Page 355 began as a cold morning but the twelve degree temperature didn’t feel that cold as it was a full twenty-five degrees warmer than the negative thirteen degrees that yesterday began with.  Even with no fresh snow, the morning cleaning takes longer at this time of year as there is usually extra floor cleaning that needs done each day to take care of all the winter crud that gets tracked in.  In addition to the extended morning cleaning, I ended up with heating system issues to work on throughout the morning.  It seems like there are always adjustments and work that needs to be done to the heating and cooling system at work.  

While I would love it if the system would maintain an appropriate temperature throughout the building without the constant attention, the work required does serve as an object lesson.  For many of us, we act like our relationship with God ought to be something we can “set” and then go on with our life as usual with no further thought or attention needed from us.  Yet that’s not the way it works.  God tells us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” not because we can earn salvation with our work, but because the maintenance of our relationship with God requires effort on our part — just as a relationship with anyone would.  

In between handling the heating issues, I formatted next week’s prayer guide and finished the work to schedule it to be sent out Sunday morning.  I finished out the work day with time spent working on the Bible lesson for the elementary age class I will teach tomorrow evening.  By mid-afternoon I stopped for lunch on my way home then my family and I headed out to enjoy the late afternoon sun.  Today’s photo was taken as we began a short walk through a wooded area.  We were trying to find a good vantage point to photograph a covered bridge and this trail led to a raised platform that allowed us to look across the lake with a clear view of the bridge.  While the bridge was the destination for our photo trip, the surrounding scenery was too beautiful to ignore.  As we go through life, it is important to keep our eyes open to the things around us that God would have us to see.  Many times we become so focused on the things we view as important that we develop “tunnel vision” and fail to see beyond what we want to notice what God wants to show us.

I pray that you and I would be willing to put in the work necessary to maintaining our relationship with God.  I pray that we would find such joy through our relationship with God that we consider it a pleasure to do the work needed to help it grow.  I pray that we would spend more time considering what God would want, rather than pursuing our own desires.  I pray that we would understand God’s desire to reveal Himself to us in greater ways than our own pursuit could accomplish. 

Page 354 began early as I was supposed to meet our pest control service tech and I needed to clear snow from sidewalks for the start of the school day.  Even with the bitter cold temperature my truck started right up, although my windshield scraper had no success in removing the frost that was intent on clinging to my windows.  A negative twelve degree temperature evidently creates a special bond between the ice crystals and the glass which required running the defroster on high for a while before I could clear the windshield.  Once I could drive safely I headed into work but the pest control guy must have decided we would be closed like 95% of the area schools were.  That’s okay, because I still had walks to clear, bathrooms to clean, and floors to scrub before the delayed start to the school day.  

When it is cold enough that your eyelashes freeze to your hat as soon as you walk out the door, everything takes longer.  I don’t think I own enough clothing of increasing sizes to have put on enough layers to withstand the cold winter wind that blew through all that I had on.  Because it was light, fluffy lake effect snow, I began by using the snow shovel.  It didn’t take very long doing that before I started to sweat which ended up making it feel even colder.  So I got the snowblower out and finished up with it.  That kept me from sweating but the wind would blow the flying snow back on me, leaving me looking like a walking snowman.  The cold helped create a clarity in the sky that made the early morning moon easy to photograph.  As I cleared the snow, and became covered with the snow, the beauty that surrounded me helped make the outside work tolerable.

Once the walks were cleared and ice melt put down on some stubborn areas, I headed inside to clean.  While I try to use ice melt sparingly, it seemed like all that I had put down on the walks yesterday must have made its way inside.  It ended up being a good thing I started the day early even with a two-hour school delay as it took me most of the extra time in order to have the building ready.  Even while I was clearing snow and cleaning, I had already begun to spend time with God considering the prayer guide topic for next week.  So, by the time I was able to sit down in front of my computer it didn’t take long to come up with the topic of “Completed”.  With next week’s prayer guide filling the space between Christmas and the end of the calendar year, it seemed fitting to focus some prayer time on some things that God says we ought to complete, or have completed, in our lives.  The good news is that all of them are things that God desires to complete in us as we learn to surrender fully to Him.  After writing the prayer guide, I spent time with God working on the sermon for Christmas Sunday.  Unless God changes it between now and then, the message will continue the “Living As the Lord’s Servant” series with a look at the life of Mary whose response to the message delivered to her by an angel was simply, “I am the Lord’s servant.”

