Jesus was an outdoors man

JESUS WAS AN OUTDOORSMAN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
I have added a number of writings that deal with the activities of outdoorsmen
who are Christians and who love nature. They love it that Jesus spentmost of
His life outdoors and much of it with fishermen and their activities.
JESUS THE OUTDOORS MAN By Glenn Pease
Jesus was a man of the outdoors from the beginning to the end. He was born
outdoors and he died outdoors, and he spent most of his ministry in the
outdoors where he met with the people in teaching and healing. He was truly
an outdoors man. Bishop Quayle wrote, "If we should desire to company with
Jesus as we lived our life, we should find ourselves continuously out of doors.
His shadow is castas on a sundial out in the open sky. He frequented the
fields. He seemedto pant for the open. Indoors was stifling to his breathing.
He was the most out-of-doors man that ever lived. Things in the open
beckonedto him; and his body and spirit said, "Coming!" His parables lived
out of doors and his healings. It seems unthinkable how much of what he said
and did was out-of-doors talk and out-ofdoors doing and how much of where
he lived was out of doors. The starshine and the dayspring seemedalways on
his face, and the wind was always running its fingers through his beard and
hair."
It makes sense that Jesus wouldlove the outdoors, for he createdit all. He
loved all of nature for it was his wisdom that designedit and brought it into
being. He loved to point to the natural elements all about him as he taught
saying, ""Considerthe lilies how they grow " — " Behold the fowls how they
are fed," He loved the animal and plant kingdom, and they played a major
role in his teaching. Likewise, he made all of the minerals, metals and precious
stones that play a role in the Bible's revelation concerning earth and heaven.
The point is, he made all of the beauty of the world of nature, and when he
came to earth as a man he spent most of his time out in the midst of it all, for

the beauty of nature was the closestthing to his home in heaven. Out of doors
he could gaze most often at the glory of the heavens that proclaims the glory
of his heavenly Father.
Hugh Macmillan wrote, "Every objectin nature speaks ofHim. The mineral
kingdom reveals His stability, for " He is the Rock ofour salvation" — the
Foundation of our hope; the vegetable kingdomexhibits His beauty, for " He
is the Rose ofSharon, and the Lily of the valley;" the animal kingdom
shadows forth His strength and self-sacrificing innocence, for" He is the Lion
of the tribe of Judah, and the Lamb of God which takethawaythe sin of the
world." The sun declares His glory, for "He is the Sun of righteousness;" the
stars proclaim His effulgence, for *' He is the bright and the morning Star."
All the objects of nature have but a sym- bolical or concealedmeaning ; they
are, in the words of St. Paul, a shadow of good things to come." All of the
beauty and wonders of nature are designedto lead us to glorify their Creator.
Every time we see something that strikes us as beautiful or awesome we
should praise the Lord Jesus forgiving us this greatoutdoors to enjoy. He
enjoyed making it and living in it, and so should we.
Hugh Macmillan quotes Ps. 19 and remarks, "In the Nineteenth Psalmit is
said, "
The heavens declare the gloiy of God ; and the firmament showeth His
handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth
knowledge. There is no speechnor language, where their voice is not heard."
Much of the beauty and force of these words is lostby the interpolation of the
word where — printed in italics — to show that it is not in the original. By
leaving it out, and adhering to the literal translation of the Hebrew version,
the whole meaning of the passageis altered, and instead of a commonplace
truism — or a mere tautology — we have the most significant poetry. " There
is no speechnor language ; their voice is not heard." The universe of visible
things has no faculty of speech — no articulate language;and yet it has the
powerof declaring the glory of God, and conveying instruction to every age
and country. It is a silent witness appealing to the mind of man in a waynot
less — but, when understood, even more forcible than written or spoken
language..."The point is, Jesus lived out under the stars, and beheld the

heavens declaring the glory of his Fatherin heaven. It was a major part of his
life.
Macmillan goes onto exalt the ministry of nature to the soulof man by
referring to the parables of Jesus where he used nature to illustrate. He wrote,
"In the parables of the lily and the fowls, the seedand the tree, the vine and
the fishes, He disclosedto us the great factwhich we are constantlyforgetting
— that Nature has a spiritual as well as a material side — that she exists not
only for the natural uses of the body, but also for the sustenance ofthe life of
the soul. This higher ministry explains all the beauty and wonder of the world,
which would otherwise be superfluous and extravagant. As the servant of
common household wants, giving us bread to eat and water to drink, and
raiment to put on, and air to breatne, and soilto stand and build upon, nature
might have been clothed with homely russetgarments girded for toil; but as
the priestess ofheaven, ministering in the holy place, appealing to the higher
faculties of man, she is clothedlike Aaron with temple vestments ; and
Solomonin all his glory is not arrayed like her. Her ultimate purposes are
grander than her ordinary uses. Her forms are evanescent, but her ministry is
everlasting. Her grass withereth and her flower fadeth, but the word of the
Lord that speakeththrough her endureth for ever. The truth which she
teaches, andthe beauty which she forms, are a part of the everlasting
inheritance of the soul, and become incorporatedwith its life for evermore."
Jesus was there when the Father said, "Let there be light," and the sun was
created, which was the power to give life to all living things on this earth. He
then came into the world as the light of the world to do a parallel thing by also
saying "Let there be light," that would give the essentialpowerfor producing
all spiritual life on this planet. Light is the greatestpowerin all of nature. It is
the source oflife,beauty, and productivity. Take the sun awayand soonall
will be dead and lifeless. Jesus is that same source of power for the life, beauty
and productivity in the human body, mind and spirit to live a life pleasing to
God. As the light of the world who lights every man coming into the world, as
John tells us, he loved to be out in the light himself where he could behold the
beauty of its power in nature. Jesus could see and feel the power of nature
more than most men because he was more conscious ofit, and the role it
played in the life of all things and beings.

Considerhow Jesus drew so many illustrations for his parables from the great
outdoors. He told the parable of the sower;of the wheatand the tares;ofthe
mustard seed;of the laborers in the vineyard, of new wine and old wineskins,
of the barren figtree, of the lost sheep,, of the cruel vinedressers, andwhen he
was not dealing with the plant world, he was dealing with outdoors things
such as finding treasure in the field, or the Pearl of greatprice, or the Good
Samaritan on his travels and finding a man in an emergencysituation needing
help. Mostof the parables of Jesus dealwith things and events in the
outdoors. Jesus drew from the environment in which he lived to communicate
to people on a level where they also lived and worked. Nature was his
illustration book, and he would certainly have appreciated this poem of
Longfellow:
And Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee,
Saying, "Here is a story-book
Thy Fatherhas written for thee."
"Come wander with me," she said, "Into regions yet untrod;
And read what is still unread In the manuscripts of God."
Nature has a dual focus on the more feminine things like flowers, fluffy clouds
and jewels, and the more masculine things like the house built on a rock, the
digging for treasure, and rescuing beaten and abandoned travelers. Jesus saw
both sides of nature and used both to appealto all people. He had a balanced
nature with a love for both the feminine and masculine. His outdoors nature,
however, kept the focus on his masculine side. He had a ruggedindependence
like the Westerncowboyin American history. He had nowhere to lay his head,
for he was always out in the country sleeping out under the stars with his
buddies. They, no doubt, had their camp fire as they sataround and bragged
about the big haul of fish they once caught, or the crazy things that happened
when Jesus setpeople free from their sicknesses. It was not an easylife like
people had in the city with a roof over their heads. It was the life of outdoors
men on a mission, just like the old time cowboys trying to get their herd to the
distant market.

The fact is, there are a number of cowboyorganizations that stress they are
cowboys like Jesus. Some ofthem look to the book of Revelationwhere Jesus
rides a white horse like all the hero's of cowboymovies. Ira Stanphill in 1948
wrote this:
A CowboyFor Jesus
Verse 1
I'm just a little fellow, but I always wantto be, a cowboysticking close to the
Man of Galilee. I want to do some roping of the souls who are in sin, and keep
them all for Jesus in the Holy Ghost Corral.
Verse 2
I haven't gotmuch talent, and I ain't too smart you see. But I canstill love
Jesus and He can still love me. As pardners, all I want to do is satisfy my Boss.
And be the bestestChristian boy (girl) that everrode a hoss.
Chorus
I'll be a cowboy, a Christian cowboy, I'll work for Jesus all my days. And on
the prairie or in the city, I'll help to round up all the strays!
It is amazing for us who are not cowboys to see the internet is loadedwith
cowboyChristians and their groups who love Jesus and claim him as a
cowboy. One of the most often used statements in referring to something long
ago is "since Jesus was a cowboy."There are songs and poetry about Jesus as

a cowboy. Triggerdaddyhas a song with the title Jesus Cowboywith a chorus
that goes
Lonesome skyis turnin’ red Crucified, wakinup the dead Revolution comin
down Jesus Cowboy, shotguncrown Jesus Cowboy, shotguncrownJesus
Cowboy, shotgun crown
Believe it or not, there is a growing movement of cowboychurches. Here is a
paragraph from a blog: "There are certain drawbacks to setting up a church
for cowboys in northeasternOhio. “A lot of pastors don’t like me and don’t
like the idea of [the cowboychurch],” [PastorRoyce]Gregorysays, referring
to mainstream religious leaders in a part of the country not exactlylacking in
places of worship. “But if you read the Bible, it is simple. It’s only man that
made church hard.” Faith and the Westernwayof life have long been linked.
But in recentyears cowboychurches have adopted a distinct identity –
favoring riding arenas and barns instead of church buildings, carrying out
baptisms in horse troughs, welcoming wranglers whose blue jeans are ripe
with the smell of a working ranch – that has allowedthem to grow fasterthan
their founders thought possible. Services are short, sermons coatedin
Westernallegories,and no one passes a collectionplate (or boot, or hat), lest
the suspectmaterialismof megachurches andtelevangelists encroachon
simple faith. There are 145 of these cowboychurches, across this country,
with 20,000attendees eachweek.So I’d say it’s become a movement."
All of the cowboyfocus on Jesus is due to his being such an outdoors man with
a love for nature and the animal kingdom. You don't hate animals and then
call God's people in the terms that Jesus used. Someone put it, "Jesus used
nature metaphorically. The people of God are sheep that God cares for (Mark
6:34; John 9:36; 10:15) and those who would destroy them are wolves (Matt
10:16;John 10:12). Jesus is the goodshepherd who gives his life for his sheep
(John 10)." Shepherds had to live outdoors to maintain their flocks, and Jesus
was the greatShepherd of the sheep. His role kept him out in the open with
his flock. Jesus was notquite as radical as John the Baptist, however. Matt.
3:4 says, "John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt
around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey." Jesus wore more
common clothing, and he went inside and ate once in a while. He was not an

