The thought of hunting presupposes the taking of life and, as hunters, the joy of the pursuit can be diminished by the taking of the pursued. Perhaps you don’t get caught up in the struggle between life and death, but it has been there since the early moments of human life because of human conduct.
     I will long remember my first encounter of watching an animal I had arrowed move through the process of death. There was a large degree of sadness mixed with the joy of success. Now most folks continue to hunt for one reason or another, seldom giving thought about the reason for life in the first place.
     So, my question for you is, have you ever thought about the purpose for life or who was the creator of it? Here are my thoughts from a Biblical world view: Life was the God of the Bible’s creative genius for fellowship with Himself, (Genesis 1:26-28) and man was made in “His image”, after “His likeness”. What an awesome truth. Yes the creation story of the Bible convinces me that there is an intelligent Being that is responsible for life as we know it today; and the purpose of the creative power was to give life that would reproduce itself and give back in fellowship and honor. Therefore, the eternal God of heaven made an eternal life to enjoy a special relationship with. He created our world and all the wonders of it and placed in it a man and woman, the keystone of it all, as caretakers. (Genesis 1:28; 2:7)
     Today any thinking person realizes that somewhere things went very wrong. Yes, the people created for a special relationship with their Maker, resisted that relationship and things went wrong. Chapter three of the book of Genesis in the Bible explains it all. Human life has continued and time has brought us to AD 2025. The purpose for which our first parents were made has been exploited by “what went wrong” for a long time now. Let’s just call the problem “SIN” or messing up on our purpose for being made.
     Sin has robbed everyone since Adam and Eve of the well-being, peace and joy that comes from knowing God through Jesus Christ in a personal way. Romans 3:10 & 23 tells us that we all have messed up and thereby come short on the purpose and plan of God for our life. But words from John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Please understand that our belief in the gift of eternal life through the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, God’s Son, is the only way we can make right what went wrong so many years ago. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We are personally responsible before God for the sin in our own life as Romans 6:23 says that sin brings death but belief in Jesus Christ brings life. Our
decision must be to get our relationship priorities in order. Our family life or social strata in life are not spiritual. They have nothing to do with a relationship with the God of the Bible, but our decision about sin is and thereby it will gain for us spiritual life or spiritual death.
     Hopefully you have decided to gain life and are becoming a Romans 1:16 person. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth;” Unfortunately, many over the centuries of time have chosen not to do that.
     So, we find ourselves, like so many before us, on the slippery slope of destiny. Remember that destiny is not fate, it is made by that which determines events and those are our choices. Choosing God and His ways is choosing the real purpose for life as intended from the beginning.
     How is your relationship, fellowship and honor to God doing?
By Rev. David Roose, CBA Founder

 
     For some, the temptation often is, that as they get older they make excuses for what they can’t do and forget the game of life is not over yet. At 81 I’m grateful I can still be in the bowhunting game.
     When I first took up the bow and arrow as a high school freshman, the only bows that were made were longbows or recurves and are what we refer to as  “traditional” today.  As time grew into years the concept of bows changed. I remember all those changes.  However there was always the challenge of “very up close and personal” that kept me in the traditional game. I have experienced and enjoyed traditional bow hunting as a licensed hunter now for 60 years. Eleven states and provinces and seven big game species later, I still accept the traditional challenge with my recurve bow.
     Hear me correctly, I’m not anti-compound bow. It’s just a choice I’ve made to stay the course with a recurve in my hand. And crossbows? Well, forgive my bias, but they really are not a bow, even though they may help keep some in the modern hunting game.
     One of the great joys of my hunting life has been to be in the home of and hunt with our CBA Executive Director Merle Fredericks and his wife Mitzi.  Merle’s invitation in 2021 to hunt on his “little heaven on earth” whitetail acreage in New York did not end successfully, game wise, for me. In recent years I’ve learned to refocus on the fact that if you want a deer you have to hit one, and then do it in the right place. Well in 2023 my friends the Fredericks and God were good to me and I was able to pull it off, one more time; taking my first out of state whitetail. Not a big one, but a deer none the less. I am grateful.
