Mid-South Viewpoint // Bott Radio Network

Dr. Dan Henley, Executive Director of Church Developers Network and Paul Berkes, Executive Director of A Hope and a Future Ministry explain details on Faith Family Reunion, April 24–26. This special weekend is designed exclusively for families with an old fashion fish fry and fellowship, a major picnic highlight at the Agri-Center, the first Rickey D. Floyd Memorial Golf Tournament, and a closing worship service together. The Church Developers Network exist to connect churches to resources and connect resources to people. Since 2012, A Hope and A Future, Inc., a team of 8 dedicated professionals, has been the beacon of hope for individuals and families struggling to fit into their community. They specialize in providing emotional healing and life skills training in a supportive environment. Founder, Paul Berkes is a seasoned trauma therapist that saw a gap in services for the neurodivergent dealing with complex trauma and filled it with compassion and expertise.

Pastor Nick Brown of Collierville Bible Church joins Byron Tyler for a Easter Special, HE IS RISEN! How does Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday fulfill Old Testament prophecy? What is the theological importance of the Last Supper in establishing the New Covenant? What can we learn from Judas Iscariot’s betrayal about proximity to truth without transformation? What does Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane reveal about His humanity and submission to the Father’s will? Why is the phrase “It is finished” central to the doctrine of salvation? We’ll discuss these questions and others surrounding the week starting with Palm Sunday to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Shun Abram of Binghampton Community Church and Director of The Memphis Ministry Center tells how the ministry center team focuses their efforts on being a refuge for hurting hearts. The center is committed to developing local partnerships, hosting after-school programs for vulnerable children and supporting immigrants entering the workforce. As an outreach of Send Relief, they partner with churches like yours and believers like you to respond to find long-term solutions that reflect Christ’s love and advance the gospel.

Pastor Danny Ford, his wife Kori, along with their three kids, made the move from Delaware to plant a brand-new church right in the heart of one of the most unique communities in the country, Destime Florida. Roughly 65–75% of people in the Destin area are unchurched or not actively attending church. Pastor Danny talks about the uniqueness of ministering in a transient tourist-heavy area beach town and moments where clearly “Only God could have done that”.

We’re bringing you an interview that originally aired in September of 2008. On March 20th 2026, Pastor Steve Gaines transitioned from this life into the eternal presence of Jesus Christ in Heaven. Pastor Steve and Donna Gaines joined me in the studio on that September date, after their first 2.5 years of serving at Bellevue Baptist Church. Brother Steve, as he liked to be called, had been presented to the Bellevue Church family as the next Senior Pastor, succeeding Dr. Adrian Rogers, on July 10, 2005, having served as pastor for nineteen years. Steve & Donna share the story of coming to Bellevue, Steve’s original call into the ministry, how Donna & Steve’s relationship started in college, rich history of Bellevue’s ministry and previous pastors, Steve’s auto-immune disease, trusting God through the hardships that we all face, and how Steve and Donna liked to spend personal time together. Let’s continue to pray for Donna and the Gaines family, for Christ comfort and peace, as we listen to today’s show and as the week’s follow.

Steve Coplon recently returned from Chicago with a group of men for a Gospel excursion doing street evangelism during St. Patrick’s Day activities. We talk about that outreach along with a similar focus in Memphis, the need for corporate prayer, and share the results from a recent survey about Evangelicals support for Israel.

Steve Wiggins founder of Groundworks Ministries shares a new initiative that’s helping people start Bible study communities across the country. Groundworks is a ministry devoted to helping people read and understand the Bible through daily, chapter-by-chapter devotionals. Steve is passionate about addressing biblical illiteracy and encouraging believers to grow in God’s Word.

Broken or absent father-daughter relationships can shape a woman’s identity for years. Award-winning filmmaker Rick Altizer shares the heart behind his new documentary, He Calls Me Daughter—a powerful story of healing, restoration, and discovering the love of a faithful Heavenly Father. Many experts say fatherlessness is one of the most significant social challenges in America today. Rick share’s common themes among the women he interviewed and how a strained father-daughter relationship influence a woman’s self-worth. Rick Altizer is known for creating uplifting, faith-centered media shares his latest project is no exception.

Pastor Larry Turner with Standing Stone Ministries shares their work to pastors and ministry leaders to provide encouragement, mentoring, and confidential care. He discusses common struggles you're seeing among ministry leaders, warning signs that a pastor may be running on empty, a healthier pastor impact the overall health of a church and advise for a pastor that’s feeling weary. Pastor Larry draws from nearly three decades of pastoral experience and is passionate about strengthening those in ministry—helping them navigate challenges, stay spiritually healthy, and remain faithful to their calling.

