what are they biting on?

"...so I he asked him, "what are they biting on?" and he replied "the end of my line!"

"and he said to me, follow me, and I will make 

you fish for people"

Matthew 4:19

I love to fish and now my daughters do to. I taught Olivia, now she is teaching her younger sister. It's a riot when they have casting plugs on and dangerous when there are hooks! 

Ask anyone who has spent time really getting into fishing what it's about and they'll tell you; presentation. 

It's about putting in front of the fish some thing they desire, making it look attractive to where they are. When they are feeding it's food, when it's a big ol' make it can be a challenger, a female on a nest anything that is near her is be toast. 

Now when I hear many folks say "hey, let's go fishing for people" when they are talking about spreading the Good News about Jesus Christ it honestly makes me cringe. Why? I used to hate Christians and their God. Now I will go to the ends of the earth and give up my life for both. 

What happened? 

The Master Fisherman presented himself to me. No artificial bait, no person dangling something in front of me. I wasn't an object to fill a pew, I was the object of the God's desire. He presented the most lovely bait in front of me via folks who I didn't even know were fishermen. 

Here is a tip from a former fish Christian; you are the thing at the end of the line. Your Bible tells you this. You may talk about God but what the folks see is you. Go to any tackle shop and you'll find thousands of lures each one saying it is attractive. Are you attractive? 

Present the real deal; put away anger, wrath, malice, slander, abuse of others, lying. (See Colossians 3:1-17)

Proclaim the goodness of God, bring physical and emotional healing and love. 

Most Christians try to fish with buzz baits. These are loud things that make a lot of noise and splashing. When the fish hits it and tries to eat the lure it quickly finds out that what was presented was not reality. 

Here's the last tip; don't try to catch the fish because you feel you have to. Do it because you love them, just like Jesus. Your job is not to rip out their guts and clean them up. Your job is to catch them alive and transfer them to a safe body of Living Water. 

So I ask you, what's on the end of your line? 

It's more than a feeling

I don't have a dramatic story. I wish I did. I've always known of Jesus and his love. I grew up in the church. Why can't I have a dramatic conversion? I just don't feel God.

I've heard these words from folks time and time again. I personally had a dramatic experience of the presence of God. It was not during a time of crisis. I was not dying. 

I was not looking for God. I was not on a vision quest.

One day I was sitting on the side of a cliff up a river north of Fort Collins CO and I simply sat down and said "God, if you are real, show me."  Bright light, the whole deal. Boom.

My daughters are 2 1/2 and 5. The oldest loves the Lord. Honestly. She sings about him, prays to him and talks about him to folks. Her little sister does the same in her way. Just as dramatic as me in CO. Boom. 

There is no difference in the miraculous magnitude of a serial killer becoming  a devote follower of Christ and a little child who has "always" loved God.  An born enemy of God is given a new heart, ears to hear a new voice, and even a new name. Boom/

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds...

Colossians 1:21

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.

 I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Ezekiel  36:26

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:27

To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.

Revelation 2:17

Our story, all of our stories are based on the loving actions of God. Our adoption into the household of  God is a gift regardless of when and how we got there.

To those who feel their story is not amazing I will be bold and say this;

...perhaps you were never truly taught that your faith is as great a gift as a jail house conversion. Perhaps you have read your bible as a rule book, and not seen it as a testimony of God's faith and love for a people who unloving and unfaithful.

Look at the equation. See where you were and where you are. If you can say you love Jesus, it is a miracle. Boom. 

Jesus became bird food

Every time I see a small bird chasing a hawk I can't help but to think of an ant trying to kill an elephant.

They're like Chihuahuas; All pride and arrogance and caught up in their own press release. This massive bird of prey needs to only turn around and kill the antagonist.

God has given me visions in nature, a wonderful gift of Natural Revelation;

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Psalm 19:1

 "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

Romans 1:20

I see hawks all over the place, it's almost a family game. I don't look for them, they just show up. At times when I am deepest in prayer while driving (only a tad safer then texting) they fly right next to my truck or right over it. I am reminded of God's promise to always watch over me. I am reminded of his power and might. I am reminded of his glory; 

"He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. "

Psalm 91:4

When I see this little birds chasing hawks I am reminded of the faithfulness and mercy of God for us, who antagonize  and berate  him with our silly attempts of autonomy. We are biting the hand that feeds us and all it will take is a nan-second for the hand to bite us. We are blind to the fact, blinded by our pride. Pride, I have read, is the enemy of Grace. 

