at the end of the line

The "skunk" is off. I'd never caught a white sea bass- until that one I'm hoisting in the photo. It weighed in at 44 pounds- an infant compared to the one our son John caught just minutes before mine. You can see his "bragging rights" photo at his blog . A HUGE fish.

A good friend welcomed us to his place in San Quentin, Mexico, shared his boat and skipper and God honored it all with an incredible couple of days of fishing. The drive down is long... but the road is beautiful. We did it all with high hopes of fish at the end of the line- pulling on something that'd really pull back -and it all worked out: for us... the fish definitely got the hard end of the deal.

Driving home Wednesday afternoon, John and I shared how it's way more fun to catch the fish- then it is to kill them. Each time we've killed a big fish... and it's not been that many times... there's definitely been a sence of remorse. That said, we stopped at our children's home in Tijuana on the way home and absolutely filled their freezer with enough fish for weeks to come. That felt right. That felt good.

You never know what's at the end of the line; it's one of the real joys of fishing, it's also one of lifes' biggest challenges- in times of excitement and reflection. My prayer today is that together we can trust God for good things at the end of the line.

blessings,

Eric

Have a Great Week... be glad you're not on youtube!

Sometimes our "15 minutes of fame" is not all it's cracked up to be. Hope your week goes a little better than hers. I hope to be blogging again by Thursday.

later,

Eric

Good Advice for Men

http://health.msn.com/centers/mensexualhealth/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100164474>1=10105

That's me, my father and my cousin Jim Minnis at Dad's 90th birthday celebration. Dad will be 93 in September, Lord Willing. Jim's in his 70's... may even be pushing 80... me, I'll be 53 in July. Around the world, in all but the most developed nations, all 3 of us would be considered old enough to be wise... having lived well past our prime and shared in blessings most never imagine. The Bible says a man's time on earth is three score and ten - that's 70 years -Dad always said anything beyond that "was just gravy." Dad and Jim are well into their "gravy" years and doing their best to enjoy it every step of the way.

Good article posted above on the top ten ways men die. Which means, if you're a man, this may be your final scenario. Interestingly enough, old age wasn't listed. Guess no one just gets old and dies anymore. I've watched loving friends in their 90's one over 100 die and people still ask me- "What'd they die of?" Doctor's have to write something down I suspect. We all want to have a reason for everything. But I try my best to be honest and say- "They were old and ready to go." There's no shame in that.

I suspect one of the reasons old age isn't listed as a cause is because there's no solution for it other than salvation. Old age is one of the few things that makes Heaven seem like a wonderful welcome home at the end of a day that stretched a little too long. That said, the advice given for prevention of almost every other cause of death in men was the same: eat right and exercise. (In a desire to meet all standards of full disclosure and to be completely honest, I wrote this blog while eating left over oreo cookies for breakfast and dreaming of a great big root beer... after not exercising one lick this morning.)

My Dad and cousin Jim are two of the hardest working men I've ever met. Both could work me into the ground and take pride in doing it, even when I had the advantage of age. Both grew up athletes and played ball, fished, walked, golfed and accepted almost any challenge that came their way- late into life. Both have lived adventures most of us will never dream about- while serving The Lord in parts of the world most will never learn to pronounce much less ever hope to see. Their examples are living legacies to our family, and I mean it in the biggest sense of the term when I talk about our family... we're a BIG family... that have liberated the rest of us to live out our dreams and calling from God. We've been blessed.

Eating right... they taught us to love peach cobbler, to never pass the opportunity to eat good Mexican food together and to understand that the best food is food shared with family and friends. I still believe that's the way to eat "right." You might live longer avoiding biscuits and gravy but you'll rarely live better.

Exercise... again, something to be shared with friends. Golfing, softball, basketball, fishing, whatever... get outside, get outside together and get outside often. These guys didn't golf together for weeks or months but for lifetimes. Life is an investment in each other- in good times and bad -don't let the challenges keep you from exercising every opportunity to have a little fun with friends. It doesn't matter what the exercise is... just enjoy it with someone... enjoy life and you'll live longer.

