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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 2015)
in other words Things to Ponder: Setting Worthwhile Goals By Grant Williams When I was a youngster I had one extremely important goal. The first goal I remember setting was being able to wrap my arms around my dad’s legs and lift him off the ground. For a little kid that was an ominous goal that took many attempts and several years to accomplish. The day did finally come and my dad and I were both pretty excited about how strong I was becoming. With that under my belt I felt ready to start taking on the big stuff like girls and sports. My father, on the other hand, had a different goal. His goal for life was summed up in a Bible verse. Acts 20:24 says, ”However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” He certainly had other goals like providing for his family and being a good role model, but the most important thing to him always remained teaching his children about Jesus. Recently I received a note from my dad that included these words, Voices From the Crowd: The Boot Leather Bull continued from page 18 down some roads bordering some nice clear-cuts, I found the tracks from the two spikes and the cow from the day be- fore and then I found one nice really big set of tracks all by themselves. That got my attention, so I snooped around in that area but came up empty. I was gradually moving toward where I had saw the bull the night be- fore, I planned on setting up on a ridge above a road system and shooting across the small creek onto the hillside the bull had been on. It would be a fair poke, but well within my .270 capabilities. I worked my way around on the road sys- tem I was on and ran into more tracks, fresh track. I did not see any fresh man tracks on the road, so maybe these elk would still be around. I dogged the tracks as they made their way into a clear-cut where it was obvious they had fed that morning and then my eye caught where the ground was all torn up. My first thought was that the herd had blown out across the road, but further inspection showed that two bull elk had been fighting. I had mixed feelings about that, my experience that two bulls fighting this late in the year meant spikes, but the one track looked pretty good size. Those darn elk had been everywhere. It took me a long time to figure out where they went and actually it was after I had given up on them that I saw they were going up in the same direction I was heading up this road. I was eager to get to my ridge to watch for the bull from the night before. The elk tracks had led off into the reprod alongside the road, I had an idea where they were going. “Oops, there he is,” my mind said to the rest of my body! “How the years fly. At the cross that all changes. We grow up, we grow older & then we are with our Lord.” There is a certainty in those words that tells me my dad is still pursuing his goal to run the race well. He has been a great father and role model. Now that I am getting older my goals are obviously different than when I was a kid. Lifting heavy things and impressing other people is no longer that important. The ability to work and also being a good husband have become much more important to me than ever before. I thank God that my dad set such a good example for me to follow. Have you been blessed with a good role model? Are you following the Lord, or have you turned away from Him? The older I get the more convinced I become april16 2015 21 my dad’s goal has always been the wisest choice he could have made. No matter where you are in life it is never too late to re-evaluate your goals! Have you sought strength, power, and wealth? Are you satisfied with what you have accomplished? Our goals should change as we mature. What are your goals at the present time? Maybe you have never set any goals and are just coasting through life and nothing really matters. If that sounds like you, Jesus offers these words in John 10:9-10, “I am the door, if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” Up the road I was walking stood a bull elk, butt to me with his head bent back licking his haunches. I knelt down on one knee and pulled the butt stock into my shoulder. It was about an 80-yard shot, but I don’t shoot bulls in the butt and a headshot was too risky. I knew the drill, calm down and wait; the bull was a rag horn 5 point. The wind was in my favor and after an agonizing wait the bull took a couple steps to his right, which opened up a shot to the ribs. My rifle barked and the darn bull turned and started running right down the road at me. Well, needless to say my rifle went off a few more times, in fact I emp- tied it on that bull. The last shot had the bull falling down at the edge of the road. That was another first for me. It was late in the afternoon, time to get to work. Of course my cell phone would not get out, so I had only one option and that was to gut and skin the bull. The old dogs were barking from the 12-mile plus day as I slipped back into the driver’s seat of the old Ford that night. Back at home I made connec- tions with local forest security contractor and he volunteered to meet me the next day in the road closure area I was hunt- ing. I was just finishing quartering up the bull and bagging him as Fred pulled up. Jovial as always Fred was glad to help as he jockeyed his tools out of the way to make a hole for the elk meat. Fred saved me a lot of packing this year, at least four miles one way to that bull. I like to think that as I have got- ten older that I hunt smarter, but the real- ity is that nothing is a good substitute for good old boot leather on the ground. Church Directory (in alphabetical order) Assembly of God Sunday School: 9:45 AM Morning Worship: 11:00 AM Sunday Evening Prayer: 6:00 PM Wayne Marr, Pastor 662 Jefferson Avenue 503-429-0373 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Sunday Schedule: Sacrament Meeting: 10:00 AM Sunday School & Primary: 11:20 AM Relief Society, Priesthood and Young Women: 12:10 PM Roger Cook, Branch President 1350 E. Knott Street 503-429-7151 Grace Family Fellowship Sunday School: 9:00 AM Worship Service: 10:30 AM Thursday Prayer: 6:00 PM Greg “Mac” McCallum, Pastor 957 State Avenue 503-429-6790 Nehalem Valley Bible Church Sunday School: 9:45 AM Worship Service: 10:45 AM Tues. Ladies Bible Study: 9:30 AM Wednesday Service: 7:00 PM Sat. Men’s Prayer Meeting: 6:30 AM Gary Taylor, Pastor Grant & North Streets 503-429-5378 Open Door Gathering Place Service: Sunday 6:00 PM Grant Williams, Pastor 375 North Street St. Mary’s Catholic Church Wednesday Religious Education: 3:15-4:30 PM Sunday Mass: 12:00 PM Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator 960 Missouri Avenue 503-429-8841 Vernonia Christian Church Sunday School: 9:45 AM Worship Service in Youth & Family Center: 11:00 AM www.VernoniaChristianChurch.org Sam Hough, Pastor 410 North Street 503-429-6522 Vernonia Foursquare Church Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 AM Children’s Sunday School Carl Pense, Pastor 850 Madison Avenue 503-429-1103 Vernonia Seventh-day Adventist Church Sabbath (Saturday) Services Sabbath School: 9:30 AM Worship Service: 11:00 AM www.VernoniaSDAC.org Larry Gibson, Pastor 2nd Ave. and Nehalem St. 503-429-8301
