The 2300 hundred day prophecy

The 2300 day prophecy is first mentioned in Daniel chapter 8 verse 8. One might ask what is the 2300 day prophecy all about? Why is it important? What does it mean? Where does it start? How does it end? The back-story begins in 587 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated Jerusalem and took the Jewish captives from Jerusalem to Babylon. Over the course of their history, Judah and Israel had repeatedly and chronically fallen into idolatry and Jerusalem's destruction was the culmination of their unfaithfulness. Israel as a country and place was in a strategic location. It was at the crossroad of nations and God had intended that Israel as a people and a nation should be a nation of priests. To the west of Israel was the Mediterranean sea and to the east of Jerusalem was the desert. If someone wanted to go south from the north, they had to go through Israel. If they wanted to go north from the south, they had to go through Israel. In this respect they had enormous opportunities to witness to other nations and people passing through Israel about the power and love of their God as occurred during the reigns of Solomon and David. But Israel by disobedience was scattered to the nations rather than the nations coming to them.

Now of course, it was God's plan for the Israelite's to return to Jerusalem...70 years later in 457 BC. In Ezra 7:1-27 (70 years later when the Medo-Persions had defeated Babylon) is the account of the decree of Artaxerxes who not only commanded, but provided for the children of Israel, under the direction of Ezra to return to Jerusalem. Ezra was to direct the rebuilding of Jerusalem. So the rebuilding of Jerusalem was to take place 70 years after Jerusalem was destroyed. We know that it was 70 years because in Jeremiah 29:10, the Lord tells Jeremiah that after 70 years, He would bring Israel back. The command of Artaxerxes was the result of the Lord fulfilling that promise.

When does the 2300 day prophecy begin? It begins at the decree of Artaxerxes in 457 BC. This decree directed the scattered remnants of Israel to return to Jerusalem. Daniel chapter 9:25 picks this up with Gabriel explaining to Daniel that Jerusalem would be restored and inhabited again. Daniel had known from the writings of Jeremiah that the 70 years were up and that Jerusalem and Israel should have been restored soon after the 70^th year of Israel's captivity in Babylon, but there were not any visible tokens to Daniel that this was occurring. This caused Daniel a lot of concern, and despite Daniel being a righteous man, he is confessing the sins of his people and seeking forgiveness of the Lord. Therefore, God sent Gabriel to answer Daniel's prayers and enlighten him. God had also sent Gabriel on another mission. It was time for the Jewish captives living in Babylon and Persia to return to Jerusalem. In Jeremiah 29:10, God had made both a promise and a prophesy and He was directing events to fulfill it. The enemy of souls however was not going to stand idly by and let Gabriel complete his mission. While the Bible is not very specific on what exactly Gabriel was doing, we know from Daniel 13 that he was warring against the prince of Persia. We should step back at this point to make some observations. It was the literal prince, or King of Persia who would give the command for Israel to return to Jerusalem, which he later did. Gabriel makes as interesting statement.

In Daniel 10:20. Gabriel says that he would return from talking to Daniel to continue to fight with the with the prince (singular) of Persia and that when he had gone forth, that the Prince of Greece would come. This is most curious. The extent of time from Cyrus to Alexander the great is 550 to 330 B.C. That is over 200 years! So Gabriel would continue to fight with the prince (singular) of Persia till the Prince of Greece would come on the scene. So yes...the prince of Persia here is a person, but also, the Prince of Persia refers to another person...or another being. Also, it is safe to say that Gabriel was not having a fistfight with the literal prince Persia for 200 years. The fact that Michael in verse 13 of chapter 10 has to come to help Gabriel...who, as far as is known is the mightiest angel in heaven, tells us that the being Gabriel was fighting was the devil. Only the intervention of Michael (Christ) allowed Gabriel to continue with his mission. In the last part of verse 13, Gabriel mentions that he had remained...with the Kings of of Persia.

He was fighting one prince, the devil, so that he could influence the literal prince of Persia to carry out the prophesy and thus God's command. Once again, it was the power of Christ that allowed Gabriel to succeed. In Chapter 9, Daniel, Gabriel tells Daniel that his people had been given 70 weeks to be the nation of priests that God had intended they should be. When Peter asked in Mathew 18:21 how often he should forgive his brother who sinned against him, Jesus said “up to 70x7 which equals 490 years. We find in Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:33&34 that a day equals a year in prophecy. With this understanding, 70 days equals 490 years. But of course it does not stop there. The 490 years, as we shall see is just the beginning. Gabriel informed Daniel that during this time the messiah would come (in the 70^th week, or last seven years of the prophesy) and be anointed, and in the middle of the 70^th week, or 3 ½ years into it His ministry, He would bring an end to sacrifices and offerings...to become of the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, thus confirming a covenant with many for one week.

Down through the ages, the Israelites and faithful people such as Shem, Seth, Job and Melchizedek had trusted in God's promise of a Savior. They knew that the sacrificial lambs prefigured Christ as the lamb of God who would take away their sins. In this chapter (9), Daniel is told that Jerusalem would be restored even during difficult times and that Jesus would come as the Savior of mankind. In 34 AD, 3 ½ years after the crucifixion of Christ, Stephen was stoned at the direction of the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Jews were no longer the solo chosen people to bring the gospel to the world, thus bringing an end to the 490 years. How does the 2300 day prophecy go on from here?

We should first note that when Stephen was stoned in 34 AD that 490 years had passed since the decree to restore and rebuilt Jerusalem was commanded by Artaxerxes. If we take 490 days away from 2300 days, that gives us 1810 days. If we begin at the stoning of Stephen in 34 AD and we add 1810 days, or years according to the day for a year principle, we will arrive at 1844 exactly. So we have to ask our selves something. What is so special about 1844?

We should note several things here. God says at the end of the book of Daniel in chapter 12:9, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up, and sealed...till the time of the end.” So if the words, and the book are for the time of the end, it would make sense if they were sealed till the time of the end. So there are two ideas here. A sealed book and the time of the end. Is there another place, or chapter in the Bible where there is a book and a mention of time ending? Revelation 10 mentions an open book and also mentions an end regarding time.

Verses 5-7 of Revelation chapter 10 deserve some prayerful scrutiny. “5.The angel which I saw (from the description of this angel, it is most likely Jesus) stood on the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, 6.And swear by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7. But in the day of the sounding of the 7^th angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared onto His servants the prophets.” Verse 6 mentions that there should be time no longer...meaning an end of something...but what? Verses 8-10 mention a little book which is open in the hand of the angel. John is told to eat the little book and that it would make his stomach bitter but that it would be sweet as honey in his mouth. This photographic language does not mean that John was going to sprinkle sugar or salt between the pages and literally eat a book. Rather it means studying it and prayerfully seeking to understand what is written therein. We can conclude that this would be the book of Daniel. Why would eating, or intensely studying the book of Daniel cause Revelation to describe the experience as sweet as honey in the mouths and bitter in the stomach?

Interestingly, there was a group of people who had this exact experience in 1844 who were very much engrossed in the study of the book of Daniel. They expected Jesus to come again in the year 1844. In the years leading up to 1844, this group of people precipitated a widespread and powerful revival of primitive Godliness and spirituality. The man at the forefront of this was William Miller, a farmer turned preacher. He predicted that Jesus would come again, at first in the year 1843, but later in 1844...October 22 to be exact. The change from 1843 to 1844 was made because in his initial study, William Miller did not account for the year zero.

