— MODO 535 August 17‚ 1976

[HomeARC note: FFing was discontinued in 1987.]

1. Well, I don't know if it means anything‚ it's such a crazy little dream! But I still remember it. We were on this boat, I and the children, including Ho, and it was like they were small again. Ho was about seven or eight and the others their corresponding ages. Now why particularly it was Ho I don't know. It seemed there were several other children there, too‚ but I was the only adult in our group.

2. We were on this big riverboat going up this big, big river. It was somewhere around Portland, Oregon, in the Northwest United States. We were going north. I can remember it was night time. We could see the lights all along the shore.

3. Up ahead we could see the lights of two big cities across from each other. It seemed like it was Portland on the right-hand side and Seattle on the other side, but I don't think that's possible because Portland and Seattle aren't that close together. Well, I knew it was Seattle on the left because that's where we were headed, but I wasn't sure what the other city was. I was trying to think‚ "Now what big city could that be right across the Sound from Seattle? What city was that ... ?"

4. But anyway, we were going up the right side of the river and it seemed that when you got up there to these two big cities, the boat we were on for some reason or other couldn't take us to the other side of the river to Seattle. We had to get off at this other big city, Portland or whatever it was, on the right side and take a little ferry across to Seattle. And so we did.

5. We got off this big boat and we got on this little ferry. The first thing that caught our attention on this ferry was a small amusement park, with all kinds of kids' stuff and rides and whatnot. And the kids began to get really interested in all these playthings.

6. Now somehow or another to get across to the other side you had to find your way around through this ferry to come out at the right place, and the way was marked by a sort of dotted line painted on the decks up and down the steps.

7. You were supposed to follow this line, which was about three or four inches wide. There were all kinds of different lines‚ but the line you had to follow to get to Seattle was this special one marked "Little Dog."

8. And they gave each of us one of these little long rag doll dogs to carry as we followed our line. I guess it was so you'd remember what line you were supposed to follow. It was sort of like a ticket or something. I remember it was real floppy, you know, one of these long dachshunds.

9. So I was leading the way holding my dog in my hand. The dogs were real limp rag doll kinds of dogs—you know, about 18 inches long ... real cute little dogs. Who could've ever thought of such a crazy, crazy dream! I have the craziest dreams! At first they don't seem to mean anything, but maybe we'll get the meaning as we go on.

10. So you had to be real careful to follow the right line because there were all kinds of different lines going in different directions named other things, and the people walked along'm carrying their dolls of various kinds; whatever their particular route was supposed to be was all marked with different kinds of rag dolls. So you had to be very cautious to follow the right line and keep on the one you were assigned to.

11. And we were on the "little dog" line. It was sometimes kind of worn off—the paint was worn off in places and you'd lose it and have to go back and find it again. So, one of the times we were searching for it,

12. I looked back and the kids weren't there. I had gotten so interested in trying to find the way and the line that somehow or another I'd gotten ahead of them or lost'm. Since I was having such a difficult time with the line I thought that maybe they'd kept on the right way and I'd gotten lost.

13. I finally found the line again, but I couldn't find the kids. I found it where it was going down some steps. But I couldn't find the kids and I began to call and call and call 'em, but I couldn't find 'em. And I got so worried about them. We were lost from each other on this strange boat, strangers in a strange place. It's terrible to lose someone, to be lost from each other. I had to go back to try to find them somewhere.

14. I began looking everywhere for them, running up and down steps, on different decks, checking around all the people running around following all the other lines. I wasn't even concerned about finding the "Little Dog" route; I was just looking for the kids.

15. Finally, I just sat down to rest under this big sort of beam with a light post hanging on it. I sat over there and I was tired, and well, I was just about to give up.

16. I kept calling and calling ... Mostly I called Jon, but then I remembered that wasn't his name anymore, so I tried, "Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!" The people looked at me so funny going around calling, "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

17. But I couldn't get any answer and I didn't know where the kids were, and I was pretty worried about 'em. I thought‚ if they followed the line and got there first without me, what would they do in a big city like Seattle? So I thought,

18. "I hope they wait for me wherever they get off the boat if they find their way out." The last comforting thought was, well, I suppose other people do get lost on this boat sometimes and they get lost from each other.

