One thing that I miss doing is short-term Mission Trips. From 1995 through 2020, I went on 44 trips. I have been to Senegal, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea, Portugal, Spain, England, Germany, Bosnia, Serbia, Latvia, Russia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Austria, France, Brussels, Japan, and Korea. The reason that I quit is because the travel took so much out of me. On the last trip that I went on to Sierra Leone, it took me three months before I felt good again. That might have been a fluke trip, but I think I will call that chapter in my life over. I can fly for five hours to Hawaii, but that pushes my limit. The memories I have from all those trips and sermons preached, seminars given, churches started, and prayer walks done are some of the best and fondest of my life. Some of my favorite stories are about getting stuck in the mud in Sierra Leone, getting arrested in Serbia for being spies, unknowingly drinking too much peach Brandy in Bosnia, drinking awful Yak Butter tea in China, getting stuck in China during 9/11, eating blood putting in Portugal, snails in France, sitting naked in a big Sauna with a hundred pastors in Latvia, and so many more. Short-term mission trips are the most life-changing experiences you can do. We had a parenting goal of having all of our eight kids go on a mission trip to a third-world country before they graduated from High School, and they all did. Some of my favorite trips were the ones I was on with some of our kids. If you have a chance to go on a trip, you should do it, as I said they are life-changing.

I wrote a blog the other day about self-examination and confession of sin. It is funny how sometimes when I write about a spiritual discipline or lesson, it convicts me for several days after I write it. I wrote that many people have blind spots, that is, character flaws that they are unaware of. These flaws will become more apparent to us during conflicts with others if we pay attention and are humble enough to assume that much of the fault of the conflict was ours. Several days after I wrote, it seemed like I was having a spat with everybody in my life. My initial thought was, “What is wrong with everybody?” Then I thought, “I guess I should do what I preach all the time.” Darn, you would think that at 76 years of age, I would be perfect by now. Oh well, maybe when I get 80.

When I was a kid, my Dad was very strict about honoring people. One group that he was particularly fussy about was seniors. As he put it, “Seniors have lived a lot of life and have accomplished a lot in their lives, and now they can’t do what they once were able to do, so they tend to feel like losers. We need to treat them and talk to them like they are champions, conquerors, and kings because much of what we enjoy in a society is because of what they did.”
Leviticus 19:32 You shall rise before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the Lord.
It is interesting that in this verse, honoring the aged and honoring God, we’re doing the same thing in different ways.
I was in the airport recently, and a security guy said that because I was over 75 years old, I didn’t need to remove my shoes. I said, “That is nice,” and he said, “You have earned it!” That was a simple exchange, but I felt honored by this man I had never seen before. We don’t honor seniors because of what they did yesterday but because of what they did 10 and 20 years ago.

I read five chapters in Psalms daily as part of my prayer time. The Psalms have a lot of emotion as the various writers deal with life, crying out to God in joy, sorrow, anger, despair, loss, and victory. It is incredible how often, when I read the five chapters, there is at least one verse that perfectly matches where I am, and often, there is a whole chapter and even more that accurately expresses my feelings about the day. As those matches happen, I camp there for a while, allowing the supernatural power of God’s Word to refresh me if I need to be refreshed or to be a great expression of my joy. Almost always, if I am feeling down, depressed, melancholy, angry, bitter, or unappreciated, I feel satisfied, relaxed, joyful, and secure when I finish my prayer time in the Psalms. Maintaining this discipline is not particularly easy, but the results make it worth the time and effort, at least for me. Some days are easy days and the time spent in the Psalms is less, but other days are very hard and then I sometimes will spend an hour getting myself healthy on the inside of my soul. Occasionally if I don’t read what I feel I need I will read ten chapters. Also, besides the positive, upbuilding experience of the Psalms, sometimes I will read some that convict me of an attitude that I have. We all tend to be blind to bad attitudes that we have picked up from the experiences of the day. I don’t want to take them to bed with me. It makes for a bad night and a grumpy morning.

