Different Varieties of Backpacks

* Rucksacks: The main feature of a rucksack is that is closes with a drawstring
at the top. Other than that it is just like any small backpack.

* Day Packs: This will refer to any backpack that is too small to use in an
overnight trip. This type of outdoor hiking gear is most popular with students
that are carrying school books, new parents using them as diaper bags and even
business men/women using them instead of briefcases.

Choosing the proper outdoor hiking gear for short hikes is not difficult.
Basically, you want a backpack that is lightweight and easy to carry but still
durable enough to hold a few items.

There are some backpacks with built in water bladders, but these types are not
recommended for the casual walk because water is heavy and no matter how
comfortable it may seem at first, the added weight is not worth it.

Framed Backpacks

If you are hiking out into the woods and are planning on staying over night,
then you will need a larger backpack than just a day pack. The recommended
outdoor hiking gear would be a frame backpack. Frame means that either
externally or internally there is a frame that keeps the packs shape.

These types of backpacks are heavy duty backpacks compared to the day pack. They
are designed to carry more equipment in an organized fashion and they are
designed for heavier loads.

Each pack has its advantages and disadvantages. Internal frame packs are the
more popular variety because they are more comfortable and conform to the body
but in hot weather this could be a discomfort because there will be very little
air movement between the pack and your back.

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And God said; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

It may annoy you even to have me call to your attention the foregoing Biblical quotations. You may feel inclined to say to yourself, "Who does this fellow think he is? He certainly has his nerve to direct my attention to something I have been aware of most of my lifetime. I know what's in the first chapter of the Bible, perhaps even better than he does."

If this is your attitude, I would respond," What have these two quotations done to you and for you? Have they changed the course of your life? Have they given you a sense of dominion over your business, domestic and social affairs? Have they made you feel you are a far greater marvel than any of the wonders on earth? Have they filled you with a daily glow, a gladness to be alive despite all the turmoil going on about you? Have they freed you from fear, worry and handicapping habits?" My contemplation of these verses has done all these things and much more for me.

Maybe it will help if you try to remember who is approaching you with this proposition. I am only a layman, a retired life insurance agent. I am the person who had to leave grammar school while in the fifth grade to start life as a fruit peddler. Currently I belong to no church, society or organization of any kind. I am neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist. I have no medals and no degrees. I am not trying to promote anything. As a matter of fact, I am just a horse-and-buggy sort of person who has had an amazing experience with this proposition.

Like you, I have never seen God, nor have I heard His voice. Therefore, I can only go by what I think about these verses from the first chapter of Genesis. There you have the key to the fortune I have to share with you because my thinking about these two statements has turned hell into heaven for me right here on earth. It was my thinking about man in the likeness of God which saved me from committing suicide and enabled me to take a firm hold on the basic proposition of How can I be more? Instead of how can I have more? That is, I decided to be more, in the image of God, rather than to have more, in the likeness of the counterfeit.

The daily application of this principle turned business failure into success for me. It gave me the confidence to face with calmness large lecture audiences without having a lesson in public speaking and to get five philosophic books out of my system with less than a fifth-grade education. My continuing belief in this principle enables me to feel like a youngster at the age of seventy. I concede that I may know little about the theological concept of God and man in His image and likeness. However, what I personally think about this greatest of all propositions gives me dominion over my current earthly affairs.

For the sake of making things easy for you, I wish I could say that the rather fantastic results I have experienced were brought about while I was reading a newspaper, listening to the radio, watching a TV show, gazing at a moving picture, chasing after business, sipping cocktails at some social function, thinking and talking about world conditions, or playing at some game. The fact is, however, that the change in my life and the results I have referred to did not come about in this way at all. At a time of great trouble, I ran smack into the two verses I have quoted from the Bible. This is what changed my life. I did not merely read these verses and go about my customary routine, waiting for things to happen. I applied this principle to everything I did and thought. I would still be aimlessly floundering about had I continued to devote all my time, energy and thought to the material routine I had been following for years.

