New Blog Post site

I Have moved my blogs over to Word Press. They can be found under my name at http://www.garyfultz.com/ Thanks for looking. View pictures from many adventures by clicking on my picture posted on Word Press. It will automatically take you to Photobucket. Thanks and enjoy.  Gary

Gary Fultz on...The Steak or the Sizzle? Picture truth #7

Steaks with a Mesquite or Cajun rub in the middle of the wilderness

I know the smell and sizzle carried half a mile because that's how far away the teenagers were when they came running. All to be eaten with black beans, rice, fresh onion,peppers, hot sauce, with fresh fish in an avocado burrito shell. This is as close as I hope to get to a Hungary pack of wolves in human form.
I was on the lookout for vampire teeth showing their true nature. I heard thunder in the distance but there were no clouds. I realized it was stomachs rumbling three stages past the mumbling stage.
I looked at the sun and it hadn't moved much since they raided the extra granola bars and jerky. I was guessing the smell and the sizzle of the steaks would not satisfy this bunch.
No fantasies of the five adults eating the steaks while the teens watched--would come true today.

 First on the scene....steak...steak...steak!

Leverage is often used as a business term. I used it! "No one gets a steak till we get a stack of firewood waist high" I said. Poof...there it was.
"No one gets a steak till the onions and peppers are chopped and the burrito shells are laid out"
No poof but bingedy - bang - clash "where's the band aids?are the steaks done yet? why am I dizzy? Pause to inhale. "why am I growing fangs?"

    I gave God thanks for the food with my eyes open and prayed the big fish would bite.


    Isn't it odd that it's easy to spend a lot of time, energy, and money to devour good food, yet satisfied with the smell and sizzle only, of great spiritual food?
    We settle for going to church or a concert for the smell and sizzle of spiritual food and often don't take the time, energy, or money to just get alone with God in his word (as recorded in the Bible). Pray, fast, Listen to the holy Spirit speaking to us, and finally obeying what God wants us to say and do. Jesus told His disciples who were urging him to eat some food; "I have food that you know nothing about" Then to clarify he said "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:32-34). Read what Frank Aragon says on this in his devotional.
    I know how demanding my stomach is. It can rumble with the best of them. I often let everyone around the campfire do a little taste testing as the food is about ready over the open fire. It good, It's fun, and it would be down right mean to the body if that's all we did. Let's not be "taste testers" for our soul. Are you content with the sizzle? How bad do you want the steak?
    What helps you the most in your food for the soul? Make your comments below... recipe sharing is a good thing!

"Come meet with Me" The sights, the sounds, the sizzle

Gary D

   
   

The Rocks Cry Out Picture Truth Series #6 By Gary Fultz

Famous-landscape and I was There!

I took this picture a couple hundred yards from elk camp. 

Son Tim in the steep mountain timber

Not much has changed from when the movie “true Grit” starring John Wayne, was made. The trees have changed. Some are new and some are gone. The rock looks to be the same as well as the rock tower in the backdrop. 

 

  Those rocks are more famous than most of us will ever be. In fact a good trivia question would be...”Who shot John Wayne off his horse from behind that rock in the movie True Grit?” I’m not telling. You have to look it up if you don’t know and want to know! There’s a remake of the movie anyway.

  Many of you who watch movies have seen the twin peaks and chimney rock from other angles and never thought “I wonder where this was taken?” It’s all just backdrop to the real action right?

  So what are we seeing here? To the movie buff, rocks with some great history and stories. To the landscape photographer, a perfect rock in the fore ground and background to give the mountain scene an added rugged context in all it’s beauty. To the hunter it’s a good place to hide and watch the valley below for game. Maybe that’s what the mountain lion tracks nearby were suggesting. It’s a great place to lie in wait for the hunt!

  We so much want to give meaning to our own lives don’t we? I know I do!

  I stood in the same place as Robert Devalle when he shot from behind that rock. That made me feel so good I wanted to tell somebody!

Look closer though and I see just normal rocks that are wearing down with the elements and time. They are not going anywhere. Change is slow for now. They are just a bunch of rocks that majestically line the landscape. Or is there more to it than that?

  Jesus saw the rocks as ready to cry out in praise and worship if his disciples were silenced (Luke 19: 37-40). They were being loud! Too loud for the Pharisees who demanded Jesus quiet down those obnoxious disciples!

Maybe Whole Mountains will cry out

 A friend of mine wants to put a big boulder in front of our church with a message on it “If you don’t, I will”. I think every church should have a big rock out front. When the children or strangers ask what this rock is for, everyone should be able to tell them.

  Someday whole mountains of rock may roar out in worship to our creator if we do not.

Could it be that they litter the hills and valleys, stand guard in the peaks, and strategically lie everywhere for the signal? How sad if God finds our heart a rock and the rocks more fit for worship.

Elk Camp...The rocks won't cry out around this bunch

Your comments are appreciated below and on my face book page
Check out COFA Christian Outdoors Fellowship of America
Have a buffalo Burger (When going by the COFA hunting area) at the True Grit Cafe
If you want to learn more about blogging Check Out Kristen Lambs advice on Blogging
I follow a good friends blogs and video messages from  Leary Gates. Sign up- it's worth it!
Another good read is Gary Millers Outdoor Truths  We are spending some time together soon.
More to come on who are you? The steak or just the sizzle?

Gary D

Firestarters of the Soul by Gary Fultz Picture Truth # 5

Watching the snow fall outside my window stirs the desire in me to go winter camping!

     I’m serious; it can be an unbelievable great time. Some of you would start planning and packing if I invited you on the next outing! For others the very idea glances off their brain like a bug on a windshield in a Nascar race.

     I can assure you that snowshoeing on the lakes is completely safe as most of the ice is 2 to 3 feet thick (except where the water is moving underneath and tends to keep the ice very thin).

     I could tell you that the snow is so bright that you can travel at night through the woods by moonlight and not get lost (unless the clouds move in and it’s so dark that by flashlight you will still get lost).

     Our adventure proved that even in 3 feet of fluffy snow, snowshoes stay high enough to get you and your gear sled safely through the unmarked trails…most of the time.

Mark, another Firestarter

There are some dangers to be aware of while winter camping. Some dangers are actually more subtle. Did you know that every breath of air you take has very little to no moisture in below freezing temperatures? There is a high percentage of moisture in every breath of air you exhale. This means you dehydrate fast just by breathing cold air!

     Did you know that when you settle by a nice cozy fire… your body quits making heat for itself and begins to rely on external heat? It only feels good till you walk away no matter how warmed you were. Then if you climb into your super high technology sleeping bag that’s supposed to keep you warm, you could die in your sleep. Your great sleeping bag is the temperature of the great outdoors until your body heat replaces all the cold that the bag is now storing. If your body has shut down by the fire it won’t start up by climbing into a super cold sleeping bag.

I know people who claim to be spiritual. They look like good Christian people and do all the right things. I would suggest to you that only going to church and listening to the right music is like sitting by the fire. 

    Life is as dangerous as winter camping. Unless the fire burns within because we walk and talk and worship our great God daily, we shut down. 

Firestarters of the Soul

 

I took this long shot picture of my friend Brad snowshoeing and pulling a sled full of gear. He is as rugged as the rocks behind him. His sense of adventure in winter camping and his walk with Jesus is attractive. He is a good guy to have in camp and he will probably out-fish you.

     Somehow it got dark before we found the hidden trout lake in the wilderness. The sun went down and the clouds rolled in and there was no trail or markings other than a spot on the wilderness map. Our compasses went every direction because of the iron in the rocks. Somewhere on a hillside in the very dark woods, in three feet of snow, the four of us made camp. We built a fire, cooked a gourmet supper over it (steaks, potatoes, vegetables, peppers, and …wow did we eat). We ran in the deep snow to super heat our bodies, climbed into our bags, and had a great nights sleep under the stars. We were prepared and we would find the lake in the morning.

     Are there any good guys in your camp? Do you have friends or a group of people who are not content to let you just sit by the fire spiritually in your walk with God? Are you trying to live life alone and relying on your own perceptions and inner compass? I wouldn’t consider winter camping alone. Some do but it’s too risky for me.

