It was a cool October morning. I was probably 10 to 12 years old. My dad was ahead of me as I tried to walk softly through the woods squirrel hunting. Behind me was my dad’s dear farmer-friend & neighbor, Pres (Preston). Pres was a modern day, Daniel Boone. He grew up in the Arkansas River bottoms during the Great Depression. He did not hunt for sport or trophies…he was a meat-hunter. So, when Pres said stop, I stopped. He walked up to me and said, “look down my finger about 2/3 up this hickory tree out on the limb is a squirrel’s toe.” You guessed it, I never saw a toe, tail, or squirrel. He pulled up his .22 short Remington Speedmaster, fired once and down tumbled the squirrel. Pres was known for killing squirrels without a bullet hole. He said, “I grease them” (head shot that parted the hair but not the head, knocking the squirrel out) because he liked squirrel brains & eggs for breakfast. On a particular squirrel hunt his dog treed a racoon up a snag. That morning, he called the racoon out of its den as the dog barked below & I was peppering it with my .410. The racoon came down the tree. There was the story my dad told of watching Pres shoot a duck down with a sling shot and killing a charging wild hog in the rice field with his shovel. Pres was a unique, rugged man with a very tender heart. Simply put, he would walk through walls for you. When I think of Pres, his attributes, wrapped in memories, flow over my heart. Memories that came from the precious time I spent with him.

Who do you spend your time with? There are people, of course, but what about Him…our Creator, what do you know about Him? James 4:8 tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

I have a 7-Day Challenge that I believe will help you draw closer to Him. It’s much like Pres teaching me how to look for squirrel toes that morning. Every morning read & ponder John 3:16-22. Then using the list of “Attributes of God” from Bible Study Fellowship, identify God’s incredible Attributes in the passage.

“Accessible, Creator, Eternal, Father, Faithful, Glory, Good, Gracious, Guide, Holy, Immutable (does not change), Impartial, Incomprehensible, Infinite, Invisible, Jealous, Just, Love, Merciful, Omnipotent (all-powerful), Omnipresent (everywhere), Omniscient (all-knowing), Patient, Perfect, Person, Preserver, Provider, Righteous, Savior, Sovereign, Wise.”  

But, before you begin your hunt, get prepared. Pray this simple prayer found in Psalm 25:4-5, “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. “

Happy hunting.