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