Like many other professions, the traditional concept of weekend doesn’t mesh well with ministry.  So, I have learned to put effort into blocking off at least one day a week that I avoid going onto the church property.  After a busy week, today was that day so I was able to sleep in and spend the day with my family.  The morning was fairly low-key as I spent some time going through some old photos and straightening up around my desk area at home.  While protecting today means I will have to head into work early Sunday morning to make sure the building is cleaned and ready for the day, that price is worth a full day with my family.  

By noon the temperature had warmed up and although the sky remained overcast, we headed out to take some photos and do some walking.  Our first stop was lunch and then we made our way to Bonneyville Mill County Park in Bristol, Indiana.  While a sunlit blue sky would have added to the photos, the mill ponds were as smooth as glass so it was a great day for reflections.  After taking some photos of the mill, barns, and windmill with their reflections, we headed up the stream to the small waterfalls in the park.  The water was running high and the low ground around the stream was saturated so our idea of a walk didn’t work out too well.  We finished up our photo-taking and then headed to Sam’s Club to pick up some things that we needed . . . or wanted.  Since our first attempt at a family walk didn’t work out too well, we stopped by the Mishawaka Riverwalk on our way home and managed to get in a quick walk of nearly three miles.  

While I didn’t take a lot of photos along the river today, I did get a few pictures of ducks, the glimmer of a sunset, and a muskrat who made today’s page.  As I was watching, he swam up the river and crawled onto this partially submerged log.  Once out of the water, he spent quite a bit of time appearing to groom himself.  I’m not sure if he was washing his “hands”, cleaning his face, brushing his hair, or some combination of all of that and more.  It even appeared as if he was using the reflection from the wet log to make sure everything was just right . . . perhaps prepping for a Saturday night date? 🙂  I wonder if we pay nearly as much attention to our cleanliness and how we look as what this muskrat does.  I’m afraid that many times our online presence may say that we don’t.

Once we were home for the evening, I scanned a few more old photos into my computer and began writing today’s page.  Some of the photos I’m going through, I haven’t looked at for a very long time.  Each photo serves as a reminder of another time and place.  It is in the reviewing of them, and the sharing of them, that we are able to keep the lessons from those times and places alive.

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

• While the idea of a weekend off of work is good, many occupations require deliberate effort and flexibility in order to find and protect significant time with family.
• If protecting time with family can be a challenge, how much more difficult is it for us to protect significant time with God.
• While we may want a life filled with sunshine and blue skies, not having what we want doesn’t mean God’s presence has been removed from us.
• Sometimes we need to look beyond what we want, and actually see what God has provided, in order to enjoy the beauty He has for us.
• Sharing something online and saying, “Never mind the language.”, isn’t the same as taking the time to clean all the filth and evil from our life so that we are actually clean.
• Taking photos is a fun hobby but if they’re not viewed and shared, is there really a point to it.
• If our relationship with God is not viewed and shared, is there really a point to it?

Page 41 was a day that contained a bit of routine and a good dose of unexpected.  It began with the routine part — the early morning cleaning and building prep.  As I was cleaning, the first element of the unexpected appeared as I got word of a classroom that was cold.  After the cleaning was done and the trash taken out, I spent time working on the heating system — not sure if I helped it much, but I’ll keep an eye on it over the next few days to see if the improvements hold.  

As I settled into some morning tasks in the office, a friend stopped by in need of some help.  So I set aside what I had planned on doing and headed out to help a friend in need.  We spent some time catching up, and I provided what help I could, before we parted ways.  As I went on my way, I decided there was more help I could give even after we had each gone our own way.  So, I headed out to spend some time walking and praying for my friend.  As I prayed, I realized that each way of helping was as necessary as the other.  Because I had the opportunity, being able to physically help with my presence was just as important as praying and praying was just as important as physically helping.  To have done either one without doing the other would have left the task partially undone.

After my time of walking and praying, I headed home for lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing as the building is in use tonight and I’ll have to wait and do my cleaning and prep for the weekend sometime tomorrow or early Sunday morning.  As the day came to an end, I headed out to take a few photos of the full moon before sitting down to write today’s page.  Instead of one of the moon photos, today’s photo is a close-up of some snowflake clusters that dotted the surface of a frozen wetland area.  Seeing the crystal formations reminds me of the creativity of God and the uniqueness that exists, not only in each snowflake, but in each person on this earth.  Recognizing that each person around us has been created in God’s image, but in a slightly different way from one another, should help us to always value the people around us.  Keeping that in mind also leads to a greater openness in trying to understand those that are different from us.

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

• I love routine but God continues to teach me how to handle life when it isn’t routine.
• Small adjustments and consistent monitoring can keep a heating system temperature from swinging too far one way or the other.
• Once we’ve fully surrendered to God, that same concept of small adjustments and consistent monitoring is also a good plan to keep us centered in our relationship with God.
• How we respond to the needs of people probably says a lot more about us than it does about them.
• Prayer is powerful and effective and sometimes the only opportunity we have to help someone is to pray for them.
• Prayer is always appropriate help, but if we have the opportunity to do good and choose not to, our prayers have done little to change us.
• Taking the time to try to understand someone goes a long way toward creating a willingness to help them.
• When we think everyone is like us, or should be like us, we often put limits on who we will help — limits that God never intended for us to  have.

Sometimes an extra dose of adrenaline is all it takes to get an early start to the day.  After I wrote yesterday’s page, I ended up in a conversation with some friends instead of cleaning.  After the conversation was over, I was tired so I decided to head home to get some sleep and then go in to work this morning to do the usual early morning cleaning and prep.  As it turned out, that was a better decision than I had any idea it would be.  Sometime around 4 AM, we were awakened by a buzzing sound that ended up being my cell phone.  By the time I got to it, the security monitoring company had left a message that the alarm at work had been triggered.  Even before I heard the message, just seeing “security monitoring” on the caller ID was enough to get the adrenaline flowing and I was wide awake as I threw on some clothes so I could head to work to see what the issue was.  As it turned out, this was just a false alarm and everything in and around the building was secure.  While it was a couple hours earlier than planned, I figured that while I was there I may as well start my day and get the cleaning and building prep done.

As I went about the cleaning, I sang a variety of hymns that I grew up on and found that they brought relief to my anxious spirit and calmed my mind as I sang.  While an unexpected phone call can raise my adrenaline level, a lifestyle of worship can restore it to some sense of normalcy.  Once the building was ready for the day, I turned my attention to finishing up the design of the display banners I began working on yesterday.  When they were ready, I submitted the files to the printing company so they would be finished before my next scheduled conference.  Shortly after noon I found that I was wearing down and then realized I had been up since 4 AM on what is normally my day off.  With a weariness taking over and a windchill temperature near zero, I headed to lunch and then went home to spend the rest of the day relaxing as I did some initial research into possible family vacation destinations for this summer.

Today’s photo is one I took yesterday during a snowy hike at Potato Creek.  Even in the midst of the falling snow, the brush was filled with songbirds finding food and singing their songs.  In what most would consider adverse conditions, these birds clung to the twigs and made the best of it.  So often, it is the trying, tense times of life that put us to the test.  What we’re made of, or filled with, soon becomes evident by our response to the difficulty and whether we are able to continue to sing.

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

• Life doesn’t always go according to plan — at least not our plan — and that’s okay.
• 4 AM phone calls may catch us by surprise but they don’t catch God by surprise.
• My “fight or flight” mechanism tends to lean toward the fright side of the equation.
• Worship goes a long way in reminding me of who God is and how much He cares for me.
• It is just as important to acknowledge God’s presence in the difficult times as it is in the good times . . . and every time in between.

It was helpful to have another night of decent sleep to lead into page 39 as it will be one of my long workdays.  After being nearly sixty degrees yesterday, heading into work with the temperature in the twenties was quite a change.  I don’t know what most people notice if they are the first one to enter a building for the day, but I suppose the things I notice are influenced by my role in caring for the building.  As I approach the building, the first thing  I notice, or hope I notice, is an indication that the alarm system is armed.  Once in the building, the first thing I noticed today, and far too often lately, is the light coming down the hallway from the bathroom lights which were left on all night.  On the occasions when there hasn’t been lights left on all night, the first thing I notice once in the building is the warmth.  I suppose I notice that quicker than most because if I don’t notice it, then there are problems that need addressed.  As the heating system ages, I experience a sense of relief every time I walk in the door and notice the heat is functioning.

