My Walk with Jesus

Have you met John?

2009-12-16T05:48:00Z

I didn’t meet him till he was an old man though I had known of him since I came on board. I have heard him speak several times telling about the movement and his time with our leader. There is was always a fierceness and intensity about John that I don’t see in the other leaders. I know that in the big picture the story is not about John. He is just a player, a believer, a follower, but there is more. I’m sure that you like me sometimes wonder why this guy or why that guy is called. Of course we don’t know the plan from the beginning to the end. Even though the story is not about John, I find myself wondering why he was chosen for his part. As far as I know he had no education beyond being a fisherman. He’s not a rabbi or a philosopher, so why John? Perhaps like so many that have been called it was because of his lack of qualifications so that the divine plan could be showcased instead of the players. Perhaps I will ask when I get the chance, or not.

So back to John, we know that he and his brother were fishermen born into a family of fishermen as is the custom. I doubt that John thinks of himself as brave but I think he is. Every day he faced the power of the sea in a very small boat. Every day even one small misstep could cause the death of one of his crew or him. John is a big man with broad shoulders, well muscled and defined forearms, even at an advanced age he is straight. There is an energy about him that is hard to describe. His face is covered with a full beard which accentuates his large nose which has been broken at some point. His black eyes glow with a fire that makes me tremble. His skin shows the ravages of sun, sea, and wind. When he speaks there is a power that makes me listen with rapt attention, I know that he will say something important. I know that he has been here since the beginning.

As I am sure is true of most you who have heard the story from others, I did not expect to learn any surprises from John’s first hand account. I did learn something and I think that you might also. Take a little time with God in 1John. I know that you will be blessed. All of his fellow apostles are gone now, John is the only one alive who saw our great leader, who walked with him, and heard him speak. I can tell from his very first words that he knows the truth and has no choice but to share it with a passion born of a divine call.

John is a survivor, a man’s man, strong enough to endure the storms yet so humble it brings tears to my eyes as I listen to him tell the story. There is gentleness about this fierce giant that I know comes from deep inside his heart where Jesus Christ is alive. God has shared John with us so that we can know His mercy and saving grace. John has only one agenda, and that is to share the love of God with you.

How to Harness Social Media

2009-10-01T22:48:00Z

Do most people outside of government understand the political agenda that the leadership of the country is promoting? Do you? Or, are you like me in that you don’t know or understand what is going on with the economy?

Who pays the cost when the government “creates jobs?” Is it you and me the common taxpayer?

One thing is for sure nothing happens in our economy until a product is produced and a sale is made.

Is there much that you and I can do about the national situation?

What does the current economic situation mean to you and your business? Do the same old rules of business apply? What are some new things that must learned to be successful? Do hard work and honesty still gain positive results? Here are some (hard hitting and interesting) answers to these and other hot questions of the day.

There are many things that you and I can do about our personal economic situation.

Do the same old rules still apply to business and career?

Work hard and stay with your company (ride for the brand)?

Work smart?

Be honest?

Now before you get all upset and start throwing rocks the answer is a qualified yes with some new twists. Hard work and working smart are still required. Honesty and integrity are still very important aspects of the new business model.

The real difference in wealth creation is that the concept of trading time for money is forever gone.
Even if one could find an additional job, there are not enough hours available to allow earning enough money to make the difference.

Every thing we need to buy costs more than it did just last year.

Many people are finding the answer to individual economic woes is three fold.

--The Creation of home based business.

--Advertise extensively.

--Do business on the “Internet.”

There are several challenges with the above points. Many people do not have a great deal of capital to invest. Advertising requires very large amounts of capital to be effective. There is already a great deal of competition for visibility on the “internet.” Creating a presence on the “Internet” requires expertise and capital.

“Word of mouth” communication (advertising) is still the most effective form.

Word of mouth is not the most efficient form of advertising.

While Word of mouth is low cost it presents a couple of challenges.

Word of mouth is hard to direct.

Word of mouth can be slow.

The phenomenon known as social media is emerging as a very viable marketing tool.
Social media meets business communication needs (advertising) in a couple of ways.
It is consumer directed; basically it is word of mouth on steroids.

The use of social media is not regulated.
Social media usage can be easily measured and tested.
Information travels very rapidly.
Information can be easily controlled.
Social media can be systematically managed while giving the appearance of freedom from management.
The consumer can earn income through social media advertising sales.
The advertiser only pays when a sale is made in the form of a cash rebate directly to the consumer.
The usage of the computer and the internet has surpassed television by nearly ten fold.
The average consumer spends nearly ten times more time on the computer than he/she does watching TV.

Here are three steps to take advantage of this very fertile and large opportunity. This is for the individual and business who wants to harness “social media.”
1. Here is a power point presentation that will give you a good idea about the potential of social media. Click Here.
2. Then watch this video to see a fast, fun, and free tool for harnessing social media Blastoff. .
3. Here is final step that can lead to an exciting and profitable solution for your future success. Step into twenty-first century now.

