Lions & Tigers & BEARS, OH MY!

This past Sunday our church met at Lazy Daze Campground in Tennessee for a picnic at noon followed by some good preaching by our Pastor!  It was so fun to fellowship with each other and of course we roasted some more marshmellows and drank some more coffee that Rance made on the fire!

Hanging out!

Lil Frank, Lindy, Irvin, & Hamilton
(our 4 adopted children!)

Jinny & Rance roasting marshmellows! :)
(Yes, this is the lovely lady that I adore, who LOVES the Lord and the Titus 2 woman I prayed for for years! I just want to soak up all of her wisdom)

After our picnic & church service, we strolled on over to Cades Cove!  Cades Cove is one of the most visited areas in the Great Smoky Mountain's National Park and for good reason.  It's the most incredible scenic beauty and full of wildlife.  My main goal on this stroll through Cades Cove was to SEE A BEAR.  And yes, Rance and I actually PRAYED specifically that I would.  Don't laugh people - God's Word says "And whatever things you ASK in prayer, BELIEVING, you will receive."  Guess what?  We believed.  Wholeheartedly.  Okay I doubted slightly but not my husband.  NEVER.  



SO here we go around Cades Cove:

Some of our bible study group & cousins in the back of the truck :)
They were on bear patrol too!



This was an actual cave.  INSANE!  Noone knew this cave existed but our Pastor did (the one climbing in the background).  It was back in the woods and we hiked to it.  When we got to the opening we tried to see if we smelled a bear before going inside this cave!



Lindy and I

Living on the edge :)

Remember Cody, our cousin?  The funnest kid ever! :)

This was the opening of the cave we went down into! 

Turkeys!!!  This is one animal that you see EVERYWHERE!  Rance puts out corn in our yard daily so we pretty much have pets that are turkeys!

Worship His Majesty!

Homies! :)

 

*Hoppin' through the fields*

So many people would pull off the road to watch DEER.  I'm sorry but we have deer everywhere out east so I'm not so much amused by deer.  WHERE ARE THE BEAR AT?


THEN IT HAPPENED!  As we are driving we see all these people pulled off on the side of the road and so we immediately pulled off and jumped out to see what everyone was staring in amazement at.  SURE NUFF, it was a BEAR in the TOP of an oak tree.  UNBELIEVABLE.  We must have stared at this bear for 30 to 40 minutes!   As we got back in the truck, I admit, I was still praying "Lord, please let me see another bear but on the ground this time PLEASE.  Pretty please.  I want to be close to the bear like on the ground close."

 

BREAK - PB&J time!

 

More turkeys! 



We got all the way around Cades Cove and we did not see another bear.  I was slightly disappointed (about the bear part) but it was a great day so I was NOT going to dwell on it.  However, Rance was convinced that we all HAD to go drive around all of Cades Cove again because it was getting dark and he was 110% SURE the bear (meaning more than one) would be out and about.  Honestly, I thought he was crazy and I was getting tired; however, the Bible says "wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord" so back around Cades Cove we went. 

AND GUESS WHO WAS RIGHT???

Can I get a drumroll PLEASE???????????

Tons of cars/trucks stopped & parked.  We knew something was up.  Rance spotted him.  YES A BEAR ON THE GROUND.  He is silently yelling "JENNI JENNI JENNI."  I literally cannot get out of the truck fast enough.  We saw a park ranger that was BLOCKING people and making them stand behind him.  On our side, noone was blocking!!!!!  When I saw this bear, honestly, I just about died.  I had no fear.  It was like I was David getting ready to fight the giant GOLIATH.  (AND IF OUR GOD IS FOR US, THEN WHO CAN EVER STOP US, AND IF OUR GOD IS WITH US, THEN WHAT CAN STAND AGAINST???).  We were trying to get as close as we could to this bear and the park ranger had not spotted us to scream STOP to us yet. 

Here's a glimpse...   

 

(my thoughts) "Hey bear!  I've been looking for you!  God knew this morning I was going to see you!  Maybe we can be friends?  I don't have a gun or anything and I'm wearing the brightest shirt possible right now so I'm certain I don't blend in with the trees or anything and that you clearly see me.  OMG I can't believe I'm standing this close to you.  It's a dream  come true.  Man, my husband is so smart he knew we would meet you today.  Gosh be still so I can take your picture.  Could you look at the camera PLEASE????"



OH.MY.GOSH!!!
(picture taken by Rance!)

And he's moving!  About that time the park ranger screams "EVERYONE GET BACK NOW."  Within the blink of an eye he DARTED across the street to the woods on the other side.

I love this face!

BEAR ALERT!!!  (yes, there was MORE than ONE bear).

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! 

"Hi, look at me!  I'm up in the tree" :) 
If you look dead center in the middle of this picture you will see another bear's head hanging out in the tree!

About that time, we see a TINY BABY CUB up in a tree that the park ranger said probably only weighed about 20 pounds!!!  THE CUTEST THING EVER.  He ran down from the tree and to see him hopping on the ground was priceless.  Then I spotted the mama bear running towards us.  Uhhhhhh she was clearly making her presence known so we backed off a little bit. 

We ended up seeing SEVEN!!!  Yes, seven!  (Yes, that number has significance in the Bible).

Can you find me?  Look for my ears sticking out! :)



JESUS, YOU ROCK MY WORLD!


So as we are heading home, we are all exhausted and we are going around these mountain roads and it's pitch black outside.  Back home (out east), dark roads with woods on each side are referred to as 'deer roads'.  It's just one of those things - you know the roads that you just expect Rudolph to jump out and play peek-a-boo.  So as these thoughts are going through my mind I say, "Gosh these roads are dark and scary and totally DEER ROA....OH MY GOSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."  Thankfully Rance didn't jerk and swerve the way I would have or we might have gone over the mountain and died but walking down the CENTER of the road was a VERY LARGE BEAR.  HUGE.  BIG.  Did I mention he was GIGANTIC?  Keep in mind we never came to a complete stop and we are flashing our lights at everyone coming to BEWARE THERE IS A LARGE BEAR TAKING OVER THE ROAD. 

 These aren't deer roads round here, they're bear roads.

And that's my story. 

Gone Fishin'

(Today's message is brought to you by Rance Shuler, my sweet husband)

What do think about when you think about fishin’??  An all day adventure on the creek, river, lake, or sea!??  Sittin’ there bored to death with a line in the water and maybe one bite every 5 hours?? Or how bout a pack on your back full of food and your cookin’ stove, hiking back through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park knowing you’re out of cell service, you probably won’t see another person all day, and there is a great chance you will see a black bear!?  One thing is for sure, which ever scenario you dwell on when you think of “fishin’”, the fact is we all vision a rod in your hand, bait on your hook, line cast into the water time and time again, watching, waiting, and hoping for a bite!  And deep down inside us all, we long for the big catch!

I wonder the exact detail of what JESUS meant in Matthew chapter 4 when HE told Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”  And what did they do????  The next verse (v20) says IMMEDIATELY they left their nets and followed Him!  Right after that JESUS called to James and his brother John and verse 22 says IMMEDIATELY they left the boat and their father and followed Him! 

I like to refer to that as radical obedience to the most radical fishing trip ever!  What an invitation!  I mean really, the Son of God says “Hey guys, you think you’re fishin’ now, come let ME the KING of KINGS, invest in your life and teach you how to reach people for the sake of ETERNITY (emphasis added J )!!” 

And that’s just what JESUS did!  Those fisherman decided that everything would be second to following JESUS first (they left everything) and they let JESUS take them on the most radical fishin’ adventure ever over the next three years!  They saw His love for people!  They listened to his every WORD and asked questions!  They saw the power of GOD working through HIM the SON in performing miracles (healing the lame, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, feeding 5,000+ with little bread and fish, calming the storm and sea, etc)!!!  Then most important of all, these ordinary men who radically obeyed, saw the perfect SON of GOD beaten and crucified for the sins of the entire world (past, present, future; 1 John 2:1), then raised from the dead on the 3^rd Day!  Over 500 people also saw Him ALIVE and RESTORED, ascending to Heaven, promising to return one day!!!  What an adventure!

Want to go fishin’?????  BELIEVE this!  This is the GOSPEL!  HE did that just for you and me!  Accept JESUS as your Saviour simply by trusting that is WHO HE IS and THAT message is WHAT HE DID OUT OF RADICAL OBEDIENCE TO HIS FATHER, IN LOVE FOR US!  WOW!

Now, follow Him!!!!  Grow in a relationship with HIM through radical obedience to the WORD out of a desire to KNOW HIM and draw closer to HIM and seek HIS WILL and PURPOSE for your life!

