Small Boat

"And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him." Matt 4:18-20 KJV

Simon Peter and Andrew immediately left their nets to follow Jesus. I wonder if those who are not fishermen attached to the waters understand how difficult it would be to just leave it all behind. 

Although, I was never really good at it, I grew up fishing. My family spent a lot of time on lakes and rivers and creeks. I love the water. Today, I spend summer mornings looking out over a river. I look out over the water and am reminded of all the things that Jesus has done for me. The waters remind me of the washing and cleansing we have received through the blood of Christ. The waters remind me of my baptism into his death and resurrection. I have a kayak boat that sits off my deck; but, rarely gets used. It reminds me that I have been called to abandon my small boat and to go fish for people.

Following Jesus sometimes requires that we give up a thing or two that we love and enjoy so that we and others will know the greater joy of living in His presence. Now let's go fishing... for people. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Abandon Your Boat And Follow

"As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”  Immediately they left their nets and followed him." Matt 4:18-20

Simon Peter and Andrew immediately left their nets to follow Jesus. I wonder if those who are not fishermen attached to the waters understand how difficult it would be to leave behind their boats and nets to follow after a teacher.

Although, I was never really good at it, I grew up fishing. My family spent a lot of time on lakes and rivers and creeks. I love the water. Today, I live on a creek. I look out at the water and am reminded of all the things that Jesus has done for me. The waters remind me of the washing and cleansing we have received through the blood of Christ. The waters remind me of my baptism into his death and resurrection. I have a small boat and a kayak that sit at the dock and rarely get used. They are reminder to me that I have been called to abandon my boat and go fish for people.

Following Jesus sometimes requires that we give up a thing or two that we love and enjoy so that we and others will know the greater joy of living in His presence. Now let's go fishing... for people. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Fishing!

Diving at the USS Aeolus off coast of NC many years ago...

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.  (Mark 1:16-18 NIV)

It has been a couple of decades now since I have been diving. I loved it. My health was at its best when I was diving. That may have been due to the salt water; maybe the exercise or maybe it was due to the atmospheric pressure or increased oxygen intake or all the aforementioned.

I thoroughly enjoyed being at the bottom of the Atlantic with the fish. But, while there, I never fished. That for me would have been a fruitless effort. I have never been much of a fisherperson. I enjoy being with the fish. I even enjoy eating them. I just cannot catch them. Even as a child I could not catch them. My family would go fishing often. Everyone would catch near their limits and me - NONE, NADA, NOT A THING.

That being said, I do fish; but, not for fish. I have been called, as many of you have, to fish for people. Sometimes my efforts are productive. Sometimes they are not. They are not when I depend on my ability to fish rather than trust God to fill the nets. Whether the fishing is productive or not really depends on the Spirit of God and not on me and not on you. Yes, we have to get out there and share the Good News. But, it is up to the Spirit of Christ to open ears, and eyes and hearts that they might hear and receive. And, it is not you or me who does this fishing; but, Christ who abides in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Help us Lord to have the courage and wisdom to go and fish for people. Help us to trust you for a great catch.

God's Peace - Pr. J

No Idolatry; No Adultery

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted:

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’
    She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
    a haunt for every unclean bird,
    a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
For all the nations have drunk
    the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
    and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.

                                                                                   Revelation 18:1-3 NIV

Adultery and idolatry; what is the difference? There isn't much difference. Unfaithfulness is a hallmark of both. 

Whenever we make a commitment to someone to put them first in our lives and then place other things before that commitment, that is adultery. It does not have to be a sexual liaison for it to be adultery. Football or fishing or gold or alcohol or drugs or money or  multitude of other things sometimes edge their way into our lives causing us to be unfaithful to those whom we have committed ourselves to love and care for.

If we say we worship the one true God and then put any thing before our commitment to love and serve God, we commit idolatry.  Unfaithfulness in our committed relationships with others or with God is adultery and idolatry.

Being reconciled, through the blood of Jesus to our Father, is about being in a committed relationship. God our Father committed His only begotten Son so that we might live in and with Him. God, the Son, committed His life to death, that we might live in and with Him. God, the Holy Spirit, commits us to be our help and our strength so that we might live in the presence of this perfect Triune God for all eternity. It's a pretty one sided commitment though. God desires that we should worship Him. He is faithful to us. Yet, we are not faithful to Him. We promise to be faithful and then we go off and serve other false gods committing adultery and idolatry as lovers of Babylon the great harlot.

The angel in John's vision warns us to come out of her while there is still time; for when that final day comes neither the voice of the bride or the bridegroom will be heard in her again.  (Rev 18:4-5)

There are those who would judge that there are many and various levels of adultery and idolatry. I am pretty sure that God sees these many levels that humankind has concocted. If you dip just your foot into a cesspool you will still get dirty.

I am not aware of anyone who doesn't put themselves or others or things of this world before God from time to time. We are all idolaters and adulterers; forsaking the beautiful gift of reconciliation, life with our God, for reconciliation with the pleasures of this world. But, just because we do, doesn't mean we should. When we confess Jesus as our Savior, we make a commitment to him. We make a commitment to the one who was willing to commit his life to us. Even though we have turned our back on him; he did not turn his back on us.

Babylon the Great is sure to fall. May God help you to not fall with her.

God's Peace - Pr. J

I Just Want To Go Fishing

"The Fisherman" as our granddaughter nicknamed our friend, Eddie "DJ" DeJesus.

This photo was taken the last time we saw him before the Lord called him home.

     Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
     “No,” they answered.
     He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish."
                                                                                                                                         John 21:4-6

I just want to go fishing! I ordered a small Jon boat a week ago so I can go fishing or crabbing or just floating down the creek so I can take in the beauty of it all. I spent much of my youth fishing with my parents and whether I catch anything or not is besides the point. I am actually a really lousy fisherperson. I rarely catch anything. I just want to be able to float around on the water and experience the quiet: no TV's, no radios, no electronic noise at all.

Most of my time is spent fishing for people. That is what Jesus told his disciples they were going to be doing when he asked them to leave their nets and follow him. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Mark 1:17) They did exactly that. But, as we read the gospels, we will find them, from time to time, even after they began to follow Jesus, fishing for fish as well.

So, I am waiting on my small boat to get here. I'll keep on fishing for people. After all, I don't know any other way to live. But, I'd kind of like to go fishing for fish, as well.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Abandon Your Small Boat And Follow Jesus

Everaldo Dejesus (D.J.) - "The Fisherman"

“'Come,' he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus." Matt 14:29

In 2013, my husband and I had reserved airline tickets to go and visit our friends D.J. and Mikki in Puerto Rico. D.J. had terminal cancer and our hopes were to visit him one last time. We did not make it in time. He died a couple of days before our flight was scheduled. We continued with our planned trip to grieve with his family. 

Life in this world is quite short. But, Jesus calls us to a world; a Kingdom, that is everlasting. A Kingdom where there is no more death or suffering or pain. In the last two weeks, numerous friends have died. In this world, I will no longer see Ellie Varney; or Carol Jordan; my sister-in-law, Dawn Mattson; or my former supervisor CWO4 Bob Paris. I live too far away to be able to attend any funeral or memorial services. And, yes, I grieve our loss. Even while there is the hope that we find in Jesus Christ, grief is a natural reaction to such loss and it cannot be avoided. 

Jesus first called the disciples, James and John, out of their fishing boats to follow him. They dropped their nets and followed him immediately. They followed him, not only in this world; but, into the Kingdom of God.

When the disciples were in a boat fishing, they saw Jesus walking on water toward them. Peter got out of the boat to go to him. In this world, we are called to abandon our small boats; our egos, our false gods, our everything, to take up the cross and follow him. The seas may be rough that we tread upon; the way is not always easy; but, Jesus is with us to keep us from drowning. Even though we face death, Jesus is there to lead us into his glorious Kingdom.

May God grant you all comfort in the knowledge of the promise that all who believe inherit the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen

God's Peace - Pr. J