OCTOBER,  NOVEMBER  2006 TENDING the GARDEN (In this issue!) IN THIS ISSUE... From The Editor........................Page 2 Along the Trail of Truth.............Page 3 Trail Tales.................................Page 4 Encouraging God's Children.....Page 5 Previous Newsletters    (Archives)   Home Page  (Trailheads)   * Contact Hiking the Trail of Truth,  PO Box 1443, Crestline, CA, 92325-1443 Mark's Trail Phone # 707-477-2460, or e-mail   hikemark@hotmail.com Page 2   From The Editor... Hello, and Welcome to the October / November Newsletter!  Our cover pictures were taken at Indian Rock Camp by the HTTOT staff. The Camp is west of Lake Arrowhead, in the San Bernadino Mountains of southern California. Our feature article this month; Tending the Garden, reflects my visit to this unique area known as Indian Rock.— We here at Hiking the Trail of Truth sincerely hope this day you have allowed the Spirit of God to be active within your heart, and that you are perhaps able to get out for a hike and consider many of the wonders He has made. We are uniquely drawn to these wonders because we were formed from the very dust of the earth, and, because of that relationship, we have the ability to develop the understanding that will allow us to discover our unique balance with nature. Come along with us this month on a great adventure of learning... Knowing God is first seeing Him through the things He has made. Hiking the Trail of Truth is here to help you along in your journey of discovery and sharing. If you have been or are presently unable to get out this season for a physical hike, just visit our website's feature trail for this month; The Desert Trail. Your mental trek there can take you where you may be unable to journey physically. The eye-opening education, inspiration and lasting encouragement which you can find along the Desert Trail will be well worth your time... Just click on the Desert Trail link on the bottom of this newsletter, or click on that trailmarker on the left side of the website's Home page, or you can locate the marker on the website's Hiking Maps and Trailheads page as well.— We sincerely hope that you will hike all of our devotional and educational trails at the website this year. This would indeed be the wisest of decisions that you could make... Again, we are here to help you in any way we can and, as always, look forward to hearing from you. Hiking the Trail of Truth is currently the most truthfully informative Christian site on the web. Please, be our guest; explore and discover! WEBSITE NEWS: Our latest trail addition to the website is the Discovery Trail.  Along this trail, you can immediately add to your knowledge of truth through some most profound discoveries... The Discovery Trail is an eye-opening place for you to begin the adventure of exploring Hiking the Trail of Truth, a most informative and unique website. The most important way to begin your day is with a short reading from the Bible. Today is indeed a good time to begin that resolve. For this purpose, the Mountain and Valley Trail was built. There you will find daily Bible readings for the entire year, with accompanying photos, created especially for you. To locate this picture/Scripture calendar, simply click on the Mountain and Valley Trail. You will find a compass there that will lead you to the calendar of months, and you can then choose a month to begin your day-by-day readings. Your daily journey through life is sure to begin in the right direction!  After all, we live only one day at a time, right?— Why don't you then take opportunity this year and begin a one-year hike along the Mountain and Valley Trail. You will not be disappointed, in fact, your journey will be full of enlightening, life-changing insights! Don't forget that HTTOT offers FREE COUNSELING to anyone who wants it (Lord knows we all need it). Your varied questions are also important, and are given the utmost consideration in answering them. For you to be aware of the truth, in a world where falsehood abounds, is very important to us. Your spiritual struggles are of our utmost concern—we can help!  So just write, e-mail, or phone any time. Contact information is listed at the bottom of the cover page of this Newsletter, or you can visit Questions and Answers Trail Camp at the website, where a ''submit a question" link is provided... Oct/Nov Letter From the Editor:  Tending the Garden (Note: Tending the Garden appears in two parts, both within this Oct/Nov Newsletter.) Indian Rock Camp is an almost forgotten trail; near the Pinnacles on the western edge of the mountains of San Bernadino County, in southern California. It's truly a medicinal place, where manzanita bushes grow large and exquisite among granite outcrops within a forest of tall pine. These scattered granite outcrops contain metates (hand-ground holes in the rock) where acorns were ground by desert Indians who at one time migrated annually to this serene mountain location. Moving at will across the land, in tune with the wind, these Indians, though considered primitive, were truly not primitive at all. They were in fact existing as God instructed—living off the land—tending His garden—moving about from place to place enjoying the natural beauty of the earth He created. They nurtured and