“The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour and it worked all through the dough.” Matthew 13:33
Heaven is not something without. It is within. It is within. I also believe it is hope.
“Anyone who is among the living has hope - even a live dog is better off than a dead lion.” Ecclesiastes 9:4
Today I will have hope. Faith is the opposite of fear. Hope is the opposite of despair. I will not psych myself out. I will not think myself into a hole. Rather I will trust in God and pray. I will meditate. I will love though God knows I have reason to fear and reason to fear. I will be totally illogical and believe in today. I will block out the negative and focus on the positive. I will thank the Lord for all the blessings and look to the light. Darkness is always around but it is the light that shines on the path. I will find my Way. I will be with God in all endeavours.
“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lack and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets and threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:47
I would like to think of the fisherman separating the good thoughts from the bad thoughts. The thoughts of negativity, of envy, of pride, of fear, of hatred and resentment from the thoughts of love, purity, rejoicing and faith. I would like to think the good fish that are kept are the feelings, thoughts and memories of all that is right and truth. All else is removed and thrown back into the sea. But then in the end, it is only the pure and good that remains.
But ‘throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’, well thats barbaric. And yet, the lizard and nasty animal in me are that which I’m letting go of. I’m moving forward from the primitive to the eclessiastical, from the base to the pure, from the self centred to agape.
I don’t want to live my life in fear of a Dante Hell. “weeping and gnashing of teeth’ sort of place. Yet that’s the image. I can’t all that well politically correct it into a child’s vision of reality like the liberals always do, making their world a sanitized television place with lots of editing. I on the other hand must face reality but the kingdom of heaven is within and the yeast is love. And God is love. So I continue to believe that I can’t ‘force’ someone to choose. We live or we die. We walk to the light or away.
But who would want to choose ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’ or a ‘fiery furnace’.
Elsewhere I’ve had the thought that this image is tied to the inner revelation of truth rather than a Dante Hell. Hell is that experience of the ego being utterly wrong, that the false god is realized as false and the fire has been called the ‘refiner’s fire. I don’t know where that potter’s passage is. But I don’t have to be PC and stupidly liberal ignorant as only the atheist can be to accept that one day I realize that I have to give up my drug or my comforting lies and move forward. I have to acknowledge that God is love and all is love but love of agape not of lust. I can’t have both or at least all must be within the one not the other.
The Kingdom of Heaven is within.
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luke. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Tajeeda Lakes Moose Hunt
It really was a perfect grouse hunt. The misnomer was calling it a moose hunt. As a moose hunt it would best be described as a great vacation in Hawaii except it rained . We didn’t get a moose. 4 guys with guns and one cockapoo, we terrorized the grouse population. Three or more grouse a day fell to the great hunters. Countless more genetically superior grouse, ran or flew away quickly rather than their usual playing dead in plain sight routine. I fear we’re genetically altering the stock.
Tajeeda Lakes is a truly beautiful place for camping. Such a picturesque lake surrounded by spruce and pine.
“There use to be countless moose there,” my friend Chilliwack friend had said, “ we stopped hunting there a decade back as the moose population declined.” However, Luke and I had won the group hunt “Cow Tag” lottery. Spike fork or immature moose were open to all as were calves. It should have been a ‘slam dunk’ .
“I’ve been all over this area,” said the negative neighbour who left the next day, “I”ve seen no sign at all.”
We would see saw of sign, trails, bedding, rubbings, just none near the roads.
The pipe line crew member said, “All the construction crews and hunters have pushed the moose away from the roads. We’ve seen them from the helicopter but they’re not coming out because of the traffic.” There was a lot of traffic, hunters, pipeline workers, guides, and maybe zombies, a few aliens, perhaps a vampire or two. No neighbourly moose.
Luke saw a spike fork the first day but it was moving too fast for a shot. Not at all the kind to stop and chat. I saw a couple of moose during the week but they literally mooned me. Keeping their heads down, they just exposed butt and sides. I couldn’t take a shot for fear they were an old bull.
