I am so intrigued with this website that I just had to send you this email to say thanks for doing such a great job. The end of time is here and only the things for Christ will last so keep on keeping on and keep faithful so that we can hail our Master as King of kings and Lord of lords. Keep up the good works and may God bless you richly.

Christian Love,

Someone who cares

Lydia,

I am an ordinary man who was searching the internet and chanced upon your website. I received a great many spiritual blessings while reading your pages - thank you.

John

I stumbled onto your site while searching for prayers, and I want to let you know that I enjoyed it so much. I would like to use one of your poems. Thank you!

Crystal

Response to Crystal:

Hello and thanks for your email. For God's glory you may use anything on my website to share with others. May I ask which poem?

Lydia

Crystal's response:

I'm so glad you answered my e-mail. The poem I wanted to use was "MY MOTHER'S PRAYER" for Mothers Day. I said it at my church, Apostolic Pentecostal Tabernacle- UPC, in honor and in memory of my Mother. She has been gone for ten years, she lived her life for God, lived a Christain life and prayed faithfully. I love that poem. My daughter found another one for me to read, but I knew that My Mother's Prayer was the right one as soon as I read it. Prayer changes things!

God Bless You,

Crystal

Are you a non-profit organization, if so, what type are you? I may be interested in making a contribution to your organization if you are. I was so touched the other day when I read the story that the lady told about being a battered and abused wife. She said that this was a chapter in her life that happened long ago in Yuma, Az. I found this when I was surfing the internet for Til the Storm Passes By. We had a lady in the church that I did attend and was a member of that started a local chapter here in this small town that I live in for battered and abused women. I would like to make a contribution in her name. Thank You, And may God Bless You.

Gary

Response to Gary:

Dear Gary,

Thank you for your email. I marvel at your generous spirit for wanting to contribute to our organization. Currently, we are not set up to receive contributions, but you can contribute to any organization for battered women and children. Yes, there are real needs out there. There are many people hurting. Hopefully in the near future, the Lord willing, we plan to start a Balm of Gilead Ministry to reach out to people in need.

You remind me of the Patriarch Job where he said: "I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out." (Job 29:15-16). With your email, you searched out to meet a need.

Thanks and may God grant you His blessings from His boundless resources.

Lydia

God sure works in wonderous ways! HE brought me to your site. I was looking on the web search engine for the old song, "One Day At A Time".  The midi has been going through my head for three days. I am working on a resource page for our new web site. Anyway, one of the links I want is Alzheimer's. I am a retired Psych nurse...How did I ever get to...the nursing home page, I don't know, but...it brought back all my service as a psych nurse, all those elderly people I loved so dearly and learned from so much! ...oh by the way can I put a link to your page on mine? I think others would enjoy reading this as well, let me know...

Vee

Response to Vee:

Dear Vee,

Thank you for your email. I am delighted you were able to find the Midi One Day at a Time.  I sure would be honored to have you link to my website. I visited your site and found that you have a great inspirational site with very good links. I have bookmarked it to go back and read the rest of the uplifting poems and stories. Take care and God bless you and your effort to inspire others in their walk with God.

Lydia

I just love your music midi site. The songs are great. I have a Christian web site and was looking for the song We've a Story to Tell to the Nations  to play in the background this week on my church page. I record my pastor's sermon each Sunday and put it out on the church page and I like to play a song in the background that we sang that Sunday during the service. I found the song on your site and I have been sitting here listening to other songs and humming right along.

Thank you for the wonderful site and may God Bless you.

I noticed that you said that the songs are public domain and downloadable. Thank you so much for making these wonderful songs available.

Please feel free to take a look at my site: www.peopleneedthelord.com

Peggy

Response to Peggy's email:

Dear Peggy,

Sometime back, you were looking for the midi "We've a Story to Tell to the Nations"  that you wanted to use as a background music for your Pastor's sermon that you set up on your site. You found the midi on my website. At that time, you invited me to visit your site: People Need the Lord. I just now did, and I have to tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. I enjoyed especially your account of the initial set-up of your website--the struggles and the victories. I can relate.

