Month: September 2023

When I was playing basketball, I fully trusted Coach Armstrong. I know not everyone can say that about their coaches. And I’m sorry that is the case. But I did. I trusted he knew exactly what he was doing. When he taught me how to shoot. When he taught me how to play defense. To rebound. But more importantly, when he taught me how to apply lessons in basketball to lessons in life. I was really blessed to have him in my life. And I try to apply things that he taught me to what I do now. Actually, I know I do. Because I trusted him. Therefore, I learned from him.

Having faith means that we trust God. Even when his timing is different than ours. Even when his answers are not what we want to hear. Even when his plan does not fit into our plans. Having faith is part of serving him. Sometimes the plan does not end the way we want it to. Sometimes there is pain and suffering. What I mean is, sometimes the results are not what we were hoping. God will even take away something that we love. He will even remove us out of something that we love. Barbara and I experienced that in 2016. We were brokenhearted by it. But we sat back and prayed. Prayed for discernment and a clear answer on where we were going.

When you go through moments like this, don’t look at it like punishment. Look at it like preparation. That’s exactly what is happening. Just as Coach Armstrong was preparing me for what was ahead, God is preparing you for what is to come. During that time, pray for the strength to do God‘s work. Pray for an opportunity to do God’s work. Pray for him to show you how to do his work. And be prepared. Because when the time is right, God will put you back in the game. He will place you where he wants you. And how glorious that will be. Not glorious for you, but glorious for God. He will be able to show his grace. Using you while doing so. How awesome! So today, work on trusting and having faith in God. Knowing that he knows what is best for you. Knowing that he loves you. Knowing that he always has loved you and that he always will.

Today, I wanted to wait until we got back from Barbara’s follow up visit from her surgery. To do this devotion tied to what she is going through. For those of you that I’ve been praying, I want to say thank you. We know that she is receiving tremendous care. That we are in the right place. The doctor and all the staff are well suited for what she needs. Today was getting her staples removed. And the stitches. She was prepared to feel pain. But she felt nothing. Which was awesome. The lady who helped her said that the scar was very minimal. And that’s great news. There are still more procedures to come. But as we stated, we believe God has us in the right place. Her healing is definitely on track. 

This world is one where physical appearance can dictate how people are treated. We live in a world where social status also can dictate how people are treated. Financial status. And others. All dictating how people are treated. It’s a world where the number of followers you have on social media can dictate how much money you can make off of your posts. Your tweets. Etc. Think about this for a minute as well. Landscaping and other decorative items draw your eyes to peoples homes. Please don’t think that I am saying that physical appearance is not important. Don’t think that I am saying that landscaping and other ways of dressing up your home is bad. Not at all. What I am saying is that this world is so caught up in appearance, we can forget easily what is important.

What we want to do is to make sure that we worry more about what we are doing on the inside of ourselves and what we are doing on the outside. We want to make sure that we are working on our connection with our Lord and Savior. That our hearts are in the right place. If we do this, our focus will be in the right place. And then God will be able to use us in ways we will never be able to imagine. Social levels won’t matter. Physical appearance won’t matter. Financial status won’t matter. None of this will matter unless we have God as our focus. Because then he can use whatever he has blessed us with to better serve him. That is what we’re trying to get to here. That’s the point. To build on the inside. To let God heal us on the inside. 

Today this is late. My apologies. But my office computer had different plans for me today than I had arranged. Let’s just say, it decided to do updates while I was working. And it totally messed up my schedule for today. Truly a first world problem I know. So now, let’s get to the point.

Let’s talk about Jesus for a minute. Let’s talk about our Lord and Savior. It’s my prayer that all of you know just how faithful Jesus is. Our Lord and Savior is faithful, beyond anything that we can ever imagine. It’s beyond anything that we can imagine, because we are all sinners. We live in a world of sin. And he takes our sin away. That is hard to comprehend. But it is true. And taking our sin away makes us new. We are new with identities in Jesus. And that gives us a hope and a peace that can only come from him.

Just as we live in a world of sin, we live in a world full of pain. Suffering. Sorrow. We’ve said it before, but that all began after what took place in the Garden of Eden. And since we live in a world of all of these troubles, we are not going to be immune from any of it. As a matter of fact, we’re going to face some thing at one point in our lives. I don’t think there’s any way around that. We are all going to face difficulties. Some of those are gonna be things that we are going to struggle trying to understand how we can get through them. But once again, that’s where Jesus comes in. He will guide us. He will teach us. He will show us the way. All the while, he will comfort us because he loves us. If you need more proof about his love for us, just look at the sacrifice on the cross. The crucifixion. That’s proof enough right there. So, if you have not yet, I plead with you to take Jesus into your heart. I’m asking you to make him your focus. To start following him. And serve him while you’re doing so. If anything, learn to accept the fact that he loves you. That he always has loved you. He always will. That my friends…Is our Jesus.

