1. I will read 12 chapters in my Bible every day.

2. I will write in my prayer journal every day.

3. I will pray 30 hours in each of JBC’s four “Five Days of Prayer.”

4. I will pray for Jefferson Evangelical Church’s weekly prayer letter.

5. I will pray for Jefferson Baptist Church’s weekly prayer letter.

6. I will pray for every person at JEC every week.

7. I will pray for my kids and grandkids daily.

8. I will pray my personal commitment prayer every day.

9. I will pray for my “Seven for Heaven” list daily.

10. I will pray with Patty at least three times each week.

11. I will be an active member of the Men’s Ministry and help with the Sportsman Show. 

12. I will read fifty pages each week in a good book.

13. I will rewrite my 22 Leadership II lessons and then preach them at the Wednesday night service. I will also have them videoed and encourage other pastors and churches to use them.

14. I will be active and faithful to help with the house being built for the Hatfields on our place. 

15. I will put a new roof on the pump house.

16. I will paint all the trim on the house or hire it done.

17. I will buy a camper for my pick-up.

18. I will work hard and do my part to grow Jefferson Evangelical Church to an average Sunday attendance of 100 by the end of 2026.

19. I will review 100 memorized Bible verses daily, get up to 200th place on my Bible Memory App, and have 850 verses memorized well.

20. I will climb Mt Adams on July 11th.

21. I plan to walk/run my half-marathon starting from my house on November 29th.

22. I will send 365 of my best blogs to Gary and Toni to be made into a book.

23. I will attend a church growth seminar with at least one other pastor.

24. I will write my Blog five days each week and pray hard for God to anoint me as I write and for the number of subscribers to reach 900.

25. If my schedule allows, I will respond positively to every invitation to speak in other churches.

26. I will meet with pastors Preston, Nick, Jason, Shawn, and Sam every other month for mentoring and mutual encouragement.

27. I will take Patty on a date at least twice a month.

28. I will total five hours of exercise each week with weightlifting, stationary bike riding, bicycling, and walking on the treadmill and outside.

29. I will actively participate in the “Seniors Ministry,” help Tom when needed, and teach a devotional when he asks me to.

30. I will plan and ride at least a twenty-day bicycle trip.

31. I will remodel my dory boat in Alaska and put a fish box in it.

32. I will be disciplined in my eating and keep my weight under 180 pounds.

33. I will teach a parenting seminar at JEC as a tool to attract young families to the church.

34. I will start on a project to build a 28-foot fishing boat.

35. I will go catfish fishing with Dave Maroon on the John Day River.

36. Patty and I will fly to Fairbanks during Christmas to visit our kids and grandkids.

37. I will be faithful to my two online accountability groups and schedule a Zoom meeting with the Pastor group at least four times a year.

38. I will pray at least twice weekly at a corporate prayer time.

39. I will start a monthly “Matthew Party” outreach event each month at JEC.

40. I will pray for fifteen minutes at least twice weekly on my kneeling bench.

41. I will get a list of new move-ins monthly and write to them, inviting them to JEC.

42. Patty and I will drive to Idaho to see Seth and his family at least twice a year.

43. Patty and I will drive to Washington to see Hanna and her family at least twice yearly.

44. Patty and I will visit Aaron, Sally, and the kids on Oahu. 

45. I will write 50 handwritten notes to people in JEC and JBC each month.

46. I will work diligently to successfully mentor Josiah, Shawn, and Stephen so that they are successful pastors.

47. I will finish the 1969 Mustang.

48. I will plan, organize, and lead a “History Dinner” at JBC.

49. I will plan and teach a Saturday seminar at JBC on “Spiritual Gifts.”

50. I will plan, organize, and lead a “Wild Game Feed” at JBC, and have a presentation at it encouraging men to participate in “Men’s Ministry.”

