I Thought We'd Have More Time

On Wednesday May 29th, Kay's Aunt Nancy (Whittaker) passed from this life to be in the presence of her savior.  Kay and I and the three kids quickly booked flights for the funeral which was the scheduled for the next Monday June 3rd. Unfortunately, the Sams had a church retreat weekend and they could not make the trip.

Kay and I flew from Myrtle Beach through Charlotte to Akron-Canton, and the kids flew from Raleigh through Charlotte and then on the same flight to Akron-Canton.  We were hoping for that dramatic airport reunion in Charlotte, but maintenance troubles on the kids fights cause a significant delay and almost caused them to miss the Akron-Canton flight.  That is a whole other story but suffice it to say it involved a pregnant lady running through the Charlotte airport.

Anyway, the family asked me to speak at the funeral and I was able to share some memories from Kay and the rest of the family and most importantly to share the gospel. Below is what I shared at the funeral. 

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I know it’s a cliché but with Nancy, I think you’ll all agree, “to know her was to love her”.  If there was a competition for the most likable person, Nancy would be hands down world champion in my book. A friend of ours even showed us a Facebook post from this week that expressed that Nancy was *Everyone’s* favorite teacher”. Some of you here even today have shared the same sentiment with me.

When Kay and I first heard of Nancy’s passing, we just sat and cried. Then through tears, Kay said “I just thought we’d have more time”. 

When we told our kids about Nancy’s passing, Faith sent us an audio recording of Nancy she had recorded from March of ‘22, and we cried some more. Part of the recording is Nancy telling the story of how she and Larry met - she described it as *Love at first sight! If you don’t know the story it involved Larry slicing off part of his finger and Nancy caring for him. In the recording she even referred to it jokingly as "Love at First Slice!". Let any of us know if you want the recording, and we’ll send it to you. It is precious.

Nancy meant a great deal to Kay and I and our kids. Whenever we came back to Ohio, we always looked forward to visiting Nancy and those visits with her at her house were a special part of our trips. We would just sit and chat, listening to her stories as the time flew by. And at the end of the visit (many of you will know this) you could always count on Nancy saying "Now be careful as you pull out of my street!  It’s very dangerous!"

I recall one of our visits last summer, when we came up to Ohio for my great Aunt’s funeral (Aunt Helen - who coincidentally Rod knew and took great care of as she was his neighbor - thx again Rod) Anyway, that visit we ate lunch at Nancy’s house and then took her to see Dave & Sue’s (Kay’s parents) grave. And then we also walked her to see Larry’s grave. As Nancy hobbled over the uneven ground with her notorious bum leg with Kay and I on either side of her, she talked about Larry and how she missed him and would see him again one day.

Now, I married into the Klekner/Kinney/etc.. family, but Nancy made it clear to me early on that when you married into the family, you were a full-fledged member of the family. Family (and friends) were very important to Nancy and you all already know that Nancy was a mentor / parent to literally hundreds of young people. We don’t always immediately see Gods plan in our life circumstances, but the Lord surely had a plan for Nancy and the impact she would have on others. In the recording I mentioned earlier, Nancy even stated that she firmly believed that it was God’s will that they have no kids and that only her faith (and as she said, being a little crazy) carried her threw her cancer and leg cyst and Larry’s epilepsy and everything else this life sent her way. In the recording she even said that she considered her life trials as a message of hope for others.

So Kay and I have been reminiscing the last few days and I was reminded of some things and learned some new things about Nancy. Some examples that maybe you all can relate to are:

• Nancy was a picture person. She would label pictures and send them in the mail to us so we could be a part of things even though we lived away.  
• She was witty, a jokester, a family historian, and a story-teller extraordinaire! As I mentioned, our visits were always full of new stories - often even about some random stranger she had just met at the store.
• Kay also shared childhood memories of Nancy at Sunday dinners at Grandma & Grandpa Kinneys house with everyone around the dinner table eating roast beef and after dinner, playing a board game called Tripoli (including poker etc..). In fact, we just came across the old board game in Nancy’s closet yesterday.
• Nancy also made Kay and the other nieces and nephews 16th birthday scrapbooks which included 16 one dollar bills. We got the scrapbook out and went through it again and I’ll share a short poem Nancy included in it. The first letter of each line of the poem spells KAYANN. Nancy titled the poem “To a precious niece on being 16” and it reads:

Keep all the joy you now hold,

And life is sure to return it to

You, as you give to others.

Always serve God, and he’ll serve you.

Now that you are 16,

Never forget…the beauty of memories! They are a treasure no one can take away.  

(That last line felt especially appropriate to me as, nothing can take away our memories of Nancy.)

