Dear Fellow Children of God,
Many have asked about my moose hunt this year. Gerry Zellar and I again hunted together
where he has hunted for over 30 years, and where I have joined him for the last
22 years. Every year I use a list to
prepare for my hunting trip. I hope to bring
the right clothes, the right food, the right guns and ammunition, knives and
game bags. Some of these items I know to
bring because I’ve forgotten them in the past.
But, each year I update my list so I’m prepared for camping in the
Alaska fall and prepared for a chance to harvest a moose for my family.
I did not harvest a moose this year, but I saw
plenty. The moose I saw would eat in the
meadows and eat and drink in the pond where we hunt. They often came to my call. I saw cow moose come in pairs and
individually to the pond we hunt. I
called a cow and a calf so close that I had to move from where I was
calling. I even saw a cow followed by a
young bull. But his antlers were bigger
than a spike or a fork, yet smaller than 50”.
He had only one brow tine per side.
Therefore, this bull was not legal.
So, we camped, we hunted, we ate and did some exploring. We read and did devotions together. We cut a new trail and solved the problems of
the world. But, I never even shot my gun
because I never saw a legal moose . . . in camp at least.
You see, while we were driving to camp together, a little
south of Cantwell, I looked to my right and saw a bull moose walking down to a
small lake. This was a big bull. His antlers extended far beyond both sides of
his body. I put my binoculars on him and
couldn’t count the brow tines because there were so many. As we stopped our vehicle the bull walked
down to the lake and drank. He looked up
at us and started walking through the water.
He was actually no further away than other moose I have shot.
But, was the area where we were seeing this moose legal
for hunting? There are areas along the
Parks Highway where it has illegal to shoot within a certain distance of the
highway. There are areas where a person
is traveling through a park, or through private land, so it is illegal to
shoot. I have always wanted to shoot a
trophy moose. I had my gun and this
large bull was in right front of me. But
was this area legal to harvest moose?
We got out our regulations and tried to figure out where
we were in game management unit 13A. We searched the regulations for the map
that would indicate if this area was legal to hunt. As we did so this large bull moose walked through
the lake and then quietly up into the hills.
I knew the regulations for moose camp and was prepared to hunt there. But I did not know and was not prepared for
seeing a moose outside our little corner of the woods. So, because I was not prepared I missed my
opportunity. Former ADFG biologist and
St. John member, Herman Griese, later speculated that this large bull moose might
have wandered out of Denali National Park.
There are plenty of times in Scripture when God calls us to
be prepared or ready. In 1 Peter 3:15 we
are called to “always be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
have.” The reason for our hope is Jesus. Are you prepared to share your hope?
But, perhaps the most common and urgent plea of our Lord
is to be ready when He will come again. “So you
also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect him.” (Matthew 24:44) It sounds like that moose. If I had seen this bull in moose camp I would
have expected him. But he came when I
didn’t expect it, so I was not prepared.
I could have studied the regulations more. Better yet, I could have hired a guide whose
job it is to know the area and the regulations.
But I didn’t. If we are
unprepared in life, as I was in this instance, what makes us think we will be
prepared for Jesus? That is an important
question.
In all honesty, being
prepared for Judgment Day is not something we do on our own. We all fail God and deserve punishment rather
than eternal life. It is Jesus who cleanses
us and prepares us for eternity with God.
But, Jesus is not just our guide who points the way and gives
information. Jesus has taken the
punishment we deserve for our sin and risen from the dead. Having a guide would have helped me in my
hunt. When we believe in Jesus God gives
eternal life as a gift.
I thought I was ready
for moose hunting, but I was not as prepared as I thought. I did not know the regulations and didn’t
hire a guide. Are you ready for when Jesus returns? “Am I trusting the saving love and
forgiveness of my Lord? Am I following
Jesus and serving Him?” It is Jesus alone
whose forgiveness and love prepares us for when He will come again.
A Child of God, Thankful
that Jesus prepares us, even when we have failed,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here are a
couple of moose pictures from this year’s hunting trip. https://plus.google.com/photos/114993745799525883148/albums/6068587623660968449?banner=pwa
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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ I am
sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and
friends whose e-mails I have. (I am always adding new names of friends
and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first
time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me
know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if
you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me
their e-mail address.
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