“It’s the heat. They’re not moving around because the cold hasn’t come in as yet.” The local guys who’d hunted the region for years had the best explanation.
And wolves. “they’re eating the calves., forcing the mothers into the hills.”
We had my Keystone Energy Toyhauler RV set up for comfort, a great hunting mobile. I slept in the comfort of my own bed. Tom took the couch in the living/dining room. Luke and Shawn had the bunks in the garage. Lots of propane heat for warmth and propane stove for cooking. Tom out did himself cooking excellent meals the whole week, really taking the camp cook role to heart.
One evening ,Tom and I saw a lynx one. Lynx aren’t a common cat. I felt even more blessed to see another one later in the week.
A wolf ran along the road ahead of us one night, big furry tail and distinctive loping gait. Shawn and Luke found a wolf shot in the woods and took the tail. The carcass was already decomposing but the tail seemed like something to add to a wall. The excess of wolves these last two years has resulted in a bounty on the animals. I’ve seen more recently than I’d seen in decades before. The ranchers are really disturbed by the killing of their young. The wildlife management folk say they’re negatively impacting the young of the deer and moose populations too. I only shoot what I eat, so to date haven’t taken much notice, but when a coyote stalked Gilbert, I seriously considered shooting it. I scared it away instead. Coyotes are notorious for ganging up on domestic dogs. I don’t know if wolves are a threat. If anything a few years back in winter, I was more interested when they were circling me. I was returning to my ATV. When I cranked up the motor, the wolves left me alone. I remembered Dad telling me of the wolves that surrounded him one night in the north forcing him to shoot one.
Luke and Shawn had towed the AB Profile boat with Honda 20 hp motor behind Luke’s truck. We all enjoyed getting out no the lake. I shot a duck. Tom and Shawn fished, but weren’t so lucky. One moose mooned me from the swamp on the other side of the lake. I’d hoped to surprise a moose by sitting out in the water watching the shoreline. Again, without a view of the moose’s head ,I couldn’t know if shooting it would be legal.
I certainly enjoyed exploring the region on my Yamaha Kodiac. After sitting in ambush at dawn I’d stalk abit then go off in the afternoon road hunting on the ATV. Gilbert road was always with me but Tom rode on the back a couple of times. When the rain was really bad we took the Ford F350 truck which made sense to Gilbert who loves the warmth and comfort of the truck. Table trail went forever as did Crocker. Great ATV rides. Each trip netted a grouse or three as well as great views of the autumn north. The fresh air, sights and outdoors are truly a tonic.
Hiking, I got totally trapped in alder branches one morning trying to hike to a clearing near a marsh. An hour later back tracking I felt like I’d done an Olympic work out. I could hardly lift a leg for the rest of that day. Each night I’d collapse on return to the trailer and after dinner sleep the night away.
Luke, our resident arsonist made great fires which we all enjoyed. We ate smokies on buns on the picnic table and other meals outside. That’s the joy of good weather, not the best for hunting but terrific for enjoying the camp.
I’d run a pump and hose to the lake so had running water in the RV. Thanks to the inbuilt cummings generator we had a built in battery charger and electricity so we could run things like pumps. The propane heater kept the inside warm. The only real deficiency was maid service. With Gilbert and the guys tramping dirt through the RV the floor got pretty gritty. Maybe a floor cleaner robot that could make it’s way around boots and guns and dogs could be something Travelhome or Cabelas could look into supplying. Otherwise the RV was fantastic. I had a couple of showers and so did the guys. If we’d stayed longer we might have needed a laundry service. There’s a lot to be said for a 5 star hotel like the Marriott with all it’s services but short of that we tolerated roughing it in the wilderness not too badly. I didn’t do any dishes so I think between Tom and Luke that was taken care of. Everyone seemed to be doing something useful when I was cleaning guns and sharpening knives. Shawn cleaned a lot of grouse. Gilbert employed Tom as his personal ball thrower but let others contribute to such priorities.
All in all it was a great hunt. Too bad about the name. I think in future we’ll not designate these as ‘moose hunts’ till we see what we succeed in shooting. That way it won’t detract from the obvious fun, camaraderie and excitement.
