God's Great Outdoors

On this The Trail To Adventure! Gerry’s guest is the founder of Christian Bowhunters of America, David Roose. The two are together near the home office of God’s Great Outdoors in Ohio, talking about how archery and one's love of bow hunting can be used to exalt Jesus Christ as Creator, Lord, and Savior. Dave was a tent making pastor and while working on a construction job, near his Cadillac, Michigan home, God began to give him ideas about the CBA ministry. The fact is, over the course of that day in the early 1980’s, the Lord laid out the concept for the ministry as Dave jotted down the ideas that came to him as he worked. And the ministry came to be, just as God shared for this evangelistic ministry.

This week’s interview is with Pastor Dan Williams from Manitoba, Canada as he visits with Gerry at Rushing Wind Retreat Center in Ontario, Canada. A remote location to the point, those who attend are brought in by float plane. A fishing trip many folks dream of, and so opens the door for bringing along unsaved friends and relatives who need Jesus. Dan tells the story of his desire to catch a big lake trout and despite the bad weather conditions decided to go way up the lake and try for one. On heading back, the storm had really blown in and the wind wouldn’t allow the boat through a narrow, shallow area. Dan tried gunning the motor and broke the shear pin, which was only the beginning of the adventure!

This week’s Trail To Adventure! finds Gerry with Pro hunter, with a special story. Perhaps the listeners may remember the famous escape artist, Harry Houdini. (1874–1926) He was an American illusionist, stunt performer and it was said he could get out of anything! This week’s guest on the radio broadcast is from Realtree Outdoors TV Show, David Blanton. While hunting whitetails in Kansas he was told of a monster buck that had been seen for several summers, but disappeared in the fall when buck’s antlers harden, reappearing again the next summer. Where was he going? Thus “Houdini” became the whitetail’s moniker. David became obsessed with hunting this incredible animal to a point where the Holy Spirit revealed his heart wasn’t right with God, needing turned 180 degrees; it’s quite a true event!

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! treestand safety is the topic as statistics show that one out of three people that hunt out of a treestand will have an accident at some time in their life, with a number of these incidents being fatal. Jay Everett from Hunter Safety Systems is this week’s guest. Gerry and Jay spend part 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 from an elevated platform. Jay relates facts on the safety harness and how their research reveals that most falls take place going up, getting into, coming out of and then descending to the earth. The goal of this program is to be sure that none of the listeners will become a part of the tragic statistic, on the negative side.

On this Trail To Adventure! done in Stanley, Wisconsin the topic of the program is dealing with life’s struggles as Gerry visits with Pastor Steve Mohr and his wife Carol. Gerry met the two in Ontario, Canada at the Rushing Wind, June Couple’s Retreat since they both presented to those attending. The pair also shares of what they experienced at this remote fly-in fishing camp and what a blessing the place is. Carol relates how she just played church until she received Jesus. Besides pasturing a church in Stanley, Wisconsin, Steve also does prison ministry. He tells how his effectiveness has increased in ministry since he was diagnosed with an incurable cancer and the struggles it has brought into his life. Truly a program that all can relate to since everyone will have struggles at sometime in their walk!

This week’s Trail To Adventure! has Gerry’s rendezvous with Ron Vining from the ministry of Polestar Outdoors. This is a group that takes young people on hunting and fishing trips in lieu of their parents, who have no idea how to do outdoor activities, yet the kids want to get started. This ministry was started in Powell, Wyoming where Ron lives, but has expanded to other areas and is making a difference in the lives of these young folks, as the program is set up to present the Gospel and mentor attending youth. Also, they will include the parents if they want to take part and learn how to do these activities, so one day they can join their children on the adventures. Ron shares a story of how there’s been life-changing decisions, and young people benefit with the relationships from adults they connect with.

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.

This week’s Trail To Adventure! was recorded in the middle of Lake Michigan and was a first time experience for Gerry. The guest, Captain Dan Keating shares his life story with Gerry, as the two motor in after a fine day of fishing on this Great Lake. Dan tells about how he rebelled against God and his family values; and what took place that eventually brought him to pray, asking Jesus to be his Savior. This story includes becoming a charter captain on Lake Michigan and writing a book about salmon fishing. From that book, he did a DVD on fishing, which included his testimony and eventually wrote the book, Angling Life, subtitled "A Fisherman Reflects on Success, Failure, and the Ultimate Catch." The program calls on listeners to do some kind of outing where they bring and pay the way for another else!

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.