More Pics of This Event: Ministry Photo Album

We always enjoy good company, and there is none better to be found than among God’s people! I was TRYING to get a serious pic of Benjy and Dr. Don Boone for this article about the revival at West Union Baptist Church, but they were enjoying hearty fellowship after a powerful evening worship service.

THERE! This one is better …. oh, wait a minute … is that McKenzie’s sweet face looking over their shoulders? I give up! I don’t think I was meant to be a ’serious’ photographer. That’s ok, because I REALLY love my job as wife, mom, and ministry partner, and revivals like the one at West Union are the kind that keep me excited about the work God has given us the privilege to do.

The sanctuary at West Union was filled every service during this revival. It was obvious that the congregation and the revival leaders had bathed this event in prayer and were prepared for sincere worship because we experienced a powerful presence and move of God’s Spirit. I believe there will be long lasting effects from this revival effort.

Benjy reviewing plans for the music service with the instrumentalist. What a blessing to work with talented musicians who have a faithful, sincere, and prepared attitude toward their ministry!

Pastor Bud Putnam, Dr. Don Boone, and Benjy … a great revival leadership team!

Bro. Bud has pastored West Union since early 2005 and has seen a steady growth in his congregation. Benjy served alongside Bud for several years at Unity Baptist Church when our children were babies, but ministry has moved us in different directions, and we rarely get the opportunity to worship together anymore, so it was a great joy to be with them for this special event.

It was an honor to have Bro. and Ms. G.A. McCoy in services with us all week. Bro. McCoy recently finished an interim pastorate at First Baptist Ozona, and he told us he’s really ready for a more relaxed pace. He also told us that he feels especially proud of Bro. Don’s ministry, and he enjoyed bragging about the fact that he was the one responsible for introducing Bro. Don’s mom and dad many years ago. I’m so glad he did, because Bro. Don has a powerful ministry, and we have enjoyed serving alongside him in a couple of revival efforts. Bro. Don also serves as pastor of First Baptist Vancleave, MS. You can read more about his ministry on their website.

On His Exciting Journey,

Several years ago, I received The Politically Incorrect Wife as a gift from my sister-in-law. She had heard it discussed on Christian radio and bought several copies for people that are important in her life. I’m SO glad she thought to give one to me, because I learned a LOT about being a godly wife as I read through it. In fact, I talked so much about what I was learning, that several of the young women in my church got interested and asked me to do a mid-week study on it. It was a great experience, doing the study with a group of women who truly desired to have strong, healthy marriages … marriages that honor God.

It’s a woman who disregards popular American culture where her marriage is concerned. Her standards are different … higher actually … than the standards considered politically correct. She doesn’t buy into modern-day ideologies where her marriage is concerned. She has learned that God’s role for a wife today is the same as it was in the Garden of Eden.

Pearls of Wisdom

I gained some fantastic wisdom from this book and a whole new outlook on my role as a godly wife. The authors, Connie Grigsby and Nancy Cobb, transparently share their own journey out of political correctness and into the role of helpmate. Here are five pearls to give you an idea of the wisdom they share:

• A wise wife does not buy the lie that it is her husband’s ‘job’ to make her happy.
• A wise wife understands that her feelings cannot be her guide … she does not wait till she no longer feels angry to forgive her husband.
• A wise wife understands that respecting her husband brings glory to God.
• A wise wife understands that she does not have to treat her husband like he treats her … marriages cannot be healthy with an attitude that says, “I’ll do my part when he does his.”
• A wise wife understands that she is 100 percent responsible to God for her behavior as a wife.

Let’s Grow Together!
I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit, recently, to pull this book off my shelf and scan through it, and it awakened an excitement in me all over again! God has such a beautiful plan for marriages, and with good reason too … He intended the marriage to be picture of the believer’s relationship with Christ, but Satan has done a number on the marriage and muddied up the picture.

Sooooo … I’ve been talking about the book again, and women are getting interested again! Most Christian women KNOW their marriage should look different from what they see in our world today, but they need help recognizing God’s perfect plan AND Satan’s sneaky traps. That’s why I’m going to study this book again … and I’m inviting women of any age to join me. I plan to do it on Thursday mornings at our house (which is in the Picayune City limits). I’ll wait until the fall when the kiddies are settled back into their school routine, but I’m giving a heads up now, so you can make room for it on your busy calendars.

If you live in the Picayune area, and you’re interested in studying with other women who want to strengthen their marriage, leave a note in the comments section, or email me, or Facebook me if you’re reading this note there, and I’ll get back with you about the time and directions and such.

