I would like to encourage you to watch this inspirational video by Ravi Zacharias about God's love for you. Are you trying to run away from God? I can think of no better time to consider the claims of Jesus Christ upon your life and destiny than at this Easter season in 2016. You will be blessed when you hear this great man of God as he teaches.
​     To watch this video please Click Here on this hyperlink I have made for you.
     Let My People Think is a half-hour program heard weekly. The radio outreach of RZIM is a listener supported ministry that powerfully mixes Biblical teaching and Christian apologetics. The programs seek to explore issues such as life's meaning, the credibility of the Christian message and the Bible, the weakness of modern intellectual movements, and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:5-11
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NKJV

     It is wonderful to have your family with you when you face a surgery like having a heart pacemaker implanted just below the clavicle.
     I had gotten a telephone call on Tuesday from the Cardiac Lab at St. Mary's Hospital in Athens, GA. I was informed that I was to sign in and register at 9 o'clock on Wednesday morning. I was there before 9. I was taught by my parents to be on time and come a little early. That training in my home was reemphasized in the Marine Corps. Being prompt, meeting schedules on time is a core values of my life and practice.
​     Dr. Amit Shah, my surgeon came in the room and told me they had an emergency and my surgery would be delayed a couple of hours. Those two hours stretched out to be four, and I had nothing to eat and nothing to drink since before midnight on Tuesday. God was good and helped me to hang in there and go with the flow.
​     My pastor, Brad Cooper, came to visit me prior to my surgery, ministered to me and my family, and prayed for a successful surgery. It is good to be the recipient of the ministry of one's pastor.
​     A few minutes before two o'clock in the afternoon, they came to get me  and roll me into the surgical suite. It is cold in there, but they covered me with warm blankets, put a tent over me and other things on my shoulder and chest. However, the nurse rolled the tent back so it was not on my face. I was required to turn my head to the right. The surgeon entered and injected a stinging needle into my skin to deaden it for the surgical knife. I never felt the incision or the implanting of the pacemaker. Dr. Shah found an artery and threaded two wires attached to the pacemaker, one to the bottom of my heart muscle and the other to the top. There was a young lady there who represents the company that sells the pacemakers, and she programed it to cause my heart to beat 60 beats a minute. It had been beating below 50 beats down to the high 30s or 40s, and it was irregular and my heart would often stop beating for 3.2 seconds.
​     When they rolled me back to my room, Presiding Bishop Doug Beacham was there. What a pleasant surprise that was for me, and I was proud to introduce him to the staff there. He had been in Franklin Springs for some meetings and he spoke in chapel on Wednesday. He was on his way to the Atlanta International Airport where he would board a flight to Argentina. I welcomed his prayer for me, Melvine and Greg.
     I did so well, that I was released from the hospital around 6 p.m. and got home at little before 7. We stopped by a place to get sandwiches and chips for supper.
​     I have had an ice pack on the place of the operation to prevent swelling, but I have removed it. I am having to wear a sling, and keep my left hand above my elbow. I am not to lift my hand and arm above my heard for a week or so.
​     I cannot work out in the yard for a month, and I will have to get someone to plant my garden this year, cut and weed-eat my grass, fertilize my grass and overseed the back yard with turf type fescue, and I need to purchase some grass sod to cover a bank that needs a grass covering.
     In the meantime, I plan to continue doing Hugh's News as I have the strength. I am writing a book about our daughter, Stephanie, who died on August 3, 2012. It is interesting to note that I completed my three-year commitment in the United States Marine Corps on August 3, 1956. My good friend Eddie Don, the son of the world famous artist, Don Kingman, one of America's top 10 artists and art professor at Columbia University, took me to the train depot in Quantico to go my home, my parents' home, in Birmingham, AL.  He was an excellent clarinet player. I had enrolled at Asbury College in Wilmore, KY, and I went there for only one year.
​    Thank you for your many prayers, emails, and phone calls.

     Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of the pastor's sermons.
​+++++++++
​     The pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, “Break Forth Into Joy.”

++++++++

     Just before the final exam in 
a college finance class, a less-than-stellar student approached the professor.
     “Can you tell me what grade 
I would need to get on the exam 
to pass the course?” the student asked.
     The professor gave him the bad news. “The exam is worth 100 points. You would need 113 points to earn a D.”
     “OK,” he said. “And how many points would I need to get a C?”

