A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Due to the kind request of THAT GUY IN KENTUCKY, http://thatguyinkentucky.blogspot.com/, I am going to write the story of how the Old Man got led to this geographical spot. It is quite a tale and not what you normally read on the Internet. I'll just sit here and write it from memory.

Daniel Wright was a preacher of the Truth. He had worked his way through Christianity. He had heard a voice from out of this world. Hearing that voice had sealed his fate. When you hear the voice of God you don't forget it. He spent the late 50's and early 60's hearing from this being and then preaching what he heard to various churches in Christendom. But he was rejected. The people didn't want the Truth. They wanted their religion. And that is a big difference. Truth is truth no matter where you get it. Truth is God's religion. Truth is what He practices. I hate the word practice. Let's say he PERFORMS the Truth. Ain't any practicing to it. I mean, the man is a God and rules the known creation and let's give him a little credit for knowing what is going on. I never did like the idea of praying to a limited God. He is an unlimited God. Selah. And that settles that.

But Daniel was always praying and trying to discern the meaning of what God told him. And he was always curious as to where things would be happening. One night he was awakened from his sleep by that voice, speaking outside of his body. The voice said, "I WILL SHOW YOU MY VALLEY." Daniel, being an eager follower of God, got out of bed and got dressed and went to his car. He was driving a Lincoln back then. It was a gift from a wealthy man who followed Daniel. Daniel was in Indianapolis at the time and he started his car and said "Which way Lord?" And he headed out down the street. He was being led by the Spirit. When he would come to an intersection he would look all the different directions and get a good feeling when he looked at the way he as to go. He found himself driving down Highway #37, headed South. About the time he got into Bedford he was headed was on a secondary highway. Actually it would not have qualified as a secondary highway so let's call it a thirdary highway. He drove a few miles and the Spirit showed him where he was to turn off of the highway. And a half mile later he knew he was in the wilderness.

I have already told you that Daniel turned off a minor highway and went a mile on a country road. But he noticed very quickly that the Spirit had left him. That was a bad feeling. So he backed up and there on the right side of the road was a lane, two dirt tracks and grass growing everywhere else. It was practically hidden due to it's primitive state and the fact that it ran downhill rather abruptly. Daniel drove down the hill slowly and when he got to the bottom there was a little stream crossing the road. By this time Daniel was in a spiritual ecstasy and he stopped the car and got out to kneel in the road with his hands in the air, to give thanks to God for the experience. There were birds chirping and squirrels chattering and the little creek gurgling, making peasant noises in the back ground. Suddenly everything went dead still and a voice spoke. "HERE MEN WILL TAKE OFF THEIR SHOES. THIS IS HOLY GROUND." Daniel was astonished, to say the least.

He drove a few more miles along the little narrow road and finally came to a little waterfall. He got out of his car and walked up to the rock where the waterfall gathered to make it's plunge and had a little talk with his maker. He said, "Let this property come into my hands and I will use it for your people." God and Daniel made their agreement right there at that waterfall. And that is the way it began. A Voice, a leading of the Spirit, and then a Promise. The pact they made has never been voided to my knowledge.

We struggled and worked and prayed a lot in the days of Daniel. We went to Bloomington and built the largest sawmill in the state. We built it at the site of an old stone company called the Empire Stone Company. A lot of the stone used in the Empire State Building was quarried and cut there. So was a lot of stone for the Pentagon and other buildings in Washington, D.C. We got it for a song and wrecked out the old stone cutting equipment and sold it for just about what we paid for the land. Free sawmill site! Daniel asked God before we bought the stone mill, knowing that God knew what we wanted to do, wanting to know if it was okay with him and God said, "GO." That sawmill is still there in Bloomington. It has been down more than it has ran since '01 but it still kicks ass and cuts boards. The markets are so bad these days that people in the business don't even talk about buying and selling. The locals of Bloomington hate us because we cut down trees and make boards. But God said "GO" and that is what rules and not the tree huggers and queers of Bloomington. The voice from on high rules, my friends. What it says will happen does happen. It rules all of Creation and that is a fact. It is Master of all it sees. It has unlimited power. He has said that this Valley is the apple of his eye. I pray that we merit that endorsement. But, if he said it, it is true. Let God be true and every man a liar. Stay alive.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net