By mid-afternoon, the early morning start in the cold air caught up with me and I set aside the study and headed out for a late lunch before making my way home to rest.  The remainder of the day was spent playing some Wii games, writing today’s page, and enjoying a nice supper with my family.  Now I’ll finish up the writing and call it a day soon so I’ll be ready for tomorrow.

I pray that you and I would adhere to Christ so strongly that we would allow nothing to pull us away from our relationship with Him.  I pray that we would have wisdom in being prepared for the circumstances of life we face.  I pray that we would live life in a way that allows God to complete His work in us.  I pray that we would be drawn to worship as we consider the many wonders that God surrounds us with.  I pray that we would understand how God would have us live as His servant each day.  

Page 353 began early with the hope that waiting until this morning to clear snow was a good decision.  As I arrived at work the freshly fallen snow created a reflective surface that made it seem like it was almost daylight.  As I ran the snowblower down the sidewalks, I could tell that the layer of ice was covering the snow and it was being blown out the chute as the snowblower left a clear, bare sidewalk behind it.  That was the outcome I had hoped for, so it was appearing that success had been attained.  While success was had in keeping yesterday’s ice from freezing to the sidewalks, keeping the sidewalks cleared for the morning was another story.  As soon as the sidewalks were cleared and ready for the morning, the lake effect snow bands shifted to the east and settled over the church.  In doing so, the entire property looked like a shaken snow globe.  The beauty was breathtaking and I found myself singing the words of the old hymn, “Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”  Lake effect snow can add up fast and I found myself working from one end of the building to the other keeping the sidewalks as clear as possible.  By the time I finished the entire length of sidewalk, enough fresh snow had accumulated to need to go back over it again.  I kept at it through the first 5 minutes or so of the worship gathering then went inside to continue my morning worship with something other than “Whiter Than Snow”.  🙂  

During the worship gathering, David continued his sermon series in Luke with a message from the first part of chapter two.  As we looked at the well-known account of the birth of Jesus, we considered two questions that you may, or may not, have thought about — “Why them?” and “Why then?”.  Perhaps you have read the “Christmas Story” and thought about those questions and maybe you have not but I would guess that you have asked similar questions, “Why me?” and “Why now?”, that could be better answered with an understanding of the first two.

It shouldn’t take an intense study of scripture to see that God chooses people for a variety of tasks based on criteria which is very different from what most people use.  I suppose that because so much of my life has been spent not measuring up to the criteria others view as important, I read the story of Mary and Joseph and hear the question, “Why them?”, and immediately think, “Why not?”.  It was the people who chose Saul to be the first human king of Israel because he appeared to the people to look like a king.  Yet God looked beyond outward appearances and into the heart when He chose David to become king after Saul and established His throne through David with a promise of an heir that would reign forever.  While Mary and Joseph met the “line of David” qualification, I’m certain the “Why them?” had much more to do with the heart seen by God than the lineage seen by man.  When God gives us a task to do that seems beyond what people would trust us with, instead of asking “Why me?” we ought to worship God and thank Him for trusting us based on what He can see in our heart.  When I think of the writing assignments God has given me over the past few years, I often find myself asking “Why me?”.  I believe the answer is the same as “Why them?”, God has looked into the heart and trusts me to share the gift He has desired to give, not just to me, but to all mankind.

The second question that may come to mind when we think of the birth of Jesus is, “Why then?”.  The corresponding question we may be more likely to ask when we wonder about the timing of events in our life is, “Why now?”.  Most of us run through life full-speed ahead with little or no allowance for the Spirit of God to direct us in a way that is different from our own plans.  When our plans are disrupted for any reason, we rarely consider the purpose God may have in mind for the change.  Our “Why now?” is often worded as a complaint when we would be better served with a prayer, “Why not now?”.  The Bible makes it clear that the “now” of the birth of Jesus was at just the right time to accomplish the work God wanted done.  God’s view of history is always clear an accurate whether it is past, present, or future history.  He knows “Why now?” and often calls us to trust Hm that the “now” really is for the greater good of the kingdom, and ourselves.  

