The New Life, Inc.

My Dear Children,

I thought it was important to share this with you. We are not intended to be like islands on an ocean with long distances separating us. It is very important in some way or manner to share our lives with other people. The more we share and give of ourselves to others, the larger we become. The more isolated we are, the more self-centered and smaller we become. A wonderful thing happens when we give of ourselves. We increase and have more to give.

Self-centeredness is a terrible prison to be in. It is a very small prison and it seems like a very hard place to break free from. I know what it is like because I spent many years of my life there. Do not be too quick to judge a selfish and self-centered person, instead pity them. They do not realize how limited their life is.

Dear children, I know that many people run from God. Maybe some of you are doing that, thinking he wants to take something away from you. That is not the truth! He wants to give you something. He wants to increase you, making your life more abundant. I can’t help but believe that hell is a very small place and I have no desire to go to that small place.

I had a wonderful experience a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to share with you. Pauline and I were in Michigan and we stayed at our friends Jerry and Judy Doctor. We were sitting around the table talking and I told them that Pauline and I are at the best place in our lives regarding our relationship. We are functioning very well with each other, with people around us, with family, with the church and with God our Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  

That night I had a dream: In the dream I am in a street with people wandering around and talking. The strange thing was there were six or eight full grown bears standing along the street. An old lady came out of a house and spoke to the bears. She said “Time to come in now, and the bears all lined up and walked into the house and the people followed right behind them. Everyone was sitting around a circle and the bears were standing around the walls and we were having a meeting. Someone over to my right began to share something, someone else to my left spoke up and said, “Why don’t you be quiet you have nothing important to say!” I spoke up and said,” We all have something important to say.” Then we were back out on the street and the dream ended.

The next day we are at the table again and I shared the dream. We were trying to understand what the dream was saying. Judy mentioned that often animals in our dreams are speaking of our emotions. We came to no understanding of the dream.

Later that day we left headed for Wisconsin and as I am driving along I am thinking of the dream. I knew the old lady was a wise old lady that spoke to the bears. All of a sudden I understood the dream. The wise old lady was wisdom. The bears were all my different emotions. The dream was confirmation of what I had told Jerry and Judy the day before. The Lord was showing me why we were functioning so well together. We had become wise and brought all our emotions under control so they were not missing up our lives anymore.

Dear children our emotions create many problems for us in our relationships. If you will allow wisdom to control your emotions your whole life will become much more stable and peaceful.

My dear loved ones, I pray that our Lord will give you understanding .   

You are in my thoughts and prayers always.

I love you,  Dad

I am sure that all of you would like to do some great thing to be remembered by. For a time Pauline and I shot archery, if I remember correctly at one of the New England tournaments Pauline came in pretty close to the best. I practiced a lot, but in spite of that I never became more than average. I also liked fishing and so Pauline took up fishing too, she always managed to catch the biggest fish.  I still go fishing but I gave up trying to catch the biggest one.

Regarding writing, it would be wonderful if I could write a book that would touch millions of people all over the earth and would be remembered as one of the great books for years to come. I don’t expect it to happen. For some of you it might be a great painting or a song, for others it might be just to build the most beautiful building in the world.

What is the great thing you want to do? Maybe you have never given it much thought! Are there some people around you that are doing great things? Who are they and what are they doing? I guess I have never given it much thought until now; when we were eating lunch I asked Pauline what great thing she wanted to do? Her answer was; “That is a good question!”

I asked myself the question; “do I know anyone that has done some great things?” As I thought about this, I realized there are people that have done some great things and there are people that are great! My question is what is their motivation? Which one are you after? Do you want to do great things or be a great person?

My dear children I don’t care if you ever do great things. I pray that you will be a great person. I am reminded of a lady that used to run a restaurant in this town, I would have to describe her as somewhat crude in her actions and language, but most everyone really liked her. She had a big loud voice and boisterous.  She reminded me of Tug-boat Anne.

I believe she did go to church some and now and then we would talk about the Lord Jesus. She said: “Oh yes I believe in Jesus and pray, but I am not religious or spiritual at all I’m not a very good person.”

In my eyes she was a great person! Pauline and I were doing some music and speaking at some of the meal sites.  She was the site manger and got to know all these old people that were coming for food. She would come to us and tell us the needs of the different people that needed prayer and made sure that we prayed for them before we left.

This lady would check up on any of these folks that would not show up for food. This lady would go to their home and bring them food and make sure they were ok.

