"All the factors say GO, but my heart says NO!" Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee surprised his guests on his Fox News Channel show when he said he won't seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. His friends and associates wanted him to run, but after many hours of listening to others and telling his family that the media would pry into their lives his heart said it'd probably be caustic and costly and his love for Jesus Christ was more important. Huckabee in his quiet hours; sleeping, dreaming and after much soulful praying said basically 'I love what I'm doing and I enjoy bringing hope and encouragement to my listeners. I love my Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart' and he for now will abstain from seeking political office.
Many news medias left out the mention of Jesus Christ, but when he said, "NO" he was choosing to stick to his faith Jesus Christ rather than seeking the presidential bid. The television, radio and religious personality had found favor in God and was enjoying his life. Huckabee dashed the dreams of others who would receive payment for political services. Some dreams in life come true and some don't, but what happens to your dreams depends on how much effort you put out to attain your dream, but don't give up on your dreams. Huckabee never mentioned the word 'lucrative' career in show business. That 'lucrative' word was fodder from journalistic tongues. I for one am glad he isn't running, because I enjoy listening to him and his guests on his show and he enjoy his grin while picking his guitar with guests like Ted Nugent. The Motor City madman needs help. Huckabee is a mentor to many people and he enjoys talking with others that have different viewpoints. He loves pickin' and grinnin'.
This weekend I had the opportunity to look at a 2010 pictorial book entitled "365 days" by Todd Reed of Ludington, Michigan. Reed was a photographer for the Ludington Daily News for 23 years and opened his own photography gallery where any person can buy prints of his favorite scenery. The photos in the book are stunning and beautiful and come complete with description of the scenes and camera lenses used to create his expose. He took a stunning photo of the T-38 Talon jet fighter that is perfectly balanced on a pedestal near the entrance to the Mason County Airport. The plane in the photo looks so real; it is a real jet fighter out of commission, but that jet inspires the dreams of others. It inspired him to write that it's always been his dream to really ride or fly in a T-38 jet fighter. He lives and hopes to ride in that plane, but for now he's still waiting.
For many years I've wanted to ride in a Lake Michigan offshore powerboat race. 'I'd like to put the throttle down.' Powerboats rock. For some reason the horsepower thrills me and it isn't just the thrill of impressing others. That's my dream. It still could happen, but if it doesn't I shant be disappointed for God has answered many of my other dreams. You don't always get what you wish for, but you must close your eyes and start dreaming. God can help you reach your dreams. Our dreams are foundations for action and progression along life's journey.
As life progresses there will probably be dream destroyers and destiny quenchers riding your a.. or flaming your mind but don't listen or dwell with those who persecute you. If you are a big dreamer with lots of plans be forewarned they come with hard work and the best dream fulfillment comes when you start at the bottom and work you way up to realize your dream. Meditate daily and seek God's help and your excitement level and energy will rise, but be aware don't get a swelled head or a 'holier-than-thou' persona. Share your dreams with others who share your enthusiasm. Seek God's help and live your life pleasing in His sight. Know God, but dream fulfillment is based upon belief that He put you in your predicament for a purpose. Goals are God-given and God will drive you into the future.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of dreams." To know whether its time to seek your dream depends on if you know God. God gives insights in dreams and God helped Joseph, the son of Jacob to reach his goals. Joseph got himself in trouble with his 11 brothers when they became jealous of the things God revealed to him in his dreams. Innocently he wanted to share his dreams and aspirations with them. Joseph was a highly motivated young man full of God's wisdom and for that reason he knew what he desired in life from many hours of meditating while guarding his father's flock of sheep. He knew the direction of his life and while sharing his insights his many brothers grew to despise him and hatched a plan to kill Joseph and rid their lives. For his effort his dream coat of many colors was shredded to give the appearance a lion had killed him, but at the last minute his brothers sold him to slave traders. The brothers had ridded their lives of the big dreamer, but this was the beginning of Joseph's rise to power. His spirit was unwavering. Joseph didn't give up his dreams so why should you quit because you met a roadblock.
To be a big dreamer takes guts. Joseph knew God and he trusted God and technically Joseph started at the bottom of his dream. He didn't lose his perspectives of his goal and neither should anyone who has big dreams for a better future. To realize dreams we must recognize the motivational aspects of life and cling to available resources. Joseph's mind was programmed not to accept second best. Joseph's brothers lied to Jacob, made false accusations and he spent many lonely days and nights being imprisoned and still his unbending spirit wouldn't die. Dreamers must know their potential in life, but also their limitations. Joseph faced persecution from his brothers and Pontiphar's wife in Gen. 39:7-20, but this didn't get Joseph to change his course in life. Despite family turmoil and tension was on fire for the Lord and displayed his self-assurances to others. He wasn't a pushover.
Even while Joseph was imprisoned he made friends with those who listened to him and he was referred to the Pharaoh. Joseph was a man of positive image and this paved his way for success when he was 40 years old. Joseph dreamed of become a man of political prominence and when he pictured himself as a ruler someday, well that's when his brothers decided he must go. Joseph's dream became reality and in Egypt he reigned second to Pharaoh. Huckabee's destiny originates from his heart like Joseph's and excludes what others want. Huckabee's 2012 heart told him "NO". His destiny is about life choices and the Holy Spirit directed his dreams and God's promises for the future like in Jeremiah 33:3 and 33:15. Seek your dreams.
I'm tired and hot. Time for bed. Dreams and destiny continues...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Dreams and Destiny of Believers - 7
Commercial: "When I grow up I'm going to take a road trip," says an older daydreaming traffic line painter riding the tail end of a road painting truck. That guy loves his job, but sounds as if he'd rather be looking at pretty scenery someplace else instead of asphalt. Why wait until you are too old to enjoy the trip? Got a dream satisfy the itch and start your journey. Don't wait until your exhausted along life's journey.
Dreams by day or night, wide awake or asleep are gifts from God to all believers. Dreams come with voices and visions, even recalling fragrances, but be not afraid of what others might think. Just be mindful that some friends or acquaintances may ditz your dream causing your failure to grasp the answers to problems that only God can provide.
God's promises for our life assure our destiny, but he gives us no crystal ball and no guarantees on how long we shall live. We might leave by accident or design. Few men live to be 100 years old and rare is a woman of 110 years. Our dreams can happen at any age, say from 3 to Heaven's gate. Children often see something others do and dream of doing the same thing when older or some vision is stuck in their minds. Television and computers help bring dreams to reality, but to attain our dreams we must keep our eyes on the prize and God and lean not to the understandings of those who criticize our dreams. God stays true to Christian covenants.
Adam in Gen. 3:23 heard God's angry voice when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. Two angels guarded the gateway entrance with flaming swords. Never disbelieve the voices and visions in dreams. God shows us the way to realize our dream, but God or His angels want us to heed good tidings and warnings, too. Angelic voices and visions reside from dream visitations. Voices don't always arise from nighttime dreams, but rather when wide awake during the day - you might be a daydreamer. I'm big daydreamer.
Moses in Exodus 3 heard the voice of God while standing before the burning bush on Mount Horeb. The precise spot is unknown, but many Bible scholars believe it was at 7,363 feet near the southern tip of the Sinai. Moses was reluctant to obey God's commands. He tried hard to disbelieve what he was hearing from God. Moses gave God excuses why he wasn't fit to be God's messenger. Moses was afraid he wouldn't be able to explain God or "I Am" to the people. Moses tries to excuse himself saying he isn't worthy or educated, but each time God rebukes Moses lack of confidence and God installs his Truths in Moses' heart, mind and soul. God saved the life of Moses and assured his destiny when he was placed in a floating basket on the Nile River. God answered a prayer to keep him safe, but God had Moses destiny planned for the future. Voices and visions in dreams is a valid communication with God.
When we disbelieve what God wants us to know, well, that's when spiritual warfare commences within our body and mind and it results in bad dreams. It's our inner spirit of what's right and demons of what's wrong fighting a tug-of-war battle between right or wrong according to Biblical truths. It happens because instinctively we know in our heart that what we want is contrary to Christian doctrine. The Holy Bible is a dream manager and a business manual for success, too. Flesh and spirit fight over sinful pursuits and its God's way of supernaturally intervening and making course corrections in our life. Every living Christian person on earth has felt the guilt when what we try to do is contrary to Biblical teachings.
Our heart and soul are in disagreement or flux - the rocky road of life's trials. It's a battle of wits that rages within our bodies both day and night causing bad dreams. Understanding what dreams are telling us is key to whether we obey God's angels with a joyful heart or disbelieve and blame God because our life isn't going where we planned. God dislikes our temper tantrums, but He still loves us. Our outward glow fades when we don't listen to our dream callings. God wants us to be successful in life and prosper. He doesn't demand we stay poor and suffer a miserable earthly existence. Since God is the giver or dreams by all means possible listen to your heart and soul.
If people never had dreams or goals in life we'd all be clothed in animal skins and carrying clubs. The wheel might never have been invented had it not been for a dreamer to make life simpler. Nothing would exist today, including us, if it weren't for dreamers and goal seekers. God desires for us to be happy and not sour pusses because we didn't get our way in life as we thought it should. Problem is mortal man forgets God and Christ when the master he serves is his own selfish greed. Once we become believers of the faith God expects us to heed His teachings and not 'deep six' them when its an inconvenient time in our life.
Bad dreams are the result of us trusting ourselves and doing contrary to biblical teachings. Some dreams come from watching horrible thriller movies before bedtime or falling asleep while watching them, the screaming sounds recording in our minds. Eating too many comfort foods; like greasy potato chips or stuffing ourselves with spicy foods can cause bad dreams, too. In combination with body chemical changes the guilty feelings overcome our subconscious mind the brain's electrical field fights a battle over what's right or wrong. No rest for the weary, but God wants us to have good dreams to rest our tired bodies.
Here's a personal example. I'm a nonfiction free-spirit writer, but for three years I languished over trying to write a fictional romance and mystery book. The topic was non-fictional, but I was uncomfortable writing about the source. My mind and soul were constantly at war over content and what was appropriate responses should be because they were contrary to my Christian beliefs. A battle or right versus wrong raged within my heart and I couldn't shake the bad dreams. God's angels were knocking on my mind's door, but my heart was resisting letting them inside my brain. Needless to say I was trying desperately trying to forget my Biblical truths I had been taught and strained to obey secular world writers. The editors said write what you know, but the only books that sell are those with sexual content, well I'm not a romantic that way, but the demon fighting my decent brain said 'sex in a script sells the book.'
Spirits and demons raged a fierce battle, a tiring battle within my heart and mind for supremacy and that's when I had bad dreams that surfaced more than good dreams. It was God's unique way of adding angel whisperers within my dreams from men of God or those asleep (not dead, but living) in the Lord. Ancient Egyptians in the days of Moses had extensive dream manuals for interpreting the dreams of Pharaohs. The war within me ceased when I stopped trying to appease editors and heeded the warnings in my dreams. I realized God was patient and I was not destined to write a trashy book and harm my good reputation. I turned to writing about dreams about prophetic mysteries where people have been straining to hear how to interpret their dreams. Some might think I'm nuts. God is empowering me to write about dreams and destiny of believers so that others might attain their dreams. It is through dreams that God reminds us of His promises for our lives.
I'm meant to inspire and give you courage and hope. If you have a recurring dream jump into action now before it is too late and your too old to enjoy the life God wants you to have, but remember to serve the Lord, too. God will provide what you need in a troubled world of naysayers who disbelieve in your abilities to achieve great things. Dream achievement and goals in life is hard work, but to realize either you must try with all your heart, mind and soul to achieve the destiny God has planned for you. Energize your priorities and don't sit back and expect God to do all the work. God created your mind and He expects you to use it wisely. Two heads are better than one.
I love harmonizing with Roy Orbison when he sings, "In Dreams" and "Running Scared". I find it easy to sing with him climbing into higher octaves without sounding like a wounded rabbit in the talons of an owl. He had a unique voice range. As always nighttime dreams don't start until...the "sandman appears and we close our eyes and drift away into a magical world..." where we can forget all our daily or nightly stresses and dream about something more pleasurable. Not all dreams are good. Some are downright scary.
It might be our Spirit fighting a fierce demon that is trying to control our lives. Our spirit is in a battle of wits between what's right or wrong. Dreams can be beautiful one moment, sad the next or simply horrifying. Some rise in Technicolor or black and white with voices, visions and we can retrieve the memory fragrances from our childhood - things we hadn't smelled in many years.
Orbison sings, "In dreams, I walk with you; In dreams, I talk with you, In dreams, your mine...and just before the dawn I awake to find you gone," well God isn't gone even when you do something wrong. If you deviate from His destiny for your life He'll put angelic activity in your Holy Spirit dreams, too! Think of it as the progressive calling in your life... your destiny. The dreams and destiny of believers continues... Until next time God bless you for reading my blog.
Dreams by day or night, wide awake or asleep are gifts from God to all believers. Dreams come with voices and visions, even recalling fragrances, but be not afraid of what others might think. Just be mindful that some friends or acquaintances may ditz your dream causing your failure to grasp the answers to problems that only God can provide.
God's promises for our life assure our destiny, but he gives us no crystal ball and no guarantees on how long we shall live. We might leave by accident or design. Few men live to be 100 years old and rare is a woman of 110 years. Our dreams can happen at any age, say from 3 to Heaven's gate. Children often see something others do and dream of doing the same thing when older or some vision is stuck in their minds. Television and computers help bring dreams to reality, but to attain our dreams we must keep our eyes on the prize and God and lean not to the understandings of those who criticize our dreams. God stays true to Christian covenants.
Adam in Gen. 3:23 heard God's angry voice when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. Two angels guarded the gateway entrance with flaming swords. Never disbelieve the voices and visions in dreams. God shows us the way to realize our dream, but God or His angels want us to heed good tidings and warnings, too. Angelic voices and visions reside from dream visitations. Voices don't always arise from nighttime dreams, but rather when wide awake during the day - you might be a daydreamer. I'm big daydreamer.
Moses in Exodus 3 heard the voice of God while standing before the burning bush on Mount Horeb. The precise spot is unknown, but many Bible scholars believe it was at 7,363 feet near the southern tip of the Sinai. Moses was reluctant to obey God's commands. He tried hard to disbelieve what he was hearing from God. Moses gave God excuses why he wasn't fit to be God's messenger. Moses was afraid he wouldn't be able to explain God or "I Am" to the people. Moses tries to excuse himself saying he isn't worthy or educated, but each time God rebukes Moses lack of confidence and God installs his Truths in Moses' heart, mind and soul. God saved the life of Moses and assured his destiny when he was placed in a floating basket on the Nile River. God answered a prayer to keep him safe, but God had Moses destiny planned for the future. Voices and visions in dreams is a valid communication with God.
When we disbelieve what God wants us to know, well, that's when spiritual warfare commences within our body and mind and it results in bad dreams. It's our inner spirit of what's right and demons of what's wrong fighting a tug-of-war battle between right or wrong according to Biblical truths. It happens because instinctively we know in our heart that what we want is contrary to Christian doctrine. The Holy Bible is a dream manager and a business manual for success, too. Flesh and spirit fight over sinful pursuits and its God's way of supernaturally intervening and making course corrections in our life. Every living Christian person on earth has felt the guilt when what we try to do is contrary to Biblical teachings.
Our heart and soul are in disagreement or flux - the rocky road of life's trials. It's a battle of wits that rages within our bodies both day and night causing bad dreams. Understanding what dreams are telling us is key to whether we obey God's angels with a joyful heart or disbelieve and blame God because our life isn't going where we planned. God dislikes our temper tantrums, but He still loves us. Our outward glow fades when we don't listen to our dream callings. God wants us to be successful in life and prosper. He doesn't demand we stay poor and suffer a miserable earthly existence. Since God is the giver or dreams by all means possible listen to your heart and soul.
