The courage to speak the truth

I am re-posting a blog written by a good friend of mine.  I am posting it here because I believe it describes in brief what Daphne and I - and scores of others - have experienced in our former church, but written honestly and I believe graciously.  My friend has given me much food for thought, and as a result I've begun to write down some of my own reflections - some very similar to his, but many quite different as our level of exposure to the harmful behavior he describes was far more personal and intense.  There has been a blanket of silence among former church members, mainly due to an intense level of fear and intimidation that is, in and of itself, very revealing.  I believe my friend's courageous reflections have opened a floodgate of pent-up emotions for many people, and his blog has had upwards of 600 hits today alone.

 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" 
 Galatians 6:7,
 

Anyway, here's what he wrote:

An Open Letter To My Former Pastor

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Romans8:28

A few weeks ago I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. We attended the same church for a couple of years and while we weren’t close, I think we would both agree that we shared a special bond because we were baptized together.  But one day she just stopped coming.  I wondered what had happened to her, but honestly the church was in turmoil and not long after she left I did as well.  It was great to see her and we talked for quite a while but what she had to say was heartbreaking to hear.
She told me that when she found the church she was recovering from an abusive relationship and that while she hadn’t been a Christian, she found meaning and a new purpose in her life. She accepted Christ, was baptized that day and decided to devote her life to serving God.  But then something happened, she wouldn’t elaborate any more than to say that she had been offered a staff position at the church but as she prepared to quit her job and devote her life to God, promises were broken and she was viciously rejected.  She said that she was verbally assaulted by the pastor and he told her that he didn’t owe her anything and if she didn’t like it, she could leave.  She told me that after that she tore up her baptism certificate.  She said that she couldn’t believe that any God would allow someone like that to represent Him and that she has no faith in God or the church.  She said that she didn’t need God before and she doesn’t need Him now, and she will never set foot in another church again.
I could see the pain in her face, and I didn’t know what to say. What could I say?  I had recently left the same church after seeing some dark revelations of my own.  In the last year I got a close look “behind the curtain” and I didn’t like what I saw.  It ranged from irresponsible and negligent to dishonest and immoral.  So like my friend, I left, appalled at what I had seen and like her, I was treated badly on my way out.  Honestly I am ashamed and embarrassed that I had been a part of it for so long.  But unlike her, I grew up a Christian, my faith in God was unbroken but my trust in those who represent him was badly damaged.  I can differentiate between the two of course, I know God’s word is true and he will never forsake me.  But I made the mistake of putting my faith, for several years, in a man and I allowed that misplaced trust to blind me to what was really going on.
I told my friend that I was very sorry for what happened to her. I told her that what she experienced and the pain she endured was not from God and that the way this man treated her was not God’s way.  I told her that I hoped that one day she would find peace with it all and trust God again; He loves her and still wants to have a relationship with her.  I told her that “that church” was a poor representative of what church is supposed to be.  He said the right words on Sunday but didn’t live the message.  She appreciated my words but I could tell that she’s not ready to trust again, and I don’t know if she ever will be.
So what would I say to my former pastor?
People matter to God, and they should have mattered to you.
Sure, your church helped people but there were strings attached and you always kept score. If anyone crossed you or left after receiving your “generosity,” you used your sermons to point out how benevolent you were for tolerating their ungratefulness.  You covered up and committed immoral and unethical acts and hid your true character and that of those around you.  Is that how a pastor behaves?  Is that how a Christian behaves?  Is that how a man behaves?  You, my friend, are a coward.
In 1886 James Freeman Clark wrote a fantastic essay on “manliness” and this excerpt sums it up well:
Lies usually come from cowardice, because men are afraid of standing by their flag, because they shrink from opposition, or because they are conscious of something wrong which they cannot defend, and so conceal. Secret faults, secret purposes, habits of conduct of which we are ashamed, lead to falsehood, and falsehood is cowardice. And thus the sinner is almost necessarily a coward. He shrinks from the light; he hides himself in darkness. Therefore if we wish to be manly, we must not do anything of which we are ashamed. He who lives by firm principles of truth and right, who deceives no one, injures no one, who therefore has nothing to hide, he alone is manly. The bad man may be audacious, but he has no true courage. His manliness is only a pretence, an empty shell, a bold demeanor, with no real firmness behind it.
The last time I attended your church you made an interesting comment about introspection in your sermon and it was very telling. You said that you can’t look at yourself introspectively because it would destroy you. You implied that it is because you’re your own worst critic, but I don’t believe that explanation is the real truth.  I think you lack the courage to allow God to reveal your true self to you.  I believe that deep down you know that to look at yourself introspectively would destroy you because what you would see is not what God intended you to be.  Instead you would see a man who puts himself before God, a man whose gluttonous hunger and insatiable need for adoration and obedience overrides your obligation to do what is right.  A pastor who shamefully turned on his flock and rather than leave it to the wolves, you became the wolf and devoured it yourself.
You did the unthinkable, you ate your own.
You now commune with only a handful of loyal automatons, your congregation of over 700 souls long gone and only your “yes men” are left to worship you. Through your writing and social media you have created an inauthentic world that you describe as a hurricane that only you are strong enough to stand against.  And as you now publically converse with the storm that you created, you share your conversation with a ship of unknowing fools.  You spout your drivel to an online audience that sees only what you allow them to see. You silence any criticism, ridicule truth seekers and block those who know the truth.
I know you have suffered loss and pain throughout the massive crash of the church that you built. You lost your congregation, you lost friends, and you even lost your marriage.  But until you realize that you need to lose yourself, give your life over to God’s will and not your own, you will never achieve your true potential.  You say they left because they weren’t strong enough, weren’t committed enough, and didn’t have vision enough.  What you don’t see is that the church failed because you convinced the members to put their faith in you rather than in God.  You could never possibly live up to that standard, and you need to realize that they left because it was your church and not God’s church.
You do have amazing potential, you are a talented and inspiring speaker and I think you can still be the man God wants you to be. But you are going to have to first recognize the pain you have caused and the incredible damage you have done.  You may never be able to undo that damage but if you genuinely seek forgiveness, it will come.  For many it won’t come easily and it will take time, you will have to humble yourself and acknowledge your failures, but if you do you will be forgiven.  I have hope for you and there is forgiveness in my heart.
Ironically this experience has taught me something I’ve needed to learn for years. Over 15 years ago I was seriously wronged by another and while I often said that someday I would forgive, I also said that I wasn’t ready.  Well thanks to you that day has come.  I realize now that for all these years I have not been living as God would have me live, with forgiveness.  So in an odd way you have been the catalyst to help me find forgiveness, to let go of my bitterness and be free of its burden.  It has been a painful lesson to learn, but I thank you for it, and now I have another more important letter I need to write.

