I’ve sat here for over an hour trying to figure out how to write Page 191.  It has been a tough day as I’ve gone about my work with my brother and his family in my thoughts and prayers as today marks one year since the death of my niece.   I began the workday with a building walk-through and then settled in with God to work on the prayer guide for next week.  It took longer than usual to sort through the thoughts and ideas that would come to mind, but I eventually settled on the topic of living pure.  Because the Bible makes it clear that all have sinned, and experience teaches us that it is not always past tense, the subject of living pure can make most people rather uncomfortable.

The good news is that the Bible also tells us that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness — in other words, makes us pure!  The same power that we read of in Acts chapter two when the people responded to the message preached by Peter and were immersed for the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, is at work in us when we also respond to God’s message of salvation.  We are not only made pure by the washing away of our sins, we can live pure by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that guides, instructs, and convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgment.

It was early afternoon by the time I finally got the prayer guide written and as I finished it up I noticed a deer standing outside my window.  I tried to get my camera out of my bag as quickly as I could without making sudden movements which might scare her away, but after I had retrieved my camera and looked back out the window she was gone.  As I prepared to shut down my computer, I noticed a flash of color heading toward my office window.  As I looked up, a cardinal swept inches away from my window before heading to the edge of the woods where he appeared to pose for the pictures which I happily took of him.  While I’ve seen them out at other places, it had been a while since I had seen a deer or a cardinal outside my office window.  The beauty of God’s creation always remind me of His presence and when they come near, I always have a greater sense of the nearness of His presence.

After taking a few photos and finishing up the workday tasks, I headed out to get a late lunch on my way home.  As I pulled out of the drive at work, a weariness settled into me with such force that I went straight home and fixed a couple hot dogs for lunch.  After lunch I played some computer/video games before giving in and laying down to take a nap.  My mind and body said, “Enough!”, and it was time for some rest.  I eventually woke up and fired up the pellet grill to make some bacon cheeseburgers for dinner.  While they cooked, I shot some photos of the flowers around the house as well as caught photographs of a few hummingbirds and a baby rabbit.  After dinner I made my way to my desk where I’ve worked at writing today’s page until now it is time to wrap it up and pray for a good night’s sleep.

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

• Sometimes we press on with tasks and responsibilities we must do, but eventually God calls us to pause and find rest in Him.
• The toll of emotional work is often less obvious than physical work until we find ourselves exhausted and wondering why.
• Memories are what we hold onto when we are no longer able to hold the ones we love.  So, go out and make good memories while you can.
• Living pure is God’s desire for each of His children.
• God both cleanses us from all unrighteousness as well as empowers and equips us to make pure choices through the power of His Spirit.
• When we seek God with our whole heart, He will be found.  When we look for His presence around us, we will see it.
• The Christian does not grieve as the world grieves, yet we do grieve even as those who have great hope.

After a long day yesterday, page 190 began with the writing of page 189 and then it was time to get cleaned up and head to church for the Sunday worship gathering.  While I enjoy and appreciate the opportunities I have through the prayer ministry to preach on some Sundays, it is also good to be home for a church service.  This morning, David continued a series he is preaching from the book of Acts with a look at the account of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle.  While some may say that Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus left him no choice but to have a change of heart; as David pointed out in the sermon, many people written about in the Bible and many people today have had encounters with God that did not lead to a change of heart like Saul’s encounter did.

In Paul’s account of his encounter with Jesus on that road, he says that Jesus confronted him about “kicking against the goads.”  While this encounter was dramatic, there evidently had been other encounters designed to “prod” Saul toward a relationship with Jesus, yet he had to this point been resistant to responding positively to the encounters of God.  Sometimes God tries to “prod” us toward a relationship with Him or tries to encourage us to deepen the relationship we have with Him, but we miss the prodding because we were expecting it to look and sound differently than it did.  This morning David talked about three ways that God continues to draw us into an encounter with Him to lead us to a change of heart.