He made his discovery about the 2300 day prophesy and the return of Christ after more that 13 years of studying and re-studying the Bible, and his findings were confirmed by many who studied his conclusions. However, Jesus did not come on October 22 1844. Before this date however, there was joyful communion of people getting ready for Jesus to come...people who had became family just because they were reaching together towards the hope of the second coming of Jesus. A sweet hope...sweet communion...sweet love...and sweet studying of the book of Daniel.

So when Jesus did not come on October 22 1844...anguished disappointment settled in and crushed hopes embittered the lives of those who had hoped in the 2nd advent of Jesus on October 22, 1844. Some vowed never to have anything to do with religion. Some stepped back and asked, “Where did we go wrong?” William Miller was an honest man and had toured all over America preaching the soon coming of Jesus for more than 10 years before 1844, and there is no question that he believed what he had concluded from his study of scripture. Something important had happened on October 22, 1844...but not the coming of Jesus. What was is? What was the event that ended the 2300 day prophecy? What important event happened on that day? It is interesting to note that the 2300 day prophecy is the longest time prophecy in the Bible. As has been noted, it extended all the way until 1844, and there are no other time prophesies that extend further than that.

The Bible says in Revelation 10:6 that there should be time no longer. Again, there are also no prophesies mentioned that extend beyond 1844. It is also interesting to observe that verse 11 of Revelation chapter 10 specifies that John, who was told to eat the book, was to prophesy again to many nations, and tongues and kings. So there was, and is no mandate to give up even after such a shattering disappointment. For the group who was to eat the book, even after the bitter disappointment, they were to continue spreading the gospel. This does not answer the question though of what significant event happened on October 22 1844. Is there another place where the 2300 day period in mentioned?

Yes there is. Once again, we head back to the book of Daniel. This time in chapter 8 verse 14. “And he said onto me, Unto two thousand three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” So the important event in 1844 was the cleansing of the sanctuary...but, what does that mean? William Miller and those who studied into his findings were correct about everything regarding 1844...except one factor. When William Miller was studying the sanctuary, he believed that the sanctuary referred to this earth and that it would be a cleansing by fire which would destroy the wicked, and that Jesus would come to take the righteous to heaven on that day, which is a sensible step in logic. But the sanctuary did not refer to this earth at all. This was a heavenly sanctuary. The cleansing of the sanctuary was the event that ended the 2300 day prophesy. The sanctuary here refers to the sanctuary in heaven. It is worth noticing that there is no longer a sanctuary on earth. In Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock is where the temple used to be.

The cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven is what the text is referring to and that is what happened on October 22, 1844. Of course the Millerites, (as William Miller's adherents were called) would not have seen anything even though what was going on up in heaven in the heavenly sanctuary directly effected them. The question is then asked, how could they possibly have had truth if they were disappointed in a such a manner? They mistook the sanctuary in heaven that is specified in Daniel 8:14 for the earth. We might be tempted to stigmatize them as a bunch of phonies who were mislead by someone who's one mistake culminated in bitter disappointment for tens of thousands of hopeful adherents. And yet these people resemble another group of people from around 32 A.D. who were also grievously disappointed. The same mistake in both cases was a misunderstanding of scripture. The disciples had envisioned the messiah as someone who would get rid of the Roman's and rule in glory on David's throne over the nations. They had visions of Him ruling the government that He would soon set up and themselves high up in that kingdom. They too unwittingly misunderstood prophesies, and as a result, they misunderstood the mission of Jesus when He came to earth the 1^st time. When Jesus comes the 2^nd time, He will come in power, majesty, glory and might. But at his first coming, He came as a man to die on the cross. This misunderstanding caused them bitter disappointment.

But their bitter disappointment turned to joy when they saw Jesus risen from the dead, and then in retrospect they could understand how they misinterpreted prophesy. Not long after the great disappointment of October 22, 1844, the millerites who had been numbered in the hundreds of thousands, were numbered in the hundreds. One of these few adherents was a man named Hiram Edson. Though bitterly disappointed himself, he and a few friends decided to go around and encourage the brethren. While walking through his corn field, he looked up and had a vision of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary. He then realized that the cleansing of the sanctuary referred to the sanctuary in heaven and that the date of October 22, 1844 began a work in the heavenly sanctuary, and the the words, “time no longer in Revelation 10:6 referred to the end of prophetic time.

The question then becomes, what is the sanctuary? What does the cleansing of the Sanctuary mean for me personally? What does the cleansing of the sanctuary have to do with Jesus and His role as our Savior? Why is the sanctuary and it's cleansing important for us now? What is the sanctuary? It is fitting to consider 2^nd Timothy 2:16 (Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.) and Isaiah 28:10. (For precept must be upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little.) In the old testament sanctuary, there was a service only once a year that was the cleansing of the literal sanctuary. This does not mean that Moses donned rubber gloves or grabbed a mop or reached for laundry detergent. This was a different kind of cleansing. What is the cleansing of the sanctuary? How is it relevant to us personally? Like meals that are appropriately set apart time-wise, the subject of the cleansing is another literary meal all in itself. And like the 2300 day prophecy, I will now begin antiquating myself more intimately with it. Once again, in closing, it is fitting to observe 2^nd Timothy 2:6 and Isaiah 28:10.

God's Shock Therapy.

 Four years ago when I was a junior in an Academy, I had a dream-a frightening dream. Even now when I remember it, I pray that it never becomes a reality for me-or for you. Growing up I wanted to serve God and know Him better. But I'd often put it off. I'd sincerely tell myself, I'll spend time with God later. But the time I planned to spend with God always seemed to get choked out of my schedule. God want to get through to me. I think He wanted me to know that my busy schedule would eventually lead to spiritual death. So I believe that God gave me the dream. Looking back now, it was a blessing in disguise. It stopped me from taking God for granted and from wasting more time before getting to know Him.

One night I dreamed that God's probation had closed-He'd finished deciding who was going to heave and who wasn't-and I knew that I wasn't. I had no hope and no home. I just had a terrible sense of being lost. The time in my dream seemed about a month and a half. I remember dismal clouds and an unnatural darkness contributing to my feelings of despair. Unlike the days before probation closed, life was bleak and sad. I went here and there carrying an intense feeling of being lost-never having a place to go, never having a reason to stay. But just wandering. I remember the wrecked cities I wandered around in and awful conditions in which people lived. Nobody ever bothered me. A loner, I kept to myself.

I went from place to place to try and find enough food. But worse than my intense hunger and raging thirst was the spiritual anguish of the absence of Christ in my soul. So many times I longed and cried for the peace and Jesus had once offered me. Many times I thought, If only I had spent time walking with Jesus, I would not be in so much pain. I remember looking up into the dark and flashing sky and pleading with God, “You can do all things; please rewind time and give me one more chance.” Other times I would pour my heart to God and cry: “Let is be a dream! Please Lord! I'll serve you forever! Save me, Lord!”

