Getting out of trouble in the woods

[Veral]

  Gaining experiance is probably the only good part of getting old, if we share it, which is what this post is about.

  One of the greatest fears  and definately the greatest danger for hunters is getting lost, and though we have a compass or GPS with us, and know how to use it, they or we are subject to failure.  So I'll tell you a never fail solution, which works for any age no matter the mental capacity.  I'll tell you two stories to back that.  This is spiritual talk, and my personal opinions, so if you aren't spiritually inclined, don't be offended.  Just read it, file it away, and use if if you get in a tight.  It will work and you'll know you've been missing out on something.  (Since this post has turned out to be of interest to many, and many comments have come in, I am going to go down through it and edit a bit, to give more insight in some places.)

  An elderly man in Minnisota, suffering with the early stages of dementia, who was going into the back country where there were only walking roads, was concerned about finding his way back out.  I told him.  If you get lost, just ask God to direct you out, look around you and ponder each coarse, then take off in the direction that seems best.  You WILL come out where you are supposed to.  He and his wife got lost, tried it, and it worked. -- I pondered whether to tell that to the world, so asked God one day when out in the north Idaho mountains picking huckleberries to guide me to my auto if he wanted me to tell this to the world.  Then I intentionall 'got myself lost' by parking at the end of a road, and well off it in thick brush where the auto wasn't visable until right on it.  To make this very clear, I set the conditions so that finding the auto would be extremely difficult with my normal intellegence and paying close attention to where I was going at all times.  I then headed out into the woods looking only for berries and making it a point to pay no attention to where I was going.  The day was very overcast so there was no sun to guide me.  When I decided to return to the auto I took off in the direction that seemed right and when the car came into sight through the brush,the first thing visable was the door and door latch on the passenger side, and with only one or two steps I laid my hand on the door latch! This is brush that was covering and rubbing against the car, as I had crowded the passenger side so I could get out the drivers side!  In my 65 years I've never walked back to my auto with such precision, nor without at the last, being able to see the auto for some distence, so I normally park where it will be visible from several directions.!
 
  Same if you are searching for someone who is lost, but ask for them to find you or you them.  It will work, every time, without fail.  I've done this in effect, countless times, by asking for specific people to come to me when I wanted to help them, and it worked every time.  To be more specific, these were when I saw injured people from a distence, and asked to bring them devine healing.  I'd guess that 95% of the people I asked to have God send to me, came, and 100% of those who came were healed, no matter their injury or illness.  Some instantly, some within minutes or an hour or so. -- My Bible backing for this advise is the promise in many places that God gives wisdom liberally to all men.  That means your spiritual relationship isn't a factor.  Because your mind will change in His favor when you receive an answer.

  I hope this advise saves someones life, or at least a lot of misery.  More than that, I sincerely hope, MAKES your life!

   I said above that your spiritual relationship with God isn't a factor, and I wrote it this way, because it is fail safe for anyone to ask for wisdom.  However,  I'm convinced that when an 'unbeliever'  asks for supernatural strength or wisdom when trying to help others in need and knowing we don't have all we need to do what's needed, God will always take over, because the motive isn't to use God, but to give more of oneself to someone in need.  In fact, if we look back on these things with an open mind we normally wonder why were there at the right time.  It is because God knows your mind and causes you to be where you can do what you want to do.

  The Bible says that God doesn't always listen to the prayers of the unbeliever, and an unbeliever is someone who doesn't believe He exists, or is a rebel to Him, for whatever reason.   And Jesus said that those who believe in Him  will do what He did and greater.  In other words He promises supernatural power.  He also said that if we believe in Him we will keep His commandments, which means, if we don't keep his commandments we don't believe, and are thus bared from His promised supernatural power.  In other words full spiritual guidence, and answers to many prayers will be withheld if we don't believe.

  This is simple truth which being  ignorant  of causes agnostics, or people who are angry God in some way.   We can get there real easy because we don't see the overall picture of what God actually is, the Father of everyone, with the spirit of any good human father.  In fact the human parents feelings are there because He put His spirit into them.  He told me this personally one time, when I was REALLY in a tight, and I'll never forget it!!  Since then, when I pray, I address Him as Father, and he is the only one who I address as Father.

[ND Sharpshooter]

Thanks for these examples, Veral, and I hope to never need to use this method of finding myself when out in the wild.

