My Dear Children:

I am writing in an atmosphere of peace. Mamma lies asleep in the living room where I am working. I am glad to have her near me. In my prayer ministrations for her I combine her case with all other matters that I wish to have righted, and call them my problems. I endeavor to be patient in my mind, still in my thoughts, and thankful for the fact that I am a son of God, and I daily---year, several times a day---ask my Father to solve my problems. He has shown such love and concern, that I am encouraged to believe---in fact, I do fully believe---that He is doing so. She has not, at my time during her manifestation of a lack of health, suffered any pain. And she seems to manifest far more strength that she did at first. I am grateful for this. I fully believe that He solves this problem in a way that will be compatible with the universal good. So I am thankful to say that I am not worrying.

I spoke of an atmosphere of peace. I have peace in my heart, as I rely on the living God who takes care of us.

Mamma, as you know, has been lonely many an hour when I have been away from home ministering to others. It is only fitting that after a life of such faithfulness, she should be at ease in the arms of the Father.

One of the complaints that God made against the people of Israel was, their thought were not His thoughts. Paul writes of the peace of God. This is the inward peace that fills our hearts when we rely on Him, even as He relies on Himself. This peace is superior to worry and foreboding of evil. It garrisons our hearts and our understanding in Christ Jesus. He who abides in this peace is in a safe place.

When our thoughts are negative, they are not God's thoughts. He is affirmative. Paul says that the promises of God are in Christ, not yes and no; His promises are YES. This is affirmative. When we depart so far from the faith of God, that we are expecting the worst, our thoughts are negative. They are filled with doubts. God's promises are to believers---not to doubters.

So I desire for you that you will believe that God will solve our problem in the only right and fitting way, and that we may safely rely on Him. He is not only God; He is the LIVING God. He is alive to our interests, which are also HIS interests. He has not gone to sleep, nor has He become unconcerned. May we be patient, be still in mind, claim our relationship to Him, and depend on Him to solve all problems that concern us.

I wish also for you, that you will lead a life of love. This is not saying that you do not do this. It has been said that love is the greatest unifying substance known. There is magic in it. The person whose life is guided by a spirit of cynicism, or a spirit of distrust and hatred, is an object of pity. Such a one will never know, unless there is a change in his disposition, just what real living is. The life that looks with suspicion on almost everybody, is a very poor specimen. It knows no real joy. It may find a kind of satisfaction in this attitude, but it is far from joy.

In many people you can find that which is grave, just, pure, agreeable renowned one, or several, or all these qualities. Paul, in his Philippian letter, asks us to be taking these into account. A person may have only one of these, and several bad traits. Well, do not wholly condemn him. In your evaluation of him, place on the credit side of the ledger, that which belongs there.

A person said to me recently, "I won't let anybody run over me", and finished with the question, "Would you?" My answer was, "Nobody ever tries to run over me. If someone should try it I would not let him. But I wouldn't hinder him by resisting him. I would hinder him by refusing to resist evil". Christ said, "Resist not evil". When we resist it by fighting, we give to evil an importance far in excess of what it deserves. It requires no strength to resist it, but it takes great strength of character to ignore it, and do good to those who despitefully use us. Did the murderers of Jesus "run over" Him? No; He ran over them, if you want to use that term, when He said, on the cross, "Father, pardon them; they know not what they are doing".

In the early chapters of Genesis there are two stories which illustrate what I am trying to say. Lamech was a fierce man. He was determined that no one should "run over" him. He killed a man and then a boy. Then he wrote about it to his two wives, as a warning to them, no doubt. He wrote: "Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, for I have killed a man for wounding me, and a boy for hurting me". You don't approve of Lamech, do you! The other story is simply told in a few words: "And to Seth there was born a son, and he called his name Enos. This man called upon the name of the Lord". Instead of resisting evil he turned it over to Jehovah, when someone tried to hurt him! If we follow this course, the Lord will probable direct us to get away from the aggressor, and, it necessary, stay away. People tried to kill Jesus before His time. He got away from them, instead of resisting evil.

I would have you live the victorious life. But if you should ever try to shut God out of your life, you are defeated. There can be no victory without Him. It is He who gives the victory through Christ.

I would not have you limit God's power in your thoughts. Do not view life in accord with your past experiences. I think it is a fact that when our desires are in accord with the ultimate universal, good, and we are fully trusting Him, there is nothing to oppose the manifestation of your desires, except the thought of limitation that plagues so many of us. That which is in line with the ultimate universal good is also in accord with the will of God. He knows how to solve your problems. When you come to Him in your thought of faith, rejoicing in the Lord not worrying, not doubting, giving thanks, and making your requests known to God, your wish is granted if it is in accord with good, and in any case the peace of God shall garrison your thoughts and your understanding in Christ Jesus. This is what you want, after all. If you don't get specifically what you requested, you will be filled with peace that make you satisfied and happy.

