Page 194 has been a long day with over 12 hours at work without even taking a lunch break.  I began the day checking messages and going through more of the comments about my niece on social media as I continue to pray about what God would have me to share during her funeral service.  Most of the day could best be described as multi-tasking.  Several of the classroom floors in the building were ready to put down finish so I began the process of applying four layers of finish throughout the day.  Each layer gets mopped on and then needs to dry for an hour before the next coat can be applied.  By doing three different rooms, it wasn’t a long wait after finishing a coat on the last room before I could start the next coat on the first room.

As I worked,my mind was on a lot of different things that kept me praying throughout the day.  As I mopped on finish and prayed, I thought about the workshops I will lead later this month at a national student conference.  One of the workshops is about developing a lifestyle of prayer in the real world.  I’m not sure I could find a more fitting example of what the workshop will be about than my praying while laying down wax and thinking through what God would have me share at the funeral later this week.  A lifestyle of prayer in the real world means that prayer becomes a way of life no matter what you’re doing.

As I worked on the floor waxing project, I was expecting a call to confirm a time for delivery of a new playground piece for the preschool.  When I finally finished the floor work, I still hadn’t heard about the delivery.  When I checked the tracking number, it said it was out for a scheduled delivery between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM — never mind that it was currently 4:30 PM  🙂  I had enough work to do in the office that I decided I would wait until at least 5 before giving up on it coming today.  I hadn’t any more than sat down to begin writing than the semi truck pulled up with the playground climber in boxes.  As the driver backed the truck around to unload, the sky seemed to open up and poured out an immense amount of rain.  We waited out the short-lived rain before unloading the boxes just in time for another brief shower.  With the boxes wet it didn’t seem wise to leave the pieces out where someone might decide they would be easy to pick up, so I began the assembly process.  I should probably have looked in the instructions to see if they gave a time estimate for assembly, but I got it done in about two hours.  Most of the assembly went very well except for two different steps that didn’t line up easily.  With a little extra effort it all went together and since I hadn’t taken any photos during the day, a photo of the finished product on the playground becomes the photo for today’s page.

Life seems to be a lot like that climber assembly.  Some parts go smoothly and as expected, but many more have issues that require more work and effort than what we likely anticipated.  It seems like many times we are more likely to persevere and keep working at it when it’s a physical project than when it involves our relationship with God and people.  While the reward of completing a project such as putting together a play set is great, the reward that awaits us when we complete a life of faithfulness to God is beyond even our wildest imagination.  Life gets difficult.  Jesus warned us that we would have trouble in this world.  He also reminded us that He has overcome this world.

I pray that you and I would make a lifestyle of prayer a part of our daily lives.  I pray that we would run with endurance the race set before us.  I pray that we would persevere through the difficult times of life as we anticipate the reward of a life finished in Christ.

Page 193 was a Monday with some elements of routine in the midst of a lot of unknown.  I began the day with an amazement at how God is using the poem He gave me yesterday  Throughout the day, I kept reading and hearing about how the words He gave me are impacting people and expressing the things they didn’t know how to put into words.  I began the workday talking to my brother to let him know I was praying for he and his family and to see if they had any needs that I could help with.  The pain and sorrow at the loss of his daughter is widespread as her life touched a multitude of people, but no where does it cut as sharply as it does within her family.  Breanna’s life of faith gives us all reason to grieve with much hope — but still we grieve.  Details are still being finalized, but my brother wants me to have some role in helping to share God’s comfort and hope as family and friends gather later this week to celebrate and remember her life.

After talking with my brother, I settled into the routine part of the day — spending time with God to write the prayer guide for next week.  I decided to go with a focus on some characteristics of wisdom that comes from heaven as described in James.  It seems our society has become very good at promoting the gathering of information and knowledge while seeming to ignore our need for godly wisdom.  God says that the wisdom which comes down from heaven is first of all pure.  How often do we rely on human wisdom knowing full well that it lacks a purity that would lead to godly decisions.  When we lead with our own wisdom, we often find ourselves so focused on our own agenda that we keep making excuses and justifying actions that lack integrity.  We become so focused on accomplishing a course of action that we spend our time building toward our own goals without paying attention to the foundation of godly wisdom.  A house built on the sandy foundation of human wisdom is destined to crumble under our very feet.

