The Kraft Foods Company presents Harold Perry as the Great Gilder Sleeve. The Great Gilder Sleeve is brought to you by the Kraft Foods Company makers of the famous Philadelphia brand cream cheese. Philadelphia brand is far and away America's favorite cream cheese. That's because it's so creamy white, so delicately rich, and so fresh tasting. But remember there is only one Philadelphia cream cheese. It's the brand that's made by Kraft and guaranteed fresh. So when you buy cream cheese always look for the name Philadelphia brand right on each silvery package. Time with the Great Gilder Sleeve's house and it looks like Leroy will be the first to finish. I wonder if the fact that little Brenda Nickerbocker's waiting for him across the street has anything to do with it. Leroy, what's wrong with your appetite? In the spring a young man's fancy turns to love auntie even Leroy. Oh, Marge. Now Marge, we don't tease. It's time Leroy learned to be at ease around girls. Is Brenda waiting for you, Leroy? You see what I mean Marge, he needs this sort of thing. She wants me to meet a friend of hers from Baltimore that just got here. She does? Well, as long as you're having Brenda over tomorrow night, why don't you invite her visitor to your little party, too? Yeah, I guess I'd better. Little Leroy with two girlfriends. Oh, that's a switch. Last year all he wanted to do was wiggle his ears and listen to the Lone Ranger. Nah, Marge. I wonder who's at the door? I'll bet it isn't the Lone Ranger. I'll go see. Never mind, Bertie. Leroy's gone. Jet the bell. Cute little girl. I just finished supper. I didn't want to rush you, but it seemed I was waiting for you. Hold on. Oh, my goodness. That boy. Leroy, where are your manners? Why don't you invite little Brenda in? Oh, come on. Meet my house guest from Baltimore. Oh, is he outside? It's a boy. A boy. What's this? Before, I didn't want you to worry. Oh, shh. Come on, Leroy. I want you to meet Gerald. Come on up, Gerald. Well, Marge, it looks like Leroy's going to have a little competition. Leroy Forester, this is Gerald Mason. Hi. I'm delighted to meet you, Master Forester. I'm sure. No competition there. Yeah. Goodbye, Leroy. Have a good time. The Bullards have a lot of visitors, don't they, Anki? Yeah, but old money bags Bullard can afford it. I think little Gerald's cute, and isn't he intelligent-looking? Well, Leroy'd look that way too if he wore those horn-rimmed glasses and a bow tie and a little humberg. Did you notice that panic-stricken look on Leroy's face when he discovered Brenda's friend was a boy? Don't you worry, Marjorie. Leroy can hold his own. When he starts doing handstands and cartwheels for Brenda, that poor kid from Baltimore won't stand a chance. Pass me Leroy's dessert. Super Gerald. Thank you, Brenda. I just love boys with talent. Yeah? Hey, Gerald! Yes, Leroy? I bet I can chin myself more times than you can. Well, Leroy, I'm afraid chinning myself isn't the proper conditioning for my fingers. My tutor wouldn't approve. Okay?  Oh, Leroy, let's not do silly things. Let's turn on the radio and dance. Dance? That's the silliest thing they ever heard of. Oh, I don't know. I've had a dancing instructor since I was five. Are you kidding? Certainly not. I find it a definite aid to my footwork in fencing. Do you fence, Leroy? Fence? Well...  Well... Don't you, Leroy? The first dance with you, Leroy. But, gosh... Turn on the radio, Gerald. I don't think I'd better dance right now, Brenda. Why not? Well, for supper. I'd better get home. But, Leroy... Well, if Leroy doesn't want to dance, would you dance with me, Mademoiselle? Oh, may we with you. Now, see? Oh, for corn sake. Well, Brenda, I've been getting along so well together. Not since that Gerald came, sissy. No, Leroy, you shouldn't call him that.   You have a whole hour. No, isn't it? Does he play the violin? Yeah, and dances. Hmm? Who wants to dance? Much rather go upstairs and listen to my radio. Well, all right, my boy.  Sure. Who wants to dance? I'd much rather go up and play my little radio. Leroy, come back here. What's the matter, my boy? He's been taking dance since he was five. Leroy, you shouldn't get upset because a little sissy can dance. I mean the little boy. He can do everything better than I can. Leroy, that's not true. I bet little Brenda doesn't think that. Oh, she doesn't even look at me when he's around. That voo-lee-voo stuff. Spanish to each other. Leroy, that voo-lee-voo stuff is French.  Gerald may be able to dance and do things like that, but I'll bet you can do things he can't do. You have a lot of talent, Leroy. Yeah, like what? Well, you've always been pretty good at...  Maybe you'd better go up and play your radio at that. Step right up in the chair, Commiss. One barber, no waiting. That's how efficient I am. I'm not having any work done today, Floyd. I'm meeting Leroy here. He needs a trim for his party tonight. Oh, kid's birthday or something? No, he's having a party for Brenda, the little girl staying at the Bullards. And her guest, Master Gerald Mason. Yeah? Got the kid crashing into society, huh? It's not that, Floyd. They're well-bred children, and I'm encouraging Leroy to associate with him because I think it'll do him good. He seems to be suffering from an inferiority complex. Kid feels like a round peg among the squares, huh? Well, not exactly. He enjoys being with little Brenda, but I think this boy from Baltimore is lording it over him. Yeah, I know the kind. What's he got that Leroy ain't got? Well, he plays the violin and dances. Oh. Leroy don't dance, huh? With those feet, it doesn't come easy for Leroy. Commiss, you know what I'd do if some guy tried to show me up in front of my girl? I'd punch him right in the nose. Now, Floyd, that wouldn't accomplish anything. It would if he hit him hard enough. The fightin''s a great leveler. Floyd, I can't encourage Leroy to fight little Gerald. He's a visitor in our neighborhood. Besides, a boy with his background wouldn't know how to fight. Against Leroy, he wouldn't stand a chance. I'm gonna find the boxing gloves. Mr. Gillsley, they were hanging behind the furnace. Oh, thank you, Bertie. The heat has hardened the leather a bit. Well, we'll train right down here in the basement. Put on the gloves, Leroy. But, Uncle, what's the use? Gerald's better than me. Well, that's why we're having this workout, and I know you're wrong with it. Your uncle's right, Leroy. Everybody ought to know how to box. I learned that when I went with that prize fighter. Oh. All right, Leroy, my guard's up. You try to hit me. Leroy, you can hit hard, isn't that? Oh, gosh. Don't close your eyes when you swing. No wonder Gerald licked you. Why don't you try the old one, too, Leroy? The old one, too? Yeah. Just lead with your left and cross with your right. That's what Joe Lewis would do. One, two. One, two. All right, Leroy. Now, you try to hit me again. Okay. What? Sit down here. What? I'll go up and have a talk with him first. Besides, I don't want you to hit him on our property. Now, just leave this to me, Bertie. Gerald's sitting in the living room, monkey, with his hat and his hand. He certainly is a polite little boy. Yes, sir. Here's Uncle Mort, Gerald. Good morning, Mr. Gildersleeve. Hello, Gerald. Oh, thank you, Miss Forster, for conveying my message. What? Oh, you're welcome, Gerald. Now then, Mr. Gildersleeve, shall we sit down? Sit down? Oh, yes. Sit down, Gerald. Thank you. I suppose you're wondering why I came over. Well, if you're looking for Leroy, he'll be up in a minute. Oh, yes. I'm looking forward to meeting Leroy again. He's looking forward to meeting you again, too. How nice. That makes my apology easier. Apology? I came over to apologize for my un-gentlemanly conduct. I should not have struck Leroy on the nose, even though he insulted me by calling me a sissy. Well, that's... After all, even he who wins the fight loses. Even he... oh, yeah. Will you accept my apology, Mr. Gildersleeve? Well, yes, of course. I think it's very gentlemanly of you to want to apologize.  Thank you. Okay, what are we waiting for? Put on a glove, Gerald. Oh, Leroy, Gerald came over to apologize. Are you kidding? I'm sorry. I struck you, Leroy. Will you accept my apology? Oh, yeah. What's the matter? I'm scared to see. Leroy?  What? There'll be no fighting. After all, Leroy, even he who wins the fight loses. Oh, for God's sake. I'll get going, young man, and when you come back, I want you to apologize to Gerald. Apologize? Certainly. And you might try being more of a little gentleman, like he is.  Gildersleeve, I don't think it's possible for Leroy to be quite like me. What? At least that's Mr. Bullard's theory. Bullard, eh? What did he say about this?  