Travis Northcutt, Eddie Burdette, Jerry Whitmore, Eddie Turrentine, Rex Looney, Able Garcia, Mark Mast, Michael Mason, Johnny Tucker, Teddie Turrentien, Terry Rainey.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Introducing
Here is the team that lead the conference. (From Left to Right)
Travis Northcutt, Eddie Burdette, Jerry Whitmore, Eddie Turrentine, Rex Looney, Able Garcia, Mark Mast, Michael Mason, Johnny Tucker, Teddie Turrentien, Terry Rainey.
Travis Northcutt, Eddie Burdette, Jerry Whitmore, Eddie Turrentine, Rex Looney, Able Garcia, Mark Mast, Michael Mason, Johnny Tucker, Teddie Turrentien, Terry Rainey.
Before and After
Tico took us out for a wonderful meal the last night we were there as a thank you gift. They brought 5 things of meat for us to share. I believe there were 3 beef trays and 2 pork trays. Here is a before and after shot. Notice the name tag in the after shot. (You may have to double click the photo to enlarge it)
Buttermilk Mask
Brother Johnny told Mark unless he could say buttermilk 10 times without smiling he was lying about a story he was telling. You be the judge- Was he telling the truth?
My Little Friend
This little guy was brought by his parents to the conference. I met him in a break out session that Bro. Terry Rainey was leading. We played for a solid hour with a piece of candy wrapper and then again Thursday night. He was getting restless having to sit with his parents so I took him to the back of the room to play ball.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Day 2
Well, day two was a little easier. It only lasted 15 hours. Just kidding! Everyday has been wonderful and a blessing. From the time we wake up to the time we go to bed. God has moved in all the sessions and these pastors are so grateful for us being here.
I got some wrong information about the numbers. We did not have anywhere close to 400 here on Wednesday. There was a additional group that came in just for Wednesday, but it was only about 15. Before we set out on Tuesday we all agreed that God would have who He wanted to have here and we would not worry about the numbers.
Day two followed the same format as day one. Everyone had breakout sessions or preached during our main session. One blessing that day 2 held was a trip to visit an injured missionary. He is a Guatemalan man who worked with a mission group from back home. He was robbed and attempted to run away. While running, the robbers shot him in the back leaving him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He is only 27 and has two children- one boy and one girl. His wife sells Bible covers and bags. So, instead of buying souvenirs from a shop we are all going to buy our stuff from her to give them financial support.
One of the best parts of this trip is the laughter. I am reminded of
Proverbs that reads, "A merry heart is like a medicine." These guys are a hoot and everyone has a great attitude, especially Mark Mast, a missionary from Canada. He has been locked in a bathroom and the object of countless practical jokes. But He has had a wonderful attitude about the whole thing and is a Godly man.
Yesterday at lunch I put some "green sauce" on my meal and that stuff lit me up! It was the hottest sauce I have ever had. I imagine is was hotter than "Wrath of God". We had a great time at supper last night. Paul and Christy Lethem, the missionaries here, made a roast and it was wonderful. It was capped off with warm blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream. (Man, this mission work is tough). God Bless
I got some wrong information about the numbers. We did not have anywhere close to 400 here on Wednesday. There was a additional group that came in just for Wednesday, but it was only about 15. Before we set out on Tuesday we all agreed that God would have who He wanted to have here and we would not worry about the numbers.
Day two followed the same format as day one. Everyone had breakout sessions or preached during our main session. One blessing that day 2 held was a trip to visit an injured missionary. He is a Guatemalan man who worked with a mission group from back home. He was robbed and attempted to run away. While running, the robbers shot him in the back leaving him confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He is only 27 and has two children- one boy and one girl. His wife sells Bible covers and bags. So, instead of buying souvenirs from a shop we are all going to buy our stuff from her to give them financial support.
