Page 278 was a good day with a decent balance of work and family time.  I did my early morning cleaning and as I stopped by my office for a cup of coffee, there were two deer standing outside my office window.  I got a camera out but it was too dark outside to get a usable picture through the window.  We watched each other for a moment then we each went our own way to finish our morning routines.  They went back to work trimming the brush along the edge of the woods and I went back to the cleaning and building prep work for the day.  Once the building was ready, I spent the rest of the workday on a variety of writing and lesson prep tasks.  

By mid-afternoon my workday was finished and I headed home.  It was a beautiful fall day so we threw our cameras in the truck and headed to Elkhart to do some walking and picture taking at a new location for us.  When I have time, I look for area locations that might have some good photo opportunities and one of the ones that came up in my search was the Wellfield Botanical Gardens in Elkhart, Indiana.  Tuesdays are free admission days at the gardens so it was a good day to check it out.  It turned out to be a beautiful location with work currently going on that should add even more beauty.  Even in a fall season where many of the flowering plants are done for the season and others are beyond their peak, there were plenty of good photos waiting to be taken.  The paths throughout the gardens were all hard-surface so it was easy to get through it with Susan in her wheelchair.  When we finished there, we headed over to Mishawaka primarily to walk the riverwalk but managed a few photos there as well. 🙂

Today’s photo comes from the botanical gardens where these wild flowers were blowing in the wind almost begging to be photographed.  They were moving around so much that it was quite a task to keep them in focus, and in the viewfinder, long enough to snap the photo.  It only took three or four tries but I did manage to get the picture I wanted.  I usually see a photo I want to take before I even think about shooting it.  Sometimes I get what I’m after on the first shot.  Other times, it takes numerous attempts to get the right angle, right lighting, right content, and right whatever else there is that could go wrong.  And then there are the times when I give up — I either miss the opportunity or I get tired of trying.  Life is a lot like that, isn’t it?  When we spend time with God we begin to see and visualize the good He has for us.  Sometimes it is so clear and so easy that it seem like we just walk into it and it is ours.  Other times it is a struggle where it feels like we are battling against everything that could go wrong but we keep at it until we are eventually rewarded with what we are pursuing.  Yet there are also those times when we give up.  We’ve attempted to reach the goodness God has for us for so long that we become weary and conclude it isn’t possible and wasn’t meant for us.  Sometimes we have a glimpse of the good God wants to share with us but we wait for so long that we miss the current opportunity and we wonder if another opportunity will ever come our way.

I pray that you and I would be diligent about the work God has called us to.  I pray that we would find the appropriate balance between providing for our family and being with our family.  I pray that we would be aware of the many reminders of His beauty that God surrounds us with on a daily basis.  I pray that we would spend time with God, watching and waiting for the good that He desires to share with us.  I pray that we would rejoice when the good things from God are easily obtainable.  I pray that we would persevere when those good things take multiple attempts and effort to bring them into our life.  I pray that we would seek refuge in God when an opportunity slips by us or we become to weary to continue pursuing it.

Page 276 was filled with the usual variety of Monday tasks as well as a few extras.  It was up early and in to work to get the building cleaned and ready for the school day.  Once the building was ready and the students began arriving, I took care of some messages and correspondence then settled in to spend time with God as we put together the prayer guide for next week.  After considering several options, I settled on the topic of prosperity.  As I wrote in the prayer guide introduction, I know Christians who believe God wants every believer to live in financial prosperity and the only reason we don’t is our lack of faith.  I also know Christians who basically take a vow of poverty and believe Christians should not accumulate any material possessions.  The fascinating part is that you can find examples on either end of the spectrum in the Bible among individuals who followed God.  So, the prayer guide will take a different approach to prosperity than what the world typically would.  Each day next week will focus on something the Bible says will lead us to prosper — but prosper according to God’s definition and eternal perspective, not necessarily our definition.