After church I headed to lunch with my family then it was back running snowblower again, this time at home.  The sun kept trying to make its way through the clouds throughout the afternoon and I contemplated going back to work to clear the walks of all the snow that had accumulated during the morning service.  Contemplated was as far as it got as the house was warm and I wasn’t all that motivated to go back out into the cold.  I will probably regret that decision when I’m having to clear them in the below zero temperatures in the morning, but it was nice to rest a bit during the afternoon/evening.

Today’s photo is one I took last week of a robin in the snow who seemed to be asking those questions we looked at today, “Why me?” and “Why now?”.  🙂

I pray that you and I would worship God in the midst of all our tasks as He reminds us of His love and care.  I pray that we would learn from the lives of the people we read about in the Bible.  I pray that the lessons we learn would be put to use in ways that benefit the people around us.  I pray that we would live with a heart and mind fully surrendered to God in a way that would make us His choice for important tasks.  I pray that we would trust God’s timing in the things He calls us to do.  I pray that our lives would reflect the sanctuary of the living God that we are called to be.

After finishing the writing part of yesterday’s page, the living part of it continued for a few more hours as I completed the cleaning that needed done before Sunday.  As I left work around 11 PM, I brushed a light layer of snow off my truck before beginning the drive home.  I wasn’t even out of the drive at work before my windshield was iced over and I couldn’t see out.  It seems that the light snowfall from earlier had changed over to light rain, only the 17 degree air temperature was freezing the rain onto whatever it landed on.  After setting long enough for the heater to warm up enough for the defrost setting to do its job, I continued my journey home.  Fortunately, the street had not been plowed yet so the ice was forming a crust over the snow rather than directly on the pavement so the drive wasn’t too bad.  After I got home I saw news reports of other roads where the snow had been cleared and the result was a sheet of ice with cars leaving the roadway.

I warmed up some chili after I got home so today’s page technically began at midnight with my finishing up yesterday’s dinner before going to bed.  The long day yesterday made it easy to sleep in late this morning.  The morning of page 352 was spent doing as much of nothing as I could imagine.  I played some video games and found out my Wii fitness age is 20 years old.  I did some online research for future photography trips of lighthouses and covered bridges.  After lunch I thought about heading out to do some hiking or shopping but when I went out to get the mail it was drizzling outside and still well below freezing.  That was all it took to convince me to stay in for the day and rest up for what will be an early day tomorrow.  My hope is that the layer of snow that covered the sidewalks when I left work last night will have kept the ice from adhering to the surface and allow for less effort in clearing them before the church gatherings tomorrow.  

Today’s photo is one I took at Potato Creek yesterday during my hike.  The fishing pier is covered in snow and the lake is covered in ice.  Even with the overcast sky, a simple beauty still exists.  I have taken pictures from this spot in a variety of seasons and weather and all of them remind me of a creative God that is not limited in any way when it comes to revealing Himself to those who would seek Him.  The Bible says we will seek Him and find Him when we seek Him with a whole heart.  Our pursuit of God will always be rewarded when we put our whole being into seeking Him.  I suspect that far too often we want a piece of God in our life but we are reluctant to allow Him to be all our life.  We try to fit Him in around the things that we make important.  Trying to fit God in will always have the same result — the things we make important continue to grow larger in our life while our relationship with God will shrink until it is non-existent.  God describes Himself as a jealous God and an all-consuming fire.  For Him to be God in our life, He must be God of all aspects of our life.  

I pray that you and I would do whatever it takes to see clearly in a world that in increasingly murky.  I pray that we would recognize and admit the areas of our blindness so that we would turn to the One who can make us see.  I pray that we would look for the beauty and creativity of God that He desires to reveal to us.  I pray that we would always seek God with a whole heart and be confident that we will find Him.  I pray that we would fully surrender to God as we serve Him.  