Hmm? He pointed out that Leroy hasn't had the advantages and training that I've had. And Mr. Bullard says it's difficult for water to rise above its own level. What did he mean by that? Well, I don't know exactly what he meant, but he said in this town the level of the water commissioner is quite low. We'll show him Leroy. Spring is just around the corner. Your folks are probably longing for some of those really fresh tasting, springy tasting foods. For instance, crisp salads, fresh vegetables, and that month in, month out favorite, wonderfully fresh tasting Philadelphia brand cream cheese. Yes, this cream cheese is always so exquisitely fresh. Every day, creamy white Philadelphia brand is made fresh in craft plants from coast to coast. And it's rushed to food dealers in ice-cold trucks and cars. That's why genuine Philadelphia brand is guaranteed fresh by craft. And craft makes this famous cream cheese from fine milk and thick cream to give it a glorious richness that adds so much to your meals and snacks. Try it tomorrow for extra good lunch and sandwiches, for fresh tasting fruit salads, or for really grand, easy desserts. Just remember, there is only one Philadelphia brand cream cheese. So when you buy, look for the words Philadelphia brand printed right on each silvery package. Then you'll be sure of getting genuine Philadelphia brand the cream cheese that's guaranteed fresh by craft. Well, let's get back to the problems of the Great Gilder Sleeve. It's been hinted that Leroy lacks the social graces and talents of the little boy visiting the Bullards. And not one to ignore a challenge. We find our water commissioner determined to remodel Leroy overnight. In fact, sooner than that, he's going to do it this afternoon. Insinuating I don't know how to raise my boy. Leroy, you've got a lot to learn before that party tonight. You will not. You invited Brent over and you'll have the party. And you'll outshine that Gerald or I'll know the reason why. Well, for one thing, you can learn something about politeness. From whom? What? Leroy, when it comes to the social amenities, your old uncle isn't exactly a bumpkin. You can observe me. Well, let's stop in at Peavey's and get the ice cream. OK. Afternoon, Mr. Peavey. Hello, Mr. Gilder Sleeve. Is that the proper way to address your elders? Say good afternoon, Mr. Peavey. Oh, good afternoon, Mr. Peavey. Hi. Yep.  OK. He's having a party this evening and I want to be proud of him. We'll eat a quart of ice cream, I guess. Tutti Frutti. Oh, boy. One quart coming up. Tutti Frutti. Well, good afternoon, Catherine. Oh, hello, Judge. Well, good afternoon, Judge. Hello, Leroy. Hi. I mean, good afternoon, Judge Hooker. I'll be right with you, Judge, as soon as I finish packing this ice cream for Mr. Gilder Sleeve. Well, I am in a bit of a rush. I've decided to buy that new electric razor I was looking at the other day, Peavey. Well, that's quite an item. I'll be with you in two shakes of a lampstale, Judge. If the judge is in a hurry, why don't you wait on him first, Peavey? Very well. That's very nice of you, Gilder. May I see the razor, Peavey? Oh, very well. You see, Leroy, politeness pays. On second thought, Gilder, there's no reason why I should make you wait. No, no, Judge. We're in no hurry. Try to head and make your purchase. No, Gilder, that wouldn't be fair after you. Judge, please buy your razor. But you were here first. But you're in a hurry. Would you gentlemen care to draw straws? Gilder, you're keeping me waiting.  I'm telling you to go ahead. After you, Gilder. After you, horse. Peavey, wait on Gilder. I've been trying to. Don't you do it, Peavey. I insist you wait on the judge. All right. Here's the razor, Judge. And that'll be $20. Pay the money, Judge, and get out. Well, if you two are trying to push me into a sale, I won't buy at all. What, Judge? Good day. Good riddance. Mr. Gilder, Steve, I've been trying to sell that $20 razor to the judge for two months. Well, Peavey, you can't blame me for trying to be polite. No, no, I wouldn't say that. Keep going to learn at least one dance. And a waltz is the easiest. Here's your brother, Marjorie. One, two, glide. One, two, glide. Mr. Gilder, I've got that little cake for the party. Roy's learning a waltz, Bernie. All right, Leroy. One, two, glide. One, two. Don't slide your dancing, not playing baseball.  Now play. C sharp, Leroy, right here, the black. You've been making that same mistake for five years. Keep practicing, Leroy. Heaven's sake. Leroy playing and dancing, Mr. Gilder. I'll do that little Gerald at the party tonight. You done? Yes, Mr. Bullard doesn't think I've taught Leroy anything. And we're going to show him. C sharp. It was a very good dinner. My compliments to the chef.  Yes, I'll tell Brady. Well, how about a little after-dinner entertainment? Oh, that's a wonderful idea. Gerald, did you bring your violin? No, I didn't think of it, but I could run over and get it. Oh, no, you don't have to do that. We'll have other music. Oh? Leroy might think of something to play on the piano, although he hasn't touched it for quite a while. What?  Don't be too modest about your talents. Okay. What are you going to play, Leroy? This is a little number by Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky, Gerald. Russian. I just love Tchaikovsky. It's so morbid. And not the way Leroy plays it. Proceed, Leroy. Hope he makes that C sharp. Very good, Leroy. Too. What? You do? LaMore, hoo-hoo? Had enough music for one evening. Oh, no. I just love to hear Gerald play the piano. Ah. This is one of the more descriptive passages. Oh? Young oars and wells. For nothing. Well, why don't you ask Brenda to dance, Leroy? I'll put a record on the phonograph. That's a wonderful idea, Mr. Gillisly. Sure. Well, imagine this. The first record I picked up was a waltz, the Blue Danube. Come on, Leroy. Okay. La, la, la, la, la, la, uh-huh. Mr. Gillisly, we can't dance to that. Yes, we will. I'll record out. Over, Mr. Gillisly. There's a good tango on the other side. Tango? Trapped. Play avec moi, mother Moselle? No, he's talking French. It's a lost cause. Wait, Gerald. Look at Leroy. Over Leroy. You can wiggle my ears. Four signals in school. What's this? Will you teach me, Leroy? Teach me, too. Will you, Leroy? Boys, what's that? Folks agree that an extra good dessert can turn an ordinary meal into something pretty special. And fixing extra good desserts is so easy with Philadelphia brand cream cheese whipped. For instance, you can whip Philadelphia brand into a wonderful topping for baked apples or hot gingerbread or cake or pie or fruit. To fix that delicious topping, just put delicate white Philadelphia brand cream cheese in a little bowl, add a small amount of milk and whip lightly with a fork. And there you have it. Fluffy mounds of fresh tasting goodness that'll make any dessert very special. Yes, for glorious rich flavor and exquisite freshness, be sure you get genuine Philadelphia brand, the cream cheese that's guaranteed fresh by craft.  Yeah, I was proud of me, too. Your ears for nothing. I charged Gerald a dollar. You shouldn't have taken his money. You give that dollar right back to him. Well, Doc, I want to buy Easter Seals with it. Easter Seals? Yeah, they told us about it in school. Every Easter Seal you buy helps a crippled child. Oh, yes. Well, I'm glad you're doing that, Leroy, because the Easter Seals all of us buy will help eight million handicapped children to walk and play again. Did you buy some, Uncle? You bet. I'd like to buy another dollar, Leroy. Gee, I'd like to. All right, here's the dollar. Teach me how to wiggle my ears. Good night, folks. Let's all buy Easter Seals. The Great Gildish Lead was played by Harold Perry. The show was written by John Elliott and Andy White with music by Jack Meakin. Included in the cast are Walter Tetley, Mary Lee Robb, Lillian Randolph, Earl Ross, and Richard Legrand. This is John Wall saying good night for the Craft Foods Company, the famous line of craft quality food products. Be sure to listen in next Wednesday and every Wednesday for the further adventures of the Great Gildish Lead. Good night. Here's a real bargain. An all-aluminum silent butler, and it's yours for only 50 cents and a fab-stepped label. This silent butler is handsome enough for a gift. And it's big. As a deep, generous-sized bowl, a long handle, a hinged top that opens at your touch. It's just the thing for collecting cigarette ashes or crumbing your table. Now, today, just get either regular fab-stepped or the new fab-stepped two-pound economy loaf. Your dealer will give you full details about getting this beautiful aluminum silent butler that's worth so much more for only 50 cents.  A radio? Finnegan, I got news for you. We already got a radio show.


