June 25, 2008

"Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call upon Him now while He is near. Let men cast off their wicked deeds; let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that He may have mercy upon them, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."

Isaiah 55:6-7 (The Living Bible, paraphrased)

A Special edition to honor two great men!

        & Commentary

If you want to subscribe to Hugh's News, you must go to our website: www.hughsnews.com, and click under the word subscribe under contact us.

To unsubscribe, you may click on that icon at the top or bottom of this Hugh's News.

Thank you for choosing to be a partner with us in this electronic news service by your prayerful and financial support.

If you desire to contribute to this electronic news service you gifts are tax deductible if you make your check out to Hugh's News, Inc.

We need your financial support to enable us to continue this ministry of spreading the Gospel, teaching Scriptural holiness, the deeper truths of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the life led and energized by the Holy Spirit. We desire to keep you abreast of the latest fast-breaking news, take your prayer requests, and publish testimonies of God's healing power today. You are a vital part of this ministry and we thank you for your prayers and financial support.

Hugh's News, Inc. is incorporated with the Secretary of State of Georgia, and we have a 501 (C) (3) IRS Tax Exempt Status. Please do not make the checks out to Hugh Morgan. Please make your checks out to Hugh's News, Inc.

You may send your contribution to:

Today's News at a Glance . . .

Stand by for Today's News . . .

Terry L. Tramel received the D. Min. degree from the Assemblies of God Theologtical Seminary in Springfield, MO, on May 3, 2008

The Rev. Dr. Terry L. Tramel received the D. Min. degree (Doctor of Ministry) in Leadership from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri on May 3, 2008. His doctoral dissertation is book that will be publish later, The Beauty of the Balance, a look at Evangelical and Pentecostal theology.

Dr. Tramel is one of the greatest pulpit preachers in the IPHC and serves as Chair of Bible/Theology Department at Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, Oklahoma. SCU and the IPHC are wonderfully blessed by God to have Dr. Tramel pouring his life, knowledge, and ministry into our students, especially the young men and women who are preparing to enter the ministry. This man has preached revivals, seminars, youth camps, and camp meetings (including some of the largest conferences) across the IPHC. God truly blessed the IPHC with this wonderful gift.

Dr. Tramel, his wife, Beckie, and their children, Tara Light and Clayton (namesake of the late Rev. Clayton Guthrie of Harkers Island, North Carolina) are some of God’s choice servants.

Friends and colleagues may reach Dr. Tramel via the contact information below.

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Greatest Man I Ever Knew

(The Funeral Address for Rev. J. L. Tramel)

August 25, 1928 - August 21, 2007

I couldn’t begin to tell you how great of a man J. L. Tramel was.

In Luke 10:23-24 we read: “And He turned Him unto His disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”

I know that Jesus here was speaking of Himself. He is describing previous generations, including prophets and kings, who longed for the day when the Messiah would be here on the earth. How blessed were the eyes and ears that were privileged to see Jesus in the flesh.

Yet I also believe that once in a great while, in succeeding generations, there comes a man on the scene that lives so close to his Lord that these words also may be said of him. I say today that some prophets and kings have not seen a man as great as this man, but blessed were our eyes and ears to see and hear a man like J. L. Tramel.

The single greatest thing I could say about my father is that He was the same in private as He was in public. That same joyful, vibrant, loving, gracious man that you saw in public, was the same man that we as his family saw in private.

He taught me how to treat my wife. In the 46 years of my life I never heard him say a negative thing about my mother. He taught me how to treat my children. I never lived one day without knowing that my Dad loved me. O how blessed were our eyes and how blessed were our ears to see and hear a man such as this!

Let me tell you something about this man. He was born and raised during the depression, one of 11 children, the 8 remaining brothers and sisters are present today. He had a hard working daddy and a tender, loving mother. It was during those first two decades of his life that he learned to interact with the older siblings and to take care of the younger ones. It was then that he acquired his work ethic, his love for reading, and his passion for music.

After finishing high school he came to this part of the country to attend the University of Oklahoma. As mentioned earlier, he became the first person in his family to receive a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree. However, he experienced something in his life during this time far greater than his formal education.

On a Sunday evening in July of 1949, Dad found himself on Findlay Street in Norman, passing the Pentecostal Holiness Church. As he did, he heard the sound of singing coming from the congregation inside those four walls. They were singing the song that we opened this service with today:

Those words pulled Dad into that church service. After hearing the gospel message he started to leave, but Sister Lucy Wilkerson grabbed a hold of his clothes and said, “Son, wouldn’t you like to pray?” That was the night that changed J. L. Tramel’s life forever.

