The book of Proverbs makes a really big deal out of being a wisdom seeker. It also says that of all the things that we can seek, wisdom is the most valuable. When we have wisdom we will have a good marriage, we will raise good kids, we will be financially secure, we will accomplish a lot with our life, we will have good relationships. The major key to growing rapidly in wisdom is to be teachable. Seems like an easy thing to be, but my observation of people over the years as a pastor is that there are very few really teachable people. The reason is our pride. Pride is almost like this independent being or force inside of us that controls our thinking, words, attitudes, and responses to people. This force that has grown very strong inside of us at a very young age has as its goal to project an image of a perfect self. Attentively listening to, and learning from advice, correction, counsel, and reproof is very hard to do with this force constantly working against it. We have to choose as an act of our will to be seekers of wisdom and very teachable from others especially those unsolicited incounters with people who see us do things and then give advice or correction through out the day. Only very aggressive wisdom seekers will respond with a humble, teachable spirit in those situations. The choosing to be a humble, teachable, wisdom seeker should be an every morning commitment. If we keep making the commitment every morning, pretty soon we start to move gradually in the direction of actually being that kind of person. Pride inside of us is an awefull thing. We must conquor and overcome it.

I am going to pedal my exercise bike for an hour every night this week and also I am going to do 15 squats each night with a bunch of weight on the bar. One reason is that I gained 4 lbs on the salmon fishing trip to the Kenai River in Soldotna, Alaska and I want to lose it quick, and the second reason is that I am climbing Mt Adams on Saturday and I want my leg muscles toned up for the grind up that 12,700 ft mountain. I am still in pretty good shape from my bicycle trip to Portland, Maine and I have ridden the exercise bike regularly and often since then so I think I am going to make it to the top. I have climbed Mt Adams a number of times over the years, and my observation is that making it to the top is mostly mental rather than physical. Climbing Mt Adams is a choice, but many major challenges that come into our life are like climbing a mountain but we didn’t choose them, they just showed up in our life. Some people conquor the mountains that come into their lives, but most do not, they quit. Just like climbing Mt Adams these major life trials are overcome mostly by the way we think. The way we think when we hit the very steep grade at the 10,000 foot level up to the false summit is what determines whether we make it to the top or quit. Our flesh that is programmed from birth for comfort starts screaming at us in our thoughts as we hit the grind at the 10,000 foot mark. I decide before I start climbing what I am going to choose to think when my flesh starts complaining and whining. “I can make it to the top of this Mountain as long as I don’t quit, just one step in front of another, it won’t be long now and I will enjoy the great feeling of being an overcomer, you can do it Duke, one more step, one more step, be a winner, it will feel so good being on the top knowing I made it.”

I am sorry that I have not written my blog for a few days. I was out fishing in the Kenai in my waders in water up to my waist and I hooked a sockeye salmon. In the process of fighting him and inching my over to the bank where my net was I tripped over a rock and fell in. I lost the fish, got soaking wet, and my IPhone that was in my coat pocket got wet and quit working, and that is what I was doing my blogs on. I just got home a couple of hours ago and I am getting caught up on chores around the house, reading, and writing this blog. The run finally came in and we had one day of hot fishing. We came home with about 40 lbs of sockeye fillets each, which is about 30 lbs less then last year, but we had a great time fishing and falling in the water anyway 😄 We are already making plans for next years trip. The best part of the trip for me was having my grandson Josiah along. Sometimes 14 year old boys are kind of wimpy when it comes to getting up at 2 am and being on the river 16 hours a day fishing hard with few fish to show for it, but Josiah was a trooper and never grumbled or complained once about being tired or bored. He fit in well with the other 9 men on the trip and acted like a mature adult instead of a like a silly kid. He made my grandpa heart proud. One of my character goals for the trip that I wrote out before we left was to act happy all the time even when we only had a couple hours of sleep because of fishing late and getting up early, not catching a lot of fish, and the normal stuff that happens between 10 men living together in a little cabin for a week. I think I did alright, way better than previous years for sure even if not perfect. I discovered that when I worked hard at acting happy, that I felt happy, I felt better physically, and I had more energy. That discovery, if I don’t soon forget it was worth the trip even if I had caught zero fish.

We got up at 4 am to go fishing for Sockeye Salmon on the Kenai River in Soldtna, Alaska. This is our 5th day of fishing and the “Run” has yet to happen. Usually the 15th of July is the peak of the run. 2 years ago there were 238,000 fish that came up the river in one day on the 15th, and today the run is about 13,000. As I think about it, it is a lot about expectation. I went on an all day salmon fishing trip in Oregon and the 5 of us that went all caught one fish, and we were very excited about the great day of fishing and catching. Yesterday the 12 of us that came on this trip caught 13 fish between us and we were greatly disappointed because that is not what we expected. I am going to work at choosing my expectations so I am excited and grateful when they happen, and they will happen because I am going to choose expectations that I can control. My expectation for today is that I will have a great fishing experience because I will enjoy the challenge of trying to catch fish, I will enjoy the river and the creation of God so obvious in Alaska, I will the escape from the normal responsibilities of life and be refreshed and refueled for great accomplishments in the days ahead, and I will enjoy the fellowship with friends who are enjoying this adventure as well. My enthusiasm because of fulfilled expectations will have a positive influence on the other guys on this trip instead of being a drag because of my disappointment, especially my 14 year old grandson.

