Prayer

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2016: Page 51

Technically, page 51 started last night with the final hour of cleaning the building for the weekend from midnight until 1 AM.  That led to sleeping in this morning and a delayed official start to the day.  When I finally got up, the wind had subsided a great deal from yesterday’s force and the temperature was very pleasant with bright sunny skies.  With my wife insisting we find something to do so the day didn’t get wasted sitting in front of a computer with no real accomplishment, I decided it was time for a road trip to the lake.  After all, the sun was out, what could be better than a day at the beach . . . in February . . . in Michigan?  

So, after a stop at Walmart to check on some photo art that I ordered for the CCCA conference drawing, we headed out in search of Lake Michigan lighthouses.  My plan was to drive north to Ludington State Park to see the Big Sable Point lighthouse and then work our way back toward home, stopping at an assortment of lighthouses that we had not visited yet.  The 3-hour trip to Ludington took a little longer due to a lunch stop in Holland at Five Guys.  The drive north was beautiful with mostly clear skies and a few puffy clouds.  What I thought was about a mile hike out to the lighthouse at Ludington State Park ended up being a little over 4 miles round trip.  We had taken Susan’s all-terrain wheelchair to make this possible, but I hadn’t anticipated spending that much time at one location.  It was fun and very much worth doing, but it meant there would be fewer stops on the way back home before it got dark.  The lighthouse on Ludington pier was right on the way so we were able to see it as well as what passed as a lighthouse at the Pentwater pier.  We arrived at the Little Sable Point lighthouse just before sunset and it was a beautiful end to the lighthouses for the day before making the long journey home.

While I love visiting lighthouses, and often think a well located lighthouse would make a great prayer center, I realize that they were built where they are at for a purpose.  As I thought about the various types of structures we saw today at their different locations, it was obvious that each one was meant to provide direction to those on the water.  Jesus said that we are to let our light shine in such a way that people see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven.  To be effective, the light of Jesus in us must be visible by the way we live, the things we say, and the things we do.  But not just visible, visible in a way that directs people to God rather than to us.  We’ve found a safe harbor through our relationship with Jesus and our light ought to be directing people to that same safety.

I pray that you and I would consistently use God’s Word as the light that leads us in the proper direction.  I pray that we would heed the warnings that our time with God in His Word and in prayer give regarding paths that lead to danger and destruction.  I pray that the light we show to others would always be consistent with God’s Word because it is His light we are sharing. 

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2016: Page 50

Earthdate: 20160219 — These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

Hold onto your hat, Christopher Robin!  It seems we had a rather balmy “Windsday” show up on Friday!  With a strong south wind blowing all day, the temperature rose to sixty degrees and the snow cover disappeared from the ground.  

I arrived at work at my usual 6 AM to find that someone had done at least part of the cleaning last night.  That worked out well because other areas needed extra attention to start the day as some sticky concoction had been spilled and/or trailed through the hallway.  It is always interesting how God seems to go ahead of me so that when unexpected things need extra attention, something that I had planned on needing to do doesn’t need done.  After the planned and unplanned cleaning, I spent some more time trying to figure out some network connection issues.  Fridays are generally my long day that requires both an early start and a late finish — I still have an hour or so of work to do once I finish writing this day’s page.  Fortunately, I am usually able to get away for a while at some point during the day.  As I consider how the day has gone, I am reminded of God’s Word which says that His ways are higher than my ways.  Not only are they higher, they are much better!  I pray that you and I would learn to pay attention to the ways of God in order to give him the glory and honor He is due.  I praise God that He cares for me, His child, and can arrange for others to help carry my load and/or give me the strength to carry it with His help.

Today’s “get away” was to go to the funeral visitation for a relative who slipped from this life into the next one night this week in his sleep.  I saw a lot of vaguely familiar faces but they were older versions of people that I used to know.  Many of them seemed to know who I was though, so I guess I haven’t aged a bit! 😀  When I got home from that, I finished up the initial writing for the first in a series of devotional booklets that I am working on.  The idea for these booklets came from the recent camp conference I attended as a number of camp leaders I talked with asked about devotional material for their summer staff that would be meaningful without being too complex and time-consuming.  The idea I am working on is a series of booklets that I’ve called “Devotions For Those Who Serve”.  Each booklet will cover 7 days and focus on some aspect of serving.  This first one is “Called to Serve” and is focused on the calling we have from God to serve one another.  As I searched through my photo files to find what I wanted for the cover of this booklet, I found a picture of Susan and I taken during campfire worship a number of years ago.  I’m still not 100% convinced that it is the right picture for this cover, but it is such a great picture that it is what I’m going with for now.

