I Am a Soldier

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?

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.

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.

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?

Summer Marches On

After our winter of cold and record snowfalls, folks in north Idaho are enjoying the warmth of summer. With August fast approaching, summer is fleeting fast as a deer running through the woods. Where did it go so fast? I haven’t accomplished half what I intended. We did get the hay in the shed and our garden is doing great. Everyday I check the big tomatoes to see if they are turning red.

We spent one weekend in the woods pulling out firewood with my tractor and probably need to retrieve more so the family has enough for winter. It was nice sleeping in a tent again. I look forward to using the tent in five weeks when archery elk season opens. Wow, I need to practice shooting! So much to do and so little time.

A young father in my men’s ministry group said men with kids don’t have time to devote to ministry programs like older guys do. Several of us chuckled and told him life doesn't get less busy when the kids leave home. I believe we should seek God’s advice on our priorities so we achieve a better balance. Life goes on and races down the track of life like a run away freight train. Our life becomes more productive with God’s help. Our number one goal should be to serve Him first. He will show us how to live a full life and still get the little things done.

Being a disciple should be first on our life list; there are far too many people who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior. There are people dying everyday that never knew they could have had a life changing experience and will spend eternity without the presence of God; an eternity in hopeless hell. There is a saying that goes something like this, “For Christians living today on earth, this is as close to Hell as they will ever get. But for people living today that don’t know Jesus, this is as close to Heaven as they will ever be.” Which group you are in depends on life or death. Go disciple someone.

Lost In The Fog

The cold Iowa winters froze the lakes with thick ice, often over two feet deep. I built an ice house and pulled it with my car onto Spirit Lake to fish for perch, northern pike, and walleye. One of my frequent fishing partners was Mouse or Gary as most people knew him. He wasn’t the most talkative guy in the world but we had many fun times fishing. Mouse and I decided to try the evening walleye bite so arrived at the ice house late in the afternoon and fished for about four hours. Around 9:30 I peeked out of the house to discover a thick blanket of fog had engulfed the lake. We were about a half mile off shore so didn’t think we would have trouble finding our exit. The car was parked facing north and we needed to go south to get off the lake, so I drove around the fish shack and proceeded south. Well, I thought it was south but soon discovered an unfamiliar shoreline. Normally that would not have bothered me except I knew there was a strip of open water off Stoney Point due to the rocks close to the surface. I turned the car around and hoped to find the fish shack when we saw head lights from another car. He was lost also but thought he had it figured out so Mouse and I decided to follow him at a safe distance in case his car suddenly disappeared. Finally the familiar exit appeared to our relief and we were on land.

Driving around on a large lake in the dense fog gave me a helpless feeling of which I had no control. A compass would have helped but who needed it to get off the ice. The guy’s headlights brought a wave of relief and following his tail lights was like following a beacon to safety.

Sometimes we get lost in the fog of life not knowing which way to turn. There are financial disasters, broken relationships, job losses, health challenges, and deaths of friends and loved ones that will blanket our life with a shroud of hopelessness. Where do we turn? Knowing Jesus does not guarantee us a life without problems but Jesus is always ready to listen and help us through them. He tells us to bring him our burdens. Many people don’t do that; guys are really bad about turning our problems over to Him. We prefer to work through it alone when just handing them to Jesus would lift such an enormous weight off us.

If there is a fog that has overtaken you ask Jesus what to do about it. Then listen for an answer. Gather some prayer warriors. Don’t face the problem alone.

Contact me and Ardella and I will pray for you.

Camp Out

As many Americans, we celebrated July 4th by watching the hometown parade which really hasn’t changed in over thirty years. Then we packed up and the whole family went camping to some remote property in the mountains. The weather was perfect and we had a comfortable camp of two tents and two trailers. Laziness was permitted and everyone had fun with the two grand daughters. Lizzie and Hannah were busy playing in the fine sand, riding their bikes, and keeping the adults busy. I took them on a bike ride with two dogs and they were able to keep up with Grandpa.

We had three golden retrievers in camp most of the weekend and they didn’t get many naps with swimming in the creek, keeping an eye on Lizzie and Hannah, and hoping someone would drop a morsel of food. Sadie came home and collapsed on the floor.

The men took time to scout for elk and deer. Archery season starts August 30th. Now we wait in anticipation and are planning how to hunt these wily critters. I am anxious to try out my elk decoy. There are more areas I need to check out as season gets closer.

It seems that food cooked outdoors always tastes better. I forgot to take some meat out of the freezer and Connie and Thane left a big box of food at home on the table but we had plenty to eat. I always look forward to sipping the first cup of coffee at camp. We perked the coffee but really good camp java is made by pouring the grounds into the pot and let them roll around the brew as it boils. It is even better the next time as you add more coffee grounds.

I indulged in the ultimate s’mores. Take two graham crackers and lay them on a plate. Put three marshmallows on a fork and roast them to your liking. Place a big double fudge Hershey brownie on the graham cracker, then the toasted marshmallows, and the other cracker. Now open wide and enjoy! You will never use a candy bar again. Remember chocolate is healthy.

The best part of the weekend was just relaxing and enjoying the family outing in God’s great creation. I thank Him for the great time we had making memories with two little girls.

Power Of Prayer

Two weeks ago we went to Whidbey Island with our daughter Connie and her husband Thane and had a great time exploring the island. But the shock of going on vacation was too much for me and I came home very sick. So Most of my week was spent in the doctor’s office as they looked in my ears, took a few blood sample, and x-rays. The more they checked me the more perplexed they became. I was running a low temperature most of the day than in the late afternoon it would climb to around 102. The temperature would rise and fall at night along with drenching sweats. As the week progressed the doctors were working to eliminate various possibilities but the one that continued to dominate the picture was West Nile Virus. There is not an antibody for this virus so it has to run the course which can last several weeks. I had all the symptoms of a severe case which include stiff neck, backache, headache, fever, can’t breathe, loss of appetite, and fatigue.

Friday was the seventh day of a fever and during the morning it was holding at 100.5 degrees. A friend, Ross Hall asked if he could come over and pray for me. I said,”Yes!” Ross came at noon and anointed me with oil and prayed over me as he and my family laid their hands on my shoulders. By that evening my temperature was 97.7 degrees! Praise God!!! I was also on several prayer chains across the country and could feel the support of those prayers all week.

Prayer for others is important and is something most of us could do more often. God hears our prayers. Philippians 4:6 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. We often want an answer right away but everything is in God’s time not ours.

This week I’m trying to remember those in the mission field, people with health issues, our service men and women, those around the world who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus, people right here that do not know Jesus as their savoir.

A Slug's Pace

We have had backyard visitors for two months. First there were two hen wood ducks that used our nest boxes, and then about three weeks ago a hen mallard brought ten ducklings into the pond. Poor Sadie has been restricted to her inner pen so she can’t bother the ducks. Golden retrievers do not like to share their pond. The hen and her brood left for three days so I fired up the lawn mower and now the back yard looks pretty good. The morning after I mowed, the yard had several mallards strolling around eating duck delicacy, slugs. With all the wet weather and the grass a foot tall the slugs had prospered. They consumed a row of young lettuce and some of the green beans. The mallards are providing good organic slug control on these slow moving pests.

Slugs aren’t the prettiest creature God made. They move very slow but always seem to get where the food is. We have some trophy sized and a few that are spotted like a leopard. It’s too bad they don’t eat dandelions. About all they are good for is duck food.

We are sometimes just like the slow old slug;not wanting to get involved in much but our little own world. We crawl along in life munching on everything in our path but not giving anything back. You know, playing it safe. God had a different idea when He formed us. He made us for relationships! It seems easier to crawl under a rock and forget about anyone, but that makes discipleship sort of difficult. God calls us out of our comfort zone into an exciting service for Him. When we use the gifts and talents He gave us, we can change the world one person at a time.

If you would rather be a slug than a disciple look out for the ducks!

