PAT'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY: IN THE BEGINNING:

My life, in summation, has been one of great successes, interspaced with absolute personal disasters. Hey, doesn't that sound exactly like your life? Growing up in a large family, a middle child, I became rebellious, and paid the price. My parents were hard working, devout Catholics, with no patience for foolishness. They were not bashful about swatting me of the backside, or a slap if it was a bad word. I even had my mouth washed out with soap. Yuk! My mom took a bar of soap and swiped it across my teeth. That did the trick. Its not really child abuse, its effective and it worked. I changed my behavior. My dad was a traveling salesman. He was only home on weekends which left my Mom with her hands full. We lived in several different locations, including Dayton, Springfield, Pennsylvania, Columbus, and Jacksonville, Ohio. At various times he ran his own sawmill, built bowling alleys in the ‘30s, sold linen supplies, ran two grocery stores, and a couple of laundry plants. It was one continuous struggle to keep us fed, clothed, and healthy. The pain of the struggle was eased by the great love between my parents. They were tough, but fair.

One of the necessities of life is food. My grand father had been a brick mason, as is my son JR. He lived on a farm and grew most of his own veggies. My folks did the same and were great gardeners. Our garden was huge with corn, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, and an endless supply of weeds. All of us had to plow, plant, weed, and help harvest. My mother even found time to can things at home. They call it "canning," even if you are stuffing veggies into sterilized Mason Jars. They ought to call it "jarring" instead.

It was also a continual battle against boredom. In those days, television was very expensive and the programming limited. Comedians dominated the set. I remember Milton Burl, Joey Bishop, Lucille Ball, and Arthur Godfrey, doing their variety shows or stand up routines. Laughter was at a premium. Mostly it was a bunch or overactive boys and one girl, my sister Mary Anne. She and I got along. She could beat me up if I got out of line.

My favorite thing was going to the library. I loved the exciting smell of the books, the quietness, and an endless supply of books. I was check out six books at a time. They gave us 30 days to read them, and I did. I remember reading books by flashlight under my blanket, because I was supposed to be sleeping. My head was filled with all kinds of ideas. I loved reading the "Hardy Boys" mysteries. It was a time of honor, valor, and personal pride on accomplishment. A man's word was his bond, and if he shook hands on something, you could count on his word.

I attended grade school in Columbus, Bellefontaine, Trotwood, and three different ones in Dayton. Most were Catholic schools and I was taught by nuns. Like my Mom, they had little patience for antics. I often found myself being disciplined for yakking out of turn. I have actually had to stand in the corner with my nose to the wall. I was also whacked with a three cornered ruler. That smarts! I have been smacked so hard the nun knocked me over desk. I was thrown out of the classroom and required to stand in the hall. There was no detention room. I left the school and went home, crying to Momma. Mom promptly piled me into the car and drove back to school. I thought; "we'll show that nasty nun!" Wrong! After the nun told her story, I was sat down between her and Mom, and they took turns slapping me. I was stunned, and crushed. I lost all trust for authority, and became wary.

I survived grade school to enter Chaminade High School in downtown Dayton. I was about 3 miles from home and I could only get there by walking, so I did. Life was much different here. It was a boy's only facility. I was required to attend church every morning before classes. My primary teacher was Brother Grundish, from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. He claimed to be an ex boxer who quit fighting because he killed someone in the ring. He didn't much like me. I made the mistake of bringing a squirt gun to school. I had a tiny l one, easily concealed, and much fun to shoot water into someone's ear. The guy next to me had a huge one that held lots of water. He shot me first, so I shot back. Brother Grundish saw me shoot, but not the other guy. Guess who had to go to detention? Yup, it was me. I was given an assignment that had to be completed before I could go home. The assignment was to write a perfect ten-line poem about "The Destruction of the Universe by Squirt gun." It took me 90 minutes before I could get out of there. I worked after school in my parent's Dry Cleaning plant. My job was to sort laundry, make deliveries, and wait on customers.

 I learned that the financial burden was tough on my folks. I transferred to Patterson Co-op High School in my Junior year. The idea of this school is to prepare one for the business world by attending classes for two weeks, then go to work in a job for two more weeks, while an alternate did the opposite. When I was in classes, the alternate would be working in the job. We worked at Third National Bank and Trust Company at 3rd and Main Streets. I was the bank's messenger, and printer. I stayed there until I was 18, at which time I entered the Marine Corps. Boot Camp was in San Diego. Boot Camp is another story. I was in during the Vietnam crisis and served in California, Hawaii, and Okinawa. My main job was Radar Operator.

During my 4th year in the Marines, I met a beautiful Italian girl named Rosie who was trying to become an airline stewardess, along with her friend Jan. Both were from Chicago. I instantly fell in love. She did to. We got married, had two kids, got divorced, end of story. It seems I was actually an arrogant, egotistical, selfish brat. Being an ex Marine, I was convinced I could do anything (pride or self confidence?). I attended four different colleges on the GI Bill, and graduated "Summa Cum Laud" from Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois. In addition, I was elected to Delta Mu Delta, the Honor Society for Business. There were only two people in the college who were members, so this was quite a prestigious honor for me.