19. They must have a paging system at the exit on the Seattle side where you can page your friends or family if you got lost from each other. It was a very comforting thought, so I just decided to sit there and rest a while, since I couldn't find them.

20. I'd wait till I'd found my own way out of the boat and then I would have them paged and I'd surely find them then. And that's the last thing I remember. It was just a crazy dream—maybe it doesn't mean anything. It's funny I would remember it so clearly, though.

21. I don't know exactly what significance it could have. What in the world we were doing in the United States I don't know. It was like we'd been away a long time and we were just coming back. Seattle is a port. It was like we were coming back on a big huge ocean liner.

22. It wasn't on the big boat that we ran into the problem; it was on this smaller ferry ... this amusement ferry. See‚ you had to get off the big boat to get across the river on this amusement ferry. It was the only way to get across the river to Seattle. I don't know what that means about the ferry being all full of amusements.

23. It was part of the journey we had to take. But there were a lot of rides and kids' playthings to play on. But what the significance of the "Little Dog" line is, I don't know. Wiener dog—the craziest thing! The line was marked clearly—I remember looking at it. Every so often along the line there would be the words "Little Dog" painted on the line in a certain color which I can't remember now. I think it was brown; the words "Little Dog" were in green. ... The little dog is a pet. ... Maybe it's no use trying to figure out anything—maybe this dream doesn't mean anything.

24. But it could be that the kids got sidetracked with amusements or something as they were following this line on this boat. I made sure they stuck to the route, the "Little Dog" route, but they got lost from me.

25. I know I was sticking very diligently to it. Sometimes it was hard to find, but I had my little dog in my hand and I was sticking very diligently to the "Little Dog" line. But then I looked back and they were gone.

26. Maybe the Flirty Fishing can get to be like an amusement—more for amusement than for seriously witnessing and winning souls. The Lord gives us so many pleasant things and pleasurable things to enjoy because we please Him. He even gives us playthings and people to play with and a lot of fun to have along the way, but if you get so interested in the fun that you forget what your job is‚ the route you're supposed to be following, and you forget the way, the way you're going, you can get lost.

27. I was going around so worried about trying to find them because they'd obviously lost their way somehow, and I knew I had the way, because I remember saying, "Oh, there it is!" There were the words "Little Dog," and I called the children, and said, "Here it is‚ children!" and I looked around and the children were gone.

28. I was very very diligently trying to find the way—the "Little Dog" line. Sometimes if you're hunting something you follow dogs, who follow the scent and follow the trail. A poet once called the Holy Spirit the "Hound of Heaven."

29. It was almost like the dog represents the Holy Spirit. We were following the Holy Spirit's trail. He's leading. And I was very diligently following it, seeking it. Sometimes it was a little difficult because it was a little faint. But I was very careful to be sure to stay on the right track and so glad to see the words "Little Dog" on the trail again.

30. But I looked back and the kids were gone. I figured they were playing on the rides. The first thing I thought was, "Oh, they've stopped to play with some of these amusements and they've gotten off the track." But I just couldn't find'm. I kept calling and calling and they didn't answer; so finally I gave up and sat down to rest.

31. I had the great reassurance to know that when we got to the port‚ at least, I'd have 'em paged and they'd surely come then. Maybe we can page them by getting the Letters out in which we lay down the rules of Flirty Fishing.

32. Maybe I can finally get 'em rounded up on the right track again when I get to the shore to the gate, the goal. And I thought, the authorities will surely have some kind of paging system. I'll call 'em then and we'll get back together. I'll just have to page 'em, I thought. I'll have to send out a general call. So that's the "Little Dog" Dream. Isn't it funny? Well, we got something out of it!

33. It's obvious that the kids got sidetracked by the amusements and the fun fair (which is very easy to do), and all the little playthings and the rides. Somewhere along the line they got too interested in having fun and they forgot they were supposed to be following a certain route to get somewhere. They forgot they had a definite destination‚ that they were really going somewhere.

34. In other words, they got their mind off their business and got it on pleasure and amusements instead. So, we're going to have to call 'em. I've been calling 'em a little bit. However, we're going to have to give 'em a little stronger call on the paging system—I guess that's stronger Letters—to get 'em rounded up and back on the right track again.