     As we head into another year and face the uncertainties of 2024, it’s important to keep in the game.  We really do not know if we will see another hunting season. Age could be against us, an accident could occur, or Jesus could return for His people. We know that our country and our world are in a mess. We see Biblical end time events coming ever so closely. But the truth we are to remember is that we are to keep on keeping on for Jesus until He comes or calls for us.
     As long as we have breath we have a responsibility to live for Christ and remain faithful. People are watching. You and I may be the only “Jesus” that some will ever see.  In the home, in the church, at our workplace, or the hunting woods or field, we are to shine for Jesus.  It is our message of hope in Christ that our world needs to see and hear.  That means our time must count for Jesus.
     So I just keep on keeping on. Maybe I can do it again, and in the process share my hope in Christ with someone, one more time.
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
​By CBA Founder Rev. David Roose

Fall is my favorite season.  Not just because its archery season, but I love watching the leaves change colors, even though I know that they will start dropping to the ground.  As more and more leaves fall from the trees, we know that a new season is around the corner.  I must admit, although the leaves help to keep me concealed in my tree stand, I still love watching them fall.
As the trees drop their leaves to begin a new season, I was reminded that we may need to drop some things in our own lives.  Recently a friend shared a bible verse with me from Ephesians and I couldn’t seem to quit thinking about it.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32.
I never really thought about the process before, but dropping the leaves, gives a tree a new start in the spring, and the nutrients from the decaying leaves are recycled back in the ground to help with that new growth.  John 12:24 says: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Just like without the shedding of Christ’s blood, there would be no forgiveness of sins.  
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Thinking of the leaves falling slowly to the ground, I imagine each emotion listed in Ephesians, falling away from my heart.  I hate to think about how many times I have held on to one or maybe all of those things, only to be held back from something new that God may be trying to do in my life or possibly through me to help someone he has placed in my life.
I recently told someone that God puts people in our paths for a reason.  Sometimes it is only for a season, but while they are there, we as Christians should be displaying the fruits of the spirit in our lives.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
We should continually be growing in our relationship with Christ.  So, what fruit are you bearing in your life? 
An archer never stops learning.  When I encounter a bump in the road, I am so thankful that I can call up my bow tech and he will be right there to help fix my equipment and I trust in the knowledge that he has.  He lets me know when it’s the equipment or if I need to correct my form, because he wants everyone to be the best archer that they can be.
Our lives are no different.  We have a Heavenly Father that we can call up in prayer, we can trust His word and know that He will guide us and help us become all He has created us to be.
I’m thankful for the lessons that we can learn from God’s creation.  I can’t help but think about without the shedding of the leaves, there would be no more new growth.  Even the bucks shed their horns late fall/winter and begin regrowth in late spring. 
This Thanksgiving I pray that we will all take a good look into our hearts, get rid of the things that don’t need to be there, so that we can continue to grow together in our relationship with Christ.  This world is full of people who are falling away, let’s show them that through Christ all things can become new.
Together we will continue… "Aiming for a Higher Mark”.   
By Kari Mihal, Chairman Almost Heaven Archers, WV

   It all started twenty years ago or more, that friendship of decades; a connection longed for and not forgotten. I had not seen Roy in ten years. Out of the blue he called me and wanted to reconnect. A half hour conversation lead to a date being set for a get together. I looked forward to it. We were both eager to catch up. The day couldn't get here fast enough.
   My friend rolled into the driveway. Getting out of his truck he grabbed a box and a handful of arrows. With cane in hand he slowly made it up the steps to my front door. He is ten years older than me, a muscular guy and still in reasonably good shape. He commented on my "white" head covering. I was surprised by how we’d aged. We both had been through a lot. He had battled cancer and buried his wife. I had buried a son. We both agreed that it was better to have memories than dreams. The reason for the visit was that he was clearing out his shop and wanted to know if I wanted to buy his collection of broadheads. I told him to bring them all and we would negotiate. It was Christmas again!