• Nancy also organized all the Ackerman family reunions at Sippo Lake Park (another example of the importance of family)
• Kay remembers going to Nancy’s plays when she was a drama teacher at Edison Jr high.
• Kay said Nancy even took her to Mellet Mall and introduced her to pralines and cream ice cream - which is still Kay’s favorite today.  
• More recent memories for us and our kids are opening Nancy’s Christmas presents which usually included silly creative wrapping efforts, gag gifts, as well as sometimes a search for hidden money in the package.
• Now, I have a question for all the family members! What food did Nancy always bring to family gatherings? ... Yes, Shrimp cocktail!!!  I would like to suggest a new tradition to remember Nancy at our future family gatherings. We should raise a shrimp and toast Nancy!
• And finally Nancy had a favorite color which was… ?  Yes, PURPLE!  Nancy loved the color purple - whether it was clothes, jewelry or whatever, she loved purple.  Kay’s favorite color is purple also and probably came from Nancy.

So the color purple got me thinking about the use and symbolism of purple in scripture. In the Bible, purple was typically a sign of royalty. With that theme of royalty, as a believer in Christ, God promised a crown of life to Nancy. James 1:12 says “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” And Revelation 2:10 says “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Well Nancy was faithful and is wearing that crown now.

  

In thinking about Nancy with her crown in heaven, I was also reminded of John 14. John 14:1-6 says “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? Then Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Scripture also says that the way is indeed narrow and very difficult in our own strength. But if we realize that the way is simply to follow and put our trust in Jesus (indeed the way *IS* Jesus), then he has that room prepared for us. I take comfort visualizing Nancy in her room now, in heaven, with Jesus, with Larry, and maybe even with a little cardinal sitting outside the window.

Nancy knew her savior. And at that very moment on Wednesday when she passed from this life, she knew him fully, and face to face. Yes, the way is narrow, but the way is simple also. Romans 10:9 says “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Believe and confess. It’s that simple. No good works are necessary. It’s simple and easy.  

Furthermore, Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Finally, I pray that each of us in this room, understands and accepts that free gift of grace that Nancy knew (and now fully knows), and that this would be her lasting legacy.

Thanks Nancy for your Limitless Love, your Constant Caring, and the Many Memories. Love ya Nan!

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Nancy's Obituary and the Service Recording are at the following link (don't know how long the funeral home keeps these active):  https://www.paquelet.com/obituaries/Nancy-L-Whitaker?obId=31670921#/obituaryInfo

Dubai - Discipleship, Dedication, and Decisions

I am happy to report another amazing God-inspired and God-directed mission trip! First off, I want to thank all of our family and friends who helped us through prayers and financial support. We felt so loved and prayed over and this gave us much comfort especially given the last-minute uncertainties with the trip.

For those that had not heard the trip destination yet, Jake and I went on mission to Dubai, U.A.E! Our trip went smoothly and we had no delays with entering the country. Unfortunately, the organization we went with has now had most all of their visas revoked, and it appears that they will no longer be able to conduct their ministry in the country. This is sad, but we firmly believe that even though this door is closing, there are others opening in other parts of the world. They already have a thriving ministry in several states in India, which is what Faith and I were a part of in Punjab, India. As a reminder, the organization we have been partnering with is called FAMM (For All Mankind Movement). Their mission is simply to spread the gospel to the unreached people groups in the Middle East and South Asia. They have an incredible ministry that shares the gospel in the places where these people live, as well as following up by creating story groups and church plants, and even training local pastors. It is really an amazing ministry and you can read more about it here: http://www.compassionkits.com/. 

The format of this trip was a little different than the previous trips with Faith. In Dubai, we were ministering to the migrant laborers who are working most of the day in construction and other manual labor jobs. So because of this fact, they are only available in the evenings back at their camps/dorms. This meant that we had to cram most of our ministry in during the evenings. During the daytime, we were able to go on prayer walks and put together the hundreds of compassion kits (personal essentials) for the guys. And we did have some time to see some other parts of Dubai (e.g. Burj Khalifa).

Our evening revival services were similar to our revival services in India and were the highlight of the trip. We arrived each evening around 7-8pm at the laborer dorms and gathered the guys together in one of the dorm rooms. We typically packed in about 50-60 guys into a 4-person dorm room! I am sure we were way over the fire marshal limit for the room (ha!) and they actually had to lock the door at the point the guys were sitting on each other. How amazing is it that guys were clamoring into this room beyond capacity to hear about Jesus! The translator/pastor would welcome the guys with some get-to-know-you questions, jokes, and games. Then we would provide snacks and drinks to all the guys (remember these guys had been working all day and some get up as early as 4am). Then we would launch into our “service” which would be a message from the translator/pastor, then we would give our personal testimony, share a Bible story (e.g. Demon Possessed Man from Mark 5), and the story of Zacchaeus. Then one of us would directly share the gospel and explain what Jesus has done for us. After we were finished presenting our part, the translator/pastor would summarize what we had shared and then also deliver his message. He then would ask everyone if they were ready to accept the free gift of Salvation through Jesus!

