Thanks for the thoughts, they are very welcome and helpful. I think that God makes clarity and the devil sows confusion. So if we want some clarity, we can begin at the beginning and get quite a long ways. I think of the beginning of the most holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It begins, of course, with the trinity: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, because, despite the gainsaying of the various critics, we pray the rosary to God in his three manifestations, we do not pray to Mother Mary but we ask her to pray to God for us and on our behalf. Those who say they are Christian and do not believe in the Trinity might not be, and further conversations should ensue.
Then comes the Apostle's creed, which is the faith, as it has been understood for about two thousand years and passed down from generation to generation.
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Now where the word "catholic" appears, it is given by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in lower case letters because it is a word that simply means "universal." It is a holy and universal apostolic church that was founded by Jesus Christ, not 40,000 sects and 200 million conversations seeking to split hairs regarding matters of theology such as how many angels might dance upon the head of a pin, and would they be having Mozart play while they dance.
I believe, and I think the Holy Spirit is guiding me in this belief, that anyone who can accept the words of the Apostle's creed is a believer. The rest is nuance.
Now that may seem rude, for me to say that the matters which seem to have divided Europe in the Thirty Years war and in other wars, that led to the deaths of many millions of people in horrific conditions of war, torture, and execution, are mere nuance. But the truth is, God made us fallible and the devil has tempted many. So from now on we can work with and have communion with those who are seeking God on the terms God puts in the Apostle's creed. And let the dancing angels sort themselves out.
God bless you and your family. I think sometimes that chocolate has been used as a stand-in for blood, such as in the black and white film "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock where chocolate syrup was used in that manner. So keep your hard hat handy, my friend. Amen.
One of your two most important phrases, my friend. The other being "collapsitarian." You are missed on Twitter, and we all understand your reasons for not being there. I keep seeing my "like" on various posts expire, sometimes in hours and sometimes in days. So Elon isn't really interested in free speech, except for Elon. lol
In recent months, I have taken to calling New York City "Orthanc on Hudson." It's the other tower of evil, in my view.
I believe it is possible for America to be great if it becomes Godly. I don't think it is possible, otherwise. The tribulations we are witnessing seem, to me, to be chastisements. Americans should awaken and shed their chains. We must be the giant of which Isoruku Yamamoto spoke in 1941 when he said, "I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve." Otherwise our children will be enslaved for generations to come.
I am a new subscriber. This piece was definitely an exhortation to all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord. I turned 60 this year (not sure how I got here SO fast) and I just now realize how utterly corrupt and EVIL our government is. It’s worse than any of us can imagine. I want the red states or counties to secede from our corrupt USG. We don’t need their money or politics. Every single one of them are rotten to the core. I bet the CIA/FBI has blackmailed all of them. I don’t know how but the lack of concern and outrage of the things that are going on is terrible. For instance, why aren’t the republicans demanding the J6 tapes be released so we can see what really happened that day and how the government was complicit in the attacks.
Can you tell me about the freedom you experience in the Free Mountain West? What state/states specifically? At times, I feel as a believer I should move to a different country because by living in the US I wonder if am I rubber stamping what we do/demand of other nations? I want no part of that!! But, where would I go? That’s the question.
Anyway, our country is a mess. I see no way out because of course no state will secede. I know God will work all these things out one way or another but can’t imagine the wrath that’s in store for our ungodly nation.
Do you go to church or listen to someone online? I’m discouraged about church and can’t find one. Too few preachers are willing to speak about the evil that’s taking place in our country. How is it that so many were silent about masks, jabs and our freedoms being taken away.? They were fearful that’s part of it. In a way, their silence is complicity.
I guess I’m just rambling now but thank you for your writing. It’s a clarion call to all believers to seek God, pray and trust Him.
There were quite a few things going on for me when you wrote this comment, and in the ensuing activities, I had not reviewed your inquiries. So today is a good day to write back. I am grateful to @KB843 for replying to your comment to draw my attention here.
When we declared the independence of the Free Mountain West in 2004, we were at the Grand Western Conference II in Three Forks, Montana. Certainly at the time we considered all the states from the Front Range to Alaska, including those provinces of Canada that are Rocky Mountain adjacent, and on down into Central and South America as far as Patagonia to be appropriate for the free mountain designation.
