Archery…Ministry…Youth

Romans 11:29 – For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Gifts.  Calling of God.  Irrevocable.  Sounds ominous doesn’t it?  Almost like a draft card.

But why do we always view the calling of God as ominous.  Maybe you don’t, but I did.  People always spoke with reverence when they made statements like, “he got the call”, “he was called by God”, or “God put a calling on his life”  It always sounded so…sacrificial.  Like a lamb to the slaughter.

It’s difficult to answer God when you have that type of view about his work.  I would know.  I ran from his calling when I was 19.  I did everything as far away from the plan that he had for my life as I possibly could.  He even put a group of men in my path that offered to pay for my college.  I joined the Army instead.  Through a very twisted path God still found a way to get me into a ministry.

So down this twisted path we will go.  In my first post I talked about what it took for me to become interested in hunting and latter about how I have become enthralled with bow hunting.  I wanted to learn more about all of this and soon discovered a fantastic website. http://www.TNDeer.com.  The friendliest camp fire on the internet has a great forum and some of the most God fearing friendly people I have ever “met”.  As I studied the site I began to learn about hunters, hunting, deer, and honest male fellowship (remember my post on becoming a man?).  The site isn’t perfect but I have seen some fantastic things happen from there and I’d like to share a few.

One of the members had to give up his beloved compound bow because open heart surgery wouldn’t allow him to use it anymore.  He traded that in (and in his eyes down) to a crossbow.  But even that became difficult for him to use.  The guys on the website pitched in and bought him a battery powered crossbow cocker.  There was enough left over that they put it on gift cards and mailed it to him.

Another member has been wheelchair bound since he was 18 (or so).  For the last year he’d been suffering with  a blood clot and bed ridden for 22 of a 24 hour day.  He was down about not being able to finish a project that he had started and posted pictures of it.  This guy was going to build a deck even though he’s in a wheelchair.  Before you know it TNDeer had organized a work bee.  Close to a dozen people showed up to help, some knew one another, most did not.  They did this out of the kindness of their hearts.  Knowing that these fine folks would not take payment his mother insisted on cooking for them.  I was not able to attend though I wanted to, but from the pictures and the tales told the lady put out quite a spread.

Most recently one of our members, a disabled veteran, passed away unexpectedly.  His son made a post informing us of his passing.  His wife then came on and asked if anyone could help her price his hunting items as money would soon become tight and she needed to raise money.  Various members got together and one was actually close enough to go help her sort items out and price them for her.  Some went to friends of the family, some sold on the site, but a fair price was paid and no one haggled.  Those who were not able to buy decided to donate.  The last time I checked the widow had be given nearly $3,000.00 by complete strangers.  No, I have that wrong.  Not complete strangers, just family she’s never met.

As much as all of these event s touched me there was another that touched me more.  My wife Mitzi and I have been working with the youth in our area for quite some time.  The ministry started at about the same time I started becoming interested in deer hunting.  I bought my bow and the young men in my group started asking questions.  Then a young man by the name of Chase approached me with a request.  He’d lost his dad tragically a year before and one of the only things that he had left was an old broken down compound bow.  This thing was busted.

I had an idea and approached  TNDeer with the request of used hunting items.  I received far more than I bargained for.  The next thing I know I am being asked clothes sizes, boot sizes, does he have arrows, what about a release, and on and on it went.  I received many of the items I was asked about and a couple of the guys got together and sent a climber tree stand.  I never thought that I would be the recipient of anything like that,  But it wasn’t over.

Warning – Andrew and Matthew I’m going to out you on this one.

A great guy by the name of Andrew had helped me with my first bow, getting it tuned, and set up as well as you can set up a 26 year old Browning Magnum Plus.  I asked him about getting Chase’s bow setup and he said sure bring it on down.  I’ll abbreviate the story a lot here.  We worked on the bow and soon discovered that the bottom cam was bent beyond repair.   We took the bow home and stepped back to punt.  Andrew and I talked, batted a few ideas around, and he involved another TNDeer member, Matthew Eddie of Energy Wave Bow Strings (shameless free plug) to help.  They asked me to bring the bow down and leave it, so I did and didn’t think much more about it.

