If there was any doubt, page 111 was proof that spring has replaced winter for the time being.  With the possibility of rain in the forecast, I took care of the morning cleaning and building prep early so I could start mowing when the sun came up.  I’m one that puts off the first mowing of the season as long as I can because once the lawn is mowed in the spring it becomes a regular task until late fall.  My ideal target is to not have to mow until May but with the recent warm temperatures I knew it would need attention well before then.  I actually enjoy mowing so I’m not real sure why I make any attempt to delay the mowing season.  For me, it is very relaxing to be sitting on the mower seat with the sound of the engine behind me and the beauty of creation around me.  There is also a special beauty to be found in a freshly mowed lawn.

With plenty of lawn to mow and the enjoyment of doing so, I found myself working through lunch and into the late afternoon hours.  While it would have been easy to keep going even after I discovered how late it was, I continue to work on taking time each day for my family to spend together.  After putting the mower away and finishing up work for the day, I went home and had a Klondike bar for lunch then headed to the riverwalk in Mishawaka with my family for a relaxing time taking photos and getting some exercise.  We made it to the river around 5 PM and as we began our walk we went past a lady that looked familiar to me.  My first guess was that she looked like the professor I had for most of my writing classes at IUSB.  As we made it about halfway around the first small loop of our walk, our paths crossed again and as we said hello I asked her if she had taught writing at IUSB.  Sure enough, that is why she looked familiar.  We chatted a bit and she asked what I was doing so I was happy to tell her that I was putting what I had learned through her teaching into practice, having written a half dozen books so far.  It was good to be able to thank her for her work and service as I know teaching can often be a thankless job.

The lessons today were many but the value of family and gratitude were the two that stood out from the others.  Throughout our walk tonight we saw many geese with their young families.  Whenever we would see the young goslings, the adults would be nearby keeping a protective eye on them.  We saw them swimming together, eating together, walking together, and even resting together.  One of my favorite sights was a group of goslings all huddled together with their mom resting between them and the open water.  The evening breeze had picked up and there was a coolness to the air that seemed to cause these young geese to huddle together for warmth.

How do we do at huddling together in our families to warm, comfort, and protect each other?  Do we value the families God has given us even more than we value our jobs, our recreational activities, or anything else other than God?  Do we live with gratitude that we express to those who have helped us learn and grow?

I pray that you and I would find ways to spend time together with our families in ways that are enjoyable to all.  I pray that we give a similar value to the church family that God has put us in.  I pray that we have the courage to thank those who have helped us get to where we are in life.

Page 109 got the work week started in much the same way as most of my work weeks begin.  It was up and out the door early to get the building cleaned and ready for the school day.  It was a short night, but our family trip last night to the lake for some sunset photos was well worth the missed hours of sleep.  Once the cleaning was done and the students began arriving for the day, I took some time to write page 108 since I didn’t get that done last night.  After that was done I settled into my Monday morning routine of time with God putting together next week’s prayer guide.  After realizing a couple weeks ago that I haven’t done separate prayer guides for all of the parts of the fruit of the Spirit, my time with God this morning focused on goodness.  We experience God’s goodness far more often than we normally acknowledge or even notice.  The bigger issue for Christians is how are we doing at allowing God’s goodness to flow through us into the lives of others?

With a few breaks to work on other issues that came up, the prayer guide and writing took up most of the morning.  With a meeting to attend in the evening, I finally made it out of the building by 1:30 PM for a lunch and kayak break. 🙂  With the sun shining brightly and the temperature reaching 80 degrees, I put my kayak in the truck and stopped by Subway on my way to Potato Creek.  When I arrived, one of the bald eagles was waiting in the tree by the boat launch area to greet me.  I took a couple photos but the sun was directly behind him so all I was getting was a silhouette.  As I got the kayak in the water and loaded all my camera gear, the eagle took off from its perch so I set off to see if I could find out where it went.  Before I was too far away from shore, he returned to his usual location and sat there while I made my way around the corner to where the sun was behind me and I could get some good photos with decent lighting.  While he perched there in the tree through all the photos I thought I could possibly take, he kept a very vigilant eye on me.  He wasn’t going to be frightened off too quickly but  he also wasn’t going to let down his guard while I was nearby.

While vigilance in regard to our physical surroundings and potential danger can be useful, it is more important as Christians to be vigilant about our spiritual surroundings and the things the enemy wants to use to destroy us.  There is a difference between fear and vigilance although a healthy fear may be part of the seed of vigilance.  The eagle gave no indication that it was afraid of me but that didn’t mean he was willing to let me out of his sight.  Because the power of God in our life helps us to live without fear, sometimes we let down our guard and find ourselves giving in to temptation that we should have been vigilantly guarding against.  The temptation was nothing to be afraid of  — at least not until we failed to recognize its desire to destroy us and we let it get through our relaxed defenses.  God has given us the armor we need in order to be protected from the attacks of the evil one but it is up to us to be diligent in putting it on and always being aware of the spiritual warfare that surrounds us.

