Margie and Terry Brest at Mount Carmel during BRM’s 9th Holy Land Adventure.
4/10/52 – 8/20/18
Terry Brest first became involved at Bill Rudge Ministries in 1979. He served as a volunteer for several years with our Teen Life and Kids Life outreaches. His busy schedule as supervisor at Mercer County Children & Youth Services required a temporary leave of absence. In 2003 Terry returned to the ministry and continued helping until the day of his unexpected death.
Terry served God at Bill Rudge Ministries in so many ways! He regularly picked up the mail at the Post Office, made bank deposits, ran frequent errands, helped with yard work, did proofreading and Biblical research, was a prayer intercessor, did hospital visitation, took trunk loads of clothes and supplies to local missions and ministries, packed boxes of books for our World Literature Outreach, took Bill to and from the airport for speaking engagements or mission trips, assisted with school assemblies and helped set up for obstacle course events – and did it all with a servant’s heart. Needless to say, Terry will be greatly missed and hard to replace.
Bill Rudge and Terry in Jerusalem three years before Terry passed.
Terry, along with his wife Margie who is carrying on, were faithful prayer intercessors for the Bill Rudge Ministries. Terry was often found praying alone in the prayer room or with the prayer team on Tuesdays. Terry and Margie’s servant hearts for the Lord have been a great help and support to the ministry in countless ways. They were both a joy to have on our 9th Holy Land Adventure.
Excerpting three of the many responses we received when they learned of Terry’s passing:
“Terry was a true follower of Yeshua. His kindness will be greatly missed. Shalom Shalom” Sheree Zippay
“Terry left some good memories for all of us who knew him and worked alongside him. He was the epitome of the faithful servant – always willing to do the least job, quiet and humble. He loved Margie and the Lord and the BRM. He now walks beside his Lord.” Gert Wooten
“Terry loved God and he loved the ministry. He loved reaching out and touching lives with the Word of God. Terry’s most memorable journey in life was the trip to Israel with your ministry. He always yearned to return to that land! Forever missing my sweet brother.” Diana Brest
We rejoice that Terry is now with the Lord he loved so strongly but miss his gentle spirit and willingness to serve in any way possible. After Terry died, Bill asked Margie why he loved the ministry so much. She replied, “Terry loved God and he loved to be around people who loved God and he knew you loved God.”
In Terry’s Words –
“I have found Bill and Karen to be a ministry of integrity and obedience. Bill and Karen not only speak and teach the Word, but first live and demonstrate the Word in their daily lives. They have an unwavering passion, determination and commitment to be wise and faithful stewards before God and man and for God to be glorified and His will done in their lives and ministry. This is a multi-faceted international ministry that impacts thousands of lives to bring individuals into the image and life of Christ Jesus. I believe the Bill Rudge Ministries is one of the most complete ministries I have witnessed in that they minister to the multi-faceted issues and needs of children, adolescents, adults, families and churches. They also reinforced our understanding of the importance of obedience and commitment, stewardship, nutrition and fasting and reaching our maximal potential in Christ to glorify God.”
Who would have thought that a yearbook photo would open the door to a lifetime relationship? Karen Blair went to Hickory High School, Bill Rudge to Sharon. One night, however, Karen was with some friends at a party in Hermitage when Bill and some friends from Ohio walked in uninvited. Apparently, Karen caught Bill’s eye because he invited her for a short walk outside where he said he would “take her on a date sometime,” though he never followed through with his promise.
Then it happened. Several weeks later, Karen learned that a photo of her selling tickets at the Columbia Theatre to Sharon High School’s senior class vice president and his date was printed in Sharon’s High School yearbook. Wanting to see the photo, her mother took her to the Rudges because both Karen’s and Bill’s sisters were in Debulets (a baton twirling group) together. When Bill saw Karen he said, “Hey, I asked you out at that party. Do you still want to go?” “Sure,” she replied, and that was the beginning.
In January 1971, after dating regularly for about six months, Karen became a Christian. Bill, however, didn’t want anything to do with God and decided to hitchhike across the country. God, in His faithfulness, pursued him and on May 23, after returning home, Bill gave his life to Christ. A few weeks after his conversion, on June 5, 1971, Bill and Karen ran away and were married. That was 50 years ago, and so the story continues!
Bill Rudge football picture in the high school yearbook.
Bill’s picture (left) appeared in the football section of that yearbook underneath the team photo. The caption beside his picture exemplified other experiences that shaped Bill’s life: “In late August, the football team began its two-a-day workouts, which lasted for two torturous weeks. The air was filled with the most terrifying grunts and groans as the players were pushed to the brink of exhaustion ….
Bill Rudge and Bob Davis sparring at Mt. Vernon YMCA in 1975.
The seeds of faith that Bill Rudge planted in the 1970s bore fruit when one Sunday morning Bob Davis laid down his gun and decided to go to church. That very day he found salvation.
It has been 10 years this month since Bob Davis’ plan to end his life was foiled. Bob tells it this way:
In the summer of 2007, my wife Sally had started going to a local church in Mount Vernon, Ohio (Grace Community) but I chose not to go. I had started planning my own demise early in 2007 as I was just fed up with life. About two miles outside of town in the semi-flat farmland is a beautiful road known as Green Valley Road.
There is a one-mile stretch that is straight and then does a very hard 90-degree right turn. At the end of the straight stretch was a very large old tree and I figured that 85 miles per hour into that tree would solve all my problems. I decided to do a test run and much to my dismay discovered the tree had been cut down.
Later that summer, September 16 to be exact, after my wife Sally had gone to church, I headed out of town with one 9mm round that I had hand-loaded into my gun and written my name on with a Sharpie pen. As I reached the edge of town I suddenly began to wonder, “What am I trying to prove?” I turned around and headed to Grace Community Church. Three times I stopped but got there just as the service began. After the service I met with the pastor and found salvation.
Later that day the church was having a dinner in the park, which happened to be across the street from our house. I approached the pastor and gave him my “personalized 9mm round” which he still has and uses its story to help others.
Bob says there were three important “seed planters” in his life – his grandmother, his friend Jerry, and Bill Rudge. Bob’s grandmother planted seeds of faith throughout his life and often told her grandson that she knew he would be saved. However, she died in the 1980s and, unfortunately, did not live to see his conversion.
