Cammie here -
As I find myself at home working myself silly for Founders Day this weekend; creating & now cutting out business cards, resource fliers, and ODC info cards, (with dull razor I might add,)along with trying to create a Powerpoint presentation that for some reason WILL NOT SAVE ... I just had to get up and walk away. I was hoping to listen to some worship music online to soothe my nerves and emotions while I've been working on these projects piled up on my table. Alas - somehow when the new printer was hooked up this week, my speakers have been disconnected. Okay, I'm not a technical wizard, but I know how to reconnect speakers. I really would climb behind the desk to reconnect them, however when a loving spouse dutifully installed said printer, a certain computer desk cracked down one side. One false move whilst underneath and voila - a trip to the ER would most likely ensue. Am I edgy, weary, tired and overwhelmed today? YES!!! What do I need? All I can think of is "still waters."
David was a shepherd for a good bit of his young life and knew a thing or two about how picky sheep are about their water. Our new little lamb Gideon has been teaching me exactly what this passage is talking about. The stubborn little guy will thirst himself silly until he actually SEES me dump his water and go to the hose and pour fresh water in. Only THEN will my sweet lamb drink. When David led his sheep from place to place, he had to plan ahead for the sheep to have not only "drinkable" water, but "still water." See, moving water makes sheep nervous. And dirty water's a no-go too. Sheep cannot rest for the noise of rushing water, and will thirst to death out of refusal to drink, because to a sheep, that clean bubbling creek or river is "undrinkable."
So, did my Shepherd prepare some "still waters" for me to partake of this weary day? He must of. He's "the Good Shepherd." And I'm his sweet little lamb ... okay, maybe not so sweet today, but I AM His nonetheless. He knows my needs. I always know when I've personally 'thirsted myself silly," so to speak. How? My fingernails are too long. WHAT? Yep, you heard me correctly. I play the guitar. God gifted me that way so I can run to Him and come into His presence (daily) for refreshment. I know when I've neglected my quiet time with Jesus way too long because my nails grow out, and I cannot press the guitar strings to the neck of the guitar. Those long nails are a sore reminder of how long it's truly been since I've engaged in personal time loving on my Lord. He's always worthy.
There are times when worship is a pure act of sacrifice, and God gives grace during those periods, but God loves it when we worship out of deep love for Him. Kind of like marriage, sometimes a spouse does things on "automatic," (so to speak,) -- opening a car door, setting the table for two, and so on. But when a spouse comes home and announces, "I have special tickets for somewhere you've been wanting to go! Put on your best outfit and don't worry about dinner. I'm taking you away with me for a special night just because I love you!" Wow! Now - that's akin to "worship." The very word means "having worth." When we worship God, an amazing thing happens; we do it with the intention of ministering to the heart of God, but true worship has a 'kick-back' effect, worship restores OUR souls, and refreshes OUR spirits. It's like love - you give it away, and you find you have even more to give.
So, time for a quick manicure -- (way short please,) and hold the pink polish. I am thirsty and need a drink of water, and my Shepherd is calling.
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."
John 4: 23
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Stuck in a Rut
One of my hunting goals is to harvest a black bear. I set this goal even before I became a hunter. A couple years ago I was bow hunting with a buddy and as the sun was setting I heard a noise behind me. I slowly turned around and could not believe what I saw. For the first time in my life I had big black bear near my treestand. I grabbed the laser range finder and attempted to figure the distance, but due to darkness quickly approaching, my laser had a hard time getting me the distance. After a few attempts, I finally had the distance of nineteen yards. Oh my goodness, I could not believe that I had a beautiful black bear within bow range.
My next step was to connect my release to the string, and because I was overcome with bear fever, I fumbled getting it firmly attached to the bowstring. Once again after a few failed attempts, I was able to get it connected. About this time, I could hear more crashing coming through the woods, so I paused. What I witnessed next totally overwhelmed me in many ways. I saw three bear cubs running up the mountain towards their nurturing mother. I knew then this bear was a sow and I was unable to harvest her. I put my bow down and just enjoyed the moment of witnessing these four beautiful bears in the wild. Shortly later they ran off and out of sight.
I then determined to become a “bear hunter.” I then anxiously waited for bear rifle season to start, so I could go back to the mountain and harvest a bear. Well finally, the opening day of rifle season opened and I was there but surprisingly, I was the only person on the 12,000 acre mountain hunting them. It was a very lonely hunt, but I stuck it out for two days with no sightings of bears. The second evening, it started to pour down buckets of cold rain, so I camped in my truck and eventually fell into a peaceful sleep. The next morning I woke up and the rain was still pouring down, so I fell back to sleep. Around 8 a.m., I woke up in a panic because I realized the road was going to be washed out and I was in a 2WD truck.
