John Fischer The Catch

Appreciate the different

Posted on December 10, 2013 by jwfisch

I found out why Marti and I are so right, I mean so wrong, I mean so left of, or right for each other.

Don’t you like those psychological systems that come along ever so often and lump people into never any more than four groups? How we run to them and find one of the four that perfectly explains us? First there was the temperaments (I’m a melancholy married to a phlegmatic), then the colors (remember: What’s your color?), then the right brain/left brain people came along and simplified it all into two groups, and here’s the real deal: I bet every marriage has a right and left brain married to each other. It’s the way we work. Opposites attract; or you could also say that we are all trying to complete ourselves. Who wants to live with another version of you?

I suppose some do. At least I find most people are married to someone enough like themselves to at least have a few things they enjoy doing together. Marti and I, however, are off the charts different. We don’t take psychological matching tests anymore because we did once and found out we should never have been married. We are so different that when we fire together we are a powerful force, but when we are not, there is a question as to whether one of us might not live through another day.

Take the right brain/left brain phenomenon. Of course none of us is entirely one or the other, but a combination of strengths and weaknesses. The playful part of you in the right side might decide to roller-blade to work. The left side will make sure you get there safely and by a good route. The right side is where you find such things as music, art, poetry, and magic. It’s where an actor might find the motivation for a certain reading of his lines, but the left is where he finds the means to memorize them.

I say no one is completely one or the other, but my wife is the closest thing to all right brain as anyone could ever get. In fact, we think we may have found her left brain cell the other day which may mean she has used it all up on that moment, looking for it.

Being right brained means you can often take leaps in lateral thinking that other people cannot follow. Edward de Bono wrote several books on how to integrate lateral thinking into education. As a right-brain activity, he says lateral thinking involves humor, insight, and creativity. Left-brained, vertical thinking (what I have more of than Marti ever dreamed of)) involves reason and logic. He says, “Vertical thinking moves forward by sequential steps, each of which has to be justified . . . In lateral thinking one may have to be wrong at some stage in order to achieve a right solution; in vertical thinking (logic or math, for example) this would be impossible.”

Aha! There it is: the source of our problem. Marti is asking me to follow the impossible. No wonder. And no wonder she’s always talking about conflict as being good. You can’t know her without conflict, but she’s right about this: Conflict is good.

Here’s the point: we all have to figure out how to live together when we are so different. That means we have to learn to appreciate the different. Resist the same, because that turns us into like groups and factions with the wrong idea about what peace is. Peace is not what happens when everyone is the same; it’s what happens when different people appreciate each other for who they are and what they are missing.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged diversity | 6 Comments

‘Are we tough enough for ordinary love?’

Posted on December 9, 2013 by jwfisch

Our title today comes from a line in a song by U2 featured in the new movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Nelson Mandela’s passing last week made me think of him especially in light of the last section of the New Covenant teaching that we have been posting as a 12-part series: “Our New Relationship with God.” That section is based on the following verses that chronicled Paul’s life as the founder of the Christian church among the Gentiles in a time of great persecution, and could as easily have been taken from the life of Nelson Mandela, who sought, all his life, for a different reaction to hate than to simply hate back.

We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:3–10)

These indeed are fitting words for Paul, and Mr. Mandela, in light of how, where, and when they lived their lives, but what do they mean to us? They mean that love is rarely easy. Love is the strongest when it is tested, and it is tested when it is wronged. We may not have yet had our love tested by beatings and imprisonments, but we have been hurt or abused, and we all have been called to love when love is not the first arrow we reach for in our quiver.

First there is the call to purity, understanding, patience and kindness when these are the last things the situation calls for, at least in natural, human terms. These are a much higher form of interaction than what is usually exhibited when love is tested by hate, false accusations and misunderstanding. Yet this is the way of the Lord. This is where Jesus asks us to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, give the thief our coat, too, when all he wanted was our shirt. This is returning good for evil. It is a godly thing, only, not possible through mere human effort. That’s why it requires the Holy Spirit and it is manifested by a divine source of sincere love.

And then it stays tough in the face of being judged by human courts and the wrong opinions of others. It stays it’s course and does not need to defend itself, because love is self-evident. It stands on its own two feet. It thrives in adversity and pain and it becomes the clearest evidence that God is in our lives, because we are not capable of this and we know it as much as anyone else.

And right now, this morning, I am most aware of this kind of love as exhibited toward me by my wife when I least deserve it. I will strive to not take this lightly.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged love your enemies, unconditional love | 5 Comments

Caring about the global public square

Posted on December 6, 2013 by jwfisch

I am currently reading a new book by Os Guinness, The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of a World Safe for Diversity. I’m interested in it only because I’m trying to find out why he is. Why would Os Guinness spend a whole book on making the world a place where anyone can believe what they want without being repressed by those who think they should believe only what some determine as the right thing to believe.

Now I can understand why he might write this book for America, because this kind of religious freedom is what America was founded on, but to take on the world’s stage and say this is worth pursuing … I’m still trying to figure that one out.

First, why bother? He’s talking about the world here, not the kingdom of God. I’m used to thinking that the world is something I can’t do anything about, so why waste my time? The world is going to hell anyway, so our job is to pluck as many souls as possible out of the river of destruction before the whole place burns. That’s what I’m used to believing.

Second, it’s useless. What can one person, even one book by a decorated, respected author do to change the world? I’m sure fundamentalist Muslims will want to read Os’s new book as soon as they find out about it. Should they ever hear of a global public square, their tendency would be to go bomb the place rather than engage in any kind of constructive conversation, especially if it was a western mind that espoused it.

So why am I reading this? I want to find out why he thinks this is so important and how he plans to do it. I know Os, I trust him, and I don’t think he would waste my time. I want to learn how to dialogue with people who are different than me. I want to learn how to be in the world.

Jesus told us we were IN the world but not OF the world, and so far, I, and most Christians I know, have spent most of our time and effort trying to not be OF the world, and not very much of anything on learning how to be IN it. To be sure, most Christian attempts to be in the world historically have been disastrous. Like Woody Allen says in Hannah and Her Sisters, “If Jesus were to come back and see what people have done in his name, he’d throw up.”

I’m proud of Os Guinness. He makes me proud to be a Christian. This is the kind of Christian I want to hold up to the world as being an example of following Christ. He’s thinking way beyond me — I’ve never been able to follow his books very well — but I’m going to try because I need this. Championing the freedom of those who don’t think like I do has been a blind spot in my own Christianity since the Jesus movement, and it hasn’t served me well in the world. I think Os can make us better, kinder carriers of the gospel of welcome. If everyone gets to speak, more will get to hear.

I think that what Os is trying to create on a global stage are the same values and principles that will make me a better neighbor in my community, and I’m guessing they are values and principles that have not been foremost on our list in the last 30 years as Christians. If I can learn how to champion the soul freedom of all people of all beliefs and none, I will be creating more opportunity for the Gospel of Welcome to be carried out in my little place in the world to those who are waiting for it. Maybe that’s my global stage after all.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Christian worldview | 13 Comments

God’s stuff, rearranged

Posted on December 5, 2013 by jwfisch

Marti has a knack for arranging flowers. I can bring home anything and in about 20 minutes she’ll have it looking like the bouquet in this picture that is currently on our dinner table. For a person who is pretty high-strung, has a career in marketing and management with ADD, and little patience for anyone who isn’t moving as fast as she is, 20 minutes with a bunch of flowers is pure therapy. It’s almost contrary to her character, and yet there it is — no denying it. If she had another life, she might have her own corner flower shop. (But it would have to be another life. If it were this one, she would turn it into a franchise with hundreds of employees and the only flowers she would end up arranging would be the ones on our dinner table.)

As I think about this, it occurs to me that this is a good way to think about our creativity and how we interact with God.

God is the Creator. He’s the master. He is the only one who can speak things into existence. He can say, “Let there be light,” and there will be light — light where there was none before. Not even a switch. God brought these flowers into existence in the same way. He spoke the word and they were.