My morning included the daily routines of cleaning bathrooms, sweeping floors, and taking out trash.  While these are very good times to pray and listen to God, sometimes I get drawn into an “autopilot” mode because of the routine nature of these tasks and find that I don’t spend these times with God as I ought.  Today my mind was probably still focused on the lights that were left on, but I was mid-way through the morning cleaning when I found myself singing, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee.  How great Thou art, how great Thou art.”  Even when I had allowed my mind to be distracted for a time, my soul found a way to worship God as I went about my work.  And with my soul focused on worship, my mind soon followed.

Once the morning prep was done, I began work on some display banners to use as the backdrop when I set up the Impact Prayer Ministry display at conventions, conferences, and other locations that God gives the opportunity.  As God continues to give me writing assignments, keeping the entire look of the display fresh and current can be an ever-changing process.  I eventually settled on a series of three vertical banners which will use a single photo split across them with each banner focused on a different aspect of the preaching, teaching, and resource development focus of the prayer ministry.

After putting in an eight hour day, I headed to lunch and then back down to Potato Creek for a waist management hike.  As I made my way to the park, it began to snow rather steadily and it continued through most of my hike.  While I didn’t see the eagles today, their were plenty of songbirds as well as a muskrat and a few squirrels that were out enjoying the snowy day.  As I hiked, I kept looking diligently through the treetops looking for any sign of an owl.  While I didn’t see any owls, I did find a squirrel perched high up on a tree branch munching on a walnut while using his tail to shield his body from the falling snow.  While some of the wildlife may have gone into hiding to avoid the snow, this little guy wasn’t going to let a little snow keep him from enjoying a meal.

After my hike, it was back to work for round two today as I took out trash and did some minor prep before the mid-week Bible study classes.  Then it was time to write today’s page as I wait for the building to clear out so I can get the cleaning done so the building is ready for tomorrow.

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

• We tend to notice things that are important to us.  
• We will find ourselves noticing spiritual things more often when we make them a more important part of our life on a daily basis.
• What we notice because it is important to us may not be noticed by others because it is not important to them — for many things, that is okay.
• If spiritual things remain important to us, we ought to find our soul crying out to God even when we become distracted by the routines of life.
• The message of the gospel is unchanging even as we use fresh and current methods to communicate it.
• It is easy to find excuses for not doing what we ought to do but it is extremely rewarding to push aside those excuses and do what is good and right.

Page 38 began after finally getting a decent night’s sleep for the most part.  Now if I can get a few more of those, I might start feeling rested again after several nights in a row of Susan’s restlessness which made sleep in short supply for all of us.  While not eager to wake up when the alarm went off this morning, at least it wasn’t painful to do so as it has been on previous mornings.  As I got to work, I set about taking care of the cleaning and building prep tasks that need done each day.  Rain had moved in overnight and continued throughout the day, so while night did eventually turn into day, there was not a visible sunrise to photograph this morning.  

After the building was ready, most of the morning was spent taking care of the record-keeping for the church missions ministry.  As I worked, I got word that there was a leak around one of the skylights in the gym.  I took it as a sign that spring was approaching, as each year the freeze and thaw cycle creates a leak in at least one of the skylights.  With rain all day, there was nothing I could do on a wet, sloped metal roof, so a bucket goes under the leak until a dry day shows up with above freezing temperatures.  

When the accounting work was done, I could change hats and turn my attention to some prayer ministry correspondence.  Part of that correspondence dealt with some questions about my teaching some workshops later this year.  While part of the group’s desire is for some workshops on developing a lifestyle of prayer, there were questions about a potential subject that I called, “Tell Your Story, Give God the Credit”.  This title came to me nearly three years ago shortly after my first poetic devotional book was published.  People were consistently asking me about the book and specifically about the poems God had given me to write.  Because the poems would just show up in my mind, I never felt good about taking the credit for them.  So, I would use the opportunities afforded by the questions to tell my story and give God the credit.  I believe all of us have a story to tell about where we are currently at in our life and if we have been paying attention, we can tell that story in a way that God receives the credit.