After college, I took a job as an employment counselor for Widescope Personel near Maywood, Illinois. I did this for a year, trying to figure out what to do with my life. I hadn't a clue. I finally took a job with Rheem Manufacturing Company as an executive assistant. They moved me into Sales, and transferred me to take over a territory covering three states. I did well, living in Manchester, Missouri, a St Louis suburb. Things went well until I started getting into the Occult. I became a Rosicrucean, a secret society on the order of the Masons. They liked to chant, burn candles, and act mystical, with stupid aprons and secret handshakes, etc. I enjoyed these meetings and decide to learn more about the organization. The club maintained an In house library and while examining it, ran across a book by the leader. In the book, Jesus Christ was described as a mere Avatar, only one of many. My Jesus was the Savior and Creator, If there are avatars, then He created them. I instantly recognized these guys believed totally different than I did. I went home, sat down, and wrote a letter to them telling them I was out, and that they should remove my name from the roster, and forget they ever heard my name.

In my sales job, I traveled around, much like my father had before me. I got involved in boozing, and loose women. Money and power were my gods, and my marriage suffered for it. Rosie and I had two children John and Dina, one year apart. Our marriage was highlighted by petty squabbles, etc. Sin had entered the camp. I really wanted our marriage to work, and started seeking God to find answers. God answered me by leading me to Christian radio. I spent many hours driving alone from city to city and would help pass the time by listening to radio. One day, while changing channels, I encountered a really mystical sounding lady talking about Christ. She talked as if she knew Him personally, so I wanted to hear what she had to say. Her name was Katherine Kuhlman. She gave an invitation to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I did, and my life has never been the same.

One of the songs I heard had lyrics that went "and now I am happy all the day." I expected everything to be all Hunky Dory (good) after asking Jesus to come into my heart. What I encountered was demonic oppression instead. I had a lot of junk in me that needed dealt with. I had ways of behaving that were inconsistent with the ways of God, and He began to clean me up. God cleans you up by forgiving you your sin, and sending the Holy Spirit to convict you if you screw up. He wants a living relationship with His own. He had chosen to live His life in me. One of us was going to be changed and it wasn't Him. Another definition of demonic oppression is simply "depression." I got so depressed, for no reason, and just wanted to die. Obviously I didn't because here I am. I began to smoke weed. My neighbor was a cop and used to share his smoke with me. He would bust kids and confiscate their pot, then take it home and smoke it.

The depression was ongoing. I couldn't shake it, but never thought about seeing a doctor for it. I wasn't that smart. One thing lead to another and we sold our home and moved back to Chicago, where Rosie and I got divorced. My life was shattered into a thousand pieces. For me, divorce was the ultimate failure. I never got over that. We had two beautiful children, whom I absolutely adored. I didn't know how to cope. I ended up being offered a position in Florida and moved there. I had two brothers in the Melbourne area. My nephew, Steve, gave me his lawnmower and a few customers he had to start me out. I cut grass for a living. I did this for about three months. I got really tanned in the Florida sunshine, and very fit. I was looking good!

My brother Joel asked me to manage an apartment house for him in Seattle. I agreed and gave up the lawn mowing business. Soon afterward, Steve was killed in a boating accident attempting to save someone's life. He died a hero. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about him. I loved him and I miss him and I know his mom and dad do also.

I moved to Seattle and took the job. At least my rent was covered. In this building lived one Nick Gretchuin. Nick was no one to fool with. He had a wild look in his eye and could be unpredictable in his behavior. I remember one time his truck wouldn't start. He took out his pistol and shot it six times. I began to understand why Joel had asked me to become the apartment manager. Nick could be difficult to get rent money from. He ended up going to work at Boeing and successfully raising his daughter. I ended up getting cancer... "testicular melanoma." The VA helped me here. I had to have surgery, and radiation treatment. I survived to write this story.

I soon recovered and took a sales job with Alaskan Copper and Brass. I was honored as "Salesman of the Year" the first year there. I loved to talk about Jesus. Out of the abundance of the heart shall a man speak. My boss was Jewish. My customers told my boss about Jesus and me. I was laid off. He called it parting of company."

My younger brother Joel and I decided to form a business together and started installing alarm systems, which Joel knew how to do. Meanwhile, I had met and married a bartender, Patti. She already had three children by a previous marriage and was divorced. We eventually had two children, Josh and Bethie. Now starting a business requires lots of personal sacrifice and a shortage of funds. Patti and I were always short of money, causing much friction in the marriage. One day I came home and she told me she was through with me. I was crushed. Here was dejavu all over again. Married with two kids, then divorced.

