Some thoughts, lessons, and/or reflections from the day:

• I was able to sleep in a little while before getting up and writing yesterday’s page.
• I was able to make it to Sunday School this morning where our Bible study class is preparing to begin a study through Hebrews.  This morning we began by looking at some scriptures from throughout the Bible that talk about the supremacy of Jesus in all things.
• After the Bible study time we had a great worship gathering where David finished up his series through the book of Acts with a message he titled, “Bound and Determined”.  The message highlighted Paul’s determination to preach the gospel in spite of being bound as a prisoner of Rome.
• Some of the highlights of my take on the message are as follows:
  • Preach the gospel even when you can’t go to the places you would like:  Paul’s imprisonment at the end of the book of Acts greatly limited where he could go to share the gospel.  In fact, while the imprisonment took place in a home it also included a Roman guard at all times.  Paul’s normal practice of going to the synagogues, public places, and anywhere he could find people willing to listen to the gospel was no longer allowed.  Rather than giving up and deciding he had done the best he could, Paul sent for people to come to him so that he could continue to share the gospel even when he couldn’t go to the places he would like.  There are many things that can limit our ability to be where we want to be, but that should never stop us from sharing the gospel wherever we are!
  • Preach the gospel even when your freedom seems limited:  While I’m not aware of many of my readers actually being in prison, most of us experience circumstances that often dictate how we do life in ways that seem to limit our freedom.  Some of those circumstances are of our own doing and others are a result of activities beyond our control.  The book of Acts has numerous examples of people whose freedom to share about Jesus seemed limited — in fact, at times they were commanded by the authorities to not speak of Jesus at all!  But that didn’t stop them any more than Paul’s lack of freedom kept him from preaching the gospel.  Typically hardship has a way of testing us to see what’s inside and what will come out.  When our freedom seems limited in any way, we must choose to continue to share the gospel no matter what!
  • Preach the gospel regardless of what people say about you:  Paul had many issues of reputation stacked against him.  From being a prisoner of Rome for two years to questions of his spiritual practices to his acceptance of Gentiles, the people he needed to share the gospel with had plenty of reason to question just what kind of man this was.  In fact, while little of the accusations of the Jewish leaders back in Jerusalem had followed him, he was still trying to present a message that “everyone was talking against”.  Whether in prison or not, Paul’s defense of the gospel was always about the message of Christ and never about his own reputation.  We can’t control what people say about us and we can’t even control what they say about Christ but we can keep sharing truth!
• After lunch with my family, I spent some more time going through the snowy owl photos I took yesterday.  Each photo served to remind me of the incredible beauty that God has given us throughout creation.
• With bright sunshine abounding outside, we headed to Potato Creek for a family walk and to see what we could photograph.
• While the spring growth within the plant life required a careful search to find any signs of it, the approach of spring was obvious throughout the park.
• Each spring the osprey return to the park to set up their nests and stay for the summer.  I had seen one osprey fly over a couple days ago, but today was the first that there was an osprey at each nesting pole.  Between the return of the osprey, the sounds of the frogs, and the turtles sunning themselves on every available log; the signs of spring were everywhere.
• Today’s photo is of a lake scene full of the signs of spring.  While most are not visible in a casual glance at this photo, it contains an osprey on a pole, frogs on logs, a variety of geese and ducks, and sprouts of green beneath the sea of brown.

Some thoughts, lessons, and/or reflections from the day:

• Another page being written the next morning as I stayed up way to late doing some minor editing of photo I took during the day. 🙂
• After working late Friday, it felt good to sleep in a little while — though not as long as I had hoped to.
• Routine is difficult to overcome once it is thoroughly ingrained in a person.  I get so used to waking up at 5:30 every morning that it doesn’t seem to matter what time I set my alarm clock for.
• Even though I can go back to sleep some mornings, it rarely lasts as long as it could after that initial wake-up.
• There are so many ways in my walk with God that I develop either good routines or not so good ones.  Either way, it take effort to step outside of them and it feels uncomfortable to do so — at least until I spend enough time that a different routine is developed.
• Good routines will help keep us on track but they are not a guarantee that we’ll always follow them — that is still a decision we must make.
• Anyhow, I did eventually wake up and spent some time going through the photos I had taken Friday.
• After a quiet morning, I fired up the pellet grill to make some bacon cheeseburgers for lunch before setting off on an afternoon family adventure.
• Our first stop was in search of a snowy owl and we found one.  As we took some photographs, a person stopped by and said the owl had been sitting in that same spot for several hours.
• The combination of distance and lighting made getting the quality of photos we wanted rather difficult, so we set out for the next leg of our adventure.
• I’m not sure there is a good formula for how long to wait and when to move on, but I find that dilemma is true in many areas of life — not just in photographing wildlife.
• Our next stop was the outlet mall where we did a little shopping and two-thirds of the family found things they needed. 🙂
• Once the shopping was done we made a couple stops by the lake but the sun was so bright that there didn’t seem to be any photos wanting to be taken.
• We eventually made our way back to where the owl was, and sure enough it was still sitting at the same spot!  
• The lighting had improved by now, so we took a few photos that turned out well for the distance.  
• It wasn’t long before the owl finally decided to move — but as has often been the case, it was while we were looking away.
• The new spot was further out in the field, so we left him in peace and continued our search to see if we could find another.
• Our luck, or lack of it, in actually seeing an owl move from one location to another reminds me of the many stories Jesus told about our need to be ready.
• We did find the second owl and this one was perched on a telephone pole right along the road.  We parked up the road far enough not to bother it and then took photos until someone came along and parked right underneath it with a vehicle full of children — it wasn’t long until the owl decided to find a new resting spot. 🙂
• Today’s photo is actually going to be a couple of the ones I took while we were watching the owls.  And yes, I did finally pay attention long enough to catch one in flight. 🙂

Some thoughts, lessons, and/or reflections from the day:

• The sky was clear once again as I headed to work and the beauty of the stars shining brightly through the crisp air was amazing.
• It was a rather cool drive today.  Usually about halfway to work the truck finally warms up enough for the heater to work but today it didn’t seem to get warm . . . then as I pulled into the drive at work I realized the temperature control was still set on the coolest position after yesterday afternoon’s pleasant temperatures — oops.
• Sometimes when things aren’t what we know they should be, we would do well to examine what we might have done to change the outcome.
• It’s a Friday, so I headed into the day knowing it would be a long one and trying to set an appropriate pace in order to find the closest thing to balance as I can.
• As I went about the morning prayer, cleaning and building prep, my mind was filled with the song lyrics that go something like this: “I need Thee! O, I need Thee!  Every hour I need Thee!  Bless me now my Savior, I come to Thee!”
• I’m not sure there is a better way to begin a day than to acknowledge my need of Jesus in everything I do.
• As I had time, I continued work on my next devotional book with today’s writing finishing up the week focused on serving with gentleness and beginning a section about serving with honesty.
• I am scheduled to set up the prayer ministry display at another camp conference next week, so I selected two of my photos to have made into prints for the door prize giveaway at the conference.  When I went to pick them up, the lady at the photo counter said she really liked them. 🙂
• By mid-afternoon I had finished one eight hour shift and headed out for a late lunch and a break until the building cleared out so I could get it cleaned for Sunday.
• During the break, we took a family trip to Potato Creek to look for the eagles and take a walk.  The eagles did not make themselves known, but we did find some ducks, geese, swans, and a blue heron.
• After our walks, I dropped my family off at home and headed back to work to finish out the day.  I had to work around some other things that were going on, but eventually the building cleared out and I was able to finish my work.
• Today’s photo is of the heron as it was fishing along the edge of the lake.  It kept slowly crouching down and then just as I took this photo I could see the ripples on the surface of the water just out of reach as the intended meal swam away.