If people never had dreams or goals in life we'd all be clothed in animal skins and carrying clubs. The wheel might never have been invented had it not been for a dreamer to make life simpler. Nothing would exist today, including us, if it weren't for dreamers and goal seekers. God desires for us to be happy and not sour pusses because we didn't get our way in life as we thought it should. Problem is mortal man forgets God and Christ when the master he serves is his own selfish greed. Once we become believers of the faith God expects us to heed His teachings and not 'deep six' them when its an inconvenient time in our life.
Bad dreams are the result of us trusting ourselves and doing contrary to biblical teachings. Some dreams come from watching horrible thriller movies before bedtime or falling asleep while watching them, the screaming sounds recording in our minds. Eating too many comfort foods; like greasy potato chips or stuffing ourselves with spicy foods can cause bad dreams, too. In combination with body chemical changes the guilty feelings overcome our subconscious mind the brain's electrical field fights a battle over what's right or wrong. No rest for the weary, but God wants us to have good dreams to rest our tired bodies.
Here's a personal example. I'm a nonfiction free-spirit writer, but for three years I languished over trying to write a fictional romance and mystery book. The topic was non-fictional, but I was uncomfortable writing about the source. My mind and soul were constantly at war over content and what was appropriate responses should be because they were contrary to my Christian beliefs. A battle or right versus wrong raged within my heart and I couldn't shake the bad dreams. God's angels were knocking on my mind's door, but my heart was resisting letting them inside my brain. Needless to say I was trying desperately trying to forget my Biblical truths I had been taught and strained to obey secular world writers. The editors said write what you know, but the only books that sell are those with sexual content, well I'm not a romantic that way, but the demon fighting my decent brain said 'sex in a script sells the book.'
Spirits and demons raged a fierce battle, a tiring battle within my heart and mind for supremacy and that's when I had bad dreams that surfaced more than good dreams. It was God's unique way of adding angel whisperers within my dreams from men of God or those asleep (not dead, but living) in the Lord. Ancient Egyptians in the days of Moses had extensive dream manuals for interpreting the dreams of Pharaohs. The war within me ceased when I stopped trying to appease editors and heeded the warnings in my dreams. I realized God was patient and I was not destined to write a trashy book and harm my good reputation. I turned to writing about dreams about prophetic mysteries where people have been straining to hear how to interpret their dreams. Some might think I'm nuts. God is empowering me to write about dreams and destiny of believers so that others might attain their dreams. It is through dreams that God reminds us of His promises for our lives.
I'm meant to inspire and give you courage and hope. If you have a recurring dream jump into action now before it is too late and your too old to enjoy the life God wants you to have, but remember to serve the Lord, too. God will provide what you need in a troubled world of naysayers who disbelieve in your abilities to achieve great things. Dream achievement and goals in life is hard work, but to realize either you must try with all your heart, mind and soul to achieve the destiny God has planned for you. Energize your priorities and don't sit back and expect God to do all the work. God created your mind and He expects you to use it wisely. Two heads are better than one.
I love harmonizing with Roy Orbison when he sings, "In Dreams" and "Running Scared". I find it easy to sing with him climbing into higher octaves without sounding like a wounded rabbit in the talons of an owl. He had a unique voice range. As always nighttime dreams don't start until...the "sandman appears and we close our eyes and drift away into a magical world..." where we can forget all our daily or nightly stresses and dream about something more pleasurable. Not all dreams are good. Some are downright scary.
It might be our Spirit fighting a fierce demon that is trying to control our lives. Our spirit is in a battle of wits between what's right or wrong. Dreams can be beautiful one moment, sad the next or simply horrifying. Some rise in Technicolor or black and white with voices, visions and we can retrieve the memory fragrances from our childhood - things we hadn't smelled in many years.
Orbison sings, "In dreams, I walk with you; In dreams, I talk with you, In dreams, your mine...and just before the dawn I awake to find you gone," well God isn't gone even when you do something wrong. If you deviate from His destiny for your life He'll put angelic activity in your Holy Spirit dreams, too! Think of it as the progressive calling in your life... your destiny. The dreams and destiny of believers continues... Until next time God bless you for reading my blog.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The Dreams and Destiny of Believers - 6
Oops! I was just getting into the progressive callings in our lives from dreams in number five when I accidentally touched the wrong key and posted my blog before publishing. My dreams and destiny are played out each time I wrestle with writing another blog about a prophetic ministry.
What I'm learning in my Bible studies is how to interpret dreams based upon my dreams and dreams shared by friends and associates. They talk and I listen and its truly amazing how many mortals have been visited by angels in dreams and have heard voices, but were afraid to tell. The Bible contains many passages about Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit whisperers. Many prophets and disciples in the Old and New Testaments experienced visions and voices in dreams or in broad daylight with eyes wide open. Adam in Gen. 3:8 said they heard the voice of God walking in the Garden. As such God has given me the ability to write about the lives and dreams of others and to share God's promises for their lives.
The more I write about dreams and destiny, the more informed I am that people are watching and straining their ears to hear how they can interpret their dreams that come inside their dreams in living color or black and white visions in silence or voices. Personal dream interpretations are up to you and not someone else. You can explain your dream to others if they ask, but never tell them to interpret your dreams, because many will trash your dream or steal it. To not seek the understanding of your own dream is to let negative naysayers kill your dream, before you try to make it part of your life. Disparaging thinkers will kill your dream. If you've got an invention in your mind seek answers and clarifications from God. Ask God for help, pray to Him about the dream and obey what your heart and mind tell you to do. God wants you to be happy and successful, not sad and a failure. He wants you to prosper, not remain poor and struggle. Our Lord will drive you to excel and create something new. Have faith in God and lean not to what others would do.
In Romans 3 it says that God seeks out and saves those who believe in Him and Jesus Christ, because men do not seek God out of their own initiatives. It usually takes someone else to introduce you to God and Jesus Christ. Your dreams are special gifts from God to all believers and to realize your dream He'll push you towards action if you listen. You can't motivate your dream unless God is in the picture. Dreams of destiny reveal your progressive calling in life, but dreams require nourishment; passion, vision and expertise, and God placed dreams in our minds and hearts to honor Him. Don't even consider giving someone else the keys to control and drive your dream. God wants you to achieve your goal or vision. It is you and you alone that must drive your visionary dream. An example: With all your blood, sweat and tears to save up enough money to buy a new car why would you give someone else the keys to drive your new car (dream) in a reckless or irresponsible manner?
If you wonder what we use in life, even in a church, school or business, well, everything we have or see was based upon someones dreams and goals. Without dreamers what might the world resemble? Just remember you can't do everything yourself. Surround yourself with others who believe in you for they will push you forward towards your dream. Just never forget God.
Nourish the dream! Feed it! Pray, but don't badger God, but do seek out possibility thinkers and don't dwell with those who think you are a lunatic or nuts. If your dream vision is stuck in your mind have vision enough to seek your dream. Make the dream live up to your expectations - go ballistic. Next time more dreams...continued.
What I'm learning in my Bible studies is how to interpret dreams based upon my dreams and dreams shared by friends and associates. They talk and I listen and its truly amazing how many mortals have been visited by angels in dreams and have heard voices, but were afraid to tell. The Bible contains many passages about Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit whisperers. Many prophets and disciples in the Old and New Testaments experienced visions and voices in dreams or in broad daylight with eyes wide open. Adam in Gen. 3:8 said they heard the voice of God walking in the Garden. As such God has given me the ability to write about the lives and dreams of others and to share God's promises for their lives.
The more I write about dreams and destiny, the more informed I am that people are watching and straining their ears to hear how they can interpret their dreams that come inside their dreams in living color or black and white visions in silence or voices. Personal dream interpretations are up to you and not someone else. You can explain your dream to others if they ask, but never tell them to interpret your dreams, because many will trash your dream or steal it. To not seek the understanding of your own dream is to let negative naysayers kill your dream, before you try to make it part of your life. Disparaging thinkers will kill your dream. If you've got an invention in your mind seek answers and clarifications from God. Ask God for help, pray to Him about the dream and obey what your heart and mind tell you to do. God wants you to be happy and successful, not sad and a failure. He wants you to prosper, not remain poor and struggle. Our Lord will drive you to excel and create something new. Have faith in God and lean not to what others would do.
In Romans 3 it says that God seeks out and saves those who believe in Him and Jesus Christ, because men do not seek God out of their own initiatives. It usually takes someone else to introduce you to God and Jesus Christ. Your dreams are special gifts from God to all believers and to realize your dream He'll push you towards action if you listen. You can't motivate your dream unless God is in the picture. Dreams of destiny reveal your progressive calling in life, but dreams require nourishment; passion, vision and expertise, and God placed dreams in our minds and hearts to honor Him. Don't even consider giving someone else the keys to control and drive your dream. God wants you to achieve your goal or vision. It is you and you alone that must drive your visionary dream. An example: With all your blood, sweat and tears to save up enough money to buy a new car why would you give someone else the keys to drive your new car (dream) in a reckless or irresponsible manner?
If you wonder what we use in life, even in a church, school or business, well, everything we have or see was based upon someones dreams and goals. Without dreamers what might the world resemble? Just remember you can't do everything yourself. Surround yourself with others who believe in you for they will push you forward towards your dream. Just never forget God.
Nourish the dream! Feed it! Pray, but don't badger God, but do seek out possibility thinkers and don't dwell with those who think you are a lunatic or nuts. If your dream vision is stuck in your mind have vision enough to seek your dream. Make the dream live up to your expectations - go ballistic. Next time more dreams...continued.
The Dreams and Destiny of Believers - 5
Roy Orbison recorded and sang the song "In Dreams", but as part of the song says the sandman must put us to sleep. It is only then can we dream and it becomes apparent that when..."I close my eyes, and I drift away, into the magic night, my dreams of you."
Of course what he's singing about the love of a woman..."In dreams I walk with you, in dreams I talk to you, in dreams your mine." Stranger is the fact this dream jingle can invite us into a rewarding relationship with God and Jesus Christ. When dawn appears our dreams end. Sometimes good dreams are worth remembering and the dream scenes are burned into our subconscious mind to be recalled in nanosecond timing.
Bad dreams we remember, too, and we think about them less during the day, but evil dreams seem to haunt us for days and nights only to repeat the horror feelings and they are hard to shed. Our flesh and spirit are angry as if pitched into fierce battle over our sinful nature, where we've strayed from God's destiny for our lives. The battle rages at fever pitch within our bodies telling us that God's dissatisfied and we've deviated from His design plan for our lives. Matters of the heart require dreams of repentance. He desires to heal our emotions and memories, but nothing works until we repent of our sins. God is sickened by what he sees in our hearts.
He wants us to obey the voices and visions in our dreams and not cast them away because it's an inconvenient truth or time. God's word or will intervenes in our lives. Remember God is the Creator of the human mind and nobody knows more about you than He. The angelic activity in our dreams arrive from men of God like pastor's and those asleep in the Lord.
It is God that gives us the power to do as He requests to insure our destiny. Dreams from the Holy Spirit give us courage to jump into action and faith to achieve the goals set forth in dreams. He is the inspiration that drives us into the future. He is the co-pilot and He will tell us when we do something wrong. God wants us to achieve or dreams and not throw them away simply because we are afraid. Where would the world be without dreamers; the building architects and designers, the automobile stylists, the surgeons, dentists, firemen, policemen, bankers, businessmen, entertainment celebrities, communications experts, computer geeks, etc. These were the dreamers and do-er's who started something from crude sketches and brought to life by other talented people that God put in our path.
Of course what he's singing about the love of a woman..."In dreams I walk with you, in dreams I talk to you, in dreams your mine." Stranger is the fact this dream jingle can invite us into a rewarding relationship with God and Jesus Christ. When dawn appears our dreams end. Sometimes good dreams are worth remembering and the dream scenes are burned into our subconscious mind to be recalled in nanosecond timing.
Bad dreams we remember, too, and we think about them less during the day, but evil dreams seem to haunt us for days and nights only to repeat the horror feelings and they are hard to shed. Our flesh and spirit are angry as if pitched into fierce battle over our sinful nature, where we've strayed from God's destiny for our lives. The battle rages at fever pitch within our bodies telling us that God's dissatisfied and we've deviated from His design plan for our lives. Matters of the heart require dreams of repentance. He desires to heal our emotions and memories, but nothing works until we repent of our sins. God is sickened by what he sees in our hearts.
He wants us to obey the voices and visions in our dreams and not cast them away because it's an inconvenient truth or time. God's word or will intervenes in our lives. Remember God is the Creator of the human mind and nobody knows more about you than He. The angelic activity in our dreams arrive from men of God like pastor's and those asleep in the Lord.
It is God that gives us the power to do as He requests to insure our destiny. Dreams from the Holy Spirit give us courage to jump into action and faith to achieve the goals set forth in dreams. He is the inspiration that drives us into the future. He is the co-pilot and He will tell us when we do something wrong. God wants us to achieve or dreams and not throw them away simply because we are afraid. Where would the world be without dreamers; the building architects and designers, the automobile stylists, the surgeons, dentists, firemen, policemen, bankers, businessmen, entertainment celebrities, communications experts, computer geeks, etc. These were the dreamers and do-er's who started something from crude sketches and brought to life by other talented people that God put in our path.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Dreams and Destiny of Believers - 4
Those who knew Derek Taatjes said he had a larger than life persona and preached every sermon as if it might be his last. It was! He knew life is shorter than you think. Be prepared. Don't wait to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. If he could speak to us this moment from Heaven he'd probably say, 'see, I'm here, so don't wait to accept Him. Why let Satan steal eternal life from your grasp'? Hell will never freeze over.
Youth pastor Derek Taatjes, the young 34-year old died in a house fire with his son and his funeral will be held Wednesday, April 20th at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the East Beltline at 11 a.m. Both died last Thursday of smoke inhalation - a smoldering fire in the basement that didn't set off a tested and good battery working smoke detector. It was an unforeseen accident that could happen in any home. Why him? Why the faster pastor on fire for Jesus Christ? Will his death yield fruit of the Spirit during Passover?
I've never met Derek, but from what I heard he was 'blazing hot for Christ'. The fire burning within his heart and mind wasn't orange or blue, but white hot, the hottest flame and he was destined to share his overflowing love for Christ with all who would listen to him praise the Lord. Derek lit a fire in others when nobody else could. With God's help he rocketed towards the Kingdom of God and his sparks ignited the dreams and goals of all who knew him. He had a burning passion for teaching others about God and Jesus Christ. His destiny was God-given and God-driven to achieve his dreams and goals in life. He was an accessible pastor, a man on a mission to save others for Christ and to help them achieve greater things if only they'd listen and learn lessons from his heart to the Father's heart.
Derek, like Joseph, knew their potential and limitations, but the motivation behind them was their love for God and Jesus Christ. Both were motivated by excitement to share dreams and goals. This motivational desire pushed them through life w/amazing speed. Both were positive men of conviction that what they did for mankind and Christ was far better than concentrating on themselves. Equally both didn't acquire instant success. They didn't veer off course when confronted with difficulties or problems. They kept their eyes on God and Christ.
Derek's goals and dreams must have been similar to Joseph's, the last son of Jacob. Both knew God and both lived their lives hoping that what they did pleased His sight. They poured out their heart for others and shared the Good News that Jesus is their Light of the World. God had a purpose for these men of faith. Neither of them took their eyes off Him.
You could say that Derek was a 'faster pastor' and flew by the seat of his pants. His pre-eminence was destined for God's service. He was fulfilling his destiny by fueling and sharing his life with the promises made by God. He lived his life like an open book that was pleasing God and God put him on this earth for His special purpose. Derek's mindset was that of Joseph and both sought foremost the Kingdom of God.