In the 1960s, Bob’s best friend Jerry asked him to join him in starting a band. Bob played the drums and Jerry sang in what evolved into the very successful band, Nomads. Jerry was another Christian who was a seed planter in Bob’s life.
It was in the mid-1970s that Bob met Bill Rudge. Bob was seeking a karate instructor at the time. When a friend told him about Bill, he said, “Who’s Bill Rudge?” Bob’s friend replied that Bill was a student at Mt. Vernon Bible College so Bob drove out to Bill and Karen’s mobile home right away. He took lessons from Bill who tried to “turn him onto Christ” but Bob says he didn’t care to hear about God at that time. Bill and Bob practiced martial arts together for several months as Bill continued to plant seeds of faith. These seeds took some time to grow but they did grow.
Bill graduated from Bible college and moved to North Carolina and then Pennsylvania. Bill would visit Bob every so often and give him the latest books he had written. Bob continued his martial arts training and became a Black Belt instructor before quitting years later.
Bob has experienced much pain in his life. Four of his six stepchildren have died, two before Bob became a Christian. His son, Kerry, was involved in drugs and committed suicide soon after he had an argument with Bob. In 1997, his son Greg died from lung cancer, 13 years after he was cured of thymus gland cancer. Bob became a Christian before his son Ted died of a heart attack in 2008. Then, on January 13, 2015, his daughter Gretchen died suddenly at work. An autopsy revealed a previously undetected defective heart valve. Over 1300 people attended her calling hours.
Earlier this year Bob had been praying that God would give him a sign that He was still with him. The next morning Bill unexpectedly showed up at Bob and Sally’s house in Mount Vernon. Bill had “suddenly” changed travel plans because he felt led to see Bob. In hindsight, Bob realizes that God has always had His hand on him and is grateful for the part that Bill Rudge has played in his life. Bob commented that Bill and Karen are two of the most faithful he has ever met and he thanks these “farmers” – sowers of seeds.
But Bill is even more amazed by the way Jesus has transformed Bob’s life. God’s grace has kept Bob and Sally steadfast through all their trials and tribulations. In spite of the many heartaches, Bob and Sally Davis faithfully serve Jesus Christ as they excitedly await His soon return.
Kc Hutter, another good friend of this ministry for several year, shares her journey through the death of her beloved son.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “You’ve come a long way baby?” Well that is where I happened to be Christmas of 1997. Far from the cold of North Dakota, I lived in beautiful sunny San Diego. I had a wonderful Christian husband and my two sons were both married to wonderful women.
All my husband Jerry and I had to worry about was finding a yacht to fill the empty boat slip in front of our home. We attended a couples’ Bible study, were active in our church, and I also attended a women’s Bible study. Had it made in the shade … just where I had planned my life to be while I was riding a tractor and doing farm work on my uncle’s farm in North Dakota. Little did I know that there was a storm brewing that would take my very heart and soul so far out in the sea that my anchor could only touch for a very few minutes, now and then.
Oh, yes, my sons were both doing well. The oldest son, Del, was a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force and was stationed with Beth and my three grandchildren in Germany. Cameron, my youngest son, had taken over our family car rental business that he and I had been building for the last seven years … oh, yes, life was perfect.
That perfect life lasted only four months. It was not fair, I told myself for the next four years. Life is just not fair! But I was to find out that the Lord God is fair and He was and still is in total control of my life. I do praise the Lord Jesus Christ for all His comfort. When no person or thing could still my broken heart, He did. Through the long, long, long hours, days, months, and years to come I would repeat the words of the song, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.”
On Monday, May 7th, 1998, Susan, our daughter-in-law called and said, “I’m a little worried about Cam. Last Friday he had his teeth cleaned and his gums are still bleeding. His nose was even dripping a little blood.” I wasn’t worried about that, as Cam was 6 foot 4 inches tall and had never been sick with anything serious. I remarked, “Maybe he’s anemic; he might need some iron.” Cam left work and drove his little black Porsche, which he raced on Sunday afternoons, to the doctor for a blood test.
Tuesday, Susan called me at Cam’s and my office where I was working and said she was driving Cam to the hospital as they wanted more blood work.
On Wednesday when I walked into his hospital room, there on his small bed was Cameron and his beautiful wife, Susan. Instead of picking out baby names for the child to be born in six months, they were talking about his acute leukemia. He had only had it one week. His chances were better than 70% that by his 33rd birthday in September he would be cured and life would be wonderful again. As I walked out to my car, it just seemed like a bad dream. I called everyone I knew and said to pray for Cameron. That Wednesday morning I had stopped at my women’s Bible study group and passed a picture of Susan and Cam at their wedding, and we ladies prayed for him.
On Thursday Cam had a beautiful white dove on his windowsill at the hospital. Friday, Cam wanted to go to the first race of the Porsche season, but instead his doctor gave him a ride by ambulance to Scripps Green Hospital where he was to have the best doctors in the world.
Saturday, Jerry and I went to see Cam and he was in a good mood. He was excited about his baby to be born in October. I told him that since tomorrow was Mother’s Day I would buy a couple of cute outfits for Susan, from him.
Sunday, Mother’s Day, Jerry and I took Jerry’s mother, Ruth, along to the hospital to see Cam. I did not know that day would be the last day I would look into Cam’s big beautiful blue eyes.
Early Monday morning I was sitting at my desk and it seemed God said, “GO TO CAMERON.” I told Ed to watch the office and I headed to Scripps with the Bible verse that says God has plans for us, plans to give us a future and hope, typed to place on his bed stand. When I walked into his room, his left eye was black and blue. Standing by his bed, I prayed the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd Psalm.
Something seemed very wrong. I talked to the doctor on duty to see why Cam did not respond to my voice. She said that he had been a little restless and they had given him some sedatives. She told me, “Don’t worry he will be OK.” I went back to his bedside and his long arm came up to touch his swollen left eye. I grabbed his hand and I told him, “The Lord is here, Mom is here, and you’re going to be OK.” He held my hand tight and gave me three strong tugs, like he was confirming what I had told him. That was my last communication with Cam. I reached up to touch his hair and as I ran my fingers through his hair, there was the death sweat. I called to the nurse that had just walked into the room, “Call the doctor, this kid is not all right.” All at once one doctor, two, three … it all went so fast. An oxygen mask went over his face and the group hurried him out of the room for a brain scan.
