2/95

—Mama's Epilogue to the Love Charter

Maria #259 DO 2978

My dear children and co-laborers in Jesus,

1. By now you have finished reading our Love Charter and are about to start putting it into practice. Some of you are looking forward to it with eager anticipation, while others of you are worried about what the changes will mean for you personally. Those of you whose first reaction was that the Charter seemed so "legalistic" or had "so many rules" have probably since realized that in reality there are actually considerably less rules than there were in the past. Perhaps you felt this way because you saw all these Family rules listed in one pub for the first time! Only a small fraction of the literally hundreds and hundreds of rules that you'll find printed in the Letters are included in the Love Charter as rules that remain in effect worldwide. We've also eliminated all local rules, except those that you vote in via your Home Council meetings or through a Home referendum. Whatever the case, you're probably all desperately praying about your service to the Lord and what His will is for your life.

2. With the advent of the Love Charter‚ and Dad helping us now from the spirit world, we are entering a new era in the Family which I believe is going to take us to new and greater heights in the Spirit—to places we've never gone before! Why do I say this?—Well, for one, since Dad's homegoing, the Lord has said over and over that this is a new day, hammering home this point in various prophecies our worldwide Family has received. This recurrent theme of a new day is something that was predominant in prophecy after prophecy at Summit '95, which took place soon after Dad's departure. Listen to a few excerpts of what the Lord said in prophecy:

3. * "Behold, it is the dawning of a new day‚ and there is to be a new way. Old things are passed away and new things are brought upon you, and changes will be upon the whole Family."

4. * "I am an ever-changing God. I am not locked in to the old ways of doing things. But behold, I do a new thing in a new age and a new day."

5. * "There are many great and mighty works which I long to do through you, but ye must take upon you this new garment, this fresh approach, this newness of life that I have given you and that I long to continue to give you, if ye would but renew your minds and hearts‚ and your communication and your love for one another."

6. * "This is a new anointing and a new day! Therefore, do not hesitate or draw back, for you will feel My power flowing through you as never before."

7. * "It is a new time of greater power and greater anointing. Therefore lift up your heart and your hands to Me, receive of Me all that I have to give you."

8. * "As ye look to My Word ye shall be strengthened and ye shall be empowered, for it is a new day. Ye shall go forth and fight My battles with a new strength and with a new vigor‚ and I shall lead you and guide you."

9. * "It is the time for change, the time for new yieldedness, new commission, new missionary-mindedness—to walk in newness of life! Therefore, be open-minded and walk in this newness of life, putting off the old man and the old conversation and putting on Christ."

10. * "Therefore, fear not and doubt not. Quench not the Spirit. Hold not back, but step out and give all that you have been given. For to whom much has been given, of the same shall much be required. And in this new day I will require more from you than ever before. But as you give‚ I will give unto you as never before."

11. * "I shall do new things. Even as the early church had an explosion after I left this earth‚ now shall there be great accomplishments and a great explosion in My Family all over the world. Let go of the old, that ye may receive the new. For with the old is death, but with the new is life, newness and a fresh start."

12. * "This is a new day, and I will hold you responsible in whatever situation you're in to pour large measures of love on one another, to serve one another in love."

13. Oh beloved, I pray that you can feel in the Spirit the great and glorious changes the Lord has in store for us all. As you've read above, the Lord is holding each of us responsible to "serve one another in love." This is the key to implementing the Charter! The Lord is moving us into a new day of love. He wants to anoint us with the Spirit of love‚ His Holy Spirit‚ so that we can shed the bondage of our pride, our inhibitions and our hang-ups, and in doing so we can love Him‚ each other and the lost in a greater, more manifest way.

Lessons of Love—For God and Others!

14. Along these lines, the Lord has been teaching me many lessons of love of late, while at the same time reviewing lessons that I learned in the past but have fallen short of over the years.—Lessons on the importance of loving those around me, not just in a measured way, with limits‚ but fully and deeply.—Lessons of compassion, of taking time to put His love into action.—Lessons of self-sacrifice, of sacrificing my time and energy in order to love others.—Lessons of greater dependence on Jesus, a greater desperation for a more intimate love relationship with Him, so that I can be more like the New Church, His new bride. Lessons of humility‚ for only in humility can there be great love.—Lessons of yieldedness, for only in yielding to Him can I be empowered by His loving Spirit, and only in yielding to others can I give unto them His love.

15. Jesus is impressing upon me how much He wants my love.—That He wants me to spend time in the bed of love with Him, loving Him, wooing Him and receiving the seeds of His truth, as the Lord first told us through Dad so long ago: "Even as I have said in My Word that there is a time for love, even as thou dost take time in the bed of love for the wooing of thy lover, so must thou spend time in loving Me in the bed of our fellowship together in the realm of the Spirit. And as thou, during the ecstasy of thy love‚ doth see visions of paradise in her eyes, so shalt thou in the ecstasies of My love see visions and revelations of the things that I have in store for thee, and shall hear the sweet promises of the future of things to come" (ML #P:7-8).

16. In the time immediately following Dad's homegoing, the Lord was underscoring to me personally and also to our top leaders who were gathered together at the Summit meeting the need for us all to be more loving to others. Here are just a few of the beautiful words He said about all of us loving one another.

17. * "For I pour forth My elixir of love upon you.... Be not afraid to give, be not afraid to humble yourself in love, to be giving, to be humble, to wash their feet, to kiss their tears, to hold them in your arms‚ to stroke their hair‚ to hold them close that they may feel you, and thus feel My love through My elixir that is upon you.... Be not afraid of the opinions of man. Be not afraid of the voices of the Enemy. Instead seek Me, and pour forth the love. Know in faith that I have given you this commission—to love, to love, to love."

18. * "Lovest thou Me? Feed My sheep. Lovest thou Me? Pour forth My love upon those who come across your path. Lovest thou Me? Lay down your lives, your selfishness, your personal desires, your own will and your own way, that ye may love those who are so in need. For I have bestowed great, great love upon you‚ and you have this day felt My love and My forgiveness. So go forth in the same love and in the same forgiveness for others.... For as much as ye do it unto the least of these My brethren‚ ye do it unto Me. As you love them, you will love Me, and as you pour love upon them, you will be pouring your love upon Me."

19. I will be publishing more of my personal lessons along these lines in the near future, as I believe that these lessons of love—love for Him and love for others—are lessons the Lord wants us all to learn. These love lessons are part of the "new day" which the Lord is bringing to the Family, all a move of His Spirit to help us implement our Love Charter.

Responsibility Draws Us Closer to the Lord!

20. The Love Charter is going to essentially force us to draw closer to the Lord in prayer and loving one another. You might wonder how a book of rules and regulations can help us to love Jesus or others more. Well, ask yourself, when is it that you draw closest to the Lord? Isn't it when you are desperate, when you are crying out to Him for help or guidance or victory? Isn't it when you are seeking Him with all your heart for the answers you need? Since the Charter gives each of you so much personal responsibility for your own actions and decisions, it will be necessary for you to pray more‚ and seek the Lord for the directions that He has for you personally.

21. You are responsible to make major decisions that will affect your life. Others may offer counsel, but ultimately it is you who must decide what God's will is for you. Making important decisions and being responsible for the outcome of your choices should cause you to be very desperate to find the Lord's will. It should cause you to cry out to Him, to seek His Word, to search the Scriptures, to hear His voice, which means you must take time with Him.—For He is the Word‚ He is our Shepherd and we must draw close to Him in order to find out where He is leading us.

22. And as we seek Him for guidance, as we swim in the cool refreshing waters of His Word, and as we spend that time in fellowship with Him, it will help us to get to know Him better, to love Him more, to become more intimate with Him. And as we draw closer to Him and learn to love Him more, we will draw closer to others and learn to love them more. The more we have of Jesus, the more others will feel it.

23. It is my hope that the effects of the Charter, such as the smaller Home size‚ less regimentation and all the rest, will allow you to have more time for the Word, for prayer, for loving Jesus, and for loving others. And with more prayer and greater communion with the Lord and deeper fellowship with each other, there will be more miracles, more answers, more excitement in the spirit, more manifestations of the Lord's wonderful power. This will bring about more praise to the Lord, because you'll want to thank Him for all He is doing in your Home and life.

