Living the Dream! Some common Myths about Becoming a Bass Pro

2018 will mark my 10th year traveling with the BASS Elite Series as the Chaplain for their Fellowship of Christian Anglers Society. During that time I have seen the highs and lows of a small group of guys who make a living as Rick Clunn put it "Chasing little green fish". For each of those who make that dream a reality, there are literally thousands that fail. People say it all the time. "Those guys are Living the dream"!  Here are some common "Myths" from an outsider looking in about Living the dream of Professional angling.

Myth 1- All it takes is Time on the water.

Of all the myths I will discuss this one has to be the number one false fantasy of those who pursue the dream of Professional Fishing. I hear it all the time. "If I can just spend enough time on the water, I can be as good as those guys. If that were the case, then the oldest anglers  would win every single event.  The fact of the matter is this, fishing is a God given gift, and skill just like any other. I can practice my basketball shooting every day, but I will never shoot as well as Steph Curry. Its the same with fishing. I can certainly improve, but either you have it or you don't.

Myth 2-  If I had all the equipment Sponsors give them, I could compete with the Elite Series and FLW guys.

Most local tackle stores are brimming with guys who brag about how they can beat the Pros,  and blame it on equipment. The truth is that most of the guys on the BASS and FLW tour started with the same equipment you have. The bass boat and type of rod you use does not equate to better tournament performances necessarily. Most Pros were winning long before they received anything from Sponsors.

Myth 3 - Since I beat the guys in my Bass club, I can compete with the Pros.

Winning at the club level may or may not be an indication of your ability to become a bass pro. What many guys fail to see is that traveling around the country and fishing different lakes at different times is a lot different than being the big stick on your home lake for 30 years. Marty Stone says that you need to be cashing a check in at least 80% of the tournaments you fish in, before moving up to the next level. Just because you can win the fruit jar tournament doesn't mean you can beat KVD.

Myth 4- If Sponsors threw money at me like they do those guys, I could fish professionally.

This legendary lie is propagated from boat ramps far and wide throughout our great nation. The reality is that with great Sponsorship comes tremendous responsibility! Sponsors don't just pay to get their patch on a shirt. They pay for the design, testing, promotion, and selling of a product. This responsibility comes with great pressure. I heard on Pro say when" I fished for fun I felt excited when I got a bite. Now I just feel relieved. "

There are some Pros that have there faces on the lures of the Bass Pro shop and Walmart. There are some eating peanut butter trying to win enough money to get home. Mark Davis said "I always laugh when golfers talk about pressure. Pressure is when there is 10 minutes left in the tournament, and you need a 5 pounder just to get home."  Just like anything you do, you better be called to do. If you are not called, then Living this dream can make you hate something you used to love.

Things Ive learned from BASS Pros about preparing for Bow Season!

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Over the window in my office hangs the Wells coat of arms. Underneath it reads one of the few Latin phrases that I know by heart. Semper Paratus which translates loosely "Always Prepared".  Now I am sitting here in the middle of July with the temperature hovering around 94 with 80% humidity, and suddenly it dawns on me that bow season in my state only about 3 weeks away! I can't tell you how many times I have let the season slip up on me, and I find myself totally unprepared. So what do I do? I look to some over looked experts for help.  You see one of the coolest secrets that I have learned while traveling with the BASS Elite Series Anglers is that some of the best Bass Fishermen in the world are also some of the best Bow Hunters as well. I have had the privilege of getting to hunt with as well as pick the brains of some of the best Bow hunters on the tour. Here are a few things I picked up from some really neat BASS Pros that just may help you get ready for bow season just in time!

1) Get your legs in shape. That's right your legs! Bow hunting can be one physically demanding sport. From the walk to your spot, to the climbing of the tree, without proper physical conditioning you can set yourself up for failure.  Clifford Pirch is a BASS Pro that hails from Payson Arizona, but when hunting season rolls around he is an Elk guide. In case  you don't know it, Elk hunting is a synonym for  "Hiking". Payson has some of the largest Public hunting areas in the country and they are loaded with Elk, and if you want to get them you have to walk them down! Cliff Pirch is a walking machine. Ive learned from Cliff that not only do the "legs feed the wolf", they also make bow hunters better.

