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Foothills family,

This month we are collecting fruit juice boxes and bottles for St. Joseph’s Family Center. St. Joseph’s Family Center exists to improve the quality of life through comprehensive services that help establish food security, shelter, gainful employment and other opportunities toward achieving self-sufficiency. You can visit them on the web by clicking here.

pic by bobcatnorth

GOD speaks to me in so many different ways. Primarily He speaks to me through His Word. Several times a week, while reading along with the Bookmarks, God has something to say to me. Sometimes words of correction, other times a word of direction, and often times, words of encouragement. God also speaks to me from other sources. For instance, God will speak to me through a friend, and at times God speaks to me through the beauty and grandeur of nature. But God spoke to me at a time when I least expected it, watching a television show called “The Deadliest Catch”.

THE Deadliest Catch, as many of you know, is a show centering on the Alaskan Crab fishing season. It is called the deadliest catch because it is just that, a deadly job. It is estimated that 7 fishermen lose their life to the Bering Sea every year. So, the show is about the dangers of crab fishing and is exciting, it is also a little bit of a soap opera for dudes.

ONE of the boats in the crab fleet, the Northwestern, is featured with its crew. There are three other featured boats and their crews, and these are some pretty rough fellas. Watching the show makes you appreciate the fishermen Jesus called to be His disciples. Wow, they must have been some tough guys. Anyway, on the Northwestern there is a young deck hand named Jake. Jake tends to get a little whiney and complains when things get a little difficult, or if he feels he is being mistreated by the older, more experienced crew. They ride him quite a bit, so he complains a lot. On these boats, weakness is not appreciated. They are not a bunch of touchy feely guys. Pain, fatigue and discomfort are all to be ignored and pushed through, period! No exceptions.

FINALLY, after listening to Jake long enough, the deck boss, Edgar, told him to “shut up and fish”. They even spray painted the orders “Shut Up And Fish” on the back of Jake’s slicker. This is when I felt God say these same words to me, “Shut Up And Fish.”
NOW, I know for some of you, the phrase “shut up” is a horribly rude and crude thing to say. I understand where you are coming from, but these guys are fishermen. They should be applauded for being so gracious in their speech. And when you think about it, “Be quiet and fish” or, “Shhhhh and fish” just doesn’t have the same impact.

WHEN God spoke these words to me I wasn’t shocked by any means. I knew I had it coming. This is exactly the words I needed to hear and the manner in which I needed to hear it.

FOR the past several weeks I have been griping about one thing or another. There are a number of different issues going on that had made my attitude turn sour… to say the least. I really believe God needed to get my attention and tell me to knock it off. He just happen to choose this vehicle (The Deadliest Catch) as His means of getting His message across to me. Loud and clear Lord.

IN the past I have talked with our congregation about the need to vent a little and lament a little as important tools of releasing the pains of the past. In fact, today, while reading Job 10:1-3, here is what Job said, “I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God: Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges you have against me. Does it please you to oppress me, to spurn the work of your hands, while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?” Job shows us that venting and lamenting is a valuable spiritual exercise aimed at purging the soul. But we must also know that there is a limit to this. At some point in time, we need to repent and get on with our lives. Leaving the past in the past, for it has passed and moving on to the future with a heart of faith and determined steps. I was being a little tardy in my pace and lingering a little too long in the venting and lamenting. God had had enough and in not so gentle terms told me to “Shut up and fish.”

WE can understand why God may say to me, “Shut Up” (rude as one might think it is), but what’s the “fishing” part got to do with it? By “fish”, God was telling me to do my job. In other words, get on with what I have been called to do and stop worrying about all the stuff that I cannot control.

THERE is a powerful verse in Psalm 46:10, written by King David. For several years David was mistreated by King Saul. He was forced to live as an outlaw, even though he had done nothing wrong. In the face of all this injustice, David wrote this psalm, which was a word from God, “Be still and know that I am God…” Albeit, this is a much nicer way of speaking to David than “Shut up and fish”, which I received from God, but let’s be honest, David was probably much nicer than I am, and easier to work with too.

NO matter what has happened in our lives, at some point we have to get on with it. Stop whining and complaining and throwing temper tantrums and just “Shut up and fish.” Regardless of what’s gone on in the past, God is still God and He is still on the throne ruling over us with love and grace.

Pastor Mark