Several years ago I was blessed to write an article entitled “The Mystery of the Ages“. It was revelation from my Father in Heaven of why He created us; why He created good and evil. (Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.); and of course why He created free will. I have been burdened for several days about the gift of free will and after much prayer the Holy Father told me to research and write about it. My research in the King James Bible led to an astounding fact–the word “freewill“ is not found in the Bible, (except in reference to freewill offerings).

Yet it is implied from the beginning of God’s Holy Word and throughout the Bible. God told Adam (Genesis 2:16) “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:”. When the serpent beguiled Eve to eat of the fruit, this too implied freewill to choose. From that time forth freewill was obvious.

The results of the problem of freewill was also obvious from the beginning in the witness of Adam and Eve disobeying God and falling from grace! Man’s fall from grace is repeated over and over in the Holy Word throughout the history of mankind as a result of freewill. We see it often throughout the written word; so many lifted to prominence through God’s grace, only to betray God’s love and choose to serve self and selfish desires. This is witnessed most profoundly in the rise and fall of Solomon–so gifted by God to rise to such stature as king only to tax the Hebrew people into poverty and desecrate the Holy Temple of God. (1 Kings11; 2 Chronicles 10).

Freewill creates the need in each of us to choose. The choice is really quite simple—to serve God–or to serve our own desires! Freewill is evident in every human ever created; including Jesus–the Son of God.

The man Jesus evidenced his awareness of his own freewill by his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Three times he prayed “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but as Thou wilt.” Even with the horrible death that awaited him, he chose the Father’s will! This is an awesome example of the ultimate act of love of the son for the Father!

Mark 10:15 tells us…”Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” A loving child submits to the will of the parent without question. Can you do the same with your Father in heaven?

I challenge you this day out of love for you and for my Father in heaven…

GIVE BACK THE GIFT OF FREEWILL TO THE FATHER AND CHOOSE HIS WILL!

This is one gift that can be returned and bring joy to all concerned.

Amen, amen, amen

© 12/6/2011 Charles E. Branthoover

When I was just a little girl

I gave my heart away;

I heard how Jesus came to earth

and died the lost to save.

I had loved Him all along you see

and now He holds my hand;

Guiding every step I take

As I travel through this land.

I asked Him once, “Where is my heart?”

He said, “It’s with the others;

I put it in the safest place

It’s in the lap of my Father.”

“You can trust it will be safe there,

cause mine is in the middle;

His lap is big enough, You see

and my hands seem so little.”

“You see the Father loves you

and to you, He’ll be a Daddy;

When you let Him have your heart,

He’ll care for it most gladly.”

“You are to Him a treasure;

a priceless jewel in His crown.

He hears each prayer that you pray,

and sees when you fall down.”

“I called Him “ABBA” when I walked the earth

For He’s always been Daddy to me.

I am His Son as you well know,

and I oft’ climbed on His knee.”

“The love of a child for his Father

Is precious and unlike another;

That’s why I tell you like I do,

for you see, I am your brother.”

“This child-like love that you must have

for God our heavenly Father,

comes back to you multi-fold;

The love of a Father for His daughter.”

“God Almighty, Jehovah-Jireh

Wonderful Father is He;

but when you love Him as a child

a Daddy to you He’ll be.”

Now that I’m older, I understand

What Jesus was saying to me;

to Daddy I will always be His child

and I can climb up on His knee.

I gave my heart to Jesus

such a long, long time ago

And He told me that His Father

would surely love it so.

Now, God, the Holy Father,

has become much more to me;

and if you ask, “where is it now?”

my heart belongs to DADDY!

© 02/20/11 Maxine Branthoover

If you have read, “God Why Did You Let This Happen To Me?”, I’d like to relate some things that have happened to my mother-in-law.  She is 90 years old.  In her early 50′s she had several heart attacks.  During the last one she “died”.  I know many don’t believe in “near-death” experiences but I will relay this anyhow.  Her words are, “I was in the most beautiful place, with white light around.”  When the doctors and nurses “brought her back”, she was angry with them shouting “WHY DID YOU BRING ME BACK?  I DIDN’T WANT TO COME BACK!”  But God wasn’t finished with her.  She has been a faithful witness of His grace, mercy and love to many people since then.  One recent experience was with a “people greeter” at her local Wal-mart.  (yes at 90 years old, she lives alone; having “lost” her husband in the mid 90′s, and she still drove at the time.)  She had relayed her experience of the “near death”; the beautiful place; and the white light, to her.  The greeter in turn told her sons.  Soon afterward, upon visiting the store again the people greeter hugged her; told her that she had relayed the story to her two sons.  When Sunday arrived the two sons went to church with her, which they had not been doing, and at the altar call went forward in acceptance of salvation.

