on 4/2/2001 3:08 PM, Duane Wheeler at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >WAUGH and *Howdy<G> > >Congrads 'ole Burn'n Heart! > Thanks, brother >Be in meditation as you advance further >to wilderness.. > >In my opinion, each advancement is not upward >but "inward" to your heart. My thoughts exactly. I spent most of the afternoon on Saturday contemplating what it would mean to finally be Buckskin. I was asked in the interview and by the Wilderness Tribunal at the Ceremony, why I had 13 red stripes on my staff and I was just now trying for Buckskin. God allowed me to open my heart. I never had the closeness of relationship to my father that many boys of our generation had. Dad never did stuff around the house where he would need a workshop. I didn't take any of that stuff in High School, opting instead for the "College Prep" stuff. Too bad they didn't have "real world prep classes.' Many times I picked up my chosen piece of wood to work on my staff only to give up in frustration. Consequently, I never felt that I was good enough to advance to Buckskin, much less Wilderness. I resolved to be a good, faithful Frontiersman. I tried to help out at Great Adventures, running events like Hawk and Knife, and working as an Asst. Booshway. I loved being there. I encouraged my leaders and boys to join. I rarely went to Spring Trace because that would mean witnessing a Buckskin Ceremony and I would again feel my inadequacies. Last year, we got a new FCF Rep and in going over the sectional records he saw exactly how long I had been in and done nothing. He nagged, he encouraged, he cajoled, finally he invited me to come by his shop and he would help me, teach me to do the woodwork on the staff. I shared this with the tribunal, not all this detail, but the gist of it. My voice was breaking as I thanked "Strong Defender" for standing and speaking for me and the Tribunal for allowing me to speak. I'll say this, Duane. I pray that God will allow me to stretch forth the hand of help and fellowship to those who felt as I did. They asked me at the interview what I would like to see FCF be. I told them that my vision has always been that, as the original frontiersmen were forerunners of what we call "civilization," my heart is to see the FCF as forerunners of honor and truth, strength and compassion, a prophetic voice in the Royal Rangers pointing the way to frontier edges of service for the Lord. I want us to be more than a Buckskinning outfit, more than Christian re-enactors, more than the altar workers and council fire gurus at Pow Wow. I think that's why Mark (our Sectional Rep) and I have hit it off so well since he and I first met 10 years ago. That relationship was cemented at ANTC in '99. We both have a servant's heart. Duane, I want to live a life that's as big as my God. I want to have visions that are as big as He is. Dreams as big as He is. I pray that from now on nothing in my life will make my God appear smaller than He is. Thanks for your encouragement over the years as well as all the rest of Rangernet. I am honored, HONORED, to serve as a Ranger leader with men and women such as you. -- Gary Burn'n Heart _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com _______ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit http://rangernet.org/subscribe.htm http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