The youth pastor's candle of love for Jesus Christ burns brighter in the eyes of everyone he touched, that includes God and Christ. They won't forget Derek or Christ. Someone somewhere introduced Derek to Jesus Christ and his heart, mind and soul went ballistic for saving the lost. His goal - to save them for the Kingdom of God, an eternity with Him. I am not a pastor. I am a storyteller and what you read is from my heart today. The story continues... about dream interpretations in the Bible and destinies, dreams and goals in life.
Youth pastor Derek Taatjes, the young 34-year old died in a house fire with his son and his funeral will be held Wednesday, April 20th at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the East Beltline at 11 a.m. Both died last Thursday of smoke inhalation - a smoldering fire in the basement that didn't set off a tested and good battery working smoke detector. It was an unforeseen accident that could happen in any home. Why him? Why the faster pastor on fire for Jesus Christ? Will his death yield fruit of the Spirit during Passover?
I've never met Derek, but from what I heard he was 'blazing hot for Christ'. The fire burning within his heart and mind wasn't orange or blue, but white hot, the hottest flame and he was destined to share his overflowing love for Christ with all who would listen to him praise the Lord. Derek lit a fire in others when nobody else could. With God's help he rocketed towards the Kingdom of God and his sparks ignited the dreams and goals of all who knew him. He had a burning passion for teaching others about God and Jesus Christ. His destiny was God-given and God-driven to achieve his dreams and goals in life. He was an accessible pastor, a man on a mission to save others for Christ and to help them achieve greater things if only they'd listen and learn lessons from his heart to the Father's heart.
Derek, like Joseph, knew their potential and limitations, but the motivation behind them was their love for God and Jesus Christ. Both were motivated by excitement to share dreams and goals. This motivational desire pushed them through life w/amazing speed. Both were positive men of conviction that what they did for mankind and Christ was far better than concentrating on themselves. Equally both didn't acquire instant success. They didn't veer off course when confronted with difficulties or problems. They kept their eyes on God and Christ.
Derek's goals and dreams must have been similar to Joseph's, the last son of Jacob. Both knew God and both lived their lives hoping that what they did pleased His sight. They poured out their heart for others and shared the Good News that Jesus is their Light of the World. God had a purpose for these men of faith. Neither of them took their eyes off Him.
You could say that Derek was a 'faster pastor' and flew by the seat of his pants. His pre-eminence was destined for God's service. He was fulfilling his destiny by fueling and sharing his life with the promises made by God. He lived his life like an open book that was pleasing God and God put him on this earth for His special purpose. Derek's mindset was that of Joseph and both sought foremost the Kingdom of God.
The youth pastor's candle of love for Jesus Christ burns brighter in the eyes of everyone he touched, that includes God and Christ. They won't forget Derek or Christ. Someone somewhere introduced Derek to Jesus Christ and his heart, mind and soul went ballistic for saving the lost. His goal - to save them for the Kingdom of God, an eternity with Him. I am not a pastor. I am a storyteller and what you read is from my heart today. The story continues... about dream interpretations in the Bible and destinies, dreams and goals in life.
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Dreams and Destiny of Believers- 3
I've been writing about dreams and or destinies in life. Life is short, but God has our destiny planned since our birth, and yet, he leaves our destiny in our own hands. Some lives are snuffed out sooner because something unforeseen happened. God's plan can be interrupted by an unperceived tragedy in our life.
Case in point, the young 34-year old Youth pastor in Michigan who died with his one-year old son in a house fire. Both died of smoke inhalation - he in the living room, the son upstairs. His wife and two other children were vacationing out East. It was an unknown fire in the basement. He was well loved by the congregation at Crossroads Bible Church. His death untimely? Was the fire divine accident or was it the destiny of the wife and other two children to be saved? We sometimes shorten our own lives before God's plan is realized and yet God welcomes those who pass from mortal life to eternity before the path to our destiny is fulfilled. Was this his destiny - to die so that others might live like Christ? Or was it to remind us that life is fleeting? Is it time to accept Christ as Savior before the unplanned happens to us? Your heart can't work without your mind and soul. The three are companions of life.
Not all of us are Christian's. Some refuse to believe there is a God Almighty and refute the life of Jesus Christ as our Savior. That is there loss and my gain. As Christians we have no right to brow beat unbelievers. In America it's freedom of religion. To believe or disbelieve. We simply must pray for the unseen and trust that they will see that the real 'Light of the World' is faith in Jesus Christ. Many times priests, rabbis, pastors, etc. preach for years to Congregations and it seems to them nobody is growing in the faith. Many see smoke, but no burning fires. They see no sparks and become frustrated thinking that with all the flapping of their lips they don't see any flames or the burning desires to service the church. As a congregational member I can see their frustration when week after week they preach get more involved, but it falls on deaf ears. Churches need plenty of new help - volunteers to fill posts of the 'burned out' who've given of their own time and talents in excess and need a rest. Why?
I think it is because preachers turn religion into a cult where they think it best to put all eyes and hearts on Jesus or God and forget about the mind dreams of parishioners. It is fine to put God and Christ at the head of your own household, but not if it robs the parishioners of their own dreams and goals of life. People who don't strive to reach goals in life or invest time in their own dreams, well, they seem to wander in life as aimlessly lost. They've got nothing to grab onto and never seem to accomplish anything of much useful value. Many times they let parents, friends, associates, colleagues and preachers tell them what they can, should or shouldn't do in life instead of going on a fabulous adventure to find out for themselves. They are afraid to trust what God and Christ has given them - trust in themselves and prayer. Simply put too many dreamers give up on their dreams. Some put too much emphasis on faith rather than understanding that God-given voices and visions rise from dreams. Never ask others to interpret your dreams. They destroy your life. Seek out possibility thinkers.
What others think isn't always important for they will always tell you why your dream is impossible to attain. If it's your dream, vision or prayer never allow them to bury your dreams. It's your dream - not their dream. Never give someone else the chance to destroy your dream or vision. Forget their opinion. What others might believe is wrong you must forget and believe in your ability to reverse that opinion. Don't let anyone beat you into their submissive life style. Discover your own talents and life style. Never let someone else decide your life, because you are afraid of what others might think. Whose life is it - theirs or yours? Be bold - find out!
Dreams are, I believe God-given, but in order to realize a dream they need nourishment and letting friends, parents, associates, etc. decide your life isn't nourishment, but lazy fodder. Without go-go food dreams die. Surround yourself with possibility thinkers - that's what Dr. Shueller, of the Crystal Cathedral in California always preaches. Rise above difficulties and impossibilities - soar like an eagle on eagle's wings. Be aggressive. Trust your own subconscious feelings and you might achieve a lifetime of rewards that others lost. They'll steal your dreams. God and dreams can coexist.
Have you gotten any visions from a dream? Trust your own instinct, the gut-wrenching feelings. Visions in dreams don't always pan out and many dreams die an untimely death from those who don't put forth the effort needed to support the vision. Dreams die because of lack of personal confidence in our own abilities to understand what it is we are trying to achieve. To make dreams succeed rise above the criticisms from others. Dreams are like postage stamps for we must stick to something until we achieve our end goal. Trust that you are right and everyone else is wrong - I mean legally right or wrong. God is the ultimate judge.
Where and what would the world look like today if Bill Gates, the Creator of MicroSoft never followed the voices in his head? He had a dream and despite his father's demands that he get a college education he acted upon his own dream that made him almost the richest man in the world. His father didn't like young Bill spending so much time playing video games. Something clicked in his mind, soul and heart. Bill's dad never believed that anything good would happen without college. Bill went six months or so then when his father went to visit him at the dorm he found out he quit and had started his own software business. Gate's life went ballistic because he followed the gut-wrenching feelings from his dream. His dream caused a revolution that challenges millions of dreams and countless billions of other dreams. Remember dreams are God-given challenges to us. You just need to find the right encourager's to go beyond what others believe is impossible. Our dreams and goals need nourishment. Go in peace. Dreams and destiny of believers continues...
Case in point, the young 34-year old Youth pastor in Michigan who died with his one-year old son in a house fire. Both died of smoke inhalation - he in the living room, the son upstairs. His wife and two other children were vacationing out East. It was an unknown fire in the basement. He was well loved by the congregation at Crossroads Bible Church. His death untimely? Was the fire divine accident or was it the destiny of the wife and other two children to be saved? We sometimes shorten our own lives before God's plan is realized and yet God welcomes those who pass from mortal life to eternity before the path to our destiny is fulfilled. Was this his destiny - to die so that others might live like Christ? Or was it to remind us that life is fleeting? Is it time to accept Christ as Savior before the unplanned happens to us? Your heart can't work without your mind and soul. The three are companions of life.
Not all of us are Christian's. Some refuse to believe there is a God Almighty and refute the life of Jesus Christ as our Savior. That is there loss and my gain. As Christians we have no right to brow beat unbelievers. In America it's freedom of religion. To believe or disbelieve. We simply must pray for the unseen and trust that they will see that the real 'Light of the World' is faith in Jesus Christ. Many times priests, rabbis, pastors, etc. preach for years to Congregations and it seems to them nobody is growing in the faith. Many see smoke, but no burning fires. They see no sparks and become frustrated thinking that with all the flapping of their lips they don't see any flames or the burning desires to service the church. As a congregational member I can see their frustration when week after week they preach get more involved, but it falls on deaf ears. Churches need plenty of new help - volunteers to fill posts of the 'burned out' who've given of their own time and talents in excess and need a rest. Why?
I think it is because preachers turn religion into a cult where they think it best to put all eyes and hearts on Jesus or God and forget about the mind dreams of parishioners. It is fine to put God and Christ at the head of your own household, but not if it robs the parishioners of their own dreams and goals of life. People who don't strive to reach goals in life or invest time in their own dreams, well, they seem to wander in life as aimlessly lost. They've got nothing to grab onto and never seem to accomplish anything of much useful value. Many times they let parents, friends, associates, colleagues and preachers tell them what they can, should or shouldn't do in life instead of going on a fabulous adventure to find out for themselves. They are afraid to trust what God and Christ has given them - trust in themselves and prayer. Simply put too many dreamers give up on their dreams. Some put too much emphasis on faith rather than understanding that God-given voices and visions rise from dreams. Never ask others to interpret your dreams. They destroy your life. Seek out possibility thinkers.
What others think isn't always important for they will always tell you why your dream is impossible to attain. If it's your dream, vision or prayer never allow them to bury your dreams. It's your dream - not their dream. Never give someone else the chance to destroy your dream or vision. Forget their opinion. What others might believe is wrong you must forget and believe in your ability to reverse that opinion. Don't let anyone beat you into their submissive life style. Discover your own talents and life style. Never let someone else decide your life, because you are afraid of what others might think. Whose life is it - theirs or yours? Be bold - find out!
Dreams are, I believe God-given, but in order to realize a dream they need nourishment and letting friends, parents, associates, etc. decide your life isn't nourishment, but lazy fodder. Without go-go food dreams die. Surround yourself with possibility thinkers - that's what Dr. Shueller, of the Crystal Cathedral in California always preaches. Rise above difficulties and impossibilities - soar like an eagle on eagle's wings. Be aggressive. Trust your own subconscious feelings and you might achieve a lifetime of rewards that others lost. They'll steal your dreams. God and dreams can coexist.
Have you gotten any visions from a dream? Trust your own instinct, the gut-wrenching feelings. Visions in dreams don't always pan out and many dreams die an untimely death from those who don't put forth the effort needed to support the vision. Dreams die because of lack of personal confidence in our own abilities to understand what it is we are trying to achieve. To make dreams succeed rise above the criticisms from others. Dreams are like postage stamps for we must stick to something until we achieve our end goal. Trust that you are right and everyone else is wrong - I mean legally right or wrong. God is the ultimate judge.
Where and what would the world look like today if Bill Gates, the Creator of MicroSoft never followed the voices in his head? He had a dream and despite his father's demands that he get a college education he acted upon his own dream that made him almost the richest man in the world. His father didn't like young Bill spending so much time playing video games. Something clicked in his mind, soul and heart. Bill's dad never believed that anything good would happen without college. Bill went six months or so then when his father went to visit him at the dorm he found out he quit and had started his own software business. Gate's life went ballistic because he followed the gut-wrenching feelings from his dream. His dream caused a revolution that challenges millions of dreams and countless billions of other dreams. Remember dreams are God-given challenges to us. You just need to find the right encourager's to go beyond what others believe is impossible. Our dreams and goals need nourishment. Go in peace. Dreams and destiny of believers continues...
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Dreams and Destiny of Believers -2
If my oldest high school teachers were living and if you asked them about me and what I was like in our school days they'd tell you, "I was a big dreamer like Joseph, the Son of Jacob." My mind left the classroom ten minutes after it started." It did. I was floating down the Mississippi River with Huckleberry Fin and Jim on a raft or off exploring with Tom Sawyer. Anyplace was better than listening to boring teachers - but it wasn't the teacher's fault. It was the building contractors fault. Let me explain my rationale'.
It was if my mind went to sleep and I was floating away discovering new things. I wasn't visited by alien beings from outer space, but it was my bodies way of overcoming the allergens in our new school. It wasn't until twenty years after high school during genetic testing we found out I was allergic to minute particles of formaldehyde poisoning. That's below minimum levels detectable by environmental testing equipment. Formaldehyde is in everything under the sun, it still is, and the warning signs of formaldehyde allergens are warming cheeks, difficulty breathing and loss of concentration and confusion. High levels of formaldehyde gave me excessive migraine headaches within twenty minutes. It short circuited brain cells making it difficult to focus on studies. Trying to remember in excruiciating pain made learning impossible. I was physically and mentally "tripping" on formaldehyde fumes like a drug addict. Learning how to avoid this addiction has taken another twenty-five years. Learning how to avoid it, well that's the cure. It is extremely difficult since formaldehyde is everywhere you go.
Despite what you might think just because a person dreams in class doesn't mean we stop learning valuable lessons. The brain still records what is being said, but puts it in different context. Persons in a coma are locked in dreams. Time spent is no longer a constant. They can understand the chatter of those talking around them. That's why its important for people to talk nicely with respect to those in a coma or sleeping. Talking stimulates the brain cells that repair damage. Those in a coma may awaken with the snap of a finger.
I still do lots of dreaming like Joseph, the son of Jacob, but his character is for another time. In dreams we can recall the good as well as the not so good remembrances of our life. I had another dream lately. I've been remembering my days at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Spent four years in the ward. Recently I went back to the old place to buy a new leg brace. The old one has lasted fifteen years and the springs were exiting the brace material when I exercised riding a cycle at the gym. The other night I felt like Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), when he was running away from childhood bullies, the rods in his leg braces flying off.
Well I returned to the hospital this week. My reoccurring dream has been pestering me to return. My wife had previously found several other numbers, but I said "How about the brace shop." She dialed the number at MFBH and I got an appointment within 18 hours. Have you ever gotten a non-emergency doctor visit in 18 hours? It was dream destiny. I obeyed the gremlin in my mind. It said return to the brace shop at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. I walked in the door and bypassed the historical display cabinet. It was filled with old pictures of structures over more than 100 years. I didn't tarry, but left for my scheduled appointment.
Upon returning I by passed the historical display, but when going outside the gremlin said, "Go back, something inside the cabinet you need to see." I obeyed the voice. The first picture my eyes saw was "two nun nurses sitting at a table with a clustering of several of my ward friends." That photo was taken in the early 1950's. I was standing between the two nurses. My how time flies. I could remember all the names of the patients, but not the nurses. Fifty-six years had passed, but could still recall their voices from the past.
Was the voice I obeyed to return to the cabinet one of destiny or was it the living God, the God I believe in making sure I had rekindled an old memory from the past. I remembered my roots. How about you? Do you listen to what is being said in your dreams? Do you obey the voice or do you cast it off because you are afraid to explore your dream or afraid of what others might think. Never allow life to rob you of dreams. Many people and circumstances in life rob our dreams. Dreams are God given, but they need to be nourished. Listening to the voice in the dream is food that yields great rewards. Not all yield fruit.
