Shark Fighters

A couple of years ago, my pastor referred to a newspaper article about a shark attack. The article told the story of a boy who was fishing in the ocean in Florida. While he was fishing, a shark clamped onto his leg, “nearly severing the leg.” Instead of running away screaming, however, his brother and a friend who had been fishing with him started hitting the shark on the nose. Somebody else, apparently a stranger to the three boys, “jumped in and kind of looked like he had (the shark) in a head lock and was punching it on the head to get him to let loose.” Witnesses believe that the shark would have dragged the boy away if it had not been for the three heroes who fought the shark.

My pastor went on to ask us if we wanted to be in a church like that. Didn’t we want to go to a church where we could depend on our church family to jump in and help us defeat the sharks in our lives? Thankfully, I feel like my church is that kind of church, but it got me thinking about working at the Union Mission.

If you’d like to get around some people who are willing to jump in the “water” and fight some “sharks,” come on down to the Union Mission. Here, I get to work with almost 30 staff members and many other volunteers who work everyday to hit the sharks of poverty, hopelessness, hunger, and others right on the nose. When we see someone being attacked by these dangerous sharks, we try to jump right in and help them.

Are you a shark fighter? Would you like to jump in and help us? Please think and pray about jumping in with us and helping us fight these sharks. We need your help. You can help through your prayers or your finances, but please consider helping with your time. Victims of shark attacks need real, loving people to come alongside of them and lovingly help them back to health. Are you willing?

I’ve got to be honest: I don’t see a lot of that anywhere else. In fact, I’ve been in churches where I believe I’ve seen the opposite. If God is calling you to be involved in this fight against these sharks, please consider volunteering your time, supporting the Mission through your prayers, and supporting it with your finances.