Volunteer or Called?

Even in smaller churches like mine, we need all the help we can get. Often just a hand full of people end up doing all of the jobs. I remember at a former church I was at, I was the music minister, interim pastor, Sunday school teacher, and sign changer. It was exhausting work. I am also stretched too thin at my current church where I am the minister of music, Sunday school teacher, VBS director, website administrator, and I preach when given the opportunity. It does become tiresome at times but I have never regretted working for the Lord. I have a calling in my life and I am a volunteer. I'm not bragging by any means, I'm just stating the facts. Churches need willing volunteers but I believe they need to be called by God as well.

I suscribe to Paul Clark's email updates for music ministers. I always enjoy his thougtful insight and tips. Today's email contained a really great article about the difference in being a volunteer and being called by God. I thought I would share the below 10 statements with you that he quoted from Rory Noland:

1. Volunteers see their involvement at church as community service, but people called of God see it as ministry.

2. Volunteers whine about what it's going to cost to serve, but people who are called are committed to serving.

3. Volunteers shrink back from resolving relational conflict, but people called of God seek to resolve relational conflict for the sake of unity in the church.

4. Volunteers look upon rehearsal as another commitment they're obligated to fulfill, but people called of God look forward to rehearsal as another opportunity to be used by God.

5. Volunteers do no outside practicing or preparation, but people who are called of God come to rehearsals and a performance as prepared as possible.

6. Volunteers are not open to constructive criticism; they get defensive about it. But people called of God are grateful for feedback because they want to be the best they can be.

7. Volunteers feel threatened by the talent of others, but people called of God praise Him for distributing gifts and talents as he chooses.

8. Volunteers want to quit at the first sign of adversity or discouragement, but people called of God dig in and persevere.

9. Volunteers find their main source of fulfillment in their talents and abilities, but people called of God know that being used of God is the most fulfilling thing you can do with your life.

10. Volunteers can't handle being put in situations in which they're going to be stretched, but people called of God respond to God's call with humble dependence on Him

What are your thought?

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The making of a music minister

I've always been proud of my family. I think I was brought up in the best home a person would ever dream of being brought up in. We weren't wealthy by any means, in fact, we were always barely scraping by. If there is one thing I've learned in this old world it is that money and riches aren't worth a hill of beans if you ain't got love. We had plenty of love in my family. We weren't big on hugging or kissing or even saying I love you when I was growing up but there was never any question that we loved each other. I didn't realize it back then but I know it now, the reason we had such love was because we had Jesus in our lives.

We are "church people" through and through. I don't mean that we are religious zealots but that we are people that love God and love the things of God. We love going to His church, we love reading and preaching His Word, and we love singing songs about Him. I come from a long line of great singers. Both of my grandfathers were excellent bass singers. Both of my grandmothers could sing. Granny Spencer played the piano better than anybody you'd ever want to hear and never had a lesson in her life. Both of my parents sing and both of my sisters were blessed with great singing voices and piano playing skills. I've got aunts and uncles stretched across the entire United States and the whole bunch of us can sing or play instruments. I'm proud of that.

I was thinking today about all of the wonderful singing I grew up with. Our home was always filled with music. We had one of those big console RCA stereos with AM/FM and record player. My parents had a huge collection of 33 RPM records, everything from the Chuck Wagon Gang, The Carter Family, Naomi and the Segos, to Hank Snow, Michael Parks, and Johnny Cash. We would sit in our tiny living room and listen to those records and sing along with them. My dad would play the guitar and my sisters would play the piano. As my sisters and I grew older and developed voices that were able to sing parts, we each would learn a part and sing together. My mother had some old song books and we would sing those old Chuck Wagon Gang songs and try our best to imitate them.

Back in the mid-late 1990's, my family all got together and gathered around the piano with the old red back Church Hymnal and a tape recorder. We sang for hours and recorded some of our favorite songs. I uploaded them all today to the Internet (listen to them here) so I could share them with others. I love listening to those old songs. It makes me feel young again and makes me appreciate the great family I was blessed with. My older sister, Pam, is no longer with us and my mother no longer has a piano in her house either. I still have the old memories in my head though and no one can take them away from me.

I never intended on being a "Minister of Music," I was sorta volunteered into the position one time and it just stuck with me. I'm a bass singer and cannot sing very high at all. My aunt Barbara plays the piano for me and lowers all of the songs so I can lead them. I often have people tell me that I do a wonderful job leading. It always embarrasses me because I feel that I do terrible. I hate to hear myself sing when I'm leading. One thing I do love about leading the music though is seeing how God's Spirit moves among the people during Worship. There's not a better feeling in the world.

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To have the passion of Paul

If you know me in the least then you know my favorite Bible hero (besides Jesus) is the Apostle Paul. I have very rarely preached a sermon or taught a Sunday school class without mentioning Paul in some way. Just a glance at my bookshelf will reveal over a dozen books written about this great Apostle.

Yesterday during my lunch break I was sitting outside in my Pathfinder studying the Bible. I was reading Acts chapter 20:16-38, where Paul is bidding a tearful goodbye to the church at Ephesus. I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye as I read those passages of Scripture. I could just see the scene unfold before my eyes. My, how the people loved Paul and how he loved them. There was so much passion in his words. Not only was his passion for the people apparent but his passion for the Lord Jesus Christ was dominant in the conversation. Chills ran down my spine as I read his words in verse 24: "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." I know all of the labor and strife was going through his mind as he testified of his love for Jesus but yet none of those things moved him.

I re-read the above Scripture last night during our family altar time and once again my eyes misted over. I can't get the thought out of my head that Paul must have had twice the amount of passion in his heart for Jesus than I do. I began to wonder if I could have withstood all of the perils that Paul did in his time? It seems that nowadays people make any excuse in the world to stop following Jesus. We wear our feelings on our sleeves just waiting for someone to hurt them. I see so many church members with a chip on their shoulder sitting there just dying for someone to knock it off. Lately I've seen several church members leave the church over getting their feelings hurt. Unlike the Apostle Paul, we let everything move us. Oh, if we only knew what it was like to really have a desire and passion to follow Jesus the way Paul did. I want that passion in my life. I am making a resolution today to push all of my selfish desires out of my heart and try to have more love for other people and for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I'm not going to let anything move me.

