Christmas

25 December 2016

Dear Phyllis,

Well it's Christmas. At least that is what religion calls it. The Bible gives us no indication when that event actually took place but it is not wrong to pause for a moment to reflect on the miracle of the incarnation. Surely that was the greatest event that had taken place on this planet since the moment God breathed life into that clay statue that lay on the ground. It is safe to say angels have exhausted themselves ever since then trying to comprehend what happened that night, and the full force of the incarnation is so much beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend, it is like a child trying to hold the ocean in his hands.

I can't believe it! It is impossible! How in the world could the Son of God be barn in a barn??? The Bible gives us the simple explanation but it doesn't make sense. There was no room in the inn. Nothing could be more descriptive of mans response to God's attempt to reconcile fallen humanity with Himself. We should be more grateful to progressives. They have at last taken off their white gowns and masks and no longer give mocking homage to Jesus. They just snarl with unvarnished hateful opposition. Business still borrows His name, but they have taken Christ off the shelf and replaced Him with Santa Clause to produce the greatest economic boom of the year. Annually there is more money exchanged on Christmas than any other time of the year. The American economy is measured by its success at Christmas. The rest of the world is envious and is trying to create its own gift-giving culture. Every store clerk in Thailand has a Santa Clause hat on.

But at the actual event of the incarnation there were only three sets of actors. There were the mother, father, and Child in the barn. There were the angels singing praise to God in the heavens announcing His birth. And there were the shepherds sleeping in a field watching their sheep. That's it. There is nothing that I find more bewildering than the fact that Jesus had to borrow a manger from a cow to sleep in the first night. And He never got much above that. To a zealous young man who wanted to follow Him Jesus warned, “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of man hath not the where to lay His head” (Lk. 9:58). Do you want to follow Jesus? That is the price. To the Prosperity preachers flying around in their $25, 000, 000 private jets and living in their palatial mansions, I can only ask, “Should a servant live on a higher standard than the Master?”. For His Triumphal Entry Jesus had to borrow a donkey's colt to ride on. He died on another man's Cross and He was buried in a borrowed tomb. What in the world are we talking about??!!

Perhaps the next amazing thing happened a week after His birth when they went to the temple for dedication. An ancient man, to whom it was revealed by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ; took an eight day old Baby in his arms and said, “Lord let thy servant depart now in peace. For my eyes have now seen Thy salvation.” (Lk. 2:29, 30). Who was that Baby he was holding in his arms? Was that the God of all creation? Was that the One of whom it was said, “All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (Jn. 1:3)? Forget it. There is no way we can take that in.

There is nothing that I find more mind blowing, bewildering, than the fact that the Son of God should be known as the Lamb of God. It has been said – probably correctly – that in creation God has incorporated spiritual truth in the various objects He made, to teach us truth in a graphic way. In the ocean God has illustrated the vastness of His Being. In the rock God has demonstrated the solidarity of His immutable character. In the serpent God has shown us the evil and deceptive nature of the devil. In the lion God has showcased fierceness. And in the lamb God has given us the perfect picture of helplessness. The lamb is unique in all animals in having the total absence of any self-protection mechanism. The conference speaker in Karuizawa one summer had been a shepherd in his early years. He said the hardest thing he had ever done was kill a lamb. When you put a knife to a lambs throat he will quietly stand there and do nothing in self-defense. If you want to do something difficult sometime, try to kill a cat. Once I had the lamentable responsibility of killing our cat. You talk about a tough act. That cuddly little kitten that became our house cat was the fiercest animal you ever saw. It was a dangerous task to try to stuff that cat in a box, and then it took three arms (a friend helped me do it) to keep that fierce cat in the box while I inserted a rubber hose from a propane tank to gas it. It was a fight to the death until the last croak came out. A worm will squirm when you put it on a fish hook. But here is nothing like that in a lamb. A lamb is the most helpless animal on this planet. And that is who Jesus is.

One time I was worshiping the Lord when the full force of the significance that Jesus is known, almost exclusively in heaven, as the Lamb struck me. Suddenly I became infuriated with the Father. I roared, “How insulting!! Jesus is not the Lamb! It was all right for Jesus to be the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world; but after He pulled the fangs of the devil at Calvary He is not the Lamb any more. He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” Then the Lord showed me something truly amazing. In God's Inverted Kingdom, the Lamb is the highest symbol of power and authority there is.

There is no way we can take that in. Small wonder unbelievers scoff. How ridiculous! The foolishness of the preaching of the Cross is as incomprehensible as it gets. That God who created all things, should have a Son - then send His Son to be with us here - and His Son should be the lowest of men??? Come on now. That is off the chart.

What can we do? There is nothing we can do but take our hats off, bow in deep deep deep contrition, and worship that incomprehensible Being who loves us so much He allowed Jesus to suffer all of that to save us.

But there is one more mystery that might be even greater – that is that He should reveal this to us so that we understand it. If the mystery of the incarnation, and the work of Christ makes any sense to us, that puts us in a different category than the rank and file of humanity. It has been correctly said, “The world by wisdom knew not God” (1Cor.1:21). No one in the inn that night, where the party was going on, had the faintest clue of what was happening in the barn. Angels could have gone to Herod or the high priest that night to announce His birth in a barn, and they would have laughed at such a report. Humanity has not changed its mind about God's plan of salvation since then. Religions have sprung up. Wonderful children's stories have been created. Everyone loves Santa. But to grasp the full significance of God's amazing wisdom is reserved to a few people who are dumb enough to believe it. I'll stand in the front of that line. Let me be the first one forward to thank God that He reached down to the absolute bottom of the barrel to take the most unqualified turkey He could find to share with him the mystery of the incarnation.

Oh, thank You, thank You, thank You, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, JESUS!!!

                                                                  bill

Jesus Birth

18 December 2016

Dear Phyllis,

Last week I was telling Sangha some of the little known facts about Christmas. The Bible is singular in telling us very little about the birth of Christ. It is only mentioned in two of the four gospels and there is no indication when it was. The only thing that can be said with confidence is that Jesus was not born in December. The fact that shepherds were sleeping outside makes that date highly unlikely. Of the two gospels where we do read about the birth of Jesus there are only two things that agree. Both emphasize the fact that Jesus was born of a virgin and that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The first point establishes the uniqueness of the Blood of Christ, and the second His linage as the Son of David.

