The written part of page 81 is being typed from my office before I head home for the day.  The day started early and is ending late, but I did manage a short break in the middle.  After the morning cleaning and prep for the day, I settled into my Monday morning routine and spent time with God putting together the prayer guide for next week.  This week is focused on praying about the need to guard our steps.  Next week will be focused on praying about the life we have in Christ.  It is always fun when I think I have an idea for one of the weekly prayer guides and when I sit down with God and my Bible, something different ends up being written.  Today was one of those days and the funny part is, I don’t even remember now what my idea was before God brought the life in Christ theme into my mind.

Once the prayer guide was written, I needed to pick up some cleaning supplies and some items for a meal I was preparing for our leadership board meeting.  So Susan and I spent some time together and went out to Gordon’s Food Service and Sam’s Club to get what was needed.  By the time we got what was needed and arrived back at the church, I had a discipleship/mentoring lunch appointment with a good friend.  We had lunch and a great discussion about faith and how it should guide our decisions and steps each day.  After lunch I finished up some work at the church building and then, knowing it would be a late night, I headed down to Potato Creek to spend about an hour hiking and taking pictures.  On my way back from there, I stopped by the house and  picked up the crock pot of pulled pork that I had spent Saturday cooking on the wood pellet grill.  Back at the office I caught up on some correspondence regarding the prayer ministry and some potential uses of the writing God has allowed me to publish.  It wasn’t long before it was time to get ready for the board meeting, so I set out the food on the conference table and gathered the needed plates, napkins, and plastic ware.

The meeting went well enough . . . as meetings go.  🙂  This is a great group of guys to work and serve with.  Once the meeting was over, I decided it was late enough that I may as well do my Tuesday morning cleaning tonight so that my arrival time tomorrow isn’t nearly as important.  As I cleaned, I thought about all the work that goes into what happens at 2730 South Ironwood each day.  I thought about our desire to do everything with excellence and considered how often we (I) don’t quite reach that standard.  So often it is “almost perfect”, or “that’s almost what I wanted”.  I see that a lot in my photography as well.  Occasionally I will take a picture that when I view it I say, “That’s exactly what I had in mind when I shot that photo!”  More often than not the reaction leans more toward, “That is almost what I thought it would look like.”  The photo I share on today’s page is an example of that.  I was shooting with two cameras and as I was adjusting one, I looked up and an osprey was coming into the nest with a fish clutched in its claws.  I’m shooting with an extended zoom which is difficult to keep steady but I go ahead and take the shot only to see after the fact that I almost got the shot I wanted, but not quite.  I know it’s a fish in its claws because I was there,  but most of the fish didn’t make it into the photo.  I could have deleted the photo but decided that even though it isn’t perfect, it still captures a great deal of the detail I wanted.

Sometimes it is easy for us to get into a perfectionist mode with not only our self, but with other people as well.  None of us are perfect (I know, big surprise.), but often we act like the people around us ought to be.  Sometimes all we seem to be able to see are the imperfections in people when God wants us to look at the whole person and see the beauty and detail He has created.  When the picture of our life is flawed it doesn’t mean we’ve failed, it only means we’re human.  God is very good at taking flawed lives and using them for incredible good.  

I pray that you and I would consider the excellent nature of God within us the next time we look at ourselves or others and think, “That’s not what I wanted.”  I pray that when our eyes drift toward the imperfections, we would look carefully at the beauty God has put within each person.  I pray that we would be filled with the grace and mercy that comes from God, even as we seek to do all things with excellence.

Aahhh . . . a Saturday!  Today was a good reminder of why I put in such long hours on Fridays.  There are times when events or plans cause me to leave some of the weekend prep undone on Friday and then have to go in Saturday or very early Sunday, but it always feels good to have a day when I can completely disconnect from work and have no plans but to relax and enjoy the day.  I slept in a bit this morning and then put some pork on the pellet grill to slow cook all day.  My plan was for it to be done for a late supper but when 8 PM rolled around and it still wasn’t ready, I shifted to plan B and grilled some hamburgers for tonight and will pull the pork when it is done so it is ready for another time.  I usually figure 10 – 12 hours so I guess putting it on at 9 in the morning wasn’t quite early enough this time.

