Page 50 began early as my body continues to battle the cold and sinus problems that have taken hold.  Instead of sleeping in, I was up at the usual early morning time of a workday.  I used the quiet of the early morning hours to write yesterday’s page before going back to bed and getting some more sleep.  When I finally woke up for the day for real, we headed out to spend the day together as a family.  There is something uniquely special about spending a day of worship in the beauty of God’s creation with your family.  While it is good and important to gather with a church family on a regular basis, there are times when it is better not to share with them the seeds of sickness that others really don’t need.  

The first part of today’s adventure was a two and a half mile hike that Susan walked almost all of — there was a short stretch of muddy canyon that she rode on my back.  It has been a long time since Susan has walked that much all at once so we took it slow and stopped often so she could rest.  Needless to say, she was worn out by the time we finished the hike but after a dose of cure-all Dr Pepper, she kept talking about how much fun she had. 🙂  For many people, one of the most difficult tasks in life is to slow down and take life at a pace required by someone else.  While it is often a subtle thing that most people don’t give much thought to, we often have a tendency to look out for our own needs and desires while disregarding those around us.  It’s not that we are necessarily opposed to what they need, we just don’t often think about what others need when our mind is focused on our self.  

After our hike, we had lunch and then set out to photograph some more covered bridges.  Two of our stops not only had a covered bridge, but there was a waterfall (even if it was man-made by a dam) and a mill at them as well.  Today’s photo is of the Bridgeton bridge and mill with the water flowing over the dam in front of them.  Each is a piece of history that can be seen and experienced.  While the bridge no longer carries vehicle traffic over it, the mill continues to function and is the oldest mill in continuous operation west of the Allegheny Mountains.  For something to last that long and to continue to remain in use, is almost unheard of in our day and age and doesn’t take place by accident.  Great care and continued maintenance goes into the longevity of anything and this bridge and mill have had their share of both.  

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

• Airflow is important to breathing, which is important to living.
• Sometimes when I can’t sleep, it is better to get something productive done until I can go back to sleep.
• Worshiping in a different way on occasion doesn’t mean you’ve abandoned “traditional” worship as long as it’s still the same God that is being worshiped.  Sometimes it is better for the health of others not to share what you have.
• It takes effort to consider the needs of others above our own but the reward is worth it.
• This adventure of life is a journey, not a race.  It would be best if we can journey together.
• Hard work, continual maintenance, and dedication are required to keep doing anything, even good things, over a long period of time.  
• The true reward to the Christian life is given to those how persevere and remain faithful until the end.

Page 49 was a family day spent sightseeing and taking photographs.  My spring cold/sinus crud makes me wear down much more quickly than usual, so the writing of this page is being written the following morning as my mind was too tired to do so last night.  Our first stop was at France Park in Logansport, Indiana because I had read about a waterfall there that should be worth photographing — at least for Indiana standards. 🙂  Today’s photo is of that waterfall as it met expectations, and even more.  In addition to the waterfall, what appears to be the park’s centerpiece is an old limestone quarry filled with water and various trails around it and through the park.  After photographing the waterfall, we took a trail around the perimeter of the quarry and was able to view the vibrant blues and greens of the water from the edge of a cliff overlooking the lake.  

We’ve been through Logansport many times on our way to various parks and sightseeing adventures, but this was our first stop here.  I am always amazed at how much natural beauty goes by unnoticed for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes we’re not paying attention to it and we walk/drive right by.  Other times we simply haven’t heard that it even exists.  And then there are the times we have looked but didn’t have good information, or failed to follow the instructions given.  It kind of sounds similar to some of the reasons so many miss out on the beauty of God’s love.  Many people are simply living life day to day and moment to moment at such a pace that they never stop to look around and notice the presence of God’s love that could be theirs.  Other people simply haven’t heard, or at least haven’t heard in a believable manner, that God is real and He loves them.  Then there are those who are searching but either don’t know where to start or are following bad information — or simply ignoring the instruction given because they don’t like it.

