After a long day yesterday, I slept well once I made it to bed but the alarm on my internal clock still went off at the usual time this morning.  I had thought about setting an actual alarm clock, but decided to let my body decide when page 266 would start. Starting at its normal time wasn’t a bad thing as I was hoping to get my kayak on the lake before sunrise in an attempt to catch some good photos.  I was out the door and headed down the road while it was still dark and did manage to get the kayak on the lake just as the first glimmers of light were crawling over the eastern horizon.  There were just enough clouds in the sky to catch the light from the sun and expand it into a brilliant display of color.  The air was calm to start the day which made the lake surface as smooth as glass and as reflective as a mirror.  The conditions were near perfect and I found myself snapping photo after photo in the stillness of the morning.

Today’s photo is from this morning’s sunrise but it doesn’t show a completely smooth lake surface.  The reason being is that I began my journey on the eastern shore where the sun was soon to rise and paddled out into the lake to get the vantage point I wanted for the photos.  As I shot back across where I had just been, the ripples of my presence were still noticeable.  As I paddled forward and gazed across the smooth lake surface in front of me, the ripples weren’t noticeable and it would have been easy to assume they didn’t exist.  It wasn’t until I turned around and began to look at where I had been that I could notice the “tracks” left behind.  It is easy, especially when life is smooth, to gaze ahead and see no evidence that our presence in this life makes any kind of a difference.  As bad as that conclusion is, there are many who look at the waters ahead of them and wrongly conclude that there is not evidence that God is making any difference in this world.  

One of the enormous benefits of journaling in some form or fashion, is that it provides a record of the “ripples” that have touched our life because of the working of God.  Throughout the Bible, God has called His followers to practice using various forms of reminders so they wouldn’t forget who He is nor what He has done.  When we are able to look back and see how God has touched our life in the past, it should give us great courage as we move forward regardless of how smooth or turbulent the waters ahead happen to be.  By journaling about the work of God in our life, we are also able to make note of how God has been using us to accomplish His good will and purpose in the lives of others.  We rarely see immediate results when we are faithful in being who God has called and created us to be.  God does His best work in us when it is done in a way that He alone gets the credit and we become somewhat invisible.  But even as we look back on that type of work in our life, we are able to see glimpses of how He has used it for the benefit of others and of His kingdom.  It is so easy to get discouraged when it seems we don’t make a difference — believe me, I know.  Yet how often during those times of discouragement do we just need to stop and turn around so we can see the reminders of what God has been doing all along?

I pray that you and I would listen to God when He calls us to times of rest with Him.  I pray that we would find times to enjoy the stillness of God’s presence with us.  I pray that we would listen to God as He calls us to remember Him and His work in us.  I pray that we would establish ways and means of remembrance that will also serve as reminders to others.  I pray that we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus even as we look back to recognize the work He has been doing.

Page 265 was the 37th anniversary of my first official date.  At that time, you could get your driver’s license a month and a day after your sixteenth birthday so on September 21, 1979, as I was beginning my junior year in high school, I got my driver’s license in the afternoon and asked the prettiest girl in the school to go out with me for pizza that evening.  She said yes and two years later we said “I do” which also made page 265 the 35th anniversary of our wedding. 🙂  

Being a Wednesday, page 265 was a long, full day so the writing of it isn’t taking place until the next day.  The day began with the posting of a poem I had written for our anniversary and then it was the usual cleaning, building prep, and taking out trash from the day before.  Once the building was ready, I headed out to do part of the mowing for the week while the weather was cooperative.  On my first pass down the playground field, I noticed a deer peering out from the woods at the far corner of the lawn.  By the time I had made it 3/4 of the way down the field, she had stepped fully out of the woods to see what I was doing.  Before long, another deer had joined her and pretty soon a small flock of geese showed up as well.  As I kept mowing, they kept working their way along the edge of the lawn eating grass and leaves from the trees.  After a few rounds and it became apparent they weren’t planning to leave, I stopped and got may camera so I could take a few photos while I mowed.  