First Timothy 3 We're going to be looking today at verses 1 through 7 so allow me to read to you first Timothy 3 verse 1 through 7 and We'll get into our into our study what we're looking at in chapter 3 are what are called qualifications for pastoral leadership And you'll see that in Verses 1 through 7 beginning at verse 1 first Timothy chapter 3 This is a faithful saying If a man desires the position of a bishop he desires a good work a Bishop then must be blameless the husband of one wife temperate sober-minded of good behavior hospitable able to teach Not given to wine not violent not greedy for money But gentle not quarrelsome not covetous One who rules his own house well Having his children in submission with all reverence For if a man does not know how to rule his own house How will he take care of the church of God? Not a novice That's being puffed up with pride. He fall into the same condemnation as the devil Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside lest you fall into reproach and the snare of the devil Now why would Paul outline these qualifications for church leaders? He intends to instruct Timothy concerning the kinds of men who should lead You see the church is a spiritual organization and needs spiritually mature Leaders so the list that he's going to give is going to serve as an outline to outline their spiritual Qualifications and that's to safeguard the church from doctrinal error as well as unholy living So when outlining these character traits he exposes unqualified leaders in the case of the church of Ephesus these leaders have already begun to infect the church What have they done? Well, we've seen up to this point a few things in chapter 1 verse 3 We've seen that they have introduced bad doctrine and in chapter 1 verse 6 We saw that they spout worthless words where Jesus is not the center You see Bible studies that are not centered on Jesus Christ are spiritually without value you need to remember that and Paul made that clear when he was writing to the Corinthians in 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verses 1 through 5 he said this He said when I came to you brothers I did not come with Aliquance or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling my message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words But with a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom But on God's power So he he was already pointing out that true Bible teaching will always center on Jesus Christ The gospel message is not to be tainted by man's philosophy beautified by men's efforts Crafted to give glory to men devoid of the centrality of the cross Changed to make Jesus acceptable to people or emptied of the power of the Spirit to convict and to transform and So he's sharing concerning that He also has pointed out that they have misunderstood the law and they've misunderstood the gospel You saw that in chapter 1 verses 7 through 11 and then finally It seems that they have placed women in pastoral positions And you see that in chapter 2 verse 12 when he had said I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man But to be in silence and so he's dealing with these things in the church and he's instructing Timothy concerning leadership in the body of Christ The church has been called an organized organism You have what is called the church invisible which is made up of all believers throughout all history But you also have what is called the church visible the church today that exists throughout the world and That would include a specific group of believers that are located in the same fellowship and they would call that the local fellowship and So in the local fellowship there is a system of biblical authority We know that Timothy is the pastor of the church in Ephesus. So Paul is giving him commands He says in 1st Timothy 3 15. I write I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God For the church to be properly led the elders and the deacons are the ones who direct the spiritual affairs And the church is not led by by vote It is led by elders and deacons who are to direct the spiritual affairs The church is led by scripture and the Holy Spirit And so you have elders and deacons who serve in that position When he speaks in verse one of bishop notice that word bishop He says if a man desires a position of a bishop that word bishop is a Greek word Episcopay it means overseer It speaks of an office of an elder. He speaks of the deacon diacon us It's a table waiter one who serves food and drink Paul is speaking about the leaders in the church and he's speaking about the qualifications of those who lead in the church And I want you to notice as we go through this all of the qualifications that are listed are spiritual in nature He's not concerned with the day-to-day duties so much as the spiritual character You see the church is spiritual in nature and it needs to be led by the spiritually mature Because ungodly leaders do much harm for the cause of Christ So here he outlines qualities or qualifications of allorship He's really writing on what we would call the qualities of a godly man And so he begins here in chapter three verse one by saying this is a faithful saying If a man desires position of a bishop he desires a good thing So notice with me he says this is a faithful saying it's interesting how Paul likes that phrase He uses the term faithful saying three times in first Timothy and two times in second Timothy We saw it in chapter one verse 15 When he had said this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners Of whom I am chief He uses it again in chapter four verse nine when he says this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance in other words in regarding to Exercising yourself to godliness so that communicates That what is being said is weighty and must be remembered So what must be remembered and what must be understood and this is what he's saying The desire for the difficult and strenuous work in the church is a noble one For the office of elder is honorable And in those days it meant harsh and ceaseless work As well as grave and constant danger So it's thought as well might a man desire the office of chief pastor It was indeed a good work Such a dignity could only be held by one possessing many qualities So let's look at what those qualities are First he said church leadership as a pastor elder Is reserved for a man notice verse one if a man desires the position of a bishop He already stated that that a woman was not to teach or hold authority over a man That means that pastoral roles are reserved for men Secondly, he says if a man desires Desires The word desire means to stretch out It's as if you're stretching out to grasp something It carries the connotation of passionately setting your heart upon something So if you have a you know, I may be speaking to somebody in this room right now who feels a call to ministry So you may want to keep these things in mind One of the evidences of a calling to leadership is a godly desire to serve in that capacity You see there are those who enter into ministry As a job Or they enter into ministry thinking they'll make some money There are those who enter into pastoral leadership for prestige And there are others who make it what we would call a second career But that's not the proper reason to pursue full-time ministry Pastoral leadership is a calling that is put on your heart by god God places this into your heart When he has called you to lead And he's the one who calls you in john 15 16. Jesus said it like this He said you didn't choose me But I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit In that your fruit should remain Pastors can be trained by colleges and they can be trained by seminaries But they're gifted by the holy spirit In acts 20 verse 28 paul said take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock Over which the holy spirit has made you overseers to feed the church of god Which he has purchased with his own blood So serving as an elder in the church isn't a job and it's not a carnal aspiration It is a spirit inspired call to lead that cannot cannot be satisfied doing anything else Charles spurgeon once said I always say to young fellows who consult me about the ministry Don't be a minister if you can help it Because if the man can help it god never called him But if he cannot help it and he must preach or die Then he is the man in Jeremiah Chapter 20 verse 9 Jeremiah writes then I said I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name But his word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones I was weary of holding it back and I could not If a man desires the office of a bishop he desires a good thing If a man has an internal desire To go out and do the work of ministry that is a calling from god who has placed that on that person's heart It's not because they can't find a job doing something else It's not because they like just to talk It's not because they're eloquent or intellectual Those things are all good and they go along with the package sometimes But the initial thing is a relationship with god the initial call Is the desire to take what god has given to them and to give it to others And he desires this and he wants this because god has placed this on his heart And he says the desire for the position of overseer or bishop is a good or a noble thing He doesn't take it lightly because it's a noble work carrying great responsibility Because when somebody goes into ministry They are influencing people not only for the now, but forever When you're in ministry and you're giving the word to people and sharing with them the things of god There needs to be a healthy sense of the fear of the lord in you because what you're doing Is not just affecting them for right now They will carry those things For the rest of their life James three verse one says my brethren Let not many of you become teachers knowing That we shall receive a stricter judgment See ultimately as a pastor I give an account of my ministry to the lord In hebrews 13 17 it says obey those who rule over you be submissive For they watch out for your souls as those who must give account Let them do so with joy and not with grief For that would be unprofitable for you So this fear of the lord is to be present in anyone that is placed in leadership And when you look at this when he says if a man desires a position of a bishop he desires a good or a noble work He begins the share concerning the qualifications And I want you to notice with me that these qualifications really are revealing a person's character Let's look at them individually verse two a bishop then Must be blameless The word blameless speaks of a spotless character. They need to be above reproach Blameless speaks of one against whom it is impossible to bring any charge of wrongdoing Such as could stand impartial judgment. It speaks of being morally upright One who can be a moral and spiritual model worthy of imitation And can stand the scrutiny of christians as well as the outside community He's to be of spotless character He's to be a person who can say what paul said in first chrinthins 11 verse 1 imitate me As I imitate christ You see in many places this high standard has been reduced if the person who's pastoring is liked by the congregation We need to be aware of the fact that somebody with a winsome personality doesn't necessarily make them a pastor He speaks secondly Of the husband notice of one wife When he says the the bishop is to be the husband of one wife It has been translated a one woman man In other words for him, there is only one woman and he desires her alone He values he cherishes And he looks at her as the only one for him You see in the midst of loose and sexual morals The elder is to have christlike love for his wife That permits him to minister to women with without indiscretions It serves as an example To the church believe it or not most pastors many pastors Are actually What's the word They become they can become Attractive to women in the church they can be as ugly as a toad And there'll be somebody who's after him And then that's just the truth and I won't go into long detail about this is just the truth And so as a pastor It is of utmost importance for that person to have won an inner desire to please the lord If he desires the office of the bishop he desires a good thing an inner desire That god is placed in his heart To do a noble work That noble work is tied in with a healthy fear of god and awareness of the responsibilities that they hold thus they do not Desire to be a teacher Simply because they like to speak or because they want to influence people or or get money and prestige from that But they do it because there's nothing else they can do and when they have a relationship with the lord that That prompts them in that inner desire to do that Then what they want to do is live a life that lines up with the uh with the with with the beauty of the gospel And part of that would mean that in their marital relationship that there's only one woman On the face of the earth that they they desire because that safeguards them When they do ministry and women will approach them and sometimes they do And they make themselves available to that pastor, which has happened even to me several times in in the years that i've ministered Awkward times where where people have made themselves available to me And so if you're not a man Who loves that woman your woman and there's no other woman except that woman you can fall into in discretion Because there are those who are very open in their desire to take you away from your wife And yes, that's happened here more than once Someone said paul fully conscious of the low and debased moral tone which then pervaded all society in the empire In these few words condemned all illicit relations between the sexes And directed that in choosing persons to fill holy offices in the congregations of christians Those should be selected who had married and remained faithful to the wife of their choice Whose life and practice would thus serve as an example to the flock He needs to be a one woman man He needs to be the kind of man that only sees the one woman And so he's when he says this he must be the husband of one wife He's not saying the husband of one wife at a time He's saying the husband of one wife. There's only one woman in his life that has won his heart Because that causes him in his fear of the lord to remain faithful not only to his wife, but to the church A third thing he is to be temperate He's to be self-restrained He waits on the lord He doesn't react emotionally And he doesn't react impulsively Impulsively In in proverbs 29 11 a fool vents all his feelings A wise man holds them back.  