The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-04/07/2008 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- In New Orleans, joy abounds as congregation returns home by Karen L. Willoughby Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday NEW ORLEANS (BP)--Imagine the nation's worst natural disaster striking your home. Water nine feet deep. No more books. No more furniture. No more safety or security. For two and a half years you're in limbo, dependent on the kindness of people who take you in. They become friends, though at first there seemed to be a chasm of differences. But, finally, you get to go back into your house, and you see it is exactly the same! Even the same ivory/rose color scheme! Such a day of rejoicing it was for the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church family Sunday, April 6. "We're baaaaaack, y'all!" pastor Fred Luter Jr. exulted, and the New Orleans congregation exploded with joy. "We're baaaaaack," he repeated three more times, and each time the congregation responded with more rejoicing. Both the 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. services were standing room only in Franklin Avenue's fan-shaped worship center, in side rooms set up with closed-circuit television, in the foyer and spilling out onto the sidewalk. More than 4,000 people participated in the two services, church leaders estimated. "So many people are here I'm thankful the fire marshal didn't show up," Luter said as he stood at the same oak pulpit where he had preached since 1986. Virtually every statement the pastor made was echoed with the congregation's exuberant approval, except for the serious moments in his sermon from the Old Testament's Book of Habakkuk. Everybody has foes, and Hurricane Katrina was a formidable foe, Luter preached. "What can be said about the worst natural disaster in the history of our nation and how that disaster affected so many of us? ... We've been affected ... but now ... now that you're back in your own pews ... our disaster has turned into dancing!" Life is full of failure, Luter preached as his second point. Not only did federal, state and city governments fail the city, "the levees failed us; the levees failed us," Luter said, his voice carrying a sense of betrayal. Look at Habbakuk, Luter pointed out. He could have put his faith in figs, grapes, olives, sheep or cattle, but instead, he was unwavering in his faith in God. "His faith didn't depend on what he expected from God, but on God Himself," Luter preached. "Our faith is tested when things are not going well." Life is full of foes; life is full of failures. But, Luter declared, life is full of God's favor for the children of God. "God gave us favor and here we are today," Luter said. "It's time to celebrate, to worship, to dance!" And Luter showed enough fancy footwork in each service to stir the congregation to new heights of celebration. He said it was the first time he had danced in the pulpit in 21 years and he hoped his deacons would forgive him. Both services included special moments, especially those involving First Baptist Church where Franklin Avenue had met since September 2005. David Crosby, First Baptist's pastor, and Luter shared a private word and a bear hug that left both of them wiping tears from their eyes. "In 36 years of ministry," Crosby said, "this [two and a half years of housing the Franklin Avenue congregation] has been the greatest thing in my ministry." Crosby noted: "One thing Katrina taught me is that there is only one race, the human race" -– to which the Franklin Avenue congregation expressed their enthusiastic agreement. "Maybe this happened so we could get some things straightened out." More agreement. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu spoke during the 10:30 a.m. service, and several other elected officials attended either the first or second service. "When each new family returns and with the opening of each church, our city gets stronger and stronger," Landrieu said, to the congregation's enthusiastic approval. "I wanted to be here today to pay tribute to this pastor and his wonderful first lady. We thank this pastor for his faith in this city." The congregation erupted again. Nationally known Bible study leader Beth Moore called during the second service to make an announcement: She is going to be at Franklin Avenue in October to update her "Breaking Free" videotaped Bible study. The congregation again rejoiced. Several others made presentations of what they said were "welcome home" checks to the church, echoing the words of greeters at the front doors of the church, who had repeated with the same degree of excited warmth more than 4,000 times, "Welcome home." The Lord's Supper was taken during both services. Other high points: a thundering 100-voice mass choir of displaced Franklinites now living in several states, directed by Beverly Criddle and accompanied by a high-energy band; a musical special by former member Bridget Bazile of Seattle, who sings opera professionally; and a tribute to the 30 church members who have died since the last time Franklin Avenue met in its home building (none directly Katrina-related). Elizabeth Luter's public words of love and respect for her husband, during her usual time of welcoming people to the service, brought tears to his eyes and even, in the second service, a pulpit kiss. The congregation roared its approval. "I fell in love with a young man; that was 34 years ago," she said. "I never would have imagined such a great ride on the train of life ... or that we would clear the debris on the road so that others could see Jesus. "We are now, more than ever before, a people with purpose," Elizabeth Luter told the congregation, speaking from Isaiah 62:10. "Franklin Avenue will be known as a desirable place.... We need everyone to prepare the way, and to [raise] the flag for the nations to see." Alexander Berkley was one of about 30 people who joined the church April 6. He'd been regularly attending the services at First Baptist Church with his wife Brenda, he said, but waited to join until the congregation was back home. "Coming back is always a special moment," he said. "Coming back home is a special moment." Franklin Avenue has had a lot of special days, but this one might be the best ever, said Norbert Zonon, a member since 1987. "It's the first time all of us have gotten back together since the storm," he said. "We're seeing family members we haven't seen, and it's always good to be back with family, when you've got a good family." --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Baptist Message, newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Franklin Avenue: pre- and post-Katrina by Karen L. Willoughby Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday NEW ORLEANS (BP)--By the time Fred Luter Jr. was called as pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in 1986, the blue-collar neighborhood south of Interstate 10 had transitioned from white to black. So had the church, not necessarily by choice. The congregation with a worship center that could easily seat 500 had shrunk on Sunday mornings to about 50. Within 19 years, however, Franklin Avenue had grown into the largest Southern Baptist church in Louisiana. More than 6,000 people regularly filled multiple Sunday morning services in a 2,000-seat worship center built just 11 years ago. Then came Aug. 