AMERICA'S FAITH FRONTIER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2. THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE
3. COME TOGETHER AS A PEOPLE OF GOD
4. KNOW THE LOCALITY OF REALITY
5. WHAT DO WE TAKE WITH US ON OUR
JOURNEY TO THE PROMISED LAND
6. TRUST THE CREATOR
7. WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR
PATH OF FAITH
If you feel that the world is going down a bad path—rejoice, that is the voice of God calling you to a better place.
Howdy! My name is James. I have traveled through America for 5,000 miles by horse, foot, and canoe—from farm to farm, town to town, and city to city, without a cell phone, without pre-planning, without a backup crew, and mostly without doors to lock or walls to sleep behind. It was as real as it gets.
Now, if I have gotten your attention, please know this as well. In my life, I failed in marriage, never had any children, never made any of those sacrifices. And yet, after all that personal failure, the Lord said he would share his children with me if I chose to serve Him. So I put my trust in Him and made the journey, and having done so, I hope to share the perspective God has given me because it might encourage others to find what is good for their soul and right for their world, not by following me, but by following God, for He truly holds our best interest at heart.
So, what does it mean to answer God’s call to a better place?
I am not qualified to answer the question, but I can give a few popular examples of Christians who answered God’s call to a better place. You may have your own examples. And if it is the case that you can celebrate my examples, and I can celebrate your examples, then odds are good that we can work together to make our Nation a better place. Why? Because we both like examples of Americans who chose the hard path of faith and won against insurmountable odds. People who made America great. People who chose a path as difficult as it was full of promise, and by way of their courage, determination, and all that goes into a leap of faith, became the wind in the sails of generations to come.
EXAMPLE #1: The Pilgrims were children of God. Faithful and courageous, they boarded the Mayflower, and within a year, half were dead and the other half had suffered terribly. But they were not fools, they understood their dream to be an “impossible” one, and still they went forward. And such is the power of faith that, nearly four hundred years later, their dream still lives. Their dream was to live free as a loving God would have them live, and not live according to the mandates of tyrants.
EXAMPLE #2: There was something special in the hearts of the Pioneers who arrived at the shore of the Columbia River, having already come thousands of miles through mountain ranges, deserts, and plains on the Oregon Trail. Trail-weary men, women, and children, they loaded their wagons and dreams on wooden rafts, then set out on the final leg of their journey—the Columbia River Gorge, a two-hundred-mile gauntlet in which they would brave some of the most perilous water on earth. It sounds incredible, but it’s true. They had that special brand of courage, the kind that comes with faith. And with that kind of courage all across this land, Americans gave rise to a Nation that became a beacon of hope around the world.
_______
So, where did we go wrong? What happened? And what should we do?
To begin, I would like to share some words I heard from the pulpit about thirty years ago: “We are all wonderful, and we are all pathetic.” When I heard those words, I was just old enough to think, “Brother, ain’t that the truth.”
Put a little differently, but still the same:
“We are all full of butterflies and cockroaches.”
The Pilgrims and Pioneers, and so many others who came here to build better lives, were human beings like us, meaning they were both wonderful and pathetic, meaning that, despite their shortcomings, they were able to build the greatest nation on earth, America. This includes the slaves, who were freed through great bloodshed and sacrifice. This includes Native and Hispanic Americans who fought and died for America in World War I and every war since. This includes Asian Americans whose many contributions to America go unheralded. To build better lives, our forefathers and mothers, flawed though they be, mustered the faith and courage to go forward through hardship and danger. They put themselves in God’s hands, walked into the unknown, and built something greater than their ability to imagine. Now, if you cannot appreciate the courage and sacrifices of those who came before, then you and I do not belong in the same boat, and my advice is that you find another country to live in, one you can appreciate. On the other hand, if you can appreciate the sacrifices of those who came before, then, like me, you may be old enough to remember the greatness they gave rise to. There are many examples. I remember the small farms and towns of Kansas, with thriving local economies, happy healthy people out and about, and streets so safe that children could run and play without a fear in the world. From sea to shining sea, we were building a great Nation. We all had a part to play, and we were making slow but steady progress. Good things take time, and it seemed that with hard work and dedication, we could accomplish anything, even go to the moon! But no more had we reached the heights than men in high places decided God was no longer needed. And by and large, we made the mistake of following them. Then, without God at the helm, we tried in vain to fill our empty hearts with all that money can buy. Without God, we poisoned ourselves with unhealthy choices and then looked to science for salvation even as the miracle of modern medicine went hand-in-hand with a national health crisis of biblical proportions. Without God, we set out to rectify our moral failings through the power of the State, and we fell prey to evil forces that attacked our God-given right to feel good about where we come from, what we’re made of, and who we are (children of God). God was declared dead, and the void left in our hearts and culture was filled with garbage from Hollywood, Fifth Avenue, University Elites, Billion Dollar News Media, and others in a race for power, money, and control.
