The splash felt around the world - An Allegorical Fish Story

[Pastor Reginald Levi Walker]

Chapter 1: Fishing trip to Galloway Branch


Jackie Brandon and his brother, Stephen, grew up fishing in the various creeks, ponds, and lakes that populated the Bibb and Perry county area. While growing up in Marion, they fished at Shady Grove Lake in Bibb County with their father and grandfather. Now adults, Jackie and Stephen often traveled over to Lakeland Farms. They spent hours fishing on the numerous lakes that characterize the large dairy farm.

The office finally became quite as the receptionist left the office. Jackie decided that he had enough as he closed his Dell laptop. Jackie was a lawyer in Perry County. He practiced from his small sparsely decorated office in downtown Marion. He worked hard to become a lawyer and assume his father's role as an influential leader in the black community. Jackie graduated from Westside High School in 1982. After graduation, he attended the University of Alabama for his undergraduate and graduate studies. He graduated in 1990 from the law school and opened his practice on the corner of Washington and Jefferson Street in Marion three years later. For the last nine weeks, he was in court. Today was Friday, June 1, 2007 and Jackie was ready for a weekend of fishing.

It took only a few minutes for Jackie to walk from his office to his house next door. Jackie purchased the old two story wood framed house and had it restored to the original condition. He walked onto the large white porch and opened the huge oak door. After entering the foyer of the house, Jackie stopped to pick up the mail from the floor and placed it on the hall table. The hallway grandfather clock chimed five times. “Let me get ready to get out of here,” Jackie said to himself and walked into the backroom of the house

Jackie really loved to fish. He dreamed of and planned this fishing trip for two weeks and nothing was going to stop him from going. Jackie retrieved the light brown canvas rucksack from the floor of the closet in the room. He packed his fishing gear earlier that week. They were lying on the floor of the closet beside the rucksack. He picked up the fishing gear and headed for the front door. After turning off the light in the room, he walked to the foyer. He picked up the maps and keys from the wooden table by the door, turned off the lights and closed the door to his house on West Lafayette.

Jackie jumped into his dirty brown pickup and started the engine. The truck loudly came to life. He slowly drove the truck to the shed to hook the trailer hitch to the chromed rear bumper of his pickup. He carefully secured the silver boat trailer to the back of the truck and checked to make sure that the cover was tight on the boat. Jackie purchased this fishing boat three days before, just for this fishing trip. He carefully pulled out of the driveway and headed across Marion to pick up his brother.

Stephen lived on the corner of Davis Street and Tutwiler Road. As the boat and truck pulled up in the circle driveway, he came out of the brick home and ran toward the truck. "You are late, Jackie. I thought you changed your mind." he joked as he placed his fishing gear in the bed of the pickup. After Stephen got into the truck, Jackie replied, "Quit complaining. I had to gas up and pick up a few things but at least I made it. Do you have the map?" Stephen fished the map out of his blue gym bag and handed it to Jackie. After looking over the map, they drove the thirty miles north on Highway 5 to Brent.

The sun started to sink over the pine tree lined horizon as the Dodge quickly approached Brent. During the entire one-hour trip, Stephen constantly talked about the fishing spot. "This is known as the best spot to catch blue catfish. Jackie, I heard a story about a prized catfish that no one can catch. I think the lake in Ascertain Bend is the best spot to catch Big Old Joe." Before reaching Brent Bypass, Jackie turned his 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 onto Main Street and continued to drive toward the motel.

Chapter 2: The only room in town.

The Dodge slowly approached the old motel and turned onto the large gravel lot. This was the beginning of graduation weekend at Bibb County high school. The motel’s parking lot was almost packed. The local teenagers gathered for the numerous grad night parties. “I hope they have some rooms left.” Jackie said. He slowly maneuvered his truck through the parking lot.

Looking out the window, Stephen glanced over the large crowd of teenagers. “Man, there are a lot of people here. They must be having a party or something”, he said.

Jackie sharply replied, “Boy, you too old to drink with those kids. Anyway, Keisha would kill you if you did.”

