After two years and nearly three months of writing a daily page, I’ve decided it is time for a break.  I’m not sure how long the break will be and I’m not sure if I will go back to a daily page when the break is over, but it just feels like this current writing adventure needs a break.  I do suspect I will still write and post from time to time but it will be based on having something to write rather than simply on it being another day.  For those who have followed these daily blogs, thank you for the encouragement!

Given that I enjoy taking photos of the moon, it was probably fitting that there was a full moon shining brightly overhead as I took trash out tonight.

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

• It felt like a very short night as I was up for a time during the night as another seizure took hold of my daughter.
• Even with the interrupted night, I found myself awake shortly before the alarm clock was due to go off.  While continued sleep would have felt nice, work doesn’t get done by itself so I headed that way and went about the morning cleaning and building prep as I prayed for my daughter.
• The day felt long as my eyes were heavy from a lack of sleep, but as I took care of the building I also worked on the sermon for Sunday and worked ahead on the prayer guide for the following week.
• The prayer guide that will go out on Easter Sunday is about new life but the one I worked on today for the following week is about being renewed.
• I suppose the topic was helped along by my weariness today, but it seemed like a good follow-up as God not only wants to give us new life, He also wants to renew us in the times when we become weary.
• It was an interesting combination to be working on a sermon about being fully alive and a prayer guide about being renewed, but I think God’s ability to renew us each day is a part of what makes being fully alive even possible.
• At various times today I’ve found myself thinking about the difference between being needed and being wanted.  I’m afraid there are many times when people put a lot of effort into trying to be needed because they don’t believe they will ever be wanted.
• I am thankful for a God who is not in need of anything, including you and I, but wants us with such a passion that He not only made a way through Jesus to give us new life, He promises to renew us as we daily put our hope in Him.
• Today’s photo is from yesterday as I didn’t take any new ones today.  It made me think of God’s promise that “they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and mount up on wings as eagles.”

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

• The supplies I picked up yesterday on the way home were put to use first thing this morning as I took care of some maintenance tasks before starting the cleaning and building prep routine.
• My morning tasks were accompanied by hymn lyrics including, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look full in His wonderful face.  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
• Keeping my focus on Christ doesn’t typically remove the attention needed by the things of this earth but it does help keep them in perspective.
• My day was filled with a lot of things that needed my attention as I took care of maintenance issues, worked on a sermon for Easter Sunday, and did some more writing for my next devotional book.
• The writing focus today was a chapter that includes seven daily devotions covering the topic of serving with kindness.
• It is amazing, and sad, how much notice even a small act of kindness receives in our culture simply because it stands out as being unusual.
• When we serve with kindness, we represent the nature of God in our dealings with one another.
• As the day went along, it became clear that my weekend was quickly becoming crazy busy because of events that will be taking place.  
• While it would be easy, and natural, to focus on what the events will require of me, the greater focus was to pray for the families that would be involved in these events with greater needs than mine.
• It was another long workday, so I ended up with a late lunch/early dinner combination on my way home.
• After I got home we decided to head down to Potato Creek to see what we could find to photograph and/or take a walk.  
• Susan had a seizure at the park so we skipped the walk but we did find a good variety of wildlife to photograph.  There were several kinds of ducks, a loon, some swans, a few herons, several osprey, and a bald eagle showed up for some photos as well.
• Today’s photo is of a heron that was having some pretty good luck fishing.  The photo reminded me of the need to have balance in order to be successful.  This heron would perch in absolute stillness on top of this stump and when the time was just right, it would dive into the water and come up with a fish.

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

• A light rain moved in overnight and continued throughout the day.  While not as pleasant to look at and get outside in as the sunny days, it is just as important in the process of spring growth.
• Our life needs both the rain and the sun to help us grow as we ought.  James says to “consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds.”  He goes on to explain that statement by pointing out that it is the testing of our faith that produces perseverance and eventual maturity.
• I started the morning at work with some maintenance tasks that are easier to do when the building is empty.  I suppose the ease of the tasks remain the same no matter when I do them, but by coming in early I am not a distraction to others so it is easier on the things that need to take place during the day.
• Sometimes a little sacrifice of time, effort, or money on our part goes a long way toward making someone else’s life a little easier.  I think that is at least part of the “bearing one another’s burdens” that we ought to be doing.
• I suppose it was the steady rain as I drove to work that helped influence my mind, but the morning “cleaning song” today was “There shall be showers of blessings.  Showers of blessings we need.  Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead!”
• I’ve been working on a sermon for Easter Sunday that I’ll share at the North Wayne Mennonite Church in Dowagiac, Michigan.  As I considered the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, I ended up with two sermon titles and outlines — “No Longer DEAD” and “Fully ALIVE”.
• Since I doubt the people in attendance want to hear two sermons in one church service, I wrote a blog post using the “No Longer DEAD” outline as I continued work on the “Fully ALIVE” outline for Sunday.
• By late afternoon I realized my workday had become longer than anticipated and I still needed to pick up some supplies for tomorrow, so I headed out for a late lunch before stopping by Lowe’s for the needed maintenance supplies.
• Once home, it was tough to keep from dozing off so I started the writing of today’s page so that I can hopefully get to bed early and see if it is possible to catch up on some sleep.
• Today’s photo is of a fellow birdwatcher that stops by outside my office window from time to time.  My suspicion, though, is that he is not watching the birds with the same intent that I do.