• We encounter God through His Word.  While Saul encountered words from Jesus while on His journey to Damascus, it was not his first exposure to the Word of God.  Yet, while none of his previous encounters with the Word of God had brought about a change of heart, they were useful in prodding him along in a journey toward God.  When we spend time in God’s Word, we encounter more than just words — we encounter the One who consistently draws us to Himself in love.  Yes, sometimes the journey is difficult, especially when we resist the change of heart God wants us to have, but His presence through His Word gives us guidance, comfort, and hope in the midst of unknown times.
• We encounter God through Circumstances.  Not only did Saul encounter God through His Word as he spent a lifetime of study, preparation, and practice as a Pharisee, he also encountered Him in the everyday circumstances of life.  While many can quote the Scripture that says, “God works everything together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes”; when the circumstances of life become confusing, many of us begin to doubt that promise is for us and applies to everything we go through.  Especially when we are headed in the wrong direction, God will often use what we may initially consider random circumstances to reveal Himself to us and draw us into greater alignment with the change of heart we need.
• We encounter God through the Witness of Others.  Even after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, God used the witness of Ananias to further reveal Himself to Saul.  Prior to that, God has used the witness of multiple people, including Gamaliel and Stephen, to speak truth and plant seeds that would later grow into the change of heart that God desired.  Yes, we must always be careful to compare both our experiences and the words of other to the Word of God, but God has designed His Truth to be shared by His children.  Our testimony of God working in our life is not only important to us, but can be used by God to reveal Himself to others.  Likewise, God can use the testimony of others to help us see the change of heart we need to have.

After the church service, we changed up our routine and got pizza for lunch.  It was a place Susan was familiar with, and she got pop, so she seemed okay with this change.  After lunch we all relaxed for a little while before heading down to a niece’s house for an afternoon BBQ and birthday party for two of her children.  I’ve been around groups of people a lot recently and another afternoon with people wasn’t high on my list of ways to spend a Sunday afternoon, but yesterday’s race to remember and honor Bre was a reminder not to take family gathering times for granted.  It was a day for memories to be made and shared, so I took my camera and tried to capture some of those memories.  One of them is the photo on today’s page, as my mom was holding one of her great-grandchildren — the daughter of my brother’s daughter. 🙂  After the family gathering, we made our way home and I began the writing of today’s page so that it is finished before I call it a day and head to bed.

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

• I love the opportunities that God gives me to preach, but if I can’t be out preaching it is good to be home.
• If you’re waiting for an encounter with God before you have a change of heart toward Him, you may want to take a closer look at how He has been present all the time.
• When we allow our mind to define what an encounter with God should look like, we often miss noticing His presence which surrounds us.
• A good place to start if you want to recognize the encounters with God that He has already arranged for you, is to spend time in His Word.
• When circumstances cause you to change plans, or just seem confusing, spend time in prayer listening to God as you ask Him to help you see how He would have you live with a changed heart.
• It is always a good idea to pay attention to how God uses others to live and speak truth into our lives.
• Memories are easier to remember if you actually experience them to begin with.
• Today, or this moment, is an opportunity to make a memory that may not be possible to experience at any other time — is what you’re doing really that important?
• It does my heart good to see my mom holding one of her great-grandchildren.  Being present to take a photo captures a memory that is filled with joy. 

Page 189 was a good, long day.  I was awake at daybreak to get ready for the day’s activities, and finished out the day driving home after photographing the sunset from the Michigan City lighthouse pier.  In between the rising and setting of the sun were a lot of reasons and ways to praise God.

After getting myself and Susan up and ready for the day, we headed down to Bourbon to participate in Bre’s Run and take photos.  The event consisted of a 13.1 mile Mini Marathon, a 5K Run/Walk, and a 1 mile Fun Run.  I had originally planned on just going down in support of my brother and his family and take photos as the event honored the memory of my niece, Bre, and raised money for the memorial Scholarship Fund.  However, with a race theme of “Finish for Bre”, I decided a month or so ago that Susan and I would walk the 5K race.  We arrived at the event early and took some photos of the registration lines and the start of the Mini Marathon before it was time for us to hit the road for the 5K.  I had no intention of actually running while pushing Susan in her wheelchair, so we settled in for a quick pace for our walk.  Even after pausing to take a few photos throughout the race, we finished with a time of 42 minutes for the 5K course — well, officially Susan finished at 42.00 minutes and I finished at 42.05 minutes. 🙂  With the 5K being just over 3 miles, that put us in at an average of about 13.6 minutes per mile — a pretty good pace compared to our usual photo walks.  As I offered a prayer at the beginning of the day’s events, I prayed that each person would not only seek to finish their race for Bre that day; but more importantly, each of us would live in such a way that we would finish the race of life in such a way that we honor Bre’s faith and find ourselves prepared for eternity as well.