Once I found out that I am allergic to about half a dozen different foods, cut those foods out of my diet, and have been feeling a hundred times better, I became much more concerned about what I eat and my general health because of what I eat. I am not trying to live for a long time; in fact, I would prefer dying tonight than sticking around for another 20 years. But if it is God’s will that I stick around another 20 years, I would like to be able to fish, hunt, and preach for those years. So, I have become much fussier about what I eat. I know that one of the things that affects how I feel and how mobile I am is my weight. I have decided to do the Carnivore diet for three months with the goal of losing 30 pounds. I picked this diet because I like meat; I know several guys who have done it successfully, lost a lot of weight and didn’t struggle with tiredness while dieting. It is also very simple and easy to keep track of; just eat meat and eggs. Patty has hard-boiled a bunch of eggs for me, bought several dozen cans of sardines, and has located lots of packages of fish, as well as elk, deer, and beef, in our freezer. I am ready to get skinny.
The Bible says John the Baptist’s diet included locusts and wild honey. I have done some reading on that, and if I could handle locusts, I would probably lose weight and be healthy on that diet. It seems funny that with all the different diets that there have been, no one has tried to market that one. It is probably the locust thing.
Jesus said that our daily consumption of the Bible for the growth and health of our soul is more important than what we eat for physical health. Joshua 1:8 says that the words of God’s book should always be in our mouth, not as an expression of speaking it, but of taking it in like food. Peter says, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of God’s Word so we can grow.” Daily Bible reading is the most basic of the basics in being a disciple of Jesus, yet so many are apathetic and careless in this discipline. What I eat and how I eat doesn’t affect anybody but me, and my discipline in Bible reading is essential to my spiritual health and growth.

One of the goals that I set every year is a bicycle riding goal. I have had a bicycle goal for the last 15 years. Last year, I didn’t do very well on my goal of biking because I quit after the first four days. We had 70 Ibs of camping gear on the bicycles with no support vehicle, and I was just too wimpy to do that. At the end of summer this last year, I decided that my bicycle riding days were over, but then I decided I would make it easier rather than quit. So this year, we are going on a nine-day ride. Instead of camping, we will stay in homes and motels and eat in restaurants, so we won’t need to carry anything on the bicycles but a change of clothes, tire repair stuff, and snacks. We will ride to Bend through Detroit and Sisters; from there, we will ride north up Highway 97 and cross the Colombia River at Biggs Junction, then to Goldendale, and then to Trout Lake, Washington, where I grew up. We will take a rest day in Trout Lake and then go South to the Bridge of the Gods across the Colombia River; we will ride along the Colombia Gorge on the new bicycle trail built along I-84, then South to Jefferson. It will be about 500 miles round trip. That should be a very achievable trip with lots of scenery. We won’t be farther than a three-hour drive from home, so we can be quickly rescued if any emergency arises. When I teach goal setting, I always talk about adjusting our goals if it is too hard. I have been reluctant to do that myself, but I was forced to this year or not ride. Such is life. Anybody who wants to join us is welcome.

One of the things that I do periodically is get excited about doing something crazy. I accidentally watched a short video of a guy building a boat while browsing YouTube videos, and I got excited and decided to build that boat. I bought the plans for $199 and purchased the videos of a guy building the entire boat. You don’t watch every minute of the build, just the key parts. The reason it is crazy is because it is 28 feet long, will weigh 6,000 pounds when completed, will cost approximately $20,000 to build without the motor, will take about 2,000 hours to complete, and I will have to build a covered area at least 30 feet long and 12 feet wide to build it in. I will have to drag the construction time out to at least 8 years to afford it and have time with everything else I do to complete it. Let’s see, eight years will make me 85 years old. That is probably too old to take a boat out in the ocean unless you are crazy. Oh well, it will keep me busy with something I enjoy until I die, and I can will it to one of my grandkids to finish and use. When we were in Texas last week in this church that had 50,000 people coming to it, hearing the story about the Pastor who started it, I decided that the people who did those kinds of things were people who had really crazy ideas and dreams and were bold enough to pursue them. Probably the technical description would be people who are not afraid to fail, because fear of failing is probably the number one reason more people don’t attempt crazy things. I write a lot more goals for crazy ideas than I ever actually attempt. But writing about them, dreaming about them, buying blueprints for them, and watching videos of them is fun and only costs $199.