But probation had closed. My chances with God were over, and no amount of asking would change that. I definitely wasn't the only person in despair. I often saw people weeping uncontrollably in the streets. Age and position made no difference. Rulers and powerful people tried to sound hopeful, but their words were empty promises. The world seemed to be in continual chaos. Constant violence resulted from starving people in pursuit of food and water. I had vague information and that not everyone was in despair. There were people who had food and water-whom the world viciously hated. They also had heavenly peace that the rest of us would have given anything for.

Near the end of my dream my prevailing though If only I had just one hour with God and His word. Near the end, I wished that my heart would stop beating so my soul would stop torturing me with the knowledge of my being lost forever. At the end of my dream, I knew that Christ's coming could only be days away.

I also remember hoping that the rock would fall on me and shield me from His soon approaching glory. I greatly feared Him. In my dream each night, I would go to sleep hoping that I was only dreaming. But I always woke up thinking, No, not another day! Will I ever escape?! No. I'll never feel the warm spirit of Christ comfort my lost soul. When I was rich in time and cold have chosen Christ daily, I didn't.

And even though I slept in ruined cities and among violent people, I didn't notice what was going on around me because of so much torment going on inside me. The last part of my dream was hazy and vague, as if I was delirious. I remember hoping for one last chance with Jesus which I knew would not come true. As my dream ended, the world's chaos and people's despair contrasted with the joy of those who were looking for Jesus.

Then suddenly I woke up. The sun was shinning outside my bedroom window, and the birds were singing praises to the God who made them. I realized I was in my own bed, and I cannot describe the relief that I felt at that moment. I felt as though God shocked me out of my spiritual slumber. I still had a chance to invite Him into my heart! I could not convey the depth of the despair I felt in my dream. In the same way, after it I could not convey the depth of my joy and relief! I realized I was rich in time. I could ask Jesus to come into my heart as any time I wanted! And I would make it a priority to ask Jesus into my heart every single day. That alone is a precious gift I treasure. I then decided to make my spiritual life a priority.

I've been feeling impressed to put my shock therapy experience down on paper. After my dream my priority has been to get to know Jesus. I can tell you this. There is no way to compare the peace I have now with the chaos I experienced in my dream. I feel love, hope, and the warm feeling of the Holy Spirit surrounding me as as my friendship with Jesus grows. Choosing Jesus has given me a new outlook on life. He is a wonderful Savior! At some time all men and all angels will bow their knee to Christ and say, “Just and true are your ways, Oh King of Saints. And all will know that Jesus rulz!

By Brent Stone

Posted with permission of Insight Magazine. July 26, 2003

A physiology of Salvation Part 1

~Chapter One~

Does the heart think?

It is undeniable that medical science has advanced a lot in the last few decades, if not years. It is a good sign if health professionals admit that there are still many mysteries that they do not know about the body. Every so often, medical science makes a breakthrough and, as a result, we can understand a little more than what we already knew about the body, and such discoveries if not very lengthy should be of interest because however microscopic or seemingly mundane...it should be significant to us since it involves us at our innermost being.

Take away the long words if possible, and explain medical discoveries in plain English and most likely your audience will not go to sleep. It is of interest that some of the more tantalizing areas of medical science are also seemingly the least investigated or promoted. Many of us from the time we were in school have heard interesting facts regarding the wonders of the brain.

In the 1990's school children were told that in order to make a computer that could do what the brain does (now we laugh at this) that it would need to be the size of the empire state building and that you would need Niagra falls to power it. The statistics have probably changed since then, but the message is the same. The human brain is a spectacular precision organ, and unparalleled for ability. It is not a quick task for neurosurgeons to explain all that the brain does to allow you to raise your hand.

The brain is marvelous, and a challenge for people who try to explain the origin of this super complex organ based on long periods of time. In enumerating in length the wonders of the brain...heavy books could be written. But for the sake of time and for getting to the point of this journey, let's zero in on the unlikely participant of this narrative...the heart. The topic is the heart. And the question is...does the heart think?

“Well of course not,” might be the echo of people you might randomly ask on the street. Haven't we always assumed that thought and decision making is a function of the brain? Perhaps, but we must consider what we went over recently. It is a good sign if health professionals admit that there are still many mysteries that they do not know about the body. Though some of us may not be doctors, nurses or associated at all with the medical field, we must at this point include ourselves in the statement.

Unless you are in the medical field or it is your hobby, it is likely that most people do not know a lot about the body beyond the basics or what they learned in anatomy and physiology. There are times when it is good to have an open mind, and there are times when it is dangerous, but when looking at solid facts about the body and not opinions, nor positions on origin however possible or unlikely, it can be beneficial to having an open mind when looking at the body.

It is of interest that in many ancient cultures, people considered both the brain and the heart as recipients of thought...that thought was a function of both the brain and the heart. People in general have been led to believe that man was less developed physically and cognitively in an uncertain but ancient point in time many years ago. Weather this is true or not is not the point.

The complexity of the brain and the intricacy of how multiple systems in the body operate as a group in a cycle, interdependent on each other for survival speak for itself.

It has only been relatively recent that people did not consider that thought was a function of the heart. New medical research in conjunction with what has been in the Bible for millenniums are harmonious in that they both ascribe to the heart the function of thought. The author of this work believes both the Bible and medical Science because they do not disagree on this point. The weight of the former however holds more weight than the latter, and this is how it should be. So the question...does the heart think?

Before we tackle this question more seriously, it would be beneficial to take a brief crash course on the brain and heart consisting of a basic list of the functions and duties of both. What does the brain do, and what are its responsibilities? What does the heart do, and what are its duties? We will investigate the brain first and then the heart. Once we have a basic list of facts to go on for the brain and heart, we can proceed to the tantalizing question...does the heart think?

The Human Brain...

The brain is the control center of your body…in essence the perceived headquarters or capital.

In US&WORLD NEWS REPORT, “According to cognitive neuroscientists, we are conscious of only about 5 percent of our cognitive activity, so most of our decisions, actions, emotions, and behavior depends on the 95 percent of brain activity that goes beyond our conscious awareness.”

Some go even further, but the point is that unconscious behavior is something that the brain is very much involved in. According to Dr. Emmanuel Donchin, the laboratory director for Cognitive Psycho physiology at the University of Illinois,

”An enormous portion of cognitive activity is non-conscious, figuratively speaking, it could be 99 percent; we probably will never know precisely how much is outside awareness.” (Dr. Emmanuel Donchin, director of the Laboratory for Cognitive Psychophysiology at the University of Illinois).

Your brain is similar in some ways to the feature in your car which is cruise control, and similar to auto pilot in an airplane. When you turn on cruise control, typically you are not concerned about your speed going up and down. Because you are using cruise control, you focus on other things such as other cars, traffic lights, your gas gauge and pedestrians among other things.

Auto pilot in an airplane enables a pilot to maintain altitude, trip direction and other details so that the pilot can focus on other things such as trip logs and communicating with control towers.

While you are focused on walking, cooking, talking and analytical duties, your brain is controlling such life involving details such as blood pressure, balance, breathing, immune system regulation, involuntary muscle control, allocation, hormones and other important issues. And what we have to learn, if it is something you do often will transfer from something that you have to think about, to something that you don't think about, but your mind has been trained to just do.

As a disclaimer, I do not claim to be a medical professional, nor do I intend to counsel any readers as far as medical treatment for any illnesses.