Called to Serve (front cover) 

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2016: Page 49

Page 49 of this year of life has been a full one.  The day started in the usual way with the cleaning and disinfecting of bathrooms and common areas at work.  I didn’t see any deer today but as I took the trash out, God had woven together quite a tapestry in the sky.  After grabbing my camera and taking some pictures of the morning beauty, I followed up with some email and phone messages from the day before.  

One of the emails and phone messages went together about a Facebook ad I was running to promote a post I had made to announce the release of my latest book, “Watch Your Mouth: Choosing Words Which Honor Christ”.  I had submitted a customer support request yesterday because the ad had used all of the funds I had budgeted for it in a very short amount of time.  This morning I had both an email and a phone message waiting for me to explain why that had happened.  As it turned out, my post was so attractive that it reached its advertising goal in less than an hour!  I sent an email reply back stating that I understood the explanation given and that their response was satisfactory to me.  A little while later I received a phone call from Facebook customer support and the lady I talked to said the ad was so well laid out that when she was looking at my account to understand the issue, she wanted to click on it!  She was impressed not only with the images I used but also the title and subject matter of the book.  I was greatly encouraged by our conversation and invited her to go ahead and click on the link, that she was just as welcome to the free Kindle book as everyone else.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to let God work the details out in situations that we don’t fully understand.  When I sent in the customer support request yesterday, I was frustrated that the ad quit running in less than an hour when other posts I had promoted had run for the full 2 or 3 days that I had scheduled.  By taking the time to listen, I realized that the response to this ad was greater in less than an hour than the other attempts had been during their entire multi-day runs.  Not only that, but God was able to encourage me through a source I hadn’t anticipated and I believe He brightened the day of a stranger through the writing assignments He has given me to do.

The work day was rounded out with overseeing some maintenance tasks being done at the building and tracking down some information about some network issues that we continue to have in the building.  When I eventually made it home, I was able to sit down and reflect on the beauty of the day God has given me.  I think the sunrise was just the warm-up to prepare me for the beauty of God’s encouragement as He gave me a glimpse of how He is using the gift of writing He has given me to share.

I pray that you and I would always be aware of God’s ability to not only use us to encourage others, but also use others to encourage us.

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2016: Page 48

Yep, it’s still winter. 🙂  More snow overnight meant there was both inside and outside work that needed done to start the day.  As I cleaned the inside of the building a couple deer walked by in the darkness along the back side of the building.  I love seeing them come by even when it is too dark to take pictures.  As the morning progressed, I finished some office work and then Susan and I went to pick up some maintenance and janitorial supplies.  When we got back, the sun had finally come out and the cardinals and squirrels were playing in the nearby trees.  As the cardinals claimed the berries on the underbrush, two squirrels made their way to the very tops of the nearby trees to enjoy the view and a snack.

As I observed the squirrels, I began to think about our culture’s obsession with climbing to the top of whatever ladder of success we can imagine.  For many, there seems to be little concern for how many people they trample and climb over as long as they reach the top first and all alone.  We grab as much of the “stuff” of life that we can carry and off we go to prove to everyone around us that we are “king, or queen, of the hill”.  Somehow we begin to believe that reaching the top all alone will bring us great joy and satisfaction.  We “squirrel away” all of the possessions that we can accumulate and try to use them to show others that we have succeeded at something.  While that may get us recognition in the society we are a part of, and unfortunately even within many ministry settings, such an attitude can take us on a path away from God that is so deceptive we don’t realize we’ve even strayed until we find our self a great distance away.

God says our path to real success is through humbling ourselves and  becoming servant to all.  While the view from the top may be alluring and seem to be the greatest of prizes, from an eternal perspective the glory we gain is short-lived at best.  My squirrel friend looked happy for a moment, but as soon as his food was gone he was back down to the ground and scrounging around for the next bit of food that must have been hidden somewhere.  It gets lonely at the top because we were never meant to be the top.  

I pray that you and I would learn contentment in serving people in the name of Jesus.  I pray that we would find joy in serving the One who is most worthy of praise and has a name higher than any other.  I pray that when we allow Jesus to lift us from the depths of sin that our gratitude would fill us with a desire to trust Him with our complete obedience.

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2016: Page 47

Page 46 ended at midnight as I left the building for the day after a board meeting and a late night of cleaning.  Page 47 began with a freezing drizzle as I headed home.  This made it appear as if my decision to work late wasn’t going to keep me from needing to go in early in the morning.  As I started to get dressed early this morning so I could go in to work and see if the sidewalks needed ice melt put down, my wonderful wife volunteered to go in early and check them so I could go back to sleep.  