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina, later billed as the nation's largest-ever natural disaster. The flood line -– still visible today on the church's street corner sign -– brings to mind images of piano, pulpit and pews that bobbed and ultimately sank in water nine feet deep over the course of three weeks. Frankin Avenue members scattered across the nation, with larger conclaves in Houston and Baton Rouge plus the remnant in New Orleans. Living in exile at his daughter's two-bedroom apartment in Birmingham, Ala., Luter began a circuit-riding weekend ministry to the three cities. Luter also traveled to Atlanta, Baltimore, Memphis and other locales to visit with and counsel his fractured flock. As of April 6, however, Franklin Avenue is back home. It only took two and a half years for its worship center to be renovated, though its family life center still is a month or more from completion. The Houston congregation now has a pastor of its own: Sam Young, who pre-Katrina was a Franklin Avenue associate pastor. That congregation continues to meet at First Baptist Church of Houston. The Baton Rouge congregation also has its own pastor, Titus White, another FABC associate pastor. They now meet at Florida Boulevard Baptist Church, though for a year they met at Istrouma Baptist Church. What's next? An oppressive neglect hangs over the area near Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, with streets a mix of potholes, buckled asphalt and low places -– all the result of the three weeks under water -– and houses in various states of disrepair. While a few have been renovated and freshly painted, some are boarded up and some still wear the spray paint of rescuers who marked each house searched. "We're a regional church," Luter said during a mid-March telephone interview with Baptist Press. "For some of the people who come to church that first Sunday we're back at 2515 Franklin Ave., it will be their first time back in that neighborhood since Katrina. I have no doubt they'll know what needs to be done. They're people with good hearts." The church wants to help restore the neighborhood around it and to help people get into homes, the pastor said. "Our game plan is, one, get back in the church," Luter said. "But one of our primary goals is to revitalize that neighborhood community, which will probably mean we'll have to build those homes" as part of alleviating New Orleans' number one problem: housing. "This is a great opportunity for us to be the eyes, hands and feet of Jesus and reach out in the community," Luter said. "It's going to be like a resurrection of the ministry. We're going to continue what we've done before, and it was working; it was successful. We just really feel God has us there and will allow us to rebuild there to reach that part of the city for the glory of God.... "People are still living in FEMA trailers and still a lot of them are not working," Luter said. "The homeless population has tripled because the rent is so high. And there are still some people out of the city who'd love to come back, but they need someplace to stay. "I think the key is that the government needs to get the money here to rebuild the houses," the pastor continued. "People need affordable housing. The projects are being torn down, and the people who lived there -– the waiters, cooks and janitors that provided the services the city is known for -– they need housing. It's a great need, a great need." That need is one reason Luter chose to return to New Orleans. He was born and reared in the Ninth Ward, one of the areas most devastated by Katrina. "I have a passion for this city," Luter said. "When I was living in Alabama [after Katrina] I had opportunities to go elsewhere, instead of returning to New Orleans, but I really felt I needed to be back because of my connections, and to help rebuild." Luter was named by the mayor to the select Bring Back New Orleans Commission; his assignment was education. "I just always had a passion for schools," Luter said. "I spend a lot of time in schools throughout the year. I've always told people I am who I am today because of teachers. If you can write, thank a teacher. "It was great working on that commission," Luter continued. "We put together a comprehensive plan to rebuild the city -– education, health, government, culture.... You felt like you were contributing.... "Before Katrina, I was doing well," Luter reflected. "I had the largest Southern Baptist church in the state; I was preaching at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting. But when you've been to that mountaintop and seen how quickly it can become unglued, that quickly brings you back to reality. "Don't take it for granted; it can be taken away in a moment," said Luter, who saw his home as well as his church submerged by the floodwaters that followed Katrina. "Look at it as a blessing of God. Thank God for the exposure, for the opportunity, but don't take it for granted." Nothing in his life has affected him as deeply as Katrina, the pastor said. "I wasn't on speaking terms with God for about a week after it happened," he said. "My church flooded, the [New Orleans Baptist Theological] Seminary flooded, other churches flooded and the French Quarter was high and dry.... I'm still not completely over it. When I get to heaven, God and I are going to have a long talk about Katrina. There are still some things I don't understand." Luter credits his wife Elizabeth for pulling him out of his pit of despair. "'You've got to listen to your own sermons,' she told me," Luter said. "The thing that got me through this and spoke to my heart is Romans 8:28. Storms are tough times; trials and tribulations are a part of life. But in the midst of the storm we have to hold on to what we believe. Never forget that when the storms show up, so will the Savior.... "Since Day 1 the Southern Baptist Convention has poured itself into New Orleans," Luter recounted. "Right after the hurricane, David Hankins [executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention] got in touch with all the pastors and gave them cash money, and a lot of that money came from the Cooperative Program. "We've had money come through different agencies and even from other state conventions throughout the country," Luter continued. "Southern Baptist disaster relief teams were followed by recovery teams, and they're still coming. New Orleans is a Catholic city, but recently The Times Picayune [local daily newspaper] said if it hadn't been for Baptists, we wouldn't be where we are today in our recovery.... "I think history will record that it's because of the number of volunteers who have come from across the country to help rebuild New Orleans," Luter said. "We'll continue to need help for the next three to five years. Don't forget us, because there still are some really great needs down here." --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Baptist Message, newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Texas raid prompts First Baptist ministry by Ken Walker Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday ELDORADO, Texas (BP)--A Baptist congregation housed about 80 women and children April 4-6 after a raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) near Eldorado, Texas. Members of First Baptist Church in Eldorado embraced the opportunity to minister in Christ's name, pastor Andy Anderson said. First Baptist also loaned the state of Texas the use of two 25-seat church buses to help transport more than 180 women and children from the 1,619-acre polygamist compound. "Our folks were eager to step in, and not just our folks, but the entire community," Anderson said. "We have church members who provided a large bulk of the money needed [to buy food]. We also had a huge outpouring from the community." In addition to church help, the pastor said a statewide grocery chain provided food, while Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo about 45 miles north sent nearly 200 cots to Eldorado. First Baptist's pastor received a call the morning of April 4 from Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran, alerting him that there would be a need to transport people from the compound of the sect that broke away from the Mormon Church. FLDS' leader Warren Jeffs was convicted last year of two counts of being an accomplice to a rape for his role in arranging and performing a marriage between a male follower and his underage cousin. Similar reports apparently triggered the Texas raid. The Salt Lake City Tribune reported April 6 that authorities had issued a warrant for Dale Barlow, who is being investigated for marrying and impregnating a 16-year-old girl in Eldorado. The Eldorado Success newspaper reported in May 2004 that Jeffs' flock was in the midst of a major relocation from the Utah-Arizona border to this southwest Texas town of 2,000, located about 250 miles west of San Antonio. Known as the YFZ Ranch, the newspaper said the FLDS purchased the property under a shell company's name and told local residents it would be used as a corporate hunting retreat. Initial news reports indicated 183 women and children were located at the compound. However, the Success reported the morning of April 7 that Texas' Child Protective Services (CPS) now acknowledges relocating 219 residents -- 159 children and 60 adults. Anderson said he and other church members spent all day April 4 and 5 shuttling women and children from the YFZ ranch to the Schleicher County Civic Center or First Baptist. Approximately 100 residents were taken to the civic center and the remainder went to the church's fellowship hall, the pastor said. They stayed at the two venues until noon on April 6, when state authorities transported them to Fort Concho, a historical site in San Angelo, Anderson said. The old pioneer days fort contains adequate housing for the women and children, Anderson added. In addition to First Baptist, members of Community Baptist Church provided food and sent members to help with cooking, the pastor said, and members of First United Methodist Church and Eldorado Church of Christ also played an active role in the ministry effort. The churches were limited to providing food and shelter, with personal contact handled by CPS staff members, Anderson said. "I think it was for privacy issues, to allow the women and children to feel comfortable [and] so they wouldn't feel they were in a fishbowl," Anderson said. "They were obviously tense and under stress. But overall, I was impressed with the women. They held up well and showed good parenting." Although First Baptist members willingly stepped in to help, the effort caused cancellation of the church's Sunday School classes. Because of a mistaken belief that Sunday services also wouldn't be held, their normal attendance of 140 was down about 30 people, Anderson said. This isn't the first time the Baptist General Convention of Texas church has been in the media spotlight. Numerous reporters descended on the town after a bus accident in Louisiana in October 2003 killed eight senior adults who were on a First Baptist-sponsored trip to historic sites across the Southeast. Though unprepared for the onslaught of attention they received then, Anderson said people were ready for the latest media frenzy. "I've had several questions from people about the level of stress," Anderson said. "But for the most part, we didn't think about the stress it was causing. It was just a joy and an opportunity to minister." --30-- Ken Walker is a freelance writer based in Huntington, W.Va. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Jena, La., envisions 'new beginnings' by John L. Yeats Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday JENA, La. (BP)--The revival that began Feb. 17 in Jena, La., continues this week, April 7-11, and may conclude during its eighth week -– a biblical number for "new beginnings." "In the Bible, the number eight represents new beginnings," L&A Baptist Church pastor Jimmy Ray Young said. "I believe that God has brought us to this very important week to say Jena and LaSalle Parish now have a new beginning in Christ." The Jena community found itself in the national spotlight last September over race-related issues when an estimated 20,000 people from out of town marched in the streets of the community of approximately 3,000 citizens "Now, during these past two months something extraordinary has happened in Jena and LaSalle Parish, La.," said Craig Franklin, associate editor of The Jena Times. "God chose to orchestrate something special here and, through the humility of bended knees, the desperation of broken hearts and the confession of sin by God's people, the Holy Spirit of God has transformed this community for His pleasure and purposes." The eighth week of meetings will be held in a tent that was to have been used in week seven. However, inclement weather prompted organizers to move the meetings indoors. "We'll meet at the tent erected in a ball field at the Ward 10 Recreation Complex," said Bill Robertson, interim pastor of Midway Baptist Church, where the revival began. "We didn't get to meet there last week, but God knew where we were supposed to be." And that place was L&A Baptist Church, one of the area's black churches that has been participating in the protracted meetings since week one. Although the church building was crowded, the revival leaders reported a renewed sense of needing to be right with God. The movement to the altar, confession of sin and reconciliation with God and man continued during the services and the invitation time, said Robertson, who has been the revival's main speaker and also is director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention's pastoral leadership team. Young recounted that "we all felt impressed to conduct the rest of the week at L&A." Having the majority "white" revival congregants meet in the black church did much in the way of reconciliation between the two races, the pastor said. "What it did was show the black community that the white community was serious about reconciling," Young said. "Members of our black churches realized that a work of God had taken place that moved the hearts of our white brothers and sisters so strongly that they desired fellowship with us on our side of the 'tracks.'" Franklin, the primary worship leader during the revival, agreed. "God knew that we [Anglos] first needed to be in a black church to demonstrate to our fellow black believers that we were serious about restoring our community to what God desires," Franklin said. "While we, to our knowledge, didn't have any conversions last week, what we did have was true reconciliation, and now a unity exists that before last week wasn't there." The ministers noted that throughout the week, apologies were made from both races, some public, and many private, that contributed to another outpouring of the revival winds of God. "In one service, there was a time when whites and blacks got up out of their seats and went to one another, hugged one another and simply said, 'I love you,'" Robertson said. "In another service, one of the black pastors called LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters to the front and had all of the ministers, a racially diverse group, pray over him. There could be no greater example of reconciliation that this." Walters, who is seen as the center of the Jena Six drama evolving from race-related incidents at the local high school, participated in nearly all of the services during the seven weeks. Walters spoke to the crowd that night, thanked them for their prayers and asked them to continue to pray for the ministers whose work plays a part of what "determines heaven or hell for people." The extended revival that started at Midway Baptist Church on Feb. 17 continued there for two