Hey guys, my name is Aaron with Sports and Boats. Welcome to Tech Talk. Today we're going to talk about one of the easiest, yes, most important steps to maintaining and prolonging the life of your engine. If you're using your boat in a saltwater environment, flushing your motor is one of the most important steps to maintaining it that you can do. First thing we're going to do is unscrew this quick access flush port right here on the port side of your motor. I'm going to kind of let it drain out if there's any salt water in there, so I'm not flushing it back through. Second step, hooking up your garden hose. I like having an on-off quick connector right down at the bottom of the hose too, that way you can control the flow. Third step, cranking it on. I typically let the motor flush for five to ten minutes. I try to do it as soon as I get back to the dock. That way the motor is warm and there's a possibility that thermostats are still open. What that does is it ensures that it gets any of those salt particles that are built up in the cooling sleeves of the motor. All right guys, that's a wrap. I'm going to unhook the hose, hook the port back up to the engine, and call it a day. This is the easiest and most effective way to prolong the life of your motor. If you guys have any questions, leave them in the comments below. If you like the video, hit the like button and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks for watching.


Novak Djokovic has given us an update on his injury, the hamstring injury that he suffered in Adelaide last week in that semi-final that he played against Mehvedev. Of course he went on to win Adelaide last week, but he still played with that injury. He actually played a practice match with Mehvedev today, but it could only manage one set. This is what he had to say in the interview after that practice set. So this is what Djokovic had to say about the injury. It's the hamstring that I had problems with in Adelaide last week. I just felt it pulling and I didn't want to risk anything worse. I played a set and apologized to Mehvedev and he was understanding. I just want to avoid any big scares before the Australian Open. He also went on to say talking about the Adelaide title and the night before I woke up alright, went deep into the night last night with work done with the physio, talked with the doctors as well of the tournament, etc. There was a lot of care going into today's match being the final about the hamstring. It was alright. A few times in the match I felt the muscle was tightening up, but nothing that would worry me for my performance. So that's what Djokovic had to say about the injury both after the final in Adelaide where he said that he was talking about before the final and how he was feeling the night before, but also about after this practice set with Mehvedev. Now he was supposed to play I think for about an hour and a half with Mehvedev in a practice set, but he only could play one set and it was only for 35 minutes before he jumped off court and someone else replaced him. So it's a little bit of a concern for Nobak Djokovic. Let me know down in the comments below. Do you think Djokovic is still the favorite for the Australian Open with this injury cloud? Because it definitely affected his performance against Korda. We would have thought that maybe he would have beaten Korda in maybe straight sets, or maybe not have gone the distance the way he did and played for three hours. Had he been freely moving? Because the movement was definitely compromised. Let me know down in the comments below. Do you think Djokovic should still be the favorite for the Australian Open despite having an injury?


I really have to find this. Come on, Jess. Let's see if we can find it. I think it's that box. Look at our story. One evening, six years ago, we wrote a note of what we wanted our life to look like. Now we will share it all with you. It's been 365 days of waking up in the middle of nowhere at our off-grid cabin. It's been six years since our world completely changed. In 2017, we made the most important decision of our lives without even knowing it. After reflecting, we now realize we were living each day intentionally. We left the life we knew behind and we set out to live differently. We moved into our self-converted Sprinter van and worked to save $20,000 to travel the world for a year with our two dogs, Bella and Izzy. Along the way, we picked up a camera and began documenting our journey. Every singular decision we made since that day led us here. It's been exactly one year since we bought 15 acres and an abandoned cabin. When we got here, it was overgrown, untouched, was not loved, but it had so much potential. And today, this is what it looks like. This story we're about to tell is a lot less about what we've built, but rather the intentions behind it all. When we pulled up in the van for the first time getting to the cabin, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I saw the listing online, as we did buy this property blind on the other side of Canada, all the way in BC, but when we arrived there, it was not the same at all. It was completely covered, not cleared, and we couldn't even really make it down the driveway. We couldn't get in our driveway last night. Well, I might be able to, but we didn't want to risk it in the dark. This is how far we made it. Showing up to the cabin with no plans and watching as the weeks and the months go on and now a year of how much it has evolved. It's evolved out of something that was essentially nothing, you know? Like an abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere that could have actually sat there like that for another few years and dilapidated eventually. And we're giving it new life. We're standing on the driveway, the very mouth of the driveway where everything began. This was really our first challenge, making a driveway to our home, our future cabin. Just the beginning of it all. So it feels right to kind of start here in a way because there was a time when we were walking down here and it was tall grass and there was ticks everywhere and we actually couldn't even get the van down and we were carrying supplies in and those days are long gone, but we'll never forget about them. Porter and Larry would drop off some stone. I'd start spreading it and they would tell me a new tip every time they would drop off another load and eventually a couple of days later, we got to the cabin and we were able to drive it up. It's amazing! It's just more than a driveway. We walk up and down here every single day with the girls as we go for nice trail walks around here and I don't know, I guess it just symbolizes the beginning. So it's more than a driveway. After a year off grid, we've settled to life here in the woods. The stillness of life is something we were always seeking. We can't help to reflect on the first experiences on this journey. I think all of the emotions that day were fueled by the absolute unknown and humans are terrified of the unknown and we absolutely were terrified of the unknown that day. As we had no idea what was to come, what we were going to do or learn, but I have to say after that first week at the cabin, learning what a clearing saw was that we didn't actually need a chainsaw and we went and we just cleared the entire area. That's the moment I knew. Okay, I think we got this. We can keep doing things and keep making it more our own and make it feel like a home. And that's what we did. That was the first step. That was the first step. Do you think there's a specific moment in your life that led you here? Well, if I really backtrack, it goes way before that. I truly feel like the life that I'm living is something that I've always wanted. I just remember sitting in the garden and being like, this is the feeling. Just admiring the flowers and seeing the bugs and playing with the frogs and the creek. That was such a special thing that I was able to experience that at such an early age, but I remember just feeling so right at home in nature. And so I think it started really young for me. And now look at you. Yeah. That's six-year-old Chris that would be happy. It's a dream. Aw. Welcome to our front entrance. Right now we're walking on the boardwalk that we learned how to build ourselves this summer. Turning a boardwalk is actually very challenging. Boardwalks are hard. We're trying to make a J. These amateurs, we're trying to make a J. I'm defeated. But it gives such a warm welcome to the cabin. And that's what we wanted this place to feel like. With the landscaping and the cedar wood, we really wanted it to be inviting. And welcome to the stairs where we built them ourselves. This was actually one of the projects that took us the longest as stringers are very hard to make. We made a stringer. It might not work, but it looks nice. Oh. I don't get this at all. So wrong. This is incredibly wrong. But I would say we did a great job. This is our first home. It is amazing to see what it looks like now as when we first got here, you literally could not see the cabin. But now, obviously, as Jasmine said, we put a lot of work into the entrance and we are starting to pick away at the inside and it's becoming more and more like a home every single week. Every month it leads to you. This is our tiny-ish cabin and there are two bedrooms, one bathroom, an open concept living room and kitchen with an attic. We had to pull everything back to the stud for a lot of reasons. It was pretty icky in there. Up here, it looks like we had a bird nesting. When we say abandoned cabin, this is what we're talking about. Oh my goodness. All right. Now that we've taken the walls off, we have done the rough-in electrical, rough-in plumbing and we have insulated. We now have temporary lighting and floors. Over the last year, we've spent most of our time maintaining the outside. Our land needed a lot of land management as well as we're starting from scratch here, meaning