Fish Net Casting

There is a Parable in the Bible about casting a fishing net. The meaning of Parables can be challenging even for those with ears to hear. As a minister, pastor, speaker, teacher, often the challenge is to get folks to listen and be engaged. If an individual has a hearing difficulty it is easy to understand why they might not always hear everything being said. Whereas, if one has ears the perception is that there are no hinderances. The Bible often encourages those with ears to hear so this makes sense right? I have never been much of one for fishing. I just don't have the patience to sit there and wait for a bite. On the other hand I have been fishing enough to know that just because you are going bass fishing doesn't mean you won't catch some other type of fish. The fact of the matter is when it comes to casting our nets for fishing often times we will pull things in that have nothing at all to do with fishing. Have you ever gone fishing to only reel in a tree branch? There could be a book written about those experiences not to mention all the times our line was just hung up and after pulling, casting, jerking, we just decided to cut the line and cut our losses. As Christians who are suppose to be casting our nets because we are fishers of men. The option for us to accept the attitude of defeat and surrender by cutting our losses is not one of our options. In every protestant denomination that I am aware of, the yearly reports of professions of faith, baptisms, and church membership continues to decline. There are lots of reasons denominational leadership will provides to explain the lowering numbers year after year. My personal observation is that while denominations are declining in memberships and individuals identifying themselves with particular faiths continues to decline there are ministries where their numbers are growing. One of the keys to this growth in particular churches is that for the most part, these churches and ministries are not focused on the numbers. The focus is on people, not numbers. There is nothing wrong with counting those in attendance, or maintaining a membership role. The disconnection for most church is in the practice of the Parable regarding casting our nets. The next disconnection is not liking what we are discovering in our nets! In the Parable of casting a fishing net Jesus was reminding us that when one goes fishing we should be prepared to see all kinds of things in our nets, including things we have no intentions of catching. As a Christian and follower of Jesus we cannot become discouraged by the things of life and give up on our task, duty and responsibility to cast our nets. Even in the harvest activities of life there is much work to do. Christians must become vigilant in all things relating to casting our nets. We must be aware of rips and tears in our nets that require maintenance. We must keep an eye on the weather reports so we don't get caught up in a storm unprepared. We must also listen to what others are sharing about locations and techniques they use to help them become successful in fishing. All the while, the biggest key is to keep on casting our nets. As Christians we have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others because we are active in the practice of casting our nets. The real opportunity of the harvest is not knowing what we are going to catch but rather that we just keep casting our nets. The final practice of our faith with respect to casting our fishing nets is our faith that Jesus is the perfect person to do the sorting when we pull in our nets. Don't become distracted by difficulties or the catch. Rather be encouraged that if we do our part, Jesus will absolutely do His. Happy Net Casting! Until then

The Controversy over Jesus Christ

What was controversy over Jesus really about? Why did his critics want Him put to death and lead the people to cry out for his crucifixion? If we are totally objective about the situation Jesus found himself facing, we need to create a list for those that were confused but didn't necessarily want to see Him put to death. The list of confused would include the disciples too. Their confusion was about the Kingdom, people and even defining the reason why Jesus came. Yes, they had heard of the coming Messiah but putting all the pieces together was a new discovery and a learning curve against all the tradition they had heard of or been taught by the Scribes and Pharisees. Jesus presented new ideas of salvation to the disciples, followers and those that were just observers of his ministry. Jesus was not actually presenting new ideas. The prediction of the coming Messiah was ancient and as old as the earth herself. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy. Jesus was the answer the world had long waited for but Jesus would also be the answer rejected then and that fact continues to remain true today. He was rejected why? For loving people-Yes. For forgiving people-Yes. For teaching truth-Yes. Jesus was a controversy because the answer folks had long waited for had arrived and they were not ready. Today people reject today because they too are not ready. We want answers, but not willing to hear them. We want solutions but not willing to believe them. We want help but don't want to consider other options than the one we like or know. The disciples were fond of telling Jesus what people were saying about Him and how they were describing Him. Jesus wasn't interested in what the masses had to say. Jesus was interested in what you and I as individuals had to say. Jesus asked the disciples one question. Who do you say I am? Jesus Christ came that we would have life and have it more abundantly. The answer is not in an abundance of physical things or material things. The answer was an abundance of grace and mercy. Understanding and faith. Forgiveness and hope. These are the things that matter and these are the things that make the difference that changes life and changes lives. When we are seeking answer it is easy to become confused. Don't be deceived. The answer is often the one we have discarded. Jesus Christ came to end the controversy over sin, and He did it. Until then

Defining a Christian

If you were to ask a Christian what their duties are you might a get a long list of things that Christians are suppose to do, from them. The list might resemble something like this: Go to church; Pray; Give a tithe; support missions and do what the preacher says; Certainly in talking with some Christians everything except "do what the preacher says" will make most everyone's list, and for many in the Bible Belt doing what the preacher says will absolutely make the list. When talking about the duties of a Christian and making a list, you are more than likely going to quickly begin to get a list of don'ts. Such as: Don't drink; Don't smoke; Don't cuss; how is that for a top three? The job description of a Christian is really not very complicated at all. According to the Bible Christians should: 1) Love God with all their heart 2) Love people - Because He created them in His image and He loves them 3) Go and make disciples These three points sum up Christianity really fast, yet for some reason many individuals focus on things that define you as religious and do not define you as a Christian. According to the Bible Christians are suppose to go a second mile with folks who ask them to travel one mile. Christians could easily be defined if we carried one another's burdens, as scripture says, thus fulfilling the law of Christ. Christians are suppose to be a giving and forgiving people because the grace of God has been freely given to us. These few highlights alone would make the world a different place if we just did these things mentioned that Jesus did. The main duty and key to being a Christian is to do what Jesus did. If Christians, me included, acted on the positive of following Jesus Christ I am persuaded the impact on others will be life changing. Who do you know today that needs to see demonstrated what Christians are suppose to do? Find just one person you know, show them by your actions and see the change that occurs. Until then

Will you pray what Jabez prayed?

In the Bible there was this guy that asked for God to enlarge his territory. The prayer was named after the guy who prayed it. His name was Jabez. Jabez started his prayer because he was no longer comfortable where he was. The situation that Jabez found himself in was one that is totally different from what you and I would normally expect. Most of us work to get in a spot where we are comfortable with things and our situation, but not Jabez. He didn't want to be comfortable where he was, especially when it came with his relationship with God. He was praying asking God to enlarge things in his life and ministry. Jabez was praying for God to give him more. That thought in his prayer is what makes the Prayer of Jabez totally different from most of us when we pray. Asking God to do something new and something different in our lives is really a prayer that most Christian no only pray very seldom, for many, it is a prayer they may never pray. Why Christians are afraid to ask God to move in their lives is really something easy to understand. We are afraid because we know that if we ask Him we are then accountable to be responsible with that which He answers with. Praying and asking God to change things or do things differently in our lives is a prayer that is outside our normal comfort zone. However, if we ever expect Him to really use us then we must get outside of our selves and our way of thinking and doing things. For example, Jesus loved everyone and died for them. Our need is ask Him to help us be like He was. Love people simply because He loved them. This way of thinking takes some real practice. It is not easy to love those that might use us, hurt us, or purposely take from us. Then again that's the difference between Him and us. He freely gave. If you want to be like Jesus I suggest you begin today to ask God to enlarge your territory. Jesus by being obedient to His father enlarged His territory. Jesus by dying on the cross at Calvary enlarged His territory and ours. Salvation became the free gift available to all of us simply because Jesus was willing to follow His father's plan and be our sacrifice. The practice for forgiveness of sin had long been the practice that the priest would each year sacrifice a lamb for our sins. The father was now making a change to what had been the practice of faith by asking Jesus to become the lamb of God slain for the world. Enlarging our territory can be a scary prayer to pray but I believe it is the key to you and I tapping into the person that God's wants us to be and the person that He has uniquely designed us to be. What is the last prayer that you have prayed that was one where you asked God to get you out of your comfort zone and to move you into a new and different field of focus and purpose. I also believe that you and I are capable of dealing with more than we can even imagine too. The reason we are where we are is not because He isn't able to do more with us but because we have yet to ask Him to do what we are afraid to ask Him to do. God is ready to enlarge your territory. God is ready to help you make change in your life, if you are ready. The next step is yours to take. The next step includes the action of prayer and then the action of doing. I hope to see you in the next territory. Until then

One question: Who is Jesus?

If you are the person that after hearing a presentation you ask a question, that is a good sign. It is a sign that you were listening for sure and a sign that you wanted clarification or better understanding. These are all good questions and actions. Asking questions takes no practice, yet sometimes adults who want to ask questions are so hesitant to ask them. Consider a little children who is speaking their first words or who is beginning to put together parts of a sentence. Often the first words outside of 'mommy' or 'daddy' that come from a child is a question. The question children love to ask is why? This question could be a bit frustrating always having to explain, but personally I believe this is a good thing. I say let children ask away and let us as adults give children more answers to their questions, creating even more questions because we are giving them attention to their concerns or interest. Asking questions for answers is always a proper thing to do. I have discovered asking my friends and those I meet the question who is Jesus has helped me as I've prepare to serve them through ministry, be a better friend, or get to know them more. Who is Jesus, is a question that Jesus himself asked of His disciples. Jesus asked the disciples who do people say that I am? Asking such a personal question can be scary, especially when we are not sure what the answer will be. When we ask someone what they have heard, or hearing from others we should be prepared for their interpretation of what they heard. Most often it is a summary statement of their opinion. Nevertheless, it is an answer to the question. Sometimes when we ask a question, the person we are asking will give us an answer they believe we want to hear. Personally, I don't' want an answer I want to hear, I want an answer I need to hear, or an answer that is the truth. The question I am asking when I ask a person Who is Jesus?, is really a personal question, Who is Jesus to you? The answer I am looking for is one that is first hand. Our answer should be our answer and not one trumped up to get us through to the next question or one that ends this conversation because one is uncomfortable. The answer to the question who is Jesus will always be different depending upon the person. I imagine at this moment some Christians reading this newspaper column are saying well I know the answer to the question who is Jesus?: He is the Son of God; He died for our sins; He arose from the dead; He performed miracles on earth; He is coming back; He died on a cross; He founded the church; All of these statements are true, but these facts are head knowledge answers. These answers could be shared by anyone. You do not have to be a Christian to provide any of these answers. Answers can be given without faith or belief. Answers people give many times are general answers and the answer might not have any personal connection at all to the one providing the answer. I appreciate facts but when I ask an individual Who is Jesus? I am asking them to share with me who Jesus is to them personally. Getting caught up in all the facts can be a real distraction when attempting to share with a family member or friend that God loves them and has a plan for their lives. If you have been attempting to have a conversation with someone about Christian faith, them believing in Jesus, or any of the 'church terms' we are so good at using, make sure to explain the question you are asking. Also, make sure that you ask that question in a loving way and that your tone of voice doesn't sound superior or all knowing. People know immediately when our actions are genuine or contain some other type of motive. Remember, when you ask others who Jesus is to them, the answer is their answer and not the one you would provide. I've heard plenty of honest answers to my inquiring question. The most honest answer shared is, "I don't really know who Jesus is to me". Honestly is a great place to begin a real friendship. Don't be afraid of answers you might, just be ready to tell people who Jesus is to you and your personal story of His love for you will be the perfect place to begin. Until then

Making a Difference - You have the opportunity!

In life the difference others make and the difference we make in the lives of others, all comes about because of communication and contact. If you have ever played the role of "you can't see me but I can hear you", then you will understand what I am about to explain. In life there are many things that can be done anonymously that makes a difference but the biggest differences or impacts in the lives of others often comes with an acknowledgment. Ease dropping into a conversation without others knowing you are listening can reveal more than you want to know, and you are not privileged to hear what you've heard, even after you've heard it. Someone sharing with another person in confidence is normally not intended to be overheard or shared with others. Ease dropping is not the key to developing strong relationships, confidence and trust. Now that this thought is out of the way, lets think upon making a difference in others lives, using communication and contact. Communicating can be a challenging goal. I know plenty of people that would rather do almost anything other than having a conversation or talking with someone, one on one. There are plenty of reasons why they feel uncomfortable when communication this way, but just because you are uncomfortable doesn't mean the activity is not the one to be completed. Having a conversation for many people is a wall breaker. A positive experience from communicating often leaves both parties glad that they both shared what they were thinking, or had thought. The most important part of communicating through conversation is that two parties are in mutual agreement to talk. If you are determined to make a difference in the lives of others then the first task is to understand the other's person's point of view. I am not going to say this is easy but it should be easy to genuinely listen to someone else. This is accomplished by being someone with integrity who honestly cares about others and their lives. It could be said the reason why most people are not making a difference in the lives of others is because they do not want to make a difference and or they simply don't care about the other person. Think about your life and the things that made a difference. I am confident that having contact with someone makes a difference. Just today I received in the mail a note with personal remarks and even a gift card. I was moved because I did not expect to receive a note of thanks in the mail. The personal note of gratitude and appreciation for assistance that had been rendered was personal, moving and because of their efforts to communicate and contact me it has made a difference. There are many acts of kindness that are completed and performed anonymously but we should never under estimate the power of making contact and someone knowing it was us. If you have ever participated in a secret pal type commitment, the anticipation and excitement to learn who your secret pal is, not only creates excitement, but appreciation too. By contacting someone things become personal. When you and I are personal with people growth in friendship occurs. Because of this identifiable contact we are able to see the value that others place in us. This realization can be a real ministry to ones self confidence and self-worth. The opportunity for us to make a difference in the lives of others is ever before us. The opportunity exist at our place of work, from within our circle of friends, and often overlooked within our own families. Our families might be the easiest to overlook for such an opportunity because we wrongfully assume they know we care. Even our family members deserve extra attention, acknowledgment and our thanks. Taking anyone for granite is like ease dropping, rarely does it turn out positive. There are 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week. While I am sure you know this I am not so sure that you will use any of your opportunities to make a difference for others. If you decided to use a part of your hours and days that sole express your thanks or helps another on their journey in life stand by for personal blessings without a doubt. Until then