Time in Nature = Time with God

This last weekend, Scott and I spoke at the 14th Annual Sportsman's Breakfast in Blodgett, OR. Thank you to all who were a part of the event; it was great spending time with everyone there, enjoying some great grub, stories and trophies! In this week's blog I thought I'd write out some of what we spoke about last Saturday...

Romans 1:19-20 says, "The truth about God is known to us instinctively. God has put this knowledge in our hears. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. We can clearly see His invisible qualities, eternal power and divine nature, so we have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God." 

Every person you’ve ever met, and ever will meet, knows God. They might not acknowledge Him, but they know Him. God's placed a knowledge of Himself in EVERYONE.  



The earth and sky and all that God made are among the most undeniable revelations of Him that we find in this life. Of course God is found in church and through people, and the fullest reflection of God in this life is a Christ centered marriage, where the Godly attributes of a man and woman are rightly united as one (this is also why Satan tries his hardest to devour Christian marriages). BUT, I don’t know any perfect people, perfect marriages or perfect churches…yet creation is perfection each and every time we experience it. And because of that, as the verse says, we are without excuse. God’s placed, within us, the desire to enjoy His creation because it’s one of the only settings where He is perceived as flawless and untarnished. Ultimately, the desire to spend quality time in nature is the desire to spend quality time with God.

Again, whether we recognize it or not, whether we admit it or not, our desire to be in nature comes from our desire to be with God... he’s placed that desire in us! Realizing this has been profound!

Take this scenario as just one example... how many of your wives are a little uneasy when you leave to go hunting? And why is that? They have to take care of the kids, they’re alone at night, they never get to leave for a week... lots of reasons… ultimately though, wouldn’t you say that their complaints stem from the thought that your hunting is a selfish thing that won’t produce anything but your being gone?


How many of them would be uneasy if you made it known that your trip was about spending quality time with God? And not making known by just saying it, but by actually taking the approach and realizing that your desire is to kill a big buck, yes, but every ounce of enjoyment you get from your outdoor experiences comes from time spent with God. How different would your wife's reaction be if your voice (and attitude) said, “Honey, I’ll miss you, kids, I’ll miss you, but daddy’s going to spend a week with God... killin’ creatures in His name, amen!" Okay, you can leave that last part out, but don't miss the point. ;)


Our desire to be outdoors is the God given, instinctive desire to spend time with Him… let’s recognize that.

-Jeff