—Excerpts from a Tape to Apollos.7/85DO 2032

1. WE REALLY LIKE'M! I haven't heard any complaints yet, but I've heard a lot of raves‚ so I think we're on the right track! They're terrific, you're really getting hot now, not just warming up! I mean it's exciting‚ thrilling! You're really rollin'! I knew you'd get warmed up sooner or later. We all get off to a rather slow start sometimes, & you can't always be hot because you have to sort of set the scene & stage the action, so it takes a little while.

2. I NOTICE IN A LOT OF MOVIES THESE DAYS THEY HAVE THE BAD HABIT OF SHOWING THE WORST FIRST, which apparently seems popular because so many people nowadays like to see the violent action first. They're afraid they're not going to capture their audience unless they put on the hottest scene first. They've gotta get'm all excited to want to see what's going to happen next!—In other words, to get'm hooked with the first scene so they can hang on to them for the rest of the story!

3. SO YOU'VE GOT'M & I THINK BY THIS THIRD CHAPTER YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE'M HOOKED ON THE STORY! Continued stories really go over nowadays. I've heard about some long-standing series that have been on TV in the States for 6 or 7 years! The people are still being baited to hang on because they got started.—Just like me, once I start a movie & get into it & get hooked, then no matter how lousy or awful or bad it is or how I hate it or whatever, I just cannot stand not to see how it ended! I'm one of those guys that if I ever start anything I've got to finish it!—Live or die, sink or swim, hell or high water‚ I've got to go on to the bitter end! So once we've got'm hooked, I'm hoping they'll hardly be able to wait for the next issue!

4. BY THE WAY, DON'T FORGET TO PUT ON THE BOTTOM LINE IN FINE PRINT, "TO BE CONTINUED!" OR "DON'T MISS THE NEXT EPISODE!", something exciting! Even when you say "To Be Continued," it ought to be exciting! I'll let you have a whole line on the last page so you can give'm a good hot bottom line about what's going to happen next, something that they've just gotta see or read!

5. BUT WATCH OUT! DON'T BE LIKE SOME OF OUR DEAR ARTISTS WHO WERE ALWAYS PICKING THE WORST POSSIBLE PICTURES & EMPHASISING THE WORST POSSIBLE HORRORS & TERRORS! Some of those prophetic studies I thought were more horror stories than they were encouraging! Don't forget to overbalance the terror & the horror with extremely encouraging scenes in order to really accentuate the positive.

6. I COULD HAVE KICKED MYSELF A FEW TIMES AFTER RECENT LESSONS & TALKS THAT SEEMED LIKE I SPENT THE WHOLE TIME ON SOMETHING NEGATIVE! But over all‚ figuring in other lessons with it, I think you could say I've been accentuating the positive, & certainly in the Posters we have! There are only about a half-a-dozen of those that are a little negative, but they're Warning Posters & they had to be. I think our Music is the same, we accentuate the positive, but there have to be a few rather negative or warning songs or tearjerkers in order to give it a little balance. We've got to take the bitter with the sweet.

7. I KNOW THIS PERIOD YOU'RE DEALING WITH IS A PERIOD OF HORROR & TERROR, but don't make it sound so bad you're going to scare the kids plumb to death & they're going to wish they could die & go Home to Heaven before it happens! Keep accentuating the positive! If you have a sad tale to tell, which you've gotta have, since we've gotta warn them about things that are going to happen‚ at the same time you can give them pointers & tips on how to avoid this or that, & bring out any mistakes she made, the things she should have done to have avoided some problem, etc.

8. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE FUTURE, showing them how to avoid the pitfalls & stumbling stones & the dangers & to try to wend their way through it safely. So keep that in mind. Bring out the negative which has to be brought out as a warning of the dangers & mistakes that you mustn't make, security measures‚ etc., but keep accentuating the victories & the positive & the good things.

9. THAT'S THE WHOLE MESSAGE OF HEAVEN'S GIRL FROM THE VERY FIRST DREAM! It was a horrible picture, in a way, to see her rising out of that sepulchre, that tomb‚ but it had that tremendously miraculously supernatural victorious note that she was lifting that huge stone with apparently effortless ease & getting the victory!—Like the resurrection! Don't be like the churches, especially the Catholic Church in particular, which keeps reminding everybody of the death & has nothing but crosses & death & crucifixion & fear, & forgets to emphasise the Resurrection!

10. LET'S EMPHASISE THE VICTORY! The only reason God has let evil come into the World is to show us the bright side & to show us the victories & how to overcome it! It talks a lot about overcoming in the Bible. And that's the way you need to really steam it up, with the tremendous victories that were the result of a trial or test or persecution, that God gets His greatest victories out of seeming defeat! They may seem like defeats, & you've got to bring that out, because the light never shines so brightly as it does against the darkness. You're already doing it, but I just want to give you those general guidelines so you'll remember to keep emphasising the positive.