 

Jefferson Baptist’s “Five Days of Prayer” started today. The time I spent in the prayer room today was spiritually renewing. If I were to write a biography of my life, my growth in the discipline of prayer and my level of faith in the power of prayer would be the foundation of all that has happened to me as a Christian. God has blessed me in every area of my life, and I am sure that most of those blessings, especially in my ministry accomplishments and my family, are a result of prayer. I didn’t do many extraordinary things to accomplish what I have in ministry or in my family, no more than most others have done. However, I have prayed a lot, and the amount of praying I have done over the years has increased steadily. My faith that God hears and answers my prayers has also steadily grown. My devotion to prayer started in February 1989 at the first Pastor’s Prayer summit at Cannon Beach. I prayed before that, almost everyone prays, but that event jump-started a whole new level of devotion to prayer in my life. After the Prayer Summit, I wrote out seven clear goals regarding prayer. Even though I didn’t have a lot of faith in prayer at that time, I prayed faithfully, privately, corporately with my church family, with other pastors, and with my wife. I kept up the commitment to praying because I made the goal and was faithful to what I wrote down that I would do. As I continued faithfully in prayer, my faith in the power of prayer grew. As my faith grew, prayer became less and less a duty because I knew God would work in me, through me, and around me the more I prayed. I began to pray more and more because I was greedy for more blessings, fruit, and growth, and I knew that the more I prayed, the more God would bless. Praying became a “no-brainer.” Praying seemed a small price to pay for success in life, my family, and my ministry.

It is September, and everything starts up. My leadership classes, Wednesday night service, and meetings for various ministries, the younger kids in our house are starting school, and the older ones are starting college.  Many things have changed over the years of my life, but when I was six, school began in September, and now that I am 76, school still starts in September. Many things have changed, but September is still the month of “starting.” I enjoy the summer with reduced responsibilities, increased fishing, and enjoyable activities, often with friends and family. But by September, I am getting bored and ready for some meaningful activity. My personal goals go from October to October, so I am getting several new goals set in motion. I have some new challenges, new learning situations, and new experiences planned for this next year, and I look forward to them all. I only wrote 50 goals this year instead of my normal 77 because I will be 77 on October 27th. I don’t know if it is old age or just the number of goals, but 76 was too many for me last year. Instead of motivating me, they demotivated me. I am hoping that 50 is the perfect number for me this year. I have only two B-HAGs this year instead of the usual six. The hardest one is to climb Mt Adams. I have tried three times in the last eight years and have failed to reach the top each time. I want to climb it to the top before I quit. Another is to walk two half-marathons. I am planning one of my own that will start at my house. It will take place November 29th.

How are your goals coming? If you start pursuing them on January 1st, now is a good time to start thinking and writing them. Those who thoughtfully write out their goals and read them regularly will accomplish more than those who do not, learn more than those who do not, and grow more than those who do not. Let me know if you want to climb Mt Adams with me, July 11th. Plan on walking my half-marathon with me November 29th. There you go, two goals.

Today is one of my favorite days of the year, the opening day of the NFL. I enjoy watching football very much, keeping track of my favorite teams, reading the various sports writers, and watching the multiple sports experts discuss the teams and players on YouTube. I used to be in a Fantasy Football league, but it took too much time as I got very involved in trying to win, so I dropped out. I limit my watching of games to Monday night Football with many friends and snacks at the church. It appears that the Apostle Paul was a sports enthusiast by the number of sports illustrations he used in his writings. He didn’t have to contend with cell phones, iPads, computers, and television in managing his time with the addiction to sports. I have a greater struggle with this now than I used to because sitting and doing nothing but watching an iPad screen is so much more attractive than it used to be with my reduced energy level as an old man. I am still very much committed to bearing much fruit and managing my time well, but it is a much greater struggle than it used to be. I have to set goals and keep track of my time accurately. The primary key is the desire to bear fruit, the passion, the want to. In Revelation 3, Jesus says He wants us hot, not lukewarm. I can keep my fire hot by reading my Bible daily, spending time with God in prayer daily, memorizing and meditating on scripture, attending church regularly, fellowshipping with other hot Christians, worshipping Him, and reading good books and listening to motivational podcasts. Watching Monday night football and watching YouTube videos is a reward I give myself when I finish my Spiritual Disciplines.

Our son Sam has been archery hunting at the Steens Mts this past week and today he shot a five-point bull elk. He sent a picture of it lying dead with his bow on top of the elk. I showed it to Patty, and she said, “I hope they find it.” I looked at her and said, “What did you say?” She then realized that having a picture of a dead elk with a bow on it pretty much guaranteed that it was found. I started laughing and she did too. She then said, “Please don’t write about this in your blog!” I assured her that I wouldn’t! My boys and I have hunted with archery for years, and often hunted with other family members and friends. One of the things that occasionally happens with archery hunting is that the shot isn’t a good one, and the blood trail is so poor that we don’t find the animal. So Patty’s response whenever she heard that someone shot a deer or elk was, “I hope they find it.” So today, she couldn’t help herself. An arrow doesn’t kill an animal by shock like a bullet does, sometimes they don’t even know they have been shot. If the arrow goes through the lungs or the heart they will die pretty soon but they will still often run a hundred yards. If the arrow doesn’t go through the lungs or heart they can run for miles so then the hunter needs to be able to track the wounded animal from small spots of blood on the ground. We usually find them, but sometimes it takes hours of tracking. Most archery hunters have honed the skill of tracking and finding a wounded deer or elk; it is part of archery hunting. So, if you see Patty in the next few days, ask her if Sam found the elk he shot.

