Trail To Adventure

Around 2007 the hunting world was changed forever with something that has been called the Hunting Revolution. Many hunters didn't believe in it and others were doubtful, but they tried it, just to learn that it really was a revolution. Everything we knew of scent control or scent elimination was thrown out the window and hunting was changed forever. With God's leading, we met the inventor of something that made hunting completely different and far more successful for those who trusted the new system. God showed one man something that would change the hunting world.

For an outdoorsman or outdoorswoman, there is no better place to be than in the woods or on the water. Most of us look for every opportunity to get out into the outdoors to spend time alone or along with others. There is something that draws us back over and over again.  For many until the day we die. For those of us with kids or grandkids, it is one of the best places to introduce them to not only God's amazing creation, but more importantly the Creator Himself. There are so many things that point us to Jesus Christ and all that he has done in creation.  If we allow God to speak through all that He created, introducing Him to others comes easier.

Each of us comes to places in our lives where we have to make long-lasting decisions. We can choose to run in to trouble or run away from it. The choice is usually easy to make if we think before acting. Then there are times when we know what's right and we don't need to wait… we just need to run. On today's program, we visit with a young man who grew up amongst the crawling and slithering creatures of the Okefenokee Swamp of the deep south of Georgia. He dealt with all kinds of situations when he had to make choices to run or stand.  Thankfully he made the right choices.

There is a special relationship between a father and son. Often it's a bond that will carry far beyond the death of either one or the other. In our lives, we truly don't know how much of an impact we have on our  children, for the good or bad. We need to realize the people we see and talk to on a daily basis are watching us closely to see if our words match our deeds.

All too often in our churches a pastor is put in a position where he can never be just one of the guys.  The pressures, responsibilities and expectations on a pastor make it so he can't let his hair down and be himself.   On today's program, we will meet a special pastor who is able to do that within and outside his church. We will learn about the difficulty of many other pastors who aren't able to do that. Most pastors might go years without being able to relax and truly just be one of the guys. The expectations on many pastors make it hard on not only himself, but on his family as well.  

In today's world, everything is high speed this and high tech that and we seem to going 100 miles per hour. There doesn't seem to be enough time to accomplish all that we want to day to day. On today's program, we will hear from a pastor who has worked with adults and kids alike. We will talk about what it means to "be still" in this world that is anything but still. We will learn what the Bible says about our need to just "be still" in the midst of chaos.

"No Man Is an Island." … You probably already know this phrase. The words are universally known and often-quoted by men and women all over the world, an expression of the idea that men do badly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community in order to thrive.  Connection is important for the wellbeing and the survival of any man. No one can stand alone like an island that is surrounded only by a sea of temptation and pain.

Do you ever feel angry with God?  Do you ever wonder if it's ok to be angry with God?  Is He big enough to take it?   I think we all have times when we wonder what God is up to and most of us, if we really think about it, have been angry with God at one time or another in our lives.  Often we don't get our way and believe God has made a mistake. But down deep we know that this isn't possible.

In today's world, we all fight against being too busy. There are so many things that draw on our time. It's too easy to fall into a pattern of the world pulling us away from what's important. When we're not careful, we are drawn into a place of meaningless waste of valuable time. There is a big difference between that kind of business and being busy in the work of the Lord. On today's program, we'll visit with a pastor who loves the outdoors, but rarely gets to enjoy time in the places that he loves so much. This pastor has worked doing many things in the building trades, local schools, hospitals and nursing homes, jails and other places… all while caring for a church family as a pastor.

Most of us have never planned to head into adulthood with the thought of the storms that we will have to face. We all hope to deal with a smooth venture, but sometimes God has other places for us. He will see us through if we let Him. We just have to have faith that He will be there at all times... especially in the storms. On this week's program, we will spend some time with a husband and wife who have faced many trials and storms in life,  from the birth of a son to their own health. They have been tested over and over again.  Through it all, God has been faithful and has carried them whenever there was a need.

Throughout life we come in contact with thousands of individuals. In that group of people, nearly every one of them will never be seen again. There are those who will become acquaintances or friends and others we will come in contact with over and over again. Once in a while, we see that God has a plan in the people that He puts us in contact with. On today's program, we'll meet a couple of men who have recently begun a ministry podcast to talk about the outdoors and things of God. Earlier in the day our host made an appearance as a guest on Everland Outdoors podcast, then the two hosts of that podcast join us today on this program. Then God, again, built on this relationship for His purpose.