Car Wreck

I was going to the bus stop with Jacqueline this morning, she was driving, when we hit a patch of black ice and started to slide.  There was nothing I could do from the passenger seat except to tell her to take her foot off the gas.  She hit the brakes, we slid across the road, did a 360 and slammed into the hillside... then did a slow roll onto the side.  We were both very shook up, but Praise God no injuries.  Amazingly, several cars raced by and did not even stop.  A friend of ours thankfully pulled over, and there was an off-duty hwy patrol woman who flipped on her lights.  Even with her being there, cars were still racing by - and several of them started to slide and another truck did a 360 before he regained control.  We had to climb out through the passenger side window and drop down.  I am guessing there's a good chance the car will be totaled - the second one since Karine had her accident several years ago and totaled our first blazer.   Hard lessons learned for young drivers, but God was good and kept us from hitting another car or rolling down the opposite side of the highway where there's a steep embankment. 

Unbelievable

It's 2:00 am, and after tossing and turning for a fitful hour or so I finally got up.  Daphne and I just returned yesterday afternoon from a brief, but much needed, time away together.  Several months ago I'd purchased a Groupon for a hotel and spa in Crested Butte that seemed almost too good to be true - less than half price for the hotel room and vouchers for the spa.  I jumped on it, knowing that we REALLY needed to get away.  I told Daph that we can use it to celebrate our 23rd anniversary (back in June) and my birthday (last Sunday).

Fast forward to the present. 

