52 Lessons God Has Taught Me Through the Outdoors

I’ve said before that nothing can replace God’s Word, His written revelation, when it comes to knowing Him and finding specific direction for one’s life.  But our life experiences and our relationships can help reinforce those unchanging truths; those experiences provide a laboratory where we blow stuff up, make things sizzle, or discover what’s really buried inside us.  For me, one of those living laboratories has been the outdoors.

I manage a training team at my work, and over the years, I’ve learned what makes for effective learning.  The simple lecture alone will not get it done, but when coupled with teaching aids and exercises, people begin to engage in a life-changing way.  Studies show that when people can see what’s being taught and practice the concepts first hand, they retain upwards of 85 to 90 percent.

If we observe scripture, we see that God follows the same approach.  Often times He uses illustrations and training aids from His creation to explain an important teaching.  He places us in an environment where we can feel, smell, touch and take in living lessons.  His vibrant lessons are there everyday we step out the front door, as we head toward our busy day.  Here are some things He is showing me, and I know you can add to the list.

1. God loves order and beauty.  He’s a designer and an artist.
2. Some things must die to bring forth life.
3. A small beginning (acorn) can grow to become a huge success (the oak tree).
4. Strong trees have deep roots, and trees beside the stream flourish.
5. Little things can have a significant purpose.  Just observe the ant or the honey bee.
6. Just as I can count on the seasons, I can count on God.
7. As beautiful as nature is, something’s still not right.
8. Death is an ugly business, but also a blessing.
9. I have less control of things than I think I do.
10. Run from fear and it will chase me; it can easily overcome me.  I must face it.
11. Walking in a dark forest without light is dangerous business.  It’s easy to stumble and get lost.
12. Water, fire, and light are three of God’s favorite training props.
13. I must be careful where the stream carries me.  Don’t want to just drift through life.
14. God is my anchor, and He will hold me steady?
15. Temptation can lure me into the open and into the sights of the Enemy.
16. Be consistent and follow through; this helps me hit the mark every time.
17. Fish where the fish are and fish where God tells me to fish.
18. I need to notice things right in front of me.  They are often well camouflaged.
19. Special things happen to those who rise early and stay late.
20. A small spark can spawn a huge fire.  A good fire cleanses the landscape.
21. A productive knife requires constant sharpening.
22. Fly in formation—must support my team.
23. Be prepared.  I not only carry a physical survival kit: I carry a spiritual one as well.
24. I always use a map, a compass, or a guide to keep me on the right Path.
25. A successful person knows how to hunt something down, drag it home, and eat it.
26. Am I taking care of the arrows in my quiver?  Will they fly straight over their lifetime?
27. I should not waste my life when it’s not mine to waste.
28. God’s vast resources bless all of us – those who know Him and those who don’t.
29. God is big—I am tiny.
30. Pruning is necessary for healthy new growth.
31. Sacrifices must often times be made.  And usually at the innocent’s expense.
32. Life’s not all about me.  Forces are at work here that are greater than I.
33. I must walk through the valley to get to a mountain top.
34. One step at a time—that’s how I get to where I want to be.
35. Nothing’s really new.  New is just a repackaging or a recycling of the old.
36. The flower wilts.  Beauty and youth eventually fade.
37. I’m a steward, not an owner.
38. Everything has a purpose, a time, a season.
39. The dog is one of God’s greatest gifts to man.
40. Hard work is rewarded.  Persistence pays off.
41. God loves diversity.  And I think to some extent, He favors change.
42. Patience, patience and more patience.
43. I sometimes need to get away and be alone.  Our Lord stole away to the hills.
44. Be on the lookout.  Better that I spot the danger before it sneaks up on me.
45. The world holds many mysteries.  How well do I really understand our universe?
46. All things were made for His glory.  I and the creation, we’re made for His pleasure.
47. Sometimes life stinks and sometimes it’s very fragrant.
48. Humankind must always be cultivating.  I must sweat and realize my limitations.
49. Solving one problem often creates another.
50. Nature is a noble thing.
51. Something better lies beyond this world.
52. Take a kid fishing.  Take a friend hiking.  We weren’t built to experience this life alone.

How about you?  What lesson is God showing you through His wild creation?

Book Review – Daddy Dates

Greg Wright has hit a home run.  I recently finished his book Daddy Dates and want to recommend it to all you wonderful dads out there.

Greg writes from experience and from his heart; he’s a father of four daughters and a successful businessman.  I’m a father of one daughter and can vouch that his words ring true.  He takes the reader through his journey of fathering and “dating” his four girls.  He does this without talking down to the reader or making him feel guilty—just one guy sharing his thoughts with another guy.  A key word in his book is “plan.”  Being intentional.  Intentional doesn’t necessarily translate to perfect (good news for me and probably you).  A successful father raises his kids proactively and strategically.

Greg demonstrates his intentional approach by humorously describing his method for daughter dating.  He sees dating as an adventurous way to get to know his daughters, discover what they like, how they think, and how their peers influence them.  He’s found a way to do this by building trust and by not being overbearing.  Relax, dads; we can do this too.