Living a Full Life

Many people live to a ripe old age but never experience a full life. Several years ago we worked in a building where a guy had a coffee cup that said, “Life sucks and then you die”. That inscription really fit the man’s view of life. A life without dreams, a lack of any eternal hope, and a life without Jesus. Most people go through life in a survival mode not knowing a ransom has already been paid for them. Even many Christians don’t live the full life that Jesus offered. They believe in the whispers they hear from Satan about how bad they are. “You will never amount to anything” repeats in their mind until they believe it.

Jenny Meyer, age thirty four, went home into the loving arms of Jesus last week after battling cancer for several years. Jenny lived life to the fullest. She was small in stature but huge in heart. Most people would have given up, but not Jenny. She was an encourager to anyone who knew her. Jenny had two priorities that guided her life; God and family. She knew Jesus personally as her Savior and was a great witness for Him. Her hope was for everyone to know Jesus as a personal friend and Savior.

Jenny knew each day was a gift and celebrated it with friends and family. She loved the beauty God had created in north Idaho and often wrote about His glory on her blog. We will miss her smile and the love she radiated to others. I think Jenny’s cup would say something like Romans 15:13. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

What does our cup say?

Peace And Tranquility

I spent three days last week bear hunting with two friends from Indiana. It was an honor to be with these guys and enjoy God’s great outdoors. We walked a few miles and sat for hours watching green clear cuts but the bears won. That’s hunting. White tail deer were abundant and we got a peek at some nice bucks. The elusive elk even allowed us to stop and glass them as they stood like royalty. We saw several cow moose and enjoyed seeing a new born calf following mom up a road. As we observed all this wildlife one would have thought the world was at peace as many of these animals accepted us at close range. But I knew different as we sat on a hill overlooking a recent clear cut where a buck strolled through slowly to bed down in the cool heavy timber. Some where in these woods a lion was killing a deer, a bear eating a newborn, a coyote chasing a rabbit, and a hawk diving for a squirrel. The world was not at peace; war was raging.

Nature knows a war is happening. Why is it that animals know this better than we do. They have a better sense of this deceit and destruction that has raged since creation. If they didn’t, they would not survive.

We have become too comfortable. Our country and most of the world has abandoned God. People think they don’t need Him anymore. Mankind does not recognize the spiritual battle going on for the hearts and minds of people. What is really sad, many churches deny the chaos and have adopted a lukewarm attitude. Better to play it safe than upset anyone. Jesus confronted Satan head on. The Apostles warned us not to be complacent to Satan and that his goal is to deceive mankind. Peter said He goes around devouring like a lion. If you have ever watched a show on how a pride of lions eat their prey you should have an idea how Satan works. Total Consumption!

Author John Eldredge states, “You have an enemy. He is trying to steal your freedom, kill your heart, and destroy your life.”

Here is what Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus is the only way to true peace. He has defeated Satan with his resurrection and through Him we can too. Just don’t forget, we are in a war. The outcome has permanent consequences of where we will spend eternity.

Relentless

The cinnamon bear was persistent, relentless in pursuit of the cow moose ready to have her calf. We have seen two moose giving birth to calves but never watched the scenario that was unfolding, even though it happens frequently this time of year to elk, deer, and moose.

Ardella heard some weird noises coming from a small ravine about two hundred yards away while we were bear hunting last Saturday. I could only hear a whitetail deer blowing an alarm. We decided to check it out so dropped down the hillside and worked our way up the far side of the ravine. A cow moose emerged from the ravine and glared at us not to invade her territory. She seemed to be ready to calve so we were going to turn around and let her have some space, as cows won’t hesitate to attack. Suddenly, a bear appeared above the cow and we new what the noise was all about as the cow was trying to fend off the predator from killing her calf as soon as it was born. The bear didn’t care that the cow weighed about one thousand pounds; it closed in the distance and the cow walked off hoping the bear would go away. But the bear persisted dogging the cow, waiting for the birth of the calf. This was an adult bear but we thought a bigger bear was also using the area so at first didn’t intend to shoot it even though the color of the bear’s coat was beautiful. The cinnamon had dark red legs and long red brown hair over the body. As the bear closed in on the cow I told Ardella to shoot. The cow only moved a short distance away and seemed relieved that the bear was gone. I was amazed how the moose suddenly accepted us.

