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Thoroughly Modern Moses | Two Kinds of Treasures | Why I Loathe the Sixties | A Cheerful Attitude Helps | What Goes Around | Establishing the Children | Life’s Truths | LCG News | Flying the Friendly Skies | Reasons For Life’s Problems | Vexation of the World | Help Wanted
Article…
Are You a Legalist?
Is God’s law for Christians? Despite what you have been taught, it is. People have asked if I am a legalist. If legalism means keeping the law, then yes, I am — and so are you.
Most of us keep the law every day. We generally drive within the speed limit, and on the proper side of the road. If we buy a piece of property, we want a lawyer to make sure everything is done right. If we are charged, rightfully or wrongfully, with a criminal offence, we want the best legal eagle in the land to plead our case.
Of course, when people ask if I am a legalist, they’re really suggesting my observance of God’s law makes me a legalist. In their estimation, for me to observe God’s law makes me accursed or anathema. But why?
I believe it begins with a lack of understanding God’s law: what it is, what it isn’t, and what it’s for.
So, what isn’t God’s law? It’s not a set of thou shalt-nots to make life miserable for God’s people, but an expression of God’s love to spare us the misery of living without rules for guidance.
When an interviewer asked several people, “What do you think of the Ten Commandments,” one woman answered, “I think God loved us an awful lot to give them to us, to protect us from ourselves.”
Some readers tell me God’s law is a burden. How do they know if they haven’t tried living by it?
The Pharisaic law was a burden. Jesus said, “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders,” Matthew 23:4. But the Pharisaic law was not God’s law. It was man’s misguided interpretation of God’s law, and that’s what made it a burden.
On the other hand, Jesus encourages mankind to be yoked together with Him, and learn from Him, “For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light,” Matthew 11:30.
God’s first law was a law of freedom. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,” Genesis 2:17. God had to give our first parents a choice, because without choice there is no freedom. Ask someone who has languished in a rat-infested prison for having chosen to voice his opinion.
You’ll tell me keeping the law will not save anyone, and you’re right. But when we stand before Jesus Christ in the judgment, what will He say? “His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” Matthew 25:21. Or will he say, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;” Colossians 2:14.
The counter argument will be, “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?” Matthew 7:22. You can read his answer in verse 23.
Recall the woman who said, “I think God loved us an awful lot to give The Ten Commandments to us, to protect us from ourselves.” She knew God’s law is to teach mankind the way to live. But, He still gives us a choice. You can read about it in Deuteronomy 30:19-20.
Despite your objections, God’s law is for Christians. Dr. John Gill wrote, “…this objection proceeds upon a mistaken sense of the phrase, ‘under the law’ (Romans 6:14); for believers, though they are not under the law as the ministry of Moses, yet they are under it, as it is in the hands of Christ; and though not under its curse, yet under obligation to obedience to it….” Jesus said it this way, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments,” John 14:15.
Do you love Jesus? Then show your love by keeping His law — all of it.
— by Leslie A. Turvey
© Used by permission
Guest Editorial…
The “Right” Form of Government
Politics makes strange bed-fellows so they say. In the political debates in this country, there are some ministers or preachers who try to pull the “Christian” population together to present a voting block for certain views of government which they, the ministers, view as the “right” kind of government, or as some say, the “Judeo-Christian” form of govern- ment.
Jerry Falwell is one such minister who comes to mind, as well as Pat Robertson. There are many others. They are all very involved in politics in this country because they say we need Christians in government offices, especially that of the President.
They believe that if we have a person in office who believes in “Judeo-Christianity” that everything will be done “for the good of all the people.”
These preachers have espoused the belief that America was founded upon ‘Judeo-Christian’ principles and that we should “get back to those principles” in order to have a “nation under God.”
Was this nation ever under God? Was this nation founded upon “Judeo-Christian” principles? Is “Judeo-Christianity” the kind of beliefs a person should have if they want to worship the True God? Is “Judeo-Christianity” better than just “Christianity?”
Does it even matter?
In order to begin this article, we need to define “Christianity,” and try to come to grips with exactly what is meant by “Judeo-Christianity.”
Webster’s New World Dictionary says Christianity is:
1. Christians collectively
2. The Christian religion.
3. A particular Christian religious system.
4. The state of being a Christian
5. Christian spirit, character, practices.”
My definition is “a follower of Christ.”
When people usually think about Christianity, they think of the mainstream Catholic and Protestant religions.
The word “Judeo” seems to mean, “based upon Judaism.” Judaism is, of course, the Jewish religion with all observances, oral and written, of its customs, rules, traditions, and such. The word Judaism is supposedly based upon the religion of Judah, and Judah was one of the sons of Jacob (Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel. Jacob had twelve sons who became physical Israel).
However, people today equate the word “Jew” with the word “Israel,” and in their minds “Jew” and “Israel” mean the same thing. We see that because Jews live in the nation called Israel, most people believe Jews are Israel. But in reality, the Jewish people are only a part of Israel.
When the words Judaism and Christianity are combined by those trying to form a “Christian Coalition,” it becomes “Judeo-Christianity,” and calls upon all “Christians,” of whatever denomination, to form a voting block against anything these leaders deem “anti-Christian” in government.
Man’s Governmental Structure
Most people don’t even realize that man’s form of governmental structure goes all the way back to Babylon and the government that Nimrod set up. It doesn’t make any difference who is the physical head of government. (It will always be wrong because the structure is wrong.)
Good people in office (if you can find them) cannot change established governmental structure.
Only the returning Christ will be able to do that (Revelation 11:15), and that will involve a complete restructuring of the governments of this whole world to conform to God’s Governmental structure, theocracy. Truly, God is the only One who knows what is good for those He has created!
It also needs to be said that America was founded as a republic, which was government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is now a democracy, which is government over the people, and only subsequently considers what the people desire, as long as those desires are in line with the desires of those who govern! It is basically power by government, not by the governed. However, neither of these two forms of government will work, simply because mankind does not know the way to true peace, prosperity, and long-life.
The words “Judeo-Christian” are nothing more than an ecumenical effort to draw all professing Christians into one Christian group, forming a formidable voting block to push through governments those things considered “Christian” by the leaders of today’s “Christianity,” and to fight against those things which they have determined to be “un-Christian!” This term is also used to promote the idea that all the things done by this “Judeo-Christian” group are godly, and relate to true Christianity! But are they? What is true Christianity, and what does true Christianity promote?
(This was excerpted from the article: “Was America Founded Upon Judeo-Christianity?.” Go to: www.7times.org for the complete article.)
— by Ken Browder
828 Greenhills Dr. SE
Cleveland, TN 37323
Correction…
Last month we published a fact that in the name Jesus Christ, Christ is a title derived from a Hebrew word meaning “the anointed one.” It was derived from a Greek word. He should be known as Jesus the Christ.
Story…
“Excuse me, Sir.”
“Is that you again, Moses?”
“I’m afraid it is, Sir”
“What is it this time, Moses; more computer problems?”
“How did You guess?”
“I don’t have to guess, Moses. Remember?”
“Oh, yes; I forgot.”
“Tell Me what you want, Moses.”
“But You already know, Sir. Remember?”
“Moses!”
“Sorry, Sir.”
“Well, go ahead, Moses; spit it out.”
“Well, I have a question, Sir. You know those ten ‘things’ you sent me via E-mail?”
“You mean the Ten Commandments, Moses?”
“That’s it. I was wondering if they are important.”
“What do you mean ‘if they are important,’ Moses? Of course, they are important. Otherwise, I would not have sent them to you.”
“Well, sorry, Sir, but I lost them. I could say the dog ate them; but, of course, You would see right through that.”
“What do you mean you ‘lost them’? Are you trying to tell Me you didn’t save them, Moses?”
“No, Sir; I forgot.”
“You should always save, Moses.”
“Yes, I know. You told me that before. I was going to save them, but I forgot. I did forward them to some people before I lost them though.”
“And did you hear back from any of them?”
“You already know I did. There was the one guy who said he never uses ‘shalt not.’ May he change the words a little bit?”
“Yes, Moses, as long as he does not change the meaning.”
“And what about the guy who thought Your stance was a little harsh, and recommended calling them the ‘Ten Suggestions,’ or letting people pick one or two to try for a while?”
”Moses, I will act as if I did not hear that.”
“I think that means ‘no.’ Well, what about the guy who said I was scamming him?”
“I think the term is ‘spamming,’ Moses.”
“Oh, yes. I E-mailed him back and told him I don’t even eat that stuff, and I have no idea how you can send it to someone through a computer.”
“And what did he say?”
“You know what he said. He used Your name in vain. You don’t think he might have sent me one of those — err — plagues, and that’s the reason I lost those ten ‘things,’ do You?”
“They are not plagues; they are called ‘viruses,’ Moses.”
“Whatever! This computer stuff is just too much for me. Can we go back to those stone tablets? It was hard on my back taking them out and reading them each day, but at least I never lost them.”
“We will do it the new way, Moses; using computers!!”
“I was truly afraid You would say that, Sir.”
“Moses, what did I tell you to do if you messed up?”
“You told me to hold up this rat and point it toward the computer.”
“It’s a mouse, Moses, not a rat. Mouse! Mouse! And did you do that?”
“No, I decided to try calling technical support first. After all, who knows more about this stuff than You? And I really like Your hours. By the way, Sir, did Noah have two of these mice on the ark?”
“No, Moses.”
“One other thing. Why did You not name them ‘frogs’ instead of ‘mice,’ because did You not tell me the thing they sit on is a pad?”
“I did not name them, Moses. Man did, and you can call yours a frog if you want to.”
“Oh, that explains it. I bet some woman told Adam to call it a mouse. After all, was it not a woman who named one of the computers ‘Apple?’ ”
“Say good night, Moses.”
“Wait a minute, Sir. I am pointing the mouse, and it seems to be working. Yes, a couple of the ten ‘things’ have come back.”
“Which ones are they, Moses?”
“Let me see. ‘Thou shalt not steal from any grave an image’ and ‘Thou shalt not uncover thy neighbor’s wife.’”
“Turn the computer off, Moses. I’m sending you another set of stone tablets.”
— author unknown
Article…
A rich man came to Jesus and knelt before Him (according to Mark’s Gospel) to ask what he could do to enter into life. Jesus loved him and told him to keep the commandments. The young man asked which ones (Matthew’s account) and Jesus quoted several from the Ten Commandments. Then the young man answered that he had done them since he was a youth. At this point, Jesus said, “One thing thou lackest,” Mark 10:21. In Matthew 19:21 Jesus said, “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me.”
At this the man went away sorrowful. Jesus then told His disciples that it was harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. What is the meaning of Jesus’ statements? Is it wrong to own possessions? Why did the young man leave?
According to the account, the young man left because Jesus said to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor! But what did Jesus MEAN? Was He saying that we must get rid of all our owned property? Remember that giving up and renouncing one’s wealth and giving it to the poor was not a new thing. Many people and philosophers over the centuries had done it. Then why did Jesus command it as though it were something new?
What Jesus was saying to him was for him to banish from his heart (mind, soul) all his views about wealth, his excitement and his worries about it. He was to abandon his material anxieties, the thorns of existence that choke out the seeds of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:22).