Episcopal Heresy

2009-07-14T22:19:00Z

ANAHEIM, CA - Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says it's "heresy" to believe that an individual can be saved through a sinner's prayer of repentance.
In her opening address to the church's General Conference in California, Jefferts Schori called that "the great Western heresy: that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God."
The presiding bishop said that view is "caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus."
According to Schori, it is heresy to believe that an individual's prayer can achieve a saving relationship with God. "That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy."
Associated Press July 9, 2009

The above quote by Bishop Schori is on the surface so disturbing as to cause one to question their salvation. Before you get too excited though it would be good to understand what she actually said. This supposedly well educated leader in the church, whom one might assume is well versed in the Word of God as presented in Holy Bible, is obviously ignorant of the meaning of words. Heresy is (according to every source that I found) “An opinion or a doctrine at variance with established religious beliefs, especially dissension from or denial of Roman Catholic dogma by a professed believer or baptized church member.” Therefore her statement is categorically in opposition to the core teaching of her own faith.
By definition her statement is heresy.

It seems that we are all guilty of imprecise use of the English language and it causes no end of problems. We scatter words around with careless abandon and assume the people we throw them at will understand their meaning. As a believer in Jesus Christ I am called to use the Holy Bible as my standard for understanding, belief, and behavior. God through James makes a scathing indictment against the tongue in James 3:7-8 “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” God who created each of us is telling us to guard our tongues. I forget that on a daily basis and my relationships suffer because of my inattentiveness.

Back to the Bishop, I understand her concern about putting herself in the place of God it is something that we must all guard against. The challenge here is that God’s word is very clear about His plan for our salvation. When I look at the scriptures I see first, we are lost to sin (separation from God) by the action of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Second, God still loves us and wants us to be in fellowship with Him. Third, God sent His only Son into to the world to pay the price for our sin and provide for our salvation. Fourth, God said that whoever (each individual) would believe in Jesus Christ (His Son), confess and repent his own sin would be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Bible says that God has called each to make a choice for their salvation. So to Bishop Schori I would say that perhaps you should rely on the Word of God and not your own understanding.

You have been given a high office with great responsibility please guard your tongue and stay focused on Jesus Christ.

Open Letter to President Barack Obama

2009-06-16T04:04:00Z

June 15, 2009
Fresno, CA

An open letter to:

President of the United States of America

Hello Mr. Barack Obama,

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a sixty-five year old married man. I am a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO. It took me ten years to earn my degree in economics and business with the help of my family and my own full time employment. I am the father of one daughter and two sons. My daughter earned her degree at the United States Air Force Academy and served this country with distinction in Desert Storm and other areas and has now retired. My oldest son works in the private sector managing a crew of men and farms. My younger son is also a graduate of UNC and is a manager in the private sector. I have been working for a regular paycheck for over fifty years. I have worked for small companies, large companies, and my own entrepreneurial ventures. I am a believer in Jesus Christ and share that belief freely, sometimes with words. I pray for you and other elected leaders of the United States of America on a regular basis. It is my fervent hope that you will be successful in your efforts to draw this country out of the crisis that has been created by very poor federal fiscal policy. There is only one thing that the federal government does well and that is the national defense, our military is unequaled in the world.

Mr. President it is with my greatest respect for your office that I make the following comments. This country was founded on Judeo-Christian values. When polled well over ninety percent of the people claim to be Christian. Most of the people who voted for you are Christians. For you to announce to the world that America is not a Christian country is first of all a lie that no one in the world believes and second is an insult to the people of this great country and me. You will be judged in history by your words and your actions, be very careful.

You are a very polished speaker a gift from God that you should be thankful for. As with all gifts there is a choice to use the gift for good or evil. God will make that judgment, I thank Him for that (it is a job above my pay grade).

A very wise author and missionary to China in the last century Pearl S. Buck quoted the old Chinese proverb that you might find valuable. "When you give a man a fish you feed him a meal, when you teach him to fish you feed him for life." And a corollary would be; when you reward a man for catching more fish than he needs you create an enterprise that will feed others. Your idea that we can fix our economic problems by taxing the rich and giving to the poor is not new and has never worked on any level. The feudal kings tried it and got rebellion. The Soviet communists tried it and bankrupted their country. It cannot work. Even the early pilgrims in this country tried a variation that also did not work. Effort must be rewarded. It is true that those who will not work will not eat.

It would be good for you to remember that the political power that you wield is a gift from the electorate. You govern at the pleasure of the people. If you will keep that in mind you could be president for two terms and you might actually do some good things. Ignore this fact at your own career peril.

The members of congress that you lead should be reminded that their jobs are to serve the people not to stay in office. While we are in this current situation it would be good if they could show a little fiscal responsibility. No one in the federal government (aside from the military) has done anything worthy of pay increases or bonuses. While we are talking about bonuses, no one in any of the companies that we have bailed out deserves any bonus, particularly not the folks at Fanny Mae or Freddie Mac. Cut it out already.

All government spending is inflationary. No individual or government can spend more that it makes for any extended period of time.

I don't own an assault weapon nor do I desire to own one. I do believe that the U.S. constitution gives me as a responsible law abiding citizen the right to own a gun. I know that one of the first things folks like Stalin and Hitler did was to disarm the general population. Is that where you are headed with gun control? Criminals will continue to be armed and most cases are better armed than law enforcement officials. Criminals have bigger budgets.

Babies, we will pay for killing 4,000 American babies every day. No matter how you look at the situation that is a crime. Babies are a gift from God, all babies regardless of the circumstance of their conception. You are wrong to say that a baby is in any way a punishment. I can not even imagine that you would believe one of your grand children would be a punishment to your daughter and should be killed. I truly pray that you are never faced with that scenario. I have a grandson who was born when his mother was only fifteen and unwed. He is now married; he and wife (a woman) have two of the most precious little girls ever born. I am so glad that his mother made the choice of life.

