A quick check of current bass fishing lures at a major retailer lists 937 types. With each type, there are size and color variations on the average of 22 per type. Multiply those together and you need a tackle box that can hold 20,614 items.
What's a fisherman to do? Unless he is on speaking terms with a largemouth bass (and I know a few people who ARE), he is forced to guess. There are, however, different levels of guessing.
Take Homer and his wife, Etta, for example. Being the romantic husband that he is, Homer decided to take Etta fishing on Valentine's Day. Actually, he had planned on taking her to the Dairy Queen but it wasn't his fault the bass began their pre-spawn activity on Valentine's Day!
So the two lovebirds hopped into the john boat and headed to the north end of the lake. Being the generous and loving husband that he is, Homer rigged Etta's pink and purple female-type fishing pole with a Texas-rigged, super killin', hog smashin' craw-worm. He told her to chunk it on out there, let it hit bottom, and then slowly crank it in, giving the rod an occasional pop. Even though Etta never said, "Huh?" - Homer knew the look. Being the patient husband that he is, he chunked it out there for her and demonstrated his prior instructions.
After a long ten minutes of fishing and catching nothing, Etta went to fiddling around in Homer's tackle boxes.
"What are you doing, sugar muffin?" asked Homer.
"I'm looking for something else to fish with. Something with a little bling to it," answered Etta. She looked up at him with her one good eye and grinned that gorgeous, albeit toothless, grin that always melted his heart. He returned the grin with a nod and a half smile, then turned where she couldn't see him smirk.
Homer thought to himself, "Bling? Did she say bling? It's a tackle box, not a jewelry box. She ain't gonna catch nothin. And when I catch me a hawg on this here craw-worm, she'll be sorry she didn't listen to the master!"
Homer prided himself on knowing exactly what the fish were biting. He even bragged to his buddies that God blessed him with a fish's brain and he "knowed what they were thinkin'."
Etta pulled a ten-inch worm out of the bottom of Homer's tackle box and held it up. "Can I try this one?" she asked.
Homer had no idea how such a worm ever made it's way into his tackle box. That worm was a sight! It looked like a mardi gras parade puked all over it. It had every bright-colored, glittery speck you could imagine imbedded into it's black and motor-oil colored body.
Homer spit. Then he spoke. "Apparently, that old worm has set too long on the bottom of my tackle box," he said. "And all the glitters and sparkles from other baits melted into it. That's the ugliest thing I ever saw! The fish ain't gonna hit that thing. In fact, it'll probably scare 'em all away...honey pie."
She batted her eye, squared her jaw, and tried to stand up in the boat so she could put her hands on her hips (a posture Homer knew all too well). "But, but, but, if my four-leaf clover darlin' wants to fish with that," Homer corrected himself. "Then, by golly, she's gonna fish with it."
Etta sat back down and grinned like a giddy school girl. Homer took the bling mardi gras puke worm from her hand and put it on her hook. It went against every fiber of his being and he hoped no one could see him. Etta cast the worm about two feet, making an awful splash as that big worm hit the water right next to the boat.
While Homer was shaking his head and whispering his good-byes to all the bass in a two-mile radius, Etta's pole went to bending and Etta went to screaming, "I got one!"
"No way!" Homer shouted before he could stop himself.
"Yes, way!" Etta yelled back. "Stop standin' there gawkin'. Get the net!"
"You sure it ain't a stump or a gar or a trot line?" Homer asked and instantly regretted asking it. Before that sentence got to "trot line," Homer knew the answer. A bass so big it would be a wallhanger in Jimmy Houston's house (pause for a moment of silence at the mention of his name) jumped straight up out of the water, did a hula dance in mid-air with five inches of puke worm hanging out of her mouth, and headed straight back down.
"Hang on, Etta! I'm gettin' the net. Give her some slack or she'll break your line," Homer shouted.
Etta leered at him and said, "I got this! You just get the net."
Homer did the husband hunker that all men are familiar with. The one that says, "Yes ma'am" without the words.
The fish was longer than the mouth of the net, but they managed to get her into the boat. After a dozen high fives, a thousand hoops and hollers, and a couple of pictures with the polaroid, Etta turned to the crowd that had gathered at the bank and held her lunker hawg big momma bass up like Jay Yelas at the Bassmasters (another pause). She could hear the folks whistling and shouting.
