Editor, Times-Union: The things of this world are not designed to fill us with earthly delight and pleasures but to test and try our fidelity. By indulging in the flesh, material things can become snares by which you can be turned away from God. Your life as a servant to Christ should be self-denial. You have to present yourself blameless to the Lord on the day of his coming. Turn yourself back to the living God. You shall love God with all you heart, soul, mind and body, and you love your neighbor as yourself. Is God first in your life? Is he? Do you place houses, money and cars before the spirit of the living God? I pray if you're a doubter, you become a believer. God is calling for his end time army. Are you willing to take a stand? Don't think more highly of yourself than you should and become prideful. Instead of relying on yourself, rely on the grace of God. Don't depend on your own wisdom, ability and efforts. The fire of the Lord is going to fall!
In the last days perilous times will come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent (no self control), fierce, despisers of those that are good, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:1-4).
We are living as in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah and we're ripe for judgment.
The spirit of Jezebel is in our land. She does not fear God but trusts the evil gods of pride, deception, lust, covetousness and wickedness. We need to humble ourselves and repent. Realize God is in control. You can't take your next breath without him. I, I, I, Me, Me, Me, More. Jesus Christ was born in a manger, not the Hilton. He rode on a donkey, not a Cadillac. You cannot have real love with a guilty heart. God blessed this nation because it was founded on Christian principles. Now we are doing everything we can to take God out of everything. We need to come back to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force (Matt. 11:12).
Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked (Rev. 3:14-17).
President Lincoln proclaimed a national day of prayer.
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us!
Brigitte J. Castle Etna Green
9/11 Celebration
Editor, Times-Union: The greater Warsaw community remembered the tragedy and horror of one year ago on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2002. On that day, as people wore red, white and/or blue, as they displayed their American flags on their homes, cars and/or clothing, as they drove their vehicles with lights on, as they gathered at noon at the Center Lake Pavilion for the 9-11 Remembrance Service, as they stood along Center Street, Argonne Road and Market Street for the 9-11 Remembrance Parade, and as they lit candles at the 9-11 Remembrance by Candlelight - every single person brought honor upon those who died and suffered loss and upon those who, more than self, their country loved, served.
Special thanks to Mr. John Fruth of Titus Funeral Home for all his behind-the-scenes work on the 9-11 service. Also, thanks to Miss Rebecca Benjamin, third grader-homeschooler; Miss Morgan McClarnon, fifth grader-Triton Elementary School; and all the pastors and other volunteers who made the 9-11 service special.
Special thanks to the Warsaw Fire Department; the Warsaw Police Department and the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department for setting up their vehicles and being available to the public throughout the day; Warsaw Police Officer Michael Cox for his organization of the 9-11 parade; Jon Garber and Janelle Wilson and staff of the Warsaw Parks Department for organizing the 9-11 Candlelighting; and each of the pastors and churches who held special services throughout the day for prayer and remembrance on this solemn day.
Douglas W. Vogel Pastor, Winona Lake Free Methodist Church
Studying Regions
Editor, Times-Union: Our fourth grade class is studying the regions of the United States. We would like people to send us postcards showing us your state. It would be great if you could write a short note on it telling us about the different landforms and special places of interest your state has. Your help is greatly appreciated. We would like to thank each one of you for making our learning experience fun and exciting.
You can send to: Jackie Shier c/o Peshtigo Elementary 341 N. Emery Ave. Peshtigo, WI 54157
Remembering History
Editor, Times-Union: Senator Robert Byrd, The U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.
Dear Senator, I heard what you said on the U.S. Senate floor today. Whose side are you on these days, anyway? Are you still a real red-blooded America, or what?
You must be in your second childhood, because you seem to have forgotten history. Remember Adolph Hitler in the early '30s? With blind hate (and you know who he hated) he took over Germany and built a nation's government (including a thriving economy) on that shaky foundation. He built and disciplined formidable armed forces to lead the new generation of Germans to think like he thought and hate as he hated.
Then Hitler took over Austria, and ... Senator, have you forgotten? Tony Blair was not even born when Hitler was trying to blast England to her knees and yet he remembers! (Mr. Blair reads history and values its costly lessons!) England went to her knees, but decided to pray to the true God rather than surrender to Adolph. While suffering, they were pleading for American help, but we knew it would be very costly. We waited, debated and waited. ...
Hitler had Europe in his grasp when his hell-inspired pride caused him to want Russia. (Who but the devil himself knows why he wanted the big, cold place?) But he almost had Russia when ... when that same devil put it in the heart of the Japanese Emperor to pit his navy against what we had of our small navy parked in the Pacific at Pearl Harbor.
Dear Senator, you do remember what happened on Dec. 7, 1941, don't you? I do, and I'm only 80!
Senator, I can forgive the younger people who were not born yet, but you are old enough to remember! I am a Republican, but I'm free to say that when Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke on that Dec. 7, declaring war, he spoke for me and for all of us Americans!
We fought on two fronts at the same time, and did a whale of a job at it, if I may say so. And we won on both fronts! God may help us to do it again!
We have an enemy who chooses to hate all Americans and Jews. He and his kind will have to answer to Almighty God for the destructive sin of hate. He may also have to answer to us and to the world for his error in saying Israelis and Americans are headed for hell. I hope and pray that we don't end up there. But now it looks like, over the opposition of some, we may have to go to Baghdad instead.
P.S. I read lots of little signs that say GOD BLESS AMERICA. I think He wants to. But first he needs to SAVE AMERICA. Then God can bless us.
J. Robert Boggs Warsaw
Vandals
Editor, Times-Union: On Sept. 25, early morning around 3 a.m., vandals struck Hideaway Hills Mobile Home Park as I found out earlier I was not alone in this devious plot, in which person or persons picked at random had their cars sprayed (as I found out later) by a fire extinguisher.
Imagine waking up one morning and heading out to a doctor's appointment only to find out your car has been sprayed with an unknown substance which covered my entire vehicle, doors, windows, roof, trunk, hood, you get the general idea.
At first I thought who would do this to a handicapped couple barely making an existence to have their whole day turned upside down by this event. Not only did I have to cancel an appointment, I had to notify the sheriff's department, scared and worried whether this substance would come off or would it cost me a few thousand dollars to have my car repainted?
The deputy that came out was very understanding and helpful and offered an idea how to remove this if it worked, which it did. I was very much relieved by this and had to spend additional money I really did not have, to go to a car wash to remove this stuff. I did find out later several other folks in the park also called the Sheriff's Department due to the same substance on their vehicles.
I hope whoever this vandal or vandals are that you get some serious help somewhere, maybe some counseling or talk with someone about what you did. I will pray for you as well and hope maybe you will think about what you did and how you have interrupted some peoples' lives that had important things to do that day! Your careless disregard for others' property needs to be on the top of your prayer list.
