Woodland Stewardship Institute

"Ain't Gonna Play War No More"

Common Dog Gone Sense
Dog Control, Gun Control, or Self Control

You can be sure this will be a touchy subject!

But something needs to be done. There seems to be more people with more dogs in more places, who know less and less of how to treat them, handle them, or train them. Everywhere I see the results of our society having lost what they used to call basic, common "HORSE SENSE". In other words, a lot of people don't know how to be neighborly or how to raise children! Naturally, education is the solution. When we start to learn our manners (good old country "horse sense") everyone will be healthier and happier.
OK, the number one issue!!! --- "CONFINEMENT"---

Control Freaks always lose control !!!

Confinement is the root of all the other problems; barking, biting, and being out of control. There is a growing majority of "City Slickers" with the legalistic "Barney Fife" mentality that all dogs should be locked up or tied up at ALL times. This is inhumane. There are people that need to be locked up, but I'm not aware of any real animal criminals or perverts. Everyone knows about the typical hard core "dog control," but the results are disastrous. In other words, a strict leash law is not the solution but the most significant contribution to the problem! You think I'm crazy? We are about to find ourselves in the same predicament as a herd of animals, because of our stupidity. It's called "MARTIAL LAW." Most city people aren't responsible enough to have a gun or a dog! I'm not talking about people that live in the city, I'm talking about city people that are everywhere! Fortunately, this is still a free country. That is because our country was built on Laws, but it is based on freedom. True freedom is based on obedience. "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom." Ben Franklin.

What is the solution? If you don't have the time and the space, your critter is going crazy! They can't learn anything if they are never free. That means that YOU the owners are OUT of CONTROL! It's time to downsize, or phase out your stock. Why make them and your neighbors suffer?

I know what you are thinking. We can't have dogs running lose everywhere. Listen, a dog on a leash has to be considered dangerous and uncontrollable. I'm not talking about letting your dog run. I'm talking about tolerance. Especially the process from puppy to adulthood. Puppies, colts, children, all need a happy, free, atmosphere growing up. Until they learn self discipline. You start introducing them to the rules positively. You strive for voluntary, unaware, complicity in their own confinement. They learn that obedience equals freedom. In other words, they come when you call, and want to follow you wherever you go. It all has to be built on a relationship. A relationship where you are the Master, the Good Shepherd, not the tyrant. Not a relationship based on fear and coercion. "Perfect Love casts out all fear."

This begs the question, "Who's gonna keep the dogs out of my yard?" The answer is YOU! No one else is going to camp in your yard and make sure nothing ever goes there! It is a well established fact that no matter what kind of a policy you try, there's always going to be dogs loose. If you can't get over it, move to the big city where all the paranoid control freaks can get together in one big pile until they get murdered, robbed, or mugged. If the neighbors puppy wanders into your yard, you don't have to call the City, just get after the little squirt, they are real sensitive at that age. They are just like children. They don't need discipline, as much as they need training.

You can see this is turning into a book already. I need to talk about manners though. Here the number one issue is obviously mean and vicious dogs. In order for any of this to work, and for there to be any freedom and tolerance, we have to eliminate the attitude of having a dog as a weapon. Or even having one as a guard or an alarm. Mean barking dogs are for people who put their faith in mean barking dogs. It is a pathetic excuse because they are a very poor insurance. You can go into any hospital emergency room and they will tell you the most common situation is people with dog bites. We have known several beautiful young people who were scarred for life, bitten by their own dogs or their friend's. I'm coming down real hard on this, the same way I do with my dogs. You cannot tolerate any form of aggressive behavior. I know it's probably impossible to even dream of correcting the problem, because people think, that is what dogs are for. They are supposed to be protective and bark and maybe they will save your life. FORGET IT. What a bunch of crap!!! There's no other solution!!! Other than Martial Law.

There is no reasonable excuse for bad manners. Or for going to someone's house only to be accosted by their dogs. We need to keep the 3 R's in the right perspective, Respect for God, Respect for people made in His image, and Respect for Nature.

Now it appears I have raised more questions than answers, so I have to commit to writing the book. I will begin with a series of hypothetical situations that, believe it or not, are at the same time, true stories. While we are at it, let's try to imagine a better system of government for the way we relate to the people and pets in our rural neighborhoods.

It all started when we began learning about natural horsemanship 30 years ago. You know the old proverb, "If you want something to come back to you, you must first set it free." The first sign of poor horsemanship is when you can't catch your horses, and when you do catch them they are looking for the first chance to escape. We live on Main street, but we are also on the edge of town. The horse pen extends a quarter of a mile out back, beyond the City limits. When we bring them up to the house they are loose most of the time. When I go back to gather them, they come running and put their noses in the halter. When it's time to load them, they go right in the trailer. They are content to mow the lawn right next to the Main street. They know that if they cross the street they will be out of favor and I will just bring them back. The funny thing is when city people (which are everywhere) that don't know us, drive by they freak out. "Oh no, look, your horse is loose!!!" That's not all, some complain to the City. Barney Fife (not his real name) the town clown (who also so happens to be the town drunk) says, "These horses can't be on the sidewalk, or the street, or even in town for that matter. City streets are only for vehicles." (speeding with impunity). I say, "You're full of it, horses are allowed on the streets, so are children, and dogs. This will slow them down!" He's not impressed, but of course he doesn't have a leg to stand on.
This brings us to the next relevant incedent. This is another true story. I watched a big German Shepherd dog give his life for a child! I stopped at the old gas station at another small town near here. After filling up I was getting ready to pull out on to the highway when the school bus stopped right there. There were a few cars that stopped behind it. A little girl got out and proceeded to walk in front of the bus to cross the road. All of a sudden I heard tires squeal when this small import pickup, with three guys in the seat, screeched to a stop, just missing her. I looked back behind the bus to see the big dog splatted in the middle of the road. I stomped on the throttle to try and get in front of the knotheads in the little pickup, but I had my big trailer on behind with three big horses. They just drove on, a little wild eyed! Of course they were speeding and were going to pass everyone.

