Lonnie Wilkey has told me for years that I need to carry cash when I travel. 

“Cash is old school,” I tell him. “In this age of digital enlightenment, you can swipe or tap and transact.” 

Unfortunately, Lonnie was right. 

I arrived first at the diner where we were meeting and saw the “Cash Only” sign on the door. “C’mon,” I said with no small amount of frustration. “It’s the 21st century, people!” My frustration initiated a dilemma: Do I call Lonnie and lie, tell him the diner is closed; or do I ask him the dreaded question: “Do you have any cash with you?”  [Read more…]

Lonnie Wilkey

I am writing this column on Oct. 30, six days before Americans go to the polls to vote for the next president of the United States. So, when you read this, I have no idea who won. The only thing I could control was how I cast my ballot and I did that in early voting. 

The same is true for all of us. When election results were announced on Tuesday night or perhaps in the early morning hours of Wednesday, there is nothing else we can do except trust God. 

God was in control before and during the election process and what matters most is that He is in control after the elections. God was not surprised by whoever won the election. He knew long before Nov. 5 rolled around who would win.  [Read more…]

Randy C. Davis

I don’t know a stranger, or at least that’s what my oldest granddaughter believes. She says I can’t be anywhere for two minutes before I start talking with someone I’ve never met. 

She’s not wrong. 

It’s not that I intentionally think about engaging people; I just find people interesting. Everybody has a story — is a story — and I believe people want to tell their stories, mostly because they want to be seen and acknowledged. They want their lives to matter, and I believe they are encouraged when they can share their story with someone who takes an interest in them.  [Read more…]

Martin

There’s a pretty significant vote going on in America.

If you’ve been paying attention to the news or scrolling through social media, you know our country is in the thick of another intense political season. In my 68 years, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Tensions are high, conversations turn heated in seconds, and people seem more divided than ever. As Christians, how do we navigate this? How do we engage wisely and still reflect Christ in such a polarized environment?

Let’s dive into three key areas that will help us stand firm in our faith during this season: voting with wisdom, accepting the outcome graciously, and behaving with kindness toward those who don’t share our views. [Read more…]

Pastor Donnie Bannister, left, of New Beginning Baptist Church, Cumberland Gap, and members of the Cumberland Gap Baptist Association disaster relief team pray for homeowner Trevor Roberts in Talbott who the team assisted.

I joined the staff of the Baptist and Reflector in 1988. A year later, Hurricane Hugo struck the coast of South Carolina, causing billions of dollars of damage. It is one of the worst hurricanes in the history of the state and at the time was the most costly hurricane ever in the Atlantic Ocean, according to weather.com. 

In November of 1989, I took my first trip to cover Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief teams who were helping South Carolinians recover from the massive hurricane. 

It was in Macedonia, S.C., where I first gained an appreciation and love for disaster relief volunteers. I recently reviewed the story I wrote from that trip. I met Dave Tracy, a deacon at Providence Church in the small community approximately 50 miles north of Charleston.  [Read more…]

Wilkey

As always, God’s timing is impeccable. It is never too early or too late. 

This morning (Oct. 3), I was glancing through The Link, the e-newsletter produced by Tennessee Woman’s Missionary Union, and it included an announcement that Oct. 20 is the Day of Prayer for Baptist Associations. 

The announcement noted that the day of prayer for associations “helps to underscore the importance of sister churches working together to reach the local community as we pray for the association, its leaders and its ministries.” 

What makes the timing of this particular day of prayer so important is two-fold. Most Baptist associations, if they have not already held one, will have their annual meeting this month. Members of the association’s churches will gather together for fellowship, worship and a time to conduct the business of their local association.  [Read more…]