Setting The Hook

Everyone who has gone fishing - lost the big one - knows how important it is to properly set the hook. Timing - reeling in excess line - using enough force - while being securely planted on your feet - in your seat - all important factors. Ignoring these basics improves the chance you will lose your catch. Once set - important to reel in with steady force - strong enough to keep your fish on the line -not so over powering that you rip the hook out of its mouth. Set - reel - catch. Sounds easy but not always what happens. Timing is critical for all your actions - otherwise you end up with just another - fish story.

Jesus' disciples had to follow the same tactics when evangelizing - spreading His Good News. Drop a line- a few words about the Messiah - mention a miracle - set the hook - get them interested - continue to share the miracles - reel them in slowly - catch them with - resurrection. Modern day preachers need to follow the same tactics - fishing for men -women - youth. Drop a line about God's love - set the hook with unconditional forgiveness - lovingly but strongly bring them into the flock - catch them with Jesus' promise of New Life. Sounds simple - worked for Jesus - worked for His disciples - not always for today's preachers. Too many put the cart before the horse - celebrate success before the work has been done - pulling in the line before setting the hook - feeding them fluff when they wanted solid preaching - leaving slack in their line - treating the new Christian too casually - letting them slip off the Jesus hook - drifting away.  Jesus asks us to be fishers of men - women - for Him - following the basic rules of fishing - hook - line - sinker.

Deacon Dale   

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo - May 5th - according to Wikipedia - a day to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 - under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin. In the United States - Cinco de Mayo - frequently mistaken to be Mexico's Independence Day - the most important national holiday in Mexico - celebrated on September 16th - not May 5th.  It boils down to a day of celebration - by Americans - Mexicans - celebrating a win over opposing forces - a day to rejoice - with friends - family - no matter your ethnic background. The festivals - the food and drink - the camaraderie - is what makes this day so special. We should all celebrate friendship more often.

Jesus loved to gather with people - all kinds of people - thieves - prostitutes - tax collectors - people shunned by society - invisible people- those who had no voice - those who did not matter - except to God. It was not to the rich and wealthy - to the ordinary - those with no hope. Jesus gave those people reason to celebrate - to rejoice - hope for the future - hope for a better life.  Crowds gather around the world - celebrating favorite saints - patron saints - of different towns - villages.  In all these gatherings - Jesus is present - in the hearts and minds of those not afraid to publicly display their faith - their joy in God's blessings. Pick any day you wish - Jesus is waiting - to celebrate - with you.

Deacon Dale 

Preparation Day

So today is - preparation day - the day we have scheduled to pack up our things - load them in  the car - stage the house - prepare to leave in the morning for the trip back to Illinois. It has been an experience - to say the least. I never thought that we would have so much to take back - the trip here after Christmas was to bring things for the new house - the trip back - just as heavily loaded - bringing new things to Illinois. In addition the house has to be cleaned - top to bottom - in anticipation of a potential renter. Meeting with neighbors - giving them contact information - checking in with our house manager - pool guy - making arrangements with our realtor and leasing agent - preparing photos for advertising - more than I want to do - but must be done.

Preparation Day for the Jewish community - not a relocation experience - rather preparation for the Passover - a celebration of God's blessing on the entire community - the people of God - spared by the angel of death. An event so great - demanding special gatherings with family and neighbor - honoring God. Significant for Jesus - on the cross - removing His body and placing in the tomb - so the people - His disciples could - mourn His death - His sacrifice - honor the holiness of the day - observing Passover. Little did they know that Jesus would experience His own personal Passover - in His death and resurrection - His transformation from a mortal human body - to His new glorified body. An event - none of us should pass over.

Deacon Dale  

Fruitful

If you look up the word fruitful you will see that it literally means being full of fruit - filled with fruit - a good yield of fruit - a good harvest - an abundance - positive results. This does not have to apply only to farmers - gardeners.  Anyone who toils - works hard on any project - who sees great results - positive outcomes - may claim a fruitful yield. A teacher whose class all earn an "A" on a test may be sited as a fruitful yield - very positive results from concentrated effort.  To experience a fruitful yield - a sense of pride - positive affirmation.

Although Jesus only ministered publicly for a short three years or so - His yield of converts - beyond expectation.  Like a farmer - He planted seeds of faith - took root in hearts of men and women - yielded results beyond belief.  He reminds us that He is the true vine - as long as we stay connected to Him - we will produce results just as He did.  We are the branches - connected to Christ - our outcomes as great as His - as long as we stay connected.  Just as a grape withers and dies once it falls away from the vine - so may we wither - lose faith - grow weak in our own lives if we distance ourselves - disconnect from Jesus. Connected to Him - all things are possible - with God connected to us.

Deacon Dale 

Uno de Mayo

Last night we enjoyed an evening out with friends at a local Festival de Mayo in Avondale. Many of our friends on Facebook were teasing us that we had the date wrong - that we were suppose to celebrate May 5th - Cinco de Mayo. We quipped back that due to our impending departure from Arizona - we had to take advantage of the opportunity to spend a relaxed evening with friends. It turned out to be a smaller gathering - the entertainment was excellent - great mariachi music - young girls in colorful outfits dancing their hearts out - a good celebration.