Many times people will see photographs I have shared and ask where they were taken and how they can get there.  One of the reasons I like taking photos is because it gives me the opportunity to share some of God’s beauty and some of His story.  It would do all of us well to be intentional about living our life and sharing it in such a way that people ask where we got what we have and how they can get it.  Just as important as living and sharing, is “to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you.”  When the people around you see that God’s love exists, and hear from you in a believable way about its presence in your life, it is important to give them accurate information about how they too can be in relationship with the living God.

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

• Schedules are great but there are times our mind and body says, “That’s enough for today.”  We would do well to listen to them as much as possible.
• Hearing about something and experiencing it are two different things.
• There is great value to be found in the old adage that we need to “stop and smell the roses” from time to time.
• If you’ve ever had someone share about a place in a way that convinced you that you “just have to go there”, then you have a glimpse into how you ought to be sharing about your relationship with God.
• Looking for something in a place where it is not can be quite frustrating and discouraging.  We must be careful to “seek the Lord while (and where) He may be found” and to do so according to the instructions given in His Word.
• Your life ought to be lived in such a way that people see a hope in you that is desirable enough that they ask about it.  Then be ready with an answer.

Page 48 has been a full day and I’m trying hard not to get the sinus crud that seems to be going around in my family.  As I did the morning cleaning and took the first load of trash out, the eastern sky was lit up in a brilliant variety of red and pink shades.  It was still twenty minutes before the official sunrise time so I grabbed my cameras and set one up to time-lapse photograph the sunrise and took some still shots with my other camera.  However, instead of the sun coming up and adding to the color and brilliance of the morning sky, the clouds kept stacking up.  And instead of the sunrise I was expecting, the colors quickly faded to a drab gray.  My time-lapse video ended up with a very brief amount of color at the beginning and then a quick change to clouds and gray skies.  While a little disappointed, I was glad I noticed the brief window of time to catch the incredible beauty while it lasted.

After finishing up the cleaning and building prep, I did some work in the office and caught up on messages in my email inbox and on my social media accounts.  As I worked, I noticed the clouds had kept moving by and the sky was not mostly clear and sunny but the birds had not shown up in the brush outside my window.  As I stopped to look more closely, I noticed a new friend sunning herself at the edge of the woods.  All of a sudden it made sense as to why the birds had found somewhere else to go for food this morning.  Today’s photo is of my new friend as the sun poured down upon her and she was soaking it all in.  It made me think of satan roaming about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  We would do well to learn from the birds and flee from the presence of the enemy regardless of how pleasant and peaceful he may look.

I spent part of the morning with a friend and then went down to Potato Creek to spend some time with God in prayer.  Most of the time I go down there, I end up walking quite a few miles but today I found myself sitting more than walking as I took in all the sights and sounds that were around me as I prayed.  Doing so allowed me to see a greater variety of birds than the few I would typically notice while on a hike.  I think sometimes we all need a little change of pace to help us maintain purpose and meaning in what we do.

Late afternoon and evening was spent back at work as I got the building cleaned and ready for Sunday.  It looked like the sunset rivaled the beauty of the early part of the sunrise but I was focused on getting my work done and trying to get home well before midnight so I didn’t stop to take any photos.  

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

• When a moment is gone, it’s gone — the memory may remain but the moment will never return.  So, make the most of each moment while you can.
• In the current political debate about (you pick the subject), I have friends on either end of the discussion as well as some scattered in between.  All of them are convinced that Jesus is, or would be, on their side.  I wonder how much we would need to change if we were more concerned about being on His side than we are about Him being on our side.
• In what ways has satan been trying to devour you?  What do you need to flee from?
• Changing a good routine to something different every once in a while can be a good way to remember and keep meaning in our routines of life.
• Sometimes listening needs to be a more active part of our life.
• The instruction to “be still and know that He is God” ought to challenge each of us to greater stillness more often than it probably does.

