Bayou Bernard

On Thanksgiving Day, Jason, my little bro (in age only), and I were fishing on Back Bay Biloxi (Big Lake). It was just the two of us, and we were having the time of our lives. We had anchored near a channel buoy and had gotten into a mess of speckled trout. Jason was using an artificial lure, and I was using live shrimp (Apparently, according to my dad, I'm not a "purest" using live bait.) We were catching fish on every cast. And I was keeping count. Every time one of us would reel one in, I would proclaim the new total. We caught 53 in all (exactly 100 shy of Peter's catch in John 21).

Well, it was getting past lunch time. You know, the big Turkey Day Feast. But we didn't care. For this dinner, the rest of the family (Uncle Bobby, Aunt Sissy, Baby Gracie, etc.) could wait. And of course, they would understand because we were hauling in the fish. Everyone else in my family would have done the same thing. In that moment, catching all those fish with my little bro (in age only)..It was as if we had made a connection between God and nature (that sounds a little new agey, but I don't mean it that way). What I mean is...we were right where God wanted us to be, and we were doing exactly what He wanted us to be doing (His perfect will). Two brothers, side by side, reconnecting on Big Lake where we had spend much of our childhood (I better get on with it before this becomes a 1400 page novel.).

Anyway, after I ran out of live shrimp (bait) and the fish stopped biting, we gave a brother to brother laid back high five, and headed back to the dock. We cranked up the radio, turned our hats backwards, and Jason got his Boston Whaler up to 45 miles an hour as we were winding through Bayou Bernard. With the wind in my face, I was thinking to myself and praising God for such a special time with my little bro (in age only...and BTW, he has a lot more hair than me.) Also, we had taken the kids fishing earlier in the day, and Julia had caught her first fish. Joelan caught 3 or 4, but he is no rookie to fishing. He and I have had quite a few fishing experiences (5 years ago, we caught a 10 pound bass (see picture below) on an ultralight fishing pole with 4 pound test line at Robbie Pennington's dad's lake; Last year, we caught dozens of 5-10 pound catfish out in the boonies with Benji Laws).

Oh, where was I...As we were cruising into the no wake zone of Kramer Marina, with some old school (I think 1990) GNR playing on the radio, I thought to myself, "God is good!" To quote an old Ole Milwaukee commercial, "It doesn't get any better than this." And as I was sitting on the dock with the boat tied off waiting for Jason to come back with the boat trailer, I saw the mullets (fish that do not bite and can only be caught in a net) jumping all over Bayou Bernard.

So, in honor of Bayou Bernard and that moment, I decided to start Bernard Berrian in Week 13 for the Mississippi Mullets must win game to make the Graystone Fantasy Football League Playoffs. And on Sunday Night Football, Bernard Berrian caught the longest touchdown pass in NFL history to propel the Mississippi Mullets to victory over the Ultimate Avengers (Tony Dudish) and into the GFFL playoffs. Am I saying that the mullets jumping in Bayou Bernard were a sign from God? No. Was Bernard Berrian's 99.5 yard hail mary catch an answer to my prayer (pun intended)? Maybe. Was playing Bernard Berrian a gut decision by a seasoned fantasy football owner? Probably.

Well, why am I telling you all this (if you are still reading this record long post)? Because, God is good! And we can glorify Him and take great pleasure in Him in every area of our lives. Yes, reading the Bible, serving Him, engaging in a small group, giving cheerfully, and worshiping at church are all vital parts of the Christian life. But we do not have to be doing "spiritual" things to be spiritual. I can connect with God (and my little bro) while fishing on Big Lake. I can connect with God while eating dinner with Jenn on a date night. I can connect with God playing catch in the backyard with Joelan and Julia. I can connect with God laying on the floor teaching Jessie to crawl. And yes, I can glorify God playing fantasy football. God is good!

According to The Westminister Confession of Faith, the chief end of man is the glorify God and enjoy Him forever. And in the words of John Piper, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." And we can be satisfied in him in the simple pleasures of life. He has called us to live the abundant life...life to the full!

Are you enjoying life? Are you living life to the full? Are you connecting with God by doing the things that you love to do with the ones you love to do them with? My challenge to you is to get out and live life to the full. Turn off the TV. Glorify God by doing the things that He has created you to enjoy. Reconnect with God. And reconnect with the ones you love.

God is good!
Johnny