Category : Pilgrim’s Chronicles

I got a phone call last night that made me very, very happy. My son Scott who lives in St. Augustine, Florida with his family, called to tell me he had passed a very important exam for his certification. A year ago he had taken the same exam, and had missed passing by only a few points. The exam is a tough one that few people pass the first time. He was devastated when he failed to pass it last year. He had studied for months and felt he was ready.

The measure of man is not determined by failing or succeeding, but by how often they will pick themselves up from defeat and try again. One of my favorite movies is Rudy, the true story of a young man who wanted to play football at Notre Dame. He struggled through years of being a practice dummy just to be on the team. He won the respect of other players because he simply never quit. If you get a chance to watch this movie, I can highly recommend it.

My son Scott, didn’t quit. He studied hard for another year, and faced all his fears to take the test again. I was very proud of him when he called to share his victory last night, but not just because he passed, but more because he never gave up.

God wants us to trust Him and keep getting up. One thing is for sure in life, you will get knocked down, the question is, can you pull yourself back up, and with God’s help, try again!

the pilgrim

Last night I was honored to be the guest artist of the month of the Knox Arts & Humanities Council at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. The celebration for those that attended was my newest book, America From 500 Feet II. The celebration for me was that all the good in my life is from Him. I never get the opportunity to share the story behind my two America From 500 Feet books that I’m not reminded how God was in both projects and in all of my life, step by step.

I’ve often been asked how this whole “faith thing” applies to everyday living? Simple, thirty five years ago when I faced death from cancer, I came to the stark realization that God wanted more from me than attending church on Sunday. In that experience I came to know, deep in my heart, that God wanted me to surrender my entire life to Him. My family, my friends, my photography, and every moment of my life. Only when I surrendered it all to Him was He able to bless my entire life. Think about it, if you were a father and your son or daughter needed your help, but refused to obey your rules, and surrender to your better judgement, you would actually harm them if you rewarded them with your blessings, even while they were in disobedience to you. God loves us so much, that He will not harm us by rewarding our disobedience.

It is only after we give it all to Him, that He can bless it all. As always, this entry is not about me, it’s about Him. If you have a deep hunger for your life to be all it could be, for your joy to be rich, and your peace continuos, even in the difficult times, there is but one answer, surrender!

Surrender is nothing more than admitting all your guilt and shame, and throwing yourself on the mercy of the court. Fortunately, the judge, our Heavenly Father, has been waiting for just that moment, and is quick to forgive, forget, and transform your life into what it was always intended to be.

Psalm 16 (New Living Translation)
A psalm of David.
 1 Keep me safe, O God,
      for I have come to you for refuge.
 2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
      Every good thing I have comes from you.”
 3 The godly people in the land
      are my true heroes!
      I take pleasure in them!
 4 Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
      I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
      or even speak the names of their gods.
 5 Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
      You guard all that is mine.
 6 The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
      What a wonderful inheritance!
 7 I will bless the Lord who guides me;
      even at night my heart instructs me.
 8 I know the Lord is always with me.
      I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
 9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
      My body rests in safety.
 10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
      or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
 11 You will show me the way of life,
      granting me the joy of your presence
      and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Are you tired and weary from fighting the battles of life? Maybe it’s time to trust Him with all your cares and concerns, and start to enjoy all the good He has waiting for you. Knock and He will answer. Why wait, why suffer any longer, He’s standing at the door.

the pilgrim

A great old hymn starts with the line….”I’ll fly away to glory….I’ll fly away….” Some days you would love to just fly on up into heaven and never come back. Walking this walk on earth with the Lord can be exhausting. It’s tough to keep your bearings when the world is sitting on your shoulders. Thankfully, He is there to hold us up.

I have a friend that is facing tough times. They applied for an opening, some time ago, at their place of employment, and a less qualified person was given the job. Then recently the same thing happened again. They felt intense discouragement, and wondered out loud, where is God in this?!

It is very easy to feel discouraged, especially when circumstances seem to all go wrong. God tells us in His Word, put your eyes on me and trust me. I know we are to understand that God has everything under control, but it’s easy to fall victim to the feelings of anxiousness about the day to day living out of our faith. If you’ve ever faced these kinds of times, let me share some wisdom from his word to encourage you.

1 John 5:18-20 (New International Version)
18 We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Walking in faith means we accept the truth of God’s plan. He holds us in His arms, He protects us from the evil of this world. He never said the evil of this world does not exist, in fact He promised us that it does. He promised that if we are in Him we can rise above the evil of this world. The decisions that are made in this world that do not acknowledge Him, will always be decisions that are built on shaky ground. We may be “in” this world, but we do not have to be “of” this world.
Yes, you really can live above your circumstances. God will give you the strength and His wisdom to do just that. God’s plan is for your good, not for your defeat.
When you face troubles that you can’t climb over, reach out and accept His hand, to lift you out of the miry clay.

the pilgrim

This week is the one year anniversary of the beginning of the Pilgrim’s Chronicles. The very first entry showed a group at the Reno Pylon School, one year ago. In the image above is this year’s group. From left to right, Tom Quinn, Mike Anskat, Richard Small, Jake Peterson, Sharon Peterson, Moose Peterson and David Leininger.

The greatest thing about the Pylon School is not the airplanes, but the people. It has become tradition for Moose and his family to join us, and I’m so glad that they do, they are great partners in the endeavor, and a sheer joy to be with! My friendship with Moose has grown with each time we get to work together. Moose is, of course, a very well known and respected shooter and teacher, but he more importantly truly is a great guy. Our common interests and experiences have drawn us closer as friends, and our love for the Lord has made us committed brothers! His wife Sharon is truly one of those great people for whom I have a deep appreciation, she is a real class act. There whole family is great to have around. Not, to single any one member out, but Jake is turning into a great shooter, (how could it be otherwise), I love having time with him in the field.

Speaking of great shooters, Richard Small has also become a regular part of our team and Richard will also be with me at the big October event with Scott Kelby. Richard has become a very dear friend, and is truly among the very best photographers I know, and not to brag, but you know who I know!!! His work is going to blow those folks away in October. Mike Anskat is great young man and one of Nikon’s very best repair techs. Mike has been working on his photography and is getting scary good! Mike is a real joy to work with and he is always appreciated by anyone we serve.

David Lenininger is one of the aviation world’s top shooters and one of our favorite people to see when we go to these events. David has the kind of personality that makes you just want to adopt him. He has become one of our favorite buddies. Tom Quinn was new to our group, he is a friend of Scott Diussa’s, (who was really missed – he’s in South Africa with World Soccer). Tom is a state trooper in Indiana and by the time he had to leave he was added to our list of favorite friends to shoot and hang out with. Bill Pekala was on vacation and missed the event, and Richard Vandermulen, pictured last year, was there, but didn’t make the shot this year. Richard is acknowledged as one of the very best shooters in the aviation field and great friend, plus this year celebrated his first year to be honored on Father’s Day! Richard and his wife had their first child,
Richard, last year, right after the Pylon School.

I started the blog talking about the greatest of all the blessings from God, friends. Of course our best friend is God’s own Son, Jesus. His sacrifice gave all of us who will accept Him, eternal life.
The earthly friends I treasure are simply the wonderful icing on God’s cake.

Take a moment today to tell those that are your best friends how very much you appreciate them being apart of your life!

the pilgrim

………..and now begins year 2………..