I have been preaching at the Jefferson Evangelical church for almost two months. I am having a great time. It was much like the early days at JBC when we were a church of fifty people. I have a notebook with everyone’s name and picture in it, and I go through it a couple of times a week, praying for everybody. People raise their hands during my sermon and ask questions. I am having a wonderful time. I love to preach and teach the Bible, and with a smaller group, it is easy to see if I am connecting and if people are understanding and motivated by what I am teaching. Seeing people’s eyes light up with understanding is like pouring gasoline on a fire. Tonight, I am on such an adrenaline high that I won’t be able to go to sleep for hours.

The church is the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ; Jesus loves the Church and gave His life for the church. We are one of God’s favorites when we invest our lives in building the church. Everybody can do something. Teach Sunday School, host a home Bible study, sign up to help with landscaping, help with cleaning, and volunteer to help with the Sportsman’s show. Everybody can do something. Keep moving around in what you do until you discover your spiritual gift; then, you will have an adrenaline high, as I do each week or whenever you serve.

There are so many opportunities. An extraordinary blessing is poured out on those involved in making the church beautiful.

This morning at JBC’s Men’Breakfast, we had a speaker named Col. Tom Kirk. He is 96 years old; he is a Vietnam veteran who was shot down and captured and was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was tortured terribly for years and earned the Air Force Cross, which is the second highest for valor, four Silver Stars, two distinguished Flying Crosses, Two Legions of Merit, two Bronze Stars, seven Air Medals, and a Purple Heart. For being 96, he was a very energetic and entertaining speaker. As I listened to him speak, I thought, there aren’t many guys around anymore who are that tough. Considering all the abuse his body and mind took in those years of being a prisoner of war, it is incredible that he has lived this long. He was a prisoner of war for five years and four months, and for over two years, he was in solitary confinement. He lived on two bowls of soup daily and lost 90 lbs while in prison.

To survive the long period alone, Kirk established a routine. “I walked 4.5 miles each day in my cell. I built houses stick by stick, nail by nail in my mind, and mentally calculated mortgage amortization schedules. I even simulated playing the flute using a stick I had found to practice my fingering exercises.”

Today, at 96, Kirk plays golf four times a week, practices his saxophone for an hour and a half daily, and works out five times a week. He regularly travels the country speaking at events like our Men’s Breakfast. He made me feel like a wimp.

One of the amazing things about his story is that, for all that he went through, he said he doesn’t have any bitterness in his heart toward anybody. His faith in God gave him strength and ability to endure. He said that in his tiny cell with no outside light or contact with anybody, it was him and God, and he talked to him all day.

If you google his name, you will find several videos on YouTube of him telling his story. If you get to a place where you feel sorry for yourself, watch one of those videos. It should cure you of self-pity and cause you to thank the Lord for your blessed life.

We just finished a national election for President of the United States, for Senators, Representatives, Initiatives, Governors, and Laws. During the last six months, we have heard and seen many advertisements, debates, text messages, e-mails, and other stuff in the mail, trying to persuade us to vote one way or the other. As we are bombarded with this information, there are many contradictory messages. How do we know what is true and what is a lie? The election is now over, and it is a relief not to be constantly surrounded by all this propaganda. But we are still continuously hearing information about life, God, what is right and wrong, and what is essential for success and happiness in life. Much of what we hear is contradictory; how do we know what is true and what is a lie? Lies have their origin in the devil. He speaks to people in their thoughts and they pass it on as they “speak their mind.” As time goes on, the number of lies and false teachings will increase exponentially. Those who fill their mind with the Word of God, the Bible will be able to discern truth from error.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:31-32 Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Hebrews 5:13-14 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

I was reminded again today how important how I think is. We can think angry thoughts, bitter thoughts, self-pity thoughts, greedy, covetous, discounted thoughts, immoral thoughts, prideful thoughts, critical, judgmental thoughts, and selfish thoughts. No one knows what I am thinking, so there is no external motivation; the strong desire to be pure, holy, and righteous in our thinking all day long must come from our hearts. In my morning prayer of commitment, part of my prayer is, “I will take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

What motivates me is that I know that God knows every thought I think, and He rewards or disciplines me based on my thinking. I pray to God about everything that happens during the day. My praying is mostly in my head rather than out loud. My praying to God constantly reminds me that He knows what I think. So, as I mentally talk to God during the day, I reinforce my firm belief that He hears my thoughts.

Events and circumstances prompt thoughts in me. When things happen that I don’t like, my first thoughts will be negative, critical, judgmental, self-pity, or angry. But the trick is to capture those initial, fleshly thoughts and choose to think right. It sounds simple and easy, but it isn’t easy at all. If my darn brain would take a break and stop reacting to life negatively, I could catch my breath and have an easier time of it. But, no such blessing; my brain goes 24/7, even while I am sleeping, and some of my dreams are bad.