In II Kings 17: 21-22, in the Holy Bible it says that Elijah cried to the Lord (in reference to the widow's son brought to life), "O Lord my God, let this child's soul come to him again. The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived".
Walking together Elisha (meaning, God is Salvation) asked Elijah (meaning My God is Jehovah) for double-shares of your spirit. As they walked a chariot of fire and horses passed between them and Elijah was swirled up by the passing whirlwind into Heaven. This wasn't a dream, but Elisha was impressed by the power of God to raise Elijah. Elisha may have been more powerful than Elijah, but Elijah is mentioned more than 27 times in the New Testament. God does listen to our prayers. But, I think too many times those asking the prayer are beating their drums so loudly they fail to listen or hear what can be told in dreams. Many dreams aren't practical, but do trust what the dream says. Trust the dream. Listen to the visions and voices in dreams. Follow what your heart and mind tells you to do, but don't listen to those who will try to destroy what your dreams tell you. Till next time, "Keep on dreaming and may all your dream come true."
It was if my mind went to sleep and I was floating away discovering new things. I wasn't visited by alien beings from outer space, but it was my bodies way of overcoming the allergens in our new school. It wasn't until twenty years after high school during genetic testing we found out I was allergic to minute particles of formaldehyde poisoning. That's below minimum levels detectable by environmental testing equipment. Formaldehyde is in everything under the sun, it still is, and the warning signs of formaldehyde allergens are warming cheeks, difficulty breathing and loss of concentration and confusion. High levels of formaldehyde gave me excessive migraine headaches within twenty minutes. It short circuited brain cells making it difficult to focus on studies. Trying to remember in excruiciating pain made learning impossible. I was physically and mentally "tripping" on formaldehyde fumes like a drug addict. Learning how to avoid this addiction has taken another twenty-five years. Learning how to avoid it, well that's the cure. It is extremely difficult since formaldehyde is everywhere you go.
Despite what you might think just because a person dreams in class doesn't mean we stop learning valuable lessons. The brain still records what is being said, but puts it in different context. Persons in a coma are locked in dreams. Time spent is no longer a constant. They can understand the chatter of those talking around them. That's why its important for people to talk nicely with respect to those in a coma or sleeping. Talking stimulates the brain cells that repair damage. Those in a coma may awaken with the snap of a finger.
I still do lots of dreaming like Joseph, the son of Jacob, but his character is for another time. In dreams we can recall the good as well as the not so good remembrances of our life. I had another dream lately. I've been remembering my days at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Spent four years in the ward. Recently I went back to the old place to buy a new leg brace. The old one has lasted fifteen years and the springs were exiting the brace material when I exercised riding a cycle at the gym. The other night I felt like Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), when he was running away from childhood bullies, the rods in his leg braces flying off.
Well I returned to the hospital this week. My reoccurring dream has been pestering me to return. My wife had previously found several other numbers, but I said "How about the brace shop." She dialed the number at MFBH and I got an appointment within 18 hours. Have you ever gotten a non-emergency doctor visit in 18 hours? It was dream destiny. I obeyed the gremlin in my mind. It said return to the brace shop at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. I walked in the door and bypassed the historical display cabinet. It was filled with old pictures of structures over more than 100 years. I didn't tarry, but left for my scheduled appointment.
Upon returning I by passed the historical display, but when going outside the gremlin said, "Go back, something inside the cabinet you need to see." I obeyed the voice. The first picture my eyes saw was "two nun nurses sitting at a table with a clustering of several of my ward friends." That photo was taken in the early 1950's. I was standing between the two nurses. My how time flies. I could remember all the names of the patients, but not the nurses. Fifty-six years had passed, but could still recall their voices from the past.
Was the voice I obeyed to return to the cabinet one of destiny or was it the living God, the God I believe in making sure I had rekindled an old memory from the past. I remembered my roots. How about you? Do you listen to what is being said in your dreams? Do you obey the voice or do you cast it off because you are afraid to explore your dream or afraid of what others might think. Never allow life to rob you of dreams. Many people and circumstances in life rob our dreams. Dreams are God given, but they need to be nourished. Listening to the voice in the dream is food that yields great rewards. Not all yield fruit.
In II Kings 17: 21-22, in the Holy Bible it says that Elijah cried to the Lord (in reference to the widow's son brought to life), "O Lord my God, let this child's soul come to him again. The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived".
Walking together Elisha (meaning, God is Salvation) asked Elijah (meaning My God is Jehovah) for double-shares of your spirit. As they walked a chariot of fire and horses passed between them and Elijah was swirled up by the passing whirlwind into Heaven. This wasn't a dream, but Elisha was impressed by the power of God to raise Elijah. Elisha may have been more powerful than Elijah, but Elijah is mentioned more than 27 times in the New Testament. God does listen to our prayers. But, I think too many times those asking the prayer are beating their drums so loudly they fail to listen or hear what can be told in dreams. Many dreams aren't practical, but do trust what the dream says. Trust the dream. Listen to the visions and voices in dreams. Follow what your heart and mind tells you to do, but don't listen to those who will try to destroy what your dreams tell you. Till next time, "Keep on dreaming and may all your dream come true."
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Dreams and Destiny of Believers
I believe in the existence of angels, spirits and God's use of visions and voices coming in dreams. This is the destiny of any person who believes that God is the giver of our destiny at birth. God uses our dreams as a platform for answering our prayers that's if we choose to listen to his commands. These are special gifts given from Him. Angels and spirits shape our destiny. Through them we can recall what is said in our dreams. Any religious person who believes in God or Jesus Christ must believe that our prayer concerns can be answered thru dreams.
Whether angels or spirits are real depends on what we believe as individuals. They can be real or imaginary, but how the visions and voices appears determines our destiny in life. Some angels and spirits are good, but some leaves us with bad vibes (ghosts), that are both good and evil, too. Bad vibes are the least personally shared with others for as humans we are afraid of what other Christians or friends might view as devil thinking. Bad spirits can awaken our curiosity, but a few people go off the deep end and use what we say for ghost entertainment to shock an awe paranormal activity.
Personally I'm not afraid of ghost or witches for God stands beside me or with me, but some people are superstitious and don't even want to meet a ghost, witch let alone a spirit. How about the Holy Spirit?
If I remember my Bible teachings I think it was JOB who had a nerve-wracking visit by a spirit or Holy Ghost and his description of it might shake up anyone when he said, 'Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up.' Paul later called Saul in ACTS 9:3 said, "A brilliant light from heaven spotted down upon me surrounding my every being and I heard a voice" saying "Paul, Paul! Why are you persecuting me?"
Paul couldn't believe it might be Jesus as he weakly asked, "Who is speaking, Sir?" The voice replied back, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!" The men with Paul stood speechless with surprise for they heard the sound of someone's voice, but saw no one! Paul stood up and to his surprise he was blind from the intense light and the spirit told him to have his men take him to Damascus and stay at Judas' house and wait praying for Jesus had given Paul a vision of Ananias laying hands upon him to return his sight. The "Holy Spirit of the Lord who appeared on the road has sent me to fill you with the Holy Spirit and return they sight."
Paul [Saul] was on fire after that miracle for the Lord's kingdom. He couldn't wait to tell anyone the good news. Job was surprised unwittingly by the Holy Spirit' visit. Other Biblical references to ghosts include the witch of Endor who conjured up the spirit of Samuel who warned King Saul of the Philistines defeat. Brutus was haunted by the ghost of Caesar whose assassination he plotted. Sitting in his tent alone Brutus was confronted by another a spirit of 'horrifying' dimensions with a 'pale, emaciated face' that announced 'I am your evil spirit.' It said, 'You will see me again at Philippi' and it did the night before Brutus was slain on the battlefield at Philippi. The Bible is no stranger to ghost sightings - visual or voices.
Ghosts, those spirit beings of the dead continually rise to haunt the living and even today they have fascinated those of the world who try to understand them. Ghost hunters try to capture the apparitions on infrared film or with EMF equipment (electromagnetic field) meters. Sometimes the voices of spirits can be heard as they roam around us. Those who study such paranormal activity believe that certain events or people from past civilizations leave an imprint of themselves based upon strong emotions left behind or violence [an echo from the past] from murders, killings and misery that can last for centuries. Some theorize that the whole of the past is somewhere recorded in space time as though imprinted on film. It's sort of like a momentary time-warp giving us a quick glimpse of the past in rerun form.
In Brutus' encounter with the evil ghost it brought him a dire warning. That ghost was his harbinger of doom, but not all warnings conveyed by ghosts or apparitions bring harm. Listening to the voices or visions can save lives, too, and I've been visited in my dreams with voices telling me to heed the warnings. I've only heard voices and I obeyed the command, but many of my friends have not feared the dire warnings coming in their dreams, too. Ghosts appear before anyone and warn us of impending disaster or relief from a disaster, but it is how we interpret what is revealed in our dreams that determines if we survive or die. Ghost ships have been seen sailing out of fog banks and many ghosts have been seen and heard in castles, houses, ships and old mansions.
King Henry VIII had six wives, but Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were beheaded, and both of their ghosts haunt the Chapel Royal to this day. Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife wanders the corridors as a miserable soul in her blue dress. Catherine Howard, who had an adulterous affair, his fifth wife is the palace's noisiest ghost. She has been seen and heard numerous times running and screaming along the long gallery hallway leading to the Chapel Royal door in an attempt to save herself from King Henry's wrath.
Jane Seymour, his third wife died giving birth to Henry's first son, well she has appeared from the Queen's apartment dressed in white carrying a lighted candle as she walks along the Silver Stick Gallery and down the stairs. The baby prince was cared for by Mistress Sibell Penn, his nurse and she appears as a thin, hooded figure in a grey robe that is occasionally seen walking thru walls. Elizabeth I has been seen in the library and King Charles I (beheaded in 1649) too in the Library. King Henry VIII, the master facilitator of all the Chapel Royal ghosts, well his own ghost was seen in 1977 walking the battlements and disappearing into the wall. King Henry's realm was ruled by violence and misery.
Many people today are superstitious when it comes to ghost sightings. Either believe or disbelieve, but ghosts do and will appear from time to time. Some people say my halo flickers from time to time and I'm not dead yet. I'm not quite an angel, but for all intense purposes I'm neither the devil, too. I love to flirt and tease. I put humor in life to make others smile.
I do believe that angels and spirits can talk and watch over us, but other than that they do not have the power to physically intervene in our lives, but I believe they can and do affect outcomes by how we interpret our dreams. We change our destiny seen and heard. The outcomes in our lives are dependent on whether we turn our dreams into reality or pre-destination. We seemingly arrive in time with a God inspired appointment with destiny.
The next several blogs will deal with dreams and destinies of several individuals in my life. You might be surprised at what you'll learn from examples of dream destinies.
Whether angels or spirits are real depends on what we believe as individuals. They can be real or imaginary, but how the visions and voices appears determines our destiny in life. Some angels and spirits are good, but some leaves us with bad vibes (ghosts), that are both good and evil, too. Bad vibes are the least personally shared with others for as humans we are afraid of what other Christians or friends might view as devil thinking. Bad spirits can awaken our curiosity, but a few people go off the deep end and use what we say for ghost entertainment to shock an awe paranormal activity.
Personally I'm not afraid of ghost or witches for God stands beside me or with me, but some people are superstitious and don't even want to meet a ghost, witch let alone a spirit. How about the Holy Spirit?
If I remember my Bible teachings I think it was JOB who had a nerve-wracking visit by a spirit or Holy Ghost and his description of it might shake up anyone when he said, 'Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up.' Paul later called Saul in ACTS 9:3 said, "A brilliant light from heaven spotted down upon me surrounding my every being and I heard a voice" saying "Paul, Paul! Why are you persecuting me?"
Paul couldn't believe it might be Jesus as he weakly asked, "Who is speaking, Sir?" The voice replied back, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!" The men with Paul stood speechless with surprise for they heard the sound of someone's voice, but saw no one! Paul stood up and to his surprise he was blind from the intense light and the spirit told him to have his men take him to Damascus and stay at Judas' house and wait praying for Jesus had given Paul a vision of Ananias laying hands upon him to return his sight. The "Holy Spirit of the Lord who appeared on the road has sent me to fill you with the Holy Spirit and return they sight."
Paul [Saul] was on fire after that miracle for the Lord's kingdom. He couldn't wait to tell anyone the good news. Job was surprised unwittingly by the Holy Spirit' visit. Other Biblical references to ghosts include the witch of Endor who conjured up the spirit of Samuel who warned King Saul of the Philistines defeat. Brutus was haunted by the ghost of Caesar whose assassination he plotted. Sitting in his tent alone Brutus was confronted by another a spirit of 'horrifying' dimensions with a 'pale, emaciated face' that announced 'I am your evil spirit.' It said, 'You will see me again at Philippi' and it did the night before Brutus was slain on the battlefield at Philippi. The Bible is no stranger to ghost sightings - visual or voices.
Ghosts, those spirit beings of the dead continually rise to haunt the living and even today they have fascinated those of the world who try to understand them. Ghost hunters try to capture the apparitions on infrared film or with EMF equipment (electromagnetic field) meters. Sometimes the voices of spirits can be heard as they roam around us. Those who study such paranormal activity believe that certain events or people from past civilizations leave an imprint of themselves based upon strong emotions left behind or violence [an echo from the past] from murders, killings and misery that can last for centuries. Some theorize that the whole of the past is somewhere recorded in space time as though imprinted on film. It's sort of like a momentary time-warp giving us a quick glimpse of the past in rerun form.
In Brutus' encounter with the evil ghost it brought him a dire warning. That ghost was his harbinger of doom, but not all warnings conveyed by ghosts or apparitions bring harm. Listening to the voices or visions can save lives, too, and I've been visited in my dreams with voices telling me to heed the warnings. I've only heard voices and I obeyed the command, but many of my friends have not feared the dire warnings coming in their dreams, too. Ghosts appear before anyone and warn us of impending disaster or relief from a disaster, but it is how we interpret what is revealed in our dreams that determines if we survive or die. Ghost ships have been seen sailing out of fog banks and many ghosts have been seen and heard in castles, houses, ships and old mansions.
King Henry VIII had six wives, but Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were beheaded, and both of their ghosts haunt the Chapel Royal to this day. Anne Boleyn, Henry's second wife wanders the corridors as a miserable soul in her blue dress. Catherine Howard, who had an adulterous affair, his fifth wife is the palace's noisiest ghost. She has been seen and heard numerous times running and screaming along the long gallery hallway leading to the Chapel Royal door in an attempt to save herself from King Henry's wrath.
Jane Seymour, his third wife died giving birth to Henry's first son, well she has appeared from the Queen's apartment dressed in white carrying a lighted candle as she walks along the Silver Stick Gallery and down the stairs. The baby prince was cared for by Mistress Sibell Penn, his nurse and she appears as a thin, hooded figure in a grey robe that is occasionally seen walking thru walls. Elizabeth I has been seen in the library and King Charles I (beheaded in 1649) too in the Library. King Henry VIII, the master facilitator of all the Chapel Royal ghosts, well his own ghost was seen in 1977 walking the battlements and disappearing into the wall. King Henry's realm was ruled by violence and misery.
Many people today are superstitious when it comes to ghost sightings. Either believe or disbelieve, but ghosts do and will appear from time to time. Some people say my halo flickers from time to time and I'm not dead yet. I'm not quite an angel, but for all intense purposes I'm neither the devil, too. I love to flirt and tease. I put humor in life to make others smile.
I do believe that angels and spirits can talk and watch over us, but other than that they do not have the power to physically intervene in our lives, but I believe they can and do affect outcomes by how we interpret our dreams. We change our destiny seen and heard. The outcomes in our lives are dependent on whether we turn our dreams into reality or pre-destination. We seemingly arrive in time with a God inspired appointment with destiny.
