Tom’s Book of 2016

by

2016: Page 71

As I write this seventy-first page of this year of my life, I’m reflecting on the day as I sit in my office at work.  It’s a Friday, so I expected a long day when I got up and it has not disappointed me in that regard.  The day started early with some building cleaning and prep work interrupted by an incredible sunrise that begged to be photographed.  Knowing it would be a long day, my plan was to head out for some time with God in the morning — perhaps even getting my kayak out for the first time this year.  As I wrapped up the work that needed done before that could happen, I got a call that a service man was on his way to work on a heating system issue I’ve been dealing with.  Resolving this issue will be a good thing so I set aside my idea for the morning and worked with the heating system and also on some writing and other tasks.

When I could finally get away from the building, I turned my planned morning alone with God into some family time as we grabbed a late lunch then took a nearly 3 mile walk along the river in Mishawaka.  When we finished our walk, I came back to the church to see what weekend cleaning I could start.  The building was still crawling with people and the sun was shining brightly and calling my name so I sent a message to MJ that I would clean later in the evening and was going to head down to Potato Creek in the meantime.  That sounded like a good plan to her so we extended our family time with another nearly 3 mile walk on the trails of the park.  As we were about to leave, an eagle came gliding in and settled in a nearby tree.  This called for a slight delay in our departure as we took some photos and a brief video clip of the eagle.  After dropping the family off at home, I returned to work to get at least half the building cleaned for the weekend.

As I cleaned and thought about the day, the picture I’ve attached to this post came to mind.  I took the photo this afternoon because I loved the reflection of the trees in the water.  As I considered the clarity of the reflection, I thought about days I have been at this same spot and the reflection wasn’t clear — or wasn’t even noticeable.  The accuracy of the reflection depends on the stillness of the water.  But it’s not just the trees I am talking about.  When God calls for us to “be still and know that He is God”, He calls us to a place of internal quietness where we can accurately reflect Him.  As a Christian, it is my responsibility to represent, and reflect, Jesus to a world that needs Him but won’t find Him until they see and hear Him in me.  If I could edit this picture and make the reflection in the water be something completely different from what is on land, everyone would know the photo wasn’t real — it would be seen as a fake.  Yet how often does our life reflect something that is completely different from the One we claim lives within us?  How often does the world look at the picture we present of God through our life and conclude there is something not right with what they are seeing?  Sometimes the problem with the picture is we’re living for self and not for God.  Those watching us see an accurate reflection, but it is a reflection of us and not of God.  Other times we are living for God but the reflection is distorted because we fail to be still and allow Him to be seen.

I pray that you and I would accurately reflect  God’s presence in us as we daily seek to be still before Him.  I pray that we would encourage one another to find ways to live life with a stillness that the world constantly tries to destroy.  I pray that our pursuit of God would be done in a way that helps others to see Him reflected in us.

DSC_0935

by

2016: Page 70

Earthdate: 20160310 — These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

Some pages of life are more difficult than others to stand tall and faithfully represent true freedom that is found in Christ.  We want freedom, but we’re not so sure we want others to have it — at least that’s the way we act.  Today began with the usual work of cleaning and building prep before spending some time catching up on missions correspondence and re-doing the Impact Prayer Ministry bulletin board at church.  As I worked on writing another week’s worth of daily devotions for the current series I am working on, I realized I was tired.  Not a sleepy-lack-of-sleep kind of tired, but a weariness of wondering about the paradox of humanity.  It was probably fitting that the focus of the daily devotions I worked at writing today was on serving with faith.

As I observe leadership at all levels including church, business, ministry, and political, I’ve reached the conclusion that despite all the anti-bullying rhetoric that is promoted in our culture, we actually like bullies as long as we’re not the one being bullied.  We use different words because we’ve made bully sound as bad as it is, but we like the take charge do whatever it takes to succeed attitude to exist in those who lead.  We want results and we’ve bought into the lie that it doesn’t matter how we get them.  We turn a blind eye to the strong-arm tactics of those who lead because we like what they offer.  By the time we realize that we too are being strong-armed, it’s too late and no one is left to object.  

