The kids and the families have had great fun participating in activities such as archery, black powder, and participating in such activities as a knife and hawk trail walk and the rolling pin toss (for those unfamiliar, this is a dangerous game were men mark the distance their wife/girlfriend/game partner threw the rolling pin and then have to stand their as other women then take their throws). There has been a lot of trading taking place throughout the day.

I haven’t had a chance to ask some FCF member my question of the camp, but I intend to ask a few tomorrow morning and there answers will be included in my 2009 Family Days Wrap Up.

Tonight we had our annual Family Days potluck, and the food was wonderful. If anyone left hungry, that was there fault, because there was plenty of good food. While everyone ate, there was a great time of fun and fellowship. This segued into our evening service where Ken Harris led us in praise and worship where the Spirit fell and we truly entered into the presence of God. Following, praise and worship, April Trower, the lovely wife of David Trower (our FCF Suttler/Promotions staff member) sang a special titled “Love Grew Where the Blood Fell”. It was a lovely rendition. We got to here from Caitlin Reilly who is going on a six month missionary trip to Belgium where she will be working with women who have been caught up in human trafficking. She is leaving in the middle of January. FCF and FCF members have all pitched in to help her raise the $13,000 she needs for her budget. The NTX Shawnee Trail Chapter, gave her $500 and 13 people pledged to give her $100 dollars in the next few weeks. The FCF members and Rev. Derwood Dubose, led by Lee “Prospector” Fogleman prayed for her to send her off as a missionary. Rev. Derwood Dubose brought his sermon which was on the three things that Christians need to be effective in there time on earth. They are faith which ties to doctrine both of which are supported by personal experiences. Following his powerful message, there was a time of prayer, including prayer for Elrena Ortner and her husband Jeff Ortner who is currently in the hospital and we have been praying for for many months.

This mornings devotion was powerful. We had a time of praise and worship after the cannon crew shot the cannon. After all this excitement and entering into the presence of God, Rev. Derwood Dubose, our former District Superintendent of the North Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God, brought forth a dynamic devotion. He based his devotion on Joshua 23. 1 Now it came to pass, a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age. 2 And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them:
“I am old, advanced in age. 3 You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you. 4 See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. 5 And the LORD your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, as the LORD your God promised you. 6 Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, 8 but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. 11 Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. 12 Or else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, 13 know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you.
14 “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. 15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 16 When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.” If he had a title for this devotion, it would be The Keys of Continuing on with God. There were four keys he said that we need to have. The first key is the key of courage. The second key is the key of obedience. The third key is the key of holiness. The fourth key is the key of clinging to God. If we have and hold on to these four keys, we will continue on with God. He challenged everyone to memorize Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”

Be watching the site for pictures from this morning and for more updates throughout the day, as more activities occur and I have time to catch up with members and ask them my question for the event. The question I’ll be asking different FCF members and their wives will be “What is your most humorous FCF memory?” If you have a humorous memory from an FCF event and you aren’t here at the 2009 FCF Family Days, send a short email to David Trower, FCF Suttler/Promotions.

Our dessert action was a great success. There were many delicious desserts that were up for auction and having sampled a small few, I am confident in saying that the bakers of this district are still top notch. This auction is always our largest fundraiser during the year, and this year probably will be no different.

The FCF staff has lots of things in store for this Family Days. Rev. Derwood Dubose, former District Superintendent of the North Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God, is our guest speaker at Family Days this year, with our theme of “Ready…Go.” I am excited about our morning devotion tomorrow and our evening service tomorrow night. I believe that God has a lot of things in store for this year’s Family Days. I am believing, and I know the staff agrees with me, that we will see many miracles occur as a result of our services and prayers here at Family Days. Throughout the day we have different events for the whole family, including a ladies tea for the ladies, children’s games for the children, skills competition for the whole family, the rolling pin toss, and the potluck dinner. I have the utmost confidence that this will be the best Family Days ever.

I encourage those of you that aren’t here at the 2009 FCF Family Days to keep the event in your prayers, that God’s hands of protection will surround this camp and that no harm will fall on those that are here. Also be in prayer that God will move mightily through our services and that He will be honored in everything that is said and done. I believe that we will hear of healings occurring at Family Days this year. I believe that men and women, boys and girls will receive a fresh anointing from God and that God’s Spirit will be poured out on all people. And for those who aren’t here, you can follow what is happening here at the 2009 FCF Family Days as I blog live throughout the weekend. You will also be able to see pictures from throughout the event as I post those throughout the weekend. For example, be watching for a picture of our FCF President, Art “Flintlock” Sullivan from our Dessert Auction.