He's not given to rash actions He makes decisions prayerfully and he does so patiently Proverbs 18 13 says he who answers a matter before he hears that it is falling ashamed to him A sober-minded man listens and is self-controlled A fifth thing he's of good behavior The word good behavior speaks of being honorable or dignified He is one who is respectable and has earned the respect of people His conduct in all ways reflects the dignity of the office So when you meet him regardless of whether it's in the church during the service or after the service Or you see him in Costco or a restaurant Or on a ball field watching his children play He's the same person He doesn't put on the pastor role when he stands on the platform and the ordinary guy role When he's in the community he is always aware of who he is He's a person who is dignified sixth. He's hospitable the word hospitable literally speaks of a love of strangers In other words, he makes people feel welcome He obviously loves people he cares about them because people matter In third John John gives an example of a bad elder won by the name of diatrophies In third John verses nine and ten John says I wrote to the church But diatrophies who loves to have the preeminence among them does not receive us Therefore if I come I will call to mind his deeds which he does Prading against us with malicious words And not content with that He himself does not receive the brethren and forbids those who wish to putting them out of the church So a bishop is to be hospitable. He's the person And the word bishop we use that now sometimes in Church hierarchy the word bishop was really the word that could be used for pastor And now they're overseer He makes you feel welcome. He makes you feel like you belong A seventh thing he's apt or able to teach He's anointed by the holy spirit to practically explain as well as to apply scripture He's to be diligent in his study and he's to practice what he preaches Paul could say it like this in Philippians 4 verse 9 He said the things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me These do and the god of peace will be with you So as a teacher he makes sure that he's teaching god's word to the people church services Are to center on the communication of the word of god There are a lot of places today that that's not so But church services are to center on the word of god the communication of it and the application In 2nd timothy 2 15 paul said be diligent to present yourself approved to god A worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth But there are large congregations that are led by those who do not do this I believe that this requirement to be a teacher of the word of god Has been largely ignored especially if the church is growing aw tozer once said There was a time when people went to church Heard the truth and it wept over their sins today People go to church hear a motivational speech and ignore their sins And that's true That's true This is a man Who feels that the word of god should be the center of everything that church believes In verse 3 he says not given to wine. That's an interesting phrase not given to wine It literally is not lingering at the cup not addicted to wine Not only does he not drink He is also not associated with drinking He doesn't start what has been called a beer and bible study There have been plenty of those even in in our in our area They call them beer and bible studies where the pastor has people over In a cafe a bar They open up the bible they drink their suds their beer And uh, that's what they do He's not associated with drinking. I remember when our church was new Somebody approached me and they had a question of being they said listen I need to ask you a question because I'm starting to come here, but I was going someplace else and And I just want to know what what your take on this is and I said well, what is it you're concerned about? They said well On new year's eve the pastor invited select members of the church whom he referred to as a more spiritually mature To come to his house for a new year's eve service So we went because we were invited And while we were there He was the bartender and he was serving drinks To all of the people that he invited and I just want to know whether that's right or wrong because I felt that it was wrong Well, it's wrong The pastor is not to be given to wine. He's not to be associated with drink and in doing so He's he's if he is given to drink He's revealing that he's not wise and unqualified In proverbs 20 verse 1 it says wine is a mocker strong drink is a brawler whoever is led astray by it is not wise Night He's not violent He's not a brawler. That may be because he lingers too much at the cup. I don't know He gets drunk and he hits people But what it literally speaks of is he is not intimidating to people He controls his temper in ministry 99 percent of the church comes And then leaves immediately A few may stay afterwards and visit So while everybody else is gone on occasion, there are those who linger Who actually try to start problems And I've I've had people After bible studies more than once Who have wanted to start a problem with me After church, they're usually my elders, but One's in a while. It's Marie and so But they do I've had I've had them come up And tell me that that god has told them to smite me. I've gotten letters saying Tal Rosales to be careful because you know, I'm carrying a gun and stuff like that and And I've had people get in my face, you know get very aggressive And and a minister is not to be a brawler He's not to be somebody who responds to Aggregation like that where where suddenly he takes the gloves off and just just hammers somebody He's not to be that way, you know, he's he's to have a A compassionate spirit and not not given to violence Because again when you're on the outside and you're looking in You don't know what's going on in You just have your idea of what may be but you don't know I remember I had a guy in this fellow. I'll give you one one story There was a guy in this fellowship. He was a big guy, you know, I'm not a big man by any means and he was He was six two or so at least six two and he weighed probably 260 to 280 at least He was a lot bigger and and he was playing on a basketball team. This is over 30 years ago. So I can say it now and And he he was playing on one of our basketball teams and he caused problems and so The coach said to him, you know, you really can't be on the team because it brings out the worst in you You're constantly Causing struggles and quarrels on the court. This is obviously not good for you So we're going to have to remove you from the team and and this guy was a big guy very very much a bully I mean on one occasion He got mad at his wife in the church and he slammed this metal door that we had so hard It caused the whole building to shake. He banged out the door I mean this guy had a real volatile temper and and he approaches me when he was removed from the From the basketball team And he's and and he was very gentle. He was speaking to me with a very soft voice He says pastor may I speak to you and I said, of course He says, can we go into a room by ourselves? I said, no You're gonna use me as a basketball. Nope They'll find me all crumbled up in a corner I said no No, if you have anything you need to speak to me about This is a great place to do it There has to be some wisdom in this but you also have to be a person Who is not prone to violence You have to be Because there are people who have such need that sometimes they're angry and they take it out on you And not only that you don't have to be a big person to be an intimidating person So you have to be aware of how you deal with people how you speak to them How you treat them Because you can intimidate them just by the power of the office And so he says be aware of that this is a person who controls his temper and is not intimidating to others Proverbs 16 32 says he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he who rules his spirit Then he who takes the city And he goes on in verse 3 to say he is not greedy for money It's eager for base gain The love for and the longing for money Is a motivator for many a false teacher Titus 111 speaks of false teachers whose mouths must be stopped who subvert hold whole households Teaching things which they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain In 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 3 Peter speaking of false teachers said By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words You see a genuine shepherd is to serve without greed Like it says in 1 Peter 5 to shepherd the flock of God which is among you serving as overseers Not by compulsion but willingly Not for dishonest gain but eagerly So you don't put yourself in a position Where you are attempting to make money and riches off of congregations You don't do that. You don't serve for that reason You serve because you want to with purity encourage people to know the lord He gives another qualification. He said he is to be gentle The word gentle speaks of a sweet reasonableness. It speaks of being gracious and kindly It speaks of being forgiving You see false teachers often bully and abuse. They often control and hurt the sheep Paul was outraged because that took place in Corinth and he even writes to the Corinthians and he says In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 19 and 20 he said to them you gladly put up with fools since you are so wise In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you Or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face In contrast a genuine pastor or elder is gentle He's one who doesn't insist that he's always right He's ready to yield in some degree for the sake of peace A 12th thing is he's not quarrelsome. He's a non-combatant He's not always picking arguments and trying to create Create strife and and prove in his point 2 Timothy 2 24 The servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle to all men apt to teach in patient See whenever I teach there is always somebody who disagrees That's that's normal And if they come up which on occasion they do and want to debate a point or whatever or write me Facebook is a great place for people to hide behind Keyboard and tell you what they think I just dealt with that this morning. I mean it happens all the time Um, you have to be very careful that you don't always look to pick an argument with somebody When when a pastor is teaching the word of God Jesus said it like this. He said it is the spirit of your father that speaks in you Through you And so the bottom line is is if the word is rightly divided and it's being presented properly Then you simply let the word defend itself And if people want to argue which on occasion they do The best that you can do is to try and patiently encourage them to see these things and ask questions You know because there'll be times that people have approached and I'll they'll say something and I'll say Were you here just now? Yes. I was because sometimes they're not sometimes It's one service and they're just arriving for another one. So I'll say were you here? Yes. I was okay. Did you hear this? Yes, did you hear this this? Oh, I see. That's what you meant. Yes So you're not there to argue you're there to point out what the point really is So you're not there to argue you're a non-combatant 13th not covetous Well, when he speaks like that Not covetous. He's he's saying He's not shopping around for better pay The pay that he receives is not what motivates his service to the lord or the church In acts 20 verse 33 Paul said I have coveted no one silver or gold or clothing This is somebody who lives by faith. He trusts the lord to supply his need Many years ago. There was somebody that I I I knew well enough for him to speak to me in this way and And he asked me and his fellowship is is a is a large fellowship much larger than ours And he asked me a question once he said Dave. Have you ever thought of trading churches? Where I would take over his and he would take over mine and his fellowship Probably And he's in another state and I'll leave him unnamed But he his fellowship was quite a lot quite a quite a bit larger than our fellowship And I remember smiling at him and saying no, of course not No, I've never thought of that. You know pastors are not supposed to be trying to trade up You know trying okay, I make this much here.  