Hearer or Doer?

 Over this past weekend, I was privileged to be a part of a large group from my home church who attended the Wildfire Weekend men's impact event held on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. If you've not heard of Wildfire, its mission is: (1) to create a movement that inspires men to deepen their relationship with God, the one who placed these longings of competition, adventure, and the outdoors in their soul; and (2) to use what men love - hunting, fishing, football, baseball, motorcycles, classic cars, sporting competitions, racing, extreme sports and other outdoor activities - to bring them closer to the heart of God. A number of headline names made appearances during the course of the two-day event, including Drew Brees, Max Lucado, Paul Teutul Jr., Darryl Strawberry, Joe Teti and Jase Robertson. Regardless if it was during a one-on-one interview with a celebrity, a large group challenge from a pastor, or a recreational workshop hosted by an expert in that field, the 10,000 of us in attendance were offered solid spiritual truth and application to help us recognize where and how God was currently speaking to and molding each of us into His likeness. It was truly a powerful event and a life-altering weekend.

 

James 1:22-25 (NASB)

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Winds of Change

The rut is upon us here in Virginia and the mature bucks are up and moving. Saturday evening I decided to revisit a location that I knew featured dominant buck sign as well as a group of does that were regularly visiting a nearby soybean field in the evenings. I got settled into my tree stand around 4:00pm, and saw my first deer that evening around 5:30. Around that same time I noticed that it was very dark behind me off to the west, obviously an approaching front which I had not noticed on the weather forecast. After listening for several minutes to what sounded like deer running around in the bottom behind me, I had another doe appear from behind my stand at a few minutes prior to 6:00, and work her way out to the nearby bean field. Shortly thereafter, the front began to work through the area, with the wind going from nearly still to whipping violently in all directions. I was concerned whether I should stay up the tree with the wind blowing the way that it was, but I was quickly distracted by movement from the location which the doe had appeared a few minutes prior. I first noticed it was a large bodied deer and then immediately caught sight of his rack, a no-doubt shooter. I flipped my secondary safety forward on my muzzleloader and found him in the scope as he eased down the path which the doe had taken. He stopped behind a group of trees and checked the swirling wind for a considerable period, and I was concerned that he might get just enough unwanted scent to decide to leave the area. Fortunately, he took the final step I needed him to take, and leaning into the tree for extra support, I quickly squeezed the trigger as he turned broadside. After the smoke cleared and a few seconds passed, I caught sight of him back behind my stand staggering and then going down for good. It was a whirlwind, both literally and figuratively, figuring out what had really just happened in the matter of a minute or two.

Matthew 24:4-14 (NASB)
And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Drawn to the Change



photo courtesy of Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

I have had a few folks tell me that if I thought catching a white marlin was a blast, my offshore experience would not be complete until I had tussled with a tuna and a dolphin (mahi mahi). Well, I got that opportunity this past weekend aboard the Jesus Freak with Captain David Walker and friends. We got a bright and early start both days, and after our devotion time, departed Pirates Cove Marina, navigated to and through Oregon Inlet and steamed southeast towards the Gulf Stream currents. After about a two-hour run, we came across our destination, a well-defined line of sargassum or what is commonly referred to as the "weed line". Both the currents and wind work to accumulate this vegetation, which originates in the Sargasso Sea, for miles, with some mats being packed together rather significantly. And when and where we found the weed line, we found the marine life - lots of it actually. Small baitfish and schools of triggerfish took cover beneath the sargassum, while mahi mahi, yellowfin and blackfin tuna, wahoo and a few remaining marlin lurked nearby. Not far away, numerous bottlenose dolphins, turtles, pilot whales and even an unidentified species of shark made their presence known. Life was virtually everywhere around the sargassum, a vital natural resource which serves as an ecosystem all of its own.

Matthew 28:19 (NASB)
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

Choosing to be Second

This coming Saturday is National Hunting and Fishing Day. This annual event came into being on May 2, 1972, when President Nixon signed the first proclamation of National Hunting and Fishing Day, writing, "I urge all citizens to join with outdoor sportsmen in the wise use of our natural resources and in insuring their proper management for the benefit of future generations." Over the years since, this special day has helped provide many millions of Americans with a chance to experience, understand and appreciate traditional outdoor sports. The National Hunting and Fishing Day has boasted many public relations successes, assisted by celebrities who volunteered to help spotlight the conservation accomplishments of sportsmen and women. This year's honorary chairman is Bill Dance. Celebrated on the fourth Saturday of every September, the National Hunting and Fishing Day remains one of the most effective grassroots efforts ever undertaken to promote the outdoor sports and conservation.

Luke 22:26-27 (NASB)
...but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.