Tajeeda Lakes is a truly beautiful place for camping. Such a picturesque lake surrounded by spruce and pine.
“There use to be countless moose there,” my friend Chilliwack friend had said, “ we stopped hunting there a decade back as the moose population declined.” However, Luke and I had won the group hunt “Cow Tag” lottery. Spike fork or immature moose were open to all as were calves. It should have been a ‘slam dunk’ .
“I’ve been all over this area,” said the negative neighbour who left the next day, “I”ve seen no sign at all.”
We would see saw of sign, trails, bedding, rubbings, just none near the roads.
The pipe line crew member said, “All the construction crews and hunters have pushed the moose away from the roads. We’ve seen them from the helicopter but they’re not coming out because of the traffic.” There was a lot of traffic, hunters, pipeline workers, guides, and maybe zombies, a few aliens, perhaps a vampire or two. No neighbourly moose.
Luke saw a spike fork the first day but it was moving too fast for a shot. Not at all the kind to stop and chat. I saw a couple of moose during the week but they literally mooned me. Keeping their heads down, they just exposed butt and sides. I couldn’t take a shot for fear they were an old bull.
“It’s the heat. They’re not moving around because the cold hasn’t come in as yet.” The local guys who’d hunted the region for years had the best explanation.
And wolves. “they’re eating the calves., forcing the mothers into the hills.”
We had my Keystone Energy Toyhauler RV set up for comfort, a great hunting mobile. I slept in the comfort of my own bed. Tom took the couch in the living/dining room. Luke and Shawn had the bunks in the garage. Lots of propane heat for warmth and propane stove for cooking. Tom out did himself cooking excellent meals the whole week, really taking the camp cook role to heart.
One evening ,Tom and I saw a lynx one. Lynx aren’t a common cat. I felt even more blessed to see another one later in the week.
A wolf ran along the road ahead of us one night, big furry tail and distinctive loping gait. Shawn and Luke found a wolf shot in the woods and took the tail. The carcass was already decomposing but the tail seemed like something to add to a wall. The excess of wolves these last two years has resulted in a bounty on the animals. I’ve seen more recently than I’d seen in decades before. The ranchers are really disturbed by the killing of their young. The wildlife management folk say they’re negatively impacting the young of the deer and moose populations too. I only shoot what I eat, so to date haven’t taken much notice, but when a coyote stalked Gilbert, I seriously considered shooting it. I scared it away instead. Coyotes are notorious for ganging up on domestic dogs. I don’t know if wolves are a threat. If anything a few years back in winter, I was more interested when they were circling me. I was returning to my ATV. When I cranked up the motor, the wolves left me alone. I remembered Dad telling me of the wolves that surrounded him one night in the north forcing him to shoot one.
Luke and Shawn had towed the AB Profile boat with Honda 20 hp motor behind Luke’s truck. We all enjoyed getting out no the lake. I shot a duck. Tom and Shawn fished, but weren’t so lucky. One moose mooned me from the swamp on the other side of the lake. I’d hoped to surprise a moose by sitting out in the water watching the shoreline. Again, without a view of the moose’s head ,I couldn’t know if shooting it would be legal.
I certainly enjoyed exploring the region on my Yamaha Kodiac. After sitting in ambush at dawn I’d stalk abit then go off in the afternoon road hunting on the ATV. Gilbert road was always with me but Tom rode on the back a couple of times. When the rain was really bad we took the Ford F350 truck which made sense to Gilbert who loves the warmth and comfort of the truck. Table trail went forever as did Crocker. Great ATV rides. Each trip netted a grouse or three as well as great views of the autumn north. The fresh air, sights and outdoors are truly a tonic.
Hiking, I got totally trapped in alder branches one morning trying to hike to a clearing near a marsh. An hour later back tracking I felt like I’d done an Olympic work out. I could hardly lift a leg for the rest of that day. Each night I’d collapse on return to the trailer and after dinner sleep the night away.
