A celebration of the New Year begins with a positive reflection in my life of memories and impacts that must be shared. Dr. Leon Simpson entered eternal life on October 27, 2009. His wife Marilyn of 45 years, and his children Douglas, Timothy and Noelle certainly had the benefit of complete access and twenty-four hour a day opportunity to learn from a true visionary who step into leadership roles and made every situation better because of his involvement.
In the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky we understand pride in your heritage and we respect a rich history of pioneering spirit. Dr. Simpson came from humble beginnings in Oklahoma and he had great love for the Panhandle of Texas. He was a master at using his own experiences to connect with individuals and their backgrounds, be they varied and different. My introduction to Dr. Leon Simpson was when he became the 3rd President of Clear Creek Baptist Bible College. Clear Creek at the time was not an accredited college, the buildings and property had served well, but were in need up updating. Dr. Simpson brought to CCBBC a great vision of forward thinking and progressive leadership that has continued because he dared to push forward with a dream to make ministers the best prepared with the best resources. Updating sewer systems, replacing the campus phone systems, upgrading the cabins, building the family life center and seeing the college to accreditation are no small steps. These directions from his leadership changed the campus life, increased enrollment and brought change and impact to thousands of churches across America and even the world because he led.
Dr. Simpson enhanced the staff and leadership at Clear Creek through his service as President. Dr. H. Leo Eddleman, and Dr. H.C. Chiles were just two professors that came to serve at his invitation. Dr. Simpson believed there was no replacement for academic ministry preparation, and he believed the students that came to Clear Creek deserved the best and he recruited from his seminary connections to meet that goal. That leadership and foundation laid then has brought unprecedented benefit to today’s student while they may only know the name of Leon Simpson if that. This fact alone is a testament of the nature of Dr. Simpson. He never did anything with the vision of a personal legacy in mind, only the vision of what God laid before him and all to be done for the glory of God. I am humbled to even type such words thinking of Dr. Simpson, and those that also knew him know this was his character.
Clear Creek Baptist Bible College is the institution it is today because of the foundation laid in the vision of Dr. L.C. Kelly when he was Pastor of the First Baptist Church Pineville, Ky. Dr. D.M. Aldridge followed with his vision of building upon the dream to education and prepare individuals for ministry and service. Dr. Leon Simpson brought his expertise and vision which laid the next foundation to be built upon. Dr. Bill Whitaker followed in the steps of vision travel and today, Dr. Donnie Fox lays a foundation that will also be followed in due time.
Thanking God for faithful men is appropriate, and honoring Dr. Leon Simpson for his impact is a must for me and proper for all who have experienced the blessing of his impact. Laying a foundation that another can build upon is not easy, but is truly Biblical. Dr. Leon Simpson did that at every stage in his life and CCBBC was s solid foundation.
Until then
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
From Y2K to 201`0
2010…it’s one of those dates that I honestly believe most folks wouldn’t have thought would never arrive, or that we would survive to arrive. All throughout 1999 the talk of the year was about Y2K. The predictions of how the computer world was going to crash, how cars were going to stop running and even planes may fall out of the sky if that special computer chip that dealt with dates was not replaced. My library has several books dealing with Y2K and how to survive if food shipments ended, what to store, and even how to store it for a long time until the greatest computer crisis was fixed or the world ended with the return of Jesus Christ.
On New Years Eve 2009, I spoke at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky at a youth event they had planned to bring in the new age of 2010. A part of my introduction began by asking them where they were 10 years ago. It was funny to hear the answers that ranged from I was only 4 years old and I have no idea, to teenagers that were 10 at the time and remember watching the ball drop in New York on television. For me, I reflected that 10 years ago I had organized a New Years Eve Event at the Pineville High School Gym to celebrate the arrival of Y2K, or simply the year 2000. The theme Southern Baptist had was Celebrate Jesus 2000, and as pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church of Dorton Branch I couldn’t think of a better thing to do, so we planned, promoted and enjoyed ringing in the New Year. Other area youth joined and we invited First Priority Clubs from all over to also participate with dramas, skits and musical selections. Truth is we had a great time, I remember it just like yesterday even though it was 10 years ago. It is amazing how time races forward and then we stand looking back at the decade just past.
The scary moment of the evening came right at midnight and the changing of the year when an electrical breaker blew her fuse. You could hear a pin drop when that occurred and the funny moment came when a gentleman from the breaker room yelled, “it’s a fuse”. I guess for a moment we were not sure if the computer crisis had arrived and power grids in Southeastern Kentucky had failed and their ability to produce electricity was lost. Funny how you can laugh and be scared at the same time, but we managed to do both and to develop our Christian Faith through both events. The lesson in the end was that He is still in-charge no matter the experience.
The truth is that we are all on a journey called life. Each of our journeys provides a different experience and each has their own individual moments of crisis, challenge, and consideration. We have options as we travel along that include everything from traveling alone to running with a pack. Our options include acting in accordance with trust in faith or you could opt-out for no faith at all if that be your choice.
Myself, I have had many different experiences from life that I pray I am able to draw from to share in this column encouragement and shelter for the storms of life for you. Writing is one of those parts of my journey that I had never planned on. I never had a moment prior to landing my first column with “Until then” that I thought this is what I wanted to do or had an interest in. Today, I can write that I absolutely believe this is something I should be doing. Writing, sharing, and attempting to be a positive part of the journey of others is a worthy task and one I am both grateful for and humbled by the journey. Thanks for reading this column and 10 years from now in 2020, I pray I am still providing a smile for your steps and a helping hand for the road.
Until then
On New Years Eve 2009, I spoke at the Macedonia Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky at a youth event they had planned to bring in the new age of 2010. A part of my introduction began by asking them where they were 10 years ago. It was funny to hear the answers that ranged from I was only 4 years old and I have no idea, to teenagers that were 10 at the time and remember watching the ball drop in New York on television. For me, I reflected that 10 years ago I had organized a New Years Eve Event at the Pineville High School Gym to celebrate the arrival of Y2K, or simply the year 2000. The theme Southern Baptist had was Celebrate Jesus 2000, and as pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church of Dorton Branch I couldn’t think of a better thing to do, so we planned, promoted and enjoyed ringing in the New Year. Other area youth joined and we invited First Priority Clubs from all over to also participate with dramas, skits and musical selections. Truth is we had a great time, I remember it just like yesterday even though it was 10 years ago. It is amazing how time races forward and then we stand looking back at the decade just past.
The scary moment of the evening came right at midnight and the changing of the year when an electrical breaker blew her fuse. You could hear a pin drop when that occurred and the funny moment came when a gentleman from the breaker room yelled, “it’s a fuse”. I guess for a moment we were not sure if the computer crisis had arrived and power grids in Southeastern Kentucky had failed and their ability to produce electricity was lost. Funny how you can laugh and be scared at the same time, but we managed to do both and to develop our Christian Faith through both events. The lesson in the end was that He is still in-charge no matter the experience.
The truth is that we are all on a journey called life. Each of our journeys provides a different experience and each has their own individual moments of crisis, challenge, and consideration. We have options as we travel along that include everything from traveling alone to running with a pack. Our options include acting in accordance with trust in faith or you could opt-out for no faith at all if that be your choice.
Myself, I have had many different experiences from life that I pray I am able to draw from to share in this column encouragement and shelter for the storms of life for you. Writing is one of those parts of my journey that I had never planned on. I never had a moment prior to landing my first column with “Until then” that I thought this is what I wanted to do or had an interest in. Today, I can write that I absolutely believe this is something I should be doing. Writing, sharing, and attempting to be a positive part of the journey of others is a worthy task and one I am both grateful for and humbled by the journey. Thanks for reading this column and 10 years from now in 2020, I pray I am still providing a smile for your steps and a helping hand for the road.