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

• Today was our pest control service day so I was up and out the door even earlier than usual.
• The night air was crisp and clear as I started the truck this morning but the light frost covering the windshield was taken care of quickly by the washer fluid.
• The morning cleaning and prep tasks were once again done with the words of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” running through my mind.
• With the service completed and the building ready for the day, I turned my attention to working on the prayer guide for next week.
• With the next prayer guide set to go out on Easter Sunday, I settled in with God as I sought direction for a topic that would fit well.  I eventually chose the topic of New Life and began the process of putting together the daily sub-topics and prayer points.
• As I worked on the writing, my IT skills were needed in the building so my morning ended up being a test of my limited multi-tasking ability. 🙂
• It was a fun prayer guide to write as I spent time with God looking at various aspects of the new life we have in Christ.
• It was early afternoon by the time the prayer guide was completely written and I had taken care of the other tasks that needed my attention.
• After formatting and scheduling the prayer guide to be sent out on Sunday, it was time to call it a day and take my daughter to lunch before spending the afternoon together.
• What was left of the afternoon was spent at Potato Creek where we took a couple of the trails and found several osprey and a bald eagle to watch and photograph.
• Today’s photo is of one of the osprey bringing a twig in to add to the nest.  While the stick he is carrying doesn’t look like much, by adding a little at a time a large nest is eventually completed.  It was a good lesson to consider how our faithfulness in the things that seem small will soon add up to a completion that will be large.

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

• I began the day by writing yesterday’s page.  I’ve learned to be at least a little bit flexible in the timing of my writing so that it continues to serve a purpose rather than my becoming servant to it.
• The Sunday morning Bible class that I attend began a study through the book of Hebrews this morning . . . it will be interesting to see how long it takes us to get through it.  🙂
• Some of the main points we looked at this morning from Hebrews 1 were the authority of Jesus as the “exact representation” of God, the presence of Jesus as the author of creation, and the superiority of Jesus over all things on earth and in heaven.
• After the Bible School hour, we had a great time of worship with our youth minister sharing a Palm Sunday message about the humble victory that Christ not only obtained, but that He brought to us.
• Here are some of the highlights of the message from my perspective:
  • The “Palm Sunday” triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was that of a king bringing peace.
  • Even as one who came in peace to bring peace, Jesus didn’t back away from challenging the evil deeds and hypocrisy of the religious leaders.
  • The shouts of “Hosanna!” were able to quickly change to shouts of “Crucify Him!” because the crowds failed to understand the nature of the kingdom that the Messiah would establish and they were easily manipulated by leaders with their own hidden agendas.  Sound familiar?
  • A death was required to pay our penalty for sin.  By living a sin-free life, the death of Jesus could pay our penalty because He had no penalty of His own that needed paid.
  • While the death of Jesus paid the price for our sin, it was the resurrection of Jesus which brought to us the victory over death that we can have in Jesus.
  • While, as Christians, we ought to be looking forward to the realization of the final victory we will experience in Christ, we also should lay hold of the daily victories that can be ours as we live for Him each day.
• After the church service, there was a missions committee meeting that I was a part of.  I’m not a fan of meetings in general, but this one was a pretty good one as far as meetings go. 🙂
• By the time I got home, I spent the middle part of the afternoon resting before we headed out for a family walk along the river.
• While the sun was out and shining brightly, the wind had a chill to it that nipped at my face as we walked.  The wind also kept the wildlife away from obvious view as they sought various places to keep out of the wind.
• Today’s photo was taken as the sun melted into the evening cloud cover in preparation for the day’s sunset.

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

• While time would have allowed me to sleep in after a late night, habit would not.
• It is very rare that I am not awake shortly before my alarm would typically go off.  Call it an internal clock, ingrained habit, or whatever you wish but it happens automatically day in and day out.  Yes, I still have to decide if I’m going to get out of bed and make the day meaningful but routine brings me to that decision every day.
• In a way, that’s the heart of what I teach about in regard to developing a lifestyle of prayer — it’s about developing the habits and routines that consistently bring you to the point of having to decide if you are going to pray in a way that makes it meaningful in your life.
• The morning was spent getting to and attending the funeral of a man who was a part of the church I preach at once a month.  His kind spirit and loving heart will be greatly missed.
• The service made me think about whether we ever spend time considering the life we live and how much we would be missed.  It also made me think about how we view others and how some people are missed when they are no longer part of a group for whatever reason, and some people . . . well, some people aren’t so missed.
• When we got home, I had an email from the DNR about a snowy owl sighting and a caravan being set up to go see him.  So, we grabbed our cameras and headed to the Indiana Dunes where this trip would begin.
• Not only were we able to see and photograph the snowy owl that was a part of this program, the leader talked about some others that were in northwest Indiana.  So, after getting some photos we headed out in search of another owl to photograph.
• The second owl was right where the group had been told it had been sitting for the past several evenings, so we were able to get some more photos of these beautiful visitors from the Arctic.
• The snowy owls are only here for a season and will soon be heading back north so it is always possible that each opportunity to see one could be the last for the season.
• I suppose that thought combined with the funeral in the morning made me wonder how eager we are to make the most of every opportunity in building relationships with people as we never know when it will be our last chance with them.
• Today’s photo will be several photos of the owls we were able to photograph.