This isn’t a new problem by any stretch of the imagination.  The crowds in the days of Jesus wanted to make Him king by force — not because they valued His humility and service, but because they believed He had the power to give them food, or freedom from Rome, or whatever else their minds could imagine.  If Jesus would just use His power and ability for their good.  If He would just be the ultimate bully and force submission of all the enemies of the Jewish people then the crowds would have continued to hail Him.  Instead, their shouts of “hosanna” turned to screams of “crucify Him” in just a few short days.  The crowds wanted a “bully” who would be on their side but Jesus wanted disciples who would be on His side.  In spite of the intense pressure to do otherwise, Jesus remained steadfast in His determination to “humble himself and become obedient to death — even death on a cross”.  

There are no easy answers, but the choices haven’t changed in over 2000 years.  Do we seek someone to be our “bully champion” who will get us everything we want, or do we seek a path of humble submission that calls us to serve even those we consider least?  I pray that you and I would reject the temptations to exalt those who lead by force of any kind.  I pray that we would oppose all forms of intimidation and bullying even when they are done in ways that benefit us.  I pray that we would repent of the “bullying” we have done to get our way — especially when we’ve cloaked it in the guise of doing “God’s will”.  I pray that we would not only live in the true freedom we have in Christ, but that we would not restrict the freedom in Christ that others also have.  May we truly live to serve one another in ways that consider their needs above our own.

DSCN8118

by

2016: Page 69

With yesterday’s temperature reaching 70 degrees and warm weather in the forecast, I slept in a little this morning since there was essentially no chance of needing to clear snow from the walks. 🙂  The winter weather and schedule seems to have caught up with me so the extra hour of sleep was helpful.  After getting the building cleaned for the day, I responded to phone and email messages that came in after work hours yesterday.  As I worked on that, word came that the school was having printer issues on the network.  Much of the rest of the morning was spent working on computer, printer, and network issues as they seemed to have problems communicating with each other.

The troubles seemed intent on confounding me so I went to the beginning point of the network and worked through each trouble spot in order.  By the time I got to the end where most of the problems had presented themselves, I had everything working as it should.  While my need to “have all of my ducks in a row” has frustrated people around me at times, it is an ability to see and follow a pattern that helps me figure out and resolve problems when faced with a troubleshooting situation.  God says He is not a God of chaos but a God of order.  Watching the complexities of nature continually convinces me that everything has a designer and its designer is a creative God that works in order and patterns.

Once those issues were resolved, I spent some time working at updating an Impact Prayer Ministry display with current information and needs.  This was a good task for me as it not only needed done, but it caused me to spend time reflecting on how God has worked in and through the ministry to this point.  Times of reflection are good as long as they are used in a way that reveals God’s working and presence in all things good.  When our work is done in the power and strength of God’s Spirit, it is God that should be seen clearly in any reflection of our work.  If God is not seen in our reflection, we have a serious problem with the way our life looks to the people around us.

Eventually I realized I had once again worked through lunch and needed to call it a day as far as work was concerned.  One of the hardest things for me to do is to leave a project for later when I feel I could finish before the day is over if I just keep going.  While that may be good for short term productivity, it causes more problems than is often imagined.  I had been at work long enough for one day.  It was time to practice the discipline of balance and head out to spend time with God and the evening at home with my family.  Balance is a difficult discipline to live because we daily face so many expectations that many of us are wired to try to meet.  True balance in life is found when God is first in all things and He sets the schedule and agenda for everything we do.

As I left work for the day I stopped and grabbed a sandwich to eat on my way to Potato Creek State Park where I could do some hiking as I spent time with God.  I took a variety of photos during my hike and when I returned to my truck an eagle was perched in a nearby tree.  I was able to take several photos of it before it took flight and soared off into the distance.  When I got home and went through my photos from my hike, the one I attached to this post stood out as a picture of the lessons of the day.  God had lined up these turtles with order and a beautiful symmetry.  The still water created a beautiful reflection that exposed a greater creativity of the One who made them.  As they basked in what little sun was present, they continued to maintain perfect balance on this rounded log.

