I think I might be experiencing some depression these days. There are days that I just feel sad. My question is, what are the symptoms of depression and what could I do about it? Dear Gary, I think I might be experiencing some depression these days. There are days that I just feel sad. My question is, what are the symptoms of depression and what could I do about it? Anne Dear Anne, Please remember that depression is called the common cold of Mental Health. It can cover a broad spectrum of feelings from being blue one day to a debilitating illness that lasts over long periods of time. In the movie Forrest Gump there is a scene where Forrest joins the Army and goes to Viet Nam. As he walks in water up to his chest, he states that one day it just started raining and it kept on raining. My wife and I served as missionaries in Asia and we know what he was talking about. It’s called the monsoon season. While we were out there we felt the oppression of what seemed like endless days of dark, bad weather. During those times, many struggle with short bouts of depression. In the scriptures we see David fighting his own battles with the blues. He says in Psalms 13:2 “How long shall I take counsel (struggle or wrestle) in my … [Read more...]

Since 1973, Southern Baptists have used the power of relentless influence to encourage elected officials to defend and promote life. Richard Land and The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) have taken the initiative in keeping this topic ever before us. 1 POWER OF RELENTLESS INFLUENCE Since 1973, Southern Baptists have used the power of relentless influence to encourage elected officials to defend and promote life. Richard Land and The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) have taken the initiative in keeping this topic ever before us. Though some have grown weary in defense of life, the ERLC has not wavered from its support and promotion of life from conception to natural death. It has not stood alone. Across the nation, millions of individual Baptists consistently vote their convictions and advocate for life in the congressional districts in which they live. 2 MINISTRY SUPPORT The North American Mission Board provides ministry support for local churches that have pregnancy care centers as part of their ministries. Many other Southern Baptist churches are not financially strong enough to maintain their own centers, so they solicit support from like-minded believers from many denominations … [Read more...]

The alarm sounds at 4 a.m. in Eddie Painter’s house. In the Village of Jean Lafitte, a tiny fishing community just south of New Orleans, the early November sunrise is still close to two hours away. JEAN LAFITTE, La.  – The alarm sounds at 4 a.m. in Eddie Painter’s house. In the Village of Jean Lafitte, a tiny fishing community just south of New Orleans, the early November sunrise is still close to two hours away. Painter emerges from the bedroom a few minutes later, dressed in boots, a heavy jacket and a floppy-brimmed hat – his uniform for a day at sea. After a quick breakfast, Painter heads out the back door toward his boat docked on Bayou Barataria. This local pastor has two stops to make before heading south toward his 200 crab traps. Just down on the east bank of the bayou, Painter stops for bait and crab boxes. He takes a few extra boxes, hoping to catch at least 775 pounds (a catch that would be a personal best). Next, he cruises back across the bayou to buy gas and some food for the day. A group of commercial fishermen is inside, catching up before a long day on the water. After a few stories and laughs, the fishermen disperse as they notice the black horizon beginning to fade to a deep red. For many … [Read more...]

Ray W. Scott Jr. didn’t invent the sport of bass fishing but he has shaped bass fishing into the multi-million dollar industry it is today. PINTLALA, Ala. – Ray W. Scott Jr. didn’t invent the sport of bass fishing but he has shaped bass fishing into the multi-million dollar industry it is today. Scott, the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.), the world’s largest fishing organization, built the organization with faith – a whole lot of faith – and by using our Lord Jesus Christ as a model, he said to the Message. “A lot of people credit me for coming up with the concept or prospecting for men – fishermen – to join BASS, but it was Jesus Christ that came up with the idea of using ordinary men to spready the Word. “Jesus started with just 12 disciples over 2,000 years ago, and today there are how many Christians in the world? If you don’t go out and look for new prospects, you will never find them,” Scott said. “You know you have to have new people in order to grow,” Scott said. “Whether it is a church congregation, a business or a bass club, without new people things stagnate and decline.” Scott, a deacon at Pintlala Baptist Church in Alabama, is an all-American original. With his trademark … [Read more...]

What do you do when you’re a 52-year-old grandmother rearing your 8-year-old granddaughter and your monthly income is $497? FERRIDAY – What do you do when you’re a 52-year-old grandmother rearing your 8-year-old granddaughter and your monthly income is $497? If you live in Delta Baptist Association, you go to Delta Storefront Ministries, where you can get food, clothing, a Valentines (or other seasonal) gift for your grandgirl, and maybe even a “pretty” for your home – all without spending a penny.  “This is a poor area,” said Ruby Holder, director of the Southern Baptist community ministry center, referring to all of Delta Parish, a long, thin slit of land that borders the Mississippi River. “About half the people in this town qualify” for the food assistance provided by Delta Storefront Ministries. Holder has a filing cabinet filled with applications for food assistance from people whose income should make those of us with more, feel rich. In response to such overwhelming need, Delta Storefront Ministries is a community ministry center supported by individuals and churches, mostly in Delta Baptist Association, as well as by the Southern Baptist Convention’s World Hunger Funds, and the Food Bank of Central … [Read more...]