we had to trench all the lines, put up the solar, build different structures in order to even have electricity, as well as even drill a well to get water in here. As much as I wish it was as easy as just starting by putting up walls and building a kitchen, it's not. Also, a priority when you're living off grid is to be self-sufficient. That is why having gardens, fruit trees and even a greenhouse is super important. Sure, putting up walls would be really nice to look at. However, if we're really talking about priorities in life, that would be water and electricity, which is exactly what we're doing, which is why certain inside projects have been put on hold as we are putting all of our time and effort into getting us electricity this winter. We're super excited to tackle the inside of the cabin. It's coming up in the next couple of weeks as the colder weather sets in. We're gonna be moving inside and making it beautiful. So make sure you subscribe to see how we transform our cabin. As a whopping 50% of you who are watching currently aren't subscribed. I guess you can call it the homestead. We are new gardeners and I imagine every year we will yield a little bit more as we become more insightful and knowledgeable about planting and growing and harvesting your own food. We were able to harvest peppers, onions and tomatoes this year and we even finished our greenhouse build. Welcome to the greenhouse. This is our 18 foot geodesic growing dome by Arctic Acres. It feeds four to six people and it's a four season greenhouse, which means that we can grow food all year round, even in some of the harshest conditions. It truly is an ecosystem. There are a lot of components that make this greenhouse work. There is an intake and an outtake fan. The polycarbonate sheets that we have on the outside of the dome is what traps the heat inside. With the combination of the reflectics and the pond, we are able to maintain the heat throughout the night. For first time growers, we went a little ambitious. We even got a tangerine tree. So wish us luck this winter with this. However, it is going to get a lot easier as the days go on in here. We are going to have supplemental heat as sometimes we can reach negative 20 or even negative 30 Celsius in Canada, which means you're going to need more than just the pond if you want to grow tropical plants. One of my proudest moments is actually plumbing this greenhouse. It was super important that we had running water in here. So again, we trenched our water lines into the greenhouse, which is how we have this hose here. And since we have heat trace, obviously that means we're going to have electricity in here, meaning we can run an electric heater off of our solar array, which is amazing as it's free. I feel like when it comes to generating electricity, heating our home, growing our food, I feel so integrated into my life. And that is for me so wholesome it makes me feel really alive. This is something I have dreamt of since I was a wee little girl. Having a garden here at our fingertips is truly a dream. This year, we were able to build two garden beds outside. Next year, we have big plans for expansion. We want to grow underneath the solar array and we want to build more beds here so that we can grow even more. Nice shot. Can you imagine? I'm still eating my tomatoes, I'm growing. Wow, they're feeling, I just don't know how to describe it. Gardening is a very important skill and that brings me to the compost because it's a full cycle. We compost all of the organic material at our cabin right here in the cedar compost that we built. This is one of our first projects. And the coolest thing ever is that this compost is going to turn into soil. We're going to make our own soil and it's going to be exactly from the food that we've put in here. So we know what's in it and it's full of nutrients and that will go back into the gardens and that is a beautiful thing. Thank you to one of our long-term partners, AG1 by Athletic Greens, for sponsoring this week's video. It is an easy and convenient decision that you can make every day to care for yourself. It is one delicious scoop and one cup of water. We are proud to say AG1 by Athletic Greens has been with us long before but since we got to the cabin and has fueled so many of our projects and keeps us going. In this bottle, there are 75 vitamins, minerals, nutrients, superfoods, and much more to support your immune system, your gut health, your nervous system, your recovery levels, energy levels, aging, the list goes on. It's an all-in-one, your everyday go-to. That way you don't have to worry about the rest. We have never felt better than how we feel since having AG1 in our life. We highly recommend you give it a try and see how you feel. And the best part is Athletic Greens is going to be giving you a free one-year supply of immune-supporting vitamin D and five free travel packs to go with your first purchase. To do this, click in the link in the description of this video, head to their website, but be sure to come back here and let us know all the benefits that your body is feeling and how much you love it. Welcome to the solar field. It's the perfect place to bask in the sun and warm up on a cold fall day. But not only that, it is the absolute best place to capture the sun's energy and use it to power all of our needs at our off-grid homestead. Where we live is fairly remote and we do not have access to grid. Nor do we want access to grid. That is why we chose to live here. So our plan here is to be as self-sufficient as possible. And that means generating our own clean, sustainable energy for our own use. This is 10.8 kilowatts of solar. Each panel is 445 watts. We have 12 panels on each pole mount. Which gives us 24 panels total. And that's how we get the 10.8 kilowatts. This system is extremely cool. What we have going on here is a schedule 80 pipe pole. Pipe pole? Pole? Schedule 80 pole? It is absolutely massive. And that is sitting in a 30 inch sonotube. It took a lot of concrete and a lot of determination that day, but this is quite a beauty. And sitting on top of that pole, holding all of those solar panels is a fast-racking system. We decided to go with pole mounts as we are in a very, very wooded area. As you can see, there are trees surrounding us everywhere you look. These pole mounts actually sit six feet off the ground, letting us harness all of the sun's energy in the early morning. The install for these pole mounts was actually very challenging. If you watch the video on this, you'll know there was blood, sweat, and tears. Every single one on the job site that day, literally gave it 113%. And now we have the arrays. What might not look like a lot of work, but was one of the most challenging things about this entire process was the electrical lines. We actually had to trench all around our property. Because we wanted to have power in all of the buildings on the land, we needed to trench everywhere. For example, these lines right here go all the way from our battery house to our solar arrays. That way, the solar can charge the batteries. That right there is the memory of all of our teammates this day when we put this system in. I love seeing those handprints in there. It makes me so happy. For whatever reason, the day the solar panels went up, it was a milestone. It really felt like a full year's worth of work had pulled together. Although they aren't connected today, that was, for me, such a special moment. There were so many challenges and setbacks, even failures, but in the end, it all happened for a reason. And that's what we call a happy accident over here.  It's what's going to charge the heart of the entire system, our batteries, and allow us that freedom of being off grid. Crystal and I are very outdoorsy people. No matter where we are in the world, we're always spending most of our times in nature. And that's why we are able to spend three plus years living in a van, which is around 60 square feet. Our hopes and dreams for this cabin is to make the exact feeling that our van gave us, having the doors wide open and feeling like you have an outdoor indoor living space. We plan on connecting the inside living room with the outside living room, which is this deck that we're standing on. Whenever friends and family come over, this is the perfect place to host. And we love hosting everyone. So when these two spaces connect, it is going to be just such a flow and going to transform this place. We spend every moment possible when we're not working on this deck. For a lot of reasons. It's doubled up as our kitchen this year. We did a lot of our cooking out here on the barbecue and we would sit down and eat all of our meals here. We would even brainstorm projects and do research from the deck. And I just love having this space. I love you, perhaps I starved here, for too long, babe, who's to say? Relaxation Nation, this area has been such a treat for us. It's like a little spa in the woods. And who says you have to lack all of the comforts while living off grid? After all of the long and hard work days, we're able to come out here to our little spa in the woods and relax in the sauna or the wood-fired hot tub. Both the sauna and the hot tub are heated with wood heat and it's a really nice feeling, stoking the fire, smelling that wood burn and being able to relax in all of it. The mental and the physical benefits of both have been such a treat after long days. A hot tub in the sauna weren't necessarily in our plans this early on at our cabin. However, Backcountry Rec, which is a small local company on the west side of Canada, watched our videos and noticed how much hard work we were putting in. They explained the benefits of having both these items at your property and especially when you're doing manual labor. Anytime I come out of either of these, I feel rejuvenated, rested, and like I'm ready to tackle the next project. The sauna's nice for manual labor. This is life. Welcome to a not as luxurious item, but amazing. This is our outhouse. It's the first building we've ever created top to bottom in our lives and I'm very proud of it. It's run on rainwater so we connected the roof to some gutters and a rain barrel and that way you can wash your hands on the vanity outside. The hole that we've dug is six feet deep which should last a family of five, about five to 10 years, isn't it? It really depends on your flow or...  