Greetings in the Name of Jesus!

              The message for you this month comes from Ecclesiastes 12:13—”Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person.”

             Purpose in life comes from knowing God and doing his will.  The ultimate goal in life is not to achieve your goals, but to do that which God has planned for you to do.  He created you for a purpose and has given you promises to fulfill his intentions in your life when you work with him.

We would like to encourage you, Temple of Miracles Worship Center, to keep on walking in God’s purpose and design for your life.  Then you will truly be “Walking in Destiny”.  We know that by doing this, you are truly being conformed to the image of Christ.

Psalm 40:8— I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your law is written on my heart..

“Life is a series of new beginnings, and new beginnings are positive.” -Van Burren

53-year-old Elder John Alexander Simpson, III, pastor of The Temple of Miracles Worship Center, has seen his share of ups and downs on this journey called life. Simpson’s life has been a constant uneasy uphill climb since accepting his call into the ministry.

His wife, Cheryl, was there for the ups and downs then and remains a strong presence in his daily walk now. “2 Chronicles 16:9 reads, For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His,” said Sister Simpson. “If I were to make a list of distinctive elements describing my husband, John Alexander Simpson, III, I would say that he is EXTRAORDINARY, INNOVATIVE, UNORTHODOX, SUPER and WITTY all wrapped up together with a heart full of LOVE, COMPASSION, and HOLY BOLDNESS! He is undeniably unpredictable and unprecedented. I guess that’s why I love him so. We are a team ministry. We are ONE.

“When God’s eyes began to navigate across this planet looking for someone to ordain and start the Temple of Miracles Worship Center; someone with a heart just right for the task, He found my husband and my angel, John Alexander Simpson, and plunged him right in the stream of action to orchestrate and design an action arm ministry while upholding him with His mighty hand. We give God Glory. Despite the ups, the downs, and the ‘turn arounds’ we have faced; despite the opposition, the lies, the hate and jealousy that come from all angles—We know who the true originator is and we are just honored that God chose us as his vessels to work through and be used for His glory. Praise God! Because it is all about Him.

The former bass player and song writer for the Atlanta-based S.O.S Band went through a troubling period in his life; he was strung out on crack cocaine. It was through the power of prayer, he was eventually delivered from his 20-year battle with the drug.

It was during the height of his addiction that he began to obey God’s will. “I began to see that it was hurting people; these were the same people that wanted to help me. I already knew I had a certain demeanor with people, but I was deep into the crack,” Simpson said. “The entire family would get up every morning at 5 a.m. to pray, it was something we always did, but I wasn’t always serious about it. I just wasn’t being consistent with what I needed to be consistent with.”

Simpson has been forthcoming about his past issues. There are some, however, that only remember the past and don't think of the present state of the pastor. Speaking candidly, Simpson said,

“Once people see you, all they remember is your past. By my talking about it, it’s helping bring in others who are going through the exact same thing I once went through. I was high directing the choir, I was still getting high during my first two or three years as a minister, all the while I was asking for help; I can handle the resistance from others because it’s my job to love regardless of how someone my treat me. When people do me wrong, I don’t...I can’t react in a wordly way. I understand God sends us through things. I know I am blessed.” He said it seemed that every time he would do crack, God would send someone to him. And so it was on Wednesday night Simpson said he asked, “What kind of God are you?” He said on that following Wednesday night he was delivered and he found that after the crack cocaine, he had other issues to deal with. “I have to be careful not to spoil this with my life,” Simpson said.

It is his story that has been the most inspirational to many people, especially those within his congregation as well as his own family. “Pastor Simpson has shown me that it is alright for a man to praise God out loud and not just in private. I respect him because of where he came from; I know it’s hard for a man to come from the pits of hell physically and become one of the strongest people around. The best part of this friend is that his climb is ongoing and you will never hear him complain. I just thank God for Pastor Simpson. I love this man and I will always pray a special prayer for him and his family: Lord don’t move the mountain, just give us the strength to keep climbing,” said Arzell “Pootsy” Jackson.

Jason Gaines stated that Pastor Simpson was the man that showed him that we all make mistakes and that it’s alright no matter who you are or where you have come from. “I have never seen him down and he always greets you with such excitement about the Lord! Watching the way he handles himself in some situations makes it easier to handle everyday activities in my own life. It is an inspiration to watch him live the life he teaches about,” said Gaines.

Minister Gia Mitchell, his niece, added, “The most important thing I have learned from him is that God is capable of doing any and everything. It has been an honor and privilege to watch God use him and I am truly blessed to have him in my life. I want to follow in his footsteps in the ministry. It is just awesome that he can hear from God with no interruptions, it is awesome! My uncle has helped to make me a stronger person because of who he is in my life. He’s not only my uncle, but also my friend, counselor and a wonderful role model.”

Others who can identify with some of Simpson’s story, like Mary Ann Thomas, know what the struggles are and she thanks God for having placed Simpson in her life. “He is truly a God-sent person in my life. He won’t bite his tongue to let me know when I have done something wrong, but he remains constant in being there for me regardless of the mistakes I have made. Both he and Cheryl are like my own adopted kids. He knows how to communicate with me; he is someone I can talk to when there is no one else around for me to talk to any time of the day or night. What is most important is that he genuinely cares. He’s my pastor, my friend, my confidant,” Thomas said.

It is his character of being a hard-working man that will let nothing stop him. ‘Regardless of the mistakes he may make, he just tries harder,” said Minister Mark Mitchell, Jr. “Rest assured that Pastor has your back if you find yourself in trouble. I’ve known him for about 20 years, and I have never known him to turn his back on anyone. He is a person that can take nothing and turn it into something.”

Simpson is now making something of God’s plan. His vision is clear, and that is to take things to another level for his life, for the life of his family and for his church family in the name of the Holy Spirit. He said this next level will be working on building families, especially since God ordained families. “On the next level will be the dome, and its not going to be just another mega church, but it will concentrate on the art of worship and families. The effects of worship are good, but we sometimes lose focus of our vision. Many people want to worship other people; I want us to worship God; God will be glorified. We have to live the example of a Godly life, so that when we do make mistakes, we can rectify those mistakes through confession,” Simpson said.

The North Carolina-born pastor said the one thing, we, as followers need to remember is to be consistent against insurmountable odds. He said he’s looking for dedicated soldiers to come with him to the next level. “You will feel the power of God once you walk that Christian life. Once you get a glimpse of the glory , you have to be consistent. There has to be a sacrifice, you can’t just come in for the jumping around, you have to get the full meal, you have to grasp onto the meat of what is being given,” said Simpson.

To find out more information about the life of John Alexander Simpson, III, look for his tell all autobiography, “From Crack to the Cross” coming out soon.