Page 247 was a nothing scheduled kind of day but my mind was up and going full speed long before my body wished it would have been.  Eventually my mind and body will find a sleep/wake schedule they both can agree on, but until then I carry on as best I can.  Susan didn’t have the problem of waking up when she wished she could sleep.  She once again slept away the morning and didn’t make it to the zoo.  As she slept, I did some more work on the sermon I’ll share tomorrow and got my exercise in by playing Wii Fitness.  It said my fitness age today is 21 so I tell myself I’m doing really well at eating right and staying in shape. 🙂

Eventually Susan woke up, so I took a break from going through my notes and scriptures to get her breakfast and get the pellet grill started so I could work on Saturday lunch — yes, she got up that late.  I had everything on hand today, so it was back to the usual mushroom bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  After lunch I worked on some of my photos from yesterday and then we took a little family trip to Bonneyville Mill County Park to shoot some photos.  Didn’t end up staying there long as early in our visit Susan had a seizure.  She did come through it rather quickly and we managed a few more photos before leaving and heading to The Chief in Goshen for ice cream — ice cream helps just about anything. 🙂

The photo on today’s page was taken of the mill from the end of the Dahlia garden at the park.  The beauty of the flowers added to the peacefulness of the park.  The mill was in operation today, but it was as we walked by it that Susan had her seizure so we didn’t go in to get any pictures from inside.  Whenever I visit a site such as this old mill or a restored historical area, my mind always reflects on the scriptures that talk about our need to look for “the ancient paths” and to honor the “ancient boundaries” by keeping them in place.  It seems that we have an addiction to “improving” things to the point that we even attempt to “improve” things that not only don’t need improved, they can’t be improved.  The ancient path to a vibrant and growing relationship with God is an unchanging path that leads to the same place today as it did thousands of years ago.  When God called a people to Himself, the foundational element of that relationship was a people who would love Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.  As they would commit to Him being their God, He would commit to them being His people.  Jesus affirmed that very foundation when He was asked about the greatest commandment for those who would seek God.  His response was based on that same foundation of loving God with your entire heart, mind, soul, and strength.  It is out of that foundation that we are able to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Yes, methods and techniques change — sometimes more than we’re comfortable with — but the foundation must never change as we pursue a relationship with God.  Jesus made it clear that He is the only way to the Father.  The truth of Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the Living God, is the only foundation upon which a solid house, and life, of faith can be built.  Anything else and we soon find our house crumbling with the sand upon which it was built.

I pray that you and I would have good routines that keep us on a path that daily pursues God.  I pray that we would enjoy the reminders that exist all around us of God’s creativity and love.  I pray that we would hold fast to the foundation of faith that is found in Jesus and displayed in His love for the Father.  I pray that we would understand the difference between an unchanging foundation and the methods and techniques that need flexibility.  

Page 246 is a Friday which means another two-shift day in order to have all my work done in preparing the building for Sunday.  Mary Jane had gone through the building Thursday night following the preschool open house, so I was able to get right to the mowing even before the sun came up.  An early start meant that I was able to have a decent break in the afternoon before coming back this evening to clean.  The day has definitely been all over the map in regard to the crazy things people do.  While it is mostly funny, my mental/emotional confusion I find myself in didn’t see it as all that funny today.  While I was mowing, a parent brought a student in for school and then just drove through the grass as he left.  I guess he couldn’t be bothered to back out of the parking space and wait for the other parents who were also trying to leave.  Later in the morning after I had finished mowing, the students were taken out to check them for lice right outside my office door onto the wet, freshly cut grass.  Needless to say, they tracked said grass into the building and left a trail of it for me to  clean up tonight.  And to top off the crazy, funny, what were they thinking events of the day, the cafeteria floor was swept (as it should have been) and simply pushed into a corner to be left under/behind the push broom.  Anyhow, just a glimpse into the life of a who knows what I am. 🙂