Currently, I am in Central Point, Oregon. This community is part of the Rogue river valley. It might also be regarded as "Western Idaho" and as "State of Jefferson." There are considerable "Oregunian" folx here, judging by the window decals on the pickup trux. I did not pick this place out on a map, but was brought here. I'm here in this life as a volunteer, but it is clear to me that it is God's will that I be here. At no time in the prior decades was I ever inclined to come to these parts. God's will be done, amen.
There was a Quaker meeting that I was told to attend in Dayton, Ohio in 2017. It proved to be a spiritual home for me until 2020 when the elders of the meeting chose to close the meeting house. God was quite clear that I should go away, referring me again and again to the verse in Micah 2 "this place is not your rest; the ground has been poisoned against you." I pretty much refused to accept these words out of complacency and a desire to keep the familiar, and God had my next door neighbour move away. The new neighbour lady entered my back garden through the latched shut gate and actually poisoned the ground with herbicide, claiming later that the three types of plants she killed were "poison ivy." But I did hearken to the message. God put me on the road.
There was a Southern Baptist church in West Monroe, Louisiana where I was told to attend on a couple of occasions. One time we shared communion there. There was a Lutheran church in Cuba, Missouri I was brought to attend on my birthday a while later. There is a very nice rural church well South of Eureka Springs, Arkansas called Cove Church where I attended for many months in 2021 and the first part of 2022. The pastor, David Maybee asked me to teach the Bible lessons for several weeks. In the Autumn of 2022 I was instructed to attend Our Lady of Victory church in the southern part of Las Vegas where we prayed the rosary together. In the first months of 2023 I was shown to Our Lady of Grace and Our Lady of Peace churches in Arizona. I was told that none of the churches in California were any good for me, so I prayed mostly at the van I was living in. None of the churches here in the Rogue river valley have been recommended to me in prayer. For about six months I have been shown that I will be building churches, abbeys, and a cathedral in this region.
With regard to other countries, I regret to inform you that there are no free countries. I spent quite a lot of time from 1991 to 2006 very actively searching in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. I've also done extensive research online, run businesses in various places using virtual presence servers including tax havens like Vanuatu, Malta, Mauritius, and Switzerland, and talked to a great number of freedom activists from various countries at the world congresses of the International Society for Individual Liberty (now Liberty International) and it became very clear to me that to live in a free country I would have to build one. So I was shown where to build, how to build, and with what resources. The place is here in the Western United States where many people still have the frontier spirit and have not forgotten the work of their ancestors in hacking a civilisation from a wilderness. Much that is good and honourable is here.
God is bringing a great reckoning. It begins, as these things often do, with those who worship the demons and sacrifice their children and do terrible things for their power and greed, doing a series of horrifying deeds. Then God shall fulfil what was written down by Isaiah in chapter 30 verse 25: "And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall."
Rather a long time ago, my ancestors who were brought here against their will in 1746 were part of an American revolutionary war. Americans are not taught much history in school so it may surprise you to learn that there were two world wars in the 18th Century. The first, which we call "the French and Indian war" or "the seven years war" was fought from 1756 to 1763. France, Austria, Saxony, Sweden, and Russia were aligned on one side, and they fought Prussia, Hanover, and Great Britain on the other. The Dutch and a few provinces in India were also involved in various actions. The Hanoverian usurpation that forced my family off our land in Scotland was running both Hanover and England at the time.
The second world war of our era (since the Great Flood of Noah's time) was fought between 1770 and 1785 on land and sea and was an international conflict that involved Great Britain, France, Spain, the Dutch Republic, Jamaica, Gibraltar, and parts of India. Part of it was settled in 1783 in Paris in a treaty which was negotiated by Ben Franklin. The list of colonies by the way did not include Delaware. And where are all the major corporations headquartered? Delaware.
I mention these matters because in 1776 there was a Declaration of independence which mentions God four times. In 1777 there were Articles of Confederation that mention God one time. And after the last sailors returned from the war, there were several efforts to deal with the hyperinflation of the continental paper currency, such as Shay's rebellion of veterans. These events were used to excuse the constitutional convention of 1787 which took place in secret, was treasonous by its very nature, and which wrought a constitution that mentions God zero times and prohibits any test of religious faith to hold public office. Demon worshippers occupy many seats of power in the national gooferment of the USA. And a reckoning is coming.
So, it really is ungodly, yes, and it really is not "our" nation in any meaningful sense. It has been flim-flam for a very long time, and in recent years God has made sure that the righteous see it.