Once the prayer guide was written, I spent some time working on the next 7-day study in the “Devotions For Those Who Serve” series.  The topic I was writing about today was serving with integrity.  When we are men and women of our word because we carefully guard the words we use, those around us come to know us as people of integrity.  Too often however, we say things and make promises that we either can’t or choose not to keep because doing so would be difficult.  The more we do that, the more our integrity slowly dissolves away until there is none left and no one believes a thing we say.

By early afternoon I needed a break from writing so I went to lunch then headed down to visit my brother’s family and my parents.  As we shared together about Breanna’s life and the impact she had packed into it, I was humbled by how full she had lived life.  Even in death, her life continues to reach out and touch multitudes.  It can do that, because while her life on this earth has ended, her life with Christ has continued in even greater glory than any of us can imagine.  She has heard those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  Enter into your Master’s happiness!”

I pray that you and I would seek the wisdom which comes from heaven in all we do.  I pray that we would live lives full of integrity by the power of God’s Spirit within us.  I pray that we would renounce our human wisdom, especially when it is in conflict with godly wisdom.  I pray that we would live life to the full each day that God gives us.

Page 191 began early as I finished out page 190 with some writing and then fired up the pellet grill at midnight.  I had been asked if I would cook some pulled pork for a small group and the timing was easiest if I started it at midnight to begin its slow 12+ hour process.  So after starting the pellet grill on its smoke setting, I put some seasoning rub on the pork and got it started as the day transitioned from one to another.  I kept an eye on it for a short time then headed to bed to get some sleep.  When I woke up in the morning, it was a little more than halfway through its cooking time and was already smelling delicious.  As I waited for Susan to get up, I spent some quiet time on the front porch in the coolness of the day.  There was a hummingbird coming and going so I got my camera out and was able to snap a few photos of it.  It wasn’t long before Susan was ready to get up and head to the zoo for our Saturday morning outing.  There was an event going on that had the parking lot and surrounding roads blocked off so we had to walk in.  As we walked across the empty parking lot, the lions were roaring a welcoming greeting and Susan was excited to hear them.

After visiting Susan’s animal friends at the zoo, we headed home for a relaxing day.  I spent some more time on the porch and then shortly before 1 in the afternoon decided the pork was ready to come off the smoker.  After taking it off the grill, I let it rest for a short while before pulling it apart and having some for lunch before sending most of it off to help feed the camp week faculty tonight. The rest of the day was spent doing some more relaxing and finished off with writing today’s page.  As I was writing this page, I could hear fireworks going off so I took a break and went back out to the porch to watch and photograph fireworks.  While they are attention-getting with their noise and bright flashes of light, to me they still can’t compare with the intricate beauty of God’s creation.  Today’s photo is a sunflower with all of its beauty and wonderful design.  

With so much of the day revolving around cooking pork, my mind turned to our need to slow down and wait upon the Lord.  The secret to good pulled pork from the smoker is to let it take its time and not try to rush it to completion.  Yes, I could turn the heat level up a notch or two and shorten the time it takes for completion but the finished product isn’t the same.  The Bible says that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  Many people pray seeking God’s will and direction, but no so many spend time asking God about His timing.  Even when we’re willing to surrender to doing things God’s way, we often want to do it according to our schedules.  We don’t think we have time to wait for God to finish His work in us, or others, before we charge off thinking we’re going to do great things in His name.  The great things that happen in His name only take place when we take the time to allow His greatness to dwell within us — and I’m talking a deep abiding dwelling within us, not some drive-by visit.  

