GOD'S REQUEST

I bought the "Wilderness Cathedral" property from Charles Hurwitz of Pacific Lumber infamy. If I don't pay him he will get it back and who knows what will happen to it: Hurwitz is best know for clearcutting the few ancient redwoods left in the world that were planted by God about the time Jesus was born.

When I first saw the Cathedral lands, I was driving past in a pontoon boat in 1998. An eagle soared alone with the boat and it made me think how wonderful that eagles still live in this tiny remnant of God's Creation in San Jacinto County and how lucky we are to be Americans, and how important it is for us to protect "America the Beautiful" for future generations to enjoy.

I had given up the idea of purchasing the land because of lack of funds but I kept going back to it to see the eagle and the other beautiful birds that live there.

One late afternoon last summer I was heading toward the "Cathedral" in my pontoon boat and a few hundred yards offshore I felt a strange presence, the likes of which I had never felt before. I dropped to my knees and looked up at the sky and asked, "Is that You, GOD?"

The clouds began to swirl in a circle as if a storm were brewing and as I watched in amazement a face emerged out of the swirling clouds. I sensed a Holy Presence and implored, "What do you want?" By this time the face had fully formed with two piercing eyes and a long grey beard.

There was no booming voice or clap of thunder or lightening or any of the signs one might expect from reading the Old Testament, but what had to have been God or an Angel of the Lord spoke to me silently by sending the message to my mind.

I was told to purchase the land as it was an example of God's great work of Creation and that people were defiling Creation around the world and negating Noah's heroic efforts to save each and every species of Creation.

I told the Spirit of God that I didn't have the money to buy the land and that business was bad and getting worse and to please have someone else do it.

There was no response except that I knew that I had been commanded by God to borrow the money to buy the land and that I must establish a Wilderness Cathedral thereon and dedicate it to the memory of those of God's servants who had dedicated and even sacrificed their lives to keep God's Creation alive on Planet Eden.

After I had asked not to have to 'carry the cross' and go into debt and had received affirmation of His request (and any request from God or His Messenger is in my opinion a command), the clouds began to swirl again and the face disappeared into the vortex.

The sky became normal looking. Ever since, I have looked at the clouds to attempt to see another sign but to no avail*. I sure have taken a lot of beautiful photos of cloud formations however.

One of those martyrs was the son of a resident of Coldsping who went to California to try to convince Mr. Hurwitz's logger to spare the ancient redwoods and was killed when a logger felled a tree on him.

If only Mr. Hurwitz would forgive the debt and dedicate the Cathedral to the memory of that young man.

Part of my mission is to show that you can "have your cake and eat it too". With proper forest management we can harvest trees and forest products in perpetuity while protecting our precious top soil, water quality, wildlife, and all the species of Creation. All-age, all species selection management of timberlands is critical for the long-term survival of America as a strong and self-sufficient Republic and so that we can always sing "America the Beautiful" with pride.

ETHICIUS I

*see "Oriental Mona Lisa in the Clouds." Sept. 23,2002

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