Priorities

[crippleshot]

What a shame. This forum is, practically, deserted. But just check out the discussions, being carried on, about the fastest, lightest, bow on the market or the ballistics of a new bullet on the scene and you have responses flying back and forth, so fast, it's a wonder my screen isn't smoking. I am new to this web site and find this more than a little sad. Sad for the people involved but mostly sad for God. False idols and false gods come in many shapes and forms. There is nothing wrong with being blessed enough to have those new things but when they become more important than God and His Son, Jesus, our priorities are WAY out of whack. Another "for instance" that most outdoorsmen seem to think is OK is to hunt on Sunday instead of taking their families to church. I hear on some of todays hunting shows how they commune with God while being in His majestic, wild places. Hmmm. I wonder how many times we hear that......................it's on a Sunday morning? While they may speak to and worship God on those Sundays, it's NOT the same thing. Christians are to gather together on the Sabbath and worship the Lord. And complaining that, because of a job, Saturdays and Sundays are the only days you get to hunt, is not a valid excuse. Thare ARE no valid excuses. We are to take the Sabbath and keep it Holy. Do I write this as a rituous man? Hardly. There was only one rituous man and He died on the cross for us. No, I am a sinner, just like everyone else. And yes, God may forgive us the occassional foray into the wilderness to pursue one of our pleasures but the least we could do, it seems to me, is to come on here and publicly thank and pay homage to Him for allowing us to take that, once in a while trip. And if it should turn into an occassional thread that leads to discussing, teaching or best of all, learning about our Savior, all the better.

[wtnhunt]

The forums have been pretty slow everywhere, not just this room. You are correct though, there are no excuses. I fall way short and admit that. I am eternally thankful Jesus gave his life so I could be forgiven. I think about that every time I take to the woods and not just on Sundays. My typical routine of morning hunts always consists of my closing my eyes and saying a prayer and giving thanks as soon as I settle into a stand.

I do hunt Sundays, but I am fortunate enough to be able to walk to my stands from my house and be back in time to make it to church. Last year I missed I think one morning of church during our hunting season and it was because of one of my children being sick.

To be honest I have been missing church recently though for various reasons and it has had nothing to do with hunting and has nothing to do with my relationship with God. Your relationship with God is just that, yours, and mine is mine. I don't feel it is my place to judge another for where they are and feel my preacher nor anyone else should judge me for my presence or lack of in a physical building on said day of the week. A church building is a place, and all too often people who go to church are not focused when they are there. I can read the bible anywhere anytime and talk with others including my family, I admit I have read from the bible while sitting in the stand and on many days other than Sundays and it seems it sinks in more when I am able to clearly think about the scriptures than when I listen to the preacher giving his take. I recently got a smart phone and have been looking for a downloadable bible that I can take with me without being online, anyone have any suggestions?

This is a good discussion that has come up in the past and not just in this room, there have been discussions in the lounge and deer hunting rooms in the past about hunting on Sundays. Of course then too comes the discussion about when the Sabbath is if it is really on Sunday or Saturday? Some say the 7th day of the week and since the 7th is Saturday then Sunday clearly is not the day of rest???? Just my opinion, but my opinion is that God above all knows where your heart and mind are and that is more important than where your body is on whatever day of the week.

[Ravin R10 man]

The Sabath is Sat. but that was under Old Testament time. We are not under that law since Christ rose on Sunday, that is the day that has been set aside to worship him.

Be careful of becoming like a Pharasee(http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/pharisee.htm)

(Note: Just as yeast causes bread to rise, yeast was sometimes used as a symbol of sinful pride which made people haughty and "puffed up.")

My Christian walk may not look like yours, God know my heart not you.

I missed a couple Sundays in church, yes I was hunting.

Heaven bound, NOT **** bound

Thank You Lord!

Edited December 12, 2013 by Mathews XT Man

[Missilelock]

Wow, I like to think Im about as serious about my Christianity as a guy can be, But I just don't think coming into a hunting forum with 5 posts under your belt and reaming everyone collectively a new one is just the best way to win some new converts . Lane

[The Bug House]

Not every member here is a Christian either.

[Missilelock]

You are still on my prayer list Bug!

[Zizzer59]

This is way off topic, but I've never read you avatar picture Bug, and it has just made my day lol. That is hilarious!