2) Practice holding at full draw.  Over the last ten years or so I have had the privilege to get to hunt with Shaw Grigsby on several occasions. Shaw has one of the most successful fishing shows of all time in "One More Cast", but what everyone doesn't know is that he is literally a bow hunting guru who has executed shots in excess of 60 yards! One of the best things I learned from Shaw is to watch tv while holding your bow at full draw. Being able to develop the muscles that allow you to hold your draw longer will put you in a position to make stealthier and more ethical kill shots. I spend a lot of nights holding that string back while watching my favorite shows aka The Bassmasters, and Major League fishing.

3) Have the correct tools to set your stands correctly. Several years ago I got to go on a Mission trip to Joplin Missouri with BASS Pro Brent Chapman. We went in just days after the devastating tornados literally destroyed the city. Brent brought a team of workers and was a powerhouse with a chain saw. He had various types of extensions to reach most every situation we met. I asked him why he had so those and his answer was "tree stand placement". You don't have to have top of the line equipment, but having the correct tools to be able to clear, conceal, and hang your stands can be the difference in filling a tag or not.

Getting Prepared is critical. Whether in fishing, hunting, or your spiritual life, being prepared is the key!

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My Take on Perry Noble and NewSpring Church (2.0)

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I want to thank the now nearly 15,000 of you that read my last blog posts on My take on Perry Noble and  NewSpring Church. The response has been overwhelming with comments of your various opinions and ideas on my thoughts. I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and I want to invite you to be a regular reader of this Blog.

I also want to let you know that not every one of my posts will be a commentary on NewSpring Church, however I did feel led to write this follow up.  The vast majority of comments to my first post were positive, but there were some negative as well.  I respect the right of everyone to have their own opinion. Whenever I formulate an opinion, I always like to get my information from the direct source. If you choose to read the things I have written you will find that I am like that with my writing and my Bible reading. Often times it has been my experience that people hear and read what they want to, and many times critical context is ignored. I want to also reiterate that I have no dog in the NewSpring "fight, I am by all accounts as I said an outside observer.

Now with that said, if you will recall in my last post I concluded by saying that "I have no problem disagreeing or  even opposing someone on hard fact theological errors".  It is very spiritually ironic to me that shortly before I posted my blog that Perry Noble preached a message on Christmas eve that at least part of which I do disagree with. Before I share those with you, I know that some people are getting their critical information from an article written in which claims that Perry Rescinded the 10 commandments. I intentionally have delayed my response to this so I could watch the Dec 24th message and his Jan 4 message in order to hear the context (I suggest you do the same).

In Perry's December 24th message there were in my opinion 3 points of contention, that I will address.

The first of which were Perry's comment on there being no Hebrew word for "Command". He stated that the 10 commandments could better be called the 10 promises. My response to this is No and yes. There is actually a word for commandment in Hebrew, but at the same time the 10 commandments are often referred to in Hebrew at the 10 Sayings, the 10 words, as well as the 10 matters. He used them as the 10 promises. In my opinion he could have worded this better. I also believe the 10 commandments are commands  because the law drives us to the savior. A wise man once said " the Commandments are like a mirror that shows us the stubble on our face. We don't take the mirror down and shave with it, rather it drives us to pick the razor"  The commandments show my need for a savior.

Secondly during the course of the message he (according to his own words) used the N word inadvertently. I had to listen to it 3 times to hear it.  I honestly don't believe he meant to say that, and he apologized for it in his address on Jan. 4. I know that in the course of my speaking, I have gotten jumbled and said words that I didn't mean to say.

Thirdly, people have said that he rescinded or rewrote the commandments. I don't think that is what he did at all. What I saw in the video was Perry quoting the commandment and then saying it in his own words. There were some of his points I thought he did a great job on an others I think he did not do so great on. I think he could have re framed that message better, and I attribute that to his (by his own admittance) lack of preparation.

With all of that said, what concerns me most is the exuberance of some in the christian community who seem over zealous to see this man and this church fall. Do I agree with everything that Perry Noble says? Absolutely not, and I'll let you in on a big secret. There are very (few if any) pastors and theologians that I agree with 100% of the time. Let me give you some examples. 

