NEW COLONIES!
DO 59
3/71
REPORTS--IDENTIFYING REPORTS & LETTERS
1. WILL YOU ALL PLEASE I.D. YOUR NOTES, LETTERS & LOGS--all of them--every scrap of paper you send us with your personal Bible name, location and the date of writing in the top right-hand, corner of at least the first page of your communication!--And sign! I believe this will be a great help to all of us & all who receive your communications, not only us, to be able to tell at a glance who it's from, where it's from & when it was written! This is extremely important, particularly at this distance, so we can quickly identify your communication without thumbing through all the pages trying to find out who wrote it, so we can understand better who's talking & whose standpoint it's written from, as well as where you were when you wrote it, & definitely when!
MAIL--HOW TO STUDY, MARK & ANSWER!
2. FIRST OF ALL, DON'T EVEN BEGIN READING THE LETTER UNTIL YOU HAVE A NICE BRIGHT COLOURED PEN OR PENCIL IN YOUR HAND to underline important phrases, circle vital words & check things to answer. Then when you are answering the Letter, you will be able to hold the copy in front of you & easily note the various items which should be mentioned. This will also help you in your reading of the Letter to others & your study of it together, since the major subjects are clearly marked in bright colours! Otherwise, in a lengthy, closely-types Letter such as ours, which is written this way to save postage, if you have not marked it, when you come to answering it, you haven't time to read it again, you've forgotten what it was about, and the very thought of having to wade through it again to pick out its salient points discourages you utterly.
3. WHEN IT COMES TO THE LORD'S IMPORTANT BUSINESS & URGENT ITEMS WHICH SHOULD BE ATTENDED TO, WE MUST BE DILIGENT & NOT NEGLECTFUL! So please try to remember to mark our Letters as you read them, so you can quickly run through the pages & see what needs to be answered when you're done! This will also help you with your other mail, logs etc., because it's physically impossible to just look at a pile of mail, or a mass of writing on a page & remember everything in it that needs to be attended to! Good marking is the solution! PTL!
4. THEN, HAVING MARKED A PIECE OF MAIL, I PUT A SYMBOL AT THE TOP OF THE FIRST PAGE SHOWING I HAVE READ IT (a circled capital R), & also an X or checkmark in bright red, if there is some specific question in it which must be answered, or item which merits comment.
5. NEXT, WE HAVE A SPECIAL BOX, OR TRAY, IN WHICH TO PUT THIS MAIL WHICH IS READY TO BE ANSWERED, so it won't get mixed up with everything else, lost or misplaced, until it is attended to, & we know right where it is when we're ready to write you!
6. AFTER ANSWERING YOUR LETTER, WE MARK IT "ANS'D", WITH THE DATE OF ANSWERING, & FILE IT in a special section for you, in case we need to refer to it again. It's just as simple as that! I think our simple little system will help you a great deal if you try it, or develop one of your own. Whatever you do, please not only respond with another letter, but answer the specific questions, comment on the specific suggestions, tell us what you like or don't like & what you intend to do about it! Thank you very much. We'll surely appreciate your help on this.
EXHORTATION TO OVERWORKING LEADERS--HEEDING WARNINGS
7. I DON'T GO MUCH FOR THE GERM THEORY ABOUT CATCHING THINGS--at least not if you're strong & in good health, getting sufficient rest, a wholesome diet, healthful exercise & freedom from too much tension or worry. If you keep in the pink, it seems you won't even catch a cold, no matter how much of it is going around. If you keep up your resistance, the Enemy just has to flee, be he germ or otherwise; but if you abuse the temple, are intemperate in your activities, immoderate in not getting enough rest etc., you're bound to suffer the consequence!
8. I KNOW HOW THE LORD MUST FEEL WHEN HE WARNS US OVER & OVER AGAIN & WE STILL DON'T HEED HIS WORD! There are some things that God cannot do, because He will not do them, because He has bound Himself within certain limitations, so as not to interfere with your power of choice, because you have to make the decision, & He's not going to force you to do His Will! Whosoever will may come!
9. SOMETIMES IT REMINDS ME OF THE STORY OF THE CHILDREN PLAYING IN A SMALL BOAT ON THE NIAGARA RIVER. The boat was drifting closer & closer to a warning sign called "The Point of No Return". Once past this point, the current would be too swift for them to escape it & they would be swept over the raging cataract to the rocks below! If they had started to row their little boat toward the shore before reaching this point, they could've been saved; but although the man on the shore called as loud as he could, the children were too busy playing & their own voices & the roar of the Falls drowned out his warning voice--& they were swept to their doom!
10. IT'S A TERRIBLE FEELING WHEN YOU SEE IT HAPPENING & CAN'T STOP IT, BECAUSE PEOPLE WON'T LISTEN! It's like banging on the locked door of a house and yelling "Fire"!--but the people inside have the TV turned up too loud to hear you--until it's too late! It's like witnessing Salvation to the lost who won't listen, or a life-saver to a drowning man is ignored by his floundering! God help us! Are you listening?
