Could God be a 4 year old boy?

I am a father of 6 boys ages 3,4,6,13,21 and 25. By no means do I have it all figured out! I have been raising kids since the age of 18 and I am still learning as I go. Every one of my children is as unique and different an individual as you could imagine. They are all night and day from one and other. As much as they are each their own special mold, there is one age that they all most resembled one and other, the age of 4. At 4 years old each boy has been a carbon copy of the other. Here are a few things I have learned about 4 year old boys along the way.

No mater how loud or how quiet you speak they will hear it if they want to.
Always check their pockets before you put their cloths into the wash.
They will eat anything once.
Never let them go outside unattended before church.
No small animal is safe with a 4 year old boy.
You can never satisfy the curiosity of a 4 year old.
Baseball, basketball, football and hockey are all outside games.
There is never enough food in the house.
4 year olds shoes are made from inferior material.
Lizard tails only come off by accident.
A 4 year old can get tooth paste out of a tube that a 1000 pound gorilla couldn’t
It is a physical impossibility for a 4 year old to pass a puddle without ascertaining its exact depth.
4 year olds can smell candy from a mile away.
4 is much too old to be taking naps.

They can be a lot of fun at that age and yet such a pain in the butt. I have learned so much over the years from my 4 year olds and it amazes me the parallel between the lessons I have learned from them and the lessons that the bible teaches us about the love of God. Unconditional love, acceptance, forgiveness, trust, lack of fear and flattery through imitation are just a few of the things that I can name off the top of my head.

God loves us unconditionally and proved it even though he didn’t have to. He sent us his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. He made the ultimate sacrifice for us! It that is not unconditional love then I don’t know what is. 4 year olds, they are mad when you send them to bed but are all smiles and I love you when they wake up.

Acceptance by God is pretty easy to see. Ephesians 1: 4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, make us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved” God accepts us no matter what we have done. We are his children. 4 year olds never judge us for what we are or are not, in the eyes of a child we are perfect.

Forgiveness from God is yours for the asking. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Forgiveness from a 4 year old is also yours for the asking and in my 25 years of parenting has never been denied.

God trusts us to carry out good works in his name. Ephesians 1:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. We were placed on this earth to glorify God. A 4 year old will trust us to care, feed and cloth them without ever giving it a 2nd thought.

The bible teaches us that with Gods love we have nothing to fear. Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” As a rule, 4 year olds are fearless! It is the age that they are fearless to a fault! If by chance you find something that they do fear, dad is the “go to guy” and can handle pretty much anything.

Flattery through imitation. Genesis 1:26-27 “Then God said, Lets us make mankind in our image, in our likeness… So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” I don’t know a single 4 year old that doesn’t imitate his dad so you had better be careful what kind of example you are setting for your children!

That Color of Green

Although I have never been asked this question, I have seen it in people’s faces. Why do you hunt? I could come up with many answers but today I chose this one. Have you ever looked at a Mallard Drake up close? Most people haven’t. The color of green in the feathers of a drake mallard are simply amazing and most likely impossible to duplicate. Now I know what you are thinking, “I could go to a farm and look at one”. True, but it would not be the same. Wild ducks born of the prairie regions in the Dakotas and Canada have colors like no other, colors that have been bread out of tame ducks years ago. These ducks come into this world at a huge disadvantage. From day one they are sought after by many predators, coyote, skunks, fox, birds of prey and in some areas even large fish. They grow and become strong over the summer in preparation of the yearly migration south for the winter. During their migration, they experience some pretty harsh winter conditions. Some say that these conditions add to their inherent colors. The orange in their legs gets oranger and the green in their heads gets greener with every freezing mile they fly. Now these are strong birds. They have to be to withstand these conditions and cover the distances that they do. “Why would you want to end the life of something that has worked so hard and overcame so much to get to where it is at”? At this point there are several arguments, one being for the nourishment of our bodies. Many will dispute this but I have 4 boys at home that will argue duck makes pretty good table fare. Duck breast sliced thin and marinated in a lemon and garlic sauce, placed on the grill with a slice of white onion….well let’s just say it will not last long on our table. That is how we do things in our house. We feed our family with meat and veggies harvested from the land, things that we have grown or hunted by our own hands. But let’s take this even one step further and look at another reason. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt I have seen and felt things while duck hunting that you will not find any where else in this universe. Sun rises so beautiful that you can almost hear them and sun sets that Da Vinci himself could never duplicate. I have seen stars so clearly in the darkest sky, a darkness that you can’t experience any where close to human structures. All these things God placed here for us. I can’t even begin to explain the feeling of reverence and respect I feel when I hold one of these birds. You can’t help but feel gods love and that he had something really special in mind when he created That Color of Green.