outdoors man completely, for he was not a loner like John, and he had a social
life where he attended dinners and banquets. That he was primarily an
outdoors man, however, is what this study is about, and to illustrate it we are
going to go through the book of Matthew looking at all the ways this is
demonstrated to be true.
It is interesting that John the Baptistpictured Jesus as a farmer working
outdoors doing his most serious chores. In Matt. 3:12 he says of Jesus who will
come after him, "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clearhis
threshing floor, gathering his wheatinto the barn and burning up the chaff
with unquenchable fire." In John's mind the believers are wheat, and the
unbelievers are chaff that will be disposedof by fire. In this same context
Jesus was baptized by John and a dove descendedon Jesus with the voice of
God expressing his love and pleasure in his Son. It was all done outdoors in
the river and with nature as the environment, and Godusing a bird to convey
his pleasure.
This is followedby Jesus going into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan,
and this was an outdoor experience that lasted forty days and nights.
Following this Jesus chose his disciples as he walkedalong the sea shore and
found fishermen by the names of Peterand Andrew, and James and John.
Jesus then began his public ministry where he did go into the synagoguesto
preach, but because ofthe crowds, mostof his healing and teaching took place
outdoors. His most famous teaching is the Sermon on the Mount. The mount
was not the pulpit, but the hillside. He used natural things like salt and light to
portray what his followers were to be. "You are the salt of the earth." "You
are the light of the world."
In Matt. 6:25-27 he used nature to give assurance thatthey need not worry
about basic needs. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what
you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at
the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store awayin barns, and yet
your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" If God feeds the
birds, he will certainly feed his own children is the point of Jesus. He goes on

in verses 28 to 30, "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of
the field grow. Theydo not labor or spin. 29YetI
tell you that not even Solomonin all his splendor was dressedlike one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and
tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith?" Jesus usednature to illustrate the sufficiencyof God to meet all
our needs. Nature was a key element in his teaching.
Jesus usednature to illustrate different types of human character, and
especiallyones that we are to avoid. In Matt. 7:6 he said, "Do not give dogs
what is sacred;do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample
them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces." Dogsandpigs
are still used to describe certainpeople, and they are goodnatural
illustrations because everyone knows the characterof the wolflike dogs of
that day, who were so dangerous, and of the pigs that will eatanything,
including you if you getin their way.
Jesus in Matt. 7:15 to 20 said, ""Watchout for false prophets. They come to
you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16Bytheir
fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs
from thistles? 17Likewiseeverygoodtree bears goodfruit, but a bad tree
bears bad fruit. 18Agood tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot
bear goodfruit. 19Everytree that does not bear goodfruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." The
people listening to Jesus would getthe point easily, and they would be
cautious not to listen to the false prophets. They would see that you cannot get
grapes and figs from thornbushes and thistles. That is incompatible with the
nature of the plants involved. They give no hope of fruit at all, and so it is by
fruit that we can discern who is true and who is false. If there is goodfruit,
you know you are dealing with a true prophet. Again, we see that the crucial
teaching of Jesus revolved aroung the greatoutdoors with the plant and
animal kingdom that the common people understood.
Being an outdoors man, Jesus had to endure some rough storms in his time of
camping out. He saw what rain could do in washing out gullies, and creating

hazards, and especiallyfor people who did not plan for the storm. Jesus used
nature to illustrate the judgment of God on that which is built on a poor
foundation, which would mean on self-righteousnessratherthan on the
righteousness provided by his death on their behalf. More specificallyhe
referred to hearing and doing what he taught. In Matt. 7:24-27 Jesus said,
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat againstthat house;yet it
did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26Buteveryone who
hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish
man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beatagainstthat house, and it fell with a great crash."
Nature puts our works to the test, and if they are not founded on the truth
they will not stand the test. Wise people are those who take nature's power
into considerationin their planning, for nature is God's tool for testing the
wisdom of your choices. Choose the rock and you stand; choose the sand and
you fall. The rock is Christ, and all other
foundations are sand. "On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is
sinking sand."
Jesus was a carpenter, but there is no record that he ever built his ownhouse.
In fact he declared in Matt. 8:20 that he had no house of his own. He said,
"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no
place to lay his head." He was referring to the fact that he slept outside, and
did not have a house he could go home to and lay down on a soft bed. He slept
on the ground, and he saidthis to those eagerto follow him lest they think it
was a softjob to follow him. It was going to callfor leaving their softbed and
roof to sleepoutside in all kinds of weather. Jesus nevermade it easyto follow
him, for it demanded sacrifice, andif one was not willing to give up some of
life's luxuries they would not remain faithful anyway. Jesus was saying, if you
want to follow me, you will have to become an outdoors man.
In Matt. 8:23-7 we read, "Thenhe gotinto the boat and his disciples followed
him. 24Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the
waves sweptover the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples wentand

woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26He replied,
"You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the
winds and the waves, and it was completelycalm. 27The men were amazed
and asked, "Whatkind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey
him!" Jesus used this occassionto demonstrate that even though nature can
be a dangerous threat, he was the Lord of nature, and they could be assured
that with him they never had to fear any power of nature. He not only lived
outdoors, he was Lord of outdoors.
In Matt. 8:29-34, we read, "Whenhe arrived at the other side in the region of
the Gadarenes,two demon-possessedmen coming from the tombs met him.
They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29"Whatdo you want
with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before
the appointed time?"30Somedistance from them a large herd of pigs was
feeding. 31The demons beggedJesus, "Ifyou drive us out, send us into the
herd of pigs." 32He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the
pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steepbank into the lake and died in
the water. 33Thosetending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported
all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessedmen. 34Then
the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded
with him to leave their region." In this text we have humans, animals,demons,
and Jesus. There is mystery here as to why Jesus would answerthe prayer of
demons, and why he would destroy the herd of pigs that belonged to others.
Our only concernfor now is that it was a greatoutdoors scene with Jesus
againdemonstrating his Lordship over the world of nature, and over the
world of the supernature, but casting these demons into the pigs.
In Matt. 9:17 Jesus said, "Neitherdo men pour new wine into old wineskins.
If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be
ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
He used this illustration of what wine growers did to illustrate that his
disciples did not try to
keepthe law and pour their new wine from Jesus into the old ways of
Judaism. The old will just not be able to handle the potentency of the new
wine Christ was bringing to the table, and so there had to be new wineskins,

meaning new practices more fitting to the new truth. As an outdoors man
Jesus had seenmany a wine growerdemonstrate his wisdom in handling the
new crop, and he used his knowledge ofthis nature event to illustrate why his
followers were different that the followers ofthe Pharisees.Nature teaches the
need for new containers for new truth.
In Matt. 9:26, Jesus said, "Whenhe saw the crowds, he had compassionon
them, because they were harassedand helpless, like sheepwithout a shepherd.
37Thenhe said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are
few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his
harvest field." Jesus saw the masses with an eye conditioned by nature. They
were just like sheepwandering about with no shepherd to guide them. There
was a need for such guides, and he wantes his disciples to fill this gap. He saw
the masses like a crop ready to harvest, and he wanted his men to be
harvesters, and to seek for others to help bring in the harvest. Jesus saw the
whole plan of salvationfrom the view of an outdoors man and a farmer.
People were sheepand wheat, and they needed help to get into the barn and
corralof God's protection. It was his task to train shepherds and farmers to
get this job done.
In Matt. 10:16, Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheepamong wolves.
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." It was risky
work to be cowboys forJesus, or should we saysheepboys? Any way you look
at it they had to go round up the herd and bring them to safety, and it was
dangerous because, justlike in any western, there were bad guys out to steel
the herd and kill the cowboys. So Jesusadvises them to be just like the good
guys in the movies whose herd the bad guys are after. Be more cleverthan the
bad guys. Outwit them by learning from nature. Don't do anything stupid, but
be shrewd like the snake. Dont't fall into their evil ways and be just like them
in disregarding the property and lives of others, but be as innocent as the
doves. Here is Jesus's advice for every kind of roundup. Stay awayfrom evil,
and be more clever than the evil one. Follow the goodexamples that you see in
the world of nature, and you will outwit the forces ofevil. Jesus looksto the
animal kingdom for man's guidance, for this is what you would expect from
an outdoors man.