[Veral]

   I hope none of my readers do, but the fact is, we are all living 'in the woods' so far as wisdom to handle the problems we face at times.  In fact, being lost is actually a feeling, no a knowledge of mental inadaquacy for the problem at hand.  I have never felt so lost,  and totally helpless to do anything as when my wife died in 1998.  I had a stethiscope on her chest when it and all body action stopped.   Then the overwhelming crushing pain of loss and thought of living without here came over me.  Totally helpless and disparing I looked at the ceiling and said, (With no hope whatsoever in getting what I was asking for, or in fact even believing that I was being heard.) "Father!  Please let me have her back, for just one year, so I can show her I love her!"  I looked down at the corpse, and she opened her eyes.  Upon seeing me she said, "What are you crying about?" 

   Please ponder these statements, which are my personal beliefs, and have changed my life completely since learning them. By intense study of the Bible and 100's of experiances which prooved them to me without doubt. -- Everyone knows and says the spirit has left when someone dies, yet we tend to believe we are a human of human origin, a thing that gradually developed to be superior to all other animals.  Yet all evidence is to the contrary.  Nothing evolves better, but the world has been in a gradual decline through history, and that decline is being run up to breakneck speed by mens greedy ventures.

    My prison experiance taught me that this spirit which leaves us is the actual body which is in an invisable form, but is visable in the body which it forms.  Prior to birth the fetus lives with, by and of it's mother, and at birth, life doesn't start till the spirit and breath of life is given.  It is given by the creator, God, and never loses contact with him, nor could it survive without contact, and all thought and mental process is through and by this spirit, though few are aware of these facts, and the spirit goes back to him at death.  So with this theology, our physical condition is dependant entirely upon it, and in devine healing the supernatural gift is actually a boost to the natural spirit, which is failing for whatever reason to maintain perfect health, or life, if death is the issue of interest.  Without fear of ever being proven wrong I'll make this statement.  "No man will ever create life."  This in the face of the fact that 20,000 scientests have devoted their lives to the study of life, and most of them believing, because their college professers taught them so, that they will someday be able to create life, and trying to do so. To study the requirements of sustaining life and health is a very worthy goal, especially if one recognises that the spirit of life, given by God, is the most important and should be the first concern.  But science by defination is not allowed to consider anything of spirit nature.  Only tangeble things are studied if one sticks to science as defined by Webster..

     So when we ask for wisdom we are acknowledging our creator, Father, and are simply asking for a bit more than we've been getting.  He freely gives it, according to the Bible.  With my second stint in prison this spring for three months, (2006), I started writing a book about my spiritual experiances which mostly happened during the last 7 years since I was first put in prison. I'm not writing them for any personal gain, but as instructions and encouragement to others so that anyone can do the same.  I was quite supprised to find that it took 150 pages, handwritten quite fine, to write down the miricals which came to mind, and this knowing there are at least as many that I didn't remember.  With this much experiance, no one will ever talk me out what I've learned, but anyone who will try to learn what I'm teaching can do the same and more.  I'm not special, but probably could be considered below normal by most learned people.

      My final statement about this spirit thing with this statement.  I have called back the dead numerous times by simply asking, "Father, please return your spirit of life." or breath of life, or ordering the dead,  "In the name of Jesus Christ, you live!"  I've always been very emotional when it do it, of coarse, and speak the latter quite forcefully, as if the dead could hear or understand!  But they always come to life instantly as if they were simply sleeping and hit with a stout electric shock.  -  I wouldn't tell you this if it weren't true, and and possible for anyone who wants to be in tune with their creator, any more than I'd tell you that fine ammo can be reloaded without installing new primers.

    We are asking for the supernatural when we ask to be guided out of the woods when lost, or for wisdom to surviive anything, in the woods or our daily lives. yet, supernatural as it is to be given wisdom to solve the unsolvable,it is no more supernatural than our normal breathing the breath of life which God has given to all living beings.  (There are living beings, and living things, and all get their life from a spirit of life given by God the creator.)

  I hope you ponder all these things whenever there is room and time for your mind to ponder.

[Scott T]

Rather than dismiss this out of hand, like  a lot of folks will, think about what Veral says.  The Lord told us that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could tell a mountain to move and it would.

I always had a premonition of danger shortly before any of the bad things that happened while I was a cop.  Perhaps it was a messanger of the Lord sent to warn me.

I have found that there is much that is unseen, but that does not make it less real. 

[TommyD]

I have to agree that as I get more experience, the spiritual becomes so much more important. A major problem facing people is that there are so many groups claiming to be "the one and only" path to truth. The way I see it, God, the Truth, the Absolute, or whatever you want to call it is like a jewel on the top of a mountain. There can be many paths up the mountain. Some are easier to travel than others. Some work better for a given individual than others. But I don't think that there is a "one and only." So many of mankind's troubles have come from attempts to enforce this "one and only" mentality

A couple of truths that I have come across:

You don't have a soul, you ARE a soul. You are the seat of self-awareness, consciousness, and animate the body. While we have bodies which allow us to operate in this world, we are not bodies. We are much more.

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. This little gem came from a fellow named Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

Tom

[Veral]

  Thank you guys.
 
   Until I was 59 years old, had someone else wrote what I've written in this post, I'd have had a problem believing it, at least that it was for me.  I had heard some amazing accounts, a believed them, but those people were talking from another world so far as I was concerned. 

   Seems to me that most of us have to really get into a bind before we exaust our own resources and, in helplessness, call out to the Creator we really aren't sure is even there!  I had to.

   Yes, God  is used to manipulate people and gain their money by the majority of  religious organizations, which is why I don't talk of any of them.  A relationship with God is the same as with another person.  Totally personal.  It probably won't start till the human starts talking to Him!  When we then realize who and what He is, we give ourself totally to His purpose and the relationship really becomes a joy, no matter what life throws at you.

[ND Sharpshooter]

I want to thank all three of you gentlemen for sharing what you've shared and an even more special thanks to Veral for having the courage to share his posts.  As he knows, we feel the same about "organized religions".  I don't need to pray out loud or in public to show others what I do or don't believe.  Last evening while scouting for a place to set up goose decoys this weekend, my hunting buddy and I nearly ran into a car parked in the middle of the road with both doors open just over the crest of a steep hill with steep ditches on both sides.  To me it looked like there was no way we could get around the car--we were going 45-50 which, in retrospect, was too fast--yet somehow we made it.  I know the left front tire was at the edge of the road and the left rear was in the ditch itself and we missed everything.  We were wearing our lap belts.  My belief is that i have once again been "saved" for something/some purpose of which I will be made aware when I need to know.  We both cursed the driver of that vehicle but DID NOT go back and ream him a new one.  After the adrenaline rush wore off, we both gave thanks in our preferred ways and proceeded with our scouting. 

[Veral]

  I'm very well aware that making such a post can offend some customers till they won't return.  But my life has been lived on the edge for the last 7 years since the government started trying to destroy LBT.  I try to offend no one, and do what seems right for everyone.   I haven't paid the awful cost of prison and this battle with Big Brother to learn what I have about our creator to burry the knowledge from the world.  Thank you for the account you gave.  I could fill many pages with similar accounts, which luck can't be honestly given credit for.

[R J Talley]

Veral, I want to thank you too. Now let me tell you a story that happened to me. It was back in 1983 and I was attending Bible college in Lewistown MT. To help pay for it, I worked at CMP, Central Montana Publishing Co. It did a number of jobs including publish a twice weekly paper called the News-Argus. I was in charge of getting all of the papers either mailed or delivered to the news carriers. I also handled odd jobs such as delivery and Currier stuff. At the college was a young African named Richard Soko. He was from Zambia. Richard had a wife and two kids and was studying to return to his country as a missionary. To tell his story would take volumes but one short tale should set the stage for my story. Richard had no money to come to the US nor did he have any means of support after he got here. That didn't stop him however. He had heard God tell him to pack up his family, get passports and  and go to the airport. While doing this, some missionaries here in America agreed to sponsor him if he could get here. When he arrived at the airport, a complete stranger approached him and handed him the money for the tickets. The stranger told him God had told him to go to the airport with a certain amount of money and it over to a man and his family who needed to go to the US. he obeyed and Richard and family flew to the US where he was met by the missionaries. None of these people had ever met before but all had been spoken to by God and all had obeyed. So far, this is just a nice story for which I have no direct proof other than the words of Richard and his wife. i tend to be a skeptic and while I didn't disbelieve it, I wasn't ready to stake the farm on it either.  any way, on to my story. Winter was hard on Richard. In his country, there is nothing frozen, shoot, they don't even have a word for ice or snow in his native tongue. You can imagine how tough zero degree winters were on him. When we would have a Chinook and the temp would rise to the 40s, most of us were in tee shirts but not Richard. He still wore a parka. Any way, one day in mid winter I was downtown working making the rounds delivering orders for CMP. It was bitterly cold that day and I was wearing the new leather gloves my wife had just bought me for Christmas. We were really poor in those days and she had saved up for those gloves. i saw Richard walking toward the bus depot and I stopped to give him a lift. he told me he was on his way to Spokane to speak at a missionary conference. I noticed his frozen hands and a voice in my head said to give him my  new gloves. Just as I made up my mind to hand them over, I was aware that i was no longer in my body. It was like I was outside above the car looking through it. Sort of like the car was transparent. I heard myself say something to the effect that "here, you will need these"and I watched myself hand over the gloves. i then saw us drive to the depot and watched Richard get out. i watched myself drive away and then the most amazing thing happened. It was as if a large elastic band was snapping back and the next thing I knew, I was back behind the wheel and pulling into the CMP lot. I was calm, but more rested and peaceful than I had ever been in my life. I felt strangely empowered and more alive than ever. I was also filled with an overwhelming sense of joy. It was simply put, supernatural. That has never happened since. All I can figure is that I was permitted to be a part of some amazing plan God had for Richard and for Zambia and the Holy Spirit took complete possession of my body for that short ride. Reece Talley did not hand over those gloves. His body did, but the man Reece, was not in it at the time. That's my testimony. believe it if you like or not, it's your choice; but I know it happened. From what I gather about Richard, this is pretty common for him. All I know is that it was one of the top moments in my life. So, when you, Veral, tell me things such as you did above, I have no doubt as to the authenticity of your experience. People are fond of saying that God moves in mysterious ways but in reality, they rarely experience those movements or at least, they rarely see them when they do.