​Obituary:  Velda Ruth Hough
 
     Velda was born in Calvin, OK on June 30, 1932, the second of eight children. She graduated from Wewoka High School and continued her education at Southwestern Christian University. In the 1960s, Velda returned to her studies, earning a degree in Spanish and Music as a double major from the University of Southern Florida.  She completed her Master’s Degree in Education in 1974 at Pan-American University in Edinburg Texas.
     Velda was married to Robert H. Hough; they were married 39 years, serving as pastors in Eastern Oklahoma and Florida, and as missionaries to Cuba and Mexico.  They also gave several years of service to the Texas Conference of the IPHC.
     Velda worked as a teacher, missionary, and a Special Ed Diagnostician. She was a musician and enjoyed making music on a variety of instruments, raising a garden of flowers, learning new languages, and spending time with her family. She was also actively involved in teaching Bible classes as well as English as a second language.
     Velda is survived by one daughter, Faith Ellen Hough Nix of Oklahoma City, two sons, Robert (Buddy) Joel Hough of Alamo, TX, Charles Byron Hough and wife, Mayra, of Corpus Christi, TX; ten grandchildren, Ashley Elizabeth White Campbell and husband Shawn, Drew Edward White and wife, Avalon, Jayson Robert Hough and wife Jamie, Josie Catherine Hough McAllister and husband, Josh, Dora Linda Hough, David Willis Hough, Jaron Matthew Nix and wife Kori, Pierce Addison Nix, Destiny Marie Jones-Nix, Rebecca Rose Hough Albers and husband John; brother David Lee Cunningham and wife Sharon; four great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
     Velda is preceded in death by her parents Thelma Catherine Williams Cunningham and Clarence Homer Cunningham; sisters Neva Floy Cunningham Alt, Barbara Faith Cunningham Forsythe, Enide Lou Cunningham Adair; brothers Buddy Addison Cunningham, Bryant Homer Cunningham, and John Dennis Cunningham; and by her beloved daughter Robin Elizabeth Hough White.
     Memorial donations may be given to World Missions Ministries, P.O. Box 270420, Oklahoma City, OK 73137. Designate Project ‪#‎54004P Velda Hough. Online, go to iphc.org, click donate, enter project #54004P. All donations will go to Emmanual Bible College in Monterrey, N.L. Mexico where Velda taught as a missionary.
     The family of Velda Hough wishes to thank the Deacons and Deaconesses of Crown Heights Christian Church who were faithful to visit and send cards and remembrances, and countless others who have shown Velda and her family loving and prayerful support. A “Celebration of Life” service was held on March 16, 2016 at the Crown Heights Christian Church, conducted by Pastor- the Reverend Mr. Aaron Krueger and the Rev. Mr.  Bob Ely.
​
​[Editor's Comment: I don't ever remember meeting Velda Ruth Hough. However, I remember her daughter, Faith, who was a student at Southwestern College (now Southwestern Christian University) in Oklahoma City when I was president. Faith was a member of the Great Life Singers and was noted for her singing and solos. I remember her father, Robert Hough, who had gone to Cuba as a missionary. I have been to Cuba twice, once in 1955 when I played in the Quantico Marine Band. The State Department of the United States flew our band and drum and bugle corps to Havana to play for the inauguration of Fulgencio Batista, President of Cuba. Then, in 1957, I went back to Cuba on a two-week missions' trip with students from Asbury College to Pinar de Río, Cuba’s westernmost province where Thomas Willey was the missionary with the Free-Will Baptist Church. Carl Ricks and I were in the group that ministered there. He and I were roommates at Asbury College, 1956-57. Carl and I attended and graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary. Carl became a pastor in the United Methodist Church and later a missionary to Budapest, Hungary. Carl and I have continued communications over the intervening years. He now resides in Florida.
​     I wish to thank Dr. Harold Dalton, Assistant Director of World Missions Ministries, IPHC for alerting me to the death and funeral for Velda Ruth Hough. Every person is important and we certainly want to remember our dedicated and faithful missionaries who have served our church and the Kingdom of God. Our hearts go out to this wonderful family in their time of grief.
​     The writer of the Book of Hebrews expressed a great truth we all need to read often about those who have gone on before us who died in faith--faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel" (Hebrews 12: 22-24, NKJV).

         "It Is Finished!” 
     The ancient Greeks boasted about being able to say much in a word. Yes, Hellenists considered it the perfection of oratory to put an ocean of meaning in a drop of language. Jesus did it to perfection and surpassed them all.
 
