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

   

Angry Beaver -- Picture truths series #2 By Gary Fultz

Vicious beaver

Here I was, minding my own business on an absolutely calm evening with the lake all to myself. I was catching a load of crappies from a canoe barely drifting through the moon lit evening. I just about tipped the canoe when the water was torpedoed by this angry beaver. This beaver demon was acting out the lake equivalent of road rage. Evidently the lake was not big enough for the two of us even though it is almost a mile long. This big old beaver stalked me wherever I went and would get by the canoe and slap the water with his tail. It sounded like someone was throwing big boulders off a cliff into the water. He was acting like he overdosed on sugar maple trees!

I finally went after him because the crappies quit biting. The beaver dove and disappeared; the frogs started croaking “jaws” music as daylight was gone. Even the moon was trying to get behind a cloud as its normal aura was being disgraced. A strange sense of evil settled about me so I quickly turned to look for the landing.

I began having visions of the beaver eating my only wood paddle as I picked up the pace to get to the safety of shore, all the while pronouncing blessings on the early beaver trappers in this country. Crappie fishing might never have been discovered without those trappers. I realized that as the light was fading so was my grip on reality!

       

Strange things happen in the dark! Our mind adds to the strangeness, and literally if unchecked, the mind can become completely irrational. I don’t remember feeling fear for my life or anything (and I wouldn’t admit it if I did), but that beaver surely became a monster in the water that I didn’t want to agitate anymore. I would really rather face a bear than a vicious underwater monster that eats big trees for a living! Lately I have solved the problem by bringing three paddles!

These are the things people laugh about by day and yet experience by night. What is it about the mind that can manufacture embodiments of fear in dark places? Is it possible that darkness has its own powers? Could it be that the absence of light is a camouflaged environment for evil? Whatever people think about the darkness, it’s easier to do wrong in the night. It’s easier to deceive and be deceived in the dark. It’s easier to imagine that unseen and undiscovered evil feels ok in a totally darkened and depraved mind.

What a shock to discover that our inner being is naturally a dark place without light as we are born that way! The sin condition (and a totally darkened mind) has infected all mankind and has deluded our thinking, reasoning ability, and our ability to see truth in this ever present darkness. We in essence have become the monsters while pretending to be the angels to the rest of the planet! Why? Because it’s easy to deceive ourselves in the dark, and think we have some light in us that can be fanned into a source of light.

All over scripture, light is associated with the presence of God and darkness is associated wherever God is not present. Look it up; 2 Samuel 22:29 says “the Lord turns my darkness into light”. Psalm 18: 28 “My God turns my darkness into light”. This is a thread from cover to cover and part of Gods daring rescue of mankind through Jesus, to let God’s light shine in our inner being through the person of Jesus! “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1; 4)

Light came into the world again

        

When we believe in Jesus we let Him, and all He is (The way, truth, life, and light itself) come in, Jesus says to the Father “We’re in! The Holy Spirit is already starting to clean up! Let’s see how many no trespassing signs we can take down!” “Let’s see how many dark places we can light up.”

About that beaver; He is back at the lodge telling the little ones a bed time story about his latest dangerous mission, driving away a terrible threat to the beaver kingdom and their way of life. The little beavers ah… in unison as he brings out a piece of a canoe paddle and lays it on the mantel.

Truth: 1) I took a picture of an angry beaver, he followed me everywhere and ruined my fishing, and I have a bit of an imagination sometimes.

2) God is light, we are not.

3) If there is light in us; it’s Jesus himself shining through us (that’s a lot of lumens).

4) I really was catching a lot of crappies till that beaver started stalking me!

              Gary D

Picture Truth #1 Nature and Inner Peace by Gary Fultz

Boundary Waters canoe Area Wilderness Waterfall

I admit it; I wanted to stop, build a cabin and stay here forever. A sense of inner peace flooded my very soul. In the spirit of that moment I forgot about everything practical. I could have shucked all commitments, responsibilities, job, the coming winter, and a small detail that I was in the middle of guiding a group of teenagers on a 60 mile wilderness trip by canoe. I entertained the thought "I could live here!"

