Brother Ray was always sticking his nose into my business. He stuck his nose into the business of all my friends, too.

Ray Newcomb was the longtime pastor of First Baptist Church, Millington. He was active in Tennessee Baptist Convention life, served as TBC president, worked on boards and committees, and was a trustee of Union University. He was probably best known as a determined soul winner.

But like everyone else, I knew him simply as Bro. Ray — the pastor who bounded through the front doors of the sanctuary every Sunday and into the pulpit like a one-man battalion charging hell. He saturated every sermon with the name of Jesus. He lightly punched my arm, wagged his finger and often said, “If sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Proverbs 1:10). [Read more…]

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Like most of you, my neighborhood got a little snow and a whole lot of ice Sunday, Jan. 25. I fought it at first. I trudged out into the extreme cold to clear our sidewalks and driveway. I was doing my best to battle the ice that was still coming down.

After working for about 30 minutes, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of our 10-year-old neighbor, Ian, walking over with his snow shovel. Ian stayed and helped me until the mission was complete — for the moment. Of course, I needed to do it again later.

[Read more…]

Nancy Duggin

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35 (NIV)

Although we may not get up very early in the morning and leave our home to find a solitary place to pray, we definitely need to make time with Jesus a priority. Let us consider a few steps toward setting aside time to spend in solitude with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Begin by praying, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit concerning every step of your new adventure at Jesus’ feet.

• Decide on a time — Choose a time during your day when you can give your full attention. Creating a distraction-free environment is crucial to your ability to experience deep reflection, seeking the Father with all your heart, mind, and soul. Seeking God’s face is significant because it leads to an intimate and personal encounter with Him.
• Choose a location — This can be as simple as a favorite chair in the corner of your bedroom. You’ll want a permanent place designated as your place to meet with the Lord.
• Gather materials — Consider your space. Do you have a small bookcase or table available in your chosen space? A box or basket that can slide under or next to your chair will work. Make a list of the materials you want and will need at your fingertips:

> Readers/glasses;

> Pens/pencils/highlighters;

> Journal;

> Bible; commentary/Bible dictionary;

> Coffee warmer (a must for me, so I’m not having to get up to reheat my coffee);

> Kleenex

• Plan — Pray for guidance concerning whether you will use a study in addition to your Bible or read Scripture alone, reflecting on what it reveals to you about God, what God is saying to you, and what you can and should apply to your life.
• Pray — In faith, believing that the Father will remember His many promises. When praying with others, remember the importance of praying in agreement.

> Learn to seek God’s face before you seek His hand as you sit at His feet. Practice praying Scripture as you spend time worshiping the Father, acknowledging His attributes and character — that He alone is worthy of our worship and praise.

> Build in time to listen to what the Father has to impress upon your heart and mind. Prayer is to be a conversation, not a monologue.

> Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unconfessed sin in your life, agree with Him, and immediately confess and repent.

> Offer words of thanksgiving for the many blessings you experience day to day from the Father.

> Present your petitions (prayers for yourself) and intercessions (prayers for

others).

> Close your prayers by praying in Jesus’ name — and for His glory.

If you are new to having a regular prayer time, set goals for yourself. Start small, establishing a routine and being intentional about protecting your time to sit at Jesus’ feet. Keep a journal handy so you can record what the Holy Spirit reveals to you as you read Scripture, pray, and sit quietly in His presence.

As important as it is to pray throughout the day — while driving or walking, doing housework, or over lunch — nothing can take the place of uninterrupted time of solitude with your Lord.

As you continue to pursue time with the Lord, you fall deeply in love with the One who first loved you. Your desire to sit at His feet leads to a transformed heart accompanied by your ability to hear His voice.

Let this commitment be an anchor for your soul, leading you to the greatest love relationship in your life. May your greatest joy always be found sitting at your Savior’s feet!  B&R

Chris Turner

I recently attended a memorial service for a teenager. The speaker mentioned the person’s birth and death dates, then spoke for 15 minutes about the dash in the middle.

I’ve never given the dash much thought beyond being a device connecting two fixed points on a timeline. However, the speaker’s comments amplified the dash, not the dates. The dash is the most important part of the equation. The dash is the life.

For some, their dashes have reached their terminus. For those reading this column, the dash is the story being written, with an unknown number of pages remaining to fill. [Read more…]

Randy Davis

I stopped by one afternoon in December to visit Bill Choate, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s incomparable state director of Baptist Collegiate Ministries. It was a couple of weeks before his passing. Bill was quintessentially Bill, despite being on home hospice after doctors told him there was nothing more they could do for him.

He welcomed me in and we chatted for a while. He was gracious, thoughtful, introspective, whimsical and sharp with his wit. We talked about our families and compared notes on grandchildren. He talked about a longtime colleague who had visited earlier in the day. So many friends and colleagues visited Bill since his cancer diagnosis and surgery last summer.

I then asked Bill a question I’ve asked him before. “What advice would you give me?” That’s an open-ended question for Bill Choate. [Read more…]