Page 351 begins week 51 of this page-and-photo-a-day adventure I’ve been on this year.  In many ways, it is hard to believe I’ve been writing something about my day for 351 days in a row!  And for those who have been asking and wondering, I do plan to continue the daily writing in some fashion in the coming year. 🙂  My day began early with some outside work as I did my best to scrape the packed snow and ice off the sidewalks.  Once I had done what I could on them I headed inside to clean bathrooms, floors, and hallways to get the building ready for the day.  I followed the morning cleaning with some writing, study, and working on some of the details for an upcoming conference.  By late morning, the temperature was up around twenty degrees so I headed out to clear the sidewalks along the road.  While the temperature was ten degrees warmer than yesterday, it was a gloomy day and it actually felt colder running the snowblower than it did yesterday when it was colder but the sun was shining brightly.  

Knowing the Friday night cleaning would keep me in the building late, I headed out to lunch and then down to Potato Creek to get in a waist management and mental health hike during the afternoon.  Today was the Indiana State Parks system’s one hundredth birthday so it was nice to spend part of it in one of the parks.  Today’s photo was taken during my hike as I found a tree that the beavers had chopped down.  I hiked out to this tree specifically to check on the progress as last week I had noticed the beavers were working in this area and that this tree had a notch chewed into one side.  They had kept at it since my last visit and sometime during the week brought the tree down.  As I finished my hike, I noticed one of the eagles in the tree next to the boat ramp area where I had parked.  I shot one photo of it through a small opening in the treetops then made an adjustment to my camera’s exposure setting.  When I looked back up, he was gone.  I walked down to the lake and scanned the shoreline but wasn’t able to see where he had gone.  There were several people out ice fishing on the lake so I headed out across the ice to get a better look down the inlet channel and as I did so, I could see the pair of eagles further down the tree line.  I managed a few photos of them before heading back to the truck to warm up and return to work.

After finishing part of my cleaning and floor scrubbing, I sat down in the office to start writing today’s page and drink a Dr Pepper.  Once the page is finished, I will turn my attention back to the floors and other cleaning that needs done before Sunday morning.  As I think about the day, my mind settles on the phrase “busy as a beaver”.  It’s an interesting phrase because I’ve been out several times in the past week and haven’t seen the beavers working even once.  What I have seen is evidence that they keep at their task using whatever pace suits them until it is finished.  In many ways, that is what most of my Fridays are.  I know going into them that they will be long and that there are certain things that will need to be done.  Some of those things need done before the school day begins and some of them need to be done after the building is empty for the day.  It is not exactly a fast-paced day, instead it is a day that simply  needs a level of perseverance to keep at it until the tasks are complete.  Our walk with Christ ought to be a lot like that.  It is not always the fastest that wins the race, but the winner is always one who finishes.  I believe God wants us to do our best and to do whatever is before us with some degree of efficiency.  But it is also important that we don’t rush past the people God has called us to serve as we hurry to finish our list of things that are important.  

I pray that  you and I would spend time in prayer reflecting on the past year of our life and seeking what God would lead us to in the coming year.  I pray that we would not only pay attention to the lessons that God teaches us each day, but that we would share those lessons with others for their benefit.  I pray that we would live life with perseverance as we continue our journey on this earth with an eye on our eternal reward.  I pray that we would be busy about the work of the Lord, but not so busy that we miss the people He has called us to work with. 

Page 350 began with more snow than anyone was calling for, so I got up and headed into work for a short while to make sure the walks were cleared and ready for the school day.  They were being worked on when I got there so I grabbed my shovel and helped finish clearing the exit walkways around the building.  After putting down a little ice melt on one of the problem areas, I headed home to continue my “day off”.  

I spent much of the morning going through recent photos I’ve taken and eventually settled on one that I added scripture to that I will likely have printed in some form to put in my office.  I also came across the photo that I’m using on today’s page.  While not taken today, it could have been as the sun came out brightly after the early morning snow passed through and coated everything with a fresh coat of white.  As the morning slipped away, I shoveled an area clear in front of the garage and pulled the pellet grill out to do some grilling in the mid-day sun.  The thermometer said it was only ten degrees, but the sun made it tolerable as I prepared bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  While they were on the grill cooking, I fired up the snowblower and cleared the rest of the driveway.  The wind was blowing steadily, so by the time I was done running the snowblower I looked much like a walking snowman.  

