Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ!  Welcome to another edition of Following God’s Trail.  I think that hunting season around the United States is slowly winding down and will be over for the most part in a few weeks.  Although the weather is still brutal in many areas, there is a season that is upon us, and it is not the quest to hunt for a flesh and blood animal.  The prey will have horns and will be of a trophy size, but it will not move unless it is knocked off the peg because it is a foam target.  The exhilarating season of many archers will dawn a new season in a few weeks as we undertake the beginning of 3-D archery season and a national competition each month until August.  The 3-D season ends and people are ready once again for hunting season. It is a never ending circle.

People begin to make ready in any way you can imagine.  Archers in the area of snow and ice find themselves in basements shooting the maximum number of yards they can squeeze between the dryer and freezer.  They get really creative in ways to stretch the room to allow just a little more distance for practice.  Some people are really brave and shoot inside the house and have a target placed in one room and shoot down the hallway from another to try to get their archery muscles stretched and their bows ready.  The “sunny” South has some people actually outside on the 3-D ranges trying to get an advantage and to become prepared.  Some people from the icy and snowy areas are visiting friends in the southern states to get a taste of shooting outside to practice.  No matter where they live, people are practicing and getting ready for some fun and fellowship.

I enjoy chatting with other ladies from around the world whenever I attend national tournaments.  It is amazing that the topic of conversation will sooner or later end up on God and church.  I find it amazing to find Him in the midst of a sport that I love.  I have seen God perform miracles while I am on the archery range and in the middle of a tournament.  I can remember a time when I was shooting very poorly.  I could not figure out why I was making the mistakes and nothing was working in the way that I felt it should.  I was getting frustrated and upset.  I called a breakdown, which is like a time out, to go check my sights and equipment and to regroup myself.  For the life of me, I could not figure out what happened, and it would not get right.  No matter what I did, the arrow would not land in the same place twice.  My frustration was close to despair and I started to get mad.  I did what I should have done at the beginning.  I sat down on a bench and talked to God.  I didn’t pray to win, but I prayed for focus and for Satan to quit fighting me and bringing confusion on me.  Satan was not happy because I had been giving God the glory all day long as I laughed and shared church experiences with other archers.  Well, once I finished praying, I walked back onto the range and shot the remaining 10 targets right where I was aiming.  I was nearly in tears by the end of the tournament, not because I won, because I didn’t win, but because I felt God right there with me.  Of course, I made Satan even madder as I shared the story of how I shot the bow with messed up sights.

Habakkuk 3:9 Your bow was made quite ready; Oaths were sworn over Your arrows.  This verse explains my experience of that day in Gainesville, Florida.  It was the first tournament I was able to shoot after being out from arm surgery.  God was proving that he shows up everywhere, even on a 3-D range.  My bow was not literally ready and neither was I, but it is because I called on the Master that I was able to avoid the veil of confusion that Satan wanted for me.

I have been able to use my experience with other ladies and help them whenever they have felt frustrated and confused.  I enjoy shooting with ladies who are shooting their first national tournament ever.  They are usually nervous and a little frightened. God allows me to use prior experiences to alleviate their doubts and fears.  I love the idea of archery as a tool for ministry.

As I look into the upcoming year, I am anxious to see friends and my archery family.  I am anxious to hear the hunting stories that all will share as well as the unique forms of practice that many will tell that they used as they prepared for the season opener.  I will be facing a similar scenario as the one described above because it’s the first tournament after being out with arm surgery.  I am not worried about how I will do because my bow and my arrows will be quite ready and blessed because God will enter the range with me.  He will be there on every shot and whether I do well or not; He will get the glory.  I have realized that it is not always about winning the tournament of archery, but it is more important to win the battle over the enemy and to share the Word of God whenever I get a chance.  Souls can be won anywhere you go.  The main thing is to be ready to share when God allows.  For now, my path will be on the archery range, and I will follow God and listen to Him as I follow that trail.

Here is a picture of a group of fun people that I had the opportunity to shoot with. We were at the Florida State Championship in 2009.

By Kimberly Fox

Dr. Kimberly "canam" Brinson is a native of Camden County, Georgia. She teaches 6th grade Language Arts at a middle school in St. Marys. She recently completed her doctorate degree in Instructional Leadership and Curriculum through NOVA Southeastern in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Kimberly is an avid 3-D archer and enjoys attending 3-D competitions with her compound bow. Kimberly is an NFAA certified archery coach and enjoys teaching archery to potential students of all ages. She is also on the Pro Staff for Shoot Like A Girl, which is a company that helps teach women about the aspects of archery. Kimberly has enjoyed the great sport of archery since 2001. Her greatest archery moment includes finishing 3rd place in Shooter of the Year with the Archery Shooters Association and a few significant placings at national archery tournaments and local events as well as Florida State 3-D Champion in 2008.

As far as hunting, Kimberly is a licensed Master of Hounds with United Kennel Club and is certified to judge raccoon field trials and bench shows. For many years, coon hunting was a well enjoyed sport by her, and she helped work several dogs to championship status in licensed coon hunts and coon hunting for pleasure. Kimberly also enjoyed training and running Foxhounds to chase fox and coyotes. This was a short-lived hobby because it was very time consuming and quite expensive. Throughout her life, Kimberly has deer hunted. The initial experience was running deer with hounds; however, for the past few years, she has participated in still hunting with a rifle to a slight degree. Building food plots and scouting are Kimberly's favorite parts of deer hunting. She has not harvested an animal while still hunting, but she intends to hunt from a treestand this upcoming season instead of in a blind. Hopefully, her luck will change. In theory, she is a rookie still hunter.

In her spare time, Kimberly enjoys reading, playing seek and find computer games and hanging out with her husband, Evan. She also enjoys spending time at her church, Harbor Worship Center in Kingsland, GA and writing weekly devotions for Talk Hunting.

Credentials:
Shoot Like A Girl Pro Staff
BowTech Pro Staff
Carbon Express Pro Staff
Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Huddle Coach
Talk Hunting Magazine Staff Writer and Editor
TH Weekly Devotions Writer

Comments(2):

1. Very nice

   Nicely done. A lesson we should all take to heart

   Sunday, March 06, 2011 Robert

2. following god's trail

   wonderful article and as always a day with friends and the lord is one well spent.

   Sunday, March 06, 2011 brad