tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13917590396868377132024-03-05T23:30:29.991-05:00life on the Big Walnutbigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-72085628712877159942016-04-26T10:23:00.000-04:002016-04-26T10:23:44.717-04:00A quick River reportGood Morning
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Went out last night for an hour on the Big Walnut. I caught 4 or 5 small sunfish on a #18 copper john. It was a good evening more to report later. Water was a bit high and only slightly stained. bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-5063720032024486022016-04-12T09:18:00.000-04:002016-04-12T09:18:24.436-04:00Big Things to come this SpringHello All I am still alive and trying to get back into the writing have a prolonged absence. It has been a long strange trip the last few years. So much has happened and come to light that I will be sharing over the next several months, the best part of the story is God is good and has shown His faithfulness over and over again. Starting the 3rd week of May I will start to lay out everything to the best of my recollection. Stay tuned and you will read a great story that is still unfolding. bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-89319643149518964232015-09-16T13:34:00.001-04:002015-09-16T13:34:49.826-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVw2VY7f58NeqphJWY1Rrt47jROqJ7ex6c398Zqk_7k81mAzEtLFnQzFY01NkvkM9mqzBkbb387V5_IeW9V6PJJEjbVfqsKnA7qZWeFvVa16ApAa9nZueJf8VNcEpv2PlnBdC0SMRBj7r/s1600/DSCF0304hdr.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVw2VY7f58NeqphJWY1Rrt47jROqJ7ex6c398Zqk_7k81mAzEtLFnQzFY01NkvkM9mqzBkbb387V5_IeW9V6PJJEjbVfqsKnA7qZWeFvVa16ApAa9nZueJf8VNcEpv2PlnBdC0SMRBj7r/s320/DSCF0304hdr.jpg" /></a>
One of my favorite place, how I wish I could visit every year.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-25684705905518439002013-11-05T07:21:00.001-05:002013-11-05T07:21:47.939-05:00UNWINDINGPlease take a moment to watch this film it is good for your soul. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/N-VJ8-Xl9wI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-8157897424504615572013-07-30T11:18:00.001-04:002013-07-30T11:18:54.867-04:00I am not sure where to start (I have start and rewritten this several times and let it sit for several days). One person dead, that is horrible and sad, one person put through the ringer along with his family by the media that is sad ( he thought and reacted out of fear that I believe was driven by cultural assumptions), a nation that cannot judge a person based on character alone, sad, a media that just wants to pit one group against another, sad.
Were these events black versus white, young versus old, the “haves” versus the “haves not”, no. Above all it was the collapse of the family, more over the collapse of a culture that does not teach and encourage men to raise their boys to grow up and be men. Not men like in the media which are either portrayed as blundering fools or as men with no self-control with women, violence, or anger. Where is the question of why this young man (not boy even thought that is the image we were given by the media, he was 17 years old and the size and strength of a grown man) was where he was? Did anyone look into his past? Who raised this young man? Was there a man in his life that showed him how to be a man of integrity? From all that I have read he was staying at his father’s girlfriend’s house because of several incidents at his former high school. Did he have the right to be where he was, definitely he did. Was he dress in clothes that may have brought to mind gang members or thugs the way the media portrays constantly it sure sounds like it (thank you media for helping to stereotype a whole group of our society). Did the older man react out of fear, probably? Why because it looked to him like all of the images he had seen in the media, did that make is reaction right? No I don’t think so but it makes it somewhat understandable. The media has assumed the role of stereotyping commission, judge and jury. We need to step up and raise our kids and love our wives, restore our families. We as the men of this society have dropped the ball our boys grow up and are drawn away from integrity and honor and flow toward what the media tells us is a man. Does this give a pass to the man who took another life, no. Does this make the young man at fault, no not totally? Where does the blame lie? Nowhere and everywhere. Fear and anger played a role on both sides I assume, no one was there to know what really happened. Should the older man should better judgment I think the answer is probably yes and the young man could have reacted differently also. I have been involved in an armed confrontation (everyone walked away thankfully) but I will tell you your inner person kicks in to high gear, adrenaline and fight or flight kicks in and it doesn’t matter if the other person is black, white, Latino or Asian your “heart” has nothing else on its agenda but to stay alive and protect what was mine. Was that situation scary, you bet? It terrified my kids and wife but I had to defend them from a threat that seemed that it would not back down without force. I don’t think we can judge the heart of anyone in this case; when you are under that kind of stress you truly don’t know what you are capable of. I don’t think for a minute anyone reading this can say “well I would not ever do…”.
It is not about race, it is about the "cultures" we have in our country and what they teach to our children. We have let others tell us it is about race, no it is about integrity and fear. This week is our county fair and there are white, black, biracial, Hispanic and Asian kids involved and attending. No one is making comments about race when a black child wins or when a white child wins or loses for that matter. I realize we are more rural than urban but the values in our county are driving a culture of respect and integrity that our children get from nearly everyone that are involved in their activities, there is no fear because someone looks different. The issue is not black or white or favoritism based on race; that is one of the symptoms of a culture that no longer sees value in both parents raising their kids and helping raise the kids of their friends and neighbors. The media has perpetuated the stereotypes both in the news and film and even in the games that the kids play, (all violence all the time). Even a "good guy" is not completely good there are always shades of darkness and violence in the way they get "justice". Is it any wonder that our kids and greater still our society struggles with good and bad, integrity and honor, violence and fear and how to feel safe in a given situation (violence is not the answer except in a rare occurrence). The discussion here is interesting and I am not sure that I agree or disagree with everything. What I do know is that the discussion is about the symptoms and outcomes of a society that is giving up on values that matter when you raise kids, especially boys that grow to be men.
bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-34630168104689056592013-02-22T17:57:00.000-05:002013-02-22T17:57:11.869-05:00Great ArtCheck out Joel's work great art!