And so we read today in Colossians 1:13-14

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

John the Baptizer understood this. He was in essence yelling at the churchie folks; 

You stupid birds! God is the one who saved you but you are annoying! If you understood his mercy, STOP IT! Live like you understand it! (Read Matthew 3:7-12)

Yes, God could turn and make us bird food, but he doesn't. He loves us. He became bird food for us. He saw death coming when we could not and flew into the line of fire on our behalf...even when we we acting like chihuahuas   

chronic sin and dogs in the woods

I set off for a trail run yesterday after spending hours studying chronic or "besetting sin". I wanted to clear my head so I grabbed by shoes and hit the wools for a run. 50 yards into my run I got it.

I was just starting to work into a stride when a little female dog came running up out of  creek and followed at my heals. For you folks who don't run and those who own dogs that do I'll let you in on a little secret;

I am  praying that I don't trip and break my ankle,

and I am hoping that I kick your dogs mouth shut

The guy and his wife whistled and the dog ran back and past him. I stopped and calmed down a bit and then walked up to him; 

"Excuse me, but please leash your dog. My five year old daughter has been chased so many times

by dogs like yours that she is afraid of them."

"She won't hurt anyone", he replied, 

"My daughter doesn't know that"

"And you don't need to bitten to be scarred" I told him. 

I started back on my run, and as soon as I turned the dog ran at me again. I stopped. He called his dog and put him on the leash and left. 

This is how besetting sin patterns work and how we are to deal with them. 

1) They may look harmless, but they hurt. 

2) They repeat the same pattern, no matter how often we say "my dog never does that"

3) We may not see the wound, but the damage is real.

Christians are life-sucking parasites!

"A long time ago you broke out of the harness.
   You shook off all restraints.
You said, 'I will not serve!'
   and off you went,
Visiting every sex-and-religion shrine on the way,
   like a common whore.
You were a select vine when I planted you
   from completely reliable stock.
And look how you've turned out—
   a tangle of rancid growth, a poor excuse for a vine.
Scrub, using the strongest soaps.
   Scour your skin raw.
The sin-grease won't come out. I can't stand to even look at you!"
   God's Decree, the Master's Decree. 

Jeremiah 2:20-22

I'm one of those fools who knows a little and thinks he knows a lot. This happens most regarding the Bible. I have read, studied, prayed and been taught by some of the finest theologians this world has to offer. I'm not saying I have bad theology. I understand God, well as much as God has revealed to us to be understood. I'm saying I don't catch on to a good deal of what God is saying simply because I do not tend sheep, or grow grapes. These are the people God spoke to. He uses their language. 

A few years back I was schooled in some awesome theology by a crunchy-girl in Grass Valley California. She was spending the summer working in a vineyard. She understood grapes and through this she taught me about God. 

"You know, when you graft a new shoot onto an old trunk, 

the new graft gives nothing to old trunk, 

it only takes.

They cut the trunk and strip off the bark. 

Then they cut deep into the trunk and stick the new shoot in. 

 All of the energy goes one way; food, water, energy, all of it. 

Without the old trunk, the graft would die It can to nothing on it's own. 

It's completely helpless, completely dependent." 

This is what Jesus was talking about in John, chapter 15;

 "Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
 "I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. 

Separated, you can't produce a thing. 
Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. 
But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, 
you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. 
This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples."

John 15:4-5

So we are life-sucking parasites. And thank God for that! On our own our lives would be fruitless. 

But God in his mercy took us, a wild shoot, stripped his Son of all his glory, cut him open and grafted us in. This is good news! So many shudder and think "put pruning is so painful!" A little snip here and there is nothing compared to what the Root of Jesse endured! And we, wild vines, get to share in producing the works of the Kingdom as His life flows through us! We can't produce the glorious fruit on our own. Read the papers, talk to your neighbors folks. Quit trying to think you are fruity. Ask God to graft you in. He doesn't care where you have been or what you have done.

Jaws and death, we need a bigger boat

Brodie finally sees how big the shark is and in a flash of brilliance utters solid theology; "we need a bigger boat"

The shark we are trying to kill is death. We cannot build a boat big enough to stave off this monster. Noah, under God's blessing did for awhile, but it only kept death at bay, they did not, nor could not land the beast Death.

We are Easter People. Death has been destroyed. Yet we are till in the boat, waiting for the rescue. Meanwhile the Beast circles us, at times smashing the hulls of our boat. We wince while the boat of our self-reliance shatters under the weight of life at times. It is then that we realize just how small our human hull is compared to the the realm of the spiritual battle.

but the boat that has been provided will indeed save us.

Walking by faith does not mean talking a step even though we cannot see the next stair. Walking by faith means that we step even when our entire beings scream that the stair cannot hold us.

"So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.  These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever" 2 Corinthians 2;14-16