Some thoughts, lessons, and/or reflections from the day:

• The stars were shining brightly in the night sky as I headed to work this morning.  The clear sky not only meant a beautiful view, it also meant no fresh snow to deal with. 🙂
• By the time I got to work the clouds had begun to dot the sky, so after getting the morning cleaning started I set up my camera to time-lapse the sunrise then I went back to the cleaning while it did its thing.  
• When set in time-lapse mode, my camera will shoot a frame every 10 seconds and create a video that puts 50 minutes of real time into 10 seconds.  A lot can change in 50 minutes, so sometimes it captures a great sunrise and other times not so much.  Today was one that ended up being pretty spectacular as there was the right mix of clouds to capture some stunning color from the rising sun.
• After the cleaning was done and the building was ready for the day I went out to collect my camera and take a few still shots of the beautiful sunrise.
• As I went about my morning work, as I could I also continued work on the writing of the next book I’m working on.
• Today’s writing was still focused on serving with gentleness and one of the topics I wrote about today was gentleness with our words.
• God says that a gentle answer turns away wrath, so a gentleness in our words ought to help bring peace as we serve.
• Using gentle words doesn’t mean we fail to address serious issues, it just means we do so in a manner that is filled with gentleness rather than harshness.
• As the morning turned into afternoon, I headed out to pick up a friend and take him to lunch.  
• Life isn’t lived in a vacuum, so it is interesting to watch how my writing helps my time with people and how my time with people helps my writing.
• After lunch I headed down to Potato Creek to spend some time sitting with God in the midst of creation . . . I was going to say the quietness of creation, but it definitely wasn’t quiet sitting along the lake. 🙂
• Even though it wasn’t quiet, for me the sounds of nature are peaceful sounds compared to the sounds of the city.
• Today’s photo is actually a pair of photos — one of the morning sunrise and one from my time sitting along the lake. 

Some thoughts, lessons, and/or reflections from the day:

• The day began with a light dusting of snow that looked like it shouldn’t cause any problems.  The problem was underneath the snow where a layer of ice covered most roads and sidewalks.
• The snow dusted off of the truck easily, but as I backed out of the drive to head to work the truck kept moving backwards momentarily even after I shifted into drive.
• Just because there is an appearance of everything being okay, doesn’t mean that it is.  Sometimes danger lurks just below a very shallow facade.
• It can be easy to pass judgment based on what we see, but it is through experience that we begin to learn the truth of a situation.
• When I arrived at work I cleared the layer of snow from the sidewalks which exposed the ice and allowed the ice melt I would put down to work more effectively.
• Sometimes even when the appearance of something looks good, we have to undo the appearance so we can most effectively deal with the reality of what’s underneath.
• After taking care of the outside work, I turned my attention to the inside cleaning and building prep for the day.  I had an old song running through my mind as I worked.  It was fascinating because I remember it being a song I hadn’t thought of in a lot of years and I remember thinking both how profound it was and how corny it was . . . and now I can’t remember anything about it other than that.
• It is remarkable how truths planted in my mind in various ways when I was a child continue to influence me even today.  I am thankful for so many who planted good seeds.
• I had a few maintenance tasks that needed taken care of in addition to the usual cleaning and prep, so even with an early start I was pushing it to have the building ready for the start of the school day . . . but I made it.  🙂
• As I went about my morning tasks, my woodpecker and chipmunk friends both showed up to check on the hole that had been created in the tree outside my office window.  It was fun watching them “discuss” ownership of this prime “real estate” and I’m not too sure they really reached a conclusion as to who would call this hole home.
• As I had opportunity, I spent some time during the day working on the next chapter of my current writing project.  Today’s writing focused on some different aspects of serving with gentleness.
• Since gentleness is a part of the fruit of God’s Spirit, it is a trait that ought to be growing in the life of every believer whether it comes naturally or not.
• After a late lunch I headed home and eventually headed out on a family adventure to Potato Creek where we walked a couple trails. 
• Today’s photo is of the woodpecker in the midst of its discussion with the chipmunk.  

