Special Report On My Tour Through The Midwest With My Book, “Into The Father’s Heart”

Beloved, friends, I do hope and pray that things are going well for each of you. Please know that I am praying for you and yours in your individual lives and your jobs and also for your health as I know many have health problems these days. But the Lord has promised to be our healer. Psalm 103:1-5. James 5:14, 15. Jesus’ death on the cross includes healing. “By His stripes or wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4, 5.

Well, it was good to finally get back here to Oregon and my office after almost a month’s absence. Although this seminar tour was interesting and often even enjoyable, it was also a long and grueling trip. But before I tell you about the trip I would like to explain how this latest version of “INTO THE FATHER’S HEART,” was finally completed and published on Sept 12th, 2005 in Buffalo, NY. This edition has 602 pages and the print is larger than the first edition and the lines are farther apart which makes it much easier to read. The first one was published by Hall Publishing Co. out of Chicago in June of 1982. The Lord miraculously supplied me with the funds at that time, 23 years ago, to publish 50,000 of them. It was just so incredible how it all came together at the right time. I had never done anything like that before so it was all new and exciting and hard to believe it actually happened only 5 years after I first learned the message.

That first edition had 412 pages and cost 46 cents per copy. Gas was still under $1.00 per gallon back in those days. Possibly less than 75 cents. Don’t remember now. Anyway, that first edition was a compilation of three manuscripts I had written beginning May 11, 1977. It was only 59 pages with very few paragraphs. I just wrote and wrote until I explained all that I knew at that time. But it was supernaturally given to me by the Lord under protest, I might add. I had written up about 60 pages of notes sometime in January or February while I was recuperating from the flu. The Lord had kept impressing me, actually urging me to write out what He had revealed to my mind during the time I was memorizing in the Psalms in July 1976. But I was always so busy with the ministry and family that I had very little time to write a manuscript or book, which I had never done anyway. But my main objection was that it was a controversial subject which I felt would hurt or detract from what I was already doing in God’s Last Call Ministries. Let me say this right here. The Lord is so patient and longsuffering with us in our fears, doubts and lack of faith in His ability to help us to do what He asks us to do. Just read the story of Gideon in Judges 6-8 and the story of Moses before that. “Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?” Judges 6:14.

If the Lord sends us, you or me, on a mission friends, He promises to be with us and to make our journey a success. As I look back over my life’s journey since I was a child, being raised to believe by a godly mother, I can see the guiding hand of the Lord on my life. And that guiding hand and voice (Isa 30:21) just keeps on getting stronger each and every day. I share this with you so you will know that you can have this same experience, if you desire it. Some people have a very hard time hearing and discerning and then when they finally do hear and discern they have a hard time obeying. Jonah is but one example. He heard the Lord’s voice and understood it. Jonah 1:1, 2. “Arise (Jonah) go to Nineveh…and cry against …their wickedness…but Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” So, he did not even verbally argue, he just flat ran away from God’s presence. We all know what happened after that. They even made a movie about it for children.

The story of Jeremiah is another example of reluctance, fear and resistance to the Lord’s calling. “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed you in the belly I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained (gave) you a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for you shall go to all that I shall send you, and whatsoever I command you, you shall speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:4-10. So, Jeremiah began to speak and write out the messages the Lord gave to him, warning and rebuking the King and the people in Jerusalem. Jer. 19:3. It was only a matter of time until the leaders reacted against these messages. It was one of the preachers, a fellow priest who “smote” (beat) Jeremiah, Pashur, the governor in the house of the Lord, and put him in stocks. This made Jeremiah even bolder and he told Pashur that all he had predicted would come to pass and that he and his friends would be taken into Babylonian captivity and die there. And then in Jer 20:7 we read how Jeremiah complains bitterly to the Lord about his life. “O Lord, you deceived me, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed (with the power of the Spirit to prophesy). I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me…so the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say ‘I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name, His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed I cannot.” Jere 20:7-9.

In v 10 he worries that his “friends” are just waiting for him to slip up…make a mistake so they can “take our revenge on him,” for all the bad things he has predicted are going to happen to them. But then in v 11 and on he goes from being negative, sad and depressed about his life to praising the Lord… “The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.” And in v. 12 he even asks to see “your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.” “Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.” Then in v. 14 he goes into a worse state of melancholy then before. “Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed…For he did not kill me in the womb…Why did I ever come out of the womb?” V. 18. This is very similar to the words of Job. The point is that when you preach the straight truth the Lord gives to you there are going to be reactions and persecution. Job, Jonah and Jeremiah are but three examples of ordinary human beings who complained how hard it was to be a spokesman for God. You can think of others. Even Jesus, the most perfect One, wondered out loud how long He would have to endure His unbelieving, faithless generation.

So, if you desire to work for God do not expect everyone to accept you. That is not the way it works. This is especially true about God’s character because most religious people who go to church do not know His character. And if you try to explain it to them they will react against you. This has happened to me many times and others have told me that it has happened to them as well when they spoke out during the lesson time at church. Why is this so? Here is the answer: “I was shown the state of God’s professed people. Many of them were in great darkness, yet seemed to be insensible of their true condition. Many were cherishing idols in their hearts and were practiving iniquity which separated them from God and caused them to be bodies of darkness. I saw but few who stood in the light… Men who stand in very responsible positions at the heart of the work are asleep. Satan has paralyzed them in order that his plans and devices may not be discerned, while he is active to ensnare, deceive, and destroy…Like ancient Israel the church has dishonored her God by departing from the light, (went into darkness) neglecting her duties, and abusing her high and exalsted privilege of being peculiar and holy in character. Her members have violated their covenant to live for God and Him only. They have joined with the selfish and world-loving. Pride, the love of pleasure, and sin have been cherished, and Christ has departed. His Spirit has been quenched in the church. Satan works side by side with professed Christians; yet they are so destitute of spiritual discernment that they do not detect him.” 2T 439-442. Do you know when this was written by the Lord’s servant? October 2, 1868. Although that is now 137 years ago has anything changed? No, it has only gotten worse.