Jesus was the Servant both of His Father and of all people. Not one time, not even once did He step out of this servant role during His ministry. He never showed any inclination to act in His own divinity or use His divine power independent of His Father. This was true even when, He was hanging on His cross. Stopping the sacrifice to redeem all who would cry out to Jesus in repentance would have been a huge sin against God. It would have made Satan triumphant and demonstrated a major flaw in the plan of redemption.
Forsaken by His Father
     Jesus endured many onslaughts from the devil in His ministry. The last salvo though, did not spring from Satan’s arsenal; instead, it came from His Father. Without question, it was the toughest of them all. The missile exploded when the Lord was the weakest and the pain was the greatest. He had lost so much blood and used up so much energy just trying to breathe. The throes of death were already settling in and His holy body was beginning to shut down. Could His pure mind handle one last struggle—and of all places, with it coming from His Father?
Isaiah had prophesied this very moment some 750 years earlier.
      “It was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After the suffering of His soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:7, 10-11, NIV).
      Jesus had always given absolute loyalty to His Father. The Lord knew He could depend on Him—anytime, all the time. But what would Jesus do this time, when every nerve in His body was screaming at Him to come down from that cursed cross?
     The ears of history have never heard a cry pierce the soul quite like this one, so gut wrenching in its pathos: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). It marks the only time in Jesus’ incarnation that He referred to His Father with language other than that of a son to a father.
     God’s “eyes are too pure to look on evil” or to tolerate treachery, and Jesus was hanging there as our “guilt offering,” with our sins – the sins of the world on his shoulders (Habakkuk 1:13).
     The heavenly Father responded to His Son in those moments with silence.
     Separation from God—it was the worst challenge of the many Jesus faced, by far the worst. Jesus had always known His Father was right there with Him throughout His incarnation; He could see Him and hear Him. Morning after morning He had awakened, talking with His Father (Isaiah 50:4). They had enjoyed such a close relationship.
     In these extreme moments of His holy life, when the shroud of death was slowly moving over His shredded and mangled body, Jesus hung there alone.
     Let it be restated: from eternity, Jesus had never experienced separation from His Father.
     It is part of the mystery of the incarnation that for the first time, in this moment, Jesus felt abandoned. It came at a time when He was bloody, bruised and mauled. His flesh hung from His bones. His tongue was so very swollen, and clung to the roof of His mouth. His holy blood had seeped from the crown of thorns down His forehead and onto His eyelids, gluing them together. And His blood kept moving, ever so slowly, right into his eyes, stinging like hot fire. Jesus on that cross could not even wipe His own blood out of His eyes.
     What would He do in this hour of His soul’s black midnight? If the raw anguish of crucifixion could not make Him buckle, would this combination of separation and abandonment push Him over the edge so that He would grasp for His omnipotence independent of His Father’s plan? Would He change His attitude toward His Father and break the bond between them? And especially so when His Father and the Holy Spirit were not there to guide Him? After all, those twelve legions of angels were standing on tiptoe, just waiting for the order to take Him off the shameful cross (Matthew 26:53).
     The Triumph of Implicit Trust
     We know the answer: the High Priest of our confession did not come down from the cross.   He kept hanging on the sharp-edged nails, and by doing so healed the breach between His Father and fallen men. God “[reconciled] the world to Himself in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19; Hebrews 3:1–3; Isaiah 53:10). Jesus did it as our substitute, with the sins of all humankind on His tender heart (Isaiah 53:10; Romans 10:10; Hebrews 6:20).
Yes, Jesus became every man’s guilt offering. And, yes, the will of His Father [prospered] in His hand” (Leviticus. 5:17–19; Isaiah 53:10).
     Because the love of God mandated it, Jesus stayed on the cross all alone until He died. In doing so, the cross of Jesus shows love is more powerful than pain, shame, or abandonment. We should remember Jesus taught in the parable of the unjust judge, “Men always ought to pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1; 2 Corinthians 4:1, 16; Hebrews 12:3). Jesus hung there in history’s greatest miscarriage of justice amid the greatest stress of His incarnate life. Amazingly, Jesus kept His clarity of mind to the very end (Luke 23:43).
     THINK ABOUT IT: Jesus demonstrated on the cross that implicit trust in God always trumps pain, shame and abandonment.  
When the Lights Go Out
     When I was a student at Harvard Divinity School, I learned preaching from Dr. Gardner Taylor, a pastor in New York City. I'll never forget those lectures. I remember his telling us a story when he was preaching in Louisiana during the Depression. Electricity was just coming into that part of the country, and he was out in a rural, black church that had only one little light bulb hanging from the ceiling to light up the whole sanctuary. He was preaching away, and in the middle of his sermon, all of a sudden, the electricity went out. The building went pitch black. Dr. Taylor did not know what to say, being a young preacher. He stumbled around until one of the elderly deacons sitting in the back of the church cried out, "Preach on, preacher! We can still see Jesus in the dark!"
     Sometimes we get our best picture of God in the dark. And the good news of the Gospel is that whether or not we can see Him in the dark, He sees us.
                                                                                              WWW. PreachingToday.Com
     Amid this deep isolation, both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus came through again. “Knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty’” (John 19:28). They gave Him wine vinegar on a sponge to drink. One last prophecy needed to be fulfilled and the vinegar did it (Psalm 69:21).
     In Jesus’ divinity, He knew the victory was His. Yet, in the true humanity of the Son of Man, a mere thimble full of cool water would have felt like a deluge of rain on His dehydrated body and very swollen tongue.
     The very lonely God-man, the Prince of paradise, was hanging between earth and heaven as Jehovah’s trustworthy servant. He was faithful in life and faithful in death.
     The last Adam was almost dead. His sanctified life was clicking down to its final seconds. Paul later wrote to Timothy, “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5–6).
     What a loyal servant!
 
Tetelestai
     The ancient Greeks boasted of being able to say much in a word. Yes, Hellenists considered it the perfection of oratory to put an ocean of meaning in a drop of language. Jesus, our champion, outshined them all on His cross. He did it while every nerve in His holy body screamed for relief. No speech writer or orator of history has ever matched what Jesus did here.
     Our Lord’s holy body was very weakened to the point of death from blood loss. But Jesus still retained His brilliant mind and condensed the whole plan of redemption into one word when expressed in Greek. “Tetelestai!” It means, "It is finished.” One word said it all! (John 19:30).
     THINK ABOUT IT: If you and I, dear reader, could have been standing on Golgotha’s knoll that day when Jesus said it, we surely would have picked up His bodily weakness. But we also would have felt His determination, His sense of victory, and triumph, His unbreakable resolve.
     Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address defined the purpose of the American Civil War with 272 words, and changed the course of the conflict.     
​     Jesus Christ rewrote salvation history with one word, and did it when His last little drops of blood were falling on the gray rocks below.
     The clock of His holy life was ticking not in minutes, but in seconds.    
     He had been such a strong specimen of a man, strong enough to walk all over Israel, up and down her many hills, and her mountains. But all of that strength was now gone.
     He had finished the work His Father gave Him to do.
     “It is finished” – tetelestai. Volumes of meaning are capsuled in Jesus’ blood in that single word. With no desire to be exhaustive, I will share a brief six. Any astute student of the Scriptures can add to my list:
1.  “It is finished.” The anger and malice Jesus felt from His sworn enemies was over. The enmity had been so brutal Pharisees were known to turn their heads when He walked by so that they would not have to look at Him. Isaiah prophesied that too (Isaiah 53:3) – tetelestai!
2. “It is finished.” The sacrifice that brought salvation for “whosoever will” was made, as planned before the foundation of the world. The new path to the Father is Jesus alone through a New Birth (John 14:6) – tetelestai!
3. “It is finished.” Every prophecy in the Old Testament concerning Messiah’s first advent was fulfilled, including Psalm 69:21 – tetelestai!
4. “It is finished.” Jesus had “endured the cross, despising its shame” (Hebrews 12:2). Shame was one of the devil’s most trusted weapons to hold people in his grip in his kingdom. But no longer – tetelestai!  
5. “It is finished.” The Old Covenant, marked by the Passover meal was now history, and the New Covenant launched. For two thousand years since then the Holy Communion has continued to live, reminding us of Jesus’ broken body and shed blood. No other sacrifice will ever be needed – tetelestai!
6. “It is finished.” Our sins were so great and the debt so high we could not even pay the interest. But Jesus died in our place. He paid our bill with His own blood and stamped each of our accounts “paid in full” – tetelestai!
     By this time, Jesus’ face and head had swollen almost beyond recognition and His eyelids coagulated and sealed with His own blood (Isaiah 52:14). The Savior Who gave blind men sight had now lost His vision; the Rose of Sharon in those moments was blind (Song of Solomon 2:1). But He could still see with the eyes of His soul and knew His Father would be waiting for Him on the other side of death’s chilly Jordan. Yes, Jesus knew the silence of God did not mean the absence of God. He also knew resurrection was a mere three days away.
     Jesus reached into the depths of His holy soul one last time and found His final reservoir of energy. His very parched tongue moved in sync with His vocal cords as He cried out with the loudest voice He could muster, “Father, into your hands I commit My Spirit.”
“When He had said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46).
“Tetelestai!”
 
