(06/10/08)
GOD'S MEN WRITE ABOUT 'FAITH'

It was obvious that this process would be long, (waiting for preachers to have time to write), but I am sure you will agree it is well worth the wait. To date we have enjoyed articles by Brother Bruce Graham, pastor of Canaan Baptist, Salisbury, NC and Mike Holcomb, evangelist and bass singer for the Inspirations.

Beginning next week we will be blest to hear from Brother Michael Soop, Pastor of New Canaan Baptist in Lawrenceville, GA. His notes on this mysterious gift called “Faith” will inform, enlighten, and encourage us.

I believe God endows men, whom He has called to preach His Word, with the gifts of discerning and exposing truths that the average Christian cannot see or understand. In other words, to get a grip on this deep, rich thing called “Faith”, we will be blessed to hear from the men of God He has appointed to teach us.

Brother Soop’s expose’ will begin next week. I can hardly wait!

(05/13/08)
"PIGEON RIVER REVIVAL, 2008"
Pigeon River Revival

On Thursday and Friday, May 29th and 30th, hundreds of folks will gather at First Baptist Church in Sevierville. It will be a diverse group in some ways. There will be old and young, rich and poor, those who are demonstrative in worship and those who worship quietly.

The common thread among the attendees will be a hunger for God. Those who have been before will return only because they can expect to dine on rich Heavenly food. Those attending for the first time will come out of curiosity. They will have heard the reports: “There is such a presence of God in these meetings.”

None of this comes easily. There is much planning and organizing, a thousand details to be addressed, as well as thousands of dollars to trust God for. All these facets of this great event are tiring and taxing, yet they are but a tip of the iceberg when compared to the real work that goes one daily. Somewhere every day, there are Christians who are seeking and beseeching the Father concerning Pigeon River Revival.

There are prayers for the safety of all who attend and prayers for their comfort. The preachers, of course, are always the main event, and they must have time to pray and study. Then, as they stand to break the Bread of Life, the Holy Spirit must be welcomed so that He can pour Heavenly Oil on those men of God. The singers and musicians must also have that unction upon them to perform their talents. After all, they are preparing the way for the preached Word.

Prayers are made for the saving of sinners, the renewing of cold, distant Christians, the illumination of Truths in the hearts of all who listen. It is easy to say that prayer is the most arduous, most demanding task in preparation of this revival. Thank God that there are those who realize that without a laborious, faith-believing foundation of prayer, this meeting would fade into obscurity.

The table is being set, the time is very near. May we all convene at First Baptist Sevierville with hungry hearts and leave full and satisfied.

(04/15/08)
"PRAYER"
Many can quote James 5:16 by memory, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Many believe it, in theory, but how many Christians know it to be true and practice it with determination.

Herbert Lockyer wrote a book, “All The Prayers Of The Bible”, and it is a large, involved study, yet he did not include all the instructions given in God’s Word on how, when and where to pray. The volume of information was simply too vast.

However, I cannot think of one stone unturned in the lessons on this valuable exercise in God’s Word. Witnessing the power of it in the Bible should convince us, therefore, cause us to surrender to a life devoted to the prayer closet.

A simple pool will illuminate the imperativeness of prayer: could you save your soul from Hell? Can you touch a suffering loved one and make them whole again? Can you reach that wandering child and put a Holy desire in their heart to turn from a life of sin? Can you preach, teach, sing, or minister in any way, effectively, without the unction (anointing) of the Holy Spirit? If you answer, “no,” to all these questions, then what is the answer? Prayer.

“How do I begin a dedicated life of prayer?” Perhaps if we all would study the habits of Daniel, David, Peter and Elijah, a pattern would take shape: pray morning, noon and evening. Pray aloud and fervently. Pray believing, and if your faith is weak, pray as did the disciples, “Lord, increase our faith” (Luke 18:8). Our ultimate example in prayer is, of course, our Savior, and Gethsemane is the perfect picture of the humble, fervent, effective prayer.

What will bring America back to God, save our children, and still the storms that plague our hearts? Prayer. If we will unite, committed to pray until we hear from Heaven, we will begin to see a hand raised over our storm on the Sea of Galilee, “Peace be still.” Prayer will move the hand of God.

I wonder if Jesus ever weeps over America as He did Jerusalem. “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes” (Luke 19:41-42).