I wish that I could truly know who you are. I know that I don't like what I see; the friends you keep make me fearful. You have chosen all of the same old Washington insiders as advisors, how is that a change?

The mark of truly great man is to be able to acknowledge when he makes a mistake and endeavor not to repeat it. You did bow to king of Saudi Arabia that was a mistake. As president of the most powerful country in the world you do not bow to anyone. For two hundred years a respectful nod of the head by our president has been adequate. You have shown disrespect for this nation and that has not gone unnoticed by the leaders of world. You have not shown strength and the leaders of world have noticed that.

America is a great country, one that many people from all over the world want to live in. We have made mistakes and we have paid for those mistakes. We have done far more good in the world than any other modern country. The American people reach out with their hearts, their hands, and pocket books every day all around the world to help the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the orphan, and the hopeless. Please stop apologizing for America.

Americans did not kill twelve million helpless people in Nazi Germany, Americans did not kill millions in Russia, Americans did not kill millions in Armenia, Americans did not kill millions in Somalia, and Americans did not kill millions in Iraq. The people of America have spent trillions of dollars and man hours rebuilding Japan (who attacked us without provocation), Germany, Iraq and other countries.

Mr. Obama you have sworn to defend the constitution of the United States of America not to rewrite it. I beseech you to do your job and I will do everything in my power to help you do that job. If you choose to attempt to tear down our constitution I will do every legal thing in my power to defeat your efforts.

I am signing this letter because I believe that as a natural born citizen of America I have the right. I also believe that as a man of God I have that responsibility.

Respectfully,

Mr. Daniel Harsh
Fresno, CA USA

PS. The opinions expressed here are my own and I do not represent any group or organization.

A Year in the Word of God

2009-06-13T14:12:00Z

The Challenge

About a year ago pastor David Rutherford challenged us to read the entire Holy Bible during the next year. I don't remember exactly when I started the assignment and I do know that I have enjoyed and been blessed by my effort. God has met me in so many ways. I came to Lord nearly fifty years ago at a United Methodist Youth convocation in Salt Lake City. I was sixteen and went because I thought that there would be lots of girls there. That was my plan, God had a different plan. I really wish that I could say that I jumped right in and became what God wanted me to be. I continued to be more interested in girls than Jesus. I won't bore you with the details(click here for the whole story). Fast forward to now. God has been faithful to watch over me and protect me from fatal harm. Over the years I have received a lot of really good biblical teaching and have learned much from the Holy Bible. I have never read the Bible from front to back.

The Journey

Once I started this new journey, lots of things have happened. Not too far into the project our life group did a study of Pentateuch with Bruce Wilkinson that was eye opening. For a couple of years Alice have been reading the days through Proverbs (Proverbs 1 on the first day of the month and so on), so in the last year I have read Proverbs twelve times. We added a chapter of Psalms each day so I read Psalms about twice. I felt the call of the Holy Spirit to really meditate on certain books, so I spent 30 days reading Habakkuk every day listening to God had to say. Then I spent forty days with the "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew. I came away with a very changed outlook on the people I encounter each day. I am much less judgmental and more loving. Next I spent forty days with John, I have written about that experience elsewhere (Have you met John?). I read Galatians five days in a row. I am now in the middle of forty days in 1 John.

The Progress

To date I have read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms times two, Proverbs times 12, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Ezekiel, Habakkuk times 30, Luke, John, Galatians times 5, and 1 John times 21. Obviously I have failed in the completion of this assignment. More importantly God has met me and really cause me to change my life. As the Holy Spirit makes all of this clear to me I will share my experience. For now I thank God for sending Alice and I into the ministry at NorthSide Christian Church. I thank God for David Rutherford's obedience to God's call on his life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Rules of Engagment

2009-06-11T22:11:00Z

It all depends on who you like, or who you care about.

It is with some trepidation that I enter the discussion of David Letterman's remarks about Sara Palin and her fourteen year old daughter. To begin with David's style has always been to insult his guests. His brand of wit is making light of things that some folks take very seriously. He has made a fortune with the use of words to insult people. He has insulted the rich and famous, the powerful and the wanna be powerful. David insults the hero and villain, he insults every one. I think that he has insulted every president who has served under him except Barack Obama (somewhat odd, I think). When it comes to an insult is there any such thing as good taste. So if I laugh when he insults some one that I really do not care about how can I be upset when he insults some one who I do care about? Just a little some thing to think about. Perhaps the old saw "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" is not as true as we would want it to be.

Should he be Fired

Some are saying that CBS should fire Mr. Letterman and that would be consistent what other have done with people who have spoken without enough though. Howard Cosel, E. D. Hill, Don Imus, and many others. I am not sure about the right or wrong in this situation. Mr. Letterman has made his living for many years with wit. Obviously many folks like his style of humor. So where are the boundaries. Who is to decide? So now is this a freedom of speech issue? What happens if Chuck Swindol offends someone by teaching God's word about abortion, same sex unions, or adultery? Do we call for his removal from the airways? Think about it David has a right to be rude to anyone he chooses no matter what I think or how offended I might be. Blessings 30fold, bro d.

Have you met John?

2009-05-05T18:57:00Z

Have you met John?