We have a relentless pursuer, Satan. He chases us our whole life trying to deceive us with His lies and He is good at it. Satan whispers that God doesn’t love us, we aren’t good enough, and God doesn’t care. He dogs us continually like the bear, hoping we will lose hope. The apostle Paul was beaten, put in prison, driven from towns, put in chains, falsely accused but never gave up. Paul new how much Jesus loved him and his writings reveal how much God loves us. There is a war raging for everyone’s soul; we can’t escape it. How we face the battle determines where we spend eternity. The Bible says Satan has to flee at the name of Jesus. Pray against Satan in the name of Jesus and we can face life with peace and confidence.

Know this. Jesus didn’t die the horrible death on the cross because he was just a good guy. He died for ALL people who believe in Him. Jesus wants you to spend eternity with Him. How cool is that! He wants to hear from you and if you listen, He will talk to you. It’s about a relationship not a religion. It’s time to face the bear.

When Williwaws Blow

The Coleman lantern felt good as it took the chill away in the tent. Steve and I had settled into our sleeping bags hoping for a good night sleep as the pace of guiding clients was starting to tire us. Even though it was cozy in the tent, I sensed something was about to change. The weather was overcast and cold with a threat of snow but that wasn’t unusual. We soon turn off the lantern and snuggled down into the warm bags for the night. An hour later we were jolted awake by a blast of wind that shook the tent violently as it howled past us. Normally the winds came from the southwest so I set the tent up on the north side of a clump of alders thinking we would be safe from storms. As we lay in the sleeping bags a strange howl echoed from the glacier five miles up the river valley above camp. The noise level grew as it changed to the sound of a freight train barreling down the valley and our little tent seemed to be in its track. We were hit with a blast of wind that nearly lifted us off the ground and then it sailed south across the tundra until the wind slammed into the mountain range three miles to the south. There was silence for a few minutes; then the vicious wind came back to life and was headed back north to the glacier so this time the clump of alders took most of the brunt of the beast. As the wind headed home to the glacier it turned back to howling like a pack of wolves on a kill. Then an eerie silence enveloped over our camp and we hoped that was the end of that Alaskan experience. But that was not to be, a few minutes later the howling up the river valley started again. Faint at first, it grew louder as it gathered speed hurtling down the valley toward us. The force hit us and the north side of the tent caved in only to be stopped by Steve and his cot. I was sure the aluminum poles would snap or the fabric would rip apart, but my Eureka tent held together. The wind quieted as it hit the mountain range but a few minutes later revived and wanted to rush back to the glacier. I grabbed some camp cord and tent stakes and put more tie outs on the north side of the tent. About ten minutes later the wind howled as it launched from the glacier and headed toward us. This scenario continued for hours and we finally drifted off to sleep from exhaustion, unable to continue fighting the beast of Nishlik Lake.

In the gray dawn light the wind was silent, apparently sleeping in the bowels of the glacier. One of the aluminum poles was bent but the tent had survived the onslaught. Steve and I stumbled into the cook tent anxious to down a cup of strong coffee. As we discussed the winds with Justin, the outfitter, he told us it was a Williwaw wind. Williwaws are strong winds that sail one way only to turn around and hit from the opposite direction. They are usually caused by strange weather conditions. We had experienced another Alaskan weather phenomenon.

We will get hit by Williwaws in this life no matter how careful we are. Here is what I learned about facing a Williwaw. Put out plenty of stakes and hold the tent down. For our spiritual walk that means reading the Bible and believing in God’s word. It is also better if you face a Williwaw with another person. Two are much stronger and can withstand trials better than one. Satan likes to catch us alone. Pray for strength to survive; Williwaws will tire us out. Turn the Williwaw over to God and let Him fight it for you. This way you will get some rest and overcome it.

