SAME SEX MARRIAGE

                                                          SAME SEX MARRIAGE

    Same sex marriage is a hot topic, and is much more than the title
suggests. You need to have a "calm" mind to understand the full meaning
of the term. The bible makes no bones about same sex marriage being
a sin. For all those "Christians" with a dirty mind when they hear the word
"sex", I ask only that you consider all the aspects of the word "marriage"
before you spout an opinion. And I am not saying a same sex marriage is
NOT a sin. It clearly is a sin in the strict context of the word "sex." This
is not the end of the subject. If you have a bit of patience, I'll explain how
we have corrupted a subject by the combination of two words. Yes, the
full meaning of same sex marriage has been corrupted. 

    To the horror of some reading this message, it gets worse. I officiate
at marriages occasionally, but none have been same sex unions. I want
to stress the word UNION USED instead of marriage. There is a huge
difference between marriage and union. Both mean "joining together",
but not in the same way. The former Soviet Union was a joining together
of several states, but there was no sex involved. The United Auto Union
does not involve sex. A union of churches does not involve sex. We
loosely use the word marriage to mean joining together in these instances, but there is no sexual implication. In a marriage, it is a HOLY UNION. That is different than a civil union.

    Unfortunately we have accepted the terminology of marriage to be a
part of both sexual marriage and non sexual marriage. Except for the
scriptural message listing same sex marriage as a sin, the bible does
not touch on the subject of non sexual union. The culture of Israel, and
later teaching by Christ, fill in the difference between marriage and
union. Marriage is for procreation, while a union is for supporting a
common goal. Christians tend to consider only sex when evaluating
same sex marriage. This, in itself, is a sin, and I'll tell you why. We go
directly to scripture for the explanation.

    Give serious consideration to Matt. 22:38 and 39. Did you ever

wonder why Christ added an Eleventh Commandment to the original
Ten Commandments? I thought not. God knew that when Gentiles were
added to the original priesthood people (Israel), they would not know
the culture of Israel. The concept of family and care for every person,
even slaves, was ingrained in the culture of Israel. This total care
for everyone is something still not understood today by Christians.

    Turn to Matt. . "This is the first and great commandment." You need to refresh your mind by backing up one verse to Matt.  22:37. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." Now that Christ has reinforced the "great" commandment meaning, we see the addition of another commandment, and it is a COMMANDMENT, not a suggestion. This is a commandment Christians have been tricked by the secular world into misunderstanding. Matt., "And the second is like  it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Christ actually inserted His Eleventh Commandment after the original first commandment to emphasize its extreme importance. He concludes in Matt.  22:39, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

    There is a huge difference between Matt. 22:39 and the "shall
not" commandments. Christ is telling us this is a commandment,
it is something we MUST do. If we don't, it's a sin of OMISSION.
We all should know what "love your neighbor" means. That includes,
old, young, smart or challenged, rich or poor, race or religion. I
admit, some people are difficult to love. But we must try to help
them when they need help, even if we judge them to be lazy or one
of the (wrongly identified) majority of Americans who are on the
"entitlement" roll.

    By ignoring or refusing to follow Matt. 22:39, a Christian is actually
committing a sin of omission. Worse yet, you are accusing and judging
another of committing a sin when no sin is being committed. In short,
you are placing yourself in double jeopardy. In our society, there is no
longer the total "family" concept. Families are further separated
today than ever before. Multiple marriages, children out of wedlock,
separations and other conditions have moved people further and
further apart. There is little semblance of families as just a few decades
ago in America. That is especially true for older Americans who have
no family remaining or children to rely upon. A marriage or union is
for them a condition of companionship and mutual assistance. How
many 80 year olds are obsessed with sex? How many widows or
widowers are obsessed with sex? Certainly there may be a few, but
most simply desire not to be alone without any assistance at all.

    In the extended time I spent recovering from surgery, I saw the
terrible time many people were experiencing because they were
alone. This is an especially vulnerable time of life for an elderly
person. One of the saddest experiences I had was realizing the
trauma this caused some patients. When a physician came to me
and asked if I'd like to go home, I responded happily. "Would anyone
refuse that offer?" He had a very sad expression when he answered,
"Unfortunately that happens quite often. They want to stay because
there is no one at "home" and no one to help them."

