Moe and Me

Everyone needs down time. As I've mentioned before, I love rabbit hunting. For that reason, I look forward to November-February all year long. But there's a certain aspect of this sport that is especially fun for me.

God made human beings with a desire and responsibility to manage creation. Genesis 1:28 reads, "subdue [the world], and have dominion over...every living thing that moves on the earth.” Like God, in whose image we were made, we tend to have affection for certain "living things" over whom we have dominion. And for me, dogs occupy the top position among all others. They don't call them "man's best friend" for nothing. And the kind of dog I love the most? The lowly Beagle. They're full of energy, shed a crazy amount of hair, and bark extremely loud whenever someone comes to the door. If you don't train them well, they are quick to develop hard-to-break habits like getting in the trash, running away, and escaping all means of restraint. And they're not good guard dogs (beyond sounding the alarm). But amid all these less-than-favorable traits, they shine out with some extremely good ones. They're among the sweetest, funniest, and most fun little dogs ever (in my opinion). It's always time to love and play! And they are relentless hunters. That's what I love as much as anything. In the field, a good Beagle will exhaust themselves finding and pursuing rabbits.

After opening his present
on Christmas morning, Moe
 found a private corner behind
the tree to enjoy his new bone.
Yes, he's wearing a sweater.

Our Beagle is named Moe. Dara wanted a Lemon Beagle for years before we finally gave in and got her one a little over three years ago. There are different definitions of a Lemon (we've always considered a bi-colored white-and-tan Beagle, a Lemon). They're not the most desired color combination for hard-core rabbit hunters, because hunters feel they're more camouflaged making them more likely to be mistaken for a rabbit and accidentally shot. Most hunters prefer tri-colors (black, white, and tan) that have a lot of black. Moe is also a small Beagle. Hunters usually like having both small and large ones in a pack. Moe got his name because he has white stripe, a mohawk, that runs down the center of his head and neck. Moe is short for mohawk. Of course Darla started calling him Mobley. Now in addition, he's called Moby, Mobsy, and "The Puppy" (as compared to Sparky the old dog). The latter moniker is fitting, as he, like most Beagles, is a perpetual puppy.

On Friday, Moe and I took Brian Havely hunting with us. I've had a hard time getting Moe around rabbits so far this year. Brian had found some grassy areas and power lines in the Cherokee National Forest near Tellico. We hunted several different places where there are fields and grassland where rabbits usually love to hang out. We saw two groups (flocks? gaggles? rafters? gangs? musters?) of turkeys, squirrels, and lots of deer and boar sign, but no rabbits. That's been the refrain so far this year. Darla always asks me when I get home if we got any rabbits. This year my reply has been, "No, but we sure had fun!" And it's true. There are few things more fun than hiking and seeing new land—with a real chance of shooting a rabbit—with my friend and my dog.

You can see Moe in the middle of this picture.

I always forget to take more pictures. It was beautiful. Especially as the snow began to move in to East Tennessee. And it felt like we had the whole world to ourselves. A good day. Afterward, Moe and I chilled out on the couch, and Dara snuck this shot. In fact, Mo's here beside me now as I write. Beagles. Words do not suffice.

Can't Quit Daydreaming...

Benny and I behind the Jeep CJ9 with the real heroes of the
hunt, the dogs!

I used to have a lot of hobbies. Fishing (bass, trout, crappie, catfish, and others—all different), hunting (squirrel, rabbit, turkey, dove, boar, quail, pheasant, grouse, crow, raccoon, chukar, duck, goose, and deer—with bow, muzzleloader, shotgun, and rifle!), hiking & backpacking, golf, canoeing, working on cars, road biking, mountain biking, painting, playing guitar, gardening, horses, dogs (training & breeding), woodworking, four wheeling, working out, reading, caving, traveling, skiing, basketball, football, softball, weight lifting, swimming, running, and more! Whew! What a list!

But as we grow older career and family take precedent, and life's priorities and budgets force us to narrow our list of hobbies. I used to have the equipment for ALL the above pursuits (some is packed away and forgotten in the attic)!