After lunch I gave some thought to going out to enjoy the sunshine by taking a walk in the freshly coated winter wonderland but with no eager takers to join me, I ended up staying inside and playing some Wii games.  The forecast is for more snow with the possibility of sleet and freezing rain mixed in for the weekend so it’s probably just as well that I rest when I can.  Winter brings with it a unique beauty but it comes with a price.  For me, the extra work and planning it takes to deal with the falling snow is worth the winter scenes that I am able to see and photograph.  

Sometimes in life it is difficult to see the beauty that exists in people because of the work needed to get to know them.  We look at people that aren’t quite like us, or very much not like us, or needy, or hurting, or lonely, or messy, or a variety of other things and all we see is the work that a relationship of any kind with them would take.  We see the things that require effort and fail to see how those very characteristics not only define a person, but adds beauty to them.  Sometimes we need a covering of “snow” in our lives to allow the ugliness that the world has created in us to be covered until a season of spring allows us to be renewed in mind, body, and spirit.  The season of rest takes work, but it is worth it when we begin to look beyond the work to notice the beauty that is being revealed.

I pray that you and I would have a flexibility of plans that allows us to live with contentment when things aren’t quite what we expected.   I pray that we would be deliberate about remembering the Word of God and its application in our life.  I pray that we would notice the beauty that surrounds us, even when the source of the beauty requires extra effort from us.  I pray that we would see the beauty of people created in God’s image, especially when noticing that beauty requires work on our part.  I pray that we would use seasons of rest to prepare us for renewal and growth.  

Page 349 has been a cold, winter day and is setting up to be a long one as I began work early in the morning and will likely clean bathrooms and floors after teaching a Wednesday evening Bible class for elementary students.  Most of the day has been rather overcast and the frigid temperatures did not make going outside very inviting.  So, instead of a late-afternoon lunch break and walk, I took a nap in my office instead.  When I woke up, the sun was shining brightly for a while but I was content to enjoy it from inside.  With just seventeen days left in the calendar year, I’ve begun to consider the year ahead and how God would have me be prepared for it.

But before the new year gets here, there is still work to do in the current year so the day began in the usual fashion with the cleaning and building prep necessary to start the day.  Once the building was ready, the day had a lot of elements of yesterday in it as I worked on tonight’s lesson, a sermon to share at the North Wayne Mennonite Church on Christmas Day, a Bible teaching on praying in the real world that I keep developing, and a sermon to share at the Deer Run Church of Christ on New Year’s Day.  As I worked on that combination, I received an email outlining the theme for next year’s National Student Conference so I began to spend some prayer time and consideration in regard to what God would have me prepare for that.  As I thought about specific ways people have encouraged me in response to different writings I have published, I began to consider how much of what I do is what God wants, how much is what I want, how much is what others want, and at what point those three areas intersect.  It seems easy to keep what I want and even what others want in front of me most of the time, but how easy is it to let what God wants slip out of my mind as the voices of others and myself drown Him out?  As I thought about that, a verse came to mind that I think I will print out in some fashion and put in a place where I would most likely see it throughout every day.  I know there are specific things that God wants and has created for each of us to do, but perhaps if I focus on doing this verse every day the rest of what He wants will be natural by-products.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8 (NIV)

In one of the brief moments of sunshine, a cardinal came by to grab some berries before disappearing into the deeper brush.  At about the same time, a red fox walked by but he was out in the woods too far to get any pictures through the twigs and branches.  It made me think about how God has created them to survive and provides them with homes that are suitable to their needs.  I couldn’t imagine being outside today dressed only in what I was wearing even a week ago, but God created them with the ability to do that and He created mankind with the ability to build shelters and means of warmth from what He provides.  The Bible talks about God putting within the heart, or mind, of man the ideas to do certain things.  There are times when we like to brag on the creative ability of mankind, but I would have to ask where that ability really comes from.  In a way, my writing is like that.  When I write, especially the poems God chooses to give me, it is always clear that what I share are words that He has put within my heart and mind for the purpose of sharing them with others.  Sometimes I have an idea of the why He gives specific words and how He will use them, but most of the time my sharing them is an act of faith because I have no idea what He will use them to accomplish or even who His intended audience is for them.

