To the Editor,

To the wonderful people of the Henning Community.

I’d like to thank and express my gratitude to the people who live and work in the Henning community for all the prayers and well wishes for my recovery from a stroke and treatment for giant cell arthritis. Regaining my equilibrium and learning to walk again has been a challenge. Thank you for your patriotism and your moral decency, your caring for each other, and your community.

We’ve lived and worked in the Henning community for 53 years and raised our family here, and never once have we been ashamed to call this our home. We’ve seen some dramatic changes in our 53 years and the last 3 or 4 have been hard to keep up with. In my mind, I remember how things were and I guess I might have to accept they’re gone. That’s why I love my Heavenly Father and His Government. He says in the Bible, “I change no.”

Jesus is a solid rock and we can count on His principles and promises to be, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” And why shouldn’t they be, He knows the end from the beginning and has a plan from the beginning of time.

As I see the chaos and trouble in the world, I’m thankful for the promise of Jesus. “My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives.”

Another promise in the Bible in the last half of John 10:10, in Jesus’ love we can “have abundant life.” In our 80+ years, my awesome wife and I have experienced His presence and blessings in so many different situations. And in spite of some hardships, our faith has continued to grow.

My worst circumstance would be coming before my Lord, Jesus and hear Him say “depart from me, I don’t know you, workers of lawlessness.” What could be worse? Something in our lives has deceived us! Something we thought was good and true is actually wrong! We like law and order in our personal lives and community for protection. But, call it legalism when Jesus asks us “if you love Me, keep My commandments” and then promises us the Holy Spirit to enable us. (Matthew 7:23, John 14:15)

Jesus warned us about deception. He said that “it would deceive if possible, the very elect.” The Bible records it had already started in the early church. Could it be what God has asked us to remember? Have we forgotten? (Matthew 24:24, 1 John 2:18, Exodus 20:8)

Could it be in order to distance themselves from the corruption in Judaism and to appease Gentile converts they let themselves be influenced and swayed away from Bible-based doctrines?

History records how the mother church descended into falsehood and deception in a period of time called “the dark ages.”

The reformers led by the Holy Spirit uncovered and tried to bring back God’s original plan of life and worship. Many of them paid for their commitment and zeal with their lives at the hands of the church with its priests and prelates.

Now I want to be clear! God still has His children in every denomination and system of worship. That’s why in the book of Revelation, Jesus calls “come out of her, My people.” Jesus says the same thing when He says, “if you love Me, keep My commandments.” Could it be that all the chaos and sin in the world be because we forgot what Jesus asked us to remember? (Revelation 18:4)

Could that be what in the book of Revelation records as the whole world following deceptive worship practices? (Revelation 13:3-4)

Such a simple thing, yet most people won’t even consider it, let alone search it in the Bible to understand it.

Our poor memories have forgotten what “God asks us to remember.” And according to Paul in the Bible, “we will continue to believe a lie because we do not have a love for the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10)

It’s a tough world with “every wind of doctrine flying around” and we need to be searching the Bible, living what we learn and praying for the Holy Spirit.

My personal desire is to always be doing those things that please Jesus and my Heavenly Father because I love Them and appreciate being Their child. I’m thankful for my church family’s encouragement as well as pointing out ways I can do that, mostly for their love and faithfulness.

Well, what starts as a way of saying thanks will end that way. Thank you for letting me share what’s on my heart. God bless and I love you!

Dale and Mary Zillmer

Henning