This past week, Mom was in the hospital for tests due to unexplained fainting.  While in there, she roomed with another woman who was having tests.  The woman told Mom she was scared.  Mom simply told her that when she felt afraid to talk to the Father and ask Him to put His arms around her.  Mom told her, “He’ll do it.”

When the woman came back into the room, Mom watched her and the woman fell asleep.  When she awoke, she turned toward Mom and said, “What you told me to do,  I did and I did and I could feel His arms around me.  That is why I was able to sleep.”

Mom has been wanting to go home ever since the last heart attack but God has not seen fit to do so.  She is so tired of living and I can imagine that because I get tired sometimes and I’m almost half her age.

After getting back home from the hospital, she was walking down the hallway of her home and prayed “Father I’m so tired, when can I come home?”  She heard Him speak to her and say, “There is one more”.

She has one more to reach through her testimony and she can go home.

I sent her a poem I had written in 1998 that describes how she feels and she thinks it is BEAUTIFUL.  “I Wanna Go Home” is also on our web site.

Yes she is 90 and yes she wants to go home, but she is blessed to stay and reach that one more.
There is a purpose for your trials and heartaches.  Trust God that He knows what He is doing and it will work to His glory if we allow it and use it to do so.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
© 7/27/2010  Maxine Branthoover

Matthew 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Luke 8:8 And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Amazingly enough, there was a wholly, holy anointed man of God who had a reputation for getting the job done when it came to preaching. His name was Reverend Thew.

His reputation had been carried to a town some 1500 miles away to a church called the “SOUND CHURCH CONGREGATION”. Reverend Thew thought that was a great name for a church; going on the assumption that it stood for “sound doctrine”. As the pastor was going to be out of town and wanting someone to fill the pulpit while he was away, references regarding Rev. Thew left no doubt that he was the man he wanted.

Arriving at the church Sunday morning; folk started gathering for the service. Rev. Thew was surprised by the folk he met as they entered; no one spoke a word; simply smiled and nodded politely.

The church was soon filled almost to over flowing…word had gotten out about the visiting speaker.

Unaware of what was happening…there was no music; no offertory…etc., Rev. Thew began his sermon. The church was rather large; seating 1,000 people, but it apparently had none of the large church amenities; i.e a large video screen for the scripture verses; song lyrics; and such. This was an odd place to say the least.

Rev. Thew started really getting into his sermon and did not understand…..; no nodding in agreement; no one saying “amen”; no one raising their hand in praise. This was totally unusual for Rev. Thew. He had never seen a congregation so…quiet; so proper; so…stoic.

He tried preaching harder; louder; more animated; more dramatic in speech…anything he could think of to get a response. Finally, he just decided… “God sent me here, so I’ll just be myself and let it go. God knows why I’m here.”

Finishing his sermon; giving the altar call; all with no response, he stood at the door shaking hands and nodding as everyone left. He noticed just as he was leaving the “count” on the Sunday School board was 997. Nice size crowd, but why wasn’t anyone listening; why weren’t they “getting it”?!? Feeling dejected, he got into the car and headed home.

Not understanding what had happened, he prayed and pleaded for an explanation. All he got from God was, “Be at peace. You did what I wanted you to do.”

Several weeks had passed and Rev. Thew received a note from one of the attendees at the service. She wrote that she had been deaf her whole life, but from the time he settled down in his sermon, her ears were opened and she heard every word clearly and understood everything he’d said. Afterward, her deafness had returned; but, oh the joy, for that short time to hear the word of God being preached so wonderfully, was worth all the years before and the time since, of not hearing. You see, the only words she’d ever heard were spoken that day.

She went on to say what a change it had made in her life. Her confusion with it all was the reason she had delayed in contacting him.

A few days later, he received another note telling him pretty much the same thing…deafness gone during his sermon and returned afterward; then came another; and another; and another until there were eleven in all.

The last letter told about the church itself…explaining that it was an “all deaf” church. It also stated that the pastor could speak and hear, and she had wondered why Rev. Thew hadn’t used the big drop-down screen for his sermon…everyone could have followed along with him…or had someone sign for him. (He was unaware of the necessity or the availability these things.) She too told of being deaf since birth and only during his sermon had she actually heard speech.

One letter came from a young man who had become deaf by way of an accident that had somehow damaged his hearing. He had been in church as he was growing up and had enjoyed it very much. He went on to explain that those few who had been graced by the hand of God to hear the word, were meeting during the week to expound and discuss what had happened.