Babes of Spring

Renewal and rebirth are occurring in God’s natural world as babies of spring burst forth on the landscape. Little yellow furballs of Canada geese can be seen with their proud parents. Sometimes two or three pairs of geese get together followed by fifteen to twenty goslings. They know more adult geese can keep track of all the kids better. We have a hen wood duck nesting in box on a cottonwood tree. She has been very secretive of her location but I had the good fortune to watch the hen fly from the nest box yesterday. The drake has been perching in the trees keeping guard.

We have two litters of fox squirrels that are so much fun to watch as they explore their new world. Their mothers allow them to run around up and down trees gaining new confidence everyday. Whitetail does have spread out; soon to drop some new spotted fawns in their favorite hiding place. God gave them a perfect camouflage with a spotted coat and also made the little wobbly legged fawns scent free. How neat is that! A variety of birds from humming birds, chickadees, swallows, finches, to robins are nesting on our property and soon the parents will be busy feeding the hungry little ones. We feel fortunate that so many birds raise their young here every year.

God orchestrated this renewal at the beginning of creation. This isn’t the result of a cosmic accident as some people believe. Too many people have things backwards and worship the creation not the Creator. That’s why our forests are diseased and unhealthy with a terrible fire danger building every year. Trees have become sacred. Many people are putting the wolf on a high spiritual pedestal and are disregarding what one predatory specie left uncontrolled will do to the whole ecosystem. I better leave the Creator verses the creation issue until another time.

Back to renewal. God has set rebirth in the natural world in precise order that repeats like clockwork every year. He offers us renewal through our faith in Jesus. Jesus can strip away all the old baggage in our lives and give us the promise of a new spirit. It isn’t hard but we try to make it that way. Dump it all on Jesus; He is ready to take it. He not only forgives us of ALL past sins, He wipes the slate clean. Jesus said ask and it will be done. Jesus wants to reside in us. How cool is that? If there is something holding you back from a relationship with God, lay it all out there. He knows everything about you but wants to hear it from you. Every little detail. Nothing will surprise Him and you will feel a whole lot better. Don’t wait, do it today.

A Mother's Day

God created mothers to help us understand His grace, love, and patience. A mother’s day is everyday when they are raising children and training husbands. I gave my Mom plenty of “Mother’s Days”. Not intentionally, just because I was a boy who liked anything that crawled or slithered. One summer, in about fifth grade, I decided to collect some garter snakes. I soon had about fifteen snakes in an old wooden barrel which required feeding so I was busy catching mice and bugs. After about two weeks, I decided to let them go. I should have put them in a sack and carried them a far distance from our house but no I dumped the snakes out right by the garden. This tested my mother’s love. So for the rest of the summer it was my job to pick the beans, strawberries, and cut the rhubarb. When I was in high school, I would often come home stinking of skunk, fish, or covered with mud. Many times Mom made me change clothes in the garage.

Moms love us just as we are. They put our interest above theirs without second thought. Mothers mend, bandage, cook, clean up our messes, and become fulltime taxi drivers without complaint. Moms are Gods special gift to the family. He knew we would require extra grace and Mothers would understand. Take time to thank your Mom and give her a big hug.

His Chains Are Gone

Last Thursday over 400 people gathered at Sandpoint city square to observe the National Day of Prayer. Fifteen churches in the area were represented. It was great to see Christians put aside their theological differences to pray for our country. It was all about prayer. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “ If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” It was also a patriotic time as we honored our military past and present. Singing God Bless America with the sun beaming down and the flags waving in the breeze was emotional. Hearing Amazing Grace played on bagpipes was awesome!