What do you do when you and your daughter go to the bookstore?  Do you observe what books she gravitates towards or do you automatically rush to your favorite sports magazines?  Those books she’s been reading just might tell you volumes about your daughter’s beliefs, ideals or longings.  It seems that men are quick to solve problems, to ask probing questions, when really what we should be doing is observing, gaining trust and helping our daughters progress into womanhood.

Daddy Dates taught me the importance of treating my girl to a special time, a time of conversation, and two-way communication.  Greg suggests several practical date ideas, and he offers an easy survey which reveals your daughter’s personality type.  Understanding your daughter isn’t an easy task.  It takes more than quality time; it takes quantity time—a lifelong commitment.  Never give up.

The Book of Proverbs teaches us to know well the state of our flocks.  As fathers, we should know our daughters.  Daddy Dates places dads on the road to doing that

Okay, enough of my opinions.  Go and get the book and read it for yourself.  And if you do, drop me a note, and tell me what you think about the book.  I’m confident Daddy Dates will help you be a better father!

Here is a link to Greg’s website where you can learn more and purchase the book:

http://daddydates.thewrighttrack.com/

Fly Like an Eagle

The family and I had a wonderful time this past weekend at Guntersville State Park in Alabama.  The rain held off until Saturday evening, but that morning we spotted some eagles.  Some were soaring and some were on the nest.  We even spotted 3 eaglets being cared for by their mom (or maybe dad).  Thanks to my daughter for taking these wonderful pictures!  If you get the opportunity, go check out Eagle Awareness Weekend at Guntersville.  Next weekend will be the last weekend event for 2012.

Law of Life

I’m pleased to share an essay that my wife, Laura, wrote a while back.  She is an ESOL teacher here at a local high school.  I only hope that some day I can write like her.  She’s helped me tremendously with my writing and edits 98% of my stuff.  So the other 2% is where you’ll probably find the grammatical errors.  I hope you enjoy!

Law of Life:  The Direction of Your Life Depends on Who You Follow

by Laura Johnson

My father-in-law is a beekeeper.  One day while at his house, I had the good fortune of being able to accompany him on a beekeeping errand.  A swarm of bees had taken up residence in a small front yard in the midst of Columbus, Georgia’s suburbia.  A frantic lady, the owner of that residence, called my father-in-law, pleading for help.  He gathered up his beekeeping garb and an empty bee super, and we headed in that direction.

When we arrived, I saw a huge black ball on a small tree in the front yard.  This ball was covered with crawling bees, surrounded by flying bees, and was, itself, bees.  I gained a new respect for my father-in-law as I watched him don the beekeeping hat, veil and gloves, and wade in.  While I stood a safe distance away, he took the super, held it close to the big ball of bees, then proceeded to bend the tree over and shake the bees into the super.  Unfortunately, less than half of the hive fell into the super.  Great clumps of bees landed on the ground, while still more angrily darted about in the air.  Our family beekeeper let out a groan, expressing his disappointment, and said, “We can only hope the queen made it in.”

What I saw next amazed me.  Indeed the queen had fallen into the box, and all the other bees knew it.  The clumps of bees on the ground began organizing themselves and  marching in procession toward the super, up its sides and into its depths.  The angry, complaining airborne bees also quickly found their target.  In a matter of just a few moments, the bees were out of sight, their restless buzzing replaced by silence.  The tree was empty; the sky was empty, and the ground was clear.  These bees got a free ride back to the ranch where they lived happily ever after, and we all enjoyed the benefit of some most delicious honey.

Not all creatures are as wise as bees.  We’ve all witnessed people flying off in all different directions with no clear life purpose, producing nothing—or nothing so sweet as honey.  Others choose leaders, but choose unwisely, their lives inevitably producing pain and bitterness for themselves and others.  In contrast, those who choose their leaders wisely and follow them whole-heartedly have the greatest impact on our world.  President Ronald Reagan is the favorite of many conservatives and admired by many across party lines for his courageous leadership and calm demeanor.  Who can forget his famous words, “Mr. Gorbechav, tear down this wall!”?  Someone once asked Reagan, concerning his prayer life, “Do you really believe somebody is listening up there?”  His response was, “Oh my!  If I didn’t believe that, I’d be scared to death!”  Ronald Reagan had found his queen bee, and the results were sweet.  In my own life, I have learned that the direction my life takes and the legacy I create for those who come after me depend on the one I choose to follow.  I can, unfortunately, look back and see large chunks of time wasted.   Not having a clear notion of whom to follow, or simply choosing not to follow, I have frolicked in futile activity or darted about in the infuriating expanse like a bee without her queen.  Yet, those times when I have been the most sure of my Leader and the most committed to following Him have been the times that produced life’s best honey.

