From the time I was ten until I turned eighteen, every summer I looked forward to our family fishing/camping trip. We’d travel from northern Iowa to northern Minnesota. Our tents were pitched on the shore of Lake Itasca. Lake Itasca is not just one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes (there are actually many more than that), but it is the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River. We used to seine our minnows out of the Mississippi where it was maybe ten or twelve feet across.

     My Mom usually stayed at our campsite. My Father and two brothers and I would go to the motorboat early in the morning and come back late in the evening. We nearly always got lots of fish, mostly Northern and Walleye Pike. Sometimes, while disposing of sandwiches, we’d put the light tackle in the water and catch Crappie, Sunfish, Blue Gill, and Red-eye Rock Bass. Very often, when we’d come into the dock at night, fellow campers and fishermen would come and see all our fish. Many times they’d fished the same waters, the same day, but didn’t have much to show for it.

     What was our secret? Well, it involved trolling. Most folks would find a little bay or inlet and sit all day in one spot. We’d travel at a very slow speed and trail our lines behind our little boat with the five horse Johnson on it. Got to cover a lot more ground that way. We usually used a little device called a strip-on-spinner. We would mount the minnows on the wire and put the double hook on the very end. Up front, there were little ruby looking plastic beads and a shiny spoon spinner.

     I don’t recall catching any near record fish, but one of my brothers did get one large enough to put on ice in the window at the bait and tackle store. That was quite a thrill for him. Lots of towns folks and tourists would walk by and comment on the size of the fish in the window.

     Well, last week, I took my wife, Pat, to a dental specialist on the other side of our state. It’s about a three and a half hour drive each way. She needed to have a couple of teeth extracted and some rather invasive and extensive gum surgery. This required an overnight stay.

    I had several hours during which to amuse myself. I really enjoy this kind of private time. I went to a park along the Intracoastal Waterway and downloaded Sparky. I headed along the water on the nice, wide sidewalk. My main purpose was to "troll" for people! There were several dozen along my route. Most of them were fishing. Some of them were in family groups. Others were by themselves or with a friend or two. I stopped and inquired about their fishing success with all of them. It was neat to see little kids minding their fishing poles and waiting for that nibble. Yes, most of them baited their own hooks!

     Finally, I noticed a person at the end of a fishing pier under a shelter. When I rode Sparky out to the end, we engaged in some conversation. She showed me her favorite fishing pole. It’s called an "Ugly Stick". She explained that this was the finest, strongest, most dependable fishing rod made and that she was ready for anything. Her bait of choice was squid.

     Her conversation turned to her Mother as we both stared at the end of the Ugly Stick. Her Mom had passed away, rather unexpectedly, three days before and been buried the day before we met. T______ is 37 years old. She explained that she just had to get away from the sadness at her home. Fishing was her way to relax and clear her head.

     Suddenly, her pole bent nearly double. She leaped up and fought whatever was on the other end of her line for fifteen minutes or so. Finally, she shouted, "Jerry, you take the pole while I pull the fish up over the high railing." I grabbed the pole and assisted the best way I could. She eventually landed about an eight pound blue fish. What a magnificent fight the fish put up. What a great job she did landing the fish.

     When the fish was properly put away, our conversation returned to her Mom. She said, "I bet my Mom was looking down from Heaven and laughed as I wrestled that fish." I asked her to tell me how she knew her Mom was in Heaven. She explained that her Mom had given her life to Jesus. Then, T_____ said that she sure hoped she’d get to be with her Mom when it came her turn to go on. I explained to her that she could do more than hope, that she could know. She asked me to pray for her. Right there, at the right time, in the right place, she asked Jesus into her life.

     There we were. Two people who’d never met before, now fast friends. Tears flowed and fell on the package of squid. It was now nearly dark. My fishing trip was about to come to an end. As I pressed a copy of "Grandma’s Songs" into her hands, I got one of the biggest hugs I’ve ever received.

     Jesus said in Matthew 4:19, "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." See, I spent four or five hours "trolling" for folks with whom to share Jesus. I gave away five (all I had along) of "Grandma’s Songs". I’m looking forward to hearing from some of these folks.

     If this story brings anything to your mind you’d care to share, please bang away on my name in the lower corner and "talk" to me! (g)

MORE RESPONSES TO "THE DAM & THE YARD"...