Until then
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Christmas....really....what option
The traditions of the Holiday can almost put your life into a frenzy. It’s Christmas Cards that must be mailed out, using last years addresses from cards you received….only to remember that you never ever wrote down any of those addresses from last year, so that’s out. Maybe it’s a gathering of friends that you just haven’t seen in a while, so why not have them over to the house, what a great idea, right? Only to realize that once you finally got around to inviting folks two days before you wanted to have your social gathering that everyone was already committed to other things…that’s a bummer. How about attending a Christmas Play or a Parade…that will work, but not writing down the starting time will make for horrible seating inside, not to mention bad parking outside, and if it were to be raining, just double the negative experience that you wanted to be so positive?
I am pretty sure that I have mentioned some truths that folks can relate to reflecting back over Christmas 2009. I know I did a few things different this year to keep me out of the frenzy of the moment. For instance, I went to a shopping mall just to see if I could keep count of all the people that got mad because I was just walking inside the mall and not running over folks like they were. I will share that I also found it interesting to see how many people wouldn’t hold the door for someone with arms full of packages, or to just be nice and simply hold the door as a kind gesture. What I witnessed was when someone would hold the door folks would just keep walking in and out and no one would say thanks to the guy holding the door or replace themselves with their kind gesture allowing him to walk through the door he was opening in a good spirit. It was always interesting when that guy finally just quit holding the door that someone in his family would always gesture with a like “why did you do that, you should have known no one would be nice“, sorry I can‘t help but smile and laugh just a little. I don’t know what makes up Holiday Fun, but it seems like a lot of folks just don’t have any fun during this time of the year. Seemed to me most folks were mad that they had to buy a gift or upset that they didn’t know what to buy. Given those circumstances I’m not sure if I would be buying any gift, but then again, I’m not like most folks.
Holiday’s should be enjoyed. Sure it’s nice to have a schedule and a plan, but to be all bothered and worked up into a frenzy is not my plan. For instance, the family Christmas meal didn’t happen on the time mother wanted it to happen and I simply said, hey, if people don’t want to wait and can’t understand why it’s late, sorry about their luck. Of course I figured no one in the family was leaving to go eat some place else and if they did, that would leave more for me, and I would think that would be a good thing! Ok, I’m really smiling now, but I believe you should have enough thoughts to pull together the real picture we should have for our lives. From time to time rushing to accomplish a task is fine, but if that rush is created just because we kept putting things off and off, no, it’s not so good. Having to think about what people would enjoy or could use in life should be a great thing. Thinking about folks you care about shouldn’t be a negative chore.
I guess this is what happens when you forget about the real meaning of Christmas and the Holiday’s….Lord help me to always stay focused.
Until then
I am pretty sure that I have mentioned some truths that folks can relate to reflecting back over Christmas 2009. I know I did a few things different this year to keep me out of the frenzy of the moment. For instance, I went to a shopping mall just to see if I could keep count of all the people that got mad because I was just walking inside the mall and not running over folks like they were. I will share that I also found it interesting to see how many people wouldn’t hold the door for someone with arms full of packages, or to just be nice and simply hold the door as a kind gesture. What I witnessed was when someone would hold the door folks would just keep walking in and out and no one would say thanks to the guy holding the door or replace themselves with their kind gesture allowing him to walk through the door he was opening in a good spirit. It was always interesting when that guy finally just quit holding the door that someone in his family would always gesture with a like “why did you do that, you should have known no one would be nice“, sorry I can‘t help but smile and laugh just a little. I don’t know what makes up Holiday Fun, but it seems like a lot of folks just don’t have any fun during this time of the year. Seemed to me most folks were mad that they had to buy a gift or upset that they didn’t know what to buy. Given those circumstances I’m not sure if I would be buying any gift, but then again, I’m not like most folks.
