Thoughts
The big gobbler came in on the run, stopping occasionally to fan and to strut. He was beautiful to behold! He was the boss gobbler of the area and convinced that a younger, smaller gobbler was encroaching on his territory. His gobbling usually announced his desire to attract hens. Now it declared his dominance and was intended to intimidate. He was too proud to allow any interloper to go unchallenged! So he charged in to teach this presumptuous upstart a lesson! The problem was that the intruder was a decoy. In fact, it was one of the newer styles, a counterfeit gobbler in full strut. As the big boy approached the decoy, the gun barked. Pride had provoked him to make a fatal error in judgment! (JM)

Action Point
Pride is dangerous for people as well as gobblers. It is to be avoided. All we have to do is to look into the Scriptures to remind us that we are needy and dependent upon God for everything in life. We are often like the gobbler--full of ourselves, and jealous of everything around us. This attitude often leads us into danger. Proverbs 14:12 warns us: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
Let's be thankful, acknowledging that God is the One who gives us everything, including eternal life. Let's give Him the thanks and appreciation He deserves, and not think that we have earned or are entitled to what we have and enjoy.

Thoughts
A couple of weeks ago two older men were launching their new bass boat at the ramp and having problems getting the outboard motor started. In the course of events, the boat drifted away from them and grounded itself on the other side of the cove. A helpful angler in his own boat went over to the wayward boat, tied it to his, and towed it back to the dock. The drifted boat was also filling with water--the drain plug had been put in the livewell drain instead of the boat drain. To further complicate matters, the bilge pump would not work. Watching what was going on, another angler jumped into the sinking boat and worked at getting the outboard to start. Finally it kicked in and he maneuvered the boat onto the boat trailer that was still standing in the water at the boat ramp. The boat was pulled out of the water and left to drain on the sidelines. This was a very awkward moment for the two anglers who were trying to launch the new boat. Besides the anglers who rendered aid, there were other people who had gathered to watch what was happening. Though there could have been lots of guffawing going on about the anglers' plight, there wasn't. Everybody was helpful in offering comments or fixing the immediate problem. (TB)

Action Point
How many times in our everyday lives do we come upon someone who needs help? Maybe it's someone with a stalled car or flat tire stranded along the freeway. Our response might be, "Someone else will stop; I'm running late for an appointment." (I'm guilty of that one.) Perhaps it happens out on the water while fishing: A buddy achieves the backlash of the year; it happens to everybody. He has been picking away at the tangled mess for at least four or five minutes. Do we offer to help clear the backlash, or offer one of our rods for him to use? There are numerous opportunities to help someone in need. We need to memorize what Jesus said, "Go and do likewise."

Thoughts
One of our favorite fly-fishing trips has been Yellowstone Park. To avoid the crowds, my two boys and I would hike a couple of miles off the beaten path. (We were told that they had never had a bear attack in groups of three or more. We still took the necessary precautions.) When we fished the Yellowstone River we used yellow-or orange-bodied stimulators. These represented large caddis or small hoppers. To locate the cutthroats you had to watch very carefully for a small swirl or rise; then, lightly present the fly just above the rise. They didn't seem to travel very far laterally, so the cast had to be very accurate. If you put it on the spot with a good presentation, you had the fight of your life. It took quite a while to land the fish because of their size and the current. The boys quickly learned quickly to focus in the areas where the trout were working and put the fly on the mark. (TL)

Action Point
In our worship, do we focus and respond to God? As Creator, Savior, Sustainer of the Universe, and Sovereign Judge, have we given Him all the worth and honor that is due Him? Jesus said,
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and worshipers must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

Thoughts
I blew it! Absolutely, 100 percent, blew it!
I was out turkey hunting a couple of weeks ago, waiting to get a shot off at a tom. We'd had some pretty bad weather--sporadic temperatures--and the birds' patterns seemed to have gotten thrown off. So rather than sitting there enjoying watching turkeys in the mornings and evenings, it seemed as if I was lucky to see anything. After several unsuccessful hunts, I was in my blind and just about ready to wrap up another morning of seeing practically nothing. I looked over to my left and there were six toms coming out of the woods, headed right for me. It had been so long since I'd seen one, I couldn't believe my eyes. I got my gun up as quickly as I could and waited for them to meander in front of me. Sure enough, they did! At about 30yd, I finally got one of the toms to separate from the group a bit so I could get a clean shot off without taking down any of the others. As I pulled the trigger, I was looking forward to finally having a successful hunt. Well, the shot resounded across the field, and all six birds flew up in the air and went right over my blind as part of their escape route. I felt numb and stunned! All I can tell you is that the rest of that weekend, I found myself ruminating on the idea that I needed a second chance! I had completely blown it! (DM)

