A Bass

Last night Kathy and I went fishing at the south Archbold reservoir. Savannah was with a friend at Good Shepherd Church for bible school. Therin was with Brandon Yoder. London was at MYF. It was therefore just the two us; a chance to hang out alone on a beautiful evening.

I did not expect much fishing-wise from the excursion. The dog days of summer are just not the best time of year to angle. So I was not surprised when the first hour of our time was fruitless, at least as far as catching fish goes. Of course, that was not really what the time together was about.

Before we left for home we decided to head down to the dock and throw our lines in there for a few minutes. The sun was going down, there was a light breeze, and there were no mosquitos. It was just perfect. I could have stayed there on the dock for several hours with or without fish. (I probably should have grabbed Kathy for a romantic moment but I forgot.)

Kathy wanted to at least catch a bluebill before we left. So I put a very small artificial on her line and she began dragging it along close to the dock. After a few minutes, I took a look back at her and noticed that she had gotten a bite. I figured it was just a wee little bluegill so I began to turn back around to return to my useless lure-chucking. Out of the corner of my eye, however, I noticed that the wee bluegill had leapt out of the water and had made an awfully big splash for such a diminutive fish. When my synapses started firing again I realized that Kathy had not hooked a bluegill but instead a rather robust largemouth bass. Because of the shallows, she landed it quickly and we both stared at it in wonder.

Because of her success, I think Kathy ought to go on tour with the World Bass Association (or whatever) and fish tournaments for a living. She could even wear those big funny sunglasses and spew, "I tell you what!" with abandon.

Silliness aside, the unexpected bass is a reminder that a moment of ministry may come from out of nowhere as well. It seems important, then, as a people of faith, that when we awaken in the morning, we say a prayer something like this, "Lord, give me courage to form new relationships with others. Keep my eyes open today for opportunities to minister. Prepare me for that which I do not anticipate." Of course, we need to know that He will take us up on this offer!

As Christ's children we are not commissioned to fill up church chairs, but we are commissioned to invite and love people into His kingdom. The harvest, y'all, is plentiful. Are we willing workers?

Jeff