At the end of August 2020 there were at least 77 large complexes of wildfires burning in 15 states across the United States. Almost a third of them in California.

The many damaging forest fires around the U.S. are, in great part, the result of 75 years of Smokey the Bear, emotionally-driven forest management. Some have termed adherents to these forest management philosophies as “nature fakers”. It is a “hands-off” approach resulting in the suppression of naturally caused forest fires and the unnatural build up of forest debris, and fuels. In a season of high temperature, such as we are in now, the results can be devastating to the ecosystem, lives, and property.

Myopic, anthropomorphic forest management is not a good policy nor a strategy that benefits the forest ecosystem. Creating human-like characteristics or fictional personas in trees and other forest populations, such as Smokey the Bear, does not result in a healthy forest ecosystem. It only makes fire the enemy.

People, bears, deer, and other such critters are only a small part of a comprehensive forest management plan. There is as much “forest” below the soil as there is above. As a professional forester for over 20 years I wrote and executed management plans on large, private landholdings that were surrounded by State, Federal, Tribal, and other private lands. I can testify that it is a very complex process ecologically and relationally.

Should emotions have a role? Sure. They can give us a meaningful connection to other creatures, including trees. This empathy can be healthy and helps us care for other living creatures and systems. But creating a comprehensive management plan that places emotion in its proper, controllable and helpful position in the plan is necessary. When emotion is the overriding governing policy, the result in a natural ecosystem can be devastating.

Nobody likes to see living things die. However, in our current “fallen” ecosystem (world) death is a necessary part of life. Trees are biological systems with natural life and death stages, and cycles. Each stage, each completed cycle benefits a healthy forest ecosystem.

Best Management Practices are not myopic or overly emotional. Fire is a necessary part of a healthy ecosystem and can be productive, not damaging with proper management.

Time to put Smokey back in the forest where he belongs!

Mike

Author Max Lucado wrote: “For all its peculiarities and unevenness, the Bible has a simple story. God made man . Man rejected God. God won’t give up until he wins him back.”

There it is! The solution to all this chaos.

Stop rejecting the call for a relationship with your Creator. I’m not suggesting a works-based religion, trying to earn His favor. That is not how He wants to win your heart. It is through a volitional choice on your part to engage in that relationship. And when you do, He will put His arms around you and say, “Bring all your stuff, your baggage, your hurt, your pain, your doubts, your questions. Move in, and we will work on all that together.”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Jesus as recorded in Matthew 11:28

Today…be encouraged.

Mike

Note: God made “man” male and female. See Genesis 2:27

Abolishing Positive Commitment. Another battle in the culture war.

Commitment: The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity: synonyms: dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness. Oxford dictionary.

The message on some billboards in WI and MN read: “Tired of poverty? Finish School, Take Any Job, Get Married, Save & Invest, Give Back To Your Neighborhood.” The billboard was created by the Center For Urban Renewal and Education in Washington DC. An organization founded by a black women named Star Parker, who stated:

“I lived criminal activity, drug activity, sexual activity. I barely graduated high school literate. I was in and out of the abortion clinic, after clinic. I lived on welfare.”

She said it was these five precepts that pulled her out of poverty. Apparently, many have stated that this message is sexist and racist, including many on the political far left and some of the leaders in the BLM (Black Lives Matter) organization who pressured the billboard owners to remove the message. One person was reported as stating: “To every woman, that’s damn near ‘keep her barefoot and pregnant,'”. Hmmm, I just don’t see that.

I see these precepts as encouraging positive commitment. Commitment to yourself, your employer and fellow workers, to a very special person & life-long relationship, to financial security and to selfless concern for others within your community. This is the foundation of “hope”…the ability to see yourself in a better place, a better way, a better situation in the future. The opposite of these precepts breeds “hopelessness”!

Look at the information below relating to worldwide poverty and the connection to education in the article, Understanding the Connection Between Education and Poverty Feb 07, 2020 – Globalcitizen:

“Nearly 60 million people could escape poverty if all adults had just two more years of schooling, and 420 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all adults completed secondary education, according to UNESCO. Education increases earnings by roughly 10% per each additional year of schooling.” The author asks: “Why does poverty stop girls from going to school?” “Poverty is the most important factor that determines whether or not a girl can access education, according to the World Bank. If families cannot afford the costs of school, they are more likely to send boys than girls. Around 15 million girls will never get the chance to attend school, compared to 10 million boys.”

It is clear that this research, which I believe could be applied to any nation, shows it is not finishing school, or simply a lack of education that will keep girls/women “barefoot and pregnant”. Educated parents can escape poverty and raise their children out of poverty. Their educated children can go on to raise their children out of poverty. Seems like a good plan to me. And these statistics, though related, do not address the positive impacts from the other four listed precepts on the billboard. All of them together are very powerful!

So…since when did positive commitment start to become negative? I’m not sure exactly; perhaps at the very first rebellion against God. However, it was predicted some 2000 years ago that the “last days” would show an increase: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents , ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) A stark warning!

Regardless of where we are in this time-line, the human characteristics listed in this Scripture are not positive and should be avoided. It is these that will keep women “barefoot and pregnant” and in poverty.

The Prophet Isaiah stated: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” Isaiah 5:20.

I think, as important and positive as these five precepts are, they are not complete. I would add two more: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”. And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus, as recorded in Luke 10:27.

I pray these billboards and this message are restored and lives are changed through positive commitment.

Mike

An Open Letter to my Son, who is angry and questioning, rightfully so, why skin color and gender have played such a huge and dramatized role in Biden’s pick for VP.

Son ,I fully understand your anger and why you are asking this question. The answer is because “politics”, affairs of the cities, as it is currently practiced and applied by man (male and female) is a man-made system born out of self-centeredness. With “man” in power it is not altruistic.

From a biblical perspective, the prophet Samuel warned the people of Israel what lies in store for them if they have their wish granted that a king, political ruler, rule over them instead of God. The warning was that the king, political rulers, will take, take, take and tax, tax, tax. Not just a warning to Israel but to the world! Under the guise of altruism man-empowered politics is about power. And that is truly what a career politician like Biden wants. His choice of a woman of “color” has nothing to do, in my view, with equality for women or people of color. I believe, he believes, it was a strategic, political choice to gain power. Rather than do what a true Statesman would do, which would be to choose the most qualified person for VP regardless of gender or color, he bent his knee to the extreme elements of his political party. His agenda is power, not people. That is your answer.

I do fear for our country right now. I do also, however, believe our Constitutional Democratic Republic and Federalist Separation-of-Powers, which are unique in the political world, will sustain our God-given and Constitutionally guaranteed rights and privileges for a while yet. There is an interesting statement attributed to a Scotsman named Alexander Fraser Tytler. He said:”A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy”.

I see this happening in our country right now! Just replacing one form of man-made system and human “king” for another; embracing power and self-centeredness. The anarchy, destruction, senseless murders and news accounts showing people looting are symptoms of an eroding culture that is embracing self over others’ and replacing God with idols. Our Constitutional Democratic Republic, “One Nation Under God” is in jeopardy! However, until the man-made systems are replaced by a God-made system we will continue with this upheaval and turmoil in our country and world. And, biblically, we are promised this will happen in God’s timing. Until then we must maintain a measured level of participation in our political system, recognizing the people in power are the people whom God allows to be in power, but knowing this system or those leaders are not where our true hope lies.

Trust in God during these difficult times; turn those within your sphere of influence towards Him. Channel your anger into a positive, others-centered focus. Pray…respond to others with whom you don’t agree; don’t just react in anger. All else is like chasing after the wind. You will never catch it.

I love you Son!

Dad