After a long day and late night of work on Wednesday, page 47 has been a day of rest.  That meant I was able to sleep in and Susan was able to sleep in even longer.  When I got up I spent some time going through more of the photos I took Sunday during our trip to Lake Michigan.  The ones I went through and shared today included several that were of people in, and on, the water surfing and kite-surfing.  While the air temperature was above freezing while we were there, the water was still filled with chunks of ice as the water temperature couldn’t be much above freezing.  It made me think of the commitment to the sport on the part of those in the water.  What is it that you and I are committed to at that level, if anything?  Does my time with God in His Word, in prayer, and in listening take place no matter what?  Do I overcome what others may see as obstacles as I seek to live a Christ-like life in all things.

Susan eventually woke up and I helped her get ready for the day before firing up the pellet grill to make some bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  After lunch the afternoon was spent relaxing, playing some video games, and looking at some vacation options for early summer.  While I didn’t find anything definite, it was fun on a cold day to consider the features of a warmer season and climate.  As the day winds down with little accomplished other than rest, it is clear that was enough.  Today’s photo is one from yesterday’s brief trip to Potato Creek.  The wind coming off the lake was extremely cold, but the beauty of the sky was as breathtaking as the cold wind. 

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

• Even on a day off, I was up at 5:30 AM which is my usual workday wake-up time.  While I went back to sleep rather quickly, it shows the value of building good routines and habits.
• It is easy to make excuses for why we don’t do the good we know we ought to.
• True commitment says that the excuses do not win.
• When it comes to commitment, legalism can be just as dangerous as laziness.  God looks at the heart.
• The same God that created good work for us to do, also designed us to need rest.
• Social media makes it far too easy to respond to people in ways we wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, do if we were standing face to face.
• We don’t have to respond to everything we see and hear . . . and probably shouldn’t.
• It is better to let God take our breath away with the beauty of His handiwork than to let the world take it away with the coldness of its breath.

I’ve reached the mid-point of the week, which is one of my long workdays, so I’m writing page 46 as I wait for the building to clear out so I can get the cleaning done in preparation for tomorrow.  After taking care of the early morning cleaning and retrieving a table that I had received a note about saying the legs had broken off, I spent time doing some of the prep work for the next set of daily devotions to continue the “Devotions For Those Who Serve” series I began last summer.  The topic I spent time mapping out and working on today was about serving with compassion.  There are many things that can change our serving for the better, but perhaps none so dramatically as developing genuine compassion for those we serve.  Most of us are pretty good at doing whatever we can to alleviate pain and suffering when we’re the one experiencing it.  When we begin to serve with compassion, we do so through a perspective that feels the pain and suffering of those we are serving.  Because we identify with their circumstances, they are no longer a statistic or project that we do simply because we ought to — instead we serve in a way that we would desire to receive because we identify with their difficulty.

There is no greater example of serving with compassion than that of Jesus.  He took on the frailty of human form to live as one of us and consistently showed compassion as He served.  Godly compassion, however, is not a free pass to excuse or accommodate wrong behavior.  While Jesus would extend compassion in offering forgiveness of sin, it was never offered in a manner that gave permission to continue in sin — not for those He served while He was on earth and not for us either.  To be like the compassion of Jesus, we must find ways to express our compassion for others so that they feel accepted and forgiven, yet also convicted to change any sinful ways.

By mid-afternoon, it was time for a break so I headed to lunch and then down to Potato Creek.  It was a cold afternoon and the wind blowing across the lake made it feel even colder.  Even the eagles were staying out of sight today so after a short hike I laid down on a fallen tree and rested a bit.  Today’s photo was taken from that resting spot as I looked up through the treetops and observed a small patch of blue sky in the midst of an otherwise cloudy afternoon.  As I was stretched out on that cold, hard log gazing heavenward, the words from the Ray Boltz song, “Thank You”, drifted through my mind — “I dreamed I went to heaven, and you were there with me. . . . ”  The moment took me back to my early childhood when I would have occasion every once in a while to stretch out on the lawn and gaze heavenward, imagining the day I would be “caught up in the clouds” with my Lord.  

