Experiences of God's little Children  Essential Baptist Principles™ 'Knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:'

9/1/2004

Dear Brethren and Sisters,

I received the following post yesterday from Sister Brenda Fordham (wife of Bro. Burney Fordham) and she has given me permission to share it.  It brought tears to my eyes and I believe you will rejoice in it also.  May the Lord bless each of you with a good weekend in the Lord.

In Christian love,
Bro. Ralph

I loved reading this little message this morning, I was raised a full-fledged Missionary Baptist and so were my first two children and the rest of my siblings and their families. After I married Burney and went to the Old Baptist Church I stood steadfast in "my beliefs" and thought what a convenient religion he had, you get to do whatever you want to in life and if you are his elect you still get to go to heaven to be with the LordThis could "not" be true, because I was always taught to do good and "accept" the Lord, I was baptized at 8 years old. My Daddy was a very religious man, he loved the Lord and it showed in his daily life, we were in church every Sunday morning, night, Wednesday night prayer meeting, G.A.s and every function they hadbut I never remember being taught predestination and electionso when the Old Baptist Elders began preaching it on my visits to Burneys Church, like I said I stood fast in my own beliefs and continued to go anyway because I felt it best that Burney, myself and the child we had together should go to church together as a family, my other two children were already grown and on their ownover time I began to question my beliefs, the Bible always seemed to contradict itself before, but these Elders could prove what they were saying in verses from the "Good Book" and one day the Lord opened my eyes and I could see very clearly that what I had been taught, by very wonderful people in my life, I might add, was wrongthat the Bible taught here and eternity and what I had been taught was just eternity, everything I did was based on what would happen to me in the here after, so of course thats why the Bible seem to contradict itself to me, because I remember reading that nothing could take you from Gods hands, nothinglots of things the Missionary Baptist belief in his teachings are meant eternal, they read the Bible literally and not distinguish here and eternity as they shouldone verse comes to mind, "I stand at the door and knock" that was taught to me as I have to "accept the Lord" while he is knocking or else I am doomed to hell fire for eternity, what I understand now is that he came to give "His Elect" life and have it more abundantly and we can have that (abundant life) if we follow in his teaching and be obedient while we are here and he will be with us every step of the way and that nothing, no works that I can do will get me anywhere, good or bad, except that I be under condemnation while I am "here" and not eternally in HellI use to go to bed at night and say my "Thankful, and Forgive Me Prayers" as I call them and would feel so down hearted because I had sinned that day (usually losing my temper) and thought to myself, "Im never going to get this right, I thought I had to be "sin free" in order to go to heaven and I was not "sin free"as I look back I think to myself what a joke!LOLI will never be "sin free" while I am herealthough it was very real to me then anyway, my point is that I still dont know how to explain, the right way, what my beliefs are now when I am asked by my familyso when you send these wonderful messages to me and passages from the Bible to back them up, I love to send them to my first two children and to my sisters, they say what I want to say but dont know howso thank you Bro. Ralph, Im not trying to change my familys church, I just dont want them to go to bed at night thinking another day came and went and they still did something wrong and are going to HellI just want them to feel the same peace inside as I do that there is "nothing" I can or cannot do that will erase or add my name to the Lambs Book Of Lifeit was sealed its a done deal! Jesus has "already" taken care of thatthat love overwhelms me and is almost unbelievable at timesas I am, of course, "so" unworthy in any way, shape, form, or fashionjust "very grateful" that he does loves me and still continues to bless me and my family daily even as unworthy as we arehe is so good to usagain thanks for this message this morningIm so glad that the "Good Lord" blesses you to write these messages, we already know the truth but its like a good song we might love, its good to hear it "over and over" again, I never tire of hearing itwe at Red Hill are very blessed also with an Elder ( Jack Anderson) that the Good Lord blesses to reminds us of who we are and why we are, and of "His" love for usmay God continue to bless you and yours

Sis. Brenda