35. You can sure get sidetracked on the Flirty Fishing if you don't look out! When we hear that many of our top leaders are getting so involved in Flirty Fishing, we wonder when the administration is getting done—when the overseeing of all their flocks is being taken care of. You wonder that, because we know how much time it took when we started FFing every night. It takes a lot of time and the people that have other important jobs of overseeing just shouldn't let themselves get so completely involved in something like that that they don't have time to do their other jobs. "This ought ye to have done and not to have left the other undone" (Mat.23:23).

36. And another thing, you know how often some of these gals get sidetracked and try to see how many men they can get in bed instead of how many men they can actually win to the Lord. And we heard of one top leader who for a while was trying to see how many men she could get in bed, a different one every night, instead of really winning 'em. She took someone to bed the very first night she met 'em! Can you imagine! Straight to bed! First night! Well, we did that a few times in the experimental stages at the beginning, but we've learned that this is not usually very profitable. Some are apt to get sidetracked with the fun and the rides and the pleasures of Flirty Fishing and to forget what they're doing it for.

37. We're trying to win souls; we're not just trying to get guys in bed. Some of these people need to remember what they're doing their Flirty Fishing for; it's not to see how many people you can land in bed but how many people you can win to the Lord, right? Well, if you get any meaning out of that dream at all, that must be it:

38. Better stick to the trail and follow the little dog, the Holy Spirit, and not get sidetracked with all the amusements, pleasures and fun. It does have its fun and its pleasures and thrill along the way, too, of course, and it is sometimes quite amusing, but you don't want to let that get you off the track or you'll lose your way—you'll forget what you're doing it for. You'll forget where you're going.

39. You're not trying to see how many people you can get in bed with but how many people you can really win to the Lord, because we're not doing it just to have fun dancing and drinking and partying and going out and going to bed and fucking.

40. You're doing it to try to win souls. Sometimes some people really get their eyes off the goal and on the method. They get their eyes off the end and on the means. So actually it's just a means to the end in Flirty Fishing. And you're not even supposed to go to bed with 'em unless you absolutely have to to keep 'em on the line or get 'em well hooked.

41. That's the last resort, if you ever have to get 'em in bed. But some of these people think that's the main idea‚ to get 'em in bed. But the main idea is not to try to get 'em in bed, but to try to get 'em into the Lord. If you get 'em to the Lord without going to bed with them, all the better. You girls sometimes have to‚ to keep 'em interested and to prove you love them and that God loves them and to keep 'em on the line and get 'em firmly hooked.

42. You gotta let them swallow the bait once in a while all the way, hook, line, and sinker. But if you can get the hook in their jaw with just a few nibbles, it's much easier and safer for you instead of trying to always make sure that you get yourself swallowed along with the hook.

43. Sometimes, girls, you'll find it's a little difficult to get unswallowed. Some of these guys get hung up on the girls instead of the Lord. And when it comes to your having to go on then to some other man, the guy gets a little flustered and frustrated and sometimes real angry 'cause you desert him for somebody else, especially if you got that serious with him.

44. It is time-consuming. So if you get a lot of fish on the hook, then it's going to take a lot of time to really be careful that you're hooking the right people.

45. It's got to be worthwhile spending that much time. Be sure that you're following the right line to the right course, the right track, headed for the right goal, and not get so lost in the means to the end that you forget the end.

46. As I used to say about colonies: Colonies are not the goal. Colonies are just a means to the end of getting the Gospel to the whole world and every creature. And if you think the Colony's not the way to do it, then forget the Colony! Hit the road, one by one‚ or two by two, whatever, if that's a better way to get into a country or something.

47. I still think that the Heavenly Home colony idea is the best idea for making a base, as the Bible calls the churches, or groups of fellowshipping believers. But establishing a Colony is not the main goal.

48. The main goal is to witness and win souls. And if your colony is helpful along this course‚ fine. If it becomes a drag, like some of those Blobs, and it holds you back from getting the job done, well, then it's not good. It's the same with Flirty Fishing:

49. You're using Flirty Fishing as a means to the end of really witnessing and winning souls. Stay on the right track and the right course and don't get sidetracked with the fun, fellowship, and games. Just "use it," and then you're okay. Stay on the right track and don't get sidetracked.

50. But you can awfully easily get sidetracked, and even some of you women get hung up on some guy, or some of the guys get hung up on you women, and really forget what you're doing. We've had some of these guys get so hung up on the women that when the women had to leave 'em they went back, backslid, because they loved the women more than they loved the Lord.

