After a busy day yesterday, page 151 was a day of relaxing and I even slept in and missed the sunrise this morning. 🙂  There are two osprey nests near where we are staying on vacation — one of them is on a communications tower that is visible from the property that we are staying at and the other is on the corner of a rooftop on a hotel overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  I went out for a little while this morning to photograph the closest nest of them and when I got back, Susan was up and ready for the day so we headed to the beach for the rest of the morning.  Sometimes the hardest thing to do on a vacation is rest, but we worked hard on making that happen today.  The water was warm and the breeze pleasant.  Susan even went out in the water several times and eventually was comfortable enough to stretch out and “swim”.  We eventually left the beach to get some lunch then spent the afternoon at the pool before heading out for a walk to get ice cream.  The ice cream held us over until I could grill hamburgers for supper, then we headed back to the beach to watch/photograph the sunset.  Not a bad vacation day at all if relaxation is the desired result.

Today’s photo is a beach scene from this morning with a couple beach chairs just waiting to be sat in.  As Jesus walked the earth, we read of times when He would withdraw to lonely places.  He also would take His disciples away from the crowds at times so they could all rest.  I suspect that sometimes our times of rest aren’t as restful as they should be.  Our rest isn’t really rest but simply a change in the type of activity that fills our life.  Vacations tend to wear us out because we fill them with great recreational activities but often fail to include the rest we need.  Jesus and His disciples didn’t withdraw from the public aspects of ministry simply so they could wear themselves out with fun activity, they withdrew so the could spend time resting and spending time with their source of strength — the disciples with Jesus and Jesus with His Father.  When I plan a vacation that includes both fun activities and times when I can simply rest in the presence of God’s Spirit, I find that I return home more fully refreshed than if I simply go away with the sole purpose of having a good time.

I pray that you and I would recognize the difference between rest and recreation.  I know that may sound strange but many times we find ourselves worn out and can’t quite figure out why because we think that because we’re not working, we’re resting.  I pray that we would live life to the full because of our relationship with Jesus.  I pray that we would enjoy the times we are able to add fun activities to our life.  I pray that we would not so overfill our lives that we find we have not time to actually rest in the presence of God’s Spirit.

Page 150 has been a long, but good day as we traveled to attend church with an aunt and uncle from MJ’s side of the family and then had a cookout with their family members who were able to come for the afternoon.  This is an aunt and uncle who always gave us a place to stay when we would vacation to Florida at a time in our lives when paying for hotel lodging would have made the trip impossible.  Twelve of us gathered and had a great time telling stories and laughing together.  Today’s page is a lot about family, but it is also about acting when an inner voice or nudge tells you to do something good.  The photo with today’s page was taken at the house today of a piece of art hanging on the wall.  Not just any art, but a mounted print of photos I’ve taken that I had done and sent sight unseen.  Today was the first I I was able to see the finished product and it was already up and hanging on the wall.  While it was fun to hear my aunt’s excitement about this work, it was also a reminder of how God desires to use each of us to encourage one another.  

This photo collage didn’t have to be — in fact, it almost wasn’t.  A few weeks ago, my wife’s cousin, this aunt’s daughter, died following a lengthy battle with cancer.  As I sat at home a thousand miles away, a thought crossed my mind that I should put together a collection of lighthouse photos and send to my aunt and uncle as a “thinking of you” gift.  While my heart kept telling me to do it, my mind kept coming up with reasons not to.  I went back and forth for several days, designing it online several times yet never sending the project to the photo printer to finish it.  Finally one day as I had put together this assortment of photos and was praying for the family, I  hit the “checkout now” button on the website and the project was soon in process and would be sent from the photo printing company directly to my aunt and uncle.  Even after the order was submitted, the second-guessing continued.  Would the finished project look anything like it did on the website?  Would they like it?  Would they have somewhere to hang it?  Would they even want to hang it?  Yet, even as those questions continued, I knew that I had done what I could and what I felt called to do to offer encouragement.

God calls us to encourage one another yet many times we neglect that simply because we lack confidence in having anything useful to anyone else.  Sometimes we’ve become so accustomed to ignoring the nudges from God and the work of His Spirit in our lives that we fail to use what He’s given us to encourage others.  I believe that most, if not all, of what God gives us has a primary purpose of meeting some kind of need present in the life of someone else.  Yet far too often, our first thought when we consider God’s gifting in our life is about how it is useful to us.  Yes, God’s gifts generally do have a usefulness to us but they have a greater usefulness when we share them with others.

