I Go a Fishing says Jonah Penny from Ranky's Sunday School Class

“There is no hair growing on this story." - Gerald Mann ;The events, the sequence of those events, and the people are real; THIS POST DOES NOT CONTAIN REAL NAMES. Ranky cannot read minds, so the projection of what people were thinking may have received some embellishment.     Is it a sin for a Christian to skip Sunday School and church to go fishing? Read this story and you decide for yourself. Ranky will tell you it is a sin for him, since God gave him a gift to teach and a time to teach. But, others will need to make up their own minds. 

Ranky as a Sunday School teacher believes the teaching of God's Word strengthens and give maturity to those who are Christians. Ranky also believes the Holy Spirit wants to control the believer's life to the point of envy (James 4:5). Ranky believes God's great love for us always pursues us and wishes to direct our lives in the paths of righteousness. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will correct us with gentle persuasion and sometimes not so gentle, if we become stubborn or stiff necked against His Will.

      Jonah Penny was relatively new convert to Christ. His step dad , Goldfish Eel ,was a very new convert to Christ. Jonah Penny's business was doing well and he bought a boat. Jonah Penny loved to fish. Goldfish Eel loved to fish, also. Jesus' disciples fished for their lively hood. So, fishing is not a bad thing in itself. I love to eat certain kinds of fish. To eat fish, they must be caught.

Ranky noticed Jonah was missing in Ranky's Sunday School class on this certain Sunday. Ranky figured Jonah was working because Jonah's workload required him to play catch up some Sundays. After Sunday School, Ranky entered the worship center. He was looking for Goldfish Eel. First he noticed, Dauphin Eel, Goldfish Eel's wife, was seated alone. There was a huge vacancy next to her. No one could fill that vacancy like Goldfish Eel, Goldfish Eel is 60 years old, but he is big and very strong.

      Before Ranky could get to Dauphin Eel to ask her if Goldfish Eel was sick. Little Tender-Hearted Penny came to Ranky. Maybe, Tender-Hearted Penny was in the 4^th - 5^th grade. She was also Jonah Penny's daughter. She liked Ranky because they were good buddies. She said, “Do you know where my dad and grand dad are?” I said,”No”. Little Tender-Hearted Penny told me they had a new boat and went fishing. She had this accusing look about her that told me she did not like it that dad and grandpa went fishing during church and Sunday School. She was also waiting for me to comment. Little Tender-Hearted Penny was not going to leave until I commented on the fishing trip. Ranky told her, “Let's just pray for them, and hope they go fishing after church and that God would speak to their heart.” That satisfied Tender Hearted Penny and she skipped away to her friends.

      I found me a place to sit during the worship service in front of Dauphin Eel. As soon as I was seated, Dauphin Eel related the same story to me as Tender-Hearted Penny. Dauphin Eel also did not like the idea of her husband and son fishing during Sunday School and church. She had that accusing look and also waited for me to comment on the fishing trip. I told her the same thing as I had told Tender-Hearted Penny.

      The next Sunday Tender-Hearted Penny met me in the hall. She asked, “Do you know what happened to Dad and Grandpa last Sunday when they went fishing?” I said,”I think I'm about to find out.” She told me Dad and Grandpa got out in the middle of the lake and the boat motor quit. They had to peddle the boat all the way to the bank. She had a wide grin on her face. When I saw Dauphin Eel, she told me the same thing. She rolled her eyes as she said, “The Lord may be trying to get their attention.” I said,”you could be right.”

      Two or three weeks later, I had left Jonah Penny an email asking would he be in Sunday School this Sunday. I didn't get a reply which was unusual. Jonah Penny usually answered me at his convenience. I didn't get a reply, so Ranky wondered if another fishing trip was on. Well, Sunday came, No Jonah Penny or Goldfish Eel.

      Tender-Hearted Penny came running up the hall to meet me. She hugged me as she and Ranky were good buddies. She couldn't wait to tell me that her Dad and Grandpa had gone fishing again during Sunday School and church. She thought this was a terrible deed. She kept standing in front of me waiting for me to give her some type of answer. Ranky told her that he could not pray for God to sink the boat that might be dangerous or hurt her Dad and Grandpa. I told Tender-Hearted Penny it was best to leave those type things in the “Hands of the Lord.” I was glad that satisfied her . She is a very smart young lady. She would not allow me to leave until I gave her an answer that satisfied her.