51. If the bait didn't get 'em solidly enough attached to the Lord, solidly enough on the hook and the fish only got attached to the bait, then when the bait was gone they just took off! They didn't have the hook in their jaw at all. So I'll tell you, it's mighty easy to go the wrong direction if you don't look out and get lost in the fun and games and forget what you're playing it for.

52. Some fishermen just fish for fishin's sake, just for sport, just for amusement. I've known fishermen who even threw the fish back in right away, didn't even want to keep the fish; all they were interested in was seeing how many fish they could catch, and then throwing 'em back in.

53. I wouldn't be surprised it some of our kids had this idea: Just to see how many they could catch and then not care what happens to 'em afterwards … how many they could get in bed. Well‚ that's not the purpose.

54. Other fishermen fish because it's their job; it's real serious business, they have to catch fish to live! It's their work, And they go after the good fish‚ and the kind of fish they know that count‚ and the kind of fish they want, and they plan on taking'm home and eatin'm! Clean'm and cook'm and eat'm! Not just thinkin' about how many fish that they can catch and throwing 'em back in again.

55. So you sure better be careful that you're on the right track and not sidetracked by the fun and games, because the purpose of that ferry was to get someplace. It wasn't just to have fun. It had a destination, and you were supposed to follow a certain track to get there. If you don't keep your eyes on the goal and on the track‚ you're really apt to get lost along the line somewhere, get so lost in your Flirty Fishing that you forget what you're fishing for and forget what the fishin's all about.

56. Fishing is to witness and to win souls and not just to have fun dancin' and meet little handsome boys and pretty chicks and to see how many of 'em you can get in bed. That's not the goal. The goal is to see how many of 'em you can really witness the Word to and really get the hook in their jaw and really win to the Lord.

57. We pioneered this field and we experimented, tried several different methods, attacks, baits, hooks, tackles, whatnot. We made some mistakes, some didn't pay off, some did, but we're now gettin' it down to a pretty fine point of a real art, where it's really beginning to bear fruit and pay off in real good fish that are getting caught.

58. But it took us nearly two years to learn it, with a lot of trials and errors‚ and you need to know that you can make some big mistakes if you don't look out … get the wrong kind of fish or fool around with fish that are not interested in anything but the bait and will never get hooked on the Word; the minute you show 'em the Word it scares 'em off. They never come back, and you just wasted your time. You need to know what kind of fish you're fishin' for and how to go after 'em and only use the bait to get them on the hook.

59. The idea is to really get these fish hooked, good fish‚ to get them securely hooked on the Word, not just to see how much bait you can feed 'em to make them temporarily happy. Just making them temporarily happy by taking them to bed is not the goal and not the whole purpose of this thing. It's nice to show them how much you love them and to have fun and games with them to show 'em. But that's not the goal, that's not the purpose.

60. The purpose is to get them firmly witnessed to with the Word and hooked on the Word and get 'em on the line and won to the Lord. Now remember that it will be very important to hold your little dog firmly in your hand to remind you which route you are supposed to follow. This is certainly significant.

61. You'd better keep close to the Holy Spirit and remember to do what the Holy Spirit leads you to do so you'll be sure to stay on the right line, on the right track, know where you're going, and get there, and not just go wandering off playing games and having fun, or you might lose your way entirely and get lost from the rest of your family and your leadership so that we have to have you paged on the intercom.

62. I hope we don't have to literally bawl out some people in front of the whole world for going astray like we have a few other times—like the blobbers and the entertainers and a few others. It's so easy to get your mind on someone else that's right in front of your eyes so you can't even see the rest of what you're supposed to be doing.

63. You can't see the forest for the trees. Some of these people get so interested in meeting certain people and hung up on some certain person that they almost forget what they're fishing for. They let themselves fall in love too easily.

64. We have had quite a few of our girls already falling in love with the guys and getting married to them, but they're doing it for a very good purpose—to get them firmly hooked—and they're really witnessing the Word to them and really keepin' them on the line. That's what they have to do; they have to go that far in some cases to win 'em and hook 'em.

