The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow

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The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow
Dawson, Texas * USA; Navarro County

Joe E. Brumbelow (AD 1930-2002) was pastor of First Baptist Church, Dawson, Texas from 1976 - 1979.

A book has been written about him: The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow: Favorite illustrations, personal stories, humor, history, folklore, and lessons learned from over 50 years in the ministry by his son David R. Brumbelow, Hannibal Books, Garland, TX; 2005. Several of these stories refer to Dawson and Navarro County.

Wit and Wisdom contains short stories about hunting, fishing, gardening, history, outhouses, humor, as well as family and spiritual matters. It has been endorsed by leaders such as Ed Young, Houston; Paige Patterson, SWBTS President, Ft. Worth; Adrian Rogers, Memphis, TN; and Franklin Atkinson of ETBU, Marshall.

Brother Joe (as he was usually called) had a good ministry in Dawson, enjoying the people and the country. He had moved there from a city church in Houston. Brother Joe loved the people, preached the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, and baptized over 40 people his first year in Dawson. He preached of the love of God, and forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Joe often used interesting stories and humor to illustrate his biblical sermons.

He enjoyed dove and quail hunting, and bass fishing in the area tanks (ponds & lakes). He gardened and raised a calf or two for the freezer. Mrs. Joe (Bonnie) Brumbelow taught Sunday School, sang, and was known for her good cooking. She was often asked to sing at funerals. Bonnie now lives in Lake Jackson, TX and has a best selling cookbook of her personal recipes.

A few of the Dawson folks I remember (mostly members of First Baptist) during that time include Don & Betty Mitcham and daughters Donna and Kristy, retired pastor W. O. Estes, Dan & Ann Griffin and daughters Amy and Anna, Richard Newell, The Nesmiths, Hershel Montgomery, Mike McReynolds, Jack Sykes, Bertha Pate, the Spruiells, Bill & Junell Moore, and the Matthews. Several of these folks are mentioned in Wit and Wisdom.

Guest preachers at Dawson during that time included: Dan Vestal, Sr. (evangelist), Lester Roloff (evangelist), Titus Olawafamee (preacher from Africa), Anis Shorrosh (Arab Baptist evangelist), Hendricks Maxwell (Houston pastor), and O. O. Ervin (South Padre Island pastor). Don Mitcham was the song leader at Dawson and I remember Evangelist Sam Craig leading the music for a revival. The Mitcham and Griffin girls often sang together for the church.

Brother Joe and his wife Bonnie (Galyean) had three sons: Stephen, David, and Mark. Steve was grown, married to Nelda, and never lived in Dawson. He was pastor in West Virginia in the late 1970s, and is now an evangelist and owner of Amish Home Furnishings in Old Town Spring, TX.

David, while in Dawson, attended Navarro College, Corsicana in 1976-77. He later graduated from ETBU and SWBTS and is now pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Highlands, TX. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and trapping in the Dawson area.

Mark Brumbelow lived in Dawson with his parents and later moved back to Dawson and lived there from about 1981-1987 working at the Mexia State School and also as a taxidermist and carpenter. He married Cherry in 1982 and they have three boys: Daniel, Micah, and Jeremiah. They now live in Brazoria, TX. Mark graduated from Dawson High School in 1979.

Joe Brumbelow’s dad, E. P. (Bud) Brumbelow (1881-1975), as a young man lived in the Blooming Grove area of Navarro County in the late 1800s.

In addition to Dawson, Joe Brumbelow was pastor in Old Ocean, Clegg, Cypress, Corpus Christi, and Houston, Texas * USA. He grew up in Damon, TX and graduated from the University of Corpus Christi (UCC) in 1955.

The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow is available at www.hannibalbooks.com; 800/747-0738 (ISBN 0-929292-62-6) $12.95; 12 or more $7.77 each.