On His Exciting Journey,

2008 Photo of Benjy, Jacob, and Randy Rigney

Have I ever mentioned that I have restless legs syndrome? Probably not … but I do, and that is why I didn’t make it to Benjy’s last ministry event … and also why we have no pics of it. His ministry schedule had kept us on the road about 800 miles worth the previous two weeks, and my legs were fussy about all that riding and sitting on pews, so Benjy traveled alone to the Tuesday evening revival service at Pascagoula Church of God where his brother, Randy Rigney, was preaching.

When we were dating, Benjy and his three brothers ministered together as a family. They sang as a quartet, and at some point, I think it was when the baby brother’s voice started changing, Eugene Eubanks joined them, adding a  rumbling bass voice to the group. They had a great sound, and we kept a busy ministry schedule. But eventually, Benjy’s two older brothers, Roger and Randy, accepted the call to preach and started doing revivals together. The brothers still sang together occasionally, but our ministries began to change, and one-by-one we all moved away from home. These days the brothers rarely ever get to minister together. Roger serves as associate pastor and music minister in Tennessee … Randy pastors in Brandon, MS … and Todd, the baby brother, serves as associate pastor in Virginia. Eugene Eubanks, the bass voice for the Rigney Brothers Quartet, now pastors in Pascagoula, MS. It was at Eugene’s church that Benjy and his brother Randy ministered together in that revival service. I hate I missed it, but my legs and I had to work out a compromise, and that meant me not riding in the car for an extra 200 miles!

We’ve covered a lot of territory since our last newsletter, and I’ve let writing fall by the wayside … but I’ll come back and write a ‘Catch Up’ post soon just so you can know how many wonderful opportunities God has given us to minister and fellowship with His people.

Dr. Don Boone

For today, I want to tell you about the revival at West Union Baptist Church. We started this morning with Benjy doing a mini-concert and Pastor Bud Putnam preaching a stirring message about how God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. Dr. Don Boone from First Baptist Church Vancleave, MS, will be joining us this evening through Wednesday, and he will be preaching the Word as God puts it on his heart. We’re expecting great things this week … come join us for an evening service if you can! We’d love to see your smiling faces, and we know you will enjoy fellowshipping and worshiping with the sweet congregation at West Union Baptist.

On His Exciting Journey,

Benjy and Bro. Byrle Harrell at Harmony Baptist. See more: Flickr Photo Album

Benjy and Bro. Byrle Harrell led the praise and worship services at Harmony Baptist Church on the first Sunday of this month. Benjy filled the pulpit for Harmony’s new pastor, Bro. Braque Cutrer, who was away on travel that weekend, and Bro. Byrle lead the music. As always, Byrle energized the congregation with his hearty singing and cheerful spirit.

We are thrilled that Harmony has called Bro. Braque and his family to pastor their congregation. They were without a pastor for several months after Bro. Jim Slowey was called to minister to the congregation at First Baptist McClain. We have been good friends with Braque and Tammy and their children for a long while, and we know they will be a blessing to that church as they preach and teach God’s Word and lead in community outreach ministries.

Harmony is blessed to have Brent Harrell accompany the praise service with the piano. This baby grand was a gift to the church two years ago, and Brent gives it a workout every Sunday! The people of Harmony LOVE to sing, so I’m really glad they have a faithful and gifted musician to accompany the choir and congregational singing. It is always such a joy to worship and fellowship with this congregation. We were happy to spend the day with them!

Speaking of good fellowship … here are two of my favorite people at Harmony, Fran and Shae. These two woman are always wearing a smile and they are both very involved in the ministries of Harmony. Um, I think somebody should have mentioned that my hair was all goofy before he took the pic … Benjy!

Harmony is known to be loving and energetic, and they are the perfect congregation for Bro. Braque’s first pastorate.  Please pray for this new minister and his family as they serve this congregation and it’s community.

On His Exciting Journey,

My Bible study partner and I spent quite a while yesterday, studying the events of Jesus’ last week. Details are given in all four gospels, but we settled in with Mark’s account and created a time line from his record. Julie and I don’t claim to be Bible scholars, and we realize that there are those who question the events of Jesus’ last week … but we were blessed by what we learned from Mark’s account. You should read it for yourself this week and get an idea of how our Savior spent his last days.

Note: Chapter and verse designations are all from Mark, unless otherwise noted.

