Page 350 began with more snow than anyone was calling for, so I got up and headed into work for a short while to make sure the walks were cleared and ready for the school day.  They were being worked on when I got there so I grabbed my shovel and helped finish clearing the exit walkways around the building.  After putting down a little ice melt on one of the problem areas, I headed home to continue my “day off”.  

I spent much of the morning going through recent photos I’ve taken and eventually settled on one that I added scripture to that I will likely have printed in some form to put in my office.  I also came across the photo that I’m using on today’s page.  While not taken today, it could have been as the sun came out brightly after the early morning snow passed through and coated everything with a fresh coat of white.  As the morning slipped away, I shoveled an area clear in front of the garage and pulled the pellet grill out to do some grilling in the mid-day sun.  The thermometer said it was only ten degrees, but the sun made it tolerable as I prepared bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  While they were on the grill cooking, I fired up the snowblower and cleared the rest of the driveway.  The wind was blowing steadily, so by the time I was done running the snowblower I looked much like a walking snowman.  

After lunch I gave some thought to going out to enjoy the sunshine by taking a walk in the freshly coated winter wonderland but with no eager takers to join me, I ended up staying inside and playing some Wii games.  The forecast is for more snow with the possibility of sleet and freezing rain mixed in for the weekend so it’s probably just as well that I rest when I can.  Winter brings with it a unique beauty but it comes with a price.  For me, the extra work and planning it takes to deal with the falling snow is worth the winter scenes that I am able to see and photograph.  

Sometimes in life it is difficult to see the beauty that exists in people because of the work needed to get to know them.  We look at people that aren’t quite like us, or very much not like us, or needy, or hurting, or lonely, or messy, or a variety of other things and all we see is the work that a relationship of any kind with them would take.  We see the things that require effort and fail to see how those very characteristics not only define a person, but adds beauty to them.  Sometimes we need a covering of “snow” in our lives to allow the ugliness that the world has created in us to be covered until a season of spring allows us to be renewed in mind, body, and spirit.  The season of rest takes work, but it is worth it when we begin to look beyond the work to notice the beauty that is being revealed.

I pray that you and I would have a flexibility of plans that allows us to live with contentment when things aren’t quite what we expected.   I pray that we would be deliberate about remembering the Word of God and its application in our life.  I pray that we would notice the beauty that surrounds us, even when the source of the beauty requires extra effort from us.  I pray that we would see the beauty of people created in God’s image, especially when noticing that beauty requires work on our part.  I pray that we would use seasons of rest to prepare us for renewal and growth.  

Page 349 has been a cold, winter day and is setting up to be a long one as I began work early in the morning and will likely clean bathrooms and floors after teaching a Wednesday evening Bible class for elementary students.  Most of the day has been rather overcast and the frigid temperatures did not make going outside very inviting.  So, instead of a late-afternoon lunch break and walk, I took a nap in my office instead.  When I woke up, the sun was shining brightly for a while but I was content to enjoy it from inside.  With just seventeen days left in the calendar year, I’ve begun to consider the year ahead and how God would have me be prepared for it.

But before the new year gets here, there is still work to do in the current year so the day began in the usual fashion with the cleaning and building prep necessary to start the day.  Once the building was ready, the day had a lot of elements of yesterday in it as I worked on tonight’s lesson, a sermon to share at the North Wayne Mennonite Church on Christmas Day, a Bible teaching on praying in the real world that I keep developing, and a sermon to share at the Deer Run Church of Christ on New Year’s Day.  As I worked on that combination, I received an email outlining the theme for next year’s National Student Conference so I began to spend some prayer time and consideration in regard to what God would have me prepare for that.  As I thought about specific ways people have encouraged me in response to different writings I have published, I began to consider how much of what I do is what God wants, how much is what I want, how much is what others want, and at what point those three areas intersect.  It seems easy to keep what I want and even what others want in front of me most of the time, but how easy is it to let what God wants slip out of my mind as the voices of others and myself drown Him out?  As I thought about that, a verse came to mind that I think I will print out in some fashion and put in a place where I would most likely see it throughout every day.  I know there are specific things that God wants and has created for each of us to do, but perhaps if I focus on doing this verse every day the rest of what He wants will be natural by-products.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8 (NIV)