Now Rev. Thew was doing some shouting of his own as he remembered the verses of scripture that said, “he that hath an ear to hear let him hear.”

Some come to service to fulfill what they perceive as an obligation to God; a few come to hear what the spirit says. Most are complacent in daily lives just doing what they are told. But then there are the one;…three;…seven;…eleven who want to know.

Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 29. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;

Rev. 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

In reflecting back over this writing, other than the obvious lesson of “if you want to hear what the spirit says, you will”; I noticed a comparison of Rev. Thew to Elijah at the cave. The wind; the earthquake; the fire…God was in none of them. But the still small voice heard later created a change in this most note-worthy man of God.

When Rev. Thew was performing his “antics” to cause a desired effect, he gleaned nothing. But once he turned it over to God and got out of the way, the still small voice took over and the miraculous hand of God took over and got the desired results. It isn’t in what we do or what we say. It’s what God does when we are obedient and let Him do what He will do.

© Maxine Branthoover 08/19/11

Today, I have thought long about King David and King Solomon; the differences between the two and the different ways we’ve been taught about them both.

(Stories in II Samuel 11-12:24 and I Kings 11)

We know the story of David and Goliath, and how God had Samuel anoint David to be king over Israel. Other than being King of Israel, David was given no special “favor” from God. We also know that David committed two horrible sins; one being the adultery he committed with Bathsheba..another man’s wife and through this act a child was conceived. In order to cover up the sin, David had Bathsheba’s husband brought from the battle in order that he would “lie with” his wife and therefore make it appear that the child was her husbands rather than another man’s..David’s. The husband came but did not do what was expected because he was anxious to get back to the battle and did not want his mind distracted. He was determined to win the battle they were fighting. Once he’d gone back into battle, David had him put in the “heat” of the battle in order to try and assure his death..albeit apparently a “hero’s” death. True to David’s desire, he was killed and David then took Bathsheba as his own wife. The child was born but because of the sin of David and Bathsheba, God took the child.

David was extremely remorseful because of his sin…God called him on it and made him aware of what he’d done. David then with deep agony of heart, repented for the sins he’d committed. Yes, the child still had to die because it was born out of sin. David repented more than once from a heart broken with agony. Not necessarily for the lost child but because he had let God down. God had hand picked him to lead Israel and was called “a man after My own heart.” Yet he had let sin in and disappointed God greatly. David’s sin was a sin of the flesh; against man, he stole from him and then had him killed to cover it up. Yet, not once in any of these instances did David turn away from God. Not once did he turn to other gods. He was fully loyal to the one true God…Jehovah. Yes he disappointed Him but he never turned away. David loved God so much he wanted to honor Him by building a temple for Him to “reside” in. But because of this sin he was not permitted to. He no longer had “pure hands” though his heart remained pure. God told David that his son, Solomon, would be the one to build the temple. David was still special in God’s eyes because he turned NOT away from God.

Solomon, who was David and Bathsheba’s son, born after they became husband and wife, was to follow in David’s footsteps as king when David died. Solomon, being taught the ways of the Lord, loved Him and wanted to serve Him as his father David. One day God spoke to Solomon and told Him to ask Him for anything. Solomon responded that he only wanted wisdom to lead God’s people. He was granted this desire and was noted for being the wisest man to have ever lived. With this wisdom came much wealth from other kings and peoples. With this wealth Solomon, after building himself a beautiful home, built the temple for God…you wanna talk about elaborate…WOW!!! read the scripture and see the description. (1Kings 6) The churches today are a far cry, no matter their elegance and price, would be less than what is considered slums in comparison.

After he had finished building the temple of God and his notoriety, queens and many beautiful women wanted to belong to him. Scripture says he had 300 wives and 700 concubines. I personally don’t think this was God’s plan but it is what Solomon chose to do. Through these many wives and other women in his company he allowed pagan and satanic worship in the house of God.. Can you believe that? He not only allowed it, he took part in it. Sacrifices to idols in the holy temple. He may not have committed adultery like David…not in the flesh, but he surely committed adultery against Jehovah God by compromising the use of God’s house with those who worship others. Solomon’s sin was sin in the spirit…against God Himself. His heart turned away from God. With all the material things his wisdom, which if you remember was a special gift from God, he became arrogant and self-important. He didn’t need God anymore…he had become a god himself; in his own eyes and the eyes of others. No wonder God allowed this temple to be destroyed. No wonder God’s anger and wrath came against him.

When our hearts turn from God and go a-whoring, to use a biblical term, after other gods, it is an atrocious sin in the spirit against Jehovah God.