Next story. We have an old dog here, his name is Buddy. Now he is 14 or 15, in other words about 100 in dog years. His mother was Australian Shepherd and his father was a Lab, Rottweiler cross. He is so indifferent it is funny. When he was a pup we did the usual, taught him not to bark, taught him to get along with the chickens, taught him to be nice to strangers, etc. Also, like every pup we have had, I taught him right away to be street wise. This begins early. When the pup gets in the way, HE GETS STEPPED ON! When he tries to run in the door to the house, HE GETS PINCHED. When he gets a little bigger, he has to learn to watch out on the street. When he tries to follow the car, I spin some brodies, make a lot of noise, and start chasing him! If I catch him in the street when I'm driving, I TRY TO RUN OVER HIM! Is this discipline or training? Maybe they aren't much different. This is the basic principle of horse sense that is sadly deficient. I'm sure all the animal worshipers think this is unthinkable. The fact is, it is just a fact of life, and this is how you preserve their life. I have actually seen the ultimate example of the opposite of this, and I'm sure you have too. That is people stopping and getting out of their car and picking up their dog when they come home. You know what happens when a visitor comes and doesn't see the dog. Believe me I know! Now Buddy the wise old dog has made his retirement business that of playing with the traffic. He is kind of an extension of myself, you know how that can be. When we are working and playing around here with the horses and the kids, he guards the street. The funny thing is, he has almost all of the people buffaloed. He hears them coming. He knows from the sound of their throttle, what they are going to do, before they do! One time just recently, while working with the horses, logging next to a county road, he had a loaded logging truck completely stopped!!! Now that is proficiency! What has happened with the majority of people now. I guarantee you this was never a problem in the not so distant past. Maybe it is linked to the same ridiculous idea of having dogs in the house. I read a recent article which stated that 62% of people with cats and almost 50% of the people with dogs, SLEEP WITH THEM!!! The just of the article though was the fact they are finding serious disease problems with people because of it.
Now I know this is a lot to take in. What do you think? Should we learn about these things, or should we just make sure ALL critters are confined and contained at ALL times?

Next true story. Having horses on the edge of town has been trying. The worst problem we've had was vandalism. At first we thought it was kids, but as time went on, it became apparent that it was adults. Letting the horses out, cutting up the fence, destroying the fence charger, terrorizing the horses, etc. Any time there were horses loose anywhere around town, everyone assumed they were ours. Once a neighbor (drunk) called from just a quarter mile away. His house is in the middle of a small field. He said, very belligerently, "Do you have three horses? Well, they are in my field and you better get them the blankety blank out of here!" I knew they weren't mine, so I said, "What makes you think they are not going to come in your yard? Do you have a fence?" He said, "I don't have a fence, but I've got a gun!" I said, "They are going to take our guns away because of idiots like you! Go ahead and shoot them, you have my permission! THEY'RE NOT MY HORSES!!!"
Now what do you think? Should we build our community on tolerance, hospitality, and understanding, or "Drinking, fighting, and gambling"? Again, "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom." The other alternative is MARTIAL LAW!!!

The next true story. One Sunday afternoon, a few years ago, a young couple came strutting into our yard. They had a black lab that they said was ours. It had just killed one of their chickens along with an accomplice that happened to look just like our other dog at that time. I said they weren't ours, they called me a liar and started mouthing off. They said, you must have just tied that dog back on it's run. I said, she's been there all day. He had a gun, and said, "I'm going to shoot your chicken killing dogs that run loose." Like everyone else they knew that any critter that was loose had to be ours. I said, "Go ahead, there they are, have at it!" They left. Those two dogs had the run of the town for the next four or five days.
The other day, two big dogs that keep jumping the fence, came straight into our yard and got off with two nice hens. The City maintenance man was going by and saw it. He and I followed them home, just a block away. I think he couldn't understand why I wasn't upset. I said, "There's always going to be dogs loose, and they are always going to like chickens. I took the risk when I let the birds out of their pen."
Now what do you think? Is the problem the animals, or the people?

Next. Several years ago, we took the horses and the two dogs and went for a ride. Over the mountain and back around by Brush Creek, about five miles. Coming back into town, Buddy gets in a fight with a neighbors dog in the trailer park. Male dogs love to fight and there wasn't much that could be done. A friend up the street had 21 stitches in his leg, bitten by his own dog, when he tried to break up a dog fight. We had just dismounted and went in the house to get a drink, and here comes the neighbor with a pistol, calling me an idiot. He says if he sees my dog any where near his place he's going to shoot it. He kind of gave me the impression he would just as well like to shoot me! I just went out to face him, didn't say a word. He left and never came back. You don't have to go get your gun to stand up to people, unless you are a coward. The worst thing about having a gun is, you might have to use it. The only solution is for stronger men to come and overcome. Men that are spiritually, and morally stronger.

We are not the only ones that have been threatened by stupid ignorant people over stupid animals! Our society is going to the dogs!

Now what do you think is the solution? Lock up all the critters all the time, or just lock up the people and take their guns away? If you value your freedom and independence, I hope you value obedience, to all of God's Laws, Natural laws, moral laws, physical laws, laws of science, laws of diet and health and fitness, they are all His Laws. For the third time, "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom!"