Autographed copies at the same price from David Brumbelow, P.O. Box 300, Lake Jackson, TX 77566 * USA. 281/705-3433 or 979/299-6535. [email protected] (The Brumbelows can also be reached at this address)

“From a barefoot boy causing mischief in Damon, Texas to a preacher of the Gospel”

Quotes about The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow:

“You will enjoy this book. Some of the funniest stories you will ever read are contained in the pages of this volume. As I read these stories I laughed and you will laugh, too. You will laugh out loud…” -Foreword by Dr. John A. Hatch, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Lake Jackson, TX.

“His sense of humor was contagious and his seriousness about the things that really counted was remarkable.” -Jimmy Draper, President, LifeWay Christian Resources, Nashville, TN..

“I laughed, I wept, I praised God repeatedly in its reading. I think you will too!…This is the kind of book you can sit down and read from ‘kiver to kiver’ (and many will, too engrossed to put it down), but at the same time it is the kind you can read a little, quit, pick it up later and not miss a beat. Or you could pick it up and start reading any place: front, back or middle. We heartily recommend it!” -Dr. R. L. Sumner, The Biblical Evangelist, NC.

“Delightful reading of this book will refresh, teach, and inspire God’s people. -Franklin Atkinson, Th.D., longtime Bible professor at East Texas Baptist University, Marshall, TX.

“You will enjoy the warmth and emotion that permeate the pages.” -H. Edwin Young, Pastor, Second Baptist Church, Houston, TX.

Dear David, Thank you, my friend, for the finished product - The Wit and Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow. I spent much time this morning reading, smiling, amening, and just nodding my head. It is a beautiful book, easy to read, and full of genuine spiritual wisdom. God is love. Jesus is wonderful. In His Dear Name. -Adrian Rogers, Memphis, TN. June 21, 2005

“It is absolutely beautiful. It came out much better than I ever imagined... Already it has been a source of illustrations for me.” -Paige Patterson, President, Southwestern Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX.

Referring to how she laughed, “This book is better than going to a psychologist!” - Esther Cline, DeLand, Florida.

(Submitted by David R. Brumbelow, November 13, 2006)

This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. -Psalm 102:18

About the Author

David R. Brumbelow was born May 8, 1957, in Houston, Texas. He graduated in 1975 from Sam Houston High School, Houston. Attended Houston Baptist University and Navarro College, Corsicana, TX. He graduated in 1980 with a B.A. from East Texas Baptist College (now University) in Marshall. While there, he served as president of the J. B. Gambrell Society, the school's ministerial organization. He also graduated in 1990 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX, with a Master of Divinity (M. Div.). While in high school he served two years as a summer missionary at the Baptist Mission Centers in Houston. While in college se served one year as a summer missionary in the state of Iowa as preacher on a revival team.

David accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior when he was 5. His dad baptized him at Doverside Baptist Church, Houston, TX. He surrendered to the ministry when he was 9 and began preaching when he was 13. He was licensed t the ministry May 7, 1975, by Doverside Baptist Church. He was ordained to the ministry at Friendship Baptist Church, Beeville, TX, on February 28, 1984.

David has served as pastor in Beeville, TX; Second Baptist Church, Henderson, TX; and since December, 1991, as pastor of Northside Baptist Church of Highlands, TX. He also has served for more than nine years as Baptist Student Ministry director at Lee College, Baytown, TX. He has taught Old and New Testament Survey at Lee College since 1993 and taught several Bible courses in 1996-1997 at San Jacinto College, Pasadena, TX. He has served in various areas of local Baptist associations and preached the annual sermon for the San Jacinto Baptist Association in 2000. He has served as camp pastor of Preteen Camp, G.A. Camp, and four years as pastor of R. A. Wilderness Camp at Lake Tomahawk Baptist Encampment, Livingston, TX. He is single with no previous marriage. He enjoys outdoor activities such as gardening, hunting (especially his bear-hunting trip with Mark and Daniel in Alaska), fishing, and canoeing.