Holiday’s should be enjoyed. Sure it’s nice to have a schedule and a plan, but to be all bothered and worked up into a frenzy is not my plan. For instance, the family Christmas meal didn’t happen on the time mother wanted it to happen and I simply said, hey, if people don’t want to wait and can’t understand why it’s late, sorry about their luck. Of course I figured no one in the family was leaving to go eat some place else and if they did, that would leave more for me, and I would think that would be a good thing! Ok, I’m really smiling now, but I believe you should have enough thoughts to pull together the real picture we should have for our lives. From time to time rushing to accomplish a task is fine, but if that rush is created just because we kept putting things off and off, no, it’s not so good. Having to think about what people would enjoy or could use in life should be a great thing. Thinking about folks you care about shouldn’t be a negative chore.
I guess this is what happens when you forget about the real meaning of Christmas and the Holiday’s….Lord help me to always stay focused.
Until then
Sunday, December 20, 2009
"First Christmas in Heaven"
I first published this poem December 1998 after the passing of my grandfather, C. Hobert Mills. For the past 11 years I have continued to resubmit this column each year not just because it is precious to me, but over the years I have received hundreds of emails and notes sharing how it has also touched others lives too. This year I am looking at pictures of loved ones and friends that remind me of great moments shared in life while here. My pictures are covering ages from 98 to 17. Having Christian Faith is a blessing that provides me with peace and comfort at this time of the year and I pray that you will find that same joy even with the loss of your loved one.
My First Christmas in Heaven
I see the countless Christmas Trees around the world below
With tiny lights, like Heaven’s stars, reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so spectacular, please wipe away the tear
For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear
But the sounds of music can’t compare with the Christmas choir up here.
I have no words to tell you, the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description to hear the angels sing.
I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart
But I am not so far away, we really aren’t apart.
So be happy for me, dear ones, you know I hold you dear
And be glad I’m spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
I sent you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above.
I sent you each a memory of my undying love.
After all, love is a gift more precious than pure gold.
It was always most important in the stories Jesus told.
Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do.
For I can’t count the blessing or love He has for each of you.
So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear.
Remember, I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
Until then
My First Christmas in Heaven
I see the countless Christmas Trees around the world below
With tiny lights, like Heaven’s stars, reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so spectacular, please wipe away the tear
For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear
But the sounds of music can’t compare with the Christmas choir up here.
I have no words to tell you, the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description to hear the angels sing.
I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart
But I am not so far away, we really aren’t apart.
So be happy for me, dear ones, you know I hold you dear
And be glad I’m spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
I sent you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above.
I sent you each a memory of my undying love.
After all, love is a gift more precious than pure gold.
It was always most important in the stories Jesus told.
Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do.
For I can’t count the blessing or love He has for each of you.
So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear.
Remember, I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
Until then
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Santa Clause....hum?
The song says, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, and the encouraging words instruct us that Santa is checking his list to see who is naughty and nice. Some thoughts that need exploration are items like, when does the list or recording keeping begin? Could it be that Santa starts his list on Christmas Day, especially since he comes on Christmas Eve? Or maybe he doesn’t start until the first day of Summer. This would give him time to regroup things at the North Pole pulling together all the players necessary to make such a one day sleigh ride possible.
Considering that most children don’t begin writing letters to Santa until the day after Thanksgiving, there is a lot of work to accomplish in a short time for the man in red and his helpers. Not sure when Santa starts keeping his list or how he organizes but the song states without a doubt that he is putting all of us into one of two list…bad or good.
One item that needs some investigating from the song is how you can move from the naughty and not receiving gifts to the nice and Santa is packing up something just for you.
When one is young you might thing for days about what you are going to put out on the table for Santa to eat during his visit to your house, and I believe most are not even concerned about the presence or absence of a chimney. I’m not sure if most children are thinking by leaving some goodies for Santa to eat that it’s the last ditch effort to win Santa over so he will leave more gifts or not, but that’s a question and thought worth wondering about for conversation sake.