Listen to a wonderful sermon by Curtis Hutson - None of these things move me.

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I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now

"I started out traveling for the Lord many years ago, I've had a lot of heartaches, had a lot of grief and woe. But, when I would stumble, then I would humble down. And there I would say, I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now." - Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now - Written by Charles Goodman and Jimmie Davis.

Last night at church as I was making announcements and welcoming folks, I made the comment that it felt like it had been forever since our last service. In all reality it had only been 3-days, or if you prefer 72-hours. But, it sure seemed like it had been a lot longer. As I have gotten older I have found that my thoughts, ideas, and desires have completely changed from what they were when I was a younger man that used to complain about going to church.

I can remember as a child being "forced" to attend church, and in my little mind I thought my parents were trying to torture me. In my teens I enjoyed singing and didn't really mind going to church, plus, that was the only place that I could date my girlfriend, so my desire to attend was really selfishly motivated. As a young adult, I felt that church was more of an obligation and I felt guilty if I didn't attend. I enjoyed it some but really only went because I knew I should. I even got out of church for a while when I was in my twenties but I always felt ashamed when not attending.

Eventually, life's troubles and strife found their way into my life. I was not following God's will and I paid dearly because of it. I finally turned to God and church for Spiritual guidance. I began seeing how God's power could work in my life. I will never forget working a dead-end job making minimum wage, barely able to make ends meet and feeling emotionally and spiritually bankrupt. I prayed to my Father in Heaven and made a covenant with Him. I would do whatever He wanted me to do for His Kingdom. Little did I know what He had in store for me...

The Sunday School Teacher: There was a need for a young adult Sunday school teacher at my church. "Who in their right mind would want to do that," I wondered? Unbelievably, I found many fingers pointing toward me. "God, are you sure," I asked? He was sure and I stepped into that role. It was one of the scariest things in my entire life. I'll never forget my knees literally knocking together as I stood that first Sunday in front of a room of 12 people and began teaching. As my confidence grew, so did my desire to understand God's Word and my desire to have a close relationship with Him. I relished in my study time and was amazed at how God revealed things to me from the Bible that I had never understood before. I guess it was like in Acts 9:18 telling about the Apostle Paul's conversion: "And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized."

Minister of Music: Suddenly we were faced with the Minister of Music resigning from the church so he could attend college full-time. "Who will we put into that position," I wondered? Again, in my unbelief, fingers were pointing toward me. Have I mentioned that I have always been totally backwards and shy around people? Have I mentioned that I inherited a very deep bass voice? I never once in a million years wanted to lead a choir or a congregation in song. I was completely happy standing on the back pew of the choir and singing the bass part. But, I accepted the position of music minister and learned how to lead. God didn't just stick me out there on my own, he led others to help me. My aunt Barbara was the pianist at the church and she painstakingly lowered each Hymn for me so that I was able to lead without cracking every high note. The pastor of the church, Jamie Porterfield, instructed me on how to conduct with my hands with the proper time signatures and beats. Eventually I became comfortable standing in front of over 100 folks and leading them in worship.

Preaching the Gospel: Just when I became comfortable, God placed another calling in my life... preaching His Word. There was no way, no how, that I wanted to do that! I will fully admit that I questioned God many times about it (something which I've finally learned to stop doing). I guess I was a lot like Moses standing there barefooted in front of the burning bush throwing out excuses as to why I would not be a good choice. But, just like it says in Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

So, I began preaching. You talk about feeling inadequate! The Lord must've really been hard up for preachers because I am the least of the least. Pastor Porterfield gave me many opportunities to preach and I eventually stopped going into nervous convulsions every time I stood behind the pulpit. Little did I know that God was preparing me to step into Jamie's position to pastor the church after he resigned. The folks at the church asked me to interim while they looked for a pastor. I enjoyed many wonderful services during the nearly 1-year of my term. I still held my position of Sunday school teacher and minister of music as well. The church eventually hired a pastor and I slipped into a depression.

The Desert Experience: If you have studied the Bible much then you know that God's people are not perfect people. Many great leaders have went through testing periods in their lives. Moses wandering in the desert, David falling into sin causing strife throughout his family, Jesus in the desert being tempted of the devil, Peter denying Christ before the crucifixion. All of these are desert experiences. It is during this time that we are tested by the fire as to whether we will be burnt up or come out refined. I went through my own desert experience. I learned some hard, valuable lessons during that time. It was during this time that I sat back and took a long look at my life and my heart. I had two choices; I could throw in the towel or I could throw my heart into Jesus' hands. I thank God that I chose the latter.

God of Second chances: Aren't you so glad that we serve a loving and forgiving God? His Grace is marvelous and his mercy is endless. Eventually I moved on to my current church, Highland Baptist. My family and I just joined as regular members. I really was just looking to be ministered to. I had no intentions of leading the music or teaching Sunday school, or preaching. But, when God places a calling in your life, it is forever, unless circumstances arise that make it impossible to continue. I was asked to teach the pre-teen Sunday school class and then I was asked to be the minister of music. Pastor Hutchison has also given me numerous opportunities to stand behind the pulpit and preach. I've enjoyed the past 3-years we have been members there.

What is in store? Currently I am enrolled at Crown Seminary working on my Masters of Ministry degree. I don't know what else God has in store for me but I fully intend to follow his direction. I am not perfect by any means. I have messed up more times than I have done things right. But, you know, God is not looking for perfect people, he is looking for people that have a desire for Him. If you have a passion and desire to be used by God to spread the Gospel message, He will find you and make a way for you. You just have to be willing to step up and accept. Working for Jesus is a journey, but I guarantee you when it's all said and done with, you wouldn't take nothing for it!

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I'm so glad I'm a part of...

The Family of God!

