The fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" is well known and loved. In fact, the witch's gingerbread house, an essential ingredient in the story, is popular with both children and adults. Hidden in this and many other fairy tales are "truths" that are exceedingly valuable and easily overlooked. For those who are unfamiliar with the fairy tale or cannot remember how it goes, just click on this web link: Hansel and Gretel. There is a striking similarity between the gingerbread house built by the wicked and deceiving witch and the credit card house drawn by an artist and friend. Each age and culture has its own assortment of witches and gingerbread houses disguised in polite, helpful, and friendly apparel. However, deception and greed are often ulterior and hidden motives. We must learn to be "on guard" all the time. Many have had to learn this valuable lesson the hard way. At this very moment many have become the prisoners of credit card houses as depicted in the drawing, the ultimate and hideous intention of modern-day witches. The prisoners are not killed, but are stabled as cash cows and milked to death. When of no further use, they are “dis-carded.” The poem, The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt describes a parallel scenario. We call upon you, the recipients of this letter, to rise up and confront the Pharaohs of today. You are being summoned by a loving, holy, fierce and all-powerful God to be the Lord's "Dreaded Champion" that sets the captives free. Don’t buy your “firewood” from the devil. Don’t pay your tithe to the devil by paying those outrageous interest rates levied against you by a greedy and unscrupulous system that uses small print and deceptive promises to snare you. Like Moses, deliver these words and pictures to Pharaoh from Jehovah, the Living God of Israel and demand the release of the captives. LORD JESUS - MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF THY WAR Let everything that is hidden be revealed! Expose all hypocrisy, especially that which is hidden in my own heart. Expose all rebellion, which is as the sin of witchcraft. Expose all pride, that subtle monster that hides in most of us. Expose the greedy that exploit the needy, and the strong that oppress the weak. Expose all lust that masquerades as love, and begin within me. Expose and tear down every man-made idol of success and self-gratification. Expose Satan, the accuser of the brethren, who tries to hide in all of us; And Lord Jesus, be the advocate for all who have been falsely accused. Lord, vindicate the insane that have been judged without a jury; and begin with me. And Lord, then let the Lion of the tribe of Judah roar through me! Peter D. Laue The Lord’s Scribe and Storyteller