When I first started out as a young pastor in the Southwestern part of the USA, I knew nothing about these things. In fact, I never learned them until the Lord called me out of the conference work into self-supporting ministry. Now, beloved, that is the very first thing the Lord has to do for his chosen servants. He has to call them out and separate them just as He called Abraham and Moses in the OT and Saul of Tarsus in the NT. “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” Rom 1:1. Notice beloved the poetic parallelism Paul uses here with those two words, “called” and “separated.” So, that is what He is doing today, calling out a people from darkness into this marvelous light of His glorious character of love. When did this begin? In 1896 a “Special Testimony” was written to the Battle Creek Church re: “those among us” who only wanted to hear “smooth things, prophesy deceits:” These are identified as “those in responsible positions in Battle Creek.” She was speaking directly to the leadership of the GC, which had not yet moved to Washington D.C. She said there needed to be a “cleansing of the heart, the feelings, they sympathies, the words…What is the message to be given at this time?” TM 89.

The answer was, “It is the third angel’s message. But that light which is to fill the whole earth with its glory has been despised by some who claim to believe the present truth. Be careful how you treat it….beware how you indulge the attributes of Satan, and pour contempt upon the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I know not but some have even now gone too far to return and repent. I state the truth.” TM 90.

These are shocking, pointed words written 109 years ago to the leaders of the SDA Church who had rejected the messages of Jones & Waggoner in 1888 at Minneapolis. TM is “Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers,” published in 1923, 1944, 1962. On page xv of this volume the editors with surprising honesty and candor admit that what EGW stated was true. “One of the enemy’s most effective measures was to lead good men to take positions which ultimately bought hindrance to the work they loved. This was seen in the spirit which developed in the hearts of men who engaged in discussions and debates.” Ibid xxi.

In the decades after 1844, leading up to 1863 and 1888 many ministers and bible workers became very talented in debating and defeating other debaters from Sunday keeping denominations, such as the Church of Christ and Baptists. I personally met one in the 1970’s who proudly explained how he had won many debates. He lived to be 100. The total world membership of the church in 1887 was 25,841. Before 1882 the GC committee consisted of three men. It was enlarged to five and then in 1886 to seven. And so, in spite of having the “right stuff” in terms of doctrines, such as the Sabbath, State of the Dead, Sanctuary and the Spirit of Prophecy, to name a few, a spirit of pride and self righteous phariseeism had taken over. The church had lost its Philadephian experience manifested in deep and sincere brotherly love and had become fully Laodicean.

In order to correct and remedy this condition the Lord arranged for a special message to be given at the Gen. Conf. session of 1888 held at Minneapolis, Minnesota, Oct 17 to Nov 4th. Unfortunately, before the most important messages could be given, bitter arguments arose regarding the Ten Kingdoms of Dan 2 and 7, and Rev 13. Uriah Smith, editor of the Review & Herald took one position and A. T. Jones, editor of the Signs of the Times, took another. “These discussions continued into the session itself, and occasionally there was bitter disputation. Some of the ministers had come to the Conference to debate certain questions, rather than to learn whatever new truths the Lord had for them because the movement was founded upon the concept of “Present Truth,” which meant nothing was to be put in concrete.

Ellen White was present, and called for all to approach these presentations with open hearts and open minds. She urged a careful, prayerful study of the topics under discussion.” TM Historical Foreword, Xxiii. Another issue for debate was the “Law in Galatians.” So, with this spirit of “I can prove that I am right and you are wrong,” the concept of “Christ Our Righteousness,” did not receive a warm reception. Dr. E. J. Waggoner, a young editor from Pacific Press conducted studies on the atonement and the law of God while Elder Alonzo T. Jones presented justification by faith. George I. Butler, the G.C. president in 1888 was not present but was kept informed. He was not in favor of the messages given by Jones and Waggoner and sent letters and telegrams to those who sided with him to “stand by the landmarks.” As a result, the majority of ministers rejected the messages given by Jones and Waggoner even though EGW supported it every step of the way.

Beginning on page 90 of TM, under the headings of “Communication of Light,” and “Rejecting Light,” EGW states in part, “The Spirit of God is departing from many among His people. Many have entered into dark, secret paths, and some will never return.” Under the heading of “The Message of Justification by Faith,” we read: “The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.” In some unpublished statements by EGW she categorically stated that “Christ was crucified” all over again at the 1888 Conf. by the leaders and those who sided with them. How? And in what way? By making fun and light and ridiculing the messagers and their message. This truly is a shocking statement but it supports other strong statements re: the leadership of the church at that time as “repeating the history of Israel, step by step” and “retreating back to Egypt.”

Although the lectures were not recorded and reported, except for some of the talks given by EGW in 1888 at Minneapolis, twelve years later, in 1900, E. J. Waggoner self-published a book entitled, “The Glad Tidings: Studies in Galatians.” How many copies were printed is not stated. But in 1938 an SDA minister “by accident” discovered a rare copy in a private library and received permission to make a copy with his old manual typewriter. It thrilled his soul and changed his life so much that years later he desired to share it with the entire church. He submitted it to Pacific Press who published a new edition of this same book (144 pages) edited and revised by Elder Wieland. The lectures given by A. T. Jones in 1993 and 1995 at the Battle Creek Tabernacle have also been published and are available. In a summary of the “History & Content of the 1888 Message,” Robert J. Wielland answers the question: “What was the 1888 Message.” He quotes from Waggoner who comments on Heb. 3 and then says, “to consider Christ continually and intelligently, just as He is, will transform one into a perfect Christian, ‘by beholding we become changed.'” Pg 18. Wieland comments on this: “Here was the ‘beginning’ fulfillment of the promise in ‘Early Writings’ of a ‘refreshing’ which will ‘give power’… and prepare the saints to stand…when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.” Ibid 18.