Indian Prayer

Oh Great Spirit

Adapted by M. St. Germain - 06 - 18 -10

Oh Great Spirit.

Whose voice I hear in the winds.

Whose breath gives life.

To every living friend.

Can You hear me?

I am so small and weak.

It is Your strength and wisdom.

That I want to seek.

Let me walk in beauty.

And may I always see.

The red and purple sunset.

Glowing through the trees.

May my hands respect.

All Your creatures.

Let my ears be sharp to hear.

All the sounds of Nature.

Make me wise.

So that I may understand.

The things You want to teach.

Each and every man.

Let me learn the lessons.

There in every leaf and rock.

May I survive the winter.

And find Spring, without a loss.

I seek strength.

Not to be greater than my brother.

To fight my greatest enemy.

Myself, and not another.

May I always come to You.

With clean hands and straight eyes.

And a tongue.

That doesn't split and lie.

So when life fades.

As the sinking, setting sun.

My spirit may come to You.

Without shame. No matter what ever else I've done!

Do Not Wait

I Love You Now !

Words M. St. Germain and Traditional - 1975 - Music M. St. Germain

If you love a person, tell them so.

Do not wait until they go.

Share your love, while you still can.

You may never meet again.

Chorus:

I love you now, I plainly state.

I want you to know, before too late.

And will, till the end.

It's a better world.

'Cause I called you friend.

If you love a person, tell them so.

Do not wait, until they go.

Say the words, they need to hear.

Tell them while they are still near.

Chorus: repeat.

If you love a person, tell them so.

Do not wait, until they go.

Then heap some flowers upon their bier.

And cry and say they were so dear.

Chorus: repeat.

Maintaining Relationships

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Just Say No, to a Bad Relationship

"The one who cares the most.

Is always held hostage.

By the one who cares the least."

"Love is a many splendored thing." "It's so easy to fall in Love." "Love is blind." "Love without faith is superficial." You can see the downward progression. I'm sure you know how easy it is to fall in love, especially at that certain age. Young people desperately need education in knowing how to choose a mate, today more than ever. What is the first prerequisite for a relationship to work? Spiritual compatibility. Then intellectual compatibility, then physical compatibility, then sexual compatibility. I'm sure most of you know also, that most couples, first get it together, backward from this.

Please don't misunderstand me. This is not about ending, it's about maintaining, fixing, and improving relationships. This is kind of like the ultimate challenge. I've strained and strained my brain for years, thinking about it, and wondering if I should ever attempt it. It seems like people fall in love and then learn to live in misery and perversion, or they get divorced and enjoy even more misery and perversion. What this is really about, is saying no to the bad things that make bad relations, identifying them, and never going back. Bringing heaven down to earth, so to speak.

First we have to identify. I know it's painful, but let me start with this illustration about the three types of women. The good, the bad, and the ugly. You could turn around and tell it about men too, but it would be a little different.

There's the good woman, she'll love you to death, and follow you anywhere. Remember, "A man needs a woman to love him ALL the time." Johnny Horton song, 1960. She's content to have a man, and babies. She has faith in life, in God, and in you. She's too busy to worry. She always knows what time it is. She's usually married to some useless, shiftless, no account, arrogant, knothead!

Now the bad. She's a workaholic. There's only time to work or sleep. She has no faith, so a husband is just someone to harass, because he's not rich enough, perfect enough, or affectionate enough, and never works hard enough. She's insecure and makes up for it by working till 9 or 10 every night. Work is her drug of choice. Instead of the children learning to do things, she does them for them. She's always the martyr, no one else ever does enough. Her first priority is keeping up appearances. She's jealous of any friends you might have, that might absorb your time and money. She doesn't know how to tell time. She's married to her job, her parents, her house, her idols, and you, in that order!

Now the ugly! She's lazy and spoiled. She was born and bred to be a princess. Marry a doctor or lawyer and have a maid and a butler. The American dream. Only slaves work. A husband is just someone to hate because he's not rich enough and makes her have to work. She has no self-control so she resorts to food and drugs. Consequently she's overweight and temperamental, and hates herself. Children are a nuisance, and in the way.

Well, you get the picture, not a pretty one, definitely not what love started out to be. You can imagine how all these problems are compounded when drinking, fighting (idolized sports), and gambling are added. Then comes lying, and cheating, and stealing. Abe Lincoln said it best, "It appears our progress in degeneracy, is becoming quite rapid."

I'm not going to talk about all the bad and the ugly reasons you can't get along, or all the bad and ugly excuses there might be for quiting, or the fact that you are unequally yoked which makes everything bad and ugly!

I want to talk about you! The one that feels so abused and mistreated.What should you do if you find yourself in a bad relationship.

First of all, it's not about you. You are a hostage. Marriage is not about freedom, being single is about freedom. Now don't let me scare you, there is a wonderful compensation for all of this. It's called family, children, teamwork, dignity, and respect.

Second, nothing is fair. Who said everything has to be fair. If you think everything has to always be fair, you're not going to be happy. It's so easy to start playing that game. Pretty soon you have to take turns changing diapers, cleaning the toilet, feeding the horses, talking to your mother, sleeping in, partying, paying the electric bill, etc. This is childish nonsense. Don't be looking for the easy job. What goes around comes around. Everything does turn out fair in the end. The truth is, only God knows who are the good, the bad, and the ugly.