After finding a place to park the truck and long trailer, Jackie walked to the front office to rent the rooms and get the keys. Soon after, the Dodge slowly drove to the rear of the motel. Jackie and Stephen unloaded their gear and fishing equipment from the rear seat of the quad cab truck. Jackie entered the room and tossed the gear and luggage on the bed. Since Stephen’s room was next door, he opened the adjoining door and walked into the room. “Hey, where did you put the beer?” he questioned.

After unloading a small 2.7 cubic feet refrigerator, the coolers and the beer, Stephen hastily entered the restroom. He answered his brother through the closed door. “I put them in the fridge. We need some cups for the cognac and some ice for the beer.”

Jackie opened the small brown refrigerator and took a can of beer out. Holding it in his hands, he stated, “Have you plugged this thing up? This beer is still warm.” He put the can back into the refrigerator and plugged it into the wall. The motor immediately started to hum.

Stephen replied, “No, I just brought it inside and sat it there before I went to the bathroom. Anyway, I was thinking since I will be the only one catching any fish; you could clean them and store them in the fridge until we cook them. “

Jackie quickly bragged, “I guarantee you I will get more fish than you tomorrow and any other day.”

After flushing the toilet and washing his hand in the sink, Stephen came out of the bathroom. When he opened the door, the harsh scent rushed into the air in the small motel room. “Man, are you sick or something? Man, you stink. Damn, light a cigar or something.” Jackie quickly walked over to the door and dramatically opened it. Stepping outside he took a deep breath. “Man, that is bad,” he exclaimed.

Stephen followed him outside. “Man, blame Keisha. She got me eating all this fiber and stuff. It really does clean out your system, though.” he said while pulling on the seat of his jeans.

“Yeah, I can smell it.” Jackie laughed. “Let go to the store and stop over at Rick’s before it get too late. I want to be back at the room before the girls get here.” Jackie closed the outside door to his room. “Make sure you have your key, because I am not letting you use the bathroom in my room.”

The Dodge left the parking lot and drove up Main Street. Stephen opened the lap top computer and turned it on. “Hey, I finished downloading your court case. Want to see it.” Stephen started the media program.

“Man, why are you trying to work me on my day off.” Jackie reached over with his right hand and closed the laptop. They continued up Main Street to the Wal-Mart Super center. Jackie maneuvered the Dodge around the large parking lot. After parking and locking the truck, the brothers slowly walked toward the entrance of the giant store.

Chapter 3: Picking up a close friend

A 1967 Plymouth Sport Fury convertible sat in the driveway of the house on Forest Circle. The Dodge slowly pulled in behind the car and stopped. Jackie stepped out the truck and walked across the front yard to the door of the small gray wood frame house. The wooden door echoed as he knocked on it. Soon, he heard movement inside the house. Someone walked across the wooden floor and opened the door. “Who is it?” the voice asked.

“It’s me. It is Jackie. Are you descent?” Jackie questioned, “Where do you want me to park the trailer?”

“No, I am not descent but you can come in anyway. I got nothing to hide.” the voice replied. He unlocked and opened the door. “You let my wife take it during the divorce case.”

Jackie quickly followed the man through the small cluttered living room into the den. He pointed to a chair by a small desk. “Sit down, sit down. Man, I do not get to see much of you since I moved from Marion. How is everything there?” He reached into the desk drawer and retrieved a bottle of Jack Daniels and two shot glasses. Carefully, he poured some into the waiting glasses.

“Man, nothing has changed in Marion. Nothing ever changes.” Jackie took one of the glasses off the desk and tossed the contents into his open mouth. Slamming the glass on the desk, he asked, “What are you doing this weekend, Rick? I am here for a few days; Why not hang with us?”

“What do you mean us, Jackie? I know you. The last time you use that line on me; I met Nancy and married her. You know the rest of the story.” Rick poured another shot and gave it to Jackie.