Today, we are paying the price for going along with those who put power and money before God and Country. So, how do we get back to the One that holds our best interest at heart?
As our Nation sinks like Rome in a race for power, money, and control, the following quote reminds us that all is not lost but to the contrary, all is waiting to be gained. The quote below is from the American scholar, Will Durant:
“There is no greater drama in human record than the sight of a few Christians, scorned or oppressed by a succession of emperors, bearing all trials with fierce tenacity, multiplying quietly, building order while their enemies generated chaos, fighting the sword with the word, brutality with hope, and at last defeating [Rome] the strongest state that history has known. Caesar and Christ had met in the arena, and Christ had won.”
THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE
Can you imagine a nation given over to folly at such a basic level that its people surrender their ability to make shoes, and then celebrate their independence by dancing in shoes made by a rival nation(s)? Should such people honestly expect to walk free in the future?
There are politicians and business leaders who would answer, “yes.” The question is: do you want to become a prisoner to their folly, or would you rather walk a path of truth and honesty, and keep your freedom? In order to get big and stay big, big government and big business work to make you dependent on them in a big way, and this can be bad for your independence in a big way. For if they push truth aside for power and money, and they become all-important to your survival like air and water, what happens to your soul when you must choose between God’s truth and the worldly securities they offer? (Matthew 6:24)
Manmade social constructs cannot cure sin. Capitalism and Communism, for example, can be worded to sound like cures to society’s ills, but in the reality of a sinful world, one dances around the golden calf, the other seeks to usurp God, and by the genius of the devil, men fight wars over which is better.
The good news is, nothing can stop God’s truth from setting us free. The only thing that can stop His truth from breaking our chains is a closed heart, wherein the soul, imprisoned by walls of bitterness, pride, or any sin painted over with self-deceit, believes it has it right when in truth it has it wrong—and in its blindness, it wastes away in a dark dungeon, never to know what true freedom looks like because it never allows it to shine in. But when we open our hearts and let God’s light shine in, there will be, in a very real manner of speaking, dawn in God's everlasting masterpiece, a new life in a new realm with virgin mountains, plains, and rivers. But it is like a jigsaw puzzle, and only God knows where the pieces go. And as God would have it, it is our steps, taken in faith, on the narrow path, that make the pieces fall into place, and the picture that comes together in our soul is a gift larger than this world has space to hold!
The way to a better life begins when we let God into our hearts and, by His light, see the way out of our inner entanglements. Then with God, we will have the inner peace and fire to go forward, even when we cannot see what lies ahead.
How many people thought Columbus was crazy for setting off into the unknown? How many people thought the Pilgrims were crazy for the same reason? And after the unknown had been opened so that it could be entered with a degree of safety, how many hopeful hearts flooded into the New World!
And in that new world called America, the potential of building on God’s truth was realized. Our forebears rolled up their sleeves and built something greater than their ability to imagine. They did not build a utopia, of course, but they did build a Nation founded on the belief that all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They fought wars and made great sacrifices to ensure this right. And as a result, our Nation became a beacon of hope around the world.
COME TOGETHER AS
A PEOPLE OF GOD
There is nothing racist about a white man who, having witnessed from boyhood the decline of little farms and towns across America, makes a sincere and concerted effort to help his people.
There is nothing racist about a black man who, having witnessed from boyhood the decline of inner cities across America, makes a sincere and concerted effort to help his people.
There is something racist and downright evil about pointing a finger at another group of people and blaming them for the failings of a sinful world.
Multiculturalism becomes evil when elites, being detached and thus blind to the extremism within their ranks, allow for the destruction of that which holds little communities together around the world through likeness of being—a gift that God gives to the humble—a beautiful social glue for those who have so little in the eyes of the worldly, a gift by which they may have peace, harmony, and happiness.
God makes room for us to maintain our individual cultures, and at the same time, to all be part of His family, building on His truth.