A man should be true to his calling, and not be condemned if he wants to be a poor hard working farmer, or whatever. Unfortunately it's a crime to be poor. It doesn't matter how hard you work, or how smart you are, or how talented you are, it's easy to run aground if you have any true principles. Conversely it doesn't matter how idolatrous, or despicable, or perverted you are, you are the "...sweetest guy in town.", if you have money. Laziness used to be a crime, now laziness is a virtue, only stupid people work. "There's a place (hell or prison) for people who only do what they want to do. This aint it." We still can't judge, maybe it's better to be in prison now, rather than later. Hell is the grave, eternal death.

That brings me to the next item. "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord." Don't be a terrorist, don't be toxic, don't get even. Always remember, "...never return evil for evil." Here is another one to memorize, "It doesn't take a very big man to carry a grudge!" The worst temptation for me, is to be passive aggressive. You know, the sly underhanded little tricks to beat people over the head without touching them, or facing them, or talking to them. My name is Mark, which means warlike. I can hardly resist a fight, and I like none better than the quiet strategy for getting the upper hand. I have to constantly remind myself, "Sometimes it's a noble thing to fight evil, but this is not our task, our mission is to bring more light." It's so easy to get into a love hate relationship that can get out of hand, especially if one partner is spiritually retarded, or even spiritually dead! Maybe I better explain that a little. "....the natural man receives not the things of God, they are foolishness to him." I Corinthians 2 : 14. The problem is, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." "Some go in search of the truth, others can be lead to it, most will not tolerate it." What is truth? Do you know the seven things by which you judge all truth? "His creation, His Spirit, His Law, His prophets, His people, His story, History."

This is where it gets crazy. What do you do when you find the one you love rejects the truth and clings to the lie, and chooses to remain ignorant and in the dark? What do you do when you realize your in love with the devil? How long do you maintain a bad relationship? When and where do you say no, and where do you draw the line? You know how serious this can be, when children are involved, innocent victims of violence and abuse. When is a broken family the lesser evil?

Here is a little poem I made up, that goes along with this.

Family Man

Now listen close to what I say.

There's much to learn.

From the old farm ways.

I'm saying a farm aint worth much.

Without a good husband and wife.

And when the going gets tough.

You don't need trouble and strife!

Now a good team of horses.

Will do the work of three.

But if they can't pull together.

They can't do any, you see.

I fell in love with a pretty little thing.

I know love is blind.

But we're still together.

After all this time.

Now the process of multiplication.

I'm sure you know.

Children are God's gift.

To make love grow.

It hasn't exactly been easy.

Sometimes it was pretty sad.

But the good times.

Have made up for the bad!

What's the real secret?

To our success?

Lots of hard work and,

Forgive and forget.

To know how to give and take.

And try to understand.

What it really means.

To be a family man.

You know the best reward.

Though it might be slow.

Is to know your children.

Are as good as gold.

To reach a ripe old age.

With some wisdom to impart.

To know your friends and family.

On the world have left their mark.

The Golden River

I Hope I See You on the Other Shore !

Words and Music M. St. Germain in 2000 and Traditional

Tell my kids to come and kiss me.

Oh, I know they're gonna miss me.

When I swim that Golden River. On that morning.

Oh, I'm dying with a fever.

And, it'l be goodbye forever.

When I swim that Golden River. On that morning.

Chorus:

When I swim that Golden River on that morn'.

Oh I hope I see them on the other shore.

When I swim that golden river.

It's the good times they'll remember.

When I swim that Golden River. On that morning.

Tell the people when I'm gone.

All the good things that I've done.

When I swim that Golden River. On that morning.

It's not good enough I know.

But I know He'll love me so.

When I swim that Golden River. On that morning.

Chorus:

When I swim that Golden River. On that morn'.

Oh, I hope I see you on the other shore.

When I swim that Golden River.

I know He'll make up the difference.

When I swim that Golden River. On that morning.

I hope you all can understand.

I'll be safe in God's own hands.

When I swim that Golden River. On that morning.

Don't you worry about my soul.

I pray the Truth you'll come to know.

When I swim that Golden River. On that morning.

Chorus:

When I swim that Golden River. On that morn'.

Oh, I hope I see you on the other shore.

When I swim that Golden River.

I will have this sweet assurance.

When I swim that Golden River. On that morning.

Tell the world about a Saviour.

Who will show us all His favor.

When we swim that Golden River. On that morning.

If His Word we claim as ours.

He will save us by His power.

When we swim that Golden River. On that morning.

Chorus:

When we swim that Golden River. On that morn'.

Oh, I hope I see you on the other shore.

When we swim that Golden River.

We can have this sweet assurance.

When we swim that Golden River. On that morning!

6 th Law of Health

"Eat for Strength not for Drunkenness"

Proper Diet

Let's review the laws of health again. In previous articles I have written about, 1 - fresh air, 2 - sunlight, 3 - rest, 4 - exercise, 5 - abstemiousness, 6 - proper diet, 7 - proper use of water, 8 - trust in divine power(attitude).

When it comes to diet we think of 7 primary objectives. Durability, stamina, longevity, performance, metabolism, assimilation, elimination. Of course we want to remember that all the other laws of health affect these also.

Question: How do you eat for drunkenness? Remember the three major battles? The war against - laziness, drunkenness, and ignorance. "Laziness is most or our sin, the rest is drunkenness, and it's all ignorance." Drunkenness could be any kind of indulgence. If it is for self gratification, if your "god is your belly." If you live to eat, rather than eat to live. Also, drunkenness is living for today, not caring about tomorrow. "Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." In other words the drunk and the glutton aren't much different. More people have dug an early grave with a fork and a spoon than anything else.

