Tim, George, and I went halibut fishing today. I have been having trouble with my main outboard motor, my big 135-horsepower Mercury. Something isn’t working right with the gas. I have been working on it, off and on, for this entire trip. So, the other day, I bought a small, 9.9 horsepower motor for backup. It is on the small side for my 26-foot dory boat, but it would get us in. Well, we launched, and the big motor wouldn’t run, so we used the little motor, and it got us out to our fishing spot in the ocean easily enough, even if a bit slow. We fished for four hours, caught three halibut, and decided to head in. In the process of trying to pull the anchor, we got the anchor rope wound up in the prop of our only functioning outboard motor. Yikes, it was a good thing we threw in some oars before we left this morning. I thought, “I wonder how long it will take us to row this boat in?” It took a while, but we finally got the rope free from the prop and putt-putted it into the launch site and onto our trailer. It is so much fun having emergencies; it keeps the day from getting boring.

While we were dealing with our dilemmas, I was praying in my head, pretty much non-stop, Lord, give me wisdom, strength, peace, and joy. I don’t pray that God will fix or change anything, only that He will give me what I need to fix, change, or conquer our problem and that I will rejoice and be positive through it all. A lot of people get panicky or grumpy during that kind of situation, and I have in the past; that is why I pray that the Lord will help me enjoy the moment and not offend anybody in the process.

In our quest for comfort and security, I believe we often pray prayers that God won’t answer. He is the one who often causes the circumstances we are in, so why would He change it? He caused it so that we will grow. But God will always answer the prayer for wisdom, strength, peace, and joy. His Word, the Bible, promises that in many places. I pray guaranteed prayers, not iffy ones.

For the last two weeks, there have been about forty people here at Tim’s Place fishing for sockeye salmon. Less than half were here for the first week and a bit more than half the second week. For the last couple of days, it has just been Tim, George, and I here. We have been getting up and going fishing at 4:00 am. Because it is at the end of the sockeye run, most people are gone, so it has been just the three of us on the dock. Yesterday, we limited out catching 18 sockeye salmon in one hour. It took us a little longer this morning, but we caught 18 again. We are going out for sockeye again in the morning, and before we leave to come home, we will get in a halibut fishing day. The three weeks I am up here in Soldotna, Alaska, is the most intense fishing I do all year. It is a lot of fun, and I will also bring home 100 pounds of salmon fillets. I have been making this trip to Alaska for about 25 years, and I hope to continue this nice tradition for another 25 years. I also work hard to make time for reading and writing, and I spend much of the time I am fishing, praying through a list of people in my head. A trip like this is relatively expensive, with the cost of one week at Tim’s place, called “Funny River Fellowship Lodge,” plus the airfare. Tim doesn’t charge me for the time I am here and usually buys my airplane ticket as well, which is a very nice gift.

God has blessed me a lot in my life. A wonderful wife whom I have been married to for 55 years, the 24th of this month, eight amazing kids, 28 grandkids, an incredibly fulfilling ministry at JBC for 50 years, and many terrific friends who bless me in various ways.

As good as my life has been, I am looking forward to heaven very much. The Bible says that what we will experience in heaven is beyond our imagination. The cool thing about my eternal future is that it is a gift from God, neither earned nor deserved. I received this free gift from God by believing in and following Jesus Christ. Many people haven’t taken that step of faith in their life. I wish I could take it for them, but I can’t; every person must decide and choose for themselves to commit their life to Jesus Christ. It seems that the best things in life are often free, but we must accept the gift if we are going to enjoy it.

I built a 26ft dory boat about eight years ago. I built it to go out in the ocean fishing. Three other guys and I towed it up to Alaska to fish for halibut this year. I will leave it up here to take the people who come to Tim’s place halibut fishing. I worked on it most of the day, trying to make it seaworthy. I built it out of wood and fiberglass. Every time I walk around it, I see something I don’t like and need to fix, but it is a good boat, and I like it, even though I am constantly fixing and upgrading something on it.

God created me as a unique person in His image. He created me with an infinite capacity to grow and change if I want to and work at it. I am sure there are many things in me and my character that God wants to change and make more like Himself. He orchestrates the events and circumstances of my life to shape and mold me into a son He will enjoy being with for all eternity.

The most beautiful words in the Bible for me are the words of Jesus when He says, “I will come and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”