He became so hungry for more of the Lord that he went to church almost every night. Those were the days when somebody was always having a revival meeting. Not too long after that he attended the revival meeting in Purcell, where he heard for the first time the voice of the woman who would become his lifelong companion. He soon began a courtship with Lena Faye Womack that spanned eight years.

Dad always said that was the biggest mistake he ever made, waiting eight years to marry Mom. They were married 47 years. Dad was looking forward to their 50th anniversary. If you add the eight years to the 47, that makes 55 years. I believe he made it.

I just want to pause and say, “Mom, he loved you dearly. You were his supreme caregiver. Everything that is being said about Dad today is said to you too.” What a team! J. L. and Lena. You seldom saw one without the other. For over 50 years they preached and sang and worked in local churches together. I suppose Mom and Dad have sung at more funerals than anyone else in this part of the country. They sang at countless nursing homes, revival meetings, and special occasions.

With apologies to Howard and Vestal, and every other group that ever graced a stage, I tell you that nobody could out-sing J. L. and Lena. You know I am telling the truth! Dad had taught himself to play the piano and he could effortlessly play in any key. I thought of something this morning. In all of the times I’ve heard Dad sing through the years, I never heard him sing a solo! (If he did, it was before my time). How in keeping with his character is that? He didn’t live for himself, he lived for others. Dad was known for leading choirs, at camp meetings and in churches. No one could match his zest, energy, and passion. He also sang in many quartets and trios through the years. Yet nothing could compare with the duet of J. L. and Lena Tramel

They sang: A Better Day, Footprints of Jesus, and Prayer is the Key to the Kingdom of God…

They sang: I Have But One Goal, The Sweetest Song I Know, Give Up, and I’m Happy and Free…

They sang: Since I Put My Feet on the Solid Ground and He’ll Understand and Say Well Done,

They sang: I Bowed on My Knees and Cried Holy and I’m Not Looking for a Hole in the Ground, He’ll Hold to My Hand and Til the Storm Passes By,

They sang: When I Meet You, What a Day That Will Be, How Beautiful Heaven Must Be, I’ve Got a Longing, I’ll Meet You in the Morning, Going Home, and I Can Almost See the Lights of Home, and Reunion in Heaven.

They sang: The Eastern Gate, I’m Bound For That City, City of Gold, Child of the King, and The King is Coming.

And hundreds of times they sang everyone’s favorite, Peace Like a River. How many of you heard them sing that? Mom would sing the verses in her bass voice and Dad would come in on the chorus singing the tenor part. It was the sweetest sound this side of Heaven!

Dad was not only a great singer, but a preacher as well. When he came to the University of Oklahoma, he was hoping to become a foreign news correspondent. Is there anybody here besides me glad that the Lord had a different plan for his life? (I believe if he had been a foreign news correspondent, he would have been a good one, and would have lived for the Lord).

As a boy I heard him preach a sermon on Naboth’s vineyard called “This Land is Not For Sale.” I heard him preach sermons on the resurrection called “When Jacob Saw the Wagons” and “When Dust Shall Sing.” A little over a year ago at a community revival at a Baptist Church he preached a great message on “Six Reasons Why I’m Not Afraid to Die.” (Reason # 1 was “My sins are forgiven!”)

Here are some of the nuggets Dad would drop into his sermons. I heard him say:

“Jesus Christ is everything the Bible says He is and 10,000 times more!”

“Before I met Jesus, I was a nobody, having nothing, on my way nowhere… Now I am a somebody…I have something…and I’m on my way somewhere.”

“The greatest friend my family will ever have is the man who will tell us the truth.”

Dad would weave stories into his sermons as only he could. He would have you laughing one moment and crying the next. His audience would sit on the edge of their seats and when he gave an altar call people would pour into the altar to seek a closer walk with the Lord.

Dad didn’t pastor a church while we were growing up. He was a lay minister in the church. He was also the pastor’s friend. He could play second fiddle as easily as he could the first chair. He supported countless ministries with his sacrificial giving and living for others.

When Dad was around 70 years old he became the pastor of the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Purcell. Think about that. At a time when most ministers are retired or retiring, he was starting again! There was only a handful of people, and no money in the treasury, yet Dad and Mom went in and loved the people and started winning them to the Lord and the church.

