Fishin' Tales - Part 4: When You Have a Bite, Reel It In

     "The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor." "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat." Proverbs 12:24; 13:4

     While not putting it in so many words, my daddy taught us three principals to fishing:

           1. Casting the lure exactly where you want it to go.

           2. When the fish strikes, set the hook right then.

           3. GET THE FISH IN THE BOAT!

     That being said, I recall him talking about a time when he was at his cabin, on a fishing trip with his best friend, Carl Noble (affectionately referred to, by daddy, as "Noodle-Nose").  They were out in the boat one morning and, at one point, daddy hooked quite a little fighter of a bass (I think it was a bass, anyway).  He said it was putting up a good fight, so he was working on trying to get the fish in.  Mr. Noble was excitedly telling him, "Play with it, George! Play with it!"

     Daddy's response: "Play with it, heck! I'm going to land the sucker!"

     Going back to step 3...when you get a bite, get the fish in the boat NOW!  Why?  Have you ever had that beauty of a fish, knowing it had some weight on it?  You get it pulled right up to the boat, then SNAP!  Off it goes.... with your lure!  Daddy's point was well made. We weren't "sport" fishers!  I could never be a guest on those fishing shows because they'd have to whack me with a boat paddle to make me turn my catch loose!  We catch fish to eat!  Why are we going to risk losing it?

     I've constantly heard people reasoning their sins to "I won't live forever, so might as well live it up!" Then what?  "I could die tomorrow, so I might as well go out with a bang!" Then what?

     God tells us to act NOW, not later, for tomorrow may be too late.  No do-overs.  No taking it back.  It's done!  I like the simple message in James 4:14, 17.  Basically, God is saying, "Hey bud, if it's right, DO IT!"  Our souls will prosper for taking action for the good of things (reread the Proverbs quotes, above).

     Folks, let's try to do things right and do them now, while we still have the chance to do it. Tomorrow is not a promise; it is only a gift.

Fishin' Tales - Part 3: Proper Preparation IS Advised

     " Thus Noah did, according to all that God had commanded him, so he did." Genesis 6:22

     I'm going to jump forward, in time, in my memories, to my adult years.  I was visiting my buddy, Robbin Munson and his family, during the spring, one year.  He and I decided to get a little fishing in, on Lake Belton.  Like true fisherman, we arose in the dark hours of the morning, to get on the lake just at the crack of dawn.

     We pulled up to the boat ramp, then started prepping the boat: lowering the motor into position, priming the fuel line to the motor, unhooking the mooring line keeping it held to the trailer, etc.  Everything was good to go. Robbin hopped in the truck.  I hopped in the boat, and he started backing the boat in.  I got the motor cranked, after a few deliberate tries (that little motor could have a temperament, at times), then waved my buddy to set me into "cast-off" position.  I grabbed the stick (he had a small manual controlled outboard) and backed the boat smoothly off the trailer, noticing a little bit of water around the fuel tank compartment.  Waiting for Robbin to park, I swung the boat around to take a small lap and clear the motor's throat, so to speak.... a little more water down there.

     I pulled up to the shore line, Robbin hopped in..... still more water. Enough for us to start paying attention to it.  We started looking for possible structural holes and what not. Nothing.  After a few minutes of utter confusion, we found the source of the problem......

Now, you would THINK, that a couple of grown, intelligent men would, FIRST thing, PUT THE DOGGONE DRAIN PLUG IN PLACE!!!  One of our shining moments of stupidity, thanking God that NO ONE was around to witness this utter lack of intelligence.  Fortunately, we remedied the problem, pumped the water out, and headed out on the water.

     God gave Noah instructions, in Genesis 6.  He was to build a boat (I'm going to convert to give you a better idea on size) that was approximately 450 feet long x 75 feet wide x 45 feet high...practically, a 7 story floating mammoth! God told Noah to use gopher wood and cover the entire boat in pitch (to seal it).  Now what would have happened if Noah was a little careless with sealing the boat??  An utter disaster!

     Robbin and I were fortunate that ours was a small (but stupid) oversight, but there is still a lesson there.  Make sure you have made your "spiritual boat" properly prepared for the water.  Don't go off half-cocked and start forgetting small details.  Satan would love to seep in and swamp that boat, just as the water was leaking into the boat that morning.

God is the plug, the pitch, the sealant, that makes our vessels "sea-worthy". 

Fishin' Tales - Part 2: Who's Driving The Boat?

     "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7

     My daddy had an early ‘80s model Bass Tracker Tournament TX, aluminum, standard hull with a 90hp Mariner outboard motor. In that boat, I travelled all over Lake Livingston, Lake Limestone, and Lake Sam Rayburn. I loved that boat!!

     That being said, and being as young as I was, I didn't necessarily always like when daddy was DRIVING the boat! The bow, having a wide angled V, managed to slam into the waves with a jolt! If the water had some chop, you didn't feel like you were gliding. You felt more like you were bouncing the waves!

     Depth perception, on the water, also gets a little distorted. I always got nervous going under the bridge at Limestone, because it always looked so low, and we were heading full throttle toward it. Daddy would make me nervous almost EVERY time I saw his hand bumping that doggone throttle for more power! Then, one day I understood....

It was the first time that I captained the boat. I was at the wheel. I was in control....and darned if I wasn't running it at full throttle and my hand was still bumping, hoping for just a little more power!! I wasn't scared of my daddy's driving (even though he did wreck the old girl one time, but I wasn't on that trip), but when I was at the wheel, I HAD THE POWER!!....and the boat couldn't go fast enough to suit me, slamming waves and all!

     That is our BIGGEST problem as Christians...knowing when to relinquish control! When you feel that you are in total control, you feel safe; you feel secure. However, as a passenger, anxiety and fear can creep up on you. It took me my first time at the helm to totally realize that my daddy had that boat well under control, I just didn't feel it at the time. Folks, God has TOTAL control of our lives. We just need to stop trying to wrestle over the control and let God do the driving. I promise you HE'S GOT THIS!