Steve Chapman - With Dad on a Deer Stand: Unforgettable Stories of Adventure in the Woods

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover photos Eric Rezarch; iStockphoto / Thinkstock; Hemera / Thinkstock

Cover design by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

All lyrics copyright Steve Chapman. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Line drawings 2012 by Steve Chapman. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

WITH DAD ON A DEER STAND

Copyright 2013 by Steve Chapman

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chapman, Steve.

With dad on a deer stand / Steve Chapman.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-7369-5312-2 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-5313-9 (eBook)

1. HuntingReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Deer huntingAnecdotes. 3. Father and childReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4597.4.C44 2013

242'.68dc23

2012047385

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Id like to extend special thanks to

Nathan and Heidi , my two children, for allowing me to tell some of their stories. What awesome gifts they are to my life.

George Ferrell , my cousin in West Virginia, for his willingness to share his stories about hunting with his dad (my late Uncle Jimmy Ferrell). We all look forward to seeing him again when we get to the camper in heaven.

Lindsey Williams , father of two, for his friendship and for being an example of a great dad.

Chuck Weaver for the use of his dads words in the story Nothing Like the Last One.

Id like to thank these contributors for letting me include their stories.

Charles J. Alsheimer , father of one from New York; outdoor writer and photographer; www.CharlesAlsheimer.com.

Alice Click , mother of two from West Virginia (and Annies sister); editor for Todays Conservative Women of West Virginia; Daughters of the American Revolution historian.

Jason Cruise , father of two from Tennessee; author, speaker, and video producer in the hunting industry; founder of MISSION, www.TheMissionVision.net; www.JasonCruiseSpeaks.com.

Dan Field , father of two from Illinois; founder of ProVision Productions, www.provisionproductions.net.

Chad Gilliland , father of two from Oregon; industrial engineer.

Brad Herndon , father of three (one in heaven) from Indiana; freelance outdoor writer and photographer.

Paul Meeks , father of four from Louisiana; owner and president of Great Day, Inc.

Randy Petrich , father of three from Montana; rancher and outfitter; owner of Rising Son Outfitters, www.huntinginmontana.com.

Tim Smith , father of one from Alabama; founder of On Target Outdoor Ministries, www.ontargetoutdoorministries.com; co-owner of On Target Media.

Dan Swartz , father of two from Ohio; product support manager at Ventrac-Venture Products, Inc., www.ventrack.com; cofounder of Lasting Flame Marriage Seminar, www.lastingflame.org.

Brodie Swisher , father of four in Montana; www.realitybowhunting.com.

Paul Walerczak , father of seven from Indiana; founder of Without Excuse Ministries, www.withoutexcuseministries.com; executive producer of Without Excuse Ministries videos; public speaker; Fortune Brands Home and Security distributor; corporate pilot.

Contents

I got a call from a gentleman named Randy Reese some years ago. He sounded like he was nearly in tears as he told me about his father dying and what was found when the family went through his dads things. It was a copy of one of my hardbound gift books titled Pursuing the Prize . What made this even more special was that his dad had handwritten the thoughts of his heart on the inside cover pages. These were things hed never shared with his family. Randy was overwhelmed with joy to find such a treasure. With his permission, Im sharing with you some of what his dad wrote:

Thanks be to God my Creator, my father, and my brother for taking me [hunting] and putting up with me as a youngster full of questions. I am thankful for each sunrise and sunset I have witnessed in the outdoors. I feel at home with God each time I occupy His great outdoors.

My preacher once made it perfectly clear that my prayers on a deer stand would be interrupted by gunfire should I hear the sound of [hooves] in the leaves. I have been fortunate in my life to have had many, many opportunities to spend countless hours, days, months, and years in a treestand.

I am thankful to God for the opportunity to raise my sons in Gods creation, with the clear understanding that hunting is in our blood, and it is not about the kill but the thrill that drives us. I cannot tell you the number of times my sons and I, after a harvest of an animal, have placed our hands on the animal and prayed to God [about] the opportunity not just to hunt an animal but to share the experience of being together

I have learned two things through my ventures in the outdoors. In order to grow as a hunter, you have to spend countless hours on a stand or in the woods to become a true woodsman. I have also, through this same set of circumstances, learned that to truly grow as a Christian it takes time. Years of studying, patience, failure, and success to grow in the Lord.

I pray my sons continue to learn that hunting is a learning experience. It is a time alone in the woods to study Gods creation, as well as a time to grow closer to the Creator. Let each failed hunt teach you a lesson as well as each failed Christian experience teach you the correct way to walk with God. Read His Word. Study as if trying to figure the ways of a mature whitetail, and you will grow in the Lord.

Thank You, my dear precious God, for each experience with my sons in your outdoors, as well as the many prayers we shared in the woods together with tears in our eyes. Those experiences were the harvest.

Grow, my children, as well as my wife, whom I love unconditionally. Without her I could not be me. In Your Word or in whatever way You choose to bring them closer to You, thank You, Jesus, for Your answers to my prayers. Thank You, thank You.

Some folks have Oscars on their shelves, some have Tony or Emmy Awards, and others have major sports trophies to show. Im sure theyre nice to have, but as far as Im concerned, Mr. Reeses handwritten letter to his sons in one of my books rivals all the hardware that has ever been handed out at award shows. What an honor to have been a small part of such a valuable heirloom for the Reese family. Im confident this dads intention was to personally hand the book to his boys at some point, and that he never expected his passing would prevent it. Im also quite sure that when his grieving sons read their dads words, they were made doubly meaningful in light of the sadness of his absence.