When I had finished the mowing I wanted to get done for the day, I headed inside and did some follow-up on some messages that had been left for me.  While I was working on that, my wife came in to say her workday was done and to see if I wanted to get lunch.  So even in the midst of a busy day, we did manage to go out to lunch together for our anniversary.  While we were out, I bought her a flash for her camera and we picked up a few things at Sam’s Club before I headed back to work to get ready for the Wednesday evening class I teach.  I’m still nervous about teaching 1st through 3rd graders, so I spent time not only planning out the lesson I wanted to teach, but also preparing a variety of options for communicating the lesson and involving the students in learning it.

Our topic for the evening was thankfulness.  While God tells us to give thanks in all circumstances, that can be difficult for most adults to put into practice let alone trying to help children look for ways to be thankful in all things.  Probably one of the best exercises in thankfulness for any age person is to start making a list of things we are thankful for.  What will generally happen, is one thing on your list will remind you of something else then that thing will make you think of another and before you know it, your list is much longer than you ever would have thought.  

Once the class time was over, I did my Thursday morning cleaning on Wednesday night so page 266 could begin on the lake watching the sunrise — but that’s information for its page.  By 10:00 PM I had the cleaning done and it was time to head home and call it a day — a day in which there was much to be thankful for.

I pray that you and I would hold onto whatever good memories we have from the past.  I pray that we would be diligent about celebrating the goodness of God.  I pray that we would live a life free from fear.  I pray that we would notice, and learn from, the lessons God places in front of us each day.  I pray that we would grow in our thankfulness.

Page 264 seemed to pass by quickly as I look back and wonder where the day went.  As fall quickly approaches, the daylight hours visibly shrink each day.  It is dark when I get to work and the sun doesn’t crest the horizon until after the morning cleaning is done.  This morning as I took the trash out in the pre-dawn light, there were turkeys, geese, and deer gathered around the playground area.  The low light combined with the distance I had to shoot from made for photos that weren’t as sharp as I would have liked but it also made the deer more curious than fearful.  As the deer watched me closely, I wondered how much attention we pay to the sources of potential danger that surround us each day.  I suspect that many times we are oblivious even to the physical dangers we face while the spiritual dangers never cross our mind.  God not only warns us of the spiritual battle that takes place, He also provides spiritual armor to protect us in the midst of this battle — but it is up to us to put it on each day.

After taking some photos of the morning wildlife visitors, I spent some time with a sign company tech as he worked on the lighting of our sign.  I’m not sure how productive that was as he said it was working even though the top part wasn’t lit when I arrived in the morning.  His only suggestion was that perhaps the bulbs weren’t putting out enough light and needed to be replaced — but he didn’t have any to replace them with and wasn’t sure if it was something they stocked.  While I didn’t say it, my immediate thought was, “so the lights are on but no one is home?”.  As he left without confirming a real solution, I thought about how often the light of Jesus, which dwells within us through His Spirit, isn’t visible from the outside.  While I suppose it is possible the bulbs in the sign aren’t putting out the light that they are supposed to, it is never the source of light which is the problem when we fail to shine as we ought.   

When the service tech left, I spent some time in prayer as I went over the lesson I plan to share tomorrow evening in the 1st through 3rd grade Bible class I teach.  The rest of my workday was a combination of prayer, writing, and lesson development.  It has been a long time since I taught early elementary students so I continue to prepare the only way I know how — with much prayer and an open mind that considers creative ways to teach the core truths of God’s Word.  

I pray that you and I would daily put on the full armor of God so that after we have done everything, we can stand.  I pray that we would be alert at all times, recognizing that our enemy is always on the prowl seeking ways to devour us.  I pray that we would let the light of Christ shine brightly through us.  I pray that we would give careful examination of ourselves when we notice the light isn’t as bright as it ought to be.  I pray that we would seek God for the wisdom needed to teach others.  I pray that would have the desire both to learn and to teach.

