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Home!

Just got home.  Outstanding week away.  Here's a run down of the week...

• Weather was outstanding.
• Caught more fish than you could count.
• Won the fishing contest with a 3 lb, 12 oz bass.
• Snapped a pole (on a snag not a fish!)
• Lost 4 really nice spinner baits.
• Had my quiet time every morning on the lakeshore.
• Good 'Ol Days Resort was perfect.
• Couldn't send emails and I actually am living to tell about it. (Hmmm...maybe I can get along without sending emails!)
• Read some great leadership quotes by Rudy Guiliani and started his book called Leadership - so far I am very impressed.
• Ate at Rafferty's Pizza - possibly the best pizza in the world.
• Got a MAJOR sun burn on Wednesday & heat exhaustion from a 34 mile bike ride on Thursday.
• Ate mouth watering fudge from The Chocolote Ox
• Enjoyed worshipping at The Journey church - a new cafe-style church in Nisswa.

Now...I'm pumped about tomorrow at Meadow.  It's only been a week, but I feel like I have been gone forever.  Perry Noble will be challenging us tomorrow and the band has some crankin' music planned.

Could Be the Winner!

The contest isn't over until Friday, but this is the biggest fish so far!

Vacation - Day 1

It's raining right now - so I thought I would jot down a few thoughts about what has already been two awesome days away.

We are staying at Good Old Days Resort in Nisswa.  The initials are G.O.D., so it has to be almost heaven - right?  Last night, I went out to check the lake out and caught a 3.5 lb and 2 lb. bass (oh...and a small sunfish but that was just so my daughter didn't feel left out!).

Today started exactly as I was hoping - up early, cup of coffee, sitting by the lake, sun coming up, reading my Bible - just me, God, my Bible, and a couple of loons.  He is really doing some work in my life on the issue of pleasing people vs pleasing God.  This morning, reading in Romans, Galatians, and Psalms was awesome.

We went to a small church.  Totally cool to sit together as a family from start to finish - that never happens.  Super new church (about 5 yrs old) that acquired and old church building and have done some really cool things with creating an relaxed, unplugged atmosphere.

Pastor spoke on hell (no connection to Father's Day - I think!).  Going to another church and listening to another pastor speak is tough for me but today I actually did pretty good to NOT think about Meadow ... except the time at 9:30 I prayed for Meadow, oh - and at 9:40 when I prayed for the band at Meadow, and, oops again at 10:00 when I prayed for everyone to hear the words of Ed Young.  Other than that, I did pretty good - oh, wait, one more thing - as the pastor was speaking I did lay out a 4 week teaching series I will probably do early next year.

Well...looks like the rain is letting up, and the lake is calling me.

A very, very, VERY great day!

The pictures below are totally awesome.  The first one is from our very first launch team service on the first Sunday of June, 1998.  Taken in the elementary school we started in.  The second one was taken today - 10 years later.  Taken in the movie theater.  If you click on each pic, you can get a larger view.

What an outstanding morning!  I just love this church!

And if the morning wasn't awesome enough.  I went fishing and caught 5 nice bass ... 15", 15", 16", 16", 18".  That's 80" of Minnesota bass!

Ahh...a great morning in church and a great evening on the lake!  Does it get any better than this?!!

Country ROCKS!

Finally a country song and video that has substance and meaning!

6 Pounder!

Jess talked me into going fishing tonight.  Good thing she did.  We had a great time!

• Jess: we stopped counting at 15 sunnies
• Me: 2 bass - one was a 6 pounder

Beautiful Day!

Awesome afternoon & evening on the lake.  Fishing is so relaxing and I LOVE the Minnesota outdoors.  Weeds are definitely thicker.  I had 5 on - lost 3 in the weeds including one that snapped my line.  Pulled in a 2 & 3.5 pound bass.  Nice fish.  (And this time my boat didn't get loose and no nice notes from the park police!)

Got home and went for a quick 6 mile bike ride - feels great to sweat!

Tomorrow...Memorial Day Service where the band is playing, BBQ brats back at home, then on to the Enduro race at Raceway.  It is gonna be a SMOKIN' great day!

Fishing - May 18

Windy but AWESOME day on the lake!

Put my boat in like usual.  Tied it to the dock.  Parked my truck & trailer.  Walked back to the dock just in time to see my boat floating across the lake with no one in it!  (The rope hook had somehow come unhooked.)  Dude...what am I going to do?  I just stood there watching it drift across the lake thinking about all those fish I was now never going to catch.

There was one other boat on the lake and he noticed an unmanned boat floating by which means someone either fell out or someone was stupid enough to not tie their boat to the dock.  When he looked back at the dock and saw a man (me) standing there without a boat and on the lake was a boat without a man - it didn't take him long to conclude which scenario was happening here.  He was gracious to tow my boat back to the dock.

Cool...now on to fishing - except I tried to turn on my depth finder and it was BROKE!!  AHHHHH!!!  Now I would be fishing blind - nothing to show me weedlines, structure, depth.  Guess I will just have to fish the old fashioned way - AFTER I clean up my entire can of Diet Pepsi that I just spilled!!

Five hours later when I came off the lake and went to get my truck - there was a nice note from the park police.  (Some would call it a ticket.  I like "note" better.)  I forgot to put my parking permit in the window and now I have to go to court and explain.  I have the new permit - I just didn't have it in my window!!!

You might say... "Dude, you should have just stayed home.  Did you catch anything?"

"Did I catch anything?!!"

Bass

• 3.5 lbs
• 5 lbs
• 2.5 lbs
• 3.5 lbs
• 3 lbs

Northern

• 7 lbs
• 3.5 lbs

What an AWESOME day!  And no, I didn't keep any.  I like catching them.  I like eating them.  I don't like cleaning them. Besides, let's put 'em back in the lake to make more so we keep enjoying it!

Why I like fishing

1. I can talk out loud to myself, verbally talk through decisions, and talk it through with Jesus and no one hears me.
2. It is the only Biblically sanctioned sport where great men of faith came from and I am hoping it will rub off on me.
3. It was how Jesus paid taxes (I am still looking for that one fish though.)
4. It helps me think through the whole concept of what it means to "fish for men".
5. Someone has to keep the lunker population under control.