Tag Archives: fishing

Where Did the Summer Go?

Posted on August 11, 2014 by expressyourself4him

Boredom, enjoyment and time have a unique connection.  When experiencing something dull or uninteresting, time seems to drag, slowing down to a crawl as you check the clock regularly.  On the other hand, as you indulge in a leisure activity that you love, times often flies by at warp speed.  Perhaps, this may explain where the summer went.

At the end of June, I got the news of my promotion at work.  Initially, time ticked away at a normal pace.  Yet, by the time families book this weekend, plan that weekend and try to fit in some old acquaintances, September is on the horizon.  Unfortunately, the older I become, time appears to vanish, with entire months disappearing from the calendar.  Where did the summer go?  Maybe its stored away in one’s heart, separating the cherished memories from the moments you would like to forget.

As for now, the Lord’s brother provides great advice for those trying to make sense of time, James 4:13-15.  Since today has enough trouble of its own, each soul must savor the remaining days of summer.  Although you may not be able to check off something from your bucket list, a day at the beach, fishing, taking a drive in the country or watching the sunset will certainty relieve stress.  Before Labor Day arrives, soak in the sun while you still have time.  Feel free to share what your favorite summer pastime?

by Jay Mankus

 

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Captivated or Captured?

Posted on July 2, 2014 by expressyourself4him

Growing up in the 1980’s, arcades, malls and skating rinks were places teenagers congregated for social interaction.  Subsequently, I developed a soft spot in my heart for video games, longing to master the pattern for Pac-Man, flip Space Invaders from 999,999 back to zero on my Atari and complete every stage of Dragon’s Lair, one of the first games in 3D.  Looking back, I wonder if I was merely captivated by this new form of entertainment or was I captured by the devil, 2 Corinthians 4:4?

Compromise doesn’t happen over night.  Rather, the father of lies places subtle thoughts into your mind, hoping you will bite, James 1:13-15.  For the first 14 years of my life, I was hooked, spending countless hours on my Atari seeking to enter the hall of fame for each game I owned, taking a picture with a polaroid camera of my score or time.  However, with each accomplishment, excitement soon passed, creating a void in my heart that video games did not fulfill.  Breaking this habit was difficult, needing assistance from a higher power.

By the middle of my sophomore year of high school, I was ready, captivated by a man in wheelchair, claiming to be a famous athlete.  After receiving over 1,000 full scholarships in 4 different sports, a water skiing accident left Skip Wilkins paralyzed from the waist down.  Despite his humbling disposition, there was something different about him.  Whatever Skip had inside of him, I wanted.  Thus, when an altar call was offered, I was one of the first to come down, captivated by a godly witness and now captured by a forgiving Savior, Romans 10:9-10.

by Jay Mankus

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A Picture From God

Posted on June 9, 2014 by expressyourself4him

The visual learner inside of human beings often struggle to believe in things that they can’t see.  Words are meaningless unless an image, thought or vision appears.  Sometimes a picture from God is what individuals are waiting for to breathe hope and life into their soul.

When the Lord slashed Gideon’s army from 22,000 to 300 men, he had his doubts about achieving victory.  To calm these fears, God provided a picture of success in Judges 7:9-15.  Peter had a similar experience in Luke 5:1-11.  As a professional fishermen, Peter wasn’t one to withhold his opinion.  However, after a humbling night on the water, a new kid on the block brought Peter to his knees, Luke 5:8.  These pictures from above empowered these followers to reach heights they never imagined.

Although its not mentioned, the men of Issachar likely received snapshots from the Holy Spirit.  While the world was distracted, these godly leaders stayed the course, keeping in step with the Lord, 1 Chronicles 12:32.  Today, this country and the world needs someone who understands the times.  May a picture from God engrave minds set on fulfilling Romans 12:2 so that the lost have someone to follow back home.

by Jay Mankus

 

 

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Clinging to the Security Blankets of Your Past

Posted on February 18, 2014 by expressyourself4him

Charles Schultz conjured up in his mind a fictional character with real life tendencies in his classic comic strip Peanuts.  Linus was a boy who never wanted to leave his favorite blanket, finding comfort from this childhood possession.  Today, infants have similar habits, becoming attached to binkies, serving as a calming device to produce sleep.  Despite purging closets each spring, most adults aren’t willing to let go of sentimental items, keeping a few like a security blanket from your past.

