Simply A Night Owl

I dug this old joke out of an old e-mail for a little air.  I don’t know the original author is but if you are the originator and you happen along here, would you please let me know who you are so I can give you due credit. 

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside of the cemetary fence.  One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight and began dividing the nuts.  “One for you, one for me.  One for you, one for me”,  said one boy.  As they did this, several dropped and rolled down by the fence.

Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle.  As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetary.  He slowed down to investigate.  Sure enough he heard, “One for you, one for me.  One for you, one for me”.  He just knew what it was.  He jumped back on his bike and rode off. 

Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along.  “Come here quick”, said the boy, “you won’t believe what I heard!  Satan and The Lord are down at the cemetary dividing up the souls”.  The man said, “Beat it kid, can’t you see it’s hard for me to walk”?   When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetary.  Standing by the fence they heard, “One for you, one for me.  One for you, one for me”.    The old man whispered, “Boy, you’ve been tellin’ me the truth.  Let’s see if we can see The Lord”.  Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence yet were still unable to see anything.  The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of The Lord.

At last they heard, “One for you, one for me.  That’s all.  Now let’s go get those nuts by the fence and we’ll be done”. 

They say the old man made it back to town a full five minutes ahead of the kid on the bike.

“Come follow me”, Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men” ~ Matthew 4:19

I recall a day some years ago when a friend and I were out fishing at one of the small lakes in the area.  On any given day, we could catch our limit of trout in about an hour or less if the fish were moving around good.  On this particular day, things were different.  We weren’t catching anything except for a few mosquito bites and some Z’s.  As a rule, we were normally successful at catching fish here.  All we had to do is sit in one spot and wait for the schools of trout to get around to our side of the lake.  Was it possible that we had worn out our welcome?  Or worse, did the fish figure us out?  After several hours of staring at my fishing line, all of the sudden my pole doubled over and the line started running; no, screaming out.  About ten minutes later, I landed a seven pound catfish from a lake where catfish were not really known to be.  What an incredible catch from such an unlikely source.  Who would have known that many years later, a lesson in ministry would come of it.

Serious fishermen will walk through mud and muck, brave the rain or snow or walk across and sit on ice all day; simply to get to where the fish are.  They will go to any length to catch fish.  They know what they are fishing for, they go where the fish are biting and they have the ability to think like a fish.  I was thinking that this is the dedication that might be required to fish for men as well. 

Different types of fish require different types of equipment, bait and strategy.  Understanding your fish is serious business.  It should come as no surprise that we are all given different gifts for ministry.  One of the reasons that I can see is that we each have the ability to connect with certain people that others might not be able to reach.  Just like different people, it should also come as no surprise that different types of churches are needed to reach different types of people.  In the end, the goal is the same. 

Did you know that the average fisherman never goes farther than half a mile from a paved road?  I have seen some churches and some Christians who think that way when it comes to fishing for people.  They don’t take the time to understand the people that they want to reach and then go try and reach them.  They win people to Christ as long as it is comfortable for them.  They sit in their one spot (comfort zone) for hours and hours (Translation: years and years) and wait for the fish to get around to where they are and like the fishing story above, when they finally do hook into one, it’s seen as an incredible catch from an unlikely source when in reality, it’s just a matter of luck.

I have been tagged by Rachel for a meme on five things that I am thankful for.  This meme was started by John over at Smulo Space.  The biggest issue I have is trying limit the list to five and secondly to decide which five are any more important than the others.

1.  I am thankful that I have a God who is loving enough to make it possible for someone like me to (1) be forgiven and (2) be useful to him.   I know exactly what Paul was talking about when he said that he was the greatest of sinners.  That was me.   I am thankful that he loved me enough to come to the earth in Jesus Christ to teach me how to live and pay a debt that I couldn’t.   I am also thankful that he continues to lead, guide and speak to me daily through the Spirit.  Our God is an Awesome God!!

2.  I am thankful for the gifts that I have received throughout my life.  These are tangible gifts as well as spiritual gifts.   Everything that has ever happened to me in this lifetime has been a gift in one way, shape or form.  Everything that I have done, good, bad or indifferent, shaped me into the person that I am today.  I have said before that our paths are important so I am thankful for the choices that I have made and the directions that I have taken.

3.  I am thankful for my family in which are two of the biggest gifts that I have ever received;  My wife and most recently my son.  I am thankful that the Lord has enough confidence in me to bless me with this responsibility.  I am also thankful for my parents and siblings, my wife’s family, our church family and our extended family.  

4.  I am thankful that I am in a career that allows me to do some good occasionally.   Once when I found a stray dog which was literally miles away from home and called the owner, they brought their five year old daughter with them to pick up the dog.  When I saw her face light up at the sight of her four legged friend, it was clear right then, “that is why I do what I do”. 

