Living by Faith

Are You a Welfare Case?
Freedom or Slavery

I've always said, "The definition of a welfare case is; someone who won't work unless they're paid."
I know what you're thinking, "I go to work everyday, I'm not a welfare case." Are you sure?
The Hebrews had been in Egypt for 400 years, they went to work everyday, and they were on guaranteed social security. All they had to do was show up to work and all their basic necessities were provided, and they had the protection of Pharaohs army. 40 years in the wilderness was not enough for most of them to learn to live by faith.
Without the wilderness experience very few would have been able to handle freedom. Along with freedom comes uncertainty, insecurity, doubts, and fears. It's much easier to be a slave.
A welfare case has no work ethic. It's no matter that they go to work everyday or how much they make. If they're not getting paid they're not going to get too excited. Even if they make the big bucks they still have no work ethic. They can just hire servants to do all their menial tasks. Their welfare is at the expense of cheap ( slave ) labor. If they don't make the big bucks they can't pick up their messes or paint their house or clean it, etc. No one's going to pay them to do it.
If they can't get their wife or mother or kids to do it, the garbage would just pile up.
The funny thing is, if people have no faith, it's all about money. They would rather work for minimum wage than be free and independent. So, it's not really about money, it's about security.
"If making money is your first priority, you have your head on backward and you will end up with nothing but eternal death." Life is too short to spend being a slave. Rich or poor you should be true to your calling.
Jesus quoted the Old Testament and the New Testament writers said the same thing. "The just shall live by faith."
Most people live by fear.
Who are the just? Those that are justified. In other words, "The forgiven shall live by faith." How are we justified? It's in the first commandment. "I am the Lord your God that brought you out of the house of bondage, thou shall have no other gods before me." No one escaped Egypt without the blood sprinkled on the door post. It had nothing to do with how rich they were, or how hard they worked, or how perfect they were, or how well they kept the commandments, or how good looking they were, or who they were related to. "There's no other name given under heaven wherein we are saved." Under the Old Covenant it was the blood of animals, under the new it's the Lamb of God. It's really one and the same. The blood of animals pointed forward to the Messiah, now we look back at that completed work.
The sad fact of the matter is; without faith you cannot handle freedom. If I turn my dog loose, being in town here, he just runs off looking for females to love and males to fight. He has to be in bondage. Unless we go into the wilderness, then he can run free. He doesn't have any morals. He's just a dog. How many people are in prison because they have no self-control? How many need that slave job to force them out the door on time every morning?
So many times I've hired people and treated them like they were free, and expected them to be self-motivated, and self-disciplined, and to give an honest report. Most could not handle it. It was only a matter of time before they accumulated enough rope to hang themselves. What do you know, they wind up back at MacDonald's or WalMart, working for peanuts.

Lessons From Natural Horsmanship

Through the Eyes of a Child
Children Need Training, Not Discipline

There's no such thing as a bad horse. There's no such thing as bad kid. There's no such thing as a bad person! If a horse kicks, is he bad? Is it just a bad habit? Is it just what horses do? If he is allowed to kick it's not that he is bad. It's just his natural inclination. The result of a lack of training. Anything short of this is Nazism. There are people who sort through horses like tomatoes and can the bad ones. Hopefully no one does this now with people the way Hitler did.

Children might need discipline all right, but only because they missed out on their training somewhere. You can imagine, discipline can really get out of hand with a lack of training. Even to the point of abuse. This happens with horses all too often. There's a lot of people that are just animal lovers and have no business owning a horse. There experience with horses is usually short lived. The same can be said of many parents now. They mistake love for permissiveness. they think they just need to love them to death. If you do this with a horse he's liable to kick your head off someday. At least he is going to throw you off and leave you in the ditch. What good is love if you haven't done the work?

My Dad was a World Champion Cowboy. He wasn't that great of a horseman but he really worked at it. He used to say, "I better get out there and work with that colt or he'll grow up to be an idiot." I remember someone complaining to him about the problems they were having with a horse. He said, "Just get on that horse everyday and ride all the way to the end of the road and back." About 10 miles I think it was. There's always all kinds of details and imperfections, forget all of that and just put in the time.

If you let your kids run with the herd instead of with you. What do you think will happen. There's no substitute for being there. The only thing worse than leaving them for someone else to tend is leaving them unattended. "The only thing worse than doing nothing, is watching television. At least if you are doing nothing you might be thinking."

If - YOU - are going to raise your children, remember they are generally going to emulate you. If you want your children to behave properly. You have to behave properly. If you have your head stuck in the television and so do they. Forget it! What a disaster. How can you compete with what they are seeing there? The best television programs are not going to raise your children. Most if not all of the best programs would be better if you just read the book. If the child isn't mature enough to appreciate the book, he surely shouldn't be watching it.

One time we were at Jack in the Box for dinner. ( veggie burgers ). This mother came in with her 6 kids. Ages of about 1 to 10. She must have been 30 or so. They were all so quiet, and they flocked right around her like little chicks. No one even noticed there were 6. I actually counted. I couldn't believe it. She only had to whisper. Reminds me of the old saying. "Words that soak in are whispered not yelled." Also, "You can tell a good trainer by their voice." "Silence is Golden", this should be the atmosphere in the home. How can little ones learn their manners if there is chaos; idolatrous ( canned ) sounds and images every where. Then we wonder why they have attention deficit disorders.

Everyone should study Pat Parelli's book "Natural Horsemanship". He talks about the three big lies of NORMAL horsemanship. One, "You pull to stop", two, "You kick to go", three "You just jump on and go". He didn't include yelling because it's implied. Obviously you don't yell at horses. You want to keep in mind the ideal. Good horsemanship is like good stewardship. It has to be built on a relationship. What does a ship have to do with it? Smooth sailing requires smooth communicating. Ultimately your horse knows what you want from the slightest touch without a word. He slows down when you relax a little, he turns with the slightest pressure from the single line against his neck, he stops when you completely relax, he starts to go with the slightest squeeze of your legs. You are careful how you introduce new things to him. Once a horse learns the right way he never forgets. If he has a bad experience he doesn't forget that either. They are never just ready to go if it is something they haven't encountered. It's easy to break a child's spirit by giving them an assignment they are not ready for, and then demanding they do it.

Parelli talks about the different levels of horsemanship. From the beginner to unimaginable levels of skill. He gets horses to do any kind of maneuver completely naked. Running, jumping, spinning, etc. No lines, no saddle, no bits, no spurs, nothing. Then he gets them to do things from 50 ft. away. It's all about building on that relationship between a human and a horse.

So many times I've seen parents who were going to make sure their kids were under control, only to have it backfire. "Control freaks ultimately loose control." They try to force them into a mold and make them conform. All of sudden they are in shock when their children develop a mind of their own and go their own way. Whether it's at age 13 or 18. There is a saying, "The definition of a great man is, one who keeps the hearts of his children." By the same token, I've seen people with dogs or horses that were confined, isolated, and restricted to the point they were completely uncontrollable. The resultant problem is, they can't handle freedom. They've never been free. When I get a dog or a horse like that, I start to give them freedom whenever and wherever I can. The best way to accomplish that is to have good dogs and horses there that follow your commands. "Parenting is not about hanging on, it's about letting go." From the earliest age you begin to let them make their own decisions and learn from their own mistakes.

Another reason things backfire is because we try to play God. Instead of learning from Nature, we rely on our own great inventions, we think we are so smart. Definitely smarter than our kids, right? "God made man upright, but he has sought out many inventions." Even the old timers had trouble here. Children were barely tolerated.

If you want to have a relationship with a child they have to have fun doing things with you. No matter if it's work or play. Initially you will encounter resistance. Once they get going though, they want more. If you work with your horse everyday pulling logs or whatever, pretty soon they are not happy unless they get out and get their quota.

