| Crosshairs for Christ | | | | |
| | | | "Be still and know that I am God..." |
| VALLE VIDAL- If you find yourself fly-fishing | | | | |
| near a herd of monster bull elk, pristine | | | | I responded, how could I be still in the |
| grassy meadows, towering mountain peaks and | | | | midst of a cutthroat feeding frenzy? What did |
| meandering streams, you'll start to think | | | | God mean be still? |
| you've died and gone to heaven. If the place | | | | |
| happens to be the Valle Vidal, you better | | | | No sooner had the rebellion and questions |
| believe you have. | | | | left my head it struck me. In preparation for |
| | | | this trip, I had been studying Psalms 46:10, |
| People around here call this place New | | | | "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be |
| Mexico's Yellowstone and for good reason. | | | | exalted among the nations, I will be exalted |
| It's the home of the state's trophy elk herd | | | | in the earth," with the intent to deliver a |
| and one of the last places you can find | | | | thoughtful devotional to the small fishing |
| indigenous Rio Grande Cutthroat trout. It's a | | | | group. In all the excitement I had missed the |
| place where one can easily clear their mind | | | | opportunity and now the group was scattered |
| and remember the important things in life. | | | | up and down the stream for miles. I knew |
| | | | there was no longer any hope of reigning them |
| On Saturday, a small group of C4C members | | | | in to hear me yammer. So, I decided to |
| headed north to experience a cleaning of the | | | | reflect on the study myself. |
| soul. With the sound of a dry fly whipping | | | | |
| through the air, beginners and experts picked | | | | I knew the literal meaning of the verse was |
| up their rods and hit the streams and creeks | | | | intended as a power statement warning those |
| in hopes of landing a cutthroat. What they | | | | who persecuted the Church to immediately stop |
| found instead, was that fishing for one of | | | | their cruelty. This wasn't about persecution |
| God's most beautiful creations, was more | | | | or cruelty. I knew God was saying more. |
| about the quite and stillness of the valley | | | | |
| than the excitement and noise of a catch. | | | | Below the shadow of an aspen rich mountain, |
| | | | in a creek winding through a green grassy |
| "Be still and know that I am God..." | | | | meadow, I began to let go and recognized his |
| | | | existence, control and power. |
| - Psalms 46:10 | | | | |
| | | | I thought hard about the thought provoking |
| The trip started early, about 4:30 a.m. to be | | | | message I had written down, which was to |
| exact. I met up with Dan Lewis and Scott | | | | drive home the point that as men we are |
| Fuller to race across New Mexico in hopes of | | | | always trying to control every situation |
| hitting the stream before the fish quit | | | | ourselves, even at the expense of doing |
| biting. A quick stop at the golden arches for | | | | what's right. I was going to use James 4:2 |
| a handheld heart attack and we were off to | | | | which describes the issue this way. "You want |
| find our adventure. Another stop for gas and | | | | something but don't get it. You kill and |
| yet another for a couple extra flies and we | | | | covet, but you cannot have what you want. You |
| found ourselves rolling into the Valle Vidal. | | | | quarrel and fight. You do not have, because |
| | | | you do not ask God." |
| I can't begin to tell you how thick the | | | | |
| excitement was, except to say that we nearly | | | | Instead of delivering the message to the |
| missed seeing the 300 lb. black bear staring | | | | group, God began delivering it to me. Lately |
| at us buzz down the road from the hillside. | | | | I had been obsessed with finances, the |
| Good thing I looked up in time to see him | | | | thought of selling my home, with work and the |
| sitting there like a big teddy bear. We | | | | pressures of finishing a handful of tough |
| stopped to enjoy the moment and once he had | | | | tasks. The obsession continued with the |
| walked away it was back to the task at hand. | | | | family, my children headed back to school and |
| | | | my son charging towards mid-school and |
| By 9:00 a.m. we had arrived at Comanche Point | | | | adolescence. As a man, I was trying to |
| and it was every thing we could do to keep | | | | control every situation myself. |
| from running down the hill and simply tossing | | | | |
| in a fly-less line. We could see Jimmy | | | | It's funny how God will speak to you in the |
| Johnson, his dad and brother fishing | | | | most unexpected places. Despite the action in |
| downstream and even though we should have | | | | the water and the excitement of the catch, I |
| slowed down to spend some time chatting with | | | | had managed to not only hear God speak, but |
| him, the fact that they were fishing only | | | | also "be still." It wasn't about physical |
| stirred us up more. We all stuffed our feet | | | | movement, rather spiritual movement. God knew |
| in our waders like fireman put on their gear | | | | what to say when I needed it most. |
| for a 5-alarm fire. By the time Scott and I | | | | |
| had our lines tied, Dan had already fished | | | | The day continued as it started with the fish |
| out the first two holes and was hiking up | | | | biting hard and often and the sound of water |
| stream for more. (For the record, he gears up | | | | dancing through my ears. I simply couldn't |
| at un-human speeds.) | | | | leave because God had given me peace. It was |
| | | | nearly pitch dark when we rolled out of the |
| After trying my hand at the point, I | | | | Valle Vidal that night. |
| determined that under no circumstances, would | | | | |
| I be skunked on this trip, especially after | | | | For most the departure would be |
| my two fish trip to the Arkansas. I struck up | | | | disappointing, for me the same excitement |
| a plan with Scott, and called for Jimmy, to | | | | from the morning returned. I knew I was going |
| jump back in the truck and rush the river | | | | home to the same issues, but comforted by the |
| upstream from Dan and do some "fishing out" | | | | fact that I was not alone. |
| of holes ourselves. It was a good plan as I | | | | |
| experienced a once in a lifetime kind of day. | | | | I enjoyed the day's stories of the big ones |
| You know, the kind where you actually start | | | | that got away. I loved hearing Dan talk about |
| to believe you're a pro and even when you're | | | | each of the multitude he also caught and I |
| doing everything wrong, you're still catching | | | | wondered if God had told him to be still. We |
| fish. I must have had better than 45 fish on | | | | all had the opportunity to stare at the wild |
| the line at one time or another and actually | | | | fish in still pools and all had fully |
| brought in better than 25, to hold and | | | | experienced God's great creation. I love the |
| release back into the wild. | | | | fact that you can't go to a place like the |
| | | | Valle Vidal without realizing just how real |
| Early in the day, when the action had heated | | | | God is. |
| up, I heard God say... | | | | |