Apparently I Am The Worst Hunter

So according to Eric, my friend and the guy who lets me hunt on his property, I am the worst hunter. This wasn’t the first time I have received such a title. Yesterday it was because i allowed Eric’s dog, Gretchen, to accompany me to the tree stand I was going to be sitting in.

I figure she would just walk a little distance with me and then head back to the house. I continued to think this until I was about a tenth of a mile away from the tree stand. That is when Gretchen scared up a deer and I figured i wasn’t going to be able to get rid of her. I walked to the tree stand and sat while she ran through the woods. I kind of hoped that she might scare something over to me, instead of away from me. Nope that wasn’t going to happen.

Yeah, I’m worst hunter.

After she ran around for awhile she then came, grabbed a stick, and sat down around 15 yards away from my stand to chew on the stick. Eric drove his four-wheeler out to get her after I sent him a photo of her sitting by me, but he didn’t have to. I was fine with Gretchen being there. The good news was that I had C.S. Lewis’s “Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer“with me and I like dogs, including Gretchen. All together it was a pretty enjoyable afternoon sitting in the woods reading and watching a dog run around.

I can’t always control my circumstances but I can control my response to them. Viktor Frankl writes about this in his classic book “Man’s Search for Meaning“. Frankl writes the following:

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

Frankl was dealing with the horror of the Holocaust and I am definitely not comparing dealing with Gretchen to the Holocaust.  She can be a pain but she’s still a sweet dog. I just like to quote Frankl whenever possible. If you haven’t read “Man’s Search for Meaning”, you should. Like right now.

Anyhow, while I do enjoy actually getting to harvest a deer every now and then (right now I average 1 every other year, which is better than the Wisconsin average. Last I heard 1 in 3 Wisconsin hunters get a deer each year. I’m ahead of that ratio.) the real reason that I hunt deer, especially bow hunt, is how loud the forest becomes when you deer hunt. The forest seems real quite till you sit in it for a while. Then you notice how noisy it is.

Squirrels and mice are the ADHD teens of the woods. These little creatures are constantly making noise. I can hear them all around me when I am sitting in a tree stand. Chatter, chatter. Rustle, rustle. Hide a nut here. Nope let’s move it over here. I believe my favorite thing is hearing geese fly over me, just above the forest canopy. I’m not talking about their honking, though I like that too. Nope I love the sound of their wings cutting through the air. When you sit in a tree stand long enough for them not to know you are there you can hear the act of them flying.  It is very cool. Then, of course, every now and then you get to hear a deer come close … though it usually turns out to be a squirrel instead. Those stupid, little rodents are really loud.

I’m sure there is some greater point to sitting quietly enough to loudly hear all the small noises, but I’ll leave the development of that point up to you.

SIDE NOTE – if you are looking for something that will contribute to your love of dogs I would recommend two items: 1) a book I just finished “How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain“, and 2) this Facebook Page of dogs that UPS drivers meet along their routes.  The UPS Dogs FB page is really making me smile today.

Chaplaincy Interviewing

I’ve mentioned before that I am presently interviewing with a chaplain company and since I haven’t been hired or denied yet I won’t mention what company it is. Right now I just want to say how impressed I have been with the interviewing process that they have put me through. Thus far I have gone through the following:

  • Initial Interviewing (I’m assuming a weed-out interview) – 1.25 hours
  • Interview with Regional Director – 1.25 hours
  • Taylor/Johnson Personality Inventory
  • Spiritual Gifts Inventory
  • Job Shadowing a company chaplain (he also evaluated me) – 2.5 hours
  • Second interview with Regional Director (this time with Pam) 1 hour

Today I started another step which is initiating a background check (criminal, sex offender, DMV, and credit) and if I make it through that (and I can safely say that there is no reason that I shouldn’t) then, to my knowledge, there are two remaining steps:

  1. Final Interview with a higher up in the company (I think it is a Vice President)
  2. 3 days of training at the company’s headquarters (this is an interview also because they evaluate you at the training center also).