Then beginning on page 19 to 29 the author lists seven particulars re: the “Method of the 1888” message in its simplicity. Time and space will not permit me to list all seven. Actually, the first one is all we need for the purpose of this article. “1. Christ is a Saviour ‘not far off, but night at hand.’ This was how EGW described her initial impression of the message of Jones and Waggoner in meetings immediately following the 1888 confernece. And in order to ‘consider Christ continually and intelligently, just as He is,’ it is necessary to see Him as a Saviour who ‘is able to succor them that are tempted,’ and who can ‘rescue man from the lowest depths of his degradation. The ‘Christ’ of Roman Catholicism ‘is a long way off;…I need somebody that is nearer to me than that.’ It has always been Satan’s deception, and has alwlays been the working of his power, to get men, all men, to think that Christ is as far away as it is possible to put Him. The farther away men put Christ, even those who profess to believe in Him, the better the devil is satisfied….Is Christ away off still?–No; He is ‘not far from every one us.’ … And as certainlly as you get a definition of ‘not far, you have the word ‘near.’ He is near to everybody, to us; and He always has been.” GBC 1895, pg 478. Jones is here paraphrasing what Paul says, which is even a better description of how “close” Jesus is to us. Notice: “The righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: ‘Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (That is, to bring Christ down), or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead).’ But what does it say? THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, in your mouth and in your heart’ —- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.'” NAS. Rom 10:6-9.

Now, beloved, in my front page article this time that is exactly what we see happened at the Council of Nicea. Constantine and the bishops of the Catholic Church in 312 to 325 A.D. put the Father and the Son out of reach with the false doctrine or creed of the Trinity so that the only way anyone could ever hope to communicate with them would be through the priest and Mary. The God of the Catholic Church is not near to us at all. He is far, far away. But the daughters of the whore of Babylon have also accepted her blasphemies re: the Father and the Son by teaching lies about how far away they are, when they are actually in our hearts only waiting for us to discover them. But Catholicism teaches that the Father and Son are very angry at us and are continually punishing and killing people who disobey their slightest wish, command and law. Is it any wonder there are so many atheists in the world today? Is it any wonder that so few people have any desire to read the Bible?

And so, even though God’s professed people, the Jewish nation, crucified Jesus, the Messiah in their day and God’s professed people today have done the same thing again, the Lord has raised up a message of His true character that is being broadcast to the world. As far as I know Waggoner never dealt with the question as to whether or not God destroys. Jones made one statement that hinted at it when he said that “Right can never use Might.” But in 1900 EGW boldly wrote: “God destroys no man.” Christ’s Object Lessons, page 84. And there are many other statements which confirm that little gem and greatly expand upon it. I have shared these in my papers and books and videos since 1976. And they are still available.

And so this trip to five states was to further broadcast and promote this wonderful truth that Jesus is near to us and He will never hurt you in any way but is eagerly waiting to hug and embrace you so you can go with Him “Into the Father’s Heart.”

Yet, it was not my plan or idea. All that I had in mind was to hold another seminar in Bloomington, Illinois hoping more people would come out than the 35 we had in 2003. But the Lord had a different plan to reach people that was more comp-rehensive than just one meeting with a large crowd.

It began with my flight from Portland into Denver on the 22nd of Sept. Now, let me assure you that in the initial stages of this trip, I had no plan whatsoever to fly into Denver, Colorado. I didn’t even know anyone there to start with, although I had a few people on my mailing list in that state, only one whom I met when he set up a seminar in Oct. 1987, in Grand Terrace, Cal. We had 75 come out to that meeting. I had talked to one supporter about having a meeting in Grand Junction. But it just so happened that a few weeks previous Mike Huckelberry, from the Denver area, had called me. He said that a mutual friend and supporter of GLC from Glendale had sent him one of my newspapers in which I had written an article on what actually happened in the Garden of Eden, Gen 1-3.

That was Arnie whom I met last summer when I was in the LA area working with Andy out on Colorado Blvd in Pasadena and downtown Hollywood, passing out my papers and pamphlets. Mike said that article had really opened his eyes. So, the Lord impressed me to call him and see if he would like to come to the meeting in Grand Junction. To make a long story short that meeting never materialized. But because of Mike’s connection with one of the leaders in the SDA Reformed church in Denver we were able to rent their church. Through divine Providence I was able to obtain two lists of names for Colorado and the city of Denver. In fact, the Lord provided the funds to send out invitations to each meeting in every state, I visited. I thought that at least 35 or 40 people come to that first meeting in Denver. But when Mike told me that they had not announced it in their church the previous Sabbath I realized there was resistance and opposition to our meeting. In spite of that I still hoped many believers in the city of Denver and throughout the state would respond to the invitation. As it turned out we had about 12 people come to the Sabbath meeting at 3:00 P.M. and they were already on my mailing list. I refused to let that affect my presentation of the message in Denver or any of the other places we had studies with people. These little gatherings are very important. I have experienced this over and over again through the years and there is a reason for this. First of all, the very idea that “God Does Not Kill,” is shocking to members of organized religion no matter what church they may attend. And that is only level #1. We now have 7 levels. The positive aspect of the tour was that I was able to pass out my papers and books in every state along the way. It is truly amazing the people the Lord has me meet when I go out into the public sector in the airports during layovers, in bus and train stations and on the road.

Delbert from Iowa and his wife came to the meetings in Denver to visit relatives and record the meetings. We started at 3:00 P.M. and went to 7:00 with one break. I was able to cover levels 1 through 5 but was rudely interrupted at 7:00 when one of the members of the SDA Reform church came up to where I was standing and told me that I had 30 seconds to finish. I asked him if he would allow at least 5 or 10 minutes but he said no, that I only had 30 seconds to finish. So, I made a few closing remarks and finished in 20 seconds but not before I had explained to him and Edgar, who was sitting in the audience with his lap top taking notes and looking up texts, that I had paid $50.00 to rent the church. We did not even take up an offering. As I was preparing to leave the church, having gathered up my books and papers, I told the man who had rudely interrupted me that in the future he should try to be tactful, courteous and compassionate in the way he treats people.

