issue13

Of Good Things

JANUARY 1973 VOLUME XIII

I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me

from all my fears. They looked unto Him, and were

lightened: This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and

saved him out all his troubles,

Everyone was happy at PLEASANT GROVE the fourth Saturday evening because Bro. Clifford West's wife, Sis. Cornelia, was able to be back at meeting. She has been seriously ill for some time, but on this night she was up testifying to the goodness of the Lord. At this same service there were also a number of visitors present who the Lord blessed such as Bro. Erskine Williams and Bro. Doug Kirkpatrick from HUNTSVILLE. Also, Bro. Donald Ray Mullins and Bro. Dwight Pepper from ELK WOOD, and Bro. Dwight's father-in-law, Bro. Joe Owens from BIG COVE, was here enjoying himself in the Lord.

There was a typical good solid "holiness" service here the following Sunday morning. It started off in the customary fashion, with singing and followed by prayer. This was followed with Bro. Robert Warren wanting to "testify" and he felt good in God. Bro. Lawrence Brown was next to honor the Lord. He read from the Word of the Lord, "finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord". He exhorted for the saints not to count themselves too small. He went on from there to another scripture we have heard him use many time, (it still sounds good) "as ye have received Christ Jesus, so walk ye in Him"....

Sis. Hester Thrower was telling how good God s Word sounded even though she found she was lacking in part of it. Bro. Buford West exhorted on being "subject one to another" by telling one of his experiences. He said at one time Bro. Brown was knocking on his door, when he came and answered it. He was greeted with the late Bro. Willis Brown asking him if he had $5.00. Bro Buford replied that he did (that was all he did have) and he reached in his pocket and handed it to this Elder brother. when Bro. Brown received the money, he turned and walked off saying he was going to buy a child of God a pair of shoes, Bro. Buford said that he never found out who received the shoes but he has been so thankful that he was subject to his brother.

Bro. Clarence Williams was telling how good the Lord was and how he loved the scripture that Bro. Lawrence had quoted while talking, "if we keep the confidence of the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end". He rejoiced in the peace of the Lord. Bro. Lawrence and Bro. Robert both testified again in the same mind that "obedience is better than sacrifice" using Bro. Buford's testimony as an example.

Sis. Hester again testified that she knew these Elders were right for she remembered a time when her daughter, Brenda, was real sick and she was in the back of the church at BLACK OAK. The Holy Ghost told her to go up on the front row and I will heal your girl ! She said "Lord make room for me in those front seats and I will." Immediately two seats were vacated by two young ladies and Sis. Hester took her daughter up front and filled the vacant seats. Bro. Thomas Kerley and Bro. Lawrence Brown came by and asks if her child was sick. These brothers were told that she was and they anointed the child with oil and as Sis. Hester said, "The Lord healed Brenda right then". (Obedience is indeed better than sacrifice).

Bro. Curtis McAllister was telling how he loved the truth and he was always open for correction from the saints. Bro. Roy Walls was telling of the time he had a conversation with a person and when he went on his way he had a very heavy load to carry. He explained that it felt like there was a hundred pound weight on each shoulder. As Bro. Roy was driving along in his car he started talking to his God and telling how he didn't mind carrying a burden for the Lord, but these other kind that were so awful heavy he did not have any use for. The first thing he knew, that load had fled and in its place was the tender peace of God. Bro. Roy stated (and we amen it) the Lord's burdens are easy.

Sis. Fannie Sisk and a number of other saints offered their selves to the Lord a-among there were Bro. Kenneth West and also, Sis. Pat McLain, Bro Hilra's daughter-in-law, from BLACK OAK. After everyone was finished talking Bro. Tom Buckner told how he enjoyed the service and the Word of God and he dismissed until 6:00 o'clock that evening....This was just a typical service not a lot of shouting, but one, as they used to say, "one that will stick to your ribs".

Services were good at BROOKLYN the fourth weekend. Bro. Andrew Holland from OAK GROVE, was here and encouraged the people trying to come to the Lord. He talked about the dangerous condition a person was in when they started to go to the Lord and lingered along the way instead of putting their all into surrendering to God. Sis. Hazel Sampson testified that she knew of no better way to celebrate Christmas than to be with the children of God at the meetinghouse. (Amen) She was really blessed by the Lord this day. Bro. Johnny Golden and his wife Sis. Kathy were up from Titusville, Florida, and Bro. Johnny was thanking God for taking care of him, before and after he received the Holy Ghost.

Their son Jason had been ill awhile back and Bro. Johnny and Sis. Kathy prayed and prayed and the child was still sick. Bro. Johnny called his folks at BROOKLYN and asked them to remember the child. Then Bro. Johnny decided to stay up through the night with the child until his wife who wasn't raised in this way of God reminded him how he and his mother had told her how many times they had illness like this, and they would pray to the Lord to take care of their sicknesses and trusting him, go to bed and find out the next morning the sick were healed. Needless to say Bro. Johnny went to bed and sure enough the next morning little Jason was perfectly allright.