In one of the brief moments of sunshine, a cardinal came by to grab some berries before disappearing into the deeper brush.  At about the same time, a red fox walked by but he was out in the woods too far to get any pictures through the twigs and branches.  It made me think about how God has created them to survive and provides them with homes that are suitable to their needs.  I couldn’t imagine being outside today dressed only in what I was wearing even a week ago, but God created them with the ability to do that and He created mankind with the ability to build shelters and means of warmth from what He provides.  The Bible talks about God putting within the heart, or mind, of man the ideas to do certain things.  There are times when we like to brag on the creative ability of mankind, but I would have to ask where that ability really comes from.  In a way, my writing is like that.  When I write, especially the poems God chooses to give me, it is always clear that what I share are words that He has put within my heart and mind for the purpose of sharing them with others.  Sometimes I have an idea of the why He gives specific words and how He will use them, but most of the time my sharing them is an act of faith because I have no idea what He will use them to accomplish or even who His intended audience is for them.

I pray that you and I would be mindful of people who may  need extra help and attention when the weather around them is less than ideal.  I pray that we would seek God for times of refreshing when we become weary.  I pray that we would spend time with God for the purpose of knowing Him so well that we would align all that we do with His will and desire.  I pray that we would commit to acting with justice each day and in every circumstance.  I pray that we would not only love receiving mercy from God, but that we would love showing mercy to others.  I pray that we would live a fully humble life as we walk with our God.  I pray that we would acknowledge God as the source for all that is good within us and around us.  I pray that we would trust Him to use all that He has put within us for His glory.

With the snow day yesterday, page 348 began with what is usually the Monday morning version of cleaning and building prep.  As I took the trash out, a light snow had begun to fall once again and continued through the school drop-off time which means the floors will be needing extra attention.  Once the building was ready for the day, I spent time formatting the prayer guide for next week and scheduling it to be sent out and posted on Sunday.  Once the email and online posting was scheduled, I turned my attention to the lesson I’ll teach to the elementary class tomorrow evening.  We will be talking about Joshua with a focus on being strong and courageous in the way we listen to and obey God.  

The rest of the workday was filled with work on a combination of the elementary Bible class lesson, two sermons, and a lesson on praying in the real world.  In between the Bible study and research, I took care of some correspondence regarding having an Impact Prayer Ministry display at the Christian Camp Leaders Conference and the National Student Conference next year.  God continues to provide opportunities that require an ever-increasing faith that He will provide the resources needed to accomplish His will in every circumstance.

By mid-afternoon it was time to call an end to the workday and get some lunch, but first I stopped to clear the morning snowfall from the walks so they would be clear for the student pick-up time at the end of the school day.  After lunch the sun was still out and shining brightly so I headed down to Potato Creek again today to get some exercise and take some photos.  There was a brisk wind blowing across the lake and ice had formed over all of the water surface except a small area that was filled with an assortment of geese and ducks taking advantage of the remaining open water.  But it was the sky that grabbed my attention the most.  The bright sun, the vibrant blue sky, and a collection of fluffy white clouds made for a scene that demanded to be photographed.  After a few landscape photos taken across the lake, I headed out on a trail to get in my waist management hike and see what the actual distance of yesterday’s hike was.  As I followed the route of yesterday’s walk, I was surprised at how quickly it seemed I reached various photo stops.  I knew that pushing Susan through the snow in her wheelchair yesterday was a lot more work than walking on my own, but I didn’t realize how much more time it had taken until I walked the same route today.  