My dear children, this was a great lady doing great things. She is more of a Christian then most of us are. I hope that you do great things like she did.

Sometimes when we are trying to do great things, we become small. And when we are doing small things, we become great.

My dear children you are in my thoughts and prayers every day.

Your  Dad

My Dear Children,

I think of you often and pray for you daily.

I want you to be aware of a serious problem.  There is a scripture I want to share with you, one that I have given a lot of thought to over the years. This scripture is there to shed light on a problem we all have. Our struggle between good and evil!

Romans 7:21 reads like this; “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.”  I find this evil in me not only wants to hurt and injure other people it wants to hurt and injure me and has done so many times throughout my lifetime. I have spoken of this to other people and some do not want to believe this. They say “There is no evil in me I have Jesus in my heart!”

I think that if I were to follow these folks around for a few days I would see evil words and actions come forth from them and as long as they continue to deny that evil is in them they cannot get a victory over it.

Dear children it is when we see the evil in us that we can begin to have a victory over it. Even though evil is in us we do not have to be evil or allow evil to operate in and through us.

Have you ever had evil thoughts, evil emotions or evil desires?  Of course you have!  You have them because evil is in you, evil thoughts, evil emotions and evil desires!  Because you experience these things, does not mean they are yours. That is what we must see clearly.  These things are there but they are not yours.  They come from the evil that is in you!

It is important to know that when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of that tree, evil entered into them and it has been with us ever since.  And it will continue to be in you until you leave that body in death. When God said; “The day you eat of that tree you will surly die.”  The penalty was not passed on you, because of Jesus we will live.  The evil in you will die when your body dies. It can only be with you and trouble you as long as you are in that body. When you leave that body through death, you will continue to live but the evil that is in you will die.

When we see this truth that evil is in us and will work through us at every opportunity and that we do not have to obey it anymore, then we understand what Paul was teaching in Romans 7:15-21

“For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.  But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good.  So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present, but the doing of the good is not.  For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish.  But if I am doing the very thing that I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.  I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.”

If you read just this part it sounds like there is no way to overcome or be victorious over this sin and evil. That is not true, there is victory in Jesus Christ. The scripture’s say, “Truth shall make you free”. When I see the truth that both good and evil are in me, I have good thoughts and evil thoughts, and I have good desire and evil desires, I can then choose which one I want to do. I do not have to act on every evil desire I have.  I do not have to obey the evil thought that enters my mind.  I can say no to both of them knowing they are not my thought or my desire but coming forth from the evil that is in my flesh.

My Dear Children, I pray that God through His Holy Spirit will give you understanding.

You are in my thoughts and prayers,

Your Loving Dad

My Dear Children,

I was listening to a program the other day; the speaker was talking about how the United States is a consumer nation and we consume a lot more then the other countries do. We throw away stuff that is brand new; look in the trash and see; we buy stuff that we never use. We also buy stuff and we have no money to pay for it

I have a question I want you to think about!

Are all your needs being met?

One of the things I have come to see through the years is that greed keeps us unhappy. How is it affecting your life?

I remember several years ago at a meeting in Wisconsin; we had prayed for several people and then someone spoke up and said; “now let us pray for the both of you”. They all gathered around us and laid a hand on and asked us what our needs were. I looked at Pauline, she looked at me, and we both realized that we did not have any needs.

We do not have a lot of money in the bank. As far as the world is concerned I guess we would be considered poor. We are not poor, we are rich.  We are wealthy, and we don’t have any needs. We do have a few wants, but no needs.

My dear children greed has a silent voice, it says; “You need this! You need that! Greed stirs up your wants and makes you unhappy if you don’t get your wants satisfied. We are a nation that is told day after day, you need this. No! The truth is you don’t need it. Our nation is in the condition it is because so many people wanted so much more then what they needed.

My dear children my prayer for you is that you will not be caught up by greed and wants, but that your needs will be taken care and you will see your true wealth and have an abundance of joy and happiness.

If you have a need go to Jesus first and don’t delay!

My Love and Prayers,

Dad  

My dear children,

I want you to do your best today. If you don’t do your best at whatever you are doing you are failing yourself.

You might be the last person to the finish line in a race but if you did the best you could you are still a winner. It is when we don’t do our best in any situation that we are the loser. I don’t understand this but I know it is true, if we don’t do our best at something it affects us in a negative way, we don’t feel good about our self, and it robs us of something important, it affects our thinking and our emotions.

