My Eye Is On The Lord

“I can do all this through Him who gives me strength”
Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

In the spring of 2012 I began shooting my bow more often, with the specific purpose of getting ready for the upcoming deer season in California. The waterfowl and upland game bird seasons had ended, so I put the shotgun away and began to focus on getting my archery skills back into shape. Rifle season wasn’t far off either, but anyone that shoots a bow knows, getting muscle memory back takes a bit of shooting. Not that shooting a rifle accurately doesn’t take some preparation, but it does come a bit more naturally than a lay off from archery.

I had not had a great upland and waterfowl season shooting my shotgun, I had more misses than I would like, and that wasn’t normal for me. I had a heck of time trying to figure out why I had been shooting so poorly, I didn’t stress much over it at the time though, I figured I always had next season. The excitement of starting another archery season for deer, turkey, and hogs was my distraction. Besides I could always hit the sporting clay course to work on my shot gunning issues during the summer.

After about two or three days of shooting on my archery range, I began to get frustrated with my poor shooting. I was shooting less then OK, I was having trouble with the clarity of my pins and the targets down range, they seemed to all blur together and shooting tight groups wasn’t even close to happening yet. I don’t wear prescription glasses, but at 56 I used over the counter 125 cheaters to read with. I thought it was just a matter of another year older and needing that pair of cheaters to sort out my pins and maybe even the targets, but the fact that it was only an issue with my right eye was kind of weird. My good buddy and hunting partner Rene Vargas, suggested that I should see an Optometrist and maybe look into a single contact for my right eye.

I took Rene’s advice and went to see about getting that right eye checked. After several appointments with Optometrists, Ophthalmologist and Surgeons over a 4 week period, the diagnosis wasn’t very good. I had a condition which was developing, that in laymen’s terms is called Macular Pucker. This is where the membrane in the eye ball detaches from the retina, supposedly the retina reacts to this as an injury and it tries to heal itself. By doing so, scar tissue grows over and in the V shape of the retina causing blurred and distorted vision. That information threw me for major loop, especially as the condition continued to get worse over the period of time that this whole process of appointments was going on.

There was a surgery that could be performed, but it was one that was not recommended, because the chance of any real improvement was very slight and actually had as much of a chance of making things worse. I am a right handed shooter/ hunter, I need my right eye, so the surgery took place a month later per my request; I was willing to try anything. Well it didn’t improve, and after the healing process, the vision in that eye got even worse. What was God doing here? Why was this happening to me? He blesses me with the inspiration and support to start a hunting and shooting ministry (Hunters for Christ) and now I’m losing the sight in my dominate eye? I honestly spent the next 6 months feeling sorry for myself and spent a lot of unproductive down time asking God why? Instead of asking Him, how do you want to use me and this situation to glorify you?

Well, with some great support, encouragement and prayer from family and friends, I got up off my back side and got started left handed shooting. I sold my right handed bows and bought a couple left hander’s. Started hitting the rifle range and shooting my right handed bolt action rifles left handed, and began hitting the clay courses and shooting my shotguns left handed as well. The bow took a few months of conditioning the muscles on the left side and getting the level bubble in the center, but now two years later, I’m honestly 95% the shooter I was right handed and have taken a few turkeys and hogs left handed thus far. The rifle shooting has come along pretty well, except for the bolt cycling from the opposite side, but that is even getting to feel pretty natural now. I would say I’m about 98% with the rifle left handed and I took my first animal left handed last year. I harvested a hog on the run at 80 yards, the hog was the one running by the way. That shot boosted my confidence along with about 2,000 rounds with my 17 HMR at ground squirrels. The left handed shot gunning was a real challenge though. I had been hunting/shooting since I was 10 years old, mounting a shotgun on my right shoulder for 46 years was a natural movement, left handed was no such luck. Finally this last waterfowl season, after the 50th time of mounting the butt of that 12 gauge on my left collar bone, I said “that’s it!!!!” or something that meant pretty much the same thing, I changed back to right handed then and there and decided I would take my chances trying to shoot right with a dominant left eye. After a season of shooting that way for the first time in my life, it’s coming along pretty well and I am very encouraged about next season’s waterfowl and upland game seasons. I still have to shotgun for turkey left handed though, but that just makes my hunting style a little unique.

I look back at it all now, losing my sight in my dominant right eye. I think of the pity party I had and being angry with the Lord about the whole ordeal and being confused, but I can say with all my heart, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I grew closer to the Lord in that two year period than I had in the past 10 years. I matured as a Christian and matured as a man. I now know that with God anything is possible, Matthew 19:26 “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”. I have an awesome encouraging testimony to share and an awesome foundation in which to witness with. Sure, I struggle with reading and it can be a challenge driving at night sometimes, because one eye does all the work and the other can distract and disorient me if I’m tired, but God gives me wisdom in those times of when to rest. In regards to Hunting and shooting, I haven’t missed a beat. I’m firing on all cylinders. Point me to the range and tell me where we’re hunting and I’m all over it, and I’m good at it again.
Psalm 27:1 “Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; whom shall I be afraid? God has been my strength, through His word and through His promises and Grace along with great encouragement from my Wife and Daughters and my friends and my church, I’m not only continuing to enjoy my passion of the Hunting and Shooting sports, I’m flourishing in it and so is the ministry that He has blessed me with.