To keep from falling apart, the people of a nation must have a way to stand together. And when its people cannot stand together because of decisions made in the dark, it is incumbent on Christians of all backgrounds to unite in a faith-based movement to build in the light.
Come together in the understanding that, until we let God into our hearts, we cannot work our way through problems that keep us from happiness. True happiness through Godly fulfilment comes before solving problems.
Come together and set cultural foundation stones that support togetherness and happiness in our communities. Christian foundation stones that define and encourage gratitude for what we have, and of belonging to it, and desiring the best for it, and a willingness to work and sacrifice for it.
Come together with the Holy Bible, including the Old Testament, not as a strict record of historic fact, but as the inspired Word of God that nurtures our souls with its written lessons. The Word, through which we begin our personal relationship with the One who holds our best interests at heart.
Come together and teach children timeless biblical lessons that foster souls, guide actions, and help us as we go forward into the future to stay together, on the same page, as children of God.
Come together in the understanding that it is the responsibility of all able-bodied Christian men to feed, clothe, and house themselves, their families, and to help maintain their communities. Otherwise, such things become the responsibility of others who live detached from the realities of the individual and his community.
Come together in the understanding that Jesus and Mohamed were two very different men. Jesus traveled from farm to farm and village to village, preaching peace and love. He gave his life for his people. Mohamed led a group of mounted marauders who robbed and pillaged. He then retired on ill-gotten booty, with a harem that included a teenage girl (his favorite). No decent person would question whose example we should follow. Jesus’ example is good and pure. Mohamed’s is debased and evil.
Come together, and understand that Jesus did not save the world by being a worldly man, but rather, by being a man of his people. Jesus did not think like, “Oh my gosh, if I chose men only from Judea to be disciples, that might appear exclusionary and maybe even hateful...I’d better find an Egyptian, a Greek, a Syrian, and an Italian.” Jesus didn’t do it that way. And lo and behold, by His example of love and loyalty, not the false morality of Pharisees in their temples, but the true boots-on-the-ground love and loyalty between neighbors that makes communities strong and nations great, great numbers of people from those other nations would become part of one family as brothers and sisters in Christ.
The mission of Christ began with ‘boots on the ground.’ And why wouldn’t he begin this way when love without loyalty is a lie? Only after he had given his all for his people did he send Paul into the world. He knew how to save the world.
(John 14: 6)
As a Nation of every race, can we Christians stand together for the sake of our Nation? Yes, we can come together through a simple test that has nothing to do with skin color. The test would be a simple question: Would we put up or take down the Ten Commandments in public places, like schools and courthouses? Those who would put the Commandments up without hesitation are brothers and sisters in the family of Christ (including non-Christians who are friendly to our beliefs and, therefore, are friends of the family). Those who would take the Commandments down have not yet let God in their hearts and therefore are susceptible to that pair of hands that is ever working in the dark.
In the dark, we have, as a Nation, allowed the godless to choose our path for decades, and fools are prone to follow the easy path to their own destruction. The good news is, God gives us free will—we do not have to follow fools. We can come together for the sake of all as brothers and sisters in Christ.
KNOW THE LOCALITY OF REALITY
This somewhat odd term, “the locality of reality,” that I have only made up, nevertheless means that, if you sincerely believe in God, then He is in your heart, and, at the same exact time, in my heart, and in all hearts that sincerely accept Him. And this is key because: He alone holds our best interest at heart, He alone wants to make us wealthy beyond our dreams in the only way that counts forever, and He alone has the divine power to be in all our hearts at the same time, working His miracles there like the Conductor of a symphony.
The possibilities of what we can achieve when we follow His lead are limitless. For while He gives us different assignments, our tasks fit together as a people of God to build stronger and greater than we can imagine.
Because I know my people, I will use our example. We, the people of rural and small-town America, are a humble people, as proven by the way in which we have quietly dwindled and disappeared. Our little towns and farms are dying in a world that is too far removed to see how a life-sustaining bushel of grain is grown in the land of the free. For a golden bushel of grain sprouts not only from good soil and hard work, but from social stability, itself sprouted from the unity of a people bound by love and loyalty. It is a beautiful thing, and it feeds the world. But it has crumbled in the grip of a big world with big world values, crumbled away, eroded into an agro-industrialized support system for a godless world. And like anything that serves a corrupt world, it will be dragged down with it.
