SO WHAT!
DO 2861 3/93
--Dad's Farewell!
--On His Dying Bed with Family Gathered 'Round.
(Given after Dad became so ill he was hospitalized briefly and nearly died:)
1. Lamont got killed in World War II, and my mother had a dream of him walking up this long avenue of beautiful trees where he met his sister. He said, "How come everybody else is crying, and you guys aren't crying?" And his sister said, "We look at things differently Up Here." (See ML #818:22-38.) You've gotta learn how to look at things differently, okay?--And quit your crying and lamenting over me. You've got to look to the future! You've got to look to how wonderful things are going to be!--How wonderful they are now! Thank You Jesus!
2. It's not even lunchtime yet, so you guys don't have to worry about starving. I know I'm slow, and I know it takes me a long time to talk. And I know that Mama thought I might be dying--and I might be, who knows? Praise the Lord? So what?!
3. You didn't think I had enough strength to even have this little chat with you. How many of you are surprised? (Fam: We know you've got it in you!) (Fam: You've been doing this every day!) Then what are you worried about?
4. Do you think you'll die between now and lunch time? (Fam: No.) Do you think I'll die between now and then? (Fam: No! Absolutely not!) There were some people who thought I was going to die this morning, God bless them. But the Lord is merciful to them, and in spite of everything I did or wouldn't do, I am still here.
5. What the hell do you think those prophets lived on for 40 days and 40 nights, anyhow?--All the way from Moses to Elijah, even Jesus? And you're afraid I can't live without a little sip of juice! (Sings:) "What did Jesus do, without a cup of fruit juice? What did Moses do without a drink of milk?" For goodness sake, folks, Jesus Himself told you, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God!" (Mat.4:4). Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! PTL! That ought to encourage you!
6. Do you know what people do? They worry more about the future than anything else. You all are pretty sure, especially right now--some of you were not too sure this morning--that I am going to live at least right now, right? (Fam: Yes.) And that maybe I won't even die after lunch. But what about tomorrow? Are you sure I'm going to live tomorrow? Of course you're not! You're not supposed to be sure.
7. I am stronger right this minute than I have been for three weeks! Were you expecting that? (Fam: No.) Were you expecting that, Mama? (Mama: Not exactly.) Ha! (Mama: When you get all the family here, you get an added boost!) (Fam: An audience brings out the best.) (Mama: Yes, you're doing better since you've gotten an audience.) (Fam: Yes, bring out the food!) Ha!
8. What kind of energy do you think I'm running on now? (Fam: Holy Ghost power!) (Fam: Prayer power!) Some people told me this morning that I was going to die! "If you don't eat something, you're going to die!" What time was that? (Fam: Maybe 9:30.) And here it is 12:30 and I'm not dead yet! (Fam: Hallelujah! That's our goal.) That's your goal? Why? (Fam: Because we love you.) Oh, me! This whole talk for nothing! I'm trying to explain why you don't need me. Oh well, the only way you'll learn is by experience. This reminds me of my farewell at TSC before I left for Europe the first time.
9. Poor Jethro said, "What are we going to do, Dad? What are we going to do without you?" I said, "Just keep on doing what you're doing! You've still got hippies pouring in here, over 350 now. You're still having classes, you're still having rock music concerts here that are rocking Thurber three miles away!"
10. So I said, "Don't worry, Jethro. It'll be all right." He said, "What are you going to do, Dad? You don't have any money!" I said, "Well, when I was leaving California and didn't know what to do, a drug dealer we'd witnessed to turned around and gave me a thousand dollars!" I figured I could spend it better than he could, and I guess he did too. He was a real sweet guy up in the hills, and on that money we made it all the way to New York. But as I was leaving TSC, Jeth said, "What are you going to do when you get there? How are you going to get across the ocean?" I said, "Don't worry about it! The Lord will have it waiting when I get there!"
11. Poor Jethro was raising his hands, "Oh, I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!" I said, "Don't worry about it!" Jethro was worried about what he was going to do without TSC when they finally got their walking papers from Fred and had to go. But pretty soon this multimillionaire came along who owned a lot of property and a school building in Texas, near Dallas. And before I knew it, he had a bigger setup at the school than we'd had at TSC, with a multimillionaire financing it and keeping'm running! And he was worried about what was going to happen to him after I was gone! Ha! It almost makes you laugh when you think about how people get worried about some things, and actually how easy the Lord makes it on them.
12. Some people I know, they not only worry about tomorrow, they keep worrying about today! "Oh my, what are we going to do today? My God, he's dying! Tell everybody he's dying, and that they'd better pray quick or he's going to be a goner!" Do I look like I'm dead yet? Huh? (Peter: You looked pretty bad this morning, but you look pretty good now!) I guess that's what the Apostle Peter thought when he looked at the waves and the water. "Well, Lord, it looked pretty bad this morning, but we're getting along better now." Ha! Everybody thought I was going to die!
13. Just think, Mama and I took off for Europe in September 1970 and Jeth never collapsed--although I wish Deborah had--and they soon had a big work growing and rolling away, bigger than anything he ever had at TSC. And pretty soon all Europe was rolling, with some of the Family pioneering the East, and others pioneering South America and everywhere!
14. We swept the world because it was God's work, and nothing's ever going to kill it! So forget this business about dying! Even if the Devil kills me, the work is not going to die! In spite of everything the God-damned Devil has tried to do, we are still here and still going strong, and I bet we're going to have another set of year-end stats that's the best ever!
