Pastor Chuck Willis, Gone Fishing

"Gone Fishing"
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Pastor Chuck Willis

June 2004

   As this is the first article that I have written for the Fair Haven Monthly Newsletter, I pondered the thought of how to set the theme for monthly articles to come. That thought did not take long to figure out - fishing! Let's use a fishing theme! (As many of you already know, fishing has been my favorite hobby and pastime for many years now. Just look into my office!) So after the initial task of selecting the theme was complete, selecting the title was next on the agenda.
     Several title suggestions had crossed our minds but just did not seem to adequately bridge the gap between the idea of catching fish and the work of encouraging the family of Fair Haven. But late one evening, still trying to imagine a worthy title, the idea of "Gone Fishing" hit me. It seemed like a perfect fit. And just to insure that I was not alone in my belief that this was the slogan that I had been chasing for some time and not a product of the steak and cheese sub I had for dinner, I ran the idea by Cheryl and Linda. Both parties have approved and so the "Gone Fishing" column has been officially launched.
     Speaking of fish, I would like to introduce this new column to you by singling out a specific species that we have in our own Great Lakes, called the Chinook Salmon. Salmon in general are born in clean, clear rivers that usually connect to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This is a very unique feature in that this type of fish originates in fresh water and migrates into salt water to live and grow with no ill effects or difficulties at all. Most all other species of fish both live exclusively in fresh or salt water and cannot sustain life if the type of water changes.
     However, the greatest marvel of the Chinook salmon is that this species will travel the greatest distances, swim past the sharpest rocks, jump over the largest obstacles, and expose themselves to the greatest danger of being captured by other predators, just to return to the place of their origin. Just to give you an idea of how far they will travel, a Chinook salmon was tagged in the central Aleutian Islands and was recovered a year later in the Salmon River, Idaho; a distance of 3,500 miles. What a swim! Just think how tiring that would be traveling that distance in a car!
     When I think of how God has placed such incomprehensible traits that initiate the Chinook salmon to return to its origin, I am reminded of the Samaritan woman from Sychar that spoke to Jesus at the well. John 4:6-26 reveals that she too had experienced the pain of 5 marriages that were cut apart by the sharp rock of failure. Insomuch that just co-habitation with another man seemed to be the right thing to do in case the sharp rock of failure struck again. Jumping over the obstacle of shame and humiliation caused her to come to the well at noon (vs. 6) in the heat of the day, instead of in the early morning hours when all of the other women drew their water. What great distances her Samaritan heart must have traveled in an effort to reach out to anything that could satisfy the emptiness in her soul.
     But on that very special day, she encountered the One who was the originator of her soul. "…and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7 KJV). The One who was the source of the "Living Water" (vs. 10) that never runs dry and satisfies like no other. The One who heals the brokenness of a physical and spiritual life. Today, we have access to this same Jesus who is the source of "Living Water" to satisfy a longing heart and thirsty soul. How? The answer is found in verse 23, …"then the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks." Are you in need? Worship God and He will seek you out! Bless His Name!!!