I know what it is to experience most of the normal reactions to routine living, to blow hot and cold on things—being up one day and down the next. I know what it is to be the life of a party, to lead a barbershop quartet in boisterous song, with a few nice-tasting drinks oiling up the vocal chords.  I was really very good at this. I know what it is to play poker, bridge, gin rummy, golf, and handball and sun myself at the beach. All of these things I have enjoyed as much as the next fellow.

I have experienced the glow of putting over big business deals and receiving royalty checks. The thrills of seeing write-ups in leading newspapers and hearing the applause of lecture audiences ringing in my ears have been mine.

Though I have had my full share of excitement from the material side of life, I can say honestly that the most solid enjoyment ever to be mine has come about through my daily contemplation of God and man in His likeness. I openly acknowledge that I love God with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my mind. This is not a deathbed confession to atone for a sinful life. It does not come at a time when I am old and worn out but rather when I am in the full bloom of my earthly career.

The Bible declares that "God is love." A state of being based on love, with its many meanings— affection, friendship, enthusiasm, fellow-feeling, sympathy, tenderness, liberality, charity and good will—became the kingdom of God to me. With this controlling idea in my mind, it was easy for me to experience the unspeakable joy of having such a kingdom within me right here on earth. How? Simply by letting such thoughts and emotions dwell in my consciousness and govern my daily actions.

I boldly declare that any person who has within him the universally available kingdom of God I have within me can wipe out of his existence all the handicapping thoughts to which the human mind is subject. As one man's proof of this, please let me show you the amazing change which has taken place within me:

I was secretly-                                               I became-

weak                                                                strong

sick                                                                  healthy

weary                                                               refreshed

gloomy;                                                            cheerful

afraid                                                                courageous

bored                                                               vivacious

foolish                                                              sensible

lazy                                                                  energetic

jittery                                                                poised

envious                                                 rejoiceful

trapped                                                                        free

A failure                                                           a success

This new birth came about through my concept of man in the likeness of God. Atomic energy looms as a most powerful earthly force, but the spirit of God dwelling within one individual can blast out of his existence the counterfeit of God which has billions of victims all over the world.

Many people are patiently awaiting the return of Jesus in physical form. They seem to feel that with His presence a great many of our troubles would end. They did not end when He was here before, and all He got in return for His great mission was derision, ridicule, persecution, and finally He was nailed to the Cross. However, let us assume that Jesus does very suddenly make another earthly appearance. Just what effect do you think His appearance would have on the lives of people generally? Of course, if He began healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, causing the dumb to speak and the lame to walk, as He did before, great throngs would follow Him wherever He went. However, would the lives of men and women be made better if people only stood by and watched the Master perform again some of the miracles referred to in the Scriptures?

Would people generally begin to love God with all their hearts and love their neighbor as themselves just because Jesus was back on earth? When He began to preach, what if He again used the Sermon on the Mount? Would His listeners immediately begin to follow that perfect design for living? Ask those questions of yourself. If your answers are negative, then you would not be benefited at all by the reappearance of the Savior. The performance of His miracles before your very eyes would have no more effect on you than reading about them in the Bible.

When a child is kidnapped, a ransom is invariably demanded before the captive is released. Millions of men, women and children have been kidnapped and are being held as prisoners. Their prison bars are made up of stubbornness, self-will, sophistication, arrogance, pride, hate, envy, jealousy, revenge, fear, worry, discontent, un-happiness and a smoldering sense of injustice.

Living as Jesus lived to the best of our ability is the ransom God accepts for our release from this bondage. However, sitting complacently by, waiting for the physical return of Jesus, will never gain our release. If we accept the Sermon on the Mount as our pattern, adhering closely to it all through life, the Savior will be brought nearer and nearer; soon His return will be actual to us, for we shall feel His presence within us and around us all through our days.

Is this a difficult proposition? Jesus said that His yoke was easy, and it is. Love surpasses hate as a means of getting along in life. Courage is far superior to fear. Purity is above sensuality. Meekness is much better than pride. Being merciful makes it possible to obtain mercy. Being a peacemaker makes life much easier than being a troublemaker. Right living produces far better results than wrong living. The proposition is that simple. The trouble is that we do too much praying and not enough acting like Christ. He has made everything simple and clear, and if we will but follow the plan he mapped out for us, our blessings will be many.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Anyone who wants to can prove the truth of that statement. As far as I am concerned, the kingdom of God can be within us right in the midst of our earthly affairs, if we want it.

