Ye Are The Salt Of The Earth

This weekend we are celebrating our church’s fifth anniversary. My wife and I have been here four of those years, and my, how time flies. It’s proving to be a great celebration of what the Lord has done for us. Any time you attempt to put effort into celebrations there is a great amount of work performed by a great number of people. These past weeks most of our church’s regulars have turned out in great numbers and made sacrifices of time and money to prepare for this weekend. Even more than the efforts of the church over the past few weeks, there has been even more effort over the past years by a select group of individuals and couples that I would like to recognize today. Last night we hosted an appreciation dinner for our SALT leadership team. What does SALT stand for? Well, it’s not Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. It stands for Skyline Advanced Leadership Team. It’s an acronym for the men and women who make a difference in Skyline, Reno’s greatest church. Skyline is not Reno’s greatest church because of these people. It’s the greatest church, because God shows up here! These fine people show up because God shows up. And they work diligently behind the scenes for the successes that we, as a church, have realized. They represent the different departments that make up our church’s organizational chart. They make up the core membership. The one’s you go to when something needs to get done. I won’t mention their names here. They know who they are, our pastor and I know who they are, and most of all God knows who they are. I spoke briefly to them all, acknowledging their sacrifices and their faithfulness. Both of these are key ingredients, without which, we will never really accomplish anything in life or God’s kingdom. I mentioned to them that the Air Force is known for pilots and airplanes. And that for every pilot there is something like one hundred support personnel required to keep that pilot and his airplane flying. We don’t know their names, but because we see the planes in the air, we know they are there, doing their jobs. When I relayed this information to our pastor today he agreed with my sentiment and then laughingly pointed out that the pilot is the one that gets shot at! He’s the one that sometimes gets captured. He’s the one that sometimes has to lead the effort in stormy weather. He’s the one that sometimes has to fly when he doesn’t want to. But it makes it easier when you know that there is a staff of people who stand ready to rescue you. Committed for the duration, willing to stand by your side, send you on your way, and make sure there is a place to come home to. You guys are the greatest. Truly, the Salt of the Earth.

Catch And Release Savior?

Yesterday was a beautiful morning to go catch some fish. I felt it was time. I don't think I've caught a single fish all year. I'm not positive, but it has been a long time since I've even had a bite. So yesterday was going to be my day! I set up beside the lake eager to get a line in the water. I cast my bait into the water and set my rod for the inevitable! I follow my routine as far as setting the bait and choosing the right location, which I did again. But this time no fish. I must admit that when the fishing isn't going my way I resort to a technique an old friend taught me. He said that if the fish weren't biting we are supposed to eat sunflower seeds and spit the seeds into the water. I'm not superstitious but, hey, they weren't biting and I wanted a fish! After my rod was set I began to get the net and stringer in order. However I couldn't find my stringer. I thought I must have lost it, but I couldn't figure where. What a bummer, I wouldn't be able to keep any of the fish I would catch! Then I found it. Stuck in the bottom of my net. I thought about this for a while and it dawned on me. Sometimes we have a net that we could use to catch someone for the Lord but we have no stringer. Jesus is not a catch-and-release savior. He wants to keep those that come in. We can bring them to Him, but will they stay? It depends often on what brought them in the first place. Did they come because of an event? Or did they come because they had a need that only Jesus could minister to? In either case, there must be something that keeps them after the event has ended or their need has been met. And the only thing that I can think of is a genuine relationship with their savior. So prepare your nets, but also have your stringer ready. As for my fishing trip, you're probably wondering if I caught any fish. I mean, you're wondering how many did I catch. Right? Let's just say that their population isn't shrinking because of me. But I'll be back! With net and stringer.