I think this is dang impressive. I don’t believe I have gone through such an intensive interview process for any job I have ever applied for – church or non-church. With each step I grow a little more excited about the possibility of working with this company. I think part of that is the amount of effort that they are putting into checking me out to make sure I am a fit. I respect any company that puts in that much effort. It speaks well of how important they believe their work is.

What would this mean for Tapestry? Not much, because I would be part-time. The church term for this is bi-vocational. What this really means is that I work an additional job so that there is no need for Tapestry to pay me more. That’s a good thing. I guess it also means that Tapestry would be receiving a little more tithe each month. 🙂

I hope this works out.

I Have a Little Problem

My problem is that I really think Jesus meant what He said. This isn't usually a problem on things that I like or view as easy (though often the easy things aren't that easy afterall). The problem comes with things that I don't like or are really dificult to do. Then it would be so much easier if Jesus just didn't really mean what He said. Today is an example of such a situation. You see Jesus said:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:43-45a

Sounds really nice and sweet and it usually is such. This command is usually something that I can easily follow. I tend to be a forgiving guy.

Then there are days like today and I remember this means people like Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who planned and set off the bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. I have a really difficult time wrapping my mind around acting in loving manners to Dzhokar, who appears to be finally in custody, and his brother who is now dead. How do I respond in love to someone who killed and hurt innocent people in a terrible act of terror? How do I love these guys who have struck fear in the heart of an entire city? Selfishly, as a runner how do I respond in love to someone who has done this to an event I love? Jesus's love was and is specific and sacrificial. He practiced what He preached. He loved those who were literally hurting Him and He still does. So how do I love these guys who have done things that are incrediblly evil?

It would be so much easier if Jesus simply didn't mean some of the things He said. But He did mean them. So how do I, as followers of Jesus Christ, seek justice (which I believe we should) while still responding in love? What does this love look like? I am sure it doesn't look like hate.

 

False Flag

This tweet made me laugh.

Thankfully I haven't felt the need to de-friend anyone over them going all false-flagish concerning the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Nice to know that most of my friends aren't wackos … well at least in this manner.

the week in tweets – 2009-01-03

  • is almost back among the land of the living. #
  • is going to be in NOLA January 12-14 and is open to eating supper with anyone who is interested. #
  • ate solid food for the first time in two days and now regrets it. #
  • If it skips snowing like this I will have Basset Hounds that could pull a sled in the Iditarod. #
  • “Are there times when mystery is more important than knowledge?” JJ Abrams, TED Talk, March 2007 #
  • I’m not sure why I am watching the Rose Bowl. I hate both teams. #
  • thinks the BCS has ruined the joy of new years day football. #
  • http://twitpic.com/z084 – not a bad place to work on a paper. #
  • @joshcausey http://twitpic.com/z2v5 – wow – i never knew you were a carpenter in reply to joshcausey #
  • I was busy working on a paper so I didn’t see the game but wow OLE’ MISS – way to go SEC! #
  • hmmmmm … BAMA? Where are you? #
  • @joecausey – joe you have to stay true to the SEC. otherwise, LSU just looks even worse. in reply to joecausey #
  • @DaddyGriffis – bingo we have a winning twit. in reply to DaddyGriffis #
  • is it beginning? PLEASE LET IT BE BEGINNING!!!!!! #
  • and now the offense is starting to play – sweet. #
  • in a break from the game i could use anyone’s help who knows of a good source for funeral urns for children – http://tinyurl.com/7metzm #
  • If only the 1st qtr hadn’t happened. Still the Utes were impressive #Bama. #
  • @meganckelly – be productive! unlike me 🙂 in reply to meganckelly #
  • @ppolnaszek – a broken heart? in reply to ppolnaszek #
  • @KenNichols – that’s quite cool. i’m stealing that one. in reply to KenNichols #
  • @ppolnaszek – a stubbed toe? in reply to ppolnaszek #
  • needs someone to volunteer for an illustration at Tapestry – I want to show what might happen to a runaway slave in the ANE. Any takers? #
  • @Joshross – is this in regards to being a volunteer? in reply to Joshross #
  • @Joshross – cool. if you had to lose a hand for the rest of your life would you prefer it to be your right or your left? 😉 in reply to Joshross #
  • @Joshross – cool – you might want to bring clothes that you don’t mind getting bloody and possible a tourniquet. 😉 in reply to Joshross #
  • @Joshross – have you looked at gander mtn for muskie rods? i know you posted this in Nov but thought you might still be looking. in reply to Joshross #
  • @eLP88 – pam is watching it right now. in reply to eLP88 #
  • wants to remind everyone that we will have Tapestry tomorrow – thus we will almost certainly have terrible weather. #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