Prayer will reveal that peace and bring it to us so that we can enjoy the promise of II Chronicles 7:14, “If my people…”

(03/04/08)
First of all, we apologize for any misinformation on our schedule. Updates have been made. I beg you to look over me and ask that you always call before traveling a long distance to insure we will be there.

Secondly, may I ask you this question, have you asked God if you are suppose to attend Pigeon River Revival this year? If not, you may be missing a grand opportunity to receive a blessing and be a blessing. Look over the information provided on this site for PRR. You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that God is directing you to the mountains to worship this year.

Then, thank you, all who have lifted Bob up in prayer. He came through knee replacement surgery fine on December 10th, but continues to have infection. Between that, arthritis totally engulfing his spine, and simply struggling with all the afflictions of old age, it is difficult to function each day. If you notice our schedule it is plain to see that this would be grueling for a young man, much less someone seventy-one years old.

Every day, almost, Bob says something else is hurting, but we have an arsenal of efficient weapons, all headed up by Grace Sufficient. We have journeyed this far on it so I believe we will find it sufficient to run our race and finish our course.

Ladies, keep up with the ladies meetings and attend when you can. We must present a united front in this war, and I can tell you, we have some real warriors to help in the fight. Throughout these Southeastern states there are soldiers of the Cross who are not afraid of a few battle scars, and who never back down from a fight.

Lastly, for everyone: Pray. Perhaps my mothers encouraging words will help you as they have me. When I get a little weary in the battle, not wanting to, not feeling up to praying, I remember this old warriors summation of the matter:

When you don’t feel like praying, pray
When you think you just can’t get through, pray
Precious to the Father’s ear are three words, “Lord, I’m here”
When you don’t feel like praying, pray

(01/17/08)
"His Name Is Hope"
This year, at Pigeon River Revival at First Baptist in Sevierville, TN, the theme of Women in Revival is “Hope”. It seems to be the word for the hour.

The hour I speak of is one in which God’s children are a bit more weary than I can remember in recent years. Sin, as always, is running rampant, but we have the added burdens of an unsteady economy, a war that appears to be interminable, and an ever increasing pace of life that would require us to be in Olympic competing form.

Let us not forget that we must elect a new president this year, as well. We want to get this right, so, much prayer and meditation, and a lot of listening to the candidates becomes necessary. As God’s children we must not be lazy or matter-of-fact about this need, our future welfare could easily depend on how much time we spend laboring in the closet. We have to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, pray when we don’t feel like praying, listen to these candidates though, at times, they make us feel less than reassured, and simply put forth a supreme effort to get it exactly right. This means placing God’s choice in the oval office.

In the meantime we must work, take care of our families, fulfill our obligations at church, and, all the while, remain calm and confident. When you look at the needs and requirements for this hour it would be easy to amble off to that pit called “despair”. You know the one—that pit we have tried time and again to pull ourselves out of—that pit where “what’s the use?” is most often spoken.

If you have been living a Christian life for any substantial length of time, you know that there is only one way out: not through the verb, hope, or the adjective, hopeful. Not even through the noun, hope, but through a name. His name is “Hope”.

In Genesis Hope was the Creator, in Exodus, the Deliverer, in Psalms, the Shepherd, and in Matthew, hope “became flesh and dwelt among us”. Hope is Jesus Christ and we hang our eternity on Him. It’s just the present we have difficulty in trusting Him with.

Did He or did He not speak to a raging sea, causing it to lie down at His command? Did He deliver Peter from Roman chains and bring Jarius’ little girl back to life? Was He not the One who fed five-thousand with only five loaves and two fishes? Correct me if I’m wrong, but is Jesus not the One that is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”?

Let us lift up those arms that are hanging down, straighten those knees that are weak and wobbly, “the Lord will be the hope of his people” (Joel 3:16).

Am I worried? Not in the least. Jesus is interceding to the Father night and day for His children. Our welfare is of utmost importance to Him; He just wants to hear from us. Then, all we will have to do is wait while He handles the storms, rest while He conquers our enemies, then lay down at night and sleep like a baby, knowing that our Hope has it all under control.

(12/5/07)
“Holy Shore”
“We hear God’s children testify, we’re troubled, sick, and worn’ soldiers fainting in the fight, not wanting to go on. Our knees are sore from bowing, yet we know that’s how we win. Let the vision seen on Patmos revive our hearts again.”

