P.O. Box 640109

El Paso, TX 79904

14 March, 1999

Dear Children,

This week’s sermonet is probably going to be the most outspoken message that we have ever put in print. And of course since it’s so very important that everything I say be exactly what the Lord would have me to say, I would like to start off this one with a prayer: Our Heavenly Father, I ask that You give me the words to put in this message for today. Words that will not only give encouragement to those who are suffering greatly under the present management of Toro El Paso, but words that will likewise open the eyes of those men and women in the Toro Corporation who have the ability to bring about the changes so desperately needed. Lord we are asking You, through Your Word, to strengthen those in charge to do whatever necessary to correct this wrong. And Lord we make this request to you in the most holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now I’m sure there will be some of you out there who will think that I’ve stepped out of my bounds when I say what I’m about to say... but there is only One who I must answer to... and His name is God Almighty. And seeing how we have just so recently covered God’s very own commands on this subject, it should be very fresh on your mind. But just in case it isn’t, reading once again the words of Jesus Christ as recorded in Luke 12:2-3: "For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."

And that my friends is exactly what the Lord has planned for us to do today. We are going to expose the truth (shout it from the housetops)... so that all can hear... and of course we’re going to do it all for the glory of God. Because as we continue on with part VIII of this seemingly never ending sermonet series entitled The Sin Of Amway, today’s message will actually be focused more on the Toro Corporation than on the Amway Corporation. And, because of that one fact, I need to make sure that you understand the difference between the two (Amway and Toro) before we get too awful deep into the message.

You see this message series on The Sin Of Amway addresses Amway’s sin straight from the Word of God (it attacks the snakes with the twoedged sword of God). And for those of you who’ve been with us since the beginning (part I), it should be pretty obvious by now that the Word of God that Father God has given us to give to them (Amway) is pretty bold to say the least. Because there ain’t no doubt in my mind that Father God does not like the way that the Amway Corporation is "using" God in their business! They are nothing more than a big religious money making corporation "using" God to make more money. They have taken the Word of God and, after having twisted and distorted it ever so slightly, used it to suite their very own needs. And of course that’s exactly where this thing about the snakes has come into play... the snakes of Amway that is!

Because it seems as though in the last few sermonets we have brought in just a few more snakes into the message that didn’t belong to the corporation of Amway (see Sermonet Snake Handling #101!). In fact these snakes that don’t belong to Amway belong to the corporation that I am so ever grateful to being gainfully employed by (the Toro Corporation). And what I want you to understand is that the snakes in Toro are not like the snakes of Amway. They are different! And the reason they are different is that the snakes in the Amway Corporation are the snakes who started the business, while the snakes in the Toro Corporation are the snakes who are trying to take over the business. Understand? Well I guess it’s kinda like one of them corporate take over attempts, with the exception being that this one has been initiated by Satan himself (the Snake). You see the Toro Corporation is dedicated to serving the One True God. That is their goal... for the glory of God... and Satan can’t stand it... so he’s doing everything in his power to turn things around.

And that’s where my boss (Ricardo Tejada/the snake) comes into the picture. But before we say too much more about him, let me tell you just a little bit more about me... and exactly how I fit into the scheme of things at Toro. You see going back a few years in time, I believe it was somewhere around late July or early August of 1996 that I received a phone call from one of those head hunters (employment referral agencies). And at that time I was working in Juarez, Mexico, with AVX Electronics. I had been with this company for 12 years, after getting my start at the corporate facilities in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Now my transfer to Juarez had happened some three years earlier, but at the time it seemed as though my position at AVX was not going anywhere fast. So quite naturally, when I received the call to interview James Hardie Irrigation (which was in the process of becoming Toro Irrigation) I accepted the invitation, but I did it only with one stipulation... which was quite naturally included in the prayer that I sent out to my Heavenly Father. And the prayer that I prayed was that if this job was what He wanted for me, then I wanted Him to show me. And believe it or not but that’s exactly what He did. Because it was very shortly after my interview that the operations manager (Sterling Parker) made me an offer. And even though there were at least 99 very good reasons why I should not take the job, my Heavenly Father told me loud and clear to "Trust Me---Take The Job!!!"

So that’s what I did. And even though I didn’t have the foggiest idea as to what Father God wanted me to do for Him at Toro, it has become increasingly obvious that what He wants me to do is to help take care of the snake situation. And seeing how that’s what Father God wants us to do then that’s exactly what we will do. Because you see it was on the 14th of August, 1998, that I wrote a reply to "my friend at Toro (Mr. Ken Melrose/CEO)" who had asked me in a previous letter what I thought about my new boss (Ricardo Tejada). You see "my friend at Toro" doesn’t work at Toro El Paso, so it was kinda hard for him to see what was going on in our surroundings. But then again, even though I was physically right there with my boss (Ricardo Tejada) I didn’t even have the slightest clue as to what was going on... until God the Father told me what to look for (He whispered it in my ear).