NTD Rendezvous Information
for
2009 FCF TERRITORIAL RENDEZVOUS
Where the Plains Meet the Mountains
July 14th – 18th

Hey, Old Timers and Young Bucks! Rendezvous is coming soon and I for one can’t wait. We will have a bus available for traveling to and from Rendezvous again this year. If you went last time, you know how nice and affordable it was to ride the bus instead of driving yourself. We will be leaving at 8pm on July 12th from Crossroads of Life in Duncanville and returning on July 18th in the evening. If you are already planning on attending Rendezvous and would like to ride the bus, you will need to do the following:

1. Go to http://www.scr-royalrangers.org, print and complete the Registration and Medical Record forms, with Pastor’s signature, and mail it along with the registration fee to the address on the bottom of the Registration Form. (This must be done by everyone, even if you don’t want to ride the bus.) The forms and fee must be received by the Territorial Rep. no later than June 26th. (His mailing info can be found at the bottom of the Registration form.)

2. You must SIGN UP to reserve a seat. (Seating is limited so sign up ASAP.) you can sign up by emailing me at art.fcf@gmail.com or by signing the bus sign up sheet. The cost of Transportation and Food is $100.00. This can be paid before boarding the bus. The cost of food is for the camp only. You are responsible for the cost of your own meals to and from the Rendezvous.

I look forward to seeing everyone there. I know it’s going to be a great time with the Lord.
In His service,
Art ‘Flintlock’ Sullivan
FCF President

Congratulations to those 20 greenhorns.

Young Bucks:

Kale Kersey, Luke Goodnow, Elisha Harris, Kendall Shields, Micah Carter, Jesse Pannill, Jordan Smalley, Joseph Schaefer, Kameron Kersey, Conner Harold, Chris Shook, Trevor Wooten, Zachary Hulbert, Timothy Ivey

Old Timers:
Steve Harold, JD Smith, David Shook, David Phinney, Donald Worsham, Rey Gonzales

I would like everyone to give a big congrats to our 2 new buckskin members: Tom “Wychialo” Harris ‐‐Gun smith (pronounced Why‐cheech‐alo) and Taylor “Ironman” Matney‐‐Blacksmith.

For those who do not know, these two fine candidates tested at Pow‐Wow Sat. morning.

Both were very nervous about the memorization and the outfit. Yet they were able to quickly get into the testing as it moved into the skills part of the test. Their I.D. staffs looked good as did their Persona. The food they cooked was awesome tasting. Thanks guys!

Tom “Wychialo” Harris used Isaiah 1:18 for his Scripture and Taylor “Ironman” Matney used Prov 27:17 for his Scripture.

I look forward to seeing them advance and gladly inform Skywatcher that he has two more future candidates for wilderness.

My next testing will be at winter camp so request your applications and I will contact your sponsors and send the work book. You too can join the buckskin ranks. Remember this is one of the purposes of FCF……… ADVANCEMENT…Physical, Mental, Social and Spiritual.

I want to personally thank Wychialo and Ironman for their effort and the attitude of excellence that they both had. It takes a lot of time to prepare for this test (weeks …even months) and they both did an excellent job. Thank you both.

I encourage everyone to ask them about their FCF names and scriptures and listen to their testimonies; they have spent a lot of time praying and searching out God for them. They should be easy to find as both are heavily involved in FCF and Royal Rangers. You should have no problem finding Wychialo at the rifle range or anywhere there is gun powder. As for Ironman he is one of our assistant scouts and working hard at his position.

A special thanks to Bow Breaker for his input and instruction on this test! Blessings Brother!!!

If you are thinking about taking the Buckskin test here are the requirements:
Both Boys and Leaders

• Earn the following Merit Awards:

Church	AND	Knife & Hawk
PLUS
Black Powder	OR	Archery

• Participate in at least one Frontier Adventure
• Make or purchase a complete FCF outfit
• Recite from memory the FCF Pledge
• Explain the meaning of the FCF Symbol
• State the Vision and Purpose of FCF
• Make an FCF identification staff
• Select a frontier-related craft or skill to develop
• Select an FCF name
• Complete the Buckskin workbook
• Be an active member in good standing for at least one year.

Boys Only

• Earn the Bronze Medal or one Expedition Ranger Medal.

Leaders Only

• Sponsor a boy into FCF
• Earn the Leader’s Medal of Achievement.

Both Leaders and Boys
After earning the additional three required merits and completing the Buckskin study program, submit your application for advancement for Buckskin to the district FCF office. For an application, email Ron “Pure Heart” Goodnow. Once you have returned the completed application to me, I will then send you the Buckskin workbook to complete. After successfully completing the Buckskin testing you will be awarded your Buckskin pin.