<a href="http://ayearonthefly.blogspot.com/2013/02/free-original-art-plus-trip-report.html">Year on the Fly</a>
bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-52553741974606093812013-01-15T10:08:00.001-05:002013-01-15T10:08:38.360-05:00an old gun and a young boy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In my family shotguns and fall mornings went together like pancakes and sausage. This past fall I had the pleasure to take both my sons (Liam 15 and Kohl 13) to a Pheasants Forever Youth Hunt in Central Indiana. My boys got to enjoy shooting clays and learning about not only pheasant hunting but the hunting tradition. The day was capped off by each boy getting to go to the field with a guide, a dog and dog handler after two planted birds. As a parent I got to watch from the clubhouse as the events unfolded, what an exciting thing to watch. My oldest son was hunting with my grandfather’s 12 gauge Ranger. My dad had passed away the previous summer and I was blessed to receive this shotgun, I had long admired it for its history and beauty. The history of this gun was quite a story; when my Grandfather was about 12, had sold a prized 4H hog so he could purchase the Ranger from Sears and Roebuck, he ordered from the local catalog store. Shortly after receiving the gun he came down with the mumps and was in bed for quite a while, but he put the time to good use. Grandpa hand checkered the stock and forearm slide, he also inlaid a maple checkerboard pattern in the stock and added some maple inlays on the bottom of the stock, and as a final touch impressed two copper insignia (one with his name and the other his hometown) one on each side of the stock. At the end of the day we took pictures and then I told my boys the story of the shotgun. That Ranger is nearly 90 years old and has been used in the field for nearly 9 decades. Tears filled my eyes as I told this story to my boys, they never met my Grandpa and never hunted with my Dad but somehow I felt they were there with us in the field that day.
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bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-15565962596100038692012-08-05T12:04:00.000-04:002012-08-05T12:04:01.092-04:00Rain Rain RainIt rained last night/this morning almost an inch and a quarter. What a blessing. A very "sad" result of the storm is that an oak well over 100 years old is now gone. The oak stood in the middle of a field down the road. When we returned from church we noticed it was gone, fallen into the corn that surrounded its refuge. It made me think about how we hold on to something that is tried and true and we begin take it for granted, like this oak tree that had stood for over a century. I think it probably had rotted inside and because of the drought it was unable to stand the high winds. I guess when something is left alone because it looks healthy on the outside and doesn't get the proper care (water in this case) it can in the moment of stress fall apart. I think we are that way as humans. I have known people that have looked good from the world's view but inside they were rotting away. All it took was exposure to a "high wind" or "storm of life" to break them down. Maybe it was the rot of loneliness in a marriage that lacked intimacy and the high wind of compliments came blowing in from another source other than their spouse and then it happened a storm of epic proportions comes thundering in. It shatters a relationship that from the outside looked strong but it shattered in the storm. Could it have been avoided? Could it have been redeemed? I believe the answer is yes but we have to be vulnerable enough to show signs of stress. Speak up don't stand off like the oak in the middle of the field where no one could see the signs of stress. Get help to alleviate the stress, counseling and prayer are great preventatives to emotional rot, just like proper water and fertilizer would have been for that tree. Be in the right environment, get away from the winds blowing in from the wrong direction (compliments from another source other than their spouse) and move into an environment that is protected from rot, turn to your spouse and not somewhere outside the marriage for affirmation. If that oak would have been in an environment like a forest or pasture it may have weather the storm because it would have been more protected than standing alone in the field. Watch where you are and where you get your emotional and spiritual affirmation don't go looking out in the "field"bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-13863834440712595642012-07-25T11:56:00.000-04:002012-07-25T11:56:18.830-04:00New Gear From TFM "The Fiberglass Manifesto"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ETg4xVT4I5WuAQNPVjfMrmPBRpzhEycopxenJvf6OENoGzUKrg8rdL3NqZfujz7onWr0akfEPOf3bi3sWFv2th4lg62dQlye24vljZBLZZ7UNJ9nfWXuD4zwqisH8YVasfWhs55fySLm/s1600/IMG_5081.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ETg4xVT4I5WuAQNPVjfMrmPBRpzhEycopxenJvf6OENoGzUKrg8rdL3NqZfujz7onWr0akfEPOf3bi3sWFv2th4lg62dQlye24vljZBLZZ7UNJ9nfWXuD4zwqisH8YVasfWhs55fySLm/s320/IMG_5081.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488735182621254306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecL8Rn7cSRjzbYTZFG4m699OPvxtqoEZ-AGed7Em-s75wBrFH8UyCcM3HGraJYwSohyptBqqxAGoNhPPklmwlW5pxhB1juzx8r3ZzB2dAnaoZPxQZHzwtE9iYEOUz4OE1Q6L1b01djD9D/s1600/IMG_5104.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecL8Rn7cSRjzbYTZFG4m699OPvxtqoEZ-AGed7Em-s75wBrFH8UyCcM3HGraJYwSohyptBqqxAGoNhPPklmwlW5pxhB1juzx8r3ZzB2dAnaoZPxQZHzwtE9iYEOUz4OE1Q6L1b01djD9D/s320/IMG_5104.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488727964069710882" /></a><br />Greetings from the Land of the Lost. This post is old and was found hiding.
Now on with the Fishing Report: None. No rain!!! not since May at least in our watershed. I think total we are up to 0.15 inches in nearly 70 days with temperatures in the high 90s to low triple digits ever day for a couple of months, we even hit 111 the other day. Needless to say the Big Walnut is a bit low only 0.25cfs (that is not a miss print) (the average for July is 122 cfs). Sugar Creek is a little better it is at 18cfs(the average for July is 325cfs).
Huge thanks to <a href="http://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/">TFM</a> and <a href="http://www.williamjoseph.net/">William Joseph</a> for the great Mag Current Chest Pack. This is a GREAT Bag and the Magnetic closure is a superior system to any zipper I have ever had to fight.<br />bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-87800983112831064692012-07-25T11:29:00.000-04:002012-07-25T11:29:09.100-04:00Wisdom are at least an attemptSo sorry it has been so long life gets in the way of ...well life at least the one you want. Over the next few weeks I will be posting portions of a letter I wrote to my son as embarked on a great journey.
“May you live all the days of your life” Jonathan Swift
Son you are embarking on the adventure of life, heed Jonathan Swift’s words. If you do not live your life each day you will as Thoreau said in the first essay, "Economy," that most men are slaves to their work and enslaved to those for whom they work. He concludes: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation...." Better to do as Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 411 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. Teddy Roosevelt said the following “far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” “All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don’t tiptoe.””- ― Shane Claiborne Live life to the fullest grab it, hang on and have the adventure. Do not sit and watch it go by!