It was not the outward act; that so many had already done, that Jesus wanted. Rather it was something greater and godlier. It was to strip the desires of the “flesh” from one’s mind and heart. To pull up by the root and throw away the things that are enemies to the Kingdom.
The truth is that one can give up all one’s wealth and then increase one’s lusts for it and thoughts of it. Poor people often have just as much if not more lust for material things as rich people. Just being poor doesn’t make one righteous automatically. Moreover, just being rich doesn’t make one sinful automatically.
What Jesus wanted was the proper use of wealth. After all, if we have nothing, how can we help our brother (Matthew 25:31-46)?
The kind of poor Jesus wants in us is to be poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3), and spiritually hungry and thirsty for righteousness (Matthew 5:6).
There are two types of poor, the materially poor and the spiritually poor. When we are spiritually poor, we hunger for God. We must be poor in spirit whether we have material things or not!
There are two types of treasures, good and evil. “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil,” Matthew 12:35 NAS.
Salvation does not depend on outward things. It depends on the inner person whose heart has faith, hope, love, true knowledge, meekness, and truth. Being materially rich cannot stop us from entering the kingdom; and being materially poor cannot bring salvation of itself.
Jesus was not so naïve as to think that merely divesting oneself of one’s possessions outwardly would automatically bring us salvation.
Like His other teachings, He emphasized the heart. “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man,” Matthew 15:11. And “...the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and slanders. These are the things that defile the man, but to eat with unwashed hands do not defile the man,” Matthew 15:18-20 NAS.
It’s the same way regarding physical, material things. Jesus was much more interested in a person’s heart than He was their outward dress, possessions, or state of cleanliness.
What is in your heart? “Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in Your eyes, O Lord, my strength and my salvation,” Psalm 19:14 (Bible in Basic English). It’s the heart!
— by David L. Antion
Guardian Ministries
Poem…
The New School Prayer
Now I sit me down to school
Where praying is against the rule.
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange, or green.
That’s no offense, it’s the freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise,
Prayers spoken are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate.
God’s name is prohibited by the State.
We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues, and cheeks.
They’ve outlawed guns, but first the Bible.
To quote the good book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant senior queen,
And the unwed daddy, our senior king.
It’s inappropriate to teach right from wrong.
We’re taught such judgments do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth control,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles,
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed.
No Word of God may reach this crowd.
It’s scary here, I must confess,
When chaos reigns, the school’s a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make,
I trust in You, give me a break.
Amen.
— by George Weber
Ayrshire, IA
Two Tools, Two Rules…
You need only two tools: WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn’t move and it should, use WD-40. If it moves and it shouldn’t, use the tape.
The two most important phrases for a healthy relationship are: “I apologize” and “You are right.”
Article…
Many of today’s social problems were caused by the revolution in morals that shook the Sixties. Worse, those in its vanguard now run this country. During 1969, I attended an entrance interview at Warwick University. The don who interviewed me was an Amazonian, hippyish figure with wild hair and strings of beads, in a study draped with animal skins and exotic hangings. Why, she asked, did I want to come to university? I gave a boring reply, which had something to do with education. “Absolute rubbish,” she roundly declared. “You will come to this university to subvert society, smoke pot and sleep around.” I was, to put it mildly, astounded (and, I have to confess, impressed; well, I was only 17).
She told me her name, but it meant nothing to me. For it was only the following year that her book, The Female Eunuch, would erupt into the lives of British women, put the great sexual revolution on full throttle, and turn its author, Germaine Greer, into the high priestess of the feminist counterculture. Her words to me that day surely encapsulated the tenets of that extraordinary and truly revolutionary decade. The Sixties set in train changes in British society, which can be said to have transformed it into a different country altogether, and one, which has not altogether advanced the cause of civilization.
There is no doubt, however, that the progressives of that time thought this was precisely what they were doing. The great social reforms of the decade — legalizing abortion and homosexuality, liberalizing divorce, enabling the distribution of contraceptives, abolishing capital punishment, and theatre censorship — were said to embody what their chief architect, the then Home Secretary Roy Jenkins, described as the “civilized society.” The Sixties were the decade of liberation, full stop. Intolerance, repression, and bigotry were consigned to the dustbin of history. Those who warned that freedom was being confused with antisocial license were laughed out of court. However, tonight, a program on BBC 4 challenges that particular piece of received wisdom. Called “I Hate the Sixties,” it claims that the decade’s moral permissiveness, collapse of respect for institutions, and failed experiments in progressive education led directly to the difficulties we face today.
Far from “liberation,” it often left its purported beneficiaries high and dry. As one of the program’s contributors says, “feminism didn’t free women so much as make them sexually available.” By preaching independence from men, it often left women abandoned and lonely. Divorce did not free trapped spouses from the shell of an empty marriage as much as it reduced marriage to an empty shell. And, far from delivering equality of opportunity, the abolition of the grammar schools kicked away the ladder of opportunity from the poor. Moreover, few of us who were around in the Sixties could have foreseen the development, not of toleration of those who depart from society’s moral norms, but instead the wholesale destruction of those norms altogether.
Who would have predicted, when the novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover was cleared of obscenity, that high-minded support for literary freedom would end up giving us a depiction of gang rape, torture, and bestiality in a play to be staged this summer at the Edinburgh Festival?
Who would have foretold, when abortion was made lawful, that a 14-year-old girl would be given a termination secretly without her mother knowing anything about it? Who would have thought that when homosexuality was legalized between consenting adults as an act of compassion, that “cruising” in public toilets would be made lawful, primary school children would be taught the techniques of gay sex, and that people would be vilified as “homophobic” if they objected? And above all, who would have imagined that, in 2004, Britain would have a ruling class heavily influenced by people who have never grown out of their Sixties’ morality-busting radicalism and are even now, in respectable middle age, busy translating it into policy? The Sixties gave us something much darker than a highly commercialized youth culture and some great rock bands.
