The Lord recently blessed me with one of the most precious weekends of my life, at Heritage Baptist Church in Shreveport, La. I was invited to preach a series of evangelistic messages from Friday through Sunday, by their Pastor Earl Blackburn. The weekend crusade was entitled, “The Life’s Answers Conference”. Heritage Church is located in the middle of an area called ‘The Highland’. Like so many other cities, this section of town was once a nice, quiet, middle class area. It has now become a “low income, high crime area”, which is absolutely infested with every type of illegal and immoral activity. It’s the other side of the tracks; the rough part of town; the hang out for gangs, drug dealers, pimps, prostitutes, and many street people! The house next door to the church had a literal “mountain-heap” of beer cans in the front yard. While I was there one of the neighbors died of AIDS. Oh, but friends, our Good Shepherd has graced Heritage Baptist Church with a pastor, who is not only a tremendous theologian and preacher; he is also a man with a flaming passion for the glory of God and the salvation of the lost souls of this “highland area”! Rarely, have I met a man, who is so intoxicated with both “light and heat”! (Light – which is the sound doctrine of the whole counsel of God; accompanied by “Heat” – which is a passionate passion for lost and needy souls.) It was one of the most precious privileges of my Christian life, to go door to door with Pastor Blackburn and plant the truths of the gospel into the souls of what he called, “old, crusty sinners”! -We must never forget that we were old, crusty sinners ourselves, in need of the same gospel message. I walked with a man that demonstrates an authentic love and burden for their lost souls. I will never forget his free-flowing tears as he cried out to the Lord asking, “Is not some of your bride here in this area, O Lamb of God?” It is amazing to see how the Lord is bringing a growing group of young adults alongside of the leadership at Heritage, who share the same burning passion for the glory of God and the salvation of sinners. Friends, it was an absolute joy to serve among a local body that has a genuine burden for souls, which is energizing them to passionate prayer and personal proclamation of the gospel!