You just you just are blessed to be where you're at In verses four and five he he says he rules his own house well Which means he manages his family properly His children are trained to be respectful and obedient that helps to reveal his priorities being correct Now one of the things that we're aware of is is that he cannot make his children believers But there is evidence that he's done his best to evangelize and raise them in the ways of the lord It's not that the pastor will have a perfect family Every child grows to the point where they have to make the decision up for themselves Whether they're going to follow christ or not The key is did that pastor neglect them? Did that pastor not train them up? Did that pastor not do his best? And ultimately that's what you look at his children are to be people of faith But he only can stir it and encourage it. They ultimately are going to make the decision on their own He says in verse six not a novice Not a new convert Not one who's undeveloped in faith Why because it can become puffed up that word puffed up speaks of being clouded or even diluted He's saying a convert a new convert who becomes a leader Can be diluted by pride And pride causes him to become blinded by the authority that they have by the power That they receive And he will fall You know, I'll be honest with you and I don't know if this makes it this probably won't But I I say it on occasion. Forgive me. You may have heard this before You won't believe this but it's true More than I can count I've had people I I can only count to four but very often Very often I'll put it that way Without hyperbole very often over the years I have had people speak into me after a service or someplace else You know, I run into him in a store in the area or whatever And and you won't believe this and I'm saying this for a reason. I'll get there in a moment They are literally shaking their bodies will shake They're so nervous And I'll look at them and I'll and they'll say pastor david can I Take can I take your time for a moment? I'll say you're not taking anything. I'm giving you it I just want and they'll start and I'll say how come you're so nervous Well, because I'm talking please don't do that Please don't do that You know, I'm your brother I'm your brother. I remember my own pastor chuck smith. I was speaking to him years ago now And as I was speaking pastor chuck was some of you may remember him some of you grew up under him Pastor chuck was a very very well known pastor throughout the world Very well known invited by the president of his in reagan and others who wanted him to go and advise and this and that in the white house and and he said no He said my job is to minister to my sheep and to to pastor my church That's what I'm called to do not to become some advisor to to Others but to care for my own and I loved him for that. He was very famous though He was very well known and I was speaking to him on one occasion and and I said Pastor blah blah blah and at that point you said Dave always remember. I'm your brother Remember I'm your brother. I remember the first time I had a real conversation with my pastor How the Lord taught me that this is a man who is just a man just like you Admire the work that God has done but admire the God who's done that work And so in our relationship here, you know, I don't know how long you're called to be here You you may leave today and I may never see you again But you may be someone who's been free years in this fellowship always remember one thing I'm your brother, you know, and I love you and no, you're not taking time for me When I'm in restaurants and I on occasion somebody will approach me. I don't want to take your time I'll always say the same thing. You're not taking my time. I'm giving it to you But I'll also give you my bill so you can pay for me. How's that sound? Because we're brothers and and and oh, we don't walk on water You know You know, if I step off of this platform, I am going to hit the ground. I'm not going to levitate Do you know what I mean? I don't have to tell most of you I don't have to tell pretty much and maybe I don't have to tell any of you this But there's always at least one or two who are intimidated and I'm telling you, please don't be Please don't be because we're family in christ We belong to one another It's a body of christ, you know, and and and a minister needs to understand that He's not some special person in the church. He's a member of the church who has responsibilities within the church And hopefully he does them well and hopefully these things apply to him But he's not someone who's puffed up. He's not deluded. He's not blinded by his authority He's not blinded by his his his power He's a person who is simply there to serve. Remember that pride is the sin that turned angels into devils In proverbs 18 12 before destruction the heart of a man is haughty and before honor Is humility Seven verse seven a 16th thing. He must have a good testimony A good testimony verse seven moreover. You must have a good testimony among those who are outside who aren't christians In other words lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil Someone said no minister of the gospel can possibly do unbelieving people good Unless they regard him as an upright and honest man and that is so true because People who are well known have failed all of us All pastors have gotten a black eye You have thousands of people who love the lord multiple thousands over five hundred thousand people in the united states are ordained pastors over five hundred thousand And yet you'll hear about one person over here or one person over there that failed And i receive I receive the criticism that fell on them They will say things to me as if i have lied as if i have gone out on my wife They do i've had this happen so many times Oh you pastors are all thieves I remember a guy telling me that You guys are all thieves He has to have a good testimony amongst non-believers Even if they don't agree with him they ought to respect him Even if they reject what he's saying they ought to respect the fact that he believes that Because bad leaders bring the church into disrepute So that's why it's important for me as a pastor To remember who i am at all times within my home And outside of it And again You could speak to my children and you could ask them Does your father live The same way in the home as he does in the in the pulpit and they will tell you that i do why Because a pastor is not what i play at The pastor is who i am it's what i do It's my personhood. This is what i am called to do So why would i put something on here That i don't live at home He said he can fall into reproach And the snare of the devil By failing to live out the gospel he falls into the trap laid for him by the devil if he fails It causes the whole message to look powerless to change lives And for this reason timothy do not lay hands on anyone hastily You see genuine elders Are to have the habit of safeguarding the gospel Second corinthians chapter six verse three paul said it like this We give no offense in anything that our ministry may not be blamed We preach a message of transformation And if you have a heart to be a leader If you have a heart to one day Be a pastor young man Look at these qualifications And pray that god will make you into this and what's interesting about this And if you look at it closely for one more moment All of the things you see here should apply to every believer To be honest with you every believer Every one of us in this room from a male or or female perspective Should have this we should be blameless. We should love our husband or wife if you're married We should be temperate sober minded good behavior Hospital we should be able to share not given to wine not violent not greedy for money We should be gentle not quarrelsome not covetous. We ought to rule our own house well And we ought to be careful to mature. These are all things you can apply to yourself today Even if you're not called to be a pastor may god form that character in us as believers


conference, and turned to three of the most distinguished ambassadors in Washington representing their countries. We were back in the green room and enjoying lunch, and the happy and uplifting tone of these three gentlemen belied the somewhat pessimistic economic and security forecasting we did in the morning. So I'm hoping we'll end on a somewhat upbeat note. To my immediate left is the Honorable Nguyen Quoc Cong, the ambassador from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. He arrived in Washington as ambassador in 2011, and before that served as deputy minister in the foreign ministry and deputy prime minister responsible for foreign affairs. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri is the ambassador from Singapore since 2012. He was ambassador in Indonesia and high commissioner in Malaysia and Australia. And ambassador Kenichiro Sasai is Japan's ambassador to the United States. He served as vice minister in the foreign ministry before coming here. I've known Sasai for a long time. He's had pretty much every difficult job there is in the foreign ministry. North Korea, trade, Asian affairs somehow survived. And has risen to vice, far minister and now ambassador lending a very steady hand on the tiller in our bilateral relationship with Japan. We have an hour. I'm going to ask a few questions of the ambassadors picking up on some of the discussions and clicker survey results from this morning, and then we'll open it up for some questions before we conclude. I wanted to start by asking about President Obama's trip to Asia this spring. He or the White House has not formally announced the itinerary. The expectation is he will visit Japan. There's talk also of Malaysia and the Philippines, possibly Indonesia. But the entire region will be watching the trip. And I wanted to ask each of the ambassadors what they would like to see. What are the expectations for you, for the region as you see it, for the President's visit? We asked the audience what they expected from the trip. And the highest hope and expectation seemed to be that TPP would move forward. But some people said improving relations with China. Some people said consolidating relations with other countries. I think it was Chris Johnson or Victor Shah who said actually it's all of the above. So what would you like to see come out of the President's trip? If we could, we'll start on that side and then work our way down. Ambassador? Well, thank you, Michael. Thank you for giving opportunity for me to address the year and this gathering. About President Obama's visit to the region, I think it is vital opportunity for the United States to express its vision, what role the United States is going to play. And we know all these people, Americans rebalancing and so forth. He need to operationalize, he need to substantiate what he means by that. And for that, we continue to have a great expectation for the United States to show its interest, its commitment, and its role specific. But it's going to do for the regional peace and stability. And that is what most of the countries and regions are welcoming. And saying that we also want to see the United States make clear who are the friends and allies and travel makers and potential problem makers. And you need to make sure that the United States is going to play the vital role. So you have to have your own allies and friends with you very strongly. I think that's very important thing for the United States to do. Now, and also, obviously, there are some challenges. Security challenges like nuclear challenges, maritime challenges, and also human rights and democracy challenges, and all around the region. So there are lots of changes taking place. So what we need to see is that America will continue to work for that one together with friends and allies. Now, on the economic side, I think we need to get the TPP done before the president will come. Thank you. I'll follow up on that in a moment. Thank you, Ashok. Thank you, Mike. I can agree with everything that the Japanese ambassador says. But I think it's important to see the visit not as a discrete event. It has to be seen in the overall context of the U.S. engagement with the Asia Pacific, which is not something that is new despite all the talk of the pivot when the Obama administration came in in 2009. This is something that is ongoing and long term. You were involved with this, Mike, in the previous White House. It's an ongoing process. So I wouldn't put all the elements and saying this is going to be the make or break visit. We have to see it in the context of what else has to be done. The president goes, presumably, in spring. He would go again in November for the East Asia Summit. He missed last year's East Asia Summit. So he will get out there again. And this is an ongoing continuing engagement. What is, I think, useful in terms of addressing it, looking ahead into the year? We have had the pivot for five years. People don't like the term. I don't like the term. But just for a short form, let's call that pivot. And that was pivot 1.0. I think now it's time for pivot 2.0. Sort of relook at what has been achieved in the past five years, where some of the gaps are, where some of the uncertainties are, and then move into pivot 2.0. Now, that has got a large security dimension, but one of the criticisms of that pivot 1.0 was really, it was a lot of it with security focus. So build on that, but then also look at the economic parts of it. The TPP obviously is very important. And then there are things to be done even with countries that are