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Life at times can be an emotional roller coaster ride. One minute, life can be going fine and dandy; the next minute, everything seems uncertain. As I write this editorial, everything in my life seems uncertain. I recently lost my job. This has forced me to write full-time which has been a dream of mine for some time. However, the pay cut is substantial. Where I will get health insurance is now up in the air as well as many other things including plans to build a log home. Two years ago, I entered into a contract with a log builder to build a log home for us and now he is trying to take almost $18,000 from my wife and I and give us nothing in return. On top of that, a guy built a house on the easement that was going to be our driveway to the property where our dream home was going to be built. One moment, life was great; the next moment we wonder how we are ever going to recover both emotionally and financially. My wife and I saved the money to build our house with the intention of trying to build a house debt free with hopes of her being able to leave the work place. Now that plan has gone south and our future is full of questions. On top of all that, my wife and I are now expecting a little one. God has a sense of humor! At this time when everything seems uncertain, I still have hope as I wait to see what the Lord has in store. My plan was a log home in the woods, but maybe that is not God’s plan for me. Sometimes it is very hard to realize that we are not in control of our lives and it can be difficult to let God take control, but the truth is that he has our best interests in mind and as we all embark on a new year, we need to remember that God is in control and even when things in our lives seem like they are out of control, God can do amazing things. If you look at the stories in the Bible and many stories from this day and age, many people who have achieved great things did it when they were down and out. When they were backed into the corner with no way out, they trusted God and God came through in a big way. God says in his Word, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In this edition of the E-zine, you will find the story of J.C. Penney. Although it doesn’t have anything to do with the outdoors, it is a prime example of a guy who achieved great things at a time in his life when everything seemed uncertain.
| The editor of God’s Great Outdoors’ Internet Outdoor Magazine, Tracy Breen, has lived his entire life in Muskegon, Michigan. He was brought up in a family full of hunters and trappers and he grew to love outdoor adventures at an early age. Tracy’s father trapped for a living during the late 70's until the fur market fell apart in the early 80's. At that point, he took up taxidermy which he still does for a living today. Due to that influence growing up, Tracy decided early on that one way or another he would make a living in the outdoors. Also, being brought up in a home with a Christian foundation, Tracy wanted to somehow tie the two together, but was unsure how this could happen. It was by God’s grace and in His perfect timing that Tracy contacted Gerry Caillouet about a magazine idea. Tracy’s project was to be in print, while Gerry had been praying for someone who could help God’s Great Outdoors by editing and running the Internet Outdoor Magazine idea he had in the back of his mind for several years. After many weeks of prayer with his pastor and others, Tracy Breen accepted the offer to become a part of God’s Great Outdoors as the new Internet Outdoor Magazine editor. Besides the time outdoors, God has used another aspect of Tracy’s life to prepare him to serve in this position with God’s Great Outdoors. Tracy states, “Something else that has made me the way I am is the fact that I have a mild case of cerebral palsy. This has always affected the way I walk and I have had to learn to hunt and trap somewhat differently at times because of my disability. Although it can get me down because I can't walk through the marsh the way I would like to or be as quiet as I would like in the woods, I get by and realize that many have it a lot worse. I am extremely excited about the opportunity God has given me to serve in this way by putting this magazine together. Hopefully I will also be able to use my disability to help others with similar problems; proving that a disability can't stop you from enjoying the outdoors if you put your mind to it!” Tracy and his wife Angie have been married since August of 1999 |
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