When she turned back around, Homer, being the humble husband that he is, was digging in the bottom of his tackle box for a ten-inch black and motor-oil worm with some bling on it.
The lesson of Homer and Etta is three-fold: 1) Take your dog - NEVER your wife - fishing on Valentine's Day. 2) If you DO take her fishing and she catches a bigger fish than you, DON'T go to the Dairy Queen right after that. 3) No matter how good a guesser you are when it comes to fishing -- everyone occasionally guesses wrong, and anyone can occasionally guess right.
Fishing is guesswork. But you can improve your chances of guessing right by learning patterns, studying the seasonal behavior of fish, discovering what is and is not working from other experienced fishermen (and knowing whether they are lying to you or not), and by following the three P's: practice, practice, practice.
However, even a first-time fisherman can crawl into a boat or stand on a bank and be in the right place at the right time with the right bait. The guesswork factor in fishing is what makes it fun.
Unless you're fishing for answers to life's questions.
Life was never meant to be a guessing game. The Creator of life did not create haphazardly. He created with purpose, design, and compassion. He not only planned YOU, He has a plan FOR you. You don't have to guess. You just have to search.
Where do you begin searching? The first place to search for God's plan for your life is in the Bible. It is God's instruction manual for man. In it, you will find truth. Truth is the guide of life that we all need. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).
The truth of the Bible also tells us that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). That's not a guess. That's a guarantee from the Manufacturer.
A second place to search is in prayer. Prayer is simply opening your heart to God and talking to Him. You can tell Him how you feel. You can ask Him to show you what He wants you to know. You can ask Him anything. He longs to hear from you. A third place to search is in a healthy church. Being around other followers of Christ gives you people just like you to talk to, lean on, and learn from.
This life and the one following is too important to leave it all up to chance. God wants you to know. He hasn't put 20,614 options in front of you. Just one. His Son. I pray you will accept Jesus as, not only the Savior of the world who died for the sins of the world, but as YOUR personal Savior who loves you and died for you.
Googling Really Large Tackle Boxes,
Perry Crisp
Showing posts with label Bible reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible reading. Show all posts
Monday, February 21, 2011
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
How to Avoid "How to" Books
Near the line of cashiers at most home improvement stores or warehouses is a library of "How to" books. You can find anything from "How to Build a Deck" to "Plumbing a 70-Story Building for Dummies."
Actually, I'm not really sure what the titles are because I never pull over and pick one up. I only know they are there because I've glanced in that direction once or twice. I'm thinking of writing a book called, "How to Avoid 'How to' Books."
Why do I avoid those books? Because I know me. I wouldn't make it past the introduction page without trying to figure out who I could hire to do this project. Demolition and disassembly I can do without a manual. But construction, assembling, remodeling, or repairing turns me into Curious George. All I do is make messes and anger the man in the yellow hat.
It's not that I don't think plumbing, concrete, wiring, and construction are important. I do. I just want it all to be done right. I would even appreciate a lifetime guarantee that none of that stuff would ever fizzle or fall apart.
What do I do? I call a professional or a friend who has read the manuals and knows what he is doing. This stuff is too important to put in the hands of a Mr. Get'r Done whose tongue is dangling back and forth over his lower lip and says, "Let's put this thingy over here and that whatchacallit over there. That oughta work. Try it now."
I'm convinced some folks treat the maintenance and construction of their hearts and lives the same way I treat home repairs. The bookstores have volumes of advice on how to do life. But they're all written by tongue-dangling humans whose own lives have missing parts and imperfect performance.
There's really only one book on the shelf that gives accurate (even flawless) directions to the complexities and uncertainties of human existence: The Bible.
Which one? There's really only one. I know there are plenty of counterfeits. But there's really only one true Bible. It starts with Genesis, ends with Revelation, has no more than 66 books in it, and isn't published by the Watch Tower Society. Clear enough?
I find that Christians bypass reading the Bible for themselves for the same reason I bypass the "How to" books at Jowe's and The Domicile Depot. They are afraid they won't be able to understand. They feel overwhelmed and unqualified.
That's where the really good news happens. Let me illustrate. Let's say I walk into Jowe's because I need to repair a faucet. I walk over to the library of plumbing and pick up a book called, "Faucet Repair for the Totally Inept," read three sentences and get frustrated because there are no pictures except the ones with Chinese subtitles. Before I can slam the book shut, a guy in a blue frock wearing a smile and a name tag that reads, "Joe Lee Spearit" comes over and says, "Can I help you?"
Joe guides me through the repair manual, shows me the tools I need, and demonstrates for me exactly what I need to do to fix my faucet. I go home, fix the faucet, grunt, and raise my hands in tool man victory.
It is the same with God's Word. As you pick it up to read it, ask the Author of the Bible to guide you through it. God's authorized representative is God Himself who comes in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will "teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things" (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit won't mislead you, either. He will "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).
Be not afraid. Pick up The Book. Whisper a prayer for help and begin reading today.
You can do it. He can help.
Perry Crisp
Actually, I'm not really sure what the titles are because I never pull over and pick one up. I only know they are there because I've glanced in that direction once or twice. I'm thinking of writing a book called, "How to Avoid 'How to' Books."
Why do I avoid those books? Because I know me. I wouldn't make it past the introduction page without trying to figure out who I could hire to do this project. Demolition and disassembly I can do without a manual. But construction, assembling, remodeling, or repairing turns me into Curious George. All I do is make messes and anger the man in the yellow hat.
It's not that I don't think plumbing, concrete, wiring, and construction are important. I do. I just want it all to be done right. I would even appreciate a lifetime guarantee that none of that stuff would ever fizzle or fall apart.
What do I do? I call a professional or a friend who has read the manuals and knows what he is doing. This stuff is too important to put in the hands of a Mr. Get'r Done whose tongue is dangling back and forth over his lower lip and says, "Let's put this thingy over here and that whatchacallit over there. That oughta work. Try it now."
I'm convinced some folks treat the maintenance and construction of their hearts and lives the same way I treat home repairs. The bookstores have volumes of advice on how to do life. But they're all written by tongue-dangling humans whose own lives have missing parts and imperfect performance.
There's really only one book on the shelf that gives accurate (even flawless) directions to the complexities and uncertainties of human existence: The Bible.
Which one? There's really only one. I know there are plenty of counterfeits. But there's really only one true Bible. It starts with Genesis, ends with Revelation, has no more than 66 books in it, and isn't published by the Watch Tower Society. Clear enough?
I find that Christians bypass reading the Bible for themselves for the same reason I bypass the "How to" books at Jowe's and The Domicile Depot. They are afraid they won't be able to understand. They feel overwhelmed and unqualified.
That's where the really good news happens. Let me illustrate. Let's say I walk into Jowe's because I need to repair a faucet. I walk over to the library of plumbing and pick up a book called, "Faucet Repair for the Totally Inept," read three sentences and get frustrated because there are no pictures except the ones with Chinese subtitles. Before I can slam the book shut, a guy in a blue frock wearing a smile and a name tag that reads, "Joe Lee Spearit" comes over and says, "Can I help you?"
Joe guides me through the repair manual, shows me the tools I need, and demonstrates for me exactly what I need to do to fix my faucet. I go home, fix the faucet, grunt, and raise my hands in tool man victory.
It is the same with God's Word. As you pick it up to read it, ask the Author of the Bible to guide you through it. God's authorized representative is God Himself who comes in the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will "teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things" (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit won't mislead you, either. He will "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).
Be not afraid. Pick up The Book. Whisper a prayer for help and begin reading today.
You can do it. He can help.
Perry Crisp
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Listen Up
Weird dreams visit my subconscious dvd player on occasion. It is usually the result of a chili-cheese dog after 9 pm. Sometimes I remember the dreams vividly. Other times they fade into forgetfulness with my first yawn.
But the scorpion dream is one I will not soon forget. It was more real than a reality show. In the scorpion dream, I was babysitting a room full of toddlers and infants. Okay, so it's more like a nightmare.
While overseeing all these babies, I saw a scorpion crawl between my feet toward the children. In the awake world of my existence, I despise and fear scorpions as much as any other creature. I have felt the poisonous power of a scorpion's tail more times than I can count. The pain is impossible to describe.
The nightmare continued to escalate as the toddlers started crawling toward the scorpion. They all saw it and wanted to play with it. I screamed at the children, warning them not to touch it. They ignored me and kept reaching for it. I tried time and time again to step on the scorpion, but there was always a child in the way.
The inevitable happened. One of the smallest babies was injected by the sting of the scorpion's tail and let out a blood-curdling scream that woke me up. I sat straight up in bed, wiping away sweat and letting out a sigh of gratitude that it was only a dream.