    A "dirty-minded" person immediately thinks of sex when hearing
about or seeing a same sex couple. Hasn't anyone heard about a
platonic relationship? This is when two people of same or different
sex have a relationship based solely on friendship. In holy matrimony
I stress the need for the couple to have a deep friendship. If they
have a "best friends" relationship and are committed to Christ, they
are on the road to total happiness together. A union marriage is
about being best friends, not sex.

    Our society is geared towards secularism, and requires sameness
to qualify for civil benefits. Thus, a traditionally married couple can
receive certain tax payer benefits that have not in the past been
available to unmarried couples. Rather than considering the unfairness
of this, we have "punished" people who aren't married. Most of them
have paid taxes, too. This is actually a violation of the Constitution,
and goes against the freedom of religion. In this situation, Christians
ignore the tax payers' right to receive benefits they have paid just as
holy married people have paid. 
    
    It is not a sin for opposite sexes to be together unless the reason is
homosexuality or lesbianism. Even that is a forgivable sin. Don't
believe me, just read Matt.12:31,32. What I personally have witnessed
in Christian conversations and some churches is the ostracism of gays
and same sex marrieds. These ("holy?) people are turning people away for sins or imagined sins that are no worse than the sinners who attend
church every week. Now they are guilty of judging others that Christ
warns about in Matt. 7:1, "Judge not, that you be not judged." You
can hide your "little" sins from most of the public, but not from God.
There is but one ordained judge of our life and sins, and He has already
paid the price for us if we really committed to Him in our heart.

    The church and committed Christians were put in place by Christ to
bring the Word of God to all people. That clearly means everyone, since
we are all sinners. Don't think your sins aren't as bad as others, because
Isaiah 64:6 tells us how God looks upon us. "But we are all like an 
unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags, We all 
fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind, Have taken us away."
If you feel pretty good about your Christian walk compared to those
"dirty sinners" with sexual problems, you probably haven't understood
Isaiah, and you certainly are violating Christ's teaching in the Four
Gospels. As Mohandas Gandhi stated, if Christians he encountered 
practiced what they preached, he would have become a Christian.
Many Christian leaders--in church and out--are setting a bad example
that is eating away at the foundation of Christianity. They don't know
and may not want to know the Word of God. Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem, because that will be the location of Christ's return. He
is seeing disobedient Jews and Christians speeding up His return.

Rev. Walbear

INDEPENDENCE

                                        
                                                          INDEPENDENCE

    In the span of just under three weeks, we observe two basic cornerstones of the United States of America: Flag Day, and the 4th of July. The flag represents the symbol of our nation, and clearly represents the reason for the 4th of July observance. The U.S. Constitution is not only our manual for the operation of government, but for human rights. It may be the only recorded guideline of equality for any and all nationalities. The flag tells all people this is a nation of unity.

    Most people don't recognize that Christianity and our Constitution are symbiotic. They both state essentially the same truths and obligations. Both guarantee freedom. Christ offers us eternal peace and freedom, while the Constitution offers us earthly peace and freedom. These two holidays should provide us with an opportunity to celebrate all the tenets embraced by the flag and Constitution. Unfortunately, many citizens will not be doing that.

    Let's look at the flag. The stripes stand for the original 13 colonies that took the brave step to establish a great nation. The field of  stars represent the 50 states united as one. There are Christians who don't realize or understand the connection between Christianity and the Constitution. From the government standpoint, we are reminded that Patrick Henry advised that "united we stand, divided we fall." Christ taught there was one church, and all Christians are exactly that--one body in Christ. Gal. 3:28 tells us, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." The problem in the organized church is man made rules that encourage denominational separation that creates competition to determine which is better than the others.

    That is not unique among religious faiths, but Christianity is the only faith following the Son of God. We should know both the Old and New Testaments, and the Four Gospels should be followed to the T. Christ did not teach hate, as some Christians are now doing. You should note carefully that the disciples had to continually write to and teach the people in new churches to correct problems and try to prevent denominational differences. And, this was before there were established denominations.

