Tom’s Book of 2016

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2016: Page 79

Aahhh . . . a Saturday!  Today was a good reminder of why I put in such long hours on Fridays.  There are times when events or plans cause me to leave some of the weekend prep undone on Friday and then have to go in Saturday or very early Sunday, but it always feels good to have a day when I can completely disconnect from work and have no plans but to relax and enjoy the day.  I slept in a bit this morning and then put some pork on the pellet grill to slow cook all day.  My plan was for it to be done for a late supper but when 8 PM rolled around and it still wasn’t ready, I shifted to plan B and grilled some hamburgers for tonight and will pull the pork when it is done so it is ready for another time.  I usually figure 10 – 12 hours so I guess putting it on at 9 in the morning wasn’t quite early enough this time.

The day itself was a low-keyed and laid back day of rest.  It was rather cold and cloudy, so rest seemed much more attractive than going out hiking and taking more photos.  After I got the pork started in the morning, I cut my hair as it was getting a little shaggy and then started going through photos from the past few days.  It wasn’t long before it was time for lunch so the family went out and enjoyed lunch together.  The afternoon was a mix of online social media, online browsing and dreaming as I kept up on new camera equipment, continued going through photos and a little Wii gaming just for fun.  Once the “plan B” hamburgers were consumed tonight, I realized it was late enough that I should write page 79 and then get some sleep so I’m rested and awake for the Sunday worship gathering at church.

I wonder how often most of us think about preparing for the time we spend together in worship celebrating what Jesus has done for us.  With tomorrow being known as Palm Sunday, I imagine most of us will spend at least some time being reminded of, and thinking about, the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem just days before the crowds would turn on Him and demand His crucifixion.  It is that thought that makes me think we ought to spend more time preparing for worship than what we do.  It is so easy to be swept along with the crowd.  We worship when the crowds worship and we condemn when the crowds condemn.  If I see my life as worship . . . if I prepare for worship . . . then worship should be what I express regardless of the nature of the crowds around me.  So how do you and I prepare to live a life of worship?  I think at least part of the preparation begins by recognizing that God deserves our worship all the time because He knows what He’s talking about all the time.  Some days I prepare for worship by observing His beauty in nature.  Today I prepared for worship by understanding the rest I needed and experienced today was His idea.  Tomorrow I prepare for a life of worship by gathering with like-minded believer to share in the body and blood of Christ through communion.  When I realize that God’s plans for me, the plans revealed through scripture that He desires for all mankind, are plans that prosper and do good . . . plans to give me hope and a future.  God’s part of this plan was accomplished through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  My part of the plan is to accept God’s part of the plan.

I pray that you and I would find time for, and enjoy, the rest that God desires for us.  I pray that we would see worship as something much bigger and meaningful than just an hour service each week.  I pray that we would constantly prepare for a life of worship that is not swayed by the crowds.  I pray that we would fully accept God’s plan to give us a hope and a future through the work of Jesus in our life.

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2016: Page 78

Page 78 is another Friday which means a long day no matter how you measure it.  I still get asked often how I find time to go to the parks and lake shore to take all the photographs I share.  This week, and today in particular, is a good example of how that happens.  Mostly it is about priority of the hours that are in a day with my preference to spend non-working time hiking and taking photographs rather than sitting around watching television or involved in some other form of entertainment.  I usually start work sometime between 6 and 6:30 AM and try to leave the building sometime between 2 and 3 in the afternoon.  Today I got to work a little late — it was 7 AM.  I took care of the cleaning and maintenance tasks that needed done through out the day, as well as worked on some writing projects that are currently underway.  I managed to make it out of the building a little before 3 to get some lunch and drive down to Potato Creek State Park where I spent about an hour hiking and taking pictures.  Fridays I usually get the building ready for the weekend once most people clear out, so I was back to the building by 5 PM to start the cleaning and prep work for the weekend.  In the middle of my cleaning, I’ll stop and write this page while the floor scrubber recharges.  By the time everything is said and done, I’m usually out of here by 10:30 or 11:00 PM on Fridays but even with such a long day, there was ample time to spend taking pictures as part of my worship of God.

