Friday, I attempted to summit Mt Adams. I was very confident that I would make it. I have been training by walking 5 miles close to once a week, then 10 miles monthly. It wasn’t enough because I only made it to the “Lunch Counter,” a spot on the mountain about 10,000 feet up. Adams is 12,207 feet, and the first part of the climb is the easiest. We started climbing at 4:30 am and reached the “Lunch Counter” about noon. By then, I was “cooked” and had just enough energy to make it back down. We got back down right at 4:00 pm, so we had been climbing for almost 12 hours, and I felt it.

The next day, every muscle in my body hurt, even my toes. I am going to attempt to submit Adams’ again next year. Even though I didn’t make it this year, I enjoyed the challenge and the experience of trying to reach the top. I am going to train harder next year than I did this year, and I am going back to the plan of climbing it in two days instead of one. Even with a lot of hard training, I don’t think I can climb much faster than I did this year. I have a year to think about my plan and to work on my cardio. I think I will make it next year. It is funny how a little time makes everything better. When I was sitting in the car Friday night, headed home after 12 hours of climbing, I was certain I would never do that again. I was too old, it hurt too much, it took too much time to get in shape, and I felt certain that if I attempted to climb to the top again, I would probably die. But then on Sunday afternoon, I started thinking about how much fun it was to exhaust myself to near death, how I actually did pretty well, and that I could really do it. 

In two days, I will attempt to climb Mt Adams. I am nervous about not reaching the top. I have failed to summit the last three times I have attempted to climb it. What is most irritating is that I used to climb it 4 to 6 times a year with no trouble at all. I have successfully climbed it over 30 times. Once, I climbed it twice in one day. Obviously, those days are long gone. I am in good shape right now, and I know that I can do it physically. The problem isn’t my legs; it is my brain. I know that when I get to the 10,000-foot level, my brain will come up with 10,000 reasons why I ought to quit and turn back. My brain can be very persuasive because it doesn’t like pain. The only way I am going to win this battle with my wimpy, lazy, self-centered brain is to anticipate the self-talk that is going to happen and determine not to let it control my life. I used to run marathons, and about mile 18, my brain would start screaming at me to quit because I was killing myself for no good reason. With marathon runners, it is called the wall. If you can run even one mile past the wall, you will finish. The key was anticipating the battle and being determined to win it. The same thing happens in many areas of life. Our brains talk us into taking the easy way out and quitting. Many are haphazard in their church attendance, their Bible reading, their prayer life, and in many other areas of personal responsibility. The way to win is to set a goal, meditate on accomplishing it, think about the grand feeling of succeeding, and anticipate our flesh’s reluctance to work hard, and meditate on conquering those thoughts. 

I have a routine that I do most evenings at home. I ride my stationary bike for 30 minutes, and I do my Bible reading while I ride. My bike is a recumbent with a table attached, so it is easy to set my iPad on the table, put it in big font, and read away. When I am finished with the ride, I lift weights for 30 minutes and review my Bible memory verses in the rest breaks. I have 800 verses memorized, and I try to review them all every week. After that, I read a good book for 30 minutes. My goal is to read 100 pages every week, and with 30 minutes a day, I can make that goal most weeks.

After that, I write in my prayer journal for 30 minutes. These written prayers address my struggles with certain sins and attitudes, the goals I am working on, my ministry successes, and my character flaws. I also write prayers for family members and friends, asking God to bless them. I then move to my prayer lists in my prayer app, which include lost people I am praying for, family members, people in my church, pastor friends, and prayer letters from JBC and JEC. I then write a blog post about the work I am doing, my activities, personal struggles and life in general. Sometimes I get a whole Blog entry of about 300 words done in 30 minutes, and sometimes it takes me several nights to get one done. I then read the news and sports, which I could spend hours on, but I limit myself to 30 minutes. I sometimes scold myself for spending as much time reading the news as I do my Bible. I then spend my last 30-minute segment listening to YouTube articles about something I am interested in, like fishing, boat building, or camper building. If you add up those 30-minute segments, you will see that I spend 4 hours each evening on these disciplines. On the average I am successful at getting all 8 done about 5 days a week.