“Well, my brother and I will be fishing over at Galloway Branch for a few days. We decided to stay over at the Windwood. Stephen’s fiancée, Keisha, my girlfriend, and Nicole Jenkins are coming down for the basketball tournament and class reunion. I just figured you would like to join us. Now, where do I store the boat?” Again, he took the glass and tossed the contents into his mouth.

A few minutes later, the two men stepped out of the gray house. Jackie walked toward the truck and Rick followed closely behind him. He walked to the truck and opened the driver side door. He said aloud, “Hey, this is Rick Scott. Rick, this is my brother, Stephen.” The two men greeted each other.

Rick showed them where to park the trailer. They carefully parked the boat in the shed and unhooked it from the bumper. Rick asked, “I am driving my car. You want to ride?” Opening the trunk of the Plymouth, he tossed his fishing gear inside and walked around to the driver side of the custom car. He started the high performance Hemi engine.

“Hey, Stephen,” Jackie said. “You have been picked as the designated driver.” He opened the door of the car and motioned for Stephen to follow them. “I am riding with Rick. Just be careful with my truck.”

“Hey, I did not get a vote.” Stephen protested. He walked around to the driver side. He got in and started the truck.

Jackie slid into the passenger seat of the car. “So, Rick, I was telling you that Nicole will be here for the game.” He reclined the back of the seat and continued, “Yeah, they should be here round 9:30 tonight. Man, Nicole is still hot and she is not married.”

Rick quickly accelerated the sports car and followed the truck toward the Windwood Inn. Soon, the Dodge pulled into the parking lot and continued to the rear of the motel. Stephen parked in the spot next to a brown 2004 Chevy Impala. The blue Plymouth pulled in next to the Dodge.

Chapter 4: Nicole and Rick

Keisha was standing by the room door waiting for the men to return. She was sure she was at the right motel. “Girl, I wish they would get here. Are you sure we are at the right one?” Nicole questioned.

Keisha rolled her eyes and folded her arms, “Girl, this is not New York. There is only one motel in Brent. This is it. I told Stephen that we would be here by 8:30. Maybe they went looking for us.” she opened the door of the Impala and sat down.

Just as she closed the car door, the Dodge pulled into the spot next to the car. Stephen stepped out of the truck, “Hey, babe. I thought you said 9:30. “Sticking his head through the window he gave her a kiss on her lips.

“Excuse you, where is your brother?” the voice came from the backseat. “Will you let me out of this car, please, Keisha.” She pushed hard against the back of the seat.

“Hold on, Amber. Move, Stephen so I can let this woman out of my car.” Keisha opened the door and stepped out of the car.

Amber pushed the back of the seat up and stepped out of the back seat. Her long shapely legs appeared first as she carefully maneuvered her attractive frame out of the car. “That is the last time I ride in the backseat of this car. That is very uncomfortable.”

Stephen looked at Amber as she fought to straighten the fabric of her royal blue shorts. “Yeah, from the look of those wrinkles, you should know. Look like someone tossed your clothes in the dryer and forgot to take you out.” He laughed and continued to tease her. “Baby, do you know what an iron is. You plug it in the wall and it heat up.”

Jackie slapped Stephen across his head and the sound rung out in the air. “Boy, how many times do I have to tell you not to talk to grown folks like that? Hey, baby, you look fine.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her passionately on her full lips. “I brought you a change of clothes any way. Everything is in the room.”

Nicole stepped from around the car. ”Well, Everybody just ignores me!” she wined. Nicole stood five feet five. Her thick reddish-brown hair fell softly upon her shoulders. Nicole worked as a dancer for years in New York and California. She recently moved back home because her mother was sick.

“Hi, Nicole!” everyone said at once and laughed.

“Hello, Nicole,” Rick said smoothly as he saunter over toward her. “It has been a long time since I had the pleasure of looking into your beautiful eyes.”

Nicole did not notice Rick when she walked around the car. They were lovers in high school and later drifted apart. Rick attended college at Florida State. Nicole decided to go to school in New York. They tried to talk for a while but soon they drifted apart.

“Oh my God, Rick Scott; is that you?” she exclaimed as she turned toward the voice.