As I was working on the prayer guide, a box of booklets was delivered by UPS.  This was a collaborative effort as Mary Jane put some early childhood activities on each page of the booklet to go along with the animal alphabet poem I had written.  I had the completed booklet professionally printed in order to give the preschool students something special that they can enjoy as they learn.  While the work and purpose of this edition is “in house” to provide a resource for the preschool Mary Jane directs, I have considered finding an illustrator to make the booklet into an illustrated children’s book.  Today’s photo is of the front and back of two of the booklets showing the cover spread using a photo I took at the zoo.  I think it is a fun little poem and I pray that the students who use these booklets will be encouraged to have fun as they learn.  I’m not sure what, if anything more, God wants to do with this booklet but I am thankful that He continues to trust me with writing assignments even when I don’t understand why I am writing them.

Once the prayer guide was finally finished for next week and sent to the church office so they have it for the bulletin, I spent some time going through the lesson material for my 1st through 3rd grade Wednesday evening Bible class.  I like to go through it multiple times leading up to the class so I’m familiar with it and can be prepared with any extra resources that would help teach the lesson.  When I was in children’s and youth ministry, one of the most difficult things to do was to get my volunteer teachers to look through the provided material ahead of time.  Now I try to be the volunteer that I wanted others to be. 🙂

As the morning slipped away, I had some cleaning supplies that I needed to pick up before tomorrow so I put away my lesson material and prepared to go get the things I needed.  I asked Susan if she wanted to go with me and probably because it was nearing lunch time, she said yes.  We ran all of our errands and picked up the necessary supplies before stopping for lunch.  It is such a blessing that I have a job where I can spend time with my daughter and take her with me from time to time when I need to get supplies.  

After the workday was done, it was time to head home and work on setting a post to install a handrail along our front steps.  The outdoor temperature seemed rather cool until I began digging and all of a sudden the sweat began to roll.  Once the hole was dug, the post set, and concrete mixed and poured, it was time to fire up the pellet grill and get some chicken cooking for supper.  Now I’m enjoying a relaxing evening and thanking God for giving me kingdom work to do and a family to do it with.

I pray that you and I would be deliberate about spending time with God even in the routines of life.  I pray that we would seek to prosper in a way that has more meaning than financial and a longer impact than this life.  I pray that we would find joy in the tasks God sets before us, even when we think the tasks seem out of the ordinary.  I pray that we would look for ways to spend time with, and value, our families.  I pray that God would grant each of us the rest we need in order to accomplish the work He has for us to do.

My page-and-photo-a-day adventure continues with page 275 being a rather laid-back Saturday.  Much of the morning was spent relaxing and allowing tomorrow’s sermon to simmer in my mind as God continues to refine it to what He would have me share.  It is a Saturday so I eventually fired up the pellet grill and made bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  After lunch it was time for some Wii game action, sermon work, and eventually a trip to Sam’s Club.  The evening included pizza and cinnamon bread sticks for supper followed by some writing, television viewing, and more writing.

The photo on today’s page is of bittersweet that was growing along the pier access at the Holland lighthouse.  When dried, the golden shells of these berries pop open to reveal a bright orange inside.  They are typically in high demand for fall decorating.  Every time I see it growing, I can’t help but think of the years early in our relationship that Mary Jane and I would drive the country roads looking for bittersweet growing wild that we cut down and take back to dry.  While the picture doesn’t show leaves, most of the time the vines would be fully leafed out when harvested and all the leaves would have to be picked off before we could sell the bittersweet vines.  One particular batch had what we called “two-headed caterpillars” because the fuzzy little creatures crawling all through the vines appeared to have a head on each end — and they would bite or sting!  For me, bittersweet is a reminder of those early years of life together when resources were so scarce yet we learned to work together to be able to provide a little income.  

