While I’ve done well lately at keeping my work hours from consuming my life, today was a day that kind of got away from me.  I did manage to keep the workday under 12 hours, but barely.  It started out as a normal day with the usual cleaning but with the addition of a message and note that the pop machine was not working.  After taking care of a variety of tasks that needed my attention, I began to research and troubleshoot the pop machine to see if I could figure out why it was taking money but not dispensing product.  After going through all of the steps that I could manage, I called the company that has worked on it in the past and they said they would be out between 5 & 5:30.  In the meantime, I worked on some of the arrangements to have an Impact Prayer Ministry display at a national student conference this summer.  The service tech eventually came when he said he would but after all of his efforts, decided he would have to return tomorrow with a replacement part.  So, 11 1/2 hours after arriving at work I headed home.

Once home, I grilled some t-bone steaks and enjoyed a nice dinner with my family.  After dinner, it was time to sit down and reflect on the day to see what was lived, and what should be written, on page 91.  Some of these pages I know what I will write before I ever sit down to do so.  Others, I know the facts of the day but I’m not sure until the writing is well underway what the lesson of the day was that I will write about.  Today’s page came into focus when I wrote the opening sentence.  I find that when I worry excessively about the day getting away from me, it is because I lose sight of who should have control of each of my days.  

Last fall we bought a wheelchair with mountain bike wheels on it so it rolls easily over outdoor trail terrain and we can hike park trails as a family again.  Susan loves riding the trails and when we come down the hills, the faster the better.  If we’re not going fast enough, she will rock herself forward to try to help build momentum to increase the speed — or at least it is her way of telling me to go faster.  But an interesting thing happens when she is in the wheelchair and it starts to creep forward on its own.  The chair rolls so easily that yesterday while I was putting cameras away in the truck, the chair began to creep forward with her in it.  All of a sudden the joy of riding and the thrill of going fast was replaced by terror!  She was moving ever so slightly but had no idea who was in control.  Her joy and comfort all rests in a confidence of knowing her daddy is in control.  

We would do well to learn from Susan’s innocent trust.  We have reason to be filled with terror when we find ourselves drifting without giving God control of our life.  When I begin to think the day got away from me, perhaps it is because I thought it was mine to begin with.  Don’t get me wrong, sometimes the day does get away from me but usually it is because I’ve tried to live it according to my plan rather than listen to and follow God.  When I live with a confidence of God’s control, the bumps and hills and speed of life can be exiting and enjoyable.  

I pray that you and I would recognize the reasons life seems to get away from us at times.  I pray that we would listen to and trust God as we travel this trail called life.  I pray that our faith would grow as we experience the freedom of living under God’s control.  I pray that we would live a surrendered life that doesn’t try to take back control that we’ve already given to God.  I pray that we would know the joy of traveling through life with God in charge.

Page 90 was a day of contrasts.  The day began cool and dry then ended warm and wet.  The usual workday tasks were completed during the day and we managed a family hike which began under a cloud-filled sky that turned into a light rain about halfway through the walk.  Even under a gloomy sky, the sunshine yellow of the daffodils proclaimed that spring had indeed arrived!  

In addition to the regular cleaning and maintenance tasks, I walked part of the woods on the church property to see how things looked after last week’s timber harvest.  There is definitely some clean-up work to do and firewood to be cut but overall I think the thinning out of the mature trees will improve the woods in the long run.  I also helped run a fire drill for the school so they could practice being ready in case of a real emergency.

Today’s activities were a reminder of the importance of pruning and preparing.  To the untrained or untaught eye, the woods probably looked better before the timber harvesting took place.  Yet for the woods to be as healthy as possible, there needs to be a removal of trees that are no longer healthy and are keeping other trees from growing.  Pruning of any kind rarely looks pretty at the time it is done.  The longer that the pruning process is put off, the more severe the pruning work looks.  While this is true with trees and other growing plants, it is also true with the pruning God does in our life.  Many times we resist the pruning that God desires to do in our life until it becomes some drastic work that God needs to do to cut out the unhealthy habits we have allowed into our life.  When the pruning takes place, we can often be shocked at the major changes that have taken place yet we must always keep in mind that God knows what He is doing.

Not only is pruning important in our life, it is also vital that we are always prepared.  We run fire drills and storm drills on a regular basis so we become familiar with what needs to be done in an emergency.  Yet how often do we face a spiritual emergency and have absolutely no idea what to do?  When I was much, much younger, we would do “sword drills”.  At the time, I thought it was all about winning a chocolate bar for being the fastest to look up a scripture reference and read the verse out loud.  Now I realize the importance of being prepared to know how and where to find the answers for any emergency.  We prepare for the real emergencies in life by being comfortable and familiar with God’s Word.  We “practice” by using God’s Word daily in everything we do.  When we surround ourselves with the presence of God through His Word and His Spirit on a daily basis, we are prepared for anything that comes.

