Hello Folks,
It appears to me that winter is getting closer all the time. The temperatures are getting cooler, the leaves are changing and Thanksgiving is only a month away. The signs of the times reveal that it will not be long before we have to get our winter coats out and turn the furnace on to keep warm. I, for one, do not look forward to cold weather. Yet I know that it comes every year and I will have to bear it again.
Every one of us have things we do not like but they still come into our lives. We do not like taxes, getting up early, cutting the grass, or whatever it is that you find distasteful yet we do them. Life is filled with some difficult and undesirable things but in the midst of them all there are also some wonderful things that come to pass. This past Sunday we enjoy baptizing 7 people, 2 adults and 5 children, who had made a commitment of faith to Jesus and wanted to be obedient to Him. All around us are difficulties yet God still gives us some of the most wonderful and joyful moments of our lives. It is good to see people say yes to the will and truth of God.
We also had visitors that would not have been here if they had not been invited to be part of the baptism service. In a world that is filled with all kinds of difficult moments we were allowed to see someone who had not been in church in years come and participate in worship. Maybe, just maybe, they will have their hearts changed because of that moment. Please pray for each one that was here.
May the Lord bless you and remember that in the times when things are not always what you want God gives us some wonderthing moments.
HGRudd
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Hello Folks,
This Saturday Ruth's mother, Daphene McCorkle, went home to be with the Lord. She had been in a semi-care facility for about 13 months and has been suffering from demensia for about 5 years. Ruth was called about 2:30 a.m. and told that her mother had been taken to the hospital complaining of pain and by 11:45 p.m. she had left this world. Her kidneys had failed and of course that was a life ending event for her. Her age was 87. Ruth and I are thankful that she was able to be with us that long yet we are also thankful that her physical suffering was short lived. I want to thank all of you for your prayers and kind words. The congregation here at Greeneville First Church of God has been exceedingly kind to us and we could not ask for any better care than they have given us. The funeral will be Wednesday 10-19-11 in West Union, Ohio where Daphene grew up and where Ruth's father is buried. Once again thanks to all of you for your kindness and prayers at this time.
Death is a reminder to all of us that life in this world is not something that is eternal. We all will die unless Jesus comes again before our physical death. Yet physical death is also something that allows us to go to be with the Lord and for that we should all be thankful. Because Jesus died for us and rose from the grave you and I can live forever through Jesus. Heaven is a place where we can enjoy all that God has prepared for us and where we can be in His presence forever. I praise Him for that!
As we look at this world that we live in and see people who are running from place to place do we not realize that many of them, maybe most of them, will not go to be with God after they die? Truly the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few! We must pray that the Lord will send forth laborers into the harvest and maybe that you and I could be those laborers.
Blessings to all of you.
HGRudd
This Saturday Ruth's mother, Daphene McCorkle, went home to be with the Lord. She had been in a semi-care facility for about 13 months and has been suffering from demensia for about 5 years. Ruth was called about 2:30 a.m. and told that her mother had been taken to the hospital complaining of pain and by 11:45 p.m. she had left this world. Her kidneys had failed and of course that was a life ending event for her. Her age was 87. Ruth and I are thankful that she was able to be with us that long yet we are also thankful that her physical suffering was short lived. I want to thank all of you for your prayers and kind words. The congregation here at Greeneville First Church of God has been exceedingly kind to us and we could not ask for any better care than they have given us. The funeral will be Wednesday 10-19-11 in West Union, Ohio where Daphene grew up and where Ruth's father is buried. Once again thanks to all of you for your kindness and prayers at this time.
Death is a reminder to all of us that life in this world is not something that is eternal. We all will die unless Jesus comes again before our physical death. Yet physical death is also something that allows us to go to be with the Lord and for that we should all be thankful. Because Jesus died for us and rose from the grave you and I can live forever through Jesus. Heaven is a place where we can enjoy all that God has prepared for us and where we can be in His presence forever. I praise Him for that!
As we look at this world that we live in and see people who are running from place to place do we not realize that many of them, maybe most of them, will not go to be with God after they die? Truly the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few! We must pray that the Lord will send forth laborers into the harvest and maybe that you and I could be those laborers.
Blessings to all of you.
HGRudd
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Hello Folks,
Last week I was in South Lebanon, Ohio where I preached a revival for our congregation there. It went from Sunday a.m. through Wednesday night. The congregation there is a small congregation but the folks there had a desire to worship God and were very receptive to the sermons. Yet that brings a question that I would like to present to you.
Through the nights that I spent at that congregation I noticed that there no other pastors or members of other congregations attended in support even though there are a multitude of other congregations within a short distance. There could be numerous reasons for that such as a failure to communicate to the other congregations. But it seems to me that wherever I go that there is very little support from other congregations and that is even true here in Greeneville. It would appear to me that there is little, if any, practical application of unity being applied among our congregations today. Of course, I could be using the wrong measurements but there appears to be little effort to support each other in anything.
Let me give you another example of this thought. During the East Tennessee Summer Camp Meeting the largest attendance was 524 with the average nightly attendance being 334. According to the yearbook the seven congregations of Greene county have a combine average attendance of 1151 and that does not include any of the other approximately 21 congregations of the Church of God in East Tennessee.
This leads me to the question of whether we really want to be together as congregations? It appears from this that either the idea of unity is lost to us or we must find some other ways to express it. Could it be that people see these times of joint worship as nothing more than a night off from church? I realize that people are extremely busy but does that simply reveal a shift to being a society of people who want a "form of godliness" that takes place on Sunday a.m. only?
I heard a CD of Albert Mohler the other day and he said: "Wealth brings more opportunities for unfaithfulness." Is that where we are at as a nation, as a Movement, and as a congregation? You tell me.
H. Gerald Rudd
Last week I was in South Lebanon, Ohio where I preached a revival for our congregation there. It went from Sunday a.m. through Wednesday night. The congregation there is a small congregation but the folks there had a desire to worship God and were very receptive to the sermons. Yet that brings a question that I would like to present to you.
Through the nights that I spent at that congregation I noticed that there no other pastors or members of other congregations attended in support even though there are a multitude of other congregations within a short distance. There could be numerous reasons for that such as a failure to communicate to the other congregations. But it seems to me that wherever I go that there is very little support from other congregations and that is even true here in Greeneville. It would appear to me that there is little, if any, practical application of unity being applied among our congregations today. Of course, I could be using the wrong measurements but there appears to be little effort to support each other in anything.
Let me give you another example of this thought. During the East Tennessee Summer Camp Meeting the largest attendance was 524 with the average nightly attendance being 334. According to the yearbook the seven congregations of Greene county have a combine average attendance of 1151 and that does not include any of the other approximately 21 congregations of the Church of God in East Tennessee.
This leads me to the question of whether we really want to be together as congregations? It appears from this that either the idea of unity is lost to us or we must find some other ways to express it. Could it be that people see these times of joint worship as nothing more than a night off from church? I realize that people are extremely busy but does that simply reveal a shift to being a society of people who want a "form of godliness" that takes place on Sunday a.m. only?
I heard a CD of Albert Mohler the other day and he said: "Wealth brings more opportunities for unfaithfulness." Is that where we are at as a nation, as a Movement, and as a congregation? You tell me.
H. Gerald Rudd
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