-TD Jakes and I would disagree  on the Trinity and how one receives the Holy Spirit. Does that mean that I think he is not a man of God? Absolutely not!
- The Duck Dynasty crew and I disagree on baptism. They believe baptism is essential for salvation. I believe baptism is a step of obedience. Do I think they are lost for saying that. I do not.
- John Piper doesn't believe that Jesus came to die for everyone. I believe that He came to die for every single person on the planet. Does that mean he is not a man of God. I don't think so.
-Perry Noble messes up in a single message by saying a word he shouldn't and frames his message in a manner that was hurried and hurt the meaning. Does that make him a heretic? I think not.

It stuns me  how the positives of that message have been totally ignored. I can say this with all integrity of heart. There are very precious few people that I have seen, that care more about people coming to Jesus than Perry Noble. It is evident in his demeanor that he passionately and sincerely desires people to trust Christ. I watched that invitation he gave that night. I did not see manipulation, but rather passionate concern for the lost to be saved. It is my understanding that over 200 indicated they trusted Christ that night.

I pray in my own life that God would fan such a desire in me to care about where people spend eternity. There seems to be such an arrogance and meanness in our dealings with one another. Jesus said "they will know we are Christians by our love for one another". Sometimes I wonder if they do? There seems to be an ominous recruitment to get people into one theological camp or the other. As for me, I have decided to take the advice of one of my Mentors. He said: "Chris in church life, people will ask you what camp you are in. Always remember, Jesus called you to go Fishing, not camping".

Forever Fishing,

Chris Wells

Jesus hung out with Fishermen, Not golfers!

Now before you get too bent out of shape and hook your ball over in the lake, let me say that I know that Jesus loves golfers too. My point is that in the time that Jesus lived he chose to spend his time with regular people. In my world fishermen are the end all be all, but in His day, a different story. Fishermen were grinders. Guys who had to get out their and work for a living. No 21 ft boats, fancy rods, or shiny lures for these guys.  No fans wearing their tournament tunics and asking for autographs. Just nets, sun, work, and stink! And yet these are the type of men that Jesus picked to carry his message around the world.

There were some other types of  guys, but their prestige doesn't get much better either. Tax collectors, cheats, murderous persecutors, and a couple of guys named "Sons of Thunder"(motorcycle Ministry?).
Basically what I am saying is that if our Churches today were looking to reach the world, these guys would not make the "Big time" Speakers list. Have you noticed that our approach to doing evangelism and enlisting folks to reach the world is vastly different than how Jesus did it? As a matter of fact we do it exactly the opposite!

I heard controversial speaker Dr. Tony Campollo speak once about how our Churches love to glorify the ones that are already glorified! Now despite how you may feel about Dr Campollo, he's right. Our approach to reaching people is to take the greatest golfer, beauty queen, former rock star, big time Actor, biker king, comedian, millionaire hunter, successful businessman, and most of all Former superstar Football players, and bring them in to tell us like it is! I recently had a representative of a Non profit organization share what a deal they got on a former actor to come and speak. "We got him to speak for 45 minutes for only 15,000 dollars!" I quickly volunteered to do devotionals everyday for 6 months for 14 thousand! No takers. Now I want you to know that I am not picking on what anyone makes, that is between them and God.

What I am saying is that we have created a culture of "Christian Stars". I'm afraid  that instead of being "Salt and Light" to a world that needs truth so desperately, we look like a cheap mirrored subculture. Can God use Christian stars? Yes, He can do use whatever He wants, but I think we would do well to look to His example. The guys and girls He used, only brought glory to Him, not themselves. Former Christian singer Steve Camp sang " We give God the glory, but we are happy to a take the award".

I would really love to see this on an event flyer: He's not a star, he's not a millionaire, hes not an actor, or even a former football player. He's just an ordinary guy with an extraordinary message! The problem is often times most people won't attend unless the big name is there. Wouldn't it be cool if Jesus was always the big name?

P.S. To all my golfing friends I just want to say that there is nothing like spending a day at the golf course catching big Bass!