Louisiana

The first of a series of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association summer concerts drew nearly 11,000 people this past Saturday.

“Rock the River Tour,” a series of day-long concerts along the Mississippi River, kicked off in Baton Rouge over the weekend where the summer heat mixed with the music of some of the hottest Christian bands.

For seven hours, young people from all over Louisiana enjoyed the music of America’s top rock and hip-hop bands that included Flyleaf, Superchick, RED, Hawk Nelson, Mary Mary, Da T.R.U.T.H., Dennis Agajanian, and Canton Jones. more >>

The prison once deemed the most violent in America hosted the nation’s largest gathering of inmates and their children on Saturday to promote reconciliation and healing within families.

The Returning Hearts Celebration reunited more than 500 kids with their incarcerated dads at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for a special day of activities and bonding. The annual event enables fathers who may not have seen their sons or daughters in years to seek forgiveness and build connections in an effort to break the cycle of familial crime.

“These fathers do not want their children to end up in prison,” says Jack Eggar, president and CEO of Awana Lifeline prison ministry, which initiated the Returning Hearts Celebration. “So they are intentional in encouraging and teaching their children to pursue a life of character and faith.” more >>

The prison once deemed the most violent in America will be hosting the nation’s largest gathering of inmates and their children next month to promote reconciliation and healing within families.

The Returning Hearts Celebration is expected to reunite more than 1,000 kids with their incarcerated dads at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for a special day of activities and bonding. The annual event enables fathers who may not have seen their sons or daughters in years to seek forgiveness and build connections in an effort to break the cycle of familial crime.

“These fathers do not want their children to end up in prison,” says Jack Eggar, president and CEO of Awana Lifeline prison ministry, which initiated the Returning Hearts Celebration. “So they are intentional in encouraging and teaching their children to pursue a life of character and faith.” more >>

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has announced its plans to reach out to youth along the Mississippi River through a series of day-long music festivals this summer.

Featuring some of America’s most popular hard rock and hip-hop Christian artists, “Rock the River” will kick off in Baton Rouge, La., and move along the Mississippi River, going as far as Minneapolis. In addition to groups such as Skillet and Flyleaf, the festivals will also feature a positive message of hope and encouragement from Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the BGEA.

“A lot of drugs travel through here and our youth are caught up in them," says Dr. Roddy Conerley, executive director of the Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge, according to the BGEA. more >>

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Have a pacemaker or an implanted defibrillator? Don't keep your iPod earbuds in your shirt pocket or draped around your neck - even when they're disconnected. A study finds that some headphones can interfere with heart devices if held very close to them.

They might even prevent a defibrillator from delivering a lifesaving shock, say doctors who tested them.

"Headphones contain magnets, and some of these magnets are powerful," said the study's leader, Dr. William Maisel, a cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and a heart device consultant to the federal Food and Drug Administration. more >>