I pray that you and I would understand the patience of God in regard to His desire that none should perish but that all would come to repentance.  I pray that we would learn to live with that same patience in our lives.  I pray that we would not only seek to do God’s will, but that we would seek to do it His way in His time.  I pray that we would rest in the Lord and allow His greatness to dwell in us through the power of His Spirit.    

Page 190 began with a brief stop in the office before heading out to finish the mowing at work.  The forecast was for a hot and humid day so my goal was to get the outside work done as early as possible.  Even with an early start, the mowing took most of the morning and the heat index rose steadily the entire time.  After mowing I got a cold Dr Pepper and spent some time working on display material and workshop prep for an upcoming conference.  One of the workshops I will lead is about developing a lifestyle of prayer in the real world.  My mowing time is both preparation and a good example of what that looks like.  Many of the daily tasks we do in life require our attention, but also contain opportunities to pray if we were to make the most of our time.  As I mow, I obviously pay attention to my surroundings and what I’m doing but that doesn’t keep my mind from thinking about situations and people and praying for them.  This morning, much of my prayers were focused on praying for a nation filled with angry people.  

As I mowed and prayed, my mind focused a lot on the instructions from the book of James that everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  It seems we have lost sight of how to do that in a culture of sound bites, video clips, and fast-paced “news” that is more concerned with being first than being right.  We are in such a hurry that we don’t actually listen for truth — we only pay attention long enough to draw a conclusion that fits our own mindset.  With the explosion of social media opportunities there is a ready audience waiting to “hear” the words we “speak”.  We don’t even have to consider who’s listening, we simply type out anything and everything that comes to mind.  It seems that a natural result of our failure to listen and our insistence on being heard, is a short fuse of anger that is always ready to explode.  The solution is to not only hear the Word of God but to do what it says.  James goes on to say that we must get rid of all moral filth and evil that is so prevalent and then cling to the only thing that can save us — God’s Word.

While it seems easy to see this when it is played out in large scale on the national scene, that only happens because it is happening on a personal level in the lives of each of us if we don’t bring it under the control of God’s Spirit.  I know because I have seen it in myself more often than I would like to admit.  There are times when I am not quick to listen.  In fact, times that I don’t listen at all because my mind is already made up.  While I’ve never been accused of speaking quickly, there are times when I have posted things on social media in the heat of emotions without giving adequate thought to what my words will sound like.  Once the lack of listening and the quick responses begin, an endless cycle is set in motion that plants the seeds of anger and then fans their flames as they grow to maturity.  The only thing that I’ve found that is able to stop this cycle is to recognize I’m in the cycle and repent of the moral filth and evil that I’ve allowed to be a part of my listening, reading, hearing, speaking, and writing.  The only way I know of to keep it from returning with even greater force is to constantly cling to the truth that is found in God’s Word.

Today’s photo is of a day lily in the rain.  I got my camera out to see if I could catch some shots of a hummingbird that had been flying around but as I made it to the porch it began to rain and the hummingbird disappeared.  As the rain fell, the beauty of the raindrops on the flowers caught my eye.  Sometimes we miss the incredible beauty of a person’s life because we were expecting something else.  In our disappointment we fail to put into practice the principle of being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. When we look through the lens of anger, we will always miss the beauty that God has created in a person who’s not really so different from us.

I pray that you and I would stop and listen.  Listen to God.  Listen to one another.  Listen to the hurting.  Listen to the lonely.  Listen to people like us.  Listen to people who are different from us.  Listen to the Spirit of God calling us to be peacemakers.  I pray that you and I would guard our words.  Guard what we say in public.  Guard what we say in private.  Guard what we post on social media.  Guard what we say to friends.  Guard what we say to enemies.  Guard what we say to strangers.  Guard what we say to ourselves.  I pray that you and I would let go of our anger.  Let go of the anger from hurt.  Let go of the anger from fear.  Let go of the anger toward others.  Let go of the anger toward God.  Let go of the anger toward one another.  Let go of the anger caused by lies.  Let go of the anger caused by misunderstanding.  Let go of the anger toward self.  I’m not saying that the hurt, the fear, the lies, the misunderstandings, and all the other sources of anger don’t need dealt with — they do.  But they need dealt with by the Word of God in love, not in anger. 

