Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave it There

1 If the world from you withholds of its silver and gold,
And you have to get along with meager fare,
Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird --
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Refrain:
Leave it there, leave it there, 
leave it there, leave it there,
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there;
If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

2 If your body suffers pain and your health you can’t regain,
And your soul is almost sinking in despair,
Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal --
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. [Refrain]

3 When your enemies assail and your heart begins to fail,
Don’t forget that God in heaven answers prayer;
He will make a way for you, and will lead you safely through --
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. [Refrain]

4 When your youthful days are gone, and old age is stealing on.
And your body bends beneath the weight of care;
He will never leave you then, He’ll go with you to the end -
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. [Refrain]

Source: African American Heritage Hymnal #420
All full texts • Compare texts

​Matthew 5:1-20
And seeing the multitudes, He (Jesus) went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted. 
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth. 
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. 
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy. 
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God. 
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God. 
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. 

11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

Believers Are Salt and Light
(Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34,35)

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 

14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 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.  16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Christ Fulfills the Law

17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven.  20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven.

God has given to me a new method of evangelism and witnessing for our Lord. In living out our vision for 2018, we must have:
​
A Pure Heart
A Passion for souls

I was given the gift of an evangelist when I was saved at six years of age. Sharing my faith about God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is as natural for me as breathing. However, this is not true for everyone. 

I will be revealing what God has given to me. It is a wonderful method that touches the hearts of those who hear me share my opening words that I call a Springboard or a Bridge to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Will you come and go with me to the fulfillment of the Great Commission given to us by Jesus Christ. You will discover a joy you've never known before.

The Rev. Mrs. Esther Rose Gamble Gardner, 86, of Burlington, NC, went to be with her Lord and Savior on the 30th of January 2018 at 2:13 PM.

Born in Greenville, PA, on the 12th day of October 1931, she married the Rev. Dr. James A. Gardner on 11th September 1954 who preceded her in death.

She was a graduate of Holmes Bible College and Furman University in Greenville, SC.  She joined the Cornerstone Conference in 1957 and  served on the Mission Field of South Africa for 20 years [10 of those as an IPHC Career missionary] and as a faithful pastor's wife. 

Mrs. Gardner served the Trinity Worship Center family faithfully since 1982. Her husband Jimmy was TWC lead Pastor from 1982-1995 and their pastoral care pastor from 2000-2008. Mrs. Gardner served as TWC Pastoral Care Pastor from 2008-2014.

Surviving are two sons: Bishop James T. Gardner (Stephanie) of Oklahoma City, OK; and Rev. Derrick V. Gardner (Martha) of Collierville, TN; and daughter Rosemary Gardner of Burlington; five grandchildren: Brandon (Miranda), Whitney (Phil), Addison (Lorena), Katie Beth, and Gabriella; and four great-grandchildren. She also had many nieces and nephews who considered her a mother figure.

A memorial service will be held at Trinity Worship Center on Saturday, February 3rd at 11am. Pre-service visitation will be from 10am to 10:50am. Private committal by family.

Memorials may be made to: Trinity Worship Center, IPHC World Missions Ministries, or Hospice of Alamance.

[Editor's Comment: I have known Esther for many years. Melvine and I have been in her home when Jimmy Gardner was living. She is a generous and loving person who cares for others. She and I have something in common, we both are graduates of Furman University. Melvine was a student with Jimmy at Holmes Bible College when Dr. Paul F. Beacham was the president. I know and love Talmadge and Derrick. That are friends of mine. 

I bless the name of Esther Gardner, knowing that she is already blessed of the Lord.

Here is what the Bible declares about Esther:

Revelation 14:13-14
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'"

"Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."]

Reaping the Earth's Harvest
NKJV

​

I am not sure that I can adequately describe what the Holy Spirit has done in my heart while I was at The Oaks Rehabilitation Center in Athens, GA for nine days. I have been told by my home health care nurse and physical therapist that the majority of patients who have a total hip replacement stay at least 20 days. I was there 11 days. The team who evaluates you met with Melvine and me, and they recommended that I be released. Melvine asked "Why?" The answer was this: Because I had progressed so rapidly above all expectations that I would continue to heal much better at home.

Something has happened inside of my heart. It is an experience I have never had in my life. I was saved (born again) when I was 6 years old in a daily vacation Bible school when my family: Hugh Henry Morgan (my father), Julia Payne Morgan (my mother), Mary Evelyn my older sister, and I lived in East Lake a bedroom community of Birmingham, Alabama.