A fundamental law of life is that what we think about shapes our character, choices, and behavior. I am not 100% successful at taking my thoughts captive, especially when I am tired or when the event prompting my thoughts is very painful or disappointing. I try to confess wrong thinking to God as sin quickly when I catch it and immediately ask Him for strength to be holy and joyous in my thinking. I also mentally try to say, “Thank You, Lord,” all day long for everything good, positive, and enjoyable that happens to me.

Well, I mailed in my ballot, and Patty did as well. I hope the person I believe would make the best president for the USA wins. But I am old enough to have voted in many elections, and in a few of them, the person I voted for won. In the Elections that didn’t go my way, I didn’t wring my hands in despair, thinking the world was ending. I have read this Bible passage repeatedly, recognizing that God is in control, that someday Jesus will be King, and that things will be good then.

Psalms 2:1-5 Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed; he who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury.

Whoever wins, I am committed to praying for them, that God works in their hearts, and that many people become followers of Jesus despite or because of them. I have been in many countries where the government was ten times worse than ours, and thousands of people were coming to Jesus.

I have strong feelings and opinions about politics, political leaders, and laws passed and unpassed. I also recognize that many people around me have opinions and feelings that are equally as strong as mine. A few of those have chosen to be my enemy, not because they don’t like me but because they don’t like my views. I have some very close friends who are 180 degrees off from me on most of what separates people today, but we still fish together and enjoy each other’s company and friendship. That is a possibility for anyone who works at it.

I am a strong follower of Jesus Christ, and I have many friends who are not. I pray for their salvation often, and when I am with them, I work hard to be a bright light that will attract them to my beliefs and savior. I don’t convince them by being argumentative and obnoxious regarding their unbelief. That would not convince them that my faith is true, and it seldom works in the political arena, either.

I am not in a boxing match with an opponent, but I am in a courting relationship trying to convince someone to marry me. (I am sure you recognize that I am using that as an illustration; I have been happily married for 55 years.)

Tonight was JBC’s annual “Trunk or Treat” event. We had a bunch of kids and parents come to the back parking lot where there were about forty trunks, cars, or pickups, or, in my case, a boat decorated with some kind of theme with bags of candy to hand out to those who came. Parents and kids wander around through the “trunks,” “trick or treating,” and collecting candy. There are also free hot dogs, chips, and chocolate in the gym, a bouncy house, and several other activities. It didn’t rain during the main run between 6:00 and 8:00 pm, but it was cold. As I said, there were a lot of people who came through, and we handed out tons of candy. It was a lot of fun interacting with all the people and kids. The first “Trunk or Treat” was held in Center Point, Alabama, in 1994. Nobody I could find knows the motive behind the first one, but now thousands of churches all over the United States hold one of these events. There are also some schools holding them, both Christian and secular, and I read of a car dealership that had one, obviously as an advertising gimmick to get people to see their cars up close.

There are many Christians who think it is terrible for churches to associate with Halloween in any way. With the history of Halloween and its association with demons and witchcraft, I can certainly understand their concerns. But I think it is good to take what is terrible and convert it so that it is a tool of the Lord. I heard the testimony of a former drug Lord in Argentina who was extremely demon-possessed as a result of demon worship and drugs. He was wounded in a shootout with the police, and during his six-month recovery time, he became a disciple of Jesus Christ. What once belonged to satan now belonged to God.

As I passed out candy to kids tonight, I could not help but think that someday, many of these kids would end up in church because of the fun they had tonight. In evangelism, there are many good strategies, methods, and tools that we can invent and use to attract people to Jesus.

I talk a lot about character traits. I have identified 26 character traits in the Bible, and my goal is to grow in each. I evaluate myself, ranking the 26 from top to bottom, and I ask Patty to do the same, and occasionally I ask friends. Several character traits I have considered significant strengths in my life have taken a nose dive lately, and I don’t know why. It definitely concerns me, and I am making a herculean effort to reverse this trend.

Self-control has been one of my strengths for years, but now it is quickly sliding to the bottom. I am not sure if it is old age or what, but I don’t like being a wimp when it comes to things controlling my life. One of the areas is with my eating. I am allergic to gluten and white sugar. A year ago, I discovered that they were what was giving me my Parkinson’s symptoms. I didn’t have Parkinson’s; I had Parkinson’s symptoms caused by food allergies. I quit eating all gluten and white sugar, and I started feeling really good compared to what I had been experiencing. However, I discovered that I could fudge a little bit on my diet and not be affected, so I would have an occasional bowl of ice cream. At first, I was good and kept the occasions at least a week apart and a small bowl. But I started increasing both the volume and frequency, and I end up back where I was in my tremors, loss of balance, muscle cramps, and rigidity. So, I repent and go back to zero sugar and gluten. It takes a few days to get it out of my system, and I do it all over again.