The virgin birth of Christ is basic to our faith. Medical science has shown the in conception of a child the blood comes exclusively from the male gene. The fact that Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit make Jesus the only human ever born without a drop of Adams blood in him. And in the womb there is utterly no mixing of the mothers blood with the infant. The Blood of Jesus is the only blood untainted with the sinful nature of Adam.

It is surprising that the Son of that carpenter should be so well known as the Son of David. This is important because Jesus was (is) the fulfillment of God's covenant with David that his dynasty would be forever.

Beyond these two points the two accounts of the birth of Christ are different even to the fact that the two genealogies of Christ are different (Mt. 1:1-17 & Lk. 3:23-38). Matthew obviously is Christ genealogy on Joseph's side giving Him title to the Davidic throne, and Mary's side as the descendant of Adam. Luke is the one that gives us an account of the night that Jesus was born, and Matthew's account is an incident that happened a year or two later when they were in a house. The fact that Herod had all the male children up to two years old killed suggest that Jesus might have been as old as two, but more likely one.

If we can digress to as far as David, David is a very significant man in the Bible. It has been suggested that he is the most significant person in the OT. The 40 year reign of David spans an unparalleled time in history as going from the days of Saul when there were only two swords and no files in Israel (1Sam. 13:19-22) to the days of Solomon when Israel was the highest culture in the world (1Kn. 10:6,7). Between these two extremes was the time of David. And if we contrast David with Saul this is even more bewildering.

If anyone questions the severity of God and wonders if God is serious about His law they have only to look at the several incidents where the most minor offenses were settled by capital punishment. The greatest mystery in human history is the fact that the most catastrophic disaster that ever happened on this planet was the result of the prototype man touching and eating the forbidden fruit. By that innocent act all humanity fell into the grip of satan. In the time of Moses a man was executed for picking up a couple of sticks on the Sabbath (Num. 15:32-36). Achan with his sons and daughters were stoned for hiding a Babylonian garment and a couple of wedges of silver (Jos. 7:24). Ananias and Sapphira fell dead for lying to the Holy Spirit (Act 5:1-11); and Saul was rejected as king of Israel for not waiting an extra half hour for Samuel (1Sam. 13:8-14). When we look at the severity of the punishment of these seemingly minor incidents we are utterly bewildered by the fact that David, uniquely in Scripture, is known as a man after God's own heart (Act 13:22) while his sin is one of the most heinous in the Bible.

David was backsliden as he should have been with his men fighting (2Sam. 11:1). This made him venerable to temptation. His adultery alone was worthy of the death sentence (Lev. 20:10). But what he did in murdering one of his best men to cover his own sin is one of the most inexcusable crimes in the Bible. If there was ever a man in the Bible that should have been executed it was David. And he alone holds the title as a man after God's own heart. How in the world is this possible? The answer to this may be found in his response to God when confronted for his sin.

Saul is mans man. He was a man who was self-excusing and obsessed with the opinion of men. When confronted for his sin in sparing Agag, Saul said, “I have obeyed the Lord, but the people...” (1Sam. 15:20,21) Then when Samuel pinned him he pleaded, “I have sinned but honor me with these people” (1 Sam. 15:30). The reason he turned on David, and spent ten years trying to kill him, was because the women sang “Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands” (1Sam. 18:7). When the Lord told Samuel to go anoint a new king of Israel, Samuel protested, “If Saul finds out about it he will kill me” (1Sam. 16:2). No doubt that was true.

Thirty years later another prophet was confronted with another task that was infinitely more dangerous. David was guilty of one of the darkest sins in the Bible. The Lord told Nathan to go confront David with his sin. Up to this point David had gotten away with it and had been living in darkness for at least two years. Nathan very wisely went to King David and told him a story about two men and some sheep. He said there was one poor fellow who had only one little lamb and another wealthy bird that had a whole flock. A stranger came to visit the wealth man and, rather than slaughtering one of his own sheep, he stole and killed the lamb of the poor man. Nathan asked David. “What do you think about that?” David was enraged. He said, “That man shall surely die and he will pay four fold.” Then Nathan dropped the bomb and said, “You are the man” (2Sam. 12:1-7). Oh my goodness, what a gutsy statement! Had that been Saul, Nathan would be history right now. But it was David who hit the floor with conviction of sin and said “That is true. I have sinned” (2 Sam. 12:13) Most mercifully Nathan said to David, “You won't die. The Lord has put away your sin. But because you have given the enemy great occasion to blaspheme the child will die” (2Sam. 12:13, 14).

The Bible is silent on this subject. This is totally Bill Cook's opinion but I believe there is a big time gap in verse 15 (2Sam. 12). Until he was confronted by Nathan, David had lived in darkness for at least two to possibly three or four years. I believe it was after this exposure by Nathan that Bathsheba was pregnant for the third time. And David called his third son's name Nathan. Bathsheba had four sons by David. The first boy's name was Shimea. The second son was Shobad. The third son was Nathan. And the forth was Solomon (1Ch. 3:5). Whatever the sequence was in a time line, Shimea was obviously at least three or probably four years old when he got sick. David knew the death sentence was on him. He knew the lad was going to die because of his own sin. For seven days David fasted and prayed all night for the little fellow (2Sam. 12:16-18). When he knew the little boy was gone David said, “I can't bring him back to me but someday I will go to him” (2Sam. 12:23). After Shimea died David went to comfort this wife Bathsheba and she became pregnant for the fourth time. The result of that was Solomon (2Sam. 12:24).

David had at least seven wives (2Ch. 3:1-3; 1Sam. 18:27). Of these seven women he had at least ten sons. It is astounding that the one the Lord chose for the linage of Christ was Solomon from Bathsheba, that David got by adultery and murder. Had I been God I never would have chosen her to be the linage of Christ. There are five women listed in Mathew's account; three of the five were women of dubious moral character (Mt. 1:3-6). If there is anything that shows the grace of God it is in the genealogy of Christ as recorded by Matthew. And perhaps the answer to the mystery of why David was a man after God's own heart lies in his responses when confronted by God for sin. In Luke's account of the genealogy of Christ we see that the linage of Christ on Mary's side was Nathan (Lk. 3:31). Saul justified himself when confronted for sin but when David was charged for infinitely greater sin his response was immediate contrition and he named his next son after the man who pinned him. Whatever the case is, we see the linage of Christ as the Son of David recorded by Matthew came through SOLOMON, but in Luke's account, when he presents Jesus as a descendant of Adam, he tells us that Jesus came through NATHAN. Oh how wonderful is the Word of God and what amazing truths are hidden in obscure places.