Take care and keep up the good work!

Lydia

Thank you for a beautiful site to visit. I searched Yahoo for "origin of Sunday" and your site was near the top of the list. I appreciate the research you present, which clearly shows from a number of sources that Christians did not invent Sunday. It was very helpful. And thank you for listing your beliefs on your site. For one thing, I want to know the source of information before accepting it as research. But best of all, it was a thrill to "virtually" meet another believer seeking to return to New Testament Christianity!

I preach at a Church of Christ, part of the Restoration Movement. The Reformation tried to "fix up" the Catholic church, and led to hundreds of Protestant denominations. Our churches exist to restore NT Christianity.

Great to meet a fellow follower! God bless

Kristofer

Response to Kristofer:

Dear Kristofer,

Thank you for your email. It thrills my heart that you are researching about the origin of Sunday. Many people just accept it without questioning its origin. I think the Lord wants us to be like the Bereans--they were more noble than those in Thessalonica because they searched the scriptures themselves to see if those things were so. If Sunday were the sabbath we would have heard about it in the book of Acts. But all the apostles were silent about it. All through the book of Acts, they worshipped God on the seventh day as they were commanded to do.

Take care and God bless your efforts. May the Holy Spirit be your Guide and Teacher.

Lydia

From a Baptist minister came this short note: "Thank you - your web page broke my heart..."

Pastor Cable

My search for Tears in a Bottle graphics email:

I am searching the web high and lo for background graphics on Tears in a Bottle and I found one in your site that I love above others that I saw. I would love to use this background if you so grant permission to do so. My web site is not a commercial site, but a personal site endeavoring to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Response to my email:

Hello, and God bless you! Of course you may use this graphic set, I would be honored to have you do so. :-) I will visit you soon at your web home. :-) Thank you for your interest in my graphics, it is appreciated.

Blessings, Shirley

Thanks for your pages on The Lord is my Shepherd.

For sharing about Dinky

... brought tears to my eyes.

Thanks! Your page has been a big help! I will pass it on to friends. God bless you brothers & sisters.

Please let me know if you get this email. I am interested in hearing more about the Alzheimer's Home.

Thanks,

Barbara

What a lovely surprise when I found the author, the lyrics and the melody for a song which has been following me all week. It is "Nothing is Impossible." That song was written for me, by a friend in N.Y. this past summer, and I had lost the words, but the tune kept ringing over and over, while I was down with an illness these past few days.

I said to myself, I'm going on the Net and see what I can come up with, and lo and behold! I found you!

I don't know you personally, but Jesus knows you, and has been knowing you. Your web site is so nourishing. It blessed me so much this p.m.

Be ye blessed, my dear friend!

Prayerfully yours,

Lil

Hi there,

You have one of the most inspiring sites I've ever seen! Thank you so much for sharing so much. I'm quite ill and planning to take a close look at your alternative medicine links, though some of it is rather scary and goes against all else the doctors have told me. (Guess that's a common story.) What is most thrilling is to have the Lord Jesus with us at all times!

I do just want to give you a gentle warning, though, that a great deal of the midis you are using are not public domain, even though a midi website may tell you that they are. If it was written after 1923, it is copyrighted. And you must give credit to the sequencer who made the midi. It's a terrible pain, but people are getting sued big-time, including a friend of mine. You might want to check out http://www.free-the-midi.com/

It's very sad not to be able to use so many of the old familiar hymns and the beautiful newer praise songs. I don't mean to be a pain and am very happy to hear those playing on your site. I won't cause you any problems! Just thought you might like to look further into the new laws concerning midis on webpages as you are mistakenly saying that they are public domain.

God bless you! If you get bored some time, check out my site: http://www.singingsky.com and the links to the others from there, though they don't begin to match yours! I shall be visiting yours many times to read all the inspirational messages!!

Linda

Response to Linda's email:

Dear Linda,

Thank you for your email. I appreciate your warning me about the copyright information. Sad that it's like that, isn't it? You would think the Lord has blessed them with so much, yet, they are unwilling to give freely so that others would be blessed and His Name glorified.

I really enjoyed your website. I have bookmarked it for future visits. Your background graphics are glorious, the pages are so well put together, and the contents are refreshing and inspiring. Keep up the good work. May the Lord bless you for your efforts, and may others be blessed and uplifted for visiting your site.

Lydia

This is a response to my request to use a poem that beautifully summarized the entire Book of Esther. Click here to see web page containing the poem, For Such a Time As This..

Hello, Greetings. You are sure welcome to use any of the material you can for the Lord's glory. God bless.

Pastor Randy King
Wyldewood Baptist Church

Just thought I would share a couple of my sites with you, pass them on if you like.

Buff

http://buffnbob.tripod.com/sabbathschoolontheweb/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/foursabbath/BirdhouseMinistry.html

Dear Lydia,

Each morning I send a morning devotion based on the works of Oswald Chambers to my Christian brother and sisters. This morning I used a link to your beautiful website.

As I read this morning's devotion I thought of a slogan our family has cherished for many years.

"Bloom Where You Are Planted"

By doing a search of the Internet on with the slogan I came across some interesting stories.

I have selected the following from the first 15 of 1878 pages the search engine found for the slogan "Bloom Where You Are Planted."

They are too long to reproduce, so I will simply give the URL addresses.

Get a second cup of coffee and enjoy the journey.

E. Ruth Greiner has produced a beautiful page closing with a poem by Wm. Claire Greiner.

http://www.famci.com/EFL/bloomwhereyouareplanted.htm

The second is by Lydia Haga who was born in Guam. This page is one of many beautiful selections. You can hit Home at the bottom to see her full selection. (Speaker On)

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Ken
Somerset Baptist Church

This is in response to an email I inadvertently deleted:

Thank you for your inquiry. Valley Lilies is really a hymn I found in a hymnal entitled, "Christ in Song", Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, CA.

To tell you the truth, I really do not know what tune Valley Lilies was set to. The music, I think, was composed by Adam Getbel as his name appeared on the top right corner of the hymn. Kirkland's name was on the left. I tried playing the music on the piano, and it's the first time I heard the melody. I think it's pretty. I've seen all kinds of midis on the Internet, but I do not remember seeing any for Valley Lilies.

I love the tune for Lily of the Valley. The hymn indicated that it is an English melody.

Lydia

Dear Lydia,

I came across your wonderful website Saturday (Sabbath) when searching (Google) for the meaning of hell. I've been trying to tell a study group here at work about some of the pagan things which have come down to us as "traditions". One of the sites I checked out was yours. What a joy to come across a dear person like you with time and energy and Godly insight (as well as devotion) to gather or write all the articles and other information on your site...

Thank you very much. God bless.

Michael

Hi there,

Just a note regarding the song If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again, it was written by my 2nd great uncle John Whitfield "Whit" Vaughan circa 1922, in honor of his mother, my 3rd great grandmother Clara Beady Burgess-Vaughan. James Rowe was the co author of the music.

Would you please consider crediting Whit with year written and author? I have documentation to prove this if you need it.

My best to you,

Sunni

Response to Sunni's email:

Dear Sunni,

Thank you for your email. I believe credit should be given where credit is due. How interesting indeed the story behind the inspiration of this song. Your grandmother Clara Beady Burgess-Vaughan must have been a saintly woman indeed. Oh, that this title could be said of ALL mothers.

I shall give the credit to John Whitfield "Whit" Vaughan (1922). It's a shame that his name did not appear in the score where I got my initial information.

Thank you for sharing this information. Your email is proof enough.

God Bless,

Lydia

Thank you for pointing out that Sabbath is Saturday or sundown Friday until sundown Saturday for Jews and Christians alike... GOD ordained it that way, and it is the fourth commandment.

