How to become a good fisherman

Great session last night...thank you all. The following "manual" on how to become a good fisherman serves as a great metaphor for what it means to be called to follow Jesus and, I think, helps us reflect on some of last night's discussion: 

Jesus said, “Simon, if you follow me, I will teach you how to fish for people.”  

What are some of the characteristics of a good fisherman?

1.      You have to love it. It has to be in your blood. It’s an absolute pleasure to live in that wind and rain, cold and sleet, it has to be in your blood.

2.      You have to be dedicated to it. You have to get up at three in the morning. The best salmon fishermen are on the water when it is dark. The good fishermen make the extra effort.

3.      Another mark of a good fisherman is that they are experienced. If you fish a lot, you learn from other fisherman. It is basic. If you are a good fisherman, you didn’t learn it on your own. Somebody taught you.

4.      Another mark of a good fisherman is you have to know the fish. You have to know what and where they are biting. The fish are there; that is not the problem; there are hundreds and thousands of fish in the water down below you, but how to catch them is another matter. You have to learn that information from other fishermen or your past records.

5.      Another mark of a good fisherman is patience. You need to learn to sit patiently and wait and wait and wait, trying different lures and baits and depths and speeds and holes. You don’t have to tell good fisherman about patience. They live with patience. 

You don’t need to know a lot of Bible verses. I have discovered that people with a wealth of

Biblical knowledge are not any more effective fishermen and women than others. Fancy

equipment isn’t the key to good fishermen. The longer that you are fishing for Christ, the longer

you learn that people are not asking hard Biblical questions, theological questions.  Hard

questions aren’t getting in their way of becoming disciples. The point is: you need simple and

good fishing equipment and that simple equipment is the love of God/Christ and love for other

people in your soul. (Reverend Edward Markquart, Home / Epiphany B / Mark 1: 14-20, Epiphany 3B, "Fishing for Christ")

Regards, Bob