After our walk was complete, I spent the rest of the morning taking photos and visiting with a few people that had come out for the race.  I always find it interesting how often I get comments about how much easier it must be to have Susan’s wheelchair handles for me to “lean on” while we walk.  I always assume these are comments from people who have never tried to push a wheelchair or stroller for a long distance — particularly pushing 100 pounds in a wheelchair.  It made me think about our tendency to view the grass as greener on the other side of the fence and how easy it is to judge another person’s situation without ever experiencing it.  Just because someone can appear to do life with relative ease, doesn’t mean that it is necessarily easy for them nor easier for them than life is for you.  The Bible says that God sends the rain on the just and the unjust alike and depending on your need, that same rain that is a blessing to you may be a hardship to someone else — and vice versa.  

After the race activities were over, Susan and I stopped for lunch on our way home and then relaxed for a couple hours in the afternoon before deciding to head to Lake Michigan to take some sunset photos.  It was a beautiful evening when we arrived at the beach as the sun hung low in the sky preparing for its descent over the horizon.  It is interesting how quickly the photo count adds up when each moment seems photo-worthy.  As the sun dropped below the western horizon, we walked off the pier and was greeted by the scene in today’s photo as the moon was rising over the Michigan City Port.  It was a good reminder as we finished the day, that everything has a time and a season according to God’s plan.  Even the things in life that get messed up for one reason or another are able to be used by God to work together in a way that can be for our eternal good.

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

• What you put into a day will often reflect in what you get out of it.
• Some beauty, like the sunrise and sunset, grab out attention and almost demand to be noticed.  
• Most of the beauty that God has placed around us requires that we pay attention in order to experience it.
• Observing is nice, but it rarely allows us to capture the true fullness of something in the way that participating does.
• No, pushing 100 pounds in a wheelchair is not easier than just walking; but when that 100 pounds is a loved one, it is more enjoyable than walking alone.
• It is good to finish a race, or some other event or task, to honor and remember a loved one.  It is even better to finish a life in a way that honors not only that person, but God.
• For me, watching a sunset is a good reminder that God is still in control and that He desires for us to find beauty and hope in the midst of our daily struggles.

I began page 188 early as I took my kayak to the lake for some daybreak worship as the weather reports said the overnight rain had moved out and would be replaced by clear skies throughout the day.  I had plenty of work to do for the day so I didn’t plan to stay long, just spend some time with God as I watched the sun come up over the lake.  The morning was a beauty on the lake, but it didn’t last long.  I was on my way off the lake so I could head to work when the sky began to darken quickly and the clouds took on an ominous look.  I was about 5 minutes away from the park when the rain began and it continued throughout most of the “clear skies” day. 

With rain settling in for most of the day, I was glad I had gotten the main part of the mowing done yesterday.  I had planned on mowing the back half of the ball field today, but it will have to wait until next week.  When I left work at the end of the workday, there was a deer out in the unmowed part of the ball field doing some trimming for me, so I guess she didn’t mind my not getting to all of it  yet.   I spent much of the morning continuing work on some teaching material and putting together some promotional signs for some of the prayer ministry material.  By afternoon I turned my attention to getting the building cleaned and ready for Sunday.  When the cleaning was done and the building ready, I called it a day and headed out for a late lunch on my way home.

At home, I rested a little bit and spent some time on the porch with my camera watching and photographing some hummingbirds.  I’m signed up for the 5K race with Susan tomorrow morning, so I made sure her wheelchair wheels were aired up and I had everything ready before heading to bed early to try to get some sleep before morning.  It should be a fun day; but as the purpose of the race is to raise scholarship funds in memory of my niece, I suspect it will also have some tough moments to it.

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

• Spending quiet time with God often requires a deliberate decision and effort to do so.
• Weather forecasts are educated guesses at best.
• Visual observation is generally more accurate than educated guesses.
• When there is much work to do, knowing which part of it is time-sensitive can be very helpful.
• Sometimes God sends reminders to me in a variety of ways that He is satisfied with my work.
• Preparing for difficult tasks may not make them much easier, but it does help make them more doable.  

Page 187 has been a full day so I’m hoping to get the writing of the page done before I finish the day by heading off to bed.  I started the day by taking care of some tasks in the building and looking over the rough outline for a workshop I’ll lead later this month.  While waiting for the tech to come and service our fire extinguishers in the building, I made a trip to the gas station to get fuel for the mower as mowing would be my primary work task for the day.  After returning with the fuel and taking care of the fire extinguishers, I began the mowing process.  For me, mowing is a relaxing task as it not only allows me to work outside, but it also is easy to see the results of the work.

I stopped a couple times throughout the day to take a break and get something to drink as the sun was warming both me and the air up quite nicely.   As I began my first trip around the back field, a startled deer jumped out of the woods in front of me and danced its way across the lawn and into the woods on the other side of where I was working.  It is always fun to see the deer out; and while this one seemed unsure of the mower, it wasn’t in a big hurry to run off.  By late afternoon I had most of the lawn mowed, I had put in a full day, and I was hungry. 🙂  So, I put the mower away and took care of a few office items before heading out for a late lunch.

At home, I took some time to unwind for a little bit and then by early evening we made our way to Potato Creek State Park for a family walk.  The eagles were not willing to make themselves available for photos tonight, so we took a walk on one of the trails and played with camera settings trying to capture the late evening sun coming through the trees.  After our walk, we stopped for supper and then I sat on the porch at home hoping a hummingbird or two would stop by the feeder.  I had one stop by momentarily, but my camera settings were such that all I got was a blur of him coming and going.  A little later one approached the feeder but didn’t seem too happy that I was sitting on the porch swing, so he made his way over to the pine tree and just perched there for a while.  Today’s photo is of that hummingbird as it does its best to blend into its surroundings.  I know I’m a lot like that.  I get very uncomfortable in places and situation where I tend to stand out, so I look for anywhere nearby where I may be able to just blend in.  Unfortunately for me, as an ambassador of Jesus, He wants me to live in such a way that people would see my good deeds and glorify my Father who is in heaven.  That means not only do I need to live in such a way that what I do is visible, I need to do it in such a way that the attention and glory is directed toward God.  

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

• Knowing when to stay at a task until it is finished and when to pause a task to finish it later, requires both wisdom and a steadfast mind.
• Sometimes periods of waiting are just that — waiting.  Other times they are simply pauses that allow you to do something else while you wait.  Again, wisdom is key.
• To live without frequent drinks from the Living Water of God’s Word is not healthy and will eventually lead to a drying up of our very soul.
• Sometimes when we are frightened, our actions don’t make anymore sense to others than they do to our self.
• Failing isn’t failure until you quit trying.  Finding out what doesn’t work takes you a step closer to finding out what does.
• God wants your light to shine in such a way that people can see Him.
• Blending in may feel safe, but it isn’t usually an effective way to be a Christian.

Page 186 was back to work after the holiday break.  I’m not sure my mind and body were fully rested, but it was a nice day to ease back into the routines of work.  I started the day by writing yesterday’s page before going into work.  While some days I tend to second-guess myself and question why I’m writing these daily pages, each one ends up being a reminder of why I continue.  Even on days when I feel I accomplished nothing noteworthy, it doesn’t take long when I stop to pay attention to realize how much work God is doing in and through me each day.  

Once at work, I did a walk-through of the building and then settled down to go through my mail and messages that had accumulated while I was at the North American Christian Convention last week.  After working through the mail, I turned my attention to firming up the plans and outline for the workshop I will be teaching later this month at National Student Conference of the Association of College Ministries.  My topic is on developing a lifestyle of prayer, which is a broad and huge topic from my perspective, so the rest of the workday  was spent with God figuring out how He would have me use my workshop time.  Eventually my need for rest caught up with me, so I put that project on pause and finished filling out the marriage license with the wedding information for my niece’s wedding and then took it to the county clerk’s office to have it recorded and made official.

After a late lunch, I headed home to relax and try to get some of the needed rest my mind and body were calling for.  After spending some time organizing all the wedding paperwork I needed to file and all the paperwork I need to get to my niece, I unwound with some computer and Wii games before heading out to the porch with my camera.  I was able to get a few shots, that I wasn’t too pleased with, of a hummingbird and some decent photos of the flowers surrounding the house.  As I was shooting photos, I walked out to the garden and the blossoms at the end of the zucchini caught my attention.  Today’s photo is of a growing zucchini which is currently dwarfed by the blossom on its end.  It is important that we spend time with God in prayer and His Word to help us grow and blossom, but the result of that ought to be that we bear much fruit.  

