Casting Nets Fellowship Weekly Devotion Week #1

A New Season Arrives

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Thoughts by John Odell

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

1   There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2   a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3   a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4   a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5   a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing

6    a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7    a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8    a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

This is a fairly popular piece of scripture, often used at funerals or other events where followers of Christ are desperate for answers that cannot simply be provided.   It’s easy to see this as a form of saying “que sera sera”, or whatever will be will be. This was written by Qohelet, and many of his writings in the Bible are very deeply philosophical.  In many cases, the reader can take a deep dive into his words and find very insightful messages.  When I read this, from the perspective of an outdoorsman, I see a lot of truths that I witness year in and year out throughout my time in nature. 

 As of this moment, we are entering a new season.  In fact, I dare say, we are entering the best season.  The fall holds a truly special place in my heart.  Football is in full swing, hunting season is back, and I can finally partake in my favorite pastime again.  Not to mention, my birthday falls right in the midst of all of this.  For years, I experienced what some would refer to as “seasonal depression” during the summer.  Before I had children, I couldn’t bear the heat and the thought that there was no hunting available for me to enjoy. Time has passed, though, and so has my appreciation for all of our seasons. 

 In the beginning of the calendar year, we are in the throes of winter.  This is a truly special time.  The deciduous trees in the woods are completely dormant, and the quiet you can experience on a cold, still day in the winter woods is unmatched.  Our waters are littered with migrating waterfowl, doing everything they can to stay below the freeze line and survive their annual migration.  The occasional snow day with kids are highlights of the short days, and of course, we get the glorious Christmas holiday.  This is not only the most celebrated Christian holiday, but this is also a time of family gatherings and sharing gifts, which becomes slightly more special each year.  This is what I would refer to from the scripture as a time to embrace.  There may be a new child added to a family, or a recently passed family member that we can remember and celebrate.  In the hunting and fishing world, there are a few great options.  Waterfowl season is at its peak, and seeing the skies full of ducks is a spectacle that few get the opportunity to witness, but it is truly special.  Bear and deer seasons are winding down, and small game animals are often hunted after this.  Running some dogs after a rabbit or chasing some squirrels is fun.  As the scripture says, this is both a time to kill (or harvest) and a time to die (referring to the plants and trees in the forest).  After this, though, the cycle of the hunting season is over.  

Soon after the winter, comes the season of regrowth.  Spring is a time of flowers sprouting, fawns being born, young poults are hatching, and the crops are planted.  This is often the time of year where hunters put in the beginning of their work. Planting food plots, draining impoundments and planting corn, checking wood duck boxes, and getting ready to chase some big bass and turkeys.  Early spring bass fishing often results in some giant, pregnant fish that will be larger than any other time of year. Striped bass also move up the coastal rivers, just after the shad, offering a once a year opportunity to chase them in a new spot.  The turkeys are also eager to start breeding, and right in the heart of spring, the season to chase them is on.  Listening to toms gobble on the roost and trying to make a move on them is some of the most challenging hunting of the year.  All the while, crops are growing, the weather is warming up, and the Easter holiday comes along.  Life is good, and the weather is nice. In my opinion, the scripture would refer to this time period as both a time to be born and a time to plant.   Don’t get too comfortable, though.

Without much warning, the heat of the summer hits you right in the mouth.  Especially in eastern North Carolina, our spring is short lived and the summer comes in hard and fast.  School is out, and children get a great opportunity to truly be kids for a few months. They can stay up late, chasing fireflies at night, or catching bass and bluegill in the pond.  Beach trips are frequent, and the rivers and lakes are full of folks celebrating the seasons and catching some fish.  This season is a great example of a “time to scatter stones.”  In this instance, you spent a majority of your year working, or at school, saving vacation time and money (stones) for the vacation season.  Once those stones have been gathered all year, what better time to scatter them.  The crops are still growing, and lots of work is happening for hunters.  Hanging deer stands, mowing paths, cleaning boats, and preparing for the season in general.  Sunburns are treated, family vacations are taken, and before you know it, the school year is back upon us.  Then, finally, the fall is approaching.

Fall is when we can all sit back and enjoy the offseason work.  Trout fishing is strong, big drum are in the rivers, doves are flying, and bow season quickly comes in, allowing us to chase some whitetails.  Like I said, this is what I look forward to all year. Duck season falls in line in about a month, so by then, all the outdoor activities are available.  I can’t emphasize all the related pieces of this scripture that ring true in the fall for me.  It is a time for harvest, a time to embrace, a time to gather stones, and definitely a time to laugh and dance as you celebrate great times spent in the woods with family and friends. 