My eye is on the Lord!
God Bless and happy Hunting and Shooting
Gian

Lead By Example

Titus 2:7
“And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.”

As a father of three young children it is vitally important for me to be a good example for them. Over the past ten years I have worked side by side with the youth at The Foothills church in Gilroy, California. One of the things I have found to be true is that every child and young person will be shaped into the person they will become.

In thinking about my own children and the young people I influence, I have found myself pondering this question, “Will it be me shaping them into the person they will become, or will it be a stranger?” A good leader must lead by example. As we walk the path God has placed before us with integrity, listening to His voice, and being obedient, God shines through us and we become the type of person others want to follow.

Being a parent or a leader is a huge privilege and responsibility that we must take seriously if we want to point others to God. When leaders say one thing but do another, they destroy trust, which is a critical element of being a good leader. I want those who I lead to know that they can trust where I lead them.

As a father, I have been entrusted by God to raise my children which is something I don’t take lightly. So, how do I know if I am doing a good job of leading them by example?
Proverbs 22:6
“Bring up a child by teaching him the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn away from it.”

Questions to ask yourself:
1. Are you teaching your children to honor the Lord?
2. Are you teaching your children to read God’s Word?
3. Are you teaching your children to put their trust in God?

One thing I know about myself is that, as much as I want to lead my children by example and will continue to do so, I’m not the example I really want my children to follow. I want them to seek and follow their Heavenly Father and become more like Him.
Ephesians 5:1-2
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
As I follow the example Jesus has left for me and live my life for Him, then I will naturally be the example I want to lead my children by.

Written by, Pastor Kevin Ratliff

Asking Jesus to Hang Out

The hunting and shooting sports are as about as much fun to share with others as any other social event life has to offer, but then again I’m bias, because I’m a hunter and shooter.

Whether it be a Hunters for Christ group event or just a buddy and I out on a hunt or at the range, the fellowship that I find through the hunting and shooting sports is an awesome byproduct of the outdoors and it’s brought me some wonderful friends along the way. Taking it to the next level is where it becomes a complete experience and honestly the best form of fellowship known to man, I’m talking about deliberately inviting the Lord to come along and be the center of your time in the outdoors.

Kicking off a hunt, group event or just a day out in the woods by myself, It can’t begin any better than by asking Jesus along.  Pro Staffer Phillip Rodriquez said it best in his Bio, “A relationship with Christ is 24/7, He is always waiting for an invite to hang out with us.” Phillip gets it, a relationship with Jesus begins with an invite and a willingness to get to know Him and include Him in your life.

If you know the Lord, then you pretty much know what I’m talking about, if you don’t, then I invite you to ask the Lord into your life and begin asking him to Hang Out with you, you’ll be blown away with the quality of your day when you do, not to mention the quality of your life. He’s been waiting for the invite for a while now and believe it or not, He’s more excited about it than you are.

I would invite any other believers to chime in and share on this topic.

God Bless and Good Hunting!

Gian

God's View On Hunting

Certain people have asked me, “what does God think about me as a pastor, hunting?” To be honest, I think God is pleased with those who choose to provide for their families, and do it in such away that brings glory to Him as Savior and Creator.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (NIV)

I believe God has given every person the right to provide for their family whether it’s going and buying beef, chicken, fish, or pork from the store or going out and harvesting venison or any other wild game. We have been given a responsibility to provide for our families. Yes, I said a responsibility, Unfortunately there are some who are not responsible in their hunting by killing to kill and not to eat.

Genesis 9:1-3 says “Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”

God has given the green light on hunting. So I see no reason to stop if I’m willing to eat what I shoot. As a man of God, I always try looking at everything through God’s eyes, which isn’t always easy to do. But I see Hunting with a purpose to provide for our loved ones something God would do Himself, in fact He does just that.

Genesis 3:21 “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Here we see God killing an animal for its skin. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that God was the first hunter. I’m just saying when it came to providing for His children, He was there. At this time man was vegetarian and didn’t eat meat, so there was no reason to hunt, but as soon as man sinned they felt shame, so by their own efforts Adam and Eve tried to cover up their own disobedience with clothes made of fig leaves. However this was not good enough for God.

God Himself clothed Adam and Eve because they could now no longer walk before God in innocence (Genesis 3:8). Man-made coverings were by implication pronounced ineffective in dealing with sin. But what was the origin of Gods provision? (Animals)
So there it is, my two cents.

God has given you and I responsibility. What you do with it is between you and God. Hunt responsibly.