Raysword

Miracle End to Hostage of Sea Captain

2009-04-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Who are the heros? The real heros are the thousands who were praying for those in authority to make the right decisisions and carry them out. And whooop it happened....two clean shots from two of America's finist ended the lives of two hostage holders and took the third as a hostage of the U.S. Navy. Thanks guys for an excellent well timed and executed plan. You truly are heros who go un-noticed by many who do not realize that Navy Seals are always training and always on duty around the world.
I was in the United States Air Force. A b-52 Squadran. Can you emagine what kind of mess our B-52 would have made even with a laser guided bomb. That's why we need all the branches of the armed forces and take note world WE HAVE THE BEST OF THE BEST!

Pirates..what next?

2009-04-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

When will the United States begin to defend it shiping and stopping this junk. It if very apparent that now of the other countries are doing to do any thing. I say follow the money trail and then who winds us with the money gets the bullets. We cannot afford to allow any one to cause havack of our shipping lanes where ever they are.

Dr. Raymond Culpepper My General Overseer!

2009-04-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have been in several meetings with Dr. Culpepper since his election and all I can say is I am impressed, impressed. It always appears that he is bearing his very soul to you in these meetings. Never any hype or anything like that but just Clupepper. Plan and simple. That is what you get. Of course that is what I like. I like to see the real man bearing his soul and burden for the church. I can understand that a lot more than I can one who puts on a lot of hype and shurrades. That is also what I liked about John Nichols. When you meet him you have meet the real deal and that is the way it is with Raymond Culpepper. Where ever you meet him he is the same as he was the last time you saw him. Smart, straight forward, honest and the real deal. I truly believe he is going to be a great blessing to our church. Thanks Dr. Culpepper for being just you.

Pastor Minger

Will it Happen?

2009-03-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Can these 150 men composing a committe of action stand up and be counted to up hold the minutes of the General Assembly. I am praying that they will be able to lead us beyound and empass on the Realocation of Funds. If something is not done with this opportunity it will NEVER HAPPEN. If you know any of these men write to them or email them to stand strong and be lead by the Holy Spirit as well as their own heart in dealing with the all important time in our Church. We cannot afford to let this opportunity pass to make us a more of a missional church. Pray hard and talk to everyone in your cipher of influnce.

John D. Nichols Goes to Heaven

2009-03-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

John Nichols was a giant in the Church of God. I will personally miss him very much. I will never forget the day he just popped into my office. I was supprised that he came but delighted. I hope you will join with me in praying for Norene and their daughter.
The day he came into my office I told him that I had always voted for him in the General Assembly. That is just how much confidence I had in him. He always knew me where he saw me; not like others who was my friend when it was convient for them.
I will miss John D. Nichols!

General Overseer Dr. Culpepper taking Right Steps

2009-02-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

General Overseer Dr. Raymond Culpepper is taking the right steps by going out of Cleveland and listening to the pastors and members in the field. If it does not do anything else it will make them feel like someone really cares about what they are doing.
I personally believe he is really concerned and wants to hear what we have to say. It will remain to be seen if it will have any affect on what comes from the Executive Committee. I have always liked Dr. Culpepper so I am somewhat biased in my opinions.
One of the biggest things we need in the Church of God is a Church wide health care program for all our ministers but especially for those who are retired and living on meger incomes. They have given their lives for this church and deserve all the help they get. They deserve more recognition for their labors also. I know many retired ministers who have given their lives for this church. They never pastor what we call a "limit paying church" but always worked a secular job in order to support their ministry. I deeply love and appreciate all of them. That is why I full support from myself and my church all the programs for them. Especially at Christmas time when it seems like they are all forgotten.
Thank you Dr. Culpepper for listening!

The World of Politics

2009-02-14T17:01:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a whirl wind in the political world. Putting it middle for me I am really disappointed in the so called stemulis plan the president has pushed through congress. To put it midly he has misled the nation with what was suppost to be a jobs program turned into a hugh pork and spending bill which Obama said he would veto any bill that had one line of pork in it. Not this one! He claims it as a monumental victory that he has put our children and grandchildren into debt for all their lives. It is all just a lie from the pit of hell. Obama keeps conviently mentioning his supposed love for Christ. This can't be so with the deception he had put forth on this country with this bill. I will never vote for him!!

What a weekend!1

2009-02-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

This was a great weekend for Garden Cathedral. Two (2) received the Lord into their lives and several were healed. What a great God we are serving. This was a great way to start of our 21 Day Daniels Fast. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
I look foward to seeing what God will do Wednesday night. The spirit of prayer and fasting is prement everywhere. Praise God for His marvelous blessing to all of us.
We kicked of the Daniels Fast with a bang and look forward to many great things happening. If you have an unsaved loveone you would like for us to pray for put the names in the comments section of this blog. We look forward to seeing you in the next service and experienceing the great move of God at Garden Cathedral.