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so (Genesis 1:11).

The flowers on my dinner table came from that word. They came from the same seed that God brought forth on that first day when He said, “Let the land produce vegetation.” Marti can’t do that — nor can anyone else — but others can plant the seed, bring it to fruition, then to market, and finally to the flower shop where I can buy them, bring them home and Marti can arrange them into a work of art.

We can’t create like the Creator, but we are in His image, so we get to create, too. He allows us this privilege whether we ever acknowledge Him or not. It’s just that our creativity relies on His for raw materials. We can interact with His creation in such a way as to arrange it in new and fresh ways. That’s all artists are doing, after all: pushing around the pieces of God’s art, and as such, we should all be humbled by the process. Privileged and humbled all at the same time. And that is why all art, regardless of who created it, is an act of worship. It’s all God’s stuff, rearranged.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, worship | 8 Comments

Gratuitous faith

Posted on December 4, 2013 by jwfisch

In our discussion with actor Erin Bethea last night on Catch Radio, we talked about the gratuitous use of sex, violence and profanity in much of Hollywood filmmaking. The definition of gratuitous is something uncalled for or lacking good reason. It’s something thrown in to the story to add a little spice, but it’s not essential to the story line. For instance, a passionate kiss might serve the story just as well as a nude love scene, in some cases, maybe better.

That is actually something you can discover in older films that used restraint. The sexual tension that builds in these films conveys, in most cases, more power than a blatant love scene.

In the 1993 movie Sleepless in Seattle, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, the mere touch of each other’s hand at the end of the movie is all the sex we need to see. The touch carries all the power necessary to serve the story, and it says they’ve told the story well. There was even reference made in the film to the 1957 movie An Affair to Remember when Hollywood used to stimulate our imagination instead of do everything for us.

In the same way, however, I wonder if Christian art, movies, and songs might fall prey to gratuitous faith, or at least unnecessary symbols of faith or known Christian phrases or propositions to indicate that this is Christian product. Often it’s put there to reassure Christians that this is not Hollywood, but if it is not integrated into the depth of the story, it will seem unrealistic, even unnecessary.

I think sometimes this can be true in real life. Sometimes I think we feel obligated to speak about our faith when our whole life is already telling the story. Like a friend of mine used to say, “Why be cute when you’re already beautiful?”

In the early days of Christian music, it wasn’t enough to have a song about a dad loving his child, there had to be something biblical or something about Jesus or God in it to indicate it was a Christian song worthy of being on a Christian album. As if loving your family wasn’t Christian enough.

This is certainly not to say we don’t talk about our faith at the appropriate times (usually when someone asks us), but if faith is an add on, it’s better left off.

Faith doesn’t have to be pointed out if it is integral to a person’s whole being. You don’t have to raise a little flag when it’s time to announce you are a born-again Christian. Faith that is necessary will spill out of the natural human need in our lives for God, for love and for forgiveness. If it’s real, the touch will be good enough. If it’s not, preaching will be superfluous. If you need to be saved every day, the gospel will flow out the present realities of your life; if you were saved years ago, it will be gratuitous when you talk about it.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged witnessing | 6 Comments

What’s the real thing?

Posted on December 3, 2013 by jwfisch

Erin Bethea

There is a difference between what is culturally Christian and what is Christian. One is concerned with policy; the other is concerned with people. One wants to create a separate world; the other seeks to inform the world we have. One is concerned with safety; the other is already safe. One is driven by fear; the other driven by hope. One is against the world; the other is for the world. One is not in, but of the world; the other is not of, but in the world. One majors on morality; the other majors on grace. One is big and getting smaller; the other is small and getting bigger. One champions differences; the other champions similarities. One judges; the other accepts. One blames; the other forgives. One separates; the other attaches.