I like routine, probably from milking cows at the same time every day, growing up on the dairy farm. Some people are more successful at their disciplines in the morning, but I much prefer the evenings for mine. Fishing and hunting trips will mess with my routine some, but I try hard to keep faithful in these key disciplines no matter what is happening. Without the discipline and goals of routine, the world, our flesh, and the devil will cause us to be very haphazard at doing those things that are essential for our growth and success as Christians. How are you doing in your Bible reading? In your prayer life? 

I walked ten miles today, with some significant hills. I did pretty well, hoofing it along at three miles an hour for the entire distance. I was pretty tired at the end and took a two-hour nap to help recover. My walk today is part of my training regimen for my attempt to summit Mt Adams on Thursday. Right now, I am feeling pretty good about my chances of succeeding. Every year, in my list of goals, I try to include a couple of major challenges that I call B-HAGs, Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals. My two this year were going to Sierra Leone on a mission trip and to climb Mt. Adams. I have been to Sierra Leone about 30 times since 2002, but none in the last 8 years because of my health.

I successfully made the trip a month ago and had a wonderful time doing ministry. It went so well that I am planning to go again in February. I have also successfully climbed Mt Adams over 30 times since my first summit in 1965, but I have not reached the top in the last 8 years, having failed in my last three attempts. So if I am successful on Thursday, I will have conquered my two B-HAGs for the year. I find that the older I get, the more inclined I am to take it easy in life, to choose comfort over hard, and to justify my choices on my age, my health, and my energy level. I used to always have at least 6 B-HAGs, but this year I had only 2, and next year, probably only 1. Next year’s one could be my last, so I am going to make it a real doozy. A major goal in life, given to us by God, is to grow in the character of Christ as much as possible before we enter glory. Choosing the hard, narrow way rather than the broad, easy one is the key to rapid growth in the image of Christ. Think about that as you set your goals and plan your life. 

Both of my hip replacements seemed to have healed up well. I have lost almost 40 lbs, and I am riding my stationary bike, walking, and lifting weights almost every day. I am feeling better right now than I have felt in years. I realize that at 77 years of age, that could change quickly, but I am enjoying the moment. Patty, on the other hand, has been having some major health issues. Most of what she is going through is pain in her hips and back, and even in her shoulder. At times, the pain has been so severe that she can’t get out of bed. She has a walker and has been going to physical therapy, and seems to be getting better slowly. So many of my friends have major health issues. I attend four different prayer meetings each week, and a major focus of prayer is for people with health issues. I receive the weekly prayer letter from three different churches, and the prayer requests include many for health problems. My son-in-law is paralyzed and in a wheelchair. I pray for his healing every night. My brother-in-law just died of pancreatic cancer. I prayed every night since he was diagnosed with cancer that God would heal him. Another son-in-law recently had surgery for colon cancer, and I prayed for him every night. Sometimes it seems my prayers get answered, other times, no. But one answer I always get is peace, strength, and joy despite circumstances. Some people get bitter when things don’t go the way they want, but every time I pray, I end with, “Lord, whatever happens, I trust You totally.” “You are God, You are all wise, You love me beyond my comprehension, I will never second-guess what You are doing, I trust You.” 

As I get older, my body becomes less mobile and not as strong. I am working at slowing that process down as much as I can. I take vitamins and various supplements, watch what I eat, keep my weight down, and exercise. I think I am doing pretty well at 77. I just got back from a three-day drift/fishing trip where I rowed a pontoon boat 8 hours a day, slept on the ground, and loaded and unloaded the boat each day. But as I get older, my main concern is my mind. I see so many seniors getting feeble in their thinking. I think that, as far as I can tell, my thinking and reasoning ability is as good as it has ever been. As with our physical bodies, if we do nothing, age will win. My plan to keep my mind young and sharp is the same as my plan for my physical body: exercise it strenuously. I read a lot, and I read a lot of difficult books to improve my vocabulary and reasoning. I write a lot. The best discipline for learning to think in a straight line is writing. Anything that I speak in public as teaching, I first write. I read the Bible a lot; it is the mind of Christ. I memorize scripture for at least 30 minutes every day. Memorizing works our minds and makes them stronger. 

