I love finishing my personal letters with a little ‘offering of soul’.  This time it’s fly-fishing, and there’s much more to say about this at a later date.  Going for trout with a fly rod is one of only a very few things that takes my mind off all else and one of the several key things that takes me straight to God.

This short video gets to the simple essence of it.  Trout eat bugs, and so you throw things at them that look like bugs.  That simple, that gorgeous.  And as this clip makes clear, it’s not about catching a fish, but about something more transcendent.

And then here’s this one, which is somewhat quintessential. It’s got it all about fly-fishing and why it meets me so, and combines much about this sacred art—friendship, woods, water, solitude, challenge, journey, beauty, unexpected thrill….and at the end of the day, it’s not about the fish (though it’s sure nice to catch one and wow does he!)   As the guy says, “And if you’re lucky, you might just have an encounter”, a nice double entendre. Watch the whole thing, and it gets truly amazing at 8.35.

And for the ladies….  This thing is not just a guy thing….

For a while I’ve wanted to figure out a weekend retreat that combines experience and fly-fishing. You know–actually fishing, reflecting on what fly-fishing teaches us about the spiritual life, conversations around campfires, prayer, good food and drink…I hope 2018 can be the year that happens. If you’re interested, email me and maybe we can figure it out together!  Jesus loves to meet folks who fish, show them where to catch them, and then quite a bit more!