Peter was a professional fisherman whose new acquaintance introduced himself as a carpenter.  Luke 5:1-11 recounts this first meeting as Peter listens to Jesus speak after a long night of work.   Despite his initial hesitation, Peter is willing to trust someone from another occupation, based upon a gut feeling within his heart, Luke 5:6.  Subsequently, Peter reached a point of conviction, guilty of holding on to traditions instead of faith.  By the end of this passage, each member of his crew was touched by God, leaving everything they knew behind, letting go of their security blankets.

I’m not sure if its my ego, pride or stubbornness, but I find it hard to completely change the routines I have set in life.  Sure, every New Year’s provides a tempest, the perfect conditions to rededicate one’s life.  Nonetheless, the fear of uncertainty prevents permanent transformation from occurring.  Thus, when the going get’s tough, people fall back on what they know instead of following the advice of strangers.  This reality of life fulfills the words of Proverbs 27:19, “as water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.”  May the example of these fishermen inspire others to forgo the security blankets of their past with a faith for the future.

by Jay Mankus

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The One That Got Away

Posted on February 5, 2014 by expressyourself4him

My father was an avid fisherman, taking the family to Maine each summer to go bass fishing and Nags Head, North Carolina during Spring Break to catch blues coming up the Atlantic coastline.  Sure, golf was always on the agenda, but his quest was trying to catch the big one.  Now retired and residing on a golf course with several lakes, my own children enjoy nightly excursions to catch bass, perch and sunfish.  While success usually followed his line, I often wonder about the big one that got away.

Three years ago, there was a 10 pound bass spotted periodically along a canal.  Many had seen it, but no one was successful in reeling this behometh on to dry land.   Over a 3 day weekend, my oldest son James and I appeared to have something large bite our lines, only to have the line snap shortly thereafter.  As I was reeling in a small sunny, I felt a tug, like a snapping turtle had grabbed ahold of my line.  For roughly 10 minutes I battled this unseen creature, hoping it was the beast.  However, just as I was sensing victory, the line went dead.  One minute later, the only thing remaining was an empty hook.  Since there were no visible signs of a turtle, whatever attacked my rod must have ripped the sunny off the hook, swallowing it’s victim whole.  I’ve caught my fair share of fish, but I regret the 10 pounder that got away.

In athletics, Olympians’ shake their head over the gold that slipped from their reach.  Meanwhile, the scholar will analyze why an elite college or graduate school passed over their application.  The student ponders what went wrong to lose their high school sweetheart and the unemployed struggle to find the explanation behind why they did not receive a job offer.  Disappointment is a subtle reminder of an imperfect world, filled with empty promises and broken dreams.  Despite how painfully it is to start over in life, you need to let go of the one that got away, learning from this loss so that it doesn’t happen again.  May the truth of James 1:2-4 strengthen you to press on, to stay beat and hopeful of a date with destiny to celebrate the day the big One didn’t get away!

by Jay Mankus

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From a Mountain Top to the Valley of Despair

Posted on February 11, 2013 by expressyourself4him

Throughout the course of history, unusual events have occurred which defy the laws of gravity.  Skeptics argue that reality has been embellished, like a fishing story, changing each time it is told.  Meanwhile, just when it appears you understand the mind of God, a twist of fate leaves you dumbfounded, unable to comprehend why something happened.

On top of Mount Carmel, like a classic western movie, Elijah challenges King Ahab’s prophets to a duel.  However, guns are replaced by fire, with the winner burning up the hopes of the loser’s god.  According to 1 Kings 18:36-39, Elijah was victorious as the Lord God answered his prayer, sending fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice soaked in water.  Unfortunately, this mountain top experience was short lived.

When a king is publicly embarrassed, it usually doesn’t go well for the man that brought him disgrace.  Being a poor loser, King Ahab complains to his wife, the most wicked woman in the kingdom, 1 Kings 19:1.  Not ready to accept defeat, Queen Jezebel fires back with a death threat, vowing to send a hitman to kill Elijah, 1 Kings 19:2.  Forgetting the power of God, Elijah ran down the mountain into a valley of despair, wanting to die than face this trial, 1 Kings 19:3-4.