not TPP members. If he's going to Philippines, Philippines is not a TPP member. If he's going to Indonesia, Indonesia is not a TPP member. What do you do with ASEAN countries who are not in the TPP, giving them a bridge into the TPP? Let's not put every Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, all members of the TPP. While that is important, I think other forms of engagement are important. Energy is very, very critical. Climate change, these are issues of great interest for the region. I think these are things that the president can go and say as part of pivot 2.0. But it's again not everything around the president. Cabinet secretaries have to travel out to the region. Members of the administration have to travel out of the region. You cannot just put all the issues on the burden on the president going out in April and solving these issues. It's got to be a huge run-up of events taking place into that process. And so let's think about it in terms of a pivot 2.0. Yes, sir. First, I also agree with what Ambassador Sassin Mipuri from Japan and Singapore just mentioned. I think that the president's visit to the region is very, very important. I noticed that last night when President Obama delivered the State of the Union address, he reiterated that the United States will continue to focus on the Asia Pacific. And I think that's a very important point. And apart from the bilateral agenda of the visits, I think that I agree with my colleagues here that you should look at it at a regional, more geopolitical, strategic point of view. I think at least three or four points. First, it's a continued commitment to rebalancing. And second, it's also a continued commitment to U.S. allies and partners. And third, it's also a continued commitment to regional architectures. I think that the U.S. has a very important role in the architecture institution building process in Asia Pacific region, like EAS, APEC, U.S. ASEAN. Talking about ASEAN, I think that I would love to see U.S. more focused support on the centrality role of ASEAN and the support to the building of the ASEAN community by 2015 about the ASEAN connectivity and so on. And of course, the U.S. has a very important role to play in maintaining peace and security in the region. About economic TPP, I agree with Ambassador Saisei from Japan that we would love to see when the present visit in the region in April, there would be some big announcement to make on the TPP. We Vietnam also want to conclude the work with the United States and other TV partners to conclude the TPP and the sooner the better. Thank you. I hope my friends in the NSE are listening to this because these three gentlemen just wrote the President's speech for him. Not that you're interfering in our internal affairs. This is much appreciated advice from close friends and a lot of overlap, a lot of consistency. Ambassador Saisei, you emphasize depth a bit. I want to show who you're friends, who you're allies, clarify that. I thought you emphasized breadth in some ways, yes, TPP, but also ASEAN and architecture and as did you, Ambassador, in particular the importance of ASEAN. All those elements are somewhere in the U.S. government's articulation of the rebalance of the pivot. Sometimes they're not, sometimes some are stressed, sometimes others are stressed. Do you think that the region, people following this near country, understand what the U.S. strategy is? Do they understand what the rebalance is? Or is this trip and the trip at the end of the year going to be really important in terms of explaining what the U.S. is about? You all made the point that showing up is important. As Woody Allen said, 80 percent of success in life is just showing up, which was the first talking point in every memo with Matt Goodman and I did in the NSC for our bosses. You've got to show up. Except for missing the trip with the debt crisis, the administration has a pretty good attendance record. But the question mark is, does the region understand what the U.S. is trying to achieve and what our priorities really are? We'll go in reverse order, Ambassador Nguyen, if you don't mind trying to answer that one first. Yes, talking about rebalancing, I think that we, the ASEAN and other the regional countries have been talking with the U.S. administration here again and again that we welcome the U.S. rebalancing as long as it contributes to peace, security and development in the region. But we would also want to see a balanced, more comprehensive rebalancing. And I think that the U.S., as I mentioned before from Singapore, just mentioned, I agree with him that like one U.S. for the past four or five years is 1.0 rebalancing and this time is entering the 2.0 rebalancing. I think that with 2.0 rebalancing, we, the countries in the region, want to see the U.S. We think the U.S. can do more about the rebalancing, first about the U.S. economic recovery. Everybody is talking about that. And in terms of economic recovery in the U.S. alone, it's also a contribution to countries in Asia Pacific and to the world as a whole. And I think that as President Obama mentioned yesterday and the other days about the political gridlock, we don't want to see countries in the region, it should be solved for the goods of all. And we also want to see more and more U.S. engagement in economic and trade ties, mentioned about TPP as a one, but not all countries in the region are members of TPP. So I think that the E3 initiative from U.S., I think that the United States and other countries in the region should put more efforts on the E3, for example. And now talking about the also other very important issue that few people talk about is about the non-traditional security issues. I think that's more and more important to the region, like climate change issues, sea level rise for countries like Vietnam and others. So a lot of issues and that the United States, we want to see the U.S. to be more involved. Thank you. Again, I want to take a little bit of the long view of where the U.S. and the role the U.S. has played. I think there's a deep understanding in the region that the U.S. is a resident power and the U.S. has contributed to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific for the past 50 or 60 years. And that is something that is, I think, important to keep emphasizing of where the U.S. is. It is very much in the U.S. interests to be active in the Asia-Pacific. And when you ask, does the region understand what this is about? If we look back 30, 40, 50 years, the emergence of Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia has really been very much under this umbrella that was provided by the United States. And I think that's what the region wants to see in terms of going forward. That the U.S. setting out what the rules of the game are. The U.S. is the most successful country out in the region over there. Playing that role as a resident power, that's what the region wants to see. Unfortunately, with the region, you have to keep reiterating these messages over and over again. It is showing up, and it is saying these things over and over again, because that's how it gets a much broader understanding. We can discuss these things in small meetings, in ASEAN meetings, in EES meetings, but there's got to be a broader articulation of these things. Where the U.S. sees its interests in the Asia-Pacific and what it intends to do in order to protect its interests, that's where I think it needs to be explained again and again. Well, thank you. I think I completely agree with Ashoka's point. I think the United States was there, and for many years, it is there, and it would be there forever. And but often the case, if there is a misunderstanding, I think that is the time when the United States President doesn't appear and come to the meeting or skipping and so forth. And that gives the impression that the United States is not paying sufficient attention to the process in the region. But over the years, I think the United States is increasing its interest in presence. And for example, this East Asia Summit, and we were asking the United States to participate some years in not only the APEC and some of the meetings, and that was a good decision. And nowadays, I think the United States is a major participant to address the security and economic agenda. And that's what we need. So when we talk about the balancing, we know that whether it is a diplomatic, strategic, economic security, I think the United States has to be in every part of that process that we are asking for and that what we are expecting the United to do. Now on the strategic dimensions, I think the important part of that is United States is engaged in the region and when it engages, we continue to see the strengthening the alliance networking. And not only with the allies, but also some of the friendly countries which share the fundamental values like human rights, democracy, and rule of law, that doesn't mean that we have to antagonize those countries which are not really catching up. Look at the example of Obama, say Myanmar. It was a difficult country for some years. There was a criticism a lot about democracy and so forth, but at the same time, we were engaged with them to advise them to advance little by little, taking some agents part of the time. So on those issues, I think we are moving in the right direction with the support of the United States. When you look at the trend of the region for the democracy, there are some countries still lagging behind or even rejecting the idea, but I think the history tells after 10 or 20 years, we are moving in the right direction. I think what the United States can do is to promote the process and continue to say and does act and continue to be vocal about what the United States believe to be right. Thank you. We've beaten up on the US sufficiently. Lee Kuan Yew has the most painful and accurate line, which is Americans think foreign policy is like a DVD movie. You can turn it on again after you've turned it off to go do the dishes. And what I heard was consistency, consistency is critical. Let's talk about China for a moment. Major, major source of economic growth across the region for the United States. But I think our discussion this morning, both on the panel and with the audience accurately portrayed the last year as a rough one in US-China relations compared to the previous years, a rough one for US-Japan. Vietnam has extremely complicated, long, long history with China. And Singapore, of course, is, well, when you talk about pivoting, I mean, Singapore is right there at the fulcrum of the Indo-Pacific region. So all your governments are watching this closely. I'm wondering if we could start, perhaps, with Ken Sasai. And doing what ambassadors should never do, which is predictions. But ask you, the tone in the audience this morning and on the panel was 2014 might not be a better year necessarily for relations with China. Is that right? Is that wrong? Well, I think it could be right and wrong both ways. I think it depends. Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I mean, it's easy to say that we are destined to be calling and fighting and so forth. I don't take that argument. I think people are really afraid that all this relationship could be deteriorating. But that's not good to be frank. That's fulfilling prophecy. I mean, we have to roll back the relationship. I think that's what we want to do. These days, as you are well aware, there are some disputes and bickering and Chinese ambassador. And I have to exchange some in a country, op-ed in Washington Post. I mean, that's not what I wanted to do because he's a good friend of mine. He had to do it, possibly. And I have to do it. But I have great respect and administration to Chinese people. And they have a long history of the development. We have a long history of friendship with them. It's only a limited time of the history. And there is no reason for us to be always bickering and arguing and simply focusing on some history, some of the past. Oh, well, we have to always remember the history in past. But it's not protective to only talk about the history and past things and remembering and agitating the people's emotions in a negative way. That's what I want to avoid. So I really hope that this year we could go into a very constructive dialogue with China. And although it is not easy all the time to come to a nice dialogue, if you see the history of the dialogue, that is always up and down. While I was vice minister, we had a difficulty. And while I was director general, we had a difficulty. But whenever there was a difficulty, there was also effort to regain the momentum, the dialogue. I think that's what we need now. Thank you. Well, as a small country, we have friends with everyone. So that's a good advantage, you know. So we have friends with the US, we have friends with China, we have friends with Japan. I'm pleased to hear the Japanese ambassadors speak positively about Japan-China relations. And let me put an ASEAN perspective, you know, because Singapore, we have relationships with the whole region. And for the region, what suits the region is actually calm relationships among the major powers. US-China relations, Japan-China relations, Japan-Korea relations, that's what suits ASEAN. ASEAN is very focused, security issues have come into the agenda. But the priority of ASEAN is economic development for the whole region, for the 10 countries of the region. That's what we want to achieve, an ASEAN economic community. And that is not something that we can do on our own. It's something we do with our partners. We