The things my mind have been wondering is, why we are so ready to condemn David in his sin of the flesh; the men in the pulpit make sure we know about them; yet we seemingly revere Solomon whose sin was so much greater and yet he never once considered repenting. I don’t ever remember hearing in any sermon about the atrocities committed by Solomon….he was such a wise man; he had the temple built to God. Surely that deserves some credit. I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t add up to me. Sins in the flesh can be overlooked; restitution made; forgiven. Sins of the spirit which are committed against the ONE AND ONLY JEHOVAH GOD…CANNOT AND WILL NOT BE OVERLOOKED. These are the sins that prevent entrance into heaven. Why are we not taught about this???

Another thing that has come into my thoughts as I dwelt on the David and Solomon issue, is the story Jesus told us about a man who had prepared a great feast and invited many to come. Once everything was ready, the messenger went to tell everyone…all things are now ready…come and dine. One after another they all seemed to have excuses as to why they could not come. One said, “I’ve married a wife, and I cannot come”; another “I’ve bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it”; another said, “I’ve bought five yoke of oxen and I must go and prove them”. Each one had a different “excuse”. (Flashback here, my dad used to say, “an excuse is just a lie, give me a reason.) When these all “excused” themselves and the messenger went back to his master, he then told him to go out and invite anyone who will come…I think this is where we get the “whosoever will” aspect in our songs and churches today. (Luke 14:16-23)

This reminds me of Jesus and how He “came unto His own and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him to them gave He the power to become the sons of God.” God sent His messenger, Jesus, to invite people to the marriage supper. Many will have excuses…. “I’ve gotten so busy with my family; kids I’ve got to put through college; I’ve promised my wife a second honeymoon; I’ve got to put in extra shifts to get it all paid for..I just haven’t had time to prepare”; “I’ve just got my business off the ground, I can’t take time to listen to a sermon.”; I’ve got my farm going good, I can’t leave it unattended, the weeds will take over the garden, the cows won’t get milked…I just can’t make the time.” All the while these will all tell you what good works they’ve done for their neighbors, their community; surely that will count when the time comes.” They all sound like good “excuses” don’t they?

In regards to the story Jesus told us…which is a parable about how it usually goes…I have to ask the question..back in Jesus’ day, when did the men start letting the women stop them from doing things, women were not much more than a pet animal; and wouldn’t the wife be an invited guest as well? Who in their right mind would buy a piece of land without ever having seen it…sounds like a good prospect for “ocean front property in Arizona”. Who in their right mind would buy farm equipment without first checking it to see if it works? I mean….GET REAL PEOPLE!!! How ignorant do we think God is? Personally, there is NOTHING, NO WAY, NO HOW gonna keep me from doing what God has asked me to do. NOTHING, NO WAY, NO HOW is gonna keep me away from Him….NOTHING. Not because I want to be rewarded in some way here on earth, not because I want to be rewarded when I stand before Him.

“He came unto His own and His own received Him not.” Then He came to me. WOW!!! That the Son of God would come to ME and invite me to His marriage supper. Can you imagine?!?!?! Any of the earthly royalties would probably get a rejection from me, unless after prayer, God told me He wanted me to go…who knows, maybe I could be the messenger in this case, inviting those to come and dine. By the way, that was one of my dad’s favorite hymns.

COME AND DINE

Charles B. Widmeyer 1907

Jesus has a table spread
Where the saints of God are fed,
He invites His chosen people, “Come and dine”;
With His manna He doth feed
And supplies our every need:
Oh, ’tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!

1. Refrain:
   “Come and dine,” the Master calleth, “Come and dine”;
   You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time;
   He Who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,
   To the hungry calleth now, “Come and dine.”

The disciples came to land,
Thus obeying Christ’s command,
For the Master called unto them, “Come and dine”;
There they found their heart’s desire,
Bread and fish upon the fire;
Thus He satisfies the hungry every time.

Soon the Lamb will take His bride
To be ever at His side,
All the host of heaven will assembled be;
Oh, ’twill be a glorious sight,
All the saints in spotless white;
And with Jesus they will feast eternally.

WOW!!! I’m ready. I have R.S.V.P.’d my invitation. I make NO excuses. I can truly say that I have sinned in the flesh, but I have not sinned in the spirit against Jehovah God. Just as David repented from deep within his soul for his sins, I too have done so and they are put away never to be remembered against me again.

How about you? Have your sins been sins of the flesh or the spirit? Have you turned away from God to serve another? There comes a time in our lives as is told in Genesis 6:3 “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh:” when we will stop hearing His voice calling us to “come and dine”. I guess you could say it’s a limited time offer.

© Maxine Branthoover

Mr. Beryl was the owner of the local grocery. He was third generation grocer and his family, his father and grandfather, had prospered well with the business. They could have expanded to other cities and other states but chose to remain local.