Scott

May I share your link Psalm 23 on my website? Is this the same version that was sung at Billy Graham meetings?

Thanks, Diann

Response to Diann's email:

Dear Diann,

You most certainly can link to my web page Psalm 23. I'm not sure if the midi is the same version sung at Billy Graham meetings.

Lydia

This is in response to my request to use a night rainbow graphic in one of my web pages:

Dear Cindy,

Thank you so much. I have looked all over the net for a rainbow graphic similiar to yours, but they didn't come close to what I was looking for. Yes, I will provide a link on my web page for visitors to go to your site. Thanks again.

Lydia

Hello,

Once saved always saved is true. Please consider these passages:

     a. John 13:10 states "he that is bathed (saved) need only to wash his feet (Christian walk)." The bath which is salvation occurs just once while foot washing which is confession of sin occurs often.

     b. Romans 8:30 - All who are justified will be glorified. There is no break between the two.

     c. Romans 8:35-39 - No "power" can separate us from the love of God - this would include the "power" of our sins (1 Corinthians 15:56) and the "power" of Satan (2 Thessalonians 2:9). No created thing (v.39), which includes ourselves and all the demons, can separate us from the love of God.

     d. 1 Corinthians 1:8 - Even to the carnal church at Corinth were still "confirmed to the end" by Jesus Christ.

     e. Ephesians 4:30 states that believers are "sealed (by the Holy Spirit) for the day of redemption".

     f. 2 John 2 - The truth now abides in us and will be with us forever. There is no losing it. Unbelievers do not have the truth in them (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

Marc

Response to Marc's email and subsequent dialogue.

This is in response to an email received (inadvertently deleted) stating that Hope Publishing Company was informed that my web site is using their copyrighted midi without permission:

Dear Susan,

I apologize if I had taken without permission the beautiful hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness." The hymns that I used on my website supposedly have been taken from websites that have claimed their midis to be public domain. I am truly sorry if that is not the case and that I had unknowingly violated your copyrights. If possible, I would humbly ask your permission to use this beautiful hymn to glorify God and let the world know that He is indeed Great and He is Faithful!

Lydia

Susan's Response:

Hello Lydia,

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Actually, we would be happy for you to post our hymn, with the following requirements & restrictions:

1. This permission is for the period of one year. At the end of the year, this permission will automatically renew unless you hear from us to the contrary.

2. You will need to show the following credits on at the bottom of the hymn:

Words by Thomas O. Chisholm
Music by William M. Runyan
© 1923, Ren. 1951 and this
Arr. © 2003 Hope Publishing Co.,
Carol Stream, IL 60188.
All rights reserved.
International copyright secured.
Used by permission.

3. We ask that you include a link to our website, using the following sentence below the copyright notice: "For permission to reproduce this hymn, please contact Hope Publishing Company at www.hopepublishing.com

It's very important to us to maintain control of our copyrighted material and prevent unlicensed copying. Your help and cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Cordially,

Susan Gilbert, Copyright Administrator
Hope Publishing Company
www.hopepublishing.com 800-323-1049

Response to Susan's email:

Dear Susan,

I gladly complied.

What's interesting, though, is that I opened the midi file and saw at the very top that it is 'public domain'. You might want to get that changed.

Thanks for my using this great hymn on my web page MY SISTER ELIZABETH - (GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS)

Hafa Aday! My name is Sarah and both my dad and grandfather are Guamanian. My Grandfather left Guam to repay the Marines for freeing Guam and joined the Navy. My Grandfather died a few years ago and took his recipe for Kelaguin with him. I miss that so much. It's strange what reminds you of good times once people are gone, but kelaguin is a wonderful memory to all of my family. I'm about to get married (which is how I found your site looking for Guamanian wedding traditions) and I'd like to have kelaguin at the wedding reception. If you could please give me the recipe it would mean so much! Thank you for your time and you have a wonderful site! Reminds me of family!