One of the best parts of this trip is the laughter. I am reminded of
Proverbs that reads, "A merry heart is like a medicine." These guys are a hoot and everyone has a great attitude, especially Mark Mast, a missionary from Canada. He has been locked in a bathroom and the object of countless practical jokes. But He has had a wonderful attitude about the whole thing and is a Godly man.
Yesterday at lunch I put some "green sauce" on my meal and that stuff lit me up! It was the hottest sauce I have ever had. I imagine is was hotter than "Wrath of God". We had a great time at supper last night. Paul and Christy Lethem, the missionaries here, made a roast and it was wonderful. It was capped off with warm blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream. (Man, this mission work is tough). God Bless
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Day 1
Well after 16 hours day one is complete! It was a real blessing to be with these pastors. They are hungry to learn and become better men of God. They have no formal training and they soak up every word like a sponge.
It is a neat experience working with a translator. I was worried about it at first, but it has turned out to work well. We have to speak in complete sentences because Spanish can not translate broken sentences or thoughts. It gives us time to compose our thoughts or glance at our notes. I led 3 breakout sessions today on "Preparing and Delivering Sermons". The guys seem to really benefit and are certainly thankful for us being here.
One of the translators tonight had a hard time working with one of our pastors. The message was a great but the exchange between the two was hilarious. I took a 1 minute video of it. Classic!
I ate my first true Guatemalan meal today at the seminary. We had some rice, potatoes, and a piece of meat in some type of sauce. It was really good! We ate supper at a couple's home that is a large supporter of Grace Ministries. They have a beautiful home and upstairs is a t.v. projector that plays on a wall. The t.v. is the size of the wall. A couple of us kicked back in the recliners and watched ESPN 2College Football. (Man, this mission work is tough)
I have two more sessions tomorrow and then I preach on Thursday. Some of these pastors have traveled as far as Mexico and El Salvador. Another group of 15 will be here tomorrow. They are on a bus from the Guatemala/Mexico border. It will take them 10 hours to get here. When was the last time someone you knew drove 10 hours to learn about the Lord?
God Bless and I hope to post again tomorrow.
It is a neat experience working with a translator. I was worried about it at first, but it has turned out to work well. We have to speak in complete sentences because Spanish can not translate broken sentences or thoughts. It gives us time to compose our thoughts or glance at our notes. I led 3 breakout sessions today on "Preparing and Delivering Sermons". The guys seem to really benefit and are certainly thankful for us being here.
One of the translators tonight had a hard time working with one of our pastors. The message was a great but the exchange between the two was hilarious. I took a 1 minute video of it. Classic!
I ate my first true Guatemalan meal today at the seminary. We had some rice, potatoes, and a piece of meat in some type of sauce. It was really good! We ate supper at a couple's home that is a large supporter of Grace Ministries. They have a beautiful home and upstairs is a t.v. projector that plays on a wall. The t.v. is the size of the wall. A couple of us kicked back in the recliners and watched ESPN 2College Football. (Man, this mission work is tough)
I have two more sessions tomorrow and then I preach on Thursday. Some of these pastors have traveled as far as Mexico and El Salvador. Another group of 15 will be here tomorrow. They are on a bus from the Guatemala/Mexico border. It will take them 10 hours to get here. When was the last time someone you knew drove 10 hours to learn about the Lord?
God Bless and I hope to post again tomorrow.
Monday, October 6, 2008
So far, so good
We made it to Guatemala safely and after a long, bumpy, uphill, nauseating drive to the mission house, we arrived to our home-away-from-home. The weather is great and it is nice to be back here. The only thing missing is about 10 people from Oak Grove!!!!
The blessings have already started. Everyone arrived safely, on time and EVERYONE'S luggage arrived. A-men and glory to God! This place is beautiful and the weather is great! We have internet access, as you can tell. We are about to leave to go into Antigua and show some of the first timer's the tourist attractions. Then off to dig into a huge rib eye. Man, mission work is tough!
I am excited, nervous, and anxious about tomorrow. I will have 3 groups tomorrow and just found out that on Wednesday, instead of 100 pastors there will be 400 pastors here. Apparently they have ran a t.v. ad throughout the entire nation advertising a 1 day conference and it had all our pictures on it. (That may affect the number coming).
It's good to be around all these Alabama folks and talk about NOTHING but Alabama football! ROll Tide! It's good for everyone except the Clemson fans! I hope all is well back home! God Bless and check in often.
The blessings have already started. Everyone arrived safely, on time and EVERYONE'S luggage arrived. A-men and glory to God! This place is beautiful and the weather is great! We have internet access, as you can tell. We are about to leave to go into Antigua and show some of the first timer's the tourist attractions. Then off to dig into a huge rib eye. Man, mission work is tough!
I am excited, nervous, and anxious about tomorrow. I will have 3 groups tomorrow and just found out that on Wednesday, instead of 100 pastors there will be 400 pastors here. Apparently they have ran a t.v. ad throughout the entire nation advertising a 1 day conference and it had all our pictures on it. (That may affect the number coming).
It's good to be around all these Alabama folks and talk about NOTHING but Alabama football! ROll Tide! It's good for everyone except the Clemson fans! I hope all is well back home! God Bless and check in often.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Guatemala Trip off to a great start
This afternoon I drove down to Atlanta to spend the night with my in-laws and catch an early morning flight from Atlanta to Guatemala. While down here, I knew I wanted to check out some of the great churches in Atlanta. I settled on visiting First Baptist Woodstock which is a large church about 45 minutes from my in-laws. What made it even better is that I found out last week that my preaching hero, Dr. Jerry Vines, would be there.
When I FINALLY arrived at First Baptist Woodstock I couldn't believe how big the place was. First Baptist Woodstock is a great missions minded church and is the church where our current SBC President, Johnny Hunt, pastors. When I went inside I met up with Dr. Vines son, Jon. Jon and I had several e-mail conversations but had never met. We talked about the church, Dr. Vines, and of course, Alabama Football!
I made my way to the sanctuary and greeted Dr.Vines. He proceeded to tell me that his 94 year old mother passed away this morning. I was shocked to see him even there, much less able to function. I knew that the music was going to be a blessing, but it was an unexpected suprise. The Senior Adult choir sang tonight- all 60 of them. There were canes, walkers, and portable scooters everywhere on stage, but those people blew the roof off the place. It was such a blessing to see people in the "fourth quarter" of life serving the Lord.
Dr.Vines preached on the Wonderful Word of God. It was a typical Jerry Vines message-AMAZING! The amazing part was to see him so focused after losing his mother. I'm sure I couldn't have done it.
After the service I helped Jon at the CD/Book table Dr. Vines had set-up. It was neat to get to serve alongside Jon. He said something about me coming back in early November to work a conference they were hosting, but I told him I probably couldn't make it.
If tonight is any indication of the rest of this week, it will be amazing to see what God has in store.
P.S. If Mark preached longer than 30 minutes, don't blame me.
When I FINALLY arrived at First Baptist Woodstock I couldn't believe how big the place was. First Baptist Woodstock is a great missions minded church and is the church where our current SBC President, Johnny Hunt, pastors. When I went inside I met up with Dr. Vines son, Jon. Jon and I had several e-mail conversations but had never met. We talked about the church, Dr. Vines, and of course, Alabama Football!
I made my way to the sanctuary and greeted Dr.Vines. He proceeded to tell me that his 94 year old mother passed away this morning. I was shocked to see him even there, much less able to function. I knew that the music was going to be a blessing, but it was an unexpected suprise. The Senior Adult choir sang tonight- all 60 of them. There were canes, walkers, and portable scooters everywhere on stage, but those people blew the roof off the place. It was such a blessing to see people in the "fourth quarter" of life serving the Lord.
Dr.Vines preached on the Wonderful Word of God. It was a typical Jerry Vines message-AMAZING! The amazing part was to see him so focused after losing his mother. I'm sure I couldn't have done it.
