Prayer

by

2016: Page 75

As I continue to view each day as a page in my life waiting to be written, I come to page 75 today.  The overnight hours leading up to the start of the day were rather restless.  I’m not sure why, but I just couldn’t stay asleep.  By the time I finally felt comfortable and thought I might be able to get some sleep with nothing aching or bothering me, it was time to get up and head to work.  As I did my morning cleaning work, I reached a point when I realized the building was remaining quiet well beyond the usual time of people arriving.  As I got ready to take out the trash, I stopped and checked the “closings/delays” listing on the local news channel website.  As I scroll down through the page, I see that the school is on a two-hour delay so I guess my early start to the day wasn’t all that necessary.

Anyhow, the cleaning was done and the building was quiet so it was time to work on the missions accounting and correspondence for the church.  It is always a joy to go through the reports and correspondence from the missions we help support.  It is an encouragement to know that we are a part of the greater work being done for the kingdom worldwide.  In addition to the missions committee work, I did some supply inventory and ordering as well as some computer research for the church.  As I start feeling hungry, I realize it is already after two and my early start to the day has turned into a long day without lunch.  As I pack up my things and head home, it is hard to tell if the cloud cover is trying to leave the sky or overtake it.

After I got home, it became apparent that the clouds were leaving rather than coming so we headed down to Potato Creek for a family hike on the trails.  As I thought about the unknown sky, it reminded me of how life often goes.  Many days it is difficult at first glance to tell if the clouds in my life are increasing or decreasing.  It often takes a “wider lens” view to have the perspective needed to view each day accurately.  Just as the day’s weather often changes looks, the atmosphere of our life can be just as deceiving if we judge what the day will become based on a 5-second look.  When I was uncertain about whether the clouds were coming or going, I was very tempted to sit at home and probably accomplish very little.  By taking the time to gain proper perspective, I was able to enjoy a view at Potato Creek that I never get tired of.  When uncertainty fills my spirit, it is through time with God in prayer and His Word that I regain His perspective and enjoy a view of life that never grows old.

I pray that you and I would always seek to view our circumstances and experiences through the eternal perspective that comes through a relationship with Jesus.  I pray that we would not get so wrapped up with the momentary here and now that we miss the peace and joy that God wants to fill us with through His Spirit.  I pray that my life would constantly reflect the beauty of Christ as I allow Him to fill me with a purpose that is well beyond myself.

DSC_0056.jpg

by

2016: Page 74

Page 74 happens to be the first Monday since the weekend time change so it felt like I was heading into work even earlier than what I’ve gotten used to.  Now it was back to doing my morning cleaning and building prep routine without any light coming through the windows.  By the time school was ready to begin for the day and I was taking the trash out, the cardinals were singing their morning songs but dawn had not arrived yet.  Once the building was ready I settled into my Monday morning routine of spending time with God putting together the prayer guide for the following week.  Once the prayer guide was finished I worked on more of the daily devotions for the “Devotions For Those Who Serve” series I am writing.  The work day was rounded out with a lunch meeting and some follow-up to some ongoing maintenance projects

By late afternoon, the sky was still overcast but I decided to head down to Potato Creek to do some hiking and photographing as I spend time with God surrounded by the beauty of His creation.  When I got there I was told I had just missed the eagle.  That is always a little disappointing to hear, but there is always beauty to be found with or without the eagles.  I did about 3 miles and 40 photos before calling it a day at the park and heading home where I pulled out the wood pellet grill and made bacon cheeseburgers for supper.  The hour of darkness I worked in this morning was now an extra hour of daylight after we finished eating so we headed to downtown Mishawaka for a family walk along the river.  Here I did about 3 miles and 48 photos to wrap up the day.

I love digital photography because it helps me capture and share the beauty that God surrounds us with.  When I return from an outing and find I have 40, 50, 100, even several hundred photos, I realize quickly that this wouldn’t likely happen if I had to use a film camera and develop all the photos just to see what they looked like.  I know there are people who use the technology of digital photography for evil and sinful things — but that doesn’t make the tool evil.  The same can be said for much of the technology that exists today.  I hear people all the time talk about the evil of social media, of video games, of the internet in general, and of pretty much any form of technology you want to talk about.  Yet all of them are simply tools — granted there are some pretty wicked things being done with many of these technology tools, but there are also some pretty amazing ministry things being done with them.  When we see people misusing something, especially when using it in a harmful way, we often seek to ban the thing being misused rather than learn and teach how to use if correctly and effectively for God’s glory.