I didn’t meet him till he was an old man though I had known of him since I came on board. I have heard him speak several times telling about the movement and his time with our leader. There is was always a fierceness and intensity about John that I don’t see in the other leaders. I know that in the big picture the story is not about John. He is just a player, a believer, a follower, but there is more. I’m sure that you like me sometimes wonder why this guy or why that guy is called. Of course we don’t know the plan from the beginning to the end. Even though the story is not about John, I find myself wondering why he was chosen for his part. As far as I know he had no education beyond being a fisherman. He’s not a rabbi or a philosopher, so why John? Perhaps like so many that have been called it was because of his lack of qualifications so that the divine plan could be showcased instead of the players. Perhaps I will ask when I get the chance, or not.

So back to John, we know that he and his brother were fishermen born into a family of fishermen as is the custom. I doubt that John thinks of himself as brave but I think he is. Every day he faced the power of the sea in a very small boat. Every day even one small misstep could cause the death of one of his crew or him. John is a big man with broad shoulders, well muscled and defined forearms, even at an advanced age he is straight. There is an energy about him that is hard to describe. His face is covered with a full beard which accentuates his large nose which has been broken at some point. His black eyes glow with a fire that makes me tremble. His skin shows the ravages of sun, sea, and wind. When he speaks there is a power that makes me listen with rapt attention, I know that he will say something important. I know that he has been there since the beginning.

As I am sure is true of most you who have heard the story from others, I did not expect to learn any surprises from John’s first hand account. I did learn something and I think that you might also. Take a little time with God in 1John. I know that you will be blessed. All of his fellow apostles are gone now, John is the only one alive who saw our great leader, who walked with him, and heard him speak. I can tell from his very first words that he knows the truth and has no choice but to share it with a passion born of a divine call.

John is a survivor, a man’s man, strong enough to endure the storms yet so humble it brings tears to my eyes as I listen to him tell the story. There is gentleness about this fierce giant that I know comes from deep inside his heart where Jesus Christ is alive. God has shared John with us so that we can know His mercy and saving grace. John has only one agenda, and that is to share the love of God with you.

Forty days with Jesus on the mount

2009-04-21T23:04:00Z

As I reflect on my forty days with Jesus Christ in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 I am trying to decide what the Holy Spirit has taught me. What does Jesus Christ have to say to me in the twenty-first century after his death? How is his message relevant to my life today? I wonder if I would recognize him any better today than the folks did in his lifetime. I am looking for His second coming; the question is what am I looking for that is different from the Jews of His own time? Would I receive the message of God’s desirable attributes: to be poor in spirit (humble), mournful, meek, seeking righteousness, being merciful, being pure in heart, being a peacemaker, and being willing to accept persecution for His sake? I would not be very successful in the eyes of the world if these words were a description of me.

When I think of being humble and meek my dad’s response when faced a particularly sticking problem comes to my mind. “Never use force, get a bigger hammer.” I didn’t understand the wisdom till much latter. When you have great strength you can be gentle and not need to force things. I am sure that dad was not thinking of spiritual truth and yet there it is.

Would world see me as either salt or light? I think not. The critical point of course is does God see me as salt or light.

In this day of relativism, secularism, and narcissism accepting that Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of God and the prophecies of the Prophets is not even politically correct. People would think me insane if really tried to live by the Ten Commandments and establish a right relationship with God. Even in many gospel teaching churches they preach that it is impossible to follow God’s law. Jesus was very clear when He said “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:20 this statement does not leave much room for deciding right and wrong by popular vote. Was he just kidding?

Just in case I might be struggling with the original laws Jesus raises the bar. Jesus says that unprovoked and unresolved anger is the same as murder, Matthew 5:17. And it get’s worse when he tells me that just looking at woman with lust in my heart is the same as committing adultery, Matthew 5:27.

Oh and by the way Jesus says don’t resist the evil man. If some guy slaps me on the cheek I should turn the other cheek. Jesus says “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” Matthew 5:42. He wants me to love my enemies. What he really says is that as far as it my doing I should not have enemies.

It is good to give to the poor only I should do it in secret so that only God knows what I have done. He wants me to pray in private, again so that only God knows.

He teaches me a very simple prayer; “Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom com, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” Matthew 6:9-13.

Can you see why Jesus Christ is not popular today? Can you see why His message is not well received? The world teaches that it is every man for himself that I should be out to get everything that I can. If it feels good it must be okay. The world even teaches that there is nothing evil. Sex with anybody and everybody is just fine. Drugs are no problem. Even in the church there are people denying that Jesus Christ is the risen Son of God.

The truth is that in these three chapters on the Sermon on the Mount Jesus Christ outlined exactly what God expects from me, how he wants me to live, and how I will be rewarded.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” Matthew 6:33.

Jesus goes on to tell me not to judge my brother, to pay attention to my own shortcomings and seek the wisdom of God. He tells me the gate is small and way narrow that leads to heaven.

Clear back in high school sociology I was taught that acceptable behavior is determined by what any given society decides is acceptable. There is no absolute truth about how people should live together. In some cultures it is acceptable to kill and eat people who are not part of the culture. It can be acceptable to have more than one wife. We are told today that marriage can be defined any way the majority wants. So marriage could be two men, two women, one man, a woman, and a dog, or any other combination of beings. I was taught that morality cannot be legislated, that it is strictly a personal thing. I was not a very good student as I refused to believe the teaching.

The bottom line is that it is up to you. You can decide what is right or wrong or even if there is a wrong. When you believe this you are making yourself sovereign, making yourself God. When it comes right down to it do you believe that there is absolute truth or is everything subject an individual point of view, opinion?

The question then is: “how is that working for you?” “How is this working in the world today?” I believe that I will try to walk more like Jesus Christ. It will be a process and I will surly stumble. The good thing is that Jesus Christ has already picked me up. I am seeking the small gate that leads to eternal life with God.

