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...
by MS Christian Living | Sep 27, 2024 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates We have a new puppy coming. As fun as that will be for us as a family, there is a whole additional element when it is a working dog. In watching the breeder as he takes other retrievers through training, it has reminded me of that same progression that...
by MS Christian Living | Aug 1, 2024 | Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates We were building a gazebo in July in Mississippi. The heat was oppressive, and it was a cloudless weekend without a wisp of wind. In those conditions, just standing outside can be draining, but we were constructing a slab with no shade while working...
by MS Christian Living | Jun 1, 2024 | Columns, Inspiration, Outside In
By Chris Bates Amazingly, they escaped unscathed, but both of them could have easily been killed. My brother Scott and our friend Brian encountered the power of a swollen river firsthand. The Bitterroot River, nestled in a high valley of Montana, is breathtaking,...