My prayer in all of my online and social media presence, as well as my writing and photography, is that God is honored and lifted up.  I pray that you and I would think through everything we post, share, and like online to evaluate how it reflects on our relationship with God.  I pray that we not stoop to the level of the world when it comes to the way we interact with others whether in person or online.  I pray that each day we would spend time recognizing the beauty of God which surrounds us, and that we would then find ways to share it.  As page 74 neared its end and was about to be turned, I captured a piece of that beauty and I share it here with you.

DSC_0010.jpg

by

2016: Page 73

It is my understanding that the official Daylight Savings Time “moving the clock forward an hour” took place at 2 AM this morning — which immediately became 3 AM.  My awareness of page 73 began with a not so gentle whisper coming up the stairway.  “Mom.”  “Mo-om.”  “Mommm.”  I’m not sure how many other variations were called out until I realized that I wasn’t dreaming.  As I’m not a mom, it’s a lot easier to ignore that call if I’m dreaming.  When I realize I’m awake however, I understand Susan likely had a seizure and is coming out of it in a fearful state of mind and needs help and reassurance.  As I got out of bed to help her I noticed that my clock, which I hadn’t changed the night before, said 2 AM and I thought about the hour that just passed before my eyes.  After getting her settled in our room for the rest of the night we all try to go back to sleep and I think we made it there for a while.  Later, before it was time to wake up and get ready for church, an active seizure took hold of Susan and woke us all up.  After she got through it, we all eventually got some rest and made it up for the morning worship service at church and we’ve had a pretty uneventful day until the seizures returned this evening.

It seems like the days where rest is in short supply are the days I have the greatest realization of the beauty of rest.  While I realize that the dormancy of certain plants and trees in the winter doesn’t necessarily mean nothing is going on, I enjoy the simple beauty of the winter scene of rest.  One of my favorite winter scenes at Potato Creek State Park is from a trail overlooking the lake with a small tree standing on the shoreline.  The tree has what I call character as it bends and curves and stretches this way and that.  It is in this season of rest that I notice a beauty that is usually concealed by a bushy looking growth through spring, summer, and fall.  It is in times of rest that the true beauty that God has put within us can be seen.  When the bushy growth of busyness, schedules, and keeping up appearances are all stripped away, we can rest fully in the simple beauty of God’s grace.  

It is in this season of rest that the tree actually highlights the beauty that lies beyond it.  The crystal clear water beyond the tree reflects the sun, clouds and trees surrounding the lake.  Aircraft vapor trails cross the blue sky and reflect off the water below.  It is when we are willing to step back and rest that the true beauty that lies beyond us can be seen.  As we rest in God’s grace, His love reflects off the crystal clear waters of our baptism and into our life to be seen by the people around us.  When we stand in rest, we draw the attention of people to the true beauty of God that we draw our rest from.

I pray that you and I would see beauty in the rest God calls us to.  I pray that our times of rest would be useful tools in helping people see the beauty of God from which we draw our strength.  I pray that it is always God’s beauty that we seek to make known whether we are at rest or fully engaged in the work at hand.  

DSC_0917.jpg

by

2016: Page 72

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  I’m not sure if that is the exact quote, but you get the idea.  You won’t get anywhere until you begin.  Page 72 was a day that included a lot of steps — pretty much however you want to define step. 🙂  Saturdays can be difficult days for me to get started if  I don’t have things that absolutely need to be done.  While days of rest are good, and even necessary, at least for me they only really accomplish their purpose if they are intentional days of rest.  To simply not do anything because I haven’t planned on doing anything often makes me more weary because I know what needs done and I wasn’t even intentional about actually getting rest while I wasn’t doing anything meaningful.  For many of us, the most difficult step of the day can be getting out of bed and deciding that the day will have purpose.

