Fishing for Men

 

 

Fishing takes a great deal of patience.

You must understand the place where you are fishing and who you are trying to catch.

Different men will bite at different messages.

Messages of love, grace and forgiveness are like worms, crickets and minnows.

The job isn’t done once the fish is caught.

The size of a person’s faith is not comparable to the size of their body. Be careful who you let go.

What Jesus went through for us was messy. For some the very mention of his blood is disturbing. Still, the shedding of His blood was necessary. People who enjoy the blessings of God but dislike talking about the blood are like those who order fish at a restaurant and enjoy it, but are disgusted at the sight of how their meal ended up on their plate.

Many people don’t even like fish. They don’t like the smell or the taste. Teachings about dying to yourself and offering your life to Christ are also not liked by many, but those who consume them will grow strong.

God’s word is needed to slice into the soul and clean out the stuff that is in the heart that makes us rancid over time if it remains.

Bad teachings are like a bad cleaning knife. They damage the men that God brings to us and make it harder to do His will.

If you receive God’s loving scriptures but never really allow him to draw you completely in and place your life in His hands, you are like a fish that eats the bait but leaves the hook.

A convicting scripture is like a hidden hook. It is painful. You can fight it to the point you rip yourself free but you will walk away with a scar.

Accepting Christ to enter heaven, but never really living for Him on Earth is much like being a fish who is caught and dies but never is used to feed others.

Leaders in the church who rejoice over Sunday salvations but are weary of investing the extra time required in helping prepare others for ministry are like fishermen who enjoy the catch but are tired of cleaning the fish. They miss out on a spiritual nutrients and rich insights that could have come from the men they caught.

Men are not meant to die in vain.

Sometimes those who are the closest to us, are the hardest to catch.

I see Jesus

Our thirteen-year old cousin just came back from a camp experience that changed her life.  On the last evening of the camp she became intrigued with the clouds above… she said she swore she could see Jesus’ face in the clouds.  She did not show anyone out of fear that they would tease her.  But I’ll tell you what… I see Jesus.

My Thousands; His Nickels

By: Charity Gutierrez

For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.

Psalm 50:10

 

A few weeks ago I was really struggling with negative feelings regarding our family’s debt- thousands of  dollars in school and business loans. Yet the Lord really dealt with me on this the other day. I had been praying about whether or not we should acquire more debt with a car loan. Our family van needed repairs exceeding its value.  I struggled with the idea of accumulating more debt.

At the same time the boys approached me with a request. They wanted a game for a new system that had been given to them as a gift that day.  The game costs twenty dollars. Now my husband has a budget of fifty dollars every two weeks for our entire family for “entertainment”- and we had not spent it.. I explained to the boys that their daddy had the money they needed. They wanted to see it in their “reward” cups- the cups where I put pennies or nickels when they do something worth award. I handed them their cups.  They added it up… only 46 cents. They began to cry.

My oldest cried, “But I take care of my sister. I clean up. I need an allowance.” I said that daddy and I know all the things he does. I assured him he was getting an allowance just not one that he could see.  I told the boys that we want to give them not just what they need but also some of the things they want just because we love them. We enjoy giving them those things which they have proven they truly want.

I tried explaining to them that since daddy loves them he puts away money every month for them… it was in the bank.  They wanted to see the money.They wanted to know where the bank was.  I explained to them I don’t even see the money… I swipe my debit card and the money is then transferred into the stores bank from my bank without ever seeing it.    I understood it but they could not.  I tried to reassure them.  “I have it for you… daddy already put it away you just cannot see it.” They could not get it.

My boys then started to fight over the coins in their cups.  My four-year old went hysterical when my two-year old  grabbed a nickel from his cup. “My nickel!!” “My nickel!”…

Then the Lord began to deal with me. It was as if I could hear his voice gently saying…

“Charity I have the money you need… I set it aside in MY bank account every month. You just cannot see it. You want to see it in your bank account… in your little coin cup. You want to see a zero for your debt. You want to see that number in black and white.  You base what you have on what you see. Where is your faith? I own the cattle on a thousand hills- it is all mine. Your debt is a nickel to me. I could pay it off right now if I wanted to. I will provide for the car loan. I already have. I will pay off MY debt in MY time… on MY budget. You need to stop whining when it feels like your nickels are being taken away.  You need to trust that your money is sitting in MY account and what you see means nothing.”

It has been weeks since that happen.  We did decide to purchase a used van with an auto loan- acquiring more debt- trusting in the Lord to provide as he always has.  The boys never did get the game… they actually have forgotten about it. Funny how like me- they think they need something and need it RIGHT NOW- yet they really did not. Sometimes I think the Lord does not give me what I want when I want it because he knows I am not in the position to receive it.  He knows my needs.  He knows my wants.  He knows my heart.  He blesses accordingly.

I thought about what I have learned from my family’s debt:  Being on a budget due to debt teaches you to really consider what you purchase and what you purchased. It teaches you to truly evaluate and value the things you work for… especially when those “things” are people.  I pray that my family will always live on a budget- the Lord’s budget. I pray we will master budgeting every minute of our time and every penny of our money according to the budget the Lord sets for us.  I pray we never forget the true value of money- understanding its true cost is time.   I pray we always remember who holds all things and all time in his hands.

I thank God that he loved me so much that he took the time to tell me.  Thousands of years bringing forth the message of his love.  That took a lot of work from a lot of men who were willing to be moved to action by his spirit.

My Prayer:

Thank you God for your word, for the faithful writers of the scriptures who took the time to write down your message for me.  Thank you that you continue to move on men and women’s hearts to communicate your love today.  May you bless those who are faithful in communicating your love.

