Hugh's News & Commentary

Don't forget that God is our Source!

In times like these we need to hear God's Word:

Psalm 118:8

It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
NKJV

Colossians 1:2
May everything good from God our Father be yours!
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)


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Scripture text recorded in Colossians 1:2, The Message

Editor's Commentary on Colossians 1:2

"Wall of Prayer for Our Military Forces and Wounded Soldiers"

Mark Rutland Recommended to Lead ORU The editor apologizes to Pastor Malcolm

You can now contribute to Hugh's News, Inc. via Major Credit Cards

The editor apologizes to Pastor Malcolm Burton for omitting his tribute to the Rev. Dr. Leroy Baker

Tribute to the Rev. Dr. Leroy Baker by Bishop Randell Drake

Will you receive the Benediction?

Stand by for Today's News . . .

Scripture text recorded in Colossians 1:2, The Message

"May everything good from God our Father be yours."

Editor's Commentary on Colossians 1:2

Whenever a Scripture verse comes alive for me, I will memorize it. I have been memorizing Scripture since I was a little boy. When I was in the third grade, I had a home room teacher who would give us $.50 for every chapter in the Bible she asked us to memorize. I could memorize them almost as fast as she could write them on the blackboard.  Today, $.50 is equivalent to $5.00. Fifty cents was a lot of money to me.

When we memorize Scripture we are giving the Holy Spirit a vocabulary to activate and energize in our lives.

Let me modify or expand on Eugene H. Peterson's paraphrased of Colossians 1:2. Here it is:

"May everything good from God our heavenly Father be yours in 2009."

We know that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. David wrote in Psalm 84:11, "No good thing will He withhold from them who walk uprightly."

God is our Source. He will provide for you and me. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. Our help comes from the Lord. Our trust is in God. 2009 can and will be the best year of our lives as we focus on God and His Word. Whatever He says to you, Do it!

“Wall of Prayer for Our Military Forces and Wounded Soldiers"

Someone has said that there are three kinds of ideas: good ideas, great ideas and God Ideas. I believe I have a God Idea to share with you in this newsletter.

On January 5, 2009, Cal Dunlap,the Executive Director of ACCTS (The Association for Christian Conferences, Teaching, and Service) introduced the membership of the NAE Chaplains Commission at our annual conference to the Wall of Prayer Initiative that began in Canada in 2007. Its purpose was to encourage the people of Canada to pray for their military forces. He shared how we, too, can become involved in this prayer movement.

It was Alfred, Lloyd Tennyson who wrote these words, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”

May I encourage you to consider being a part of this Wall of Prayer Initiative to pray for our military forces in this Global War on Terror, and for our returning wounded men and women who desperately need our prayers and support?

What is the Wall of Prayer Initiative, and how did it start?

The Wall of Prayer is a strategic initiative to mobilize hundreds of churches across North America to start praying our military forces through the Global War on Terror, as they discern how they might start ministering to the needs of the military.

In 2007, Major (Canadian Forces, Retired) Michael Ward and his wife Leonore of the Military Christian Fellowship of Canada were led by God to start praying for the Canadian Military Forces. Within a year, they had built a prayer network of over 200 churches, Bible study groups, and lay organizations across Canada. On January 19, 2008, many of these intercessors gathered in front of the Parliament Building in Ottawa to pray for the Canadian military, while others across Canada also prayed in churches, on military bases, and in homes. Retired and serving military members, chaplains, pastors, civilians, parents and spouses of soldiers came as one to lay their concerns before God on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The Canadian initiative is spreading across North America and the Caribbean, with more than 200 individuals, churches, and Christian organizations participating. Under the leadership of the Association of Military Christian Fellowships,this intercessory prayer movement is becoming a North American prayer alliance, a spiritual analogy to NORAD, the joint Canada / US North American Air Defense alliance.

Why is the Wall of Prayer Initiative needed now?

Our armed forces are engaged in irregular warfare against a non-traditional enemy, and they face improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers, and combat operations in urban terrain on a daily basis. This new form of combat is causing significantly increased Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as other horrific physical and psychological wounds. (A DOD task force reviewing data on troops returning from combat discovered that up to 49% of them experienced psychological symptoms, with the greatest incidence among those who had been on repeated deployments.)