The world stops for a day to celebrate Santa Clause. Most children in the Orient think that Christmas is Santa's birthday. Evil men in America are making a fierce attack trying to take Christ out of Christmas. Thank God Obama's “happy holiday” has been replaced by Trump's “Merry Christmas”. The Bible offers very little substance to tell us when Jesus was born. But it does tell us emphatically that Jesus was born of a virgin which makes His Blood unique, and He is indeed the promised King of Israel as being born in Bethlehem the city of David.

Whenever it was, thank God Jesus had a birthday, and thank God He is King of our lives.

Have a good Christmas, bill

PS: After I wrote this letter I have had second thoughts about my own thesis. The question is: was David a man after God's own heart because he named his son Nathan, or did he name his son Nathan because he was a man after God's own heart? Whatever the case – as much as anything in scripture - this shows the character of David, and I am intrigued that is the name listed in Luke.

Samuel Rutherford's Letters

11 December 2016

Dear Phyllis,

I came out of a background of deep darkness of liberal Christianity that believed anyone who was so retarded to believe the Bible was the Word of God had a serious problem. One of the first shocks I had after Jesus moved into my heart was to discover that the Bible is actually true. I first began my inquiry of the Scripture by reading the gospels of the life of Christ. Next I looked at the letters of Paul. From there I went into the OT reading Genesis, the historical books, and Psalms. But when I got to the Song of Solomon I thought, “What in the world is this?”. I felt like it was a treasure box with a lock on it. I had been saved about two years when I read a short booklet by Hudson Taylor on Union and Communion. Amazingly that was the only thing Hudson Taylor ever wrote and it is a short devotional on the Song of Solomon. When I read that my eyes were opened and I thought, “Naru hodo (I see) this is all about Jesus and His Bride”. A year after that I fell heir to lead a Bible study and felt led to study this amazing book. That study changed my life.

Six years ago I was in the study of a fine missionary in Japan and noticed he had on his shelf a copy of The Letters of Samuel Rutherford. I don't know if Karl ever realized it or not, but when he reached up and gave me that book he gave away the greatest treasure he had in his study. Today I read The Letters of Samuel Rutherford in conjunction with the Bible every morning for devotions. Of all the people I have ever met, heard, or read, Samuel Rutherford is absolutely unique as the only man I have ever encountered that literally lived the Book of the Song of Solomon. If you don't know the Song of Solomon the letters of Rutherford would be utterly meaningless.

I have seen that there are three levels of relationships with God. It was not without purpose that God made man in His own image. And it was not without desire that He came down in the cool of the day to fellowship with His created being and his wife. The significant thing was that He found them hiding; and ever since that incomprehensible fall, Man has never fully recovered the relationship that was intended in the Garden.

Some men certainly knew God from Able to Abraham. Enoch walked with God for 300 years, Noah found favor with God. But with Abraham God began something genetically new. He took a woman who was utter incapable of reproduction and a 99 year old man to produce a seed that would ultimately become HIS PEOPLE. But it would take 500 hundred years before the descendants of Abraham would multiply to nearly 2, 000, 000. It is significant that when God spoke to Moses in the Bush He said, “I have seen the affliction of MY PEOPLE...” (Ex. 3:7). And in the subsequent conflict with Pharaoh, God consistently used the expression of MY PEOPLE (Ex. 7:4, 16; 8:1, 8 22, 23; etc). After the exodus from Egypt the Lord brought His people to Sinai and made a covenant with them. The total essence of that Covenant was, “I will be your God and you will be My people. The expression of that relationship was what God said, “I will set My Tabernacle among you... I will walk with you, and I will be your God and you shall be My people” (Lev. 26:11,12).

But that Tabernacle was a contradiction. This was the same contradiction that Moses experienced at the burning Bush when God called Moses out of the Bush but then said, “Draw not nigh”, (Ex. 3:5). The fact that God established His Tabernacle with Israel was an expression that God desired to live with His people, but then He told them to put up a Vail (Ex. 26:33; Lev. 16:2). The Tabernacle was an expression of God's desire to be with His people, but the Vail was a barrier to keep them away.

When God met with Israel at Sinai it was terrifying. The whole mountain was an intense fire. Israel said to Moses, “You talk to us but please don't let God talk to us” (Ex. 20:19). Joe Carroll once told me that he was sharing a conference with AW Tozer at Fort Wayne Bible School. They asked Joe to do the counseling. He told me the kids were lined up down the hall coming in for counseling scared to death. I asked Joe, “What was Tozer preaching about?”. “God.” “What in the world could he get out of that?” Joe quoted a couple of verses out of Exodus that said, “God came down on Sinai and the whole mountain was a blaze, and Moses went up into that burning fire and lived”. I thought, “Oh my goodness, I never thought of that. Small wonder those kids were scared silly”. They never knew that God was a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29).

When Jesus came to the scene, He introduced us to an entirely new concept. The first words that ever came out of Jesus' mouth was, “I must be about My Father's business” (Lk. 2:xx) And in His first recorded message He taught us, “When ye pray say. 'Our Father'” (Mt. 6:9). To call God Father was radically new. Today Islam has a solid understanding of a creator God. They have an intense conviction of sin. They have a death fear of judgment. But they certainly would never dream of calling Allah Father. The Jews in Jesus' day may have had a slightly higher view of God with a measure of mercy and grace. But they too would not address God as Father. This term came with Jesus. Almost exclusively Jesus called God Father. The reason He did so was because He was the Son of God. And today we have every reason to say “Father”; because we are born-again of the Spirit of God and are sons of God (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 8:15,16).