Thank you God that you loved me enough to give me time… an eternity of time given to me in one instant… when Jesus died on the cross.  All my debt paid in one moment.  Thank you God for Jesus.  Thank you Jesus for the cross.

Where does my help come from?

 I can always use help.  Many times my Pastor’s daughter will come over and help me by playing with the kids and holding the baby. Tonight, I remember back to one evening…

We had a wonderful time as each child helped prepare our dinner to the best of his or her abilities.  We talked about many things, including purpose and self-worth and the importance of what “goes inside us”.  We also talked about the spiritual aspect of overeating.  I specifically remember saying, “There is only so much a person can take in before that same thing will come out.”  Oh… if I could have only known.  I chuckle to myself just thinking of the irony.

My kitchen was still in post-mealtime condition (a nice way to say “a complete mess”).  Did I mention the kids made dinner?  This was no usual kitchen clean-up requirement.  Numerous utensils and containers all dirtied.  There were various food remnants everywhere. Unfinished meals left standing and ingredients still needing put away. A dishwasher needing to be emptied before it could even be loaded. There was much to do. None the less, I decided to interrupt the tasking cleaning regime to enjoy some silly dancing time with my helper and the kids.  I still do not regret it.

Shortly after our dance party my helper was picked up to go home. I left the messy kitchen and bathed my four children. Put my daughter in her bassinet and boys in bed.  I turned to tackle the kitchen and heard the sound of my four-year old starting to vomit. He had evidently eaten way too many dried cranberries- and as I had said, “There is only so much a person can take in before that same thing will come out.”

When a child starts vomitting- your “To Do” list quickly changes.  I had to convert all attention to cleaning up the mess.    Luckily, he was standing on the hard-wood floor and missed any furniture or carpet.  I just needed to get him in the tub, his clothes in the washer and the floor cleaned up.  I was so grateful the baby had fallen asleep.  I did not know how I would have managed to deal with the mess while she was awake.

I had managed to get it cleaned up and get him in bed just in time for the baby (who at the time was not a solid sleeper) to wake up.  Now I needed to be on baby duty. The kitchen was still disastrous.  I was getting very tired and my daughter was not.  It was eleven-o-clock.  I was nursing my daughter when I heard the sound of my son starting to vomit again.

I ran in to grab him to try to rush him off his bed and away from his carpeted room but it was too late.  His bedding was covered.  In the process of quickly grabbing him and rushing him to the potty he had puked all over me, as well as the carpet in his room, the hallway and the bathroom . No… I can’t spare you the details.

I am now faced with a screaming baby who had gotten abruptly interrupted from her meal; a puke covered four-year-old and a house that looked like a puke tornado had touched down through half of it.  I was still exhausted… so tired I wanted to cry.  One thing was very clear.  I knew it was more than I could handle by myself. I desperately needed help.

My choices were few.  My family lives nowhere near any of our family.  My husband took a job that moved us a minimum of seven hours away from any family that could help.  So, I did something completely out of the ordinary for me. I picked up the phone and called the Pastor’s wife of the church we attend.  I figured she has always said, “If I ever need help…” and it was obvious that I needed help.  I hesitated after all her daughter was just at my house helping me! Yet I humbled myself and called.

She was over with a smile within twenty minutes.  She prayed for my son (who never did throw up again). She held the baby while I cleaned.  The baby was awake and comforted in her arms the entire time. It took us together a little over an hour to get everything back in order and the baby asleep.  Who knows how long it would have taken me by myself.  She left and I was able to get the rest I desperately needed.  The next morning she sent me a text thanking me for allowing her to be Jesus’ hands and feet.  She made sure I knew where my help came from.

I spent the next day reflecting on the situation.  I thought about what would have made the clean-up easier and how I could be better prepared for the next occurrence.The trip my husband was on allowed us to have extra income that month.With the approval of my husband (who was still out-of-town), I found and purchased a steam vacuum cleaner (a new helper) as well as a hamper for organizing our laundry (another helper).  I placed the hamper by my washer and dryer (two of my greatest helpers), which helped me wash out all my clothes.  I was beginning to see the help that had been all around me all along.

My new “helpers” were extremely helpful when my two-year-old started throwing up just two days later.  That day Jesus once again provided another set of hands and feet.  Minutes before my son started vomiting I happened to be reading the last line of an email from a friend from church and she had written, “If you need me please call.”  I had just finished reading her words as my son started to throw up.  So amazingly for me, I humbled myself AGAIN and called for help. She arrived quickly with Gatorades, Pedialytes, waters, crackers and applesauce… enough for all my boys.  She arrived with nourishment for his body. But her most impressive gift was the beautiful smile she arrived with on her face…  not what one would expect from a woman who had lost her job just the day before.  It was the “I’ve been there smile.”  She too is a mother of four, though hers are grown now.  It is always a blessing to be comforted by someone who has been there. I was so impressed with my friend. She could have stayed home, frantically checking employment listings or sulking yet she did no such thing.  She was there helping me, trusting that God would help her.

I learned a lot about help that week.  Here is what I learned:

God helps LIGHTEN THE LOAD in my hands WITH HANDS (often little ones)  all around me. God helps bring PURPOSE to my life THROUGH OPPORTUNITES to share his word. God helps bring JOY to my life THROUGH MUSIC. God helps bring ORDER to my life FROM CHAOS. God helps bring ABILITY into my life THROUGH DISABILING what I cannot handle. God helps me NEED his presence THROUGH allowing me to realize the INSUFFICIENCY of my own. God helps me learn DEPENDANCY on him THROUGH the act of my CALLING on others. God helps COMFORT me and holds me in his arms THROUGH the arms of OTHERS. God helps me in areas needing IMPROVEMENT THROUGH REFLECTION.  God helps give me STRENGTH THROUGH the REST he provides.