Today, the America of small towns and farms is only a shadow of what once was, and we must face the music. The past is history. And yet, God never closes one door without opening another.
Perhaps in the future we will go to Mars, but science and technology alone cannot create a healthy future.
The following uses an example close to our pioneer forefathers and mothers, and is applicable to any Christian culture which, having stumbled, finds itself dependent on, and therefore servant to a plethora of worldly masters, even as it yearns to return to the freedom that can only be found in God’s hands:
I spent time with the Amish and saw many things reminiscent of my own pioneer heritage. One thing that took me by surprise was the sight of an Amish woman driving a wagon, not just any wagon, but a large freight wagon. It had an expansive wooden bed with no sideboards and no seat. She was standing on the bed, holding the reins to a team of four Percheron draft horses that were trucking down a gravel road. On the bed behind her was a very large wooden and metal structure (some kind of Amish-made farm equipment). The young woman was neither large nor burly, but simply an average-looking woman in a pioneer dress with three small children gathered close around her legs. Yeah, it blew my mind! A huge wagon, with a huge freight load, pulled by four huge draft horses is a fairly impressive if not downright frightening sight to see when it trucks by up close. But, add to that a young mother standing atop it all, driving four horses while tending three children! I thought, “Wow! Just wow!” And I could not help but notice: she was neither nervous nor relaxed but quite simply, appropriately focused, and her children were perfectly behaved. Now, let’s look at another example that can help us understand why the Amish woman and her children, sinners though they be, exemplified the fortitude necessary to survive as pioneers on the planet Mars, or surmount any challenge the future may hold: Once, while working a horse in a round pen on an Amish farm, I noticed a procession of six or seven Amish girls, dressed like pioneers, walking the country lane. The oldest looked to be twelve, leading the way with direction, but not at all severe. The youngest was about five and brought up the rear. To my surprise, they turned up the driveway of the farm where I worked. I didn’t know what to think, but figured it an Amish thing. I watched as they continued without adult supervision, but each knowing their task, fetched a stocky miniature horse, then a miniature covered wagon. They harnessed the horse, hitched it to the wagon, boarded one by one, and as they drove away, they smiled happily and waved at me. Astonished, I went into the barn to ask my Amish friend what I had seen. He said the girls had stopped that morning, left the horse to be shod, and continued on foot to the one-room schoolhouse up the lane. They were not all siblings but children of the community. I’d seen a miniature school transportation system operated by children, working together without adult supervision; efficient, safe, clean, healthy, happy, and yes of course, independent! And of course, independence is FREEDOM.
Now, let us imagine a parent strapping their child into a car safety seat for a ride to school while colorful cartoons play on the monitor. And yes it may seem that I’ve presented opposite ends of a scale with extreme bias, and maybe I have. However, it is important to remember that the Amish could not enjoy their freedom if our forefathers had not fought and died to secure it.
So what am I saying? I am NOT saying that technology is bad. I am saying that we have, without even realizing it, become bound to those who worship at the altar of power and money. And so here we find ourselves, so tightly strapped into a Godless system, we cannot get free even as we know how. It requires a leap of faith. But our hesitation is understandable. Why? Because there is no path to the promised land without first passing through the wilderness.
The problem is that evil knows no bounds. Things will only get worse until the system collapses. Or, we somehow, someway, find the faith to do the hard thing and, in a manner of speaking, leave Egypt.
WHAT DO WE TAKE WITH US ON OUR JOURNEY TO OUR PROMISED LAND
I haven’t a clue what leaving Egypt looks like, and probably, some 3,000 years ago, the Jews had no clue either. It was a leap of faith, after all.
Life teaches us that good things do not come easy. So, if we were to leave ‘Egypt,’ it makes sense that we pack things that can help us get through hardships.
First, we need faith in God. He knows what we need to survive in our journey through the ‘wilderness.’
We need a powerful Unifier to keep us from division and paralysis along the way, and we have that in Jesus Christ.
We need God’s word. The Holy Bible is written in such a way that it can be told in stories around our ‘campfires.’ Told by animated storytellers who can enthrall their audience, and deliver lessons critical to our physical and spiritual survival.
We need humility. As Christians, we know we are not a super-race but only the undeserving recipients of God’s grace.
We need law and order, beginning with the Ten Commandments.
