A river is running through it...

“The hyper-evangelistic mode as practiced in American circles is quote different from that of Jesus who never shared the gospel the same way twice, was very attentive to individuals and contextualized his conversations accordingly.” -A quote from I can’t remember whom?

This quote reminds me of the movie “A River Runs Through It”.

In one scene in the movie the two brothers Norman and Paul MacLean have been roped into taking the obnoxious, rude and completely self worshipping brother in law fishing at the request of Jesse Norman’s fiancé. Before Paul meets the guy, he makes a comment about the coming novice would probably bring a can of worms in an old coffee can and sure enough he does show up with just that. Both the brothers are fly-fishing lovers and good ones at that. Having to lug along a drunk, pole-fishing greenhorn is excruciatingly laborious to both of them but love makes us endure many things.

As I was thinking about the imagery of how often fishing for souls is hammered into our minds in Christian circles, I thought about fly-fishing and how in the movie the act of it was visually captured as pure art. In the film Redford filmed the unique beauty of casting and tying the flies and the thrill of landing a trout from out of a secluded nook in the river rapids.

In the movie Paul is shown developing his own style and rhythm for fishing and Norman talks about the first time Paul broke away from his father’s style. Learning and daring to explore new rhythms in fishing for souls is essential if we are going to see a harvest come in. It takes those who are willing to stand on the knowledge of the past and apply it in ways that fit who they are and who God has created them to be.

I think such are the ways of the Spirit in bringing about new birth through the fishing lives of his followers. Each catch is unique and should originate out of a love for fishing not merely landing a catch. The best fishing is about the process not just the result. I think much of today’s evangelism is pole fishing, too rushed and far to focused on the result instead of the rhythm of how to fish. Instead of learning about the currents, the light, the instincts and habits of the fish, we produce stream stomping, unoriginal, results oriented fisherman.

We need to dare to discover our own style of casting and allow the love of fishing for souls to become a more central part of the motivation of our time in the waters.

Enjoy fishing as well as the fish and learn to tie a fly, I am going too.