God's Great Outdoors

Kenny Ratliff begins this interview by describing great times in the outdoors with his dad and reflects on how he introduced him to spending time afield and stream. This later in his life became where he directed his vocation and passed up opportunities to wear a suit and tie to work. Kenny then goes into the story of how on Father’s Day some years back, and at the same time, the family was celebrating his dad’s and his youngest brother’s birthdays, something tragic happened. Kayaking on an area river, both of these two loved ones were taken home to be with the Lord because of a boating accident.

Ex baseball player, Sid Breem, who became famous for reaching home plate and catapulting the Atlanta Braves into the World’s Series as he beat the throw by Barry Bonds. Sid said that this play is so famous that he gets many opportunities to speak and he always shares about his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Gerry visits with Sid at his home church where the host of God’s Great Outdoors is speaking at their annual game dinner. The two talk about how this type of outreach has, and can, see many come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Have you ever wondered how someone with absolutely no training in radio and no knowledge of how to use a computer needed to produce a radio program came to produce a radio program? On this week’s program Gerry talks to Paul Gathany, the retired station manager of WCDR where God’s Great Outdoors got its start. The two talk about the radio station’s beginnings over 40 years ago on the campus at Cedarville College as Paul and Dr. David Jeremiah started it in their dorm with one FM of power. Paul shares how he was introduced to Gerry who had the crazy idea of sharing what people are doing in the outdoors through the creation and the relationships that can be built through outdoor ministry. The listener will realize from this program how God’s timing, the location, and the relationships with people who have experienced changed lives through the power of God, all came together to make this radio program possible.

On this week's program Craig Johnson shares how reading a copy of Gerry's book "Hunting Blunders and The One That Got Away!" was a part of the chain of events that led him to Christ. Craig shares how despite his difficult years growing up, including teenage alcoholism, everything was great in his later years. But then, Craig started to question why he was alive or even here? This subject so troubled him that he was seriously considering suicide if he didn't get the answer, so he asked God to make Himself known to him the way He wants to be known. This led to a series of events that brought Craig to Christ and he became incredibly active in sharing the Gospel through outdoor outreach as he grew in Christ.

Gerry meets with the 1991 National Predator Calling Champ Steve Collins. Gerry first met Steve at the 10th annual Christian Bow-hunters shoot at Maranatha Bible Camp near North Platte, Nebraska. Steve shares how he got involved in the outdoors duck hunting with his dad, and how his love of the outdoors landed him a job at Sidney, Nebraska's Cabela's store. He relates how his boss Burt Harris gently guided him to Christ over a two-year period. He also tells the amazing story of how his son Keith was led to Christ and the transformation of this man is part of the two previous programs aired and next week's program as well.

Sidney, NE the location of this program with Burt Harris. Gerry first met Burt at Maranatha Bible Camp near North Platte. Burt gives a history of his working for the outdoor outfitting store chain of Cabela's and shares how he started to reach out to a new employee, Steve Collins, who needed Jesus Christ. Steve falls into the statistic of 95% of adults being won to Christ through a one-on-one relationship that develops over a period of two years or more. Almost to the day, Steve came to Christ after two years, and outdoor outreach played a part as well.

This week’s program is at Maranatha Bible Camp in Maxwell, Nebraska near North Platte. Gerry and past camp director, George Cheek look back on how the camp had its beginning and some of the events that have occurred at this facility that have impacted lives for eternity. Gerry talks about his first visit, the 10th annual Christian Bowhunters of America National Shoot. There he met George Cheek, and also Burt Harris and Steve Collins, who have not only been guests on God’s Great Outdoors radio program, but have been a part of different events that the ministry has done across the country as well. There is so much more that could be said that has occurred because of the first visit to Maranatha, so time will be spent on this in the next three programs.

This week’s program has us visiting the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio. Gerry visits with ministry founder Ken Hamm and discusses the topic of how sin, then death has affected the world since Adam and Eve. Ken shares the consequences of sin on the human race spelled out in the book of Genesis on the first man Adam and how this was overcome by our Creator God, Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. This program will clearly help the listeners understand what took place in the beginning and how God’s gift to us was His son Jesus who paid the penalty for all our sins, past, present and future, if we receive that gift.

Fire, shelter, food and water are the fouressential elements one needs to survive for an extended period in the outdoors. The author of the book “The Ripple Effect”, Todd Freiwald, shares about his youth and learning how importantthese skills were in his outdoor adventures. Coming to Christ and then becoming a father made him realize how important walking with the Lord was. So as his children grew, he developed asurvival program that taught them, not only to survive in the outdoors, but also to survive everyday life by applying principles illustrated in God’s Word to the four survival skills. This is an excellent book to help with mentoring one’s children or in a group setting for churches, ministries,or Christian camps.

This week’s program is a visit with Jeff Swanwho along with a group of 35 men took part in one of the fishing adventures at Rushing WindRetreat Center. This fly-in adventure in Ontario, Canada was thought by Jeff to be just a time offishing, misnamed “a missions trip” by his church, but discovered otherwise. He explains how itwas a life changing event and that decisions were made that changed the way he and his wifelive. He is now focused on being the kind of man that God wants him to be and through his relationship with Jesus Christ, looks at the world, his life, and his job much differently.