In Matt. 10:28-31 Jesus said, "Do notbe afraid of those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroyboth soul
and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows soldfor a penny? Yet not one of
them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even
the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are
worth more than many sparrows." Jesus knowsthat some of his men will die
in this roundup of the flock. The enemy will succeedin killing some of them,
but he assures them that the God who loves nature so much that he know of
every sparrow that falls, knows oftheir fall for sure, and they will be
preservedfrom being forgotten, but will be a part of God's eternal family.
Sparrows are almost worthless comparedto the worth of a man, but God
cares aboutthem. The song says, "His eye is on the sparrow, and I
know he cares forme."
I Matt. 11:28-30 Jesussaid, "Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from
me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30Formy yoke is easyand my burden is light." Jesus in his travels saw many
an ox yokedup to plow the field, and he uses this outdoors experince to
illustrate the relationship he has with his people. He urges them to come to
him, for he will not be a king who is a tyrant that heaps burdens upon his
people as so many do. He is kind to them like the farmer who is gentle with his
animals. He does not abuse them and drive them to exhaustion with a load too
heavy. He offers rest like the wise farmer who takes a break and gives his ox a
time to drink and relax. He has seenthose who are cruel to their animals, and
he knows they are fools, for they are injuring their own future. He will not be
such to his followers. Joinup with him and you will have assurance ofbeing
treated just like the wise farmer treats his oxen. There will be gentleness all
around, and no abuse.
In Matt. 12:1-8 we have another outdoor nature event. "At that time Jesus
went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and
beganto pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2Whenthe Pharisees saw
this, they said to him, "Look!Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the
Sabbath." 3He answered, "Haven'tyou read what David did when he and his

companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his
companions ate the consecratedbread— which was not lawful for them to do,
but only for the priests. 5Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath
the priests in the temple desecratethe day and yet are innocent? 6I tell you
that one[a]greaterthan the temple is here. 7If you had known what these
words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,'[b]you would not have condemned
the innocent. 8Forthe Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Basically, Jesussaidhe was the Lord of the Sabbath and of nature,and he had
the authority, like David did in the Old Testament, and like the priests did in
the temple, to go beyond legalismand have their needs met with freedom from
condemnation. Nature was there with provision to meet the need of hunger,
but the legalistsaid it was not right to meet that need on the Sabbath. Jesus
said it is up to the Lord of the Sabbath to determine what is right or wrong on
this day, and he said it was right, and so case over. It was over as far as Jesus
and his men were concerned, but the enemies of Jesus would not forget his
breaking of their legalistic rules. He and his men being outdoors men needed
to get food when they were far from any town, and so there was a need to reap
from the areas that farmers were suppossedto set aside for the poor. They are
on the run. Seldom did they have the chance to sit down for a meal. They lives
off the fruit of the land as they traveled in the greatoutdoors.
In Matt. 12:9-14 we read, "Going on from that place, he went into their
synagogue, 10anda man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a
reasonto accuse Jesus, theyaskedhim, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"
11He said to them, "If any of you has a sheepand it falls into a pit on the
Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and
lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a man than a sheep!Therefore it is
lawful to do goodon the Sabbath."13Thenhe said to the man, "Stretchout
your hand." So he stretchedit out and it was completelyrestored, just as
sound as the other. 14But the Pharisees wentout and plotted how they might
kill Jesus."Again, Jesus looks to the farmer and shepherd for his illustration.
Naturally you rescue your sheepwho had fallen into a pit regardless ofthe
Sabbath, for it is a serious matter of compassionand preservationof value.
How can you dream of doing less for a human being who is suffering? It is

never wrong to do goodto an animal, and so it is with any man who is far
more valuable. They hated Jesus for his obvious illustration from nature, for
they could not refute what all men accept.
In Matt. 12:23-4, Jesus said, "Makea tree goodand its fruit will be good, or
make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognizedby its fruit.
34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil sayanything good? Forout
of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."Jesusas an outdoors man had
tastedthe fruit of many a tree in his travels, and he knew that fruit that tasted
bad was because the tree was bad. This same thing in nature applied to
people, for if bad things were coming out of the mouth of a person, you can
assume that the heart is bad. Trees and man have this in common that the
inside determines what comes out in the fruit. Evil hearts will produce bad
taste in their fruits,and this was the case with the Pharisees. Jesususes nature
to show the obvious in human nature.
The entire chapter of Matt. 13 is parables of Jesus that are drawn from
nature. It would take a large volume just to deal with these parables, and
there are many volumes written about them. I will just point out that they
revealthat nature was the key resource Jesususedto teach spiritual lessons.
He did not expound on the prophets, or the Psalms, orany other portion of
the Old Testamentlike he did on the nature events that they all witnessed
every day of their lives. They were more in touch with God's creationthan
with God's Word, and so that is what Jesus used to teachhis truth. The
Scribes and Phariseeswere boring with their legalistic preaching and teaching
of the law. Do this; don't do that. It was old hat, and the people were
indifferent to their dry as dust lectures. Jesus knew how to reachpeople
where they were, and communicate in a waythat would getattention. His
parables were not always easyto grasp, but they got attention because they
dealt with real life that people could see. Jesus drew verbal pictures that
would put images in the minds of people where they could meditate on the
meaning. Everyone in his audiance would be people who dealt with sowing
and wedding, and these duties they had in dealing with nature were the
themes of his most prominent parables. What else would we expectfrom an
outdoors man?

In chapter 14 of Matthew we see Jesus feeding the 5000 with5 loaves and 2
fish. That was the greatestuse of nature to meet a vast hunder in a brief time
that has ever happended on this planet. Jesus skippedthe slow process of
nature, and multiplied that little lunch to feed the masses in a short time. He
revealedhis compassion,andhis Lordship over nature. He made the laws of
nature, but he can break them and go beyond them as the Lord of nature. He
made the laws of the Old Testamentas well, but as Lord of them he cango
beyond them for his purpose.
Jesus is not bound by his own laws, but is free as the creatorof those laws to
bend or mend them to his purpose. The laws of nature do not control him, but
he controls the laws of nature.
In this same chapter Jesus walks onthe waterto his disciples out in the lake.
He demonstrates againthat he is not subject to nature, but is Lord of nature.
He also quieted down a strong wind and imprssed his disciples with his
control over nature. Jesus lovednature, but he did not bow to it, but used it as
a tool to achieve his goals.
In Matt. 15:13-14, Jesussaid, "He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly
Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are
blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." Jesus
is using a nature analogyagainby saying that the Pharisees are not plants
that God has put in his garden. They are weeds that are put there by the evil
one, and they will be pulled out by the roots so they will not become
perrenials. They are just annuals, and they will be uprooted never to take root
again.
In Matt. 15:21-28 we have one of the most delightful stories in the life of Jesus.
"Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A
Canaanite womanfrom that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of
David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-
possession."23Jesus did not answera word. So his disciples came to him and
urged him, "Sendher away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24He
answered, "Iwas sent only to the lostsheep of Israel." 25The womancame
and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26He replied, "It is not right

to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." 27"Yes,Lord," she said,
"but even the dogs eatthe crumbs that fall from their masters'table." 28Then
Jesus answered, "Woman, youhave greatfaith! Your requestis granted."
And her daughter was healedfrom that very hour."
We have no recordthat Jesus everhad a dog, but it is clearthat he knew the
nature of dogs, and he had seenwhat this woman pointed out. He knew that
dogs are always whining at or under the table to get a taste of what the people
are eating. It is the wayof dogs, and when the woman, who was a Gentile dog,
pointed this out it struck Jesus as one of the most cleverresponses he had ever
heard. His heart was melted, for he would not dream of treating this woman
on a level lesserthan one would treat a dog. Jesus had not doubt thrown
scraps to a dog at some point in his life. For all we know, in the providence of
God he may have done it that very day, or been aware that he scrapedthe
crumbs of bread off his lap to fall to the ground for the dogs to eat. All she
askedfor was a crumb from his lap, and Jesus couldnot refuse to this woman
what he was willing to give to dogs. A crumb from him was all it took to heal
her daughter. He was Lord of nature, but this time the ways of nature won
him over.
In this same chapter Jesus feeds the 4000 with a small amount of food. He had
compassiononthem for their hunger and lack of opportunity to get food, and
so he demonstratedagain his powerover nature to accomplishhis goalof
meeting a vast need.
In Matt. 16:1-3 we read, "The Pharisees andSadducees came to Jesus and
testedhim by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. 2He replied,
"When evening comes, yousay, 'It will be fair weather, for the skyis red,'
3and in the morning, 'Todayit will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.'
You know how to interpret the appearance ofthe sky, but you cannot
interpret the signs of the times." Jesus was aware ofthe weatherforecasting
techniques of his day, and he doubtless did some forcasting himself by
observing the the sky. He was being critical of the Pharisees because theywere
able to interpret the signs of the weather, but with all of the evidence in their
face that he was the promised Messiah, theycould not believer in him. Nature
they could read, but the creatorof nature left them blank. They were

obviously being blinded in judgment because oftheir hardened hearts, for
who could not see that Jesus was supernatural eventhough he was a man?
In John 17:5 we read, "After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and
John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
2There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his
clothes became as white as the light. 3Just then there appearedbefore them
Moses andElijah, talking with Jesus. 4Petersaidto Jesus, "Lord, it is good
for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for
Moses andone for Elijah." 5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud
enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I
love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" In this passagewe see nature
standing out along with Jesus in a supernatural way. The scene was on a high
mountain site, which was typical for an event where God was to reveal
himself. Jesus took on himself characteristicsofthe sun as he shone with the
bright light that was blinding. Then a bright cloud appeared, and God spoke
from the cloud. So you have the mountain, sun and cloud of nature mingled
with the supernatural light of the inner nature of Jesus, andthe voice of God.
Here is nature and supernature combined to reveal the deity of Jesus as never
before. This spectaculareventdid not take place in a temple, or synagogue,
but out on the open mountain top where the greatestoutdoors man ever was
revealedto be far more than a man, but even the very son of God.
In Matt. 17:24-7 we read, " 24After Jesus and his disciples arrived in
Capernaum, the collectors ofthe two-drachma tax came to Peterand asked,
"Doesn'tyour teacherpay the temple tax[b]?" 25"Yes, he does," he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "Whatdo you
think, Simon?" he asked. "Fromwhom do the kings of the earth collectduty
and taxes—fromtheir own sons or from others?" 26"Fromothers," Peter
answered. "Thenthe sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. 27"Butso that we
may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first
fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a fourdrachma coin. Take it
and give it to them for my tax and yours."
Jesus not only used nature to teachand illustrate, he used it to pay his taxes.
There is mystery here, for we do not know if Jesus put the coin in the fishes

