Not The First Fish Story We Have Heard!

“I just had to come and see you” the woman said “You told us that God was interested in every little detail of our lives, even in finding something we had dropped or lost”.

She looked away as she said

“I couldn’t accept that, my prayers were formal, and for important things only”

Then she told me this story. “I was out fishing last Thursday, and you know what a miserable day that was. For hours I sat there and I didn’t catch a thing”. “I was thinking of one thing and another when I thought of what you had said.” “More out of bravado than anything I decided to put it to the test.

I did not expect anything to come of it.” “I said, out loud, Dear Lord God, Gerald said You are interested in even small things, if that is so, just make my day and give me a bite!”.

“I could not believe it, I caught three fish, one after another. If anyone had seen me they would have thought I was mad, I found myself dancing about on the river bank praising God”.

She smiled into my face “I’ll tell you something else, my way of praying has changed completely and I feel wonderfully happy just talking to Jesus.”

I told her how pleased I was, and added “It’s not the first time He has helped disciples to catch fish”.

From Gerald Gossage.

Press Report on the Busy Christmas Innkeeper

“A Christmas Poem”

Out from the noisy kitchen came the innkeeper with a scowl,

“I can only spare a minute” – he was wiping his hands on a towel.

I asked about that morning, in the year of census time,

The babe he’d put in the stable, with the animals and grime.

He plainly wasn’t pleased to lose a moment in this way,

But with righteous indignation here’s what he had to say:

“It happened all too suddenly, Why did I have no warning?”

“How on earth was I to know He’d be my guest that morning?”

“The angels never came to me to book his room with pride,

And I was crowded out in there, He had to stay outside”.

“It wasn’t business like I say, it wasn’t properly done;

They need more help up there in heaven to get things properly run”.

“When folks are rushed right off their feet, and don’t know where to turn,

They haven’t time for babes and things, when will religion learn?”

“They say that child was God Himself and then say gloatingly,

At the inn there was no room, and they blame it onto me?”

“Alright, let them say it; but may their conscience prod,

When you’re as busy as I was then,

Have you got time for God?”

Written by Rev. Gerald Gossage

My Manx Cat

As most of you know, that although there are cats with tails in the Isle of Mann, the true Manx cat has no tail. Having said that let me tell you the story.

Picture an ordinary peaceful English village where everybody knows everyone else, there is just one church, one pub’ and one shop / post office, and not much to gossip about. They all knew the old man who lived at Hawthorn Cottage, and kept a distant eye on him since he lost his wife.

` At first nobody bothered when he started digging in his front garden, but they grew curious when, having started early in that morning, he , kept on digging all that day. The hole he dug got bigger and bigger, and the earth pile all round it got higher. “What are you doing “ enquired one neighbor as he passed. “What do you think, I’m digging” the old man replied. And the hole got deeper and bigger. No one got any further with him, and the old chap was getting more and more tired. He would go indoors for a short break, then return to his digging, and the hole got massive.

The very next morning the neighbors that went past found that the hole had been filled in. Not all the soil had filled the hole but it had been banged as flat as it would go with the spade. There was no sight of the old man. This caused much talk in the village.

One man said “The old man has murdered someone and there is a body under that soil”. No one could believe that, he was not the kind of man to kill someone, and who would it be ? The women were inclined to think he had buried a box full of money or treasure. And they argued as to whether it was right to tell the police. A few weeks later, sadly the old man died and was buried in the church yard, and nobody ever found the answer.

I told you,to this cat-alogue of events there is no tail.

BUT millions of people are born, educated to find their talents, and work hard, and achieve little or nothing but the effort they put into life, and their tale is never told. Not on earth, that is. But the Bible tells us that God has a book or record of everyone of us which will be read out when we stand before Him on judgment day. You will have a tale to tell then, but will it please God ? Now is the time to know and please God Almighty. Believe on Him and love Him now.

His servant and friend, … Gerald Gossage.