Your brain is made up of three main parts.

I. forebrain

The forebrain is the most complex of the three parts. It gives us the ability to "feel," learn, and remember. It consists of two parts: the telencephalon (contains the cerebral cortex and corpus callosum) and the diencephalon (contains the thalamus and hypothalamus). The cerebral cortex allows us to understand the weight of information we receive from all around us.

The left and right regions of the cerebral cortex are separated by a thick band of tissue called the corpus callosum. The thalamus acts as a telephone line of sorts, allowing information to get through to the cerebral cortex. The hypothalamus is important for regulating hormones, hunger, thirst, and arousal.

II. brainstem

The brainstem consists of the midbrain and the hindbrain. Just as the name suggests, the brainstem resembles the stem of a branch. The midbrain is the upper part of the branch that is connected to the forebrain. This region of the brain sends and receives information. Data from our senses, such as the eyes and ears, are sent to this area and then directed to the forebrain. The brainstem consists of the hindbrain makes up the lower portion of the brainstem and consists of three units. The medulla oblongata controls involuntary functions such as digestion and breathing. The second unit of the hindbrain, the pons, also assists in controlling these functions.

III. cerebellum

The third unit, the cerebellum, is responsible for the coordination of movement. Those of you who are blessed with great hand-eye coordination can be thankful for your cerebellum.

Neurons

Your brain has thousands of different kinds of Nuerons and for the most part they fit in three different groups.
I. motor neurons.

What makes you move.

II. sensory neurons

What allows you to taste and smell.

 

III. Inter-neurons

These fellows are responsible for relaying information between neurons.

The shape of a neuron is like that of a beach ball with a vague star like shape in the middle of it which represents the nucleus. There are thin arms that offshoot from the nucleus which are called processes. One of them is an axon, while the rest are dendrites. Each neuron has only one axon, which is what sends signals outward, but potentially thousands of dendrites, which send signals inwards. The ends of the axon are called axon terminals. This is where neurotransmitters hop synapses in order to spread information to the next neuron, and the next one, and the next....

In case it has been a few years since some of us may have taken anatomy and physiology, in the nervous system a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron (or nerve cell) to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell.

So we can see here that the brain works in a similar manner to a bucket brigade. Information is sent from the axon terminals of one cell via neurotransmitters and then synapses to the axon in another cell which receives while the dendrites store it inward. Then onward to the axon terminals of still other cells down the way. The one axon and it's terminal is the agent of the cell to communicate with other cells via neurotransmitters and synapses. In effect the social party of the cell. The thousand's of dendrites act as memory and store the information inward. In effect the shy party.

This is a very brief overview, or snapshot of the responsibilities and duties of the brain. It is not intended to be an in depth analysis, otherwise readers would be reading for a long time, and while such a reflection on the brain would be enlightening and beneficial, to remain concise we should proceed to the heart.

One of the areas that will hold a great deal of interest to the subject matter of this narrative is the cerebral cortex. We will examine this amazing area of the brain a little later, and we will find how it is in a way we cannot take credit for, essential to the physiology of Salvation

The human heart...

Most people think of the heart as little more than a pump, although later on we will learn how little encompassing this is. This important organ is composed of muscle which pumps blood throughout the body, beating approximately 72 times per minute of our lives. The heart pumps the blood, which carries all the vital materials which help our bodies function and removes the waste products that we do not need. For example, the brain requires oxygen and glucose, which, if not received continuously, will cause it to lose consciousness.

Muscles need oxygen, glucose and amino acids, as well as the proper ratio of sodium, calcium and potassium salts in order to contract normally. The glands need sufficient supplies of raw materials from which to manufacture the specific secretions. If the heart ever ceases to pump blood the body begins to shut down and after a very short period of time will die.

The heart is essentially a muscle(a little larger than the fist). Like any other muscle in the human body, it contracts and expands. Unlike skeletal muscles, however, the heart works on the "All -or-Nothing Law". That is, each time the heart contracts it does so with all its force. In skeletal muscles, the principle of "gradation" is present. The pumping of the heart is called the Cardiac Cycle, which occurs about 72 times per minute.

This means that each cycle lasts about eight-tenths of a second. During this cycle the entire heart actually rests for about four-tenths of a second. The Heart works as a pump moving blood around in our bodies to nourish every cell. Used blood, that is blood that has already been to the cells and has given up its nutrients to them, is drawn from the body by the right half of the heart, and then sent to the lungs to be reoxygenated.

Blood that has been reoxygenated by the lungs is drawn into the left side of the heart and then pumped into the blood stream. It is the atria which draw the blood from the lungs and body, and the ventricles that pump it to the lungs and body. The output of each ventricle per beat is about 2 tablespoons. In a trained athlete the heart pumps 4 tablespoons.

With the average heart rate of 72 beats per minute the heart will pump over 1 pound of blood per ventricle, or almost 3 pounds per minute. This is called the cardiac output. In a trained athlete the total cardiac output is about 6 pounds. If we multiply the normal, non-athlete output by the average age of 70 years, we see that the cardiac output of the average human heart over a life time would be about 250,000 gallons! Even if we looked at the heart as just a pump, this is impressive.

And yet, if we are to discuss how and why the heart thinks, the reader can grasp that, while useful, this information does not really address the subject, “does the heart think.” So we will remember this information, and be happy we read it. Yet we will also begin to cover what modern medical discoveries are telling us in just how much more this complex organ exceeds in versatility and scope the duties of a pump. Our discoveries about the heart will be much more involved.

If we take the Bible seriously, and we strive to adhere to its principles, and if we observe recent medical discoveries...we will discover in ourselves two fantastic organs of complexity and design locked in a life and death struggle with eternal ramifications at stake...and never a sound from either to betray their opposition to each other.

We can observe what is unnoticed and unknown by so many people... how the heart which has only 40,000 neurons compared the brain's 100 million neurons can so handily strong arm the brain and actually physiologically issue orders which in most cases the brain does not disobey. We can empathize with Paul when he speaks of doing that which he did not want to do, and not doing what he wanted. Like him our cry has often been, “who shall deliver us from this body of death?”

We can observe our knowledge of what is right, verses the passion that overcomes it so often. This eloquently speaks of the need of the savior. As such, we need to dig deeper in how the heart and the brain interact...first in Biblical research and then in medical science. We cannot do this and determinedly regard the heart as just a pump, because if we do we are allowing ourselves to slumber in determined ignorance, and such slumber will effect our spiritual life.

Biblical evidence and then medical science is a buttress to fact that we need a new heart just as Jesus said. If someone is falling asleep, should we not rouse them with pertinent facts rather than sing a lullaby to them? This will not be a lullaby attempting to placate us. It will not be a sing song voice selling the malignant lie that the heart is naturally good.

We need to be jolted by the fact that medical science and the Bible both agree that the heart thinks and physiological stands in the way of our salvation. This again buttresses what the Bible has said all along...without the Savior we are doomed. Can the heart really be such an enemy? “The heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things.” Could our own heart unwittingly...actually deceive us?

This pertinent information is as it were the 120 piece orchestra in full swing playing Handel's Hallelujah chorus. We will dig deeper in facts concerning the heart, the brain, medical discoveries and most importantly the Holy Scriptures. We will first delve into the heart and then into the brain as they often combat each other (unbeknownst to people in general) for supremacy.