Today we honor the people of the church at Purcell. You have stood by your pastor and his wife this year like few other churches would do. The reason that you loved your pastor so much was that you had seen him love you unconditionally as a true shepherd. He never knew a stranger and treated everyone he met as if they were a king or a queen. Whether young or old, small or great, Dad made everybody feel welcome. He was the greatest encourager I have ever seen. You could not stay discouraged in his presence very long.

Even after his stroke in January, he never lost that pastor’s heart. When he fell and broke his pelvis while walking with his walker, he and Mom had been to visit members of their flock in their homes and at a nursing home. Just a few weeks ago I took him to the hospital where he could visit more people who were in need.

Today we honor the host of preachers and their wives who are here. Bishop James Leggett and his wife are present today. Dr. Frank Tunstall, the bishop of the Heartland Conference and his wife are here. Dr. Tunstall will be bringing us a message at the cemetery after this service. Dad would be honored that all of you are here.

Last night the attendant at the funeral home said he had never seen so many flowers for a funeral. He also said he had never seen so many people come to a family visitation. He asked me, “how many people attend your father’s church.” I told him, “about 70.” Someone tell me how the pastor of about 70 people can have over 700 people attend his memorial service. I believe J. L. Tramel had a “larger flock” than what we believed. He was a pastor to many.

I tell you, “blessed are they eyes that have seen and the ears that have heard” someone that prophets and kings have longed to see. And we have. Some of you here today never met my father. You may be thinking, “surely his sons are exaggerating, nobody could live a life like that.” But for all of you that knew him, you know that we are telling the truth.

Now I have a special request from my mother. In just a little while you will be able to pass by the body that was my father’s earthly tabernacle. I know that many of you would like to stop and share a word of encouragement with her. However, there are too many people present and it would take too long if that happened.

She will be available after the service at the cemetery. Better yet, why don’t some of you plan to contact her in the days, weeks, and months ahead. My brothers and I all have wonderful wives and children. Mom is going to need support in the time to come.

I want to conclude my remarks by leaving you with some of J. L. Tramel’s own words. My father was not only a singer and musician, he was a song writer as well. Dad may have written many songs, but there were three that stand out that he and Mom sang often.

(1) The first song I mention was one that he wrote and published 40 years ago. Albert Brumley published Dad’s song titled “He Will Never Let Go Of My Hand.” I’ve heard him and Mom sing this dozens of times, but it truly is for us today.

I was thinking, Dad’s favorite verse was always Romans 8:28, "For we know, that all things work together for the good, to those that love the Lord and are the called according to his purpose." Isn’t it fitting that his favorite text was not about his one day going to Heaven, but rather a passage that all of us would need today in light of missing him so much?

So it is with his song…He Will Never Let Go of My Hand. This was a difficult year for Dad. He suffered his stroke on January 9th and spent over 125 nights in the hospital or rehab this year. Yet we never one time heard him complain or question why.

We tried to care for him the best we could. I tell you, it was an honor to serve this man. It was always a joy to be in his presence. He spent the last 28 days of his life in intensive care. He never spoke to us again, yet I was able to say a thousand things to him. After today, I will never be able to touch his precious hands again. Yet 40 years ago Dad wrote a song that told me there was a hand that I could hold to that I would never have to let go of. He wrote:

He will never let go, never let go of my hand, No my God will never let go of my hand,

Though storms of life around me roll, Yet I’m nearing Heaven’s goal,

For my God will never let go of my hand.

(2) Dad wrote a second song that he and Mom would sing frequently. This song was about Heaven. He titled it, “Let’s Meet by the River.” It went something like this:

Let’s meet by the river, by the river of life,

There’ll be no more heart-aches, no troubles or strife.

Do you understand that we will see him again? If I didn’t know that, I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t make it. But this is not the end. There will be a reunion.

However, I want to tell you that when we see him again, he will not be this lifeless form in this casket. When we see him again, he will not be like we saw him in ICU. When we see J. L. Tramel again, there will be no more cancer…no more diabetes…no more arthritis…no more strokes…no more seizures…no more insulin…no more medicines…no more ventilators…

I wish someone here was as happy as I am about this! No more! No more!

"Beloved, it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

Can anyone here imagine what it is going to be like to see J. L. Tramel in a glorified body?