He's given 10,000 farmers a lift

2009-01-28T00:21:00Z

This article about dad and mom appeared in the the October 1955 issue of Farm Journal. Dad's name was Leo William Harsh. I made two small changes to the article by changing the then acceptable term for the enemy to just plain enemy. I believe that this is a very inspirational story.

Some of the people mentioned in the story without names are Harold Trautwein (the banker who did loan dad money), Von Penlend (the coal trucker who bought the first hoist and many others) and Duane Rutherford (the young salesman).

Dad seved on the USS Medusa, I believe that Bob Button served with him. Bob is the only one of his shipmates that I have met.

Dad died just after his 42nd birthday in 1960. Mom operated the company for another twenty years expanding the product line to include the Harsh Mobil Mix feed mixer, and the Harsh Silver Jet weed burner. She sold the company in the late eighties and it now operates under the name Harsh International. There have been many more than 1,000,000 farmers given a lift by my dad's idea.

He’s given 10,000 farmers a lift!

By Paul Friggens

Farm Journal October 1955

“I think there’s life in this one yet!”

March, 1945, Okinawa, a U.S. Navy doctor works over the shattered body of diver. He’d been down 75 fee, cutting through the hull of sunken destroyer, had rescued three men buried alive. At that moment, an enemy fighter plane blew up a nearby warship.
They shipped Seaman Leo “Bud” Harsh home to die, his body flattened, his skull crushed like an eggshell.

Today this crippled veteran runs his million-dollar truck hoist business in Eaton, CO, (Pop. 1,500) and is probably the No. 1 American success story of the year.

Early every morning, cheerful Bud jeeps to his plant, Hydraulics Unlimited, and lurches in to work. Ten years after his near-fatal blast, the hunched veteran still is scarcely able to walk and suffers constant pain. Undaunted, Bud steps on his “go-buggy” scooter and starts things rolling in a enterprise that’s currently doing business in the 48 states, Canada, and Hawaii.

Already the Vet has given farmers 10,000 lifts, and at his Eaton plant, 35 employees are working overtime making 5,000 hoists this year alone. Some big-time competitors are commencing to wonder where they’ve been all the time.

Wheeling around his plant, Bud organizes production like a one-man army.

“Need another carload of tubing” (a $50,000 order!) he reminds plant manager Les Orr.

He pulls up to talk to a farm-hand mechanic who’s worked out a new production gimmick. “Give it a whirl,” Bud encourages, and says aside: “Everybody’s an inventor around here.”

He wheels into his advertising department – 10 girls mailing out 15 million promotion pieces a year. Bud writes his own advertising. “I always try to make it sound like I’d talk to a farmer.” He explained to me.

Back at his cubicle office, Bud answers his busy telephone.

“Yes sir, I’ll guarantee the hoist and take back any you don’t sell,” he tells a prospective dealer.

“Never dreamed that guy would bring us a million-dollar business,” says a prominent Eaton townsman. “First time I saw Bud rambling down main street, and not knowing his war experience, I figured he was stewed!”

Bud was born on a Colorado farm (near Merino, CO), and grew up on hard work. “We’d pitch manure or scoop beets all day, and when it got too dark to do anything else we’d milk the cows. I left home when I was in the sixth grade. I figured I’d never have any time left to think.”

The young runaway followed the wheat harvest, took flings at lumberjacking, cotton picking, turkey herding, bronco busting, and just plain bumming. Finally, he got a job as a chauffeur in San Francisco. In his spare time he took up welding – an interest that changed his life.

One day he read that engineers were looking for a way to weld underwater. He thought a lot about it. Why not a “bubble” of compressed air around the torch? He tried it out in a bucket of water. It worked!

Next, he contrived a mask for himself with piped-in oxygen so he could breathe under water.

Bud Harsh quit chauffeuring. With his home-made, under-water torch, he went to scrapping old ships in San Francisco Bay. Just before Pearl Harbor, hearing that the U.S. Navy needed divers, Bud enlisted. The Navy prompltly picked up his underwater torch idea and put Bud to schooling 50 men at a time (including some gold-braid).

Later he was ordered to sea (aboard the USS Medusa) in charge of a salvage and rescue unit. During his Pacific service, he was submerged 7,000 recorded hours. At Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa he helped rescue 75 terror-stricken, trapped men. Of his original 21 man crew, only five survived.

But at Okinawa, Bud got it! They had signaled a red alert, and nobody was supposed to dive. Bud and another diver volunteered to go down to save a trapped destroyer crew.

“We couldn’t see any planes so we took a chance for those poor devils. I let down about 75 feet and banged on the hull. I got a tap back and started cutting. I went in and managed to pull three men out of that pitch-black hole. Then an enemy fighter plane hit a ship just a thousand feet away.”

The blast killed Bud’s diving companion outright, and they fished the shattered, hemorrhaging Bud out more dead that alive. Weeks later, back at an Oakland hospital, Navy doctors stared at the battered diver and marveled that he lived at all.

“What’s the deal?” asked the sailor.

“Looks like walking is out,” said the doctors.

“The Hell it is,” the diver defied.

One night soon after, he rolled off his bed and dragged himself to the bathroom. “I knew then that I could make it: that the doctors were wrong.”

Before long, with his wife’s help and encouragement, he was learning to walk again, clinging to chairs, reeling along the hospital corridors. Next he was pushing a four-wheel “walker,” then hobbling on canes, and in nine months he was invalided home to Greeley, CO.

