A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!

I'm quite sure that you all have heard that phrase before. A picture IS worth a thousand words! So true, so true... I know that many of you have found your way to this blog... I'm not sure HOW, but you found it!... It may have been through our SCRIPTURESTICK WEBSITE, although our blog is linked on that site under the heading "contact us". Hmmmm... seems like we could do a little better in giving directions. ... ...I find that a lot of times, when someone (me) gives someone else (you) directions, they just are'nt adequate to get you where you need to be. I think my father used to sum up the whole problem, wrapped in a question... "Do I need to draw you a picture?!?". Or, "Do I need to draw you a map?!?. "Yes!", I would reply. Then he would proceed to illustrate for me. It helped...


...So, ...if you have been to the ScriptureSticks Website, you will see a profound lack of proper direction, explanation, and illustration. For that I am deeply sorry. We have attempted, on several occasions, to get into the site, and make some drastic changes. At this point, we have had, (obviously), little success. We will, however, persevere, and at some point win the battle.

So, for all of you who have asked, or are wondering, why there are no pictures of ScriptureSticks on the site, or why the site is not properly updated, it is because I haven't quite got the grasp of the site yet, even though the site and computer have been (supposedly) "fixed". ...

...264 words so far... I think a picture really would be worth a thousand words! I know that no explanation is a good explanation, so I will renew and redouble my efforts to get the ScriptureStick website shipshape. ... and do you think you might be able to encourage me through prayer? I would like that a lot!

***

Quick update on ScriptureSticks for Pastor Appreciation!... Well, we haven't heard from all of the Pastors out there who have received a certificate for a walking stick. They are, however, starting to contact us! We have completed a few of the ScriptureSticks, and some of them are in the mail! If you are one of the Pastors who have contacted us, thank you for your patience, and please be assured that we will finish your gift as quickly as we can, and get it out to you!

With that said, I would like to end by asking God to Bless each and every one of you out there tonight, and to simply pray that if there is anyone of you reading this blog, who doesn't know Christ as his Savior, that you will take time to contact me, a Pastor, or a Christian friend, to find out just how much God loves you.

God Bless!

Stickman

Pastor Appreciation Month, EVERY month!

Hello everyone!

Just a very brief post tonight, as I have VERY important work to finish. Cari and I are usually fairly busy people, what with working full time jobs, keeping house, extra sideline work, kids, grandkids, friends, pets, extended family, neighbors, old school friends, readying for winter... etc., ... Yeah, you know! Just like all of YOU busy people out there!

Then, of course, we have the ScriptureStick hiking stick ministry... although we don't have hundreds and hundreds (yet...) of ScriptureSticks orders to fill, we do have some work ahead of us... and if we don't have orders to fill, we "make up" something to do! (Sorry, if we haven't gotten to your ScriptureStick yet!) Uhuh, we make up something to do... like create a stick for an old friend, a new friend, or possibly make one up to bring into the woods, to give to some unsuspecting person!

Although it takes us a little bit of time to make each ScriptureStick, it is our joy. It is, indeed, our ministry, and a task that I wish I could do day in and day out, full time, 24/7. Please pray that the Lord might use us fully!

Every time we have an order, I like to think on how the Lord might use that simple little hiking stick to not only please it's recipient, but to somehow be a witness of Him to everyone that reads the Scripture that is burned into it's length. Again, please pray that they truly witness for the Lord!

We are always happy to have a ScriptureStick wander off into the hands of a Pastor. I have not known of a Pastor, yet, who didn't use it as a tool to truly be a witness. We have sticks all over the country now, and although they aren't in every State yet, they're "all over the map". Maine, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, and more! We even have ScriptureSticks in Canada... and Kenya!(They are done in the Swahili language!)

We recently had an opportunity presented to us that we just could'nt say "no" to. Radio station WMSJ, a Southern Maine Christian station, approached us regarding the possibility of our donating a few ScriptureSticks, to be given to Pastors as part of Pastor Appreciation Month. AWESOME!!! Of course! We love our Pastor! We love all Pastors! ... Well, we donated a bunch of sticks, Cari working out the details and making up gift certificates, and WMSJ distributing them accordingly. We went with this approach to allow each honored Pastor to choose the Scripture desired, and have it burned onto a staff of preferred length. So far, we are pleased to be working on the first five responses that we have been blessed to recieve!

