Entry 198-3

The Fisherman Minister – Glen Chappelear

Part 3: Advising the Fishermen

Question: What are the five most-common problems that professional fishermen have, and how do you advise them to solve these problems?

Chappelear: Financial pressure is the most-persistent problem. This upcoming season, entry fees alone are $36,000, and that doesn’t include, fuel, a place to sleep, or food. You have to have at least $50,000 to be able to fish competitively in 2007.

Question: What do you tell fishermen when they say, “Glen, I want to continue to be a competitive fisherman, but I am worried about paying the mortgage on my house, the note from my bank and my bills at home. What do I need to do?”

Chappelear: I tell them that the first thing is to know in their hearts that, if this is what God really wants them to do, they’ll have a peace in their hearts. They’ll know that God is telling them that being a competitive fisherman is what He wants them to do. I also tell them that God opens and closes doors. Then I pray with them and ask other fishermen to pray for brother fishermen about their financial problems.

Question: If a fisherman really believes that God has called him to be a tournament fisherman, but he has financial problems, what do you tell him?

Chappelear: I don’t think it is God’s Will for a fisherman to go into debt to go into pro fishing. So I advise them to consider the possibility of taking some time off from fishing, get their finances in order and start fishing again. Or, go to a different level of competitive fishing that isn’t as expensive as the one in which they’re participating. There are several different fishing trails for professional fishermen. Some don’t cost as much as others, and some don’t require as much travel time as the bigger circuits. I also tell them to pray and ask God what to do. My prayer is, “God, help me to use the outdoor skills you have given me to do well in this tournament, that my life will glorify you.” I try and give fishermen several options to consider if they are having financial difficulties that are making competing difficult.

Question: What is the second-biggest problem that tournament fishermen face?

Chappelear: Tournament fishermen often have family problems. Their wives are at home with their kids, the family has to deal with financial pressure, the fisherman is not doing well in tournaments, the sponsors take up more of his time, and his family needs more of his time. He is getting stretched between family and sponsor commitments. When a fisherman is gone 8-12 days or even three weeks, his wife often feels like the walls are caving in on her. The bills are coming in, there is no money coming in, the roof’s leaking, the kids need discipline, and dad’s gone fishing. So I pray a lot for the wives of the fishermen – they experience at least as much as, if not more stress than, the fishermen do.

Question: How do you help a fisherman to help his wife understand what he is doing and what he’s trying to do as a professional fisherman?

Chappelear: I first recommend that they try and include their wives as much as possible in all they do. I suggest that they fly their families to tournament sites as much as possible. Several tournaments a year I try to fly my family to a tournament I am fishing in so they can feel a part of what I am doing. I also recommend that fishermen introduce their wives to other fishermen’s wives. The wives have a Bible study and support groups. I also encourage the fishermen to invite their wives to practice with them and spend time with them on the water and make friends with the other fishermen’s wives. Then wives don’t feel so isolated. Part of the strategy of the Evil One is to take the two that have become one and separate them, making them both ones again by splitting them up. When the Devil does that, you have a wrecked family.

Next: Dealing with Self-Doubt

Contents:

• Part 1: Sportsman’s Outreach
• Part 2: The Fisherman Preacher
• Part 3: Advising the Fishermen
• Part 4: Dealing with Self-Doubt
• Part 5: A Journey of Faith