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

• I suppose it is somehow appropriate that I get a maintenance request about legs being broken off of a table on the same day that I spend time with God working on devotions about serving with compassion.
• It is often easy to be judgmental when we don’t consider an actual person, or our self, when we speak out about sin.
• Godly compassion will drive us to not only care for the immediate needs of people, but to also care about the eternal suffering they would experience outside of Christ.
• Compassion is what makes “love the sinner but not the sin” possible and believable.  Without compassion, the “sinner” feels no love from us no matter what we say.
• Learning to have compassion for others begins by learning to accept the compassion God has for us.
• I thought today about how difficult life is when you are not understood . . . compassion not only says I understand, but says, “I get it.”
• Some of my earliest memories are of a longing for heaven and of imagining walking on the clouds.
• Who will be in heaven with me because I’ve shared Jesus with them?  There is only one way. 

Page 45 has been a fairly routine day with the typical daily tasks and no unwelcomed surprises that I’m aware of.  The day began with the usual cleaning and building prep tasks before settling in to finish the prayer guide for next week.  I had already settled on the topic yesterday, so today was a matter of spending time in prayer as I listened for direction in the daily points and how to guide people in praying about them.  The prayer guide that will be published on Sunday for next week is about being pure.  If purity is talked about at all in Christian circles, it is most often focused on sexual purity.  While that is an important aspect of being pure, in many ways our purity, or lack of it, in that area is often a reflection of how we’re doing at seeking the pure things of God in the totality of our life.  

When God gave the instructions for building the tabernacle to the people of Israel, it is fascinating to me how often the word pure is used to describe the required elements.  It wasn’t enough to fashion various items out of gold — it needed to be pure gold.  It wasn’t suitable to call for incense to be burnt before the altar of the Lord — it needed to be pure incense.  God’s holiness calls for our purity before Him.  When we seek wisdom, God desires to give us wisdom that is pure.  When we give our offerings to God, He expects them to be pure.  When God examines our heart, He desires to find a heart that is pure.  When we face times of difficulty and trial, God wants our joy to be pure.  When our relationship with God is put into the package of religion, God wants our treatment of others to show that our religion is pure.  When we have the need to grow and mature in Christ, God’s desire is that we would long for the pure spiritual milk of His Word.

Once the prayer guide was complete, it was time to format it for both the Impact Prayer Ministry weekly email and website then schedule them to be published on Sunday.  As I worked throughout the morning, a variety of birds showed up outside my window to enjoy the beauty of the day and the food supply that exists in the woods.  Today’s photo is of one of those visitors as she checks out an existing hole in a tree trunk to see if there might be a quick snack lurking inside.  

By mid-afternoon, my workday was over and it was time to get some lunch and head home.  It was a beautiful weather day so before the afternoon was completely gone, I headed to Potato Creek with my family for a walk and to take some photos.  At the end of our walk we could hear the eagles calling to one another in a very animated conversation.  From where we were, we were looking directly into the sun trying to find the source of the sound.  Since that wasn’t going to work out too well, we drove around to a trail that would be on the other side of where the sound was coming from.  As we walked down the trail, the eagles were still carrying on their conversation and we soon reached a point where we could see four eagles, two adults and two juveniles, perched in the trees along the shoreline.  They were beautiful to see and hear and I was able to catch a few photos of the adults while the young ones flew off and out of sight.  By then, the sun was setting so we headed home and enjoyed a relaxed evening.

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

• Sometimes it is easy to become tunnel-visioned in our view of what God desires when His view is much larger than what we can see.
• Being pure isn’t simply about avoiding certain thoughts or acts, it means we must fill our thoughts and actions with that which God views as pure.
• God’s insistence on using pure materials in the building of His dwelling, the tabernacle, continues to be reflected in His desire that we be pure material for the dwelling of His Spirit within us.
• When it is difficult to see, sometimes we need to move to where we have a clearer perspective.
• In a society that seems to have gone mad, it is good to be able to simply relax knowing that God’s presence is bigger than the issues which have everyone angry.

Page 44 began very early as I fired up the pellet grill and put some pork on to slow-cook for 12+ hours.  The wood pellet smoke filling the air made me hungry as I headed to work early to clean and make sure the building was ready for the day.  I’ve been having internet and phone problems at home, so once the cleaning was done at work I headed home to wait for the arrival of the tech to upgrade and improve my services.  

