Exodus 15:3 says, “The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is his name.” Our God is not a wimp but you will not hear this verse in many churches today due to political correctness. There is a war going on folks and we can not escape it. This war will rage on earth until Christ returns; the Bible makes that very clear. God wants us to be soldiers. The following was sent to me by a fellow soldier in Christ and I thought it worth passing on to others.
I am a soldier, a prayer warrior, of the army of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, Prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity. I will rather retire in this army at the Rapture or die in this army; but I will not get out, sell out, or be talked out. I am faithful, capable, and dependable. If my God needs me, I am there.
I am a soldier. I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.
I am a soldier. I am not a wimp. I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His Kingdom.
I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing. If I end with nothing, I will still come out even. I will win. My God will supply all my needs. I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ.
I am a soldier. Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me, and hell can not handle me.
I am a soldier. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to a captain and then bring me back to rule this world with Him.
I am a soldier, in the army, and I’m marching, claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. Here I stand.
Will you stand with me?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tracks
Much of my time in the woods is spent looking at the ground. I’m looking for animal tracks to figure out what the critters are doing. From the first time in the mountains in the spring to the snows of late fall, I examine tracks. A footprint can reveal much information for me. First it shows the size of the animal, where it is heading, and maybe what it is eating. Following a track for a while can tell me where the animal may be bedding or feeding. If it is during the rut it can show me where the girls are hanging out. That is a tremendous help when I’m after a bull elk or an old buck.
When I guided in Alaska, we would check the shorelines and river banks for brown bear tracks. We were always looking for those big prints that we could put our foot in with hip boots on, and the bear print dwarfing ours. One evening I took my hunter to the back of a small bay where a creek entered the lake. I looked down to see a large fresh bear print over fourteen inches long that had sunk into the mud several inches with each step. The hunter and I barely made an imprint with our feet. I knew that bear would go over ten feet. We did not find the old boy that night but a few evenings later another hunter in our camp took a ten and a half foot bear in the same area.
Archery season starts in two weeks so I will be concentrating on elk tracks and large deer tracks. I was out to my hunting area the other afternoon and found some cow elk tracks so I’m hoping next time to find the bigger bull tracks in the same area. Most bulls spend the summer in bachelor groups but when the velvet is rubbed off they go looking for their ladies.
We leave lots of different tracks through our lifetime and people are reading them constantly. Some of our tracks wander all over the place like we are lost in the woods. Sometimes we are lost in life with no purpose; a lack of direction. I find my tracks are most clear when I read the Bible regularly, pray, help someone, and stay in touch with my Band of Brothers. My wife, Ardella has always helped me stay on the right path. I also do better when I can look down and see the prints of someone else walking beside me –Jesus.
When I guided in Alaska, we would check the shorelines and river banks for brown bear tracks. We were always looking for those big prints that we could put our foot in with hip boots on, and the bear print dwarfing ours. One evening I took my hunter to the back of a small bay where a creek entered the lake. I looked down to see a large fresh bear print over fourteen inches long that had sunk into the mud several inches with each step. The hunter and I barely made an imprint with our feet. I knew that bear would go over ten feet. We did not find the old boy that night but a few evenings later another hunter in our camp took a ten and a half foot bear in the same area.
Archery season starts in two weeks so I will be concentrating on elk tracks and large deer tracks. I was out to my hunting area the other afternoon and found some cow elk tracks so I’m hoping next time to find the bigger bull tracks in the same area. Most bulls spend the summer in bachelor groups but when the velvet is rubbed off they go looking for their ladies.
We leave lots of different tracks through our lifetime and people are reading them constantly. Some of our tracks wander all over the place like we are lost in the woods. Sometimes we are lost in life with no purpose; a lack of direction. I find my tracks are most clear when I read the Bible regularly, pray, help someone, and stay in touch with my Band of Brothers. My wife, Ardella has always helped me stay on the right path. I also do better when I can look down and see the prints of someone else walking beside me –Jesus.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Through the Eyes of a Child
Ardella and I had a booth at the Arts and Craft Fair at the Sandpoint City Beach over the weekend. A terrible storm hit after we sat up the booth but our canopy and display stayed up and dry; some vendors were not as fortunate. One pottery booth was blown down and most of their product ruined. The skies were mostly sunny on Saturday and Sunday was cool and a few sprinkles of rain fell occasionally. People seemed conservative in their buying compared to past years and we mainly sold lower priced items.