That's when I heard the voice. It wasn't audible because it wasn't coming from outside my head where my ears are. It was inside my mind. It was high-definition. It was clearly the voice of God. He said, "Now you know how I feel."
Then He left me there to meditate on what the dream and the God-statement meant. I knew what it meant. God wants so desperately for His children to hear Him. Yet we tune Him out so well. We fill our ears with what we want to hear. The voice of God drowns. When we do hear God, we often do not like what He says, so we learn not to listen.
We WANT to play with the scorpions. We think we know what's best. But we don't know what God knows. God knows the end result of playing with scorpions, and from a heart of passionate love He screams out to warn us and protect us. Will we hear Him? Will we trust Him?
1st Samuel 3:1 says, "the word of the Lord was rare in those days." I'm afraid we've let the voice of God become too rare a thing in our lives, as well.
The question for us to ponder is not, "Why isn't God speaking?" The question is, "Why am I not hearing?"
If you want to hear God better, He tells you how: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Hearing God begins with the Bible. If you are not reading it, you are decreasing your chances of hearing or recognizing God's voice.
Back to the scorpion dream. I tried to crush the scorpion with my heel, but the children were in the way. God's Son, Jesus, put Himself between the heel of God's judgment and the scorpion of man's sin. God has taken the eternal sting out of sin's tail, but He still doesn't want us playing with them.
Though the screaming child woke me up before I could see the reaction of the other babies, I would imagine none of them reached for the scorpion after hearing and seeing the pain it caused their fellow infant. So why would I want to play with that which caused Jesus so much pain? Why would you?
"Speak Lord, for your servant hears" (1st Samuel 3:9).
Perry Crisp
But the scorpion dream is one I will not soon forget. It was more real than a reality show. In the scorpion dream, I was babysitting a room full of toddlers and infants. Okay, so it's more like a nightmare.
While overseeing all these babies, I saw a scorpion crawl between my feet toward the children. In the awake world of my existence, I despise and fear scorpions as much as any other creature. I have felt the poisonous power of a scorpion's tail more times than I can count. The pain is impossible to describe.
The nightmare continued to escalate as the toddlers started crawling toward the scorpion. They all saw it and wanted to play with it. I screamed at the children, warning them not to touch it. They ignored me and kept reaching for it. I tried time and time again to step on the scorpion, but there was always a child in the way.
The inevitable happened. One of the smallest babies was injected by the sting of the scorpion's tail and let out a blood-curdling scream that woke me up. I sat straight up in bed, wiping away sweat and letting out a sigh of gratitude that it was only a dream.
That's when I heard the voice. It wasn't audible because it wasn't coming from outside my head where my ears are. It was inside my mind. It was high-definition. It was clearly the voice of God. He said, "Now you know how I feel."
Then He left me there to meditate on what the dream and the God-statement meant. I knew what it meant. God wants so desperately for His children to hear Him. Yet we tune Him out so well. We fill our ears with what we want to hear. The voice of God drowns. When we do hear God, we often do not like what He says, so we learn not to listen.
We WANT to play with the scorpions. We think we know what's best. But we don't know what God knows. God knows the end result of playing with scorpions, and from a heart of passionate love He screams out to warn us and protect us. Will we hear Him? Will we trust Him?
1st Samuel 3:1 says, "the word of the Lord was rare in those days." I'm afraid we've let the voice of God become too rare a thing in our lives, as well.
The question for us to ponder is not, "Why isn't God speaking?" The question is, "Why am I not hearing?"
If you want to hear God better, He tells you how: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Hearing God begins with the Bible. If you are not reading it, you are decreasing your chances of hearing or recognizing God's voice.
Back to the scorpion dream. I tried to crush the scorpion with my heel, but the children were in the way. God's Son, Jesus, put Himself between the heel of God's judgment and the scorpion of man's sin. God has taken the eternal sting out of sin's tail, but He still doesn't want us playing with them.
Though the screaming child woke me up before I could see the reaction of the other babies, I would imagine none of them reached for the scorpion after hearing and seeing the pain it caused their fellow infant. So why would I want to play with that which caused Jesus so much pain? Why would you?
"Speak Lord, for your servant hears" (1st Samuel 3:9).
