From the Home Place

August 28, 2025

The year was 2007, Miss Deb and I were living in Custer, South Dakota where we were in the process of planting a church. Though we had been involved in ministry for several years, this would be our first plant. We like most church planters were starting at pretty much zero. The Lord had moved in the hearts of a dear couple who made the move with us from Sioux Falls to Custer, but the rest was up to us. By God’s amazing grace we were able to gather a group of folks rather quickly and before long we were meeting together on a weekly basis for Bible study and worship.

As means of coping with the heavy pressure of planting, God blessed us with a twelve-foot aluminum boat with a ten-horse motor on it. The trailer was homemade, but worker just fine. Most of the time the trailer would stay behind our pickup, if we weren’t in too much of a hurry.

Now about the boat, like I said it wasn’t very big and the motor wasn’t going to win any race, but when the two of them worked together, it was plumb relaxing to go to a local lake and at least take a good run having fish for supper.

Under the rear seat, where the captain of this vessel would sit, was a small toolbox. It contained a new sparkplug, some fuel line, a bottle of oil and a handful of wrenches. There were very few trips to the lake that the toolbox wasn’t opened.

The motor was a bit temperamental and would often leave us drifting across the lake, while one person fished and the other played mechanic. But even with it’s ill temper, she was a fine little vessel that provided us with some time together, away from people and the pressure of planting a church.

Well, by the amazing working of the Holy Spirit, within four years the church was up and going well, and we were called to a new ministry in Platte, South Dakota. So, I gave “Lucy” the boat to Bob. Bob was an older gentlemen who had gone on several fishing expeditions with me, and was also a key member of the church plant. Bob loved the Lord, and he also loved to fish, so it just seemed logical to leave Lucy with him.

Bob took really good care of her, gave her several needed updates and keep her running in tip-top shape. After a few years, Bob’s health went sideways so he passed the boat on to Lynn. Lynn as well made so adjustments to the boat and even bought a new trailer. During my last visit with Lynn he mentioned that he too had come to the end of his fishing career and was looking for a new home for Lucy.

Here is the point: What started as a cheap way to destress, soon became a blessing to several other folks. Each of Lucy’s owners had friends who were also blessed by an occasional day on the lake. Your faith, just like Lucy, was designed to bring a blessing to others. Here’s the catch (pun intended), neither does much good until you put them in the water.

No, your faith may not be the biggest or the fanciest, but it is yours. Use it to bless others. As you allow others to be blessed by your faith, their faith will also grow, and before long they will take that which you gave them, make some needed adjustments to it, and then they will pass that on to the next person. It’s called “Life-style evangelism.”

So put your tiny faith out on the lake of life, who knows, you just might catch a lunker.

Fishing for souls with you, Neal