Though many years apart, James Hampton learned similar lessons about God, first through a cancer battle and later when he harvested a 150-inch buck on a hunting trip.
James and his twin brother Chad, now both pastors, grew up in a Christian home and were early followers of Jesus — and quick studies in the deer stand, too. As kids, hunting was a hobby that quickly blossomed into something more, and ultimately became the vehicle for their evangelistic mission today.
“During my wife’s cancer battle, God really spoke to both of us through that battle,” James said during a recent appearance on CBN’s “Faith in Culture” podcast, noting he and his wife were particularly drawn to James 1:2-3, where it’s written, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (NLT).
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He continued, “That’s what God does through the waiting, through the trials, through the hard times, and definitely through the cancer battle that my wife went through. He really created perseverance in us, and it’s the same way in hunting.”
At first, that may seem like a peculiar connection — particularly to people who have never hunted.
But, as James said, “there’s a lot of waiting involved in hunting.” The same is true, at times, of waiting for God’s answers to prayer.
The preacher explained he put in more than 100 hours of waiting in the tree stand and, once the timing lined up just right, it was only a matter of seconds — 10, to be exact — before it was all over: he and Chad finally nabbed a 150-inch buck.
“It’s the same way on our hunt for God,” said James. “There’s so much waiting and patience and perseverance.”
As guys with a knack for hunting, they feel naturally at home using sportsman’s language to understand their faith. In fact, their organization, Huntin’ the Truth Ministries, was born out of that correlation.
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Reprinted with permission from faithwire.com. Copyright © 2026 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