There I stood in his empty room when Susan, Valerie, her best friend, and Sandra walked into the room. It seemed hours before the doctor came back into Cam’s room and told the four of us to call the family. Cam’s brain was hemorrhaging in seven places. Within twenty-four hours Cam was dead.
During those last hours, life was a blur. Jerry and I would be by his bedside and then in the hospital chapel praying that the Lord would heal Cam so that he could hold his baby. We were on our faces, on our knees. That was not to be, as Cam’s spirit left him in the early morning hours.
All I could pray for the next two years was, “Jesus, Jesus.” Nicole had given me a plaque that read: “ Do not let go of the hope you cherish and confess. Seize it and hold it tight. Put your hope in what I have promised you. For I am reliable, trustworthy, and faithful to My Word” (Hebrews 10:23). I read this over and over and still my only prayer was, “Jesus, Jesus.” That is as far as my mind could take me.
Working with Cam for the last seven years, I would put books and tapes on his big wood desk almost every month. I told Cam many times, “It is not important how many cars we have on rent, but that we will be together in Heaven.” Sometimes the books would disappear completely. Sometimes they ended up back on my desk.
One day as I was leaving the office, Cam held up a book with a blue cover and a picture of a young Billy Graham on the cover. “Mom, there is a chapter in this book that I believe completely. As a matter of fact, I’m going to take it home and have Susan read it.” I called Susan after Cam died and asked her if she could find the book and bring it to me the next time she came to see me. The book was still in his car. It is entitled The Faithful Christian. One of Cam’s business cards was marking a chapter The Answer. It is a most beautiful chapter and was a great blessing and encouragement to me.
Still the words that Pastor Miles had uttered, “Cam is on the fence,” were haunting me. One night after I had finished work I fell to the floor in Cam’s office and cried to the Lord to give me some sign that Cam was with Him. The next morning an unbelievable thing happened. Kelley, a pilot’s wife in Australia wrote to my oldest son, Del, in Germany. That letter and another from Kelley’s friend Jill, who had also been praying for Cam, had been E-mailed to him. He read me the most beautiful words a mother can hear.
Kelley wrote:
During my prayer time for Cam, I envisioned Jesus coming to Cam while he was in a coma and asking him, “Why have you kicked against Me and denied Me for so long?” And Cameron responding, “My God, You really are He! Why would I choose anything else, I choose to go with You, Jesus.”
I received many wonderful cards and letters following Cam’s death. All these things were like harbor lights to my little boat being tossed in the waves. The only person I let pray for me and with me, except my sweet Jerry, was Bill Rudge. What a faithful brother and friend he was and still is. Bill went to the gravesite with Jerry and me on the second anniversary of Cam’s going home to heaven. Tears by the bottle. I could not go to the gravesite as I would wail until the very veins in my nose would break and the blood would run all over my baby’s grave. Yes, even at the young age of 32, he was my baby.
For many years following, I could not take my eyes off my grief. All my hopes and dreams for the future were gone ― destroyed in one week. Then one day Bill Rudge walked into my office and gave me a set of praying hands. The hands were made of olive wood from Jerusalem. Bill also penned these words, which hang on my wall today:
The Lord spoke to my heart to give you these praying hands from the old city of Jerusalem. The Lord impressed that they should remind you to keep praying and trusting. Restoration. One day your hands and Cameron’s will be together again. Look up, just as the fingers of the hands point heavenward, always keep your eyes on Jesus.
God is Faithful in the Pain and Tears
We live in a hurting world and need to be aware of our friends that need to know about God’s love. My life has been changed forever. My boat will never be tied to the dock again. But my Savior has me on a lake where I can fish for men and women to tell them Cam’s story. Through all the tragedy and pain and tears God has been faithful.
Bill Rudge called to ask if “Cam Is In Heaven” would be a good title for this story. I asked him, “How did you remember?” Bill said, “Remember what?” I responded, “On Cam’s headstone it reads, ‘CAM IS IN HEAVEN.’ ”
As a new Christian Bill Rudge worked at a quick lube place changing oil. He made sure every car had a tract on its dashboard before it left Pit Stop.
One day a man who just had his oil changed noticed a tract about Jesus on his dashboard as he drove out. He was livid. He turned off his engine and came back in shouting, “Who put this tract in my car? I am a Jew. I do not want to hear about Jesus!” When he got back in his car, it would not start.
A few years later Karen Rudge was instrumental in this man’s daughter Sheree accepting Yeshua (Jesus) as her Messiah. Sheree became Bill Rudge Ministries’ first staff member. (We did not realize until later it was her father, Dexter, who had yelled at Bill years earlier.) Dexter listened in on a conversation between Karen and Sheree as they talked about Jesus. Karen remembers him interrupting the call and yelling, “You will see when the Messiah comes, He will not have nail prints in His hands!”
A few years later, Dexter’s oldest daughter Carolyn attended church with Sheree. During the service Carolyn had a vision of the Messiah. His hands were stretched out and she saw nail prints in them. She accepted Jesus as her Messiah. Both sisters consider themselves “completed” Jews, having accepted Yeshua as the promised Jewish Messiah.
Exactly 40 years later Bill had the opportunity to visit Dexter in the hospital. Bill prayed for him in Yeshua’s name and was invited to visit him in his home after he got out of the hospital. When Bill walked into his house, Dexter extended his hand and said, “You are my friend.” He told Bill he was a Marine during World War II and that he had killed people. He asked God for forgiveness.
Bill shared about the love and forgiveness of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Bill talked about the messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Bible fulfilled by Yeshua and the ones that will be fulfilled when Yeshua returns and sets up His millennial kingdom. Before leaving, Bill once again prayed in Yeshua’s name, and Dexter invited Bill to come back anytime. Bill had several more opportunities to share with him and his lovely Jewish wife, Florine. They both listened intently as the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament clearly revealed Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah, and they were given hope concerning heaven and eternity.
On Dexter’s birthday, July 22, 2013, a good friend of the family prayed with Dexter and Florine to receive Yeshua as their Messiah and Savior. Two years later, Dexter went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God is amazing and awesome! Forty years earlier Dexter cursed Bill for even mentioning that name and forty years later he allowed Bill to pray for him and proclaim salvation in Jesus’ name.