Anytime anyone celebrates their new birth in Christ - the right time to celebrate. We do not wait until it is - proper - we seize the moment - here and now - announcing to the world - anyone nearby - the saving act of our Lord.  Christmas - Easter - great times to celebrate God's loving act for His people - any day - worthy of celebrating - His love. 

Deacon Dale 

Large Garbage Day

The city of Goodyear, Arizona offers free pickup of large items - tree branches - furniture -  which do not go into the standard trash containers. The first Monday of each month - the trash crews patrol each neighborhood for these items and remove them from each residence. Rather than refuse to pick up large items at all - this is a routine monthly service - keeping the community - individual homes - trash - garbage free.  

Jesus offers a similar service - for spiritual garbage - trash that has collected in our hearts and souls. He has no limits - how much you need to get rid of - when you want to cleanse your heart.  He is available 24/7 - no need for an appointment - no need to arrange schedules - He is there - constantly on duty - waiting for you to ask. Sacramental cleansing - has a timeline - availability of a priest - talking it out with Jesus - no restrictions. Working through His priests - you have the ability to clean your spiritual house from top to bottom - completely cleansed - refreshed - to start over with a clean slate. Your priest - Jesus - wait for you.

Deacon Dale 

Carry Tiger To Mountain

Carry Tiger To Mountain - one of 108 Tai Chi moves - the peaceful form of exercise developed by the Chinese - practiced by people of any age. Through the practice of tai chi - relaxation - development - peace.  Jane Moss - a Tai chi instructor affiliated with Harvard Medical School offers tai chi moves that can bring down stress level and enhance your immune response. Click here for full article. Anything that can help a person to reduce stress in their life has to be good.  Stress is one of the major killers of Americans.  I love the various names of the tai chi moves - thus - Carry Tiger To Mountain.

When people come to Christ for the very first time - things change in their lives - drastic changes - bringing peace - rest - calm.  For many - stress quickly flows out of their life - in its place a new sense of purpose - a regeneration of their inner spirit - a new view as how life is to be lived. Just as God raised Jesus from the cross - so will He raise us up - not just at the end of our days - also as we grow closer to Him. He - the author of life - will carry us to any mountain we need to climb - to any height we seek - as long as we keep our eyes - focused on Jesus.

Deacon Dale 

Dirty Secrets

Dirty secrets may mean lots of different things - nasty little tid-bits nobody knows - hints and tips on how to manage dirt removal - tricks of the trade - especially for landscapers and lawn care specialists. Recently we finally finished our landscaping at our new home in Arizona. Landscaping here is very different from Illinois - the basics are the same - good soil - proper planting techniques - water.  Some things are very different - using a pick axe to dig a hole in solid rock  instead of a shovel in soil - to create a new home for your plant.  Raking rock - decomposed granite - instead of grass - irrigation systems in front and back yards rather than using an above ground sprinkler and hose.  Our lawn care specialist is a funny young man - always a smile on his face - always ready for a challenge - even if it means using a small jackhammer to run irrigation lines - all in a days work - no secrets -  just part of the job.

With Jesus - no dirty secrets - everything He did - an open book.  No falsehoods - no misdirection - no false assumptions - just honest - straight forward words.  His love for mankind - His Father's love for mankind - His plan for the world living in harmony - peaceful - honest - open. As a disciple of Jesus - each is called to live their life in an honest and open way - just as Jesus did.  We are called - He expects us to follow - no secrets to hide - simply sharing the gift we have received.

Deacon Dale 

Home Security

Home security is a big business today - alarms - cameras - sirens - wireless - glass break sensors - everything to help us feel more secure inside our homes - protecting us - our property. When away - alarm systems guard our empty homes from smoke - fire - flooding - home invasion - safety issues. Newer systems can be monitored - controlled by newer smart phones - providing peace of mind.

When God sent Jesus to the world - His message - to rest secure - knowing that He would take care of all the people - protecting - nourishing - nurturing them. As a child of God - we have the best security available - on the job - 24/7 - no downtime - no system failures. The system is free - Jesus paid the price - on the Cross - for each of us.  

Deacon Dale 

Network

Everybody has some sort of network these days - people in similar fields - sports - activities - communities - electronic devices. Our community in Arizona recently joined a new network - Nextdoor.com - a private social network with a limited number of homes in a designated area. The idea is to help involve neighbors with each other - finding lost pets - promoting school projects - looking for reliable trades people - searching suggestions for interesting entertainment - helping neighbors with needs - wants - security.  The network has only been active for a few months but already has over 300 members - people reaching people.

Jesus had His own network - His twelve disciples - other followers. Even though they had no modern  technology - they were still able to get His message out - word of mouth. One person reaching one other - who reached one other. Because of His message - how it impacted daily life - His message spread rapidly - considering the times. With the advent of the printing press - radio - television - Internet - His message is now broadcast and shared hundreds of thousands times a day. The technology has changed - the message has not. Jesus loves you - God has a plan for your life - you are important.  The next time you check your email - Facebook - Twitter - remember - you have been called to share the most important message you have ever received - God loves you.

Deacon Dale