have excellent economic relationships with the US. The US has been a major investor in most of the Southeast Asian countries, and will continue to be. China is a new emerging economic partner for all of us. They have come up with ideas to link the region together. We are trying to do these things. Japan has ideas, doing ASEAN connectivity. All these requires a certain calm in the region. These are the major powers, and if they can calm down the relationships among themselves, if they can look ahead, I think that's most useful for ASEAN in many ways. And we want to be able then to have a platform where these countries can engage with each other as well. That's the whole reason why ASEAN has been able to be useful, is creating this platform for the major powers to engage with each other. So that's how I see things working out. I'm going to put you on the spot and follow up and ask in the context of your very elegant and visionary view of the need for the big powers to get along. You didn't mention the US and that, or maybe you included the US. What is the US role in ensuring an environment where the big powers get along? Well, the US-China relationship is key in many ways. And how this is shaped through 2014 is going to shape how the other countries engage with the two major powers. The US-China economic relationship is growing and will continue to grow, and that's important. But how the US plays its role dealing with China is one that establishes that there are certain institutional structures, rules that apply for everybody. And that's how the US can play that role that is always played in the region. So it's about rules that apply for everyone, not necessarily if I can draw further out your thinking, not necessarily some new bipolar condominium or management of the region by the US and China, but a relationship that allows the rules that we all depend on to take root. Is that a fair take away? Well, you know, this bipolar idea, sort of multi, it's something that is talked about, but I don't really see it emerging as a reality. It has to be something that involves the whole region, the whole East Asia. Thank you, Professor Han. Yes, talking about our relationship with China, I think that Mike was right when saying that we have thousands of years of history of relationship with China. But I think that all countries in the region wants to have a good relationship with China. Even it's a very big role, very important role in the region. And of course, Vietnam is a neighboring country of China, a very big neighbor of Vietnam, so we want to have a good relationship with China. I think last year, relations between Vietnam and China have somewhat improved, and we see more and more exchanges of visits at the highest level and more frequent contacts. You know that we established the hotlines among the leaders of two countries for years, but never been used. Last year, we started using it twice. Our party chief and President Xi Jinping just had a phone call the other day, and I think that in the coming Lunar New Year, there will be some more exchanges on the phone between the leaders of two countries. And we have now a strategic, comprehensive shared partnership with China. China is number one trained partner of Vietnam, and so on. Exchanges of the people to people and all kinds of exchanges. But having said that, I must say that we still have very, very, very different views on the claims, on the South China Sea, we call it the East Sea issue. And we have expressed our concerns again and again over the Chinese recent activities, acts on the South China Sea like a fishing ban, which you consider it as illegal, and it's invalid because it violates our territory, our integrity, and we call on the Chinese side to revoke it. Maritime security in the Asia Pacific region is a vital national interest for all three of your countries and for the United States.  You had the Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea. I think many analysts expect at some point a similar ADIZ in the South China Sea or the Yellow or West Sea. What, I'm gonna ask all three of you, but begin with Ambassador Nguyen, what's the right toolkit to deal with these maritime problems? Is it the ARF and multilateral? Is it deterrence? Is it dialogue and conference building? How, for three countries that have a vital national interest in maritime security, how should we all be trying to deal with these issues which look like they could complicate 2014 yet again? I think that the many times claims, conflicting claims among countries and region is a very complicated issue. We don't expect the dispute to be solved overnight. So we think the most important thing is no, there's no other ways that all countries need to respect international laws, you know? Establish norms and rules. And that's the number one. Number two, not pending a solution, all countries should refrain from complicating this division to exercise self-restraint. And in that regard, I think that we see some positive development when for the first time, the China and the ASEAN countries have agreed for a some senior official level consultation, formal consultation on the COC last year, as I recorded last September. But we call for an early, substantive negotiation on CCC to be started soon. And number three, I think that we all need to have cool heads to deal with issue, even the increasing nationalism in countries and region. So leaders and people in the region should need to have a cool heads in dealing with those kinds of issues. Very complicated, very sentimental issues as well. I think cool heads is probably the most sensible thing for all of us to sort of deal with these issues. You need to deal with it at a multiple number of levels. Firstly, Singapore is not a claimant state, but we are obviously a maritime trading country and freedom of navigation is a critical thing for us in the region. There are bilateral claims and these have to be resolved bilaterally. And that will happen over time. It takes a long, long time to overcome these and to resolve bilateral claims. There'll be lots of give and take and I don't expect to see it happen very soon. But that is a process that will continue. In the meantime, what we need to do is to build up a framework where cool heads can prevail. And this is where the code of conduct that we're trying to negotiate with China will become very critical. There's already a start of the process. We need to get into serious discussions, ASEAN and China to talk about the code of conduct. And the code of conduct is important because it can set out how do you deal with these issues. I cannot prejudge what's going to go into code of conduct, but it should be important that it lays out that framework for countries that are concerned about this issue to deal with it. And in this, the US plays a very important role because the US has also made statements when Secretary Kerry was in the EAS last year when he deputized for the president. He spoke about how important freedom of navigation is for the region. Now it's important that the US keep pressing the region and China to keep talking about these issues rather than to let them slip away because this is where the US plays its role as a resident power. To step up to the plate and say, these are how we see the things being sorted out. The US has a long experience on this and also US vessels and Chinese vessels have had encounters as well. So you need to work out rules of engagement as well that would prevent any sort of miscalculation on either side. So while we're doing the code of conduct, I think a strong US spotlight on this is very useful as we talk about it. So to make sure that there is a certain momentum that keeps advancing this, it's not something again that's going to happen overnight. When we did the declaration of conduct, it took us 10 years to get there. And so these are sort of decade-long processes. But I think it's important the region and all ASEAN's dialogue partners keep a focus on this to keep moving it forward. Well, I think all this problem on the maritime domain is related to the fact that China is rising and China says it's peaceful rise. And the question is that is that peaceful enough? I think that's the question we need to address. Now, what happened in the region on the maritime domain? There are two things I want to say. And this is not simply the incident and the happening over five or four years, even 10 years. It's more than 20 or 30 years, I think. Since the time when the American forces withdrew from Vietnam and had also withdrew from Subic Bay in the Philippines and so forth, there was a vacuum of power, we all know it. And so that was the time when Chinese the military expanded its activities and influencing the regions. And then this was especially accentuated since 1990. So when China suddenly declared the inclusion of all this foreign territory into their lands, and then they send their vessels and fishing vessels and official vessels gradually expanding its own influence and also assertiveness. So this is a long standing phenomenon. It's not an overnight phenomenon. Number two is that what's happening in South China Sea around Vietnam, in the Philippines and those areas not totally led to what's happening in East China Sea. I think they are more or less the same staff, I would say, the same phenomena. And that's consistent with Chinese, I would say, maritime policy expansions and matching the influence of the United States. We have to look at the realities on what's happening. So for that, I want to be candid that we like to have more, I would say, open and transparent and democratic, I would say, Chinese foreign policy in the region, especially on this maritime domain so that we could have more constructive dialogue. About this code of conduct, I complete that. We view the two speakers, it is good for us to see all this code of conduct to be realized, not simply by the agreement by paper. That has to be implemented. That's the whole question. You said that it took 10 years. So it could take another 10 years or 20 years. What would happen during that time? I think we have to be sober about this point. Thank you. Let me open it up to the audience. If we have a microphone, I'm sorry, Ambassador, please. I just want to add one more point about, I see the tensions of the East China Sea or the East Sea, as we call it, as three categories. First, about the dispute, bilateral dispute between one country to the other, like between Vietnam and China, over the spreadly, over the parasails. It should be solved bilaterally between Vietnam and China. But for the issues that involve not only two countries, but others, it cannot be solved bilaterally. But it should be solved multilaterally. For example, the issue with spreadlies, not only Vietnam, China, but other, partner as well, Philippines and Malaysia and so on. So it should be solved multilaterally. You cannot solve between Vietnam and China, solve the issue with the spreadlies. But China cannot solve it bilaterally with the Philippines over the spreadlies, for example. So we need all the engagement of all countries about all claimants. And the third category of issue is the freedom of navigation, freedom of commerce. It's not concerning the countries in the claimants only, but all countries, including, you know, country like Japan here, including the United States and others. So it's the responsibility of all to get, you know, stake, you know, to have a voice in there. Excellent points, thank you. All right, we have microphones if you could identify yourselves and I'll try to scan the room so that I'm fair in asking questions. Why don't we go right here in the front? I'm looking for my microphone, folks. Okay. Thank you, hi. My name is Matt Shul. I'm a reporter from Inside US Trade. So I'm gonna ask a question about the TPP and follow up on Ambassador Sessai's comments. So specifically, Ambassador, you said you think the TPP needs to be done before Obama's trip in April. But right now, the main obstacle in the negotiation seems to be a disagreement or a negotiation between the US and Japan over market access. The US has said Japan is not offering enough on agriculture market access. So I wanted to ask you, you know, what is Japan's view of what's going on and what do you think needs to happen in order to conclude, you know, that bilateral problem that would allow the TPP to conclude by in the timeline that you mentioned. And secondly, to all of the ambassadors, do your countries need to see this fast track trade promotion authority legislation pass through Congress before your countries would be willing to really put their best offers on the table to conclude the TPP? Thank you. Good question. That was the next question on my list. All right. Well, while we stand on this TPP year, you know, it's a negotiation in every negotiation and there is a phase you come in, negotiate and try to wrap up. And the, always the difficulties comes in the entry point and the ending point. And I think now we are coming to the ending point. That's why we are facing enormous difficulties. It's obvious in whatever the negotiation, do you face the difficulties? If there is any difficulty, doesn't mean much. So I think we are coming to that phase now and looking at the current start of negotiations, I think if you look at the starting point of the position taken by the United States and Japan, it was a big difference. I think we are now narrowing the gap day by day and moving inch by inch passively. And I don't talk much about what we are talking about, but obviously as you know, and the market access is a difficult one and both in terms of some of the agriculture products and also auto bill. And it's not a one-sided game, you know. United States is asking for some special measures to be applied to the auto bill, which is pretty hard for Japanese to swallow all these special measures to protect. And Japanese government is enormously, under pressure because there are obviously some sensitive parts and farmers and we need to maintain some of the minimum way to protect those legitimate interests. But the question is not, you know, the black and white. We are now in the process of the final landing zone, I would say, what would be the proper landing zone, which is, you know, passable under the current limit of political acceptabilities. And there are sensitivities in both parties and we recognize the sensitive part for the United States and American government also recognize the sensitive part to us and this week negotiations are on hold and taking place. And I can't say that how it is difficult and how we are moving, but what I can say is that there is a political will of the both government that we need to set on this issue. Number two, we are trying to null out the gap and there are proposal coming forward but both sides are asking for more of the flexibility to find the best ground to land on. So having said it, there is always, you know, difficult moment before coming to terms and to finalize the negotiation. I think we are now in the phase. So from that point of view, I'm basically optimistic and we have to have more road to go, but if there are sufficient goodwill and the flexibility of the both parties, I think we could overcome the difficulties now. About TPA, definitely we need it. Unless United States will have it, people might be worried that what would happen if there is a negotiating result and lots of proposals and changes in taking place, nobody will be seriously negotiating to find a landing zone. So we welcome the support and passing of this TPA in the Congress as soon as possible. Thank you. I'm in the fortunate position of not being a trade negotiator so I can take a more strategic view of these things rather than get into, because watching these guys negotiate these agreements is very, very complicated. But I think it's important to remember why the U.S. and 11 other countries got into TPP. It is to set up an economic architecture for the Asia Pacific, which is very critical that will help to move the whole region towards a free trade area. There will be chewing and throwing about what do you give here and what do you give over there. My general approach of that, if everyone is a little bit unhappy, I think we have generally a good agreement. Everyone cannot be entirely happy at everything you get, but that's the nature of negotiating a trade agreement like this. But more important, it does anchor the 12 members into this economic architecture of the region. I think that's important to understand. And that's when you come to TPP or TPA, it's really a chicken and egg, which comes first. We've been negotiating the TPP for four years without the TPA on the understanding that there will be a TPA. This is really what I consider U.S. domestic management of the issues. And it will come to that. And what I think everyone looks for is really a bipartisan TPA, the way that the president asked for last night at the State of the Union, something that pushes forward, that brings together a broad understanding of why it's important to have all these trade agreements, the president mentioned both Asia and Europe last night, TPP coming together, and using TPA in order to drive this forward. I think that's where I see the whole framework of things. Rather than one comes before the other, we need one in order to sort of negotiate, we've been negotiating in good faith for four years without the TPA. I think that recently we have made quite big progress on the recent negotiations in Bali, in Salt Lake, and in Singapore. And I think at least we have made some breakthroughs in defining the deadlines for most of the domains under the negotiations now. And given that, I'm also very optimistic that TPP can be conquered this year in 2014. And for that, I think TPA is very important. I think that TPA, if built, if adopted, it would hopefully lead to an early conclusion of TPP. What I hear is that all our negotiating partners have to have high credibility that TPA will be passed. And those that are negotiating for the first time, in this case Japan and Vietnam, particularly need some early movement on TPA. Yes, sir, in the front here. And the middle here, I should say, yeah. Thank you, Michael. Rob Colorena, AIC Investment. I was curious, Russia was not mentioned, and I was curious as to the mindshare that particularly the ASEAN ambassadors may have towards Russia, and I'll leave it at that. I want to see the ASEAN way. Yes. We will go first. So I think that we ASEAN, we welcome Russia's more engagement with the region. That's why I invited Russia to join the AES, the East Asia Summit. Together with the United States in 2010 when Vietnam was chair of the ASEAN. And with Vietnam I think that we enjoyed excellent relationship with Russia as well. So we also support Russia to have a more important role in the Asia Pacific region. Just simply, the more Russia wants to do in the region I think the more they'll be welcome. They are part of the frameworks. We have the East Asia Summit. We have the ARF. The more that they want to do they'll be welcome to do it. Yeah, I think Russia is becoming much, much greater partner to the region. I think that's a great thing. We welcome Russia in the constructive role, both in the issues of strategic implication including how we would cope with North Korean threat in the region. And although some of the leverage over North Korea might be limited to copair to the one China has, but still I think we welcome Russians interested in the region. Number two, I think in terms of the economic engagement in the region including their effort to develop Siberian part. I think that would also have a broader implication to the region, not only supply and gas and oil, but also in terms of geopolitical interest and shift of Russia today within Russia and into the Asia Pacific. So if this century is the Asia century, we can't exclude Russia to be a part of the process. And I think probably from a US perspective, despite the ups and downs in relations with Moscow, it's been a fairly consistent theme for the four administrations since the Cold War ended that Russia can play a constructive role in Asia and help us all deal with the problems we face. Right in front of the camera here. Thank you, Dr. Green. Being with Hong Kong Phoenix TV, my question is to Ambassador Sunsaya. First, could you please shed some light on the Japanese foreign minister's visit to the US next month? What is the purpose? And secondly, as the Japanese ambassador to the US, I'm wondering, do you think Japan and China can solve their problems, the history issues and territorial disputes? Can Japan and China solve those problems without the US backing Japan up, without the US involvement? Thank you. Thank you. I see you will face many times. Where I go, I see you are welcome. That's great. Now, about the foreign minister's visit is that made public? Not yet, right? Okay. But okay. So if he would come, right? I hope he will come. But I think he's, and this is a part of the, you know, the ongoing dialogue between the US government and Japanese government. And the objective is continue to work on on the strategic planning in between the two countries, which would include, I would imagine, that how our bilateral collaboration on the security and also the economy, which would include the TPP agenda, obviously, need to be addressed. And also, what will you do about the region? Some of the topics we had addressed in the session will be naturally covered. And also some of the international, you know, agenda like Iranian issues and Middle East peace and others, and all those will be naturally addressed. But I think I want to say this, you know, this, the, you know, coming and going is very important in a way to show that we are engaged to each other. So it's nice for us to see the American president coming to the region, as Ashok said, you know, foreign ministers and defense minister coming and have a dialogue as a part of the process.  So that's exactly the purpose of his speech. Now, how could we resolve the questions between Japan and China, whether that is a history agenda or a territorial agenda? Is that possible without the United States involvement and support? That was your question, right? Yeah. I would say that if I'm asked, could we resolve this question today or tomorrow? The answer is no, possibly. It's been there for some time. And it will be there for some years to come, obviously. And, but it doesn't mean that we can't address the issues and in an amicable way. Because there was this, you know, problem in the past and especially the history issues, I would say. And there was a time when both parties recognized the importance of putting this issue in perspective. And not really too much emphasizing in the implications of all these issues. But whenever things are getting, you know, ugly, there is a tendency to unilaterally focus on the issues and to make the impression that this is the issues, you know, controlling the entire relationship. And then we are subject to very heated debate. And that's no good. So the best way for the moment is you just need to calm down and to restrain some of the agitating remarks from both parties. I think that's the starting point. And number two is that this is basically something Japan and China need to sit down and discuss. And what the United States can do is facilitate possibly, not really intervening per se. That would complicate the situation, I would say. But, you know, when it comes to these sovereignty issues, you know, the relationship, the United States and Japan is very solid one. And we never want to see that China would misunderstand our own position on the issues. It's the illusion that Japan will be threatened and given to whatever the pressure of when you come to the sovereignty right. So it doesn't mean that we have to fight a war. I mean, nobody is willing to fight a war, I think. That's not what everybody is hoping for. But you look at some of the remarks coming out from this and that part are very jingoistic.  So I think we have to level down some of the year, I would say, the legal and hostile remarks coming out. And that would include some of the spokesmen and so forth. Listening to your comments, I think one forecast we can safely make is that these three gentlemen are going to be very busy this year. But the U.S. couldn't have three better friends than Kenyushiro Sasai, Ashok Merpuri, and Yen Kwok-Kwang. And your countries couldn't have better representatives. Your comments were excellent, strategic, helpful, candid, without being undiplomatic. I want to thank, as we conclude, Fred Hyatt and John Bussey for guiding our experts. I want to welcome Rick Rosso. It's great to have you and you'll be seeing more of him. You can count on that. And thank Nick Sencheni, who shepherded this effort in all of the RA's and interns who are holding microphones today, but in three decades will be secretaries of state. Thank you all. Thank you. Excellent, Master. Thank you.


You know Don Marquis was a playwright and he was a columnist and a poet. He was too busy to do interviews So he would send me up to do interviews too. I was doing his job. So I Found a rather creative way to carry this out case in point boss I Went and interviewed the mummy of the Egyptian pharaoh in the Metropolitan Museum as you bade me to do What hole my regal leather face says I Greetings little scatterfooted scarab says he Kingly has been says I what was your ambition when you had any? insignificant and journalistic little insect said the royal crackling In my tender prime. I was too dignified to have anything as vulgar as ambition We rah rah boys in the city set used to spend our time feeding the i-bix's and Ordering pyramids sent home to try on but If I had my life to live over again I would give dignity the royal razz and hire myself out to work In a brewery Old tannin tarry says I I detect in your speech the overtones of melancholy Yes, I am sad said the majestic mackerel I am as sad as the song of the Sudanese jackal who was wailing for the blood-red moon He cannot reach and rip and what are you brooding was such a wistful wishfulness there in the silences confide in me Your imperial pretzel says I I Brood on beer my scampering whiffle snoot on beer says he my sympathies are with your royal dryness Says I Little pest says he you must be respectful in the presence of a mighty desolation little Archie 40 centuries of thirst look down upon you Oh by Isis and by Osiris said the princely raisin by Pish and Ptash and Ptah By the sacred books parenbrew and all the gods who rule from the upper cat erect of the Nile to the Delta of the duodenum I Am dry I Am as dry as the next morning mouth of a dissipated desert as dry as the hooves of the camels of Timbuktu Little fuzzy face. I am as dry as the heart of a sandstorm at high noon in hell I have been lying here and there for 4,000 years was silicon in my esophagus and gravel in my gizzard thinking thinking thinking thinking of beer Divine drought says I Imperial fritter continue to think there is no law against that in this country old salt codfish Not if you keep quiet about it Not yet What country is this?