There is much more to tell about the amazing conversion of this Jewish couple, but that will have to wait for a future time…or perhaps until we meet them in eternity.
A tragic death, a miracle in Santa Fe, Divine intervention and protection – that only God could orchestrate!
The tragic death of my seven-year-old brother and the miracle in Santa Fe were two critical factors in my salvation and the formation of this ministry. God is so faithful to orchestrate life’s circumstances for a cause beyond our comprehension.
Miracle in Santa Fe
Bill hitchhiking out West
At the age of 18, I decided that whatever I was looking for had to be somewhere other than in Pennsylvania. I thought I would find what was missing in my life out West. Or maybe I was running from the God my girlfriend, Karen, kept telling me about. All I knew for sure was I had to get away. So, in May 1971, a weightlifting buddy and I hitchhiked west, hoping to pick up a “hot” (stolen) motorcycle in Albuquerque and ride it to California. As we left Sharon, I remember my parents trying to talk me out of the trip and Karen crying, but I was determined to go. Karen’s Jesus was hindering my lifestyle! I liked to fight, steal, gamble and party, but rarely experimented with drugs or got drunk because I considered that unhealthy and I was into working out.
Having learned how to read maps from my southern trip of the previous year, I determined our course. We hitched rides from all types of people; one was a businessman who picked us up near Akron, Ohio. Before I knew it, he was witnessing to me about Jesus! Now, I am running away from Sharon and a religious fanatic girlfriend to escape from Jesus, and I run right into this religious nut who wears a suit and a tie and is telling me about Jesus! He knew from my reaction that I did not want to hear about this Jesus, so when he discovered I was going to New Mexico he said, “I know some monks in New Mexico and they will feed you.” He wrote a note, sealing it in an envelope with their address on it. Then he said, “Give this envelope to the monks and they will take care of you.” I stuck it in my duffel bag.
I thought, “I am never going to see some dumb religious monks,” but being curious, I opened the note to read it before I threw it away. It said, “These boys are deeply troubled. Please pray for their souls.” I decided to keep the note after all, just in case we needed to go there and get food.
In Columbus we were picked up by a guy in his late teens or early twenties. He opened his glove compartment and pulled out a Bible. I thought, “Here we go again! I can’t get away from it!” But when he opened his Bible, there was a hole cut out of the center with a stash of marijuana hidden there. (Who would ever think of looking inside a Bible if the cops picked him up?) We thought that was really cool so we all shared a joint together.
Continuing our way west, we were stranded in many cities, drenched from rain, caught in storms, had no money, were dirty and often hungry (unless we could steal some food or someone fed us), but we loved it. Everything we had was inside our duffel bags. In Oklahoma City, we were hit by a terrible storm. We put on our plastic ponchos and lay on an embankment to keep from being blown away. The winds were so high – like a tornado – that we had to crawl into the back of a semi-truck.
You can imagine all the things two teens might encounter on such a trip, and I think we experienced them all! After only two days and nights on the road and many adventures, we reached the hippie commune in Albuquerque. Upon inquiring as to the whereabouts of my brother Larry, they informed me he was not there. He had left the previous day to go swimming at some springs, somewhere in the mountains about a hundred miles away. No one there had any idea where he was or when he would be back (no such thing as cell phones then).
We decided to hitchhike to Santa Fe, over 50 miles northeast of Albuquerque. After walking about three miles we caught a ride that took us straight into Santa Fe. We heard on the car radio the temperature that night would plunge to 25 degrees – a record low for that time of year. Anticipating warm weather out west in May, all I had was a short-sleeved shirt and a plastic poncho.
Our ride dropped us off in Santa Fe, and with darkness setting in, we wandered the cobblestone streets seeking a place to spend the night; it seemed the whole town had closed down. Finally, we found an open bar, but were turned away because we were under-age. I asked if we could just go inside long enough to get out of the cold and find someone to put us up for the night. The person running the bar could not have cared less and assured me that without proper ID we were not allowed in. The bar was now closing and no one leaving was willing to let us sleep on their floor for the night. It was getting later and colder as our hope faded, not knowing where to turn. Fear gripped our hearts as we faced the reality of a very cold night with no shelter.
Suddenly, hope came alive again. Seemingly out of nowhere, down that narrow street came a small, yellow, foreign-made car with four long-haired hippies and a German shepherd with his head out the window. We began to wave and yell hoping they would stop. The driver started yelling, “That’s my brother, that’s my brother!” Rick, the hippie in the front seat said, “Larry, that is not your brother, we are brothers.” Larry responded, “Yes we are Rick, but that is my blood brother.” Rick responded, “That is impossible!” The car turned around and screeched to a halt in front of us.
My brother, Larry, was supposed to be swimming in the mountains 100 miles away and did not even know I was in New Mexico. Yet, there in the small town of Santa Fe, on a narrow side street, the God who knew I would one day give my life to Him, intervened and saved our lives.
We all scrunched into that small car and soon all six of us were hanging out the windows. We drove to where my brother and his friends were staying. It never entered my mind that God had just saved my life, as we all smoked some marijuana and talked about how unbelievable tonight’s events were.
Larry and three other hippie friends from the commune had hitchhiked up to Jemez Hot Springs (about 60 miles by road north of Albuquerque and 70 plus miles west of Santa Fe). After sleeping outside there one night, the Park Rangers kicked them out of the Hot Springs early the next evening. They, along with an abandoned German Shepherd Larry found, were hitchhiking back to Albuquerque. Unable to get a ride, they crossed the road and began hitchhiking toward Santa Fe because cars coming out of the mountains were getting scarce. To their surprise, a young female schoolteacher stopped and squeezed Larry, his buddies and the dog into her small car and took them to her house in Santa Fe. She let them sleep on her floor that night. The next morning she made breakfast for all of them, then said to Larry, “Please watch over my house. You guys aren’t going to trash my house and steal my TV and other items?” Larry promised they would not.
This single female teacher left them a note stating she would be back at noon and that they were welcome to wait at her house. When she came home, she gave her keys to Larry, saying they could use the car to see Santa Fe for the rest of the day. One of the guys suggested they steal her car and drive back to Albuquerque, but Larry wanted to keep his promise to return her car. It was later that night as Larry was driving the teacher’s car back to her house with his three friends and the German Shepherd that he saw me and my buddy on the street and saved our lives.