[crippleshot]

I should have known. WHAT was I thinking? In these wicked times, ANY time someone brings up the subject of Jesus and salvation, it immediately draws fire. ANY time you, simply, try to point out the obvious, the words "hypocrite, "judge" and/or "judgemental" are dropped like bombs over Berlin during WWII. I have read and reread my thread until I think I could recite it from memory. I find nothing judgemental about it. I admitted that, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, I am a sinner. So, no looking down on anyone there. JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, I have missed church to hunt on Sunday. Although, I do it MUCH less than I used to. Like, maybe once, in the last five years. So, no "seat of judgement" there. I am as guilty as you. I'm sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes. Usually, when you DO step on toes it's because they belong to the guilty who can't come up with a viable arguement so, out comes words like "judgemental" or "Pharisee". Or phrases like, "you don't know how MY walk with God works". That is true. But I DO know what the Lord expects from ALL believers. And then, of course there are those like, Bug House that have no answers but to make fun of my faith. And he seems to get more support than I do. Could you make it to Heaven without EVER going to church? It's possible, I guess. But you tell me. Where would Jesus RATHER you be on a Sunday morning? Which place would make Him happiest? And for those who feel I "reamed them out", all I did was point out an obvious truth. If I hit an exposed nerve, why is it exposed? The two most saddest things about this whole ordeal is the fact that this is the first post made on the Spiritual Camp in SIX YEARS!! The one before that was EIGHT YEARS ago!!!! I know this is NOT a Christian web page but six years? Boy. There's been a whole lot of thanking and praising the Lord for that new bow or that giant elk you killed last year, huh? Neither of which would have been possible without His Grace and Blessing. Yeah, yeah, I know. You thanked Him in your own, private way. Jesus loves when we sing His praises and give Him thanks in public. He loves to know we are not afraid or ashamed to show our love for Him. The second saddest thing is I received all of the EXPECTED responses but NOT ONE post of support. I guess it's because I'm a fawn? Since telling the truth has already made me so vilified and unpopular, maybe this site isn't for me. So good hunting and God bless.

[Zizzer59]

I respect your post. I am not one to judge, I haven't been to church in a few years, but that doesn't mean that I am a heathen. I choose not to go to church because the past few churches that I have attended have been nothing short of a judge and jury. Does that mean that I don't believe in God? No. I have accepted Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. For me, hunting brings me closer to Jesus. Everytime I'm in the stand I send up a prayer or two, and as soon as I shoot an animal, I pray that it was a good shot and that it didn't suffer, and thank Him for giving me a chance to harvest that animal.

[crippleshot]

I am, truely, sorry about your past experience with churches. Unfortunately, there are alot out there that are all about filling the pews AND the collection plates. Or those that have everything to do with religeon and nothing to do with Christ. I pray you would start looking again. There ARE excellent churches out there. And I understand, perfectly, the closeness to Jesus you feel while on stand. I mean, how could you not. Being out there in His forests, deserts and mountains is being in the presence of, what I feel is, His greatest works! But I can't help but think, if not every Sunday, we should make the attempt to be in His house, when ever possible. Even if you miss EVERY Sunday during hunting season, that leaves the biggest part of a year. If you could find a good church, like I did, you would feel the difference being there as oppossed to anywhere else. Yes, we go to church to learn but our main purpose for being there is to be among fellow Christians to sing and worship God, Jesus and The Holy Ghost. If I came on too strong, the first time, I'm sorry but this is all I was trying to say in the first place. Unfortunately, I'm afraid, even now, I have offended people.

[wtnhunt]

Everyone is different. As I said in my initial reply this is a good topic and it is one that has come up before. Not sure where you are getting that there have been no posts in this room in 6 years, that is inaccurate.

I am not saying it is or isn't, but your initial post here may come across to some as condescending. Sometimes when we write or say something it sounds ok to you yourself or me myself, but others take it wrong. I did not take offense to your post myself. It is a discussion, discussions are good, certainly meant no offense to you with my reply.

When it comes down to it God knows where you are in your faith and He ultimately will judge us all. I certainly have no place guessing where another's faith is and will not attempt to. Just because we do not share the same exact views or perceptions does not mean you are wrong and I am right or vice versa. What compels or drives one person to faith may not work for another, we are all different.