11. WHEN YOU STOP CONFIDING IN US FOR OUR COUNSEL, DON'T TELL US YOUR TROUBLES, OR TRY TO IGNORE THEM, when you cease giving us the inside story of what's happening, from the viewpoint of the leader himself, when you personally stop communicating & get out of touch with leadership yourself, something is wrong, or bound to go wrong!
12. IT'S LIKE THE STORY I'VE SO OFTEN TOLD YOU ABOUT THE CONSOLIDATED AIRCRAFT CORPORATION PLANT IN SAN DIEGO, where they had that sign on the wall facing the highway in letters about ten feet tall & two blocks long, "Nothing Short of Right is Right"! You remember this expert machinist was given this multi-thousand-Dollar elaborate & complicated new piece of machinery to operate. As the boss finished showing his how to operate it, he said, "I know you're a good machinist, Joe, but don't try to fix this one yourself! It's too new & complicated. If you have any trouble, call me. "But the young machinist was so smart & such an expert & had been so successful thus far, that when the trouble came, he thought he could fix it without help!--But instead he totally wrecked it! When the boss came storming in to see what had happened, the young man kept pleading, "But I did my best, I did the best I could! You can't blame me! I did my very best to try to fix it--But I just couldn't do it!" The boss looked him straight in the eye & said firmly, "I told you if you had any trouble to call me! Your very best was to call on me! You've wrecked a $100,000 machine & lost your job! I can't have a man working for me who won't obey orders!"
THE QUALIFICATIONS & JOB OF THE SHEPHERD
13. HE IS THE APOSTLE, PROPHET, EVANGELIST, PASTOR & TEACHER OF HIS LITTLE TEAM. He really needs be each & all of these, particularly on a small team, if he is going to be effective. He also needs wisdom, knowledge, faith & discernment, if possible especially as the Leader. Others on his team can have the other gifts such as miracles, healing, tongues, interpretation, etc.--also including helps & governments, which are vitally essential to the organisation of any team, as these cover administration, organisation, provisioning, public relations, overseeing, work schedules, kitchen cooking, washing dishes, right down to sweeping the floors! The Lord doesn't leave out anything.
14. SOMEBODY'S GOT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY SINGLE JOB, even in as small a team as six in a tiny apartment: Somebody still has to be the boss & spiritual leader to guide, hear from the Lord, make decisions, keep the unity, teach, counsel, advise, judge, supervise & organise. He's also responsible to see that reports are made to his superior officers, home base, & to make sure that his Home does not neglect to communicate in any way. He should write a short personal report from his viewpoint of the problems & needs in particular of his Home. This is vital to keep in communication, unity & a constant indicator of the exact state of his Home, its problems & needs.
THE SHEPHERD'S PERSONAL REPORT
15. WE WANT TO HEAR PERSONALLY FROM YOU, DEAR SHEPHERDS, as to what you think the problems & needs are, things you think need attention or changing & your suggestions on how to do it, as well as any major news.
16. SO WHAT IS NEWS? New disciples, new witnessing experiences, new visitors, new gifts or donations, new healings, new unusual classes or meeting, new outstanding, significant & specific, predictive prophecies--not necessarily every word--these you can keep in your own Home's Book of Remembrance! But just give us the high points, the important points to all of us!
17. SOME OF YOU NEED TO LEARN THE LESSON OF TRAIN CONDUCTOR FLANNIGAN: The first time his train had a slight accident, he wrote such a lengthy & expensive telegram about it that the boss fired back, "Next time cut it short! I don't have time to read it"! So the next time, when the train was actually seriously derailed, Flannigan sent the following wire to his superintendent: "Off again, on again, gone again!--Flannigan"!
18. PLEASE DON'T LEAVE OUT THE NEW PROBLEMS, such as serious personnel difficulties, or equipment & essential needs or any contacts with authorities whatsoever, good or bad! Don't forget the personal health of yourself & your flock--this is vital, particularly any serious changes or developments, illnesses or "accidents" or pregnancies, etc. I am interested in you & what happens to you that's important, including any important spiritual changes in you or any of your personnel! Some of these can be warning danger signals of possible bigger troubles to come, which we might be able to prevent, if acted on in time!
19. REMEMBER, CHANGE IS ONE OF THE SEVEN BASIC NEEDS OF HUMAN HAPPINESS! VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE & maybe they're just bored with you, your routine, their job, or the scenery! Maybe you haven't given them enough responsibility to satisfy or challenge their capabilities & keep them busy. If you keep'm busy enough with others' problems, they won't have time to worry about their own--or maybe they need a change! Give'm a bigger job, send'm on the road! If they don't like the way you do things, put'm on their own!--Sink or swim!
