NOT OUR TIME

I love the anticipation of planning a trip!

It had been a couple of years since my longtime friend, Matt, and I got away for a weekend of fishing together. It’s mind blowing how quickly time flies by. Anyway, we coordinated our schedules and made plans to fish Lake Superior on Minnesota’s North Shore. Everything was coming together; we checked fishing reports the weeks leading up to the trip and gathered up all the gear we’d need. The anticipation was really building!

Weather and wave forecasts are very critical for a trip like this. Strong winds and storms can create some monstrous waves on Lake Superior, and my 17-foot boat does best in waves 2 feet or less. Well, wouldn’t you know it, the initial forecast was calling for storms and strong winds. We did have a backup plan if the winds and waves were too high on Superior, but storms meant ugly fishing anywhere nearby. We were due for a weekend away and after some consideration decided to go regardless of the weather forecast. As the days passed and the weekend drew near, the weather forecast started to look better. Matt and I drove up Friday after work, and my older brother was going to meet us Saturday morning. We arrived at the cabin and started getting everything ready for the next morning of fishing. We were up late into the night catching up before we decided to call it a night. The alarm was set for 5:15am so we could leave for the lake by 6:00am.

“BRYON, IT’S 6:03!” Matt barked in the darkness from his bed.

I love the sunrise on water

Anticipation turned to hysteria as we jumped from our beds. I checked the alarm; I had set it for 5:15 pm! We threw items into a cooler, loaded a bag of food, and grabbed some last-minute gear. Thankfully, most of the fishing gear was already in the boat and the landing was nearby.
We met up with my brother, launched the boat, and were leaving the harbor by 6:40am. The three of us worked efficiently together and had six lines set up by sunrise, which by the way was spectacular.

Waiting for any fish to bite

It turned out to be a gorgeous day. The lake was remarkably calm and peaceful; in fact, too peaceful, the fish weren’t biting. We tried different locations and tactics, but nothing worked. On Sunday, Matt and I even tried a different lake; still nothing. It didn’t matter how bad we wanted it or how hard we tried, the fish just weren’t biting.

Life can be like that too - things don’t always turn out the way we want, but fishing with friends is always worth the trip!

Acts 1:7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” 

IT'S NOT TOO LATE

Have you ever heard someone say, “Labor Day means that summer is over”? I hear it every year, and every year it drives me crazy! Now, if you’re a teacher or student, summer vacation is over, but that doesn’t mean summer is over. This year summer ends on September 22; that’s three weeks past Labor Day. Maybe I’m a little touchy about this subject because summer goes by fast enough in the upper Midwest, and I’m not about to give up on it just because the kids are going back to school.

I don’t like to give up on things before time is due. Enjoy what’s left of summer, because fall will be here and the harvest season will begin. When the harvest does arrive, what will you reap? Have you been sowing? There’s still time! Thankfully, we humans don’t have to follow Mother Nature’s seasons of growth and harvest. It’s never too late to finally tackle that list of things you’ve been wanting to get done or learning new ways to better yourself. Start sowing and reap the benefits of your harvest.

What do you want your harvest to look like?

    

                                                       

Galatians 6:9-10 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

The day came to move our oldest son back to college, and since this was the third "move in" day for him and we've become pretty efficient at moving him, we knew there would be plenty of time to see the sights. This particular location has several lakes nearby, including Lake Superior. My son and I planned to go fishing in the afternoon, while my wife and younger son toured a local mansion. The town seems to have something for everyone, which is good because we all have different personalities and interests. Plans for fishing changed to boating on Lake Superior, so while my wife and younger son saw the sights from land, my oldest son, his girlfriend, and I saw the sights from the water. At the end of the day, we met up for dinner to share the afternoon's stories (because we all like food).

Of course, thinking about that day and our different interests, my thoughts turned to trees.

Pine trees, palm trees, apple trees, and maple trees. What do they have in common? Yes, they’re all trees (the answer is as easy as it seems). They all have a root system, trunk, branches, and foliage, however they all look very different from one another and provide different things. Some provide fruits or nuts, most provide shelter to animals, and all provide a uniqueness to the landscape. What if all trees were exactly the same, how dull would that be? Same goes for friends and family; we all have a purpose.

Isiah 64:8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.