It was a cultural revolution, which — far from producing Roy Jenkins’s “civilized society” — struck blow after lethal blow at the very core of what has given this country its civilization. To understand its truly revolutionary impact, you have to realize that “the Sixties” didn’t start in 1960.
Following World War II, revulsion against Nazism turned into hostility towards all forms of repression. This fuelled the rise of the therapy culture on the basis that suppressing any desire was harmful for the individual. The fact that this happened to be essential for civilization was, unfortunately, overlooked. No, what became sacrosanct was how we felt about ourselves. A hugely influential book by the Marxist sociologist, Theodor Adorno, The Authoritarian Personality, proposed in 1950 that any kind of authority or sexual restraint, the traditional family, and conventional morality — was a kind of fascism. Only attacks on these values were legitimate. But, the real power behind the Sixties revolution was the Italian communist thinker, Antonio Gramsci. For he grasped that, the most effective means of overturning Western society was to subvert its culture and morality. Instead of mobilizing the working class to take over the world, the revolution would be achieved through a culture war, in which the moral beliefs of the majority would be replaced by the values of those on the margins of society. And this would be brought about by capturing all society’s institutions — schools, universities, Churches, the media, the legal profession, the police, voluntary groups — and making sure that this intellectual elite all sang from the same subversive hymn-sheet.
Gramsci’s revolutionary aims have been accomplished to the letter. The intellectual class was overwhelmingly captured. The moral codes of society were profoundly subverted and weakened as all the barriers fell. Previously marginalized groups, such as never-married mothers, or gay people, became the arbiters of morality, which was defined, in their “non-judgmental” image in order to spare their feelings. Under the banner of individual freedom, morality became privatized. Every individual became his or her moral authority, and no one had the right to say anyone else’s lifestyle was wrong or inferior. With personal choice trumping everything, no one could be in authority over anyone else. So relations between parents and children, teachers and pupils, and men and women were utterly transformed.
Selfishness became a virtue; looking after number one became a duty. Real duty to others thus was junked as a heresy that could not be allowed to challenge the religion of the self. In addition, what started out as an eminently decent impulse for tolerance turned into something quite different. Because there was now an absolute taboo against hurting people’s feelings, the very idea of normal behavior had to be abolished so that no one would feel abnormal. Abnormal behavior, such as sexual promiscuity, or abandonment of children, became regarded as normal. On the other hand, those who were advocating mainstream values such as fidelity, chastity, or duty found themselves accused of promoting something illegitimate because it made people who did not uphold these values feel bad about themselves — the ultimate sin. So, alternative lifestyles became mainstream. The counterculture had become the norm.
The family, the crucible of morality and social order, was where the most lethal damage was done as the sexual revolution reshaped family life. Whereas single motherhood and divorce had once been stigmatized, after ending a marriage was made easier, it became wrong to object to lone motherhood and the damage to children was denied or ignored. As the props of marriage were kicked away, it became progressively emptied of meaning, and families broke up more frequently. Feminism told women they could do without men and exiled fathers from the family. The outcome has been the creation of social and moral deserts in communities where there are no committed fathers, relationships are transient, and children’s lives are devastated. Abandoned by the destruction of the family, children were further betrayed by equally radical Sixties views about education in a multi-pronged assault.
The obsession with social equality meant the imposition of mediocrity, and outright educational failure that trapped the poor firmly in their disadvantaged backgrounds. The obsession with personal freedom created “child-centered” education, where pupils were regarded as having equal if not superior talents to their teachers, and thus effectively abandoned to develop their own ignorance. The hostility to authority meant pupils were not taught to not have sex or do drugs; but left to make their own “informed” choices, to the consternation of the adult world when they tried these very things.
Beyond education, the insistence on equality eroded respect of all in authority: parents, police officers, doctors, and judges. Faced with this revolt, those in authority did not hold the line, but allowed themselves to be toppled like skittles. In particular, the Church lost the plot, vainly attempting to hold on to its vanishing flock by going with the flow of moral and cultural collapse. So the final and most important line of defense in the culture war unleashed by the Sixties revolution simply disintegrated.
This culture war was essentially a revolt by the young, with money in their pockets, against their elders — an adolescent fantasy of irresponsibility. The odd thing was that these revolutionaries never grew up. As this generation of post-war baby boomers grew older, they still clung to the infantilism of their youth. Now they have become the country’s Establishment. Across the professions, the universities, police, civil service, judiciary, and the people at the top come from that generation. So now, we have the bizarre situation where the Establishment is in a state of arrested adolescence. Hence, the preposterous support of certain senior police officers, for example, for the legalization of drugs or of the senior judiciary for redefining the family out of existence.
As for Government ministers, it is as if their Sixties radicalism had been preserved in a cryogenic tank during Labor’s eighteen years out of office, and then thawed out and imposed upon the country without their thinking having matured by one iota in the interim. Thus, it has enacted an agenda of extreme feminism, penalizing men, marriage, and the traditional family. It has given incentives to unmarried women, loaded the financial dice against married couples — particularly where the wife stays at home — and skewed rape proceedings against men on the presentation that all accused males are guilty. It has promoted the destruction of the very concept of moral norms by driving forward a gay rights agenda whose fundamental purpose is to set up homosexual lifestyles as morally equivalent to heterosexual behavior. It has set in train the liberalization of drug use, despite the untold harm this causes to individuals and to society in general.
