Alabama Baptists pray for, with state officials

State legislators returned to Montgomery Jan. 10, rolling up their sleeves prepared to focus on the hundreds of bills already floating around the Statehouse. But they weren’t in town long before Alabama Baptists appeared, reminding them they are prayed for on a regular basis.
   
The Annual Legislative Prayer Luncheon, co-sponsored by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) and Gov. Bob Riley, provided lunch, fellowship and inspirational words for state and local elected officials. The luncheon was held Jan. 11 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Montgomery. Among the 525 in attendance were Riley, Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley, Attorney General Troy King, state senators, state representatives, members of the governor’s office, members of the judicial branch of government and Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright.
   
Bright, a member of First Baptist Church, Montgomery, in Montgomery Baptist Association, thanked Alabama Baptists for their prayers. 
   
“I feel the prayers,” he said. “Let’s pray heavily and hard for our cities, state and nation as a whole.”
   
Bright challenged the elected officials to “do God’s work for the people of Alabama.”
   
Riley agreed and urged governmental representatives to ask themselves why they are serving. The only answers are “to serve the people of Alabama and because I believe in servanthood,” he said. “The actions we take will have an impact on the people of our state.
   
“Ultimately we are here to glorify God,” said Riley, a member of First Baptist Church, Ashland, in Carey Baptist Association. “If we do that, then we will be a great state and nation.”
   
Rick Lance, SBOM executive director, commended Riley for his willingness to express his faith publicly.
   
Travis Coleman, pastor of First Baptist Church, Prattville, in Autauga Baptist Association, urged lawmakers and others to “make the most of our time.”
   
Using Ephesians 5:15–17 as his text, Coleman explained the apostle Paul’s teachings as:
   
• Live carefully — “Watch where you are stepping,” Coleman said. “Walk circumspectly.”
   
• Live purposefully — “Invest time in things that are good and wholesome,” he said. “Time is equal for all. I have the responsibility of using it effectively. Live life with purpose and make the most of it at this very moment.”
   
• Live obediently — “Understand the will of the Lord,” Coleman said. “Why has God placed you in this world? You are foolish if you don’t structure your life around the will of God. 
   
“What will be your legacy while in the Legislature in 2006?”