65. But you've gotta be mighty sure they're the right ones if you go that far.—That you're marrying them in and you're not getting married out. When you're marrying them into the Family, be careful you don't get yourself married out into the System again! Now in some cases, in a System where witnessing is prohibited and litnessing is forbidden and Flirty Fishing is the only thing you can do,

66. You might have to marry into their system … to stick with them and keep them close to the Lord wherever they're at because you can't marry them into the Family‚ so to speak. You can't ask them to join a Colony. They can't drop out. They can't quit. It's against the law.

67. So instead of coming to live with you‚ you'll almost have to go live with them; in which case, they're not dropping out, you're dropping in. We'll give you more detailed info on this in a soon-to-be–published Letter‚ "Drop In!" So you'd better be very careful how you play this game or do this fishing, because it's a serious business.

68. You'd better remember it's serious and stay on the right track. The foolish little children in the dream were playing around and laughing and yelling and running around real fast and jumping off and on the rides and playing on the little merry–go–rounds and all the little bucking horses, etc.

69. They were doing all kinds of crazy little things without paying attention. It evidently represented some of you who aren't paying attention. You get so interested in riding these guys and them riding you, you're apt to get off the track.

70. You forget what you're riding for, you just wind up a "ride 'em cowboy." You'll wind up a ridin' cowboy or cowgirl instead of a Fisherman or a Flirty Fish. We're not here to see how much riding we can do.

71. We're here to see how many fish we can catch and how many souls we can win. We're not in the business of just feeding the fish our bait. Some of these gals are wanting to go to bed with every guy every night. Whoever they happen to dance with that night they think the main goal is to bring 'em home and fuck 'em. They won't get very good material this way or get them firmly hooked on the Word. They won't really win them.

72. So you'd better stick to the little dog of the Holy Spirit and follow His trail or you are gonna get lost in fun and games and separated from your family and forget where you're headed, forget why you're all in the same boat together. You're not on the boat just to have fun. You're on the boat to get someplace.

73. I hope I don't have to call you down before the whole world and page you down, flag you down, to get you to stop your foolishness and get down to the real serious work of winning souls and witnessing and giving 'em the Word, really hooking the right kind of fish, really getting'm cleaned and cooked and well-eaten and absorbed into the Family and not just seeing how many you can catch and throw back in again.

74. We're not fishing for sport. We're not fishing just for fishing's sake or just because we enjoy fishing, even if we do. We're fishing to catch men—Catch 'em and keep 'em and clean 'em and cook 'em and eat 'em, totally into the Family, and not just see how many you can hook in one night or how many guys you can go to bed with to make 'em temporarily happy.

75. These one-night stands or this overnighting is not all that profitable unless you really witness the Word to them and really win 'em to the Lord! It's not enough just to say: "I love you because Dad loves you—let's quick get in bed! I want to fuck you so I can show you how much I and God love you!" Then suddenly, "Well, goodbye! See you again sometime!"—And start off after another fish!

76. That sort of thing hasn't gotten the hook into the jaw; you just fed him the bait, that's all. In the beginning of this Flirty Fishing ministry we experimented a lot; we knew that it could pay, but we didn't know exactly how to make it pay, but we were trying. Well, we've gotten some fruit that has remained.

77. Fruit that remains—that's what we're after, not the fruit that leaves the next day and you never see'm again. And we got a few from even those first attempts that have remained‚ thank the Lord. We've done our experiments and they don't need to be repeated. We've learned our lessons and now we can help others to learn from us the lessons that we learned.

78. What we're trying to show with these Letters is what to do and also what not to do. We're showing the mistakes we made as well as the right things we did and how important it is to follow mighty close to the Holy Spirit and be guided by the Holy Spirit in every move‚ because otherwise you don't know which way you're supposed to go; you've gotta follow the line.

79. The line is the Letters and the Holy Spirit. You can't go wandering off on your own just playing games or you're apt to get lost. Follow the line: The Letters and the Holy Spirit. Amen?

80. Feedin' fish is fine!—After you got 'em caught! But to most fishermen, "I've just been feedin' the fish!" means you didn't catch any!

81. Are you catching'm or just feedin' the fish? Are you following God's line or just playin' around? Are you reaching the goal and winnin' a soul or just playin' games and gatherin' names!

82. I hope you're stayin' on God's line and not gettin' lost!—Stickin' to the line and counting the cost! Or are you feedin' the fish to get what you wish instead of makin' a catch onto which you can latch! Happy hookin'!

Copyright © 1998 by The Family