For instance, I know I am alive and have an awareness of things. I know my name, where I live and the amount of money that is in the bank to my credit. I know my family, relatives, friends and acquaintances. I know how to read the newspapers, watch TV, listen to the radio and go to the movies. All of this and much more is a part of my daily existence—something I am constantly aware of. At the same time, I am conscious of the existence of the kingdom of God right here on earth. As far as I am concerned, this state is just as real as my earthly existence. To me, love, courage, faith, hope, peace, unselfishness, justice, friendliness, purity and many other such qualities constitute the kingdom of God. I believe there is nothing at all mysterious about this kingdom dwelling within us here on earth. All we need do is open up our minds and let such a state exist within our consciousness.

 As the majority of people follow their customary routines, something is strangely missing in their lives. For instance, on all sides we see the wonders of the universe, as referred to in the first chapter of Genesis, such as heaven, earth, sun, moon and animal life. These things are indeed wonders, but they are as commonplace to us as the nose on our face. We accept them as a matter of course and perhaps only occasionally view as wondrous a brilliant sunrise or a gorgeous full moon. But how about the greatest of all wonders, also referred to in the first chapter of Genesis: man made in the image of God and given dominion over the whole world? Do we see this wonder in our daily travels?

Of course, we see men and women rushing about in turbulent pursuit of their daily affairs. But do they express man in the likeness of God? It hardly seems so to me because, as a rule, these human beings do not exercise dominion even over their trifling personal affairs. Supply the answers to the following questions and prove to yourself whether these people are acting like man made in the image of God:

 Is God:

Self-important?

Disagreeable?

Hard to get along with?

Easily upset and annoyed?

Envious and jealous?

A slave to drinking and smoking?

Sick and discouraged?

Stubborn, opinionated, resentful?

Secretly worried and afraid?

Uneasy about the future?

 Of course, these phrases describe the attitudes of the majority of people you see going about their routine life, but we cannot think of the Creator in this way because such terms portray the nature and character of the counterfeit, the root of all trouble—personal, national and universal. What the world at large will ever do about this situation I do not know. But again I say that the individual can do something about it whenever the desire is strong enough for him to forsake the material for the spiritual side of life.

Attention to the spiritual side of life is the answer to the many problems to which I have referred in previous chapters. For instance, take the chapter, "The Capital Value of Thought." By looking on our thinking, instead of our bodily form, as the likeness of God, we can easily understand how our thinking is by far our greatest asset. Also, this concept enables us to keep out of our thoughts the emotional upsets which I pointed out were so destructive to certain individuals of my acquaintance.

 In the chapter, "Sympathy for Business Leaders," I described the strain under which so many prominent men are laboring. Experience shows this strain is too much for the majority of our business and professional leaders. I believe their only salvation is to become humble and childlike and turn to the spiritual side of life for their support. I do not know of any other answer to the serious problems confronting most of our men and women in top-flight business positions.

I feel most people would follow the spiritual side of life if they only knew how. The trouble is that most grownups have only a Sunday school Conception of God and religion. This scant knowledge does not help them very much in times of trouble. They love God, go to church and are good citizens, but they do not understand man's relationship to God. What is more, they do not try to understand it; they leave this all-important issue for ministers to wrestle with. Moreover, people are so busy with their material affairs; the spiritual side of life becomes far removed from them.

What is to be done about it? That is the big question busy people would be justified in asking. That something should be done is quite obvious because, under this material routine, whole families run into trouble galore. Sickness, discontent, strain, fear, worry and even the breaking up of homes are just a few of the sad results produced when God is left out of our daily affairs.

 Like most of you, I am only a layman, and I surely have been through the routine of life with a full share of ups and downs. But ever since my awakening I have been up, and I know I can stay up during the balance of my earthly existence. That which keeps me up is my concept of man made in the image of God. To me, this principle is no more complicated than the relationship of an earthly father and his son.

