Nov. 21, 2021
It is the fall, and the leaves are leaving the trees. I know this first hand because I have been spending a lot of time here of late suspended between heaven and earth. You see my friend ,I am a deer hunter. I have not been taken up into the heavens. I have been up in my deer stand.
I worry what I plan to share will be misunderstood. I feel closer to God in nature than any building I have ever been in. I feel close to Him there and do some of my best and most focused praying as well as soul searching. When you are out in nature you see the things that He has made . When you look upon a great piece of art or read a wonderful book, you think wow I would like to meet it's creator. That is as best as I can describe it why it touches me and repairs my wounded and rushed soul.
Since no large bucks had bothered to show up, I have had a lot of time to think .I have seen thousands of leaves swirl and twirl and leave the place they were born and watch them laid as they are laid to rest. I feel blessed and think that there are 7 billion people on the planet and that private air show was for just me.
I have many discussions with fellow hunters and it is a joy to discuss God in the office. I feel sorry for those who can only find Him in a structure and only for a hour or so. Yes we should all go to church ! No argument here at all. But on the flip side , when two or more are gathered talking about Him , that is called church too and he is there as well whether it is in the factory , school, or a doctors office. Amen?
this happened on a clear cold morning about 7 years ago. There was no wind and it was an excellent day to hunt. I was in a stand on the north side of our property. After after an hour or so the sun began to rise and the woods Was turning magical as the trees were temporally adorned with frost. I was up high and it felt good when the warm sun finally hit my back . I thought back upon dads teaching from my youth that this made me easier to be seen as well.
I love to take pictures. I have taken thousands of them over the years. I do not have a picture of the story I am about to share. I do not carry it next to my heart but in my heart and that makes it even more special to me.
Far below me and still in the darkness something was moving. My heart starting beating and my lips became instantly dry. Even more so when I first saw antlers .... large ones! Something was strange about this big bodied buck as he moved through the brush. I could not at first tell what it was. It seemed he was two toned with his front part of his body silver and his back half brown.
He crossed a branch and came up the hill 18 yards off to my left . I did not bother to lift the gun from my lap. He turned his head and looked away from me to the west. It was the perfect shot. He then got a wiff of me and knew something was amiss. As smart large bucks do he put his nose in the air and tuned his heard left and right trying to figure out what was up .
This was a really nice deer. It would have been a shooter in my book and youth years ago. Please do not get me wrong, I am not Jerimiah Johnson. I have moved on myself a bit as perhaps a golfer chooses to play only from the blue tees. My mistakes have been many. My trophy room of ones that have outwitted me would be far more impressive than the ones hanging in my office .
As I watched him, I was shaking with excitement .I always tell fellow hunters my nice and expensive shotgun has something wrong with it because it shakes when a big buck comes by. Some say they do not ever do this. I do not believe them because you don't get up and out of a nice warm and soft bed at 4:00 AM and go sit in the woods if this is not the case.
I could now understand why he looked so odd . He had spent the night most likely with his rear end under a thick pine or cedar tree. That is why it was brown, no frost. His front was covered with this thick frost on his head and and on his thick antlers.
I replay this story over and over as I hunt always of course on frosty mornings. I have called him Frosty since that day. I owe him thanks for reminding me of that wonderful song written in 1913 called the OLD RUGGED CROSS written by a preacher named Rev. George Bennard .
He had moved on and up into the sunlight, as he turned his head , it shined like a bejeweled crown and was one of the most magnificent things my green eyes have ever seen. I spoke volumes to my heart as I watched this visual sermon . I thanked my God now for allowing me to see this and now for allowing me to share with you.
So I'll cherish that old rugged cross till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling till the old rugged cross and exchange it someday for a crown.
A human life is a story told by God. Hans Christian Andersen
That is why God did it. Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing as heaven whispers ,"Do you like it ? I did that just for you."
Max Lucado
As you come up our drive and after you cross the small creek,you pass between two field stone
pillars that match the stones on our home. There is a light atop both of them . Right now, one is green and the the side is white. The green light is to show support for all the people who serve our military as well
as those who have done so in the past.
At Christmas i hang white lights along the 4 rail horse fence. We change the white one to red and
The entryway is good to go. The placement of the red and green has a reason behind it as well.
It may seem to be be random but Iassure you is not the case.
On a plane the red light is always on the left side and the green is on the right side. green and right both
have 5 letters and this was how I was taught to remember as a boy. This applies to boats as well.
Our oldest son, Josh, is a navel aviator. He and his wonderful wife , Christina, are a week or two from going
to Japan. They have lived in several places over the last few years. They lived in Fallon Nevada
most recently and we were blessed to have all of our boys and their girls under our roof and together
the holidays.
Since they aproached our farm from the west the right light was green and the left one was on the left
came home. When they were out east in Va it was the reversed. Japan is on the other side of the world
so I am not sure what I will do. I have not stepped it off but am told it is about as far east to west as it is
west to east.
God is a concerned loving Father who loves you so much! He has made a way for you to come
home through his son Jesus. The porch light of heaven is on . You have a green light my friend.
Because of the red blood of Jesus ,your sins are forgiven . Your approach is cleared as well as all your sins.
As far as the east is from the west,so far has removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12
ENTRY
Yesterday I went out to check on the horses. It has again been vey hot here of late and a daily chore
to top off the water troughs will cool clear water.As I make my rounds the horses ususlly get excited when they hear the sound of our old red ATV. Because this vehicle usally has horse feeds as well as carrots, we c call it "Chuck" short for chuck wagon .
There is a mare and two young ones in the south pasture. I whistled and they did not come. I banged on the
red tubes on the gate with the scooper. It makes a sound that sounds like a hillbilly dinner bell. I had seen them the evening before and knew they were ok. I surmised they had found a place with a breeze and had it made in the shade.
I set the bright orange bucket filled with feed and carrots in front of the gate. This bucket was a physical reminder for me to "lets do this later". I had some mowing to do and that filled several hours of the afternoon. I kept looking down at the water tank seeing they had not yet drank from it and for the first time became a little concerned.
I went down to the gate and did the two tone whistle my dad taught me. I do this in honor of him and have taught my sons to do the same. They all would turn and prick up their earsand know it was me if I did this even in a crowd.
I banged again on the gate and in no time flat heard the three of them flat out running as hard as they could
go. They seemed happy to see me and even more to see Chuck .They were breathing heavy as they devoured their snacks.
My friend I believe God is calling all of us. As we read Scripture, we learn he calls us all differently . Many people tell me after I speak that I missed my calling. I would quite my practice and enroll in seminary school tomorrow if I felt in my heart that is what God wanted for me. I answered my "call to the see" many years ago. I love the interaction I have with patients for the most part. I never would have believed God would and could could use me to write these stories for his glory.
He has blended and used the very things I love and hold dear such as horses, hunting , and rivers . I am often very surprised at how stories and lessons come together in such a way that I know it is not me but him working through me. Here is the exciting part, he wants to do the same with you. You may not be called to write or do eyes but you are being called . What do you do that gives you joy and satisfaction? There is your best clue in regard to what God is calling you to do.
I pray that at times this website feeds you. I write for all God's people and not just those who gather under the steeple. All I know is when I do this with the hope of pleasing my Savior, it just feels so "write"!
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things
you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3
When you empty yourself, God rushes in.
A.W. Tozer
For the man who prays in his heart ,the whole world is a church.
Sylvain of Athos