We need the keys to the strength of our forebears. The “Greatest Generation” grew up saying the Lord’s Prayer in church and the Pledge of Allegiance in school. They were not bused to big, conglomerate schools, but gathered in small, often one-room schoolhouses where they learned inspirational stories about their forefathers and mothers, stories that gave them a positive sense of what they were capable of. They were not psychoanalyzed and drugged when they misbehaved, but rather, swiftly and effectively corrected with a strap. They cleaned the blackboard, brought in firewood and well water, swept the floor, cleaned the stove of ashes, and did other chores before they could go home. It was their first experience functioning outside the home, and not all that different. They were learning to be responsible in a work-based culture of faith. In their communities and across the nation, they were as Jesus said, seeds growing in fertile soil. And when the time came, and they were called to stand against those who sought to put the world in chains, they were up to the task. They defeated the godless followers of Hitler, the godless followers of the Emperor of Japan, and the godless Soviet Union. They did not liberate the world for supreme leaders, ideological ideals, money, power, or control. Their power and greatness was not from the world, but from the One who blessed them with unity, and made them a beacon of hope for all the world to see.
TRUST THE CREATOR
When it comes to understanding how God makes a soul, I may as well be a dog sitting before an atomic equation on a chalkboard. And yet, to know the best of it, which is to sense and feel the Craftsman’s love, I need only let Him into my heart. And now I have every reason to trust Him, and walk the path He has laid out before me. A path that ultimately leads to my true home.
Remnants of the good that a grateful people can do can still be found all across this land. Out here on the gravel roads, it can be found in countless farmsteads from not that long ago, built by those who found independence in God's hands. Today, although their way of life has been swept away by a flood of big world values, the trees our great grandparents planted live on in homesteads largely forgotten (or plowed under). The native mulberry trees still produce their fruit in the summertime, followed by plum trees, apple trees, pear trees, walnuts, and pecans. The folks who planted them had delicious recipes for them all. In autumn, the persimmons ripen and remain hanging on the tree into winter where, with a blanket of snow on the ground, they can be plucked and eaten like sugar bombs in God’s natural candy store. And with that fresh country air in your lungs, looking up at that magnificent star dome, it’s easy to imagine God saying: If your so-called “big picture” is manmade, then you have not yet come to see that your thinking is itty-bitty. And if you’re depending on a manmade system, you’re depending on an infinitely inferior system. I am the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Put your trust in me.
We cannot return to the ‘good old days.’ God does not allow us to go back in time. We cannot build a Utopia—we are utterly incapable of it. The good news is, we don’t need to do any of that. We only need to put God first, and He will lead us through His creation on a path of discovery to a better way, and ultimately, to
His realm of eternal life.
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR
So dear reader, what actions do we take exactly in a frontier of faith to build a life greater than our ability to imagine—what are our parts to play in that divine symphony I spoke of? I don't know what your part is, but God does, and He wants to show you. All you need to do is let
Him into your heart, and walk the path that
He gives you.
❤
POST SCRIPT
(a little about me)
It is said that God never closes one door without opening another, and I can testify that it is true. My father died of a heart attack when I was one. It was a big door that God shut, not the kind of door that closes softly, but with resounding finality. Mom never remarried, but besides loving and taking care of us kids and making sure we went to church every Sunday, the greatest thing she ever did for me was to get down on her knees before me when I was six years old and tell me that no honest woman would try to show a boy how to be a man. She then turned me around so that I was facing a group of men, whereupon she told me to go and watch, listen, and learn. I took my mother’s charge to heart, and with a fatherless void in my chest, I had all the incentive I needed. I went searching high and low, right and left. In friendship, I ate at the same table and slept under the same roof with Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians. I have had Asian friends, though I never lived under the same roof with them. So, I’ve had the opportunity to study a great many men, not with conscious intent, not as part of an academic study, not with anything but a void to fill in my chest, a void which felt as big as space itself. Into that void, I shoveled everything from John Wayne to Woody Allen. I shoveled until I was plumb full. And when I had filled myself up, I was as confused as ever. That’s right, I didn’t know who I was, and all the knowledge in the world couldn’t help me. Then I heard my long-forgotten friend Jesus calling, and somehow, almost like groping in the dark, I found my way back to Him. He took what I had put inside and brought it to life. And when He did, it was like nothing I can describe except to say my void filled with light, my eyes could see at last, my stars and planets were put in order, and I was filled with joy!
Then, on the heels of my salvation, there came a great opportunity to travel the land, not as a lost man, but as a found man, knowing not of God's specific intention for me, but simply believing that, as long as I continued putting one foot before the other in faith, God would bring good from my effort.