I write all that not in a “pity party” spirit, but in hopes of helping you see that you may have more time to spend with God in the beauty of His creation than you think.  Many of the walks/hikes that I take are not much more than an hour or two and most people I know invest way more time that that in their favorite TV shows each day.  I realize I have an advantage of flexibility in start times that many don’t.  I can choose to begin my day at 6 in the morning so I have a block of daylight after work.  There have been times in the past when I’ve spent mornings out in the kayak and shift my work hours to afternoon and evening.  I simply make it a priority to figure out ways to spend time with God in nature.  It does help a great deal that my family also enjoys the great outdoors so we can take these hikes together so it often adds to family time instead of taking away from it.  Believe me, I know it is not easy because it is not easy for me either.  I struggle with balancing my time well but I’ve discovered that my time is much more productive if I make spending time with God a priority both at work and in my times of recreation and enjoyment.  

I pray that you and I would evaluate how we use the hours of the day that God gives us — we each are given the same amount each day.  I pray that we would not only make work a priority, but that we would make time spent doing the things we enjoy with the ones we love a priority as well.  I pray that God is central in each of those areas and all other areas of our life.

Today’s visit to the park included the beauty of the Osprey which have returned to Potato Creek and the peacefulness of the white puffy clouds dotting the crystal blue sky.  

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2016: Page 77

Page 77 began as a normal workday with the usual weekday tasks that needed done.  The morning included some maintenance tasks that required I dig through my memory, and my supply shelves, to track down some parts that I knew I had . . . somewhere.  After some thinking and looking, the missing parts appeared and I was able to complete the needed tasks.  The day also included ministry conversations that reminded me of the assurance I have in Christ.  An assurance that includes my pursuit of obedience to the things scripture teaches about becoming “in Christ”, but more importantly an assurance because of my faith in the faithfulness of God to forgive my sin through the blood of Jesus.  My obedience is necessary not because I can in any way earn favor with God, but because I have favor with God.

As the workday came to a close, my family and I grabbed a very late lunch and headed out to Bonneyville Mills park to take some pictures . . . and take a hike.  There was still a chill in the air, but the cloud and blue sky mix was perfect for photos.  It was nice to see people out walking the trails and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.  Today was more about the walk and taking in the beauty than about photography.  I did take about 50 photos, but that didn’t seem like much compared to yesterday’s total of nearly 500. While at the park, I was captivated by the cotton ball clouds that drifted through the bright blue sky.  I was doubly pleased when I got home and found that my camera had captured the view just as I had hoped it would.  I’ve not had much success finding the right settings on the camera to capture this type of scene the way I have wanted to, but today it finally came together.

I remember stretching on the back lawn many years ago as a young boy, watching the clouds float overhead and dreaming about heaven.  Life was busy growing up on the farm so I’m sure those times of imagining the future were few and far between, but they were so real I still remember them even today.  I don’t remember if it was technically daydreaming or if I had actually fallen asleep, or if it was something different entirely, but I recall the real sense of flying/floating through the sky while enjoying the beauty of heaven in the presence of God.  I don’t think this dream ever included any details of what that was like other than a confidence that was where I was.  As I looked through today’s photos, they were a reminder of those days long ago when I first began to feel the closeness of God.  My daughter constantly talks about seeing Jesus someday and I pray that I have that same desire, expectation, and assurance that looks forward to that day each day I live.

I pray that you and I live fully aware of the work of God that calls all people to salvation through Jesus Christ.  I pray that we would desire to live obedient lives because of the cleansing of sin we have through the blood of Jesus.  I pray that we would not lose sight of the eternal reward that awaits all who are found in Christ.  I pray that we never outgrow our coming to Christ as a little child so that we always maintain the wonder and expectation that even today we could see Jesus face to face.

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2016: Page 76

“It was a dark and stormy night.”  So began page 76 of this 2016 edition of my life.  Thunderstorms rolled through the area very early in the morning, causing an interruption of desired rest.  Interrupted sleep or not, the alarm still went off early and the cleaning at work wasn’t going to get done itself.  I finished the cleaning and daily prep work and as I sat down at my computer to check email and messages, I was able to catch a glimpse of the sun fighting its way over the horizon.  In a very short time, the clouds had been blown away and an incredible sunrise was appearing as I looked out my office window.  After going out to take some pictures, I returned to my email and messages.  When I next looked up, the sun had disappeared under a thick blanket of clouds while the wind whipped the treetops back and forth with great fury.  By late morning as I finished up some projects, I noticed there were holes appearing in that thick blanket of clouds and a few tiny patches of blue sky peering out onto the earth below.  