Some, however, are still pastimes that I still enjoy (even if I have less time for them than I once did) and I try to discuss them on this blog. One of my favorite things in the world to do is quail hunt. I don't own a pointer/brittany/springer/setter, and I certainly don't have any hunting land. But every once in a while, God graciously provides for me to do what I have no budget to do and experience a day or so in the field.

The cabin in which we stayed. Belle prancing in the front.

A few weeks ago, my good buddy Benny invited me to come with him and a friend and go quail hunting at a hunting preserve in south Georgia, called Wynfield Plantation.   It. was. awesome.  We had a great time talking on the way down and back, but the hunting experience is hard for me to explain, except except to say that I felt like a rich dude. The place is so nice. And they totally serve you hand and foot. Wow!

They provide the dogs, guide, Jeeps, and food (prepared by a chef) and everything else. All you have to bring is proper clothing and your gun. And that's where I probably should be embarrassed. I have a Remington 1100 that I got for Christmas when I was in 8th grade. But I love it and I proudly walk in the field with it like Happy Gilmore walks on the golf course with his hockey stick (not that I'm as good!). Perhaps it's a little out-of-style, but it does the job. Most of the hunters (at this place, anyway) have fancy over-and-under style Brownings and Benellis.

Truth is, I'm still pinching myself. The trip seemed (and seems) like some kind of dream. We shot a lot of birds. The folks at the plantation cleaned the birds for us, froze them, and gave them to us in little coolers to take home. Amazing.

Here's Benny on the right and the little English Cocker right
behind her master, our guide. An awesome little dog.

My favorite thing about it is watching the dogs hunt. Benny had his old faithful bird dog, Belle. I was privileged to be along for what might have been her last hunt. She did great. One of the coolest dogs I've seen is the English Cocker, a shorter dog that stayed at "heel" with the guide until the pointers were on point on some birds, at which time the guide would send in. The Cocker would flush the cubby (meaning, the hiding group of quail would fly up in the air), and then it would retrieve the dead birds that we shot back to the guide. Remarkable.

Below is a very quick video of me shooting a quail (it took two shots). The dogs really do all the work. I'm just so happy I got to go along.

Good times. Many thanks to Benny for letting me tag along and for the good conversations we had. Now I've got to pinch myself and quit daydreaming about it!

Old-School (and Cheap-Skate) Oil Finish Wax Waterproofing

A couple of weeks ago Darla found a cotton jacket at Target on sale for $19. She got it for me. I really like it. It only needed a little "customization." I sewed a couple of extra buttons on the sleeves so I had the option to make the cuffs a little tighter around my wrists and I replaced the big white drawstrings around the waist and hood with black leather string and bronze string stops.
Then I wore it the next day. It rained and I got completely soaked! Like, the water was immediately sucked into the jacket to my skin! Not cool.

Now, I'm a big fan of Filson stuff (even though I can't afford it!), and had a small can of Filson Oil Finish Wax that came with the backpack that I got as a gift, so I applied the whole can to my new jacket hoping to make it look and perform more like a Filson Tin Cloth jacket. It sucked it up as it had the rain, and the jacket wasn't even half finished. Uh-oh. After calling every place in town that sells Filson stuff, I found one more can. The jacket sucked it up too. I needed one more. Filson didn't even have any. I found a can on eBay and waited almost two weeks to get it. Finally the jacket was adequately covered. I put it in a trash bag then into the dryer and it came out great! I mean, I absolutely love it. It's a little darker and less yellow-orange colored (a good thing), and it feels more meaty. Costs: Target jacket - $19. Two cans Filson Oil Finish Wax (in addition to the one I already had) - $24 (that's right--the wax cost more than the jacket!).

Sorry, the only shot I have is this of the family a couple of days before Christmas.

I still got a deal: a (now) virtually waterproof jacket that looks great and will last much longer than it would've untreated for $43. Not bad! But the whole time I was treating that jacket, I'm thinking, "There's got to be a cheaper way to do this." An internet search for "Filson Oil Finish Wax recipe" gave some good leads. I combined some of them and ended up making my own version.

