One Bullet at a Time…

 I stayed out of a lot of trouble growing up because of hunting.  It’s funny that the worst trouble I ever got into was actually because of hunting.

Twenty yards from my back door was a gate that opened to 1500 acres of brush, fields, fence lines, tanks, and creeks. I started out hunting with my PaPa and my dad.  We hunted dove, squirrels, rabbits, ducks, quail, turkeys, and deer.  I could not wait for the next issue of whatever hunting/fishing magazine I could get.  Some of the best days of my life were spent wandering Christmas Creek in search of small woodland creatures.  My first gun was an over-and-under .22/.410.  I have many stories to share about hunting with my daddy and grandpa, but today, I’m flying solo.  I want to tell you about a young boy, hunting with one dog and one bullet.  

At school, I found myself daydreaming about the woods.  I would map out the route I would take on the afternoon’s hunt.  As soon as I got home, I changed into camouflage and took off.  I knew which brush pile would likely have rabbits.  I knew which tree line would have the squirrels.  I knew which field of goat weed would have more dove.  I knew which brushy fence line might hold a few quail.  I knew how to sneak up on the tank dam at just the right angle to not spook the ducks.  I knew every hill, creek, pool of water, and fallen tree.  What I didn’t know until later was:  Why couldn’t I take more than one bullet on my hunts?   I soon found out that Daddy set up this rule to teach me responsibility and give him peace of mind.  If I shot, he could tell about where I was, and he knew about how long it would take me to get home.  If I didn’t get back in time, he knew something was wrong and would come look for me.

Dad would give me one .410 shell.  When it was gone, I had to come home to get another.  There were many days when I would not get a shot until I got to the very back of the place.  I remember one day when I had to waste the shell on a skunk.  To me, in my pre-teen wisdom, this rule was stupid.  Mom would even say when I got home, “Here comes ol’ one bird at a time.”  How could I be expected to put meat in the freezer with only one shell? 

One day, I figured I’d show Mom and Dad.  I grabbed three shells and put them in my pocket.  It was a great day.  Doves were flying.  Rabbits were hopping.  Ducks were quacking.  I shot a dove, and I kept on hunting.  I hoped that I would shoot another further down in the field.  I could not believe how smart I was.  I was going to come home with three birds.  Mom would not call me “ol’ one bird at a time” today. 

Meanwhile, back at the house…Daddy was sitting on the back porch when he heard the first shot.   He told Mom that the boy just killed something.  Dad started fuming when he heard the second shot.  When he heard the third shot, he told Mom that he was going to kill the boy.

I received a good education that day, and I learned the reason for only getting one bullet.  One bullet allowed me to focus on one thing at a time, instead of looking ahead to the next brush pile.  One bullet also let my parents worry less about the situation.  Once I understood the “why” of Dad’s “one bullet rule,” I knew they trusted me and wanted to protect me.

Wouldn’t life be easier if we only had to worry about one bullet at a time?  Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  These 8 words speak volumes to me when life gets too busy.  We live in a crazy, fast-paced world.  We have remote controls for everything.  Remote control for the TV.  One for the VCR.  One for the dish.  One for the DVD player.  One for the stereo.  Cordless phones.  Cell phones. Internet.  The other night, I am ashamed to admit that we had three TV’s going and a stereo on outside.  I was talking on my cell phone and my wife was talking to somebody else on hers.  Our home phone rang, but neither one of us picked it up because we each thought the other would get it.  Out of control.  My children are 7 and 4.  I cannot imagine how crazy life is going to be in ten years. 

“Be still and know that I am God.”  We spend more time worrying about tomorrow than we do enjoying today.  I, like many of you, live by a schedule.  When Heather and I sit down on Sunday night to discuss the week ahead, we only hit the high points:  meeting Monday… be at work early Tuesday…game on Thursday, etc.   We spend way too much time focusing on the details, that we actually miss the little things.  A lot happens in the gray area on our schedules, but it gets lost in the shuffle. 

“Be still and know that I am God.”  I am working on it.  I realize that my kids are going to be up and gone before I know it.  I don’t want to look back 20 years from now and realize that I missed the gray area.  Men, slow down!  Life is going to happen.  Meetings are going to come and go.  Our children need us more today than ever.  The world is going to get faster and faster.  Don’t spend your days looking ahead because soon we will be spending way too many looking behind in regret. 

