Rest and the Promise of More

No fishing this week by me but the walleye bite has been on at Monroe. 22” is small or at least that is what they are saying and I have seen pictures.

1 Chronicles 23:25 says, "The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever.

We need to take hold of this now. We hurry in everything that we do. John Eldridge (from this point forward on this blog he will be referred to as JE) says in Waking the Dead “Why is it that nearly every good thing, from taking the annual family vacation to planning a wedding, to cultivating a relationship, takes so much work?”. It is because we are at war with Satan and his minion he will not quit until Christ returns. We as Christians need to rest in the Lord knowing that the war is won and live life abundant, just like Jesus said in John 10:10. TAKE HOLD OF THIS PROMISE! Do not let go, live life to the fullest and don’t faint, quit or turn away the end is near but eternal life started the moment you got saved. And that being the case we can live high above all of the dark clouds swirling about us.

Offering and Communion Thoughts or How not to communicate with your Wife

Fishing Report: The river is down and the hatch is on. I would think a gnat pattern is good for the pumpkin seed and Dave's Hoppers or a streamer for the Smallmouth Bass.

Communion

An interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication, the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation Do you remember when you first spent time with your spouse, you would talk and talk? Go to dinner and it wasn’t about the food or the location but about the conversation. You wanted to know them and to share your thoughts and feelings with them. Time passes and you get married and have kids, a career and a mortgage not to mention life just happens. We don’t have time to talk any more with our spouse or if we do it is hurried and about the kids or how to deal with a broken shower. Life interrupts our relationship with the one that is most important to us here on earth. It is like a guy I knew that had been away on business for several days and when he got home he took his wife to dinner. On the way into the restaurant he grabbed a paper and proceeded to read it while they waited on their dinner. He didn’t mean to ignore her but he had gotten into a rut on the road and the headlines distracted him from the true purpose of the dinner, to communicate with his wife. Our time with Christ is the same. When we are first saved we read the word, we pray and we really get to know and talk to God. But life happens and we become preoccupied by all that is around us. As we prepare for this time of communion take time to filter out the distractions, the news of the day, what you’re having for lunch, I hope I get a nap in this afternoon, you know all the thoughts we have throughout the day. Talk to God, open up and let Him speak to you in the next few moments. Just like we can recapture the spark with our spouse by getting away for time together. We can start to recapture our relationship with Christ by putting away the clutter in our minds and talk to Him; share your failures and your fears and your thankfulness for His love for us, by sending His only Son to ransom us for our bondage of sin. Remember the sacrifice and triumph of the resurrection Offering Something offered in worship or devotion Do you remember a time when you gave a gift to someone you loved. A gift you saved for and put a lot of thought into. You know the kind of gift where every week you put $10 or $20 dollars right off the top into a hiding place until you had enough to go purchase the item. Genesis 4 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. God is a patient God and he waited on Cain to bring his offering it says right here in Genesis “in the course of time” but Abel, he brought the firstborn. Here’s the point he didn’t wait to see which one would win the fair or sell at the auction for the highest price to help pay the bills he said that is the best it goes to God and with what I have left and with God’s help I will have enough to make it work. We either fall into the Cain group; give what we have left or what we think we can afford to give. Or we are in the Abel group that says God here is your offering right off the top and I trust you to help me make what is left meet my needs.

Funnelcakes and Fatherhood

Fair Report in lieu of a Fishing Report this week: Champion, Reserve Champion, Honor Group and a fourth place. What a great week at the fair. Oh I almost forgot 1 sweet tea, an ear of corn and a funnel cake.

There is a song I have been listening to lately “What’s a Boy to Do” by Mat Kearney, it has made me think long and hard. It is the story of a boy whose dad does not love him at least not in a way that is affirming of who he is and in the end “It's all quiet for the first time With no voices left to fall I saw a boy at the bottom of the bridge His car was left there on the top It's four o'clock in the morning Didn't need to be like this There's a white sheet left to cover up What should have been a holy kiss”. THIS IS A CALL TO ARMS FOR YOU DADS LOVE YOUR BOYS, hug them and love on them they will be gone soon. Give them what they need to know they are loved and that they are growing into the kind of men that we like to be around. Don’t let this time go by, build something with them, connect with them, go and play ball, see the movie they want, let them catch the big one, show them how to throw a curve ball or shoot, be their Hero, the right kind of hero the hero you always wanted. You can always watch your TV or fish with the guys but one day you’ll want to fish with your boy and he’ll busy chasing his dreams and won’t have time. Show him how to love his wife by loving yours. Don’t play favorites, like this account from Genesis 25:27-29 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. We all know what happens in this story, betrayal and a broken relationship, our boys if given this environment will follow the path of Jacob and Esau, they will compete for love and favor. Love them in their own way. I have one son that loves skateboarding, not me I have trouble with skates and they are attached to my feet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t support his passion and guide him through his adventure. My other son thinks that Sci-Fi is the greatest thing in the world, sufficed to say, I watch a lot of fantasy movies about far away lands and galaxies. I love to fly fish so I encourage them to come with me but if they never learn to double haul cast that is ok, what my wife and I really want is our boys to grow into men that we can trust, respect and that will go through their lives walking with the Lord. Good luck being your son’s Hero.

