The Two Most Critical Words
Missing From American
Vocabulary Today
By Dr. Christian Overman
Director of Worldview Matters
M
Y WIFE, KATHY, AND I GOT OUT OF TOWN to
do some camping and fishing with our son Rodney
and his friend, David. After driving two hours out of Seattle
into the pristine Cascade Mountains, we pitched our tents
in a campground at Fish Lake. Needing some wood for our
campfire, I noticed the campground was selling bundles for
$5, but I recalled seeing a sign just off the highway as we
turned toward the lake, advertising firewood for 20% less.
Passing this location on our way back from a side-trip, we
stopped to purchase firewood there.
As we pulled into the orderly establishment, we noticed
a lot of wood carvings for sale, all out in the open, with no
one around. Then I saw a large pile of firewood, stacked in
neat bundles, and drove toward it. Here we found a carved
bear with a jar atop its head. The jar had “Firewood $4.00,”
written on it, and a sign at the bear’s feet read: “Pay the Bear.”
No one was present to receive our payment.
As I helped myself to a bundle of firewood, and “paid
the bear,” I discovered the jar was full of money. Hard
cash. Currency. Full! I paid for my purchase with a sense of
wonderment, and a heart of thanks for such God-honoring
visionaries as John Winthrop, who brought something with
them across the Atlantic more valuable than gold: a basis for
the kind of trust, moral integrity, and self-government that
allows such scenes to still occur in rural America.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but think of a similar
experience Christian scholar Vishal Mangalwadi had while
visiting the Netherlands. He writes about it in the opening
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