     I would suggest that Life is much harder and the stakes are too high not to have good people around to keep us walking with God. People who love us enough to be motivated to keep our marriage healthy, mentor our kids, and pass on healthy legacies to the next generation. We all need someone to get us away from the fire and make us run in the snow. Those encouragers of developing our own walk with God... Fire-starters of the soul.

Tell us how you stay close to God and Grow. What is the hardest part of your spiritual journey? Do you have any firestarter people in your life?

Gary D

Sowing your wild oats? Picture Truth Series #4 by Gary Fultz

A sea of weed seeds ready to sow

The bulldozing strip was perfect. I stood in a sea of white weeds while deer hunting last November in wool pants. I spent a whole evening, after hunting, picking out all the various types of weed seeds that stick to the wool.

Like the dandelion, these seeds get blown by the wind and try to plant themselves wherever they land. The old saying “nothing planted, nothing harvested” is not totally true. The real truth is that we would have to do quite a bit of work (or quite a bit of spraying) to get rid of these weeds. The soil is now quite full of weed seeds for years to come. It is one thing to let a weed grow; quite another to let it go to seed. Even if we wanted a simple mixed crop of grasses and legumes for the deer, we would be fighting weeds for years until the crop could choke the weeds out.

Crop farmers know that seed bed preparation is absolutely important; one must understand it, and get it right. You might as well not plant anything if there has been no preparation, and your soil is full of weeds and weed seeds. The weeds you can take care of; the seeds are another matter.

When I was young, one of the neighbors disk ed a field of weeds and grass to plant to a grain crop. He made the soil black; it looked good! Then He planted his crop and let it grow. My father couldn’t resist making a comment and laugh about the field every time we drove by that year because it was a great crop of weeds, grasses and a few oats sticking up.

                    You do reap what you sow

There are so many lessons in life that can be drawn from this little weed picture. How about the weeds in a marriage? We see the weeds but the seeds seem to go unnoticed till they crop up in other areas. What does a proper seed bed look like in a good marriage where two people are growing in love and respect together?

Happy Couple

 I can say from experience that you cannot coast in your relationship; it takes work. It’s why some just start over, not realizing they are just bringing the weed seeds with them.

How about your job? Maintaining your house? Your teenager’s bedroom? Shall I continue? OK how about your walk with God? Is the three year old the boss of the house? Every one of these is brought into a proper relationship through daily discipline (especially the three year old).

“Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.”

Don’t ever think that a weed here and there is OK. They plant seeds by the hundreds after a season. They lie dormant in the soil and grow when you least expect it, sometimes years later. Best to take care of your soil (heart?) in the first place! Do you have a couple of good friends who can help you do some soil testing? Your pastor might do it for free!

Have you ever thought how much your relationship with God is the foundation of all other areas of your life?

Think about it! If God created us, He is the one who knows the what, where, when, how of each of our lives. Jesus said in John 10:10 “I came to give you life and life more abundantly”.

So how are you keeping your life free of weeds and seeds?

Gary D

Solitude Picture Truth 3 by Gary Fultz

Solitude

 Auras of mystery surround places of solitude. The very word fills pages of novels, entices the busy, and secretes fear into the lost. Solitude hides a secret ingredient in the discovery of inner peace. She whispers of fulfilled longings and whisks sweet fantasies into the souls of dreamers.

Solitude begs the wilderness to conspire. "Let the open places call and the forests invite the seeker". No answer is heard as nature awaits it's own peace.

Seekers reach for solitude. I slid the canoe into the water quietly at 4:30 am in the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness. Getting away from camp for my own sense of solitude. 3 portages, a river, and part of a floating bog later I was met by the early morning sunrise on Sema Lake. Crystal clear calm water looked like I was floating on air 40 feet above the rocky lake bottom. It was that moment when I realized that being totally alone without anyone knowing where, did not give me the solitude I was seeking. Only God knew where I was and only His peace could fill me. Of all the places in the world to discover the place of solitude was on the inside. How ironic to find one must be still and get alone when they are already alone. Even more to find out one can be still in the middle of a busy street or wherever you are in whatever you are doing.