This week at Emory Pike American Christian church where my brother-n-law (and lifetime best friend) is the pastor, they are having revival. I've only been able to attend one night thus far, Tuesday night. The Rev. Boyd Myers is doing the preaching and doing a wonderful job of that. As I sat on the pew Tuesday night and looked around the congregation, I couldn't help but notice nearly half of everyone in there was related to me. There was my mother and father-n-law, Harry and Helen, my sister and brother-n-law, Sandra and Wayne, my sister and brother-n-law, Kevin and Martha along with their children, Nathan and Jared, my sister and brother-n-law, Mark and Susan with their son, Ryan, and my son Matthew. All except for my son, are related to me by marriage. Then I got to thinking, you know, everyone else in the church that has accepted Christ as their Saviour, is also related to me by marriage, they married into the family of God! It makes me think of that Bill Gaither song that we sometimes sing in the choir; The Family of God:

"I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God, I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His Blood! Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, For I'm part of the family, The Family of God."

I see so many times in church where there are divisions among the people. One group won't associate with the other or they hold grudges against one another. I see people with huge chips no their shoulders just looking for some reason to get "hurt" by somebody and to "hurt" them right back. One itty bitty thing doesn't go their way and they are ready to just sull up and cry like a baby. The worst part is those types of people get on the telephone and start calling up anyone that will listen and infect them with their misery. "Oh poor me, old brother so-n-so said this about me or he didnt' shake my hand or he didn't do this or do that." You can see it in their eyes when you look at them. They sit in their pew and smile and put on this big show of "righteousness" and then as soon as you walk past the smile leaves and they spend the rest of the time wondering how they can dig the knife into you. I've seen churches split, friendships ended, and crimes committed all because of some "hurt" church member. My friend it ought not to be so, because in 1 John 4:20-21 the Bible says:

"20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."

That is pretty clear to me, how about you? We can't just pick and choose the commandments from the Bible that want to follow. If we believe one of them, we have to believe them all. I think we all need to make a new commitment to love one another as much as we do ourselves. If everyone would just follow that one simple commandment from God's Word we wouldn't have so much misery and heartache in this life. There would be no wars, no crime, no hatred, it would be paradise!

Praise God there is a day coming when we won't have to worry about all of the stuff going on down here. If we are truly saved and have trusted Jesus, we will be spending eternity in Heaven with Him. No more chips on the shoulders, no more whispering, no more gossiping, no more finger pointing, no more divisions, all of that stuff will die with us and be left for Satan and his crowd. Which is where it should be left today, and not amongst God's people.

So, next time you sing that song, The Family of God, think about this little post and ask yourself if you really mean what you are singing about. Be honest with yourself. You might as well be because God already knows the depths of your heart. Why not get on your knees and ask God to give you love for your fellow man? Turn things over to Him. He's the only one that can fix it for you.

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The simple things

This year in our Vacation Bible School, the teen class is learning a new song. It is called, Jesus, Name Above All Names. I just love this song! It is so beautiful and true. I want to teach it to our choir as well. It's just a simple little song but sometimes God works through the simplest things. I think that is something that we need to always remember. We sometimes tend to make things a lot more difficult than they have to be. For some reason we get the "bigger is better" mentality and we think we have to do things on a grand scale. Sadly the world judges success by numbers; larger crowds, bigger bank accounts, etc... I'm glad that God doesn't use the same scale as the world. God measures man by what is inside of our hearts.

Update! It didn't take the choir long to learn "Jesus, Name Above All Names." We opened up the service with it this Sunday. Enjoy the song below!

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When I grow up, I want to be like...

Have you ever had someone in your life that you always said you wished you could be like? I'm not talking about some movie star or famous singer or anything like that. I mean just someone that you know or have met that you admired and wished that you could be more like them. Maybe have some of their redeeming qualities? Well, I've had a few such folks in my life. Let me tell you about one of them.

I've often written about my grandfather, Rev. Edd Spencer. As you probably have read on here before, he was the founder and pastor at both Highland Baptist Church and North Acres Baptist during his lifetime. Surprise, surprise, this post isn't about my grandfather, it's about another preacher.

My first memories of Rev. Charlie Lynch start way back when I was just a little boy. Charlie was the pastor at Highland Baptist for 10-years, between 1975 and 1985. The pictures on this post are from Highland's 1984 church directory. It was the year before he would leave to pastor North Acres Baptist church for 21-years. It always seemed to me that preacher Charlie was following in my grandfather's footsteps. I used to love to hear Charlie preach. The funny thing is, he never was my actual pastor. We didn't belong to either of those churches during the times he was pastoring them. But, anytime I was looking for a church to visit I would always find my way over to where he was at.

There is a song in the old red back church hymnal that is one of my very favorites in the whole world. It is on page 16 and its title is, "I Know He Heard My Prayer." I will always remember sitting in North Acres Baptist church and the choir was singing that song. Brother Charlie was standing up there and he was singing along and big tears were streaming down his face. He was praising God and rejoicing, I don't think he even knew there was another person in the whole church besides him and God. I have loved that song ever since then and have always wanted to teach it to one of my choirs. I haven't found a choir yet that has been able to do it. We are always missing a part, whether it is good strong leads or the basses. I'm sure I'll never be pleased with any of them anyway because I'll always be comparing them to the way I remember it from when I was a kid.

Charlie always has a way of making you feel special. He has a big grin that stretches from ear to ear. Kind of reminds me of when Andy Griffith grins, it just takes up his whole face and looks so genuine. Charlie is a tall man, I'd guess around 6' 4. He towers above my short little 5'9 frame when I am beside him. Anytime I have ever met him, without fail, he'll stick out his hand, spread that big grin across his face and welcome me like an old friend. He always has something nice to say about my wife and children. He always tells me how lucky I am to have such a beautiful family. He usually says something funny like, "how in the world did you ever talk her into marrying you?" or something along those lines. I guess that's one of the things makes him so good at being a pastor. I've always admired Charlie's wife, Kathy, as well. She is always so nice and hospitable. Always faithfully there along with Charlie. I guess in my mind they are what I think of when I think of a good pastor and pastor's wife.

I've told my wife for years that if I die early, I want brother Charlie to preside over my funeral. It seems like he has preached the funerals of an awful lot of my acquaintances and loved ones that have went on. I guess the one that I remember most is my granny Spencer's. I'll never forget how loving and gracious Charlie was to my family during that time. He stood over her casket and spoke directly to us with such humbleness. I've also heard him at other funerals. One in particular was Paul Haire's funeral that he preached last year. The compassion that he had for the Haire family was overwhelming. I sat back about 4 pews from them and watched them as brother Charlie preached and talked about how Mr. Haire was such a hero. I remember wondering to myself if I would ever be able to handle a funeral service as eloquently as he can.

