Life has changed, I retired and moved from a somewhat remote area in Wisconsin to a much more remote area of Minnesota. Very little television or news is allowed to frame our lives.
There is no sense in being goaded to be scared or mad as plenty of good news is out there. Plenty of real heroes abound (you know, good people making the world a better place) and I don’t think I am alone in wanting those stories to frame life.
I’ve been too busy to write as we moved into a somewhat neglected place and have made it handicapped accessible (wood floors, wider doorways, ramp outside and a lift in the garage) with lots of help from friends and family before winter hits. I have been fishing 14 times and hosted a couple fish frys and grilling extravaganzas for the neighbors and family, busy.
My little story: I took a young neighbor fishing a few times in my good boat. He discovered he liked fishing (more the catching). He has some money so he wanted to buy my old boat. It is smaller, the deck was rotten and the two motors didn’t work.
I told him he could buy it cheap on one condition; we would repair it together and make it fishing ready before he could buy it from me. We did it and he now has a boat that I would like to buy back.
The old adage is true. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will have to buy a boat! Go Ned!
Oh, for the Ned stories! My boat buying friend. He tried to weed wack the pond grass in the deep part. Imagine a body builder type standing in a canoe weed whipping with a gas engine whipper out the side. Ya, you couldn’t balance that well either. How was I to know why he borrowed my canoe? Ned now knows that submerging a gas engine under water is a bad thing for the engine.
Last night Ned sunk his new tractor to the belly in the mud by said pond. I didn’t ask when pulling him out with our bigger tractor (from a distance with a whale of a tow strap).
We have the luxury of laughing together with a lot of head shaking. I keep telling him “Lets not go sky diving until we make it a month without a major mishap.” His reply “I’m not ready to see Jesus just yet!” Ya…we have been talking about eternal things. We should all be ready, not just the old retired people like me.
I want to hear stories, real life ones when I read your blogs, and I do read quite a bit. No pontificating without your experiencing a truth or insight. Tell me a good story. The world needs good stories to rightly re-frame.
garyfultz 
What a great post, Gary! I caught my first fish ever last Sunday! I’m encouraged that you are able to talk about the eternal in the midst of everyday life! What I have come to appreciate about Jesus is that He tells us to cast a wide net but discipleship in many ways is like the rod and reel. Congrats on the move and new house. May Jesus fill your space with the peace of His Presence!
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Thanks so much Mandy, Keep fishing and catching. I think I have a fish fry ministry. I’m also not afraid to use about any venue to talk eternal when I have earned the right to be heard and not a penny more.
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Sounds idyllic! Happy retirement 🙂
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In many ways it is Robert. I’m not used to doing what I love so much. I kind of feel guilty not working 10 hour days, I suspect that feeling will wear off. though.
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Productivity is more than just working 10 hour days. You sound to be using your retirement productively (and enjoyably too, which is fine!).
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Well said and lifting
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Thanks Ted
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Thank you for the update, Gary. God’s best to you in your retirement and your new locale. I hope you will continue to post from time to time—even if it’s mostly photos. I love your photos!
As for me, I will do my best to always tell a story when I post, a story with a heavenly application (parable).
Blessings.
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Thanks David. You do a good job on your stories and applications.
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Sounds like you made a good move.
Will be up in your neck of the woods next week.
Hope to see you and share life experience over coffee.
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I would like that Marty. I’ll drop by with the boat.
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Good down to earth stories are a rare commodity these days and I agree with you Gary, we definitely need more of them, lots more. You’re right about the guilt disappearing for not working ten hours, that dissipates real fast. Wishing you all the best in your new home and surroundings. Blessings!
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Thanks Bruce, I’m laying low until I get my retirement feet under me or God put’s a mission in front of me…maybe both?
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Sounds great. Wish I were there.
Blessings brother.
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Well G.W.
The first thing we would do here is get on the lake in the boat for a few long discussions between fish. Then continue with the fellowship overa fresh fish feast. Break bread and fish with a raspberry rhubarb dessert…or something like that.
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Conversation over God’s goodness while fellowshipping over more of it. Enough to make me hunker into the kayak and start paddling. 😉
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Sounds like a much desired place to live in retirement. Enjoy, Gary.
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It surely is Alan. just a few miles north of where the mighty Misissippi river begins. Mosquito country but good fishing,.
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Fishing, neighboring owls, projects that keep your hands busy and mind challenged, minimal TV/News and fish fry fellowship. I think that sounds like the perfect way to embrace retirement. Looking forward to the stories you will share as you embark on this next leg in life’s journey.