I got through that by hiring a lawyer. We had purchased a house together. I sold it, and we split the proceeds. I guess I was still kind of arrogant or something. I figured out Patti was very angry. I had moved in with my Mom (Dad had passed on three years earlier). I checked on the house, which I had left Patti and the kids in and learned she had moved out without telling me. I went in and saw it trashed; holes in the wall, animal feces on the floor and an unbearable stench. She had turned it into a kennel. On top of that, someone had drilled holes in the drainpipes under the sinks, creating a mess. I am pretty sure she was mad at me. I didn't really know how angry she was. She called me up one day informing me that she was accusing me of child molestation. I didn't see that one coming. I was totally flabbergasted. I had to sell my share of the alarm company to raise funds to get an attorney to protect myself. It cost me $6000 plus my share of the business. An investigation revealed that she had made the same allegation against her first husband after their divorce. In addition, she told a friend of mine that she had been molested by her father. Nothing ever came out of her allegation, and no charges were ever officially filed. This hung over my head for two years. Eventually she married another dude who also divorced her. They had two children also. Her daughter told me that she had made those same allegations against her father. Lesson learned. Never marry a bartender whose has been molested.

Many years ago, I found myself in Vancouver, Washington running a one-man show contracting business. I had a former pastor from Trinidad, Tobago working for me who was a skilled electrician. In addition, I had a friend named Peter Paul, a German immigrant living with me whom I also had employed. His job was to sell. I also became friends with another Christian man named John from England. He was a really charming guy whom I had met during a luncheon meeting of the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship in Portland. He told me that his daughter was very sick. I happened to be friends with another minister, Reverend Richard Lang.

Richard was formerly a pastor of a Lutheran church near Salem, Oregon. He told me that he had begun to seek God and was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was thrilled and told his congregation all about it. His joy was absolutely full. Well; his Board of Elders were not of the same mind and gave him the left foot of fellowship. He and his gentle wife Holly were devastated. This was very grievous to them because it also meant that they would have to move from the church parsonage and also had just lost their only source of income. This spelled big troubles for them. In spite of this, Richard had been invited to speak at the "Men's Stakeout" in Portland, Oregon. This was a steak BBQ hosted by the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International, at a large park. I asked Richard if he would mind coming to pray for John Phelps's daughter. He agreed, so I gave him directions. Well, Richard promptly drove over to John Phelps apartment and prayed for his daughter. She was instantly healed. John was astounded and rejoiced in the LORD.

Richard and Holly then moved to a Christian Retreat Center just south of Portland and began to hold "School of the Spirit" meetings. I lived in Vancouver at the time with a wonderful friend, Ron Eyestone, and we both attended this School. God continued to move mightily through Richard and Holly. Many lives were touched by them, including my own. Richard began to mentor me as well in ministry, showing me deep Truths out of the Scriptures.

A little later, I bought a car from a local car dealer. My car payment was $125, which I happened to have. In fact, it was all I had. This German fellow that lived with me went to FGBMFI Men's Advance in Eastern Oregon. He had invited me to come, and I couldn't go because I only had my car payment. I said I would pray about it. Well, truthfully, I didn't expect God to speak a word to me about it. At any rate, I got down on my knees later, alone in my apartment. I prayed, and suddenly I started hearing the LORD talking to me. He said, "Pat, I want you to go to that Full Gospel Businessmens International Fellowship conference." I said to Him, "Right, I am supposed to take my last $125 and splurge on a weekend at a resort" Then He told me, "Don't worry about the money. You will get your income tax return from the IRS on Tuesday." Man, I knew that was the Adversary, trying to get me to blow my car payment and lose my car. I rebuked that Spirit in the Name of Jesus.

The LORD spoke back and said, "Pat, you have enough faith to believe that I am going to provide you enough money to pay your gas bill don't you?" I said, "Yes LORD!" He said, "You trust Me with your death don't you?" I said, "Yes LORD!" He said, "Why then don't you trust Me with your life?" I was humbled at last, and finally had it dawn on me that this was God whom I was speaking with, and not a figment of my imagination. Still, there lingered a certain doubt in my mind that it was really God. I decided to go ahead and take a chance that it was God. I immediately threw some clothes in a bag and jumped in my car and drove the 200 miles to this meeting.

When I arrived, I did not have a room, or tickets for the meeting. I entered the motel lobby, and my friend Peter Paul walked up to me and handed me an envelope. He said, "This is a gift from the LORD." I opened it, and in it were meal tickets for all of the meetings, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was very pleasantly surprised and promptly thanked him. That solved the eating part, but not the sleeping part. I told Peter that I did not have a place to stay. I was seriously considering sleeping in my car, and then borrow someone's room to take a shower.

Shortly, a man whom I knew walked up to me and asked me where I was staying. I told him I wasn't sure just yet. He invited me to stay in his room with three other guys and sleep on a fold up bed. I graciously thanked him and told him I would take it under consideration. I told the LORD, "LORD, you can do better than that. You know I snore like an old boar, and I will keep the whole room awake."