cared for it. They praised it and gave thanks for it. This was truly abundant life as it was meant to be in the original Garden of Eden... When God created the first man and woman of the earth He placed them in an exquisite garden. It was called the Garden of God, and was located in a place called Eden, perhaps somewhere in what is now modern-day Iraq. The current inhabitants of this area have of course no understanding regarding the sacredness of this land, nor of the profoundness of the garden story. They instead believe in a false God and live accordingly. They are in reality the primitive ones, pursuing only violence. Yet, we here in the United States, in a so-called more civilized part of the world, are indeed just as primitive. We, too, for the most part, ignore the sacredness of the earth and have abandoned the tending of God's garden as it was meant to be tended. We fail to acknowledge that all the world is sacred—a garden of God, created through love. Man was formed to tend God's garden and to live off the fruit it provided. The tree of life, in the midst of the original garden, contained a fruit that sustained the physical life of the earth's first inhabitants, allowing that they should not age. What a beautiful place it must have been!  How encouraging to be able to walk with God in the garden!  We all know the story of Eve's temptation and the results of the sin of our ancestors. We subsequently lost that original garden and our right to the tree of life. We then entered into the bondage (slavery) of corruption. What was intended to be paradise became a graveyard. Mankind, created in the guiltless and immortal image of God, had put on corruption and mortality. Sin had entered into the world. Depravity, sickness, decay and death, both physical and spiritual, became the way of life. During the last few months I have been working part-time for a contractor here in the mountain communities where I live. I have had the privilege to work in various gardens, owned by residents of the mountain communities. Though the work is laborious, it has given me a satisfaction not obtained from other types of work. From my youth I have always enjoyed yard and garden work, but, with a gradual increase in the knowledge of God over the years, I understand more clearly now why migrants can spend so many hours toiling in the groves of oranges or fields of strawberries. This is in reality who we are—what we were truly meant for; tending the garden of God, and we can indeed find joy in all aspects of it. There are groups in the world who respect the natural earth and live accordingly, not concerned with the modern world. Aside from native Americans, one such group are the Amish of rural Ohio and Pennsylvania. Though their religious practices do not completely encompass the truth of God, they are a simple people and work in unity toward the goal of honoring God and His creation. Even though they live a step back in time they are indeed wise beyond our time. The shelter of their simplicity serves to keep them from the total depravity into which the modern world has evolved. They sin of course, as we do—as all peoples do—but their ambitions in life are much more God-centered than the world around them. As a result, they have a better chance at lasting peace than most of us. I believe they are also among the elite of soldiers in the ongoing war against temptation. Jesus spent much time walking among the "gardens" of God. He loved the landscapes of the mountains and deserts. He walked many times through the fields of grain and the orchards of fruit that were a part of the countryside. In Gethsemane, a garden on the Mount of Olives, across the valley from Jerusalem, Jesus spent much time. It was His customary place of prayer. It is obvious that He felt a certain type of security within its borders; perhaps it reminded Him of the original garden. Jesus knew well how to commune with His Father, and was most comforted among the things of nature. He also spent the majority of His life helping others. He indeed tended the garden of God in this sense, leaving us the best of examples. Why do we insist on mowing the lawn and trimming the trees and bushes?  Why do we plant flowers?  Why do we toil for hours to improve our gardens?  Why do farmers plow, sow, grow and reap?  Why are we drawn to these particular labors and the satisfactions that sprout from them?  It is because this is who we truly are. I also believe that if we are not drawn to these things, in some way or form, then we are lost in this world and do not truly know who we are or who we're supposed to be. We are so easily blinded by the material world. This blindness is Satan's goal for us—it is right where he wants us. Remember, he is the ruler of this world, taking us captive to do his will. A great majority of the world's population (most of whom do not believe Satan exists) are now under his domain, whether they know it or not—are you? Why tend the garden?  Tending the garden is actually reformation of the heart—in its most enlightening form; something we all need. Much illumination can come from tending the garden. God has no desire for us to build cities with tall buildings, to pave roads across the planet, to increase our material technology, nor to be involved with the deceiving progress that wealth affords. Our efforts only pollute the earth and have filled it with junk yards and litter, pain and sorrow. Our material ambitions have no place in the heart of God, nor do they belong within our hearts. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds—to do those things which God ordained that we should do. Namely; Reform our hearts through tending His garden... This letter is concluded in Along the Trail of Truth, page 3 of this Newsletter... Back to top Page 3 Along The Trail of Truth Along the Trail of Truth is HTTOT's latest addition to the Newsletter and replaces the former Friends Along the Trail segment. Along the Trail of Truth is a no-nonsense look at the world's latest ideas and/or publications, and 'sets the record straight' concerning them. God's word teaches us that the wisdom of the world is indeed foolishness with God, and that He has also chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the so-called wise (1st Corinthians 1:19-31). Relative to this profound reality, Along the Trail of Truth takes a look at natural mankind's perception of things and respectfully passes onto you the truth of the matter... Special this month: continued from page 2, our Letter from the Editor:  Tending the Garden: If you don't know God, there is no greater teacher of the attributes and will of God than nature. Nature also teaches us who we are, where we belong, and what we should do to ensure our hearts in peace and tranquility. No one human person is greater than another, no matter what their race or ethnic background. Nature lives in complete harmony with itself, no part being of less value than another. Plants, insects, birds and animals work in harmony together to give nature its balance. But what ever happened to the human species of creation?  We seem to be working against nature. Though supposedly the most intelligent of the species we have actually worked our way out of nature's balance. Lust and greed have destroyed our intelligence in this matter. Yet, if we are willing to apply ourselves, there is much we can now learn from nature, that we might become part of its harmonious, life-giving operation and existence. Just what can we (each and every human being) learn? By a study of nature we can glimpse the unfathomable height, breadth, and depth of God's love—that's truly knowing Him. Consider a flower—of any type. Not made by human hands a single flower is a wonder. The intricate details and scent are beyond our comprehension. The flower tells us that only love could have created it, and it is only one miracle in millions upon millions of miracles created for us by a Father expressing his love and desire for us to love Him; to imitate His attitude. The world's landscape is full of love, as are the seas and the sky. Indeed the heavens tell of the glory of God and show His handiwork. His love stretches to the ends of the earth and into the depths of the universe. Why do nations refuse to see this expression and learn from it?  It is because we have painted our own pictures of God and abandoned the tending of His garden. We do not know Him, we do not honor Him, nor are we thankful for what He has done for us (Romans 1:21). I would like to give this message to all peoples of the earth. Yet, I am sure it would be rejected, due to so many "religious" beliefs. However, this most profound message came to the earth in the person of Jesus some two-thousand years ago, and an evil world rejected Him, including its religious leaders. Who am I but a voice crying in the wilderness, attempting to give modern-day people a true understanding of the Lord and His creation?  Someone's got to do it, and hopefully there will be some who will read, listen and act accordingly. Yet, Jesus said, "If they do these terrible things when the tree is green, what will they do when it is dry?" (Luke 23:31)  God made all things through love, yet, a dry world responds by continuing to make weapons of war. Something is wrong with the pictures we've painted. We need to drop our paint brushes, then turn together in repentance and run toward the garden. I want to be a laborer in the garden of God, and to succeed I know that I must focus my thoughts on those things that relate to it. I can do my part—each of us can do our part—and that's all we can do. Your part and my part are by no means insignificant. In fact, we are told that just one cup of cold water given to a thirsty soul will not lose its reward. That's a pretty small thing for one to do, but evidently a host of heavenly angels rejoice over it!  