We had 3 teams of 3 that would deliver the services, and 2 other FAMM leaders from the US were also on the trip. Jake and I were always on the same team and we had 2 other college guys that switched in as our 3^rd team member. Between the 3 teams, we reached about 600 men, and had over 200 decisions for Christ. At the end of the week, we even had a special baptism service for many of the guys who had accepted Christ earlier in the week. It was amazing!

On each of our mission trips I look for how God is working to teach me more about Him and what I should be doing to become more like Him. For this trip, God has given me my 5 D’s of Dubai (check out my 4 Ps of Punjab from my previous trip at (http://4hiswill2hisglory.blogspot.com/2015/03/for-sake-of-punjab.html). The first D is Dedication. We saw so many signs on our trip of total dedication to God and His mission. Our translators on this trip were from Pakistan and Nepal. These guys left their wives and families and were spending years in Dubai ministering to the laborers and bringing many thousands to Christ. Separately, we even met a minister from the US who had moved his family there to pastor in a church for ex-pats. This dedication to sharing the gospel models and inspires me to go on more mission trips and to share the gospel here at home.

The second D is Discipleship. The translators/leaders were so purposeful about building up the next level of leaders in all the camps. Each revival party we held had many other leaders organizing and gathering workers to attend. Additionally, one of the new parts of this mission for me, was the brothers in Christ that we got to work alongside of there. Unlike our India trips, our group of 11 (disciples) from the US were able to spend a lot of time together encouraging, building up, and challenging each other in our faith. This has inspired me to focus on discipleship back here at home and to find other mission trips where this is a key component.

The third D is Deception. With all the cultures coming together in Dubai, there were many other false Deities being worshipped there from Buddhism, to Hinduism, to Islam, and others. Many times the Bible calls the Devil the Great Deceiver, and Dubai is full of deception about the Truth. There is much evidence that the Devil is at work there also preventing FAMM from continuing its ministry.

The fourth D is diligence. On this trip, we saw many people accept Christ but there were also many who did not make that response. Sometimes we do not see the fruit of our labors immediately or even in this life. But God calls us in obedience to be diligent to fight the good fight and to finish the race well (2 Tim 4:7). I am convicted that I need to have that same diligence and focus in sharing the gospel here at home.

The fifth and final D is Decision. Ultimately the trip was about sharing the gospel and bringing guys to that point where they made decisions for Christ. As mentioned above, we had over 200 decisions for Christ and this was very encouraging to us to know that lives will be changed by God through this work. One of the powerful aspects of the FAMM ministry is their belief that the decision is not the only/final objective. The ministry is all about follow-up by creating story groups and house churches to provide opportunities for new believers to grow in their faith. They also focus on training existing pastors on the true faith and countering false doctrine (e.g. prosperity gospel) that is pervasive in the Middle East and South Asia. Oh and a bonus “D” I will mention is the Dunking - baptisms). J

In summary, the trip cemented for me the value of relationships. During the trip, I was able to focus on my relationship with Jesus through studying and memorizing my stories and messages, and through daily time in His Word. I also saw the power of relationships through the work of the local leaders/translators. And finally, this trip allowed us to really bond with our fellow missionaries from the US. As mentioned above, we were blessed to spend time every day with other brothers in Christ building each other up, challenging one another, and rejoicing in the impact we were helping to bring about through Christ.

Well I could go on for pages about the details of this trip, and I did not even mention how cool it was to spend time with Jake and to watch him preach to the men! But I do want to thank each and every one of you who helped me through prayer and financial support (as of this writing we are only $150 short of being fully funded – Praise God!). I was so encouraged by the support I received and both Jake and I felt covered in prayer as we embarked on this journey. Thanks again for your faithfulness and obedience in your support and your walk with the Lord!

For some pictures of the trip (including a little excursion in Frankfurt Germany during our return layover), check out this Flickr album. https://www.flickr.com/gp/therudys/0F7Zj9

Finally, I would challenge each of you to consider the words of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38 “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” There are many to be reached around the world and even right here at home. I urge you to seek and pray that God will convict and direct you to your mission field.   But whatever you do, remember to give God all the glory. We are all just instruments in the hands of the Master Builder.

Thanks everyone and blessings to you all!

Kevin

Punjab & Obedience

Well it has been 4 months since Faith and I have returned from our mission trip to Punjab, India.  This was our second trip to Punjab and rest assured God is still at work in a mighty way there!  This trip was a little different (as I will explain below), and has taken me a little time to absorb and process.

