Men of God Part 7

As I sat and read over the past 6 Men of God blog posts that I have made, I suddenly realized that I have left out 3 of the most influential Pastors that have been in my life. All 3 of these have went on to be with Jesus now but the impact they had on my life will remain with me forever.

Preacher Edd Spencer - Preacher Spencer was my grandfather on my mother's side. Back in the 50’s and 60’s, my papaw, James Edward Spencer, was one of the most popular preachers in all of Knox County, heck maybe even East, TN. I called him “Paw.” He was a tall, lanky man, filled with the Spirit of God. He preached hell-fire and damnation, but he also preached of God’s love and forgiveness. One thing that made his sermons great was his showy antics. For example, when he preached of the Prodigal Son, he would open the side door of the church and call out as if the long lost son was out there somewhere; he also got down on his hands and knees and ate from an imaginary hog’s troft. To demonstrate Zacchaeus climbing up in a tree to see Jesus, papaw would climb in the window seal of the church or scale a revival tent pole. In 1942, Paw was one of the original founders of Highland Baptist Church where he also pastored 2 different times for a total of 9-years. Then, 12 years later, in 1954, he founded North Acres Baptist Church, where he preached for 19 years, right up until his death. Still to this day when people find out that I am Preacher Spencer's grandson, they start telling me of all the times they listened to him and how they considered him their favorite preacher. I've got one of my papaw's sermons uploaded on the internet and you can listen to him preach a message titled, "Neglect So Great Salvation," just click HERE. 

Preacher Adral Glenn Hall Sr. - My Great Uncle Adral was a little more “citified” than my papaw Spencer was. His sermons were a little more relaxed and he was softer spoken. I don’t recall hearing any “hell-fire and brimstone” messages from him; however, I wasn’t present in as many his services as I was Paw’s. Uncle Adral pastored several churches; the one that I remember the most was Elm Street Baptist church in Knoxville. That is where I accepted Christ as my Savior. It was during Vacation Bible School, back in 1972, I was 6-years old. I remember sitting through the preaching service and it came time for the invitation. Everyone was standing and singing, “Just As I Am.” My heart was pounding out of my chest; I was gripping the pew in front of me so hard that my fingers were hurting. I had been feeling conviction for quite some time but this time was more than I could stand. I heard uncle Adral beckon, “If you are out there and you are lost, don’t put it off any longer…come. If you leave here tonight without being saved, you don’t have the guarantee that you will ever get the opportunity again…come.” All of a sudden I felt the chains just fall from my shoulders. I practically ran up to the front. I was bawling my head off and it was right there on that altar, with my uncle Adral’s arms wrapped around me, that I uttered the sinner’s prayer and accepted Christ as my Savior. Never before had I felt such relief. Uncle Adral passed away on January 10, 1999. Now all I have to remember him by are my memories and a grave marker in Union Cemetery. I visit his gravesite occasionally and wonder if he would be proud of me today, or if I would be a disappointment. I wish that I had spent more time with him during his last days. Unfortunately, I don't have any of Uncle Adral's sermons to share, I sure wish that I did. 

Preacher Jamie Porterfield - Pastor Jamie is the man that I call "my pastor." He was the Pastor at House Mountain Baptist Church where my family and I attended. Jamie was one of the most talented singers you have ever heard and he could have made a living professionally singing. But not only was he a great singer, he was a great preacher and pastor. He always preached with great compassion in his sermons. 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 his wife 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 resigned from House Mountain shortly after that and went on to pastor at a Church in South Knoxville. I only saw Jamie one more time after he left our Church and he helped me tremendously with a struggle I was going through. Just three years later, at only 49-years old, Pastor Jamie passed away from cancer. He has been gone now for 11-years at the time of this writing but I still think of him nearly every day. He had a lasting impact upon my life. I loved him and miss him but I know I'll see my pastor again one of these days. I"ve got one of Pastor Jamie's sermons uploaded on the internet that you can listen to. It is titled, "Be Still and Know that I AM God," you can listen to it HERE. 

If you are interested, you can read the other 6 blog posts I have made of Men of God by clicking HERE.

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Men of God Part 6

It has been nearly a year since I've wrote a "Men of God" post. Lately I have had my fellow local pastor's on my mind. Thanks to the internet we are able to listen to nearly every preacher or pastor that we would like to hear. There are many pastors in Knoxville that have their sermons online and I listen to them almost every week. I'm going to introduce you to three local pastors that really bless me and I also call them my friends.

Pastor of Cedar Bluff Baptist Church, James Burke. I actually got acquainted with Bro. Jamie through Facebook but have met him personally a few times at different events. I began listening to his sermons on Sermon Audio a couple of years ago and tremendously enjoy hearing him preach. He preaches with a lot of compassion in his sermons and is not ashamed to laugh, cry, sing, or shout out while preaching. Speaking of singing, Bro. Jamie has a tremendous singing voice and will really bless your heart with a song. There are several great sermons by Bro. Jamie that I know you would enjoy but I was really blessed by one that he just preached this past Sunday titled, "Is God's Grace Sufficient?"

Pastor of Walridge Baptist Church, Toby Webber. I first knew of Bro. Toby when I was being considered for the open pastor position at Walridge. I'm thankful that the Lord works in the ways that He does because Walridge called Bro. Toby as pastor instead of me and just a few months later I was called at Highland Baptist where I pastor. Bro. Toby has always been one to reach out to others to encourage them. He did that to me once by bringing me a helpful booklet by Charles Spurgeon that greatly blessed me. I have heard Bro. Toby preach many times and had him come out as a guest speaker at one of our men's Coffee and Christ meetings. Bro. Toby is a very knowledgeable preacher and tackles a lot of in-depth Scripture and expounds upon it with great fervency.  I enjoy all of Bro. Toby's sermons but one that I really enjoy is one titled, "Except Ye Repent."

Pastor of Valley View Baptist Church, Justin Pratt. Bro. Justin was called to Valley View after their long time pastor, Dewey Cooper retired. God sent the perfect pastor for that congregation as Bro. Justin has maintained the integrity of that church and has allowed God to greatly use him to expand and grow in a time when most churches are shrinking. Bro. Justin has always been very gracious to me and other local pastors and has always been a great encouragement. He is relentless in his pursuit to minister in every capacity that God can use him and has his hand on the pulse of the times we are living in and often preaches on subjects that some preachers avoid. You will enjoy all of Bro. Justin's sermons but I would like to encourage you to listen to one he preached just this past June titled, "What Would Jesus Do?"

These are not the only three local Pastors that I feel this way about and I will blog about them later on. With this being Pastor Appreciation month, I truly hope you let your local Church Pastor know ho much you love and appreciate him. You can read all of my "Men of God" blog posts by clicking on this link: Men Of God

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Men of God Part 5

About 4-years ago I started blogging about several preachers/pastors that I enjoy listening to. I titled the posts, "Men of God." Now, 4-years later I am once again posting about more men of God. Since I've been through Seminary and earned my Masters in Ministry degree and am now working on my Doctorate of Theology, I have had the pleasure to get to know several preachers that I had not been acquainted with before but now enjoy listening to on a regular basis.

Probably the preacher that I've come to know and enjoy listening to the most is Bro. Scott Pauley. Bro. Pauley is the Vice President of Crown College which is how I come to be acquainted with him. Bro. Pauley is what I would refer to as a powerful expositor. His messages are saturated in Scripture and his delivery style is both comforting and convicting.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Bro. Pauley on a few different occasions and each and every time he has warmly greeted me as if I was an old friend. You can tell from talking with him that he is very intelligent yet he doesn't come off as arrogant as some would do. He is a family man has a very humble demeanor.

I've listened to nearly every sermon that I have been able to find of Bro. Pauley's and have heard him preach in person several times as well. I can honestly say that every message that I've ever listened to of his has been a tremendous blessing to me.