The date finally arrived last Sunday for us to make our three-day escape to Crested Butte.  There was only one problem: we were literally out of money.  I had a pile of bills stacking up at the house that I couldn't pay, and the responsible part of me kept saying that I shouldn't be spending any money now... money we don't have ... just to go relax for a few days with Daphne.  But I bit the bullet, borrowed from Peter to pay Paul, and we took off.  It was a great, quiet time for the two of us ( I think we were the only guests at the hotel!).  I brought cash to pay for our gas and meals, since I didn't want to overdraw our bank account.  You'd think that after knowing God for nearly 40 years I would have learned to trust Him with all of our needs and just relax, but in the back of my mind was the nagging reminder of all the unpaid bills waiting back home.  We skipped a meal or two to save money, and decided not to use the spa vouchers since we couldn't afford the difference between our $30 vouchers and the $110 actual cost for a massage.  So we slept late, went window shopping in town (Daphne), did some fly fishing (Jim), and bought popcorn and snacks to eat while we watched movies in the hotel room.  It was great.  

On our way there and on our way home we talked about many things: about how we ever ended up running a country store in Bailey, Colorado - something neither of us had ever thought about or even imagined.   And we talked about some of our dreams and the things each of us is asking God for, but that we'd never shared with each other before.  Daphne is trusting God that one day I will sleep through the night and not be up at 2:00 am writing on my blog (no comment), and that our girls will all walk with God and marry men who will love them and lead them spiritually, and that she will grow to be a woman of faith - to believe God for impossible things.  I'm embarrassed to say that my requests are not nearly as spiritual or selfless as Daphne's - like asking God to give me a friend who owns a ranch and horses... someone I can go riding with, where I can satisfy the cowboy within me who's dying to get out.  Or that God will bless our store so that one day we won't have to struggle to make ends meet, and we'll be able to employ other folks who desperately need the work.  Or that we can enjoy a meal at the Steakhouse in Crested Butte, rather than just going for pizza.  Or that we'll earn enough so I can help pay my daughter's way through college so she doesn't have to work so hard.  At breakfast this morning Daphne made the timely comment that even though we've always been living by faith with our finances, we've had the privilege of living in and traveling to exotic places  that most people only dream about (and a few that most sane people stay away from).  She's totally right.  Like I said,  she's the more spiritual one of the two of us.

We stopped by the store on our way home to check on Dana (our friend and part-time employee), and she handed me an envelope that someone had dropped off for us.  I stuck it in my pocket with some other stuff and forgot about it.  As I got up this morning I was again thinking about our unpaid bills, and I remembered the envelope in my jeans pocket.  I opened it, and inside was a check for $700 and a note from some dear friends, "Use this in any way God directs.  We love you guys."  I began to weep, overwhelmed at such a direct, on-time provision from God through friends who had no idea of what our financial needs are.  He is intimately acquainted with all our ways, just like the Scriptures say.  Jehovah-Jireh.  God our Provider.

I'm off to try to get some more sleep before I have to drive Jacqueline to the bus stop at 6:30.

Settled in our new home.  It's much smaller than the home we had in Conifer, but seems to suit us better.  All three girls are with us at present, though Nicole will leave to had back to Chapman in a week - a sad day for all of us.  We love her dearly and miss her terribly when she's gone.  Karine will stay here until the weather turns worse and she'll need to be closer to Evergreen where she works, at which point she'll move back in (I assume) with one of her employers. 

We've had the country store for almost 14 months now, and thanks to the Lord and lots of help from friends the store is doing very well.  There were those who believed and said that we would never even get it open, but God had another plan.  We've met literally hundreds of people in the past 14 months who have enriched our lives and who have made our store a regular hang-out.  Even as recently as yesterday we had a French family come in who were passing through on their way to Salt Lake City, and we enjoyed 20-30 minutes of French conversation about all the things we miss about France, like the cheese, and the wine, and our friends.  It was like a breath of fresh air, and I loved every minute. 

Last weekend Daphne graciously ran the store while I went off with my band of Marauders to perform several reenactments for Living History Days in South Park City, a restored old west town and museum that's a perfect venue for gunfights.  And the Sunday before we performed in another small town called Hartsel for their annual festival.  It just so happened that our friends Lewis and Lacy Alexander were with us that weekend, and I somehow managed to convince them to join in with our reenactments.  Everyone agreed that Lacy made a perfect brazen hussy in her saloon girl attire :)
I managed to rustle up a couple of horses for me and another of our crew to ride in the parade, and when our guys at the front starting shooting off their revolvers and double-barreled shot-guns the horses did a pretty good rendition of the cha-cha.  When the parade was over I rode over to where our guys were waiting and said, "Next time, you ride and I'll shoot!"  The whole thing was a great deal of fun. 