Here is a quote from Pat Parelli to end with. "You never work with your horse, only play, you work with yourself."

Woodland Scouts International

The Buck Saw
Armstrong and Sweatmore

I have always used the 36 inch Swedish bow saw swinging around up in a tree. It's practically weightless, has no moving parts, never fails to start, and it's cheap, cheap, cheap. If you could only have one saw this would be it. After hundreds of years it is still the fastest cutting hand saw. This has been the secret to my success. In 33 years of dangerous tree work, a lot of it impossible for the so called experts. No one has ever been hurt on our job. No liability claims either on our million dollar insurance we've never used. "Knock on wood." We've had mishaps of course. This helps keep us on our toes. I know for a fact that a lot of that record is just divine providence. In other words there have been too many unexplainable close calls. Just as important was the fact that I was there with my head on straight. Now I have to try to delegate that responsibility.

Over the years I have experienced numerous characters that claimed to be tree surgeons or whatever. They all had certain similarities. Mainly the fact that they wouldn't go up the tree without their spurs and chain saw, and most of them didn't really know how to use the rope.
They could never accept the fact that I would go farther and faster. The only way they could keep up was to do a half job. Most of them wound up back where they belonged. In a bucket truck.

It really hasn't changed much. Our biggest challenge is still, finding tree climbers. When you find someone that is some kind of a climber, you can't pay them enough and you can't teach them anything. I have had an ongoing ad with the job service for a journeyman arborist ( 5 years min. prof. exp.) $20.00 to start. I get very few calls and none that are qualified.

Obviously the only solution is to make them. The best way to do that is from conception, or before. You can, however, train young people 18 to 25 or so, if they have grown up with a good physical constitution, and work ethic.

This brings us to the Woodland Scouts International, another WSI - Woodland Stewardship Institute production. A healthy community needs a good scouting program.

What would be the ultimate design for a scouting program?

Naturally the first thing young people need to learn are the Biblical principles of stewardship.
Personal stewardship which includes the principles of temperance, health, and fitness. Good habits of eating and drinking, ( Self control ). We find these in the story of Samson and in other stories from the Scriptures.
Next are the principles of environmental stewardship. Responsibility for everything God has made. The forest, the animals, and the land.

The next question is; What is the ultimate way to do this?

For years I have said, "One of the big problems with the modern world is; most people are afraid of horses. " Most of you know we have been trying to promote quality logging and farming with horses for over 30 years. Horses are the ultimate. Those that grow up around horses usually have definite advantages over their peers. Mostly because of all the work involved, but also you draw strength and health from animals, especially horses. Yes horses are therapeutic. I think they are the ultimate creation made just for us. The real benefit too is the confidence gained when you learn horsemanship. I think everyone would have to agree. Our society has deteriorated in many ways from all of our artificial man made likenesses of the horse, and the subsequent loss of contact with Nature.

The second big problem with the world is; "The fear of heights." I find it hard to imagine children growing up without a tree house and a rope swing. Probably the first sign of old age is; the fear of falling. In general the older we get the less likely we are to want to leave the ground. Most teenagers are already afraid to climb a tree. Tree climbing is great for building upper body strength, and like horsemanship, builds confidence.

Thirdly the big problem we face is the lack of practical skills. Let me provide a list of what I think are the most important and in the order of importance.

First of all, -- FARMING.-----------This includes forestry and horsemanship.
Second ------CARPENTRY. --------This includes woodworking and sawmilling.
Third ------- BLACKSMITHING. --This includes welding and forging.
Fourth ------LEATHERCRAFT. ----This includes tanning, stitching, upholstering, tailoring, design, and assembly.

These are the most basic essential skills needed to survive and to have a self sufficient community. Of course along with these you need a bakery, grocery, hardware, saw shop, building supply, feed store, etc.

Now I want to talk a little about carpentry. What do you suppose is the ultimate way to get kids interested in this? Building a boat, of course! Close behind would be building a tree house, right?