I pray that you and I would listen faithfully to the nudging of God’s Word and His Spirit as we pray for the people around us.  I pray that we would examine everything we do, and particularly everything we are good at, and how God would desire to use those things to encourage others for His glory.  I pray that we would deliberately focus on others and how we can serve them rather than focusing on ourselves and who will serve us.  I pray that we would value family and the preciousness of life.  I pray that we would make the most of every opportunity we have to encourage others, but especially to encourage those that God has given to us as family.

Page 149 came with an uncertainty of how any of us would be doing following Susan’s seizure yesterday.  Susan was definitely the worst off as she had fought hard coming out of this one.  MJ and I had our share of aches and bruises from trying to protect Susan and keep her from seriously injuring herself or us, but we all seemed to have slept well.  I was awake early enough to catch the sunrise again and it was beautiful.  While I was along the seawall early, a dolphin swam by and eventually joined a small pod of them that I could see playing in the distance.  While we were all up early, we decided to visit a nearby county park before the holiday weekend traffic got too bad.  Our first stop had me pulling out the 600 mm lens I had rented for my camera as an osprey was perched near where we had parked.  We spent the rest of the morning visiting 4 different county parks, including a botanical garden, where we took quite a few pictures of birds and flowers.  At one of our stops, as I was photographing some water lilies, I noticed a dragonfly near me so I took the photo that made today’s page.  After the parks we had lunch then came back to our room and headed to the beach for the afternoon.  The beach time was followed by a walk to the ice cream shop and then I grilled chicken and mushrooms for supper.  By then, it was nearly time for the sun to set so we headed back to the beach to see that.

As I reflect on the day, the dragonfly photo seems to say a lot to me.  So much of what I photograph are things that are in plain sight — I don’t often go far out of my way or off the beaten path, so to speak, to find subjects that I find interesting, beautiful, or majestic.  I have seen dragonflies all my life but this is the first I have ever photographed one and I was amazed at the incredible detail that was captured.  We have become a culture of people who long for the big show.  We want something remarkable that will get our attention and keep it.  We become so focused on ourselves and our own agenda that we have little interest in observing the majesty of God which surrounds us.  As sad as that is when it comes to things and the details of nature, it is even more heartbreaking when we begin to believe that some people are “too little” to be noticed.  We tend to set arbitrary standards that have no resemblance to any standards God has set, and we demand that people measure up to our list of qualifications before they can be noticed and eventually be useful in the work God created them to do.  As I look back on my life, and particularly on my life in ministry, I have had people who have believed I was “little” and even got me to believe it at times simply because I didn’t have the formal education they decided was mandatory.  I’ve had a preacher, elders, and board members tell me directly that I had no business being in ministry if I didn’t have the all-important college degree.  To them, I was too “little” to be noticed or useful.  The good news is that God has put people in my life who are preachers, elders, and board members that value the giftedness God has put within me and the consistently affirm my usefulness to them and to the work of the kingdom as I put into practice the things God has called me to do.  I share that not to point to myself, but to point to the dragonflies in our churches and in our lives.  We see them constantly but we’ve probably not paid attention to the beautiful detail God has created in their life to accomplish an important work in His kingdom.

I pray that you and I would value the “little” people even while realizing the truth that there really aren’t any from God’s perspective.  I pray that we would pay attention to the lessons God attempt to teach us each day from sources that often come as a surprise.  I pray that we would not dwell on the times we have been viewed as “little”, but use those as learning experiences in the way we see others.

For some reason I had a restless night leading into page 148 but I did manage to get some sleep before getting up to snap some sunrise photos.  As I was taking photos, I heard a loud snort and splash against the seawall near my feet.  As I looked to see what had caused the noise, I saw a dolphin swimming away from me along the length of the seawall — I think we had startled each other.  It was beautiful to watch him as he played in the clear morning water before leaving the area.  After my morning photos, MJ and Susan got up and we headed to a park along the bay to walk the boardwalks and try out the camera lens I rented for this trip.  At one point there were fish that were flying out of the water.  I didn’t have much success photographing them but did find a couple different birds that were a little more willing to pose.  One of them did a lot of posing but eventually used its wings to shield itself from having to see us. 🙂  