Luke, our resident arsonist made great fires which we all enjoyed. We ate smokies on buns on the picnic table and other meals outside. That’s the joy of good weather, not the best for hunting but terrific for enjoying the camp.
I’d run a pump and hose to the lake so had running water in the RV. Thanks to the inbuilt cummings generator we had a built in battery charger and electricity so we could run things like pumps. The propane heater kept the inside warm. The only real deficiency was maid service. With Gilbert and the guys tramping dirt through the RV the floor got pretty gritty. Maybe a floor cleaner robot that could make it’s way around boots and guns and dogs could be something Travelhome or Cabelas could look into supplying. Otherwise the RV was fantastic. I had a couple of showers and so did the guys. If we’d stayed longer we might have needed a laundry service. There’s a lot to be said for a 5 star hotel like the Marriott with all it’s services but short of that we tolerated roughing it in the wilderness not too badly. I didn’t do any dishes so I think between Tom and Luke that was taken care of. Everyone seemed to be doing something useful when I was cleaning guns and sharpening knives. Shawn cleaned a lot of grouse. Gilbert employed Tom as his personal ball thrower but let others contribute to such priorities.
All in all it was a great hunt. Too bad about the name. I think in future we’ll not designate these as ‘moose hunts’ till we see what we succeed in shooting. That way it won’t detract from the obvious fun, camaraderie and excitement.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Clearwater, BC - Hunting
Well, it's been spectacular weather for autumn. Normally it's much colder but this year I'm wearing shorts and t-shirt all day. I threw a flannel shirt over the t shirt at 6 am this morning and wore long pants till around 10 am. By then I'd shot a grouse and missed another. Mostly though I was driving around the logging roads scouting out the moosie bits. Luke and Tom are joining me tomorrow for the opening of immature bull moose. Right now 4 point mule deer, black bear, grouse, ducks and geese are already open. All I've seen in the grouse here but there's lots of black bear around.
We have the RV in the Dutch Lake Resort and RV Park. Laura loves it here. With Dad having a turn for the worse and Laura's latest grandchild due we thought it best to stay on the grid. I've seen lots of fantastic Wells Grays Wilderness sites. Another time we'd park the RV here. The tenting spots in the summer for fishing on the lakes are everywhere. This really is a wilderness paradise. Don't know if Tom and Luke will stay here with us or choose to camp where the moose hunting is, about 30 km outside Clearwater on logging roads. I've driven around the whole area mostly and that's where it looks most moosie but they could be anywhere. All I've seen crossing roads driving have been three mule deer does but I've not been up early when the game are out when the weather is this good.
I don't know what I would have done with a deer or bear if I'd shot one. It's so hot I'd have had to drive back to Kamloops to find a butcher or a freezer. The 3 grouse I've shot are in our RV freezer.
Gilbert is having the time of his life. He's running a million miles to my one. We've been hiking a few hours each day and when we get back he sleeps. He's going to be all muscle.
I've loved taking pictures of the area. It really is truly beautiful part of British Columbia Canada.
We have the RV in the Dutch Lake Resort and RV Park. Laura loves it here. With Dad having a turn for the worse and Laura's latest grandchild due we thought it best to stay on the grid. I've seen lots of fantastic Wells Grays Wilderness sites. Another time we'd park the RV here. The tenting spots in the summer for fishing on the lakes are everywhere. This really is a wilderness paradise. Don't know if Tom and Luke will stay here with us or choose to camp where the moose hunting is, about 30 km outside Clearwater on logging roads. I've driven around the whole area mostly and that's where it looks most moosie but they could be anywhere. All I've seen crossing roads driving have been three mule deer does but I've not been up early when the game are out when the weather is this good.
I don't know what I would have done with a deer or bear if I'd shot one. It's so hot I'd have had to drive back to Kamloops to find a butcher or a freezer. The 3 grouse I've shot are in our RV freezer.
Gilbert is having the time of his life. He's running a million miles to my one. We've been hiking a few hours each day and when we get back he sleeps. He's going to be all muscle.
I've loved taking pictures of the area. It really is truly beautiful part of British Columbia Canada.
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