weeks. For the third week, services were moved to East Jena Baptist Church and, for the fourth week, the Jena High School gymnasium. The fifth week, services were moved to Temple Baptist Church, the sixth week to First Baptist Church in Olla and the seventh week at L&A. During the past seven weeks, more than 100 people have come to know Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. The majority of those decisions have been by adults. At least three have surrendered to a call to the ministry, while hundreds of other decisions have included fresh surrender to the lordship of Christ and reconciliations both relational and racial. The meetings are marked with extended invitations of confession of sin and repentance and requests for personal forgiveness. Many have testified during the services and asked for forgiveness for their personal role in damaging the community. There is interest across the nation for this kind of transformational meeting. During the past three weeks, church leaders from Texas and Oklahoma have traveled to Jena to participate in the revival. People from other states have called Robertson wanting additional firsthand information. They reported to him that they read about the Jena revival on Baptist Press, the news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. They shared that they have prayed for this kind of event to occur in their own communities. "Word has spread about the revival across America, and Jena is now getting a new name," Robertson said. "God has restored this community, and people from all over our nation are learning about the work He is doing here ... and they want to be part of His great work." --30-- John L. Yeats is director of communications for the Louisiana Baptist Convention and recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention. For more information on the revival, contact Bill Robertson at 318-451-9141 or Franklin at 318-312-0752. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ELECTION 08: Clinton vows to fight for 'gay rights,' including marriage-like benefits by Michael Foust Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told a Philadelphia homosexual newspaper she would work to advance "gay rights" as president, including possibly signing into law a bill that would grant same-sex couples the legal benefits of marriage. The senator from New York also called a proposed Pennsylvania constitutional marriage amendment "mean-spirited" and said she hopes it is defeated. Clinton granted the interview to the Philadelphia Gay News just weeks prior to the April 22 Democratic primary, a must-win for her campaign. Her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, did not grant the newspaper an interview, although he has made his support of homosexual causes clear in recent weeks, including issuing an open letter to the homosexual community pledging to use the "bully pulpit" to pass legislation backed by that constituency. Because of the interview snub, the newspaper's headline read, "Clinton talks; Obama balks." The newspaper asked Clinton if she would support "federal domestic-partner legislation to give rights to all LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] citizens." The question was posed in light of the fact Clinton was co-sponsor of a bill, the Domestic-Partnership Benefits and Obligation Act, that would grant federal employees the legal benefits that heterosexual married spouses have. "Of course," she answered. "But I think the reason why I have zeroed in on the Obligations Act is because that's what's in the province of the federal government and I think we might be able to get that passed. But I would certainly sign anything that was broader too." She said she has been "committed for more than nine years" to eliminating the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that prevents homosexuals from serving openly. On another subject, she promised to work to overhaul federal tax laws so that same-sex couples –- especially those in states with "gay marriage" and civil unions laws -- can file jointly on their federal returns. "That's one of the laws we have to change," she said. "I will have a comprehensive review, and I think a lot of that work has already been done, to look at everything that is discriminatory in the tax code or in any other aspect of federal law. And we will try to eliminate all of that discrimination. I think we will have a good argument, ironically, because I think we can say, look, the states are making determinations about extending rights to same-sex couples in various forms and the federal government should recognize that and should extend the same access to federal benefits across the board. I will very much work to achieve that." Clinton also urged the Pennsylvania legislature to defeat a marriage amendment that would prohibit both "gay marriage" and Vermont-style civil unions. The proposal has passed the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee and would appear on the ballot no earlier than 2009 or 2010. "Don't pass it," she said. "I really hope that that doesn't go anywhere. I would be very distressed if Pennsylvania were to adopt that kind of mean-spirited referendum and I hope it won't happen." Pennsylvania is seeking to do what a majority of states already have done: protect the natural, traditional definition of marriage in their state constitution. Obama's February letter to the homosexual community made most of the same promises that Clinton did in her interview, including pledging to work to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He also said he would pressure states to pass "gay rights" laws. "As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws," he wrote. "I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples -- whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage." But unlike Clinton, Obama backs the "complete repeal" of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a law passed in 1996 that gives states the option of not recognizing another state's "gay marriages." It also prohibits the federal government from recognizing "gay marriage." Homosexual activists long have viewed it as a significant legal barrier to nationwide legalization of "gay marriage." "While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether," he wrote. "Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does." Austin Nimocks, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal organization that supports the Defense of Marriage Act, said overturning DOMA "would lead to the recognition of everything the homosexual agenda stands for, including same-sex marriage." Clinton supports repealing the section of DOMA that prohibits the federal government from recognizing "gay marriage." She would keep in place the section that gives states latitude on the issue. --30-- Michael Foust is an assistant editor for Baptist Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Jayhawks buoyed by Coach Self's faith by Art Stricklin Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday SAN ANTONTIO (BP)--Before Kansas goes for its first NCAA championship in 20 years, the Jayhawks players will watch more video of the Memphis Tigers and review their game plan one last time. But one Kansas player, freshman guard Tyrel Reed will engage in what he sees as an equally critical preparation -- reading his Bible and joining the team in prayer. "I can't play a game unless I read my Bible first," Reed told Baptist Press. The Jayhawks, coached by Bill Self, a professing Christian, punched their ticket to the national title game with a semifinal rout of North Carolina, but despite the joy of victory, a number of Kansas coaches and players are keeping their focus on the main thing regardless of tonight's