Our guest tonight on BlogTalkRadio has a foot in both of these worlds and because she has a healthy appreciation for each, she has a little dance to do between them not unlike what we have to do every day. Her successful acting career is the result of the culturally Christian world where she got her opportunity to act in films that were funded and created by her church. These films were created as an alternative to Hollywood, but they unexpectedly took Hollywood by storm. Films like “Facing the Giants,” and “Fireproof” brought Christians into the theater in such large numbers that Hollywood is now trying to mimic them in order to reach that same market. (They are not doing this to be nice to us, by the way, but because Christians are bringing lots of money into the theaters to see the movies they want to see.) They are movies after the “Sherwood model” from Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, where Erin’s father is the pastor. These movies were filmed on shoestring budgets using volunteers from the church as actors and ended up making millions, in one case grossing 17 times cost.

But there is a dilemma here as well. When the world tries to portray faith (and sometimes when we do as well), it has mostly cultural Christianity to draw from — that part of faith that has somehow made it into the marketplace and recognizable as “Christian.” That’s why these Hollywood renderings have a tendency to be somewhat shallow, stilted and one-dimensional.
So on one hand, Erin is acting in movies made by Christians for Christians, movies made by Hollywood for what they think Christians are, and made in Hollywood not for

On the set of “Fireproof.”

Christians, where faith is a part of her, not necessarily a part of the movie or the role she is playing. It would seem to me that the latter case actually has the possibility of conveying more of what faith really is than the other two where faith is trying to be part of the movie.

It’s a complicated environment, but not unlike what we as believers deal with every day. If we are Christians in the marketplace, there are expectations placed on us that may have nothing to do with truly following Jesus. They are culturally instilled by what has come to be “Christian” in this present culture which usually has more to do with morality than issues of the heart. I believe we stand to make the greatest impact in our world through the things not readily recognized by our culture as “Christian,” but are a part of true faith. It may be that real Christians don’t look and sound like Christians anymore, and that may just be a good thing.

Don’t miss our show tonight; it’s going to be a good one as we discuss many of these things.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged In the marketplace | 1 Comment

On-ramp raceway

Posted on December 2, 2013 by jwfisch

Thanks to so many of you who sent in your stories of giving this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Today we close out our brief stopover at the well of compassion with a submission by Marti that in light of our work with Isaiah House and Marti’s passion for the needs of single moms may seem trivial, but you should see her face when I suggest that. It’s a look of a most serious kind: “You have no idea how hard it was to do that!” So here in all its sacrificial glory is Marti’s act of road kindness in her own words. Given her fierce competitiveness and need for speed, it probably was a pretty big deal. We should also remember that they shoot people on L.A. freeways for less than this.

Electronic speed enforcement is not necessary when traveling the Los Angeles freeway system, especially during rush hour. Lane splitting is not allowed, but because the police cannot get to you in stalled traffic, it is rarely enforced. It does not matter how fast your vehicle can go, the only speed for all vehicles is “crawl” with one exception: the freeway on-ramp.

The real road warrior in all of us can show itself on those metered feed-ins that manage the rate of automobiles entering the freeway. While the ramp metering red and green light signals have proven to be successful in decreasing traffic congestion, they have not necessarily contributed to driver safety. That’s because on freeway on-ramps in Los Angeles, for drivers like me, it’s NASCAR race day, every day.

So this particular day, as I finally reached the little signal light that let’s us start down the on-ramp, two at a time, on the only empty stretch of pavement for miles, there was a silent national anthem sung by an invisible grand marshal announcing in my head, “Gentlemen (and women), start your engines!” There are no famous NASCAR names in this race, and the actual distance is short (whoever reaches the stalled traffic first), but I sensed the competitive sneer from the driver next to me, reviving his engine in anticipation of the green light. “Oh, so he thinks he can take me,” I said to myself as I popped it into neutral and revved mine. “Well he’s got another thing coming.”

“Go!” and we put our proverbial pedals to the metal and raced down the ramp with a burst of acceleration. I got the jump on him off the block and could have won easily had I not thought of the fact that the most difficult act of kindness for me at this juncture, loving speed and winning as I do, would be to pretend my vehicle had stalled, and allow my rival to cross the finish line before me, which he did with a cocky grin, thus taking sole possession of the winner’s circle and making his day. I’ll let him have that one, I thought, smiling, but not the series. That will wait for another time.