(I can’t possibly put in all the responses to any piece. However, you have the choice about how many you have time to read! P.S. They’re usually worth the time IMMHO! (g)

- This is a real interesting piece and a bit scary. From all we read and see in the news and on tv and radio, it seems that there are many terrorists living in our country. Makes you wonder if there is any place safe. We have friends who are Lebanese and they are targets to those who are after any and all people from that area. I realize some are here for the wrong purpose and others are here because they want to live in freedom. Leaves me really concerned about the future of our country. I am not worried about my future as it is either here or in Heaven!!

     The area in which your daughter and her husband live sounds heavenly-----like a place that would be really relaxing to visit and that Mansion on the Hilltop has got to be beautiful!!

- You found a way to weave all the facts into a good article again. I agree that the contrasts is at least interesting, if not frightening. How sad, but true, but we live in a different age - started on Sept. 11. Our children are going to be facing things that we would never have conceived when we were that age.

     Could it be that God is sewing things together to bring about His return? It is at least ironic that the combatants are primarily descendants from Ishmael and Isaac. America is viewed by the fundamentalist Islamic perspective as being so aligned with Israel as to be Jewish. It all makes me sad.

- Yes, one would think that being out in the sticks would keep a person away from that sort of thing. The close proximity of the two terrorist cowards just goes to show you how small the world really is now. We travel through this beautiful country of ours and look with awe at the things God has done. Herein lies a truth for me. Even though those terrorists were right there, people were seeing the beauty of what God has made.

     I spent quite a bit of time as a LRRP in the U.S. Army overseas. Two tours, (26 months), and somehow, even though I had not been saved yet, I could still see the beauty that only our Father could make. I could be out in the bush, especially along the Cambodian border in the Central highland area and come across some of the most beautiful scenery.

- Oh, Jerry. This is SO scary to think about. I can't even imagine. Praise the Lord that those people were caught. Like you said, you don't even want to think about the consequences if they hadn't!!! My goodness, you just never k now. There is a lot of sickness, and it can be right around the corner from you without you even knowing it. I surely plan on paying attention more carefully at EVERYTHING!!!

- The picture of the boys was interesting. Thanks for another good article. So often when I read your stories I'm reminded of Jesus' parables. This story of yours strikes me as very "symbol-full." (Mind if I use it Sunday for my middle-school class?) We're all living "below the dam" -- trusting God to hold back evil, pain and sorrow from our lives. We go about our routines, picking and choosing from the banquet set before us (and I can never pass a yard, rummage, tag, call-it-what-you-will sale without being amazed at what incredible bounty we have that we all have so much "junque" to recycle!). I don't know if we are naive, innocent, oblivious, or stupid and careless, but we are always surprised when the dam breaks.

     Two points: One -- God is the Lord of the flood as well as the dam. He's there carrying us through our trials if we just let Him. We may get wet, but He won't let us drown. We're wise to have our eyes open to the world, but it's counterproductive to have them open like deer in the headlights, too paralyzed by fear to move.

     Two -- taking care of the dam. Keeping our faith strong and our relationship with God healthy and close helps us experience the yard sale with joy and delight. It's ungracious and ungrateful to turn our backs on our blessings just because they don't come with a guarantee.

     Three (ok, I never know when to quit) -- we need to be like the FBI in our own lives, sniffing out spiritual danger and reacting swiftly and decisively.

- After reading your newest, I'm once again amazed at how we're kept safe by the grace of God. I've always maintained a strong belief that we're kept safe in our daily travels - even if we don't know about it. To think they were planning a bombing in Georgia that was discovered prior to the event is just another example of what I mean. For the FBI to actually shut down a store, there had to be really good evidence in the first place. Now as to how the information came to their attention, I believe that's where God uses those who believe in goodness to help us.

     This is definitely a strange and dangerous time for all of us American's who have been blessed with our freedom. It'll take a little readjustment and fine-tuning to become more aware of the ills around all of us in the hopes that we'll be cautious, but not untrusting.

     I really liked how you brought home the closeness of the WTC to our own little lives. You're right, at first it seemed so far removed from us that it still had a touch of unreality for most. But hearing of examples like this, only serve to show how we're all affected no matter where we call our individual homes. We're all in this together.

- I loved the story. We really truly are one family. Hard sometimes to remember that "there, but for the grace of God, go I" when a tragedy hits somewhere far away. Here in California, it has been pretty much business as usual. No anthrax here. Not likely, either. But we would be crazy not to pray for our brothers and sisters who are truly fearing the worst as they go about their daily business. .... So glad they got the folks who were plotting against the dam.