People come and go in our lives. Sometimes we immediately sense their importance; other times it takes a longer view to value their influence. The latter is the case with my mentor of the high country.

In a “past life” (the 1980s) I lived in the Deep South. Even though I went to college in Knoxville, Tennessee I discovered the “true” South when I moved to the small hamlet of Brookhaven, Mississippi. There I served as pastor of a local congregation. It was there that I met Bruce Brady. He was an outdoorsman extraordinaire and over the course of the next four-years mentored me in the ways of wily white tail deer and wild turkeys. However, what impressed me most was how he was a true twentieth century Renaissance man!

An attorney by education from the University of Mississippi, he translated his love for the outdoors, hunting and fishing into a writing career as a freelance writer. For a period of thirty years he wrote as Contributing Editor, Field Editor and Editor-at-Large for Outdoor Life Magazine. In 1990 he produced an anthology of his best writing in his book, Game Trails. My autographed copy reads, “For my good friend, John Lacey, hunter, sportsman and Christian brother with whom I have enjoyed happy times in ‘Big Woods.’ James 4:8 Carpe Diem! God bless, Bruce Brady ’90.” Not only is this one of the most cherished volumes in my library, it has provided me inspiration to also produce an anthology of my own writing.

The story of Bruce’s influence could end there, but it doesn’t. Two years before I met him Bruce took up bronze sculpting using the lost wax process. Suddenly the Eminent Outdoor Writer became the Eminent Sculptor. In his own words, "All of my life I have been fascinated by the grace and beauty of wild creatures. As a sculptor I feel a great responsibility to convey this grace and beauty as truly as I am able. The physical likeness is not enough…the spirit of the creature must also be revealed. It is my hope that through my sculptures I might be able to preserve for posterity some of the wildlife and personalities that were a part of our lives in the twentieth century." Over the next six years thirty of his editions were fired in Sante Fe, new Mexico before being placed in some of America’s finest galleries and personal collections including President Ronald Reagan and Senator Bob Dole.

Seemingly, the influential voice of this true southern gentleman was silenced when he passed away from cancer in early 2000. But again Bruce Brady found a way to influence new generations to seek out the big woods and the high mountains. He shared the dream with his family of creating the Catch-A-Dream foundation that grants once-in-a-lifetime hunting and fishing experiences to children 18 years old or younger who have a life-threatening illness. The family fulfilled his wish and Catch-A-Dream has touched over 200 families to date granting outdoor adventures for children from 43 states.

When battling cancer, Bruce Brady, noted outdoorsman, author and sculptor drew strength and hope from his beloved outdoor experiences and from God’s words of hope:

“but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.”

(Isaiah 40:31, NRSV)

The Catch-a-Dream website notes:

“It is this very message of hope, as promised in Isaiah 40:31, that we seek to instill in these children and their families. We use hunting and fishing as opportune tools to expose them to the “..wonders of God...” that await them in “The High Country,” as they spend time in the outdoors, away from the bleak and sterile world of medical facilities, treatments, and hospital gowns, but in the presence of The Creator who is the Author of real hope.

While I was on vacation in the high country of Montana and Wyoming earlier this month my thoughts returned to Bruce Brady’s influence on my life. In this blog his influence reaches from the other side of this life back to you. As you consider Bruce’s legacy let his words beckon you to the high country:

The High Country

Have you ever wanted to go out there,
Where you’ve never been before,
And stalk and elk on a mountaintop
Almost at Heaven’s door?

Have you ever wanted to see the sun
Turn a snow-capped peak to gold,
And then with a sky full of color,
Bring on the evening’s cold?

Have you ever wanted to scale a peak
Far above the aspen and pine,
And see the world splashed in autumn
Way down at the timberline?

Have you ever wanted to breath the air,
Full of the sweetness the angels know,
And to rest up above man’s cities,
Full of toil and trouble far below?

Have you ever wanted to speak with God
And to know that your heart was right,
And to marvel at his handiwork
When the stars tumbled out at night?

Have you ever wanted to test yourself
In a land that’s hard and tough,
And to fight ol’ nature’s hardships
To find out if you’re really tough?

If you ever want to go up there,
Now’s the time to go, don’t you wait,
Our life has a way of slipping by
And before you know it, you’re too late.

There’s a high country that awaits your coming;
There’s awesome beauty to fill you with bliss;
There’s a golden chance in the offering–
Go, or these wonders of God you will miss.

Bruce Holmes Brady (1934-2000)

I encourage you not to miss these wonders of God in the high country.

Stay tuned,

John