Joy in the Journey

When Fisherman Don't Fish! Scripture: Matthew 4:18-20  In his book In the Eye of the Storm, Max Lucado tells about an important lesson on a fishing trip where the weather kept his father, a friend and himself from doing any fishing.  They spent several days trapped inside. Max says the lesson he learned was not about fishing, but about people. He writes, “When those who are called to fish don’t fish, they fight. (1) And that’s true about fishing for fish and fishing for souls. When energy intended to be used outside is used inside, the result is explosive. Instead of casting nets, we cast stones . . . Instead of being fishers of the lost, we become critics of the saved. I want to you let these words sink into your subconscious today. They’re important for the life of this church: “When those who are called to fish don’t fish, they fight.” Let’s face it, the sad reality is that most of us aren’t concerned with fishing for men and women anymore in the same way t...

Foolish Things: There are some very strange laws on the books concerning churches and here are just a few: young girls are never allowed to walk a tightrope in Wheeler, Mississippi, unless it’s in a church.  In Blackwater, Kentucky, tickling a woman under her chin with a feather duster while she’s in church service carries a penalty of $10.00 and one day in jail.  In Honey Creek, Iowa, no one is permitted to carry a slingshot to church except police.  No citizen in Leecreek, Arkansas, is allowed to attend church in any red-colored garment.  Swinging a yo-yo in church or anywhere in public on the Sabbath is prohibited in Studley, Virginia. And, finally, turtle races are not permitted within 100 yards of a local church at any time in Slaughter, Louisiana. (2) There is a lot of foolishness in the world—and that foolishness includes you and me. That’s right. Paul calls us foolish. He writes in I Corinthians 1: 26-29, “Brothers, think of what you were when yo...