I pray that you and I live life recognizing that perfect order, reflection, and balance comes from God.  I pray that we would seek God and allow Him to bring order to the chaos that life throws at us.  I pray that we would gaze intently into the perfect law of God’s Word and see His reflection in our life.  I pray that we would live with the balance that comes from doing all things in submission to the authority of God.

DSCN8097

by

2016: Page 68

It seems like some life pages have a theme woven through them.  Other pages appear to be a random collection of events — at least until you can look back on the entire story.  The practice of writing out a page for each day has at times helped me to see the bigger picture of the story.  Today’s page had its usual work tasks along with a variety of surprises.  Not bad surprises which sometimes have a way of showing up, but just unexpected things that kept me from setting cruise control for the day.  

These are usually productive surprises because they require I stay focused and pay attention rather than go through the day on automatic pilot.  After the morning cleaning and building prep, I had some good ministry discussions that had not been planned by anyone but God.  As the day went along, I continued work on the next week’s worth of daily devotions for the series I am writing.  Each devotion that I worked on focused on a different aspect of how God wants us to serve with excellence.  As I wrote questions and devotional thoughts for each day, I thought about how easy it is to coast, even as we serve, if we are not focused on serving in all ways with excellence as if we are serving God Himself — because we are!

Following a late afternoon dentist appointment I headed to the river with my family for a 3 mile walk along the beautiful riverwalk path in Mishawaka, Indiana.  In keeping with the “hidden” theme of the day, my eye and then my camera would notice things that the crowds appeared to be walking right by with no idea of what was near.  The beauty of some early crocus breaking through the ground with a vibrant yellow blossom about to open.  A dove quietly perched in a tree.  A raccoon peering out from a hollowed area of a tree.  All were reminders of God’s creativity and the beauty He surrounds us with daily if we were to pay attention.  

As I reflect on the day, I realize once again that nothing catches God by surprise.  I may experience surprises that are both good and bad, but He already knows how they can be used to benefit the kingdom and my growth.  The pleasant surprised remind me of God’s love and how He wants to bless my life in ways that allow Him to be seen more clearly.  The unpleasant surprises are reminders of God’s care as He continually carries me through the heartaches and disappointments in ways that all Him to be seen more clearly.  Either way, His goal and purpose is for me to live in such a way that people will see my good works and glorify my Father who is in heaven.  The surprises make me look to Him when my focus begins to drift away from the One who calls me to Himself as His child.

I pray that you and I pay attention to the surprises of life regardless of whether they are of a nature we like.  I pray that we would turn to God in the midst of life’s surprises so that He is seen in the way we live through them.  I pray that we would pay more attention to the lessons God desires for us to learn each day.

 

by

2016: Page 67

Page 67 is a Monday so it was up early and in to work to clean and get the building ready to start the school week.  As I went about my early morning work, I could once again hear the cardinals singing outside in the darkness.  As I took the trash out, the eastern tree line was beginning to light up with the waking of the sun.  Back inside I went to grab my camera to record some of the morning beauty in both still photos and a couple videos that would also capture the sounds of the early morning birds.

By the time I got around to spending time with God in putting together the prayer guide for next week, I think the singing birds were still in my mind as I went with the topic of “Sing a New Song”.  As I spent time with God and His Word, I was reminded of just how much music was involved in the daily worship of God.  I fear many Christians view the songs they sing in a church service as being worship and all other music they sing and listen to outside of a church setting is entertainment and has nothing to do with God or worship.  I believe that a Biblical approach is to live life in such a way that all we do, whether musically or not, is presented to God as our life of worship.  As I watched the sunrise and heard the birds singing, it was easy for me to imagine a song of worship being presented before God.  I wondered, though, if the birds were observing me as I watched the sunrise would they imagine what I was doing being worship presented to God?

What if you and I would see our life as a song?  What genre would it be classified as?  Would it be approved for all audiences or would we find a label attached warning that we were for “mature” audiences only?   Would it be easy to classify or filled with such extremes that no one would be real sure what we stood for?  Would we be pleased to offer the entire “song” to God as worship or would we attempt to hide part of it from Him?  When we sing a new song, we sing a song of consistency that communicates the message of Christ no matter what we are doing.  When we lose consistency, our message becomes confusing.  James asks, “Can fresh water and salt water come from the same spring?”.  The implied answer is, “Of course not!”  His desire is that we would recognize that cursing and praise have no place in coming from the same mouth . . . or the same social media account.