As with the first trip in 2015, we went with an organization called FAMM (For All Mankind Movement).  Their mission is simply to spread the gospel to the unreached people groups in the Middle East and South Asia.  They have an incredible ministry that shares the gospel in the places where these people live, as well as following up by creating story groups and church plants, and even training local ministers.  It is really an amazing ministry and you can read more about it here: http://www.compassionkits.com/.

As I said, this trip was a little different but still followed the same basic format.  We spent 6 days in India preparing for and presenting the Gospel.  We started with a day of acclimation, a couple hours of touring/shopping, and then intensive training for the group to get ready to go out into the villages. We then broke off into groups of 3 to spend 4 days in the villages sharing the gospel from sun-up until after sun-down, and then spend a day of debrief and reflection.  However with this trip, there were only a total of 8 from the US, so Faith and I were a group of our own.  In addition, we also had a local Pastor/Translator (Pankaj) that traveled with us.  On our trip in 2015, we had another man from Lynchburg in our group and we had a separate translator and pastor so this trip we were a total group size of 3 instead of 5. This smaller group tended to make the trip even more demanding as there were less people to share the responsibilities and worship/preaching each day.

The days started with a hearty breakfast and devotion, and then we spent all day driving/walking to visit people in their homes.  This included getting to know the people (and families and frequently drop-in neighbors), hearing their needs, praying for them, and sharing relevant Bible stories that spoke to their situations.  Each evening we would then lead a revival service that they call a Compassion Kit Party.  This service consisted of music (usually led by the local pastor with instruments and lots of singing), Faith and I sharing several Bible stories and our personal testimony, and then us also sharing the gospel story and invitation.  After Faith and I were done speaking (all translated by the Pastor/Translator), the local Pastor would then spend more time reiterating our message and diving deeper into the truth of the gospel.  The ultimate goal by the end of the party was to explain the gospel and have people accept the invitation to receive Christ as their personal savior (There were 156 personal professions in those 4 days!).  Then at the conclusion of the service, we passed out boxes (called compassion kits) of essentials for everyone.  Not only were we meeting the spiritual needs of the people, but we were helping to address their physical needs also.

One really cool aspect of this trip was that we got to see some of the people we had met on the first trip.  One day we were able to make a small side trip back to our old host village and see many of the kids there we had connected with the last time.  Additionally, we were able to see the host mom from the last trip and even meet the host father (he was actually out of state working when we stayed there in 2015).  We were also able to spend the training and debrief days with our translator (Baljinder) from last time (who we had kept in contact with) and we even got to spend a day ministering in the villages with our pastor (Sonu) from last trip!

One additional opportunity we had this trip was to visit the Brick Factories.  Amazingly, they still make bricks in India basically the same way they did 2,000 years ago.  Entire families work in these factories sometimes up to 14 hours a day making only pennies for each brick made.  And the people who work there are usually some of the lowest classes of people in India so these were truly some of the most unreached people in the world.  Many of them were hearing the name and truth of Jesus for the very first time!

For those who supported us on the first trip in 2015, I summarized that trip with my “4 Ps of Punjab”.  These 4 Ps were: Prayer, Preaching, Playing, People-Loving.  All these areas were big again this trip but I also thought of 3 Fs to go along side of the Ps this trip.  My 3 Fs for this trip were: #1 Faith – we need to have the faith and courage to share the truth of our faith with those who have not yet heard. This is the great commission and should always be at the top of our priority list.  #2 Friends – In Jesus’ name, we need to be friends to the friendless, hope to the hopeless, and provision for the needy.  In addition to sharing the gospel, we need to show the love of Christ through our words and actions.  #3 Follow-up – one of the most encouraging and exciting aspects of this ministry is the follow up by the local pastor.  In the weeks after returning, I already heard from our local pastor Pankaj that he had started Story Groups (aka Bible Studies) in some of the villages and at the brick factory!

The big take-way from this trip for me was all about Obedience.  God taught me about obedience in three basic ways.  First, he impressed on me to be obedient and go on this trip.  Faith and I were quite disappointed last year when the trip was cancelled and we were hesitant to put ourselves out there and be let down again.  Finally, I just decided that no matter how many excuses I could come up with about why I could not go on this trip, I trusted that if God wanted me to go, he would make it happen.  Secondly, God spoke to me through the great commission where He clearly states that we need to “Go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19).  The devil was planting feelings of inadequacy in me about sharing the gospel and reminding me where I fall short.  But God taught me not to listen to or heed these lies from the greatest liar and deceiver of all time. Yes I need to study and prepare but sometimes he just wants me to show up and he will give me the words to say at the right time (Luke 12:12).  And finally, God taught me about obedience in being faithful to him and striving to deepen my relationship with him through study and prayer. I am reading a devotional on prayer by Tim Keller right now and it is reminding me of the importance and power of prayer.  One of my life verses is James 4:8 where God gives us this promise “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you”.