Boundary Water Walleye

    The fishing was great in all the surrounding lakes, A deer had just stepped out of the trail to let me by as I carried a canoe and pack to the next lake, and what a view. Ahhhhhh, water , food, scenery, and away from lifes headaches!
    This scene in the small valley would be totally hidden but for the ominous sound that could be felt as much as heard. The trees crowd together by the mighty little stream. White cedars bend themselves over the water to get as much sunlight as possible. Boulders, smaller rocks, and downed trees froth the tumbling water as irresistible and immovable create their own niche in natures synergy; a microcosm of life everywhere. I relate most to the driftwood in some ways.
    It's a place of life and death. This life giving water is not a quiet stream after it rains. A few days before we arrived it had rained seven inches in one night. Rivers and quiet streams hadturned vicious! We had already witnessed the the power of this water as a man and two sons tipped their canoe trying to cross a raging river. A strong teenager (a future Army Ranger) and I shot the rapids to rescue the dad as he was clinging to a sinking backpack. I can still hear him calling to his sons "tell your mother I love her" as he neared the edge of  a series of cascading waterfalls. The emotional cries to dad from the young men hanging on to small bent trees in the foamy water will never leave me.
    I felt the essence of nature, in this particular spot, calling me (although my wife would say I have hundreds of those spots). In this place I felt danger, adventure, beauty, peace, and unexplained emotion. What a place to contemplate the purposes of life, the essence of purpose, or whittle on a stick!
    I already know (Iam constantly reminded) that creation in nature does not care about you; only the creator does. I'm not sure why we feel close enough to God by hanging in and around His artwork. Nature does not help you when you are caught in the current and the canoe tips. If a sudden storm catches you in big water the white caps do not wait until you get to shore safely. The concept of "Mother Nature" is false; there is nothing personal there.

Mystical morning in Boundary Waters

    I love the adventure, beauty, the challenges of the wilderness,and all the stories that come from being there. I love the feelings that come from my "waterfall" places. But, it's easy to be deceived by the illusion that nature can satisfy the craving for inner peace, much less impart us with any lasting peace beyond the moment.

    I visited this place again with another group of Boundary Waters Wilderness seekers. I stood in the same spot with the same emotions and more as I said to my Creator "Jesus, You really made a great spot here, thank you for letting me see and feel all this!" Nature didn't care, but God was there with me as we were immersed in the majesy of the moment.

Loons enjoying the calm waters

 Gary D

   

Best fishing tackle for Ice Pike By Gary Fultz

Brass flutter spoon

    It cannot get any less complicated than a stick with some fishing line, leader, and a spoon hook. It's all you need to catch northern pike through the ice. My brother and I have pulled out over 200 fish through the ice this winter alone, fishing mostly weekends.

    Is there some skill involved? yes. Does it help to put bait on the trebles of the spoon? sometimes. Are they always biting? What kind of a question is that? Let me put it this way; We usually out-fish the tip-ups with live bait and the dark houses with spears. In short, this is the deadliest ice fishing method I know of to get the most northern pike through the ice. 

    How about some testimonials of fishing this method. 

Hammered silver spoon

Magic spoon (Red white silver)

Magic spoon

Red and White spoon

    Sometimes we tip a treble hook with a minnow head or tail. A piece of pork rind works as long as the hooks are not cluttered with bait to impede  the action which drives the Pike crazy.

    Small quick jerks with make the spoon spin up and tip over sideways and then flutter down. The fluttering down seems to be a triggering mechanism that makes a curious pike hit. Most of our fishing is in four to six feet of water under the ice offering a good view of the fish coming in when the lake is clear. Sometimes the pike will drift in and out and watch the hook and finally swim away; come back a little while later and slam it at 90 mph. Other times they are wild and miss the hook several times before getting serious. It's fun to watch even if all you have is an eight inch auger hole. Get in a shelter or chair with a covering and watch the action.

    A couple more things to remember; make sure the ice is safe to walk or drive on, dress warm, make the kids wear boots and not tennis shoes (I don't know why they think they can stay warm this way), and bring a sled or bucket for all the fish. 

