A BB Gun & A Slingshot

Their mission: to knock off as many tin cans as possible from their precarious perch on the rotting log. To catch and release water dwellers with flies and lures of brightest hue.

Their arsenal: a crossman bb gun, a wrist-rocket slingshot, 3 conventional rods (various) and 1 fly rod (Shakespeare).

Their haven: a friend’s cabin in the ever deepening woods of New Brunswick.

I’m on vacation this week with my brother’s family here, and at least two young male cousins (and two older brother/dads) are in little boy heaven. Back later this week after we’re done hittin’ and catchin’ stuff.

PLUNDER UPDATE:

SuperSon Of Author: 3 steel can lids (dented and pierced by the youngest with a crossman air rifle), multiple trees struck and left standing, 1 squirrel that is now wary of young humankind, and one small-mouth bass that lived on the hook for 3 minutes – then got away (first catch ever).

Big Brother Of Author: 2 small-mouth bass, “Man-I-Need-Some-Waders” award, and constant rescuing of young fishermen from their unwieldy rods and lack of “DangerSense.”

PowerCousin Of SuperSon: 3 small-mouth bass, and at least 15 that “hit the lure hard and got away.” Note: The latter fish were all large, 13-18 inch prehistoric beast-fish.

Author: 8 small-mouth bass (personal best; caught and released on a beadhead fly for all my fellow fly-fishing enthusiasts), and one deeply satisfying, familial getaway.

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Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms

Sheltering Mercy, along with its companion volume, Endless Grace, helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. This book contains 75 prayers drawn from Psalms 1-75, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning in the Psalms. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

This artful, poetic, and classic devotional book features compelling custom illustrations and foil-stamped hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms.