| My life as a Christian is like a leaky boat! You may | | | | leaky boat: You see, in my Christian walk, "the |
| wonder if I know what I'm talking about and what | | | | people of the world" constantly surround me. |
| I mean when I say: "my Christian life is like a | | | | Those folks, it seems, are always trying to entice |
| leaky boat". Believe me, I know very little about | | | | me away from my Christian lifestyle of |
| being a Christian and a lot more about leaky | | | | undaunted faith in God with all kinds of worldly |
| boats! | | | | distractions such as, material things, selfish desires, |
| I remember the first leaky boat we had when I | | | | and unloving words and deeds. I must admit, |
| was a kid. My Dad found her washed up on the | | | | some of these worldly things are quite attractive |
| beach of Barnegat Bay after a northeast storm. | | | | and I actually invited some of them into my life |
| We spent many months fixing her up we: | | | | before I realized what I was doing. |
| patched, painted, and made a mast, a boom, a | | | | It sounds stupid, and dumb but I know there |
| rudder and a sail. We named our rebuilt | | | | were times when, with full knowledge, I |
| sixteen-foot sailboat the: Barnacle. Then, after she | | | | deliberately opened a seacock (a valve in the |
| was seaworthy, and rigged with her new mainsail | | | | underwater part of the boat's hull) and actually let |
| and jib, we launched her on the Delaware River | | | | those evil, worldly things flood into the 'boat', the |
| near Philadelphia, Pa. | | | | vessel that is my life. |
| Within a few days, we went aboard and set sail | | | | As silly as it sounds, you might say I figuratively |
| on our first voyage down-river toward the | | | | took an axe and chopped holes in my life and |
| wide-open waters of Delaware Bay. A few days | | | | actually invited the world to try its best to sink |
| later we sailed through the Cape May (NJ) Canal, | | | | me! I know better. God told me not to do it. I did |
| then north, up the Intercostal Waterway to | | | | it anyway. When I was "full of the world's things" |
| Atlantic City. About ten days after launching the | | | | my leaky 'boat' (myself) was flooded, sluggish, |
| Barnacle, we arrived at our home port on | | | | and I almost sank to the bottom and drowned! |
| Barnegat Bay, near Toms River, New Jersey. | | | | After some narrow escapes, and thanks to the |
| We had fun and adventure during the voyage and | | | | watchfulness and teachings of the Holy Spirit, I've |
| we constantly bailed seawater out of our leaky | | | | learned my lessons! Now, I'm always on guard. |
| boat during the whole ten days! We bailed day | | | | Now I am careful to watch for places where "the |
| and night just to stay afloat! I'll never forget it. | | | | world" tries to flood me with one or more of its |
| Yes, that was the first of about nine leaky boats | | | | ideas, I have learned to test those ideas, to |
| I've owned over the years. | | | | examine them by holding them up to light of the |
| A floating boat is surrounded by water that | | | | Word (the Bible) to see if they are good or bad |
| seems to always be trying to get inside of the | | | | for me. |
| hull of the boat and sink it. Even if there's only a | | | | As you can see, all of these experiences with |
| little hole, that's all it takes. A sailor has to be | | | | leaky boats have shown me that during what's |
| constantly alert to see that there are no leaks in | | | | left of my Christian voyage here on earth I must |
| his boat's hull. If there are leaks, he has to plug | | | | constantly be alert and strive to have - no more |
| them as fast as he can - or else! | | | | leaks! |
| Here's why I say my life as a Christian is like a | | | | |