Some of our group with other reenactors in Hartsel, Colorado.  Lacy's on the right.

Jim a.k.a. "Cherokee Jack"  Myers posing for a photo during the Hartsel parade

Lewis looks pretty B.A. if you ask me

Wild Frontier

The past few days have been exciting, challenging and crazy!

A New Home

First off, we've made an offer on a home, and it was accepted!  It's much smaller than our previous home (1800 sq feet vs 2900) but we wanted to downsize anyway.  It's located only 10 minutes from the store, and was built in 1999 - so hopefully there are no major issues.  We've done most of the inspections and we'll submit our inspection objections tomorrow.  The only real downsides are the steep driveway and no dining room to speak of.  It even has a hot-tub, which was one of my personal requests of the Lord, so I can get some relief during the bad nights with restless legs.  We're taking a calculated risk to buy the home, since we would not qualify for a home loan until we can show 2 years of profit from the store (and the store has shown no profit so far, which is the norm for small start-up businesses) which requires us to use IRA funds along with the equity from our home in Conifer.   Our home for the past six months has been the apartment above the store (and three storage units) which has worked out fine for the short term, but we've all been sleeping in one room which has it's definite drawbacks... I'll leave that one to your imagination.   The house was only on the market one day and already had one offer on it, so we had to jump on it to have any chance of getting it.   We'd already had three other homes that we were ready to make offers on (all of them on the market 3 days or less), and each time they were already under contract.  No question the housing market is heating up.  Our trust is in the Lord and His faithfulness.  God is good, all the time!

MYERS MARAUDERS

I've started an old west gunfighter reenactment group called The Myers' Marauders.  The whole idea came about last year when I invited another reenactment group to come perform on Bailey Day.  I wanted them back this year (June 14), but they were not available.  I started doing some research, recruited a few other guys who enjoy playing cowboy, and we're now in the process of joining the American Frontier Reenactment Guild.  The guild is very particular about the actors wearing authentic period clothing and using period guns - so I traded in my .357 for a replica colt .45 revolver.  We're scheduled to do five shows on Bailey Day, and we're working out an agreement with South Park City (very popular 1800's ghost town in Fairplay, CO) to perform multiple times this summer.  We had our first performance in Shawnee (couple miles from Bailey) for their history day. The gal who was organizing the event wanted it to be a surprise, but I know how many people are packing heat up here and told her that we needed to put a sign up to alert people that a western gunfight would be taking place.  Part of the skit involved me coming in with a scarf over my face and my gun drawn.  I yelled, "This is a hold-up!  Get your hands in the air!"  At which time the musician who'd been playing up front points a gun at me and yells, "Oh yeah!  We'll see about that!".  My immediate thought was, "This wasn't part of our script", and I stood there for a couple of seconds wondering what to do - since I only had blanks, and depending on whether that's a toy or not that he's pointing at me this could get tricky.  I decided to ignore him and went on with the show.  Found out later it was a toy gun... that's all I need is a hero who guns me down in the middle of a show!  The following weekend we were asked to do two performances for the first anniversary of the new Staunton State Park near Conifer.   I have a feeling this hobby could get out of control real fast!

What does believing in God have to do with Sasquatch?

A recent article I wrote for a local newspaper.  Enjoy :)



A few weeks ago I went squatching with a couple of friends. “Squatching” is an Indian word that means “White people walking in the woods who see nothing.” However, seeing nothing never stops me. Kind of like killing nothing has never stopped me from hunting. My so-called friends say the safest place for an elk to be is right in front of my rifle. Very funny. The safest place is actually a little to the left in front of me. Anyway, we started our hike where we'd seen some promising signs in previous weeks, and it wasn't long before we found a bunch of sapling tree breaks. No one knows why Squatches (that's what we Squatchers call them) break trees, but it's assumed to be some kind of territorial display. It's the Sasquatch version of big tires and lift-kits on pickup trucks, only much less expensive. The (top secret) place where we were hiking was literally covered with deer and elk tracks, which is a good sign since Squatches really like their protein. After a couple of hours of walking we came across something really strange: there in the snow was a perfect, elk-shaped impression – but no elk. It was like someone had pressed in the snow with a gigantic elk stamp. And we noticed something even weirder (is that a word?): there were no elk tracks leaving the site, nor lion tracks, nor drag marks, nor any blood. There weren't even any signs of a struggle. That elk just hit the snow like it ran into an invisible wall at full speed. We stood there like three Sherlock Holmes actors trying to figure this one out, and we could only come to one conclusion: the elk was picked up and carried away. And at 400-500 pounds that's no small feat of brute strength. There was another set of prints that paralleled the elk trail – only these were much larger and more shallow than the elk tracks with about a ten foot stride. But, of course, they were too melted by the sun to give any clear idea if they were Squatch prints. Yes, this is the footprint version of the fuzzy squatch-blob photos.


