Bishop Bill Isaacs has proved to be a great friend to me! He has supported me on my two missions trips to Africa and joined me on my last trip to Uganda & D.R. Congo. He continues to be one of a few people that I know that I can always call upon and depend upon him to be there.

“Bishop Bill” came to Louisiana six years ago as a “novice” Administrative Bishop. That only meant that he had never held the office (officially) before. As a result of that, he told me and all the other ministers of this state… Read the rest of this entry »

Terms like “change” are full of personal and emotional connotations.  For example, change can be a positive word as it is expressed in terms of improving a mindset or organizational concept.  On the other hand, change can be difficult when it means leaving good friends and colleagues.

Kathy and I are going to reposition in Akron, Ohio as state overseers of the Church of God (our denomination) after 6 very productive and energizing years in Louisiana. This is a very bittersweet moment in our lives. Transition is not easy whether it is across the street or 17 hours away from comfortable environments.  Yet, life requires adjustment, repositioning, advancement and change.

Two years ago, I challenged our Louisiana family with this question “what now?” and sought to shape our view of the future after Katrina as one determined by a God who sees the end from the beginning.  We cannot..we only see this present moment, remember those before and anticipate the next one.  I like the word “anticipate” because it captures the excitement of change…of what will be or could be.

So, in a week, we will “change” locations with an eager anticipation of what will be in Ohio but we will never forget the incredible people, experiences or days we spent in this wonderful place, serving God and each other.

Link to Forward Leadership Blog

Recently, Bill Isaacs posted an article titled,”How much right do I have in wanting change in the COG?” In that article, he described some of the attitudes that people express about “their” church. Some of the more poignant remarks were, “This is our church and the pastor has no right to change it!”;  ”We were here before he came, so he should respect what we want”; “This is not the kind of church we want.”

In response to those comments, Bill offers three suggestions:

• This is not my church, but we are privileged to be part, to belong to the community.
• What I want/think must always be subservient to what He is calling us to do (in other words, I may have to put up with something I’m not comfortable with so that the larger good of the group can be achieved)
• The future belongs to those who are centered in what God is blessing, not what we are doing.

I particularily like the 3rd point. Too often, we want God to bless what we are doing but we may be doing the wrong stuff. God help us to hear from our Father, do what He says and then His blessings will be assured! What do you want?

Church of God General Assembly

As a member & Ordained Bishop in the Church of God with headquarters in Cleveland, TN, I am very concerned about the organization, its leadership, doctrine, and structure. The highest governing authority within the church is the General Assembly which convenes in San Antonio, TX in just a few weeks. At that meeting, decisions are made that affect the entire organization.

Our State Administrative Bishop, Bill Isaacs, has published the significant agenda items on his Forward Leadership website. The first article, “08 Council Agenda of the CoG” gives a general overview with later articles on specific issues. If you are also a member of the CoG and have concerns, I recommend that you visit the site and offer your comments directly to Bishop Isaacs.

The dangerous environment in Kenya seems to be improving but it is very slow and the situation is still very tense.

The allAfrica.com site states that there is a “Deal in the Making.” But other reports say that Kenya is still “Armed and Dangerous.” This is especially true in the western region around the city of Eldoret where I have many friends.

Public Radio aired a report recently stating that more than 1000 people have been killed in Kenya due to the unrest there. You can read the report here or listen to it from a link there.

The COG World Missions site has a note from one of our missionaries stating that “Though the situation is very tense, I do not feel we are personally in danger. Certain people are being targeted. This does not include foreigners.” (Read the article here.)

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The COG World Missions Department has posted an update from Kenya. The area is still very dangerous. One of the most dangerous cities is Eldoret. This is the city where I lived for 30 days back in 2004. The people (unnamed) in the article are all men who I worked with while I was there. Here is a cut from the article:

“When I spoke with one of the missionaries, he mentioned they are not only helping those who came to our school, but also a church about 20 kilometers away with 1,500 refugees. In faith they have purchased some emergency supplies to get them through this crisis. They had to dig new toilets to make conditions a little more humane. They have a great need for our support emotionally and financially at this time. We have only heard of two of our members’ homes being burned to the ground. Whether they will be able to reclaim their land is a big question at this time. However, when they do, we (The Church of God) will help in whatever way we can.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Missionary Gordon Bloodworth (who spent a week in my home here in Loranger, LA) has reported that they are assisting around 80 refugees in the Discipleship University in Eldoret, Kenya (which our local congregation helps support). Also, in the city of Eldoret is the Kapsoya Church of God (where I preached while I was in Eldroret). Pastor Masoti (our personal friend) reports that they are hosting around 1500 people in their church.

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