By the time I finished up that work day at 3, the blue sky dotted with an occasional puffy white cloud seemed to be asking to be photographed.  At least from inside, it was a perfect day to head out and take some photos.  With the wind gusting up to 50 mph, we decided to head up to Lake Michigan to capture some lighthouse photos with some good wave action.  As we were about to leave the South Haven lighthouse, the lady in the car next to where I parked looked so familiar that I found myself trying to see who she was with without looking like a creeper or stalker.  I finally got a good look at the driver and it was a good friend from my years working at the camp.  They had come over from the Kalamazoo area to watch the waves and sunset and “just happened” to park next to us.  

After coming home and reflecting on the day, I thought about how quickly things can change.  We often joke about the weather in the Michiana area, that if you don’t like it then just wait 5 minutes, it will change.  That really seemed to be the case several times today.  I also thought about life and how sometimes it can feel as if nothing will ever change and we are “stuck” wherever we happen to be.  When I am in a cloudy and stormy season of life, it can start to feel like the sun will never return.  Fortunately, I’ve lived through enough to know that the light of Jesus can being hope to my darkest hours.  Paul writes of his “light and momentary afflictions”, and when I study his life I realize that things do change very quickly when viewed from an eternal perspective.  The struggles that I face that last days, weeks, months, or even years, really are momentary when compared to the eternal glory waiting for me when I meet Jesus face to face.  

As I watched and photographed the waves, I thought about the power of Jesus who could calm the wind and the waves with just a simple command, “Be still!”  As I thought about that, it dawned on me that Jesus had the power to keep the storm from ever happening in the first place.  Yet the storm was necessary for the disciples, and for me.  It is in the storm that God can clearly reveal both His power and His love for me as His Word brings calm to the storms of my life.  The storms not only help me to realize how weak I am on my own, they also help me to see just how strong I can be in Christ.

I pray that you and I are filled with hope as we realize the ever-changing nature of life on this earth.  I pray that we would not despair when things look bleak, but that we would look to God for strength and comfort.  I pray that we would grow in our understanding of how God uses the storms of life to teach, equip, and refine us into a greater representation of His Son, Jesus.

 

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2016: Page 75

As I continue to view each day as a page in my life waiting to be written, I come to page 75 today.  The overnight hours leading up to the start of the day were rather restless.  I’m not sure why, but I just couldn’t stay asleep.  By the time I finally felt comfortable and thought I might be able to get some sleep with nothing aching or bothering me, it was time to get up and head to work.  As I did my morning cleaning work, I reached a point when I realized the building was remaining quiet well beyond the usual time of people arriving.  As I got ready to take out the trash, I stopped and checked the “closings/delays” listing on the local news channel website.  As I scroll down through the page, I see that the school is on a two-hour delay so I guess my early start to the day wasn’t all that necessary.

Anyhow, the cleaning was done and the building was quiet so it was time to work on the missions accounting and correspondence for the church.  It is always a joy to go through the reports and correspondence from the missions we help support.  It is an encouragement to know that we are a part of the greater work being done for the kingdom worldwide.  In addition to the missions committee work, I did some supply inventory and ordering as well as some computer research for the church.  As I start feeling hungry, I realize it is already after two and my early start to the day has turned into a long day without lunch.  As I pack up my things and head home, it is hard to tell if the cloud cover is trying to leave the sky or overtake it.

After I got home, it became apparent that the clouds were leaving rather than coming so we headed down to Potato Creek for a family hike on the trails.  As I thought about the unknown sky, it reminded me of how life often goes.  Many days it is difficult at first glance to tell if the clouds in my life are increasing or decreasing.  It often takes a “wider lens” view to have the perspective needed to view each day accurately.  Just as the day’s weather often changes looks, the atmosphere of our life can be just as deceiving if we judge what the day will become based on a 5-second look.  When I was uncertain about whether the clouds were coming or going, I was very tempted to sit at home and probably accomplish very little.  By taking the time to gain proper perspective, I was able to enjoy a view at Potato Creek that I never get tired of.  When uncertainty fills my spirit, it is through time with God in prayer and His Word that I regain His perspective and enjoy a view of life that never grows old.

I pray that you and I would always seek to view our circumstances and experiences through the eternal perspective that comes through a relationship with Jesus.  I pray that we would not get so wrapped up with the momentary here and now that we miss the peace and joy that God wants to fill us with through His Spirit.  I pray that my life would constantly reflect the beauty of Christ as I allow Him to fill me with a purpose that is well beyond myself.

