Why "The Other Side Of The Boat?"

2008-01-09T00:35:00.001-05:00

The name, The Other Side of the Boat, has come as a result of a time of personal searching and prayer related to my ministry and life in the church. As I was reading in John 21 last year, I found myself identifying with Jesus' disciples. They had been out all night fishing without much success. The sum total of their efforts could have defined insanity, "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." By the time they saw Jesus on the shoreline that next morning, they had little to show for their efforts. The words of Jesus jumped off the page for me as I read this story ...

"Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, 'Friends, haven't you any fish?' 'No,' they answered. He said, 'Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.' When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish."

Jesus could have asked them why they didn't have any fish, but he didn't. He could have asked them what went wrong. Of course, he could have focused on any number of things that had happened in recent days. Instead, he simply asked them to do something different. What resulted was quite a fish story! That story gave Jesus' first disciples hope that there might be another way. That's what I love about Jesus ... there's always a second chance, a new life, a new start, a new approach, a new way, and a deeper experience that is possible with Him.

After 22 years of professional ministry, The Other Side Of The Boat is about my longing to be part of something different in the Church. Actually, it's my longing to be someone different as a Christ-follower, making a difference in the 21st Century.

I'm not saying that all the efforts of the Church have been for nought. God has used the Church throughout history in many wonderful ways. My life is different. My family is different. So many friends have been changed by Christ through the Church. Even so, I have seen the Church, in our time-starved, fast-paced, consumeristic society, losing its ability and desire to reach out as a caring people and as a transforming agent in people's lives and in the community. The resuls are not good: rampant pastoral burnout, and the increasing inward focus and irrelevance of the Church in the community. I'll leave these topics to others who have already done a better job of describing this state of affairs.

I'd like to talk about other ways of being the Church in the world. I'd like to think about creative ways to act as disciples, to love one another and to make a transformative impact on our community. Care to join me on "The Other Side Of The Boat?" I look forward to hearing from you.