Ellicott Wilderness: A Great Teacher

Drying my shoes by the fire Going fishing the second day

My 'barely one person' tent

Beautiful Waterfall

My pack complete with crickets for fishing

A Black Bear track right outside my tent!

Necissity is the Mother of invention

Smoking Trout...Its what's for dinner!

I caught the big one & 2 of the smaller ones! Panther martin spinner knocks em dead!

I recently had the opportunity to take a hiking trip with some fellow Pastors. We went to the Ellicott Wilderness for a 3 day 20 mile hiking/fishing/camping trip. I've shed, by God's grace-the moringa tree & Zija, 60 pounds since July of last year. I figured the 40 pound pack would be no problem! I may have lost weight but I have yet to gain cardio shape! The 3,000 foot elevations really challenged me to the max. My partners gave me the 'trail name' of 'Grunt' because I made noise with every step.

We hiked 7 or 8 miles the first day. By the end of that hike I figured out how to & how not to wear the backpack. It is supposed to rest on your 'saddle' aka top of your butt. Let me tell you, my 'saddle' was sagging by the time we made camp that afternoon!

The second half of that first day found us in some very steep mountainous country. Nearly vertical ravines on a foot & a half wide dirt trail made for some hairy hiking. At one 'hairpin' turn there was a tree growing up over the path & a 300 to 400 foot drop off on the outer edge. I watched my partners grasp the trunk & 'swing' under the tree. No problem. I didn't factor in my 40 pound pack. In the middle of my swing my left hand slipped off the tree trunk & my swing started swinging down & not over! That was a wake up call to be sure!

The hiking wasn't so fun at first...or in the middle...or on the last day really. What was fun was looking back & realizing you did something hard & you persevered!

We camped along the Chatooga river where deliverance was filmed. I kept a sharp ear out for banjo music!

We caught 6 trout the first afternoon & I caught 3 more the next day. Nothing like fresh trout smoked over a fire. The big trout bumped my spinner on 3 successive casts. On the 4th cast I reeled that spinner as fast as I could & instead of 'tasting' it - he inhaled it!

After our trip I figured out why my Pastor buddies so enjoyed this kind of get away. It is the polar opposite of what we do every day. No cell phones, people, or problems other than physical ones to be overcome. No dressing up, meetings, or fires to put out - only ones to start.

It was so quiet except for the sound of the river which lulled us to sleep each night. We carried everything we needed to sustain us right on our backs. We were miles from civilization & we not only survived but we thrived.

I can't wait to go back & take Paul Jr. with me. He would love this kind of adventure!

I haven't had the flu in 12 years...all good things comes to he who waits! I got hit with it Monday evening - Aches, chills, fever, chest pains - the whole 9 yards! Baby Emma got it earlier on Monday & Ben had it over the weekend. Sam got hit with it last night at 3 am when his dinner came up & out. Note to self - no sick ones on the top bunks...gravity is not pretty when wed to the flu. He also just threw up all the way down the hall what sounded like gallons. Of course he stopped right at the bathroom door...go figure. One of our church members Face Booked me & asked if she could bring us anything. I replied, "A mop carried by a Nanny. My wife is about to lose what little of her mind she still has." Its been one of those weeks.

Anna just came out & stated she is feeling sick! Please God, don't let Beth get this mess. Ellie is also complaining of a sore throat.

I just couldn't stand to be in bed by Tuesday late morning. Beth kept trying to shew me back to bed but I wasn't having it. It hurts to just lay there. I'm still achy but it's not so painful. I'm left with a rough & painful cough.

I am not a good patient. My wife reminds me of that often. She's been such a trooper though all of this. I am a blessed man to be sure.

God has been so good to me & my little family. Pray for my older sons. They both want to attend Toccoa Christian College in the fall but money is the only barrior. Pray for God's provision.

Red Russian, Proud Uncle, Happy Nephew

Joseph Creath - Great Guide & all around excellent man, Paul Jr., me & Garrett "Safety" Bennett
Hanging Hog

Ribs on the Smoker Baby!

Garrett & I with his harvest

Garrett had never been hunting before he moved here to Georgia. I remember my Uncle Jerry taking me when I was about his age - I was hooked!

Garrett didn't like the early morning hunts & truth be told, neither do I. He's hunted faithfully with me for 2 seasons now. He got the knick-name "Safety" for missing a doe due to his safety being on & the hammer stopping short with a 'click' - The deer had enough of that & I had to take the shot. He asked how long he'd have that name & I told him until he got a deer. That was 2 years ago & its stuck with him. He is also very careful & has the best muzzle control of a greenhorn hunter that I've ever seen. So his name started off as a jab but ended up as a compliment.