11. ALTHOUGH IT'S A TERRIBLE SITUATION, IT COMES OUT GLORIOUSLY VICTORIOUS & THE LORD DOES MIRACLES TO SAVE THEM! The whole Bible's full of that. You see the black clouds & the black side of the picture, but then it's certainly more positive than it is negative. The victory never looks so good as it does against a real hard battle. So don't forget that you're not just telling a story, you're not just trying to make it exciting, you are‚ but you're trying to give them a Message: Not to be afraid!

12. DON'T FORGET THAT'S YOUR MESSAGE: WATCH OUT FOR THIS, THAT & THE OTHER‚ BUT DON'T BE AFRAID, THE LORD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU! That's our message, that's how we teach the future. We've got a lot of horrible terror tales to tell about the future, but why do we tell'm?—To let them know the other side, "Don't worry, God's going to take care of it & God's going to save you out of it & take care of you & do mighty signs & wonders & great works to do it!" So keep'm looking more on the bright side than on the dark side. And with every battle or even every seeming defeat or severe trial or persecution, whatever it is, be sure to spend a little more time on how gloriously they came out of it & keep their minds constantly inspired & thrilled with the victories & be reassured & encouraged & inspired to not be afraid.

13. YOUR STORIES SHOULD INSPIRE FAITH & CONFIDENCE & COURAGE & OPTIMISM!—That in spite of all this we're going to come out on top & He's going to preserve us! After all, He's got to! If there are going to be millions Raptured, which obviously there are‚ He must be doing millions more miracles to preserve them right to the very bitter End! So let's accentuate the positive, only bringing in the negative to show how great the positive is!

14. KEEP INSPIRING THEM, KEEP ENCOURAGING THEM! If you have to present a black picture & show something negative, some trial or persecution or terrible event, be sure you paint a beautiful predominantly white figure against that dark background.—Just like I like our nice golden girls against a nice bright blue background! Gold & blue are complementary colours, you know, & a dark blue background really sets off the beautiful gold of their bodies, & even golden hair. Even if it's brown gold, it's more beautiful against the right kind of background. So against your dark backgrounds I want you to be sure you bring out the beauties & make them predominant. Be sure the major focus of attention is on the beauty & not on the Beast! That's the point!

SPICE IT UP!

16. I TOLD YOU ABOUT PEARL BUCK IN CHINA, THE MISSIONARY'S DAUGHTER. The publishers returned her book The Good Earth & said, "Put more dirt in it!" Well, they call it dirt, we don't. But let's have her be happy & having fun part of the time, she ought to have a little romance everywhere she goes! ... Come on, make it juicy! Work it in & have fun!

17. LET'S MAKE THIS AN ENJOYABLE STORY AS WELL AS A GORY ONE! Let's make it mostly enjoyable. Let's look on the story as a happy story!—A thrilling story‚ a positive story, a good story‚ one that will leave us with a good feeling every Chapter, that God got the victory‚ she had fun or there was something good going on as well against the dark background. Don't make the evil look predominant, like it's winning, although it will look like it, but then will come the biggest good!

18. I WANT TO ENJOY EVERY CHAPTER I READ! I WANT HER TO REALLY BE MY KIND OF GAL! I WANT HER TO HAVE FUN! We're all working hard & we all suffer persecution & bad publicity & trials & tribulations & hard work & a lot of things, like we're going through right now trying to get all these pubs ready, but in the meantime we're having a lot of fun! I'm enjoying life!

19. IT'S TOO LATE FOR YOU TO TRY TO HIDE ANY SEXINESS ABOUT US, IT'S IN THE NEWSPAPER HEADLINES ALL OVER THE WORLD! So don't worry about it! We've got nothing to hide now, we're all exposed‚ so we might as well capitalise on it! That's what I've told the Family to do in their rebuttals, for God's sake, to challenge'm & say, "Well‚ what the Hell's wrong with sex? What is it you don't like about pretty nudes? What's wrong with that?" You can see who's attacking us, it's the narrow-minded church people! Their minds are so narrow they can hardly draw a fine line! Their minds are made up, you can't confuse them with the facts! Let'm go!

20. BUT ANYWAY, THERE'S NO USE HIDING IT, WE'VE GOT A WORLDWIDE REPUTATION! LET'S NOT BE ASHAMED OF IT, LET'S CAPITALISE ON IT! The churches attack us on it, they hate it, but they're the only ones who don't like sex & nudity. You just take a look at all the pubs that are coming out with it! So why should we be ashamed of sex or nudity? Let's capitalise on it & emphasise it! We sure weren't ashamed of it in the early days! Of course, when our pubs were going to the hands of the whole World & the GP, we began to have to be a little bit careful & we use a little more wisdom now, at least we don't want to break any obscenity & pornography laws & stuff like that. But I think we've gotten to a happy medium now where we can kind of keep it under control & keep them just scantily & beautifully clad.

