God's Great Outdoors

Multi-winner of the National Wildlife Turkey Federation’s turkey calling championship, Chris Parrish, is this week’s guest. Chris shares how he got involved in the outdoors and realized early that if you could make the thirty-two different sounds that a turkey produces, there is a good chance you could get them to come and invite them to your dinner table.He also goes into some of the details that are required to qualify for this annual competition and what happens when you are involved in the contest. Additionally, Chris shares how God got a hold of his life and dropped him to his knees when his little boy was born prematurely.

Every year, God’s Great Outdoors, has it’s Family Fun Fossil Hunt at Caesar’s Creek in Ohio. This August adventure is a little over an hour from the Creation Museum, and so those who attend the hunt can make it a weekend outing. The fossil hunters get to keep what they find and Dr. John Whitmore who teaches geology and paleontology at Cedarville University,shares with the hunters about the fossils they have recovered. Clearly the discussion revolves around the fact that this vast deposit of sea life is a result of Noah’s flood.

This week’s program is a visit with Kevin Vogt who is one of the staff members from the Centershot ministry. Centershot is a program that is done in churches teaching youngsters how to shoot the bow and arrow and is correlated with learning scriptures and Biblical principles. Those putting on a program in their church also try to incorporate the whole family in the experience, so God’s Word doesn’t just go to the children. Kevin also shares how his “me world” caused the destruction of his marriage and brought him to the lowest point of his life. Praying to receive Jesus Christ changed him and eventually his marriage was restored and he went into full-time ministry.

Charles Moffitt and his wife decided to hike the Appalachian Trail and after months on this up and down journey, their lives were changed. The coupledecided to start downsizing their life and at the same time began to take teenagers on hiking adventures where they learn how to either find a relationship with Jesus Christ, or enhance the relationship theyalready have with Him. Additionally, they are training other adults, and even the youth, to one day carry on their ministry.

Corinne Bundy, visits with Gerry at the MathewsDealership Show in the Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Corinne tells about her job at Mathews, Inc. whichincludes handling all of the business’s websites, social pages, and media promotion. As a little girl shehelped her dad in their family-owned outdoor business and learned to be pretty good at counting wormsthat were sold to people looking for fishing bait. When she got older she actually started selling archeryproducts, including bows, and started shooting herself in the archery lanes at the store. Her skill got her to apoint where she wound up getting a scholarship to a university with archery and shot on a team in both theUSA and overseas. Corinne’s office is adorned with a very large black bear on the wall and she tells thestory of how her dad and she went on the bear hunt where they both were successful in Wisconsin.

A trip to the Trijicon factory in Wixom, MI and a visitwith Andrew Chilkiewicz who is the Marketing Manager. Andrew shares about Trijicon’s founder and theowner’s family, and their relationship with Jesus Christ, and how this is mirrored in the way they conductbusiness. He also tells about his growing up adventures in the outdoors with his father and family and theirenjoyment of exploring in God’s creation. Andrew tells how his life was moving along without Christ andhow he realized that they needed to have that personal relationship with Jesus and how important it is to hisfamily.

Freelance writer, Tracy Breen, shares how he gotstarted in outdoor writing and how he juggles this with his family, as he plays “Mr. Mom”, watching thekids at home while he writes his articles. Tracy tells how he has trained a dog to hunt turkeys, which islegal in some states. He also shares how he accidentally shot himself on one of his turkey huntingadventures, which almost cost him his life. He gives the Lord the credit for who he is and how Jesus hasgiven him the writing skills that are helping him fulfill his dream of being an outdoor writer.

David Hale from Knight & Hale Game Calls, tells howhe and Harold Knight gave one of their calls to an outdoor writer as turkey hunting was just starting to takeoff in the USA. That article in an outdoor magazine caused hundreds of letters to come in requesting one oftheir calls and the opportunities for this kind of promotion continued to grow as did their business. Davidshares how they give all the credit for what they have been able to do to the Lord and how He has helpedthem all along the way.

Gerry visits with Al Lindner in Brainerd, Minnesota at the LindnerMedia studios, as Al shares about a wounded warrior’s fishing event he does every year. The two talk about Al’s timein Vietnam, coming home to abuse by those he met and how the experiences in a combat situation affected troops thenand still do affect men and women today. Al looks at an individual situation that really gripped his heart and tells howthe Holy Spirit spoke to him about having extended time with one of the soldiers God had put into his life, by spendingtime fishing on the water.

Host of The Sportsmen’s Channel, television show Leading LadiesOutdoors, Tammi Koenig visits with Gerry at the Mathews Dealership Show in the Dells, Wisconsin. Tammi shareshow she got involved in archery and was an avid animal rights person. Yet when told “Yeah you can shoot good attargets, but women can’t hunt.” and after a close encounter with a deer, she decided to try hunting. From all of this shebecame a bow staff pro, was featured on a number of television programs, and now has her own program with herdaughter Brittney. Tammi also reveals her abusive life growing up and how it affected her and how she eventuallycame to know Jesus as her savior.