The next several blogs will deal with dreams and destinies of several individuals in my life. You might be surprised at what you'll learn from examples of dream destinies.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Butterflies Are Blooming
Spring will arrive in the northern states of America soon. Winter can't last forever and we are far enough into the new calendar year 2011 so that on the coldest days we can feel the sun's warmth and see the snow melt. I'm ready how about you?
If it's spring weather you like when flowers abound and you can feel genuine early season warmth visit Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan from March thru April. Butterflies emerge from Chrysalids and Atlas and African moon moths from cocoons. A thousand are shipped from Costa Rica, Africa and South America to FMG weekly. Night of the butterflies makes its appearance this Spring, too, with three nights of searching for them with flashlights. All are spectacular creatures to bring back those youthful remembrance days of chasing butterflies with nets or studying moths. The moths with their green, purple and yellow tails are stunning.
Remember chasing butterflies? I always marveled how they always escaped. You'd think they had eyes in the backs of their heads. They do! Human moms have those same eyes - they know when their children are misbehaving!
Butterflies have circle vision. When chased with nets they see our every movement and dodge us. Butterflies have upwards of ten thousand compound eyes in each eye and the only place they can't see is right under their nose just as humans can't do it without moving their lips. Stop that! You don't want your cross-eyes to lock in that position studying the tip of your nose.
The butterflies in the Lena Meijer Conservatory are wild, not tame. If they choose to land on you it is a gift visit, the bright colors of clothing or they adore your fragrance. Overpowering fragrances they do not like. They taste you with their feet and butterflies do not bite, but they do tickle human skin hair.
If a gorgeous Postman butterfly does land on you don't touch, because the wing scales rub off on damp fingertips. Touching the butterflies is a no-no. You must stroke their beauty with your eyes only and not touch. Butterflies and body parts are very fragile and do not respond well to touching by children or adults so, too, you must watch where you walk since they like to land on well traveled cobblestone pathways in the conservatory.
If you see one of the few frogs; terrestrial or tree frogs eat a butterfly, well 'that's life'. Every living creature on earth must eat to survive and in the warm tropical conservatory the frogs and chameleons will eat 3-4 small butterflies in a single afternoon. Many a person has asked me to rescue a butterfly that was snatched for an afternoon snack. Can't its got more rights than us to eat what it sees practically land on its nose. Butterflies fly free, but a frog's long tongue lashes out like a lightning bolt and it don't miss. Butterflies are stupid and commit suicide landings within tongue's reach. Frogs pick and choose what's best to eat. Stomach expands.
Butterfly wings are color-coded for danger. Bright colors of black, yellow, orange and red combinations are warning colors that mean; eat at your own risk. "I can injure or kill you, which do you prefer". The birds of the air, the animals on land and fish under the sea know enough not to attack a colorful butterfly. Wing colors sometimes mimic poisonous species. You can come and watch life unfold in the conservatory as Cross-bearing treefrogs target the Postman butterfly. It'll eat until its belly is full in a single afternoon. This frog was not planted in the conservatory, but some things show up unannounced from hiding in plant material or root balls. They share the stories of our lives with family and friends viewing colorful butterflies on a warm winter day.
If you have a fascination for trying to find butterflies at night bring the whole family, because nighttime viewing is hard work, because butterflies hide efficiently. Thousands fly free during the day, but when the sun goes down they simply disappear and segregate together and rest in the trees, plants and flowers until the warm rays of sun again appear in the conservatory. Butterflies need the sun's warmth. Dark clouds and gray days they aren't as active just like humans and muskrats that feel so gloomy on gray days of winter.
Night of the Butterflies is Monday, March 7, Sunday, March 13, and Saturday, March 26. Doors open at 5 p.m. with events and activities begin at 6 p.m. For daily viewing contact Frederik Meijer Gardens (FMG) or find hours of operations on the web. Don't forget to bring a charged camera. See you there!
If it's spring weather you like when flowers abound and you can feel genuine early season warmth visit Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan from March thru April. Butterflies emerge from Chrysalids and Atlas and African moon moths from cocoons. A thousand are shipped from Costa Rica, Africa and South America to FMG weekly. Night of the butterflies makes its appearance this Spring, too, with three nights of searching for them with flashlights. All are spectacular creatures to bring back those youthful remembrance days of chasing butterflies with nets or studying moths. The moths with their green, purple and yellow tails are stunning.
Remember chasing butterflies? I always marveled how they always escaped. You'd think they had eyes in the backs of their heads. They do! Human moms have those same eyes - they know when their children are misbehaving!
Butterflies have circle vision. When chased with nets they see our every movement and dodge us. Butterflies have upwards of ten thousand compound eyes in each eye and the only place they can't see is right under their nose just as humans can't do it without moving their lips. Stop that! You don't want your cross-eyes to lock in that position studying the tip of your nose.
The butterflies in the Lena Meijer Conservatory are wild, not tame. If they choose to land on you it is a gift visit, the bright colors of clothing or they adore your fragrance. Overpowering fragrances they do not like. They taste you with their feet and butterflies do not bite, but they do tickle human skin hair.
If a gorgeous Postman butterfly does land on you don't touch, because the wing scales rub off on damp fingertips. Touching the butterflies is a no-no. You must stroke their beauty with your eyes only and not touch. Butterflies and body parts are very fragile and do not respond well to touching by children or adults so, too, you must watch where you walk since they like to land on well traveled cobblestone pathways in the conservatory.
If you see one of the few frogs; terrestrial or tree frogs eat a butterfly, well 'that's life'. Every living creature on earth must eat to survive and in the warm tropical conservatory the frogs and chameleons will eat 3-4 small butterflies in a single afternoon. Many a person has asked me to rescue a butterfly that was snatched for an afternoon snack. Can't its got more rights than us to eat what it sees practically land on its nose. Butterflies fly free, but a frog's long tongue lashes out like a lightning bolt and it don't miss. Butterflies are stupid and commit suicide landings within tongue's reach. Frogs pick and choose what's best to eat. Stomach expands.
Butterfly wings are color-coded for danger. Bright colors of black, yellow, orange and red combinations are warning colors that mean; eat at your own risk. "I can injure or kill you, which do you prefer". The birds of the air, the animals on land and fish under the sea know enough not to attack a colorful butterfly. Wing colors sometimes mimic poisonous species. You can come and watch life unfold in the conservatory as Cross-bearing treefrogs target the Postman butterfly. It'll eat until its belly is full in a single afternoon. This frog was not planted in the conservatory, but some things show up unannounced from hiding in plant material or root balls. They share the stories of our lives with family and friends viewing colorful butterflies on a warm winter day.
If you have a fascination for trying to find butterflies at night bring the whole family, because nighttime viewing is hard work, because butterflies hide efficiently. Thousands fly free during the day, but when the sun goes down they simply disappear and segregate together and rest in the trees, plants and flowers until the warm rays of sun again appear in the conservatory. Butterflies need the sun's warmth. Dark clouds and gray days they aren't as active just like humans and muskrats that feel so gloomy on gray days of winter.
Night of the Butterflies is Monday, March 7, Sunday, March 13, and Saturday, March 26. Doors open at 5 p.m. with events and activities begin at 6 p.m. For daily viewing contact Frederik Meijer Gardens (FMG) or find hours of operations on the web. Don't forget to bring a charged camera. See you there!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Legend of Chief Wabasis' Lost Treasure - 133
Chief John Wabasis' Lost Treasure still waits unclaimed in his secret burial spot. Many have searched by day and with lanterns at night within the confines of Wabasis Lake Park and Campgrounds, the ancestral home of Wabasis and family. Men with glistening eyes don't come as frequently, but when they do come they bring the most sophisticated metal detectors and small digging tools. Some bring flashlights, lanterns and shovels hoping to find the lost cache that someone else missed.
Anyone who has ever dragged out metal detectors for any length of time knows that no matter how expensive the unit you still find lots of junk. Treasure hunting isn't for everyone and certainly not for couch potatoes who suddenly go wild over something they saw on TV. Treasure hunting can be exciting, but do some homework whether buying metal detectors or researching possible treasure cache sites. Treasure hunting is an excellent hobby for those who need to get outdoors and exercise, but it can also be physically challenging depending on what it is you seek. Beachcombing is wonderful to take in the sights of beauty - not just coins, but sea girls and boys, too, but do it from behind sunglasses dark enough so the girlfriend, wife or husband doesn't catch you staring distantly too long.
Treasure hunting can be an exhilerating sport that pits machine against man. Having good treasure hunting equipment and vehicles means little if you aren't physically capable, too, to handle the rigors of walking, climbing and digging getting your hands dirty. Be aware, too, the fact that it is important for you to be current on tetanus shots since you will encounter many rusty nails, metal, etc. Not everything a metal detector finds is worth money at a pawn shop or artifact swap meet. For most relic hunters it's a never ending battle to find something that others missed in a park. Depending on where modern age relic hunters prospect go to find artifacts it is important to understand that some sites require the hunter to show respect; namely old battefields and cemeteries. Tread carefully on cherished ground. To thoughtlessly litter or disgrace the landscape is nothing short of desecrating hallowed ground especially if that ground has been stained by human blood from dying soldiers and Indians. Indian cemeteries and graves are hallowed ground. Act human and tread lightly. It is when we get caught up in the excitement of the hunt that we sometimes get careless and forgetful.
Be wary of your surroundings while you listen with detector headphones. Be careful where you step because some of the biggest finds are where you don't expect them. Wabasis was a smart, jovial Indian, who listened to his own gut feelings when traveling. It wasn't until after his death in May 1863 that incoming settlers; farmers and lumbermen began to hear about Wabasis' lost treasure at Wabasis Lake. For more than twenty- four years they couldn't fathom what Wabasis had done to local Indians to make them so mad as to banish him for life to live at Wabasis Lake. Not all Indians hated Wabasis - just those who claimed Wabasis was stealing their treaty monies, but these were those Indians that were not recognized as worthy by the Great Chiefs and Indian superintendents. The Indians were required to maintain certain standards of which Chief Mucktasha didn't abide by, but rather scorned both government and incoming settlers.
Most treasure hunters search by daylight, while some of the most nocturnal use metal detectors, EMF recorders and infrared photography hoping to find a ghost hovering above or in the vicinity of a treasure cache. Hunting for ghosts is not for the squeamish or those afraid of paranormal activity. Ghost appearances do turn off relic hunters and there are those treasure hunters that have hunted for Wabasis treasure who say he protects the treasure. Even after Wabasis' death the Indians who searched for the lost treasure report Wabasis' spirit haunted their best attempts to locate the gold and silver cache. His spirit's energy field won't tempt you into hunting longer, and so, too, he won't give you the key to finding his treasure.
"All of us have an energy field (magnetic) within us... (or that surrounds of every being). Ghosts are energy forces left behind. The main reason for a ghost's existence is a traumatic or violent death. The spirit stays behind to continue doing what it did when it was incarnated in a body, replaying the death scene, perhaps in a robotic way, or resolving some conflict at the time of death," said Norm Gauthier, founder and director of the Society for Psychic Research.
Do ghosts exist? Wabasis' ghost reportedly exists? It's been seen in the Wabasis Lake Park on dark nights. Rarely is a white ghost form seen in moonlight, but those who report they've seen his spirit are sure he protects the treasure cache from those lantern holding treasure and relic hunters. Wabasis' spirit legend has deep roots acquired from those who have searched in vain and found nothing. Just because you've never seen the treasure doesn't mean it never really existed and just because you've never seen Wabasis' ghost does it doesn't it mean it doesn't exist. Wabasis' ghost, the spirit of his dead body continues to rise and haunt the living who search for his treasure or could it be just the foggy mists of Wabasis Lake hovering above the trees on cooling nights?
Spirits can be good or evil. Ghosts have been on earth since the days when Brutus and Cassius plotted the assassination of Caesar and Brutus was later haunted by Caesar's ghost (44 b.c.) as he was making battle plans against Anthony and Octavian (Augustus when emperor). Brutus was sitting alone in his tent when a spirit of horrifying gigantic proportions with a pale, emaciated face startled him saying 'I am your evil spirit' and said, 'You will see me again at Philippi'. This evil spirit Brutus saw again the night before he died on the battlefield at Philippi. The Holy Bible is no stranger to ghost sightings for even Job was nerve-wracked when a ghost appeared in front of him in which he said "Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake... as the spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up.' He might have seen the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.
Paranormal researchers believe those who die violent deaths leave in imprint on localities caused by strong emotions experienced. The spirit or ghost is seen as a echo of the past that can last for years or centuries. This is why ghosts are associated with sightings where there has been a lot or misery, violence and murder. Wabasis lived all three threats for twenty-four years so theoretically his spirit was recorded somewhere in space and those who say they've seen his ghost have fallen into a momentary time-warp, which allows those who've seen him a quick glimpse of his past (pre-recorded on film). Want to find Wabasis' treasure?
Simply get some infrared film and EMF recording equipment and enjoy the park on the darkest of nights. His ghost has never been described as evil - just haunting those who search for his possible treasure cache of gold and silver. Wabasis was killed in Section 5 of Cannon Township and his spirit today hangs out in Section 29 of Oakfield Township (Kent County) Michigan. Wabasis might have died seven miles from Wabasis Lake, but unknown if any sightings of his ghost or spirit exist in the Leach Swamp region of Cannon Township and Barkley Creek glacial canyon in Plainfield Township. Unknown is where he hid the bulk of his treasure between Michael Smith's residence near the mouth of the Rogue River to where Wabasis was killed.
What physical feature existed in the 1840's that still hasn't been found today? That I believe is the key to finding Chief John Wabasis' Lost Treasure. Is it lost in Leach Swamp or Barkley Creek region. The stream's headwater is Lake Bella Vista. Maybe it's your time as a treasure or relic hunter to skirmish with Wabasis' ghost.
As a steward of history it is important to keep the history of our area and the people who live there ALIVE for the generations to follow. Legends never die, but sometimes legends get so big it becomes hard to understand what is factual or fiction. Whatever you do show some respect for the dead and study hard and take the time to reason with others and listen with a straining ear what others report. This concludes "The Legend of Chief Wabasis' Lost Treasure."
Anyone who has ever dragged out metal detectors for any length of time knows that no matter how expensive the unit you still find lots of junk. Treasure hunting isn't for everyone and certainly not for couch potatoes who suddenly go wild over something they saw on TV. Treasure hunting can be exciting, but do some homework whether buying metal detectors or researching possible treasure cache sites. Treasure hunting is an excellent hobby for those who need to get outdoors and exercise, but it can also be physically challenging depending on what it is you seek. Beachcombing is wonderful to take in the sights of beauty - not just coins, but sea girls and boys, too, but do it from behind sunglasses dark enough so the girlfriend, wife or husband doesn't catch you staring distantly too long.
Treasure hunting can be an exhilerating sport that pits machine against man. Having good treasure hunting equipment and vehicles means little if you aren't physically capable, too, to handle the rigors of walking, climbing and digging getting your hands dirty. Be aware, too, the fact that it is important for you to be current on tetanus shots since you will encounter many rusty nails, metal, etc. Not everything a metal detector finds is worth money at a pawn shop or artifact swap meet. For most relic hunters it's a never ending battle to find something that others missed in a park. Depending on where modern age relic hunters prospect go to find artifacts it is important to understand that some sites require the hunter to show respect; namely old battefields and cemeteries. Tread carefully on cherished ground. To thoughtlessly litter or disgrace the landscape is nothing short of desecrating hallowed ground especially if that ground has been stained by human blood from dying soldiers and Indians. Indian cemeteries and graves are hallowed ground. Act human and tread lightly. It is when we get caught up in the excitement of the hunt that we sometimes get careless and forgetful.
