Recurve Rooseys...video below

9.22.2010

Thanks for all your prayers as I chased elk with my own stick and string last weekend...but pray harder...I'm still after one! :) I may give it a day or two this last weekend of the season. As we all know, hunting is about far more than the kill...it's about the company, where it takes you, the memories created and what you learn about yourself, the world, life and our creator. At times I feel the pressure of notching tags for this year's DVD, but I'm relieved each an every time knowing that God is in control...of everything...from each and every blog that gets posted, to what goes on our DVD and into the programs and activities we will put together...and the adventures you all are having as well! He is in control...and this last weekend I was reminded that I need to have "faith in the field," whenever and wherever that may be.

Over Labor Day weekend I headed out with a good friend, David Brinker, from Sitka Gear, and his dad after some Northwest OR roosevelt elk. We found some screamers, but getting within the magical 30 yard range with traditional gear was a challenge. I wanted to share a short video with you that encompasses so much...from the beauty of the coastal mountains and it's inhabitants, to a father and son's epic journey together...as well as the reality of the hunt and a traditional bowhunting theme. It's a quick recap I hope you'll enjoy watching while taking a break from the grind.




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Fall Photo Contest!

9.16.2010

Before I get to the details of our first photo contest I just thought I would ask for your prayers this weekend for my brother, Jeff. After spending all of his time this archery elk season filming other hunters, he is finally getting out this weekend with a chance to be shooter! He really wants to get one....which I'm sure is why I didn't get invited along. Would you please pray that God sends the perfect elk along. Since we should pray specifically, here is what the perfect elk will be like. A bull, or a cow. Deaf, blind and have no sense of smell. Three legged would be good, two is better yet! This elk will need to come within 3 yards and stand still. If it came with a bulls eye painted over the vitals, that would be good too! Please join me:)

Now, on to the business at hand. We've been enjoying a few of the photo's that friends have been sending our way of the trophies you have bagged already this season. It got us thinking that it would be cool if all of you would send us a photo or two of the animals, birds, or fish you bag this fall. We'll get a panel together and judge the photo's and declare some winners.

Here are some rules....honor system.

-Photo must be taken of an animal, fish, or bird(s) legally taken this year, 2010.
-If you shoot an animal from your hot tub (Dad) please put a shirt on before photo is taken.

Photo's will be judged on picture quality, backdrop scenery, the presentation of the game or fish and we will probably give a little preference to kids with big smiles and trophy size beasts, or maybe we might be swayed by anything that grabs at our heart strings in your photo summary paragraph.

Please include with your photo, a short paragraph summing up the trip, GPS coordinates, your name, email address and a phone number. (We will keep this private) Kidding about the GPS stuff;)

We can't promise anything because we haven't started putting together the video for this year, but we may want to add your still shot photo's at the end of our video while the credits are rolling. Please indicate if that is okay with you when send in your entries.

Winners will be contacted the first week of January. 1st place will get first choice of prizes, 2nd will get........2nd choice and 3rd place will get what's left. 4th place will get whatever Cliff Bars and Capri Suns are left at the bottom of my pack at the end of the season.

The Prizes will be:

-A Winter Steelhead Driftboat trip for two on the Siletz or Trask river with me. I am not a guide and have only sunk 1 driftboat. We usually catch some fish though.

-$50.00 gift card to Cabellas

-A Faith in the Field T-shirt and free 2010 video.

To Enter: Send photo in email form to info@faithinthefield.com Please title the email "Photo Contest"

Good luck to everyone this fall season. May God bless you and keep you safe as you adventure in the outdoors this fall. And our prayer for you is that you will be struck by creation and the Creator in new and deeper ways this fall as you Seek The One!

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The Role of Nature

9.08.2010

We often allude to the beauty and revelation of the outdoors…that they speak of a Eden we’ve never known, but somehow know we were created for. Romans 1:20 says God’s divine attributes, invisible qualities and eternal power are clearly seen and understood through all that has been made. Creation reveals the heart of God. Through my ever-growing knowledge and understanding of the ways in which God is revealed in my outdoor excursions, I find myself meeting Him there more often…and there is more than meets the eye to what can be taken away from our time in the field. Enjoy the following excerpt from The Way of The Wild Heart, by John Eldredge.

There is a humility and a seasoned wisdom to be learned in the natural world, as they are learned no other place.

One of the great lessons nature has for us…there is a way things work. You cannot simply walk through this world any old way you want. Turn a canoe sideways and it will tip. Approach an elk upwind and it will spook. Run your hand along the grain of wood and you'll get a splinter. There is a way things work. Oh, what a crucial lesson this is for a man. In the realm of nature, you can't just order room service, or change the channel, or write a new program to solve your problems. You can't ignore the way things work. You must be taught by it. Humility and wisdom come to a man when he learns those ways, and learns to live his life accordingly.

So, yes, I am saying that an encounter with the natural world-the world God set us in-is essential for masculine initiation. I'm not saying that every man needs to love to fish and hunt. But yes-there are things to learn through nature, lessons that simply cannot be learned anywhere else. It might be out on the open sea. It might take place bicycling through farmlands. Does this mean that a man who loves the city cannot enter into masculine initiation and maturity? Not at all. C. S. Lewis was not an outdoorsman. He spent his days with books, in the academies of England. But I find it important that he felt his day was never complete without a walk outside. Not a fifty-mile backpacking trip. A walk in the woods. Time spent in the field.

It's worth a try, and I'll guarantee God will meet you there, if you'll let him.

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Astoria 2010

9.02.2010

Well, we had another good trip to Astoria for salmon camp again this year. The fishing wasn't as hot as in years past but we managed to get our share. We were able to avoid any skunk outings by at least getting one keeper each trip out and our best day was 5 salmon to the net. Most importantly we were able to grill up some fresh salmon for dinner almost every night back in camp. Here are a few pictures of the fish and the expert anglers....







Lot's of memories from this year like me falling off of the dock before heading out one morning, playing on the beach, riding bikes and of course catching fish. Morgan and Grant are turning into quite the fishermen. My favorite memory though was one night while sitting at the campfire a tired and weary 2 year old climbed up onto my lap, put her head on my shoulder with her cold little nose next to my neck and breathed a big sigh. It had been a long day, she was a little dirty, she missed her nap, had just gotten some camp fire smoke in her eyes and she turned to me for comfort. I was thrilled! She could have gone to grandma or mommy or big sister but she came to daddy which honestly is getting more rare as she grows. It made my day.
And it caused me to wonder. If I enjoyed being able to comfort my child so much, how much more does God love to be there to comfort us? We have long days, we get tired and weary and dirty and hurt....where do we turn? The refrigerator, the TV, sleep, a hot shower...or maybe darker things....addictions perhaps. But God is there, we just need to climb up in his lap and rest. We ought to be looking for comfort in the only real place there is to find it. I just bet it would make God's day as well.
-Scott

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