Sometimes our perception of the difficulty of a task causes us to avoid doing the things we know we ought to.  God has given us the gift of family and of one another with the purpose that each of us would serve in ways that looks out for the needs of others above our own.  I think of so many leaders written about throughout the Bible who accomplished great and difficult things for the benefit of others, even at great cost to themselves.  They understood their life was not their own but was a gift from God that was given with the purpose of worshiping Him and serving others.  Far too often we want the easy path when God is calling us to walk a path of serving Him in the way we serve others.  My favorite Biblical account of the Christmas story is not told in the Gospels but rather by Paul as he writes to the Philippians about our need to imitate the example of Jesus, “who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross.”  The Christmas story is about God’s Son walking the difficult path of life on earth in order to serve mankind for their benefit in a way that only He could.  Perhaps you are the one God has gifted in a way that can serve a specific person according to their needs but it will take great courage and humility to do so.  

I pray that you and I would spend time with God for the purpose of being prepared to serve others.  I pray that we would make the difficult choices to live with courage as we serve others.  I pray that we would understand how Jesus would have us to learn from His example of humility and submission.  I pray that we would seek wisdom in how to serve others with the gifts God has given us.

I suppose if page 347 has a theme, it is snow.  By the time I went to bed last night, the school and preschool had been called off for today so I took advantage of the snow day and slept in.  When I got up, I checked my social media feeds for messages and info then went out to see if my snowblower would start.  It started right up on the first pull, so I worked at clearing the snow from my drive at home.  Once I had that done, I headed into work to see if my work snowblower would start so I could take care of the walks there.  It has an electric start so I don’t have to pull the starter rope, but one push of the button and it fired right up as well.  The rest of the morning was spent clearing the walks around the building and then doing the sidewalks along the road for the full width of the property.  Those typically require a slower speed as the snow is both deeper and wetter from the accumulations the snowplows throw from the roadway. 

Once the snow work was done for the day, I went in to see if I could get display space reserved for the prayer ministry at next year’s International Conference on Missions.  I had the floor plan for the exhibit area and had picked out a couple locations that I thought would have a good traffic flow.  When registration was supposed to begin, I followed the link they had sent me but it would continually come back with an error and not take me to the exhibit registration page.  By the time I discovered that they were giving direct links to the registration page to people who were reporting on their Facebook page that the website wasn’t working, enough people had used those links that the locations I wanted were already gone. 😦  I eventually chose an exhibit location and decided that God has a greater ability to bring people to my display than even having the right location could.  So, I settled for what I could get and will continue to pray that God uses Impact Prayer Ministry’s presence at conferences such as ICOM to reach people that want to grow in their relationship with Him through prayer.

Page 347 was a Monday, so while my schedule was rearranged, I still spent time in prayer working on the prayer guide for next week.  As I prayed about some of the options for the week leading up to Christmas Day, I eventually settled on redoing one that I’ve used for several Christmases that will focus on the names, titles, and/or descriptions that were given to God’s Son as the prophets foretold His coming to earth to live as one of us.  Even the name Jesus, which we probably have become so familiar with that we don’t think about its meaning, is a reminder that God’s Son has come to save us from our sins.  

After I had the prayer guide ready for next week, I headed home as the sun began to peek through the clouds.  With the sun making an appearance, we decided to head down to Potato Creek for a family waist management hike and to see what photo opportunities we could find.  As we drove to the park, the clouds returned and the bright sunshine that we were hoping would illuminate some photos had disappeared.  We first stopped in the area where the eagles are most likely to be seen, but they were no where in sight.  We drove through the rest of the park before stopping to see if I could push Susan’s wheelchair through the snow that covered the trails.  It took some work but it was possible, so we headed out on the trails to get some exercise and take some photos.  About midway through our 2 1/2 mile hike, the sun made its appearance as it prepared to set for the day.  Today’s photo was taken while I was resting a bit from pushing the wheelchair through the six inches or so of snow that covered the trail.  The hike was less distance than many I’ve taken, but it was as much work as most of them.  While I didn’t sit on the bench, this scene was truly a picture of relaxation.

