COMMENTARY: What kind of fish?
___By Scott Sharman
___Several weeks ago, a church member, Bill Simms, asked me to join him and his son, Cory, for striped-bass fishing on Lake Texoma. I'd never been striper fishing. I'd always heard they are the hardest fighting fish you'll ever find in fresh water. It took me two seconds to accept the invitation. Bill dropped a rod and reel off at my office and told me to start practicing my casting.
___I counted the days leading up to our expedition. Texoma is a premier striper lake, and we would be fishing with a guide with 26 years of experience and the reputation for being the best on the lake. When my alarm sounded at 4:45 on Monday morning, I shot out of bed, ready to go.
___ We were on the water early. I called my wife from the boat to tell her we were on our way out. After a 30-minute ride in the chilly December air, the boat stopped, and Chuck, our guide, told us to start fishing.
___I don't know what exactly happened, but I lost my grip on Bill's rod. It fell into the water and started to sink. As Bill's rod and reel began their journey into the depths, I frantically reached for them! That's when I lost my balance and fell headfirst into Lake Texoma.
___Once back in the boat, I took inventory of my situation. My cell phone was toast. My Palm electronic organizer in my pocket no longer worked. My wallet and checkbook in my back pockets were ruined. I was ringing wet from head to foot. Water oozed out of my shoes.
___Chuck was visibly concerned that the chilly breeze would feel like a blue norther and wanted to take me back to the dock. Thoughts of hypothermia crossed his mind. I, however, would not allow a little water and a cold breeze to keep me from my long-awaited appointment. I thought, "In time, the cold won't be a problem because I will lose all feeling from the neck down."
___The results of the day? Well, my Palm doesn't work at all. My cell phone no longer gets a signal. But by working through the shivers and fishing until dark, we caught 58 fish that we kept and threw back dozens more!
___I got home at 10 p.m., peeled off my still-wet clothing and jumped into the bathtub to soak. I prayed, thanking God for a great day in spite of everything. I heard God say, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
___Then he asked a couple of questions. "Why were you so willing to sacrifice it all for a rod and reel but are so unwilling to make sacrifices to save a lost and dying world? Why are you so willing to spend the day in miserable conditions to go fishing for stripers but are so unwilling to walk across the street to go fishing for men?"
___ He's got a point. I lost $300 in electronics, put myself in danger of pneumonia and spent the day as material for continuous chiding, all to catch an ice chest full of fish. Yet rarely do I do much of anything to go and tell a lost and dying world about the love of God demonstrated in Jesus Christ.
___So, right there in my bathtub, I asked God to give me a heart for the lost. I asked him to stir in me a passion for people that exceeds my passion for hunting and fishing. I asked him to make me a fisher of men.
___Would you join me in praying the same?

___Scott Sharman Pastor Alsbury Baptist Church in Burleson.




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