It makes me feel like such a weakling to have something control me like that. It is funny how messing up in one area also seems to slide into other areas. I have started missing an occasional day of Bible reading. It has been years since I have missed a day, and now I have suddenly missed several days. Not all together, but a day here, another last week, and one this week. I have been occasionally missing my bike riding and weight lifting as well.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 are some of my memory verses; I better start meditating on them daily.
“Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

Monday morning, I was planning on going salmon fishing on the Alsea River. I was going to get up at 4:00 am so that I could get dressed, brush my teeth etc, eat some breakfast, and fill my thermos with coffee. Patty put the coffee pot to start automatically at 4:00 am. Sunday, I blogged about my birthday, and Sunday evening, my daughter in Hawaii read my blog and realized that she had forgotten my birthday, so she quickly called me. It was 8:30 pm their time and 11:30 our time. Because I was getting up at 4:00 am, I went to bet at 8:00 pm. When my cell phone rang at 11:30 pm, I woke up and thought my alarm was going off at 4:00 am. So, I got up, got dressed in my fishing clothes, brushed my teeth, went to the bathroom, ate some breakfast, and then went to pour the coffee into my thermos, except that it hadn’t been brewed. I went back into the bedroom and asked Patty, barely awake from all my noise getting ready to fish, why the coffee wasn’t brewed. She said, “Because I set it to brew at 4:00 am, it is now midnight.” I looked at the clock, and sure enough, it was midnight. How did that happen? I looked at my phone and saw that I had a missed call from Sally and that my phone alarm was still set to go off at 4:00 am. So, I took my clothes off and went back to bed. It seemed like the alarm went off 30 minutes later.
 
Has that kind of thing ever happened to you? There isn’t much you can do but laugh and tell others about the dumb thing you did so they can get a good laugh as well. It is nice when you make a blunder, and it doesn’t cost you anything but 30 minutes of sleep. Most mistakes have a consequence that is more severe than that. Wisdom is knowing the consequences of bad choices and the blessings of the right decisions. When we genuinely have wisdom, the awareness of the fruit of our actions, good and bad, steers our choices in life. Wisdom comes into the heart of the person who seeks it diligently and prays for it constantly. Being a good learner from our experiences and the experiences of others is a significant way wisdom enters our hearts. I also read one chapter in Proverbs every day as part of my strategy for pursuing wisdom.

Today is my birthday, and I received several hundred happy birthday wishes on Facebook, email, texts, in the mail, and in person. Even though I am now 76 and probably should be past enjoying the attention and honor of all those congratulations, I still enjoy it and feel very loved and honored by all for remembering my birthday.

The Bible says that we ought to honor God. We also ought to honor the aged. Husbands are to honor their wives and children their parents. We are to honor our bosses and those over us in government. It also says that we ought to honor those in our church as fellow believers and even work at outdoing each other in giving honor. That is a nice kind of competition. God says that he will bring honor to us in this life if we glorify him with our life and also on those who humble themselves.

The primary emphasis in the Bible on receiving honor is at the Judgment Seat of Christ at the end of our lives. After we die and switch locations from earth to heaven, we switch bodies from this earthly one to our glorified body, which is like the body of Jesus. We will stand before Jesus, and He will honor us for what we have done with our lives. Some people will get very little honor, and others will receive a lot. Paul says that as star differs from star in glory, we will also differ in glory.

It takes faith to keep your eye on the finish line and be motivated by that event because we can’t see it and have never experienced it. It is easy to be motivated by earthly honor and glory because we see it, have experienced it, and have seen others get it. But the one who sets his mind on the heavenly finish line will live a life well pleasing to the Lord and will hear Him say at the Judgment Seat of Christ, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Today, I taught at a church in Washington at a men’s event. It began with breakfast and ended with lunch, both of which were delicious, and I was in between. One of my messages was entitled “Getting Rid of Ten Dirty Habits.” One of the ten was anger, and I used a dozen verses from Proverbs to teach from; one of them was Proverbs 16:32: “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” I zeroed in on the phrase in the verse, “he who rules his spirit.” That phrase describes a strong man, and it appeals to me. Another way I have said that phrase over the years is: “You don’t have to act the way you feel.” Much damage is done to relationships by emotionally driven conversations, better-called shouting matches, or, in our current cultural setting, “political debates.” We all get emotional from events, circumstances, and words, but the goal should not be to let our emotions control us but to rule our spirit or emotions. Strong people can do that. When Jesus spoke, the crowds marveled because He spoke as one with authority. That means that they listened and responded to His words. We can speak with authority if we talk with self-control, always speaking with the other person’s edification as our goal. I can’t think of an area of my life that I have blown it as much as here. It grieves me to remember some of those events, but I am determined that in the future, I will rule my spirit and always speak so as to give grace to those who hear.