Some Progress

2009-01-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

It is great to welcome our General Overseer to the realm of blogging. I am sure he will have some great and insightful things to share with us. I am one the believe that there can never be to much communication between leadership the the followers.
So I look forward to his post to gain insight and wisdom for ministry. He has a vivid background in pastoral ministry. When he was elected it was good to see a pastor elevated to the office of General Overseer. I expect great things from him and from all of us for that matter.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well here we are at the end of 2008! Who said we would not make it. Just think your car has depreciated by $1000.00 and you will be, after Wednesday night, be waring last years style of cloths. The big question is will your heart make any changes? I hope that all who read this blog will engage themselves in a desparate attempt to draw nearer to God than ever before in your life. You are worth it to God to be better than what you have been. We all can love Him more and do more than we have been doing.
I look forward to hearing of the great things God is doing in your life.

When will the Tithe of Tithe begin to be used as prescribed in the General Assembly Minutes?

2008-11-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

The new executive committee has been in office now for 90 days. It appears there has been no movement to start using the moneys for Evangelism and Home missions as prescribed in the minutes of the General Assembly. Is this maleficence in office when the do not obey the by laws and administer the EHM moneys to the support of evangelism, new churches and helping old churches who are having financial problems.
I join with other of my fellow Church of God Bishops in calling on the Executive Committee to change this practice and adhere to the minutes.

What is the Price of Freedom

2008-11-05T18:49:00.001-08:00

While I disagree with how the election of the president turned out the truth is we all will have a new president come January 20, 2009. It is going to be interesting to see all the back peddling and excuses he will give when he cannot put a check in everybodies hand and make all their hurts go away. In his speech of acceptance when he stated that it might not happen in a first term and that there would be cause for a lot of sacrifice the whole temperment of the audience changed.
The truth is that he will never accomplish half that he has promised. While it is true that the economy is in a mess we as christians are not bound by the economy of the United States. Our income and success depends on Christ and our service to Him.
I will be praying for Barak Obama that God will bless him with great knowledge and the real ability to do a lot that he has said he will do.

Obama wrong for America

2008-10-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

Obama is wrong for America. Not one major CEO from any company has endorsed him. The banks have already stopped small business loans because of his announcement of his tax policy.
But the biggest reason I can't vote for Obama is I can't bring myself to vote for anyone who believes it is alright to kill unborn babies or let live birth babies die with out rendering medical help.
This is what you will get in a President who would be committing genocide against his own black people. No, No, I just can't vote for Obama.

A New Pastor Finally Appointed

2008-09-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

I wrote last month on the lose of one of our pastors in a near by town. He had to leave the ministry because of moral falure to the point that he can never be restored to ministry in the Church of God.
Finally after a month the church has a new pastor. A young energetic minister who I believe will quickly get the church back up to speed and to winning souls to the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a little perturbed. Number one I felt the State Office took to long to name a replacement pastor for this church. Number two the one they appointed was my executive pastor. So now, even though this church is blessed, I have a vacant spot on my ministerial team. It will take someone with a lot of energy and get up and go attitude in a replacement I know God will send us someone to take his place. I am sure that God is going to bless him in this new endeavor. This will be his first time being a senior pastor. So pray for this church!
I receive a call from the state offices this morning wanting an address for the father and mother of the fallen minister. After a month maybe they are going to reach out to them and minister to them. They also served the Church of God many years as pastors. They are loved and appreciated so much and are just one of the many who are hurting because of the moral failure of their son. We are praying for Samuel and Mary that God will bless them greatly in their retirement years. Please keep this family in your prayers. They really need it.
I hate to sound like a broken record but I just can't believe the greed and selfishness of a minister who will indulge his own lustful desires to the point that it destroys so much having to do with family and the church. This happen way to many times.

Another Fellow Minister Has Fallen.

2008-07-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

On November 28 I wrote about all the ramifications when a minister falls because of moral failure. It has happen again. This time it was a minister in a town right next to my town. It is a very sad situation. He will never be able to be licensed again in the Church of God. Much worse he has lost his marriage, his church of loving people and all the years of confidence that others had come to have in him.
It was like a funeral when the letter of resignation with the reason was read to the congregation. They loved him so much that they were willing to try and work something out. However, under the bylaws of the church that was impossible.
The next day was a terrible day when two seperate trailers were backed up to the parsonage one to be loaded for him and the other loaded for his wife and daughter. The heart break with a wide range of emotions was very visible to everyone. The wife and daughter had NOTHING left but their cloths to pack in the trailer. No home to go to. No relatives to accept them; just nothing. I also felt so broken as my wife and another of the ladies from our church went to clean the parsonage for them because the wife was not physically or emotionally able to do it. We tried to show them all the love we could but the brokeness was so hard for them. I did receive an offering in my church for the wife, ($1596.90), to help her until she could some how put her life back into some kind of order.
HOW CAN SOMEONE BE SO SELFISH I keep asking myself? That for their on lust and physical pleasure for a few moments in a life time could be so overpowering and cause the break up of a home, a church and many families. Pray for this family! It hurts to see a fellow minister fall and bring about such distruction.

