By Ed Steele, Associate Professor of Music Leavell College, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary C. S. Lewis spoke how dogs generally won’t look to what you point at with your finger. Instead, they go sniff the finger, missing your intentions. Worship, for many, is like that. They begin to focus on worship itself, rather than the God to whom all worship belongs. [img_assist|nid=5774|title=Ed Steele Professor of Music in Leavell College at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=67|height=100]As I teach and converse with students about worship, one of the most common things I find is the fascination of the “feelings” of worship. There is a sense that if they haven’t felt like they had in the past, then it must not have been real worship. Worship, like love, is reflected more in commitment, than feeling. Like the dog, they keep sniffing the finger, rather than see the point of real focus. If we were to get specific about what some of these “fingers” are, I would start with the following, but would certainly welcome others that fit the illustration: The feeling and emotions of worship. Not that experiencing a specific feeling is wrong, but our emotional state is not the measure … [Read more...]

The most common complaint denominational people and guest preachers hear when they call on local churches is, “I’m unhappy with our pastor.” Invariably, it’s some lay leader of the church speaking. [img_assist|nid=6106|title=Joe McKeever Pastor, cartoonist and retired DOM BAGNO|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]Let’s state the obvious here: some pastors we ought to be unhappy with. I’m thinking of one preacher who was known to curse, tell shady stories, gamble, and drink. When he was forced out of the pulpit, no one shed a tear. But what about all those other situations where some church members are unhappy with their preacher? Let’s see if we can do some good on this subject. One: It’s always something. If the pastor is effective at all, someone is always going to be unhappy with him. Mark it down. It’s par for the course. The pastor who takes a stand on issues will find some disagreeing with him. When he preaches on a controversial doctrine or calls for purity in the personal lives of leaders, some will be unhappy. Ninety-percent of a pastor’s headaches in ministry do not come from the unbelieving world but from within the church. Zechariah wrote, “And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds?’ … [Read more...]

By David Jeremiah, Pastor Shadow Mountain El Cajon, California Our victories are gained on our knees. As we turn ourselves, our plans and our problems over to God, He intervenes. When we bow before Him, we’re acknowledging Him as our “Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.” [img_assist|nid=6109|title=David Jeremiah, Pastor Shadow Mountain El Cajon, California|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=83|height=100]Sometimes we make the mistake of not getting on our knees before accepting a job offer, making a purchase, choosing a new church, or making any decision of consequence. People are quietly watching, and they know when we’re living in prayerful obedience or when on the other hand, we act without consulting Him. It’s also obvious to others when our knees draw down blessings from above. In the January/February 2003 issue of Pray! magazine, Elmer Towns said that he and his wife made it through college by faith, praying together and trusting God to meet their needs. Towns earned a dollar an hour driving a school bus, but his income barely met their needs. One evening,” he wrote, “the only thing in the kitchen cabinet was a can of tuna, so my wife served a tuna casserole. As we clasped hands to thank God for the food, I … [Read more...]

By Jeff Iorg, President Golden Gate Seminary I need your help. If you can explain the following, please let me know. It really has me stumped. [img_assist|nid=6111|title=Jeff Iorg, President Golden Gate Seminary|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=80|height=100]Recently, I heard a wonderful testimony of a believer who had overcome his struggle with alcohol. He told the story of how he initially got involved with alcohol, how it became more and more of a problem, the high price he paid in lost relationships and health struggles, and the victory he finally won through prayer, counseling, and tough choices. He concluded by declaring he would never touch alcohol again. When he finished, he received a nice ovation – deservedly so. It is always good to hear a touching story of redemption and recovery. Shortly thereafter, I was part of another conversation in which a person told a different story. She reported she had never had a drink of alcohol; having decided at an early age drinking made no sense on any level. She also concluded by declaring she would never touch alcohol. But the response to the second person was quite different than the first. The second person was called a “legalist” who “doesn’t understand … [Read more...]

By Jeff Iorg, President Golden Gate Seminary I need your help. If you can explain the following, please let me know. It really has me stumped. [img_assist|nid=6111|title=Jeff Iorg, President Golden Gate Seminary|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=80|height=100]Recently, I heard a wonderful testimony of a believer who had overcome his struggle with alcohol. He told the story of how he initially got involved with alcohol, how it became more and more of a problem, the high price he paid in lost relationships and health struggles, and the victory he finally won through prayer, counseling, and tough choices. He concluded by declaring he would never touch alcohol again. When he finished, he received a nice ovation – deservedly so. It is always good to hear a touching story of redemption and recovery. Shortly thereafter, I was part of another conversation in which a person told a different story. She reported she had never had a drink of alcohol; having decided at an early age drinking made no sense on any level. She also concluded by declaring she would never touch alcohol. But the response to the second person was quite different than the first. The second person was called a “legalist” who “doesn’t understand the … [Read more...]