During one of the time periods when the rain intensity slowed down, a pair of cardinals showed up outside my office window to enjoy a snack of berries.  Today’s photo is of the male cardinal with a firm grasp on a pair of twigs while he was actually singing quite beautifully.  I love the beauty of the cardinals as they spend time in the brush outside my window, but I also love the songs of the cardinals as they fly about making a joyful noise.  It made me wonder about my daily activity and the daily activity of so many others.  Social media gives us a variety of platforms on which we can easily make our views known — make a sound, if you will.  The question should be asked, “Is the ‘sound’ I’m making on social media a joyful noise, or just a noise?”  

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

• Issues or problems that develop over time are rarely resolved overnight.  They took time to develop, they will usually take time to be resolved.
• Knowing there is no easy fix shouldn’t keep us from making progress forward when we have the opportunity.
• Sometimes tasks need taken care of right away and other times we have to accept that sometimes nothing can be done right away to problem that look urgent.
• Wherever you are in life right now is a story that has some element of God working in a way that He should receive the credit.
• If you use social media, every like, share, comment, and post is noticed by someone.  Do they hear a joyful noise through your online presence, or just a noise?

Page 37 began early with the start of another work week.  It felt even earlier than what it was as Susan continues to have seizures which keep her from sleeping well and fills her with a fear or anxiety at night.  Somehow she seems to weather this better than we do as her parents, but I know that she has the worst of it so I keep pressing on with my daily schedule and pray for her comfort and peace of mind.  As I was cleaning early this morning, I noticed the beginning of color in the eastern sky in the pre-dawn hours of morning.  There were just enough clouds dotting the sky that I anticipated a beautiful sunrise so I set up my camera with a time-lapse video setting on a tripod and let it do its thing while I finished cleaning.  The result was an amazing 50 minutes of sunrise compressed into a 20 second video.  The camera only runs that setting for 50 minutes, so I missed the final trek of the sun up over the tree line as I had begun the recording too early.

Once the building was clean, the trash was taken out, and I had collected my camera, I sat down with God to work on the prayer guide for next week.  It seems that lately the first few ideas that come to mind each week end up being topics I’ve written on in the not too distant past so I end up drawing nearer to God in order to listen beyond the issues that first come to mind.  Sometimes when I do that, the topic I come up with seems so basic that I am just amazed it hadn’t come to mind before.  The topic I ended up working on today for next week’s prayer guide was one of those as I settled on a focus of doing good.  I have been in ministry settings where it seemed like “doing” was pitted against “being” with phrases like, “we are human beings not human doings”, used to indicate God’s interest in who we are as beings with what we do being irrelevant to our relationship with God.  Unfortunately, those arguments have set up a false dichotomy that tries to make us think we can somehow separate who we are from what we do.  The Bible has a lot to say about the good we ought to do and goes so far as to say that who we are as a being is defined by what we do as a servant.

By the time the prayer guide was written, formatted, and scheduled to be published next week, the work day had come to an end and it was time to head home for a late lunch.  With spring-like weather showing up for the day, we headed down to Potato Creek for a family hike after lunch.  When we arrived at the park, and eagle was perched in a tree overlooking the boat ramp so we shot some photos before he flew off and we headed out for a five mile hike.  Today’s photo is from this afternoon as he has that “eagle eye” going, keeping a close lookout for a potential meal and an even closer eye on what I’m doing.

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

• We rarely know fully what others are going through but careful observation can help us have greater understanding.
• Understanding goes a long way in helping us endure difficulties.
• Our response to difficulties will often reveal more about us than about the difficulty.
• Sometimes when we pray it seems like nothing is happening — at least not until we’re able to look back and see the pace of movement all at once.
• Who we are is important to God — that displays our integrity.
• What we do is important to God — that displays our character.
• Who we are ought to influence what we do and what we do ought to influence who we are — they are intertwined in such a way that they cannot be successfully separated.
• I think of my niece, Breanna, often and each time my memory of her reminds me to make the most of every opportunity that I have to spend time with my family.
• We would do well to have the eye of an eagle, keeping a careful watch on the things which are of eternal importance.

Page 36 was a Sunday, and being the first Sunday of the month I had the privilege of preaching at the North Wayne Mennonite Church in Dowagiac, Michigan as I do on the first Sunday of most months.  Susan had a night where sleep was elusive, which meant it wasn’t that easy for the rest of us to find either.  As I woke up and got dressed for the day, my mind was trying to fight through the fog of weariness as I went over the sermon plan in my head.  Some days I am pretty comfortable with the simmering and processing routine that goes on in my mind as part of the sermon prep process . . . and other days, well other days I wonder if I’m going to have anything worth listening to.  Today was one of those “other days” right up to the time I got up to share the message.  

I believe God used the simmering and processing time from throughout the week to prepare me to deliver the message He wanted regardless of how inadequate I felt.  Last year I began looking at Bible characters who either call themselves servants of the Lord, or are specifically pointed out as such in scripture.  Today we looked at the person of Joshua and how he lived out God’s command to be strong and courageous by being a servant of the Lord who was BOLD.  Unfortunately, in today’s culture we tend to equate being bold with terms such as brash, bossy, arrogant, pushy, and domineering — characteristics most of us are not too fond of when directed at us by others.  The key to the Lord’s servant being BOLD is to understand that the servant aspect is primary.

In today’s message, we looked at the following four aspect of living as a BOLD servant of the Lord:

• We start by being a Believing servant of the Lord.  As the book of Deuteronomy comes to an end, Moses begins the transfer of leadership to Joshua and three times he instructs Joshua to be strong and courageous.  After the death of Moses, we come to the book of Joshua and in the first chapter find Joshua receiving that same instruction to be strong and courageous another four times!  A bold servant believes that God can make you what He says you are to be.  With so many reminders at this point in his life, it makes me wonder if the strong and courageous Joshua from forty years earlier had lost some of his boldness and needed to once again believe that God would do what He says He will.
• We validate our believing by becoming an Obedient servant of the Lord.  The Bible makes it clear that simply saying we believe what God says is put to the test through our obedience to what He says.  Joshua had seen firsthand the consequences of disobedience as all of his peers except Caleb had perished in the wilderness over the past forty years.  His mentor, Moses, was prevented from entering the promised land because he had not obeyed.  As we look at the battle plan God presented to Joshua for the conquering of Jericho, it would appear that Joshua’s commitment to obedience would be put to the test right away.  We’re able to read the story, Joshua does obey God’s instructions and the victory is won.  Living as obedient servants of the Lord is not often tested in the areas of life where we live in agreement with God, rather it is tested when God’s instructions appear to us to make no sense.  God doesn’t look for servants who are able to explain why His Word no longer applies to us today, rather He is looking for servants that obey His Word in a way that encourages obedience from others as well.
• In addition to being a Believing and Obedient servant, a servant of the Lord also Leads.  Joshua was called to be strong and courageous, to be bold, in order to lead the people of Israel under God’s command.  A godly leader is bold because they recognize that the leader they are following is God.  While we all have unique gifts, callings, and responsibilities, we all have the ability to lead by our example.  I love what I consider God’s summary of Joshua’s leadership.  At the end of the book of Joshua, it says that all of Israel followed the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and throughout the lifetime of the elders who outlived him and had experienced all that God had done for Israel during Joshua’s lifetime.  When you think about being a bold servant of the Lord, are there people around you that you are leading to a closer relationship with God by your words and actions?  A bold servant of the Lord is always leading people into relationship with God rather than leading people to himself.
• Finally, a BOLD servant of the Lord is Deliberate.  As I mentioned this morning, this is difficult for me.  I tend to have a personality that mostly floats, or “goes with the flow”.  Not that I, or you if you are like this also, have to give up my personality, but I do have to be deliberate about serving God by serving others with what He has given me.  I look at it this way; in many ways my writing has been the result of my simply going with the flow.  I didn’t set out to write, let alone have a plan to write prayer-based devotional books, but once the flow has taken me in that direction, I have become deliberate in finding ways to use the writings and books to serve and encourage others.  Joshua was not only deliberate in his pursuit of living as a servant of the Lord, he called others to make a deliberate choice regarding who they would serve.  I pray that you and I would always be able to be deliberate about choosing to serve God and that our life would always echo the words of Joshua, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Today’s photo was taken a couple days ago along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.  When I look at it, I first see the tree standing alone in the sand along the waterfront.  I think of the shifting sand along dunes that seems to be in constant motion yet in the midst of all the change and uncertainty, here is a tree that has taken a stand — perhaps a bold stand — and remains firmly planted by a stream (lake) of water.  In seasons other than winter, it continues to provide welcomed shade and relief for many a beach-goer.