outcome. "God has given us this platform and He deserves all the glory," assistant coach Kurtis Townsend said. "We're going to give the glory to Him." Townsend added, "Tuesday morning we're still going to be praising Him. It's another opportunity to witness to others and to know God." Assistant coach Ronnie Chalmers, a Wayland Baptist University graduate, said he marvels at how God has placed the team at the brink of NCAA glory. "I'm a big believer that God has a plan for this team. I've been spending a lot of time with my pastor, and our prayer is, What you do, do it well," Chalmers said. Chalmers and others praised Self not for his bold, verbal witness, but for setting a moral and Christian standard for the team. "The Bible says it helps when two or more are in agreement," Chalmers said. "God will be there also. Coach Self, Coach Townsend and myself, we don't pray together, but we each pray and His Word says the Spirit dwells within us." While Kansas players and coaches pray before and after every game, as many teams do, they also pray before every practice. "We've been doing that ever since Coach Self got here," Townsend said. Junior center Matt Kleinmann said he traveled with Self when the coach gave his testimony at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes coaches forum two years ago, and he felt blessed to be playing for a fellow Christian. "Sometimes with a coach, there is a bunch of yelling back and forth, but it's good to talk with them as a Christian brother," Kleinmann said. Neither Kleinmann nor Reed start for the Jayhawks, but each said their faith keeps them grounded in the highs and lows of college basketball. "These players have overcome a lot to be here," Kleinmann said. "I've seen a lot of guys grow in their faith on this team and that's thanks to Him." Townsend's faith was tested when he was fired as an assistant coach at the University of Miami after only one year following the 2004 season. "Being fired after only one year is the toughest thing possible," Townsend said, "but we don't always know what is best." The following year, Self was hired at Kansas and one of his first hires was Townsend as an assistant coach. Townsend said he learned of how God blesses a faithful witness 15 years ago -- and being on the brink of a national title was only the latest chapter in his faith journey. "Fifteen years ago, I was an assistant coach at California making $1,200 a month and looking for a career change. I had a faith-filled wife and she said we needed to pray and tithe our money. I found when you tithe your money, even $1,200, God will stretch it for all you need," Townsend recounted. "I had never even been to the Final Four in 17 years and now I have a front row seat for the final game. I'm a man of faith because I know God's way works best." --30-- Art Stricklin is a sports correspondent for Baptist Press and director of ministry relations for Marketplace Ministries in Dallas. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Winningest N.C. player: 'God is enough' by Art Stricklin Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday SAN ANTONIO (BP)--Quentin Thomas ended his North Carolina career Saturday night as the winningest player in the Tarheels' storied history. But the senior guard said his personal faith in Jesus Christ was enough to help him overcome the career-ending loss to Kansas. "I keep my faith in good times and bad. God is enough for me and I know I'm strong through Him," Thomas said. Thomas was a part of 117 North Carolina wins and is the only member of the current team who played on the 2004-05 national championship squad. He said he hopes to play professionally somewhere next season or perhaps go into ministry. --30-- Art Stricklin is a sports correspondent for Baptist Press and director of ministry relations for Marketplace Ministries in Dallas. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN's Davis receives Wooden award by Art Stricklin Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday ORIGINALLY POSTED Saturday, April 5, 2008. SAN ANTONTO (BP)--Former North Carolina star Hubert Davis accepted the John Wooden Keys to Life Award at Saturday morning's Legends of the Hardwood breakfast, giving all credit to his faith in Jesus Christ. "I haven't achieved anything; the only person who has achieved anything here is Jesus," Davis, now an ESPN commentator, said to a standing ovation from the crowd of 1,500 in San Antonio at the 13th annual event sponsored by Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, hours before the Final Four semifinals. "Without [Jesus], I have nothing. Without Him, I don't have a plan and a purpose," Davis added. Wooden, 93, sent along his video greetings, unable to attend the sellout breakfast because of a recent hospital stay for a broken wrist from a fall. "I congratulate Hubert on this award. I like this because it's not just about athletic ability," said Wooden, a devout Christian, "but about faith and personality and accountability." Of course Wooden, who led UCLA to 10 NCAA titles including seven in a row, wasn't above making a prediction for this year's Final Four. "You know, two years ago UCLA was here and finished third. Last year they were second, so you know what's going to happen this year, don't you?" Davis, who retired from the NBA after playing with the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, described the Wooden award as an example of God's work in action. "It says in Jeremiah 29:11 that God has a plan for our life. It's a guaranteed deal and the only thing we have to do to accept the guarantee is accept Jesus into your life," Davis said. Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith, in comments to Baptist Press, said he found God's plan after leaving his long tenure at Kentucky and completing his first year with the Gophers. "One year ago, I didn't know this was God's plan, but He drew me to this and drew other people to me," Smith said. "This gathering always refreshes and restores me," Smith said of the annual breakfast. "I enjoy being here with people I have so much in common with." Ron Hunter, coach at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, one of the breakfast's featured speakers, noted, "I am a college basketball coach, this is the platform God has given me and I want to seek to honor Him in all that I do." Hunter attracted national attention earlier this year when he coached a game without shoes in an effort to raise awareness for those overseas who grow up without ever having a pair of shoes. "I am a vehicle for God to use," Hunter said, "and more important than any games or any Final Four is the opportunity to raise awareness for those we can serve." USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo, who is responsible for putting together the USA team for the 2008 Olympics, also addressed breakfast. "China is going to be very difficult," Colangelo acknowledged. "But I have peace in my life," he said. "Not because of me, but because of God's blessings in my life." TNT commentator Ernie Johnson, who accepted Christ into his life when he was 41, closed the breakfast by asking those in attendance to make the same decision he did 10 years ago. "I'm not a preacher or a Bible scholar, but I love Jesus and I know there is a road block called sin in every person's life," Johnson said. "You may say, 'You don't know what I've done,' but I know what He did in my life, and today can be the day you find the right direction in your life." --30-- Art Stricklin is a sports correspondent for Baptist Press and director of ministry relations for Marketplace Ministries in Dallas. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Disgraced Baylor coach seeks forgiveness by Art Stricklin Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday ORIGINALLY POSTED Saturday, April 5, 2008. SAN ANTONIO (BP)--Former Baylor coach Dave Bliss made his first public apology to fellow coaches at the National Association of Basketball Coaches convention Friday, saying God had restored his heart and asking them for forgiveness. Bliss was involved in one of the worst scandals in college basketball history by making illegal payments to Baylor players and then hindering the murder investigation of a Baylor player for fear the payments would be uncovered. "I'm not doing well, but He [God] is doing well into me," Bliss said in a brief interview with Baptist Press after he attended the Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast Saturday, hours before the Final Four tip-offs in San Antonio. Bliss said he was broken, humiliated and sorry for publicly dishonoring his faith in Christ in the sordid coaching scandal. "I panicked," Bliss said. "I hurt a lot of people, for which I'm very sorry." Bliss said one of the toughest meetings of the weekend was with fellow believer and current Baylor head coach Scott Drew, who came to Baylor after Bliss was fired and led the Bears to an NCAA berth this year. "I love Scott Drew a lot and I'm very proud of him," said Bliss, who called the entire weekend helpful for his recovery. --30-- Art Stricklin is a sports correspondent for Baptist Press and director of ministry relations for Marketplace Ministries in Dallas. -------------------------------------------------------------------- All-star Clemson guard here 'to honor God' by Art Stricklin Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday ORIGINALLY POSTED Saturday, April 5, 2008. SAN ANTONTO (BP)--Clemson shooting guard Cliff Hammond's team isn't in the Final Four, but he is among the college senior players in the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Star game in conjunction with the NCAA championship festivities in San Antonio. Although wearing an all-star jersey, Hammond said the only thing special about him is his relationship with Jesus Christ. "Do everything you do to honor Christ," Hammond said. "I'm not here to please man, I'm here to honor God." Hammond said. Hammond helped lead Clemson to the NCAA tournament this year for the first time in a decade, helping them overcome the disappointments of his sophomore and junior years when the Tigers got off to a hot start only to fade at the end of the season. The 6-3 Hammond put his senior leadership and God-given talent to work, starting every game but one as Clemson made a run to the ACC tournament finals and to an NCAA berth. "You always learn something from trials and tribulations because we are always going to have those in our lives," Hammond told Baptist Press. "God has showed me not to have an attitude, but to honor Him in all that I do." As a senior leader of the Clemson team, Hammond was given the chance to address his fellow players and coaches before the year started to help set a theme for the season. "I asked if anybody had any problems with me talking about my faith, then I was able to share what was important in my life," Hammond said. After the meeting, he said two freshmen members of the Clemson team came up to him wanting to know more about having Christ as part of their life. "That's when you feel like you're headed in the right direction," Hammond said. "[God] has given me this light with my athletic ability, now it's my time turn to let that light shine." Hammond grew up in tiny Whigham, Ga., where his parents were members of the St. Stephens Missionary Baptist Church. "I had a faith background, but I had to have a faith for myself," Hammond said. "I accepted the Lord into my life as a junior in high school and God has been using me and this talent to honor Him." Last summer, Hammond traveled to Taiwan as part of the Athletes in Action ministry team, sharing his faith and showcasing his hoops skills. "We wanted to win every game, but we wanted to share our faith in Christ more," Hammond said. Hammond said the next faith step in his life and the reason he was in San Antonio for the Final Four was the possibility of being drafted in the NBA this summer. "It's a fresh approach in my life and I'm learning how God leads me. I don't know what God has for me, but He has a plan and I want to honor Him with it," Hammond said. Washington State senior forward Robbie Cowgill, another player in the all-star game, said the influence of his godly coach, Tony Bennett, made an impact on his life and his testimony this year. "To be around a coach who builds his system on godly principles was really refreshing. God may be leading me into full-time ministry, but I want to follow Him wherever I go," Cowgill said. --30-- Art Stricklin is a sports correspondent for Baptist Press and director of ministry relations for Marketplace Ministries in Dallas. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The feet of a rejoicing pastor by John L. Yeats Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday NEW ORLEANS (BP)--From the moment I topped the levy, I could see that worship at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church would be extraordinary. By 6:15 a.m. on Sunday, April 6, people were lining up outside the worship center doors to participate in the first service in two and a half years at the New Orleans church. Any pastor worth his salt would rejoice if his congregation started gathering over an hour before the service was scheduled to begin. On this momentous day, both the 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. services were standing room only, as more than 4,000 people came home to worship. Various guests packed into the worship center with the members of the congregation, including an Anglo couple who were married 50 years ago at the church when the congregation was predominately white. Any pastor would start tapping his foot to express his joy for a packed house much less packed twice. The "Franklinites," the name senior pastor Fred Luter Jr. affectionately gives his congregation, have been a church in exile. After Hurricane Katrina and polluted floodwaters claimed their facilities in August 2005, the Franklinites scattered to worship in sister churches in places like Houston, Baton Rouge, Atlanta, Jackson and Mobile. Any pastor would be motivated to lift his hands in thanksgiving for sister churches' help during such a time. One can only imagine the pressures and the challenges of holding a congregation together in the various locations. No one bore the challenges any more faithfully than Fred and Elizabeth Luter. Luter spent his 20th-year anniversary with this exiled congregation. This is a congregation that he grew to more than 8,000 members. Not just any pastor, but this pastor was lifting his feet by faith to serve the Lord in the midst of trial. Someone asked Luter if he was going to ask a guest to preach on the day of return. He retorted that he was called to pastor Franklin Avenue. This pastor was ready and prepared to express with his hands, feet, voice and heart to share the Word. During his sermon, Luter alluded to the images in people's minds of the devastation in New Orleans. He explained that many people still don't fully understand the effects of Katrina on New Orleans citizens. "Who would have thought it would have taken two and a half years for us to return?" Luter said. "But now we are back!" But, he noted, "You don't have to wear a bull's eye on your chest to know that you will face trials in this life." And, he preached, "everything we humans place our trust in dies." Through the trials, Luter said, he held on to God's unchanging hand. "FEMA failed, Corps of Engineers failed, the levies failed, and we lost neighborhoods, homes, churches