By Adar Kielczewski

Did you know that at one point in his life, Mr. Herbert Armstrong was vain? He said he was “entirely too proud” when he was a young man. But God used his ambition and drive, although selfishly motivated at the time, and changed it into a positive force to lead a worldwide work. If Mr. Armstrong hadn’t been as driven, God wouldn’t have been able to use him.

I was thinking recently about my own deficiency in this area of drive and ambition, and how at times I give up or don’t give as much as I could. I was recently talking to a friend about why we thought it was better to err on the side of self-confidence rather than lack guts. Mr. Armstrong talked about that, too.

More »

Posted by Adar Kielczewski

Why did Mr. Armstrong write an autobiography? What can we learn from it today? These are important questions that can help you answer another: Why am I reading it? Mr. Armstrong is the man God used to introduce each of us to His way of life. All of us came to know God either directly from Mr. Armstrong, by his writings, or via our parents’ connection with him. This is why last fall, when I heard there would be a Herbert W. Armstrong College class on his autobiography that I just had to take it.

As God used him to do a greater and greater work, many people encouraged Mr. Armstrong to write a book about his experiences. He declined for a long time, however, because he did not want it to come across as vanity—and he had a lot of other things to do. But as he grew older, he changed his mind, seeing that his autobiography could help other people.

More »

By Adar Kielczewski

“The job sounded flattering. The prospect of travel to far-off southern Mississippi had alluring appeal. I succumbed to it, going off on a tangent from the planned advertising career,” Mr. Armstrong wrote in his autobiography.

He had been offered a “flattering” job as timekeeper and paymaster at a large lumber mill in southern Mississippi. The offer came about because a book critic, Emile Strapp, who worked for the same newspaper as Mr. Armstrong had noted his energetic, productive work. Miss Stapp was the sister-in-law of Mr. Finkbine, one of the owners of the lumber company. She told Mr. Finkbine of Mr. Armstrong’s work, whereupon young Herbert found himself with the tempting offer: working for a millionaire.

“[T]his time I failed to seek out the advice of my Uncle Frank who had wisely steered my business career thus far,” Mr. Armstrong wrote. Uncle Frank had helped Mr. Armstrong in determining the direction best suited for him. Now Mr. Armstrong was going out on his own and by doing so, getting pulled away from his main goal.

More »

posted by Philip Nice

Moses, in 300 words or less!

Moses: general, judge, writer and spiritual leader. Born approximately 1400 B.C. in Egypt of the Israelite tribe of Levi, he escaped a death warrant from the Egyptian pharaoh issued against male Hebrew babies when his mother placed him in a waterproof basket in the Nile River, where he was later discovered by the pharaoh’s daughter.

Subsequently, the young Hebrew was raised as part of the royal family of the nation of Egypt: the most powerful military and strongest cultural influence of the period. He also became a proficient general in the Egyptian army. In about 1360 B.C., at age 40, Moses killed an Egyptian for attacking a Hebrew slave. He then fled Egypt and became a shepherd in Midian.

More »

posted by Adar Kielczewski

When Herbert W. Armstrong was young, he asked a lot of questions. One time those questions got him in quite a situation.

“I must have been on one of my usual information-seeking forays, asking so many questions that ways and means had to be thought up for ridding the printers of the nuisance,” Mr. Armstrong wrote in his autobiography.

So the owner of the shop asked Mr. Armstrong to get half a pint of “pigeon milk” from the grocery store. A grocery store worker told him they were out of pigeon milk and to check the jewelry store. But—surprise, surprise—the jewelry store didn’t have it. So he was sent to the furniture store. From the furniture store, young Herbert was sent to the drug store and then after he had visited almost every other store in town, he ended up at his father’s furniture store.

Upon asking his father for pigeon milk, Mr. Armstrong Sr. explained Herbert had been sent on a “fool’s errand.”