    Just remember the fishn is always good, sometimes the catching is as well!

                                    one last testimonial

caught on the pretty hook

Bronze flutter spoons

     They each caught fish that day. Now to fillet a Pike boneless...We will talk about that another time

Gary D

    For more information on the spoon hook click here

   

A Case for...Outdoor Adventures By Gary Fultz

                                    46" pike... Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
    I'm a thrill seeker in the outdoor arena. Adventure stirs and wakens brain cells my teachers thought were missing. It's not enough for me to to read adventure stories and fantasize surviving the "call of the wild" lifestyle; I want to live it and tell the stories. I love to take people with me and share the adventures as well. As competitive as I am I feel a greater glory when someone else catches the monster fish, takes a great picture of a cow moose with her calves, or gets to chase the bear away from the campsite. Raw rugged adventure... and it's great! So let me build a case for seeking an outdoor adventure.

   
    I realized early on that everyone's quest on these adventures I was leading was often quite different. Some wanted to see as much country as possible while others wanted a nice view and contemplation time. From spiritual revival to competitive fishing, the individual quests often form as the trip progresses.
   
     Some gain what they don't seek
      Self confidence, outdoor chef training,  muscles, a reality check, and our smallness in an indifferent environment take some by surprise. Perfect weather and no mosquitoes can become killer storm and black fly hell in a matter of minutes. I have concluded one must die to become one with nature (dust to dust). Black bear often feel entitled to your camp food and may invite themselves at any time (my experience is they really dislike rocks thrown at them). No trip is even close to predictable...therefore...it's an adventure! Why would anyone not do this?
  

    So why go to all the work of having a wilderness adventure?
    I realize some people have their adventures in the mall looking for deals, while others sense of adventure is on par with going to the other end of the hall for ice. The answer for me is a compilation of many things. I want to know myself when all pretense is stripped away, I want to know my creator and experience His living artwork, I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie (high on the Richter scale),  and I love $100 plates of food (trust me you would pay it) at the end of the day around the campfire.
Bottom line: These kind of adventures began to morph the boy into a man of character and a girl into a woman who can hold her own anywhere.
    Another Bottom line: Honesty
    That lake (15 portages and 35 miles in) you wanted to get to? No short cuts, or any other way to get there; you have to do the work to get to those lake trout. Forgot your matches? Oh well! Weatherman said five days no rain? So much for sleeping under the stars (it's you and a zillion mosquitoes under the same canoe). You thought God was magically encountered in nature? Guess again...God is a person and not a rock, tree, beaver, or storm (a very good place to see his art work and experience Him in person however).

    Bonds: A worthwhile quest
    While nature works through a balance of give and take, people work better through relational bonds.
I've watch the father-son, husband-wife, family bonds grow. Poor relationships, selfish behavior, and personal discomfort bring out the worst and best in people. When the storm hits, when the wind blows high waves, when the bear walks into camp, people tend to work together. 
     There is plenty of talk time in the wilderness. plenty of bonding time for your relationships to grow.
Sitting around the camp fire one evening a teenager shared how she had met with God while sitting on a rock looking over the lake. She had never talked with God informally(and out loud) before. Another teen talked about getting to know his dad "I didn't know my dad was so cool"! A dad gave his son a hug and said "son I've been protecting you too much, you are carrying the canoe tomorrow!"
    I leave you with one more reason for taking a wilderness adventure...

