Did you see the little statement on the cover of this book? Grandpas tell the best stories. This story is written just as a grandfather would tell it to his grandchildren and their friends. Our story begins with two brothers returning from a less than a successful fishing trip on the Sea of Galilee. "So few fish..... So much work... Fishing these waters is not what it was when we were children. Our father and grandfather would fill this boat with fish, then clean and salt them before the sun went down. Now we fish for two days and are lucky if we get half a boat load and then that greedy Roman tax collector takes a fourth of what we catch." "Now Devas, settle down," came the ever calming voice of Ezra. "You and I have fished these waters all our lives. We have had hard times before. This old boat has fed and provided for our families and given us a good living. Fishing is going to get better, you'll see.... You know, I've been thinking ...there are so many new settlements and towns springing up around the sea that the increased noise and lights may be causing the fish to go farther out where it is quieter and there are fewer lights." "My brother, you are absolutely right. I remember the many times when we were young and playing on this same old boat, our father would whisper in a stern voice, 'Be quiet and put out that lantern... you are scaring the fish away'. We should sail to a deserted area I know on the other side of the sea where there are no lights and no noise. We can catch a boatload of fish. Joshua and Sam have been asking to go with us someday, so let's take them with us tomorrow." The next morning, before the sun was up, there were Devas and Ezra on their boat as usual, but this time they had two new, excited helpers. "Sam, you steer.....Joshua, man the sails while your father and I get the nets ready." On the pier were two apprehensive mothers, each watching one of their children headed off to sea with their fathers and uncle for a three day fishing trip. At the same time, across the sea, Jesus and his disciples were getting into a boat that was departing to a deserted place where the disciples could tell Jesus about their mission to heal and to spread His word. We now have two boats from different places headed to the same location for two different reasons. One was to get away from people and lights so they could catch fish. The other group wanted to get away from people for a while so they would be able to rest and tell Jesus about the events of the last several weeks. I hope reading my book, well give you a better picture of what life may have been like around the time Jesus came to earth as a child and throughout His ministry. The Bible tells the wonderful story of Jesus much better than I could, so I wrote about the people that were much like you or me. The disciples' caught up in the storm and Jesus walking on water is recorded in the scriptures, however, there must have been others at sea during that storm and there were anxious people back home waiting and worrying about their children, husbands, sons and grandchildren. My story is about people like those folks.