I pray that you and I would be mindful of people who may  need extra help and attention when the weather around them is less than ideal.  I pray that we would seek God for times of refreshing when we become weary.  I pray that we would spend time with God for the purpose of knowing Him so well that we would align all that we do with His will and desire.  I pray that we would commit to acting with justice each day and in every circumstance.  I pray that we would not only love receiving mercy from God, but that we would love showing mercy to others.  I pray that we would live a fully humble life as we walk with our God.  I pray that we would acknowledge God as the source for all that is good within us and around us.  I pray that we would trust Him to use all that He has put within us for His glory.

With the snow day yesterday, page 348 began with what is usually the Monday morning version of cleaning and building prep.  As I took the trash out, a light snow had begun to fall once again and continued through the school drop-off time which means the floors will be needing extra attention.  Once the building was ready for the day, I spent time formatting the prayer guide for next week and scheduling it to be sent out and posted on Sunday.  Once the email and online posting was scheduled, I turned my attention to the lesson I’ll teach to the elementary class tomorrow evening.  We will be talking about Joshua with a focus on being strong and courageous in the way we listen to and obey God.  

The rest of the workday was filled with work on a combination of the elementary Bible class lesson, two sermons, and a lesson on praying in the real world.  In between the Bible study and research, I took care of some correspondence regarding having an Impact Prayer Ministry display at the Christian Camp Leaders Conference and the National Student Conference next year.  God continues to provide opportunities that require an ever-increasing faith that He will provide the resources needed to accomplish His will in every circumstance.

By mid-afternoon it was time to call an end to the workday and get some lunch, but first I stopped to clear the morning snowfall from the walks so they would be clear for the student pick-up time at the end of the school day.  After lunch the sun was still out and shining brightly so I headed down to Potato Creek again today to get some exercise and take some photos.  There was a brisk wind blowing across the lake and ice had formed over all of the water surface except a small area that was filled with an assortment of geese and ducks taking advantage of the remaining open water.  But it was the sky that grabbed my attention the most.  The bright sun, the vibrant blue sky, and a collection of fluffy white clouds made for a scene that demanded to be photographed.  After a few landscape photos taken across the lake, I headed out on a trail to get in my waist management hike and see what the actual distance of yesterday’s hike was.  As I followed the route of yesterday’s walk, I was surprised at how quickly it seemed I reached various photo stops.  I knew that pushing Susan through the snow in her wheelchair yesterday was a lot more work than walking on my own, but I didn’t realize how much more time it had taken until I walked the same route today.  

Sometimes our perception of the difficulty of a task causes us to avoid doing the things we know we ought to.  God has given us the gift of family and of one another with the purpose that each of us would serve in ways that looks out for the needs of others above our own.  I think of so many leaders written about throughout the Bible who accomplished great and difficult things for the benefit of others, even at great cost to themselves.  They understood their life was not their own but was a gift from God that was given with the purpose of worshiping Him and serving others.  Far too often we want the easy path when God is calling us to walk a path of serving Him in the way we serve others.  My favorite Biblical account of the Christmas story is not told in the Gospels but rather by Paul as he writes to the Philippians about our need to imitate the example of Jesus, “who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross.”  The Christmas story is about God’s Son walking the difficult path of life on earth in order to serve mankind for their benefit in a way that only He could.  Perhaps you are the one God has gifted in a way that can serve a specific person according to their needs but it will take great courage and humility to do so.  

I pray that you and I would spend time with God for the purpose of being prepared to serve others.  I pray that we would make the difficult choices to live with courage as we serve others.  I pray that we would understand how Jesus would have us to learn from His example of humility and submission.  I pray that we would seek wisdom in how to serve others with the gifts God has given us.