By Bill Warren, Ph.D., New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Professor of New Testament and Greek Question: Is it okay for Baptists to pray the Lord’s Prayer, and if so, why don’t we use it more often in our churches? [img_assist|nid=6120|title=Bill Warren NOBTS Professor of New Testament and Greek|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=75|height=100]Bill Warren responds: To begin with a generalization, praying what Jesus taught us is always okay.  Christians have treasured this prayer throughout the ages and used it in worship as well as personal devotional lives. This has been the single most commonly used prayer among Christian groups throughout history, so using it in worship and private devotional life is definitely okay.  To be sure, in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus is teaching the disciples how to pray rather than actually voicing a prayer. But very early the church began using this teaching of Jesus as actual prayer, as seen in the Didache, a Christian document from the late first to early second century, which right after giving the text of the Lord’s Prayer states: “Pray like this three times a day” (Didache 8:3). Apparently the Christians addressed in the Didache (mostly Jewish Christians who continued to maintain a … [Read more...]

By Al Quartemont, Special to the Message PINEVILLE – LC football coach Dennis Dunn remembers well the first time he met Bill McCartney. The encounter with the man who led Colorado to a National Championship in football in 1990 and would eventually start the Christian ministry, Promise Keepers, came in February 1992, when Dunn and his assistant coaching staff at Evangel High School of Shreveport made a trip to Boulder, Colo. [img_assist|nid=6122|title=Coach Bill McCartney, Founder of Promise Keepers|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=82|height=100]“Coach McCartney took us to his house and said ‘Guys, I want to show you my room,’” Dunn recalled. “So we thought he was taking us to his trophy room. But we walked through that room and went into a small, unassuming room facing the Rocky Mountains. It had a plate glass window and a kneeler in front of that window. He said, ‘Men, this is where I meet Almighty God every morning. God has shown me he’s going to fill Boulder Stadium with 50,000 men who are going to go back to their homes and be the fathers and husbands God has called them to be.’” Six months later, Boulder Stadium was filled with 50,000 men and the Promise Keepers ministry was underway. On Friday, March 5, the … [Read more...]

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor ALEXANDRIA – Little is said about it, though those who happen to be in the Baptist Building Wednesday mornings are invited to participate in the staff’s weekly prayer gathering. If he’s in town, Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Music Leadership Strategist Randy Turner starts the 9:30 a.m. prayertime with a song. One recent week it was He is Jehovah, followed by All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name. [img_assist|nid=6124|title=Randy Turner LBC Music Strategist|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=79|height=100]Each week, in rotation, a different strategist leads the prayertime, and prayertime it is. One of the state’s vocational evangelists is named each week – and prayed for. This week it was Jack Daniels, since he was attending the prayertime. Maybe this indicates if you feel the need of prayer, come to the Baptist Building on Wednesday mornings! One of the Baptist Associations in Louisiana is named – it, its director of missions, and each of its churches, missions and ministries is prayed for. This week it was Delta Baptist Association of 17 churches, which functions without a director of missions. Special prayer was given to First Baptist Vidalia, which is between pastors. One of … [Read more...]

By Derek Brown, Adolescent/Family Counselor Celebration Church, Metairie What is Sexting and Should I Really Be Concerned About My Teen or Pre-teen Actually Doing This? In recent decades, teens would pile into skating rinks and football games to meet their needs for social belonging. In today’s world, technology has become the primary venue for communicating with peers. Whether by internet, cell phone, or some other multimedia device, teens are meeting their social and relational cravings through the digital world. When you were an adolescent, it may have taken a lot of bravery to sneak under the bleachers or around the corner to catch a kiss from your big crush, but a teen in this generation has the means to virtually communicate those feelings in a matter of seconds through multimedia messages. Sexting, the transmitting of personal images that are sexual in nature, has become a new trend among teens and even pre-teens. A recent survey from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reveals that approximately one in five teens report sending nude or semi-nude images of themselves via text messages. Legal Consequences Obviously, sexting is a concern for you as a parent. To complicate matters, … [Read more...]

By J. B. & Shugie Collingsworth, Home Life Magazine What is compassion? What does it mean to be compassionate? It refers to empathy, concern, or kindness. What can it mean in a marriage? Much! We have compassion for children who live in terrible circumstances, people who are sick, people with disabilities, right? [img_assist|nid=6128|title=Couples Compassion|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=75|height=100]The part compassion plays in our lives can be huge. It causes us to sponsor a child in a third world country for dollars per month, send money to missions, give to the needy in our own backyards, and makes us stop and think when we see the less fortunate. The Necessary Nine “Remember, LORD, Your compassion and Your faithful love, for they have existed from antiquity” (Psalm 25:6, HCSB). Should we not be compassionate to people the same way that He, in His mercy, has given us so much more than any of us deserve? Can compassion that comes from Him keep us going when we sometimes get to the end of our rope? Can it help us when we have no other way to go? Yes! Why do spouses get so exasperated that they fight the very one they should love the most? Is Satan having fun or what? Yes, he is! As … [Read more...]