by MS Christian Living | Nov 1, 2025 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates Outside: In early fall several years ago, I spent a cool, clear, high mountain day trout fishing alone along Colorado’s Taylor River at about 8,000 feet elevation. I slowly worked my way wading upriver, pausing at each turn and eddy area to run my flies...
by MS Christian Living | Aug 1, 2025 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates Outside: A few years ago, my daughter and I joined a mission group near San Cristobal, Nicaragua. We expected an adventure filled with service opportunities, but the real lessons came from unexpected places. The focus was to help dig water lines for...
by MS Christian Living | May 30, 2025 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates One of the most memorable nights of my youth happened alone on the side of a mountain. I was a teenager at a summer camp in North Carolina and was preparing to complete the final test in a multi-summer journey to earn the rank of “Little Chief.” The...
by MS Christian Living | Apr 4, 2025 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris and Stacy Bates Often, the best thing about travel is immersing in scenes and terrain that are new and different. Individually or together, over the years we have explored the Rockies, Smokies, West Coast mountains, Tetons, Montana mountainscapes, and many of...
by MS Christian Living | Feb 1, 2025 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates We set out early on a beautiful clear fall morning to explore Gunnison National Park in western Colorado, excited about fly fish on the Taylor River. Our group of five decided to split up, each choosing different sections of the river. I opted for a...
by MS Christian Living | Nov 30, 2024 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates There is nothing like a painted dawn in the Mississippi Delta. On a recent hunting trip, I arrived just before sunrise and took in the quiet solitude as I sat against a large oak. Stars stretched across the sky in ways that we cannot see when under city...
