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The GOOD NEWS
Letter
A personal letter to all the brethren
of The Churches of God, from your pastor,
co-laborer, and fellow-servant in Christ,
Herbert W. Armstrong, Box 111, Eugene
Number 3 October 3, 1945
Dear Brethren:
I feel most of you will want to hear about little
Larry's condition, and how we finally came out on expenses for the
Feast of Tabernacles.
By Sunday Larry appeared to have turned decidedly for
the better. Early morning his temperature was about half-degree
subnormal, and for a while we were a little concerned about that,
but by 10 or 11 o'clock it was back up a fraction above normal,
and he was taking nourishment---potassium broth made from non-
starch vegetables, carrot-juice (raw), and whole grain oatmeal
gruel, in addition to orange juice and water.
So after waiting out at Belknap until this report to
decide about taking the trip to Crater Lake, we decided to go.
Only our car made the trip, but with me were Sister Smith and
daughter Mildred, Myra Carter, my mother and my brother Dwight.
We saw the reflection of the sunset mirrored up from Crater Lake,
just as we were leaving. It was magnificent. All who went feel
that next year we must devote one whole day to a trip to Crater
Lake for everyone. It is a very impressive sermon, if viewed
properly.
We arrived at our home in Eugene at 10:PM. Little
Larry's face had filled out so much in two days since I had seen
him, he didn't look like the same baby. Brother Kiesz came in
just as we were unloading our car, and I was with him till he left
by bus about 12:30.
Larry has continued to improve in strength, and to gain
in flesh, though his fever returned Monday, and was even higher
Tuesday, reaching almost 103 again---as high as it has been at any
time, but beginning to drop again in the evening as I now write.
There is some possibility it may by typhoid, but we are not certain
yet. We are continuing to feed him as above, in a manner that will
not increase his fever or prevent elimination of toxins, but
sufficient to build up his strength gradually. I feel certain that
this whole case will come to a sudden complete healing, at any
time. It seems, as I have said, that always God permits us to be
under some "present trouble." Usually we are having to pass
through some one or two trials or troubles at all times. Always
it seems like this "present trouble" is one God is doing nothing
about---all physical and material circumstances, will make it
appear that our prayers are not heard. Then all of a sudden, the
trouble just seems to melt into thin air. Every such trial we have
been thru in the past has been brought out just right, and in every
case God has heard and acted and given the answer. He has never
failed us once. He won't now. Of course there have been hundreds
of times where God has given us the healing, or the answer to our
prayers, or the deliverance from trouble, immediately after
committing it to Him. But every time our faith has been tried by
the trouble hanging on, as at present, if we do not lose faith, the
answer comes. So, please KEEP PRAYING WITH US, very earnestly, and
in continued FAITH, and in His time and way God will restore Larry
to complete health.
I didn't get a minute to check up on costs and receipts
of food, etc., until today. We finally came out far better than we
thought we would. The food bill came out less than it looked like
it would, and by the end of the meeting, more money was received
than earlier appearances indicated. Here's a brief condensed
statement. Meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, $84.16. Groceries,
$71.26. Dairy products $34.69. Cook's salary and room, and Bro.
Kiesz' room, $116.50 (Sister Wallace began work Thursday night out
at Belknap, and did not finish until after Breakfast Sunday---more
than nine days total). Total expenses, $306.61. Total received,
$387.65. Balance, placed in radio and publishing fund, $81.04.
A great meeting of this kind, like an altar-service of
the right kind for the right purpose, may prove a wonderful
blessing and bring us a real revival---but we must now realize that
both, at most, are merely a sort of "pump-priming" of spiritually-
dry wells. Many of us have been much closer to the world than we
have to God. We have neglected prayer. We have become dry,
spiritually. We were in DANGER, for we can lose out altogether
thru neglect. Many of us perhaps never would have gotten back to
God alone. We were dry wells. We needed priming---a little of the
true Spirit of God poured into us, by such a meeting, to start the
inflowing and OUT-flowing of the Holy Spirit working continuously,
again, in our lives. All of us should have been revived by this
great meeting. We were brought back closer to God. We got out
AWAY from the world for eight days. We were able to help one
another revive spiritually. We put in more time PRAYING. We read
more, and heard more, of God's Word. It surely should have started
God's Spirit coming in, and flowing on OUT, in love and fulfilling
of His law, thus priming the spiritually-dry well. But, dear
brethren, unless YOU yourself now KEEP ON drinking in more and more
fully of the precious WATERS OF LIFE, so that this LIVING WATER of
God's Holy Spirit can flow now, not like a trickling stream almost
dried up, but like RIVERS of living water, as a result of greatly-
increased private prayer, along with God, and much more time
devoted to Bible study, and worship, and contemplation of the
things above, then this meeting will have been in vain for you,
after all---it will only have been a good time. Now you are back
home from the Feast of Tabernacles. STUDY YOUR BIBLE MORE. Go to
a place ALONE WITH GOD, and PRAY as you never did before. Spend at
least one solid hour a day without getting up, on you knees in
private prayer with God---beside much additional prayer, and
keeping constantly in a spirit of prayer. Be more regular and
punctual in assembling with the brethren every Sabbath, and prayer
meeting. And start NOW to set aside, where you won't and can't
touch it for any other purpose, that SECOND TITHE God has ordained
to cover you expenses at Passover, Pentecost, and next year's Feast
of Tabernacles! Be a DOER of the Word, not a hearer only! Have
courage to DO IT, and then see how surely and abundantly God will
bless you! The time to start that second tithe is NOW. If you
don't do it now, you won't later, and you'll lose the blessing, may
be unable to come next year, and have heard now light in vain. If
it was not made completely clear to you, write and tell me so, and
why, and let us study further until it is clear---but don't just
neglect it. NOW is the time to start---this very DAY---this very
WEEK---with the very next dime, or dollar you receive.
There were more than enough red stamps to cover the
meat and butter and if those who sent stamps would write us, we
will divide them equally among you.
We have already engaged Belknap Springs for next year.
I think we will plan the schedule a little differently next year,
making it more interesting, and so all will get more out of it. We
will profit from lessons learned this year. I'm sure we shall have
a more interesting program---reducing the amount of time spent
indoors sitting in services, allowing more time for being out-doors
and praying like Jesus did, on the mountain-side, and perhaps
holding some services outdoors. We will try to arrange for all to
take the trip to Crater Lake. We will plan farther ahead for a
better, more interesting program for children and young people.
This is just a first beginning of this type Feast of Tabernacles
this year. Let us profit from it. So, remember, PRAY more, study
your BIBLE more, keep closer to God, trust Him not only more but
FULLY in ALL things, and start laying aside that second tithe, now.
God bless you, and make the wonderful festival just closed the REAL
BEGINNING of a changed, far more spiritual, joyful Christian life!
Sincerely, in Jesus' name,
HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG
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