Tag Archives: Christianity

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Fishing with The Queens of Heart

Rebekah

This Sunday School class wanted to come eat fish.  More than that they wanted to come catch fish.  They brought joy to my heart.  Why?  Cause when I’m 96 I hope to still be fishin’!

Yep, one lady was 96.   Another was ninety-two.  Then a few in their 80’s, or really they would say 39 and holding.  But they all belong to the same Sunday School Class.  They also really belong to each other.  Today, they belong to me.  I’m going to make sure they have a good time at the cabin and lake.

It was a chilly day.  The wind was gonna be bothersome.  But hey, a day fishin’ is better than a day doing whatever, right?  The ladies, (and a couple of guys) got out of the van.  Greetings were exchanged.  They looked around the place, casually walked down to the lake, and then……

There were some chairs we had placed in the yard next to the lake.  The ladies spotted them and claimed each one of them.  It was obvious they were enjoying themselves on their outdoor adventure.  Honestly, they would have been thrilled just to sit there and enjoy nature and each other’s company.  But they came to fish, so then……..

One of the ladies grabbed a cane pole.  While all her friends were still sitting (and watching), she baits her hook and lowers the cork and bait into the water.  It wasn’t ten seconds before she’s hauling out a beautiful catfish.  And then,…….

Well, those ladies were after those fish like a pack of dogs on a 3-legged cat.  I mean they jumped out of the chairs, made a bee line for the fishin’ poles, and it was on then buddy.  It looked like a mad dash at the opening of Wal-Mart.  It looked like……

Have you ever been to a picnic with a bunch of Baptists?  When someone brings out the bucket of chicken, they jump on it.  That’s what these ladies did.  They jumped on going fishin’.  Chairs were knocked over (they didn’t even notice).  Poles got tangled up as they started this adventure.  But from the bottom of my heart, they made my day.

Excitement was in the air.  All were catching fish. They caught 60. I should know because Jodi and I cleaned them.  It was a good time all around.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails.  Psalm 71:9
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The only casting these ladies did today was with the rod and reels.  The catfish were big, so the cane poles didn’t last long.  Ladies, you come back any time.  The joy you possess in your hearts is contagious.  Everyone there that day couldn’t be helped but be renewed in their own hearts with joy.  Especially me.  I was busy “helping others”, but in turn it gave me such a blessing of joy.  Thanks for comin’ Ladies Sunday School Class.
I’m working on that alligator hunt for ya’ll.  We’ll need to include your pastor!  He can be the bait!!
See Ya!!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, part time fishin’ guide, full time experiencing God’s blessings

 

 

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Stay Connected

leak

I’ve got a Leak!  I’ve got a hundred things to do today.  Now I’ve got a hundred and one things to do.  As I drive down my driveway, I notice water coming from out of the ground.  Uh oh,  The water is spewing from the exact spot where my water line to the house is buried. Uh oh.

A quick trip to town and I’m back with shovel, pipe repair kit and glue, the all important hacksaw, and most important………. me wearing my repairman’s hat.  I’ll fix it myself!!!!

Naturally this happens on a very cold day.  I start digging through mud and water.  Uh oh, I find the pipe.  Uh oh, it’s seriously being choked by tree roots that have grown around the pipe and the joint that hooks the two pieces together.  Uh oh, there’s the leak.  After I move all the mud and dirt away, the water now shoots straight up (and into my face)

A quick trip to the barn and I’m now back with an axe to chop away all the tree roots from around the pipe’s joint. It’s fascinating to me how slowly growing tree roots can over time cause pressure……. pressure enough to break the bonds of this pipe joint.

But it’s Dan the repair man to the rescue!!!!   I’ll just chop away those pesky roots and ……..uh oh.  I nicked a hole in the pipe with the axe. Dang it!

A quick trip to the neighbors to borrow a cutoff wrench so that I can turn off the water at the main meter.  Uh oh I better tell Staci that the water is going to be off for a while. She asks what the problem is and my reply is something like “I’m not sure, but I’m sure it won’t be off for long.”  Uh oh……

I cut the pipe and remove all tree roots from around the pipe.  Honestly, it was a wad of roots the size of a basketball all tangled and woven in a tight mass around this pipe joint.  I placed the repair kit union over the cut pipe and join the two pieces together.  I get to yell what every repairman loves to yell.  “YEEAAAA, I fixed it!”  I turn the water back on expecting to load up all the tools, wash all the mud off of me and my clothes and continue on my day of the other 100 things to do.  Uh oh…….Oh no, I must not have tightened the repair union enough because now it’s leaking like a screen door on a submarine.

A quick trip to borrow Daddy’s pipe wrenches, and I’m back kneeling down in the muddy hole that has grown to the size of a bathtub.  Uh oh, no wait…..,this time I do fix it.  It’s stopped leaking.  “I fixed it” I whispered this time instead of yelling, just so I wouldn’t jinx it.