A few weeks later Andrew calls me up and tells me to bring Chase down because his bow was ready.  What we found when we showed up was more than either of us had expected.  The two gentlemen had scrounged up a new sight, a dozen new arrows, field tips, cams off of a Matthews Single Cam, a whisker biscuit, and Matthew had added new cables and bow string.  The bow was as new as it could possibly be made.  I don’t even want to venture a guess towards a dollar amount, or the amount of labor they put into that bow, but I will forever be grateful.  Chase was floored, I had experienced the milk of human kindness before, he had not.  He really got a dose, and he still hasn’t recovered.  I haven’t either.

Not long after all of this went down I had another boy, Darrell, show up on my door step.  I didn’t have a bow for him, but it didn’t take long for one to pop up.  One of the guys on the website posted that he had a bow for a kid.  I had a kid no bow.  We connected and were able to put a bow in Darrell’s hands and with Andrew’s help have him shooting in very short order.

God also showed me in other ways that this is a ministry that he has a hand on and has enabled me to help others as well.  I’m always scouring Craigslist for bows and archery equipment.  A PSE Nova popped up for $60.00, yep $60.00.  I looked at other PSE Nova’s listed and they were going from $150.00 to $200.00.  I contacted the guy and we chatted, he asked what I was going to do with the bow so I told him about my youth archery ministry.  When we got to his house he had the bow, a sight, rest, and quiver for the bow.  He also donated some boots, hats, gloves, and a jacket.  As I was getting ready to leave he asked if I was interested in a climber stand.  I didn’t think it was in my price range but agreed to look.  I walked away with a used Hunter’s Choice climber for $15.00.  I’m still shaking my head over that one.

So now I have a bow and no boy.  That didn’t take long to fix either.  My friend Andrew posted on our website that he had taken a boy under his wing.  The young man lost his father unexpectedly and was growing up in an estrogen riddled house.  Andrew was determined to get the boy as good a dose of testosterone as possible.  As soon as I saw his post I knew who the bow was for.

And the stories go on and on.  And things are still happening.  God called me to a ministry 24 years ago and I ran.  When I finally got tired of running He still had a ministry for me, involving an activity I love helping young boys become young men.

Archery.

Go figure.

The Birth of the Savior….My take

Once again I must preface what I am going to say is of my own ideas discoveries and thoughts.  They do not reflect any doctrine or denomination and are completely my own.

I sat in church a few years ago and for the first time in many years my younger brother sat beside me.  He wasn’t totally comfortable but he was there.  My mom sat beside us beaming with pride.

As the service waned on and I do mean that time passed very slowly, we both became distractedly uncomfortable.  When the final hymn was announced we stood and turned to the correct page.  It took just a moment for him to lean over to me and say, “I know I need church or something, but tell me how this pertains to me?”  I looked to see him pointing at the date the hymn was written.  1699.  I didn’t know what to say.

So I begin to think.  What about all of this is pertinent to me?  In order to come to my answer I had to separate denominational religion and God.  My thoughts and study turned to the birth of Christ.  Here’s how the story breaks down:

1. The gospel of Luke Chapter 1:26-38 tells of how an Mary came to be the mother of the Savior.
2. Matthew Chapter 1:18-25 tells how Joseph, not wanting to disgrace Mary, decided to put her quietly away when according to Hebrew law he could have had her stoned to death.  He only changed his mind when he was visited by an Angel who told him to not be concerned about taking Mary as his wife and that she would be the mother of the Messiah.  And he fulfilled prophecy by keeping her a virgin.
3. Into all this mix let’s throw the government.  Luke 2:1-3 tells the portion of the story of how Caesar Augustus required that a census of everyone of everyone on the face of the earth.  Everyone in his own city.  That means that Joseph had to pack up a very pregnant Mary and take her to Bethlehem.

