[NCangler]

I really enjoy knowing that Jesus Christ went fishing and spent time with men who made their living on the water. And we know from the scriptures that Jesus knew how to cook fish and He was pretty good at stretching a meal of fish to feed a lot of people. I have often envisioned Jesus at the seashore looking out at His creation and thought that He must have been overwhelmed with the beauty of it at times like I am. There is an amazing calm that comes from watching a sunrise on the beach and comtemplating the faithfulness of He who commands the waves and the wind.

I have spent a lot of my free time the past couple years developing NCangler.com as a place for North Carolina Anglers to meet and share fishing tips and information, no matter what kind of fishing we like to participate in. As our theme says, "From the mountains to the coast, NCangler.com is your online guide to fishing in North Carolina." That has been my goal. To create a place for anglers to meet online and through our shared collaboration to keep fishing as a part of our culture and as a resource for our kids and grandkids. I think we're off to a great start because of the participation of so many great North Carolina Anglers that have already joined us here.

Fishing is one of the things that I love to do most in my life when I have time. But it is not the love of my life. That would be my family and my faith in God. I thought it would be nice to have a forum where anglers of faith could share their testimonies of God's blessing and faithfulness in their lives and give Him credit for this amazing creation that He has given us that we enjoy.

I have been a believer in Jesus Christ since December 1st, 1973. I am NOT perfect and don't especially like hanging around people who think they are. And I am a little impatient with folks that get in your face with their religious beliefs, so that is not what this forum is about. This is just a forum to give thanks to God for the great things He has given us in life.

Someone once told me that they were simply "one beggar showing another beggar where he found bread." That is the way I feel about sharing my faith. If I know where to find the "Bread of Life" (John 6:35, 48) and don't share that, then what is my faith really worth? If you haven't given Him a chance in your life I challenge you do to so. If you have, then take a moment to encourage others with a post about your faith and how you see God in His creation. As author C.S. Lewis once said:

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

I'll post a thread soon about how to know God in a personal way and I'll probably drop in some great quotes occasionally in this forum as well. Here are some cogent statements from the great preacher G.K. Chesterton:

"When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing -- they believe in anything."

"The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people."

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."