After enjoying the sunset over Lake Michigan last night with my family, it was very early this morning before I finished writing yesterday’s page and went to bed for the night.  After a night that was short, but restful, I was up early to begin page 263 with the usual morning tasks of cleaning and building prep to get ready for the school day.  Once the bathrooms were cleaned, floors swept, and trash taken out, it was time to shift the morning prayers to a listening mode for next week’s prayer guide.  As I spent time praying and listening while I considered several topics, I finally settled on the topic of perfection.  Paul writes to the Corinthians, and to us, and says to “aim for perfection”.  I believe most of us have concluded that perfection is unattainable, so we settle for something far below perfection when God has better things in mind for us.  When we allow the world to define perfection for us, it actually makes sense that we would decide a life-long pursuit of it is a waste of time.  However, when we look to God to define perfection for us as being transformed into the image of Christ, a life-long pursuit of that becomes a noble task and worthwhile endeavor.  When we set our eyes on things above and not on the things of the earth, we find that Godly perfection is more attainable than we likely imagined.  God gives us His perfect law and a perfect example to follow as we learn to give up self and take on the image of Christ in all we do and say.  In God’s view, our perfection is not an accomplishment of ours but rather a journey that “leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”  

As I finished up the prayer guide and got it formatted and scheduled to send out on Sunday, it was time to shift my prayer focus to the missions that Deer Run helps to support.  As I put on the “missions committee treasurer” hat, I spent time praying for a variety of mission endeavors as I took care of the monthly correspondence and accounting that goes with that role.  Because of the diversity in the types and sizes of the mission works that we help to support, it becomes obvious to me that the only measure of success that can be universally applied is their faithfulness in doing what they have been called to do.  The same is true for each of us as we live out the mission God has given us of making disciples — yes, that’s a task for every believer not just those involved in “official” ministry and mission work.  When we try to measure our perfection against the results of someone else, we will rarely measure us, or them, accurately.  It is only when we use faithfulness to God as the standard of our life that we will learn to shine as we were meant to.  While that is an easy statement to type, it is often difficult to live when our culture puts so much emphasis on measurable accomplishments that may not always align with living a life of faithfulness.

By mid-afternoon I had finished the day’s work and it was time to get some lunch and head home.  At home, I did some more writing  then took a nap until time for supper.  Once I had eaten, it was time to sit down and write today’s page before heading to bed to get some sleep in preparation for whatever tomorrow’s page may bring.  While there are many days that I seriously question if I’ve accomplished anything useful with my life, God continues to ask me the same question each night — “Have you been faithful today?”.  

I pray that you and I would pursue God through a life of faithfulness above all else.  I pray that we would seek to be perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect.  I pray that we would allow God to define the perfection we seek rather than adopt the world’s definition.  I pray that we would practice our faithfulness in living out God’s command that we make disciples.

“Let your light so shine before men that they would see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16

Page 262 was a Sunday which meant Bible study and worship with my church family.  The Bible study class I attend is still working through the book of Esther and today’s focus was on Esther’s request that the Jewish people would join her in 3 days and nights of fasting and prayer in preparation for her to go before the king on behalf of all the Jewish people.  Everyone was involved in seeking God as they waited for His plan of deliverance.  Many times we don’t recruit people to fast and pray about decisions that are made because we’ve already decided what the decision will be.  When we do ask for prayer, it is primarily wanting people to join us in seeking God’s blessing on whatever it is we’ve already decided to do.  We rarely seek genuine intercessors — those with a practice and reputation of going before God and listening for His answers — because an answer is not really what we’re looking for.  Esther was in a specific place at a specific time for a specific purpose but that purpose could not be met without first going to God in earnest, urgent prayer seeking direction on what the next step would be and how to go about taking that step.

Following the Bible class, our worship time included a message from David has he continued his series from Nehemiah.  Nehemiah also found himself in a position to make a difference for the Jewish people by paying attention to God’s plans and fully seeking God for the courage and wisdom necessary to be a part of that plan.  Part of the message talked about the opposition that surely comes when you are involved in doing the work of God and shining His light into the darkness.  While darkness cannot overcome light, the spiritual darkness we encounter will always push back against light.  When we shine the light of truth into darkness, we can be sure that we will ruffle a few feathers as those in darkness do not want to see truth.  As I think about the varying degrees of difficulty I’ve had in ministry over the years, most often the source is some form of leadership that has taken offense at my holding fast to truth and integrity while expecting the same from them.  That particular light will make many people squirm as it begins to reveal compromise with the world and excuses for behavior that is not consistent with our word.

