Anthony John Thornton

Mark 1:15 "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

Anyone here in Europe presently?

Wow! I seriously would've not guessed that! Believe it or not, the Lord has preemptively given me VA disability. Such an intriguing possibility. What's the church's name?

I like this thread! Mississippi: The worst parts: It's hot, guys. Super hot. Heat index was around 115 for several days here. We aren't used to it being THAT hot. There are too many flies, wasps, tornadoes, hurricanes, and did I mention the heat? Winter is basically most people's fall. It's lacking in beauty. Maybe that's a shallow narrative but not much can be said of the "beauty" here. The best part: Really, not much lol. Maybe the cost of living? I live in Hattiesburg, so a larger city than most in MS. If you guys know of a church needing a pastor in a beautiful state like CO, NH, WY, or MT, let me know...!

I preached last Wednesday at my church. Psalm 40:1-2. Four Characteristics of a Caring God.

Amazing! CT does count lol. I was just wondering about the prospects of soul-winning/evangelizing etc. My SIL lives in Alfred, ME. I was in the NE over Christmas. Perhaps the Lord would call me to NE in some capacity.

I'm wondering if anyone on this board has experience with people, Christians, or churches in New England, say Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire in particular?

Yep, I tried to restore him (Galatians 6) after I reproved, rebuked, and exhorted (2 Tim. 4) him. I took it directly to him (Matthew 18:15). Now I am at 2 Thessalonians 3:14 "And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed" unfortunately. I'm not as heavy burdened for it as I was when this all started. I do want him to get right but it's out of our hands now.

No doubt. His supposed repentance is what allowed him to come back the first time. It just boggles my mind how a Christian (perhaps in name only) can live like that and think it's ok.

So far he says he won't come back because we won't accept him. It's his lifestyle we don't accept. I told him he could come back to church but just not serve. He left on his own volition. He says we "ran" him off, which isn't true. We never told him to leave. What's incredible is, he has a huge knowledge of the Bible. I'd say he's one of the more astute Bible studiers (if that's a word) we have at the church. It just shows, though, that it's all head knowledge and no heart knowledge. His defensive reactions are reflexive because he knows it's wrong but his flesh is overriding the Spirit.

I realize this may be a somewhat questionable question because of the topic, but I feel it's necessary to ask. Here's some back story before I ask the question. I'm an assistant pastor at my church. I'm also the RU director. I had a guy, last year, get busted for being in town in drag. People told me they saw him. I confronted him, not in a harsh way, but in a Biblical way. He told me it was true. I've been working closely with this guy for a year now. Very few people knew about it. He came to me later and thanked me for confronting him and said the Lord was dealing with him. I thought "amen, that's what we are supposed to do." He's got 15 months sober from alcohol. Two weeks ago, he showed up to a church function, in a service capacity (usher/security) with makeup on. Some of our members asked him if he was wearing makeup, which is a legitimate question to ask as far as I am concerned. He denied it. Essentially, I have confronted him and his sin again, but he has dug his heels in and says he sees nothing wrong with it. Of course I showed him from the Bible from Old Testament to New Testament how it's not of the Lord to do it. It's not just the blurring of gender lines but also the rebellion, disregard of God's word, and literal pride associated with him wanting to "express" himself. He also has a homosexual-encounter past. I believe the Lord can deliver anyone from anything, truly. There are tons of layers here from his wife, who I think is a lesbian, to him replacing alcohol with being in drag, to him watching porn etc. My question is, has anyone else had to deal with this? I know adultery is pretty typical but cross dressing is a new one for me. I know it's wrong Biblically, both the cross dressing and gender bending, but it's also pride. I wonder if anyone has any advice on it. He "left" the church but I still have hope and faith the Lord will drive him back to Him.

Yeah, it's a new one on me too lol. It's probably best described as an "older" person pastor.

It's been a while since I've posted, but I suppose it's time to get back involved. Matter of fact, last time I posted, I wasn't in the ministry yet. ? I'm the administrative pastor (not that title matters to me) of my local IFB church. Some would call me the associate pastor. All I know is I am an assistant pastor. I suppose it could be said we are in a luxurious spot for paying staff. There's the pastor, me, children's pastor, congregational care pastor being paid as pastoral staff. There's also the music director and media director. All of these positions receive pay. My pastor took less than his predecessor, on purpose, and I did the same thing with my predecessor, also on purpose. We vote on a budget each year, with the staff salary lumped into one portion of the budget. We support 157 missionaries. We are very frugal with our money, even more so with our present pastor. Some of you would be familiar with our previous pastor. I loved that guy to death. He is the reason I am in the ministry, essentially; however, he had a larger portion dedicated to staff. It really boils down to the congregation/deacons/pastor as to who gets paid what, etc. etc. Some have rightly pointed out the beauty of being independent.