24. If we are loving Jesus more, spending more time with Him in prayer and the Word, and are praising and thanking Him more, then we will be abiding more in Him. We will be more like Him. We will be more full of Him and His Spirit—His love—which will be manifested in our lives and our daily interactions with one another. We will be more loving, more understanding, more compassionate‚ more sacrificial, more giving.

25. When we begin to love one another with His love, it makes us want to put the needs and desires of others before our own. It makes us unselfish, it makes us responsible. We become our brother's keeper. We become less concerned about ourselves and instead seek to make others happy.

26. To apply all this to a day-to-day level, under the Love Charter we are going to be faced with participation in the decision-making within our Homes. Each day we are going to have to prayerfully make joint decisions that will affect the lives of the others around us, so we will be faced with the question, "Am I going to vote for what is best for me or am I going to be unselfishly thinking of what's best for others and the Lord's work?" Each decision we face is going to be a daily test of our love and unselfishness.

Living the "Law of Love"!

27. In effect, the Love Charter is forcing us to live the Law of Love—"to love God with all our heart, with all our soul‚ with all our mind‚ and with all our strength, and," in some ways more difficult, "to love our neighbor as ourselves." The Charter will not work unless we commit ourselves before the Lord to live His Law of Love—to put Jesus first in our lives, others next, and ourselves last.

28. If we fail to make this commitment, then the Charter becomes just a rule book, a vain attempt to legislate righteousness. The responsibilities and rules outlined in "The Love Charter" are necessary in order to help us live in harmony and to help guide us in our daily lives, to make sure we all have our needs met—spiritually, physically, emotionally and educationally. But without love our Charter becomes dead law.

29. Love is the life of the Charter‚ which is why the Lord spoke to me about titling it the "Love Charter." Actually, just a few days before it was finalized and ready to be sent to the NPCs‚ I was praying about and writing my introduction to it, and the Lord impressed upon me that only through love, in love and by love, would the Charter be operable. It would only work if implemented with love; otherwise it would only be a weight and burden. The Lord showed me that we must call it our Love Charter to remind us constantly of its purpose. Love is the spirit of the Charter. The Charter is primarily about love, not law. The Lord is so pleased when we show love to one another, because in loving each other we are loving Him. In loving each other we are giving His love to one another, and this is a delight to Him.

30. Love is, after all, what God is all about. Love is what Dad and the words of David are all about. Love is what our Family is all about. However—and I'm sorry to say this—sometimes we‚ as a Family, have fallen a bit short in the love department. It is an area the Lord is zeroing in on—our need to be more loving and caring, more affectionate, and more compassionate and understanding towards one another.

How Our Attitudes Need to Change!

31. Here's a testimony we recently received that‚ though heart-breaking, illustrates some ways in which our attitudes need to change in the Family:

32. (From a former NAS: ) "I am very convicted when I realize how the work in our area has become so accomplishment oriented, so cold. Over the last few months I've come to realize that we (I) have come to a point that we're so busy `working for the Lord' that we have forgotten to live right—including taking enough time to love each other, stopping to be considerate, enjoying life and treating our kids with more respect, having our Homes be samples, taking time to hear from the Lord and then acting upon it. In short, sometimes I feel we have gotten into being more of a sermon than a sample of really living the Word.

33. "One reason for this could be that we became so concerned with so many things other than witnessing. Because if our very lives have to be a witness, we have to live right to be a sample. I feel we fall short of living what it says in the statements, not because we need to work harder at it‚ but because we need to change our vision and take time for the most important things—to love the Lord and others and live our lives dedicated to this love, and the Lord will help to make us the sample we need to be, manifesting the simplicity of Christ.

34. "One thing that really manifested our deplorable condition was the way the dear Family members who joined us as `refugees' from another country suffering persecution have been made to feel. It is one of the most heart-breaking situations I have witnessed. When I first came in closer contact with these incoming Family members‚ in comparison I sometimes felt like I was just going through the motions. I am not sure exactly how to say this, but in some ways I feel that in our area we were sort of working to perfect ourselves and get all the rules down pat, but somehow missing the point of it all. I have felt like this at times‚ but did not take a lot of time to stop and pray about it—mostly because I was so `busy.' I felt the incoming Family, to the contrary, although they did not perhaps keep all the rules like taking their shoes off when coming into the house, were nonetheless super on fire for witnessing‚ and I really enjoyed their fire. And while we don't want to drop our standard and get into eating junk food, a below-standard habit some of them had, I do ask myself what is the most important thing?!—Dry `perfection' in keeping all the rules, or on-fire witnessers for the Lord!

35. "Lately sometimes I have felt so bound by so many rules (myself enforcing them, mind you!)‚ and then I thought about Dad and how I know him to be—so free in spirit. I even wondered sometimes if we were starting to have so many rules that there were certain similarities between us and the churches! God forbid!! Lord help us not to look at every jot and tittle in the Letters as the law in every situation and under all circumstances! Dad's spirit is so much the opposite! It is a real challenge to pray more and hear from the Lord and implement the spirit of the Word!

36. "What is worse is the spiritual rejection these dear incoming brethren have felt from many of us in this country! Many of them apparently have felt unwelcome in the sense that they feel the Family here has had an attitude of `We know what we are doing, and you are here to learn.' They feel that the Family here is very laid back, while they want to do more, witness more, try new things, but they feel they run into a stone wall when they make suggestions. As a result‚ some of them have felt confused by this, as they are not sure if they are right or wrong—if they are hearing from the Lord in the way they interpret the Word, or if they are rebellious or what exactly is happening—and some of them have become discouraged. Lord help us!

37. "We repeatedly talked about how `untrained' these newcomers to our field were. I felt very funny calling them `untrained.' As although they were perhaps `untrained' in our `style,’ we shouldn't measure by our style, but by the Word.—And after all, that is our bureau of measures. We are all untrained if we don't live the spirit of the Letters! Thank the Lord one of my CROs helped me, in sharing her broken heart for these incoming brethren and her explanations of firsthand experiences from her time helping in their prior, trying situation. This really helped me to understand them better and I have come to really love and appreciate these dear ones!! It breaks my heart what has happened to them here, when what they needed was to be accepted and loved after the ordeal they went through! God help us!!

38. "I'm learning that efficiency is not the most important thing, although I know I have a ways to go in this. Love is what the Family is supposed to be all about!"

Putting the "Law of Love" into Practice!

39. Putting the Love Charter into practice gives us the opportunity to love one another more fully.—To unselfishly lay down our lives‚ our selfishness, our personal desires and our own will to help and love others. Although the Charter grants a great deal of freedom to each person and each Home, it also makes us obligated to handle those freedoms responsibly and lovingly.

40. Dad wrote a Letter on the "Law of Love" many years back, which many hitherto have only applied on a sexual level. As we pointed out in the Charter, "Many have the idea that the Law of Love concerns only sexual matters.—This is not so‚ as the Law of Love governs all of our actions and is the basis for all of our Family rules, rights and responsibilities."

41. In Dad's Letter "Law of Love," he wrote, "This last generation of the church will probably have as much trouble in handling such freedom as did its first generation! It's like giving a growing child a little more liberty at each new stage of development, a little more complicated and possibly even more dangerous toy, ushering in a new stage of growth and responsibility to see if he can be trusted with it. If he uses it wisely, he'll be given more. If he plays with it foolishly and dangerously‚ it may be taken away from him‚ as Paul had to do with the Early Church.

42. "It depends on your spiritual strength and maturity, trustworthiness, and especially the ultimate in total unselfish and sacrificial love—the true love of God! Have you got that much love? Have you got enough love to be trusted with enough liberty to live life to the full?

43. "The answer is up to you: Can you handle this new toy safely so as to bring joy and pleasure to yourself and others around you without endangering anyone or harming anyone or infringing on anyone else's freedom and others' rights?

44. "Can you be trusted with it, or will you abuse it and use your liberty as license to do wrongfully and lustfully instead of rightfully and lovingly? Will you use it to heal and help, or harm and hinder? The answer is up to you.

45. "If you are strong enough in spirit and filled with His love, you can be trusted with His liberty as a useful tool to help others. But if you are weak in the flesh, full of selfish lust and play with it foolishly like a dangerous toy, it will only harm yourself and others and hinder the work of God.

