Ralph Tone, Phoenix-based church partner for LifeWay While ministering as a missionary in Argentina, I had the privilege of facilitating prayer vigils in the province of Buenos Aires. These prayer vigils would sometimes last all night. But it’s not necessary to pray all night to have a powerful prayer vigil. You can start with a one- or two-hour vigil in your Bible study, church or even better, in union with another local church. Like no other book in the Bible, Acts provides a dynamic picture of what God can accomplish through His praying church. In chapter 2, the church waited on God for power. In chapter 4, the church prayed for boldness to proclaim the Gospel in the face of mounting political and religious opposition. Acts 12 shows the church in constant prayer for the wellbeing of Peter, their imprisoned leader. And chapter 13 reveals united prayer as the God-ordained context for launching new ministry initiatives. Are any of these first century prayer concerns relevant to the church today? Does the 21st century church need heaven-sent power? Does the church need boldness to remain true to its calling against contrary social and political currents? Are church and denominational leaders in need of prayer? What about … [Read more...]

By Reggie Bridges, Pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Ruston After the smoke of spent fireworks disappear and red, white and blue paraphilia is formally retired after Fourth of July activities, I often step back and assess our church’s involvement in a so-called “patriotic” service. Such introspection has taken on new meaning this year as I read articles, blogs, and tweets that denounced any expression of patriotism within church life. With measured guilt, I sifted through these indictments of churches (and their pastors) that violated God’s Word by allowing any celebration of our freedom and recognition of veterans. As I finished reading these perspectives, I felt that I had committed idolatry, or at the very least, I was theologically deficient for allowing such a service. Many who expressed disappointment in patriotic services were well-respected, learned people who appeared to have theology and reason on their side. I was all but convinced that I should join the ranks of the liberated, theologically robust reformers who cast off such expressions in our churches – but then I decided to work through these issues for myself instead of following the commonly accepted tweetology of my generation. Is a patriotic service … [Read more...]

By David Jeremiah, Pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church A century ago, the average person’s social network probably consisted of less than 50 family, neighbors, church members and co-workers. Today, your social network can consist of hundreds, even thousands, of people. They can live anywhere in the world, speak a different native language, and be of a different religion. The only thread that ties you together is a similar interest in, well, anything – or nothing at all! Your network might consist of “friends” – a friend of a friend of a friend as well as people who actually are your close friends. You rarely communicate face-to-face; you do it all digitally via social networking sites. I believe online social networks were a phenomenon waiting to happen. In the first decade of widespread personal computer use (the 1990s), relationships suffered as people isolated themselves in front of a computer screen and surfed the Web. Just in time, social networking turned an inherently isolating tool, the computer, into a vehicle for reestablishing and widening our relationships – our social networks. We’ve come out of our digital shells and are manifesting our God-given social capacities in a new, networking sort of way. To … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 07/11/2014 - 10:58 Forty-eight LSU students spent their Spring break on a mission trip to Colorado with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry to clean up tons of debris resulting from last September’s catastrophic floods along the Little Thompson Creek from Estes Park to PInewood Springs to Berthoud. More than 20 projects were completed and tons of forest debris was pulled from the creek bed so when this year’s snow melts there won’t be more flooding. By Mark H. Hunter, Regional Reporter PINEWOOD SPRINGS, COLO. – Saint Manson was 1,400 miles away from his sea-level New Orleans home and about 7,000 feet high in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains but despite the thin air, the athletic LSU freshman spent five strenuous days chopping tree branches with an axe and carrying them up out of a flood-damaged creek bed. “I think it was pretty awesome being able to help people,” Manson, 19, a petroleum engineering major, said. “I enjoyed working and getting debris out of the river.” Manson was one of 48 LSU students who, instead of partying away their Spring Break, served Colorado flood victims on the latest LBC/SBC and Baptist Collegiate Ministry Disaster Relief mission. For two days a team of students mudded … [Read more...]

By Hannah Boggs, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – It is specifically tailored for incoming freshmen at Louisiana College and the response, this year, has been tremendous. Available for both incoming freshmen and transfer students, Front of the Line is to not only help incoming freshmen enroll at LC but also to start off their college careers on a positive note. And it is not only for new students but for their parents as well so the transition from high school to college is a little easier. The school held three events this year beginning in April and finishing with the final one on June 21. More than 200 first-time freshmen took advantage of the opportunity to get their classes and schedules set up the way they wanted at the times they wanted. “Front of the Line is relatively new,” said Byron McGee, director of enrollment management. “This is only our third year.” Up until recently, Louisiana College had held a similar, but longer event, as freshmen would come in on a Thursday, stay overnight, and leave the following day. “It was a combination of not only pre-registration but a lot of team building,” McGee said. “It was meant to get the students acclimated to the college so when our students left, they not only had their … [Read more...]