After the walk, we stopped by Walmart to finish stocking up on the food and supplies we need for our vacation.  After we brought those back to the room and put things away that needed to be in the refrigerator, we headed to Crabby Bill’s for lunch.  The three of us shared a couple platters of fried shrimp, fried fish, fried scallops, fried crab cakes, french fries, and hush puppies!  It was all very good and filling so we rolled out of there in need of a nap.  Instead of an actual nap, we headed to the beach where we relaxed in the beach chairs and walked in the water.  After some time at the beach we headed back to the room to rest a bit before an evening walk.  As we relaxed, Susan had a seizure that ended up being one of her big ones that left her bruised and worn out before finally coming out of it.  It is always difficult to watch her go through these and do our best to protect her from serious injury but there is not much we can do as she goes through a violent stage on her way out of the seizure.  That took our evening walk out of the plans so I fired up the grill and fixed some bacon cheeseburgers for supper.  We finished out the day by a quick walk to the beach to take some sunset photos then returned to the room to call it a day.

As I thought about the day, my mind went back to that bird we encountered on our walk.  Because of that, he became the photo for today’s page.  Sometimes the wisest thing we can do is to close our mouth and cover up our face, so to speak.  Because writing is such a big part of my life and God has given me a gift that He is using in incredible ways, I am often tempted to write responses to things that don’t need my response and would not be helped by my response.  Particularly on social media, I often find myself needing to cover up my eyes and avoid conflict that has no way of being healthy or beneficial to anyone.  It is one thing to state truth, it is another thing to state opinion, and still another to endlessly argue opinion with people who have no desire, interest, or openness to listening.  We live in a time where truth is being discarded and exchanged for lies that make people feel good for a time.  Jesus prayed that we would be sanctified by the truth but before people randomly defined what that was, He made it clear that God’s Word is the truth He was talking about.  Holding on to God’s Word as truth is not popular in very many places any more.  Doing so may cause people to suggest you are simple, but not doing so would lead God to suggest that you are foolish.  I don’t know about you, but I know I would rather have people think I am simple than have God think I am foolish!

I pray that you and I would protect our eyes and ears from situations that would be harmful to ourselves and to others.  I pray that we would hold fast to God’s Word as truth.  I pray that we would be more concerned with God’s evaluation of our life than we are with what people may think.

Page 147 began my extended holiday weekend and family vacation time.  I never realize how tired I am becoming until I have the opportunity to stop the busy-ness of life and all the missed rest catches up with me.  I slept in until 7 this morning, which probably says a lot that I now consider that sleeping in. 🙂  All the packing was done last night so once we were all up and around, it was off to the airport for the hurry up and wait routine.  We made it through check-in and security, then waited for the plane to arrive which would fly us to our destination.  The process went smoothly today and we eventually got the right bounce off the runway to get us airborne.  The 2 hour flight was beautiful as we flew over a variety of cloud types and sizes before finding clear skies as we began our descent into Clearwater.  Once on the ground we headed to the north side of Tampa to pick up a camera lens I have rented for the week in the hopes of getting some good bird shots.  Once we had the lens in hand we headed for lunch, stopping at a Skyline Chili location to fuel up for the week. 🙂  After lunch we stopped at Sam’s Club to get some of the groceries we will need, then headed to our hotel to check in and start to get settled.  Once we unpacked we headed out for an evening walk down to the ice cream shop and then stopped to get some pictures on the way back.  It was still an hour or so before sunset so we went back to the room then returned to the beach for some sunset photos.  It was a beautiful sunset and even one of the herons got into watching the sun as it went down.

As I thought about the day, I was reminded of how easy it is for the cares of the world to wear a person down without them even realizing it is happening.  It is important that we pay attention to that as the cares of the world can rob of not only of our joy, but more importantly of our effectiveness in being witnesses for Jesus.  When the cares of the world have gotten a hold of me, I find myself not responding to people with the love of Christ that I ought to have.  I think I write about rest a lot because it is one thing that I often struggle with.  I want people to be happy with me and pleased with the things I do, so I often keep going beyond what is reasonable or even appropriate trying my best to meet expectations whether reasonable or not.  It doesn’t take very long when life is lived that way to find yourself frazzled and overwhelmed, all  while not even accomplishing the pleasing of others that had been so important.  I am still learning and thus I continue to share this lesson with you.  Rest is not wasted time when it is a part of God’s plan and design for your life.  As I was photographing the sunset tonight, I looked behind me and there was a heron standing in the water gazing out at the setting sun . . . at least that is the way it appeared.  I moved around behind it so I could take its picture as a reminder that even the birds take the time to recognize the beauty of God’s handiwork in creation.