After the service I helped Jon at the CD/Book table Dr. Vines had set-up. It was neat to get to serve alongside Jon. He said something about me coming back in early November to work a conference they were hosting, but I told him I probably couldn't make it.
If tonight is any indication of the rest of this week, it will be amazing to see what God has in store.
P.S. If Mark preached longer than 30 minutes, don't blame me.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Quick Pic
I wanted to upload a picture of the church for anyone who might live away from Kings Mountain. I will post later. God Bless
Sunday, June 1, 2008
1st Day in the Pulpit
Today was my first Sunday at Oak Grove. Everyone has been so kind and gracious to us. It's good to be back in the "south" again. It seems easier to make connections with people.
The church placed a nice banner infront of the church that said welcome to our new pastor Rev. Travis Northcutt and his family...Amy, Lucy, and Lilly. It was a pleasant suprise!
Amy and I worked on setting my office up over the weekend. It's not the oval office, but I'm proud of it. I made sure all my books were unpacked and she made sure all the pictures were symetrical!
The service went really well. We had approximately 130 in Sunday School and add another 20-25 in worship. The church had a new sound system put in last week which included two 50" LCD t.v. screen upfront for video/powerpoint. Needless to say we have some work to do on our powerpoint skills. I had to tell them to stop showing the slides about half way through the message because it was confusing people. O well it will all come together in time.
After the morning service the chairman of deacons, Mike Jimison, presented us with a nice plant, cards, and a gift card to Wal-Mart. Following the presentation we all proceeded over to the fellowship hall to have lunch together. Imagine that, a Baptist Church eating together. That might be a first!
To confirm what I had already suspected, half the people in North Carolina skip Sunday Night church as well. However, we did have a decent crowd and a good Bible Study. All-in-all it was a great day. The first of what I hope are many to come! God Bless
The church placed a nice banner infront of the church that said welcome to our new pastor Rev. Travis Northcutt and his family...Amy, Lucy, and Lilly. It was a pleasant suprise!
Amy and I worked on setting my office up over the weekend. It's not the oval office, but I'm proud of it. I made sure all my books were unpacked and she made sure all the pictures were symetrical!
The service went really well. We had approximately 130 in Sunday School and add another 20-25 in worship. The church had a new sound system put in last week which included two 50" LCD t.v. screen upfront for video/powerpoint. Needless to say we have some work to do on our powerpoint skills. I had to tell them to stop showing the slides about half way through the message because it was confusing people. O well it will all come together in time.
After the morning service the chairman of deacons, Mike Jimison, presented us with a nice plant, cards, and a gift card to Wal-Mart. Following the presentation we all proceeded over to the fellowship hall to have lunch together. Imagine that, a Baptist Church eating together. That might be a first!
To confirm what I had already suspected, half the people in North Carolina skip Sunday Night church as well. However, we did have a decent crowd and a good Bible Study. All-in-all it was a great day. The first of what I hope are many to come! God Bless
We're Here
We made it to Kings Mountain May 19th and started unpacking boxes. We unpacked boxes monday night, tuesday and wednesday. We then left for Alabama to visit my family on Thursday. When we got home the following wednesday night you can guess what we did...unpack boxes. All the boxes are now unpacked and with the exception of purchasing some furniture we will be offically moved in.
When we left Kentucky we left almost all our furniture because it belonged to the church. That included our t.v. When we set out to buy a new one, I quickly found out you can't buy a regular t.v. any longer, they are all flat panel. So, we now have a 32" vizio flat panel t.v. I LIKE IT!
While in Alabama we had a great time. We traveled into mobile more than usual, and that was interesting. Somehow I always ended up on Airport blvd. I hate that road! One of the highlights of our trip was getting to spend some time with our friends Sherry and Dwayne Lavelle. I went to school with sherry my entire life and we were reunited at our 10 year reunion last year. Since the reunion we have visited everytime we went back home. Dwayne and Sherry are a Godly couple and we have a BLAST when we're all together.