The Sparks' Oil Finish Wax:

1 pound block of paraffin wax (got mine at Food City, $4) I think I'll use 2 pounds next time.
3 cups linseed oil (Lowes, $3)
2 tablespoons turpentine (Lowes $0.50)
8 oz. Howard Feed-N-Wax beeswax & orange oil wood polish (half the bottle, bought at Tractor Supply, $7)
A new paint can, a stir stick, and a cheap 2-inch paint brush (Lowes, about $5).

All together this makes almost 2 quarts of oil wax for a grand total of $15 (not counting can, stick, and brush). That means I get MUCH more waterproofing treatment for half the cost (if you include the cost of the can of Filson stuff I already had). According to my calculations, the Filson treatment costs $3.45 per oz. The Sparks homemade treatment costs $.45 per ounce ($.39 if I use an additional brick of wax as I plan to do next time). That means the Filson Oil-Wax costs almost 9 times more expensive per ounce!

So I needed to perform a test. I have an old upland hunting jacket that I wear rabbit and quail hunting. It is light brown and orange (the light brown parts are cotton), and doesn't perform well in briars or rain. I also have a tan heavy canvas bag with a shoulder strap that used to be my work/computer bag that I bought online for about $20 from China several years ago. I now use it to carry hunting stuff (shells, extra clothing, water, dog collars, etc). Perfect for a test.

Here's how it went:
I made a double boiler (a big pot about 1/3 filled with water and the new paint can--remember this stuff is flammable. Handle with care!) and I slowly melted the ingredients in the can and stirred the liquid. While the wax solution was still hot, I brushed it on pretty heavily. Then, as with the Filson wax, I put them in a trash bag and into the dryer for an hour.

The result? The bag has a much more coarse and loose weave, which sucked up the wax and really didn't change the appearance that much. It is a bit stiffer and will stand up by itself now. I haven't tested it in the rain. It also smells a bit stronger than the jacket. I'm a little concerned that if I go somewhere and pack clothes they may smell like it. I'll try to update when I use the bag later. I'm very happy with the jacket. I can't wait to try in out in the briars and the rain. It looks great. It smells a bit strong of linseed oil and maybe a hint of turpentine. But it's not too offensive, and the smell is fading with each day.

Update:
I went rabbit hunting last week in the rain, which gave me a great opportunity to test my jacket. Here's my review:
1. It looks great. The oil-wax makes it look more expensive and rugged in my opinion. The jacket wrinkles in the elbow where it bends. I'm thinking it's going to gain patina and look better with use. The material is a little darker, but not that much. I like it.

The jacket...before.

2. It really feels more hardy and tough. I foresee this treatment making this old jacket last a long time.
3. It is much more briar-resistant and hitchhiker (cocklebur, beggartick, sticktight, burdock, and other stick-to-your-clothing seeds) resistant than the jacket was previously. Notice, I didn't say "briar- and hitchhiker-PROOF." But it is much more so than before.
4. It is not as breathable as before. But it doesn't let the wind cut through either. I'm actually good with this. I'm more prone to get cold (especially during rabbit season) than get hot. And it's still breathable--it seems it is as much as my Gore-Tex stuff.

The bag and jacket...after.

5. It is almost water proof. I hunted for several hours in various degrees of drizzle and rain. I did not get wet underneath. At first the rain and water from trees & brush beaded up and rolled off. As the day went on I noticed it looked like it soaked in the fabric a little. I thought that was bad, but it wasn't. I think the cotton fibers are so filled with oil-wax they can't hold any liquid. It seems to work much like wool, with even some wicking ability. After the hunt, my pants and socks were wet, but only the collar of my shirt was wet. That means I will probably have to get a different hat to wear hunting in the rain. The old baseball-style hunting cap just doesn't have enough coverage. I think I understand the Filson tin-cloth hat thing now a little better! Hmmm...maybe I can make one of those too!
Would I do anything differently? As I previously mentioned, I think next time I will double the amount of wax I used. I think that may make the fabric a little stiffer (e.g. last longer) and even more water-resistant.