Action Point
The great thing about being a Christian is that we serve a God of second chances! We serve a God who believes in forgiveness and reconciliation! Maybe you've absolutely blown it:
you ignored a chance to speak a word of encouragement to someone who needed it;
missed an opportunity to witness to someone who needed to hear the gospel;
you got angry over something that in hindsight was petty;
the business deal wasn't exactly up front, and in the end, you flat out didn't do the right thing.

Go directly to God today and ask him to forgive you. Ask him to reconcile the situation. We all blow it; but God is ALWAYS there, willing to forgive if we are truly repentant. Humble yourself before Him.

Thoughts
I will admit it--I messed up! Perhaps I was just a little overconfident. I had the sights right on the nice tom. I pulled the trigger and I heard the hammer drop, but the weapon did not fire. I cycled another round. Same result. I tried again, but it was just another failed attempt to harvest the bird. The mature gobbler saw the hens moving away and he joined them. What happened? Time to check it out. I test-fired a couple of times in a safe place, and one of two shells fired. What is going on? Time for some real research now!
What was wrong? A part was missing from the firearm. I had cleaned it after hunting in the rain, but was distracted in the process and left out a crucial part. (JM)

Action Point
Self-examination is essential to success. For the forgiveness of our sins, we must make sure our faith is in God's Son Jesus, alone . It must be in Christ, not in some religion, or personal belief system.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Regular spiritual evaluation is essential to victorious living. Sin must be excised and avoided to insure a consistent and productive walk with the Lord. It is also critical to examine our lives to insure that something is not missing, such as Bible reading, sharing our faith, and prayer. We must eliminate anything that would harm our walk with Christ, or dishonor Him. Ask yourself the tough questions: Do you know Christ? Are you walking in obedience to him? If you examine your self and correct your ways, you will be blessed.

Thoughts
I think everybody who knows anything about David knows the end to this story. David accomplishes the improbable and defeats the Philistine giant, over nine feet tall, with a single stone hurled from his slingshot. David stayed true to who he was--a shepherd who was used to defending his sheep from attack by bears and lions with simple weapons. He didn't pretend to be somebody that he was not, and the Lord blessed him in his life.

I used to be one of those anglers that had the patches, hats, decals, and all the other stuff that fishing tackle companies pass out to anglers. It's a good deal for these companies to get free advertising on anglers walking around. I still have hats and T-shirts with fishing logos emblazoned on them. I think they look great and still wear some of them. (TB)

Action Point
There is nothing wrong with fishing tackle companies using promotional advertisements that picture anglers wearing the advertised items. The trouble comes when anglers try to assume the identity of someone they are not by wearing all these patches and clothing. Pride tends to override who they really are, and sometimes even their common sense. I have seen grown men walk the aisles of large fishing tackle showrooms wearing shirts emblazoned with all kinds of emblem of fishing tackle manufacturers. These fellows were not professional anglers, but wannabes. They even talked the talk of their favorite fishing hero.

Be true to yourself as David was. If the armor doesn't fit, hinders the real you, don't wear it.

Thoughts
When you go on an outdoor adventure with a large group of people, most likely someone organizes the event or it never happens. At least one individual must be motivated to take ownership of the arrangements to ensure that the proper equipment and time schedules are all in order. Like it or not, someone must be in charge. (TH)

Action Point
Looking at the big picture of our life, there are three questions we all need to have answered:
1) Who's in charge?
2) Who has complete control?
3) Who has our best interest in mind?
The answer, of course is the same for all three: God!
Yes, God delegates many, many things to the human race; but He will always have the last word. Let your faith rest squarely on Him for the little and BIG things--even the economy, or who will be the next president (but don't forget to vote)!