Fishers of Men | Bishop Rodney Reynolds

By Pastor Rodney Reynolds It’s said of church ministers that we do the marring and the burying. I would agree that we certainly provide those important functions with regularity. This year alone, I’ve officiated the funerals of two fellow ministers and numerous congregants, and just last week, we laid my dear mother-in-law to rest. Over many decades of pastoral ministry, I’ve provided spiritual support over and again for both young and old as they have taken life’s final steps. I have observed that dying is one of the hardest things to do if one passes from natural causes. I believe this to be true because we were not created for death, but for life. Scripture states in Genesis 2:7, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” I love the visual of God himself kneeling over His creation and breathing life into the man He has made. Life is beautiful and fragile — it can also be brutal and brie...

Thirty plus years ago Seinfeld made its television debut. It was billed as a show about nothing. The 90s sitcoms were sometimes good for some laughs, but often came at the cost of further eroding the traditional values that guided our culture and family life. I would like to share with you something different: the book about everything. It is no secret today that people often view life like an episode of a show about nothing. I’ve met plenty of men and women who were disappointed, disillusioned and felt hopeless about their future. The book about everything is the Holy Scriptures of course. The sacredness of the Bible is unmatched. The Bible continues to be the best selling book of all time. It truly covers everything from A to Z. Those who’ve read its pages know it is a book of hope. Three ultra important topics are included within its broad and complete scope, the first being the state of humanity. It’s true we continue to make advances in medicine, technology, science, agricultur...

By Pastor Rodney Reynolds I recently attended a conference and enjoyed seeing a ministry colleague receive recognition for 40 years as an ordained minister. The humble smile on his face said he’d do it all again. I couldn’t help but think about all the sermons delivered, weddings and funerals officiated and children dedicated over 40 years. Additionally, there would have been converts baptized and nurtured along the pathway of Christian discipleship. Then there are the hospital and convalescent home visits, service and event planning, staff meetings and the list goes on… The call to ministry is a special calling that is by God’s design and choosing. I would describe the call to ministry as God choosing an ordinary person for an extraordinary purpose. My stepfather served in ministry his entire life, still preaching and active in the church into his early 90s! Recently, my brother-in-law passed away at 80 years of age. He too was a minister of Christ. He had a love for evangelism, an...

Most of us have received that phone call or gotten a word that changes everything. I remember such a call early Sunday morning March 2, 2002. When a pastor’s phone rings at 3:00 a.m., its never good news. I rushed to the hospital thirty minutes away to meet the parents that had just lost their only child. She was killed by a drunk driver on her way home from a college basketball game. Brittany grew up in the church I was pastor of and her parents had served with us as youth pastors. That day their world changed. Change can come very abruptly or can come over time but change will come. Change can challenge our faith. Change can cause us to question the things we think we believe. Change will ultimately reveal if we fully trust God or not. Change can leave us feeling very vulnerable. I have been friends with Brittany’s parents for 30 years now. When I learned a few years ago that Brittany’s father had died while at work, I was completely devastated. He had worked very hard and was ...

If you have ever been asked, “Who is your best friend?” immediately you think of the person that you consider your truest friend. I remember distinctly when my closest friend in life passed away in an accident two decades ago now. If you have a friend that you trust with your life, you are most fortunate! In the bible, the book of Proverbs, chapter 18 verse 24, makes the following statement. “The man of too many friends (chosen indiscriminately) will be broken in pieces and come to ruin, But there is a (true, loving) friend who (is reliable and) sticks closer than a brother.” We can learn here that we should choose our friends prayerfully, carefully and perhaps even sparingly. The company we keep will make us better or will be a detriment to us. We all need a few friends and we also need to be sure we are being a true-friend. Garth Brooks hit song, “Friends in low places” is a catchy tune but not a great idea. A good principle to follow is to choose friends on a higher shelf, an...

Most of us were captivated by the shocking news of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Due to the quick action of authorities the loss of life was minimized as traffic was halted just before the ship hit the support structure bringing it down instantly. I am still feeling grief for the highway maintenance workers that were unaware of the eminent danger and they unfortunately perished. Without warning they were swept into the inescapable waters of the Patapsco River. This is yet another reminder of the brevity of life. The observance of Holy Week with Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday caused my thoughts to dwell on the selfless life of Jesus. I have a close friend that just turned 91 a few days ago, the life of Jesus was only one third as much. When I was a teenager in the seventies, singer Billy Joel had a hit titled “Only the good die young.” This seems to be true in many cases. It is difficult to understand why when we lose people we love at an early age. ...

The winter solstice, Dec. 21, is the longest night of the year. We could say, it is a long dark night. Prolonged darkness can lead to depression and cause emotional distress. In Utqiagvik, Alaska, there is a period of about 60 days that the sun does not rise. Imagine, living in constant darkness for over two months. It is said there is a notable increase in suicide during this dark period. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the phrase “Dark ages” was coined due to the decline in culture and science. There was yet another period of darkness and spiritual quietness recorded in biblical history. For nearly four centuries, the holy prophets had ceased to prophecy a single word. This was highly unusual, as Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and others including the prophet Malachi, had regularly declared the message of God throughout the generations. This quiet period had brought with it a certain gloom and an absence of spiritual illumination. Fast-forward to 400 years in...