Psalms 5:12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.

James 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

God blesses his people when they do his will. There are several conditions God sets for Him to pour out His blessings and favor on us. Wise people would work at discovering what those conditions are and pursue them. Life is so much better when we experience God’s favor and are blessed by Him. One of the major ways to be blessed by God is to bless His church. Ephesians says that God is working at making the church beautiful, without spot or blemish, and that the church will be the eternal companion of Jesus. God uses people to edify His church, and when we are a reason for our church becoming increasingly healthy, we become one of God’s favorites. One of the easiest and best ways to do that is to be involved in a ministry of some kind. It can be daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, and it can be with kids, adults, or in a service ministry. For older people like me who can’t get out as much, praying faithfully through the weekly prayer letter is a great ministry, and attending prayer meetings is a great way to connect with others and build the church. 

Yesterday was the two-month anniversary of my right hip replacement. I am getting along pretty well with it and expect to be as good as new in another couple of weeks. With the normal wear and tear on my physical body as I get older, it is nice to have some new parts that work well. Some of my favorite verses at this stage of my life are 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

“Our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” That is the way it is supposed to be with each of us who are born-again believers; our inner person is becoming more mature, more like Jesus Christ, and our character is becoming more and more perfect. That is God’s will for us, to become like Him so that we can enjoy Him and He us when we get to heaven. The problem is that, as the Apostle Paul put it, many Christians have remained carnal, babies in character, immature. It isn’t supposed to be that way. 

One of my goals is to build a camper for my pickup. I want to be able to drive to the Snake River, Diamond Lake, or Wallowa Lake, pull my boat, and stay several days. I used to do that by setting up a tent and camping, but I am getting to the age where I don’t enjoy sleeping on the ground anymore. I have been looking at campers for the last couple of years, and they were usually too heavy for my F150 or too expensive. So I started researching how to build one out of fiberglass. I have built several boats out of fiberglass, so I know how to work with it. As I started digging around on the internet, I found that lots of guys had built campers, and many of them were very practical. So I found some plans for one that I really liked and have been revising them a bit, actually a lot, and I’m about ready to get started on it. It will sleep four people and include a toilet, shower, microwave, heater, air conditioner, stove, table, generator, and a refrigerator with a freezer. I have been buying stuff for it a little bit at a time each month, mostly on Amazon. I love working on projects like this, but I really enjoy all the planning that goes into making the project perfect. I also plan on using it as a support vehicle for future bicycle trips.

When you look around the world, it is obvious that God is incredibly creative, and He created everything without plans. God created us in His image and likeness, and we are creative in nature like God is. It is very rewarding for me to think about, research, plan, draw, and build something useful to me that looks good and works well, like a boat or a camper. We are all creative by God’s design, but our creativity is often expressed in different ways. Some people write music, some invent things, others write, some paint beautiful pictures, start businesses, and solve problems. What is your creative bent?

It has been two months since I had my right hip replaced. I still have quite a bit of pain in it when I walk, but it is getting better a little bit at a time. I didn’t go to physical therapy like I did when I had my left hip done because I figured I could do it myself at home, but I was lazy and didn’t do it, and as a result, this hip has taken a lot longer to become pain-free. But I have repented. Now, I am doing stretches for 15 minutes twice a day, riding my stationary bike for 15 minutes twice a day, and walking on my treadmill for 15 minutes twice a day. That is three hours every day, but I listen to podcasts or read in my book or the Bible while I exercise to make good use of my time. March 23rd to the 27th is Spring Break, and my pastor’s schedule is pretty free that week, so I am declaring myself totally healed on the 23rd and going to work on our house project all day, every day. That is 17 days, and I am sure that with my current rate of exercise, I can do that. On April 11th, I am going to walk a half-marathon in Corvallis, and then I am going to walk 15 miles every week after that until July 2nd, when I am going to climb Mt Adams. That is my goal and my plan. 

I also want to grow spiritually and in character every day until I step into heaven. Growing happens the same way that recovery from hip surgery does. Faithfully practicing the basic disciplines of the Christian life: Bible reading, Bible memorization and meditation, prayer, gathering with other believers, self-examination and confession of sin, seeking wisdom, giving, serving, and others. Most Christians are not very faithful at doing the disciplines for the same reason I didn’t do my therapy exercises, too busy with stuff, thinking I really didn’t need it, and lazy.