As hunters and fishermen, we are constantly taking aim at something. Fishermen at times are sight casting to fish in a river or other body of water. In order to have our lure land where we want it to, we take aim at the exact spot and let the cast go. As a hunter, it is required that we concentrate on a target before pulling the trigger or releasing the arrow towards the target. In life, if we want to hit the target we are aiming at, we need to take aim at what God has set before us.   On today's program our host, Dean Hulce, will introduce two men who are part of an outdoor products company and TV program. They will talk about the importance of taking aim in life…  not just in hunting and fishing, but in our striving for having the best life possible.

For many years there has been a saying that has gone around in the business world that says, "Think outside the box". Well that same saying has been getting more and more use in the ministry world as well. With our world changing and people being drawn in more directions that ever before, we should be begin looking for ways to reach men and women with the Gospel message. On today's program, we will visit with an old friend of our host that we met up with in Northern Texas at an outdoor hunting and fishing event. Following Covid, he had a calling to do something that would get men and women together to experience something with others. With everyone being locked in and chances of getting together with others very limited, he felt the call to do something to not only get connected, but to do it in a way to introduce the Good News of Jesus to outdoors people outside the church walls.

As hunters and fishermen, we are constantly in pursuit of something. It might be a trophy fish, bird or big game animal, or maybe just the pursuit of the next great adventure. Even others that might not chase prey in our lives, we are chasing after something: success, fame, money or something else. Whatever it is, if it's not the things of God, it is meaningless.     On today's program, we will visit with a good friend of our host. Our guest pursued a place to hunt and was somewhat relentless until Dean gave in to the pursuit.  God had a plan and eventually our guest gave in to what God had in store for him.  He accepted the gift that God had for him.

With a new year within our reach, it's a good time to hear about new beginnings.  We all face new beginnings throughout our lives, sometimes it's month by month or year by year, but whatever the time frame we are continually being shaped and changed into something new, more and more all the time. On today's program we will meet a young man who has served the Lord as a pastor in Texas. It's been a tough two years for this young pastor and he has had several new beginnings in his life. We learned of how God has brought him through some major obstacles and how he struggled through the steps to get back to where he had been.

Hunting and fishing camps are some of the best places to meet new people and make lifelong friendships. There is a special bond that is formed that changes the direction of many lives. When these friendships are bonded, God can do amazing things through those whom He puts together. Today's guest is a pastor who goes above and beyond the call of duty. While many pastors faithfully serve year after year within the wall of the church, there are a few others who work outside those walls.  This pastor works outside the church, not just in their hometown church, but all across the country to help churches reach others for Christ, through the outdoors and athletics.

Sometimes we think we have things planned out perfectly with every detail taken care of. Then God puts a stick  in the spokes of our tire, causing us to go off track and change our plans. That's the way things happened on today's program. God's timing is always perfect and when He puts things in our paths, we need to be alert to what He is doing.  So often our lives are overly hectic and chaotic, and we move at what seems like the speed of light.  It's at these times that we need to look around and see where God is moving.

There are times in every life where we come against things that would seem insurmountable. Some of these times we question if we can get through them at all. And sometimes it may be that God takes us home. Whatever we face, we can know that if our hope is in God alone, He has a plan and we can rest on that. On today's program, we will visit with a husband and wife who faced life threatening illness and through the outdoors, God not only built them back to where they were strong again, but also built their marriage strong as well as their relationship with the Lord stronger.

All of us at some time in our lives go through a painful loss. As a child, something small seems impossible to get through and as we get older small things become big things. No matter what it is that we face, there is always a way to get through. Today's guest will share a story of how he and his wife got through the untimely death of their young son and how God blessed them as they learned to deal with their loss. If you have suffered loss or are a person that is always worrying about a potential loss today's program should give you great hope and tools to live by. There is hope in the worst of situations when you give God the reins in dealing with life's worst circumstances.

There are so many times when we're going through really hard times and we begin to feel sorry for ourselves. We can allow those times to make us feel defeated and that life is unfair. But if we really look around at those around us, can we honestly say that?  I've got it pretty easy compared to some others. As we listen to today's program, we will hear from a young man with a "glass half full" attitude who has spent his entire life in a wheelchair and yet often in his life he says, "I've got it better than many others."