As I left work, the sun was beginning to rise in the east while the moon was lingering in the western sky.  Just a few days beyond the full moon and there is already a noticeable “deflated” look to it.  Getting home before Mary Jane needed to head to work also meant that Susan could sleep in and catch up on some needed rest.  With page 43 overlapping page 44 into the early morning hours, my first task at home was to sit down and write page 43.  Once the page was written, I settled in to write the next prayer guide.  As I prayed and sought the topic to use, I finally settled on some of what God says are pure things that we ought to seek and have in our life.

While I worked on the prayer guide, the service tech arrived so I took a break to help him for the next few hours as we ran some new wiring and set up the upgraded service.  The wiring that worked well fifteen years ago was now outdated and could no longer keep up with stream of data that needs to flow through it.  As we worked, I was reminded of some of my days working for an antenna installation and service company where I had the task of getting wiring ran from an antenna to various TV locations in a  house.  At times the task was complicated by a customer who wanted and expected something that wasn’t even possible.  Some times the problem was simply an arrogance that refused to believe the limitations of equipment and physics should apply to them.  Other times the issues were based out of an encounter with a person who had given them information that was untrue, incomplete, or misleading.  And then there were times when the information about what I could do was simply misunderstood.  

As I thought about those experiences, my mind began to think about how often we want and expect things from God that simply aren’t possible because they would violate the very nature of God.  The reasons we have such expectations can be similar to what I faced in the TV antenna service industry.  There are times when we are filled with pride to the extent that we begin to believe what we want is what ought to happen, no matter what.  And other times we have inaccurate expectations of God because someone has misled us with untrue, incomplete, or misleading information that they claim to be from God.  And then there are times when we have inaccurate expectations simply because we misunderstand what God has said in His Word. 

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

• There are certain things, like my wood pellet grill, that create a sweet aroma that I long to experience.
• My life ought to be lived in a way that presents a sweet aroma to God that He longs to experience.
• God has set the sun, moon, and stars in the sky to mark days and seasons — but more importantly to give mankind a reason to pause and consider Him.
• In our interactions and relationship with God, we must allow Him to define the expectations and all the rules.
• When we submit to God in total humility, He sets forth a path for us that leads to His righteousness.
• God expects us to test what we’re told and taught against the straight edge of His Word so that we’re following Him rather than man.
• God’s desire is that we would rightly divide the Word of truth as He leads us in paths of understanding.

Page 43 began early as I headed into work to get some cleaning and building prep done before the start of our Sunday worship gathering.  It also ended late as we headed to Lake Michigan for the afternoon/evening to take photos.  So late, in fact, that I’m writing the page the next morning — but I’m getting ahead of myself in the page 43 story.

After cleaning and prepping the building, I spent some time in the office praying about the direction of the next prayer guide.  I got caught up in that and missed Sunday School, but joined in with the congregation for a time of praise and worship around the Lord’s Table.  David brought a message called, “Loving Much”, as he continued a series from the gospel of Luke.  The Bible text centered around the story of a woman anointing the feet of Jesus in the home of Simon, a Pharisee.  One of the primary lessons I believe God wants us to learn from the selected text is God’s desire for us to express much love to God and others just as He has shown much love to us.

The message for us came out of four surprises in the text.  The first surprise is that Simon, a Pharisee, invited Jesus to his house.  The Pharisees were a part of the religious establishment in Judaism and as a group, their disdain for the person and message of Jesus was evident throughout His lifetime.  Whatever their individual motives, most of the group rejected the idea that Jesus was God’s Son and the Messiah.  Most.  Some did believe and follow the teachings of Jesus.  We don’t know the motives of Simon.  They are never revealed in scripture.  But we do know that on this occasion, he did the surprising thing of inviting Jesus to a place of conversation.  Perhaps you know people that when their name comes to your mind, you automatically think that they would never seek to have a conversation with God, let alone a conversation about God.  Maybe it is time that you and I open ourselves to the possibility of a surprise when it comes to who might invite Jesus into a conversation.