Services are continuing to be good at ROCKY BRANCH. Some exceptionally good. Over the main weekend the third all three meetings the Lord was with them helping and strengthening all the church. Bro. Willard Wooten helped them set the Lord's Supper on Saturday night. Also, helping here were Bro. Tom Buckner and Bro. Clarence Williams from PLEASANT GROVE and Bro. Charles Underwood from ELKWOOD. Bro. Clarence told of "so many good things” the Lord had done for him and his brothers and sisters.

Bro. Charles Underwood left a testimony that the church is still remembering; "I want to live everyday like I might meet the Lord tonight." Meeting Sunday morning was "wonderful". The Lord blessed visitors and they had a number of them. Bro. Ollie Cooper and his wife were over in the hands of the Lord and they edified the saints. Bro. Hubert Sampson read from the Word about the tree that was in the vineyard and had no fruit for three years. It was edifying to the church for he went on to say the fruitless tree might need a little digging and if that didn't work, it might need a little more digging and working done around it.

Church services are still good at KEEL MOUNTAIN. They lost one of their members this past month when the Lord called Bro. John Honea home. But they are all being built up in the Lord with a number of visitors constantly coming to help them, and the Lord blessing them together. Anyone desiring to attend services here can find this church, by turning south at the caution light in Gurley and driving to the top of the mountain, turn left onto the main road and go to the little store on the right. Turn right at this store onto Bullock's road and at the dead end is the church. Meetings were held in a dwelling house up the road until recently they obtained this larger building.

The Lord has been real good to Sis. Nelda and Bro. Franklin Duvall. Their daughter Deanna broke her leg and it had two lumps sticking up on her shin just above the ankle. This family decided to put their trust in the Lord, who has never let them down. Before they prayed for this child the broken bones could be felt under the skin. But at this writing two weeks later, the child is walking on the leg and doing fine. There is now no sign of any damage to little Deanna's leg. Also, before this, she had some kind of a growth on her eyelid, but since they prayed for the child, these proud parents have testified, that even that growth is gone. We are so proud that some people still have this kind of faith.

Bro. Wayne Guffey and his wife, Sis. Sandra, who have been over seas in Belgium in the Armed Forces are now back on Lookout Mountain and doing fine. Bro. Wayne is back at his old job at Olin Mills in Chattanooga, and the Lord has been blessing him and Sis. Sandra good all along WELCOME HOME Bro. Wayne and Sis. Sandra

Bro. Grady Cain and his wife, Sis. Karen, from pleasant GROVE, are now over seas after spending some time in Texas. They have the opportunity to be with Bro, Terry and Ginger Duvall who have been in Germany for sometime. Be sure to pray for these people who are away from the Children of God against their will. We know how they would like to be with the saints of God and cannot.

The saints in Indiana try to put the Lord first in everything, it seems. At a Singing at MARKHAM, December 2nd, they had an altar call during the singing. Bro, Thomas Kerley had the opportunity to preach the Word of God and before the singing was dismissed, the Spirit of God” fell" and the Lord had healed one of the sisters. Preaching the Word, Spirit being free, healing, and altar call all at a singing. We like these kinds of gatherings for surely the Lord is being lifted up.

The Lord is still helping at SCOTTSBORO. Bro. Cledis Black and Sis. Mary his wife, were over in the Spirit of the Lord on the second Tuesday night. It was one of the blest blessings this upright couple has ever had.

Bro. Jack Denson has been talking the truth and it was said that on the third Sunday that Bro. Jack brought the word of God in its purity where you could eat it with the peace and joy that's in the Lord.

On Saturday of the fifth weekend Sis. Betty Posey, wife of Bro. Foster Posey, as the Lord moved on her, went over and laid hands on Bro. Billy Sadler's wife, Sis. Jeanette and they were together bound, dead in the Spirit of God. The Lord has been helping and blessing a lot of his people here. There was a midnight church service the last night of the year and the house was packed. Bro. Charlie Brown was helped in the Lord to exhort the lost to get in a hurry because all signs are pointing to the soon coming of our Lord.

Service is on the upswing at BEIRNES Avenue in Huntsville. Over the second weekend their meetings were good with Bro. Jim Goza and Bro. Willard Wooten being a help on Sunday morning, bringing the Words of Life with the church responding in a good fashion toward it. The Sunday evening service was also good with Bro. Dewey Barrier enjoying himself in the Lord, as was also some of the home folks. The xxxxx brothers were among them .fighting the good fight of faith. Bro. Dewey came away spreading good words of being edified while he was here. The BEIRNES AVENUE saint's are encouraged.