More »

posted by Philip Nice

June, 1942. The South Pacific Ocean is on its way to becoming a Japanese lake. Since their first smashing surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, the Imperial Navy and Air Fleet have strung together an almost perfectly unbroken chain of Japanese victories and American humiliations. Now the empire of the rising sun has its sights set on a new target: Midway.

American morale is sitting low in the water, and vibrant Japanese confidence couldn’t be flying higher. December 7, 1941, a day which still lives in infamy, had witnessed an astonishing Imperial Air Fleet morning attack that exploded U.S. deterrence and military pride. It sank or almost ruined 350 aircraft and 18 ships, including all eight battleships of the United States Pacific Fleet. Almost 2,400 servicemen were killed. Japanese losses for the day totaled less than 70 men and only 29 of its 353 planes.

“WAR!” Daily newspapers proclaimed the news from the theater—and the news was bad. Since the Pearl Harbor pummeling, every battle has further torpedoed American power and pride in the Pacific. The Japanese Empire has advanced through Guam, Wake Island, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore and Burma—brutally.

Now it is Midway’s turn.

More »

By Ron Fraser

What is a flag?

According to the Oxford Concise Dictionary a flag is “a piece of cloth … used as a country’s emblem or standard.” An ensign, from the same source, is “a banner or flag.” A standard is “a distinctive flag.” In the same sense, an emblem is “a heraldic device or symbolic object as a distinctive badge.”

America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and even the original Canadian flags are red, white and blue.

What significance are the colors of the traditional flags of the English-speaking peoples? Just what is the significance of the English-speaking peoples being branded by these three colors—red, white and blue—in addition to the colors of their royalty being gold and purple?

The nations of Israel, following the conquest of the northern kingdom by Assyria and the southern kingdom later by Babylon/Chaldea, progressively lost their individual and collective identity. The marvel of it is that the most dominant of those nations, the Josephite nations prophesied to inherit magnificent national blessings from the beginning of the 19th century, have unknowingly carried the signs of their national identity throughout their period of greatness over the past few hundred years! Those colors—red, white and blue—and the colors of royalty—purple and gold—were the very colors chosen by God to embellish His temple in ancient times! Yes, believe it or not, the English-speaking peoples have a direct connection to ancient Israel! Every American flag that flies is a witness to that!

For more on why we love the red, white and blue, check out “Flag Day” on theTrumpet.com.

By Adar Kielczewski

“That youngin is always asking so many questions, he’s sure to be a Philadelphia lawyer when he grows up,” Mr. Armstrong’s father said of young Herbert.

Herbert W. Armstrong, even from a very young age, was hungry for knowledge. He wanted to know why things were the way they were and how things were possible and how things worked. He had an inquiring, analytical mind that craved understanding. He fervently pursued the answers to his questions and quandaries. He continued asking until he received an answer.

As little children, many of us were like that. We wanted to know why. Even when given an answer, as a little child we still asked, “Why?” Children can sometimes pester adults with a steady stream of such questions. Somewhere in the process of growing up, we often lose that inquiring mind. We start to lazily accept whatever information we come across, whether from television, movies, newspapers, and books or acquaintances … without asking why?

More »

By Adar Kielczewski

Herbert Armstrong was hard working. Starting from the time he was about 8 years old, he gained experience in many jobs ranging from simple, menial tasks like being an errand and delivery boy to the trade of drafting for a furnace company.

Throughout those early adolescent years, he performed many odd jobs, but it was one summer job at age 16 that changed his life forever. It lit the spark of ambition.

Before taking this job waiting tables at a hotel, he wasn’t much of a leader. Although not lazy, he contentedly gave the lead to the older boys. He gave little thought to what abilities he himself possessed. But this job caused him to believe in himself.

“This was the turning point in my life,” Mr. Armstrong wrote in his autobiography.

More »

By Robert Morley

Two battles. One day. Similar men. Similar enemies. Similar odds. Opposite outcomes. You may not know about the Battle of Isandlwana. You probably have never heard of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift. But one of these is the story of one of the most amazing victories in history.

More »