I suppose it is fitting that the bittersweet vines take me back in time to our dating years and early years of marriage.   In the midst of some very difficult days — even bitter days — of life, the sweet part of life co-existed and even found a way to flourish.  Life is hard.  I’m pretty sure it is that way for most people and everyone has a somewhat unique version of what has made it particularly hard for them.  In our story, there have been many factors which have added to the difficulty of life and many of those same factors have found a way to add to the sweetness of life as well.  It seems that bitter and sweet are often two sides of the same coin in life.  Yes, the “two-headed” bugs were a nuisance and caused pain, but they also caused much laughter and many memories as we worked together to push through the difficulties in order to provide some income.  The sweet times we experience are more fully appreciated because of the bitter times we have been through.  Yes, the bitter times may feel fully bitter while we go through them, but it is in the process of going through them that we find the opening for the sweet times of life.

I pray that you and I would recognize the value God has placed in our life through the people around us.  I pray that we would hold fast to the sweet times of life to give us courage to carry on through the days that are hard.  I pray that God would give us insight into some of the ways He has used our difficult times for our good and the good of others.  I pray that we would not become discouraged when the bitter days take their bite, rather we would live with the knowledge that in Christ we can have victory over everything that attempts to destroy us.

Page 274 has been a dark and dreary day and it has been a battle to keep my mind from mirroring the conditions outside.  As I’ve worked throughout the day, various bits of poems have tried to show up in my mind but most of them have been as dark as the cloudy night sky so I keep pushing them out and replace them with worship songs and scripture.  One of the opening lines that keeps recurring — so maybe it will be used for real some day — is: “Most of these poems reveal what’s inside.  The dark hidden thoughts that I’d like to hide.”  On good days, the poems are a window into my soul and I suppose that may just be true on my bad days as well.

The day began early as I was up and at work by 6 AM, cleaning and prepping the building for the day.  And here I am at 8 PM still at work, writing today’s page before taking the floor scrubber for its laps around the hallways.  Once the morning cleaning was done, I took care of a few minor maintenance needs and then spent much of the day continuing work on the sermon for Sunday.  As with most days, there was the occasional interruption to take care of building related things, but overall it was a fairly quiet day.  I’m working on the first message in a series of stand-alone sermons based around the topic of “Living As the Lord’s Servant”.  I began work on this character study series almost a year ago but haven’t had anywhere to share it so the work kind of stalled out.  Since they do stand alone, I’ll work on them as needed for the Sunday’s I preach at the North Wayne Mennonite Church in Dowagiac, Michigan.  This first one will look at some lessons we can learn from Abraham about living as the Lord’s servant.

By mid-afternoon, I took a short lunch break then it was time to start the Friday evening cleaning to get the building ready for Sunday.  It feels like I’m getting back into the school year routine and the work flow seems to be a bit smoother as each week passes.  Sometimes we think of routines and habits as bad so we do what we can to keep from developing any.  In and of themselves, routines and habits are neutral — they can be good or bad depending on what they are.  That is an important lesson that I try to convey when I teach about prayer.  Developing habits and routines of prayer can be good if we use them to connect to God in deeper and greater ways.  Sometimes it is the habits and routines that keep us going to God in prayer even when we don’t feel like it but know we need to.  Most of us need to build a pattern of prayer in our life so it is simply a natural part of what we do in all circumstances.  If we face a situation where prayer feels awkward, it is probably a time when it is most needed but least likely to take  place.  

As I sat down to write today’s page and enjoy a quick “dinner” of Famous Amos cookies and Dr Pepper, I went through the photos from yesterday’s trip to the lake so I could choose one for this page.  The photo I chose is of the beachfront at Holland State Park looking across the channel from the lighthouse.  Even in the midst of all the clouds and dreariness of the day, beauty could be found.  Behind the clouds, and occasionally peeking through as a reminder, the sun still shone in all its brilliance.  It serves as a reminder for me that even in the midst of the dreary times I experience within my spirit, the Son still shines in all His glory and His Spirit still lives within me to encourage, comfort, and strengthen me in my weakness.