So it was only after hearing what Father God had to say about my boss (Ricardo Tejada) that I wrote the following to my friend at Toro: "Now as to your statement ‘I’m encouraged by what I hear about (Ed Williams) and (Ricardo Tejada)’, please allow me to tell you what I believe God has very strongly shown me about (Ricardo Tejada) (my boss). You see it was either the day of or the day after receiving your last letter that the Lord told me what to expect of (Ricardo Tejada) (my boss)... but seeing how I hadn’t even met him yet I was reluctant to ‘spill the beans’ so to speak. In fact, to be perfectly honest with you, I was caught totally off guard by what He showed me. But to let you in on the secret, here’s what He showed me from the Word’s Of The Spirit:

‘I say how many are out there in this hour and this generation who are so vainly puffed up by their carnal minds that they run to and fro and here and thither, and I say they exalt themselves, they lift themselves up, they strut about as kings. I say they think they have arrived, but I say they are full of nonsense, and they are full of destruction and death. For I say they are not a joy unto me at all for they do not humbly come before me, but I say they seek that they may be exalted and seen of men for they are vainly puffed up by their carnal minds. I say there are even those who men would esteem to be great, and men would esteem to be wonderful, but I say they are fools for I say that in the end, they shall reap the destruction that they have sown. For I say that they have exalted themselves in the presence of men and they have allowed themselves to be continually applauded and they have put themselves in the position where men would recognize them and bow unto their authority and bow unto their power. And I say because they are so vainly puffed up I say in the end they shall be destitute and they shall be howling in despair for I say they sold the truth and they did not hold it or give it away. But I say that they sold it that they could make a gain, they sold it that they could make a claim for their own lives, a claim for fame.

I say unto thee that they shall be judged for the deeds of wickedness that they have done. For I say many will scratch and claw their way unto the top unto the pinnacle that they may be seen of all men, that they may be worshipped and applauded. But I say in the end they shall have a disastrous fall and when they fall to the bottom, they shall have nothing to pick them up for I say there shall be no life there, but only death. And I say that the arms of death shall embrace them and swallow them up and I say they will be taken up into everlasting chains for I say unto thee that they allowed the deceit of their carnal minds to lead them astray and to lead others astray likewise. I say unto thee that the carnal mind is the enemy of my purpose. Do not bow unto the same, I say do not hearken unto the same but I say hearken unto me, the Living God. I say go the way that I instruct thee, rejoice in the power that I give thee. I say thank me that I am the I AM. Thank me that there is none other like me, for I say when you will serve me with all of your hearts, and when you will obey me with dedication, I say unto thee that I the Living God will give thee the mind of my Spirit. And I say unto thee that in the mind of my Spirit, there is life, I say there is wisdom, I say there is knowledge. I say there is instruction.’"

OK, so was that strong enough for you? Well that was what Father God told me about my boss (Ricardo Tejada) six months ago, before I even had the wonderful opportunity of experiencing him first hand in the natural. But that was then... and this is now... and I can guarantee you that we at Toro El Paso "feel" exactly what Father God was trying to tell both me and "my friend at Toro" through His word. In fact since that day so many months ago, I have had four very open and lengthy discussions with him (Ricardo Tejada/my boss) concerning his relationship with God Almighty. And what I have learned through those discussions is that he does believe in The God of the Universe... but he is not following The God of the Universe... because of his love for the pleasures of sin.

You see God the Father loves my boss (Ricardo Tejeda) and my boss (Ricardo Tejada) even admits to knowing it. That’s what he admits to! But the one thing that he continues to refuse to admit is that God the Father hates his sin, and until he turns away from his sin he is not a child of God but a child of Satan (snake). I mean my boss (Ricardo Tejada) not only reads the Holy Bible but he even prays to God Almighty for guidance. And of course God Almighty, being The Loving God that He is, gives my boss (Ricardo Tejada) guidance through the Word of God... but because of the continuous sin in his life he can’t hear what "thus saith the Lord!" In other words, to put it in simple terms, his brain has become very scrambled!

In fact I think it was actually during our first very long conversation that he told me how God had given him a very special Scripture concerning upcoming future events in his life at Toro. And because of the Scripture that he was given, I don’t have the slightest doubt in my mind that what he had herd was from God. The Scripture was from God but the message that he got out of it was not what God had intended.

And seeing how we still have a good bit of paper remaining, why don’t we just go ahead and read this story that the Lord gave to my boss (Ricardo Tejada) for ourselves. So turning to the Book of Daniel and starting with chapter 1, verse 1: "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the LORD gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god."

Now seeing how my boss (Ricardo Tejeda) has not really given me all the details as to what he understood God’s message to be in this story, we’ll just have to go ahead and lay it all out as to what God’s intended message was for him in this story. Because, amazingly so, even though we are not talking about The Sin Of Amway, or The President, The People, And The Religion, we really are. You see this thing of religion covers a whole lot of territory... even the religion of my boss... who just so happens to be the King Nebuchadnezzar in this Real Life Bible Story. And of course King Nebuchadnezzar, like my boss (Ricardo Tejada) and so many others in this world of today, wanted the blessings of The God of the Universe (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost) while still maintaining his very tight hold on the god of the world (Satan). So as this story begins King Nebuchadnezzar has captured the Nation of God and likewise taken the things of God that he thought would end up bringing him a blessing from God.

