“
I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW
THAT EVERYTHING I ACCOMPLISH
IS FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.
changing and actually doing what they
were supposed to be doing out there
on the ledges,” says Rose. “I think it
really turned on the third day of prac-
tice and the off day, but by then I had
decided to abandon the ledge bite.
When I saw what was going on, I
changed my mind and went to the
ledges and caught them like I was sup-
posed to.”
The second day, Rose returned to
the weigh-in with 17-15, then 21-14 on
day three and 19-9 the last day. His
extraordinary rally and eventual fifth-
place finish at Kentucky Lake was the
turning of the tide in the AOY race. It
was a minor miracle, perhaps, but in
Rose’s world such divine intervention is
commonplace.
A Higher Mission
60
Rose prepared for the St. Clair event
as he usually does, by stopping
between home and his tournament
destination and speaking with the voice
of an outdoor sportsman to a local
church group. This time, it was at Lima
Baptist Temple in Lima, Ohio. Then, the
Sunday before the tournament began,
at 6 a.m. on the lake, he presided over
Fishin’ Church. Held before each Tour
event, it’s a prayer meeting that Rose
created for competitors who want to
observe the Sabbath before going
about their business of locating fish
and formulating strategies.
“Fishin’ Church stemmed from me
going to church somewhere on the
road before an event,” says Rose. “I was
missing some practice, and there were
other people who wanted to go to
church, but who didn’t want to miss
practice either. I got a conviction that
the Lord wanted me to provide church.
So a little after daylight on the Sunday
before a tournament we take 15 or 20
minutes and have a non-denomina-
tional service. I bring a short message
out of the Bible, and we lift up our
”
— MARK RosE
prayers for our fishing family. Mainly we
pray for their health and their safety,
and the FLW staff’s.”
As anyone who has visited an FLW
Tour weigh-in knows, Mark Rose is not
ashamed to profess his faith and lay
every success at the feet of a higher
power. Even bad days aren’t so bad to
this happy warrior. They serve Rose’s
purpose of revealing Who’s really in con-
trol, and that fortitude is a divine gift.
Rose is more polished in his delivery
to weigh-in crowds these days, proba-
bly because he’s had years of practice
sharing his testimony with various
church groups. In religious terms,
there’s a difference between preaching
and testifying. One is an attempt to
convince, the other to profess one’s
faith and lead by example. Rose fits the
latter mold. He nudges, rather than
exhorts, and FLW is his pulpit.
“I fish FLW because I can speak my
faith better here than anywhere else. I
want the world to know that everything
I accomplish is for the glory of God.
Fishing and doing well in tournaments
gives me more opportunities to
express that.”
The AOY crown represents excel-
lence, and the money that accompanies
it will make life better for Rose, his wife,
Christi, and their daughters, Natalie and
Hannah Grace. More importantly to
Rose, however, is that it lends more
credibility and clout to his message.
“The AOY race, the title – I’m more
proud that I can give all the glory to God
for that,” says the Arkansas pro. “It doesn’t
change much for me. Outdoor ministry is
a passion of mine. My heart beats to
reach sportsmen with the love of Jesus
Christ; to tell people about my faith.”
Nervous and fidgety about the
twists and turns his career sometimes
takes, yes; worried, no. Win or lose fish-
ing tournaments and AOY accolades,
Mark Rose knows his greatest cares
disappeared on Calvary’s hill.
FLWFISHING.COM I AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018