I pray that you and I would submit to the pruning of God on a daily basis and avoid the need for a drastic pruning later.  I pray that we would always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have in Christ.  I pray that we would spend time in God’s Word to prepare us not only for life on this earth, but more importantly for eternal life with Christ.

My day began with a heavy frost that need scraped off my windshield  before I could head in to work to start the usual morning tasks.  As I took the first round of trash out, the sun was beginning to peek through the tree line.  The moon was still visible overhead and there was a clear, crispness to the air.  The grass was covered with a heavy white frost that seemed very reluctant to melt away.  The sunrise was incredible as the beams of light cut between the trees and illuminated the frost with alternating lines of light and shadow. 

It wasn’t long before the sun reached the top of the tree line and the sunrise picture taking was over.  After I finished getting the building tasks finished for the morning, I settled down to continue writing in the “Devotions For Those Who Serve” series.  Today I finished the week of devotions on serving through friendship and began the week focused on serving with a guarded heart.  The seven devotions in the friendship booklet have probably been the most difficult for me to write so far.  My internal wiring that creates an awkward fear of people makes friendship a difficult thing for me.  There are many times that I am not even sure I know what a friend is, let alone know how to be one.  But I am able to grasp the friend I have in Jesus and this recently completed booklet focuses on serving well our of our relationship with Jesus as we use that friendship as the basis for all others.

It wasn’t long before I realized it was already mid-afternoon and my mind and body were telling me it was time call it a day as far as work goes.  I went home, loaded the kayak in the truck, and headed down to Potato Creek to rest and relax.  The air was calm and the temperature perfect as I put the kayak on the water for the first time this year.  It felt good to sit back, relax, and float on the open water.  While I didn’t see any of the eagles or make it to the osprey nests, there was plenty of wildlife and beauty to photograph.  Sometimes we go looking for reminders of God’s presence with a mind already set on what those reminders should look like.  When we do that, we often miss so many details of God’s presence around us.  While I deliberately look for the eagles each time I head to the park, I have learned to pay attention to the other details of God’s creativity whether I see the eagles or not.

When I was done on the lake I headed home to a great dinner then finished the day with a family walk along the Mishawaka RiverWalk.  It was a great ending to the day as the sun began to set while we were finishing up our walk.  More reminders of God’s creativity and more photo opportunities were plentiful.  It is not every day that I manage to catch both the sunrise and the sunset, but God is still faithful in providing one of each every day.

I pray that you and I would never become so calloused by the routines of life that we miss the beautiful creativity of God.  I pray that we would be known as God’s friend and serve others out of that friendship.  I pray that we would trust God to continue His work in us just as He continues His work in keeping the sun rising and setting each day.

Following a busy weekend, page 88 was a return to a “normal” routine — at least as much as possible.  The day began by cleaning bathrooms and floors then eventually moved into time with God putting together the prayer guide for next week.  I believe the events remembered and celebrated throughout the Easter weekend were still heavy on my mind as I settled on a topic for next week of “Examine”.  Throughout scripture we read of people who  understood that their life was an open book before God and His examination of their heart was always accurate and just.  Some were examined by God and declared to have a righteousness through faith.  Others were examined and found wanting.  God calls us to continually examine ourselves according to His Word so that we would understand our only hope of being declared righteous is to be found in Christ.  

As I was working on the prayer guide, I got a call that the parts had arrived to replace a leaking heating system component that has been down for a couple of weeks.  The leak had been present to one degree or another all winter but had been impossible to track down until a few weeks ago when it became steady enough that caused a puddle on the floor underneath it and when I lifted the ceiling tiles I could see the steady drip of water.  I had our heating and air contractor working on it but I needed to be at the building throughout the day to access the system controls and provide the service tech the access needed.  It was a cool, rainy day so I used my extra “building time” to continue work on some of my writing projects.

As I worked throughout the day, I would hear the call of a blue jay and occasionally catch a glimpse of it darting from one tree to another.  By the time I would get my camera out and try to get a picture, it would move into the underbrush where it would stay hidden for a time.  I eventually caught it perched behind some light brush and managed to take a picture before it once again flew off.  It seems that there are two primary keys to my taking bird photos that I like.  One key element is to always be ready.  To not only have a camera with me, but to have it out of the bag and nearby where I can grab it quickly.  The other key is to examine everything.  I often wonder when I’m out hiking just how many people walk by the eagles and osprey without even noticing they are perched nearby.  Many of my best shots are the result of closely examining the source of a sound that catches my ear or a movement that catches my eye.  

