Slippery Places by Brodie Swisher Several days after a recent snow storm, the beauty and fluff of fresh powder had been reduced to hard-packed snow and ice. It was slick and often brought about acrobatic-like maneuvers just in walking to the mailbox. While out walking with my boy, he asked me why I took a longer path around all the ice. I simply told him that I wanted to stay on my feet and that’s tough to do when walking around on slippery places. At his young age, he has a hard time seeing the pain of falling down. For him, it’s nothing more than an opportunity to slide around and skate. But as he grows older he’ll soon discover the consequences of walking around in slick places. Hopefully he too will learn to take a different path and avoid the places that will cause him to stumble. Life is much the same for us as adults. I once heard a pastor say, “If you don’t wanna fall down…then don’t walk in slippery places!” Seems pretty simple, right? But how many times have we trudged right through the slick spots of life and never once considered the danger until we found ourselves flailing for solid ground. Sure, it may appear to be an easier path, or a more enjoyable approach to the ride we’re on, but in the end, walking around in places we ought not be will lead to destruction. Satan would love nothing more than to cause us to stumble in our marriages, our friendships, our personal commitments, and to bring to death the godly things in our lives. Stand on solid ground my friends…don’t walk around in slippery places. “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” Proverbs 14:12
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Overlooked by Brodie Swisher There were two days left of bow season in Montana when I arrived back from an archery trade show in Ohio. With one lonely doe tag left in my pocket I made plans to put the final wraps on what has already been a great deer hunting season. After a late night and a lazy start when the alarm went off, I was running behind. I scrambled to grab my gear and shuffled into my cold weather clothes for a chilly morning on the stand. I grabbed an armload of gear, including my video camera, a book, jacket, and pack and hurried out the door. The darkness of night was already leaving the valley as I made the quick drive to my hunting spot. As I got out of the truck I quickly put my treestand safety harness on and began to my pull other gear from the truck. It was a routine I had become familiar with after four months of persistent bowhunting. With my pack on my back and all my gear in place, I leaned back into the truck to grab my bow. The sad part is it wasn’t there. It wasn’t on the back seat where I always placed it, nor was it in the front seat. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as I said to myself, “I forgot my stinkin’ bow!!!” In my excitement and anxiousness for getting back into the treestand, I overlooked what mattered most. And when you pull a stunt like that on a hunt by yourself, there’s no one to blame. It was me. I messed up. I left out the one thing that I needed the most. On the embarrassing ride home I called my wife and said, “I finally did it! After 20 years of bowhunting I finally left my bow at the house!” She could only laugh as she looked and confirmed that my bow was in fact sitting right by the door…overlooked. I really don’t know how I missed it. I practically had to step over it to get out the door! I was left to ponder how many times we do the same thing in our daily life. We overlook the things that matter most. We rush headlong into the day with great excitement and anticipation for the next big thing, all the while overlooking the one thing that matters most. Countless are the times I’ve blown right past God and never gave Him a second glance when I was caught up with hectic schedules or the busyness of life. Have you been there? Are you guilty of overlooking the one thing that matters most? A relationship with God is what life is all about. To bring Him glory and to make Him known…that is why we exist. Don’t overlook Him today. Lifeline by Brodie Swisher One of the slickest tools I’ve come across for helping treestand hunters hunt as safe as possible is the Life Line system from Hunter Safety System (HSS). The guys at HSS, makers of the industry’s leading tree stand harness system, know that one of the greatest risks to treestand hunters is the journey into the stand, moreso than when the hunter is safely seated and anchored in the stand. Deadly accidents happen every year as un-anchored hunters make the ascent and descent at their stands. HSS has answered this need with their new Tree Stand Life Line system. The Life Line ensures that no matter what happens on the climb, whether you slip, fall, or just struggle in the pre-dawn darkness, you are safely tethered to the life-saving line. When I think about this life-saving gear, I can’t help but thank God that He continues to serve as a life line for His people. For those that know the Lord, life will one day be as good as it gets as we reach our final destination. But the journey getting there is tough. In fact the climb can be unbelievably brutal. There will be moments along the way when we slip, stumble, and struggle in the darkness of this world, but God is our life line. He is our anchor. We are secure in Him despite the struggles that come our way. There was a song written years ago with the lyrics that read, “the anchor holds though the ship is battered…the anchor holds though the sails are torn…I have fallen on my knees as I faced the raging seas…the anchor holds in spite of the storm.” No matter what you’re going through today, never forget, the anchor holds. |
Brodie SwisherBrodie Swisher is a World Champion game caller, accomplished speaker, a notable writer, a skilled hunter, and all around down to earth guy! His travels take him across the country as a well known public speaker in the arena of outdoor events such as wildgame dinners, banquests, archery classes, and filming. Above all Brodie Swisher loves Jesus and he can't wait to share his passion for Christ with those he meets. Archives
September 2013
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