In all of the hoopla going on today so called leaders are expressing concern about present conditions in a variety of areas, and most often they express a goal that is noble, but upon further investigation we find that the method outlined to achieve the goal is foolishness. The method is often based on a Marxist philosophy and world view that is in total opposition to Biblical principles and those principles that have been the foundation of the United States from it’s beginning.

Naive people buy into the goal but have little understanding or awareness of the method, and then become angry at those who resist the method accusing them of being against the goal. It is really the ultimate in foolishness and the main scheme of the devil to get us to sin.

If an obese friend of yours who had major health issues because of his weight announced that he was going to lose 50 lbs you would be happy for him, but then you learned that his planned on method was to cut off one of his legs to accomplish the goal. Would you be excited about the goal then? Of course not. Imagine that you say to your friend, “ don’t do that, that is stupid”, and other friends accuse you of not loving your friend because you don’t want him to lose weight. You would accurately come to the conclusion that someone is not thinking logically in this situation. A noble goal does not justify or excuse a foolish method. Much of the controversy happening today is because of bad methods being used to attempt to accomplish good goals, and the methods are being justified because of the goal.

New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees expressed that he was against kneeling during the National Anthem because it was disrespectful to our flag, our country, and to those who had fought and died for our countries freedom. He was immediately called a racist by many, even some of his own team mates. He explained that he was very much in favor and support of the goal of racial equality and justice, but did not agree with the method. His logic and his love and respect for his country were lost in the emotionalism of the goal, and he later was forced to apologize for his statements in order to keep peace on his team.

Wise people pursue goals that help others and make the world a better place, but they use methods that are good, just, and as noble as the goal.

“Black Lives Matter“ have a noble goal, but wise people will observe and read what their expressed strategy is to accomplish their goal, and ask the question, “are their methods, good, just, and noble”?

In my search for greater levels of wisdom I enjoy debating a topic, a view, or philosophy with someone who has a different opinion then mine. Although it is a rare event in my life because it is hard to find someone who can do that, defend a personal view logically, intelligently, and graciously. Many people will take exception to something I write in my blog and I offer to discuss it with them via email and read their argument for why they believe what they do. A few will start but very few last long. Many just don’t want to take the time to think through their position and then write it out clearly and persuasively. Many are incapable of doing that because they really don’t know why they hold the view or position that they do, it is pretty much based on an emotional response to an event or events in their past. Many times I pull the plug on a written discussion because the other person doesn’t know how to debate an issue without attacking my character, motives, or intelligence. I will often point that out in an attempt to help them and prolong the debate, but usually it is met with more insults. I see it all the time on Facebook between people who are at odds with each other. There is no attempt to understand the other persons view point or understand why they believe it, instead they verbally club their “adversary” using words that attack their intelligence, motive, and character.

Key principle: Clear thinkers who carefully craft their beliefs logically with accurate information and facts can talk graciously and persuasively to others treating them with dignity and respect. The power of their influence is in the logic of their words. Those who have not thought deeply with wisdom about their view, and can’t clearly and logically express their belief must use intimidation and anger in their attempt to persuade others.

One of the reasons I enjoy listening to people like Thomas Sowell is because of their dignity and composure as they communicate which is a clear indicator of their strength, confidence, and intelligence.

If you read or hear someone communicating their opinion in anger, or insulting another person recognize this fact, they really don’t know what they are talking about, they just feel strongly about what they are expressing, which does not make it true, though they think it does.

Personal application: If you are talking or writing and you feel yourself getting emotional, shut up, don’t sin with your words. Think through what you believe, write it out clearly and then when opportunity comes share intelligently and graciously. If the person you are talking to “rants” say, “God bless you”, and change the subject or move on.

Here are a few verses from the book of Proverbs in the Bible for your reading pleasure.

Proverbs 17:7 Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,

Proverbs 14:7 Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge.

Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind.

Proverbs 20:3 Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, But any fool will quarrel.

Proverbs 23:9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

Proverbs 29:11 A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.

Proverbs 29:20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

I road my bicycle a 1000 miles, got home Saturday afternoon, preaching my heart out yesterday at our outdoor service, this morning I got up at 4:00 am and drove Patty to the airport, and now I don’t feel like doing anything but sitting in my recliner and binging on ice cream. I occasionally have a “Blue Funk” day like this where I am just totally unmotivated to do anything. I used to have them a lot but only occasionally now, and rarely more than a day long. I don’t get to alarmed at my “crappy” attitude when these days happen, just wait it out. I am doing chores around the house in 15 minute increments with a 15 minute break sitting in my recliner going through the Cabella’s catalog, or writing some goals for next year, or writing this blog or eating or taking a nap! One thing for sure I don’t want to do is drive to Sportsman’s warehouse with my credit card! I think I will take my grandson fishing this evening.

