Ethel's Writing's

My first booklet "Reflections From the Son," 1997

You can use any these writing's. Just give me the credit for them.

Ethel

http://ethelswritings.yolasite.com/

Hoppy On the Hill

The mother had told her little bunnies not to stray far from one of the many holes that connected their burrow. Baby bunnies had many dangers. The eagle’s favorite food was a bunny. The wolf lived just up the mountain a short way.

One day Hoppy heard this loud noise coming from down the hill. It sounded like a herd of elephants. It kept getting louder and louder as it moved closer and closer. Thump... Thump... Thump... It was just over the hill now. Hoppy had to know what it was. His hind legs were trembling in fear as he hopped from bush to bush. Just a little way more and he could see for himself, what was making the noise? Out of breath and trembling with fear, Hoppy looked through the bushes into the faces of thousands of people.

On a rock, not more than a few feet away sat a man with brown hair. Hoppy heard one of the men talking to Him. He called Him Jesus. As Hoppy looked into Jesus loving eyes and felt the love of His gentle smile, he was able to relax and stop trembling. Hoppy could not understand all the words Jesus was saying. Just listening to the voice of Jesus gave him a warm feeling. Before Hoppy knew it he had fallen asleep. The sun was on the other side of the hill when Hoppy awoke.

A boy was handing a man a few fish and some little loaves of bread. The man took them and gave them to Jesus. Jesus held them up in the air and prayed over them. Twelve men came and stood in front of Jesus. They each had a basket. Jesus kept breaking the bread and fish into small pieces. Jesus kept doing this until all twelve baskets were full. Jesus told the men to go out and feed His followers. The twelve men started walking among the people letting them take as much food as they wanted.

A man saw Hoppy rabbit. He started to walk closer and closer. There was no place for Hoppy to hide or run. Hoppy tried to make him self as small as he could. It was too late. The man stood beside him. He reached into his basket and tossed Hoppy a piece of bread. Hoppy was hungry. He took a nibble. The taste was like nothing Hoppy had ever eaten before. As Hoppy was eating, he noticed the men talking with Jesus. Jesus was telling the men to go back into the crowd of people and gather up all the leftovers. Leftovers, how could there be leftovers? What was happening? Wait a minute! People were putting their hand into the baskets and each hand held a piece of bread and some fish. Hoppy rubbed is eyes. It couldn't be. Jesus had started with only a few fish and some small loaves of bread. The men were walking back to Jesus now. The disciples baskets we so full of food that some of the food fell to the ground as they walked through the crowd. Jesus just looked up and smiled. He turned his back on the crowd and walked down the hill.

Hoppy started to feel warm all over. Could this Jesus be the one his mother had told him about, "The Son of God?"

Hoppy was so excited that he hopped all the way home. "Mother, Mother!" he cried. "I have seen Him, I have seen Him! I have seen the Son of God! Jesus was here!"

(To read more about the fishes and the loaves read ;) Matthew 14:15 - 21 John 6:4 -15 Mark 6:34 - 44

Written by Ethel Hiday, to help feed God's Children. April 26, 1997

Fishes And The Loaves

Not once, but twice

Jesus gave us this example.

He took two fish, and

five loaves

seven loaves and

a few fish

and fed his people.

They sat and were filled,

not only with the fish and bread

but with hidden manna

God’s word

direct from the mouth of

His Son JESUS.

He even gathered up the leftovers

for tomorrow’s needs.

For more information

Read MARK 6:30-44 & MARK 8:1-9

In Case We Forget

Jesus gave us the gifts of miracles. It all started with the water being turned into wine. He didn't move mountains. He didn't part the Jordan River. He had the power to, but used it to heal the sick, feed the thousands, cast out demons. Jesus was all-powerful. He could have turned the stones into bread, when Satan tempted him, but instead He quoted from the Bible the Word of God. What lesson can we learn from Jesus and His miracles?

Sunday Nov. 17 1996

A Still Small Voice

Wednesday June 11, 1997

My Dear Friends

I just felt the need to share what is happening in my life. God is so good. I am sharing with you the testimony of how God touched my family so many times. I am finding when I take the time to stop, listen, and look around me that God is working with me today. I have to be still and let God be God.

I will share with you how this writing came about so that it might help you to draw closer to God Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

On Monday, June 02, I was woken up at five thirty. I felt impressed by God to go to Church and joint the people who pray between six and seven every morning. I kept trying to shrug it off, but I could not get the thought out of my mind. I arrived at church at five forty five and sat in the car, praying and listening to a Christian tape. The lady who sat beside me in church the night before drove up. I got out and started talking with her. I just mentioned that I had been listing to good Christian music. She told me that she could not get a Christian radio station. I noticed that she did not have a tape deck in her car. I listened to her when she shared some needs with me. I told her how God had allowed us to get a Christian radio station a few months before my husband Dean died. This was a miracle because we were in the shadow of a big hill blocking the radio waves from coming to our home. I shared with her how Dean would sit and listen to the radio and tape music off it on the nights he could not sleep. On the night the woman who had led him to the Lord died, I could not sleep. I put Dean's tape into the tape player and listened to it all night. I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I told her, that this tape was sitting by my computer at home. I could make her a copy if she wanted me to. She said yes. We went into the church to pray.

While I copied Dean's tape, I felt impressed to sit down and write about how the tape came in to existence. I started to write and write. "Dean my Husband's Last Tape a Testimony of God's Goodness and Love,” this story is the result of my obedience to God when He said get up and go to Church. I praise God that He is willing to use me Ethel, His humble servant to help His children draw closer to Jesus.

I went to get my mail on Friday and the only thing in my box was a piece of junk mail. It said in big print on the front "GOOD NEWS! GOOD NEWS!" It was a post card from the radio station KMBI, stating that their transmitter was fixed. It, a post card was forwarded to me one year after I moved. God does work in mysterious ways. I had even forgotten the name of the radio station, which Dean had copied the tapes. How strange the radio station would send me a postcard the day I needed it, to finish my writing. God used this to reassure me that I was in his will in writing and sharing this story.

My heart was filled with Joy, as I wrote this story. I was able to reflect back on all the times that God blessed us. My God is an Awesome God, is playing. I used three songs to fill the tape up and this is one of them. Looking back over my life and thinking about my walk with God I find so many blessing's to write about. I will continue to write page by page of my story. I will write how my life changed, after I learned to reach out and hold God's hands. I am listing to the song that I added to the tape, which tells us “When God's people pray hopeless situations will turn around.” God knows all our needs. The Holy Spirit will intervene and help us when we pray God's will.

It tells us in the Bible, how we will be filled with Joy when we share God's truth and help some one draw closer to Jesus. Well my cup overflows with a sweet, sweet Spirit. I received a phone call yesterday from the lady I made the tape for. She shared how she was blessed by the music on the tape and the story Dean my Husband.

October 8, 2003

This lady has now moved away from Chatham. She just about wore out the tape. This broken bruised hurt woman is now in another town sharing her testimony of how God healed her.

To God be the glory.

June 18, 1997

God is so good. I have had so many things happen to me, because of being in God's will. I phoned my friend Elizabeth in Stratford on Sunday and hit a 3 instead of a 2. I talked with Elizabeth for a while and kept getting the strangest feeling that I did not know her. After about ten minutes, I asked her where she was living now and she said she had lived in Owen Sound for two years. I told her I must have dialed the wrong #. I feel in looking back now that God was with my pointer finger. This lady's name was Elizabeth and had the need to hear about Jesus. She had tried to commit suicide the year before. She will be getting a letter and a tape. I prayed with her before we hung up the phone. Another friend got the tape after being in a bad car accident. It helped soothed away some of her hurts and pain. My friend Dorothy told me she is afraid she will wear her tape out. It has given her comfort in the listening to it.

My prayer is that after you read the story "Dean my Husband" that you will take your bible and start to read from it. Go and find a quiet place to be alone with God as you pray. Reflect back on how He has helped you and your family in your times of need. I know you will be blessed, as you look back over your life. Look for the touch of God's hand in it.

Love From

Your Sister in Christ

Ethel Hiday

Dean, My Husband

A Testimony of God’s Goodness and Love

June 2, 1997

THE COWBOY: God sent me a cowboy, the Sunday night before Easter in 1982. Dean Hiday came all the way up to Toronto Ontario, from the little town of Brewster, in the State of Washington. We had been corresponding, for six months, and at last, we were going to meet each other. A lot of prayer had gone up to God to prepare us for this special day. We both wanted a Christian companion. We did not want to be in love, with the idea of being in love. It happens so easy when you are lonely. We had been praying to God for years, to help us find the right person. Before we met, we asked God, to be with us so that we would not make a big mistake, and hurt each other.

I should start at the beginning. My friend Noreen and I had lost contact with each other. We had moved out west together and spent two summers working in volunteer service for our Church. Noreen was stationed in Alaska and I worked with the kid's from the ghettoes of East St. Louis as camp cook and spiritual leader at campfires. We shared an apartment for a while in BC. Noreen was married and stayed out west. I moved back to Ontario to help my mother, with the family after my father died in 1975. Mom lived in the country and none of the family had a driver's license. I received Noreen's new address in the summer of 1982 from her mother, and wrote her a letter. It was good to be back in contact with Noreen again.

PEN PALS: Meanwhile, Noreen had met Dean. She had gone to visit her husband's great aunt Verlie. Dean was her hired hand. Noreen told me later, that she received my letter and a letter from Dean at the same time. After reading our letters, she felt we would be perfect for each other. She decided to play cupid. She wrote describing Dean a tall, dark, handsome, single man that she knew. He was a farmer. She asked if I would be interested in writing to him. I sent her back a letter and told her no. I hated writing. (That was before the days of spell check.) She sent this letter on to Dean anyway, and included a new photograph of me. Sneaky! Sneaky! Dean wrote to me right away. It would be rude not to answer the letter, so this is how we became pen palls.

CUPID AT WORK: The Wednesday after we met, Dean told me he loved me and asked me to become his wife. He had been praying for several years, asking God to help him find a Spiritual wife. At a church camp a few years before, God had given him a vision, of the person he would marry. When Dean saw my photo, he knew that I was the woman he had seen in his vision. I was the person he was going to marry. After spending hours in prayer, God spoke to my heart and I knew I was to marry Dean. We were making, wedding plans that night. I had in love, with this stranger. God had to have helped because; Dean was not the person I thought I was looking for. He was dressed like a cowboy and I didn't even think he could read. We went to Church on Good Friday then Niagara Falls on Saturday. On Sunday, I took Dean to meet my friends at a special Church up in Grand Valley. My Friends and family all loved Dean.

COLD FEET: I got cold feet on Monday and was ready to change my mind. Dean said lets pray about it. I held Dean’s hands and we prayed. The Holy Spirit flowed back and forth through our hands. This reassured us that we were in Gods will. I got cold feet again when I went out west to get my engagement ring and to meet Dean's friends and family. The living conditions were going to be horrible. We prayed again and God reassured me that everything would work out.

STEP DAUGHTER: It was going to be too hard. I wasn't only going to have Dean as a Husband, but would have the added responsibility, of a stepdaughter. She had been badly abused, by her birth mother. Dean had just given custody of Roberta that summer. She had temper tantrums and cried every night. She was seven years old. He had to slap her wandering hand several times and tell her not to touch him.

LIVING CONDITIONS: I was going to live in an old broken down trailer, that had been the home to mice, and goodness knows what else. Most of the windows were cracked. The bathroom roof was leaking. The ceiling in the living room had been replaced with miss-matched wood. We were going to have to live on three thousand dollars a year. I had given up a job with Ward Air, to move out west. This Job gave me the opportunity to travel free anywhere in the world.

