By JERRY LOVE This year for Christmas, my wife’s extended family met at her younger sister’s house in Montana to celebrate Christmas. Overcoming the challenging logistics of 23 people from four generations living together on the same premises for seven nights and six days may seem like a Christmas miracle, but it was a pleasant week spent with family. Not to mention getting to relish in some of the most glorious scenery of God’s creation. One of the highlights of the week was worshiping together. My brother-in-law is the pastor of a vibrant and strong Southern Baptist church there in the Northwest corner of the state. He and my sister-in-law (she is the worship leader) have led this congregation for 19 years and helped it grow into one of the key churches in the state. Before Daniel began his message that morning, he pointed out the whole family seated together. Then he made a point about how sweet it was to be part of a family in which all were Believers in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.   0 … [Read more...]

By JERRY LOVE   There is little doubt that the current population in the United States has more wealth at its disposal that any other in history.   Numerous articles over the past ten years have given estimates from such a "small amount" of 11 trillion dollars to as much $42 trillion that will transfer from one generation to the next by 2050.   Regardless of the actual amount, the question is how that transfer could impact charitable giving, particularly Christian ministry.   Create or update your Will     January is traditionally "Make Your Will" month. As part of personal stewardship, every Believer should have a Will. You have probably heard this before and even said to yourself "I’m going to do that this year." Then the brown, heavy haze of procrastination sets in. This year, push back the haze and get your Will in order. Don’t let the general laws of Louisiana direct who will inherit the assets God has placed in your hands. Include a gift to your church or other Baptist ministry in your estate plans.     Establish a deferred gift     Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Remainder Trusts allow you or family members to receive income from funds set … [Read more...]

By Jerry Love   In mid December, Congress passed a tax bill that prevented major tax hikes for 2011. The legislative act also extended unemployment benefits and offered a temporary reduction in payroll taxes for this year, while several of the provisions impact charitable gift planning. The bill provided only temporary extensions of the provisions included and these issues will be addressed again in 2012.   In addition to holding individual tax rates steady, the major issues for gift planning are recapped here courtesy of excerpts from PGCalc.com’s January e-newsletter.   Extension of the charitable IRA rollover.   The charitable IRA rollover allows taxpayers who are 70 ½ or older to make tax-free transfers of up to $100,000 per year from a Traditional IRA or Roth IRA directly to charity. It originally went into effect for 2006 and 2007, and then extended through 2009.   The new law extends the charitable IRA rollover for two years, retroactive to January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2011. The new law allows donors to elect to treat IRA rollover gifts made before January 31, 2011 as if they were made on December 31, 2010.     Temporarily repeal the itemized   deduction … [Read more...]

By KAREN L. WILLOUGHBY   GLENMORA – The house, friends and family of Pastor Wayne Dunn helped build over the last 15 years burned nearly to the ground before dawn Sunday morning, Jan. 9.   Help has been pouring in ever since.   … [Read more...]

By Staff   Baton Rouge – On Saturday Jan. 22, pro-life citizens from across the state will gather for the first-ever Louisiana Life March, designed to commemorate the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states.   Based on bus rentals for the event and personal contacts with local area pastors, organizers anticipate more than 1,000 participants.   The Louisiana Baptist Convention joins a coalition of organizations to promote the event, including Louisiana Right to Life, Louisiana Family Forum, Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Life and Justice Committee, the Louisiana Knights of Columbus, and the Concerned Women for America.     … [Read more...]

By Michael Sharp   It was quite a famous object, to be sure.   … [Read more...]

By Alan James   PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (BP) – Carved into the concrete floor of a one-room house in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, are the words "With God all things are possible."   … [Read more...]

By JAY JOHNSTON    Jay Johnston D.Min. is minister of missions at First Baptist Church of Covington. He has been to Haiti three times in the last year, most recently in December. The following are excerpts from his diary of the trip, which was cut short because of election-related violence.   PORT AU PRINCE – This last year, as I have prayed for the people and have seen firsthand the damage along with the determination of the Haitian people I have learned to take greater steps of faith, to stay focused on praying for a people group, and to testify of the work of Jesus Christ in Haiti.   [img_assist|nid=7011|title=Haiti Rebuilding|desc=Workers in Bonrepos, a village that was totally destroyed by the earthquake, pour a foundation for another cinder-block house. Bonrepos is one of three areas where Florida Baptists are giving leadership to rebuilding homes. The houses are 12x16 and cost $2,500 per home.|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=67]It appears that God is using the people coming to the Florida House [owned by the Florida Baptist Convention, it is the main place where Southern Baptist volunteers stay in Haiti] to sharpen many of these young men in their Christian walk and I can testify their … [Read more...]

By KAREN L. WILLOUGHBY   WOODWORTH – About 70 unmarried people met Jan. 7-8 at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center for what leaders anticipate will be the first of an annual statewide Singles Retreat.   Anthony Wilson of East Leesville Baptist Church participated because he was invited, he said.   … [Read more...]

By ARCHIE ENGLAND   How can I discover and do God’s will for my life?   The quest for knowing God’s will can be an consuming endeavor. It can be accompanied by agony, frustration, fitful prayer, and despair. Those seeking "God’s plan for their life" willingly (or woefully) make changes (careers, homes, churches, etc.) along this path of discovery. Is this what God wants from you during 2011?   Proverbs 29:18 pinpoints a particular tension that, when understood, directs Christians toward a better way of knowing and doing God’s will: "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained (KJV: ‘perish’; NLT: ‘run wild’), But happy is he who keeps the law" (NASU). That tension is between getting a "new" word from God versus "doing" the Word of God that we already know.   The first half of this verse informs us of what happens when people lack vision (synonymous with prophetic insight or revelation): They act unruly. Hearing newly-revealed insights or fresh words from God’s prophets provides a certain motivation to stay the course. Without it, people lose heart, becoming unrestrained, unruly, running wild, or even perishing – because they become disobedient to God. Life can be quite disastrous when the … [Read more...]