I am convinced, without a doubt, that the most important of all my disciplines is scripture memory. I say that not only because of all that it has done for me but because very few Christians have any systematic Bible memory plan in their life. The most important things are the things that the devil works hardest to keep out of our lives. Most don’t do the hard stuff that takes focus and self-discipline.

Let me challenge you to do a Bible study on meditating on scripture. Look up every reference on meditate/meditating and record all the benefits and blessings God promises that will come into your life. It is a fantastic list, and the most amazing thing is that those blessings don’t motivate many people to memorize the Word of God as a part of their Christian life. I believe that meditating on scripture and memorizing it is basically the same thing.

My goal is to spend 30 minutes every day working on memorizing new verses and reviewing old verses. A tool that I use that helps me a lot is the App “Bible Memory.” It is a fantastic tool that has increased the effectiveness of my time memorizing.

The app usually costs $9.99 for a lifetime; if that wasn’t enough of a bargain, they offered it for $5.00 for the next week. Go to https://biblememory.com/pro/freedom/ and spend $5.00 on the best thing you will ever buy for $5.00.

I wonder how those who get a gold medal hung around their neck at the Olympics feel. I bet it is surreal; you would feel like pinching yourself to ensure it is real. I have had some honors that were very special to me; in fact, they were so special that I still go back and look at pictures of the event and try to recapture some of the emotion. The level of joy felt when being honored is determined by my relationship to the person or people who are honoring me. The person who could make me feel most special was my Dad, and now it is my wife, kids, grandkids, and friends.

The honor and glory that I hope that I will get from Jesus at the end of my life is the most motivating honor there is in my life. I will stand before Him at the end of my life at the Judgment Seat of Christ and I hope that I will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master.”

The desire to hear His praise for me keeps me going when I don’t feel like it.

I don’t know who is going to be elected President. I don’t know if I am going to kill an elk this year. I don’t know how many salmon I will catch in Alaska this month. I don’t know what is going to happen in Israel. I don’t know when Jesus is coming. I don’t know when I will die. And a thousand other things that I don’t know no matter how hard I try to figure them out.

Often the unknown drives us crazy as we fret about what will happen in the future. Also we often get very agitated about events in the news because of the level of injustice in the world that we can’t do anything about except pray.

There are about a dozen verses among all those that I have memorized that I pull out of my memory and meditate on almost daily as I live this life, one of them is,

Psalms 37:7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

It is amazing the power that verse has on my mind when I start fretting about things I have no control over, but wish that I could change. God’s Word is supernaturally powerful to give me strength, peace and joy in the midst of the worst circumstances.

Make a goal to memorize a verse or two every month and to meditate on them for just a couple of minutes every day. It will change your life, I guarantee it.

My family moved 23 times by the time I was 12 years old, because of Dad being in the Navy. Because of that I didn’t have any friends except my immediate family as a kid. After Dad retired from the Navy we lived five years at the first farm, and then moved to the Trout Lake Dairy. My graduating class at Trout Lake had seven students, it was a small school. All of that to say, I grew up with few friends and was a major introvert for most of my life. I preferred to fish by myself, work on cars by myself, and travel by myself. It is amazing that I went into ministry as a Pastor.

But as I have gotten older I don’t enjoy doing anything by myself anymore. I don’t go fishing unless with a friend or grandson, I can’t motivate myself to go out and work on the 1969 Mustang by myself, the thought of driving to Portland by myself makes me cringe.

The “Seniors” had a barbecue at the church Wednesday, and I went and stayed and visited with lots of people and had a wonderful time of fellowship, I felt a great deal of joy from being with others my age. There was a time, not that long ago when my appearance at church social events was “token,” that is I showed up for a few minutes, showed my face, shook a few hands because it was my duty as the Pastor. Now, I live for the next social event because friends give me energy and make me happy. It used to be that people drained me of energy unless it was a very small group of close friends.

The change in me from being an introvert to an extrovert was gradual and a result of choosing to spend more time with people when I was depressed rather than less, which was my history. I discovered that I was quickly lifted up in my joy level, especially if I looked for ways to encourage others I was with, instead of just focusing on my problems. The “Seniors” barbecue is an example, I know that many older people like myself are struggling with health issues, family problems, and energy shortages, so I listened, paid attention, and encouraged when it was appropriate. I left feeling good.

In reading all the verses that I can find on heaven, it looks like fellowship is what eternity is about. The emphasis isn’t about what we accomplish, it is about being with Jesus and each other. I think that is why the emphasis in the New Testament is loving one another, forgiving each other, serving one another, being kind to one another, greeting one another, and on the list goes. Heaven is a party.

