As I begin the second week of 2017, page 8 was a Sunday that began early as fresh snow had fallen overnight and it needed cleared from the walks before church services.  This was the light, fluffy lake effect snow so I turned the backpack leaf blower into a backpack snow blower to start the day. 🙂  The snow continued to fall through mid-morning so I ended up clearing all the walks at work twice before the start of the Sunday School hour and then again as people began arriving for the church worship service.  While the primary purpose probably has a lot to do with safety and keeping the sidewalks from becoming slippery, the practical result of keeping the snow cleared as much as possible is that less of it is tracked in meaning less effort needed to clean floors. 

During the worship gathering, David continued a sermon series from the book of Luke as he preached from the message of John the Baptist — “Repent!”  Not only did the sermon continue the series that began with the Christmas sermons, it also was a good expansion of the “praying with repentance” point from the sermon I shared last week.  As foretold by the prophets, the purpose of John’s preaching was to prepare the way for the coming of the Christ.  A primary theme of John’s preaching is one we must heed, not only when we prepared for Christ to come into our life when we first surrendered to Him, but also each day we live as we prepare for His second coming. 

Preparing the way for Christ in our life requires honesty.  The Bible says that godly sorrow leads to repentance.  In my mind at least, that would mean that sorrow, even godly sorrow, is not the same thing as actual repentance.  Repentance requires that we are honest with God, and our self, about our sin.  It is easy to be general in seeking forgiveness “for the wrong that we’ve done”.  It is much more difficult to be honest in agreeing with God about the specific things that are sin in our life.

As we prepare the way for Christ in our life, we also must have humility.  True humility requires that we voluntarily lower ourselves to a position of complete surrender to God.  Many times we hear that requirement and we immediately think of humiliation rather than humility.  God has no desire to humiliate us or to see us humiliated.  Rather He desires that we follow the example of Jesus, “who humbled Himself and became obedient . . . “.  It is this type of voluntary humility that leads us to the repentance that God desires for us to have.

The defining point of true repentance as we prepare the way for Christ in our life, is to actually change!  The old saying that “talk is cheap” is true when it comes to the subject of repentance.  Talking about changing isn’t the same as changing.  Talking about what went wrong isn’t the same as changing.  Talking about your good intentions isn’t the same as changing.  Talking about good deeds of the past isn’t the same as changing.  Changing is the same as changing!  As you spend time with God honestly evaluating your entire life in complete humility, I believe there will always be changes that He desires from you as you turn to Him in repentance.  For most of us, actually more like all of us, the question isn’t “do I have anything I need to repent of?” but rather “what changes do I need to make today as a part of genuine repentance?”

Following the worship gathering, I had lunch with my family and some time to relax before we decided to head to the beach for the evening to try to catch some sunset photos.  Today’s photo was taken from the ice-covered pier at St. Joseph, Michigan.  It was a beautiful finish to the day with a great reminder of the creativity of God and His willingness to share His beauty with us.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Snow can be beautiful but unfortunately we tend to evaluate the beauty of things (and people) based not on their inherent beauty but on how they make us feel or how much work they require from us.
• Most of us tend to miss more beauty than what we see simply because we’ve not adjusted our eyes and mind to notice it.
• We often like the idea of repentance when it applies to everyone else . . . not so much when we need to.
• It is much easier to ask people to pray for a desired outcome than it is to admit we’ve brought problems upon ourselves that require us to change before we can experience a different outcome.
• A history of good work is not the same as doing good work.
• God can make great beauty out of some sunshine, water, and bitter cold temperatures — imagine what He can make out of you. 

Page 7 was the first Saturday of 2017 and winter has settled in with some very cold temperatures.  After months of not sleeping well, I woke up this morning surprised that it was actually morning and I had evidently slept through the night.  Rather than actually getting up though, I went back to sleep and slept in later than I have in a very long time.  It felt good to wake up rested and begin a relaxing day with my family.  What was left of the morning was spent at my computer going through email and social media posts, as well as playing a few computer games.  

By mid-afternoon, the air temperature had finally made it into double digits so even with wind chills at zero or below, we headed out to Lake Michigan to shoot some photos. 🙂  Our first stop was Washington Park in Michigan City, Indiana where we spent time on the beach photographing the lighthouse and ice-covered shoreline.  When we arrived, the sky was filled with thick cloud cover and the frozen landscape under the overcast sky contained a beauty could only be seen under such conditions.  It wan’t long though, until the clouds began to break up and the sun began to shine through with patches of blue sky behind it.  Today’s photo was taken during that process as the beams of sunlight began to flow around the edges of the clouds over a snow-dusted sand dune.  