Some thoughts, lessons, and/or reflections from the day:

• This morning began with a double layer of work — the snow arrived after the frost had already covered my truck windows, so I had to brush the snow off and then scrape the frost off.
• As I pulled into the driveway at work, I noticed tracks up the embankment beside the drive — as if someone had tried to stop their vehicle and slid off the road and up the hill.  Otherwise, it was a strange place to park even temporarily. 🙂
• I suspect the same conditions that caused frost on my truck underneath the fresh snow made for some treacherous driving conditions until the salt and warmer temperatures began to do their thing.
• My first task at work was to clear the sidewalks while I was still dressed for the outside weather.  It had been warm enough when the snow began falling that the sidewalks were wet and icy under the snow so I put down some ice melt after removing the snow.
• Sometimes when we remove the things from our life that don’t belong, there is still some “residue” that needs taken care of before we can say the task is finished.
• When I finished the outside work I started a cup of coffee and then began the inside cleaning and building prep for the day.
• Even when things “look okay”, I still do the regular cleaning routine so that they don’t just look clean, they are clean.
• It can be easy to slide into a “good enough” way of life that can allow the “dirt” to contaminate us so gradually that we don’t even notice.  God wants us to experience the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus on a continual basis — not just after things get really bad in our life.
• Once the building was ready for the day, I began the search for a photo or two to use as prints for the prize drawing at next week’s camp conference.
• When it was finally time for the sun to come up, I noticed a good mix of clouds and clear sky so I set up my camera to do a time-lapse recording and let it run while I went back inside.
• The sunrise was indeed incredible and was a good reminder to worship God for His creativity and beauty.
• It seems the entire day was a combination of periods of intense snowfall and times of bright sunshine.  The birds would come out with the sun and then disappear out of sight when the snow would intensify.
• As I went about my tasks for the day, I also worked on my current devotional book project which will be a second volume of thirteen weeks of daily devotions focused on how we ought to be serving.
• Today’s writing was focused around different aspects of how we ought to serve with generosity.  
• Generosity, especially from God’s perspective, is not based on what we have, and not even so much on what we give, but rather on our attitude regarding the sharing of our self.
• By mid-afternoon my tasks that needed done had been accomplished and I had completed the writing of the devotions for all seven days of the generosity focus.  After posting the “week four” file on the prayer ministry website, I headed out for a late lunch and then headed home to relax.
• Today’s photo is one I call “Bundled Up For the Cold”.  This female cardinal sat about one layer into the brush and seemed to keep her feathers fluffed out to get the maximum insulation benefit.

Some thoughts, lessons, and/or reflections from the day:

• Every time we set our clocks forward or back, I wonder where all of this daylight we’re supposed to be saving goes and how I can withdraw some on a cloudy day.
• As I try to adjust to the time change, I set my alarm to split the difference of the lost hour that my body thinks is missing if I wake up at the same time on the clock today as last week.
• With daylight arriving an hour later, at least by the clock, I suppose it was fitting that my morning worship song as I went about the cleaning and building prep tasks included the lines, “When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say, ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord!  Blessed be His name!'”
• It was still quite dark when I took the trash out but I could make out the silhouettes of several deer standing at the top of the hill near the dumpster.  Once my eyes got used to the darkness it was easier to see them so I stopped and chatted with them for a little while.
• As I finished getting the building ready for the day and shifted my attention to the prayer guide writing process, I could tell the darkness wasn’t just outside but was also a battle in my mind.
• It seemed that God and I wrestled for quite some time before coming up with the next prayer guide topic.  Sometimes there are topics that I want to write about and God’s Spirit convinces me that the result would be from me and not from Him.
• I finally settled with the topic of faithful and then worked on the daily topics of some areas in which God calls us to faithfulness.
•  As I prayed and wrote, I was reminded of numerous scriptures where God calls us to be faithful — not just for a period of time, but for all time.
• When I think of being faithful, there is no greater encouragement to me than the message of Matthew 25 where the servants are welcomed by the Master with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
• With the struggle of getting started, it was after noon when I finally had the prayer guide written and mid-afternoon until it was formatted and scheduled to be published on Sunday.
• After unloading the prayer ministry display materials from my truck, it was time for a late lunch with my family followed by a trip through Menard’s with my daughter — she likes Menard’s because “they sing the money song”.
• They’re calling for more snow overnight, so I’m writing today’s page early so I can try to get to sleep early enough to be better rested by the time I need to wake up tomorrow.
• It snowed off and on throughout the morning as I was writing.  At one point I had a cardinal walk past my office window with a look that seemed to ask what all the white stuff was doing on the ground again.  Today’s photo is one I took of that cardinal. 🙂