As I have gotten older some things have gotten worse, but also some things have gotten better.

As I set my goals and make plans for the future I am downsizing a bit. Mostly on the physical goals. I tend to do that after repeated failures and evaluate thoughtfully the “why” of the failure. I had three successive failures at climbing Mt Adam’s before I declared that a thing of the past in my life. I failed to complete the last half marathon I did 10 years ago and the most recent several months ago I didn’t get past the training for it so my running days are also over. I no longer ride a motorcycle. I can walk but walking much on uneven ground is risky without a walking stick so I am planning hunting trips accordingly. I can’t pull my bow back any more so I am going to give it away. Sleeping on the ground in a tent is a major challenge any more so I am giving that stuff away as well, and I will probably turn down invitations to hunt in Alaska with my son-in-law as well, though, there isn’t much that enjoy as much as a moose hunting trip. A cot will work and of course Motels or Motorhome’s. Fishing has few limitations so no downsizing there, I will probably increase fishing time to make up for reductions in other areas.

My brain seems to still work fine, I enjoy reading, studying, and writing so teaching will continue with some extra rest between events for energy loss.

I do enjoy 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night now! Lazy old man🙄Though, I will make major sacrifices there for fishing time.

I am going to make time with my wife, kids, grandkids, and friends a major priority.

I still enjoy working on cars, building things, projects around the house, and I am thinking about taking up gardening, or raising pigs.

I am planning a bicycle trip next year to Fairbanks, Alaska. I have lots of time to work out details to make it an enjoyable and doable goal. Let me know if you want to go. It is the most beautiful trip in the world.

Today I hung around and observed the Vacation Bible School at Jefferson Baptist Church. There are almost 400 kids here and about the same number of volunteers, teachers, snack fixers, parking attendants, craft supervisors etc I was amazed at how organized everything was and how fluid the various ages, events, and programs worked together. It was truly harmony in motion. Every one was doing their thing and fitting in with everyone else and there were maybe 6 people getting paid for their efforts, the rest of the hundreds of workers were volunteers. It was a great picture of what the church is supposed to be. Everyone was happy, serving, influencing others for eternity.

I am not sure how all that I saw today came to be, but the Lord has certainly built his church well at JBC.

One of the things that I notice on my bicycle trips is that my general attitude and positiveness is impacted by my tiredness and blood sugar level. So as the miles pile up, the temperature gets hotter, the hills get steeper, my butt hurts more, and my legs get tired my desire to keep riding gets less. I also knew that to be true when I ran marathons and when I used to climb mount Adams annually. I used to tell people that would climb with me that their brain would start screaming at them, “stop – you are killing me!” And when we hit the 10,000 foot level your brain will go into hyper-drive trying to get you to quit. I would tell them to eat carbs and drink water as they climbed, but still their brain was going to try and override their will and desire to make it to the top. I would say, “If you want to make it to the top, you are going to have to ignore your brain screaming at you to stop and will yourself to keep going.” When I used to run marathons mile 20 was where my brain would scream at me the loudest, “You dummy, what are you doing! Stop! Stop! You are killing yourself, this is stupid!” If I could “gut it out” another 2 miles then I could finish the last 4, and finish the race.

The key for me to not quit races and and to make it to the top of Mt. Adams was to know that this would happen, to be mentally prepared for this intense inner battle that my brain was waging and then turn it into a contest that I was determined to win. It often seemed that my brain was like a second person in me that was set on getting me to take the easy way.

The same thing happens with discouragement, disappointment, setbacks, and failure. Our brains will start trying to get us to stop, slow down, and take an easier, more comfortable way. In the midst of living life and dealing with tough times, we need to think, meditate, and ponder on what we really want to do and accomplish, what we believe God wants us to do and accomplish. For me, writing and praying helps a lot in coming to clear conclusions about what I want, not what my flesh wants. I believe God puts His will for me in my heart and I sense it in the form of desires of my heart.

I don’t climb Mt Adam’s any more, the last time I made it to the top was when I was 69 years old, though I have tried three times since my last successful summit. I don’t run marathons any more, though I did sign up to run a half-marathon this last April but didn’t get past the training part. I know I have to quit some things and slow down, but I want it to be what I want, not what my flesh wants.

I do hard things physically to train myself to do the hard things spiritually, in ministry, and in life in general.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “I discipline my body and make it my slave.” With many people it is the other way around, they are the slave of their body and its desires, and as a result they don’t accomplish much for the Lord with their life.