Fair Time and being Fair

No Fishing Report this week. IT’S FAIR TIME

It is fair time here in our part of the country. We delivered the rabbits to the fair and got everything set up and ready to go for the show on Tuesday. Boy was it hot in the Barns today, 100 would be my guess, but I love the warmth. It is interesting to see all the kids interacting with the animals, seeing the parents just trying to control the chaos, but the most fun is seeing the kids experiencing some freedom wandering throughout the grounds. The smells are always great, there are of course some of the stinks that can only be found there and at the farm (a good farm kid can tell the difference between all of the stinks), then there are the sweet smells of elephant ears and sweet corn. My boys are learning some hard lessons this week; like taking their time and accepting help and not thinking “I can do it on my own”.

I think we as Christians are a lot like kids at Fair time. We think we are fine and can do it on our own but we get in a jam we turn to our Heavenly Father and ask for help. If we would have walked along side Him all along we would have been free of the problems of our own making. Jesus is clear that trouble will come John 16:33 says "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." But we need to take heart over and over again the promise that God is there for us is reiterated just like in Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,”. Just like we are there for our kids when they need us, God is there for us in the least of things to heartbreaking tragedies of life.

Check out some of my links there is some great stuff out there.

Marriage and Buying Redemption

There is a story in the Bible about a husband and wife. Hosea is where you can read about a husbands’ love for his wife chapter 3 does a beautiful job; Hosea's Reconciliation With His Wife

1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."

2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. 3 Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."

This is a great example of redemption in the midst of betrayal. Do you love your wife this much? Can you love her like Christ Loved us? Can you give up everything for Christ? I don’t know that I can, but I want to. I want to experience the freedom that comes from receiving and providing uncensored grace (I am stealing the phrase from a pastor in Las Vegas, Jud Wilhite). Definition of Uncensored Grace: We’ve all heard of grace, but uncensored grace is what you get from a loving God when all the religious types have gone home, and every last hope for your own effort has blown up in your face. Uncensored means that there is no formula or membership or performance that stands between you and God’s goodness. Uncensored means that as wide and deep and high as your mountain of personal ruin might get, God’s transforming grace through Jesus is always wider and deeper and higher.(also stolen) I hate the fact I grew up with the mentality that there are people you avoid or that even as a Christian that I need to be careful who I help, “It could be dangerous”, was a phrase I heard often.

My challenge to myself and you is to break free, run and follow the Holy Spirit, reach out and offer a hand, give it away, all of it, time, money, but most of all love and friendship. You don’t know who needs it and if we give it away the worse thing that can happen is that we will have nothing to show for the effort. But if, just if, that one person needs what we are giving away we could change a life for eternity.

Go and give it away!

Fishing Report: Try a Dave's Hopper up close to the bank about dark but a cricket pattern may work a bit better in the Midwest.

Oliver Twist and the Kingdom of God

Fishing Report: Good for the boys, bad for dad.

Man is it hot 93 and humidity that is like a thick wet towel. Man I love summer wouldn't have it any other way. I am so thankful for the air conditioning at night it really makes the heat that much more enjoyable because you know that you have a cool place to sleep.

I don't know where we are going this weekend it is supposed to be hot and humid and some storms. But I know where God is leading us. We are traveling down a road to a understanding of redemption of sorts. I am redeem but I am only beginning to learn what it truly means. The parables from Matthew 13 come to mind. It says the Kingdom of God is a great treasure and a man was willing to sell everything to gain this treasure. I realize that Jesus is making the point that the Kingdom is the greatest treasure you could receive and is worth everything. But, I wonder if we are willing to give everything up to experience the Kingdom in its fullness. When we take our kids somewhere and if we go the budget route the kids don’t get to see what all the bells and whistles are like, are we like that with our commitment to Christ and His Kingdom. Are we doing the budget plan with our Christian walk and only experiencing the base model of the Kingdom.

Then again, I think there is another way to look at this parable and I may be a bit off in my theology but it seems to me that God the Father was willing to give everything up to purchase us for the Kingdom. What a redemption, we were bought with a price so high and ransomed to experience the greatness of God. I often have wondered what it must be like to go from leading our life one day and wake up the next day to find we have been rescued from our humble existence and place into a world of wealth and privileged. I hope someday to know what that is like or maybe I can experience that through someone else.