the week in tweets – 2008-12-27

  • @eLP88 – genetics? in reply to eLP88 #
  • Just got back home from eatting after Tapestry and discovered that I have won the extended family fantasy football league. Go me! #
  • Currently Browsing: http://tinyurl.com/8zpkeb – interesting but sad article on modern slavery. #
  • Taking some more cold medicine and heading to bed. I have to rest up for a one horse open sleigh ride with Pam tomorrow. #
  • We are perplexed at the failure of Shalom to materialize because we forget the role we play in its birth. #
  • @KenNichols – that’s great. classic. in reply to KenNichols #
  • @meganckelly – it’s -9º in Point right now 😉 in reply to meganckelly #
  • I declare myself to be an Arminist or a Calvinian and that settles it. #
  • http://twitpic.com/vdff – Just got back home from taking Pam on a one horse open sleigh ride. It was very cool. #
  • Packers vs. Bears – Come on Pack! Redeem yourself and skin the bears. PLEASE! #
  • @ppolnaszek – which team’s farve jersey? in reply to ppolnaszek #
  • The Pierces introduced me to the wonders of the Whirly-Pop popcorn popper and I am very thankful for that – http://tinyurl.com/3oekzy #
  • http://twitpic.com/vk6j – band concerts shouldn’t be at 7:45 am #
  • The biggest problem with our prayer is not the absence of GOD’s presence while we pray but the absence of our own presence while we pray. #
  • RT @tiffany_d_smith – “Christ does not want nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible.” C. T. Studd #
  • Finally picked up Pam’s CHRISTmas gift while there is 3 inches of unplowed snow on the road. Rough driving. Now heading home. #
  • grapevine faith’s football team showed the world what a matthew 25 type of football game would look like – http://tinyurl.com/9dlddr #
  • @ppolnaszek – oh i love monkey bread. pam made some last week. btw, happy CHRISTmas. in reply to ppolnaszek #
  • fun doing the advent conspiracy kind of thing with pam and i’s gifts – she handmade me a packers throw quilt (very nice). #
  • http://twitpic.com/we1x – it’s even worse when you have to disassembly before you even reach the “some assembly required” part. #
  • the oldest son is now down with the stomach bug – pam and i are taking bets on which one of us gets it next. #
  • @ysmarko – white castle is good but i prefer the southern version – krystals – http://www.krystal.com/ in reply to ysmarko #
  • http://twitpic.com/wx0j – oh yeah, my parents gave us a Dwight Schrute bobble-head. Oh cool are my parents? #
  • http://twitpic.com/wx2b – oh yeah, my parents gave us a Dwight Schrute bobble-head. How cool are my parents? #
  • the third Terrell is not vomitting – it’s Pam. #

Powered by Twitter Tools.

national gluttony day

anna's victoryalyica's victory

today in honor of gluttony i got to be the chauffeur for my niece anna and alycia (our resident youth ministry gangsta) on their quest to eat the one pound hamburger at “cheeburger, cheeburger.” i had serious doubts about them being able to do this but i was proved wrong. here alycia and anna hold up their pictures of victory. truthfully i got sick just watching them eat that much. i still can’t believe they got it all down.