46. "Who has the most love?—To whom can we give the most liberty?—The lion or the lamb? Will you follow the Shepherd as a lamb into ever greener pastures and be content to enjoy all things at His hand?—Or will you rage as a ravenous beast, a loosed lion preying upon the lambs themselves and devouring and destroying the flock? The answer is up to you!" (ML #302C:4-9,11).

47. I believe that we can truly live His Law of Love, and that together we can be the loving Family that He wants us to be, His loving Bride. It won't be easy, because it takes self-sacrifice‚ forsaking all, yieldedness and a willingness to follow Jesus day by day‚ step by step, no matter where He leads. It requires us to live His Word; to let His love reign supreme in our lives; to let it be the governing force in all of our actions. Although He has given us many freedoms, our love for Him and others imposes on us an even stricter law, His Law of Love.—And to live it we must be filled with Him, because it takes the love of God to overcome our natural selfish tendencies—our old man—and to put the needs of others above our own.

48. As Dad said, "In many ways the Law of Love is even more strict than the Mosaic Law. The Ten Commandments said that we were just to do that which was just and righteous, but under Jesus' Law of Love we are to do more than justice and righteousness; we are to have love and mercy.

49. "Jesus' law is much stricter, much more difficult to keep—in fact, impossible! If the old Law was impossible‚ Jesus' law is even more impossible! That's why He says‚ `Without Me, ye can do nothing!' But He also says that we `can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us' (Phil.4:13).—For `His grace is sufficient for us, His strength is made perfect in our weakness!’ (2Cor.12:9).

50. "You can't possibly keep His Law of Love unless you're saved and you have Jesus in your heart, the Spirit of God's love within you, to give you the power and the strength to love others more than you love yourself, to `love your enemies, to bless them that curse you, to do good to them that hate you, and to pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you' (Mat.5:44).

51. "We have to receive Jesus first, then His Spirit in us will cause us to do the humanly impossible: love God and man‚ thus fulfilling `all the law and the prophets'!—Praise God!" (ML #1968:32; 35-37, DB 8).

Let Us Love One Another!

52. Each of us has Jesus, we love Him and we serve Him. Each of us is filled with His Holy Spirit, we have Her power and Her love within us, and therefore we can live according to God's love. So as we are about to embark on the implementation of our Love Charter‚ let us christen it with love—His love, and our love for Him, our love for one another, and our love for the lost.

53. Let's truly love one another with the unselfish, never-ending love of God, the love that Jesus commanded us to live when He said, "A new commandment I give unto you‚ that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another. If ye love Me, keep My commandments. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father‚ and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My commandment‚ that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them" (John 13:34-35; 14:15; 14:21; 15:9-13; 17:26).

54. Jesus clearly commands us to love one another. A command is a law, so He is declaring His Law of Love to us, that we must love one another. So as we enter this new day, let's do all we can to love Jesus with all of our heart, and let's put that love into action as we love one another in deed and in truth.

55. In order to help you better understand how to practically apply love when implementing the Love Charter I thought it might help if I shared with you some thoughts on the application of the Charter.

The Need for Patience!—Change Takes Time!

56. In order to be loving, considerate and understanding of others, it is important that we all realize that we shouldn't expect everything to happen overnight. It's not just our physical circumstances that need to change, but deeply ingrained habits and attitudes, which take much longer. Here's something that one of our young people who was helping on the Charter recently wrote me:

57. "I wanted to share something that I've been thinking about for some time. It's regarding how many teens, YAs and perhaps even adults might react to the Charter. As you know, many of the changes that the Charter brings about are points that the YAs have been asking about or requesting changes in. For some time we've heard, `Hang on, changes are coming,' and encouragement that things are going to get better—and they will! The Charter really does have the answers to most‚ if not all of our questions and concerns.

58. "But as you know, teens and young adults‚ myself included, tend to be impatient, high–strung, zealous and idealistic. We like to see things happen right away, and we get frustrated and discouraged when they don't. When we hear of a good new policy, we want it implemented now; when we hear a good new song, we want the Family to get it now; when we get permission to do something we've wanted to do for a long time, we want to drop everything and do it now! We lack the experience the adults have, which has taught them patience and longsuffering and how to roll with the punches and not expect Rome to be built in a day.

59. "So my concern is that while many will see the Charter as the answer to many of their questions and problems, if they expect the situation in their Home and area to turn around pretty fast and everything to be just hunky-dory within a matter of a couple of weeks, I think they're going to be disappointed. I could be wrong about this, but I think it will take some time for the Love Charter to take full effect. It will take some getting used to; getting used to operating according to each one's personal faith, getting used to making decisions together, getting used to going off to pioneer new smaller Homes, etc.

60. "In some ways it seems to me that the Love Charter is similar to Dad's `Declaration of Independence' in the early '70s. But unlike then, when most people in the Family were wild and woolly teens and young adults, many Homes and people today are large family units‚ and our Homes have been used to operating a certain way for a long time. And even if they have the freedoms and options available to them, it may take some time before they take full advantage of them and we see the major changes that we expect the Charter to bring about.

61. "Now for most adults who have been voicing a need for change and who are very much looking forward to the Love Charter as the answer, the fact that it takes some time to implement will not be as big of a problem, I think. Because like I said‚ adults have been taught by experience that everything takes time, and they're generally more patient and are more likely to notice even the small improvements than are the YAs, who sometimes have to have everything turned upside-down before they'll realize that it's changed!

62. "In my previous area, some of the very dedicated and talented YAs who were in positions of responsibility, shepherding Homes, etc., were getting quite discouraged because things didn't seem to be changing as fast as they thought they should. Delegates meetings had been held, with new policies established and new direction given to the Homes, but it was taking time to turn things around‚ and these YAs were getting discouraged as a result, even having thoughts of giving up, and questioning their place in the Family. So if the YAs look at the Charter as the quick answer to all their questions and the ultimate solution, and then if things don't happen as quickly as they hope or expect, some of them could get pretty discouraged and even be tempted to think‚ `if this didn't work, nothing will!'

63. "So it seems there will be a need for a lot of patience in the implementation of this new way of operating. Just because we have the Charter doesn't mean that everything is going to be perfect in our Homes overnight, or even after two or three months. A lot will depend on each Family member, including the teens and YAs, as the Charter basically shifts the responsibility for bringing about changes in the Homes from WS and other Family leadership to the Home members themselves. So even when the teens and YAs do really get behind the Charter and put their all into its implementation, they have to understand that it's still going to take time and patience to get where we're going."

Let Your Moderation Be Known!

64. As this dear young person has so wisely pointed out, there will be a need for much patience, Family. Although we are certainly expecting that the Charter will bring about needed changes in the Family, we all need to realize that change does take time.

65. Within any group or organization as large and widespread as ours, people always have varying outlooks on matters. Some people tend to prefer more strict rules and guidelines and like things the way they are and don't like a lot of change. Others like a great deal of change; they'd like to do away with most of the rules and they'd like to be allowed to burn free. There are others somewhere in the middle.

66. Your particular attitudes will color your perception and opinion of the Charter and its implementation. You may feel that the Charter is causing a great deal of change, and things are moving so fast that it's difficult for you to keep up, and you may wonder whether you are even able to accept the changes that the Charter is bringing about. On the other hand, you may think‚ "Finally I'm free to do what I want! I just wonder why its implementation is taking so long? I've been waiting for it to happen and I want it all to happen right now, and I'm unhappy because the changes are not happening quickly enough."

67. The Family will undoubtedly go through a great deal of change at the implementation of the Charter from April 1st onward. This is a monumental readjustment of our Family structure and the way we have been operating for many years, and things are not going to completely change overnight. It is going to take some time for us to adjust to operating according to the Charter, and it won't be without difficulty.

68. Many of you adults have been through several major shifts and revolutions in the Family over the years, so you understand that changes take time. You have learned that hearts must change, attitudes must change, and that this doesn't happen instantaneously. But our younger generation—you YAs and teens—have not been through as many major Family shifts, and may find yourselves impatient for these changes to happen. They may not happen as quickly as you hope and you might find yourself being disappointed or somewhat disillusioned.