Soon thereafter, another brother that I knew from the Full Gospel Business Men came up to me and asked, "Where are you staying?" I told him that I wasn't sure just yet. He invited me to stay in his room, but I didn't feel comfortable with him, so I simply thanked him and told him I would let him know. I told the LORD again, "LORD, I believe you can do better than that. I would rather sleep in my car than stay in either of the two options given me." I wasn't really certain why I was even at this conference, except I believed the LORD had sent me for His own purpose.

I went into the conference room, a large place filled with people. The light was a little subdued with a spotlight on the speaker. I found a seat on the back row and sat down next to the end seat, which was empty. Soon another man that I barely knew came up and sat down next to me. He looked at me and said, "Pat, where are you staying?" I was rather surprised since I had said nothing to anyone, except Peter Paul. I suspect he was the culprit who was sharing my need with others. I told this man, whose name was Woody, that I wasn't sure just yet. He spoke and said, "Pat, I would be very honored if you would stay at my place. I have a four-bedroom home, and I live alone. I can offer you a private bedroom and bath. OK?" I said, "OK." I went to his home and the room was comfortable, private, and I had my own bath. I was blessed and rejoiced in the goodness of God.

The next morning, we went to the breakfast meeting. I ended up sitting with a man who was president of the Full Gospel Business men in a town in Idaho. We simply shared Jesus with each other. I enjoyed our brief visit, and then the speaker came on, ending our conversation.

Noon soon came and it was time for the luncheon speaker to come on. I had been invited to come up to the head table and sit. I was able to look out over the assembly, and saw a few people that I knew. The speaker came on and began to share. As I listened to him, it dawned on me that what he was speaking, was the same things I had shared with the Idaho brother at breakfast. I looked up and saw that it was indeed him. As he was sharing, the LORD spoke to me and said, "This is the reason that I wanted you to come here. I wanted these words to go out to this assembly." I was really surprised at hearing that, and secretly pleased that the LORD had used me.

The rest of the meeting was uneventful. The only money that I spent was in the offerings and for gas. I did not have to pay for a room or meals. That blessed me. I went home feeling a sense of satisfaction that I had done something worthwhile. Still, I was concerned about making that car payment, since I now did not have enough to pay it, and those dudes were not shy about repossessing a car. I went to the post office on Tuesday to get my mail. I opened the little door and looked in. I couldn't believe my eyes. There, on top of the stack of bills, was an envelope from the US Government. In it was my income tax refund check, just as promised by the Voice during my time of prayer. I truly had heard the voice of God. I had more than enough money to make my car payment plus deal with other bills. Praise the LORD! My business dried up, so I returned to Seattle to work with my brother in his alarm business, which I had formerly been a partner in.

ETERNAL LIFE:

Jesus admonishes us in John 3:15:"that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Now my struggle is, "really" believing this. I have yet to see a single soul that conquered death except Jesus Christ. For over 2000 years, the Brethren have gone to the grave, in hopes of the Resurrection.

I had also struggled with this Scripture: "It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that, the resurrection." Believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is eternal life! Jesus said, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:3

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines this as follows:1097 ginosko, to know absolutely, allow, be aware of, feel, have knowledge, perceive, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.

This can be interpreted to mean that we must know God to have eternal life. This is not the same as superciliously believing or hoping there is a God. It means to Know Him, such as we might know another person. If we know that God exists, and believe that Jesus was sent from Him, than we already possess eternal life, in the here and now.

The Scriptures tell us "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 7:23 NKJV

In other words, sin is death. The Good Lord knows that I have sinned plenty. Since that is so, sin slew me, or killed me. I was a walking dead man from the time I sinned. There was no hope for me unless somehow, my sin was removed from me. Praise God for the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

"He Who knew no sin, was made to be sin, that we might become the righteousness of God."
God put all of my sins, past, present and future on Jesus Christ. He wiped away My transgressions, and cast them away from me. When I received Christ, I became a brand new creature, holy and pure before the LORD. I was put back into a right mind, and placed back into fellowship with the Father through Jesus.

Paul admonishes us to: "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."(Phil. 2:12)
Since I am not Jewish by birth, I was never the law of Moses. I was never a partaker of the Old Covenant, which the Jews had with God, and there was no hope for me to inherit eternal life. But praise God that Jesus is the Mediator of a New Covenant, written on our hearts through faith in His Name.

Christ is not one human body. Christ is a many membered body comprised of living stones.(1Peter 2:4,5) All those who have exercised faith and received Christ are the components of that Body. His Life is the driving force in each vessel. Many churches teach that miracles stopped with the death of the last apostle. That's foolishness and heresy since Jesus Christ is alive in His people who are His body.

I admonish me and you to remember what Jesus said! Our souls health depends upon it. He said: "As you have done to the least of my brethren, so you have done unto Me."