It is finished, the battle is over,
It is finished there’ll be no more war,
It is finished the end of the conflict,
It is finished, and Jesus is Lord.
Lyrics and music by Bill and Gloria Gaither and Don Hustad, 1971.

     I have made the decision to follow the recommendation of my cardiologist to submit to a heart pacemaker. In fact, on Wednesday, March 23, I will enter St. Mary's Hospital in the morning for this surgery. Dr. Amit Shah, from India and a Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, will perform the surgery. I am told by those who have had him do this surgery on them that he is the best of the best.
​     I will be in the same surgical suite where I had my artery catheterization to my heart muscle. Dr. Clay Chappell, a very young doctor did the procedure and I never felt any pain. The team of techs and nurses at St. Mary's Hospital in Athens are the finest any where.
​    This implant of the pacemaker will require that I spend the night. Yesterday, Greg, my son, told me that he is taking a personal leave day to be with me for this surgery. He is teaching Special Education this year for special needs children.
​     A significant number of my readers have written and told me they have had this pacemaker surgery. My good friend Stan Oliver of Royston, GA, called and told me that Dr. Shah did his pacemaker.
​     Retired Missionary Statesman Hobert Howard wrote, "Now to your up coming pacemaker installation, as our Indian people often say “NOT TO WORRY!”.   I have had one since Nov. 2013.  It was not a problem in installing it and I hardly know that it is there, except to feel it occasionally up near my left shoulder.  They do a great job!  I can imaging that Dr. Amit Shah (no doubt from the Gujarat in NW India) is not only well qualified, but is very good & meticulous in his work.  The Lord is with you.  Many of the Lord’s good people are covering you with prayer."
​     Once again I ask for your prayers. Last Sunday, which was Palm Sunday, I went forward for prayer when our pastor called for those who needed healing to come to the altar. Mary Ann Thrasher came up to my pew, and said, "Come on, Pastor Morgan, we're going to be prayed for." Mary Ann is a remarkable woman and a woman of great faith. She has been battling with cancer for several years. She is a mystery to her doctors, and Mary Ann is not afraid to witness to her faith in Jesus Christ. She is a vital part of the ladies Tuesday morning Bible study and prayer group at our church in Athens, Christian Life Worship Center, where Melvine Morgan, my wife, is the leader of this ladies' group that prays every Tuesday morning together for the needs of our church.]
    

     "While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: 'Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him'" (Matthew 27:19, NIV).
     Poll one hundred non-Biblical scholars and ask, "What is the name of Pontius Pilate's wife?" Probably none will be able to answer. Pilate's wife is only mentioned in this one reference and without her name. She sent her husband the message as it is pictured in the movies with her standing behind a column watching Jesus before Pilate. Presumably Jesus appeared before Pilate in the Antonia Fortress (later the Praetorium) at the northwest corner of the Temple perhaps on Good Friday before he was nailed to the cross at Golgotha. The Romans placed great stock in dreams. They believed that they were sent from heaven as gifts and warnings that were not to be ignored.
     Almost two decades ago, my wife Linda, was asked to read at her church on Palm Sunday the message in Matthew 27 about the trials of Jesus. She became curious as to the name of Pilate's wife and began her quest at a nearby Greek Orthodox church where the resident scholar admitted his faith celebrates on October 27 a feast day in celebration of Claudia Procula. The faith believes she became a Believer in Jesus and that her life passed in peace. Linda began a quest to learn more about this woman and what she learned is tremendously fascinating. She learned that Claudia and Pilate both are celebrated on July 25 by the Coptic Church of Ethiopia, which believes they both became Christians.
     Claudia Procula was the granddaughter of the Great Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was technically a Roman princess and the daughter of Augustus' daughter Julia. Julia was reported to have had many lovers and it is probable that Claudia was an illegitimate child. She grew up in Norbonne, France about twelve miles from the Mediterranean Sea. This was a Roman outpost in what was then called Gaul. It is not known when she met and married Pilate, who was from an old Roman family and an equestrian in the Roman Cavalry. Possibly the connections of Claudia led Pilate to the governorship of the Roman province of Judea from 26-36 AD. Her influence with Augustus further allowed her to live in Judea with her husband. This was not allowed in other cases by Augustus.
     After the death and resurrection of Jesus, Josephus, the eminent Jewish historian, wrote that Pilate had an encounter with some rebellious Samaritans and it ended with some deaths. Pilate was recalled to Rome to report on the issue to the Emperor Tiberius, who died enroute, and when Pilate arrived, Caligula was the new Emperor. It is reported that Pilate was dealt with very harshly and was exiled. In those days if a man was exiled, he faced disgrace and the loss of his wealth, leaving his family destitute. An alternative was to commit suicide, which allowed the family's reputation to be unaffected. This act was not interpreted as one of despair, but one of calculated courage by Pilate.
     There are two mountains in Europe named for Pilate and it is speculated that he fell to his death from one of them: Mt. Pilate in France, south of Lyon and Mt. Pilatas, southwest of Lucerne in Switzerland.
     Almost two decades ago Linda began her lay ministry by researching women of the Bible and it has evolved to where today she performs dramatic presentations of the Bible in period costumes she has researched and sews herself. These are done at churches and women's groups. She considers her drama on Claudia to be her flagship performance. Her website is at http://voices.name.
     This Holy Week we can recall no words more important than those reported in Matthew 27:54 (NIV): "When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, 'Surely he was the Son of God.'"
       Assuredly He was and is today, we are convicted of that, and because of that belief, our lives have been changed forever!
   