Sarah

Response to Sarah's email:

Dear Sarah,

Thanks for your email and for stumbling unto my web site. I wish I could just type in the recipe for kelaguin to send you, but I don't have the exact measurements. My father (passed away too) was the one who made it. He shredded barbecued chicken and seasoned them with salt, black peppers, chili peppers, etc. He also grated coconuts (using the komjo), then added lemon juice. From making it so many times, these older Guamanians know exactly how much shredded coconuts to use in proportion to the barbecued chicken, etc.

To tell you the truth I have never made kelaguin myself since I am a vegetarian going on 30 years now. I have a vegetarian friend from over here who was a nurse in Guam several years back. I met her at a church function in Tennessee. She made kelaguin substituting chicken with 'veggie chik' and, I tell you, it reminded me of the real thing.

I'm sorry, Sarah, that I don't have the exact measurement for kelaguin. I would suggest making a small batch, tasting it as you go along, until you think that that's how it should be. Then doubling it, etc. I'm just curious if by searching the Internet we can stumble upon Guamanian recipes. I know there are Filipino dishes (pancit) that I personally looked up and found in the Internet. I may search using different search engines just for curiosity. If I find anything I will send to you.

I am happy for you and wish you the best in your marriage. Take care and God bless you.

Lydia

NOTE: I did find a site and got back with Sarah who was elated. I'm posting the site here for the records: http://www.chamorro.com/postings/111302_2218.cookbook.html

This is a response to my email requesting permission to use the poem "Making Memories":

Greetings Lydia,

I took a "peek" at your website (more to follow)...it is beautiful and glorifies our Father.

Yes, you may, most certainly use "Making Memories" on one of your web pages.

You'll notice that I use the Pen Name (Aimee Love)....beneath, on all my poems, are the initials (LHG), that's because my real name is Lorraine Helen (last name intentionally excluded). I was going into a Christian chat room for many years (counseling, etc.) under the name of --AIMEE--. The "love" came along, later. I had a miscarriage and that little one would have been named Aimee Faith...thus, the name came about. The poems are registered under the Pen Name.

So....feel free to use any of the poems (as long as they are not for commercial use).

God bless you...as you bless others, through your web pages.

In His love,

Lorraine (Aimee)

I was just curious why you don't identify yourself as a Seventh-Day Adventist?

You have cute animals...and Guam looks very pretty.

My Response:

I'm glad you asked. I have learned from personal experience that many people mix up Adventism with Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses and other religions and would have nothing to do with it. If they had seen Adventism anywhere in the documents, they would have closed it and gone elsewhere.

If you are an Adventist, you know that we have a life-or-death message--the Third Angel's Message of Revelation to give to the world. If I could get only one person to read and be knowledgeable about the Mark of the Beast, the Image of the Beast, the Sabbath, the Change of the Sabbath, etc., it would be worth the effort to put up this information in the Internet.

I added the Third Angel's Message in titles that you wouldn't think it would be there--The Real Hero in Operation Iraqi Freedom under Tie a Yellow Ribbon, Mrs. Phelps and the Angel, and A Rainbow in the Night all under Apples of Gold. These are topics that I feel are eye-catching and you wouldn't suspect the Third Angel's Message to be in them.

Take care and have a good day!

Lydia

One person sent me an email stating that there is no need for tithing because everything belongs to God. I couldn't find his email in my File Cabinet to include it here.

Here's My Response:

When Jesus was on earth He read from the scrolls (the Old Testament) and endorsed it. There were no New Testament writings available. He was the fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures. "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."

Jesus didn't do away with the law and the prophets. Matthew 5:17-18 say: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill (every specification of the law). For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle will in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

Here's another text to disprove the thought that Jesus did away with the law and the prophets: "And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." Luke 16:31.

Since Jesus didn't do away with the prophets, here's what Prophet Malachi said: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts." Mal 3:8-11. More on tithing.

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