Given by Father Divine at the Holy communion table Unity mission Church, Home and Training school 907 North 41^st street Philadelphia. February 17-18, 1950 at 1:45 a.m.

            (Just before FATHER gave this brief Sermon and announcement, the following inspirational composition was sung as follows:)

Many Blessings for tomorrow,

Many Blessings for today,

Many Blessings throughout Eternity

If you trust HIM and obey;

There is no end to FATHER’S Blessings,

They are limitless, can’t you see?

Many Blessings, Many Blessings

For you and for me!

 

(FATHER speaks as follows:)

PEACE, EVERYONE!  At this instance I would like to say, there are so many blessings, you cannot count them all!   And this is not a supposition.  You can see the actual materialization of the limitless blessings demonstrated.  Therefore, we sing it and we say it definitely, for truly there are so many blessings for you and for ME!  That which you can vision ─ in other words, anything you can imagine can be done!  Genesis, eleventh chapter and the sixth verse:

                         “The people are of one language and of

                          one speech ─ (in other words) The people

                          is one.  Now not anything can be restrained

                          from them to do what they have imagined

                          to do.”

We imagine having a world like this in which to live!  Aren’t you glad!  (“So glad, LORD!” came the eager response.)  And we do not mean to be discouraged and we do not mean to be disturbed and we do not mean to digress in the actuated words of expression until this shall have been accomplished universally!  A world in which to live that will be free from all vice and crime and sin and debauchery of every kind!  That your very vocabularies will be purged and purified as silver and as gold are purged!  I will speak a little more explicitly in deeds and in actions, for words of the human language are inadequate to explain and to tell you all of the significance and the magnanimousness of the Infinite One!

For this cause I refrain from speaking at the instance, but will speak more in deeds and in actions and will continue to put MY Spirit in the people and cause them to walk in MY Statutes!

At this time I would like to say as aforesaid, we have visiting guests.  Of course, it is a late hour, nevertheless, we never get tired of hearing good from the Fount of GOD’S Infinite Love!  Therefore, I would like to say, if any of our visiting guests and visiting friends desire to speak, they are welcome to do so.  You are welcome to move volitionally even as we do, if you care to.  Dr. Hahn, he was very much filled with enthusiasm tonight as well as MYSELF, to enjoy such an atmosphere as this, but I did not wish to call on him to speak up here until he should have fully dined.  No doubt he is satisfied now as far as the material food is concerned!  It may be that he might have something else to say since he is known now and has been identified.  While he is speaking, someone else may be inspired to have something to say.  And remember,

“The thing you vividly visualize, you tend to materialize.”

We have been visioning beautiful things!  This is beautifully discerned, is it not?  Well, we mean to materialize it and universalize it and continue to personify it until the personages of humanity unify by the personification of this of which we are stressing.  I thank you.

 

Father Divine

 

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Interview granted by Father Divine at his New York City headquarters on 123rd Street & Lenox Avenue on Wednesday, August 10, 1938 at 8:00 p.m.

          On the occasions of recent acquisitions of property, Demonstrations and Boat Excursions, the press has misquoted FATHER DIVINE to such an extent that it appeared to be a studied effort on their part to misrepresent and minimize His Teachings, as it has been many times in the past.  On this occasion, however, of the recent Boat Excursion, The New York Times, upon hearing that FATHER had said He was misquoted, sent their representative to interview Him with a view to correcting these erroneous versions.  Because of their evidently sincere desire to print the truth, FATHER relaxed His usual rule not to grant interviews to the press, and at His 123^rd Street Headquarters received Mr. Robert S. Bird.  The interview was as follows:  —

Mr. Bird:  Did Mr. Lamb explain to You, Father, that after reading in the afternoon papers about Your statement this morning, that you had been misquoted, I called Mr. Lamb hoping that we could get from You a transcript of your Milton address day before yesterday with the purpose of publishing in full Your own transcript; in other words a transcript of the address which would be satisfactory to You and would not be edited in the slightest way?

FATHER:  “I think that can be arranged.”

