Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835
June 4, 2014
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director Royalty isn’t necessarily defined by birth family or wealth. In fact, in many cultures it is still determined by age. I love the stories of veteran Tennessee missions volunteers Don and Ann Davis walking into small Ugandan villages a few years ago with a group of younger missions […]
June 4, 2014
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector Messengers to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention next week (June 10-11) will elect a new convention president. Unlike 2012 when Fred Luter was unanimously elected as the convention’s first African American president, messengers will have a choice. As of Monday, June 2, there were three […]
May 21, 2014
By Johnnie Godwin Contributing Columnist, B&R Beloved Courtney Wilson became my first Tennessee pastor 44 years ago. He died last week. Courtney never did preach long; but toward the last, his messages were even briefer in the “Memory Care” unit where he held forth. With his vast memory and recall greatly reduced, Courtney was still […]
May 20, 2014
By Larry Robertson President, TBC, & Clarksville Pastor We need to reclaim an apostolic urgency to our mission. A recent report by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastors’ Task Force on Evangelistic Impact and Declining Baptisms reminded us of what we already know, that we are floundering when it comes to reaching our communities and culture […]
May 20, 2014
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector A few weeks ago (in the April 30 issue), I wrote about changes that are underway for the Baptist and Reflector. Honestly, those changes are occurring quicker than I imagined, but once the pain of change is over, I think it will prove to be a great move […]
May 20, 2014
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director Tennessee Baptists want to read about other Tennessee Baptists and our churches. And let’s be honest about the newspaper industry in general. Secular news agencies have struggled for years with the financial burden of producing a hard copy version in an increasingly digital age. Many of them have […]
May 13, 2014
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector On Dec. 8, 1995 I had the opportunity and privilege to report on the election of David S. Dockery as president of Union University in Jackson. He was elected unanimously by trustees that day to become the university’s 15th president. Despite his busy schedule, Dr. Dockery found time for […]
May 13, 2014
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director At the end of the day on May 20, the members of the team working at what has been called the Baptist Center will leave the building for the last time and watch the doors close on 45 years of ministry. We’re moving, ending one chapter in Tennessee […]
May 8, 2014
By Carolyn Tomlin Contributing Columnist, B&R I watched as a pair of mockingbirds built a nest near a window of our home. When time came for the female to lay eggs and stay on the nest, the male brought her tasty insects. But other than food, he sang to her. Long into the night, he […]
May 1, 2014
By Johnnie Godwin Contributing Columnist, B&R “Your daddy is soooo slow!” said my mother from my growing-up days till the close of their retirement days. More recently, one of my sons said about the hurried nature of life today, “Jesus was slow!” I didn’t take exception to Mother’s statement because Dad was slow unless he […]
April 30, 2014
By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector All my life I have heard the phrase, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Well, we can add change to that list. Change is going to occur. If you don’t believe it, look in the mirror. Then, go find a picture of yourself five, 10, or 20 […]
April 30, 2014
By Randy C. Davis TBC Executive Director The words of Jesus pierce my heart as I read the facts about the state of children in our country. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: There are more than 640,000 children in our country who spent time in out-of-home care (in foster care) […]