Look at today for what it is-a chance to live.  A chance to make some memories.  A chance to make a difference.  A chance to leave a legacy.  You only get one shot at life.  Take time to be still.  Take each day “one bullet at a time.”  You never know…today might just be the “greatest of days.”                                                                                   

Dream Big…Alan             By the way, on the day I took three bullets, I came home with only one dove.  I missed the other two shots. “Ol’ one bird at a time” strikes again.

Daddy’s Home:

             Lately, I’ve been burning the candle at both ends.  I’m away from home a lot more than I like.  I’m grouchy.  Emotionally, I’m drained.  Spiritually, I’m exhausted.  As bad as things are for me right now, they are even worse for my family.  Being the spiritual leader of the home and the barometer of my family’s happiness, I have got to realize that how I react to things has a tremendous impact on how my family feels.  There are many times that I bite my tongue to keep from “going off” on small problems.  The last thing I want to do is take out my frustrations on them.  I have been guilty of getting mad at things that normally would have just required “the look” or may not have even been a big deal.  It is a “kick in the gut feeling” when the day is done, and you realize you can’t take back the words spoken in anger and frustration.              Children cannot understand that they are not the problem, but all too often they become the target.  It is sad because our children are the best gifts God could ever give.           

Storms pass…Deadlines come and go…Life happens.  They say when you get trapped in quicksand to not fight, just relax.  I’ve never been in quicksand, so I wouldn’t know what it’s like to…wait a minute.  I wonder if “quicksand” could apply to…well, you get the picture.           

Life does happen.  Don’t let your marriage get lost in the shuffle and always love your kids. You just might get the break you need in a game of “Go Fish” with a 7-year old.Life ain’t about the $$$…it’s about the stories you can tell.Alan Weihausen

 

Daddy’s Home…

I have to tell on myself.  The other day, I went for all out “Father of the Year” status.  It was one of those rare days lately when the wind decided NOT to blow.  I loaded up Chloe and Colby and went to Lake Belton to run the boat and let them feel like real fisherman.  I wasn’t planning on staying very long…just going to give them a little time.  We left the ramp, and for 2oo yards, I was the greatest.  The kids were yelling and squealing with delight.  Colby hollered, “Daddy, your boat is  a hot rod!”  Chloe hollered, “You are the best daddy in the world!”  Then…my prop spun a hub.  It went from “the greatest daddy in the world” to “Are we going to die?”  Dear God, give me extra patience.  Amen.I handled it a lot better than I thought I would’ve.  We used the trolling motor to get back to the ramp, but most importantly, I didn’t take any frustrations out on my kids.  The motor is fixed, and we are ready for the next trip.  Bad tempers create bad memories, and bad memories last a lot longer than a bad prop.Don’t ruin a million dollar child over a $200 part…Alan

Legal Groups Advise on Constitutionality of Christmas Observances.

By Jeff Johnson
November 15, 2006

(AgapePress) - Many public school administrators have been intimidated into believing that any mention of Christianity in their curriculum or activities is illegal, especially surrounding Christmas. But according to one Christian attorney, what the ACLU might want and what the Constitution allows are two very different things.The chief counsel of the American Family Association’s Center for Law & Policy (the Law Center) says the list of what schools can do to acknowledge the Christian faith at Christmas is much longer than the list of forbidden activities.“You can wish people ‘Merry Christmas,’ you can actually include a Christmas tree in your holiday display, you can sing Christmas carols, you can hold even Christmas plays,” notes attorney Steve Crampton.

What schools cannot do, says Crampton, is acknowledge the Christian aspects of a holiday like Christmas to the exclusion of other religious celebrations. More likely, he warns, is the opposite scenario, in which Christianity is the only religion excluded.

“Christianity still is the dominant religion [in America],” he points out, “and to exclude it in these kinds of celebrations — and … we’re seeing that more and more — is an outrage.”

That is why Crampton says it is important for school administrators to get sound legal advice about their rights under the First Amendment. “Not every school attorney out there is all that well versed on the nuances of First Amendment law and, in particular, Establishment Clause concerns,” he says. “[But] that’s where we spend our days and nights.”

