by MS Christian Living | Apr 30, 2021 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES Living your purpose Peddling a road bike 500 miles over a six-day period had never been on my list of aspirations. When my friend, mentor and rector, Christopher, asked if I wanted to join their training group from our church and take...
by MS Christian Living | Mar 1, 2021 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES It was January 2018, and the Mississippi Delta was almost completely frozen. Only the deep, slow-moving rivers were not fully iced over, plus a few sparse flooded areas where the ducks and geese were crowding together to keep the water open....
by MS Christian Living | Dec 31, 2020 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES Above the treeline Being above the treeline is an amazing experience. I have had the fortunate opportunity to do so many times, and the feeling is always similar. From the Cerro Negro volcano in Nicaragua to Pike’s Peak and Pearl Pass...
by MS Christian Living | Oct 31, 2020 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES Faith is simple? Each spring and fall when my daughter was younger, she and I would go to camp at a different state park for a few days. It was always a great escape and memorable time for just the two of us. We would rent a rustic cabin or...
by MS Christian Living | Aug 31, 2020 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES The sum of moments There were memorable sets of moments on that July day, standing beside the Bitterroot River in western Montana. Despite being early summer, the upstream breeze made it comfortable. We had been fly fishing on this river...
by MS Christian Living | Jun 28, 2020 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By CHRIS BATES A choice to connect It is impossible to overstate the majesty of the Alaskan wilderness. It was mid-August, and we were fly fishing for silver salmon near the borders of Wood-Tikchik State Park. It is the largest and...