Back to where we started. The first thing to learn before you go very far with any of this is how to use a hand saw. I have developed a rack with a vise for bucksawing poles. This allows you to get both hands on the saw. You will be amazed how much wood you can cut by hand, especially the small diameters that are a nuisance to cut with a power saw. You will also be amazed how kids get so excited about it. They have so much energy. This is a great exorcise for anyone to master the bow saw. I want to start a competition to see how much firewood can be cut by hand in one hour with X number of kids under age 18.

Here is the criteria. You take the average age of any number of kids. Let's say it is 16. That is the class you are competing in. All the participants get equal time sawing. You can use any hand saw, but only one. I have an idea the antique Sandvik bow saw will be hard to beat. You can use any kind of wood 8 feet or longer. Green wood usually cuts half again as easy. Everyone can help in any way they can, but only one saw. The wood has to be stacked in the racks when the hour is up for measuring. You would have to design a way to pro-rate the time to determine the comparative rate when say a class averaged at 12 competes with a class of say 14 year olds.

Part of the challenge besides getting enough practice, is to determine the best length of time for each person to cut at their peak performance without too many switches. It's important for them to understand they are competing against themselves, and the clock, and the record, and the elements. Winter is coming. It's called beating your swords into plowshares. We want to focus on farming not war games. If the time comes when we have to fight, we will be ready because real farming makes you strong. "Fighting evil is a noble activity when it has to be done, but this is not our mission. Our mission is to bring more light."

There is a real problem with my ideology. "Where there is no vision the people perish." Scouting these days is practically dead. You know why. Too many liabilities. Worse than this is that most parents never had any training themselves. Especially in matters of faith. They are paranoid. The only safe place for their kids is in front of the television, ( Idiot box ). Many grow up to be slobs. Sick, weak kneed, limp wristed, addicts, of some sort or another, then their parents wonder what happened. It's all right to destroy their mind, body, and spirit. At least they were protected from doing anything dangerous. It's no wonder some of them, when they get to high school they want to do some crazy, insane, extreme sport to make up for being confined.

Conclusion: Even though we are basing our Scouting program around the ultimate aspirations. It is for everyone. Boys and girls. It is only natural for them to be together. Too many grow up totally inhibited in the ability to relate to the opposite sex. Keeping them apart is un-natural and is like keeping a child away from matches thinking he will never find out about them on his own. Also, it's important for the strong to learn to help the weak. It doesn't matter if they never grow up to be arborists or foresters or carpenters. It will be the best experience of their life.

Particular or Peculiar

N O R M A L
"What most people do when they have half a mind to."

"...if you obey my voice and keep My covenant, then you will be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people." Exodus 19:05. Just one example from the Old Testament.

"...you are a holy nation, a peculiar people, you should show the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 02:09. One example of a resounding paraphrase from the Old Testament here in the new.

Who were these Hebrews? The word Hebrew means "stranger", or more precisely, "from the other side", or "not from around here." In other words, "not from this planet!"

Do you think this was just for Old Testament people?

In the New Testament we find the word "Church". Which means, "Called out." Sounds like an echo from Revelation. "Come out of her My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins."

The question is. What makes God's people so peculiar? Why should we be different? How should we be different? Who are we?

You might be surprised to learn, it's work ethic. That's right, true work ethic is what makes the difference. I need to explain of course because most people have no idea what I'm talking about.

This is because "The natural ( normal ) man receives not the things of God, they are foolishness to him, because they are spiritually discerned." I Corinthians 2:14.

What is true work ethic? Being a slave to no man and making a slave of no man. This brings to mind first and foremost the Amish, whom I have always said are a great witness in the earth. True work ethic is being a farmer, nurturing the land and the animals, and teaching your children to enjoy a good honest days work, irrespective of the pay.

I deliberately skipped over the first and most obvious reason God's people are so peculiar, mentioned here in the first quote. The Covenant, the Law, the Ten Commandments, the statutes, THE AGREEMENT. The principles God delivered through Moses to be a perpetual standard throughout all generations.