GOOD SHEPHERDING
20. REMEMBER, SHEPHERDS, A GOOD LEADER STICKS TO HIS OWN JOB OF LEADERSHIP & doesn't try to do everybody else's job in the bargain! Your job as shepherd is to do all of the things which no one else can do, or no one else is supposed to do, & not to anything that he can get somebody else to do! That's the job of leadership: To put everybody to work at a job they can do, & keep them working & make sure it's done. If you try to do everything yourself, you're soon gonna break down, wear out & lose time. You should be able to do everybody else's job if you have to, but don't do it unless you have to, in case of emergency, absence etc.--emergencies & absences which should not occur, if you manage right! Of course, this is not always your fault, but shortages of personnel are frequently the fault of those higher up than you, who fail to manage right!
21. A GOOD SHEPHERD SHOULD BE FULL OF IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, corrections, challenges, arguments, persuasions & downright insistence on his rights under the articles of war--God's Word--& mine! Of course, if you can't persuade your superior that you're right, you still have to obey, because right or wrong, he's still the boss, or you'll break the chain of cooperation, be guilty of insubordination & threaten the whole organisational structure of the army!--But you can at least try! Blind obedience can sometimes be too blind!
22. ANY TRULY GOOD LEADER WELCOMES QUESTIONS, suggestions & even contrary ideas to his own! He knows he needs to see all sides & to weigh them in the balance of his judgement, prayerfully before the Lord, & try to agree together on a unanimous decision if possible! "And it seemed good to all of them"! Hallelujah!
23. WHEN IT CAME TO MAKING ANY MAJOR DECISION, I have nearly always called you in, tried to present all sides of the situation, described the conditions, possible alternatives, probable results of each, & asked for your suggestions & comments & what you thought we ought to do about it. Even though the Lord has usually already revealed to me the answer, I like to have the confirmation of two or three or more witnesses & your agreement! This encourages my own faith & helps me to know that it's the Lord!
24. SHEPHERDS, WHEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM TO HANDLE OR A DECISION TO MAKE, don't be afraid to call your leaders together for prayer, discussion & unanimous agreement! This is the way the Early Church was run & the way any wise leader will operate, "Bear ye one another's burdens & so fulfil the Law of Christ!"--Gal.6:2. I even ask my little secretary what she thinks about this or that & she always has some good ideas! Of course, I don't always agree with her, but that's life; but then, sometimes she's right! Try it! Since you're the leader, & will be held accountable by God & man, you must finally decide!
25. ALSO, YOU LEADERS & OFFICERS SHOULD KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE LAWS, in the case of minors, 10:36ers, trespassers, kidnappers, assault & battery, involuntary imprisonment or servitude etc. God's Laws pretty well cover everything: Love Him; love your neighbour (Mk.12:30,31); if he asks for your coat, give him your vest, too; if they ask you to go a mile, go two (Mat.5:40-41); if they smite you on one cheek, turn the other (Mat.5:38-44); resist not evil, but overcome evil with good (Mat.5:39; Rom.12:21); give to him that asketh thee, & from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away (Mat.5:42); love your enemies, bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you, & pray for them which despitefully use you & persecute you (Mat.5:44)! Nevertheless, you should also balance these Scriptures with others, as the occasion warrants, including, resist the Enemy (Jan.4:7), (not by force, but with Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, for our weapons are not carnal, but mighty to the tearing down of strongholds) (Eph.6:17; 2Cor.10:4), & remember that in the final analysis, if all else fails, it is better to obey God than Man (Acts 5:29); but do all that you can to agree with your adversary as far as you can (Mat.5:25), before you take that final stand!
BETTER TO PACIFY PARENTS THAN TO HAVE LEGAL BATTLES
26. LEGAL HASSLES CAN BE ANNOYING, DIFFICULT, TIME-CONSUMING & EXPENSIVE EVEN IF YOU'RE INNOCENT: so the Lord's advice above is still best, in order to avoid them entirely, no matter what your legal rights are. It's like that safely poster I told you about, where the guy was dying in the wreck, & the title said, "He had the right of way"!--It doesn't always pay to insist upon it!--The other guy may not know it--& you could be wrong! Besides, although relatives other than the Mother or Father do not usually have jurisdiction over minors unless legal guardianship has been committed to them, if you so much as lay a finger on them, they can charge you with assault & battery, right or wrong, & cause you a big court case! They can even sue you for damages in civil court, or almost anything, if you make'm mad enough!
27. SO THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO TRY TO PACIFY THEM, AGREE WITH THEM: but if they won't even listen to your legal rights, watch out about insisting or resisting! Let the kid stand up for himself--don't you physically interfere. If he hasn't got the guts to resist himself, I wouldn't advise you to do if for him, or he may surprise you by not agreeing with you & going with'm anyhow voluntarily. You don't have to permit them on your property or through your door; & it might be well to put a lock or a chain on it, or a peep-hole through which you can converse with threatening outsiders without letting them in!
28. AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE, a fence at the top is better than a hospital at the bottom. However, though even in this you may be within your rights, if you keep the door locked, they may call the cops & claim imprisonment! Remember, love never fails!--1Cor.13:8.--And that includes making them write their parents frequently to avoid such hassles!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family