I did not travel the modern way as I had in the past, but rather, by foot, horse, and canoe. I wrote a book about my travels, well written but not mature enough to convey the message God intended me to tell. I also made a blog about my horse travels with photos and videos. Anyway, without going into the details of how God eventually showed me what he wanted me to know and tell, I would like to tell about something that happened on the way there, a true story, not dramatized, but simply the kind of thing that happens when a man puts himself in God's hands: I got caught in a September blizzard while crossing the Continental Divide. It came on like a roaring freight train, and it sounded like one. My dog nearly died from exposure. I had to put him inside my coat and carry him as I dropped in elevation to escape the storm. For 5 days, I walked 100 miles across the divide. I ate next to nothing in part because old-man-winter was kicking my tail and telling me to get back to the safety of civilization. It was during this time, 700 miles into a 4,000-mile journey, having already seen so much, and then getting some serious alone time with the Lord, that I began praying for words to help my people (praying, very nearly badgering, albeit humbly). The Lord did not answer my prayer at that time, but coming to see a small town surrounded by storm clouds in a valley below, my eyes were drawn to a portion of the town illuminated in sunshine, and prominent in the sunlight stood a white church steeple. The Lord then spoke to my heart, saying, “Just make the journey, James. Just make the journey.” I didn’t understand, but I obeyed. I was not a mature Christian. I didn’t understand that, of course, the Lord had already laid out what He wanted me to find. And even though I am unworthy of delivering any message from Him to you dear reader, if you have read these words, then you can know He answered my prayer, which of course was His plan all along, and it is no accident that these words found their way to you.
Thank you for taking time to read this booklet.
And may God bless you!
James Sheldon, confessed sinner,
servant of God
EXAMPLE #1: The Pilgrims were children of God. Faithful and courageous, they boarded the Mayflower, and within a year, half were dead and the other half had suffered terribly. But they were not fools, they understood their dream to be an “impossible” one, and still they went forward. And such is the power of faith that, nearly four hundred years later, their dream still lives. Their dream was to live free as a loving God would have them live, and not live according to the mandates of tyrants.
EXAMPLE #2: There was something special in the hearts of the Pioneers who arrived at the shore of the Columbia River, having already come thousands of miles through mountain ranges, deserts, and plains on the Oregon Trail. Trail-weary men, women, and children, they loaded their wagons and dreams on wooden rafts, then set out on the final leg of their journey—the Columbia River Gorge, a two-hundred-mile gauntlet in which they would brave some of the most perilous water on earth. It sounds incredible, but it’s true. They had that special brand of courage, the kind that comes with faith. And with that kind of courage all across this land, Americans gave rise to a Nation that became a beacon of hope around the world.
_______
So, where did we go wrong? What happened? And what should we do?
The Pilgrims and Pioneers, and so many others who came here to build better lives, were human beings like us, meaning they were both wonderful and pathetic, meaning that, despite their shortcomings, they were able to build the greatest nation on earth, America. This includes the slaves, who were freed through great bloodshed and sacrifice. This includes Native and Hispanic Americans who fought and died for America in World War I and every war since. This includes Asian Americans whose many contributions to America go unheralded. To build better lives, our forefathers and mothers, flawed though they be, mustered the faith and courage to go forward through hardship and danger. They put themselves in God’s hands, walked into the unknown, and built something greater than their ability to imagine. Now, if you cannot appreciate the courage and sacrifices of those who came before, then you and I do not belong in the same boat, and my advice is that you find another country to live in, one you can appreciate. On the other hand, if you can appreciate the sacrifices of those who came before, then, like me, you may be old enough to remember the greatness they gave rise to. There are many examples. I remember the small farms and towns of Kansas, with thriving local economies, happy healthy people out and about, and streets so safe that children could run and play without a fear in the world. From sea to shining sea, we were building a great Nation. We all had a part to play, and we were making slow but steady progress. Good things take time, and it seemed that with hard work and dedication, we could accomplish anything, even go to the moon! But no more had we reached the heights than men in high places decided God was no longer needed. And by and large, we made the mistake of following them. Then, without God at the helm, we tried in vain to fill our empty hearts with all that money can buy. Without God, we poisoned ourselves with unhealthy choices and then looked to science for salvation even as the miracle of modern medicine went hand-in-hand with a national health crisis of biblical proportions. Without God, we set out to rectify our moral failings through the power of the State, and we fell prey to evil forces that attacked our God-given right to feel good about where we come from, what we’re made of, and who we are (children of God). God was declared dead, and the void left in our hearts and culture was filled with garbage from Hollywood, Fifth Avenue, University Elites, Billion Dollar News Media, and others in a race for power, money, and control.
Today, we are paying the price for going along with those who put power and money before God and Country. So, how do we get back to the One that holds our best interest at heart?
THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE
Can you imagine a nation given over to folly at such a basic level that its people surrender their ability to make shoes, and then celebrate their independence by dancing in shoes made by a rival nation(s)? Should such people honestly expect to walk free in the future?
How many people thought Columbus was crazy for setting off into the unknown? How many people thought the Pilgrims were crazy for the same reason? And after the unknown had been opened so that it could be entered with a degree of safety, how many hopeful hearts flooded into the New World!
And in that new world called America, the potential of building on God’s truth was realized. Our forebears rolled up their sleeves and built something greater than their ability to imagine. They did not build a utopia, of course, but they did build a Nation founded on the belief that all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They fought wars and made great sacrifices to ensure this right. And as a result, our Nation became a beacon of hope around the world.
There is nothing racist about a white man who, having witnessed from boyhood the decline of little farms and towns across America, makes a sincere and concerted effort to help his people.
Come together and set cultural foundation stones that support togetherness and happiness in our communities. Christian foundation stones that define and encourage gratitude for what we have, and of belonging to it, and desiring the best for it, and a willingness to work and sacrifice for it.
Come together, and understand that Jesus did not save the world by being a worldly man, but rather, by being a man of his people. Jesus did not think like, “Oh my gosh, if I chose men only from Judea to be disciples, that might appear exclusionary and maybe even hateful...I’d better find an Egyptian, a Greek, a Syrian, and an Italian.” Jesus didn’t do it that way. And lo and behold, by His example of love and loyalty, not the false morality of Pharisees in their temples, but the true boots-on-the-ground love and loyalty between neighbors that makes communities strong and nations great, great numbers of people from those other nations would become part of one family as brothers and sisters in Christ.
This somewhat odd term, “the locality of reality,” that I have only made up, nevertheless means that, if you sincerely believe in God, then He is in your heart, and, at the same exact time, in my heart, and in all hearts that sincerely accept Him. And this is key because: He alone holds our best interest at heart, He alone wants to make us wealthy beyond our dreams in the only way that counts forever, and He alone has the divine power to be in all our hearts at the same time, working His miracles there like the Conductor of a symphony.
The possibilities of what we can achieve when we follow His lead are limitless. For while He gives us different assignments, our tasks fit together as a people of God to build stronger and greater than we can imagine.
I spent time with the Amish and saw many things reminiscent of my own pioneer heritage. One thing that took me by surprise was the sight of an Amish woman driving a wagon, not just any wagon, but a large freight wagon. It had an expansive wooden bed with no sideboards and no seat. She was standing on the bed, holding the reins to a team of four Percheron draft horses that were trucking down a gravel road. On the bed behind her was a very large wooden and metal structure (some kind of Amish-made farm equipment). The young woman was neither large nor burly, but simply an average-looking woman in a pioneer dress with three small children gathered close around her legs. Yeah, it blew my mind! A huge wagon, with a huge freight load, pulled by four huge draft horses is a fairly impressive if not downright frightening sight to see when it trucks by up close. But, add to that a young mother standing atop it all, driving four horses while tending three children! I thought, “Wow! Just wow!” And I could not help but notice: she was neither nervous nor relaxed but quite simply, appropriately focused, and her children were perfectly behaved. Now, let’s look at another example that can help us understand why the Amish woman and her children, sinners though they be, exemplified the fortitude necessary to survive as pioneers on the planet Mars, or surmount any challenge the future may hold: Once, while working a horse in a round pen on an Amish farm, I noticed a procession of six or seven Amish girls, dressed like pioneers, walking the country lane. The oldest looked to be twelve, leading the way with direction, but not at all severe. The youngest was about five and brought up the rear. To my surprise, they turned up the driveway of the farm where I worked. I didn’t know what to think, but figured it an Amish thing. I watched as they continued without adult supervision, but each knowing their task, fetched a stocky miniature horse, then a miniature covered wagon. They harnessed the horse, hitched it to the wagon, boarded one by one, and as they drove away, they smiled happily and waved at me. Astonished, I went into the barn to ask my Amish friend what I had seen. He said the girls had stopped that morning, left the horse to be shod, and continued on foot to the one-room schoolhouse up the lane. They were not all siblings but children of the community. I’d seen a miniature school transportation system operated by children, working together without adult supervision; efficient, safe, clean, healthy, happy, and yes of course, independent! And of course, independence is FREEDOM.