I've never personally seen a Sasquatch. I know quite a number of people who say they have, and in most cases I believe them. The first eye-witness I ever met was my friend Kate, who saw a large Squatch in May of 2012 along with a friend with whom she was hiking. Since then, we've met scores of people who come into our store in Bailey to stick a colored pin on the Colorado Sasquatch Sightings Map we have up on the wall. There's over 70 pins on that map already, and we only put it up six months ago. Course, that's about the time the grow store opened up down the street... just kidding. All joking aside, the legend of Bigfoot has to go down as one of the great mysteries of the last two centuries: how a creature that stands eight feet tall, weighs somewhere around 800 pounds, walks on two legs, is covered with hair, stinks like a skunk, and has never, not even once, been caught or confirmed killed. And yet there are hundreds, possibly even thousands of stories that come from every state in the union. EVERY state. Even Arizona and New Mexico. They can't possibly all be hoaxes or drunken hallucinations. There is definitely SOMETHING out there.


We get a lot of Sasquatch enthusiasts coming to our store, and they will eventually get up the courage to ask THE question: “Do YOU believe in Bigfoot? Hmm...Do I Believe? The question almost feels religious, as if they were asking if I'm a Bigfootist, or if I practice Sasquatchism. I've even had someone ask me how I, as a religious person, can believe in Bigfoot. Why? What does believing in God have to do with Sasquatch? Apparently, many people look at God and Sasquatch in the same way – as mythical creatures with no scientific foundation for their existence. To a certain point I agree with them, because to believe that God or Sasquatch exists takes a healthy dose of faith. But of this I am sure: there's only one thing that will turn a skeptic into a believer – and that's a personal encounter. Then there's no convincing them that God or Sasquatch DOESN'T exist! I can attest to the fact that God is real, He is personal, and He is seeking a relationship with each of us. He has broken through into my world numerous times in dramatic, unmistakable ways. I love to tell these “ God moment” stories, because my life will never be the same. So who knows? One of these days when I'm out in the woods I just might have a personal encounter with Sasquatch, and after I've cleaned my trousers I'll tell you about it.

Pushing Snow

Snow plowing.  Up at 3:00 am after a fitful night.  Drive through the Star Wars, warp speed simulator
(snowstorm at night).  Plow three parking lots, then start on the driveways.  I have to be extra careful with the driveways as I damaged more than one garage door last winter due to heavy snow and sleep deprivation.  My insurance agent warned me not to make another claim.  I thought insurance companies existed to sell insurance??? Must have been in the fine print: "Last but not least, don't file any claims or we'll cancel your policy.  Ha Ha."

Get a phone call mid-morning, "Do you plow snow in Shawnee?"  After a minute or two of discussion I agree to swing by his house, since he assured me it's an "easy driveway".  Should have learned my lesson by now; the "easy ones" are always the worst.  We live in the mountains, and every home builder up here must be from Florida or something.  They love to build driveways one of three ways:  straight up the side of the hill at a 60º angle, or with 3-5 hairpin turns that will only accomodate a mini cooper, or 1/2 mile long.  This driveway was the second variety.  The gentleman I spoke to was obviously quite elderly, so I decide not to charge them the full price.  That's the next lesson I should have learned by now: charge by the minute, not by the job.  As soon as I arrive I can tell that one end of the circular driveway has at least 2 feet of snow on it, and the other end has three tight turns that my truck can barely make while I try to keep from crushing the ornate solar driveway lights that every snow plower just loves.  I end up spending way too long on his driveway, but I still want to cut them a break on the price.  Just before I leave I find out that this is their second home.  They normally live in Highlands Ranch, a Bourgois suburb of Denver.  C'est la vie.