The idea was to make it cutesy, like it fits it in the woods, but we can try and convince, you know, our grandparents to come and use it if they had to. You know, we want to get everyone out here and we want everyone to be comfortable. Can't have everyone digging holes. I love it. I don't have to think about it anymore.  Yeah. I don't love it. I love it. I love it too. The outhouse is not insulated. We do plan on building our indoor bathroom as soon as we can. However, we are obviously still using it and we will use it in the winter as long as we need to. It is a good place to go no matter what. You really can't complain when you're out in the woods. This is an awesome space for the summer, for guests too who are camped up.  After quite a few months having this outhouse and the rainwater collection system, I have to say, I am entirely impressed. This bucket is always full and we've never had a problem with washing our hands. This is our drilled well. The process of drilling this was extremely fascinating. It was the first time we had ever seen it happen and it was really cool to be here and be a part of it. Jogging from my memory, it's about 250 feet into the earth and it is full of water. We really lucked out with this drilled well as you never know what you can get sometimes and it has about 1.8 gallons per minute. Our drilled well is temporarily set up as we are still waiting for our entire system as this pump takes 240 volts. In order for us to get water out of here right now, we just have to pull a generator and use it as we need it. It's not constantly running, we only use it for specific things, whether that's showering, watering the greenhouse or filling up the hot tub. However, when our electrical system is set up very soon, this is going to be one of the most exciting things. Not hearing a generator and being able to just open the tap and water comes rushing through. However, it's taken a long time to get here. We had a trench from this well to the cabin, all the way to the greenhouse and to the garage. So there are water lines everywhere but it's all gonna be worth it. This is our off-grid rain barrel water collection system that takes the water that falls from the sky, hits the roof and pours into these IBC totes behind me. This is an extremely important process living off-grid. Having your own backup water supply can come in handy in many situations. In times of drought or for some reason, your well runs dry. For example, before we had the ability to power our 240 volt well pump with our beast of a generator, we were using this rain water to water our greenhouse and not only that, one time Bella got sprayed by a skunk and we had to bathe her and before we could access the water in our well, this is the water that we were using. If we ever have a problem powering our well, this is a power free way to get water. Welcome to our garage. This building has been such a help. We were living with all of our tools and everything you're about to see in here inside the cabin. Let me tell you, waking up and looking at a table saw isn't the best thing to wake up to. Come on in. As you can see, there is a lot of stuff in here because we are building everything with our own two. We had to get tools in order to do certain jobs. Recently in this garage, we have insulated and wired it. That's going to make sure that this building also has power. It also has water as well. The most important reason for this garage is actually this room back here. This is where we are going to house our off grid electrical system. You're not allowed to have your batteries or other components to make your electrical system in your dwelling in Canada as it's against the law. So we framed out this beautiful room that I'm super proud of to house all of their components in our electrical system. This is the battery house. This is what we are currently working on. It's super current. We just put these batteries in here behind me. This is the battery wall. When we were standing under the solar panels and we talked about where all that electricity was going while it's coming here to the battery house. These are 100 amp hour battle-borne lithium batteries and they are going to be the heart, as Jasmine says, to the land as this is where all the electricity will be stored that we generate from the sun and will be dispersed to the buildings on our property where we'll then be able to have electricity. In the next coming weeks, we're gonna be making lots of connections and bringing this to life. It's a very exciting milestone for us and we can't wait to share it all with you. From the beginning, battle-borne batteries has believed in our dreams. They are a long-term partner of our channel and they sponsored our van build way back when we had 20,000 subscribers and now they are sponsoring our cabin build. Thanks, battle-borne! Thank you, battle-borne! Battle-borne team! We live in the northern hemisphere in Canada where we experience all four seasons and one of those being extremely frigid cold temperatures. So we need to have a way to heat all of the buildings on our property. Because we endure cold weather here at the cabin, we need to think about how to heat all three spaces, the cabin, the garage and the greenhouse. And ideally, we would have three ways to heat those three spaces. The first would be wood heat and this will be primarily our main source of heat all winter, as we'll have a wood stove in all three buildings. We have six quart of wood currently being stacked behind me that will get us through the upcoming winter season. The second way we're gonna heat all of our buildings is an off-grid solar heat pump. This is a very unique product and it's going to help us so much even in the warmer months as it has AC. And the third way we're going to heat all the buildings is propane heat. This is a very reliable way to heat any space as when you're gone, it is still heating. Let's say something goes down with our electrical system, those heat pumps will no longer work. And wood heat, obviously, you need somewhere to feed your fire. Behind me is a bunch of green lumber that has just been chopped and needs to be split. This is from the clearing for the solar array and so it's kind of a full circle moment because now we will split it, season it and we will use it to heat our home next year. We cannot forget about our beloved van. We built it with our very own two hands and we have a mountain of memories in it. Our van has also been the heart at this cabin and simply why we've been comfortable living here. It has a kitchen. It has a bathroom, a bed, and even has heat. Not only has this van believed in us on the road traveling from Canada, almost to Argentina, we got to Guatemala, but it has believed in us as we got to the cabin. It's probably the reason why we are able to take the step into taking on such a big project. After living on the road and facing the challenges and also the challenges with building it, it really taught us a lot about life. It's true, it gave us the courage to get here. And it also made us very resilient. I love our van from the bottom of our heart and it really truly is our first home together. Six years ago, we embarked on a journey that would change our lives forever. Our self-converted sprinter van was the vessel to explore our own curiosity. To challenge ourselves and discover the meaning in this short life. Every single decision from then led us here to this cabin in the woods. One year off-grid has been quite the challenge, but we knew we could get through it as long as we have each other. Learning things on your own or trying something new for the first time is empowering, but for me, and maybe for you, it's also a little bit scary because you have room for failure. And the truth is, is there's been many times where we haven't done something correctly the first time and I think that's the only way to learn. But it makes you feel like you could accomplish anything. And how we feel each week when we accomplish something is what we hope to put out to our audience. We hope that the message that we're sharing each week inspires people to do things too and to try new things. You can do anything. Anything. That scares you or challenges you. Hey. But we hope that our videos inspire you to tackle those things. Yes. And after reflecting on our life the last six years, I've come to realize that every scary and challenging step that we have taken has actually been the best reward. I remember the first day we left in our van, I was bawling. I was so upset and so scared. And you would think that that moment would have been like the best, most glorious moment leaving on the van for the first time. I was so scared. So scared. And I was so sad. And I felt so little.  It does. We've been really slowing down and thinking about everything. And so we hope that through this video, we've been able to share with you not just a tour of our property and of the cabin, but why we've done the things that we've done and how it makes us feel. And maybe you can take little bits of this and you can be re-inspired like us and maybe it'll challenge you to do something you've been wanting to do. Yeah. And that two young 20 year olds fell in love and just without fear at the same time, just went for it. I love you. Love you. This van is the first line on our note of dreams that we shared with you in the beginning of this video. We encourage you to write down your dreams and your aspirations and to check back up on them in six years. Go, go, go! Go!