One further thought that seems important, God has been bringing people to this country for a long time. By country, I mean the land, the territory, the place, and the people who live in it, not the gooferment or the system of laws and disorder. You will find in the fullness of time that God has chosen the people who are here, and that much goodness will result as God's will be done. Praise God. Amen.
I especially loved this…thank you for the reminder and encouragement!
“One further thought that seems important, God has been bringing people to this country for a long time. By country, I mean the land, the territory, the place, and the people who live in it, not the gooferment or the system of laws and disorder. You will find in the fullness of time that God has chosen the people who are here, and that much goodness will result as God's will be done. Praise God. Amen.”
You’re welcome. Thank you for your kind words, and for reading and liking my essays. It helps improve their visibility. God bless you and your family. God is good all the time. God is great, life is good, and I am happy. Amen.
For reasons that are not entirely clear, Substack didn't let me create an active tag for you in the above reply. Thank you for calling my attention to this thread, as I had not seen the comment to which you replied until today. I am commenting here to let you know that I have written quite a bit more in answer to the questions. God bless you and your family. Amen.
Well Jim,
Have to say amen to the idea of chastisement.
Reason being the chastisement that has become part of my living these last few years.
A sort of revelation came to me just this morning.
Was thinking about past things and re membered an experience has way back when in first grade in a Catholic school.
Our Lady of Victory at Troy New York.
It was some sort of holyday and has on an aluminum foil costume dressed up as some saint.
Had me a sword a cap and a shield.
Was as proud as wild stallion standing up on a high ridge.
Somehow a jug of chocolate milk got tipped over and wrecked my cap and shield.
Man the devastation and fear came over me and still remember it clearly.
Pretty weird how odd events leave lasting impacts.
Not that it is real big deal just interesting.
But today it had a more metaphoric feel to it.
Have spent my life trying to walk the Narrow way.
Have gone over the lines many times and seem to get back on for a bit.
Bit never for a long time.
This on again off again thing.
It was the same for Israel of the Old Testament records.
On again off again.
So yeah multiply my own experience time millions of us and this is how we get back on the Narrow way.
Trouble with it is 40 thousand denominations.
We gotta find the most basic place to begin.
Doctrinal lines are way too subjective.
My thing is start with Love the Lord Our God with ALL of our heart and might.
Then love our neighbor at least as much as our own selfs.
If we can get that and earn some levels of trust and respect for one another then possibly we can reason together to work out all the other stuff.
Like He said IF we seek first HIs Kingdom and HIS Righteousness, ALL the other things will be added in.
So back to the cap and shield .
Yeah am still that young boy who lost his Helmet of Salvation and His shield of Faith.
Time to get it back.
Thanks for the thoughts, they are very welcome and helpful. I think that God makes clarity and the devil sows confusion. So if we want some clarity, we can begin at the beginning and get quite a long ways. I think of the beginning of the most holy rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It begins, of course, with the trinity: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, because, despite the gainsaying of the various critics, we pray the rosary to God in his three manifestations, we do not pray to Mother Mary but we ask her to pray to God for us and on our behalf. Those who say they are Christian and do not believe in the Trinity might not be, and further conversations should ensue.
Then comes the Apostle's creed, which is the faith, as it has been understood for about two thousand years and passed down from generation to generation.
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
From: https://www.usccb.org/prayers/prayers-rosary
Now where the word "catholic" appears, it is given by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in lower case letters because it is a word that simply means "universal." It is a holy and universal apostolic church that was founded by Jesus Christ, not 40,000 sects and 200 million conversations seeking to split hairs regarding matters of theology such as how many angels might dance upon the head of a pin, and would they be having Mozart play while they dance.
I believe, and I think the Holy Spirit is guiding me in this belief, that anyone who can accept the words of the Apostle's creed is a believer. The rest is nuance.
Now that may seem rude, for me to say that the matters which seem to have divided Europe in the Thirty Years war and in other wars, that led to the deaths of many millions of people in horrific conditions of war, torture, and execution, are mere nuance. But the truth is, God made us fallible and the devil has tempted many. So from now on we can work with and have communion with those who are seeking God on the terms God puts in the Apostle's creed. And let the dancing angels sort themselves out.