Patience is the number one requirement to really be a devoted fisherman as well as an undying hope. Real fishermen enjoy the fishing experience whether they catch fish or not. They want to catch fish “a lot” but the “hope” of a big run tomorrow keeps them motivated, and the effort made to catch fish that aren’t there is enjoyable.
Sort of like waiting for Jesus to come. I truly expect that tomorrow is the day He will come, and I try to live accordingly.

We are getting ready for the evening fishing. We typically will fish from 6 pm to midnight but we have our headlights so we are prepared to fish all night if the fish are in…

Not a lot more fish came up the river today but enough more so that we put about 30 salmon in the freezer, 36 is our group daily limit, so we were close. We are getting up at 4 am planning on the run coming in strong tonight. We worked hard for our fish today spending about 12 hours fishing. As I said yesterday , I think a lot while I am fishing and today was mostly thinking about what next10 years held for me. My desire is that the next 10years are more effective than the previous 38 years. I thought a lot about my responsibility to make this happen. I know that accomplishment is a partnership with God, His part and mine. I want to make sure that I understand my part and faithfully, diligently do it well. It is sort of like fishing, I can’t make the fish come up the river but I need to be ready when they do and be diligent and have the skill to catch them. Boy, I hope getting up at 4 am is worth it!!

There is a group of 12 of us at Soldotna, Alaska fishing for a week for Sockeye salmon. We have done this for years now and every year we have hit the run right on the nose, but right now there are very few fish. Usually we have our 3 fish limit in less than an hour, but I fished for 12 hours today and caught 2 fish and the others have not done much better. We have been here 2 days and have 6 more to go so we are hoping the run comes in soon. I enjoy fishing even if we don’t catch fish but we invited some new guys this year and told them all the stories of previous years so I feel bad that they are not catching many fish. While I am fishing I think a lot about different things. Today I was thinking about whether it was ok to pray and ask God for fish. Jesus gave Peter and his fishing buddies fish 2 different times, so Jesus has done it and I wouldn’t be asking for 153 fish! Maybe I should just ask for joy whether we catch fish or not or strength to manage well the disappointment of few fish caught. Well, after thinking about it I went ahead and prayed an official prayer for fish with passion. If the run comes in tomorrow I will praise the Lord. If it doesn’t I will rejoice anyway.

With all the negative news happening it was so nice to be part of the Serve Inc event today where 150 people from 7 different churches in the Jefferson area spent the morning painting the inside of the Fire Station, the outside of the Jefferson Community Center and landscaping the Conser House and painting the Gazebo next to the Conser house as well as cleaning up the street and sidewalks around those same buildings. Everyone worked hard and had a very good time fellowshiping together as they worked together. In The Gospel of Matthew Jesus said, “Let your light shine in such a way that the world may see your good works and glorify your Heavenly Father”. I believe that when we truly do something that brings pleasure to the heart of God that we sense that pleasure in our own heart with a sense of our own personal joy. I came home today after being involved in this great project with a deep inner sense of joy that I am sure was from God.

One of my goals this year was to study all about aquaponics and then to set up my own system. I built a 10X12 greenhouse and put a 300 gallon IBC tank in one corner, built 2 grow beds that were 3X10 feet and 1 foot deep, filled with 3/4 pea gravel. The top of the grow beds are 3 feet from the ground so I can work on them without bending over. Water pumps out of the fish tank into the grow beds and then back onto the fish tank. The water is filtered and the plants that grow on the gravel get lots of nutrients and grow very fast. I put 100 little 1 inch long baby Tilapia in the tank on January 7th and today I harvested my first fish, actually 6 fish. They weighed about 3 lbs each and made some very nice fillets which we ate for dinner. At some point I think I will be able to raise all the vegetables that Patty and I and all of our kids and grandkids in the area can eat plus all the fish we want. As I get this down as a smooth running system I may see how much I can sell and make a little profit to boot. The fish tasted delicious by the way. One of my favorite things to do is learn about something I know nothing about and become somewhat of an expert on it. I wonder what it will be next year?

Well, I had a pretty good night. Sorta, kinda. Went right to sleep on my new bed and then as usual I woke up 3 hours later with the muscles in my legs set up like concrete. I went into our exercise room and peddled on my exercise bike hard for 15 minutes and read my Bible while I did then I got into our hot tub that is on our back porch. It is just a little cheap one that only holds one person but it is nice and hot, 104 degrees and the jets blow super hard. I sat in that for 15 minutes praying through my kids, son in laws, daughter in law, grandkids and Mom from memory, and then I crawled back into my nice new bed and slept like a baby for another 3 hours. Slept like a baby is a bit of hyperbole, but you know what I mean. Making adjustments to changing health issues and circumstances in life seems part of God’s plan for our lives. I am sure it is God’s will that I make these adjustments without grumbling, or feeling sorry for myself, but to just do it seeking strength, joy and peace from Him as I do. Christ like character is always God”s plan for my life. Thank You Lord for wanting me to be like Yourself so that we can enjoy each other in eternity, and working out the circumstances of my life perfectly to shape and mold me into your image and likeness.