Seems like everybody at this time of the year is trying to be nice so we can receive maybe our own wish list on Christmas Eve. If one doesn’t take a good inventory of themselves at this time of the year it is easy to see by just asking questions how we can begin traveling down a road that is not at all about the real meaning of Christmas.
The real news of Christmas is that whether naughty or nice, there is an answer that provides hope and the free gift of a lifetime. Gifts at this time of the year fall into the “I just want” and that means it could be something you want to play with or just have, or the other category “I should could use”, and it could be items you use all the time that are not only practical but useful and needed, not to mention your brand choice too.
Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem and he would die at the place of the Skull called Calvary. His gift to the world is one that for some it is easily seen and the need is felt inside our hearts, just knowing that something is missing in our lives. Accepting His free gift is an amazing experience. While you receive everything Jesus offers when you ask Him to come into your heart immediately, it does take time to get to know Him, learn His character and see His patterns and how He works in our lives.
Not sure about Santa and his list and nor when he begins, but one thing I know for sure. When ever you ask Jesus to come into your life, He begins to work immediately, He is just waiting on you to accept His gift for you…so why not this Christmas?
Until then
Considering that most children don’t begin writing letters to Santa until the day after Thanksgiving, there is a lot of work to accomplish in a short time for the man in red and his helpers. Not sure when Santa starts keeping his list or how he organizes but the song states without a doubt that he is putting all of us into one of two list…bad or good.
One item that needs some investigating from the song is how you can move from the naughty and not receiving gifts to the nice and Santa is packing up something just for you.
When one is young you might thing for days about what you are going to put out on the table for Santa to eat during his visit to your house, and I believe most are not even concerned about the presence or absence of a chimney. I’m not sure if most children are thinking by leaving some goodies for Santa to eat that it’s the last ditch effort to win Santa over so he will leave more gifts or not, but that’s a question and thought worth wondering about for conversation sake.
Seems like everybody at this time of the year is trying to be nice so we can receive maybe our own wish list on Christmas Eve. If one doesn’t take a good inventory of themselves at this time of the year it is easy to see by just asking questions how we can begin traveling down a road that is not at all about the real meaning of Christmas.
The real news of Christmas is that whether naughty or nice, there is an answer that provides hope and the free gift of a lifetime. Gifts at this time of the year fall into the “I just want” and that means it could be something you want to play with or just have, or the other category “I should could use”, and it could be items you use all the time that are not only practical but useful and needed, not to mention your brand choice too.
Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem and he would die at the place of the Skull called Calvary. His gift to the world is one that for some it is easily seen and the need is felt inside our hearts, just knowing that something is missing in our lives. Accepting His free gift is an amazing experience. While you receive everything Jesus offers when you ask Him to come into your heart immediately, it does take time to get to know Him, learn His character and see His patterns and how He works in our lives.
Not sure about Santa and his list and nor when he begins, but one thing I know for sure. When ever you ask Jesus to come into your life, He begins to work immediately, He is just waiting on you to accept His gift for you…so why not this Christmas?
Until then
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Regina Roaden Tye
In ministry, one fills their life with dreams and hopes of all the things you believe God has called you to do. Following God’s Call on your life has a lot to do with programs, events, and always having something to preach on a short seconds notice. I believe most in His service also want to impact people, but the one conversation no one ever shared with me at the beginning of my ministry, was how much I would personally be impacted by the people I would serve.
Churches provide many opportunities for personal growth through meeting people, walking with them through various circumstances and standing beside them during times of questions that seemingly produces no answers. Those opportunities also include celebrations through weddings, birthday days, graduations, anniversaries and moments of professional accomplishments too.