My very favorite Scott Pauley sermon is one that he preached at Valley View Baptist during their Men's Prayer Breakfast. It was titled, "There Was A Man," and it was based on the man, Simeon, in Luke chapter 2 who blessed Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem when Mary and Joseph brought him there as a child. I wish I could find an electronic copy of that message so I could share it but I haven't been able to. However, you can choose from any of Bro. Pauley's messages that are online and be guaranteed a blessing. May I recommend the message in the video I have embedded below, it is very powerful and there are many truths revealed in it.

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Men Of God Part 4

Well, like I promised on my last post, this time I'm listing some of my favorite deceased preachers.

Curtis Hutson - I'm a long time follower of Curtis Hutson. What can I say about this man of God that hasn't already been said? He was a dedicated preacher, evangelist, father, writer, and Christian. I've listened to many a sermon that he has preached over the years. I wish I could have listened to him in person but I didn't have the opportunity. He passed away in 1995. My favorite Curtis Hutson sermon is, "None of These Things Move Me."

Lester Roloff - I can remember my mother listening to Lester Roloff tapes many years ago when I was just a young boy. He was one of those preachers that told it like it was and didn't back down or apologize. He led many a lost soul to Christ during his years of ministry and helped many a poor and destitute person straighten their life out. I always enjoyed listening to his broadcasts and sermons because he always had such wonderful singing before hand. We need more men like Preacher Roloff. My favorite Lester Roloff sermon is, "The Mule Walked On."

R.G. Lee - considered one of the best orators of all time, R.G. Lee preached the Bible with authority. If you listen to his sermons you will find his very matter of fact delivery style appealing. You won't hear a lot of yelling, screaming, or beating the podium but you will hear him at times changing his voice in order to get his point across. You can find an example of this in his most famous sermon (and my favorite of his), "Payday Someday." I have probably listened to this sermon a dozen times over the past year alone. I love the part where he says, "I introduce to you Ahab, the vile human toad who squatted upon the throne of his nation—the worst of Israel's kings."  You can actually watch him preach it at THIS link.

Check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of the Men Of God series.

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Men Of God Part 3

I'm continuing on with my Men Of God post. You can check out Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE.

Evangelist Tom Gilliam - I first heard Tom Gilliam preach back many years ago when I was a member of House Mountain Baptist Church. He preached a revival and he was without a doubt the most unique preacher I had ever heard. With his rich Southern accent, he brought the Bible to life for me. I'll never forget the sermon series he preached that week, it was about Joseph and how he "tenaciously held on." There was one point in the sermon where he described how a bulldog would hold on to someone's leg, and he drug his leg behind him across the altar as if that dog was really holding on to him. I have through the years kept up with him through his website: www.tomgilliam.com and even emailed him once thanking him for making such an impression on me when I was a young man. He wrote a nice thank you reply back to me. One of my favorite Tom Gilliam sermons is: "A Promise Worth Pursuing."

Charles Lawson - Pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Knoxville (not the one in Powell but the one on Broadway). Lawson is the ultimate fire and brimstone preacher. He is very articulate and authoritative. I enjoy watching his church broadcast on Sunday mornings while getting ready for church. I don't know how he stays behind the pulpit like he does. I get so worked up listening to him preach that I can't keep from wanting to run. I don't know how long he has been the pastor of Temple but I know it's been a long time. Probably if I wasn't a member of Highland or preaching somewhere, I would attend his church. My favorite Charles Lawson sermon is: "In Hell."


My next installment of this Men Of God series will cover some of my favorite preachers that have now went on to be with Jesus.

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Men Of God Part 2

A few days ago I posted Men Of God Part 1. I listed 3 of my favorite preachers. Today I have 3-more preachers that I love to listen to.