Mr. Bird:  This address would be preceded by copy — a paragraph or two paragraphs by way of introduction, and they would perhaps go along like this: that perhaps on an average of once a week or however often you do make a speech: or, FATHER DIVINE addresses His followers and the following is a characteristic message; then mentioning that this message was delivered on such and such a date at Milton-on-the-Hudson.  That would be printed in full except that space limitations would hold it to two thousand words; but I do not think that address would run more than two thousand words.  That is two full newspaper columns.  If by chance the full transcript ran more than that, we would invite You to eliminate whatever part You wanted to in order to bring it within the space of the paper.  Then one other thing.  When I spoke to Mr. Lamb he told me — sincerely I know — that he thought there had been a studied effort to misconstrue Yours words.

FATHER:  “Yes, there seem to be quite a number.”

Mr. Bird:  I assured him that that was not true.  I explained to him that on the occasion of thatMiltonaddress the room was extremely crowded; it was raining outside and everybody crowded inside, and there were no tables for reporters.  We were standing with our papers against the backs of other people; scribbling as fast as we could and there was considerable noise in that room.  The news men were grinding away at the cameras and we did not have time to consult the stenographers afterwards.  We all had to get to theWestern Unionstation to get the story on the wire; so there was some argument amongst us as to exactly what you said and there were some changes; we tried to make our notes jibe with others in order to get it as clear as possible.

FATHER:  “I think it should be so arranged that representatives should be accurate, even as I request the accuracy of My stenographers.”

Mr. Bird:  I think that is very reasonable.

FATHER:  “The same as court stenographers.”

Mr. Bird:  Well, that is true, but I do not take stenographic notes, I have my own system of shorthand.  It is perhaps not a hundred percent efficient but is usually suffices.  Under some circumstances I sometimes miss a word here and there.

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Remarks of Atty. J. Austin Norris Member of the Board of Revision of Taxes, Philadelphia

During Woodmont anniversary celebration whilst in the Tea Room of the Divine Lorraine Hotel, Broad Street at Fairmount Avenue.

September 11, 1958 at 5:43 p.m.

(While FATHER and MOTHER served a few of Their Personal Guests in a little informal service in the Tea Room of the Divine Lorraine Hotel prior to going up to the Penthouse Dining Room, Mr. Norris, well known Attorney, arose to speak as follows:)

Peace, FATHER: (Father replies, “Peace!”) Peace, MOTHER: I’m taking advantage of the opportunity of sitting in here to speak in this room for the first time. I think I have had the privilege of speaking at most of the auditoriums in or near Philadelphia bur this is the first time that I have had the opportunity of being in this most sacred and personal dining room.

FATHER invited me here just an hour or so ago, and, of course, HIS Invitation is a command as far as I am concerned. I have often said in all the eighteen years that I have been associated with the Movement I have never asked FATHER to do any favor that HE has turned me down about; so if it’s midnight, if it’s morning, if it’s noon or afternoon, HIS Request is always a command to me.

I thought here that I might tell you some of the questions and thereby you can measure the concern of the public for the concern of the Movement here– some of the questions that they have asked me because they know that I am FATHER’S Attorney. I think this last year I have had even more questions directed to me than probably any previous year.

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Remarks of the Very Rev. Msgr. J. Skikiewicz, D.C., Pastor of Mary Mystical Rose Church of Chicago, Ills.

During Woodmont anniversary celebration whilst at the Holy Communion table of the Circle Mission Church, Home and Training School, Inc.

764-772 Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

September 9, 1958 at 4:05 p.m.

(Rev. Skikiewicz speaks as follows:)

Peace, FATHER and MOTHER; (Father and Mother reply, “Peace!”) Peace to Everyone: I thank You, Father, for the invitation that You have invited me and all of us here from Chicago to come to see this beautiful Holy Communion Table and receive this Blessing of Yours. I recognize You more than some of them think they do. They speak that they say they see a m-n but I see GOD in expression in actions and in deeds in that Body; being Holy. And the expressions exemplified are for everyone to take and practice in general living; the justice and honesty!

The Peace Mission Movement is one of the greatest things the world could ever understand. You have said in the Constitution of the United States, Freedom. You have inspired in Abraham Lincoln this, and the Bill of Rights and this expression of liberty to all, and to end all of that segregation. You are causing that word to be expressed and understood by everyone, showing them how to live it and practice it. You have given all of those rights to mankind and You have made Freedom a reality to all in this nation and other nations. You have made Heaven on earth. It is the Work of GOD – only GOD could do it – and they should understand that GOD is doing it and not a man! So I thank You, Father, I thank You, Mother, and I thank you all.

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