With an event scheduled in the building during the day, I knew that I would be here at the church late tonight finishing up cleaning and prep for Sunday.  Not only that, but somewhere between page 72 and page 73 an entire hour will come up missing!  So, knowing those things, I wanted the day to be low-key and relaxing whether it ended up being restful or not.  In the morning I spent time on the computer catching up on messages and organizing photos I had taken throughout the week.  I took a break from that to get the wood pellet grill out and got it going to see what I could do with a beef roast on it.  After about 8 hours on the low/smoke setting, I think it turned out pretty well.  Once that was going, my family and I went to pick up some groceries and then out for lunch.  MJ had a shower she was headed to in the afternoon, so Susan and I went to Potato Creek State Park where the day’s theme of “steps” really set in.  Our first stop was at the area where I often see the Bald Eagles, but no such luck this time so I got Susan’s wheelchair out and we hit the trails.  We ended up doing an almost 4 mile hike, which isn’t too bad for us if the terrain is not too wild.  We started on a trail we have done often but then connected it with a portion of trail I have hiked before, but never pushing a wheelchair.  I knew there was a section with a lot of wooden steps  to get you through a major elevation change, but I had forgotten how much elevation change takes place on the trail in addition to those steps.  I had planned it so we would be coming down the actual steps, but that really didn’t matter as I was pushing the chair up steep  hills and holding it back as we came down the other side.  We made it to the steps which overlook a swamp/wetland area and was able to sit and rest while enjoying the sounds of nature with a variety of birds and frogs joining together for a beautiful symphony.  This was at about the mid-way point and the trail back to the truck from there was more gentle in its terrain.

When I got back home, and as I’ve worked at cleaning tonight, I thought about steps.  I thought of the Proverb that says that we may plan our course but it is the Lord that directs our steps.  I’m afraid that often we lose sight of the fact that God wants to be involved in the details of our daily walk.  Even as Christians, we often think of God directing the “big picture” as we journey this earth toward heaven but we act like the choice of each step ought to be ours.  Yet God wants it to be the other way around!  We get to choose the “big picture” course when we decide if we will walk the path that leads to eternal life or the path that leads to destruction.  When we decide the course of our life is to walk with God, then our steps are to be ordered according to His Word, not according to our flesh.  It is only through complete surrender and submission to Christ that we can hope to attain to the goal of eternal life that we desire.  The individual steps are important because the more steps we take on our own, the further we find ourselves from where the steps directed by God would have taken us.  When I am out hiking, I set the course based on where I want to go and what I want to see but I find the hike is more enjoyable, and direct, if I allow the park map to direct my steps.

I pray that you and I would choose the only course that leads to eternal life.  I pray that we would accept that the only way to stay on that course is to follow the directions God has for our daily steps.  I pray that we would constantly keep the course objective in mind as we walk each day so that it would be obvious when we misstep or find ourselves on a path that leads somewhere else.  I pray that a conscious decision to allow God to direct our steps would fill us with confidence and hope, especially when the steps seem difficult and unending.

DSC_0950

by

2016: Page 71

As I write this seventy-first page of this year of my life, I’m reflecting on the day as I sit in my office at work.  It’s a Friday, so I expected a long day when I got up and it has not disappointed me in that regard.  The day started early with some building cleaning and prep work interrupted by an incredible sunrise that begged to be photographed.  Knowing it would be a long day, my plan was to head out for some time with God in the morning — perhaps even getting my kayak out for the first time this year.  As I wrapped up the work that needed done before that could happen, I got a call that a service man was on his way to work on a heating system issue I’ve been dealing with.  Resolving this issue will be a good thing so I set aside my idea for the morning and worked with the heating system and also on some writing and other tasks.

When I could finally get away from the building, I turned my planned morning alone with God into some family time as we grabbed a late lunch then took a nearly 3 mile walk along the river in Mishawaka.  When we finished our walk, I came back to the church to see what weekend cleaning I could start.  The building was still crawling with people and the sun was shining brightly and calling my name so I sent a message to MJ that I would clean later in the evening and was going to head down to Potato Creek in the meantime.  That sounded like a good plan to her so we extended our family time with another nearly 3 mile walk on the trails of the park.  As we were about to leave, an eagle came gliding in and settled in a nearby tree.  This called for a slight delay in our departure as we took some photos and a brief video clip of the eagle.  After dropping the family off at home, I returned to work to get at least half the building cleaned for the weekend.

