Opening day

Recently I spent a great deal of money buying a hunting plantation and getting setup for hunting and after forty years of working my tail off, I am all set to enjoy my golden years of retirement doing something I really enjoy. I look forward to it with great anticipation and am eager to get in the woods and pursue the elusive whitetail deer. Opening day for gun season for deer is next week, but I have a speaking engagement on that day to assist a ministry devoted primarily to ministering to drug addicts, many of whom are incarcerated. Four days later I have another one to do in a different city that is similar in scope. With air travel to and from these two cities a significant portion of the opening week of deer season will be missed.

Opening day of gun season for deer is a very special time that sportsmen live for and I’m no exception. As I considered the timing of these speaking engagements I could not help but momentarily lament the fact that I would miss most of the opening week of deer season. Yesterday I got an e-mail from one of the ministers for one of the events. He was genuinely excited about my coming and he told me that over two hundred folks had signed up for it.

This organization relies 100 per cent on donations and volunteers to minister to some 2000 drug addicts. They send out thousands of books to those in jails and prisons in an effort to minister to and provide Godly hope for the tortured souls that reside therein. This annual event is mainly to honor those volunteers and financial donors who spend so much time and money throughout the year helping their organization to help others by telling them about Christ. He told me that after thinking about it and praying about it, that they had changed their schedule to allow me even more time to speak because they felt that it would really be beneficial for those in attendance to hear from me.

As I considered this I thought about God’s plan for my life. I sincerely believe it is to help inspire those who would benefit from hearing of how I hitch-hiked into Atlanta as a penniless and homeless drug addict/alcoholic bitter criminal lost to Christ and contemplating suicide. Finding Christ transformed me and following Him allowed me to turn my life around 180 degrees and it will allow others to do likewise and I am living proof of it. There is nothing like a drug addict or alcoholic hearing that message from someone who has been there and done that, versus a pastor who got saved at the age of nine and never even so much as drank a single beer or smoked a cigarette, much less stuck a needle in their arm, or devoted their day to seeing how much booze they could drink prior to passing out.

Giving up opening week of deer season is a small price to pay for what Christ has done in my life. In fact I do not consider it to be paying a price at all. It is an absolute honor to be in the position that I am in and have the opportunity to help others in any manner that I can, be it opening day of deer season or not. I hate that this organization will take time away from honoring their hardworking volunteers and donors in order to make more time on their limited schedule to hear me speak, but I will try my utmost to make it worthwhile.

To be absolutely honest, after thinking about it, I would much prefer speaking at this event than being in the woods staring down a monster buck. Anyone who knows me would tell you that is really saying something. I am sincere when I say that there is no comparable feeling to giving to the Lord in whatever manner we can, but especially when we can help plant some seeds that may one day lead others to Christ and save them from the agony and depths of hell. Let me tell you brothers and sisters that there is no feeling like that in the world including taking a world record monster buck time or catching a one thousand pound Black Marlin.

As you ponder this today, seriously consider what “you” can do for the Lord. Not everyone has a sordid past like me and can contribute to the Kingdom of God in the same manner as I do, but every single soul on this earth can do something. I sincerely believe that nothing that we have on our plates is as important as finding your own ministry for Christ and remaining faithful to it. There is much to be done and time is running out to do it, (particularly as we get closer and closer to the return of our Savior in these last days).

Lost souls are on every street corner and probably in the desk right next to yours and more workers are needed. Don’t be timid, know that Jesus Christ will be with you every step of the way and nothing can be more enjoyable than that; (even opening day of deer season). Try it you will like it!

Matt. 28:19
“Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you;
and lo I am with you always, even
to the end of the age.” Amen