Few believe His words. They think that it is irrelevant how they treat others. Wow, I hear Christians insult others. That wasn't' Christ doing that, but the old man. All of us do such things to some degree. For instance, a phone call comes in. It's someone you really don't want to talk to at the moment. You might say something like this, "Tell them I'm not here." Was that the truth? Of course not! Doesn't that make you a liar? Didn't you just lie to God? Think about it! "A man (woman) shall give account for every word that comes out of his mouth." Let your words be few, and truthful. If the light that be in you is dark, how deep is that darkness? Christ came to transform us from the inside out. It's a painfully slow process.

I have witnessed lying, stealing, cheating, adultery, idolatry, greed, lust, and every other ugly work of the flesh alive and well within the church. Worse than that, I find all of these things trying to rise up and manifest in my own life. This ought not to be. Transformation must be forthcoming.

Jesus also informed Paul that the Kingdom of Heaven is within you. Also, a mystery has been revealed to us in that "Christ is in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27) If you can really get a handle on this, nothing will be impossible to you. Jesus said so Himself, and He cannot lie, for He is God.

God is patiently awaiting the revealing of His sons on the face of the earth, while, we, His creation, eagerly await for that day when He will be fully revealed in US, in all of His glory. We are the temples of His Holy Spirit.

All that exists has been created by God Himself, through Jesus Christ, for His (our) good pleasure. In truth, each human is a complete manifestation of God, as one drop of water contains all the attributes of the entire ocean. Genesis tells us that we are created in His image and Likeness. He is Divine. We are to, because His Life is within us. Indeed, we cannot exist outside of God, for nothing exists outside of Him. We are a fantastic union of Spirit merged with flesh.

At the core of our "Being" is the Spirit of God, it is veiled or concealed within us. His Spirit is our Hidden Treasure of Darkness. If you took the most powerful microscope in the world and looked at a single atom, you would see nothing but protons, electrons, and neutrons, busy at work. You can't see either God or man down at that level. It is only matter in motion that can be observed. The simple truth is, that God is on a spiritual plane and we are on a physical one. This is what Quantum Physics is about, man trying to understand creation at the deepest level. If I understand correctly, the Quantum is that place at the deepest levels of our being where you and God merge and become One. I know that I haven't "arrived" yet. I cannot walk on water just yet, can you?

Keep looking up, in your heart for His revealing of Himself to you. It will happen.

"The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." "Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:9, 15-17

Prior to Adam's fall, he had NO knowledge of good or evil. He could care less about such things, for he was clothed with the life of God, made in His own image and likeness. He could freely chat with the LORD and walk with Him in the garden in which the LORD had put him. He partook freely of the Tree of Life, for his fellowship with the Father was unbroken. He knew no sin.

But, there were two trees in the Garden of Eden, the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" and "The Tree of Life." Adam, contrary to the direct warning of God, ate from the wrong tree and brought death to all mankind. His godlike nature was now covered over or hidden within him by the carnal nature. This tree looked good for food, and Eve, when she was tempted, gave heed to the deceiver's voice.

There are real devils out there to give the flesh hell. They can only torment the one who abides in sin, "Be sure your sin will separate you from the face of God. Num. 32:23 —

The devil comes only to steal, kill and destroy. This devil is the voice of the Adamic nature, and is very subtle. He is also subject to the Name of Jesus, and dreads that Name. Use it boldly in your warfare. My Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil!

The LORD then drove Adam and Eve from the garden and "placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."Gen. 3:24 Here we see an angel with a fiery sword at the entrance so that no man might enter in. He could not pass beyond this point.

Once the transgression had occurred, Adam's "eyes were opened," and sin had entered his heart. His "eyes were opened" meant that he knew that he had sinned and now became aware of his newly fallen state. He now was doomed to walk only in his beastly nature. The Presence of the Living God, which had completely sustained him, was now removed because of sin.

Strong's Concordance shows this as #3742 "kruwb; a cherub or imaginary figure." A cherub is an angel of the LORD. Cherubim is the plural of cherub. An angel is also a messenger. If you will recall, the angel is wielding a flaming sword. In Hebrews 4:12 we read:

The Book of John, Chapter 1 says this:

What happens when the Truth is revealed to a man? How is it revealed to him? Lets look at how the truth is revealed. Jesus said that He Is the Truth. He was sent to destroy the works of the devil.(1John 3:8)and "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."Hebrews 13:8 It appears that the devil is only manifest in Adam, or the carnal nature. The carnal nature is the "man of sin."

Consider the following: 2Thes 2:3-4 "let no one deceive you by any means, for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the LORD will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with "the brightness of His coming."
Jesus will manifest Himself to all who are seeking Him with a sincere heart.(Jer. 29:13, I believe that He has shown me that the man of sin is the Adamic nature. Unless Christ is enthroned in His temple, the carnal man or the devil, or "man of sin" (its all the same thing) is sitting on the throne of man's heart, for "the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit."