    The heads were Fred Bear, Zwickey, Hilbre, Rocket, Spitfire and Rocky Mountain. Glue on and screw in. Plus five near perfect 1963 Bear arrows fletched with white feathers. Almost one hundred pieces. Most of the heads had never been shot. There were several packs of unopened "bleeders". First production expendable’s never opened. What a treasure! As we went through the box Roy shared some adventures he’d had chasing whitetails, bears and other critters. He reminded me that he too liked going after squirrels with a bow. We talked about old friends and those who have left us. Roy stated several times how he had seen God's mercy and grace in the difficult times. It was an encouraging afternoon.
    We both were blessed by our archery past time. Making friends and having fun along the way. His intent as well as mine is to keep at it ‘til we can't or God calls us home. These heads are a reminder of days gone by. The adventures taken and all the mishaps in between. All of it has mattered.
   Where are you in the big adventure of life? Are you prepared for the final episode? Are you preparing someone else to keep your ministry going? These questions are not often discussed but what are you leaving behind? Are you taking what God is given you and sharing it? Keeping it to yourself isn't what He intended. Give thought to what is written here... you can’t take it with you. 2 Cor. 9:10 “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.”
By Mike Peters
​VC of the Board of Directors, Chairman of LOTHAC chapter Ohio
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      As I sat down to fill out the CBA yearly report, we really didn’t have much to report this year.  However, we were fortunate enough to do three events.   If we look back at previous years events or look around at the “Covid chaos” that still surrounds us, it could be a little discouraging, some may even ask us “why keep going?”
     It didn’t take long for God to show me an answer to that question.  He reminded me of something this archery season….
     I have hunted at my parents place for a long time.  We have always seen multiple deer and have harvested deer there every year.  But this year was different.  I hunted every Sunday afternoon from the beginning of archery season until buck season and didn’t see a doe the whole entire time. 
     Tim harvested a 7 point early season, a weekend or so later I hit a small buck, unfortunately a little high and too close to the shoulder, we didn’t find him that night.  So, one evening sitting in the stand, I began to get a little frustrated.  I couldn’t believe that we had not seen any other deer over there and had decided that the next weekend I’d probably just go somewhere else.  Later a flock of turkeys came in and hung out behind my stand doing their turkey stuff for almost 40 minutes.  They were jumping on logs, walking forward and backward, digging in leaves, and fighting with each other. Total turkey chaos!  I knew I couldn’t shoot them because I was hunting over a bait pile, but I turned, looked over my shoulder and sat as still as I could to make sure that I didn’t alert them.  A couple of the turkeys made it up to my stand but started getting real nervous the closer they got.  I knew they didn’t see me, but something had them on alert.  They eventually moved on, and it got too dark to shoot. 
     Tim was sitting a couple hundred yards down from me, so when we met up at the four wheeler he said, “what happened, did that 8 point see you move?”  I was like, “I didn’t see an 8 point, I only saw a flock of chaotic turkeys!” He had seen an 8 point walk up the hill on the other side and come right to my stand like he was going to go to the feeder.  Something alerted him and he slowly turned and walked in Tim’s direction.
     I was too busy watching behind me that I missed out seeing him, but thankfully Tim did.  Had I been looking forward instead of behind me, I would have seen him too.  But, knowing there was another deer in the area that we hadn’t seen before, encouraged us to come back the next weekend and try one more time.   Sure enough, the following weekend I sat all evening until a half hour before dark and a small buck showed up.  I told God that I had hunted hard all season, and I didn’t mind if it wasn’t the 8 point; if I got the opportunity I was going to take the shot. 
Luckily, I connected this time, and it was actually a 7 point. When we got it home and skinned it out, we found out that it was the deer that I had hit earlier in the season, because my broad head was still in his shoulder.  So that was a total of only three bucks on my parent’s property. 
     I felt the Holy Spirit say, “You were encouraged to keep going back to hunt when you knew there was another deer in the area.   So, just like AHA (Almost Heaven Archers), we may have only been able to do 3 events this year, but let me encourage you with this one verse: 
Matthew 1:23    “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
God is still with us, and Jesus is still coming!!  So that’s why we will continue to look forward and keep doing what God has called us to do.     
So, this new year, let’s keep…. Aiming for a Higher Mark!! 
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By Kari Mihal, Chapter Chairman AHA, CBA Board Member