I’ve been asked many times, “How can I be forgiven after what I’ve seen or what I’ve done?” And I’ve heard this over and over, “I don’t deserve to be forgiven.” 

These are both natural human thoughts. They give us something to truly think about. Something to reflect on. Important topics. And the response to both is simple. We don’t deserve to be forgiven. We are all sinners. But our Lord and Savior paved the path for us. His love for us is beyond anything we can comprehend. So much so that He took all the pain and suffering of the cross so we can have eternal peace with him. 

Asking for the Holy Spirit to take control means admitting our “brokenness”. Admitting our mistakes. Admitting our flaws. That’s hard to do sometimes. But here’s what’s awesome: Our God wants to hear us cry for help. It’s a sign of our faith in Him. We’ll never be on the same level as him. But we can still serve him with our “brokenness” and flaws. Being broken exactly why we need Jesus. Being broken it is actually why Jesus went to the cross. Being broken is exactly why we need to take him into our hearts and then serve him. Think back to the disciples. They were all broken. They all had issues. And he chose them to serve right there with him. And to serve after he was gone. And that is us today. We are called to be disciples. We are called to go out and make disciples. Our “brokenness” qualifies us. We are qualified, because Jesus loved us so much that he went to the cross. So that means that every one of us is qualified.

This morning, several of you probably saw the prayer request to go out. We told you that there was a very big possible opportunity for the ministry taking place at noon. We asked for you to pray that God‘s will be done. That way we don’t put on personal desires in front of what God has planned for us. Whether or not the opportunity would go our way or not, that was not first and foremost. God‘s will is always the primary focus. 

First, we want to say thank you for all of your prayers. It means a lot to us that you would take time out of your day to do so. Secondly, God’s will was for another opportunity to come our way. Not this one. Basically, 20 acres of land went up for auction today, straight north of the Hettinger Farmhouse, which is our homebase for local events. And it was appealing for Charlie 22 Outdoors to consider because of location. Another factor, is that it is primarily timber. A great place for us to build a larger facility for our needs. Because we are to the point now we need a facility where we can house everyone under the same roof. Currently, we are using travel trailers. And that is fine for what it serves. But we know we can serve our guests better with a larger building. We went in to the auction with a plan in place. We even had a considerable amount ready to be donated to purchase the property. With other contributions possibly coming as well. But it didn’t go our way. And that is fine. I told our president on the way there, I was at peace either way. And that’s because if God‘s Will was for us to have the property, we would have it. If God‘s will was for us to not have the property, we would not have it. Either way, it’s a win-win situation. In the end, it came down to another bidder and us. And he won out. No worries.

To say there wasn’t a minute of disappointment would be a lie. Because there was. That was the human part of me. The excitement of what was taking place ended with a let down. But that was short-lived. Because…I realized very quickly that God has other plans for us. We put the word out several months ago that we are looking for 5-20 acres for the ministry. We have grown to the point that we need that. We have no debt. We owe no property. And that is incredible. Because we are functioning as we are without either one of those. That’s how awesome our God is. He has provided everything that we have needed. And he will continue to. So we know that the right property is coming. This door closed, because something better is coming our way. And we fully believe that. So today, let’s remember this, God will do things for us in his own time. He will see things through for us if we put him first in what we are doing. And that’s exactly what happened today. So thank you again for praying. Praying for God’s will. And let’s remember that God’s will was for us to stop and take a minute. Because he’s preparing us for something different. And it will be glorious.

Today is a day every year on the calendar that many of my family and friends circle. It is a day that many people across the state of Missouri make note of. It’s the beginning of archery deer season. It lasts through January 15. It’s a date that many of us look forward to as soon as January 15 ends. Because when January 15 ends, we begin the countdown to September 15 arriving. 