RAN AWAY: I had some problems with Dean’s boss. It became too much for me. Three days before we were to be married in August, I ran away. The car was all packed with my belongings before anyone was up. I told Dean that I could not go through with the wedding. I did not take the time to pray but left. I have always been impulsive. I ran just as Jonah did, but there was no whale big enough in the Columbia River to swallow me. My Brother Edgar and I started for home. I took a detour up to Chilliwack BC. I prayed and talked with my friend Alf who was a minister. I needed guidance. I still loved Dean, but was unsure of my self. Alf reassured me and told me that God sets certain things into motion, but He never takes away our agency. If I did not marry Dean, my life would go on and things would work out. It was my choice. I told him that I had no plans of ever going back to Dean.

NEW JOB: I spent a few days in Chilliwack being loved by my friends. I moved up to Prince George BC. I stayed with friend while I went out job looking. I had decided that that if I did not find a Job by the end of the week I would move back to Ontario. I was told by unemployment insurance that there were no jobs of any kind, because the lumber mills were closing down. I went looking on my own and found a job as a cook. I moved in to an apartment. I spent a lot of time praying and reading my bible. I attended a Layton Ford crusade while I was there. Layton is the brother in law of Billy Graham. My life was good and I was happy.

GOD SPEAKS: The place where I worked told us they were going to shut the door in two weeks. We needed to find a new job. I went out looking and found a good job. I would be kitchen manager of a big restaurant with a good salary and a percentage of the till. I went home to pray about it. I was on my knees praying when I heard this voice say to me. "Go back and marry Dean." I wasn't even thinking about Dean. He didn't even know where I was living. I had never stopped loving Dean. I could make a choice. Live alone or go back and have a family. It was up to me. Walls in an apartment have no feelings. All the money in the world, can't take loneliness away.

THE PHONE CALL: I phoned Dean, to tell him what had happened. I told him I was coming back and would marry him on November 21, 1982. Dean already knew I was coming. God had given him a vision, the Saturday we were to get married. He was on his way to the house, after moving sprinklers, when he had a vision of me running toward him. I had my arms outstretched and was saying I would never leave him again. God came to me all the way up to Prince George BC. He spoke to my heart, so that this vision could be fulfilled. I moved back to Brewster and we were married November 21, 1982.

GODS MIRACLES: I am not saying that we were married and we lived happy ever after. Life was hard. We had a strong faith in God. We went to church as a family every Sunday. We tried to pray and have family worship but being human, we did not take the time. When this happened, we went through rough times. Before long, we would be back on our knees asking God to forgive us and help us.

We found we could trust God for everything. One summer a man came to our house. He wanted to rent our land to put up greenhouses to cure baby’s breath. Out of good faith, he gave us a check for one thousand dollars. We never heard from him again. The check was good, and cleared the bank. This was at a time, that we really needed the money. God was faithful. I still have a photocopy of the check and plan to put it in a frame on my wall to remind me of God’s goodness.

CHICKEN FEED: We had a few chickens for eggs. The local grocery store saved the day old green produce for us. We used it to feed our chickens. Most of it was so good it ended up in salads and our freezer. We were given, all the fruits and vegetables we ever needed. One time we came home with two cases of bananas. They had a few too many spots to please the customers. We froze them all. There were a few bruises, on the tomatoes. Most of the vegetables had nothing wrong with them. I would have bought them for full price the day before. (I often wondered what God thinks when he looks into the dumpsters at our grocery stores. How many starving people could our needless waste feed each day?) As long as we had chickens, we ate well.

FRESH FRUIT: In the fall, we were able to pick cherries plumbs peaches and the best of all go to the farm across the road and pick all the apples we wanted. I dried fruit and made fresh apple juice. With our fruit trees and the fruit from friends, we had more than we could ever use. We always gave the extra away.

GOOD JOB: I was able to get a job at a day care center when Jane was six weeks old. I was paid to look after my own baby. I was even paid when I sat and nursed her. This provided our income for six years. I was working at the Brewster Senior Center, cooking for older people the year Dean died. God give us everything we ever needed and more.

FRIENDS HANDS: God used our friend’s hands to bless us. What if the people who helped us did not listened to the Holy Spirit when He spoke to them saying; the Hiday's have a need? Help them! I had friends give me their children's out grown dresses, and clothes. The Girls were always well dressed. Some times I had so many clothes given to me, that I had to find other homes for them. I am not talking about junk but beautiful clothes. I thank my dear friends for this. They know who they are. I still try to listen to God's voice when he tells me to give help to people.

FOOD BASKETS: Many a Christmas the local community would bring around food and gift baskets to help us get by. We were never too proud to take this help. The winter before Dean died our pantry was so full, that I didn't have enough shelves to hold all the food. God came and whispered in our ear about other families in need. The girls and I would load up the car and even Dean who had trouble walking would come with us as we delivered food to our friends. The Christmas after Dean died a dear friend handed me an envelope. When I got home and opened it, I found five one hundred dollar bills. I was able to by a used washing machine. I also was able to go on a trip with my prayer group to the Vineyard Church in California. I was filled with the Holy Spirit in power and drew closer to God that week. At the first service, I was so filled with God’s Spirit that I wept and wept. Some of the hurt and grief from the past few years was washed away with those tears. I could not have gone without the help of this dear friend. You know who you are.

JUST A FARM HAND: Dean was a laborer all his life. Two year's before Dean died he started his own business cutting grass. He took pride in his work. Most of his customers were widows. Dean would take the time to help them. It was more than a job. He would visit with them in their home and sip a pop or have a cup of tea. One customer would bake a cake every weekend so that she could serve Dean a big slice on Monday morning. On special occasions our family would visit these widows and take flowers. I can still see Dean's smile. Roberta, Jane or Sandra would take turns hiding flowers behind their back and knock on the door. When the door was opened they would say, Surprise! Surprise! A radiant smile and hug were exchanged between special friends. Many older women loved our family and we loved them in return. Some times we would be their only visitors that week.

DEATH: Dean Joseph Hiday died at the age of 49 April 5, 1991. We had three children. Sandra was five, and in Kindergarten. Jane was seven and in grade one. Roberta my special daughter in love was fourteen years old.

BALLOONS OF HOPE: Jane, Sandy (Sandy’s father always teased her and called her his little Panda Bear.) and I went for a walk on Saturday. Jane asked me how her daddy got up to heaven. “Did God send a big balloon down to get him,” she asked. I said no and tried to explain death, as best I could to a five and seven year old child. Jane asked, “if I sent a letter on a balloon up to heaven will daddy get it?” I said yes and we walked up town and bought two helium balloons and two birthday cards. Sandra’s card had a picture of a panda bear. Jane’s card had a big teddy bear with a heart on it. We walked back to my friend Edith and Larry's house and filled out the cards. We met some close family friends in the park and had a circle prayer. The girls let the balloons go to up their father. Jane was content to know that her daddy would be able to get her letter. God thinks of the little children in their sorrow. He is so kind.

STRONG MAN: Dean was a strong man. He was never sick. He had had a sore back for several years. The year before he died, Dean climbed the small mountain, behind our house. According to the Doctors, he just needed to rest for a few months and he would get better. God had other plans. He took him home to be with Jesus up in heaven. I know where he is and I am at peace. There was standing room only at his funeral. Dean, just a country boy touched many hearts. The Doctor told me after Dean had died that Dean had the biggest heart they had ever seen. Dean's heart was just about twice the normal size.

EDUCATION: Dean left school in grade seven because of a learning disability. He was unable to keep up to his peers. School was hard for him. He could read but had difficulty expressing himself in writing. Math was impossible until I taught him how to use a calculator. His father a strict man could not understand why Dean had a hard time doing schoolwork. Dean’s father told him over and over that he would never amount to anything. He was yelled at all the time and did not have a good relationship with his father. Dean was an only child and his mother died when he was 29 years old. God did love Dean. He gave him Verlie to teach him about Jesus. I loved him and encouraged him to continue to learn and step out in faith. With all this and the love and respect of his friends and customers, Dean was able to prove his father wrong. His business cleared ten thousand dollars after paying for all the new equipment in 1990.

BAD HEALTH: The Valentine's Day before Dean died, we went to tell our friends that Dean would not be able to work for them any more. I can still see the brokenhearted man who was told to sit in a rocking chair and let his family serve him. Up until the day, I left Brewster and even when I went back to visit, I was told by most of our customers, that they could never find anyone as good a Dean to mow their lawn. It wasn’t just the lawn mowing but the cup of tea.

DEAN WAS NOT PERFECT: I am not trying to paint a false picture of Dean. He was not perfect. He had his own personal dross, which God spent a lifetime trying to remove. (Dross = impurities that are removed when silver and gold are being refined.) What I am trying to show you is his heart. I am talking about the part that God sees, when he looks at each one of us. If ever Dean did any thing wrong, he would be on his knees weeping, before his Lord and Savior asking God, and us to forgive him and to help him overcome. Dean really tried to overcome and become the man God created him to be.

Not all of us were intended to go on to college or university. We need people like Dean, to harvest our wheat, spray our apples, cut the hay, milk the cow, mow our grass, shovel our snow and even to sit with a cup of tea and listen and love. Jesus used fishermen, and was a carpenter by trade.

LOVE: Dean loved people. Because of this love, he hurt, when you hurt. One person wrote me after Dean died. She wanted to share how sensitive, he was. Her young daughter fell at family camp and hurt her back. She was in pain and had to lie in bed most of the week. Instead of going to services, Dean would sit with her by the hour. He prayed for her, holding her hand, and soothing away the pain. Knowing Dean, he shed many tears that week. He shared with her in her pain.

LITTLE THINGS: Little things would bring joy to Dean. He was forever bringing me home, a special shaped rock, or the first wild flowers in the spring. He always had a praying mantis for the girls to see. The white fluffy clouds that floated above our house became deer, bear, airplanes and even an elephant on occasion. One time while we were listing to praise tapes out side in the back yard, our family looked up and saw the Face of Jesus in the shape of a cloud. We know it was from God because when we were through seeing it the cloud scattered in all directions.

His old shed was filled with thousands of old bottles. Just discarded pieces of glass that people had thrown away! Some were white, some were brown, some were tall and skinny, some were short and fat and others had a big crack. It did not mater to Dean. He saw their beauty. He found a special place for them on a shelf, so he could show them to his special friends.

So often, we who are hurting feel like a discarded old bottle. Some of us are to fat. Some of us are too tall. Some of us have been broken. God looks down from heaven and sees our inner beauty. He knows our potential and sends us a special person like Dean to hold our hand while we are hurting. Some times, we are so battered that we have difficulty praying, let alone reaching out to God. Praise God for giving people hands, so they can hold us in our times of need.

PICTURES OF LOVE: Several months before Dean died, he was so weak that he had to sit in his chair and let us care for him. Dean loved to colour in colouring books. His father thought it was sissy for boys to colour, so Dean never had a chance to colour as a young boy. Dean spent hours tracing pictures from the Bible colouring books for the girls. We bought him several rolled up pictures to colour. He had a hard time, lying down to sleep at night. His breathing was labored. This gave him something to do while he was resting.

MIRACLE SOUND WAVES: We had never been able to get Christian radio because of being in the shadow of a mountain. All radio stations came to us through a transformer from up in the hills. We turned the radio on the winter before Dean died and were able to get KMBI: a Christian Radio station from Spokane WA It came in real clear. My husband would sit by the hour listening to this station. He also taped the music from the radio. This brought him a great deal of comfort. I know that God had a hand in getting us that Christian radio station. There was only one spot in our whole house, which we could get this station. It was on the table by my husband's easy chair where he sat when he could not sleep. We were not able to move the radio more than a few inches or we would loose the reception. I was able to continue to get this station for about a year after Dean died. After that no mater what I tried it would not come in for me. This was a lifeline to God from God in our time of need.

DEAN’S TAPES: In the fall of 1994, I was not able to sleep one night. I reached into a box and pulled out one of the cassette music tapes that Dean had taped for me. I cannot remember hearing it before that night. I listened to it over and over again all night long. The music was direct from heaven. It started with, “Oh! For a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” “With My Last Breath, I Will Praise You,” “There Is Joy In The Journey.” Twenty-eight songs were on the tape, praising God. The songs thanked Him for that person who took the time to teach us about Jesus. It even had a song inviting us to “Come and See Jesus” and to “Come and Worship the King.” It ended with songs saying, “He First Loved Me,” “God Is An Awesome God”, “Can You Reach My Friend” and at the end it sang about “What Happens When His People Pray.”