One evening while preparing to close up the store, he noticed a young man hiding a carton of milk under his coat. He had been watching the young man for weeks now; seeing him take a bag of flour one day; a dozen eggs another day. It was always something that would be a necessary item. That was one of the reasons he had never called the police; after all it was just a couple of dollars at a time. Tonight though, he decided to confront him.

Once the young man had gone out the door, Mr. Beryl stepped out and called to him. At the sound of Mr. Beryl’s voice the young man spun around; dropping the carton of milk. As the milk flowed from the broken carton, he began to weep. Mr. Beryl said, “Come inside son, and let’s talk about this.

Going back into the store, Mr. Beryl asked the young man his name; he said “my name is David.”

Mr. Beryl then told David he’d been watching him for a while. David broke down and started weeping uncontrollably; telling Mr Beryl the whole story.

David was 35 years old; married with three boys; one was an infant. He had lost his job due to missing too much work; he had a heart condition. He needed a transplant, but with no job; no insurance; it was out of the question. They weren’t homeless…yet.

Mr. Beryl told David he would set him up with a type of charge account where he could get what he needed for the family and when he felt well enough he could work at the store and work off his debt.

David didn’t know what to say. Mr. Beryl picked up a bag and went through the store getting food, milk and some diapers for the baby. Then he told David he would lock up and drive him home.

Time passed and David would work a couple hours at a time with Mr. Beryl. When he would need food, Mr. Beryl would write up the bill and once in a while he would sneak something special in the bag for the boys or the baby. Once David was out of sight, he would pay for all the items himself…he would write off the debt and David never knew.

Mr. Beryl had a son of his own who had chosen to go into another line of work; he had gone to college and earned a law degree and was now a successful attorney. Mr. Beryl had talked to his son about David and they conceived a plan.

After almost a year of meeting Mr. Beryl, David was tracked down by a police officer who told him that he could be the recipient of a new heart but they must leave immediately to get to the hospital for surgery.

Needless to say, David was somewhat confused, but went along with the officer; telling him he needed to notify Mr. Beryl that he wouldn’t be by for a while, but he would find a way to repay him for his generosity and to clear his debt.

Upon awakening from a successful transplant, David became inquisitive; the more he recovered the more curious he became.

After a couple months; while resting at home, he had a visitor. It was the young Mr. Beryl. He told David that his father had passed away the same day as David’s surgery. He further explained that, unbeknownst to David, he had tests run to see if he would be a match for David in the event of his passing.

Old Mr. Beryl was an organ donor and had specified that his heart go to David. David began sobbing; he now knew why Mr. Beryl hadn’t visited him. Young Mr. Beryl continued; Dad also made arrangements for all your medical bills to be paid. He also made you the beneficiary of his life insurance policy. David is uncontrollably sobbing. Now they wouldn’t have to worry about a home.

Young Mr. Beryl said, “One more thing, David. Dad put in his will that as long as a Beryl owns the grocery store, you would have a job. The store will always be owned by a Beryl, but you will be the manager, and will continue to do so as long as you live or are able.”

David could not believe his ears. He asked Mr. Beryl why his father would do something like that for a total stranger.

Mr. Beryl told David how his dad had experienced mercy, grace and love at the hands of God the Father through His Son Jesus. “Mercy came when the debt was paid. Grace came with the blessings that followed. Even though we all have sinned and incurred a debt, it has been canceled when we repent and allow Jesus to make that payment for us so we don’t have to die for own own sins, which we are not capable of anyhow; we don’t have the resources. By allowing the payment to be made for us and serving Him in similar fashion to the way you worked for my dad, the blessings; little extras…grace is bestowed upon you.

And lastly, love was given when Jesus gave His life for us…a new and undamaged heart. No worries about the future; it is all taken care of. This was Dad’s example of God’s mercy, grace and love for you through him.

Take this lesson as an additional dose of grace and mercy. Mercy sets us free; grace gives additional favor; love gives new and everlasting life.

My father’s legacy to you from his Father.

Mercy. Grace. Love.”

“God did that for your dad? You think He would do it for me?” Mr. Beryl said, “David, He already has; in fact he did it for everyone. The sad thing is, with as much mercy, grace and love as God gives, many choose judgment and eternal damnation.”

David said, “Mr. Beryl, I want what your dad got and showed me. How do you get it?”

