MAKE IT BETTER. BE BOLD

Looking back on the past 31 years of whitetail deer hunting I’m reminded of how much the hunting techniques my family uses have changed…and for good reasons.

The very first time I went deer hunting my stand was a branch that measured about three inches thick in diameter. It was nailed between two tree trunks, and the “bench” stood about two feet off the ground. Twenty minutes into the hunt my skinny butt was already sore, and I couldn’t sit still. Needless to say, all the fidgeting around prevented a deer, let alone any animal, coming within a hundred yards of me.

The next year we brought metal folding chairs to sit on. The chairs were more comfortable, which enabled us to sit still longer, creating more opportunities to see deer…emphasis on “see”. Sitting on a folding chair on the ground meant we were at eye level with the deer, which means, if you can see them, they probably already saw you. In this situation you have about one second to shoulder your rifle, find your target, and squeeze the trigger. (Think about it, it probably took you at least three seconds to read that sentence). We were definitely seeing more deer, but our success rate was still very low. Harvesting one deer between the six of us was a good year. We clung on to this technique for way too many years because things were “good.”

One year, my oldest brother took a bold step and used an abandoned stand that was elevated and deeper in the woods. He immediately had great results - he could see the deer before they saw him, giving him ample time to be ready. His success rate sky-rocketed, and within in a few years we all were hunting from elevated stands. We didn’t shoot every deer we saw, but the hunts were a lot more enjoyable.

This picture doesn't span the entire 31 years...we didn't have many reasons for pictures early on

Imagine if we allowed ourselves to stay in that comfort zone of things just being “good.” Thankfully, my brother took the bold step that led not to only enjoyable hunts, but great memories for our family!

2 Corinthians 3:11-12 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever. Since this new way gives us confidence, we can be very bold.

FALSE ADVERTISING

The wife and I planned a day trip to Taylors Falls , MN. While making plans we talked to some friends who had just been there. These friends also informed us there are no falls at Taylors Falls. Secretly I thought our friends were crazy…no falls at Taylor Falls?!…ya right! In fact, my wife and I felt confident there were falls at Taylors Falls. In fact, the reason we felt so confident is that we thought we remembered being there and seeing falls.

We started the day with a long leisurely drive following the banks of the St. Croix river. When we arrived at Taylors Falls, it felt like I walked ridiculously fast to the river. Expecting to see the falls around the next bend, I readied my camera to prove our friends wrong…or maybe the next bend, or the next bend, or maybe not. Eventually we found a park ranger and asked where the falls were. With an awkward smile she said, “there are no falls”. “No falls at Taylors falls?” I asked. The ranger explained how the power company installed a dam on the river over a hundred years ago and now there’s only rapids.

Taylors Rapids...aka Taylors Falls

Despite the disappearance of the majestic falls we thought existed, we thoroughly enjoyed the day.  It got me thinking, what if we sold ourselves as what we used to be instead of what we currently are? Picture yourself back in high school. I’ll use myself as an example - there were many different groups or cliques people were in, and I was in the rocker/burn-out crowd. I had long hair, wore all black attire, smoked, drank, and poked fun at everything different than me. I’m not ashamed of my past, but thankfully by the grace of God and a loving woman by my side, I matured a great deal. However, if people came looking for the old me, they’d be surprised - hopefully pleasantly surprised and not disappointed they didn’t find the person who existed long ago.   

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God.

THE BIRDS AND THE BEES...AND CICADAS

It felt good to be up early with some free time to enjoy the peacefulness of my backyard. Sitting on the deck in silence, I prayed and meditated. As the time slowly passed, my attention was drawn to a sparrow hopping around in a clump of weeds. The sparrow was feeding on seeds of the plant, plucking each cluster clean before moving on to the next. Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns. And yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Soon it was time to get cracking on the project for the day - picking up plants and placing them in just the right spot around our new retaining wall. My wife and I arrived at the garden center early enough to beat the Saturday rush. As we wandered around looking for just the right plants and flowers, it became apparent that bees and butterflies thought this was a great place to be as well. They were everywhere and they didn’t seem bothered at all by us being there. It was a beautiful site! We picked out the plants we wanted while the bees pollinated everything in sight. Romans 14:19 “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”

By the time we arrived back home, the sun was getting higher in the sky and the air was getting warmer. The warmer temperatures meant one thing…the cicadas would be buzzing at an ear-piercing volume, and this summer there have been an obnoxious amount of them. The buzzing is what attracts the opposite sex for mating. Who would think such an annoying sound would attack a mate? Exodus 10:14 “…Never had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again.” I think it came close this year!

A cicada hitching a ride on our bumper

Trying our best to ignore the annoying mating call of the cicadas, the wife and I got to work. I dug the hole and she set the plant just right and back fill around it. The project went rather smoothly and after several hours we were finally done. We stood back and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. Genesis 2:18 “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper suitable for him”

Our dirty, sweaty, swollen hands

It was a great day enjoying many of Gods creations...except those cicadas.