I am teaching a Saturday Seminar on March 22nd on Spiritual Gifts. The goal for each person who comes is to discover the strengths they were created with and have had since birth, the gifts we were given at the point of salvation by the working of the Holy Spirit in us, and what we have developed through our experiences in life. The combination of these three areas makes each of us unique, with strengths, abilities, and weaknesses that are important for us to know and understand as we pursue doing things with our lives that matter to God, others, and ourselves. Part of what we will be doing is taking several tests to help show us who we are. We will take them online using our cell phones or iPads, and you will see the results immediately. I might add that the results will be private; you can only see them and whoever you show them to. I have been taking a number of them as I search for what I think are the best ones. It is always eye-opening as you answer questions and get a report describing your strengths and weaknesses and what you need to watch out for in work and relationships. I took these tests years ago in college and seminary, but I haven’t for some time. It is very much like looking into a mirror and seeing yourself. One of my tests labeled me as an “Achiever.” They are very goal-oriented, results are important to them, they are very motivated, and any sense of failure by their own assessment can cause depression. It also said that people like me need to learn to adjust their goals and dreams as they get older or, else, their reduced energy and abilities will frustrate them as they come up short of what they used to be able to do but can’t anymore. Wow, taking those tests and reading the results prompted a lot of reflection about who I am and what I should be doing. The Seminar is on March 22nd, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, with lunch provided. It is limited to 200 people, so don’t procrastinate too much before signing up.

This morning, we got up at 4:00 a.m. in order get to the airplane before it took off for home. We drove our rented car to where we had first picked it up, but before we got there, we missed a turn because of confusion caused by road construction. After circling the airport a couple of times, we finally turned correctly and returned the car. We then had to get on a shuttle bus to the airport, but we had to get on the right one among many. Our bus was going to terminal 3, where Alaska Airlines was situated. We got on the right bus, but then we had to get off at the right place because it stopped at many destinations, but only one worked for us. A lady was announcing the upcoming stopping point over an intercom, but those people always mumbled their words, and I had no idea what she was saying. I asked the guy sitting across from me on the bus where he was getting off, and he said, Terminal 3, cool, we will get off with him. Once inside, we had to go through “Security.”
There were many people at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, and it seemed like they were all going to the same place we were, which made for a long line. Did you know that when you get over 75 years old, you don’t have to take your shoes off anymore? I guess that is because they don’t consider us a threat to hijack a plane anymore. I don’t know if it is because I am 76 or because I have flown so much, but I am now always in the “B” group. That is right after the ones who are in the service or are a veteran. That means I get on the plane early, so there is lots of luggage space. The most crucial thing in all that happens is that you have to have a ticket. Now, they do these electronic tickets on your cell phone.
While going through this long line, my phone switched off, so when I got up to the grumpy guy who needed to scan my ticket, my phone was off. I usually open my phone with a face scan, but it wouldn’t recognize my face for some reason. I tried so many times that it froze my phone, and I needed to use my passcode, but I couldn’t remember it. The grumpy guy and the people behind me were getting crankier by the minute or, rather, the second. Have you ever had an experience where you are under this horrendous pressure, and your brain goes into a freeze? It could be just an old man thing. I finally figured it out. You knew that because I am home sitting in my recliner as I write this, but I wasn’t sure for a while. It is a sick feeling to think you are getting on the plane early, and it looks like you might not get on at all. Can you imagine the feeling of standing before Jesus after you die and He says, sorry, your name is not on my list of those who get into my house? The saddest thing is that it is too late to do anything about it. It is essential that you have a ticket into heaven, and you need to know that you do, without a doubt.

Tonight was the last session of the conference that I have been attending in Dallas, Texas, and Tim Tebow was the speaker. Church staff spoke during the day on various church growth topics, and then each night, they had a big rally with the general public invited, lots of music, and special speakers. Tim Tebow has been a favorite of mine from way back when he played college football, won the Heisman, and won two national championships. When he played, he was a bold, big-time witness for Jesus on and off the football field. I had never heard him speak before, and he was very good; the trip was worth it just to listen to him. I am always blessed when I hear someone who has been very successful in life but is quite humble and uses their success as a platform to serve the Lord. He travels around and speaks a lot, and if he wins as many people to Christ each time he speaks as he did tonight, God is using him a lot. Whenever I hear someone as gifted at talking as he was tonight and see and hear how much they are accomplishing with their life, I get a bit envious, but everyone has a different role in God’s plan by His design. I never played football or was very good at Sports. But if we all are faithful to what He has designed for each of us, we can be very useful to Him in our lives. But we for sure want to think about whether we are serving Him as successfully as possible. Sometimes when we don’t have high powered skills we excuse doing nothing or very little.