Well I could go on and on about the details of this trip, but I want to keep this letter/blog post readable.  I do want to thank each and every one of you who helped me through prayer and financial support.  I was so encouraged by the support I received and both Faith and I felt covered in prayer as we embarked on this journey.  Thanks again for your faithfulness and Obedience in your support and your walk with the Lord!

For some pictures of the trip (including a little excursion in New York City during our return layover), check out this Flickr album.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/therudys/albums/72157678247855443

And again, I would challenge each of you to consider the words of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  There are many to be reached around the world and even right here at home.  I urge you to seek and pray that God will convict and direct you to your mission field.   But whatever you do, remember to give God all the glory.  We are all just instruments in the hands of the Master Builder.

Thanks everyone and blessings to you all!

Kevin

Live Like You Are Dying

Last month I lost a dear friend and colleague Mike Allegra.  

I worked with Mike for 6 years and unfortunately this last year I watched him ultimately lose his earthly battle with Pancreatic Cancer.  Over these years, we developed a strong friendship that went way beyond the typical boss/employee relationship.  And within the last several months we deepened our relationship and shared our faith and had great discussions about the truth of the gospel.

A few weeks before he passed, Mike and his wife asked me to give the eulogy at his funeral.  I was honored to share my and my colleagues' memories of Mike and of his relationship with Jesus.  

Just a couple of weeks before Mike's funeral, my quartet sang at a church about an hour from our home.  The pastor spoke that week on what he would preach on if he knew this was going to be his last day on earth.  The pastor decided that he would have to speak on the incredible love of God.  That sermon really touched me and I decided to use that theme for part of my eulogy.  

So I shared at the funeral about the sacrificial love that God has for all of us and the free gift of his love and salvation.  In addition, I shared that I really cherished those last few months with Mike because I knew he was dying and that our time was short.  But you know what? We are all dying!  Every day we are closer to our last on this earth and whether it is 80 years, 80 days, or 80 minutes from now, we should cherish every minute like it is our last! 

So after sharing about Mike's life and how he put his trust in the Lord, I closed with these thoughts:

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So I started a few minutes ago by talking about honoring Mike, and I'll close by asking how can we remember and honor the life that Mike lived?

I would suggest three ways that we can live out the rest of our lives in order to honor Mike's life:

  #1: We should live life knowing that, just as God loves Mike, God loves each of *us* immensely and unconditionally. 

  #2: We should spend each day loving and caring for everyone we meet, just like Mike so perfectly modeled for us.

  #3: We should live each day like we are dying. I challenge all of us to mend broken relationships today, to say I'm sorry, thank you, and I love you more frequently, to help and encourage others, to give more hugs (I'm a hugger), and finally to live with eternity in mind. 

I think if we lived this way, we would all honor Mike's memory and legacy.  Thank you for the opportunity and privilege to share with all of you. 

Love you Mike.

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So I implore all of you to do the same.  Cherish each moment of each day like it could be your last on this earth. And more importantly, ready yourself for eternity by placing your faith in the resurrection and professing Jesus as your Lord!

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory! 

You can find the complete eulogy here:

http://4hiswill2hisglory.blogspot.com/p/mike-allegra-eulogy.html

Believe And Be Baptized - Mark 16:16

Today's message might be a hard one for some of you, but I would just ask that you be open to the Holy Spirit's leading and let God's word speak truth to you (John 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth").

On a personal note, this last week has been a long and tiring one for the Rudys.  Jake has been sick most of the week, I have had 5th grade basketball tryouts/draft all week, and Kay has been running around supporting us just as she always does (and she helped organized running a concession stand at the high school football game Friday night).  And then Saturday, our day of rest, was full from 9am - 9pm with school responsibilities and another church function that had all 3 of us on our feet for 6 hours.  So Sunday morning, Kay took Jake to the doctor, and I decided to watch our church service online.  I praise God for how he is using technology in positive ways, as I was really touched by the time the service ended and I just knew God was calling me to write a devotion on this topic.

The sermon yesterday was titled "Obey Today".  In the previous week's sermon, we read in Genesis 16 how we need to heed the Lord's timing and sometimes continue to "Wait on the Lord".  Well this week in Chapter 17, it is all about action. This week's message was that "delayed obedience is actually disobedience".  The main points of the sermon were to Obey Today: 1) No matter how long it takes 2) no matter how hard it is 3) no matter how crazy it sounds.  And one of the examples the pastor used was baptism.  Every example of baptism in the New Testament has these 2 characteristics: 1) It was a believer being baptized 2) the baptism was done that same day the believer confessed his faith.  Some examples of these baptisms are in: Acts 8:36; 9:17; 10:44,49; 16:14-5; 16:32.  I won't go in to these examples, but please read for yourself from God's word and let His Truth wash over you.

For a demonstration of what Believer Baptism looks like, I have two videos for you.  The first is from this week's service - the one I mentioned above.  Go straight to the 1:10:45 mark in the following link (the baptisms only last about 3 1/2 minutes):   http://livestream.com/PurcellvilleBaptistChurch/events/4423093/videos/102258855

And the second, hits a lot closer to home for most of us.  The clip below is from last Sunday where our own Jake was baptized.  Jake had been baptized with the rest of our family in our backyard pool many years ago when he was quite young.  He had confessed and professed his faith at the time, but over the last year or so, Jake has really made his faith his own and recommitted himself to the Lord.  And as an act of obedience to God and as a way to publicly demonstrate his faith, Jake got baptized again in front of the church and his whole family (the girls were home) last Sunday.  It was a powerful sight to see and I am so proud of my son and the man of God that he is becoming. 

http://livestream.com/PurcellvilleBaptistChurch/events/4409558/videos/101691836 (Jake is at 1:13:00; you can also hear Hannah lead a couple of worship songs at 3:20 and 10:10)

Now let me be clear about what believer baptism is and is not.  Believer baptism is a testimony of our faith and a public declaration that we believe in and follow Jesus Christ.  Baptism is NOT a requirement for salvation, as is clear in many scripture references such as Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 5:24.  So, I challenge you to read all the scripture references in this devotion and let God speak to you through his word.  Don't ever take my (and any other fallible human's) words as "gospel truth", but test what you hear against scripture just as Paul commended the Bereans for doing so (Acts 17:11).  And finally our God is a patient and loving God, and it is never too late while we are still in this world, to be obedient to His will for our lives.  So read, meditate, and pray about baptism, and then be bold for Christ and take action! 

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

How Many Times Am I Expected To Forgive Someone - Matthew ‬ 18:21-35

Matthew‬ ‭18:21-35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

"Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.""
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Another week another parable...and today's parable is a tough one for many of us.  This passage in Matthew is often called The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.  Jesus tells the story of a certain king who wanted to settle the outstanding debts that were owed him.  This king had great compassion on a debtor of his though and forgave him all his debts.  But then this debtor then turned around and had no compassion on someone who owed him a much smaller sum!

Jesus tells us that this parable is representative of the Kingdom of Heaven.  The king, Our Heavenly King, has forgiven all the debt we have built up throughout our lives.  I don't know about you, but I have a huge pile of sin debt that has accumulated over the last 50 years and there is no human way that I could ever pay it off.  Fortunately for you and I, our eternal all-knowing God has structured the perfect debt repayment plan for us.  God in his wisdom and providence provisioned for the repayment of our debts through the ultimate sacrifice of his one and only son on the cross at Calvary.  Praise God for this undeserved act of grace and mercy!

Now given the tremendous debt that we have been forgiven by our heavenly father, how small in comparison are the debts and grievances that we stubbornly hold against our brothers and sisters?  How can we hold these petty debts, when our massive debts have been erased by a loving God? And God in His wisdom cares not only about our eternal well-being but he also cares about our temporal lives on earth.  Many studies (eg Mayo Clinic) have shown that unforgiveness or carrying a grudge causes stress, anxiety and depression.  We need to heed God's call for forgiveness so that we improve the health of our lives now and for eternity.  Add if we are truly repentant believers, we will naturally have that spirit of forgiveness in our hearts that God has planted there. 

So think about anyone you may be holding a grudge against or anyone who you have not fully forgiven.  If we are honest, I am sure each of us is holding back forgiveness from someone in our lives.  Get on your knees now and ask God for his forgiveness for your unforgiveness for your brother or sister. Then pray and ask God to grant you now the ability to have that spirit of forgiveness.  And if a relationship still needs to be healed, reach out to that person and offer genuine forgiveness and express your desire for real healing.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

Let Your Light Shine so Your Good Works Glorify God - Matthew‬ ‭5:14-16‬

Matthew‬ ‭5:14-16‬ ‭NKJV‬

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

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As I mentioned in my last devotion, God revealed the power of story to me on our trip to Punjab. So as God leads, I am going to periodically share some more devotions based on the stories and parables of Jesus.

Today's message is based on Matthew 5:14-16 where believers are called the light of the world and that we should let our lights shine before men.  The parable here is that the purpose of lighting a lamp is to provide light.  You would never light a lamp and then hide it under a basket, as you want to give light to all in the house!

As Christ-followers, we are called to do the same.  We need to fellowship with and encourage other believers.  And even more importantly, we need to witness to those who have not heard about Christ or who do not have that personal relationship yet.  So, what is stopping you from being a bold witness for Christ?  What is the root of the fear that is holding you back?  I suggest you meditate and pray about that and ask God to help you overcome this obstacle.