    An area of the Old Testament that is frequently misunderstood includes Proverbs. Ideas such as hate generally come from not realizing Proverbs 6:16-19 is advice, not religious instruction from prophets or priests. They were written by a king and others as    guidelines toward living  a holy life and being a good person. Christ's teaching is that God hates sin, not man. Look at John 3:16,  "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." God desires that people who commit these sins  repent and  receive salvation. Some Christians are promoting a veiled or open  hatred which is not only opposite of Christ's teaching, but divisive.

    Our Constitution has become perhaps the basis of more confusion and
misunderstanding than anything I have seen. The problem is the same as scriptural ignorance. There is no comprehensive research to know the entire document. People take a paragraph or two, and add an opinion; they then have a "personal" right to do something they desire. These attempts to subvert the full meaning are divisivand will destroy our nation. We are a nation that is a "melting pot", and not a nation that can permit the whims of individuals.

    The first problem with understanding the Constitution is that, for whatever reason, it is very difficult to get the "entire package" that includes the Constitution. To understand this document, you need to know the four parts of the package. They are: the Declaration of
Independence, the preamble, the Constitution, and the amendments. Most references do not include all four parts, and much of the  original documents have been abridged or are incomplete. This has made it easy for those who want to try and change original intent to something it should not be. We have an example of that in recent activities by some church denominations to change parts of the bible.

    To understand the constitution, you must begin with the Declaration of Independence. This is the document brought forth on July 4, 1776. This declaration tells the reason for the preamble, the Constitution, and amendments. The taxes without representation and the Tea
Party were not the Godly reason for the Constitution. They were just the motivational movements to spur action. They represented something everyone could understand--money. It was marvelous and God driven that these carvers of the Constitution could follow God's leading and place His principles over money. If you never learn anything more than the following quote from the Declaration of Independence, you will know all you need to know about why and how God created our nation. 

    In Matt. 22:37-40 tells us "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." The Constitution follows Christ's teaching exactly. Here is the part of the Declaration upon which our freedom "hangs." "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and  the pursuit of Happiness."

    The men who signed this declaration appear to be Christians, but a simple look at history shows us that 100 years and a civil war was necessary for the LIBERTY part of the Declaration to take place. It was all about states' rights, or so they claimed. This message is
not about politics, but facts and showing the parallel with scripture. States' rights was the reason for the closure of schools throughout the south in the early 1950s, which eventually spawned the civil rights movement. It was pure and simple bigotry.

     Worse yet, if possible, was the delay of women having the right to vote. That amendment didn't take effect until 1920. It took nearly 150 years before American women gained that LIBERTY included in the Declaration of Independence. The words are great, but the actions of the white men, supposedly Christians, were anything but Christian. Anyone can say these two failures have no bearing on present day actions, but that clearly is not true. During the
Second World War, Americans pulled together, as our leaders saw the need for women and non-whites to participate. Yet, here we are just 70 years later, with many Americans having a "loss of memory" about the importance of all citizens.

    The First Commandment is the basis of most religions, who have a variety of gods. The God of Israel and Christianity gives us the direction of spiritual life. Christ expanded that commandment to give us guidelines in treating our fellow man/woman. There is a sizable movement in our nation to ignore Christ's teaching, and those spearheading the movement are wolves in sheep's clothing we are warned about. Most have personal agendas, and many are
basing their proposals strictly on the basis of money. Fellowship is not for everyone. This is true in many Christian churches where some people are not welcome.

    Our nation has been in existence for approximately the same time period corresponding to the biblical rise and fall of nations. That is about four generations. It's rags to comfort, comfort to riches, riches to decadence and decadence to degeneration. We are on the brink of the fourth stage. If leaders and pastors who fly the colors of Christianity don't begin listening to the teacher they claim to follow, it'll be curtains not only for the United States, but the world.

    God has given us two golden examples about how to live and treat all people--the Civil War and World War II. Separation for ANY reason will not be positive for anyone in the long run, not
even those who cause it. Before you shoot off fireworks or your mouth, read the four parts of the Constitution. Then think We instead of ME. 

Rev. Walbear
   
    You see that this destruction of our Constitution is a similar pattern
followed by some Protestant denominations to change and rewrite
the bible. Satan never stops trying to lead us astray. No wonder there
are so many disagreements in the operation of our government.

HOMOSEXUALITY, LESBIANISM & RAPE

                                              HOMOSEXUALITY, LESBIANISM & RAPE

                                                                          Prologue

    There is much to glean from scripture on these subjects, and the material is appropriate for non-Christians as well as Christians. Because the subjects are so scattered throughout the bible, it requires study to understand what God really says about these subjects. And, if you do the research and study, you will find most of the people making all kinds of claims really don't know what they're talking about. In an attempt to be more "religious" or pure than their adversaries, they make opinionated statements that tend to inflame emotions of the unlearned. The unlearned don't have to be unlearned, but choose to be unlearned. It is easier to simply accept an emotional opinion from a "self righteous" church person or carnal thinker than to find out God's Word. If you don't like history or
scripture study, you will probably never understand  Christianity or how and why things happen here and in the remainder of the world. There  is a major connection between homosexuality, lesbianism and rape. It's all in the bible, folks. Unfortunately I'm not finding many (or any) pastors or teachers working to explain God's Word on the subjects. Politicians and wannabe leaders are taking up the slack with frequently outrageous
claims and statements. For leaders in the church world, it's much easier to go with the flow. When being a pastor is your profession, you may want to maintain job security.
 
    This entire message is based totally on scripture, which I will either quote directly from the King James version of the bible, or give you the pertinent verses as reference in an attempt to keep the message from becoming too lengthy. As you proceed, remember our Teacher is none other than Jesus Christ, and His key admonition to you is found in
Matt.12:31,32. "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit,
it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."


THIS IS THE ONE AND ONLY SIN THAT IS NOT FORGIVEN. EVERY OTHER SIN MAY BE FORGIVEN. 

The forgiving of sins is God's option, not man's option. You are not the judge of anyone; Matt. 7:1 "Judge not, that you be not judged." If you've been able to accept what is
written here, the rest of the message will tackle the subjects.

    The bible introduces us to homosexuality in Genesis, the very first book. To keep explanations short, I'll consider homosexuality and lesbianism together as being the male and female same sex situation. This is an entirely different sin than rape. Let's be clear
about this--homosexuality, lesbianism and rape are sins. But those involved in these sins are no worse sinners than someone who commits the more common sins such as stealing, lying, gossiping, fraud, adultery, assault, or even murder. It is unfortunate that people
use highly emotional sins such as homosexuality to stir up hatred and divide Christians. If you are guilty of envy, you are in trouble just as seriously as the "gay" person. There is more to the story we read in Gen. 18 and 19. This is where we find the reference to rape,
although you won't see that word. In fact, scripture refers to words such as "ravish" rather than rape. Rape is non-consensual sex with either a female or male. 

    Genesis tells us three angels visit Abraham and Sarah. One of the angels is actually the Lord who has come to accomplish two things. One thing is to tell Abraham and Sarah they will have a son. The other part of their mission is to investigate the reason for people's cries to heaven. They will visit Sodom and make a judgement. You may not realize this, but God or His angels use many methods to judge us on a regular basis. He is not fooled by what you say. He knows your heart. He knows things you should do or say, and judges you
for sins of commission as well as omission. Robbing a bank is a sin of equal value as being too stingy to help a needy person. You can't hide the condition of your heart. 

    Abraham is apparently aware of the sinful conditions in Sodom, and doesn't want the entire city destroyed. Abraham "bargained" with the Lord to spare the city if 10 righteous people could be found. That took considerable intestinal fortitude. We don't have any bargaining power, but Abraham was speaking not for himself, but other Israelis. The Lord, showing great mercy, agreed to the plea by Abraham. When the angels arrived at Sodom, they met Lot, a righteous man, who took them to his home for the night.

    Now we learn that homosexuality is rampant in Sodom, as men and villagers surround Lot's home seeking the strangers. This is where we tend to accept the terminology without carefully considering the entire situation. These villagers want to have sex with the strangers, a homosexual act. But, wait a minute. If the village men have forceful sex with these men, it is not only a homosexual act, but rape. With consensual sex, you don't
have what is termed a "victim." With rape of either sex, you do have a victim.