Yesterday evening we ran down to the Creath plantation as we call it. The Creath's have around 50 acres in Perry. Joseph met us & we killed some time fishing. I caught three nice bass - one over 5 lbs.

Then we headed to the back fields where the hogs had been sighted.

We got into position & lay down under some low hanging branches that afforded us a great view of the field. The pigs were supposed to come out in front of us across the field but as fate would have it, they flanked us & entered the field very close to us on OUR side. There were 12 wild pigs in all. 5 large shooters & 7 small piglets.

Garrett is left handed & left eyed so this was a perfect set up for him. Joseph, our guide, handled everything so smoothly. He told us when to be still & when to get set up for the shot. Then when the piglets got nervous & headed back to the woods, He picked out the Red Russian sow & told Garrett to shoot her.

Garrett is the calmest rookie hunter I've ever seen. He's just a natural - able to control his emotions, line up the cross hairs & squeeze off a shot as the whole herd is headed back to the woods. There was a lot of pressure on him but his shot rang out & the pigs scattered. He said, "Great, I missed!" due to all the pigs bolting & squealing into the woods. When his red pig hit the forest line, it piled up & began squealing for all it was worth. Joseph instructed us to stay put & he ran over & put a 40 cal. pistol round between the ears. All was quiet except for the congratulations. I was so proud of Garrett & I think he was a little proud of himself.

I asked God to give Garrett success as we were lying there waiting for the pigs to show up. God answered that prayer with one of the most memorable hunts I can remember.

Way to go "Safety"!

Lake Wildwood Baptist Church

We Exist to Glorify God & Exalt the Lord Jesus Christ by:

Praising Him in Worship & Prayer

Proclaiming the Gospel

Promoting Discipleship

Producing Ministry & Fellowship

We had our Charter service on Wednesday, January 26th 2011. It was a time of looking back in thanksgiving & looking forward in anticipation. Bob Franklin, our SBC Association Director of Missions, was in attendance & he gave an excellent charge to our new church.

We're excited to see what God is going to do in this new church. Please pray for us as we push forward to fulfill our mission.

Muscle Gain & New World Record

This is Luke Curry. He is obviously a body builder. He was taking all the supplements & protein drinks to increase his muscle mass & repair time between work outs. He had hit a wall & wasn't progressing like he thought he should.
A fiend challenged him to stop all the supplements & try Zija's Smart Mix for 2 weeks. The results were amazing. Here's what Luke had to say himself in a recent Facebook post - "Thanks to Zija & XM3 for helping me break a world record in power lifting and going from 198 to 252 in 6 months. I was also able to retire my wife & myself from a J.O.B."
Zija is an amazing product made from the Moringa tree. It is loaded with over 94 verifiable nutrients. 100% of it goes into the blood stream which is unusual for most vitamin supplements. XM3 is an all natural energy drink. We call it "Green Bull". It is actually good for you & it works.
Not only can you gain muscle mass you can also lose weight. I've lost 50 pounds without going on a DIEt.
Check it out for yourself at www.drdz777.myzija.com

A Hole In One to Remember!

During bow season this year our good buddy Phil had this buck walk out just 20 yards or so from his blind. He waited patiently for a decent crossbow shot. The buck finally gave him a quartering away shot. Phil leaned in, aimed, & squeezed the trigger. Just when the bolt took flight, the buck turned slightly...HOLE IN ONE!

I'm not making this up. The poor thing didn't run that far ( I understand that!). When Ken came to pick Phil up he says that, "Phil had a sheepish look on his face". "Did you get anything" asked Ken. "A buck, come & see" replied Phil sheepishly. Ken said when he saw that deer, he just busted out laughing.

Right then, Ken hatched a plan to get a replica mount of Phil's "Hole in One" & give it to him for Chirstmas. I don't know if you can hear Ken on the video but he says, "We were going to get the front end mounted but we couldn't get the look off his face!"

The Hole in One now hangs proudly over Phil's desk in his office. Now when he's having a bad day, all he has to do is to look up & realize..."It could be a lot worse!"

Emma Grace

Our little Emma Grace recently turned 6 month's old! She's growing so fast - it kind of makes me sad. Being an "Old Daddy" makes me content to keep them little & enjoy them because experience has taught me that they grow so fast & these days will never come around again.

Emma is still an amazing baby. She rarely cries unless she's hungry or hurt. In the first pic, she fell over & bumped her nose on the dock which explains her tears.

She's not a big fan of baby food although Beth did discover that Emma enjoys sweet potatoes...go figure.

I've been working at three local funeral homes lately. It has been fascinating for the most part. I am very familiar with the front half of the business as a Pastor but the back half - the behind the scenes side - is really something to behold.

I work with great people for the most part & it has been interesting to get to know a whole new group of people.

That's about it for now. Just wanted to enjoy Emma's pics. What a beautiful & delightful baby.