But there is a higher relationship – that as husband and wife. All Christians universally accept that the Church is the Bride of Christ (Jn. 3:29; Mk. 2:19,20; Mt. 22:2; 25:1-10; Rev. 19:7; 21:9). But a concept that Christians should have a husband/wife relationship with Jesus is offensive. That is why it is so embarrassing to read the Song of Solomon. I was preaching in Mino Mission one night with Betty Whewell interpreting for me. When I stood up and said, “Tonight I would like to share with you some wonderful truths from the Book of the Song of Solomon”; Betty turned to me and said, “We should never talk about this Book in public. It should only be read in the privacy of our bedrooms”. Because of our defiled, fallen, minds it is extremely difficult for us to have any concept of having a holy husband/wife relationship with Jesus. With our clouded minds we are in as much darkness as a frog in a well.

But that was not so with Samuel Rutherford. In his letters – in speaking of Jesus - Rutherford frequently refereed to the smell of His garments (S. of S. 4:11; Ps. 45:8), the smell of His breath (S.of S. 7:8), the tenderness of His kisses (S. of S. 1:2), the taste of His apples (S. of S. 2:3,5) Rutherford spoke much about the Lord taking him into His banqueting house (S. of S. 2:4). To our perverted minds much of Rutherford's letters would be down right pornographic. I believe much of our problem is that we are more centered on doctrine than we are on spiritual reality. We are strong on intellectual orthodoxy but weak on spiritual experience. With Jesus I suspect that it is the other way around.

Life is an experience. Spiritual life is an experience. Love is an experience. Quoting 1 Cor. 13 is not the same as knowing you are loved. Oh how weak we are in experience. How little do we feel that we are deeply loved. I believe in scripture the one who came the closest to truly knowing the Lord was John. In his amazing gospel he never uses his name once. He only refers to himself as that disciple. But from chapter 13 on he uses a unique expression; five times referring to himself as the disciple that Jesus loved (Jn. 13:21; 19:26; 20:2; 21:4; 21:20). What an amazing relationship!

In our perverted world today it is the unusual marriage that is the way God intended it to be. I believe the reason why the violation of 7^th commandment is such a serious issue, and there is so much written about it in the Bible, is because God has given us the institution of marriage to exemplify to us the relationship that God originally intended to have with man. And the devil has made that as one of his primary targets.

With the Fall intimacy with God was impossible. It was necessary that there should be a Vail between God and man. But at the Cross Jesus tore away that Vail. Today we have an imagined access to God. We call God Father. But few indeed have moved experiencially into the ultimate relationship God desires. Most of us are comfortable with calling God Father but we cringe at having a Song of Solomon relationship with Jesus. Praise God we know what the final act will be. That which was originally instituted in the Garden will be culminated in heaven. What John saw will be reality.

I John saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a Bride adorned for Her Husband. And I heard a voice out of heaven saying, “Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God”.

Lord Jesus, haste that day.  Bill

The Difference between Knowing and Being

5 December 2016

Dear Friends,

When I wrote yesterdays PB letter I had a suspicion that perhaps my heated wrath may not have been Spirit of Christ. That is why I closed with the remark,”Do you think this is the Spirit of Christ?

Knowing something and being something are not necessarily the same thing. I know I should be a better Christian but knowing that does not make it true. An alcoholic knows that he should stop drinking, but knowing that does not make him sober. I know it is my disposition to be very quick with harsh biting words, and in the back of my mind I am occasionally aware that that may not be the Spirit of Christ.

This morning I was reading again the Song of Solomon and noticed that the most prominent point of beauty the Jesus sees in His Bride is that she has doves eyes (S of S 1:15; 4:1). It is significant that the Bride says the same thing about Jesus, that He has doves eyes (S of S 5:12). You don't have to be a deep Bible scholar to know that doves eyes are speaking of the Holy Spirit. We all know that the Dove is the universal emblem of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 1:32). Nothing could be more descriptive. There is a distinct difference between the eyes of a dove and a hawk. There is a difference between the eyes of a lamb and a fox. A friend once had the devil come to speak with her in her kitchen. I asked her, “What did the devil look like”. Miriam replied, “He was handsome.” One of the most handsome beings she had ever seen. Then she added, “But his eyes”. Some time later I was over there for supper and Miriam brought a magazine over to show me. There was a picture of a tiger. Miriam said, “Look at those eyes. That is what the devil looks like.” Cats eyes. We have a very bad poisonous snake in Japan; a mamushi. A new missionary once asked me, “What does a mamushi look like?” I told him that they look very much like a garter snake in the states. But their eyes... “If you ever kill one look at the eyes. You'll know”. Some time later John told me, “I killed a mamushi the other day. You were right. As soon as I saw the eyes I knew it was a mamushi”.

I have read Song of Sol. hundreds of times and I am very familiar with the expression, doves eyes. They said of Robert Murray McCheyne, that his rebukes were the most terrible because he was so tender. But that is not bill cook. I am much better at swinging the headman's ax than the tender rebukes of McCheyne. But with a voluminous response to yesterdays letter and the Word from the Lord this morning it is pretty clear what would be the best approach Thursday night. It will take an unusual intervention of the holy Spirit to pull this on off. I can't do it, but maybe Jesus can.

When the Lord met with Elijah in the cave, the first thing He showed Elijah was the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire. But God was not in any of that. Then the still small Voice. It was the still small Voice that caused Elijah to cover his face. (1 Kn. 19:9-13).

Oh, Lord, please let that still small Voice be heard in the hearts of the benighted folks Thursday night.Salvation is of God. They need to be saved. Lord let them be saved Thursday night. Please do it for Jesus sake; Amen.

                         bill

Others

20 November 2016

Dear Phyllis,

This morning I enjoyed the best Sunday service I have attended this year. I spoke. But in very reality Jesus was there to speak to us. At least He certainly spoke to me. It was a little gathering in our house and we had an overflow crowd of four people (five including me - six with Jesus).

The Lord laid on my heart to speak on life. I asked them to define life. You can't. You can't define life, but you know where it is. Physically Adam was a complete person before God breathed into him the breath of life. The difference between that body lying on the ground and the one walking around was there was life in the latter.

Several years ago a lady in Japan, with an unsaved husband, was saved. There were three churches in her town and she asked me – for her husband's sake - what church she should go to. I told her, “Go to the one where there is life”. What is life? There are some churches where you get up in the morning feeling fine. You look forward to going to church, but when 12:00 o'clock comes you go home drained. In other churches, you get up in the morning with a headache, and you really don't want to go to church; but at 12:00 you feel so refreshed you don't want to go home. In the states I used to say the thermometer of a church is measured by the parking lot. If at a quarter to 1:00 there are still three or four cars in the parking lot with people standing there fellow-shipping, you know there is a lot of life in that church. But at other churches, by 12:15 the parking lot is empty, and the church door is locked; you know it is pretty chilly inside.

After the Fall Able and Cain gave their two offerings to the Lord. We all know that story. God accepted one and rejected the other. We know the difference was the blood. And we all know that the life is in the blood. Leviticus 17: 11 and 14 brings this out very clearly where it say three times, “the life is in the blood”. That is why the Bible says “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin” (Heb. 9:22). The problem with sin is that it brings death (Rom. 6:23); and that death cannot be undone by anything until there is life poured out to cancel that death.

More than just paying for our sin, Jesus came to give us life. Jesus said, “I am come that ye might have life...” (Jn. 10:10). This is what happens at the new birth. When I got saved, I didn't know why at the time, but suddenly I enjoyed reading the Bible. I enjoyed prayer. I had a craving for Christian fellowship. Previously I thought that was most boring thing in the world. But suddenly there was something inside me that wasn't there before. I had life. The Spirit of Christ had come to live in my heart.

One of the key verses on the Holy Spirit is what Jesus cried at the Feast of the Tabernacles - “If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink...” (Jn. 7:37). This is the first requirement for salvation – thirst. If there is no thirst there is no salvation. But for those who will come and drink, they find a life beyond anything they ever imagined.

After we moved to Ikoma I used to occasionally preach at the local Megumi Kyokai (church). One Sunday I was preaching on Zech. 13:1 - “In that day a fountain shall be opened...for sin and uncleanness”. In my introduction I said, “In this world there are many different types of fountains”. There was an unusual lady there that morning where this was the 2^nd time she had ever been in a church. As she sat there listening to me preach she said in her heart, “I am thirsty. I would like to drink”. Two weeks later Niki was in our home and came to Jesus. She has been a wonderful Christian ever since.

In this scene in John 7 in verse 39 it is added, “This He spake of the Spirit which they that believe on Him should receive”. In Jesus' outcry here, what He is referring to is the prophesy of Isa. 44:3 - “For I will pour water on him that is thirst...I will pour My Spirit on thy seed...” In the Scripture water is frequently used as a type of the Holy Spirit.

But what is the salient characteristic of the Holy Spirit? Jesus explained all of that in John 37:8 - “For OUT of his inner most being shall FLOW rivers of living water”. The evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person's life is the direction of the FLOW.

At this point I took a battle of water, an empty picture, and a glass. I held up the bottle of water and said (symbolically) “This is Jesus”. Then I held up the empty water jar and said, “This is us”. Then I poured the water from the bottle into the jar, and from the jar into the glass. As I did it I asked the folks, “Which way is the flow?” The FLOW from the jar is OUT. There are many people - and you know who they are - where the flow is IN. Everything about them the flow is going in. They are possessive. They are hoggish. They must be dominant. They call attention to themselves. Another word is selfish. Everything is for me. And these people are filled with the Holy Spirit? Impossible. Anyone who is truly filled with the holy Spirit the main characteristic of their life is that the Flow is OUT.

One hundred fifty years ago there was a mighty man of God in England, William Booth. Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army. They are best known today for standing in their uniforms on streets at Christmas time ringing bells to collect money for the poor. Off season the Salvation Army is known as a collection point for old clothes for sale to support charity projects. But in General Booth's day they were a militant army of soldiers for Jesus Christ waging war against sin to win souls for Christ. In the early days, the warriors of the Salvation Army used to carry the flag of Blood and thunder through the streets of London while hecklers would throw the night pail out the window on them. (A night pail is the receptacle used at night for one to relieve themselves in the days before they had inside toilets) These were tough soldiers, fearful of nothing, to win the battle for Jesus. Booth transformed England. It was reported that at his funeral Queen Victoria of England sat beside a prostitute who had been saved through Booth's ministry. As they carried his body out of the church the prostitute placed a flower on his casket with tears streaming down her face.

By the time of his death in 1912 the Salvation Army had become a large international organization in countries all over the world. Shortly before he died the Salvation Army was holding their annual conference with representatives from all over the world gathered in London. The General had grown too old to stand and preach, but they asked him to write out a message for the annual conference. Today they would have him record a message. He wrote out his message and placed it in a sealed envelope. The big moment came. His son Bramwell was leading the meeting and stood before the assembled workers. He opened the sealed envelope and took out the paper on which the message was written. There was one word - O T H E R S. That was the theme of William Booth's life – living for others. This is the Spirit filled life. This is the infallible evidence of the Holy Spirit. It is a life where the flow is outward - “OUT of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water”. This is life. This is why Jesus came – to correct the flow of life in us.

This is the reason God accepted Abel's sacrifice and didn't accept Cain's. From Abel's sacrifice the blood with the life flowed out. And if our sacrifice is to be accepted of God it must be that the flow of our life is outward.

If no one else got anything out of the message today, I certainly did. Things I couldn't think of kept coming to my heart. Seldom has the Word been more real and living in me. But the main point is not the flow of words, but may the flow of my life be somewhat in the same direction that it was in William Booth.

Lord Jesus, please make it real.

                                              bill

Election Lessons

13 November 2016

Dear Phyllis,

It was much on my heart to write to you about a totally different subject, but after the events on Tuesday, to comment on anything other than the election would be like preaching on the resurrection on Christmas. You Tube was filled with kooks prophesying that Trump would win the election, but I was so dubious that it was with reluctance that I turned on my computer to look at Fox News to see what was the result of the election. It was 11:00 o'clock Wednesday morning in Thailand but about midnight Tuesday evening in the states. The returns were over half in when I turned on my computer, and I was surprised to see there was considerable optimism in the Trump camp and a somber spirit had settled over the victory celebration across town. When Trump hit 250 of the needed 270 nearly everyone conceded it was all over. Gloom had prevailed in the H. camp where hours before they were ready to start dancing in the streets. Finally Hillary's campaign manager, John Podesta, came to the rostrum and told the grief stricken crowd that it had been a long night and go home. Forty minutes later Hillary called Trump to concede.