In the middle of all that, I did take an afternoon break and took my kayak down to Potato Creek to spend some time on the lake.  Still no sign of any of the eagles, but it was incredibly peaceful as I spent time with God going over my outline for the sermon I’ll share Sunday morning.  The breeze made paddling in the open water a bit challenging, but a number of the little coves and inlets were protected from the wind so I could enjoy the reflections as well as the actual clouds and sky.  As I made my way around the lake, a few of the trees were beginning to change into their fall colors, giving a hint of the growing beauty that is yet to come.  It doesn’t seem to matter what season, for me the lake is a peaceful place.  Each season brings a unique beauty to it and in each one I am able to withdraw for a moment from the frustrations of life and be reminded of whose child I really am.  Yes, people should be courteous and take turns and clean up after themselves but whether they do so or not, I am still a child of God and need to live like one.  My time on the lake is good because it helps me to do my work as one working for the Lord.  It helped me laugh and clean up the mess I found tonight.  It helps me consider the mess I make of my life and know that God is always willing to step in and consider me cleansed by the blood of His Son.  In every time that I willingly, or unknowingly, make a mess in my life, God is willing to do the cleanup work because He is the only one that can.

I pray that you and I would pay attention to how we live and how our actions affect others.  I pray that we would be patient with one another, even when we’re tired and don’t want to be.  I pray that we would make time to spend with God in a way that allows Him opportunity to refresh our soul and clean up the mess we make.  I pray that we would trust the power of the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Page 245 was filled with a variety of tasks as I get ready for the weekend.  When I finished doing the morning cleaning and prep, the deer were waiting for me when I took the trash outside.  This morning there were two adult females and two young (still spotted) fawns out grazing on the dew covered lawn.  I guess they were getting a head start in helping me, as lawn mowing was on my schedule for the day.  I needed to mail a copy of one of my books out to a person requesting it, so I headed to Staples to buy some padded mailers and then went to the Post Office before stopping by the gas station to get fuel for the mower so I could start on the lawn.  

When I returned to the building, I had some air conditioning issues to work on as the building’s HVAC system continues to have a mind of its own.  After continuing to run into roadblocks with the system, I left it for a while and went out to begin mowing so I would have a good start on it before Friday.  As I mowed, a poem began to form in my head as scenes from the past began to resurface in my mind.  It seems that I often find myself having feelings of extreme isolation as my mind is wired in a way that speaks truth — even when that’s not really what people want to hear.  I’m one who believes that a process of integrity is important for those who claim to represent Christ.  The way we do things is just as important, maybe even more so, than the results.  God calls us to pursue Him in faithful obedience and trust Him for the results that He desires.  Too often we determine the results we want and then justify doing whatever it takes to make it happen, with little regard for what God would want or desire from us.

Once I finished mowing the back part of the property, I headed inside to take a fresh look at the A/C controls.  This time I got serious and pulled out the system manual and spent time studying how the computer connects to, and talks to, the various system components.  Once I had figured out where to begin looking for the problem, it wasn’t long before I had the computer talking to the system and could once again see what was, or wasn’t, going on.  It appeared as if some of the components had been switched to a manual mode so it looks like I will need to spend some time above the ceiling early next week to see what I can find out.  After doing all I could with that for the moment, I headed back outside to see what I could do about a reported wasp nest.  It didn’t look too active as most of the wasps were probably out collecting food during the day, so I knocked it down and stomped on it to destroy it.  Fortunately, as the wasps all came back looking for their home, they kept looking up where it used to be and not down on the ground where I was. 🙂

With the wasps out of the way, it was time to call it a day and head for home.  I spent a little time on the computer at home and then when Mary Jane headed back to work for a preschool open house, Susan and I headed down to Potato Creek to enjoy a beautiful fall-like evening.  While none of the eagles made an appearance, the sun and clouds and sparkling water made for some beautiful photos.  Susan was having so much fun that I even managed to get a good series of photos of her as we spent some time on one of the piers.  We walked and we laughed and it was just us and God.  It was a good ending to a day when my mind was mostly filled with turmoil.

