Gone Fishin'

I told my dad a week ago that I really wanted to go fishing. He laughed and said, "How can you say that with a straight face?" But I was serious! He asked if I'd ever actually been fishing. I think I've been once or twice. The more I thought about it though, I realized something. It's not so much that I enjoy fishing; I think I more enjoy the idea of fishing.

My somewhat idealistic mindset associates fishing with something like this picture:

Two boys on a sunny day. They've got poles over shoulder, tackle box in hand, bare feet crunching leaves as they walk through the woods. They're probably skipping their chores or maybe even school, but they haven't a care in the world. Who'd want to be cooped up in a classroom on a day like today anyway? To them, girls still have cooties. They still hold that sense of adventure. They have no responsibilities, no prior engagements, no worries. They're not really thinking about anything as they walk to the stream; they're just walking in silence. They can do that, ya know. Sometimes silence is good. They're not irritated or agitated. They're somewhat dreading the whoopin' they'll get this afternoon, but right now, at this moment, it's all worth it.

So that's what my mind associates with fishing. It's almost that Tom and Huck "we'll finish white washin' the fence later" kind of thing. And then off they go, to build a raft or skip some rocks or get into some kind of trouble. I wish I would of had those boys as friends growing up. I'm sure it would have been a blast :)

I know life can't always be like that now. We all have responsibilities and things that must get done, whether we want to or not. Life is busy and fast paced. We're constantly adding something to our planner or thinking about the next task to check off the list. But may we never lose that sense of wonder. May we find time every once in a while to take a break from everything, put the sign on the door, and say that we've gone fishin'.

Journaling the Journey

I always get crazy ideas like this when it's late, and it is semi-late (currently 11:13 p.m.) I hope this can become almost like an online journal. A place of honesty and self disclosure. Jesus, I'll probably talk to you most of the time, but is there anything better?
Lord, You're good. My heart right now is intimacy with You. I desire You nothing but You, Oh God. Here is my prayer:

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple."
Ps. 27:4

If I could have one thing on this whole earth, Jesus, it would be to see Your face. Imagine the worldly things I seek after and how insignificant they'd become in Your presence. Imagine the boldness I'd posses to tell people about You. Imagine the perspective I'd have on the brevity of life. Imagine my desires and how they'd be Yours. Imagine my faith; I'd see mountains move, people healed, chains broken, lives restored.

Jesus, I want to see that now, though. I don't want to wait til eternity. Help me to live with that sense of urgency. Help me to believe that You're real enough, You're strong enough, You're powerful enough to DO those things today. I want Your reality to change the way that I live. I want it to change how I see, how I walk, how I speak, how I move, how I pray, how I eat, how I sleep, how I interact, how I worship, how I go to class, how I minister. I want it to revolutionize my priorities. Jesus, honor my prayer tonight. I pray that as I am intimate with You, You'd change me from the inside out.

"Let Your jealous flame come and write Your Name upon my heart, til all that remains is the light of Your countenance; And I will be satisfied when I awaken, as a lover of You."
-Misty Edwards