After the church service, we had lunch and then relaxed for a while at home before heading out for some family time at Lake Michigan.  Today’s photo comes from the Lake Michigan shoreline as I caught a bird coming into the beach for a landing.  As I watched the bird, I thought about some preaching advise I had heard years ago.  The advise was something to the effect that a good sermon was like a good flight — you need a smooth take-off and a smooth landing with as little time between the two as possible in reaching your destination.  They went on to say that the ride can get a little bumpy along the way and people will soon forget that it wasn’t ideal; but botch the take-off or landing, and it is likely people will never forget.  While it is probably not the best preaching advice that I have ever received, it is a story I think of whenever I struggle with how to conclude a message.  This bird glided in to a point just above the ground and then allowed the air currents to hold it aloft while it slowly extended its feet and settled in for a landing.  Prayer allows us to glide on the currents of God’s Spirit and has the power to keep us aloft as we gather our feet underneath us and wait to plant them exactly on the spot that God has planned for us to be at.  When my life pursuit is knowing God and I acknowledge Him in all my ways, He is the one who makes my paths straight and leads me to land at just the right spot.

I pray that you and I would seek God fully and join with other in seeking God for all direction and timing in the decisions we face.  I pray that we would continually grow in developing a lifestyle of prayer that defines both who we are and how we do things.  I pray that we would learn to rise of on wings like eagles as we grow in our practice of waiting upon the Lord.

Page 261 was a Saturday filled with a mix of routine and special events.  I woke up at a normal time and Susan was ready to get up and get dressed for the day.  After I got Susan her meds and breakfast, I spent much of the morning catching up on some messages and correspondence related to the prayer ministry.  Eventually it was time to fire up the pellet grill for our Saturday lunch tradition of mushroom bacon cheeseburgers.  Once lunch was done, it was time to get ready for a busy late afternoon and evening with the potential of two events to be at.  

The first event was the outdoor wedding of my niece and her now husband.  After a rainy start to the day, the sun had broken through the clouds and it was a beautiful evening for a wedding.  The sky was mostly blue with the occasional fluffy white cloud to provide what I call sky texture.  Even though I never feel like I belong, I know that is simply the wiring in my mind messing with me, it was a good evening to be with family.  I took my camera along and tried to get some photos without feeling like I was invading anyone’s personal space.  Some of the pictures I took were easier than others and there were photos I would have liked to have taken that I just couldn’t bring myself to do.  Eventually the setting sun drew my attention outside and I drifted into my comfort zone of landscape photography with no people involved. 🙂  Today’s photo on this page was taken of the setting sun shining across a field of soybeans.  This photo represents the farm life I grew up with as the beauty of nature abounded everywhere we went and there didn’t seem to be much need to search for it.  I eventually headed back to the wedding party and took some more photos before it was time to head for home.

As I headed for home and didn’t take the route that would lead through Bourbon, it was clear that Mary Jane had hoped we would stop by the second event for the evening, our 35th high school reunion.  Not that it was actually the 35th reunion, because the class doesn’t get together on a regular basis, rather it marked 35 years since we graduated from Triton High School.  I really had no interest in going as I am one who left high school when it was over and never looked back.  There was nothing about high school that I have ever missed and I had never known how to be a friend or have a friend.  I had married the one classmate that I had fallen in love with and the idea of a reunion with people that I went to school with but was afraid of because of who I am, didn’t seem that appealing.  Yet for my wife’s sake, I headed east when we got to Plymouth and we showed up to a class reunion in progress.  Susan was her usual charming self and Mary Jane made the rounds but I felt out of place as I only recognized the few people that I have seen occasionally over the years.  It’s not that I was bullied in school or treated poorly, I was just so afraid of people that I never learned, or saw a need, to build friendships.  After what seemed like hours there, but I’m sure it was a fairly short time, it was time to head home and get Susan to bed.