Did Jesus do all His teaching in church buildings? Jesus did not share just on Sundays either. Point is you can worship or share any place any time. I am certainly not afraid to tell anyone my beliefs and you are correct that I did thank God for the deer I took this year, although I did not come in here in this room and post a thread specifically to that. And I am also not afraid to tell anyone where I have been and why, although it probably is not really there business. It is interesting however to me that some people question and put so much emphasis on attendance to a building on Sundays. I believe your heart is where it is and your physical place is irrelevant. Some people do need more interaction to keep them on their walk in faith than others do, I do understand that, but we are all different.

Sometimes things happen. We have had the bad experience at a church with money issues before and that drove my wife and I completely away from church for several years. It did not make us any less Christian, I don't believe, and we did eventually end up at a different church where we are members now. I like our preacher as a person, but do not agree with some his more recent sentiment that he preached on earlier this year. Back over the summer we had some issues come up with family and I missed a few weeks. My mother is not in great health and we have had a lot to deal with with her as well as having 4 kids(our youngest, 2 years old, possibly being high functioning autistic).

When I returned to church after missing a few weeks the message seemed to be about attendance and evidently I missed some sermons on that as well. Our preacher has occasionally hit on that topic before and made sure to make it clear that members of the congregation need to be faithful to their commitments when they missed. We always have tithed even when we missed or made up when we missed so I felt like he must have been talking about or to someone else, but still you don't forget these things.

The one sermon over the summer was not the end of it on attendance. These negative rants about attendance continued on for several more weeks and did not end with just attendance in church on Sunday mornings. It went on about the church functions on Wednesdays and about Sunday school attendance and other events some of which we simply were not participating in. Our preacher went on to seemingly ridicule members missing who used the excuse of having to work. We have healthcare professionals in our congregation, my wife is a nurse and yes she has had to work on Sundays. And then there are others who are simply struggling in this poor economy who have to take what work they can get and are attempting to make a living working whenever they can. I am thankful that there are people who give up their Sundays to work in hospitals and health care facilities and that there are others like leo's who work weekends to keep people safe. It sure is not my place to think any less of a man or woman who is Christian who takes on that responsibility. How many lives daily get saved by Christian men and women working in ER's that might not be saved if they were sitting in church? I am not making excuses, just being understanding. To kind of put it in perspective a bit our preacher is not in great health. He has been in and out of the hospital himself recently, seems odd to me that he would not recognize that his sermons beating down those who may miss for reasons he does not understand might have adverse effects and drive people like me away. I really do not need the beatdown and negativity whether it did or did not apply to me, I want an uplifting message and to praise God. Now a bit of irony, our preacher while preaching these messages has himself missed for various reasons including being sick which is understandable to going on vacation(fishing). Not judging, but does seem maybe a bit hypocritical, do as I say but not as I do.

How many times have you been to church and seen someone fall asleep? Too many times to count I have seen this at churches of various different denominations. Does not seem to matter, it happens and you got to wonder how well the word sinks in for those folks, guess they may receive the word subliminally? My point there is what are those folks getting out of the message? Seems to me too that some people go to church to be there for the wrong reasons and probably leave as empty as when they came in the doors. Again no judging in any way whatsoever but that is a sad situation when people come to church and get nothing out of it.

[wtnhunt]

The two most saddest things about this whole ordeal is the fact that this is the first post made on the Spiritual Camp in SIX YEARS!! The one before that was EIGHT YEARS ago!!!!

If you will back out of this thread into the spiritual room and scroll down and look at where it says "thread display options" you can select to view threads from the past year or from the beginning, and then click on "show threads".

[The Bug House]

You are still on my prayer list Bug!

I appreciate the kind sentiment. Thank you for thinking of me!

[The Bug House]

This is way off topic, but I've never read you avatar picture Bug, and it has just made my day lol. That is hilarious!

Every time I see it on the desktop screen, it makes me laugh also!

[Ravin R10 man]

You are wrong about the no post in 6 or 8 years. Your post did come off to me as, if you miss church to go hunt, work, or whatever, you are not a good Christian. It also sounds to me like you were on some Holy High horse, even if you did not say it that way.

Christ healed sick on the Sabbath, He was also with the disciples when they stripped grain an ate, while walking along on the Sabbath. Both were frowned upon by the "Elete" of the day.

Much of what you said was true, thats the way the unsaved world lives.

Coming here with few posts and saying what you did before anyone even knows you, well, it's not gonna get you too far.