I pray that you and I would recognize when we need to take a break and refocus on a task at a later time when our mind and thoughts are fresh and clear.  I pray that we would live with an integrity that has nothing to hide in our motives and actions.  I pray that we would never become so focused on our own agenda that we lose our integrity accomplishing the things we want.  I pray that we would understand the value of spending time with God and family in a way that we can set aside the turmoil of a day for a moment.

After two long days, one due to work and one with a great evening out with my family, page 244 was a much more relaxed day — and looks like I will be able to head to bed at a much better time. 🙂  My second task this morning, after getting the building ready for the day, was to write yesterday’s page as we enjoyed some great family time on the shores of Lake Michigan last night that made for a long day.  After that, much of the morning was spent working on a sermon I’ll share this Sunday morning at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.  In keeping with a Labor Day Weekend theme, it looks like the sermon will be about a work that lasts.  As I would read and study, then meditate on the information, I spent a little time writing an introductory page for a prayer calendar I am working on.  The plan is for it to be a photo calendar with a prayer point printed on each day that correspond with the prayer guides in my book, “Pursuing God: Developing a Lifestyle of Prayer”.

When afternoon arrived, I headed to lunch with some of the guys from church before picking up some supplies, dropping them off back at church, and then heading home.  After resting for a little while and going through some of the pictures I took yesterday evening, I fired up the pellet grill cooked some chicken tenders to go on a lettuce salad tonight with extra to use for future meals.  There was such a haze across the water for much of the early part of the evening yesterday that many of the photos have a surreal look to them.  One of the difficulties in making a photo calendar is seen in what happened yesterday.  In one evening at two different beachfront areas, I took almost 300 photos and there were many of them that I really like.  So, trying to narrow down a year’s worth of pictures to 13 or 14 (depending on the cover) becomes a rather difficult task.  One of my favorites from yesterday was of a small boat a little ways off shore in the evening light.  With the hazy look, and the lake reflecting every nuance of the sky, the scene looked like it belonged in a different place and time.  In fact, I told Mary Jane that I was tempted to call out, “Friends, have you caught any fish?”.  With an expected response of “no”, I would have then instructed them to “row out into the deep and cast your nets on the other side.”  I doubt that it would have had the same effect that it did when Jesus said those words because they were not words given to my by the Father to speak at such a time, but that is the setting that filled my mind as I photographed the scene.  

As I went through the photos and thought about this particular scene, I wondered what my response would have been . . . what my response is?  Are there times that Jesus raises the question of my effectiveness at what I’m doing, not to judge or condemn me but to help me be ready to listen to His instructions?  When He does tell me that what I’m doing isn’t working and I need to push out into the deep, do I trust His voice enough to do what He says?  Do I spend enough time with Him to even recognize His voice whether it calls me to stay put or move out further?  For me, I want to think I would readily say, “Because You say so, I will do it.”  Experience would say that I’m more likely to want proof, verification, and assurances before I move into action.  While that’s not completely bad, it is important not to be deceived by the enemy, there does come a point when we need to recognize the voice of God speaking to us through His Spirit and respond with prompt obedience.

I pray that you and I would develop a personal lifestyle of prayer so that prayer is an integral part of everything we do.  I pray that we would take note of the lessons God teaches us on a daily basis as we seek Him.  I pray that the lessons we learn would be put into practice without hesitation.  I pray that we would “test the spirits” so we are not deceived into taking a path that we should not be on.  I pray that we would “push out into the deep” when we know that is what God is calling for.

