What Are Your Two Fish?
“We had no idea what we were getting into. It was never any part of the plan . . . but it would prove to be a decision that would change our lives. It would change our view of God. It would change the way we saw the world. And we weren’t looking for any of that.”
– Adam Walker
Only Two Fish
They saw hungry school kids. They saw families in need. They saw a God ready to move.
So Adam and Jennifer Walker did something.
They collected food, stored it temporarily in a small school closet, and handed it out to kids for the weekend.
But it wasn’t enough. All they had were two fish to feed a multitude of people.
Adam shares the story of what happened next in his book, Two Fish: Discovering the God of Immeasurably More. It’s challenging. It’s personal.
And it’s true. I know because I saw it.
I see it still.
Hand It Over
Contrary to the stereotype you may have of Alabama, you may be surprised that our high-tech city of Huntsville, the Rocket City, is full of professionals with big salaries and big houses and big dreams. Aerospace and military technology here bring in the best brains and generate a lot of money.
But the wealth never reaches everyone. Many in our county are among the poorest of the poor. Adam and Jennifer saw our poor every day at Sparkman Middle School where they were both teachers.
So they handed over their two fish to God in a great leap of faith. They began a food pantry in the shadow of Huntsville in our own community of Harvest.
I remember its beginnings. The prayers. The donations. The volunteers.
And the hungry people who came to be fed, both physically and relationally.
That was almost four years ago. House of the Harvest is still going strong. It continues to evolve to better meet the needs of those who line up every Saturday morning. My husband Jeff is one of the many volunteers who shows up next to Adam and Jennifer on the weekends to shine a light in our community.
Adam has now gathered his miraculous fish stories into Two Fish so everyone can understand that God isn’t finished multiplying our meager offerings. God takes what we give him, and turns it into something bigger than we can imagine.
He did that with House of the Harvest. He can do that with our fish, too.
What do your two fish look like? How can you give them to God?
Quotes from Two Fish
Here are some of my favorite lines from Adam in Two Fish.
“There was no denying . . . God was at work and He was providing in overwhelming ways. It was through all these experiences that I learned that the God of the Bible is the God of today. He loves the same, provides the same, and answers prayers the same.
He is the God who can multiply two fish into twelve baskets of leftovers . . . and that hasn’t changed, and it won’t change.”
~ * ~
“God had been making plans for that piece of land, that building, and for the Harvest community all those years before. . . . And He showed up at the moment that looked the darkest, the time when everyone thought it just wasn’t going to come together.”
~ * ~
“For me, I would rather give God too much credit than not enough.”
~ * ~
“Learning to think as ‘we’ instead of ‘me’ is the key to us accomplishing things that are bigger than ourselves.”
~ * ~
“There is something special about doing something for someone that can never repay you. Jesus was onto something when He said that 2,000 years ago. Matter of fact, I like to think that if Jesus were around today, He would be in Harvest, Alabama having breakfast at House of the Harvest on Saturday mornings.“
~ * ~
“All of us, together, on a hill, cannot be hidden. It’s a statement of community.”
~ * ~
“God is as big as we believe Him to be.”
* * *
When you buy Two Fish (you can get it here from Amazon), proceeds go to Two Fish Ministries to help real people with real needs.
Some of my own lessons from House of the Harvest:
- How to Raise a Godly Child
She collected over $100 from her fellow elementary students to donate to House of the Harvest. How do we raise a child like this? - Why Don’t You Ask? And Why You Probably Should
I hope to see Mrs. B again at House of the Harvest. There is so much more to know. And questions can get us there. - No Pride in Giving, No Shame in Taking
Let none of us think we’re always the giver. Or always the taker. We’re all some of both. That’s how God designed community to work.
I love it when people put feet to the Gospel. Thanks for the heads up Lisa.
You’d like Adam. He’s a doer but also preaches occasionally as well. He has a real heart for loving people like Jesus does.
This sounds like a must-read book. It goes right to the top of my TBR list. This couple allows God’s light to shine through them to bless thousands of people in need. What a great lesson for all of us.
And…I once ran the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville. It was a great race in a beautiful city!
Yes, Jennifer and Adam definitely let God’s light shine right through them and directly on to others. They both are sincere in their desire to touch others with the love of Jesus, and it shows.
I’ve attended the Rocket City Marathon to cheer on friends but never ran it myself. Maybe you were there one of those times! 🙂
What a cool project! I love it when God uses little people in big ways.
Me, too, Anita. And he is definitely using Adam and Jennifer. It’s amazing how they have opened up our eyes to the poverty and wealth right around us.
I love when people don’t just say “Someone should do something,” but follow God and do His will. What a neat testimony!
I know; I can often be that person who says “someone” should do something. 😉 It’s much easier for me to follow if someone else has already paved the way.
(Btw, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I finally got the comment box glitch taken care of. If you notice that you still have to clear out the previous person’s info in the comment box here, could you let me know? And if it’s not fixed, I’m back to square one. Sigh. Thanks, Barbara.)
I will. So far, so good. 🙂
Good! Hopefully the problem is solved. It would make me very happy. 🙂
Harvest ministries are so important and helpful for communities. Thanks for sharing on the #LMMLinkup this past week.
I agree, Mary. Ministries like these often bring new life to those who are struggling from week to week to find food to eat or people to talk to. I’m so thankful for all those who volunteer regularly to keep them going.
This is awesome!
The heart of God in one couple have touched so many lives… Love these kind of real life stories!
Yes, the world has changed everywhere. No more judging folks based on where they hail from. But the world of the under privileged still exists everywhere too. It too is changing one meal at a time.
I love these kind of stories, too. I knew Jennifer from the time she was a child so it’s really been special seeing how the Lord is using her in such important ways now, not only by starting House of the Harvest but in her work as a teacher and counselor to students. She and Adam are both amazing.