Steve Chapman - A Look at Life from the Riverbank: Stories About Fishing and the Meaning of Life

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Verses marked NEB are taken from The New English Bible copyright Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press 1961, 1970. All rights reserved.

Front cover photo sue binstead / iStock / Thinkstock; Back cover photo (top left) james stiedl / iStock / Thinkstock

Cover design by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

Unless otherwise noted, lyrics are copyright Steve Chapman. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Brother/Sister Song lyric quoted in chapter 25 is copyright 1987 by Nathan Chapman/Times and Seasons Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A LOOK AT LIFE FROM THE RIVERBANK

Portions of this book were published in Steve Chapman, Reel Time with God , 2001

Copyright 2001/2014 by Steve Chapman

Published 2014 by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chapman, Steve.

[Reel time with God]

A look at life from the riverbank / Steve Chapman.

pages cm

Rev. ed. of: Reel time with God 2001.

ISBN 978-0-7369-5540-9 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-5541-6 (eBook)

1. FishersReligious life. 2. FishingReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.

BV4596.F5C47 2014

242'.68dc23

2013026751

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To my late Uncle Carl Steele who gave me my first fishing rod and reel when I was seven years old.

His gift helped set the fishing hook in my heart that led to some great angling memoriesand some very tasty dinners.

Contents

T he outdoors is one of the best places to discover more about God! Since the creation of the world Gods invisible qualitieshis eternal power and divine naturehave been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made. These inspiring words from Romans 1:20 ( NIV ) reveal the undeniable truth that casting a line while sitting on the banks of a river or lake, floating in a canoe, or trolling in a boat gives us incredible opportunities to contemplate Gods creation and how we can develop into the people He created us to be. If we take the time to get out there, God will make Himself knownand often in ways we never expect.

If you relish having rod and reel in hand and enjoy swapping stories, A Look at Life from the Riverbank is for you! As you join me on some fun and exciting fishing trips, youll also, hopefully, glean some wisdom based on Gods Word that will help you better navigate the river called life.

You will seek the L ORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

D EUTERONOMY 4:29

J ack Adams greeted his sister and her family after they pulled their minivan into the driveway at his new house in the country. His nephew Billy quickly swung the back door open, jumped out, and ran to the rear of the vehicle. Within less than a minute the 12-year-old had everything he needed in hand to do what hed dreamed about during the 300-mile ride to his uncles farm. He was ready to fish at the huge pond hed only seen in pictures.

With excitement he finally turned to his uncle. Great to see you, Uncle Jack! Do you mind if I go fishing in your pond?

Uncle Jack smiled and put his hand out for a shake.

Billy set his tackle box on the ground and shook his uncles hand.

You bet you can fish in that pond, young man! Billys understanding uncle replied. I hope your arm muscles are in shape cause there are some brutes in there that will test your steel. He smiled broadly as he pointed the way to the water.

Billys eyes widened at his uncles report. He quickly turned to head toward the pond. After just one step, though, he stopped and looked back. Wheres the best place to catch em, Uncle Jack?

In the water, Billy! Jack laughed when Billys rolling eyes signaled that hed gotten the joke. Then the older man gave his young nephew some advice that had a biblical ring to it. If you seek em, youll find em, Billy. Just dont give up. Theyre there for the findin!

The strength of desire Billy had for fishing is a great illustration of how strong the yearning is in humans to look for some kind of meaning in life. And what Billy did for his quest for fish is similar to what we do to find God.

Billy didnt deny his desire to go fishing. Instead, he gladly embraced it and let it permeate every cell of his being. He couldnt wait to get to his uncles farm! Embracing our longing for God is the first step in finding Him.

Billy set his mind on wetting a line. When he got to his uncles farm, his heart and mind had been consumed by fishing for 300 miles. If our thoughts are saturated with finding God on our journey through life, we will.

Billys yearning for catching fish reached into his spirit. The depth of his yearning pushed him onward to the pond. If our longing to find God goes as deep, it is inevitable that well experience the great joy of feeling the tug of His presence in our lives.

May your search for your Creator and His guidance be just as exciting as Billys quest for fish! If it is, youll find your Lord and Saviorafter all, Hes there for the findin!

God, Im thankful You put the desire in me to seek You out. Im glad You helped me find You. I need You. I want to reconnect with You. In Christs name I pray, amen.

God carried you, just as a man carries his son.

D EUTERONOMY 1:31

S am and his eight-year-old son, Shawn, had caught a few bluegill and a couple of small catfish out of the creek they were fishing. Hoping for something bigger in size, they slowly worked their way upstream on the brushy bank. When they came to a rocky cliff on their side of the stream they could go no farther. Thats when Sam saw it.

Look up there past this rock, Shawn. Theres the hole we need to be fishing in!

Because Shawn wasnt as knowledgeable as his dad about what made the pool look so good, he asked, Why there, Dad?

Cause it looks deep and like the kind of place the bigger fish would favor. We need to give it a try, but we have a problem.

Whats that, Dad?

Sam sighed deep. We cant get there from here. We have to cross to the other side.

Shawn looked at the brisk flow of water and challenged his dad about going across. Dad, I dont think Im tall enough to get through the creek. Im not sure I want to try it.