Mr. Beryl explained to David, “First you have to acknowledge you need Him and can’t do it on your own. Then you have to ask Him to take your sin and guilt away. The Bible says we are all sinners; all guilty of sin. And it says we can’t fix it ourselves. But Jesus, God’s Son, said “Father I’ll do it.” And He took our debt on Himself. He had none of His own. With that the judgment was dismissed; just as Dad didn’t have you arrested. Through His death, the penalty for sin, our spirit is set free and fit for heaven and all it’s glories. This is the grace part. The love part is that through the blood of Jesus we are adopted into the family; that makes us brothers with Jesus…joint-heirs; like you and I are. And God is our Father.”

David then fell to his knees and cried out to God, “Lord forgive me. I know I’ve been a wicked man! Please let Your mercy forgive me; let Your grace allow my entrance into heaven; and please dear Lord, let Your love, through the blood of Jesus, make me Your child. I ask Your forgiveness. Help me to walk as Your son. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

1 Corinthians 15:3 …Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

Romans 5:20 …where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Romans 8:15 …ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Galations 4:5-7 …that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. …

and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Romans 8:17 …And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Ephesians 2:4-8 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he

loved us,…And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places

in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his

grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved

through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

© 08/05/2011 Maxine Branthoover

Shortly after Charles and I married and before we began the “Flames of Love”, we began a ministry of a different sort.  This ministry at the time we called “Love to Love God”; and it was basically a writing ministry.  As many of you writers out there know, the written word is to a silent audience.  You rarely know if what you write is getting through to anyone.  I’m sure even pastors and preachers who are truly God called wonder the same thing about their sermons.  For some reason we feel it is our duty to “make” folk believe what we tell them is truth and see to it that they obey what they’ve heard.  Many times we get discouraged because we do not see the expected or desired results; and we question if we did what God wanted us to do. 

A director of missions once told us, when we spoke to him about the heartbreak of not knowing, “you are not responsible for the response; you are responsible for obeying God”.  WOW! what an eye opener.  To try and force someone to believe and follow through is taking away their God-given gift of free-will.  As the scripture tells us: Ezekiel 3:17-19  “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel:  therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.  When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”.

The Father calls us into prayer several times a day; some times it is very intense prayer and sometimes we are as Paul who said in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.  And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)  How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a
man to utter.”  And Ezekiel 3:14 So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.  Ezekiel 8:3  “And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven,…” 

We know that Paul was speaking of himself as was Ezekiel; yet Paul was not permitted to tell what he saw.  God had him brought up in order to show him things necessary in order that he might preach with more conviction than ever before.  Many have had visions and dreams from God and accept them as such; but to speak of an experience like Paul and Ezekiel, is another story entirely.  We will believe Paul and Ezekiel because “that was back then when God did many signs and wonders.  It doesn’t happen today.  Just as those who think demons and demonic activity is a thing of the past….satan did not retire and God is unchangeable…therefore He still does the same things as He did then.

Most “Christians” don’t believe in the “out of body” experiences and may attribute them to satan; along with many other things not understood.  But God has more power and more ability to do these things than satan; and for those called by God and who have unquestioning faith and trust God will do what He needs to in order to give the words needed.  God will do what HE will do.  Thus following is the reasoning for my many words which I hope will allow you to understand.  The message is of utmost importance for us all.

Read and understand as Charles relays his testimony of being in hell…one of those “out of body” experiences.  This was not a dream or a vision.  He WAS there.  Maxine

WHAT IS HELL?

WHAT IS ETERNAL

DAMNATION?

Does anyone on earth truly have the answer to this question?  Countless sermons have been preached on this subject for thousands of years;  yes, thousands!  Deuteronomy 32:22 references hell as does David in 2 Samuel 2:6.

I have  been taught since a young child if you are unsaved; not written in  the Book of Life; you will go to hell.  Yet Revelation 20:14 states  “and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is  the second death.”

I have  been confused my whole life about the “torments of hell”; if we are not flesh after we die how can the fire torment us?  It is even  taught that between His death and resurrection Jesus preached to the  prisoners in hell!  If they are lost how can that be?

Perhaps  there is another answer?

I  have been blessed in my 70 years of life to have travelled to 43 of  our 50 glorious states.  I have been to several foreign countries;  to include Japan, Viet Nam, Germany; Okinawa; and many cities in  those countries.  I have met and shared friendship with many from  those countries.  I have encountered many different religious beliefs—all believing theirs is the “right”  belief.  And of course the atheists who believe in no supreme being.   (It is interesting to note here that Ernie Pyle, the famous war  correspondent who was killed on Okinawa in 1945, was attributed with  stating he “never saw an atheist in a foxhole”.) (It is  also interesting to note that many will say “I swear to God!’ in  a time of trouble or will cry out to God in a time of terror!)  The  point here is most people on earth believe in a power greater than  flesh and have worshipped such since the beginning of time; whether  it be the golden calf; Zeus; Buddha; etc. or Jehovah God! 

