The Rutledge Family

I didn’t write in my blog yesterday because of a mental block. I have stories going through my mind , but can’t seem to find a beginning or end, so today I’m going to write just a little about the family (The Rutledge family)

My dad (M. J. Rutledge) married my mother (Norma Rucks Rutledge). He was 17 years old and she was 16. Things were very different back then, and times were harder,  so it seems from the stories I was told.

Rendal Gayle was their first born . I think when he was born he was singing a song, and asked for a pen and paper so he could write the music to the song he had just composed.
Ren was only a few days old, when the house caught on fire, and mom had to get up out of the bed and carry him outside to safety. The house burned down, but they were OK.

Then I (Brenda Marvine) was born in 1948.  Since Ren was almost 4 years older, I think he might have begin teaching me to sing before age 1. Is it possible that the very first song he taught me to sing was “Deep and Wide?” because if that happened he has only himself to blame for the torture I put him through by singing that song on his recorder and wiping out one of the greatest compositions of all times (according to him). I was eleven (I think) when that happened.

Debbie Fern was next. She was six years younger than me, and I was ready to have a baby sister. Dad always told about how she came to us. He says, he was fishing,  (I can’t remember it exactly as it was told) but he says he caught a brown eyed monster, and named it “Debbie”.
When Debbie was born we lived on the main highway in Dollarway.  This was before they made a four lane out of Dollarway road. I was suppose to be watching Debbie, and she was on a blanket in the front yard. I guess I got pre-occupied, because the next thing we knew, Debbie had crawled out onto the busy highway, and had traffic stopped.  Debbie survived that scary moment, but she is still a “Traffic Stopper”

Then there came Rita Joy. The baby of the family. Before Joy was born Dad would go around saying “ we are having twins and are naming them , Pride and Joy” . Well Joy made it, but pride didn’t show up. Joy has always been exactly that...... (JOY) to our family.

Dad and mom (Bro and Sis Rutledge) were Pastoring in Pine Bluff, Arkansas for over 30 years, and they celebrated their 50th anniversary before dad passed away in 1994. Mom is living in Arkadelphia, Arkansas today.

Ren evangelizes and is founder of a church in Norwich, Connecticut.  My husband (Gary Casteel) and I live in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Debbie and her husband (Richard Price) Pastor in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Joy and her husband (Russell Hamby) pastor in Rogers, Arkansas.

The bible says GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE. - Mark 16:15

We are working on it!!!!!!!!!!!!