Fried catfish filets were the main course with side dishes of cole slaw and potato salad, white bread and shrimp pasta along with soft drinks and sweet tea.
Plenty of food and hunters and in all shapes and sizes.
No one went hungry. We all left this evening with more than full stomachs. We took leftovers home to eat tomorrow. We left with door prizes.
Rusty strains his eyes trying to read the winning number
Granddaddy, did we win something?
But even more we left with Rusty's testimony as he shared with us the recent trial he and his family had survived.
Russ shares his testimony about the richness of God's blessings
Rusty was hunting in 2006 when he experienced a serious heart attack. He could easily have died if not for a string of seemingly unrelated and 'fortunate coincidences'. There was the four wheeler parked just close enough for Russ to reach it, there was a phone call answered by his brother just in the nick of time , there was a sister-in-law waiting in her driveway with the motor running waiting for him, and at the emergency room there was a relative who rushed Russ past the usual ER obstacles, quickly getting him to the care that he needed.
Rusty soon found himself in the ambulance, westward bound toward a hospital in Raleigh. In the darkness of that night Russ watched and listened to the monitors that kept the EMT's informed about his conditon. He didn't know what the night would bring, but he did experience the peace beyond understanding that is available to all Christians who call on the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Rusty, a Christian since the age of 17, had no way of knowing if he would live or die. But he did know that his eternal soul was in the hands of Jesus and that one way or the other, he would see his family again, and he rested in that blessed assurance.
Russ never got around to telling us whether the doe he shot that night ever made it to the weigh in. Nor did we find out if he placed in the big game hunt that he had entered on that weekend in 2006. But the importance of these details fades in the light of the fact that Rusty was with us tonight and we shared a meal with him and his family. Rusty, his wife, Angela, and their two boys, Brandon and Brody have all shared important leadership roles in the life of our church and our church would not be the same without the gifts of service that each of them have contributed.
Rusty's Faith and sense of duty were strengthened when his life was spared. He is sure that God is not finished with him yet and that he is here for reason. We all know that this is true, and furthermore, we all have been spared thus far and are here for a reason.The message tonight was, "Don't waste time. Life is short. Let's busy ourselves about the Lord's work." Amen.
Follow this blog