Many of my friends, that don’t hunt, wonder why it is that I do. I’ve even heard, “How can you shoot something so beautiful?” And I agree with part of this question. The deer are beautiful. And it really is hard to explain to someone who doesn’t hunt, why it is I enjoy it. But the answer is simple. It’s not about shooting deer. It’s not about shooting turkey. Or shooting other animals. That is a very small part of what it is about. Yes, I want to accomplish that. And actually, more often than I do getting an animal, I come home empty-handed. And that is totally fine with me. Because, hunting is about being out in God’s creation. It’s about respecting God’s creation. It’s about honoring God‘s creation. And when I do that, I grow closer to God. Because, while I am waiting for an animal to come in, I am talking with God. Praying to God. Reading about God. And then…If I am blessed to take an animal, I lower my head, and I say a prayer of thanks to God. My prayer is to thank God for allowing me to be in the creation. My prayer is to thank God for the meat that it’s going to provide my family. My prayer includes feeding others. Last year, we were able to feed dozens of veterans and their families with the meat from the deer that were taken during the season. And that is incredible.

If you don’t realize it yet, this devotion is not about hunting. It’s about being thankful to God for his blessings. It is about being thankful for providing us opportunities to provide for our families. It is about being thankful for providing opportunities to provide for our friends. It’s about being thankful to God for his love for us. Sometimes, I just happen to show my gratitude through hunting. I just happen to show my gratitude for being able to provide to those I love. So today here is my challenge for everyone, find something to be thankful to God for. Find something in your life to tell him you are grateful for it. Look around, and I’m sure you will see it. I know you will see it. It’s there. It’s there because God provided it for you. And that my friends, is beautiful.

The last couple of days, I’ve been able to talk with one of our Veterans/supporters multiple times. His wisdom is something that I value tremendously. In one of our conversations, we talked about my paralysis. And how far I have come in the last 33 years. It’s hard to believe it’s been 33 years. But, this November is exactly that. 33 years. Anyways, we were talking about being able to move forward with what happened to me. And I remembered a time that really hit home with me. A time where I felt like life was not going to be worth living. There’s only been a handful of times like that. And those all took place during the first few months. But that was one of those times. One that stands out. One I will never forget.

Since I was 20 years old when I was going through physical rehabilitation in Colorado, I had to sign paperwork for myself. Release paperwork. Paperwork that said the hospital would not be responsible if something happened to me during certain tests. Back then the MRI was a big deal. Because the magnet could pull metal. My neck had wires in it. Still dies. This one particular time, my arms were just starting to come back. And I could not sign my name on a piece of paper. I did not have the strength to do so. And it rocked me. Literally shook me. That’s how bad my condition was. Not being able to sign something. How did they get to that point? What have I done to myself? But that was my reality. And I felt anger. I felt sorrow. I even felt shame. Ever feel that?

This world is broken. Whether we want to believe it or not, it is broken. And shame is part of that brokenness. And if we allow it to, we can let it become part of identity. And that is unfortunate. Often times, shame will be the result of sin. And that is a natural thing to feel. But we can’t let it linger. We can’t let it define us. Because if we do, we can allow shame to dictate our actions. And that would include more sinful actions. And that will divide us from God. And we don’t want that. Something that is so powerful about our God is this, with Jesus in our lives, we can overcome anything. Including shame. With Jesus in our lives, the cross makes sense. And what I mean by that is this…His sacrifice for us will not be in vain. His sacrifice covers our sins. His sacrifice can cover shame. And then that will allow us to grow closer to God. Strengthen our relationship with God. And move forward in our lives with God.

This past weekend was an Operation Spring Canyon. Our annual event held at Spring Canyon Retreat and Conference Center. Just west of Buena Vista, Colorado. Going up the Cottonwood Pass. There were 20 veterans and volunteers on site for the event. The veterans’  military backgrounds ranged from The Vietnam War all the way through the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They served throughout the different branches as well. It was amazing. Volunteers serving veterans. Veterans serving veterans. And veterans serving volunteers. And one word comes to mind for today’s devotion: Grace!

God’s grace is bigger than anything we can imagine. It is all encompassing. No matter what we think, it is always present. It is a gift, not something that we can earn or purchase. It is love. It is a sacrifice. It is serving. And it is so much more than all of those as well. Even when we don’t deserve it, God shows us grace. Even when we run from it, God shows us grace. Even when we rebel against it, God shows us grace. Because his grace is one way that he shows us his love for us.

And even more amazing about God’s grace is this: It’s available for all of us. Every single one of us. And that includes you. Even if you don’t think it does. It’s available. And he’s waiting to give it to us. He’s waiting for us to turn to him to receive it. God is waiting for us to believe in him. Accept him. And welcome him into our hearts. So, let’s remember this. Let’s remember his arms are wide open waiting for us. No matter our struggles. No matter our failures. No matter our trials. God will show us grace if we simply turn to him. And his grace is more than enough. His grace will see us through. His grace is a true sign how much he cares for us. God loves us. He always has. He always will.