SMELL THE FLOWERS

Earlier this summer my wife took it upon herself to fill our planters with flowers. Typically, this is something we do together, together in the sense that she picks out the flowers and I plant them.  However, this year I was busy with work and other home improvement projects.

So, on a Saturday morning while I was working on our retaining wall she went to the garden center and loaded up on flowers. When she arrived back home, she gathered the necessary tools and off she went. Later that day while

walking back up to the house I noticed she had all the planters filled with a variety of beautiful flowers. There was pink, red, yellow, and of course purple…her favorite color. I complimented her on a job well done, and her reply was, “I probably put too many in each planter.” As the summer went on, she gave them the necessary care they needed, and they were flourishing. On the 4^th of July, we had family over for a BBQ.  Her aunt commented how nice the flowers looked, and again her reply was, “I probably put too many in each planter.” “As long as they get plenty of water, they’ll be fine,” her aunt replied. Recently, my wife had a friend water the flowers while we were away on vacation. When my wife contacted her friend when we got home to thank her for the help, she also commented on how nice the flowers looked. It was finally sinking in that she did a good job with the flowers.

Sometimes we can be so critical of ourselves that we forget to stop and admire the beauty of our work and smell the flowers.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS

The morning sun was just above the horizon, its rays of light piercing through the trees. For the past several weeks the morning air had been warm and thick with humidity. Today the air was cool and dry, and the neighborhood was quiet (which is typical for a Sunday morning). Sitting on the steps of our deck that leads down to the yard, I watched Ruby, our yellow lab, chase squirrels back up their trees and push sparrows from one bush to another. Every so often she would run up the stairs to me, prying her dew-soaked head under my hand looking to get her neck or an ear scratched, then off she’d go chasing more critters.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, its beams of light finally reach the Earth’s surface, and the unseen dew on the bushes that soaked Ruby’s head was now visible on each blade of grass. There were far too many to count, but they were twinkling like the stars in the midnight sky. Intrigued by the vastness of the droplets, I crept in for a closer look. I kneeled on the grass and looked at each drop of dew on the blades of grass. Ruby joined me and soon both of us were laying in the grass.  Each droplet was unique - some so tiny they were barely visible, and some so heavy they pulled the blade of grass they clung to closer to the ground. Eventually, the mosquitos outnumbered the drops of dew, so Ruby and I retreated into the house.

I’ve never paid much attention to morning dew before, let alone each droplet, other than thinking of it as a nuisance that gets Ruby’s paws wet, but this morning was different…Ruby noticed too.

Luke 12:7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered; so don’t be afraid, you are more valuable to God than a flock of sparrows.

TAKING THE LONG ROAD

Another Timber of Faith cap left the country! In a previous blog I shared that one of the caps was taken on a trip to Mexico (read previous blog), and shortly after that the owner of a different cap let me know they took theirs through Canada! Here’s his story.

The shortest distance from point A to point B is a straight line. That statement is true, however it’s not very practical in real life. For instance, when you’re out for a hike, you may be able to see your destination, but may have to overcome many obstacles to get there. The same may be true for a trip to the grocery store, you might just go to get a few burgers for grilling, but all of the sudden the candy aisle is in your way.

The man in this story started making plans for an ice fishing trip to Lake to the Woods. Lake of the Woods is a very large lake on the border of Minnesota and Canada. Most of the men going on the trip live in the Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN area. A straight line from their home area to their destination on the lake, or as the crow flies, is 150 miles. However, these are men, not crows, which means they had to follow roads. The roads they had to take took them 75 miles out of their way and through Canada.  Even though they went a considerable distance out of their way and through another country, they eventually made it to their destination.  Their first annual ice fishing trip was a success! Many fish were caught and a good time was had by all…well worth taking the long road.

Kris showing off his Timber of Faith cap and a couple of their catch (I think the cap brought them luck)

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you fill me joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

WHERE OUR VALUE COMES FROM

It feels like forever since my last blog post.  To be exact, it’s been 26 days; that’s 19 days longer than I like.

The busy-ness of life was beginning to wear me down and I knew that needed to change. The way I let go of all that life has been piling up on me is to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of creation. This usually happens early in the morning when there’s less people and noise, but that hasn’t been working out, so I went to a nearby park to clear my head.

Arriving at the park in the late afternoon gave me an appreciation for how much other people use the park.  The bench I like to sit in was being used, so I hunkered down at the base of a tree and allowed myself to melt away. After saying a few prayers, I started to focus on the woods around me. A butterfly caught my attention. Initially it was casually fluttering around, working its way from plant to plant, then the wind picked up and started blowing the butterfly back the way it came from. Occasionally the wind would die down and the butterfly continued on its original path. However, as sure as the sun rose and set that day, the wind picked back up, pushing the butterfly back to where it started. I found myself rooting for the butterfly, “keep going…you can make it!”  This went on until eventually the evening wind faded away and the butterfly continued on to its original destination. 

I’m glad I took the time to get outdoors and witness the butterfly in the same struggle I had recently found myself in.  Life was pushing it around, yet it prevailed and moved forward.

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?