And continuing on we find, "And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chileans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king."

Isn’t it truly amazing how this story sizes up my boss (Ricardo Tejada) to a "T". You see the word "wine" was translated from the Hebrew word "yayin" which means to ferment. And of course that means the wine King Nebuchadnezzar was trying to offer the children of God was not the fresh grape juice (tiyrosh: fresh wine) but an intoxicating mind altering drink of fermented grape juice instead (yayin: fermented wine). You see what King Nebuchadnezzar was trying to do with this food of his gods (intoxicating drinks and meats sacrificed to his gods) was only to condition the children of God to accept his god. And believe it or not but this is one of my bosses (Ricardo Tejada) very own tactical maneuvers in recruiting some of his most loyal followers.

But anyway, that was Nebuchadnezzar’s plan with the children of God. That was how he was going to get them to become one of his... but let’s continue on reading to see if it worked: "Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."

Atta boy Daniel! Satan ain’t a gonna fool you that easy. But, even though Daniel did resist the initial temptation, he still had a lot more negotiating to do: "Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. Then said Daniel... Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants."

Now how many of you out there would willingly give up steak and wine for beans and water? Well I sure hope that you would if it meant your relationship with God Almighty! And that’s what Daniel wanted, but this loyal servant to the king (eunuch) was afraid that if the children of God didn’t eat from the king’s menu they would end up looking as though the eunuchs had tried to starve them to death. But Daniel was a good negotiator, and, "So he consented to them in this matter, and proved to them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams."

Now believe it or not but this story of Daniel is also the real life story of us at Toro El Paso. Because you see there are those who have accepted the kings meat and there are those who haven’t. And for those of us who haven’t given into the temptation, God has and will continue to bless us greatly. Because... "And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams... And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill... The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter..."

Now I know that some of you are going to find this hard to believe but my boss (Ricardo Tejada/the king) is having a very hard time sleeping. There is a very real connection with him and this story! But getting back to Daniel, don’t you just love the challenge those unbelievers threw out at him? They said that nobody could interpret a dream if they hadn’t first heard the dream. But they didn’t know Daniel’s God very well did they? Because, "Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven... I thank thee, and praise thee, O God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desirest of thee: for thou hast now made known to us the king’s matter. Therefore... Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said... there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the later days... This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation therefore before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beast of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all..."

Now we didn’t have time to go through the entire interpretation of the king’s dream but the bottom line single most important part of the dream was that everything the king owned was only because God had given it to him... and likewise that same God Almighty demanded the praises for it! So what do you think the king did? Well, "Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours to him... Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. Then... Nebuchanezzar the king made an image of gold... And... made a decree, that every man... shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."

Well I guess you can chalk up that first dream of Neb’s as a lost cause. You see the poor old king had this hang-up about worshipping everything except the One True God. And judging from the size of that giant gold statue of himself (the one that he was requiring everybody to bow down and worship), I think it’s safe to say that the one he really worshipped was himself (my boss/Ricardo Tejada). And, for all those who didn’t worship him, there was no real good reason for them to continue to exist... which of course included all those loyal followers of The One True God. And that’s why it wasn’t too awful long before someone noticed that... "There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and furry commanded... the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace."

God sure knows how to pick the right Scripture doesn’t He? This is without a doubt the real life story of my boss (Ricardo Tejada) and Toro El Paso. And rightfully so, this is the part of the story that kinda like puts you on the edge of your seat. What do you think will happen to the loyal dedicated children of God? When do you think my boss (Ricardo Tejada) is going to start the construction of his very own furnace? Well getting back to the story we find: "Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and... Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire... Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God."

Well do you think this eye opening experience convinced Nebuchadnezzar to worship God Almighty? Not a chance! Because you see it wasn’t too long after that the king had another dream. And as he explained what he saw, he went on to say: "I saw a dream which made me afraid... This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof... Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies... Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity."

God had one last message for King Nebuchadnezzar and it was nothing but the basics; turnaway from sin before it’s too late!!! And do you think he listened. Noooo, because "All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws."

Frightening ain’t it? And what’s even more frightening for my boss (Ricardo Tejada) is the fact that Friday my Father God had me to walk into his office and deliver the same message to him: "The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field". That’s what He told me to do and that’s what exactly what I did. But that ain’t even all that I did Friday. Because you see My Heavenly Father also had me to give the following Scripture to one of the king’s (my boss/Ricardo Tejada) loyal followers (female snakes). And what I gave to her went like this: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God. There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them. Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad." (Psalm 53)

What a message... what a week... and all for the glory of God!!! Don’t get caught up in Satan’s deceptions: worship God the Father through prayer and a study of The Word, turn away from sin, and Keep on keeping The Faith In Jesus Christ!!!

Love,

Dad (Bruce Hallman)