Honey, I Forgot the Toilet Paper

Have you ever been on a camping trip, out in the middle of nowhere and realized you forgot an important item?  This happens to the best of us, but having good checklists can help jog our memories and make our stay in the wild places more enjoyable.  Over the years, I have created some checklists that have saved me much grief, and I’ve recently tidied these up as a FREE PDF which you may download and share with others.  You can share this in printed form or electronically.  You can even post it to your website or blog.

 

Here is a peek inside:

Scout Ten Essentials & Day Hiking Checklist

Fishing Checklist

Hunting Checklist

Car Camping Checklist

Backpacking Checklist

Click here to download a free PDF:   Outdoor Checklists

Hope these Outdoor Checklists help on your journey outside.  Take a minute and share any items I may have overlooked or items you just can’t live without.

Christian Books for Kindle: 99 Cents or Less

Don’t you just love getting something for free—or real cheap?  Technology continues to drive the cost of books down, and Amazon Kindle has been a big player.  Many have also embraced the ebook download craze with their Nooks, iPhones or iPads.  My iPod contains several audiobooks that I can easily play during my daily work commute.  The quality of Apple products continues to impress me.

Back in May I posted an article about my Kindle experience.  I’ve used my Kindle now for a little over of a year and love the ability to carry hundreds of books around in one hand.  I’ve also recently published two short stories on the Kindle Store; the process was amazingly simple.  It was recently announced that Apple will now allow independent authors to upload books directly to the iBookstore.  Before, you would have to do this exclusively through an aggregator like Smashwords.

For this post, I’m listing some favorite Christian classics for the Kindle and they’re priced at 99 cents or free.  Though these books are cheap, the wisdom of these writers and preachers is, no doubt, priceless.  May God be glorified through their gift of writing.  Note:  I can’t guarantee they will always be offered for these prices.

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

Secret Power or the Secret of Success in Christian Life and Work by D. L. Moody.

Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray

Jesus Himself by Andrew Murray

Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

The Attributes of God by A. W. Pink

The Weapon of Prayer by E. M. Bounds

Charles Spurgeon:  Christian Classic Collection

Please feel free to share any good Christian books that continue to influence you.

***********************************************************

Now, I won’t even come close to comparing myself to the great men and writers mentioned above, but I would like to share my latest short story, “Two Lions.”  It’s available on the Kindle Store for 99 cents and easily downloadable if you have a Kindle or a device set up to download Kindle books.

But for my blog readers, I’m making this short story available for free on Smashwords.  This offer will last until the end of January.  Just use the coupon code YB62F and you’ll have the option of downloading to your desktop, laptop or e-reader device.  Once again, thank you for following my blog.

 

Changing Your Conjunction

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:24

“Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?”  Many of you remember this little song from Schoolhouse Rock.  This isn’t a post about grammar, but this particular part of speech can make a huge difference in our lives.  And the Matthew 6:24 verse certainly can go beyond just money, meaning other areas we set up as gods:  career, hobbies, material possessions, etc.

Tacking an “and” to the end of your Christianity absolutely wreaks havoc.  Do this and you risk sliding into the ranks of the Pharisees, legalists or any particular cult of the day.  It brings huge amounts of stress and distress to our lives.  We wind up doing things God never asked us to do, assuming life burdens He never meant for us to bear, following after beliefs that are either destructive or counter productive.  God doesn’t want any part of “and.”  He demands our undivided attention and worship, a singular mindset.  As we focus on Him, all the other things in our life fall correctly in place.

Have you considered changing your “and” to an “or”?  No, I’m not talking about choosing God or something else.  I’m shifting now to our day-to-day decisions and goals.  I’m first to confess that I want to do it all.  I seek success in my career, I want to write novels, publish short stories, I want to pursue my outdoor hobbies, I love to serve my church, I want to spend time with my wife, and I deeply desire to be a great father.  But as I try to balance all of these things, and many more, I can’t become great at any one.

That little conjunction “and” leaves us exhausted, shallow, divided, diluted, unfocused and sometimes obese.  Here’s how most people try to solve this problem:  time management and self-improvement.  They try to manage all these things into the limited 24 hours we all possess.  We simply try to improve our abilities to multitask and juggle.  Instead of time management, I suggest priority management.  Not everything in life is a priority, but we do treat them as such.  And not everything in life is about me.  Choose wisely what your priorities will be in 2012.  You don’t have to do it all.

Enter the power of “or.”  By incorporating this even shorter conjunction, we can change many daily decisions and our annual goals.  Earlier, I mentioned obesity.  Think how this concept even applies to what we eat.  Instead of having sweet tea and the huge entree and the slice of chocolate cake, I’ll have the tea or the nice entree or skip dessert.  Or I may elect to eat half the meal, drink water and enjoy my cake.  For 2012, instead of working on a new novel and writing several short stories and starting a new blog and taking up a new woodworking hobby, I’m planning to focus on one, maybe two of these activities.  The combinations are endless, and you must prioritize, but what a great way to streamline your life.

Remember:  you don’t have to do everything in 2012.  Thank you God for the opportunity to worship and serve you this year!  I want to serve you more than anything else.

How about you?  How can you change your “and” to an “or” in 2012?