On the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, they were to select a year-old lamb without blemish or spot out from the flock and keep it until the fourteenth day of the month (Exodus 12:3). During this time frame, each family would become personally attached to their lamb so it would no longer be just an ordinary lamb (Exodus 12:3) but their very own pet (Exodus 12:5). This would deeply impress upon them the costly nature of the sacrifice; an innocent lamb was to die in their place. On the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month, as the sun was setting, the lambs were to be publicly killed.
~ Quoted from: Passover Teachings

Nissan 10 (Monday)

Jesus rides donkey outside Bethany and into Jerusalem, 11:1
People praise Jesus, 11:8
Entered Jerusalem and went to the temple, 11:11
It was late, so Jesus returned to Bethany, 11:11

Nissan 11 (Tuesday)

Left Bethany and headed to Jerusalem, 11:12
Jesus curses fig tree, 11:13
Arrives in Jerusalem, 11:15
Overturns money changer’s tables in Temple, 11:15
Taught, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,” 11:17
Evening came and he returned to Bethany, 11:19

Nissan 12 (Wednesday)

Left Bethany and headed to Jerusalem, 11:20
See the withered fig tree, 11:20
Arrive in Jerusalem, 11:27
Jesus’ authority questioned in temple, 11:28
Jesus teaches with parables, 12:1
Jesus watches widow give her two mites, 12:42
Jesus left temple, 13:1
Taught about end times on Mount of Olives, 13:3
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, 14:1

Nissan 13 (Thursday)

Jesus was in Bethany, 14:3
Jesus had a meal with a friend, 14:3
Humble woman anoints Jesus with oil from an alabaster jar, 14:3
Judas Iscariot went to discuss terms of Jesus’ betrayal, 14:10
Disciples ask Jesus’ directions for the Passover feast, 14:12
Passover and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins after 6:00pm on this day

As recorded in Exodus 12:8, God required three symbolic foods to be eaten that Passover night: the lamb, matzah (unleavened bread), and bitter herbs (called “maror” in Hebrew). The sacrifice was to be a young lamb, depicting innocence. It was to be roasted with fire portraying the judgment that would befall it instead of their own firstborn. Matzah was to be eaten symbolizing the purity of the sacrifice since leaven, with its souring characteristic, was often a symbol of sin (I Corinthians 5:6-8). In addition, bitter herbs were to be eaten as a reminder of the suffering of the lamb.
~ Quoted from: Passover Teachings

Nissan 14 (Friday)
(Starts after 6:00pm on Nissan 13)

Disciples kill the lamb and prepared the Passover meal, 14:16
Jesus arrived (notes that it is evening), 14:17
They reclined at the table and ate the passover, 14:18
They sang a hymn, then went out to the Mount of Olives, 14:26
Peter declares his loyalty, 14:29
Prayed at Gethsemane, 14:32
Jesus seized and arrested, 14:46
Jesus suffers trials and mockery throughout the night, 14:53
Jesus is crucified at 9:00am, 15:25
Jesus died at 3:00pm, 15:34-37
Veil of the temple was torn, 15:38
It was Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath, 15:42
Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus’ body, 15:43
Jesus’ body was laid in the tomb and a stone was rolled over the door, 15:46
(Preparation Day was for the special Sabbath, see note: Mar 15:42, John 19:31)

Nissan 15 (Saturday)

High Sabbath (John 19:31)

Nissan 16 (Sunday)

Sabbath was past, 16:1
Mary, Mary, and Salome visited tomb very early Sunday morning, 16:2
Tomb was rolled away, Jesus had risen! 16:4
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, 16:9
Jesus appeared to two more people, 16:12
He appeared to the eleven and rebuked their unbelief, 16:14
Commanded them to preach the gospel to the whole world, 16:15
Ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God, 16:19

In Exodus 12:24-27, we are commanded to observe the Passover forever with a ceremony, so that when our children ask what this ceremony means, we can tell them what the Lord has done for us. This is how God intended for fathers to teach their children about God’s provision. God commanded the Israelites to do this even when they reached their Promised Land. On this side of the cross, Jesus is our Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), and we should use our ceremonies this week to teach our children what happened to our savior and why. It’s a beautiful love story … get familiar with it and share it! In fact, you are most welcome to print this time line and use it as a guide for sharing.

On His Exciting Journey,

Azaleas in our backyard.	Bridal Wreath down the street.	Wisteria in a friend’s yard.