I pray that you and I would recognize God’s beauty and presence throughout each day as you learn to sing a new song that give praise to Him at all times.  I pray that we would speak, write, post, and live with a consistency that leaves no doubt about Who is center to our life to those listening and watching.  I pray that we would examine the details of the song of our life and seek to make every note of it be praise of the God we serve.

DSCN8009

by

2016: Page 66

The weather reports were calling for a warm sunny day, so a trip to the beach sounded like a good plan following the morning worship service I was preaching at.  So it was up early and out the door with my family as we headed to the North Wayne Mennonite Church where I shared the morning message from Philippians 1.  They are a great group of people and I enjoy sharing with them on the first Sunday of each month.  By the time the church service was over, it had warmed up a little but the sun was still hidden behind overcast skies.  As we left the church property, I decided we may as well head to the lake for a trip to several lighthouses that we hadn’t yet seen.  

Even though the anticipated warm sunny day remained a cold cloudy day, we enjoyed a day along the lakeshore at three lighthouse locations that we hadn’t visited before.  Our northern most lighthouse on this trip was the White River Light Station in Whitehall, Michigan.  From there we worked our way back home with stops at Muskegon and Grand Haven to fill in the gap in our lighthouse visits as these three locations completed visits to all of the Lake Michigan lighthouses from Michigan City, Indiana northward to Ludington, Michigan.  We also made a quick return stop on the way home to the South Haven lighthouse to catch the setting sun.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed visiting lighthouses.  I’m not sure what it is about them that first drew my attention — particularly since I grew up afraid of heights and my first memory of visiting a lighthouse is being at Key Biscayne, Florida where we climbed to the top of the lighthouse.  I suppose the view from the top helps draw me in.  But I am also fascinated by the stories of light keepers from long ago.  From the time before automation and electricity made the function of the lighthouse much easier.  I think about the men and women who were committed to a task of keeping the light burning solely for the benefit of those on the open water who may be lost or at least in need of some direction.  

It makes me think of the statement of Jesus about those of us who would follow Him.  It is easy for me to think of Jesus being the light of the world, but He proclaims that “You are the light of the world!”  There are times that I’m not too sure I want so much responsibility and pressure in life.  I want to be able to say, “Don’t look at me.  I just work here.”  Yet as Christians, you and I are called to live a life where we can say with the apostle Paul, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”  While being the light of the world where you are may sound like a difficult or even impossible task, Jesus went on to tell us how it can be done.  It is done when we “let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.”  We are the light of Jesus to the world when we do good to one another in such a way that it brings glory to God.  And we do it for the same reason the light keepers of long ago kept at it no matter what — there are people all around us who are out on the open waters of life that are lost and/or in need of direction home.

I pray that you and I are faithful light keepers as we seek to let Jesus shine through us at all times.  I pray that we recognize the great need for a clear light to shine so those who are lost and in need of direction can find their way.  I pray that as we shine forth the light of Jesus that we would always keep our eyes fixed on Him as the author and perfecter of our faith. 

DSCN7980.jpg

by

2016: Page 65

Earthdate: 20160305 — These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

Another day of life is drawing to a close so it is time to reflect on what this page contains.  There was a light dusting of fresh snow overnight but being a Saturday there was no need to do anything with it.  It doesn’t seem to make much difference if I set an alarm or not, I find myself waking up at my usual workday time even on weekends.  I did manage to stay in bed until almost 8 before getting up to start the day.  While the snow had stopped, it was still an overcast, drizzly, damp day.  With all of the walking and hiking I do, my shoes were falling apart so a trip to Bass Pro Shops seemed like a good plan.  We found hiking/walking boots for both MJ and I and a shirt for Susan so it was a good trip for the entire family.  