And finally, we are called to do good works.  Good works will not save us but good works are the natural outgrowth of a saving faith.  So, do good works and let your light shine through these good works.  But when people recognize these good works, make sure you point them to Christ and give God all the glory!  Yes, it is important for us to meet the physical needs of our brethren, but it is even more important to point people to Christ for their eternal salvation.  Don't get in the way of God's desire to have all men turn to him and be saved.

And for you President Reagan fans, this passage also reminds me of President Reagan's references to a "Shining City Upon a Hill".  This "city upon a hill" originally came from a sermon by Puritan John Winthrop titled "A Model of Christian Charity".  The message is the same that we should be a model of good works for the world, but always giving God the glory.  Here is a short 2 minute clip to hear President Reagan's reference to this city in his farewell speech in 1989.  You gotta love Ronnie...  Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c32G868tor0

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

You Don't Need To Run To God - Luke‬ 15:11- 24‬

Luke‬ ‭15:11-24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

"And he said, "There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate."

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In my previous devotion about my mission trip to Punjab with Faith, I listed a few things that God taught and retaught me through this experience. One of the things he showed me was the power of story. We shared Bible stories in our revival meetings, as well as in the dozens of homes we visited, and these stories were such an effective method of reaching these people with the gospel.

Now I am sure many of us reading this devotion have heard these stories since our childhood and I think we take for granted their message and what it tells us about our God. But we have to remember 2 Tim 3:16 that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness."  We cannot ignore any of scripture, as God has a message for us in every single word.

Well one of the stories that I shared in several homes in Punjab was the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The story is well-known to all of us and clearly displays God's infinite forgiveness.  No matter what we do in this life that may be counter to God's plan, He will always forgive us if we just turn, repent, and ask Him.  But one thing I find so powerful about this parable is that it demonstrates that we do not need to run and chase after God pleading for this forgiveness.  In the parable, when the father first saw the son far off in the distance, he immediately ran and embraced and kissed the son.  The son did not need to crawl back to the father and grovel at his feet for forgiveness.  In fact, the father treated the son like royalty by putting a robe, ring, and shoes on him and killing the fattened calf and throwing a party for him.  This son had just wasted away half of the father's wealth and now he was treating him like a King!  How much greater will the Lord's love for us be, when we repent and turn toward him!

So no matter what you have done, or no matter how far you have drifted away from God, know that if you just turn he will be right there next to you with open arms.  James 4:8 says "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you".  This is a promise with a very simple condition - just turn toward Him.  The price has already been paid - while we were yet sinners, God sent his son to die for us (Romans 5:8).  I pray today that you would meditate on this scripture and that you would feel and truly know this amazing love that God has for us.

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

For the Sake of Punjab

It has been quite a while since my last post, but I wanted to share about a mission trip to Punjab, India that I just returned from.  Below is my trip summary that I hope gives you a glimpse of what we encountered in Punjab.  Also included is a link to a trip video produced by the organization (For All Mankind Movement) that sent us.  The music overlay for the video is a worship song called "For the Sake of the World", so I have titled this blog post "For the Sake of Punjab".  To God be the Glory!  

...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!

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Dear Friends and Family,

I am writing this upon our return from Punjab, India.  Although I could not share with you before-hand which country we were traveling to (because of security reasons), I indeed got the chance to go back to one of my favorite countries in the world.  As I shared with you in my initial letter, Faith was called to go on this mission trip through her church in Lynchburg, and she invited me along also!

Let me first say that this trip has impacted me spiritually like no other event in my life so far.  I could write 10 pages of what happened to us in Punjab, but I want you to actually finish reading this letter.  :)  So, I will summarize our trip and then give examples in each category of what I call my four P's of the Punjab trip: Praying, Preaching, Playing, and People-loving.

Our standard day consisted of: waking around 7am, getting ready, team devotion, playing with village kids before school, breakfast at 9am, home visits all day (including lunch at someone's house), compassion kit "gospel revival" parties from about 7-9pm, dinner at the house of compassion kit party, return home around 11pm, lights out at midnight…lather, rinse, repeat….  ;)     We were physically, mentally, and spiritually drained after every day, but God provided everything we needed exactly when we needed it!

Our team included Faith, me, and a guy "Mike" we met from Lynchburg.  We lived in a 3 room, 1 story, 20x20 feet slab "house" with a "hover" toilet and buckets for a shower.  During our trip, the three of us visited 12 villages, held 4 "gospel revival" meetings for 480 people, had 40 decisions for Christ, conducted 44 in-home visits, and individually prayed over and laid hands on about 400 people.  We had a local pastor (Sonu) and local translator (Baljinder) that accompanied us on all visits.  The key part of this effort is that the local pastor then will follow up in the coming weeks with the people we visited.  The pastors love having us here because it creates an exciting event where they can get many more people to attend.