69. To you I say, please hang on and have patience and try to understand that change takes time. You cannot expect that everything will change and be operating according to your liking from one day to the next. However, there will be a lot of change with the implementation of the Charter, and we expect to see the Family adhere to and follow it. We will all endeavor to change personally, and in doing so, change the Family as a whole; but you must understand that these changes of attitude and of direction all take time. So please be patient and loving and understanding as we all change together.

70. We all want to go in the same direction, we all want to live according to the Charter, and we are all committed to doing so. So Lord help us all to have the patience to see these changes come about in the Lord's time‚ to minimize any negative or unwanted side–effects of these changes.

The Right of Mobility, and Your Effect on the Home!

71. I'm glad that we have incorporated the Right of Mobility into the Charter, as it will make it much easier for all of you to follow the Lord in regard to where He wants you to be. It will make moving Homes, going on the road, or even launching out and pioneering your own Home much more feasible if the Lord leads you to do so.

72. I do have some concerns, though. In a small Home‚ the loss of even a few members can have a major effect on the Home and its ministries, and could in some cases even result in its closing. For example, let's take a Home of 24, consisting of 10 voting members and 14 children. This Home might be functioning pretty well, with a fruitful "consider the poor" ministry, as well as good outreach ministries. However, if five of the 10 voting members give notice and decide to leave in 30 days, regardless of whether there are replacements for them or not, it could result in a tailspin for the entire Home, which might completely stop their "consider the poor" ministry and greatly hinder their outreach and follow–up of their contacts. These five members exercising such a right could eventually cause their established work to grind to a screeching halt.

73. So even though the Charter does allow for members to give 30 days notice and leave without waiting for a replacement, in a case where such a departure would hurt others—in this case, both the existing Home and those to whom they've been ministering—then the loving and right thing to do would be for those leaving to try to arrange a staggered departure, or wait until the Home does find replacements for them.

74. As Dad said at the very birth of the Family, "There were two things that brought down the blessing and power of God: Number one, there was obedience, and number two, there was unity (Acts 1:4,12,14). Now if we are going to obey in unity, we are not all going to go off and do our own thing. But we are going to stick together and do God's thing and do it the way that God intended for it to be done. Is that clear?—God's way, and not some stupid man's way to get out of the responsibility of taking care of each other and dump everybody" (ML #C:29).

75. I'm concerned that in granting the Right of Mobility our folks don't get the wrong impression; that is, thinking we want them to be constantly on the move now, or that they should only remain in a Home for just two or three months and then move on to another! Although the Right of Mobility is one of the most important and necessary rights granted under the Charter, we don't want it to cause damage to the Homes or their ministries. Each of you will need to be prayerful and act in a loving manner‚ making sure that you are taking into account the repercussions your decisions could cause.

76. Of course‚ I understand that as the Charter is first implemented there will probably be quite a bit of movement as people move on to open their own Homes or pioneer new areas or go to other mission fields. Many Homes will also need to be working on trimming down their Home size. There will undoubtedly be a time of flux, which I believe in time will lessen as everyone settles into the place where the Lord wants them.

77. But even in this initial period of transition, I would hope that those of you who are giving your 30 days notice will consider the overall situation and look at the needs of your Home through the eyes of love. You'll need to prayerfully consider the timing of your move, making sure it is not detrimental to the work of your Home or is going to result in the Home folding or its ministries being hindered, leaving the people to whom you're ministering heartbroken and disappointed in you, hurt and offended by what they perceive as your lack of love for them. I trust that you will pass on your duties and ministries to others so that your departure will not thrust a well-functioning and successful Home into a state of major disruption, and there will remain a continuity in the Home's ministries.

78. There may be times when you feel led to move, but you may have to move according to a slower timetable than you might personally desire, in order to accommodate your present Home's needs. Such decisions will be tests of our willingness to live His Law of Love. In some cases you may, after prayer, decide that the loving thing to do is remain an extra month or two to keep the Home stable and functioning or until such time as there's a replacement for you‚ or those already in the Home are trained and capable of taking over your ministry.

79. Of course, this is not meant to be an excuse for the Home to try to keep you there indefinitely while claiming that you are desperately needed and there is no one to replace you! To do so would be unloving on their part. The Law of Love is a two-way street‚ and both sides must be loving and giving, trying to do what's best for others instead of only trying to please themselves.

80. We must all realize that we have responsibilities that go along with our freedoms, and our main responsibility is to the Lord and others. When we pray about and consider our decisions, we need to look at the repercussions that our actions will have on others.

Importance of Building a Work!

81. Prior to getting down to the serious business of writing the Love Charter, we spent a number of months gathering detailed information from the CROs and other leadership, and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the Family. We also heard from many of you personally as you shared your hearts with Dad and me. Reading and prayerfully analyzing this material helped to give us a clear picture of the changes the Lord was wanting to make in our Family structure.

82. Those framing the Charter compiled a list of the characteristics of our more successful Homes worldwide, as well as a list of traits of Homes which weren't doing as well. One point that the successful Homes had in common was that they had remained in the same city for a considerable amount of time, and often with mostly the same personnel.—Or at least the same core of personnel had been together for a considerable amount of time, and they had learned to work well together, in harmonious interaction with each other.

83. It often takes time to forge a tightly knit team, and these Homes have invested their time and energy into building a lasting work; they have fostered good relations with the community in which they live; they have nurtured friendships with their converts and contacts; they've been there when their friends needed them; they've given the public a chance to get to know them.—Truly reaching the city they are in. Because of this commitment, many of the local officials and other members of these communities have come to love and trust them.

84. When there have been problems or negative publicity, these Homes stood their ground and went on the attack to refute the lies. They gave their address and phone number to the authorities and invited them to visit, and by so doing have been able to dispel the authorities' fears of the unknown, and thereby shed the fly-by-night "here today, gone tomorrow" image, replacing it with a "we're here to stay" commitment.

85. I believe these Homes have received the Lord's blessing for making this type of commitment, and He is pleased at their willingness to feed and care for His sheep on a long-term basis. It's like Dad once wrote, "Elijah ... was learning the slow, patient, process of feeding and leading the Lord's sheep—His people! It's so much easier to be a prophet of doom than a healer of wounds and a feeder of sheep, a grower of lambs, and a teacher of babes! There's so much more glory in calling down the fire of God from Heaven and slaying false prophets!—It's so much more dramatic—more cataclysmic—so much more spectacular! And you like to see yourself in the paper!

86. "But where's the big news of the teacher who trudges along day after day, feeding the sheep as they gradually grow to be productive and fruitful, who will remain good, solid disciples for the everlasting Kingdom of God?—And what farmer makes news plodding along through the furrows, stumbling over the clods, laboring with his hands, patiently, tenderly, diligently nurturing little blades of grain that they may grow up, even in a day that he may never see, and bear much fruit!" (ML #35:7–9).

87. This is not to say that people should not change Homes or that no one should leave their existing Home to pioneer a new one! To the contrary, we want to see you pioneering—pioneering new Homes, new cities, new countries. We want to see the gospel being spread to all the world‚ to every creature. Pioneers are needed. Those with the faith to launch out to new uncharted territory are some of our most valued members. But pioneering is not an end in itself, it is only the first step in the process of building a lasting work.

88. Dad wrote, "Your Home should try to stay put as long as the Lord is blessing, publishing the message, bearing fruit, establishing the believers, providing your needs and protecting you from too much persecution. You can do this better when you're not having to move too much. A rolling stone gathers no moss, because when you're busy traveling you haven't much time to study, teach, train and establish. We didn't really start growing very much until we stopped traveling so much. It's hard for mothers to travel with babies. Even most creatures that God made have to have a little nest, lair or burrow once in awhile in which to safely rear their young until they're strong enough to thrust out into the world on their own" (ML #127:39).

89. So the Right of Mobility is by no means an end in itself. It isn't designed so that everyone can be constantly on the move. It's designed to allow you to move when the Lord wants you to move, or to pioneer when the Lord wants you to pioneer. It's also designed to help you to find a Home that you can join that is doing a ministry that you like to do, that you are happy in, working with people you like to work with, staying there as long as the Lord wants you there‚ investing whatever portion of your life is necessary into ministering in the place where God has called you.