T I M I N G :

I really want to try and emphasize how important this information is for children growing up. Everyone should know, babies need nutrition, children need nutrition, young people, they all need nutrition during their formative years. Everyone can see, also, that many aren't getting it. A lot of them almost never get a square meal. Usually because there's no one at home to cook. This is why it's so important, regardless of your situation, to practice good timing. The cardinal sin around our place has always been, SNACKING. It takes 5 to 6 hours to digest food properly. Now everyone is brainwashed to think kids have to have snacks (All with vitamins added.) to get nutrition. The worst thing is, the snacks usually amount to so much junk. Juice, sugar, carbs, vitamin drinks, junk. The best snack would be sunflower seeds, walnuts, or jerky. So, they are growing up learning they can eat anything, anytime, anywhere. Not allowing the proper time between meals is probably the biggest contributer to obesity. You can see the obvious consequence of it everywhere, especially anyone under 35 or so. Unfit, obese, bad teeth, bad eyes, poor bones, etc. Also, sugarholics are inclined to become alcoholics, and diabetics. They say diabetes has increased something like tenfold in the last 10 years in the US.

The other part of timing is, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes you healthy wealthy and wise." Benjamin Franklin. That was over 200 years ago. It's really just common sense. Actually there is growing proof that it's true, with modern data and statistics. The earlier you go to bed, the earlier you get up, and the earlier you eat breakfast, the better off you'll be. Eating at night is an easy trap to get into. Pretty soon you don't feel like eating breakfast at all. Out at logging camp, we used to get up at 4 am. Breakfast would be in the cook shack before daylight. We would get out to where we left off the day before, and wait for it to get light enough to work. The earlier you get to work the more you get done before you get tired. If you start in the afternoon, for example, you're tired already because you're closer to the end of the day.

So, this is the first principle of diet. Timing.

What do you suppose is the next priority? You might be surprised. This is it. "Eat your food, don't drink it." "Milk is for babies." "Juice is for winos." "Smoothies are for people that are too young or too old to chew their food." "Hot drinks are debilitating." "Caffeine is a drug." Soda is addicting and devastating. If you ever eat out you will notice 99% of everyone drinks pop with there meal. Now they know, though it's uncommon knowledge, this is one of the things that's pulling the substance out of our bones.

Again, regardless of your situation, you can practice this rule. The more you have to chew your food, the better. Digestion starts in the mouth. I do what the old timers did. I save good bread and toast it and dry it. This was a matter of survival then, since they didn't have preservatives, or the grocery store a block away or whatever. You've heard of the hardtack they had on the ships and for the soldiers. Obviously it's good for your teeth also, to sink them into something real, like an apple or toast, preferably with some charcoal once in a while. This is one of the ways you improve your assimilation of different nutrients too, raw, cooked, re-cooked, and burned. Try to avoid burned grease though, they say it is carcinogenic. Fried food is bad anyway.

What's next? Again you might be surprised. Here it is. "Avoid too rich of a diet." I know this is hard to understand, especially when we are trying to get better nutrition. Look again at the list of objectives. You're liquid diet and concentrated fat, protein, and sugar, will give you a higher metabolism and short quick performance, but that's about it. The other 5 goals are in the negative. Here's a simple illustration. Horses are designed to consume mostly fiber. That is why they chew up the wood fences when they are confined. People are always wanting to give them grain, thinking that it's good for them and will make them warm. Neither are true. What keeps horses warm is; having enough fiber working in their gut. Grain is like candy to horses, they go crazy over it, and it will kill them if they get into the bin. We only give them whole oats (higher protein and less carbs than other grain.) when we are working them. Giving horses grain to fatten them up would be like giving some scrawny old person candy all the time. It might make them fat, but it would make them sick. This goes along with what a lot of doctors and nutritionists have been saying. "Avoid processed food." Eat real food and drink water. This is the best prescription for just about everything. If you are like me you find yourself getting into all kinds of junk. I find I have to eat a little of everything. (Sanctified by the Word that is.) I think this helps me to get a more complete range of nutrition. Here's the secret though; "The solution to pollution is dilution." Also, "The more junk you eat, the more fiber you need." and "Sugar needs to be slowed down." The worst thing that I see so many people do, is eat and\or drink straight sugar.

Now I better talk a little about clean vs. unclean. Do you think God had a good reason for telling us not to eat all those dirty scavengers high on the food chain? I have often thought of writing a paper, "100 reasons not to eat pork." Here's the first reason, it's enough, God says it is an abomination to Him. Do you know what that means? It means it is hateful and detestable to Him. Isn't that enough? I don't think He changed His mind about it. Yes, I know about the verses in the New Testament that are misinterpreted to make Him into a liar. Like a lot of things there, they are symbolic in different ways. Nothing to do with eating, and certainly they do not contradict God's Laws.

This is another reason though, not to eat pork. It is the richest and the most stimulating.

E A T R I G H T :

We've talked about when to eat, what to eat, and what not to eat. Now I want to tell you how to eat. If you've made it this far I'm sure you realize you are "...dying for lack of knowledge.", and you are ready to admit you don't know how to eat!!! Even if you have your grave half dug, you can still get on track and overcome the fork and the spoon!