     Solitude is not found in the rocks, trees, skies, or seas. She hides in plain sight while we are distracted by all that surrounds us.Just the fact that we are searching is a seductress. Could it be that solitude is always there waiting for us to slip away from all our distractions into the quiet place of our own heart?
    Tim Wiebe has a good handle on the discipline of Solitude. Psalm 46: 10 Be still and know that I am God. Could it be that easy?

                  You don't have to get to the mountain top to find solitude

Get alone anyway

  
For in depth information on the discipline of solitude read Jan Johnsons writings and her sources she uses on this little used but necessary ingredient for growth in our spiritual formation.

how do you get alone? Please share in the comments at the bottom

Gary D

Who is still in the running? by Gary Fultz

WHO??

I would hope that we all set some goals to accomplish in 2011. Who is taking the proper steps to meeting them?
I want to know how you are getting it done? What kind of things have you put into place to make sure you stay on track? Who is still in the running?. Make a comment at the bottom or on face book

A good goal: Hit the early morning running

My first strategic maneuver was to get up earlier in the morning and hit the ground running. I needed to get something done right away and not fritter my morning away. This has helped immensely. Part of my getting something done is to make a short list of the main things I want to accomplish for the day as well as the projects I want to work on if only for a short time. I wanted to get a blog out at least once a week for starters and then expand if possible to two times a week. How am I doing?

I wanted to make sure I kept in communication with the kids and grand kids. It's easy to just let time go by even when you think of them all the time. Take time for conversation and try to get some adventure in as well. As you can see a van ride can be an adventure all by itself!


 I have kept my promise to God so far in 2011 to spend time with Him each day. I remember some song lyrics that go like this: I met God in the morning. When the day was at it's best. And His presence came like sunrise....

His presence came like sunrise

All day long His presence lingered.
All day long He stayed with me...
And the song continues



2011 I have determined would be full of adventure and quite a bit more fun than the last few years. I love to hunt and fish and that would be a part of it. I want to share my adventures with others and take others with me when I can. So that is why I invite teens fishing and others as well. Adventures in traveling, fishing, cooking, music, public speaking, writing, and building time with my wife. How am I doing??

Yes the mystery of adventure calls me

Last of all on my goals list is to determine another course of career and action to get there. The last two years have been a long winding and rough road physically and emotionally. so I look forward to another chapter in life. I am determined to savor this year and not let the  hardship and pain go to waste as I hope the Gary you meet on the road is at least a little different than last time we met.
I hope for a more intentionally adventurous and fun person in this Gary.

Rope Ladder

Climbing the rope ladder on the kids swing set out by our deck is a lot like 2011 and the goals you and I have set. we have to brush off the snow and take steps to get to the top of where we want to be by the end of the year.
    I'm still climbing on each of my goals. How about you?
I have a couple of guys who ask me how I am doing in my goals, I need the accountability. Who do you have for accountability?
I have a journal to record my goals, thoughts, accomplishments, dreams, and insights into life. Would this be a good tool for you?
I spend time alone with God each day. Two times or more a year I pick out a conference or retreat to go to for strangers to have input into my spiritual life.
I want to allow God times to change me and guide me in this ever changing journey we call life. I want to know God and His (much wiser) perspective.

           How do you allow for God to form your thoughts, intents, and character?

At the end of the day

At the end of  each day and each year what does it matter and who cares? Is there beauty in your life? I believe it is essential to honestly ask these questions. We all get the same 24 hours in a day but not the same motivations. Why am I motivated to spend time just visiting with my wife? Just to talk and know how each other is doing? One cannot have a good marriage without it. Do you still visit with your spouse?

    So how are you doing on your 2011 goals as the first quarter is coming to an end this month?
To become a better writer I take a lot of advice from Kristan Lambs blog .
My next conference is lead by Leary Gates a friend, writer, speaker, social net-worker, and entrepreneur.
I often go to camps for new and expanding perspectives. I am hoping to get more involved with Christian Outdoors Fellowship of America and be a part of sharing the outdoors with others in this way.
I am also putting some of my music on Music xray for anyone to hear some of my origionals.
This is a small part of what I am doing, How are you getting to your goals?

Make a comment on how you are doing!

Thanks 

Gary D