mouth by a miracle, or if he just knew it was there by his use of his
omniscience. It was an
extremely easyway to get his tax paid, and it gave Petera chance to fish again
for awhile. It would not have been long, however, for the first fish he caught
was to have the coin. Again, Jesus is the Lord of nature, and if he wants to
recovermoney that a fish has found and swallowd, that is his right to do so.
We don't know if Peterkept the fish and ate it, or if he turned it loose again,
but it was one fish that deservedto swim away free, for it is the only fish that
helped Jesus catchup on his taxes. Petershould have been grateful as well, for
his taxes were also paid. Here we see nature serving the need of God in the
flesh.
Miracles are a mystery often, and they are hard to explain because they come
from a different real from that in which we live, but the factis, we see
miracles happening every day all around us and do not recognize them.
Joshua H. Miller wrote, "It is very strange that a little associationofcarbon,
oxygen and nitrogen should have the powerof adding to their number and it
is strangerstill that the addition should take such shape, and produce such a
mechanism as a multicellular organism. If a brick were to grow into a pile of
bricks and if the bricks were to arrange themselves into the form of a
Cathedral, what a miracle it would seem;yet every day single cells grow into
heaps of cells and the heaps of cells arrange themselves into trees, and flowers,
and birds, and beasts and men, and no one seems particularly surprised." We
take nature for granted because it is what we live with all the time, but in
reality it is all as marvelous as miracles are, but because it is familiar we fail
to wonder and give our Lord praise for his working in everyday wonders all
about us.
In Matt. 18:10-14 we read, ""See thatyou do not look down on one of these
little ones. ForI tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my
Father in heaven. 12"Whatdo you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep,
and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills
and go to look for the one that wanderedoff? 13And if he finds it, I tell you
the truth, he is happier about that one sheepthan about the ninety-nine that
did not wander off. 14In the same way your Fatherin heavenis not willing

that any of these little ones should be lost." Jesus is againusing what he has
seenin the lives of shepherds to illustrate the love of Godfor the individual.
He has seenmany a shepherd filled with joy in finding a lost sheep. Jesus
knows the value that God places on every child, and that he wants none to be
lost. Nature involves life, and sheepare precious to the farmer just like people
are precious to God. It is natural to care about the life of creatures, for they
have value that we need. God sees people, and especiallychildren, in this same
way as the shepherd sees his sheep. The world of the farmer and his love of his
animals is a parallel world with the supernatural world with Gods love of
children. The natural world is constantlygiving us pictures of the
supernatural world.
In Matthew 20 Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard.
Vineyards were very common, and Jesus had to have had many experiences in
relation to them, and he knew the process thatwent on in hiring and getting
them harvested. It was a part of his life, and just about everyones life in that
day. He was fully aware ofall that went on in the greatoutdoors to provide
wine for the people.
In Matthew 21 we see Jesus riding the donkey, and people waving palm leaves
as he rode into Jerusalem. Here again, nature was being used to communicate
to the people that Jesus was the king they had expected to come in the name of
the Lord. As an outdoors man Jesus had likely ridden a donkey many times
before this, but this was the only public demonstration where the donkey
played a role in his life.
In Matt. 21:18-22 we read, "Early in the morning, as he was on his way back
to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but
found nothing on it exceptleaves. Thenhe said to it, "Mayyou never bear
fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. 20Whenthe disciples saw this,
they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked.
21Jesusreplied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not
only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this
mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,'and it will be done. 22If you
believe, you will receive whateveryou ask for in prayer." Here we have a very
unusual nature experience with Jesus. He almostalways used nature to serve

his needs and purposes, but here is a case where natue would not cooperate,
and Jesus did the unusual by treating a tree in a negative way. It had to fruit,
and so Jesus cursedit so it would never have fruit again. This is mysterious,
and we can't answerthe question why in this study. All we cansay is that
Jesus is showing again that he is Lord of nature, and he has the powerto bless
or curse it. It was not doing what a fig tree is meant to do in bearing figs. It
was much like Israelin that it too was not doing what it was meant to do in
sharing God's will with the world. He cursed the tree, and he cursedIsrael as
well so that both ceasedto bear the fruit they were meant to bear. Jesus is
using nature to make a point. Things have a purpose to fulfill, and if they do
not do it, they are eliminated from the plan of God. If you are meant to bear
fruit, do it, or your ability to do it may be eliminated. It would take a long
article to deal with all of the questions that arise from this paragraph.
In Matt. 23:37-39 Jesus said,"OJerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the
prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longedto gatheryour
children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were
not willing. 38Look, yourhouse is left to you desolate. 39ForItell you, you
will not see me again until you say, 'Blessedis he who comes in the name of
the Lord." Here is the farmer in Jesus coming out again, for he has seenmany
a hen gatherher chicks under her wing to protectthem. Jesus knew his
chickens,andhe loved the way they were so protective of their little ones. He
wanted to be like that mother hen to his people, but they were rebels who
wanted nothing to do with his protection. In 70 A. D. they were wiped out by
the Romans suffering the worst judgment God's people had ever suffered. It
was the end of Judaism as it is known in the Old Testament. It was all because
they refused to come under the wings of Jesus. Theycould have been savedby
doing so, but they chose rejection, and ended up being rejectedby God. We
see Jesus, evenin his most emotional times, using nature to illustrate his
communication to the people.
In Matthew 24 Jesus uses nature images to communicate his message about
the end
times. He refers to winter, the desert, the vulture, the carcass, the lightning,
the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, the clouds, the wind, the fig tree, leaves,

summer, and the flood. Jesus usedall of these aspects ofnature to conveyhis
warning about the need to be prepared for the end. All of natue is involved in
the end times, for it is all of nature as well as people who will be affectedby
end times events. Nature will play a big role in these events because it is a
primary tool how God is going to bring about the end.
In Matthew 25:31-33 Jesussaid, "Whenthe Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All
the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one
from another as a shepherd separatesthe sheepfrom the goats. 33He will put
the sheepon his right and the goats on his left." Again Jesus puts all humans
into two categoriesofthe animal kingdom, and they are sheepand goats. We
do the same thing today with our political parties divided into the elephants or
the donkeys. Animals become the logicalwayto picture people because they
are living creatures with characteristicsthat canbe identified and applied to
humans. Jesus knew his animals and saw reasons to picture his people as
sheep, and the devil's people as goats. Againhe draws pictures from nature to
communicate.
Let me conclude this study with these words from Joshua Miller. "There are
two books that all of us should read, and we should read them with diligence
and care;for they contain all truth man may know from the animalcule in the
sod to the seraph on the throne. These two books are the Bible of Nature and
the Bible of God's word. They have a common author, whose characteris
written on every page. To observe their common authorship is not optional
with us as rational beings, but obligatory. We are commanded to ''Consider
the lilies of the field how they grow." We are told to "Behold the fowls of the
air." We are thereby encouraged, yea, admonishedto study the sciencesof
Botany and Ornithology. The greatTeacher, as was His custom, hereby
intended to declare a universal principle. He intended to say to you and me
that it is well for us not only to read the chapter on Botany and the chapter on
Ornithology but all other chapters containedin the greatBook ofNature; that
Christians every- where — whether they are in the university or on the farm
— should feel it an imperative duty, or, should I say, a privilege, to acquire a
knowledge ofthose wonderful laws which govern the universe..."

FairestLord Jesus, ruler of all nature
FairestLord Jesus, Rulerof all nature, O thou of God and man the Son; thee
will I cherish, thee will I honor, thou my soul's glory, joy, and crown.
Fair are the meadows, fairerstill the woodlands, robedin the blooming garb
of spring: Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, who makes the woefulheart to sing.
Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight, and all the twinkling, starry
host: Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer, than all the angels heavencan
boast.
Taylor Marshall
Uncategorized
During Holy Week we turn our minds to the life and death of Our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
Although He is the Sonof Godwith a divine right on all material things, He
did not spend His days living in a modern home. He did not enjoy air
conditioning, heat, or a tempur-pedic mattress. He cookedhis meals on an
open fire. He hiked by footall over Israel.
Jesus was anoutdoorsman.
In order to appreciate the life of Christ in the Gospels, we needto remind
ourselves and our children that the Bible times did not include luxuries like
running water, cell phones, and microwaves. Camping is a greatopportunity
to experience the life of Christ in its simplicity.
To cook meals on a fire like Jesus did (Jn 21:9), and schedule your sleepwith
the rising of the sun and the setting of the same is a goodthing.

The Troops of Saint George notonly teaches virtue and manliness, it reminds
us about the simplicity of Christ’s life while He was among us.
Do you love being part of the Troops of Saint George? Pleaseforwardthis
email to any parents that might be interestedin TSG. Grow your troop and
spread the word!
Have a blessedHoly Week and a Happy Easter,
Taylor Marshall
PS: Our TSG campouts should be cell phone free. Fathers canhave them to
be in contactwith their wives, but the young men should not have them.
Fathers should not use them to check sports scores,text, or do business. Put
your phone in the glove box of your car.
Be present to God. Be present to eachother. Be present to your sons.
Outdoorsman Prayer
The Outdoorsmans prayer
Heavenly Father, Creatorof all things, I thank you for this, another beautiful
day. I thank you for the wild places you have given us to explore. I thank you
for the wild creatures you have given us dominion over, and for the ways that
being near them, we are made better, wiser and more aware of you. Please
help us to respectand nurture all you have given us, so that those who come
after us might be blessedas we have been richly blessed. Pleasewatchover
and protectus as we seek the pleasures you have createdfor us. I ask that you
help us to keepour love of the outdoors in its proper place in our lives -
behind our love and worship of you. I ask all these things in the name of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered the greatestpain of all - because
of His love for eachand every one of us.

