John Fischer The Catch

So how’s that going with your story?

Posted on October 5, 2015 by jwfisch

This last weekend, my wife, Marti, attended the baby shower for our daughter-in-law, Elizabeth; we are about to become grandparents for the first time. For one of her gifts, Marti wrote a fairy tale, The Pigeon with the Ruby Collar, in honor of the baby to be born, Jocelyn Anne. When talking about what I might use for the Catch this weekend, we thought of sharing the story with you. So the daily Catches this week will be related to the story, but will not require you to know the story to understand them. However, we will make the story available to you starting tomorrow.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged God's in control, God's will | 5 Comments

Posted on October 2, 2015 by jwfisch

“Yep. That’s me,” wrote Jen after reading Monday’s Catch. We’re focusing on the Catch reader this week and here is what Jen had to say: “This is why I found my spiritual connection to God in the rooms of Al-Anon rather than in church. I had known about God, but I had never experienced Him. Al-Anon is like the Catch. It’s real. Thanks for not pretending. I was so tired of pretending.”

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged honesty, the gospel of welcome | 5 Comments

What it’s like on the outside

Posted on October 1, 2015 by jwfisch

Whether we’ve had anything to do with putting them there or not doesn’t really matter; many feel like they are being kept outside by the church, and sadly, these are people who desperately want – and need — to come in.

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

Catching candles

Posted on September 30, 2015 by jwfisch

Finally, there is the Call of the Catch. As with any community, the Catch weathers its storms through our selfless interest in one another, resulting in a feeling that it is good to be a human being.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged coming alongside, vulnerability | 4 Comments

When the Catch is a ‘Catch-all’

Posted on September 29, 2015 by jwfisch

As the Catch, we are truly a “Catch-all.” That means all are welcome. Seekers, strugglers, non-believers, other-believers, and, of course, committed believers … you can be and say whatever you want here. That’s why we call it the Gospel of Welcome.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged inclusiveness, love, the gospel of welcome | 9 Comments

Caught by the Catch

Posted on September 28, 2015 by jwfisch

This week we’re going to talk about what it means to be caught by the Catch. We’re going to try to identify who our Catch person is and then we are going to meet some of you. We’re going to hear some stories, and if you’d like to tell us yours by simply replying to this email, we would welcome it. But this morning we’re going to try to identify who you are. Let us know if we’ve gotten close or what we may have left out.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged identity, The Catch | 12 Comments

Posted on September 25, 2015 by jwfisch

A little respect can go a long way.

I just realized I have this unchecked, underlying hostility for one woman in our neighborhood. Without going into detail here, she thinks I took some liberty with her property that was “crossing the line.” Now, I don’t take too well to being reprimanded by a female, especially one I already don’t like. Marti and I think that even though I don’t specifically remember it, I must have been dragged into the principal’s office at some point in my early childhood and raked over the coals by a female principal, because I have a huge fear associated with this that is very inappropriate for a man of my age and responsibility. Sometimes I can be so childish.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged forgiveness, relationships, respect | 6 Comments

Looking through the Spirit’s eyes

Posted on September 24, 2015 by jwfisch

Jump in the mess of human lives undressed
And sin unconfessed… and see beauty.
Look at the sea of misfits and misery
And cry ’til you bleed… and see beauty.
That’s what God does!
That’s what God does!
That’s what God does! Why can’t we?
– The rock group, Skypark

I’ve used the lyrics of this song before in a Catch; maybe more than once. That’s because it’s an amazing lyric, one of the most amazing I’ve ever come across. It captures an astonishing truth about God that I don’t think many people recognize or contemplate. If they ever do, like me, they most likely forget and need to be reminded … often. And since we are focusing on respect this week, it’s a good time to be reminded.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Loving each other, relationships | Leave a comment

Pharisee Alert

Posted on September 23, 2015 by jwfisch

I have a built-in Pharisee alert that typically sounds off whenever I throw back to the judgmental, condescending, legalistic attitudes that characterized much of my early Christian experience. You may remember I’m a recovering Pharisee, which means I will never stop being one; I will just stop drinking, and it’s a daily challenge. Thank God we only live a day at a time. I could never take on the whole rest of my life.

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged legalism, Pharisees | 6 Comments

Showing respect where respect is due

Posted on September 22, 2015 by jwfisch

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:17)

Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7)

Respectful people seem to be a dying breed these days. Among younger people, I see an appalling lack of respect for people and property. General courtesies seem to be missing like “please” and “thank you.” Most of Chandler’s friends call me John, which is fine, if I asked them to, but I never did. A “Mr. Fischer” is a welcome surprise. I used to say, “That’s okay, you can call me John; when someone says Mr. Fischer I start looking around for my father,” but I don’t say that anymore. If one of these kids calls me Mr. Fischer, I receive it as a refreshing form of politeness and respect for an adult.