I pray that you and I would pay attention to the warning signs that signify rest is needed.  I pray that we would make the most of the restful opportunities that we have.  I pray that we would pay attention to the wonder that God surrounds us with on a daily basis.

Page 146 was a busy day as I cleaned the building early and was out on the mower by 7 AM.  One thing that I’ve learned the hard way over the years — more accurately, one thing I’m continuing to learn the hard way — is the necessity of stopping to smell the roses at every opportunity.  Today was a day that was filled with work and expectations as I prepared for some vacation time.  It would have been very easy to work longer today than what is good for me, and in past years I’ve been known to do that often.  While there are still days that I put in far more hours than what is healthy for me, as God teaches me about balance and rest those days become fewer and farther between so the occasional extra long day isn’t that bad. 🙂  

Most of the work day consisted of mowing and running the weadeater to trim around the building.  I did manage a little bit of writing as well when I would take some short breaks from the outside work.  With school still in session, someone else will have to take care of making sure the inside of the building is clean and ready for Sunday, but I did get the outside work taken care of.  Even though I still had to get everything around that I plan to take with me and pack for vacation, I headed to the riverwalk once the work day was done.  It really was an opportunity to stop and smell the roses!  There were a variety of rose bushes full of buds with a few of them open to provide a glimpse of their summer beauty.  Not only did I stop to smell them, but I photographed several of them as well.  Further along the walk I could hear the beautiful sound of a baltimore oriole and eventually located him in a tree where I could take his picture as well.  Knowing I had a lot to do I kept the walk short while still enjoying the time I spent along the river.  When I got back to the truck I headed home and began the process of deciding what to take and then packing it.

I love vacations!  I always have and I think one of the reasons I enjoy them so much is the willingness of my parents to stop and smell the roses — often literally — when we had the occasion to travel when I was young.  State park visits were commonplace on the trips we would take, mostly because they were free or nearly so and because there was always space for 3 active boys to run and explore after riding in the car for hours on end.  We would stop and soak in the beauty and wonder of creation at parks all along our way and once we reached our destination, there would be more parks to explore.  I think that is one of the reasons that God wants us to set aside times to rest.  His desire is that we would seek out the free (to us) gift of His presence and enjoy the pleasure of running free as His children.  He wants us to spend time basking in His goodness and soaking in the beauty and wonder of His presence.  He calls for us to stop and smell the roses often and recognize Him as the creator of every detail of that rose.  

I pray that you and I would continually learn to stop and smell the roses in life.  I pray that we would value the time God gives us with our families.  I pray that we would learn to set limits when necessary so that nothing would crowd God out of our lives.  I pray that we would understand the great value in just being — being with family, being with friends, and being in God’s presence.  I pray that my family and I have a wonderful vacation filled with rest, refreshing, peace, and God’s presence as we take time to stop and smell the roses.

Page 145 has been a busy day with a combination of the normal work routines and trying to work ahead on some things as I prepare for some vacation time.  The morning began with the usual bathroom cleaning and building prep to get ready for the day.  As the school day began, I worked on finishing the prayer guide for two weeks out so I know it is done before I head out on vacation.  As I worked on it, a hummingbird hovered for just a moment at the window above my desk.  It was beautiful to see but so momentary that there was no chance to snap a picture.  I had never seen a hummingbird at my office window before, so this was a special sight to me as I spent time with God.  The prayer guide that I worked on today is focused on praying about righteousness.  The Bible makes it clear that none of us are righteous on our own but that we can be declared righteous through our obedient faith in the work of Jesus on our behalf.  

