“He said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'” Luke 5:4-5
Spending time at the local Youth for Christ center in town, it was quietly billed as a big day! The place has a half pipe for skateboarding and through the leaders connections, some very famous skateboarding celebrities were going to be showing up to show off their skills. I knew they were them because they were older than the kids usually hanging there. But I had NO idea who THEY were. I don’t skate.
Having never hung out at a skate park, I only knew what I had seen the local guys doing. And these guys were spectacular. On of them climbed a tree overlooking the ramp… leaping into the air he landed on the ramp with tremendous applause. I shouted out, “bet ya cant do it from the garage roof!!” So he did! CRAZY is not a large enough word.
One very big guy stood against a wall all by himself. I went over to him, introduced myself and shook his hand. As my hand disappeared into his, I asked, “so what do YOU do?” “I play for the Bucs” he replied. Stuttering I asked “da.. umm… you mean the Tampa BAY Bucs… The football team?” “Yes.” was all he said. Embarrassed, since I don’t follow football much, I quickly sashayed into a subject we might have in common… Jesus Christ! His eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree!
Throughout the course of the evening I listened to those famous visitors as they spoke… NOT about their fame or their games… but about their Master! Which lit ME up even more… because HE has been MY Master for even longer. Being the old guy in the group, I was energized and in awe that My Master continues to work His work in the ‘highly unlikely!’
The story line that flowed from each of their lips was basically the same. It flowed out with, “I USED to be… but THEN… and NOW!” Amazingly.. their pattern was the same as mine! It is the same story line as told in a poem in 1779 by a one time ‘BAD guy’ named John Newton. “Amazing Grace…. How sweet the sound!” As we sat around a smoky fire, our get together sparked the familiar glow that Jesus ALWAYS has a way of bringing into a crowd. The quiet was proof He was there… AND the center of attention!
The highlight of my night was not really the famous speakers. One gal looked at my Bible as saw its marked up, wrinkled pages. I was honored beyond belief when she asked… “How do you do that?” Apparently it was MY turn to ‘go deep!’ All I could whisper was, “Thank you for letting me play, Lord.”