What is the opposite of God's Law (work ethic)? Lying, cheating, stealing. It's all laziness. The Commandments are about working 7 days a week. It's a 365 day a year commitment to God and family and the entire family of mankind.

Please don't get confused here. Every false religion is based on the idea that we can save ourselves by our own efforts. We are judged by our work, but we are saved by grace through faith. No one is saved by their good works because we have all fallen short. At the same time, no one is saved without them. We all have to work. There's no free ride. Without the principle of the grace of God there is a myriad of works oriented religion.

This is all just plain common sense religion. Without faith the only solution is to eat less, work harder, and cheat more. In other words, survival of the fittest.

Here is the conclusion then. "God is Love." His Law is a simple definition of what love is. True Love amounts to a lot of hard work. People mistake Love for permissiveness. If you loved me you would give me what I want when I want it. No one gets a free ticket to ride in this world. The ticket to heaven though is free. He makes up the difference, otherwise no one would qualify. At the same time work ethic is everything. Whether it's mental, physical, or spiritual.

"Behold I come quickly and my reward is with Me to give every man according to his work..." Revelation 22:12

John's vision of the judgment. "...I saw the small and great stand before God, and the books were opened, and ( they ) were judged according to their works." Revelation 20:12.

Now you know what's wrong with the world. People don't know what Love is. It's so easy to say "I Love you." This is why Jesus had to say, "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another." Even though He gave us His Law in the beginning, He was the first to really practice it.
HE DID THE WORK ! ! !

Are You Listening?

I Can't Help You !

True success is exactly proportionate to how much you love the Truth.
True success is exactly proportionate to how well you know Him.
True success can only be estimated in the light of eternity.

I want you to understand how completely, totally, absolutely, God is in control, of everything. I know that is hard for most to believe, so I am going to try to explain it so you can understand.

You've heard the old worn out line. "If God exists, how can He allow so many terrible things to happen?" Why all the suffering?

I think of all the people I've tried to help over the years. Most of them desperate and destitute and unable to find a job anywhere else. Almost without exception they succumbed to their own devices. There was really nothing I could do for them other than provide a momentary solution to their problem. While they were busy chasing the money they missed the boat. "People ruin their lives with their own foolishness, (Lawlessness), then they are angry at God." Proverbs 19:03. "What ever you do in life, it can't be about money." "If making money is your first priority you have your head on backwards and you will end up with nothing." "Fear God and keep His Commandments." Ecclesiastes. This is mans first duty.

The question is; Is God in control of your life or are you? Just because God lets us self destruct does not mean He is not in control. He controls what He wants. Everything else is our own devising and we reap the results. However, when we put Him first, He makes up the difference, now and in the future. It might not seem like it, but He knows what is best for us. We have to trust Him. "The just shall live by faith."

The fact is God is waiting to bless people, but too often we don't know who He is. In fact, when He comes back what does He say to most people? "Depart from Me, I never knew you, ye who practice Lawlessness."

The problem is we are so SADD. We have Severe Attention Deficit Disorder. God has given us His Word, the perfect solution. We are the ones that can't pay attention. We have to have it our way. We have to be our own God. Without God's Word there is only my opinion verses your opinion. This of course results in endless chaos and controversy.

So, if you think I can solve your problems, fix your finances, cure your addictions, heal your body, mend your soul, you're looking the wrong way. The only thing I can do for you is to try to get you to pay attention to God's directions. Once you start to understand His Law you will start to understand Him. Then there is no end to what He can do for you.

Tree ditty

Trees are Wonderful Things
Words and Music - M. St. Germain - 1990

Trees are wonderful things.
They keep things bright and green.
They protect us from the weather and all.
Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall.
Some folks say, who needs trees.
Who has time to rake those leaves.
Cut the care and fertilizer.
Cut the tree and get an air-conditioner.