Chasin' Rabbits

I am about making disciples. There is NOTHING more exciting and rewarding than watching people grow spiritually. That's what I live for. However, there are times when I need to not think about anything serious. And God is good with that. He wants us to enjoy simple things, good things he has created. Beautiful things. Even things of the physical world.

One of the things in this world that are entirely pleasant for me is rabbit hunting with Mo. I totally relax. I totally soak in the beauty of creation and consider with wonder his grace and power. Mo and I don't kill many rabbits, but we both love it like crazy. Mo is a tough little dude. He never stops. As soon as he sees me with hunting pants on, he starts shaking and whining in anticipation. When we arrive to where we will be hunting, he can hardly stand it. I have to fight him to get his collar on. He will go full speed with his nose to the ground as long as I will stay out there with him. I love this dog! Here are just a few pictures from some hunting in the last couple of weeks:

Pictures don't do this scene justice. Mo is working this hedge like crazy, nose going full speed. In the midst of this is the amazing beauty all around. The Tennessee River is to my left (not pictured).

I have so much fun chasing Mo as he chases rabbits. It's a good time. We both enjoy a good cold drink after hunting hard.

A Wagoneer?!

Yep. I bought one. I know. Let me explain.

This isn't mine. But it's virtually identical. I'll have to take
some pictures of my G-Wag later.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I saw it outside an auto repair shop on Western Avenue: A dark maroon 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. I’ve liked them for as long as I can remember. A friend’s family had one in the mid 1970s. They sometimes gave me a ride home from swim practice in it. Another friend’s family had one that I rode in on a church trip in 1978. I saw Wags everywhere in New Hampshire and Maine when I went on vacation there in 1980. Then something happened that made an indelible impression.

My college roommate and I both played football, but we really just wanted to hunt and fish. His uncle (an avid fly fisherman and bird hunter) invited us to go grouse hunting with him. My roommate and I drove to his cabin near New Tazwell. He had two cars: a Porsche 911 and a fairly new Jeep Grand Wagoneer. So cool! We tied flies (it’s a trout fishing thing) until late, woke up in the morning and loaded the Wag. You’ve got to understand, even in 1988, the Wagoneer was a relic of days gone by. Conceived in the late 50s, the basic design had not changed since its debut in 1963. It was like an old-school station wagon—woodgrain sides and all—only it had four-wheel-drive and the masculine face of a truck. If you weren’t around in the 80s, you must know that small cars like the VW Rabbit and Honda Prelude were the trend. Even the trucks were smaller and their weakened engines were choked with CAFE-mandated catalytic converters and smog equipment. So we loaded the guns and Pointers (bird dogs) in the custom-caged back and hit the road. I was surprised at how well it rode and the comfort of the leather-couch seats, yet the big, smooth AMC V-8 engine sounded like a muscle car and effortlessly pulled up steep hills. When the road ended it crawled up the side of Clinch Mountain without spinning a tire. That was when I thought, “I want one of these.”

I met Darla that year, and a year-and-a-half later I graduated and we were married. Every car decision we’ve made since has been, well, practical. Reliability, reasonable gas mileage, affordability, and adequate space for our growing family have been the determining factors. That is until a couple of weeks ago.

So in the weeks preceding Christmas, that ‘89 Wagoneer on Western was whispering my name. I thought, “I wonder if it’s for sale.” It was. Weeks went by. “I need that like a hole in the head!” I said to myself whenever I drove by. Then I inched closer: I stopped just to look in the window. “It must be rough on the inside or have rust.” Nope. It was in excellent shape inside and out! Weeks went by. “They must be asking too much for it.” I looked online to see what similar Wags were selling for. They were hard to find. Most available ones are trashed. But good ones were going for 7k to 9k. Some really nice or restored ones were going for 40k! A guy in California is restoring them better-than-new with all the modern conveniences and fancy engines for 130k+!!!