90. Generally, if we are going to fully reach an area, then we have to commit ourselves and our time and our efforts wholeheartedly into reaching it. We are missionaries, and like all true missionaries of the past and the present, we must give our lives to the people the Lord has called us to minister to. The Lord has often called His missionaries to spend their entire lives in just one place, ministering to its people. They "became one" with them, ate their food, wore their clothes‚ lived with and loved them.

91. Although I don't think the Lord is asking us to move to one place and remain there for the rest of our lives, I do believe that He wants us to seriously pray about where He wants us, and when we get there, to make a commitment to remain there until He definitely shows us that it's time to go.

A Place for Guerrilla Warfare!

92. When a new Home is pioneered and you do not begin to build a work in that city to win souls, gain friends and supporters, follow up on your contacts and help them to become strong Christians, then this is more of a "raiding party" than establishing a lasting work. As Dad has said, "Guerrilla warfare has its place, and sometimes it is successful in surviving under certain conditions, but ... it's a sort of defensive warfare and it really can't be won. It's just the kind of warfare to fight when you are totally outnumbered and you're really not unified and you're scattered. ... But it's not the way to win a great battle or a great war, or to conquer much territory" (ML #C:31).

93. Of course‚ there are times and places where guerrilla tactics might be necessary and may even be best. If we look at Eastern Europe and Russia‚ where there is so much area to cover and there are so many gospel-starved people to reach and doors could soon close, we should do all we can to get out the message as quickly as possible to as many as possible. This might be best accomplished by having teams on the road, constantly moving and getting out the message‚ as opposed to investing in the building of a long-lasting work. Most likely‚ however, it will require a combination—that is, establishing stable mother Homes, out of which road teams can base.

94. So we can't make a blanket statement and say that every Home must do things the same way. You have to seek and find the Lord's plan for you and your Home. He will generally lead you according to the direction He's given in the Letters, but there will be times when you are in a specialized situation, such as in Russia, where He might have a specific battle plan for you‚ which you will have to seek Him for in prayer. It's a matter of truly following the Lord step by step‚ day by day.

95. But unless the Lord gives you a specific leading to be a roving missionary, then He probably wants you to find the place where your talents, gifts and abilities can be used to the fullest, and when you've found it, to invest them in His work there. One advantage of committing yourself to stick in the place that the Lord has placed you is that you are able to work together with others who are like-minded in reaching the people of that city or area. It takes time for a Home to become a strong team, for each member to recognize and accept one another's strengths and compensate for one another's weaknesses. If a Home is constantly changing its personnel, it's difficult to bond into a cohesive team.

A Time to Shtick!

96. In our WS Units, some of the personnel have been together for 15 years! They work as one body fitly joined together, with each person playing an important role and fulfilling their personal calling. And that is the reason that so few can accomplish so much.

97. I'm not suggesting that you should stay in a certain Home for 15 years‚ or for any given amount of time, for that matter.—You have the Right of Mobility, you have the right to move whenever you want to. But my purpose in mentioning some of these things is to encourage you to pray desperately for the Lord's will in your life before exercising your Right of Mobility. And when you do get to the place where you know God wants you, then I think you should be willing to stay for as long as the Lord wants you there.

98. You should roll up your sleeves and dive in to the situation, wholeheartedly committing yourself to stick, no matter what problems arise, what hardships you encounter, what frictions you have with your co-workers or what setbacks occur. When the going gets rough, instead of just trying to get out of a bad situation into a better one, all your prayers and energies should be directed into finding the solutions that will enable things to operate more smoothly.

99. If you know God called you there, you should stick it out and seek to overcome whatever obstacles may exist. It's like a marriage—just because things go wrong sometimes, that doesn't mean you should desert your mate. It's those hard times, the times when you have to get desperate together, when you have to overcome your differences, when you have to make a stand together against the attacks of the Devil, that help to deepen your relationship with each other, whether as a marriage or as a Home.

100. Just because we now have the Love Charter doesn't mean things are always going to be hunky-dory! There are going to be problems‚ hardships, personality clashes and all the rest. But if every time such problems arise you give your 30-day notice and move on to another Home, you are going to find yourself a constant vagabond! You can't just be a fair-weather Home member, you've got to be willing to ride through the storms as well as the sunny days. You need to have stick–to-itiveness.

101. Read Dad's Letter "Shtick" (ML #703). If the Lord has put you in a place and given you a job‚ then stick to it! If He's put you together with others, and unitedly all of your gifts and talents make a good Home, then stick together and build a work—until the Lord clearly shows you it is His time for you to move. If you do, the Lord will bless you.

Avoid Overcrowded Housing!

102. One problem that has concerned me greatly is the crowded conditions reported in many of our Homes. I've received letters from some singles who say that they are basically camping out—sleeping on mattresses on the floor—and have no room or place to call their own! Brethren, this ought not to be so!

103. Crowded conditions may be tolerable initially in a pioneer situation or an emergency, but once a Home becomes a little more established, this should change; it should definitely not be a permanent state of affairs. Our singles should have bedrooms, even though they may need to double or even triple up in one room. They should not have to be sleeping in hallways, or on mattresses on the living room floor! Dad always tried to make sure that everyone had good and comfortable quarters, that no one was too crowded, and that we did not put more people into a Home than could comfortably fit there. So please try to find housing that is adequate for your needs. Don't ask the Lord for "just any old house." Let Him know that you need plenty of room, and seek Him desperately with full faith to supply that need.

104. In fact‚ it's nice to even have a guest room and/or nap room—a little extra space where people can go for quiet time or prayer vigil, or where your singles can have their dates on a regular basis. If you find that your housing is getting overcrowded, then consider splitting your Home and finding a nearby apartment or a second house where you can still continue to function together in the same ministry. But don't just keep cramming people into one house to where everybody becomes uncomfortable, discontented and unhappy.

105. The Lord wants us to be happy. We're His children, He loves us, He has even said that we're His pets. (See ML #2344, Vol.17.) He wants to give us the things that we need—and even want—if we're faithful to follow, obey and serve Him, which we're doing. So please try to find housing that will accommodate the number of people in your Home so that everyone will be comfortable‚ with enough space and room to move and enough bathrooms and showers.

Changes in Teen Sex Policies!

106. Along with many other changes, our Love Charter introduces a relaxing of Family sexual policy for both our senior teens and YAs! YAs are now allowed to engage in sexual activities with DO members up to 7 years older than themselves (as outlined in detail in the "Fundamental Family Rules," 2D.1-5, pg.118-119); and our 16- and 17-year–old members are allowed to have full sexual relations within the 16– through 20-year-old age group, if they so desire.

107. This latter subject concerning our senior teen age group was a controversial point of discussion when the Charter was being drawn up, as although all of the Family leadership wanted to allow you senior teens greater sexual freedom, there was a difference of opinion as to exactly how much should be allowed. Due to these differing views, an earlier draft of the Charter stopped short of allowing our 16- and 17–year-old members permission to have full intercourse; instead permitting everything but "skin to skin touching of the genitals" with other 16- to 17-year-olds.—This meant that you would have been allowed to kiss and cuddle‚ touch, rub and fondle your partner as long as you were not touching their naked genitals with either your hand or any part of your body, which in essence means you would have had to keep your pants on during all sexual interaction.

108. However, because there was such a wide spectrum of opinions on this matter concerning you senior teens, I felt led to suggest that the leadership at the Summit meeting bring this question before the Lord: "How far did He want our senior teens to proceed in their sexual interaction?" And the Lord spoke beautifully and clearly, so much so that we had to change the policy to what it is now. (See Sex and Affection Rules, section 11.F., page 137.)

109. Since an entire Letter has been devoted to this subject, which you will be receiving soon, God willing, I won't comment on all that the Lord had to say, except to confirm that He is happy to allow you to have full sexual relations with one another if you wish, and through this you will be able to more fully understand and live the freedoms granted under His Law of Love, and you'll also draw closer to Him through the lessons you will learn from living and experiencing these freedoms. In addition, He wants to show you how much He loves you through the love of others. We were all grateful for the answers the Lord gave, and happy to change the Charter to reflect the sexual interaction He was permitting within your senior teen group. And we are overjoyed that you will be able to fully live His Law of Love regarding the freedoms and beauties of loving sexual contact with one another.

Continued Teen Shepherding!