I L.O.V.E. spring in the Deep South! Azalea bushes put on their lovely pink dress, Bridal Wreath bushes fill in with beautiful white bouquets, and Wisteria vines fill the air with fragrant purple blossoms. In March, all over the Deep South, God’s glorious creation puts on a drama of life unfolding … in anticipation of Resurrection Sunday! By the time that special Sunday arrives, our world is bursting with new life.

Earlier this month, we left the beautiful pink Azalea bushes in our backyard and traveled to a world of white! There we learned that even though a world filled with color is beautiful, a world that has been painted white has a beauty all it’s own.

See more pics of this vacation on Our Flickr Photo Album

When we visited our friends in British Columbia, Canada last May, they invited us to come back and see their world when it is covered in snow. Sooo … we went back for the first two weeks of March, and God REALLY delivered where the snow was concerned! Our friends had promised to teach us how to cross country ski, and they did! We skied, made snow angels, and built snow bears. Benjy and McKenzie even took snow boarding lessons, but Vic, Julie, and I said goodbye, and went cross country skiing, instead!

After a few days close to home, we traveled north to Whislter, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics. There, we enjoyed even more snow and temps that dipped below zero … brrrr! From the window of our condo, we saw a sleigh gliding across a snow covered golf course. That’s  a sight we don’t see in the Deep South! More friends met us on Whistler Mountain for a fun day of tubing down the slopes. But the highlight of the tour at Whistler was the Peak to Peak gondola ride which Julie documented so well on her blog. It is the highest and longest gondola in the world - 1 mile off the ground and almost 3 miles across! I was VERY nervous on the inside, but it was Vic who gave expression to what I was feeling …

Lest you think we spent all our time playing in the snow, I’m including the next collage to show you some of the other things we enjoyed.

McKenzie fed tame dear from our friend’s back door! We played games and enjoyed sweet fellowship every evening. We visited Fort Langley, the first settlement in BC. We had a nice stroll with friends around a beautiful lake. We hiked up a small mountain near Vic and Julie’s home. And of course, we spent a fair amount of time around the table!

Benjy didn’t have any invitations to sing or preach during this visit, but we did attend the worship service at a Southern Baptist mission church at Whistler that focuses on extreme sports enthusiasts.  We also participated in four seperate home Bible studies. It seems that in-home study groups is the better way to teach the Word in this area, as real estate is so very expensive. We learned on our last visit that there are only nine Southern Baptist church buildings in the association that includes the mega city of Vancouver and surrounding areas.

We had a GREAT time in BC! I am simply overwhelmed by the beauty of God’s creation in that area AND by the sweetness of our godly friends there … both these things are blessings from the One who gives every good and perfect gift. Thank you, Vic and Julie, for your generous hospitality, for your excitement in showing us your corner of the world, for the fun and games we shared, for the time we spent studying God’s Word together, and for all that good Mennonite food! We LOVE y’all, and we can’t wait to get together again!

On His Exciting Journey,

See more pics of this vacation on Our Flickr Photo Album

After a wonderful two week vacation with friends in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, we are back at home and in revival at Roseland Park Baptist Church here in Picayune. We started the revival services Sunday morning with Dr. Preston Nix preaching the Word and Benjy leading the music. I heard one church member describe Bro. Preston as a red-haired fire cracker, and THAT he is! You certainly won’t be bored in a service lead by him.

See more pics of this revival on Our Flickr Photo Album

In the Sunday evening service, our local firemen, policemen, and paramedics were honored with a special service. A dozen men and women in uniform stood before our congregation and we prayed for them and their families as they serve our community. During his sermon, Bro. Preston pointed out that he is in the same business as these men and women … the business of saving lives … but he told us, the One who gives life physically is the same One who gives life spiritually. So even though the man may do the work on the body, it is Jesus that gives life to the body … and to the spirit.

Oh, the joy of sitting on the front pew when Bro. Preston is preaching!

Tue. night’s youth service added a large crowd of young faces to the congregation. There was a pizza dinner and devotion for the kids before church, and I heard that there were 55 young people in attendance for that. I love that the youth of Roseland Park sit on the front rows during the worship services. McKenzie brought friends and the only pew left was the very front pew.

The choir did an outstanding job of leading us into worship each service. I sang with them a couple times, and I was so blessed to watch the countenance change on the faces of those in the congregation as we entered into the praise service. Here’s a short video clip of the choir singing “Word of God Speak.” Benjy also did a special arrangement of “Beulah Land” with the choir and there were so many requests for a repeat, that we closed the revival services Wed. evening with the choir reassembling in the choir loft and singing unto the Lord. What a great time of worship!