I pray that you and I  would find enjoyment in the work that God allows us to do.  I pray that we would live life in a way that makes adjustments for the many unexpected variables that are a part of life.  I pray that we would learn from the Christmas story, not only about the coming of Jesus as a baby, but about the true purpose of His coming — to save people from their sins.  I pray that we would seek out times, places, and scenes that help us to relax in God’s presence. 

Page 346 was a Sunday, but it was the first snowy Sunday of the season.  That meant I needed to be up early to work on the snow removal before people began arriving for the Sunday church services.  As I walked out of the house and into the winter wonderland in the morning darkness, the beauty of the snow-covered ground was highlighted by the continued falling snow.  When I made it to work and started shoveling the snow from the walks, there was a quiet peace that filled the property.  I know the “worship service” wasn’t scheduled to begin until a few hours later, but worship was already taking place.  Once the walks were cleared, I put down ice melt to try to keep them that way but the snow kept coming and left me with the dilemma of letting the ice melt do its job or shoveling again which would also remove the ice melt I had put down.  I ended up focusing the snow removal efforts on the main entryway and left the ice melt to work on the walks leading up to it.   

Once the church service began, I came in from the cathedral of the great outdoors to continue my worship of God inside.  David continued a sermon series from the Gospel of Luke with a message, “A Matter of Perspective”, focused on Mary’s response to being chosen as the mother of Jesus.  As with all stories of people in the Bible, the information isn’t there simply to teach us about a person’s life, but to also help us learn how we ought to respond to God.  When we begin to understand how Mary responded to the message brought by the angel, we learn how we ought to respond to the messages God give us through His Word and His Spirit.  Mary began by being able to see the blessings available to her in her situation.  While the greeting of “most favored one” probably was a great surprise, her response indicates that the content of the message made her understand the truth of the greeting.  Sometimes we face situations in life when our first glance doesn’t bring the idea of our being blessed to mind.  It is important that we continue to seek God and to listen to Him for how His blessings will be revealed in our life.  These daily pages have been a big help to me as they cause me to stop each day and consider what God has been doing in, through, and around me to make me more of who He created me to be.

Not only was Mary able to see the blessings in her situation, she could see the possibilities in her God.  Even when given a message that defied the realm of physical possibility, Mary concluded that all things were possible with God.  Yes, she had questions about how it would happen but she also had faith that God could do what He said.  We may not always understand the how and why of what God want to do, but we need to reach the point where we believe He can do even the things that we view as impossible.  When God promises to forgive our sins and hold them against us no longer, we need to believe that He can do that and so much more.  It is in our believing in a God who can do the impossible that we begin to see our place in His plan.  Mary knew her place in God’s plan and proclaims that she is the Lord’s servant.  As a servant, she was also willing to do whatever God desired.  Her place in God’s plan was to bring a Messiah into the world and nurture Him until the time was right to accomplish the Father’s will for Him.  One of the keys to being able to see our place in God’s plan is to learn a contentment in doing what God has created us to do.  It is so easy to look at what God has others doing and wish we could do their task as well, but that would likely leave the task undone that we were created to do.  Each of us are a part of the body of Christ and our purpose within the body, while not always having the same level of visibility, always has the same level of importance.  I write because God has gifted me in that area and He continually convinces me that somehow this writing is at least a piece of my part in His plan.  Whatever He has put within you, He has done so for the benefit of His body.

Today’s photo is one I took through my office window as the snow began to fall a couple days ago.  With the snow flying around him, this little guy had clasped onto the brush while enjoying an afternoon snack.  There was a joy brought to my life just in seeing how God was providing for this small creature and how it added to the beauty of the scene.  Our life should be lived in such a way that we bring joy to the people around us as we show how God provides for our every need and as we bring the beauty of God with us wherever we go.

I pray that you and I would live a life of worship in every setting of life we find ourselves in.  I pray that we would value the times of worship we have with fellow believers.  I pray that we would learn from the example of Mary as we live our life in Christ.  I pray that we would look for the blessings that God wants to bring out of whatever situation we find ourselves in.  I pray that we would not limit God to the thing we think are possible, but would believe all things are possible with Him.  I pray that we would continually grow in our ability to see our part in God’s plan.  I pray that we would share joy wherever we go as we represent Christ. 