God bless you and your family. I think sometimes that chocolate has been used as a stand-in for blood, such as in the black and white film "Psycho" by Alfred Hitchcock where chocolate syrup was used in that manner. So keep your hard hat handy, my friend. Amen.
I can say Amen to that.
Mordor on the Potomac, indeed!
One of your two most important phrases, my friend. The other being "collapsitarian." You are missed on Twitter, and we all understand your reasons for not being there. I keep seeing my "like" on various posts expire, sometimes in hours and sometimes in days. So Elon isn't really interested in free speech, except for Elon. lol
In recent months, I have taken to calling New York City "Orthanc on Hudson." It's the other tower of evil, in my view.
Good one Godly is way better than great.
I believe it is possible for America to be great if it becomes Godly. I don't think it is possible, otherwise. The tribulations we are witnessing seem, to me, to be chastisements. Americans should awaken and shed their chains. We must be the giant of which Isoruku Yamamoto spoke in 1941 when he said, "I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve." Otherwise our children will be enslaved for generations to come.
I am a new subscriber. This piece was definitely an exhortation to all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord. I turned 60 this year (not sure how I got here SO fast) and I just now realize how utterly corrupt and EVIL our government is. It’s worse than any of us can imagine. I want the red states or counties to secede from our corrupt USG. We don’t need their money or politics. Every single one of them are rotten to the core. I bet the CIA/FBI has blackmailed all of them. I don’t know how but the lack of concern and outrage of the things that are going on is terrible. For instance, why aren’t the republicans demanding the J6 tapes be released so we can see what really happened that day and how the government was complicit in the attacks.
Can you tell me about the freedom you experience in the Free Mountain West? What state/states specifically? At times, I feel as a believer I should move to a different country because by living in the US I wonder if am I rubber stamping what we do/demand of other nations? I want no part of that!! But, where would I go? That’s the question.
Anyway, our country is a mess. I see no way out because of course no state will secede. I know God will work all these things out one way or another but can’t imagine the wrath that’s in store for our ungodly nation.
Do you go to church or listen to someone online? I’m discouraged about church and can’t find one. Too few preachers are willing to speak about the evil that’s taking place in our country. How is it that so many were silent about masks, jabs and our freedoms being taken away.? They were fearful that’s part of it. In a way, their silence is complicity.
I guess I’m just rambling now but thank you for your writing. It’s a clarion call to all believers to seek God, pray and trust Him.
There were quite a few things going on for me when you wrote this comment, and in the ensuing activities, I had not reviewed your inquiries. So today is a good day to write back. I am grateful to @KB843 for replying to your comment to draw my attention here.
When we declared the independence of the Free Mountain West in 2004, we were at the Grand Western Conference II in Three Forks, Montana. Certainly at the time we considered all the states from the Front Range to Alaska, including those provinces of Canada that are Rocky Mountain adjacent, and on down into Central and South America as far as Patagonia to be appropriate for the free mountain designation.
Currently, I am in Central Point, Oregon. This community is part of the Rogue river valley. It might also be regarded as "Western Idaho" and as "State of Jefferson." There are considerable "Oregunian" folx here, judging by the window decals on the pickup trux. I did not pick this place out on a map, but was brought here. I'm here in this life as a volunteer, but it is clear to me that it is God's will that I be here. At no time in the prior decades was I ever inclined to come to these parts. God's will be done, amen.
There was a Quaker meeting that I was told to attend in Dayton, Ohio in 2017. It proved to be a spiritual home for me until 2020 when the elders of the meeting chose to close the meeting house. God was quite clear that I should go away, referring me again and again to the verse in Micah 2 "this place is not your rest; the ground has been poisoned against you." I pretty much refused to accept these words out of complacency and a desire to keep the familiar, and God had my next door neighbour move away. The new neighbour lady entered my back garden through the latched shut gate and actually poisoned the ground with herbicide, claiming later that the three types of plants she killed were "poison ivy." But I did hearken to the message. God put me on the road.
There was a Southern Baptist church in West Monroe, Louisiana where I was told to attend on a couple of occasions. One time we shared communion there. There was a Lutheran church in Cuba, Missouri I was brought to attend on my birthday a while later. There is a very nice rural church well South of Eureka Springs, Arkansas called Cove Church where I attended for many months in 2021 and the first part of 2022. The pastor, David Maybee asked me to teach the Bible lessons for several weeks. In the Autumn of 2022 I was instructed to attend Our Lady of Victory church in the southern part of Las Vegas where we prayed the rosary together. In the first months of 2023 I was shown to Our Lady of Grace and Our Lady of Peace churches in Arizona. I was told that none of the churches in California were any good for me, so I prayed mostly at the van I was living in. None of the churches here in the Rogue river valley have been recommended to me in prayer. For about six months I have been shown that I will be building churches, abbeys, and a cathedral in this region.