I guess it seems kind of odd to write about someone like this while they are still living. I doubt Charlie would ever stumble across my little corner of the blogosphere though. I certainly wouldn't want to embarrass him or anything, I've just had him on my mind a lot and felt the need to write about it. I don't know if I'll ever have as great of a ministry as he has had. I sure wish I could be more like him though.

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Work life -vs- REAL life

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 1 John 5:12

This post has nothing to do with music but it is something weighing heavy on my mind and heart. I needed an outlet for it and this blog was chosen for that outlet.

I actually went to bed early last night instead of studying into the wee hours of the morning. I woke up on this fine Saturday morning with tons of things on my mind. As you well know, you have to spend most of your life working and if you are unhappy in your job, you are unhappy in life. I've been deeply bothered lately by some things going on in my work place. There is a constant air of anti-Christian, anti-religion conversation and behaviour going on. They are always trying to find ways to belittle and make fun of everything that I love and believe in. I never say one word negative about their rotten lifestyles or the things that they love and hold dear. Yet they seem to really get a big kick out of making fun of things that they know nothing about. I'm all for freedom of speech but these are supposed to be adults that I work with, but the way they talk/act, you would think they were in the 3rd grade. I realize that my coworkers do not have Christ in their hearts and lives and that is what makes them that way. The odd thing is how rebellious they are toward anything remotely religious or Christian. I've always heard it said that those types of people are the ones that are under conviction the most and it is their way of resisting.

One thing that I find funny is how these people think that they have really "lived," and they think they are so "experienced" in the world. I feel really sorry for them. They think because they have been to a lot of places, seen a lot of stuff, and drank in a lot of bars, that somehow that constitutes them as having life experience. Such meaningless and pathetic lives they lead. Sadly, they know NOTHING about real life experience. You see, all of that stuff isn't worth a hill of beans. Until a person has experienced Christ in their life, they have never lived. Until a person has helped lead someone else to Christ, they know nothing about real life. Until a person has tried to bring comfort and assurance to a dying person or their family, they have not matured. Until you have prayed for another individual and asked God to place their burden on you instead, you know nothing about what it means to live.

I find it laughable that in the work place they think they have really done something if they've sat in a meeting with 15 to 20 people and made a presentation or something. My friend, until you have stood behind a pulpit and preached the Word of God to hundreds of people, you know nothing about making a presentation. Until you have taught Sunday school to fresh young minds and revealed the Word of God to them, you know nothing about dedication. Until you have successfully organized and controlled over 100 kids in Vacation Bible School, you know nothing about organization. In the workplace they consider talking to a customer about something difficult to be really meaningful. Until you have had a 10-year old come to you with tears in their eyes, scared because they have realized that they are going to go to hell unless they are saved and they are counting on you to lead them to Christ, you don't have a clue what meaningful is.

Sadly, it all boils down to selfishness. People are so caught up into what they can do for themselves and what's in it for "me." They are so blinded to the truth and reality. All of the "stuff" that you do while you are living in the present, unless it is Christ focused and driven, means absolutely NOTHING. We are only on this earth for a very short time. After we die, we are going to live eternally either in Heaven or in hell, and that means forever my friend. We need to be focused on the part of our lives that really matter. You see, when it comes to the end and you stand before Christ he is not going to care how many business meetings you attended, how many deals you closed, or how many customers you talked to. What He is going to be interested in is how your life reflected Him.

Fellow Christians, we really need to pray for our lost co-workers and hope that they see the Light before it's too late. I realize they believe themselves to be superior but they are lost and dying and headed to a real hell where they are going to live eternally in pain and suffering. All because they are too proud, too self absorbed, too selfish, to open their eyes and see the truth.

Finally, I want to share an email that I received from my pastor this week. It was in response to an email that I sent to him, complaining about what was going on in my work place. His words helped me more than he will ever know:

Good morning Brother Byron,

I hope that your day is going better than yesterday apparently did. I will be praying for you that you will make a good stand; and I’m sure that you will. I was talking to Carol about what you were facing on your job and that you needed prayer, and she reminded me of a preacher friend of mine, Rev. Jim Hurst, who is gone to be with Jesus now. He gave his testimony about how he came to know the Lord, I wanted to share it with you as best I can, and I hope that maybe you will be encouraged, and get a blessing out of it.

Jim was a barber, and he was also a great singer. He was singing country music with a quartet that had been given an opportunity to go Nashville for an audition for a recording session. He said that he had a brother-in-law that had been trying to lead him to Christ for some time, and he always told him that he didn’t need his religion, he was doing just exactly what he wanted to do. Just a day or two before they were to go to Nashville his brother-in-law came into his barber shop to tell him the story of Jesus again, and he said that he lit in on that man, and he said I cursed him, I cursed his God, his Jesus, his church, his religion, his family, and everything else that I could think of. When he got through with all his cursing, he said I was literally out of breath. My brother-in-law was standing in front of me, just looking at me, weeping, he hadn’t said a word. Then he asked me, Jim, are you ready to get saved now? He said, that's when I began to cry, and I answered him, yes I am. The two of them knelt there on that barber shop floor, and he accepted Jesus into his heart. When he told his quartet what had happened, they weren’t very happy. He said I tried to lead them to Christ, and told them that we could sing gospel music, but they wanted no part of it. Jim finished his race about ten years ago, and he was still Singing and Preaching for Jesus.

I can hardly imagine the grace that it would have taken for his brother-in-law to have stood and endured all that tongue lashing, but I know that, as a good friend of mine recently preached a sermon, “His Grace Is Sufficient.”

Please don’t think that I am trying to make light of your situation, because I’m not. I have been in similar situations many times, and I realize that it’s not easy when you are the one in the pressure cooker. I have always been told that a diamond is no more than a lump of coal that has been under pressure. I believe that those who are making fun and laughing at you are probably using that activity as a shield against Jesus, and that it’s not really you that they resent, but it’s HIM. I will be praying for you, and hopefully we will see you tonight.

