Ryan's Laws for Fishing

“Hey, Mom, I think I’m getting sick,” Ryan said.  

“You look pretty healthy to me.  What do you think is wrong?  I can’t recognize any symptoms.”  I was mystified.  

“I know I’m getting sick.  It’s about to be an emergency,” he insisted.  My son was very serious, but obviously not sick.  

I tried hard not to laugh.  I could tell something was up.  “Do you need medicine?” I asked.  

Finally, he started laughing.  “Yep.  Fishing medicine.  It’s been so long since I went fishing that it’s making me sick.  I may not be able to go to school tomorrow!” 

 In the interest of school attendance, I sent him straight to the lake until supper.  

Ryan considered himself an expert fisherman and, several years ago, developed Ryan’s Laws for Fishing.  As a fisher of men, you may find them helpful, too.

1. You can’t catch fish with slime on your bait.  
2. If the fish aren’t biting, try changing your bait.  
3. If the big fish are eating all the little fish, you’d better try for the big ones, even if they are harder to reel in.
4. There’s more than one kind of fish in the lake.  Different kinds of fish bite different kind of bait.
5. Little fish are always hungrier.
6. It’s nice to have bait from the bait shop, but not essential.
7. Mommies don’t like to take the fish off the hook, but they can if they have to.
8. If you’re fishing in tall grass, you’d better look out for snakes.

  

And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matthew 4:19  NASB

What those laws teach about purity, spiritual warfare, reaching out to those around us, and servanthood is worth remembering.  If you are fishing for men but having no success, perhaps you should take a close look at Ryan’s fishing laws and make some adjustments in your bait or your technique.  The objective is not just fishing, but also bringing home a catch.  How well are you doing?

Battle in the Wilderness: How to Defeat Temptation (Luke 4:8)

Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" (Luke 4:8 NASB)

Once again, Jesus countered temptation with Scripture, a lie with truth.  He was actually quoting from two passages in Deuteronomy. They are so rich that we will just look at Deuteronomy 6:13 today.

The first passage from which Jesus quoted begins with an explanation of the need to obey God's commands. Moses said that God had commanded him to teach the people the statues and judgments (rules and consequences) so that they would both fear God (respect with awe and reverence) and obey for their entire life, in order that:
1) they would have long life
2) they would be blessed and things would "go well"
3) they would "multiply greatly" (many children)
Those are pretty good reasons for obeying God, don't you think?

Moses went on to say that obedience begins by loving God. It's interesting that, even when faith seemed to be based on a stack of laws, God wanted a love relationship with His people. He still does. We are to love Him with every fiber of our being (heart, soul, and might).  With that kind of love, we are to teach our children and make faith such a way of life that it infuses every part of our day, every part of our being.

With that consuming love and all-encompassing obedience comes a lovely promise. God will surround us with blessings we did not procure for ourselves nor do we deserve them. In the midst of all the blessings, He will give us another precious gift -  contentment with what we have. (We will eat and be satisfied) How incredible!

Moses said there is a risk in this extravagant blessing. The danger is that we, in our contentment, can easily forget that every gift we enjoy comes from the hand of God. The way to prevent the danger is to keep our hearts diligently focused on God by fearing Him (reverence,awe), worshipping Him, serving Him. Our love for God should motivate us to worship and action.

Moses went on to say (Leanna paraphrase) that God is a jealous God, and He will not put up with a bunch of mess from us. He means what He says. We can have blessings galore, but we will only have them by doing things God's way.

Right there in the wilderness, the Scripture Jesus had learned as a boy came back to Him. Those words He had hidden in His heart helped keep Him from sin. (Psalm 119:11) What a great demonstration of truth Jesus gives with His answer to temptation!

Pray today that every word of Scripture our loved ones have learned will come back to them at just the right time to guard them from sin and point them to truth. Pray that we (and our loved ones) will live in such a way that we will choose love, choose obedience, choose blessing.

FIDO (Facilitating Interactions for Dogs with Occupations) and choices

My son text'd me with the most amazing news today. His wearable computing group project (FIDO) was presented in a paper to the International Symposium on Wearable Computing in Zurich and it WON FIRST PLACE!!!!

Of course, I'm the mom and I'm pretty sure they could not have done it without Ryan the Wonder  Boy. Oops. He's 21 now. Ryan the Wonder Man. Anyway, I am totally thrilled for him and the rest of the group. And for the professors, of course.  I'm also (without a doubt) delighted about how it will dress up his resume/CV when job hunting starts in earnest.

Like any helpful mama would, I've been thinking of all kinds of things they could do for their next project. I suggested a collar for my cows to move them from one pasture to another by remote control, especially in rainy weather. Ryan is far too practical to indulge my silliness, and he has given me a full list of all the reasons why it's not a good project.  When I grumbled, just a little, he told me, "It wouldn't be buzzword compliant, but it would be easier to set up an outdoor loud speaker in each field and train them to that." Training them to move is not the issue. Rattling a bucket of feed works really well. So does whistling and yelling, "Come on girls."  Even Maggie the Wonder Dog can move the cows, which is a fairly amazing feat. Loudspeakers, buckets, and hollering, however, are not at all cool.  I want something edgy and exciting.