As I write today my need to see what was revealed to John on Patmos is great. But, then, soldiers in God’s army have experienced moments of fatigue for centuries.

As Abraham prayed for Sodom in Genesis 18:23-32, he was laboring for a people who had turned from God to complete wickedness, yet he pleads for mercy for them. Then, only four chapters later, he is on Mt. Moriah being put to a test of faith, greater than we can comprehend. Though he was sorely tried and tested, Abraham “believed in the Lord” (Genesis 15:6)
We can read the scriptures from Abraham to Paul and see that the battle of life is the same today as it was then. Paul’s last letter to Timothy illuminates his true heart; “For the which cause (the cause of Christ) I also suffer all things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able…”

Listen to the testimonies of God’s children today, “we are weary of broken bodies, wounded hearts, and we are so tired of sin.” Every testimony will end with, “Pray for me.”

Prayer, children, is the privilege of those who are already on the winning side, and though our knees may get sore, we know that it is the path to victory. When I don’t feel like praying, don’t think I have another prayer in me, I remember someone else who went into a Garden called Gethsemane to pray. I don’t think He probably felt much like praying that day, but our Savior knew that only victory and glory would come form His great effort on His knees.

In Jesus’ teachings on prayer in John 16, He tells them in verse 20, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”

We are not left wondering “what” joy. There was joy in His resurrection and joy in the Redeemed promise, “I will see you again,” (John 16:22).

No wonder old saints still shout when they sing, “Thru many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come,” or “This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise to see the everlasting prize”! Every once in a while we go to that deserted island of Patmos and look through the eyes of the Revelator and see what Jesus revealed to him.

John saw a day when God would wipe all tears from every eye. Oh, the very though of God’s hand on my cheek, wiping my tears away is enough to put fire in my bones, joy in my soul, and a shout in my voice.

Revelation is a book of hope. In it we see where we have been, where we are now, and, glory to His holy name—where we are going!

My mother, Eulalia, had one sister, Lillian, and one brother, Henry. Henry was the baby and was taken from them at age forty-two. Aunt Lillian grieved and wondered, “Why?” She found no peace until one day: “I don’t believe I was asleep,” she says, “but I wasn’t aware of my surroundings, for the Holy Spirit took me to the old home place. I was at one end of the long hall when I saw something very white at the other end.

As I moved toward it, I began to recognize that it was a person—it was Henry. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. He was clothed in pure gleaming white, and he had something in his hand—it was a Bible, and it was opened. Then Henry spoke. ‘I just came to tell you that the crossing is exactly like He said it would be.’”

Aunt Lillian never grieved again for Henry.

For the children of God there is nothing but joy when we visualize moving from this shore to that blessed “Holy Shore.”

(11/16/07)
"Meaningless"
In our modern language we often hear the word “prioritize”. It simply means to deal, first, with those issues which you feel have the greatest importance, beginning with the one that is the most pressing.

May I offer some encouragement as you prioritize your day: The odds of God failing you today are meaningless. “How,” you may ask, “can I grab hold of this truth?” One of the best answers would be one which God’s children have found to be satisfying throughout history—bathe yourself in the Psalms.

David is honest and emotional, as are all the other Psalmists. They talk about everyday, real life problems and they tell God exactly how they feel. The writers are distressed, impatient, sometimes feeling utterly hopeless, but time after time, following their pitiful pleas, after presenting their case to God, they realize to whom they are talking.

For forgiveness you learn that, “as far as the east is from the west, so hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). In the same chapter we see that the Lord has pity on us when we fear him, and fear means to trust Him, believe His Word. He understands our frailties because “He remembereth that we are dust.”

Psalms 119 is one of the greatest chapters to teach us how to love God’s Holy Word, and the benefits of hiding these truths in our hearts. And if it is hope in a desperate situation you need, Psalm 91 tells us exactly what is required of us—to just love Him.

Reading, studying, and allowing the Psalms to become an intricate part of life, everyday, will gently urge you toward loving and trusting Someone who loves you dearly, Someone who cares. Not only does He love and care, but He, alone, has the power to soothe your troubled heart, fix your problems, and give you the grace to stand while He does so, no matter how long it takes.

Begin to saturate your mind and heart with the Psalms. You may be amazed how soon you find that your eyes, your thoughts are focused on the God of all comfort, and your fears are “meaningless”.