Psalm 57:9-11

9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the nations.
10 For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
NKJV

​ I'm still waiting patiently for the wisdom that comes with older age.  Anyone else?

     ​Winona Lake, IN – The #1 seeded Emmanuel Men's Basketball team took on the #2 seeded Southwestern Christian University. After rolling through the competition relatively easily, the Lions faced a much more challenging opponent in the Eagles.
     With a good start, the Lions were able to take an early lead and hold onto it through the entire first half. It was a huge team effort as multiple players had huge contributions including a big three-pointer from Nathan Williams and a powerful dunk by Zach Lillie. By the end of the first half, Emmanuel was leading 39-29.
     After getting refocused during half time, the Eagles came back with a lot of energy. Southwestern was able to rally back and eventually take the lead at 40-39 before a jump shot from Kurtis Robinson snatched the lead back with 6 and a half minutes remaining. The Lions would continue to hold the lead and begin to pull away towards the end after some forced free throws. With 25 seconds left Austin Greene had a steal that would set up a huge 360 degree dunk from Kendrick Colvin to seal the deal. Emmanuel is now the NCCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball National Champion after defeating Southwestern Christian University 75-68.
     The Lions were led by Kurtis Robinson with 16 points and 8 rebounds followed by Zach Lillie with 15 points and 6 rebounds. The Lions shot 46.6% from the field while holding Southwestern down to 40.7%. A huge difference in bench points showed the depth of Emmanuel's bench with 43 points compared to the Eagles 2. This win marks the end of the season for the men who finish with an overall record of 27-5 and a conference record of 16-4.
Congrats to the Men on a successful season and bringing home a national championship!
​
​[Editor's Comment: I want to extend my congratulations to Coach T. J. Rosene and the young basketball players for Emmanuel College for bringing home the trophy for the National NCCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship. Equally, I want to congratulate Coach Dave Bliss and his young Eagles basketball team for Southwestern Christian University for their excellent season and outstanding playoffs. What a historic game between two sister Pentecostal Colleges/Universities to go all the way to play each other for the national championship.
​     SCU ended its first season under head coach Dave Bliss at 19-15 overall. After losing seven of its first nine games, the Eagles stormed out of the winter break and finished the second half of the season with a 17-8 record. SCU enjoyed its best season since joining the NAIA in 2010.
​     We bless both coaches and players of our church institutions. We, also, bless Dr. Ron White, President of Emmanuel College, and Dr. Reggies Wenyika, President of Southwestern Christian University. And we ask God to bless the International Pentecostal Holiness Church.]

     In the Christian Church Sunday, March 20, is called Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of what we call Holy Week--the greatest week of all in human history when Jesus went to Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world. He was crucified on a Cross just outside Jerusalem near a beautiful garden owned by Joseph of Arimathea, who owned a carved out burial tomb in which no one have ever been buried. It was from this borrowed tomb Jesus was resurrected on Easter Sunday by the Power of the Holy Spirit. God sent an angel to roll away the stone so that His disciples might go in to see where he had been lain, but now was alive forever more. He defeated death, was Victor over the grave, and He lives forever more, never to die again.
     Melvine and I have been there to Joseph's tomb, and walked inside. Jesus was laid there by two men: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. They were both religious leaders of the Jews, but believers in Jesus. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again, or born from above to enter and see the Kingdom of God.
     I want you to see this video of two precious children telling the story of Jesus--the Gospel message. The little girl reminds me of the beautiful Chinese girl and her mother I met in the Hong Kong International Airport on May 14, 2015, as Melvine, Greg, and I were waiting for our Delta flight to Seattle, WA.
​    You may see this beautiful teaching of the Gospel by two small children, a boy and a girl, by Clicking Here.

