Unplugged

And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while." For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. Mark 6:31.

Very quickly Jesus was in high demand, mostly by desperate people who needed healing. The crush of the crowd and demands put on Jesus and the disciples wore them down. So, in essence Jesus said 'let's go, take some downtime, and retreat'. Mind you, these were often times when Jesus would debrief with them and teach them new lessons. Usually it didn't take long before people would discover them and the process would start all over again.

In the book 'Jubilee--a season of spiritual renewal' author Mel Lawrenz shares the following story:

"One day a woodsman challenged a fellow woodsman to an all-day wood-chopping contest. The first man labored heavily, stopping only for a brief lunch, whereas the other man took a leisurely lunch and several breaks throughout the day. The first man was shocked and annoyed at the end of the day to find that the other man had chopped more wood than he had. “I don’t get it,” he said. “Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did.”

“What you didn't notice,” said the winning woodsman, “is that every time I sat down to rest, I was sharpening my axe."

It’s the middle of the summer and it's a good time to take a break from busy activities to recharge our batteries…to take our minds off the cares of life. We have many desperate people who look to us to assist them with settling in the West--in need of language skills, a job, and desire to get more of their families sponsored. With others we labor hard to gain trust and share spiritually or we face opposition to the truth. All of these wear us down. My wife and I build several retreat times or even a 'staycation' into our schedules during the year.

We were visiting a couple from West Africa. While we had a good chat with the husband, the wife was constantly(and I mean constantly) on her phone checking messages and the latest accessories for her wardrobe. Use of our gadgets can easily become addictive. On one of our holidays we met a man who said he came "unplugged". That is another level of leaving behind digital 'tyrants' that consume us. We can easily be caught up with answering just one more text or email before we lay our heads on our pillows. Even ministry can be addictive. God doesn't call us to be on duty 24/7.

If we follow Jesus' example of taking a break, the people who need us will still be around when we return to normal life again! We will be able to minister with new enthusiasm, energy, and wisdom. Taking a break will help to keep us 'sharp' like the woodsman. From my experience whether it's a conference, prayer retreat, extra time reading or writing, or enjoying God's creation each contributes to the 'Sabbath rest' that helps me to be refreshed and renewed. 

Lord Jesus, thank-you for giving us the pattern of ministry and times of renewal. As I'm away from my 'parish' help me to be fully renewed. Amen

Fishing

I enjoy fishing!

I watched a fishing show where the guy interviewed caught 73 fish in a one-day derby. He shared his secret. When he catches a fish, he uses a dropper to draw some of the fish's last meal from it's throat. If the specimen has flies, then he puts lures near the surface. If minnows, a little deeper. Really hard core.

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus calls out to Peter and Andrew--"Come on, I want you to start fishing for people". They spent the majority of the next 3 years with Jesus. What did Jesus mean? A good example is in John 4:23 where Jesus in his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well says that God is searching for "true worshipers..."(from the heart).

Before Peter was ready, there had to be some sifting. You'll recall that Peter denied he even knew Jesus on the eve of the crucifixion. But mere days after Peter's restoration and re-commitment to Jesus, he was empowered by the Holy Spirit , boldly preached and invited the crowd to follow the risen Messiah, Jesus. 3000 people were added to the church. Quite a catch! 

Do we trick people into accepting Christ by offering them bait like getting something for free or fear tactics? No, we are offering them a real spiritual lunch. Jesus said "I am the bread of life...I have the living water." As we pray, God may put us in the path of a seeker like the woman at the well. I remember a few years ago when I sat across from Mo. He found no hope in Islam and no power to forgive his enemies. He was on a search and was open to the Good News. Recently I had the most encouraging phone chat with him--he is one of these whom God is looking for. He is following Jesus now!    

Some Christians love to study evangelism and Islam. Perhaps they feel inadequate to actually talk to a Muslim. Reminds me of an article I read in the 80's titled “A Plea for Fishing". Week after week, month after month, and year after year, these who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their interest in fishing, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing is always to be the primary task of fishermen…but one thing they didn't do. They didn't fish.

God has called us into action--not to become experts but to be witnesses. Like the book of Acts. The goal in being witnesses is that others be reconciled with God. One can easily be swept into our Christian subculture and have little contact with the outside world.

We have a sense of urgency as the number of Muslims around us is growing. Today with the realities of Covid-19, Muslim can't congregate or move around as freely as before. So, how does one make new contacts now? We have been praying like never before for divine appointments. He has delivered and put people in our paths and then we take it from there. In "fishing for people" there is no substitute for our friendship, our testimony, the Word of God, and prayer.

O Lord, teach me how to fish. I want to be a fisher of 'men'...your way. Amen.