Cast Your Nets
Reflections on Life, Ministry and Fishing
by
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Feelings That’s my daughter’s car, distant in that muddied field. And there, by our towering oak tree, is our neighbor’s work shed. And that basketball hoop...made it to the neighbor’s yard. Not a fair trade because his stuff went the other way. The lady spoke, calm in word but oh my, how very struggling in heart. She then took me through her house. ‘Disheveled’ would be kind. ‘Disastrous’ would be honest. Nothing in its place. Dried mud that began to cake, with very little frosting for encouragement. How very tragic. She spoke through the tears of the heart, What you see, the car in the field and all the rest, is the final word of the flood. Now we are trying to write new sentences beyond the mess. That is the truth of a flood, where water knows no limits and our human condition cries for help let alone understanding. Two things we must never say when being with folk who have been devastated from the flood, be it the flood of water or the flood of emotion or the flood of illness or the flood of job loss or divorce or loneliness. Let us never say, This is God’s will. That’s rubbish. Scattered rubbish. God does not will for us to struggle. Faith is not for protection. Not at all. Faith is for endurance. Bad things happen. We are not faithful so the untoward misses us. That’s not the purpose of faith. We are faithful so we can get through the Good Friday’s of life and know the dawn of Easter. And second. Let us not say, I know how you feel. We don’t. Can’t. Won’t. Then. Now. Ever. What we need to say is this, I do not know how you feel, but I care about you and how you feel. Caring. Touching. That’s what people need to know. They need to know they are not alone. They need to know we are fueled neither by indifference nor self-interest. They need to know someone cares. And it’s not just a word. It’s being there. However that might happen, through your gifts of money, through your gifts of goods. But, most of all, through your gifts of presence, for St. Francis of Assisi had it right, Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words. Formats Book Details What others find in CAST YOUR NETS
It is said that a good sermon is delivered with the Bible in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other. Mark Miller adds a fishing rod to the mix, salting his wise reflections on ministry, faith, and life with insights that can only come while patiently waiting for the elusive yet exciting tug of the Spirit or a sockeye. John Thomas, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ Mark Henry Miller notices little things that the rest of us often miss: the person in the corner who doesn't go along with what others see as a consensus, the surprising kind act by the contentious opponent, the fish swimming upstream. And he thinks about what he has noticed and shares what he has learned. He shows us how to reflect in the midst of practice, which is essential to effective ministry. William McKinney--President, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, CA Mark writes with wit, humor, and grace. His insights will stay with you long after the reading is done. --Jim Thayer, novelist and professor Short, pithy, inspirational stories for everyday ministry--a good source for daily devotional material, provocative meeting openers or sermon illustrations. Each epistle has an easily grasped point that touches a deep spiritual issue or practice of both ministry and everyday life lived with intentional faithfulness. Paul Forman, United Church of Christ Minister Mark Henry Miller's always insightful, sometimes whimsical pastoral epistles are a delight and a challenge to read - challenging our everyday way of seeing things and letting us glimpse a bit of what might be if we only have eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to love. Joanne Carlson Brown, Methodist Minister Mark Henry Miller retired the summer of 2007 after forty-two years of ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ, serving local congregations and conference ministry. His last two positions were Conference Minister in the South Central Conference [Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi] and Pacific Northwest Conference [Washington, northern Idaho and Alaska]. He was educated at Stanford University in History and Psychology, at Yale University Divinity School for a Master's in Theology and Eden Theological Seminary for a Doctor of Ministry degree. He and his wife, Diane, live in Lewisville, Texas. In addition to CAST YOUR NETS, Mark has published his first book of pastoral letters, ROAD SIGNS ON THE WAY TO FISHING, has completed two novels, NO ONE IS INNOCENT and PREACHER'S LUCK and is writing a new novel, FATAL SURPRISE. He has had two non-fiction essays published in the national magazine, In-Fisherman. When he isn't filling the crock pot for dinner in Texas and writing a new chapter in his novel, he and his wife, Diane, can most likely be found fly-fishing for trout in Colorado, drifting for steelhead in Oregon and Washington and/or trolling for chinook salmon in Oregon. No mystery where the pastoral letter book titles come from, that's certain.
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