The "brightness of His coming" is not some rapture fantasy, but it simply means "make manifest." In other words, once a man sees that it is his very own self, his carnal nature that is hindering the "coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," he is then able to humble Himself under the mighty hand of God. The LORD will appear to all who seek and believe His word.

We must resist every assault in our earthly flesh, and put on the Mind of Christ. We are God's hands and voices in the face of the earth. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it" Matthew 13:44,45
Jesus spoke the parable of the "Pearl of Great Price" and said that a man sold all that he had and purchased that field. Why? Once a man has sold all that he has, nothing remains, except that which he purchased. It was the "Pearl of Great Price." He can't eat the pearl. He can only show it to others, sell it, or give it away. So what was the point of it? It becomes apparent that the Pearl of Great Price is none other then Jesus Christ. He is the Pearl that the man has come to possess. When a man possesses Christ, he has obtained the kingdom of heaven. Eternal life is only in Christ, not our old nature.

What does this have to do with the two trees in the garden you might ask? Please consider that You are the Garden of Eden. Within YOU is the kingdom of heaven. Within you is Eternal Life. Don't you believe it? Do you recall that Jesus told us in Luke 18:20,21
"The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!' or ‘See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

I adjure you precious brethren, not to seek the kingdom of heaven outside of you. Do not seek for Christ outside of you. Press inwardly, crying out to God to reveal Himself to YOU personally. He said He would do it. I believe Him. So should you. No man can bring you into this realm, only the Spirit of the Living God.

Being born again from above has been anything but a picnic for me. In fact, I don't know anyone who is truly born again that has not experienced severe adversity in their walk with Christ. I would like to share with you some things which have tested our faith (my wife and mine) to the outer limits.

I quit my job as a taxi cab driver in the City of Tacoma. It was such a "taxing" job, with typical 14 hour days, and sometimes zero income. As a driver, the customer is always right, until he pays. Many were rude, crude, and downright cheap, making excessive demands upon my time, and then not compensating me for it. I recall a young woman from the Hilltop District (gangland) who had called from the local supermarket. It was a very short trip, so I knew it would be a very small fare. Nevertheless, I treated her with respect. I loaded up all of her groceries in the trunk, drove her to her destination, and then proceeded to carry all of her groceries up a flight of stairs to her abode. Once I had finished, she paid me $3.00. The fare was a mere $2.80. I thanked her and was about to depart when she demanded her change. I was shocked. It really attacked my flesh, and anger rose up. I had taken nearly 30 minutes for this deal, and then told her that I didn't have any change. I lied, but I was really angry. Instead, I gave her $1.00 back, then left. Later I realized that I did have some coins in my pocket that I had forgotten about. In giving her back $1, I gave her a great deal. It should have cost her more, but, instead, it cost me. The fire of the Holy Spirit comes in the little trials that we go through.

I had a few days where it actually cost me money to drive people around, since the cab lease was $55, then raised to $75. I also had to pay for the gas, and trust the company and the Good Lord to give me enough fares to cover those expenses and still make a living. The cab company made the decision to cut out some of the services which I had been making money on, and then added two additional cab companies to their dispatching service. This meant fewer fares for every driver, and I was barely scraping by as it was. In additional to the above some unforeseen circumstances occurred which caused me to quit. I knew the LORD had something better in store for me, and was confident that it would soon show up. My wife and I had been struggling financially all along.

I went on a few job interviews, but nothing came in. I fasted, prayed, read the Word, and sought the LORD in all this, and the only thing I heard was, "Your job is to pray, read My word, and seek My face." I told my wife this, but she didn't want to hear it. Her security was at stake, and my leaving the cab company had taken even that meager cloak away. We were in a real fix.

I soon became really depressed, not sensing or seeing any direction out. A few times along the way small jobs would show up, but nothing that prospered, and I knew that the LORD wasn't in them. I tried selling alarm systems, sold a few, but then the company I worked for decided I wasn't an effective closer, and cut off my leads. My sense of helplessness increased, and I continued to cry out to the LORD for help. My mother in law made the decision to help us pay our mortgage. She also helped out by regularly giving us bags of food. She has been such a blessing.

Then, our car had the tie rod come off. We got it fixed. Then we got into an accident in the parking lot of a mall. I thought the damage was minimal, but it turned out to cost more to repair the vehicle than it was worth. We filed a claim with the other person's insurance company and promptly received a check. We used the entire amount just to play catch up on our bills. On top of this, we needed a new vehicle. We were driving my wife's son's car, an older Cadillac.
The depression didn't lift immediately. Unable to find work, I finally quit looking. The Veteran's Administration came through for me and gave me a pension to live off of until Social Security Disability kicked in.