[Frank46]

I have read Veral's post and am far from being offended. I just turned 60 in october and during the course of my employment and life experiences I have come to realize that someone has been watching over me all these years. Spent three years in the navy and never got hurt. Had steam lines break at work, several close calls driving and probably the list could go on. I have a loving wife two great daughters and who could ask for anything more. I think that says it all. Frank

[dakotashooter2]

We are Never lost. Unsure of the correct path often but not lost.

[Veral]

   If you've been following this post, please reread the above entries, as I have modified most of mine this evening to give new insight, after reading the posts of other.. 

   Daniel Boone was once asked if he'd ever been lost.  --  He answered.  "No, never lost.  Turned around for several days a few times, but never lost."

   If we could all think that way, little problems wouldn't seem so great, but we tend to freek and do counterproductive things when in unfamiliar territory, like the country if we are used to town, and vice versa.  I've felt as lost as anywhere when broke down on the freeway with cars streaming past and no one interesting in helping.

   I must add, that most people who ask for speical help from God when in a VERY severe situation, will make a promise to him, regarding what you will do if He helps you.  --  If you do this, and are serious, you will almost certainly get your answer, but if unfamiliar with having prayers answered will shine if off later, thinking it must have 'just happened'.  --  Trust me.  If you make a promise, God will remember, and you BETTER keep it.  If you are bailed out of a problem after asking, no matter how you are bailed out, say God answered your prayer.  He has so many ways of answering that the human mind cannot comprehend it, and if we fail to give credit or keep our vows with him, we bar ourselves from Him.

   Hold on to your seat a minute while you read this account, and ponder whether a vow means anything to God.

   Above, I told of God giving my dead wife back when I asked.  -- Later I wondered if perhaps she had 'just came back to life'.  Then almost a year later, while in prison in Idaho and her "detained"  without conviction or trial, somewhere in Texas, I would get severe 'burdens' to pray for her.  I had no idea what for, except that she was in serious trouble, so I prayed till I felt free of the pressure on me.  Each time I closed my eyes to pray, when these burdens came on me, a silver cord appeared between me and her, like a rainbow, arching accross the distence from me to her, and I knew it went to her.  The last time this happened, as I started to pray, God spoke softely to me.  "If I take your wife from you, will you serve me?"  I said frantically.  God!  Do you have to?"  He answered.  "I gave her back to you so you could show her you love her.  She knows you love her now, and it's been almost a year."  (EXACTLY WHAT I HAD ASKED IN MY PRAYER!!)  I immediately said, "Yes!"  and the cord broke.  She was near death several times while I was in prison, but I never saw the cord again, though God answered all my prayers whe I prayed for her problems.  During this time I began to feel real bad about calling her back to all the suffering, and told God that I would never ask for her life again but would trust Him to take care of her until His time.

    After returning home from prison, in the second year, she was poisoned with a substance that ruined her kidneys.  Specilists said, "This IS fatal.  There is nothing that can be done."  She is small when healthy, but she lost 25 pounds in a few months, was getting weaker by the day, and was looking like a skeleten, wobbling and staggering when she tried to walk.  One night I new it was  the end.  She laid on the bed, white as a ghost, eyes rolled back in her head, with her only visable motion being death tremers in hands and feet, like when she died the first time.  She could not hear me talking to her, and gave no response when I did.  I sat down my her bed and said.  "Father.  She is yours and I am yours.  If it's your time to take her, do it, and I'll serve you without her as I promised."  --  Instantly,  she sprang to life and said she was hungry!  She gained the 25 pounds back in 5 weeks, and is still with me.  That was almost two years ago!  If you make God a promise, keep it!