It is an agenda of radical self-centeredness that will simply destroy the values that have made this society orderly, and civilized. Those who will lose out most are the poor, who do not have the resources to cope without clear moral structures that underpin behavior. The astounding thing about the Sixties cultural revolution is that, although its casualties are all around us in lonely, depressed adults, and abandoned children, it is still running its destructive course. Those who were in its vanguard are still driving it on. They appear to have learned nothing. The young, who are among its principal casualties, are notably impatient with it. It is the older generation that appears to be suffering from a collective Peter Pan complex, a persistent infantile disorder. The main casualty is likely to be nothing less than Western civilization itself.
— by Melanie Phillips
Hmmm…
“Nightmare” has nothing to do with horses. The “mare” derives from the Old English mara, or a specter that perched itself on the chest of a sleeper, depriving them of motion and speech.
Article…
King of Kings
Where does the term come from?
Have you ever wondered where the term “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” used in Revelation 19:16 came from? We know that the Bible was not written in a vacuum but was inspired of God. A seminar in Tulsa on the topic of the Kingdom of Parthia, revealed a possible origin of this phrase. After some research into this matter, I discovered some interesting facts that I would like to share.
During the first century, the Roman Empire had a rival empire in the area of Iran and India, which was called the Parthian Empire. This empire was the world superpower to the east of the Roman Empire.
The governmental structure was like that of the Feudal System of Europe in the Dark Ages. It was decentralized with several sub kings or lesser lords who ruled over various parts of the empire, and commanded garrisons and forts in their part of the kingdom. But they swore their loyalty to the king of the empire.
During the reign of King Mithradates II (c. 123-88/87 BCE), the king entitled himself as “King of kings.” This would be logical since he was the king over many sub kings in the kingdom. He even placed this title on the coins that he produced during his rule over the kingdom, and historians record that every king of this empire, from that time on, used this title to address his place in the kingdom.
This empire continued a century after the death of Jesus Christ.
As a side note, it was the custom of the king of Parthia to lead his army into battle when facing an enemy, and in Revelation 19: 11-16 we see Christ, who has the title “King of kings,” riding a horse, with his armies of angels following Him as they enter into battle with the world.
This term “King of kings” used in verse 16 could have Parthian origins. I encourage you to research the history of the Kingdom of Parthia, and the interesting parallels that exist with European culture, and the influences that this kingdom may have had on the people of first century.
— by Doyle J. Carter
True Tales to Live By…
“The load becomes light that is cheerfully borne,” Publius Ovid.
When I was a high school teacher in Manchester, NH, I was assigned to be a teacher of English of freshmen. They were 13 to 14 years of age. I had a feeling that they were young enough that I might be ab1e to teach those boys and girls something that would help them to get on the right path as they grew older.
I had collected a number of sayings to memorize that would be of help to them. Some of them were as follows. One of the quotations was from the Greek philosopher quoted above. They could learn how to app1y these words when asked to write a theme which they disliked. They could either grumble about it or write the works cheerfully. Since we were studying the book Treasure Island, about the story of a boy their age who was the member of a crew that sailed the seas in search of buried treasure, I thought it would especially appeal to them to know that I had once been a sailor and was a member of a crew on a ship that sailed the seas which plied along the coast of Maine, that carried a cargo of shrimp and other things to a port in Boston.
I told them the story about a sailor whose job it was to swab the decks, which was not a pleasant task, but he made it pleasant by singing an old-time song.
“In the good old summer time, in the good old summer time. Strolling down the shady lane with my baby mine. I hold her hand and she holds mine and that’s a very good sign. That she’s my Tootsie Wootsie in the good old summer time.”
I even sang that song to them and they were delighted with it. It even taught them the importance of being cheerful when they had a task which seemed rather unpleasant to them. I think those words I asked them to memorize remained in their minds for years to come. There were other short quotations they were asked to memorize. One of them was a saying by Thomas Jefferson. “The way to have a friend is to be one.”
You may find it difficult to believe, but I had a friend, a 7 year-old newsboy I met in the Boy’s Club, who still occasionally writes to me after 60 years and he still quotes those words of Thomas Jefferson. I am sure they have helped him to be a friendly person.
Another short quotation which has long been a favorite of mine is expressed in the words of the philosopher, Gracian. “Friendship multiplies our blessings and divides our ills.” How true that is. I know a lady who has many friends because she is friendly. Several times a day, she picks up the phone and calls a friend who is seriously ill to encourage her, or a person who has had sadness in his or her life. I’m sure those people feel comforted by her calls. They often call her in return. I’m sure it enriches her life as well as the friend to whom she calls.
On the other hand there are people who will have no friends because they are not friendly. There is a quotation from the Bible which also illustrates this admonition, too. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you,” Ephesians 4:32.
How enriched many marriages would be if both the husband and the wife lived by these words. Many young people, too, would be blessed as well as their parents if they really took to heart these inspiring words.
— by Skip Westphal
Misc…
All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; and third, it is accepted as self-evident and was always believed to be the thing to do.
— by Arthur Schopenhauer
Story…
What goes around, comes around. He almost didn’t see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road; but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So, he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry.
He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold.
He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.
He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough.
Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis, and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance he needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.”
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill.
The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too.
“Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.”
Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard.
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her. She gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything’s gonna be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”
There is an old saying “What goes around comes around.”
— author unknown
(A few weeks ago, I asked Diane Kleeschulte if she would write an article about taking kids out of school for the Feast, and how to work with their teachers for the best results. Since Diane is a teacher by profession, and also a member of the Church, she has dealt with this situation with her own sons. Hopefully, this article will help parents to understand the best way to approach their children’s teachers and make it more of a positive experience for everyone involved. Submitted by Shelby Faith.)
School, Home and the Feast
“…and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days…You shall celebrate it in the seventh month,” Leviticus 23:40-41, NKJV.