Be wary of your surroundings while you listen with detector headphones. Be careful where you step because some of the biggest finds are where you don't expect them. Wabasis was a smart, jovial Indian, who listened to his own gut feelings when traveling. It wasn't until after his death in May 1863 that incoming settlers; farmers and lumbermen began to hear about Wabasis' lost treasure at Wabasis Lake. For more than twenty- four years they couldn't fathom what Wabasis had done to local Indians to make them so mad as to banish him for life to live at Wabasis Lake. Not all Indians hated Wabasis - just those who claimed Wabasis was stealing their treaty monies, but these were those Indians that were not recognized as worthy by the Great Chiefs and Indian superintendents. The Indians were required to maintain certain standards of which Chief Mucktasha didn't abide by, but rather scorned both government and incoming settlers.
Most treasure hunters search by daylight, while some of the most nocturnal use metal detectors, EMF recorders and infrared photography hoping to find a ghost hovering above or in the vicinity of a treasure cache. Hunting for ghosts is not for the squeamish or those afraid of paranormal activity. Ghost appearances do turn off relic hunters and there are those treasure hunters that have hunted for Wabasis treasure who say he protects the treasure. Even after Wabasis' death the Indians who searched for the lost treasure report Wabasis' spirit haunted their best attempts to locate the gold and silver cache. His spirit's energy field won't tempt you into hunting longer, and so, too, he won't give you the key to finding his treasure.
"All of us have an energy field (magnetic) within us... (or that surrounds of every being). Ghosts are energy forces left behind. The main reason for a ghost's existence is a traumatic or violent death. The spirit stays behind to continue doing what it did when it was incarnated in a body, replaying the death scene, perhaps in a robotic way, or resolving some conflict at the time of death," said Norm Gauthier, founder and director of the Society for Psychic Research.
Do ghosts exist? Wabasis' ghost reportedly exists? It's been seen in the Wabasis Lake Park on dark nights. Rarely is a white ghost form seen in moonlight, but those who report they've seen his spirit are sure he protects the treasure cache from those lantern holding treasure and relic hunters. Wabasis' spirit legend has deep roots acquired from those who have searched in vain and found nothing. Just because you've never seen the treasure doesn't mean it never really existed and just because you've never seen Wabasis' ghost does it doesn't it mean it doesn't exist. Wabasis' ghost, the spirit of his dead body continues to rise and haunt the living who search for his treasure or could it be just the foggy mists of Wabasis Lake hovering above the trees on cooling nights?
Spirits can be good or evil. Ghosts have been on earth since the days when Brutus and Cassius plotted the assassination of Caesar and Brutus was later haunted by Caesar's ghost (44 b.c.) as he was making battle plans against Anthony and Octavian (Augustus when emperor). Brutus was sitting alone in his tent when a spirit of horrifying gigantic proportions with a pale, emaciated face startled him saying 'I am your evil spirit' and said, 'You will see me again at Philippi'. This evil spirit Brutus saw again the night before he died on the battlefield at Philippi. The Holy Bible is no stranger to ghost sightings for even Job was nerve-wracked when a ghost appeared in front of him in which he said "Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake... as the spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up.' He might have seen the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.
Paranormal researchers believe those who die violent deaths leave in imprint on localities caused by strong emotions experienced. The spirit or ghost is seen as a echo of the past that can last for years or centuries. This is why ghosts are associated with sightings where there has been a lot or misery, violence and murder. Wabasis lived all three threats for twenty-four years so theoretically his spirit was recorded somewhere in space and those who say they've seen his ghost have fallen into a momentary time-warp, which allows those who've seen him a quick glimpse of his past (pre-recorded on film). Want to find Wabasis' treasure?
Simply get some infrared film and EMF recording equipment and enjoy the park on the darkest of nights. His ghost has never been described as evil - just haunting those who search for his possible treasure cache of gold and silver. Wabasis was killed in Section 5 of Cannon Township and his spirit today hangs out in Section 29 of Oakfield Township (Kent County) Michigan. Wabasis might have died seven miles from Wabasis Lake, but unknown if any sightings of his ghost or spirit exist in the Leach Swamp region of Cannon Township and Barkley Creek glacial canyon in Plainfield Township. Unknown is where he hid the bulk of his treasure between Michael Smith's residence near the mouth of the Rogue River to where Wabasis was killed.
What physical feature existed in the 1840's that still hasn't been found today? That I believe is the key to finding Chief John Wabasis' Lost Treasure. Is it lost in Leach Swamp or Barkley Creek region. The stream's headwater is Lake Bella Vista. Maybe it's your time as a treasure or relic hunter to skirmish with Wabasis' ghost.
As a steward of history it is important to keep the history of our area and the people who live there ALIVE for the generations to follow. Legends never die, but sometimes legends get so big it becomes hard to understand what is factual or fiction. Whatever you do show some respect for the dead and study hard and take the time to reason with others and listen with a straining ear what others report. This concludes "The Legend of Chief Wabasis' Lost Treasure."
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Legend of Chief Wabasis' Lost Treasure - 132
Chief Wabasis' banishment to his farm property at Wabasis Lake was a livesaver. Mucktasha was hoping to get a more favorable response out of the Grand River chiefs. He argued against sparing Wabasis' life. He sought revenge against Wabasis for his portrayal of Wabasis as a scoundrel and thief, but Wabasis at the council meetings defended himself repeatedly with "That's all the money there is and no more." It was 'tit for tat' and most of the chiefs refused to believe that John Wabasis, the pillar of Indian honesty would do otherwise. The chiefs knew of Mucktasha's hatred for Wabasis and incoming settlers and did their best to neutralize the situation.
Mucktasha wanted retribution for Wabasis helping the Grand River chiefs cede their lands to the U.S. government or sold to settlers. Legend has it that Wabasis didn't share the money, but kept it for himself, burying it, which earned him the fury of Mucktasha's tribe and a few other outlying chiefs. The biggest tribal chiefs chose to spare his life so that Wabasis in a moment of weakness would hopefully lead them to recover the gold and silver he supposedly stashed. To step off Wabasis' property meant instant death by any Indian.
Wabasis remained on his property for twenty-four years. His wife and children could come and go and they remained at his side until his death. Muctasha arrived each May for his share of money, but Wabasis stated there wasn't any and after many more years of Wabasis silence, the blackskin chief became more enraged by his failure to collect his money and he convinced Chief Neogamah, that it was hightime to carry out Indian justice and pass sentence and execute Wabasis. Both Indians in a visit to Wabasis lake enticed Wabasis to go to a corn festival at Prairie Indian village at Plainfield. What they never told Wabasis was that Prairie Village had been deserted since 1860. The Treaty of 1855 ended Indian occupation of any lands north of the Grand River. Most of the Indians went either to Mt. Pleasant, Pentwater or Petoskey. Muctasha and his band were considered derelicts or renegades who had always been trouble makers and who didn't abide with any treaties.
Chief Neogamah and Mucktasha convinced the depressed Wabasis in a friendly sort of way to trick him into leaving his property. Under whiteman law it'd be known as premeditated murder, but under Indian law it was justifiable execution. So in May 1863 Wabasis left by way of the Plainfield-Sheridan Trail, but he only walked about 10 miles when he met Neogamah and Muctasha at the Rum Creek crossing (Kies Rd.). As they sat in the lite of the campfire they all drank firewater in excess until liquor seized their minds and then the two stood angrily above Wabasis and beat the life out of him with firebrands and rocks. It was a violent death scene. No longer were they interested in finding the treasure, but revenge.
The next morning two farmers traveling down the trail noticed the smoldering fire and checked it out and found the bloodied body of Wabasis lying on the blank. Albert Pickett, the Marshal in Rockford and a Cannon Township Constable arrived and they confirmed it was Wabasis and the lawmen told the farmers Indian justice had finally been dealt out and it was none of their business to interfer. Wabasis was executed with the help of whiteman firewater, but if his death sentence were carried out in 1848, the outcome would have been even more brutal.
If Wabasis would have been sentenced and executed by the chiefs, they would have put a hatchet in his hands and led him to a large hollow log for which he was to fashion his own coffin to admit his body. He was then led away and tied to a tree and for the next several days to a week was tortured nightly in firelight, his skin burned by flames as drunken Indians took turns flitting arrows at his standing body. They'd have cut off his ears and nose and more cruel torture by liquor ensued until at last his head drooped towards the earth. Indian justice was mutilation.
Wabasis' body was removed by Indians and taken reportedly to Prairie Village. Legends say he was buried inside a crib with his head above ground and his knife at his side to display Indian retribution. His head could look out over the land he helped cede to the US government, but Wabasis wasn't buried looking south from the bluffs.
Wabasis was buried south of the Grand River looking north. In fact, I visited his monument in the late 1950's in Plainfield Township. Wabasis' monument was in the island south of where Plainfield Avenue meets the East Beltline that forms Northland Drive. The bronze marker plaque on a large granite stone was vandalized and removed by hoodlums in the early 1960's. The stone was then removed over to the Grand Rapids Gravel Company (where Walgreen's and Wendy's is today). Chief Kewaycooshcum's grave does look south from the bluffs of Prairie Village, but not Wabasis'. Kewaycooshcum signed the Treaty of 1821 ceding all lands south of the Grand River, but Wabasis wasn't a signee of the Treaty of 1836 or any treaties.
The Legend of Chief Wabasis' lost treasure didn't end here, but ever since 1863 wandering Indians and treasure hunters with greedy glints in their eyes with lanterns, picks, shovels, metal detectors and flashlights in hand have been seeking Wabasis' treasure troves. Upon hearing of Wabasis' death other Indians were angier at those who killed Wabasis so viciously. Down thru the years many have searched for Wabasis' gold, but what they encountered on dark nights has scared the living daylights out of some by Wabasis' angry ghost. Indian legends foretell how an angry ghost scared them, too.
Sightings of Wabasis' ghost rise to haunt the living when someone gets too close. Whether Wabasis' spirit is being used for 'evil' or good depends on the searcher for Wabasis' treasure trove. His violent death would indicate that on certain occasions his spirit is seeking revenge against those who killed him. His strong emotions at the time of his death may have left an imprint on the locality because he felt he was wrongly judged. Ghosts seem to only inhabit sites where there was lots of misery and violence or murder, but one would think that his ghost would be where he was murdered. Some believe the whole of the past is recorded somewhere in spacetime as though it were on film to be shown in the future. Those who see Wabasis ghost are caught in a momentary time-warp (trap) that if one were thinking as a treasure hunter might get a quick glimpse of the past in rerun time.
Shortly after Wabasis' death the Mucktasha tribe descended upon Wabasis property and searched nightly, but each time Wabasis angry ghost appeared spooking their horses, which in turn made them run, too. What they saw rattled their bones. Other treasure hunters report when Wabasis' angry ghost appears the hairs on their flesh stands at attention causing them to tremble and shake violently as if Wabasis' ghost has beseiged them. Don't laugh for legend has it that Caesar's ghost haunted Brutus who plotted his assassination. In the Holy Bible even Job saw a ghost that caused him much fear. Ghosts appear in darkness, not by light of day.
There is another legend within Wabasis' legend that fortells that when Chief Neogamah and Muctashas visited him to entice him to leave his property he was depressed. In the mid 1850's Wabasis' daughter who was in here early twenties had fallen in love with an Indian brave whom he didn't approve of. He forbid her to marry him, but she fell out of love for her father and reportedly stole the hidden stash and ran off with her lover. It is said she broke her father's heart and will to survive. Whether this legend is true is unknown. It has been said that ghosts are often associated with dire warnings for the living, but sometimes ghosts can save lives, so be careful where and what you do as you search for Chief John Wabasis' lost treasure. History has shown that when you mix Indians with treasures to be found they come with curses so beware!
Maybe the reason why Wabasis' lost treasure has never been found is because that's the way his ghost wants it. To my knowledge nobody has ever found anything of value, but just because you haven't found it doesn't mean it never existed.
Mucktasha wanted retribution for Wabasis helping the Grand River chiefs cede their lands to the U.S. government or sold to settlers. Legend has it that Wabasis didn't share the money, but kept it for himself, burying it, which earned him the fury of Mucktasha's tribe and a few other outlying chiefs. The biggest tribal chiefs chose to spare his life so that Wabasis in a moment of weakness would hopefully lead them to recover the gold and silver he supposedly stashed. To step off Wabasis' property meant instant death by any Indian.
Wabasis remained on his property for twenty-four years. His wife and children could come and go and they remained at his side until his death. Muctasha arrived each May for his share of money, but Wabasis stated there wasn't any and after many more years of Wabasis silence, the blackskin chief became more enraged by his failure to collect his money and he convinced Chief Neogamah, that it was hightime to carry out Indian justice and pass sentence and execute Wabasis. Both Indians in a visit to Wabasis lake enticed Wabasis to go to a corn festival at Prairie Indian village at Plainfield. What they never told Wabasis was that Prairie Village had been deserted since 1860. The Treaty of 1855 ended Indian occupation of any lands north of the Grand River. Most of the Indians went either to Mt. Pleasant, Pentwater or Petoskey. Muctasha and his band were considered derelicts or renegades who had always been trouble makers and who didn't abide with any treaties.
Chief Neogamah and Mucktasha convinced the depressed Wabasis in a friendly sort of way to trick him into leaving his property. Under whiteman law it'd be known as premeditated murder, but under Indian law it was justifiable execution. So in May 1863 Wabasis left by way of the Plainfield-Sheridan Trail, but he only walked about 10 miles when he met Neogamah and Muctasha at the Rum Creek crossing (Kies Rd.). As they sat in the lite of the campfire they all drank firewater in excess until liquor seized their minds and then the two stood angrily above Wabasis and beat the life out of him with firebrands and rocks. It was a violent death scene. No longer were they interested in finding the treasure, but revenge.
The next morning two farmers traveling down the trail noticed the smoldering fire and checked it out and found the bloodied body of Wabasis lying on the blank. Albert Pickett, the Marshal in Rockford and a Cannon Township Constable arrived and they confirmed it was Wabasis and the lawmen told the farmers Indian justice had finally been dealt out and it was none of their business to interfer. Wabasis was executed with the help of whiteman firewater, but if his death sentence were carried out in 1848, the outcome would have been even more brutal.
If Wabasis would have been sentenced and executed by the chiefs, they would have put a hatchet in his hands and led him to a large hollow log for which he was to fashion his own coffin to admit his body. He was then led away and tied to a tree and for the next several days to a week was tortured nightly in firelight, his skin burned by flames as drunken Indians took turns flitting arrows at his standing body. They'd have cut off his ears and nose and more cruel torture by liquor ensued until at last his head drooped towards the earth. Indian justice was mutilation.
Wabasis' body was removed by Indians and taken reportedly to Prairie Village. Legends say he was buried inside a crib with his head above ground and his knife at his side to display Indian retribution. His head could look out over the land he helped cede to the US government, but Wabasis wasn't buried looking south from the bluffs.
Wabasis was buried south of the Grand River looking north. In fact, I visited his monument in the late 1950's in Plainfield Township. Wabasis' monument was in the island south of where Plainfield Avenue meets the East Beltline that forms Northland Drive. The bronze marker plaque on a large granite stone was vandalized and removed by hoodlums in the early 1960's. The stone was then removed over to the Grand Rapids Gravel Company (where Walgreen's and Wendy's is today). Chief Kewaycooshcum's grave does look south from the bluffs of Prairie Village, but not Wabasis'. Kewaycooshcum signed the Treaty of 1821 ceding all lands south of the Grand River, but Wabasis wasn't a signee of the Treaty of 1836 or any treaties.
The Legend of Chief Wabasis' lost treasure didn't end here, but ever since 1863 wandering Indians and treasure hunters with greedy glints in their eyes with lanterns, picks, shovels, metal detectors and flashlights in hand have been seeking Wabasis' treasure troves. Upon hearing of Wabasis' death other Indians were angier at those who killed Wabasis so viciously. Down thru the years many have searched for Wabasis' gold, but what they encountered on dark nights has scared the living daylights out of some by Wabasis' angry ghost. Indian legends foretell how an angry ghost scared them, too.
