On Eagles Wings - Ron Hutchcraft Ministries

The Truth about Treadmills

There it stood, in front of a huge mirror. Big. Cold. Intimidating. Was I hesitant? Yes. Terrified? Certainly.  But it was finally time to face down my lifelong fear for the sake of a greater good. So that day, I did it: I stepped onto a treadmill.

I wrote the words in this guidebook, but it has more than a few authors.  The ideas and concepts that I share have been developed alongside trusted ministry partners.

Doug Hutchcraft’s life goal is communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost, specifically the lost young person.  He is also committed to motivating and equipping believers to communicate Christ to the lost in their world.

I remember it like it was yesterday. We had bought one of those “easy-to-assemble” Christmas trees from Wal-Mart. It probably was very easy to put together…for someone willing to read the instruction manual. After watching fake needles fly for about an hour, my wife Anna offered a suggestion: “Dear, let me try. I’d really like to have Christmas this year.”

Gettysburg was perhaps the most decisive battle in the Civil War. Both the Union and Confederate armies raced to arrive first at this strategic battlefield in Pennsylvania. They weren’t trying to get there to have some vacation time. Both armies knew that there was one elevated piece of land on that field. Whichever side set up on that “high ground” before the other army did would have a huge advantage. The Union army arrived first and secured it. They won that battle…and the entire war.

Some jobs really do stink.

A popular website published a list of the “Top 10 Strangest Jobs in America.”  Near the top of the list was the profession of “odor testers”. Apparently, these folks get paid to sniff stuff. They tell companies whether their deodorants, shampoos and foot sprays are getting the job done. It sounded like a fairly easy job to me until I read further. The staff of sniffers smell the stuff only after it’s already on people. Ugh.

Some jobs you’ve got to have unique qualifications for! Native youth ministry is definitely one of them. These important qualities have less to do with college degrees (though one of those can certainly help) and more to do with character.

I’m certainly not an investing expert. Until recently I thought the Dow Jones average was some baseball player’s stats. But even this stock market simpleton knows the first rule of investing:  Start by investing big in one or two “blue-chip” stocks. Then things grow from there.

The same can be said for Native youth ministry. It’s tempting to first focus on ministering to the masses. Starting there will probably result in frustration. Without the foundation of your “three strands”, your ministry may indeed be “easily broken”1 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

There’s a classic line from a well-known Mel Brooks comedy. The captain of a ship is always barking out orders like “Prepare battle stations!” or “Prepare ship for launch!” The captain’s commander finally gets fed up with all the preliminaries and shouts, “You’re always preparing! Just go!”

Preparation for service is important. My hope is that you will prayerfully consider the previous chapters before starting or continuing Native youth ministry. But there is such a thing as over-analyzing. Be honest about where you are at with God. Be honest about possible shortcomings you need to work on and pray about them. But don’t miss it when God fires the starter pistol! Stay before God on everything and you’ll know when to get started. He’ll give you peace about it.

I really don’t enjoy killing trees, despite what some of them may say about me. I may not be much of an environmentalist, but I don’t actually look for opportunities to destroy them. You may have a hard time believing me after this story.

It was my first summer on the reservation and I needed a place to live. A man told me I could stay in his house while he was away, on one condition: I had to plant dozens of trees and water them so they’d grow. I remember thinking tree-planting in the desert wasn’t the brightest idea, but I agreed to try.

I dug the ditches and planted the trees. I went to the well every day to fetch water for them. I did everything I could to make those things grow! They didn’t. I remember wishing many times I had access to better information on how to be a successful grower.

And now, the $64,000 question: “Doug, all of this sounds great, but how am I going to PAY for it?!”  Believe me, I’ve asked the same question of God many times.

Remember when the disciples came to Jesus with money problems? “Caesar wants tax money! We’re broke! Jesus, help!” Do you remember the Lord’s response? “Go catch a fish. The money you need will be in its mouth.”  I love that. It always reminds me that: