Tonight was our Tuesday evening Men’s Prayer time. I haven’t attended for about a month being gone, so tonight was an enjoyable time praying with and for friends. Several guys face some hard times because of family sickness, kids not doing well spiritually and relationally, disunity in the extended family, and a host of other challenging circumstances. As we were praying I was thinking about how to pray for these friends most effectively and biblically.

We all tend to pray for life’s hard times that God will simply fix them and make them go away, and life will be good again. But it is obvious with most of the circumstances that we have been praying for, some for a long time, that hasn’t happened, at least not yet. I like to pray for things that I know will always get answered and get answered quickly. There are at least five prayer requests that fall into that category:

1. Strength is the most often prayed request in the Bible. God loves to give his strength to those who ask for it, and the more we ask the more He gives. In Isaiah 40:29-31 the word “wait” is synonymous with prayer. The promise in this passage is amazing. “God gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly,
yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles,
they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”

The word “weary” is used three times in these three verses. In the midst of life’s hard times that is what happens, we get weary. There are literally hundreds of verses in the Bible that promise that strength will be given and weariness will be overcome when we pray.

My favorite story in the Bible is in 1 Samuel chapter 30. . . . “David and his men came to Ziklag. . . the Amalekites had made a raid. . . and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire. . . and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. . . they lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. . . David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. . . David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken. . . whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back.”

Life is hard, and at times it seems unbearably hard. God doesn’t promise to make it easy, not even just a bit easier, but He does promise strength to bear up under it victorious, and then often we can fix things and make it better with His strength. “David brought it all back.”

I love this story, it is better than any John Wayne western.

I consider the following verses to be the most important in my life. The key to becoming like Christ in character and accomplishing a lot with your life that matters is endurance.

Hebrews 12:1-3 . . . let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

A book that impacted me shortly after I started pastoring was Eugene Peterson’s “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.” I read it 40 years ago and at least four times since then. A sentence that was burned into my mind was, “It is impossible to become like God overnight, and nothing is accomplished that has God’s stamp of approval on it that was easy and quick.”

Today people want things quick and easy, and if it takes discipline and endurance, it is abandoned for something else.

So many times I wanted in the worst way to quit pastoring, at least at Jefferson, I felt like such a failure. I am so thankful for those in my life who counseled me to endure and not to quit. I called my Dad at one of my lowest points and asked his opinion, and he said, “Never quit when you are down, it is almost always the wrong choice because your motives are wrong, you simply want to escape from the hard to the easy. Wait until you are succeeding to make a change, and then your motives are much more Nobel, and you won’t end up questioning your choice for the rest of your life.”

Today people quit on relationships because they are hard and take work. Every relationship I have takes work, even Patty, not because of her deficiencies but my own. My character flaws and deficiencies show up in life and create problems. I am often slow to recognize that the struggles I am having are because of my own weaknesses rather than someone eles’s, and if I bail on a person or circumstance the opportunity for that flaw of mine to become a strength is gone. James 1:2 says, “and let endurance have it’s perfect result that you may become perfect and complete lacking in nothing.”God gives strength, joy, peace, and inner significance to those who choose to endure, to stay faithful, to not be a quitter.

With my Alaska Visa card and my MVP status with Alaska Airlines when flying I get the first checked package up to 50 lbs for free, the second is $30, and the third is $40. That worked great because I had 150 lbs of fish fillets. As we were packing our fish, we ran out of “Fish Boxes,” foil-lined, airline-approved boxes for sending frozen fish home that hold precisely 50 lbs. I drove into Soldotna and every store that sold them was sold out, evidently lots of fish were being caught. One store did have boxes that held 25 lbs, and the lady at the store suggested I fill two boxes and duct tape them together so they would count as one 50lb box. I thanked her for the good suggestion, and did just that. When I got to the airport the lady at the check-in counter said that I couldn’t do that, I had to count them as two boxes. The problem for me was that would give me four boxes, and the fourth box was $100. I used my nicest pastoral voice and asked why, and she said that was the rule, two separate boxes couldn’t be taped together. I said, “what if I take the boxes back outside and wrap them with so much duct tape you won’t be able to tell that there are two boxes.” She said, “I will remember your face and tell you that you can’t do that.” In hindsight, that is what I should have done without asking her, and gone to a different counter. I then suggested to her, “Would you let me open up the top of the bottom box, and the bottom of the top box and turn the two into one box?” “No.” So, in my most appealing voice I said, “You know that I thought this would be OK, because I didn’t hide the fact that there were two boxes, so can you let this fourth box go for free, after all, they are half the size?” “No!” I said, “You know, I am a poor pastor with eight kids and 27 grandkids and they will all go hungry this winter if I have to pay that extra $100.” I thought maybe a little humor would help. She did smile at that line. By this time there was a long line forming behind me, and my friendly lady at the counter was fast becoming grumpy, and the people behind me were starting to make snarling noices. At that point I gave up and paid the $100 for the fourth box, and soothed my ego by reminding myself that sockeye salmon was selling for $13 a pound so it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