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Thanks Beth. I’m hoping for lots of good stories (and pictures) to happen through my years left. I guess i’m somewhat assuming I’ll stay put even though that has not been the case most of my life.
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“Teach a man to fish and he will have to buy a boat!” Some good sales strategy going on there Gary.
Ever thought of pursuing a joint business venture involving a car dealership & driving school? 😃
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You got me David. I have thought about selling cars and a driving school would drive sales (oh, that’s a good idea) . I have quit two sales jobs because I sold to people who should not have bought the product I was selling. I couldn’t handle that.
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😃
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I hope you’re ready for Minnesota winters! 🙂 Sounds like you’ll still get to enjoy nature.
You know, you’re absolutely right (and it’s a good reminder) that there’s plenty of good news out there. While it’s what the world focuses on, the bad stuff, we have a choice to reframe how we see life. I think it just takes a little more effort but in the end, it’s worth it!
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Well Stephanie, I’m not quite ready for -30 to -40 below (when in Wisconsin it will 20 degrees warmer) on the real cold mornings.. Sitting on the back deck early mornings I hear the Loons and Trumpeter Swans on the lake and thats really cool.
I just explained to Ned last night why I get up early mornings to read my bible, to let God re-frame my mind rather than the media.
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Great post! It sounds like you are enjoying your new home! You are so right…we do need real stories and there are plenty of heroes! You are wise to avoid the news on the television set as much as possible!
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Thanks Linda, My time in God’s Word re-frames my mind a thousand times better than the Television and it’s Truth, both in thought and in a person…Jesus is Truth.
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Gary,
Glad you’re settled in and that the Lord has provided you with a good neighbor, friend, and disciple!
Take care my brother.
Ron
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Thanks Ron, We are getting settled gradually. Is there ever really such a thing? Speaking of my fried and another Ned story…A deer came outof the woods and came up to him in the yard close enough to pet. completely wild deer. Go figure. I would not have believed him but he took a video to back up the story
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That’s awesome! Ned is also a ‘Deer Whisperer’. Looking forward to more stories! Are you up in the ‘boundary waters’ area?
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“Deer Whisperer” lol, I’ll have to call him that.
I’m over 4 hours (mostly west and a bit south) from the BWCA. In Wisconsin I was closer but I moved almost straight west 5 hours by road, 3 hours as the crow flies.
Poor Ned, took him fishing a couple nights ago and he had continuous strikes (fishing pike) while I was catching. Gary 8 Ned 0 on spinner-baits. When we got back to the landing he found that he had forgotten to take off the plastic tube from over the hook after buying it. I almost fell in the water laughing. He was going to throw me in the water for laughing.
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Good work
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Thank You Aradhana
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We have someone that recently joined the Navy ROTC in our church and her questions have led me to consider making a series of posts of what God has taught me from the military; then I though maybe not but then your post here is the push I need to tell stories!
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Do it Jim, Stories connect with people. Stories can be woven with eternal truths that aptly apply. Glad to be pushy.
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Again thanks Gary!
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“Very little television or news is allowed to frame our lives.”
Imagine that! Not whipped up by either side of mass media.
Trout don’t read the news.
Lucky fish.
Unless of course,
you catch them.
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Speaking of framing, you have great photos Cindy.
I do a lot of reflecting while fishing (most unlucky fish get thrown back).
Our lives are framed by relationships, sunrises and sunsets. Mostly beautiful.
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I SO enjoyed your stories, Gary. Yes, the greatest Fisher of men of all time caught His men through stories. And those stories are so much more truthful than the science fiction and horror stories we get on the news.
Blessings,
Annie
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Thanks Annie, and I enjoy stories both telling and listening
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So do I. No matter how profound the truth, if it doesn’t have a plot, I have a hard time remembering it. (“Agreed. but what does that look like in real life?”)
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Ah, “real life” A follower of Jesus fits into God’s story plot both in the living out of life and forever in the time frame. An unbeliever will not even be remembered in the annuls of forever for their cameo appearance in the story.
Our stories need a hook, especially in the living out and then in the telling to bring others into our story and connect to God’s story…A book idea for you??
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I have written three fictional books, “Counselor,” “Vision,” and “Sparrows ” (a trilogy).It used to bother me that some people would say condescendingly, “I’m a Christian, I don’t read fiction.” But I’ve been encouraged by those who say, “I don’t usually read fiction, but I love this!” Readers see truth once they find out that a certain character is actually Jesus. 🤫
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