The Holy Spirit filled me with such peace. It was as if God was preparing me, giving me courage and strength. I got up that morning refreshed. I felt as if I had slept soundly all night. I was filled with the Holy Spirit.

VERLIE’S DEATH: Shortly after getting up, I received a phone call that our friend Verlie had died in the night. She was ninety-one years old. Dean worked for her seven year's before we were married. Verlie was one of the people who taught Dean about Jesus. She would read him children's Bible stories night after night and some times in the middle of the day. She told me several times that the farm work could wait but the Lord's work came first. She taught him to pray. She would have him read from the Bible. She had been a Sunday school teacher most of her life. Dean went to church every Sunday. He had been baptized for six years. He had a strong faith in God and Jesus.

Verlie had 13 children. I felt a need to go down to her house and be of help so that Verlie could have a nice funeral. I had to do this for Dean. I know that God, His Son Jesus and my Comforter the Holy Spirit had prepared me and given me strength to do this the night before. I was stepping out of my comfort zone to help my friend and her family. I was able to go in and help them pick a minister and a place for the funeral.

As I listen to this tape now I praise God that he gave it to me the night of this dear women's death. Without the infilling of God's Holy Spirit I could not of done what I did.

GOD KNOWS OUR NEEDS: God sent me out west to marry Dean. I am a better person today because of all I had to go through. I am not afraid of poverty, because I lived in it for so many years. God always provided us with enough food, clothing, a warm house and best of all a lifetime of treasures in heaven. This story is one of them. I had an abundance of friends, family and a special Church family to stand by me in my time of need.

LISTEN TO THE WORDS: I am sharing with you thoughts, about my husband Dean. When you turn on your radio next time and listen to the music, remember how God's hand reached down with special music to touch our hearts in our time of need. The tape I played the night of Verlie's death inspired me to write this story. Dean was not able to put his words onto paper, so most of our love letters were spoken into a tape recorder and sent to each other through the mail. It is only fitting that the last love tape left me by my husband Dean, is the one I played the night Verlie died. She is the special person who helped him find salvation and eternal life. She is the person God sent to teach him about Jesus. God is so good.

Written with much love and prayer.

May God bless you as you read this our personal testimony, as He blessed us in the living of it, is my humble prayer.

Ethel Hiday

MARBLE

There were two famous artists in a town. The population disagreed about who was the better artist. Half said that one painter was the best. Half said that the other artist painted much better.

So the ruler of the town divided a big marble hall in two with a curtain, then he called both painters. To one he said, "You will paint on this wall whatever you like, and the other artist will paint what he likes, on the other wall. After three months I will decide who is the greater painter."

The first one, with his followers, immediately began to paint children, flowers, trees, and all kinds of nice things. The other artist was very humble and said to his followers, “I cannot paint like my colleague. I do not have his genius. We will do something else. Stay with me the whole day, and just rub and polish the marble."

"But what sense is that?" they asked.

"Just do it because I tell you to,” he replied.

So, one painted and the other polished the marble.

After three months, the ruler returned. He looked first at the painting and said, “I have never seen anything so wonderful I cannot imagine it being surpassed. But I also wish to see what the other artist has painted."

When the curtain was drawn, the beauty of this picture, mirrored in the polished marble of the other wall was more beautiful than the original.

We are not Christ! We are men, and women. But what we do continually with Christ is to rub here, to polish, to take away every distortion of selfishness, of comfort, of not caring about those around us. Then the beauty of Christ, mirrored in our hearts, will be beloved by God, who has given His only Son to die for us, to forgive us all of our sins.

By simple faith, believe in Jesus Christ and be saved.

God bless you.

Richard Wurmbrand

From voice of the martyrs June 1997

Burdens

April 16, 1997

I was not able to sleep so I read my Bible for a while then went out and watched TV but as usual, all I met was Satan's evil. I fell asleep about 3:00 AM. At about 5:30 the Holy Spirit started to speak to my heart. My heart had been heavy about several things. I have wanted to start a business or go to work.

I am not disciplined enough to just stay home. I have gained a lot of weight from doing nothing. I also felt I was to buy a house. In addition, I came up with an idea on how to make some money. My Brother Edgar is going to need me because he has to have open-heart surgery soon. So many other friends were hurting and needed me. So many people needed me.

It was starting to get overwhelming. I took all these burdens on but did not leave them at Jesus feet. I sis not have enough faith to let Jesus do God's work. I took all the burdens around me and started what (Kay Arthur) would say start chewing my cud. A cow will regurgitate their food after they swallow it and they will chew it over and over and over. They do have seven stomachs for this purpose. I have only one. The next time you see a cow, look at their mouth. It never stops chewing. I was becoming like a cow with my thoughts.

The last three days my stomach has not been working to well. Last night I bloated up. My stomach acids started to burn within and started to seep up into my mouth. I was chewing my cud. It became so bad that I could not lie down.

I feel that God was trying to show me, that I needed to stop worrying and trust in Him completely. He has provided and will provide all my families need's. This does not just mean money. He has provided me with hundreds of friends all over Canada and the USA. He has provided me with a loving Mother, sisters and brothers. He has taken care of Roberta in the past, and will continue to keep her in His hands.

God’s hands are big enough to hold the whole world in them. I cannot even pick up an Elephant. I guess that is what I have been trying to do. I had one in each hand and one upon my heart. The burdens were breaking my back. (I just noticed if you take away the “s” for “Satan,” from “sword” you have the “word,” Interesting)

Jesus says that we are to cast all our burdens upon Him, then take up His Sword and follow Him. That includes our burdens for our family and friends as well. Lord set me free from these burdens right now. They never belonged to me. I must have been out shoplifting again. Jesus when He is in your heart! I mean really in! Like with suitcases and all, has paid the price for our burdens (SINS). We need to stop going into our closets and continue to bring out all the burdens (SINS) we shoplifted before our salvation. Let Jesus pay for them. He has already redeemed them. They do not belong to us any more. Give them to Him.

When you have done this, take up His Cross and follow Him.

Thank you God, the Elephants are all gone. I feel so much lighter now

Ethel

Spot the Lamb

A Story For Children.

Spot the lamb was sad. She had a big black spot on her face. The other lambs would laugh and tease her. Spot's mother loved her. Spot's father was embarrassed to have a lamb with a spot, so left them alone, and did not look after the family any more. Spot's mother found a green place to graze just out of earshot of the other sheep, so that Spot would not hear the mean things said to her. They would call her dirty face and were so cruel. It got so bad one day that when Shepherd called His sheep to follow Him into the shelter for the evening, Spot ran away. She hid behind a big rock until another flock of sheep came by. Spot followed another shepherd into his shelter. She fit right in. The other lambs all had spots. For the first time in her young life Spot was able to play with other lambs without being teased. The excitement! The fun!

It did not take long before Spot’s Shepherd came to find her. He put Spot over His shoulder and carried her back to His shelter. Spots mother had been crying with worry. She did not like the strange sent on Spot. Her mother, spent hours licking Spot, to make her smell clean again. It felt so good to be loved by such a sweet mother.

The next day the other sheep and lambs were even meaner. Spot's heart was so sad. Her mother would say to her that sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you. How wrong she was!

Spot was depressed. She wanted to run away, and hide with the other spotted sheep. She felt she had been accepted there. She had so much in common with them. She decided that she would roll in mud and get all dirty so that her Shepherd would not find her. That night she grazed by a big mud puddle. When it got late, she rolled in the mud and hid behind a big rock.

When the other shepherd came along, she followed him. What Spot did not know is that mud gets hard when it dries. Before long, she could not keep up with the other sheep and got lost. Spot fell into a deep dark hole and hit her leg. She landed on her back and laid there hurting. She had seen other sheep do this and they had died before they were rescued. It would feel so good to have her mother come and lick her clean. Spot could not even kick her legs now. It was as if she was incased in cement. She looked like a rock. How would her Shepherd find her?

She heard a footstep coming down the path. Yes, it was her Shepherd. He was calling her name.

“Spot! Spot! S P O T! ! ! ! “

“Bah! Bah!”

“SPOT!”

He had heard her!

She could hear Him running! He came and gently picked her up. She hurt so much.

Her Shepherd’s hands were ever so gentle, as he found some quiet waters, to wash away the mud. He washed her white as snow. The love and forgiveness in his eyes, felt so good. He wrapped up her broken leg, and anointed her many cuts with oil. He held her in his soft cloak, and sat by the fire to get her warm. He carried her around his neck for weeks. What a view. What protection. He would go ahead of the sheep, and remove the poisonous weeds from the green pastures. He dug a deep hole to bury them. How sweet He smelled! The Shepherd would sing a cheerful song as He walked the safest paths. He set her down in green pastures, beside Him whenever He stopped to rest. His eyes kept watch, over his sheep, by day and night. There were many dangers.

Spot the lamb did get well. Her leg was healed, but more important her heart was mended. She never once strayed away, from her Good Shepherd's side again. The other sheep still teased her. It did not hurt as much now. The Good Shepherd kept telling Spot that He loved her with a special love. Spot often felt that if she were the only lamb, in the whole wide world, that her Good Shepherd would love her. He had gone to find her when she was lost, hurt, and broken. He had picked her up and held her so close to his hear in her time of need.

The other shepherd was not so good. Some of his lambs died, because he took them down the wrong paths. Some drowned, because he led them into rough waters. Some got sick, because he was too lazy to remove the poisonous weeds from the green pastures. Oh how blessed Spot felt, when she realized that her Good Shepherd, took such good care of her. He loved her.

What shepherd are you following? I hope its Jesus the Good Shepherd.

Read: Psalm 23 and Matthew 18: 9-14

Written to help heal Gods sheep April 19, 1997

The Right Shepherd

Imagine what would happen to the sheep if they had more than one shepherd. They would not know what way to turn. We are to be like the seep by follow the one perfect shepherd that God gave us to follow. Jesus is all we will ever need.

Tammy lamb thought different. Every night when the Shepherd would call her, she would listen to another shepherd's voice. She thought it fun to go out on these wild adventures. She went to see all kinds of new pastures. She knew that her shepherd would come and get her when He had tended the flock and put them in a safe place. One night she fell into a deep hole and had her leg broken. Her shepherd did come and get her. He anointed her with healing oil and bound up her many wounds. He even carried her around his neck until her broken leg was mended. How sweet he smelled. He sang a pleasant song as He walked the many paths, some rough, some deep and dark, and some with flowers. The nourishment from the lush green pastures, would keep the sheep contented for hours. Her shepherd would set her down beside so she could graze from the dew-wet grass. He would close his eyes and sleep for a while. Never long, because there were many dangers. As He picked her up and cuddled her in is strong arms, Tammy could feel his love. When she looked in His gentle eyes, her heart would burst with the love that was there for her. At times, she felt that He would take care of her even if she were the only lamb left on the face of the earth.

Tammy did get better. She could never bring her self to stray far from her shepherd’s feet. Because of the healing ointments and the love from her shepherd, she was healed. She new that He was the only shepherd she would ever follow again. The other Shepherds were not traveling in His steps and had led her astray.

What shepherd are you following?

I hope its Jesus.

Power Source = God, Jesus, Holy Spirit

Plug Into Your Power Source The Bible.

Object lesson

Would you help me by turning on this flashlight for me please, Jill?

The light will not come on Ethel!

What do you mean it the light will not turn on Jill, I just put in new batteries in it this morning?

Could you check and see what is wrong with it please Jill?

Ethel! Ethel! Ethel! The Batteries are in upside-down.

You did not follow the instructions.

Can you fix it and see if it will work Jill?

It works now Ethel.

Thanks Jill, but it is not bright enough.

Will you turn on my light for me please?

It does not work Ethel!

What is wrong with it Jill?

(Leave light unplugged. Leave plug where audience and helper can see it.)

