Faithful Ministers of the Gospel

I want to tell you a story about James and Geneva. Nothing about their lives were glamourous or even notable to the world, but God did amazing things because of their faithfulness. Their lives started out hard. James was born in 1926 and had to quit school in the 6th grade to help on the family farm. Geneva was born in 1929. Her mother died when Geneva was only four years old and her father remarried because he felt that his 12 children needed a mother. Geneva's stepmother was unbelievably cruel to her, abusing her and treating her in ways barely imaginable. Geneva only completed the 8th grade.

James and Geneva met in 1945, when James's parents took him to a revival service. James snuck up behind Geneva and cut one of her braids off. He told her he would return it after she married him, two weeks later she did just that. James carried that lock of her hair in his wallet until his death. This marriage resulted in 5 children, 1 of whom was a still-born.

Although James and Geneva had accepted the Lord a few years after they were wed, James began to run from God. It was not until 1975 that he returned to the Lord. On the winter day, he found his eldest son dead at 26 years old. There, his son's body became an altar. A short time following this event, James and Geneva began preaching.

They believed in giving everything they had to the Lord. They took the call God had placed on them incredibly seriously, and would do whatever they had to in order to be in His will. During their time in ministry, they pastored one small mission and three churches, all in the same state. None of their churches ever ran more than around thirty. Because the churches were small, so were the finances. They worked hard to keep the churches afloat. It was not for lack of effort that the churches struggled. They both worked secular jobs and on their time not at those jobs, they visited, prayed, and preached, had yard sales, dinners, and did anything else they had to in order to pay the bills at the church.

They were not successful in the world's eyes. In fact, while at one pastorate they lived in the basement of the church. When it rained, water would seep down the walls and ruin the furniture. There was mold in the walls and rodents would invade. There was no shower or bathtub, so they heated water in a pan on a hot plate (because there was no stove) and took sponge baths. Any money they could raise went into the church for the Lord's work, and even in poverty they refused to accept any type of government assistance, because they believed the Lord would provide. They were faithful to the Lord, even though nothing they did would seem worth celebrating. James died in the late 1980's, and shortly there after Geneva slipped into a coma. She came out of the coma a few times, only to say the words "God's been good to me" and then fall back into her slumber. They did not see harvest from what they planted. But that's not the end of the story.

Although their three surviving children went through rebellious stages, they are all now serving the Lord. One daughter is a teacher in her local church and the other daughter along with her husband pastor. James and Geneva's surviving son accepted the call to preach and after years of working faithfully any where he was given the chance, became a Bishop in the church his mother loved. He earned two doctorates and has traveled around the world preaching the Gospel. He is involved in major decisions that effect the church globally. He is often a voice for the pastors who struggle, because he remembers what his parents endured. He has personally reached thousands with the message of Jesus. This bishop's son had a knack for public relations and a heart for the local church. Forgoing opportunities to work for secular companies, he became the communications director for the church. His work brings the gospel to countless multitudes through his assistance to local churches. This director's sister denied the call on her life because she saw what sacrifice was required. But, through wise counsel of her father and others, she came to realize that there is no better place to be than in the hand and will of God. She became a teacher and speaker and started a blog, called New Eyes, which has been read on five continents. The communications director is my brother, Shaun. The bishop is my father, Dr. E.C.McKinley. And James and Geneva were my grandparents.

Because of their example of faithfulness unto the Lord, people all over the world have been impacted through the work of their family. So many times we hear of ministers who give up because the sacrifice doesn't seem worth it. In fact, two of the churches my grandparents pastored closed, because no one else would give so much. Remember, even if you don't see the harvest now, His word never returns void. Keep preaching unapologetically, keep living a life a faithfulness even if the world thinks you are a fool. You have no idea what your life will mean to the generations behind you. On my grandparents' head stone lies the greatest words "faithful ministers of the Gospel." No one ever deserved that more. I hope I always make you proud.

Get R.E.A.L.

Last weekend I had the immense pleasure of being a part of a new retreat at Camp Hickory Hills (Dickson, TN). The retreat was called Get R.E.A.L. (Refreshed, Encouraged, And Loved) and was created for girls from middle school to college. It was a weekend where girls were encouraged to be themselves and told repeatedly that they are special. Every session was geared towards issues young women face and every speaker was encouraged to "get real" and share from personal experiences. I was one of these "real" speakers.

As soon as I knew I would be speaking I knew exactly what I wanted to share but as I began preparing I started hearing familiar voices that always creep up before ministry opportunities. They say things like "this won't make any sense to anyone but you", "you'll look ridiculous", "you sound like a hillbilly when you talk", or "why would they even ask you to talk, you have nothing to say". Because of the personal matter I addressed at this retreat a new lie crept up, the lie that I would sound like a loser and people's opinions of me would change.

Clearly, those voices are the enemy trying to stop the word of God from being delivered. As I listened over the weekend I realized how much he is attacking this generation. Yes, they are constantly confronted with sex, drugs, alcohol, and all other manner of dangers, but there is a much bigger attack happening. It is a war on their self-esteem. Every time they turn on the T.V. they are told that they aren't good enough. Every magazine says they are too fat. These are traps designed to make these girls (and me) believe that they aren't perfect the way their Creator designed them. We all talk about the traps of the devil, but in this battle for self-esteem, he didn't set traps, he created minefields. Everywhere they turn, even when they least expect it, they are made to feel like failures. They live in a society that says their worth comes from their looks or social status.

So why does satan care so much about these girls doubting themselves? Well, what if I had listened to the lies he told me and changed my presentation to protect my ego or what if I refused to speak all-together because of it? If I had done that, the enemy would have won, and girls who needed to hear that particular word may have missed out. I see in this generation such incredible potential for ministry. Some of these girls are doing things for God even as teenagers that puts adults to shame. If I can see such potential for leadership in them, imagine how much more satan can see it and must want to kill it now. If he can make them buy into this lie that they are stupid, ugly, and worthless he WILL shut them up. This media bombardment against young women is much more serious than some advertisers trying to sell products or producers trying to sell movies, it is an absolute attack of the enemy.

Now is the time to take action. I know I ask you all to pray a lot, but I fully believe in the power of prayer. Lift up these young people (girls AND boys) in prayer. Pray that they would guard their hearts and minds against this daily assault on their spirits. Pray for wisdom so they can know that these are lies designed to shut their mouths and prevent God's Work from taking place. Secondly, encourage them and don't allow negative speak. Don't stand by and allow them to speak these lies themselves. I am chief among sinners on this one. I don't have to wait for anyone to put me down, I'll do it for myself. That's how I know that if they hear these lies enough, they will believe them. I am as serious about this as I have ever been about anything. I believe 100% that this fight is on a spiritual level, not physical. Please, help me in lifting up this generation.