I pray that you and  I know the goodness of God and share it with the people around us.  I pray that we would vigilant in our battle against the varied temptations the evil one tries to destroy us with.  I pray that we would recognize the true source of danger and not be deceived by the illusions of safety that surround so many temptations.  I pray that we would daily put on the whole armor of God as we stand firm through prayer and the power of His might.

Page 108 was a very full and very good page . . . so full that I’m writing it the next morning instead of at the end of the day.  🙂  Page 108 was a Sunday which meant a little later wake-up time before gathering with other believers for Bible study and worship together around the Lord’s Table.  The Sunday School class that I’m a part of is working our way through the book of Proverbs.  One of the tough parts about doing a study through Proverbs is that almost every verse could anchor a stand-alone study . . . that, and each one can be very convicting.

I suppose the ability to create and see vivid pictures in my mind is a part of the qualities that influence the writing and artistic parts of my life.  It seems that I have always had that ability.  Some of my earliest memories are of my mom reading to me but the memory isn’t really so much about mom reading as it is the “movie” I was seeing as she read.  I grew up without a television in the home — ours broke when I was very young and with no money to repair it, mom and dad decided there was enough to do on the farm that we didn’t really need TV.  So, instead of television shows I had Hardy Boys mysteries that when I read them I could see all of the action taking place — probably even more clearly than if someone had made a television series out of them.  I don’t remember what it was, but I do remember being extremely disappointed the first time I saw a movie that was “based” on a book I had read.  Not only did they leave so much out, they didn’t do it right! 😉  Unfortunately, we have created a culture that no longer imagines, dreams, or envisions what could be.  We simply hand everyone a screen and convince them of “what is”.

I write all of that to introduce an element of page 108 that was caused by such a vivid imagination.  After some great songs of worship and an update from the Literacy Ministries about their work in Zimbabwe, it was time for the sermon.  Our preacher is doing a series based out of the Sermon on the Mount and this particular message was “Raising the Bar”.  The introduction of the sermon began with a story about a man who became trapped when a boulder fell and pinned his arm to a canyon while while he was climbing.  It is a story I’ve heard before, which probably didn’t help as I could begin to see the entire scene even before it was being told and in greater detail than what it was being described.  Anyhow, it wasn’t long before I could feel the tell-tale signs that this “movie” in my mind would soon cause me to pass out if I didn’t find somewhere to lay down and get some air.  🙂  A great imagination is a wonderful tool for a writer and artist.  Not always so great for someone who becomes faint at the sight of blood — even if that sight is only in the mind.

Anyhow, I quietly got up and went into a side room where I could lay on the cool tile floor.  My wife and some friends saw me leave and came in to check on me — my wife mainly to make sure I hadn’t actually passed out and hurt myself (she knew quite well this wasn’t the first time for this experience), the others to see if I was okay and if there was anything they could do to help.  I made it back in the auditorium for the last part of the sermon and once the picture in my mind had been replaced with more pleasant scenes I had no further problems.  After lunch I went home and eventually made it out to mow the lawn while the beautiful weather seemed to demand that I be outside doing something.  By late afternoon we decided to head up to Lake Michigan to take some sunset photos with the St Joseph lighthouses in them.  This mind God has given me is an incredible thing.  I can “see” the pictures I want to take even before I leave home.  For me, the challenging part of photography is in trying to take pictures to match the ones that already exist in my mind.

As I thought about the day, I think one of the reasons why I love to read and study God’s Word is that through it I create and refine pictures in my mind of God, of heaven, and of what it looks like from His perspective for me to be a disciple.  Sometimes the picture is so clear and vivid that I begin to think I may, like the apostle John, “fall like a dead man” at the incredible purity and beauty of what I see.  Other times it makes me anxious for the day that I will no longer need to imagine because I will see it in person.  And then there is the occasional moments when that same purity burns into my life with great conviction.

I pray that you and I would daily fill our minds with the beauty of Christ.  I pray that we would spend purposeful time in His Word so that His Spirit can use it to show us more about God and about ourselves.  I pray that we would share the picture of God that He has not only placed in our mind but has revealed in His Word.  I pray that the beauty that God reveals to us through creation would help us to have a greater desire for the true beauty that is found in Christ.