Ethel! Ethel! Ethel! You forgot to plug it in.

Oh! How did I forget to plug it in?

(Plug it in and turn it on.)

That is better. Thank you for your help Jill.

We are a lot like an unplugged light. My light and flash light would not work because they were not plugged into a power source. We cannot see electricity but most things will not work without it or a battery. How many of you have felt an electric shock or static electricity when you walk across the rug?

We cannot see God or the Holy Spirit but through faith, we know they are there. Our Bible is a power source that God has given to us to help us every day. We need to listen to what it teaches so that we can get to know what it is God wants us to do. Before I was taught how to read and understand my Bible, most of what I read flowed in one ear and out the other, like water.

I started to study my Bible in depth for the first time four years ago. I went to a Bible study where I was taught to pray for understanding every time I opened my Bible.

I was taken to John 14:26 ( It say's) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

It works. Now I find the BIBLE so exciting to read. Because of God's anointing, I find the scriptures stick like oil. I am able to understand them more. Have you tried to wash oil off your hands lately? It takes a lot of washing. It is good to hear what God is saying to me. Try reading your Bible after asking the Holy Spirit to help you and see what happens to you. God bless you as you try this.

Read John 16:

May 26, 1997

God Hears Your Thoughts Anyway,

Why Not Talk To Him?

Ask yourself this question? "Who do I talk to the most every day?” If you are honest, you will say (Yourself). Yes, most waking moments are spent with self-dialogue. "What will I wear? She hurt my feelings. I am angry with her. I do not have enough money. How will I pay my bills?" etc. etc. etc.

"God hears your thoughts."

Why not give them to Him, in Prayer?

Stop hashing your problems over, and over, and over, in your mind.

"If it is BIG, enough to WORRY about,

It is BIG, Enough to PRAY ABOUT.”

Your thoughts could go like this.

“God, Jill hurt my feelings today. I am angry with her. Please God take the anger away. Help me understand her better.

“God, I do not have enough money, to pay all my bills, let alone give any to you. Please show me what to do?”

“God please give me faith to do Your will. Help me trust in You.”

We can also spend our thinking time, with a silent praise to God. Did you know that every time we sing praise to God, we are building up a hedge of protection, for our family? We are told in the Bible, to “enter His (God's) gates with singing, worship and praise.” Praise is a mighty weapon. Job used it, when he was persecuted, by Satan. Daniel, praised God and was sent to the lions for supper. His praise caused the lions to turn into “pussy cats.” The two Israelite boys used it, and then were put through the test of fire. The flames could not burn them.

God wants us to sing praises, to him at all times. Our praise can even be in services to others. God is looking for a sacrificial praise.

Oct. 1996

Job

JOB 1:10

“Job was a blameless, and an upright man who feared God.” He had a hedge of protection around his family. This hedge was built up through praise, prayer and a loving God. Satan came into God's presence and accused God of favoring Job. He asked God to remove the hedge of protection. God removed it, to show Satan and us that Job would love Him, no matter what happened. Everything Job owned, was destroyed. His riches and all his children were taken. His own body was covered in sores. Job never once blamed God.

Job was not in any way responsible for what God allowed Satan to do to him. You will also see that Satan had no power over Job, but what God, gave him. God was in control of everything that happened to Job. God returned Job to his rightful place after he had lost everything that was precious to him. God was victorious.

I am going to try to turn my thought life, over to God this week. I know my limitations, so I will ask a friend to help, hold me accountable. I will have her phone me, and I will phone her. We will talk about where we are and pray for God to continue to help us. In doing this I hope to walk closer to Jesus my Savior. The Holy Spirit will be there guiding and directing us. May God bless you is my prayer.

Read JOB, and pray asking God to help you understand the true meaning.

GOD HAS US ENGRAVED ON HIS HAND

Isaiah 49:16

GOD MUST HAVE A BIG HAND TO HOLD EVERYONE WHO WAS EVER BORN

"JUST A THOUGHT"

June 1997

I am still working on turning my thought life over to God. It has been a lot of work but most of the writings in this book are the result of this new way of life. I feel closer now to God than I ever have. I like the feeling when I take the time to walk in the garden of my life with Him each day and try to follow His direction. Some times, it is on a different path than what I would take. I have always found when I let go and surrender to God's plan, my life is exciting. Try it for a few days and see if you like it.

It takes prayer and praise on a daily basis to do this. In addition, I find I need a lot of Scripture reading, with time out to just sit rest and listen. During this time of rest, God will whisper in your ear what it is He desires you to do, to change, and become more like Jesus. Some times, it means giving up a favorite TV program. Most of the time, I found it was just closing my mouth and letting God, get a word in edgewise. My mouth needs to know when to shut up more often. I also found that if I listened to good music it helped me keep my thoughts focused. May God be with you in your walk with Him is my prayer.

Love Ethel Hiday

To My Heavenly Father, "God"

God I was angry with You last week. I have had some important decisions to make and I did not know what to do. There is no one to talk them over with any more. You took my husband home to be with Jesus six years ago. My old friends were three thousand miles away.

I let depression; start to get through the Armor that You dressed me in. My shield of faith was put in the closet, along with the breastplate of righteousness. The shoes of peace got scuffmarks on them when I gossiped and said mean things. I used them to kick a few stones at friends. The helmet of salvation was set aside long enough to let Satan’s lies penetrate my thoughts. Truth was removed from my heart. The Sword of the Spirit was laid out in the rain and got wet. I rescued it and gave it a good polishing at church on Sunday. I was thinking of the poor me's, again. I know better. God please Help me get dressed with Your Full Armor again.

You said You would become my Husband if I would let you. Yes, You said in the Bible you would become the Father to the orphan and Husband to the widow. It is so hard to just sit back, and let You be in control, like a Godly Husband should be. I am too independent, and do not trust You to help. I try to do most things, without talking it over with You first. When I do talk to You, I never stop long enough, to let You get a word in edgewise. How am I going to learn, that You want me to turn all my problems, over to You. You already have the solution to them worked out. Your hands are tied when I do not take the time to shut up, sit down and just meditate on Your goodness and read Your Word the Bible. You created me to communicate with You, not for me to be bossy and try to run this relationship my way. It will be interesting to listen to You, and hear what it is You have been trying to say to me.

I know You love me. You have proved this over and over all my life. You have provided for my family and me. All our needs and even an abundance of wants have been given to us. You have been so good to me. You provided me with more food than my shelves could hold, when I was obedient and gave away what you told me to from my pantry. The more I gave, the more You gave back to me. We had so much food that we could not eat it all.

What is it You want me to do today? I guess, You want me to make some wise choices and go out in faith, listening to wise council from the church men and women. You want me to pray and make decisions trusting You to guide me.

I need to take my mind of self, and place it on You and others first. I have been trying to rush You and bring about changes on my own. I have been running ahead of You. I need to spend more time in prayer and read the Bible, Your Word each morning.

Help me keep Your full Armor on, so that I can stand tall and be ready to go into battle with Your army. Help me have my oil lamp, full of the Holy Spirit and clean with the wick trimmed. Take away all my sins when I repent, so that when You come, I will be able to say I am ready and others will see Your light through the light of Jesus who shines in my heart.

I thank You God, that You have been with me all the days of my life. You picked me up so many times. You never said. “Told you so,” but wiped away my tears and raised me up with grace, forgiveness, and a gentle hug.

Forgive me for all the wrong I have done, to You and others. I surrender my whole life anew to You completely this night. Please help me trust you as a Husband and the Father of my children. Assist me so I can serve You better God. You know my needs, my talents and my desires. I know You will bless me as I give service to others in Your name. Help me become the mother and women You created me to be. Forgive me for trying to live my life without depending on Your help.

Love Your New,

Obedient Daughter.

Ethel

Shoplifting

I must have been out shoplifting again! I keep stealing back from God, what Jesus bought for me with His spilt blood, on the cross. Jesus when He is in our heart, (I mean really in, like with His suitcase and all), has already paid the price for our past sin's. We need to stop going into our memory closets, and trying on our past. Yesterday can never be changed. If we stay or stray into yesterday to relive the hurts of the past, we are steeling, (shoplifting) from God's gift of today. If we have been hurt before we became a Christian by something, or someone we need to forgive them and clean the hurt of the memory out of our closet.

Put all the hurts from the past, into a big bag, and then give them to Jesus. We do this by forgiving the people who have wronged or hurt us. We need to forgive ourselves also. While our memory closet is being emptied, we need to fill it with the clothes God talks about in the Bible.

In Ephesians 6, it talks about getting dressed with The Full Armor of God. God has supplied us with protective clothing to keep us safe from Satan.

Let us look and see what God has for us in our newly filled Spiritual closet.

We need to go into this closet daily and take out Truth to gird up our loins with.

Next, we are to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness.

We need to put on the Shoes of Peace on our feet.

We need take out the Shield of Faith to put out Satan's flaming darts with.

Now we need to wear the Helmet of Salvation. This blocks out, Satan's whispers.

We need to take up the Sword of the Spirit. Read your Bible every day.

The instruction book says we need to Pray in the Spirit and Petition God at all times.

Now we should Be Fully Dressed to go into battle.

Do not forget to check in the mirror to see if The Full Armor of God is in place each morning.

I just noticed that when I take the “S” off “Sword” I have the “Word.”

In Revelations, two and three God says if we repent and overcome, He will give us The Crown of Life and White Garments. Jesus died on the cross to pay for all our sins. We need to stop bringing up all our bad memories and hashing them over. Give them to Jesus once and for all so He can put a sign on them "PAID IN FULL". He has already died for them. They do not belong to us any more. Now that our closet is clean, we need to take up the cross of Jesus and join God's army. Let us follow Jesus into battle. We know the outcome. Satan has already been defeated at the cross. To God be the Glory.

Read Revelation's 1, 2 and 3 and underline Repent and Overcome. Also read Ephesians, 6

Written to Glorify God. By Ethel Hiday

April 16, 1997

Be Brave Get Your Feet Wet

The Israelites were told by Joshua to take a GIANT step of faith and cross over the river Jordan. You might not of read about it, but the river Jordan was at flood stage, when they crossed over it into the Promised Land (Joshua 3:15.) The waters did not part for them until they got their feet wet. The Priest that carried the Ark of the Covenant had been told, the water would divide once their feet got wet. They took a step of faith, got their feet wet then the water parted. The tribes crossed over on dry land.

I used to live by the mighty Columbia River. No way would you catch me trying to cross it even in a boat, during flood stage. "Well maybe I might if God told me to." Are you willing to cross over your river Jordan, by faith today? Try getting your feet wet. God is within us to stop the water and keep us on dry land. He just wants us to show Him we do trust Him. Take that step of faith today. Your life will never be the same again.

I got my feet wet several times in my life. I sold or gave away most of my belongings four times. This was a step of faith.

(Like Paul Harvey says on the radio.

"I Didn't Know the Rest Of The Story" )

I didn't know, how each one of these adventures would turn out. All I can say is that God was with me, and still is. He provided all my financial needs. I grew more spiritually after each step of faith. He brought people into my life that taught truths. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit took up residence in my life. I became a new person in Christ.

I even learned how to read my Bible and understand it. I could find passages of scripture after I had read them. With the help of Bible studies put on by the Church, I grew stronger in my faith and knowledge of God. Try doing what it says in John 14:26. Pray and ask the (Comforter), The Holy Spirit whom the Father has sent in Jesus name, to teach you in all things and bring what you have read back to your memory when you need it. Also ask Him to do what is says in John 16:12-15 Ask the Spirit of Truth, to guide you in all your Bible reading. He will help the Bible come alive and turn your readings from water into the Oil of the Spirit. I know! This is what happened to me when I learned to do this.

This last step of faith to Chatham is really getting exciting. I am being fed God's Hidden Manna at the church each week. After much prayer, I found the right church for my girls and myself. I have been given so much Spiritual food in the last few months that I cannot even write fast enough to record it. I am so full of God's love that my heart is bursting.