After cleaning late last night, I went to bed just as page 345 was set to begin.  I guess that was a good start to a day that seemed to have a theme of rest.  I was able to sleep in well into the morning but eventually got up and gave myself a much needed haircut.  Susan likes the sound of the hair clippers, so by the time I was done she was ready to get up.  After getting Susan her meds and breakfast, the rest of the morning consisted of getting the Christmas tree out and put up.  Susan loves the tree, so we got it out and MJ decorated it and Susan had a happy morning.  It wasn’t long before it was time for lunch so we put on our hats and coats and went out to eat.  With snow in the forecast, which means I will likely need to get up and clean walks in the morning, I spent much of the afternoon taking a nap.  I eventually got up and played a little Wii fitness, which showed my fitness age to be 24 so I guess I’m doing a good job of staying in shape. 🙂  After some good chili for supper, it was time to sit down and write today’s page so I can get some sleep before the snow arrives.

Today’s photo is one I took at Potato Creek a couple days ago.  The bald eagle is often seen as a symbol of freedom in the United States.  I always consider it a special treat when I catch sight of one of them when I visit the park and it’s a double treat when I see the pair of them that have taken up residence there.  Watching them perched in a tree or soaring over the lake is a true picture of beauty and freedom.  While they remind me of the freedoms that I have as a citizen of the USA, they also make me think of the greater freedom I have as a child of the living God.  When I live in Christ, I am set free completely and nothing can overcome that freedom.  But just like the tenuous guarantees of freedom we have in this country, there are times when my fear keeps me from living in the freedom that I actually have.  There are times when I allow the opposition of others, and of the enemy, to cloud over the true freedom I have in Christ.  While nothing can separate me from the freedom that Christ has given me, I must daily choose to live in that freedom rather than return to an enslavement to sin and the law.  One of the reasons that I believe it is so important to rest in Christ is because God has promised that those who wait upon Him shall have a renewed strength and rise up on wings as eagles.  The freedom I have in Christ is renewed and strengthened when I rest fully in Him each day.  

I pray that you and I would not lose sight of Jesus and the purpose for His life on earth as we celebrate Christmas this year.  I pray that we would learn to wait upon the Lord and rest in Him as we hold fast to the freedom He has given.  I pray that we would live as those set free as we hold fast to the promises of God.

The overnight snow didn’t amount to what they were calling for, but it was still enough that the sidewalks needed to be cleared in addition to the morning cleaning and inside building prep.  So, page 344 began with the layered look as I dressed for winter and faced the cold wind that was bringing lake effect snow with it.  Once the walks were cleared and some ice melt put down on some stubborn areas, I headed inside to see if the adjustments I made to the heating system yesterday afternoon had worked.  As I walked in from outside, I decided I may need to adjust to the inside temperature before deciding as it could be rather chilly and still feel warm after spending time outside.  So, after cleaning bathrooms and sweeping hallways, I checked on my heating system work and one of the two areas had significant improvement while the other had gained some warmth but still wasn’t where it ought to be.  

The temporary solution was to tell people that if it started to feel cold in their work area, to go outside for five minutes and it would seem warmer when they came back in. 🙂  Much of the morning was spent researching our heating system and trying to track down reliable sources of information and parts.  I don’t know that I came up with anything that will help but I did learn a lot a zoned hot water heating system.  After the students were finished with lunch, I cleaned up after them and used the floor scrubber in the cafeteria so it would be clean for a dinner being held tonight.  Once I had done what I could until after the dinner, I headed out to lunch and then down to Potato Creek for a waist management and mental health hike.  After two days in a row, I had skipped yesterday so even with the snow and cold temperature it felt good to be back out for an afternoon hike.  When I arrived at the park, I saw the resident pair of bald eagles and managed a few long distance photos before heading out for what ended up being a nearly five mile hike.