I am sitting in the airport in Anchorage, waiting for my airplane flight home. I have enjoyed the last couple of weeks very much building a drift boat, fishing for hours and hours every day, and fellowshipping with the other guys who were here fishing. I am coming home with 150 pounds of salmon fillets which will taste amazing this next year as Patty and Sherri fix them in various ways that all taste delicious. This year is my 28th year in a row of coming to Alaska to fish, and it is the highlight of my year each year. I have brought both of my sons, three different grandsons, and Patty. I expect that as I continue to come that I will live another 28 years which will make me 100 years old, whoooeeeee, I have discovered the secret to a long and happy life!

I spent the first two weeks building a 17-foot drift boat while fishing in Alaska. The core of the boat is honeycomb plastic and covered with fiberglass. The plastic is 3/4 inches thick and flexible enough to bend to the shape of the boat. I have four layers of 10 oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin on the bottom and two layers on the sides and inside. The 9-foot oars were $900 for a pair, so I made them out of a spruce 2×4, they turned out good. I bought the material in Anchorage and had it shipped to Soldotna. I stayed busy and only slept for about four hours each day as I fished and worked on the boat every day. It was a nice challenge which I enjoyed very much. I got the boat done with just one day of fishing left, but it is ready for next year. When I get here next year I will sand it all down getting rid of all the epoxy runs, bumps, and fiberglass seams. Then I will give it a couple coats if epoxy and repaint it so it looks beautiful and professionally done. I will also build a trailer for it and put some nice seats in it. That should only take me a couple of days and then I will do a bunch of fishing out of it, and discover all the hot spots on the river.

There are many today who have a psuedo salvation, they think they are saved, but aren’t, and they will find out at the end of their life, but then it will be to late.

Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

The Apostle Paul says we ought to test ourselves to see if we are genuinely saved.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!

There are three tests that we can use to determine if we truly were born again in the past; one of the three is called “The Perseverance of the Saints.” This test basically says, “if you are genuinely born again and in God’s family you will run the race with endurance, you will finish well, you will not fall away.”

Colossians 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Hebrews 2:1-3 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

Hebrews 3:6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

Hebrews 3:12 &14 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. . .For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,

Hebrews 6:4-6 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

It would be a good idea if you find yourself getting lukewarm, drifting away, or losing interest in spiritual disciplines to recommit to following Christ, don’t assume you are in God’s family when you may not be. The consequences of being naive in this area of our life are severe and eternal.

2 Timothy 4:6-7 says, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;”

At the end of his life the Apostle Paul says, “I have finished the course.” I am 72 years old and I have no idea if I am going to die tomorrow or if I am going to live another 30 years. I do know that the probability of me dying is increasing each year significantly now.

There are continuous opportunities in my life to sin, to fall away from the Lord, or to become a lukewarm Christian. I continually motivate myself by saying, “you are too close to the finish line to mess up now; finish well, ” I probably say that to myself at least a dozen times every day. “Don’t mess up now, the end is close, and you will see Jesus.”

The worst thing I can do now is coast, take it easy, and stop running. I would like to coast across the finish line, take it easy, enjoy life but I would be so much more susceptible to sinning, messing up, and becoming a casualty in the Christian life.

Duke, you are too close to the finish line to mess up now, keep running.

I am getting ready to fly home from Soldotna, Alaska with three, fifty-pound boxes of frozen sockeye salmon. One thing I know for sure is that there will be several roadblocks that I will have to deal with before I get home. I fly out of Kenai to Anchorage on a tiny, single-engine plane that holds eight people, and they can’t take the weight of the 150 lbs of fish, so they will fly it to Anchorage on three different flights. I will need to retrieve the boxes individually and check them in at Anchorage for Portland. I just got an email from Alaska airlines that said there were increased security measures installed in Anchorage and that it would take three hours to get checked through. I have exactly three hours between when I land in Anchorage and then take off again. Whooooeee it is starting already! Because I have flown so much over the years I have established my list of guidelines for managing the unexpected without losing any more of my hair.