Evidently, this caused some of the leaders of the church to feel guilty and ashamed, as they had the secretary return my $50.00 check with a note saying that they understood that I was not happy with the facilities, etc. I have not responded to that letter but will as soon as I publish this paper. It was not the church facilities that was the problem but the shameful way they terminated the meeting.

Edgar was the man Mike had contacted about renting the church. We had a friendly Bible study Friday night with him in his home and he graciously listened to me explain levels 1 through 3. Although he told me he did not agree with my theology that he would come to the meeting and he did along with about two others from the church. It is an older, well built church, the only one, I was told, in Colorado. The SDA reform church started after WW I when sincere SDA members in Germany and throughout Eruope refused to join the Kaiser’s army to take up arms against their fellow men even the Elder Conradi and the other leaders of the church told them that it was their duty to do so. This was how the church began. In light of that I thought that surely these people would understand the concept that “God Does Not Destroy.” But this was not the case. I am not acquainted with any other differences they may have with the regular SDA Gen. Conference but they are certainly one in spirit with them on this one point, i.e., God does hurt, kill and destroy. So, of course, I was very disappointed and grieved because of that along with the fact that more regular SDAs did not come to at least investigate the message and receive a free book. But Rev 11:3 predicts God’s witnesses will have to prophesy or preach “in sackcloth,” in the last days. As more disasters take place and the predicted Time of Trouble continues to develop in the USA and world I believe more people are going to be interested in these matters. At this time, the most effective method for having a meeting is to have a local pastor and his church sponsor the meeting. Sending out fliers is the least successful method to get people to attend a meeting. But when I do send out the fliers I include an extra sheet offering books and videos and a few people always write in from that, so it is not a total loss. As I said already, I did not plan to go to all those places but as you will see, the Lord opened up the door and I know that several of the people who came to the meeting understood all 5 levels that were presented. And Mike and I gave out quite a few books to the members after the 11:00 A.M. service and at the potluck. Beside that Mike took me to two SDA Churches where we gave out a few books to some people and an invitation to the meeting. So, we actually accomplished quite a bit in addition to all the papers and books we passed out on Thursday and Friday in the Denver area before the Sabbath afternoon meeting.

Delbert then drove us over to his wife’s sister’s home in Denver where we stayed for the night. The next day, Sunday, Sept. 25th we left at 6:00 a.m. for Nebraska. We arrived about 2:00 p.m., just in time to attend a church picnic with my friend Nick, who has been trying to get me to visit him in Lincoln for the last 18 years. He was hoping that some of his friends would be willing to have a Bible study but no one seemed interested. I took a walk and knelt down among some trees and asked the Lord why He had brought me to this picnic if no one was interested in the character message. When I walked back to the picnic area, passing out my papers and pamphlets to others in the park along the way, Nick motioned for me to come and sit down with his friends at one of the tables. They had finished eating and were relaxing. I had my Bible and newly published books with me and passed them out to a couple of the young men, who are elders in this newly formed church group, which is still a part of the conf. The taller man looked through my book and began explaining some of his theories and ideas. He was quite an intelligent fellow and interesting to listen to. When he finally finished I asked him and his friends if I could share a few texts with them. They agreed and in the next hour I was able to cover all of the first four levels. It was one of the most satisfying Bible studies I ever had due to the fact that this fellow readily understood every point on each level and even added extra Scriptures to support what I was saying. He said that he and his wife study the Bible two hours each day. This was proof that those who study and know the Word of God are filling their lamps with oil and are blessed with an ability to quickly comprehend these vital end time truths.

After the picnic Nick took me to visit some other people to give them my book. It was getting late but he said there was one more person he wanted me to meet. I asked him who that might be as I was ready to get to bed before 10:00 P.M. He told me the lady he wanted me to meet had a very special story to tell about how an angel appeared to her. It happened to her when she was 18. So, I said that I would like to hear her story. She lived in a lovely upper class home in Lincoln and invited us in. You could tell right away by her beautiful spirit that this woman truly was a believer who knew and loved God. I told her Nick had briefed me on her angel encounter and asked her if she would be willing to tell me the whole story. So, she did but said that it was a story she had only shared with a few people close to her. After hearing her story I believe it is a true experience and hope that someday she will write it out for publication to encourage others. If you ever had the privilege of meeting this woman you would know immediately that she is very close to the Lord. She said she would read my book and gave a donation to help with the expenses of our missionary adventure in America’s Heartland. We finally got to bed before 11:00 P.M. Sunday night.

The next day Nick said he wanted to give me a tour of Union College so that I could meet some of the professors in the Religion Dept.. As we drove onto the campus and parked I saw this man with a beard getting out of his flatbed truck. He obviously was a handy man working for the maintanence department of the college. He had a look of honesty and goodness in his face and I could sense the Lord wanted me to talk to him. So, I showed him a copy of “Into the Father’s Heart,” and asked him if he would like to read it. He asked me if I was selling it. I explained that I was willing to give him a copy free. His response was “well, it costs you something to print this up,” and promptly opened his billfold and pulled out $3.00. That does not happen very often. But I felt it was a good sign or omen for our arrival on campus. Nick then took me into the upstairs offices of one of the buildings where we began meeting some of the teachers and professors of religion who all seemed to be his friends. We also met two English professors, a gentleman and a lady who both graciously accepted the book. I had a brief conversation with each of them explaining the concept of the book and how it was written and asking them about their work. The lady had just arrived and was looking forward to a good school year. The gentleman told me that he had earned his Masters Degree by writing a thesis on the book of Genesis. I told him that this was the perfect book for him because of what I had written on Genesis 1-3. That seemed to really excite him so I added that after he read my book that he might be inspired to write his Ph D thesis on what really happened in the Garden of Eden. With that thought we had a prayer and left. We gave out the books and papers to everyone we met, including the secretaries and receptionists who were all courteous and polite to a fault. Nick then took me to a local radio station where we left a copy of the book, hoping that we might be able to do an interview later.