Your fellow servant in Christ,
Rev. Dave Hutchison

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Remembering Pastor Porterfield

Lately I have had Jamie Porterfield on my mind. He was my pastor at House Mountain Baptist church when I was a member there. He was the first pastor that I ever felt really close to besides my grandpa Rev. Edd Spencer, and my great uncle Rev. Adral Hall. Pastor Porterfield (we just called him Jamie) had such a kind heart and was so open and honest. I was able to talk to him without feeling intimidated or cautious. He taught me a lot in the few years I knew him.

I guess I was first drawn to Jamie because of his outstanding musical talents. He was one of the best singers I had ever heard in my life. There is no question that he could have made a living just from singing. He had such range and beauty in his voice. His rendition of the song Beulah Land was the very best of anyone I have ever heard. You can listen to a short sample of it in the video that is posted below.

Jamie took interest in me and would go out of his way to help me in my Spiritual walk. It was he that taught me how to lead congregational music and conduct a choir. He worked with me on how to keep proper time with my hands through all of the different time signatures. He would give me pointers and correct me when I would do something wrong. He always stressed that I needed to lead the songs with my heart and he gave me books that told the stories behind the hymns. He encouraged me to read the books and find out why the authors wrote them.



It was during Jamie's pastorship that I received the call to preach. He encouraged me all of the time. He saw potential in me and would give me opportunities to preach. I will never forget the night we got the terrible phone call telling us that Jamie's 19-year old son, Joe, had fallen asleep while driving and had died in a car accident. Jamie and Judy were so distraught. I took it upon myself to try and lead the church during this difficult time. One night we all drove to Jamie's house and stood in the driveway and prayed. He came outside and even in his grief and mourning, he told me how much he appreciated me and thanked me for stepping up.

Jamie never was quite the same after Joe passed away. I think it was hard for him to be so far away from his community in South Knoxville. He held on as long as he could and eventually resigned and went to pastor Fellowship Baptist which was just up the road from his home. I was the minister of music of House Mountain and the members put me in as the interim pastor after Jamie left. I held that position for nearly a year while they searched for a permanent replacement.

The last time I saw Jamie alive was in 2001. I had resigned from House Mountain and left the church. I had allowed the devil into my life and had been neglecting my family. It was the lowest point in my entire life and I was on the verge of some kind of breakdown. I was at my ropes end. One evening I was just driving around aimlessly in my truck trying to figure out what to do with myself. Something told me to go and talk to Jamie. I drove to his house and asked him if he had time to talk with me. He said, "lets go sit up here on the hill and talk." We sat on the ground behind his house for a long time and I poured my heart out to him. I told him everything that was going on in my life and he quietly listened without interrupting. I told him things I had never told anybody else. He put his arm around me and told me he understood and he offered me some advice and prayed with me. He didn't know it but he saved my life that day.

Three years later when I heard that Jamie had passed away from cancer, my heart was broken. I had deep regret that I hadn't went back to see him since that day in 2001. I wanted to thank him and tell him that my life was straightened out and my family was whole again and healing. I visited the funeral home on Sunday evening. I talked briefly with his wife, Judy. She told me that Jamie had mentioned me in his last days. The feeling of regret swept over me.

It is hard to believe that Jamie has been gone for 5-years now. I still think of him a lot. I've got some of his old preaching tapes and one of his CD's that I listen to every now and then. I thank God that I was allowed to be acquainted with Jamie Porterfield.
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PORTERFIELD, REV. JAMIE - age 49, of South Knoxville, went home to be with the Lord Thursday, January 22, 2004. He was the former Pastor of Fellowship and House Mountain Baptist Churches. He was well known for his beautiful singing of Gospel Music and his spiritual leadership of the South Knoxville Community. He was preceded in death by his: Sons, Jason and Joe Porterfield and by his father, Rev. A.J. Porterfield Survivors: Wife: Judy Porterfield Daughter: Jessie Porterfield and fiancée Will Cogdill Mother: Lorene Porterfield Brother and sister-in-law: Robert Porterfield and wife Becky Sister and brother-in-law: Kathy Wallace and husband Kenny Mother-in-law: Vina Knight. He will be missed by his breakfast buddies at the Korner Market and will always be in the hearts of those who knew and loved him. We are confident, I say and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8. Funeral service 1 PM Monday at Valley Grove Baptist Church with Rev. Chuck Young, Rev. Ed Parton and Rev. Guy Milam officiating. Interment will follow in Atchley's Seymour Memory Gardens. The family will receive friends 3-9 PM Sunday at Atchley Funeral Home Seymour, 122 Peacock Court, Seymour TN. (865)577-2807 (www.atchleyfuneralhome.com)

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Family Altar time

Does your family have a family altar time? I will shamefully admit that I went for years neglecting this very important commitment. I have went through times of doing it and then for whatever reason, slacked off and eventually quit altogether. I guess my thinking was since I have my family in church, usually 3-times a week, that it was enough. My thinking was flawed. I was convicted of this recently and have since started back the family altar time. Oh sure, at first the kids grumbled, "more church?" they asked? However, as we got into it, I could tell that they actually enjoy it. They ask questions, they participate. There is no pressure from the outside world or other people to hinder them. They feel free to discuss the Bible and the truths from God.

I know this isn't really a music related post, but it was something that I felt like I needed to post about. I am seeing more and more families being torn apart. Selfish desires get in the way of true family unity. The divorce rate is skyrocketing. Teen pregnancy runs rampant through our country. Drugs, violence, and perverted lifestyles are destroying homes and families. I truly believe if more people would devote their families to God and to leading a Christian lifestyle, that there would be fewer problems in this world. Kids today are faced with so many distractions and false teachings. They need instruction and that instruction needs to come from their parents and out of the Holy Bible.

It is so easy for the family to sit on the couch, flip on the television and watch hours worth of stuff every night. Why not turn off that TV, get down on your knees this evening with your family and make a commitment to dedicate a portion of your family's time to Bible study, prayer, and worship? You will not be disappointed and you will see a change in your family. While you are praying, lift up a prayer for your church and your fellow man, we all need it.