So we're here in Ecclesiastes 11 we're going to look going to look at verses 1 through 6 tonight so I'll begin reading here in Ecclesiastes chapter 11 verse 1 I'll read to verse 6 and we'll get into our study Solomon writes cast your bread upon the waters for you will find it after many days give a serving to seven and also to eight for you do not know what evil will be on the earth and If the clouds are full of rain they empty themselves upon the earth and if a tree falls to the south or the north in The place where the tree falls there it shall lie He who observes the wind will not so he who regards the clouds will not reap as you do not know What is the way of the wind or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child So you do not know the works of God who makes everything in the morning so you see and In the evening do not withhold your hand for you do not know which will prosper either this or that or whether both alike will be good so This portion of Ecclesiastes is a portion where we're Solomon the author of the book begins to emphasize living by faith and He's going to be using various illustrations in the verses before us. He's going to use two basic illustrations He he's going to use the illustration of a merchant and he's also going to use the illustration of a farmer Now as we look at this We need to know that the man who is writing this not only is inspired by the spirit of God as he writes and Not only is he the wisest man But we also know that he's an individual who is very very well schooled on the issues or those things that relate to Merchants being a merchant and and a farmer He was very well acquainted with those things and all because in his kingdom There was a lot of people who were merchants and there was a lot of farming and all and he was very familiar with all of this And so he's going to be using his experience as well as the anointing and direction of the Holy Spirit to give us some insight into Some things related to living by faith and so we'll look at verses one and two together and then we'll move on from there So again when he says in verse one cast your bread upon the waters for you will find it after many days Give a serving to seven also to eight for you do not know what evil will be on the earth he uses the illustration of a merchant and Notice how he says cast your bread upon the waters Now there are various ways that this has been interpreted I'll give you some of the ways that those over the years have looked at this particular Verse about casting your bread upon the waters And I'll develop it with you a little bit further once I give you a couple of those Ways that they look at it. There are those who think that casting bread Speaks of living for today in an unrestrained way They would be saying well cast your bread don't worry about tomorrow Because everything is going to work out So don't be worrying about tomorrow tomorrow has enough worries for itself. They would be saying it's like Matthew 6 31 through 33 Where Jesus said therefore do not worry saying what shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear for after all these things the Gentiles seek for your heavenly father knows what you need Knows that you need all these things But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness all these things shall be added to you So there are those who would say that it's basically similar to what Jesus says when he says don't be worried about Tomorrow so cast your bread don't worry about tomorrow everything some say this means everything will work out Well, there are others that say it is counsel to give Without any concern for receiving in return So they would say that Solomon is saying just let go of what you have and don't worry about losing it all Because again as a merchant cast your bread upon the waters won't that all drift away and all and so there are those who say He's saying let it go don't worry about losing everything and again They would appeal to Luke chapter 6 verses 34 and 35 Words of Jesus where he says if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back What credit is that to you even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back But love your enemies do good lend hoping for nothing in return your reward will be great You will be sons of the most high. He's kind and he's kind to the unthankful and the evil So they're saying he's saying let it go let go of what you have Don't worry about losing it all Jesus taught something similar. They would say But when you look at this closely and he says cast your bread upon waters, you will find it after many days it seems that he is speaking of results and It would be pertaining to the fact that faith-filled giving has a way of bringing future reward Again casting bread upon the waters gives the impression that you're throwing it away It's interesting to note that the word bread when he says cast your bread is a word that in Hebrew has also been translated in other parts of the Old Testament as the word seed So the word bread can be translated seed because the seed matures and it's ultimately reaped and used to be Made into bread and so nobody would throw seed or bread into a river or the ocean Because it would be wasteful So casting bread upon the waters gives the impression that you're throwing it away So with that said investing requires faith and trust that the investment will reap good results That's especially true in business Where beginning a business can be risky anybody in here who's begun a business knows that it can be a risky business because You're you have a lot of money that you're putting out But no guarantee that you're going to receive anything in return So when somebody does or opens up a business, they're actually Taking a chance. They're asked actually risking things and so from that point of view This could encourage someone to take a chance Again, every business person knows that nothing ventured is nothing gained To succeed in business taking calculated chances are necessary if you intend to have success And obviously sending your merchandise via wooden ships would be a risky business So the disbursement of your finances involves risk, but profits may flow back to you It takes a certain kind of faith to invest money with an eye on possible future returns and not everyone can do it Because not everyone can be sure I still remember When I got out of the military, I'd put a little money away Not much because at that time you didn't get much when you served. I made $425 a month, I think so you didn't make a whole lot of money Serving in the military probably still don't and so I had saved money over a course of several months I didn't have much. I had maybe two two and a half $2,500 or so maybe three thousand or so in the bank So I get out of the military and my mom says to me Dave You need to take your money that you've been saving and invest it And my mom had kind of like a mentality of take a chance take a risk see what happens. You can make a profit That was my mom That's not me So my mom says to me Dave. I know a place you can buy a triplex three three small Dwelling places in Anaheim you can buy a triplex in Anaheim you can rent out those units You can pay off your your investment by receiving the you know the money for rent and Property will go up you can buy a triplex in Anaheim for $30,000 Yeah, I wanted to wait on that one three homes in Anaheim for $30,000 I didn't I Didn't I couldn't get myself to do that Because $30,000 is a lot of money and so the idea of me taking and investing and purchasing and becoming a landlord I didn't have the I didn't have what it takes I wasn't a person who could understand that that investment sometimes is risky and in one application of this is That's what Solomon could be talking about. He could be speaking about being willing to take a risk for something that will bring a return But there is also a difference between presumption presuming that you're going to receive some reward or dividends and Faith-filled planning So in all of our endeavors as Christians we rely on God Because we need to pray Lord is this for you is this something you would have me to do Would you have me to take what I have and invest it that that all takes prayer and and and you wait on the Lord to give You a sense that he's leading you in one way or another We need to remember Proverbs 16 verse 9 a man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps And so you you pray and seek the Lord Lord is it of you is this something you would have me to do Now I want to develop this a step further James in chapter 4 verses 13 through 15 Said something like this come now you who say today or tomorrow We will go to such and such a city spend a year there buy and sell and make a profit Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow for what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away Instead you want to say if the Lord wills we shall live and do this or that and so I may be making plans But I need to make sure there that these plans are submitted to the Lord and I wait on his leading What James is speaking about here interestingly enough is he's speaking about business people who have devised plans and these plans Actually when you read this you may not note this But those who are in business can see what James is doing is actually given to you carefully detailed business plans in the verses I just read to you because