We saw him filled with passion and vitality and energy in a body that was often frail with suffering. What is it going to be like when immortality sets in and glory envelopes his being? There will be a reunion. We will meet again by the river that Daddy wrote and sang about.

(3) Finally, Dad wrote a third song that he and Mom sang a lot the past few years. The lyrics are printed inside of your program. He wrote what he believed it would be like when he reached Heaven. He titled this song “Praise the Lord, I’ve Made it Home”. Here’s what he said:

I’ve been travelin’ on this journey, for many, many years,

I’ve climbed up mountains, walked thru valleys, crying hard and bitter tears,

But in that day of Sweet Forever, where my feet no more will roam, I’ll lift my voice to all of heaven, in praising the Lord, I’ve made it home.

I’ve been tempted, tried, and tested, in battles lost and battles won,

The precious blood of my redeemer, has covered every step I’ve run,

I’ve found his grace is all sufficient, and I’ve never been alone,

Now thru all the endless ages, O praise the Lord, I’ve made it home.

I’ve made it home, to the Father; I’ve made it home, to the Son,

I’ve made it home, to the Holy Spirit, forever to worship, all Three as One,

When crowns of life all have been given, as we bow before His throne,

I’m gonna shout, O Hallelujah! praise the Lord, I’ve made it home.

Do you understand that Daddy has done that? He made it home! He has experienced in actuality what he anticipated by faith for years.

When Dad was in Rehab in January and February for 53 days, we would take turns spending the night with him. Sometimes he would take the buzzer in his hand to ring for a nurse. When they asked, “may I help you,” he always identified himself first. He would say, “This is J. L. Tramel in 3053…” When he finished, I would say, “Daddy, you don’t need to tell them your name or room number, their machine will know that it is you.” He would say, “Okay, son.” Then the next time he buzzed the nurse he would say, “This is J. L. Tramel in 3053…”

I want you to know today that on Tuesday morning, about 5:30 a.m. CST, J. L. Tramel did not have to introduce himself to Heaven. I tell you Heaven already knew who he was! I believe bells were ringing that morning, and trumpets were sounding in glory, and there were shivers of excitement in that heavenly realm with the news that “Someone special is coming home!”

Now I end with this. As a preacher of the gospel I have always had a personal goal, that when my life is over and I stand before the Lord, He would say to me, “You told it just right.” Yet I believe our Lord said something even greater to my father. I believe on Tuesday morn he said, “You lived it just right.” Dad didn’t just preach the truth, he lived it every step of the way.

So the last thing I choose to say to my father while his body is here on earth is the first thing I believe our Savior said to him in glory…”Well Done.”

“Well Done…you mighty man of God…

Well Done…you precious, humble servant…

Well Done…Mr. J. L. (initials only) Tramel…

Well Done…Pastor J. L. Tramel…

Well Done…Daddy…Well Done…Daddy…You Lived It Just Right…Well Done.

Let us pray: “Lord, thank you for the life of J. L. Tramel, the greatest man I have ever known. Blessed are our eyes which have seen, and our ears which have heard, a man who loved you and lived his life for others like you did in this world.

Thank You for this gift to the earth, for this gift to Mayes County, Oklahoma County, Cleveland County, and McClain County, Thank You for this gift to our family, for this gift to the Pentecostal Holiness Church and to the body of Christ.

Now Lord, please give a message to my father for us, Tell him we love him, tell him we miss him, and tell him we are coming soon. In Your name, Amen.

Will you receive the Benediction?

"You will live in joy and peace. The mountains, and Hills, the trees of the field -- all the world around you -- will rejoice. Where once was thorns, fir trees will grow, the myrtle trees will sprout up. This miracle will make the Lord's Name very great and be an everlasting sign [of God's power and love]."

Isaiah 55:12-13 (The Living Bible, paraphrased)

Your friend in all seasons,

Hugh Holmes Morgan

The Reverend Dr. Hugh H. Morgan
Director of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC
Vice Chairman, NAE Commission on Chaplains
Chairman, Endorsers Conference for Veterans Affairs Chaplaincy
Ex Officio Member, National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces Executive Committee
CEO, Founder, President, Editor of Hugh's News & Commentary

17 Sweet Apple Lane
Winder, GA 30680
Tel. (770) 725-1757
Fax: (770) 725-2707
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.chaplains.iphc.org/
Hugh's News website: www.hughsnews.com