Hey, trees are wonderful things.
They make the air pure and clean.
They insure a home for every creature.
And that includes you, you can be sure.
Some think they can live apart from Nature.
And don't give a hoot about the other Creatures.
Spoil the land for money and ease.
Oh well, some day we'll have plastic trees!

Trees are wonderful things.
They could supply all of our needs.
Trees are the answer to the problems we face.
Gas and oil have a dangerous fate.
Every road with noise and pollution.
Should be lined with trees. The best solution.
Care for your forests and care for your trees.
They're not anyone's to do as they please.

Hey, trees are wonderful things.
Think about the life they bring.
'Cause when the land dries up and blows away.
You know it will be too late to say.
Trees are wonderful things.

Trees are the Solution

Trees are What's Important !
Everything depends on good Silviculture

I know I sound like a broken record sometimes. I've always said everyone's favorite thing is, building soil, whether they realize it or not. Everyone likes to eat and be healthy, right. Well I just changed my mind. Obviously good farming is important, but we won't do anything without trees. What I'm saying is, everything actually depends on good forestry. Without trees all you will have is sand. You can't grow anything in sand. Which came first, the soil or the trees? Trees create and protect soil. The whole planet and everything in it is irreducibly complex. Nothing survived millions of years without trees or soil or eyes for that matter.
In recent years there has been this campaign to tear out the dams. Mainly to save the salmon. Who's going to pay for it and all the restoration I would like to know. The dams aren't the problem. It's what we are sending down the river. The chemicals and the pollution and the sediment. What's wrong with doing quality logging and farming? Is that too radical?
Many scientists now are saying that the biggest most important thing we could do to reduce carbon emissions is to farm organically without artificial fertilizer. Is that too radical?
I've been involved in doing quality logging with horses for over 25 years. You have to get out of your car and walk through the woods to tell we've been there. I'm not aware of any kind of true natural selective logging being done anywhere around here. Maybe in a few private woodlots around the country. 99% aren't foresters at all. They're just equipment operators and mechanics. It's against their religion to do anything manually. When you can see what they've done from 5 or 10 miles away it should tell you something. If you are going to do real quality restoration forestry and leave a diverse forest behind, the horse is the best tool. This would create jobs for more people and less for machines. Too bad it's just too radical. We'll just spend a few billion and dismantle the dams and replace them with big freeways. At least it wouldn't be considered too radical. Think of the short term millionaires it would create. Of course they would all be good environmentalists.
Speaking of environmentalists. What have they done? Do you see them out there showing us good stewardship practices? "Environmentalism without faith is phony." They don't believe in any kind of Biblical stewardship. Horses aren't supposed to work, neither are people! We are just another animal. It's okay though to play god. We can create robots or chemicals to do our work for us. The industrialists are raping the hell out of northern Idaho. The only thing environmentalists have done is put small quality operators like myself out of business. They carry on one campaign after another to save the fish, save the birds, save the wolves, etc. WHAT ABOUT THE TREES !!! We aren't going to have anything without trees.
Most of our farmland is totally dependent on chemicals and nitrogen. Without them nothing will grow. The only thing that will grow is trees.
Every unproductive piece of ground, every place that's too wet, every roadside, every creek bank, should be growing a wide variety of trees. One of the reasons they aren't is because some evolutionist wants only native plants that were there before. The desert has to stay a desert, nonsense. We need more trees. Some of these intellectuals are the same ones who had the bright idea to bring Spotted Knappweed over here from Australia to control erosion!
I've always said, artificial fertilizer is the single worst invention that has happened. For years now, most people would say that it is the greatest thing that ever happened. This is how we are able to feed the world, hooey. This is how we are destroying the world. They are using NPK worldwide. Everyone is adopting our great American farming practices. How wonderful. No one has to be a small farmer.
This is by far the largest producer of carbon emissions. Plowing and NPK. Nothing else comes close. I still say the problem with the world is, no one wants to be a poor subsistence farmer and no one wants anyone else to be a poor subsistence farmer.