Bud drew $196 monthly pension – 100% disability – but “I’ve got to work, got to stand on my own,” he kept telling his wife Linnea.

With $800 savings, he purchased a pin-bal concession (a game that doesn’t involve gambling). Bud, Linnea, and their adopted baby son made the rounds of taverns and restaurants.

She counted the nickels, while he checked the machines. But each day he dragged home in worse pain. And Linnea didn’t like the taverns. Bud saw a good chance to sell at a profit and quit.

About that time he visited his brother Kenneth, farming near Greeley, Ken had just bought a new truck hoist costing $650, and weighing almost a ton. “Sure beats shoveling,” he enthused. The creative Bud shook his head. “Yeah,” he said, rubbing his chin reflectively, “but there ought to be a lighter, cheaper hoist. And I think I can build it!”

With his pin-ball profit, Bud rented a small general repair shop in Greeley, and commenced experimenting on the side. He needed a shop lathe. The Army was selling surplus lathes – two for $600.

Bud gasped, and Linnea nearly fainted, when a pair of 24-foot lathes arrived. They weighed 13 tons each!

The Army had used the $50,000 monsters to bore gun barrels. Bud rounded up an extra $500 to pay the freight, borrowed his brother’s tractor to power one of the huge lathes, and went to work.

He noticed that most conventional hoists were designed for heavy equipment. Bud decided to shoot for the farmer, and the little guy.

First, he had to design a short hoist that would fit under a truck and still expand to raise the truck box. After repeated tries, he designed a unique multi-stage cylinder that telescoped from 27 to 91 inches, and fit any-size truck, pickup, or trailer. For stability, he introduced twin cylinders.

Next, he worked out a valve to control the oil flow to the cylinders and hold it under pressure. “I didn’t have the stuff to build anything fancy. I had to knock old bearings to pieces for parts.” Bud finally made his valve work.

In a few months, he had developed his first crude hoist. But the cylinders leaked oil. Pinching his pension pennies, he experimented with new materials. He ran out of funds and a $650 bank loan. Enthusiastically, he poured out his story – what his lift would do for farmers.

“Sorry,” the banker shook his head, “but I don’t want to have to pray for your success.”

Fuming, Bud stopped at a local junkyard for more scrap. Dealer Abe Winograd heard his story and offered to help with a loan and the use of his old blacksmith and harness shop in nearby Eaton.

In bitter Christmas weather that froze water in their home-made trailer, the busted Harshes moved to Eaton and parked behind the tumble-down blacksmith shop. No Christmas lights in their Alley! Linnea trimmed a tree in the trailer, made a rag doll for adopted Karen, one, and with the $1.49 she left bought a fire truck for Delbert (Daniel), five. “Best Christmas we’ve ever had,” she cheered Bud.

Bud fixed tractors and implements by day, and experimented by night. Linnea used to find him in the morning slumped over his shop bench. He made test after test and still his hoist leaked oil.

Months passed. Bud was desperate when suddenly one night he remembered the design of the Navy’s 16–inch turret guns. He knew them well. They used tight-fitting “O” rings as stationary seals. Why not the same idea for his hoist? Bud finally located the manufacturer of the neoprene, oil-resistant “O” ring and licked his last problem.

Jubilant, he demonstrated his first successful hoist to Linnea. I dumped from the side, front, or back. Instead of a ton, it weighed only 300 pounds. “And I’ll sell it,” Bud told his wife, “for a dollar a pound!”

A year after he had started experimenting – and now $8,000 in debt – Bud organized Hydraulics Unlimited and shifted into production. He hired two farm boys to help him. “I learned in the Navy to pick farmers – they’re reliable and get things done.” In the worst winter in the West’s memory, the disabled Bud dragged himself through waist-high drifts and then almost froze in the ramshackle blacksmith shop.

He stuck it out to assemble his first hoists for the market. Appropriately that winter, a coal trucker made the first purchase.

Chancing to see it installed, a leading farmer, Ben Nix, ordered the second hoist. After that everybody at the Nix farm wanted to use that truck. “Un-loaded seven tons in two minutes – it was the greatest labor-saver that ever came to my farm.” Nix bought three more hoists for his farm trucks – installed them himself.

The word spread. A combine operator used his hoist in the Great Plains wheat fields. Farmers saw it and fired in orders. Bud put a young salesman on the road. He returned with a whopping order for 50 truck hoists in Montana.

Fed up on the beans they had been eating, Bud and Linnea went out to celebrate with a shrimp dinner, and plotted new conquests.

Now Harsh showed his business genius. “If farmers like my hoist in Montana, they’ll like it in Maine,” he told his wife. “I’m going to line up dealers all over the country.”

The veteran needed backing for his national sales campaign. This time Bud approached a different banker. “Now, if it was a cow I could see the market value,” the banker demurred. “We’re just not interested in this kind of loan.” But before he was done, Bud walked out with $20,000.

The enterprising vet hired a couple of high school girls to comb Dun and Bradstreet for a list of responsible farm equipment dealers. As a starter, he mailed a leaflet to 28,000 dealers.

The leaflet netted a flock of inquiries nearly shoving Hydraulics Unlimited through the leaky roof. “Eaton has jumped from fourth to a first class post office now,” boasts postmistress Pauline Allison.