I hastily packed up my gear and started to drive out to head home before things got worse. However, within a short distance of my campsite, the road dipped and at the bottom of the dip, was about a foot of thick mud. I put the pedal to the metal and tried to drive through the mud, but the mud was too thick. The truck stuck in the mud like a fly stuck to flypaper. My first thought was, I’m stuck on the mountain and I have not seen a single hunter for the last two days. After twenty long minutes of trying to get unstuck, I finally resigned myself to being in a pretty bad situation. Fortunately for me, two hunters came down the road and saw my predicament. I talked them into pulling me out and I was soon on my way down the mountain.
This reminds me how easy it is to get into a rut in life. What do you do to get out of the rut? A lot of people turn to drugs, alcohol, pornography, and the list goes on and on. All of these vices really do not help you to get out of the rut, but they cause you to go deeper into despair. However, there is a solution. In Revelation 3:20 the bible says, “Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together (CEV).” Jesus is here to help you get out of the rut, no matter how wide or how deep. The love that Jesus has to offer is not a temporary fix, but is a life changing experience. In 1 John 1:9 the bible also says, “But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away (CEV).” Call on Jesus to change your life and allow him to pull you out of the rut.
My next step was to connect my release to the string, and because I was overcome with bear fever, I fumbled getting it firmly attached to the bowstring. Once again after a few failed attempts, I was able to get it connected. About this time, I could hear more crashing coming through the woods, so I paused. What I witnessed next totally overwhelmed me in many ways. I saw three bear cubs running up the mountain towards their nurturing mother. I knew then this bear was a sow and I was unable to harvest her. I put my bow down and just enjoyed the moment of witnessing these four beautiful bears in the wild. Shortly later they ran off and out of sight.
I then determined to become a “bear hunter.” I then anxiously waited for bear rifle season to start, so I could go back to the mountain and harvest a bear. Well finally, the opening day of rifle season opened and I was there but surprisingly, I was the only person on the 12,000 acre mountain hunting them. It was a very lonely hunt, but I stuck it out for two days with no sightings of bears. The second evening, it started to pour down buckets of cold rain, so I camped in my truck and eventually fell into a peaceful sleep. The next morning I woke up and the rain was still pouring down, so I fell back to sleep. Around 8 a.m., I woke up in a panic because I realized the road was going to be washed out and I was in a 2WD truck.
I hastily packed up my gear and started to drive out to head home before things got worse. However, within a short distance of my campsite, the road dipped and at the bottom of the dip, was about a foot of thick mud. I put the pedal to the metal and tried to drive through the mud, but the mud was too thick. The truck stuck in the mud like a fly stuck to flypaper. My first thought was, I’m stuck on the mountain and I have not seen a single hunter for the last two days. After twenty long minutes of trying to get unstuck, I finally resigned myself to being in a pretty bad situation. Fortunately for me, two hunters came down the road and saw my predicament. I talked them into pulling me out and I was soon on my way down the mountain.
This reminds me how easy it is to get into a rut in life. What do you do to get out of the rut? A lot of people turn to drugs, alcohol, pornography, and the list goes on and on. All of these vices really do not help you to get out of the rut, but they cause you to go deeper into despair. However, there is a solution. In Revelation 3:20 the bible says, “Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together (CEV).” Jesus is here to help you get out of the rut, no matter how wide or how deep. The love that Jesus has to offer is not a temporary fix, but is a life changing experience. In 1 John 1:9 the bible also says, “But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away (CEV).” Call on Jesus to change your life and allow him to pull you out of the rut.
Lost In the Darkness
Have you ever hunted in a new piece of woods and got a little confused while walking out in the dark? It seems the woods change in appearance once darkness hits and can cause a hunter to be easily confused in finding the way out. One of the craziest hunts that I have ever experienced is the first time I bow hunted the George Washington National Forest. I did a little pre-season scouting and found a beautiful place that I was comfortable setting my stand. I was using my newly purchased Ol’ Man climber treestand this beautiful fall evening to set my ambush.
The hunt begins as I’m climbing to the top of the mature white oak tree, and somehow the boot straps ended up falling of my boots and the platform fell from the tree. At this point my brain is rattled because I am hanging about thirteen feet in the air and I have no platform under my feet. Fortunately I tied a rope from the top to the platform in case this ever happened to me. I was able to regain my composure and pulled the rope to get my platform back under my feet. After several failed attempts at getting my feet back in the straps I was able to place my platform firmly under my feet. I continued the up tree a little, unnerved but thankful it didn’t turn out worse.
The actual hunt was uneventful with only a few sightings of squirrels and not surprisingly no deer. After dark, I started the climb down the tree and about halfway down my batteries in my LED headlamp died. I was now climbing down the tree in a darkness that was darker than being in the bottom of a cave. I don’t know how, but I finally managed to shimmy my way down the oak tree and finally put my two shaking feet on solid ground. If you ever think about trying to walk in the woods in complete darkness for fun, take my advice and do not do it. After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to gather all my gear and begin the long dreaded trek down the mountain. Did I mention that my headlamp burned out and I was now in complete and utter darkness walking down a strange mountain?
