From May 1st until June 30th, I am going to be riding my bicycle with a few others across the country, ocean to ocean. We are going to drive back to the East coast with our support vehicle which is a 25 foot motorhome, and start at Yorktown, Virginia and in 60 days ride back to Jefferson and then to Newport, Oregon. It is about 4,000 miles and we will need to average 67 miles each day to make it.

I just finished mapping out each day of the trip. I even have each campsite picked out with phone numbers, and in a couple of months, we will start calling making reservations. I have checked out the entire trip via google earth. I didn’t travel it all with the Google earth camera, but I did check about every 20 miles to see what the roads were like, and the terrain. I did quite a bit of research on each of the campsites checking the recommendations and critiques left by former bicyclists. Some places are definitely bicycle-friendly, and other sites regard bicycle riders as crazy and the enemy.

I will have my little tent, a little camp chair that is short so I can sit on it in my tent if the mosquitos are bad, a jet one burner cookstove that I heat water with for my freeze-dried meals, coffee, and oatmeal. I have a very comfortable air mattress, a lightweight but warm sleeping bag, a blow-up pillow, and a bag of a few extra clothes. I also have a bag of tools that will work to fix anything on the bicycle, spare tires, tubes, spare cables, and a repair manual. I will also have a bag with toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, soap, sunscreen, Parkinson’s medicine, vitamins, ibuprofen, and lots and lots of butt butter. I will also have my iPad and cell phone so that I can read and write on the entire trip. My goal is to write at least 40 sermons on the trip. I have come close to that on all previous bicycle Trips except last year because it got cut short because of the severe heat. I usually listen to about four sermons each day while riding as well.

Way back when I was a Freshman in college I used to watch Perry Mason every day at noon in the “Student Union” building right after I ate lunch at 11:30 am. There were about 20 of us crammed into the TV room watching every day. About half way through the program we would start debating who the real killer was, those were real mysteries.

The Bible talks about mysteries, things or information hidden from us, or things just too difficult for us to grasp fully. One of the mysteries is God in the person of Jesus Christ becoming man, 100% flesh, exactly like us in every way. He even experienced conception, growing as an embryo, being born as a helpless baby, helpless in every way as we all were. As a child, he grew in stature; he grew in wisdom, he learned skills, the verses that he quoted to the devil he had to memorize. Jesus got tired, he got discouraged, he got angry, and he got hungry.

Philippians 2:6-7 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

1 Timothy 3:16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

The only way that anyone can understand the mysteries of God is for God to make them clear to us, and He does that for those who want to know the answers. If we seek Him and His truth, He will make it clear to us.

I am restoring a 1969 mustang with my grandson Isaac. When we get it done, it will be his car. The engine in it is a 250 cubic inch inline-six-cylinder. We bought a rebuild kit with bearings, new valves, camshaft, gaskets, and an oil pump. I purchased a Holley Snyper EFI and a distributor, coil, and computer together as a plug-and-play kit. We worked very carefully on the engine and mounted it on a wooden, home-built engine stand with a radiator and all gauges when we finished the rebuild. Yesterday we held our breath and flipped the toggle switch to start, and it started and runs like a top. Whoooooeeeeee that was a tense moment, but hallelujah it started! Check it out. You may hear a metallic clicking sound when I move to the back of the engine. I put another bolt in the plate behind the fly wheel and the noise went away! Whhhooooeeee

You know God is rebuilding each one of us into the image of Jesus Christ so that we will be like Him in character, but unlike an engine we have to cooperate with God or all His efforts on us won’t work. We need to seek him through Bible reading and prayer, and always rejoice, never complaining or grumbling.

I have been thinking about what old car or pick-up project I would start n when Isaac and I get this 1969 Mustang finished. I have enjoyed this so much I decided I would do another project for me. I have been checking Craig’s list, Hemming’s Motor news, classic car digest, and eBay for good deals on decent in shape classic vehicles. The other day eBay had an online auction on a 1950 Ford Coupe with a flathead V8 in it. The car was located in Mololla so I wouldn’t have to truck it home so I put in the minimum bid and I was the first bidder so it was pretty low. I expected to get overbid and I kept checking back but no one else bid and I got the car. I wasn’t really planning on buying a car yet, just checking and looking. I had a 1950 Ford coupe in high school, so I have always been partial to them. If you ever watched the old black and white movie, “Thunder Road” with Robert Mitchum you would have seen a 1950 Ford coupe out running all the revenouers as they chased him trying to get the illegal whiskey he was hauling. The 1950 was a very popular hot rod after the war, and now it is a very popular classic car for restoration. When I get this one finished I may keep it, flat head’s are great engines to do all kinds of modifications on to increase horsepower significantly.

