Presenting Your Bait

I know that most of you have heard the old adage, "You catch more flies with honey, then you do with vinegar". The idea that sweetness wins out over sour all the time. Let me tell a little story about another way to look at this adage. A while back while fishing, an 8 year old boy come by and as I was reeling in he looked at the worm on my hook and said, "Mister, your not gonna catch much with an old beat up worm like that one." He then proceeded to tell me how his dad taught him how important it is to "Present" your bait properly. In other words there is a right and wrong way to hook a worm or minnow and a right and wrong way to tie on a lure. Of course he was right!    

In much the same way this is an important issue when it comes to our Faith. More importantly , "How we share our Faith". When talking to your friends who do not know Christ or who do not go to Church, how do you present Him or your Church to others? Are you making both look appealing? Are you living a life that looks appealing to them as well? How are you presenting your bait? Boy, it really is true that there are many lessons we can learn from children. And on a side note, after taking his advice, I caught more fish! Love ya' All, Pastor Rick Happy Fishin"       

Kodak Moment

I'm Baaaack! God Blessed my wife and I with a wonderful vacation! For us it was close to perfect that we could get. I will not bore you with the details of our traveloge, but instead say that I am grateful to God that I can take this time with my wife a couple of times a year. For there was a time when I could barely afford the gas to go and see family for a day or two, much less take a real vacation. If you are there now, do not ever give up hope in God that He does not want this for you, keep trusting in Him and living for Him. There was one time during our week when I found myself quoting my dad. We had rented a pontoon boat for the day to enjoy on the lake and mid afternoon as we were viewing the beauty of God's creation, I uttered a phrase my dad would often say while we would be fishing on Lake Mead in Nevada, I kicked back in my captain's chair and said, "I wonder what the rich people are doing today!" For as far as I was concerned they couldn't be enjoying life anymore then I was at that point in time. Thank you Jesus for this "Kodiak Moment" for me and for the blessing of this Sabbath time. Love Ya' All Pastor Rick      

 

Yesterday in worship we had Holy Communion. This morning I went to our Church kitchen and got out my communion kit that I use to take Communion to those who could not be in worship. I had just put some of the fresh bread in my kit and was then going to put some of the grape juice in my little jar from the kit when I found that none was left  from the day before. Now what, but there I saw in the fridge some Capri sun grape kids drinks. This should work. So I began to put the juice from one of these kids drinks in my jar and found out it was White Grape juice! Even though it tasted just like any other grape juice, it just wasn't going to work for Holy Communion! I found it hard to talk about the blood of Christ spilt on the cross for you and I, while in the cup was a clear drink. 

Symbols can be very powerful object lessons! Just like red grape juice must be used to remind you and I of what Christ did for us on the Cross. For the forgiveness that He offered and the Salvation that comes unto us in no other way and in no other name. So the next time you take Communion, don't just taste the grape juice or wine, also look deeply at the color of that drink and remember then not just the power of this symbol, but more importantly that there is power in the blood of Christ! 

Love ya' All Pastor Rick     

 

"I Got One"

I spent last week at Church Camp with 29 3rd & 4th graders. I could tell you many things about that camp experience, but today I share simply one that took place on Thursday and lasted only one hour and forty-five minutes. During that time frame I had 8 campers signed up to go fishing. That is how many poles I had! Helping me was a teen-age guy, Aiden, who was great help and very patient! There was also one dad whose time was dedicated to his autistic son. In that short time span these campers went through 8 dozens wiggly worms! I heard a lot of, "Darn, he got away"! But I also heard a chorus of "I got one"! You would have thought these kids were reeling in Moby Dick from their excitement and commotion that took place, when much of the time it was a bluegill no larger then my hand. When the bait was all gone they had reeled in over 40 fish! As they made their way back up to the camp, the fishing stories were already being told and re-told! And the fish kept getting bigger!
      The heat that afternoon was relentless, but it got over shadowed by 8 little campers with stories to take back home. Thank you Lord for this miraculous catch and for the smiles You put on their faces!
      Love ya' All Pastor Rick 
    

"I'm Getting Old"

“I’m Getting Old”

There, Ahh, I had just sat down in my Adirondack chair around the Campfire while attending Church Camp with my 8-year-old grandson Ty. I was about to bite in my smore when Ty proclaims to me, “Grandpa, I’m bored!” Bored, how could he be bored, we had been going at break neck speed since 10:30 that morning! And now my 56-year-old knees and feet were barking at me.

          There was a time in my life when I could keep up this frantic pace. Earlier in the day, I was right in there keeping up with and at times even out doing some of these teen-age Counselors. But now this comfortable chair beckoned to me. And if it wasn’t Ty wanting to do something else, it was those same blasted Teen-age counselors telling me stand up again and this time to sing the new “Extended” version of Father Abraham! Come Sunday morning, when I am to be at my best, all I could think of was hoping the Ibuprofen would kick-in quicker! And guess what, I get too do it all over again this coming week as I will be at Church camp once again. I’m gonna’ need a bigger bottle of Ibuprofen!       

Love ya’ All , Pastor Rick

211 miles

211 Miles

A fact that I shared in church yesterday is this. It is just 211 milers from where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea to the Promised Land they were now headed for. So why did it take them 40 years? Because they Complained and Grumbled against God a lot! 211 miles, a distance the average person should be able to walk in less then 2 weeks. Are you beginning to see the correlation between how our complaining and griping to God keeps Him from blessing us? So today, quit living as if you were weaned on a dill pickle and give God the thanks and praise He deserves and then see how much more blessed your life will be.

Love ya’ All Pastor Rick

"Potential"

    Every year when a new Baseball, Basketball or Football season rolls around for our favorite sports team, the word "Potential" is often times thrown out in describing them. The "Potential" that is within them to do well in the coming season and to make a "little noise" in the playoffs. But then reality sets in and they sputter and spit through out the season and the playoffs simply become a pipe dream. Yet come next year our excitement rises once again as we consider the "Potential" within this years team. We never, ever even consider switching teams! That would be blasphemy! No matter how much they disappoint us we still where proudly the colors of our teams.
    If only we would do this in real life. We all have had friends, relatives, relationships with people around us whose lives have enhanced ours. And we may have even pondered the "Potential" of how much stronger that relationship might be. But then, they wrong us in some way or they do something in their life that we thought was way out of their character, something that causes us to consider breaking relationship with them. And in many cases turning against them with slanderous or hurtful remarks.
    Why is it we treat and support these "Teams" of ours whom at times have players who feel little for us, if anything. Why do we continue to treat them with more respect the we do those we claim to love? One strike though and their out as friends of ours!
  Let us all begin today to be less "Judgemental" of those whom we are close too, and to see the "Potential" in them, even when they screw up! And let us hope and pray as well that they will afford us the same mercy when we mess up.
    From one whom needs to listen to his own words and live them as well! Love Ya' Pastor Rick