I am fishing for tuna on a big boat out of San Diego in about one month.  We will live on the boat for ten days. There will be over 20 people living on the boat and fishing. My friend Scott Haven and I are driving down and rooming together in one of the state rooms. I have purchased three different fishing rods and reels for the trip. One of them will have 30-pound line on it, the second 50-pound line, and the third 80-pound line. We will use the rod that best fits the size of fish we are targeting. The reels are made for saltwater, so everything is made of aluminum or stainless steel. They are two-speed reels. On the high speed setting, one turn of the crank brings in four feet of line, and the low speed brings in only one foot per crank. The reels also have what is called a lever drag system. There is a lever on the side of the reel; the farther forward it is pushed, the higher the drag. The drag setting is the amount of pounds the fish will have to pull so that the line is pulled off the reel rather than going on. The drag system allows us to fight a hundred-pound fish on a 30-pound test line without breaking the line.  The bend in the rod and the stretch in the fishing line are also shock absorbers that help keep the fish from breaking the line. The recommended drag setting at its highest setting is 1/3 of the line rating. I had my grandson help me, and with a scale tied to the end of the fishing line, we set the drag on my three reels to the proper amount. The rod is bent over a long way when you get 25 pounds of pull on it. The reels are large capacity reels holding over 500 yards of line so the fish can run a long way. Five hundred yards is over a quarter of a mile. The hope is that the big fish will tire out pulling out all that line, and then I can reel him in. Usually, a fish goes on two or three long runs, each shorter than the previous one, until you get them up to the boat, and a deck hand gaffs them and pulls them up on the boat’s deck. 

I am also a fisher of men because of the assignment I have received from Jesus. As I talk with people trying to convince them to follow Jesus as their savior, I recognize that I can pull too hard and break them off, so they walk away and possibly never come to faith in Christ. I always pray and ask God for wisdom to say just enough, but not too much. Having a built-in drag system would be nice, but I have to rely on insight gained from experience and the wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

I am fishing for tuna on a big boat out of San Diego in about one month.  We will live on the boat for ten days. There will be over 20 people living on the boat and fishing. My friend Scott Haven and I are driving down and rooming together in one of the state rooms. I have purchased three different fishing rods and reels for the trip. One of them will have 30-pound line on it, the second 50-pound line, and the third 80-pound line. We will use the rod that best fits the size of fish we are targeting. The reels are made for saltwater, so everything is made of aluminum or stainless steel. They are two-speed reels. On the high speed setting, one turn of the crank brings in four feet of line, and the low speed brings in only one foot per crank. The reels also have what is called a lever drag system. There is a lever on the side of the reel; the farther forward it is pushed, the higher the drag. The drag setting is the amount of pounds the fish will have to pull so that the line is pulled off the reel rather than going on. The drag system allows us to fight a hundred-pound fish on a 30-pound test line without breaking the line.  The bend in the rod and the stretch in the fishing line are also shock absorbers that help keep the fish from breaking the line. The recommended drag setting at its highest setting is 1/3 of the line rating. I had my grandson help me, and with a scale tied to the end of the fishing line, we set the drag on my three reels to the proper amount. The rod is bent over a long way when you get 25 pounds of pull on it. The reels are large capacity reels holding over 500 yards of line so the fish can run a long way. Five hundred yards is over a quarter of a mile. The hope is that the big fish will tire out pulling out all that line, and then I can reel him in. Usually, a fish goes on two or three long runs, each shorter than the previous one, until you get them up to the boat, and a deck hand gaffs them and pulls them up on the boat’s deck. 

I am also a fisher of men because of the assignment I have received from Jesus. As I talk with people trying to convince them to follow Jesus as their savior, I recognize that I can pull too hard and break them off, so they walk away and possibly never come to faith in Christ. I always pray and ask God for wisdom to say just enough, but not too much. Having a built-in drag system would be nice, but I have to rely on insight gained from experience and the wisdom from the Holy Spirit.