I've already alluded to the fact, and I'm sure I don't have to tell you, to chew your food. Like anything else, there's a lot to know. I also mentioned, "eat your food, don't drink it." This goes along with what I am saying here. "Don't wash your food down." "Digestion begins in the mouth." "Besides being a bad habit, drinking water with your food is bad manners." This is another common sense observation that has been known for thousands of years. Believe it or not, this used to be taught in public schools, just 60 or 70 years ago. This also goes along with the critical need for nutrition. When your eating, especially growing children, you need food to eat. If kids especially, drink a bunch of water while they are eating, not only are they diluting a lot of their saliva, but they will be hungry before the next meal. The only thing worse than this is drinking juice first, which will kill their appetite. Also, you will have better stamina and endurance, and capacity when you eat when it's time to eat, and drink when you are good and thirsty. This is also very important for preventing certain types of illness. If your stomach is working right, the chemistry there will kill or neutralize most pathogens. For example, if you are ever in the wilderness and you have to drink out of a creek, (or die of thirst), make sure you are good and thirsty. By then the juices in your stomach are just about like battery acid. Then drink slowly and not too much. This is another reason not to eat too fast. Your stomach functions properly at 100 degrees. You definitely do not want to gulp down cold food and cold drinks. You should have "... a good hot meal at least once a day." This is also another reason for not snacking, don't eat unless you are actually hungry, and your stomach is ready. Why am I the only one telling you this?

It's kind of a hard habit to break for some. What we do when the little ones are here, is give them a drink of plain soy milk. This will usually satisfy them, until you can wean them from it. "Milk is for babies." However soy milk is not a substitute, only a compliment.

Mind your manners. Don't get excited. Take your time, enjoy your meal and your company. Seems like every time I have to eat in town, which is fortunately a rare occasion anymore. I always see someone hogging down their food like it was their whole life, there face in their plate, too busy to even visit, and of course they are wearing the usual stupid duckbill hat that's glued to their head, and the ubiquitous pot belly to go with it. Manners might seem silly sometimes, but lack of these will affect your health, your digestion (acid reflux), your breath, your teeth, etc., and often produce gas. Flatulence is simply a product of undigested protein. Digestion starts in the mouth and follows all the way through. It's easy for it to malfunction along the line if things get out of order.

EAT YOUR RABBIT FOOD !!!

I was reading about Lewis and Clark and their expedition in 1804 - 1806. It was the most remarkable venture ever accomplished. The reason they are not more famous is because they never killed or captured anyone. They all made it back in good health. They were smart enough to know they needed greens. They wrote about gathering greens along the way. This was probably the real secret to their success. I find it so amazing that people were so ignorant during the dark ages, that the sailors would suffer and die from scurvy, when all they needed was some fresh produce. It wasn't until the mid 1700's that Captain Cook sailed around the world without losing a single man. He found out all they needed was sauerkraut, and they would get fresh food wherever they stopped. When Magellan sailed around the world only 18 men survived of the 237 that started. He died also. Of course we don't need greens, we have vitamins and and vitamin scientists! In spite of all of our great technology, sometimes it seems like we are going back into the dark ages. Like that great city Nineveh, where "... more than 120,000 people didn't know their left hand from their right." What good is our technology if we don't know right from wrong? "Knowledge without faith is dangerous."

What do you think happens if you only eat greasy junk food, fried chicken, and ice cream? Then sit on the couch and drink pop and watch TV? It's good to eat some of everything, but you can make up for a multitude of sins just by eating good fiber with every meal, and fresh vegetables for dessert. Greens, especially fresh, provide real available calcium, and enzymes that help digestion, and vitamin B-12, and a host of other things we don't know. Sauerkraut can be a real lifesaver, especially in the winter. Fresh cabbage is my favorite. They say cruciferous vegetables are the best.

CONCLUSION:

These are laws of science, laws of Nature, Laws of God. The plain simple cold hard facts of life. There's no escape. You break the Law, you suffer the result. We should be so thankful that God made everything perfect and He has given us this information. We should not "....ruin our lives with our own foolishness, (Lawlessness), and then blame God." Proverbs 19 : 03. "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God (Law)." Psalms 14 : 01.

This is personal stewardship. Why be careless, without self control? The problem is, "Suicidal people are never content with their own destruction." No man is an island. Children grow up like their parents. "Bad habits are cool, is a lie." "Good food is intolerable, is a lie." "Your taste needs to be educated, like anything else." "It's hard to overcome the consequences of what you never learned when you were young." Is it OK to be careless and irresponsible, even if you don't have children? I don't think so. No one else in their right mind would think so either.

So, the war goes on, the battle against sin and ignorance. "Only dead fish roll with the flow." Just remember, "Satan yields to uphill traffic."

At last, don't forget the 8th law. We are all hopelessly sick and lost. Only a miracle can save us. You can spend your whole life, like I have, studying, and learning about anything and everything to do with health, and we are still going to die! "No matter how I struggle and strive, I'll never get out of this world alive." How can I tell you about health when I am sick? How can the preacher inform you of sin, when he is full of it? How could David write the Psalms that are full of prophecy, poetry, and wisdom, when he failed so many times? How could Ellen White be a true prophet when she was imperfect, human like the rest of us? Although she has stood the test of time and the critics, just as the Bible has.

We are talking about stewardship, RIGHTEOUSNESS by faith, not careless ignorance and unrighteousness excused by grace. God's grace covers anything and everything, but it does not excuse it or condone it. The Bible says, "...to be perfect as God is perfect." That means make an effort, even though we know we will never be perfect, until we know everything He does! Even though we know we are not saved by our own efforts. "No one will be saved by their good works, no one will be saved without them."

"I wish above all things, that you should prosper and be in good health." 3 John 2.

II Thessalonians 2 : 10 & 11

Open the Book

Words and music - M. St. Germain - 2002

Do you love the Truth?

Do you hate a lie?

Do you know the difference?

Can you tell me why?

It seems right to me.

It may seem right to you.

Everyone does it.

What does it prove?

He made the world.

And He gave us His Word.

He knows what works.

Is it too hard to learn?