$20.00

What will $20 get you these days?
Several days ago I had an encounter with a man at a gas station. It took place around 5:45 in the morning so I can honestly say that I was not at my sharpest point in the day yet. As I pulled up to the station the get my morning fix (diet mt. dew) I saw a man standing out front. At first glance I thought that I knew who this guy was but soon realized that I did not. He was taller, slender, mid 30’s maybe and in need of a shave. As I walked by him to go inside I saw that he had bags sitting behind him like he was traveling or waiting on a ride. I went about my business and then headed back to my truck. As I walked past this guy I thought I heard him say something but it wasn’t until I reached my truck that It registered that he was speaking to me. Some what in shock I walked back to him and asked him what he said. He had to repeat himself several times before I understood that he was asking me for spare change for a cup of coffee. I went back to my truck to grab some change out of the door pocket but then for some reason decided to reach for my wallet. I had nothing but 20 dollar bills and just grabbed one and handed it to him. He asked me if I was sure, I said yes and got into my truck and drove away.
Now, here is where it starts to play back in my mind. As I am driving, I am going over the events that just took place. It is not unlike me to give money to anyone that is in need and especially if they ask. I have been desperate before and know what kind of courage it takes to ask for help. This time was different though. As I picture the events I realize that when I walked out of the gas station to go to my truck I was looking away from this guy. I was actually trying not to make eye contact whether it was consciously or subconsciously. Now at this point I am starting to feel really bad. Did I give him the money because I was trying to make myself feel better or because he needed it. The guy only asked for change and I gave him $20. I understand that we see people every day and for the most part will never really know any of their stories. Who they are and where they come from is not our main concern during our day to day activities. But what if we changed that? I know for a fact that I missed an opportunity to get to know a person who may or may not have been in need of someone to just take notice of him. Someone to make him feel like he mattered or that he was important. God gave me an opportunity and I completely whiffed! Swing and a miss! It all comes back to the same thing. We were put here on earth to glorify god and spread his word. Now I am not saying that this particular person needed to be “saved” but I will never know whether he did or not because I didn’t take the time to find out. We can’t ever know what sort of impact we might have in some ones life if we never stop and take the time to get acquainted. Think about that next time you see some scruffy looking person on the side of the road holding a sign asking for help. It just might be that they really do need help and are not just out there trying to scam you out of your pocket money. I believe that God puts people in or paths for a reason; we just need to figure out what that reason is. If our minds and hearts are not open we may never know.
What will $20 get you these days? Maybe more than you bargained for.

Walk the Walk

A few weeks ago I went to hear a friend of mine speak at a local church. His name is Buck Gardner. He is a world champion duck caller and an all around good man. I did not get to hear his entire message but the part that I did hear was plain and simple. If you are going to talk the talk then you need to walk the walk.
Going to church on Sundays is good but do you continue to glorify God throughout the rest of the week? I have considered myself a Christian for a long time but never sought to show the rest of the world how I felt or attempted to share the word even if just by my actions. If you are going to talk the talk, then you’ve got to walk the walk!
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

PSALM 119:105

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Alligator and Elk

I have found something to love about this time of year. It is the opportunity to dream! You see the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission release applications for special permit hunts around this time every year. That's right, the chance to dream of alligators and elk! Faithfully each year I fill out the application for these 2 hunts just hoping for the chance at one of these very limited permits. Both the alligator and the elk are on my list of dream hunts and what could be more satisfying than to have the opportunity to hunt them in my home state. Sure I could spend thousands of dollars to pursue the mighty elk in Colorado or New Mexico but what fun would that be? The fierce alligator is easily sought after and taken in Florida where they roam in abundance but is much more elusive here in our own back yard. Yes I know, my chances of being drawn are like 1,000,000,000 to 1 and yet I still keep trying! Maybe its not even the chance for the hunt any more but just the chance to dream.

Does the world change tonight?

As I sit here preparing to write my first blog post we are getting news of Bin Ladens demise. This is not the topic I wanted for my first post but I don't think it can be ignored. I think back many years ago when this whole thing started and how much time has passed since then. I remember my days as a soldier, how I wanted to fight for my country and protect her from anyone that would seek to harm her. I would have laid down my life for my country and now I don't want anyone to forget all those who have done so. Pray for every soldier who has passed and the family they left behind. I love my Lord, I love my country and I love my family. Victory is bitter sweet for now because I believe we are beginning a vigil of sorts, waiting to find out how this changes our world, for better or worse...