My wife, Heidi, and I have enjoyed this season of life as much as any we have lived.  The empty-nest years are not bad at all, especially when your granddaughter comes to town.  Last weekend, our oldest son and his family visited our home. We love it when they come and when they bring our granddaughter, Kennady, it’s even more special.  We decided to take the family fishing to a family friends’ pond. We had such a great time but also witnessed the worst case of fishing we have ever seen.

We baited Kennady’s hook with a juicy and luscious worm.  She was a little disgusted as I pulled the worm up out of the dirt it came in. She closed her eyes as I carefully ran the hook through the slimy body of the worm.  Once it was securely attached to the hook, Kennady opened her eyes and screamed with excitement. “Throw it in the water, Pops,” she said. I took her “Snoopy-Type” little pole and tossed her line gently out into the water.  I gave her the pole, and she began to violently raise her pole up and down. The bobber would come flying up out of the water each time with only the worm in the water. “Kennady,” I tenderly said. “you can’t keep bringing your line out of the water.  Let Pops put it back in the water. Now be patient. Let it sit there and watch.” I think she would have rather watch paint dry than to see if the bobber would sink. Once again, she grabbed her pole and began to raise it up and down like a seasoned fly fisher.  She was officially the worst fisherman I had ever seen. There was zero chance she would catch a fish; until she did. In fact, with the worst technique I had ever seen, our dear Kennady caught three fish. I think it may have been a miracle of God, but it was three fish, nonetheless. She was so bad, her initial response when the bobber sank, was to drop her pole on the ground.

I’ve thought about Kennady’s fishing exploits and quickly realized that there are some good lessons for you and me on evangelism.

1.       You can’t catch fish if you never go fishing.  She may be the worst fisherman in the world, but you know what, she caught three fish on Saturday. How many fish did you catch this week? 
2.       Even bad fishermen will catch fish every now and then.  If a bad fisherman will cast a line enough, or fish in a well-stocked private pond, even they will catch fish every now and then.
3.       Catching fish is sure fun.  It’s hard to explain the joy Kennady had on Saturday.  She smiled, laughed, giggled, and slept very well on her way home to Topeka.  It was a very good day.

God has given the task of catching people (Luke 5:10) to you and me.  Often, we feel very inadequate for this task. My challenge to you, throw your line in the water.  You will never lead someone to Christ if you never try. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you will be able to see the transformation occur before your eyes.  Leading someone to Christ is fun! Most of us never get to enjoy the thrill of leading someone to the Lord because we never throw our line into the lake. God has stocked our “pond” with a lot of people. Go fish!

We have encouraged our church to participate in “Who’s Your One?” campaign of the North American Mission Board. This Saturday, September 21, we are going to have specialized training to help you build bridges to reach your “one” with the gospel.  Make plans today to join us Saturday at 8:30 am. Also, on Sunday, Chicken Missionary, Jim Adkins will be with us to preach a very evangelistic message. It would be the perfect time to invite your “one.” Get to fishing. You’ll never catch a fish if you never fish and you will never have the joy of leading someone to faith in you never throw your line in the water. 

 

 

This morning I read the small but profoundly powerful Book of Lamentations.  This short book is filled with brokenness, heartache, tears, mourning, and deep sorrow.  It doesn’t take long to realize it is speaking about life. Every one of us has gone through difficult and heart-wrenching times.  Today is the anniversary of my dad’s death, and I still feel the pain and loss at his passing. But great is God’s faithfulness. His faithful love is great, and His mercy will never end. 

Jerusalem lay in ruin.  God’s people are starving, cannibalizing one another and wondering where their God is during the pain.  The enemy has laid siege upon the city and the people’s despair and brokenness are palatable in every word. However, God is not done with Jerusalem.  Tucked in the middle part of this solemn book is a wonderful promise: The lovingkindness of God will never cease; His compassion will never fail because His faithfulness is great.  I’ve come to realize it is only in the juxtaposition of life’s heartache and God’s mercy that we see His faithfulness. It is only as we gaze in the mirror of our sinfulness that we can realize that his mercy never fails and they are new every morning. 

The winds of suffering and pain often crash upon our lives.  It is difficult to see God during our heartache and grief. When you are unable to see God or understand His ways, trust in Him, anchor your heart to His faithfulness.  Believe deep in your soul that the Lord is your portion and He is enough and you will find this hope in Him will be sufficient. Don’t expect God to make things “right” today; fathers die of cancer and that can’t be resolved this side of heaven.  Give Him eternity to settle things. Put your hope in Him today, and He will prove Himself faithful today, tomorrow, and every day. I sure miss my dad. But the joy of the Lord is my strength. God is good, He is faithful, He is able, and I have no doubt, He will! 

 

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning new mercies I see

And all I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Lord unto me