We know someone that is adopting a little girl from the Horn of Africa. That little girl will go to bed one night alone in this world, alone in the worst part of this world and the next day will be whisked away, ransomed, bought with a price, a price that she may never understand the full gravity of, but then she will know a life that she could not even dreamed of, the very next day. The Bible is clear that we are joint heirs with Christ within the kingdom of God. Much like the little girl that is coming home to the states will be an heir to that family’s inheritance. Romans 8:17 says “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…” If we have that kind of identity than we should act like we belong to the family of God, the little girl coming to the States will make the transition to being part of a family and being an American, she will no longer be a citizen of her home country nor will she be an orphan any longer.

We need to get over the excuses of I act this way because my dad… or my family used to…. It is time that we made a change and acted like we belong to the King and that we have our identity at our heavenly home. Not some identification with a brand name or a sport’s franchise but with Christ our co-heir. Wow, what a difference that would make if we would be able to show grace to those around us, like has been shown by the Father. We are Oliver Twist in many ways and we need to stand up and act like who we are. Because one day it will be revealed who we are, just like Oliver Twist we are heirs to great riches but we live like poor thieves.

Saturday mornings are one of the best times of the weeks. This morning it rained 2.5 inches in about 90 minutes, so I guess that mowing and fishing are out. The kids are slowing arising from slumber, making their way into the living room sleepy-eyed and looking a little wiped out. We had a late night at a birthday party. They seemed to enjoy themselves no matter where we take them. I wish as an adult I had the same attitude and thought of everything as a new experience. I believe as we age we become more and more callused to the world and only want to do what we deem to be fun or profitable, never taking in to account that we may we enjoy something if we give it a chance. I think it is the same principle with people. There are people that we don’t want to spend time with maybe it is because we want to go do something else, maybe we don’t agree with their life style and the choices they have made, or maybe we just don’t want to take the time.

My wife has been reading a book about loving like Christ. Christ never didn’t make time for people, all people not just His friends and people He wanted to hang out but with the people we as modern-day Christian tend to shy away from. Matthew 5 says this: 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I don’t think of the enemies in this passage as people who hate me but as people I don’t care to be around because they irritate me or I know they believe differently than I. Maybe I am their enemy because I am not reaching out to them. It is quite clear that Christ is saying get up off your hind end and make an effort we don’t have to nor are we commanded to lead people to Christ but we are command to love people and show them Christ. It is up to them to choose to follow Christ. I am a Calvinist and believe that God has already chose who will come to Him, that being said we do not know and we need to give everyone the opportunity to hear “The Message”.

Now then to the fishing report: 2 rather large bluegill and had a large 4# + largemouth break off. Rough time with the bucket mouth but what fun with the 6 weight. I need to start tying my own flies, I now see the need to “match the hatch”, plus I need a lot more sizes.

Next post I am going to tackle the issue of “Communicating with your Spouse”. I should be able to address that topic in about 2-3 short sentences or maybe 2 or 3 volumes of encyclopedias. Have a great weekend.

Self Controll and a Good Walk

What a time my family and I had hiking in western Indiana. Pine Hill Nature Preserve does prove that Indiana has topography. It is a must see if you are passing through, it is not the Grand Canyon or the Grand Tetons, but it is quite beautiful for the Midwest. I was reminded of the glory and beauty God has created for us to enjoy. It brings to mind Psalms 96:6 "Splendor and Majesty are before Him, Strength and Beauty are in His sanctuary." God has granted us beauty and splendor in nature and it is a reflection of Him and the grace He has imparted to us. Many times as we wandered the backbone ridges and narrow canyons, I realized that God's greatness was far more vast than I could comprehend. Seeing my children excited about creation was great. They were inspired by the fossils they found laying along the streams and by the brilliant colors of the fungi that grew along the path.

Traveling with the crew can be a test of your self control as well. We have a smallish crossover and it is a bit cramped but with gas more than $4/gallon it make sense to be a good steward and be a little closer than the kids like. Self control is such a tenuous practice you have it one minute and the next it is out the window and you look like a crazed parent to passersby. I have been studying on the sin we pass down to our children and if we lack self-control guess what, they will be just like us. Luke 17 says this "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come." I hated to hear this the other day because I realized that it was me that was bringing the bad example of sin into there lives. Titus 2:11 & 12 teach us to say NO to ungodliness and live with self-control in this age. There you have it lack of self-control is ungodly and it is common in this age. So we are to practice self-control with our kids and spouse but how? We are good at keeping calm at work on a daily basis, but why not at home. I believe we want peace and calmness at home and when things go "wrong" we lash out at the ones we care for the most, not because we are blaming them but because we have not learned to release our frustration about our daily lives in a way that "Protects" our family.

That brings me to my final thought. Fly-fishing, time alone with your kids and quality alone time with your wife are the keys (at least for me). Make sure that your screen time is limited in the evening is what I have learned (that doesn't mean I always follow this rule), think of all of the unedifying things we read on the web and see on the news not to mention the so called entertainment on the television. I have read in the Word that all things are allowable (lawful) but not all things are profitable or edifying (build up, establish or strengthen a person). So have an edifying evening and if you have time spend the evening with out the box and with the family.