Proposed change in Exhort rank of ministry

2008-06-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

It will be a grave mistake for the General Assembly of the Church of God to make the Exhorter rank of the ministry the responsibility of the local church. There are more law suits brought against the church in the removal of exhorter license than all others combined. If the State and General Offices cannot handle all the law suits how in the world will the local church handle them. It will mean a run on local churches and pastors to give exhorters license to any and everybody that comes along. At present the canidate for exhorters has to graduate from cims and mip plus have a background check done before being tested for license. In my opinion the reason for passing this responsibility on to the local church is to get rid of the possibility of law suits on the State and General Offices of the Church of God. Putting it really simple: don't vote for this to take place. It will be a giant step backwards for the church.

Storm of discussion to hit Church of God General Assembly

2008-06-18T11:59:00.001-07:00

For those of you who keep up with such things know this. The worlds oldest Pentecostal denomination is on the bring of division and split. The Church of God General Assembly, which is the highest rule making body of this church, will meet in August. There is a great cry going out for finiancial openeness by the General Headquarters. However, it does not yet appear that this will happen anytime in the near future. It seems to steam from the resent new building of three new buildings at the General Headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee. It is my understanding that the construstion was suppost to be limited to $10 million dollars. However, with cost over runs it went far beyond that amount thus money was taken from any and every department source they could find. There are many who are questioning the legality of doing this with out the approval of the ordained bishops. It is causing quite a fire storm that could cause a lot of problems for the current leadership who remains closed mouth as to how this was done. Even though the minutes of the General Assembly requires that any bishop in good standing with the church can receive a finiancial accounting of all funds upon request this policy is not being followed. Therefore, a lot of bishops are taking up the cause to find out why the secret involved.
There is a simple answer to the delemia! Let the leadership, executive committee, follow the General Assembly minutes and release the wanted finiancial information. So simple yet so secretive and all is determental to the future of the denomination.

John McCain not a Conservative!

2008-05-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

The more I hear John McCain the more I am convienced he is not a true conservative. How could you be Mr. McCain when you are espousing all kinds of programs that will only bankrupt the nation even more than it already has been done. While I applaud your matilitary career and feel badly for you suffering and injuries that in and of it's self does not qualify you to become President of these United States.
You are no different that Obama when it comes to using the clergy when it works to your advantage like you did with Dr. Hagee and Rod Parsley. Once you have used them for your purpose, winning primaries, you throw them aside as used meat for any and all. You will rue the day that you wacked their generous backing and then turned your back on them. They both are highly regarded in the christian world and carry great weight on home people vote for.
I can say for myself that I will be listening very closely to both John Hagee and Rod Parsley and might I say taking some ques from them as to how I should cast my vote.
Some words of advise: make amends with these men. They can help you.

I'm Having a Hard Time With My Vote

2008-01-31T12:54:00.000-08:00

I am having a hard time making up my mind on my vote. I suspect thousands more are just like me. I just can't find a real conservative on the ticket. O did I say I would not vote democratic not matter who was running. So that kind of leaves me with all these republicans that and to liberal for me. Even though John Macain won in my state it was not with my vote. I voted agains all of them by voting for someone I knew could not win. Just because I am a christian does that mean I am obligated to vote for a former preacher. I don't think so! I have been down that road when I was young and voted for Jimmy Carter because he was a christian. Now I know that was a bad vote.

Do I vote a certain person becaused of economic issues. The economy is always going to be up and down so I don't think that is a good measure to vote by. When you don't have any more money than I have it makes even less sense.

I cannot bring myself to vote for someone who believes in killing babies even though all the other issues may line up. So do I just not vote? I don't think so! I will vote republican but who I vote for is up in the air. That is where I think a lot of you are also. So answer my question...who do you vote for with all these hang ups. God help us if Hillary wins!! God seems to be our only hope. But how do I vote for God? I will do a lot of praying and searching before I step into that little box to cast my vote when the time comes. Again, God help us!

