Let's Pull in the Nets Together Today, a great "catch" awaits us, as we obey the Lord's command to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel."

Dear Friend,

And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. (Luke 5:7)

One day, Jesus gave His disciples a fishing lesson that they would never forget. Walking by the sea of Gennesaret, He saw two fishing vessels. The fisherman were busy washing their nets after a hard day of work.

Then Jesus asked to use one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, as a pulpit for His next sermon. The vessel was pushed out into the water a short distance and Jesus began to preach to the people. Just like Jesus used a boat that day, He wants to use your life, your possessions, your business, your efforts to get His message to the people of this world.

When you allow the Lord to use your "boat" however, you can expect a reward. Give and it shall be given, He says. So after the service, Jesus told Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught." Peter was about to see the catch of a lifetime. Get out of the shallow waters of superficial Christianity. Get out where the water is over your head, where you'll never make it without the help of the Lord.

"Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing," Simon said, "nevertheless at your word I will let down the net." Notice that the Lord had instructed them to let down their nets (plural), but Jesus' plan was seemingly so outlandish, that the best Simon could do was to let down one net for a catch. He was embarrassed to ask His fishing partners to let down multiple nets for this wild plan from this Galilean preacher. However, when he followed the Lord's command, the Bible says, they enclosed a "great multitude" of fishes, so great that the net began to brake. Then they beckoned to their partners to help them with the catch, which was so great that it almost sunk their boats.

Simon was awestruck by the tremendous supernatural catch that he fell down on his knees and said to the Lord, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man." When natural man has a true encounter with Almighty God, this is often the reaction. When we see His glory and holiness, we see ourselves undeserving. Like Adam, we want to hide ourselves from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord has other plans. He prepares redemption for us. Through the cross, undeserving men and women are made clean and changed. Our fear is gone and we hear the Master giving purpose to our lives. "Fear not, from henceforth thou shall catch men."

Jesus' fishing lesson that day changed the lives of those rugged fishermen forever. The Bible says when they brought their boats back to land, "they forsook all and followed him." Today, a great "catch" awaits us as we obey the Lord's command to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel." We will be required to make our "boats" available to the Lord and launch out into the deep. It will necessitate personal surrender, commitment and faith. As individuals, we must make that commitment to follow Him and we must receive faith from the living Word. Then the Lord will make us "fishers of men."

But one more thing is needful to bring in boatloads of fish for the Kingdom of God. We must learn to work as a team. We must pull together to bring in the nets. When we understand that God's number one job is reaching the lost, then we can all get a hold of the nets and bring in the catch. Today, if you will hear His voice, understand that God has called us to reach the world with the Gospel. As we look ahead to the opportunities that await us in 2008, I invite you to join me in bringing in boatloads of fish for the Lord. 2008 is a year of new beginnings. Together, we can do it!

Boxing for Jesus
I was privileged to speak at Palomin's Boxing Club in Gaylord, Minnesota on Dec. 6. I preached the Gospel and spoke to them about "The Fight of Life: Fighting Against Sin." I told them this battle does not end in 10 or 15 rounds, but it is a lifelong battle that we must win, since the wages of sin is death. You must get in the Lord's corner by surrendering your life to Him. Then you must resist sin in the power of the Holy Spirit. I told them that temptation to sin comes from three directions--the world, the flesh and the devil. After I preached, I asked how many would like to get in the Lord's corner and follow Him as Lord and Savior, All of them stood and prayed to receive Jesus. Four of them indicated that this was a first time decision to follow the Lord. I encouraged them also to be baptized and to get in a local church where they could be taught how to fight the battle and win.

On Dec. 13, I was able to return and minister to the young boxers on "Continuing on with the Lord" letting them know that walking with the Lord was more than a one time commitment. Two more of them made commitments to the Lord in prayer. I was blessed to hear that several of the boxers later attended the Christmas program at Gaylord Assembly of God and received further ministry from Pastor Bob Holmbeck. Praise God! Keep these young warriors in your prayers.

India Update
Thank you for your prayers for our upcoming mission to India January 16-30. We will be holding crusades in four different cities or villages in Andhra Pradesh, Southern India. Our follow up materials are nowbeing translated into Telegu language. Preparations are being made for a great harvest of souls. We are putting our faith out for many to come to know the Lord and become disciples. Please mark your calendar and pray for me, my family and our team during this time. Pray that I will be bold to preach the Gospel, that many will repent and come to know Jesus as Lord, and that we will be safe throughout the journey and return with joy. At the present time, we still need approximately $2,500 for expenses, so if you would like to invest in the precious souls of the nation of India, this is a great opportunity. You can designate an offering for "Mission India '08." I am thankful your part in this ministry and the expansion of the Word of God in the earth. Through your ongoing financial support and prayers, you are keeping us on the front lines in the battle for souls. Susan and I are praying that "'08 will be great" for you, in every area of your life.

In the master's hands,

Cleaning Out the Ashes
It's the day after Christmas and I can hear Tom on his 1947 Ford tractor pushing snow around and clearing off the drive way. We had a nice snow fall, about 5 inches. Not much, but enough to give us problems driving back from Heidi's, our daughter's house, in South Minneapolis last night!

"Putt, putt. Putt, putt" goes Tom's tractor. I look out to watch and then head to the wood stove to clean out the ashes. Tom usually cleans out the ashes in the morning, because he's up first, but this morning it was milder so we just let it go and before you knew it the coals were smaller and smaller. I thought, "This is a good chance to give it a good cleaning out". If there are too many ashes in the stove you don't get much fire. Little fire means little heat, so I get the ash can and proceeded to put the ashes in the can, making sure not to disperse the miniscule particles into my living room. The ashes are so very dirty, probably the worst thing about wood heat.

I take the long-handled ash shovel and ash can which is really a old metal trash can I found in a free box at a garage sale, and take a scoop of dirty ashes, tilting the can into the front of the stove so ashes can be drawn up the flue rather than all over my house. I very gently stick the shovelful of ashes into the bottom of the can. The more ashes I get out, the more fire I will get out of my wood and the more heat. Heat is good. It gives me more energy and I can do more.

As I scrape down the ashes to the floor of the black stove, it kind of reminds me of sin. The stove is like our heart. The more we get the sin out, the hotter we are for the Lord. Clean out your ashes! And don't let sin pollute your living room!

On fire and getting hotter,

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