“Yes, Nikki. You look absolutely marvelous.” He looked longingly at her. “Life has been very good to you.” Carefully taking her chin in the cup of his hand, he gently kissed her on her cheek.

Chapter 5: Smokey Jacks

At 8:50 p.m., the couples left the motel parking lot. Tonight, they were going to get something to eat and maybe visit a local nightspot in town. Tomorrow, the men were going fishing at Galloway Branch and the women were going to Amber’s homecoming activities. Rick and Nicole rode in the Plymouth Sport Fury with the top down. The wind whipped through Nicole’s reddish-brown hair. She was enjoying herself for the first time since she returned. “This is a nice car, Rick.” she said and slipped her hand on top of his. They shifted the gears of the Plymouth together. The Hemi roared to life as the car pulled into traffic.

Jackie, Amber, Stephen and Keisha followed the sports car in the Dodge. They drove down Main Street, turned onto Walnut, and followed the Plymouth to Smokey Jacks Bar-B-Que restaurant and club. Two brothers, Bruce and Broderick Jackson, owned Smokey Jacks. The Jackson twins played basketball for Bibb County High School in 1976. They lead the team to the A1 state tournament. After high school, they attended Alabama State University. After graduation, the brothers returned home to Brent to become prominent members of the community and purchased the restaurant in 1993. They added the club four months later.

The sports car pulled into the parking space close to the front of the restaurant. The truck pulled into the space next to the car. “Hey, man, don’t park that hunk of metal next to this priceless antique.” Rick complained. “If you scratch it, you know you bought it.”

“Man, stop bitching about that car. The thing barely runs on foot power.” Stephen quickly jumped into the conversation. “I can walk faster than that old car.”

“Now, don’t talk about my man’s car like that Stephen.” Nicole interrupted. She could not believe what she just let slip out of her mouth. Rick and she were together through high school but that was then. She skillfully covered, “I mean the car might be old but it has great resale value.” She leaned on Rick’s arm as they walked into the building.

The restaurant was crowded but they were able to find two tables next to each other. Jackie and Rick easily moved the tables together and Stephen gathered chairs for everyone. Music flowed from the jukebox in the corner of the room. Barry White was singing and Keisha and Stephen swayed to the music on the dance floor. Almost immediately, Amber grabbed Jackie by the hands and drugged him toward the dance floor. Rick and Nicole continued to sit at the table and talk.

“So what have you been doing all these years? I lost track of you after you left for New York.” Rick questioned. He remembered how much he used to enjoy being with Nicole as they grew up in Marion. In the sixth grade, they officially started going steady. He would walk her home from the bus every day. The couple would hold hands all day on the weekend as they sat at the park by the apartment complex.

“Oh, I have not been doing much. You know I went to New York University.” Nicole continued, “Afterwards, I worked on Broadway as a choreographer.” She stopped to catch her breath and continued, “But lately, since mom has been sick, I am living at home trying to help out. I fly back to New York every now and then. However, mostly I work from my computer and phone. What about you?”

Rick and Nicole talked for the rest of the night until the couple decided to go to the motel for the night. “Well, I will see you guys in the morning.” Rick said. “I will be ready by five in the morning.” Looking at Nicole, he questioned, “So, you are staying at my house, right. I have two bedrooms and I will be a gentleman.”

“Well, Rick. That is sweet of you.” Nicole thought for a moment. She did not want to be a five wheel but she did not want to be alone. “Sure, I will be glad to stay at your place. But you will have to fix me breakfast.”

Chapter 6: The trip to Ascertain Wisdom

The historic Wisdom Plantation is an abandoned and forgotten two hundred and thirty-five acre farm located in rural Bibb County off Highway 5. The small town of Ascertain Bend was named for the owner of the plantation, Ascertain Wisdom. He was one of many settlers of Bibb County in 1820. He was also one of the prominent farmers of rural Bibb County. The large Galloway Branch is located in one of the many bends in Schultz Creek, as it turns to flow into the Cahaba River.