That night I attended a church board meeting with Nick which was very interesting. The new pastor was there along with many of the members. I had never seen such a large representation for a board meeting or so many people giving out their ideas, beliefs and opinions. But they were all very sincere and enthusiastic. The pastor asked me about my ministry and I explained that I was not with the conference, etc. “Oh, so you are an independent.” He never spoke to me again or asked me about my book, which is one of the reasons Nick wanted me to go to the meeting. He also wanted to talk to them about some things he felt were important to include in their new calendar. They agreed to have a committee meet with him for further discussion. One of the elders wanted to know how I had been allowed to come to the meeting since I was not a member of the church. He did not look at me or address me when he spoke. He felt that those who came to the meeting should be screened ahead of time. At that point I felt he would be the last person in that room who would be interested in my book. After the meeting Nick walked up behind this man and told him that he wanted him to meet me. So, I shook his hand and we talked for a couple of minutes. He told me about his work and how he was raised and had recently come back to the church his mother had raised him in. I then explained to him how I came to write “Into the Father’s Heart,” and what it was about. It was obvious from his remarks about God and the Bible that he believed God destroys. So, I was really shocked when he said that he would like to read my book, so I gave him a free copy. Once again the Lord showed me that you just never know whom He has prepared to receive the character message or at least to give it a fair hearing.

Then he and a friend, Don, drove me onto Oklahoma on the 27th for a meeting with a family who had invited their friends for the study. I had agreed to come to Oklahoma in order to meet them personally and update them in preparation for a bigger meeting next year, the Lord willing. It was one of the better meetings that I had. My next appointment was in Illinois but the plan was to stay over night at Delbert Burhan’s home in Iowa. But Nick wanted to take me down to 3ABN to meet Danny Shelton for an interview about my book. I told him those kind of interviews had to be arranged ahead of time after 3ABN read my book. He finally convinced me to just go and take a tour of the place and so we did. As usual I was able to pass out my papers and books to many people at 3ABN but did not get to meet Danny Shelton. But we did get to visit Jan Marcussen’s office and meet his secretary who was very happy to meet me in person. She said that she reads my paper and when I gave her the book she said she would read it. I also gave a copy to all the workers and volunteers. While we were there Jan called in and I was able to talk with him briefly and told him I was leaving a book for him as well. He too was out on the road holding meetings. We finally were able to head out for Canton, Illinois where we planned to hold a meeting in Delbert’s sister’s home who lived out in the country. But we went to the Canton SDA Church for the lesson study. This turned out to be a most interesting experience. There were only about five ladies present watching an It Is Written video sermon as there was no preacher that day to give a live sermon. As soon as it was over they went into the lesson study. I introduced myself as Pastor Mike Clute of God’s Last Call Ministries. The teacher asked me if I was with the conf. and I told her that I was Independent. “Well, you can’t preach here.” She not only had a nervous and fearful look on her face, she was unfriendly with no tact or diplomacy. However, not all of them acted like that. As the lesson progressed, I joined in the discussion and made my usual comments, as I always do during the Sabbath School lesson study period wherever I might be. After about ten minutes the Catholic Church’s belief in Mary came up and I explained the reason why the Catholic people are taught to pray to and worship Mary is because the Church has portrayed the Father and Son as being so angry at the human race.

The unfriendly lady teaching the class said that she had worked in a Catholic hospital and never once heard anything about the Church teaching that you must worship and pray to Mary. I did not respond to that because I felt that a person who was so uninformed on such a well established doctrine of the Catholic church would not have either the mental or emotional capacity to understand or comprehend anything that would be said on the topic. After an awkward silence the Lord impressed one of the older ladies to speak up. She explained that the Catholic Church does indeed teach their people to worship and pray to Mary as she had gone to Catholic schools and knew exactly what they teach. The teacher then went silent and said no more on that topic. Two of the greatest enemies of truth are ignorance and prejudice and this is what you often encounter in the church when you try to witness on any topic, especially the character message. After the class was over we went outside ready to go to Del’s sister’s place for the afternoon Bible study. Two of the ladies who were friendly said goodbye. The one who had corrobrated what I stated re: Mary took two “Into the Father’s Heart,” books with her. None of the other ladies accepted the offer. The pastor had given permission for me to meet in this same church but later reversed his decision when he found out that I was not with the conference. It was obvious that he had done a good job of prejudicing these women against me before they even met me.

Greg Sexton and Mike Bloechl drove down from Bloomington to meet with us at Del’s sister’s house and to bring Del about five boxes of “Into the Father’s Heart” as I had arranged for the truck to deliver seven thousand to Bloomington. The meeting in the afternoon was was mainly a meeting with Del’s family members, his father and mother and sisters Dottie and Rhonda with their children. Rhonda prepared a very nice meal for everyone. In each of the formal meetings I held in a church or other facility the Lord always impressed me to present the message in a manner which would meet the needs of the audience. If my listeners know their bible and possibly the SOP then I am able to go faster and cover more ground, especially if they have read some of my books and newspaper articles. But if this is the first time I have ever met my audience and they have never read any of my papers or attend church or read their bibles then you have to go very slowly and make your presentation very simple. And that was the case in this instance. But the plus side of this situation was that the spirit of the listeners was very positive. It was one of total openenss with a desire to learn, know and understand God’s will for their lives and what is going to happen in the future. In this case I was able to have a lot of audience participation in a question and answer format. But I was the one who was asking the questions for the purpose of teaching. For example, I have different ones read through the parable of the Ten Virgins in Matt 25. Then I ask them what each symbol means. Who are these virgins? Why are there ten? What does that symbolize? What does the oil represent? What does the lamp represent? You would be surprised how few church people know the answers to these simple basic questions. Friends we are dealing today with a church and nation which is almost totally asleep. They are so caught-up in the everyday rush and scramble of trying to make a living that they do not feel they have time to read or study the Bible. And even those who go to church are in a worse condition because their minds are closed through blind fear and prejudice. But the good news is that we are planting seed. And the message is growing and developing on a very grass roots level. Del has been studying the message off and on for 20 years. Because of his influence and testimony his family were willing to sit down and listen. And it was a real blessing.