Exercise and eat right... do it all with friends and when the end comes, however it might come, whether we make the top ten or not... we'll know we've given it our best and given it all for God. He's too good.

blessings,

Eric

Vacation Time

I try to take a little time off each year after Easter. My kids give me grief for working from home. They think I need to take days away from the house, leave my lap top and cell phone at home and relax. They’re probably right. The discipline of “getting away from it all” on a regular basis seems to be slipping away from me. It might be part of the aging process… I’m not sure. It might be part of being a pastor… I’ve not known too many pastor’s who ever retire or for that matter are very good at “getting away from it all.”

Rather than aging or serving, more likely it’s connected with cutting back on my weekly and monthly routines of surfing, fishing, sailing and kayaking. Running and cycling are fantastic substitutes but just don’t hold a candle to dropping in on a wave, hooking up with and fighting a fish, riding the wind or finding your way on a kayak. They’re just a few of the things I love to do when I take a little time away. They cleanse and refresh me. Re – creation at it’s best.

I’d like to think that Jesus took plenty of time away from it all. There’s little scriptural foundation for the thought. When I read or hear others teach on the topic it always sounds like they’re stretching it just a bit thin to me… but then again, “I love my work!” The Bible talks about Jesus; waking up early in the morning to be alone and pray, walking on the beach and the water to meet his disciples, fighting evil and fasting in loneliness in the desert. Hardly the “get away from it all” plan most of us consider a recipe for release.

Jesus was killed at the age of 33. He grew up in poverty, on the run in nations occupied by a brutal military regime an ocean away. His culture emphasized education and spiritual disciplines for their young men, keeping them busy. First born in the family, most Biblical scholars’ think He had to take over or at least train heavily in the carpentry shop with Joseph from an early age. And to top it all off, Jesus really did love His work: loved it enough to live and die for us, no holds barred.

It’s hard for us to ask, “What would Jesus do?” when it comes to taking time off, at least if we want an answer backed up by His life.

I’ve shown the Jesus film in a number of languages; English, Russian, Pokot, Swahili and Maasai. I always enjoy it. That said, my favorite part is when Jesus is teaching on the lilies of the fields, how they don’t worry or fret- but God takes care of them –so why should we spend our lives lost in worry? In Swahili it’s a terrific translation: Jesus says and I kid you not, “Akuna Mutata.” You know, like the cartoon character in “The Lion King.” No worries. Don’t worry about it. Don’t get yourself all bunched up. Akuna Matata. Some day I’m going to capture that piece of video for my blog and use it as an opener: a smiling Jesus, teaching the crowds, hanging out with the kids, walking through the fields and gently, yet firmly, teaching us an important lesson for living, “Don’t worry so much.” “Akuna Matata.”

I’d like to live my life according to His teaching in every area- even this –“Trust God. Give it to Him. Don’t worry so much.” This week I’m taking some time off: Pastor Ken’s not. He’s in Mexico Wednesday, has a funeral Thursday, before preaching Thursday evening, has a wedding rehearsal Friday, a wedding Saturday, before preaching Saturday evening, he’s preaching twice Sunday morning and along the way covering many of my other weekly responsibilities as well as his own, all the while doing Easter follow up. Looking at his schedule- it’s hard to imagine that it’s also “my” schedule week in and week out.

It’s enough to make me worry about Ken… but I’m not going to – I’m going to trust God – and thank Him, rest a bit… write some… visit Siempre- and if things get too uptight, I’m going to remember The Words of Jesus: “Akuna Matata” and take it easy. Ken can carry the load. I might even dream of going fishing or even slip out for a surf. If God can take care of the lilies of the field, if His Eye is on the sparrow, I know things are going to be A-OK.

Enjoy the fishing video. That’s me- hanging a tuna a couple hundred miles in the ocean a few years ago. I just might do it again this summer. If I can get out of the office, let go of my lap top and surrender my cell phone… “akuna matata.”

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