Meet “Lady Bird Dog” (an inside family joke name), and her son KK.  They are part of our family now.  We “adopted” them.  How come, and why?   well,……..  pull up a chair and listen to this story.

My family is blessed.  I know the world thinks that this is an old and worn out sayin’.  But there is nothing old and worn out about my family.  We are blessed.  Staci and I love the outdoors.  We raised our family and have always been blessed(there’s that word again), to be able to show our children what God has given us.  What’s that you say?  Well, the Great Outdoors and all that goes along with it.

When you live a life that includes hunting, fishing, riding 4 wheelers, sitting around the fire, watching nature, having strong family ties, and feeling God’s presence around you, people notice that you are lucky and different from most in this world.  When they  realize that my family is like this EACH AND EVERY DAY, then well,……. it’s a “foregone conclusion” that this family is blessed.

Enter “Lady Bird Dog” (aka Lauren)   Being the mother of this 8 year old lad, she wants him to experience as much of the “being blessed” as possible.  She’s good friends with my daughter, Jamie.  So Jamie invites Lauren down for the weekend so that KK can learn how to hunt, fish, ride 4 wheelers, etc, etc.

So,…… I’m supposed to be the father figure.  Jamie wants me to lead and guide KK and “Lady Bird Dog” to be able to do all this “country life stuff”.  Neither Lauren or KK were raised in this kind of lifestyle.  I’ve got to direct them, show them, instruct them, tell them how to “be blessed”?  Naw man, I’m just going to take ’em huntin’ and fishin’.  They can just join in the fun.  No need for lectures or step by step instructions.  I’ll be there to make sure everything goes well, safe, and most important of all,……..that we enjoy life!

I got to tell you readers that I really get a “kick” out of sharing this blessed lifestyle with those who have never experienced it.  To see KK’s reaction to the first time he shot a shotgun, or watch him wanting to touch a “catfish’s whiskers” is priceless to me.  I see that it’s priceless to his mother, Lauren as well.

I think KK will have experienced more “country stuff” this weekend than a lot of guys twice his age.  Heck, he just  experienced more of this “blessed life” than many men of today.

Here I am “training” KK on how to be safe with a firearm.  There’s my daughter Jamie looking on.  It wasn’t that long ago that I was helping her hold a gun.  Now she lives in her own “blessed ” world.  She has modeled and now manages other models in the big fashion world.  She even makes a trip or two to New York City for work with models.  But as she has told me (and them), “those squirrels in Central Park better look out, I’ll shoot ’em and eat ’em”.  Yep you can take the girl out of the blessed country, but you can’t take the blessed country out of the girl. 😉

And why should I.  More people in this world need to know the blessed life.  How do you do this?  Well,….. join in.

Romans 8:15 (NIV) The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

There it is in the Bible that God “adopts” you into His World.  Being a Christian means for you not to live in fear anymore, but to live life to it’s fullest.  Somehow we maybe miss out on abundant life here on this Earth.  We get the idea of religion.  We realize there is a God.  Where most people get stuck is where they don’t realize that God wants to be involved with our lives.  Not just a part, but each and every day. 

Do you ever feel like you don’t hear God talking to ya?  I’m reading a good book.  I highly recommend it to you.  The book is called “Hearing God in Conversation” by Sam Williamson.  Check it out.

Here’s something to think about that this book is showing me.  “It’s odd how when I seek God for guidance, heaven seems silent, but when I seek Him for companionship, guidance comes unsought.”

I had examples all week of this guidance unsought.  I could have lectured and instructed both KK and Lauren on how to shoot, fish, ride, and live this blessed abundant life.  But, why take the fun out of it.  Just be their companion.  The lessons are learned as we live it.

Well, why not do the same spiritually.  I bet you pray everyday (especially during the hard decisions and times) for God to guide you and tell you what to do.  You know what God’s thinkin’?  I bet He’s thinkin’  “Why take the fun out of it?  Let me be your companion.  I’ll be with you each and every moment.  I’ll even adopt you”.  God has ways of showing, teaching, guiding us as we live here on Earth.  Why don’t you just join in with him.  Let Him in every part of your life.  Seek Him………the guidance shows up in the process.  It’s called being blessed!!

L:auren aka “Lady Bird Dog”, your motherly instincts are good as gold.  How you have raised such a good son is easily seen.  The way you discipline him and interact with KK, how you “train” him, but most of all how you love him, seeing this really made my day.  With more mothers like you, I feel better about this next generation.  I’m glad we “adopted you” into our family.

KK, I hope you learned a lot about this “country life”.  Just by helping you “be alive”.  Just by being your companion this week.  I really didn’t guide you or show you any step by step how to do anything.  But now you know how to shoot.  You know how to be safe.  You know how to catch those fish.  You know how to set the hook.  You know how to clean ’em and cook ’em.  There is a lot of “you knows” that you now know, you know? 😉

I so want God to lead and guide me.  His way of being my Saviour, my Lord, my Companion is what makes Him so special to me.  I am Blessed.  What about you?  Do you need a companion to “hang out” with spiritually? Not just sometimes, but each and everyday?  Well, join in.  It’s an awesome ride.  And you’ll never grow tired of sayin’ how blessed you are.

See ya  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, living the blessed life