Greg drove us back to Bloomington to his home Sabbath evening where I stayed until Thursday when I boarded an Amtrak train to my next meeting in Wooster. The next day, Sunday, I asked Greg’s 19 year old son, if he liked to play basketball and he said he did, so I told him I would like to get some exercise. So, he and his dad and I went to a nearby park and played 21. Shane was really surprised and impressed that I knew how to play so well at my age. He did not realize basketball was the main sport of most young men who were raised in Indiana back in the 40’s and 50’s. It was our passion. The result was that he gained a new respect for me during those few minutes of exercise. I also met two other young men who played with us. I was able to talk with both of them and give them my paper and a copy of my book. One of the boys was a highly intelligent young man who loved to study his Bible. I knew the Lord had arranged for us to meet that day.

Shane and I formed a good friendship which led to some very serious talks, prayer and study. We also talked about his 17 year old girl friend and her problem. I was impressed that she could be helped. He didn’t know if she would even be willing to talk with me. But she was not only willing but eager for me to talk with her and pray with her after I had a brief talk with her on the phone. I could feel the spirit moving. She even said she wanted to read my book. Friends, you never know who is going to respond to God’s Spirit, so we need to be willing to reach out to anyone and everyone. This girl had given Shane a lot of grief in many ways. She was very pretty so was always receiving attention from boys and men. Greg took me over to her apartment where she was staying with some friends. It was about 8:30, a calm and warm evening. We sat out in front of the apartment and talked and read some Scripture. I brought the olive oil and anointed her and then prayed a simple but powerful prayer against the strong holds she had confessed had been making her life miserable for many years. I have done this scores of times and you never know what good results will come until you hear back from the person later. The ways of the Lord are simple but very powerful and effective if we give ourselves to the Holy Spirit to be willing to be led by Him. I believe that my talk and prayer helped her because Shane made a special effort to attend my meeting on Sabbath, the 15th, the last meeting before I returned to Oregon. He had never attended any of my meetings before.

I forgot to tell you about two other interesting experiences I had in Bloomington before I left for Wooster, OH. On Monday and Tuesday I went down town to the Post office to mail some letters and packages. The first time Shane took me down there. I did not realize that I had left my little satchel bag in the Post Office until Shane took me back home. I called the Post Office and they told me they were keeping my bag for me. Greg’s wife, Cheryl gave me permission to take her bike, as she was at work, so I took off riding downtown, about three miles away. On this six mile trip I stopped whenever the Lord impressed me to do so. The first time was as I was passing a Salvation Army Headquarters and Thrift store on the main street. A man was just coming out the door, angrily complaining that they would not help him. I offered him one of my papers saying, “Jesus will help you.” He cursed at the Lord, spitting out the words, ” #$X@ on Jesus, I need cash,” and stamped away in a rage. It was the first time I had ever experienced such negative of a reaction. Then a middle aged woman came out with her arms loaded with sacks of canned and packaged food. She accepted my offer of both my paper and book explaining that she was a Christian. I also invited her to the meetings on the 14th & 15th. Finally, I arrived at the post office and sure enough the desk clerk had my satchel bag in which I carried my books and literature. He was pleasantly surprised when I gave him my book. It had occurred to me that the Lord allowed me to walk out of that post office just so I would go back and give that man a book because I had not done it in the first place. It was also some good exercise. As I was riding down the sidewalk on my return trip I noticed two yellow taxis parked outside of a small office. I stopped and gave some literature to both of the drivers and then went inside of the office. A young looking girl, who looked to be about 19, was leaning against a counter a few feet back of the dispatcher’s desk, smoking a cigarette. My usual comment when I see young people smoking is, “You are too young to be smoking.” You might be surprised how many people will agree with you when you say something like. They are often so grateful that I explain how they could stop smoking in just three days. I seldom meet people who like to smoke. Almost every one of them would like to quit but don’t know how to begin. If a person can go 72 hours without smoking most of them can make it. I used to hold 5 day smoking clinics in the southwest with a lot of success back in the 60’s.

The dispatcher, a thin, sad man about 45 volunteered, “She’s not as young as she looks.” “Actually, I am 28 and have four kids,” she said in a matter of fact voice. “Besides, I enjoy smoking,” she added taking another puff on her favorite brand. She was not offended by my comments, so I pressed my point home. “Do your children know you smoke?” trying to break through her apathy because she already told me she didn’t have the time or desire to read. I told her how much God loved her and that he had a wonderful plan for her life. What else could I say to her to help her realize what she was doing to herself and her family? She was still young and attractive but obviously did not have a clue as to why she was on the planet. This always makes me so sad. I don’t always get on people’s case about smoking or drinking but in this instance I felt that I had to say something bold to break through her “I don’t really care what happens to me,” attitude.
It is amazing how many people I meet throughout the country like this girl who apparently have no understanding who they are or what a wonderful life God has for them. Some of them respond and change to positive when I talk to them. A few have read my book and let me know later how it has changed their lives. As I was standing there not knowing what to say next, the dispatcher spoke up for the first time. “I smoke too but my priest gave me permission. He smokes and drinks but says it is ok if you do it in moderation.” This really took me by surprise and made me very sad but it also opened my eyes to why society is in the condition it is in. The spiritual leaders of this nation, like this man’s priest, was leading him astray by his own evil example and was also the very one he would go to for confession. I realized how naieve I really was. When I was in the full time conference work back from 1965 to 1970 I saw some of the priests and pastors smoking at the ministerial meetings I attended. One even had playboy magazine displayed in his home for the “enjoyment of his guests.” I helped him conduct a funeral and became friends with him. He and his wife were very pleasant people. That was over 35 years ago.

