Greeting brothers and sisters! Welcome to another edition of Following God’s Trail. We are right in the midst of the dog days ofsummer, and it is very hot here in Southeast Georgia. Hopefully, the weather will begin to cool down some because the time of year that gets outdoorsmen all around the country pepped up and ready to move is fast approaching. Hunters are eagerly scouting and preparing food plots and dreaming of the time when they will enjoy the fruits of their labor because hunting season is coming soon.

Personally, as a hunter. I enjoy the preparation that involves scouting, planting and plotting the right place to place a tree stand or ground blind in hopes of seeing a nice deer or hog. I enjoy bowhunting as well as gun hunting. In addition to all of the wonderful preparation and the actual participation of the hunt, I take pleasure in appreciating all that God has provided for His children to enjoy. My hunting experiences are often of the spiritual nature.

Genesis 1:20-25 (NIV)  ²⁰ And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

 ²⁴ And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Whenever I awaken on the morning to go hunting, I eagerly prepare my pack and make sure to include all of my necessities. I gather my pack and my gun and head out. I hunt in a ground blind, so I enter the woods and walk quietly to my blind. Once I get comfortable, I sit in silence and enjoy a peaceful morning prayer. I remember to tell God how thankful I am for the opportunity to be sitting in such a peaceful place. In a few moments, I will usually hear the first peep from a bird, followed by another bird and then the squirrels and other animals begin to make their morning noises. It is rewarding to sit and listen to the animals and watch the birds, squirrels, lizards and other animals enjoying their day. This makes me feel so close to God.

As you go about your preparations for your hunting season, remember to share the experience with the One who gave us the fowls in the air, the fish in the sea or the wild animals that we pursue. God enjoys watching us partake of all that He has given to us. Imagine how much more He enjoys it whenever we actually share it with Him and talk about it with Him. Don’t forget to thank God for your opportunities to actually be there and if you actually make a kill, be sure to thank the Creator for allowing it to happen and for sacrificing the animal for us. God blessed the animals for us.

I wish you a blessed hunting season. Stay safe and enjoy all that He has to offer. Take God with you on your hunting trip.

Love in Christ!

~Kim Fox

By Kimberly Fox

Dr. Kimberly "canam" Brinson is a native of Camden County, Georgia. She teaches 6th grade Language Arts at a middle school in St. Marys. She recently completed her doctorate degree in Instructional Leadership and Curriculum through NOVA Southeastern in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Kimberly is an avid 3-D archer and enjoys attending 3-D competitions with her compound bow. Kimberly is an NFAA certified archery coach and enjoys teaching archery to potential students of all ages. She is also on the Pro Staff for Shoot Like A Girl, which is a company that helps teach women about the aspects of archery. Kimberly has enjoyed the great sport of archery since 2001. Her greatest archery moment includes finishing 3rd place in Shooter of the Year with the Archery Shooters Association and a few significant placings at national archery tournaments and local events as well as Florida State 3-D Champion in 2008.

As far as hunting, Kimberly is a licensed Master of Hounds with United Kennel Club and is certified to judge raccoon field trials and bench shows. For many years, coon hunting was a well enjoyed sport by her, and she helped work several dogs to championship status in licensed coon hunts and coon hunting for pleasure. Kimberly also enjoyed training and running Foxhounds to chase fox and coyotes. This was a short-lived hobby because it was very time consuming and quite expensive. Throughout her life, Kimberly has deer hunted. The initial experience was running deer with hounds; however, for the past few years, she has participated in still hunting with a rifle to a slight degree. Building food plots and scouting are Kimberly's favorite parts of deer hunting. She has not harvested an animal while still hunting, but she intends to hunt from a treestand this upcoming season instead of in a blind. Hopefully, her luck will change. In theory, she is a rookie still hunter.

In her spare time, Kimberly enjoys reading, playing seek and find computer games and hanging out with her husband, Evan. She also enjoys spending time at her church, Harbor Worship Center in Kingsland, GA and writing weekly devotions for Talk Hunting.

Credentials:
Shoot Like A Girl Pro Staff
BowTech Pro Staff
Carbon Express Pro Staff
Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Huddle Coach
Talk Hunting Magazine Staff Writer and Editor
TH Weekly Devotions Writer

Comments(1):

1. what a great article. I have and always will start every hunt or fishing trip with a prayer and a thank you to the Lord. I feel closer to him in the woods than any other place. I have a yearly ritual of going openning morning bow hunting by myself, and I sit there and just take it all in. I have an older brother that passed away in 2005 and we used to hunt and fish in Louisiana together(from N.O. til Katrina hit!). I feel as though we are sitting in the woods together still, and I just love it. Doesn't matter if I kill anything, but I always have a great time. Thanks for stirring up the memories.

   Saturday, September 04, 2010 Derek