My girls and Patty have been going through boxes of old photographs getting a lot of laughs as we see ourselves from years ago. It is hard to believe but I used to be rather slim with lots of hair and my beard was black! As we were looking through the pictures, even some from my High School days, I couldn’t remember much of the details that would have been part of my life when the picture was taken. I often lament all the events and experiences that I can no longer remember, it is like they didn’t even happen.

I often wonder about heaven and my new glorified body. I am sure that I will be able to remember every detail and every thought of my entire life. As I reminisce in heaven about my life here on earth will I have much regret or sorrow over what I did and didn’t do with the life I was given by the Lord? Some people will say, we won’t remember any of the sad stuff, God will take that away. I think that is just wishful thinking, personally. One of things that will make eternity awesome is the contrast between there and here.

But I am sure that there will be some feelings of regret when we remember fully and realize what could have been, and what we could have accomplished. But for now, I am choosing to forget the past and press on hard, with all my might to become all that I am capable of becoming and to accomplish all that I am capable of accomplishing.

Written by Siemens AG employee named Sarah.

It’s interesting, because I never thought, as an American citizen, I would have to justify My body My choice. But apparently, I do. I was born and raised Maronite Catholic. However, my religious beliefs are more than a secular religion. It is a contract between me and my creator, God.

God blessed me with a vessel, my body; and charged me with the responsibility of stewardship over my body. I take that responsibility seriously. In so doing, I do my research thoroughly. One of the interesting aspects of this year was the amount of knowledge I have gained regarding the scientific community and how they operate.

A startling realization has been the revelation as to the number of pharmaceuticals that contain aborted fetal tissue. This should be abhorrent to every human. We are not cannibals. I am not a cannibal. And therefore, I cannot risk ingesting fetal tissue from aborted babies. I do not take any medication. And with this newfound knowledge, I have no intention of starting now.

As to the “vaccine”, it’s efficacy is almost 0. It neither prohibits nor deters the reception or transmission of Covid-19. It is also showing to have a effectivity life of anywhere between 4-6 months. Therefore, the question becomes how often are we going to be coerced into getting “booster” shots? Additionally, all the scientific data is now showing that the vaccinated populations are at risk of more severe infection than those that have chosen to be unvaccinated. Whereas the unvaccinated are reaching natural herd immunity, with greater efficacy and longevity. I could use the next several pages to provide documented proof, scientific data, and religious texts. Which I am happy to provide, if needed. However, I would assume most people are aware and doing their own research, as opposed to just blindly following. This is not to say that others should or shouldn’t be vaccinated, it is a personal choice. And one that should be respected.

Religion is more than prayers or psalms, it is a realization of the sanctity of life, my life. It is my responsibility and mine alone to ensure the best life I can live, and that includes my health and my health choices. Science should never be used as a weapon. However, it is being used now. The people responsible at the CDC and NIH have both professed to not having studied natural immunity. That is completely counter to scientific analysis. As a company with a long history of scientific achievement, this should be obvious.

The justification of government contracts to be used as coercion is abhorrent. I would expect a company as large as Siemens, and with a history as long as Siemens’, would understand this, and would stand up for human rights and human dignity. I am saddened by this decision, and disheartened that I have to choose between a 20-year career of dedicated service or my free will. Having been born on the 4th of July, and having served 8 years in the US Army, I will always choose Free Will. My religion is founded in our constitution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Forcing an injection on someone who has already achieved natural immunity goes against my religious beliefs, The US Constitution, and basic human decency.”

I bet you thought the title of this blog was about guns! I like guns but this blog is about establishing a purpose for our life.

1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose.

Jesus suffered as a man in His life. His suffering was so that my sins could be forgiven by God and I could live with Him forever. His suffering had a noble purpose, and He knew that.

Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.

God chooses to bring suffering and trials into my life so that I can grow in character, but if I respond in a wrong way the trials that God intended for good end up causing just the opposite result in my life.

Those who respond correctly to trials resulting in maximum growth in their lives are those who premeditate what they are going to think, what they are going to say, and how they are going to act when the trials come. They “arm themselves” to do what Jesus did when He suffered for us. What did Jesus do?

1. He trusted God the Father totally, because He knew His suffering had a purpose.

2. He prayed and asked for strength.

3. He didn’t grumble or complain.

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.

4. He fixed His eyes on eternity, not this life.

1 Peter 4:13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

So, I have established my plan, my response when I don’t like the events or circumstances of my life.

Dear Lord, I trust You totally with my life. I believe that You will only do and bring about events and circumstances that are best for my growth. Please give me your strength to manage and bear up under all that comes into my life. Grant me the strength to rejoice always and to never grumble or complain about anything. I look forward to stepping into glory one of these days, and I want to be as much like You in character as is possible. Grant me your wisdom to fix and change what I can, to help people, to teach and encourage as many as possible to live for You and to serve You with their whole life. Thank You, I love You.

We have a dog. His name is Roscoe. We have had him for just a little over a year. He is half poodle and half Jack Russel Terrier, and he is a very nice dog. He is smart, very personable for a dog, he loves our grandkids and they love him. But he does have a couple of very annoying habits. We keep the various doors in the house closed and one of them is our bedroom door. His bed is in our bedroom along with his food dish so he is in our bedroom all night a good portion of the day. If either Patty or I go into the other part of the house he stands at the door and whines. If t is an hour he will stand there and whine for the entire hour. If I am sitting in my recliner which is in our bedroom right next to the door and Patty goes out he will start in on his whining, and I will say, “quit whining!” He quits for a few minutes and then starts in again, and I say much more emphatically, “quit whining!!” Finally after this cycle repeats itself many times I get up and put him in his kennel and cover it with a blanket. If he starts whining in his kennel I smack it hard making a very loud noise, and yell, “quit whining!!!” That usually ends the whining bout.

Whining from a dog is annoying, whining from a kid is very annoying, and whining from a grown up adult is very, very annoying.

Philippians 2:14-15 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

There is a very thin line between many discussions today about current events and grumbling and complaining. I work hard at not grumbling or complaining about anything, but I often find myself entering into conversations that are anything but positive and affirming. It seems to be part of my human nature to whine about inconveniences, difficulties, and trials.

So, of late I have started saying to myself when I catch myself grumbling and complaining, “Roscoe, quit your whining!”

To be tough is to live your life with no fear. The devil lies, the Bible says he is the father of lies. He uses lies to create fear so that he can control people, to hold them captive to do his will rather than God’s. For us to be able to discern what is true and what is a lie is not the issue, the issue is that nothing causes us to fear, nothing, especially not death. Death is our great graduation into glory, into the presence of the Lord, when we get our glorified body. For believers our death is the most positive event in our life. But the devil has manipulated, lied, and intimidated until we are afraid of our greatest promise and event in all of life, crazy!

Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Hebrews 2:14-15 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

As people having been created in the image and likeness of God, we were created for freedom. Our salvation has set us free from fear, set us free from the devil, and has set us free from tyrants who attempt to control us through fear.

Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Because I am free from the devil, the world system, and my own flesh I can choose to live life as free person. I can choose to love anybody, no matter how unloveable they might be, I can choose to be kind and gracious to mean spirited, grouchy people, I am free to do what is right and not be controlled by their rudeness. I am free to forgive anybody of anything, I don’t have to let bitterness control my life. I am, free to rejoice always, grumble about nothing, and be happy and fun to be around. I don’t have to let circumstances dictate my mood, my attitude, or my behavior, because I am free.

A number of years ago I read a book with the title axioms, and when I finished reading it I decided to write my own book by that title. It wouldn’t be for anybody to read except for me, and I would read it over and over again. An axiom is a statement that is self-evidently true. I would write out short, easy to remember, almost motto like statements that I would operate my life by, my pastoring, leading, in my marriage, with my kids and grandkids, and life in general, and attempt to teach others to use as guidelines in their life as well. Over the years I would add new axioms as I personally discovered them from experience, mostly from failures, or witnessed or heard from someone else that was experienced and wise, or that I read. I have 92 axioms right now, but expect that I will write a number more in the near future from my COVID experiences as a pastor of Jefferson Baptist Church. Because I write them short, and as memorable as possible, and read them several times a month they are in my head, and they quickly pop into my thinking at appropriate times. I will share some of my favorites that I repeat all the time to whoever will listen.

1. God blesses unity not methods, it doesn’t matter how we do things as long as we do them together.

2. Don’t be negative, critical, judgmental, or complaining about anything if you want people to enjoy your company.

3. God blesses anybody who forgives everyone of anything.

4. Bible reading and prayer are to our spiritual health what diet and exercise are to our physical health, neglect any one of the four and you will get sick, physically, spiritually, or both.

5. Do the right thing because it is the right thing even if you don’t feel like it.

6. You don’t have to act the way you feel.

7. Just because you get hurt doesn’t mean you have to yell.

8. Don’t quit when you are losing or when you feel like a loser, wait until you are winning then it will be for the right reason.

9. Live everyday as if it is your last before you stand before Jesus at the Judgment Seat and give an account to Him about how you have lived.

10. The more stuff you own the more stuff owns you.

11. Learn a new skill, do something you have never done before, and go someplace you have never been before every year.

12. Make the most of your time, spend your time on paper before you spend it in real life.

13. Steward your money well, spend it on paper before you spend it at the store.

14. Measure and count everything that matters and if it matters set a goal about it.

15. You get stronger by choosing to do things that are harder., quit and you will become a wimp.

God leads us and guides us into His perfect will and plan for our life.

Nehemiah 9:19
You, in Your great compassion,
Did not forsake them in the wilderness;
The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day,
To guide them on their way,
Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go.

That would be cool if God would lead me that way now. That would be pretty decisive and hard to miss for sure.

Psalms 31:3 For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

Psalms 48:14 He will guide us until death.

Psalms 73:24 With Your counsel You will guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.

Psalms 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Psalms 25:8-9 Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way.

Psalms 27:11Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a level path

There are numerous ways God guides us, and the wise person will learn what those are. Key for us is to have an attitude of submission to God’s will, be paying attention, looking and listening as He leads, and then be decisive in obeying.

There are three basic areas that I pay attention to as I work at figuring out God’s will for me.

The first is His Word. I read 12 to 14 chapters everyday, I memorize two new verses each week and review all 700 that I have already memorized each week, and I study books, topics and themes in order to teach. As I spend time in the Bible I learn principles and I gain wisdom so I can make good decisions and choices based on that wisdom.

Second, I pay attention to the desires that grow inside of my mind and heart. I believe that God puts His will in me and it comes out in the form of a strong desire or dream. I am careful not to get carried away on this one because I know that I can have very carnal desires at times. Most of my goals come from the desires that I identify in me that I believe God put in me.

Third, I pay attention to circumstantial clues that God brings into my life. Opportunities, open doors, people, words that people say, events that pop into my life, and counsel that I get from people both solicited and unsolicited. It is like being a good detective paying attention to small things that happen. Again, I am careful because ai know that the devil can control events in my life.

One of my strengths is decisiveness. I make decisions quickly once I am convinced it is God’s will for me, for my family, or for our church. If I mull things over to long I almost always get hesitant as the fear of making a wrong turn in life begins to paralyze me.

Every year I start writing my goals on October 1st and finish them by October 27th, my birthday, and start pursuing them.

1. I will read 12 chapters each day in my Bible.
2. I will Pray 30 minutes every day by myself.
3. I will Pray for 15 minutes twice each week on my kneeling bench in my office.
4. I will go salmon fishing in Alaska in July.
5. I will Pray at three regular corporate prayer times at JBC each week.
6. I will Pray 40 hours in each of the four “Five Days of Prayer” events.
7. I will Pray with Patty three times each week minimum.
8. I will go on a moose hunting trip with my son-in-law Phillip and others sometime before 2025.
9. I will Pray through the church prayer letter each week.
10. I will Pray for every person in the church every week using my Ipad app “prayermate.”
11. I will Pray for Patty, all kids, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and grandkids every day.
12. I will Maintain my prayer app, “PrayerMate,” keeping up to date with names and information.
13. I will write prayers in my journal at least twice each week.
14. I will go on a caribou hunting trip with Philip and others before 2025.
15. Patty and I will have a budget meeting once each month holding each other accountable to our budget and financial goals.
16. I will go tuna fishing at least once.
17. I will take Patty on a date twice each month.
18. I will present my life to Christ as Lord each morning, reciting my prayer of commitment.
19. I will read 20 pages each day, five days a week, in a good book.
20. I will work with Preston Mitchell and Rich Sebans on Small Group ministry and have 20 groups functioning well by May 1st, 2022.
21. I will find and train someone to run the small group ministry, replacing myself, possibly a full time staff person.
22. I will go on a catfish fishing trip to the Snake river.
23. I will study, write and preach a sermon at Buena Vista Church each week from October through April.
24. I will study, write and preach a sermon at our Wednesday night service each week from October through April.
25. I will figure out and plan a deer/elk hunting trip this Fall.
26. I will study and prepare well a lesson that I will teach each week in three different “Leadership I” classes.
27. I will study and prepare well a lesson that I will teach in “Leadership II” class each week.
28. I will study and prepare well a lesson that I will teach in my “Teaching and Preaching class” each week.
29. I will fish with Nolan Davis at least twice for steelhead in December through March of 2022.
30. I will meet with Brandon Morris, Preston Mitchell, Ben Dittman, Josiah Dedera, and Josiah Dittman as a group each week for an hour and teach and coach them in ministry success.
31. I will meet with Pastor Mike at least weekly to discuss issues, goals, and strategies for JBC.
32. I will attempt to plan and carry out a kokanee fishing trip to Anderson Ranch Reservoir with Seth and his family.
33. I will keep track accurately and record how I use my time every day.
34. I will write in my blog every day and pray and ask God to anoint my writing and that He would prompt many to read it, I will pray before I hit “publish.”
35. I will go salmon fishing with Dave Maroon on the Colombia at least once in Fall of 2022.
36. I will ride my stationary bike everyday for 1 hour.
37. I will lift weights three times each week.
38. I will run/walk 2 miles twice each week.
39. I will run a 10 k race in the Fall of 2022.
40. I will maintain my weight at or below 200 lbs.
41. I will work on Scripture memory for 30 minutes every day and maintain 200th place.
42. I will continue to develop and work with our JBC mentoring program.
43. I will restore my 1969 mustang coup with my grandson Isaac, and it will be his car when we finish it.
44. I will finish memorizing the book of Colossians.
45. I will have a total of 800 verses memorized by October 27th, 2022.
46. I will work with Brandon to plan, organize, and hold 3 “New Comers” Dinners.
47. I will plan well and ride my bicycle with others from Yorktown, Virginia to my house, a trip of 4,000 miles in May and June.
48. I will hand off the existing “Men’s Accountability Groups” and start three more.
49. I will, with the help of others, write a devotional book using 365 of my former blogs.
50. I will take Sam out for breakfast or lunch every other month.
51. I will put in a quarter acre fish pond.
52. I will start on building a three wheeled car from scratch.
53. I will attempt to find and train someone to be the full-time pastor of Buena Vista Church.
54. I will pray for each staff person and families twice each week.
55. I will, without a doubt, organize my shops, super well, and keep them that way.
56. I will expand the front of my shop, reroof it, re-side it, and paint it.
57. I will paint the trim on my house.
58. I will plan and attempt to go on a week-long fishing trip on a boat out of San Diego before 2025.
59. I will plan and attempt to go on a whitetail buck and pig hunt in Texas before the end of 2025.
60. I will faithfully attempt to encourage those who have drifted away from faithful attendance at JBC to return.
61. I will attend a major “Church Growth” seminar and take at least one staff member with me.
62. I will pray corporately for a total of 300 hours in 2022.
63. I will pray every day without fail for 80 baptisms at JBC in the year 2022, and I will remind JBC people at least weekly to do the same.
64. I will listen to at least 100 sermons on “youtube” and podcasts.
65. I will get my Dory Boat set up for crabbing and learn how.
66. I will attempt to take a grandson with me on each one of my fishing and hunting trips.
67. I will write 100 handwritten notes to different people at JBC each month.
68. I will teach a two-day seminar on the topic of leadership training on January 17th and 18th.
69. I will attempt to establish a coaching relationship with at least two pastors this year.
70. Patty and I will have people to our house for dinner at least six times in 2022.
71. I will work with the Seniors ministry and develop a comprehensive plan and goals by January 1st.
72. I will exercise self control and get at least six hours of sleep each night.
73. I will read these goals at least once each week.

The biggest drain of our energy is unconfessed sin.

Psalms 32:3-5 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin.

We all sin, and God will forgive us our sin, but He requires that we confess to Him that we have sinned, that we own what we did. We don’t confess that we have sinned easily. We naturally protect ourselves from shame, and our inclination is to cover up our sin, to ignore it, justify it, and blame others. The energy loss that comes from unconfessed sin is not psychological, it is supernatural. God drains away our strength not because we have sinned but because we ignore our sin.

Along with our reluctance to confess our own sin is the problem that we have in forgiving others quickly for their sins against us. If we do not forgive others then God will not forgive us of our sins even if we confess them.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

There are a lot of very weary people in churches today trying to figure out what is the problem, why they are so tired all of the time.

Every night I take a few minutes and review the day and confess all my known sins to God. I usually do this in my journal so as not to take the process lightly. I also declare to God that I have personally forgiven everybody who has hurt me, violated my rights, and sinned against me. I declare to God that I am choosing to forgive because He first forgave me. If a person’s sin against me comes back into my thinking I forgive them again, and I keep on forgiving until the event no longer pops into my head.

Self-examination and confession of sin doesn’t take that much time at the end of a day, and it should be a daily spiritual discipline if we want to have God’s strength and energy filling us full all day long.

Much of what people call being really tired is self-induced by poor, undisciplined self-talk. We can talk ourselves into just about any feeling or mental condition by what we say to ourselves in our thoughts. I am careful about what I say to myself, and to others out loud because it is often exactly what happens and becomes true.

I don’t say “I am tired,” at least not in a negative way. My Dad used to say, “tired is good, best feeling in the world, means you have been doing something!” If I say, “Whew, I am so tired,” it makes me more tired. There really isn’t any good reason to say to yourself or to others, “I am tired,” unless you are looking for sympathy or praise for how hard you have been working. Neither of those motives are very pleasing to the Lord.

I often hear people say that they are so busy! And I think to myself “Busy is good, means you are in the game and not on God’s bench.” Poor priorities are not good, especially if they have replaced activities that have value, eternal value.

When I have had a particularly busy day I say, “Thank You Lord for blessing me with assignments from You today. Thank You for considering me worthy to be a servant of Yours.”

All day long I ask God for energy, strength, and wisdom. Wisdom to choose what I do well, and energy and strength to accomplish what I have chosen as what I believe is God’s will for me to accomplish.

I don’t say, “It is so hard,” about any activity that I may be doing, that is the self-talk of a wimp, not a champion for Jesus. If I don’t want something to be true than I act and talk like it isn’t. If I say, “It is so hard,” “I am so tired,” “I am so busy,” my words will only make it worse, but if I say, “Thank You Lord for giving me so much to do for You,” I will be energized