Much of page 189 was spent on my weekly prayer walk at Michiana Christian Service Camp.  I began the day by catching up on some things in the office before heading to the camp to pray.  As has been my practice this summer, I pray and photograph as I walk the property while allowing God to use the things I see and hear as prayer prompts.  The photography helps me to share my prayer walk with others, who may not be able to make it to the camp, so they can have some of the visual reminders to pray also.  Today seemed to have more than its share of focus (both in prayer and photo 🙂 ) on small things.  The photo on today’s page is one of those small things.  As I walked, these specks of yellow caught my eye.  They were so small and low to the ground that I didn’t even notice them until I was right on top of them.  If I had walked a few feet one way or the other I would have missed them entirely.  They didn’t seem to be widespread or plentiful, just a few of them in a relatively small area.  

As I stopped to photograph one of these blossoms, I thanked God for bringing me to that specific spot so He could share this beauty with me.  I also prayed for the campers on the property who may be feeling small and unnoticed.  I prayed that God would surround them, not just with the peace of His presence, but with someone who would express to them the great value they have as a creation of the almighty God.  I prayed for the many children, youth, and adults who would come to camp feeling small and insignificant, that God would use their time at the camp to reveal to them a purpose and value beyond imagination.  I prayed that each of us would notice those that society would call “the least of these”.  I prayed that my actions would be commended by Jesus as one who did for Him as I did for those who were least.

As my walk continued, I crossed paths with a snake — and no, I didn’t photograph him.  Once I noticed him I moved on as quickly as possible, not wanting to be in his presence even for the brief time it took to register what it was I was seeing.  I don’t like snakes.  I don’t care if they’re poisonous or not, harmful or harmless, I would just as soon never have to see one or be anywhere near one.  As I kept moving and my heart rate returned to normal, it didn’t take me long to wonder if I have the same aversion to the presence of sin and the evil one.  Do I want as much distance as possible between me and temptation, not even wanting to be anywhere near the seeds of sin?  Or do I play with it, trying to see how close I can get without being drawn in?  For me, if all temptation would come to me being offered by a snake, I would avoid it at all costs.  Yet the great deceiver, the serpent, satan himself is the author of all temptation and because he offers it in much more attractive packages than a snake, I find myself tempted more often than I would like to admit.

I pray that you and I would would continually grow in making prayer a priority in our life.  I pray that we would recognize and value the uniqueness of each person as one created in God’s image.  I pray that we would flee from evil each and every time that it tries to draw us into its grasp.  

Page 188 began with the early morning sound of rain as I was waking up.  By the time I headed to work, the rain had diminished to a light mist under a very gray sky.  With everything wet and the radar indicating that the rain may not be over, I decided to do my weekly prayer walk at camp another day.  I spent part of the morning doing another read-through of my latest book, looking for typos and potential changes.  After that, I copied it into a different program that usually catches some things that my standard spell check in MS Publisher doesn’t notice.  As these writing projects have continued, I tend to find fewer places where corrections are needed.  After the third time/method through the manuscript, I uploaded it to the printing company and ordered a couple dozen copies to make sure the finished product looks like I want it to before ordering the 300+ copies I need for the student conference later this month.