Amen
Author: Unknown
4 Lessons I Learned about Jesus and Fishing
Jay Lowder
Jay Lowder Harvest Ministries
2017
29 Aug
COMMENTS
0
I grew up in a Christian home and heard about God countless times, but when
I was 21 years old, sitting in a citywide evangelistic outreach, my faith and His
forgiveness collided. That night became a defining moment, a cross and fork
in the road that gave me – at the time a suicidal man – a purpose in life.
Since that day, some of my greatestthrills have been when He unexpectedly
took the monotony of everyday life and turned it into something sacred. As an
avid outdoorsmen, these spiritual life lessons oftenhappen in the throes of His
creation. Here are four specific things God has taught me through time in the
outdoors with Him:
1. Make sure your boat motor is working or you’ll be tossedin the wind.
I once took my son on a highly anticipated fishing trip. The night before, I was
cleaning my trolling motor propeller and forgotto put the pin back in. When
we got in the boat the next morning and pushed awayfrom the dock, I turned

on the motor and off went the propeller. We tried fishing without it but in its
absence, we were atthe mercy of the wind and were tossedaround like a
trailer in a tornado. Therefore, the trip ended before it began.
A believer’s propeller and guide is his or her faith. Without it, he or she is at
the mercy of outside forces that destroy the ability to navigate a life’s course.
James 1:6 explains it clearly, ”He that doubts, [without faith] is like a wave of
the sea tossedto and fro.”
2. If you want to become better, hang out with a pro.
I thought I was pretty goodat catching fish. After all, I used to participate in
fish tournaments and even won a few. But my inflated opinion of my abilities
blew up faster than a tire on spike strips when I spent the day fishing with
Hall of Fame Angler Jimmy Houston. He made me look like a greenhorn. He
caught fish outnumbered mine five to one
Similarly, if you want to learn how to walk with Christ, as well as “fish” for
non-believers, get around others whose walk with God is deeper than yours,
and who have been living out their faith longer. Proverbs 27:17 gives us the
secret:“as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
3. Let go of the one that got away.
I was on a hot fishing spot where I knew I might have a chance to catcha 10-
pound largemouth - a trophy-size I had never been able to catch. It was a
beautiful spring day when I casta Texas-riggedplastic worm into the water.
After jigging it twice on the bottom, the leviathan hit my worm and I set the
hook hard, all the while yelling for my wife to getthe camera [never have your
camera out before landing a fish]. In my excitement to get him in, I horsed
him until I broke the line. For hours I beat myself up, retelling the story to all
my buddies and even my wife who watchedit all happen. Days later, I kept
replaying the stupid, carelessdecisions in my mind.

God says we cannot move forward while looking behind. Yes, we’ve sinned,
but if we have confessedandrepented, He has forgiven our failures; we must
forgive ourselves, too. Luke 9:62 defines our response to the past, saying, “No
man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom.”
4. Watchout for predators.
I was on a fly fishing trip at Katmai NationalPark in Alaska with my wife and
two of our kids. Not only does this park hold one of the largestconcentrations
of grizzly bears in the world, it also is home to some of largestin the world;
some bears, because oftheir salmon-rich diet, weighover 1.000 pounds.
Standing in the river with my back to my wife I heard her voice quiver, “Oh
my gosh, a bear… Jay, a bear is coming.” I turned and lookedto see a massive
bear less than 30 yards awaywalking toward us along the bank. I knew he
saw us. We had no defense but some fly rods. In all my life I have never felt so
helpless. My prayer life changedthat day, as I knew that without God’s
intervention, we were hopeless.
While you may never face a bear, you will face another dangerous killer the
Bible calls the devil. You must be on guard and alert while depending on God
to be your shield and defender. 1 Peter5:8 is a great compass. “Besober,
vigilant because your adversarywalks about like a roaring lion [or bear]
seeking whomhe may devour.”
When I first receivedChrist I prayed for all kinds of different signs. But now
I ask him to open my heart and mind everyday so I can see whatHe is trying
to teachme through the common things around me.
I still believe in miracles, and who knows, maybe somedayI will walk on the
waterlike Peteror maybe even catcha fish with a coin in its mouth like the
disciples did. If not, that’s just fine with me because Jesusis trying to show
Himself to me everyday, in numerous different ways. All I have to do is just
get in the boat and obey His command found in Mark 1:17, “Come afterme
and I will make you a fisher of men.”

Fishing for fish is a choice, but fishing for others who don’t know Him is a
command.
EvangelistJayLowder is the founder of Jay Lowder Harvest Ministries, an
organizationdedicated to reaching diverse groups of people with the message
of Jesus Christ. He is also an avid outdoorsman who loves to hunt and fish
and uses this passionto reach men throughout his ministry.
Tag Archives: Jesus
Hunting Buddies: a principle of eternal significance
18
Apr
My Hunting Buddies
I was thinking about Hunting Buddies this past week as I shot the video on
“Competing Voices” for WORD from the Woods. Do you remember near the
end of the video where I speak about when you hear those competing voices
you need someone alongside ofyou who can help you see God as refuge and
strength, an ever-presenthelp in times of trouble. That just might be where
you need a hunting buddy.
THINK WITH ME:
Have you ever wonderedwhy you enjoy hang’n with your hunting buddies?
All the weeks andmonths of preparation… scouting properties, cutting brush,
plowing food plots, planting, putting out feeders, staging game cameras,
setting stands and/or going to the gun range, and shooting sporting clays. It
could be that your passionis fishing so it might be combing through
thousands of lures and baits, cleaning tackle, putting rigs togetherfor a

weekendof throwing flies and tell’n lies. I know you never tell a lie… maybe
stretch the truth a little. It happens..
Do you know why I believe we enjoy hanging with our hunting buddies? It’s
more than just the great times we have in the woods or on the water.
We were designedfor community.
I have no idea where you stand spiritually. I do; however, believe that God
createdyou for community and the reasonthat hanging with your Hunting
Buddies is what you enjoy and look forward to throughout the seasonand
betweenseasonsis due to the fact that you were createdfor this.
There is a greatpicture of this community in a passage ofscripture in Genesis
1:26
READ WITH ME:
26 Then Godsaid, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness,
so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the
cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the
earth.”
Genesis 1:26
Did you catch that…. God said from the beginning of time there has been
community. He referred to it when He said, “Let us make humankind in our
image, after our likeness”.
God is revealing to us that He is “community” and therefore He has wired it
up in us from before time. In later writings we see that God continues this
thread of community throughout the Bible.
Jesus walks in community for three years with 12 guys and even closerwith 3
of those guys. He sends guys out in pairs. He refers to being with us when
two or more are gatheredin His name. He models for us an eternal principle
that without Him in our lives we are just out taking a walk, alone.
With Jesus in our lives we have the Ultimate Hunting Buddy. One that will
not callus at 4:00 a.m. and say I just can’t make it to the woods today. Jesus

is the one hunt’n buddy who will never let you down and will always be your
refuge and your strength IF you will let Him in.
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ACT:
SO, Where are you with Jesus? Where do you see Him working in your life?
Have you potentially substituted earthy, human Hunting Buddies for where
Jesus might want to be working in your life. Justsomething to think about.
Earthy Hunting Buddies are great and you need persons in your life to walk
with you as a spiritual partner…. I have severalguys in my life including my
boys who teachme SO much about God’s love for me and the outdoors. Jesus;
however, as your Eternal Hunting Buddy is SO much better.
If I can be of any help in unpacking this personally, please let me know and
I’ll do my best to walk through where Jesus is in your life.
https://chaplaintotheoutdoorsmen.wordpress.com/tag/jesus/
The History of the Christian Fish Symbol
.
The fish's first knownuse as a Christian religious symbol was sometime
within the first three centuries AD. Christians began using the Greek wordfor
"fish" as an anagram/acronymfor "Jesus ChristGod's Son, Savior." More
about this later.

The fish outline is a logicalsymbol for the early Christian church to adopt.
Not only was fish a common food of the day, it was also used by Jesus during
His ministry.
.
Mark 1:17
"Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."
Matthew 12:40
"...Jonahwas three days and three nights in the belly of the greatfish, so will
the Sonof Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Matthew 14:17
"And they said to Him, 'We have here only five loaves and two fish.'"
Luke 5:6
"And when they had done this, they caughta greatnumber of fish, and their
net was breaking."
Luke 24:42
"So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb."
John 21:6
"And He said to them, 'Castthe net on the right side of the boat, and you will
find some.'So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of
the multitude of fish."
.
.
A 'fishy' tale?

In the years following the ascensionof the resurrectedJesus to heaven, the
Christian church grew rapidly.
Christians soonfound themselves to be the subjects of persecutionby both the
Romans and the Jews.
In many locales,it became dangerous to be known as a Christian.
Thus, when two strangers met and thought maybe they were fellow believers,
one of them would draw, on the ground, the upper half of the fish symbol.
.
Recognizing the symbol, the strangerwould add a secondcurved line and
complete the drawing of a fish.
.
It is a very simple shape to draw - just two curved strokes.It could be drawn
quickly, and erasedjust as quickly if there was no sign of recognitionon the
part of the stranger.
.
The 'Greek'connection, #1
We do not know whether the story above is true but we do know that the
fish's first known use as a Christian religious symbol was sometime within the
first three centuries AD. Possiblyaround the 16th century Christians began
using the Greek wordichthys for "fish". Ichthys is the most commonly used
word in the New Testamentfor fish.
Ichthys consists offive letters from the Greek alphabet: I-ch-th-y-s. When
these five letters are used as initials for five words, we obtain this Christian

Declaration:Iesous Christos TheouYios Soter. This is an acrostic for'Jesus
Christ, God's Son, Savior.'
.
..----- IXQUS ----- Ichthys ----- Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior
I
Iota
the first letter in the Greek word Iesous
Jesus
X
Chi
the first letter in the Greek word Christos
Christ
Q
Theta
the first letter in the Greek word Theos
Of God
U
Upsilon
the first letter in the Greek word Yios (Huois)
Son
S
Sigma

the first letter in the Greek word Soter
Savior
Greek meaning
Iesous
Christos
Theos
Yios
Soter
English transliteration ...
Jesus
Christ
Of God
Son
Savior
.
.
The 'Greek'connection, #2
The Greek symbol for Alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, looks very
much like the fish symbol.