21. ... Don't make her look too weak! I know you're trying to emphasise the power of God, but God usually uses people that do have quite a bit on the ball & a lot of drive & aggressiveness. Look at me! He usually uses fighters! Look at Maria! She may be a little gal, but let me tell you, she's got fight! She's a real fighter or she wouldn't have gotten by this long! She's driving this whole thing, all these new pubs & everything else! She's passed me up! She's really speeding!

22. SO DON'T PAINT HER TOO WEAK & WILLOWY & PUSILLANIMOUS, LET'S MAKE SURE SHE'S GOT PLENTY OF FIGHT! We know she's a weak woman & normally not very powerful‚ but don't paint her as being too weak & frail like she's weak & sickly & she can't do any-thing! She's supposed to be a little Jewess, remember, & let me tell you, they've got a lot of push! The Jews are very aggressive & have got a lot of fight or they wouldn't have gotten to where they are now! They're running the World!—And they're a tiny minority compared to the billions of Gentiles! So let's show she's strong & healthy ... with a lot of drive!

23. SOME OF THESE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE HAD A LOT OF PUSH & A LOT OF DRIVE EVEN IF GOD HADN'T ANOINTED THEM! Let's face it, in some cases I think He takes people who've got that natural drive, like you & me & Maria & some of the rest of us! He takes that talent & He takes that drive & that vigor & that fervour & that fight & He uses it to His glory! He enhances it & inspires even more & gives us even more strength & uses it for His glory.

24. SO DON'T MAKE HER LOOK TOO WEAK & SICKLY & FRAIL & HARDLY ABLE TO MOVE! KEEP HER PUSHING, really hitting in there & able to enjoy [life] on the way! She should be just like us! Make it exciting, ... make it thrilling, & most of all, make it enjoyable! Though they have all their troubles, most of what's happening you enjoy watching. You've always got to have a few villains to spice it up, but especially a little [romance] to spice it up! So let's go after'm! Go get'm! Carry on!—And this gal really oughtta be carrying on!

"YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS!"

25. I'M EXPECTING YOU TO WRITE IT ALL DOWN! I KNOW YOU CAN‚ BECAUSE I'VE SEEN WHAT YOU'VE WRITTEN! You can't back out now, Boy! You can't tell me you can't do it now, because I've seen it & I'm reading it! So come on, let's go! I want to see her go go go! Hallelujah! GBY! ILY! I'll be looking for the next Chapter & I really can hardly wait!

26. JUST TAKE THE FIRST THING THAT COMES & TRUST THAT IT'S FROM GOD, that you asked for bread & He didn't give you a stone, you asked for fish & He didn't give you a serpent, & let'r rip!

27. YOU'VE GOT TO DO JUST LIKE THE ARTISTS DO, SIT DOWN TO THAT TAPE RECORDER & SEE VISIONS, WATCH THE STORY AS IT HAPPENS! God will give it to you! Every artist does that & every writer does that! You face a blank page & you've just got to see what's happening & describe it. Just sit down at that tape recorder & pray & ask God to show you, & you'll just rattle it off watching His movies! Don't try to think it up or pump it up, just describe what He shows you! I mean it! That's what I do.

28. MY WORK'S SO EASY, I JUST DESCRIBE WHAT GOD SHOWS ME, THAT'S ALL! That's the whole thing. I just rattle on. I see it as it's happening & I just describe it. That's inspiration‚ that's prophecy, & I believe that's what's going to happen in this story! He's going to inspire you so that you'll sit down at that tape recorder, shut your eyes‚ watch the pictures go by, hear the audio & just describe it! I mean it! Just pray desperately that God will give it to you & then just describe what God gives you!

29. "YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS!" (JOEL 2:28) THERE'S A SCRIPTURE FOR YOU, IT'S A PROMISE! We old men just dream dreams.—But I've had a few visions too. You should be just rattling off the description of those visions He's going to give you, & expect it! Sit down with that tape recorder, pray desperately & expect God to show you what's happening. Get away alone or where no sounds distract you, shut your eyes & just pray & describe what you see. I know He can give it to you! Good night, if He can give it to me, He can give it to you! I'm twice as old as you are‚ an old wreck! You're young & vigorous & should really be able to see visions!

30. I HOPE YOU'RE INSPIRED, SON! I hope I didn't discourage you. You've got a great job to do‚ but He's going to do it! You just sit down & tell it, that's all, like I do! He gives it, you just pass it on. GBY! ILY! Thanks a lot!

Copyright (c) 1997 by The Family