As a pastor, I teach the Bible, counsel people, and organize and lead ministry projects and events. I work hard at managing my time well so I can accomplish as much work for God as possible. Ministry is emotionally draining, so I do various things to restore and fill up my emotional gas tank. Fishing is my favorite, but working on old beater cars is a close second. We all are finite, frail beings that need to take care of ourselves well and steward the body God has given to us until we get our new body in heaven. I am thankful for all of God’s opportunities to make a difference in many people’s lives, and I am grateful that He has given me many activities that I enjoy that make life fun to live despite the craziness of the times.

After getting up at 4:15 am for five days in a row, and getting to bed at midnight, I am pretty tired tonight, and I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning. Even though I am glad the week of getting four hours of sleep a night is over I am always a little sad when the eight hours a day of praying is over.

There is something very supernatural about spending that much time in prayer. The sense of God’s presence is very real and is incredibly renewing. If I ever have a bout of depression I think I will go to corporate prayer for ten hours each day until I am over it, and I don’t think I would have to go very many days until I was cured.

Usually the first day my mind wanders a lot as I listen to the prayers of different people all day, but by the second day I am listening carefully and attentively as I agree with their prayers and join in with them talking to God.

Even though I can’t see God when I spend that much time talking to Him and listening to my thoughts trying to discern which ones are from God my faith grows significantly. My belief in God’s presence around me grows very strong to the point that all anxiety is replaced with joy and peace.

Jefferson Baptist Church has been doing a five-day prayer event for probably around 25 years now. We have one four times a year. The one we are in the middle of now is our Christmas prayer event, and we pray for many people to attend our Christmas outreach event and that God will use JBC and all the people in it to reach many people with gospel. T

he next one coming up in February is for our Missions ministry. We pray for each of the missionaries that we support and the ministries that they lead and are involved in. We take a special offering for our missions ministry the week after the prayer time so we also pray about that, asking God to supply extra funds for people so that they can give more.

The next five day prayer event in June we pray about another special offering that is used for the expansion of our facilities. All of our facilities have been paid for in cash as we build from these offerings.

The last five days of prayer is in September and we pray for all of the various ministries that we have at the church, that God will bless them and use each one to reach people and make disciples.

We pray ten hours each of the five days, 5:00 to 10:00 am and 5:00 to 10:00 pm, Monday through Friday, and we average about 40 people praying every hour. Some people pray one hour during the five days and there are a few who pray all 50 hours. Breakfast is served in the morning and dinner in the evening with lots of snacks in between. There are about 300 different people that pray during the five days, and it is a fantastic time of fellowship as we pray together, talk, and eat.

During these prayer times there is a very real sense of God’s presence that has a definite impact on the spiritual life of each person who attends. These five day prayer events are the foundation of our church, and have more impact on the corporate and individual spiritual health than anything else that we do.

If you can imagine five circles, each one bigger than the other, and inside of each other, like a target. This group of circles represent what a church looks like and each circle represents a group in the church. The inner circle is the core group, the next circle represents the committed, next would be the congregation, then the crowd, and last would be the curious. Each group has a level of love for the Lord and His church, and a level of willingness and desire to serve and be involved in the church. Nothing is as effective in moving people from the outside to the center as corporate prayer. I love it.

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

There are things we can ask God for and He will give us because He promised He would. James 1:5 is one of those promises that is very clear. If I pray for wisdom, believing God will give it to me because He promised He would, I will be given some. How much? I don’t know, so I ask God for wisdom every morning! I believe that the volume of my praying determines the amount I will receive, much prayer, much blessing.

Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

Have you ever seen one of your kids acting like a fool, I am sure you have. How about your spouse, have you witnessed major stupid choices from them. Do you have some friends that you care about that are totally messing up their lives with some very unwise decisions? How do you help? I believe that what is promised for myself is also a promise in my praying for others. I think even more so because of the strong emphasis on intercessory praying and in meeting the needs of others before our own needs.

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

In the story that Jesus told about the prodigal son who was destroying his life because of bad choices, it says that “he came to his senses.” I wonder why. People in our life will come to their senses if we pray for them and ask God to give them wisdom. The more that we pray for wisdom for others the more God will give to them. As you witness those you pray for improving in the wisdom of their choices your faith will grow stronger and as it does your power in praying grows as well.

There are other promises like James 1:5 in the Bible; do you know what they are? We tend to pray about circumstances, but the emphasis in the Bible is to pray for people.