Rev 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the
Beginning and the End."
Rev 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and
who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
.
.
The 'keyboard' fish .
<><
Use the < and > keys to create the fish symbol. It can be added to your
stationery and e-mail signature (click on: tools - options - signatures).
.
.
.
Acrostic
By taking the first letter of eachof the words, another word canbe made up.
This is a form of word game calledan acrostic.It doesn't work in English, but
in Greek, the first letters do make up a word, and that word means "fish".
The equivalent of these five Greek letters in English is I CH TH Y S. In
modern English, we do have words derived from this Greek word "ichthys" -
ichthyology, for example, is the name given to the scientific study of fish.
Transliteration

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary:"to representor spell in the characters of
another alphabet"
theYin.
Can be transliterated in a Y or U. (Ixqus or Ixqys, Ichthys or Ichthus, Yios or
Huios)
.
If you never have made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ as you personal
saviornow may be the time to do so.
To read the Plan of Salvation, click here.
To see and listen to the Plan of Salvationclick here.
http://eureka4you.com/fish/fishsymbol.htm
Jesus the ultimate Outsider.
Postedon January 21, 2013 by Joe
“We have an altar, from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right
to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose bloodis brought into the holy
place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.
Therefore, Jesus also,that He might sanctifythe people through His own
blood, suffered outside the gate. Hence, let us go out to Him….” (Hebrews
13:10-13)
Have you ever felt like an outsider?
Good. You need to.
As a followerof Jesus Christ, you are not only walking in the footsteps ofthe
Ultimate Outsider but you have been calledto a similar way of life.

The Lord Jesus “came unto His own and His ownreceived Him not” (John
1:12). He was an Outsider even in His ownplace, among His ownpeople,
attending His own party.
He came to His world and it did not recognize Him.
He walkedinto His house, found it to be the haven of thieves and con-men,
and proceededto cleanse it, only to be confrontedwith demands of “by what
authority do you do this?”
You’ve gotto love His answer:“It’s my house.”
He came to His people and they crucified Him.
No one taking up his cross and coming after Jesus should be surprised when
the world turns its back on him and writes him off as a loser and irrelevant. In
following Jesus Christ, one should expect the path to be uphill, the company
few, and the flow all in the opposite direction.
An Old Testamentlessonworth treasuring.
In the former system, the blood of sacrificialanimals was brought into the
“mostholy place” by the high priest as an offering for sin. However, the
bodies of the animals were not eaten(in the pattern of most sacrifices), but
were burned “outside the camp” (Leviticus 6:30 and 16:27). The Jews thus
had an outside altar as well as the primary one inside the Temple.
Followers ofthe Lord Jesus see this as one more metaphor–the Epistle of the
Hebrews lists many such–whichprefigured the coming ministry of our Lord.
Quoting scholarEdward Fudge, “In keeping with this figure, Jesus also
suffered outside the gate of Jerusalemand therefore outside the camp of
Israel, so that he might sanctify the people with his own blood. He not only
was treatedshamefully (Hebrews 12:2), but He was in the literal sense an
outcast.”
Writer NeilLightfoot says, “Crucifixion in ancient times took place outside
the cities. Jesus died‘outside the gate,’that is, outside the city of Jerusalem

(John 19:20). His blood, in contrastto that of animal victims (Hebrews 9:12),
was the means of sanctificationand the one acceptable sacrifice forsin
(Hebrews 10:29).”
Let us go forth to Him outside the camp, bearing abuse for him.
In its immediate context, the writer of Hebrews is calling for followers of
Jesus to break all ties with the Judaistic system. Everything in Hebrews was
written to establishthat we now have the fulfillment of all the old system
promised, that Jesus Christ is the substance for which the old was the shadow.
That was the ritual; He is the reality.
In our day, there is a wider application. We who have chosento follow Jesus
and have been chosenas disciples of Jesus Christ are called to live for Him
outside the mainstream of this worldly system.
“If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I John 1:15).
The specifics ofthat–what it means for eachdisciple–willhave to be left to the
individual under the leadershipof the Holy Spirit.
–Originally, when some pastors and teachers begancriticizing the styles of
women’s hair and the length of their hemlines, I imagine it stemmed from a
sincere desire to buck the trends of the world, to resistthe lure of the carnal
siren beckoning God’s faithful people to indulge in its fleshly standards. I
suspectthat’s in back of the Mennonites and Amish resistanceto modern
ways.
Those things have a way of getting out of hand, clearly, and quickly becoming
legalismif the worstsort.
My conclusion, therefore, forwhat it’s worth, is that I am not empowerednor
gifted to instruct you on what “serving the Lord outside the camp” means for
you personally. Nor are you able to tell me. The Holy Spirit fills this role
nicely.
–Christians will always have to fight the desire to be both in the world and
“of” the world. (We have in mind John 17:11,14, where Jesus says His people
are “in the world” but not “ofthe world.” That is always the standard.)

What that means and how we choose to resistthe alluring ways of the world is
an urgent matter, but one for eachto decide. For many, it means guarding the
reading material and entertainment allowedinto one’s home. It might mean
avoiding certain people who want to be friends but who are toxic.
People who write of culture speak sometimes ofsomething being “campy,”
meaning trendy. The word “camp” is used in the same way, whether by
happenstance or attributable to this passagein Hebrews. In either case, this is
a reminder to us that believers are calledto live for Christ outside the
mainstream, not caught up in the worldly culture around them, and most
definitely not bringing it into the church.
“Therefore, letus go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach”
(Heb. 13:13).
And therein lies the problem.
We don’t like to be reproached. (The word means a disgrace. ) We want to be
loved and acceptedby everyone, respectedand admired by insiders and
outsiders, popular and acclaimedby one and all.
That can be our Achilles’ heel. The “need” to be approved by the outside
world has led many a Christian into big trouble.
Our heart’s strongestdesire should be to please Jesus Christ. “I delight to do
thy will, O God. Thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8).
There is no way to over-emphasize this. God’s people have to decide to what
extent they mean it when they pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in
Heaven.” And when we sing “Have thine own way, Lord.”
Back to the above premise (that “the need to be approved by the outside
world has led many a Christian into trouble”).
When a noted Christian figure (and a personalfriend of mine) was named
“king of (a certain) krewe)” forMardi Gras in our city, he rode in the parade
on a massive float, tossedbeads to the thousands of parade-goers, and
withstoodthe criticism. He explained to criticalChristians that the stage for
his witness had just been enlarged. My conclusionwas (and still is): only he

could decide. Maybe so, maybe not. “Unto his own mastera servant stands or
falls” (Romans 14:4). And I’m not his master.
Should a Christian drink socially? Go to cocktailparties? Belong to certain
clubs?
Should a Christian actortake a role in a play (or movie) that is profane or
otherwise unworthy? Can a Christian even work in Hollywood at all?
Here are three questions worth our considering…
1) What has my discipleship of Jesus Christ costme? What have I given up
for Jesus’sake?
2) Do outsiders see me as “one of the gang” or someone setapart? (Reminder:
the world “holy” literally means “setapart. I Peter1:16 fits here.)
3) Am I straddling the fence or making a sincere attempt to walk “the strait
and narrow”? (An allusion to Matthew 7:14 and Elijah’s accusationofGod’s
people wanting to have it both ways in I Kings 18:21.)
I suspectthat in this fallen world where God’s people cannot–andmust not–
withdraw, there will always be a certain amount of tensionbetween what is
and what should be. This will require us to live in the Word, to abide in
Christ (i.e., to walk in the Spirit), and to stay on our knees.
Only when we are welcomed“there” will we find ourselves truly at home.
Jesus spoke ofa day when He would sayto the faithful, “Inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world!” (Matthew 25:34). But
until then, like the faithful of old, “We have no continuing city. But we seek a
city which hath foundations, whose builder and architectare God” (Hebrews
11:10).
Until then, we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) and we live in
expectationof the fulfillment of the promises of God. Let us be faithful.
http://joemckeever.com/wp/jesus-ultimate-outsider/

How to describe a person who loves everything about nature and the outdoors
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Asked7 years, 9 months ago
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I'm looking for a goodadjective to describe a personwho loves experiencing
nature, as in a personwho has been in the Boy Scouts for most of his life, loves
fishing, hiking, mountain climbing, sleeping under an open sky, ice fishing,
canoeing, crosscountryskiing and other things along those lines. A true-born
“nature freak.”
word-choice single-word-requests
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edited Sep 2 '12 at 20:58
James Waldby - jwpat7
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Leif
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Lots of people callsuch behavior "crazy" nowadays :/ – Manishearth Mar 22
'12 at 7:43
Hahaha! Yes, I guess they do ^^ – Leif Apr 16 '12 at 21:58
Watch out. The term "naturist" means something else. – GEdgarSep 2 '12 at
21:04
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5 Answers
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I'd callthat person an outdoorsman
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answeredMar22 '12 at 1:50
Jim
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Man, why didn't I think of that!? It seems so obvious now. Thanks a million
for unblocking me, Jim! :) – Leif Mar22 '12 at 1:56
1
You do have to watchthe environment in which you use that particular term,
though, because some may perceive the term as gender-loaded. If you're
worried about this, you could describe the person as being outdoorsy: it's a
different part of speech, so it's not really a drop-in replacement, but it covers
pretty much the same situations. – The SpooniestOct 18 '13 at 13:23
1
Pssh, I hereby declare outdoorspersonto be a word. – ithisa Oct 18 '13 at
13:56
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There are a lot of adjectives which describe the physical activeness of
somebody:
brisk, alacritous, yary, jaunty, evelié, exilient, sprack
And to modify these words, you canuse adjectives which relate to natural
wilderness, suchas:
bucolic, fielden, agrest, rural, predial
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answeredMar22 '12 at 1:52
hohner
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Thanks for the goodsuggestions, Jamie!They weren't quite the right fit for
what I needed, but I learned some new words there! – Leif Mar 22 '12 at 1:57
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A biophilic is a person driven by curiosity, never wasting an opportunity to
know something more about creatures in his neighbourhood.
The Biophilia Hypothesis is an area of researchthat pertains to such people
and systems.
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edited Oct 18 '13 at 13:06

