Fishing the Spillway

My Dad was the best fisherman I ever knew. He could catch fish when no one else could, and I saw him do it several times. One of His favorite places to fish was at the bottom of the spillway at Clearwater Lake. There was a retaining wall that curved away from the spillway and made it impossible to get close to the water as it cascaded in a waterfall through the spillway. But if the angler was strong enough and clever enough there was a sweet spot where the biggest fish gathered at the bottom of the waterfall.

Dad figured out that the right amount of weight on the line would allow him to cast his hook the right distance to hit the sweet spot. Another problem was the large rocks on the bottom of the river that would catch the weights and cause you to lose your line, along with the fish.

One day he just started catching fish. People saw him catching fish and assumed the key was where he was standing. As people began to gather around Dad He would gather up his gear and walk around the spillway to the other side of the river. The people he left were still not catching fish. But they soon noticed that Dad, on the other side, was catching fish there too. Some decided that it was the fisherman, not the location, and moved on. Others tried to get Dad to tell them his secret. He told them it was the weights. But when they tried to add more weight they just lost their line and got mad at Dad.

It was the weights. It was also a little trick he left out when he talked about it. The reason he left that out was because it cost him a lot of hooks, line, and sinkers to find out how to catch those fish. If you wanted to know what he knew you would have to find out the same way he did. He would point any fisherman who wanted to know in the right direction. The rest would be up to you.

I saw a poster once that said, “If fishing was easy it would be called Catching.” A father can teach a child to fish but the child will not learn unless the father turns over the pole and allows him to learn the rest for himself. Father’s Day is a reminder of the direction, wisdom, and guidance our fathers give us.

Jesus called us to be fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19) If we follow Jesus then we will learn how to point people in His direction. The rest is up to them. We do the fishing and He does the catching, and the cleaning.

Happy Father’s Day

Bro. Robin

Prayer Walking

The road looked more like a wide path. It was wide enough for people, animals with carts, and bicycles. It wound through a village of huts made with mud bricks and covered with a roof of straw. The huts were separated from each other by gardens and fields of field corn and pea trees. At one point we had to cross a bridge that had so many gaps and holes we wondered how anyone crossed it safely. We were in Africa but we were not sight-seeing. We were Prayer Walking.

As we walked we prayed for the people in the huts we passed. We observed the yards for signs of children and other evidence that would guide our prayers. In between the huts the pastor would talk and give us useful information about the area and the people who lived there. Sometimes we talked to each other pointing out things that we could pray for concerning the people and the church we were helping on our mission trip.

The rest of the week we walked, prayed, and carried Bibles and Evangecubes, (a tool for sharing the gospel with pictures). We saw hundreds come to Christ. Salvation is the work of God. Evangelism is a combination of the work of the Holy Spirit through our prayers, preparation, and participation in sharing the Word of Christ.

“Prayer walking is intercession on location with information in cooperation against opposition for glorification.” (Prayer Walking: A Journey of Faith, by Dan R. Crawford and Calvin Miller) Another definition is: “Walking on-site with insight.”

We continued to use Prayer Walking in the Dominican Republic and Vancouver. Our Children’s Ministry and Youth have learned about missions through Prayer Walking.

We are beginning a new ministry of Prayer Walking on Sunday nights. This will be our Sunday night worship during the summer. Over the course of the summer we plan to walk every street and pray for every home and business in Gentry. We want to take what we have learned on the mission field abroad and put it into practice on the mission field at home.

James said, “…The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful.” (James 5:16b HCSB)

In a prayer meeting recently one of our prayer warriors prayed, “Lord, we need more people praying!” Come and join us. If you do not wish to walk there will also be a group praying in the church while others are walking. Prayer makes a difference in our lives and will make a difference in our church.

Bro. Robin

Macaroni Necklaces

My daughter was laughing as she handed me a cup that she had custom made just for me. She said, “Remember when we were kids and we gave you a macaroni necklace we made you in Bible School and even though you did not like it you wore it anyway, just because it was from us and given with love? Well, think of this cup as the adult version of the macaroni necklace.”

As I looked at the cup I saw that it had one of my favorite verses of scripture, surrounded by flowers and hearts. She explained that she told the person who made it for her that she wanted it for her Dad for Father’s Day. She told her the scripture she wanted on it and from those instructions she had a certain expectation. She certainly did not expect hearts and flowers and feminine looking artwork.

My daughter does not like confrontation and did not want to send the cup back but she gave the artist a less than perfect review. The artist quickly responded and wanted to know what was wrong and when she understood the problem asked for the cup back in order to make it right. 