Now take a  moment and think if you will about the loneliest you have ever felt  in your life.  Perhaps it was during the loss of a loved one; a time  of betrayal by one you dearly loved; or another tragic time in your  life.  I can easily recall that time in my life.  If you have served  in the military, overseas, at Christmas, you will relate to what I am  saying.  I wrote a poem about it in December 1993, entitled “A  Soldier’s Christmas”.  It was without a doubt the most alone I  have ever felt in my life…….until a moment in the spring of  2003……………..

Maxine  was on the computer, which was set up in our living room.  I was on  the sofa watching her and then suddenly I found myself on the floor  in a fetal position between the coffee table and sofa…..and I was  in the depths of hell!  It was the blackest of black and I could  still see there.  I had huge eel-like worms crawling in and out of my  mouth; nose; ears; and eye sockets.  But that wasn’t the horror I  felt———-I  WAS SCREAMING OUT TO JEHOVAH GOD;  but…  HE  WASN’T LISTENING.  I SCREAMED AND CRIED “GOD  SAVE ME!“….but  I was alone.  TOTALLY  ALONE!!!……for what seemed an  eternity.  And then two hands reached down and grabbed under my  armpits and lifted me out.  I was sobbing; horrified ; and for the  first time in my life that I remember—–I was angry at God!

I  SCREAMED OUT BETWEEN SOBS!  “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME……I  LOVE YOU!” 

And then He spoke to me in a soft, gentle  voice…..”I just wanted you to know, My child….for the  witness”!  Jesus spoke in Mark 9:44, 46 and 48, “where  their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched”.  

It is NOT  about the worm, or the fire————————————–it  is, IS about the  total, absolute, final seperation from the ONE who loved you enough  to send HIS SON to die for you.
What does hell and damnation mean to you?   …………………………………………………

All HE asks of you is that you love HIM and  trust HIM with a child-like, unquestioning love!

If you end up in hell/eternal damnation, I can  assure you there will be no hands lifing you out.  It will be for eternity………………………………………………

I can hear YOUR  screams even now!                                            

© Charles  E. Branthoover 08/03/2011

Part Two

If you have read the original article written by Maxine last month, then please read on! If you haven’t then please do! There is a POWERFUL lesson in these happenings to us.

Recently, as these events began to happen, the Holy God in Heaven spoke clearly to me and said, “NOW YOU MUST LET GO! I WILL DO NOW WHAT I WILL DO! You must make no plans now!”

We did not understand how these words applied to our present situation—the van was repaired, the Kentucky Southern Gospel Music Singing Convention was two weeks away and all was well.

The repairs were done on Friday, June 10th and of course on Monday, our usual Wal-Mart day, we went to the van….and it wouldn’t start. It appeared the battery was dead. Monday evening we got it jump-started and all seemed well. Tuesday it started without incident and we went shopping. I had the battery tested at Wal-Mart and it was fine!?!?!?

We went nowhere the rest of the week; so as a precaution, I started the van on Saturday and it was fine! HOWEVER, I did smell gas again and immediately shut off the engine and lifted the hood………as a stream of gasoline, half the thickness of a pencil, was spraying completely across the engine, and again, NO FIRE!

What was happening? I knew God was in control but, WHAT DID THIS MEAN?

I immediately called the garage that had repaired it a week before, at a cost of $144.10 and his response was, “What do you expect me to do about it?”

I went into my “prayer closet” and asked the Holy Father what was I to do? His response to me, and I heard clearly, was “let go and let Me.”

It was interesting that between these two episodes, my neighbor who married the lady next door and moved in 18 months ago and had not spoken to me in that time, came over and I shared the first gas line incident with him. He told me he was a mechanic and if I had any more problems he would be glad to help.

I sought his help. He then had a new metal gas line made up at a machine shop and installed it. The cost of materials was $37, but he wouldn’t take a cent over $35. He took nothing for his labor. He said, “that’s what neighbors are for”!

I witnessed to him the whole time he worked on the van and gave him a copy of our two projects, which he later stated he shared with others and was blown away by them. He is now a good friend and even came over and jump-started the van for us—apparently the gas had corrupted the starter and once it started it was fine. He also found a broken vacuum hose that had caused back pressure on the gas line which caused the two ruptures.

(We canceled our scheduled singing at the convention for both nights. The Father told us He did not want us to go— “there would be a major problem”.)

Now the rest of the story! Our Windstar van had been giving us problems for over two years with overheating and such; we prayed to the Father about getting a newer vehicle (ours had over 141,000 miles on it) and His answer was always—”not yet”. We needed four new tires and He said, “not yet”.

Monday, June 27th, we awakened; prayed about our usual shopping trip; and the Father told us, “it is time”. HE said, “you will know where to look for a car”!

We finally stopped at the Chevrolet dealership and a salesman met us who turned out to be head deacon in his church and who truly loved the Lord. We looked at countless vehicles, most with high mileage and high price tags—but each time I would pray; and the answer, “no……you will know”! The salesman then remembered a 2005 with low mileage they had recently taken on trade and was waiting in service for a new air conditioner compressor. He took us to the service bays and when my eyes fell on the vehicle the Holy Spirit flooded through me; and I knew—-this was the Father’s choice!!!

The end of the story—we have a vehicle with low mileage; low monthly payments; they put new tires on it at no cost to us; included a 36 month/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.

Shortly after closing the deal we received a letter from the finance company stating the dealership had made an error in the interest rate—it was lower than quoted and our payment went down.

WOW! What a miracle!!!

If you see the lesson in this then praise God and be blessed!

We have been traveling and singing for over 11 years now and have often met people who are “angry” with God. WE have often heard, “God, why did You let this happen to me?” We have written about it in the past.

It is our fervent belief that our Father allowed these things to happen to us as a test of our faith and for the powerful witness it brings; if we but “let go and let Him.”

I could have shaken my fist at Jehovah God several times through this and shouted……. “WHY ME? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME??”

Job’s wife told him, “curse God and die!”

After Job had lost all, satan covered him with boils “from the sole of his foot unto his crown”. (Job 2:7 kjv)

Job 2:9 “Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.”

Job 2:10 “But…… What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? …”

Yes, God allows bad things to happen to good people. We can react in the flesh from anger…but my Father said,

“Let go and let ME.”

WOW! WOW! WOW!

© 07/19/2011 Charles E. Branthoover

My heart is sad, my soul is weary

when I think of what’s happening today;

The Christians today don’t have time to pray;

for their souls they offer to pay.

What’s happened to the time in your life and mine,

when the souls of others were in view;

Now we care not for the soul as we ought;

just give me a nice pleasant pew.

The child down the street with no father to greet

is lonely and lost in the cold;

He sits oft’ alone on a cold seat of stone,

and no one cares for his soul.

The highways and byways are places to seek

the lost and the wayward soul;

And likely as not, the ones we’ve forgot

are to Jesus more precious than gold.

We often wonder, were Jesus here now;

would the rich and the poor be the same

His friends were oft’ those whom others had shunned;

at times others would claim Him the same.

The leper; the lame; the blind and diseased;

knew of the need in their soul

One touch from the Master was all they desired

His touch made them every whit whole.

He went to the ones who would let Him come in;

those who could see their deep need

Not those who in pride ignore their own sin;

whose self-righteousness is their creed.

The poor somehow know what the rich seem to lack;

their struggles, their want and their pain.

They know they’re in need while the rich just sit back;

ignoring the need of their spirit for gain.

What Jesus would do is really quite simple

their money or lack, does not come into view.

Salvation is offered to whosoever will come;

but the question is now…

“What

will

YOU

do

?

?

?

?”

© 07/08/11 Maxine Branthoover

God placed before me a clock full of hours;

the spoke He to me, plant me some flowers.

I’ll give you the seeds; I’ll send you the pots;

but you must use MY clock; not one you have bought.

I waited and waited  for what seemed like hours;

I said to the Lord, “I need seeds for these flowers.”

A dove flew o’er me and dropped in my lap

a bag full of things I could quite do without.

Then darkness o’er took me and I cried out in fear,

“I can’t see the clock; can I be sure it’s still here?”

With time in the shadows, how could I know

when to dig up and when seeds to sow?

I cried out to God, “Lord, I think I should know,

If You want these flowers, I really should sow!”

He said to me, “Patience, you soon will be blessed

with flowers unique and then you can rest.”

I waited and waited and waited some more;

I finally tired and soon started to snore.

When in the night season, I peaked just a bit;

rubbed sleep from my eyes and up I did sit.

When out of the window I vaguely could see,

a rainbow of color that surprised even me.

I could not remember planting the seeds;

but there were the flowers and even some bees.

I taked to the Father, I could not understand;

How flowers could grow without seeds from my hand.

He told me with lofe, “It’s not as it seems;

They grew when they felt the love you have for Me.”

This lesson seems simple and odd the same time;

We don’t understand, it’s in His time not mine.

We plant the garden by our faith and our love;

He sends the flowers in return from above.

©  06/26/11 Maxine Branthoover