The silver boat trailer and dirty brown truck noisily entered the completely abandoned town. Jackie slowly drove the truck and the small bass fishing boat down the gravel road leading to Galloway Branch. As Jackie drove over the first hill, he caught a glimpse of the Galloway Branch and Schultz Creek. A few minutes later, the truck carefully turned down a small well-driven path to a spot where they could put the boat into the water. Jackie turned the truck in a tight semi circle pattern and shifted the transmission into reverse. Slowly he backed the boat trailer to the edge of the banks of Galloway Branch. The boat trailer jerked to a halt with the rear tires slightly submerged into the water.

"This is a perfect day for fishing. Stephen, take the tarp off the boat and I will get the gear," Jackie said aloud as he looked at the time on his watch. It was now 6:30 a.m. and the sun was just rising over the top of the trees. Rick grabbed the rucksack and the fishing gear from the bed of the Dodge.

Stephen jumped out of the truck and took the tarp off the boat. This was the first time Stephen saw the boat. "Wow, Jack how much did you pay for this boat. It is beautiful." Rick placed the stuff in the floor of the Allison XB-2003. The men slowly pushed the red boat off the trailer and into the murky water of the creek. Using the heavy oak oars, the two brothers paddled the boat away from the shore. The Mercury 200 quickly came to life and the red fishing boat headed for a day of fishing. The view was magnificent as the Allison rapidly traveled across the swollen Galloway Branch.

Galloway Branch is just one of the many famously unknown fishing spots in Bibb County. Somewhere in the sparkling blue waters of Schultz Creek and Galloway Branch lived a gigantic blue catfish named Big Old Joe. The gigantic fish remained uncaught for many years. Hundreds of great anglers have traveled to forgotten Ascertain Bend trying to catch Big Old Joe. The legendary fish was thought to be at least 90 pounds and maybe more. He was the biggest catfish ever spotted in Galloway Branch or in this part of Alabama. Everyone has returned with unwanted tales of failure and defeat. Some have been lucky to get Big Old Joe to bite their hook. However, he would just bite and run to the bottom of the lake and break the line. As of the summer of 2008, Big Old Joe remained uncaught.

As the boat came upon the center of Galloway Branch, Jackie noticed that they were not alone. There were a few other anglers out this morning. Jackie stopped the engine to let the boat drift. He retrieved the Browning rod and reels from the floor of the boat, and carefully walked to the rear of the boat. After baiting his hook, he cast the enticing bait as far as he could to a spot near a fallen tree in the dark waters of Galloway Branch. The bait flew quickly away from the boat. He quickly reeled in the slack, held the rod high to let the lures sink and watched as the float drifted aimlessly upon the top of the water.

The time went by slowly as the men waited for a nibble on their lines. Jackie retrieved three cold beers from the small ice chest and tossed one to them. Later, he inserted a CD into the Pioneer radio on the boat and adjusted the volume as the sounds of Earth, Wind and Fire flowed out of the speakers. The bait had not been in the water for 10 minutes before a school of blue catfish swam towards the meal bait. The shadows of the fish became visible through the water as the sun reflected off the surface. Suddenly, Stephen could hear the load whirl of his reel. The Remington 75 pound test fishing line was quickly shooting out across the water with tremendous force.

Chapter 7: Big Old Joe

"I got a bite!" scream Stephen. He fixates his attention on the fish that bit his bait. As the fish nibbled on the bait, Stephen gave a well-practiced controlled jerk on the rod. He pulled hard enough to set the hook into the mouth of the fish and quickly but steadily reeled his prey in.

"Look like we got dinner" Jackie said.

"What you mean we. I do not see you reeling anything in," Stephen replied.

As the fish came closer to the boat, Jackie carefully scooped the nine-pound silver blue catfish out of the water. He skillfully took the hook from the mouth of the struggling fish and held it up for Stephen to see. "I got him out of the water and it is my boat. Like I said, look like we got dinner." He laughed and tossed the fish into the opened fish bucket.