Perry Crisp
Monday, March 10, 2008
RIF - Reading Is Foundational
Sports desk real taste road Jesus cord swing cash and blue is nose the when much bell the plate blur can fly squeeze only count at city petal of way my pick back color tree to you mail eyes spray flash heaven.
Making sense of what we read can be challenging at times. Even when we read the Bible.
Kevin hears a radio preacher tell him he needs to read his Bible to hear God speak to him. Kevin doesn't know where to start, so he just plops open his Bible and it lands in Leviticus 11. Kevin strains to hear God speak through a menu of unclean animals.
Amber wants to regain control of her life. One of her friends is a strong Christian who is always reading her Bible. Amber decides to give it a try and does the same thing Kevin did. Her Bible plops open to Ezekiel's vision of a spinning wheel thing that sounds like something in a sci-fi book.
Perhaps this has happened to you. You've gone to the Bible hoping to hear from God and it didn't happen. Maybe you struggled through a list of names in Matthew or scratched your head at the prophecies of Daniel.
Let me encourage you. Don't give up. The Bible is unlike any other book in the history of the world. You don't have to start at the beginning. You can start anywhere. You can settle on a Psalm, ponder a Proverb, or flip over to Philippians.
You can read about real people who face real challenges, make real mistakes, and find real forgiveness. If Matthew is hard to understand, try Mark or Luke or John. God will use one of them to speak directly to you today, and another one to speak directly to you tomorrow.
The Bible is like a mirror, according to James (1:23). But I find that the Bible can also be like a house of mirrors. You may read about the miraculous acts of Elijah and not identify with that mirror today. It may not reflect where you are today. But when you stand in front of the mirror of Job, you feel a connection because of the struggles and trials of your life today.
It may take effort. But anything worthwhile does. Reading your Bible tops the chart of "worthwhile." While God may speak to you through an email devotional or a Sunday school teacher or a television preacher, you need more than that. You need to read the Bible. It's not a matter of literacy. It's a matter of life.
It may take a while, but you will find the message from God that you need for your life. As you read, pray. Ask God to guide you in such a way that you do not miss what He wants you to hear.
Even in the most challenging portions of the Bible, God speaks.
By the way...there is a message in that mess of words in the opening paragraph. Use your "sixth sense" and circle every sixth word to find the most important message in the Bible.
Romans 10:17,
Perry Crisp
Making sense of what we read can be challenging at times. Even when we read the Bible.
Kevin hears a radio preacher tell him he needs to read his Bible to hear God speak to him. Kevin doesn't know where to start, so he just plops open his Bible and it lands in Leviticus 11. Kevin strains to hear God speak through a menu of unclean animals.
Amber wants to regain control of her life. One of her friends is a strong Christian who is always reading her Bible. Amber decides to give it a try and does the same thing Kevin did. Her Bible plops open to Ezekiel's vision of a spinning wheel thing that sounds like something in a sci-fi book.
Perhaps this has happened to you. You've gone to the Bible hoping to hear from God and it didn't happen. Maybe you struggled through a list of names in Matthew or scratched your head at the prophecies of Daniel.
Let me encourage you. Don't give up. The Bible is unlike any other book in the history of the world. You don't have to start at the beginning. You can start anywhere. You can settle on a Psalm, ponder a Proverb, or flip over to Philippians.
You can read about real people who face real challenges, make real mistakes, and find real forgiveness. If Matthew is hard to understand, try Mark or Luke or John. God will use one of them to speak directly to you today, and another one to speak directly to you tomorrow.
The Bible is like a mirror, according to James (1:23). But I find that the Bible can also be like a house of mirrors. You may read about the miraculous acts of Elijah and not identify with that mirror today. It may not reflect where you are today. But when you stand in front of the mirror of Job, you feel a connection because of the struggles and trials of your life today.
It may take effort. But anything worthwhile does. Reading your Bible tops the chart of "worthwhile." While God may speak to you through an email devotional or a Sunday school teacher or a television preacher, you need more than that. You need to read the Bible. It's not a matter of literacy. It's a matter of life.
It may take a while, but you will find the message from God that you need for your life. As you read, pray. Ask God to guide you in such a way that you do not miss what He wants you to hear.
Even in the most challenging portions of the Bible, God speaks.
By the way...there is a message in that mess of words in the opening paragraph. Use your "sixth sense" and circle every sixth word to find the most important message in the Bible.
Romans 10:17,
Perry Crisp
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