As I thought about all of these events from the day, I noticed a thread of examination woven throughout each.  The prayer guide had an obvious thread of examination throughout it as that is its focus.  The heating system leak involved a repeated process of examination to eventually discover the source of the leak and know where the repair work was needed.  My blue jay photo was the result of examining the source of the sound and movement that caught my attention throughout the day.  All of this made me wonder if I pay enough attention to the spiritual examination that is constantly needed in my life.  Am I seeking God’s examination, and the results of it, to shape my daily walk?  Do I pay close attention to the sounds and movement of God’s Spirit in my life so that I can accurately examine the lessons God wants me to learn?

I pray that you and I would welcome God’s examination of us and that we would accurately examine ourselves as necessary.  I pray that we would notice the gentle nudging of God’s Spirit that seeks to get our attention focused on His will for us.  

Page 86 followed a late night of work so it was an opportunity to sleep in a bit and have a relaxing start to the day.  Once we were all up, we ran some errands together as a family and then got ready to head to Hammond, Indiana for a birthday open house for one of MJ’s cousins.  While the birthday celebration gave MJ a chance to visit with some of her Neyhart cousins that we don’t see often, we were more focused on helping Gene spend some time with his two remaining brothers.  On the way up to Hammond, we stopped at the Indiana Dunes State Park and the Lake Michigan National Lakeshore park to take some pictures as well as at Bass Pro Shop and Cabela’s to sight-see in a different way.  🙂  

As I thought about the day, I thought about the picture I attached to this post of a tree on the beach standing tall.  I thought about the wall of photos at the Hessville Christian Church where the birthday celebration was held today — photos representing those who were sent out from the church to stand tall in full-time ministry.  I thought about the prayer offered by the son of the 70 year old “birthday boy” thanking God for a dad who stood tall and set the moral direction for the family.  I thought about my father-in-law and his two brothers that sat at our table this afternoon — how they’ve stood tall in faith and family. 

As I thought about each of these “snapshots”, and so many more, I was reminded of the strength of character and endurance necessary to stand tall in this life.  From there, my mind wandered to the love required for Jesus to stand tall and endure the mistreatment, the mocking, the complete disgrace and dis-figuration that was a part of the path to the cross.  Sometimes standing tall means standing our ground, but more often it means laying down on our cross and surrendering our will to the will of our Father.  As we seek to stand tall in meaningful ways, we must find ourselves hidden in Christ and filled with His Spirit.  We must be willing to be bent and shaped by His wind and waves in our life as we’re molded by His hand.  

I pray that you and I would be “pliable putty” in the hands of God.  I pray that our desire to stand tall is not about our posture but about our being found in Christ.  I pray that as we allow Christ to shape us, we would be the representatives of Jesus to our families, our neighbors, our communities, and our world that God desires for us to be.  I pray that our standing tall in this world would begin with the foundation of being found on our knees in prayer.

Earthdate: 20160325 — These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

Page 85 is a Friday, but it is Good Friday so it was able to become a family day for the most part.  We were all able to sleep in and start catching up on some of the rest we missed out on through the week.  Once we were up and I had finished my coffee, we went out to eat and then headed down to Potato Creek for a 5.66 mile hike.  It was fairly cloudy and overcast when we began, but the clouds began to break apart and it was soon mostly sunny with puffy white clouds dotting a beautiful blue sky.  About a mile into our walk, we passed one of the osprey nests where a pair of osprey were defending their territory against those who were wanting to move in.  It was beautiful to watch them soar overhead and then eventually see one dive into the lake and come up with a fish.

After the hike, we headed home to get ready for the Good Friday service at church.  I headed to the church early to do some cleaning touch-ups at the building and spend time with God going over a communion meditation I would share at the service.  When I got to the building, the touch-ups I had planned on doing had already been completed by my coworkers so I spent the whole time focused on what I would share later.  As I prayed about this throughout the week, I had already settled on John 6 where Jesus tells the crowd that it is by eating His flesh and drinking His blood that they will have eternal life.  This was a teaching so difficult that many quit following Him from then on.  Part of the difficulty was that this teaching followed soon after the feeding of the 5000 and many of the crowd only wanted Jesus to supply more bread to fill their stomachs.  

