By Erich Bridges, Baptist Press   RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – Thomas (Tom) D. Elliff, longtime Oklahoma pastor, Southern Baptist Convention leader and former missionary, is the unanimous recommendation of a 15-member trustee search committee to be the next president of International Mission Board.   [img_assist|nid=7126|title=Elliff nominated|desc=Tom Eliff|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=67]The nomination of Elliff – who served as a missionary to Zimbabwe with his wife, Jeannie, in the early 1980s – will be presented to the full board of trustees for consideration and a possible vote when they meet March 15-16 in Dallas.   If elected, Elliff would succeed Jerry Rankin as leader of the mission board, which coordinates the work of more than 5,000 Southern Baptist missionaries worldwide. Rankin retired as IMB president July 31, 2010, after 17 years at the helm. Veteran missionary and Executive Vice President Clyde Meador currently serves as interim president.   IMB Trustee Chairman Jimmy Pritchard, who has led the presidential search committee throughout its selection process, announced the nomination Feb. 17. He said Elliff emerged as the committee’s clear and unanimous choice in … [Read more...]

By Karen L. Willougby, Managing Editor   RAYVILLE – How did Randy Pierce get from the jungles of Honduras to the barren desert lands of central Asia?   One relationship at a time.   Pierce was in the air conditioning business in 1997 when he was recruited by Southern Baptist Pastor Tom Smith (now retired) of Macedonia Missions Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit construction ministry based in Rayville,  to help build a church in Honduras.   Pierce, a member of Woodlawn Baptist Church in Rayville, developed a friendship over the next three years with Honduran Pastor Dario Delarca, who was his interpreter. Delarca spoke often about his vision for starting churches in remote areas of Honduras, but didn’t have the money even for gas to get there.   “God just touched my heart about it,” Pierce said. “I knew I could help. I got my first set of ‘Jesus film’ equipment, and he and I began taking it out into the remote villages.”   Since then, the organization Pierce started in 2000 – Extreme Missionary Adventures, better known as XMA – has planted 32 churches in Honduras and are now in other parts of Central America and the world.   Each of the hundred or more one-week … [Read more...]

By Erin Roach and Mark Kelly, Baptist Press   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Executive Committee members, Southern Baptist Convention entity heads and other guests gathered in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 21 to inaugurate Frank Page as the SBC Executive Committee's sixth president. [img_assist|nid=7129|title=Frank Page|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=73|height=100]Page officially assumed the position Oct. 1 after serving 30 years as a pastor and in various denominational roles, including SBC president. Guests were led in worship in the Van Ness Auditorium at LifeWay Christian Resources by Travis Cottrell, and several of Page's colleagues spoke and prayed for him. ROGER SPRADLIN Roger Spradlin, chairman of the Executive Committee, presented Page and his wife Dayle with a certificate of inauguration, listing his many accomplishments within the Southern Baptist Convention through the years. "Frank has a pastor's heart," Spradlin said. "He served as a pastor for many, many years. He loves pastors. He understands pastors. He has a deep commitment to help pastors in their tasks in the local church." Page also has the heart of an evangelist, said Spradlin, pastor of Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, Calif. "Frank … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor   What is more preferable than being a child born into a poor home? According to Rep. Gwen Moore the alternative is being aborted – killed in your mother’s womb.   Children in poor homes, particularly single-parent homes, are subjected to “eating Ramen noodles” and “mayonnaise sandwiches,” Moore said during a debate in the House of Representatives over a bill that would defund Planned Parenthood of federal tax dollars.   The Democrat from Wisconsin also strongly implied that aborting an “unplanned” child is preferred because poor children must endure substandard education and grow up with the stigma of being poor. The House debate was televised Feb. 17 on C-SPAN.   Rep. Moore’s support of continued federal funding for Planned Parenthood focused on abortion because the organization is the largest provider of abortions in the United States. Moore, no doubt, is very aware of this fact.   Interesting was Rep. Moore’s support of Planned Parenthood’s abortion services. Her argument was essentially that women, especially poor single women, should be able to abort their children because children born into an economically challenged home will experience a … [Read more...]

By Wayne Taylor, Executive Director Louisiana Baptist Foundation   This year you have a few extra days to file your federal and state income taxes.   The deadline to file your 2010 federal income taxes is Monday, April 18, 2011; your Louisiana income taxes are due Monday, May 16, 2011.   The United States Congress waited later than usual (mid-December 2010) to pass some changes to the federal tax laws.   Most of these changes are temporary, with some tax laws only good for 2011, others extend through 2012 and a few laws are retroactive to 2010.   Unless you have a simple tax return with no deductions, you may need a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or tax software to ensure you get the maximum deductions and pay the least tax.   The already ridiculous tax system, coupled with Congress delaying and deferring revenue decisions until the last minute and passing taxes that are retroactive and temporary, is one reason the U.S. economy has yet to recover.   Due to indecision on the part of Congress, people who would take the risk to start and run a business are not able to plan ahead and evaluate to see if they can make a profit. If the rules of the tax game … [Read more...]

By Dan Warner, Special to the Message   Biblical archaeology has always been a critical tool for the study and understanding of the Bible, primarily because archaeology has been our foremost source of new information.   For the last 150 years, biblical archaeology has continually supplied a rich array of texts and cultural materials that have assisted in the contextualization of the Bible.   This is strategic, since teachers of the Bible are responsible to make sure that what they teach is accurate and true to the biblical text. There are rules for interpreting the Bible.   [img_assist|nid=7133|title=Gezer Dig|desc=Dr. Dan Warner, right, and Dr. Jim Parker take measurements in the ancient water system in Gezer, Israel. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is leading an expedition at the site during the next two summers. Archaeologists hope the dig will help them better understand the Canaanite city of Gezer.|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=478]One of the strategic rules is context. Basically this requires knowing what the original writers of scriptures meant and what the hearers of that day understood.   This is basic. How can we know these things? Good question; … [Read more...]

By Bill Warren, Professor of New Testament and Greek   Question: What do we know about the personal prayer life of Jesus?   Bill Warren response: The Gospels mention several occasions when Jesus prays and also contain passages reflecting general Jewish prayer practices, thereby giving a solid picture of Jesus’ prayer life. The content of Jewish prayers often came from the Old Testament, ranging from the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:5-6) to passages from the Psalms to “blessings” thanking God and seeking God’s favor. For example, Jesus prays on the cross by citing Psalm 31:5, “Father, into your hands I place my spirit” (Luke 23:46).   First-century Jewish daily prayers (two or three times daily) are addressed specifically in Matthew 6:5-13. Jesus criticizes those who use the daily prayer times for gaining status by religious showmanship versus truly addressing their prayers to God. As a way to keep the daily prayers focused on God, Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus would have been raised praying daily at set times and most certainly would have keep this daily prayer emphasis throughout his life, with it being his assumed practice even when not emphasized explicitly.   Jesus … [Read more...]

By Diana Chandler, Regional Reporter NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans VooDoo Arena Football team, which drew many loyal fans during its last season here, gets short shrift when compared to the National Football League. [img_assist|nid=7137|title=Ben and Cherry Blackwell|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=70|height=100]But Ben and Cherry Blackwell, founders of Lagniappe Ministries and the team’s new volunteer chaplains, see in the team opportunities for sharing family fun and modeling the love of Jesus. The Blackwells kicked off their ministry to the team by leading volunteers in a prayer walk through the New Orleans Arena before the first scrimmage in February, and will continue to have an active presence at each of the team’s nine home games, beginning with the March 11 match against the Tampa Bay Storm. The Blackwells assemble, for each of the home games, teams of 25 volunteers to serve as runners for media and coaches, help with post-game autograph sessions, man VIP entrance points and assist where needed. They are lining up churches and groups to sing the National Anthem. The Blackwells will focus on building relationships with the team, reaching players, coaches and support staff by providing welcome bags, snacks, Christian … [Read more...]

By Quinn Lavespere, Message Intern Staff Writer   PINEVILLE – As he cleaned up in preparation for a lunch break, Wesley Brainard refused to let a nagging cough hinder his pleasure at what was transpiring.   The ministering artist had just finished a class in which he taught Drama and Music Festival attendees about the art of miming, and he could not deny how pleased he was with both the talented members of his class and the overall direction of the festival.   “There’s been a really good energy amongst attendees at this festival, and the classes have been filled with eager students,” Brainard said. “That makes it a real joy and pleasure to teach a class of eager students.”   Brainard, along with other conference leaders, helped put together the 10th annual Drama Festival, which was once again hosted by Louisiana College. This year it merged with the Louisiana Baptist Church Music Conference to create the first-time Drama and Music Festival.   [img_assist|nid=7140|title=Drama Festival|desc=Participants at this year’s Drama and Music Festival go through creative movement as part of five main sessions in elements of drama.|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]The Festival, … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   WINNFIELD – A focused view of missions led Jeremy Albright, youth pastor at First Baptist Winnfield, to search the Internet.   As a result, he discovered a variety of simple, effective mission “projects” any individual can become involved in.   “We talked on a Wednesday night about our mission as a church,” Albright said. “We talked about how easy it is to say the right words, the right Bible answers, but it’s difficult to do the things to back up what we’re saying.   [img_assist|nid=7142|title=First Winnfield Youth|desc=The youth group at First Baptist Winnfield show off gift cards they collected for a ministry. The group are learning about missions through simple but effective mission “projects” such as the gift card ministry.|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=427]“We tossed out ideas of what we’d like to see happen,” the youth pastor continued. “Not on a church-wide scale, but individually.”   Albright spent several days searching the internet for mission projects teens could do on an individual basis. He found 15, like Toms Shoes – www.tomshoes.com – which gives a pair of shoes to an underprivileged child for every pair of shoes … [Read more...]