and families because the levies failed. But we must put our faith and trust in the Lord." And this pastor began to clap his hands to the glory of God. "Our faith must be tested. Life is full of failures and we want to ask why. Anybody can preach, talk, write, pray or sing about trusting the Lord, but your faith must be tried by the fire," Luter declared. "The just shall live by faith and that faith must be tested." And this pastor began to shout. Luter also explained that when you lose everything, God still demonstrates His favor on His child. Using NBA Hornets tickets from a benefactor as an analogy, Luter talked about a Friday night date with his wife in the arena's prime seats. He used this to demonstrate how the Lord expressed favor to him. Then he preached about the Lord showing his favor to the Franklin Avenue congregation by their return to the house, to the Franklin Avenue worship center. And this pastor began to dance. "My soul says, 'Yes!' for the Lord to turn the disaster into dancing," Luter preached. With that, he began to express his joy with his feet, happy feet. "In 21 years, I've never danced in this pulpit until today. Let the church say, 'Yes!'" And this pastor's feet got happy. "How beautiful upon the mountains," the Scripture says, "are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" (Isaiah 52:7 KJV). --30-- John L. Yeats is director of communications for the Louisiana Baptist Convention and recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dangerous denial by Ginger Plowman Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday OPELIKA, Ala. (BP)--My husband's face turned pasty white and he began to sweat profusely. His trembling hands gripped the corners of the linen-clothed table in the center of the elegant, gourmet restaurant. "Jim, what's happening?" I quickly asked. He didn't answer. "Jim, are you OK?" I tried again. He took several gulps of water and answered hoarsely, "I don't feel right. Something's wrong. I'm dizzy." Ignoring my warning, Jim pushed his chair back from the table, stood on shaky legs, paused for balance and then staggered all of 10 feet before passing out. On the way down, the impact of his face hitting the corner of a heavy wooden chair caused his chin to split open and his top teeth to embed into his bottom lip. Blood was everywhere. Pandemonium broke out all over the restaurant. Women gasped. Men bolted from their chairs. The waitress nearby yelled for help as she rolled Jim over to see if he was breathing. In slow motion, I ran through quicksand on legs that seemed to have 50 pound concrete blocks strapped to them. "Oh, Lord! What's happening?" Within two minutes, Jim was surrounded by two managers, a medic and me. Being a man who doesn't like attention drawn to himself, he attempted to make light of the situation. With his head in the waitress's lap, blood everywhere, and a manager saying, "Mr. Plowman, we are calling an ambulance so we need for you to lie still until the paramedics arrive," Jim argued that he was "fine." "I just need to go to the hotel room and lie down for a minute," he slurred through a mouth overflowing with blood and a gaping hole in his chin that revealed stuff not meant to be seen. "Calling an ambulance is ridiculous!" he continued. "Babe, you go ahead and finish your soup. I'll just go to the room and splash some water on my face and I'll be right back." As if. The man was in dangerous denial. Of course, when he tried to get up, he fell back down. Curious and horrified onlookers tried unsuccessfully not to stare as they walked by. While Jim's body was temporarily out of order, his wit was fully intact with comments such as, "You should have seen the other guy" and "Does this mean we get free dessert?" Only Jim Plowman could pull off charm with a mangled face. It wasn't until Jim saw his face in a mirror that he agreed to a trip to the emergency room, which eight hours later resulted in 11 stitches and the diagnoses of a dislocated jaw. His passing out was caused from dehydration; the consequence of too much time in the steam room and sauna and not enough water. While our early anniversary trip to Asheville, N.C., didn't end as romantically as I'd hoped, it did get me to thinking about some things. How many times have I not wanted to admit something was "wrong" in my life? How often do I try to convince others and myself that I'm "fine" when I know, deep down, that something is not right? How many times have I failed to heed the warnings of the Holy Spirit or the wise counsel of God's Word, only to suffer painful consequences as a result? I, too, have found myself in dangerous denial on more than one occasion. The consequences of denying sin vary, but perhaps the worst of these is broken fellowship with God. The Israelites enjoyed God's close and constant presence until they began to harbor unconfessed sin in their hearts. As a result, they were instructed to continue their journey into the Promised Land without God's presence. God said, "Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way" (Exodus 33:3). King David was deemed a man after God's own heart, but he knew the misery of broken fellowship with God. Throughout the Psalms, David beseeched God for restoration of fellowship. David also knew that not all sin is easily identified, but can cleverly hide in the corners of the heart. Desiring to bring unconfessed and hidden sin to light, David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). The good news of the Gospel is that God is compassionate and gracious. He is slow to anger. He is abounding in love and faithfulness, and forgiving of wickedness, rebellion and sin (Exodus 34:6-7). While sin breaks fellowship with God, grace restores that fellowship. Sin builds a barrier between God and man, but grace tears it down. Sin stains us, makes us unclean and unfit for God's presence, but grace washes us, clothes us in righteousness and enables us to enjoy his sweet and loving fellowship. This grace is freely offered to us through Christ alone. He bids us to come to Him and repent of sin, that he might live in and through us, and that we might rest in His amazing grace. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Lord, burst open the doors of my heart and reveal the sins I try to cover up. Scoop out the infections that have taken hold and cleanse me through your atonement. Fill the gaping hole with your righteousness and apply the soothing balm of your forgiveness. Then, Lord, stitch me back together again with your hands of mercy and, by your grace, make me stronger than before. Do this all for your glory and honor. Amen. --30-- Ginger Plowman, author of "Don't Make Me Count to Three," "Heaven at Home" and "No More Whining: Three Easy Steps to Whine-Free Living" is the founder of Preparing the Way Ministries for which she speaks at women's events, parenting conferences and home school conventions across the country. Visit her website at www.GingerPlowman.