110. I trust you senior teens understand that although the Lord has now opened the door for you to have full sex with other 16- to 20–year-olds‚ this doesn't mean that according to your whims you can now just be having sex with whoever you want to, whenever you want to! The Lord does not mean for this to be a free-for-all! The Lord also made it very clear in the prophecies that you will need a great deal of shepherding to help you as you enter into this new area of freedom and responsibility.

111. In prophecy, the Lord said that He would shepherd you‚ and that by giving you this freedom it would cause you to learn, grow, and mature‚ and that He would be there to comfort and teach you, and that He will use these experiences to draw you closer to Him. He said that the adults would need to shepherd you in this as well, and that you would have to realize that you have much to learn and thus you must take this matter seriously.

112. Following are a few key excerpts from this prophecy session when the CROs asked the Lord about what our rules should be regarding sex for senior teens:

113. * "Give unto these precious ones the joy and the freedom that has been given to you. For the love of Christ shall constrain them and they shall be given the wisdom, the knowledge and the restraint that will be needed for these freedoms which I have given to you. Only be diligent to know the state of your flocks and look well to your herds. Lovingly shepherd these precious ones, for a wise man learns from his mistakes‚ and yet a wiser man—your children—can learn from the mistakes of others. Give as it has been given unto you."

114. * "They must be cared for and protected‚ shepherded. You must put your arms about them and protect them from these strong elements which they are not yet able to bear.... Therefore I say, guide them and shepherd them step by step and slowly, that each one may operate according to his or her own faith and that none be forced and that none be embarrassed."

115. * "These responsibilities will help your young ones to remember Me and to seek Me in a greater and a deeper way during these days of their youth."

116. * "They desire to show that they are responsible."

117. * "There is so much for you children to learn. Listen and hearken. Would you receive this great gift that you so desire? Would you receive openly this greater freedom? Then you must take it seriously, for you have much to learn."

118. * "These freedoms that I may entrust unto you, bear them with maturity so that ye are not a reproach to one another nor a stumbling block to one another, nor a stumbling block unto the Kingdom of God."

119. From these prophecies it is evident that the Lord sees this as a serious matter. As I mentioned earlier, we will be publishing these prophecies in full shortly so you can study them and gain a fuller understanding as to why He is allowing you this freedom and what He is expecting it to bring about in your lives.

120. Parents, teamworkers and shepherds‚ you will need to help shepherd our teens in this brave new step. And teens, the Lord said that you will need help, so you must be willing to accept their shepherding. By the way, lest there be any misunderstanding on this subject of shepherding, the Charter does not relieve you shepherds of this important responsibility, nor allow for you to abdicate your shepherding duties. You are still expected to advise and counsel those in your Home and correct people when they are off track. And as far as shepherding teens, we are still expected to shepherd them. Nothing has changed in that respect, except now these senior teens are permitted to engage in this new activity if they so desire. But just as we shepherd their other activities, we're going to have to shepherd their sexual activities. It's a "family affair."

Responsible Attitudes Toward Sexual Freedoms!

121. Right now some of you senior teens have boyfriends and girlfriends, those you're attracted to, which obviously is not going to be altered by the implementation of the Charter! My hope is that you teens' attitudes toward the opposite sex will not change all that radically just because you have been granted this new freedom—unless it's to become even more loving and considerate of your peers.—That you won't put too much emphasis on relationships now, like many of our adults did after the RNR when they gained new freedoms. The Lord is simply giving you more liberty so you will have the freedom to take your physical interaction further, if you are so inclined, and do so according to the Lord's Law of Love.

122. It's my hope and prayer that you teens will put these changes in the sex rules in their proper context and that you'll be prayerful and wise in your handling of this new freedom.—That you will pray to keep your sexual activities in their proper place and that it will not become your major preoccupation nor your major activity. Hopefully you will carry on with your normal responsibilities and activities and with your normal schedules and routines and try not to put much more emphasis on your boyfriend/girlfriend relationships than you have previously. For those of you who have had lots of boyfriend/girlfriend relationships and spent time with each other in talks and on walks and other activities, you'll still be able to do the same, except now you'll be able to go a little further—or a lot further—if you want to.

123. Of course, some of you other teens may go much more slowly, and that's your prerogative. Sex has never been the main emphasis or priority in our Family. We are missionaries, and our goal and major activity has been to reach the lost‚ and it should remain that way since the time is shorter than ever. If we don't keep things in their proper context and in their proper place and time, things could get out of proportion and out of perspective and sex could become the major activity of you 16- and 17-year-olds, or at least take too high a priority in your life! So let's try to keep it in the proper context so that things don't get chaotic and everybody doesn't go wild.

124. Of course, these cautions apply not only to you 16- and 17-year–olds but to the YAs and adults as well. Therefore we need shepherding—and probably some pretty in–depth shepherding, as these will be you teens' first such intense experiences in matters of the heart. The introduction of sex into your relationships will bring about a lot of new factors in your lives, which will in turn bring up questions and problems that you will need counsel about. It is my hope that allowing sexual fellowship amongst you senior teens will draw you closer in spirit to your shepherds and other adults, as you adults will be able to share the lessons you've learned or are presently learning along the same lines.

125. We hope it will bridge the gap between the two generations as we will all be learning the same lessons together. It should bring out in you teens a greater understanding and respect for the adults and all they've been through in their lives. And in you adults, it will bring about a greater love and compassion for our senior teens, as you help to shepherd them through this important phase of their lives. Remember, it's not just our teens who need shepherding, you adults will need shepherding as well. Just because the Love Charter is in effect doesn't mean that shepherding is out and everyone is free to do their own thing! I don't want anyone to misunderstand and to all of a sudden think they could say "hands off" to their Home teamworkers when they try to shepherd and counsel them. Nor do I want you teamworkers to back off from your shepherding of the sheep.

126. Please don't make the mistake of misinterpreting the Charter and thinking that you no longer need shepherding. The Charter states very clearly in the "Responsibilities and Authority of Home Officers" that shepherds are to shepherd the Home. Without shepherding and without counseling, purposes are disappointed.

127. This holds true not only for teens but also for adults—everyone needs shepherding. You teens must understand that your shepherds aren't necessarily going to wait for you to come to them with your questions before they offer you their counsel. They will become involved in this aspect of your lives immediately in order to help you right from the onset of this new freedom and responsibility of sexual relationships with your peers. You've been used to shepherds counseling you on every other aspect of your lives, so this won't be any different. And you need to listen to and welcome their counsel and guidance. Okay? I'm counting on you!

Role of Leadership Under the Charter!

128. Perhaps one of the most significant changes the Lord is bringing about through the Charter concerns the role of Family leadership. During the drafting of the Charter, the Lord led us to more clearly define and limit the role and authority of Family leadership. Those preparing the Charter sought to find the correct balance in granting the leadership ample authority to carry out their responsibilities, yet limiting that authority in such a way so as to prevent leaders from quenching the freedom of choice and individual responsibility that the Lord wants each Family Home and member to have.

129. During the Summit meeting, the Lord confirmed the role of Family leadership as outlined in the Charter‚ and the changes He wants. He made it clear that He wants your leadership‚ both VSs and CROs, to allow you and your Homes to make the decisions that directly affect you.—That although we need shepherds, they shouldn't be attempting to dictate or direct the way your Homes choose to operate.

130. As Peter explained in "Moving Forward: The Need for Change" (GN 615), the DAS/GAS/NAS leadership structure we had was needed for the period the Lord had it in place, but now the Lord has led us to do away with so much area leadership. God willing, we will still have VSs and CROs who will be available to supply a minimum of supervision, but now that we're moving into a new day—a day in which the Lord wants each of us to be connected to Him through His Word, through prayer and hearing from Him directly, and through loving counsel with one another—the Lord now wants Himself in the prominent leadership role. He wants each of us—each individual, as well as each Home—to fellowship more with Him, and to get our instructions from Him day by day, thereby letting Him lead us in what He wants us to do.

131. As Dad said so many years ago in "New Bottles‚" "The greatest thing we can teach our new disciples and children—and each new generation has to learn it for itself—is to follow God and hear from Him fresh every day. Moment by moment learn something new every day‚ because only God is way out there in front and knows what's going to happen and is able to lead you and guide you and show you what to do" (ML #251:39).

Prophecies on Leadership!