Have we not all experienced that moment when we feel that we could be two different people when we are pulled in two different ways and between two different desires without a way to account for it? There are some shocking discoveries in this narrative yet to come and surprises like pop fireworks when they are loaded and the string is pulled. The intent is to lead open eyes and rouse profound riveted reflection.

Come on this voyage of discovery. Next stop, the thinking heart...what the Bible and medical science have to say on this, and how they ultimately harmonize with each other.

What is Faith?

  What is Faith?

There are some words in English that are used so much and in so many different contexts that their deep and pointed meaning often becomes vague and elusive. The mere mention of the word faith conveys many plausible definitions. Faith is a religion. Faith is a belief. Faith is an action. Faith is a philosophy. Faith is a word that could use some examination as to what it is and what it means to us. It is a very common word, and the mention of it does not always bring a concrete definition to mind. Faith however is more of a silent invisible action. Something that happens behind the castle walls of our minds so to speak. In a world where the word is used so much, is there an experience that can describe faith in a practical way that agrees with scripture? Is there an action that can describe faith? What can we say about faith?

• Faith often involves that which we cannot see. More often promises.
• You cannot please God without faith, just as you cannot make friends if you do not render some trust.
• God has given every man and women a measure of faith. God has given every person alive the ability to choose to believe.

Hebrews 11:1-3

1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2. For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3. Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Webster's dictionary has this to say about faith...

“Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and veracity; reliance on testimony.”

What does it mean to have faith? When God makes a promise in the Bible, do we believe it? What does it take to believe something? When your mother or father says, “I love you, do you believe them?” The vast majority would reply without hesitation, “Of course I believe them!” What did you have to do to come to that conclusion? Most of use would nobly reply without actually thinking about it, because to many of us, it would be an indisputable fact. It would have to depend on the person in question. What has been their track record? For many of us, despite their failings, our parents would receive a hasty vote of confidence in this area. What about someone who you may not know very well?

If the person promises something, you may be not be as quick to believe them as someone you know well. They have not established as yet as a track record that you can use as a basis for trusting them.

What is the process for believing something? What is the process for having faith in something? You are presented with information, and you have a choice to make. Sooner or later you will decide if you will trust the information based on what you are told about it or what you have researched. “Am I going to take this seriously?”

There are going to reasons you decide to take it seriously, and assimilate it. There will be reasons for your rejecting whatever it is. Your decision to have faith in whatever it is will be based on the reasons for it. People usually use reason to make up their minds unless they are doing it because it feels good which does not imply that there is active reasoning going on.

It is likely that in having faith in something, that your mind will have reasons for it or against it. The conclusion in our minds may be very lopsided as to being for or against the idea, or it may be a tie as to which idea makes the most sense. And in the end, your conclusion may have a lot to do with feeling since making the choice you deem as right will make you feel good in that you made the right choice based on what you knew, although feelings should not be a determining factor. The determining factor should be, what is right? Often what we know is right does not sit well with us. Even though we know what is right, we might not make that choice because we know that we will be denied some pleasure or do without some desired activity or object. It is at this pivotal point that we need to ask God, in faith, for a moral backbone.

This is not easy because we are taking a path in this request which will deny us what we want for sure! The question is, “can God give that moral backbone?” Does God give a blueprint for good behavior without the power to back up doing what is right? The question is not about if God is able. The question is if we are actively willing, and if we choose to believe despite what our senses tell us. God has the power, and God is able to give a moral backbone to those who ask in faith. If they believe His promises, it will happen despite appearances to the contrary.

“And the Lord said, If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say unto this sycamine tree, Be plucked up by the root, and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you.” Luke 17:6

Jesus here is using the tree as a symbol of what is possible to people who have faith. What goes on in our minds when we struggle to believe? What goes on in our minds when we want to have faith, and the challenge seems insurmountable?

Our minds can come up with all sorts of objections, rationalizations, distractions and detours. “It is too much effort to believe! God is asking too much of me! It is not really going to happen!” This can go on and on and on and on! How much worry, stress and fatigue to go through! But what happens if faith is a silent determined choice behind the Castle walls of our mind... such as the following?

“It is too much effort... I choose to believe God. “ God is asking too much...God is able to help me, and He will see me through this!“ “It is not really going to...”God has promised. And what He promises happens!” It is at this point that there is a war going on inside. Faith is fighting unbelief. It takes 23 times of doing something until your brain forms a habit...till the electrochemical trail has an established path from your frontal lobe to the automated area in your brain. If faith fights the good fight enough times in its trust in God, you will have the advantage of a habit on your side!

Faith in the face of God's promises is an action of refusing to listen to the doubts, the what if's, the maybes, and the objections our minds come up with, and instead actively choosing to dwell on the promises of God, and all the times He has come thought in the past. Saying to the doubts and objections, “you have no place in my mind, and no place in my heart. I have chosen to trust the Savior and His sure promises. You are part of the old life, and there is no further need of you.” We will still be rational people, and faith in God will be our security. People who have faith are less likely to worry.o or stress out. Since they implicitly trust God, they know that He is in control.

“Behold! If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold! All things become new!” 2^nd Corinthians 5:17

When people have faith, they will leave their worries and problems to Him knowing that He will deal with it, and they will have time to contemplate and think about better things. So faith is a noun. It conveys an idea. The idea is that we should trust God.

Faith is also a verb. It is the action of refusing to entertain doubt, and claiming with all confidence, God has me covered! My actions are to ignore the doubts, the what if's, the maybes, the detours and the objections so to have complete trust...complete faith in God. Our faith will be tested at times, but God will always reward our faith, and as our gaze is on Him, it will steadily become mightier and mightier.

The question might be asked, how does God give us a moral backbone? How does God make us a new person? In the coming articles, I will show how this is both a spiritual and a physiological issue. Yes, the body itself is involved. How and why is yet to come.  

Together in good times and tough times...

Tough times and Good times...

The year was 1984. The place was Grandma Susie's house. There were big trees in the front yard which were frequented with kids who spent time climbing them. During one such visit to Grandma's house, Mom and Dad had mentioned the fabled city of Wasilla in a land faraway called Alaska; which in the absence of any other information was shrouded in mystery. "We are going to go live in the bush!" We would find out later that it was not exactly the bush. The question on the minds of some was, "who would want to live inside a bush, and how are we all going to fit?" At that time, the family was living in California which either was a crossroad of relatives traveling here and there, or a hub or family living not far from each other. Grandma Leona lived not too far away and in her living room she always kept a bowel with caramels which the kids could eat when they visited. When she and Grandma Lila came to visit shortly before the move, the children told them all about the worn out swing set which had been taken away the week before in preparation for the move to first Oregon and then Alaska. But of course it took some time to get from Needles California where they were living at that time to the rumored city of Wasilla in Alaska. It involved among other things Dad being invited to come up to Alaska to be a diesel mechanic. The situation later would be seen as providential that the family moved to Alaska at that point in time. The man who offered the job to Dad gave a thousand dollars to help the move. Then Dad sold his large engine cleaner along with some other items which bought an old wonder bread step van...perfect for transporting not only Dad's tools, but lots of household items such as books, photos, kitchenware, numerous and useful truck and car repair manuals, bedding, mementos and of course people. On the top of the van there was a revolving light which the boys referred to as a wo-wo. Dad also built a sturdy little trailer for other unnamed items, and it ended up in a south sloping field in Oregon behind a barn after the family had left for Alaska. Not long before they left California, Lila, had been praying for a dog. This happened to reach the ears of the some friends, and it so happened that Lady was acquired. Not the most intelligent dog, but certainly loyal. Mom and Dad had recently gotten the old green station wagon at that point and mom drove it to pick up the new pet...always a novelty to young children. Unlike her later years, Lady was full of pep and curiosity. A rambunctious dog in confined space with five children is bound to produce a charged atmosphere. As she was scrambling from one window to the next over the children, Brain was fearful that she would not be a nice pet, and he avoided her at first as much as he could on the ride back home. 
Then the family made their way to Oregon on Lynnette Lane where they lived during 1985 with Grandma and Grandpa before the move up to Alaska. Grandpa Glen and Grandma Lila were delighted to have the them. There was a large lawn in front of the house which was a favorite place to play.

