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behind me, my uncle advised that it was now time to enter the
national magazine field. He told me of a certain national magazine
where there were two men who, in his judgment, knew more about
advertising and merchandising than anyone in the country. I wanted
to learn under them. They had no opening---didn't need any help.
But I was by then very self-assured, cocky, and conceited,
determined and persistent. I literally "hired myself a job"---
because the advertising manager was unable otherwise to get rid of
an egotistical young upstart who refused to be turned down. With
this magazine, I travelled over most of the United States as their
"idea man," was trained in writing advertising copy and magazine
articles.
At age 23 I became a publishers' representative,
representing a nationwide string of magazines, with an office at
123 W. Madison Street in Chicago's loop. At age 25 I fell in love
and felt I had progressed far enough to support a wife and assume
the responsibilities of married life. I'm still in love, and with
the same woman, who has been by my side ever since.
My young wife was deeply religious. I was not. I had been
reared in one of the old, highly-respected protestant
denominations, but after age 18 the fierce-burning fire of ambition
for business success burned out every other interest, and I had
drifted entirely away from any contact with God---if I had ever had
any genuine contact. I was full of conceit, driven with a passion
for achieving just one goal---to become important in the business
world---to some day acquire all the "good things" that money could
buy.
Within 30 or 60 days after our marriage God spoke to my
wife in what might have been an intense unusual dream, or a vision
---but it was years later before we came to realize that this
really was a message from God. I'm pretty skeptical about God
speaking to anyone today, by direct vision or dream. God speaks to
us today thru HIS WRITTEN WORD---the BIBLE. My wife "saw" an
angel, revealing that God was calling me and her to the mission of
WARNING this world of the fast-approaching END OF THE AGE, and the
Second Coming of Christ. When she told me of this impressive
dream, I was embarrassed, and somewhat awed, but didn't recognize
it as any message from God---and tried immediately to dismiss it
from my mind. I certainly didn't heed it.
I was developing my business, and soon making an income
equivalent to $125,000 a year on today's dollar. But at age 30 God
took away my business, struck me down, financially---demolished my
idol of money-making and business prestige. Three times during the
next seven years I started another business promising national
development---and each time forces entirely out of my control
intervened to destroy the business and all possibility of its
future. I was like King Midas in reverse. Every-thing I touched
turned to nothing. I learned what it is to go hungry.
During this ordeal, a religious controversy arose between
my wife and me. It almost separated us. She had come to see that
a Christian must obey God---live GOD'S WAY. But I had drifted so
far from God that a Christian life of living HIS WAY seemed like
fanaticism. Worldly vanity flamed my emotions. I was not going to
tolerate this "fanaticism" in my home. What would my worldly-
prominent business acquaintances say? Finally, as a last resort,
I entered upon an intensive study of the Book I had always
neglected---in order to PROVE to her by the Bible itself that such