I have been building a chicken coup on wheels for Patty for the last couple of days. It is like a big wheelbarrow. It has wheels on one side and a bar on the other side. You pick up the end with the bar and push it to a new location where they have fresh grass, and then when the chickens get that grass eaten down, you move it again. This way, I won’t have to mow the lawn, and it gets fertilized in the process. I bought the plans online for $10; they were very detailed and easy to build from. I enjoy building projects. I used to enjoy huge projects like building a house or a church sanctuary, but now I am more into chicken coups. Almost everybody enjoys something related to building, like painting a picture, making a quilt, or planting a garden. I think it is part of our being created in God’s image. He built the universe and me and you. Creating something is rewarding and gives us a sense of power. Probably the biggest and most enjoyable building project for me was building the sanctuary for Jefferson Baptist Church. We did the work from 1991 until 1999. All the work was done by volunteers in the church family, and we paid for it as we built it. It is a big building, able to seat 800 people, and it is also a very beautiful building, with its rock crosses and open wood trusses. The most enjoyable part of the building process was doing it together with others. Some things are impossible to do without help from others, and when a unified effort results in a significant accomplishment, it is incredibly rewarding. The Bible says that we ought to be growing in character to become more and more like Jesus. That growth in each of us happens in community. I influence you, and you influence me, and we grow together. We are building a spiritual sanctuary instead of a physical one. A basic law of “spiritual building” is that the more influence you choose to have on others the more influence others will have on you. We all have different spiritual gifts or gifts. Some teach, others clean, some build buildings or parking lots, some lead, others give money, some counsel and encourage. But the point is everybody ought to be doing something. We are all in this together, building a beautiful spiritual house for Jesus. Most of you who read my blogs are in a church, be a functioning part of the body.

1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house

PS I will be elk hunting for the next five days with no cell service so no blogs. I will show you a picture of my elk next week. I will also show you a picture of my chicken coup.

One of the things that happens to people as they get older is they fall more. I fall about once a week now, and it wasn’t that long ago that I never fell. It seems I sometimes fall over a shadow. So far, I haven’t seriously hurt myself, but I know one of these days it is going to hurt. Falling physically is a pain, but falling spiritually is much more serious and long-lasting. The saddest thing in life for me is to see someone who was living for the Lord fall away. It seems that it happens often, and it also appears that the number is growing and accelerating in these last days.

1 Timothy 4:1 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.”

There are several reasons for the failure to run the race set before us with endurance, but I think the number one reason is loving the world and the things in it. It is so easy to do, and the drift away from God is so slow that most don’t notice it until it is too late to do anything about it.

2 Timothy 4:10 “for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me.”

1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

I sometimes will say something to a person when I notice that a lukewarmness is setting in, but it rarely gets anyone’s attention; they just get defensive and irritated. So I pray for them like crazy, asking God to open their eyes so they can see where they are. If nothing seems to work I pray that God will bring a major trial into their life and wake them up.

I may be getting more unsteady on my feet, but I am running with endurance the spiritual race set before me. I am determined to finish the race well. The more I see others fall around me the more determined I become to pay attention to my own heart and the focus of my love.

Today we drove up to Trout Lake, Washington, for a memorial service for a family member. We got back home at 10:00 pm. Even though it was late, I read my daily commitment and goal of 12 chapters in my Bible. I don’t do that because I am supposed to, but because of all God’s supernatural Word does in me, one of which is to know what is true and false in the world. So much stuff is spewed out by various sources today, and very little of it agrees with anything else. In all the stuff, some are true, but most are from the pit of hell. How do I know what is true and what is false? There are many deceived people today, and I don’t want to be one of them. The Bible is a supernatural book; it is the source of truth, and those who read and study it will know what is true and what is a lie.

John 8:31-32 So Jesus was saying, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Hebrews 5:11-14 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the Word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Living today is like walking through a minefield; only those who know the truth will walk in freedom.

Today, Patty and I have been married for 55 years. They have been good years with eight kids, 28 grandkids, and many adventures. We were very different when we got married. Patty was a city girl, and I was a country boy. Patty grew up in a family with two sisters and a Dad that treated them like princesses. My Dad was a male chauvinist through and through. He was the ultimate tough guy and expected us kids to be tough and not fuss or cry about anything; Patty, on the other hand, cried about everything. I would rank our marriage as being the best I have known over the years. I don’t think we have had a fight or argument that lasted more than an hour. Patty has never gotten angry at me in the sense of yelling or throwing a fit. She has cried a lot, and I always give in to that. We talk a lot about choices and decisions, but she has always been 100% supportive and submissive to my leadership and decisions about our future. She was right with me when we left the farm to Pastor Jefferson Baptist Church with 20 people and little income. When I wanted to buy our present house, which was over 100 years old, about to fall down, and full of rats and bats, she was not excited but jumped right in like a tough pioneer woman. Our life of parenting and pastoring has been a true partnership, and success has come into our lives because of our unity and love. We pray together about everything, don’t get angry at each other, we treat each other with respect and honor, forgive quickly, and talk and speak to each other in a way that builds up and doesn’t hurt. It has been a good 55 years with many stories that we love telling our grandkids.

