Baptist & Reflector

Telling the Story of Tennessee Baptists Since 1835

THREE REASONS WHY YOU NEED THE SUMMIT

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

Summit 2017 at FBC Hendersonville, Nov. 12-15.

I loved family reunions when I was growing up. Those reunions always landed on or near my Grandpa Davis’ birthday. My Grandpa Davis was my hero. He and Granny Davis were faithful saints and I loved them dearly. Granny Davis was the greatest prayer warrior I’ve ever known, and Grandpa Davis served as treasurer at Little Escambia (Ala.) Baptist Church for over 40 years.

I remember that nearly 100 kinfolks would show up and pack out the church. Afterwards, we’d head to Granny’s and Grandpa’s small house for dinner-on-the-grounds. It was always a blast seeing cousins, aunts and uncles I only got to see once a year. [Read more…]

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IN THE PRESENCE OF HOPE AND HATE

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

The Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch was the scene of a shooting on Sunday, Sept. 24. One person was killed and seven others were injured. — Metro Nashville Police Department photo

Within a 24-hour period I was resoundingly reminded over the weekend of Sept. 23 and 24 of the spiritual battle raging around us.

I was reminded Saturday of the beauty of Christ lived out in the life of those who put their hope in Him. Carolyn Boyd, wife of Forest Hills Baptist Church (Nashville) Pastor Sam Boyd, succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) after a nearly four-year battle. Barring the miraculous intervention of God, no one with an understanding of “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” as it is also called, expected a different ending. [Read more…]

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ANY WAY YOU SLICE IT

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

Any way you slice it, it was a record-setting year for the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.

The first record broken came in June when the generous giving of Tennessee Baptists blew past the previous all-time high given to GOTM, which had been more than $1.7 million dollars.

The second record broken was a final 2016-2017 total of nearly $1.85 million, moving the bar to an all-time high for missions giving in our state.  [Read more…]

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LOVING TO TELL THE TIMELESS STORY

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

A great story never gets old, even if it’s an old story.

I was recently talking with Mike Henegar, one of our Tennessee pastors, and he shared with me what God was saying to him through Psalms 71. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued so I reread Psalm 71 as soon as I got home. In the psalm, the Sweet Singer of Zion, as an old man, is asking God to allow him to live long enough to share with the next generation the mighty works of the Lord. I love how the writer puts it. “Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.” [Read more…]

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IS MINISTRY YOUR MUSHROOM?

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

A strange phenomenon happened in the Pacific Northwest. Large patches of trees were dying in an Oregon forest. Scientists determined the problem was a single breed of mushroom that covered 2,384 acres, about the size of 1,600 soccer fields.

Apparently the white tentacles of the mushroom wrapped around root systems and tree trunks and robbed the trees of nutrients, carbohydrates, and water. In other words, the mushrooms choked the trees to death.  [Read more…]

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PAUSING FOR POIGNANT MOMENTS

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President & Executive Director

There are moments in life that are so obviously important that they need not scream to be recognized. The magnitude of their presence halts the daily hustle and quietly demands that we notice, and reflect, and determine that the nostalgic moment becomes a prelude to something greater.

I believe God has granted to Tennessee Baptists such a poignant moment and we must pause to understand its significance to our past, but more importantly, to our future.  [Read more…]

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TBMB TO HOST SBC FELLOWSHIP

Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board will host a fellowship reception for Tennessee Baptists attending the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix.

The reception will be held on Monday, June 12, at 8:30 p.m. in the Ahwatukee Room A/B in the Sheraton Grand Hotel. [Read more…]

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THE IMPACT OF AN ORPHAN

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB President/Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

Wilkerson V. Jones would’ve turned 100 this coming July 4th. He was well known all over Mobile, Ala. It seemed as if he knew everybody and everybody knew him.

He is a member of the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame, was active in his church, and was tall, handsome and distinguished. A southern gentleman in every way, married to the same woman for well over half a century, and together with Ms. Juanita, they raised nine children. [Read more…]

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GRATEFUL FOR ALL CHEERFUL GIVERS

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB Executive Director

Randy C. Davis

God loves a cheerful giver.

Chances are you’ve heard that phrase from your pastor, or maybe from your momma or grandmother. We often share that verse with children when we teach them about stewardship. Well, last week I assume God was extremely pleased, and I was pleasantly surprised. No, actually I was pleasantly shocked.

It was my great pleasure to announce at the spring meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board that an unbelievably generous Tennessee Baptist gave nearly $1.6 million dollars to establish the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions Endowment. For years to come, approximately $50,000-plus in annual interest will funnel into the GOTM and be used for a variety of ministry opportunities. [Read more…]

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PASTOR: NINE STEPS TO RECOVERING YOUR JOY

By Randy C. Davis
TBMB Executive Director

It’s right there in the red letters:  “That my joy may be in you …”

This is a statement of fact made by Jesus Himself, and yet I’ve encountered so many pastors who haven’t experienced joy in a long time. The man behind the pulpit carries both pastoral and personal burdens, and it can be overwhelming. What once was a thrill becomes drudgery, and one day, pastor, you realize you’ve lost your joy. I know the feeling. Been there.

While I was a pastor, I signed articles and letters with the salutation, “It is a joy to be your pastor.” Once, however, the slightest typo slipped through — a single letter — and communicated something completely different: “It is a job to be your pastor.” [Read more…]

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