If you have a few minutes, I would like to urge you to visit this website that I found that discusses the family altar and provides excellent tips and resources concerning it.
http://www.wholesomewords.org/family/famaltar.html

UPDATE 5/27/09: Since posting this, I was able to preach a message at church concerning the family altar, you can give it a listen below:

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The juggler

When we accept Christ as our Savior, He bestows spiritual gifts upon us. These gifts are to be used to fulfill the Great Commission and to bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Some folks use their gifts for the good, some for the bad, and some not at all. I think the hardest part is discovering exactly what gifts you have and how the best way to use them is. At least that's been the hardest for me. Sometimes the gift that you are given is not what you wanted at all. For instance, I never in a million years wanted to be in front of people teaching or preaching, and I never ever desired to be a leader or director. My plans were to be a bass singer in a big-time Southern Gospel quartet. Of course I had the opportunity for that and was too young and stupid to reach out and grab it.

This morning I stumbled across a website that asks questions about our spiritual strengths and weaknesses, calculates them and then scores you on what your gifts are. Unfortunately, I scored 90 to 100% in all 20 categories except for hospitality, which I scored a very low 40%, which I could have told you before filling out the questions. The hospitality score was based on 2 questions, one was "I enjoy welcoming guests and helping them to feel at ease," which I put occasionally, and the other was "I am often asked to open my home for small group gatherings or social occasions," in which I put rarely true.

So, you see, for me it is very difficult to discern exactly which gift I should focus on. In the past, I have had people come up to me and say, "Byron, God has really given you a gift for music, and you should be a choir director." Others have said, "Byron, God has really given you a gift for teaching, you should be a Sunday school teacher." Others have said, "Byron, God has really given you a gift for preaching, you should pastor a church." One thing I have never heard from anybody is, "Byron, God has really given you a gift for sitting on the church pew and doing nothing." Sometimes I wish I would hear that one! ;)

The problem in all of this is that trying to do too much leads to burnout. I've done it before and I feel that I am heading for it again. I'm trying to do too much. I am staying depressed about the church and my ministries, it is wearing me down. My list of jobs, whether appointed or self-appointed, right now are:

1. Minister of Music - I was asked to do this by the members of the church. I didn't want to do this but I wanted to make sure the music stayed in the right direction so I accepted. I do enjoy it at times but I feel like there is someone else that could do a much better job than me. I am a bass singer, not a lead and everything has to be lowered. I also get very discouraged when I get so wrapped up in the music and feeling such Spirit and look out across the congregation and see people talking, laughing, cutting up, walking around, not paying attention, or looking like they would rather be dead than in church. It's like a dagger in my heart. Not to mention there are only about 7 people that are faithful enough to attend choir practice. I am very grateful for those members but I get very disappointed in the others.

2. Sunday school teacher - I was asked to do this by the Sunday school director. I enjoy teaching from the Bible. I know that most of the folks in class never crack open a Bible until they are sitting in Sunday school class and they have no idea what they are reading. It is thrilling to see someone hear the Truth and see the look of enlightenment on their face. I've been told many times that I am good at teaching. What I'm not good at is allowing students to sit around and eat candy, talk about non-Christ related stuff, or goof off. I know that I only have 30-45 minutes to cram in a lesson in hopes that it will change someone's life, so I stick to the Bible. That has caused some students to not want to attend my class because they simply aren't interested in learning.

3. Webmaster - I volunteered to do this. I love working with websites and am very experienced with it and wanted our church to have an online presence so we could spread the Word globally. Our church website gets thousands of visitors a month from all over the world. People in places as far away as China are downloading and listening to our sermons and music. This is probably as close to being a missionary as I'll ever be.

4. Church Bulletin - I volunteered to do this as well. The person that was doing it before me didn't really want to do it but was kind of forced into it. I am in front of a computer a lot so it wasn't that big of a deal for me. Plus, I wanted to have the order of service and the song selections in the bulletin every Sunday and I knew if I was in charge of the bulletin I could do that. The problem is, I have to run off the copies and fold them and have them ready before church starts. So, I have to do it either on Saturday night or Sunday morning before church. It's time consuming and always causes me to have to rush around to get things done. I wish someone would either volunteer to take it over or at least let me email them the bulletin and they could print it out and run it off and make sure it was ready on Sunday morning.

5. VBS director - I have a passion for VBS because I was saved during VBS when I was a kid. I think it is one of the greatest evangelistic tools that we have. I don't really want to be the director of VBS but the gentleman that was doing it before me had done it for many years and I know he needed a break. I don't know of anyone else in the church that would be willing to step up and take this ministry over. It's like pulling teeth just to get people to show any kind of excitement about it at all. It is an extremely difficult job and very time consuming.

6. Preaching - God gave me the call to preach back in 1997. I was already a Sunday school teacher and choir director. I certainly did not want to preach. It made me sick just thinking about it. I've always been very backward and shy and to me it was the ultimate kick in the rear-end to be placed in front of a congregation of people relying on me to expound the Word of God. I wanted to spread the Message but I wanted to do it in my own way. God had other plans. You don't say no to God. I feel that out of everything I do, preaching is the most terrifying, satisfying, and beneficial thing that I do. It's funny, it's the thing I do the least.

I do all of the above plus work a full-time job outside of the church and raise a family of 5 on one income. The brakes need to come on and soon.

Now that I've bored you to death let me get around to the whole reason I'm writing this post. First of all it is just to get it off of my chest. Writing is my way of relieving stress. That's why I have over a dozen websites and blogs. (I must have a lot of stress to relieve!) Second of all is for me to try and analyze and prioritize my ministry. I'm going to have to make some decisions and let some things go. Third, it is to ask for advice from others. I'm not generally one to take advice unless it comes from someone with some experience or knowledge on the subject. So, unless you can relate to my situation, please don't bother offering advice. Not trying to sound mean, just frank. Encouragement is welcome though!

Be praying for me this coming Easter Sunday. I have been asked to preach the 6:30 AM Sunrise Service. I will also be teaching my Sunday school class that day and leading the music and Easter Cantata. It's going to be a very stressful day. I just hope that it will make a difference in someone's life. I have a burden for some folks that I know are in need of Salvation. I pray that they will make that decision before it's too late.