"Journey or Homestead?" Every great story involves a quest. In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins ran from the door at a quarter till eleven without even so much as a pocket handkerchief and launched on an adventure that would change his life forever. Alice stepped through the looking glass into Wonderland; Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter stumbled through the wardrobe into Narnia. Abraham left his country, his people, and his father's household to follow the most outlandish sort of promise from a God he'd only just met, and he never came back. Jacob and his sons went to Egypt for some groceries and four hundred years later the Israel nation pulled up stakes and headed for home. Peter, Andrew, James, and John all turned on a dime one day to follow the Master, their fishing nets heaped in wet piles behind them. The Sacred Romance involves for every soul a journey of heroic proportions. And while it may require for some a change of geography, for every soul it means a journey of the heart. The choice before us now is to journey or to homestead, to live like Abraham, the friend of God, or like Robinson Crusoe, the lost soul cobbling together some sort of existence with whatever he can salvage from the wreckage of the world. Crusoe was no pilgrim; he was a survivor, hunkered down for the duration. He lived in a very, very small world where he was the lead character and all else found its focus in him. Of course, to be fair, Crusoe was stranded on an island with little hope of rescue. We have been rescued, but still the choice is ours to stay in our small stories, clutching our household gods and false lovers, or to run in search of life. (The Sacred Romance, 143-44)
You don’t choose a life Dad, you live one. Emilio Estevez The Way. Live it Son don’t hope it happens live it out!
My son I am excited for you as you set off on your journey of life. You will meet many challenges along the way but you can trust in the many promises of God. Nahum 1:7 God is good, a hiding place in tough times.
He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help, No matter how desperate the trouble. Psalm 62:8 8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. You will have times of trouble and brokenness but cling to these words “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Ps. 147:3)
More to come soon
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read...bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-30173168598645235112011-11-22T20:14:00.001-05:002011-11-22T20:15:44.368-05:00Duke and the SalmonMy first try at some fiction. Thanks to Third Coast Fly for the inspiration.<br /><br />Salmon Fishing is risky business, on second thought not risky more of a strange business kind of like what happens this afternoon. It started this afternoon when I was loading the truck to head north to fish the waters I had read about on the Third Coast Fly blog. I had everything to head up the road when my sad eyed bird dog looked up at me with sagging eyes, so I said “hop in Duke lets go”. He wagged is shortened tailed and hopped or should I say somewhat crawled up into the truck and we headed off. The drive was nice and the colors were pleasant but that stretch between Peru and South bend is a killer, boy is it boring. It started to spit rain about the time we crossed the state line but thank goodness that was short lived, I don’t think the old dog could have taken a cold wet afternoon of fishing, at 14 he needs the bright sun to keep moving when it’s cool out, I kinda do too but hate to admit it. As we approached the river I noticed that things seemed off, in the distance the sky was filling up with odd shaped clouds and although the wind was barely blowing it seemed as though the clouds were closing in quickly, it must have be some sort of illusion. We unloaded quickly, the dog ran over to the weeds and let everyone around know he was now in the neighborhood and I rigged up the 8 weight. I waded quickly out into the cool water and looked around to see what happened to be lurking nearby, once my eyes adjusted to looking beyond all of the gold and red leaves floating on the surface, I noticed the bruiser lying in between a log and the cut bank. I casted the fly gently past the salmon and let the current take it past its nose. Nothing! Again I casted just past the front of the salmon and drifted the fly this time the salmon rose to the fly and nope decide against it and settled back into its spot where I had been watching it for the last 20 minutes. One more time I told myself, I casted the fly, this time well past the salmon. Splash, “what was that”, I said out load, I turned to see a porcupine swimming right over the salmon I had been watching and casting too for 25 minutes. I watched in disbelief as the native pincushion swam right over MY fish. I am now mad, my fly is about to drift right in front of the salmon, the salmon is under the porcupine and my dog is barking from the shore at the porcupine. Then it all broke loose! I felt a tug like I have never felt before; I looked to see the porcupine swimming away with my chartreuse line stuck to the quills on its rump. Finally the line broke free of the quills and now was going in the opposite direction. What! Somehow the salmon was hooked up! I watched in disbelief as the line screamed off the reel. Yelp! Just then I turned and looked to see Duke running from the quill ejector and the porcupine ambling away from the river and into the brush, leaving Duke pawing at his muzzle. I told Duke to stay there and I would deal with him in a minute, I had a salmon to land. The battle was one that last longer than Duke would have liked, but he was a champ and lay still for the 20 minutes it took to land this salmon. I beached the salmon and as I removed the tattered fly I noticed a quill in the salmon’s “muzzle”. I removed the quill and released the salmon back into the cool water that was covered with golden colors of a Michigan’s autumn. I then turned attention to my friend of many trips to the river, Duke. He lay near my feet as I reached over and stroked his ears, I told him “Duke you and the salmon are both old, ornery companions give me a minute and I will release the quills from your lips too”.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-7910874622221993692011-11-22T11:25:00.002-05:002011-11-22T11:28:34.485-05:00It has been a whileSorry to all of you out there it has been a long while since I have written. I plan on posting some more very soon. Major things have been happening like my son's first deer for starters and then there are just the everyday things that we tackle but more on that later. I am off to Morton to look at a Christmas gift or two and possible get a snack, you know it is the only place I know of in Indiana where you can get a turtle sandwich.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-29001204284412864552011-11-22T11:06:00.005-05:002011-11-22T11:21:35.897-05:00Great Art at a Great Deal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JklzoJzFw0XaMKbYva0boFcXWiv8D7q9zq_cmY74FSQWX_JArSxtY_eByQ32CjnYinXv5YXK-tmLjjT-YKmZX_LbXDR_1Z5UCRBTLxbr9VOARE5JuJOTOqh3jdv197TMLM_BeNvbFSDS/s1600/BullTroutPrintframedsmall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JklzoJzFw0XaMKbYva0boFcXWiv8D7q9zq_cmY74FSQWX_JArSxtY_eByQ32CjnYinXv5YXK-tmLjjT-YKmZX_LbXDR_1Z5UCRBTLxbr9VOARE5JuJOTOqh3jdv197TMLM_BeNvbFSDS/s320/BullTroutPrintframedsmall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677854072974619954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VRrBM_ukdfh6blwUE0q9NSrN-zz_dQzbhKvCrqVoG1d1YBZNorPttuOtVvGTYGsGwlvXyx4WbQ1wPBCZDBQWNunb-cLVc4rrV3qHMupFadz-zE-YAD2z4t4z4xTG_2BxeAzU0OgzsqEY/s1600/OctoberCutthroatPrintframedsml.