Hydraulics’ first year made history but when Bud closed the books on his 1949 operation, he had been able to build only 100 hoists and was still in the red. Linnea was thankful for the Navy pension when she made out the payroll.

The second year Hydraulics turned the corner – grossed $57,000, and netted a small profit. Bud cut himself in for $50 a week salary. Every year since, the sensational Hydraulics Unlimited has doubled its gross.

Last year at Christmas time, Bud realized his crowning triumph. With sales approaching $1 million, he was able to inaugurate profit-sharing. Wheeling into his plant, Bud called his employees together and announced simply: “Business has been good. Linnea and I don’t need it all. I’m giving a bonus.” He passed out a 35-cent an hour bonus amounting to several hundred dollars for each worker.

Recently, a union tried to organize Hydraulics but the workers voted it down.

Each fall the 37-year-old employer shuts down his entire plant for a week so everybody can go deer hunting in the Rockies. Bud heads for thills himself and hunts his buck from a jeep.

“Pretty hard to get a job here,” says manager Les Orr. “We just don’t have much turn-over, and I’ve got at least 100 names on a waiting list.”

Tycoons in their thirties, the Harshes still keep their feet on the ground. Some time ago Bud splurged with a new Lincoln, but linnea hid it behind the trailer and walked to the Grocery.

About the only concession the family has made to their recent prosperity is to move into a modest, ranch-style home with swimming pool. The pool, however, is for family and employees alike. A doctor urges swimming to tone up the ex-divers shattered nerves and muscles.

Recently, Bud flew his family to Hawaii for vacation. “After diving all ove the Pacific, I wanted to see what it looked like on top!”
With his phenomenal success, Bud is getting attractive offers to sell out. He isn’t interested. “What would I do with myself?” In place of selling, he’s just moved into a bigger plat at the edge of Eaton. “Twelve acres here. We aim to grow,” he told me proudly.

The venturing vet needs no banker to pray for his success now!

Magnificence of God

2008-10-18T19:33:00Z

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" The Holy Bible: New International Version, electronic ed., Ps 8:3-4 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984).

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" The Holy Bible: New International Version, electronic ed., 1 John 3:1 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984).

As I read 1 John 3 verse one I have three thoughts about the magnificence of God. First, there are no words to adequately describe the love that God has for us. Second, there are now words to adequately describe any of God’s creation. And third, words are the way we communicate with each other and God. It is obvious by my words here that I believe in the God of the Holy Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the one true God, the creator of everything that has been created. Having said that I am struck as was the author of Palms 8 by how insignificant I am in the grand scheme of God’s creation. Yet through it all God the Father has lavished his love on me and calls me his child.

Consider if you will the little thing that happened when God said “let there be light.” There are whole libraries devoted to books on the physics of light. Men have devoted their lives to the study of light and have only scratched surface of light. Thomas Edison is credited with the invention of the incandescent light bulb which was
responsible in large part for the industrial revolution. With light bulb man could extend the work day and work inside in large factories. As wonderful as the light bulb was the turning of a light bulb does not come close the glory of God exhibited in the plainest of sunrises. Then consider the rainbow and the sunset and then moon shadows.

Then God created man. He could have just made a stick figure; He could have done anything he wanted. There is more complexity a single cell of my body than scientists have been able to discover since God picked up a handful of dirt and formed Adam. Untold thousands of men and women have spent millions of hours studying the human body and God has revealed a few things. We are so proud of our feeble attempts to explain even the simplest of systems of our bodies. I am sure that God must laugh at our efforts and He loves us and allows us to continue to explore and discover. Maybe He is proud of us when we figure out some small part of His creation. He says in the Bible that it causes Him pain when we deny Him and deny His Son.

Awesome, magnificent, grand, great, glorious, superb, superlative, super, beautiful, beauty, stupendous, pretty, wonderful, amazing, marvelous, astounding, astonishing, indescribable, unimaginable, extraordinary, prodigious, wondrous, remarkable, dazzling, miraculous, marvel, grandeur, gorgeous, and I am sure you could come with some more words. Even with all these words there is no way to describe God or His Glory. Can you even imagine how you would describe a newborn baby to a blind person? I cannot begin to describe our great granddaughter to you and even a picture would not be able to capture her beauty.

I remember walking in the Colorado Rockies on a glorious fall some years ago, I was surrounded by the awesome peaks of the mountains and splendor of the golden leaves of the aspen trees, I looked down into a pool of crystal clear rain water and saw one perfectly formed aspen leaf. Now that I have described this vision can you see it? You might have some idea if you have ever seen a similar view, otherwise probably not. There is a feeling associated with this view, a feeling of inadequacy. I wonder at my arrogance when I think that I can accomplish anything without God. I wonder if it is God’s plan for my experience in the wilderness to bring me closer to dependence on Him. I know that I feel closer to God at those times than any other.

As the days go by I find myself being hungry for my time reading God’s word. I’m curiously drawn to God, is it the Holy Spirit? Yes I think so. There is a part of me that wants to reach out to people and try to make them obey God. I am learning that it is not about the other guy, it is about me. God loves me and calls me His son. He wants me to repent my worldly love, my desire for things, and my view of other people. “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. “ The Holy Bible: New International Version, electronic ed., Pr 16:7 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, c1984). I want to walk with God in the way that is pleasing to Him. I want to bask in the love that my heavenly Father lavishes on me as His child. And most
awesome thing is that the Father of us all wants this for you, and you, and you, for all people even the ones who deny him. God wants all people to choose Him, He wants to call everyone His child. Look it up for yourself, it is not hidden.

