Voice of Hope

This morning Debra and I were so blessed to worship with the Abundant Grace church in Collierville (formerly known as the East Memphis church). During the service, David M. Wier was ordained to the office of Deacon in the Church of God of Prophecy. Pastor, Bishop Robbie Wier and his wife Kathy were wonderful hosts and we really enjoyed being with the folks. It was also good to see Bishop Jack Pruitt, a former pastor who has now moved back to Memphis and is worshiping with the folks at Abundant Grace.

Last night, Debra and I met with pastors from the two western sections of our churches for a time of fellowship and good food. We joined together at 5:00 p.m. at the Ryan's Steakhouse in Jackson, Tennessee and spend a couple of hours together. Debra and I are so blessed to work with such special ministers and their companions. A special thanks to Bishops Clayton Mahan and Robbie Wier for help to bring the event about.

The Book of Revelation is one that is quite often overlooked by a lot of Christians for one simple reason...it scares them! Coming in at a closed second, is the fact that it seems somewhat cryptic and hard to understand. I find both of these reasons sad for a couple of reasons: REASON ONE " And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:15-17) The entirety of God's Word is given to us for several reasons. God's Word is the "revealed and preserved" will of God for all of us. From the Word of God we find sound doctrine, we find a mirror that reflects our lives in the light of God's Will thus allowing us the opportunity to r...

It all begins next Saturday, October 6th at Pine Grove in Crossville! (CLICK MAP FOR DIRECTIONS) Tennessee's First Women's Leadership Conference Are you in a Leadership position? Do you feel the Lord leading you toward a leadership position? Do you want to be in a leadership? Do you want to be better equipped to minister to women in your community, your neighborhood, your church?? Do you need a “Girls” day out? Set aside 6 hours on Saturday October 6 th for training, direction and inspiration!! It begins at 9:30 a.m. and will conclude at 3:30 p.m. CST God calls & gifts each individual in the Kingdom. You have something to offer! The format includes: Presentations, Group Activities, Discussion, Networking, & Resources Subjects to be addressed include: * TimeManagement*Communication * Relationships *Conflict Management* Group Building *Leadership Essentials You don’t want to miss this power-packed day designed just for YOU !! Make a da...

For many years, the churches of Tennessee have been great supporters of missions around the world. It could rightfully be said that the Gospel has been spread to every continent of the world by people in our great State. Mission giving over the years has probably amounted to millions of dollars in direct financial assistance and the man-hours expended by mission teams cannot be measured. One of the burdens on my heart is that while we have given of our time and resources around the world, there is a real mission field around each and every one of us. Our neighbors and friends around us may have never heard the Gospel message even once, and I'm not talking about the people who have immigrated here in the last few years. At our State Convention I shared that we must move away from being a denomination and return to our roots as a missionary movement. It was not my intention to imply that our mission efforts outside the United States should stop, only that we have a ready harvest ...

Earlier, I posted about visiting the Lakemoore church last Sunday. During that service, I was privileged to ordain two new deacons in the local church. Travis Overbay and Joe Conway. I've included a photo of the entire group. From left to right, Mrs. Travis Overbay, Deacon Travis Overbay, Bishop E.C. McKinley, Pastor Robert Carpenter, Deacon Joe Conway, Mrs. Joe Conway and Deacon Ernie Moore. I apologize for the delay in posting this story.

For the past week, I've been conducting an informal, online poll concerning the location for our next State Convention, which will convene in the summer of 2009. Here are the results: Chattanooga 17% Jackson 15% Knoxville 9% Memphis 3% Nashville 53% This is a purely "unscientific" poll, but does give an idea of how 106 voters expressed themselves. Please note that another poll begins tonight, and I am asking you to express yourself by checking it out on the left. Thanks and God bless!