Yesterday was a day of remembrance. Patriot Day. A day that will forever be remembered as life-changing. World changing. There were ceremonies all across the country yesterday. Actually, many places held ceremonies over the weekend. All commemorating what happened 22 years ago. Let’s come back to all of this in a minute. When my father was still alive, we lived in housing with other military families. I went to school with other military brats. It’s hard to explain to somebody that never lived that life. But, I grew up in an atmosphere where we were united against a common enemy. We knew what are parents did for a living. We knew the enemy lived on the other side of the globe. Even though all of us neighborhood kids may not have been best friends, we still were bonded by the stripes that our parents wore. I miss those times.

This might sound odd to you, but I would like to go back to this date in 2001. Not because of what happened on 9/11. But because of what happened to the people of our country in the days following 9/11. There was a unity that I don’t remember ever feeling before in my adult life. There was a bond against a common enemy. There was an anger pointed at a common enemy. If I remember correctly, both sides of the aisle came together. Agendas didn’t seem to matter at that moment. Conservatives and Liberals united. We were Americans. And we were ready to protect ours. We were ready to fight for ours. That feeling is gone. So much so, it’s hard to remember what it felt like on September 12, 2001. 

It is sad that it takes something like what took place on 9/11 to bond the people of our country. It really is. But what is awesome about times like that, is how it shows that our country is still the greatest country in the world. Because of the people. And it’s during those times that you see Americans go to their knees to pray. Even the “non-believers” do so. That’s because we find ourselves not knowing what else to do. So we turn to God. Which, by the way, is the right thing to do. We turn to God, asking him to provide peace to those who have lost loved ones. We turn to God, asking him for wisdom on how to move forward. We ask him for strength. Point is, we turn to God. And God is there. He will provide all of what we ask for. It may not come in the form that we want it to. But…He will provide. So today, let’s try to remember what it was like to be united. Loving one another. Bonded like never before. Let’s try to remember what it was like when everyone turned to God. And then, I know this is a big ask, let’s try to incorporate that into our every day lives today. United. Bonded. All under…The One True God! Because that is exactly what we need. Because that is exactly what our country needs. Because that is exactly what our world needs.

Patriot Day! September 11, 2001 is a date. I will never forget. It’s my prayer that none of us do. I’m sure almost all of you have heard the question, “Where were you win…?“ Each generation can fill in the blank to fit their lives. My mother has told me she remembers where she was when JFK was assassinated. When man first stepped on the moon. For me, there are two big ones as well. The space shuttle exploding after takeoff is the first one. I was a freshman in class watching it live. It was terrible to watch. And the second one is 9/11. I was also in school because I was teaching at that time. The disbelief is something I will never forget. The uncertainty. The sorrow and the anger. It was bone chilling. Looking back at it, the world has changed so much since that morning. Some are good changes. Others not so much.

Last night I caught just a moment of 60 Minutes on CBS. It was a story on the New York Fire Department since 9/11. I’m sure you can find it online if you do a search. It will be worth your time. But, right now there are over 60 children of NYFD fallen firefighters from 9/11, that now serve as firefighters in the NYFD. NYFD lost 343 that day. A number that we should all remember. I don’t know the statistics, but I’m guessing almost all of them lost their lives when the towers came down. Something that we all watched live on TV. One of the interviews last night was with brothers who lost their father that day. The first tower had already fallen. Yet, he and others still decided to go into the tower still standing to try to rescue all they could. Knowing very well what was probably going to happen. Isn’t there some thing in the Bible talking about laying down one’s life for their friends?

One thing that caught my attention during the interview was how one of the new firefighters said it was not 9/11 that led them to follow in their father’s footsteps. He said it was the days that followed. Starting with September 12. He was talking about how everyone around them stepped up to help take care of his family. His mother was now a widow raising several children. And everyone around them came in to help try to fill the hole that was left with his father‘s death. He is forever grateful, and wanted to pass on to others what he was given. So now he’s trying to do that. Simply amazing! So today, let’s be thinking about what it is that we are grateful for? And I think as we ask that question, let’s look at what God’s grace has done for us. Let’s be grateful for that. We are undeserving of it. We don’t earn it. We never can. But God‘s grace is still there. Not to make life easy. Not to erase our pasts. But to cover us so we can then show grace to others. Even when they don’t deserve it. Let’s be grateful for the sacrifice Jesus made for us. So we can have eternity with him. So today, let’s remember September 11, 2001, and…Let’s simply be grateful!