Those of us who like to fish understand the joy it can bring. When we catch something, we're happy. When we get a big one, we're ecstatic and when we catch more than the other person we love to "rub it in". These are some simple stories of some of my fishing adventures. Maybe it will spur you on to grab your pole and go fishing.

I've talked about some roads I've been on that were pretty scary. I evidently didn't learn my lesson because there are more roads that would drive a person crazy and make him sweat a lot. Enjoy these stories and stay off the bad roads.

A good cow-dog is worth it's weight in gold and every cowboy and rancher that has had one will tell you about it's many great characteristics. Bull Durham, on the other hand, was not a good cow-dog. He was willing, he tried hard, but his attention span was a bit short for long cattle drives. He causde a lot of laughs, some anguished moans and got some strong scoldings. But he was fun!

Sometimes when you camp or backpack there are certain camping spots that stand out. Either they are really beautiful, have good water or help make special memories. Sometimes we remember them because they are not so good.And afterward we tell stories about the place that help us remember.

Years of youth ministry, camps and sports have taken me to many Emergency Rooms. Sometimes as a patient and many more times as the leader, coach, pastor in charge. They are never fun and can be exhausting, challenging and even fearful. Thank God that He promises to be with us.

Over the years I have had a lot of experience with horses. On the ranch we had a lot of really good cow ponies that I have told you about in "Horses on the Ranch" . We also had some that were not so good and created a lot of stories with horses that were slow, ignorant and downright dumb. Some of these horses were created to help us learn patience, I think.

Over the years we have had many adventures on lakes, rivers and streams. Sometimes it included some sort of rescue/ Our adventures on Moosehead Lake in Maine were always exciting, challenging and sometimes a bit scary.

Years of youth ministry will give you many stories of things that happen and can lead to visits to the local Emergency Room. There can be some pretty scary times and some of them, while not fun, gives us some great stores and adventures. I have often thought that if I wrote a book about my years as a youth pastor and camp director, I would entitle the book, "ER's I Have Known".