Bottom line—just because others won't tend the garden doesn't mean that you can't work in it, even if you seem to be working alone. There is great reward in it. You can find peace in this simple activity and it's time to get started. I envy you if you are a farmer, a gardener, a landscaper or a logger, for you indeed have a head start on the rest of us. When you awaken tomorrow morning, look out at the landscape. If you live in the city, by all means get out where it's rural. Climb the hills, smell the flowers, touch the trees, sit on the rocks, behold the clouds or the sunrise. Talk to the birds and the animals; there is indeed much you can learn from them. Thank God for each of these things and tell Him you intend to think about Him this day, in all things. Do some yard work. If you don't have a yard, do someone else's yard work. Remember that you are, in reality, working for the Lord so do a neat job. In all your contacts keep your mouth shut and don't gossip about anyone. Speak only what is encouraging to others; keep a guard on that tongue. Reply in kindness to whatever is said to you, and above all let your actions speak you words. Keep any promises you may make as well, for promises that are kept mean far more than promises that are made. Find joy in simple tasks that relate to nature. If you work in an office, in a factory, or anywhere else not associated with the outdoors, then make that work second in priority to your time in the outdoors; your time in God's garden. In turn, your time in the garden will eventually make you a more productive worker in the office, in the factory, or anywhere else not associated with the outdoors. Let the peace, simplicity, and profound encouragement of nature and all living things be your mind's dwelling place. Consider the God who formed them in all that you do. Consider Him as family, for He is by far the greatest of Grandfathers. Respect Him accordingly, learning of Him as you tend His garden, and your spirit will surely dwell in peace and safety for the remainder of your days on this earth. This present world, as God has promised, is fading away. While there is still time, commit your life to God through water baptism into Christ. This act of submission will wash away your sins and give you the gift of His indwelling Spirit. Go out then to study and work in His garden, so that you will be prepared for His return, when this old world will be destroyed and all things will be made anew. Even the intense beauty that remains in this current garden will not compare with what is about to come... The priceless information within this writing is God's gift to your mind. Ponder it carefully, and thanks for hiking along with me through His garden this day. In the next HTTOT Newsletter, we will take a profound look at yet another Letter from the Editor. Until then, I thank you for and am honored by your time. Next letter from the Editor; The Manzanita Bush (your struggle with sin). Thanks for hiking "Along the Trail of Truth" for October and November. See you again next time. Back to top Page 4 Trail  Tales Previous Episodes of Trail Tales can be found in Newsletter Archives ! Oasis of Patience The patient in spirit are better off than the proud in spirit...  (Ecclesiastes 7:8) We're taking a little break here on this desert hike. We're near 'bout a mile from the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the Anza Borrego desert of southern California. A tiny lizard has just perched himself on the flat, gray rock beside me. He's actually doing "push-ups", a favorite pastime of these desert lizards... We've reached a high outcropping of sandstone rock on our trek, amidst hundreds of various outcrops, some distance above the desert floor... It's indeed a great place to take a break! We can see nearly 100 miles toward the horizon on this most beautiful and clear day, a typical southwestern desert day. Among the abundance of protruding rocks where I am perched are a variety of desert plants in bloom; multicolored barrel cactus blooms, blade cactus with pink and red blooms, and scattered desert brush displaying an assorted array of tiny yellow and blue flowers. Twisting choya cactus are also growing about, their prickly pears soaking up the present sunlight. This place is indeed a spectacle of God's artistic talent. It is of course obvious that the heavenly paintbrush was employed here, stroked so precisely by all-knowing hands into this finely arrayed rock garden. We can also see a few hikers here and there, just below my perch. A couple, another couple with children, and down there's an older couple with what appears to be their grandchildren. Perhaps about eight people in all, scattered about out here in the silence. The wind is speaking lightly, boasting of its ride down and around the rocks and boulders to the winding sand washes below us. In the distance there are several monuments (mountains); high, jutting buttes, bold and majestic in appearance. Grand sentinels they are, guarding this vast, colorful expanse of rolling desert. There is an oasis out their, between us and those peaks, and that's where we're headed today. I call the oasis, Patience. When the winds stir up the dust in this region of beauty, so much that you can't really tell which way you are going, then the oasis becomes an accessible place of refuge, a good place to rest and wait out the storm. As we hike down from the outcrops toward the oasis, we just passed by a man who was carrying a small child on his back. The child was seated quite comfortably in a backpack, facing the direction his father was hiking. I noted that the childs' arms were around his fathers' neck and his head was lying against the back of the father's right shoulder. The boy appeared to be peacefully asleep as his father trudged onward against rugged terrain. I marveled at this... I know that God has carried me in this same manner, many times. Tired and weary in life, I have climbed onto His back and He has