Open the Book.

Take a good look.

Do you know the Son?

Who came to die?

Do you know the One?

Who cannot lie?

He did the will.

Of His Father above.

He came to show.

What is true Love.

He kept the faith.

Of the prophets of old.

He's our example.

So we've been told.

Open the Book.

Take a good look.

Can you see the light?

Shining through His Word?

The Truth is as sharp.

As a two edged sword.

Don't be confused.

With excuses men make.

The message is clear.

Make the way straight.

Don't be deceived!

He is coming again!

Beware of pretenders!

Using His Name!

Open the Book.

Take a good look.

If you love not the Truth.

You'll believe a lie.

The counterfeit is hard.

To recognize.

Sugar is sweet.

So is candy they say.

But straight is the gate.

And narrow the way.

So study His Word.

And learn all you can.

This is the answer.

To follow God's plan.

Open the Book.

Take a good look.

Wait till you here the music.

Laws of health - Laws of Nature

The Call of the Wild

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness." What's wrong with Natural?

Do you know the last verse of the Old Testament? "....before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, I will send the prophet Elijah." Do you remember in Luke 1 : 17, before John the Baptist was born, it was prophesied that he would come "...in the Spirit and Power of Elijah...to make ready a people, prepared for the Lord"?

I'm sure most would agree that "...the great and dreadful day of the Lord." is the second coming. To me, that makes this prophecy more significant today, than it was at the first.

What was the Spirit and Power of Elijah? It's the Strait Testimony against false worship, given again, of course, in Revelation.

Just what is this false worship? 666, six is man's number, 3 and 7 are God's. 666 is man in place of God. We worship ourselves. "God made man upright, but he has sought out many inventions." Eccl. 7 : 29. Obviously we are farther now, with all of our great man made religion, than we have ever been, from Natural.

So, now, you will not be surprised when I tell you that the Aborigines had more true religion than any of us. They lived in the wilderness in complete harmony, without any possessions or tools, plum naked! Their only tool was a fire, they didn't even have a knife. They could sleep outside naked, bedded down like animals, generating heat while they slept. Believe it or not, many of them have decided to become extinct, rather than live in an artificial violent world. "Civilized is just another word for un-natural." Some speculate this is what God's people were doing before the flood when "...the earth was filled with violence." That is why only one family went into the ark, and that only because of one man, who commanded his family after him, Noah.

What was so special about John the Baptist?

To begin with, he was a Nazarite, like Samson, Samuel, Jesus, Paul, and many others. Eventually there were whole tribes of Nazarites. What was so special about the Nazarites? They were STRONG. They were men of principle and self control. They were to be, mentally, physically, and spiritually strong.

Do you know the Nazarite prescription for health and strength, given by God? It was usually given at conception, so it applied to the mother also. Essentially it amounted to; eat real food and drink water. No alcohol, no juice, no fruit from the vine, no unclean animals. This shows how critical it is to learn these things when you're growing up. When you came of age, you could give up the Nazarite oath, cut your hair, and know that there were certain exceptions to the rules. By then you were developed and had learned good habits of eating and drinking. Can you imagine kids growing up, thinking they can eat or drink anything anytime, anywhere? After that anything goes. Crackheads are made not born!

Thanks to his Nazarite vow, John was "....not just another reed shaken in the wind." He lived in the wilderness, he ate a simple "clean" diet, and wore plain simple clothes. In fact he dressed in the old fashioned style of Elijah.

Then, of course, you know he was a fearless preacher of righteousness, not afraid to speak the truth.

What do you think about these "last days"? Will God have a people prepared? Who will deliver this message? Who is the "Voice Crying in the Wilderness" today? Will Elijah actually come back? Maybe, but I don't think so. Jesus said, "...if you are willing to accept it, John is Elijah come back." In other words, it's the Elijah message that comes around. God will have the Elijah messengers and the Elijah message in the "last days", to prepare those who are not afraid to worship (respect) Him as the creator of all. Revelation 14 : 07. I believe they are the 144,000.

Satan always has a counterfeit for everything. What do you suppose is the opposite of this kind of discipleship instituted by God, and also with Jesus and His disciples? If you just look around you see it everywhere. Instead of discipline and hard work, you see the lazy feel good religion all over. "Prosperity produces a mass of professors." People are as the Bible said they would be, "...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."

Isn't this the ultimate challenge? Not to be bent by "...every wind of doctrine."? Not to be afraid to stand alone? Doesn't it seem like we've come to the time when most "...will not ENDURE sound doctrine."?

What can we do? Where do we start? The answer is in the rest of that last verse of the Old Testament. "....he (the prophet) shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers..." This is talking about a revival. A revival that's based on training the next generation through the enlightenment of their parents. It's based on truth and discipline and work, not emotions, sensationalism, and selfish gratification.

It all begins with learning and teaching what is natural. Man in place of God is for the most part, artificial instead of natural. This brings us to the 2nd Commandment, which is part of the First and Greatest Commandment, to always put God first. Why do you suppose God said not to make any images, any likeness of anything He has made? The only picture He ever gave us of Himself, is the Ten Commandments. Jesus was that Word made flesh! He has no respect for our inventions. Is it natural to mutilate and desecrate our bodies? I've never seen a tattoo or a piercing that didn't look like artificial man made crap. At the same time this kind of idolatry runs rampant with the back to nature, earth muffin, environmental types. They want everyone to believe that they will be responsible for the environment, and society, without morals!