After having taught now for twelve years, both in elementary and middle school, I realize that families vacation throughout the year for many reasons and purposes. The responsibility of completing the course work before returning to school, of course, belongs to the student.
But how do parents support the child, school, and teacher while vacationing or visiting friends and relatives? How do parents who attend the Feast of Tabernacles organize themselves to complete school assignments before returning home?
This article offers suggestions and insights from my experience, both as a parent and teacher.
Most schools recommend at least one-week notification before the student’s absence in order to allow teachers ample time to prepare assignments. Teachers sometimes are not sure how far they may get in a particular subject area, for example, in math. Having plenty of time to consider in advance where she may be when the student returns is very important. (If you have a special needs child that receives services through another teacher, that teacher may offer an assignment and/or suggestions on how you can help them with their regular classroom assignments.)
Elementary teachers must prepare at least six, sometimes seven days of assignments for all subject areas. This can be daunting to everyone involved, especially when your child walks in a day or two before departing for the Feast with a page of work for each day of absence, as well as a packed book bag. From personal experience as a parent, I offer this to others: This work is a priority. It has to be done. Even with all the preparations going all around you, I suggest that everyone discuss and review all assignments together before you leave.
On occasion, there were instructions that were unclear and I needed to call the teacher for clarification. It helps in the long-run to make this a priority. Then plan a schedule.
What can be completed while traveling? What assignments will require assistance and extra time? Do any extra books or supplies need to be packed? Parents with more than one child will find this quite a balancing act, but dividends will be paid upon your child’s return to the classroom. When you discuss the assignments and plan a schedule as a family, it communicates to the child that the parents perceive his work as a priority.
Middle school and high school students usually have a different teacher for each subject area. Following the above planning suggestion should meet with equal success for this age group as well, however these students can be unpredictable. If you have any doubts about whether the math teacher really told your child, “Don’t worry, you can catch up when you get back,” call the teacher immediately. Parents are seldom guilty of overreacting in instances such as these. But again, planning well in advance is the key to success for any student attending the Feast.
The issue of planning a time to study and complete work has been a thorn in the side of many families at the Feast. Discussing assignments ahead of time and making a plan of action, as suggested above, will give you an advantage once you arrive at the Feast, and find that your child is distracted with the many events and invitations.
In your plan of action, I suggest that you consider whether it would be more beneficial for the work to be completed over several days as opposed to one or two. But this, of course, depends on how your child works; is he an efficient independent worker, requiring little help, or does he work better with much guidance and support? Which parent does he work better with when it comes to math, English, and science? Also, who is more available for the hours the work plan was scheduled? Having attended the Feast with our boys, we have a clear understanding of what parents are up against when this issue arises. It may take some trial and error.
I have heard many parents exclaim the fact that they did not realize how different their children’s work habits were until they tried to help them at the Feast with their assignments. Teachers know this first hand from the classroom, but it can be surprising as well as frustrating to parents. If possible, seek support from another parent or family if the situation becomes too stressful. (For several years at different Feast sites, there were volunteer homework help sessions. It was scheduled twice during the week and we usually had a very good turn out. Parents were always very grateful for the assistance and support. Ask around before the Feast to see if there might be volunteers who would be willing to hold a couple of these homework help sessions during the Feast.)
Before your child returns to school, check over their assignments one more time. If the assignments have been checked off the homework list as being completed, check them over one more time to be sure they did not get misplaced or lost. A binder or folder is helpful to keep everything together. When your child returns to school with everything completed and organized, everyone will have a sense of success and accomplishment.
Remember that with discussion, planning, and follow through with your child’s work you will be sending him a message about so many important life lessons. Perhaps the most significant, though is the message that attending the Feast is not an obstacle, or something negative to overcome because of responsibilities at home. Let your child see that you have planned well for God’s Feast Days, so that he and your family can enjoy every good thing God has for you each and every year.
“Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you…so that you surely rejoice,” Deuteronomy 16:15 NKJV.
— by Diane Kleeschulte
Rules For Flying…
It’s better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here.
If you’re ever faced with a forced landing at night, turn on the landing lights to see the landing area. If you don’t like what you see, turn’ em back off.
Speed is life, altitude is life insurance. No one has ever collided with the sky.
Always remember you fly an airplane with your head, not your hands.
Never let an airplane take you somewhere your brain didn’t get to five minutes earlier.
Don’t drop the aircraft in order to fly the microphone. An airplane flies because of a principle discovered by Bernoulli, not Marconi.
“Unskilled” pilots are always found in the wreckage with their hand around the microphone.
If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger; if you pull the stick back, they get smaller. (Unless you keep pulling the stick back, they get bigger again.)
What’s the difference between God and fighter pilots? God doesn’t think he’s a fighter pilot.
Child’s Prayer…
Dear God, My Grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do you go? Love, Dennis
Life…
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don’t hurt.
3) Families are like fudge; mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It’s like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the taste.
From South Africa, Syd Hull reports, “We are thrilled with the way things are working out for God’s Work and Church in South Africa. People on our mailing list now seem to be waking up. Several new prospective members are already attending services. God is really encouraging us now. It seems that we could easily have a 30% increase in attendance at the FOT 2004 over FOT 2003.”
