<TITLE>07. Par 22-26</TITLE>L-22 Now, I don't have any radio time, I don't have anything to sell; we got books, but I'm not a book salesman. I buy those books at forty cents less than what I get them. Have to take them... I've never bought a bunch of books but what I lost hundreds of dollars on it. The people who's got them is commanded, "If any poor old man comes, women, and don't have money to buy it, give it to them anyhow." And they tear them up and everything else; we lose them. So I've always went in debt with books. There--I've got several books that people has wrote of me, I never write books, but I don't--I'm not a book salesman.
The pictures, I buy them from the Douglas Studios; they're copyrighted. You daresn't to touch one any other way. And they're copyrighted. And I buy them from the Douglas Studios and then sell them, buy them by the thousands, and sell them just at what I have to pay for them, so that people can get them for the message.

L-23 I don't have any radio program; I've always kept my--my congregation small, my church small, where I don't have to have any money. I never took up an offering in my life. I've been preaching for twenty-three years and never took a offering in my life. I remember one time I started to.
Now, you know, did you ever get time, all of us poor people, where you can't make ends meet? Did you ever get that place? Sure, you have. And I couldn't make ends meet, that was about fifteen years ago, twelve or fifteen years ago. And I said to my wife; I said, "I'm going to take up an offering at the church tonight."
She said, "I'm going over to watch you do it."

L-24 So I told one of the deacons to get my hat; I said, "Folks, I hate to ask you," but I said, "I'm just in a tight spot, and I want you to--I want a little offering. If you will put in any, nickel or dime, something or another, and to help me over this little place, and I appreciate it."
So the deacon got my hat and started off. And I looked down, setting, and an old mother that always prayed for me... You remember, when old women used to wear a little apron with a pocket on the inside of it? Did you ever see one of them?
Now, the old timers, my grandma used to carry her tobacco and little cane pipe in there, you know, so that the men folks couldn't see her smoking.

L-25 So, but this little old woman had a little pocket like that, and she pulled out one of them little pocketbooks with a catch over the top of it, and begin to reaching down after those nickels. I'm telling you: I thought my heart would jump out of my mouth. I couldn't have took that if I'd a had to. I said, "Oh, I was just teasing you; I didn't mean that." Everybody looked at me real funny; I said, "I was just going on to you; you know I never took an offering."
So when I went home, there'd been an old man by the name of John Ryan, just recently went to glory, real old fellow. And he rode an old bicycle down there; he looked like he belonged to the house of David. He had long hair and beard. And he come down; he left the old bicycle, and give it to me. And I went and got a dime, and went ten cent store, and got some paint, and painted it up, and sold it for five dollars, and didn't have to take an offering after all. So God will supply every need, won't He?

L-26 So on those things, but what I said that for, is when I'm saying, "Write to me," we have an awful time getting the letters answered. It's not to try to dun you or bill you, because I have nothing to bill for. You got money to put in church, give it to your pastors. And support your own radio programs and things you have around here. And mine I--I don't need it; it's absolutely free; everything that we have is free.
So I just say that, and if you want one of the cloths, you send. And sometimes people does put in a little something for help it out; and--and we buy several hundred dollars worth of stamps a week and things like that. Sometimes it's done, but you--you're not requested to. Just send and get it; keep it in your Bible; it's all right.


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