchecked, ushers them into hell. Sin of one sort or another is the primary cause of human misery. It tears families apart. It leaves teenagers on the verge of a hopeless life. It leaves the elderly in acute fear of death. It leaves all of us in an inner torment of guilt, regret and brokenness. Whether it’s self-centeredness, pride, greed, lust, inebriation or a myriad of other sins, the person suffering from … [Read more...]

By Nathan Rush, Pastor, First Baptist Houma We have all grieved with a deep sadness over the tragedy at an elementary school in Connecticut. A single gunman murdered 26 other people, 20 of them children aged 7 and under. The numbers are staggering, in what is now the second deadliest school shooting on American soil. Across the nation, hearts are broken – and well they should be! But, there are some other numbers we, as God’s people, should consider. How about 55,763,976? That is the number of abortions performed in the United States since 1973. Here is how that breaks down: one child every 24 seconds, 2.4 every minute, 144 every hour, 3,456 every day, 24,192 every week, 106,380 every month, and 1,261,440 every year. Do you feel distressed yet? But, wait, there’s more! Let us put this into modern perspective. As of May 4, 2010, the Vietnam Wall contained 58,272 names and stretched 246’9." A similar memorial containing the names of abortion victims would stretch more than 111 miles. There really is very little way for most of us to fathom such a thing. We have become almost numb to unspeakable tragedies and their human cost. Since 1973, abortions have totaled more than nine times the number of Jews murdered in the … [Read more...]

As the New Year rolls around, many folks will make New Year’s resolutions to change or improve something in their lives. One of the topics that make every Top Ten list is "get out of debt." But what about spiritual goals? With the Bible as our guide, here are 12 tips and corresponding scriptures to help you make the coming year your best ever: 1. Commit yourself fully to Jesus Christ. God wants more than a relationship; He wants a total commitment.Happy are those who keep His decrees and seek Him with all their heart. – Psalm 119:2. 2. Put your commitment to Christ above all else. Only when Christ has first place in your life can the rest of your life be in right order. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you, – Matthew 6:33. 3. Put the needs of others ahead of your wants. If we look at the life of Jesus, we realize that our time on earth is not about personal comfort, but about being a comfort to others. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve .... – Mark 10:45a. 4. Spend time daily in the Word and in prayer. The Living Word wants you to spend time with Him. Remember that prayer is a two-way conversation; don’t just talk to God – … [Read more...]

J. Landrum Holmes and his wife, Sallie, went to China before 1860 as pioneer Southern Baptist missionaries in Chefoo in the Shantung providence of northern China. Mr. and Mrs. Jesse B. Hartwell joined them in 1860, living in Tengchow. In a few short years the lives of Sallie Holmes and two missionary sisters, Edmonia and Charlotte (Lottie) Moon, would intersect. On the first day of October in 1861, J. Landrum Holmes and another missionary tried to stop invaders and robbers from an attack on the village of Chu Kia on the Shantung Peninsula during the Taiping Rebellion. He was brutally murdered. With his death, Landrum Holmes became the first Southern Baptist missionary to meet a violent death while taking the gospel to the nations. Sallie Holmes, now a widow, was expecting a child. She later reflected on her decision to stay in China saying: "I would not go back. I would stay and work." Contrary to advice and counsel, she remained, gave birth to a son named Landrum, and moved to Tengchow in 1862. Sallie supervised a boarding school for girls, but was especially known for traveling out to villages to share the gospel with women and teach them in homes. She is said to have traveled to as many as 400 villages in … [Read more...]

Question:   I hear the word "grace" used a lot by church people in singing and Bible readings. What is grace and how is it different from faith?   Bill Warren responds:   One of the best-known passages on "grace" and "faith" is Ephesians 2:8-9: For by means of grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not from you – the gift is from God. Not from works, so that no one should boast. Grace is the reason salvation is even possible, for the possibility of salvation is a gift from God and not due to anything done by us that would obligate God to give it to us.   A primary context for understanding "grace" in the New Testament is the Greco-Roman society where "patrons," those higher up the social ladder, sought to have "clients" from those below them. The patrons bestowed increased social standing, social access, and even material bene-fits on their clients, thereby providing things that were beyond the reach of the clients otherwise. In return, the clients showed their gratitude by being faithful to their patrons. This included speaking well about them in all settings, acting in their daily life in ways that reflected well on their patrons by being upright in their character and … [Read more...]

PINEVILLE – Information released by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) indicates that the accrediting organization determined at its recent annual meeting to continue Louisiana College on "warning status," a status SACS placed LC on during its annual meeting in December 2011. LC remains fully accredited. The warning status means that accreditation, which is determined as part of a 10-year cycle of evaluation and review of all academic institutions, has not been reaffirmed by SACS. Information on the accrediting organization’s web site indicates that warning status is "less serious of the two sanctions" (the other being probation) and is usually "levied at the earlier stages of institutional review." When the warning status was issued a year ago, SACS deemed eleven specific deficiencies in eight categories that needed to be addressed by LC. In issuing the continuation of the current status, SACS found six specific areas in three categories that still needed attention. In the category of Institutional Effectiveness, LC needs to address some deficiencies related to: Institutional Effectiveness, Educational Programs, Administrative Support Services and Academic and Student Support Services. In the category … [Read more...]

Submitted by Brian Blackwell on Wed, 01/02/2013 - 14:09 Frank S. Page, president and "chief encouragement officer" of the SBC Executive Committee, is asking Southern Baptists to come together in 2013 for a year of emphasis on prayer "like none we’ve ever seen before." By Roger S. Oldham, SBC Communications NASHVILLE (BP) – Frank S. Page, president and "chief encouragement officer" of the SBC Executive Committee, is asking Southern Baptists to come together in 2013 for a year of emphasis on prayer "like none we’ve ever seen before." "For some time, God has been burdening my heart about prayer and spiritual awakening," Page wrote in a Dec. 11 First-Person article in Baptist Press. "I talked about this a great deal when I was president of the Southern Baptist Convention [2006-08]. I saw then what was happening in our nation, in our churches and in our convention. That deep sense of need for revival in our land has only gotten stronger over these past six years." This is not a new message for Page. On the SBC President’s page, posted after his election in 2006, Page wrote, "Across the nation I have spoken about the three ‘R’s.’ I have thanked God for the push for doctrinal rightness. I thank God for the conservative … [Read more...]

STATEWIDE – New Hope Baptist Church in Delhi is still talking about the difference it made in the lives of church members to participate in last year’s 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. "It’s faded some, and it’s continuing some," said Pastor Kelly Clark. "We’re still excited about it. ... "It was a great help to our church and we’re planning on doing it again this year," Clark continued. "We’ve already ordered our books." The "books" he was referring to are the newly-written 2013 Prayer Journals produced by the Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Evangelism/Church Growth team, and written by 21 Louisiana pastors. Each focused on one of three areas: reflecting, repenting and realigning. Another version of the 2013 Prayer Journal was written in Spanish by three Louisiana Hispanic pastors, who addressed the same three areas of spiritual focus. Jan. 6-27 are the suggested dates for use of the 2013 Prayer Journal (though they can be used throughout the year) to prepare participants for the 2013 LBC Evangelism Conference, set for Jan. 28-29 at First Baptist Church of Lafayette. See LBC.org/21Days to order the 2013 Prayer Journals for $1/each, plus shipping, which can include customization for churches with orders of at least 100 … [Read more...]

Submitted by Brian Blackwell on Wed, 01/02/2013 - 14:13 Emma LeCompte  HOUMA – Fifth-grader Emma LeCompte recently was asked to sell World’s Finest Chocolate as a fundraiser for her elementary school band. But she had learned last summer in Vacation Bible School at Mulberry Baptist Church about child slavery. "Yes, slavery still exists," wrote Church Secretary Haley Kraemer in an email to the Baptist Message. "In fact, it is so pervasive that it touches much of what we purchase. One example is on cocoa plantations in Africa. "Many large chocolate-producing corporations knowingly use chocolate that comes from suppliers who participate in slavery," Kraemer continued. "Why? Because it’s cheap. Why is it cheap? Because they use slave labor to keep production costs down. Why do they use slave labor? Because customers are paying so little for their product that [manufacturers] can’t afford to pay workers. And so goes the cycle." Emma was concerned that WFC may not use Fair Trade chocolate (not produced by slavery or unsafe standards) so she researched it, and when she checked out www.globalexchange.org/fairtrade/cocoa/worldsfinest, she found the company was part of that cycle. "Emma knew … [Read more...]