After some time out in the bitter cold, we got back in the truck to warm up as we made our way along the lakefront toward New Buffalo, Michigan.  We drove by many lakefront homes and through neighborhoods that appeared to primarily be summer residences.  On our way, a deer crossed the road in front of us and joined some of her friends who were already enjoying the landscape shrubs at one of the homes.  The sun was beginning to set when we arrived in New Buffalo, so we bundled back up and went out into the cold to take some more photographs.  Through all of it, Susan stayed in the truck to keep warm and seemed content to just ride along and enjoy the afternoon as a family.  When we got home and was ready to eat, Susan prayed before the meal and thanked God for the “fun day” and specifically mentioned she had fun at the beach. 🙂  She is such a good person and brings so much joy to us and everyone who knows her.  It makes me feel good to hear her pray and be thankful for a fun day.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Sometimes our body and mind gives us clear signals that we need rest.  It is a good idea to listen to those signals.
• The value of family time is easily underestimated, but never overestimated.
• God’s desire is to make Himself known to His children.  If we seek Him, we will find Him when we seek Him with our whole heart.
• The creativity and wonder of God can be found in the bitter cold, as well as in the extreme heat and any weather in between.
• Gratitude is an attractive quality in any person.
• A person’s limited physical and/or mental ability in no way limits their ability to be used greatly by God. 

Page 6 began in the usual way, at least for a Christmas break workday.  With today being the final day of the school and preschool’s Christmas break, I didn’t have to be to work extremely early so I left home around 7 AM to begin my workday.  We’re in a cold snap here with the air temperature barely above zero and the wind chill well below, so I began my day at work checking on the boilers and heating system.  Once I had made the rounds through the building, I sat down at my desk to format and schedule next week’s prayer guide to be posted and sent out on Sunday.  I had written it early in the week but realized today that I hadn’t finished getting it ready to be sent out.    When that was complete, I began work on some writing projects I believe God is putting before me.  I spent time jotting down ideas as they would roll through my head and they will become concepts to spend time meditating and praying about as I consider what God would have the outcome be.  

As I worked, the sun fought its way across the frozen sky and the brush outside my office window soon filled with a variety of birds.  Today’s photo is of a cardinal sitting out in the below zero wind chills with its dander all fluffed up as he enjoyed a freshly frozen berry.  I bundled up in layers and was uncomfortably cold inside the truck as I drove into work this morning and here was this cardinal fluffing up his layers and calmly enjoying an outdoor snack.  

By the middle part of the afternoon I began to transition from writing mode to cleaning mode as I needed to get the building ready for Sunday.  In the midst of closing up my writing files, I noticed an online posting about a shooting at the airport in Fort Lauderdale.  In that early post there was a link to the Broward County emergency scanner feed.  While the news postings indicated a lone shooter who was in custody, the scanner communication indicated a chaotic scene that was filled with people I felt compelled to pray for.  Even after national reports of the suspect in custody, calls were coming in on the scanner from officers reporting “shots fired” throughout the airport complex.  Many of the calls were coming from officers who sounded like they were running and somewhat short of breath with sounds of what could at least pass as gunfire in the background.  None of the official reports I have seen this evening indicate there was anything beyond the one gunman in a single terminal, but hearing the tension in the voices of law enforcement officers responding to reports of gunfire drew me to an afternoon of listening to the scanner traffic and praying for all of those responding to the situation and the volatility that it presented.  In addition to praying for those who were willingly heading into an environment that had already become deadly, I also spent time praying for families and individuals who were caught up in an atmosphere that quickly changed from one of travel to one of fear and chaos.  I prayed for those injured and for those who watched as others died.  I prayed for courage for those all over our country who have answered the call to serve and protect and do so regardless of the risks.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• The same God that created the cardinal with the ability to survive outside in sub-zero temperatures, created mankind with the intelligence to design and build various means of producing warmth and shelter.
• Chaos often breeds more chaos.
• The difference between life and death is probably a finer line than most of us ever seriously consider.
• There are people around us every day who serve in law enforcement, fire & rescue squads, medical response teams, and other occupations where they willingly walk into dangerous situations to serve others.  They need and deserve our respect, support, and prayers every day.
• As Christians, we have a message of grace and hope that needs to be heard in places that we will likely find uncomfortable and even dangerous.  What will we do?

Page 5 was the day to try to finally catch up from the long work hours early in the week.  While I enjoy a day off to catch up on rest, it is also good to be able to let Susan sleep in as the ups and downs of the weather this week has been reflected in the way she feels.  As the morning began, I finished going through the photos I took yesterday during a late afternoon hike at Potato Creek.  While the shadows were long, the bright sun shining upon the path was a welcome walking companion.  Today’s photo is a view down one of the old roadway paths with the soon to set sun peeking in from the side.  The scene makes me think of the scripture that describes God’s Word as a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

After Susan got up, I helped her get her meds and breakfast before we headed out for a little road trip to pick up some beef for the freezer.  The outside temperature display in the truck said it was 11 degrees and the weather report on the radio eventually said the wind chill was setting at negative 1 degree.  That was too cold for a family hike, so after going out to have lunch and pick up some groceries, I got on the stationary bike at home and put in a little over 7 miles.  With a bag of Lindt Lindor truffle balls sitting on my desk beside my keyboard I’m not too sure how helpful the walking and biking really is, but I figure it has to help more than not doing it. 🙂  After my “bike ride”, I enjoyed some good chili that MJ made and then began the writing of today’s page.  Overall, an uneventful day and a good day.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Planning for a day of rest each week is not just a good idea, it’s God’s idea.
• Full-time ministry, as well as many other occupations, often requires creativity to be able to make rest a priority.
• Today I thought about the connection I have with my daughter and the way God uses my brain wiring to help me understand her.
• I also thought about how my brain wiring makes it difficult to feel like I fit in anywhere.
• I am thankful that God not only creates each person uniquely, He has a plan and desire to use His unique creations for His purposes.
• Exercise of the body is of some benefit, strengthening my spiritual walk is of greater benefit . . . sometimes I can work on both areas together.
• God’s Word lighting my way is the only way to live.

