<TITLE>01. Par 1-3</TITLE>56-0407, Blind Bartimaeus, Philadelphia Church, Chicago, IL, 115 min
L-1 So much my dear friends, and will you be seated just a moment, 'cause I know you're tired, standing. I got so much to say to you.
[Man says, "These flowers are also gifts from Mr. Shultz."--Ed.] Brother Joseph, I guess the last one pinned a flower on me was my mother years ago, when I was school. ["You've got one more."] Thank you. Thank you kindly, friends. I just don't know how to--to express this warm feeling. I didn't think about a little the birthday welcome like this. My, it'd be good to have a birthday every time I come to Chicago all... That's very fine.
To our dear brother, the florist, I think that's beautiful and I... As Billy said in, over in, I believe it was in Minneapolis, not long ago, they had him up to speak one morning. They said, "How do you feel?"
Said, "I'm scared."
So that's about the way I kinda feel without words to say. That is very pretty, and I... Leo, Gene, any of you all got a camera? I'd like to have a picture of that, if any one has the camera. ["We will see to it that we get the official picture tonight...?...]
That's good. That's very fine. That's good. They're going to have an official picture tomorrow. That's fine. God ever bless you, my dear brother. Gifts laying under the--that beautiful plaque there. And I certainly do appreciate those, friends. Now, you didn't have to do this. I'm getting too old to celebrate a birthday. That's the reason I wanted to forget about it. I got it all mixed up.

L-2 One of my brethren, Brother Wood, I believe it was, said, "Brother Joseph said, over at the Philadelphian church, said, 'Now, sir, let's see, Brother Branham's thirty, isn't he?'"
Well, yes, and almost thirty more. And I--I... The Lord has certainly been good to me in these forty-seven years of life. I was born April the 6th, 1909, in a little cabin up in the eastern Kentucky mountains. And I... It was His grace that brought me here. He's fed me and kept me ever since, and I love Him with all my heart.
I don't feel I'm an old man. But I--I feel like that I... To be honest, I feel just... Feeling in my body, I feel a lot younger than I did twenty years ago. I feel fine, 'cause I was always a little bitty skinny boy until about five years ago. The Lord Jesus healed me of a terrible rundown condition, underfed when I was a child, and--and nervous. And even till I was in such a condition that Mayo Brothers said there wasn't a hope for me."

L-3 And He appeared to me in a vision and told me, "It's over." So that settled it. And I've been strong and healthy ever since. Every once in a while, I have a friend, doctor... It's a neighbor boy to me there; he has a clinic, led him to the Lord, very fine man. And he's over to my house, and I over to his. And then he takes me down there to the clinic an runs me through. And here the last time I went through that clinic for examinations, by God's grace, I--I was just as a sound as could be. The blood, the everything... And that's the great gift that comes from God. And if He will just keep me healthy, and in my right mind, keep my heart right with Him, I want to serve Him as long as I live on earth. That's... I--I--I promised Him that from this platform tonight, if He will keep me in my right mind, and keep me healthy and strong, so that I can serve Him, and I love Him, and I promised Him, that I'll do everything I can that lays within my power for His people. And that's the way we serve God, as we serve each other. That's the only way we can serve God.


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