132. Since the Lord in direct prophecy can say it so beautifully, I'd like to share with you a few excerpts of prophecies that the Lord gave regarding our leadership—CROs, VSs, Home teamworks, or anyone in a position of authority. I believe these prophecies will help you to understand even more clearly the direction the Lord is moving with our leadership.

133. * "You are in need of retooling‚ a time to come in and to be retooled and refitted, to be refitted to the new will of My new revolution. It is a day to learn how to roll according to a new speed ... a day to let the Queen of love come forth in your own heart and to be the leader—to lead the way.—Not your own impulses, not your own ways of looking at things, but it is a day for the Queen of love—My Holy Spirit—to pour forth out of every man's heart."

134. * "It is a time to learn new things, a time to learn the new way, a time to learn to let the humble and to let the lowly lead. For My Spirit seeks the humble and seeks the lowly and it dwells there with them. For I am the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, and yet I dwell with him that is of a humble and contrite spirit. It is the humble and the contrite that I will lead and that I will walk with unto the end."

135. * "The old ways, the military ways, the forceful ways of an army are having to give way to ... people following the Spirit of God, following the Words of David according to their heart and according to their faith. It is not a time for military control, strictness and harshness and commanding of people."

136. * "For the shepherds must learn to ... give unto My sheep dignity and recognition. For all are members of one body, and one cannot say to another that they are not needful, for all are of great importance to Me; and it is necessary to learn to bestow great importance upon every member of the body and to treat them with equality and with the great love that I would treat them with."

137. * "I look not for the strong, I look not for the mighty, but I look for the humble and meek, and them I do strengthen, and them I do rely upon. For with My Spirit and My strength ye can accomplish much‚ far more than you could ever dream of."

Changes Required in Our CRO Teamworks!

138. As Summit '95 got underway, one of the first things Peter and Gary told those attending was that we had no intention of making any major changes in the CRO teamworks, confirming that we had no plans to ask any of the CROs to step down from their position. Nevertheless, as the Summit meeting progressed and the Lord began to unfold His plans, it became evident that He was zeroing in on leadership, that every leader in the Family would need to change, CROs and other top leadership, myself included; not necessarily to step down from their positions, but to have a major change in spirit.

139. The Lord began to speak and convict all of our hearts about our lack of spending intimate and quality time with Him, and our placing accomplishments before our fellowship time with Him; that in general our leaders have been too busy making bedroom slippers, too encumbered with serving instead of listening. In short, the Lord exposed that we were becoming like the "Old Church" instead of the vibrant, loving Bride that He longs for!

140. The Lord also began to point out that the qualities of leadership that He had in mind differed from the qualities that we had considered priority. He is no longer seeking generals to lead, but instead is encouraging us to seek out those who can gently guide with love and understanding. The Lord emphasized that the main leadership qualities are love‚ prayerfulness, humility, empathy, compassion and mercy.

141. The Lord was focusing our CROs at the Summit meeting on much the same lessons that He was showing me at home: that I needed to spend more time with people and not just with my work, and that I needed to spend more time in intimate fellowship with the Lord, time under the dome, breathing His heavenly air.—And if I didn't get all my phone messages and details and "wings" work completed, then it just wasn't that important. Loving and caring for the sheep is more important than my paperwork; love is the most important thing.

142. Giving and sharing love and caring for people is what the Lord is most interested in our leaders (and all of us) doing‚ and to do that we have to take time loving Jesus, thanking Him, praising Him and letting Him love us.—Not just praying over our work and seeking answers and asking Him to give to us, but taking time in giving to Him, telling Him how much we need Him, want Him, how dependent we are on Him and how we love and appreciate Him for all that He has done for us.

143. The Lord brought out that some of the leaders who were considered weaker in that they perhaps didn't have such natural organizational abilities‚ drive or charisma, were the ones that He now wanted to bring to the fore, so that through their weakness His strength would shine forth. Although this kind of leader may not appear so dynamic outwardly, if they have love and humility, these are the main qualities that He is looking for.

144. Throughout the course of the meetings the Lord clearly drove these points home. Through different means and leadings‚ the Lord indicated that some of our CRO leadership needed to step down, and that this would allow some of the other CRO leadership who had less conspicuous gifts to come to the fore.

Josiah, Ike, Sharon and Philip Step Down

145. Thus we asked Josiah, Ike, Sharon and Philip to step down from their CRO positions‚ and their respective teamwork members are now carrying on without them. All four of these leaders graciously agreed to step aside from their CRO leadership roles and to take time behind the scenes for some retooling and further training. They have faithfully served as top field leadership for years and greatly deserve some time away from those heavy burdens‚ time to be refreshed in His Word, without having to carry the weight of leadership.

146. Following is a prophecy the Lord gave for these precious leaders who have so willingly stepped aside. God bless them, they're very precious and we love them dearly.

147. * "Behold the power of laying down. For as the great and mighty trees are chopped, they fall with a great crushing blow, and the branches are stripped, and the bark is pulled back, and they are laid bare upon the ground. Yea, they suffer the pain and humiliation of being unclothed and naked before all‚ and of having lost the beauty and the greenness, of being a place where the birds nest and rest and where the people are shaded.

148. "But behold how useful is the wood that I use from these trees. Behold how they are transformed into something new—into houses and into shelters and into beds. Behold how they become tables and chairs and they are useful, and they provide comfort, and they provide heat in the fire and in the hearth in which the fire burns. Is this not greater than just being a place for the birds to rest and for the men and the women to find shade? Is not this even more useful and more loving?

149. "It is not as proud and as haughty, and people do not see it from far and wide as it standeth upon the mountainside, for it is lowly and it is humble, and people sit on it and sleep in it and eat on it and rest in it. They find comfort and warmth within it. It is humble, but it is useful‚ and it provideth much more than just beauty upon the hillside, for it provideth places for My families, places for children to grow, places for them to sit and to grow and to learn and to eat and to find warmth and to find rest.

150. "For lo, I have called thee from the lofty places, and thou feelest as the tree that has been felled. But fear not, for I will make thee great and mighty ones in My Kingdom. For the trees that thou hast been have been upon the tops of the mountains, and the wind has blown strong and hard, and it has made thee strong. Thou hast undergone many, many trials and tests and afflictions, and I have brought thee forth. I have made thee weak, and I have exposed thy weaknesses, but I have done this in love for thee and for My children.

151. "For lo, thou shalt be mightily used as lovers of My people, and thou shalt be able to go forth and spread My love after thou hast had a time of refreshment‚ the time of remaking‚ a time of going through the sawmill, that thou canst be changed. Thou must be cut, and thou must be splintered, and thou must be sharpened for the tools that I will make thee to be, and when this is accomplished‚ thou shalt be an even greater blessing to My children and a greater blessing to My Family and a greater blessing to the world, for I will mightily anoint you at this time.

152. "But fight not the falling, fight not the stripping, for I have shown thee My plan for thee. For I greatly love thee, and I am very‚ very proud of thee, and I am so thankful and grateful unto thee for the love that thou hast bestowed upon others, and for thy willingness to be the trees that others would look upon on the high mountains where thou hast been blown and battered. So take now a time of rest. Take time now to lay down thy burdens, lay down thy pride, lay down thyself and let Me comfort thee in My arms. For this is My will, that I will mightily bless thee‚ and I will mightily comfort thee, and I will mightily anoint thee in the days to come."

CROs and VSs

153. In addition to Josiah, Ike, Sharon and Philip stepping down, we also asked all of our precious DASs‚ GASs and NASs to relinquish their leadership positions. I again want to thank you area shepherds who so sacrificially helped Dad and myself to shepherd the Family these last few years. You had a tremendously difficult job, you worked under a great deal of pressure, you sacrificed your children and your personal families to take care of our larger Family, and we're very thankful and appreciative, and we love you dearly.

154. Family, we hope and pray that you are also bestowing upon these shepherds your love and gratitude, as in order to allow you to come more to the fore‚ they willingly agreed to step down from their positions. We trust that you do not have any negative attitudes towards any of them, or treat them as though they have failed, or been "fired," or have done a bad job. This too is a test of your love—to see if you are esteeming others better than yourselves, if you are showing love and mercy and understanding to these who have stepped down from their position of leadership, or if you will act with immaturity toward these dear ones.

