Funeral For Martina Klimple Adams

The Rev. Joseph Winston

February 15, 2010

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.1
There is something about a hunter that sets them out from the rest of the world.
They do not sleep in on cold fall mornings like the rest of us. They are the ones that
get up long before the first rays of the sun peak over the horizon on the opening day
of deer season. When compared to the rest of the general population, hunters have
more than their fair share of patience. They are the ones who sit calmly for hours
in the stand waiting for the right buck to come into their sights. To people who
never have held a gun, pulling the trigger seems so easy. Hunters know otherwise.
It has taken hours of practice to get here and the work will continue as long as
they make the drive down to the lease.
Knowing exactly what you need is yet another skill the hunters have that the
rest of the world far too often lacks. In plain language, they know you never bring
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3.

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a knife to a gunfight. There is a right tool for the job at hand and that is what you
use. Around here, when you hunt deer you use a rifle. Shotguns are used on birds
like White-winged Doves and Quails. Fish is another matter altogether because it
really depends on what you are trying to catch.
Sometimes you use a rod and reel. That is a great way to enjoy a lazy summer
afternoon in Texas. Grab your favorite pole, go down to the stock tank or river,
find yourself a shady spot, and start fishing. On a good day, you might be able
to catch your limit. On a bad one, (Are there really any bad fishing days?) it is
possible to come home empty handed.
At other times, a net is more appropriate. Maybe you need to catch some bait
for the day. Toss out the net, drag it back in, and see what you have. Keep what
works and throw the rest back. Nets also work well when it is necessary to bring
home a large catch. That is why commercial shrimpers and fishers often use nets.
With a net, they can trawl the bay for shrimp and other delicacies.
A net really does not care what it caches. For generations, fishers have used
this fact to their advantage. They pull the net across a place where fish migrate,
they throw one out in the water, or they drag it behind a boat. In each example, the
reason is the same. They expect the fish to be in the general area and they want to
catch them.
The commercial fishermen on the Sea of Galilee used these same techniques
two thousand years ago. They used nets to catch fish.
At one time, James, John, Peter, and Andrew were professional fishermen.
That is how they earned their living, compensated their employees, and paid their

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taxes to Rome. They knew the best time to go out and fish. They understood all
the technical details about repairing nets and boats. They left all this behind when
Jesus invited them to be fishers of men (Mathew 4:18-19; Mark 1:16-20).
Following Christ’s lead, they kept two important details exactly the same in
their new line of work. First of all, they kept using nets. These fishers of men went
were people gathered, they tossed out their nets, and brought them all in.
One of the countless people drawn to Christ is our beloved sister Martina,
better known as Tina. I do not have to tell you how much hunting and fishing
played a key part in Tina’s life. Her friends and family will readily bring you that
message.
So it should be no surprise to you that Tina got right to work fishing. She took
the net that is the message of Jesus and His saving love and threw it out over her
friends and family. Joining in with the rest of the crew, the body of Christ and His
Spirit, they pulled people in. She would be pleased to know that the net brought
you here today. But that is not why she worked as a fisher. Tina labored long
hours as a member of this crew never expecting anything back in return. That is
how much she enjoyed fishing.
It is clear that her love from the outdoors rubbed off on other parts of her life.
She liked to get out of the house. She enjoyed traveling and expected to take a
vacation every year even if her husband was not all that fond of going on a trip.
Gardening was another way Tina stayed out doors. Hunting also instills a keen
sense of competition. If you want to get a trophy buck, you will have to work for it.
Tina carried this same attitude throughout her life. When you played canasta with

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her, you played to win. Unfortunately, Tina never coached the Houston Astros.
Even though she loved to go to Houston to see the boys play in the “Eight Wonder
of the World,” they never won the World Series and showed the rest of the world
how we do it down here in Texas.
Life was not always fun and games. Tina never had a chance to finish her
education she started in Holman. That did not stop her from taking a job. Many
people remember her working at the Texas Grill in Rosenberg. Who can forget
the large neon cowboy with the all-important words, “Air Conditioned Dinning
Room?” Like many people of her generation, Tina married Louis Dolejsi, Jr. at
what seems to us to be an early age of sixteen. After being widowed, she married
in 1977 Glenn Adams. He too died before her. The years also took their toll on
her body. She could not get out as much as she liked.
Despite the illness that age brings, she had her sister Doris take her to St. John
Lutheran Church a few weeks ago for Holy Communion. This brings us to another
constant in Tina’s life, her love for God. Her entire life reflected this fact. She was
confirmed in Columbus, Texas and continued in her church, whether it was in
Columbus, Alpine, or Wallis. Her Bible proves this point. It is worn out from the
time she spent reading it.
Tina’s life in the church clearly shows us the strategy of a commercial fisher-
man. He came and He caught her. Long before she was born, Jesus selected Tina
as one of His own. He claimed Her in the waters of Baptism and throughout her
life here on earth, Jesus kept her close to Him.
That is what separates hunters from the rest of the world. They know what they

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want and they go out and get it. That is why they are willing to get up at sunrise
and sit in a cold stand. They want that animal. Jesus captured Tina and made her
His own.
We can finally return to the second item those fishermen first called by Jesus
kept exactly the same as before. We still have a boat. Yes, it is hard to see right
here, but go around to all the churches in the area. First, go inside and look up.
The ceiling high above us comes together along a single axis. It is as if you are
looking at a ship’s keel from inside the ship’s hold. Look around. The walls soar
up from the foundation until they finally reach the roof. They could be forming
the insides of a hull. Look down. Imagine how much a wood floor would look like
a deck. When you go outside and look at the building, these visual clues about the
real nature of this building continue. The roof looks like the outer part of a hull.
What we worship in is really a ship that has been flipped upside down. The
name of this area of the building really gives it away. It is the nave and it comes
from the Latin word that means ship. This great boat, did exactly what is was
designed for. It safely carried our beloved sister Tina to the other shore.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”2

2
Philippians 4:7.