Majestic and Wild

Murray Pura

Description

Church can be a great place to learn spiritual lessons, but sometimes you just have to get up and get outside to experience the grandeur of God. In Majestic and Wild, pastor, writer, and avid outdoorsman Murray Pura weaves his real-life adventures with spiritual inspiration and life lessons, capturing the majestic and wild creation that God has set before us all. From animal encounters to wildfires to raging rapids to Daniel Boone hunts and buffalo stampedes, the stories range from dramatic and suspenseful to light-hearted and whimsical. Each story is woven with spiritual lessons not easily learned from sitting in a pew.A great gift for wives to give to their husbands and kids to give to their dads, Majestic and Wild will entertain and inspire anyone with a sense of adventure and a love for the great outdoors.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 15 avril 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441241122
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2013 by Murray Pura
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4112-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007
Scripture quotations identified GOD’S WORD are from G OD ’ S W ORD ®. © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations identified THE MESSAGE are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified NIV 1984 are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified ARAMAIC BIBLE IN PLAIN ENGLISH are from The Original Aramaic New Testament in Plain English with Psalms & Proverbs, Copyright © 2007; 5th edition Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.
All these stories are true, but in some instances names, locations, and circumstances have been altered in order to ensure privacy and preserve anonymity.
The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.
Author is represented by Les Stobbe, Literary Agent.
“In Majestic and Wild , Murray Pura has skillfully written raw adventure on every page. These stories are sure to guide every reader on the trail of adventure to life-changing spiritual discoveries. Make room in your pack for this book!”
Steve Chapman, author, A Look at Life From a Deer Stand
“God’s creation immerses us in both heart-stopping beauty and adrenalin-producing danger. Many people go to the wilderness with a camera for solace and comfort. Murray Pura goes with two dogs and a rifle, quite aware of the risk and unpredictability of the wild. This devotional excursion through ‘what God has wrought’ is rooted in Scripture and amplified in prayer.”
Eugene H. Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College
“Pastor Pura loves the great outdoors and writes about his often breathtaking experiences of it with intimacy, immediacy, and a kind of quivering vividness that makes his book un-put-downable. His reminiscences wonderfully light up realities of life through, in, with, and under Jesus Christ our Lord.”
J. I. Packer, Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology, Regent College
“Murray Pura invites you to join him in rugged and wild forest, field, and ocean adventures. Some of these adventures are planned and some are serendipitous, but he uses all of his experiences to reflect on the majesty and grandness of our Creator God. He has carefully chosen both Scripture texts and stories to provide a unique glimpse into the wonder of God’s ways with his world.”
Robert D. Blackaby, PhD, president, Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary and College
For Yukon 1986–2001 & Nahanni 1986–2002
We never grew tired of the thousands of trails. We never grew tired of each other. We never grew tired of God and what he had made. We were always glad of a life together and a wilderness shared.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Dedication 7
Epigraph 11
Trailhead Men to Match My Mountains 13
1. The Split Hoof Killer 21
2. Black Bart 27
3. Cougar at the Door 33
4. The Grizzly I Couldn’t Shoot 39
5. Shark Attack 47
6. The Swimming Moose 55
7. Mother Bear’s Climbing Lesson 61
8. The Mountain Lion and the Winchester 94 67
9. Fly-Fishing With Grizzlies 73
10. Jay Jack and the Bear 79
11. Deer Trails 85
12. The Summer of the Gun 91
13. Wildfire 99
14. White Death 105
15. Fighting Bull 111
16. Shootout! 117
17. Lost 123
18. A Horse for Christmas 129
19. Lion at the Chasm 133
20. The City That Burned to the Ground 141
21. Buffalo Stampede 147
22. Skunk Tails 155
23. Bush Camp 163
24. The Fast River 173
25. Davy Crockett’s Rifle 183
26. The Bird Dog Who Had Other Ideas 191
27. Wild Geese 199
28. Aurora 205
29. The Rapids 211
30. The Lighter Side of the Mountain 217
31. God’s Country 225
Campfire The Heart of the World 231
Acknowledgments 237
Notes 238
About the Author 239
Back Cover 240
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:9
Trailhead
Men to Match My Mountains

For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name.
Amos 4:13 KJV
On July 4, 1894, Sam Walter Foss wrote, “Bring me men to match my mountains . . . bring me men to match my forests.” [1]
John Muir penned,
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like the autumn leaves. [2]
It had been a hard climb that took several hours.
But I didn’t feel like a conqueror of mountains or a man brimming over with energy and peace at the moment. I needed a few minutes’ rest and a mouthful of cold water.
My favorite hunting rifle, a Remington Sendero built in 1992 or 1993, was strapped tightly to my back. When Boss Clay Mister Isaac Henry Clayton said it was time for a break and a swallow of water, I squatted among the rocks and scrub pine, took the firearm in my hands, and examined it for nicks or scratches before I did anything else, much as I wanted to pop the top off my canteen. The rifle had a stainless steel barrel and fittings set in a black fiberglass stock with a thin spidery pattern. An engraved plate by the trigger guard said the Sendero was a gift for Pale Rider from his friends at the North Island Rod and Gun Club in British Columbia, Canada. My nickname was a play on the western by the same name in which Clint Eastwood portrays an avenging angel who stalks the bad guys in the guise of an ordained minister. My profession of ordained minister at least partially fit.
A 7 mm Remington Magnum, the rifle could take down any game on the North American continent. I have never been of the opinion I needed a howitzer or an air strike by the USS Abraham Lincoln to bring down grizzly or moose or even a Kodiak. As a hunting rifle, the Sendero fitted the bill and was more than enough.
I looked up at the ridge where we were heading. A few more steps and we would be at the tree line. Beyond that, we would be making our way over bare rock and scree and easily noticeable to our prey unless we moved very slowly. I glanced through my 3x9 Bausch and Lomb scope. It was elk we were after, and they were trailing each other up a rocky path that wound around the shoulder of the mountain. We needed to take a shot within the next ten minutes.
Boss Clay, father of one of my friends, had crawled up to the last few trees and was using his binoculars. “At the bend they’ll have to slow down to let the ones ahead of them negotiate the turn. There will be a nice flank shot. You should be able to get your first elk.”
I crouched beside him, Pale Rider still in my hands. “Which one should I scope?”
“See that elk about tenth in line? He’s an eight point. Beautiful bull. That’s the one. Don’t move out from the trees if you can help it. It’s four hundred yards. Use your bipod.”
I unfolded the stainless steel bipod from under the Sendero’s stock. Going prone, I settled the stock firmly into my shoulder and sighted in on the bull, choosing a spot just behind his massive left shoulder. I played with the set of the bipod on the rocky ground until there was no more wobble. Another minute and the bull was slowing as the ones just ahead stopped while several others picked their way around the curve in the trail and disappeared.
“Okay,” said Boss quietly. “Get your breathing down. Remember to squeeze, not pull, and you’ll have meat for your family right through the winter.”
I got my breathing under control, kept the scope tightly on the bull as it came to a standstill for a few moments, slipped the safety off the Sendero, chambered a round, and counted to ten in my head. My finger rested on the trigger and slowly began to move in toward my body. Seven . . . eight . . . nine . . .
“Stop. Don’t shoot.”
I froze. “What?”
“Ease up.”
“But I’ve got him right where I want him ”
“Ease up.”
I took my finger off the trigger and brought my eye away from the scope. Boss pointed.