I pray that you and I would never forget God’s presence is with us through the power of His Son and the indwelling of His Spirit.  I pray that we would understand our role as a servant of the Lord and live accordingly.  I pray that we would build good habits and routines that draw us closer to God.  I pray that we would continually grow in our practice of praying without ceasing.  I pray that God’s light would always shine upon us and through us.

I’m tired.  While part of it is a physical tiredness as page 272 has been a 15+ hour workday, there is also an equal element of mental tiredness from seeing people continue to do the same things year after year, expecting different results while rejecting common sense advise.  As I watch that happen around me, I wonder if it’s possible for God to ever be “mentally tired” as He watches us do the same things year after year, expecting different results while avoiding the common sense instruction of His Word.  God says that if we humble ourselves and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, He will heal our land.  But we say, “What wicked ways are you talking about?”.  We define wickedness to be the things others do rather than use the definitions God has in His Word.  We hold on to our arrogance, pride, greed, envy, hatred, anger, selfishness and so many other things because surely those can’t be what He’s talking about when He calls people to turn from their wicked ways.  We call out to God and we point fingers — if only “those people” would turn from their wickedness, God would heal our land.  If “they” would repent and do things God’s way, the hardships we face would be gone.  It’s always easier, but never effective, to assume the change God is calling for is something someone else has to do.

Anyhow, I guess that’s a free paragraph in today’s page. 🙂  The day began with the cleaning, building prep, and taking out trash that needs to take place each morning.  This morning also had a “fun” element as I had to replace a hallway light bulb.  As I carried the old bulb through the dark auditorium, I came upon the doorway sooner than expected and was startled by the loud POP! of the fluorescent tube as it exploded all over me.  After brushing myself off and getting all the glass cleaned up from the area, I spent a good part of the morning finishing the initial proofreading of my latest book and then making the corrections in the manuscript file.  When that was finished, I spent time going through the lesson material for the Wednesday night class I teach.  The class is for first, second, and third graders and I am trying to teach a general overview of the Bible at a level they can understand and grow from.  By mid-afternoon I took a lunch break and then worked on both the lesson for the evening and a sermon for this weekend.  While working on those studies, a fox went trotting by my office window.  He was too quick for me to get any of my cameras out, so by the time I had a camera ready I looked down the back field to see if any of the deer were out.  Sure enough, there were a couple deer at the far end of the field and as I watched them, my fox came trotting out of the woods at the edge of the field.  He was moving quickly toward the area the deer were in and as I hurried outside with my camera, I caught one photo of him as he prepared to head into the woods where the deer had just gone.  As he disappeared, I returned to my studies up until time to teach.  When the class time was over, I spent the next few hours doing tomorrow morning’s cleaning tonight.

I don’t know how likely it is that this fox would actually be able to chase down one of the deer, but watching it stalk them reminded me of the scripture that describes satan as prowling about as a hungry lion.  I would imagine that if I was in an area likely to have a hungry lion prowling around, I would make every effort to use whatever was at my disposal to become aware of the lion’s presence and to protect myself.  God has let us know that if we are in the world, we are in an area where satan is likely to be prowling and seeking to devour someone.  Since I know that, how much effort do I put into not only being aware of his presence but in constantly protecting myself with the full armor of God?  Do I pray in the Spirit at all times, or are there times when I feel safe on my own and let my guard down?  God’s desire is that I would avoid the schemes and traps of the enemy so that I’m not devoured.

I pray that you and I would live in a way that does not weary God by our lack of listening.  I pray that we would apply God’s Word to ourselves first when it comes to humbling ourselves, seeking His face, and turning from our wicked ways.  I pray that we would allow God to define wickedness and accept His demand that we turn away from it.  I pray that we would be aware of the enemy’s desire to destroy us.  I pray that we would live with the protection provided by the armor of God.  I pray that we would not fall prey to the schemes of the evil one.