I guess page 107 began very early as the work from page 106 spilled over past the midnight hour leading to page 107.  I left work at 12:15 AM then spent about 45 minutes at home unwinding before finally getting some sleep to start the day.  This made for a slow start to Saturday but we eventually got the day started and I went to lunch with my family before we headed down to Potato Creek to enjoy the beautiful warm weather.  Last fall I reached the point where I had to buy pants a size larger than what I had been wearing for several years, so I refer to these frequent trips to the park as Waist Management hikes. 🙂  Since being more deliberate about walking/hiking on a regular basis, I have been able to wear my previous sized pants again.  Today’s hike was just short of 5 miles and when we go as a family I am typically pushing my daughter in her wheelchair for most of the hike.  

The trails were busier today than I think I have ever seen them as people seemed eager to have spring-like weather finally arrive after having significant snow just a week ago.  Depending on which trails we take, one of our stops is often along a shallow creek which eventually flows into the lake at Potato Creek.  It typically runs crystal clear over a bed of fine sand or gravel, depending on the location.  As I sat in the middle of the creek (there was a small raised “island”) I thought about some of the references in the Bible where God talks about streams — particularly about streams of living water.  It is this living water, with Jesus as its source, that is offered to the Samaritan woman at the well.  It is this living water that flows as streams in the dessert.  It is this living water that flows from the throne of God and makes the heart glad.  

As I thought about this stream of crystal clear water, I thought about another stop we often make on the other side of the park.  That stop is also along a stream of crystal clear water — it is the stream leaving the lake.  If I were to ask you which stream you think is most important to the health of the lake, it would be a trick question because both are necessary for a fresh water lake.  The inlet of fresh water, whether from surface streams or underground springs, is important to providing a lake with life.  The outlet stream is critical to keep the lake from building up levels of minerals that would be lethal to all life relying on the source of fresh water — i.e. the Great Salt Lake in Salt Lake City, Utah.  

Both the inlet and outlet streams are just as critical to a healthy spiritual life.  We have no life without the source water that is found in the living water offered by Jesus.  We must allow the streams of living water fill us through the presence of God’s Spirit within us.  But this living water is not meant to stay within us and accumulate with no outward expression.  The living water of God stays fresh within us as we allow it to flow through us into the lives of all that we cross paths with.  In order to stay spiritually healthy and fit, we must not only take in what God pours into our life, we must pour out the love that He has given to us.

I pray that you and I would seek a life that is filled by God and flows into the lives of others.  I pray that we would desire to live a healthy life spiritually for the benefit of God’s kingdom.  I pray that we would look for ways to share all that God continues to pour into us.

I figure many of you probably look at the picture I post with each page before you read the page — maybe even instead of reading the page. 😉  As with most pages that I’ve lived and written, today’s picture represents some aspect of my day.  I took the picture yesterday, but I’ve chosen it for page 106 to represent the need for balance.  

My work day began shortly after 6 AM with the usual cleaning and building prep that needs done each day.  I used the rest of the morning to catch up on some maintenance tasks and writing that my outside grounds work had kept me from doing throughout the week.  Knowing how easy it is for me to lose balance and end up spending a 16+ hour day at work on Fridays, I left the building around noon to spend some time at the local camera store and then headed home to get my taxes done.  Even thought they extended the deadline this year to April 18 for some reason, the 15th is my traditional tax filing day so I took care of it today.  After dinner with my family, I headed back to work around 7 PM for what will probably be 4 – 5 hours of work doing the deeper weekly cleaning to have the building ready for Sunday.  In keeping with that pursuit of balance, the floor scrubber can not do all of the floors on a single charge so midway through I need to take a break from that aspect of cleaning.  Typically the recharge time allows me to clean bathrooms, mop floors that the scrubber can’t do, and write the day’s page as the recharging completes.  

God has created us with a need to work, a need to rest, a need for purpose, a need for relationship, and most importantly among other needs, a need for Him.  When we focus too much on our secondary needs and not on our primary need for Him, our life quickly spins out of balance and starts sounding various physical and/or emotional alarms in an attempt to get our attention.  The secret to balance is to find the correct center point that allows everything around it to be evenly distributed by the weight that it has.  If we ever hope to have a truly balanced life, the center point on which everything else balances has to be our need for God.  When my need for God is central in my life, then He can order my need for work, rest, purpose, relationship, etc according to the weight He knows each has in my life and teach me the weight each one should have in my life.  As I thought about this picture I attached, I was amazed at both the balance and grip represented.  It was a very breezy afternoon and I was having difficulty on the ground keeping my camera balanced enough for a hand-held shot.  This osprey was probably 40+ feet off the ground and I still haven’t decided if it was simply resting on leg or only has one.  I watched it for quite some time and never saw the other foot come down.  Yet there she stood.  Eyes razor-focused on her surroundings while maintaining a grip on the exact point that provides the ability to balance with an appearance of no effort.