Dogs make choices, what is the basis for the choices they make? People make choices and they speak words, what is the basis for those choices and words? First, we do what we do and we say what we say in order to accomplish our desires and wants in life. If our desires are evil our choices will be evil. Many people’s dominant desire in life is for revenge, for others it is greed, and still others are driven by the want for power. God is all wise, that is He always chooses and plans perfectly, because He is all good.

A second factor is the information that we use to decide what course of action will result in our wants and desires being realized. If the information that we are using is faulty our choices will be stupid. Some of my greatest and strongest desires in life are to please the Lord with my life and to sense His pleasure in me, to love my wife well, to accomplish a lot with my life that matters for eternity, to influence and motivate people to live for the Lord, and to catch a lot of fish😀. I need wisdom to accomplish those desires, where do I seek it? One obvious source is the Bible, but Proverbs says that a major source ought to be wise people who are living the way I want to live.

So, the people I listen to and those whose stuff I read I try to find out as much about their life as possible to see if they are living healthy, balanced lives that are mostly free from evil desires, and who have the values and desires that I have.

One of the blessings of reading the Bible everyday is that I have developed an inner “stupid buzzer”. It is like when a singer goes flat on a note, a little shiver goes up my neck. I read a lot of books, articles, blogs and listen to a lot of sermons, lectures, and commentaries, and when I read or hear something that is “off” even a little bit my inner “buzzer” starts going, and I know that what I am reading or hearing is not wisdom, but foolishness.

One of my favorite writers is Thomas Sowell, and I recently heard him on a news interview say that deep, logical thinking is very rare today. Instead people react emotionally to events, and come to conclusions about what is right and call it thinking. Those conclusions are not wise, and therefore the choices that they make and the words that they speak will be slightly better than that of a dogs. We are seeing a lot of that kind of thinking and acting today.

Loyalty is a character trait. It is being faithful to a relationship with a partner or group because of a commitment made to them, not because of their performance or behavior. Many people are not loyal to their marriage partner if the relationship becomes difficult, they move on to one that is easier and more “fulfilling” in spite of the vows that they made at their wedding. A person who is loyal says, “I will stay with this marriage even though it is hell on earth because I made a vow to do so”.

I have been the Pastor at JBC for 44 years even though there were some very tough and discouraging times, and offers from other larger churches offering considerably larger salaries which were very tempting. I have stayed because I made a promise to the Lord in 1989 when things were at an all time low for me, to stay at JBC until I died. Even though there were many times leaving would have been easy, I couldn’t break my promise to God.

Patriotism is being loyal to your country, your nation, because it is your country. When I was growing up in school we would say the “Pledge of Allegiance” each morning.

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

I am a patriot of the USA because it is my country, and “I pledged”, I made a commitment, I made a promise that I would be loyal, I made that pledge every morning for years. My Dad was in the Navy for 21 years, he served during World War II and had 4 ships sunk under him in battle. He once said to me during the Vietnam war while we were watching some riots on Television, “Unless you are being part of the solution for a problem, don’t bad mouth your country, it is self centered, childish, disloyal, and it will turn into a bad habit”.

A pledge that Jews made while they were slaves of foreign lands for many years is recorded in Psalms 137:5-6

“If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand forget her skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
If I do not remember you,
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.”

God blesses those who are loyal with strength, joy, peace, and purpose. God gives significant responsibilities to those who are faithful and loyal, they become part of the solution to problems.

Those who walk on the flag will not be used by God as part of the solution, they will continue to be part of the problem and a growing part. That is not my opinion, that is God’s law.

I thought the title would grab your attention. I am home sitting in my recliner having finished our 1,000 mile 13 day trip today with a 60 mile ride from Idanah. The only mishap was riding into a blackberry bush hanging out over the road and scratching my face pretty good. Blood all over my face when I got home. So many people expressed concern for me on the trip when they heard that we were riding a bicycle 70 miles a day average. Last year there were approximately 1,200 people killed while riding a bicycle and 500,000 who were seriously injured, most from being hit by a car. Those who ride a bicycle over a 1000 miles a year on public roads as I have for the last 8 years, statistically have a much greater chance of being hit than those who ride occasionally for recreation.

Doing some rough math, it looks like I was 3x more apt to get hit by a car this last 13 days of bicycle riding than I am of getting COVID 19. I didn’t think twice about going on our trip and I worried about it zero while on the trip. If I read the statistics every day for a month before going, watched video’s of people getting hit by cars, and being scraped up off the road by ambulance workers I probably wouldn’t ride my bike from my house to the church, but why would I do that?