Matthew 21:16
"'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise'?"
NKJV

REFLECTIONS FROM THE DIRECTOR: MARCH 2016
HONORING THE LIFE & LEGACY OF MR. MOSES E. KING
On February 29th, 2016, IPHC church statesman Mr. Moses E. King passed away. I did not have the privilege of knowing or being around Mr. King as well or as often as others in the WMMD, but some of the things I admired about him were…
• You never had to guess what the first priority of his life was – loving and serving Jesus
• He loved his wife, Ms. Dean
• He loved his family
• He loved the Bible and lived by its precepts
• He loved his local church, the Goshen New Life, IPHC, in Faison, NC
• He loved his extended faith family, the IPHC
• He loved Missions & Missionaries [In 2006, Mr. King and his wife, Ms. Dean, gave the first million dollar gift to IPHC World Missions Ministries through the IPHC Foundation]
• He loved Holmes Bible College
• He was passionate about the importance and legacy of the IPHC Foundation
• He was a great ‘sharer of life’ – I always learned something by being around him
In 2 Samuel 3, King David said, “A great man and a prince has fallen in Israel this day.” I paraphrase the words of King David by saying… “A great man and a prince, Moses E. King, has fallen in the Church of Jesus Christ this day.” Brother King, your missionary family honors you and thanks you for the indelible imprint you left on the fabric of the IPHC globally!

           I DID NOT WANT THE BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
     I was raised in a Pentecostal Holiness Church . . . all my life . . .
     My father was a P. H. minister of the Gospel . . . nationally known . . . later, even a general official.
     I did not want those tongues . . . .
     My mother received the Baptism in the Spirit in 1927 . . . And didn’t speak English for days . . . they took her home in a wagon from the revival meeting.
     I did not desire, seek, want this gift and even ran from the altar when the Spirit began moving.
     Now . . . You are asking W H Y ? ? ?
    Very simple . . .
     I had heard my father, the Rev. Dr. Robert L. Rex in his sermons often tell about when he received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit . . . He was always so excited to tell it . . . but he always added . . . “As I was experiencing the Baptism with speaking in tongues . . . God called me to preach!!! He always knew he was called . . .!!!"
     If there was anything I did not want to do and that was to preach . . . And I was afraid I would be called to preach!!!
     Therefore, my teens passed . . . my college years passed . . . I was married and had one little boy.
     Now . . . Here is the story I have been eager to tell.
     I was teaching at Southwestern College in Oklahoma City . . . now a university and renamed Southwestern Christian University.  Dr. R. O. Corvin was the President and I headed the music department and directed the choir that we took across the USA all the way up to Canada, and down the east coast to perform for the General Conference of the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Florida.
     What an honor and what a privilege God had given me.
     Each year, Southwestern had a student revival and invited the partners and all the churches in Oklahoma City to attend.
     The evangelist was the noted Pentecostal Holiness minister and Bible scholar, teacher and writer from England, the Rev. Dr. Noel Brooks.
     The auditorium was packed. As head of the music department, I lead the singing. My great choir was behind me with everyone holding a hymnal—Hymns 24, 125, 180 . . . everyone singing, shouting, and praising the Lord!!!
     I sat down and Dr. Corvin began to make the announcements.
     Everything was calm. I was looking through the hymnal to find the next song to sing when he finished the announcements.
     Now you will have a hard time believing this . . . if it didn’t happen to me . . . I would have a hard time to tell you what happened at that particular moment.
     I had selected two songs and leaned back in my chair . . . anxious for Dr. Corvin to finish. I was just looking over the congregation. I had a brand new suit on, and was proud of it . . . Then . . . The Power of the Lord struck me. I yelled . . . the Power of the Holy Spirit threw me to the dusty hardwood floor. And talk about “Holy Rollers” . . . I was one of them, and, in fact, I cleaned the whole platform with my new suit.
     God tried to give me the Baptism with the Holy Spirit . . . And we had an argument . . . I said, “I don’t want to preach.”
The Lord said to me as if He were yelling in my ear . . . “I am not calling you to preach . . . just calling you to be in My Service.” Then, the tongues hit as I was rolling . . . rolling . . . rolling.
     I do not remember . . . as I was out under the Power of the Holy Spirit . . . but they told me later the Power struck the audience and prayer and praises flowed for hours and five were called to preach . . . three were called to be missionaries . . . And I was called into His Service, and the platform was cleaned with my new suit.
     The service that night was not over until midnight
     If you would like to read about the service God called me to do for Him . . . just read my new book entitled, My Amazing Adventures with God.
At almost 88, I have been true to the calling He gave me that night . . . when He knocked me down, cleaned the floor, and gave me the gift—The Baptism with the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues.
Lonnie Rex
[Editor's Comment: I asked Lonnie Rex to share with you his testimony about when he got saved, and this one, when he was baptized with the Holy Spirit. It may be that you have had a similar experience, or at least, you would like to comment about Lonnie Rex's personal experience. I trust this testimony will be a blessing to you. You can write me and tell me what you thought and felt as your read this wonderful experience by writing me at: hugh@hughsnews.com.]
 

Matthew 21:6-13

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted,

"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

11 The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 "It is written," He said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"
NIV

​     Ever walk into a room with some purpose in mind, only to completely forget what that purpose was?
Turns out, doors themselves are to blame for these strange memory lapses.
     Psychologists at the University of Notre Dame have discovered that passing through a doorway triggers what's known as an Event Boundary in the mind, separating one set of thoughts and memories from the next.
     Your brain files away the thoughts you had in the previous room and prepares a blank slate for the new locale.
Remember:  It is not you, it is the door!