shouldered me through countless difficulties. Impatience in life has always worn me out. Patience is always and has always been a struggle to obtain. Every human being that has ever lived has struggled for it. A lack of patience is usually the reason we do in fact have to struggle for anything. When we learn how to slow down and let God have His way with us, we can then rest peacefully, like that young child on his father's shoulder. We will no longer have to pursue patience, so to speak, for we will be riding on its back, at rest, even perhaps asleep as that young child was. The Lord Himself is our patience, our oasis. He is the only true patience there is. (Romans 15:5) A key focus here in maintaining Godly patience; Try not to get impatient within your heart thinking that God is always angry with you because of your flaws. You will always be flawed... there's no escaping it. The wondrous thing is that God is always patient with you. He knows you are but dust. He will help you in your daily struggles if you trust in Him and not in yourself, for only He can grant you patience. — Try putting this teaching into practice; When you wake up in the morning remember that God has graciously given you a new day. A fresh start. His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). Thank Him as you rise. As you hike through the morning in your mind, proceed slowly. Honor the sunrise. Listen to the wind. Touch the rain or the falling snow. Take notice of all things which God Himself has formed around you. There is patience and comfort in all of nature. This will, first of all, help you to focus on God and not on your normal daily trials or particular dilemma... Secondly, focus on spiritual values; Endeavor to smile at everyone you greet. Have an active compassion for the poor, the lame, or the sick. Be patient (long suffering) with anyone around you, no matter what the circumstances. Let your eyes reflect kindness and strength. Be courteous even to your enemies. Thank God often as your day progresses onward. Even in trials thank Him for the "education" that all trials can bring. Walk outside in the evening and look up at the wonders in the sky and take comfort, giving thanks for all things. Pray for everyone in your life. Pray for the entire world as well. Go on to your bed in hope, thanking God for His continued mercy, and for His choosing to train you, in this fashion, for eternal life... This is patient living. Grab onto it!  Be filled with it!  Enjoy it!  You will in time learn to experience Gods' peace, which is above and beyond human understanding (Philippians 4:7). Let us take our rest then within this oasis of patience. God is there and He is our refuge. It is there, within Him, that our faith can take firm root, that we might learn to depend on Him. He is the only one who can help us to understand and to do what is good and right in this present world in which we live. Let us rest upon His shoulders, where our patience has a chance to grow... So, let it grow, for when your patience is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything (James 1:3). May the God of patience and comfort help you to be like-minded toward one another (Romans 15:5). Our journey today comes from The Desert Trail at this website. Thanks for hiking with me today. I hope you will join me again next time for another Trail Tales adventure. Until then, may God be with you along your journey in life. Sincerely, MS Taylor HTTOT Back to top Page 5 Encouraging Gods' Children Here is this months' list of those who need encouragement through your prayers and letters. I hope you will take the time to encourage them... Some of their problems are personal and we will respect their privacy; leaving it up to those individuals to share at their discretion. Please pray for them and write to them (I can provide addresses for you. Please call, E-mail or write to me for that information). Encouragement is a noble thing and a profound way to honor God through lifting up His children... Please inform me if you would like to add anyone to our prayer list. Also, please check Newsletter Archives for folks and their situations previously on the prayer list. Let us this month encourage and pray for... Update on Carli, Sept 22, 2006... (More information on Carli can be found in the March 2004 and subsequent HTTOT Newsletters... See Newsletter Archives).. Here she is in all of her glory. She is done with surgery for now, and maybe forever!   She will go back to Dr. Paley periodically so he can watch her growth and make sure her leg is the same length as her other one. Imagine, three different doctors wanted to amputate that precious little leg. Look at her now, and she is starting to walk again!  Its all sore from the surgery and the pins that have been in it, but each day is a huge step forward for her. God works wonders, and Dr. Paley is certainly one of those wonders. Thank you, again, all of you, for your thoughts and prayers for this precious little girl.  