The just shall be living by faith. This is in your thought. If, in your thought, you are limiting God the victory will not come. Let us remember God's complaint that "your thought is not my thought". The result of such an attitude will be, "My ways are not your ways".

That which is in accord with God's will is yours. But we often do not get it, for there is, in our mind, doubt that God will let us have it. This attitude of mind amounts to a rejection of God's good. We desire it, but dare not think that God will grant it. If we ask for it in doubt. As I have said, we thus reject it.

The victorious life is not merely one of getting. Giving is part of it. We can train ourselves to give, and will miss the opportunity of giving when we are deprived of the opportunity. I know this to be true. There is a poor man to whom I give money every Saturday. Last Saturday he did not come to town. I feel that I have been deprived of a privilege. I shall send him a check tomorrow. I received some money today, and would not think of keeping it all for myself. God gives to me, that I may give to others. I would have you always on the alert, seeking an opportunity to give in the name of the Lord.

There is a world-wide belief that giving means losing. I know that it is not true. Giving in the name of the Lord, is making an investment. Paul says it will bear fruit that will be increasing for your account. The Book tells us that there is such a thing as scattering, yet increasing, and also such a thing as withholding more than is proper, and having it tend toward poverty. I know I have seen this proven many times.

We are told to "Bless, and curse not". This has to do with our human relations. Many times we bless, or curse, by our thoughts of others. It makes a lot of difference what you think about people.

It seems strange that so few know this. Let us suppose that a person is sick. A dozen of his neighbors, with no intention to do him harm, will say, "He'll never get well. Even if he does improve some, he is sure to relapse. He need not expect to be better, permanently". Thus they make an impression on thought substance, and a pattern of disaster and hopelessness is created. The patient is injured by it He may not know what they are thinking, yet, as he is a thinking being too, and their thoughts are about him, the impression on the thought substance is disastrous for him. On the other hand, his neighbors may bless him by thinking affirmative thoughts regarding him.

You have noticed that children usually behave worse in the presence of visitors, than they do when only the family is present. Why? Is it meanness? No; it is because the parents think they are going to behave worse.

But few people think of thought waves that make an impression on the thought substance. They are acquainted with the reason we can here on the radio, sounds reproduced from thousands of miles away. This is done by waves in the ether. They are aware that sound waves can make an impression on wax, so that, by means of a graphophone, just what was said is reproduced. But not many know that there are thought waves. These can even be "felt" by animals. A dog will bite the man who is afraid, while it will not bother one who boldly walks into the animal's presence. Even honey bees are affected by these waves, and a horse can be managed more successfully by the unafraid trainer.

Mass thinking is even more effective. The American Was Between the States came after many years of thinking along this line; and the struggle in Korea is the outgrowth of the thought and the talk through the years since the close of World War Two, that we are going to have to fight Russia.

If you want to bless people, think the right kind of thoughts about them.

Mamma and I have been facinated by watching the development of each one of you, beginning forty-five years ago. We have lovingly watched your career. No two of you are exactly alike. This is as it should be. We have not been very wise parents, for people do not know how to be parents, until it is almost too late. You, as children, have been wiser as sons and daughters, than I have been o father. But you all know that I do love you. Among other things, I have tried to teach you about God. Not so well, I admit, for I have been rather slow to learn about Him, myself. But I have tried.

You have given us grandchildren, and we love all of them. We love our children-in-law. We are thankful for the families that have grown from us.Mamma and I love each other. And we wish for all our children every proper success in life.

In this time when Mamma is not able to help herself, and when the burden on me would otherwise be almost intolerable, you have come to our help and have been lovingly loyal. I think you and your mates have not done this because it was your duty. You have acted from a very much higher motive---love.

I advise you to let your thoughts of Mamma be constructive. To the extent that she has improved. It has been done under the loving thought---the hopeful thought---of myself and our children, and our relatives, and our friends.

I am deprived of engaging in the activities to which I have been accustomed. But is it a deprivation? Who knows but my ministration to her is far more pleasing to God? There is not so much glamor about it, but I believe that this loving service draws God's approbation on me. Yes, and on you, for you are serving as best you can, even though all of you are far away from me.

Let love, faith, courage, and proper thinking characterize us in all our ways.