Are you connected????????????

[DeerSpotter]

Jason,

I think I understand where you're coming from, and why you're asking.  I did the same thing this past year in the middle of a hunting season.  I was standing in a tree stand, arguing with myself, that I should be back doing other things.  My comments to God was " you made me, you gave me this personality, why is it so strong"?  I was referring to the hunting.

From that point on, God showed me how my personality was given to me by Him and Him alone.  The reason I was in a tree stand on somebody else's land, is because I complain to God about public land, I couldn't stand it anymore.  So I complain to God, and God answered my prayers, I was given 42 acres to hunt on, that 42 acres had 18 stands with climbing sticks.  The man would take me to a stand and he would say
" see you at 10:30.  It was like I was on guided hunts.  We had to cross over another man's land to get to the land we were hunting on, one day I went to go and help cut wood, at 16 below zero.

That was on 80 acres of land, that man said " my two sons had to show up, you didn't have to show up at 16 below zero, you can hunt on my land anytime you want" so now I had 130 acres to hunt in the same area right next to each other.  And on top of it, the man I help cut wood for also said, between my two sons and I we have taken 11 deer, I don't know what I will do with that one in the shed," do you want it" I said I sure do.  It was 160 lb. doe.  Now the story doesn't end there, I took the hide from that deer and kept it in the back of my pickup looking for someone that can tan it for me.  I work in a bow shop, one day a customer can in, and I helped him with his bow, through the conversation, he happened to be a taxidermy, so he took my hide and is working on it, and when he came back to give me my receipt for the money I'd given him, he said by the way would you like to bear hunt, and of course you can hunt deer there too !  I said sure I've never hunted bear before.  He told me he had 400 acres !, in the most plentiful bear rich, and deer rich County in my state.  He just happened to also not only be a taxidermy, but he has a guide service with cabins for bear hunting.  And he told me all I would have to do is give him $100 or so for the bear bait.

I've told you all this so that you understand God is interested in your hunting, and he's also concerned in the equipment you have to accomplish your task.  I have turned many of my hunting stories around and been enabled to talk to individuals that I never would have been able to talk to before.  When most people see me and they find out that I am a pastor, they're surprised.

Because pastors are supposed to, ride motorcycles, shoot traditional bows, and also CCW, so it gives me advantages to talk to people that I wouldn't have a chance with dressed in a stuffy shirt and tie.

Am I connected, very much so, Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and my Savior is very interested, and concerned that not only my needs are met, but also a good majority of my wants.

I have the best of equipment, and that's because I've had the best of fathers I can have
" God Almighty "

You see the other end of the story is, I was two a half pounds when I was born, over 50 years ago, technically I was not supposed to live, I have also about 2 in. all across the bottoms of my lungs, that's nothing but scar tissue, I just found that out two years ago in an x-ray.  God is so good.  So when you go to that tree stand again, or to hunt in those woods, remember, God was there before you were, so give him thanks for everything that you have in your hand.


Pastor Carl

[Tim Fishell]

Well said Pastor Carl!!  Thanks for putting it into perspective for me!!

[BowHuntingFool]

I agree, very good post Pastor Carl!!!!!!!!!!  

[whitebuffalo]

Thanks Pastor Carl,, great post,, this past fall I found myself asking the same question,, Why am I in this ground blind,,LOL,, I love bow's,,I love hunting, I love the land and what it gives back and what it has to offer ,,But most of all I love God for giving it to us to enjoy,,God bless and take care,,J.B.

[DeerSpotter]

I remember the first time I went hunting with my longbow, three years ago, I was in a blind, it was made up of trees and grass in a low area.

All of a sudden, songs started coming to my mind, and I set there singing, they were praise songs.  And after about three of them I had this brainy idea " Hay stupid your hunting " and I looked around, and of course there was no game around.