The next blunder that I managed to get myself into was I tripped on a sandstone rock outcropping and tumbled down the mountain. Somehow the rope that I used for raising and lower my bow to my treestand got caught on a limb and threw me off balance. I then tripped over the rock outcropping and as I tumbled down the hill my quiver snapped off my bow. By this point I am now banged up pretty good but I dust myself off and continue my trek down the mountain. At this point, I really have no clue how far I have walked because I cannot see good enough to judge my exact location, so I continued the long hike until I came to a point where I hastily stopped. As I was just about to go down the next bench, a still quiet voice spoke to me and told me to proceed no further and to take a sharp left. I was sure that I needed to keep walking straight but I obeyed the voice and soon realized that good fortune was now with me. What unfolded next is that I made it to the main trail and just when I was about to walk off the trail and down the rugged mountain, the voice told me to take a left which meant I was now walking on the trail back to my vehicle. I was so fortunate that I didn’t continue walking down the mountain and headed to further disaster. While I was banged up and shaken pretty well, I eventually made it home and was now a much wiser hunter.
How many times in your life have you been lost or confused in life? It is so easy to lose focus in life and to find ourselves walking around aimlessly in the dark or to find ourselves off the narrow path. The Bible has a lot to offer us in today’s world. God has a plan and a path for each and every one of us and if we take the time to listen to his voice then we will know which path to follow. However, all too often we allow ourselves to become distracted by our situation in life that we cannot see that God’s path is the best path for us. It is free of rocks that trip us up and free of thorns and thistles. We usually end up in these wild places because we do what we want to do instead of what God wants us to do. Where are you in your life? Are you walking down the path that God created for you or are you walking aimlessly in the dark, stumbling over the rocks? Jeremiah 29:11 has this to say to you, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Follow God’s path in life and you will be following the right path to safety.
The hunt begins as I’m climbing to the top of the mature white oak tree, and somehow the boot straps ended up falling of my boots and the platform fell from the tree. At this point my brain is rattled because I am hanging about thirteen feet in the air and I have no platform under my feet. Fortunately I tied a rope from the top to the platform in case this ever happened to me. I was able to regain my composure and pulled the rope to get my platform back under my feet. After several failed attempts at getting my feet back in the straps I was able to place my platform firmly under my feet. I continued the up tree a little, unnerved but thankful it didn’t turn out worse.
The actual hunt was uneventful with only a few sightings of squirrels and not surprisingly no deer. After dark, I started the climb down the tree and about halfway down my batteries in my LED headlamp died. I was now climbing down the tree in a darkness that was darker than being in the bottom of a cave. I don’t know how, but I finally managed to shimmy my way down the oak tree and finally put my two shaking feet on solid ground. If you ever think about trying to walk in the woods in complete darkness for fun, take my advice and do not do it. After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to gather all my gear and begin the long dreaded trek down the mountain. Did I mention that my headlamp burned out and I was now in complete and utter darkness walking down a strange mountain?
The next blunder that I managed to get myself into was I tripped on a sandstone rock outcropping and tumbled down the mountain. Somehow the rope that I used for raising and lower my bow to my treestand got caught on a limb and threw me off balance. I then tripped over the rock outcropping and as I tumbled down the hill my quiver snapped off my bow. By this point I am now banged up pretty good but I dust myself off and continue my trek down the mountain. At this point, I really have no clue how far I have walked because I cannot see good enough to judge my exact location, so I continued the long hike until I came to a point where I hastily stopped. As I was just about to go down the next bench, a still quiet voice spoke to me and told me to proceed no further and to take a sharp left. I was sure that I needed to keep walking straight but I obeyed the voice and soon realized that good fortune was now with me. What unfolded next is that I made it to the main trail and just when I was about to walk off the trail and down the rugged mountain, the voice told me to take a left which meant I was now walking on the trail back to my vehicle. I was so fortunate that I didn’t continue walking down the mountain and headed to further disaster. While I was banged up and shaken pretty well, I eventually made it home and was now a much wiser hunter.
How many times in your life have you been lost or confused in life? It is so easy to lose focus in life and to find ourselves walking around aimlessly in the dark or to find ourselves off the narrow path. The Bible has a lot to offer us in today’s world. God has a plan and a path for each and every one of us and if we take the time to listen to his voice then we will know which path to follow. However, all too often we allow ourselves to become distracted by our situation in life that we cannot see that God’s path is the best path for us. It is free of rocks that trip us up and free of thorns and thistles. We usually end up in these wild places because we do what we want to do instead of what God wants us to do. Where are you in your life? Are you walking down the path that God created for you or are you walking aimlessly in the dark, stumbling over the rocks? Jeremiah 29:11 has this to say to you, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Follow God’s path in life and you will be following the right path to safety.
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