Not too far away there was the lake where Grandpa would take the children on Saturday afternoons. And of course there was Uncle David and Uncle Jonathan. Uncle Jonathan was full of interest to the children. He had a beautiful, loyal and smart shaggy dog that could climb ladders. He sometimes had baby raccoons, and when he was around there was always some fun to be had. Later in 1990, when the family minus Dad visited Grandpa and Grandma on Pataha Creek road, Uncle David in front of the boys began enumerating to Uncle Arsenio the number of little boys he had spanked throughout the years. Later they learned that Uncle David had an interesting sense of humor. 


Grandma told a lot of stories during the time on Lynnette Lane. Sometimes they were Bible stories, sometimes mission stories, and sometimes Eric B. Hare stories. The time when the family would move to Alaska approached ever closer. Mom and Dad went to get supplies just before the family left for Alaska and Grandma and Grandpa were watching the kids. Amid a favored dinner of bread and milk, they had to say the same thing over and over again.“Your mom and dad went to get you some moon boots (snow boots) and they will be back later.”The boots would last most of the children until their second year in Alaska. Just before they left, Dad welded some metal bars together which he would put on the top of the van secure some items he wanted to put up there for the drive to Alaska. Brent who had watched dad make it then asked what it was for. "Oh, well we are just making it to put you in." Then Dad and Mom prepared to go up to Alaska, and Dad drove the old wonder-bread step van which pulled the green station wagon. There was an old bus heater in the cab of the van. The weather was cold as they drove through Canada. The van's engine would sometimes have problems operating under such cold conditions. Dad had previously had another heater installed in the van, but that heater had caught fire, so Dad had replaced it with an old bus heater. The heat came out of two different spouts. 
Dad had bought two dryer vents hoses. He put one hose over one spout and another hose over the other spout. The kids did get cold in the cab, so one hose went on them. The engine did not work so well in cold weather, so the other hose was put on the engine through a movable opening in the cab.

As it was late fall, they encountered a lot of snow. And one day during a hiatus in traveling, the kids with double layers, went out to play in the snow. They made snowballs. They got in the snow and made snow angels and some of them tried to make a snowman. Afterwards, for lunch, Mom made cheese whiz sandwiches which were really good, and were not to be forgotten. It was also during that trip that the boys needed a haircut. Mom had always cut the boys hair before, but since they were on the road, the family went to a barber which was a first for the boys.

When the family first came to Alaska they settled in Anchorage where Dad's job was. 
The family moved into a beautiful house on 75th street which was not exactly the bush. It was always called the beautiful house after that, and it was very large. It had two floors, and large balcony and a Jacuzzi in one of the bathrooms. The rent at first was $1300 a month, but Mom and Dad requested that the rent might be made a little lower, and the people renting the house very decently dropped the price down to $1100 hundred dollars. a month.

For a period of time, Uncle Jim and his family lived under the same roof that we did in the beautiful house, and that was nice. Aunt Kathy had several cats, none of whom Uncle Jim liked very much. Aunt Kathy loved Roy because she thought he was so cute, which at that age was true. He would sometimes get into her make up, and he pretty much disarrange it. This happened a number of times, although Aunt Kathy would forgave him afterwards. Often when the ice cream truck would come by, Aunt Kathy would make sure that the kids all got some ice cream. When they went to Denny's where she worked at that time, she would make delicious grilled cheese sandwiches for them. One cold day, Roy decided that one of Aunt Kathy's cats was cold.

So he took the cat and looking for a warm place, he put it in the dryer among uncle Jim's pants and turned it on. Now the dryer was right near where Uncle Jim and Aunt Kathy's bedroom was. It happened to be the time late in the day when they were about to go to sleep. Uncle Jim remarked with some ire of why Aunt Kathy would turn on the dryer right when they were going to go to sleep. When he went over and opened the door, that cat fell out. It could not walk properly because it was so dizzy, and it kind of staggered off down the hall. If the cat had any sense, it would have ran when ever he saw Roy coming. But Roy had good intentions, but like many little boys he was apt to be forgetful. Later, during the summer when it was hot, Roy decided that the cat was hot, so he took the cat and looking for a cold place, he put it into the freezer. Well, the poor cat did not survive that, and Roy innocently forgot that he had put the cat into the freezer. It was a freezer that was not frequented as much as the main freezer in the kitchen, and one day Uncle Jim called Mom into where the freezer was. He opened the door, and there was that poor cat frozen solid. 


Dad was the first member of the immediate family to spend time in Alaska. He liked living there. It may have been because it was not like California with so many ridiculous laws. It might have been because of the frontier style veneer in Alaskan society and architecture, but it was probably because it complimented his high tolerance of cold and his low tolerance of hot weather, a trait he would pass on in a lesser measure to his sons. During the vietnam war, Dad was drafted. Not wanting to shoot people, he became a medic, and there were not many people who could have done it as well. Dad had interesting army stories to tell. For regular soldiers, they were required to carry 40 pound back packs. But for a medic, they were required to carry 70 pound back packs. Boot camp was not really rough on Dad since he had worked in a rock quarry with a shovel as well as various other places that allowed him to be fit. But some of the other soldiers did not fare so well. Dad said that there was this nice fellow who was about as wide as we was tall. He went to boot camp and by the end of it, he had to use rope to keep his pants up.

Dad once said that He had asked his Dad why he did not watch Laurel and Hardy movies. Grandpa had had two or three ships sunk under him in World War II, and Laurel and Hardy had gone overseas to entertain the troops. Grandpa said that Laurel and Hardy were so funny in real life that he did not have an interest in seeing them in the movies. When Dad was drafted, he went to San Antonio. He took training to become a medic.

Some years later in the Wolverine building, Roy accidentally ripped off one of his finger nails when one of his fingers got caught in the 12 foot garage style door rollers. But Dad knew what to do, and because of his prior training in the army, he bandaged it expertly. After boot camp and training were over in texas, Dad flew to Fairbanks Alaska for follow up training and the flight to Vietnam. Dad told us that medics in vietnam had a battle field life expectancy of a few minutes on average, so there was a lot of praying going on in his family. When the training had finished, the solders were ready to fly to Vietnam.

There were a thousand solders in Dad's group, but when they went to fly, the army seemingly inexplicably did not have his ticket, so he stayed in Alaska. The other guys there in winter always froze, but Dad seemed to know the right type of shoes and clothing to wear. One day, the fellows Dad was with were complaining about how cold they were. Dad was wearing a kind of arctic shoe called a bunny boot., and it really looked similar to a bunny foot., only shorter. Dad was getting pretty hot, so he took the bunny boot off. The other fellows were watching in unbelief as steam arose from from Dad's boot. The other fellows couldn't believe it. When the family moved to Alaska at first, they all wore coats except for Dad. He never seemed to get cold, and and he got sick maybe once while everyone else seemed to get sick fairly often. 
Mom and Dad moved to the house on Beverly lake road in late 1985, and the family lived there until late 1995. There were times that were difficult, and there were times that were not. About two years after moving to the old house, there were two gardens. The potato patch out front, and the vegetable garden out back next to the chicken house. There were 48 chicken all named by the boys producing eggs. There was a chicken named baldy because she did not have a comb. There was a chicken named Eggy because she laid the first egg. You could always tell when a chicken lays its first egg, and when the pullets (teenage chickens) laid their first egg, they start cackling very loudly for at least ten minutes. It is a different sort of cackle than what you would normally hear from a chicken and the boys had been watching to see which chicken would lay the first egg. There was a green jar that Mom and Dad kept the egg money in upon an upper kitchen shelf, and with ginger the goat giving milk everyday, for a short time, they bough almost nothing from the store. The chickens laid so many eggs that Mom and Dad were able to sell a lot, and the neighbors often came to buy our eggs. Dad at that point had a shop in a quonset hut and the family usually went there during the summer days while Dad worked on various vehicles.

The family had moved from the beautiful house on on 75^th street in Anchorage to what was though tthe boonies. The house they moved into was something of a disappointment and a fixer upper compared to the beautiful house. You could see distinctly through the cracks in the bathroom floor to the rocky basement down below. Hygiene seemed to be lower on the totem pole of priorities to the family who lived in the house before we lived there. There was at first a peculiar strong oder to the house and they discovered that a moose had met it's fate in the basement of the house the previous winter, not counting the many dogs who had lived there as well. Caroline, just before we moved from the beautiful house had left Alaska to go the Pathfinder Camporee in Oshkosh Wisconsin. She had left the beautiful house which she loved and when she came to the house on Beverly lake road, she cried. But the odd thing is that the old house on Beverly lake road would come to be loved more than the beautiful house on 75^th street. The property which was rocky and barren except for some scrawny trees would be transformed into a scenic property with gardens, a huge green lawn, ferns and roses growing here and there. The beloved house over time would be repainted inside, fixed up and improved, and would become a comfortable cozy house. Oddly enough, it was Caroline who was it's last occupant in the family.

The only real town close by was Wasilla. Dad's shop was in the opposite direction. The first shop he had was the quonset hut which was basically half of a very large tube cut in half and secured to a cement pad.

Over Dad's office in the quonset hut was an area where the boys could play and be out of the way. For whatever reason, Dad decided to relocate although it took a little while. Not six month after he moved out of the quonset hut, the building caved in. There was so much snow on the quonset hut that the weight became too great. It was remarked with a grateful reference to the Lord's guiding that Dad had moved out of that shop instead of staying there. The second shop was called the wolverine building, and it was very large, with a huge area in the back to play. Often, in the summer months when either public school or home school was not in session, the whole family would relocate to the shop for the day. Sometimes they would go to the shop at night and have popcorn with ice cream while watching a movie. The second summer there was a difficult one. It was while Dad had his shop in the quonset hut. That summer the electricity was shut off and the water too to the house. The reason was because money was used to pay the rent for the shop. And since the shop had water and electricity, the family spent most of the time there. There was a shower there, and during the day, the boys would play. Mom saw to it that sandwich supplies were brought as well. Around lunch Caroline would begin to make sandwiches for everybody. Most of the time, Mom acted as the de-facto secretary for Dad.

As far as main courses went, it seemed that there were about four things that the family ate all the time that summer.

Oatmeal, potatoes, peanut butter sandwiches and the dreaded soy beans, although the garden did supply a fair share of greens and vegetables. During late summer, fall and the beginning of winter, (which in Alaska came be hard to distinguish) it seemed the family ate nothing but beans, but everyone was smart enough not to complain. There was a very useful phrase which Mom and Dad milked for all it was worth. “Invention is the mother of necessity.”Looking back I never cease to be impressed with how creative they were with what was available. We had beans every way that could be conceived, and when put to it, Dad was a resourceful and creative cook...one of his lesser known talents. There was usually oatmeal for breakfast with Ginger's milk. The family did not eat many eggs since they were set aside to sell, and their sales helped with household expenses. There was usually peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, and for dinner there was almost always beans in one form or another. Looking back, I do not recall anyone complaining. To complain about food Mom made at the table in front of Dad was not done unless the senseless party wanted to get slapped. There were baked beans, fried beans, stewed beans and others I cannot remember. Something we did was put a baking pan with beans on the big black heaters with their shiny stainless steal grills. It took a couple of hours but when they were done, the soy beans were like nuts with an odd but savory nutty flavor. Knowing that things would be tight, Mom and Dad had gotten a hundred pound sack of soy beans in the spring. Also, from time to time, Grandma Lila and Grandma Leona would send boxes of dried sugar dates in the mail, and they were a delicious and welcome break from the usually fare during this period. For this period, since the water was shut off at the house, the water was taken from the shop and brought to the house to drink, wash dishes and to be used for other necessities. Showers were taken at the quonset hut, and the days were mostly spend there. But as fall arrived, the children went to school, some of them for the first time at Big Lake Elementary. The school bus went right by the quonset hut and that is where it dropped them off.

In Alaska, every member of a family who has lived there for more that two years gets what is called the permanent fund dividend. At that time, it was about 900$ per person and as fate would have it, it was dispersed about two weeks before Christmas. It was about this time that the family had lived in Alaska for two years and were eligible to receive the permanent fund dividends. Almost like a reverse tax, the point was that when the government of Alaska did this, the economy surged because everyone was out buying or selling things. During the summer you could count on one hand the variety of different foods you ate as far as main courses went aside from greens and vegetables from the garden. About two weeks before Christmas, the family received the permanent fund dividend. There were eight people in our family, and so, all of a sudden, Mom and Dad had over eight thousand tax free dollars to spend.

First of all they paid tithe and offering. Then they paid off bills, and there were a number of those. Anchorage was about 50 miles away, and going to Anchorage was a big deal. For about three days the family went to Anchorage and spent all day there. Dad and Mom bought so much food that you could not see the walls in the kitchen. Dad knew that we loved cold cereal, and he got a lot of that. We had a double cab Ford pickup truck, and when we went home each day, the back of it was filled with food. There was a restaurant called the Royal Fork and it was a favorite place to go. So for three days, we went to Anchorage, ate at nice restaurants, bought Christmas presents, and had a good time. At that time, I would have said that the permanent fund dividends constituted the good times and the time before it when we ate so many beans constituted the bad times. But now I am not so sure. As I look back, regardless of how much we did nor did not have during either time, I am inclined to say that both times hold a nostalgic and pleasant glow for me now. We may have had difficult times, but we are fortunate to know the value of food regardless of if we like it or not. My siblings and I are glad to look up to parents who have shown us how to weather tough times with creativity and a positive determination. As I look back, I no longer see tough times or good times. The transcending detail is that we were together regardless of how much we did or did not have. To me, the most important detail is that we were together, and if I scheme at all, most of the time it has to do with how to get the family together again for a visit at some point in the future. A family reunion is something that I think about a lot. That would be one advantage of being rich.“Oh you don't have the money? No problem! I'm rich right? I'll just write out a check for whatever the plane, or the train, the bus, or the gas costs!”