Another highlight of the mobile trip was getting to spend some time with longtime friend Johnathan (Taco) Garrett. It has been a while since we had seen each other and got a chance to fish some at Dauphin Island as well as eat breakfast together the following day. He and his wife Jennifer have a handsome baby boy named Asher. It was a blessing to see his family and introduce him to Lilly. He was at the hospital the day Lucy was born, but hasn't seen her in 5 years.
Of course, the main reason we travel to Grand Bay is to visit family. It is always a blessing to get to "go home" again. There is truly no place like home. I cherish the moments I have with my mom, step-dad, and grandmother. Of course, they love spending time with the girls.
I want to thank Bro. Teddie Turrentine and Bro. Benny Still for allowing me to share there pulpits. We also took the time to go and visit Dauphin Way Baptist for the first time. Bro. Clint Pressley did a great job talking about the Lord's Prayer. I enjoy visiting other churches and seeing how they operate. God Bless
When we left Kentucky we left almost all our furniture because it belonged to the church. That included our t.v. When we set out to buy a new one, I quickly found out you can't buy a regular t.v. any longer, they are all flat panel. So, we now have a 32" vizio flat panel t.v. I LIKE IT!
While in Alabama we had a great time. We traveled into mobile more than usual, and that was interesting. Somehow I always ended up on Airport blvd. I hate that road! One of the highlights of our trip was getting to spend some time with our friends Sherry and Dwayne Lavelle. I went to school with sherry my entire life and we were reunited at our 10 year reunion last year. Since the reunion we have visited everytime we went back home. Dwayne and Sherry are a Godly couple and we have a BLAST when we're all together.
Another highlight of the mobile trip was getting to spend some time with longtime friend Johnathan (Taco) Garrett. It has been a while since we had seen each other and got a chance to fish some at Dauphin Island as well as eat breakfast together the following day. He and his wife Jennifer have a handsome baby boy named Asher. It was a blessing to see his family and introduce him to Lilly. He was at the hospital the day Lucy was born, but hasn't seen her in 5 years.
Of course, the main reason we travel to Grand Bay is to visit family. It is always a blessing to get to "go home" again. There is truly no place like home. I cherish the moments I have with my mom, step-dad, and grandmother. Of course, they love spending time with the girls.
I want to thank Bro. Teddie Turrentine and Bro. Benny Still for allowing me to share there pulpits. We also took the time to go and visit Dauphin Way Baptist for the first time. Bro. Clint Pressley did a great job talking about the Lord's Prayer. I enjoy visiting other churches and seeing how they operate. God Bless
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
There is power in prayer
I believe in prayer! There is power when God's people tap into the supernatural world of prayer. God has given us the ability to communicate with Him through prayer. I would like to ask all of you to remember our family as we transition from Friendship Baptist here in Kentucky to Oak Grove Baptist. Here are some specific ways to pray for our family...
Bro. Travis- Pray that I will finish my time at Friendship strong. I have three weeks to spend with these good people and I want to help put them on the right track as much as they will let me. God is working in a mighty way as we prepare to transition. As you could imagine, God's enemy is also working overtime. Please pray for me to keep my focus on Jesus and follow His leading.
Amy- Pray that Amy will be able to stay focused on one task at a time. Pray that she will not get overwhelmed with so much to do, and the Lord will give her the strength and organization skills to pack, clean, and throw away our stuff. As one could imagine, when a pastor leaves a church not everyone is happy or understanding. When people make unkind comments or treat our family with disrepect this bothers Amy greatly. She gets hurt easier than I do. Please pray for Amy that she will focus her attention on the task God has called her to, and have some "tough skin" these next few weeks.
