Energy is an interesting thing to think about and ponder in my own life. There is physical energy, but the energy that seems to affect me most is emotional or inner energy. It might also be called willpower. I have a fairly long list of what I call daily disciplines: Bible reading, Bible memorization, prayer, reading in a good book, journaling, exercising, praying with Patty, and writing some notes to people. I usually do pretty well at getting them all done every day. Lately, many family members and close friends have gotten seriously sick, and some may not live much longer. There are always some, that is life, but of late it seems the number has increased substantially. The result is that I have gotten flat, developed an inner weariness, and really struggled to get my disciplines done. One of the things that has helped is my recent study for this Sunday’s sermon on self-control. Those with self-control are overcomers; they overcome the world and its attractiveness, they overcome their own flesh and the temptations that come from their sin nature, and they overcome the devil and all of his schemes and tricks to get them to turn away from God. Life is up and down, with its trials and tribulations; sometimes there are few, and then there are the seasons of plenty. Being faithful to the disciplines, my goals, and right living is relatively easy during the good times, but it takes endurance and self-control to keep running the race during the hard times. The key thing for me is to choose to rejoice and to pray a lot for God’s strength, peace, and joy despite life. A major object of rejoicing is eternity with Jesus with a glorified body. Every one of my friends and family who is sick loves Jesus and will be with Him if they die. I am looking forward very much to the day I depart this life for glory. My Mom and Dad are there, and an increasing number of family and friends.

I am looking forward to the big reunion with them all when I get there. 

Psalms 5:12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.

James 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

God blesses his people when they do his will. There are several conditions God sets for Him to pour out His blessings and favor on us. Wise people would work at discovering what those conditions are and pursue them. Life is so much better when we experience God’s favor and are blessed by Him. One of the major ways to be blessed by God is to bless His church. Ephesians says that God is working at making the church beautiful, without spot or blemish, and that the church will be the eternal companion of Jesus. God uses people to edify His church, and when we are a reason for our church becoming increasingly healthy, we become one of God’s favorites. One of the easiest and best ways to do that is to be involved in a ministry of some kind. It can be daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, and it can be with kids, adults, or in a service ministry. For older people like me who can’t get out as much, praying faithfully through the weekly prayer letter is a great ministry, and attending prayer meetings is a great way to connect with others and build the church. 

Yesterday was the two-month anniversary of my right hip replacement. I am getting along pretty well with it and expect to be as good as new in another couple of weeks. With the normal wear and tear on my physical body as I get older, it is nice to have some new parts that work well. Some of my favorite verses at this stage of my life are 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

“Our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” That is the way it is supposed to be with each of us who are born-again believers; our inner person is becoming more mature, more like Jesus Christ, and our character is becoming more and more perfect. That is God’s will for us, to become like Him so that we can enjoy Him and He us when we get to heaven. The problem is that, as the Apostle Paul put it, many Christians have remained carnal, babies in character, immature. It isn’t supposed to be that way. 

One of my goals is to build a camper for my pickup. I want to be able to drive to the Snake River, Diamond Lake, or Wallowa Lake, pull my boat, and stay several days. I used to do that by setting up a tent and camping, but I am getting to the age where I don’t enjoy sleeping on the ground anymore. I have been looking at campers for the last couple of years, and they were usually too heavy for my F150 or too expensive. So I started researching how to build one out of fiberglass. I have built several boats out of fiberglass, so I know how to work with it. As I started digging around on the internet, I found that lots of guys had built campers, and many of them were very practical. So I found some plans for one that I really liked and have been revising them a bit, actually a lot, and I’m about ready to get started on it. It will sleep four people and include a toilet, shower, microwave, heater, air conditioner, stove, table, generator, and a refrigerator with a freezer. I have been buying stuff for it a little bit at a time each month, mostly on Amazon. I love working on projects like this, but I really enjoy all the planning that goes into making the project perfect. I also plan on using it as a support vehicle for future bicycle trips.

