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Open Season?
Gobblers, beware! Turkey
season opened on March 15th! Until April 30th, Bow Hunter
Extraordinaire, the Master of Disaster, the Widow Maker, the Name
that All Turkeys Fear, the Nightmare of the Tom, Yes, your pastor,
Rev. Jack Kale, will be waging an all out war against those
gobbling, strutting, scratching, pompous turkeys!
There are few noises that
sound as musical to my ears as those of the roosted gobble of a mature
Tom. I just love turkey hunting. I love the gobble. I love the call.
I love to watch them strut their stuff. I love trying to stay one
step ahead. I love the chase. I love the challenge. I love the rush.
I love turkey hunting. And now ... it is ... OPEN SEASON.
I love the term "open
season." It means that the waiting and practicing are exchanged for
the patience of the hunt and the thrill of the game. It means that
all my scouting and studying can be replaced with a set-up and some
actual calling. It means that my wife gets some peace and
quiet instead of yelps, cuts, purrs, and clucks she has grown
accustomed to hearing from her aggravating husband. It means that I
can get to the field and "get one!"
Once April 30th comes, I
will begin my post-season depression. I will clean up all my gear. I
will lie dejected on the couch and watch hunting videos. I will feel
sorry for myself because of the "one that got away." I will have my
regrets. I will remember the lessons learned from another year of
strategizing against the wily gobbler. I will endure the "closed
season" just long enough to enter next year's "open season."
I would like you to know
that there is another "Open Season." This season is not just for
turkey hunters or gun toting deer-slayers. This season is the time
for reaching lost souls for Christ. Praise God that there is always
an "Open Season" on making disciples for Jesus Christ.
My prayer for the
Hartford First United Methodist Church is that we get as excited
about winning souls for Jesus as I do about turkey hunting. My hope
is that we get so wound up that people think we are fanatics. My
dream is that we catch an incurable case of evangelism.
Are you always looking
for opportunities to share the gospel? Are you constantly studying
your Bible in hopes that God will speak to you? Are you passionate
about God's saving grace? Are you full of dreams about he ministry
of the Hartford First United Methodist Church? Do you feel depressed
when you miss an opportunity to serve? Do you wish you could spend
all your time in the gospels? If so, you have what it takes to take
advantage of the "open season" on making disciples. Share the gospel
with someone this week and win a trophy soul!
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