It occurs to me that it might be possible, in a situation where much more is at stake, that the loving thing to do might be to step aside and let someone else win or take the credit. Come to think of it, God does this with us all the time.

The Catch is represented in 168 countries. Help us create a ripple of kindness throughout the world that affects more than we can count.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged acts of kindness | Leave a comment

More giving

Posted on November 29, 2013 by jwfisch

Happy Thanksgiving to all! And, I have done the “feed the expired meter” one. – Kathleen

I’ll add Happy Thanksgiving (Weekend) to that since the Day is behind us now but most have special plans for the weekend. We are having most of our family together today, actually, (along with our elderly neighbor) since both our older children were working yesterday.

We made two turkeys anyway, yesterday, and I shared one of them with the traditional feed the homeless meal at a local church. On one of my numerous trips to the market for forgotten items needed only once a year, I met a man in the parking lot with a spray bottle of windex and some paper towels in his hand, offering to wash car windows for a few bucks. I admired the ingenuity and gave him a five dollar bill to do mine. I got something in return for that giving, but it felt good anyway.

Here are some more giving stories. Don’t forget: Every day is giving day.

I’ve been preparing food most of the day for tomorrow. When I took a big loaf of pumpkin bread out of the oven, I cut it in half and took half to our 90-year-old neighbor who just got out of the hospital. They have a lady from the Philippines living with them and as we chatted she expressed gratitude for her family and friends’ safety back home in the Philippines. It seems that a simple half loaf of warm pumpkin bread had the power to make a family very thankful. – Priscilla

When new people move into our neighborhood, I go to their home and tell them the following. “Welcome to the neighborhood. I am sure you have your own network of relatives and friends but if at any time day or night you have a problem and don’t know where to turn, feel free to knock on our door. Even if it is three in the morning.” No one has ever taken me up on this offer, but it sure sets a mood of friendliness among all who live nearby. – Peter

I always say thank you to the folks in my supermarket….the cashiers, the deli ladies, the frozen food guy…even the manager. They always hear the complaints. I want them to hear the compliments, too. – Lois

Our mail delivery man, Brad, faithfully delivered our mail for 15 years. My wife would talk to him from time to time. She found out that Brad and his wife had a son whose friend lived a few houses down. The friend was not happy in his dysfunctional household and was over at Brad’s place all the time. The boy finally asked if they would take him in because his parents were not interested in him. Brad and his family agreed and were able to adopt him. However this created extra expenses, so my wife gave Brad an envelope with a check in it. Brad and his wife came over, there were hugs all around and a lot of love in the room. They were extremely happy that somebody besides them cared. – Peter

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged serving | Leave a comment

A Special Video Thank You from The Catch

Posted on November 27, 2013 by gunsim11

This week as many of us here in America celebrate Thanksgiving, we want to take a moment to say thank you for your support and for reading The Catch each morning.

Though the daily Catch is just one mere component of our entire ministry, it has been ground floor for introducing us to many of you. Our lives have never been the same since.

Over the next few weeks and months, we hope to share with you more short vignettes that will allow you to take a walk with us behind the scenes of what we do for The Catch Ministry as a whole.

But for this week, it seems rather fitting to say thank you to each of you for taking time out of your day, and space out of your inbox, to interact with a few words that I hope will make a difference in your world as much as you have made a difference in ours.

So click on the picture and take a walk with me behind the scenes for a moment, and see what I do each morning as I take the scriptures and the ideas that have been simmering in me for a lifetime and write the daily Catch…

John (and for Marti)

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

A week of GIVING

Posted on November 27, 2013 by jwfisch

ALERT: MORE STORIES NEEDED!

Well, we have a start, but we have a lot more stories out there waiting to be told. Your stories will help inspire others. We want to create a giving chain this weekend so keep ’em coming!