I like what you said "I love the land and what it gives back and what it has to offer ,,But most of all I love God for giving it to us to enjoy,,God bless "

I will relate to what the forest does for me, and realize in the scriptures it does say "that they worship the creation more than the creator" and I'm very aware of that when I get out into the woods, I enjoy the smallest detail of what God created and praised Him for it.  But what the forest does for me, is it takes away more then it gives, let me explain that;

When I get into the forest I don't think about cars, restaurants, groceries, bills, I am focused more on what God has done for me, I remember sitting one time inside a clump of juniper trees.  Reading the book of Philippians, and I would hear noise and look up, and then go back to reading.  I didn't even see a deer that year, and wasn't disappointed.  The forest kind of mellow us, because in it we are surrounded by the work of God, in the city were so surrounded by the work of man, and all the expectations, you see God has no expectations, except to praised Him, honor Him, and to give Him glory, and we do that to our actions for others, sometimes I will set in a tree stand praying for the people in the church, not thinking I'm hunting.  I had the privilege of seeing a chocolate buck this year, beautiful animal, at 38 yd., and he walked away to 50 yd., and I call him back in and he walked within 20 yd. of my tree stand, perfect shot, and then he walked straight out my tree stand and laid down 40 yd. away.  I didn't shoot him because I thought he was a six-pointer, I was really rattled. The rules of the land where eight points or more, but I just recently saw a photo of him from a trail camera, he clearly had eight points, next year if God allows me to see him, he may have 10 points.  I can not describe the feeling that you're having when you connect with God in the forest, but I'll put it this way, our pastor gives us permission to hunt on Sundays.  Not every Sunday !  But that's the way God is, we have faults, failures, disappointments, but when we walked into His creation, we soon realize, the awesomeness of God and the raging wolf of sin, seems to melt away a little bit when were surrounded by the gentleness, and mercy of God's creation and love through Jesus Christ on the cross.

My longbow "whip" was created specifically for me, and so was creation, so that I could walk in it freely and enjoy it, when we let that melt into our minds and hearts, our hunting just becomes a reaction to providing for ourselves, as God has provided for us.  Each time I walk out of the forest, with or without something, I have a thankful heart that I was able to feel the breath of God in my face.  The Old Testament people are people of stories, so are traditional hunters, all of my stories of hunting can lead someone to the foot across of Jesus Christ.  Our hunting stories are only opportunities waiting to happen.  Does it always have to be about Jesus Christ, no, because Joy in someone else's eyes is also favoritism from God in your heart.

My "whip" is a 43 #, 4+3 =7 the number seven, is the number of completion in Greek, the man that's made my bow, I may never see him here, but I know I will see him in Heaven, he's a very good Christian.  The stories just keep piling up, I told him one day I was going to preach with my bow in my hand, I'll keep that promise.

I am connected to my equipment, because it gives me stories, that can connect others to who is hunting them, because of love.

Pastor Carl

[whitebuffalo]

I kinda always new it,,Like you said  

 

our hunting just becomes a reaction to providing for ourselves, as God has provided for us. Each time I walk out of the forest, with or without something, I have a thankful heart that I was able to feel the breath of God in my face  

I could'nt say it any better,  

[New to Traditional]

I was blessed with a very nice T/D recurve a couple years ago.I'm probably the third or fourth owner and you can tell its had some use through the years with a few small battle scars(a few from me now) but it was my first custom made bow and even more importantly its one of the biggest examples of God's love in my life.Unless I feel I'm to bless another with it I will always have that bow.That being said I view most of the rest of my archery equipment as most who've stated before do.They are tools to enjoy the outdoors with.The coolest thing I've learned about my passion for hunting is that if its something I really need then God will find a way to get it to me.Even if in the natural its impssible for me to obtain such equipment.I have some of the nicest equipment both modern and traditional I could ever want and the best of them came purely from God.The biggest thing to remember is that these are only things and our attention should be on the bigger picture.


Anyway thats my 2cents,
Ethan