Buy The Field (or dove lease...)

Being a city boy my whole life I have always loved playing cowboy on the weekend. It's hard to top my favorite pair of Wranglers wrapped around my Justins which are more comfortable than slippers after seeing thousands of miles of pavement and country roads. With my Costas around my neck, suspended by my Kappa Croakies and a Columbia PFG, maybe a vest depending on the time of year I am at home. (I realize that I just name dropped 3 staples of Texas fratting....that was intentional. I also realize that this is how I dress year around now...it's conducive to the life style perpetuated by Greek institutions minus those on the West Coast.) Going to school in Waco, I am surrounded by less of a cement jungle than I was a little over a year ago when I spent all my time in the concrete Congo of Dallas. I can be in the country in under 10 minutes and there is nothing more beautiful than watching the sun set over a field of sunflowers or gazing at the dove flying in for one last drink from the watering hole.

My affection for the country began when we purchased some land at Possum Kingdom Lake (2 hours west of Dallas). I really became hooked when my dad took me dove hunting for the first time in fifth grade. The anticipation of the hunt and the waking up early, beating the sunrise in order to be poised and ready in the field is one of the things that gets my blood going. Off and on throughout middle and high school my dad and I would go hunting on the weekends, but it was always a commitment because we had to drive at least 2 hours for decent properties to hunt on. WIth dove season right around the corner I knew that I wanted to try to put together a group of guys to go in on a lease, but finding a place was going to be the toughest part.

After scouring craigslist for weeks (I'm an avid craigslist addict if you haven't noticed. Where else on the web can you find vending machines, power tools and even potential true lovers...that's probably taking it a little too far..) I found Ted. Ted is a retired law enforcement officer who fits every Jeff Foxworthy stereotype of a redneck. Ted has what could be the jackpot in hunting land. I arranged a time to come look at the property and a buddy of mine, Taylor Criswell and I headed north to West. (confusing, I know). Ted was as friendly as could be and was fired up that a bunch of young guys wanted to come hunt on his land. He is as far from anal as can be. His only request was that we don't kill anyone. The lease is 22.8 miles from my doorstep. I could feel it, finally, I was a little closer to being a country boy. As Taylor and I drove off we were giddy with excitement about the opportunities that this new found treasure will offer us. There is a good chance in September that I could be hunting every morning before class and camping out there on the weekends. This is the dream.

To find this place it took diligence and vision. There are a lot of guys who are way more legit hunters than I am, but I took the time to craigslist until the right place came along and when I had the target locked in my sights, I knew that I had no choice but to pull the trigger. Jesus understood what it is like to find something that you have long sought after. In Matthew 13:44 he says "The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Obviously Jesus isn't talking about a great dove lease here, but he is talking about the kingdom of heaven and the way we should claim His kingdom.

For years I had dreamed about being able to hunt before class and having a place to hang out beyond the city limits; Finally, I found a way to do it. Honestly, I would have paid double what we are being charged for the lease, because the memories we will make out there are going to be priceless. The kingdom of heaven is like that. Being a part of what Jesus is doing is worth everything: putting aside your pride, materialistic goods, relationships, prejudices and your reputation. The treasure in the field is not something you could take to the bank, it abundant life and that is something that will take you into eternity. I was so pumped driving off after giving Ted my deposit for my field, the joy that I had was uncontainable. I probably called 10 people to tell them about what I had found. That is what the kingdom of heaven is like. The Kingdom of Heaven is Christ's church and body of believers on this earth. It's a place where brokenness can be dealt with and healing is a commonality. It is a place where a bunch of not good enoughs become whole. It is life transforming and it is a movement that started with an empty tomb.

On September 1st I will be scanning the morning sky for dove, shotgun in hand and then I'm going to head to class and then back out to the field. I can't wait, but what excites me even more than that is the field with the treasure that I found in Jesus and the eternal fulfillment that comes in building his kingdom in the way that I love God and love others. Get the lease, BUY THE FIELD.