I am going to wait a for a little bit of time before I decide on my future long distance bicycle riding trips. I know there is a time to quit but I don’t want it to be yet. I will probably downsize and modify, but I will decide on that after I have recovered from this year’s disappointments, so I can think clearly.

I fell twice yesterday on my bike while stopping. The load I am carrying is 70 lbs and makes it cumbersome to balance when I slow down to stop, and over the bike goes! I took a ton of ibuprofen during the night but I woke up this morning at 4:00 am barely able to make it to the bathroom. So I texted a friend and he is going to drive over and pick me up. Cliff and Kathy left without me this morning, story of my life😀 though I didn’t feel so bad when I rolled over and went back to sleep when they left. I am in the Oasis Cafe in Juntura, Oregon, now, 58 miles East of Burns, drinking coffee and eating breakfast. This is one of those cafe’s that is insulted if you eat everything on your plate. I figured my ride would get here about noon and I will finally have my breakfast all eaten!

Patty, my wife has fallen several times in the last couple of days going down a couple of stairs so I am in good company. Cliff and Kathy called me Patty yesterday after my second fall. But I must say, that I gave her more sympathy yesterday when she told me of her latest tumble than she gave me this morning when I called her at 5:00 am 😩. Though I did suggest to her that she needed to start using a Walker to get around. Oh well, such is married life🥰

I am feeling old, frail, and wimpy this morning, oh well, such is life at 75. Can’t wait until I hit 85 like my good friend Lloyd. I am going to help out in the “Seniors Ministry” at JBC next year, I will be a natural!

As I take this journey of life I wonder what some of the highlights will be coming up in the days ahead. Lots of adventures, I hope, but easier ones where I don’t fall down so much. As people I know die, I wonder how I will go. I was thinking a car might hit me while I was riding my bike, several honked at me yesterday, but that won’t happen now.

I trust God with every fiber of my being and I know that He is in charge. Life may be hard at times, but it is all an adventure because I am going to heaven someday, soon I hope.

We rode 58 miles today from Vale to Juntura, Oregon with a gradual 2000 foot elevation gain. I fell twice today while stopping my bike. I just lost my balance with that big load I am carrying on the bike. The first time was the worst because it was right in front of a little store and gas station and a number of people saw me and one guy ran over to help me, very embarrassing and hard on my pride.

We were on the road at 5:30 am this morning and it was 65 degrees and we walked into the Oasis Cafe at Juntura at 10:30 am and it was 85 degrees so we beat the worst of the heat. It is now 98 degrees at 5:00 pm. I am not supposed to eat sugar because it is one of the foods I am allergic to but I had a chocolate milk shake anyway. I hope I can sleep tonight.

When we got here after 5 hours of riding I was all out of gas, totally exhausted, but the milkshake helped a lot and I am planning on sleeping 10 hours tonight.

Tomorrow we are riding another 58 miles to Burns and it is supposed to be just as hot. I would write more but my brain isn’t working very well right now.

When we stay in Motels on our bicycle trip I do a lot of investigating online to find a cheap place to stay. There wasn’t a lot to choose from in Vale, Oregon. There was an old Hotel listed so I called about it. The lady was very nice and when I told her we were bicycling and needed a room on the ground floor if possible she gave us this apartment to stay in. It is at least 2,000 square feet with three bedrooms, two baths, a huge living room and a very nice kitchen, and the best thing is that the scales in the bathroom showed me 5 lbs lighter than I was a week ago. And also the air conditioning works great.

Tomorrow we will bike 60 miles to Juntura, then Burns, then John Day, Mitchell, Redmond, Idanah, and then home. We will leave in the morning at 5:15 am to do as much riding as possible when it is cooler, though the low temperate forecast is 68 degrees, but that beats 100 degrees.

When our son, Seth, picked us up this morning at Mountain Home, Idaho and drove us to Vale this morning, I left my IPad in his car. That is what I write my blog on. I am now writing it on my iPhone. So expect lots of mistakes in the next week in my blogs because I can’t see the keyboard very well and my fingers are twice the size as these little keys.

On a trip like this you meet a lot of weird, mean, cranky, and dumb people, but you also meet a lot of very nice people who are kind, gracious, and considerate.

Jesus said in Matthew 7 that each of us ought to treat others the same way we want to be treated. It is a good discipline to notice how people act who you enjoy being around and attempt to pick up their manners and ways of talking.