If you’re already there in your walk with JESUS then there is no better time to take others fishing than now!  To say, “Hey follow me as I strive to follow CHRIST!”  And simply do what JESUS did!  Teach others how to study God’s WORD, obey GOD’s WORD, and LIVE out GOD’s WORD in radical obedience to HIM!  Share the GOSPEL as much as possible!  Love people!  Encourage people!  Invest in people!

When Jenni and I went fishing, we cast into every hole we came too.  It took a while to figure out which fly they were hitting so we didn’t get many bites at first.  But we didn’t give up!  Finally, some hits, and some misses!  Finally we began to catch fish!  Then my favorite part of the day, I got the privilege of placing my fly rod in Jenni’s hand and teach her how to fly fish!  She seen me model it, and then she followed it!  And I must say, after a few minutes she was doing awesome!  At the end of the day we were still enjoying the blessings from the trip!  The memories, the falls, the cold water, the beauty of the scenery, and yes, the fish!  And if you ever fish with Billy Knight, you will possibly experience the joy of a big trout being caught!

There is hardly anything more enjoyable than helping teach someone GOD’S WORD, then watch them strive to radically obey and follow HIM out of a passionate LOVE for GOD!  Did you know that GOD gets joy and pleasure out of watching us radically strive to obey and follow and draw closer to HIM!!!???  WOW!

Those men radically started the church (read the book of Acts) and were turning the world upside for the LORD JESUS (Acts 17) by simply loving GOD and loving people!  For the sake of ETERNITY, may we love our spouses, love our children, love our enemies, and love the world out of an overwhelming love for GOD! 

You have heard the quote, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime!”  For the sake of Heaven and Hell, let’s be passionate about the Gospel and making disciples, and teach people how to fish!!! J

Saturday Night Bonding!

 One of my favorite parts of the weekend is our Saturday night bonding with our teenage bible study group!  This past Saturday night we decided to do things a little differently and meet for a campfire instead of just at the house.  It was definitely cold outside but it was the perfect evening!  We roasted marshmellows, made smores & coffee on the fire and even some hot chocolate too.

The best part was digging into God's Word!  We are studying the book of Colossians and I am forever amazed at the apostle Paul and his heart for Jesus and the gospel.  To think he is writing this book from prison is incredible, not to mention his genuine love for the Colossians is evident.  He thanks God for them at the beginning of his letter and then reports how he regularly prays for them - that they will know God's will and that God will give them the power to live it out.  I can sincerely relate to Paul in that I pray for these teenagers we disciple daily and specifically that our bible study and 'get-to-gethers' are more than just a fun time but that they get it, that they see WHY they should live for Jesus, and that they will sincerely do their best to live this life on earth for Him.  The world will fail us but Jesus is the only one that never will.

   ²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, ²⁵ of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶ the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. ²⁷ To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me - Colossians 1:24-29

Paul's heart was not just to see people make a profession of faith in Christ but to disciple them into all wisdom and to help them grow.  Discipleship is the missing piece today.  Verse 29 indicates that Paul struggled to the point of AGONY with all his energy (the HOLY SPIRIT) to help them grow and mature in Christ - to have complete understanding and know the mystery of God, namely, CHRIST. 

Lord, help me to be a Paul every.single.day.of.my.life.on.earth. 

Here are a few pictures from our evening :)

Meet Lindy, Savannah & Hunter

  

Haha I love you Rance!!!



My man can build a heck of a fire!

Bonding :)
Lindy, Hamilton, Irvin, lil Frank, me, Frank

We ate smores until we were about sick!

a DOUBLE smore! :)

Last but not least...

Stay tuned :)

Mountain Girl?

I have always loved the FALL but my love for this season has grown now that I am actually living in the mountains my first FALL :)  It's incredible watching the leaves change daily into all of my favorite colors, especially RED!  God's paintbrush is at work across creation.

On another note, I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I moved to Robbinsville, NC and I must say that I have adjusted quite well to the mountain life.  Of course, my love for Jesus and His sweet spot allows for adjusting to be smooth anywhere if my focus is HIM but He has allowed me to truly love and appreciate where He has me right now, right here in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

Just to share a little birthday fun, Rance sent me on a scavenger hunt all over our house on my birthday.  His clues said things like 'Riddle me this, riddle me that, go to the wall and listen to see if that thing is talkin' at all!'  Now for all of you that have either been to our house or heard the story about pictures speaking to you - then you know exactly where this riddle is referring to!!!  If you do not, please ask me sometime :)


My birthday presents from my sweet husband:  Camo rain pants, ESV Study Bible, dry fit T-shirt, hiking socks, mushy card,  long-sleeve dry fit camo shirt and my personal favorite - my very own HIKING BACKPACK (more pictures to come)! 


