Ruf Erskine's Podcast

The Last Barn of the semester, the last Barn of the year, the last Barn forever.  Bitter sweet, but super sweet to have some alumni return to honor us and to say farewell.  A truly beautiful evening with Barnadillas and the same sweet setting we've enjoyed with students for 18 years (36 semesters).  That's 360 sermons preached in the Barn!  Well, make that 340, with about 20 preached in the pasture.  Love ya'll.  Paul and Marie.

70 degrees and Papa John's for the next to the last Barn!  Thankful for the chance to speak Gospel truth into the lives of students and future parents.  #LastLap

A BEAUTIFUL Spring evening at the Barn!  Barnadillas, some Homerun Derby, background music and decent little crowd made for some good time together as we talked about Faith and Friendship from Ephesians 6.

Better weather than expected for our BBQ Pork Loin cookout!  30+ Erskine students for an important talk on the future and what is needed to be able to "stand" offensively and defensively in the Christian life!

70 degrees and Sunny for a DST Tailgate Cookout at the Barn! Barn Burgers, Hot Dogs, Brats, Sausages, Bacon, Chili, Potato Salad, Chips, Cookies, etc.  (Thanks to alumni and churches who help to provide this!)  Tonight we considered our "Righteousness Problem" and that God has given us his own Breastplate to cover our vulnerable vital organs, which if struck in battle, lead to a quick and bloody death.  Some new faces tonight, probably hearing things they have never heard before.  Thank God for that!

A Cold night with fires and propane heaters and blankets and hot chocolate to bring some comfort.  Powder Puff football, Soccer games and Volleyball Games on campus on Sunday nights have made it hard to gather our usual crowd, but we press on with 20+ in attendance and overcoming the elements and obstacles to campus ministry as we consider the Belt of TRUTH.

73 degrees in February?  The LORD is good!  It is Mid-Term week, but only week 2 of Large Group, thanks to COVID.  Students were tired, I was too, but this was time well spent as it is an imperative subject for the Christian life!

February, in the Barn field, due to COVID, but with 4 fires, 3 Patio heaters, blankets, hot drinks and S'mores to make it bearable.  It was not bad!  Time well spent and students "showed up" really surprised me and really showed up in good number (35-40), for this current state of Erskine.  Better than I thought, as usual!

This is a recording of the report at Synod 2011 and their action to make RUF Erskine official with an affiliation agreement between Erskine, Synod and RUF.

Next to last Barn for the weird COVID Fall of 2020.  Warm, August-like weather for November, but a small, small crowd as tests and papers are due.

54 degrees, cold and all alone in COVID-19 2020,  BUT here is a sermon from 2009 (I think) on the text we would have covered.  Hard to realize Savannah is finishing her Frosh year at Clemson now (was drawing pictures of cats then) and Reece is turning 11 (was learning to walk that week!).  Miss you all very much, whether students or alums!

A replay from 10+ years ago since the COVID-19 has cancelled our semester and ability to meet.  What a beautiful day today was!  I wish we could have met, BBQ'd and Fellowshipped together.  Sad we cannot, but God's will be done, because it is always good!  Even when (especially when) we can't see it!

Lessons from "Flat Cakes, Dumb Birds and Slack Bows" about the Christian life from Hosea 7.  This is a replay from 10 years ago due to the COVID-19 cancellation of the semester and inability to meet with students.  Go for a walk and listen as you keep up with Hosea!  The early reference to Mario and family is who you think it is.  Yep, he came out from ARA Mark work on campus and brought a portable clay oven to bake us some flat cake (pita) bread to go with our dinner.  It helped to illustrate one of Hosea's points about Israel in Chapter 7!

With COVID-19 cancelling the semester, I am going to attempt to post something from present or past, in an effort to conclude this series.  We miss Sunday nights at the Barn, we miss students and we miss RUF!  May the Lord end this virus quickly and may the Lord continue RUF at Erskine into the future!

Spring Cookouts are Back!  We hosted NC State RUF (who was here for the Widows' Ministry and as our students drove back from Spring Break) with a tailgate cookout of burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, sausages and pork loin.  Then, we played  kickball on the Barn field.

Week 2, Rainy, Dark and Cold.  But we had hot cocoa and RAISIN CAKES to warm the smaller than usual crowd!

First Barn of Spring 2020 and it dropped to 38 degrees by the end of the Barn, so it was Cold, but hot drinks, a fire, blankets and UV heaters helped the crowd of 40+ stay just warm enough as we begin our series in Hosea.

Last Barn of 2019!  Cold but good as seniors hung a horseshoe and sang their favorite RUF Hymns and as RUF addressed a top 10 list of questions and issues related to Dating, Marriage and Sexuality.

Last sermon of the Fall DMS series before next week's first ever "Stump the Chump" Q and A on the subject of Dating, Marriage and Series.  It was cold and a crowd of 40+, our smallest of the semester, I think.  But still good!

Cold, but good!  Students from Erskine, Anderson and Lander gathered for a lovely Fall Barn with a fire, cocoa and S'mores and an important talk to shape them for the future of marriage or singleness.