Pastor charged with sexual assault

Pastor charged with sexual battery

WCNC

Posted: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009

The following report comes from the Charlotte Observer. Bessemer City is located about 45 miles from Forest City NC, where I pastor. The post from the Observer is between the lines, the other is my observations.

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BESSEMER CITY, N.C. -- Gaston County Police have arrested a 72-year-old pastor who is accused of sexual battery.

Harley Michael Keough, pastor of King James Baptist Church in Bessemer City, is charged with five counts of sexual battery.

Police say the charges stem from incidents that allegedly occurred over a three-year period from September 2006 through October 2009.

According to a news release from the Gaston County Police, the crimes involve five women between the ages of 23 and 46. Police say the victims went to the church food bank for assistance, and they were allegedly assaulted during their visits.

Keough is being held in the Gaston County Jail under a $50,000 bond.

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Apparently the pastor is more concerned about guarding the reputation of the King James Bible than he is about taking advantage of people in need. This is sad for the church and for the community.

Rejoice by choice

The word the Lord has given me in my meditations this morning is Philippians 4:4. "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice." The word rejoice means to delight in, to gladden yourself. To rejoice or not to rejoice is a choice we must personally make.

To rejoice in the Lord is not based on mere happiness or pleasantness of situations and circumstances. Sometimes they will be favorable, and sometimes they will not. There will be days when you feel as if you are on top of the world, and other days when it seems as if the world is crushing in on you.

Last week was an easy time for me to rejoice. My wife and I took a retreat and got away for a few days. It was a brief time, but provided us the rest and relaxation we needed. The cabin by the river provided the atmosphere, and the weather was perfect. What seemed as a problem turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The TV channel was only programmed for a few local stations. I am not sure if it was all that was offered, but suspect it was something in the remote that I could not figure out. There was no ESPN, which I tend to watch too much of. The TV was turned on very little. Reading from a newly purchased book, reading the bible, and spending quality time with my wife was just what I needed. We came home refreshed, and the service this past Sunday at the church I pastor was sweet! God moved in a tremendous way!

I love the highs, don't you? It is easy to rejoice in those times. But this week has provided opportunities that try my mind and my spirit. The weather has been yucky, with rain, rain, and more rain. My wife got sick, hardly able to get up. A couple of situations with some people at church bothered me and got under my skin. I was wanting to ride the high of last week. After all, momentum is our best friend. It is sometimes difficult to make, so you want to ride it as long as you can. As of yesterday, I felt my frustration level rising and my momentum level descending.

Thankfully, the Lord reminded me of this verse. It is in my spirit, and I want to encourage you with it, as it has encouraged me. The verse did not say to rejoice when all is well. It did not say to rejoice when you feel like it. It says to rejoice in the Lord always, at all times, in all situations.
To rejoice is a choice. To rejoice means to choose to take joy. That's the key. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

I am thankful for the reminders of the Lord. In addition to the verse, a song also came to my mind this morning. "When I think about the Lord, how he saved me, how he raised me, how he filled me with the Holy Ghost, how he healed me to the uttermost." Yes, I want to shout, "Halleluiah!"

Taken for granted

My wife woke up sick yesterday. Not sure what it is, and she hasn't yet been to the doctor. Without medical insurance, we tend to wait things out. We pray, take over the counter medicines, and when necessary will go to the doctor. Its morning of day two as I write, and she has just gotten up. I've sent out prayer requests to the church, on twitter, and facebook. A lot of people have prayed for her. I am hoping she is feeling better today. Too early to know yet.

I went into the kitchen to put on some coffee and make some toast. We purchased some jars of apple butter at the Apple Barn in Pigeon Forge last week, while we were there. I thought of how good toast and the apple butter would be. That is when I noticed the mess. I hadn't noticed it before, but I am sure it was there yesterday.

The kitchen was a mess. The sink was piled up with plates, bowls, cups, glasses, and utensils. I decided I would put them in the dishwasher, but it was full. Thankfully, everything in it had been washed. Being the perfect husband I am (yeah, right) I decided to put everything in its proper place. After I had done so I emptied the sink of all the unwashed items and put them in the dishwasher, putting the detergent in it, and turning it on.