Ron “Pureheart” Goodnow
FCF Buckskin Rep

It’s a family who’s always there for you. It is a place to meet new and interesting people. It is a tool to witness to others. It has even allowed me to be a witness to my Father and bring him back to the Lord. FCF has had a massive impact on my life and the life of my family. FCF has given me more opportunities than I ever dreamed of. It has helped me to grow not only in my spiritual life but as a leader in my church and in my school. FCF is one of the most fun and exciting things to do in Rangers It is not because of the hawk and knife throwing or the good food. No! It is because of the fellowship of being with good friends who you care about and who care about you in return.

Every week is better and better because I know I’m one week closer to the next FCF event. Hopefully I’ll see you there.

Harlan “Light Hammer” Dixon
District FCF Scout

Following the evening service, we held our annual business meeting. Before he got started, he introduced out special guest, Bill “Shoots Straight” Stuckey, our territorial representative. Bill talked about our 2009 Territorial Rendezvous. We are going to be joining together with the Mountainmen Territory for a combined rendezvous. He also presented the Regional Outstanding Service Award to David Trower for his years of service for Ranger of the Year at the regional level. During the meeting, Art “Flintlock” Sullivan talked about the different items that FCF has purchased or acquired throughout the last year. The chapter purchased 10 long bows and the archery accessories. We acquired a teepee for the chapter and bartered for a marquee. We also purchased a Young Buck’s forge. Following a discussion on what our dues helped purchase, Art introduced the entire district FCF staff and discussed upcoming events. FCF members are encouraged to attend the district Pow Wow Work Day on March 28. As a result of the barter, we have a Trapper’s Brigade work day at Mark Wood’s house to get it painted and fixed up on April 18. Then FCF members are encouraged to help make a large FCF village at District Pow Wow, April 24-26.

Throughout the day, Young Bucks and Old Timers were able to compete in different FCF skills including knife and hawk, archery, blackpowder, and flint and steel. The winners of each competition walked away with a prize that had been donated by the FCF staff. There was also an Overall Young Buck and an Overall Old Timer that walked away with a prize. Here are the results.

On Sunday, we joined with the congregation of That Church in Corsicana for their Sunday morning service. After a great time in praise and worship, where the Lord moved, Pastor Mike Howell brought forth a great message. Following the morning service, That Church in Corsicana had a spaghetti dinner as a fundraiser for BGMC. A majority of FCF members stayed and purchased a ticket for the BGMC fundraiser. That concluded a great Brush Poppin’. If you didn’t make it you missed a great camp.

After the morning devotion, was a time of announcements during which, Art Sullivan made a couple of presentations. His first presentation was a blackpowder rifle and a box of other items. He presented these items to the Harrup boys out of Killeen. He has admired this group of boys that despite their circumstances and trials that have come their way, they have made the best out of their situation. The other presentation was to Gary “Wild Wind” Bierschwale for his many years of service to the Shawnee Trail as president. Gary “Wild Wind” Bierschwale was presented with a life time membership in FCF here in the Shawnee Trail.

Throughout the morning, I talked with different FCF members that have been in FCF for many years and I asked them, “What does FCF mean to you?” Here is what some of them had to say.

Sammy “Longhorn” Kellum talked about the mentorship of men and boys that he has been able to do through FCF. He talked about how you become bonded in times of prayer and need with your fellow brothers in FCF. When your are in that time of need, it is FCF members who you want to call upon. He has seen God work in miraculous ways through prayer and fulfillment of needs by FCF members. FCF is what keeps Royal Ranges going. Boys are able to learn by example through FCF by following and being mentored by men in FCF.

Art “Flintlock” Sullivan said that FCF is a tool. It is for mentoring young boys into young men. He also talked about servanthood one to another. He stressed how FCF should be a mentorship of boys into godly young men. Mentorship is an action, not just words or reading about it, it requires action on your part to consciously mentor young boys into young men.

Jeff “Sky Watcher” Kersey states that FCF is about the fellowship and helping your fellow men. It is about doing what you can for your brothers doing what you can. It is the fellowship of the brotherhood. FCF is also about being there for each other during their time of need. He talks about how FCF was there for him and his family during their time of need.

Harlan “Light Hammer” Dixon talks about how FCF is a place to get away from home and the stresses of life. He also mentioned the fellowship that he has with friends and good men. And as he says, the food isn’t bad either.

Rick “Moving Waters” Beebe likes how there is a lot of food since FCF has the best cooks. He talks about how FCF has the finest Christian men. They are also the best prayer partners and provide great fellowship.

Bill “Shoots Straight” Stuckey talks about how FCF is about servanthood and brotherhood along with fellowship with friends. FCF provides service to Royal Rangers and allows a time to try what out forefathers did. It provides a time and opportunity to get rejuvenated and refresh in the Spirit of God. Most of the men that you can count on are in FCF.

Jonathan “Big Foot” Trower talks about how the draw for him to FCF was the fellowship. It allowed him to fellowship with older men and it helped keep him interested and involved in Royal Rangers during his teenage years. He believes that the key to FCF today is still fellowship.