1. I plan on there being a number of problems, roadblocks, and issues before I get home so that when they happen I am not surprised or frustrated by them, I am just waiting to see what they are.

2. I choose to look at the problems that I will encounter as adventures and challenges that stretch me and add to my character, and never say or think, “why me, Lord ?”

3. When an unexpected problem happens I ask myself this question, “can I solve or fix this problem?” If I think I can, I go after it, but if my assessment is that I can’t get around it, I just go with the flow without any fussing.

4. Some problems can be solved only one way, that is with some extra money. I establish the maximum amount extra I will pay and stick with that.

5. Most problems need other people’s help or cooperation to solve. I work hard to make an appeal to those people for the help I need, with lots of graciousness. If I want to receive help it is essential that I don’t demand, accuse, get angry or irritated.

6. I have read through the Bible and highlighted every prayer in the Bible in blue to use those prayers as a guideline in my praying. There are several one-word prayers in Psalms, “Help!” So, I pray silently in my heart a lot while traveling, “Help me, Lord, please!”

7. Every time a problem is solved, I am careful to pray, “Thank You, Lord, ” and when I pick up my luggage and fish at the Portland airport and text Patty to come and get me, I pray, “Dear Lord, thank You for the wonderful trip, the unique challenges that You brought into my life to grow me, and the help You provided, I love You.”

Transitions are when we change locations, activities or focus. They can be daily, short and regular transitions like coming home from work, finishing a television program and then mowing the lawn, or finishing dinner and then studying our Bible. They can be longer more major types of transitions like coming home from a vacation and then going back to work, changing jobs, or moving to a different house.

Whatever kind of transitions they are in our lives, a principle of life applies that many have not discovered or been taught about. During the time of our transitions is when we will make our worst choices in life, when we will waste the most time, and when we will treat people the worst.

I am a couple days away from leaving three weeks of exciting, and very enjoyable time of fishing in Alaska and heading back home to my “regular” life. I want that transition to be positive, quick, and fruitful. It is like shifting gears in a car with a manual transition, you can grind the gears or shift seamlessly. Here are some guidelines I use in my life when anticipated major transition points are coming.

Set goals for what you want to accomplish. Goals have tremendous power to move our focus and our brain from the old to the new. One of my goals is to get our winters firewood split and stacked. It is all in my front yard in the form of “rounds” all dried just waiting for me to get it split and stacked.

Strategize on ways to accomplish the goals with first steps clearly established. One of my strategy steps is to recruit some grandkids to help me. Transitions are often huge time wasters because we go in circles trying to figure out what to do next. Indecision is a killer in productivity and is a major contributed to depression and being unmotivated in life. As my Dad used to say to me, “Don’t just stand there, do something, anything.”

Determine and make a firm commitment to be positive and nice in all conversations with people during the transition period with absolutely no grumbling or complaining about anything. One of my worst mistakes with Patty was to complain about everything that didn’t get done around our house while I was gone for a month on a bicycle trip; it didn’t go over very well.

I used to lead or be part of short-term mission groups to Africa, Vietnam, and other places worldwide. I have been part of two different groups of about a dozen that came up to fish in Alaska for the last three weeks. Over the years, I have been part of hunting groups, fishing groups, service groups, bicycle groups, and travel groups. In all of these experiences with groups of people, some are fun and enjoyable to be with, and some are a significant pain, good people, but who don’t seem to do well away from home outside their everyday circumstances.

The character traits of those most enjoyable to be with are those who have a cheerful, thankful, appreciativeservant’s heart. Those who are a pain are those who don’t seem to enjoy serving others, grumble a lot about everything that isn’t right, want things to go their way, and tend to create an environment of tension and disunity in the group.

This is an area of our life that anyone who is a follower of Jesus should seriously evaluate themselves in and work diligently to grow and improve in. There are very few things that destroy our witness for Jesus as much as being critical, negative, complaining, and selfish. Being a positive, cheerful person is a matter of choosing. It is easy to acquire the habit of being a fusser in our culture, but we must choose to grow out of that habit if we want to influence people to follow Jesus positively.