Our readers write ...
In past issues we have printed some reader letters, and we want to continue doing so from time to time. However, we do want to make one thing clear ... not all the letters we receive are “negative” (meaning, challenging what we have published. That is often seen as negative, when in fact it can be positive.) The reality is that the vast majority of the letters we receive are “positive.” Personally, it sort of rubs us the wrong way when magazines only print reader letters that are “positive” ... sort of like patting themselves on the back and congratulating themselves.
If anything, we have been in the opposite ditch the last while. So we will take the opportunity to present a sampling of the “positive” letters we have received. After all, for every “negative” letter or e-mail (or comment given verbally), we receive probably five “positive” ones. If we count all the little notes sent in with subscription forms, that ratio may bounce up to 10 (or even 20) to 1.
A thank you to all who have taken the time to write, and a thank you to all who have contributed financially to keep this magazine going. We will begin with a few shorter notes, typical with resubscription forms:
Thank you for this edifying and stirring publication. May God abundantly bless you! ~Pennsylvania
Keep up the excellent work! ~Idaho
We confess that it is easy for us to kind of overlook these short comments. But when we stop and think, they were probably written because the writer really did mean it. So we thank you for the encouraging words.
Then we get the occasional short but more spicy notes that, because of their originality, leave a more lasting impression. The following comment was received from two different places (but separate letters):
Now that The Remnant has gotten converted, we would like to subscribe. ~Maine (and) Ontario
We are human like the rest of you. So we also particularly enjoy the longer letters! A recent sample goes like this:
Please add my name to your mailing list. I picked up a copy at Paul Graber’s funeral. It was the one with the “Hijacked” article, and when I read it I knew that here was the answer I’d been looking for. All of these people who are “saved,” yet have a disdain, if not an outright hatred, of the commands of Christ and His Apostles. And certainly a hatred of those “narrow” believers who insist on taking those commands seriously. We live in perilous times, and we need sound, serious literature to help combat the flood of apostasy that is threatening to drown us all.
May we be found at peace, and be reconciled when our Lord returns, whether for one or for all.
Thank you; may God give you grace to continue in this important endeavor. ~Illinois
Concerning the same May/June 2012 issue, someone else wrote on their resubscription form:
How could I cancel after the most recent issue? Keep up the good work, and God bless. ~Oklahoma
Perhaps this is a good time to mention the yellow “warning” cover that we use to warn subscribers that their subscription is about to terminate. If you want to continue receiving the magazine, you must contact us at least once a year, either by postal mail, e-mail, or by phone. Some have written or spoken to us saying they don’t seem to be getting the magazine any more, and they don’t know why. One likely cause is that the yellow cover may be getting taken off (by children, for example) and the need to contact us gets forgotten ... and hence they are automatically dropped from the mailing list. So if you get a yellow warning cover, don’t practice procrastination!
And one more letter for this issue ...
We have four teenage daughters from age 13 to 18. They are voracious readers. Not sure where that came from, but some would say the parents passed it on. My wife and I do love to read and while living in the US had accumulated a library.
Since our move to Uruguay, South America in October 2011, the girls brought along the desire to read. When a person moves with suitcases, it is one way to divide between the essentials or maybe another way to say it is the needs versus the wants.
One thing that we had brought along was the stack of The Heartbeat of the Remnants that we had gotten the past couple of years.
Our girls have been reading them these past weeks. In asking questions about what they read, we can tell they are reading with understanding, to a point at least.
Many times we has humans do not express appreciation as we should. I want to take this opportunity to “Thank You” for the hours you must spend working, praying, and making these a practical reality.
God bless you for this vision you have for this ministry, and the challenge it is to make it happen every two months. ~Uruguay
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