This may just sound like an annual breakdown of my activity schedule, but this all relates to exactly what Qohelet was talking about in the verses of Ecclesiastes.  There is a time, or in this instance, a season, for everything.   This changes the entire aspect of the “whatever will be will be” approach.  Instead, God has laid out activities for us based on His plan in nature.  Spring is the time for new growth.  Young wildlife is born, food sources begin growing, trees begin to grow new leaves,  and the birds begin their breeding.  Summer is the season of prosperity and growth.  The sunlight lasts for long hours, providing time for the crops to grow, and the insects grow abundantly, providing food sources for all sorts of critters.  Fall is the season of harvest.  Not only for crops in the field, but also for wildlife that we work for. This is when we can enjoy days in the deer stand, flocks of doves in the sunflower fields, and early arriving flocks of waterfowl. Then, winter is the season of dormancy.  Hunting season is wrapping up, trees lose all of their leaves, and the wild world is lying still and surviving.  And then, like our souls through salvation, the spring arrives and brings it all back to life.  

This cycle is proof of everything Qohelet spoke of.  There is a time for everything in life.  In marriage and parenthood, there is a time to speak and a time to be silent.  When dealing with the loss of a loved one, there is a time to mourn and weep, and a time to laugh and dance in celebration of the life lived.  As a farmer, there is a time to plant and a time to uproot.  As a flawed and learning person, there is a time to give up on something, and a time to keep fighting for something.  Through God’s grace, and his willingness to speak to us through prayer, we have a chance to reach out and receive some answers about all of these situations.  No matter what you are going through, you have to remember, this is your chance to make the best of a situation.  Be the source of laughter for someone in need, be the strength for your family in a time of need, or be mournful and sad, while also realizing this is all part of His plan.  

As an outdoorsman, you must also realize all of these same lessons.  There is a time for work and a time for play.  Put in the offseason hours to improve the wildlife you so much enjoy.  Enjoy your opportunities to hunt and fish, and never take for granted any animal that is harvested in your pursuit.  Store up your meat in the season, and enjoy your bounty throughout the year.  Do what you love, and remember, even if life is in a season that you may not particularly enjoy, finding something to love about it.  Life as an outdoorsman is a special gift, and we are all so lucky.  Then skip forward just a couple of verses in Ecclesiastes, and Qohelet summarizes my points exactly. 

 

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.  Also, He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Casting Nets Fellowship Weekly Devotional Week #2

God’s Evidence Everywhere

Job 12:7-10

Thoughts by John Odell

Job 12:7-10

7  But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

8  or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. 

9   Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?

10   In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

 

I consider myself to be a very fortunate man, having witnessed many of the wonders of God’s creation all over the United States and several other parts around the world.  Taking time to appreciate the beauty of a landscape, or the bountiful animals of the land and sea, is something that I try to force myself to appreciate.  Nonetheless, as someone who has seen a lot of amazing things, it is easy to take these experiences for granted. 

The book of Job deals a lot with suffering, and Job is trying to explain to his friends and audience that in most cases, suffering is a part of reality, and not always simply a punishment.  Many of his audience were very prosperous, and were seemingly arrogant that this made them righteous and great.  Job spends most of chapter 12 trying to explain that all aspects of life are in God’s hands, and we are simply to bear witness to His power and appreciate all that He has offered. 

In this specific passage, Job is using the natural world as a teacher.  He is letting his audience know that simply by observing the animals, birds and fish we can see how God created everything with its own purpose and free will.  Observing His creation will allow us to see that everything He did was so specific and so particular, that all of the creatures on His earth are able to flourish and live freely with very specific lives and roles.  These creatures can be used as a teacher if we observe them in the correct lens.  Animals operate in very specific patterns, in ways that could not have possibly been learned in a class room or by using Google.

Ducks migrate annually.  Thousands of miles, in large groups.  Flying south in the winter to stay below the freeze line, bringing with them their new hatches as well as sticking with some semblance of a group.  Then, as soon as spring arrives, they turn around and head back north to their breeding grounds, to breed and hatch a new generation.  As Job said,  “ask the birds in the sky, and they will tell you.”  Created by their maker to survive and thrive, through the harshest of conditions and daily struggle for survival. 

Many species of fish also migrate annually.  Some come from offshore, in the saltwater, all the way up freshwater rivers to breed.  Large gamefish can dive into the depths of the ocean and traverse entire oceans.  And some fish, like salmon, instinctively migrate up the same rivers to the same locations annually to breed. Like Job said, “let the fish in the sea inform you.”  At the same time, many carnivores recognize these habits, like bears, and gorge themselves on their new prey annually as a means for survival.

If you really take time to appreciate how the animals of the wild operate, you will be left with no doubt that God’s hand is all in these actions, programming His creatures to perform certain tasks to survive, with such individual specifics per species, that it can be almost overwhelming. 