5.  I am thankful that I have a few people who I can really call friends.  You know the ones.   At just a phone call, they will drop whatever they are doing and come to your assistance.  They come to visit you for no reason at all.   They love you enough to tell you that you are full of it.   I am also thankful that some of these friends, I have never met.  ( I know that sounds pretty bad but I meant to say that I have great friends that I have never met)

Now I tag:
Sean  (Yeah I know, big surprise huh Sean?)
Stacie
Sicarii
Nate
and Che

If you want to be involved in this meme, just do this.
1. Post five things you’re thankful for
2. Tag five friends to take part
3.  Link back to John’s original post (Optional) and encourage others to leave a link in his comments back to their posts.   There is so much to be thankful for.        

 Thanks to ASBO Jesus for the visual to this thought:

What if the answer is no?  Can you still take it?  Is God still great?

What a blessing it has been to enter the blogosphere and find the kind of companionship that I have.  I remember when I started.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I didn’t know what to do or what to say, I just started writing and I started experimenting.  Since that time, I have made some very great friendships, some of which are now like family.  There are so many talented writers and such depth of insight and knowledge within the blogosphere that to me, it is mind-boggling.   Sometimes I feel like a fourth grader who has managed to sneak into a High School Trigonometry Class.   What I read today was humbling to behold. 

I have been recognized by a brother:  Sicarii, as a Prudent Power Blogger.   I am still a little bit in shock for this is an accolade that I don’t know that I deserve.   I only write how I feel led to write and sometimes, it can be a little “off”; as am I.  God is the only author of truth in His word.  I simply do my best to understand it and put it into words so that others might understand my understanding….do you understand? 

Therefore, I humbly accept this award and hope that my efforts are worthy of the bestowing of it.

I want to pass this award along to a couple of special people:

Rachel ~ My bestest blog friend.  I have come to think of her as a  sister and as such, she never has a problem telling me where I stand with her.    Rachel is the one person who I can turn to in cyberspace who will listen to anything that I have to say at anytime of the day or night.   I hope that one day, we might turn our cyber friendship into a live one.  (Thinking about that vacation already)

Che Vachon ~ She is so open and honest about what she has been through and is going through now.  Her journey has not been an easy one, yet she continues to push forward toward the finish line and I know that in the end, she will finish the race.   Che is a warrior!

Stacie~ My hero!  She is the most loving and accepting person I have ever known.  She has more compassion in her little finger than I have in my entire world.   I would give anything to be half of the disciple that she is.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing , but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching ~ Hebrews 10:24-25

This was actually ”spurred” by a comment by my good friend Rachel.  (Thank you so much!!)

When I first started thinking  about this, I really didn’t know what to write about.  So I thought I would just start writing and see what the Spirit led me to say.  The very first thing that comes to mind is how we may “spur”one another.   I use the NIV Study Bible and in this translation, spur is the term used.   The King James Version uses the term “provoke”.  Both of these words bring up some grand ideas from inside my imagination and most of them have negative connotations; unless of course, one is into pain and in that case, they’re positive.  Here’s a thought; just like one of the greatest tools we ever used while playing softball, provocation could be something as simple as “talking smack”.  This tool seems to provoke a higher level of performance from  team members and in my opinion, is much more preferable to someone kicking you in the ribs with a sharp pointed object.  However, to do God’s will is sometimes exactly what that feels like.

Most of the time, when God wants me to do something, it is most likely the very last thing that I want to do or for that matter, the last thing I would ever want to do.  Sometimes it feels a lot like being poked in the side.  That’s why we are supposed to meet together and regularly.  By doing so, we get together, talk a little smack, build each other up and get each other pumped up again about doing the Lord’s work.  We are our own support group for evangelism.

Does a meeting have to be a Sunday Service?  It can be but it doesn’t have to.  Does a meeting have to be a Wednesday night prayer group?  No, it doesn’t; but again, it can be.   We are not only allowed but I think, encouraged to seek outside of the box and come up with new and improved ways to reach people.  I had a meeting three nights a week for three weeks in a row with a man while driving around at work.  I had a meeting when I met my wife and a couple of friends at Starbucks one night.  I have a meeting every time I go searching through blog land and exchange ideas with someone.  What these meetings do is get me ready for the times when God says, “Go and talk to them”.  These meetings get me more prepared and for me, that is absolutely necessary because leading is the kind of thing that God does to me when I least expect him to.

So I go on the lookout for who I can pump up, who I can get excited and who I can motivate.  Encouragement is not limited to a specific place or method.  It is only limited by my acceptance of the leading of the Spirit.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Let’s see.  We build each other up by instituting a hierarchical leadership structure within our churches and congregations.  Then we let pride get in the way and “the leaders” create a bunch of man-made rules for the proper functioning of said church or congregation.  Then, of course, there can be no change unless it is approved by said leadership.  This of course, is inevitably followed by the chastisement and alienation of those who openly disagree with or don’t elect to follow these rules.  Nope, I don’t think that’s it. 

