Hunting for What?
On February 3rd, I excitedly attended Silverdale Baptist Church’s 25th annual Men’s Wild Game Dinner. What better way to celebrate being a man than to be surrounded by over 2,000 men honoring their love of hunting! With the massive church hallways filled with booths selling guns, knives, outdoor hats, deer lures, and much more…it was a real testosterone fest!
It was rewarding seeing all the men, women, and children who put on this massive event and also seeing the throngs of men there with their sons, nephews, and grandsons. Most exciting of all was knowing that many men in attendance did not know Jesus personally but were invited by men who did.
We feasted on elk stew, moose meatballs, deep fried deer, dove/chukar/quail stuffing, and deer sloppy joes. Dessert was Chattanooga’s own hometown creation—Moon Pies. With long lines that led to the chow lines, guys were forced to do what does not come naturally to them—converse!
With the main sanctuary, and three other campuses filled to capacity, guest speaker Brett Butler spent an hour investing in the lives of all these men. A former major league baseball player for over 17 years, Butler shared his powerful testimony.
Butler was in the zone when he focused on one salient point by sharing, “What is the driving thing for which you are hunting? If it is money, fame, and all the toys that life offers, you will always come up short. The only thing that brings true meaning and significance is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
He went on to share that with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we have to trust that God knows what is best for us. In his own career, he was often traded and landed with teams he didn’t want to be on…but God had a higher purpose for his life so he had to trust Him. This was a remarkably confirming thought for me in light of all our moves in the last 17 years! For Linda and me, in these various moves, God had a purpose and lives to touch through us.
Butler based his talk around Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart. And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].” If your church would like to put on a game dinner or men’s retreat and need a speaker, I’d love to talk with you. I have a powerful presentation I gave recently as the keynote speaker for a large church in Chattanooga entitled, “Guys, God, and the Great Outdoors: Becoming Fishers of Men.” Reach out to me and let’s talk.