In 1 Samuel 3 God calls out to the boy Samuel four times, and Samuel kept running back to Eli thinking he was the one who had called him. Samuel didn’t recognize the voice of the Lord so he didn’t know when God was speaking to him. We have the same problem today. God speaks to us and we hear him in our thoughts. The problem is that some of our thoughts come from demons who follow us around jabbering at us and we hear them in our thoughts. We also get a lot of our thoughts from our sinful flesh, also all the stuff in the world that we hear and see all day long fills our head with thoughts, and then we also have thoughts from our own mind and heart. So thoughts from the devil, from the world, from your sinful flesh, and our own thoughts are swirling in our brain all day long.

It is not an easy thing to discern which thoughts in our heads are from God. Once we have grown to the point that we recognize God’s voice when He directs us into His perfect will we will have a huge advantage over those who have no clue what God’s voice sounds like.

The best training in all of life to learn this important skill is corporate prayer. God speaks to the entire prayer group and we each have the same thought at the same time. Those who are listening to those praying around them as well as their own thoughts will hear matches. It doesn’t take to long before you begin to identify the thoughts that are from God. It is more intuitive than cognitive but it works.

We are praying 10 hours each day this week. Come join us and learn to listen to God. You can come for one hour or stay longer, but once you come you will want to stay longer.

Proverbs 5:21
For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He watches all his paths.

We have a couple of wireless surveillance cameras on our front porch that are activated by motion. Every time the UPS truck comes up our driveway we get a video of the driver delivering our package. There are a lot of videos taken all the time now with cell phones of just about everything. You never know when someone is taking your picture. Sometimes when I see someone taking a video of me I smile just for fun.

God sees everything that I do, He hears everything that I say, He knows everything that I think, and He is aware of my motives better than I am. If I truly believed that, it would impact my behavior, my words, and even my thoughts. Growing in my awareness of the presence of God around me all of the time is important in the growth of my intimacy with God and my character growth.

Nothing causes my sensitivity to the presence of God in my life to grow as much as corporate prayer does.

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Where two or three have gathered together in the name of Jesus for the purpose of prayer He is there in a special way. We direct our words to Him as we pray as an act of faith, and He rewards that faith with a growing sense of His presence. We will have thoughts pop into our heads that are from Him prompting us to pray for certain things that He wants to give to us. As we become more and more aware of that we listen to our thoughts more attentively, and as we do we hear other people in the room praying what we were thinking, authenticating the fact that God is in the room speaking.

Jefferson Baptist Church’s five days of prayer starts tomorrow and we will be praying 10 hours each day, Monday through Friday. I will be there most of the time, and it is a powerful time of growing spiritually for me as I experience the presence of God.

You should come and experience God’s presence with me, it is an amazing time of being energized and renewed by the Holy Spirit.

I write several goals every year that I don’t show anybody, not even my wife, especially not my wife. The reason is that they are too crazy, too audacious, too big. I don’t plan on accomplishing these goals, just pretend and dream that I do. I especially dream about the process, the strategy, and the steps that I take to achieve the goal. I do more than simply write the goal, I write a story about the process of accomplishing the goal, with the struggles, the victories, the innovation and creativity that it took to do it. The cool thing is that I can do anything I want in my dreams, imagination, and fantasies. I can’t fail, I can’t get hurt, and it doesn’t cost any real money.

The obvious question then is, “why set a goal that you aren’t going to accomplish?” The first answer is easy, because it is fun! The second answer is because it trains my mind not to be so practical in my goal setting in general. The third answer is to train my mind not to be afraid of hard or risky goals that scare the bejeebers out of me. And the fourth answer is to stir up the creative part of my brain to imagine accomplishments that I haven’t thought of before.

Occasionally I will set a goal that is a downsized version of one of my crazy goals. Several years ago I wrote a goal to build a sailboat and sail to Hawaii by myself. Some of you may remember that goal. I bought the plans and actually started building the boat. I watched 20 to 30 hours of YouTube videos of people sailing the size boat I was building to Hawaii and even around the world. The more I watched the videos the more confidant I became that I could do this. I signed up for sail boating lessons in Portland, and I started checking into going on a month-long sailboat trip as a deckhand.

One day I was watching a video of a guy telling about building his boat that was the exact boat I was building. In the story he mentioned that it took him five years to build it working on it pretty much full time. I thought to myself, the only way I am going to be able to pull this off before I die is to give up fishing, my summer bicycle trips, hunting, and working on old cars. I decided that the price to accomplish this goal was to high so I changed it to building a 26-foot dory instead.