he says come now you who say today or tomorrow We will go to such and such a city spend a year there what he's doing is he's giving a carefully detailed business plan One their start time is worked out. He says today or tomorrow. We will go second their demographics are determined We're going to go to such and such a city third. They have a set timeline We're going to spend a year there fourth. They have a business strategy We're going to buy and we're going to sell and then fifth. They have a measurable goal We are going to make a profit So what you see James doing here is speaking concerning plans for your tomorrow And he's saying these are things that people do they have a plan They have a timeline a demographic. They have it all set and They're going to have they they have that goal of making that profit now Is there something wrong with this shouldn't we make plans and pursue them? Well, it is wrong when we have the wrong goals and strategies it is wrong when we don't seek the Lord and So the simple point James is making is we don't control our own lives in all of these plans No allowance was made for unforeseen Circumstances in these business people who leave that they would live another year, but there's no guarantee that you will We cannot control what will occur tomorrow let alone what happens 365 days from now We're not the ones who have control of the future Only God does and that's why James said what is your life? It's like a vapor that appears for a little time Life is transient. What is your life? It's a vapor. It's a morning mist hanging over a field and Therefore like Proverbs 27 one says do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth James is Encouraging his readers to have a realistic attitude for the future To understand that the future is uncertain Actually benefits us because it helps us to keep our trust in God and it helps us to value the present and spiritually when you look at that in a practical way That is one thing but spiritually this could be an encouragement to trust the Lord to supply your need Again cast your bread upon the waters. You will find it after many days When you give your gift to the Lord some think you're just throwing it away, you're wasting it Why do you do that? They'll say why do you give your money? You're giving your money to the church. You're giving your money to people you can't trust and There are many people who believe that I've told you the story of time Marie and I went to test drive a van We were gonna buy it. We had our children were small at the time and and We needed more room for the kids and so I went to look at at a car in a car lot and I climbed in the car with the guy and the Salesman sat in the passenger side and Marie sat in the back seat where she usually drives and as we were and As we were test driving the vehicle The salesman turns to me and he says to me What do you do for a living? Now obviously what he's doing is he's trying to see if I have the funds to pay for the car payment That's we you know, I respect that of course So I always get weird responses when I answer those kinds of questions. And so I said to him. I'm a pastor So the car salesman seated next to me. What do you do for a living? I turn I say I'm a pastor He gets quiet for a second then he looks at me and he says, you know pastors are thieves Yeah, that that wasn't that's really not the best way to try and make a sale So he goes, you know pastors are thieves And I said really And he goes, yeah, I mean he said it with certainty yeah, and I smiled at him and I said, do you know that there are over 500,000 Protestant pastors in the United States and That the overwhelming majority of these pastors are honest God-fearing men. Did you know that? He said no can't say that I knew that I said well, that's true. I said over 500,000 pastors Overwhelming amount of them God-fearing honest man Any kind of nods his head and I said, but let me tell you something The last two cars that I bought were sold to me.  Are you? You're honest, aren't you? And he looks at me. Yes, sir. I am I said, of course.  It's throwing it away It's not a wise investment. I mean, you've got so many things that you need Why would you take that what you need which could pay bills or feed your family or purchase a car or put you in a vacation home? Why would you take this money and and throw it away? And you know and I know that there are a lot of people who think that Christians like us we who give to the Lord They think that we're foolish for doing so They think that we're fools because we give our gifts to the Lord and so they think you're throwing it away Well, the bottom line is Giving has always been an act of faith Because we trust the Lord to care for us and as a matter of fact We have learned that when I give we give when we give it is one of the most tangible Demonstrations of faith that I have it's one thing for me to say oh, I believe God. It's another thing for me to give to him It's just a very basic thing and so in giving to the Lord We're actually trusting the Lord because he says cast your bread upon the waters You will find it after many days. There's a return You see again when we give to the Lord It could look like we're wasting our money throwing it away But giving reveals trust that God will provide for us because God has promised that he would in Proverbs chapter 3 verses 9 and 10 We read honor the Lord with your possessions with the first fruits of all your increase So your barns will be filled with plenty your vats will overflow with new wine in second second Corinthians 9 verses 6 through 8 Paul said But this I say he who's so sparingly will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully Let each one give as he purposes in his heart not grudgingly or of necessity God loves a cheerful giver God is able to make all grace abound towards you that you always having all sufficiency and all things may have an abundance for every good word. It's a promise he's making You know the world knows how to worship what it worships. I remember I went to I was in India and while I was in in India, I I was really amazed at how American manufacturing dominates much of the The commercial life of those in India. India is one of the poorest countries. I've ever been in I don't know how many of you have ever been there. Perhaps we have some who have India is one of the most impoverished countries.  We speak concerning people living in poverty in the United States But unless you've been to a place like India You really don't know what poverty is Because on traffic islands traffic islands picture going to Los Angeles and Traffic islands there will be cardboard houses that have been built on traffic islands where the poor people live People will work like we saw a woman who was breaking rocks with a hammer. She was under a tarp It was between 90 to 95 or more degrees and She was breaking these rocks into gravel and as we went by our guide Turned to us and I asked him. I said, what is she doing? He said that woman there works 10 hours 10 hours a day and makes 50 cents 10 hours and with the 50 cents She buys food for her children. I could go on and on and on with stories like that And so what happens is we are in a country where poverty is Overwhelming Where the smell of sewage and rot is incredible where during the monsoon the waters rise in the city and there are more rats that come out from the Basements and all and flood the city than there are human beings living in that city millions and millions of rats and So you're in a place I could go on I'll stop at that point. It's it's really amazing and yet You can see guys selling Levi's You will see different sandwich shops from the United States You will see clothing. They have a Hindi form an Indian form of MTV which is kind of interesting to watch Raul Reese and I were together watching them It was really really interesting, you know to see that but they borrow American music American culture They have what is called Bollywood there where they make a lot of movies and I thought It's interesting how American Enterprise has entered in to this impoverished country and They don't mind selling their Levi's to people who make very little They don't mind selling their food products to these people their vehicles to these people And and it came to mind what Jesus said in Luke 16 when he gave the parable of of the unjust steward and How that he said the children of this age are wiser than the children of light Because this unjust steward hadn't been faithful in his job And so what happens is the boss says I'm gonna let you go you have to give an account of yourself He says what am I gonna do? I'm too old to work.  