The average person lives in this valley, where heartbreak, pain and setbacks are a daily occurrence.  A spirit of depression hovers over this valley, like a stationary dark cloud, waiting for winds of change.  However, the forecast for change looks bleak, leaving a state of hopelessness in your heart.

Dr. Love sends a messenger with a recipe for healing in 1 Kings 19:5-9.  Thinking out of the box, God sends an angel to fulfill this subscription of sleep.  Although Solomon urges people to avoid slumber in Proverbs, sometimes the best thing for depression is rest.  Getting up twice to eat, the food draws Elijah back into a deep sleep.  Once revitalized, its time to go back up the mountain.

Whether you are presently on the mountain top, half way or in the valley, God’s voice is only a whisper away, 1 Kings 19:10-13.  However, we need to get our lives straightened out before you can have full reception, Isaiah 1:15.  If you follow the directions in Isaiah 1:16-17, there is a wonderful promise of hope.  Don’t delay in fulfilling; Come reason with God today so you can rise on wings like eagles to the peak, Isaiah 40:31.

by Jay Mankus

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Thy Way; not My Ways

Posted on February 2, 2013 by expressyourself4him

Lately, I feel like a white rat being used for a psychology experiment.  Lab Technicians are observing my progress as I work my way through a labyrinth.  As I attempt to get from point A, unemployment, to point B, a full time position which utilizes my God given talents, I keep running into dead ends.  The moment I think I have arrived, God puts up another road block similar to Acts 16:6-7, whispering, “this is not the path I have chosen for you.”

Befuddled, clueless and dumbfounded, I am running out of options.  Though I am becoming an expert in writing cover letters, my percentages of interest these emails have generated makes me feel like an amateur fisherman who is being toyed with by smarter fish.  Since my ways are failing daily, Proverbs 19:21, I hope the growing pains I am encountering end soon as I move aside toward Yahweh’s way.

As my trial nears a full calendar year tomorrow, the words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 2:12-13 have a deeper meaning for me.  Trying to work out your salvation is a grueling process, a clear indication that sanctification is a long way from completion.  Despite my best efforts, I am still a sinner in desperate need of a Savoir, Romans 6:23.  Therefore, while I currently attend the school of hard knocks, I long to graduate soon, seeking to become a Rhode scholar on Thy Way!

by Jay Mankus

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The Continuum of Sin

Posted on February 1, 2013 by expressyourself4him

In the film, Behind the Devil’s Door, still in its infant stage, I am attempting to unravel the allure and subtleness of sin.  James, the brother of Jesus uses first century fishing terminology to address the power of sin, James 1:13-15.  Like a fish in hiding, a specific bait get’s their attention, similar to a momentary lapse in judgment.  It only takes a minuscule compromise to get hooked, setting in motion the continuum of sin.

The human mind is like fertile soil, ready to prosper with the right balance of the Son and living water, John 4:13-14.  Unfortunately, this ground is surrounded by fields of weeds, influenced by the flesh, world and spiritual realm.  Winds of temptation blow seeds of self, pleasure and rebellion, seeking to take root in your thought life.  Once implanted, this foreign root system can over ride your will, leading you toward a series of choices near the road called sin.

When detours are taken and U-Turns back toward God aren’t executed, your choices form a cycle of sin, also known as bad habits.  If these habits continue, without holding them in check, unusual behavior results due to a loss in control, forming addictions.  Empowered by a lack of self-discipline, addictions grow into an internal bondage, becoming enslaved to a specific sin or sins, Romans 7:15.

Every month, another minister is exposed by the continuum of sin.  Even if one is not discovered or found out, this pattern continues without public confession or purging sinful elements which produces your desire to sin.  The longer one strays from the narrow road of eternity, Matthew 7:13-14, the more difficult it becomes to escape this bondage and the demonic forces feeding your flesh.  Evil super naturalism then creates a spiritual stronghold, making it impossible to break free on your own.

The James 5:16 principle is the first of many steps toward a path to recovery.  A weekly accountability partner is essential, intervention is highly recommended and divine help through people praying for you can unravel this stronghold.  As for the time, it varies depending upon your degree of sin.  The apostle Paul gives believers further insight in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 to help you in your battle with the continuum of sin.  Never give up hope as you wrestle to take back control of your heart, soul and mind!

by Jay Mankus

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