April 2013

My favorite past-time of fishing is at its highest in the month of April.  Pan fish, especially crappie, is my favorite fish to catch.  It amazes me the different methods used of catching these tasty paper mouths.  When I was growing up, it seemed the only method I ever knew was with a hook and a minnow.  Now you can use minnows, cast jigs, long-line troll with jigs, slow troll or my personal favorite – spider rig!  Spider rigging allows me to  use several poles at once.  In fact, when I have three guys in the boat we can have up to 18 poles in the water at the same time (sadly, I still can barely catch the dern things!).  You know the methods of fishing has evolved and changed over the years but the hopeful outcome remains the same; to catch a fish!

So it is with reaching people for Christ.  I remember growing up that Door to Door visitation was the main method used of witnessing.  Today, there are numerous ways to share our faith; door to door, technology, sports, random acts of kindness …  The list could continue but all of these different methods still has the same hopeful outcome – to see people give their hearts to the Lord!  Many of you feel as if you don’t have the words to share with one that is lost.  However, you could type your testimony up on Face Book and share it with all of your family and friends.  You know, Satan certainly has benefited from the evil that is sometimes connected to media and technology; don’t ever forget that the same technology can be used for Gods glory!  Just as a crappie fisherman needs to be creative and pull out all the stops to catch a silly little fish, let’s be creative and do what we can to win people to Christ.  One of these creative ways will be used later this year.  Many of you are familiar with Operation Christmas Child (Shoebox Ministry!).  This year Franklin Grahams ministry is putting a new twist (different method!) of this special ministry.  Rather than collecting all of the items needed to fill the shoebox at church, church members will be encouraged to have a “packing party” at their homes inviting non-Christian family and friends.  We will be hearing about this ministry opportunity this month.  Begin praying now that the Lord would bless our efforts in this endeavor.

Blessings to you all.  I pray that all is going well for you and yours.  Hopefully, the wind will not be too bad this month and I can try my spider rigging methods for catching crappie a lot this month!  Don’t worry, ill put my time in (it just may be with church members on the water!)

Blessings

Pastor Tim