So how is all of this pertinent to us today? Have you ever really thought about it?   Let’s break it down into terms that perhaps make it a little more clear.

Mary gets pregnant by the Spirit.  Joseph chooses not to believe her and rejects her.  God tells Joseph to marry her anyway.  So now we have Joseph who first rejects his bride-to-be then turns around and says yes the child is mine, instantly becoming a liar.    He does marry her but in order for prophecy to be fulfilled does not consummate the marriage.  Can you imagine the first view of your wife naked being in the doctor’s “catch” position?  Then Joseph gets a letter from the Government saying “go to the city of your ancestors so that we can count you and your household”.  Can you see the joy in this relationship so far?

So the happy caravan headed to Bethlehem..was it really so happy?  A rejected bride, a child conceived out of wedlock, and a disgraced husband on an 80 mile road trip.  Sounds like a load of fun doesn’t it?

How is this pertinent to us today?  I believe with all my heart that his story was part of God’s grand design.  In the eyes of man Jesus was conceived outside of marriage.  His father was a liar.  He rejected Mary then married her anyway.  They were poor.  Marry was later a widow (assumption).  He had half-brothers.  He worked with his hands.  He came from the most wicked city in Israel. Folks, Jesus came to this earth to be me and you.  To experience the things that we did.  He was not born of privilege.  No silver spoon for the King of the Universe.  He experienced things that the lowest of the low experienced.  He became us.  All of us.

To me that is exactly how Christ is pertinent to us today.

Christmas

I’m not sure when I started remembering Christmas, but there are definite memories from different points in my life.  All of them center around my family, and time spent with them.  The one gift that I remember most is the time I was able to spend with them.

The first Christmas that I really remember was probably 1974, or maybe 1975.  We lived in Olin, NC in a big ramshackle farm house that was literally one mile from the black top.  The outhouse still stood when we lived there.  It had a front porch and a side porch.  No one ever used the front door but came through the back door into a breeze way that lead into the kitchen.  It was always warm in there and always smelled of food.

My grandma Chaffee, who lived in Portland, TN would come and visit us twice a year.   The time of year never mattered, whenever she came she brought Christmas with her.  That year when she arrived we didn’t yet have a Christmas Tree so she and my mother decided that they would pack all three of the boys into the car, grab dad’s bow saw, and go get one.  We didn’t have to go far.

What occurred next was the awfullest mess you have ever seen.  Two women trying to cut down a little cedar tree with a tool they knew little about compounded by three little boys doing their best to help.  They had forgotten to bring any rope and grandma was not about to put the tree in her new car, so they threw it on top.  I don’t know how many times we had to stop and put that tree on top of the car, but what I do remember was the laughter.  Mom and grandma laughed like school girls all the way home.

They wrestled that tree in to the house, got it stood up and the lights on before dad got home.  I remember that it had snowed mightily the remainder of the day.     He walked in looked at the tree then at mom and grandma and said “Let’s roll it in the snow!”  Before they could say a word he grabbed the tree, lights and all, and out the front door he went.  I remember watching him from the window rolling that tree over and over getting it covered.  I’ll never forget decorating that tree.  It was the most beautiful tree I ever remember having.

One of my other favorite memories was watching my dad and uncles come in from hunting together on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day.  They smelled of the cold, tobacco, the great outdoors, and gunpowder.  I remember my older cousins being invited to go hunting with the men as they got older.  It was a right of passage and I greatly anticipated my invitation.

It was an invitation that never came.   By the time I was 8 my family moved away and dad stopped hunting.  Things happened and I lost interest in hunting, but as time passed I started thinking about it again.  It became a desire to re-establish that tradition.

This Thanksgiving I was afforded the opportunity to go hunting with my younger brother Kelly.  It is a tradition that we will continue and as our own sons grow older we will invite them to go with us, carrying on a long standing family tradition.

I guess that’s what I cherish the most about Christmas, spending time with my family.

God bless you all.

Merry Christmas.