From Kenya, Ernest Owino reports, “The Work in Kenya has seen significant growth in the last few months. In April, I responded to a request for a visit by a group in Embu, Central Kenya. Since the individuals comprising the group in Embu had not studied much of our literature, my first visit dealt with the basics, with an exhaustive Q & A session. I have been visiting the new group in Embu once every month, and they are very enthusiastic about the Work of the Living Church of God. Of the existing groups, the Opoya congregation (a recent addition) has seen phenomenal growth. From Sabbath attendance of 18 in October of 2000, Opoya has grown to an average Sabbath attendance of 36. This has been God’s doing, and not of our own human effort. Because I am spread so thin over a large area, I try to schedule my visits once or twice a month. With the exception of the Nairobi Church, other groups rely on translations into either their dialects or Swahili. This obviously presents challenges. Nevertheless, I have been able to cope with this need over the years, and everyone feels well served. I normally have simultaneous translations as I speak. With five congregations not able to communicate effectively in English, it becomes a monumental task; but we thank God for His guidance over the whole affair. With very poor and heavily potholed roads, the car we use in service to God is almost becoming a wreck. Our roads and paths are real car wreckers! Therefore, we request everyone’s prayer along these lines. Famine is also biting very hard here. Many of our members are affected and are going hungry. In all, we have average weekly attendance of 169.”
Regarding LCG’s efforts in the French language, V.G. Lardé reports: “The figures of the first semester of 2004 for the French Web site at (www.mondedemain.org) are very encouraging. They are still greatly increasing! During this first semester, we have exceeded all the figures of the full year 2003 (except the number of sessions). The French Web site recorded 40,147 unique visitors and 77,487 visitor sessions in six months. The server recorded visits from 98 known countries for this semester. We also have counted first visitors from Albania, Angola, Guinea, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Kenya, Latvia, Mozambique, Nepal, Niue, Slovenia, Ukraine, Venezuela, Virgin Islands, and Vatican (2 sessions). This brings to 111 the number of known countries to have visited our French Website since January 2001. The activity increased by 153% to 578% over the first semester 2003 levels! More than 65,000 articles and 11,000 booklets were downloaded. Additionally, about 22,500 audio files were downloaded including 18,350 radio broadcasts, (578% increase over first semester 2003, the highest increase) and 4,100 sermons. The Website’s various pages were viewed about 160,000 times. The “Order Free” page was viewed more than 4,400 times, and we received 1,662 online requests forms.”
Regarding LCG’s Living Youth Camp (LYC), Charles Bryce reported, “This year’s camp has ended with more than 200 campers and staff. It is taking place in a beautiful millennial setting, with deer and one lonely unnamed sheep running around the grounds. Everything there seems to be going exceptionally well, thanks to God’s blessing, hard work from Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Weston and all the staff, and the cooperation, enthusiasm, and energy of the campers. After all, they are the focus of everything we try to do there. All of them appear to be learning good things and having lots of fun! Please continue to ask God to bless and guide this year’s camp in a special way.”
By the way, both of my teenage sons attended LYC this year and did enjoy it.
— submitted by Robert Thiel
Cogwriter@aol.com
Article…
It isn’t that Sam is unsociable. It’s just that he’s, well you know, an engineer.
Not the kind who drive trains. Those guys are social animals. (Who wouldn’t want to party with a guy who has one of those awesome train whistles to blow?) Sam is the kind of engineer who sits at a desk and uses mathematical theories and scientific principles to design things.
How sociable can you be when your brain is full of stuff like that?
And that’s where Sam’s brain was as he boarded the plane for Phoenix a few weeks ago. He had a briefcase full of work, and he was planning on some nice, quiet air time to get a few things done before he touched down in the Valley of the Sun.
Then Clayton sat down next to Sam.
“Hi,” he said, “I’m Clayton, and I’m 9, and I’m going to Arizona to visit my Grandma!”
The little boy’s enthusiasm was charming, and a little overwhelming.
“Hi, Clayton,” Sam replied. “I’m Sam and I was 9 about 37 years ago.”
See what I mean about engineers? Everything is an equation.
The row-mates chatted for a little while. No, that isn’t quite right. Clayton chatted and Sam listened. In just a few minutes Sam learned that Clayton attended a year-round school that was “off-track” for a couple of weeks, that he had an older brother and two older, stepsisters and that he was especially excited to have some new coloring books and “bright liquid color” crayons. Clayton didn’t even slow down when the flight attendant brought their snack. He just kept chatting away while he munched, discussing everything and anything until he finally had to leave to use the bathroom. “OK,” Sam said to himself hopefully, “maybe he’ll settle down now and I can get some work done.”
He pulled out some reports and spread them on the fold-down table in front of him, trying to send a subtle message to Clayton. But Clayton is 9, and 9-year-old boys don’t do subtle.
Or do they?
After settling back into his seat, Clayton looked Sam right in the eye.
“Sam,” he said, “you’re a pretty nice guy.”
That caught Sam a little off-guard. “What makes you think that?” he asked.
Clayton didn’t hesitate. “You talk to me,” he said. “The last airplane trip I went on, the guy sitting next to me told me to shut up because he had to read.” He glanced at the pile of papers on the table in front of Sam. Then he looked back at Sam.
The fact is, Sam IS a nice guy, which is why he spent the rest of the flight talking, well, OK, mostly listening, to a talkative 9-year-old boy. And then when they landed in Phoenix he stayed on the plane until the flight attendant was finished with her other duties and could take care of Clayton.
And you ,know what? All of that work that Sam wanted to do on the plane eventually got done anyway. Only it got done by a smiling engineer who had a new 9-year-old friend. Of course, it’s entirely possible that Clayton set Sam up and used his “niceness” against him. But even if he did, where’s the harm? There’s always plenty of work to be done, and plenty of quiet, boring plane rides in which to do it. But the chance to make a new friend doesn’t come along every day.
Especially if you don’t have one of those awesome train whistles to blow.
— by Joseph Walker
Article…
God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention?
“The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.” [Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways,] Proverbs 20:30.
God uses problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags — if you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you? “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” [When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience,] James 1:2-3.