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VRrBM_ukdfh6blwUE0q9NSrN-zz_dQzbhKvCrqVoG1d1YBZNorPttuOtVvGTYGsGwlvXyx4WbQ1wPBCZDBQWNunb-cLVc4rrV3qHMupFadz-zE-YAD2z4t4z4xTG_2BxeAzU0OgzsqEY/s320/OctoberCutthroatPrintframedsml.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677854075159780722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfvokO8DwNxTYOYAHPoW5TbaEeZuJMr9UTG64vZcxru_-dt_iDyVygSHjx8lqpsqLSA6i7tQpf6ePjpb0TFePH3P5uu_ccZw8U8YY_bC7O1xEMn8sEMunrc6Jq_VEyeVcTMJJ1wIdP4GM/s1600/PaiuteTroutPrintframedsmall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfvokO8DwNxTYOYAHPoW5TbaEeZuJMr9UTG64vZcxru_-dt_iDyVygSHjx8lqpsqLSA6i7tQpf6ePjpb0TFePH3P5uu_ccZw8U8YY_bC7O1xEMn8sEMunrc6Jq_VEyeVcTMJJ1wIdP4GM/s320/PaiuteTroutPrintframedsmall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677854068359381586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6FbWR0jXvm8gM_f9pWYggjItQY2I_l6g6r6COPzpGrmgaxfaCH0OzNokg_U-mxZjVnETnzR9ec3LXFE1EDu0AlmsGCUi3ZH6yv86sJEo6G6KJNbNxMo3ndsSNn2G0j5OCspxCWrcchSE/s1600/ApacheTroutPrintframedsmall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6FbWR0jXvm8gM_f9pWYggjItQY2I_l6g6r6COPzpGrmgaxfaCH0OzNokg_U-mxZjVnETnzR9ec3LXFE1EDu0AlmsGCUi3ZH6yv86sJEo6G6KJNbNxMo3ndsSNn2G0j5OCspxCWrcchSE/s320/ApacheTroutPrintframedsmall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677854065739187186" /></a><br />Joel over at A Year on the Fly is offering a great deal on his wonderful art work. I have purchased his art in the past and given it as gifts and it was the hit of the event. Check out his site and his Art work it is great stuff! See the Great Deal and his link below:<br /><br />The Christmas Deal<br /><br />Order Your Rare Trout Prints Today!<br />As a gift to my loyal followers and the many other that stop by on occasion I have decided to offer a special Christmas-Holiday Special. Okay, you got me, - I also need to raise a little money to support my two hobbies of fly fishing and painting, both of which require frequent purchases.<br />I have decided to offer these four trout prints, not as individual prints, but as a complete set for the ultra low cost of $65 Total!!! That's right, That price includes shipping and handling. If you were to order each print separately then the total cost would be over $100 including shipping. <br /><br /> Each 8x10 print comes in it own 11x14 mat and backing board. All you have to do is take them out of the protective plastic envelope used for shipping and place them in a frame. Each print will also be individualy signed by yours truly. They make perfect wall hangers for your man-woman cave, vacation cottage (if you are luck enough to have one), or fly tying station. They will also make great gifts for the anglers in your life.<br />I have decide to keep these four prints together because as a group these four fish are threatened by stream degradation, introduction of alien species, and other man made problems. Hopefully by my little effort to paint these beautiful fish, more people might be enlightened into the threats facing many of our favorite fish. I think every angler should do their part to protect and educate in oder that future generations might be able to fish for the same species we so enjoy going after.<br />So How Do You Take Advantage Of This Deal Before The Holidays? Just follw the link to Joel's site www.ayearonthefly.blogspot.combigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-24424308907860060652011-06-29T11:01:00.000-04:002011-06-29T11:02:26.517-04:00A day that was gone and taken for grantedA year ago today I worked in my Dad’s yard with him for the last time. I did not know it at the time but in just a few short days Dad would go to the hospital and never return home again. As I thought about this today I was sad that I did not cherish that day, I thought just as I had thought every other day that Dad would be there on July 4th just like he always was watching the parade with us, he was not, nor will he be again. As we worked in the yard I was told “slow down”, “don’t work so hard”,”why don’t you come in and cool off” and “I am not going to tell you again, you are done”. And how did I respond? “Dad, I will be done when I am finished and not before, just go on I am almost there”. Dad was just showing concern for me just two months before I had, had a stroke like event while he was in Spain visiting my brother, I think it scared him a little, although he never said. <br />As I look back on that day, I wished I would have taken my time and worked slower and with Dad and not just in the same place as Dad, really I worked around Dad I was in a hurry to get that done so that I could get home and do things at my house. The work was good therapy for me and I enjoyed being out working, something that I thought I might not be able to do just a few weeks before. If I would have worked slower or worked with Dad it wouldn’t have changed anything but it would have been a few more minutes and maybe something would have been exchanged between the two of us or my boys would have seen us together working, sweating and maybe even laughing together. The moment came and went like so many others and I did not give it a thought then, but today I thought about it. I hope that you think about it and spend that extra few moments to linger with those around you that you would miss their laugh or the feel of their hand if they weren’t to come home tomorrow.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-11362367265310087702011-06-21T15:39:00.002-04:002011-06-21T15:51:36.263-04:00The Husband’s Guide to Getting Lucky Book ReviewSorry it has been so long since I have written<br /><br />Marla Taviano hits the nail on the head. What a good read. I hope that every guy I know reads this book. If more couples would read this book and "Is That All He Thinks About", I think I would see a lot more smiles on a lot more faces. I am in total agreement with what Marla has found in her survey of married men, I hear the same responses from men all the time and when I ask how the react to the wives I understand why they say what they do. Guys take heed to these words of wisdom, listen to what Marla says about God's plan on how to treat your wife. If you want to get lucky you better treat her the way God wants you too. Wives you need to listen up too, this is a two way street, Marla has good advice for you, respond to your husband make him your hero. Marla thank you for your honest straight forward talk just the way a guy wants and needs to hear the truth. I appreciate that you don't beat around the bush you tell it like it is and are unashamed of the truth. Guys you need to read this and then sit down with your wives and discuss it or at least try the 30 day challenge and pray hard. Get the book right here http://www.husbandsgetlucky.com/bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-58815728665642614192011-01-13T09:30:00.001-05:002011-01-13T09:38:18.871-05:00Build