Second Row, Piano Side: What My Daddy Taught Me About Fishing

(Daddy standing behind the pulpit in the early years. He was always a fisher of men.)

Daddy tried his best, but I am not a fisherman.

But there were some things he taught me about fishing...

1. Be quiet while you're fishing. (I never got that one!)

2. You can smell the fish.

3. Get off the bank.

4. When casting, release and let it go!

5. Be still and wait for the cork to go completely under.

6. Reel, pull with all your might.

7. Keep the fish in a bucket of water until you're ready to clean them.

Daddy was also a fisher of men. Maybe there's a greater lesson here. When fishing for men...

1. You don't always have to talk. Daddy was a friend to all men. He led quietly and spoke when necessary. He was all about building relationships. He led many to Jesus by taking them fishing. One of his best friends came to know Jesus after many years of simply fishing. There's much to say in the Word about being quiet.

"Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) "Cease striving"
In other words, Quit all your nervous workings. Daddy would say, "Shhh. Be quiet."

2. Watch for signs. Ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your senses when fishing for men. He'd say, "Can't you just smell 'em?" Daddy has a sense about people. He was always sensitive to what others were going through. He looked for signs of discouragement and waited for the opportunity to encourage.

3. Launch out into deeper waters. I was always scared to get in the boat. I preferred to fish off the bank or the dock. Daddy caught many fish because he was willing to go as deep as necessary to catch the big one. He sat on milk crates in the home of the poor and sat at the table of the elite and ate on fine linen and china. He loved all people.

4. Let it go. I can just see my daddy throwing that line. He did it with such precision-such grace. I think he would say, "Don't hold back. There are fish out there to catch." Another thing about casting..."Cast all your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you." Psalm 55:22

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

5. Be still and wait. "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7

Hummmm.....wait...

I always wanted to pull in the line with just a nibble. I can hear Daddy whisper, "Wait." He'd often touch my hand to still me from yanking the whole line.

I grew tired of waiting. I still do. The old proverb, "Good things come to those who wait."

An old prophet knew the secret of waiting,

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Teach me, Lord, to wait.

6. Bring them in. Keep reeling. Don't stop. Never give up.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galations 6:9

Daddy never gave up. A week before God called him home, he was still fishing for men. He walked in the nursing home on Monday before he died on Saturday with his Bible and notebook in his hand, ready to teach his Bible class.

7. When we've brought them in, don't let them dry out! Daddy knew what it meant to disciple people-to teach them-to keep them in the water.

I don't know about you but I hate those dark, dry times in my life when God seems distant. Ever been there? We, too, must stay in the water, in the flow of God's Spirit.

Daddy often repeated, "I want to stay under the spout where the glory comes out."

He did and he is now enjoying the eternal glory with Jesus.

Daddy was truly a fisherman and a fisher of men. I have much to learn.