That desire for edgy and exciting has  made me an innovator who is not afraid to try something new. It doesn't all work, but it often does. Generally speaking, it's been a good thing.

It has, unfortunately, gotten me in more trouble over the years than I am willing to admit. (I was young and stupid once, too.) It is one thing to try something a different way because the usual way isn't working or isn't filling the need. Doing something just because it seems taboo and exciting is totally different, and often just plain dumb.

Listening to the advice of those older and wiser could have saved me a world a woe. But I often didn't. Obeying the truth in Scripture (where consequences are clearly explained) would have taken me a different direction. But, for years, I wouldn't. Being young and invincible, I didn't expect consequences to come my way, or for choices to take a toll. But they do, and they did.

Proverbs 14:12 pretty much sums the problem up. "There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." (NASB) The crazy thing is, sometimes the way seems wrong, and we take it anyway. How dumb is that?

That brings me back, as usual, to making choices and how those choices affect us and the ones we love. Here is your chance to consider whether the choices you make are wise and leading to the life you want, or the edgy, exciting, probably shouldn't kind of choice that will only bring grief and trouble in the end. Choices are not optional, but dumb ones are. The question tonight is whether or not you will make choices that bring you closer to the life God intended for you.

All these years after my stupidness, my son is giving advice, and, believe it or not, I'm paying attention. Even more surprising, I'm doing what he recommended. Forget the loudspeaker though. I'm sticking with a bucket and a hearty holler.

Battle in the Wilderness: the Steep Price (Luke 4:7)

"Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours." (Luke 4:7 NASB)

Once more we see that there is a price for yielding to the temptation. The temptation for the glory the world can give comes at a very steep price. Jesus was tempted to trade eternal dominion for temporary public approval, but the price was to worship a false god. Of course, we look at this and say, "Why would Christ be tempted to worship the devil?" Jesus knew that he was the deceiver. He knew he was the angel of light who, after a rebellious uprising had been evicted from his place in heaven.

Let's look a little closer. The word translated worship is the Greek word proskuneo and, according to the New Testament Greek Lexicon, means "to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand". It is a word used to "show homage by a person of lesser rank".  The devil was attempting to extract a price he could never have. He was asking Jesus to "cry uncle", concede defeat, and acknowledge him as the greater power. The devil was not looking for the love and devotion of Jesus. He was looking for humiliation and defeat of the Almighty.

To have what the evil one promised was possible, and it did require worship of one other than Jehovah. It required worship of self and instant gratification. One day, every knee will bow to Jesus as Lord. The question in the wilderness that day was whether He was willing to wait for God's best or was going to take matters into His own hands and settle for what He could have immediately.

Every time one of God's children faces temptation, part of the price we will pay for yielding is this worship of self and settling for less than what God had planned. Satan's desire is to defeat God Himself, but he will settle for defeating one of his children. Temptation looks a little different when viewed that way, doesn't it?

Today, pray that we and our children will recognize the temptations that come our way, as well as the cost those temptations bring, and that we will choose to wait for God's best.

Simple pleasures

Maggie the Wonder Dog had a grand time at play day today! I could tell because, when I picked her up, she hurried to the car, jumped in the passenger's seat, and immediately went to sleep. She slept soundly for the entire twenty minute ride home.

Just as I turned in to the driveway, I began to let the window down to get the mail. That was the wake-up sound she needed.  She was in my lap like a shot and straining to stick her head out the window.  Maggie LOVES for me to drive fast down the driveway (20 mph) while she hangs her head out.  She has no fear because she knows I will hold her tight. The wind blowing over her is pure delight.  With her hair plastered to her head and her ears blown straight back like a pair of furry black kites, she is in "hog heaven".  Well, at least in doggy heaven-on-earth.  The fact that she looks ridiculous does not bother her a bit.  Maggie is 100% utterly abandoned to the pleasure of the moment.

Her joy in the wind is such fun to watch, partly because I rarely enjoy anything with the same degree of utter abandon.  No holding back, total disregard for appearance.  It is such a simple pleasure.  All she wants is for the wind to blow in her face.  She doesn't require special equipment, a special outfit, a perfect setting.

What fun it would be to indulge in a few simple pleasures of our own, like we did as children!  Splash in mud puddles, walk in the rain, take a hike in the woods and look for nature treasures.  Your list is likely longer than mine.

This weekend, take a few minutes for fun... The simple pleasure that is spontaneous and silly and to which you can utterly abandon yourself for a few minutes.  Forget about looking ridiculous.  Rest in the confidence that your Heavenly Father is holding you tight and will not let you go, no matter how silly you look. Go ahead.  Act like a kid. Take a break just to enjoy a simple pleasure. You may be surprised how much younger it makes you feel.