a Rod and Leave a LegacyDeserve is a strong word. Do I want the <a href="http://store.hookhack.com/New-Xi-Fly-Rod-Kit-79-3-weight-4-piece/productinfo/XI7934K/">A Hook & Hackle “Xi” 7’9” 4-piece 3 weight rod building kit</a>! from <a href="http://hookhack.com/">HookHack.com</a>. You better believe I want the kit. Why you may ask? because it is a project of lasting importance. Something I could create with my son. A piece of Art he could hold and use to touch something wild and beautiful. Have you ever caught a smallmouth bass on a bugger you tied, what a sense of fulfillment! My son ties beautiful flies and I am honored that I have used them to catch many fish. What a gift to him, to fashion a rod that he could use to catch the fish and live a life of adventure. Maybe these adventures would lead him to fish the Appalachians and write a blog like <a href="http://southernblueridge.wordpress.com/">http://southernblueridge.wordpress.com/</a>. I have used rods that my grandfather and father have used and felt the sporting legacy they left for me. I want to pass that legacy to my son and his future children and their children. What a gift to think that a rod that he and I built together could be used in 80 years by my great, great grandchildren. This is what creating Art is about leaving a lasting legacy for our future children.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-43163163037780823162010-10-21T11:33:00.001-04:002010-10-21T11:33:34.347-04:00Adventure and ManChrist created us to be warriors and have adventure. When the Word says to Love your wife as Christ Loved the Church I agree, give yourself up for her as a ransom but the other part of that is she, the bride is called to a life of adventure and sacrifice to go with you. We are the Bride of Christ and it is not a stay at home and put away your swords obligation; oh to the contrary it is bring your sword and join the battle. As a couple you must understand that you as the husband will give yourself up for your bride, however you as the bride and wife have to run with your husband head long into adventure. You married your man because he was a man; at least I hope you did. If you fell in love with his laid back spirit and his sense of adventure why is it now that you seek to emasculate him and want him to play house and wear chinos and loafers. Christ didn’t just seek to avoid conflict he met it head on. <br />Moms, wives don’t cut your boys, husband off at the knees and crush their spirit. Don’t cut their balls off and tell them that guns and rough housing and fighting are wrong. God created boys, husbands to be men and those are the courses taken to become/be a man. Men if you were told that was wrong and to behave then stand up and go outside, leave the computer and the gaming systems and find a true and real adventure. Wives run after your husbands, go find adventure with him, go with him be a part of his journey. Moms told us to behave and wear clean clothes wash your hands, don’t go down by the water, be careful, and stay safe. WHAT were we taught, were we taught to be little girls so we could grow up to be a man?<br />Are you safe? Are you safe with your man, not the kind of safe like we watch PBS and listen to Mariah Carey, but the kind of safe that says he defends you and will fight for you?bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-10856211633783274602010-10-21T09:28:00.003-04:002010-10-21T09:29:13.665-04:00New Place with Good ContentCheck Out the Badge for OBN on the right what a good place to get the latest thoughts on the outdoors.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-16494884607020423402010-09-28T13:38:00.000-04:002010-09-28T13:42:05.454-04:00Abraham and Isaac; Shotguns and SacrificeI had an Abrahamic experience in the last few months. <br />When I was sixteen my Dad gave me a fine shotgun, it was a Spanish made double. It was just what I had ask for, the kind of gun that I had read that Nash Buckingham used to shoot ducks or a fine eastern gentleman would use to hunt grouse along the stone walls and thickets in New England. I truly treasured this gun; it holds so many fond memories. There were dove shoots where the barrels were hot to the touch and not many birds to show for the heat. There was the last time I hunted with Dad over a bird dog that was better than I deserved, Dad killed a beautiful cock bobwhite, what a beautiful day that was and I never fired a shot. This gun became a part of me, the more I shouldered the gun the more it was a part of me. Rail, Snipe and Quail all fell to this gun but more than a fine gun, was the memories it led me to create. Dad truly hit the ball long and far with this gift. He taught me to hunt and shoot and then gave me a tool to pursue the craft of be a sportsman. I once made the “perfect” shot on a pheasant in South Dakota; it was something out of a Gene Hill story, all because Dad gave me a fine gun. I have had many adventures in the field all made a bit more special because of this gun.<br />Now to Abraham and Isaac; Shotguns and Sacrifice.<br />After Dad passed away this summer I planned a Memorial Shoot to celebrate Dad’s life and to raise money for a young couple going to Spain to do missions work? Dad enjoyed Spain and I thought this was a great way to celebrate. I prayed “God how do, I make this event a success?” God answered “how much do you love me?” “Give your gun away as “the prize””. I was OK with that the gun was stuff and stuff is just stuff. About a week ago I got the gun out to clean it and have it ready for its new owner, as I picked up the gun and felt it in my hands memories of long ago flooded my memory, the smell of the steel and the feel of the smooth walnut in my hands. I took a picture of the gun cradled in my hand and then put it away as tears filled my eyes. I knew and was comfortable with giving it away, I knew and believed that it would help to promote the shoot and also raise money for the cause of spreading the Gospel; which is my purpose as a Christian and wow I am giving back to God, an offering that had a cost and it felt good to be obedient to the point of sacrifice. I cherished the memories that I had made in the field with this gun but the gun itself is a tool, right? I had thought I will get a gun to replace this one in the spring after I saved some money, but this fall no hunting for me this fall, I could take the kids and teach them this year, but I was just an observer this fall. <br />Abraham took his son to the mountain and told his servant that they would be back after they worshipped and gave a sacrifice. As they walked away Isaac asked “Dad we have no lamb to sacrifice”, Abraham responded “God will provide”. Isaac was then bound and placed on the alter and God said “STOP”, just as Abraham was preparing to sacrifice his son. God provided a lamb for the sacrifice. I am not saying that giving up a gun is the same as your son, but what I am saying is can you give something up that you cherish? If you can, can you trust God not only to replace what is sacrificed but to reveal Himself as a Great God? Can you glorify Him in the sacrifice? Do you trust Him to be the God of His promises? Do you realize His power and trust in it? I did so, but at times reluctantly, just ask my wife, although I was OK giving away my gun I was sad and