Bighorn teaser video...
8.27.2010
For those who missed the ifish story, CLICK HERE
For those who missed the ifish story, CLICK HERE
Often times God sends us little messages and reminders about the things closest to his heart, things that should be closest to our hearts as well but we too often overlook them. I was sent a link to this song earlier this week and after a couple of days I finally clicked on the You Tube link to check it out. Two lines into the song I was already busted. Busted because I haven't been giving my wife and kids the best of me lately. I'm tired. I've been working every day for 2 months at the berry plant. I'm trying to get some more stuff started on the ministry side of Faith in the Field and I'm helping coach my son's football team. In my spare time I've been planning and dreaming for a little fishing vacation and making hunting plans because after all I deserve it.....right?
And then God sends me this message, and the reminder is...."You are the leader in your home, the one I have placed in authority and your first mission is lead them." A great reminder and one I really needed to hear this week before heading out on our much anticipated family vacation. Now, instead of heading out thinking about myself and how I can get some much needed rest and fun this week, with God's help I feel the goal changing to, "How can I offer myself to my family this week and give them what they need from me on this trip." Thank God for his intervention? I think the upcoming week would have been a disaster without it.
Here is the link to the amazing message of "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real.
-Scott
As the days go by, the excitement of what we might capture on video this year is causing a lot of sleepless nights. It's been really exciting to see the ways in which God's bringing it all together, from hunts and video, to friends and fellowship! We have a small group of guys with cameras in tow, headed to every corner of the state in search of nearly everything Oregon has to offer. If the Lord blesses us with great footage of even half of what's on our plate, it'll be the most diverse Oregon hunting video ever made.
The plate: Spring bear, turkey and fall bear in SW Oregon, antelope in central OR, a once in a lifetime bighorn sheep hunt in SE Oregon, archery and rifle elk both east and west and a trophy archery elk hunt in WA state, perhaps some archery mule deer, of course blacktails in NW Oregon, as well as a unique bear hunt in Northern CA with a local houndsmen from here in our backyard...we'll have youth and adults, men and women, boys and girls, old friends and new, and trophy's of every form! Our biggest concern is fitting it all on one DVD! :)
We're already anticipating phone calls from the team with stories of success and adventure, close calls and disappointments (the "highs and lows" as our friends at Born and Raised Outdoors would say). And as the anxiety builds, there is relief knowing for whom, and why we're filming this year. As an ifish friend said, as long as you remember why you're filming, it'll always work out. God has blessed us with an AMAZING playground that satisfies a longing in our heart...a longing to see Him, seek Him, meet Him, feel close to Him, hear Him, talk to Him, to fellowship with others and create a Christ-centered accountability with those who enjoy the same passion. It's going to be an amazing year.
As I sat down to write this blog, I found a word document I wrote several months ago that I wanted to share...it's not too detailed, but I listed a few goals for our video...
hunting video goals
-share what OR and the NW has to offer…the most rugged terrain, thickest habitat, toughest conditions and most beautiful scenery
-share the variety of hunting experiences, from turkeys and bears, to deer and elk, bighorn, goats, antelope, east side, west side, and a few out of state experiences along the way
-tips for those less experienced…those who spend limited time in the woods or are new to outdoor activities
-provide the opportunity for those less fortunate, or those who are unable to do what we do, to experience the adventure through our videos
-share God’s general revelations, Romans 1:20
-and testify to the reason we all find ourselves there…a Eden we’ve never know, but somehow know our hearts were created for
Many of you know I get "daily readings" from Ransomed Heart Ministries, started by John Eldredge, the author of Wild At Heart...a book that deeply impacted Scott and I's life, and many many other men, and women for that matter. If you want a deeper understanding of the God-given heart of a man, and of a boy, you need to read this book. Likewise, if you want a deeper understanding of a woman's heart, of your daughters heart, you need to read Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. While it's great to come up with original thoughts for our blogs each week, there are many times I just can't ignore certain ways in which God reveals things to me, and this week I have a "daily reading" to share with you. It's an exerpt from Wild At Heart.
Emasculation happens in marriage as well. Women are often attracted to the wilder side of a man, but once having caught him they settle down to the task of domesticating him. Ironically, if he gives in he'll resent her for it, and she in turn will wonder where the passion has gone. Most marriages wind up there.
A weary and lonely woman asked me the other day, "How do I get my husband to come alive?" "Invite him to be dangerous," I said. "You mean, I should let him get the motorcycle, right?" "Yep." She shrank back, disappointment on her face. "I know you're right, but I hate the idea. I've made him tame for years."
Think back to that great big lion in that tiny cage. Why would we put a man in a cage? For the same reason we put a lion there. For the same reason we put God there: he's dangerous. To paraphrase Dorothy Sayers, we've also pared the claws of the Lion Cub of Judah. A man is a dangerous thing. Women don't start wars. Violent crimes aren't for the most part committed by women. Our prisons aren't filled with women. Columbine wasn't the work of two young girls. Obviously, something has gone wrong in the masculine soul, and the way we've decided to handle it is to take that dangerous nature away . . . entirely.
This isn't to pick on wives either...we all have to be aware of the ways in which we are being fooled...dads and moms with their sons and daughters, spouses, grandparents, teachers, employers, significant others, pastors, elders, mentors, etc etc etc...do you see how the enemy is at work here? Putting men, and boys, in a shell, locked in a worldly comfort zone, robots in a life of duty and obligation, where they are secretly trying to break free, usually in ways that aren't of God...why? Because they are taught and shown that God's will is not adventurous, that there is no battle...yet it is SO clear in scripture that God designed us for such a life...because we live in that life!
We can't take away the "dangerous" God has designed us to have and expect to be all God created us to be, nor to live in His will...it doesn't work. We need to be dangerous for good. A scalpal is a very dangerous tool, but when used correctly, it saves lives. Without it, many lives would be lost. Without men who will fight for their wives, children and for Christ, lives will be lost. It's not a game, it IS life or death.
It's easy to take advantage of the freedom God's given us, just as it's easy to take advantage of the freedom our spouse or parents may give us, but without it, life can spiral into a wierd combination of resentment, privacy and silence...exactly what Satan would want. The story of our life is the long and brutal assault on our heart by the one who knows what we can become and fears it.