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Luter acknowledges his transparency by Karen L. Willoughby Date: April 07, 2008 - Monday NEW ORLEANS (BP)--From the time her son was a young teen, Viola Brooks knew he would be a pastor one day. What she didn't foresee, the mother of Fred Luter Jr. said, was that the church he would pastor would grow to more than 6,000 in worship, the largest Southern Baptist congregation in Louisiana -- prior to Hurricane Katrina. More than 4,000 people participated in Franklin Avenue Baptist Church's two worship services April 6 in its renovated worship center in New Orleans. Where did they come from when, just 19 years earlier, only about 50 people gathered the first Sunday that Luter preached as pastor in a 500-seat auditorium? "The church had gone through so much," Luter said when telling the story of his arrival at the church. "It was a bad breakup when the former pastor left. I came here to preach, teach and live the Word of God, with a compassion for the people." When the church was started in 1932, fronting Franklin Avenue, which today is a four-lane divided thoroughfare, the community around it consisted of working-class white families. By the mid-1970s, though the community was mostly black, the church clung to its historical roots. Calling a black pastor was a last-ditch effort by the few remaining members to do whatever it took to keep the church functioning. Calling a man with no experience as a pastor -– with just three years of street preaching to bolster his credentials -- was an indication that the members didn't have great expectations. "I became pastor in October 1986 and in December I invited the entire membership to my house," Luter said. "That made such a big hit with them, just to get to know them in a casual atmosphere. You'd be amazed at how something as small as that can surely make a big difference. "I had no ideas as far as church growth methods," Luter continued. "I just went there with a conviction of preaching the Word of God and loving the people, and God started doing a good work." Music under the leadership of Bryon Johnson was one thing Franklin Avenue had going for it, Luter said. Johnson, though younger than Luter, predated Luter at the church. "He was very gifted and talented," Luter said of Johnson, who died in November 2006. "God blessed us in a mighty way. The music ministry grew as the church grew, and before Katrina we had eight choirs and we'd recorded two live CDs." When 20 people joined one Sunday, Franklin Avenue's membership roll grew to 200 people, and Luter's wife panicked. Elizabeth Luter now says she never had been much for large groups of people, despite being involved in street ministry with the man who became her husband. "I went home, crawled into bed and pulled the covers over my head," Elizabeth recounted. "'Oh my Lord,' I said. 'What are we going to do with 200 people?'" She said she did the same thing a few years later when the church combined its three services for Easter at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and she realized for the first time how big the church had become. Franklin Avenue, which had slowly increased during Luter's first two years as pastor, began a steady increase in his third year after he attended a pastors' conference where he heard about a simple church growth strategy that today he calls "Frangelism" -– friendship evangelism. "The concept is that everybody in the church has an unchurched friend, relative, neighbor," Luter explained. "You are obligated to go and invite them to the place where you are being fed, changed and challenged.... These were people you already had relationships with. They weren't confrontational. These people might not go to church if a stranger asked them; they'd do it because of the relationship. And once they'd get them to church the first time, it was our responsibility through music, worship, fellowship and message to bring them back. "This literally changed the church," Luter said. "We had no publicity; we've never been on radio, television or a billboard. It's all been word of mouth -– Acts 2 all over again -– the woman at the well." Maurice Rankins, who followed the Luters as member 86 of Franklin Avenue, today is pastor of Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, Miss. He gives two reasons for the growth of Franklin Avenue: the genuineness of the pastor and the emphasis he places on teaching men to be men. "The same man you see in the pulpit is the man you'll see at the store," Rankins said. "He taught the men in this church to love God, love your wife and be a man of the Word. "We know where we came from, the way we used to be," Rankins continued. "He would tell us not to belabor that. Instead, know where you're going; that is what should be your focus. "What you see [at the church] is God using him," said Rankins, who was mentored by Luter. "You can see him walking out what he's talking about. He'd tell us, in any relationship, tell the truth and God will honor that." Sam Young, who became the first associate pastor of Franklin Avenue after Luter was called as pastor, was the church's executive pastor from 1993 until July 2006 when he was called as pastor of Franklin Avenue West Baptist Church in Houston. "One thing I admire about Fred Luter is that this man has helped men to take their right role in church, at home and on the job," Young said. "He taught us the importance of leading our families. He teaches men how to be men, and he lives it.... He's such a wonderful family man." But that's not all, Young continued. "He's a man of compassion," Young said. "I think that's one of the key reasons this church has grown. His love for people shows in everything he does, and he stands ready to help -– hospital visits, funerals for people he doesn't even know -- and he gives freely. "He's a good role model for those who need that, before they start looking to Christ as their role model," Young said. Luter's mother Viola Brooks was his first role model, the pastor said. He was the middle child of five; his mother often worked three jobs to support them. "I kept them in church," said Brooks, dressed in a white church suit for the April 6 grand reopening of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. "I taught him to respect people, be honest, work hard and make something of himself. He was a humble child." Perhaps the most visible way Katrina changed Luter is in his attire. Pre-K, he always wore a suit and tie in the pulpit. He hasn't since the storm, fulfilling a personal pledge to not wear a tie in the pulpit until all the congregation have been moved out of FEMA trailers. "It was my way of identifying with people going through hard times," Luter said. "I've never announced it; it's just my way of relating to those of us who are getting back on our feet." Luter said he believes in transparency. "I share with them a lot of things I've gone through," he said. "So many times pastors put themselves in this separate category -– like we don't bleed. It's been refreshing for a lot of folks that I've been so transparent. It's like they think, 'If he can go through it and make it, then I can.'" One thing he has shared with men that he hasn't shared with the entire congregation is his "coming of age" past. That has some significance for men, and it has helped to create a bond strengthened by similar types of experiences, Luter said. He made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior after he'd been in a motorcycle accident, which happened because he was hanging with the wrong crowd, Luter said. "I had a compound fracture and a hole in my head, and the senior deacon put his finger in my face and said, 'Obedience is better than sacrifice,'" Luter recounted. "I'll never forget that." A sermon he heard soon after "challenged my faith and I began thinking seriously about my relationship with Christ.... I made a profession of faith that night; it was the best decision I ever made in my life. It literally changed my life. It gave me a new perspective on how to be grateful for the things God has given me, changed my habits, crowd, values, morals. It changed my life. "I grew up in the Lower Ninth, and that was a tough area to live in," Luter continued. "My profession of faith in Jesus Christ made me a better person, no doubt about it. I share a lot in men's ministry and witnessing to young men: If God can change my life, he can change anybody's life." --30-- Karen L. Willoughby is managing editor of the Louisiana Baptist Message.