Solving the riddle of Biblical tension that has riddled the Church for 2000 years.

I was born into a a family of avid fisherman.


                However, I was different!

(That's me on the far right)


I'm sure that being forced to choose between having bamboo shoved under your fingernails and fishing I would choose fishing. Other than that, there are few things I like less than fishing.


Jesus said “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mk 1:17).

I'm just not wired for fishing. If you enjoy fishing like my father or brothers then odds are in your favor that you are not certifiably ADHD. I told my brothers that if they could put pole in my hands while I'm water skiing behind a speeding boat then there is a chance that they might have me hooked (that is a pun - of course). Although, fishing literally hurts something inside of me―the metaphor of fishing, however, is not lost on me.

What I do understand from fishing helps me to answer the biblical dichotomy between "rest" and "work."

You've have likely seen the plethora of bumper stickers that have to do with fishing. 

 

and the classic 

Okay, I might not like to fish... but I get it! 

What I do get is that most true fishermen―like my dad and brothers LOVE TO FISH. 

They set out with great expectation of catching fish, but love everything about it even when they don't catch fish. Whether sitting on the shore of a river or on a boat or standing knee deep―the WORK is relaxing, it is therapeutic, it is does something that refreshes the soul. 

Fishing is WORK and REST at the same time!  The terminology that Jesus used "just so happens" to be perfect metaphor for our Christian walk of faith. When He said "enter my rest" "you will be fishers of men" and that you are created "for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" solves the tension between the seemingly polar opposites of the works and rest debate that seems to get everyone bent out of shape.

When we are bent into His shape...transformed more and more in His image (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18), the more we long to be out fishing and the more we are refreshed in our inner-man as we engage in the activities that we were created for. 

The good news we don't ever go fishing alone. We sit in the boat right next to our heavenly Father. We draw closer and build intimacy with Him as we put our lines into the water...sometimes quietly―sometimes in conversation―but always together. 

This is work that is filled with hopeful expectation and that brings great joy. It is relaxing, it refreshes and it also means that we will eventually catch something if our line is in the water long enough ―i.e. bear fruit!  

As fishing was a lifestyle for those initial fishermen called by Jesus - being a fisher of men should be a lifestyle for all who are called by Him and bear His name: Christians. 

It's not complicated. Simply toss your line in where you live, where you work, where you go to school, and where you play. Live the gospel intentionally in front of others as the bait that draws people to Jesus.   

Have Fun! 

It is not out of compulsion but done out of love for God that works it way into loving others!

You are called!
You are perfectly positioned!
You are supernaturally outfitted!   

(Dad baiting hook for 6 boys off of the Santa Monica Pier)