Love, Cheryl... Carli,  After all surgeries Side view of her foot B-4 any surgery Top view of her foot B-4 any surgery After all surgeries And, here is Carli in Michigan ! Update on Tim Murray,  August 22nd... My good friend and "legend in his own time" has just passed away in Sierra Vista Arizona. He fought his cancer in the spirit of a true warrior. Tim and I hiked many trails together, including a climb to the top of the mighty Mt. Whitney in 1970. His departure leaves me quite empty, yet not without hope. Please pray for Tim's family; his wife, Dori and daughter Sara, who are currently at the residence, and other family members who are in California. Tim was of the finest sort, and we will indeed miss him. He has gone the way of the eagle—He has embarked on the journey that a few of us long for... Thank God we will get to see him again, and soon, I hope! Sept Update,  On Saturday, September 23rd, I was able to attend a memorial service for Tim Murray at Santa Anita Race Park in Arcadia, CA. This police memorial was indeed well done and I was honored that the Lord allowed me to attend. My heart is thankful to those who organized this great memorial celebration. Tim will be sorely missed. My cousin, Suzi, and her family, August 20th... From Suzi...Hi ya Mark...so good to hear from you. Thanks for including Sandy on the prayer list. We went in to see her tonight with my daughter and granddaughter. I am trying to go everyday now as I know her days are limited. She is in Hospice care and they are so good to her. She is bedridden but still hopeful that she will get well. Mikie and I talked to the DR. yesterday and he said she may only have a few weeks based on how she seems to be going downhill. It is very sad, as she waited too long to go to the DR. and the cancer advanced far too fast. All is well with myself, hubby and my kids. I fee VERY blessed. Keep in touch... Love ya, Cuz Suzi... Update, Aug 25th... We are extremely saddened by the news that my cousin, Sandy Peckham, Suzi's older sister, has just passed away in Nevada after a long bout with cancer. Sandy's refreshing personality and warm smile will be missed by many here on the earth, yet, we will see her again!  Please continue steadfastly to keep her great family in your prayers. Those in the US disaster areas...Folks from Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky and Indiana still need your prayers. This is a great time to both pray for and help those displaced by the great storms. God will hear your prayers, and He will notice your gift, no matter how small. There are several countries throughout the world experiencing disasters as well, both human and natural. These disasters vary and occur daily. Pray that our Lord will continue to watch over and strengthen His children during these times, and perhaps bring those who are not His children into His family. The Lord is our refuge and strength in any type of disaster. Update on Suzi Schnippert, July 19th, 2006... Update on my Suzi and her emphysema: After an insurance paperwork snafu that held us up for 9 months, we finally got referred to the Transplant Center! We got initially turned down due the fact that to her weight [BMI] was too high for the surgery. SO ‘we’ve’ lost about half the weight needed and are steadily working our way to our goal. Suzi feels that she will not need the surgery as the Lord will heal her before ‘it takes the ending of another’s life to sustain mine.’ — Keep us in your prayers and you are in ours. I pray that the wildfires are not affecting you... Sincerely, Bill Schnippert (More information on Bill and Suzi can be found beginning in the June/July 2005 Newsletter and subsequent Newsletters... See Newsletter Archives). .Please remember our US Troops...who are on foreign soil defending our freedom and the freedom of others less fortunate. We have many sons and daughters engaged in this effort. Let us pray for their ability to endure, and for their safe and victorious return from a land where the one, true God is unknown. Please remember all of the homeless and the poor of the world again this month. Try to locate a homeless person and help them in any way that you can... Continue to pray for all of those in need of daily bread, and please pray earnestly for all the people of the world in which we live, in every country, that men and women will desire to find wisdom, that they will turn and seek God's face in this world full of spiritual blindness, rebellion and increasing depravity. The Lord's coming will not be delayed much longer. Endeavor to encourage others to seek Him, in truth, while there is still time. Father, grant us the humility to seek Your face for the well being of others. Help us to reach out to them, with kindness, in word and in deed. We are, each one of us, in need of Your guidance in the use of possessions, our prosperity, our tongues and our talents. Though we are quite unworthy, we ask you to bless our efforts... In the name of your glorious Son, Jesus, we pray. Thank you so much for hiking with us through the October / November issue of the Hiking the Trail of Truth Newsletter. Until December then, may the grace of our Lord Jesus be upon you... Sincerely, Mark S Taylor END Back to top [Home] [Hiking Maps & Trailheads] [Discovery Trail] [Bible Map] [Trail of Time] [New Birth Trail] [Mountain & Valley Trail] [Desert Trail] [Lake Trail] [High Sierra Trail] [Wilderness Trail] [A Hawk's Trail] [False Trail] [Monthly Newsletter] [Newsletter Archives] [Questions & Answers] HIKING THE TRAIL OF TRUTH Mark S. Taylor (707) 477-2460