Now, as usual, I have taken the long way around the barn. What I started out to say was this... LAST MONTH (October) was Pastor Appreciation Month! Yeah, I know, it's November, and I'm just getting around to talking about it... but I was, you know, busy! Well, this is what I think... Cari and I were honored to be able to donate a few ScriptureSticks to some of the Pastors out there. We really appreciate our Pastor, and your Pastor... yeah, OK, your Pastor too! And we love and appreciate them not just in October, but in November. And every other month too. True, we sometimes forget how much we appreciate them, thus, we have OCTOBER, to bring us to our senses. Please join Cari and I in keeping our Pastors in prayer, every month, for their safety, and effectiveness for the Lord. And let's not forget to tell them how much we love and appreciate them!

God Bless you all tonight, and may all of you Pastors be especially BLESSED!

G'night!

Stickman

Spring Lake Camps, weekend wandering...

Yes, it's true... Not all wandering is done afoot. A couple of weekends ago, Cari and I decided that we would have a quick breakfast, jump in the truck, and "go somewhere". Oh, we did have some brief talk through the week concerning possibilities of destination... like maybe a last-ditch, before-winter effort to walk a beach somewhere on the Maine coast, and, if fortunate, partake in a couple of our favorite crustaceans... MAINE LOBSTER! But, no travel plans were set in stone, or mapped on Mapquest... I tossed one of our ScriptureSticks into the back seat, grabbed a breakfast sandwich and a piece of breakfast pizza at Casey's in Anson, then drove off, North... which is entirely the wrong way to travel to get to the coast.

Well, any kind of wandering is excellent wandering, and our wandering took us up to North Anson, left onto RT. 16, and when we got to New Portland, we had to make a decision... remain on Rt 16, and head up to Kingfield, and Sugarloaf Mtn., or jump off onto Long Falls Dam Road. Without really deciding, we were quickly shooting past Morton's Store, and travelling up LFDR... Yes folks, it is a delicate balance of decision and indecision that makes one a successful and happy wanderer.

Shortly, we were in Lexington, a great little area,(Check out the "Happy Horseshoe Campground" and their delicious beanhole bean suppers!), then Highland Lodge passed us by. Before we knew it we had tremendous views of the Bigelow Range, and I made a short stop on the side of the road. Cari got out, and stood in the middle of the road. Now, she isn't taken to doing this very often, but, this time, she had good reason. She was standing on the 2000 mi. mark of the Appalachian Trail. Yah! It's painted, right there, in the middle of the road! If you happen to be hiking NOBO, you would have 2000 miles on your boots! WOW! I took just a minute to wander SOBO on the trail, towards the Bigelows. I didn't go far, as I knew that if I did, it would be hard to turn myself around.

Back in the truck, and on the access to Spring Lake, which is fairly remote, we edged over to the side of the road to let another vehicle pass. Hey, we know these folks! It was Frank and Ruth Braley, owners of Spring Lake Camps! Frank jokingly asked if I was up making a lumber delivery (I HAD delivered materials to him a couple of years ago..), and I said that I was... I reached into the back seat to get the ScriptureStick, and handed it to him through the windows of our trucks. Hope you enjoy, Frank! ... They graciously offered to let us hang out at their camp, which sits up on a hill, and overlooks beautiful Flagstaff Lake, and looks up to the Bigelows. We did take them up on the offer, spending a short while gazing on the wonderous views. We also went down to Spring Lake, and I showed Cari the Spring Lake Camps, that Frank and Ruth rent out. They are wonderful 1900 era log camps, which were all part of J.P. Morgan's retreat in bygone days. Ruth, who has a gift for decor, has truly made these camps a wonderful place to stay. I definitely will be planning a getaway up here! I think my favorite camp is the Post Office. Yah, it really was a Post Office, back in the day, and still maintains that distinct character.

We also had the pleasure of talking with Robin Frost of Frost Cedar in Embden, Maine, who gave us quite a bit of info and history of the area. Thanks, Robin!

... We had to eventually leave, to make our way home... The difference between a wanderer and a Hobo might just be a home and a job...

ho·bo (hō'bō) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. ho·boes or ho·bos

One who wanders from place to place without a permanent home or a means of livelihood.
A migrant worker.

HUH! I guess you COULD work... Well, anyways... may all your wanderings be happy wanderings, and may God Bless your every step!

Stickman

Bigelow, Little Bigelow, Avery Peak, Sugarloaf, Moxie Bald... and snow!

