Anxiety, fretfulness and worry are but exhibitions of seif-centeredness. They advertise our faithlessness - our unwillingness to let God have full control over our lives. They demonstrate our inability to enjoy divine blessings available TODAY because of pre-occupation with our TOMORROWS!
    "Worry" is a form of agnosticism - a doubting of whether God really knows, cares or is able to do anything about our potential problems. Someone has likened it to "paying interest on trouble before it arrives". How laboriously do we strive to insulate (insure) ourselves against the potentiality of ANY threatening situation. What heavy "dues" we pay into an anti-God world-system in an effort to obtain such "peace of mind" as God alone can give!
    Over the past several months the radio waves have resounded with: "Don't Worry! Be HAPPY!" The popularity and worldly success of a song with such "empty" lyrics is not very complimentary to the mentality of this thoughtless generation! How utterly depressing such words must sound to one

    Josiah ascended the throne of Judah at a time when spiritual darkness covered the land, idolatry was rampant and the house of God was both deserted and defiled. What a wretched responsibility for one who was but eight years old, even though he had been carefully nurtured to recognize that he ruled only under the providential hand of the Almighty.
    Very little is known of the first eight years of Josiah's reign. When he was 16, the record declares that "he began to seek after the God of David his father", (2 Chron. 34:3). At the age of 20 he exercised his kingly authority to undertake the purging of idolatry from the land - a task that required a full six years, for it was not until he was 26 that the Temple and its service were restored in Jerusalem.
    There is little doubt that Josiah knew, from his acquaintance with the Scriptures, what responsible judgment God expected of a king over His people, (Dt. 17:20). Instead of following the foolish example of Solomon, he appears to have followed his wise precepts. He not only broke down the altars

and idols set up by Ahaz, Manasseh and Jereboam (destroying the high places); he also destroyed those Solomon had set up for his numerous heathen wives! (2 Kings 23:12-15; comp. I Kings 13:2).
    No other king in Israel, before or after him, "turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses" as did Josiah, (2 Kings 23:25). And of the Passover he kept it is said that there was NONE LIKE IT "from the days of Samuel the prophet, neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept", (2 Chron. 35:18).
    Josiah ruled over Judah for 31 years - though little is known of the last 13 years. It appears that in opposing Necho, king of Egypt, who came to fight against Charchemish, he actually acted outside the will of God - thus losing his life, (2 Chron. 36:20-25).

Jeremiah and his brethren deeply lamented the death of the beloved king. But God spared Josiah from seeing the judgment He was about to pour out upon the wickedness of Judah.
    0, that God would raise up more young men with hearts to "seek the Lord"! to seek His will, His way, His wisdom and righteousness. E.G.


    The ink was not yet dry on the August edition of the CLARION HERALD before it was evident that this editor was in real trouble! Not only had I failed to properly indicate the continuation of the very first article; I had also misspelled the name of Pastor Leonard C. Ford (not Foord) and given a wrong date for my latest granddaughter's birth. Furthermore, I had announced the ORGANIZATION of a church that had already been functioning for ALMOST THREE YEARS!
    Bethel Missionary Baptist Church (not FAITH), of Anchorage, Alaska, was actually organized in December of 1987. The special August Meeting was for the purpose of DEDICATING their beautiful, spacious, newly renovated building - which the Municipality had just granted them permission to use. It is a real joy to hear that there have now been eight precious souls added to their number!
    In retrospect, I view these errors as being: stupid, without justification and personally humiliating. (Now my fallibility is a matter of public record!) But, I trust they have caused no injury, and that they are not unforgivable.

    Do remember to pray for all of us who earnestly desire to be helpful (in the publishing of church papers), but who often labor under far greater stress and pressure than is sometimes evident to those we dearly love and desire to encourage in the way of the Lord!
WRETCHEDNESS ....... Continued burdened down under the pressure, stress and anxiety of obligations that seem impossible to meet and responsibilities that one feels incapable of fulfilling. As though one could simply, on command, STOP being a "worry-wart" and BEGIN being "HAPPY"! When "happiness" is so hopelessly intertwined with the circumstances of life!
    Isn't it about time that we stopped fretting - that we may BEGIN TO LIVE? Have we never stopped to consider the provisions that God Himself has made for the banishment of our anxious fears?
    Psalm 37 tells us how to deal with "worry" and "fretfulness". The resolution of our anxious fear may be found in a right attitude toward God's providence, provision, protection and promises. We must learn to TRUST Him, commit ourselves to Him, wait upon Him (His plan for each of our lives is perfect for our development.), and rest in His love! The seeds of tomorrow's harvest must be sown today. And we must be certain to sow GOOD SEED!
    Some years ago I heard a series of Bible Conference messages by Warren Wiersbie from the book of Philippians. In these messages he suggested that Christians are too

often robbed of their JOY in Christ because of people, circumstances and things. Are not these the real basis of ALL worry, fretfulness and anxiety?
    When the will and kingdom of God become top priority in the desire of our hearts, we may be assured that ALL OUR NEEDS will be supplied, (Matt. 6:33). Thus, there will be no cause for anxiety. We will be liberated from the bondage of CARE to experience "the JOY OF THE LORD" which is our strength! (Neh. 8:10).
    Let us not permit "the cares (anxieties) of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things" to so choke the Word of God that it produces no fruit in our lives, (Mk. 4:19-20). May we, rather, cast ALL OUR CARE upon the Heavenly Father who, not only CARES FOR US, but will supply ALL OUR NEED "according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus", (I Pet. 5:7; Phil. 4:19).


    On Thursday night, September 13, Sister Edna Allen, wife of missionary Roland Allen (of Paraguay) went to be with the Lord. Her passing followed a short bout with leukemia which culminated in congestive heart failure. Her body was returned to Kentucky for burial on September 17.
    I cannot tell you whether Bro. Allen will attempt to stay on the mission field alone - though I am confident that it will be necessary for him to make a return trip. We

will await his decision. But he has been dependent on his wife to provide transportation, since the partial loss of his eyesight.
    Our earnest prayer and deep sympathy are with the loved ones Sister Allen leaves behind.
    Special offerings to assist Bro. Allen in this hour of sorrow may be sent in care of:

    On October 16-18 the third Annual Pillar Bible Conference will be held at the Hallmark Baptist Church located near Mauldin, S.C., a suburb of Greenville. The church is located one block East of the intersection of 1-385 and Bridge Road.

    A rare type of conference, this one involves a sincere, working effort toward "Unity Around Scriptural Truth". This is no attempt at "unity at any cost". Nor is it an effort to effect a compromise of biblical concepts considered non-essential. It is, rather, an honest, brotherly endeavor, by careful study and open dialogue, to so discern the meaning of specific spiritual concepts as will enable us to "speak the same thing" - not by coercion, but by conviction.
    Last year there was some very lively discussion concerning specific, sometimes misleading terminology often used in setting forth the historic principles of our faith. Instead of brethren regarding othis as "mere nit-picking", it was commonly agreed that we should study these concepts more fully and be prepared to discuss them at the conference this year. An effort will be made to enunciate these principles in such clear terminology as will not be so easily perverted to mean something that blatantly contradicts the consistent "order" of the Word.
    Lord willing, I expect to attend this Conference and hope that others - fearful, perhaps, of denominational disapproval, may still share with me in this effort to "unmask" the mere traditional and embrace what is truly Biblical.
    It is not too early to begin planning for the Fellowship Meeting at Calvary Cross MBC, in St. Louis, on November 21-23.