The Purpose Driven Fisherman

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The Fisherman

I know I've written about my husband the Turkey Hunter...well, now I'd like to introduce you to my husband The Fisherman. Yes, they are one and the same. Now that turkey season has concluded in the state of South Carolina we can go back to normal living. I can sleep till 6:00 a.m. No more waking at 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. so he can be in the woods before the birds descend from the trees. You might ask, "why don't you just go back to sleep?" Well, that's like telling the sun not to come up in the east...and that's not gonna happen.

My "to do" list has gotten kind of long but his "catch up on trout fishin" plans have kinda trumped my "to do" list right outa the proverbial water. All joking aside, he's a good fisherman, I mean a REALLY good fisherman. He's got one fishing buddy that's been missing him during turkey season and I think they're making big plans so I may never get that list done.

You know if you're gonna catch any fish you have to go fishing. You have to prepare yourself, take the right bait and go to the best fishin' hole. Sometimes you put your line in and catch something right away and sometimes you have to be patient until just the right fish comes along. If the fish aren't biting you move along to another hole where they're a little more eager to take your bait. As my husband was just telling me, sometimes you have to change the bait. You have to figure out what will get their attention, what will get them to bite the hook. The idea is to catch fish, get them on the line, and reel them in.

Jesus taught is parables to a bunch of rugged fishermen. He taught them in stories they could understand. If we want to be fishers of men, women and children we have to be willing to prepare ourselves by becoming students of the Word, immersing ourselves in the knowledge of how to be better at our trade. We must use the right bait, and that can look differently depending on what kind of fish we're trying to catch. If it's a baby fish it might be a new playground that attracts young families that says, "we love children and we care about young families." Let's say we're trying to catch a college/career aged fish we might put a coffee shop in our new building where they can meet to socialize and study.

And finally, we have to go to where the people are. That may be across town to the homeless shelter or to the local women's shelter. It may be through the children, youth, or senior adult ministry or it may be across the world in another country. We have to put our line in the water and use our knowledge, skill, and bait, but it's up to the Lord to reel them in. He just wants a willing fisherman or woman.

So, my list is growing. Let's see, when is fishing season over? Oh no, there is no season on fishing!!!

And so it is in the Kingdom of God!

The season for being "fishers of men" is open 24/7, year round, no license is necessary except the one that gets you into the only Kingdom that matters.



Happy Fishing!
Cindy