As I cleaned and thought about the day, the picture I’ve attached to this post came to mind.  I took the photo this afternoon because I loved the reflection of the trees in the water.  As I considered the clarity of the reflection, I thought about days I have been at this same spot and the reflection wasn’t clear — or wasn’t even noticeable.  The accuracy of the reflection depends on the stillness of the water.  But it’s not just the trees I am talking about.  When God calls for us to “be still and know that He is God”, He calls us to a place of internal quietness where we can accurately reflect Him.  As a Christian, it is my responsibility to represent, and reflect, Jesus to a world that needs Him but won’t find Him until they see and hear Him in me.  If I could edit this picture and make the reflection in the water be something completely different from what is on land, everyone would know the photo wasn’t real — it would be seen as a fake.  Yet how often does our life reflect something that is completely different from the One we claim lives within us?  How often does the world look at the picture we present of God through our life and conclude there is something not right with what they are seeing?  Sometimes the problem with the picture is we’re living for self and not for God.  Those watching us see an accurate reflection, but it is a reflection of us and not of God.  Other times we are living for God but the reflection is distorted because we fail to be still and allow Him to be seen.

I pray that you and I would accurately reflect  God’s presence in us as we daily seek to be still before Him.  I pray that we would encourage one another to find ways to live life with a stillness that the world constantly tries to destroy.  I pray that our pursuit of God would be done in a way that helps others to see Him reflected in us.

DSC_0935

by

2016: Page 70

Earthdate: 20160310 — These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

Some pages of life are more difficult than others to stand tall and faithfully represent true freedom that is found in Christ.  We want freedom, but we’re not so sure we want others to have it — at least that’s the way we act.  Today began with the usual work of cleaning and building prep before spending some time catching up on missions correspondence and re-doing the Impact Prayer Ministry bulletin board at church.  As I worked on writing another week’s worth of daily devotions for the current series I am working on, I realized I was tired.  Not a sleepy-lack-of-sleep kind of tired, but a weariness of wondering about the paradox of humanity.  It was probably fitting that the focus of the daily devotions I worked at writing today was on serving with faith.

As I observe leadership at all levels including church, business, ministry, and political, I’ve reached the conclusion that despite all the anti-bullying rhetoric that is promoted in our culture, we actually like bullies as long as we’re not the one being bullied.  We use different words because we’ve made bully sound as bad as it is, but we like the take charge do whatever it takes to succeed attitude to exist in those who lead.  We want results and we’ve bought into the lie that it doesn’t matter how we get them.  We turn a blind eye to the strong-arm tactics of those who lead because we like what they offer.  By the time we realize that we too are being strong-armed, it’s too late and no one is left to object.  

This isn’t a new problem by any stretch of the imagination.  The crowds in the days of Jesus wanted to make Him king by force — not because they valued His humility and service, but because they believed He had the power to give them food, or freedom from Rome, or whatever else their minds could imagine.  If Jesus would just use His power and ability for their good.  If He would just be the ultimate bully and force submission of all the enemies of the Jewish people then the crowds would have continued to hail Him.  Instead, their shouts of “hosanna” turned to screams of “crucify Him” in just a few short days.  The crowds wanted a “bully” who would be on their side but Jesus wanted disciples who would be on His side.  In spite of the intense pressure to do otherwise, Jesus remained steadfast in His determination to “humble himself and become obedient to death — even death on a cross”.  

There are no easy answers, but the choices haven’t changed in over 2000 years.  Do we seek someone to be our “bully champion” who will get us everything we want, or do we seek a path of humble submission that calls us to serve even those we consider least?  I pray that you and I would reject the temptations to exalt those who lead by force of any kind.  I pray that we would oppose all forms of intimidation and bullying even when they are done in ways that benefit us.  I pray that we would repent of the “bullying” we have done to get our way — especially when we’ve cloaked it in the guise of doing “God’s will”.  I pray that we would not only live in the true freedom we have in Christ, but that we would not restrict the freedom in Christ that others also have.  May we truly live to serve one another in ways that consider their needs above our own.

DSCN8118

by

2016: Page 69

With yesterday’s temperature reaching 70 degrees and warm weather in the forecast, I slept in a little this morning since there was essentially no chance of needing to clear snow from the walks. 🙂  The winter weather and schedule seems to have caught up with me so the extra hour of sleep was helpful.  After getting the building cleaned for the day, I responded to phone and email messages that came in after work hours yesterday.  As I worked on that, word came that the school was having printer issues on the network.  Much of the rest of the morning was spent working on computer, printer, and network issues as they seemed to have problems communicating with each other.

The troubles seemed intent on confounding me so I went to the beginning point of the network and worked through each trouble spot in order.  By the time I got to the end where most of the problems had presented themselves, I had everything working as it should.  While my need to “have all of my ducks in a row” has frustrated people around me at times, it is an ability to see and follow a pattern that helps me figure out and resolve problems when faced with a troubleshooting situation.  God says He is not a God of chaos but a God of order.  Watching the complexities of nature continually convinces me that everything has a designer and its designer is a creative God that works in order and patterns.

Once those issues were resolved, I spent some time working at updating an Impact Prayer Ministry display with current information and needs.  This was a good task for me as it not only needed done, but it caused me to spend time reflecting on how God has worked in and through the ministry to this point.  Times of reflection are good as long as they are used in a way that reveals God’s working and presence in all things good.  When our work is done in the power and strength of God’s Spirit, it is God that should be seen clearly in any reflection of our work.  If God is not seen in our reflection, we have a serious problem with the way our life looks to the people around us.

Eventually I realized I had once again worked through lunch and needed to call it a day as far as work was concerned.  One of the hardest things for me to do is to leave a project for later when I feel I could finish before the day is over if I just keep going.  While that may be good for short term productivity, it causes more problems than is often imagined.  I had been at work long enough for one day.  It was time to practice the discipline of balance and head out to spend time with God and the evening at home with my family.  Balance is a difficult discipline to live because we daily face so many expectations that many of us are wired to try to meet.  True balance in life is found when God is first in all things and He sets the schedule and agenda for everything we do.

As I left work for the day I stopped and grabbed a sandwich to eat on my way to Potato Creek State Park where I could do some hiking as I spent time with God.  I took a variety of photos during my hike and when I returned to my truck an eagle was perched in a nearby tree.  I was able to take several photos of it before it took flight and soared off into the distance.  When I got home and went through my photos from my hike, the one I attached to this post stood out as a picture of the lessons of the day.  God had lined up these turtles with order and a beautiful symmetry.  The still water created a beautiful reflection that exposed a greater creativity of the One who made them.  As they basked in what little sun was present, they continued to maintain perfect balance on this rounded log.

I pray that you and I live life recognizing that perfect order, reflection, and balance comes from God.  I pray that we would seek God and allow Him to bring order to the chaos that life throws at us.  I pray that we would gaze intently into the perfect law of God’s Word and see His reflection in our life.  I pray that we would live with the balance that comes from doing all things in submission to the authority of God.

DSCN8097

by

2016: Page 68

It seems like some life pages have a theme woven through them.  Other pages appear to be a random collection of events — at least until you can look back on the entire story.  The practice of writing out a page for each day has at times helped me to see the bigger picture of the story.  Today’s page had its usual work tasks along with a variety of surprises.  Not bad surprises which sometimes have a way of showing up, but just unexpected things that kept me from setting cruise control for the day.  

These are usually productive surprises because they require I stay focused and pay attention rather than go through the day on automatic pilot.  After the morning cleaning and building prep, I had some good ministry discussions that had not been planned by anyone but God.  As the day went along, I continued work on the next week’s worth of daily devotions for the series I am writing.  Each devotion that I worked on focused on a different aspect of how God wants us to serve with excellence.  As I wrote questions and devotional thoughts for each day, I thought about how easy it is to coast, even as we serve, if we are not focused on serving in all ways with excellence as if we are serving God Himself — because we are!

Following a late afternoon dentist appointment I headed to the river with my family for a 3 mile walk along the beautiful riverwalk path in Mishawaka, Indiana.  In keeping with the “hidden” theme of the day, my eye and then my camera would notice things that the crowds appeared to be walking right by with no idea of what was near.  The beauty of some early crocus breaking through the ground with a vibrant yellow blossom about to open.  A dove quietly perched in a tree.  A raccoon peering out from a hollowed area of a tree.  All were reminders of God’s creativity and the beauty He surrounds us with daily if we were to pay attention.  

As I reflect on the day, I realize once again that nothing catches God by surprise.  I may experience surprises that are both good and bad, but He already knows how they can be used to benefit the kingdom and my growth.  The pleasant surprised remind me of God’s love and how He wants to bless my life in ways that allow Him to be seen more clearly.  The unpleasant surprises are reminders of God’s care as He continually carries me through the heartaches and disappointments in ways that all Him to be seen more clearly.  Either way, His goal and purpose is for me to live in such a way that people will see my good works and glorify my Father who is in heaven.  The surprises make me look to Him when my focus begins to drift away from the One who calls me to Himself as His child.

I pray that you and I pay attention to the surprises of life regardless of whether they are of a nature we like.  I pray that we would turn to God in the midst of life’s surprises so that He is seen in the way we live through them.  I pray that we would pay more attention to the lessons God desires for us to learn each day.