I pray that you and I learn to tighten our grip on our need for God while we loosen our grip on everything else.  I pray that our pursuit of balance would not cause us to neglect any of the needs God created within us, but rather it would help us to keep them all in perspective.  I pray that the people around us would know that God is the center point of our life on which everything else is balanced.  

Earthdate 20160414:  These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward his heavenly home.

Sometimes the days begin to settle into a routine so that it becomes difficult to notice the uniqueness of what God is teaching and revealing.  It is on these days that it takes extra effort to pay attention and not just assume there is nothing new to be learned.  Today looked a lot like yesterday and the day before — the day began by getting the building ready for the day then heading outside to spend the beautiful sunny day cutting firewood and cleaning up brush to improve the property’s appearance and usefulness.

Whenever I would shut the chainsaw off to move brush or pick up firewood, the birds would be singing with such beauty and volume that I think they may have been trying to drown out the sound of the saw. 🙂  It didn’t seem to make any difference what I was doing, they were going to sing!  As I thought about it, I decided it had nothing to do with trying to overcome the noise I was making — it was all about simply doing what they were created to do.  

God has created each of us to be loved by Him and to give Him praise and worship.  Yet I wonder how we are doing at that?  Is the praise I express based upon God or upon me?  Do I praise simply for God or is my praise dependent on who is watching and listening?  When the noise of the world seems likely to drown out the sounds of my praise, do I still praise God simply because that is what I was created to do?  How about receiving God’s love?  Do I accept it in the spirit of grace and mercy with which it is offered?  Or do I act like it is only obtainable if I can somehow earn it?  When I begin to believe I have to earn God’s love, whatever praise I offer becomes shallow and self-serving.

I pray that you and I would understand the purpose for which God has created us.  I pray that we would know and accept the love God has for us.  I pray that we would give Him praise with our lives in all the circumstances of life.  I pray that our praise and worship would always be only for God.  I pray that we would never compromise, or change, our worship based on who is listening and watching.

Page 104 was another beautiful spring day so I began it early so I could get my inside work done before sunrise.  After cleaning, sweeping, and taking out trash, it was a little brisk outside but I started up the Kubota tractor to continue the clean-up work in the woods.  After setting all winter, the tractor started right up and seemed eager to get back to work.  In addition to cleaning up the tree tops from the recent timber harvest, I continue to work at clearing the undergrowth and invasive brush so the building is more visible from the road.  I began this project a couple years ago and it will need to be an ongoing task if I want it to remain clear.  

Sometime in the last 10 years or so, a group of guys put a lot of work into clearing the brush and undergrowth from the wooded are on the south side of the church drive.  While it looked wonderful when they were finished, no one took it upon themselves to keep it maintained.  Last fall I spent several days going back through it and I still have more to do before it is cleared again.  It is a beautiful grove of trees when the ground is cleared but it quickly becomes an eyesore when allowed to become overgrown.  On the positive side, the fact that it had some attention given to it over the years made it easier to clear than the other side of the drive where I’m working now — which doesn’t appear to have had anything done to it for multiple generations.  

Some of my best thinking and praying times come on the seat of a tractor or mower.  As I worked on some of the more stubborn vines and brush, I thought about the invasive brush and vines that we often allow to grow up in our life that strangle our spirit.  Sometimes the strangling of our spirit happens so gradually that we don’t even realize it has happened until something happens that causes us to realize we are struggling for air in the midst of a life that is overgrown with the cares of the world.  Many times people reach that point of realization and the work necessary to clear away the brush seems too great to even attempt.  The good news is that God has given us all the equipment necessary to clear away everything that “so easily entangles us” so our spirit is free to show His Spirit to the people around us.  

Yes the longer we allow the entanglements of life to grow, the more effort it will take to remove them but it is not a task we have to do alone.  Once we allow the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, remaining in Christ and allowing Him to daily keep our lives free from the overgrowth of the world helps us remain clear before Him.  Living a life that is clear before God is not a “once and done” thing.  It requires a daily, deliberate decision and set of actions to keep it clear.  While the tractor makes clearing the wooded areas much easier than trying to do it with simple hand tools, God’s Spirit is the heavy equipment that has the power to cut through the heaviest of entangling growth that has overtaken our lives.  But the tractor doesn’t start itself and go out and clear the woods any more than the Holy Spirit works at clearing our spirit without our invitation and involvement.  It is our choice to seek God and allow Him full access to work in our life.  But it also must be our choice to daily deny our self, pick up our cross, and follow Him.

I pray that you and I would evaluate the condition of our spirit and see how much work still needs done to clear it.  I pray that we would daily turn to God for His help in removing the entanglements of the world from our lives.  I pray that we would daily spend time with God in His Word and prayer as part of the maintenance of keeping our lives free from the undergrowth that can destroy us.