Serving the Greenland Baptist Church in Corbin has provided me a rich history of all the things that make for great memories. Regina Roaden Tye was an impact not only on me and my ministry but her life has impacted thousands. As a wife, her devotion to her husband Tim, and through his service as a United States Marine, Regina touched the lives of countless wives as a devoted Christian wife who offered faith and hope to those she encountered. As a mother she had devoted her energy, talents, and experiences of life as sweet counsel to her two blessings of life, Abby and Zach.
For Christians, faith in Jesus Christ offers eternal life which provides the foundation for celebrating a life that never ends. Wednesday December 2, 2009 is a date that now reflects her perfecting as a child of God. The Bible says that we become joint heirs with Jesus through Faith. The celebration of Regina’s life begins with the amazing gift of forgiveness of sin. The celebration of Regina’s life begins with a hope that teaches us to press on toward the prize. The celebration of Regina’s life begins with confidence that He who began a good work in us will complete it.
To me, Psalm 103 says, I will bless the Lord with all my soul not forgetting His benefits. My personal reflection of benefit from Regina’s life is the benefit of a friend who was an encourager. A friend who believed doing the right thing was the only choice. A friend who in nodding her head in affirmation said keep going, and a friend whose smile assured you God had just used you. To Regina, Psalm 103 is the realization of her faith. A Savior who heals all her diseases. A Savior who makes her young again mounting up new wings to soar with the eagles.
Battling cancer is not the plan any would choose for anyone. If a magic wand could be waved we would all be in line moving our arms back and forth. Truth is that cancer is a part of our lives. Some receive their healing here and for that we rejoice. For others various stages of remission occurs of which we are thankful. When faced with surmountable odds I have witnessed many rest in a peace and assurance that comes only from a personal relationship and faith with Jesus. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116: 15; And in faith years Regina your family and friends now sing, I will meet you in the morning.
Until then
Churches provide many opportunities for personal growth through meeting people, walking with them through various circumstances and standing beside them during times of questions that seemingly produces no answers. Those opportunities also include celebrations through weddings, birthday days, graduations, anniversaries and moments of professional accomplishments too.
Serving the Greenland Baptist Church in Corbin has provided me a rich history of all the things that make for great memories. Regina Roaden Tye was an impact not only on me and my ministry but her life has impacted thousands. As a wife, her devotion to her husband Tim, and through his service as a United States Marine, Regina touched the lives of countless wives as a devoted Christian wife who offered faith and hope to those she encountered. As a mother she had devoted her energy, talents, and experiences of life as sweet counsel to her two blessings of life, Abby and Zach.
For Christians, faith in Jesus Christ offers eternal life which provides the foundation for celebrating a life that never ends. Wednesday December 2, 2009 is a date that now reflects her perfecting as a child of God. The Bible says that we become joint heirs with Jesus through Faith. The celebration of Regina’s life begins with the amazing gift of forgiveness of sin. The celebration of Regina’s life begins with a hope that teaches us to press on toward the prize. The celebration of Regina’s life begins with confidence that He who began a good work in us will complete it.
To me, Psalm 103 says, I will bless the Lord with all my soul not forgetting His benefits. My personal reflection of benefit from Regina’s life is the benefit of a friend who was an encourager. A friend who believed doing the right thing was the only choice. A friend who in nodding her head in affirmation said keep going, and a friend whose smile assured you God had just used you. To Regina, Psalm 103 is the realization of her faith. A Savior who heals all her diseases. A Savior who makes her young again mounting up new wings to soar with the eagles.
Battling cancer is not the plan any would choose for anyone. If a magic wand could be waved we would all be in line moving our arms back and forth. Truth is that cancer is a part of our lives. Some receive their healing here and for that we rejoice. For others various stages of remission occurs of which we are thankful. When faced with surmountable odds I have witnessed many rest in a peace and assurance that comes only from a personal relationship and faith with Jesus. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116: 15; And in faith years Regina your family and friends now sing, I will meet you in the morning.
Until then
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