Tuesday Tutorial: Gone Fishin’

Have you ever seen those “Gone Fishing” signs…in real life? It seems they’re most often found in cartoons, movies, or at a country store as a decoration. In Mark 1:17 God calls us to a fishing life, but not like you may think. We aren’t called to catch those slippery, smelly, scaly fellows...we’re called to fish for folks! “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “& I will make you fishers of men.” If we follow Jesus & our His, we are called to fish for souls: casting out a line of forgiveness, love, & hope to a lost & dying world. Our lives should be one big fishing trip, where we’re always on the lookout for those who don’t know Christ. We should reel them in with His love & kindness. Now this trip & whatever we catch isn’t for our own gain & praise. You know those old photos where a man in a bucket hat is proudly holding up a fish twice his size? That’s not what this is all about. We are leading people to Christ because our Father has called us to such work, & we ourselves have been “caught” & know the peace, love, forgiveness, hope, & purpose we now have. It’s easy to forget we’re on this “fishing” trip – we need reminders like those old aforementioned signs. Our “Gone Fishing” sign should be forever up, but as they are hard to come by outside of animated features, flicks, & Cracker Barrels we’ll have to make a substitute to remind us of what we’re called to…

Now, I have never actually fished for fish, but happen to know cork is a fishing supply of long ago, which is still used today by many. So, taking a needle threaded with thin ribbon, & a thimble, peirce through the cork until it is threaded onto the ribbon. Add different ribbons, threads, &/or fabric scraps by tying/ knotting them onto your ribbon. Add beads & shells for extra decoration. If you happen to have a good smooth shell, you can write “Mark 1:17” on it for an extra reminder. Hang your fisher of men reminder on your door handle, bed post, car mirror, etc. Don’t forget, you are called to fish! ><>