The Bible warns us not to gloat over our enemies or rejoice when our enemy falls (Prov. 24:17), but in the Psalms there is a tremendous amount about the Psalmist pleading with God to avenge him of his enemies. One answer to this is what the scripture teaches us that we are not to avenge ourselves as vengeance belongeth to the Lord (Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30). If we are honest there is a great deal in scripture concerning vengeance, and we even see the souls under the altar in heaven impatiently pleading, “How long...dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth?” (Rev. 6:10). If even those holy souls have grounds to be impatient and plead for vengeance, can we not also desire the judgment of God on the wicked? But then there is great joy when the angel tells the persecuted to rejoice because “God has avenged you” (Rev. 18:20). That is a clear answer to the cry of the souls under the altar. While watching the election I was on my knees reading Revelation 17, 18, and 19. Chapter 17 is Babylon. Chapter 18 is the tremendous grief on earth when Babylon falls. And chapter 19 is the tremendous jubilation in heaven for the same event.

In talking with Rudy Giuliani about Trumps plans for reconciliation, Sean Hannity asked, “Does that mean that Trump will not prosecute the Clintons?” Rudy shock his finger and replied “Reconciliation does not mean that criminal action will be excused.” When justice is served there is great cause to rejoice. It is spiritual to rejoice when vengeance is paid by God. I must admit that I derived more perverse pleasure in watching tears pour down the faces of those in the Hillary camp than I did at the jubilation over winning for Trump supporters.

Needless to say I am tremendously grateful to God for what He has done for America, but I do not see this, in anyway, as America's salvation. We have already crossed that line and nothing can stop the ax of judgment from falling on America. The Josian revival in 2 Kng. 22, 23 was the greatest revival in Israeli history, but the Lord warned that it could not prevent the judgment of God on Judah, because of the sins of Manasseh (2 Kng. 23:26; Jer. 15:4). Manasseh had crossed a line with God 30–40 years before then. God had put up with 13 kings of Israel (Judah) for 500 years, but when Manasseh came along he crossed a line from which there was no deliverance. The Word tells us that there had never been a Passover like the one Josiah produced since the days of Samuel (2 Ch. 35:15). After David, for a few years, Josiah was probably the finest king Israel (Judah) ever had; but for all his repenting and unprecedented eradication of idolatry, that could not prevent the judgment of God from coming down on Judah; that ultimately resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, and 70 years of the Babylonian captivity

When did America cross the line? Was it when nine black robed judges illegally legislated that prayer and the Word of God would no longer be permitted in America's public schools? Was it when these same liberal judges legalized the slaughter of untold millions of infants? Was it when the Supreme Court legalized the most vile form of sexual perversion? Where was it that America stepped out from under the hand of blessing of God and sealed the judgment of God; from which there will be no salvation? I thought the Reagan years were Josian revival to give America a brief reprieve from the depressing plunge of Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter. I thought America had hits is lowest point under Carter, but then, when Reagan came along, for the first time in 20 years I was proud to be an American again. Since then we have hit new lows of unimaginable depravity, and this is clearly the judgment of God on a nation that has been the main source world wide filth.

Now with the election of a man who is intensely despised by the most depraved elements in America, does that mean national salvation? I don't think so. Trump will not be able to check the flood of filth pouring out of the entertainment industry and Internet. Trump will not be able to halt the genocide of millions of unborn young. Trump will not be able to stop the unrelenting assault on every thing in America that is Christian by the ACLU.

As grateful as we are to God for saving us from four years of Jezebel - I can't imagine what the country would be like if she was in charge - but I firmly believe America has crossed the line for national salvation; and a genuine return to her original Christian roots is impossible. But it will be a time of great joy if justice is served after having eight years of criminals being in charge of the US judicial system.

Many are holding their breath that as a final act of depravity Obama might pardon the Clintons enabling them to dodge the bullet one more time and thwart justice. But if he doesn't - and Trump does what he pledged he would do - bells will be ringing on Fox News, and CNN will be shrouded with black wreaths in mourning. It is almost a given that Rudy Giuliani will be the Attorney General. I cannot think of anyone more desirable to head up the FBI than Judge Jeanine Pirro. If six months from now, Giuliani and Pirro are the head the judicial branch of the government; and the Clintons have not been given a free pass from jail, Bill and Hillary would certainly be justified to take money from their trust fund to buy a large quantity of Melatonin, Valium, and stronger prescription drugs to help them sleep. It would certainly would be a major humanitarian crisis for that couple due to sleep deprivation. In the days when prisoners in the US penal system were used for public works projects, one common task was for prisoners was to crack rocks with sledge hammers. I think this would be a wonderful occupation and great therapy for Bill, if he could be assigned to a large pile of rocks with a rubber hammer. He certainly will need a great deal of exercise to help him deal with the problem of being deprived of female companionship.

And for Hillary I pray much that she too will have free government housing. I am sure she would be stunning in orange. I pray much for her that she would be able to get a well fitting orange suit. I'm sure they will not all reside in the same cell but it would be kind of the Lord if she could have access to all her staff in the same prison.

Is this dishonoring to the Lord to pray this way? Maybe, but I don't think so. I have greatly enjoyed the events last week. Oh how wonderful it would be if justice prevails for a few years, and the righteous take center stage. But I don't see this as a lasting salvation. I believe America has a very grim future. Apart from Israel, it is doubtful that there has ever been a nation that was more blessed of God with greater advantages, but plunged lower in turning from God. Judgment is inevitable, but there certainly is a tremendous opportunity for the followers of Jesus to stand up and shine like the stars of the night in a black sky.

Thank you Jesus for a really great week.

                                                               bill.

Close to the End

30 October 2016

Dear Phyllis,

For just a word of explanation, last week was a dark moment for me. I had asked the Lord to give me a microphone where by I could proclaim the wonder of Jesus to a broader audience. It seemed the immediate result of that request was that He took away the only small megaphone I had of writing to you each week. I had two computer go south on me, and it looked like the Lord had unplugged me from Internet. I was able to write last weeks letter on Pammy's computer but I never did find a spell check and it was Tuesday before I figured out how to send out the letter.