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2016: Page 74

Page 74 happens to be the first Monday since the weekend time change so it felt like I was heading into work even earlier than what I’ve gotten used to.  Now it was back to doing my morning cleaning and building prep routine without any light coming through the windows.  By the time school was ready to begin for the day and I was taking the trash out, the cardinals were singing their morning songs but dawn had not arrived yet.  Once the building was ready I settled into my Monday morning routine of spending time with God putting together the prayer guide for the following week.  Once the prayer guide was finished I worked on more of the daily devotions for the “Devotions For Those Who Serve” series I am writing.  The work day was rounded out with a lunch meeting and some follow-up to some ongoing maintenance projects

By late afternoon, the sky was still overcast but I decided to head down to Potato Creek to do some hiking and photographing as I spend time with God surrounded by the beauty of His creation.  When I got there I was told I had just missed the eagle.  That is always a little disappointing to hear, but there is always beauty to be found with or without the eagles.  I did about 3 miles and 40 photos before calling it a day at the park and heading home where I pulled out the wood pellet grill and made bacon cheeseburgers for supper.  The hour of darkness I worked in this morning was now an extra hour of daylight after we finished eating so we headed to downtown Mishawaka for a family walk along the river.  Here I did about 3 miles and 48 photos to wrap up the day.

I love digital photography because it helps me capture and share the beauty that God surrounds us with.  When I return from an outing and find I have 40, 50, 100, even several hundred photos, I realize quickly that this wouldn’t likely happen if I had to use a film camera and develop all the photos just to see what they looked like.  I know there are people who use the technology of digital photography for evil and sinful things — but that doesn’t make the tool evil.  The same can be said for much of the technology that exists today.  I hear people all the time talk about the evil of social media, of video games, of the internet in general, and of pretty much any form of technology you want to talk about.  Yet all of them are simply tools — granted there are some pretty wicked things being done with many of these technology tools, but there are also some pretty amazing ministry things being done with them.  When we see people misusing something, especially when using it in a harmful way, we often seek to ban the thing being misused rather than learn and teach how to use if correctly and effectively for God’s glory.

My prayer in all of my online and social media presence, as well as my writing and photography, is that God is honored and lifted up.  I pray that you and I would think through everything we post, share, and like online to evaluate how it reflects on our relationship with God.  I pray that we not stoop to the level of the world when it comes to the way we interact with others whether in person or online.  I pray that each day we would spend time recognizing the beauty of God which surrounds us, and that we would then find ways to share it.  As page 74 neared its end and was about to be turned, I captured a piece of that beauty and I share it here with you.

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2016: Page 73

It is my understanding that the official Daylight Savings Time “moving the clock forward an hour” took place at 2 AM this morning — which immediately became 3 AM.  My awareness of page 73 began with a not so gentle whisper coming up the stairway.  “Mom.”  “Mo-om.”  “Mommm.”  I’m not sure how many other variations were called out until I realized that I wasn’t dreaming.  As I’m not a mom, it’s a lot easier to ignore that call if I’m dreaming.  When I realize I’m awake however, I understand Susan likely had a seizure and is coming out of it in a fearful state of mind and needs help and reassurance.  As I got out of bed to help her I noticed that my clock, which I hadn’t changed the night before, said 2 AM and I thought about the hour that just passed before my eyes.  After getting her settled in our room for the rest of the night we all try to go back to sleep and I think we made it there for a while.  Later, before it was time to wake up and get ready for church, an active seizure took hold of Susan and woke us all up.  After she got through it, we all eventually got some rest and made it up for the morning worship service at church and we’ve had a pretty uneventful day until the seizures returned this evening.

It seems like the days where rest is in short supply are the days I have the greatest realization of the beauty of rest.  While I realize that the dormancy of certain plants and trees in the winter doesn’t necessarily mean nothing is going on, I enjoy the simple beauty of the winter scene of rest.  One of my favorite winter scenes at Potato Creek State Park is from a trail overlooking the lake with a small tree standing on the shoreline.  The tree has what I call character as it bends and curves and stretches this way and that.  It is in this season of rest that I notice a beauty that is usually concealed by a bushy looking growth through spring, summer, and fall.  It is in times of rest that the true beauty that God has put within us can be seen.  When the bushy growth of busyness, schedules, and keeping up appearances are all stripped away, we can rest fully in the simple beauty of God’s grace.  