Another matter of concern are the psychological effects upon family members, as hundreds of thousands of children are experiencing the deployment of a parent as technology brings the horrors of war into their homes.

Veterans are returning home from the current conflicts with Traumatic Brain Injury, lost or mangled limbs from IEDs, and other catastrophic injuries. Modern medicine and the availability of rapid air transportation to state of the art medical facilities mean that these wounded warriors can now survive such trauma.

Survival, however, usually means extensive recovery and rehabilitation in a Veteran’s Administration Hospital or another military facility. According to the Boston Globe, the ratio of wounded in action to killed in action for our forces in the Global War on Terror is 16:1 – in Vietnam it was 2:6. Clearly our wounded veterans need prayer support as their numbers continue to grow, and VA chaplains find themselves stretched to provide the necessary ministry.

How can you help meet these needs?

You can become a prayer partner simply by committing to pray for our military on a regular and intentional basis.

We know from Scripture that “The effectual,fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b), and that, “. . . if two of you on earth agree about something, then you can pray for it. And the thing you ask for will be done for you by my Father in heaven. This is true because if two or three people come together in my Name, l am there with them” (Matthew 18:19-20).

The ACCTS website – www.accts.org – has brochures and other
information about the Wall of Prayer Initiative, including a list of suggested prayer concerns. On the website there is a prayer map - as churches, Christian organizations, and others commit to praying for our forces, we ask that they indicate their support by adding their names to the map.  This will help us track “construction” of the Wall, as well as let our prayer partners see who is praying along side them. The materials on the website may be downloaded at no charge and distributed as the Lord provides opportunities to spread the word about the Wall of Prayer.

A corner stone of the Wall of Prayer Initiative will be the North America Association of Military Christian Fellowships Regional Conference at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado, August 17-21, 2009. Here anyone with a heart for the military will be both encouraged and equipped to pray more effectively for the military.

Registrations for the conference open February 17^th, 2009, and more information about both the conference and the Wall of Prayer is available online at www.accts.org

More information about the conference and the Prayer Initiative is available online at www.accts.org, or by calling the ACCTS home office in Denver at 800-487-8108.

Mark Rutland Recommended to Lead ORU

The Board of Trustees of ORU will vote on Rutland, who is president of Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL, later this month.

The presidential search committee at Oral Roberts University (ORU) has recommended that Mark Rutland, Ph.D., be named president of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, based school.

Rutland is currently president of Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. The university is affiliated with the Assemblies of God (AG).

ORU officials said Rutland would attend board meetings at the university during the last week of January. The Board of Trustees will vote on Rutland after he has met with ORU stakeholder groups.

Southeastern spokeswoman Anita T. Whitaker said Rutland is the only presidential candidate being considered by the ORU board when it votes on January 28.

If Rutland is named president of ORU, Charles Kelly, chairman of the board of Southeastern University, said a presidential search committee would be appointed and ratified by the school's Board of Regents.

Southeastern University has experienced unprecedented growth over the past 10 years with Dr. Rutland as the catalyst," Kelly said. "His extraordinary leadership and vision have transformed Southeastern into one of the leading Christian universities in the United States.

"We will be forever indebted to Dr. Rutland and appreciate all he has accomplished for the university far more than words can express,” Kelly continued. “He will be greatly missed. However, the call of God is leading him to ORU, and we trust the same God to bring us the leader that will take Southeastern into the future."

*Published by Charisma News via Internet

[Editor's Note: Mark Rutland will be the Thursday morning speaker at our 26th General Conference in Greensboro, NC in July 2009. The theme is "Glorify God Together." The Opening Ceremonies and Morning Business Session will be on Wednesday, July 29, 2009. May I encourage you to attend.]

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The editor apologizes to Pastor Malcolm Burton for omitting his tribute to the Rev. Dr. Leroy Baker

What does one say about a mentor, minister, father and friend that can accurately convey the weight of each function? Yet, my love for Leroy Baker compels me to attempt such.

The Rev. Dr. Leroy Baker is a mentor with few peers. His insight into the things of God is an awe-inspiring thing. His understanding of how the Holy Spirit desires His church to operate is equally impressive.