As Christians who hold to doctrinal orthodoxy, Baptists are Trinitarian in our theology. As Christians who hold to doctrinal orthodoxy, Baptists are Trinitarian in our theology. That means we Baptists believe that the one and only God eternally exists in the three persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God and equal to the other two persons of the trinity while at the same time the one true God is one, existing in three persons. The three persons enjoy equality in nature and yet possess subordination in their function, activity, or economy. (I know it is confusing, but there is not enough space here to go into greater detail.) Theologically speaking, we Baptists have tended to do a fairly good job of dealing with and teaching about the Father and Son– especially the Son’s redemptive work and its salvific implications for fallen humanity.  However, we Baptists tend to be rather weak in our theology and practice when it comes to the third person of the trinity. We may mention the Spirit’s convicting and drawing work during the invitation and we may preach an occasional sermon about some of the Spirit’s gifts, but for the most part we tend to neglect the third person of the Godhead. I … [Read more...]

I hear most Christians pray “in Jesus’ name” when they’re praying, but sometimes they don’t say “in Jesus’ name.” Why do we pray “in Jesus’ name?” Question:  I hear most Christians pray “in Jesus’ name” when they’re praying, but sometimes they don’t say “in Jesus’ name.”  Why do we pray “in Jesus’ name?” Bill Warren answers:  To begin, we need to understand that prayer is not about magic where the right formula brings the desired magical results, but rather prayer is about a relationship.  In other words, praying or using the phrase “in Jesus’ name” is not a magical formula that trumps the relationship requirements.  For example, in Matthew 7:22, Jesus says, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in your name didn’t we prophesy, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many miracles?’  And then I’ll confess about them, ‘I never knew you!  Depart from me, you who practice wickedness.’”  Jesus clarifies that doing God’s will (Matthew 7:21) and practicing righteousness are integral to our relationship with our heavenly Father.  Prayer needs to be kept in this relationship context as a starting point. Within that context, Jesus says in John 16:23b that his disciples have the privilege of … [Read more...]

It wasn’t that Martha Bailey “found her voice” in the wake of Katrina’s wrath. That’s just when the rest of the state awakened to what the congregation at First Baptist Covington had long known: PINEVILLE – It wasn’t that Martha Bailey “found her voice” in the wake of Katrina’s wrath. That’s just when the rest of the state awakened to what the congregation at First Baptist Covington had long known: She’s a treasure. Bailey, wife of pastor Waylon Bailey, is guest speaker this year for the Kaleidoscope Women’s Conference, sponsored by the LBC’s women’s missions and ministries. Author of the book “Putting My Dress-Up Clothes Away,” subtitled “because big girls live in the real world.” Set to start with registration at 8:30 a.m. and worship at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at First Baptist Pineville, Kaleidoscope is to include several breakout sessions, and worship led by the Women of Praise, who are a part of the women’s ministry at Longview Baptist Church in Deville. “We are so excited about this year’s Kaleidoscope,” said Janie Wise, LBC women’s missions and ministries strategist. “Our theme this year is ‘Life Abundant,’ with John 10:10 our scripture, and you’re going to find an abundance at Kaleidoscope of everything … [Read more...]

When the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) met Jan. 13, members approved the rules and regulations of the Science Education Act, which was made into law last legislative session. BATON ROUGE – When the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) met Jan. 13, members approved the rules and regulations of the Science Education Act, which was made into law last legislative session. Joe Aguillard, president of Louisiana College, expressed his satisfaction with the approval.  “This allows science teachers in our state to freely teach scientific information that is contrary to Darwinian evolution,” Aguillard said. “Prior to this time, it was frowned upon or not allowed. “This law is not an effort to promote religion,” Aguillard continued, “but it allows them to teach scientific facts that debunk the scientific theory of evolution.” President Aguillard and four faculty members traveled to Baton Rouge last summer to testify on behalf of the legislation, which, they told legislators, would allow science teachers to present material that spoke truthfully, scientifically and contradictory to Darwinian evolution theory. “That’s all Darwinianism is: a theory,” Aguillard said. … [Read more...]

People with an interest in “teaching people to fish” rather than merely providing meals for them are invited to participate in the 2009 annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship. MONROE – People with an interest in “teaching people to fish” rather than merely providing meals for them are invited to participate in the 2009 annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship. The gathering is set for Saturday, Jan. 31, at North Monroe Baptist Church, where Bill Dye is pastor and Gene Hodgkins is church host for the meeting. “By working together we can bring joy where there is no joy,” said W. Nelson Philpot, president of what is usually known as the Ag Missions Fellowship. “We can bring hope where there is no hope, and we can bring life instead of a premature death and an early grave.” The Ag Missions annual meeting is to start with registration and refreshments at 9:30 a.m., and the opening prayer at 10 a.m. The Southern Grace choral group is to lead in a time of worship. Wayne Sheppard is to be the opening speaker. He is partnership missions mobilization strategist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Billy and Barbara Nutt, and Bryce Blackman, are to report on … [Read more...]