My latest book came back from my proofreader yesterday, so after catching up on some sleep I made the needed corrections in the manuscript and sent the files off to the printer and Kindle publisher.  This next book is another 31-day devotional journal that focuses each day on something different the Bible says about the way we ought to choose, and use, our words.  As I finished up the details to get this book ready to go live on Amazon, I marveled at the writing journey God has been taking me on as this makes book six in just under two years time!  Even in the midst of times when it feels like I’m upside down or the world is upside down — or perhaps neither of us is right side up, God continues to use, and increase, the gifting He has placed in my life as I choose to share it.

As I was out hiking through the snow yesterday, this bird would keep catching my eye as it would grab the bottom side of the tree branches and walk around upside down as it fed off of whatever it was finding.  (And yes, the photo at the bottom of the page was taken with my feet on the ground and the camera in a normal upright position. 🙂 )  There have been many times when my world has seemed to be upside down and I’ve not always been sure why.  As I thought about this, I was reminded of the Psalm writer’s confidence that though the earth itself gives way or the mountains fall into the sea, God’s presence  would be a constant refuge and help.  God spoke through Isaiah and affirmed His commitment to an unfailing love for those who are His even if the world be turned upside down.

As I considered this bird and these scripture passages, I realized that when I focused on an upside down world my eyes were on the wrong thing.  God gives us these promises because He knows the things of this earth are not eternal.  He calls us to keep our eyes on Him rather than on the things that will eventually pass away.  When we do so, we find that He provides for us whether we are on the top side of the limb or hanging on for our life underneath.  I pray that you and I would always make the most of the opportunities that God gives us, regardless of the position we find ourselves in.  I pray that we would always keep our feet firmly planted on the foundation of God’s Word so that we can walk with confidence knowing that His foundation is the only true security that we can have. 

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2016: Page 46

Earthdate: 20160215 — These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

Some days I pray more fervently than others that the return of Jesus would be sooner rather than later.  Today is one of those days.  With several inches of snow falling overnight, the day started early to get the snow cleared from the sidewalks and entryways before anyone arrived to pack it down.  I was able to get out of the building a couple times during the day, but here it is over 14 hours since I left home this morning and I’m writing this page at work following a board meeting.

Following the outside work and an investigation of what was going on with a door that I had been left a message about, I spent time with God putting together next week’s prayer guide.  That is probably one of my favorite parts of a week is the time I spend seeking God’s face for direction in choosing a topic to have people be praying about for a week.  Today God led me to the word “instruction”.  It seems that a lot of people like the idea of giving instructions for others to follow but we’re not very fond of taking instruction from others, or even from God.  After the prayer guide was complete, I decided to follow up on an email I received last week from Hope Ministries about some food items they were in need of.  While from my perspective I can’t do a lot, God does expect me to do what I can according to His provision.  After a trip to Sam’s Club and GFS, I had an assortment of things from their list to drop off along with a couple copies of my most recent book.

Once the food was delivered I stopped back by the office to get my list and measurements so I could pick up a few things to try to improve the function of a non-working door.  As I left for lunch, I decided to make a quick trip down to Potato Creek State Park for an afternoon hike in the snow.  It is always good to be out in the stillness of nature where I am surrounded by the creation of God and am more likely to pay attention to His presence.  I always hope to see a bald eagle or two while I’m down there and be able to get some good pictures of them, but was not able to find any of them today.  I did see a few birds darting among the trees and a large flock of geese sitting on the frozen lake but the thing that most caught my eye was a clump of frozen, snow covered, dead seed heads.  I think they caught my eye because today I feel like that.  I look at them and I know they had a purpose and perhaps they even have a future purpose, but it is difficult to imagine their current purpose . . . or is it?  With the absence of the eagles as subjects, these became the focus of some of my photography today.  I marveled at their texture, their durability, and their beauty.  I zoomed in on the intricacies of their creation and was able to worship God for His attention to detail.  I watched as some birds would perch on top of them and while not appearing to get any food from them, it gave them a vantage point to scout out nearby food sources.  The more I looked, the more I came to realize that they not only had a former purpose and likely have a future purpose, they also have a current purpose.

I pray that in the times of mental, physical, and/or spiritual fatigue that you and I face, we would live for the purpose God has created us for in the here and now.  I pray that when we see people who appear to us to have no use, that we would look more closely through the eyes of God to see the purpose not only that He has created them for, but also the purpose for which He has brought them into our life.

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2016: Page 45

The day began crisp and clear with a beautiful sunrise.  With a light layer of snow arriving overnight, I was up with the sun and headed to work to clear the sidewalks before our Sunday worship gathering.  I didn’t take a camera with me as I planned on clearing the walks and coming right back home to get ready for church.  As the sun made its way up for the day I regretted not having my camera with me but I can at least share a similar scene from the early morning work a few months ago.

While the snow meant another day with some work hours, it is Sunday which means a day to worship with other believers as well as finding some time to rest.  Our Sunday School class this morning spent time in Proverbs 2 and the first part of Proverbs 3.  It made me think about wisdom and how valuable our obtaining it ought to be to us.  We have a culture that puts a great deal of emphasis on collecting knowledge, but not much of a focus on having wisdom.  I began to think about many conversations that I have been part of where there are comments made about the general lack of common sense among people today.  Wisdom from God’s perspective seems to focus on how we use the knowledge that He makes available to us.  Solomon’s writing is pleading with us to pursue wisdom with every fiber of our being.  To put whatever effort is necessary into obtaining and keeping it.  The pursuit of knowledge often puffs us up and fills us with pride.  The pursuit of wisdom brings us to a point of humility where we serve others according to their need.  Godly wisdom protects us, reveals purpose to us, and gives us a good reputation with God and man.

I pray that you and I would always choose wisdom over raw knowledge.  I pray that we would have the courage to live with the application of God’s Word as our source of true wisdom.  

The clear sky of the morning changed to clouds and more snow through the afternoon so it looks like tomorrow will be an early start to a day I had anticipated having off for the President’s Day holiday.  Fortunately, the forecast makes it appear that there will be a break from the snow after tomorrow with projected temperatures near 50 degrees by Friday!  As I write these pages each day, I’m reminded of the words of David as he writes about God knitting us together in the womb.  In that context Psalm 139:16 reads, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  I pray that these pages in “Tom’s Book of 2016” reflect what God has already written in His book about me.

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2016: Page 44

Earthdate: 20160213 — These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

After a late night at work, today was a day to sleep in.  I eventually made it up for the day and after my morning coffee and some time on the computer, I made it outside to clear the snow from the driveway at home.  The wind was blowing at a pretty brisk rate so using the snow blower may have cleared the drive but it covered me from head to toe with the icy snow.  Although the snow would continue to fall much of the day, it didn’t end up amounting to much additional accumulation for the day.  After lunch with the family it was time to head back to work and take care of the sidewalks and entryways so they were clear for a Valentine’s dinner at church tonight and would hopefully be in good shape for Sunday morning.

Overall, it has been a mild winter — at least as far as snow removal needs go.  While there is something beautiful about fresh snowfall and the crisp clean lines of cleared sidewalks, after a couple of hours out working in it I begin to think of spring.  It was interesting when I got up this morning that the photo I’m using on this day’s page was a “memories” reminder from Facebook that I had posted on this date last year.  I guess it may be normal that by mid-February I am tired of winter and looking forward to spring.  Winter seems to be hard on me both physically and emotionally.  It is difficult to plan for a day off because I’m responsible for the snow and about the time I work late one day so I won’t have to go in early the next, it snows overnight and I still have to go in.  So I find myself looking back at times and realizing I’ve gone in to work for some amount of time for 15 straight days, or 20 straight days, or even at one point 30 straight days.  While I know it is temporary and I at least have the flexibility now of adjusting my work times based on the need, it is tough on a mind like mine to spend a season without a known schedule.  

It is out of this mindset that some frustration from yesterday began weighing me down.  A recurring issue that doesn’t seem like it should be a big deal.  Yet for years now every time I think everyone finally understands and is willing to comply with what needs done, I find that not everyone is of the same understanding or willingness to comply.  As I thought about that, and as the frustration built, I thought about how often God must look at the actions of those of us who  have agreed to live for Him and wonder what happened that we are doing something that He was sure we had an understanding between us that it was inappropriate.  Perhaps we excuse our disobedience with the justification that “it’s just this once.”  Or maybe we say, “it’s not that big of a deal.”  Maybe we even rationalize  and tell ourselves, “that’s not really what he meant.”  Or we try to take the high road with the explanation, “I’m doing it to help others.”   We become so good at coming up with reasons that we convince our self that we are right and anyone, even God, who says otherwise just doesn’t understand.  Unfortunately, none of those statements hold up to scrutiny for those seeking to be Christ-like.  Not only is obedience commanded, it was lived by Jesus.  The writer of Hebrews tells us that although he was the son, Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered.  Jesus taught that no student will be above his teacher.  We too must learn obedience even through the things we suffer and I believe we will fail at teaching others to be obedient until we have learned to live it ourselves.

I pray that you and I are good students of our teacher, Jesus.  I pray that our desire to become like Him drives us to become the obedient children that He calls us to be.  I pray that the obedience we exhibit on a daily basis makes us credible as we teach others.

Think Spring