Welcome to the Outdoorsman Apologist (“OA”)!  My name is Brandon Smith.  In a way, OA is a culmination of my personality and God’s workings in my life.  Born in Alaska to U.S. Air Force parents, I grew up on a hobby farm in central Minnesota.  One of God’s early providential dealings with me was the intersection of my family’s move back to Minnesota when I was 5 years old and my Grandpa’s retirement.  An avid outdoorsman with a lot of time suddenly on his hands, he quickly swept me up into the world of hunting, fishing, and camping.  I was hooked.  Spending time outdoors quickly became a central part of my life. 

What did not become central to me was the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Having intellectually assented to many of the facts of Christianity since I was a young boy, I loved other things – the outdoors, sports, even my sin – much more.  Consequently, I was a knowledgeable unbeliever “dead in my trespasses and sins, following the course of this world” (Eph. 2:1). But at about 21 years of age God rescued me and “made [me] alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:5).  My life was so radically changed that people immediately wondered what had happened to me!

Although God certainly “made me new” (2 Cor. 5:17) I still retained a passion for the outdoors.  Only now it was rightly ordered below God in my affections (well, most of the time).  Instead of being something I loved more than God, the outdoors became a conduit to greater worship and enjoyment of Him. Worshipping the Creator over the creation is a much better way to live!  (Rom. 1).  

After college I joined full-time with a campus ministry -- sharing the gospel of Christ and discipling young men in the faith.  Occasionally I would take them on some kind of outdoor retreat and cook up one of my favorite recipes:  Get away + Outdoor adventure + Biblical content.  The results have been amazing.  So much so, that I keep doing it!

After fifteen years of talking about the gospel and the Christian worldview with men and boys in the outdoors I sensed the Lord’s leading to start a personal ministry - Bluestem Ministries, to which The Outdoorsman Apologist now belongs. This move has accelerated my ability to minister more effectively in this outdoor context.