Crampton says he and his legal team at the Law Center are available to answer school administrators’ questions through their website. Similar advice is available at LC.org — website for Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, which is in the midst of its fourth annual “Friend or Foe” Christmas campaign. That legal group cites recent cases in Massachusetts and Wisconsin where its intervention has caused reversal of policies that discriminated against Christmas observances.

Murphy Slaw Rides Again…Deer Camp

By:  Alan Weihausen         

 “Co’mere deer!  Co’mere deer! Daddy’s gonna SHOOT ya’!”  I took my little girl on a weekend hunt near Comanche, and as we were sitting in the deer stand, her enthusiasm hit rock bottom.  For two weeks leading up to the trip with my Mom, Dad, and two brothers, all I heard was how we were going to shoot big deer, daddy deer, big horn deer, red deer, green deer…100 mile an hour talk from a 100 mile an hour girl.  “Pumped” is an understatement.  Then, twenty minutes into the Friday evening hunt, and tired of waiting for what must have been a “3 year old’s eternity”, my daughter cuts loose with her homemade deer call that opened this story.  Mass chaos at high volume.  This might shock you—we never saw a deer.               

I have hunted deer my entire life-from womb to now.  I guess I was lucky in that I grew up in a family that lived for deer hunting, and the deer lease was our second home.  There are always people that ask questions like:  Why do you hunt?  Why do you kill those poor innocent creatures?  We’ve all heard the responses…If we don’t “harvest” the deer, then they will starve…I don’t hunt over a feeder, only fair chase…I need the meat.  Okay, these are fair questions from people that don’t hunt and fair answers from those who do.  It’s kind of like trying to explain what it is to be an Aggie fan to those who aren’t Aggie fans…you either get it or you don’t.  Why do I hunt?  Here is my answer—feel free to use it because I know many of you feel the same way I do.  I hunt because it is my passion. I hunt because there are very few things in this world that make my heart pound like the sight of a buck creeping through the woods trailing a doe.  I hunt because the night before opening day makes me giddy like a little boy on Christmas Eve.  I hunt because “buck fever” is not an excuse…it is an adrenaline rush I pray I never lose.  As Nat King Cole put it, “it’s almost like being in love.”               

A friend once told me, “Sometimes, you just got to center the bubble.”  He was referring to a level, and how, in today’s world, we just get out of whack.  The center of my level is family, friends, and the outdoors.  There is nothing more centered in my bubble than the campfire at deer camp.  A campfire on a chilly night after the evening hunt is about as close to heaven as I can get.  From marshmallows to hot dogs to pork chops, steak, and ranch style beans, to copper wire to meteor showers in November, and to Dad’s ghost stories, the campfire is the focal point for family hunting traditions.  We used to throw copper electrical wire in the fire to make a “redneck disco.”  Dad always told the best ghost stories around that fire.  I remember what it felt like to be held in Grammy’s lap by a campfire, and now I also know how good it feels to hold my own children by the fire.  

In my opinion, tradition is the glue that holds a family together.  Traditions are extremely important-no matter how small they may be.  When we were little, we always stopped on the way to the deer lease at a mom-n-pop store to get “slurpees” and football-shaped chocolate candy.  It was tradition.  We always had a huge breakfast after the Saturday morning hunt.  It was tradition.  We only got slurpees on the way to the deer lease.  That little store in Evant, Texas is the only place I’ve ever seen the chocolate footballs.  Homemade biscuits always take me back to deer season.  Why?  Because traditions don’t mean as much if you do them everyday.  There is a huge difference between tradition and routine.

Do you know the difference in a friend and a hunting buddy?  A friend starts a hunting story with, “Man, you ain’t never gonna believe this!”  While a hunting buddy starts a hunting story with, “Hey, remember that time when we…?”  I am proud to say that in my life, I have had some great hunting buddies.  My Dad held the rifle when I squeezed the trigger on my first doe.  He was there when I shot my first buck.  My grandfather took me with him on his last two hunts in this world.  Jim Marsh sat in the deer stand with me when I got to shoot my first wall-hanger.  And, finally, my father-in-law and I have grown a lot closer thanks to deer hunting. For me to actually receive a key to “his camp” took a lot of heart on his part.  I’m sure he was skeptical about giving me free reign to his sanctuary–the same way I will be when my daughter finds some skillet head that sees her as a woman and not as my little girl. I’ve heard it said that you should choose your hunting partners almost as carefully as you would choose your wife. 