Now, let us imagine a parent strapping their child into a car safety seat for a ride to school while colorful cartoons play on the monitor. And yes it may seem that I’ve presented opposite ends of a scale with extreme bias, and maybe I have. However, it is important to remember that the Amish could not enjoy their freedom if our forefathers had not fought and died to secure it.
The problem is that evil knows no bounds. Things will only get worse until the system collapses. Or, we somehow, someway, find the faith to do the hard thing and, in a manner of speaking, leave Egypt.
I haven’t a clue what leaving Egypt looks like, and probably, some 3,000 years ago, the Jews had no clue either. It was a leap of faith, after all.
So dear reader, what actions do we take exactly in a frontier of faith to build a life greater than our ability to imagine—what are our parts to play in that divine symphony I spoke of? I don't know what your part is, but God does, and He wants to show you. All you need to do is let
My dog UB and I on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
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My first horse and wagon mission
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INSIDE THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER (click on photo to enlarge) |
TIMELINE AND DESCRIPTION
2004-2005: I canoed and walked the Lewis and Clark Trail. It took me two years, 4,000 miles. No cell phone, no motorized assistance., no pre-arrangements, no support crew other than the people I happened to meet along the way. They just kept coming like angles out of the blue. And I came away from the experience deeply moved. I spent the next 5 years (2006 -2011) writing and publishing a book about my journey (AMERICAN ERRAND, see link below). My book got excellent reviews from readers, but I canceled my plans to market it because I heard a voice in my heart calling me to take my message directly to the people. Writing had made me poor but I sold what remained of my belongings, bought a draft horse and wagon, and along with my dog, we set out traveling back roads through rural America. See paragraph directly below.
Faith March 2012: I put myself in God’s hands and made my first horse and wagon mission. This blog covers it in photos, journal entries, and videos. It wasn’t planed to last 40 days and nights but it just came out that way. From farm-to-town and town-to-town, I spoke with a great many people. I was greatly inspired, and so were they. Please read my, SEVEN FLYERS! They are important. Enjoy the journal, photos, and videos. Be inspired. Tell your friends. Thank you, and God bless!
Faith March 2013: I made my second horse and wagon mission. I hadn’t planned it to last 73 days and nights but it just came out that way. This time I handed out my, ACTION PLAN FOR SMALL TOWN AMERICA. I wrote it with help from a retired Navy SEAL who I met on my first Faith March. It was very well received. You can read it here: ACTION PLAN Also, enjoy the journal, photos, and videos. Be inspired. Tell your friends. The journal link is above (FAITH MARCH 2013). Thank you and God bless!
2014-2016: I wrote my booklet AMERICA’S FAITH FRONTIER based on the perspective God had given me over the course of my travels. I then spent the following three years (2017-2020) going out on weekends, towing my horse by trailer to different towns where we walked the streets, gave rides to countless children (always with parents present), spoke with many people, and handed out my booklet. It hasn’t been easy financially but I’ve paid for all my mission work out-of-pocket except for once when I ran out of money on the trail and my old hometown friends quickly raised $700 dollars to get me through. May God bless them! Outside that, I refused to take money. Out on the trail, strangers were feeding me, giving me places to camp, and just heaping kindness on me. May God bless them! Please read, AMERICA’S FAITH FRONTIER. It’s 100% free in my website. A quick and easy read that’s packed full of inspiration. People are reading it online around the world.
2020 to Present: I am pouring myself into a new book. A faith based fiction. A family in the wild, fighting the good fight. A trilogy, each book about 350 pages. I’m halfway through the third book and hope to have it completed in a year. I will then publish the trilogy and market it along with my book about my journey on the Lewis and Clark trail. Not looking to make any money. I'm far from rich but, I am very grateful because I have enough to not worry about making money and paying bills. And this allows me to purse my objective, to inspire folks! Edit note: I have completed my book. It is available below. It's a trilogy and all three books are 100% free to read!
