Where's Mike?

Do you like bow hunting? I love to bow hunt too. In fact I recently returned from northern Quebec with two nice bull Caribou taken with my 52# longbow and cedar arrows. What an adventure! Words can’t describe the WOW feeling a hunter receives when he stalks to within 10 or 15 yards and kills an animal along the same migration route that his ancestors have followed for hundreds or maybe even thousands of years. I was definitely blessed to be in a camp with 5 other bow hunters that revered the creator of all life. We thanked Him daily for allowing us to participate in His theater of the great northern woods.

Well let me tell you about the old me. I was (or I guess like and alcoholic, still am) a bow hunting fanatic/addict. Everything in my life used to be centered on it. I belonged to several bow hunting organizations and received many monthly magazines to give me that “fix” during the off-season. Every conversation around the “water cooler” at work was about bow hunting. My cubical had pictures of deer and other dead animals but oddly enough no pictures of my wife and children. I would leave them at the drop of a hat to go out hunting with the boys. I was irresponsible at home and work because of it, especially during the main hunting seasons. I new it was affecting my relationships but I couldn’t help myself. I had a big empty spot in my life and I was trying to fill it with all the social and physical things that were about bow hunting. I thought that by serving on a governing council of a large Michigan bow hunting organization I would receive that feeling most of us long for. But as with most things in this world it only gave me that deep frustrating and dejected feeling. I had so much faith in this group and its leaders that I just knew for sure it would make everything all better. But it couldn’t. It wasn’t designed to.

Now let me tell you about the new me! A few years ago we were invited to visit NBWC by some new friends. Of course it was during bow hunting season wouldn’t you know. Well, I resisted for the most part but God just kept tugging at my heart and we went once or twice. Little things started happening to me. Things that were too obvious to be brushed off as coincidence. It all came to light one Sunday morning service when the Spirit of the Lord spoke to me and softened my heart and changed me from a selfish, rude, foul-mouthed, angry, etc… person into someone new. That day the old bow hunter died and a new one was born. I received such a peaceful feeling that day it is hard to describe. Not even hunting in the great North could compare to this feeling.

Well this didn’t mean that I had to give up my bow hunting but with the understanding that comes with learning about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ I have it in the right perspective. Now that I realize what true priorities are (God, wife, family, self) I have been blessed to be able to go on Caribou hunting trips. I truly feel this is something that may never have happened if I hadn’t given all to the greatest bow hunter of all.

“Get close and shoot for the Heart”

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