Thoughts
We had been trolling lures offshore for several hours with no bites; though we were in a good area and the sea was calm save for a few gently rolling swells. Suddenly, a huge bull dolphin erupted on a lure just off the starboard transom. Hooked up, the fish began a series of acrobatic jumps, lighting up in various hues of green, blue and yellow. After a short battle, I wrestled it to the fish box. However, the dolphin surprised me by making a desperate jump, crashing onto the boat’s cockpit floor. In all the chaos, the lure with its razor sharp 7/0 hook came out of the fish’s mouth and buried deep into my leg. The pain was excruciating.

I recently read how Romans dealt with criminals: floggings were done with a whip consisting of nine leather straps alternately tipped with sharpened bone (to rip flesh) and iron (to cause contusions). Strikes were limited to 39 because any more than that number would almost certainly kill the victim. Crucifixions used crude 7in nails hammered through the median nerve in wrists and the arch and heel of each foot. Unable to push up from the nailed feet, death occurred as a result of suffocation due to the prisoner’s inability to exhale air once it had been inhaled. If death didn’t occur soon enough, the legs were broken to hasten it. It was an ordeal so intense that a word was created to describe it: excruciating–literally meaning “out of the cross”. (Will D)

Action Point
Jesus Christ endured these ravages that day so you and I could be free from sin and live in peace, He paid a debt we owed. Always remember what He did for us. Consider using the details of Roman crucifixions as a tool for sharing the gospel with unbelievers so that they might understand what our Savior endured for them.

Thoughts
The big gobbler came in on the run, stopping occasionally to fan and to strut. He was beautiful to behold! He was the boss gobbler of the area and convinced that a younger, smaller gobbler was encroaching on his territory. His gobbling usually announced his desire to attract hens. Now it declared his dominance and was intended to intimidate. He was too proud to allow any interloper to go unchallenged! So he charged in to teach this presumptuous upstart a lesson! The problem was that the intruder was a decoy. In fact, it was one of the newer styles, a counterfeit gobbler in full strut. As the big boy approached the decoy, the gun barked. Pride had provoked him to make a fatal error in judgment! (JM)

Action Point
Pride is dangerous for people as well as gobblers. It is to be avoided. All we have to do is to look into the Scriptures to remind us that we are needy and dependent upon God for everything in life. We are often like the gobbler–full of ourselves, and jealous of everything around us. This attitude often leads us into danger. Proverbs 14:12 warns us: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
Let’s be thankful, acknowledging that God is the One who gives us everything, including eternal life. Let’s give Him the thanks and appreciation He deserves, and not think that we have earned or are entitled to what we have and enjoy.

Thoughts
A couple of weeks ago two older men were launching their new bass boat at the ramp and having problems getting the outboard motor started. In the course of events, the boat drifted away from them and grounded itself on the other side of the cove. A helpful angler in his own boat went over to the wayward boat, tied it to his, and towed it back to the dock. The drifted boat was also filling with water–the drain plug had been put in the livewell drain instead of the boat drain. To further complicate matters, the bilge pump would not work. Watching what was going on, another angler jumped into the sinking boat and worked at getting the outboard to start. Finally it kicked in and he maneuvered the boat onto the boat trailer that was still standing in the water at the boat ramp. The boat was pulled out of the water and left to drain on the sidelines. This was a very awkward moment for the two anglers who were trying to launch the new boat. Besides the anglers who rendered aid, there were other people who had gathered to watch what was happening. Though there could have been lots of guffawing going on about the anglers’ plight, there wasn’t. Everybody was helpful in offering comments or fixing the immediate problem. (TB)

Action Point
How many times in our everyday lives do we come upon someone who needs help? Maybe it’s someone with a stalled car or flat tire stranded along the freeway. Our response might be, “Someone else will stop; I’m running late for an appointment.” (I’m guilty of that one.) Perhaps it happens out on the water while fishing: A buddy achieves the backlash of the year; it happens to everybody. He has been picking away at the tangled mess for at least four or five minutes. Do we offer to help clear the backlash, or offer one of our rods for him to use? There are numerous opportunities to help someone in need. We need to memorize what Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”

Thoughts
One of our favorite fly-fishing trips has been Yellowstone Park. To avoid the crowds, my two boys and I would hike a couple of miles off the beaten path. (We were told that they had never had a bear attack in groups of three or more. We still took the necessary precautions.) When we fished the Yellowstone River we used yellow-or orange-bodied stimulators. These represented large caddis or small hoppers. To locate the cutthroats you had to watch very carefully for a small swirl or rise; then, lightly present the fly just above the rise. They didn’t seem to travel very far laterally, so the cast had to be very accurate. If you put it on the spot with a good presentation, you had the fight of your life. It took quite a while to land the fish because of their size and the current. The boys quickly learned quickly to focus in the areas where the trout were working and put the fly on the mark. (TL)

Action Point
In our worship, do we focus and respond to God? As Creator, Savior, Sustainer of the Universe, and Sovereign Judge, have we given Him all the worth and honor that is due Him? Jesus said,
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and worshipers must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

Thoughts
I blew it! Absolutely, 100 percent, blew it!
I was out turkey hunting a couple of weeks ago, waiting to get a shot off at a tom. We’d had some pretty bad weather–sporadic temperatures–and the birds’ patterns seemed to have gotten thrown off. So rather than sitting there enjoying watching turkeys in the mornings and evenings, it seemed as if I was lucky to see anything. After several unsuccessful hunts, I was in my blind and just about ready to wrap up another morning of seeing practically nothing. I looked over to my left and there were six toms coming out of the woods, headed right for me. It had been so long since I’d seen one, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I got my gun up as quickly as I could and waited for them to meander in front of me. Sure enough, they did! At about 30yd, I finally got one of the toms to separate from the group a bit so I could get a clean shot off without taking down any of the others. As I pulled the trigger, I was looking forward to finally having a successful hunt. Well, the shot resounded across the field, and all six birds flew up in the air and went right over my blind as part of their escape route. I felt numb and stunned! All I can tell you is that the rest of that weekend, I found myself ruminating on the idea that I needed a second chance! I had completely blown it! (DM)

Action Point
The great thing about being a Christian is that we serve a God of second chances! We serve a God who believes in forgiveness and reconciliation! Maybe you’ve absolutely blown it:
you ignored a chance to speak a word of encouragement to someone who needed it;
missed an opportunity to witness to someone who needed to hear the gospel;
you got angry over something that in hindsight was petty;
the business deal wasn’t exactly up front, and in the end, you flat out didn’t do the right thing.

Go directly to God today and ask him to forgive you. Ask him to reconcile the situation. We all blow it; but God is ALWAYS there, willing to forgive if we are truly repentant. Humble yourself before Him.

Thoughts
I have never been much of a farmer, but nevertheless, I really relate to this scripture. When I stock fingerling fish, such as trout or bass, in a small stock dam or mountain pond, and return to that water some time later, I am always amazed when I cast in a spinner and pull out a 12-to-14in fish. I know it’s supposed to work that way, but I’m amazed every time just the same. (RT)

Action Point
Whether you’re scattering seeds or scattering fish, when the conditions are right, they are going to grow. It is the same for God’s Word. I think of the seeds of truth planted in my own life before I became a Christian. They didn’t seem that important at first; but over time I began to think about the words, understand their meaning and how they applied to my life. I am so thankful to the laborers that God calls on to sow his Seed. Now that I am a Christian, it is my job to share the Good News with others. Jesus said,
“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation, whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. . . ” (Mark 16:15a).

Thoughts
One of my joys in life is sitting in a duck blind as the sun creeps over the eastern horizon; and, one of the rewards of duck hunting is watching a talented dog retrieve a bird. I have had a half-dozen black Labrador retrievers in my lifetime, each with its own attitude–easy-going, hard-headed, obedient, limit-testing. Each was humanely trained with an electronic training collar. Seldom did I ever have to push the button on my remote to stimulate the response I desired from the dogs. Nevertheless, they were also different animals with different attitudes when the collar was fastened around their neck. They knew it was time for business. (BG)

Action Point
Are you the same person in church (with the collar around your neck) that you are at home with the family, in the world on the job, or in the outdoors with your buddies?

Trust and obey. Don’t make God hit the “button” to get your attention.

Thoughts
I think I learned the love of the outdoors as much from my mother as from my father. They were not your typical outdoors type. We lived in what we called the “country” in Western Pennsylvania. We weren’t poor, but we surely had no money. One of my parents’ favorite things to do was to go to the mountains–this would be up in Emlenton country–certainly not mountains from a Westerner’s point of view, but they were mountains to us. I can vividly remember one particularly hot, sticky summer day that mom took us wading in a mountain stream. It was wonderfully cold. Mom was so enthusiastic about it. She always carried a washcloth to wash us boys up with (It was in the days before things like “Wet Ones”). Having lived the last 30-some years in the Arizona desert, my love of water and streams has increased more and more. There is hardly anything that I would rather do than to hike into a remote desert stream. You are so hot and thirsty by the time you get there that you think you will faint. Then you get to the stream and it is SO refreshing! (DWH)

Action Point
The Lord’s Word can be as refreshing as a cool mountain stream. When I need to be refreshed, in addition to these verses from Isaiah, I frequently turn to the Psalms–passages such as Psalm 23 that many of us learned as children.He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul (Psalm 23:2b,3a). Leading me beside the water, whether still or not, always restores my soul! Spend time in God’s Word and become refreshed!

Thoughts
Big game fishing for billfish is a team sport. While the angler’s name is usually recorded next to a picture or tournament posting, it is the teammates who make the catch possible. The captain’s maneuvering skills, the mate’s timing and experience on the leader, and the angler’s stamina share equally in any big game fishing success.

The Church is a team sport. As God’s people we are called to build His Kingdom by doing His work–helping each other spiritually, emotionally, and financially. Our wonderful Creator gave us tools too; each of us has special gifts and wonderful pastors and teachers who edify and encourage us. (Will D.)

Action Point
God has a great purpose for your life. Perhaps you are unsure of your spiritual gift(s) and how it relates to the Church; through prayer and meditation in the Word, seek to understand what God has given. (See 1 Corinthians 12:1-14; 27-30; Romans 12:6-8) Next time you see your pastor or teacher, thank them for the job they have been called to do.

Thoughts
I will admit it–I messed up! Perhaps I was just a little overconfident. I had the sights right on the nice tom. I pulled the trigger and I heard the hammer drop, but the weapon did not fire. I cycled another round. Same result. I tried again, but it was just another failed attempt to harvest the bird. The mature gobbler saw the hens moving away and he joined them. What happened? Time to check it out. I test-fired a couple of times in a safe place, and one of two shells fired. What is going on? Time for some real research now!
What was wrong? A part was missing from the firearm. I had cleaned it after hunting in the rain, but was distracted in the process and left out a crucial part. (JM)

Action Point
Self-examination is essential to success. For the forgiveness of our sins, we must make sure our faith is in God’s Son Jesus, alone . It must be in Christ, not in some religion, or personal belief system.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Regular spiritual evaluation is essential to victorious living. Sin must be excised and avoided to insure a consistent and productive walk with the Lord. It is also critical to examine our lives to insure that something is not missing, such as Bible reading, sharing our faith, and prayer. We must eliminate anything that would harm our walk with Christ, or dishonor Him. Ask yourself the tough questions: Do you know Christ? Are you walking in obedience to him? If you examine your self and correct your ways, you will be blessed.