The defroster was not working so the front windshield was fogged up with just a little spot for Larry to see out. My brother would have never recognized me if the side windows were not down. We would have passed like two ships in the night. So why were the windows down in such cold weather? Because Larry found an abandoned German Shepherd he named Gonzo, and they had been feeding him Mexican beans all day. Gonzo had terrible gas. So God used the dog’s gas for those windows to be down. God uses the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak things to confound the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27).
That night at the schoolteacher’s house, Larry explained that he would not be able to get us a motorcycle. The following day, my buddy and I headed back to Pennsylvania, while Larry and his buddies and the dog hitchhiked back to Albuquerque. None of us would ever see that teacher again. I often wondered why she picked up four guys and a dog by herself and let them stay in her house and borrow her car? I cannot remember that young teacher’s name, but I will never forget what she did for us.
Monks in New Mexico
Although it was way off the road, on the way back home we decided to visit the Benedictine Monks, hoping to get some food. I gave them the envelope given to me in Akron, and they fed us well and prayed for us. Before leaving, the monks gave us some literature, including a tract titled The New Birth, and another one on the Spirit-filled life. Sitting along the highway trying to get a ride, I had nothing better to do, so I read the literature. The New Birth explained what it meant to be a Christian. It was interesting, and for the first time Christianity made sense, but neither of us was ready.
Failing to catch a ride, we climbed a fence and crossed a short section of land with dense shrubs to get to another highway. Our legs were cut up from cactus, and we were very thirsty. The few cars that came by would not stop. Finally, a man in a truck did pick us up and took us into a small city. Then, trying to hitch a ride out of this city, the local police picked us up and said if we hitchhiked anymore they would put us in jail. Having no money, my new strategy was to stay at this restaurant with a gas station, and ask the people who came in for a ride. It worked, as a truck driver got us out of that city.
Back to Pennsylvania and Karen
We encountered many more adventures along the way, but were really happy to be back home. The first thing I did was to call Karen and head over to see her. It happened to be Sunday, so her response after our reunion was, “Bill, there’s going to be a fantastic evangelist speaking in Youngstown, Ohio tonight. I want you to come with me.” The last thing I wanted to do on my first night back was to spend it in church hearing about Jesus. I said, “Karen, take your religion and shove it.” She persisted. I wanted nothing to do with her Jesus, but she looked so beautiful that I finally agreed to go.
That night my life was dramatically and forever changed by Jesus Christ, but that is an entirely new story.
God’s Intervention and Protection
During my lifetime, I have faced numerous dangerous and hopeless circumstances, but God has intervened to make the seemingly impossible, possible! Three of my journals (Taming of Godzilla, The Impossible, and Adventures in Missions) document hundreds of miraculous accounts of God’s amazing intervention, protection and provision.
As a youth, a vicious German Shepherd dog attacked me while I was riding a bike. I was nearly killed jumping onto a moving train and almost drowned after jumping off a train trestle. While hitchhiking out West, I nearly froze to death in New Mexico. Shortly thereafter, as a new Christian, I was almost blinded when a car battery exploded in my face. Years later, I was just about shot at a cult complex in West Virginia and almost killed three different times in Colorado. I was bitten by a brown recluse spider and twice swarmed by yellow jackets.
With no money or facilities, my wife and I started what was to become an international outreach ministry. Stepping out in total faith and obedience, the Lord enabled us to build ministry centers valued at over a million dollars without paying any interest. During the 10 years we sponsored outdoor outreaches for Teen Life and Kids Life, God kept us from ever being rained out –sometimes through amazing weather events. The Lord has accomplished 100% of what He has led me to do.
Many times, mission opportunities the Lord led me to undertake seemed impossible to carry out. Airline strikes, rioting, protests, coup attempts, rockets being fired, threats of invasion, extreme weather conditions, epidemics, near-tragic accidents, dangers and unplanned circumstances stood in the way. But God faithfully intervened to make the way and provide protection in every situation.
I have been threatened, attacked, put on “hit lists,” had spells put on me, heard prophesies for my destruction, caught in situations of extreme danger, surrounded by hostile people, terrorized in an Arab country, and stranded in Haiti, India and Nigeria. God protected me, our interpreter and the witch doctor I led to Christ from being murdered by three angry men armed with machetes and a lead pipe. I was the target of a failed robbery attempt in Lagos, Nigeria; caught up in a riot in Greece; and smuggled in and out of a country where it was forbidden to share the Gospel under penalty of prison or death.
My son and I were almost run over and killed by a bus in the Himalayas. On another occasion, I, and those traveling with me in the Himalayan Mountains, nearly went over the edge in a Jeep. Following a speaking engagement in Jerusalem, I stood in the exact spot where 23 hours later the first female suicide bomber detonated herself. I was escorted across Egypt by armed guards in a caravan of armed vehicles due to the high risk of terrorism. Over the years, I was in several Middle East countries during threatened attacks against U.S. citizens. My wife and I faced great peril in the California wildfires. My family survived a violent four-vehicle collision in Oregon which totaled the station wagon we were riding in following a speaking engagement in British Columbia. I personally survived several bad vehicle accidents.
These aforementioned examples of seemingly impossible and life-threatening circumstances are not all I have faced, merely highlights of just a few. There is no doubt that the God of the Bible intervened, protected, delivered and brought ultimate victory through them all! All serve to validate the reality and faithfulness of the Lord whom I wholeheartedly seek to serve and glorify in every aspect of my life. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 15:17-18: “Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me….”
The preceding is an excerpt from Bill’s new book, The Impossible, which also includes his testimony, The Taming of Godzilla.
A tragic death, a miracle in Santa Fe, Divine intervention and protection – that only God could orchestrate!
The tragic death of my seven-year-old brother and the miracle in Santa Fe were two critical factors in my salvation and the formation of this ministry. God is so faithful to orchestrate life’s circumstances for a cause beyond our comprehension.
On July 4, 1963, the Rudge reunion was at Lake Milton in Ohio. That day, my little brother Jeffrey Lynn, who had just turned seven, was spotted standing on the edge of the pier staring into the lake. Later that night, I heard my parents talking about how relieved they were that he had not fallen in and drowned.
The very next day, July 5, I was playing on Logan Avenue with my friends when I heard an ambulance siren blaring. Something spoke to my heart that I should run home. I arrived just as Jeffrey was being carried out of a neighbor’s house on an ambulance cot – blood all over his body and head. The sight was so traumatic that my mind has blocked a clear visual image.
A playmate of Jeffrey’s called him several times to go with her for ice cream, so my mother reluctantly let him go. The little girl’s uncle dropped Jeffrey off about 7:15 p.m. on the opposite side of West State Street, across from our house. Why did he not pull into our driveway? Why would he let a little boy out of his car on the opposite side of a busy street to cross by himself? There are so many questions that we can never answer until we ourselves cross over into eternity.
Walking by himself to the front of the car, and barely able to see over the hood made it difficult for Jeffrey to see a car coming down the hill, as well as him being hidden from the driver. In addition, the sun shone brightly down West State Street directly into Jeffrey’s face. He did not even see the car speeding down the steep hill.
Jeffrey ran into the street with the intention of crossing to the other side. But he never made it. He was thrown 30 feet from the impact spot, knocking Jeffrey out of one of his white tennis shoes while my mother and brother watched helplessly and horrified from the front porch.
A passing motorist carried his lifeless body into a neighbor’s house. Our yard and neighborhood were filled with people. My father followed the ambulance to the hospital where the emergency room staff did all they could to save him. Jeffrey died from a broken neck, shattered jaw and collarbone, lacerations of the scalp, internal chest injuries, and trauma from impact. It all happened so quickly! One moment he was alive and the next moment he was gone. It felt as though someone cut open my chest, spread apart my rib cage and was squeezing my heart. If you have lost a loved one, you can identify with the trauma my family went through.
The three days of viewings, followed by the funeral service, with the constant flow of people were agonizing for our grief-stricken family. At one point, my mother attempted to pull Jeffrey’s body out of the casket. No one in my family had an appetite to eat; sleep eluded us. When I did fall asleep, Jeffrey was alive in my dreams, but as soon as I woke up the nightmare of his death began again. Every time I heard an ambulance siren, my mind would instantly flash back to Jeffrey.
My dad had never cried in front of his children, but shortly after Jeffrey’s funeral, we saw him behind our garage just sobbing. We never saw him cry again. A few weeks later, he gathered up all his children and had us baptized on Sunday, July 28, 1963; none of us realized it was my 11th birthday. I not only lost my brother, but I also lost my mother, father, sister and two brothers – not physically but emotionally. It was like living in a morgue. We were like walking dead, existing in a dark fog. Happiness, laughter and fun were replaced with sadness, numbness and isolation. There was no celebration of birthdays or remembering Christmas or Easter the year following his death. We never went to another Fourth of July family reunion.
Except for my mother who cried frequently and openly, we all kept our emotions bottled up – hardened from grief. At times, I kept myself so occupied there was little time to think about Jeffrey, while at other times of loneliness, I pondered his death – deeply and sorrowfully.
After Jeffrey was buried, I would sometimes look into the clear blue sky on a sunny summer day and think, “There has to be a God! My little brother wasn’t just put into the ground to decay and deteriorate and turn to dust. There has to be life beyond the grave!” I also realized that everyone was powerless to bring my little brother back to life: not the police officers or ambulance personnel at the accident scene; not the doctors and nurses at the hospital; not the clergy who officiated at his funeral. No one or nothing ever brought him back to life.
It’s interesting that shortly before Jeffrey was hit and killed, he told my parents he would not be on earth much longer. To accomplish a future purpose beyond our comprehension at the time, God allowed Jeffrey to be taken as he was the only one ready after having just attended a week of Vacation Bible School.
After a long time of extreme grieving, someone reminded my mother that she had four other children who needed her attention. One day, while washing dishes, she felt someone push her across the kitchen floor. She was convinced it was an angel telling her that it was time to stop grieving. It took over a year, but time, advice from others, her angel experience and the birth of Frankie, helped return joy to our family – but none of us would ever be the same.
I had not only lost my brother, parents and siblings, but I lost my trust in God. I felt He didn’t care about me. Since He forsook me and my family, I forsook Him for letting a little boy get mangled by a speeding car – until one day I realized that His Son died an even more excruciating death for me. I would later learn how much God loved me and that He used that horrific tragedy to bring all of my family, and most of our extended family, to salvation.
Forty-four years later, on the anniversary of Jeffrey’s death, I had a grandson born who strongly resembled him. Since then I have fallen on my knees at the gravesite of Jeffrey many times on July 5 to thank God for His faithfulness.
Dr. Michael Abdul-Malak, a highly respected gynecologist, is not only a friend of Bill and Karen Rudge, having delivered two of their grandchildren, he also is a supporter of the Bill Rudge Ministries. The following testimony describes his journey from avid atheist to devout Christian.
I was born and raised in a nominal Christian home in Homs, the third largest city in Syria. I attempted to read the Bible regularly and to live according to its teachings to the best of my ability. However, no matter how hard I strove to be religious, I nearly always failed to adhere to the teachings of the Bible.
In my early teenage years, having failed to live according to the teaching of the Bible on the one hand, and influenced by the strong atheistic environment surrounding me on the other hand, I became skeptical of the Bible’s teachings. I concluded that Christianity was impractical, and in fact impossible to truly adhere to. Later on, through the study of evolution in public school, reading Darwin’s book “The Origin of Species,” and being exposed to the writings of Karl Marx, I became an avid atheist.
By the age of 17, I had co-founded and led an atheist group that strove to convert fellow students to atheism. At the age of 18, I graduated from high school with the highest score in the entire central district of Syria, and was one of the top ten students in the entire country. Had I not been so skeptical of Christianity, I would have been the top student. In every subject except for religion and sociology, I had received a perfect score.
I went to Damascus for my first year of Medical School in the fall of 1972, and just like Saul of Tarsus ― who made the same journey ― I was full of enthusiasm to fight those who believed in God.
Midway through my first year in Medical School, my closest friend and co-founder of the atheist group converted to Islam. He immediately started to pressure me to become a Muslim.
After a few months of studying the Qur’an and interacting with that group, I was quite impressed, mostly by their dedication to what they believed and how much they supported each other. I became convinced that Islam was the most realistic and the most practical religion to follow. I was ready to announce my conversion to Islam. The only obstacle in taking that step was my concern about the reaction it would provoke within my family members and friends.
