God's Great Outdoors

This is a re-airing of an interview done the last time Gerry was with Charlie Alsheimer, who went home to be with the Lord on December 30th, 2017. A renowned wildlife photographer and outdoor writer, Charlie Alsheimer, visited with Gerry on Charlie’s farm in Bath, New York and the two discussed how Charlie got involved in the outdoors. Charlie also told that it was during his tour in Vietnam, and because of his boss, an avid photographer, that he purchased photography equipment while there and got started. Interestingly enough, he couldn’t remember even taking one photo before this time. Charlie shared how he started wildlife photography and began writing an article for a local paper. With time he started speaking in churches and how he’d seen many come to Christ at game dinner events and such.

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! Gerry visits with ex Pro baseball player, Sid Breem, who says he became famous for reaching home plate and catapulting the Atlanta Braves into the World’s Series as he beat the throw by Barry Bonds. Sid said that this play is so famous that he gets many opportunities to speak and he always shares about his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Gerry visits with Sid at his home church where the host of God’s Great Outdoors is speaking at his church’s annual game dinner. The two talk about how this form of outdoor related outreach has, and can see many come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. These types of events will draw in men like no other activity style outreach. This is clearly something that more Christians who love time in the outdoors, need to look at doing as well!

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! we’ll explore what has become a Christmas tradition in the upper part of Michigan not far from the Mackinaw Bridge. Folks there get to hear commercials from Jay’s Sporting Goods that are bringing people to tears and having them contact this outdoor-related business. This interview is with co-owner Jeff Poet and store manager for the Gaylord’s location, Mark Copeland, as this two men share about these radio spots that have absolutely nothing to do with selling products. What they are all about is, combating the political correctness of wishing others a “Happy Holiday” and sharing how Christmas is all about the baby Jesus who was born in a manger 2000 years ago and has changed countless millions of lives.

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! we’re in the land of ten thousand lakes, as Gerry is passing through Virginia, a city in the Minnesota, He visits with Joel Hasz in the area of the famous Boundary Waters. Joel has taken his love of canoeing adventures and those experiences and he’s written the different exploits into chapters, tying them to lessons from God’s Word, titled, No Wonder They Call It God's Country! Writes Gerry, “I believe Joel Hasz has written a book most will find easy to relate to. The analogies of viewing God’s Word to camping, time spent on extended trips, plus experiencing unknown adventures, is beautifully unfolded as one journeys through the pages. With more than half of the folks recreating in God’s Creation, I see his work as having use for individuals and groups, desiring a closer relationship with the Creator Jesus Christ.

On this week’s Trail To Adventure! 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.

On this Trail To Adventure! Todd Freiwald, who is the author of the book “The Ripple Effect”, shares with Gerry about growing up and learning how important survival skills were in the outdoors on this week’s The Trail To Adventure! Fire, shelter, food, and water are the four essential elements one needs to stay alive for an extended period in the outdoors. Coming to Christ and then becoming a father made him realize how important walking with the Lord was. So as his children grew, he developed a survival program that taught them, not only to survive in the outdoors, but also to survive everyday life by applying principles illustrated in God’s Word to the four survival skills. This is an excellent book to help with mentoring one’s children or in a group setting for churches, ministries, or Christian camps.

On this Trail To Adventure! Dr. Tom Rakow, the founder of The Christian Deer Hunters Association and Gerry visit together discussing the numerous outdoor ministries that have come about over the years. The idea is to provide Christians looking to reach others who enjoy time in God's creation with the tools to aid in the ability to help win them to receive Jesus Christ as their Creator God. Tom shares about how The Christian Deer Hunters Association got started and how he never expected it to be what it is today. Tom also tells how he began writing books, and today despite the fact that he flunked English several times in school, with his family’s aid he has written a number of books that are helping Christians reach out to their unsaved friends and relatives with true stories on fishing and hunting.

On this week's Trail To Adventure! program, Dale Karch, the owner of 3 Rivers Archery, a traditional archery supply company located in Ashley, Indiana, shares with Gerry about how he, his wife Sandy and the family came about buying the business. Dale started building bows in his garage to sell in their home state of Wisconsin, and as time went on they added a number of other archery products to help those that were into shooting the simple stick and string type bows enjoyed by traditional archers. Discovering that 3 Rivers Archery was for sale, Dale and his wife looked at how they could acquire this business and make it something that the entire family could get involved in, and with God’s direction they accomplished this goal. It is now a family affair that’s grown their relationships and is making memories for today and for all eternity.

This week’s Trail To Adventure! Radio Program has the listeners going back into the Cheese Head State and recording the interview at the Prayz Network in Sparta, Wisconsin. Gerry has hooked up with Matt McPherson, the owner of Mathews Bows, which is located in the same city as the radio station. Sparta is where a number of different products are produced, including the McPherson Guitar besides the bow company, both of these by Matt. This design engineer and manufacturer shares how he got involved in the sport archery as a child and also relates his own bow building efforts. In 2017 Mathews, Inc. celebrated 25 years in the archery business, giving God all the credit, honor and Glory! Matt looks at the only thing in life we do that lasts, it’s what we do for Jesus that counts!

This week’s guest on the Trail To Adventure! radio broadcast is Erland Brager. Gerry is with him, as he’s traveled from Ohio to Hudson, Wisconsin, because he is the keynote speaker for a game dinner put on by a group of St. Croix River sportsmen. Even though the location for the event is at Faith Community Church in Hudson, this evangelistic outreach has seven churches from the surrounding area that join together annually to make it happen. Erland tells how the event got started and evolved simply because of a tour at Mathews Bow Factory by a group of men and their meeting of Matt McPherson. One man on that trip made a life changing decision in his walk with Jesus Christ and the other men could see how outdoor outreach ministry can work!