God has so much to reveal to us as we read and understand His Word the Holy Bible. I feel I have been called by God to share His written word with my friends through writhing and sharing my testimony. I really felt this calling this past weekend at church.

Virginia, the guest speaker at our monthly women's meeting challenged my heart. Virginia is gong to Peru and then on to Columbia down in South America where the drug lords are. A big group of Christians are going to march around a town in Columbia, in December 1996, just like Joshua had the Israelites do in Jericho. I know they must be fasting and praying to have the courage to do this. We need to support them and others like them in our prayers. Virginia said that once a month, the Churches in a town in Peru, get together and have a citywide Church service. The biggest arena is not big enough to hold all the people. God is doing a marvels work there.

January 29, 1998

Harvest Time

We are in the harvest. When the farmer, goes out to bring in his harvest, he does not have time to paint the barn, or mend the fence. He gets up early in the morning and works hard until dusk. He is covered with, sweat and grime. He does not stop until the fields are empty and works even harder, when there is a threat of rain.

What about us? God says in the Bible, that we are in the harvest. The fields are ripe and we are to reap what has been sown. Let us think about the lost souls out there waiting, to hear about Jesus, and His Victory over the cross.

God has sent His, Holy Spirit ahead of us to prepare the way. Are we willing to take a leap of faith, and tell some one that God loves them? We need to share our excitement with them. Be bold for Jesus. God is interested in the lives of people. Can you say with me, “here am I Lord use me?” Don't keep saying I am not educated in the Scriptures. Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit live within us. They are educated. They speak to us. They will never leave us or forsake us. They will give you the boldness. Just reach out in faith and see what happens. It will get exciting.

October 8, 1996

Cocoon

LORD

These words were on a poster and I cannot get them out of my mind:

YOU CAN FLY

BUT THAT COCOON

HAS GOT TO GO

and I don't think it was talking about butterflies.

But the risk-oh, the risk of leaving the swaddling

warmth of a cocoon. My cocoon.! My status quo.

To leave the known,

No mater how confining it may be for an unknown,

a totally new life-style-oh, the risk!

Lord…

LORD, my cocoon chafes, sometimes. But I know

its restrictions. And it’s scary to consider the

awful implications of flight. I'm leery of heights.

(even your heights)...

Lord…

But, Lord, I could see so much wider, clearer from heights.

And there's an exhilaration about flight that

I have always longed for.

I want to fly...

if I could just have the cocoon to come back to

Butterflies can't.

I can't

Probably butterflies don't even want to,

Once they've tasted flight.

It's the risk that makes me hesitate.

the knowing I can't come back to the warm,

undemanding life style.

Lord…?

about butterflies . . .

the cocoon has only two choices

risk or die.

What about me?

If I refuse to risk,

do I, too, die inside, still wrapped in the

swaddling web?

Lord . . .

I have carried this writing around for over 30 years. I never knew who wrote it but thank you if it was you. I once was the person in the cocoon but with the help of my Lord I have taken the risk and lived.

God bless you as you try to take a risk and fly free as a butterfly. Ask Jesus to set you free.

Ethel Hiday June 29,1997

Friends

It has been twelve months, since

I listened to God

Packed my bags

Gave my THINGS away

and moved.

I go to look for THINGS

sometimes and wonder

where are they? It means a trip to the store,

we can always replace THINGS.

Memories are different.

I open up

my photo album.

What good memories.

I think it is the memories of our

friendships and service to others.

that, will go with us to Heaven.

I have been able to replace

most of the THINGS,

but please don't take the memories

of my friends away.

Just the thought gives me the shivers.

Friends are important.

I didn't feel at home here

until I had NEW FRIENDS.

It was on my Birthday

that I really knew for sure.

The clowns came to sing

Happy Birthday to me.

It felt so good.

It made my day.

They couldn't have given me a better gift

their friendship, a part of them self.

I left some of my treasures back in Brewster.

God you have started to give me new ones

here in Chatham.

"New Friends"

By Ethel Hiday Dec. 29, 1996

I moved from Brewster Wa in May 1996 and it took me awhile to get to know people. I joined a clown troupe and they came and sang happy birthday to me at a restaurant after our practice.

Ethel

The Gift from God, “Jesus”

God has a “Free Gift” for us today. This is not a gift that you will find wrapped in pretty paper under your Christmas tree but the gift of “Eternal Life”. We take this “Free Gift” for granted. It is a gift from our Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ. God created us in His image and intended for us to live, talk and walk with Him. Adam and Eve would wait for God to come and walk with them in the garden each night. Just imagine, walking and talking with God and Jesus every day. God, by giving us a second chance through His Only Begotten Son Jesus has given us this opportunity. The best part is that we do not have to wait to get to heaven to have this happen. We can talk to God today because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

In Hebrews, it tells us the veil in the Holy of Holy's was rent "torn" at the death of Jesus. The veil is what separated the people from personal fellowship with God. Only one High Priest once a year after going through purification could enter the Holy of Holy's thorough the veil, to see God face to face. The Priest would cast lots, to see who would get this honor. The other priest would tie a rope to this priest ankle, in case he had not become worthy enough and was struck dead by God. In this way, they could pull him back out. No one else could enter the Holy of Holy's. Today right now, we can enter the Holy of Holy's and Commune with God, through the gift of His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

In John 14, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit will live inside, us when we believe in Jesus Christ as our personal Savoir. Just think of the power that is within us, when we open the door to Jesus and ask Him to change us, heal us and forgive us. Jesus is alive and wants to work a good work in us. Are we holding Him back and slowing this good work down. Have we decided to walk in the way Jesus intended us to walk?

Jesus opened my eyes in May of 1993. I thought I was a good person. Sure, I sinned. I still do. I tried to read my Bible but the words were like water. They did not stick. I never did well in school so I used that as an excuse for not understanding the Word of God. Then a person came into my life, by the name of Kay Arthur. I sat under her Teaching for two days, read her books and watched her videos. She taught me how to read and understand scriptures. The first thing she did was to teach us to Pray and ask God to give us the understanding and to bring to our remembrance all that we read. Simple but it worked. She took me to John 14: 24-25 where it talks about asking God to help us do this. Also in John 16:13-15 I learned to Pray before reading the Scriptures, and ask God to open my understanding and bring back to my memory what I have read.

Pray before you read these scriptures asking god to help you understand them and you will be blessed.)

I was taught to mark in my Bible with symbols. I put handy notes in the Bible. Once I started to do this, the Bible became alive. It was a miracle to me. I could take my friends to the word of God and find what I was looking for.

So much has happened to me in my life. I have even started to write it all down. I lost a husband to death six years ago. God has used all these experiences to build my faith. I have had to depend on God and He has become my Husband. He is the father of my children. God told us in the Bible that He would become the Husband to the widow and the Father to the orphan and fatherless. What has your father done for you? What does your husband do for you?

When I had a husband, we would talk over our problems. As a father, he would hold the girls, put a bandage on a knee, and kiss away the hurts. Am I to expect any less from my Heavenly Father who promised to be my Husband? It would be a poor lonely marriage if the wife did not include her husband in her daily life. My prayers are that we will all look at God differently. We have free access to Him. We can come unto Him, because His Son Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross and arose from the dead on the third day. Some day according to Revaluation's if we repent and become overcomers, we will sit with Him on His throne. He wants to walk and talk with us. He wants us to listen to His voice. He has given us many gifts but we have to reach out and take them.

A father gave his son a gift of a new car. How would the Father feel if the son parked the car in the garage and never used it? That would be ridiculous! The son would take the keys to the car, start the engine and go for a drive. He would show his new gift off to all his friends. He would use the car to drive to school or work. It would be used all the time and when it got a speck of dirt on it the son would wash it.

We have been given the free gift, of Eternal life. It will not be forced upon us. Reach out and accept it.

After we have asked Jesus into our hearts, it is up to us what we do with this gift. We can shut it away, or go out and share the excitement with your friends. We have to, not only accept this gift from God but we need to open it up and use it. The more we use it the more we receive. It is a never-ending gift. Why delay until we are dead to receive this gift. It is ours for the asking.

God said “believe in his Son Jesus Christ and we will be saved.” He also called us “to do good works.”

Ethel

Dec. 1996

Food for Thought

I found this in my collector’s book. I do not know where I got it but found it interesting.

In 1927, an important meeting was held in Chicago at which nine of the worlds greatest financiers were present:

1. The President of the largest Steel Company.

2. The President of the largest utility Company.

3. The greatest wheat speculator.

4. A member of the Cabinet.

6. The greatest "Bear" in Wall Street.

7. The world's greatest monopoly head.

8. President of the bank of International Settlement.

9. President of the largest Gas Company.

These were certainly among the world's most successful men financially. Let us see what happened to these me 25 years later in the order given above: (That would be in the year 1952.)

1. CHAS. SCHWAB--Died a bankrupt.

2. SAMUEL INSULL-- Died penniless and a fugitive from justice.

3. ARTHUR CUTTEN -- died abroad -- insolvent.

4. RICHARD WHITNEY -- recently released from Sing, Sing Prison.

5. ALBERT FALL -- pardoned from prison to die at home.

6. JESSIE LIVERMORE -- a suicide.

7. IVAR KRUEGER -- a suicide.

8. LEON FRASER -- a suicide.

9. HOWARD HOPSON -- insane.

All of these men learned well the art of making money, but not one of them learned how to LIVE. I looked some of these names up in my encyclopedia and only found Albert Fall. He was in the US. Government and took big bribes to steal from the Government and the people of the USA. He only served one year in prison and had a fine to pay back for his crimes. We know God will be his Judge.

I pray this will be a help to you as you look at your values. May God be with you is my continued prayer.

30/06/97

A Father's Love

Their once was a man who ran the drawbridge to let boats go up the river. Whenever he saw the blinking light and heard the buzzer, he would have to lower the drawbridge to let the train go by. This man took real pride in his work. He would check often to see if the big gears were well greased so that they would work every time. After the drawbridge was lowered, he would step out on to his platform and wave with a big smile at all the people on the train as it went whistling past. He did this over and over and never got tired of smiling and waving.

This man had a four-year-old son. He would rush home after work ever so anxious to give his wife a big hug, and see his son. His little boy would jump into his arms and say daddy, daddy lets play. The father’s heart would thump with joy. He would take off his work boots and put his lunch box on the counter. He would get down on the floor and play with his son by the hour. The boy’s favorite game was drawbridge. His father would play on the floor with his legs up in the air. The boy would pretend he was a train. He would say choo! choo! and his father would lower his legs so the train could cross over him. Choo! choo! the boy would say as he crossed over his father the bridge.

One day the father took his little boy to work with him. He was ever so proud as he showed him the well-greased gears. The father told the young boy to stay in the booth and not go out side. He would let him help him pull the big switch that let the drawbridge go up and down. He would put him on his shoulder and have him smile and wave as the train would go whistling by. Oh the joy to see the excitement in his young son's face as the conductor would wave and blow the whistle. Choo! Choo! the train would say as it crossed the bridge.

Later in the afternoon, the father got busy with paper work and the little boy decided to go exploring. The light came on and the buzzer sounded. The man looked out on the drawbridge. His son was playing on one of the gears and had got his hand caught. Daddy, daddy, help! Daddy, daddy help!

He had a choice to make leave the drawbridge up and let the train with hundreds of people crash into the river or sacrifice his only son and pull the switch. The train was just down the track. The train was full of people. He had do move fast. In a split second, the father hit the switch and turned his back on his only son. The train whistled by as the man stepped out on the platform and waved at the people, with a smile and tears of pain and sadness in his eyes. He had just sacrificed his only son so that the hundreds on the train might live.

God did this when His Son hung on the cross for all of us. Are we going to turn our back on God and let this sacrifice go to waste?

I heard this story twice this month. I know it touched my inner most heart more than any other story ever has. It is so hard for us as Christians to feel worthy enough to have God sacrifice His Son so that we might live. I pray that this story will let you feel the love that God has for us.

Author Unknown.

Heard on radio and at Christian Workers conference.