Sightings of Wabasis' ghost rise to haunt the living when someone gets too close. Whether Wabasis' spirit is being used for 'evil' or good depends on the searcher for Wabasis' treasure trove. His violent death would indicate that on certain occasions his spirit is seeking revenge against those who killed him. His strong emotions at the time of his death may have left an imprint on the locality because he felt he was wrongly judged. Ghosts seem to only inhabit sites where there was lots of misery and violence or murder, but one would think that his ghost would be where he was murdered. Some believe the whole of the past is recorded somewhere in spacetime as though it were on film to be shown in the future. Those who see Wabasis ghost are caught in a momentary time-warp (trap) that if one were thinking as a treasure hunter might get a quick glimpse of the past in rerun time.
Shortly after Wabasis' death the Mucktasha tribe descended upon Wabasis property and searched nightly, but each time Wabasis angry ghost appeared spooking their horses, which in turn made them run, too. What they saw rattled their bones. Other treasure hunters report when Wabasis' angry ghost appears the hairs on their flesh stands at attention causing them to tremble and shake violently as if Wabasis' ghost has beseiged them. Don't laugh for legend has it that Caesar's ghost haunted Brutus who plotted his assassination. In the Holy Bible even Job saw a ghost that caused him much fear. Ghosts appear in darkness, not by light of day.
There is another legend within Wabasis' legend that fortells that when Chief Neogamah and Muctashas visited him to entice him to leave his property he was depressed. In the mid 1850's Wabasis' daughter who was in here early twenties had fallen in love with an Indian brave whom he didn't approve of. He forbid her to marry him, but she fell out of love for her father and reportedly stole the hidden stash and ran off with her lover. It is said she broke her father's heart and will to survive. Whether this legend is true is unknown. It has been said that ghosts are often associated with dire warnings for the living, but sometimes ghosts can save lives, so be careful where and what you do as you search for Chief John Wabasis' lost treasure. History has shown that when you mix Indians with treasures to be found they come with curses so beware!
Maybe the reason why Wabasis' lost treasure has never been found is because that's the way his ghost wants it. To my knowledge nobody has ever found anything of value, but just because you haven't found it doesn't mean it never existed.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Legend of Chief Wabasis' Lost Treasure - 131
Chief John Wabasis lived the life of a condemned Indian for nearly twenty-five years. He escaped certain death by disgruntled others who swore out their own version of imminent death if he left his farm along the most western shores of Wabasis Lake. For twenty-four years he lived in his log house atop the high hill that overlooks lake and farm of present day Kent County Park and Campground. Frequently old John Wabasis could be seen near the limestone caves and it has been the contention by many treasure hunters that Wabasis' lost treasure lies within the inner regions. Many have searched in vain on land, but the size of the wetland areas has changed since 1863. Could the kettle be buried in the cattail marshes?
If gold and silver were kettlelized inside the caves it is lost forever, but as you've learned each family of Indians had its own kettle for cooking and I doubt Mrs. Wabasis would let her husband take it and bury his riches in it for safe keeping. Kettles were for cooking and the old pots were not taken back and forth from summer to winter quarters, however, when they left the summer grounds most Ottawas and Chippewas would put their most prized possessions in them and bury them until they returned from winter grounds.
The majority of Wabasis' lost treasure was buried many miles beyond Wabasis Lake. Sure when Chief Wabasis left his farm he had a few coins, but the whole purpose of banishing him to his property was so that Mucktasha's tribal members could spy on him to find his stash. It's amazing how Chief Wabasis kept the treasure hidden for twenty-four years without tipping off those like Mucktasha who convinced Chief Neogamah it was time to kill Chief Wabasis. The Blackskins had lost hope of ever finding the treasure.
Still Chief Wabasis left his banished property and faced the prospect of death many times. Fact is the legend concerning the "kettle" burial happened not during the year he was killed, but about May 1848, when he had a premonition that danger lurked along the Plainfield-Sheridan Indian Trail. He had just picked up his last Indian payment as a half-breed and those of his family unit along with the payments going out to about 1,200 other Indians.
The Indian superintendent would call out the names of chiefs and heads of families to get a certain amount. Spread out in piles of $10 and $20 in half-silver dollars on the council table each man was called up by the Indian superintendent and the interpreter told the clerk who one by one checked them off the list. As the 'crier' called off the names the Indians would present themselves and once paid off family members would gather around them and receive their share and beyond them stood the traders to collect Indian debts, which sometimes left the Indians with little to show for a years wage.
The treaty language of 1836, which changed the way Indians were paid in 1834, which stipulated now that each family head must appear and account for himself and members of his family. No proxy (Wabasis) could receive payments for others. Payment in gold lasted about five years until the government was running short of gold coins. Sometimes the chiefs depending on who signed the treaty got $2000 a year, but that figure was subdivided amongst his family members. It was only the single or widowed chiefs who received lump sum payments.
Remember, too, the half-breeds were paid at higher rates than Chiefs, but the payment was at the descretion of the various tribal chiefs. Still those Indians like Mucktasha's blackskin tribe near Greenville objected to how much Wabasis was paid. Wabasis invested it in white man ventures and actually did purchased treaty lands for his own use. Wabasis could have been paid slightly less or more than $50,000 for helping the government acquire land north of the Grand River, but he inherited lots of money from Wobwindigo, Cobmoosa and his family unit, too.
As I've said frequently Wabasis' lost treasure, the largest share isn't buried and Wabasis Lake but elsewhere. In May 1848 he on his way back home with a large cache of treaty money and had just crossed the Grand River near the head of Grand Island and stopped at his white man friend's house. Michael Smith entertained Wabasis who clutched a heavy bag inside his light buckskin jacket. The coins jiggled and clanked when Wabasis walked for several hours and then 'out of the blue' Wabasis asked Smith if he had and old iron kettle and a horse he could borrow for a little while. Smith was puzzled. 'Did his friend have a premonition of impending doom?' Wabasis never told him why he needed a kettle. Smith thought he might collect some wild strawberries and return, since it was a warmer than normal spring. No snow or little in 1847-48. Michigan was a tinderbox. Bonfire and campfires were prohibited.
Chief Wabasis looked nervous as he climbed onto the horse's back and Smith gave him the kettle. Chief John Wabasis rode up the trail northward and James House (age 17) who lived with his parents about a mile north or Prairie Village saw Wabasis pass, the old horse plodding with gruff man on his back. House watched him fade off over the hill and that's the last he saw of Wabasis that day, but he missed his return with the horse minus the kettle.
Smith said, "Wabasis was only gone for three or four hours, but he returned minus the kettle and bag of money - no clanking of coins." Wabasis returned the horse and paid him for the kettle, thanked Smith and walked towards home on foot. The kettle of money was buried somewhere along the Plainfield-Sheridan Trail.
If this is true (this is the real kettle of treasures) how far can a hefty Indian riding an old plow horse travel in 3-5 hours before returning to the Smith residence? That's between the mouth of the Rogue River and Prairie Village (Blythefield Country Club). The House residence was just below the Kuttshill Hill just short of present day Blythefield Baptist Church. The House family farm looked down upon Prairie Village.
On foot Wabasis could probably have walked about a mile per twenty-minutes or less, but how far on horseback along the trail and what physical land features could have existed in 1848 along this trail? It is highly possible that the kettle of treasure is buried somewhere in the Barkley Creek glacial canyon and Grass Lake (Bella Vista) that meanders northwest thru Leach Swamp.
Leach Swamp was known to Constables as the place where those they sought, like Vincent Tucker, an emboldened thief who seemingly disappeared during a summer manhunt without a trace in 1878. Rockford Marshal and Cannon Township Constables chased him into the swamp and personally noted it was someplace nobody should visit. I have reason to believe the kettle of real treasure is between Myers Lake Ave (east), Ten Mile Road (north), Belding Road (south) Jericho/Gibralter Rd. (west). This is the vicinity in which Wabasis traveled. Remember this $50,000 treasure in 1848 might be worth just under $1 million today. The legend of Wabasis' lost treasure has been morphed and twisted so badly over the past 150 years that the original "kettle of treasure" and its original burial spot do not exist. Everyone keeps looking in the wrong place at Wabasis Lake. Whatever lies in an undisclosed location at Wabasis Lake is a 'minor' treasure, but it is still worth looking for since the "Curse of Wabasis' Lost Treasure" exists in the hearts of many treasure hunters who say something haunts the park on dark nights. You'll want to read the next installment #132 for his death and the paranormal activity surrounding his death and treasure still that lies within the park.
The only reason the Kent County Parks Commission sealed the limestone caves is because they were dangerous. In fact, Carl Tower said, "the caves crumbled when he was inside once" as a young boy. Bumping any rock outcroppings caused rock slides and the caves went straight back in about 40-50 feet, but he never found anything of Indian culture inside. To disturb the rocks caused cave-ins and that scared him when playing inside them. Yes, it is possible the minor treasures of Wabasis might be buried here, but surely someone would have found it between 1863-1943.
Sixty-seven years ago government officials decided nobody else should investigate the caves for fear the crumbly limestone might crush them and they had no expert "spelunkers" who wanted to risk life and limb to rescue treasure hunters. To go inside small caves in Michigan without telling someone or carrying GPS or cellphone is foolish and downright stupid like the three Utah treasure hunters in 2010 who tried to find the Lost Dutchman's Mine in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.
Don't miss "Wabasis death and The Curse of Chief Wabasis' Treasure." Bet you didn't know the later topic?
If gold and silver were kettlelized inside the caves it is lost forever, but as you've learned each family of Indians had its own kettle for cooking and I doubt Mrs. Wabasis would let her husband take it and bury his riches in it for safe keeping. Kettles were for cooking and the old pots were not taken back and forth from summer to winter quarters, however, when they left the summer grounds most Ottawas and Chippewas would put their most prized possessions in them and bury them until they returned from winter grounds.
The majority of Wabasis' lost treasure was buried many miles beyond Wabasis Lake. Sure when Chief Wabasis left his farm he had a few coins, but the whole purpose of banishing him to his property was so that Mucktasha's tribal members could spy on him to find his stash. It's amazing how Chief Wabasis kept the treasure hidden for twenty-four years without tipping off those like Mucktasha who convinced Chief Neogamah it was time to kill Chief Wabasis. The Blackskins had lost hope of ever finding the treasure.
Still Chief Wabasis left his banished property and faced the prospect of death many times. Fact is the legend concerning the "kettle" burial happened not during the year he was killed, but about May 1848, when he had a premonition that danger lurked along the Plainfield-Sheridan Indian Trail. He had just picked up his last Indian payment as a half-breed and those of his family unit along with the payments going out to about 1,200 other Indians.
The Indian superintendent would call out the names of chiefs and heads of families to get a certain amount. Spread out in piles of $10 and $20 in half-silver dollars on the council table each man was called up by the Indian superintendent and the interpreter told the clerk who one by one checked them off the list. As the 'crier' called off the names the Indians would present themselves and once paid off family members would gather around them and receive their share and beyond them stood the traders to collect Indian debts, which sometimes left the Indians with little to show for a years wage.
The treaty language of 1836, which changed the way Indians were paid in 1834, which stipulated now that each family head must appear and account for himself and members of his family. No proxy (Wabasis) could receive payments for others. Payment in gold lasted about five years until the government was running short of gold coins. Sometimes the chiefs depending on who signed the treaty got $2000 a year, but that figure was subdivided amongst his family members. It was only the single or widowed chiefs who received lump sum payments.
Remember, too, the half-breeds were paid at higher rates than Chiefs, but the payment was at the descretion of the various tribal chiefs. Still those Indians like Mucktasha's blackskin tribe near Greenville objected to how much Wabasis was paid. Wabasis invested it in white man ventures and actually did purchased treaty lands for his own use. Wabasis could have been paid slightly less or more than $50,000 for helping the government acquire land north of the Grand River, but he inherited lots of money from Wobwindigo, Cobmoosa and his family unit, too.
As I've said frequently Wabasis' lost treasure, the largest share isn't buried and Wabasis Lake but elsewhere. In May 1848 he on his way back home with a large cache of treaty money and had just crossed the Grand River near the head of Grand Island and stopped at his white man friend's house. Michael Smith entertained Wabasis who clutched a heavy bag inside his light buckskin jacket. The coins jiggled and clanked when Wabasis walked for several hours and then 'out of the blue' Wabasis asked Smith if he had and old iron kettle and a horse he could borrow for a little while. Smith was puzzled. 'Did his friend have a premonition of impending doom?' Wabasis never told him why he needed a kettle. Smith thought he might collect some wild strawberries and return, since it was a warmer than normal spring. No snow or little in 1847-48. Michigan was a tinderbox. Bonfire and campfires were prohibited.
Chief Wabasis looked nervous as he climbed onto the horse's back and Smith gave him the kettle. Chief John Wabasis rode up the trail northward and James House (age 17) who lived with his parents about a mile north or Prairie Village saw Wabasis pass, the old horse plodding with gruff man on his back. House watched him fade off over the hill and that's the last he saw of Wabasis that day, but he missed his return with the horse minus the kettle.
Smith said, "Wabasis was only gone for three or four hours, but he returned minus the kettle and bag of money - no clanking of coins." Wabasis returned the horse and paid him for the kettle, thanked Smith and walked towards home on foot. The kettle of money was buried somewhere along the Plainfield-Sheridan Trail.
If this is true (this is the real kettle of treasures) how far can a hefty Indian riding an old plow horse travel in 3-5 hours before returning to the Smith residence? That's between the mouth of the Rogue River and Prairie Village (Blythefield Country Club). The House residence was just below the Kuttshill Hill just short of present day Blythefield Baptist Church. The House family farm looked down upon Prairie Village.
On foot Wabasis could probably have walked about a mile per twenty-minutes or less, but how far on horseback along the trail and what physical land features could have existed in 1848 along this trail? It is highly possible that the kettle of treasure is buried somewhere in the Barkley Creek glacial canyon and Grass Lake (Bella Vista) that meanders northwest thru Leach Swamp.
Leach Swamp was known to Constables as the place where those they sought, like Vincent Tucker, an emboldened thief who seemingly disappeared during a summer manhunt without a trace in 1878. Rockford Marshal and Cannon Township Constables chased him into the swamp and personally noted it was someplace nobody should visit. I have reason to believe the kettle of real treasure is between Myers Lake Ave (east), Ten Mile Road (north), Belding Road (south) Jericho/Gibralter Rd. (west). This is the vicinity in which Wabasis traveled. Remember this $50,000 treasure in 1848 might be worth just under $1 million today. The legend of Wabasis' lost treasure has been morphed and twisted so badly over the past 150 years that the original "kettle of treasure" and its original burial spot do not exist. Everyone keeps looking in the wrong place at Wabasis Lake. Whatever lies in an undisclosed location at Wabasis Lake is a 'minor' treasure, but it is still worth looking for since the "Curse of Wabasis' Lost Treasure" exists in the hearts of many treasure hunters who say something haunts the park on dark nights. You'll want to read the next installment #132 for his death and the paranormal activity surrounding his death and treasure still that lies within the park.
The only reason the Kent County Parks Commission sealed the limestone caves is because they were dangerous. In fact, Carl Tower said, "the caves crumbled when he was inside once" as a young boy. Bumping any rock outcroppings caused rock slides and the caves went straight back in about 40-50 feet, but he never found anything of Indian culture inside. To disturb the rocks caused cave-ins and that scared him when playing inside them. Yes, it is possible the minor treasures of Wabasis might be buried here, but surely someone would have found it between 1863-1943.