      I found me a seat in the worship center and Dauphin Eel was alone. I knew where Goldfish Eel was. He and Jonah Penny had gone fishing. But, just in case I did not have that piece of information, Dauphin Eel informed me of their whereabouts. She also rolled her eyes and said,”God was going to get their attention.” I said, “You may be right.” Grandma and Granddaughter did not say so, but they were disappointed in the event and really did not like that at all. They believed they should be in church and Sunday school the same as everyone else.

      I always enjoyed seeing Jonah Penny and Goldfish Eel, in fact I loved them as brothers. They are my brothers spiritually. I missed them also. But, I couldn't have a condemning attitude toward them, since I knew there were worse things to do, and I had probably done some of those myself.

      I previously had asked Mackerel G., one the men in the Sunday School class to call Jonah Penny. Ranky wanted the members to be involved in calling absentees, also. When Ranky had the information that Jonah Penny had gone fishing, He asked Mackerel Goldfish, “What did you tell Jonah Penny, to cause him to go fishing last Sunday?” Did you go with him? You missed the objective. The objective was to get Jonah in Sunday School, not plot with him to go fishing. I was just giving Mackerel G. a rough time, we were all laughing. We do have much fun in the Sunday School class. In fact, I would hate to be the class next door. We have lots of laughter.

      The next Sunday rolls around quickly. Tender-Hearted Penny came running to meet Ranky. She gives Ranky a big hug. She and Ranky are good buddies. She asks me, “Do you know what happened to Dad, last Sunday morning when they were fishing.” I said, “No, but I'm thinking I will get the story.” Tender-Hearted Penny says, “Dad fell out of the boat, went under the water, and had to swim for his life.” She had a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She is a smart young lady, and I know she remembered me telling her, “We have to leave those type things in the Hands of the Lord”. I burst out laughing because I remembered telling Tender-Hearted Penny and at the same time I was telling her, Jonah Penny was swimming to get to the top of the water.

      When we assembled for Sunday School, there was Jonah Penny smiling. Everyone talks at the same time before class fellowshipping with one another as much as possible. The Gentle Giant , one of the men in class is in charge of starting the class. He rings a make believe buzzer to start us promptly at 10:00 am. I asked, Jonah Penny, “How's work going?” To my surprise, out of the mouth of Jonah Penny came a confession. He said,” I can't lie, I was fishing last Sunday morning and fell out of the boat.” Then, everyone in church already knew you were fishing, I wasn't going to say anything about it.” I said, “ We had a lot of fun with that last Sunday in class.” He was so forth right about it and good natured. I had a field day talking about the two fishing trips and what was it going to take for him to get the message. Everyone in class was having a big hoot at Jonah Penny's expense.

      Ranky thought his next story would be about some true life golfing trips that were almost unbelievable, but were true. It seems God wanted us to keep telling true life church experiences.

Well, I can't set in judgment on the fishing trip, it was a lot of fun for the whole class. Logic tells me burned twice by trying fishing during Sunday School and church by new Christians, it's probably a bad idea to try it a third time. Tender-Hearted Penny will tell you it's wrong. Ranky doesn't know if he told Tender-Hearted Penny correctly about leaving some things in “God's Hands”. But, I will guarantee when she hears that term used again, she will be looking for God to do something to get someone's attention.

      That's the story, you decide concerning the rights and wrongs of fishing during Sunday School and church, if a Christian. I don't think it matters if you are not a Christian. Christians are the ones who are supposed to take advantage of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the church in order to be properly trained to live the Abundant Life, follow Christ, make disciples, and be witness to the world. Jonah Penny's nets came up empty, no fish. Ranky was hoping for a fish fry. Maybe, Jonah Penny's timing was wrong is the reason for lack of fish. Maybe Sunday Evening might have produced an abundance, enough for the Sunday School Class to have a fish fry. I don't really know. I would probably need to ask Tender-Hearted Penny. She would tell me.