With renewed anticipation, Rick retrieved his fishing line out of the water. He carefully re-baited the hook and hurled the bait out across the water. The meal bait sailed high up in the sky. "Fore! Oh, sorry that is the wrong sport." Rick said with a laugh. The bait landed about five feet short of the submerged tree.

Jackie tossed his line out next. "I want the perfect spot." he replied. It took awhile to retrieve the slack in his line. By the time Jackie got his rod high in the air, the bait had sunk down about twelve feet. It sunk right where Big Old Joe was waiting for his next meal. It was the perfect spot. Jackie slowed the reel to a crawl and waited. Suddenly, he felt the tension of the rod and then it happened.

The line snapped tight and the reel began to whirl loudly as the line shot out across Galloway Branch. The line grew taut and the Browning fishing rod folded and bent as Jackie perfectly set the hook in the prey's mouth. Big Old Joe took off for his usual race toward the bottom of the water. Stephen laughs. "Look like you've got the big one!" His excitement intensified as Jackie continued to fight with his prey. He struggled to control the rapidly spinning reel. Stephen loudly hollered, "You've caught Big Old Joe." He quickly stepped to the aid of his brother. "You have caught Big Old Joe," he exclaimed again. "Bring him in!"

Jackie and Big Old Joe continued to fight against each other. Each was determine to win their battle. Jackie was determined to reel in his prey. However, Big Old Joe was determining to stay in the water. They continued to fight this tug of war for fifteen minutes and Jackie was getting nowhere. Nevertheless, he was determined to bring the fish into the boat. About five more minutes into the struggle, the fish seem to be tiring and Jackie could roll some of the tight line in on the reel. Quickly, he spun the reel and watched as the form of the fish came closer to the boat.

With his left hand, Stephen gripped the handle on the rail of the Allison while extending the fish net over the water with his right hand. They could clearly see the outline of the huge fish as he came closer to the side of the boat. Suddenly, Big Old Joe stopped and retreated to the bottom of Galloway Branch. "Damn, here we go again." Jackie said. Again, the reel whirled loudly as the fish continued to struggle for its life.

By this time, the noise and excitement had attracted the attention of the other anglers on Galloway Branch. Slowly, they drifted closer to watch this epic struggle of man against beast. Some cheered as Jackie struggled to retrieve this prized catch. Other shouted instructions on how to bring the fish in. "Let him run until he is too exhausted to fight," the anglers shouted. The battle continued as the sun traveled slowly across the cloudless sky. Forty minutes pass as the battle continued and Jackie still could not bring the fish any closer to the boat.

Chapter 8: The splash heard around the world

About an hour later, Jackie began to grow tired and the fish was still fighting. He reeled the line in slightly and it would return out more. The fish was determined not to be caught.

Slowly an old angler approached in an old bass boat. "Hey, son, why don't you just cut the line and let him go. He is not coming up today," the old man said.

Jackie was not a quitter and he was not going to start now. He was determined not to let this fish win. "Thanks but no thanks, old man," Jackie replied. "I will bring this one in." He continued with his struggle against Big Old Joe.

The struggle continued for another forty-five minutes. Big Old Joe would let Jackie reel him in close enough to be seen, and then suddenly he would return to the bottom of Galloway Branch. The crowd had drifted closer and continued to cheer and Jackie continued to struggle.

The other anglers watched and stared at the match. Stephen retrieved the camcorder from his bag and handed it to Rick. “Hey, Jackie, hold on and let Rick film this one for the My Space page.” Rick filmed as Jackie continued to struggle with the determined fish.

Again the old man advised, "Son, there is no shame in cutting the line. Big Old Joe will always be there, but he will not be caught today. Cut the line before he takes the rod and reel from you." Jackie just looked at the old man as if he was crazy and continued to fight.

Again, Jackie was able to reel the line in some. This time the fish seemed to have lost all of its fight. The line came in quickly and much easier than before. Stephen yelled, "He is tired." He carefully stepped in closer for a better look.

When the rest of the anglers heard this, they became excited. Some stood up on their boats to take pictures of the event. Stephen grasped the fish net and stood beside Jackie. Rick carefully positioned himself on the deck of the moving boat. With the camcorder in his left hand, he continued to film. Rick said, “Stephen get out of the way. I can not get a good shot.”

Quickly Jackie reeled the fish in toward the outstretched fishing net. Closer and closer the fish came. They could clearly see the huge fins on the blue catfish. Jackie continued to bring the fish to the boat. Then suddenly the line retightened.

Big Old Joe did not run for the bottom but he would not come any closer. He just stopped. No one expect what happen next to happen. Some people that have heard the story retold have replied that it could never happen. However, those that were there that day reported that suddenly Big Old Joe leaped high into the air.

The blue catfish soared a foot out of the water and then back straight down to the very bottom of Galloway Branch. Because of the tension on the line and the unexpected descent of the fish, Jackie without warning fell harshly over the side of the boat. "Jackie!" Stephen yelled as he witnessed his brother helpless frame fly into the water.

Suddenly, a very loud splash was heard. For a few seconds, the murky water of Galloway Branch enveloped Jackie. Suddenly and quickly, he resurfaced to the top of the water and swam to the boat. After climbing out of the water, Jackie exclaimed, "Did you see that? He came out of the water and took my rod and reel. I can not believe it." As the old man turned to start his boat and leave, he replied, "Son, I told you that he did not want to come in. You should have cut the line and you would still have your rod and reel."

The deeper truth: The Great Global Economic Catastrophe

My fellow Americans and those that choose to call themselves Americans;

Since the first years of dedicating my life to ministering to the unsaved, I continue to enjoy the excitement of the chase as I seek out and evangelize the unsaved. I enjoy the challenge of trying to save those who are lost in the murky waters of sin. I enjoy trying to convince them to come into the body of Christ. Over the years, I experienced many great successes. However, I have also experienced many scathing defeats. More importantly, during the thirty-three short years of my ministry, I have come to learn some valuable lessons.

Although, our Lord and Savior call us to be fisher of men, this vocation is far from an easy calling. It is filled with the struggle of witnessing to some scarred people. Some of them do truly desire salvation. Nevertheless, there are those people that would rather stay hidden by the veiled murky waters of sin. As we try our best to convince them to come out of their sin and find safety in the body of Christ, they often fight and resist our best efforts. They fight and resist because their life of sin has became a safe haven for them. It is the only thing that they know. It has become a place for them to run and hide from the troubles and cares of the world.

I have come to realize that as we struggle to evangelize the unsaved, some of them will continue their fight not to be saved. We often find ourselves spending many irreplaceable and valuable hours fighting a helpless cause. All of our pleas go unheard and the well-meant convincing words fall upon deaf ears. This is when we must realize the error of casting our precious pearls before the swine. There is wisdom hidden in the parable Jesus told in Matthew 7:6. "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

Nevertheless, we spend energy, time, and money trying to catch sinners. Many are converted. They become members of the body of Christ. Still, many get away. They are the life long sinners that continues to fall back into their sin regardless how much we council them. They are the hopeless masses that in spite of the convincing appeals refuse to change their ways. Often, we reason the best thing that we can do is to just cut the line and let the unrepentant sinner go. The reason for this revelation is during the fight to save those that do not want to be saved we see the lost of valuable time and precious resources. These irreplaceable pearls could have been cast somewhere they might have done some good.

Though my constant study of the word of God, I have discovered that God to will sometimes cut the line and let us go our separate ways. It is not that God desires to see us destroyed and sentenced to death because of our sins. He truly desires to see everyone saved. However, our nation, as a whole, continues to struggle against the evident call to repentance. As time passed, God has cut the line and turned our nation over to a reprobate mind. This is the fate facing our country and world today. God has sent many powerful messages to the masses that our walk is wrong. Now, as our economy is quickly sinking and our nation is rapidly going broke. Still, we continue chase after the sins of greed, power and idol worship that have gotten us into this predicament.

As the time quickly passed, our nation plunged deep into the despairs of the current global economic catastrophe. However, the call of God goes forth for us to repent. The voice crying out in the wilderness slowly drifts upon us. He loudly proclaims, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” However, caught up in the struggle and the fight to survive, we continue to be overtaken with greed, lust, and sin. The unheard men of God advised us to cut the line to our sins. If we do not heed his call, we will be thrown into the lake of fire or the second death. Nevertheless, this divine call continued to go unheard. The unheeded call of God proclaims, “Child of God, cut the line before your sins drag you in. Repent, Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Therefore, the hardships and tribulations that we are currently experiencing should not be of surprise to the children of God. The evils that our nation voluntarily undertook in the past have in the present returned to hunt us. Truly, we have heard the Scriptures describe the journey of the nation of Israel as it rose from a nation without and developed into the current powerhouse of today. The Scriptures bare witness to the triumphs as well as the failures of the young nation. The Scriptures declares the story of Israel’s independence from their bounds to Egypt as well as its rise to major prominence in the world today.

However, the Scriptures also declare the trials and hardships of the children of Israel. It describes to us the struggles and snares of prosperity. Throughout the Scriptures, we also see the pitfalls of Israel’s journey. As the children of God, we have been taught these things in our churches. We read the examples of Israel chasing after other gods. Every time Israel voluntarily worshipped these other gods, they were punished for their sin. The sermon preached in our churches has declared this to us. Therefore, the hardships and trials should not be a surprise to the children of God.

However, we continued to ignore the call and God’s plea fall on our deaf ear. We continued our struggle trying our best to reel in the great American Dream. Then suddenly, the stock market crashed creating the splash felt around the world. We are currently experiencing some trials and worries that we never expected to befall us. Without any warning, the tides of our global economic strength have waned. It waned because of the abundant number of greedy corporations, politicians, religious leaders and selfish individuals feeding off the everyday needs of humanity. These corporations and individuals silently harvested enormous amounts of wealth from the efforts the common person. The mighty corporations and the powerful others are paid the largest portion of the profits and bonuses. Yet, the masses labor and slave for a minute wage from the realized profits. This was not the beginning of the wrongful actions and missteps that has left America looking into the wilderness of a Great Global Economic Catastrophe.

Our country has made some major mistakes. We, because of national security, allowed our country to reap the fiduciary benefits from the inhumane ideology of war. We, because of our national lust for power and fame, made deals with ideologies opposite of what America believed and stood against. Somewhere along the road from colonial repression to wealth and world-renowned recognition, America forgot what the ancestors of this country died to represent. Somewhere between the turbulent but hopeful then and the frantic and uncertain now, America forgot the words printed upon the pages of our sacred documents. These mighty words proclaim that we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Now the kingdom of God is at hand and America is faced with the sad results of its intentional sins. We are faced with the results of not obeying the God we loudly proclaim to serve. Now the kingdom of God is at hand and humanity must suffer the punishment that is due. The Scriptures that we read loudly proclaims it to our waiting ears. It proclaims, “Thou shall have no other god before me” Still, we bow down in worship to our idols and listen to our various gods. We harvest the forbidden fruits from our national unrighteous acts. We chase after forbidden individuals, ideals and things under the guise liberty and freedom. We turned and taught those that are with us to do the same. The kingdom of God is at hand and America is looking into the wilderness of a Great Global Economic Catastrophe.

The kingdom of God is at hand and God is calling out to our country. God is calling out in the midst of our national suffering and shame. God is calling out in spite of the noise of our religious parties and our church events. He is calling “America, America, where are you America.” Our money proclaims, “In God, we trust.” Our documents states that we recognize that God exist and we exist because of God. Now, the kingdom of God is at hand and because of our national actions, we are found in sin.

Still there is hope on the horizon. Paul informs us in 1st Corinthians 10: 11 - 13, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” God has provided a way for us to solve the crisis that we are facing. God has provided a solution to the problems in our homes. God has provided a strategy to lead us out of the wilderness of a Great Global Economic Catastrophe.

As always, may God bless each of us,
Pastor Reginald Levi Walker