When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, it was because they had partaken of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. I am sure that our Heavenly Father was sorely grieved when he ordered His Cherubim to guard its entryway with flaming swords. He loved His creation, and was grieved that Adam did not obey His command not to eat of it. His purpose for sending Adam out of the garden was not to destroy him, but to make a way for him to find his way back. God loved Adam, and had not given up on him. He had decided to make a way for Adam's carnal nature to be destroyed, without destroying Adam. He decided to manifest Himself in the form of man, and planted His Own Seed in Mary with a spoken word. This seed was NOT BORN OF ADAM, but of the Father Himself. Mary provided the vessel in which Christ would be carried. His plan required the He Himself would go through all the woes of mankind, yet without sin, and give up His own life to destroy the power of sin in all of mankind. "To as many as received Him gave He the power of become the sons of God"(John 1). Jesus proved that it could be done, because He fulfilled perfectly every wish of the Father. He was "the firstborn of many brethren."

Whereas Mary was certainly born of sinful flesh, her son Jesus was not. His Father was God Himself. Jesus showed us a pattern that each of us must follow if we hope to NOT DIE. Jesus clearly stated that each person who hopes to inherit eternal life must overcome his own flesh. He enabled us to do so by placing His own seed in each of us who received Him by faith. This seed, or spirit born from above, must be fed, protected, and permitted to grow into the full stature of Jesus Christ. Few there be who have actually achieved this. It can only be accomplished by willingly laying down one's life as Christ has done. That means simply that we get off the throne in our own heart, and install Jesus Christ there instead. He then lives His life through us.

The LORD led me to Black Diamond Presbyterian Church where Peter Shultis is the pastor. Peter is a man filled with the Spirit, and had been in college during the Revival of the early seventies. He loved the LORD and was truly called as a pastor. I sat in this church for about 3 years, and the church sponsored me to go to the Ukraine with a team which included Peter, myself, and several others. We connected with a group from a Baptist church in Burien. This group had been in Gdansk for about a year and had set up a number of meetings for us.

We ministered everywhere we went. I was able to lead a man to Christ in the train station in Kiev while we were waiting for out train to Lgansk, a trip of 24 hours over a 1000 miles of bumpy railroad track. The train ride was an experience in itself. The toilet is open aired, with the refuse going down on the track though a hole in the floor, and very smelly. I learned to appreciate the public rest room facilities our land boasts. Peter and I shared a compartment with two Ukrainians. Vodka is the drink of choice in the land, and our traveling companions had brought a bottle with them. They offered us a drink from the bottle which we politely declined. They finished the bottle, and it was bed time. I had the top bunk, over one of the Ukrainians. His breath would have caught fire if I had put a match to it, and smelled terrible, since its nasty aroma floated up to my berth. It was also very hot in the compartment, such that I really got very little sleep that night.

In Gdansk, we were met at the train station by Gary from Burien, and his wife. We spent the night camped out on the floor of their home. It was crowded, but great fun. We were all excited about being there. The next day, we were shuttled around to a couple of other apartments, which local missionaries opened up to us. I stayed with a young man from Texas, along with Peter.

The village elder invited all to his home for a meal. The national staple is Borscht, if I spelled it correctly. Its kind of a cabbage and beet soup, laden with melted fat. I had no more appetite for it, and tried to graciously decline. The matron of the home, the wife of the elder, required me to sing a song for them. I did. I sang, "I am so glad, that Jesus loves me." They were pleased and applauded when I finished.

The next day we were off to a public high school and grade school. As we approached the school, the entire assembly had turned out, with the youngest children carrying flowers for each of us to honor us. I was astounded. It was totally unexpected, and we were all humbled as well as greatly honored at this gracious gesture.

Each of each shared our testimony, with Peter actually presenting the Gospel. His approach was something like "If you want to receive Jesus here is what you must do." We were in a classroom with 51 high schoolers and one of them raised his hand. He asked Peter "Is there any reason why we can't pray and receive Jesus right now?" We were all shocked, because in America, you can't even mention Jesus' name in the classroom. Well, after Peter regained his composure, he asked the teacher for permission to lead in prayer. The teacher agreed. Peter asked, "Is there anyone here who would like to receive Jesus as their LORD and Savior. I looked up and every hand in the room was raised. He confidently led the entire room in a simple prayer, and 51 lives were touched by the LORD that day, including the teachers.

We went from there to a local hospital. After a rather lengthy uphill walk in freezing temperatures we arrived. I arrived a-huffing and a-puffin from the exertion, unfondly recalling my years of tobacco smoking. Ukrainians thought nothing of a 10 mile walk to get where they wanted to go. We had no other transportation, so we walked. I am talking about hiking miles, in very cold temperatures to reach our destination.