It was on the last day of the Bible school that my teacher asked me if I would like to be a Christian. My response was immediate without any hesitation. I said, "Yes, I want to be a Christian." Well, she led me to Jesus Christ by helping me to pray a sinner's prayer. Even at the age of six I knew I was a sinner and that only Jesus could save me.

The change in my heart was dramatic and immediate. I felt new inside my heart. You see I made a commitment in which I believed that it would be forever. I knew that God had saved me by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, my sins were gone, my name was now written in heaven in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that I was going to heaven when I died or should our blessed Lord return to rapture His Bride, the church, that in that
number of saints I would be there with them going up to heaven.

No one instructed me, but I became an instant evangelist, and have been an evangelist since then. Did you know I have been save 79 years. My heart has always been tender toward God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

While I was growing up in the Pentecostal Holiness Church I thought (wrongly) that I had to be saved again should I sin, and sin I did. I would go to the altar when the invitation was given. As I grew in maturity in the grace of God I came to realize that was a wrong assumption or belief. I really can't say it was taught that you have to get saved over and over again. I can tell you the Bible doesn't teach that. What I have learned that I must keep "short accounts" with God by recognizing that I had sinned, repenting, confession of the sin, and asking God to forgive me for Jesus' sake. I have always been forgiven by God's abundant love and mercy. I am grateful that I learned that truth.

When I came home after the Bible school with my sister, Mary Evelyn, I went to every home in my block on Division Avenue in East Lake. I told them what had happen in my life, and they too could be a Christian if they were not a Christian.

The most remarkable thing happened when I gave my personal testimony . . . I did not stutter. You see I was a stutterer. However, thanks be to God I did not stutter. That was a miracle God gave me that day.

Years later I trusted God for my sanctification that is a definite experience following the new birth as the Holy Spirit applied the blood of Jesus. This is call the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Agent and the blood of Jesus is the element in this baptism of the Holy Spirit. Many years later I was baptized with or in the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus, the Second Person in the Holy Trinity can baptize you and me with or in the Holy Spirit. The Bible clearly tells us this great truth.

John the Baptist said in Mark 1:8, "I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (NKJV).

Jesus, Himself, never baptized anyone in water. He has delegated that ministry to His disciples.

God has supernaturally done something in my heart which I have never experienced before. It is real, it is regal, it is powerful. I have been fervently praying for a pure heart. 

Melvine, Greg and I watch Fox News. I have come to trust the news there for as they say, "It is fair, balanced, and unafraid." However, I have a problem with the way the news media women dress with short skirts that are attractive, but allows one to see almost all of their thighs. Although I am 85, and can no longer function sexually as I have in my younger years, I am stimulated by the sight. I have had to turn my head and eyes away to prevent that from happening. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (NKJV). A man has been created with the ability to be keenly affected by his sight. So, I have cried out to Jesus to help me by giving me a pure heart.

How can I fully describe what has happened to me?

The Psalmist wrote the following chapter in Psalm 24 for my benefit. I want to go to heaven when I die, or when our blessed Lord comes for His Bride the the Church.

Psalm 24:3-10

3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place? 
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully. 
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 
6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him,
Who seek Your face.
Selah 

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in. 
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle. 
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in. 
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.
NKJV

I love to sing the Gospel song, "We're Marching to Zion."

Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne.

Refrain:
We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place;
Religion never was designed
To make our pleasures less.

Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heav’nly King
May speak their joys abroad.

The men of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow.

The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Or walk the golden streets.
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground
To fairer worlds on high.

This new experience is all glorious and it a gift from God.

I believe that you, too, can have this precious gift of God's amazing grace, and we together can experience abundant living in Jesus Christ in 2018.

​








​

During my hospital stay for 11 days, and 9 days in a Re Hab  Center God spoke in my spirit what theme I am to share with you for this year 2018.

The theme is "Abundant Living in Jesus Christ in 2018."

The Scripture reference is recorded in John 10:10 from the Words of Jesus.

​John 10:10
The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life (Eternal Life), and that they may have it more abundantly. 
NKJV

John 10:10
10 A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. 
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

This is the life I want to experience in my intimate relationship with God this year.  And I believe this is exactly what you desire for your walk with Christ in 2018.

It will require a life of holiness or heart purity. That is a supernatural work of God's grace in our heart.  The Bible calls it sanctification.

Hear the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians: 

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, Who has also given us His Holy Spirit. 
NKJV

​God said these words in 1 Peter 1:13-16:

13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He Who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." 
NKJV

As we move along together in 2018 the Holy Spirit will help me flesh this theme out in meaningful ways.  

