John Fischer The Catch

‘It’s not about you’

Posted on April 23, 2020 by jwfisch

Ready for the market.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:1-2

“What does it mean to be humble, gentle, patient and bearing with one another in love?” I posed the question to our online Zoom International Bible study last night. The first answer wasn’t what I was expecting; it was better. Bob said it meant thinking about others first. He was basically saying, “It’s not about you.” That’s where humility comes from: thinking first about others.

Continue reading →

Posted in body life, community, freedom, pandemic | Tagged caring for others, pandemic | 12 Comments

Missing the crowds

Posted on April 22, 2020 by jwfisch

OIP-1

I’m so excited. Marti and I have tickets to see Hershey Felder perform Monsieur Chopin tomorrow night at the local theater. Felder is an incredible talent who has created a number of one-man shows where he dons the clothes, the accent and the character of a classical piano composer and spends an evening with his audience talking about his loves and losses in life, interspersed with brilliant renderings of his most famous works. We’ll be basically spending the evening with a very talkative Chopin at the piano. So far, we’ve gotten to know Mozart this way, as well as Beethoven, Brahms, and Claude Debussy. And coming up after Monsieur Chopin is the Russian composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff. I’m really looking forward to that one.

Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, body life, church, community, pandemic, Uncategorized | Tagged Baseball, body life, church, pandemic | 1 Comment

When we go

Posted on April 21, 2020 by jwfisch

OIP

These are truly strange times. On one level things seem pretty normal. We work out of the house anyway, so we’re still doing what we always do. Yesterday the neighbor’s gardener came and trimmed some of their trees. Gas stations still pump gas, repair garages are full of cars they are working on. Street sweepers sweep, street maintenance crews dig holes and pour concrete. People walk their dogs, kids play in the streets, skateboarders skate. Neighbors talk over the fence. An occasional fire engine roars by, siren blaring.

Continue reading →

Posted in Facing death, pandemic, walk by faith | Tagged eternity, faith, pandemic | 3 Comments

You are a hero of the faith

Posted on April 20, 2020 by jwfisch

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

OIP-8 Today we’re going to all receive a kick in the butt from what is in my book, the most motivational passage in scripture. If this doesn’t get you going, nothing will.

It begins with being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Think a massive stadium full of people (no viruses in heaven), and you are one of the players on the field. The cloud of witnesses the writer is referring to is everyone mentioned in the previous chapter when he lists over 20 people by name who accomplished great things by faith — from Abel, to Moses, to Rahab, and right on through to the whole nation of Israel crossing the Red Sea and all those marching around Jericho to conquer the city when the walls fell down, to the early martyrs — all ordinary people flawed and timid and struggling like you and me, but used by God to build the kingdom — these are the guys who are right now cheering you on. You can’t see them; they are in another dimension; but they are there. If you had your spiritual eyes opened, you would see them.

Continue reading →

Posted in discipleship, walk by faith | Tagged discipleship, faith | 1 Comment

Fifteen miles of answered prayer

Posted on April 17, 2020 by jwfisch

Our daughter, Anne (everyone calls her Anney) is an E.R. doctor in a hospital on the west end of Honolulu. This particular hospital serves a high percentage of poor indigenous Hawaiians. She often says she works in a third-world country. She’s a character, and often has us in stitches just telling us about an ordinary day. “Drama Queen” has been suggested, but that makes her sound like a dumb blond, and though she may be blond, she is certainly not dumb. She is highly respected by her colleagues and other doctors are continually coming to her for advice. She has a gift. Her diagnoses, without even testing, are always spot-on.

Continue reading →

Posted in Tragedy | Tagged faith, pets, prayer | 10 Comments

a sacrificial poet

Posted on April 16, 2020 by jwfisch

This is the logo for one of the open mic’s John attends. John wants to welcome any Chicago visitors to “The Catch,” and thank them for welcoming him into their community.

John Shirk is a missionary to Chicago … sort of. His actual job title is “ambassador.” Missionary is a complicated word that alienates some people. As an ambassador John represents Jesus in an unusual context: Chicago’s artistic subculture. Over the years, he has spent more time in bars than in churches, because bars are often where artists gather at open mics and poetry slams to build community and share their art. Art reveals the soul of the artist, so it’s a great place for a Christian not to be a missionary, but a person, a fellow poet joining the discussion — willing to bare his own soul in the process of understanding others, and joining in, as just another poet, albeit, a sacrificial one.

John has written a book on his experiences so far. It’s a revealing read, more about how the people he’s trying to reach have influenced him than how he has influenced them. The following is an excerpt from that book. We will be sharing more of John’s writing with you in the coming weeks along with some writing from his daughter, a millennial with a wonderful gift of expression.

Continue reading →

Posted in Art and Life, community, Friendship, grace turned outward, relationships | Tagged evangelism, friends in the marketplace, on a mission, witnessing | 4 Comments

Billy’s Cross

Posted on April 15, 2020 by jwfisch

OIP-6

This poem about Billy Graham was composed in 2013 by his brother-in-law, Leighton Ford, for Billy’s 95th birthday. Billy Graham died in February of 2018, nine months short of his 100th birthday. For almost a century, he was “America’s evangelist.” He was a friend and advisor to all the Presidents who served during his ministry, both Republican or Democrat. It didn’t matter, because Graham was apolitical. He stuck to the gospel of Jesus Christ and refused the temptation to try to gain anything for the kingdom of God through politics.

Continue reading →

Posted in church, gospel of welcome | Tagged church, gospel of welcome, the cross | 4 Comments

How Not-Enough gets a new name

Posted on April 14, 2020 by jwfisch

OIP-5

Okay, be honest now. How long did it take for you to figure out that the Face ID to open your phone is not going to recognize you with your mask on? And having realized that, how many more times after that did you stare at your phone wondering why it wasn’t opening? We are such creatures of habit.

As for yesterday’s Catch on hoarding and scarcity, I have realized I need to replace my time-worn phrase, “There’s not enough” with something better. It feeds the small thinking that will never see a way out of the problem of “not enough.”

Continue reading →

Posted in giving, pandemic | Tagged giving, grace, marriage, pandemic | 5 Comments

Are we hoarding or giving?

Posted on April 13, 2020 by jwfisch

OIP-4

We’ve got to take care of each other. Someone helped us this morning which enabled us to help someone else. That’s the way it goes. We’ve got to look out for one another.

Continue reading →

Posted in giving, pandemic | Tagged faith, giving, pandemic | 7 Comments

A Good Friday Prayer in a Pandemic

Posted on April 10, 2020 by jwfisch

OIP

Our Father who art in heaven:

Here on earth it’s gotten pretty rough. Your name is still hallowed, but we have lots of questions. It’s hard to find You when there’s so much suffering and death going on. We know Your kingdom is come, but it’s hard to figure out how Your will is being done on earth when we are losing so much ground to a physical enemy we can’t even see. This can’t be as it is in heaven. You could stop this any time You want to. Don’t You want to?

Continue reading →