frustrated about the situation. I remember complaining to Susan “how can I teach the kids to duck hunt if I don’t have a gun” or “we have a sporting tradition in this family and it is important to pass that down to the kids”. As I looked around our back room at pictures of 4 generations of sportsman I thought to myself “God what are you teaching me?” It was to answer those questions of trust and resting in the promises He has given me. Did I trust in His power? I did, but I could not for the life of me figure out how He would replace what I was giving Him, wow I must be really proud of myself “what I was giving Him”. I guess in the end I felt alone in this, my lovely wife understood at some point but I missed Dad and now I was giving away the only object he had given me that I cherished. I knew it was the right thing to do and I serve an infinite God but how was this going to be right in the end. My boys asked “Dad why are you giving away your gun?” and I responded “it is the right thing, God gave up His Son that we might have eternal life and because of that we will see Pop again and a gun is just stuff.” I knew that in my heart but my head kept trying to figure out the details. God had a plan though, one that I could not have conceived of even if I lived to be five hundred.<br />Sunday at church a man, I have known for a relatively short time and I were chatting and then he said “can we talk?” I said “sure” and we stepped off to the side and he looked me in the eye and said he was thinking about the memorial shoot I was hosting and he had heard that I was giving away my gun. I told him that I was and I thought that it would be a big draw and help earn the money we want to earn. He told me that he had sold a couple of older guns that week and purchased a new over and under for the shoot and he had decided to give it to me to give away so that I could keep my gun. I was stunned and speechless. I open my mouth to thank him and no words came, only tears. As the tears streamed down my face he hugged me like a brother and then walked away. I stood there stunned by the love this man shown, it was the love of Christ. Christ through this man had shown me mercy and love and provided a “lamb” to me. This man proved that God loves to give good gifts. <br />My sacrifice had taught me not to doubt and to have faith in my God, don’t try to figure it out just trust. His power is unexplainable and when I try to figure things out I am doubting, I will say that again when I am trying to figure it out I am doubting! Praise God for this gift. I realize to most this whole story may not make too much sense, it is just a gun and I could have gone and bought a new one. I agree but I also believe God knew that I was willing to give it up and He only wanted my obedience not my gun. I think that is all He wants is our willingness and availability. Do I think He may ask for something or everything in the future sure, but my God is enough and I would give it up, but the next time I will not try to figure it out, at least I hope I don’t? Thank you for showing God’s love to me this week. God thanks and praise be to you for loving me enough to prove yourself and give me a good gift.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-23028692428180177072010-09-21T12:51:00.000-04:002010-09-21T12:53:09.699-04:00Chapter 2 Radical “The Gift”Fishing has not happened since the last post although I am almost finished building a new fly tying table and cabinet.<br />Chapter 2 Radical “The Gift”<br />When I was a boy my youth pastor, Doug Pogue, gave us a taste of a secret church. We attended a church that was at least a hundred years old, so in the mind of a nine year old it was a bit creepy at night to say the least. We were doing an all nighter at the church. About midnight or 1 AM Doug led us in to the far corner of the basement, into a small room. He turned no lights on as we entered the basement and by the time we made it to the small room in the corner it was complete darkness. We entered the small room and with a click of the latch the door closed behind us and no one said a word. A small candle was lit and cast an eerie glow in the room. Our eyes adjusted and we could see that Doug had taken out a Bible and began to read from it. About that time we heard boots pounding down on the pavement outside past the small dirty window above our heads, we could see the beam of a flashlight. Wwwhhheeeewww and out went the candle, “ssshhhh be quiet or they will find us”. My heart is racing now as I think about the emotions this evoked, we were in the mist of the cold war and we knew they, the USSR, hated God. Thirty years later I still recall that evening and remember the fear that was evoked by just having God’s word out in the open. A secret church is an act of love and devotion.<br />When was the last time we just read God’s Word? No commentaries, no slick new book talking about the latest thought on Christianity, no internet blog of thoughts on a passage. You read it just because you love the Word. I know that I have read and reread love letters and notes that my wife has sent me. Why don’t we treat God’s love letter to us that way? We read it, but out of a sense of duty or because we need to so we can lead a bible study or maybe in a time of trouble for comfort. Should we not just want to hear words of affirmation and love? I want to love the Word more and love Him more but as I stated last week there are too many distractions in my world. Peace is hard to come by to share moments with God’s Word, no different than find that intimate time with my wife. It takes planning, divine intervention and determination to make it a priority. What is your priority? Can you determine to have a time of intimacy with the Word this week?bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-72650591698584191412010-09-15T10:29:00.001-04:002010-09-15T10:56:26.019-04:00Comments on Radical Chapter 1 and a little fishing reportFor those of you new to my blog there is always fishing, hunting, and paddling updates first. DRY! Fishing slow on the Big Walnut ½ of rain in 8 weeks with 90+ temperatures means no flow. We added a new canoe to the list of gear and early goose season came and went with no outings.<br />Thoughts on Radical by David Platt Chapter 1 <br />The way to render a man happy, is to engage him with an object that will make him forget his private troubles. - Pascal<br />Hence what the American Dream does…distract, distract, distract. In this first chapter of Radical my thoughts were driven to our culture and how we have made Christianity American. Look at the pictures of Jesus we grew up with, we refer to Him as “Surfer Jesus” and the flannel grams were Abraham and Isaac really white wearing blue clothing. We were deceived from an early age. Not out of malice, I think it was more out of a feeling of fear and to make it (the gospel) comfortable. If we presented the Bible and even more over the Gospel in its true grittiness, we then have to realize that it will be offensive, dangerous and tough. As a parent I think our parents also realized if they presented the Gospel the way that Christ presented it then their children (us) would leave and go to dangerous places and not live out their dreams or maybe their dreams for us.