Lucy (our 5 year old)- Pray that Lucy will be able to transition to North Carolina and make friends. She is old enough to have made friends here, but young enough to rebound quickly. She met some great kids while when we visited Oak Grove a few weeks ago and is excited about reuniting with them. Also, pray that Lucy will not have to enroll in school when we arrive in NC. She is in kindergarden now, but at a 2nd grade level in reading and math. The only issue will be whether or not she will have enough days attended to move to 1st grade. Her principal here said they will recommend her to the first grade, but we will have to wait and see. This also presents a sticky dilema because we want to make a trip to Mobile, Al to see family before my first Sunday at Oak Grove. If Lucy has to attend school in Kings Mountain, we will not be able to make the trip.
Lilly (our 6 month old)- Pray that Lilly's teeth will come in. They are giving her fits. Lilly will have no trouble transitioning, however her schedule will be thrown off. She's a great baby so that's not a problem.
I would also like to pray for you. If you have any prayer request send them to me at my new e-mail address ogbcpastor@yahoo.com God Bless!
Bro. Travis- Pray that I will finish my time at Friendship strong. I have three weeks to spend with these good people and I want to help put them on the right track as much as they will let me. God is working in a mighty way as we prepare to transition. As you could imagine, God's enemy is also working overtime. Please pray for me to keep my focus on Jesus and follow His leading.
Amy- Pray that Amy will be able to stay focused on one task at a time. Pray that she will not get overwhelmed with so much to do, and the Lord will give her the strength and organization skills to pack, clean, and throw away our stuff. As one could imagine, when a pastor leaves a church not everyone is happy or understanding. When people make unkind comments or treat our family with disrepect this bothers Amy greatly. She gets hurt easier than I do. Please pray for Amy that she will focus her attention on the task God has called her to, and have some "tough skin" these next few weeks.
Lucy (our 5 year old)- Pray that Lucy will be able to transition to North Carolina and make friends. She is old enough to have made friends here, but young enough to rebound quickly. She met some great kids while when we visited Oak Grove a few weeks ago and is excited about reuniting with them. Also, pray that Lucy will not have to enroll in school when we arrive in NC. She is in kindergarden now, but at a 2nd grade level in reading and math. The only issue will be whether or not she will have enough days attended to move to 1st grade. Her principal here said they will recommend her to the first grade, but we will have to wait and see. This also presents a sticky dilema because we want to make a trip to Mobile, Al to see family before my first Sunday at Oak Grove. If Lucy has to attend school in Kings Mountain, we will not be able to make the trip.
Lilly (our 6 month old)- Pray that Lilly's teeth will come in. They are giving her fits. Lilly will have no trouble transitioning, however her schedule will be thrown off. She's a great baby so that's not a problem.
I would also like to pray for you. If you have any prayer request send them to me at my new e-mail address ogbcpastor@yahoo.com God Bless!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Welcome!
Welcome to the newly established Oak Grove Family Happenings blog. This will be our corner of the web where we can share prayer request, special announcements, and I can post about upcoming events. I will also use this blog to chronicle events in our life and give you a chance to get to know myself and my family.
I will probably not post everyday, however I will post as much as possible or when needed. I will also use this blog to share with you news in the event I am out of town. This blog is nothing more than another tool for Oak Grove to communicate with each other and the world we live in. It is my prayer this blog will become another tool in our arsenal to share with the world the good news of Jesus Christ.
I have also established a new e-mail address that I will be using to handle all e-mail correspondences. The new e-mail address is ogbcpastor@yahoo.com
I look forward to sharing the happenings of the Oak Grove Family. God Bless!
I will probably not post everyday, however I will post as much as possible or when needed. I will also use this blog to share with you news in the event I am out of town. This blog is nothing more than another tool for Oak Grove to communicate with each other and the world we live in. It is my prayer this blog will become another tool in our arsenal to share with the world the good news of Jesus Christ.
I have also established a new e-mail address that I will be using to handle all e-mail correspondences. The new e-mail address is ogbcpastor@yahoo.com
I look forward to sharing the happenings of the Oak Grove Family. God Bless!
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