Category Archives: Devo Drops

Thoughts on daily devotional scripture readings

How to Hook a Fisherman

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10 tips for hooking a fisherman from Luke chapter 5:

1.  Go outside.  Jesus was walking down by the lake because He wanted to meet fishermen.  You can’t sit in your pew and expect people to come to you.  Venture beyond your usual circle and see who you run into.

2.  Start small.  The first thing Jesus asked Simon to do was to push the boat out a little from the shore.  Simon could do that.  Begin by asking people to do things you know they can do well.  It makes them feel good and validates their abilities.

3.  Hang out.  Jesus picked Simon’s boat because He wanted the fisherman to be within earshot of the sermon He was about to preach.  You don’t have to get in somebody’s face with the message.  Just get them in the vicinity.

4.  Stand out.  No one had ever preached a sermon in Simon’s boat before.  Jesus did something unusual and unforgettable.  Go ahead and surprise people with a word or an action that takes them off guard and makes them wonder what you’re up to.

5.  Expect a lot.  Although He started by simply asking Simon for a place to sit, Jesus had much bigger plans for the fisherman.  Suggest some outrageous possibilities.  People don’t mind being challenged to attempt great things.

6.  Use their language.  If Jesus had said, “Come with me and I’ll give you a great theological education,” there might not have been any takers down at the lakeshore.  But “fishers of men” — now that sounded interesting.  Use words people can relate to.

7.  Be generous.  Simon wasn’t too happy about taking his freshly cleaned nets back out into the deep waters.  Jesus assured Simon he would haul in a catch — but even on his best day, Simon never caught so many fish that his boats started to sink.  When you give more to people than you have to, it gets their attention.

8.  Reveal need.  When the fish started piling up, the nets broke and the boats started to go down.  Simon may have hit the jackpot, but it only revealed his inadequacies.  Whether a person’s security comes from money, power, comforts, or relationships, at some point everyone asks, “Is the best the world has to give, enough?”  Pose the question.

9.  Stay calm.  After the miraculous catch, Simon was pretty shook up.  He sensed that something was stirring beyond his comfort zone.  When Jesus comes calling, it can be a little unnerving for people.  A reassuring word such as “Don’t be afraid” is a good idea.

10.  Start with one.  Even though Jesus was in Simon’s boat and spoke directly to Simon, his brother Andrew was on hand along with their other two partners, James and John.  At the end of the day, all four men “pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”  Invite one person to follow, and he might bring all his friends with him.

Fish Guts

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the-jesus-boat-at-the-sea-of-galilee-miki-karniJesus didn’t put an ad in the paper, “Seeking 12 men to follow me.”  He didn’t go to the synagogue school and ask to interview the top 12 students.  He didn’t stay in his hometown and gather up 12 of his childhood buddies.  He didn’t wait for people to come to him asking to be disciples.

Jesus went out to the lake shore because he wanted those kinds of people.  Fishermen were hard-working and strong, patient and determined.  Fishing for a living took faith — they couldn’t see the fish under the surface but they had to believe they were down there.  They had no formal education, no qualifications for ministry — yet were well-trained by everyday life experiences.   Fishermen were robust, hardy souls who knew how to work together to pull in a catch.  And they were fun.

I wonder what Zebedee thought the day Jesus came down to the fishing boats and talked to his sons, James and John.  There they were, father and sons, sitting in the boat together getting the nets ready to cast out on the water.  And Jesus offered the boys a chance of a lifetime — tutelage under a real rabbi.  Such an opportunity for simple fishermen!  The Bible says, “…immediately James and John left the boat and their father and followed him.”  They climbed out, waded to shore and were gone.  Immediately.

Dear Zebedee, what did you think?  Were you happy to see your sons find their destiny?  Or were you ticked that they up and left the family business?  James, were you itching to do something else with your life and this was your ticket out?  John, did you know deep inside that you weren’t cut out to be a fisherman?  Did you both feel like there had to be more to life than fish guts?

I hope Zebedee’s sons stopped in and checked on their father whenever they passed through Galilee.

I hope the old man didn’t make his boys feel guilty for leaving home and changing careers.

Jesus said, “Follow me.”  James and John said, “Yes”.  Pretty gutsy.

Follow Me

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follow meJesus said, “Follow me” 20 times in the gospels.

He says it to me every day.

He has to, because I need constant reminding who is the leader and who is the follower.

Some days, I attack my to-do lists and productivity goals with gusto.  I catch a few waking moments to let Jesus know what we’re going to be doing in the coming daylight hours.  I picture Him barely keeping up with me, breathless, but proud of all my many accomplishments.

