Do you like to fish?

About 60 million Americans do—women and men. And we shell out a collective total of 115 billion dollars annually on fishing lures, fishing boats, and fishing trips.

I've been on four unforgettable half-day fishing charters. But could I be frank with you? I know very little about fishing—almost nothing!

However, I've observed that invariably, the captain knows the right place, the right time, the right bait, and the right technique! The captain scans for fish, baits the hooks, sets the downriggers—he does it all.

With a typical half-day morning charter, you get up at 4:00 am to drive to the marina, so you're already tired. Then you take some Dramamine to prevent motion sickness, and now you're trashed!

I’ve been so sleepy that I’ve dozed off standing on my feet, and the captain has had to yell out, “You’ve got a fish! Crank it in!” So, I wake up, haul in the fish, and feel like a hero for reeling in the “big one.”

But it really isn't me doing the work! I merely wind in the fish for which someone else did the prep work. The captain just lets me be part of the adventure.

That’s a pretty good picture of what God has in mind for you and me regarding making disciples. We can't save a single soul. But He knows the right place, the right time, the right bait, and the right technique. Better yet, He longs to have us join Him in His mission of fishing for souls.

On a fishing charter, the captain never uses just one pole. There are ten or more! Why? Obviously, you significantly increase your odds of catching a fish when you're casting for more than one.

Translation: If all you have is one unsaved friend, neighbor, or coworker, your world is too small! Let's build lots of friendships with lots of unsaved people. By all means, hang on to your Christian buddies—you need them to help anchor you to Christ. But your ocean must include unsaved folks, too.

Jesus called us to be fishers of souls. Who are you fishing for?

You don’t need to be great at it. But you do have to get at it!

Your Captain—and your adventure—are waiting!

What does heaven sound like? This week, I think I heard an excerpt.

The Bible offers a surprising amount of detail about what heaven will look like: Streets of gold. Gates of pearl. Walls of precious stones. The River of Life.

But what about the acoustic side of things—the sound? Revelation talks about saints singing Hallelujah. And Christians through the centuries have been convinced there'll be harp music. Revelation mentions seven trumpets played by seven angels, along with loud peals of thunder that help us imagine the voice of God.

But last weekend, on a beach in Jacksonville, Florida, I was given a preview of another sound that will be heard in heaven. More than ten thousand people from the Church of Eleven 22 gathered to witness and celebrate the baptism of 1,958 believers.

There were many columns of hundreds of people—and getting them all baptized took the entire afternoon. But as we celebrated this step of obedience with my niece, you could not escape the sound: clapping, cheering, rejoicing, praising.

Every single person was celebrated by a cluster of folks surrounding them in the waves. This choice to stand with Jesus, be identified with Jesus, and follow Jesus—was enthusiastically (loudly) affirmed.

I can’t help but think this, too, is an audio snapshot of heaven. A soundscape of eternal applause, endless cheering, unflagging rejoicing. That’s what heaven will sound like.

What a fabulous (non-ending) day that will be!

And I heard a sound from heaven, like the roar of rushing waters, and like a loud peal of thunder.

—Revelation 14:2

The attacker stealthily inched his way forward. Finally, in range, he bashed Max on the back of the head—a blow sufficient to give him a concussion. When Max's friend Michael attempted to help him up, attackers broke Michael's wrist, requiring surgery.

It all happened on November 6, 2024, on a public plaza at one of Chicago’s most respected campuses, DePaul University. Though police know there were two attackers, only one has been arrested, while the other is still at large. The attacker they did arrest wasn’t even a student.

So, what was it that fueled this assault? What was there to hate about Max Long and Michael Kaminsky?

They are Jewish students, one of whom has served his time in the Israel Defense Forces (ironically defending his nation after the October 7 attack in Israel).

While Max and Michael have always been willing to engage in respectful dialogue, their attackers wanted to silence them. But the story gets uglier. In speaking with the two of them, I learned that there were other students on that plaza when the assault took place. And what did those students do? They fled. No help. No rescue.

Worse, a lawsuit claims that a DePaul public safety officer stationed just a few feet away at the time did not intervene when Long and Kaminsky were attacked. At that point, a different Public Safety Officer stopped one of the assailants but then inexplicably let him go, the lawsuit claims.

And the harassment has not ended. Long's face has since appeared on flyers around the campus, calling him an "IDF Butcher who got what he deserved."

Ironically, this attack occurred within inches of a statue adorned with a caption asking, "What are you doing for justice?"

Since when is cowardice justice? How can we call ourselves followers of Jesus and not be outraged by this attack? If our society continues to tolerate this sort of thuggery, you can be sure that Bible-believing Christians are next in line.

Enough is enough. It’s time to speak up and stand up. Our Jewish friends and neighbors deserve nothing less.

He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

The dark side of repetition is numbness. When we hear things often enough, we cease to hear them. What should be foreground becomes background. Given time, even the profound becomes mundane.

Perhaps that’s why I was taken aback by the simple declaration eight-year-old Ava wrote recently. Scrawled on a scrap of paper were these words: “I Love Jesus—and He Loves Me.”

We pepper our prayers and praise music with the first half of Ava's message, "I love Jesus." But how often do we ponder—really contemplate—the second half of her message, "And He loves me.”

I suspect that many of us know this is “supposed” to be true, that it is biblically and theologically accurate. We believe all this in our heads. Yet, we struggle to feel it in our hearts.

If you were raised in a "performance-based" home, where doing and achieving opened the doors to acceptance and love, you might well struggle to believe, "And He loves me."

Be at rest! Christ really does love you. He says it over and over again. Remember that God chose to demonstrate or prove His love dramatically: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). What's more, 2 Timothy 2:13 assures us, "If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful." In going to the cross, He loved you with everything He had!

But back to the first half of Ava's declaration, "I love Jesus." How do we know that we DO love Jesus? Is it the words we say, or the feelings we feel?

Jesus Himself gave us the litmus test in John 14:15, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” Which means, it’s not about the words we write or the songs we sing. Jesus spells love O-B-E-Y. Much obedience equals much love.

Do you love Jesus? How much?

Recently, I picked up a copy of The Hypochondriac’s Guide to Horrible Diseases You Probably Already Have. It is equal parts informative and hilarious. From the back cover:

Do you suffer from insomnia?

Not good…soon your whole body might attack your brain.

Are you bothered by a persistent fever and swelling?

Beware…maggots are likely crawling beneath your skin.

Have you noticed skin tenderness and discoloration?

Yikes…a small horn is probably going to sprout from your head.

Funny—for sure. But there’s nothing humorous about the sickness afflicting many Christ followers today. Let me explain.

We've just experienced the Easter season. As believers, we did our best to focus on Christ's sufferings when we…

• Winced at His beatings
• Flinched at His whipping
• Cringed at His crown of thorns
• Grieved at the nails bashed through His hands and feet

But when this same Jesus asks us to make disciples by telling others about Him and all He did on the cross, we often respond with:

• “That’s not really my spiritual gift.”
• “It just makes me uncomfortable.”
• “Others should do this—but not me.”

Talk about sick!

Whether by words or inaction, we tell Jesus, “No thanks,” we are stomping on His highest hope for us—and His world. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” is the Great Commission, not the Great Suggestion.

What if we dropped the excuses and chose one friend or neighbor—just one—that we committed to praying for (asking for their salvation) every day for a month? And what if we asked God to show us simple ways to connect with them and show them some love?

You don’t have to preach a sermon or blast your Bible at ‘em. Just share a snippet of what God has done for you, or something from His Word.

It’s spring! So, plant a seed and pray a prayer. Then watch the adventure unfold!

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

-Jesus, John 14:15