Sunday afternoon, a mother stopped by our booth with a three year old girl who had big brown eyes and an equally big smile. The girl was fascinated with our carvings and began to ask questions about the birds and fish. “What’s that?” was her favorite question. She then pointed to the pileated woodpecker and asked, “What’s that bird with the red Mohawk?” Ardella and I burst out in laughter and the little girl certainly livened up our day. I like young children because through their innocence they say it as they see it. They also have a mind that wants to learn.
As we get older we become more cautious after numerous assaults on our minds and hearts. Satan is the master behind these attacks and some of us accept this as a part of life and others just become numb to the assaults. This is not how God intended us to live. We are to live a victorious life through Christ. He won the war for us!
Psalm 121 was a favorite of my Mother and should give us assurance God is watching over us. Psalm 121: I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you, the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Sunday afternoon, a mother stopped by our booth with a three year old girl who had big brown eyes and an equally big smile. The girl was fascinated with our carvings and began to ask questions about the birds and fish. “What’s that?” was her favorite question. She then pointed to the pileated woodpecker and asked, “What’s that bird with the red Mohawk?” Ardella and I burst out in laughter and the little girl certainly livened up our day. I like young children because through their innocence they say it as they see it. They also have a mind that wants to learn.
As we get older we become more cautious after numerous assaults on our minds and hearts. Satan is the master behind these attacks and some of us accept this as a part of life and others just become numb to the assaults. This is not how God intended us to live. We are to live a victorious life through Christ. He won the war for us!
Psalm 121 was a favorite of my Mother and should give us assurance God is watching over us. Psalm 121: I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you, the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Plan B
Our men’s ministry group had been preparing for months in eager anticipation to host Larry D. Jones. Larry is well known among elk hunters for his expertise on elk and their habits. Two churches were planning a barbeque and seminar for two evenings. The flyers had gone out, newspapers contacted, our cooking team had gone over all the details, and door prizes had been purchased. Then a phone call from Larry two days before the event put us in a panic. He could not travel because of a fragmented disk in his lower back. What should we do? Lock the doors and say cancelled, try to find someone else, or have a barbeque anyway.
Our men’s team initiated Plan B; have the almost Larry Jones barbeque and seminar. We had Larry overnight mail us a CD of four hunts. We also decided to not charge for the meal and called men to let them know a few changes had to be made. Nearly seventy guys and a few gals showed up to enjoy the evening. We will reschedule Larry when he can travel and now have the opportunity to see what to improve next time.
Many of us need a Plan B in our everyday lives because life doesn’t always go as we plan. I’m getting ready to archery hunt elk in three weeks and even though I have a ground blind ready in my favorite area; I know things can go wrong. Last year wolves moved all the game out of my hunt area and if that happens this year I need to move where the elk are.
Many people treat their spiritual life like they can have a Plan B, C, and D if necessary. They try a little of Jesus but mostly reject his teachings. They don’t need God and He probably doesn’t even care about them. A little mix of religions is okay. Just go with what is coming out of Hollywood, after all they are always right.
If you read the same Bible I do then you know God doesn’t have a Plan B for us. Jesus is the only way to eternal life with God. The whole Bible points to Jesus as our savior and no other. Either Jesus is the savior of the world or he is the greatest fraud to ever live. Who is he to you?
Our men’s team initiated Plan B; have the almost Larry Jones barbeque and seminar. We had Larry overnight mail us a CD of four hunts. We also decided to not charge for the meal and called men to let them know a few changes had to be made. Nearly seventy guys and a few gals showed up to enjoy the evening. We will reschedule Larry when he can travel and now have the opportunity to see what to improve next time.
Many of us need a Plan B in our everyday lives because life doesn’t always go as we plan. I’m getting ready to archery hunt elk in three weeks and even though I have a ground blind ready in my favorite area; I know things can go wrong. Last year wolves moved all the game out of my hunt area and if that happens this year I need to move where the elk are.
Many people treat their spiritual life like they can have a Plan B, C, and D if necessary. They try a little of Jesus but mostly reject his teachings. They don’t need God and He probably doesn’t even care about them. A little mix of religions is okay. Just go with what is coming out of Hollywood, after all they are always right.
If you read the same Bible I do then you know God doesn’t have a Plan B for us. Jesus is the only way to eternal life with God. The whole Bible points to Jesus as our savior and no other. Either Jesus is the savior of the world or he is the greatest fraud to ever live. Who is he to you?
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