Why are we so afraid to be really natural? Why are we afraid of the wilderness? Are we afraid of a simple healthful diet? How about the old fashioned healthy style of dress? This is why I have said before, the Amish are the greatest witness in the earth. Everyone complains about our artificial life and all it's impossible problems, but we would never dream of being like the Amish. The fact is we all want to sit on our ass and just push the accelerator, make lots of money, and avoid any real labor. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "The problem with the world is; no one wants to be a subsistence farmer, and they don't want anyone else to have to be a subsistence farmer!"

Now I'm getting to the real heart of the matter. Addictions. Essentially true religion can be summed up in one verse. "Whatsoever God has joined together, let no man separate." The fossil fuels that are buried, some of them miles under the surface at the time of the flood, should for the most part have been left there. Mankind has been joined together from the beginning by marriage, family, church, school, and work. No one has successfully escaped the weekly cycle, even if it's sitting on the couch every Sunday, drinking beer and watching football. You may as well try to escape being human. In other words the heathen culture all around us cannot even escape. The real truth is; God's Commandments are about working and functioning seven days a week. Some are just too lazy and selfish and careless to gather together and worship together.

You might be surprised to know that, sugar, juice, vitamins, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, meth, whatever, are just elements that have been separated and isolated. You might notice the progressive order here, going from bad to dangerous. Why do you suppose, juice is worse than sugar? Sugar is a reasonable facsimile of honey. Nazarites were not to drink juice, but they ate a little honey. Samson ate honey, John the Baptist ate wild honey and locust beans, what they now call St. John's bread. Jesus, it says, ate curds and honey. Why is a little honey good, but juice bad? Sugar is glucose and sucrose, half carbohydrate and half sugars. Honey is the same. However most of you know honey contains a multitude of other micro elements. Raw honey even contains adrenalin from the bees! Juice however, is more fructose which is an even simpler form of sugar, which of course lends itself more readily to making alcohol, the simplest form of sugar. In your stomach, fructose combines more easily with proteins to make alcohol. It's much better to eat vegetables with your meal, than fruit. Fruit will serve the purpose of providing enzymes needed for good digestion, you don't need much though, just enough to brush your teeth when you're done eating. Apples are the best, horses even eat apples, they are less acidic, and they contain what they call pulpable fiber, and a good type of detergent that along with their crunchiness really cleans your teeth. The only thing better is cabbage and carrots, especially if you just ate dessert with your dinner.

Now I have to write a book about vitamins. Ever since WWII they have been pumping us full of vitamins. Of course they keep discovering new vitamins and elements that the vitamins and minerals need to be absorbed and utilized. There seems to be no end. Most people still think vitamins are the solution to our depraved food supply. Now you can hardly buy anything that isn't supplemented. The big craze now is vitamin water. Vitamins are the solution and the more the better, right? I know many are going to be offended when I say, this is just another way to substitute our man made religion for what God has made. Who can possibly know how many of what kind of vitamins and elements you need. Should we pay some expert to make a wild somewhat educated guess for us? It doesn't matter, it's just that, a wild ignorant (What we know is always dwarfed by what we don't know.) guess!

Let me give you an example. They can tell all kinds of things about you with a blood test. They say that most Americans are deficient in vitamin B-12. They don't tell you though, that B-12 is on everything that's dirty. You even get it from your dirty hard working hands. We are so civilized though. We have soap. Not just soap either, a whole myriad of chemical cleaners and sterilants. See my previous article, "Less than 5 gallons, Less than 5 minutes" to learn all about the evils of soap. If you eat a certain amount of fresh food, right off the tree, or right out of the garden, like a good Indian you would not be deficient, believe me. The whole thing is, it's not just B-12. No one knows what all you're missing out on with your processed, sterilized, over cooked food. This time of year (Spring) I get Dandelions out of the yard to eat after meals when I feel like it. They are covered with a grey film. You see this on fresh fruit, about anything fresh picked.

Vitamins are not a good substitute for anything, especially good habits and a natural God given diet. The best thing we can do is grow our own food. It's a constant quest to acquire naturally grown food, do more cooking at home, and avoid processed food and drinks.

You can see from the list, the next chapter is on alcohol. I am loath to write it. From what I've written here already I think you can see the light. God didn't say, thou shalt not drink, He just gave us the example of the Nazarites. It's not natural, it's not Biblical, it dishonors God and family and society, and it's a violation of personal stewardship, and every other responsibility. Instead, I'm going to tell you how to quit!

Sure it's tough, but it's as simple as going to the wilderness! The same goes for any of the other nasty adulterated substances you might be a slave to.

The question is; do you really want to be free? If you want to experience uninhibited freedom, you have to experience the wilderness. The problem is people enjoy their addictions along with their artificial environment that supports it. You have to get away from the sights and sounds and distractions of the city. The television, the quick stop on the corner, the traffic, the noise and pollution.

The climax of the Old Testament was when God took over 1 million people out of Egypt after 250 years or so, of bondage, and sustained them in the wilderness. Most of them were unhappy and ungrateful at the first hardship. They could have went straight to the promised land, cold turkey. Instead it took 40 years to purge the heathen influence, and that wasn't long enough.

You can do it in just 40 days though! Moses (a type of Christ) fasted for 40 days alone in the wilderness before he could enter God's presence and receive His character written on stone. Jesus fasted alone in the desert for 40 days before he began his ministry. The true prophets of today (Although I haven't seen them yet.) like John the Baptist, have been pioneering the way for you.

This has been my dream for many years, to provide a wilderness experience for young people, and in the process they can learn a trade, learn how to eat real food, and drink water, and do real work.

The horses are therapeutic, the trees are therapeutic, the fresh air is therapeutic, the activity is therapeutic, the environment is therapeutic.

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