In the summer after finishing my first year in Medical School as one of the top three students, I went to my hometown in contemplation of announcing my conversion to Islam.
One day before the end of my visit, I asked my cousin if we could go see the cedars of Lebanon. He took me to a friend of his who owned a car, with the hope that he would be willing to give us a ride there. We were greeted at the door of his friend’s house by a middle-aged man who appeared to be very friendly. He immediately initiated a conversation with us. When he found out that I was attending Medical School in Damascus, he informed me that he was from Damascus as well. He then invited us inside and gave us the most amazing testimony I had ever heard in my life up until that point. He proceeded to testify to us how God had changed his life from an adulterer, gambler, smoker, and an alcoholic to a new man who was able to establish himself and start a wonderful family. He then told us how a man had once visited his shop and had spoken to him about the changing power of the Lord Jesus Christ. He then described to us how he had immediately changed as soon as he surrendered his life to Christ. It was a very powerful testimony about the ability of God to change lives.
I thought to myself, “If that is what Christianity is all about, then I want to be a Christian.” I was, however, curious about the difference between Christianity and Islam. I inquired of him, “What is the difference between Islam and Christianity?” He stated in very simple terms, “Islam is like any other religion. It will teach you what to do, but it will not give you the power to do it. Christianity is Christ Himself living inside of you and giving you the power to do what he wants you to do.” I knew at that moment that Islam was not the solution that I was looking for. I knew also that it was Christianity, and more specifically, Christ that I truly needed. I definitely changed my mind about becoming a Muslim, however, I was not yet ready to accept Jesus as my personal Savior.
Soon the summer ended, and I returned to Damascus to start my second year in Medical School. Even though I became busy immediately in trying to focus on my goal of staying at the top of my class, God continued to work in my life through my studies and in many other ways. One peculiar way he worked on me was through a calendar someone had placed in my rental room. It had a daily Bible verse of encouragement, as well as a commentary on the backside. Every night before I went to bed, I had a strong urge like a still, small voice inside my head that was calling me to read the verse of the day. One night, I was so exhausted from studying I went to bed before I read the verse. I could not go to sleep. I felt strongly compelled to get up and read the slip. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:26, NKJV). That verse was exactly what I needed to hear. It penetrated so deep within my heart that I could no longer resist God. I was ready right then and there to surrender my life to God, but I did not know how to do it. I felt at that moment the urge to go and see that man whom I had met in Lebanon in the summer. The moment I greeted him, he recognized me and invited me inside. He asked me about my relationship with the Lord as if he had known all along what had been going on in my life. He invited me to go to his church the next day.
When the preacher got up to the pulpit, read from the Bible, and began preaching. I felt as if he was speaking directly to me. I could not wait for the sermon to end, just so that I could talk to him and ask him to explain to me how I could become a Christian.
The pastor explained to me that we are all sinners and that the only way to have our sins forgiven is through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. He read Revelation 3:20,
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
He cautioned me however that following Christ could be very costly. I told him that there was no question in my mind that I wanted to open the door for Jesus to enter my life and save me from my sinful nature, regardless of the cost. He told me to repeat after him as he prayed, asking Jesus to forgive my sins, enter my life, and make me a new person in him. I prayed with all of my heart, and I felt an enormous burden fall from my shoulders. I felt like I was indeed a new person, and that the past twenty years of my life were a total waste. I wished that I had known Jesus much earlier.
Used by permission of The Christian Banner – A Civil War magazine.
It was Christmas Eve, 1875. Ira Sankey was traveling by steamboat up the Delaware River. Mr. Sankey had been asked to sing. He wanted to sing a Christmas song but was driven almost against his will to sing Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us. All were moved by the rendition.
After the song ended a man with a rough, weather-beaten face came up and asked Mr. Sankey, “Did you ever serve in the Union army?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Sankey, “in the spring of 1862.” “Can you remember if you were ever doing picket duty on a bright, moonlit night in 1862?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Sankey, very much surprised.
“So do I,” answered the stranger, “but I was serving in the Confederate army. When I saw you standing at your post I said to myself, ‘That fellow will never get away from here alive.’ I raised my musket and took aim. At that instant, just as a moment ago, you raised your eyes to Heaven and began to sing. I took my finger off the trigger.
‘Let him sing his song to the end,’ I said to myself, ‘I can shoot him afterwards.’ But the song you sang then was the song you sang just now. When you had finished your song it was impossible for me to take aim at you again. I thought, the Lord, who is able to save that man from certain death, must surely be great and mighty, and my arm, of its own accord, dropped limp at my side.
Since that time I have wandered about far and wide, but when I just now saw you standing there singing as on that other occasion, I recognized you. Then my heart was wounded by your song. Now I ask that you help me find a cure for my sick soul.”
Deeply moved, Mr. Sankey threw his arms about the man who in days of the war had been his enemy. And that night the stranger found the Good Shepherd as his Savior.
Forty-five years this August 2022 for Bill Rudge Ministries (BRM) and it is still going strong. Bill and Karen have ministered so long now that we forget they were once youngsters with a heart to work for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Ever since the Lord sent me to this ministry back in the mid-eighties, I have always respected Bill’s wisdom and judgment. But I am sure many people just shook their heads that two recently saved “kids” in their early twenties would ever last for this long in a ministry that must look to the Lord daily for its survival.
I am reminded of Timothy whom God called to minister with the apostle Paul. Unlike our 21st century culture, which places great stress on youthfulness, the Greeks placed a high value on age and experience. Timothy was young by their standards (thirties) so Paul encouraged him: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
Over the years God has provided many challenges for this ministry, and Bill and Karen have met them through God’s grace. I am an eyewitness to many of the ways the Lord miraculously intervened as they stood in faith in seemingly impossible circumstances. They have followed Paul’s dictate to set an example for believers (1 Timothy 4:12).
I came to BRM in 1986 looking for someone who could teach me to serve the Lord. I had a desire to serve but was not sure how to go about doing it. I understood from Scripture that Joshua had learned from Moses and Timothy had been instructed by Paul, so I knew the necessity of learning from someone who was following the Lord.
My first job at the ministry was using a hammer to put shingles on the new addition. Gradually, I began to proofread, do research, lead Bible studies, speak in area churches, write for the ministry newsletter and serve as Biblical Instruction Director.