I do feel like I ought to apologize to those of you expecting me to write a story on a particular destination.  The idea of “deer camp and traditions” hit home for me because last season was a rough one.  I spent a lot of time in the woods, and not enough at home.  My children are at that age where they realize when you are not around, but not quite big enough to tag along.  I remember hunting the weekend before Thanksgiving ’06 and praying-shameless isn’t it?-praying to let me shoot a buck, finish this season, and spend the rest of the year at home.  How’s that for messed up priorities?  Somewhere along the way last year, I forgot that hunting was not about the kill, but making memories with your family.  That is changing this season.  So here it is…Murphy Slaw Rides Again—Destination:  Anywhere, USA (Just make sure to include your family!)  When this magazine comes out, we should be 6 weeks or so into Deer Season ’07, so I hope that I have held myself accountable for what I have written.  I’ll let you know.

It doesn’t matter if you hunt on a high fenced, low fenced, no fenced, 5,000 acre, 5 acre, 8 hour drive, 2 hour drive, or in your own backyard piece of land called deer camp.  What’s important is how you treat it.  Deer Camp is sacred ground.  Treat it like the one place in this world you can go to get away from the world.  My daughter is now seven years old with my son following right behind her at four.  It’s time.  It’s time for us to pass down a few traditions and make some of our own. 

Deer season…the deer lease…deer camp…deer hunting.  When my time on earth is done, and I am standing right outside the Pearly Gates, I hope I am greeted by a chilly north wind.  I hope the music is cranked up real loud, and the crowd is going nuts.  Most importantly, I hope that my heart is racing the same way it does when that ol’ buck comes slinking through the woods after a doe.  Knocking on Heaven’s door with buck fever…wouldn’t that be something?

Deer camp…a great place for a family getaway, but let’s be realistic.  You ARE off the hook during the rut. 

See ya’ around the fire, 

Alan Weihausen

alan_oso@yahoo.com  

Peripheral Vision.

Peripheral vision enables us to be aware of our surroundings while remaining focused on our destination. What we see from “the corner of our eye” can be useful, unless it distracts us from our goal.

During the weeks leading to Easter, as we think about the cross, we may be struck by our Lord’s purposeful approach to the city where He knew crucifixion and resurrection awaited Him. “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). From that moment on, Jesus’ eyes were on the cross. Every obstacle to accomplishing His Father’s will became part of His peripheral vision.

When a man professed an interest in following Him, Jesus told him: “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (v.62). The issue was probably not the man’s family (v.61) but his focus.  We can’t move ahead while looking at what we’ve left behind.

Neither cries of “Hosanna” nor shouts of hatred could deter Jesus from His goal “to give His life a ransom for many” and to pay the price to set us free (Matt. 20:28).

Where is our focus today? —David C. McCasland

<!–—David C. McCasland–>

Some people follow Jesus Christ,

Temporary exhibit open downtown to honor the memory of seven astronauts

Friday, Feb. 1, marks the fifth anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia explosion over East Texas while it was re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. On that day the lives of the seven astronauts on board were lost, and material from the spacecraft was scattered across Nacogdoches and surrounding counties.

To commemorate the anniversary, the SFA Columbia Regional

Click here to read full stroy

This is aweome !!!!!!

