God's Great Outdoors

On this week's Trail To Adventure! Gerry’s interview is with Dennis and Peggy Robinson who relate an experience that happened when they were dairy farmers in Wisconsin. Dennis placed himself before God and everything in his life was about him and what he wanted in life. His wife Peggy had turned him over to the Lord and said, "You need to deal with him, Lord, he is yours." Two days later Dennis was pulled half way through a hay wagon mechanical apparatus and was not expected to live from the massive injuries he received. Yet, God had a plan, and it included transforming a man to be what God wanted him to be.

The Trail To Adventure! travels through Minnesota and a visit with Ron Lindner. Ron shares about his history, the alcoholism, telling a number of experiences that happened. This is the story of the tract on Ron's life and how he came to Christ, called "The End of the Line!" Ron’s salvation was a miracle and the end of the many difficult years of struggling with alcoholism and all that relates to that addiction. This story is also part of the new devotional book by Al and Ron Lindner, “Reflections At First Light.” Also, Gerry and Ron look at the topic of Game Dinners and how doing them correctly can see the un-churched come to Christ Jesus!

Part of this interview is a revisit with the Women’s Bassmaster Fishing Tournament Pro, Pam Martin Wells at a fishing retreat at Rushing Wind Retreat Center in Canada. Pam has accumulated 24 National Titles, 7 Angler of the Year Awards, won 3 Bassmaster Events and 1 Woman’s Bassmaster Tour since she started fishing in 1986. She is joined in Ontario, Canada by her husband Steven, as both were speakers at the fishing outreach they were attending in the far north. Pam tells how she came to Christ and is very shy in the public speaking arena, yet has answered the call as God has opened doors for her to do so. “Never Say No” is the title of the tract that she wrote to tell the story of how she came to Jesus, and Pam has seen firsthand how sharing what the Creator God did in her life has seen others come to Christ. One woman was killed in a car crash a month later, so Pam looks forward to seeing her there in Heaven!

On this week’s program Gerry is joined by Dr. Bill Brown at a Trail to Adventure! Pastor and Laymen Conference on how to do outdoor ministry. Bill formerly taught at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where he instructed on Evangelism and Church Planting, but now teaches through the online program at Liberty University. During Bill’s earlier years of being a pastor in Alaska, he learned how to reach men; so he relates these strategies to Gerry and the listeners. Growing up in an outdoor family, and experiencing the numerous outdoor interests that men from his congregation desired to do, allowed him to formulate a program to reach the unchurched in the community where sportsman are. Dr. Bill Brown reflects how on some Sundays, he had more men in his church as a pastor in Alaska then women, which is unheard of in most churches, because he planned to gear up for reaching men!

A calling to help meet others’ basic needs began a ministry to the hungry, simply by being asked to help a woman load a road kill deer into the trunk of her car to feed her hungry family. This event had a real incredible impact on Rick Wilson that he couldn’t release. Moved by this, Rick felt God was calling him to in some way help people who were struggling with issues when it comes to food and was led to start the ministry of Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry. From this little incident and the beginning of this ministry in the Hagerstown, MD area, FHFH has expanded across the nation, seeing numerous people fed by deer harvested by hunters each year and many are coming to receive Christ as Savior as well.

Gerry visits with Steve Chapman in Nashville, TN as the two reflect on Steve’s first book “A Look at Life From a Deer Stand”, which was released in 1996 and is still going off of bookstore shelves as it has been reprinted numerous times. This book met a need seen by many women who wanted something for their male loved ones actively involved in the outdoors, (specifically hunting) but which also had a spiritual impact and would change lives. Steve also discusses how important outdoor ministry can be in reaching the man and the impact that it can have on the family. Steve hopes his new book “A Look at Life From a River Bank” will also help more men become trophies of grace for the Creator God Jesus Christ.

On this week’s program Gerry visits with one of the most recognized leaders in the sport fishing arena, Al Lindner. The two hook up in Brainerd, Minnesota at the Lindner Media Studios, as Al relates about his testimony, which is the content in the tract produced by God’s Great Outdoors titled “A Fishing Legend Makes His Biggest Catch!” They talk about Al’s time in Vietnam, where he prayed to God for the first time in his life during a close call with the enemy. Al goes into the story of how his brother Ron and wife Deloris, came to Christ, (included in Ron’s tract: “The End Of The Line!”) soon Al’s wife Mary received Jesus too. Then with his two boys and Mary going to church, Al finaliy agreed to join the family. One day his youngest son requested Al to pray, but he didn’t know how! This broke the walls of Al’s heart and he had to go into the bathroom and cry. It was the beginning of the end of Al’s running from Jesus Christ.

This Trail To Adventure interview has Gerry in Frostburg, Maryland as he visits with Floyd Presley. Floyd is considered by many to be the nation’s number one authority on hunting with birds of prey. The two discuss the history of this relational activity, and how Floyd got started in the sport. There is excitement a wing as one goes afield to hunt with falcons, hawks and the dog who work together as a team. Floyd gives some astonishing details into these creatures and how God has designed them as one of the many creatures He spoke into existence. Floyd has authored two books on the history of the first settlers in his home state, exciting novels titled “Savage Early Maryland” and the rest of the story in “Savage Early Maryland” Book Two! The true history is entwined with the characters, several being Christians, their interaction with the Native people and in all this the reader hears the gospel too!

The now retired Ken Beck, who is the past owner of the Black Widow Bow Company, visits with Gerry in the rolling hills of Ken’s home located in Nixa, Missouri. The two look back on their first meeting in person at The Trophies of Grace White Tail Deer Hunt in southeast Ohio. This annual event has been going on for over 23 years now, put on by a chapter of Christian Bowhunters of America, The Lord of the Harvest Archery Club. Ken discusses his life’s journey and how he was blessed to be used by God to help the ministry of God’s Great Outdoors get started in 1996. Ken reflects on outdoor ministry and how important at these times that the listeners consider being involved, as Christianity is under attack.

Gerry visits again with one of the most popular guests he’s had over the years of broadcast. This week’s interview is with Dr. Richard Swenson about his book, More Than Meets the Eye. Dr. Swenson taught surgery at the University of Madison Wisconsin and his minor was in physics. He discusses just how complex we are, starting from the subatomic particle level, molecules, cells and details of even how the eyes and ears work with the rest of the human body. All this evidence along with the knowledge he shares about stars, galaxies, our solar system and the entire universe and how it all speaks to the fact that we clearly have an intelligent designer, who is our Lord Jesus Christ.