It is very important that you are healthy in your mind and emotions, it seems like it takes very little to upset us, someone says the wrong thing or does the wrong thing and we go nuts that quickly.

There is and old saying; “Misery loves company”! Not everyone wants you to be happy; there may be someone in your home or work that is miserable and wants you to be miserable too. These people will say things and do things to offend you; don’t allow this to happen.

Dear children don’t allow yourself to be easily offended; let this attitude be in you; I am not going to be robbed by some miserable, unhappy person that can’t stand themselves

Sometimes there is something right inside of us in the form of thoughts and emotions that try to bring us down. It is very important that you come to recognize that kind of attack as well.

Look around you; see the people; some lead a victorious life and others live in defeat. Which one do you want to be? It is up to you! You are the one that chooses one life or the other, most of us seem to alternate between the two.

Stop making excuses and blaming other people for your misery, you are the one that is totally in charge of your thoughts and emotions, or you should be. If you are unhappy or miserable look to your thoughts and emotions and do something about it. It is called growing up and being responsible for your thoughts and emotional condition.

My dear children I expect to hear good things from your family and friends and the folks you work for. I expect to hear what a positive affect you have on the people around you and on the job.

I pray a fathers blessing upon you of peace, joy and good health.

Pauline and I are doing well and the Lord keeps telling us our work is not done yet; keep us in your prayers.

Hope to see you all soon somewhere,

Your loving Dad

My Dear Children,

I want you to live each day fully; not in fear or worry, knowing that you have a loving God watching over you every day and that He has many blessing for you.

I remember when we were in Germany several years ago; we were talking to someone about visiting America, there comment was they were afraid to go to the United States because there was so much violence.

When Pauline and I were bringing groups to Israel we had the same response from the Americans. We are afraid of some terrible thing happening to us over there.

We can always be afraid of something and allow it to rob us of a nice trip, a good day, a wonderful opportunity or a better job. Pauline is always telling me that I am negative; you know what; she is right, there is a part of me that is always negative. I am not negative all the time, I have a positive side as well, I find that when I function from the positive side I feel better all over.

I am sure you all know what a magnet is; it has a positive and a negative. I think we all have a positive and a negative, what is important is which one we are functioning from.

My dear loved ones; 2010 is going to hold many opportunities for you. Watch for them; some miracles are going to happen in your life and circumstances; don’t allow that negative part of you to rob you of the miracles and blessing.

I remember my brother Donald talking about our bucket of joy and how someone is always trying to rob or spill our bucket of joy.

You expect some good things ahead, you expect to be blessed, you expect good health, you expect a nice vacation, you expect to go fishing and come home with a big catch, and you expect a raise in pay or a better position.

You expect some unexpected miracle and I am praying that you will receive it!

I thinking and praying for you every day, do the same for me.

Your Loving Dad 

My Dear Children,

I think of you and pray for you every day. I hope that you all learn from me and do the same things for the family and friends around you. Prayer is very important; I don’t think we really know how many people get help because of our prayers.

The celebration of Christmas is a reminder of one of the wonderful things that God has given us. It is interesting how the world has taken hold of these Christian celebrations and used them for their own advantage.  So many of our colleges, universities, and places of learning started as Christians schools they have now became secular and speak against God. I wonder how many of these places give any acknowledgement to Jesus or give any thought to his birthday apart from it being a holiday a vacation time.

My dear children, I pray this will be time of giving and receiving for you. Even as God gave us his beloved son in our time of need, you will give of yourself to others in their time of need. You might say who around me has a need? If your eyes and ears are open you will not have any problem finding those in need.

This is also a time of receiving that wonderful gift that God gave us in Jesus Christ; our salvation and eternal life in Jesus Christ. You do not have to join a church or go through all kinds of secret agenda.  All we have to do is ask Jesus into our heart and He comes. Our life becomes more abundant than it has ever been before. One of the wonderful gifts that Jesus brings us is peace; that passes understanding that the world cannot give you.

Christmas is a time to remember that God has not forgotten us.  Dear children I pray that you will not forget Him either!

May God Bless you with a big heart filled with love,

Your loving Dad

My Dearly beloved children,

I want to encourage you to do what is right  It seems like in so many situations we must decide what is right and what is wrong. This involves our speech and our actions. It is so easy to get caught up with what is going on around us. We may be just standing around talking and we know that the conversation is not very good but we hang around anyway and even become involved with it.