Sixty-seven years ago government officials decided nobody else should investigate the caves for fear the crumbly limestone might crush them and they had no expert "spelunkers" who wanted to risk life and limb to rescue treasure hunters. To go inside small caves in Michigan without telling someone or carrying GPS or cellphone is foolish and downright stupid like the three Utah treasure hunters in 2010 who tried to find the Lost Dutchman's Mine in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.
Don't miss "Wabasis death and The Curse of Chief Wabasis' Treasure." Bet you didn't know the later topic?
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Legend of Chief Wabasis' Lost Treasure - 130
"If Chief Wabasis' lost treasure pot hasn't been found near Wabasis Lake for nearly 150 years where is it hidden?" The pot or kettle containing his stash is real, but it is buried in two different places. At today's gold prices it'd be worth about $750,000. He was a smart Indian; full of wisdom to know you don't put all your money in one account or place when you feel threatened by those who have a penchant for killing you and stealing the wealth you have hidden. Old Indian Joe of Cannonsburg put his money in mason jars and buried it. Banning Wabasis to live the remainder of his years on his own garden plot at Wabasis Lake wasn't in the best interest of his immediate family or those who wanted him dead. It sure wouldn't to those who wanted their money or would it?
Knowing the relationships of the Indians and who respected Wabasis more, well that's what kept Wabasis alive for 24 years, more years than the disgruntled wanted to put up with. Not all the Indians thought Wabasis was a scoundrel and thief, for the most popular chiefs stayed out of fray and kept the peace with settlers and removed to reservations in Missouri or Michigan. Wabasis never sold the land, but peacefully helped the Grand River valley tribes and Federal government settle their differences with a treaty that meant no bloodshed.
What Wabasis wasn't privy to was the fact that Congress had changed the way Indians were being paid in 1834. When Wabasis appeared to pick up the Indian payments for the Blackskins and Ottawas in 1838, he was suprised to learn that each head of the families must appear for payment - no proxies. He could only pick up his share, that as a head of his family unit and since he was a half-breed he was awarded higher pay than if he was a full chief who signed the treaty. When Chief Wobwindigo died in 1837, he got another share as the adopted son of Wobwindingo and another as the foster son of Cobmoosa and the shares of his mother, too. The various chiefs got paid about $2000.00 yearly who invested those sums in settler futures; steamboats and freight businesses of early Grand Rapids.
The Treaty of 1836 left the Grand River Ottawa tribes vulnerable to forced removal. McCoy felt they should be removed to Missouri or anywhere west of the Mississippi, but this was never formally ratified, so Congress wrote an amendement after the treaty was signed placing the Indians in Michigan reservations, but for five years and after 1841 they must move west. They got no permanent status.
When the chiefs got wind of the 'forked tongue' decisions by Congress and President Polk they immediately filed suit claiming that President Andrew Jackson's treaty with them was broken by Washington bureaucrats and they began pressuring the Federal government to negotiate a new treaty that guaranteed them permanent reservation status in their traditional territories in Michigan. As a result of this conflict some Indians thought it fruitless to engage the Federal government and either moved while those who stayed died of white settler diseases before they could collect one government payment. As sickness spread so did the various Indian families who disappeared into the wilderness or buried in Indian cemeteries. These families didn't receive their payments until a census showed where they took up residence.
As for Wabasis he returned to Grand Rapids to pick up his treaty monies each May. Those pesky Blackskins who were always threatening him with death if he left his banishment property weren't very good at watching him only because they were loafers and derelicts, but they were always the first to condemn Wabasis as a traitor and thief.
Yes, Wabasis was the selected one to bring the chiefs money, but it was the Federal government who changed the way the Indians would be paid. The Indian agents didn't allow proxies to pick up payments for other heads of families and neither were Indians who were loafers going to be paid. The government had placed certain standards on the Indians and they were to adhere to the provisions of payment as the treaty stipulated. When Wabasis returned with the money and as Indians appeared for payment, the amount he doled out was far below what they expected.
Those who were disappointed and became irate protested, but Wabasis didn't cave in to their demands. He insisted "That's all there is, there wasn't anymore!" When Wabasis wouldn't capitulate and furnish additional gold coinage, the newly elected Chief Neogamah of the Prairie Village at Plainfield in association with Chief Mucktasha banished Chief Wabasis to live on his 40-acre garden plot at Wabasis Lake for the remainder of his life. They classified him as a scoundrel and thief and should he leave any Indian could kill him wherever he was found. This all happened before 1842.
Wabasis retired to his garden plot and never ventured more than one mile from Wabasis Lake. So instead of confining himself to his property he had access to more than 12 square mile of land or water upon which to bury a 'pot or kettle of gold and silver' where he could save some cash, but this isn't where the bulk of the treasure is hidden. Sure Wabasis always had some coins in his hands or rustled them in his pockets for 24 years, but he never tipped off the Blackskins where it was hidden. The Blackskins in the vicinity were renegades and instead of farming chose to panhandle incoming settlers for food and supplies. Wabasis watched the years pass, the cemetery fires dwindling and, so too, did Indian families trickle by heading towards a reservation at Mt. Pleasant.
A new treaty was signed in 1855 and within the next five years all Indians living north of the Grand River must relocate to a reservation at Mt. Pleasant, Pentwater or Petoskey. This treaty provided for individual Indian occupancy of lands in 4 adjoining townships in Oceana and Mason counties. Single, sole Indians, received 40 acres and heads of families 80 acres. All the Grand River Valley Indians left in 1859. A virtual sea of approximately 3000 Indians went down the Grand River and U.S. government vessels took them up to Pentwater as Wabasis and family stayed encamped on Stephen Towers property until his death. Mucktasha and Neogamah roamed freely and always anticipated that Wabasis would accidentally show them where he hid his pot or kettle of gold and silver and that they'd recover what they thought he was stealing from them. Mucktasha was so lazy he never went to Grand Rapids to get his monies still waiting for him. He always countered he wanted nothing to do with whitemen.
Thousands of Indians left for Pentwater and Petoskey Bay and within two years the Indians on the reservations heard the Civil War had started between the North and South and the U.S. government was seeking Indian fighters. In the deep south the Cherokees of Arkansas were enlisting and word came that some of the Indians old white settler friends living at Prairie Village had enlisted and were seeking Ottawa Indian fighters, since they were accustomed to living with Indians. Area red men and white men joined the Union Army together.
Martin House, the bother of Andrew House enlisted at Grand Rapids and called upon his Ottawa Indian friends to enlist and serve with him in Co. F, 6th Michigan Cavalry, and he was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1863. Martin was at ease fighting alongside Co. K, which was made up almost entirely of Ottawa Indians from the Petoskey Bay Indian Reservation. Company K's flag in the Capitol in Lansing shows the most tattered of all Michigan military Civil War flags. The screams of Indian fighters (Cherokees and Ottawa Indians) was terrifying to white soldiers as they battled to survive a blazing forest fire. This is where guerilla warfare earned its reputation.
Serj. James Cowan, a friend of Chief Wabasis, who lived about 2 miles west of Wabasis' plot saw the guerilla warfare of area Union Ottawas Indians from Michigan and Cherokee Confederates from Arkansas fight each other through walls of flaming forest fires during the Battle of the Wilderness. Cowan was killed in action May 1864, but in his letters to home he said that Union Indians were buried on the same battlefields together with white men. When he received word that Chief Wabasis was killed off his garden plot he couldn't fathom why Neogamah and Mucktasha could foster so much hatred for such a well respected Indian. Cowan grew up with Wabasis' kids and knew Wabasis as an honest, well respected man. How could so much violence be perpetrated against him from the disbanded renegades living in northeast Oakfield and Greenville areas at a time when the sobs and wailings of grief stricken families could be heard on still nights drifting over the countryside after receiving news from the war department on the loss of sons, grandson's and husband's on distant southern battlefields.
Although forced onto reservations the Michigan Indians fought side-by-side with farming friends and those who once forced them into exile, but who still joined the Union Army. Time was nearing an end for Wabasis. He knew the day would come when if by chance he sneaked away and were found out that he left his farm he could be killed, but he always disappeared into the bush and traveled just out of sight along the Plainfield-Sheridan Indian trail. The days and year slipped away, and he saw the pilgramages of Indians leaving the area and yet over the years he managed to slip away unnoticed to pick up his annuity payments and return unscathed. Surely he could leave now that the Indians had left until one day when Mucktasha appeared and ... that's all for today.
You must read - #131 for Wabasis demise and why the majority of the treasure is outside the Wabasis Lake area. Ponder this statement, "Each family had its own kettle, but Wabasis had two separated by twenty years and within lies two secrets to why the treasure hasn't been found and where you might start your search.
Knowing the relationships of the Indians and who respected Wabasis more, well that's what kept Wabasis alive for 24 years, more years than the disgruntled wanted to put up with. Not all the Indians thought Wabasis was a scoundrel and thief, for the most popular chiefs stayed out of fray and kept the peace with settlers and removed to reservations in Missouri or Michigan. Wabasis never sold the land, but peacefully helped the Grand River valley tribes and Federal government settle their differences with a treaty that meant no bloodshed.
What Wabasis wasn't privy to was the fact that Congress had changed the way Indians were being paid in 1834. When Wabasis appeared to pick up the Indian payments for the Blackskins and Ottawas in 1838, he was suprised to learn that each head of the families must appear for payment - no proxies. He could only pick up his share, that as a head of his family unit and since he was a half-breed he was awarded higher pay than if he was a full chief who signed the treaty. When Chief Wobwindigo died in 1837, he got another share as the adopted son of Wobwindingo and another as the foster son of Cobmoosa and the shares of his mother, too. The various chiefs got paid about $2000.00 yearly who invested those sums in settler futures; steamboats and freight businesses of early Grand Rapids.
The Treaty of 1836 left the Grand River Ottawa tribes vulnerable to forced removal. McCoy felt they should be removed to Missouri or anywhere west of the Mississippi, but this was never formally ratified, so Congress wrote an amendement after the treaty was signed placing the Indians in Michigan reservations, but for five years and after 1841 they must move west. They got no permanent status.
When the chiefs got wind of the 'forked tongue' decisions by Congress and President Polk they immediately filed suit claiming that President Andrew Jackson's treaty with them was broken by Washington bureaucrats and they began pressuring the Federal government to negotiate a new treaty that guaranteed them permanent reservation status in their traditional territories in Michigan. As a result of this conflict some Indians thought it fruitless to engage the Federal government and either moved while those who stayed died of white settler diseases before they could collect one government payment. As sickness spread so did the various Indian families who disappeared into the wilderness or buried in Indian cemeteries. These families didn't receive their payments until a census showed where they took up residence.
As for Wabasis he returned to Grand Rapids to pick up his treaty monies each May. Those pesky Blackskins who were always threatening him with death if he left his banishment property weren't very good at watching him only because they were loafers and derelicts, but they were always the first to condemn Wabasis as a traitor and thief.
Yes, Wabasis was the selected one to bring the chiefs money, but it was the Federal government who changed the way the Indians would be paid. The Indian agents didn't allow proxies to pick up payments for other heads of families and neither were Indians who were loafers going to be paid. The government had placed certain standards on the Indians and they were to adhere to the provisions of payment as the treaty stipulated. When Wabasis returned with the money and as Indians appeared for payment, the amount he doled out was far below what they expected.
Those who were disappointed and became irate protested, but Wabasis didn't cave in to their demands. He insisted "That's all there is, there wasn't anymore!" When Wabasis wouldn't capitulate and furnish additional gold coinage, the newly elected Chief Neogamah of the Prairie Village at Plainfield in association with Chief Mucktasha banished Chief Wabasis to live on his 40-acre garden plot at Wabasis Lake for the remainder of his life. They classified him as a scoundrel and thief and should he leave any Indian could kill him wherever he was found. This all happened before 1842.
Wabasis retired to his garden plot and never ventured more than one mile from Wabasis Lake. So instead of confining himself to his property he had access to more than 12 square mile of land or water upon which to bury a 'pot or kettle of gold and silver' where he could save some cash, but this isn't where the bulk of the treasure is hidden. Sure Wabasis always had some coins in his hands or rustled them in his pockets for 24 years, but he never tipped off the Blackskins where it was hidden. The Blackskins in the vicinity were renegades and instead of farming chose to panhandle incoming settlers for food and supplies. Wabasis watched the years pass, the cemetery fires dwindling and, so too, did Indian families trickle by heading towards a reservation at Mt. Pleasant.
A new treaty was signed in 1855 and within the next five years all Indians living north of the Grand River must relocate to a reservation at Mt. Pleasant, Pentwater or Petoskey. This treaty provided for individual Indian occupancy of lands in 4 adjoining townships in Oceana and Mason counties. Single, sole Indians, received 40 acres and heads of families 80 acres. All the Grand River Valley Indians left in 1859. A virtual sea of approximately 3000 Indians went down the Grand River and U.S. government vessels took them up to Pentwater as Wabasis and family stayed encamped on Stephen Towers property until his death. Mucktasha and Neogamah roamed freely and always anticipated that Wabasis would accidentally show them where he hid his pot or kettle of gold and silver and that they'd recover what they thought he was stealing from them. Mucktasha was so lazy he never went to Grand Rapids to get his monies still waiting for him. He always countered he wanted nothing to do with whitemen.
Thousands of Indians left for Pentwater and Petoskey Bay and within two years the Indians on the reservations heard the Civil War had started between the North and South and the U.S. government was seeking Indian fighters. In the deep south the Cherokees of Arkansas were enlisting and word came that some of the Indians old white settler friends living at Prairie Village had enlisted and were seeking Ottawa Indian fighters, since they were accustomed to living with Indians. Area red men and white men joined the Union Army together.
Martin House, the bother of Andrew House enlisted at Grand Rapids and called upon his Ottawa Indian friends to enlist and serve with him in Co. F, 6th Michigan Cavalry, and he was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1863. Martin was at ease fighting alongside Co. K, which was made up almost entirely of Ottawa Indians from the Petoskey Bay Indian Reservation. Company K's flag in the Capitol in Lansing shows the most tattered of all Michigan military Civil War flags. The screams of Indian fighters (Cherokees and Ottawa Indians) was terrifying to white soldiers as they battled to survive a blazing forest fire. This is where guerilla warfare earned its reputation.
Serj. James Cowan, a friend of Chief Wabasis, who lived about 2 miles west of Wabasis' plot saw the guerilla warfare of area Union Ottawas Indians from Michigan and Cherokee Confederates from Arkansas fight each other through walls of flaming forest fires during the Battle of the Wilderness. Cowan was killed in action May 1864, but in his letters to home he said that Union Indians were buried on the same battlefields together with white men. When he received word that Chief Wabasis was killed off his garden plot he couldn't fathom why Neogamah and Mucktasha could foster so much hatred for such a well respected Indian. Cowan grew up with Wabasis' kids and knew Wabasis as an honest, well respected man. How could so much violence be perpetrated against him from the disbanded renegades living in northeast Oakfield and Greenville areas at a time when the sobs and wailings of grief stricken families could be heard on still nights drifting over the countryside after receiving news from the war department on the loss of sons, grandson's and husband's on distant southern battlefields.
Although forced onto reservations the Michigan Indians fought side-by-side with farming friends and those who once forced them into exile, but who still joined the Union Army. Time was nearing an end for Wabasis. He knew the day would come when if by chance he sneaked away and were found out that he left his farm he could be killed, but he always disappeared into the bush and traveled just out of sight along the Plainfield-Sheridan Indian trail. The days and year slipped away, and he saw the pilgramages of Indians leaving the area and yet over the years he managed to slip away unnoticed to pick up his annuity payments and return unscathed. Surely he could leave now that the Indians had left until one day when Mucktasha appeared and ... that's all for today.
You must read - #131 for Wabasis demise and why the majority of the treasure is outside the Wabasis Lake area. Ponder this statement, "Each family had its own kettle, but Wabasis had two separated by twenty years and within lies two secrets to why the treasure hasn't been found and where you might start your search.
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