Friday, May 24, 2013

May 24 – “Fishing ministry”


I decided to get in some fishing yesterday.  Josh and Christi and their boys are coming next week, so we need to build up our stash of fish to fry – fast.  It was way too rough to go wade fishing in the surf, so I headed out to Jamaica Beach for an attempt at the canal in front of Nathan and April’s house.  I have had luck in Jamaica Beach before, and I had some pretty good live shrimp for bait, so I was hopeful.  And I did catch a good-sized croaker on an early cast, so  that was a good sign. 

I texted Nathan once I got all set up and had a line in the water.  “Whenever you decide to wake up, I’m fishing in your front yard.”  I thought maybe it would get at least a visit from Cailyn.  It worked.  It did take a while for them to get out of bed (OK, that’s speculation.  I wasn’t inside.  They may have been up for hours and were in the middle of solving some critical family situation).  But whatever they were doing, they finally appeared, jumped on their bikes, and joined me.  At first Cailyn didn’t seem excited at the prospect of doing some fishing.  Nathan reminded her that she had been begging for the opportunity, so she reluctantly agreed to hold a pole.  And that did it.  Well, that and the fact that she could sit next to her DadDad at the same time.  Sometimes it helps to hold a legendary status as “a fisherman.”  Of course she had to get me to sit down so she could snuggle up close.  That wasn’t quite as easy as it sounds, for her or me.  she had to insist several times, and of course I had to force my creaky old knees to respond.  But it was worth it.  Especially when she hooked a croaker.  She didn’t even know it was there, but her pole was bent and the fish was tugging, so her Mom finally convinced her to reel it in.  We got some pictures of the trophy whale. 

Now she was into the whole fishing experience.  She even got live shrimp out of the bait bucket whenever we needed one.  That proved to be an invaluable point of assistance … for her mother.  Seems April is not too fond of that particular chore.  We ended the day with four croakers, a few piggies, and five or six hardhead catfish.  Sadly, it was a pretty typical canal fishing day.  Not many fish.  Lost a lot of bait.  Too many hardheads (well, one is too many of them).  I think Cailyn had fun, though.  That makes it worth it.   

I did get some work done while there.  One of our elders lives nearby, and he came down to get me to sign some letters.  Then later on I heard a timid, “Pastor Kelley?”  Well, it may not have been all that timid, but I didn’t have my hearing aids in, so I barely heard it.  A lady had some questions she wanted to ask about what she had been reading in 1 Timothy.  Without her Bible to show me where she was reading, though, I couldn’t ever understand for sure what her question was.  It had something to do with the Gnostics.  She didn’t stay long.  She had to get ready for work, but she said she would email me the passages and her questions.  Fishing with the granddaughter and doing some ministry.  A fine day’s work.

Psalms 91:9-10 says, “If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the Lord, who is my refuge — then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.”

Father, thank you for fishing trips and ministry opportunities.  Amen.

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