But it was also a difficult teaching because it called for the eating and drinking of flesh and blood — something that sounds repulsive to us even today, at least without the explanation Jesus gives as He shares His final Passover meal with His disciples.  Every time I join with other believers in taking communion, my mind paints a picture of the broken body of Jesus hanging on a cross with His blood being poured out and I get a cold shiver running up and down my spine.  My mind doesn’t dwell there forever though, because Jesus said this was to be a reminder that proclaims His death until He comes.  When you add the “until He comes” part in, it becomes a proclamation not only of His death but also of His burial, resurrection, ascension, and His promised return!  That is what turns that cold shiver into a warm presence of God’s Spirit within us.  

After the Good Friday service, I began working on my Friday night cleaning to get the building ready for Sunday.  With the touch-ups that were done before the service, there isn’t quite as much to do but I still find myself waiting on the floor scrubber to recharge so I come to the office and write today’s page while I wait.  Waiting always reminds me of the verse in Isaiah where we’re told that those who wait on the Lord will rise up on wings like eagles.  While I didn’t see any eagles today, the osprey have a similar flight.  They seem to have a patience about them that waits on the wind and what we know as thermal updrafts so they can soar high above with what appears to be little effort.  I think that is at least part of what God is talking about.  When we have the patience to wait upon the “wind” and “thermal updrafts” of the Holy Spirit, we too can soar high with little effort as we submit ourselves to being carried along in the will of God.

I pray that you and I would understand the life that we gain as we eat and drink the flesh and blood of Jesus.  I pray that we would wait upon the Lord for His renewal in our life so that we would soar on the winds of the Spirit.  I pray that we would live a life that proclaims the Lord’s death until He comes. 

Sometimes I think it takes MJ and I longer to recover from Susan’s rough nights than it does for her.  Page 84 was going to be a day to catch up from some long days and short nights but that didn’t take place as I had to eat some German Chocolate cake, so to speak — more about that later. 🙂  The day began early with the regular cleaning and prep work for the day.   I found out mid-day yesterday that I would have 30 students helping me this morning to serve and be a blessing to me and the church.  With rain in the forecast for all day, that meant I was scrambling to find indoor things for them to do that would not be disruptive to the other 20 students and the 30 preschoolers who would still be having classes.  I did manage to find enough supplies to keep them busy wiping down walls and baseboards with damp cloths for most of the time allotted.  

As the students went back to class and I spent the rest of the morning cleaning up after them, I thought about the German Chocolate cake I would eat each year for my birthday when I was young.  My older brother loves German Chocolate cake and, from what I’m told, my mom makes one of the best.  I say “from what I’m told” because I don’t like German Chocolate cake.  Yet because it became the traditional family birthday cake, every year I would eat as small a piece as possible accompanied by as much ice cream as possible.  I knew mom had spent a lot of time and effort in making it — there were no box mixes of any kind in the house when I grew up.  I knew better than to complain about the cake, or any of the food mom made for us each day.  In just trying to figure out life I knew I did enough things to disappoint my mom that I couldn’t imagine doing so intentionally.  She wanted to bless me with a birthday cake, the least I could do was to bless her by eating it.

All of this made me think about they ways I try to bless others.  Do I try to be a blessing according to my need or in ways that benefit those I wish to bless?  How do I know the difference?  How do I know what others would consider to be a blessing to them?  Each of us have people in our life that when special occasions roll around we know exactly what to give them.  Yet there are others in our life that if we wanted to give them something meaningful we would have no idea what it would be.  The difference is usually related to how much time we spend listening and observing compared to talking and doing.  The Bible says we should speak to people in ways that benefit them “according to their needs” which may be different from ours.  We have a responsibility to serve others in ways that consider their needs above our own.  

Whether recognized or not, the greatest need any of us have is the need for a growing relationship with Jesus.  It is this need that should determine not only how we serve and bless others, but how we respond to the serving and blessing that is done by others.  While we would like others to understand our needs, we must realize that won’t always happen anymore than we will always understand the needs of others.  Sometimes they just aren’t paying attention and sometimes we don’t know how to communicate what our needs really are.  Sometimes we just have to eat cake so that we are a blessing to those serving it even when it is not what we really wanted.  While that may be difficult, it is a sign of growth and maturity. One of the things I like most about spring is the visible signs of growth that appear all through creation.  As I’m out hiking this time of year, the flowers begin to appear and the trees begin to bud and leaf out.  The signs of growth are hard to miss.  I wonder if the signs of growth in your life and mine are just as obvious.

I pray that you and I would truly be a blessing to others according to their needs.  I pray that we would take the time to understand the needs of others and what things would be a true blessing to them.  I pray that we would value the attempts of others to serve and bless us.  I pray that we would not be guilty of robbing others of a blessing that we are able to facilitate.  I pray that our growth in Christ would be visible to those who are watching us.