I then proceeded to place a paper towel in the trash. Guess what? It is full. Looks like I am going to have to take care of that. All this work is making me tired, so I decided to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee while I make out a game plan. Oh no! I hadn't seen this before, and don't know why I am seeing it now--- the living room is a mess! My grandson, Zach, who is 5 years old, was out of school yesterday due to the holiday. Between the two of us, we made a mess. Papers scattered, cookie crumbs littered, things where we left them. It looks like the carpet needs vacuumed.

My mind is racing to my sickly wife. Not only does she keep a clean house, she takes care of two boys (Zach and I), works in both the church and church operated daycare. I don't know how she does it all.

I sure hope she gets well soon. My mind is on overload from thinking about all the things that need to be done, lol. Seriously, I love Trish so much. I realize in times like this how much I take her for granted.

Get well, Sunshine!

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day. It is both a national and state holiday for the citizens of the United States of America. Veterans Day is set aside to honor those who have served in the military.

The bible tells us to give honor to whom honor is due. And honor is certainly due to those who have stood guard over our land. We are a free nation today because of the commitment of both those past, and those present who have served.

God bless our military. Bless our men and women, sons and daughters, who make it strong. And God bless the USA!

Refreshing

I came back from the mountain trip Trish and I had last week pumped! Trish and I both were so refreshed, and it showed in the service at church this past Sunday. And it seemed that everyone else was ready for God to move. It was electrifying. The buzz continues as people are excited about the fresh outpouring. My prayer is that it wont be just a one time thing, but that this is just the beginning of revival.

If you are within driving distance of New Harvest Church, in Forest City NC, I invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM for another powerful service.

Just what the doctor ordered...

My wife and I are taking a short vacation break, in Pigeon Forge. It is a much needed time of getting away. We both have been so busy in the past months, and have not taken the time to get away. I posted some pictures yesterday of our trip thus far on my facebook page. We traveled through some of the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. The pictures are breathtaking. I titled the album, "Just what the doctor ordered."

The two days thus far have been refreshing. We are reading books, studying our bible, praying, and relaxing. I am enjoying this time away, and want to return home fresh and full for our church family.

Thanks for praying for us!

RELOAD, REFRESH, REFIRE

I am an avid student of the bible. One thing that I have seen in my studies there, and that I have witnessed in my own personal life, is this: sometimes you just need to get refreshed. You need to reload, spiritually. And then you can refire. Refire may not be a word the dictionary understands, so I will define it- to stir up the fire again; to shoot at the target again.

The bible gives us the history of great attacks from the enemy after great victories. David knew this. One of his greatest moments of despair came after a victory. I have witnessed this in church life. After great undertakings and accomplishments, we become under attack. We may be vulnerable at these moments. Tired physically, mentally, and spiritually. We don't mean to let our guards down. But it happens. And the enemy launches a full fledged attack.

The need to refresh, reload, and refire is not just due to unforseen attacks of the enemy. It is needed in order to be replenished. Jesus told the disciples on one occasion to "come apart and rest a while." The word of God said the disciples had no leisure. They had no rest, no relaxation, no refreshing. They were constantly giving out. Jesus knew the danger in this. He told them to pull away-- yes, pull away from the busyness of life.

And so Trish and I are taking a few days this week to do it. We have wanted to for some time, but it just didn't work out. We have decided to make it work. We love church life, and we have had some amazing things going on. We are proud of our church family. But we are tired. We need to be refreshed for them, and for others the Lord sends us to. We are going to the bookstore this morning. Going to buy a good book to read, maybe a new worship tape. We'll take our bibles. Somewhere in the mountains of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, we will find a spot to stay. We will read, pray, study, and enjoy the company of one another. And we will come back down from the mountain in time for church Sunday morning. We plan on being...

Refreshed, Reloaded, and Refired!!