While I was online ordering books, I decided I ought to do inventory of my current titles and found that I was out of 3 of the 6 current titles and I only had sufficient inventory of one of the titles for the conference display.  So, in addition to the preview copies of the newest book, I ended up ordering quantities of 5 of my previous books also.  By the time I had ordered the necessary inventory of my books, the rain and mist had come to an end and the grass had dried sufficiently for me to start the mowing for the week.  The rest of the morning and most of the afternoon was spent outside mowing.  Midway through the afternoon mowing the sun came out and caused a drastic increase in temperature and humidity.  I enjoy mowing — not only because I can be outside, but it also provides a peaceful place to pray and worship.  While I still plan to head to the camp this week to pray, while I was mowing I was able to pray for the 2nd grade camp session that was wrapping up today and for the 3rd grade session that would begin this evening.

By late afternoon it was time to call it a day and get some lunch on my way home.  Once home, I sat and relaxed for a little while and then we headed down to Potato Creek to take a walk and see if the eagle would show himself.  The eagle wasn’t out when we got there so we headed out on a trail for a hike that could best be described as “Sweating with the Oldies”. 🙂  When we finished our hike, we checked back where we usually find the eagle and he still wasn’t out so we headed on home.

The photo for today’s page was taken at the end of our time at Potato Creek today.  The air was calm with hardly a ripple on the surface of the lake.  This made for a huge reflecting pool as the sun broke through the clouds and shone down upon the lake.  It reminded me of how our stillness before God prepares us to better reflect His image and His glory than we can when we are living in the turbulence of a noisy life.

I pray that you and I would make prayer and worship a priority, even in the midst of the routine tasks of life.  I pray that we would allow God’s Spirit to calm us and lead us beside still waters.  I pray that the stillness we experience with God would prepare us for the turmoil we experience in the world.

With the Fourth of July holiday weekend coming to an end, page 187 felt more like a Monday than the Tuesday that it was.  The workday tasks began by spending time with God in prayer as I sought direction and content for next week’s prayer guide.  After considering several topics that didn’t feel like the right fit for now, I settled on a prayer focus of being refreshed.  As I spent time writing the daily points and prayer ideas, I was reminded of how God uses His Word, His Spirit, and His people to refresh His children when they become weary.  Writing the prayer guide took most of the morning today between listening for the topic and then writing the daily points.  

When the prayer guide was complete, I continued in the writing mode I found myself in and settled in to do some more writing in the next Impact Prayer Ministry book, “Almost Heaven”.  It was a good day for listening and writing as I found myself working through lunch.  By late afternoon, I typed the final words of the last day’s devotional thoughts on the page to finish the initial writing of the book.  As I’ve written in other daily pages, this book is being written to correspond with a national student conference’s theme of “Not Home Yet”.  Each day of this 31-day devotional journal will focus on an aspect of our heavenly home and how that particular characteristic can grow in our lives even as we journey toward their fulfillment.  The final topic is day 32, a bonus day that wraps up the book by having the reader consider a home filled with God’s glory.  

As I printed off the initial draft of the book to proofread and edit it, a collection of birds gathered in the trees outside my office window to sing songs of great joy.  Today’s photo on the page is one of those birds that seemed to rejoice with me at the work God is doing through the writing assignments He gives me.  With the conference set to begin July 30, I’ve been praying about a timely completion in order to have the first 300 copies of the book printed in time to put into the hands of the conference attendees.  With a normal 7 to 8 business day turnaround from order to printed book in hand, I was thrilled that God had given me the words necessary to faithfully complete His assignment in a timely fashion.  Now that the primary writing is finished, my focus can turn to the editing and completion of the book as well as more deliberate times of prayer and listening regarding the two workshops I will teach at the conference.  As I reflect on the prayer guide written for next week and the completed writing of this next book, there is something refreshing about this process of listening and writing out of obedience as I trust God to used the finish product for His purposes and His glory.

I pray that you and I would listen intently to God and follow the direction He gives us through the time we spend with Him in prayer.  I pray that our faithfulness would produce a peace within us that comes from trusting God to accomplish His purposes through our obedience.  I pray that the incredible work of God would give us reason to rejoice.  I pray that our efforts to live in obedience to God would produce fruit that accomplishes the will of God and brings glory to Him.