The whole ceremony was great but what occurred just prior to the event was a miracle. Ardella and I met a man named Jon who I hadn’t seen for several years. Jon was very emotional. As Jon arrived at the city park he had a man wearing a back pack ask him what was going on. Jon explained about the National Day of Prayer and asked the man if he believed in God. The reply was “No.” When Jon asked him where he would go when he died, the man answered Hell. Jon asked him if he could pray for him anyway and the man said yes. As Jon was praying, the man stopped him and said he wanted to accept Jesus as Savoir in his life. Jon helped the man through a prayer of forgiveness and asking Jesus to come into his life. The man was about to leave when he asked Jon if they could pray about something else. He just came from the hospital and was diagnosed with cancer. Jon grabbed hold of the man and prayed for his healing and as he prayed felt God’s presence come over them. Jon gave the man his business card and asked the man to call him soon.

God’s amazing grace came down and touched that man’s heart. His chains were gone; he was set free by the blood of Jesus. What happened on that sidewalk in downtown Sandpoint was no accident. God put the man on collision course with Jon. Most of us would not have inquired about the man’s belief in God and he would have just kept on walking without knowing about God’s love. That really haunts me as I’m afraid I would have been in that crowd. What is really great about Jon is that he didn’t give the man a lecture on theology but asked if he could pray for him. God took over and went to the man’s heart. It is not about religion, it’s about a relationship with our heavenly Dad.

When Life Stinks

Don’t! Don’t! Don’t let the skunk out of the bag! That’s what I wanted to say but my tongue seemed tied and I could only point at the teacher. Then pandemonium broke out in the class.

During my second year in college, the zoology teacher was trying to collect a pelt of each animal specie in Iowa. He enlisted my help since I trapped so my trap line was not only earning me some needed money but providing the school with a great collection of native specimens. It was January and I took the last of my hides to a fur buyer and was planning on calling it a season when the guy asked if I could supply him with some spotted skunks. These miniature skunks pack a powerful aroma. My mother would make me change clothes in the garage in January, talk about goose bumps.

I could not turn down the opportunity since the fur buyer told me he would pay twenty dollars for each skunk and I didn’t have to skin them. That was good money in 1965 and they were easy to catch. When the zoology teacher heard I was trapping, he asked if I would donate one for the collection. I was glad to oblige as long as I didn’t have to skin the stinky critter. One very cold January morning, I caught a nice spotted skunk which I placed in a bread wrapper, tied the end shut, and placed that in a brown bag. After lunch I grabbed the bag and headed for the school. I walked to the teacher’s room and knocked on the door. He seemed surprised to see me and I held up the bag which had a faint odor emitting from it. The bag was grabbed out of my hand fast and he took it over to his desk at the front of the class. The room was full of students wondering about his sudden joy. I thought he would wait until after school to investigate the prize but no, he opened the brown bag and dumped the skunk out on the desk still tied up in the bread wrapper. Not able to contain the excitement like a child on Christmas morning, he tore open the plastic wrapper and the stinky little skunk plopped onto the desk. A strong pungent aroma immediately filled the classroom. Students started coughing and gagging! The odor was overwhelming! Some guys started throwing open the windows even though it was barely above zero outside. Luckily, the bell rang and students were able to escape the confines of the classroom. Their fortune didn’t last long as the forced air system picked up the scent and spread it through the entire school.

I wasn’t the most popular guy in school for a while. The principle was not someone to fall in disfavor. He ruled with an iron hand and didn’t take any pranks or disobedience without heavy discipline, yet he never said anything to me. Not sure how the teacher faired with the episode.

Sometimes we are going about living, working hard, dreaming of new accomplishments, planning the future and life drops a big stink into our laps. We can’t always avoid those times, yet sometimes we cause them to happen. Stinks can be broken relationships, financial crisis, health challenges, job losses, drugs; the list goes on and on. Each person has had at least one. How we handle them is important and determines if we grow through them. God doesn’t cause them, yet we are quick to blame Him. He wants to help us with life when the going is good and bad. Turning problems over to Him is hard for us.

Jesus said he came to carry our burdens so let Him do it; you will feel better. Get personal with Jesus about your problem, even though He knows all about it. He will reach down and touch your heart and comfort your soul. Go to Him in earnest and continuous prayer as He is waiting to listen. Also enlist some people close to you that can be your prayer warriors. Remember you are in a battle so you need a platoon of soldiers covering your back and attacking the problem with you. Confront the attack with the help of God. Losing is not in God’s vocabulary. Don’t let it be in yours.

Let’s Take a Shortcut

Those words make Ardella plant her feet on the ground like she is glued there and her eyes pinpoint deep into mine. I can’t understand why! A shortcut in the woods is full of unknown adventure and surprises. It can really liven up a day; create lifetime memories.

One fall, our son-in-law Thane, Ardella, and I headed into a high basin to hunt. Thane and I had archery tags for elk and Ardella took her rifle for bear. We walked in using an old road that was grown up with alder so it took a while to reach our destination. I think the only game we saw was a mule deer bounding off into the brush and way too soon it was time to leave this remote spot and head back to the truck. As we started to head back down the road I noticed a dry creek bed that dropped off the mountain side and looked inviting. It would save us miles of walking the road and it came out right by the truck. How could we go wrong? Ardella didn’t quite agree for some reason. Of course Thane understood my sound judgment and thought it would be great. Thane took the lead and all went well for about one hundred yards then the dry creek plunged off the mountain. We were soon in a small canyon the stream had cut into the rock formation and the walls crept higher. Ardella was following me and I could hear her mumbling words like crazy, idiotic, unbelievable. I think it was caused by high altitude sickness or maybe because the light was fading and the little canyon getting tighter. Suddenly Thane stopped and told us there was a ten foot drop off which in the spring would have been a great waterfall. He slowly climbed down the rock wall and made it fine. I turned and look at Ardella and decided I should take her rifle for safety reasons. Not hers, ours!

I tried to cheer up us by saying we could proudly claim no other people had probably ever set foot where we were going. It was like making history! Now I know how Lewis and Clark felt. We ran into a pine marten that was very surprised to see human life in this rocky domain. Finally just as the last light was leaving the day, we bumbled out at the truck and a bear greeted us with a loud woof as it rocketed down the mountain side.

Shortcuts can be dangerous too. Late in the deer season many years ago, pre four wheel drive days, I walked up a Forest Service road early one morning. It had snowed about fifteen inches that night so I left the Luv pickup at the bottom along the lake. After walking a mile an a half, I cut some fresh deer tracks and soon took a large doe. I tied a rope around her neck and proceeded to drag her back to the truck. The doe was easy to pull but when I arrived at a curve, the truck was visible straight below me. I decided to take her over the side even though it was very steep, to save a half mile of dragging. Instead of me pulling the doe; she was pulling me and we were soon sliding down the mountain making good time. She hung up on a small tree and I was going to flip her loose when I noticed the slope seemed to change. I let go of the rope and let her go and the doe disappeared from sight. I carefully lowered myself a few feet and discovered she had plunged off a one hundred foot cliff. Had I followed holding the rope, I would have gone with her and been badly injured or killed. I slowly worked my way to the doe and pulled her to the truck without incident.

We are tempted to shortcut many things in life in this fast paced world. Usually it results in a wreck. The worst is leaving God out of our daily life. Most people want Him only when a disaster strikes. Jeremiah says ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it. God is concerned about our path of life and wants to show us the good way. That means there is a bad way, concealed by Satan to look good. Oh, we are so tempted to take those paths, those shortcuts. Ask God to help you with the good path and you will discover He is waiting for you. Prayer is a great way to start. Then listen for His reply.

A Walk In The Park

Saturday we went with our daughter Connie and her husband Thane to Farragut State Park. It was an absolutely fabulous day with sunshine and temps in the 60’s. As we ate lunch, a bald eagle soared on the warm thermals above the calm blue waters of Lake Pend Oreille. It is a place of peace and tranquility and many people were like us who brought the family dog along to enjoy the afternoon. In fact, I think it was golden retriever day at the park. Maddie and Sadie enjoyed meeting the other red dogs but Sadie growled at other breeds. Sadie and I walked out on the docks where you can look down and see the bottom of the lake fifty feet below. I felt blessed to live where the water is so clean and clear.

Farragut is a recreational area that draws outdoor enthusiasts from Idaho and Washington. You can mountain bike on miles of trails, bring you horses for trail rides, llamas for pack trips, dogs for walking, fly model airplanes, play horse shoe, camp, boat and fish, and play disc golf. The park’s origin was far different. Farragut was established during WWII as a naval boot camp and training center. Thousands of sailors trained there before shipping off to war. Not much is left of that era; mainly a water tower and a large one story building that was a brig. A memorial has been erected to those who served in the war and as I touched the sailor a realization swept over me that I was touching history. I had the privilege to personally know a few men that trained at Farragut and on Saturday I said a silent thank you to them. Their sacrifices make it possible for us to enjoy picnics and a walk in the park.

I had different plans for Saturday, working in the shop on an order and possibly fishing later in the day. God had other plans for me. He knew it would be better for me to rest and enjoy the warm day with the family. Being a work a holic, it would have been easy for me to come up with some excuse; but I knew God thought differently. I could feel Him nudging me to go. John Eldredge has a new book out called Walking With God. John says we can’t walk with God if we don’t listen for Him. Unfortunately, many of us busy ourselves with work and meaningless activities so we miss out hearing from the Father. Then there are those people who don’t think God wants to communicate with us. He sent Jesus to offer us life; now and eternally. Jesus told his disciples that they would be hearing from the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. They did and so can we if we are tuned in to God! It requires us to take the clutter out of life and really seek the Father. Through quite time, reading the Bible, and prayer we can hear the voice of God. What will surprise you is the voice is like hearing from a friend.

Through a simple walk in the park, I heard from God!

Exploding Caribou and Other Alaskan Phenomenon

Alaska is a vast region of unique people, wild animals, and an environment that can turn hostile in a minute. I thrived on the wildness that was beyond my control. Our society tells us we need to be in control; too bad these people have never experienced a month in the Alaskan bush where time of day means nothing and people are toward the bottom of the food chain. That helps put life in perspective.

Early one fall I was guiding two hunters from Wisconsin so the weather was still warm and the insects wanted to suck out all our blood. On the second day of their hunt a big bull with a small band of cows popped up in front of us about noon. One of the hunters immediately put the bull down so we propped it up for a photo shoot. We took rolls of film from all angles often with the hunters sitting on the bull. Caribou bloat up fast due to the lichen they consume and this one started resembling a balloon that would float off across the tundra. I said we better get to dressing the bull so we could get all the meat to camp before dark. We skinned out one side and were going to remove the legs and loins before I attempted to remove the entrails. I thought I would save the worst for last. As I was working my knife around the pelvic socket the blade point made a small slit in the abdomen. Instantly a piece of intestine popped through and exploded green goo all over my face. Both hunters jumped back and I’m surprised they didn’t crack up and roll on the ground in hysterics. I quickly became a fly magnate and a black swarm followed me all the way to camp. I stripped down, waded into the cold lake, and took a bath. As I thought at least nothing else can go wrong today; a game warden landed his helicopter in camp and wanted to see all our hunter’s paperwork.

Night wasn’t the best time to take a stroll on the tundra especially when there were grizzly bears feeding after dark on recent caribou kills. I was the one guide that usually came in last, often guided by a head lamp. The lichen was snow white because of the high phosphorous content and gave off a glow so we could traverse without lights many nights. A spectacular night show was the northern lights that would dance in green, red, blue, and bright white. We would often bring out chairs to watch this amazing heavenly display. There is something about the earth’s magnetic field that pulls in meteorites in record numbers. One night as we were setting up tents at midnight, a spectacular flash made everything look as midday. We exclaimed, “Wow”!

Unlike much of the lower forty eight states, Alaska hasn’t been tamed. It is big, wild and threatening just the way God intended. God formed wild places because he is a wild Creator. Our God isn’t some phony wimp. Psalm 104 says, “He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations, it can never be moved.” Yes, our God is a wild God! If you want to have a wild life, grab hold of Jesus’ hand and hold on. Peter did and never looked back.