Rewritten by Ethel Hiday May 11,1998

Jesus our King

Can we feel the presence of Jesus

as we take time to study His truth?

Jesus whispers in our ear

as we read about Him in the Bible.

Is the voice of Jesus burning within your heart

as you feel His pain?

He was sent to take upon Himself

our sins.

A Man who with flesh and blood

Perfect in every way said

“I am here take Me.”

They bound Jesus

took Him to be judged.

King of the Jews

our King!

They took Jesus,

shed His blood

in such a cruel way.

Each drop for you and me

so that we might one day

join Him with His father.

in a Heaven that we cannot even imagine.

Earth is just a shadow

not even a reflection

of our new promised home.

We without this heavenly grace

Are not even worthy to place a foot therein.

How much we must be loved.

for God to give us so much.

Jesus wants to come into our hearts.

we have the choice

open or shut the door.

Will you give him permission?

to be your King.

Ask Him today

to take up residence

in your heart.

He will set you free.

he did with me.

Ethel

God Family Then Church

What should it profit a woman if she is doing Gods work, helping many to know her Lord and her own children, are not physically, emotionally and spiritually fed? It says in the Bible that it would be better if we had a millstone put around our neck and tossed into the sea than lead a child astray. Our children need us to look after them before the church. We need to put, God, family, and then church work. It is our Godly duty as mothers, to spend time nurturing our children. Read the Bible especially proverbs on how to raise Godly children.

I am not saying that we are not to spend time doing church work. Look for a balance.

Are there dirty dishes in your sink? Is your house a mess? Do your children sit in front of the TV more than is good for them? It is good to spend time in prayer with others, but it is more important to do spiritual and physical house cleaning in your own home first. We need to pray with our sisters in the church to help us do this. We can help each other overcome our faults, and walk in God's will.

As we do the wash, pray over the clean clothes. As you wash dishes, pray as the clean dishes are put away. Pray that your family would have a desire for spiritual food. As you vacuum, pray over the floors and carpets. Pray that the feet that walk on the floor of your dwelling will be shod with the shoes of peace. Pray that when your children get dressed in the morning that they along with you, will have God's clothing on.

The full armor of God is the only way we as Christians can go out in this world and face the every day happenings. Are you as mothers dressing your children with God's protective clothing? I know it will take discipline to check to see if your family is protected. Along with getting dressed, we need good food. It tells us we need to be immersed in Gods word the Bible. The Sword of the Spirit is the only way we can keep the Helmet of Salvation from slipping to one side. When we read the Word our hearts as well as our inner sole is fed.

We need to start to pray with the help of Gods Spirit. Our children need to learn of our faith and of the many answered prayers that have come about in our lives. Prayer, with faith can and will move mountains. I do not mean a mountain like the Rocky Mountains! I mean the mountains like Depression, Fear, Laziness, Lack of Hope, Selfishness, Loss, Grief, Drugs, Alcohol and Food Addiction etc... These mountains are steep, and hard to climb. Putting our hand in the Hand of God with faith, will enable us to climb and overcome all the mountains in our life.

God created us to communicate with Him. I have a big responsibility being a widow. I am to let God be the Father of my children and My Husband. He is to be the head of my home. It is hard for me to surrender my will in faith to Him. In looking back over my life, I can see that when I did this I was at peace with my situation. I just pray that I will listen to the Still Small Voice that speaks to me when I am quiet and really listen to what God is saying to me. How silly is it to think that God does not speak to us today in 1997. Why would He say, He would be my Husband and not want to speak to me? I just pray that I will be worthy

I need to slow down and let God direct me in my service to Him. It should never be a burden but a Joy when we are in the service of God. Please God send your Holy Spirit to guide and direct me in what ever it is, You want me to do. Make me feel so uncomfortable when I let sin into my life.

I need help to eat the right food so I can start to look and feel better I need help in getting myself organized and to be disciplined in my walk with You. Help me think before I speak so that the words that come out of my mouth will not hurt anyone, especially You. Help my love for You grow. Encourage me to spend more time in reading your word and meditating on Your word. Allow me to feel the presence of Your Son Jesus who lives in my heart. Allow me to put you first in my life, to pray and meditate on Your Word. Help me become a better mother and look after all my daughter’s needs, both physical and spiritual. I pray that You will change me God, so that I will have a burning desire to be in Your will at all times. Help me to pray before I start my day. I pray that You will bring people into my life that You want to help through me. I pray that You will bring people into my life that will encourage me to stay in Your Word, the Bible and not give up hope. Thank you God for listening to me

Your Humble Servant Ethel.

May 11 1997 Rewritten Dec. 10, 1997

PS I need to put this one on my wall. Lots of room for improvement! I am trying God.

I have been praying all year that God would help me become the Woman He created me to be. When I was talking to my good friend Karen from Brewster on the phone God told me to look in the mirror and look at my reflection.

He created me to be me.

Thank you God

Child of God

Why do you remain so sad?

if you asked My Son

into your heart

you should be glad.

Have you been filled

with My Holly Spirit?

or were they just words

that you said?

Jesus is alive

Is He in your heart?

Open your door

and let him inside?

Use that special key

Say yes God

I do believe

bend your knee.

Please don't wait.

Today is a new day

give it a try

It is not to late.

April 14, 1997

Time

Read Ephesians 5:16

What would you do, if your bank credited your account every morning with eighty-four thousand six hundred dollars, but every night canceled whatever you failed to use during the day?

You would draw out every cent, wouldn’t you?

You have such a bank. Every morning God credits your account with eighty-four thousand six hundred seconds. Every night He cancels whatever you failed to use.

You cannot buy time and you cannot save it. You only spend it. If you do not spend it well, you waste it.

Yesterday is a canceled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is all the cash you have. Spend it wisely.

Prayer

Keep us, Father, from wasting our time, talents, and treasures. Inspire us to live in love to Thee and all who are Thine. Constrain us to do only those things that honor Thee. Through Christ. Amen.

By Michael and Audrey Guido

FROM THE BOOK SEEDS FROM THE SOWER.

Used with permission from page 212

Good Morning Holy Spirit

Good morning Holy Spirit.

Come into my life this day, to stay.

Help me be kind, and loving in what ever I do and say.

Show me what it is You want me to do?

Teach me how to pray, God's will.

Help me to read and understand the Bible

Help me to be good.

I am sorry for the things I did wrong to grieve You.

Help me put on the full armor of God and keep it clean.

Teach me about God Jesus and You.

Speak to me as a friend and help me to get to know You better.

I love you God and Jesus.

Allow Your Spirit to shine through me.

Help me to love the way You, love me.

Help me be Your friend.

Love Your Servant

1994

(The girls and I would pray this together when they were younger.)

Fight the Right Foe

In our Clown worship, my friend Deb read this article. I thought it would be of help to you and others. It opened my eyes to new truths.

Do you know why so many believers are losing the battles in their lives?

They are fighting the wrong enemy! They have been deceived into believing that just because a person said or did something to hurt them that, that person is the one they need to fight, but they are wrong.

You see, the Bible says we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, and since people are definitely flesh and blood, they are never the source of our problem.

"But, you say you don't know what so- and -so did to me!"

It does not matter. If you waste your time fighting so-and –so, your real enemy will get away scot-free.

Who is that real enemy? Look at Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

Satan and his demons. They are your lifelong enemies! They are behind every personal affront you encounter. The people who hurt you and persecute you are only Satan's tools. When he wants to strike out at you, he uses them to get the job done.

Remember this; Persecution is not the manifestation of another person's hate for you. It is a manifestation of Satan's fear of you. When you get into the Word and start swinging it around--using it like the Sword of The Spirit it is,--Satan gets scared. Therefore, he looks for some person he can send in there to stop you.

Next time someone hurts, you do not let yourself get sidetracked, into fighting them. Bind the spirit behind them. Put flesh and blood battles behind and war with the weapons of the Spirit. Zero in on Satan with authority and the Word of God and bring your real enemy down!

Scripture reading: Eph. 6:10-18

God Bless you as you meditate on the Word of God.

Urgent, Dark Brown Wool Needed

I had a real problem. I had been asked by Hazel to make a family of four Hispanic puppets for her to take with her to Honduras. I had them started but discovered I needed Extra Fine Dark Brown Wool for the hair. This would help them look more human. I found the regular brown wool did not hang right. I do not work so I had to keep the cost down.

I had been looking for Fine Dark Brown Wool every time I went out shopping. All I could find was baby wool in every colour but brown. People just do not knit socks any more and I was looking for the kind of fine wool used in hand made socks.

I woke up on Wednesday morning in November and decided to just go out and buy some brown wool. I prayed to God to help me find what I needed. At this point anything would do.

I went with Sadie a friend to crafts some Wednesday afternoons at the Senior Center. I did not want to go that day but did anyway. They were cleaning out cupboards and bagging old craft supplies for a bazaar they were having the following Saturday. The first thing they did was dump out bags and bags of wool onto the table and gave us small grocery bags to fill. Did my eyes ever pop out when I saw all that yarn. There must have been over five hundred balls, yes even bright yellow and orange, the two colors I had been looking for without success for two months. I filled a garbage bag with 55 balls of yarn. It cost me one LOONY. For you Americans a LOONY is a Canadian dollar coin.

I looked down the table and saw some one bagging Brown Wool. I could not believe my eyes. One lady said that they wouldn't be able to sell the Brown Wool because it was too fine and was no good for mitts or sweaters. I said I would buy it and got ten balls of EXTRA FINE BROWN WOOL for, twenty-five cent's. Just think God answered my prayer in a most unusual way. The puppets are made and will be taken to Honduras to be used as missionary puppets.

I looked at the label on the Brown Wool. It was actually 52% Real Wool. God gave me Real Sheep's Wool to use to make hair for the puppets. He say's Jesus is our Shepherd and we are to be the sheep and follow Him. God must love the people in Honduras to give me REAL EXTRA FINE BROWN WOOL on the day I needed it to finish the puppets.

Written to help God's sheep

By Ethel Hiday 11/12/97

Jump For Joy Puppet Babies

My Story A Walk with God

And Sometimes a Stumble Or Two In The Fog

I was lucky to be raised in a loving family. It started with a mother a father, an older brother Edgar and my big sister Barbara. After I was born mother had four more children. We did not have much money but my mother was frugal and made all our clothes. She did not work out of the home when I was young and did all the baking and cooking.

We were taken to Church every Sunday. Some times dad would go in the morning with the older children and mom would go at night with the older children. We did not have a car when I was young, so with young children it was easier this way. Mom said last week she appreciated that they served communion on Sunday night, in a small room for the people who could not make it in the morning. I can remember as a small child walking to the streetcar stop ever so far away, so that we could go to church. There was a green gum ball machine on the corner and some times mother would put a penny in and Barb and I would have to split a piece of gum. Some times mother would split a Chicklet in two or if there was not enough in four so we could all have some. We could not wait until the box was empty so we could blow in it and make a noise. I got in trouble if I did it in church. Who could resist an empty box of Chicklets. I know I could not.

We had good dedicated Sunday school teachers. My dad was one of them. I do not remember many Sunday school lessons but I remember the love of the people.

We all looked forward to our eighth birthday. We were old enough to be baptized. When we were baptized, we could have the bread and wine. It was a long wait. We had junior church and when we were old enough, we went to big peoples church on communion Sunday and had bread and grape juice. I remember the big people’s hymns. “The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning.” “The Old, Old Path.” I am still touched today when I hear some of the old hymns.

I remember dad taking us to prayer meetings on Wednesday night. It was always the same people with the same prayer and testimony. They were dedicated. Some times my dad would give the talk. He always had a story to tell. I have his yellow book of life stories. Some of them are marked by dad. He was good to us. I cannot remember being spanked. I asked mom about it last week and she said she spanked us. It had to have been done with the love of God, because there are no scars. I do remember being yelled at. No name calling but we never came when we were called. I was likely the worst of the lot.

