The Triple

Something extraordinary happened to me the other day while spring gobbler hunting with my two friends (my guest Glenn, and his guest Joe). The morning's hunt started with a brief canoe ferry to avoid walking through some marsh and stirring any gobblers along the path to our final spot. We arrived on land and beckoned any local birds with some barred owl calls. An initial response was heard some distance away over some marsh. As we slowly walked on, we received another response that was closer yet across the river. After some more discreet walking, we found ourselves in our spot with a triangle of fairly distant gobbles, and we set up in a deliberate triangle ourselves. What happened next was unusual. A lone big gobbler came straight in to our initial yelping, without either gobbling or strutting, and fell on the first shot. After that, yelping hens remained nearby as evidence of birds still interested. Our serenading continued. In succession, two more birds marched in without gobbling and fell at the firing of each other hunter. It was remarkable and unusual for sure, but not impossible. What then is the extraordinary part?

Romans 12:10 (ESV)

Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor.

 

2 Corinthians 8:21 (ESV)

for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.

Staying on the 'X'

I can recall a few waterfowl hunts over the years during the September goose season, the early season for wood ducks and in the late season for mallards where my buddies and I found ourselves in just the right spot. It was during these hunts where the waterfowl seemed to be downright determined to get in the blind with us! Occasions like these are what we often refer to as "being on the x". One of the best waterfowl hunts I remember being a part of was a few years back when most of water around our setup was frozen up, with the exception of our little hole which had just enough moving water to keep it from freezing. It wound up being by far the wildest display of in-your-face decoying of big ducks that I have ever experienced. My dad was with us that morning as well, which made it extra special, and we really put a hurting on the green heads and Canada's that day. However, most of the time, the waters surrounding our hole are open, and when that's the case, the 'x' is usually several hundred yards or so down the creek from the edge of where we have permission to hunt. And although we often witness a great display of birds from our setup, a few passing shots is generally all we wind up getting. The 'x', the honey hole, the funnel - all terms that sportsmen use to describe being in just the right spot to experience some incredible encounters with wildlife and hopefully harvest game. And when you're there, it is relatively easy to have success. However, most of us are rarely fortunate enough to be there consistently. It takes many hours of study, research, scouting, preparation, and hours spent in the woods, fields, and swamps to figure out precisely the desired location of the game we seek.

John 15:12-17 (NASB)
This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.

Get to the Spot

I spent this past weekend with my immediate and extended family in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We took advantage of the Columbus Day holiday on Monday and made it a long weekend vacation, which was much appreciated by my wife and kids. With as many outdoors opportunities as I have been able to experience lately, my primary goal this weekend was to spend time with my family, so I intentionally, but with concerted effort, put fishing way down on my priority list. However, I did carry a few rods with me, in the event that a blitz was on, and I found a brief opening at first light Monday to head over to the Little Bridge, located between Nags Head and Manteo. This is a popular destination for inshore anglers, who routinely catch speckled trout, puppy drum and rockfish this time a year from the fishing area along the bridge. Although the weather had not been good at all due to the effects of the nor'easter, fishermen had still been harvesting these species daily along the Little Bridge. When I got there, the parking lot was already full, and droves of fishermen were stacked up the entire length of the bridge. However, I only needed to be there for a few minutes to realize that I was not within casting distance of one particular 10 foot wide spot where all the bites were occurring. Anglers who frequented the bridge had arrived before daylight and had positioned themselves in just the right spot in order to reap the fruits of their labor. Unfortunately, those of us out of range could only watch and speculate why the population of trout and drum being caught that morning were in such a small, confined area.

 

Romans 5:8 (NASB)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

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.

The Road Not Often Taken

I'm driving to work one morning this past week in yet another one of our region's recent snow bursts. As has become habit to this die-hard sportsmen, I am checking out all the fields and waterways that I pass for various types of wildlife. Well, I approach one particular wheat field that is often frequented during Spring by a large flock of turkeys, and I am thinking, they certainly are not going to be out in this weather. Surprisingly, in the back of the field, I see the boss gobbler in full strut amongst the large flock of hens and jakes. There he is in all his glory, un-phased by the adverse conditions around him. He's one of God's creatures, doing what he was made to do, just simply living out his God-given purpose.
 
Philippians 3:12-16 (The Message)
I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.