So what am I gonna do? He says this is what I'll do He says I'll go to those who owe my master money and I'll say how much you owe him I'll reduce the amount. I'll take it and Jesus commends the unjust steward because this man was taking care of himself and then he goes on and he says not that he's saying This kind of thing is right, but he says it like this the children of this age are wiser than the children of light Because they know what priorities are and how to live and the Christian church doesn't the Christian church doesn't know that you cast your bread upon the water and it appears to be going away because It seems to be drifted away when in fact the promise of God is he's going to take care of you And so that's the heart of Christian giving its worship to God Knowing that God is promised. I will take care of you And so one of the ways that you apply this verse here is being aware of Taking a risk in life and second the spiritual aspect is trusting the Lord Because what appears to be thrown away is in reality going to bring a return to you And in your giving to the Lord God always cares for you He says in verse 2 give you give us serving to 7 and also to 8 for you do not know what evil will be on the earth So if you use your money You need to look at various places to invest it and be generous with it if if God has blessed you Be generous care for others like it says in Psalm 112 verses 5 through 8 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely who conducts his affairs with justice Surely he will never be shaken a righteous man will be remembered forever He will have no fear of bad news. His heart is steadfast Trusting in the Lord notice how he says in verse 2 the last portion You do not know what evil will be on the earth and other in other words You never know when bad times will come for others or for yourself in the end riches cannot profit us if we haven't been a blessing to others in Galatians 6 verse 9 Paul said let us not grow weary while doing good for in due season We shall reap if we do not lose heart in verses 3 through 6 he goes on If the clouds are full of rain they empty themselves upon the earth If a tree falls to the south of the north in the place where the tree falls there shall I He who sows he who observes the wind will not so he who regards the clouds Will not reap as you do not know what is the way of the wind or how the bones grow in the womb of her Who is with child so you do not know the works of God who makes everything in the morning So your seed and in the evening do not withhold your hand or you do not know Which will prosper either this or that or whether both the like will be good Also in verses 3 through 6 this brings us to Solomon's second illustration and that would be of the farmer What he's pointing and we see it clearly is nobody can predict or control the weather so that leaves the farmer at the mercy of nature and How does he deal with that? Well Solomon begins by drawing a contrast between clouds and trees Now obviously clouds are always passing through they constantly change Sometimes the wind blows them over the land it can rain Sometimes they hold no rain and even if they did well you can't control the wind in Contrast you have a tree a tree is rooted in the ground and under normal circumstances when that tree falls It remains where it fell So that's providing a contrast between that which changes and that which does not change so The tree could represent the past and the past cannot be changed But the present would be represented by a cloud and the present is available to us So don't sit around waiting for the ideal circumstance to present itself You see verse 4 he who observes the wind will not so he who regards the clouds will not reap Sitting around trying to predict perfect conditions may paralyze you in indecision and one of the worst things that I can be is Indecisive that's not a good place to be You know have you ever? Have you ever been standing somewhere and somebody's writing that towards you with on a bicycle or a skateboard and They don't seem to notice you and you think well I ought to go to the right but they seem to be going the direction you are So you start thinking I ought to go to the left but they seem they may go that way So what do you do? You kind of stand there indecisive and they run you over, you know Indecision is not a good thing and in life indecision if it's not something where the Lord is saying wait on me or or be still If it's just an inability to decide it's not a good thing And so sometimes we have to simply launch out and we have to trust the Lord I'm gonna do something that I I used to do all the time I'm gonna turn you to another portion of scripture keep your hand here in Ecclesiastes turn with me to Luke chapter 5 I want to show you something Luke chapter 5 Sometimes you need to launch out in faith and trust the Lord God knows what tomorrow holds and we don't The wisest thing I can learn to do is follow his spirit The wisest thing I can learn to do is obey when I know what he's saying to do In Luke chapter 5 Beginning at verse 1 So it was as The multitude pressed about him to hear the word of God that he stood by the lake of Ganesaret and Saw two boats standing by the lake But the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets Then he got into one of the boats which was Simons and asked him to put out a little from the land And he sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat When he stopped speaking he said to Simon launch out into the deep let down your nets for a catch Simon answered and said to him master We have toiled all night caught nothing Nevertheless at your word. I will let down the net and when they had done this They caught a great number of fish their net was breaking So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink When Simon Peter saw it he fell down at Jesus's knees saying depart for me for I am a sinful man Oh Lord for he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken and So also were James and John the sons of Zebedee who were partners with Simon Jesus said to Simon do not be afraid from now on you will catch man So when they had brought their boats to land they first of all and followed him So you have a fisherman and you have an itinerant an itinerant preacher a man who has no place to play his head He's moving from north to south constantly moving around. He's an itinerant preacher and This itinerant preacher by the name of Jesus is there by the sea the sea of Galilee There's actually three different names that are used to describe that one place the lake The lake in the sea and all and in this particular place is called the lake of Ganeser it and so Jesus is there preaching Simon is you can almost see him there standing on the shoreline listening to the master But there's so many people that have come That Jesus turns to Simon and ask can I use your boat and So he stands in the boat that way He's able to be a distance from the people and he's able to share and then and everything's okay at that point You can almost picture Peter as he's kind of going about his work and then Jesus says to Simon launch out and And this is where the problem begins Launch into the deep let down your nets for a catch Well, here's the problem and Simon being a master fisherman and a businessman. It's about to He's about to instruct the the God of creation about how business works and how fishing works You see the fishermen would use their nets and drop them at night because the fish wouldn't see them and When they would draw their their nets up the fish would be caught In those nets and that's how they would catch their fish But you don't drop a net during the day and full daylight because the fish can see and You're not going to catch anything and that's what he's telling me. He said master. We've we've fished all night We caught nothing in other words this spot is dry You know, there's nothing there and especially the way that we fish dropping nets at all The fish will not and so he tries to instruct the Lord It's almost like he's saying listen, you're a preacher and preachers really don't understand real life Preachers don't really you know, it's like that people think we passers are Today, you know, well, you guys got a comfy job All you do is golf five days out of the week and the other two you may teach That's what you do because they don't know what pastors do. Well, Simon did yet know what Jesus Christ would do and but he says cast out your net in the deep We've been fishing all night and caught nothing but nevertheless at your word in other words I'll do what you say in Hesitating obedience. No faith involved at all. He drops that net and then picks it back up and it's filled with fish There are times that we need to launch out in the deep There are times when the Lord may lead you in a way that doesn't seem to make sense It doesn't it that doesn't make sense I'm born and raised in Norwalk all my contacts connections friendships relationships are all in Norwalk Why would I jump in my car and come to Ontario? Where Ontario is the wages of sin? I mean, why would I do that? What why would I leave L LA County and come into San Bernardino County? Why would I do that because all of my connections and I've been doing a Bible study for a year already And there was fruit to it. Why would I want to come into Ontario? But the Lord through his spirit leads you to launch out into the deep and You go someplace or they all I only knew one person in this area and it was my brother and I came to teach my brother and That's that's how it began for me to be introduced to Ontario and then as I'm teaching a Bible study a young woman comes to the Bible study And that's how the Lord intended to introduce me to my bride and then my bride has family from Chino And I want to bring my wife that she might be able to see mom and dad every weekend So we drive from Norwalk and we drive to Claremont So I can go to church there in order that we can go and see mom and dad on Sundays But I get to know the pastor and the pastor says to me I'd like you on my board then he says I'd like you to teach then I become the assistant and then a couple years later I planted church here and actually in in Ontario and we ultimately move here But it all took a simple casting the net into the deep to catch It was the Holy Spirit and he's done that with you too hasn't he There have been times that he said speak to that person. He said I don't know him now speak to him speak to him and So you walk him and say, you know, what's up?  He knows that I'm reserved and yet he He said drop your your your net into the deep And you'll catch something see that's how it works. And so The Christian life is is a is a walk of faith It's step after step and sometimes you don't know what tomorrow will hold But I always like to say but you know who holds tomorrow And so what you do is you learn to follow the Lord step by step And God has a way of having his will done you can turn on back to chapter 11 Launch out into the deep launch out in faith Trust the Lord He says in verse 5 You do not know what is the way of the wind or how the bones go in the womb of her who is with child So you do not know the works of God who makes everything Nobody truly understands the way of the wind Interestingly the word wind here in the Hebrew is the Hebrew word Ruach And it is used often in the Old Testament to speak of the wind natural wind But it is also used to speak of the the spirit of a living person So this could speak of us not knowing how the human spirit is actually the person How does the spirit enter into the embryo making it a human life Now when he speaks you do not know what is the way of the wind that reminds us of something That Jesus said in the New Testament remember how in John chapter 3 this the scripture speaks about A man by the name Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night And and said master we know that you are a teacher come from God for no man can do the works that you do Unless God is with them and then Jesus engages him in conversation You need to be born again to see or to enter into the kingdom of heaven and as Jesus is speaking to him in that way He says in John 3 verse 8 that the wind blows where it wishes you hear the sound of it But cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who's born of the spirit and so Nobody knows you do not know what the way of the wind The Holy Spirit is often represented as wind also And so you don't know how the work of the spirit is you don't know how human beings are actually human beings You know that embryo is is actually a human life. It is It's not we use words today. We say feed us and all Do sometimes it has a way of erasing the humanity of the child in the womb But in fact the Bible makes it very clear that that child in the womb is a child in the womb Not simply a fetus not referred to simply as an embryo and so The bottom line is and He says it No one knows how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child. You don't understand life Nobody can truly and completely understand how complex a human life really is in Psalm 139 verses 14 through 16 the psalmist said it like this. I praise you Because I am fearfully and wonderfully made Your works are wonderful. I know that full well My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place When I was woven together in the depths of the earth your eyes saw my Unformed body all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be Is that child in the womb a child? Obviously and the psalmist is making it very clear The psalmist is making it clear All the days are day for me were written in your book before one of them came to be and This argument as to whether or not that's a human child is ridiculous.  Is it a reptile? Is it a fish? I mean, what is it? I mean come on and yet We have this tendency of trying to reduce human life to to something less so that we can take away The stain of treating that human life in some of the most horrible ways that sometimes people have treated that human life So we need to be aware of that He's speaking concerning the wonder of creation He says you don't know when that human spirit is When that child the moment that child because nobody knows the exact second of the conception And and the mystery of the way the bones and everything are formed within the baby You know having four children Having grandchildren and and watching my my Daughter-in-law joseph's joseph's i almost said husband joseph's wife joseph's wife as she's She's pregnant, you know watching it just reminds us of the wonder of the wonder of childbirth And there's two things that does it just blows my mind To to to know that in a few months, you know, a baby will separate her woman and once again We'll have another baby that we're able to love and and the second thing is it causes me to praise god that i'm not a woman Because i don't have to go through that You see we're able to chart and monitor the growth of a baby, but we don't completely understand it And so again because this is true We we trust that god has all things under Control you see the things we cannot understand are to be left in his hands In john 13 verse 7 Jesus said something that i've applied in my life for the longest time Jesus in john 13 7 said what i am doing you do not understand now But you will know after this There are things that that you go through let me encourage you There are things that you go through as a christian that you didn't expect to have to go through Or am i wrong? No, there are things that you've gone through Or are yet to go through that you didn't anticipate You thought when you got saved Everything was going to be just the greatest and the easiest and the best And i'd never cry again. I'll never have my heart broken ever again I'll never be disappointed again. I am the head. I'm not the tail. I'm going to succeed I'm the victor and then you find yourself going through struggles Sometimes they're our own fault Sometimes it seems we had nothing to do with this And your faith is tested And you're and and and you begin to wonder And you begin to ask the lord If you really love me Why Why are you allowing this in my life? If you really love me lord You'd be providing If you really loved me My kid would be following you. You know, I pray for him night and day Whatever it may be my health. It's going down the tubes. I've always been healthy lord And how i'm not I don't know You know, we we learn things through the furnace of affliction And one of the things that i've learned is that god refines my faith And very often removes the things that are distractions so that i can have my eyes set on just one thing You know, you know, jacob is there waiting to see his brother And an angel comes and wrestles with him all night Jacob means supplanter sneaky that was his name He had a history of being A supplanter stealing birthrights and blessings from his his brother And now he's afraid he needs waiting to see his brother and his brother doesn't like him much And an angel wrestles with him till dawn And jacob holds on and wrestles and holds on wrestles and holds on And finally the dawn is breaking.  So trust the lord what i'm doing you do not understand now, but you will know After this and after all these years i've walked this is my 48th anniversary this month of walking with jesus I can tell you that that is true. I can tell you that is true And then finally in verse 60 says in the morning Sew your seed in the evening do not withhold your hand for you do not know which will prosper either this or that Or whether both alike will be good Work faithfully Don't become lazy Don't become neglectful at what you're doing Sewing seed in the morning is good, but sometimes the work must go on into the evening The fact is diligence at what you're doing will always be necessary for success Just because you don't know the final results will not excuse you for not working So regard life as a faith-filled adventure invest in today To reap benefits tomorrow Like the farmer sew your seed and trust god to bring the harvest


Well, thank you all very much. It's a privilege to welcome such a distinguished group of, I was going to say high school students, but they're governors and chief justices, all of them right now, and to welcome all of you to the White House and the Rose Garden in particular. I know you must be very proud of the offices you've been elected to and we're proud of you. The several weeks ago, there was a very famous young man who visited the White House. Considering the reception that he received, I was tempted to wear a white glove this morning. And it's obvious that you and I both have some things in common. We both like Michael Jackson and we've been involved now in the political process. In fact, when everyone, someone says governor, and within my hearing, I turn around. I have to catch myself. Used to be kind of funny at the governor's conferences and the hotels, you'd be in a lobby or something and there'd be 50 governors present and you'd hear the word governor and 50 heads would turn. Which one thinking was for him. But after I looked over your Washington schedule and the questionnaire listing your interests, I decided to talk about an issue that seems to be on many of your minds and with good reason. I know you and young people generally are interested in United States relations with the Soviet Union. We all recognize that there is no more important foreign policy goal than the building of a more peaceful world in which liberty and prosperity