We stayed at our friends, the Burkards, last night near Bend. When we left their house this morning at 7:00 am we pedaled 80 miles to a campground in Idanah. We went over the Santiam pass so we had a lot of steep uphill riding, but then we also got some ripping good downhills as well. Tonight is the last night of the trip, tomorrow we will be home again. I have been eating so much I don’t think I lost any weight on this trip like I usually do. With tomorrow being the Fourth of July the traffic on highway 20 was bumper to bumper, but everyone gave us lots of room as they went around us. I certainly noticed the difference one year in age makes when you get to be 72 years of age. This year was significantly more difficult than last year, and I remember saying the same thing last year. I may save up my pennies and buy a good quality e-bike like Cliff and Kathy have before next year. They are an electric assist bike that has an electric motor in the pedal crank assembly. The amount of electricity from the battery that goes to the motor is determined by how hard you pedal. If you are having an easy time you get no help, but if you are pushing hard on the pedals you get more help. They both like their bike’s, and I have to work like a dog to keep up with them. That might be a way I can extend my bicycle trips a few more years.

One of the key truths in the Bible is that the power of God is available to us through the power of the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. By His power we can successfully live the Christian life and do great things for God with our lives. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Some disciples of Jesus obviously have a great deal of power in their life, and others have very little. There are a number of reasons for the difference in power, but a major one is some just push harder on the pedals of life than others. Some aspire to do great things with their life for God, they set big goals, they want, really want to glorify God with the way they live and the fruit they bear. God’s power was not designed to make us coach potatoes, but champions for Him.

Well, I guess I am going to have to give up my John Wayne card, I am riding in the pickup today, and my bicycle is in the back. I didn’t do any riding before the trip and even though my legs are in shape from riding my stationary bike at home an hour each night my buttocks were not. I have three different bicycle seats and I have been rotating them to get some relief, and I have gone through a whole tube of “Butt Butter” as well. This morning when I got up the thought of riding in as much pain as I was experiencing yesterday pushed me over the edge to “wimpiness”. The worst part of this decision is all the harassment I am going to have to take from my brother Cliff today every time I see him😖😖😩😩😤😤 If we were riding with no support vehicle I would have ridden and wouldn’t have thought twice about it because there would have been no other options except to call Patty and have her come pick me up, but I haven’t gotten that wimpy!

There are no immediate significant consequences from my decision today to choose the easy and comfortable way as opposed to the hard and painful way, except the programming of my will to do the same thing in real life where there are possible consequences that matter, possibly to others and those that last for eternity. Jesus made the principle clear in Matthew 7:13-14 when He said,

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Our character, who we really are on the inside, is shaped all through our life. God the Father’s goal is that my character becomes like that of Jesus. God does His work in me, but I must cooperate with Him by choosing every day whether I will take the easy and comfortable way or the hard, painful, and challenging way. The character that I end up with at the end of my life is who I am forever, so it is worth the cost to choose the narrow gate most of the time. Also the fruit that I bear, the things that I accomplish with my life that really matter and last for eternity are again the result of the choices I make. Easy and comfortable choices seldom result in significant accomplishments, that is just the way it is.

One of my reasons for doing these bicycle trips each summer is to train myself to enjoy doing hard things so that in real life when it really matters I will choose the way that brings growth and accomplishment. Most Christians don’t read their Bibles faithfully, because it is easier not to. Most Christians don’t spend time with a God in prayer everyday because it is easier not to. Most Christians don’t share their faith with others because it is easier not to. People who were once fully devoted followers of Jesus, and then fall away from that devotion to Him do so because of an accumulation of easy choices.,

Oh well, here I sit in the pickup, writing this blog thinking my next blog will be entitled, “Timely rest and recuperation is a key to endurance”, and hope that it is written with truth and transparency, and not as an excuse for “wimpiness”. One of the major barriers to living a disciplined life is the justifying and excusing that we all so naturally do when we choose the easy way.

I better ride tomorrow.

We bicycled 80 miles today I have tried 4 times to write this and I keep falling asleep

Today was a long grueling uphill grind. We climbed 7,000 feet in 50 miles and I pedaled from 5 to 7 mph on the average grinding it up the long hill. We typically stop every 5 miles for a drink and a short rest, but for the last 20 miles of the climb today I was stopping every 2 miles. It is days like this that makes me seriously doubt my sanity for doing trips like this. When we finally reached the top we then had 20 miles of downhill. It wasn’t super steep, but we did average about 20 mph just coasting so it took us just an hour to get to camp. That is the kind of bicycle riding that I like. Cliff, Kathy, and Terri have cables and locks that they use to lock their bikes to a tree or something else to keep their bicycles from getting stolen. I told them that I was going to put a sign on my bike that said, “Please Steal”. We are at Ft Klamath tonight and tomorrow we will be at Odell Lake Lodge. Today was the hardest day for me and I am seriously tired. My leg muscles are cramping and hurting tonight as if to say to me, “treat us that way and we will show you!” I am drinking 2 bottles of quinine water as I write this blog hoping that it will help. I am trying to think of something spiritual and profound to share with you, but I think I damaged my brain cells today depriving them of oxygen as my muscles used it all. So, I will write something extra insightful and profound tomorrow night, maybe.