Morning Watch Monday: Casting a Wide Net
Morning Watch Mondays
Welcome back to our blog series, written by Matt Sloan, Camp’s Chaplain and Program Director. These “Morning Watch Mondays” invite a moment of reflection focused on Christian values, the same way our daily Morning Watch times do during camp in the summer.
This was originally published in the 2025 Grow & Behold magazine. You can read the full publication online here.
Casting A Wide Net
The greentail shrimp were in season. I did not know the difference between a greentail and any other kind of shrimp, yet I was with a group of friends who knew what they were doing.
They taught me how to throw the cast net where it would spread widely and evenly across the water in a perfect circle. The steps were meticulous: hold the net in my right hand about a foot down from the horn; take another handful of net just below my waist and fold it into the same right hand, followed by a smaller handful; lay one piece over my right thumb; grab another piece of line in my left hand; swing back and forth, letting go of all but the last piece of line in my left hand, finally letting go at the end. Simple… right? We took turns trying our best and laughing together, and the more we practiced the better we got. Now to try this from the deck of a boat!
The boat reached the NC coastal shrimping grounds, and we spotted the shrimp skipping across the topwater. My first throws landed in more of a burrito shape than a circle. Nothing. Yet with a few words of encouragement, we slowly began to pull in some greentails! It was a team effort as one friend drove the boat, another tossed the net, and the other separated the shrimp in the net. That night we steamed pounds of shrimp and gathered around the table, sharing stories from the day of successes and failures on the water. We had experienced a great new adventure, together.
Falling Creek is a breeding ground for these sorts of experiences for boys (Don’t worry, there are no shrimp in the upper lake to our knowledge)! We believe that real life can only be discovered by taking the risk to explore new experiences, and to do that alongside friends and mentors. Our counselors provide teaching and encouraging words as campers put bravery into action! Whether it is learning to use a hammer at the Woodshop, flying down the roller coaster with a buddy into the lake, or going rock climbing at Gilbert’s Rock, every day is an opportunity for boys to discover that there is way more to life, to themselves, and to each other, than they could have ever imagined!
The truth is, we love adventure and discovery because God made us with the desire to explore the mysteries of not only His creation, but who He is personally!. Jesus was constantly inviting his close friends (disciples) to follow him into adventures where they had no idea how it was going to go! Their vision for their own lives seemed to grow as their trust in Jesus’ goodness grew.
In John 21, Jesus is on the shore while His close friends are in a boat on the water, fishing throughout the night with no luck. Verses 4-6 say:
Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish (153 in total).
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.
Jesus’ followers did not recognize Him on the shore that morning because they could see Him from the boat, but because their hearts remembered that only He knew where real, full life could be found.
The hope and prayer of Falling Creek is that we all might cast the nets of our hearts in the direction of God, who has made us to live the great adventure of life and discovery with Him.