There are about ten different writers of the New Testament books. I have memorized the books of Colossians, Philippians, and 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, books written by Paul. I have memorized the book of Hebrews. I memorized the book of 1st Peter and most of 2nd Peter, which Peter obviously wrote. I have memorized about 50 verses in Matthew, about 10 in Mark, 10 in Luke, and about 30 in John. I am now working on the book of 1st John, and I am about done with chapter two. I also memorized the complete book of James. When you memorize a book of the Bible, you go over and over it again and again. As a result, you notice repeated words and styles of writing by the different writers. That is one of the reasons that I am convinced that the Apostle Paul didn’t write the Book of Hebrews. The vocabulary, the style, and the emphasis are much different than in Paul’s letters written to the Colossians, the Philippians, and the Thessalonians.

One of Paul’s favorite words is grace; he uses it over a hundred times in his letters. On the other hand, John doesn’t use the word grace in his three Epistles at all and only a couple of times in his gospel and the book of Revelation. That doesn’t mean that John didn’t believe in grace, but he expressed it differently and emphasized different truths of the Christian faith.

The primary cause of heresy and false teaching is that truth is out of balance. The various teachings and doctrines taught by different authors of the Bible are often in tension. When balance is maintained between the various writings, accurate and true doctrine is maintained.

The key to a balanced understanding of Biblical truth is reading and studying the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and working at fitting it together like a giant puzzle. By the way, one of the best ways to study the Bible is to memorize it.

There are about ten different writers of the New Testament books. I have memorized the books of Colossians, Philippians, and 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, books written by Paul. I have memorized the book of Hebrews. I memorized the book of 1st Peter and most of 2nd Peter, which Peter obviously wrote. I have memorized about 50 verses in Matthew, about 10 in Mark, 10 in Luke, and about 30 in John. I am now working on the book of 1st John, and I am about done with chapter two. I also memorized the complete book of James. When you memorize a book of the Bible, you go over and over it again and again. As a result, you notice repeated words and styles of writing by the different writers. That is one of the reasons that I am convinced that the Apostle Paul didn’t write the Book of Hebrews. The vocabulary, the style, and the emphasis are much different than in Paul’s letters written to the Colossians, the Philippians, and the Thessalonians.

One of Paul’s favorite words is grace; he uses it over a hundred times in his letters. On the other hand, John doesn’t use the word grace in his three Epistles at all and only a couple of times in his gospel and the book of Revelation. That doesn’t mean that John didn’t believe in grace, but he expressed it differently and emphasized different truths of the Christian faith.

The primary cause of heresy and false teaching is that truth is out of balance. The various teachings and doctrines taught by different authors of the Bible are often in tension. When balance is maintained between the various writings, accurate and true doctrine is maintained.

The key to a balanced understanding of Biblical truth is reading and studying the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and working at fitting it together like a giant puzzle. By the way, one of the best ways to study the Bible is to memorize it.

I sold my 1950 Ford two-door Coupe with a flathead V8 today. I bought it about three years ago with the plan of totally restoring it and driving it as my daily driver. I had a 1950 Ford Coupe just like it in High School, and I loved it. I have purchased at least a dozen books on restoring this car. Some of you may have seen and remember the old movie with Robert Mitchum called “Thunder Road.” It was about a family making and selling moonshine in Tennessee. Like mine, the car that transported the illegal whiskey was a hopped-up 1950 Ford Coupe. I sold it because I didn’t think I would ever have the energy, the money, or the time to get it done before I died. Even though I am sure it was the wisest decision, as I watched the old car go down my driveway on a flatbed trailer, I got all choked up; I was experiencing the death of a dream. Selling it was part of my goal to simplify my life and have more time for ministry activities. Someone asked me the other day how much stuff I would sell, and I said I would consider selling anything and everything I had except for Patty! She was glad to hear that! In a couple of days, I will be over my melancholy fit over the loss of the car and be off to some new things. I have a couple of new goals for ministry coming up, and I know they will stretch, challenge, and be very fulfilling.

I think I am entering into a new chapter in my life. I have had a lot of variety in my life, including fishing, hunting, bicycling, building, restoring cars, traveling a lot, family, and ministry. I have always done a lot in ministry, but I want to do even more in the next ten years as I streamline and simplify my life. I am declining rapidly in my physical energy, but the cool thing is that I can write, read, and teach with little expenditure of physical energy. My mind is still sharp, and my mental and emotional energy seems to be increasing as I focus more on that area of my life. I am maintaining my basic exercise goals so I stay healthy, and I will still fish, and who knows, I may even start gardening.

