Men of the Outdoors

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: 2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV©) Thoughts: Some years back I was camped up in Northern Arizona and came across an elk that was behaving strangely. The elk would walk in circles, stumble over logs, and lean with its head up against trees. Being concerned about the possibility of Chronic Wasting Disease (which, thankfully, we don’t have in Arizona), I called the Arizona Game & Fish Department and they sent a Wildlife Manager (Game Warden) out to where I was. We found the elk and the Warden confirmed that the animal had a parasite that is found in stock water tanks and migrates to the brain of the animal. The parasite is fatal to the animal so the Warden, mercifully, put the animal down. The irony is that the parasite affects deer and elk but not cattle. Action...

Muzzleloader Highlights September 20 2025                              What was looking like a bad weather day turned out to be sunny and a very nice day. The day started with a very nice lunch and a devotion that related the outdoor hunting world to God’s world. Our program began with a trivia contest. We had about 5 old sayings that originated back in the early days of Muzzleloaders. The contest did show our lack of muzzleloader history. Different powders, loads, barrels and techniques were discussed. Then it was off to the range where we held a little competition from 50 yards. All that can be said about this competition is that if we were shooting at animals, they would have been safe. It was an educational and fun day and we look to do another one in the future. The Men of the Outdoors thanks Dave Gilbertson for sharing his knowledge and facilities for the event. Dave was an awesome host.     ...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Mathew 4:18-20 18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Thoughts: I n this passage, Jesus makes a simple request of two men who very well could be just like one of us. The simple request was “follow Me“. Put yourself in their shoes – you are fishing by a lake or hunting out in the woods, and a man comes up to you and says, "follow Me". You drop your rod and fishing gear or your hunting rifle and immediately follow Him! If we had this kind of encounter, we would know that this was Jesus, the Lord of lords, the King of all kings. In our hearts, we would say this is the right thing to do because this truly is the son of God!! A...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus. Thoughts: I have been trying to once again become proficient with a bow after 20 years I have had some difficulties. I have lost 5 arrows, which hurts your wallet as much as it does your pride. When I draw my bow, the trees begin to shake with fear. Archery takes different skills than a gun, but they also share some. Action Point: When I miss with my bow, I have a tendency to get frustrated and angry with myself. These feelings are even worse if I lose the arrow. I ...

The Men of the Outdoors is hosting a Muzzleloader event on September 20 2025. The event will be held at Dave Gilberson’s N1372 Pines Road, Fremont, Wi. The event starts at  noon  with a devotion and a pot luck meal. Bring a dish to pass and a lawn chair. Some mosquito spray may help you enjoy the day. What to expect:  ·         Learn about muzzleloader safety & basics ·         Ways to improve accuracy. ·         The best ways to clean your rifle. ·         Numerous other tidbits of information gained from over 30 years of experience. Whether you are a novice or experienced you will gain insight on new techniques and information about the world of Muzzleloading.   After the presentation, it is range time. If you have a muzzleloader, please bring it. Dave owns 11 of them so he has a gun you can use if you don’t own one. To hel...

  This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: 1 Timothy 4:8 "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." (NLT) Thoughts: How much time do you put into your hunting and sport preparation? It may take weeks, even months before a season to get in shape to be ready to play or hunt. For each activity or sport there are different training regimes and sets of exercises that can be used in preparation. Living here in Alaska, the older I get, the harder it is to prepare and the more time it takes to get ready. There is an important lesson here that was taught to me years ago; "If you prepare every day then you'll always be ready." Action Point: Here's a thought - what if we did this with our spiritual life? I mean - if we prepared every day to meet God, what would that look like? That way when spiritual things come up - we would be r...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. NLT. Thoughts:  Has this ever happened to you? You are in a deer stand waiting on a buck to show himself or sitting against a tree listening to a gobbler and hoping he will come in–and your cell phone buzzes. Your hunting buddy, spouse, children, friend, or someone from work engages you in text message conversations. And you lose focus on your current hunting situation. Then, a noise grabs your attent...