Tag Archives: a step onward and upward

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The First Step of Believing

A Step of Trust

There it is! That first step of trust and the bond that will grow between two very different creatures. One creature is a very wild hawk, the other creature is …….me.

“Dak” has experienced being trapped from the wild, tethered to a perch in his new home, and placed repeatedly back on my glove. I gently work with him for hours (called manning) to get him use to my presence. From the very beginning, all he knows if fear. In his previous wild world, it’s eat or get eaten. It’s kill or be killed. Nature is cruel, nature is tough. It’s truthfully the survival of the fittest.

The first few hours, I place “Dak” on my gloved fist. He will try to fly away, but I have him leashed to my glove. He attempts to fly, I gently swing him back on the glove. All the time, I don’t look directly at him. Think about why I don’t. You see, in the wild, when a hawk (with that intense eyesight) looks at another animal, he’s either looking to kill it……or it’s looking to kill him. Dak must learn to trust and believe in me as someone who is not going to hurt him. Incredibly, hawks trained in falconry learn in just a few days that I am not a threat, but someone who actually protects and feeds them.

It’s easy to tell when the hawk is calming down. As I walk around his mews (the fenced pen) with him on my glove, I feel his talons gradually relaxing on my glove. Thank goodness, because when he clamps down with those talons it’s with a surprising amount of strength. If that thick glove wasn’t there, I’d be getting plenty of tattoos from those claws. I have a few scars from the past to prove it!

Gradually, this wild creature begins to accept my presence. In Dak’s case it’s happening very quickly. In less than five hours from being trapped, he’s eating from my hand! It could be because he has a gentle personality. All the hawks I’ve flown over the years were different. Some were gentle, some acted nervous, some aggressive. “Tama”, one of my best hunting hawks from a few years ago could only be described as Wicked!!!

But Dak is very calm. I place a small piece of chicken in front of him. Remember, I don’t look directly at him during any of this training. (Just looking at him from my peripheral (side) vision.) He actually doesn’t eat the chicken. What I do is touch the sides of his beak with the meat. He bites at me and the meat gets caught in his mouth. FREEZE!  I don’t move. For however long it takes, I don’t move. He is standing on my glove with a piece of fresh meat in his mouth. Amazing what his body language shows. See, Dak’s not moving either. He’s still scared. But the whole time he’s sitting (on my glove) he is now tasting fresh food that is resting in his mouth. That’s when it happens……….. He swallows a nourishing morsel of food. The body language? Suddenly from fear to a small step of trust. His talons relax, his wings are not rigid, his eyes are no longer focused on “kill or be killed”. What next? Quickly another piece of food is placed in his mouth. FREEZE! Again, don’t move until he swallows his meal. Then quietly and gently I exit his new home. I’ll return in the morning. He’s been given plenty to think about.

The next morning I return with more time spent manning Dak. He’s still getting used to me. Learning to trust and believe in me. I spend this time walking around with him on my glove. I make noises, pick up items and move them. Sit down, stand up, walk backwards…….. doing any and everything. All the while Dak is riding and resting on my glove. He needs to know he can feel comfortable standing on the glove. Occasionally he will attempt to fly from the glove. I gently place him back on for more training. Now for the next big step! Literally!!!

Dak remembers that I fed him yesterday. Today I show him a piece of chicken by placing it in front of his beak. Today he snatches it from my hand. No need to try to get him to bite me, he’s hungry and he’s eating from my hand. Success!! Now for the next step and I do mean a step.

Since Dak knows there is food in my hand he readily wants to eat it. But I now want him to come towards me, to take a step towards me. There is a giant leap involved in the hawk’s mind in doing this. For him to step towards me is so foreign to his way of thinking. He has all this time been trying to get away from me. I am a creature he is afraid of. For him to take even one small step towards me……….involves a decision. It’s a decision of trusting and believing. Dak has taken his first step to believing that I no longer want to hurt him, but that I want to help him.

The first step!

Dak is taking his first step to me! Notice the body language. (I can feel it as well.) The claws are clamped, the wings are ready to spring into flight, and the eyes are filled with fear. In spite of this natural fear of me, the belief that I am not a threat but instead someone to trust has taken over! This thrills me to no end!

“Dak” now believes in me!

The picture shows the same bird but with a totally different mind set. A change in his way of thinking. His trusting and believing in me can even be seen (and felt). Claws are relaxed, wings in the resting and calm position. You can even see a different expression on his face. Two entirely different creatures are now beginning an adventure based on trust and believing in each other.

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Mark 5:36

This is a great scripture talking about believing. (I’d encourage you to read the whole chapter. Several instances of unbelievable miracles that Jesus is doing). Here in Dak’s situation it was a remarkable thing for me to see. Once Dak believes in me and no longer is afraid of me,……. well, it’s game on!!! The excitement I have of interacting with this magnificent creature is one of my greatest thrills! He has taken one small step to me. This will quickly lead to him taking 3 steps to me. Then he will jump to me. Then he will take a short flight to me. Then in such a short time period, he will be free flying and hunting WITH me. I am DELIGHTED!!!!

Just like God delights in you trusting in Jesus and taking a small step of belief towards Him! (stay tuned, till next time, Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, having taken a small step of belief of my own towards my Lord and Saviour!)