Gotta Love The Beauty of Fresh Snow

We Are Bailey

Not quite sure how all this happened.  I joined the local Platte Canyon Chamber of Commerce last year and was elected to the board, then asked to serve as Vice President.  Really?  But I just joined!  Welllll, I guess so.  My "main" responsibility as Vice-President was to plan and organize Bailey Day - the main fund-raiser for the Chamber of Commerce and biggest party day of the year for Bailey's 8,000 + residents.  While I was planning and organizing, I was also trying to finish all the renovations on the Bailey Country Store (our store).  We were scheduled to open in April.  Then in May. And we finally opened our doors - our official grand opening - on June 15th... Bailey Day.  So we were pretty darn busy last year!  Bailey day was a huge success, as was our Olde West theme (complete with wild west shoot-outs, old tyme photo booth etc).  We made more money for the chamber than almost any event in the recent past.  This year when election time rolled around again for the Chamber of Commerce board, our awesome President Marcel Flukiger stepped down after serving three years.  Marcel is an idea guy, and he's Swiss, and he owns the greatest little winery this side of Nappa Valley.  Marcel moved the Chamber forward by light years during his three year term, and Bailey is a better place because of his investment.  Anyway, last month I was elected to replace Marcel as President.  Here we go!  It's the salary and perks that make it all worthwhile :)

The first initiative that I wanted to bring to the chamber is a campaign to build a "branding" or a community identity for the town of Bailey.  Bailey is a true community, whereas Conifer and Evergreen (in my opinion) are more bedroom communities for Denver.  Bailey has taken more than its fair share of hits in recent years (economic hardship, Platte Canyon High School hostage incident) and yet the people here just keep bouncing back.  I've been genuinely impressed in this town to see how the Bailey residents consistently look out for each other, support each other and do whatever they can to help those who are down on their luck.  I'm a student of culture, which comes from having grown up overseas and living in multiple countries.  And Bailey has its own culture and identity.  All I did was try to put these characteristics into words and bring out the great things about this town and its people.  And here is what I came up with (with help from the chamber board members).  More on this later.

Gearing up for summer

We're in the "dead" time of year right now as far as business goes.  Every other business owner in Bailey is telling us the same thing:  Just get through winter and hope for a great summer.  In the meantime we're constantly re-arranging the layout, trying to find the best way to arrange the store to make it both efficient and attractive.  I went to the Denver Gift Mart last month and bought a ton of merchandise to get ready for a busy summer of hikers, campers and other tourists coming through Bailey - like walking sticks, coonskin caps (Daphne's request), teddy bears, knives, rustic iron signs etc etc.  To display all of this stuff (not to mention our own t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers) I am building new shelves in the "Sasquatch Outpost" room out of rustic log planks and log bannisters that I'll use as legs.  I also bought two peeled 10 inch logs that will go from floor to ceiling and I'll build shelves in between them and insert dowels all around to hang stuff from.  When it's all done it should look pretty cool.

I've been out Squatching a couple of times lately, and we found some signs that are hard to explain.  In one spot we found a set of elk tracks that we could follow in the snow for over 100 yards.  The strange thing was that the elk was apparently crapping as it ran and it left droppings along the entire length of the tracks.  Then the tracks suddenly stopped and we found an elk-sized body imprint in the snow.  There were no tracks leading away from the spot, no drag marks and no blood (though there was some hair in the imprint of the body).  Then we found some strange tracks that paralleled the elk tracks that were 10-12 feet apart (more than one print in each place, but made by something very large).  These tracks went up to and past the place where the elk fell, which makes me wonder if a Sasquatch could have possibly killed the elk and carried its body away??  As I said, the elk clearly did not leave that spot on its own... so what happened to the body?  No way to prove one way or the other, but i've never seen anything like it.  Here's a picture of the imprint in the snow.  Judge for yourself.

The imprint of the body in the snow: legs to the right.  My footprints in the foreground.  No elk prints could be found leading away from this spot, nor drag marks made by a lion or bear.

You can see the droppings in the elk tracks leading up to the place where it fell.  Droppings were along the entire length of the tracks.

The larger prints we found paralleling the elk trail

could this be BIGFOOT?