<br />The American Dream. I used to understand this concept. I thought; work hard, buy a house, get married, have 2 kids, get a dog and a minivan and I would have arrived. I got there but decided not to stay. Sold the van, got another dog, chickens and rabbits, a big garden, live in a rural town not the suburbs and had three kids. <br />We choose to rest on Sunday and not go out to eat or play organized sports. My wife and I reach out to those around us, not as much as we should but as we change our focus from ourselves to others we do more and more reaching out. We try to see others through the eyes of Christ, not with the filter of “America”. It might mean we have a couple over that is struggling with something we find distasteful or give an item that we cherish to a couple to help them make it through. <br />The Gospel and the American Dream don’t match. I am not saying that is wrong to have “stuff”, I am saying that “stuff” complicates things. I look at my great grandparents same couch for forty years and never thought twice about it. Now new furnishings every few years and a big vacation to boot is what we consider normal and modest as long as it is not so extravagant that people will talk. My grandfather told me the story of sharing a quart of ice cream after the war with the family across the road, five kids and everyone got some and they were all happy, now we each want our own quart. <br />In our Church we are all basically the same 98% white, 70% upper middle class (although I suspect some of those still don’t think they have enough “stuff”), that makes it tough to understand the world Christ lived in, a world of diversity and strife. When was the last time any of us shared a meager meal with a family from a different socio-economic group? I had the opportunity to share a meal with some great folks a while back; it was a good lesson in humility. I was invited by them not the other way around. It was simple fair at a simple place but it was good, the gospel was shared and discussed and seeds were planted. I wish I would have been the instigator and not the guest. Christ was always the instigator, He always put himself in position to be the one who brought up the topic or served the meal. <br />Did you ever notice the environments Christ put Himself in, it was definitely NOT a church program. In Death by Suburb David Goetz states “Suburban religion, its programming, and the need for warm bodies to “advance the kingdom of God” seem only to contribute to my problem. It seems like more stuff to feel guilty about.” Christ was our example of advancing the Kingdom of God and He had no program. He didn’t even have a big church with a gym and bookstore. Christ wasn’t interested in numbers of bodies but in but in the temperature of the bodies serving.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-67936248695266766162010-09-02T11:13:00.001-04:002010-09-02T11:15:23.684-04:00just time and silence<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxuH3f_oCya2umat2D2_E-19iw8Y-wQp7DESJj_iOnmQSzzvN10gneSco0djzg10lrbxOgxrIfXOjovBV2o0Uth6SQ83YsD8YELyuHO8FtlPfV29IP9iw2a22CBI8gScN2jlhd6E4YWV8/s1600/Another+Spring+Creek+Mod.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxuH3f_oCya2umat2D2_E-19iw8Y-wQp7DESJj_iOnmQSzzvN10gneSco0djzg10lrbxOgxrIfXOjovBV2o0Uth6SQ83YsD8YELyuHO8FtlPfV29IP9iw2a22CBI8gScN2jlhd6E4YWV8/s320/Another+Spring+Creek+Mod.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512334987061419970" /></a><br />I wrote this after reflecting about my Dad’s death.<br />In the darkest of the day my memories flow like a river over the stones of time. And now all of the words have been said and there are no fences to be mended. Soon it will be fall and the colors of a flame will be ever present on the maples. There are no answers and there are not even questions, just time and silence. The quiet is that of a late summer morning before the sun has started to turn the sky pink. There is just the faint hum of an occasional insect in the distance mourning the end of the night. It is as if you are in a skiff that is slipping over the horizon. I could see you smile and wave as you do so. When I see you again I will be smiling and waving at my family as I slip over the horizon and there you will be with the One, the One that I long to see. And so life moves forward. Did life change? No. Did our lives change? Yes, but not of sadness or a sense of loss but a sense of hope that at some time in the future we will meet again at the gate and we will be joined together because of sacrifice. Not your sacrifice or mine, not the hardships we endured but the sacrifice of the One who looked like all the others and walked the dirt roads of a far away land. He suffered for each of us that in the end we would be reunited at a gate like no other, we will not only be with one another but with Him the ONE that sacrificed all for each of us.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-9840975316490563052010-04-09T14:10:00.002-04:002010-04-09T14:15:41.625-04:00Alive<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7k8O0HBfp2switFOGkCx5iI8bjLhcbGjn7Mc_HBz4lDadOqSUSmcEcqTMULLDgzrEF0733t0Bht4PWG5s1KNak3jySA00O0EH3GbZqi70aD2sh5wKGNWnnWBlK54P7_P0Zdg0spABmb9D/s1600/The+Prong.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7k8O0HBfp2switFOGkCx5iI8bjLhcbGjn7Mc_HBz4lDadOqSUSmcEcqTMULLDgzrEF0733t0Bht4PWG5s1KNak3jySA00O0EH3GbZqi70aD2sh5wKGNWnnWBlK54P7_P0Zdg0spABmb9D/s320/The+Prong.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458203005910891826" /></a><br />Fishing rough in the Smokies last week. 42 degree water and limited hatches. Things are looking up here though a few warm rains and bright sun, we should be in business soon.<br />I have come to the realization that I have a great and Blessed life. The Almighty has provided for me the best of what this world has to offer. A beautiful wife and 3 great kids, friends like Christ had (they are fisherman of the finest sort and men that are committed to my family as I am to theirs) fine fly rods and good dogs. I watch a young man about my age speak recently and he is dying of cancer, he said something very profound. All gifts are from God and they are all good including his cancer. The cancer had made him better, a better husband, dad, worker and boss. As I saw it a few years ago when I laid dying of an unknown infection or years ago when I suffered from encopresis for nearly two decades, those things were not a gift but a burden. I can now see that they were gifts, gifts of tools to better me and my life. What I wondered about as I listened to this man was things will change and they are gifts not burdens. As I spoke with a friend last evening we commented on how good life is but it will changes our friends will have to move away, will get a chronic or depilating disease or possible die. The conclusion we can to “Is that we are “ALIVE”” and we must live as though we are. <br />If we are “Alive” why do we watch the news? Why do we care about the troubles in the government or the latest scandal out of Hollywood? I want to care about, if they are catching fish one #14 gnats or #10 woolly buggers. I want to care about what is fresh from the garden and when can I sit on the porch and hold my wife’s hand. I want to care if my kids are doing the “right” thing and their walk with God is where it should be. If we are “Alive” alive in Christ why then do we live in fear and frustration? Why do we fear the government, policies, taxes and the war that rages around us? In the movie “Life is Beautiful” the Dad protected his son from the world at war, do we do that? Do we allow God to protect us from the world warring against us? No we go to the fence and watch the war raging and sometimes we venture in to get a taste of battle. Why not taste Freedom, God the Almighty has given us freedom from the world. I want to run free in the freedom that God has given us. To do that I must lay down my pride, you know the type, the type that says I can handle this or I have made myself successful. I lay my fear and my pride at the feet of the King and go and run FREE. Free from the hassles of life. To be free doesn’t mean things won’t change and that things won’t be rough, what it does mean is that God sits on the throne and that we are not the dog in the fight but the dog on the porch in the shade.