God's Great Outdoors

On the Trail To Adventure! Gerry is joined by the Heislers, at the tail end of the Family Fun Fossil Hunt that God’s Great Outdoors does in Ohio near the Creation Museum each year. Jon & Deb reflect on a time in Canada each summer at Rushing Wind Retreat Center in Ontario, an hour above International Falls, Minnesota. They share how they’re ministered to at the event, even with the special attention required because of Jon’s health issues. This includes full access to time out on the water in God’s beautiful Creation as Jon’s health has him using a wheeled walker. The couple tells how the owners of Rushing Wind, Arnie and Dee Wolf have a fleet of pontoon boats, so everyone can be out on the water. Jon also tells of a wounded warrior (style) event there that is helping Vets find Jesus and heal from PTSD.

This week’s interview is with Mark Looy as he shares about the Answers in Genesis ministry and Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. A great way to evangelize those who come to visit and Mark relates about this apologetic ministry focusing on the importance of the first book of the Bible. The two also talk about the Ark Encounter located 40 miles away from the Museum in Williamstown, Kentucky. This life size exhibit’s having a fantastic draw of visitors, with a high number of attendees needing a relationship with their Creator God. These attractions are an hour’s drive from God’s Great Outdoors Family Fun Fossil Hunt’s in August. This happens in Ohio and Dr. John Whitmore, who teaches young earth geology at Cedarville University comes and shares with the fossil hunters, discussing the proof Noah’s flood.

On this Trail To Adventure! God’s Great Outdoors Fun Family Fossil Hunt is the topic of the program as Gerry interviews Dr. John Whitmore about this adventure. (The location is stroller and wheelchair accessible as well, it clearly is open to the entire family.)The event takes place annually in August, and those attending can keep the fossils that they find. How hard is it to find these fossils? Dr. John Whitmore, who teaches young earth geology at Cedarville University, has even had two blind students take his class and they are able to find fossils at this Ohio location. The two discuss all the evidence of Noah’s flood, and how there are scientists who misinterpret many of the facts of this biblical event.

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! Gerry is visiting with Dr. Richard Swenson in Wisconsin and the two are talking about Intelligent Design on this week’s Trail To Adventure! The truth is there is more chance mathematically that your car happened by accident over hundreds of millions of years, then just your eyeballs having evolved and how they works with your entire body? This is just one of the things that Dr. Richard Swenson shares in the interview with Gerry as they discuss this topic and Dr. Swenson’s book, “More Than Meets the Eye”. Having taught surgery at the University of Madison, Wisconsin, and having minored in physics, this interview is jam-packed with information that declares that we have a Creator God.

The interview on this Trail To Adventure! is with Toni Mattson of the Trinity Equestrian Center located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Gerry and Toni visit together in Green Bay, Wisconsin at a Trail To Adventure! pastor and laymen teaching conference that helps people learn how to do evangelistic outdoor out reaches. Toni shares how the Trinity Equestrian Center use horses with people that are disabled, mentally challenged, criminally incarcerated, wounded veterans and all others, to make a difference in their lives and help them find the creator God, Jesus Christ.

The topic on this week’s Trail To Adventure! is on Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Gerry visits with Billy (Catfish) Parker and his wife Laura at the C’Meer Deer booth during the annual Archery Trade Assn. Show that was held in Indianapolis, Indiana in February of 2015. Both of these outdoor recreationalists share stories of the adventures and the battle that is encountered by a tiny insect at least eight months of the year. Ticks! Laura has been infected with both Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but early detection helped in her treatment being a quick ordeal. Billy however, went a number of years before his Lyme Disease was discovered causing extended and daily treatments that lasted many months. Their hope is as they tell this story; is it will help keep others from having to go through the same mess they experienced!

A family tragedy is part of the story on this Trail To Adventure! as the guest will give the listeners real safety thoughts to consider. 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 terrible 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. A sad event to be sure, but one we can all learn from to be safe in our future recreation on the water.

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! Gerry is with Arnie Wolf, who is the owner of Rushing Wind Retreat Center in Ontario, Canada. They are joined by Larry Drossart who shares about his personal struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and many of his fellow veterans as well. Arnie mentioned to Larry of his desire to do some type of wounded warrior (style) event at his fishing camp located a little over an hour above International Falls, Minnesota. That struck Larry hard as that day he’d heard of 4 Wisconsin veterans who’d committed suicide and felt something had to be done to stop this trend. Speaking that summer not only impacted Larry and his relationship with Jesus Christ, but helped another man in camp too! Since then the special week has grown in attendance and in the scope of how it’s helping other Vets with their struggles also.

This Trail To Adventure! Gerry is in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota as God’s Great Outdoors wraps up one of their conferences on the “How To” of outdoor outreaches such as Game Dinners. Gerry is joined by Ron Lindner of Lindner Media Studio’s and he shares with Gerry about the history of how he and his brother Al’s years in the fishing industry, and television production of their outdoor shows. Ron tells of a number of experiences that have happened through the years and how in looking back, the Lindner family can see God’s hand and direction in all of these endeavors. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 is the theme of this interview and the family’s journey, including an event that occurred with TV that could have affected their business future, but God is faithful.

On this Trail To Adventure! interview, a visit to Dr. John Whitmore’s office at Cedarville University in Ohio, Gerry got to meet Dr. Steve Austin. c As an undergrad geology student at Washington State, Dr. Austin was able to explore probably the most significant geological event in the 20th century, the eruption of Mt. Saint Helen’s. This was a turning point for him as he was able to watch and discover firsthand how this catastrophe affected the landscape, including a creation of a one-fortieth scale of the Grand Canyon, in only one day. During this time Dr. Austin switched from a Christian “old earth” geologist, to a “young earth” geologist, believing the biblical account of 6000 years of earth’s age. All from seeing layer upon layer of earth that was laid down by volcanic eruptions in minutes, not hundreds of thousands of years as he had been taught.