Lamentations 3:40 (NIV) Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

Staying Connected……. it’s one of the most important things that we need in our lives.  All kinds of circumstance can become like those roots and choke and put pressure on our connections with God.  Uh oh.  Also the connections we have with other people can begin to “leak”.  Could be slowly over time things start “growing around the pipe”.  We don’t even realize it until well, until the “uh oh” moment.  Now we got to do some repair work.  And that’s when it gets muddy and nasty and well more “uh oh’s”

So, constantly examine your ways and test them.  By that I mean does it seems that you and your relationship to God is not as strong as it should be, or even used to be?  Uh oh, maybe there’s a leak that needs fixin’.

At the same time, what about those relationships with others in your life…… family, friends.  Over time has the connection started to leak.  Better put your repairman’s hat on.  It’s fascinating but also troubling to me how over time small things can “turn a drip, drip leak into a busted pipe” between people.  Uh oh.  Even more troubling is how those leaks and “breaks” between people cause even more leaks and breaks and broken connections between you and God.

My prayer is that you will have few “Uh Oh” moments.  But they happen.  When they do, realize it will be muddy and nasty.  Connections with other people need to be repaired.  There may be a piece of pipe or let’s say a part of your life that will not be the same because of the damage.  You yourself may even get “nicked” in the repair process.  But all in all we are all in this together.  Stay connected in some way.

I am a repairman for my connections in my own life and spiritual journey.  I have come to realize that God’s got the “glue” that works best for me to use, on myself as well as others.  If I focus on staying connected with Him, my connection with others becomes more manageable.  Always will be uh oh’s, always will be leaks.  How we repair these connections will determine if our source of Living Water becomes interrupted or can continue free flowing.

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, plumber, professional “Uh Oher”

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It’s Gone, now I can really Celebrate Christmas!

cleaning out barn

There was a lot of junk and bad, rotten stuff in my barn.  So, I cleaned it out!  It’s made Christmas time even more special to me.

Why clean out my barn?  Because, I’m getting ready to fill it with logs for my new log house that I’m building with my own hands, (and help from friends and the Good Lord).  Lots of old pallets, old rotten wood, pieces of junk are now piled into a fire.  I was surprised at all the trash that had collected in my barn over the years.  Lots of memories are being thrown into the fire as well.

Actually in my own special personal way, it’s turned into a worship service.  I’m rummaging through all the stuff and find things that have a good meaning and memories to me.  Memories of family events, things Staci and I did,……. there’s something the kids would want.  I place these items back in the barn in one of the storage containers.  Thank you Lord for these reminders.

But..…. I also come across some rubbish that reminds me of bad events in my life.  Times when I was not Being what God has created me to be.  Things that came between me and my God.  I call that sin.  I throw these reminders into the fire. Thank you Lord for these reminders that are now NO MORE.   Forever gone.  Burn baby burn!!! 

Psalm 103:11-12Good News Translation (GNT)11 As high as the sky is above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who honor him.12 As far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our sins from us.

For unto you is born this day a Saviour.  Well, there you go.  Christmas is about celebrating the birth of MY Saviour.  Why he came in a manger, a bright star, shepherds, wise men, angels, all that seems strange doesn’t it?  He loves us enough that he also removes our sins as far as sunrise is to sunset.  They are gone.  Burned up.  NO MORE!  Rejoice, celebrate, Merry Christmas.

Maybe you need to clean your barn/HEART from all the rubbish and rotten stuff that may have collected over the years.  Shucks, turn it into a special private worship service between you and God.  Hey, why don’t you actually build a fire and throw your sins into the fire to forever be gone.  That piece of wood can represent when you weren’t being what God designed you to be. That piece of paper you are burning can represent those things that may have come between you and God.  It’s called sin, remember?  Get rid of it.

Brother,……sister……I’m writing this from the heart.  Get rid of the guilt and hurt as well.  You know what you did.  God does too.  But when you ask for forgiveness, God takes it away. It’s gone.  He no longer sees it.  If you still dwell on it, this guilt and anxiety is coming between you and your Saviour.  That’s sin remember?  Throw this into the fire as well.  BURN, BABY, BURN.

WooHoo!  That’s a fire and a half there.  All that stuff is burning up to nothing.  Thanks be to my Saviour.   Time now to celebrate.  Pass the marshmellows.

Merry Christmas my friends.  Continue on this journey of yours.  You are doing this on your own.  You will also have friends along the way(count me in!).  But you also have your Lord and Saviour riding with you.  Now that He’s burned your sins away, He’s even more REAL and the REAL reason to celebrate Christmas!

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wildernesspreacher, log home builder, real Christmas party person