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Our loss is Heaven's gain

I'm still in shock after receiving the phone call this morning, informing me that Mrs. Dockery had passed away. She had been sick for several months, though most people probably would never know it. Her throat had been bothering her since sometime before Christmas last year. Every time I saw her, I would ask her how she was doing. She was always honest to tell me that she wasn't feeling well and she told me that she didn't ever think that her throat was going to be the same. She said she had been praying about it for a long time.

About 3-weeks ago, Mrs. Dockery said that she was feeling some better and her throat was finally getting back to almost normal. She seemed really happy about it and I could hear her sweet little soprano voice blending in with the choir. She always sat beside my wife in the choir loft. She would discuss the music with her and laugh about me changing the song selections at the last moment. I knew that I could always depend on her to be there whenever we had choir practice, as long as she wasn't too sick to attend. I know she came many times despite not feeling well.

Last week we got word that Mrs. Dockery, as well as a few other church members, had come down with the flu. This past Wednesday evening during worship service, I looked out across the congregation and noticed that she wasn't there. "Poor Mrs. Dockery," I thought to myself. "She must be pretty bad off to miss." Later on as I took prayer requests, I mentioned for people to remember her in prayer. I had no way of knowing that I would never see her alive again.

Mrs. Dockery was one of those sweet little ladies that loved everybody. She was like a grandmother to everyone that knew her. Always kind, caring, and spiritual. She had very strong convictions and was very well spoken when talking about things of the Lord. She was in charge of the church prayer chain and she agonized over it daily. She had such a desire to make it flow smoothly and just 3-weeks ago had taken it upon herself to re-vamp the prayer chain to try and overcome some snags that were in it. She stood before the church and talked about how important the prayer chain was and how she wanted it to benefit people's lives. She spoke with such compassion. I admired her immensely, but shamefully never told her.

Mrs. Margaret Dockery will be missed tremendously at our church. I know tomorrow I will look down at her empty choir seat with great sadness. But, I have comfort knowing that she has taken her rightful place in her brand new seat in Heaven's choir where she no longer has to worry about throat problems or sickness and pain. I don't know who Heaven's choir director is but whoever it is, they just gained treasure in Mrs. Dockery.

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Margaret Dockery
DOCKERY, MARGARET - age 83 of Knoxville died Saturday, March 14, 2009 at the family home. She was a member of Highland Baptist Church. Preceded in death by husband, Clyde Dockery and sister, Ada Long. Survivors: son and daughter-in-law, Charles and Janice Dockery; grandson, Paul Dockery and wife, Jennifer, all of Dunlap, TN; sister, Edna Watts; special friends, Joe and Charlotte McCollough, all of Knoxville; nieces and nephews. Funeral service 8 p.m. Monday at Stevens Chapel. Family and friends will meet at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday at Highland Memorial Park for a 10 a.m. committal service and entombment. Family will receive friends 6-8 p.m. Monday at Stevens Mortuary, Oglewood Avenue at North Broadway. Mrs. Dockery's guest book is available at Legacy.com.

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Music money!

As I mentioned in THIS post, our church didn't have a music ministry budget. This made things difficult when it came time to pick out new music, song books, material, etc.. because I had to either be very creative, pay for things out of my own pocket, ask the church for funds, or rely on members to cough up their own cash to cover the costs. Well, that's changing!

In our quarterly business meeting this past Wednesday, during "new business," a sweet choir member made the motion that we start designating money every month to go toward the music ministry! I knew she was going to do this because she called me before hand to discuss it. The church decided upon $50.00 a month to go toward music! I know that's not a huge amount for the mecca churches out there but for our little Baptist church it is pretty significant. Our treasurer is just going to keep the tally up on paper and when we need music related things she will issue a check and deduct the money from our funds. I was paying very close attention during the voting process to see how folks were taking to it all. I felt that overall people were in agreement, well, the vote passed so no one publicly disagreed anyways.

I would never have personally asked the church to do this because I don't want the music ministry to be centered around me. I want our church members to be as excited about it as I am and take an active participation in things. It's no secret that leadership changes in church and I'm sure there will be a day when the Lord has different plans for me and I'll have to move on. I would like to think that the music ministry could carry on without any hiccups when that day comes. The only way that would be possible is if folks take the ministry serious and are involved. I think this was a huge step towards that.

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Turn your radio on!

I have to drive 28-miles, one way, to work. That's a lot of time spent on the road going back and forth from Corryton to Farragut and back. I hate the traffic but I treasure the alone time. Every morning I always tune in to Praise 96.3 WJBZ on my truck radio. Mike Clark, the D.J., plays the best Southern Gospel music this side of heaven. I am supposed to be in the office at 9:00 AM but I very rarely ever make it on time. I'm usually passing the Cedar Bluff Rd. exit about the time the Golden Gospel Hour comes on the radio. Of course I have to sing along with it every morning, matching George Younce's bass during the opening song.

This morning as I was driving, it seemed that God was speaking to me through the songs on the radio. I guess it started when I heard the beautiful voice of Vestal Goodman singing God Walks the Dark Hills. My eyes started misting over as I sang along and thought about how God has always watched over and protected me. I could feel those glory bumps running down my arms as I imagined hearing the Highland Baptist Church choir sing that song. I decided right then and there that we would work on it in our next practice. My plan is to either have a soloist or just the altos sing the verses and then the rest of the choir join in on the verses.

Then, my favorite group of all time (the mighty Kingsmen Quartet!) came on the air singing, Ready to Leave. I was singing to the top of my lungs with my hero, Ray Reese, on this old favorite; "Ready to leave in a twinkling of an eye, making investments in the bank up in the sky, happy preparations no reason to grieve, are you in that number getting ready to leave?" I got so excited I nearly ran off the road! It was then that I started wondering, "hmmm, I wonder what it would take to get the Kingsmen to come out to Highland Baptist to sing?" If I could get the Kingsmen to come to my church it would be the a crowning achievement for me. I could probably die and be satisfied. So... my next step is to dig deeper and try to make that happen. (not to die but to get the Kingsmen out!)

