It may be my imagination, but I seem to have many more things go wrong on hunting and fishing trips than most. Today, I booked a charter fishing trip for Wahoo, tuna, and swordfish for my grandson, Rocky, and me. We got out about three miles this morning, and the engine on the boat quit running. The captain thought he would have to get towed in, but he finally got it started. It would only idle, so we returned to the harbor very slowly. The nice thing is I got refunded all the money I gave the captain for the fishing trip.
Another good thing is we had a nice boat ride, and it was an exciting adventure for a little bit, but we didn’t catch any fish. So, we didn’t catch any fish on three different surf fishing trips, we didn’t kill any pigs the last two nights, and we didn’t catch any fish today on our charter! My oh my, my grandson will have a poor opinion of my hunting and fishing skills, but I think he will have a good opinion of how I managed the disappointment of our unrealized goals. Here are a few of my personal rules for being a happy hunter and fisherman, no matter what happens.

If what you wanted didn’t happen, look hard for as many positives as possible, enjoy the experience and the adventure; that is a choice, and never talk negatively or complain.

Today, we went to church in Oahu with our daughter Sally and her family. The pastor preached out of Colossians. While he was preaching, I was reading the first two chapters of the book of Colossians. It was an excellent sermon that stimulated my thinking. When we got home, I wrote down these notes.
– In Jesus, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col. 1:14
– Jesus is the exact image of God the Father; any teaching that says Jesus is less than God is false. Col 1:15
– Jesus created everything that exists, visible and invisible. Col 1:16
– Jesus holds all things together; He is the atomic glue. Col. 1:17
– Jesus is the head of the church, His eternal companion. Col. 1:18
– God the Father reconciled all things to Himself through the blood of Jesus on the cross. Col. 1:20
– Jesus desires that He present each of us before the Father holy, blameless, and beyond reproach because of His death. Col. 1:22
– If we have faith in Jesus, He will now live in us. Col. 1:27
– In Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Col. 2:3
– Jesus is the fullness of Deity in bodily form. Col. 2:9
– Jesus is the head over all rule and authority, supernatural and earthly. Col 2:10
– Jesus died, was buried, rose from the dead, and is alive today, and we will live with Him forever if He is our Savior. Col. 2:12-14
– Jesus disarmed the devil and all his demons when He rose from the dead. Col. 2:15
– Therefore, we are free of all man-made religious rules that appear wise but are useless in making us like Jesus in character. Col. 2:20-23

Our life should now revolve around loving Jesus, serving Him, obeying Him, seeking Him, glorifying Him, becoming like Him, and worshipping Him. Col. 3:1-25

Tonight, my grandson, who is eleven, and I went pig hunting. We have put out some grain several nights in a row, which they have eaten, and we were set up about 20 yards from our bait station tonight with a 22 rifle on a tripod with a night vision scope. We only made it to 8:00 pm, and my hunting buddy wore out, and no pigs had shown up yet. We will give it a go for the next two nights before we leave. Many wild pigs are on the Island of Oahu, and they are a major nuisance. Part of the problem is that gun control laws are very strict here, and not many people hunt; they swim, surf, and fish, so the pigs have nothing to keep them under control. Pigs are like rabbits; they have a litter of ten baby pigs twice a year. I guess I am just going to have to visit our family here more often and help them out with their problem.

In the Old Testament, pigs are occasionally used as a word for demons. Jesus cast demons into a herd of pigs who, as a result, ran into the sea and drowned themselves. Because of the population density, the pigs here have gotten good at hiding out in small bushes and coming out only at night, rooting up lawns, and eating dog and cat food out on back porches. That reminds me of how demons work in our lives, sneaking around everywhere in our lives, creating chaos and confusion, and constantly tempting and lying to us. If I could see them, I would shoot them. But I can’t see them, so I have to defeat them through prayer, the big gun that God has given us to defeat the power of darkness. If you neglect prayer, you will have pigs in your backyard.

We had another day of amazing time on the beech today with paddle boarding, snorkeling, and swimming. The weather is warm and the water is warm.

I am hoping to go out deep sea fishing and to go hunting a kill a pig yet, but we will see how schedules work out.

Patty and I used to joke when all eight kids were home and were at various ages and stages in school that our retirement program was to spend a month at one kid’s place and then move on to the next ones. I am thinking that we will just stay here with Sally!

I am trying to discover how to surf fish in Oahu, Hawaii on the North Shore. My 11-year-old grandson is crazy about fishing but has not discovered surf fishing yet. I bought a ten-foot rod, Penn reel, and line, and now I need to find where and how to fish here. I am doing a bunch of reading online and have googled surf fishing. In my research, I discovered a guide specializing in surf fishing who would take my grandson and me for two hours for $300. I will wait and see if we can figure it out on our own before I spend that much money.

I want to find a local guy who surf fishes a lot and loves to teach others how to do it. This afternoon, I plan to drive to all the places listed in my internet search and look for guys who are fishing. Then, I will walk up and ask for their advice as a novice from Oregon. It doesn’t take very long to discern whether someone knows what they are talking about and whether they want to share their knowledge.

Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Proverbs 24:6 For by wise guidance you will wage war,
And in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Getting advice and counsel from others is a major principle of God, and He rewards those who have the humility to follow it, but the people in our world are infected with “I know it all” disease, especially Christians when it comes to living life successfully for God and bearing much fruit for Him.