A Follower's Thoughts - Let's Go Fishing

John 21: 1-3 says, "After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathering there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.' They said to him. 'We will go with you.' They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing."

When I read my bible, I love to imagine myself right there in the middle of what's going on. I love this scene in the last chapter of John. Here are some of Jesus's disciples standing by the sea. I wonder what they were talking about? Do you think the conversation might have centered around the events they just had been through? After all, they had seen Jesus bound in chains and taken from them. They had seen Jesus being crucified on a cross, his body laid in a tomb, then finding out that his body was no longer in the tomb. To top that off, Jesus appears to them, talking and sharing meals with them! What a whirlwind of emotions the disciples must have been going through. Fear, sadness, anger, shock, disbelief, you name it. I would imagine great joy when Jesus appears to them and has fellowship with them. What an emotional ride that must have been!

I can see Peter walking away from the group, looking out over the sea, breathing in the salty air, watching the sea birds glide over the waves, and saying, "I'm going fishing." Really, Peter? After all you and the other disciples have been through? I got to thinking about what Peter said, and it dawned on me that maybe Peter wanted to go fishing to take his mind off the trials and tribulations he and his friends were going through. I'm sure Peter loved to fish. After all, he was a fisherman by trade. I think Peter just wanted to get away from the troubles and problems life was throwing at him. We need to apply this scripture into our lives in that sometimes when life deals us trials and tribulation, fears and anxieties; we also need to get away. Take a deep breath and step back. Take a hike, ride a bike, call and talk to a friend, visit a loved one, start a hobby, read God's Word, and yes, go fishing.

We know how this scene ends. The disciples caught nothing that night. But guess who shows up on the beach at daybreak? Jesus. Jesus knew the frustrations they were going through, just as he knows every frustration we have. So, Jesus shouts from the shoreline where the disciples should cast the net. They did as he said, and they filled the net full of fish. Jesus calls us daily to cast our net, even when it seems hopeless. We must cast our net and cast it with faith. The disciples did and looked at what happened—a net full of fish. Good things happen when we cast our nets for Jesus. Lives are saved, brokenness is healed, sorrow is turned to joy, love destroys hate, and light is brought into darkness. Are you ready to cast your net? Are you prepared for a peace that surpasses all understanding? Only Jesus can bring that into our lives. Peace of mind is a rare commodity these days. When trials and troubles come our way, and they will, may we all look out over the oceans of our lives and say, "I'm going fishing."

God Bless.

Correll

A Follower's Thoughts - Scars In Our Lives

John 20: 27-29 says, "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your fingers here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.' Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.'"

Most, if not all, of us have scars. Whether it be emotional or physical, scars are there. They are a reminder of just how fragile we are. We tend to carry our emotional scars within our souls, locking them up and throwing away the key. Hurtful words, degrading comments, wrongful acts against us can create emotional scars. Our physical scars are visible on the outside. Physical scars remind us of the stupid mistakes we make. They remind us sometimes that we tend to do things before we think. And yes, physical scars make us ponder this question. Isn't this a disaster waiting to happen?

So, through all our emotional and physical scars that we may carry around in our lives, there is someone whose scars trump our scars. That someone is Jesus Christ. Jesus calls us to put our fingers in his hands and put our hand in his side, and do not doubt but believe. For it is by his wounds that we are healed. God Bless.

Correll

A Follower's Thoughts on Prayer - Correll Pritchard

Philippians 4: 6-7 says, "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Wow, I love those verses! Let's face it, we all worry from time to time and get anxious about matters in our lives. This fast-paced world we live in today can be a challenge. Juggling our jobs with decision-making with family time and whatever else our lives bring can be overwhelming. In my walk with Jesus, I have learned to prioritize my life in this order. "God First," then my lovely wife, then my children, then my job. In my opinion, the key is God First. Prayer is me turning that key to open the door to a one-on-one relationship with Christ. When I get stressed, I withdraw to a quiet place and pray. It may be in my office at work, it may be while I'm outside working around our campuses, or it may be going to my favorite spot on my personal property. The point is this, take the time to talk to God. To me, a one-on-one conversation with God is prayer. It's my favorite way to pray to God. I feel Jesus right there with me when I have these conversations. Guess what? My worries and anxieties fade away. Then I feel a peace that overcomes me. Just as the scripture says, a peace that surpasses all understanding. What is your favorite place to retreat to or your favorite way to pray? Wherever or whatever it is, please take the time, not only this Lenten Season, but every day to have that relationship with Christ. It all starts with a conversation.