    I hear church people and conservatives denying that women aren't really victims. In fact, George Will, the newspaper columnist, claims college girls DESIRE to be raped because that is a coveted category for them. Girls may be sexually active, but that does not mean they "enjoy" rape. Rape, for a man or woman, is a highly traumatic experience. We have counseled rape victims, and they suffer terribly. It can take months and even years for the victim to return to normalcy. It seems there are quite a number of white
American men who think raping women isn't a crime, and the women only want attention. In fact, they have said there is a difference between legal and illegal rape. These poor excuses for men are actually imitating the Arabs and other nationalities that consider
women to be chattel, much like a cow or dog. There is no way rape  can be justified by a Christian. Worse yet, these white American men want total control of women's bodies. 

    Sad to say, there weren't 10 people in Sodom who were righteous or heeded the warning. I see many people today who don't heed any warning signs of sins except the "sensational" sins. Obviously the inhabitants of Sodom were living sin-filled lives. It had become so "normal", they no longer recognized  how far they had strayed from the Word of God. The terrible status of women in many countries of the world is deteriorating even further. Men of these countries see nothing wrong with kidnapping girls and women, selling them into prostitution or slavery. An untrue claim of rape does not mean all rape victims should be dismissed. Men, you should realize that God keeps count.

     We see from Genesis that homosexuality was given as the main reason for the destruction of Sodom. Although some were warned, they laughed it off. Only three people escaped. It's important to understand that those sins of Sodom were not the main reasons that caused Israel to go into captivity. Separating homosexuals and lesbians from society is not scriptural. God hates those sins, but He also hates all the other sins, and does not hate the sinner. Many, if not most, of those people don't want to be "different." Unfortunately, there are some who exploit sensationalism. Rape violates the victim,
and is an invasion of personal physical characteristics. 

    By selecting sexual oriented subjects and using sensationalism, people can build a forum to persuade others to support a program or individual that actually promotes a much different subject. A person   who knows he/she is guilty of gossip that contains little or no truth,  would find it easier to oppose homosexuality in other "less pure"  people. It is one way to enable the carnal being to ignore a personal   failing. As Christ said in John 8:7, "So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.'" These self righteous religious leaders were considering themselves to be the judge and jury of this woman. Our leaders today, both in the church and politics, are as guilty as those who stood before Christ that day. It is the preachers who rant about "selective" sin who must answer to God, but they'll have lots of company from politicians.

    Israel continually went through the 4-cycle historical rise and fall of a civilization. It has always been rags to stability-to wealth-to ruin. Take a look at America, and you can make a guess as to the future. Going back to Genesis, the people of Sodom were not only guilty of homosexuality, but they were disobeying the 10 Commandment and  not  worshiping  God. If we look at scripture historically, the pattern of lost worship has been the main reason for captivity and destruction. Deut. 29:26 tells us, "for they went and served other gods and  worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them." Jeremiah 23:14 likens Israel to Sodom and Gomorrah, but not because of sexuality. "And I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem : They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back from
his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah." Here you see the church leaders are called out by God for their wicked leadership. Leaders, both religious and carnal, had better watch their mouth and motives. God already knows their heart. Is God giving you an O for obedience or a D for disobedience?

    
    Lamentations is a book usually languishing in bible studies. It is beautiful poetry written by Jeremiah. It tells how and why Israel was stricken, but it also gives the people hope. Pay attention to the fact that greed overtook the people and sins listed in 4:13 were responsible. "Because of the sins of her prophets AND the iniquities of her priests, Who shed in her midst The blood of the just." Note it was oppression of the common folks by church leaders (who also were the civil leaders) that brought the Lord to punish Israel. God cares for all of us--remember John 3"16. If our leaders--both religious and civil--don't
take care of the people, God will step in. Better to make your stand now against misleading men than to offer God excuses later. His Book of Life has no omissions or errors.

    To recap: homosexuality and lesbianism are sins. They have the same value of evil as all other sins EXCEPT denying the Holy Spirit, the very power of God. Homosexuality and lesbianism are victim-less sins unless sex is forced. When sex is forced and non consensual, the act is RAPE. There is a victim who has been violated by both a religious and criminal act. There is no such thing as legal rape. There is, however, a continuing growth of ignorant white American men who do not honor women's place in God's world. If you hate this message, wait until you see "same sex marriage."