Page 243 was a well-balanced day even though it ended up running late.  One thing this summer has reminded me of, at least temporarily 😉 , is the importance of spending time together as a family.  So, after a full day of work, which began early, we headed to the outlet mall late in the afternoon for some “back to school” shopping and then made a couple stops along the lake.  By the time we got home and I started going through the photos from the day, I decided the day’s page would have to wait until morning.  Even thought MJ and I work in the same building and Susan spends much of each morning in my office, it really isn’t the same as getting out to spend time together.  I remember growing up on the farm where we didn’t just work in proximity to each other, most of the time we worked together.  But even in that setting, I valued the times we could get away from the “normal” routines of life and spend time as a family just enjoying nature’s beauty.  Even though outdoor activity is often difficult for Susan, we have done our best in accommodating her needs to allow her to be a part of what we enjoy.  It is always a great encouragement when we spend time together to hear Susan talking the whole way back home about having a fun day, and needing to go home to see Lion, and loving Jesus, and on and on she goes.  She doesn’t talk a lot but often on these return trips from a couple hour outing, her speech opens up.

We eventually ended up at the Indiana Dunes State Park as the sun was beginning to set through a rather cloudy sky to the west.  There were enough breaks in the clouds to be able to see a beautiful sunset but at one point late in the evening, they lifted enough to see the Chicago skyline in the distance across the lake.  As I took the photo, I thought about Susan’s favorite subject — going to heaven to see Jesus!  Most days I believe she has a better grasp of what that will be like than most of us do — perhaps her veil is a little thinner than most — but we all look toward that city as those wearing a veil, we see in part but it is not until we are there that we will know in full.  If I were to show the photo on today’s page to people who had never been to Chicago, and have never experience the elements of a large city, it would be fun to hear them describe what Chicago is like.  Yes, they will probably have some correct generalizations, but will unlikely do justice to the scene that would lay before them were they to walk the city streets.  My theology of heaven will likely be flawed if I base it completely on what I see and know — even with the help of scripture.  There must be plenty of room, perhaps majority room, left for faith and the great mystery that will not be known until the day we see Jesus and our knowledge becomes complete.

I pray that you and I would be diligent about doing our work “as to the Lord”, but that we would not neglect our families in doing so.  I pray that we would make the most of the opportunities we have to spend time with our family, learning to enjoy life and the presence of each other.  I pray that we would look forward to the day when the mystery is unveiled and we will see Jesus face to face.

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

Page 241 was a Sunday and with my family helping me clean the building last night, I didn’t  have to go in early to get that done.  Our Sunday School class covered the second chapter of Esther this morning which may contain the first record of a national beauty pageant.  The story of Esther reminds me a lot of the life of Joseph.  Two different people who found themselves in circumstances not of their own choosing, yet through obedience and faithfulness found themselves used by God to save the Jewish people.  Neither probably immediately thought about how God would use them when they found themselves in circumstances not of their choosing, but both stories give us great quotes about the hand of God being able to work in all circumstances.  In Joseph’s case, when he finally reveals himself to his brothers so he can bring the entire family to Egypt to save them from a severe famine, he tells them, “what you meant for harm God has used for good.”  Joseph understood that while the treatment he endured was not right, his brothers actions were carried out with evil intent, and others had tried to destroy his spirit; God was not caught with His hands tied and unable to carry out His plans.  

With Esther’s story, we find a reluctant hero that needs encouragement to risk everything in the hope of making a difference.  She doesn’t seem opposed to doing the right thing, she just wants to make sure her actions will be the right thing and will make a difference.  While the most common quote out of the book of Esther is Mordecai’s words, “Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”, more meaningful to me is Esther’s response in calling for all of the Jews to join together in prayer through fasting for three days before she would plead her case before the king.  After receiving the encouragement of a nation joined together in fasting she is willing to go before the king with the attitude, “If I perish, I perish.”  When we are seeking to do God’s will, it would be good for us to call together people who will join us in prayer and fasting for a period of time.  It is also important that we reach a point of action through the encouragement that comes from God through the time we spend together listening through fasting.

After the Sunday School class, we gathered for our morning worship gathering at Deer Run where David brought a message out of Ephesians 6 which covered what is commonly referred to as the “armor of God” passage.  Part of the message focused on our need to know our enemy.  It is easy to forget that our enemy is not other people, rather our enemy is the evil one who does battle in the spiritual realm.  This enemy uses deception and accusation in ways that often lead us to battle one another instead of putting on the full armor of God and standing firm against the devil.  The battle that wages is not one we have to fight alone and not one that we must face unprepared.  God has given us everything we need through Jesus to not only stand firm against the attacks of the enemy, but after everything has been hurled at us, to be able to still stand.  All of our ability to stand in the midst of a spiritual battle and come out victorious comes from our putting on Christ on a daily basis and is tied together through a lifestyle of prayer.

Following the church service, it was time for lunch and then a restful afternoon on a wet, drizzly day.  Since I didn’t make it out to take any new photos, the photo for today’s page is one I took Friday at Potato Creek.  The calm water created beautiful reflections of the clouds, blue sky, and trees.  As I looked closely at the shoreline around the lake, I could begin to see signs of color change in the trees. While most days still feel like summer, the signs are beginning to point to a change of seasons coming soon.  As I read scripture and pay attention to the events around me, I believe the signs are pointing ever more clearly to an ever-increasing approach to the return of Jesus.  Are you ready?

I pray that you and I would choose to be faithful in our relationship with God regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in.  I pray that we would encourage others through our willingness to fast and pray for them in the midst of difficult decisions.  I pray that we would have the courage to do the things God has planned for us.  I pray that we would understand who our enemy really is.  I pray that we would live as people prepared for the spiritual battle is being fought over our eternal souls.  I pray that we would pay attention to the “signs of the times” and live as those prepared for eternity.

Page 240 was a day when I slowed down long enough that the stress and long days of the summer caught up with me a bit.  On a day that I could have slept in, even after a rather restless night of sleep, I was up at my normal time for going into work during the week.  Being up did allow me to write yesterday’s page early this morning as I didn’t get to it last night.  It was a cool, drizzly morning and Susan was sound asleep so I decided to let her sleep as long as she wanted and we would skip the zoo today.  I played a little Wii Fitness and discovered that my fitness age was 23 today.  By 11:30, Susan was ready to get up and it was time to start the pellet grill for our Saturday bacon cheeseburgers.  After lunch I laid down on the couch and soon discovered that most of the afternoon had mysteriously disappeared.  

After I woke up and took time to clear my mind a bit, we headed to Goshen for ice cream at The Chief and then a visit to Sam’s Club.  When we returned home, Mary Jane and Susan offered to help me with my Friday night cleaning that had been delayed due to the building being in use Friday evening.  As I took the first load of trash out, there were five deer standing on the hillside behind the building enjoying an evening snack of freshly cut grass.  I left the trash setting inside the back door and went and got the next load and had Susan come with me so she could see the deer.  I took a couple photos through the window in the door and then we went outside to have a better look.  I was able to take a few more photos of the deer outside as Susan talked to them.  As I threw the trash in the dumpster and Susan continued talking to the deer, they slowly made their way into the woods and out of sight.  We eventually got the cleaning done and the building ready for Sunday so we could head home and call it a day.

Sometimes it feels as if life piles up against us in waves and drifts that we cannot stand against.  When we face the storms alone, it is only natural that we become overwhelmed and frightened.  One of the most compelling contrasts in scripture takes place as Jesus and the disciples are on the Sea of Galilee in a boat that is being tossed by a storm.  The disciples are in fear for their very lives and Jesus is asleep in the boat!  Same storm, same boat, different reactions.  Perhaps the reactions have to do with what happened next.  When Jesus is awakened, He commands the winds and the waves to be still — and they obey!  The power of God to calm the storm was present all along, but Jesus was the only one who was aware of it with full confidence and faith.  With Jesus in our life, we also have the very presence of the power of God that can calm whatever storm we face, but much like the disciples we are often slow to recognize and trust that power.

I pray that you and I would practice the presence of God within us on a daily basis.  I pray that we would endure the storms of life knowing that we don’t face them alone and that the One who is with us holds power even over the storms.