We had our annual Wild Game Dinner this past Saturday. What a great event! The best attended yet! There were so many people at church that I had never seen before! This is the 3rd time that this event has occurred and I hear that it keeps getting better each year. The organizers do a great job! The focus of the evening is clear each time: celebrate our God! He has made us stewards and managers of his creation and we celebrate him with others who share a common interest, hunting. (And a few of us who are not hunters, yet.)
If you love food, this is definitely the event for you. It is clear that the cooks made each dish with love. I have heard of the detailed recipes that were used. Wow, they took their role very seriously! We had bear roast, rabbit stew, pheasant gumbo, venison steaks, perch appetizers, and more than that. And each dish was incredible! It was like Christmas dinner!
After we were stuffed to near bursting, we heard a talk by the CEO of Scent-Lok. If you know anything about hunting you know this product and how well it works. I of course had no clue until a few months ago. It was great to hear his story of how God has changed and shaped his life. I think that this meant a lot to those who know the brand. A CEO within the industry is a follower of Jesus and is proud of it!
The next part of the evening was a blur for me. Each person gets a ticket that is used for the drawings. The event organizers have so many contacts within the hunting industry that they can get many different promotional products and donations for the event. There was hats, deer stands, hunting videos, and even urination pouches. I will let you Google that last item. Everyone walked away with some kind of gift, maybe two. The night progressed well and the gifts were slowly given away. People seem genuinely grateful for their gifts.
Then, the next item in the drawing is one of the big prizes donated for the night, a muzzleloader rifle worth around $250. I have a vague idea of this style of weapon but would not be able to tell you the details of how to operate it. My brother, niece, and I are joking that we are going to win it. We are eagerly holding our tickets and laughing with mock expectancy. The crowd is silent as we anticipate the number to be called. They call my number! Seriously! I wait for someone to say "Just Kidding" but no one does. Really, there may be only 2% of the people present that could not shoot this weapon better than me. They must think it odd that the new pastor who is pretty green and ignorant in the ways of hunting gets a brand new rifle. But no matter, I now am the proud owner of a rifle.
It is my lesson of grace all over again. Receiving something of great value that is unexpected and undeserved always brings me back to the grace of God. Priceless, unexpected, and undeserved yet lavishly given out of love and at a significant cost. I am sure that I will underestimate the value of this rifle just as I underestimate God's grace. My hope is that I learn to appreciate both and find great joy in having both.
It was a wonderful weekend! And I haven't even talked about Sunday yet!
You are being enfolded here from all sides. :)
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