God's Great Outdoors

Gerry visits the state of Maryland where he grew up during his school years, as a youth. While there he connected with Phil Norman, a wildlife biologist in the state who heads up a local area’s management and control of their growing whitetail deer population. Phil explains how an excessively large number of deer can eat themselves “out of house and home,” destroying habitat not only for the deer, but all wildlife if not kept in check by hunting. This is a problem in many locations across the nation. Phil also shares how he came to receive Jesus Christ and spent time on the mission field in Europe. Now he’s reaching out to veterans on hunts with Jeremiah Catlin of Chappy’s Outdoors. This ministry gets veterans into the outdoors, with many of them battling a struggle physically and/or with emotional issues as well. Yet, even more importantly they introduce these men and women to the Creator God, Jesus Christ who spoke all the things we see and enjoy in the world into existence.

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! Gerry visits with the sales and marketing manager for Morrell Manufacturing, Butch Thomas. Morrell is a company that produces bag targets and got its start when a brick layer named Dale Morrell decided to start packing the binding and covering material that came on each skid of bricks into bags. Dale wondered if they’d stop his arrows as he loved archery, thus the idea for a business was launched. Gerry visits with Butch in Wisconsin at the Mathews Dealership Show, as Butch shares about growing up without a father, his mother's faith in God, and how that was transmitted to him as he grew older. Butch talks about his mother’s struggle as a single parent as his father died when he was only 2 years old, but how mom was always honoring to God in all she did and as she taught the children. Butch reflects how he’s given up opportunities to go out to hunt for ducks or deer when phone calls come to him from people in the outdoor industry needing immediate prayer!  

A little to the west of St. Louis, Missouri is the location of this week’s Trail To Adventure! as Gerry rendezvous with a very old friend, Bob Schilly. The men met at the very first Trophies Of Grace Whitetail Deer Hunt hosted by a chapter of Christian Bowhunters Of America over two decades ago, The Lord Of The Harvest Archery Club. Gerry nicknamed his new friend “Missouri Bob” because of where he hailed from. They look back on this event and how God is still using the hunt to change lives for eternity! Bob also tells how the Ohio hunt made such an impact on him and some guys he’d brought that they started doing the same thing at their home in Missouri. Beyond these wonderful memories, Bob also relates how he has had to battle cancer as part of his life’s journey, but God was with him all the way! Both of these hunts are in late October. For more information on the Ohio hunt call (937) 837-0604 and on the Missouri hunt call (573) 846-7031.

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!

The topic on this week’s Trail To Adventure! is the annual Game Dinner at Skidway Lake Baptist Church in Prescott, Michigan. Gerry is joined by this outdoor outreach ministry team’s leader, Gary Moore who heads up the evangelistic event. After sharing about how he became involved in outdoor activities with his dad, Gary reflects on discovering the effectiveness of doing some form of sportsmen’s meal to bring in unsaved people to get them under the hearing of the Word. Skidway Baptist Church’s event has some very special dishes they present to the local community, all with the hopes of having a platform from which to share the Gospel. Gerry saw and tasted some things at this Michigan Game Dinner he’d not experienced before, but best of all, there were a number of life changing decisions made!

Gerry visits with Roy Hendrickson at a fishing event that includes Jimmy Houston as the keynote speaker in the northeast corner of Ohio. This multi-species fishing tournament is an outreach ministry of the likes Gerry had never seen before. It is where a small fish like a green sun fish that is caught during the day’s time on the water could actually be a winner over a larger species fish, such as a bass or walleye. It all works on state records and a percentage, with the formula for judging being explained by this week's guest Roy Hendrickson. The lake the church was using was public access and fishable from both the Ohio and Pennsylvania sides and you will discover that this ministry outreach is also designed to share Christ. This tournament concept can even be done on a small farm pond that has several species of fish.

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! Gerry is in the Wisconsin Dells in Wisconsin, at the Mathews Bows Dealership show. His guest is Joel Maxfield who was the very first employee of the company at the start, as the owner Matt McPherson launched the business. Joel describes the humble beginning that was so small and yet, how on one given Thursday, suddenly the orders started rolling in, one phone call after another. He realized then that God’s hand was on the business as this clearly was a blessing from the Lord! Joel shares on how important the Lord and evangelism is to the owners, always trying to be a reflection of the Creator, Jesus. Also, he tells some fun outdoor adventures stories from years past.

With GGO in the 19th year of radio, Gerry visits with Paul Meeks who started API Outdoors Treestand Company. Paul shares how he got started in the treestand industry with API being the first aluminum stand to appear on the market and when he sold the business it was the number one manufacturer of treestands. Gerry and Paul spend the majority of this interview talking treestand safety to help the listeners understand the importance of the topic and seriously consider their need to wear safety harnesses while hunting and look at how API helped in the radio program’s beginnings!

The program this week is a visit with outdoor writer Tracy Breen at the Mathews Dealership Show where God’s Great Outdoors sets up a booth to hopefully evangelize those who attend at the Wisconsin Dells in Wisconsin. Tracy shares how he got to where he is today as the field of outdoor writers continues to shrink as print publications die out. Part of the interview looks at Tracy’s cerebral palsy and how he knows that God used this in his life to bring him to where he is today. The two point to how Tracy’s position in the industry allows him to be a witness for Christ Jesus.

Gerry visits 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.