As I reflect on the day, I am once again amazed that God uses someone like me to accomplish good work for Him.  Sometimes I know that He uses my specific wiring to accomplish His purposes and many times I think he accomplishes His purposes through me in spite of me.  There are many days that I wish I could be more like a “normal “person — whatever that is.  There are days that the internal struggles seem intent on eating me alive.  The fear is obviously irrational because it is a fear even of people I have no reason to be afraid of.  Yet the fear is also real — at least to me.  At its worst, there is a sense that the fear and darkness will take over and whatever is really me will be lost forever.  All of the internal struggles are often magnified by my share of “Job’s friends” who tell me I just need to trust God more, or I need to confess some sin, or because I keep facing dark and difficult times there must be a problem in my life that I’m not dealing with.  While I believe Job’s friends meant to be helpful, they were so off-base in their evaluation of what was going on that they were not only unhelpful, they probably added to Job’s misery.

I pray that you and I develop good routines that honor God and give value to our family.  I pray that we would celebrate the bonds of marriage with those who enter into it — but not just on their wedding day, but on each day of life they have together.  I pray that we would find ways to stretch beyond our comfort zones without breaking.  I pray that we would honor our families in ways that give their wants and desires priority.  I pray that we would pay attention to the heart of God and the heart of people when we give advice.

Ahhh . . . another Friday.  On a workday that began at 6 this morning I’m taking a break at 8 PM to write today’s page while the floor scrubber recharges.  My morning was filled with the usual cleaning, a little writing, and a lot of outside work with the weedeater.  The lawn work and cleaning up after it took me until mid-afternoon and then it was time for a late lunch and a short visit to the river.  After shooting a few photos at the riverwalk, it was back to work to begin the afternoon/evening rounds of getting the building ready for Sunday.  

The photo today was taken in the gardens by the river.  I look at it and think, “Even the sunflowers are a bit sad that summer is coming to an end.”  Some days it is really hard to hold your head up and you begin to wonder, “Why bother?”.  This lone sunflower was hidden in the weeds and probably rarely seen, yet it caught my eye as I scanned the area for things to photograph.  I noticed it because of its beauty and brightness.  It wasn’t until after I had photographed it and looked at it for a while that I even noticed its head was drooping and the flower petals were not able to stand up.  

I think many times we tend to live that way.  We become so distracted by the everyday routine of life that we don’t notice all of the people around us that are “hidden” in plain sight.  People we walk past every day and don’t really know who they are.  Sure, we may or may not know their name, but we really don’t know them.  And then there are those who do catch our eye, at least for a moment, and with the glimpse we get we tell ourselves that they are doing okay.  They look fine.  They don’t need anything from us and we don’t need anything from them.  And on we go, never stopping long enough to realize that the slump of the shoulders, the droop of the head, the halting footsteps were all signs of a weight that they shouldn’t have to carry alone.  And then there are those rare times when we notice the weight someone else is carrying but we settle for the easy way out with the “church answer” — or at least half of it.  We tell them to “cast their cares upon God” and let him carry their burden — and then we walk off thinking we’ve done our good deed in pointing them in the right direction.  But that is only half of the “church answer”.  The other half is where it gets practical — and tough.  We should not only point them in the right direction, but we should step in and “bear one another’s burdens”.  Far too often, if we even notice, we settle for giving words of comfort and encouragement in a way makes us come across like the friends of Job.  Sometimes words are the answer.  Sometimes, words by themselves seem empty and unhelpful.

James says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”  (James 3:13)  If we want to live as those who are wise and understanding, we must learn to pay attention not just to our words, but to our actions and attitudes.

I pray that you and I would pay attention to those around us who tend to go unnoticed.  I pray that we would lift up the weary and wounded.  I pray that we would strengthen the weak.  I pray that we would listen to the lonely.  I pray that we would comfort the hurting.  I pray that we would bear one another’s burdens.  I pray that we would do all of this through the power, strength, and ability that comes from having God’s Spirit within us.