           Five minute exposure from an island in crooked lake BWCAW


Gary D
  
   

Food for thought By Gary Fultz

                               Scrambled eggs, coffee after a good Time with God by the fire this morning
I heard it....I heard it again...then again....
    How I start my day has become important to me. I have had to discipline myself to listen to all the voices vying for the days attention starting now. E-mails, weather reports, morning coffee, breakfast, and reading my bible jockey for position while I wander around in PJ's or less wondering where to start.
Me first...
    As I sat up to the computer to read Kirsten Lamb's Blog so I can learn how to blog.
Me first...Again..It was distinct and I didn't need to look around. A couple of months earlier I had heard the same thing, same voice, same request, not urgent but a compelling..."Me First".
    No coffee, no breakfast, or fire in the fireplace; just getting alone with the creator of the universe who whispers "Me First". I have to admit the other voices are louder and more demanding. I guess I let them do that to me. So I read and wonder if God can communicate to me this morning. Does God need some backround music to set the tone? Do I need the backround music to hear God's voice? "Me First"...guess not!
    What do you do when life seems like a barren  wasteland or frozen lake...dead but for the springs?  Can I really hear Gods voice?

   I had been rereading the passage from last sunday's sermon from Isaiah 55

Invitation to the Thirsty

 ¹ “Come, all you who are thirsty,                                      
   come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
   come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
   without money and without cost.
² Why spend money on what is not bread,
   and your labor on what does not satisfy?                                     
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
   and you will delight in the richest of fare.
³ Give ear and come to me;
   listen, that you may live....
    I never realized how many times we are told to listen and how many ways God talks to people. I am going to spend a season of time in study on the subject but I already get the sense that God feels we don't listen very well. I guess the "listen, listen" is a clue. I feel like I'm a four year old being talked to.
    So this morning I listened, spent time with the amazing creator, talked a little myself, and then my parameters were reset for the day. Planning my next adventure fishing, reading and exploring the social networking world with the latest greatest book on the subject, and of course making a fine breakfast (pictured top still steaming hot).
    In what ways does God call you? Do you listen? Let me leave you with a song that often comes to my mind...Whatever it takes...Is quite a call...yet probably comes as a whisper.
    So find a spot, take a walk, get alone, listen for God's voice in his recorded word, Listen for his voice in your busy world, Then invite Him into the rest of your day.
Gary D

Day is Done by Gary Fultz

                                                                                         Nice photo Hutch!

    A beautiful sunset marks the end of a perfect evening on the water. You shiver as the big Timbers start to moan at the end of the tamarack swamp nearby. It's so still that you can hear your fingers squish a couple of big Minnesota  mosquitoes honing in on your face. Down the shoreline some type of animal is wading and splashing the water; probably a coon washing some clams, crayfish, and anything else edible. You long for one more cast with a spook in the reeds for that huge bass that swirls huge water as you drive away.
    Fisherman, adventurer, solitude seeker, beauty connoisseur, and gaggle of other descriptive words come to mind when the universe lines up for a perfect finish...and you are there.

    Some people are never there!

 It takes initiative and sometimes hard work to be in the sweet spot of your passions. I have it easy! I love adventure, wilderness solitude, on the spot breath taking scenery, and the competitive nature of the food gatherer. I hunt, fish, camp, winter camp, bring my camera, and drag a few people with me.  

   One month into 2011...Where have I been this year? Where am I going to be? Are my physical disabilities going to stop me or just modify how I get there? Am I going to just blog or have something to blog about? Well...so far so good! Just to start the year my lovely wife went out on the lake with me..several times! hence the picture.

    I'm thinking a good caption is "I out-fished him!" She is thinking...well she wouldn't tell me what she was thinking but I know it wasn't "I hope he teaches me how to clean fish".
    Back to "being There"...It's way more than chance as the movie suggests. There is something to Dina Craik's quote as well "It's never too late to be who you might have been".
   Ahhh...We are back to fishing again aren't we! We fish for goals, ways to accomplish goals, who we want to be, what we want to do.
I'm telling ya...Spend some time on the lake, Spend some time with God walking around in his artwork, set some goals that need a clear vision, good organization, and some steady work to obtain.
   If you want to just fish, I can make it happen...otherwise take some steps toward becoming who you want to be to get to where you want to go. I'm going to say this several more times...
    Take a walk
       have a talk
          get right
            stay tight...If you can do it alone it's too small!

Proverbs 16:9 The mind of man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps
Here's to walking on water...my sweet spot (Minnesota-February-with a jigging stick)

Who doin it?? What's your ideal sweet spot?
Please make your comments below

Gary D