Other days, I shuffle out of sleep and dawdle through the early morning.  I approach the day with sighs and groans and no particular plan.  I picture Jesus with a bored look on His face, kicking at rocks as He plods along behind me.

Of course, I’m wrong on both counts.  Whether I’m energized or empty, His place is always out in front, never bringing up the rear.  He leads, I follow.

So why aren’t we taught how to be good followers? Type in “leadership” in a search engine and up pops hundreds of leadership courses, leadership training programs and leadership development books.  A quick search for “followership” offers a shorter list.  Interestingly enough, Harvard offers a course entitled “Followership” with sections on Hitler and Jonestown, but not one mention of Jesus Christ.  Can’t say I’m surprised, even though Jesus was the only one who came right out and said, “Follow me” and then millions did for thousands of years.  Still do.

During this season of Lent, I’m going to dig into the word “follow”.  To whom did Jesus say those words?  How did they respond?  Why did some say yes and others say no?  What does following Jesus include?  What does being a follower cost?  What does it look like to be follower?

Care to follow?

Jokers

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Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.  Proverbs 17:22

PB is a champion storyteller.  He has a whole arsenal of jokes and strange-but-true stories in his memory bank. I’ve always admired his ability to spin a captivating yarn.  The thing is, I’ve heard them all.  After 35 years of marriage I can tell when he’s getting ready to share a joke….and which joke he’s going to tell.  In my head I can relate every story right along with him, word for word.

I, on the other hand, am not a good jokester.  In an effort to be efficient and not waste people’s time, I leave out the embellishments, forego the details, and rush to the punchline.  My timing is off.  I don’t have that mischievous twinkle in my eye that endears listeners.  My anecdotes seem to lack PB’s pizzazz.

The winds of change are blowing as our children and grandchildren settle into their own homes.  PB and I are finding ourselves at a table for two more often.  Our conversation tends to center on work and church — serious stuff.  Sensing that we need to laugh together more, I challenged my man to 30 days of jokes.  New jokes.  Just to keep things fresh around here.  Besides, I found a website with enough one-liners to get me through the month.  I was ready.

It started slow.  The first morning, over our oatmeal, I said, “What did the zero say to the eight?”  PB put down the newspaper, confused.  I could see he was struggling with how to respond so I whispered, “I’m telling a joke.”  Still perplexed by his wife’s unusual question, I prompted him.  “I don’t know.  What did the zero say to the eight?”  He started to catch on.  PB: “I don’t know.  What did the zero say to the eight?”  Me: “Nice belt.”  I figured if I set the bar pretty low, things could only get better.  We shared a laugh.  He tried to pull out an old one on me, but I was firm.  30 days of new jokes.

The second week went better.  PB must have found a website, too, because he started greeting me with funny questions every morning.

“How much did the pirate pay for corn?”  

“I don’t know, how much did the pirate pay for corn?”  

“A buccaneer.”

“What did the three-legged dog say when he walked into the bar?”

“I don’t know.  What?”

“I’m looking for the man who shot my paw.”

I’ll spare you the rest…

 Sharing a laugh every morning has been good for us.

PB is learning some new jokes and I’m working on getting that twinkle in my eye.

A merry heart is good medicine.

laugh

3/1000ths

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Henry David Thoreau said, “If thou art a writer, write as if thy time is short, for it is indeed short at the longest.”

You could put anything in that sentence and it would still ring true.

If thou art a builder, build as if thy time is short….

If thou art a teacher….

If thou art a baker…

If thou art a speed skater.

stopwatch

Last night, an Olympic athlete won a gold medal by 3/1000ths of a second.  How do you split a second into one thousand little pieces?  To someone flying around a track made out of ice at a ridiculous speed, I suppose that’s a plausible concept.  In order for my mind to grasp what that minuscule moment is like, I need to zoom out.

If I live to be 80 years old, I will have a total of 29,200 days to race around this planet.

3/1000ths of 29,200 is 87.6.  In other words, 87 days is my 3/1000ths.

If I live to be 80 years old, I have about 9,490 days left.

3/1000ths of 9,490 is 28.

Life is indeed short, even at the longest.

Psalm 90 carries the subtitle “A prayer of Moses the man of God.”

He wrote, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

I just numbered my days.

Now for a heart of wisdom.

I Need Help

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So, I was on my way to Walmart yesterday to get dog food.

And I was going over my memory verses.

I’m working on 1 John 3:16-17 right now.

 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”

As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a man standing there with a sign —

NEED HELP, TRYING TO GET HOME.

I went into Walmart, picked up the dog food, and then, while standing in line at the checkout, over the loudspeaker in the store I heard, “Dinah!  Is the love of God in you?”