Battle in the Wilderness: Giving Glory (Luke 4:6, Isaiah 48:11)

And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. (Luke 4:6 NASB)

"... My glory I will not give to another. (Isaiah 48:11 NASB)

Glory. Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines glory as "worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving". This is the kind of glory we give to God. An alternate definition is "great beauty and splendor" which is used to describe the magnificence of a civilization. The Greek word used here is doxa, and, according to biblestudytools.org, in the NT it is always used to indicate "a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory". 

The devil was offering Jesus "doxa", but it was the magnificence of a civilization instead of the worshipful praise which was His due. There was a similarity to what Jesus was to receive after His resurrection, but it wasn't the "real thing".  It was a quick, seemingly painless alternative. It was the easy out, but redemption would not be accomplished, and fellowship with His Father would be irretrievably broken. What the devil was not offering was the glory of God. That is not shared and was not his to give. 

As we have said before, the temptation would not have been offered if it had not had appeal for Jesus. The time in the wilderness was a point of no return. Either He was going all the way to the cross, or He was not going at all. 

Praise God, Jesus was not deceived by this temptation and was able to rebuff the enemy of His soul once again.  We, too, must not be deceived into thinking the easy out will bring the blessings only God can provide. What is your temptation point? In what way are you tempted to compromise? 

Today, pray that every temptation to compromise and accept the devil's imitation of God's best (for ourselves and our loved ones) will be recognizable and quickly refused. Pray that our children will be willing to take the harder path of obedience to God rather than the seemingly-easier way of the world. 

Christmas Shopping

Christmas shopping has officially begun!  One of my favorite catalogs has arrived, and I have wept with joy over the offerings. The Samaritan's Purse Christmas Catalog is here, and what wonderful choices they have!  If anyone is wondering, I want #11, located on page 9.  It is a gift to the Education and Literacy Project, and it provides supplies and tutoring to teach a child to read and write.  Literacy would open the world for a child, give them opportunities they will never have without it.  They can improve their life and the lives of their family, maybe for generations to come.  Most importantly, they can read the Bible for themselves.  What a precious gift!

My family has not always shopped the donation catalogs.  We grew up with mountains of presents under the tree, and my sister and I carefully divided the gifts into stacks to see who had the biggest pile. (Well, mostly I counted the haul.) Christmas was, in some ways, about what we wanted and how much we would get.  Oh, and all the cakes and candies my mom and grandmother made.  What wonderful sweets we would get for the holidays!

Please don't think my family was pagan.  Far from it.  We were very active in our local church.  My grandmother saved for the Lottie Moon Christmas offering all year long.  You could borrow from the stash in her purse if you asked just right, but you were definitely going to pay it back.  She was totally serious about her Christmas missionary offering.  I didn't realize it at the time, but my grandmother saved all year long for Jesus' Christmas gift.

Really, how crazy is it to give gifts to ourselves when it is Jesus' birthday?  I'm not sure how we have justified all this gift giving, but I am no exception to the shopping frenzy.  I am sure I will still buy and wrap a stack of presents this year, just like always. Somewhere along the way, however, I have begun to understand that Christmas is not at all about gifts or what I want. Christmas is about Jesus, God's gift of redemption to a perishing world.  

A few years ago, my sister and I began a new tradition.  We carefully looked at all the opportunities for giving and selected donations for every person on our gift list.  We tried hard to match the gifts to the person so that it would be meaningful.  My elderly mama was always cold.  She received a "gift" of blankets for elderly people in a cold environment.  My sister, with two lovely granddaughters, received a gift that provided for the rescue of two girls from sexual trafficking.  I received the gift of life giving medications for a third-world county.

That first year, my son received the gift of sponsorship of a young Rawandan boy with his same birthday.  We studied about Rawanda and learned about the political climate, the culture and class structure, and the geography of the country. A few months later, Ryan moved into a student apartment complex, where he had randomly assigned roommates.  Much to my surprise, one of his new roommates was from Rawanda!  His parents had been refugees from the Rawandan genocide.  How amazing is that? Even though we may never meet our sponsored child, Gil has made Rawanda real to us, and the sponsored child even more precious.

Ryan showed livestock when he was in 4H, so the gift of a pig for a family in a third-world country wasn't surprising to him.  That pig may sound unusual, but one pig will have multiple babies with every litter, providing food and income for the family.

Just thinking about all those fun choices has me really excited!  I hope you are catching some of  that excitement.  You can change the world with your holiday shopping.  There are lots of options for giving to large international ministries, but your local relief organizations can use a helping hand as well.  Salvation Army, Goodwill, local food pantries, all need extra help during the winter months.

My challenge to you tonight is to work on Jesus' Christmas list first.  After all, it is the most important. See how creative you can be as you touch the world, one person at a time.  As you look at the needy around you, be careful to see Jesus in every face.  Here's what Jesus said, "I'm telling the solemn truth; whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was Me - you did it to Me."