Here are three stories of giving to which I will add one from Marti and me. We are going to buy a turkey today, prepare it to cook in the morning, and take it over to the Congregational Church where they provide a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless in town. It’s a sit-down dinner where those who donate sit down with those less fortunate and share a meal together. This is our first time to do this so I will let you know how it goes.

Eight years of giving (so far)
I am 65 and a single retired woman with several health issues. However since my beloved granddaughter was born almost eight years ago, I have been raising her. When her mom was pregnant, her other child, my other precious granddaughter, was not even a year old. Her mom believed she could not manage two small children and wanted to abort my beloved granddaughter. I begged her not to do this and told her when the baby was born that I would take her home with me and raise her. So now this loving, beautiful girl will be eight years old soon, and I legally adopted her on June 24th 2013. She has taught me to have patience, to apologize when I am wrong, to do the right thing, and has given me so many other countless gifts. Both she and her sister are the loves of my life, and they are both my mission in life. My other loving mission is giving a good, loving home to countless, homeless pets over the years. Currently we have 5 fur babies. – June

A simple shopping cart
I will share what I did today before I read your challenge. I was in the grocery store and I noticed this guy was having trouble getting around. He was behind me in line so I asked if I could take his cart and put it away for him. He thanked me profusely and I did so little. – Kathryn

Thanksgiving in China
I woke up early today to go to the supermarket to get the last few things I need for the huge Thanksgiving dinner I will make today and tomorrow to thank my Chinese teachers and staff here. As if I have time to do this … BUT I just know that I should, and amazingly Father has provided all of the materials I not only needed, but wanted, to make the perfect REAL Thanksgiving meal in China, no less. I even have a TURKEY! It has been four years since I have tasted turkey. That may not be a big deal to y’all who can get anything and everything, but for me, it is HUGE. So I was tired driving there, and bought all I needed, and it was just the amount that I had in the bank, and I was feeling pretty thankful overall, but wondering how in the world I was going to accomplish all of this. As I got in the car to go home, my whole body felt like it was wrapped in this warm wonderful blanket. For lack of a better description I could feel Him all over me and this indescribable peace flooded me and almost brought me to tears. I felt the most complete I have felt in a long while. – Julia

We want to post more of your stories so please don’t hesitate to send yours, especially the simple ones like Kathryn’s shopping cart story. And in case you’ve run out of ideas, here are some more …

Assuming she wants to be on the other side, walk a little old lady across the street.
When next in line at Starbucks, tell the barista behind the counter that you are picking up the tab for the person in front of you. When the bewildered person turns to you and tries to refuse, simply say “Hey, it’s on me today.”
The next time you are at your vehicle repair shop, purchase 2 new tires. In lieu of taking them with you, ask your mechanic for a gift certificate or receipt. Then keep your eyes wide open for a vehicle that really needs to replace 2 tires. Once you have spotted the almost disabled vehicle, put in an envelope the directions to the repair shop, the mechanic’s name, and the gift certificate or receipt for the driver’s 2 new tires. Tuck the envelop under the windshield wiper and then dash away before the driver sees you.
If you know someone who is struggling financially or is not as active as he once was, offer to clean his home or do the yard work.
A Single Mom often feels embarrassed and judged because she thinks married couples see her as a failure. Yet she is very hungry for acceptance. So leave a love letter in her mailbox noting how much you admire her courage in not giving up, how you’ve seen her compassionate heart and value how committed she is to her children. Tell her that beginning this day you will be praying for her. Ask her for specific prayer requests that you can add to your daily commitment. If she is too shy to respond, it’s important for you to follow up with a call or visit.
Are you a good organizer? More than likely the kitchen or the closets need someone like you to take charge. It is not that Single Moms are messy; it is a matter of time and priorities. While you are replacing the clutter with your gift of order, make a note of what is missing (silverware, food stuff, a winter coat). Then find a friend to help you gather the missing items and place them where they belong for your Single Mom to discover.
Tell your Single Mom that she matters to the Lord and to you. Tell her often because it will take a quite awhile before she will dare to trust you.
Feed an expired meter.