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

• Rest isn’t always easy to come by, but that is part of what makes it so valuable — if it was easy, we wouldn’t think much of it.
• Reminders are good for forgetful people — I suspect that is all of us.
• If we don’t have some means of stopping to consider God’s work each day, we will likely miss seeing much of what He has accomplished in us, through us, and for us.
• Catching up on tasks takes work, but not catching up creates more work.
• Developing a lifestyle of prayer is one of the easiest things to do but also one of the most difficult.  That is why teaching about living that way can be very complicated.
• Living by the law of the land requires specific steps and actions to make sure things are done correctly.
• Living by God’s laws also requires specific steps and actions to make sure we are walking according to His ways.
• Living in a way that creates a life blossom that is noticeable to all can be very self-satisfying, but allowing God to turn that blossoming life into a fruit-bearing one should be our daily goal. 

On a day spent with my family, page 185 was a day filled with rest and adventure.  With having the Fourth of July holiday off of work, my morning began late with a cup of coffee and the writing of the previous day’s page.  Once the page was written, I followed up on some future plans and then placed an order for 300 copies of my most recent book.  This 31-day devotional journal, “Living Free”, will complement the theme of the National Student Conference being held in Evansville, Indiana later this month and each student in attendance will be given one.  As I placed the order on what we call “Independence Day”, I was reminded of my dependence on God to both give me the wisdom and words in the writing I do and provide the resources to make the work He has called me to possible.  On this holiday off of work, I am reminded of, and thankful for, my church family at the Deer Run Church of Christ and for my fellow staff members and individuals of the church who help make possible the ministry God has called me to.

With the writing done for the day and the books ordered that I will need, I spent the rest of the morning resting.  I played a few games on the computer and Wii system, shot some photos of the flowers in MJ’s flower gardens, and eventually went out to lunch with my family.  After lunch, my resting shifted gears as we headed out on a holiday family adventure.  Our first stop was at the Hesston Steam Museum.  While not all that far from home, this was our first visit — but likely not our last.  For us, the trains were the centerpiece and we chose to ride the train being pulled by a Shay steam engine.  This was an interesting train engine as its drive mechanism was different from the common image of a steam locomotive.  The design was intended to provide the power and traction needed for for pulling heavy loads of freight through less than level terrain — this particular engine had been used in the logging industry of the western United States.  It made me think of how different some of us look, and are, from one another.  Sometimes those differences are obvious and sometimes they are less noticeable, but I believe God has a plan to use each of those design differences for His purpose and His glory.

After our visit to the steam museum and our train ride, we headed to the coast — the coast of Lake Michigan.  Sometime last summer we had found a little park that was secluded and had good views of the lake, so we drove along the shoreline in an attempt to find that park again.  Unfortunately, we have visited so much of the area searching for beach fronts and lighthouses that we can’t remember exactly what this park was near, so we didn’t end up finding it.  We did however, find another little park that had an overlook of the Galien River and a nice boardwalk through the marsh land out to the river.  We also found a lake front park with a small deck overlooking the lake and a path leading to the beach.  The day was a bit hazy, but it was a beautiful day to gaze out over the lake and take some photos.

With it being the Fourth of July I decided we ought to at least attempt to see a bald eagle, so after leaving the lake we made our way toward Potato Creek State Park as we know there are some eagles living there.  Just before the park entrance, I was watching a field along the road and the white head of a bald eagle caught my eye.  After turning the truck around, we pulled off the side of the road and shot some photos of this eagle feasting on something out in the middle of this pasture.  Today’s photo is of that eagle.  His meal is in the grassy area under him as he is using his talons to grasp it and his beak to tear off pieces to eat.  In what is known as a symbol of freedom in the United States, it was good to see and photograph this eagle living in freedom.  It wasn’t long before he flew off toward his nest and we continued into the park.  While we didn’t see any of the eagles in the park, it was peaceful to watch the sun reflect in the water as it dropped into the evening sky.

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

• Sometime taking the time to wrap up unfinished details helps me to more fully rest.
• The Christian life isn’t lived alone.  God has designed us to be dependent on Him . . . and in a fashion, on one another.
• Sometimes our differences are by design so that God can use us for specific purposes.
• Exploring can be a fun adventure if you are satisfied with what you find even if it isn’t what you’re looking for.
• Sometimes what you are looking for isn’t where you expect it so it’s important to be aware.
• It is always good to reflect at the end of the day to see what you’ve learned and what God has accomplished.

After two weeks with long daily schedules, page 184 was half work and half rest.  I began the day with the work part, as I spent time with God writing and then formatting and scheduling the prayer guide for next week.  Part of my morning scripture reading referred to receiving counsel from God’s laws.  As that verse simmered in my mind, the topic of wise counsel became the starting point for the prayer guide.  God’s Word has quite a bit to say about the counsel we give and the counsel we seek and receive.  Paul warns Timothy that there would be people who would refuse the wise counsel of sound doctrine and look for someone who would “tickle their ears” with what they wanted to hear.  We live in a time when educational degrees of any kind are more important in many churches than sound doctrine and the purity of the Word of God.  God’s desire is that His people — all of His people and not just the leaders — would both seek and give the wise counsel that is founded on His Word.

As morning turned to afternoon, I finished up the work on the prayer guide and fired up the pellet grill to get lunch started.  After lunch, the remainder of the day was the rest part.  I spent a little time working on an end of summer getaway that we want to do, but wasn’t having much success getting any lodging booked.  The afternoon also included a nap and a new poem that came out of my rest time as I reflected on my niece’s wedding which I had the privilege of officiating this past Saturday.   I titled the poem, “The Preacher’s View”, and I suspect that I will post that separately some time.  But for those who follow my daily page, you get a first look — well, not quite a first look as I’ve already shared it with the bride. 🙂

The Preacher’s View

I have a secret,
between me and you.
Sometimes the preacher
has the very best view.
The day was a beauty
but so was the bride.
As she stood in the doorway
with the groom by my side.
The planning was finished,
the work would now start.
As she walked down the aisle
to give her whole heart.

With each step moving closer,
I could see in her eye.
Some seeds of the tears
that she didn’t want to cry.
On this happy occasion,
as she walked toward her groom.
There was a good presence
that entered the room.
The bride and her father
were walking toward me.
And with them the presence
of her sister, Bre.

I stood for a moment
with a lump in my throat.
As I retrieved my glasses
from out of my coat.
I must continue,
so I drew a deep breath.
And heard a sweet voice,
not silenced by death.
“I can do all things
as He strengthens me.”
Was the opening whisper
that I heard from Bre.

And so I continued,
with a witness unseen.
And a beautiful couple
in this wedding scene.
There was another
who looked on from above.
For God is the author
of this thing we call love.
His presence was with me,
and I pray it’s with you.
As you glance for a moment
at this preacher’s view.

© 2017 by Tom Lemler

After the poem was out of my head and typed through my keyboard, I rested and set up my camera for the fireworks show that never came.  The previous three nights had ended with a fireworks display from the fairgrounds that we could see from our porch.  Since the fair was still going on and the Fourth had not yet arrived, I assumed the day would end with another fireworks show.  With no fireworks lighting up the sky, I went online to check the fair schedule and found that my waiting was in vain.  Well, it wasn’t exactly in vain because I did get some good photos of the moon and the night sky lit up by God.  Today’s photo is of the moon passing through a gap in the nighttime clouds.  The light that it is reflecting from the sun was enough to illuminate the surrounding clouds with the sun’s light.  Are you and I reflecting enough of the light of Jesus that we are able to illuminate the area around us with His light?

After staying up late to photograph fireworks which never arrived, I headed off to bed to get some sleep, leaving the writing of today’s page to wait until morning.

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

• Sometimes our responsibilities call for extended effort and work which we should do with great diligence and cheerfulness.
• The examples of God in creation and Jesus as He walked this earth, teaches us that we need times of rest as well as times of work.
• God’s desire is that we would receive, and give, wise counsel that is based on the truth of His Word.
• Many times we have to listen to people with viewpoints that are different than ours if we want to receive the full counsel that God desires for us to have.
• The truth of God’s Word and sound doctrine should not be negotiable in the lives of believers.
• The view we have during an event in life will help shape what we learn from it.
• There is a “great cloud of witnesses” that surround us in all we do.  
• Man can light up the sky for a few moments with beautiful fireworks display.  God lights it up each night through the elements which exist by His word.