Fishing, Boating, and Telling People About Jesus
There's a little joke amongst youth pastors in Florida (remember, there is "truth in jest!") that we who are called to do youth ministry are very thankful that God "called us to Florida!" I mean sure, if God had called me to Colline Musumba in Rwanda, I would have gone! But he called me to Florida. Near the east coast. By beaches. And warm weather.
And I don't know if I love it here because God called me, or God called me because I love it here. But I do know that I love it here! And one of the things I love about this area is that we can go swimming, boating, fishing, snorkeling, skiing, picnicking, and more almost year-round!
There is a great story in Luke's Gospel that includes some of these things! In chapter 5, Luke tells the story of Jesus getting into a boat to get away from shore just a little so that he can preach to the crowds. Luke writes, "He (Jesus) got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore." Luke 5:3 Jesus then tells Luke to fish. Luke does this and catches a ton of fish! So many fish that their nets were beginning to break! And then, to wrap up the story, Luke quotes Jesus by saying, "from now on, you will be catching people." Luke 5:10b.
Imagine. Fishing, boating, and telling people about Jesus. What a great story and an extraordinary calling. And this Sunday, we will be talking about what this means for us today. Maybe you're not an avid fishing person, but we can all be witnessing for Jesus in this beautiful part of the country (and maybe even use a boat!).
One of the real joys of youth ministry is watching young people come to know Jesus and begin their journey of growing closer to Him and deeper in their faith. And this year, we have a new resource to do that with our students! This resource is a spiritual journal written just for them! It's called the "12—Month Student Discipleship Journal." Our hope and desire is for every kid in our youth ministry to have one of these books and journey with us through it this year! And some of us have already begun this process and it's been outstanding! So, if you, your child, grandchild, family, or whoever would like to do this with us, that would be awesome! We have some books here if you'd like, or you can purchase your own at "The Youth Cartel." Join the fun and grow deeper with us as followers of Christ! And oh, if you've read this far, you may be interested to know that I, your Youth Pastor, am the author of this journal! Ok, let's enjoy this calling together!! And maybe even some fishing along the way!
Yours in Christ,
Joel Lusz