41 Years and Counting

This year I will turn 58! Wow! Hard for me to believe but I am so grateful. I will also celebrate 41 years in the ministry. It has been an amazing journey!
I was saved at the age of eight in a small independent baptist church. Rev. Bruce Talley was the pastor. He was so faithful in preaching God's Word. The church met in a house that was converted into a sanctuary and Sunday school. A small but powerful beginning as God changed my life.
I fell in love with God's Word and began learning. At the age of 16, I felt a call to serve the Lord in full-time ministry. By age 17, I was able to start a deeper journey of discipleship and service. I graduated from Samford University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, eventually earning a doctorate degree.
Through the years I have been blessed to serve some great churches both large and small. I have served with some great pastors and dynamic leaders. My journey in the ministry has taken me to many states and countries. I have preached under a tree in East Africa as well as a large Orthodox Church in Romania. The doors God has opened have truly amazed me. But I am reminded that throughout my journey it has never been nor ever will be about me. It is all about Him.
I am sure that I have failed the Lord more than I have pleased Him. My heart has been to serve Him and lift His name up in this world of sin and darkness. I have been encouraged and attacked. It has been said that if you don't have any opposition then you really aren't doing anything significant. I don't believe anyone's journey in the ministry is truly easy if they are really passionate.
I think back on the churches and people the Lord has placed in my life and the leaders I have been blessed to serve with. Each ministry position grew me for the next opportunity.
Now I am serving a wonderful, loving church in Montgomery called Cloverdale. This beautiful Body of Christ is located in a historic district. The church was once pretty large in size and ministries. Through the years there has been a decline and hasn't had a pastor in seven years. Until now! God brought us to this small group in a big facility. But God is not small. God is powerful and can do beyond what we could ever imagine. I am yielding myself to the leadership of the Lord. He has a plan and purpose for Cloverdale! I'm blessed to be part of the journey. God is not finished as long as there is a sinner to be saved!
I often think back on that little church in Birmingham, Alabama where I first gave my heart to Jesus. I am reminded of a few lessons God has taught me:
1. God is powerful and able anywhere and everywhere in the world.
2. God is faithful even when you aren't.
3. God's love is much deeper than His people express.
4. God loves His church.
5. God prepares you for His journey.
6. God's Word will sustain you and can be fully trusted.
7. God will use you as long as you live.
8. God will fight your battles.
9. God's blessings and healing lasts forever.
10. God continues to amaze me. Never loose the wonder of who He is.

From the Heart,

Pastor BR