If you have stories of what God has done in your heart to grant you heart purity and holiness of daily living, I would really like to get them from you. You can be a great help to me the editor of Hugh's News, and to our subscribers and readers.

Please write me at my email address: hugh@hughsnews.com

Greg Morgan's last report to you

Well, it’s finally dad’s last full day at The Oaks Rehabilitation Center in Athens, Georgia. Hallelujah! What looked like a long visit has turned out to be a short one.

The problem was really at the hospital when dad had so many stomach problems as a result of his intestines falling asleep during surgery. They, doctors and nurses, call this physical issue: Illus. What looked like a short hospital visit turned out to be a long one. Obviously we humans don’t really know what’s going to happen, do we? I often wonder how people who aren’t Christians make it through life, especially those who aren’t very religious.

During dad’s recovery, there have been so many people to thank. I’m reminded of nominees who win awards on television. If you haven’t noticed, there is no shortage of awards shows on TV! Anyway, I have noticed over the years that winners seem to have a hard time naming the many people who helped them achieve their successes.

Sometimes if they try listing many people, the orchestra starts playing and the poor winners just finally finish speaking. In turn, I’m left with a similar dilemma, how can I possibly thank everyone properly for all of your prayers and well wishes, not to mention kind words regarding your great optimism for dad’s speedy recovery?

However, one particular gentleman called to check on dad last night. I was especially struck by his concern, because he has actually been in a lot of physical pain for years in spite of the fact that he is a Christian. The man is Billy Brewer. I answered the telephone last night when it rang. It was Billy Brewer on the other line. He said that he had not heard from dad lately and wanted to check on him. I imagine that somehow he did not hear about dad’s surgery and I also think that he must not get Hugh’s News, but that’s OK of course.

When my family and I moved to Athens, Georgia in late May of 1986, our church, Tarkenton Memorial Pentecostal Holiness Church, had softball teams—not a team, but several over the years. Billy Brewer was one of the coaches as well as the manager of the TMC's Men's softball team. He was instrumental in recruiting men who just wanted to play softball. The players who did not attend church with us had to agree to come to our church at least during softball season. Needless to say we had a full house during softball season. I always felt that Billy Brewer was a type of missionary recruiting men for the Lord. Please pray for Billy who has had many back, neck, and spine problems over the years. He told me last night that he is on high powered medicine for his back and legs, but gets little relief. Please join me in praying for Billy’s healing.

Then there is Pastor Wesley Russ who recently lost his wife yet he prays for dad all of the time. I can only imagine the grief that he is suffering, but he still takes time to call dad regularly.

Next I think of Wayne Butler who visited dad in the hospital one Sunday evening after mom and I had left. Wayne was there late and even helped to feed dad. That is real ministry from one of dad’s former associate pastors who is a great Emmanuel College graduate.

​I also think of Bonnie Bender, a retired nurse and member of mom’s ladies prayer group. She fervently prays for dad and offers insight to medical procedures and problems that he has.

I would love to say more, but I can hear the orchestra starting to play the music softly so I will finish quickly and get off stage. Before I leave though, thank all of you for your prayers and thoughts and cards and visits. My parents and I appreciate you all more than you know.

God bless you richly!
Greg

Daniel 2:17-23

17 Then he (Daniel) went home and told Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions. 18 They asked the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not die with the others. 19 And that night in a vision God told Daniel what the king had dreamed.

Then Daniel praised the God of heaven,

20 saying, "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for He alone has all wisdom and all power.
21 World events are under His control. He removes kings and sets others on their thrones. He gives wise men their wisdom and scholars their intelligence.
22 He reveals profound mysteries beyond man's understanding. He knows all hidden things, for He is light, and darkness is no obstacle to Him.
23 I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers, for You have given me wisdom and glowing health, and now even this vision of the king's dream and the understanding of what it means." 
TLB

May your troubles be less, your blessings more. And may nothing but joy, peace, and happiness come to your door. Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil: it has no point--Billy Graham

Note: Your truly, Hugh Morgan, added two words: joy and peace.

​Fresh out of business school, the young man answered a want ad for an accountant. He was being interviewed by a very nervous man who ran a three-man business.

"I need someone with an accounting degree," the man said. "But mainly, I'm looking for someone to do my worrying for me."

"Excuse me?" the young accountant said.

"I worry about a lot of things," the man said. "But I don't want to have to worry about money. Your job will be to take all the money worries off my back."