​     Winona Lake, IN – The  Emmanuel College Lions easily rolled through the opening round of the NCCAA tournament and were paired against Grace College on Thursday. Without wasting any time, the Lions jumped into action and showed their dominance once again. The Lions shot an impressive 53.7% from the field and held the Lancers to 34.4%. With 4 players putting up double digits, the Lions utilized their dynamic offense to seal the deal. Kendrick Colvin led the men with 16 points.
     With this victory, top-seeded Emmanuel will go on to Face second-seeded Southwestern Christian University for the NCCAA National Championship. Southwestern defeated Trinity International (Ill.) 77-72 to claim their spot in the finals.
     The NCCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship game is set for 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday at Manahan Orthopedic Capital Center in Winona Lake, IN. The match can be purchased for view by following this link.

​[Editor's Comment: Emmanuel College and Southwestern Christian University have two of the finest head basketball coaches in the nation.
​For Emmanuel: T. J. Rosene sees his coaching at Emmanuel College as a calling and not a career. He has had many offers to advance in his career field and move up the ladder of success by coaching at larger colleges and universities. However, he believes God sent him to Emmanuel College for a purpose and he strongly believes God has called him to Emmanuel College for a time such as this.
​     Then, we have Coach Dave Bliss who is well-known in collegiate basketball. Bliss is known for his rule breaking and issues off the court, something that overshadows his success on the court in four different schools. He once coached the men's basketball team at the University of Oklahoma. Many have asked was the leadership of Southwestern Christian University taking a risk in hiring Coach Dave Bliss.
     "There's a risk with anyone you take," SCU's Athletic Director Mark Arthur said. "I honestly feel Dave has received the grace of God. He knows he's made mistakes, he's admitted to those mistakes, and we are willing to take the chance with him."
​     "Grace. That's what this all about. If Bliss was ever to return to college coaching, it makes sense it's at a Christian university willing to give grace to understand his past behavior was and is unacceptable. This hire is less about basketball and more about forgiving past mistakes and setting an example for others to do the same . . ." (By Luke McConnell--News9, and quoted from the Winter 2016 Soar Magazine, Southwestern Christian University, page 6, Dr. Bongi Wenyika, Editor.)
​     Some have asked me which team will I be pulling for since I am the third president of Southwestern Christian University. I am also an alumnus of Emmanuel College. I have a strong allegiance to both institutions. I give of my financial resources to both schools. I promote both schools in Hugh's News. Either way I will win if Emmanuel College wins, or if Southwestern Christian University wins. I pray that both teams will give their best and that the coaches will lead their respective teams in giving their best performance. May the best team win.
​     I have fond memories of attending all the home basketball games with Melvine, Greg, and Stephanie when I was president of Southwestern College when it was located on NW. 10th Street in Oklahoma City, right across the street from Muse Memorial Church were my family and I attended. Once when Emmanuel came from Franklin Springs to play Southwestern College, the sons of Bishop J. Floyd Williams and Dr. Vinson Synan came up to me before the game and stood shoulder to shoulder with their hands on their hips and their chests raised upward. Jonathan Williams and Vinson Synan, Jr. spoke with strong voices, "Dr. Morgan, we are here to tell you that we are pulling for Emmanuel College to beat Southwestern College tonight. Emmanuel is our team!" I smiled, and reached down and grabbed both boys in my arms and held them close to my chest. I kissed each one on his cheek which they quickly wiped away. I told them, "I am so very proud of you boys. Both of you were born in Franklin Springs where Emmanuel College is located. If your weren't for your home team I would be disappointed and I would spank your bottom."  Of course, I would never touch them. I let them down. Sure enough those boys predicted well. We lost to Emmanuel College in a close game. However, our team traveled to Franklin Springs later in the season and Southwestern beat Emmanuel College on their court in the old gymtorium.
​     In closing, let me share that Pete Beacham and Freeman Mashburn never missed a game, and even traveled to see our team play other colleges in our conference. Pete Beacham is the father of Presiding Beacham A. D. Beacham, Jr. and Freeman is the father of attorney John Mashburn, the attorney for Southwestern Christian University.
​    Earlier in the week, I received an email from Wallace Hamilton, Vice President of Fiscal Affairs at SCU. He wrote, "​Good Afternoon, Dr. Hugh:
Thought you might like a report on SCU's efforts in the regional tournament.  Wouldn't it be fantastic if SCU and EC were to meet in the national tournament?
Wallace
​P.S.  Praying for the best possible outcome regarding your scheduled heart procedure.  Lavenia and I think of you and your family often and have fond memories of your time at SCU and Muse Memorial."
​     What wonderful memories we have of living in Oklahoma City. What an honor and joy it was to serve as president of Southwestern College and to meet to many wonderful people in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, California, Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. What I have learned in my life of over 83 years is that friendships and family relationships bring meaning to my life and that is what is important to me as a man. And I am grateful for every acquaintance and friend I have been able to make.
​     I bless both Emmanuel College and Southwestern Christian University and their respective presidents: Dr. Ron White and Dr. Reggies Wenyika, their administrative staff, professors, other employees, student body and Board of Trustees and/or Board of Regents.