This passage immediately brought me back to a journal entry of mine from nearly 5 years ago.  The year was 2020, and I am sure you all remember what a trying time that was.  Schools and businesses were shut down, people were scared to go to the store, friends and family were sick, and the unknown outcome was a source of constant anxiety.  That summer, being trapped inside most of the time with two young children, was one of the most challenging time periods I can recall.  I missed my family, and I missed being social.

For several years, my father, my uncle, my son and myself would plan an annual trip to our cabin on the hunting club to spend time together and try to shoot some ducks or deer.  Tentatively, we planned the trip for the fall of 2020, but as the time arrived, the plans fell through.  There were still too many unknowns, my uncle was under the weather, and my father had health issues that made him extremely high risk if he were to get sick.  

I couldn’t let the opportunity pass for my son, so I reached out to a friend, who was also eager to get outside, and the three of us headed to the cabin that Friday afternoon.  

When we arrived, we quickly unpacked and hopped into deer stands to see what we could see.  The trail cameras had not shown us a lot of activity, but you never know what might happen.  I was hopeful we were all in good spots and regardless, it would be a blessing to watch the sunset over a fall afternoon from a deer stand.  

As luck would have it, my son and I saw several deer cruising along the edge of the food plot.  As the daylight was fading, my son decided he wanted to shoot a doe, and one presented itself at fifty yards for a shot.  My son made the perfect shot, and we were lucky to have an easy track job.  We quickly hung the deer on the gamble and got it all cleaned up and had coolers full of meat.  

The next morning, we headed to my friend’s new hunting club, a few miles down the road, to hunt his impoundment.  He had scouted, and there wasn’t much activity there, but the excitement of opening day of duck season combined with a new location gave us enough optimism to try.  A cold front had hammered in the previous day, so as a waterfowler, it is easy to be optimistic knowing that the cool winds could always bring along with it some new ducks.  

As God’s plan would have it, we were fortunate enough to show up just after a pile of new ducks had arrived in eastern North Carolina.  This is an experience that plenty of waterfowlers have been lucky enough to be a part of, but to have an eight year old there to witness this sight, made the morning so much more special.  We shot limits of ducks, including blue and green wing teal, shovelers, gadwall and a mallard. Truly a treat and a spectacle of the annual migration. 

After the hunt, we headed back to the cabin to eat some lunch.  In the front yard, there is a small pond that we had recently stocked with some bass.  The fishing there over the past several years had been slow, but the new fish were thriving.  My son fished for two straight hours and caught countless bass, all while my friend and I sat on the porch eating lunch and enjoying the view.

For the evening, we headed out to different deer stands from the previous day.  Luckily, my son and I were again in the midst of a lot of deer action.  We watched young bucks chasing does around the field.  We saw young, first year fawns playing and chasing one another while the does ate clover from the food plot.  Then, suddenly, the animals became very anxious.  In unison, they all turned and ran away as fast as they could.  My son and I were somewhat confused, until we noticed a large coyote popping out of the edge of the woods staring directly at his escaping prey.  

To add to an already bountiful weekend, we were able to eliminate a predator from our property as we shot the coyote right before dusk.  My son was amazed at how alert and aware the deer had been to the coyote’s presence.  Watching them in their natural environment not only casually feeding and playing, but also showing the ability to immediately switch to survival mode was an impressive sight to behold. 

 

With this story, I am reminded of the extremely specific life cycles and survival skills of the animals we cherish so much and spend so much time studying.  In some cases, this can be a pretty standard weekend at the hunt club.  In this case, though, with the coupling of a new hunting season arriving and a year of quarantine life behind us, I took a much different perspective.  God’s creatures can teach you so many lessons.  Their will to survive and procreate is specific to their environments and body types.  These specifics are in no way a random occurrence.  They were designed specifically by God’s hands to be perfect, in their own way.  The same goes for us as humans.  We were created in His image, to love our neighbors and respect our surroundings.  Taking some time to reflect on these specifics and wonders can really open the eyes to God’s glory for an outdoorsman. 

Learning from these animals through the experiences I have had, and coupling this knowledge with the scripture, I have started to learn something more about myself.  I was created in His image, and given very specific directions in the scripture on how to live life properly as a man.  Animals are hard wired with their way of life and survival skills.  They learn quickly from watching their older generations, but most of their actions come from instinct. 

With the evils in this world, and our God given free will, humans aren’t quite so lucky to be blessed with these same natural instincts.  Materialism, popularity, greed, envy, and a host of other distractions flood our lives, through news, social media, and life in general.  What we often think are natural instincts are actually temptations trying to lure us away from living life properly.  Mankind, though, was given a bit of a cheat sheet.  The Bible is our guideline, and there are pretty straight forward directions on how we are supposed to live our lives.  God not only created us with the same specific life outlines as he did with the other creatures of the world, but He also provided us with a book to help us make the best decisions.  Enjoy the moment, love your neighbor, and act in a way that glorifies Him.  Like Job reminded us, “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”