Keep It Simple

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Here is a funny story about a smart lady.

WALKER COUNTY LAKE CATFISH TOURNAMENT ANGLERS CRYING FOUL AFTER 70 YEAR OLD WOMAN WINS TOURNAMENT WITH A CANE POLE AND A ZIPLOCK BAG FULL OF GRAVY TRAIN

JASPER - Participants in the annual Walker County Lake Catfish Tournament are crying foul tonight after a 70 year old Jasper woman bested the next closest competitor by 12 lbs while using nothing but a cane pole, and Gravy Train dog food as bait.

One competitor with whom we spoke had this to say, "I have the very best catfishing equipment that money can buy, the best boat, the best rods, the best electronics. There ain't no way that old lady beat me with a stick and some dog food, no way. Something smells fishy here, and it ain't my stinkbait."

Others say that it is not unusual for "Ms. Minnie" as she is lovingly called by lake patrons to weigh in her limit at least five days a week.

"Ms. Minnie sure can catch 'em. She always leaves the lake with enough catfish, and shellcrackers to feed five people. Ms. Minnie wouldn't cheat, those men just ain't as good at fishing as they think they are."

William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Books by William Roop

Cast your Nets

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Leadership lessons of Jesus.

The way Jesus said things without saying a word? He was of course without a peer and forever shall be. 

The disciples fished all night and were shut out. All fisherman know the feeling. (Maybe most) 

Jesus said, “Cast your net on the right side and ye shall find.” Indeed they did. The catch was so great they couldn’t pull it in.

Here comes one of the many lessons of this story: Newsflash pastors and preachers and soul winners, God doesn’t need you to catch the fish! When they got to shore, the meal was ready. The fish was already cooking. 

Three elements were there: 

1) The Fire - It’s His fire.

2) The Fish - God said, All souls are mine 

3) The Bread - He Is the Bread of Life. It’s His

Not only did Jesus tell them to cast the nets, He already had corn in the crib. The lesson couldn’t have been any stronger! You see this fish? I know what I’m doing. I don’t need any of you to catch fish. 

He doesn’t need us to fill the nets, He needs us to cast the nets!

William James Roop

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Tin Can Fishing

 Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

I was listening to my mother tell stories one afternoon about her ancestors in central Wisconsin.  She has very fond memories of her grandfather John.  He lived for about thirty years on the family dairy farm where my mother grew up.

She shared with me how after the evening supper, grandpa John would walk to the lake to get the boat ready and dig up some worms from the barnyard.  My mother would be in the house washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen.

When she was done, she would run down to the lake and get on the boat.  They were ready to go and row out to a good spot.  They both fished with fishing line tied to wooden poles.  No modern fishing poles back then in the 40's and 50's. But grandpa mostly just used a tin can for fishing.  It was also called "Hobo fishing."

Grandpa John would put a worm on the hook for my mother, and he used a daredevil lure.  My mother has that same lure framed and on her wall. When they caught a fish, and they always caught fish, sometimes many, they wrapped the fishing line on a tin can to reel in the fish.

That's how poor country people fished back in the day.  There was no need for all of the fancy equipment that they use today.  The simple ways still work!  If you enjoyed this story consider following this blog.

William James Roop

Roop-Crappell Ministries

Hospice Care and Dying

Busted!

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

My neighbor, his nickname is Atchafalaya, came over to my motorhome was very  intoxicated as usual.  He staggered around and had to lean on my motorhome to brace himself. My neighbor's lives alone and he drinks too much. Bourbon whiskey is his choice.

He shared with me a funny story about his upbringing in South Louisiana, around the Morgan City area. Atchafalaya and his best friend named Steve noticed an older man didn't use his boat, that sat tied to his dock along the Tesh Bayou.

Atchafalaya and Steve wanted to go fishing with the boat, so they decided to sneak up on the boat tied up on the dock, and quietly untied, and then pushed the boat down the Tesh Bayou.

They would fish all day, catch a bunch of fish, and then return the boat, tied it up, cleaned it up, and made sure it was full of gas. When they found out they didn't get caught the first time, they started doing it two or three times a week. Always stealing the boat then pushing it down the river before they would start of the engine.

This went on for several months. Then one day his father came home and start talking about how a good boy is, and thought he'd buy him a boat. He thought that was kind of strange as his father never talked that way. He said he saw in the newspaper of a boat up the bayou for sale, and told him, "let's go and look at it."

Atchafalaya, his dad, and Steve got in the pickup truck, and they started driving down the road. His dad then pulled into a driveway that went towards the bayou. He looked at Steve with a scared look on his face! Steve looked at him back and horror. They were going down the driveway of the old man that they were stealing the boat from several times a week!

They drove to the house and they all got out. The old man came out of the house and walked towards the pickup truck. They introduced themselves and chit-chatted for a little while. All the while the two boys were scared to death of what was going to take place! They noticed nobody had gotten in a hurry, which made the horror even worse!

Then his dad told the old man, how much do you want for the boat?" The old man said, "well since these two boys have been using my boat, but bringing it back cleaned up, and full of gas, they can have the boat for free. Just every Friday, bring him a bunch of fish for the weekend!

Atchafalaya and his friend Steve were horrified to find out the old man knew every time they had stolen the boat! And then they found out that the old man and his father were a long time friends. As young men they played poker together and fished together!

This whole thing was a setup to punish the two boys of what they were doing. And it worked!  They were scared out of their wits!

Do you have a fishing story that you can share with us in the comment section? If you enjoyed this story you can click on the "follow" button to read all future stories.

William James Roop

Roop-Crappell Ministries


Hospice Care and Dying


The Trucking Tango

They Are Always Looking Up

Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!

My mother, my wife, and I flew  to Wisconsin, to spend a week with my Uncle Jerry and Aunt Nancy. They live in small town called Wautoma, in Central Wisconsin. They live on the old family farmhouse.

We were all sitting around the kitchen table and Jerry was talking about ice fishing. Ice fishing is a very big activity here in Wisconsin.

Because of ice fishing rules in Wisconsin is no more than three holes and one pole per hole. Well you have one hole in three poles. They guys around there always cut out three holes with one pole and one tip-up per pole. So one fisherman can only have three tip-ups at a time.

They told us that the game warden can drive the top of the hill, and from his car with his binoculars, look to see how many tip-ups you may have. If you have too many tip-ups, you'll get a big fine!

He told us they us live fish on the hooks, and let them flop around. He said the big northerns pikes that they like to catch, just sit at the bottom of lake and look up all the time. They're always looking up. Because that's where the sick fish go. When fish that are sick, they swim to the top of the lake to get more oxygen. Those big northerns will swim up and eat them!

So they put their bait in the water connected to a tip-up. When the fish swims up take the bait, the tip up will be pulled up. When you see your tip-up go from laying down, to straight up, you know you have a fish at the end.

You then walk over to the hole, grab the tip-up, and then hook the fish really good. Very slowly, pull on the line, and pull the fish up out of the water, and up through the hole. Then you're free to save the fish, or eat it on the spot.

Fisherman in Wisconsin have these little wooden shacks that are heated, have TVs, and radios, and they pull them on the ice. So while they're waiting for a tip-up, they can hang-out comfort. They have portable stoves for heating or cooking their freshly caught fish.

Have you ever been ice fishing? Can you tell us about it in the comment section? If you like these stories, and want to catch on again you can click on the follow button I could talk with the page.

William James Roop

 Roop-Crappell Ministries 

 Hospice Care and Dying 

 The Trucking Tango 

 Apostolic Theological Seminary