New Alexandria
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answeredOct18 '13 at 11:39
najm
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Can you please provide some substantiation & reference for this? The word is
not in the 3 dictionaries I checked:Chambers, Oxford Online & M-W. –
TrevorD Oct 18 '13 at 12:36
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A nemophilist. Maybe it relates to what you need.
One who is fond of forestor forestscenery;a haunter of the woods.
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edited Oct 9 '14 at 3:18
Mari-Lou A
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+1 from me. A word I had never heard of before. Thank you for your
contribution, I took the liberty of doing the searchmyself and including the
definition in your post. – Mari-Lou A Oct 9 '14 at 3:20
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Nature enthusiast
Outdoors enthusiast
Enthusiast: someone who is very interested in and involved with a particular
subject or activity: a computer-games enthusiast
(Cambridge Dictionary)
Motivation for my answer:the outdoorsman that was proposeddoes have a
feminine version, outdoorswoman. I've seenit used in the hunting and fishing
column in my localnewspaper. But having the two versions makes things
awkward.
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/61914/how-to-describe-a-person-
who-loves-everything-about-nature-and-the-outdoors
Fisherman in Heaven
Born on May the thirty-first
In nineteen forty-seven

The ticking clock, young Kerry Mock
Would start his trek to heaven.
An earthly span of 60 years
Left Chicago whenquite small
Atlanta bound, the life he found
Was really worth it all.
We met one day in eighty-one
And dated many years
In ninety-three, it came to be
Our wedding day was here.
We tied the knot on New Year’s Day
Intent to start it right
I found my way to church again
Was guided by The Light.
We both were raisedin Christian homes
But eachof us had strayed
“PleaseletKerry come to church”
Are the words that I had prayed.

My faith was strong, it wasn’tlong
This blessing came to be
My wish came true, into the pew
My husband satwith me.
Kerry loved a challenge
To prove he was the best
“Outcasts Bass& Fishing Club”
Would put him to the test.
One autumn day, he saidto me
He’d be back in awhile
I worried so, more than you know
For this, the final trial.
“I’ll be okay,” I heard him say
His fishing day began
I always told him, “Take the Lord”
He said to me, “I am.”
Unknown to me, how could I know
That this would be the day
The Lord above, in His greatlove

Would take my spouse away.
Kerry gave me specialthings
Oh how my mind does drift
The pretty birthday card and meal
The Valentine and gift.
I remember Vegas trips
The visits to my brother
Niagara Falls, the time we spent
Was special, like no other.
Cancun Mexico, not forgot
Memories, how they linger
The tackle box you left behind
The ring upon my finger.
Through thick and thin, the times back then
I’ll never find another
And through it all, with every flaw
We always lovedeachother.
Sometimes when I go fishing

It feels as though you’re there
I talk to you, so tenderly
The wind blows through my hair.
And suddenly it happens
A fish jerks on my line
I hear your voice so clearly
A chill goes up my spine.
A fisherman in heaven
God hookedmy biggestprize
He gently lured you safelyhome
Up there in paradise.
Author/Written By:
Marilyn Ferguson
©2008
SpecialNote:
This poem was composedexclusivelyfor
Renee Mock in memory of her husband "Kerry"
who died while fishing during the fall of 2007.

October16, 2014
Today's Photograph. . . . Life Goes On Just As God EstablishedIt (Josh C)
Bible Study Verses
Psalm24:1-
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas and establishedit on the waters. (NIV)
Thoughts
While fishing off an arm of the PigeonRiverin southeasternManitoba,
Canada, I came upon a massive beaverdam. I had to wonder - what purpose
do all those logs and sticks serve besides a house for that beaver?
I came to realize that, as always, Godhas a plan for everything, even sticks.
The dam serves not only as shelter for the beaver;but because it retains the
wateron one side, waterlilies and plants grow on the other. Moose come to
dams to feed off those plants. Bears know to check the dams in the Spring for
beavers that did not make it through the harsh winters. Life goes on, just as
God establishedit.
(JoshC)
Action Point

When encountering something in nature that makes no sense to you, stop and
try to see it from another angle or from someone else's view point. It is
amazing how many times our eyes can be opened to see God's work when we
look through the eyes of someone else.
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
Polarizedsunglassesdo more than just shade your eyes from the glare of the
water; they can also protect your eyes from a stray castor the hooks of a
misguided lure.
August 16, 2014
Today's Photograph. . . . Big Horn Sheep (MQ)
Bible Study Verses
Colossians 3:12-14
Therefore, as God's chosenpeople, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness andpatience. Bearwith each
other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance againstsomeone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which
binds them all togetherin perfect unity. (NIV)
Thoughts
I recalla fascinating experience while bow hunting in Minnesota. I was in my
deer stand when I heard quite a commotion in the woods. The leaves were
rustling, twigs snapping, accompaniedby clashing sounds. I came down from
my stand and headedtoward the commotion. Two big Whitetail bucks, 14 and
10 pointers, had lockedhorns and were struggling to get apart. I tried to get
close enoughto get a shot, but they pulled apart and took off in the woods.

Even more fascinating are the Bighorn Sheep rams that have head-to-head
combat. They rearback on their hind legs, then drop to all fours and charge
eachother at speeds greaterthan 20 mph. Fortunately, they have double-
layered skulls shored with struts of bone for battle protection. They also have
a massive tendon linking the skull and spine to help the head pivot and recoil
from the blows.
These above mentioned displays of aggressionare typical in the animal
kingdom to prove dominance hierarchy.
(Tom L)
Action Point
God made us in His image and in His likeness. We don't have to fight for a
position in a hierarchy of creation. We have Christ as our role model of love.
To be controlling, abusive and dominant in a marriage, or in any other
relationship, is not what God had in mind for us. "Clothe yourselves" with
Christ-like attributes.
Come to the Wind River Range ofWyoming and see the largestherd of
Bighorn Sheepin North America.
August 15, 2014
Today's Photograph. . . . On A Turkey Hunt (JM)

Bible Study Verse
Proverbs 2:6
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and
understanding. (NIV)
Thoughts
When you are looking to buy a new bow or rifle and having difficulty
choosing the right caliber, stock or arrows, back off; or better yet, stopfor a
moment. When it comes to high-tech hunting equipment, one really needs
some knowledge to make the right choice. As dumb as this may sound, guys,
you might try asking (praying) for God's help on this decision. That should
always be your first actionin most matters of life. I think that if God wants to
be as personallyinvolved in our lives as he says, let him be especiallyinvolved
in the exciting decisions like the one above. You never know where he might
guide your path, leading you to the proper knowledge.
(MQ)
Action Point
Always ask Godfor His knowledge andunderstanding on life's matters. He
says He will give it.
We at Sportsmensdevotional.comwouldlove to know where you read the
devotional. If you receive it in an email would you please let us know the
internet site you connectedwith or Facebook accountname. Recently there
has been some misrepresentationfrom a few that have no connectionwith us
who are operating under our name. We need your help to getto truth of the
matter. Please contactus at sportsmensdevotional.com

Today's Photograph. . . . The Narrow RoadWith The Small Gate Is JESUS
(MQ)
Bible Study Verses
Matthew 16:2-3
He replied, "When evening comes, yousay, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky
is red,' and in the morning, 'Todayit will be stormy, for the sky is red and
overcast.'You know how to interpret the appearance ofthe sky, but you
cannot interpret the signs of the times. (NIV)
Thoughts
At some time in your life, you may have heard a wise sailorrecite this very old
saying, "Redsky at morning, sailortake warning; red sky at night, sailor's
delight." Well, you now know where it came from?
I used to think those very wise sailors learned it from years on the high seas.
I'm sure many of them have. If you had to guess how long that saying has
been around, you would have to go back before the time of Jesus. WhenJesus
was confronted by the Jewishleaders wanting a sign from Him, He used it to
confront their hypocritical way of life.
He simply showedthem that they could look at the skyand know how the
weatherwas going to unfold that morning or evening. But, they could not
understand the significantevents that were unfolding right before their eyes.
(Rick K)
Action Point

I think today it is so easyfor people to get caughtup in what the media and
others believe and think about what is happening in our world, and yet, fail to
evaluate for themselves whatis really taking place.
Jesus wantedpeople to stop and examine the circumstances in which they
found themselves and see the truth - that He was truly the Messiahand the
fulfillment of scripture. Our world is not on a road leading in the right
direction.
Jesus saidin Matthew 7:13-14, "Enterthrough the narrow gate. Forwide is
the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter
through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and
only a few find it, (NIV).
The narrow road with the small gate is Jesus. It is only through Him that one
can be savedfrom his sins and receive eternal life.
It is always important to check area and national weatherreports before
starting out on any trip. If you have an idea as to how the weathermight
unfold, you will know how to better prepare. Then, prepare for the
unexpected. Last. but not least, read the sky. I cannot tell you how truly
accurate that old saying is.
August 13, 2014
Today's Photograph. . . . Pruning To Generate Fruit (NPS)

Bible Study Verses
John 15 1-2
"I am the true vine, and my Fatheris the gardener. He cuts off every branch
in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so
that it will be even more fruitful." (NIV)
Thoughts
Today I was helping a friend prune an apricot tree that was producing very
little fruit. When we began working on the tree, it was a beautiful, a full tree
with branches reaching for the sky. The tree was appealing to look at, even
though, as the branches fell to the ground, it was left looking bare and not
nearly as beautiful as when we started pruning. This tree should now be much
more productive that it was before being pruned.
Just as in life, we like to appear appealing to other people even though we may
not be as fruitful in the ways of the Lord. We all could use a little "pruning"
by the Father to become more fruitful.
(Dave F)
Action Point
In this scripture, Jesus is saying that God, the Father, must remove some
things from our lives to make us more fruitful. Even though we may not be a
bad person, God must remove some things from our lives in order to
discipline us and make us better disciples and instruments of His love.
It may be painful, but if we respond to His discipline in a positive way, we will
be able to grow spiritually. When we are going through rough times, there is

always the choice to be bitter. But if you choose Jesus,you can chooseto be
better.
(Dave F)
When out in the field, it is always a goodidea to have some wayto start a fire.
Even in the heat of summer, a fire can come in handy. Double wrap
waterproofmatches in Ziploc bags, and carry a lighter or flint-and-steel setas
well. Cotton balls dipped in Vaseline, storedin a watertight container, are
also handy fire starting aides.
August 12, 2014
Today's Photograph. . . . Truly Exciting (NPS)
Bible Study Verses
Daniel 5:5-6
At that moment the fingers of a man's hand appeared and began writing on
the plasterof the king's palace wall next to the lampstand. As the king
watchedthe hand that was writing, his face turned pale, and his thoughts so
terrified him that his hip joints shook and his knees knockedtogether.
(HCSB)
Thoughts
I remember the feeling I had the first time I hunted deer and saw a buck. I
was so overcome with a rush of adrenaline, that it took me severalmoments to
pull myself togetherenough to make a shot. I still getthat feeling sometimes, if

it's a really big buck! I've knownpeople so overcome with this feeling that
they couldn't make the shot.
Like King Belshazzarin the verses above, the adrenaline takes over. In his
case, it was due to the fear of God. The king knew he had betrayed God, and
that he would soondie. The body physiologicallyresponds to fear and
excitement in a similar way; and at times, is totally uncontrollable.
(Jimmy S)
Action Point
Hopefully, the next time we feel that rush of excitementwhen we are looking
at a huge trophy animal in the woods, we will remember this verse and the
overwhelming powerof God.
Perhaps that rush will come as we lead someone to Christ and they have just
askedHim into their heart. That's truly exciting!
Make sure you have a goodrest before taking a shot, especiallyif you have
that feeling of uncontrollable shakesrushing through your body. There are
severalbipods available to purchase for your rifle. These would serve as a
greatrest, and can also getyour sights above the bushes if needed.
August 10, 2014
Today's Photograph. . . . Wildfire (NCPTT.NPS)

Bible Study Verses
II Peter3:12-14
While you wait and earnestlylong for (expectand hasten) the coming of the
day of God by reasonof which the flaming heavens will be dissolved, and the [
material] elements [of the universe] will flare and melt with fire? But we look
for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which
righteousness (uprightness, freedom from sin, and right standing with God) is
to abide. So, beloved, since you are expecting these things, be eagerto be
found by Him [at His coming] without spot or blemish and at peace [in serene
confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].
(Amplified)
Thoughts
Moonlit nights and campfires are one of the best parts of the hunt. I
remember a fall turkey hunt, sitting around the campfire on one of those
moonlit nights, talking with my son until 2 AM. We were talking about the
future, his future; and at that moment in his life, it seemedvery uncertain.
Uncertainty in our lives can breed fear and loss of hope, if we let it. As I recall
that time, some 18 years later, things have turned out very good. I have a son
in whom I am very proud, a wonderful daughter-in-law and a very beautiful
granddaughter. All of that worry for nothing, like the sparks that flew up
from the fire into the night sky, only to disappear.
(Byron S)
Action Point
Titus 2:13 tells us to look for the blessedhope and the appearing of the glory
of our greatGod and Savior, Christ Jesus. Jesus is our Hope. He tells us not to
worry, but rather, to lay our burdens on Him. In Proverbs 16:3 He says, "Roll

your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will
cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans
be establishedand succeed,"(Amplified).
So, why do we worry over what tomorrow will bring? Instead, let's put all our
faith and trust in Him who is faithful, and then watch--be amazed--at what
the future holds. Readyour Bible every day and let His light shine on your
future.
Always make sure to carry something in your pack to start a fire. Waterproof
matches in a sealedcontainerand propane lighter are goodchoices.
Another tip for making a fire: Put sawdustin the sections ofan egg carton;
pour paraffin over the sawdust, break the sections apartand put them in
baggies. Thesewill start a fire when it's wet. A hot fire feels so goodwhen you
get soakedin the rain.
January , 2014
Today's Photograph. . . . May He Find EachOf Us As Grapes In The
Wilderness, ReadyTo Turn Loose OfThe Vine That Gives Earthly Life So
That We Can Abide [n The Vine (EPA.GOV)
Bible Study Verse
Hosea 9:10
"I found Israellike grapes in the wilderness;I saw your fathers as the
firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season. But they went to BaalPeor, and

separatedthemselves to that shame; they became an abomination like the
thing they loved. (NKJV)
Thoughts
Wild blackberries are one of my favorite outdoor foods. They're not nearly as
seedyas the hybrid garden-variety berry, and they're much sweeter. I know
of severalplaces where blackberries grow wild. This gives me an additional
incentive to hike or fish in those areas. BecauseI know where to look and
when they're in season, Iknow I'll find them when they're ripe and ready to
harvest.
God knew exactly where Israel was, too;not only where they were in the
wilderness, but also where they were in relationship with Him. And He
"found" them and made them His people. The messagehere is not so much
about His searching, since He knows where everyone is; but about His delight
in "finding" people who desire Him to be Lord.
Likewise, He knows where we are in our relationship with Him. If we're
without Jesus as Lord of our lives, then we're not ready for the final harvest.
When God finds us by His word of truth, we become a kind of first fruits of
His creatures, justas Israelwas before Jesus came (James 1:18), we become
children of the living God. May He find eachof us as grapes in the wilderness,
ready to turn loose of the vine that gives earthly life so that we can abide in
the Vine Who gives eternallife. ReadJohn 15:1.
(Don H)
Action Point

Even as Christians, we experience highs and lows in life. Sin, wrong choices,
or just the heavy weight of daily living can cause our sweet, ripened life to be
bitter and unsavory. (Kingdom terms, of course)
Think of how you will look to God if He should suddenly find you in any of
these situations. Remember, He already knows where you are in your
relationship with Him. It's a matter of how much you want to be like Jesus
every moment of every day. In your daily prayer time, pray to be more and
more like Him.
When picking wild blackberries, also pick some leaves. Theymake a soothing
warm drink when dried, crushed and steepedlike tea. As with any wild
harvest, be sure to washthem thoroughly.
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August 8, 2014
Today's Photograph. . . . I Took Some Time Off, Refocused, Relaxedand
Waited Patiently (Will D)
Bible Study Verses
Daniel 10:12-13

Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set
your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God,
your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince
of the Persiankingdom resistedme twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the
chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of
Persia. (NIV)
Thoughts
When I first gave my life to Christ, I had many questions. I read the Bible and
prayed earnestlyto God for revelation;and He was there, answering with
speedand clarity.
However, I went through a time where I did not know if God was hearing me
at all. Often I would ask, "Are you there, God?" I remember growing
anxious, even impatient.
Daniel had a greatconcern. His people had become complacentand contentin
their Babylonian captivity and subsequent lifestyle. But, Daniel didn't lose
patience. He "sethis mind" (focusedintently), humbled himself, fastedand
prayed for them for three weeks!This scripture reveals an amazing insight
into the heavenly realm of spiritual warfare. Although delayed, the angel
assuredhim his prayer was heard while a touch restoredDaniel's strength
(see verse 18).
At the beginning of this deer season, I saw a beautiful ten-point well before
shooting time. I watchedhim ease awayin the bright full-moon twilight. For
severalweeksand countless hours, I hunted that buck. I grew impatient and
started to question my spot, my abilities, my gun, etc. The questioning made
me realize that I was placing too much of my time, thoughts, and energy on

that one animal. I took some time off, refocused, relaxedand waited-
patiently. Shortly thereafter, God rewardedme with a nice eight-point.
(Will D)
Action Point
As I continue my walk and grow in my relationship with God, I have learned
the importance of a patient prayer-filled life. Colossians 4:2 reminds us,
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Be patient.
Watch and wait for the Lord. He hears our prayers and will answerthem
because His love for us is unfailing. He will give us strength when nothing else
can or will.
Deertrails often skirt open areas, parallelcreeks andrivers, or follow the
contours of hills. When setting up a stand, look for trails that deer naturally
use to travel from one habitat type to another. Have confidence in your spot.
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August 7, 2014
Today's Photograph. . . . If You Miss A Day, Don't BeatYourself Up Just Get
Back After It Tomorrow. God Is Waiting (Jack M)
Bible Study Verse
I Timothy 4:8

For the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficialin
every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to
come. (HCSB)
Thoughts
Exercise to prepare for the upcoming seasons. The days afield in pursuit of
our favorite quarry are here or near. We plan, we prepare, and we perform
the tasks necessaryto succeed. We invest large amounts of time, effort and
money in our avocations,as wellas in our equipment. If we are smart, we
begin to work out to get in shape. We make sure our hunting partners are in
shape too, especiallythe dogs that we appreciate and enjoy. They must be
refreshedin their training and given adequate time to be physically ready for
their challenges.
As men of God, we must understand that godliness requires spiritual exercise
just as physical fitness requires physical exertion. Let's prepare for what is
truly important - eternity; and not forgetthat which also has benefit now.
(Jack M)
Action Point
Make daily spiritual exercise a priority. Discipline yourself to be in the Word
of God and in prayer. Write a daily quiet time into your schedule.
If you miss a day, don't beat yourself up; just getback after it tomorrow. God
is waiting, and He will satisfyyour soul, and strengthen you as you exercise
the privilege of His presence.

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