The second likely surprise in the text is that Jesus accepted the invitation.  While the Pharisees made no secret of their disdain for Jesus and His teaching, Jesus was often quick to call them out for living a life that was not only hypocritical, but far from God.  It would be easy for many to read the harsh words that Jesus had for the Pharisees, and other religious leaders, and conclude that Jesus hated them.  He would often use words, descriptions, and comparisons that leave me saying, “Ouch!”   At least to the casual listener, it was probably a great surprise that Jesus would accept an invitation to join Simon for a meal.  I know people who have said that they have lived life in such a way that Jesus would not listen to them if they were to call out to Him.  There are people who believe that if truth sounds harsh and condemning then it is hate.  Yet here is Jesus accepting a dinner invitation from a person that was part of a group that He had condemned their way of life.  When God says that He is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance, it really shouldn’t be that surprising that He would accept an invitation from “whosoever” would believe and invite Him to a conversation about life.  Do we surprise people by the invitations we accept?  Should we?

The third surprise is the visitor.  Not only was the invitation and acceptance of it a surprise to many who understood the tension between the Pharisees and Jesus, the uninvited visitor had to be a surprise to everyone — everyone except Jesus, perhaps.  In their culture, the idea of a visitor walking in to observe and meal at the home of a teacher or leader and learn from the conversation that would take place was not the surprise.  The surprise was, according to Simon’s thoughts, “what kind of woman this was.”  The visitor’s reputation seemed to be well known to Simon, so while her very presence in the home of a Pharisee would be surprising, her actions were even more surprising.  As her tears fell on the feet of Jesus, she touched him and washed His feet with her tears.  She even went on to let down her hair and dry His feet with her hair before breaking open a costly perfume and anointing His feet with it.  While this visitor was a surprise to many by her presence and her actions, if you listen to and understand the teachings of Jesus it should not be a surprise that many who seek Jesus are not those that we expect.  

The fourth surprise in the text is the reaction of Jesus to both Simon and the woman.  One of the fun parts of the text is that Simon is like so many of us who think things that we would never say out loud . . . at least not when Jesus is sitting with us.  Simon made at least two assumptions in his thoughts.  One, about “what kind of woman this was.” And two, how a “good person” should respond to such a person.  The fun part though, is that the text says Jesus answered Simon.  But wait!  Simon never asked anything!  He never expressed his thoughts and feelings about the woman or how Jesus should act.  But then again, it was Jesus.  He knew the thoughts and could answer them — just as He knows our thoughts and can answer them.  The answer was in the form of a story about two men who had been forgiven different size debts.  When asked about who would love more, Simon’s response was that he supposed that the one who had more forgiven.  Jesus went on to point out that the woman had shown more love to Him than what Simon had.  He told her that because of her faith, her sins were forgiven.  Are we surprised at the reaction of Jesus to forgive people?  We shouldn’t be.  How much love do we show toward God and others?  What does that response say about our estimation of our own righteousness and how much we’ve been forgiven?  When we understand and accept the fullness of God’s forgiveness of us, we ought to be eager to show much love.

After the church service, we had lunch and with strong winds in the forecast we headed to Lake Michigan to photograph some lighthouses in the mist of the waves.  Today’s photo is from one of those stops along the Lake Michigan shoreline where I was surprised to see a few people out surfing in the icy water. 

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

• I have a hard time briefly summarizing a sermon. 🙂
• It is easy to become so familiar with an event or story that we miss the original surprise, or “shock factor”.
• God’s desire is that everyone would invite Him into their life . . . we shouldn’t be surprised when people do.
• God’s love encompasses the entire collection of people in the world . . . we shouldn’t be surprised when He accepts anyone’s invitation to be in their life.
• Everyone needs Jesus . . . we shouldn’t be surprised at the “kinds of people” who seek Him.
• God’s desire is that everyone would be saved . . . we shouldn’t be surprised by His forgiveness and the love that results from that forgiveness.
• We often go to extremes to do the things we are passionate about, like surfing in the ice cold waters of Lake Michigan.  What things are we doing for God that others would view as extreme?