155. There will still be CRO teamworks and Visiting Servants, but the VSs will have a completely different role than the DASs‚ GASs and NASs had in the past. While the VSs are yet to be appointed, accompanying this Letter is an announcement from WS confirming your area's CRO leadership, as we are required to do under the Charter. (See Section 22, Authority of WS Leadership.)

Mama's Encouragement to Our Young People

156. I want to say a special word to you, our young people: I realize that the Love Charter, with its freedoms and responsibilities, is something very new for you. More than any other change in the Family up to this time, this one will probably affect you the most, since it is the first major change or revolution in the Family that you have been old enough to fully participate in. For many of you it is undoubtedly frightening, as you wonder if you have what it takes to be more responsible for making the decisions which affect your lives. Some of you even have small children and may wonder if you can care for them adequately in a small Home, without the support of large childcare groups. Some of you may have unfounded worries that others will rule your lives unlovingly or unfairly through their voting power in your Home councils.—Unfounded‚ because you have the Right of Mobility.

157. I believe that the Enemy will try to defeat you before you even start. He's trying to get you to surrender before you've even begun to fight. I want to share what Dad wrote when faced with very similar conditions years ago. I think it's significant that these quotes come from MO Letter #1‚ "God's Little Miracles," written right after Dad and I had launched out into the unknown, leaving the security of the established Homes in the U.S. and heading off to Europe, where we had no Homes, no Family, and where no one even knew us or about the Family. The Devil really fought us, and almost succeeded in killing Dad through spiritual attacks which caused him to become very sick with severe heart pains, leaving him gasping for breath. But Dad didn't give up‚ even though he didn't know what was going to happen to us there or what the Lord had in store for us. He just knew that it was God's will for us and he obeyed‚ even though he was somewhat fearful and concerned about the outcome. He fought to overcome these fears, he put his trust in the Lord and His Word, and he didn't quit! Here's what he concluded at the time:

158. "You see, if the Devil can just scare you out before you begin, then you'll never get started and you'll never accomplish what God wants you to do. So for God's sake and the sake of others and your own sake‚ don't let the Devil frighten you or bluff you out of what the Lord wants you to do before you even get started. That's when he attacks you the worst and that's when the Lord allows him to attack you the worst, because the Lord is testing you to see if you really mean business and if you're even willing to die trying.

159. "I've almost always found that the Lord gives me‚ or us, the most severe test at the very beginning, just as it was with some of you when you first joined. You had your worst test then‚ the most difficult test, because God was putting you through an entrance exam to see if you really had what it takes and to see if you were really willing to die to self and cry out to Him. Because otherwise, what's the use of wasting anything on you—any time or any of His goods or the strength of His leaders—if you just haven't got what it takes.

160. "So I found that God usually gives me the most severe test, allows the Enemy to tempt and test me the worst just as I'm considering or about to begin a new task for Him or a new project. We have the most difficult times and the most difficult trials and the most severe testing because God wants to know if you're really going to go through with it, live or die, sink or swim—whether you really mean business, whether you're really going to trust Him or not, and whether you have really got what it takes to see it through. Usually if you pass those first severe, hard tests, the Lord stamps your passport with His stamp and says, `OK, buddy, go to it! You're free to go on into the Promised Land that I have offered you if you're willing to forsake all and to follow and to die‚ if need be, to do the job I want you to do!'

161. "After that, it's not nearly as hard as we were afraid it was going to be. As Mark Twain said, `I'm an old man and I've had many troubles, most of which never happened!'

162. "Most of the things which we fear‚ most of the things which we worry about‚ most of the problems that we thought we were going to encounter never even happened. God didn't let them happen. But the Lord allowed the Enemy to make us think they might happen, to worry about them a little bit and even be willing to go ahead thinking that it's possible that they might happen to see if we were willing to go at any cost, pay any price, make any sacrifice, or die any death in order to obey Him. So praise the Lord!

163. "`The coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave, but one,' and I'm afraid most of us are cowards‚ because most of us seem to have to die a thousand deaths before the single real one. Many deaths that we think we're going to die, we go through all the hell and the agony of dying them before they even happen, and worry about them and fear them even to the point of making us sick‚ as it did me that night, nearly killing us" (ML #1:43-48).

164. So don't let the Enemy scare you into thinking the Love Charter isn't going to work, or that you don't have what it takes, or that your training isn't sufficient to live in a small Home or to pioneer. My goodness‚ what training did our early Family members have—the vast majority of whom were YAs at the time—when they went to pioneer Europe‚ Latin America and the Far East?

165. You young people have so much more training, more Word and more experience than our young people did in those days! You are the ones the Lord has said time and again are very special to Him and that He is going to anoint in these coming days. Don't let the Enemy steal that from you! Don't quit before you have a chance to see the Lord work miracles in your life! Don't give up before the blessing! Fight! Get desperate with the Lord and let Him know that you want to fight for the blessing, for the victory, and that you don't want to be defeated! He'll help you!

166. If you give up now‚ you are going to miss the exciting things the Lord has in store for us. Even I am surprised at all the Lord is giving now, but it's exciting, thrilling, and you won't want to miss it! So hang on! Keep fighting! Don't give up! Just watch and see what the Lord can do with you!

167. One last point: Please try to study and familiarize yourself with the Love Charter. If you will read it and perhaps discuss it together and help one another find the answers to your questions about it, and if you will pray and ask the Lord to help you see beyond just the rules, you will have a much better understanding of it.

168. I've heard that some think we included various points and rules in the Charter just for the sake of the System, and that you aren't expected to actually follow them, and that if you go against them, it will be overlooked. This is not the case. Everything that is included in the Charter is 100% for the Family‚ and every word is applicable to each of us. So please do your best to live according to what is outlined therein.

169. I love you dearly and have you in my prayers.

Desperate Prayer for the Gift of Love!

170. I started out this Letter by sharing about what the Lord has said about this being a new day, and how He spoke of wanting to give us His new anointing, His gift of love. Therefore I feel it would be appropriate for us all to come before the Lord as a body and ask Him to pour forth this anointing—to give each of us this gift of the Spirit, His gift of love. And since April 1st is the day you will hold your Home elections and most likely vote on various Home referendums for area goals, perhaps it would be a good day for us all to also take some time together in prayer, asking the Lord to fill us with His Spirit of love as we embark on the implementation of the Love Charter.

171. With all the Lord has spoken about His anointing being poured forth on all of us, we can consider this similar to the Day of Pentecost. And since it is about 40 days from the time of the Birthday Feast to the implementation of the Charter, let's make April 1st our Pentecost prayer! Just as the early disciples were filled with the Spirit before going out in the power of the Lord to witness and win the world, let's ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit of love so that we, too, can go forth with renewed vision and strength to spread His love to all the world.

172. During prayer at the Summit, someone received a vision of the CROs praying desperately for an infilling of His Spirit, but instead of cloven tongues of fire above their heads, there were hearts of love! So let's pray He will pour upon us all His promised gift of love to help each of us have greater love for Him, for one another and for the lost of the world who are so desperately crying out for the love of God.

173. Let's cry out to Him for His anointing and His strength, and pray that we will be more like Him; that He will shine through us so others will see Him when they look to us; that we will be more considerate and loving of one another; that we will bear one another's burdens gladly; that we will sacrificially give and share to help our brothers and sisters; that we will love and care for our single moms and all of our children; that we will all be married together in His love, bonded together by His Spirit, serving Him together as His yielded, loving bride‚ the Bride of Christ.

174. So I'd like to ask you to all get together in your respective Homes on April 1st in order to pray desperately for this infilling of His gift of love, and that we can therefore implement the Love Charter in a loving manner. Also pray that through it all, He will give us a renewed burden and desire to win the lost with His love and His Word, so that when the day arrives that He calls us home He'll be able to say‚ "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Mat. 25:21).

175. After all, that's the purpose of the Love Charter—to enable each of us to better live the Lord's love, His Law of Love, to interact together in love, to work in closer unity and harmony, thus making us a better sample and a better witness, which is our main calling. Everyone's ministry is witnessing‚ no matter what else we do for the Lord. So while I pray that the Charter will allow each of us to find our calling and individual place of service, my most fervent prayer is that we will each be a greater witness of His love to others and the lost than ever before.