It is in this season of rest that the tree actually highlights the beauty that lies beyond it.  The crystal clear water beyond the tree reflects the sun, clouds and trees surrounding the lake.  Aircraft vapor trails cross the blue sky and reflect off the water below.  It is when we are willing to step back and rest that the true beauty that lies beyond us can be seen.  As we rest in God’s grace, His love reflects off the crystal clear waters of our baptism and into our life to be seen by the people around us.  When we stand in rest, we draw the attention of people to the true beauty of God that we draw our rest from.

I pray that you and I would see beauty in the rest God calls us to.  I pray that our times of rest would be useful tools in helping people see the beauty of God from which we draw our strength.  I pray that it is always God’s beauty that we seek to make known whether we are at rest or fully engaged in the work at hand.  

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2016: Page 72

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  I’m not sure if that is the exact quote, but you get the idea.  You won’t get anywhere until you begin.  Page 72 was a day that included a lot of steps — pretty much however you want to define step. 🙂  Saturdays can be difficult days for me to get started if  I don’t have things that absolutely need to be done.  While days of rest are good, and even necessary, at least for me they only really accomplish their purpose if they are intentional days of rest.  To simply not do anything because I haven’t planned on doing anything often makes me more weary because I know what needs done and I wasn’t even intentional about actually getting rest while I wasn’t doing anything meaningful.  For many of us, the most difficult step of the day can be getting out of bed and deciding that the day will have purpose.

With an event scheduled in the building during the day, I knew that I would be here at the church late tonight finishing up cleaning and prep for Sunday.  Not only that, but somewhere between page 72 and page 73 an entire hour will come up missing!  So, knowing those things, I wanted the day to be low-key and relaxing whether it ended up being restful or not.  In the morning I spent time on the computer catching up on messages and organizing photos I had taken throughout the week.  I took a break from that to get the wood pellet grill out and got it going to see what I could do with a beef roast on it.  After about 8 hours on the low/smoke setting, I think it turned out pretty well.  Once that was going, my family and I went to pick up some groceries and then out for lunch.  MJ had a shower she was headed to in the afternoon, so Susan and I went to Potato Creek State Park where the day’s theme of “steps” really set in.  Our first stop was at the area where I often see the Bald Eagles, but no such luck this time so I got Susan’s wheelchair out and we hit the trails.  We ended up doing an almost 4 mile hike, which isn’t too bad for us if the terrain is not too wild.  We started on a trail we have done often but then connected it with a portion of trail I have hiked before, but never pushing a wheelchair.  I knew there was a section with a lot of wooden steps  to get you through a major elevation change, but I had forgotten how much elevation change takes place on the trail in addition to those steps.  I had planned it so we would be coming down the actual steps, but that really didn’t matter as I was pushing the chair up steep  hills and holding it back as we came down the other side.  We made it to the steps which overlook a swamp/wetland area and was able to sit and rest while enjoying the sounds of nature with a variety of birds and frogs joining together for a beautiful symphony.  This was at about the mid-way point and the trail back to the truck from there was more gentle in its terrain.

When I got back home, and as I’ve worked at cleaning tonight, I thought about steps.  I thought of the Proverb that says that we may plan our course but it is the Lord that directs our steps.  I’m afraid that often we lose sight of the fact that God wants to be involved in the details of our daily walk.  Even as Christians, we often think of God directing the “big picture” as we journey this earth toward heaven but we act like the choice of each step ought to be ours.  Yet God wants it to be the other way around!  We get to choose the “big picture” course when we decide if we will walk the path that leads to eternal life or the path that leads to destruction.  When we decide the course of our life is to walk with God, then our steps are to be ordered according to His Word, not according to our flesh.  It is only through complete surrender and submission to Christ that we can hope to attain to the goal of eternal life that we desire.  The individual steps are important because the more steps we take on our own, the further we find ourselves from where the steps directed by God would have taken us.  When I am out hiking, I set the course based on where I want to go and what I want to see but I find the hike is more enjoyable, and direct, if I allow the park map to direct my steps.

I pray that you and I would choose the only course that leads to eternal life.  I pray that we would accept that the only way to stay on that course is to follow the directions God has for our daily steps.  I pray that we would constantly keep the course objective in mind as we walk each day so that it would be obvious when we misstep or find ourselves on a path that leads somewhere else.  I pray that a conscious decision to allow God to direct our steps would fill us with confidence and hope, especially when the steps seem difficult and unending.

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