Bro. Preston and wife Diane (across from him) visiting with Tammy Haymes and enjoying po boys before services Wed. evening.	McKenzie and Benjy enjoying po boys before services Wed. evening.

Roseland Park was a great place to start the spring revival season. The sanctuary was filled every service and the praise and worship and fellowship were sweet. Benjy will be filling the pulpit for Bro. Braque Cutrer at Harmony Baptist in Picayune on April 5, and he will be leading the music for revival at Central Baptist in McNeil the last week of April. Y’all come visit us if you can!

On His Exciting Journey,

Yellow Belt Originally uploaded by tamrig

McKenzie earned her yellow belt in taekwondo this week! She was also awarded a stripe of excellence and her ATF patch. She is pictured here with Mr. Howard, one of her fantastic instructors.

On His Exciting Journey,

Photo courtesy of: StuSeeger

I’m giggling at the title of this post, because it brings to mind those days in elementary school when we passed notes with this all important question … “Will You Be My Friend? Circle Yes or No.”

Godly friends are SO VERY important in the life of a believer. Scripture admonishes us to do good things for each other every chance we get … and look at the last half of this passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians:

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10 NIV)

Have you ever noticed that part? We are to be especially helpful to our fellow believers. Why? I believe the verse preceding this one gives us insight … So they don’t become worn out, burned out, drop outs who are weary of doing good … So that they will reap a harvest in due season, because they didn’t quit. That’s what this life is all about, isn’t it? Producing a harvest for the Kingdom of Heaven? We’re on the same team … and by refreshing each other, we will have a stronger voice, greater courage, and more influence in our mission field. Jesus’ words back up Paul’s admonition. He said that the love we show to our fellow believers is how ALL the world will know we are His disciples (John 13:35).

Staying Connected Is The Important Part

So where do we start? Well, Benjy and I would like to start by asking you to be our friend. No kidding! We realize that life and community aren’t the same in the new millennium as it was in the days of Andy and Opie. Families are doing more and talking less … and that’s not a good thing. But we have learned new way of doing community that keeps people in touch on a level that is manageable even with our busy schedules. It’s called Facebook.

When you join Facebook (it’s free, by the way), you use the ’status’ line to keep your friends informed about what’s going on in your life. And by reading their status line, you stay informed about what’s going on with your friends. You can even make short comments to a friend’s status, so if they say they need prayer, you can let them know that you are praying for them. I did this recently when McKenzie was admitted to the hospital, and it was so comforting to know that we had pray warriors covering us.

Facebook easier than a blog, better than email, and less time consuming than a phone call. That’s the best way I can describe it! Benjy and I have been enjoying sweet fellowship with a few of our friends on Facebook the past few months, and we want to invite you to join us and help us build a strong community of believers.

This is our invitation to you …

Join Tammie on Facebook

Join Benjy on Facebook

If you already have an account, befriend us … If you don’t have an account, make one and come join us!

On His Exciting Journey,

Sound check before morning worship. See more: Flickr Photo Album

Pastor Jim Slowey invited us to come worship with his family and their new congregation at First Baptist McClain on the final Sunday of 2008. Bro. Jim and his family have only been at FBC McClain for about 6 months, but in typical fashion, he has already begun restoring and renovating the buildings there. I loved the sanctuary of this old church. It is filled with rich woods which have recently been refinished, and the ladies had it decorated so beautifully for the Christmas season.

We did a family trio in the morning service, then Benjy did a concert in the evening service, and we enjoyed a potluck meal and fellowship afterward. These two pics are of us doing a sound check before the morning service. They turned out really bad, I know, but I wanted to show you what fun we have together! McKenzie’s voice is growing stronger and more beautiful all the time, and she plays the guitar off and on, when the mood strikes her … but I can see that she has definately inherited her dad’s musical abilities, and I love that because it is such a useful tool for sharing the gospel. It’s so important for God’s people to take every opportunity to share the good news with the lost AND to encourage the brethren … especially in these last days!

We look forward to being back in McClain the first weekend of May. The community sponsors a festival called ‘Mayfest,’ and Benjy has been invited to sing during that event. Mayfest 2009 is scheduled for Sat, May 2, and it starts at 9:00am. Benjy has been given the 1:15 - 2:00 time slot. If you live close to McClain, come out and support this community event and stop by to say hello to us, if you can!

On His Exciting Journey,