We might be in a situation where action is involved, we don’t like it but we stay anyway. In both these situations we must decide what is right and what is wrong. Sometimes it takes courage to do what is right, to speak up and say, “This is not a good conversation!” or to say, “This is a bad thing to do!”

My Dear children not all of our friends are good for us. If you have friends that our not good for you find new ones! If their speech is bad and their actions are bad; you do not need them in your life.

May God give you the wisdom and the knowledge to know the difference between good and evil.

I have a little prayer that I pray often. Lord give me, the wisdom, knowledge and discernment that I can make the right decision not the wrong one.

I hope that when people speak of you they will be able to say, “There is a person that knows how to makes right decisions.

God bless you my dear children you are in my prayers every day,

You’re loving Dad

My Dear Children,

The Lord showed me something special this summer, I was taking a walk and thinking, “I really haven’t done as much for family and friend as I should have, I have kind of failed in regard to these things”.

The Lord caught me up on my thoughts and said “No! You have not failed look around you. Look at your children! Look at your grandchildren! Look at your siblings! Look at all the people you know all over the country!

I thought “What am I supposed to see?” Then I knew. I could see their faces, I could see Gods glory in them. I could see that they were all on a spiritual journey. I have been paying more attention to people’s faces and when God is at work in them it shows, there is more life in them, more light in them, something wonderful is happening to them.

It is so easy not to see people. We walk down a street past hundreds of people and never see them. I want to encourage you to look at people, see them, see their sorrow and see their joy. We have become TV people, that is not so good. We are more and more isolated every year that goes by, what a sad condition to live in.

My Dear children a wonderful thing has happened to Pauline and I. We used to know a few people, just a handful, now we have many friends everywhere. What a blessing it is to have many friends. I encourage you to make new friends every day of your life. There are people around you every day that would make a good friend, every new friend you make enriches your life and makes you bigger

The more friends we have the bigger our heart becomes! I pray that your countenance be filled with life and that you take the time to look at the people around you.

God bless you my dear Children,

Your Loving Dad

Dear Children,

I don’t know if I ever mentioned it, the Lord blessed me with a very good cook and I am very happy about that. I pray the Lord will bless every one of your families with a good cook. Pauline and I have spent a lot of time on the highway and that means you eat in a lot of restaurants, some of them are very good, many are medium and others are bad. Over all you cant beat a good home-cooked meal put on by a good cook. I must also mention we have stayed in many homes for a week or month at a time and again God blessed us with such good cooks, what a blessing!

I wandered of my track I want to write about goats, good cooks are not goats. As I was walking this morning and thinking what do I want to write to my children today, I thought about my dad, he is not a goat either but there are times I think he got frustrated with a goat. You see at one time we had a goat. I don’t have the least idea where this goat came from. I think God sent this goat to get our goat. All of a sudden he was there and he was a terror. I honestly think he had a demon or at the least a hungry demon because he ate anything and everything. You could not keep him in a fence so he ran loose around the neighborhood. I think the neighbors believed we sent him to torment them. They were always complaining about this goat stealing stuff eating up the cloths from their clothesline, chasing people away, and trying to bunt them when they weren’t looking. He was the terror of the neighborhood. We were always in trouble over this goat.

My dad planted some apple trees and some concord grapes. He tried everything he could think of to make that grapevine grow. I think he even put some pieces of iron around the roots because someone said that would make the grapes come. Each year went by and no grapes. Finally one spring the vine was covered with blossoms it looked wonderful we looked forward to some grapes. The grapes came! Dad had built a rack for the vine to grow on. The rack was kind of like an old ladder made with boards every foot or so apart set at a 45% angle. The rack was covered with grapes and they started to ripen nice big bunches of grapes. One day we went out to check the grapes and they were a mess. That goat climbed up that rack and ate all the grapes and the vine as well. I don’t remember that the grape vine ever came back. My dad was an unhappy camper. I don’t know what happened to the goat. He disappeared.

Well it seems like every now and then a goat comes into our lives. This goat got my fathers goat for sure, maybe we need a goat in our lives now and then. I just hope I don’t have to many of them in fact I think that one goat was enough for me and my dad too.

I pray that you will be spared the goats and if you should have one suddenly appear in your life you will have the wisdom and knowledge of how to deal with it they can sure be a nuisance.

My Love and Prayers,

Love Dad