Peace Now

2008-10-16T17:08:00Z

Proverbs 16:7

⁷ When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,

he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.

As I read this verse this morning it occurred to me that what a wonderful thing it would be for even my enemies to live at peace with me. So my prayer is for my ways to be pleasing to God. I will continue to seek His kingdom with all my heart. Christ told us how to please God; it is spelled out in the Gospels by Matthew.

Matthew 5 :21-30

²¹“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²²But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

²³“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

²⁵“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

This is really only a beginning of having my ways be pleasing to God; actually the beginning is my repentance, the acceptance of Christ as the Son of God and my savior.

Not for a Million Dollars

2008-10-16T03:50:00Z

I got an email from my friend Debbie Stumpf the other day asking me to contribute to a compilation of stories that she is gathering for inclusion into a book. Her request was simple and straight forward, “what would I not be willing to give up for one million dollars?” I had never really given any thought to an idea such as that. I am sixty four years old I have been married three times twenty-seven years the first time with three children, ten years the second time no children, and currently six years. I have had several different jobs. I have had cars that I really liked. I have owned homes that were very nice. I have had nice clothes. I have traveled all around the country. I have earned a college degree. I have never been what I would consider financially successful. I have made lots of poor choices particularly in my first marriage. I really squandered the love of a good woman, the mother of our children. I gave that up for no money at all, certainly not a million dollars.

So, you ask what I would not be willing to give up for one million dollars. There is no material possession worth more than fair market value. There really is not one thing that I have or that I have had that I would not willingly give up. What I would not give up for any price is the sum of my memories of family and friends. I can still remember nearly forty five years ago when I saw Shelley for the first time the morning of her birth. I was nineteen years old and sure that there had never been a more beautiful baby born. As she grew older she grew even more precious. I remember when she decided that she was too old for her bottle and threw all them in trash. I remember when she was just able to speak in sentences and instructed her grandmother that she was taking the wrong road to go home. I remember when she started swimming and decided that she wanted to attend the United States Air Force Academy. I remember when she graduated from Eaton High School at the top of her class. I remember when we delivered her to the Academy and I realized that my little girl was now grown up and would really never come home again. I remember the victories and defeats of her college years. I remember when she told me that she was in love and was going to marry Geof. I remember her graduation and the drama surrounding it. I remember her wedding. I remember the excitement of finding out that she was going to have a baby, then that it would be two. I remember the agonizing trip from Grand Junction to Denver when Dan and Jerry were born so early that we could not imagine that they could survive. I remember coming back several months later when they were finally home all hooked up with wires and tubes. I remember the first time they leaped in to my waiting arms exclaiming “poppa,” I can’t even describe the joy in my heart. And it is the same every time it happens, now times five with Kristy, JD, Hanna, Gavin, and Jack. I learned about love from Shelley.

You might think that the above is enough, you would wrong. Shane was a whole different experience. I remember him playing with trucks, cars, tractors, and blocks. He was born with a motor sound. I remember him carefully explaining to our neighbor lady in Cody, WY exactly how the trash truck worked. Shane was around three at the time. I remember helping him take the wheels off his tractors so we could replace the axles with all thread so that he could move the wheels in and out like real tractors. I remember his fascination with road building machinery. I remember him watching the neighbor farmer work in the fields. I remember him going to the neighbor’s dairy barn to watch and then as he grew older help. I remember him wanting to bring home an orphaned calf to care for. I remember the sadness when the calf died. I remember that he didn’t want to have more calves. I remember that he switched to only being interested in growing things. I remember that for several years after we moved to town he would ride his bike several miles each day to help the farmer. I remember that for several summers he lived at the farm to work for Ruben. I remember when he took over his grandmother’s farm as his FFA project and even though he didn’t like having animals worked very hard with the cow calf operation that was already in place. I remember him fighting snow drifts to feed the cows and check on new calves. He left for his first job and didn’t come home for three days. I called to check on him and found out that the job meant that he be at a drill site with a water truck till the hole was drilled. He started taking his lunch and a sleeping bag to work. It was not long till he was managing other men doing this work. All he did was work for several years then he met Pam. He fell in love and in a short time was married. He still works long hard hours and is able to find a balance to be with Pam, son J.D., and daughter, Hannah. He is a great dad. He didn’t like school very much and he never stopped learning. He reads everything he can find and thinks deeply about life and his faith in God.

I remember Shad coming along when we thought we were done having children. I know that everybody thinks that their baby is the cutest one ever. Well Shad was the cutest ever and so good natured. He was open and friendly even as a baby. I remember when he got his first “Hot Wheel” car. Then there was a whole collection of cars he carried around in a case. I remember the “Star Wars” toys again he got a whole collection over time. I remember when suddenly neatness became important to him and spread from his room to the whole house. (I wondered who are you and what have you done with my son.) I remember his first Commodore computer a toy that really started him on his profession. Once he got his driver’s license he was hard to keep home; he wanted to be with his friends all the time. He became a good swimmer and in his senior year we moved to Greeley so that he could continue to swim. College was more social time as he joined a fraternity and became very involved. His first job after graduation was for the national office of his fraternity. In his last year of college he met Becky and fell in love. When she graduated they married and now have two sons, Gavin and Jack.

Three children and seven grandchildren not possessions are what I value beyond money.

So when you ask what I would not give up for $1,000,000 the answer is that there are so many things that are not things. They are memories and relationships that have no monetary value. They are priceless.