His ministry is one of depth and passion. His years of service as “The Benevolent Dictator of The Texas Conference” changed my life. He was always quick with inspiration and willing to seek God with me for direction. Without his insightful expertise, Northgate Family Church would not sit today at the intersection of Interstate 45 and the Hardy Toll Road.

Grace Bible Ministries, formerly known as The Texas Conference, would be far less than it is today.

Dr. Baker's compassion and desire to help other preachers has served as an example that has fueled my own efforts. I watched his level of help run from paying medical bills to routinely taking pastoral families out for a meal and time of encouragement.

On one of the darkest days of my lifetime, Dr. Baker was present to serve as a father. He recognized the depth of my pain but good-naturedly declared my situation was "not terminal." His obvious love for me in that moment and direction that I should look forward to better seasons in life was a life-changing one. It was looking forward that allowed me to see my wife, Sulynn, and get on with the best time of my years on earth. As a friend, our conversations have ranged from eclectic to electric.

His interest in and knowledge of lighthouses is an amazing thing for me.

I was surprised by his estimation that I should consider remarriage after suffering divorce and living alone for a number of years. When I told him I was considering such he asked whom I was interested in. "Sulynn," was my reply. "Good choice," he said. "It would take a woman strong as an acre of garlic to live with you and I think Sulynn is just the woman to do that."

It made sense to me that he would know something of relationships as I consider his is with the always gracious Sister Evelyn. A man who can win the heart of and marry a woman of such brains and beauty can speak to me on the subject.

One of their sons, Curtis, is married to a favorite cousin, Jo. Curtis is one of my dearest friends, my Bishop and someone with whom I speak daily. These familial revelations may cause some to "write off" my tribute to Dr. Baker as being simply because we are cousin-in-laws."

Such recognition as "Man of The Year" usually comes with honor of years of excellence. This is certainly true in the case of Leroy Baker. His years of outstanding service have made a discernible difference.

Moments matter. The individual instances when Dr. Leroy Baker made a discernible difference in my life are today, and shall forever remain, alive.

Crank up the CD and let Nat King Cole begin to croon in the background.

Time will not be allowed to render this man's life forgettable. Leroy Baker shall always remain unforgettable.

Malcolm Burton, Pastor
Northgate Family Church,
Spring, Texas
Assistant Superintendent, Grace Bible Ministries of Texas

Tribute to the Rev. Dr. Leroy Baker by Bishop Randell Drake

I don’t know that I’ve ever heard Brother Leroy preach a bad sermon. I believe he has more stories than anyone I know, especially funny ones from days gone by that remind us of our roots and heritage, in that old holiness, Pentecostal style that makes you feel like you know just what he means and that maybe you were in a service just like the one he described at least one time!

Brother Leroy certainly has the gift of storytelling that converts the stories into parables and lessons in his expert hands and mouth.

As an alumnus of Southwestern Christian University and presently the SCU Board of Regents Secretary, I have great respect and appreciation for Dr. Baker, who served the SCU well during some trying days in her history. His daughter Karlene and son-in-law Mark attended SCU with me on the 10th Street campus. We have remained friends over the years and Ihave a deep respect for them. Of course, Mark is the SCU Athletic Director and is quite accomplished in his own right.

Also, it is my privilege to serve with Leroy’s two sons on various boards in the IPHC: Curtis, as a fellow conference superintendent and member of the GBA, and Chris, on the SCU Board of Regents. In fact, both Curtis and Chris serve on the SCU Board of Regents. What a testimony of their father’s legacy at SCU and in the IPHC.

Of course, we all know that without Evelyn, Leroy isn’t complete. She is a gracious lady and partner in life and ministry.

Congratulations, Dr. Leroy Baker, 2008 Hugh’s News Man of the Year. You deserve the accolades and kind words from your colleagues and admirers.

We all count it a privilege to know you and serve with you in the IPHC and Kingdom of God.

God Bless You.

Bishop Randell O. Drake
New Horizons Ministries Conference Superintendent

Will you receive the Benediction?

"Now unto Him Who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen" (American Standard Version).