We have 8 kids, 6 sons-in-law, two daughters-in-law, and 28 grandkids. Patty and I both love doing nice things for all of them. Our budget for spending on kids and grandkids is very high. But that doesn’t bother us because it is probably the most enjoyable thing we do. I believe that we are that way because God is that way, and we are made in His image. Last week, I was with two sons-in-law, a grandson, my brother, and two good friends on the John Day River. We spent three days drifting down it, camping on the river, and fishing non-stop. We all caught between 100 and 200 fish apiece, catching and releasing. The scenery on the John Day is amazing. Between the fellowship, the fishing, and the beauty, it was a very enjoyable three days. If I give something to a grandchild and it makes them happy, I am happy. Last week was a gift from God, and I believe I glorified Him by enjoying it. God is a giver of good gifts, and He enjoys seeing His kids happy with them. 

When Patty and I werė visiting with Monte, my friend and brother-in-law, last Sunday, a day before he died from pancreatic cancer, when it seemed obvious that he was getting tired, I stood up and said, ” Well, we’d better be going and let you get some rest.” He said, “Thank you for coming, that was a long way to drive for 15 minutes of visiting.” I responded, “I wanted very much to see you one more time before you headed off to heaven.” We made eye contact, he smiled, not a big smile, but a smile, and nodded his head. I returned the smile, nodded my head, and then we left. There are so many adventures that we have had together, funny things we have experienced, and conversations about the Bible and life that we have had that I will remember for a long time, but I will never forget that last eye contact, smile, and nod. It was a great moment between friends that communicated so much. 

My brother -in-law, and good friend, Monte Pearson, died this last week from Pancreatic cancer. Last Sunday, Patty and I drove up to Trout Lake to see him one last time. We visited for about 30 minutes, reminiscing about the early years of our friendship. The first time I climbed Mt Adams, I was with Monte; the first time I climbed Mt Hood, I was with him as well; the only time I climbed Mt St Helens before it erupted, I was with Monte. He and I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail through Washington State together. We attempted Mt Ranier, but didn’t quite make it to the summit. We were both dairy farmers and often helped each other out on projects. We were both very involved and active in our church, and we served together to make it healthier. He married my sister, Laura, so he became family as well as my good friend. When a good friend dies, there is the sadness that comes with loss, but with Monte, there was all the thinking and contemplation I have been doing about the character he added to my life. Monte wasn’t very outgoing; in fact, we would often spend hours together without saying a word. Monte was steadfast, faithful, reliable, and tough. He always did what was right. He always did what he said he would do. He never took the easy way. He helped those who needed it, and he did so as a matter of principle; it was the right thing to do. I like to think I am faithful and dependable, and I know that Monte Pearson is the main reason I am. 

Next week, eight of us are driving to the John Day River, putting our rubber pontoon boats in the river near the town of Mitchell, drifting for three days, and fishing for smallmouth bass. We will camp for three nights on the river, eating fish every night. I will have my 13-year-old grandson, Courage, on my boat with me. Over the last 40 years, I have probably done this trip at least 20 times, and I have never gone down it when it was as low as it is this year. The river is usually at about 1,000 CFM the first week of June, when we usually go. Last year it was 600 CFM, and this year it is 400 CFM. That means we will be getting off our rafts and often pulling them over gravel bars. Someone asked me if we would be going through any scary rapids, and I said that in most places the water will not be deeper than our knees. The great thing about this is that the fish will be congregated in the deeper holes. There are approximately 4,000 fish per river mile, and now they will be squished together in spots deeper than one foot. We usually catch over 50 fish per day per person, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we catch twice that many this year. We catch and release, keeping enough for dinner each night. This is a very beautiful stretch of river, and the trip is very relaxing. This is the first time I have done anything with this grandson, and I am looking forward to spending time with him. He has never done anything like this before, and I am hoping he has a very good time with his grandpa. There aren’t many experiences where I feel more blessed by God than these kinds of trips.