My looooooooooooooooong time seestars, Dee & Rachel & Rachel's son Benjamin were supposed to come the Friday night of my birthday and they were actually on the way and had to turn back around because Rachel got SO sick.  Since plans changed, Rance decided we needed to take an outdoor adventure that Saturday (24th) to use my new gear!  We drove out to Bryson City and got on the Road to Nowhere (that's really what it's called).  We parked and hiked back in the woods about 45 minutes and went FLY FISHING! 

My new backpack!!!  It puts all the weight on my stomach and NOT my back! PTL!

Just FYI - I fell within 1 minute of being in the creek, as in foot slipped off of a rock and I went down into the water! :) 

 

Rance's other love besides Jesus (1st) & his wife (2nd)...FLY FISHING!

 

He's VERY good at it!



Oops, forgot to take the tag off my backpack but I love that it says ALL MIGHTY!!!  Yep, that's JESUS, my ALMIGHTY SAVIOUR!

Now you may can see why I fell!  It's not easy walking through a creek!

Yes, the creek was COLD but thankfully I had some sweet socks that kept my feet WARM! 

Time to cook the fish and some cornbread, too!  Rance is a master at this!

YUMMMM!!!!  Nothing like ending a day on the creek with some good food :)

One of the beautiful views on our way home - we actually live on the other side of that mountain!  Crazy huh?  It's a HUGE adjustment determining where you are in relation to mountains instead of road signs or landmarks!

Rance, thank you for making my birthday SUPER special! :)

FaMiLy & FrIeNd TiMe

September was one of the most jam-packed, fun months!

One of my FAVORITE parts of September definitely consisted of our SPECIAL visitors!

My mom, dad, and granny visited the 2nd weekend in September!  We celebrated my parent's 33rd wedding anniversary with a big home-cooked meal together and lots of sight-seeing the next day!

On the way to church!

My mom & dad taking in the view :) 

 

DADDY!!!

Just a couple of weeks later, we could not have been more EXCITED to have Marie, Chris, and Jacob come stay with us!  Chris has several clients in Tennessee which happens to be right over the mountain from our house.  They came on a Monday and got to spend 3 nights with us.  Basically, they got to live life with us for a few days and we had an absolute blast!  Anyone and everyone that has heard my testimony will know without a doubt who Marie is :)  She is a guardian angel the Lord sent me in college and someone I admire greatly to this day!

One of the most special parts of this week was simply getting to know Jacob and seeing what an incredible mom Marie is!  Honestly, I'd have a half dozen kids if they were all like him.  He is so happy, so sweet, so fun, and I could not get enough of him.  We cuddled, laughed, kept him up late, and took a cazillion pictures haha!  Not to mention, Marie is one of the most laid back mom's I have ever been around.  (Lord, help me to be this way when Rance and I have children!)

On Tuesday after work - we road around and I was able to show them the ropes of Robbinsville!





Hmmmm who do you think Jacob looks like?

Would it be selfish to pray for us to live closer Lord?
By the way - this is one of Rance's favorite shirts of mine :)  Wonder why?  Thank you Kristy Coltrain!

Could you not eat him up?

On Wednesday, I took the day off to spend the entire day with Marie & Jacob. 



Such a stud!



This picture melts my heart!  If only we lived closer I would be begging to babysit this lil munchkin all the time!



Reading the history of Fontana Dam (ha!)
He has the cutest legs and feet OMG!

Wednesday afternoon we all went to the cross country meet!  Rance was THRILLED that Marie, Chris, and Jacob got to share in this ministry with us!  I cannot thank Marie enough for all her photographs of the race!





This is just a preview of the race (I'll be writing another blog about cross country)!
Lil Frank is on the right in the picture above :)  He's like a son to Rance and I!

A-long & Lindy
SO thankful for the way God allows me to bond with these girls!

What a sexy coach!

I had to end on this sweet face!!!

What an incredibly special week!  Rance and I are praying they stay with us more often since we are conveniently located next to TN! (HINT HINT)

We love you so much Marie, Chris & Jacob!  Please come back, we miss you :(