OK.  What about this?  Is it encouraging to one another when the entire evangelistic goal of one “religion” is to prove another wrong?  Let’s see.  The Baptists do it to the Mormons, who do it to the Pentecostals, who do it to the Catholics, who pretty much do it to everyone else.  That must be how we are supposed to build each other up.  I can’t think of a better way to create unity within the body!   Nope, that’s not it either.

Oh wait, I’ve got it.  We build each other up by creating cliques and then closing them to people who don’t think or act like we do.  Then, as an extra bonus for being a member of the clique, we get to openly show disdain for anybody different than us.  You know the ones who are not dressed well or who are not bathed or who wear black lipstick, a purple spiked Mohawk and have like nine piercings in and around their face.  Nope!  That doesn’t quite get it either.

There is something occurring in the blogosphere which I find quite appealing.  It is an open exchange of ideas and theology.  We talk about loves, hates and fears.  We discuss our successes and our failures.  Mostly, I find that we allow each other to share our journey in a spirit of acceptance, not judgment.  Initially, it was very scary to put myself out there on the Internet.  It was very humbling.  What I found was that the Spirit leads us there the same as he does outside of the computer.  For every experience we write about, there is always one person who comes across a post, or the discussion that results, who needs to hear what is being said.  That’s a “God Thing”.

So how is it that we are building each other up?  These blog discussions speak to the importance of everybody’s viewpoint in the big picture.  I believe that were it not for open dialogue, growth would be stunted.   It is that same type of dialogue that is required of us outside of cyberspace.  We have to be open, loving, accepting and most of all, genuine.   Genuine, in my mind, is the most important attribute; for if we are not genuine, people can smell that a mile away.  Then what good are we doing?

Wait just one minute!!!   That sounds an awful like “we’re supposed to have relationships with people that we don’t know as well as the ones that we do”.  Sometimes, all that is necessary is a kind word to a stranger.   That’s how we build each other up.

And to think, 135 years later, we still have hymn sandwiches every Sunday!

Thanks go to ASBO Jesus

I have been tagged by Rachel for this meme which was started at Lord, I Believe.  Wow!  Nothing like being put on the spot for some brutal self-evaluation and reflection.  Thanks Rach!!

So what would Jesus say to me?

1.  “Look in the eyes of your son and breathe in his presence.  Do you feel that love?  Bottle that up dude.  That’s my love and that’s what you’re supposed to be sharing with all my children.”  

2.  “Thanks for sitting down and taking the time to listen to me; it doesn’t happen enough – unless of course you need something.  You should probably listen more cause you know what, I talk to you all the time - Hellooo!”

3.  Take some more time for “deliberate prayer”.  I dig your one liners and all but I would like to be involved in a grown up conversation with you.”  

4.  “You really are confident in your skin arent’ you?   You’re not afraid to talk about me to both friends and strangers alike. You can say anything to anybody and you’re not afraid to try anything.  That’s the kind of help I need.  Now look past the end of your own nose and give credit where it’s due.” 

5.  “Be more patient.  Look past people’s flaws, or at least what you think their flaws are; and remember that I use flawed people.”

6.  “You’re mine and you have a very important task that you’ll be doing for me.  When the time is right, I’m going to set you loose so get ready for that day now.  Time is growing short!”

Now, who should I tag?   Hmm………………. (jeopardy music playing in background)

Sean at Samish Patrol
Stacie at Becoming Visible
Nate at Defined
Chris at Inside the Mind of a Worship Drummer

Here are some search bullets that people are using to find me.  (HT: Heather for a great idea)

 1.  Owl Puzzle Lessons.
Just in case you ever find yourself with an owl that has a funny shaped hole in its wing.
2.  I’ve Been Shunned by a pastor.
And you found me?  I don’t know whether to say thanks or I’m sorry! 
3.  Extreme Makeover for Christ.
So that we can make him conform to us and what we desire…I guess.
4.  Bruised Fingertips
If you found my site by searching, I’ll bet good money they’re bruised.
5.  Nudity Blogger
Has this person been looking in my window at night?  Hmm. 
No wait, it’s David’s fault! 
6.  Night Owl Crafts
When barn owls get together for tea, donuts and quilting.  This occurs mostly in the midwest farming belt. 
7.  Owls and Christianity
Who?  Who?
8.  Owls and October 22nd
Must be some special “owl day”.  I don’t know.
9.  The Night Owl Was at my Door
I was not.  I was at an appointment.  I have witnesses.
10.  Extreme Night Owl 
When farmer Jones goes to sleep at night, the owls come out to play.  “Extreme Night Owl” includes events such as

• Perching For Style
• Catching Big Air (off of the barn roof)

and my personal favorite:

• Triple High Mouse Catching (High Speed, High Altitude, High Attack Angle)