The day itself was a low-keyed and laid back day of rest.  It was rather cold and cloudy, so rest seemed much more attractive than going out hiking and taking more photos.  After I got the pork started in the morning, I cut my hair as it was getting a little shaggy and then started going through photos from the past few days.  It wasn’t long before it was time for lunch so the family went out and enjoyed lunch together.  The afternoon was a mix of online social media, online browsing and dreaming as I kept up on new camera equipment, continued going through photos and a little Wii gaming just for fun.  Once the “plan B” hamburgers were consumed tonight, I realized it was late enough that I should write page 79 and then get some sleep so I’m rested and awake for the Sunday worship gathering at church.

I wonder how often most of us think about preparing for the time we spend together in worship celebrating what Jesus has done for us.  With tomorrow being known as Palm Sunday, I imagine most of us will spend at least some time being reminded of, and thinking about, the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem just days before the crowds would turn on Him and demand His crucifixion.  It is that thought that makes me think we ought to spend more time preparing for worship than what we do.  It is so easy to be swept along with the crowd.  We worship when the crowds worship and we condemn when the crowds condemn.  If I see my life as worship . . . if I prepare for worship . . . then worship should be what I express regardless of the nature of the crowds around me.  So how do you and I prepare to live a life of worship?  I think at least part of the preparation begins by recognizing that God deserves our worship all the time because He knows what He’s talking about all the time.  Some days I prepare for worship by observing His beauty in nature.  Today I prepared for worship by understanding the rest I needed and experienced today was His idea.  Tomorrow I prepare for a life of worship by gathering with like-minded believer to share in the body and blood of Christ through communion.  When I realize that God’s plans for me, the plans revealed through scripture that He desires for all mankind, are plans that prosper and do good . . . plans to give me hope and a future.  God’s part of this plan was accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  My part of the plan is to accept God’s part of the plan.

I pray that you and I would find time for, and enjoy, the rest that God desires for us.  I pray that we would see worship as something much bigger and meaningful than just an hour service each week.  I pray that we would constantly prepare for a life of worship that is not swayed by the crowds.  I pray that we would fully accept God’s plan to give us a hope and a future through the work of Jesus in our life.

Page 77 began as a normal workday with the usual weekday tasks that needed done.  The morning included some maintenance tasks that required I dig through my memory, and my supply shelves, to track down some parts that I knew I had . . . somewhere.  After some thinking and looking, the missing parts appeared and I was able to complete the needed tasks.  The day also included ministry conversations that reminded me of the assurance I have in Christ.  An assurance that includes my pursuit of obedience to the things scripture teaches about becoming “in Christ”, but more importantly an assurance because of my faith in the faithfulness of God to forgive my sin through the blood of Jesus.  My obedience is necessary not because I can in any way earn favor with God, but because I have favor with God.

As the workday came to a close, my family and I grabbed a very late lunch and headed out to Bonneyville Mills park to take some pictures . . . and take a hike.  There was still a chill in the air, but the cloud and blue sky mix was perfect for photos.  It was nice to see people out walking the trails and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.  Today was more about the walk and taking in the beauty than about photography.  I did take about 50 photos, but that didn’t seem like much compared to yesterday’s total of nearly 500. While at the park, I was captivated by the cotton ball clouds that drifted through the bright blue sky.  I was doubly pleased when I got home and found that my camera had captured the view just as I had hoped it would.  I’ve not had much success finding the right settings on the camera to capture this type of scene the way I have wanted to, but today it finally came together.

I remember stretching on the back lawn many years ago as a young boy, watching the clouds float overhead and dreaming about heaven.  Life was busy growing up on the farm so I’m sure those times of imagining the future were few and far between, but they were so real I still remember them even today.  I don’t remember if it was technically daydreaming or if I had actually fallen asleep, or if it was something different entirely, but I recall the real sense of flying/floating through the sky while enjoying the beauty of heaven in the presence of God.  I don’t think this dream ever included any details of what that was like other than a confidence that was where I was.  As I looked through today’s photos, they were a reminder of those days long ago when I first began to feel the closeness of God.  My daughter constantly talks about seeing Jesus someday and I pray that I have that same desire, expectation, and assurance that looks forward to that day each day I live.

I pray that you and I live fully aware of the work of God that calls all people to salvation through Jesus Christ.  I pray that we would desire to live obedient lives because of the cleansing of sin we have through the blood of Jesus.  I pray that we would not lose sight of the eternal reward that awaits all who are found in Christ.  I pray that we never outgrow our coming to Christ as a little child so that we always maintain the wonder and expectation that even today we could see Jesus face to face.

As I continue to view each day as a page in my life waiting to be written, I come to page 75 today.  The overnight hours leading up to the start of the day were rather restless.  I’m not sure why, but I just couldn’t stay asleep.  By the time I finally felt comfortable and thought I might be able to get some sleep with nothing aching or bothering me, it was time to get up and head to work.  As I did my morning cleaning work, I reached a point when I realized the building was remaining quiet well beyond the usual time of people arriving.  As I got ready to take out the trash, I stopped and checked the “closings/delays” listing on the local news channel website.  As I scroll down through the page, I see that the school is on a two-hour delay so I guess my early start to the day wasn’t all that necessary.

Anyhow, the cleaning was done and the building was quiet so it was time to work on the missions accounting and correspondence for the church.  It is always a joy to go through the reports and correspondence from the missions we help support.  It is an encouragement to know that we are a part of the greater work being done for the kingdom worldwide.  In addition to the missions committee work, I did some supply inventory and ordering as well as some computer research for the church.  As I start feeling hungry, I realize it is already after two and my early start to the day has turned into a long day without lunch.  As I pack up my things and head home, it is hard to tell if the cloud cover is trying to leave the sky or overtake it.

After I got home, it became apparent that the clouds were leaving rather than coming so we headed down to Potato Creek for a family hike on the trails.  As I thought about the unknown sky, it reminded me of how life often goes.  Many days it is difficult at first glance to tell if the clouds in my life are increasing or decreasing.  It often takes a “wider lens” view to have the perspective needed to view each day accurately.  Just as the day’s weather often changes looks, the atmosphere of our life can be just as deceiving if we judge what the day will become based on a 5-second look.  When I was uncertain about whether the clouds were coming or going, I was very tempted to sit at home and probably accomplish very little.  By taking the time to gain proper perspective, I was able to enjoy a view at Potato Creek that I never get tired of.  When uncertainty fills my spirit, it is through time with God in prayer and His Word that I regain His perspective and enjoy a view of life that never grows old.

I pray that you and I would always seek to view our circumstances and experiences through the eternal perspective that comes through a relationship with Jesus.  I pray that we would not get so wrapped up with the momentary here and now that we miss the peace and joy that God wants to fill us with through His Spirit.  I pray that my life would constantly reflect the beauty of Christ as I allow Him to fill me with a purpose that is well beyond myself.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  I’m not sure if that is the exact quote, but you get the idea.  You won’t get anywhere until you begin.  Page 72 was a day that included a lot of steps — pretty much however you want to define step. 🙂  Saturdays can be difficult days for me to get started if  I don’t have things that absolutely need to be done.  While days of rest are good, and even necessary, at least for me they only really accomplish their purpose if they are intentional days of rest.  To simply not do anything because I haven’t planned on doing anything often makes me more weary because I know what needs done and I wasn’t even intentional about actually getting rest while I wasn’t doing anything meaningful.  For many of us, the most difficult step of the day can be getting out of bed and deciding that the day will have purpose.