Barb and I would get on a bus, then streetcar, then subway, then a streetcar, to go to girls group on Saturday mornings. Mabel Scot and Betty Smith were our teachers. Mabel married Bettie’s brother and moved away. That ended Skylarks. I don't remember the scriptures but I do remember Mabel saying to us, that there was no such word as can't. In crafts, I made a horseshoe broach. We got to put real what we call diamonds in it. Then there was the metal tray. It had a skylark scratched with a nail. The edges had to be curled. We also made a copper wall plaque. I think it was a horse. It was fun. I can remember having to thread a needle and make a tomato pin cushion. We also learned to make candy. We sold it at the bazaar. . I remember the fish pond at the bazaar. We should have never been taught to make candy. I used to make some when mom and dad would go out on Friday night. It was ever so good.

I don't know how I stayed out of jail. If my children did some of the things I did when I was a child, they would have been arrested. Some of the things I did were really dangerous. I was on the subway last week. I had Jane and Sandra stay right back from the edge. I even had them stand by the middle Post. We used to stand on the yellow line and look down. Not now, it is dangerous. I had a 100% more freedom. I saw little children riding the subway alone like my sister Barb. and I used to do. Jane asked me about it. I told her that those children were raised in the city. They knew how to get around. The girls do walk to school and I would let them go swimming and to the big M by themselves. It is a different world now.

As I was saying, I did do many gutsy things. I was good at steeling Chocolate bars from the venders. I would pick the right moment grab a chocolate bar and be on a subway train in seconds. I never was caught. It is to bad that I was never caught. I noticed the TV cameras looking down on the candy venders now. I would not have gotten away with what I did back then, today. I would have been caught very fast and with proof. I am not bragging about the bad things I did as a child. I did even worse things, but found that God through His son Jesus is BIGGER than all my sin's. He has taken them to the cross and washed them in the blood and my record book in Heaven has no record of them. Those pages of my life are white as snow. There is nothing I can do, (even if I live to be a hundred,) that will correct the sins of my childhood. Like most children, I even had bad sinful things done to me. In turn, I was taught to do things that were bad. God took all my past and forgave me. God’s forgiveness comes with a bonus.

He forgets and it is Eternal

At the time we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, He will come into our hearts and begin to change us. He wants all of us to repent of our past sins. Stop taking them back, and feeling guilty for them. That means that no mater how bad your life was before today, God can and will forgive you. The Holy Spirit inside you will teach you how to be an Overcomer. You become a new person in Christ. You sinful past, is remembered no more by God. Your Past is done away with.

Picture God with a big fire burning with a sign on it saying past, present, future sins. We can take all our sins to God and ask him to forgive us. We need to do this every day. Do it before you get out of bed in the morning. He will forgive us and make us whiter than snow. If we will turn out past over to Him, all the hurts of the past will stop tormenting us. I know because I asked Jesus to come into my heart and God forgive me of all my sins.

Now Jesus with along with the help of the Holly Spirit is helping me, overcome. I try to walk closer to God, each day. Try it and you will be set free, to walk and talk with God. When you let Jesus and the Comforter (Holy Spirit) guide and direct your life, you will start to see with new eyes.

I feel wrong when I do certain things and have to remove them from my life. I am not saying I am perfect. God is still using The Holy Spirit My "Comforter" to convict me of all the sins in my life. A lot of them are just small things. I find when I read my Bible after prayer, that I am convicted of the things I do wrong and try to stop them. I also find that if I cannot stop on my own I can ask God to help me. I love the way the Holy Spirit is describe in the Bible. He is our "Comforter". Just think of being sick or hurt, and how it feels when you wrap yourself in a warm blanket. The Holy Spirit has been given to us. He will wrap His arms around us and protect us. I pray that as you read this you will sense the freedom that God wants for you. Go get your Bible and if you have a Comforter or blanket. Wrap your self in it and pray for God to send you the Holy Spirit to teach you what He wants you to do. Start with reading all of John 14. God Jesus and the Holy Spirit want to live within us. Please open your door, and ask Them to come in.

With Christian Love Ethel

DECEMBER 21, 1996 Revised Jan.1998

PRAYER

Dear friends

I do love you. Thank you for loving and praying for me. You are a real special. I do pray for you.

It has been a long hard drive in the past few years for all of us. We ask sometimes why sad and sometimes bad things happen to us. God does listen to our cries and some times, He gives us the answer but most of the time He asks us to have faith and hold out our hand to Him. This reminds me about a letter I wrote to Trudy a real prayer warrior friend. She was hurt very bad in a car wreck and ended up in a coma for a few months. After that, she had to learn how to do everything over again. God got her attention when she was made weak. She is a real special person. I know if I need prayer she will be there for me. She sits up on a hill near Brewster WA., and prays for the whole world. She does not feel she does much.

I told her she was doing God's will reaching her hands up to Him in prayer, all day as she does. Because of her time spent in prayer, God is able to reach his fingers down and touch her fingertips. If I could draw I would like to draw a picture of all the Christians in the world, reaching there hands up to God and having a big finger coming down and touching their fingertips.

Thinking about it thought, we have one better because when we love Jesus and have given our life to Him, (repented, overcome and accepted Jesus as our personal Savior) we become filled with the Holy Spirit, which is God and Jesus living within us. We can feel God's closeness through His Spirit that lives in the Hearts of all believers. We just need to do more looking inward and then up and let God's Spirit of love flow and fill us. God is a Gentleman and won't force us to do this but He created us to be in fellowship with Him.

This brings to my memory the vision I had last year. I don't know if I shared it with you. I had been reading in Revelations about the twenty-four Elders, sitting around the throne of God, sending our prayers up to Him. They were sent as a sweet aroma. I saw in the vision, God sitting on the throne ever so sad, with thousands and thousands of angels waiting patiently for some one to pray, God wanted to send the angels down to earth to help us. Their wings were heavy with dust. There were so many angels waiting in line to be used. By the time, they were used again, the dust of Heaven had settled heavily on their wings. My prayer is that we as Christians will send up so many heartfelt prayers to Heaven, that God will have to hire someone to filter the dust from the air because of all the activity. Just a thought.

Love Ethel

PRAYER + GOD'S WORD = INNER HEALING

December 15, 1996

Think Of the Lord Speaking To You and Saying

You do not have to be clever to please Me, all you have to do is want to love Me. Just speak to Me as you would to anyone of whom you are very fond.

Are there any people you want to pray for? Say their names to Me and ask of Me as much as you like. I am generous and know all their needs, but I want you to show your love for them and Me by trusting Me to do what I know is best.

Tell me about the poor, the sick, and the sinners, and if you have lost the friendship or affection of anyone, tell Me about that too.

Is there anything you want for your soul? If you like, you can write out a long list of all your needs, and come and read it to Me.

Just tell Me about your pride, your touchiness, self-centeredness, meanness and laziness. do not be ashamed; there are many Saints in heaven who had the same faults as you; they prayed to Me and, little by little, their faults were corrected.

Do not hesitate to ask Me for blessings for the body and mind; for health, memory, success. I can give everything, and I always do give everything needed to make souls holier.

What is it that you want today? Tell Me, for I long to do you good. What are your plans? Tell Me about them. Is there anyone you want to please? What do you want to do for them?

And don't you want to do anything for Me? Don't you want to do a little good to the souls of your friends who perhaps have forgotten Me? Tell Me about your failures, and I will show you the cause of them. What are your worries? Who has caused you pain? Tell Me about it, and add that you will forgive, and forget, and I will bless you.

Are you afraid of anything? Have you any tormenting, unreasonable fears? Trust yourself to Me. I am here. I see everything. I will not leave you.

Have you no joys to tell Me about? Why do you not share your happiness with Me? Tell Me what has happened since yesterday to cheer and comfort you. Whatever it was, however, big, however small, I prepared it. Show Me your gratitude and thank Me.

Are you determined to run into no temptations? Have you made up your mind about bad books , bad movies, bad TV, bad friendships? They disturb the peace of your soul. Are you going to be kind to that one who has hurt you?

Well, go along now. Get on with your work. Try to be quieter, humbler, more submissive, and kinder. Come back soon and bring Me a more devoted heart.

Tomorrow, I shall have more blessings for you.

Love Your Heavenly Father

Feb. 17, 1997

I have had this writing since 1972. It has helped me many times over the years when I felt down and out. I pray every time I read it that God will bless the person who wrote it. If you are that person, let me know so I can thank you in person. If not here, we might meet in heaven some day.

Your Sister in Christ Ethel

For My Daughters

Jesus and the Holy Spirit Intercedes for us with our Heavenly Father "GOD" up in heaven.

Intercede and intercessor means to mediate between... a prayer on our behalf... the act of pleading for someone else.

Am I ever glad that God has JESUS up there praying for us. With the way the world is now we need all the prayers we can get.

Matthew 8:39 states, “Nothing can separate us from God.”

Matthew 6:8 tells us, “Our Father knows what we need before we ask Him.”

Matthew 6:9 teaches us. The way Jesus wants us to pray to His Father.”

This is the best instruction of prayer, there is in the Bible. We need to use it as a pattern when we pray. The words are right from Jesus. In teaching, my daughters what the Lords prayer means and how it should be said, I came up with this simple prayer for us to say together each day.

We always said the Lords prayer every morning in school.

Most of our children do not even know it now.

A Love Letter

"I love you! I shed My own blood for you to make you clean. You are new, so believe it is true! You are lovely in My eyes and I created you to be just as you are. Do not criticize yourself or get down for not being perfect in your own eyes. This leads only to frustration. I want you to trust Me, one step, one day at a time. Dwell in My power and love, and be free---- be yourself. Don't allow other people to run you. I will guide you if you let Me. Be aware of My presence in everything. I give you love, peace and joy. Look to Me for answers. I am your Shepherd and will lead you. Follow Me only! Do not ever forget this. Listen and I will tell you My will.

I love you! I love you! I love you! Let it flow from you---- Spill over to all you touch. Be not concerned with yourself ---- you are My responsibility. I will change you without you hardly knowing it. You are to love yourself and love others simply because I love you. Take your eyes off yourself! Look only at Me! I lead! I change! I make, but not when you are trying. I won't fight your efforts.

You are Mine. Let Me have the joy of making you like Christ. Let Me love you! Let Me give you joy peace and kindness. No one else can! Do you see? You are not your own. You have been bought with blood of Christ and now you belong to Me. It is really none of your business how I deal with you. Your only command is to look to Me and Me only, never to yourself and never to others. I love you. Do not struggle, but relax in My love. I know what is best and will do it in you. How I want freedom to love you freely! Stop trying to be and let Me make you what I want. My will is perfect! My love is sufficient. I will supply all your needs. Look to Me.

I Love you

Your Heavenly Father, God

I have had this writing for many years. I don't know who wrote it but I know they had to be a prayerful person to feel God's love this way. Thank you. I just hope it will help you like it has helped me in these past years.

God bless you, is my prayer for you.

God Called My Name

This sweet, sweet voice

keeps calling my name.

It says stop and listen to Me

I can remove your pain.

Take time to pray.

Spend time with Me.

I am here to set you free.

I am to busy, I say.

My day is so full.

The house is a mess.

My children are fighting.

The TV is blaring.

My problems are mounting

My muscles are tightening.

I am so close this little voice says.

Open your Bible.

Phone a dear friend.

Put on a tape.

Close those tired eyes.

Bow down your head.

Hear My sweet, sweet voice,

as I call your name.

Come to Me any one

who is heavily burdened

and I will give you rest

I hear your voice God

My burden is so heavy.

Do You really mean it

Can I give it all to you?

God!

Holy Spirit

Life really gets exciting when we are in tune with God's will. There never seems to be a dull moment. I am in my last week of a Sunday school class on Spiritual gifts. It has been taught by my friend Sandy B. We have spent the last six months praying for each other. We would get together once a week when possible and pray fore each other's needs. I would pray for Sandy most days. God has really come through. Sandy has been teaching a group of women about Spiritual Truths. It is like a veil has been lifted off our eyes, ears and understanding. It has been a real blessing to the women of our church. Sandy has really been encouraging us to find out what our Spiritual gifts are. Each Sunday morning when we come into start, the classes we break up into groups of two and pray then share a spiritual experience. We take time to write down for our partner the spiritual gifts described in the Bible that were used in that experience. I shared the time I prayed over my grandmother. (that is another story.) I found I used the Gifts of Faith, Mercy, Healing and many others that day.