This just in:  Rick Dyer, a self-proclaimed Bigfoot Hunter, who's been saying for over a year that he shot an adult male bigfoot outside San Antonio now says that (after a legal battle) he's finally in possession of the body and will tour the country with it.  He also says that the body has been examined and tested in every way possible, and over 130 people have seen it now.  Well, this could get interesting!  Has the mystery finally been solved?

 Rick Dyer is well known as the hoaxster who claimed to have a bigfoot body back in 2008, and who was discredited as a result.  Soooo - we'll wait for more info before we make a judgement. 

COULD THIS BE THE FACE OF A REAL SASQUATCH?

Too little magic, too late

My Tigers weren't able to pull the magic rabbit out of the hat one last time, and Florida State came away with the BCS national championship this time.  Good for them.  Both teams fought a hard battle, and as I expected the game came down to the very last seconds - but FSU had the last score and Auburn just wasn't able to do anything with only 13 seconds left.  But I'm proud of Auburn, knowing that last year was the worst for Auburn football in recent history.  So from a 3 and 9 record to playing for the national championship in one year... pretty darn good.   It's all good.  I have a feeling that with Gus Malzahn behind the steering wheel Auburn will play a prominent role in the years to come.  War Eage anyway!

I thought Daphne and I would be on TV today,  but the gal from 9 News told me that it's probably not going to air until next week.  And here I was, ready to make my TV debut this morning.  Now I've got to wait another whole week!  Oh well, fame can wait I guess.

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Daphne and I are learning everything we ever wanted to know about running a country store, and a whole lot more!  I'm grateful that we've got such a faithful group of volunteers who come in and help us several times a week, which gives us a chance to take care of some of our other family responsibilities.  Running the store is actually a lot of fun, and we're getting to meet so many fascinating people from Bailey and beyond.  My role in the local chamber of commerce is likely to increase this next week when the chamber board will vote on the new officers.  I've been asked if I'd be willing to serve as the chamber President, and if the board members agree I'm up for a new challenge (like I don't have enough challenges on my plate currently!).  I'll have to take a hiatus from the Conifer Rotary Club, as I can't manage both civic groups at the same time, given the increased time the chamber of commerce role will require.  I see this as one more great way to serve this great community and build stronger friendships, although I'm feeling more than a little daunted by the idea of leading the whole Chamber of Commerce.

Onward and Upward!

We'll be on the news!

It's snowing outside, which hopefully means that I can make a little money plowing today.  We're only supposed to get 4-8 inches, but that translates into several hundred "plow dollars", and at this point every buck counts.  But God provides, and as is usually the case we don't often know how or from where He plans to provide.  A couple of weeks ago we were getting pretty tight, and then we received a check in the mail from the bank for the balance that was in our escrow account after our loan had been paid in full.  I didn't have a clue that there was any money left in that account, so it was a welcome boost to our bank account.  So God provided from an unanticipated source.  There's an interesting principle at play here, and I'm still chewing on this in my mind (I haven't established any firm conviction... just wondering).  I read throughout the Scriptures that God promises to provide for His children - and not just His children, but for all of His creation.  Jesus makes a very strong statement in Matthew 6 that worry has no place in our lives as believers, knowing that God promises to provide for all our needs.  He even says  Nowhere in that passage does he mention savings accounts, or IRAs, or mutual funds - even though saving and investing was a common practice even back then.  I don't think that God is against us investing in the future, but I do believe that He wants us to depend on Him with all our heart... and sometimes wealth and trust in God can be mutually exclusive.  How will I ever know that I can trust that God will provide for all of my needs, until I actually need Him to?  I know my own propensity to trust in my assets rather than trusting in God - which is probably why the Lord has never blessed me with unlimited finances.  But I can also testify to the wonder and excitement of watching God provide for us on a daily basis.  "So do not worry about what you will eat, or what you will drink, or what you will wear.  For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things... but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and He will take care of all these other needs."   Great food for thought.

On a completely different note:  channel 9 News from Denver came to Bailey two days ago to do a story on our store, and in particular on the Sasquatch Outpost.  They stayed for over an hour and interviewed me, Daphne and a friend of ours who's actually seen a Sasquatch.  The reporter was very intrigued by the map that shows all the local sightings, and I think our friend's story of her sighting really caused her to wonder if all the stories about Sasquatch might not just be true.
The news story is supposed to air on Tuesday morning sometime, but they'll also put it on You Tube so we can download it later.  We're hoping this will be some great, free publicity for the store!