Pastors are People Too…A Georgia Pastor Killed Himself on Sunday Morning…

Hello World,  

As the daughter, granddaughter and niece of pastors, I know that pastors are people too…Although many pastors seem to be supernatural and impenetrable representatives of God, they are not. In fact, I think one of the drawbacks of being on a pedestal is a false sense of self-sufficiency when we all need God AND other people…I don’t know why this Georgia pastor killed himself on Sunday morning as his congregation waited for him to arrive at church, but I imagine that many pastors sometimes feel they are prisoners of their pedestals…Below is an excerpt of the story from The Christian Post

A Georgia pastor and father of two who once confessed that sometimes “I don’t feel like God is hearing me” killed himself outside his home while his wife, kids and 800 member- congregation waited for him to show up for church on Sunday.

According to 13 WMAZ, Rev. Teddy Parker Jr., 42, of Bibb Mount Zion Baptist Church in Macon, Ga., was discovered by his wife, Larrinecia Parker, 38, in the driveway of their Warner Robins house with a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

The Christian Post left messages for the family and the church office on Tuesday and responses are still pending.

Lakesia Toomer, a church official, told WMAZ, “We consider this a private matter between the family and the BMZ church family. We kindly ask that the public respects our privacy at this time.”

Russell Rowland, a member of the church who employs the pastor’s brother at his landscaping business, revealed to CP in a telephone interview that the pastor had sent his wife and two daughters to church ahead of him on Sunday morning and they were all waiting for him to show up with the morning’s message from God.

“When he didn’t show up they went looking for him,” said Rowland. “I’m very surprised because he didn’t preach that. He preached totally against it. It’s something that the congregation don’t really understand.”

To read the rest of the story, go to “Pastor Who Confessed: There Are Times ‘I Don’t Feel Like God Is Hearing Me’ Kills Self as Congregation, Family Waits for Him on Sunday.”

Below is a video of Rev. Teddy Parker Jr. preaching on the topic of “Facing Your Storm With Confidence.”

I am sure that his family and his congregation could use our prayers right now…

Any thoughts?

Nation’s oldest black church commemorates 225 years today with Rev. Al Sharpton…

Hello World,

“Springfield Baptist Church, located at 114 12th St., was officially organized in 1787, though its congregation is believed to date to 1773. The current building was dedicated in 1910.” Taken by The Augusta Chronicle staff

I just want to give a shout out to Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia which is celebrating its 225th anniversary today! This church, which was officially founded in 1787 according to an article written by Kelly Jasper of The Augusta Chronicle  has a rich history…Here are a few excerpts from the article…

  • The church was officially organized in 1787, though its congregation is believed to date to 1773, two years before the American Revolution. The Rev. Jesse Peters Galphin, a slave whose master allowed him to receive training as a minister, was the first pastor.
  • Morehouse got its start in the basement of Springfield as the Augusta Baptist Institute in 1867. The school quickly outgrew the church. In 1879, it moved to Atlanta as the Atlanta Baptist Institute and was subsequently renamed Morehouse College, an institution that has produced several prominent black leaders, including King.

    taken by The Augusta Chronicle staff

  • The historical marker outside the old sanctuary calls Springfield a church that “helped bridge the transition between slavery and free citizenship” and “the major landmark remaining from the early free-black community of Springfield.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network will speak at 3 p.m. today…

Below is some video from the church (also from The Augusta Chronicle)

Any thoughts?

We Are a Bunch of Lushes…

Hello World,

*Hiccup*…Pardon me while I put down my bottle of Olde E so that I can write today’s post…I’m just kidding…

But if you live in the state of Georgia, you probably know what I’m talking about…In last Tuesday’s election in Georgia, most of the state’s 51 metro Atlanta jurisdictions voted to legalize Sunday alcohol sales. According to an article “Sunday Alcohol Sales Prove Popular With Most Voters” in the AJC, the scrapping of Georgia’s ban on Sunday alcohol sales demonstrates the slow but continuous abolishment of blue laws which are “designed to enforce religious standards, particularly observance of the Sabbath through restrictions on alcohol and shopping” that date back to the 1800s in Georgia and throughout the country.

This vote comes in the aftermath of Georgia’s legislature voting earlier this year to turn the issue over to individual citites rather than legislating a statewide ban on Sunday alcohol sales. Georgia was only one of three states nationwide that still prohibited Sunday liquor sales, according to the article…

How do I feel about it? As a Christian, I feel that we should set aside one day, the Sabbath, to rest, worship God and reflect on our relationship with Him and spend time with family and friends. The older I get, the more I see God’s wisdom in commanding us to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. He made this a law for our benefit not His…In this world of constant contact via smartphones and other devices, if we are not careful we can find ourselves working virtually 24 hours a day and 7 days a week! We desperately need to unplug – even just for one day…

Some of y’all lushes out there are probably like kicking back with a 40 is how I relax…Why shouldn’t I able to stop by my local gas station and pick up a six pack on Sunday if I feel like it?

Well, my answer to you is this verse…

“You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’–but not everything is good for you. You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’–but not everything is beneficial.” 1 Corinthians 10:23

You can buy a chicken & biscuit bowl at KFC too— but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you…This new item at KFC boasts mashed potatoes, corn, crispy chicken pieces, gravy, three cheeses AND a biscuit on the side….you might as well call it “I Wanna Get A Fat Behind With a Side of Back Roll” bowl because that is what you will get over time if you eat like that all of the time..

The dismantling of this ban represents a shift in how we approach the Sabbath, the ONE DAY that God asks us to set aside, and over time, we will start showing the effects our decision…

Any thoughts?