God Bless,

Correll

A Follower's Thoughts - Making Memories

We all love to make memories with our children. I have so many fond memories of my children when they were little. The trips to the beach were some of my fondest. Wendy and I would spend time with them on the beach making sandcastles, putting them on a float for the first time, and letting the waves carry them to shore; all the time, they were crying and screaming, hold me, hold me. I guess the ocean can be a little intimidating when you are a child. I also remember lying on the beach and letting my kids cover me in the sand until all you could see was my head. Oh, and another time my daughter climbed on a bar stool in the condo and fell off, breaking her wrist. Now, that was a memory, not so great when you spend one of your vacation days in the ER!

Some of my favorite memories are the times at church with our children: Wednesday night suppers in the Fellowship Hall, helping teach them in Sunday School, carrying them to Bible School, making Advent wreaths, watching them in Christmas plays, coaching them in Micro-Soccer, and yes, trying to keep my daughter from rolling around on the floor at the Arbor Service on Sunday mornings. You know, there is a saying, "it takes a village to raise a child." I wish to thank each one in my church village that helped build a foundation under my family, a foundation centered around Jesus.

As Christmas approaches, let us all continue to make memories with family, friends, and church family. Let us not forget what this season is about, Jesus. Isaiah 9:6 says, "For a child has been born, a son given to us, authority rest upon his shoulders: and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." May Jesus be included in our memories this Christmas, as well as every day moving forward. God Bless and Merry Christmas!

Correll Pritchard

A Follower's Thought

I was sitting here this morning thinking about what I could write down to encourage people today. I was reading over an old devotion that I shared a few years ago with our staff. It came from James 3:1-12. It says, "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistake in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships, though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also, the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is set on fire by hell. Every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue. A restless evil full of deadly poison. With it, we bless the Lord and Father, and with it, we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine yield figs? No more can salt water yield fresh."

Wow! That was a mouthful! A wise person once said, as you go through life, you are going to have many opportunities to keep your mouth shut. Take advantage of all of them. You know, it would be nice in our walk with Jesus, if that walk came with a total makeover of the mouth. I believe that makeover is possible, but it can be a huge battle for us as Christians. You see, we are in a constant battle between our flesh and our spirit. The tongue is one of those major battles. I believe that the hurtful and unkindly comments that we sometimes can say is really a heart problem. Our tongue and mouth is just a vent from our heart. If I can change my heart first, my tongue will respond with kinder words to build up someone, not tear them down. How can I change my heart? By renewing my mind in Christ, Jesus daily. How do I do that? By reading God's word every single day. By praying to God to guide me every single day. And lastly, by fearing God. You see, we are all going to be held accountable by God for what we say. In Mathew 12:36-37, Jesus said, "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words, you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned." Those words right there, motivate me to try and bridle my tongue each day. Does that always work? No, but I wake up each day reading God's word and praying to him to help me fight my flesh. I'm not perfect. None of us are. We must rise each day, knowing through faith that the blood of Christ washes our imperfections away. I want to close by saying these words that I read somewhere in a book. It goes like this. "On a windswept hill in an English country churchyard stands a drab, gray slate tombstone. The stone bears an epitaph not easily seen unless you stoop over and look closely. The faint etchings read: 'Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, lies Arabella Young, Who on the twenty-fourth of May, began to hold her tongue.' That is all that will happen to us someday when we die. It will just be a lump of clay. And on that day, we will hold our tongue."

Let's hope that we learn what that woman never did, to tame our tongue.

God Bless.

Correll Pritchard

A Follower's Thoughts - The Glue That Holds Us Together

Colossians 1: 15-17 says, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

What are Laminins? They are molecules that hold each cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. When seen under a microscope, a laminin molecule is basically shaped like a cross. No joke! Now, I would say that it’s not a perfect cross, but it’s a cross. If you look up Laminin in a scientific or medical book, they are drawn out as cross-shaped. So, I got to thinking. All of us, as human beings, are held together by a cross, connected to a cross, connected to a cross, and so on. That is so amazing!

Don’t we all have days that everything goes wrong? I know I have had my share of those kinds of days. Somedays, I tell myself, why did I ever get out of bed this morning. We are going to have days where everything seems to come unglued. Worries, anxieties, fears, jobs to do, deadlines to make, the lists go on and on. It starts to delaminate us little by little until we feel ourselves coming unglued. We get ill, frustrated, perhaps we say hurtful words to others, and God forbid, let foul language come from our lips! When we have those kinds of days, we need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and remember how we are truly made; in God’s image, connected by a cross! Remembering the cross that our savior Jesus Christ died on for us is all we need to hold us together, together as an individual and as the body of Christ. For in Jesus, ALL things hold together.

God Bless.

Correll