With regard to other countries, I regret to inform you that there are no free countries. I spent quite a lot of time from 1991 to 2006 very actively searching in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. I've also done extensive research online, run businesses in various places using virtual presence servers including tax havens like Vanuatu, Malta, Mauritius, and Switzerland, and talked to a great number of freedom activists from various countries at the world congresses of the International Society for Individual Liberty (now Liberty International) and it became very clear to me that to live in a free country I would have to build one. So I was shown where to build, how to build, and with what resources. The place is here in the Western United States where many people still have the frontier spirit and have not forgotten the work of their ancestors in hacking a civilisation from a wilderness. Much that is good and honourable is here.
God is bringing a great reckoning. It begins, as these things often do, with those who worship the demons and sacrifice their children and do terrible things for their power and greed, doing a series of horrifying deeds. Then God shall fulfil what was written down by Isaiah in chapter 30 verse 25: "And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall."
Rather a long time ago, my ancestors who were brought here against their will in 1746 were part of an American revolutionary war. Americans are not taught much history in school so it may surprise you to learn that there were two world wars in the 18th Century. The first, which we call "the French and Indian war" or "the seven years war" was fought from 1756 to 1763. France, Austria, Saxony, Sweden, and Russia were aligned on one side, and they fought Prussia, Hanover, and Great Britain on the other. The Dutch and a few provinces in India were also involved in various actions. The Hanoverian usurpation that forced my family off our land in Scotland was running both Hanover and England at the time.
The second world war of our era (since the Great Flood of Noah's time) was fought between 1770 and 1785 on land and sea and was an international conflict that involved Great Britain, France, Spain, the Dutch Republic, Jamaica, Gibraltar, and parts of India. Part of it was settled in 1783 in Paris in a treaty which was negotiated by Ben Franklin. The list of colonies by the way did not include Delaware. And where are all the major corporations headquartered? Delaware.
I mention these matters because in 1776 there was a Declaration of independence which mentions God four times. In 1777 there were Articles of Confederation that mention God one time. And after the last sailors returned from the war, there were several efforts to deal with the hyperinflation of the continental paper currency, such as Shay's rebellion of veterans. These events were used to excuse the constitutional convention of 1787 which took place in secret, was treasonous by its very nature, and which wrought a constitution that mentions God zero times and prohibits any test of religious faith to hold public office. Demon worshippers occupy many seats of power in the national gooferment of the USA. And a reckoning is coming.
So, it really is ungodly, yes, and it really is not "our" nation in any meaningful sense. It has been flim-flam for a very long time, and in recent years God has made sure that the righteous see it.
One further thought that seems important, God has been bringing people to this country for a long time. By country, I mean the land, the territory, the place, and the people who live in it, not the gooferment or the system of laws and disorder. You will find in the fullness of time that God has chosen the people who are here, and that much goodness will result as God's will be done. Praise God. Amen.
I especially loved this…thank you for the reminder and encouragement!
“One further thought that seems important, God has been bringing people to this country for a long time. By country, I mean the land, the territory, the place, and the people who live in it, not the gooferment or the system of laws and disorder. You will find in the fullness of time that God has chosen the people who are here, and that much goodness will result as God's will be done. Praise God. Amen.”
You’re welcome. Thank you for your kind words, and for reading and liking my essays. It helps improve their visibility. God bless you and your family. God is good all the time. God is great, life is good, and I am happy. Amen.
“I know God will work all these things out one way or another but can’t imagine the wrath that’s in store for our ungodly nation.”
I have thought this so many times as well.
For reasons that are not entirely clear, Substack didn't let me create an active tag for you in the above reply. Thank you for calling my attention to this thread, as I had not seen the comment to which you replied until today. I am commenting here to let you know that I have written quite a bit more in answer to the questions. God bless you and your family. Amen.
Thank-you for sharing your insights. Myself, recovering from a "complete shock" and reorientation following COVID...
I feel that it changed many people, forever. Some for the better.