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Dear Brethren and Friends,

What would you say was one of the greatest failings that a true Christian could have? We are not short of choices as there is quite a selection to choose from. We may all have many areas to work on but is there a single one that readily comes to mind? I could give you a list to choose from which, perhaps, could give us all a reminder of those areas which the world at large may not take much notice of, but should be of great significance to us all.

I recall Mr. Herbert Armstrong (the late human leader of the—now defunct—Worldwide Church of God) saying, many years ago, that ingratitude was one of the worst sins we could commit. It is certainly a major failing in anyone purporting to be a Christian.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – June 1, 2018"

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May 2, 2018

Dear Brethren and Coworkers in Christ,

When God called us out of the world in this day and age, He did it according to a plan that He had for us since before time began, having predestined and known us long before we were born (compare Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:16). He knows that each of us has what it takes to fulfill the mission of being a Christian, and He is confident that we can do it (compare Philippians 1:6). He has given us the raw material of His Truth and the Holy Spirit as a down payment, investing in our success to abide by the Truth (compare Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 5:5). God has gone so far as to offer up His Son as a Sacrifice for us, so that our sins can be forgiven! (Compare John 3:16.) He has done all of this because He challenges us individually with a huge goal, which is more important than anything we could imagine accomplishing in our human lives. If we want to succeed, we need to earnestly commit ourselves to God’s vision and submit to His Will in obedience. When we get discouraged, frightened, overwhelmed or anxious, we have to remember that greater purpose for which we are really working. God has given us a meaning in life that is much greater than anything we could contrive on our own.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – May 2, 2018"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Knowledge of the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days of God (which are also called “Sabbaths” in the Bible) has been the anchor of biblical truth throughout history. This understanding has been the key for remaining faithful to God in a world blinded by the deception of Satan.

When God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt, He revealed “the Feasts of the LORD”—beginning with Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12 and 13). Next, He showed again when and how to keep the weekly Sabbath (Exodus 16). As the Israelites continued their journey, other Feasts were revealed (Exodus 23 and 34; Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 16).

WHY did God command His people to observe these holy times? God gives the answer:

“‘Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you”’” (Exodus 31:13).

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – March 22, 2018"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

The prime objective or the “mission statement” for a company, a team or individuals is a key component to staying focused and on track. Otherwise, one may start losing sight of the vision as to why one exists or works. For example, the Star Trek series had a mission statement at the beginning of each episode, which went like this: “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.”

Captain Kirk was not confused or muddled as to what his mission was, and he stayed on track to achieve that goal (even though parts of that declared goal were impossible to achieve, since there are no aliens and no new life forms in outer space).

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – February 13, 2018"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Recently, an emergency alarm went out notifying Hawaii of an inbound missile threat. The alarm was false and a simple human error, but for almost 40 minutes panic ensued as people waited for an attack. Subsequently, measures were put into place with the declared goal to stop this kind of error from happening again. But that didn’t stop an outcry in the media, including Hawaii Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard. In one interview she stated, “We’ve got to get to the underlying issue here of why are the people of Hawaii and this country facing a nuclear threat coming from North Korea today, and what is this President doing urgently to eliminate that threat?”

While the sabre rattling has grown to new heights between our current administration and North Korea, the world is oblivious to the real threat that is looming. Satan has been methodically steering mankind away from God since he deceived Eve to eat from that ominous fruit. And like our forefathers, man has been grabbing hold of every bit of produce offered to them by the great deceiver.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – January 19, 2018"

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Dear Members and Friends,

When I was a kid, days seemed to last forever. From one Feast of Tabernacles to the next seemed like an eternity. But now, as I am a little bit older, days seem to rush away as if I were to wake up, a few hours fleet past, and then the day is over. Sometimes it feels frustrating that the days appear to go by so quickly.

It seems just a short time ago when we kept the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. I find it hard to believe that it was actually a few months ago. But time slows down for no one. Ephesians 5:16-18 tells us that we need to be “redeeming the time” that we have. In these winter days, along with the events of Christmas and New Year’s, we see the world around us wallowed in false happiness. They have no clue how to become truly happy because they are stuck in the hamster wheel of this life. And so they continue to pretend that everything is ok, while here in the US, Congress has passed another short-term deal to stave off shutdown of the Federal government; the national debt continues to climb; and the rest of the world is dealing with untold sorrow, corruption and wars. This is nothing new. These types of things have been going on for years.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – December 31, 2017"

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Dear Members, Co-Workers and Friends,

Since our last member letter, dated October 31, 2017, so much has occurred on the world scene. The speed with which biblical prophecies are being fulfilled is mind-boggling and amazing… if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.

This letter is meant to be a wake-up call, and it is written from a very personal perspective. So please, take this letter very personally. We are trying to warn, admonish and encourage our readers and listeners regularly with our weekly Updates, StandingWatch programs, booklets, sermonettes and sermons, but do you listen? We have written about our struggles with problems, and we have cautioned everyone not to let individual trials overtake them, so that they won’t lose focus, but do you listen and heed this admonition?

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – November 29, 2017"

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Dear Members and Friends:

I have always had fun working on projects of all sorts. When a project is clearly conceived, with a valuable and obtainable goal to accomplish, the challenge of working on the project is an inherent joy. Knowing that the time and effort invested into a directed activity will lead to achieving something worthwhile makes the hard work enjoyable. Whether the project is to edge the lawn, build a desk, bake a loaf of bread, write a letter, or any other kind of worthy endeavor, the work produces an end result that is generally satisfying. Upon reflection, King Solomon felt the same way: “So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage…” (Ecclesiastes 3:22).

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – August 16, 2017"