One Thursday night I received a call from my Dad who said that he was coming o-over but not to be surprised at what I saw. After continual questioning I found out that a main gas line blew up in his face, When I found out all the details, he had been taken by ambulance to a clinic, where they did all they could for him in way of medication and pain killers. when Dad came, "I found it hard to get used to looking at him. As long as I live I'll never forget what his face looked like. It was swelled up and blistered without any eye brows or eye lashes and some of the hair on the back of his head and neck were burned off. One ear was blacked and it was difficult for him to hear with it. Also, one eye was impaired.

The jacket he had been wearing was burned off, Dad could hardly talk. The doctors said that he had second and third degree burns. My Dad is lost and my heart went out to him in this sad condition. I called Sis. Betty Posey and asked her to help me pray for my father. This was church night and Sis. Betty asked prayer also at the meeting at MARKHAM, I saw Dad on Friday and he was still having a hard time and his face was a rusty color and he was having difficulty trying to sleep.

He had an appointment to see the doctors on Monday, but on Sunday I saw him and told him we were praying for him at church and we were also thinking about him. You could tell it touched him. When I was at meeting that night I asked prayer again for Dad and I did not hear from him again until Tuesday night and he told me how the doctors instructed him how to be careful with his face lest it become infected, etc. When he went home and went to bed this night he had a sound, sleep, the first time since his accident. At his arising in the morning and entering the bathroom to brush his teeth, he saw himself in the mirror and was really surprised to see his face was well again. (God had healed him).

He went back into the other room and set down wondering about it all. He thought maybe he had just dreamed that he had been hurt. But when he again checked himself in the mirror, he saw where his eye brows were still burned off and there was a scar like place by one of his eyes, but he also saw that the burned flesh was gone and his ear and eye were now alright. When he returned to the doctor, the receptionist didn't even recognize him and when the medical man examined him, he said that what had happened to him was IMPOSSIBLE.

He went on to say that in twenty years in his profession he had never seen anything like this happen before. He even called in another doctor to witness this wonder. I can never praise the Lord enough for what he has done for my Dad and for all that he has done for me, When I realize what he has done it makes me fear Him, because he is so great and we can't imagine how great his power is.

The Lord is still blessing at BROWN'S CHAPEL. The Lord's Supper, which was honored during the third Saturday night services, was blessed of the Lord, Sis. Polly Bodine and her sister, Sis. xxxxx xxxxx, were saying it was one of the best Communion services they were ever in.

Sis, Helen Middlebrooks, wife of Herbert, loves the way the Lord has been blessing here especially on the fourth Sunday night when she was in the hands of the Lord and the church rejoiced with her. This whole meeting was wonderful. After Bro, Lawrence dismissed the service and some had gone home, the Lord was still blessing all over the church house. Since Bro. Troy Walls came back from one of these good meetings here, he has been saying that he has been to "the land of Canaan". For when Bro. Roy was at BROWN'S CHAPEL, he said the Lord can do anything and will if we "trust in Him". He proved it by telling of the time when he moved back to Huntsville from Indiana having financial difficulties that were brought on by their moving and etc.

It was in the cold of winter and he knew they would run out of household gas with no way to get any unless he borrowed some money. He was "too ashamed" to borrow from his brothers, so he decided to just "trust the Lord." The gas gauge registered about half full on his tank. It stayed that way day after day, It never left the half way mark, until one day while he watched his wife, Sis. Faye, cooking a meal, he thought, "Lord, I have the money to buy gas now". Immediately, Bro. Roy said, the stove light went out and it quit working, Sis. Faye said, 'What happened?" Bro. Roy knew and he gives all the credit to the Lord. It blessed the saints heart to hear this brother tell about the goodness of the Lord.

On Christmas Eve, there was a good service with the Lord blessing visitors like Bro, Joe Ventrus from Huntsville, Bro. James McLain and Bro. Hilra McLain from BLACK OAK.

The fourth Wednesday night service was blessed by Sis. Eloise Daniels who was in from Iowa, where she is with her husband who is in service, the Lord blessed her all over the church house and blessed some other saints with her like Sis- Lona Spurgeon.

The most beautiful service of all was on the fifth Saturday night here at BROWN'S CHAPEL. We would have to put out an extra edition of this paper if we put in writing all that the Lord did on this night. Never the less we will try to pass on the "cream of the service" to you.

The Word of God had free course starting with Bro, Lawrence Brown and Bro, Charlie Brown from SOUTH HAVEN, Indiana, carrying it from there with "the Word of God being choked by the cares of life and riches" and the Lord lifted him up. He further exhorted on testifying by recalling what his father had said in the meeting house when he was just a young boy, "If you can't testify, just stand up and raise yam" hand". It sounded so good! He told of the time his wife had an affliction and how the Word of God healed her.