"I see," the young accountant said. "And how much does the job pay?"

"I will start you at eighty-five thousand dollars."

"Eighty-five thousand dollars!" the young man exclaimed. "How can such a small business afford a sum like that?"

"That," the owner said, "is your first worry."

Since Jesus Came Into My Heart

You may Click Here on this hyperlink to heard the Bill Gather Homecoming Singers sing this joyful song. It will bless you I know. Those who sang at different times in this song were: Jim Hill, Jack Toney, Jimmy Blackwood, Dean Hopper

1 What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought
since Jesus came into my heart!
I have light in my soul for which long I had sought,
since Jesus came into my heart!

Refrain:

Since Jesus came into my heart,
since Jesus came into my heart,
floods of joy o'er my soul like the sea billows roll,
since Jesus came into my heart.

2 I'm possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure,
since Jesus came into my heart!
And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure,
since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

3 There's a light in the valley of death now for me,
since Jesus came into my heart!
And the gates of the city beyond I can see,
since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]
​
4 I shall go there to dwell in that city, I know
since Jesus came into my heart!
And I'm happy, so happy, as onward I go,
since Jesus came into my heart! [Refrain]

News reports point to Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the beloved evangelist Billy Graham, prophesying judgment, nuclear strikes, earthquakes and the like in America.

But what did she really say? Her comments are in an article in Decision magazine, as follows in this excerpt:

"When you sin and you refuse to repent, God backs away," says Anne Graham Lotz, whose book The Daniel Prayer encourages desperate, fervent prayer for personal and corporate revival. "You don't repent and you continue to sin and you become defiant, and He backs away further until in the end, God just turns you over to yourself.

"That's where America is today. Look at the end of Romans 1. He's just backed away from us, turned us over to ourselves. As they say, 'America, how's that working for you?'"

Lotz told Decision magazine it seems that God is trying to rouse humanity's attention through the exhausting run of natural disasters, violence and even the natural phenomenon of the total solar eclipse last August that made a path across the entire continental United States—a phenomenon that some Jewish rabbis considered a divine warning to a secular nation.

Lotz says she believes severe judgment is coming and has partly begun. "And I'm talking about something like a nuclear strike, an earthquake that splits us in two, an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack that devastates our electrical grid. Something major that would be a game-changer for America, because we are so defiant and rebellious and idolatrous and immoral, and we know better."

Global tensions and shifting geopolitical alliances only add to the "birth pangs" that Jesus spoke of pertaining to the days before His return, she adds.

In late November, for example, Russia hosted the presidents of Iran and Turkey for talks over how to bring peace and political reforms to war-torn Syria; Iran and Russia have together backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through a bloody civil war, while Turkey has backed Assad's foes. Lotz says a Russia-Iran-Turkey alliance would fit with prophecies in Ezekiel 38 about Gog and Magog and a coming Mideast war.

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Jennifer LeClaire is senior leader of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founder of the Ignite Network and founder of the Awakening Blaze prayer movement. She is author of over 25 books. Find her online at jenniferleclaire.org or email her at info@jenniferleclaire.org.

​Used by permission.

Philippians 4:8-9

Meditate on These Things

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. 
NKJV

During my hospital stay for 11 days, and 9 days in a Re Hab  Center God spoke in my spirit what theme I am to share with you for this year 2018.

The theme is "Abundant Living in Jesus Christ in 2018."

The Scripture reference is recorded in John 10:10 from the Words of Jesus.

​John 10:10
The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life (Eternal Life), and that they may have it more abundantly. 
NKJV

John 10:10
10 A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. 
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

This is the life I want to experience in my intimate relationship with God this year.  And I believe this is exactly what you desire for your walk with Christ this year.

It will require a life of holiness or heart purity. That is a supernatural work of God's grace in our heart.  The Bible calls it sanctification.

Hear the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians: 

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. 
NKJV

​God said, 1 Peter 1:13-16

13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." 
NKJV

As we move along together the Holy Spirit will help me flesh this theme out in meaningful ways.  

If you have stories of what God has done in your heart to grant you heart purity and holiness of daily living, I would really like to get them from you. You can be a great help to me the editor of Hugh's News, and to our subscribers and readers.

Please write me at my email address: hugh@hughsnews.com

Matthew 5:1-20
And seeing the multitudes, He (Jesus) went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted. 
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth. 
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. 
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy. 
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God. 
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God. 
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 

11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

Believers Are Salt and Light
(Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34,35)

13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 

14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 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.  16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Christ Fulfills the Law

17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.  20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

In reading Greg's final report to you after I got home, I noted with great interest the way in which he framed his words to you. 