After leaving the store, we made a quick stop at the nearby park on the Lake Michigan shore.  The wind coming off the lake was cold and damp but I braved it long enough to take a few pictures.  From there we headed to the Michigan City outlet mall where we each found some things that we were in need of — or at least some things that each of us could put to good use.  Being that close to the lake, we made another stop along the waterfront to photograph the lighthouse and scenery.  The water and sky both had a grumpy, unsettled look to them but it was fun to watch the gulls ride the wind.  While walking along the lake, there were signs warning people to not walk on the shelf ice that has built up along the waterfront.  My first introduction to shelf ice was many years ago at the Indiana Dunes State Park where signs warned to stay off the shelf ice because “unsafe death” could occur.

As I saw the shelf ice signs again today, I remembered my first reaction that wondered what the state would consider “safe” death.  It became a running joke that anything with an element of danger to it could result in unsafe death.  As these new signs took my mind back to my first reaction, I had to admit my first conclusion was wrong — not all death is “unsafe death”.  For death to be “safe” or “unsafe” has nothing specifically to do with the cause of death, rather it is all about what happens after death.  God says that the death of a saint is precious in His sight.  Not because the process of death is precious, rather because as Paul put it, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”  

I saw a billboard this week that stated something to the effect that the fear of death is a good reason to quit smoking.  While I believe their point is that smoking has a tendency to lead to a shorter life span than what those who don’t smoke have, my first reaction was that I thought the percentage of smokers who die is pretty much the same as the percentage of non-smokers who die.  There are many benefits to be had when someone quits smoking, but not dying is not one of those benefits.  When sin entered the world, death entered as well.  Unless we are alive when Jesus returns, we will not avoid death.  But to get back to where this page was headed, we do have a choice about whether our death will be “safe” or not.  The only “safety” to be found in death is to be in Christ in this life so that we are with Christ when our life continues into eternity.

I pray that you and I would be found in Christ each day that we live so that when our time comes to leave this earth we would be found safe in Him.  I pray that we would be effective ambassadors as we share the good news of the kingdom we belong to and represent.  

DSC_0544

by

2016: Page 64

Winter took its time in arriving but now it seems like it just doesn’t want to let go.  With light snow overnight again, it was in to work early to make sure the sidewalks were in good shape for the day.  While the temperature dropping into the teens made for a chilly start to the outside work, the cardinals were awake early and the sound of their morning song added to the beauty of the crisp snow-covered ground.  While it was still too dark to see them, their songs filled the air.  

After the early morning inside and outside work was completed, my IT hat was needed for a short time as a class was having trouble connecting to the internet.  Eventually I was able to settle in with my writing hat and continue work on the “Devotions For Those Who Serve” series.  By mid-afternoon I had another week of devotions written and needed a break so I headed down to Potato Creek once again to take a couple mile hike before returning to work to clean the building for the weekend.  The hike was peaceful and before returning to my truck I started down to the lake to see if any of the eagles were nearby.  On my way there, I could hear the sound of something nearby.  After tracking the sound, I discovered a squirrel happily munching on a walnut with no apparent concern that I was watching it.  As I’m snapping some photos of it, out of the corner of my eye I see one of the eagles take off from a nearby tree and head into the distance.  While I missed this opportunity to photograph the eagle again, I did get some close-ups of the squirrel.  It made me start to think about how I decide if something is a distraction or simply a re-direction.

I eventually made it back to work and as I cleaned the building slowly cleared out and I finished my workday cleaning and praying in the peaceful quietness of an empty building.  This gave me time to reflect on the day and on the lessons God has been trying to teach me.  Sometimes I get so busy with the tasks at hand that it is easy to miss the beauty that God surrounds me with.  The sounds of the early morning cardinals were just the beginning of their presence throughout my day.  As I worked, they would perch outside my window and sing their songs that filled the air with joy.  Not only is it important that I pay attention to the beauty of God’s presence, I also need to keep focused on Him.  It is easy to get so focused on what I want that God’s attempts to redirect me into His will can seem like an unwanted distraction.  On the other hand, the things that I allow to redirect me could actually be distractions to keep me from pursuing God’s best for my life.  The only real way to know is to constantly seek God and listen for His voice as the voice of my Shepherd that I recognize because it is familiar and filled with love for me.

I pray that you and I would always be mindful of the beauty of God’s presence that He continually reveals to us.  I pray that we would spend so much time with God through prayer and His Word that we would know the difference between the distractions of the enemy and the redirection of God.