 I believe there are many similarities between the father-son and God-man relationships. The earthly father loves his son and carefully guides him into correct ways of living. This is exactly what God does. Also, an obedient son looks up to his father and tries to imitate him in every way possible. By setting a proper example, a father has a good influence on his son and gradually molds him into an upstanding citizen. If the son makes mistakes, does the father stop loving him? Not at all. Such a father forgives his son and patiently guides him out of the trouble he may be in. As a consequence, the son has increased love and respect for his father. A good father is never too busy to look after the welfare of his son, and a loving son is never too busy to show his appreciation in good deeds—not in idle words. This same type of relationship has been my experience with our kind and patient heavenly Father.

 Thinking of one's self as man in the image of God is a powerful proposition. It certainly defeats that happiness-destroying counterfeit to which I have referred so many times. For instance, a hit-and-run driver recently rammed my parked car, leaving a big dent in it. I started to seethe over the incident until I got hold of my emotions with this line of reasoning: Was God angry about the situation? Of course, He was not. Then I immediately realized that the burning-up emotion was the counterfeit trying to slip into my consciousness. Also, I instantly concluded that the cost of repairing the damage was nothing compared to the loss in peace of mind I would suffer by getting into a mental lather over this matter. Having reached these conclusions, I had the car repaired and completely washed the experience out of my mind.

 I have tried to act with similar emotional detachment in the management of my business affairs. Within recent years, I sold a home on Long Island we owned before coming to Florida. Also, I sold a home here in Florida, and this was my manner of handling these deals. After placing the properties on the market, I promptly assumed the attitude that God was the owner, the buyer and the seller. My position was simply that of caretaker. I determined not to forfeit my right to God's help by upsetting myself with impatience, concern about the real estate market, secret doubts and fears, or any other ungod-like thoughts and emotions. I held fast to this way of thinking, and the houses were quietly taken out of my hands and placed in the hands of a new caretaker.

 The idea of my relationship with God also enabled me to conquer the drinking and smoking habits. I cannot imagine God so indulging Himself, and having a great desire to be as near like Him as possible, I can easily pass up these harmful habits. I find it much more fun proving my dominion over drinking and smoking than I ever had by yielding to these appetites. Not always have I been able to exercise such control, but I can certainly do it now. And I feel that anyone who wants to quit these habits can do so by holding fast to the idea of man as the likeness of God.

 I could give numerous examples of the effective use I have made of this concept, which has indeed enabled me to forsake the material for the spiritual and thereby gain control over the temptations of life. The rewards of this type of life have been overwhelming for me, and I am sure they would be for anyone.

 If all of us went after spiritual understanding as zealously as we seek material pleasures, the millennium would be introduced into our human affairs. For instance, people come down here to Florida intent on gratifying their desire for pleasure. They spend much time and money on three particular attractions: horse racing, dog racing and jai alai games. There is nothing ungod-like about these activities, nothing ungod-like about watching them and, so far as I am concerned, and nothing too ungod-like about gambling on the results of these sports.

 To me, then, there is nothing wrong with these activities; they are simply forms of human diversion which are followed with great fervor. My observation has been that the results of these efforts for pleasure are unsatisfying. There is nothing of lasting value in them. The excitement of the racing finishes and the game is soon forgotten. But if the people who follow these sports spent as much time in pursuit of an understanding of their relationship to God, the reward would be a perpetual glow of happiness, absolutely unattainable in any other earthly activity.

 To me one of the most vivid statements of how we can go about our earthly affairs and at the same time maintain our proper relationship to God is contained in Paul's magnificent message as found in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians :

 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, and endureth all things.

 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

This quotation ties in perfectly with the idea of How can we be more? instead of how can we have more? If we are to be more, in God's image, rather than have more, in imitation of the counterfeit, we cannot make a more significant beginning than by applying the godlike virtue of charity in our daily existence.

 I do hope that in this book I have aroused in you a new appreciation of yourself. Either you are man in the likeness of God, or you are not fulfilling the role for which you were created. Please reflect on this idea seriously and persistently, and you will become reborn. Best wishes to you for a new experience with life.