With an event scheduled in the building during the day, I knew that I would be here at the church late tonight finishing up cleaning and prep for Sunday.  Not only that, but somewhere between page 72 and page 73 an entire hour will come up missing!  So, knowing those things, I wanted the day to be low-key and relaxing whether it ended up being restful or not.  In the morning I spent time on the computer catching up on messages and organizing photos I had taken throughout the week.  I took a break from that to get the wood pellet grill out and got it going to see what I could do with a beef roast on it.  After about 8 hours on the low/smoke setting, I think it turned out pretty well.  Once that was going, my family and I went to pick up some groceries and then out for lunch.  MJ had a shower she was headed to in the afternoon, so Susan and I went to Potato Creek State Park where the day’s theme of “steps” really set in.  Our first stop was at the area where I often see the Bald Eagles, but no such luck this time so I got Susan’s wheelchair out and we hit the trails.  We ended up doing an almost 4 mile hike, which isn’t too bad for us if the terrain is not too wild.  We started on a trail we have done often but then connected it with a portion of trail I have hiked before, but never pushing a wheelchair.  I knew there was a section with a lot of wooden steps  to get you through a major elevation change, but I had forgotten how much elevation change takes place on the trail in addition to those steps.  I had planned it so we would be coming down the actual steps, but that really didn’t matter as I was pushing the chair up steep  hills and holding it back as we came down the other side.  We made it to the steps which overlook a swamp/wetland area and was able to sit and rest while enjoying the sounds of nature with a variety of birds and frogs joining together for a beautiful symphony.  This was at about the mid-way point and the trail back to the truck from there was more gentle in its terrain.

When I got back home, and as I’ve worked at cleaning tonight, I thought about steps.  I thought of the Proverb that says that we may plan our course but it is the Lord that directs our steps.  I’m afraid that often we lose sight of the fact that God wants to be involved in the details of our daily walk.  Even as Christians, we often think of God directing the “big picture” as we journey this earth toward heaven but we act like the choice of each step ought to be ours.  Yet God wants it to be the other way around!  We get to choose the “big picture” course when we decide if we will walk the path that leads to eternal life or the path that leads to destruction.  When we decide the course of our life is to walk with God, then our steps are to be ordered according to His Word, not according to our flesh.  It is only through complete surrender and submission to Christ that we can hope to attain to the goal of eternal life that we desire.  The individual steps are important because the more steps we take on our own, the further we find ourselves from where the steps directed by God would have taken us.  When I am out hiking, I set the course based on where I want to go and what I want to see but I find the hike is more enjoyable, and direct, if I allow the park map to direct my steps.

I pray that you and I would choose the only course that leads to eternal life.  I pray that we would accept that the only way to stay on that course is to follow the directions God has for our daily steps.  I pray that we would constantly keep the course objective in mind as we walk each day so that it would be obvious when we misstep or find ourselves on a path that leads somewhere else.  I pray that a conscious decision to allow God to direct our steps would fill us with confidence and hope, especially when the steps seem difficult and unending.

Earthdate: 20160310 — These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

Some pages of life are more difficult than others to stand tall and faithfully represent true freedom that is found in Christ.  We want freedom, but we’re not so sure we want others to have it — at least that’s the way we act.  Today began with the usual work of cleaning and building prep before spending some time catching up on missions correspondence and re-doing the Impact Prayer Ministry bulletin board at church.  As I worked on writing another week’s worth of daily devotions for the current series I am working on, I realized I was tired.  Not a sleepy-lack-of-sleep kind of tired, but a weariness of wondering about the paradox of humanity.  It was probably fitting that the focus of the daily devotions I worked at writing today was on serving with faith.

As I observe leadership at all levels including church, business, ministry, and political, I’ve reached the conclusion that despite all the anti-bullying rhetoric that is promoted in our culture, we actually like bullies as long as we’re not the one being bullied.  We use different words because we’ve made bully sound as bad as it is, but we like the take charge do whatever it takes to succeed attitude to exist in those who lead.  We want results and we’ve bought into the lie that it doesn’t matter how we get them.  We turn a blind eye to the strong-arm tactics of those who lead because we like what they offer.  By the time we realize that we too are being strong-armed, it’s too late and no one is left to object.  

This isn’t a new problem by any stretch of the imagination.  The crowds in the days of Jesus wanted to make Him king by force — not because they valued His humility and service, but because they believed He had the power to give them food, or freedom from Rome, or whatever else their minds could imagine.  If Jesus would just use His power and ability for their good.  If He would just be the ultimate bully and force submission of all the enemies of the Jewish people then the crowds would have continued to hail Him.  Instead, their shouts of “hosanna” turned to screams of “crucify Him” in just a few short days.  The crowds wanted a “bully” who would be on their side but Jesus wanted disciples who would be on His side.  In spite of the intense pressure to do otherwise, Jesus remained steadfast in His determination to “humble himself and become obedient to death — even death on a cross”.  

There are no easy answers, but the choices haven’t changed in over 2000 years.  Do we seek someone to be our “bully champion” who will get us everything we want, or do we seek a path of humble submission that calls us to serve even those we consider least?  I pray that you and I would reject the temptations to exalt those who lead by force of any kind.  I pray that we would oppose all forms of intimidation and bullying even when they are done in ways that benefit us.  I pray that we would repent of the “bullying” we have done to get our way — especially when we’ve cloaked it in the guise of doing “God’s will”.  I pray that we would not only live in the true freedom we have in Christ, but that we would not restrict the freedom in Christ that others also have.  May we truly live to serve one another in ways that consider their needs above our own.

With yesterday’s temperature reaching 70 degrees and warm weather in the forecast, I slept in a little this morning since there was essentially no chance of needing to clear snow from the walks. 🙂  The winter weather and schedule seems to have caught up with me so the extra hour of sleep was helpful.  After getting the building cleaned for the day, I responded to phone and email messages that came in after work hours yesterday.  As I worked on that, word came that the school was having printer issues on the network.  Much of the rest of the morning was spent working on computer, printer, and network issues as they seemed to have problems communicating with each other.

The troubles seemed intent on confounding me so I went to the beginning point of the network and worked through each trouble spot in order.  By the time I got to the end where most of the problems had presented themselves, I had everything working as it should.  While my need to “have all of my ducks in a row” has frustrated people around me at times, it is an ability to see and follow a pattern that helps me figure out and resolve problems when faced with a troubleshooting situation.  God says He is not a God of chaos but a God of order.  Watching the complexities of nature continually convinces me that everything has a designer and its designer is a creative God that works in order and patterns.

Once those issues were resolved, I spent some time working at updating an Impact Prayer Ministry display with current information and needs.  This was a good task for me as it not only needed done, but it caused me to spend time reflecting on how God has worked in and through the ministry to this point.  Times of reflection are good as long as they are used in a way that reveals God’s working and presence in all things good.  When our work is done in the power and strength of God’s Spirit, it is God that should be seen clearly in any reflection of our work.  If God is not seen in our reflection, we have a serious problem with the way our life looks to the people around us.

Eventually I realized I had once again worked through lunch and needed to call it a day as far as work was concerned.  One of the hardest things for me to do is to leave a project for later when I feel I could finish before the day is over if I just keep going.  While that may be good for short term productivity, it causes more problems than is often imagined.  I had been at work long enough for one day.  It was time to practice the discipline of balance and head out to spend time with God and the evening at home with my family.  Balance is a difficult discipline to live because we daily face so many expectations that many of us are wired to try to meet.  True balance in life is found when God is first in all things and He sets the schedule and agenda for everything we do.

As I left work for the day I stopped and grabbed a sandwich to eat on my way to Potato Creek State Park where I could do some hiking as I spent time with God.  I took a variety of photos during my hike and when I returned to my truck an eagle was perched in a nearby tree.  I was able to take several photos of it before it took flight and soared off into the distance.  When I got home and went through my photos from my hike, the one I attached to this post stood out as a picture of the lessons of the day.  God had lined up these turtles with order and a beautiful symmetry.  The still water created a beautiful reflection that exposed a greater creativity of the One who made them.  As they basked in what little sun was present, they continued to maintain perfect balance on this rounded log.

I pray that you and I live life recognizing that perfect order, reflection, and balance comes from God.  I pray that we would seek God and allow Him to bring order to the chaos that life throws at us.  I pray that we would gaze intently into the perfect law of God’s Word and see His reflection in our life.  I pray that we would live with the balance that comes from doing all things in submission to the authority of God.