Today most denominations around the world have embraced the Gay Agenda and support abortion. Friends, society is in a terrible condition and getting worse by the day. Do you realize that? Look at all the lawsuits against pedophile priests the Catholic Church is being forced to settle. The stories have made the front pages of major newspapers throughout our nation. If ever society needed to hear about God’s truth it is today. The Lord never stops speaking to me about carrying literature with me at all times and talking to people about how His great love can help them to overcome. During the last three years the Lord has begun to impress a handfull of few converts to the character message to also begin passing out literature. It is often an exhirlirating experience to work for the Lord out on the busy streets of America. Just the other day I met a tall man from India who worked for a taxi service. He was very happy when I gave him a copy of my book. Most people never write or call me but this man just called yesterday and made an order. That is always encouraging.

The next two days passed quickly as I prepared for the trip to Ohio. Thursday Greg’s friend Mike took me down to the Amtrak station to catch the train that would take me over to Ohio for the meeting on Oct 7th & 8th. The conference canceled us out of the SDA church there even though the pastor had given us permission. So, Esther, a most gracious and resourceful lady rented a Grange Hall for Fri night and all day Sabbath.

My Amtrak train was scheduled to leave at 8:30 a.m. and arrive in Chicago where I would board another Amtrak headed over to the Buckeye state which would stop at Elyria, Ohio around 12:45 or so. I had no idea that Amtrak has a bad reputation for being late. It truly is the worst mode of transportation in the USA. Never go by Amtrak if you don’t have to. Not only do they run late most of the time they also have bad accidents from time to time as you may have notice in the news. And that is exactly what happened with my train to Chicago. But this 4 hour layover gave me extra time to pass out about 10 or 15 papers and distribute my book to about 10 people who promised to read it. So, there is always a reason for everything that happens. I was determined to reach every soul possible in each place the Lord allowed me to be. From Chicago to my destination south of Akron took over 7 hours. It was the first time I had been on a train for decades and brought back many memories. There were a number of people the Lord wanted me to meet on this trip, not only in Union Station but on the train. I had already passed out about six books in Chicago. Sometimes you meet people who you truly know God has hand picked for you to contact. The first was a 30 year old man with three children. I could tell right away the care and patience he showed to his wife and family that I wanted to give him a book. So, I finally was able to work my way through the crowd closer to him and introduce myself. After I explained who I was and why I wrote the book he said he also beleived the concept and read his Bible every day. He not only joyfully accepted the book but asked for my web site. There were a couple of other people like that which made all the Amtrak delays seem like Divine destiny. Once aboard the train I found out there were no assigned seats because there was plenty of extra room. No wonder. The first man I met was a Bible believer and accepted the book readily. He had his own belief system which he explained to me as the train glided along, swaying gently at times. I tried to explain the state of the dead to him but he didn’t buy it. The next person I met was a 28 year old African American from Chicago who told me that she was working on her Ph D. When I showed her my book she was became very excited and said she absolutely would read it and share it with others. I knew the Lord had guided me to meet this intelligent young lady who had not had a decent meal in two or three days so I invited her to the dining car and ordered her a meal. She told me her life story which included being slandered and lied about by the pastor of a church she had attended causing her to get into trouble with the law. She was headed home to the Carolinas to stay with her mother for awhile so she could forget her painful past. I tried my best to comfort her by ending our conversation with an encouraging and intercessory prayer which she said she really appreciate. I hope you will pray for her and all the people I met and gave my book to that day on the train.

In spite of these positive experiences Amtrak is the worst mode of transportation in the USA. Never go by Amtrak if you don’t have to. After Amtrak apologized for the long delay they took us by bus up to Chicago, arriving there late in the PM where we finally got a train out of Chicago going East from Union Station about 6:00 PM…but more delays caused the train to not arrive until about 1:30 or later. Don a very health 82 year old was patiently waiting there for me at the little depot in Elyria.

We had about 12 or more people come to those meetings even though the weather turned rainy & cold on Sabbath. By this time although I was getting tired from so many meetings, the Lord gave me the strength to complete the fourth and final session by about 7:00 PM Saturday night. I was starting to get some chest congestion from lack of sleep and so much speaking. But thankfully, I was able to go out to my host’s farm house about 8 miles out in the Amish country-side with her and her husband who had lived there for 52 years in a lovely, old and rustic former dairy farm. It was very comfortable and quiet in that commodious upstairs room. After two days I felt better and was ready to get back on the speaking circuit again….”On the road again,” as Willy Nelson sings in his famous country western song.

My host in Wooster, Ohio, had hired a friend to come and pick me up at the train depot in Elyria. He had to drive about 55 miles one way. So, we did not arrive in Wooster at the farm house until about 3:30 A.M. But my most gracious host got up and welcomed us anyway. It was the first time I had ever met her although she has been reading my papers since the late 70’s. This was true of several others on the trip which was really an added blessing. She told me that the day she sent her last donation to GLC she quickly added a note asking me when I was coming to Ohio. After she sealed the envelope she asked herself, “Now, why did I say that?” She surmised she had been guided by the Lord. When I received the letter I was really shocked and told her via e-mail and phone that we would have to plan any meeting in her area in the future as the tentative dates had already been set. But there was something mysterious about her request I couldn’t get out of my head. After talking it over with Del in Iowa we both got our road maps out and he told me that he could drive to Denver and attend the meetings because his wife’s Phillipino sister lived there and she had not seen her for a long time. He then said he could take me close to my next appointment in Oklahoma. As he talked I looked at the map and saw that Lincoln, Nebraska was right on the route he was talking about. Route 76 out of Denver turned into 80 which was very close to Lincoln. When I phoned and told Nick about the plans he was so excited. I was able to reschedule my other appointments because I had not yet sent out the flier. Everyone cooperated so I could be in Wooster, OH on the 7th and 8th. We all truly believed the Lord was helping us to plan this itineary.
We had about 12 or more people come to those meetings, including the young, 28 year old pastor who was a tall, handsome, friendly and intelligent looking fellow. They came out even though the weather turned rainy cold on Sabbath. I wrote at 5:41 PM EST on Oct 7th in Wooster that we were waiting for the man with the key. I also wrote, “If 5 people come out to this meeting I will be surprised. So, when 12 showed up I was pleasantly surprised. Esther was sure there would be 20. So, she was only short by 8 and still believes that every person who came was ordained by the Lord to be there and that they will support the message. Actually, I tend to agree with her because in each place the ones who came were very sincere and attentive. We had no opposition but only sincere questions. The only problem was that because of the lack of sleep and constantly being on the move and talking to people every day I was beginning to feel tired. And the meetings themselves were exhausting, each lasting at least four hours or more. But the Lord gave me the strength to complete the fourth and final session by about 7:00 PM Saturday night.

