Fishers of Men | Pastor Rodney

We are so fortunate in America to have access to so many books. Our libraries are full of them. I know of a library in Indiana that is slowly sinking into the ground because the engineer didn’t make provision for the weight of the books. This was certainly a great architectural miscalculation. Perhaps he should have read a little more on the topic of structural weight bearing considerations. Agatha Christie’s books have sold an estimated two billion copies. Children’s writer Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel has sold in the hundreds of thousands of books with works like Green Eggs and Ham. Steven King, James Patterson and J.K. Rowling’s books are all on the best sellers lists of today’s top authors. I became a fan of Christian inspirational writer, Max Lucado, back in the nineties. His works include, When God whispers your name, The applause of Heaven, Six hours one Friday, No wonder they call him the Savior, Traveling light, and In the grip of grace, to name a few. I have also enj...

One basic fact that is widely known among agriculturalists is this, “The better the seed the better the harvest.” Also, good, nutrient-rich soil that has been properly prepared is essential. Jesus illustrates these points in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 13 verses 3 through 9: “… Behold, a sower went forth to sow; “And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. “And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: “But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus explains that the seed is the Word of God and the soil is the heart of man. You will notice that there is no problem with the qua...

With a small tin can full of worms, a stick pole and a couple yards of line, I became a fisherman. I vividly remember those summer days of the 1960s at our family’s pond in northeast Ohio. It was there I learned the art of luring little fish from their watery habitat. I became acquainted with my future father-in-law when I began dating my wife, two decades later. He liked to fish for bass. A few trips out with him and I was hooked. Since that time I have caught northern pike in Canada, walleye on Lake Erie, and salmon on a Lake Michigan tributary. I’ve also fished the Atlantic Ocean off of Florida and North Carolina for various salt water species and battled grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. My grandfather, father and my three brothers have all enjoyed fishing. The trips I’ve had fishing with my now grown children are very memorable and happy times. I am elated that my son-in-law is an avid outdoorsman and fisherman also! One day Jesus encountered a couple fishermen. They we not causa...

Just about everyone has had a praying grandmother or family minister… perhaps your parents where Christians or maybe a teacher, neighbor or friend that had a spiritual connection with God. Very few American’s grow up absent of some type of Christian influence. Still God religion and going to church has become a thing of the past for many in today’s world. The reasons for this are as numerous as the waves of the sea. Let’s take a look at the institution of church. Religious denominations are as plenteous as are restaurants and pizza parlors in every city in America. Many ask, so which one is right? Then there are those unfortunate incidents that scandal or some sort of hurtful situation takes place within a church. It is unfortunate that there are those rare occasions when there have been spiritual casualties in the pews. Additionally, it can also be true that the discouraged simply give up, or the offended become unwilling to forgive. One thing is for certain, we are in error when we...

We have heard the question and perhaps even asked it ourselves, does anyone care? As I am writing today I’ve just learned the news of yet another mass shooting in Maryland. Hearts are hard, emotions are cold and people are being hurt or even worse. It has been said that hurting people, hurt people; but murder? We have all studied the history of different cultures and earlier times that were quite barbaric. We seem to be reverting backwards to old ways and behaviors, a careless and uncaring culture. The word care is a derivative of the word careful. We aren’t very careful these days with the things that matter most. We have on the contrary become extremely reckless with relationships at work, home and even where we worship. As a result people are offended. Now stop and think just for a moment, when was the last time you witnessed someone practicing forgiveness? Or when was the last time you forgave someone and just let it go? Jesus himself spoke of a time that would come when people ...

Recently I visited the Holy Land. Israel is truly a land like no other. The rich history of the Jewish people coupled with the ancient biblical sights make it a must see for every believer. Every time our bus came to yet another place of scriptural significance, we were treated to both a visual and informational feast! One such place was the town of Capernaum. This is a small town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. After Jesus was baptized by John, He began to gather a small band of unlikely followers that would help Him minister to the hurting and afflicted of that time. According to scripture, Capernaum became Jesus ’ s home town during the early part of His ministry. ...and leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- ...