can flourish. And we want to develop a more realistic working relationship with the Soviet Union. One marked by greater cooperation and understanding and by progress in arms reductions. Real progress requires honest efforts on both sides and unfortunately it appears that the Soviet Union is unwilling to make that commitment as yet. As you may know, during the months that the start and the INF talks were underway, we proposed seven different initiatives. None were offered on a take it or leave it basis. Indeed, they were the result of many adjustments to respond to the concerns of the Soviet side. But the Soviet Union insisted on preserving their monopoly on medium range missiles in Europe. I'd proposed zero, zero, that we eliminate all such missiles in Europe. Zero on their side, zero on our side. Well, they met me halfway. They were willing to have it be zero on our side. Then when the nations of the West made it clear that a Soviet monopoly was not acceptable, that's when they walked away from the negotiating table. But despite this disappointment, we shouldn't lose sight of the bigger picture. In a quiet way, we're trying to talk and negotiate with the Soviet Union on many fronts. Just two months ago in Vienna, we and our Western partners put forward new proposals on reducing the levels of conventional military forces in Europe. And those MBFR talks, as we call them, are continuing. In the same week at the 40 nation conference on disarmament in Geneva, Vice President Bush offered a draft agreement on a worldwide ban on chemical weapons and I'm sure you all know chemical weapons now is the euphemism for poison gas. And at the conference on disarmament in Europe in Stockholm, we're pursuing a series of proposals that will help reduce the chance of conflict in Europe. We're also trying to move forward on bilateral relations. And the latest round of negotiations are on upgrading the hotline ended less than two months ago. In the economic field, we're making a number of steps or taking a number of steps to increase exchanges in non-strategic goods. We've extended our very useful incidents at sea agreement for another term and we've also proposed discussions to expand and multiply contacts of benefit to both our peoples. But here too, the Soviets have made things very difficult and I need only mention the tragedy of the KAL flight 007 and the plight of Andrei Sakharov. So if you look at the big picture, it's clear that we in the West are doing our utmost to establish a cooperative, stable, and peaceful relationship. But it's also clear that the Soviet Union has not yet made the decision to join us in that effort. We'll keep trying and we'll keep hoping that they'll realize it's in their best interests to join with us and the rest of the world community to build a more peaceful world. We're ready, willing, and able. And I know you've been hearing and many people insist on saying that these are the most dangerous of times that we've ever known, that there's the greater tension and greater hostility and danger between our two nations than any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Well, actually these are not the most dangerous times as a matter of fact, quite to the contrary. I think with regard to the fact that they're being a little hard to talk to at the moment, there have been many worse times in recent years and there is less of a threat simply for the reason that the United States for the first time in a number of years has enough deterrent capability that the Soviet Union I don't think would decide that it would be in their best interest to take any action. And if you really want to get some history on this so that I won't have to keep you standing here while I talk about it, when you leave here, get a copy of the Los Angeles, the Washington Times in the commentary section today. There happens to be two columns. One is by William Rusher, who is the publisher of the conservative magazine, National Review. And the other is by Morton Condracke, who is the executive editor of the quite liberal publication, The New Republic. And those two men coming from those two opposite viewpoints are on that page together because each of them has done a column on disabusing our minds of this very idea that we're living in the most dangerous of times. And you'll find some very interesting reading and at the same time, you'll have a complete knowledge of what the history of our attempts have been down through the years. So I'm grateful to both of them. You know, it's, you can be on one side or the other, but you know you really must be close to right when you're standing against a cellophane wall and you're getting thrown rocks at from both sides.  Well, in the meantime, we're going to continue our commitment to peace with freedom. And believe me, because we're prepared with the strength of our allies to deter aggression, as I said, and pursue all possible avenues for arms reductions. And because we're prepared with our economic strength to achieve greater stability throughout the world, and because we have the spirits for strength and self-confidence to reach out to the Soviet Union, we're prepared to sustain peace with freedom. And my young friends, we will. Well, I've gone on long enough, but I do want to congratulate all the governors and chief justices for your noteworthy achievements. I am a firm believer and I hope you'll continue to believe that this nation is strongest when it realizes that it is a federation of sovereign states and that Washington is not the fount of all wisdom and authority in the nation. I urge you to use your leadership positions to get involved and get others involved in public life. And remember, those words by one of our founding fathers, Thomas Paine, the beginning of this nation. And it is still true that we have it within our power to begin the world over again. So thank you, good luck, and now I'm gonna try to say hello to each one of you individually, I started the day off. We have a gift for you, to surprise. I was running away. Okay, being here today, Mr. President, is an honor for all of us youth governors. We represent 25,000 youths all over America combined, but you represent 230 million, so it's quite a difference, but we would like to tell you that we appreciate having you spend your time, your effort, and your ideas with us, and we know that time is a precious commodity that you can give out. But we would like to say is that we are all here in Washington to learn about government, and you are everything that we were hoping to see. You represent what we believe in, in democracy and freedom, and we hope you the best of luck in September. But from the YMCA of America, of USA, and the youth governors, we have a present for you. From the Dixon, Illinois YMCA Boys Band, performed in 1924, we have a picture, fifth from the left in the front row, is Ronald Reagan, who becomes the 40th President of the United States. Well, for heaven's sakes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Actually, actually, I was the drum major, and my older brother, he played the bass horn. And I had an incident when we were in a neighboring town on Declaration Day, we were leading the parade, and the marshal of the parade on his horse had ridden back to see how everything was coming, and he didn't get back quite up to the head of the parade in time. And there I was waving that baton, and I knew that the music was sounding further and further away. He had come in time to turn the band, but not me, and I was walking down the street all by myself, and the band had turned the corner. I had to cut across lots. My brother also had an incident when we were in college, and the bass horn player in the college band didn't show up for a basketball game. And so my brother volunteered, and they accepted him, and so he was playing, and everything was going fine until there was one number that just sounded terrible. And the end of that one, the director wrapped on the music stand, and he said to the band, on the mall, on the mall. And I saw my brother's face get red, and he said, what did we just play? He was one number ahead of them. But to have this, this picture of our bands, well, thank you very much. Very proud to have it, proud to have you all here. Thank you very much. And here's a thing on the limestone. Thank you very much.  I wave. I don't know. And I hope I'll be doing that soon. I don't do it often. I miss it. Thank you very much. All right. Mr. President. I have two espouses. Somebody called me around to take this job. I want to get back to you. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Resolution.


Welcome to All Hands Update, I'm Petty Officer Jonathan Pancall. Election Day is November 4th and you're encouraged to exercise your right to vote. The Federal Voting Assistance Program has the resources you need to vote in this year's election. Make sure to get your voter registration and absentee ballot requests in early. Registering and requesting an absentee ballot is an easy one-step process. Just submit the federal postcard application. You should submit your application at least 90 days before Election Day. Eligible spouses and dependents can vote absentee as well. If you've applied and your ballot hasn't arrived, you could still vote by using the backup federal right-in absentee ballot. For more information, talk to your Voting Assistance Officer or visit the FAP website.