God's Great Outdoors

At the Trail To Adventure! conferences that GGO conducted across the USA, one of the key points is teaching the “4 P’s”. They consist of “Prayer, Planning, Perpetration & More Prayer!” This is also what the guest on this week’s broadcast, Steve Finn, practiced – prayer and more prayer. The founder of Chestnut Mountain Ranch, located near Morgantown, West Virginia, relates on how much he and his family sought God in prayer. This became a practice before and during (is done even today), as they looked toward establishing a boy’s home and school to reach troubled youngsters, with the goal to create Godly men. Having been in a single parent home and later a police officer he has experienced the same struggles these boys do, feeling led to make a difference in their lives. After working at one of the boy’s homes in Georgia, he and his wife targeted West Virginia with its high dropout and suicide rate!

On this week’s Trail To Adventure, Professional fishing legend and television host Hank Parker joins Gerry at the Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas. This was a special two day event teaching pastors and laymen how to do outdoor outreaches. Hank shares with the listeners about his fishing career, television shows and reflects with Gerry about his children and grandchildren. Hank looks on the loss of one of his loved ones, the struggles he went through and how no matter what, God is supreme! Hank Parker’s dad was an alcoholic with a conversion to Christ, had a horrific death in a car accident, and he left a note in his Bible requesting that the pastor preach a salvation message at his funeral if he died because both of his boys were on their way to Hell.

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! a trip to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky is the location where Gerry connects with dinosaur sculptor, and musician, Buddy Davis. Buddy shares about adventures that he has had hunting dinosaur bones, plus what the Bible say about animals we now call dinosaurs. He explains how his years of making a living doing taxidermy work, led him to begin sculpting life-size dinosaurs, many of which are viewed at the Creation Museum by those visiting. Buddy also explains what the Creation Museum and Answers In Genesis is about and how it introduces visitors to the Book of Genesis. He relates how the Bible is the most important book in our lives as it directs us to a personal relationship with the Creator God, Jesus Christ.

This week’s Trail To Adventure! Radio Program has the listeners going back into the Badger State as this recorded interview was done at the Prayz Network in Sparta, Wisconsin. Our host Gerry has hooked up with Matt McPherson, the owner of Mathews Bows, located in the same city as the radio station. Together, from an engineering/design prospective, the two men look at the Creation around us including the entire Universe, giving credit to our Creator God who spoke it into existence! “Intelligent Design” is the topic as Matt, a design engineer, invites listeners to not just accept what evolutionists say, but mindfully look at the many facts revealing that there has to be a “Designer” in all that exists. Matt presents a number of excellent arguments that can help “break the ice” that ask those around us to examine some truths and begin to think intelligently in the matter!

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! Program, Gerry is in the “Cheese Head” State, dropping in at the Lake Lounger pontoon boat factory and visiting with owner, Scott Marrier. This relatively new business is located in Withee, Wisconsin and was started to give folks a more stable place to hang out on the lake then just a dock to sit on. However, the Lake Lounger pontoon boats began to “take off” so to speak, as folks discovered just how very stable they are. Their large carrying ability is due to oversize logs (pontoons) opening the door to having an enter family aboard and even heavy wheelchairs. Scott Marrier has worked in the marine industry for many years and has a big list of manufactures he’s designed for. Scott shares how he and his family are working with veterans in a number of ways to help them, win their trust and give them hope in Christ Jesus!

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! interview, a visit to Dr. John Whitmore’s office at Cedarville University in Ohio, Gerry got to meet Dr. Steve Austin. 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.

This week’s interview has Gerry at the Ark Encounter with Ken Ham, Founder of Answers In Genesis and the Creation Museum. Located in Williamstown, Kentucky, Gerry’s guest shares about being a school teacher in Australia and liked how he was challenged on creation vs. evolution and what the Bible said on the issue. This led to Ken’s passion to present the truth of the book of Genesis and the real facts of what science reveals about God’s universe and our earth. Ken unveils how studies done by Answers In Genesis discovered why people doubt God’s Word, because of evolution and “the millions of years” yet there are many items people can learn to use to defend God’s Word. A trip to see the Ark that is the size as described in God’s Word can make the Bible become real and possible in a visitor's eyes!

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!

This week’s Trail To Adventure! interview is with Dr. Danny Faulkner at the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky as he shares about Answers in Genesis ministry’s Planetarium. This museum is a great way to evangelize those who come to visit with you as it’s an apologetic ministry focusing on the importance of the first book of the Bible. Danny is the resident astronomy expert and shares with Gerry and the listeners on the vastness of the Universe, giving an easily understood example to wrap one’s mind around. He also puts a wrench in the gears of those conspiracy believers who say we never went to the moon. Fact is that because of the Apollo Lunar Missions, we now know how far we are from the moon and that the distance is expanding. It is this information that allows us to do backward math calculations to realistically consider the age relationships between the earth and its moon.