January 12,1998
Dear Br. Gary:
There are occasions, in life, when reality suddenly becomes obvious, even to the dull-witted, like myself, forcing us to change both plans and attitudes. Sometimes this moment comes quietly, almost unobtrusively, easy to be missed or overlooked, while other times it arrives with the sound of a trumpet and much fanfare.
When we were living in Morristown, the church was only five minutes
from our apartment by car. For the first year and a half, we had
little problem finding a ride to church, Gary Himmelwright, who
lived in White Pine, at the time, was under the influence of the
Holy Spirit and was generous with his time.
However, when he moved to California, that option was no longer
available. For several months, we found it increasingly difficult
to attend church, even attempting to walk one Sabbath, but it
proved too far for Sevilla.
Then we started taking a taxicab to church. For six weeks, people
watched us come and go without offering any assistance, then one
Sabbath, I guess consciences began bothering our brothers and
sisters, for we had three offers of transportation.
Hearing the call of the Lord to move to the mountains, we settled
in Del Rio, nearly an hour from Morristown. Of course, if five
minutes was too far for people to travel to take us to church,
then an hour was impossible. Incidently, the one bright spot during
the next two years was your willingness to go the distance. Even
though your job prevented you from helping us, just the knowledge
of your willingness was an encouragement.
Desiring to remain in the mountains while attending church, we
moved to Mountain City, seventeen miles from the church and four
miles from the Pastor’s house. For the first several months,
we were able to go to church every Sabbath, then gradually, that
ceased also, until we are as bereft of transportation as we were
in Del Rio.
Considering our options, living in town is not one of them, we
looked toward Kentucky as our next destination, then reality dawned
on my cloudy brain.
As we near the end of time, men’s and women’s hearts
are growing cold to the influence of the Spirit. Decisions are
being made for eternity, those who serve God and those who serve
Him not are manifesting their true sentiments. The world is entering
a dark night of selfishness and misapprehension of God’s
righteous character and fewer of His children are representing
Him in and through their lives.
This is especially prevalent in the churches. While this may seem
strange to some people, I am sure you understand its causes and
significance. Satan, having secured the loyalty of most of the
secular world, turns his full attention upon those who profess
to serve God as the last hold outs to resist his influence and
supremacy. If he can corrupt the churches that are loyal to God,
then he can destroy their witness for the Savior, leaving the
world without a testimony to God’s true character.
It should not be surprising then that coldhearted, unloving people
fill the pews in our churches and attest to their attitude through
a careless indifference to the needs of others.
While monetary benevolence and generosity may actually increase,
this reflects, in part, at least, a desire to purchase our salvation
through our good works, while personal acts of generosity, that
require time and thought and personal involvement, become less
and less a factor in the spiritual life of professing Christians.
Thus we have the paradox of churches filled with worshipers who
donate generously to worth while causes but who are too busy to
give their brother and sister a ride to church.
However, there are bright spots in this dismal picture. I don’t
want to cause unnecessary temptations for you, but I also desire
to complement as well as criticize. You have a genuine spirit
of caring and a willingness to become personally involved in helping
others. I hope you will never let this spiritual gift of helps
languish through neglect.
The sudden realization, I spoke about earlier in this letter,
concerned our future opportunities to attend church. It became
clear to me last night, as I was emptying the garbage, (spiritual
insights often come to me at odd times and places,) that we can
no longer rely on people for a ride to church, but most depend
on our own abilities and resources.
Thus, the gulf car, that was originally purchased for recreational
purposes, takes on a new importance, and our future plans, for
relocating, must also change. With the modifications, I spoke
about in a previous letter, operating the gulf car will be safer
for us and others. Talking with the salesman, who sold us the
car, he intimated that if we make certain adjustments, especially
to the tail lights, we can secure a license and insurance which
certifies that the gulf car is road worthy.
The result of these modifications is the increased ability for
us to attend church without relying on people.
A second consideration, is to locate in an area where the roads
are accessible to our car and easily traveled. We must now consider
the distance from the church and the road conditions when selecting
a place to live.
At first glance, this may seem a disadvantage, but we regard it
more as a liberation then a hardship. For years, we have chaffed
under the restrictions imposed upon us by other’s whims or
fancies. Freedom to come and go as we desire, not as others dictate,
is a novel experience, one which we intend to grasp enthusiastically.
We believe that God has been leading us in this direction for
some time and He inspired you to help us obtain this goal through
your generosity in making it possible for us to secure a loan.
I might describe some of the modifications we are planning to
make. We are going to install turning signals, break lights, and
back up lights on the car in a position where they can be seen
easier. We are also installing a strobe light on the roof of the
car for ease of visibility. I think I mentioned earlier that we
are going to install doors to keep dogs out of the car who otherwise
might like to nibble on our toes as we motor down the road. Also
to be installed is a harness for Sevilla, for her protection against
falling out if there might be an accident and a device for her
to hang onto for greater security. We will also purchase a new
rain cover that encloses the entire car for use during inclement
weather. Other modifications include two large truck mirrors,
a carrying basket on the rear of the car, and an additional bright
orange bicycle flag for those blind motorists who can’t see.
As I told the sales man, I want this car so visible that even
blind people can see it.
Unfortunately, while we can improve the safety of the car, I can’t
do much about my sight, however, the Lord can protect us while
on the road. If He wants us in church on Sabbath mornings, then
we may confidently ask for His protection.
As time grows shorter, selfishness increases alarmingly until
a sharp distinction is drawn between the righteous and unrighteous.
Every day, we see evidences that this line is growing stronger
and clearer.
Let us both pray that the Lord will reveal our unrighteous traits
of character, giving us the opportunity to repent of them and
receive His victory that we may not be found wanting in the time
of the final judgment.
May God bless you, my friend, with many opportunities to exercise
your spiritual gifts. Your brother in Christ.
Allen A. Benson