Shut up and fish

One of my favorite television shows is "The Deadliest Catch." It is a show on the Discovery Channel that features crab fishermen on Alaska's Bearing Sea. Crab fishing on the Bearing Sea is one of the deadliest occupations on earth. It is amazing to watch the crews ride out 70ft waves in subzero weather on icy decks while working 48 hour shifts.

My favorite crew to watch is the crew of the Northwestern (http://www.fvnorthwestern.com/). The captain of this crew is Sig Hanson. His brothers, Norman and Edgar, serve as chief engineer and deck boss respectively. Each year the Northwestern is always one of the top boats. Sig is one of those bosses who is a real ________. He is hard on his crew, but in the end they are all handsomely rewarded.

My favorite episode (I know, this is my third favorite) was a show where the crew was grumbling. They were upset at their captain and felt he was being too hard on them. By this time Sig had enough. He takes a piece of paper. Writes "Shut up and fish." Then posts it in the window for all the crew to see.

Earlier today, I was meeting with someone who said they are tired of all the pontificating and talking that is done in churches. I think there is a lesson we can learn from the crew of the Northwestern. Shut up and fish!

Jesus calls us to be fishers of men. It is time we do some fishing and stop complaining.