Then I did it. I went inside the place and asked how much they were wanting for it. I don’t want to divulge details, but let’s just say I was surprised...pleasantly! “Something must be wrong with it or someone doesn’t know what these things are worth.” It seemed too good to be true. Turns out the guy who owns the shop (a really good guy) was selling it for his friend who he said took meticulous care of it. So I drove it. I got my buddy Brett (a real car guru) to check it out with me. I asked a mechanic friend to check it out, too. Everyone was saying, “Looks good to me.”

Meanwhile, I drove Darla insane. Over Christmas and New Year’s I couldn’t get my mind off it. “It would be so cool...Drew and I can work on it...I can always sell it if we need the money...I don’t really have a hobby...It would be cheaper to keep it running than to buy a new car...” Much to my surprise, she said, “Why don’t you just buy it.” [It was like that moment in Rocky II when Adrian awoke in the hospital and said, “Win.” Bonggggggggggggggg.] I made an (even lower) offer. Yikes! A woman had just offered full asking price for it. She didn’t come through. The Wag was mine.

“What have I done?” I thought as I drove away. A couple of days later I got gas (it’s pretty thirsty!). A guy at the next pump who saw the temporary tag in the window asked, “Did you just buy that?” “Yep,” I said not knowing whether to feel proud or embarrassed. “How much did you pay?” I laughed, “I’m not telling you that!” He replied, “Would you be interested in selling it? I’ve been looking for one of those.” I wasn’t. Perhaps I should have at least seen what he would pay! Crazy!!!

Again, not mine. This one's a tad lighter maroon and has
white wall tires. Awesome!

Was that confirmation that I had made a good deal? Or was God showing me mercy—giving an opportunity to get my money back before it was too late? I don’t know. What I do know is there are lots of little things to fix: rattles, the radio, a finicky dash light, the power seats and door locks... But it is soooo fun to drive! Taking it to the office is like a 15-minute vacation—or like a time machine back to a simpler day. For some crazy reason, I LOVE driving it.

I know. Most who read this still don’t understand. And I’m not sure I do either. 

Whew! Fall is in the air.

It's just starting to cool off a bit from the summer heat. There's a smell to early fall. Maybe it's some weed or something that blooms giving off a scent that always triggers a flashback for me. I think of 13 straight years of my life when I played football. There's a feeling I get. Excitement. Hope. Enjoyment. BUSYNESS. Fall is undoubtedly my favorite season—and I promise it is not because of football season. Sure, I love football. But it's the whole season that I love. From the heat of early September to Thanksgiving, fall is quite nostalgic for me. And it's always busy. Always.

I went dove hunting on September 1st and haven't had a chance to go since—but I find myself noticing doves safely resting on telephone wires as I drive from one meeting to the next. This fall has been especially busy it seems—with good stuff.

New Church Plant
Our church voted on a vision for 2007 with three objectives. One of them was to begin a process to intentionally plant churches. Since we adopted this vision, a group of people from Kingston approached me who were exploring the possibility of start a church. Long story short, they sensed God leading them to become members of Providence in order to gain our DNA until they launched a church with our guidance and support. Of course, a vital part of a successful new church plant is a planting pastor. Another long story short, since the vision was adopted, I have gotten to know a guy from Mississippi named Kevin who began sensing God leading him to plant a church that reaches the culture with the word. This whole process has been both incredibly complicated and exhilarating. It's one of those amazing set of circumstances that really makes me say, "Wow. God is wonderful." We will know soon (after the church votes and Kevin senses God's call) if it really is of God, but no matter what I can't wait to see what happens. [UPDATE: KEVIN DID NOT SENSE GOD'S CALL, BUT GOD MOVED IN A GUY NAMED MELVIN SWAFFORD, WHO I HAVE BEEN TALKING WITH FOR YEARS ABOUT PLANTING A CHURCH--IT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL HAPPEN--GOD WILLING, OF COURSE!]

In a hundred years (should Christ not come first), I think thousands of people will have been reached because of the church that is being born through this effort.

