September 30, 2011


Today's Photograph . . . . The Cross, Stuck In The Beach, At The Very Spot Bear Problems Had Been Reported (Dave M)

Bible Study Verse
Psalms 84:12
LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You. (NIV)

Thoughts

This past year has been an interesting one for me.  The Lord blessed me with the opportunity to write and publish an outdoors devotional book, Swim Upstream.  Over the course of the last year, I've had multiple conversations about one particular story that I share in the devotional where my family was backpacking for our very first trip, and we ran into a potentially problematic bear situation at one of our overnight stays. 
The focus of the story ends up talking about how we found a hand-made cross, stuck in the beach, at the very spot bear problems had been reported.  The point of the story discusses the idea of never being too far away from the cross - even when you feel away from God and have distanced yourself from Him.

What is interesting with these conversations is that I find myself filling in details that aren't mentioned in the book, and people are fascinated by the extra information.  For instance, in the devotional, I don't tell the fact that my wife had broken her foot exactly half way through the trip.  We either had to go back the way we came or finish the trip.  God bless my wife, we finished the trip with her limping along. 
Another piece of the story that people find interesting is that I found out later who actually had made the cross.  The cross creator, who lived 6 hours away, had been kayaking through the region a year earlier and got laid up at that particular beach because of a back problem he was experiencing.  He had to wait a couple of days for his back to feel better before he could take off and finish his trip.  I found this out through my sister, because it was her boss.   They happened to be discussing the area he had kayaked through and it happened to be the same spot I had told my sister about with our backpacking trip.
(Dave M)

Action Point

Where exactly is this leading?  Have you ever heard people say that they could believe in God or the Bible if they just knew this piece of information or that piece of information?  Why is it that the Bible doesn't explain this or that?  Here's what I know.  In my devotional, I didn't tell the extra details, because it wasn't the point of the story.   I had a focus for people to think about, and that was all they needed.

Is there more information that God could have included in the Bible for us?  Certainly, but He gave us exactly what He wanted us to know.  He didn't include any more or any less than we need to know.  If you find yourself just looking for that last piece of information to convince yourself to believe in God and His word, just stop.  You have a decision to make.  Are you going to trust Him or not?

You could have all the info at your fingertips, and you would still find yourself at the core issue, "Can I trust Him?"  As a friend, just let me encourage you to place your faith in Him.  His ways are life transforming, and He has your best interests in mind.  I do know this.  My life did a complete overhaul 25 years ago when I first placed my trust in Him.  Just believe!!!

Sportsmen's Tip of the Day

If you are planting a food plot for white tail, consider planting tall grass around the perimeter.   Deer are more comfortable in this environment than a completely open area