Now to my four P's of the Punjab trip…

Praying: This trip was all about prayer.  I was impacted in a big way by how much the believers in Punjab wove prayer throughout all their activities.  We arose each day with prayer, when we ate we prayed, when we went to bed we prayed, we even prayed over a glass of water or soda we were given in homes.  We never left a home visit without prayer for the needs of that house and that they would know Jesus. Each evening gospel revival meeting was full of prayer, and at the end of the meeting people would line up for us to pray over them.  My most memorable prayer times were over a man trying to overcome alcohol addiction (Sukhwinder), a man separated from his wife, a very sick man who was bed-ridden, and a man who chased and continually yelled at us to come to his house to pray for his family.

Preaching:  The evening gospel revival meetings (called compassion kit parties) were quite the affair. They lasted up to 2 hours and included singing (with drums), a welcoming from our pastor and then speeches from the 3 "Americans".  One of us would give our personal testimony, one would share a Bible story of how Jesus changed a person's life, and the final person would share the gospel story and explain how they can accept Jesus and have their lives changed too!  Then our pastor would wrap up and summarize the messages, give an invitation, and close in prayer.  Then the lines of people with prayer requests would form.  It was a physically and emotionally tiring end of the day, but so amazingly uplifting at the same time!

Playing: The Punjabi people are such a welcoming and fun-loving people.  We sang with kids, played marbles in the dirt, played kickball, and even played a video game (it was literally about 30 year old technology).  Our five-person team also bonded tightly and we joked with each other throughout the week.  The warmness and servant nature of everyone there gave us the energy to keep going when our tanks were running empty.

People-loving:  An important part of our mission was just to love on people wherever they were.  We got to know many people in our host home village, especially the little children who would come around before school.  Faith made a big impact on the kids who showed their love through hugs and pictures and notes they made for her.  On the first day, we met a small girl around 4-5 years old that was screaming at the top of her lungs scared to death of Faith's white skin.  She had never seen a white-skinned person before and she thought Faith was made of cotton (did not think she was human).  But by the second day through the power of God's love shown through us, they were snuggling and hugging for pictures.  We also showed love to the homes we visited by our questions about their lives and always thanking them for their hospitality.  And we tried to love on our local pastor and translator through our words, actions, and gifts.  We have even kept in contact with them to encourage and pray for them through Facebook and WhatsApp (a texting app)!  Technology being used for good!    

As I mentioned above, this trip had a huge impact on my faith walk.  God taught me so many things each day, but here are a few key things I learned and re-learned (and how I will apply them):

• Prayer is powerful:  Don't limit my prayers.  I need to pray for people's needs regardless of whether my human mind believes God can answer them. When I see a prayer need now, I am going to pray over that person right there, and not just put them on my prayer list.
• We are to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ: The Punjabi people were always taking care of and serving us.  By the end of the trip, this servant nature was rubbing off on me.  I need to find ways to cultivate and apply this spirit of serving at home and in my community.
• Story can be an effective tool in any culture:  I really enjoyed telling Bible stories to the Punjabi people and God may have given me a gifting and desire for story-telling.  I am going to read over the gospels and memorize parables and other stories of Jesus' ministry.  I will share those stories with my friends and other people I meet in the US.
• Through Christ's strength, we can handle anything:  Even after just one day, we found ourselves very comfortable without western "necessities", and more confident in an environment where we were being stretched mentally and spiritually.  I think comforts and entertainment distractions keep us from seeking God.  I will try to organize a mission trip with other family members.  I will also consider what God wants me to do after my current income needs decrease (4-5 years).
• Memorized scripture means you always have a Bible in hand: I will continue to expand my memorization of verses that I can use to encourage fellow believers and share the gospel with non-believers.  "The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword."  (Hebrews 4:12) 

I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for your financial and prayerful support.  We felt completely bathed in prayer and that is what helped to sustain and encourage us through the long days.  Both Faith and I have grown so much from this trip and we are committed to living changed lives back here at home also.  Check out my pictures and videos at the Flickr link below and let me know what you think of our experience!   https://www.flickr.com/photos/therudys/sets/72157651320439906/

Also here is a link to a video of our trip produced by the organization (For All Mankind Movement) that organized the trip.  You will find both Faith and me in here a few times.  https://vimeo.com/123464519

Finally, I would challenge each of you to consider the words of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38 "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."  There are many to be reached around the world and even right here at home.  I urge you to seek and pray that God will convict and direct you to your mission field.   But whatever you do, remember to give God all the glory.  We are all just instruments in the hands of the Master Builder.

Again thanks everyone and blessings to you all,

Kevin Rudy