By Hannah Boggs, Message Staff Writer TIOGA – Getting a ‘full ride’ to college is truly an accomplishment.  Winning the Clyde and Elizabeth Smith Memorial Scholarship is even more so. So, one can only imagine how excited Tioga graduate Paige Dubois was to learn she had accomplished both. The Smith Memorial Scholarship, one of the highest honors given at Louisiana College, provides her tuition and room and board for four years at the school. And to earn the scholarship is no small feat. “Students must score 28 or above on the ACT to be eligible to compete for the scholarship,” said Byron McGee, LC’s director of enrollment management. “The competition consists of leadership exercises and interview with LC faculty members on leadership qualities, Christian character and academic strength. We have a number apply for it but only one student is selected each year.” Dubois hadn’t always planned on going to LC. “Actually, I wanted to go to LSU,” she said. “I mean that’s every kid’s dream in Louisiana is to go to LSU. But I also applied to nine other schools including Texas A&M, Texas Tech, even to Harvard just to see. I definitely wanted to keep my options open. “My parents were prepared to pay my way to LSU or A&M,” Dubois … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 07/11/2014 - 11:16 Tony Thibodeaux, pastor of Barataria Baptist, and his family answered God’s calling to come to storm-ravaged Barataria Baptist Church. He is helping lead his congregation as they work on building a new sanctuary with the hopes of moving into the new building debt free by the summer of 2015. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAFITTE – Barataria Baptist has had its share of storms. When Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, the church sustained damage to its property but rebuilt. And when Hurricane Gustav came onshore and caused extensive water damage to some of its renovated buildings, the church did just as it did during Katrina – planned to rebuild. By the summer of 2015, the congregation plans to move debt-free into its new sanctuary that will adjoin the current structure that is serving as both a worship center and fellowship hall at the moment. The church hopes to start erecting a new building in October. “So soon after that, if any churches are looking to do some mission work, we will definitely need volunteers to help with construction,” said Tony Thibodeaux, pastor of Barataria Baptist. Billy Puckett, director of community ministries for New Orleans … [Read more...]

ON THE MOVE Chuck Johnston is new as interim pastor at Pleasure Point Baptist Church, Homer. Mike Thibodeaux is new as music director at Unity Baptist Church, Cotton Valley. Cole Landreth has resigned as worship pastor at Colyell Baptist Church, Livingston. Mike (wife Jennifer) Tricell new as music minister at Willow Point Baptist Church, Shreveport. Todd (wife Amy) Young new as education/outreach minister at Summer Grove Baptist Church, Shreveport. Richard (wife Mary) Thomas new as pastor of Gethsemane Baptist Church, Shreveport. Meredith Hanna new as children’s minister at First Baptist Church, Shreveport. Katie (husband Aaron) Mussat new as youth/student minister at First Baptist Church, Shreveport. Cecil Marr resigned as pastor of Pinecroft Baptist Church, Shreveport. REVIVAL/HOMECOMING Ferry Lake Baptist Church, Oil City: 77th Anniversary Service July 20, 10:30 a.m. Speaker: Lane Moore. Music: Hardy Yeats. Lunch will follow the services. Pastor: Ralph Hines. Pine Ridge Baptist Church, DeRidder: July 20-23, 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. (July 20) and 7 p.m. July 21-23. Worship: Price Harris. Pastor: Ray Clark. Temple Baptist Church, Ruston: Marvelous Mondays, July 21, 28, and August 4. Speakers: Bill Hardin, Rob Futral, … [Read more...]

NASHVILLE (BP) – Contributions to Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries through the Cooperative Program totaled 98.38 percent of the budgeted goal through the third quarter ending June 30, SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page has announced. The $141,298,445.60 the Executive Committee received during the first nine months of the fiscal year, Oct. 1 - June 30, for distribution through the Cooperative Program Allocation Budget is 1.62 percent short of the $143,625,000 year-to-date budgeted amount. The total represents money received by the close of the last business day of June and includes receipts from state conventions, churches and individuals designated for global and national Southern Baptist ministries. The total is $776,707.46 or 0.55 percent less than the $142,075,153.06 received through June 2013 of last fiscal year. Designated giving of $173,373,521.37 for the same year-to-date period is 1.89 percent, or $3,335,228.70, below the $176,708,750.07 received at this point last year. Designated giving only includes monies received and distributed by the Executive Committee and does not reflect designated gifts contributed directly to SBC entities. Designated contributions include the Lottie Moon … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Taxpayers could soon be paying for federal employees’ sex reassignment surgeries after the Office of Personnel Management lifted its ban on insurance coverage for the procedures. The June 13 directive surfaced quietly as a letter to insurance providers, citing an “evolving professional consensus” on whether the surgery is “medically necessary.” The bureaucratic change came just two weeks after the Department of Health and Human Services authorized Medicare to cover the same surgeries. For men, they can involve castration and genital reconstruction. For women, they can involve mastectomy and the implantation of a prosthetic. LGBT activists praised the ruling, but some argued that giving providers a choice isn’t good enough. “We think it’s illegal sex discrimination if they exclude care for trans-people that they allow other people to have,” said Mara Keisling, executive director for the National Center for Transgender Equality. Failing to cover the procedures, Keisling and other activists say, would be at odds with executive orders that attempt to rewrite anti-discrimination laws. “Policy makers and the media are doing no favors either to the public or the transgendered by treating their confusions as a … [Read more...]