At the hospital, it was dark, gloomy, and not very clean. One of our Ukrainian Interpreters informed us that patients generally go there to die. Medications were almost non existent. When we arrived, a call was sent out to all of the patients that if anyone wanted ministry to come to a certain room where we were. I recall one "Babushka" (grandmother) whom I noticed when we first arrived. She was about 60 years old, with a very wrinkled, weather beaten face, no teeth, almost white hair with the traditional bandanna covering her head. She walked stooped, was built just like my mother, short and very stout. Her countenance was completely downcast, reflecting absolutely no joy. She seemed very sad and weighed down with the cares of this world. She came to the meeting, and we did our usual thing of sharing our testimonies, then Peter presenting the Gospel. She received Christ that day, but I really didn't note any discernable change. We prayed for many others and I know God touched each of them. A few days later, we returned to this same hospital, and I saw the woman again. I was amazed at the transformation that had occurred. In addition to being healed, God had filled her with joy, and her face just radiated the glory of God. She was so delighted to see us again that she gave each a big hug. It was wonderful seeing what God had done. Here was proof in the transforming power of the Gospel.

We returned from the hospital, this time in a car. I could see the horrible poverty of the village. Alcoholism is rampant there, and I saw a drunk passed out along the side of the road in the snow drift. No one stopped to help, and no one seemed to care. We could see the sad result of the communist government control. Here was a nation of people without hope for a better tomorrow.

A teacher earned the equivalent of $5 a month in wages. A nurse earned $15 and doctor only earned $20 per day. To me, that is the same as slave wages. The people are provided housing, but they must buy their own food. They must daily stand in a line to get a loaf of bread, or butter, and meat is practically non existent. Someone told me that all of the prime cuts of meat are shipped out the country to Russia. The Russian Mafia purportedly runs the country. We were told by one of the missionaries that the entire supply of gasoline is stolen by them, then sold at exorbitant prices along the road. The gas stations are not able to get any gas, so they are always closed. When we needed gas, we simply would drive along the road until we saw a person with a gas can. We would stop, pay him and he would pour it in the car. It cost about $4 per gallon. In addition, the roads were in horrible condition, filled with axle breaking pot holes, and miscellaneous debris assaulting the tires. We had three flat tires in 10 days, had the battery stolen from the car, as well as the official documents for the car. The nation needs Jesus.

In the city of Gdansk, lives a population of about 500,000 people. The nation is held in captivity by the Pravaslavic Church (Russian Orthodox). It is a land filled with darkness and superstition. There were two Christian churches, one Baptist, and the other a full Gospel church. The state of the church was sadly revealed to the locals. Neither of these would speak to each other, failing to see the oneness of the Body of Christ. We ministered in both churches. I ministered on the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Baptist church and watched as God touched many of their lives with the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I literally saw their countenances change as I led them in prayer from the pulpit. After the service, we sampled a pot luck put together for us. The food was great and the fellowship lively. It was really fun.

In 1995, I found myself alone, living in a small apartment in Auburn, Washington. I had been seeking the LORD for direction, as usual because I had to move. I didn't have enough money to pay the rent, and was really pressing into the LORD for His will. I turned to the Scriptures and the first scripture that was illuminated to me was "Get thee from thy place and go to a land that I will show thee." I was shocked, but obedient to the word. I didn't know where to go. I told my landlord that I was leaving, and sold or gave away everything that I could not pack into my car. I shared with a friend what I was doing and he opened a door for me to stay in a vacation home down on Deer Island in the south Puget Sound. I was grateful, and headed there.

I ministered that Sunday morning in the Riverside Country Church pastured by Doug and Ilene McMurray. There was a powerful move of the Holy Spirit. The church gave me $400 from the offering, and I rejoiced in their generosity and the goodness of God. I left the next morning and decided to drive to Colville, a small town in northeastern Washington where I knew another godly bachelor, who had previously invited me to visit with him. It was now late winter and the snow was falling as I passed through Spokane. It continued to fall all the way to Colville. My brother in Christ met me at the door and was delighted to see me.

He lived in a tiny, cluttered two bedroom house on the outskirts of Colville. He opened his heart and home to me for as long as I wanted to stay. Still seeking the will of the Father, I prayed, looking for direction, and went to many meetings with him. Still, I got no further guidance from God, and decided to return to Vancouver. I ended up back at Ron's place and stayed with him for a year.

During this time I was drawn into Prophetic ministry with Ken and Vicky Adams, Uta Summerer, Jim and Patti Faulkner, Tom and Debra Gliebe, all of whom I knew them from Portland Foursquare Church which I joined. During this time I also got involved with Tom and Debra Gliebe whom I knew from the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship. Tom had served as President. I went to many of their meetings and participated as God led. I learned to love them all dearly.

I worked alone, during the graveyard shift, just a few blocks from where I lived. I occasionally had to work double shifts because other dispatchers would fail to show up to relieve me.

The wages were minimal, but sufficient for me to pay rent and buy food.

During this time, a few doors opened for ministry with the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship where I spoke at several meetings. During one luncheon where I was speaking, I was asked to pray for people after speaking.

I prayed for two women whom I didn't know. The Holy Spirit was really touching one lady, and she almost fell down under the anointing when I prayed for her. She touched my heart and I couldn't miss the tears falling from her eyes. I could discern that she had been through much fire. Turns out she was a widow with three sons still at home, all teenagers. Her husband had died a couple years earlier from a sudden heart attack.