August is wood month. It is the month that I focus on getting all of our firewood in for the winter. We heat our house exclusively with wood, and it takes about eight cords to keep it toasty and warm for the winter. Last week, I built a new wood shed that is closer to our house than our old one. Today, I did some repair work on our hydraulic splitter to make it usable. I also repaired the little trailer our riding lawnmower pulls to haul the split wood to our woodshed. I also bought a new wheelbarrow with two tires in the front because I am getting so wimpy I kept tipping over the old one with only one tire in the front. So, I think I am ready to get as many grandkids as possible to come over for a bunch of splitting and hauling firewood. We have a big pile of oak “rounds” that guys in our church cut and hauled to our house for us, so now we are ready for a couple of big wood days and will be ready for winter.

When I was a kid growing up on the farm, there were many different chores we needed to do seasonally, like putting in the hay and harvesting food from our garden, but my favorite of all the things we did on the farm was getting firewood. It was pretty much the same routine when I was a kid as it is now, except we didn’t have a hydraulic wood splitter. I enjoyed the firewood gathering as a kid, and I also get a lot of satisfaction from it now, even though it was and is a lot of hard work. I was thinking about it today as I contemplated installing a “ductless heating system” to save all this work, wondering why I enjoy it so much that I keep doing it. I also enjoyed stacking up 150 pounds of frozen salmon fillets in the freezer that I caught in Alaska. I also have a blast on the day that we have a bunch of grandkids over, pick our apples, and make about 20 gallons of cider. Oh well, even though I don’t know why I get so much satisfaction from these activities, I think I will keep doing them, for now, anyway.

I have a little over 4,000 friends on Facebook. I “friended” many of them, but I also have had many people who “friended” me. I have no clue who many of them are, and I suppose they got my name because of our radio program, attended church, or read my blog. I never really connect with most of them. Four thousand people is a lot to keep track of, but occasionally someone will want to “chat” on Messenger. Most of the time, I don’t know them, but they know who I am, and usually, their motive for connecting with me is to get advice or counsel about something in their life that is a problem. I enjoy helping people and usually try to steer them towards faith in Christ. Often, they terminate the conversation when I get too “preachy,” as one person wrote. Last night, I chatted with a young lady for a while. She didn’t seem to have any problems she wanted to discuss; she just wanted to chat. She had written that she was thirty years old, and I quickly concluded that she was lonely and had no friends. I wrote that I have several really great daughters who I could connect her with and who would love to get to know her. She responded, no, that she wanted to get to know me and chat with me. I told her earlier that I was 76 years old, had 28 grandchildren, eight kids, and a beautiful wife who loved me, but that didn’t seem to deter her. I terminated the conversation and unfriended her, but I have been thinking about her ever since. What was her need? Why did she want to chat with me? It has puzzled me all day long. I will never know for sure what her motive or need was. I read the whole chain to Patty, and she was puzzled by it as well but was glad that I ended it.

There are so many people in our world who are struggling with loneliness, a feeling of being rejected and unloved, who have no purpose in life and no hope for the future. It is such a sad thing to see and hear. I am one person in a sea of humanity, and there is only so much I can do, and that is getting less and less as I get older. But I can do something, so I will keep my ears and eyes open, looking for those divine appointments God gives me to do my part. If every Christian does that, many people will be helped and come to know Jesus.

I have this tendency to regularly pick up new activities, hobbies, projects, and jobs. As a result, I get overly busy and collect a bunch of stuff I must maintain or fix. One of my last year’s goals was to significantly simplify my life. So far, I haven’t done too well, but I am now making a significant effort toward that goal. The first thing I did was make a list of everything I could give away or sell, which is very long. I put my 1950 Ford Club Coupe with a flathead V8 on Facebook Marketplace last week, and I think I have someone to buy that. I gave my pontoon boat to my son Seth, hauled my 26-foot dory to Alaska, left it, and gave my 10-foot pram away. I now have one boat and one small rubber raft to fish with. I have 30 fishing rods, and I will give all but six away. I have a ton of archery stuff, but I can’t pull my bow back anymore, so I will sell or give away all of it. I have a bunch of clothes that I can’t fit in, and I have been saving for when I get skinny; I am taking it all to the church clothing bank.

It isn’t that I don’t want to do a lot of things; I just want to simplify my life, so I am doing important things. I don’t have much time left in my life, ten years, maybe fifteen, and I certainly don’t have as much energy. I will still fish every chance I get, preach and teach often, and hang out with friends and family. I will probably do one more bicycle trip, hunt for a couple more years, and then retire from them. I even think I will give all my guns away in a couple of years and all my tools on my 80th birthday. I only use five clubs when I golf, so I might as well give the rest away, though no one will want part of a set, so I might as well throw them away😀.

I am starting to feel more energized just by writing this blog; a simple life sounds very attractive.