God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It’s likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove, but you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something (health, money, a relationship) by losing it. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes. The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.” [It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws,] Psalm 119:71-72.
God uses problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem. But it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when the management’s actions were eventually discovered. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” [You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good,] Genesis 50:20.
God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship with God and your character are the only two things you’re going to take with you into eternity. “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope.” [We can rejoice when we run into problems. They help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady,] Romans 5:3-4.
Here’s the point. God is at work in your life even when you do not recognize it or understand it. But it’s much easier and profitable when you cooperate with Him.
— author unknown
Article…
Do you feel vexed or disrupted by the news every night at 6:00 PM? Does the world around you make you angry due to its corrupt ways? There are times when you feel helpless as you watch world or local events. But we do have hope in God, and deliverance from trials.
Peter wrote, “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; and delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds,)” II Peter 2: 5-8.
Peter understood that the world around us, with its disobedient attitude toward the correct way of life that God presents us, would cause us anguish. We are surrounded by the evil of this world, and without justice to correct it. Or so it seems.
But in verse 9, Peter reassures us by saying, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished.”
Yes, as the examples of Lot and Noah show us, God can deliver us from this world of evil, and will punish the unjust on the Day of Judgment. But we must endure until the end just as Noah had to wait until it rained before he was delivered, and Lot had to wait until the angels came to witness the evil of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 24:13, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Therefore, we are to be like Lot and Noah enduring the events around us, and being strong in the Lord God. We are to not give up when people or events in this society of great evil continue to vex our soul day-to-day. God is just, and He will deliver His people when it is time, and will reserve the unjust for their time of punishment.
So, I encourage you to be strong in the Lord God, and look forward for the day that Jesus Christ will come to correct the problems of this world.
— by Doyle J. Carter
PO Box 690592
Tulsa, OK 74169
What Were You Thinking?
My God, what were you thinking
When you suffered and bled on that tree?
What manner of love possessed You
To rescue a wretch like me?
I don’t understand why You gave up Your Throne to die in this miserable place.
What was it that caused You to offer me
Your free and Your wonderful grace?
The infinite love of the Savior
Beyond understanding of men,
Allowed Him to die for our sinfulness,
And caused Him to rise up again.
I don’t understand for I see through a glass, a Glass that obscures like a stone. But someday I’ll look on His wonderful face and know
Him as now I am known.
— by John Girdley
Fort Dodge, IA
Handy Reference List of
Emergency Phone Numbers
When: Call:
In Sorrow............................................. John 14
Men fail you........................................ Psalm 27
You have sinned.................................. Psalm 51
You worry............................. Matthew 6:19-34
You are in danger................................ Psalm 91
God seems far away.......................... Psalm 139
Your faith needs stirring.................. Hebrews 11
You are lonely/fearful.......................... Psalm 23
You’re bitter/critical................. I Corinthians 13
You feel down/out........................ Romans 8:31
You want peace/rest............ Matthew 11:25-30
World seems bigger than God............. Psalm 90
You want Christian assurance.... Romans 8:1-30
You leave home for labor/travel......... Psalm 121
You want courage for a task................ Joshua 1
You think of investments...................... Mark 10
If:
You are depressed.............................. Psalm 27
Your pocketbook is empty.................. Psalm 37
You are losing confidence
in people .......................... I Corinthians 13
People seem unkind.............................. John 15
Discouraged about your work........... Psalm 126
You want to be fruitful........................... John 15
For:
Understanding of
Christianity ................... II Corinthians 5:15-19
A great invention/opportunity............... Isaiah 55
How to get along with fellow men.... Romans 12
Paul’s secret to happiness........ Colossians 3:12
Alternate Numbers
Dealing with fear............................... Psalm 347
Security......................................... Psalm 121:3
Assurance........................................ Mark 8:35
Reassurance................................ Psalm 145:18
Words of Wisdom…
I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.
— by John D. Rockefeller Jr.
“Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt.”
Looking for dependable individuals who are willing to make a serious lifetime commitment. Advanced education or skills not necessary. Must be able to follow instructions, and go wherever employer leads. Must be trainable, and willing to train others.
We offer full benefits. Base pay varies, but your needs will be met.
Commission plan = 100%. Full insurance plan plus your own private physician on call twenty four-hours a day.
Awesome retirement package:
1. Everlasting life
2. Live in mansion
3. Live in Paradise
4. Collect all your sales commissions
5. A chance to be close to your employer who loves you so much that He gave His life for you.
Six-day work-week, twenty-four hour a day company with thousands of years of business experience, offers a full bondage free environment. If you are ready for a change, apply right now where you are. No telephone or Internet required. Just call 1-800-Jesus-Christ. I need you! This is a lifetime employer who will never leave you or forsake you!
— by Thomas (Navasota, TX prison)
Sabbath Keepers Fellowship &
Prison Ministry
Feast of Tabernacles
Sept 30 to Oct 7, 2004
CGOM sponsored or
Recommended sites
Lake Texoma, OK
Contact: Steve Kieler
sskieler@dodgenet.com
515-576-5743
San Antonio, TX
Contact: Julian Cruz
jcruz@ix.netcom.com
210-333-7229
Lake of the Ozarks, MO
Contact: Duke Schneider
ddinmo@advertisnet.com
573-372-3221
Mountain View, AR
Contact: Wayne Holmes
holmesfamily@cei.net
870-251-2431
Kelseyville, CA
Contact: Jeff Henderson
jchmb@aol.com
650-726-3005
800-384-0998
Collingwood, Ontario Canada
Contact: Len Labunetz
Labunetz@Rogers.com
416-665-8362
Other Sites
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Contact: Alex Nicholson
902-860-2880
Don’t forget to send us your Feast reports!