When a pastor falls

2007-11-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

In the world of the church it is always sad when a pastor has a moral failure. This happen recently near where I live. A very good preacher and pastor fell into the waiting arms of a woman other than his wife. I not only destroys the effectiveness of the church, that pastors ministry but also destroys the life of the wife and the children. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MIND OF THAT PASTOR? In the process of the act or acts does he ever stop to think what he is doing to so many people especcially his family.

The wife: Where this wife was in the limelight of a great number of people (in this case several thousand) now she only wants to hide, not be seen or answer a phone. She has to tell the children something as to why their father is no longer at home. Why they are not attending church where they always have and having people pouring love into their lives. The income is stopped in most cases so how does she put food on the table and take care of all the other things that a loving husband once helped with. Where she was once the FIRST LADY of the church she is now the last. Her mind is going in a million different directions. Did her husband, the pastor, ever think of what he was causing as he enjoyed his moments of indiscreations in a hotel or an apartment somewhere?

The Church: Here are thousands of people who put all their hopes and dreams into every word, demostration, and act of faith that this man preached. Do they look for another church? Do they just quit church in doubt and unbelief? Do they hang in there hoping that it will all work out in the long run? Or is their faith crushed to the point that they stop praying and doing all the other things that would help them dig their way out of the doubt and dissappointment.

The mom and dad: Our boy was reaching the top ranks of noteability of preachers. He had his own television program, billboards everywhere, spoke in national conferences, spoke and hosted on the largest Christian Television networks in the world. Surely our boy did not lose all he had going for a trist with another woman? Our hearts are broken into a million pieces.

Yes, he has gone to a counseling center for restorestation but what about all the rest of us. Who is going to help us recover from such a far reaching hurt. The answer is simple but it is also very hard. Just trust in God to lead you through and out of all the hurt. It is very hard but it can be accomplished with much prayer and talking it out with people of like faith. Try not to hate the pastor or his wife. That is the wrong direction. Let the love of Christ be you main place of release from the hurt come from. Just remember this is not the first time a pastor has gone into moral failure and sad to say will probably not be the last time. So pray, love and keep yourself in church. You will come out of this with your faith in tact!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

It is only a few days before Thanksgiving for all Americans. We have a lot to be thankful for. However, there are those among us who do not seem to be thankful for being able to live in the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Where else could a person live and have the freedoms that we enjoy yet we only celebrate it one day out of the year. On any given day YOU have the right and the ability to decide what you are going to do that day. If you don't want to go to work you can call in sick and in most cases your excuse will be accepted without question. Thus you have the day off to do as you please. In most cases our needs for the day are already there for us to partake of. Yet in most of the countries I have had the opportunity to visit they do not have it this way. They wake up, hopefully, with one goal in mind and that is to try to get something to eat that day. They may not have eaten for several days. Their cloths maybe dirty. Their bodies may be dirty. etc. Yet we with all of our problems do not have to rake and scrap for every morsel of food we eat. We don't have to dig in the garbage dump for food. Yes I have been to the garbage dump to help feed those poor people in another country who live, eat and survive because they have a garbage dump. Then the city fathers in that country come along and burn the garbage dump along with the huts that the people who love there have built to help survive against the elements. Our poor in the city where I live are not getting run out of garbage dumps but out of city parks where people of good character and caring natures come each day to feed them. What do our city fathers do? They pass an ordinance that will not allow anyone to feed people in the city park. I guess they are trying to send them to the garbage dump too.
So! How thankful will you be to get to sit down with your family Thanksgiving day to a full table of all the finest and best that can be prepared. Will you be thankful enough that you will go to one of the many care centers in your city and volunteer to dish out food on to a plate that you did not furnish and with food you did not cook. Could we at least just dip the food and put it on their plate.
Well let me get past this and look to the next holiday, Christmas. I have plans to help provide a Christmas for kids in an orphanage in Guatemala. Ooooo you should see those happy faces to get a gift that may cost very little as far as we are concerned but to them just to get a gift means everything to them. Join all the rest of us and let us make this a wonderful and thankful Thanksgiving!

My first post!

2007-10-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

I enjoy communicating with people about just about everything. I guess right now all the guys are talking hunting and speck fishing. I personally am trying to get my outboard motor started after it set up for a year. I had surgery on my neck so I haven't done much fishing etc.

So what is going on in your world? Write me all the good stuff. I enjoy all sports, traveling and most anything to do with family history. I have done pretty good tracing my family tree. We are a rare bunch of old Germans on my dad's side and English Hughes on my mother's side. I really have enjoyed looking everybody up and finding kin folks I didn't know I had.

My mom passed away a month ago. I got to see a lot of cousins and other kinfolks that I had not seen in 30 to 40 years. If any one out there has any information on my family I would appreciate knowing what information you have.

Stay alert out there in cyberspace. There is no telling what you will find next.

Dr. Ray G. Minger, Ph.D.