The Two Most Critical Words Missing From American Vocabulary
By Dr . Christian Overman
My 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 five dollars , but I recalled seeing a sign just off the highway as we turned toward the lake , advertising firewood for twenty percent 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 many 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 chapter of his book , Truth and Transformation . Mangalwadi tells of his first trip to the Netherlands from his native India , where his host said , “ Come , let ’ s go get some milk .” They walked to a nearby dairy farm and entered the milk room , where no one was present . Mangalwadi ’ s host filled his jug with milk , then took down a bowl full of cash from
48 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW