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2005 BASSMASTER TOUR
Preview
02/09/2005 - After an off season of solid spiritual growth, I am anxiously awaiting the 2005 Tour. The longer I fish, the more I find myself looking to and depending on Jesus to keep my fishing career on a roll. If there is one thing I have learned after 15 years on the Tour, it is that I just can't do it on my own.
If I wasn't dying to self daily and following Jesus, I would be just another self absorbed also-ran on Tour. What a pitiful waste that would be. Instead, He is the One for whom I toil. I fish for the Glory of God and to serve other people. It is so liberating to no longer be driven by ego or greed.
It was a tremndous honor to be nominated as one of the top 10 greatest bass anglers as part of the ESPN debate. I know I am not the greatest, it is just an honor to be nominted in that group. By the way, Jesus said "whomever wants to be the greatest among you must become a servant". So...greatest in the eyes of men is quite different from greatest in Gods eyes.
My heart is still really in love with fishing. Specifically tournament bass fishing, and learning the ropes (all over again) of salmon fishing in the coastal rivers of Oregon. Bass fishing for fun no longer holds any appeal to me, though I still love the challenges of competing at a world class level in tournaments. The anadromous realm is a whole other world to learn, perfect, and conquer. When I am salmon fishing, I feel just like I did when I was 19 years old and chasing bass. I have missed that part of the sport of fishing for the last decade. You know, the part where it all seems so new and exciting, and there is so much to learn. It makes the heart come alive!
The older I get, the more I appreciate this wonderful sport of fishing. Fishing is the only activity I know that can captivate the human heart for a lifetime. From the awe and wonder that a child sees in fishing, through the learning years, the social memories we make with friends and family, into the mastering years, the spiritual-growth-through-fishing years, then into the glorifying God and serving others through fishing years, the consuming passion never fades.
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