Mission Trip to Brazil
Darla and I have sensed God's leadership to take our whole family to Brazil on a mission trip this fall (October 22–29). This is something we have been hoping to do for years. Why? We want to instill in our kids an understanding of God's call to take the Good News to the nations. We have been saving as a family, have decided to not take a vacation this year, and are actively trying to raise money together so that Drew, Duncan, and Dara can appreciate the sacrifice for, and priority of this trip. Needless to say, they are ecstatic about being used by God in Brazil.
Secondly, we will be accomplishing important Kingdom work. The purposes of the trip are threefold:
1) We will be helping a church (that our church started three years ago) to secure land and plan the building of a facility in which to worship. This strategically placed Bible-believing church is in a fast-growing area of Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest cities in the world. They are successfully reaching hundreds for Christ. They currently meet in a small rented facility, which is a hindrance. We are taking three contractors from our church to help them in this effort. 2) We will be helping the same church begin a ministry to families that focuses on making disciples of kids, not unlike Kidstuf, which God has used to bring many families to Christ and deliberately equips parents as the primary disciple-makers of their kids. God used Darla to bring this ministry to Providence and all of our kids have taken part in it as well. They are so excited to help our Brazilian friends get this life-changing ministry started there. 3) We will be doing ministry in a poverty-stricken area in Rio. Even though the church we planted is in a middle- and upper-income area, they have a heart for missions and ministry to the many poor in their own city. We will assist them in their work and experience with our own eyes how those in extreme poverty live. There are other kingdom tasks we hope to accomplish as well.
Obviously, the trip won't be cheap. It'll cost about $7000 for our whole family to make the trip. We've budgeted and saved but are still trusting God to help us find this large amount. It makes it a little more challenging that I am the teaching pastor of Providence. I have thought it wise not to ask individuals in our church for donations. Please pray that we'll trust God to help us find the rest of the amount we need to go. There have been a gazillion complications. Airlines seem to be in chaos and so are the passport office and visa process. But other than coming up with the money, it looks like God has allowed everything to fall in place.

New People
Fall is always the best time for church growth. People get settled back into a regular schedule. For whatever reason, we have seen more new faces in the last few weeks than at any other time I can remember. This is great! However I find myself stressing over details: is the facility clean and inviting? Do we have greeters? Are we helping people take the next step (receiving Christ, membership, Life Group, etc.)? Am I communicating the word accurately and effectively?

New Elders
We're at the end of a long process of examining men for eldership. This is VITALLY important. We can't afford to make a mistake here. There has been much prayer and discussion involved in this process. [UPDATE: GOD CALLED KENNY SMITH, TIM TUCKER, AND DAVID ZELEM TO BE ELDERS!]

Kids Activities
Before I am a pastor, I am a dad and husband. Drew is in seventh grade, playing soccer (scored two goals in the last game!), is really involved in Technology Students Association (he competed in the state and nationals last year), is a ballboy for Carson-Newman football, has lots of homework, and at church he is volunteering in Preschool, Kidstuf, and is in the middle school ministry! Duncan's in sixth grade (experiencing a new level of homework), is playing softball (their team won the league championship last season), and at church she is volunteering in preschool, dancing in Kidstuf, is in middle school ministry and is an active part of her small group. Dara is in third grade now and is a big soccer player. She's also involved in church (getting baptized next week after recently receiving Christ!). Her birthday is coming this month and is a big deal! She's been watching too much "Extreme Home Makeover" and has asked us to give her an "extreme ROOM makeover" while she is at school. That's Dara. Going for it all.

Normal Schedule
Other than all of the aforementioned activities, I really don't have to do anything except lead our church through a study of tongues and spiritual gifts as we tackle 1 Corinthians 14, counsel people, meet with many pastors, continue efforts for area-wide transformation, work with and mentor leaders in our church, plan future sermon series, and read and study and pray.

Whew! Smell that scent in the air? It's fall. It's exciting. It's BUSY. I don't think I'll be doing much more hunting this year.