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-48860839075470894902010-03-02T07:36:00.001-05:002010-03-02T07:38:45.422-05:00What If...?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho03IgtQt0bvdixS39IjJ-L5_H2Rks9RmVnsXm4OoYTTp-PmJc9mEoggSpJQy0tBX2kaY55-UzJS5ELQsOdN76F7BQhL9UjddenjLR6eoUTtXHfE59OBK2i1Q69iiqFZnYCjU2pMqKs8Q6/s1600-h/C&S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho03IgtQt0bvdixS39IjJ-L5_H2Rks9RmVnsXm4OoYTTp-PmJc9mEoggSpJQy0tBX2kaY55-UzJS5ELQsOdN76F7BQhL9UjddenjLR6eoUTtXHfE59OBK2i1Q69iiqFZnYCjU2pMqKs8Q6/s320/C&S.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444014779911096418" /></a><br />Fishing should start soon. Wow it has been a long winter. By the way we may start tapping some maples this weekend for the golden goodness that is Maple Syrup.<br />I have been challenged this week, well actual the last several weeks. Reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan for a second time I am finding it hard to feel good about my mediocrity. We just finished discussing Chapter 7 which talks about our comfort level here in western society. So here is the challenge; I am I so comfortable here in the Midwest that I don’t want to serve elsewhere or moreover too comfortable to Go Home (Heaven). My life is easy by any standard; you may take a peek and say it is not compared to how some live here in the States but I would disagree. I got up this morning drove a nice car 40 miles to work, came into a warm building with nicer amenities than my home and I get paid to sit and work. I have a beautiful, caring, awesome wife, great kids and a refrigerator full of food. There is clean water and a flush toilet in my house as a matter of fact two toilets. There is a satellite dish that receives a signal from outer space that allows me to watch anything I want while sitting in my warm, safe house. You get the point, life is easy here in America. I enjoy my life every day and the Lord has blessed us but that makes things more difficult. Do I “want” for anything? NO! Sure I want things but I don’t want for anything. Ok so here it is; Do you, I trust God enough to leave this life and serve in Asia where you live on a dollar a day? Or how about serving in a country where you are forbidden to be a Believer? Or maybe the worst could you serve in a country where “God is Dead”, you know a country where they have walked away from God all together but still enjoy all that this world has to offer. The greatest question is this if God came to you right now and said “It is time to come home and sit down at the table with Me”, would you try to talk Him into letting you stay just a little longer? I love my wife and my kids and want to be here with them until I am very old. I want to enjoy the teen years and seeing them spread their wings and become Men and Women of God. I want to hold my wife’s hand as we walk our youngest down the aisle, I want to hold my grandchildren in my arms and enjoy vacations with all of them, and sit around a campfire telling of the adventures we’ve had. But if today God came and said “Time to go”, I have settled it in my heart that He can take care of them much better than I and if my Father in Heaven wants me in His house then I know that is where I need to be. What a challenge it is to write this. To say you Love God more than this life is easy. To say that you will give up all for God is a little harder, but to realize that giving up all is ALL, EVERYTHING, well that is another thing all together.<br /><strong></strong><strong></strong>bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1391759039686837713.post-73585616850993553732010-01-15T16:54:00.007-05:002010-01-15T17:03:36.963-05:00Art...well maybe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJu8XPjBBmagbfgJAcp21bk0dnJKMkvleXH-V_p-RRGHalHH2Uc2BcynpYGmEvvVaM16V-C_Jl-qxFI6E-a5tq1FW3tAhAk59MZETXqJIeLxphN7sZZRYm13sxpwm1ssjzVZc-r_obhhIC/s1600-h/Storm+and+Radio+taower.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJu8XPjBBmagbfgJAcp21bk0dnJKMkvleXH-V_p-RRGHalHH2Uc2BcynpYGmEvvVaM16V-C_Jl-qxFI6E-a5tq1FW3tAhAk59MZETXqJIeLxphN7sZZRYm13sxpwm1ssjzVZc-r_obhhIC/s320/Storm+and+Radio+taower.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427090584429621250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdHE-wSmUR3o6yH6PhxMQeSByaO1MqQ6peb0psdPwA7JfLrTQPtuuTFir2A5O2v6rQXCjPX3cfwcN6N5xBdgb4_HOtgTT6DOYTkmq1gO9sHDw3Wcz8kwoCQylLZ1Kz4o9PYWg2sHLBLoZ/s1600-h/Fishing+in+the+Light.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdHE-wSmUR3o6yH6PhxMQeSByaO1MqQ6peb0psdPwA7JfLrTQPtuuTFir2A5O2v6rQXCjPX3cfwcN6N5xBdgb4_HOtgTT6DOYTkmq1gO9sHDw3Wcz8kwoCQylLZ1Kz4o9PYWg2sHLBLoZ/s320/Fishing+in+the+Light.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427090399513861234" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4aPt2flS2Adn2klTXRiBngjsPqdUsrHR6l6p_7-_q8eGu2VMTzhu9khr1wuUcDBfu2zUZizqwqVpUqlAMrqrn00EApmNIFgsQdXt1TXVNPUjYqeYej994yeLwcUCY6LAlSZZySdYuG9rF/s1600-h/Big+Walnut+Gold.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4aPt2flS2Adn2klTXRiBngjsPqdUsrHR6l6p_7-_q8eGu2VMTzhu9khr1wuUcDBfu2zUZizqwqVpUqlAMrqrn00EApmNIFgsQdXt1TXVNPUjYqeYej994yeLwcUCY6LAlSZZySdYuG9rF/s320/Big+Walnut+Gold.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427090109034488706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDpgvhcT1-WIFnKPI7QS-cznseQerGdALwy-_legNCOWTu3JNGBBJnEODDyF_iH-WftWVXwjErqMmpM_-Vc0QfjNCA38aGk28VM2OCuFqXhOCWFHVIA2DaHRUuFaRfPIpNBi_JKINao7N/s1600-h/B&W+Forest.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDpgvhcT1-WIFnKPI7QS-cznseQerGdALwy-_legNCOWTu3JNGBBJnEODDyF_iH-WftWVXwjErqMmpM_-Vc0QfjNCA38aGk28VM2OCuFqXhOCWFHVIA2DaHRUuFaRfPIpNBi_JKINao7N/s320/B&W+Forest.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427090011095313378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQgY2dLrhf0xqBlcadhiFZHYALFz5SOXHJZJMV_jBzRNwwVcHTFSBm5fwadAKrOlIdI13zVMCIYKv8SK2I7nzElRcifbfsq8M7P-RbR3Awn2H_0TnI8nb67_PlsybfcVQ5k-1RIaO2dF3/s1600-h/another+bluegill.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQgY2dLrhf0xqBlcadhiFZHYALFz5SOXHJZJMV_jBzRNwwVcHTFSBm5fwadAKrOlIdI13zVMCIYKv8SK2I7nzElRcifbfsq8M7P-RbR3Awn2H_0TnI8nb67_PlsybfcVQ5k-1RIaO2dF3/s320/another+bluegill.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427089827487461250" /></a><br /><br />Check out some of these pictures.bigwalnutflyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17263423229533567225noreply@blogger.com0