​     The river was still running red, blood red from a new wound opened in the heart of the world's foremost monarchy. The sword of judgment, unsheathed and dripping gore flashed angrily in the hand of heaven's messenger. The bowl of wrath, brimming with years of cruelty and rebellion had tipped, its contents spewing indiscriminately, convulsing the nation, finally binding them in a darkness as black as their sins; shrouding them in mourning as death settled a long anticipated score. Egypt had met God and God was angry.
     For four hundred years a hope had smoldered, waiting for the winds of freedom to fan it into flame. Whips and curses, leering gods and the ignominious force of tyranny threatened to extinguish even its spark, but God had remembered His promise to Israel and seizing Pharaoh on his throne crushed his dynasty into oblivion. Hope surged, freedom blossomed into reality and leaving Egypt and its oppressive darkness behind, skipped across the heaving waters of the Red Sea and into the very presence of Jehovah.
     The river was running red, blood red from a new wound opened in the heart of Heaven's mighty monarch. The sword of judgment, unsheathed and dripping gore flashed angrily in the hand of Jehovah Himself. The bowl of wrath, brimming with four thousand years of man's rebellion and cruelty had tipped, its contents flooding over and soaking into the very soul of the righteous and unresisting Son of Man, convulsing Him in wave after wave of darkness and the death dealing horrors of humanities sins, settling forever the score engendered.
     Eternity held its breath, watching as the ember of hope dimmed and blinked out. Deep darkness covered the earth and the earth trembled as in death throes, gasped in a shuddering hopeless sob and clasping hope to its stony breast, wept with the damned—for hope was indeed dead. But, Hope revived when hope was lost and as the cold and silent ember pulsed to life, it ignited a conflagration in the lifeless fields so that hope reborn became and remains the anthem of saints.
     The bowl of mans' folly is overfull and canting precariously. Already the deadly sword is descending and the winds of judgment are beginning to blow. The very air is electric with fear of things to come and because of its uncertainty, humanity is ready to accept the man with the answers. And like ancient Egypt whose arrogance and pride set them in direct opposition to the God who is able, our present world is ripe for the calamities that nation endured. The river is running red, blood red, and though the sword remains uplifted as the bowl brims with judgment, and the cruel ungodly world grows daily more corrupt, the river, carried into the heavens by Jesus Himself is pouring down; bathing the mountains, filling the valleys, and spreading across the plains; covering the earth and filling the hearts of millions with renewed hope. The prince of darkness has gnashed his teeth in vain. He has incited his hordes to no avail, for each and every martyr created by him becomes a spark that ignites faith and instills hope where there was none. Heaven's army grows daily larger as saints, following the Master in his mastery of death, ascend with Him in anticipation of the final victory.
     The river is running clear, crystal clear and issuing from beneath the throne of God. No longer bleeding mortal red, the river is the river of immortality, the water of the river is the water of life and the life it bestows has its origin, not beneath the throne from which it flows, but in a garden tomb where death succumbed to life and the embattled King and His church was birthed anew. Hope lives.

​[Editor's comments: Ronald Gadberry has accepted my invitation to be a Contributing Writer for Hugh's News. He is an ordained minister of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, and a member of the New Horizons Ministries. He is offering his services as an evangelist and singer to pastors of churches who are now preparing their 2016 revival and preaching mission services.
     You may contact Ronald Gadberry at the following address and/or telephone numbers:
The Rev. Mr. Ronald Gadberry
509 Cottage Park Lane
Shawnee, Oklahoma 74804
1-405-834-0479 / 1-405-808-2937
He will do your church good.]

     St. Patrick's Day was Thursday, March 17. It was my sister's 86th birthday. Her name is Mary Evelyn Morgan McDuff. She was a graduate of Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama. She married R. H. McDuff, the thirteenth child in the Fred McDuff family. Fred McDuff was an honorable man with honesty and integrity. He served as both Chief of Police in Birmingham, as well as the Sherriff of Jefferson County. It was said of Chief Fred McDuff that he never took a bribe. He was a member of the First Pentecostal Holiness Church. He knew the Rev. Mr. S. A. Bishop, the Charles Spurgeon in the Pentecostal Holiness Church.
​      Mary Evelyn Morgan, my older sister was strikingly beautiful with dark brown curly hair and dark brown eyes like our mother, Julia Payne Morgan. Not only was Mary Evelyn beautiful, she was bright. She made all A's in grammar school and high school, and was a member of the National Honor Society. She learned to play piano and was quite good. Bobby Bowden, who became the head football coach of Florida State was a classmate of my sister at Gibson Grammar School and Woodlawn High School.
​     God gave to Mary Evelyn and R. H. McDuff five children: Charles, Stephen, David, Marsha, and Rebecca, as well as grand children and great grand children.
​     So, on this week of St. Patrick's Day and the 86th birthday of my beloved sister Mary Evelyn, I want to give your several Irish Blessings or Benedictions:

Irish Blessings
​
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall gently upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.
Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.
Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

May the saddest day of your future be no worse
Than the happiest day of your past.

May the roof above us never fall in.
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.

May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.

May there be a generation of children
On the children of your children.

May you live to be a hundred years,
With one extra year to repent!\

May the Lord keep you in His hand
And never close His fist too tight.

May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

Walls for the wind,
And a roof for the rain,
And drinks beside the fire--
Laughter to cheer you
And those you love near you,
And all that your heart may desire!

May God be with you and bless you,
May you see your children's children,
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May God grant you many years to live,
For sure He must be knowing
The earth has angels all too few
And heaven is overflowing.

May peace and plenty be the first
To lift the latch to your door,
And happiness be guided to your home
By the candle of Christmas.
​
May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

​Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That's why it's called the present!

​     A Midwest farmer was describing his lifestyle to a touring group of city folks. "One of the benefits of this profession," he explained, "is that we have built-in weather predictions."
     "What do you mean by that?" asked one inquisitive visitor.
     "When the cows are standing," the farmer explained, "it means no rain is likely for the next twenty-four hours. When they're lying down, it means it's going to rain."
     "On our bus trip," another visitor piped in, "I saw half the herd standing and the other half lying down. What does that mean?"
The farmer flashed a smile and answered, "That means half of them are wrong."