Monday I gave my computer to Sangha and asked if his friend could fix it. To my amazement, Wednesday morning he brought it back and said it was operational. At least email is back on line.

In listening to Bill O'Reilly, I wonder if Dennis Miller isn't a prophet. O'Reilly asked him what he thought of the coming election. Miller responded, “I think it doesn't make any difference who wins. It is all over. Trump might be able to roll a few things back for a while and stave off the ultimate collapse but it is all over and it really doesn't matter who wins ”. Some how I strongly believe he is right. When a house is on fire you might be able to spray water on the wall to enable it to hold up the roof a little longer, but sooner or later the roof is going to cave in.

If any one questions whether or not the USA will go down, all they have to do is look at the 4,500 year human history. For 4,500 years various societies have risen in prominence and power, but in an unbroken secession all have come an end. On the quarter deck of the USS Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945, at the singing of the surrender ending the 2^nd WW, General MacArthur said, “Men, since the beginning of time have sought peace; but military alliances, balance of power, league of nations have all failed leaving only path by the way of the crucible of war. Now we have had our last chance. If we do not now devise some greater more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem is basically theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advance in science... of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if the flesh is to be saved.” He was absolutely correct. But the only answer to an improvement of human character is by the new birth of the Spirit of God. Without that, improvement in human nature is impossible. Tragically in the past 71 years since that epic speech, human nature has only degenerated at an unprecedented rate. MacArthur was right. Armageddon is here. Only the participants are different than the world envisions. Armageddon will not a battle between nations, but Jesus against the anti-Christ and his forces (Rev. 16:13-16; 19:11-21). What we are seeing today is the preparation for the appearance of the anti-Christ and laying the foundation for his kingdom.

Daniel chapter 2 is the clearest picture we have given to us in the Word of God of the secession of kingdoms. History has confirmed the coming and going of the first four kingdoms, but there is an unexpressed break between the legs of iron and the feet of part iron and part clay. The reason for this is because Israel is God time clock. Time is measured by Israel. We see this especially clearly in Dan. 9:24-27. The time of the gentiles, or church age, is parenthetical, and is therefore silent. But the significant thing is what the Word tells us in Dan. 2:44; “In the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom that shall never be destroyed”.The kings mention in verse 44 are obviously the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar image which appear again as horns in Dan, 7:7.20 and Rev. 13:1,7,12, 16. We are very close to seeing the formation of these ten nations, When we see these ten kings that should be a cause of great joy. That means that this is the last act. We have seen a succession of many kingdoms come and go but when we get to the last act we know that Jesus is going to appear to smash that mess and set up His own Kingdom that will never pass away. The last few grains of sand are rapidly sifting through our hour glass and very soon we will see God's clock ticking again. My goodness, this is so blatant that a blind man with one glass eye can see it.

Within the past year a 15 year old Jewish boy, Nathan, had an unusual out-of-body experience. He went to heaven and saw the events that are soon to take place in Israel. There is quite a bit about him on Googles. I'm not sure that everything will happen exactly the way that he describes it, but I do believe that the basics of it are accurate. He is a secular boy with no biblical background whatsoever, but he virtually quotes several passages of scripture, particularly Zech. 14:1-4. He said he saw a very powerful world leader arising, that fits exactly with the biblical anti-Christ. Then he said there will be a terrible world war with millions killed. After that the nations of the world will be gathered together against Israel. The Israeli IDF (Israel Defense Force) fights courageously but after three days they are over run, Jerusalem is taken, and the women raped. But then at that moment, the Messiah appears on the Mount of Olives which splits in two as He lands. The Messiah saves Israel. That is the most accurate description of what the Word of God tells us that I have ever heard from an untaught secular person. I am not pointing at Nathan's prophecy as being infallible, but I do believe he is pretty close. The two points where I feel he is off is that he says, ironically, that Obama is the anti-Christ (he doesn't use that term); and all of this is supposed to happen within a few months. There are several who have speculated that Obama is the anti-Christ, but I don't think he is that smart. And secondly I believe we have a few more years before the stage will be totally set. The Islamic upheaval in the Middle East is getting close to having all the pieces in place. But I believe we have to see more achievement by the Back to Jerusalem movement in evangelizing the 10-40 window and SEA. There is virtually zero publicity in the press about the Back to Jerusalem movement other than I hear through sources that major things are happening. Perhaps the most surprising is a significant movement of God going on in Iran today, that is almost unprecedented. It is unprecedented in that the church in Iran today is the fastest growing church in the world. Never in history have there been so many Muslims saved in such a short period of time. I believe the Islamic problem in the Middle East will go world wide and will profoundly effect Europe and America.

There is no question but what America is in a terrific decline and Miller might be right that it doesn't matter who wins in a week. It is all over. For himself Miller suggest that his best course of action is to secure his own nest and do the best he can to enjoy life for himself and his family as the world collapse around him.

For the Christian I believe there is a brighter possibility. I strongly believe that the church in America today is the Laodicean church in Revelation 3. In one sense the Laodicean church is the most deplorable of the lot, yet there is a very bright ray in the Lord's message. It seems that He writes off the church as being irrecoverable, but then He addresses “any man”. The Lord's message to Laodicea is to the individual – any man. And to him, Jesus extends the most wonderful option. He says, “If any man will hear My voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20). That is what it is all about – a personal relationship with Jesus. I believe this is where we are today. You can forget about a massive revival, but I do see a unique invitation for a special relationship with Jesus on a highly personal level. Oh, the wonder that Jesus would fellowship with us at our table. And the inconceivable blessing of inviting us to fellowship with Him at His table. It can't get much better than that.

Let's keep the welcome mat out and close in with Jesus,

                                                                                  bill

More on the Mino Mission

16 October 2016

Dear Phyllis,

It has been some time since I wrote a testimony. I know I have written about Mino Mission before but some of those stories bear repetition.

Mino Mission was started by Sadie Lee Widener in around 1920. Miss Widener had come to Japan shortly after the turn of the 20^th century to teach at the girls school in Sendai. She was a hard core fundamentalist (so am I) and when liberalism started coming into her denomination she left that mission to go to the Mino area of Gifu-ken (prefecture) to start her own mission. Around 1924 a young lady, Betty Whewell, came out to work with the Mino Mission. They were both Alpha type, pure, undiluted, choleric women. And when nationalism with the central message of Shinto idolatry began to dominate Japan in the 1930s these two women were the fiercest opponents to take a hard stand for Jesus.