Rev. Walbear

FATHER'S DAY

                                                                  FATHER'S DAY

    We worship our Heavenly Father every day, and once a year we set  aside a day to show thankfulness and appreciation for our human father. Dad was a devoted husband and caring father. He was not trained for the ministry and was not denominational. He read his bible every day and led by example. He was not a bible-toting self righteous person claiming to be a Christian. He treated people as Christ taught in the Four Gospels.
  

  He did not claim to have any special gift, but when others had serious problems they came to him for prayer. And, did he have prayer power! As a very young boy I had recurring painful earaches. One bright summer day when I was nine, I suffered yet another  episode. I went to my bedroom, and my father came in, pulled up a chair to bedside and sat down. He had his bible with him. He looked at me as I lay in bed, unable to sleep because of the pain. He simply said "It's enough." He began praying silently, and I fell asleep. It was late in the day before I awakened. No more earache. It has been 70 plus years since that June Day, and I have never again experienced any problem with my ears.

    That was the first time I experienced the power of prayer personally. I knew that when Dad prayed, things happened. When people came to him with problems, he never broke confidence and spoke about the situation. I remember a day a few years earlier when Dad went to open our country general store in the morning. It was too late. Thieves had broken in during the night. My Dad called the police. Then he took his bible and prayed.
   

 Later that morning the police called and said they had caught two men they believed were the robbers. It was them. They lived about 25 miles from our rural store, and, as Dad explained, became confused when God "blinded their eyes". They could see, but got lost and kept riding around in circles, causing the police to be suspicious. The items
they stole were in the car, and all were returned.
  

  I was sold on Christ's message shortly after I learned to walk. There were so many of these "miracle" results from his prayers that I had no doubt about Christianity. I recalled scripture where a woman touched Christ's garment and was healed. I thought my Dad must somehow have touched Christ's garment to receive some of the power the
disciples were given.

    Mother always wanted me to go into the professional fields, but Dad always half teased me abut becoming a preacher. After college I did many things in several fields, and ignored God's call because I couldn't see myself as a minister like most of those I saw. However, I did eventually answer His second call. Dad was sort of awed that I actually studied for the ministry.
   

 When I reflected on Dad's accomplishments and how he always took the Godly path, I had that to compare with all I had learned and experienced working in other fields. Dad was not college educated, but took on many responsibilities. He was both the school board, superintendent, and secretary-treasurer of the one room school in Villanova #8. He hired teachers and installed playground equipment. During WW II, he was the area's Civil Patrol officer and Air Raid Warden. When we moved to the farm, he was a school board member who often went to Harrisburg to meet with state school officials. He set
up the first school lunch program in a consolidated rural school, several years before schools in area towns added lunch programs.
    

Dad's prayers and help with people of all denominations except a few who had "special" requirements to be their kind of Christian, showed me the need to be Christian, but not to be caught up in denominational do's and don'ts, nor be pious. He showed me life wisdom that some of my bible teachers probably will never attain. He stressed the basic
teaching of Christ as clearly explained in the Gospels. Next to  worshipping God is to love your neighbor. Much of today's Christian community has no love or care for the poor or needy. They equate all people who need help as lazy takers. They even want to change the name of social security to Government Entitlement Program. This is out and out stealing retired workers' savings through many years of work. And, it's Christian leaders who are pushing this.

    My Dad had a partnership relation with me. We had different skills, but the same purpose in life. He never expected pay or recognition for his ministry work. He always said he helped me  in my work until I was broke, and then I helped him until he was broke, and the cycle started over. Although Dad was always busy, he somehow found time to coach my team and practice with me. His unofficial college studies were of the self-help type, and he covered subjects from finance to history and geography. I was a voracious reader and he encouraged that. He taught me about the outdoors, from shooting and fishing to trapping.

    He had confidence in my abilities and usual common sense, and I was driving a tractor and doing field work ahead of most of my siblings. I know he was proud of me, and I'm blessed to have had a Dad who put me on the Godly path and pointed me in the right direction. We'll meet again and line up for further directions.

Thanks, Dad.  Rev. Walbear

The Rev. Walbear's mother and father pictured in front of their store.