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A Trip Full of Obstacles and Distractions

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The trip was full of obstacles and distractions

The trip was full of FUN!!

[Hard to believe this has been seven years ago!] Headed out on our first ever Mississippi alligator hunt we faced problems.  The weather was not ideal.  We got lost. Somebody (oops, me) forgot the plug in the boat.  Where did all these bugs come from.  Bug spray must be made out of sugar water!!  We snagged, but lost a HUGE gator. Our guide (my huntin’ buddy Jeffrey(let’s git em)Walker) is killing himself trying to make this trip work. A pole broke.  I got a sore throat.  I could go on and on. (Whine,whine,whine)

I think I will go on!  In spite of problems, obstacles, distractions, you name it……… we had the BEST time together.

Allow me to share what happened.  Being together with family and best friend…… facing problems together….. sharing with each other the good and bad……. and celebrating a successful hunt.  That somehow made this one of the most meaningful family “adventures” we’ve been on.

It’s the same way in our spiritual journeys.  Obstacles and distractions ( too busy, interrupted prayers and quiet times, doubts and fears of our own making, you name it.  You could go on and on.  If only I could _________, then my spiritual life would get better.  (Whine, whine, whine)

Well friend, I want you to go on!  In spite of problems, obstacles, distractions, you name it………. Keep Going!!!!!!  Skin those knees, run out of breath. Swat the skeeters! Just Keep Going! Our God is there!  He’s in the boat with you. Laugh with Him, Rejoice with/in Him.  Celebrate!!

Proverbs 15: 13  A happy heart makes the face cheerful……..

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Hurt People Hurt People (Comforted people comfort others)

It’s my Birthday, let’s have knee surgery!


Yep, the ole knee needed some surgery. The Doctor said there were a couple of tears, he could go in and fix it, ………..and I would be good to go within a week! Thankfully this was not a bunch of repair or replacement work on the knee. So honestly, it hasn’t been as bad as it could have been. But,……… bad enough to cause a little pain and hurt. How do I celebrate my Birthday when I’m hurting? (Just like you, admit it right now), if you or me are hurting, it’s pretty much a given that others are going to have to hurt as well.

C’mon now. I’m admitting so you might as well admit it too. We are not the best patients. We don’t like to experience pain. If we HAVE to experience pain, then ALL of us want someone else to be right there experiencing their own pain as well. Ever notice that the people we are the closest to, and care for the most, are the ones that we jump on the quickest. Well yea,…….duh…….. they are the easiest targets. Plus, they don’t know to get out of the way. 😉

Pain , what pain!! Need to stick my arm and hook me to an IV! Bring it on lady! What now? Banged my left arm on the side rails of the bed. Who did that? Dunno, they’ve taken my glasses so I can’t see who did it. It might have been me myself. I can’t remember now cause the nite nite medicine is starting to take effect.

Whew, that was quick. I’m awake now. After I’m allowed to fully wake, in walks THAT nurse. You know, when you first go in for surgery, everybody is, “Hey, how ya doin’, oh it’s your birthday, aren’t you sweet!” But THAT nurse is like, “Hey, let’s get you out of here, NOW!!!” She’s bossing me around. Do this, do that. Oh she’s got a smile on her face because she knows the torture she’s fixing to give to me. PAIN??? When the nurse ripped off the heart monitor pads along with hair, skin, and what seemed like the very fiber of my being, what did I do? Nothing. I took it like a man! Pain?? Bring it on lady. Pain? No problem. I can handle it. Load me into the car like a sack of potatoes. Shut the car door. Smile and wave at THAT nurse as she’s headed for the next victim. I’m now headed home. What pain and hurt I will be experiencing, I will be able to handle it. How will I handle it you ask? By making sure others are hurting. Just like you remember, I’m a people. And,…. hurt people hurt people.

Staci is driving me home. That makes her the easy target. I honestly don’t mean to be short,testy, and a little on the grumpy side. The pain is not too bad, but there is enough hurt there for me to be,….. well,…..short, testy, and a little on the grumpy side.

Traffic is terrible. That’s her fault. I deserve a honey bun. We stop and it takes FOREVER for her to go get it. Since I took it “like a man” concerning all that THAT nurse did to me, I now made Staci relive the whole thing with me. “Like a man”, I’m expecting sympathy from my sweetheart. Instead I get “poor baby”. I might as well go back to sleep.


2 Corinthians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

I’m back home now, the sleepy time medicine has gone away, and most of the skin injuries from THAT nurse have started healing, I’ve got to admit something.I realize that during my time of pain and hurting, Staci was by my side comforting me.

Our God and Heavenly Father provide us with comfort from all of our troubles. He does this out of love and compassion. He also does this so that we in turn can share His comfort to others just like He does to us. Totally makes sense, except when YOU are the one hurting.

Hurt people hurt people. We see it all around us. Comforted people comfort others. Do you see much of that? Hmmm…. you yourself can take a step in showing someone some comfort. Our Lord and Saviour stands there ready to comfort you during your times of hurt. Talk with Him and to Him about your needs. Then BE a Christian and share some comfort to this hurting world. One person at a time. Even to THAT nurse!!

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher.