Do You Know Pastor Darius Templeton?

A few years ago I put up a few posts called "Do You Know (Insert Name Here)?" and they proved to be very popular posts. I never intended to do those posts super often but I did intend to do them more often than I have. Why? Because we are blessed to meet so many incredible Christian men and women that most people know nothing about and I would love for you to get to meet them.

Some people think the church is full of nothing but hypocrites and weak minded types. We have met all types in the church but we have been abundantly blessed to become acquainted with some genuinely saved and sanctified folks in churches all over the US and beyond. We are privileged to serve God with amazing men and women that are dedicated and sold out to Christ.

I know some people are down on everybody but we regularly leave a church saying, "Wow, those are super great people!" There is no way we could introduce you to all of them that we know but at least we can try to hit the highlights!

I was reading a great devotional written by a good friend online the other day and I said to myself, "I need to tell somebody about him and this devotional." So that is what I am doing today.

Do you know Pastor Darius Templeton? This is him below with his precious wife Sis. Kim at their church in October, 2013.

Bro. Darius was raised in a preacher's home in Connersville, Indiana. He came to our home church, Dryden Rd. Pentecostal Church as a young man and won the heart of one of our best young ladies, Sis. Kim. He stayed at Dryden Rd. for many years, eventually becoming the Youth Pastor and working under Bro. Bennie Sutherland for several years. He became what seemed like an indispensable part of our home church.

Four or five years ago Cedar Creek church near Citronelle, Alabama came calling and Bro. Darius has served as their Pastor ever since. We hated to lose him at Dryden Rd. but we knew he would be a great Pastor at Cedar Creek. He is doing a fine job and the Allentown fellowship of south Alabama is blessed to have Bro. Darius and his family there.

I admit that I am a little biased toward Bro. Darius but it is hard not to be. Bro. Darius is a fine Christian gentleman. He is a man of integrity, character and discipline. On top of all that he is a tremendous preacher. He has applied himself to the Word of God and he preaches it faithfully.

Bro. Darius has started posting a devotional on the Cedar Creek church's website and I am enjoying it very much. They are short and thought provoking and they are well worth the time and effort to read them. I suggest you bookmark Bro. Darius's devotional and check it every day. He will surely tell you something that will profit you spiritually.

Do you know Pastor Darius Templeton? He is definitely worth getting to know and this is a fine chance to do it.

Thanks for reading.

Davy

March of 2014 at Cedar Creek

March of 2014 at Cedar Creek

Do You Know Bill Houston?

Do You Know Bill Houston? That's Bro. Bill on the left in the picture below at Dryden Road Campmeeting last August.

Do You Know Bill Houston? We have been blessed to know Bill Houston for well over twenty five years. He preached a homecoming service at Harveysburg shortly after we were married and we could not believe such preaching was possible. He preached on "The Bulls of Bashan" and described what our Savior endured to pay the price for our sin. He preached with anointing, power, conviction and compassion. I remember distinctly the effect that sermon had on us. We have literally never been the same since!

It would be a few years before we would visit Dryden Rd. Church and realize that was Bro. and Sis. Houston's home church but the preaching that day at Harveysburg church opened a whole new world to us.  We began to seek out preaching like that. We began to hunger for preaching backed with prayer, study and purity.

As we spent time with Bro. Bill and Sis. Darien we completely fell in love them. We discovered they were the real deal. They took us in and loved us unconditionally and quickly became an extra set of grandparents to Odie. They helped us draw closer to God every time we were around them. 

Bro. Bill's preaching has been a great help to us all these years. His preaching continually confronted and inspired us. He has challenged us to dedicate every part of our lives to the Lord. He has encouraged us when we were low and caused us to seek deeper experiences in God. 

However, Bro. Bill's preaching has only been part of his influence on us. It is undeniably a large part but he has influenced us so much more than that.  His personal consecration to God, his pursuit of holiness and his unquenching love for souls  and dedication to evangelism has produced life changing results in our lives. 

Bro. Bill was the first evangelist that we spent very much time around at all. He became the ultimate personification of an evangelist to us. His passion and devotion energized and motivated us to be the best evangelists we could be. It might horrify him to hear me say this but much of what I do as an evangelist and much of how I operate came as a result of his effect on our lives. 

Thank you, Bro. Bill and Sis. Darien for your Godly example, Christian character and loyal friendship through the years.  You have touched many lives across America and are continuing to do so even now. God bless you for your faithfulness. 

Do you know Bro. Bill Houston? He is definitely worth getting to know.

Davy

Do You Know Pastor Bennie Sutherland?

Do You Know Pastor Bennie Sutherland?

Bro. Bennie Sutherland is our Pastor and has been since early in 1989. Bro. Bennie has pastored for well over 40 years and has pastored Dryden Road Pentecostal Church since January 1978, over 34 years.

When we visited Dryden Rd. in 1988 and heard Bro. Bennie preach we were hooked. It took us about a year to make the transition but we knew very early on that Bro. Bennie Sutherland was our Pastor.

It was his preaching that caught our attention and has proven to be profitable so many times through the years for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness. Thank God for a man who studies the Word, prays for guidance and delivers the message with skill and compassion.

Compassion sums up Bro. Bennie so well. He is known across the country as a man that will preach the Word of God without fear or favor. He has been in demand for many years to preach revivals and campmeetings all over the country. He is some more kind of preacher but his heart of compassion is what will always define him for me. Bro. Bennie Sutherland has the heart of a Pastor.

The Boggs family will forever be indebted to Bro. Bennie Sutherland and his Godly wife Sis. Jane for their love, kindness, generosity and friendship. We are so very thankful that God brought them into our lives. It is very possible and highly probable that there would be no Boggs Family Ministries if not for Bro. Bennie Sutherland being used of God in our lives.

Do you know Bro. Bennie Sutherland? He is definitely worth getting to know...

Do You Know Jimmie Radcliffe?

Do You Know Jimmie Radcliffe?



We met Bro. Jimmie in January, 2011 when we arrived to preach our first revival at Hilldale Holiness Church for Pastor Nathan Conner in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I had known Bro. Jimmie's brothers and parents for quite a long time but our paths had never crossed.

By the end of the week we had several brand new good friends and Bro. Jimmie was one of them. He took an interest in us, our ministry and our upcoming Summer of Tent Revivals. He has been a great source of encouragement and blessing to us.

The 2009 24 ft. trailer that we used last summer originally belonged to Bro. Jimmie. We were only able to purchase it because he gave us such a tremendous deal on it. Last year would have been so different if we had not had that trailer. It carried the tent, chairs, platforms, carpet, tools and Mr. Cheap Jeep and it carried it all well!

Our first tent revival of 2011 was in June at Hilldale Holiness Church . That is Bro. Jimmie's home church. He worked so hard, along with all the other men of the church, on that first set up and went way beyond the call of duty. We used his tools, ladders, lights and so much more. Come to think of it, we are still using his lights...

He made a trip to Allentown last week and took that white 2009 trailer back to its new home in Oklahoma. That trip alone was a huge, huge help to me. I do not know how or when I could have made that trip myself.

He is also planning along with others to drive to Montana for the tent revival there in July. That is exciting to think about way back here in March!

Bro. Jimmie has called and text and emailed with encouragement and the promise of prayers through this whole experience. He has taken a personal interest in making sure we have what we need. I believe he would give his last ounce of strength to help somebody else.

Do you have the picture yet? I believe God placed Bro. Jimmie Radcliffe and many others like him for this particular time in our life. Bro. Jimmie seeks no limelight, he would want no applause and he desires no public credit, yet he certainly deserves much applause and credit. He has been my friend and I thank God for him.

Do You Know Bro. Jimmie Radcliffe? He is definitely worth getting to know...

Davy

"Do You Know (INSERT NAME HERE)?"

Several years ago while we were serving as a pastor in Wichita, Kansas, I sent Thanksgiving cards instead of Christmas cards one year. In the weeks leading up to that Thanksgiving I thought about many special people that God had brought into my life at strategic points. I sat down and wrote many of these people cards expressing my appreciation for them and the fact that they allowed God to use them to minister to me and my family.

It was amazing to me how many great men and women God had used to bring encouragement and blessings to us. So many had been instrumental in the discipleship process in our Christian experience. I literally wept and cried for hours over a period of weeks as I praised God for these individuals, ministries and families. I thought it proper to let them know exactly how they impacted my life and the life of my family. That is how I came to send Thanksgiving cards that year.

As a result of those cards I received several interesting phone calls, cards and letters in return. Most of the people that had affected me so much had no earthly idea that their actions spoke so clearly and dearly to me! They were just working for God, doing their duty and living their lives. But in the course of walking and talking their normal Christian lives they had touched me and my family more deeply than I could express. 

This encouraged me even more to tell folks what a blessing they are to others as they live and minister for Christ. My expression of thankfulness may be just the thing somebody needs to keep right on doing what they are doing. The individuals doing the most good may not even know it.

I have been thinking about all of this again lately. I realized a few weeks ago that I have a platform in this blog to shout from the housetop. I can express my thankfulness for those that have impacted us and all of our MILLIONS of readers can know it.

So I am starting a new series on the blog that I am calling, "Do You Know (INSERT NAME HERE)?" I won't be able to be as personal as I would be in a letter or card addressed to an individual but there are a whole lot of super people out there that I would like for you to know. In fact we are meeting more great people all of the time. This will give me an opportunity to introduce to you or remind you of people we have known a long time and also great folks we have recently met.

I will start tomorrow with a person we have known for less than 18 months. We will see how it goes from there. I might do one a week or 10 in a row. It will depend on how the mood strikes me. Let me know what you think and feel free to chime in any time.

God bless you all...

Davy