15. So what! That's the title of this meeting! So what! What are you guys worrying about? So what! It wouldn't matter if I died, and don't tell me it matters! If you say it matters that I die, then it means that you're not really saying that this work is of God. (Fam: A good confirming verse is where Jesus said, "What is that to thee?" So what? "Follow thou Me" [John 21:22].) Very good, very good!
16. So what! After I left TSC, everything was really rolling, and I said, "See, Jeth? Everything didn't collapse!" He said, "Yes, but I've got this problem and I've got that problem and I don't know what to do!" And I said, "So what!" Remember what I told him when I made him that tape from Cyprus? (Fam: "For God's Sake Follow God!" [ML #4].) So what! For God's sake, follow God! He was trying to pour out all these troubles to me on the telephone, of all things! I said, "So what? For God's sake, follow God! Don't worry about it!" Amen? (Fam: Amen!)
17. So, so what! We're still rolling, aren't we? (Fam: Yes.) The Lord's still blessing, isn't He? (Fam: Amen!) Every year I predict, "This is it! This is it!" And what happens? We end up having an even better year. So what are you worried about?
18. So what if I die? What did Paul tell'm in the Bible? (Fam: "Whether I live or die, I'm the Lord's" [Rom.14:8].) Yes, and what did Gamaliel tell'm? (Fam: "If this work be of God, no man can stand against it" [Acts 5:38,39].) Right! He said, "So what? Don't worry about it!" That's what Gamaliel was saying! "So what! Don't worry about these people! If it be of man, it will come to nought! So what! If it be of God, no man can stand against it, period!" Even if I die! Is that clear? (Fam: Amen.) Have you got the point? (Fam: Yes, sir.) Are you sure? (Fam: Yes, sir.) Are you sure you can say, "So what?" No, you're not sure! Ha! I put'm on the spot and then they shut up like clams!
19. Who do you think is running this operation, anyway? (Fam: The Lord.) All right, then are you going to take it with a "so what"? What does that mean when you say "so what"? (Fam: God's in control.) Exactly! No matter what happens, so what! God's running this thing! This is God's Kingdom! This is God's work. This is God's will! Praise God? No matter what happens, are you all willing to say "So what?"
20. I'm putting you on the spot now! I know you're not too excited about it or too willing, but I want you to pledge to me this afternoon, right now, or you're not going to get any lunch, that you'll say "so what!"
21. The next time the Devil says to you, "Blah blah blah blah," what are you going to say? (Fam: So what!) The next time somebody tells you, "Dad's dying!" What are you going to say? (Fam: We'll pray for him.) No, I want to hear you say, "So what!" or you missed the whole point of this meeting! (Fam: "We believe, Lord, help Thou our unbelief!" [Mk.9:24].) (Fam: We'll say, "We'll pray, but we'll trust the Lord too.") Well, you're all making qualifications. No matter what happens, even if I'm in Heaven, I want you to say, "So what!" (Fam: We could say, "Praise the Lord!" It's sort of the same.) Right. So what! Come on, let me hear you say it! (Fam: So what!) So what! So what! So what! So what! So what! Which literally means God's work is going to go on anyhow! God hasn't failed! God's still in Heaven! "God is still on the throne," that was my mother's theme song, "and He will care for His Own."
22. (Sings:) "God is still on the throne, and He will remember His Own. Though trials may press us and burdens distress us, He never will leave us alone! God is still on the throne, He never forsaketh His Own. His promise is true, He will not forget you! God is still on the throne!" So what! Come on! (Fam: So what!) So what! Can't you say "so what"? (Fam: So what!) (Fam: We can be a "S-WAT" team for Jesus!) Hey, there's a great idea, swat!
23. No matter what you hear, no matter what happens, so what! Isn't that pretty expressive? It shows you're not going to worry about it. So what! We're going to keep on doing what we're doing! If they're going to martyr us for our faith tomorrow.... (Fam: So what!) If they're going to throw us in jail tomorrow.... (Fam: So what!) If they're going to burn up all our lit tomorrow.... (Fam: So what!) If we're going to run out of money tomorrow.... (Fam: So what!) My God, I started this Family with nothing! That's a little like the Lord: He made the world out of nothing and He hung it on nothing. Pretty good old world, right? It still runs on nothing.
24. When the Devil comes along with this, that and the other and tells you, "We've got no food in the kitchen and we've got no money in the bank, we've got no way to get out of jail," what's going to be your answer? (Fam: So what!) Doesn't that express faith? You've got to have new ideas, new terms to express a difference. All those fancy words in the Bible are fine, but what would you say nowadays? The world's coming to an end! (Fam: So what!) Okay! I'm proud of you! You finally got the point! What are you going to say? (Fam: So what!)
25. Hallelujah! Isn't that wonderful? I think that's a good talk! Praise God! And you guys thought I was dying! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Well, I might die tomorrow! (Fam: So what!) They're getting the point at last! We may run out of money tomorrow! (Fam: So what!) Praise the Lord!
26. Lord bless them and give them strength now, and help them to have a good lunch and a good afternoon's rest, in spite of all this "so what"!--In Jesus' name, amen! Praise the Lord! If this thing is of God, so what! If it's of man, so what! God will take care of it, right? (Fam: Amen!) Okay, thank the Lord! See, the Devil hasn't killed me yet, even though some of you guys thought I was dying this morning! Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! Praise the Lord!
27. All right, run along! And no matter what you hear, no matter what the dirty Devil says, no matter what happens, even if it does happen, what are you going to say? (Fam: So what!) God bless you all! I love you!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family