I did not realize how tired I really was until the next day. And I think that was part of what caused me to get the chest cold. But praise the Lord, after two days rest I was feeling good enough to go back to Bloomington, by rail, of course. But true to form, Amtrak, once again, was not on time at that little depot next to that lonely railroad track, until the next day. Don, the driver, left me there at Elyria about 11:00 PM, not realizing Amtrak would not be coming that night to take me on to Chicago. So, I waited there alone in the middle of the night until 2:00 a.m. Two young men came and went inside this tiny depot and slept on the chairs, but not before I gave them two of my papers and a book the young man promised to read. He said that he liked to read a lot. I never give the book to anyone unless they promise to read it. Up until 2:00 A.M. every time I called for an update they kept saying the train was delayed but would it was coming.

Via my cell phone, I finally received the truth that my Amtrak train would be delayed at least 7 hours. I found out later that the train had hit two deer on the tracks about 7 miles out side of Syracuse, going west and these poor, innocent deer were pulled underneath the engine on the tracks and ground to bits. Evidently their antlers ripped up some of the air hoses which controlled the air brakes for the engine. So, along with the deer the train was dead on the tracks. They had to send out a special engine for a tow back to Syracuse to repair the air brakes. This is what caused the 7 hour delay I was told by some passengers and the people who worked on the train. When I finally found out from Amtrak information about this delay I prayed and asked the Lord for help as I did not know anyone in Elyria. What am I going to do? That is when I was impressed to call 911 who transferred me to the police who gave me the number of a Taxi cab company who sent out a driver and his girl friend who then took me to a Super 8 motel for only $5. I was relieved and thankful as I had hesitated calling a taxi for fear they would charge me about $20 or more.

They promised to read my book and then I gave out two more in the motel. I finally got to a room about 3:45 a.m. took a hot bath and slept until about 9:00 a.m. when I arose, packed my bags, prayed and called the same taxi service in Elyria. A new taxi driver, Steve, came and took me back to that lonely train depot about 11:00 a.m. He was very friendly and really wanted to read my book. In fact, he even let me take his picture standing by his cab with my book. At long last the train finally arrived and took me to Chicago where I was able to pass out many more books and papers and pamphlets at Union station while waiting for the bus which took us back down to Bloomington as the Amtrak was delayed again. I finally arrived at Bloomington about 11:00 P.M. Wed night having two days to prepare for the final meetings on the 14th and 15th of October. We were really looking forward to a good turn out for these meetings but once again only about 10 or 12 people showed up. But the good news was that they were all dedicated and interested people. In fact, one Dr. from Chicago attended all day Saturday and took copious notes, accepted the message and then bought a case of books. That was one of the most encouraging experiences for the whole trip. Everyone who came to the meetings seemed to really appreciate and enjoy the messages and learned a lot. I have just been viewing five videos of the meetings in Denver and also Canton, Illinois and an interview I did with Del who lives in Keokuk, Iowa but came to the meetings and video taped everything including his interview with me at his home. So, those will be available. While I was still in that Super 8 motel in Elyria, Ohio, I called Amtrak and canceled my trip back here to Portland and then was able to re-schedule a flight on American West out of Chicago.

Nick & Don, who drove me to Oklahoma and Iowa also came to the meetings in Bloomington and graciously offered to take me to a friend’s home near Chicago where I stayed for two days. He took me to the air port on the 18th and some Spanish friends picked me up at the airport about 1:00 PM. The cost difference was only about $100 so it was well worth it because who knows how long it would have taken for that Amtrak train to get out here to Portland from Chicago. Then on the way home from the airport to my house down here by Salem my friend’s right front tire blew out…really a bad blow out too, so bad that I thought the car was going to flip or roll but the Lord saved it and he brought it to a stop. So then, he called a friend and I also called for help on my cell phone, but after about 30 min. I decided to go ahead and hitch-hike the rest of the 25 miles to my house, south down 205 and I-5.

Three cars stopped to offer help but were not going where I needed to go nevertheless I was able to give each of them literature. I then prayed for about three minutes while I was standing out there in the wind with my thumb out, for the Lord to bring the exact person who needed the message in my book. Within 30 seconds a young man in a pick up stopped. He was 22 and having lots of problems with his girl friend. He also was on the way to a church meeting and had been reading his Bible he carried with him in the car, in preparation for the meeting. I told him about my prayer and we talked about his life, etc. I told him that if he would take me to my house that I would give him $10.00 so he did. And he promised to read my book and sounded like that was what he and his girl friend really needed and wanted to hear.

Although I had over 3 weeks worth of mail waiting for me the donations were not enough to pay all of my bills. So, I hope you will pray about this. If the Lord impresses you to help GLC at this time I know He will bless you and help you to be able to give a donation.

Your friend always in the Lord, Pastor Mike —- Isn’t Jesus Wonderful!

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