Today’s photo was taken with a little over a mile to go and it was starting to get dark.  The path had a light covering of snow, but not enough to give it a full crisp winter look.  Between the cold and the dreariness of the day, I didn’t stop to take nearly as many photos as I normally do.  Moving quickly helped keep me warm, so it took more to catch my eye enough to make me stop than it does on a warm summer day.  I suppose that stopping less actually makes the waist management aspect of the hike more realistic as I was able to reach 14, 14.5, and 15 minute miles for the center three miles of the hike.  When I got back to the truck, one of the eagles was still perched in a tree across the way but it was too dark to get any more usable photos.  Once back to the building, I sat down to write today’s page while I waited for the building to clear out.  Now that I have an empty building, I will finish up today’s writing and get the building cleaned and ready for Sunday.

I guess if I were to sum up today in a word, the word would be perspective.  The rooms in the building that were cold, were cold compared to other rooms but were actually warm compared to outside.  The snow, while creating some extra work was minor compared to what they were calling for.  On my photography Facebook page, I posted a series of photos I called “Perspective” because one was a normal view of the inlet channel at Potato Creek with two spots in the photo  highlighted while the other two were taken while standing in the same location but zoomed in to each spot where an eagle happened to be perched.  Sometimes I wonder how much I miss because my perspective needs to be widened out at times and narrowed in at other times.  

I pray that you and I would learn to consider what God’s perspective would be in all of our circumstances.  I pray that we would find joy in doing the daily tasks which are set before us.  I pray that we would spend time becoming more and more familiar with the depths of love, that we will never fully understand, which God lavishes on us.  I pray that we would be faithful in doing the things we need to do, the things we commit to doing, and the things God calls us to do.

Page 343 was mostly a day off work although I’m writing this at work while I wait to see if some adjustments I made to the heating system will warm up a couple rooms.  After a late Wednesday night at work, I slept in this morning with no real plans for the day other than to rest.  After I woke up, I helped Susan get up and around for the day and we spent the morning resting — she with a panda bear and television, me with coffee and internet.  Mid-morning, or so, I got a message from work that the two areas of the building that were cold last Thursday morning were cold again today.  I guess the heat system is allergic to Thursdays. 🙂  By the time I saw the message it was too late to get heat in the rooms for today’s use, so I decided to go in later when the building was empty and the system would be easier to work on.  

The weather forecasters are still calling for a winter weather advisory and accumulating lake effect snow, but so far it is just cold with a few flurries.  We had hamburger thawed out so I fired up the pellet grill and grilled some bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  It’s always grilling season, right?  After lunch I decided to take a nap so I would be rested up to go into work this evening.  I’m still not sure if the winter bug that seems to get shared at work is winning or if I am, but the rest was helpful.  With snow in the forecast, I couldn’t be sure I would have time in the morning to resolve the heat issue as well as clear walks and do the usual building cleaning, so I headed into work tonight to do some trouble shooting.  After some adjustments in the system, I have hot water running through the offending heat exchange units so I am hopeful the rooms will soon warm up.  

Today’s picture is what I’m trying to avoid in the building — Jack Frost nipping at our toes. 🙂  Yesterday while I was out at Potato Creek, one of the swamp areas had a thin coating of ice covering it and I loved the patterns that were formed on the surface.  In every season, the beauty of God’s creativity can be found by those who simply open their eyes and are willing to look for it.  I’m not a big fan of the bitter cold weather that winter sometimes brings, but I do enjoy the beauty of freshly fallen snow and the crispness of a clear winter night.  I also enjoy heat when I go into a building, so I’ll wrap up the writing of today’s page and try to successfully finish up my work today.

I pray that you and I would pay attention when our body, soul, and spirit are in need of rest.  I pray that we would seek God as our refuge in times of fatigue and weariness.  I pray that we would be wise about the way we work so that our productivity makes us more effective in our work for Christ.  I pray that we would enjoy life as we live each day as a child of God.  I pray that we would celebrate God’s diverse creativity as we stop and notice the many wonders that He surrounds us with.