My Soul Longs for the Wilderness

Episode 172: Another Lesson from a Deer Stand — Adapt and Overcome I thought the buck had expired. As I reached for his rack, the deer suddenly jumped up and kicked like a mule, its hooves passing only inches from my face. Sometimes the lesson comes a little closer than you’d like. In this episode of Unleashed, outdoorsman and speaker Brent Henderson takes you by pontoon boat, canoe, and on foot into the deer woods of Ohio and Missouri—where broadheads failed, bucks had other plans, and a little creativity saved the hunt. There’s adventure, humor, and a lesson that reaches far beyond hunting: what do you do when the plan falls apart? Because it happens outside the woods, too. Someone you love lets you down. Disappointment wears you out. Life takes a turn you never saw coming—and you have to decide how to respond. Through honest personal experience and biblical encouragement, Brent explores adapting and overcoming, finding strength in brotherhood, and trusting God through hard times. Like tension on a bowstring, the pressure you’re facing can become part of what moves you forward. Whether you’re a deer hunter who loves a good story or someone looking for hope in a difficult season, this episode will challenge you to face the unexpected with faith and take your next step. Your circumstances matter. So does what you choose to do next.

There’s nothing quite like walking to your tree stand in the dark on a morning you’ve waited for all year. Every step matters. Every sound gets your attention. You settle in, bow ready, wondering what might step out as the rising sun slowly reveals the woods around you. This week on Unleashed, Brent Henderson returns to the Indiana woods for his first hunt back since heart surgery. A bow mishap nearly ends the trip before it starts, an owl gets a little too close for comfort, and a quiet morning eighteen feet up gives him something he’ll need when life hits back the following day. In Episode 171, “Lessons from a Tree Stand: Where Are Your Roots Planted?” Brent shares the anticipation, humor, and gratitude of getting back into the stand, along with a lesson that followed him home. Just as daylight reveals what we couldn’t see in the woods, God can reveal His presence and truth in our darkest moments when we seek Him. Whether you’re listening on the drive to deer camp or wishing you were in the woods, join Brent for a conversation about what holds us steady when disappointment knocks the wind out of us. Scripture: Jeremiah 17:7–8; Luke 6:43–45

Episode 170: Searching for Jesus: What If He Is Who He Says He Is? Some intriguing recent findings are drawing fresh attention to Jesus and the biblical accounts. Could they strengthen the case for Christianity and the historical reliability of Scripture? Brent explores these questions alongside personal stories, honest curiosity, and a deer-season comparison hunters will recognize: When evidence points to something we’ve been searching for, we decide whether to pursue it. What if Jesus really is who He says He is? That deserves a closer look. And if it’s true, the question becomes more than whether we find Him interesting: What are we going to do with Jesus? A conversation about searching honestly, examining what we believe, and the choice that comes with what we discover. Listen with your questions. Share it with someone who’s searching.

What if the biggest thing standing between you and your God-given purpose isn't a lack of preparation—but your unwillingness to take the first step? Too many men spend their lives getting ready. They read the books, attend the conferences, make the plans, and wait for the perfect moment. But preparation without action can become another way of avoiding the life God created them to live. In this episode of the Unleashed Podcast, Brent Henderson explores the extraordinary power of taking action through the illustration of the first domino. One small move can trigger something far greater than you ever imagined—but nothing happens until you knock that first domino over. Drawing from his experiences in the outdoors, his work coaching men, and biblical teaching, Brent challenges you to examine your priorities, confront the excuses keeping you stuck, and stop confusing information with transformation. You'll discover why knowing your purpose isn't enough, how to identify what matters most, and why faith requires more than good intentions. Are you spending your life preparing to live it? It's time to stop waiting, take the first step, and start living with purpose. READY. AIM. FIRE! Learn more about Brent Henderson, his books, and Unleashed Plus at https://unleashed.men.

Episode 168: Carry It Forward — Your Story Was Never Meant to End With You Your story matters—but it was never meant to end with you. In this episode of the Unleashed Podcast, Brent Henderson challenges men to recognize the story God has been writing through their lives, discover their purpose and identity in Christ, and carry their faith, wisdom, and legacy forward to the next generation. After speaking at a sportsman’s banquet, Brent realized the most meaningful part of the night wasn’t the laughter, the tears, or the applause. It was what happened afterward. Men stayed to share their struggles, their faith, their search for purpose, and what God was stirring in their hearts. Brent traces the men who helped shape his own story—from watching Wild Kingdom as a boy and meeting legendary bowhunter Fred Bear, to meeting his longtime friend Wade Nolan in Alaska in 1984. Years later, Brent can see how those men influenced his life without God ever calling him to become a copy of them. Using Ephesians 2:10, Brent reminds listeners that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works He prepared in advance for us. Your greatest success doesn’t define you. Your greatest failure doesn’t define you. Jesus does. Brent also shares the deeply personal legacy he hopes to leave his son: a sword his son gave him that Brent wants placed in his casket someday—but removed before the casket closes and handed back to his son with one charge: Carry it well. And carry it forward. This episode is a challenge to fathers, sons, hunters, outdoorsmen, leaders, and men searching for purpose: stop comparing your story to someone else’s. Get alone with God. Write down your story. Find His fingerprints in the victories, failures, wounds, relationships, and redemption—and then ask who needs what God has taught you. Because an inheritance is something you leave for someone. A legacy is something you leave in someone.