After finishing out page 3 monitoring the heating systems at work following a power outage, page 4 began with a checking of those systems to make sure the reset had held.  Power outages have had a history of doing strange things to the electronic controls of our HVAC system at work so it was good to see that everything seemed to be running smoothly this morning.  Much of the rest of the morning was spent finishing up the missions record-keeping that was interrupted by yesterday’s loss of electricity.  I also tried to do some follow-up on the status of the upcoming Camp Leaders’ Conference, but found nothing new.  It is scheduled to be held at a hotel in Gatlinburg that had considerable smoke damage from the fires that swept through the area last fall.  It is a beautiful facility and I pray that things are restored enough for the conference to take place at that location as planned.  

Throughout the morning light snow fell steadily and a variety of birds descended upon the brush outside my office window to collect more of the red berries which are still plentiful.  At one point, one of them flew directly into my office window and startled me . . . although it was probably more surprised than I was.  By early afternoon, I had finished up the projects I was working on and headed out to run some work-related errands and stop by the post office to mail out some of the final 2017 Bible reading calendars that I have left. I had a good conversation with the clerk at the post office after she asked about the contents of the mailing.  She noticed that two of them were going to a correctional institution and felt that it was a good thing to be sending positive material to individuals there.

As I finished up my errands and was getting ready for a late lunch, the sun began to break through the clouds.  The mix of sun, clouds, and blue sky seemed to be begging to be photographed so after I grabbed some lunch, my family and I headed down to Potato Creek for a family walk in the rather cold evening air.  By the time we finished a 4+ mile hike, the sun was beginning to set with great beauty in a mostly clear sky.  Today’s photo was taken on our way out of the park as I shot the setting sun through one of the hanging directional signs.  It made me think of the people in the days of Jesus (and today) that kept looking for, wanting, and asking for a sign and completely missed that the light of the world was there right in front of them.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Eating lunch/dinner at midnight isn’t the most conducive to a good night’s sleep.  
• There is always at least one thing that gets missed when you reset clocks, timers, etc after a power outage . . . this time it was the parking lot lights timer.
• There is a difference between giving sacrificially and living sacrificially.  Both are good, but there is a difference.  The important thing is to be doing the one God calls you to do, when He calls you to do it.
• Sometimes opportunities to do good appear so small that we miss their importance.  Always do good to others when you have the opportunity.
• God has promised to put His Spirit within His children so that we can be His light to the world.
• Don’t get hung up with a desire for signs and wonders, God has already made His light shine upon us through His Son, Jesus.

Page 3 of this year’s adventure has been a long day at work.  It wasn’t planned that way, but as I was preparing to leave this afternoon, the electricity went out.  That meant the building’s alarm system would not be powered and it is always uncertain if the boilers will restart on their own after a power outage, so I stayed around to keep an eye on things so I would be there to do a manual restart of the boilers if needed.  With an overcast sky to hide the moon and all of the outside lighting off due to the lack of electricity, it got dark rather quickly.  On one of my rounds through the building after dark I noticed a few deer outside along the fence.  I grabbed my camera and opened up the shutter setting to see if I could get a few half-decent photos.  Today’s photo appears that one of the deer is waiting for me to come out so she can ask about getting a ride. 🙂

My morning consisted of a combination of missions account record-keeping and general maintenance and cleaning.  I had equipment that was due for an inspection/testing in order to get a necessary state permit, so I called to schedule that and they ended up coming out today to get the work done.  I also began ordering books to restock my supply and packed a few of the remaining Bible reading calendars that I had left to send them out to fulfill some requests.  I’ve arranged with the Christian Camp Leaders’ Conference to provide a copy of Impact Prayer Ministry’s latest devotional book to each person attending the upcoming conference, so I’m trying to stretch my available funds to not only have those available, but to have copies of the other books and resources to take to the conference also.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Not every day will go as expected.  In fact, in my experience, most of them probably won’t.  And that’s okay.
• It’s easy to hear what we want to hear instead of what we need to hear.  It’s much better to hear what we need to hear instead of what we want to hear.
• In discussing Sunday’s sermon, people are much more eager to talk about praying with purpose and expectation than they are about praying with repentance.
• Sometimes it is difficult to know how to pray when a request is wrapped around a person or group’s purpose and expectations and you’re trying to pray in a way that honors God’s purpose and expectations.
• An empty building gets cold rather quickly when it’s cold and wet outside and the power goes out.  An empty person gets cold even more quickly when they are disconnected from the power of God.
• God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Which side of that equation do you want to be on?  What are you doing about it?
• He who is faithful with a little will be given more; but he who is not faithful, even the little he does have will be taken from him.  How faithful are you with what you’ve been given?