Our kids and Lance and Tiffany's kids

You're Not Alone

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage? His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.



He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!



Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone.

A Message From Gracyn

Hi everybody it's Gracyn. I havent written in a while because I had to have my surgery. As you know it went really well. After surgery it hurt quite a bit but I feel much better now. I'm doing really good with my medicine and everything else. Thank you for praying that God would provide me the perfect heart and He sure did. I thank him that I am feeling so healthy and my biopsy went good. God has taken care of me and I might get to go home on Monday. Please keep praying. I am really happy to know I will be going home soon. Love, Gracyn

Daily Verse

A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

Proverbs 15:5 (New International Version)

Sportsmen's Devotional Friday

A Daily Study of God's Word for Christian Sportsmen April 24, 2009

Today's Photograph....A Good Day On The Water (Janet B)

Bible Study Verse
Proverbs 27:1-2
Don't boast about tomorrow, for you don't know what a day might bring. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth - a stranger, and not your own lips. (HCSB)

Thoughts
In the charter boat business, one day you might be a hero with full limits. The next day conditions change, the fish don't bite, and you struggle. You can spot a rookie guide from a mile away when he struts around the dock with a cooler full of fish and proclaims himself as the greatest. As usual on a tough day, he tucks his tail between his legs and mopes. The truth of the matter is, we all have great days, good days, average days, slow days, and downright poor days. The veteran guide knows this and keeps his cool and confidence when things are going good or when it is tough to get a bite. (Bink G)

Action Point
Proverbs was written as a practical guide to everyday living. The above scripture instructs us to be humble in our successes, because the next day the wind may be blowing 25 knots from the southwest or the fish may not be hungry. Nobody likes the clamor from the self-righteous. If you must boast, boast in the Lord, even if you only have a few fish to clean.


Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
When fishing conditions are tough, it is even more important to know your tides and moon phases. The fish may only bite for an hour that day, so you better be there when they feed

Health

Remember to eat as natural as possible. Our bodies don't recognize or know how to break down the elaborate chemicals in modern foods. Copy and paste this link in your browser. It relates to artificial sweeteners.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/;_ylt=AvL7kxbdgWbcsrLLjnLlkZ4azJV4?rn=3906861&cl=13088937&ch=4226723&src=news

Sportsmen's Devotional Wednesday

A Daily Study of God's Word for Christian Sportsmen April 22, 2009

Today's Photograph.... The Right Spot At The Right Time (Will D)

Bible Study Verse
Acts 9:1-2
Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord's followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them-both men and women-back to Jerusalem in chains. (NLT)

II Corinthians 10:3-4
We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. (NLT)

Thoughts
There are certain days of year when the weather, the tide, and the moon align creating perfect fishing conditions. Fishermen reap great harvests. However, angler's zeal to be in the right spot at the right time sometimes causes rifts among us - frustrations that lead to anger or conflict on the water. We might say words we regret.

Before Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he had no problem with anger. In fact, he used it well. he was "eager to kill". But God had a different purpose for Saul. When He met him, He changed him. Saul became Paul. A man driven with a spirit of hatred is replaced with a man of Holy Spirit led compassion. A drastic change only possible from a living God. Later, when Paul confronts problems within the Corinthian church, he does so with composure. His calculated, Christ led approach succeeds and ultimately leads to a Christian movement that consumes all of Rome. (Will D)

Action Point
As Christian hunters and fishermen we might be tested by circumstances on the water or in the field. How will we deal with the conflict? Like Saul of Tarsus or like Paul? A Christ led approach to tenuous situations can show others how Christ lives in us - quite possibly leading to a change in them.


Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
When fishing crowded areas, a good rule of thumb is to stay two to three casts away from the nearest boat