Testimony of Sandra Cano (The former Doe of Doe v. Bolton) June 23, 2005

---

TESTIMONY OF SANDRA CANOClick here to watch the video The Former Doe of Doe v. Bolton, before the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 23, 2005 The Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decision bears my name. I am Sandra Cano, the former “Doe” of Doe v. Bolton. Doe v. Bolton is the companion case to Roe v. Wade. Using my name and life, Doe v. Bolton falsely created the health exception that led to abortion on demand and partial birth abortion. How it got there is still pretty much a mystery to me. I only sought legal assistance to get a divorce from my husband and to get my children from foster care. I was very vulnerable: poor and pregnant with my fourth child, but abortion never crossed my mind. Although it apparently was utmost in the mind of the attorney from whom I sought help. At one point during the legal proceedings, it was necessary for me to flee to Oklahoma to avoid the pressure being applied to have the abortion scheduled for me by this same attorney. Please understand even though I have lived what many would consider an unstable life and overcome many devastating circumstances, at NO TIME did I ever have an abortion. I did not seek an abortion nor do I believe in abortion. Yet my name and life is now forever linked with the slaughter of 40-50 million babies. I have tried to understand how it all happened. How did my divorce and child custody case become the basis by which bloody murder is done on infants thriving in the wombs of their mothers? How can cunning, wicked lawyers use an uneducated, defenseless pregnant woman to twist the American court system in such a fraudulent way? Doe has been a nightmare. Over the last 32 years, I have become a prisoner of the case. It took me until 1988 to get my records unsealed in order for me to try and find the answer to those questions and to join in the movement to stop abortion in America. When pro abortion advocates found out about my efforts; my car was vandalized on one occasion and at another time, someone shot at me while I was on my front porch holding my grandbaby. I am angry. I feel like my name, life, and identity have been stolen and put on this case without my knowledge and against my wishes. How dare they use my name and my life this way! One of the Justices of the Supreme Court said during oral argument in my case “What does it matter if she is real or not.” Well I am real and it does matter. I was in court under a false name and lies. I was never cross-examined in court. Doe v. Bolton is based on a lie and deceit. It needs to be retried or overturned. Doe v. Bolton is against my wishes. Abortion is wrong. I love children. I would never harm a child and yet because of this case I feel like I bear the guilt of over 46 million innocent children being killed. The Supreme Court is also guilty. The bottom line is I want abortion stopped in my name. I want the case which was supposedly to benefit me, be either overturned or retried. If it is retried, at least I will have an opportunity to speak for myself in court, something that never happened before. My lawyers at The Justice Foundation have collected affidavits from over one thousand women hurt by abortion. We have filed those affidavits and a Rule 60 Motion to reverse Doe which is now on its way to the Supreme Court through the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. I am also giving you a copy of my affidavit in the case. Millions of babies have been killed. Millions of women have been hurt horribly. It is time to get my name and life out of this case and its time to stop the killing.

Daily Devotional

I had just finished preaching on the heartaches of life, when a couple approached me at the front of the church. The woman told me about the burden they bore as a family. Their young son had severe physical problems, and the strain of the constant care of this needy little guy, coupled with the heartache of knowing they couldn’t improve his situation, sometimes felt unbearable.

As the couple shared, with tears in their eyes, their little daughter stood with them—listening and watching. Seeing the obvious hurt etched by tears on her mother’s face, the girl reached up and gently wiped the tears from her mother’s cheek. It was a simple gesture of love and compassion, and a profound display of concern from one so young.

Our tears often blur our sight and prevent us from seeing clearly. In those moments, it can be an encouragement to have a friend who cares enough to love us in our pain and walk with us in our struggles.

Even though friends can be a help, only Christ can reach beyond our tears and touch the deep hurts of our hearts. His comfort can carry us through the struggles of our lives until that day when God Himself wipes away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:4). —Bill Crowder

Hero behind the Hero’

Fundraiser to benefit the Military Warriors Support Foundation Educational Scholarship Fund

www.militarywarriors.org

www.warriorsheartchannel.com

 In November 2007, the Military Warriors Support Foundation (MWSF) honored 24 disabled soldiers and spouses at the Honoring Our Heroes Tour featuring Clay Walker and Governor Perry held at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.  Because of the overwhelming response MWSF is partnering with the Aveda Institute of San Antonio to present the “Heroes behind the Heroes”; in which 25 spouses of injured soldiers will be honored.   Come and enjoy a night of fun honoring the men and women that intimately support our injured soldiers.  We’re going to have a wonderful time with a Texas Barbeque Buffet, A Live Country Band and a Casino. 

When:                         Sunday, February 10^th 2008

 Where:                                                Aveda Institute San Antonio250   Grayson, Ste 101San Antonio, TX 78215210.222.0023 

Ticket Price:             $35.00 each To purchase tickets please call Janet at 210-615-8973 or 210-705-1261 

Evening Schedule:                6:00 to 8:00     Casino Night, Silent Auction, Casino Chip Cash-in for Prize Drawing, BBQ Buffet  

8:00 to 8:30     Recognition Ceremony for Honored Guests 8:30 to 11:00   Country Western Dance with Live Band 

Attire:                         Western Wear 

You will have the satisfaction of helping those who have risked their lives for the future of our children and country and above all, the admiration and gratitude of those we will help with your support.  The Military Warriors Support Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c) (3) organization and all contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law