Dr. Hormoz Shariat, founder of Iran Alive Ministries which utilizes Satellite TV to reach the millions of lost and broken people of Iran and the rest of the Middle East. Raised in a devout Muslim family in Iran, Dr. Shariat’s life changed dramatically in 1980 after a profound study of the Bible and the Quran led him to become a follower of Jesus. Dr. Shariat brings a unique and powerful perspective on faith, freedom, and events unfolding in Iran today.

Steve Hyde founder of Words of Life Ministries in Cambodia together with his wife Noit have developed training materials for church leaders in Cambodia. Under the arm of this ministry, they’ve started the Imparting Smiles Association which has two children’s centers, a university dormitory and a woman’s center in different provinces of Cambodia. Steve also discusses the current refugee camp crisis due to border clashes with Thailand, his father’s tragic death by Muslim terrorists in a bomb attack while serving as a missionary in the Philippines, and what it’s like to see the Gospel reach “least reached” people who’ve never heard Christ’s name.

Ephie Johnson, Linda Walker, and Pastor Mike Jones provide details about the upcoming Marriage Unmasked: Beyond the Vows, a masquerade ball for couples March 7th 7:00 pm at Avon Acres. This event is a product of Neighborhood Christian Centers, LoveBuilders Couples Ministry. a community of couples dedicated to building strong, Christ-centered marriages. Whether guiding first-generation newlyweds, supporting those entering a new season of marriage, or walking alongside couples seeking to grow deeper in faith and love. Neighborhood Christian Centers was formally established in 1978, but the ministry began in 1968 on a grassroots level by JoeAnn Ballard, NCC’s founder. Reacting to a need within her community, JoeAnn and her husband Monroe offered a full-time ministry providing housing and care to their community and a foster home to 75 children. The Ballards’ vision was to help families to achieve upward mobility by creating pathways to higher education and to begin to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

Josh Enck, President and Chief Creative Officer of Sight & Sound Theatres join us at the 2026 NRB Convention in Nashville, TN to share details about their newest film project, “A Great Awakening.” Discover about the friendship between George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin, misconceptions about Whitefield or Franklin corrected through this film, building the sets to authentically recreate 18th-century America, and why now is the right time to tell a story about the Great Awakening. For fifty years, Sight & Sound Theatres is one of the nation’s premier faith-based entertainment organizations. Known for its epic Biblical stage productions performed in 2,000-seat theaters in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Branson, Missouri, inspiring millions through immersive storytelling.

Pastor Travis Johnson is the Lead Pastor of Pathway Church in Mobile, AL — a growing, Gospel-centered community impacting lives across the Gulf Coast. He’s also the Executive Director of People for Care & Learning and founder of BUY A TREE. CHANGE A LIFE., nonprofit ministries focused on inspiring hope and empowering potential both locally and globally. Travis is the author of Un]Embarrassed of Jesus, a bold call to embrace and share faith with courage and authenticity. He is known for his outspoken faith, community engagement, and growing presence in national conversations around religion, culture, and public life.

Joshua Rushing, Family Pastor at Edgefield First Baptist Church, Edgefield SC, discusses discipleship based on the passage Deuteronomy 6: 4–9 that emphasizes teaching God’s commands diligently to children. Pastor Josh believes this instruction is still foundational for Christian families today making discipleship a matter of the home. He and his wife Bethany have three children, so they take the responsibility of teaching God’s commands to their children a top priority woven into everyday life. He shares some common misconceptions families have about discipling their children spiritually, cultural challenges that make living out Deuteronomy 6 more difficult, and how competing priorities affect a family’s ability to intentionally pass on their faith.

Randy Hutchinson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South walk us through recent scam alerts, common warning signs, how are local scammers using new technologies, scammers pretending to be government agencies, and the role BBB plays in reporting and stopping scams in our community. The BBB serves consumers and businesses across West Tennessee, North Mississippi and East Arkansas by promoting marketplace trust and educating the public about scams and fraud.

Why does Valentine’s Day stress so many people out? It should be more than another “Hallmark holiday” with your spouse. Gary Schneeberger, Assistant to the President for Media Relations at Focus on the Family, explains ways to do just that. Gary says, “expectations are often the real culprit” and shares ways to mix it up by creating memories that are simple, unexpected; Valentine’s ideas that really resonate with your spouse.

Pastor Sam Greer of Red Bank Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN is our guest. We caught up with Pastor Sam at the 2025 Tennessee Baptist Convention Summit at West Jackson Baptist Church in Jackson, TN. Pastors and ministries from across the state gather each year focusing on unity, collaboration, and worship to advance shared ministry goals. In addition to pastoring Red Bank Baptist, Pastor Sam created a ministry called, Gospel Conversations with Sam Greer. As a professional minister Sam felt convicted that he wasn’t engaging people more about Jesus in everyday life. This came into focus after a usual encounter while jogging down a Mississippi highway on a hot summer day. He has served as senior pastor since 2012 at Red Bank Baptist and has authored of "The Gospel Conversation,” "The Gospel Conversationalist," “The Gospel Conversational Church,” and “Gospel Conversational Marriage.”

Bishop Chester Evans President/Bishop and founder of Ambassadors for Christ Ministries International is our guest. Bishop Evans shares his journey from growing up in Memphis, Dr. King’s Marches for racial equality, joining the army, working at a Buffalo, NY Steel Mill, breaking his back, prescription drug addiction, to finding deliverance through Jesus Christ. This new life in Christ has projected Bishop Evans into a ministry of reconciliation not only in Memphis but starting churched in Brazil as well.

Tom Boehne is a Transitional Interim Pastor at Grassland Heights Baptist Church in Franklin, TN through the TN Baptist Mission Board. As a TIP pastor, Tom helps prepare a congregation for a healthy, positive call for the next settled pastor, ensuring stability and focused ministry rather than stagnation. He also shares the challenges connected to the health of his wife, Eileen.

Dr. Mitchel Godat provides details on this year’s 10th Annual Mid-South Mission of Mercy, Friday and Saturday, February 20th – 21st at Bellevue Baptist Church for a free dental clinic to a free, two-day dental clinic for under-served and under-insured people living in Memphis and the surrounding Mid-South area. This event was originally scheduled for this weekend (JAN 23-24), but due to the threat of a Winter Storm the decision was made to postpone until next month. Dr. Godat also answers questions about oral health including gum disease, implants, toothbrush varieties, and other oral health related topics.

Brian Carmichael is the Senior Pastor at Holy Temple Missionary Baptist Church and Black Church Specialist with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Pastor Brian and I ran met up at the Tennessee Baptist Convention (TBC) Summit 2025 held November 9-11, 2025 at West Jackson Baptist Church. Pastor Brian’s role includes helping strengthen pastors across the state, multiplying gospel leaders, mental health counseling, and support for compassion ministry start-ups.

Ariyana Rimson shares her new book, “Be Anchored: An 11-Week Journey to an Anchored Mindset”. Ariyana has served in a variety of ministry settings—from discipleship and Bible teaching and currently serves on staff at Fellowship Memphis, where she helps lead care ministry. Previously Ariyana was director of the Moriah House and served with both Downline Ministries and Kids Across America. Her heart is to point people back to Christ as the true Anchor for the soul.

Rob Millman discusses his book, Follow the Call: For Those Aspiring to Christian Ministry and Pastors Mentoring Emerging Leaders. In Follow the Call, Rob Millman and Tim LaFleur offer a valuable guide for individuals aspiring to serve God in ministry and for pastors supporting those exploring their call. The authors emphasize the significance of discernment rooted in a biblical framework, presenting practical steps to help bring clarity to those grappling with the call to ministry. Their mission is to equip pastors to mentor, disciple, and journey alongside individuals of all ages, fostering a new generation of disciple-makers committed to expanding the kingdom of God.

IMB Missionary to West Africa, Hal Falls is our guest. Originally, Hal was reluctant to follow his wife’s interest in missions to West Africa. As a bi-vocational pastor in Tennessee, Hal had no desire to go but soon realized in the sermons he preached telling his congregation to go where God calls and share the gospel he was being hypocritical. At 55 years of age, he said yes to going and for the past 13 years has discovered new and exciting ways God can use he and his wife among a people and culture needing Jesus.

A conversation about our true identity as believers in Christ and how to walk and abide in that identity in the New Year to come. Joining us is Chris Hodges from Abiding Above Ministries and Dr. Ashley Ray, senior pastor of Old Friendship Baptist Church, Finger, TN.

John 1:5 says, "the light shines in the darkness”. As a former addict and inmate, Danny discovered a fountain of forgiveness and grace in Jesus Christ. In a dark time in Johanna’s life, she too discovered the light of Jesus in the sudden death of her child. Together, the Cosby’s share the power of the Gospel working through Danny’s music ministry, ministry inside prisons, and transforming lives in Uganda where they’ve recently returned.