You probably did more to turn them off, rather than consider a life change. /jmho brother

Case in point;

I find this sounds VERY condescending;at least to me, maybe I'm weird?..lol

Quote;ordeal is the fact that this is the first post made on the Spiritual Camp in SIX YEARS!! The one before that was EIGHT YEARS ago!!!! I know this is NOT a Christian web page but six years? Boy. There's been a whole lot of thanking and praising the Lord for that new bow or that giant elk you killed last year, huh? Neither of which would have been possible without His Grace and Blessing. Yeah, yeah, I know. You thanked Him in your own, private way. Jesus loves when we sing His praises and give Him thanks in public. He loves to know we are not afraid or ashamed to show our love for Him. The second saddest thing is I received all of the EXPECTED responses but NOT ONE post of support. I guess it's because I'm a fawn? Since telling the truth has already made me so vilified and unpopular, maybe this site isn't for me. So good hunting and God bless. - Quote

There are many "Born Again" Christians on this site, and on the Pro Staff at RT. I hope you stick around so we can get to know you a little first.

Edited December 14, 2013 by Mathews XT Man

[The Bug House]

Crippleshot, your initial post drips of self-righteousness and narcissism ... even if you did not intend it to. I'm not offended, but you seem troubled.

I'd also like to say that I, under no circumstances, "made fun of your faith". I simply explained that not every member on this forum subscribes to your set of personal beliefs, if you truly believe that is "making fun" then perhaps it's your own worldview, not others', that is leading you down this path of conflict and accusatory tone. You posted that my post got "more support" than yours ..... what kind of support do you need right now?

wtnhunt hit the nail on the head when he said "Everyone is different", you've got to go with what works for you. Not everyone is going to feel the same as you. .

BTW - this Atheist will be working in the ICU on Christmas so one of my Christian friends/co-worker may be home with her family, and yes, I'll almost certainly be performing CPR at some point during the day!

[crippleshot]

I'm sorry to those I offended. This is not my first catastrophe at trying........................I don't even know what I was trying to do, anymore. It is written that everyone is blessed with a gift that will bring glory to God. I don't know what mine is but I guess it's sure not evangelizing. I am not adding this to draw pity but being a quadraplegic, I thought, for sure, my gift HAD TO BE something I could say or type. So far, I have been a miserable failure at both. Again, I'm sorry and will not try again. Good hunting and God bless.

[Ravin R10 man]

Hey, don't be so hard on yourself man....now at least we know a little more about you. You are probably a pretty neat guy, with a lot to offer on this site, stick around, the guys here would love to have ya pull up to the 'ol campfire and participate. Iknow I would

[Missilelock]

Well Crippleshot, being able to offer a sincere apology is something im not very gifted at, so you are one up on me there! Anyways, I actually agree with most of what you posted, Its just that, as the old saying goes you draw more flies with honey. As far as evangelism is concerned, My policy is to show them Jesus....at least thats a great starting point. Lane

[Zizzer59]

Don't worry about it crippleshot. Stick around for a while, I sure am glad I did.

[crippleshot]

Thanks to all. Due to my paralysis, which I incurred during a motorcycle wreck, on 2/5/2005 at the age of 45, I have a hard time keeping my emotions in check. I have been told, on more than one occassion, that I "come on too strong" when trying to show people the path to Jesus. The same was said about my political posts. I, finally, managed to quit those and shut politics out, completely. When the world comes knocking on the door of this little bubble, called home, and,eventually, they will, that is when I'll start worrying about politics. I KNOW I come on too strong but it's not from being a smart-aleck. It's enthusiasim. I'm just SO sure, in my condition, that evangelizing MUST be my calling. But, as my posts prove here, that just isn't the case. I don't know what else it could be but, after, almost, nine years, I hope he lets me know, soon. Otherwise, I'm starting to fear I don't HAVE a calling because I'm NOT a real Christian. That He doesn't dwell in my soul. But thanks for the understanding and, maybe, I'll stay. Never, really, wanted to go, in the first place. It IS my fault and I wish.............................................Well, thanks.

[wtnhunt]

Otherwise, I'm starting to fear I don't HAVE a calling because I'm NOT a real Christian. That He doesn't dwell in my soul. But thanks for the understanding and, maybe, I'll stay. Never, really, wanted to go, in the first place. It IS my fault and I wish.............................................Well, thanks.

Don't second guess yourself there, clear that you are trying. You either believe or you don't. Again everyone is different and my understanding the bible supports that we are all given different talents, no reason to beat yourself up over your words maybe not being taken the way you meant them.

You mentioned threads in this room, here is one you may find interesting http://forums.realtree.com/showthread.php?t=110249.