Children of God, one after another, told of the good things God had done for them. (This writer was there and it was a privilege to see and feel the love and tender goodness prevailing among the people.) Bro. Charlie's wife, Sis, Gladys looked like an angel shouting the goodness of her God. Sis. Flossie, wife of Bro. G. Henry Key, was moving about telling how their trust has always been in the Lord and he has yet to let them down. Sisters Edith Pell, Barbara Brown, wife of Harold Brown, Edith House, Mary Black and Bennie Austin, wife of Bro. Donald Austin, were all enjoying the Lord. Sis. Bennie was free in His goodness telling the good things he had done. One after another the Spirit of God was touching his children with Bro. James Castle still on "top limb" glorifying God. Sis, Mary Frances Anderson-son was bound in the Spirit &s the elders anointed her with oil.

These same elders turned and anointed another brother who has been having a physical struggle and from this every one was bringing their sick to the altar and it appeared like it was when Jesus walked on earth and healed all the sick that were brought unto him. We here are looking for Bro. Leonard Knight's son who has had a problem with the side of his head for years to be alright. Mark Finlayson, who has had a stomach ailment was brought into this circle and the Lord touched him also. On the way home he remarked to his Daddy that he was glad he was taken up to the altar for he was hurting, but when the Spirit moved, he stopped hurting then. Time and again the Lord proved his goodness and in the middle of this beautiful love and joy, Bro. Lawrence dismissed meeting but the love stayed on in everyone’s heart,

We want to say that the few times we have been at this place, everyone has been telling the good things that make for strength in the Lord instead of how the tempter is bothering them, which is to the down pull of Christ.

Bro, Jim Goza who we believe, is the oldest saint in years left among us, and by the help of the Lord, he is still going. He has been to HIGDON and BEIRNES AVENUE this past month. It was on the second Sunday that he was at BEIRNES AVENUE. The weather was rainy and cold but Bro. Vernon Middlebrooks went with him and helped drive. The Lord blessed Bro. Jim in the Word of God and all the saints here accepted it with gladness. Bro. Jim has been on the battlefield for sixty years. He received the Holy Ghost when he was twenty eight years old at Blake, (this is near the FREE HOPE church now). His wife came to the Lord just a little while before he did. The plan of salvation was brought to them by Bro. Will Guffey, Bro. Jim Guffey and Bro. Sam Bates. It was not very long after this that the Lord ordained him in the work of the ministry and after all these long years Bro. Jim still holds to and preaches it like he received it.

This aged pilgrim has seen and experienced a lot of things in his sixty years in the Lord. One time when he was on the floor preaching wicked men stoned him. A saint that saw one of the stones hit him in the chest said "Bro, Jim never wavered in his preaching" and when he gave altar call a few minutes later the Lord gave the Holy Ghost. This was a peril from without, but he has also had perils from within, false brethren and every other hardness the tempter could muster against the saints of God. The Lord has helped him weather all these storms. God took his sweet wife, Sis. Sophia, last March. Bro. Jim lives with his daughter, Sis. Earlene at 520 Ely Road Chattanooga, Tennessee. Bro. Jim we hope the Lord will let you stay with us a long time to come for we love men like you who will tell it like it is "without fear nor favor".

Sis. Sarah Countryman wife of Don, from the SCENICLAND community, took seriously ill after coming with a little "bundle of joy" called Barbara Lori. She was so sick with a very high fever and hard chills she did not know anyone or anything. On the second night New Years Day a few saints gathered in and the Lord honored and her fever broke her chills stopped and Sis. Sarah is now doing fine.

Bro. Hodges Moore spent sixteen sleepless nights with a painful stomach ailment until one morning he called a few of God's people in to have prayer for him. The second prayer was successful with the Lord moving and Bro. Hodges has said since that prayer he is doing fine.

Bro. Robert "Rob" Smith, of the Free Hone community went to be with the Lord December 2nd, He was 84 years of age.

Bro. Johnny Honea finished his journey here on December 13^th, in his fiftieth year. He was from Keel Mountain.

Bro. Rocky Trotman from Old Sardis, passed away in the arms of the Lord, December 26^th, at the age of 15.

Bro. Virgil and Sis. Vera Trotman's son Bro. Rocky who passed away this last month was young in years but he will be long remembered. His faith and confidence in the Lord was beautiful to behold and through all his suffering (which was

much). You never heard him grumble nor complain. He endured it as a good soldier. We are happy that the Lord allowed Bro. Rocky to touch our lives while on his short journey here.

We want to thank every one for the lovely Christmas cards and letters and help we received over the holidays. We feel unworthy of all the wonderful love shown us.