When you look around the world, it is obvious that God is incredibly creative, and He created everything without plans. God created us in His image and likeness, and we are creative in nature like God is. It is very rewarding for me to think about, research, plan, draw, and build something useful to me that looks good and works well, like a boat or a camper. We are all creative by God’s design, but our creativity is often expressed in different ways. Some people write music, some invent things, others write, some paint beautiful pictures, start businesses, and solve problems. What is your creative bent?

It has been two months since I had my right hip replaced. I still have quite a bit of pain in it when I walk, but it is getting better a little bit at a time. I didn’t go to physical therapy like I did when I had my left hip done because I figured I could do it myself at home, but I was lazy and didn’t do it, and as a result, this hip has taken a lot longer to become pain-free. But I have repented. Now, I am doing stretches for 15 minutes twice a day, riding my stationary bike for 15 minutes twice a day, and walking on my treadmill for 15 minutes twice a day. That is three hours every day, but I listen to podcasts or read in my book or the Bible while I exercise to make good use of my time. March 23rd to the 27th is Spring Break, and my pastor’s schedule is pretty free that week, so I am declaring myself totally healed on the 23rd and going to work on our house project all day, every day. That is 17 days, and I am sure that with my current rate of exercise, I can do that. On April 11th, I am going to walk a half-marathon in Corvallis, and then I am going to walk 15 miles every week after that until July 2nd, when I am going to climb Mt Adams. That is my goal and my plan. 

I also want to grow spiritually and in character every day until I step into heaven. Growing happens the same way that recovery from hip surgery does. Faithfully practicing the basic disciplines of the Christian life: Bible reading, Bible memorization and meditation, prayer, gathering with other believers, self-examination and confession of sin, seeking wisdom, giving, serving, and others. Most Christians are not very faithful at doing the disciplines for the same reason I didn’t do my therapy exercises, too busy with stuff, thinking I really didn’t need it, and lazy. 

I had my left hip replaced about 9 months ago. I was pretty much back to normal after two months. There was a little bit of pain, but not much, and I could walk pretty much better than before. I got my right hip replaced almost two months ago, and the pain is still very severe, and my walking is slow and painful. I went to my orthopedic surgeon, who did the surgery last week, and asked him why there was such a difference. He looked at the X-rays and then at the papers in his file folder. He said, “You went to physical therapy twice a week for six weeks on your last hip replacement, but this time you didn’t go at all. Why was that?” Well, the exercises and stretches they had me do weren’t very complicated, so I figured I could save myself the drive into Salem twice a week and do them myself. The next question he asked me was quite embarrassing. “So did you do them the same way and for the same amount of time?” I responded, “No, I mostly forgot.” He laughed and said, “Well, the good news is that the consequences are that you will be a month or two longer recovering than last time, but you will fully recover.” 

In our spiritual walk and growth toward being like Christ in character, the worst words you can say are, “I can do it by myself, I don’t need you.” Small groups, accountability groups, support groups, Bible study groups, and prayer groups are essential for our growth and Christian maturity. Still, many sincere Christians don’t want to take the time and say, “I can do it by myself, I don’t need you.”

I had my left hip replaced about 9 months ago. I was pretty much back to normal after two months. There was a little bit of pain, but not much, and I could walk pretty much better than before. I got my right hip replaced almost two months ago, and the pain is still very severe, and my walking is slow and painful. I went to my orthopedic surgeon, who did the surgery last week, and asked him why there was such a difference. He looked at the X-rays and then at the papers in his file folder. He said, “You went to physical therapy twice a week for six weeks on your last hip replacement, but this time you didn’t go at all. Why was that?” Well, the exercises and stretches they had me do weren’t very complicated, so I figured I could save myself the drive into Salem twice a week and do them myself. The next question he asked me was quite embarrassing. “So did you do them the same way and for the same amount of time?” I responded, “No, I mostly forgot.” He laughed and said, “Well, the good news is that the consequences are that you will be a month or two longer recovering than last time, but you will fully recover.” 

In our spiritual walk and growth toward being like Christ in character, the worst words you can say are, “I can do it by myself, I don’t need you.” Small groups, accountability groups, support groups, Bible study groups, and prayer groups are essential for our growth and Christian maturity. Still, many sincere Christians don’t want to take the time and say, “I can do it by myself, I don’t need you.”

I had my left hip replaced about 9 months ago. I was pretty much back to normal after two months. There was a little bit of pain, but not much, and I could walk pretty much better than before. I got my right hip replaced almost two months ago, and the pain is still very severe, and my walking is slow and painful. I went to my orthopedic surgeon, who did the surgery last week, and asked him why there was such a difference. He looked at the X-rays and then at the papers in his file folder. He said, “You went to physical therapy twice a week for six weeks on your last hip replacement, but this time you didn’t go at all. Why was that?” Well, the exercises and stretches they had me do weren’t very complicated, so I figured I could save myself the drive into Salem twice a week and do them myself. The next question he asked me was quite embarrassing. “So did you do them the same way and for the same amount of time?” I responded, “No, I mostly forgot.” He laughed and said, “Well, the good news is that the consequences are that you will be a month or two longer recovering than last time, but you will fully recover.” 

In our spiritual walk and growth toward being like Christ in character, the worst words you can say are, “I can do it by myself, I don’t need you.” Small groups, accountability groups, support groups, Bible study groups, and prayer groups are essential for our growth and Christian maturity. Still, many sincere Christians don’t want to take the time and say, “I can do it by myself, I don’t need you.”

I like to set goals and then plan and strategize on how to accomplish them. Some of my favorite goals are fishing, hunting, bicycling, and traveling. These goals all require days on the calendar and space in our budget, so some juggling takes place, usually starting about now. Almost all of these goals involve other people, so I am not only considering my calendar and budget but also theirs. New and unexpected events often get thrown into the mix periodically, which usually force adjustments to my goals and schedule. One such new event is that my granddaughter, Praise, recently got engaged, and the wedding will take place in Liberia, West Africa, in August. Round-trip tickets to Liberia cost money that will cut into my hunting and fishing funds, and August 28th is when many of my hunting goals start and run through November. So adjustments need to take place. When planning, the events that are most important to me take priority. When I have ten things I really want to do, but only 7 will fit on the calendar and in the budget, what goes? The events I have already done or can do next year or at a later date are the first to get the axe. Praise is the first of our 28 grandkids to get married, so it is a very high priority in our lives, and adjustments are now being made to the calendar. Time is limited; there are 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week, 4.33 weeks in a month, and 12 months in a year. That is all there is, and I am getting to the point in my life where every year I live from here on out is gravy, so I need to choose and plan with wisdom. 

Psalms 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

Psalms 39:4-5 Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath.

It looks like I will have to shoot my moose next year.

Well, here I am back to writing my blog. I have enjoyed the break from the pressure of writing something that was motivating and edifying every day for those who read it, but I also missed writing it. I missed writing it because it was the most stimulating thing I did in order to think and communicate clearly. It isn’t particularly easy to think clearly because our brains are so full of garbage that we hear and see every day. That garbage is like sewage running into a clear, clean creek. Trying to write intelligently and clearly from what is in my mind is like trying to get water out of that creek with a straw and spitting it into a glass. The exercise and discipline of doing that is more profitable for me than it is for those who read my blog. Having great discernment between what is good and what is bad, and between what is true and what is false, can only be done by someone who has wisdom. Wisdom is the great pursuit of life; those who seek it diligently will find it. Wisdom comes to those who read the Bible every day, spend time memorizing and meditating on the Bible every day, spend time with God, pray and ask for wisdom every day, read good books, listen to amazing podcasts and sermons, seek advice and counsel from wise people, and learning from our mistakes and failures. One more major discipline in the pursuit of wisdom is to think about what you have learned and write it down intelligently and clearly. That is why writing this blog is so much more important to me than it is to those who read it.