I can’t wait to see what it will look like the next time I see it. Whatever it looks like I know I will love it because I love my daughter, the same reason I loved those macaroni necklaces.

The scripture on the mug is one of my favorites, Ecclesiastes 12:12b. “Of making of many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” I like this verse because I love to read but sometimes need to be reminded to get my nose out of the book and look around at life.

It is like a comic I saw that had two teenage boys meeting and one t-shirt read “Carpe Diem,” (Seize the Day), and the other read, “YOLO,” (You Only Live Once). The first boy said, “Same as yours only in Latin.”

Jesus was saying the same thing when He said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” He preceded that with the instruction, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33-34 ESV) When we get our priorities straight everything either falls in line or falls away.

There were several times when Jesus was surrounded by children. If macaroni was around in those days I am sure he would have gotten a necklace or two, or a card with macaroni letters, as I have. I am also sure that He would have loved them for it.

I wonder sometimes if some of the things we do for Jesus as adults are just like that, in adult versions. We offer our service out of love. Jesus receives our service and returns to us the same love. Sort of makes me feel glad to be His child.

Bro. Robin

Open Windows

A few years back we prayed to increase our mission effectiveness. The opportunity came for us to help the Hmong Church by giving them space to meet in our facility. They met with us for a year until they had nearly tripled in size, and were able to purchase their own building in Decatur. Our prayers were answered and the Lord opened a door for the gospel to the Hmong people.

As I thought about open doors I remembered a time when the church I pastored wanted to reach the Hispanic population in our community. We put together a van to take food and the gospel to the soccer fields. At first our ministry was appreciated. However, after a few weeks they stopped coming to our van and made it clear that our help was not wanted. We saw a door suddenly close.

Soon after this a couple joined our church.  The wife was deaf and the husband interpreted for her. We also had another family who had a deaf son. One day his mother told me that her son really enjoyed watching the older man interpret for his wife.  They began to sit together and the older man interpreted for both of them. In time the number of deaf people attending our church grew into a deaf Sunday School class, and then a deaf Church. God closed one door but opened another.

I have often heard it said that when God closes a door He opens a window. That statement confuses me. It has always been my experience that closed doors lead to other doors that God is opening for us.

When I search the scriptures for windows I found something interesting. There are times that God opens windows but not for us to go through. God opens windows to send us His blessings.

To the prophet Malachi God said, “’Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ says the Lord of Hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’” (Malachi 3:10, nkjv)

Doors are for opportunities for us. Windows are for blessings from God. Whether God opens or closes a door I look for a window, not as a way of escape, or as way to a new opportunity. I look for windows because I know God is looking for opportunities to bless me. He blesses me when I give, as He promised to Malachi. He also blesses me when I go through His open door.

Look for doors AND windows from God. He always has a plan and a blessing for us.

Bro. Robin

Overwhelming Joy

Growing up in Missouri one of my favorite winter traditions was sledding. We lived on the top of a hill and depending on the amount of snow we had several options. After a fresh snowfall the road from the top of the hill to the creek at the bottom became impassable for cars, and perfect for sleds. It was a long run, fast in places, with three big turns.

The last turn was the most difficult to make. If you made it that far you either crashed into brush on the outside of the turn or, if you were lucky enough to make the turn, you had to try to stop before you ended up in the creek.

The best part of the day was after sled traffic packed the snow and it became possible to sled from the top all the way to the bottom without crashing, flipping or slowing down. People from the whole neighborhood would spend the day on the hill to enjoy the fun while it lasted.

Its funny how I remember so clearly sledding down the hill but remember so little walking back up, dragging my sled. We actually spent a lot more time going up than down. But the joy of sledding down the hill, even though it passed so quickly, completely overshadowed the drudgery of walking back up. A little joy can completely compensate for a lot of difficulty.

Jesus talked about how sorrow can be turned to joy. He said, “When a woman is in labor she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world.” (John 16:21) He compared this joy to the joy His disciples will have when they see Him again.

We experienced this kind of joy first hand last December when we welcomed our new granddaughter, (Robyn Loriean Marsh), into this world. We were anxious for our daughter as she went into surgery. None of us wanted her to experience the pain we knew was coming. Later we saw her with her new baby in her arms. The pain was surpassed by overwhelming joy.

That is what Jesus does so often in our lives. He is able to take the pain that life dishes out and replace it with overwhelming joy. Jesus said, “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)

Joy to the world, the Lord has come.

Bro Robin