In all of these activities, I was continually being taught by Bill as he imparted his knowledge and experience to me. I also learned by his example which is always the best teacher. Fortunately, I know Bill not only as a teacher and spiritual advisor but also as a friend. In all circumstances, Bill strives to honor God and maintain the highest level of integrity.
When I came here all those years ago, I could not have known the extent to which Bill would positively influence my walk with the Lord. I could not have learned from textbooks what I have learned from Bill:
Through prayer and fasting always seek to know God’s will before you do something.
Spend more time reading the Scriptures than you do reading supplemental books.
Continue a healthy lifestyle and diet so the body and mind can do God’s work.
Maintain the highest level of integrity in all spheres of your life.
Always seek to honor God in all you do.
I have followed the Biblical principles learned at the Bill Rudge Ministries while serving as a pastor and ministering in many other ways. I believe the Bible to be the last court of appeals in all matters of the faith, and the Word and the testimony of Jesus need to be the standard for all Biblical Christians.
Dr. Michael Abdul-Malak, a highly respected gynecologist, is not only a friend of Bill and Karen Rudge, having delivered two of their grandchildren, he also is a supporter of the Bill Rudge Ministries. The following testimony describes his journey from avid atheist to devout Christian.
I was born and raised in a nominal Christian home in Homs, the third largest city in Syria. I attempted to read the Bible regularly and to live according to its teachings to the best of my ability. However, no matter how hard I strove to be religious, I nearly always failed to adhere to the teachings of the Bible.
In my early teenage years, having failed to live according to the teaching of the Bible on the one hand, and influenced by the strong atheistic environment surrounding me on the other hand, I became skeptical of the Bible’s teachings. I concluded that Christianity was impractical, and in fact impossible to truly adhere to. Later on, through the study of evolution in public school, reading Darwin’s book “The Origin of Species,” and being exposed to the writings of Karl Marx, I became an avid atheist.
By the age of 17, I had co-founded and led an atheist group that strove to convert fellow students to atheism. At the age of 18, I graduated from high school with the highest score in the entire central district of Syria, and was one of the top ten students in the entire country. Had I not been so skeptical of Christianity, I would have been the top student. In every subject except for religion and sociology, I had received a perfect score.
I went to Damascus for my first year of Medical School in the fall of 1972, and just like Saul of Tarsus –– who made the same journey –– I was full of enthusiasm to fight those who believed in God.
Midway through my first year in Medical School, my closest friend and co-founder of the atheist group converted to Islam. He immediately started to pressure me to become a Muslim.
After a few months of studying the Qur’an and interacting with that group, I was quite impressed, mostly by their dedication to what they believed and how much they supported each other. I became convinced that Islam was the most realistic and the most practical religion to follow. I was ready to announce my conversion to Islam. The only obstacle in taking that step was my concern about the reaction it would provoke within my family members and friends.
In the summer after finishing my first year in Medical School as one of the top three students, I went to my hometown in contemplation of announcing my conversion to Islam.
One day before the end of my visit, I asked my cousin if we could go see the cedars of Lebanon. He took me to a friend of his who owned a car, with the hope that he would be willing to give us a ride there. We were greeted at the door of his friend’s house by a middle-aged man who appeared to be very friendly. He immediately initiated a conversation with us. When he found out that I was attending Medical School in Damascus, he informed me that he was from Damascus as well. He then invited us inside and gave us the most amazing testimony I had ever heard in my life up until that point. He proceeded to testify to us how God had changed his life from an adulterer, gambler, smoker, and an alcoholic to a new man who was able to establish himself and start a wonderful family. He then told us how a man had once visited his shop and had spoken to him about the changing power of the Lord Jesus Christ. He then described to us how he had immediately changed as soon as he surrendered his life to Christ. It was a very powerful testimony about the ability of God to change lives.
I thought to myself, “If that is what Christianity is all about, then I want to be a Christian.” I was, however, curious about the difference between Christianity and Islam. I inquired of him, “What is the difference between Islam and Christianity?” He stated in very simple terms, “Islam is like any other religion. It will teach you what to do, but it will not give you the power to do it. Christianity is Christ Himself living inside of you and giving you the power to do what he wants you to do.” I knew at that moment that Islam was not the solution that I was looking for. I knew also that it was Christianity, and more specifically, Christ that I truly needed. I definitely changed my mind about becoming a Muslim, however, I was not yet ready to accept Jesus as my personal Savior.
Soon the summer ended, and I returned to Damascus to start my second year in Medical School. Even though I became busy immediately in trying to focus on my goal of staying at the top of my class, God continued to work in my life through my studies and in many other ways. One peculiar way he worked on me was through a calendar someone had placed in my rental room. It had a daily Bible verse of encouragement, as well as a commentary on the backside. Every night before I went to bed, I had a strong urge like a still, small voice inside my head that was calling me to read the verse of the day. One night, I was so exhausted from studying I went to bed before I read the verse. I could not go to sleep. I felt strongly compelled to get up and read the slip. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt 16:26, NKJV). That verse was exactly what I needed to hear. It penetrated so deep within my heart that I could no longer resist God. I was ready right then and there to surrender my life to God, but I did not know how to do it. I felt at that moment the urge to go and see that man whom I had met in Lebanon in the summer. The moment I greeted him, he recognized me and invited me inside. He asked me about my relationship with the Lord as if he had known all along what had been going on in my life. He invited me to go to his church the next day.
When the preacher got up to the pulpit, read from the Bible, and began preaching. I felt as if he was speaking directly to me. I could not wait for the sermon to end, just so that I could talk to him and ask him to explain to me how I could become a Christian.
The pastor explained to me that we are all sinners and that the only way to have our sins forgiven is through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. He read Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” He cautioned me however that following Christ could be very costly. I told him that there was no question in my mind that I wanted to open the door for Jesus to enter my life and save me from my sinful nature, regardless of the cost. He told me to repeat after him as he prayed, asking Jesus to forgive my sins, enter my life, and make me a new person in him. I prayed with all of my heart, and I felt an enormous burden fall from my shoulders. I felt like I was indeed a new person, and that the past twenty years of my life were a total waste. I wished that I had known Jesus much earlier.
Bill Rudge Ministries 