God Is FAITHFUL!!

A note to the members of Immanuel Southern Baptist Church: 

Bro Rick here. For those who were in service yesterday, you heard the incredible news that God restored every dollar that had been stolen from our accounts. We give Him all the praise for His faithfulness!

As I’ve reflected on everything that happened, I wanted to share a few things God has impressed on my heart:

Even when our financial resources were gone, our ministry didn’t stop. God reminded us that His work is never limited by what we have or don’t have.

The timing of the theft lined up with our planned revival, yet the sense of loss didn’t hinder what God wanted to do. If anything, it made the work in our hearts even more meaningful.

Walking through this challenge together created a unity we haven’t felt in a long time. God used a difficult moment to draw us closer as a family.

Many of us were given unexpected opportunities to testify about God’s provision. I pray you’ll continue those conversations and point people back to His goodness.

God has shown Himself faithful once again, and I’m grateful to walk this journey with all of you.

(For background, see this post: Will a Man Rob God?)

19 Years

It's been 19 years since we returned from overseas. In fact, living overseas seems like a lifetime ago. I've had the opportunity to visit overseas a few times, including, China/Hong Kong, Ukraine, Israel, and Pakistan. (Plus a western Caribbean cruise).

We've been home longer than we lived overseas. That is surreal.

So much has changed in these past 19 years. 

I've been a pastor for nearly 19 years at the same church.

Both daughters have grown up, got married, and have their own lives.

I'm a grandpa. Poppy, actually.

I've published three books.

I've lost too many family members.

I gained more than 80K followers on TikTok.

One thing is constant; God is in control. He has been so good to us!

Boynes in 2007

The Boynes, Ellises & Coffeys in 2024
(The little blond girl was a visitor)

Mayflower Ancestry Discovered

Every family has stories tucked away in old records and forgotten names. Recently, our family uncovered one that reaches all the way back to 1620. After careful genealogical research, we can now confirm that our lineage traces directly to three Mayflower lines: the Tilleys, John Howland, and William and Mary Brewster.

Seeing these names appear in our own family tree is both humbling and surreal. These were real people—ordinary men and women whose courage and faith shaped the earliest chapters of American history.

The Tilleys

Our line includes John and Joan Tilley and their daughter Elizabeth, one of the few young women to survive the first winter. Elizabeth later married fellow passenger John Howland, and together they became ancestors to thousands. Through her, the Tilley legacy lives on in our family.

Elizabeth Tilley Howland

John Howland

Perhaps the most dramatic story in our lineage belongs to John Howland, the young man who fell overboard during a storm and miraculously survived by grabbing a trailing rope. Bradford recorded the event, noting how close he came to being lost at sea. His survival changed history—and eventually shaped our own family line.

John Howland

The Brewsters

We are also connected to Elder William Brewster and his wife Mary, central figures in the Pilgrim story. Brewster served as the spiritual leader of the group, guiding them through persecution in England, refuge in Leiden, and the perilous journey to the New World. Their steadfast faith helped anchor the early colony.

William Brewster

A Legacy to Carry Forward

This discovery doesn’t elevate us above anyone else, but it does deepen our appreciation for the people who came before us. Their resilience, conviction, and willingness to risk everything for a new beginning now form part of our own family story.

History has always been meaningful. But now, for us, it feels personal.

NOTE: There are more than 10 million descendants in the US alone; 30-35 million worldwide.

No Words

 I am a pastor AND an author.

Yet, sometimes, I am without words.

The audacity of some people never ceases to amaze me. 

Their arrogance baffles my mind.

Their capacity for indifference for anyone but themselves shatters my understanding.

If I respond, I've taken the bait.

If I don't respond, I'm a coward.

Either way, I'll be criticized.

Good thing my identity isn't wrapped up in pleasing people who don't like me.

Will a man rob God?

"Will a man rob God?"

That is the question asked in Malachi 3:8.

The answer is, "They will try."

Recently, our church's bank accounts were hacked. The police and bank are still investigating. They nearly cleaned us out. When they saw us making safeguards, they took the rest of what they had originally left. Fortunately, the bank was able to put a stop to some last of their unauthorized withdrawals and we have a LITTLE operating capital to function until the funds are returned.

It has been a headache. We wiped the office computers clean. We changed all the passwords. We closed the old bank accounts and opened new ones; etc.

I am standing in full confidence that the Lord will restore our funds. Or, rather, HIS funds.

One of the big headaches about all this is that since we had to basically start over with our laptops, we have to reinstall all of the programs and apps that were removed. 

Praise the Lord that one of our members, Jonathan, has been critical in getting everything up and running. Oh, I can download the programs, but he reconnected the printer and did some deep computer stuff to allow us to download programs while maintaining security.

I'm not worried even a little bit. God will get glory through all of this!

People! People! People!

 The title of this post is a quote from one of my favorite John Wayne movies, "McLintock!" (I love that the title has an exclamation point!)

While the quote is from the character, Drago, and is used to get people's attention, I use it often as an exclamation of frustration. I usually say it to myself, but sometimes it gets mumbled on the outside.

I've found myself saying it a lot over the past few years.

Or better yet, to quote RC Sproul, "What's wrong with you people?"

There is a saying in church leadership, "Poop runs uphill."

So very true.

No matter what people do to each other, the pastor gets blamed.

No matter what people say to each other, the pastor gets blamed.

In a way, I guess, it is my fault. I assume people who call themselves "Christians" are going to be led by the Holy Spirit. We all know what happens when you assume.

I am an eternal optimist. Or at least I used to be. I'm not sure I am any longer.

People can be just downright mean to each other. And to their pastor.

I wonder, in how many minds do I live rent free?

Last Sunday, I preached a sermon on forgiveness. I said that you have to forgive people who aren't even sorry for what they did or said.

Let me tell you something; it's hard to practice what I preach...

I'm tired. No. I'm exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Even spiritually.

People have said some very mean and unfair things to me. Things of which I do not believe to be true, but hurt, nonetheless.

I know that Jesus is enough. I KNOW!!!!

I know that Jesus suffered MUCH more than I ever will.

There is solace in that knowledge.

I KNOW that the accuser is a liar and will come at me where I am weak and vulnerable.

Yes, a pastor can be weak and vulnerable in certain areas of his personal life. I mean, we're people, too, after all.

I KNOW our enemy is a jerk of Biblical proportions. He was a jerk to the Father. He was a jerk to Jesus. And he is a jerk to anyone who claims the Name of Jesus for themselves.

I KNOW our enemy is not each other. But our enemy sure does use others to get you where it hurts.

I need to suit up each day in the Armor of God.

I need to pray for wisdom, discernment, and for the people who insult me and make trouble for me.

I need to seek God in every circumstance and run to Him for comfort. 

I know I'm not perfect. Far from it, in fact.

I get no satisfaction from telling people how the cow ate the cabbage.

I dislike confrontation mostly because I fear I may cross a line. Too bad others don't feel that way.

Pastoring ain't for sissies.