I noted with great interest how he described the ministry of Billy Brewer one of our leading coaches and the manager of the Tarkenton Memorial Men's Softball Team. He told about Billy calling and asking how I was. He, himself, was suffering greatly after several back surgeries.

Greg described Billy Brewer's method of recruiting the best in softball players. Some were players on the Georgia football team. I remember that two of them would hit a home run every time they came up to bat.

Greg wrote that Billy Brewer was a missionary in recruiting his softball players. He insisted that every player attend worship services in order to play on our Men's team, and they did at least through the season. The softball players heard the Gospel preached and were given an opportunity in each worship service to come to Jesus Christ for salvation. Greg added, the church was full in those days.

In the first Missionary Convention I planned at my first pastorate, Brownville P. H. Church near Evergreen, Alabama, God spoke to Melvine if she would be willing to give her unborn child in her womb to be a missionary? She immediately responded by saying, "Yes."

Greg did respond to the call sent out by our World Missions Ministries of the IPHC to be a Tent Maker Missionary to Budapest, Hungary. He went to the Missions School, and prepared to go to Budapest to help new missions plant a church there. Unfortunately, this couple never showed up. It is my understanding they were having marital problems and finally divorced. How sad.

It was Missionary Ronda Pruitt who saved the day for Greg. She was living in Budapest where she reached out to missionaries to help them. She was able to locate a technical high school that needed a teacher to teach English to their Hungarian students. Greg accepted the challenge, applied for the job and got it. Greg is an excellent English teacher. He seems to know all the rules of English. I often confer with him when I have a problem.

In the meantime, Greg discovered that there was a charismatic/Pentecostal church in the city. He started attended there. He was asked to develop a singing group that would go out to the streets on Friday nights to sing, witness, and preach. Greg played a keyboard the church had. He led them in singing. People gathered around them and they had a congregation right there on the streets.

I think it is interesting that the first man Greg led to Jesus Christ on the streets was a man my same age at the time.

Greg would have longed to stay in Budapest. He rapidly picked up learning Hungarian, and became fluent in conversational Hungarian. He is gifted in linguists.  Since there seemed to be no one scheduled to come, Greg made the decision to come home.

You have certainly blessed our Greg for his work and ministry to you during my time in St. Mary's Hospital in Athens, GA, followed by a stay in the Oaks Rehabilitation Center in Athens, near our church, Christian Life Worship Center, where our pastor is Terry Kesling and his wife, Pam.

We believe Terry and Pam are here by the Will of God. We love Terry and Pam. Terry is a gifted singer, worship leader, who knows how to select the right songs, contemporary, hymns, Gospel song, etc. He arranges them in sequential order that flows and hearts are blessed. We believe our church is about to experience a supernatural move of the Holy Spirit. I am praying that families, individuals, couples, college students will come from the North and South, as well as the East and the West.

If you are desirous to see what God can do and will do at our church, I invite you to take the leap of faith and join us as we stand strong on the promises of God, and the prophecies that have been spoken over our church.

Greg is a Special Education teacher at Moore Middle School in Gwinnett County. He teaches some precious autistic children--his class is the most severe. He comes home daily tired and exhausted. He had to drive a little over an hour to com to the hospital and rehab center to visit me. I asked him to write a daily report and he far exceeded all my expectations. I had not read any of his reports until I got home and read them on my desk top computer.

Greg does not have access to the protective system I, as the editor, have to read the responses you gave to each article or blog. Some of you made a request for the address of the Oaks Rehab Center. He never saw that. And to be honest with you, that request was right on target, Greg did not have the time to respond if he could have read your request.

This software setup is designed to protect your privacy. 

I was hospitalized at St. Mary's Hospital in Athens, GA, for 11 days, and 9 days at the Oaks Rehab Center, for a total of 20 days. Most patients stay 20 days in rehab, but it was deemed appropriate that I be released to come home.

The home health care professions are now coming my home. An RN will see me three days a week, and I will have physical and occupational therapists seeing me three to four times each week.

​May your troubles be less, your blessings more. And may nothing but joy, peace, and happiness come to your door. Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil: it has no point--Billy Graham

Note: Your truly, Hugh Morgan, added two words: joy and peace.

A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection with him. As she was still a rage, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the "Choose Life" license plate holder, the "What Would Jesus Do" bumper sticker, the "Follow Me to Sunday School" bumper sticker and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car."