Clarence Sexton - Since I am an extended studies student at Crown College, I've heard Clarence Sexton preach many, many times during the course of my Seminary work. I find his preaching style both enjoyable and informative. Pastor Sexton has a way of connecting with his listening audience without resorting to flambouyant acts or catchy phrases. When I listen to him preach I have the feeling that this is a man that knows what he is talking about. He stands bold and in the Word. I also admire his business sense and how he has built his ministry to include Crown College and Seminary and maintained a huge following at Temple Baptist. My favorite Clarence Sexton sermon is actually a series of messages titled, Taking the High Road.

David Peacock - I stumbled upon Pastor Peacock while browsing through Sermon Audio.com. I'm always looking for the old-time preachers that pour it on hot and heavy and he fits the bill. A former Police Captain turned full-time pastor, Peacock has seen the worst in men and has used that experience to aide in the spreading of the Gospel through his church, Bible Believer's Baptist of Jacksonville, FL. I've downloaded and listened to many of his online sermons. My favorite David Peacock sermon is, What Is Your Excuse?

Paul Washer - I very seldom listen to many preachers that don't use the King James version of the Bible. I take exception to Paul Washer who regularly uses the New American Standard Bible (NASB). I came across Washer a couple of years ago and immediately became a loyal listener. Perhaps best known for his "Shocking Message to Youth," Washer seems driven to force folks to examine their Salvation. He is called an itinerant preacher and he is also the General Director for HeartCry Missionary Society. It would be hard for me to pick only one of my favorite Paul Washer sermons but one that I have listened to several times is, "What It Takes To Be A Man."

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Men Of God Part 1

You may not have noticed that I changed the main header of my blog. I dropped the musical musings title in favor of just Brother Byron's Blog. I think that more accurately describes this blog. I will still post things about music but I also just find myself posting about other things that deal with the ministry. Tonight I would like to introduce you to 3 of my favorite preachers, that is why I titled this post "Men of God."

Tony Hutson - I had not ever listened to a single sermon by Tony Hutson until sometime last year. I had heard my sister and my brother-in-law mention Brother Tony several times and I had listened to some of the choir singing from his church, Middle Tennessee Baptist, but I hadn't listened to any of his sermons. I have always been a big admirer of his father, Curtis Hutson, and had listened to his sermons numerous times. I've got to say that Brother Tony is one of my all-time favorite preachers now. He preaches the way I like it, straight in your face, plain preaching with no apologies. He also has a wonderful singing voice which you can hear by watching this video clip on YouTube. My very favorite Tony Hutson sermon is one titled, "Am I Your Enemy?"

Greg Locke - I've been listening to Greg Locke for about 2-years now. I stumbled across one of his sermons one night while visiting some sermon sites and I was enthralled by his Bible knowledge and his rapid fire delivery style. He is a young man but he's done a lot of living. He gives a powerful testimony of how God delivered him from a life of crime and rap music, in fact, his story was featured on the radio broadcast, Unshackled. If you want to learn how to memorize scripture, you should check out his instructional video, you will be amazed at his scripture memorization skills. Preacher Locke was a traveling evangelist for several years but now pastor's his own church in Murfreesboro, TN, Global Vision Baptist. You can listen to his sermons on Sermon Audio.com. My very favorite Greg Locke sermon is one titled, "How To Raise A John the Baptist."

Phil Kidd - When I hear preaching I want to hear something that will convict me. I know I can always rely on Phil Kidd to let me have it with both barrels. You want to talk about powerful preaching! I'm not very squeamish but let me tell you, sometimes I squirm when listening to preacher Kidd. He doesn't pull any punches, in fact, he punches his way through the entire sermon. He calls sin for what it is... sin! No rock is left unturned and no sin is left undiscovered. One of these days I hope to be able to attend a service that Phil Kidd preaches. He was recently holding revival in Kingsport and wouldn't you know it, I had to go out of town on business that week. Preacher Kidd also has a powerful testimony of how God delivered him from drugs and prison. This guy has been around the block more than just a few times. My favorite Phil Kidd sermon is one titled, "Plow Preacher Plow."

This post only scratches the surface of my favorite preachers. I will try to post more of these soon.

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