But as I step back, I realize,“Hey, I am rich!”I am rich in the sense of the family God has given me. That includes friends as well. Rich in family! It makes me think about how God feels about His family. Every single member of the human family...no one is the same! God looks forward to the great reunion in heaven which commences at the close of human history on this earth, and He does not want anyone to be left out! He and heaven is striving with all power to make sure that as many make it to the great reunion as possible. The devil only wants to prevent people from making it to that reunion. If we trust God, the devil won't get his way with us. What we need to do is to continually ask God in the name of Jesus for a new heart...every day. I look forward to a family reunion here on earth, but I want to impress brothers and sisters to prepare for the reunion in heaven. I very much enjoy writing down what I remember from the past. I don't live in the past, but I discovered that the more I write about family, the more I remember. I am rich in family, and it is my continual prayer that my Brothers and Sisters and friends, both in my immediate family, and in humanity will be there! Let's not forget to mention each other when we talk to the Lord. Let's remember to lift each other up when we ask the Lord to keep our siblings in the faith. I look forward to being together with family, both here and in heaven. 

The Tree House ~ By Royal Stone

THE TREE HOUSE


Long long ago and, far far away their lived four little boys,all of them in the eyes of there parents were a wonder to behold.
In actuality, it was not that long ago or quite so far away. It was the late 80s and early 90s in Knik, near Wasilla Alaska, but in the halls of ones childhood memories it was another life on another wondrous planet. They were and are THE STONE BOYS and in order of age they are Tim, Brian, Brent and of course myself. I also had two sisters Caroline and Lila. Caroline was the oldest of us all and as Dad put it, ”she was a good first sergeant.” She was also my hero, and being ten years older than me, she was the ultimate in cool. Lila was one of those people who was born with a cookbook in hand who meant business in her dealings with her mischievous little brothers but who had a kind heart. But that is another story.
This story begins on a warm Alaska spring day, warm being about thirty degrees. Since it had gotten warm enough to play
outside in shorts a t-shirts I was engaged in my favorite past time which was to turn over rocks, logs, motor homes or anything
that might house an interesting insect. I was turning over and scattering one of my fathers carefully stacked piles of scrap
lumber when the greatest idea ever conceived of popped into my head. Of Course!! We had trees, scrap lumber, and I new where
there were cans of old nails and a hammer EUREKA !! I got all my brothers together and told them my idea. “I don't know,” Brent
said, “shouldn’t we ask dad if we can use his stuff?” “Oh dad won't care,” Brian put in (incidentally Brent and Brian are twins).
Tim liked the idea immediately and we set to work. Our cousin and close confidant Wayne also joined us for the project and added his good ideas as well. Right away we realized that we would have to build it between several trees because their was no one tree big enough to house it. Behind our house there was a seemingly endless forest with lakes and game trails untouched and unspoiled, except for four mischievous little boys.

We found five trees that were big enough and in a rough circle and began to dream of the glories of our soon to be fortress of civilization in the untamed wilds. Just then we heard
Lila calling us into eat and realized that some unscrupulous power in the universe invariably put lunch time right in the middle
of a budding a epiphany. We would not even consider failing to respond to our mothers summons however, both because it would
inevitably result in a spanking and the fact that our mother was an unsurpassed cook and thus her meals were nearly always
something to look forward to.

I say nearly always because she would quite often cook a tasty meal and then introduce brussel sprouts or garbanzo beans or in the case of breakfast Oatmeal or some other unsavory dish that was "GOOD FOR US" Regardless
when mom called us for lunch WE WENT. After lunch we started looking for the longest cleanest pieces of scrap lumber
to nail from one tree to the next to form an odd looking pentagon about ten feet off the ground and ten or twelve feet across.
About that time Brent reiterated his belief that we should have asked dad if we could us his lumber or if we could build a
tree house at all. Brian and Tim and I all assured him that no one would care. In retrospect he was right, but even had we
considered that, we would not have allowed such legalism to ruin such a wondrous adventure. Fortunately Tim was about twelve
at the time and new more about "safe building techniques" than the rest of us, else we would probably have hurt ourselves
quite badly. After the frame work was complete "which took us most of the day because none of us were skilled with a hammer and we had to lift the boards into position using ropes slung over higher branches" we started looking for boards
that would work for the floor of the structure that was to be the bastion of hope against savages and aliens alike. Being spring
it still got dark at night so we had to go inside and have dinner and do the after dinner dishes.

After dinner Dad would put on
an old movie usually a western. I remember him sitting on the end of the couch with his big ceramic coffee cup and his old brass ash tray watching the movie. I remember he was such a big man then with a big grayish brown beard that started just bellow his eyes and ended somewhere under his shirt. I would always try to sit beside dad and he would put his arm over the
back of the couch and thus behind me and watch the movie. The smell of cigarettes and coffee and dad in his place on the couch made the house we lived in the home that I loved. Over the next few weeks we worked on the tree house when we could and it really came together nicely. We built walls about three feet high all around it and found some buckets
and an old bus seat for chairs. We couldn't put a roof on it because by that time we had run out of lumber and most of the nails were used up and spilled all over the forest floor. But to us, roof or no roof that was Fort Dix and the Ritz all rolled into one.
The only down side other than falling out of it more than once was a few days later Dad was clomping around the yard looking irritated and obviously searching for something and as fate would have it he found ME. I was playing out by the tree line on an old pile of shingles tearing them up to see the ants and their eggs underneath when I heard, "ROY COME HERE"
When it came to my dad you didn't hesitate when given a command. I honestly think he could get a bear to grovel through
nothing more than his intimidating presence. While I didn't hesitate to obey I felt a profound reluctance because I knew tone of voice. It was the tone that said something is broken, torn, misplaced or stolen and I know it was you, and it usually was. The question when I found him standing at the front of his homemade 'A' frame shop was, What happened to all my lumber, and where's my hammer? "Fortunately he hadn't noticed the missing hand saw". I remember giving one of those
noncommittal shrugs. You know the one that does not say "I don't know" but does not say "I don't want to tell" either.


Unfortunately though well practiced, those kind of shrugs didn't work on my dad and the truth of the matter was quickly discovered and I think it went something like this..... WHAT THE .... I CAN'T BELIEVE.....I.. ARE YOU NUTS?
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?”
Looking back on that I don't remember whether we got spanked for that or not but i'll assume that we didn't since dads spankings were not something you would soon forget.
I'm afraid I have to go now because my son is disassembling my favorite headphones. AAAHHHRRRGGGG!!!


ROYAL
FRANKLIN
STONE