Well, maybe it was whispered in my heart.  Loud.

I paid $17.99 for the dog food and put it in the car.

I stopped at KFC to pick up a gift card, but by the time I drove out, he was gone.

I don’t know.  Maybe it was a scam.  Maybe the guy was making a good living standing on the corner.  Maybe he would have traded the free chicken dinner for a bottle of Scotch.  Maybe.

But I do know there are lots of times I need help.

And I’m just trying to get home, too.

And the only way I know if the love of God is really in me…

the only way I know if all those scripture memory verses I can spout off have made it from my head to my heart…

is if I lay down a little bit of my time, my money, my life.

This is how we know what love is.

A Balmy -13

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below 0What’s the difference between -10 and -20 degrees?  I mean, really, isn’t there a point when cold getting colder becomes irrelevant?  This is the third straight morning of below zero temperatures.  In my experience -9 and -29 feel about the same.  When things are bad, how can you tell when they get worse?

I suppose it works the other way, too.  When things are good, how can you tell when they get better?  Goodness heaped upon goodness stacks up, but eventually it stops registering, doesn’t it?

Maybe that’s why ups and downs are better than constant downs or even constant ups.  The give and take between highs and lows is what keeps me from becoming numb to either one.  So I should rejoice in the downs because it means I’ve had a contrasting up recently.  And the present difficulty will serve to enhance the next upward swing….which is due to arrive in April.

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”  Genesis 8:22

Thotful Spot

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Pooh

Winnie the Pooh had a Thotful Spot.

He would sit on his special log, tap his head, close one eye, and say,

“Think, think, think.”

We all need a thotful spot — somewhere to ponder and treasure moments from each day.

Mary must have had such a place.  Luke 2:19 says, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  And it’s a good thing, too.  When Luke got around to writing his gospel, who better to interview about the night Jesus was born than someone who was there?  And how does one remember every detail years later? By treasuring and pondering.  Everyone else who heard the shepherds’ story about the baby in the manger marveled at the news.  “But Mary…”

There’s a difference between hearing a sermon and marveling at the truth of it….

and giving it some serious thought.

There’s a difference between seeing a beautiful sunset and noticing its beauty….

and reflecting on creation and its Creator.

There’s a difference between enjoying small pleasures in our day….

and stopping to turn them over in our minds.

There’s a difference between reading the inspired word….

and soaking awhile in it, mulling over the meaning of the words.

Taking my cue from Mary and Winnie the Pooh, I declare this year to be a year of pondering and treasuring.

I plan to sit in my special chair, tap into the riches of the Word, close my eyes

and ponder like Mary…

think, think, think like Pooh Bear.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

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tailpipeHaving a break from the routine sure has been nice.  The week between Christmas and New Years offers slower paced mornings (sleeping in until 7:00), a lighter schedule (a blank Google calendar), and space for the spontaneous (“Want to go to a movie this afternoon?”)  It’s all been wonderful, but it can’t go on forever.

Today I feel like my 1973 Ford Pinto hatchback must have felt on a -11 degree morning.  Getting the old girl started took a few tries before she finally turned over.  Her gear shift felt like it was stuck in a bucket of molasses and could barely move.  She creaked and groaned and fumed a while.  After sitting idle for a few days, she needed some time to warm up.  So….

“This is the day the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again, rejoice.”

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

“Without Me, you can do nothing.”

“Nothing is impossible with God.”

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

“God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches.”

There.  Now I’m humming.

Lord, as long as You are in the driver’s seat,

and You provide the fuel,

and You know where we’re headed,

this old girl will give it a go.

People Get Ready

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“And he will go on before the Lord….to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”  Luke 1:17

I can just imagine what Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, thought when he returned home from the temple with big news.

“But Elizabeth, honey, an angel told me.  We have to try again.”

No immaculate conception for this couple.

They had to have a baby the old fashioned way.

“Zechariah, dear, are you sure you didn’t sniff too much incense?”

This child would have a single purpose — get the people ready.  Elizabeth’s baby would grow up to be the opening act, warming up the crowd for the coming of Mary’s baby, the headliner: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

John had a one-sentence sermon to prepare people for the Savior:

“Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”

So that’s how we get ready for Christmas.

That’s how we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord.

Repent.  Christmas is at hand.  People, get your hearts ready.

I’ve still got cookies to bake, cards to send, presents to wrap and floors to mop.

But there’s a voice calling in the midst of all that.

“Prepare the way for the Lord!  Make straight paths for him!  Fill in the valleys! Level off the mountains!  Straighten out the curves!  Smooth out the bumps!  Savior is coming!”