On my drive home, I usually listen to WVLT news which is simulcast live on WJBZ. But, tonight I stuck my earphones in (which might be illegal while driving) and I listened to a couple of new sermons that I had downloaded to my Mp3 player. It wasn't long before I began to feel God's spirit again. I started getting excited and my head filled with ideas for my next sermon (which happens to be this coming Sunday evening.) I was so thankful that God is able to work through such simple means and for the love and mercy that he shows me each day. I am one of the least significant and lowly of his children and to know that he knows me by name almost overwhelms me.

Well, I guess I've rattled on enough. It's already 11:15 PM and I probably should try to get some rest but I'm way too excited tonight to think about sleeping. I'll probably listen to some more sermons or maybe some Kingsmen Quartet music instead!

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Saturday Spiritual Song Selections

I am spending this Saturday evening the same way I spend all of my Saturday evenings, praying and pouring through hymn books and choir notebooks for songs that I will use in our worship services. Like I've mentioned before, any music minister/worship leader worth his/her salt will spend countless hours through the week focused on the next service. God has never let me down in selecting the perfect songs. I'm not one to be unprepared. I like to know the order of the service and not be put on the spot with dead silence while standing in front of the congregation hastily searching for a song. I believe that the music is just as important as the sermon and should be treated that way.

We have been singing Christmas hymns for the past 3 weeks for our congregational numbers. I am anxious to move on to other music. A couple of months ago I made a plea to several Baptist churches in the area that might be upgrading their hymnals and needing a place to dispose of their used ones, to let me know. The great folks over at Sunnyside Baptist Church in Kingsport, TN, came through for us. They donated 230 of the 1991 edition Baptist Hymnals. They are in excellent shape. I am excited about introducing my choir to these hymn books and many of the wonderful songs that are in them. I hope the choir will be as excited...

I was blessed with an MP3 player for Christmas this year and I've already loaded it to the max with music. Most of it is choir music that my sister Jennifer sent me; New Manna Youth Choir, Middle Tennessee Baptist, Shenandoah Haven, and many others. I find that listening to this type of music while seeking God's voice, greatly aides in the song selection process. I always know when it's the right song. I get chill bumps running down my arms and a wonderful filling inside. I thank God every time He pours His Spirit on me like that.

So far tonight I have settled on "Saved to the Uttermost" for the morning choir special, and "I Am Redeemed" for the evening special. I'll probably stay in the Inspiration Hymnal tomorrow morning for congregational numbers. There are a lot of those '70's Southern Gospel songs in that hymn book, that just have so much meaning. I can just sit here and visualize the Spirit of God flowing through the congregation as we sing, "Thank God I Am Free," or some other such song.

Well, I better get off of this computer and get with it!

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Just rear back and sing!

I love to hear good choir singing. Everything from the 360-member Mormon Tabernacle Choir, to my little group of 15-20 folks at Highland Baptist. While it would be my dream to be able to lead a huge choir of 50 or more, I wouldn't be happy unless those folks were determined to put 100% into it. One thing that I have always stressed to my choir is to just rear back and sing. I'll take a handful of choir members that pour their heart and soul into the music over a professionally trained singer any day of the week.

We are blessed at Highland to have a bunch of spiritual people. On any given Sunday you will see hands raised, tears flowing, shouts of praise, and amens all over the house. When our choir is singing, many times I keep my eyes closed just soaking in the sounds flowing toward me. It's then that I start feeling those Glory bumps running down my arms and legs. I start having problems keeping my feet planted still. My eyes start pouring over with tears and it is all I can do to keep from screaming out or jumping over the pulpit. I'm not alone. Every now and then I'm able to open my eyes and look at the choir and I can see different people feeling the same way as I am. The Lord moves upon us in a wide assortment of ways. Not everyone has the desire to shout or raise their hands. Some people are like me and can't keep from crying like a baby when the Spirit hits them. However the Lord moves you, you should definitely MOVE! I hope the floor beneath our choir loft is reinforced because one of these days we're liable to stomp the place down!

I guess I got off of the subject a little but anyways, what I'm trying to convey is that people need to just tilt their heads back, open their mouths up wide, get a big breath and let those songs rip! Who cares if you don't exactly hit the right pitch or if you accidentally sing over a rest, or come in at the wrong time? There's no reason to feel apprehensive when you are singing about the Lord. We are lifting up the most powerful, mightiest, holiest, and awesome name in the universe! He is worthy of our full effort and our whole heart. Don't cheat our Savior out of a blessing. Just rear back and sing!

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Being Bivocational

Definition of a Bivocational Minister:
"Bivocation minister's are those who derive a portion of their income from a vocation other than their ministry. Bivocational ministry is not limited to the pastoral role but includes any paid staff member of the ministry team who derive a portion of their income from another vocation."

While the above statement is mostly true, it doesn't really define the typical church worship leader, choir director, song leader, or minister of music in most smaller churches. Many, like myself, work a full-time paying job outside of the church, yet also work full-time non-paying job inside the church, fulfilling the duties of above said positions.

In the past I have been blessed with being a paid bivocational music minister, however, at my current church I am non-paid. Does it make a difference in the time and effort that I put into it? Absolutely NOT! While I may not receive monetary payment, I do receive plenty of Spiritual compensation. After all, that's what it's all about. God blessed me with a few talents, one of them is being able to lead people in Worship. I did not ask for this gift but I did accept it from Him. I'm not bragging here. I do not feel worthy to even stand in front of people most of the time. I feel honored that He sees fit to work through me.

I know that there are "song leaders" out there that simply pull out a hymn book, flip through it and just sing whatever page they happen to land on. I can't even fathom the idea of doing that. There is nothing Spiritual in that type of worship. It is my opinion (and practice) that the person that is leading the congregation in song, should earnestly pray over which songs should be sung. They should spend time reflecting on the hymns that they are to sing and mull over in their mind how each one should play out in the service. Nothing makes me cringe more than to visit a church and their song/worship leader does not have songs prepared. What a disservice to God and the congregation! I feel that anyone that can't take time out of their schedule to properly pick out and prepare songs, should resign from their position immediately. They are doing more harm than good. I realize there are times of improvisations and a quick selection must be made, but those are rare occasions that normally just require a standard hymn.

If you are a bivocational music leader I urge you to put forth 100% effort in your ministry. Sure, it would be great to be compensated for your time, but a greater reward is awaiting!

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