As pressure began to mount against churches in Japan the police in Ogaki issued an order forbidding singing hymns on Sunday. Sadie Lee said, “This is where we draw a line.” The next Sunday their Japanese Christians were kneeling worshiping the Lord. Sadie Lee looked up and saw the police (Japanese gestapo) standing in the middle of the room taking down names. She confronted the police and demanded, “Look at them! They are worshiping the only true God, Jesus, and we are not going to stop.” Then she went on, “I have been in Japan for 20 years, and the only time I was ordered to refrain from singing was when your emperor was dead in his casket in Tokyo. Last week you gave the same order that was issued when the emperor died.” The police turned ashen gray and bolted from the room.

One day they were having a street meeting in Ogaki when an ugly mob formed. As preaching was impossible the believer retreated back to the mission compound, but the crowd followed them. When they got back inside the safety of the compound Betty said, “We have a large crowd here, let's preach.” They had hardly got started when the mob crashed through the gate and stormed inside. One young buck saw the box they had for preaching and jumped up on it ranting his message against the mission. Betty saw that man standing on Jesus' box in the mission compound and something snapped inside her, “This is not right.” She gave the box a mighty kick and the poor fellow went flying with his feet above his head. He came down flat on his back like he had been dropped from an airplane and was knocked out cold. Then the police came. Everyone was taken to the police station for intense interrogation. The police keep demanding of Betty, “What was he saying?” “Shiran” (crude “I don't know”) At last the police were satisfied that Betty was poor in the language and honestly didn't know what he was saying. The next day the pastor came to Betty and said, “Sensei, that was very dangerous yesterday when that man said, 'Ten no heika sama, Banzai!' (three cheers for the emperor) and you knocked him down”. That was the only time in pre-war Japan when someone said “Banzai for the emperor” and got decked.

Around 1937 when many churches were closed, Betty went with a group of Christians up to a village in the mountains to have a street meeting. A police man saw the believers setting up their banners for the street meeting and stormed forward demanding, “Who are you and what are you doing?” Betty faced him and replied, “I am Betty Whewell from the Mino Mission, and we are here to tell people about Jesus.” The policeman gasped, “Ah so desu ka. (Oh is that so) and fled. Mino Mission was famous and no one dared to face them.

Betty took Sadie Lee Widener back to the states in 1939 and Miss Widener went to be with the Lord midway through that voyage. Betty got stuck in the states and never got back to Japan until 1949 when the war was over. (Had Betty been in Japan maybe the war might have been over two or three years sooner.)

Betty had a good friend, Mrs. Johnson, who had been a missionary in Manila before the war and had a military couple who came regularly to her Bible study, Douglas and Jean MacArthur. Mrs. Johnson wrote Betty and asked if she would like an introduction to the MacArthurs in Tokyo. Of course she was delighted when got for an invitation from Mrs. MacArthur to have tea one day. At the conclusion Jean MacArthur said, “I have to go down town. Would you like a ride to the train station?” As they were going out the main gate, Jean MacArthur chuckled and said, “There has been some mistake. Someone passed the word that the general was coming out. This honor guard that we got, of everyone saluting us, is an honor given only to the general.” Betty grimly replied, “That was no mistake. God made them salute me.”

In 1955 when Joe Carroll came to Japan, Betty invited him to preach at their church in Tomida Hama. Joe preached a blood and thunder message but got no response to an invitation for salvation. When Betty saw no one moving she got down off the platform, went back in the crowd and grabbed one man by the ear saying, “You have been here long enough. Get up there and get saved.” She hailed two or three more sending them forward for salvation. They got saved. Joe stood there in stunned awe and thought “Who does that woman think she is? The Holy Ghost?”

Yes, she was the Holy Ghost. When I was with the Mino Mission in the early 1960s I was bewildered. I never saw a place where there was more activity and presence of the Holy Spirit, and I never was in a place that was more dominated by the flesh of a woman. Because of their fierce stand against idolatry and their uncompromising position for the Word of God, God blessed them in a way that I saw in no other church. They had the largest church in Mie-ken and the finest believers in the country. The Mino Mission believers had virtually renounced their Japanese citizenship and became citizens of another country – heaven (Phil. 3:20). Being with those believers was an experience that you could have in no other place in Japan. But Betty's domineering spirit was stifling.

In 1987 Betty heard I was working in Nagoya and invited me to preach in Tomida Hama one Sunday. I really didn't want to go but shigata ga nai (nothing you can do about it). It was one of the worst services of my life. Everyone in that church was like automons who responded when their button got pushed. Preaching in there was like preaching to mannequins in a morgue. Several years later, I was talking to a boy in the Pentecostal Bible school in Ikoma, and was stunned to discover that he was a Mino Mission believer. I asked, “Were you there in 1987?” He gasped and said, “Were you the man who preached on Micah 7:18?” He could almost quote my entire message verbatim and said, “Man, that was one of the best meetings of the year.”

By 1990 nearly 80% of the old timers, original believers, had left the Mino Mission. They were still some of the finest Christians in Japan but Betty had squelched the Holy Spirit so badly they could no longer survive. Some say Betty Whewell will stand on one of the highest platforms in heaven for being one of the most courageous missionaries in Japan. I think she probably will be in the middle of the line. She should be in the front of the line as she towered over nearly every male missionary for her fierce stand against idolatry, her intensive payer life, and her genuine love for Jesus and His Word. And yet I wouldn't be surprised to see her at the end of the line for her domineering flesh over others - down to when you could or couldn't smile. That literally happened to me. One night a sister was giving a tremendous testimony and I was beaming. Betty came to me and demanded, “Stop smiling!” I retorted, “But I'm being blessed.” Betty came back, “You don't have to smile like that.”

Betty lasted well up into her 90s. She never returned to the states after the war. She nearly destroyed the mission she so courageously directed for 50 years. Her number one pastor was Ishiguro sensei who was a clone of Betty. But today Ishiguro sensei's son, Isaac, is the pastor and fresh green sap is flowing back into that vine. Mono Mission today is very healthy.

Praise God.

                        bill