By doing this exercise the women in our group have been able too see God's hand in their life. Sandy said it is not boasting to talk about our gifts because they are not of us but of God. We need to admit this in our sharing. For too many years, people have not recognized the gifts they have from God. We know our natural gifts etc. Talents = Singing, Cooking, sewing, and are not ashamed to talk about them. It is different when it comes to the gift of healing, prophesy, miracles, wisdom etc. We clam up and people look at us kind of funny if and when we do try to share them. This is not good. For these gifts to be used to the fullest, the people need to know about them. That way when the pastor sees a need he will know who to send to meet that need.

Sandy talked about our gifts floating in a ocean of Love. With out Love, supporting our gifts they are of no worth and will sink into the pit of darkens every time. We can't force our gifts they must be used with love or they are of no Godly good. Our assignment this week is to write out a Spiritual gift list for each person in the group. I will need to spend a lot of time in prayer to do this. I have always found things like this hard. I don't want to say anything wrong. It has to come through the Holy Spirit, from God. What a challenge.

My good friend Dea died Last month. I really do miss her. She has been my spiritual mentor since Dean died. I could drop in any time and we would pray and read from the Scriptures. I never heard her talk bad of anyone. She taught in the literacy program. People from all over the world came to her for help. I will always miss her phone calls and visits. We all need a Dea in our life. Dea was always there to help build us up when we were down. I have my good sister Barbara also as a special phone friend. It is hard being 3000 miles apart. I have always found that when Barb was down and not feeling God's closeness that I would be up and able to help her. When I was down, she was there for me. God is good. He knew my needs and provided me all these special friends to help me in my walk with Him. God used us to help each other.

My prayer for all my friends is that you are able to hold the hand of God, and that you will be open to all the truths He has for you. I pray that you will allow the Holy Spirit to walk you through the Bible. I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you, all that God has for you, and that you will ask God to fill you with all that He wants to give you. Don't resist the Holy Spirit and what He is telling you to do. Some of it might be strange. It was for me at first. Search the scriptures to find all truth. Read John and the Acts to see who the Holy Spirit is and how Jesus communed with the Holy Spirit before he did anything. Read John 14, 15, and 16 and see how the Holy Spirit will lead you into a new understanding and bring back to your remembrance what ever you have read from the Bible. Read the last chapter of Acts and see how the people's understanding, sight and hearing have been clouded. Pray that this cloud will be removed from your Church, your friends, family and also yourself. The Holy Spirit is a gentle man. He does not enter unless invited. Pray for hearts to be sanctified. I pray that these thoughts will help you in your walk with God.

Ethel

The Veil

I did some research for you. I hope this will be of help to you in your walk with God

After I started to read, the Bible God took me to the book of John. After I read it with open eyes, He had me write out a complete description of who Jesus is. It was as clear as a bell. An inner voice told me to do this after I got into bed.

When I read John for the first time, I put a red cross through all the words meaning Jesus. All the He’s and I's etc. It gives new meaning to the book. When you read John 14, put it into the first person by adding your name. Etc.

John 14:1 Let not Your heart be troubled Ethel; believe in God Ethel believe also in Jesus Ethel. Try writing it out adding your name. It will have more meaning. Read all of John after praying to God to send the Holy Spirit to help you

First pray John 14: 26 and ask God to teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that

(I= Jesus) said to you. Then pray John 16:7 13 and ask the Holly Spirit of Truth to come and guide you into all the truth.

I found my understanding of who I am in Christ became stronger after I did this.

The Veil

Ex 36:7 For the Material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work to perform it.

8 And all the skillful men among those who were performing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains; of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material, with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman, Bezalel made them.

9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits; all the curtains had the same measurements

10 And he joined five curtains to one another and the other five curtains he joined to one another.

Ex 40:3And you shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, set up a veil for the screen, and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Matthew 27: 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His Spirit.

51 And behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split

READ: Mark 15:37-39 Luke 23:44-472

Corinthians 3:7-18

14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read, It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.

15 Even to this day when Moses is red, a veil covers their hearts.

16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Read all of 2 Corinthians 4

Read all of Hebrews. Most of Hebrews talks about the New Covenant given to us at the death of Christ

Mark every time you see the word Old Covenant and New Covenant compare the two.

Underline veil and Put a red cross through Jesus and all the pronouns referring to him

May God bless you as you do this is my prayer.

The Veil

God gives me word pictures all the time. When I did a study of the veil God gave me this word picture.

I had a picture of people getting out their sewing kits and sewing up the veil that was torn at the death of Christ. When we open our hearts to Christ we can enter through the veil that was torn at Christ death, Because of the shed blood of Christ. We can go through the torn veil into the Holy of Holies and commune with God like Adam and Eve did in the garden. Read how they would walk with Him in the garden in the cool of the evening. Some of us Christians (me included ) have spent two much time with big darning needles separating ourselves from the pleasure of communing with God. The new word picture I had in December 1997 was of Jesus standing in front of the sewn veil with a pair of scissors in one hand and the Holy Bible in the other hand reaching out to us. We had to make the choice to reach out and get the scissors and cut the stitches by reading His word the Bible. The words in the Bible are sharp enough to undo all the sewing we have ever done to separate us from God. Are you ready to get out your scissors and cut the veil and enter into the Holy of Holies with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

Cut The Stitches That Separate You From Entering The Holy Of Holy's With Prayer And Let The Holy Spirit Help You Walk With God And Jesus In The Cool Of The Evening.

Sweet Fruits

How I spend the first few minutes each day will affect the sugar content of the fruit that I produce in my life. I need to come into the presence of God and let the love of His Son Jesus shine on me through Bible reading, praise and devotions each morning. I need to let the Holly Spirit flow up from the root of God into my limbs to feed the fruit growing on my branches nourishing food. If I don't do this the people and pressure around me will turn my fruit bitter and sour. It won't be any good to feed the people that I come in contact with. I will remain in the shadow instead of the Son. After a while if I continue to produce fruit that the farmer (God) can't use he will come along with the pruning sheers and prune off my branch and throw it into the fire. He will then replace me with another branch from a tree that has a record of producing sweet fruit. God wants his people to be fed the sweet fruit from the words of Jesus.

I want to bear sweet fruit, God.

I hear you God.

Please God, Forgive me!

I'm sorry for not spending time with You.

I give my branch to You. Let your Son shine on me and let me be filled with the living water of life so that my branch will produce sweet fruit.

May God bless you as you let Jesus shine on you each morning so that the fruit you produce will be as sweet as honey.

The Reflection from The Lighthouse

I was watching a program on TV this month about a lighthouse. The most awesome Idea came in to my mind last night. Jesus is our Light and we as Christians are to reflect His light out into this dark world. The lighthouse used to use a oil lantern. The light keeper would trim the wick and fill it with fresh oil every day. He would shine the mirrors and windows so that at night the light would shine for miles. The light was reflected on bright mirrors that reflect the light out through the fog as a warning into the dark so that boats wouldn’t hit the rocks off shore.

God has given each Christian the responsibility to let Jesus light shine forth from our homes and hearts so that the people all around us who might run ashore or wreck on the rocks of life might be given the warning of danger before it is too late.

If the light on a lighthouse goes out the light keeper has to be there to fill the lamp with oil and trim the wick and light it again or all the boats in the area are in danger.

We have been told to let our Light shine and not hide it under a bushel or let Satan blow it out. It is our responsibility to keep the oil in our lamps and the wick trimmed so that our Light will reflect brightly out into this dark fogy world.

Is your wick trimmed of sin and your lamp filled with the Spirit of God so that the reflection of Jesus shines from you out into the world each day?

Love Ethel

The Helper

"God Doesn’t Call the Qualified

He Qualifies the Called"

John 14;26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send, in My (Jesus) name,

He, the (Holy Spirit) will teach you, all things, and bring to your remembrance, all that (I "Jesus") said to you.

PRAYER OF AFFIRMATION

EPHESIANS; 1:3

"God has blessed me, with every Spiritual Blessing, in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus."

Father I thank you, that because I am Your child, that You have already blessed me, with all the Spiritual Blessings, I will ever need.

Some of the blessing are, (Jesus and his shed blood,

The Holy Spirit, Holy Bible, Eternal life, Love, Family, Friends,

Faith, Joy, Peace, _______,_______,_______,_______,)

I accept these blessings right now, and acknowledge, Your presence, with in me.

I am your Temple. Help me become, a Temple, more worthy, of Your presence.

Oh! Father, don't let me forget this.

Please bring it to my remembrance.'

Make Me,

Your Servant

____________.__________.

Encourage One Another

Encourage in the Lord intercession by prayer

I Thessalonians 5:

Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

Paul was a encourager

Are we going to be whiners or winners? It is up to you. If you want to change something in my life pray for me.

Encouragement is found in every other page of scripture

Be strong

Be of good cheer

Be patient with all men.

Our God given love is to be an encourager

Romans 12 is all about being encouraged

Give a compliment be specific

Wait until later to tell them

Give them a hug

When you encourage other people, you become stronger.

You might say what difference can I make? Let me tell you the story of the sand dollar

This boy was walking on the beach with his grandfather. Every time he saw a sand dollar he would toss it back out into the ocean. His grandson told his grandfather he was wasting time. He asked what difference could one person throwing sand dollars back make? There were thousands of sand dollars on the beach that were going to die. As the grandfather picked up a sand dollar and threw it back into the ocean he said it made a difference to that one.

There are so many people out there in the world who are dying. Can we make a difference in there lives? Some well known professor once said we will have a direct influence on over 10,000 people before we die. Just think of the sand dollar. We can and do make a difference. Our prayers open up a way for others to succeed

This is a true story told by Richard Nixon after he left office in disgrace. He was sick and in the hospital. His wife was visiting him. He told her he wished he was dead. He was really depressed and saw no hope. That afternoon a nurse came into his room and pulled open the curtains and told him to look up into the sky. An airplane was flying overhead with these words hanging behind. We do love you... Richard started to get better that day. It wasn't until a few weeks later that he found out that his friend Ruth Graham had sent the message to him. She made a differences. As we go to the store or about our life this week remember that we can make a difference.

I thought you would like the message that I heard at church tonight.

Love Ethel Hiday

August 18, 1996

Index

Hoppy On the Hill

Fishes and the Loaves

In Case We Forget

A Still Small Voice

Dean My Husband

Marble

Burdens

Spot the Lamb

The Right Shepherd

Power Source

God Hears Your thoughts Anyway,

Why Not Talk To Him?

Job

To My Heavenly Father "God"

Shoplifting

Be Brave Get Your Feet Wet

Harvest Time

Cocoon

Friends

The Gift from God "Jesus”

Food For Thought

A Fathers Love

Jesus Our King

God, Family, Then Church

Oh! Child of God

Time

Good Morning Holy Spirit

Fight the Right Foe

Urgent Dark Brown Wool Needed

My Story, A Walk With God and Sometimes,

a Stumble or Two In The Fog

Prayer

Think Of the Lord Speaking To You and Saying

For My Daughters

A Love Letter

God Called My Name

Holy Spirit

The Veil

Sweet Fruit

Reflections from the Lighthouse

The Helper

Encourage one AnotherDear Friend

Please excuse my spelling and grammar mistakes. Spelling and grammar have never been my gifting. I find that spell check and the dictionary are only as good as the person using them. I have spent months reading this script over and over and have done the best I can. I am sharing my heart with you and I hope your heart is able to see past these errors and see how God has helped me to grow in the past few years as I have tried to let God become the Father to my children and the Husband, promised to me, a widow. This it is spoken about in the Bible.

Your Sister in Christ

Ethel Hiday Wicksey