I was just chillin' at work this morning, (literally), waiting on customers in the lumber yard, and building loads for delivery... and thinking. I was thinking about how cold I was, and how cold I was yet to be, when winter finally hits Maine with all it's might. I was thinking that my bones were getting older, and my blood less quick to adapt to the change of seasons. I was thinking that I wasn't sure how to pay the heating bills this season, even with a thermostat set to 60 degrees. I was thinking... why did we move back to Maine from North Carolina! THEY are still pretty WARM! ...
... but I grinned, and told myself to toughen up. I also closed up the collar on my jacket, then changed to a fresh, dry pair of gloves. I could only hope that Mike would pick me to do a delivery, preferably going North, to warm me up for an hour or two, and brighten my outlook on the day.
Prayers answered! Mike asked me to take a run locally, then scoot a few other items up to Solon. NORTH! YESSSS! Well, the first run took me to higher elevation, with gorgeous views of the local mountains, then I struck off North, gazing at them for the next half-hour, dead-on. This is a particularly beautiful area, with familiar views to the locals. I was warmed up by now, and caught up in the majesty... to my left, the Vineyard Mountains, smallish in stature, magnificent in beauty! Turning my eyes slightly right, I was caught up in Sugarloaf Mtn, then the Bigelow Range! Ah, the Appalachian Trail wanders the summits of these mountains, and my mind began to trudge along with it... ...the Horns, Bigelow, Avery Peak, Little Bigelow... then, off to my right, Pleasant Pond Mtn, and Moxie Bald!

...Did I forget to tell you that it snowed yesterday, in the upper elevations? Although it was a forewarning of the coming winter, here at home, it seemed to say, "It will be OK! Look at my BEAUTY, and enjoy!". And I did. ... My thoughts were turned from the ominous discomforts of a long cold winter, to how God had adorned these majestic peaks with ermine coats, warming the mountainscape, and my heart.

Thoroughly warmed, I moved the heater fan from high to low, made my drop, then returned to Madison, frequently looking into the mirrors to see if my mountains were still there.

The rest of the day was spent taking an inventory of all the "good" things God has given me, even on the "not so good" days. As we scurry around in our busy little lives, we need to remember the good things we have had the pleasure of, and also be sure that God will BLESS us, even tomorrow, even in the cold.

Yes, I will think on those good things, warmly.

...God Bless.

Kelly "Stickman" Hibbard

Bull Moose at Moxie Gore Outfitters

Hey there!

Just want to share a small part of my day with you... I had a delivery to Ken Christopher up to C. Moxie Gore Outfitters up in Moxie Gore Twp., (Go North of Caratunk on Rt. 201 to "The Forks", turn right...).

This area has to be one of my favorites. Any delivery North of Solon, Maine makes me a happy camper. Above Solon is Bingham...getting happier! Then, of course, is Caratunk! There, the A.T. passes through, and also crosses the Kennebec River (via canoe, it is the only official ferry on the whole trail!). Above Caratunk...The Forks. Turn right to get to Moxie Gore, Moxie Falls, and of course, C. Moxie Gore Outfitters.

During my forays North (lumber deliveries...), I am always on the lookout for moose. I hadn't seen one for awhile, and had my hopes up, as this was a prime area. Well, I was quite disappointed on the way up there...no moose. I did see a few signs of moose such as this one...




...but no moose.









However... while bringing the materials across the deck and into the camp, Ken stopped me... "Look, there's a moose.", he said, quietly. I didn't hear it moving, which is surprising, as it is such a huge animal. It was also VERY close... about twenty feet, or so, off the deck. A big Bull, it walked slowly, and quite gracefully, by us, through a short patch of woods between us and the stream. Then, Ken surprised me. He started calling the moose to try to coax it back to us. (No, he did NOT say "Here moose, here moose."!) To my delight, the moose turned from the stream, coming back a ways towards us, to meet the challenge. Ken explained that during "rut", the big fellas are competing for the affections of their favorite cows. It stopped, and Ken made a few more attempts... but Bullwinkle turned toward the stream, and slowly waded across. Ken surmised that he might have been too bold in his calling, portraying a dominant Bull, and chasing the poor fella off.

So, that was the highlight of my day. I am not able to share a photo with you, as I had no camera with me... On the other hand, I also enjoyed my time with Ken, and I did go online to their website. I found this nice picture of Ken with his wife, relaxing for a moment on the porch. I don't think he'll mind my sharing.