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

• When one part of the family (body) suffers they all suffer — I think I’ve read that somewhere. 
• Preparation allows God to share through you what He has put in you even when you wonder if you’re ready.
• It seems everyone wants to be number one, or the greatest.  I have news that shouldn’t be too much of secret, whoever wants to be great must become servant of all — I think I’ve read that one somewhere also. 
• Being a bold servant requires that we Believe God can and will do what He says.
• Being a bold servant requires that we Obey God in everything that He has said.
• Being a bold servant requires the we Lead people to a closer relationship with God by our words and actions.
• Being a bold servant requires that we are Deliberate about using every aspect of God’s gifting in our life to serve others.
• God’s desire is that each of us would flourish as a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in due season.  Is your life bearing good fruit?

After a long workday yesterday, page 35 was knocking on the door by the time I got home and began to unwind last night.  That made today’s sleeping in and the delayed start to the awake part of page 35 a true benefit of getting my work done yesterday.  When I finally woke up and got my coffee made, I headed downstairs to my desk where I spent time on social media and going through yesterday’s photos.  Throughout the morning I also spent time going over the sermon I’ll be sharing tomorrow morning in Dowagiac.  

After lunch we decided to make a quick trip to South Haven, Michigan to take some photos and see how much ice was encasing the lighthouse.  By the time we left home, the bright, sunny day had turned into a cloud-covered, gray day but that didn’t stop us from hitting the road.  When we arrived at our destination, the lighthouse was mostly clear of ice and the waves were not breaking over the pier in the dramatic fashion I had hoped for.  While not exactly what I was hoping for, there were still photo opportunities to be found.  Today’s photo is one of those opportunities as I looked down the pier toward the lighthouse and could see a glimmer of color on the far horizon as the sun continued its drop behind the clouds.  While the ice had mostly melted off of the lighthouse, the pier itself was still covered with a thick layer of ice.  Fortunately, most of it was either rough or slushy enough to keep the walk out to the end of the pier from being too treacherous.  There are times when the waves break over the pier to the extent that you would not be able to reach the lighthouse.  That’s when the upper part of the structure on the pier came into play in years past.  The raised “catwalk” allowed the lightkeeper access to the lighthouse when the waves would have swept him off the pier.  Given that the early lighthouses were lit with oil or kerosene lamps, it was important for the keeper to be able to get to the lighthouse regardless of the weather.  

It made me think about how important it is to walk a Christian life that makes every attempt to stay above the fray.  It is far too easy to walk a lower, wider path and then question what happened when we are swept into the tumultuous waves.  In good weather the high path looks more challenging and even less safe so instead of becoming accustomed to it when things are going well, we avoid it.  Then when the storms of life come, we continue to walk in the paths we are comfortable with and instead of walking above the fray, we find ourselves swept into it.

After taking some photos, we stopped for a snack and then headed home where I spent some more time mulling over tomorrow’s sermon before beginning to write today’s page.

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

• After having worked in a setting that often required late nights followed by early mornings, I am thankful for a season of life with greater balance in that area.
• Like good chili, I believe the sermons I share improve the longer they are allowed to simmer.
• Many times it is easier for us to come up with an excuse for why we don’t do something than it is to actually do it.
• Expectations can have a great ability to drive us forward, but when not met, they can be a major hindrance to our appreciating what we have.
• It is easier to learn to walk the “high road” when the weather of life is calm than when it is stormy.
• When the storms of life come, we will most likely be found walking the path that we are accustomed to.
• If ever there was a time when God’s people need to learn to walk and live above the fray of this world, it is now.