After I finished writing the prayer guide, I ran some errands that needed done and then came back to the building where I put an updated prayer focus on the church sign.  I have often used the topics from the current weekly prayer guide to post out front, but today I decided to encourage a prayer focus of whatever is noble on one side of the sign and whatever is pure on the other.  It seems that every time I scroll through any social media site or turn on the news, the ugliness of a sin-infested world is on full display.  It would appear by the things I see posted and shared, that many Christians are not spending much time praying that God would fill their thought life with things that are good, and pure, and noble, and praise-worthy.  God says that it is out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks and I believe it is out of that same overflow that the fingers type.  I know I need constant encouragement to fill my heart and mind with things that are noble and pure.  It seems like the things which are not have no problem finding a way in if I don’t keep a vigilant guard on the things I see and hear.  

As I thought about having a righteousness that I cannot earn and a world of beauty that is often unappreciated, I chose a spring flower photo to share on this page as an example of God’s remarkable gifts that He desires to shower upon His children.  I found this particular flower blooming along the river walk path and suspect that many people walk past it without even noticing its presence.  I suspect that most of us go through life surrounded by more of God’s beauty than we ever realize.  But I’m afraid we often miss out on living a life of righteousness because we either fail to walk by faith or we lose sight of the righteousness that God has credited to us through Jesus.

I pray that you and I would pursue a righteousness that is found only in Christ.  I pray that we would set our minds on things that are good and lovely so that those types of things would flow from us to the people around us.  I pray that we would pay attention to the beauty that God surrounds us with as reminders of His goodness and creativity.  I pray that we would live as people who have been declared righteous because of the work of God in our life.  

Page 144 was supposed to have an early start to meet the pest control guy at work by 6 AM but my alarm didn’t do its job so I was running just a little bit late.  Fortunately, my co-worker and good friend David was there to let him in so that he was already started with the service and treatment when I arrived.  Once that was taken care of I worked on cleaning bathrooms and hallways as I got the building ready for the final week of school before summer break.  It’s a Monday so I spent time working on next week’s prayer guide that will focus on holiness.  God calls for us to be holy as He is holy and since we obviously fall short in that regard on our own, it is important to pray and seek an understanding of God’s holiness that He desires we reflect through the power of His Spirit within us.  Once the prayer guide was complete, I began working on one for the following week as I’ll be on vacation next week when I would normally write it.  It’s not finished yet but I made good progress before stopping to spend some time working at getting the A/C operating in the building.  Once it was up and running I realized that it was already mid-afternoon and I hadn’t had lunch.  So I finished up my workday and headed to lunch before going home for the day.

The work didn’t stop once I made it home as the garden needed tilled and the lawn mowed this week before we leave for vacation.  As I tilled the garden, I thought about the parable of the soils — also known as the parable of the sower. 🙂  When I began, the entire area was covered with weeds and extremely hard.  One area also included a lot of stones or small rocks.  As I continued to work the soil, it ranged from hard ground around the edges which nothing could penetrate to a ring of weedy areas as the hard ground began to transition into the tilled ground.  Then there was some rocky areas with stones and rock hard clods of dirt before finally getting to the soft rich soil where the garden plants will grow best.  I think this garden plot may describe the heart of most people better than the picture we sometimes get when we hear the parable as told by Jesus.  Most of the time when I hear, and even tell, that parable the focus is on determining what type of soil each person is.  While there are probably some people whose life mostly represents one type of the soil mentioned, I think most of us have areas of each type of soil in our life that we must recognize so they can be dealt with appropriately.  Sometimes we think of the hardened life as being hopeless, yet it only lacks hope as long as it remains hard.  While it takes much work to break up hardened ground, it is possible.  The hardened areas of our heart and life don’t have to remain hardened if we spend the time in prayer and repentance necessary for God to soften our heart.  The rocky ground also requires much work but it too can be made into good soil as we remove the heart of stone and allow God to replace it with a heart of flesh.  Any garden that I’ve ever been around is soon filled with weeds if left untended.  The weedy ground that is filled with thorns also doesn’t have to remain that way if we would spend time resting in the presence of God as we cast all our cares upon Him.  The good soil in our life isn’t a natural occurrence — it comes as a supernatural working of the Spirit of God as we allow Him to break up the hardness of our heart, to remove the stones of stumbling, to pull the weeds of sin, and to keep the soil of our life tilled and filled with proper nutrients through prayer and His Word.

I pray that you and I would spend time with God fully examining the types of soil that are present in our lives.  I pray that our examination would reveal work that we need to do and work that we need to allow God to do.  I pray that we would put the time and effort necessary into becoming the life in which the Word of God puts down good roots and grows and produces much fruit.