Thanks, Ken, for another great visit with you, and thanks to all of you that continue to share my blog. God Bless you.

Stickman

Phreak completes John Muir Trail...

Hi everyone!
Just came in from working on the last, straggling, vegetables in our garden, and found I had an e-mail from Brian (Phreak). He has completed the John Muir Trail! I will include his e-mail, as follows...


"From: brian@hikes247.com Sent: Tue Sep 30 15:55

Subject: John Muir Trail - COMPLETED

Hey everyone!
Just a quick note to let everyone know I'm safely back in Atlanta. The trip was awesome! We finished early in the morning on the 20th day of the trip.

Naturally, I'll be heading back out next year to see how fast I can speed hike it. Shooting for 7 days or less.

Weather was great... average high 65, average low 35, less than 2 hours of precipitation throughout the trip (all on day 6).

I took roughly 2300 photos and 60+ minutes of video clips. It'll take me a couple of weeks to get everything sorted, optimized, re-sized and published to the web. I'll send a link once everything is online and ready for viewing."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As always, a hearty congratulations goes out to Phreak, for a safe and successful hike! I will be sure to post his link when he gets his pictures up for viewing...
So... back to the chores! 'Til later... God Bless!

Stickman

Careful where you step! (Don't put your foot in your mouth...)

Hello folks!

It's been crazy busy (LIFE) lately, but I determined that I should take just a few minutes to say "Hello", and share something I've been chewing on...

I've titled todays entry "Careful where you step! (Don't put your foot in your mouth...)". Which, I suppose, could also be, "You have to "walk the walk", if you're going to "talk the talk"... and, hence, you should also be careful (how) to "talk the talk" if you are truly "walking the walk"... yeah, OK, NOW I'm confused! Did You follow that?!? I hope so...

Well, here we go... If you say that you are a Christian, you should be walking through your life as a Christian. IF you are a follower of Christ, your path,(actions in life), should follow the path He has directed for you, and reflect the conduct that He not only desires, but requires. Now, of course, we occasionally stumble, and fall down, but the key is to get back up, dust ourselves off, ask forgiveness, and keep trying to stay on the path. So, there we are... our actions should be pleasing to our Lord... and also be a witness to those who do not know Him. They say "actions speak louder than words". Maybe so...

...Our walk IS very important! Folks should be able to see Christ in us! We should be "walking witnesses"! ... And, many of us are. We just mess it all up when we open up our mouths and insert foot. When we proclaim to Jesus that He is our Savior, and we walk the walk, that's awesome! But, when we walk the walk, and then open our mouths to talk the talk to our unsaved brothers and sisters, things often go awry. We often are very harsh, insensitive, and judgemental. It is awful easy to spout out all the do's and don'ts to people, (even gently), and seriously offend the majority of them. If someone is watching your walk closely, and wants to know why you are walking (hopefully) different than others, it may suffice, initially, to just tell them that you are a Christian. It may not be advantagious to rattle off that you are a Born-again Christian, saved by grace through the shed blood of Jesus, etc., and if they don't accept Him too, they are all condemned to Hell! ...oh, and the list of "do's and don'ts"... whack them with that for good measure. ...Do you think maybe we Christians sometimes give Christianity a bad name? Well, I do. ...even when we are trying to do it in love. I know that most of you have heard of "WWJD" (What Would Jesus Do?). OK! My point tonight comes down to this... "WWJS" (What Would Jesus SAY?!?). Let us not only ponder the paths of our feet, but also the ways of our tongue, and not let it go wild. Let's be sure to tame it so that it, too, will be an effective witness for our Lord.

There... now I just want to say, (carefully), to all of the folks out there who are'nt Christians, that I will try to choose (chew) my words carefully. I understand why, at times, I have had the start of a possibly great relationship with someone, only to have it disconnect as soon as that person found out I was a Christian. However, I DO ask you to overlook, or tolerate, some of my shortcomings, to the end that you might see (and hear) past me, to Christ, Himself. If, by some chance you should see me out walking, and are interested in the path I'm on, look beyond me, up the trail... that's where Christ is... that's where I'm headed...

There... Now, although I've enjoyed this time with you all, it's getting late. I'm getting sleepy... sleeeppyyy ...ssslleeepppyyy... Yah, I know, it IS obvious that I'm overtired! But, I'm not too tired to ask God's blessings on everyone of you. God Bless!

Stickman